“Haa…”

Kuzon heaved a sigh of both relief and mild excitement as he glanced at both his limbs, realizing that his plan of coating them in an extra dense layer of Aether was working well to his advantage.

Not only could he manage to take on two Legrises at once, but if he played his card right, he could even have the upper hand.

‘I’m faster than Legris is, and if we consider our abilities, I’m a step above him.’

The major challenge was his problematic ability.

‘But now that I can bypass it, I have to capitalize on my superior skills and go all-in for close-quarters combat.’

Of course, Kuzon wasn’t much of an expert on Martial Arts, but he was more than skilled enough to hold his own in a direct battle.

‘I know I should be worrying about my own battle, but…’ Kuzon’s thoughts trailed as he glanced behind him, noticing the battle occurring a far distance from him.

The fight between Legris and Edward.

‘… I wonder how he’s faring.’

Kuzon knew it was hubris to take his focus from an enemy that had cost him two limbs, so he swiftly returned his focus to the two recoiling Legrises before him.

‘Just because I’ve found an avenue for attack doesn’t mean I should get any less careful.’

He had been slowly recovering his Aether, so Kuzon reckoned he had enough to handle a proper fistfight.

‘Let’s do this!’ Narrowing his eyes and strengthening his body with Aether, he launched himself towards Legris, generating shockwaves in his wake.

‘I trust you, Edward!’

*******

“Haa… haa…”

Three versions of Legris were heaving heavily as they stared at an indomitable figure who stood before them.

This man, with long white hair and bushy beards, was none other than Edward Karl Leon, and despite having no armor or piece of clothing save for his tight shorts, he felt imposingly taller than all three Legrises combined.

Right now, he was merely standing still, staring coldly at them with his azure and amber eyes, energy climbing from his perfect body.

The air around him seemed to undulate, and a certain pressure filled his immediate vicinity, preventing any of the three Legrises from venturing in—at least, not without expecting the consequences that would follow.

Edward had a glowing blade on his hand, and the power that emanated from it seemed to radiate nothing but sheer force.

“Come on, you three…” His voice resounded like thunder, and the Legrises who watched him maintained their distance, glares fixated on him.

Their number was initially two, but after being overwhelmed by Edward, one more member was necessary. Even with three of them, the chances of victory did not seem to increase in the slightest.

No, with Edward currently in Martial State, it seemed to have shrunk even more.

“… Try me.”

The trio glanced at each other and nodded, determination sparking in their eyes. Sure, Edward had them far outclassed in terms of power, but he was still limited by his current form and senses.

They were three in number, so if they coordinated their attacks well, it would eventually lead to his ruin.

Once the Legrises understood this, two of them vanished from their position, leaving one standing there. The remaining two took on different positions at behind Edward, one at his right flank, and the other at his left.

Legris was utilizing the triangle formation, and Edward was stuck in the middle. By attacking him all at once, with their most potent attacks, surely they would be able to bring down the monolith that was this young man.

“Haha! That’s more like it!” Edward yelled, tightly gripping his blade as he awaited their combined assault.

~WHOOOOOOOSHHH!!!~

The world shook as the three versions of Legris began their attack in threefold. The darkness surrounding them increased in might, and their rush towards Edward ate up all the Aether that surrounded him.

They would have taken the chance to devour any of the external Aether he was supposed to leak out in the Martial State, but none of that was present.

All the Aether was being held in by Edward, everything flowing within his body and through his veins.

The result was not only a vast increase in the power behind every blow given, but a sheer resistance to the darkness that tried to eat through his body.

~BOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!~

The first noise that reverberated in the vast world was Edward’s leg crushing the skull of one of the Legrises. 𝑂𝑣𝐋xt.𝗰𝑜𝐦

It was a merciless stomp that instantly shattered the head of his adversary, killing it instantly, like a weakened animal.

~CRUNCH!~

With one Legris down for the count, the other two were next… and they were already too close to Edward to pull back now.

Would he use his sword to cut them down? Thinking logically about it, a blade had better reach, and it was also a better way to fight Legris, who could use his dark powers to corrupt Edward if he got too close.

However…

“You aren’t worthy… to be cut down by this blade.”

This whisper from Edward was followed by the disappearance of his blade, and the formation of his two unoccupied hands into fists.

~WHOOOSSSSHHH!!!~

In two consecutive thrusts, Edward extended his fist to pummel Legris’ face.

~BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!~

The shockwaves that sparked from the impact were enough to silence the sounds of bones being crushed, but that did not in any way reduce the severity of the attack.

Both of the Legrises, though still alive, had disfigured faces thanks to Edward’s attempt at a bloody makeover. Their jaws were now loose, broken thanks to the fist salad they had just gotten from their adversary.

Black blood decorated their face, and their mashed-up flesh felt like a disgusting vat of swirling pudding.

In simple terms, they were in a state where they should have wished they were killed off easily.

Before any of them could react in pain or otherwise, Edward grabbed both of the Legrises by their throats, his grip an inescapable prison.

“Is this… all you have?”

*

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*

A

/N

Thank you all for reading!

I suppose Edward is actually Legris’ natural enemy thanks to his Martial Arts and application of Aether in his combat.

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