Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 534: The Final Showdown [Part 2]

As much as Vanaac didn’t want to change his vessel, the current situation left him with no other choice.

Once Alex and Fran died, the barrier would disappear. It went without saying that he’d next contend with the Elves, who would definitely kill him without a second thought.

To avoid that scenario, he made up his mind to possess Alex’s body and infiltrate the human kingdoms.

The Gaia Rings also captured his interest, for it enabled the two pesky insects to survive so long inside the Shadow Forest.

It didn’t matter even if he had to wait for several years to regain his full strength. His patience could endure that much, and his new vessel was still young.

Besides, he had plenty of time to look for his next host. Once a suitable one appeared, he could simply switch and prolong his life.

”Surrender and offer your body to me willingly,” Vanaac said calmly as he walked toward Alex’s soul, bound by his chains. ”Consider it as the greatest honor of your life.”

Alex struggled to break free, but it was of no use.

Just as Vanaac’s hand neared his chest, a radiant light appeared on top of it, forcing the Demon Lord to withdraw.

”I won’t let you have your way!” Fran had also appeared inside Alex’s Sea of Consciousness.

The Gaia Rings were connected to each other, helping her realize the teenage boy’s current situation.

”Alex, listen to me!” Fran said in a solemn tone. ”This is your Sea of Consciousness. In other words, this is your own territory. The Demon Lord might be strong, but inside this world, you are stronger.

”He can only overpower you because of his better mastery in mental and soul battles. As long as you believe in yourself, this world will manifest its strength to bend to your will! You must believe in yours—ack!”

Fran was about to say more, but a red beam hit her back, sending her flying in the opposite direction.

”Fran!” Alex shouted after seeing his dear friend get hit by a soul attack.

”I-I’m fine,” Fran replied as she tried to prop herself up from the ground, only to fail miserably.

She had expended a lot of soul power to push the Demon Lord away from Alex. Not to mention, the urgency of the matter made her rush into his Sea of Consciousness without sufficient preparation.

Because of the Demon Lord’s attack, her soul had been injured, and her Astral Body wouldn’t be able to move anytime soon.

”Damn you!” Alex roared in anger, seeing Fran not as fine as she claimed to be.

Out of pure desire to protect her, he broke through the shackles binding his body, and it shattered like brittle glass.

Seeing the young man’s resolve and determination grow by leaps and bounds, the Demon Lord decided to erase the teenage boy’s soul before he could fully unlock his potential!

”Crimson Annihilation!” the Demon Lord swung his cursed blade. ”Die!”

Alex nimbly stepped to the side, letting the attack pass him harmlessly.

He might not be a strong, exceptional warrior like his party members, but one of his strengths was his belief in them.

He took Fran’s words wholeheartedly, so he imagined his Sea of Consciousness as some kind of Domain that gave him a great advantage.

In this territory, he was strong, he was powerful, he was God!

”Hellfire Nova!” Vanaac roared and unleashed hellish flames that expanded outward. He decided to muster and pour all of his strength into this attack, wiping everything inside Alex’s Sea of Consciousness.

Although he risked damaging it beyond repair, he still decided to push through, knowing that if he didn’t do so, he would lose his chance to win.

As the hellish flames spread like wildfire, Vanaac believed victory was his.

Just as he was about to celebrate, the flames dispersed completely, and Alex’s charging form appeared in front of his eyes.

”Oh world that bore me, answer my will!” Alex pulled back his right hand, and the Gaia Ring shone like the sun.

”Gaia Impact!”

”Two can play that game!” Vanaac roared as he released a punch as well, targeting Alex’s fist that made him feel fearful. ”Crimson Burst Nova!”

Alex’s and Vanaac’s fists collided, resulting in a powerful shockwave that expanded outward.

Crimson and Golden Flames clashed fiercely against each other, neither backing down in the slightest.

Vanaac felt as if an entire mountain was crushing him with its weight, while Alex felt as if the very flames of hell were trying to burn him alive.

Both understood that this exchange was something they couldn’t afford to lose.

Losing would mean their soul seriously getting injured, or worse, ceasing to exist completely.

Their roars magnified as they put everything on the line for their final strike, which seemed evenly matched from a distance.

’N-No, I’m losing!’ Alex could feel that in the span of a few seconds, the crimson flames would turn him to ashes.

He was putting everything on the line, but the Demon Lord’s lifeforce and soulpower were many times stronger than his.

Matching Vanaac was only possible because the battlefield was his own Sea of Consciousness.

If the situation had been reversed, he wouldn’t even last a minute against his enemy.

”Don’t worry. You’re not alone.”

A voice filled with determination reached Alex’s ears.

He then saw Fran place her hands on his fist, allowing the Gaia Rings to resonate with each other.

This made Alex’s waning golden flames blaze brighter than ever, to the point of being blinding.

”Now, Alex!” Fran shouted, merging herself with Alex’s fist, allowing him to create a miracle that might never be replicated again.

”Gaia Breaker!” Alex poured every ounce of his soul power in this final attack, breaking past the hellish flames that he thought was impossible to defeat.

His fist then collided with Vanaac’s face, hitting him right at his nose with a force of The World!

A blinding light covered the entirety of his Sea of Consciousness, and then...

There was no then.

A booming explosion rocked the entire world, until all sounds ceased to exist.

A moment later, the teenage boy collapsed and turned into particles of light.

———

A/N: I may need to take a two to three days break from writing (break from using the PC and touch grass), or I might just write one Chapter a day depending on my condition. Frankly, my chest is too tight as if I’m about to have a heart attack.

That’s why I apologize in advance, but if I’m feeling better tomorrow, or the day after, I’ll at least try to write a Chapter for you guys.