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Chapter 59: Don't hold back
"Why what?" Derrick snapped, subtle hostility leaking from him.
Severin watched him, raising his eyes to meet his until Derrick looked away. "Why are you trying to be disloyal now? Don't you have the power you want? And with time, you will grow."
Severin's voice grew soft and a little warm, as if he was begging him to reconsider.
Derrick shrugged and turned his head towards him. "Why? Maybe because of you! You! You're using me, you're acting like you're some kind of boss, and then you go ahead and don't do anything yourself, always using people to do what you want."
He was breathing hard now, red energy crawled over his body, warping all around him like living smoke. His hand on the chair tightened, and with a snap, he shattered the back.
His eyes flashed, and he moved toward Severin. "You are a weak person, Severin. Everything you do reeks of weakness, and yet..."
He couldn't finish his words. He turned away and kicked the chair on the ground so hard that it flew against the wall and fell into splinters.
Just then, the halo above his head flickered, the light weakened, and the red energy on his body seemed to dull.
Severin sighed mentally.
But outside, his face was a perfect mask.
His expression changed, warping and twisting into one filled with cruelty and hate. "You fucking dog."
Derrick snapped around, and his face registered shock. "What?"
"You are a fucking dog, Derrick. That's what you are, a worthless shit that I picked up from the roadside. One that should be dead with the rest of Class Five."
Derrick's face flushed with anger, his eyes bulging, and he spluttered. "You...you are nothing but a...an artifact! A thing that's just there to give others power!"
Severin smiled, his eyes narrowed, and the hate in his eyes sharpened and joined the bloodlust that started to leak from his body.
His countless deaths had created something that only a veteran of war who had faced countless deaths could have. It filled the room, almost a physical pressure.
Derrick took a step back, and doubt flickered in his eyes. What the hell? Has Severin always been this terrifying?
Severin stood from his seat, slowly and calmly.
'...Derrick, who was the strongest of the weakest, was a bully through and through... In all his life, he'd always been the top dog of shitty Etherion users... but still, top dog... now that I've given him power, he's trying to spread his wings and become what he was before... a bigger bully...'
'...I know what to do now... I don't need to cut his wings... I need to rip them out...'
Suddenly, the bloodlust that was floating around was cut short.
Severin looked at him. "How about this? We fight here, me and you. No tricks, just a straight-out fight."
Derrick hesitated, surprised. He knew Severin, he's like a snake; he must have something planned.
But.
At the same time,
An opportunity just opened in front of him.
A fight between the two of them with none of them pulling tricks? Then he was sure of his win. And he could even go some steps further and get more out of it.
"A fight between us? But I'm already stronger than you even without your power on me. And lately, your powers have been getting weaker and harder to use."
'...that's simply because you are a disloyal bastard...'
"Or do you think your defeat of Serena was something grand? You had to rely on your tricks again, using some kind of chemicals and...."
"Enough, Derrick. What do you want?"
"A bet. When I win, I want you to continue to use your power on me, and you will be the one to serve me! This way, I won't ever lose my growth."
Derrick said it with such conviction that the halo on his head strengthened.
Severin knew it then. His confirmation that people could be loyal to him and still treat him like absolute shit.
He maneuvered away from his place and walked toward him, his sword still by his side. He briefly considered killing him.
That's one thing that surprised Severin. If he didn't still have use for Derrick's power, then wouldn't he be dead?
'...I could have sent Ethan to kill him... or found ways to get rid of him... he truly is a guy without much thinking... but his power is pretty handy... raw strength...'
"Sure." Severin accepted with a nod. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Derrick blinked and immediately became suspicious. "Just like that? Are you going to pull any tricks?"
Severin shook his head as he led the way outside, his face as calm as a lake once again. "I will only fight you with everything I have."
The land of the House of Chains was large, so large that almost all of it was undeveloped. They had all the space they needed to fight.
"Before we fight, I need to tell you something, Derrick. I'm now an E-rank."
Derrick blinked slowly. "Are you saying this so that you can get out of the fight?"
Ethan called up his status window, and with a will, he projected the broken system for him to see.
Derrick stiffened, surprise making his body lock up, and he took an instinctive step back. Making your Talent Ability Rank up is a big deal, a very big deal.
It doesn't happen often, and it doesn't happen to those who are already worthless trash because the lower you are, the tougher it is to rank up.
But he did it, and did it as if it wasn't a big deal.
Severin ranked up from F to E.
Just what... is this guy?
A flicker of doubt once again appeared in Derrick's eyes. "So, you want us to fight rank to rank?"
Severin shook his head. "There was a deal between us, wasn't there? I give you power, and you will serve. As of this moment, you are still serving me, and so the power I give you is still part of your power."
"And you're not going to just change your mind and drop it in the middle of the fight?"
Severin nodded firmly. "I won't. And a word of advice, Derrick? Don't try to hold back."