Rogue Villain-Chapter 263: Disappointment

Ackster’s Breath followed and deepened the path carved by Tararat’s Breath. But unlike Tararat’s, which left only destruction in its wake, plants, unbefitting of the Land of Dragon’s hostile earth, sprouted like weeds in spring.

The plants, flowers, and grasses didn’t just sprout. They continued to grow. They blossomed, flowered, seeded, and lived out their lives in an explosive burst before the Breath could even finish its journey.

The vitality in Ackster’s Breath overfilled each plant unlucky enough to be caught in the creation of its wake and exploded them with life force. Before a moment could pass, the plants were born, lived, and died in withering explosions of toxic amounts of life force.

Ackster wasn’t surprised as he watched the ashy remains of living plants in the path traversed by his Breath. It was as he had expected. He had gotten the theory from the same person who gave him the Sun God Token.

The announcer in charge of the Gladiatoreum had nightmares about immortality and being exploded by a strange power. Ackster could only guess his nightmares were about overdosing on vitality.

Since his vitality was his own, Ackster wasn’t scared of it. But the same amount he wasted with a single slash would be too much to bear for an ordinary person. At first, they would feel like they were at the top of the world and the peak of their health. Then, the vitality would either fade, and they would be left coming down from a terrible high, or the vitality would continue to grow until their bodies were unable to handle it.

Ackster watched his Breath pierce through the air like a rocket-sized laser toward Tararat. He wondered what Tararat would do.

Tararat’s mind, on the opposite side of Ackster’s Breath, was blank. He was stupefied by how Ackster had experienced one Breath before imitating it. In addition to that, he had also used his life force to do it. The amount of vitality necessary to create a Breath like the one he had done was unbelievable.

Tararat chanced a look at Ackster. He looked completely fine.

Ackster noticed Tararat’s look. His unnaturally good senses also picked up on the minute movements of the muscles in the dragonling’s legs. A look of disappointment flashed through Ackster’s eyes.

A moment later, illusory wings of mana sprouted from Tararat’s back, and he jumped away from the Breath’s path before hovering in the air.

Ackster’s Breath tunneled forward through the air, uncaring about missing its target. It left behind a trail of repeatedly blooming and dying plants as it continued toward the horizon.

"Welp."

Ackster shrugged. A Breath was only as good as its ability to hit its target. He wondered if Tararat knew or hoped he would take it head-on.

Ackster let the remaining injuries on his body heal before he gripped his sword again and started weaving his mana and life force together. The inspiration about structuring his mana made Ackster consider the possibility of turning his mana and life force into matching puzzle pieces.

While doing so, Ackster sprinted toward Tararat. He was still in the air, but it didn’t look like his flight abilities were anything to write home about since he was just hovering in place.

As he ran, Ackster unleashed slashes of mixed mana and life force toward Tararat, who managed to defend against them with his own mana blades.

Tararat initiated a slow but increasingly rapid descent while defending and simultaneously building a sphere of burning mana in his free hand. It wasn’t another Breath, probably because his mouth was still steaming, but it was powerful.

Tararat’s mini sun grew in size as he neared the ground and Ackster again. It twisted the air around it while floating further and further away from Tararat to accommodate for its size.

’Doesn’t he learn, or is he hoping it will be too large for the Token?’

Since Ackster had just swallowed the majority of Tararat’s Breath, he thought Tararat would pull out another card than fire from his sleeve.

’Maybe he can’t do anything else.’

Ackster had to consider the possibility that unlike Mara, who could toss out a variety of spells, Tararat was limited only to the fire element. It made sense. Tararat was more of a fighter and relied on his mana and the Dragon-Imitation Arts, which were clearly fire-based. His talent and the mana he had trained might also be too fiery to work with any other element, at least not to the degree he needed for it to be useful in fights.

Ackster couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment.

Tararat was already going all-out, or at least close to doing so. Ackster could make the fight more even by stowing away the Sun God Token, but missing out on an opportunity to charge it because he wanted a closer fight was stupid. But if he didn’t, Ackster didn’t see himself losing.

He still had his Will, Limit Breaker, a stuffed Smelting Furnace and a decently prepped Monster Muncher, loads of vitality, and regenerative skills to last him for days.

Ackster would need to take another Breath head-on for him to feel any danger. But even then, Unstoppable would keep him going until he recovered from his injuries.

’I should just finish this.’

Ackster looked up at the sun’s replica floating above Tararat. It was powerful. Ackster had to give him that. But it was only two chills jumping up and down his spine. It wasn’t as bad as the Breath.

’I’ll let him have this.’

Ackster still held the Sun God Token. But it seemed like Tararat’s hope would come true when the sun was already scorching the earth. The Token’s range was too short to absorb all the heat and fire released by the sun.

So, it didn’t really matter.

Ackster faced the sun while running his body with enough vitality to make his eyes and ears glow. Even if it wouldn’t come close enough to killing him, it would still train his Pyro Resistance, Iron Body, and Stubborn Well-Being skills. If he were lucky, it might even boost his Smelting Furnace. Ackster still wasn’t sure how to train that skill. But upping his body’s heat might do the trick.