Rogue Villain-Chapter 286: Stripped

Ackster’s arbitrary friendly fire and seemingly self-destructive behavior caused a lull in the battle as Trana stopped fighting for her life, and Mazar stopped trying to kill her.

Was this his goal? Was he trying to give Trana a moment’s respite by stunning and shocking Mazar into halting his actions?

"TELL ME!"

No, that wasn’t it. Why would Ackster yell at Trana like that if that were the case? It would just bring Mazar out of his stupor quicker, which it did.

Mazar raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ackster. But he dismissed any intentions of asking the human what he was doing since he could only imagine the string of curses and insults that would fly his way. Instead, he raised a foreleg to smash Ackster into a nearby mountain.

"Tell me where the dragons’ accumulated information and secrets are!"

Ackster pushed the broken trident deeper.

"If you don’t, I will kill you!"

’Ah.’

Trana realized what was going on, or rather what Ackster was doing. He was fortunate. It wouldn’t have worked if it weren’t for her Perfect Space being broken, having a mortal injury, and something that could actually threaten her life in her current state, such as the sharp rod of Heavenly Iron.

"I won’t tell you."

Trana’s injuries recovered at a rate visible to the naked eye. Her neck pushed Ackster’s broken trident out as the wound closed itself. Trana grew in size and strength as she pushed Mazar off herself.

Trana’s raw power increased to the point where the air around her was blurry, and just getting close to her made Ackster’s eyes, throat, nose, and skin sting. He hurried to retreat.

’Yes!’

Trana looked at Ackster with eyes that seemed to pierce right through him and could see the secrets of existence. Ackster’s soul trembled as he stood in front of her gaze. Ackster felt like a grain of sand in front of the infinite expanse of the universe. He was small. He was powerless. He was weak. He was...nothing.

"Thank you for saving my life. Alas, I must get rid of you. It is one of the many requirements for this power."

’...Shit.’

Ackster couldn’t even speak due to the sheer pressure that threatened to crush his soul if he were to oppose it.

"Here. Before I can no longer control this power. This should kill you, Ackster. In case you don’t stay dead, I’ll leave a gift for you."

Trana raised a claw and pointed at Ackster. Her movements looked slow and calm, but Ackster couldn’t see them. One moment, her paw was pressed against the ground, and the next, he had a watermelon-sized orb of condensed fire that burned through the void toward him. It was the same with Trana’s movements as it was with the blue orb burning as bright as the sun.

Before even his Overhuman Senses that were brought far beyond their limit could notice, the orb was right in front of him.

Thanks to what had to be Clear Mind ranking up earlier, Ackster could maintain his rationality and sanity in front of the power that was enough to turn him to dust.

Trana had said this would be enough to kill him. That was the condition for the power she had just gained. She couldn’t go against it. He had to die. And it had to be by her hand.

This blue orb of condensed fire and lightning was enough to guarantee and satisfy that condition. Otherwise, Trana wouldn’t have sent it. And with her current power, Trana would be able to tell exactly how powerful he was. She wouldn’t make a mistake that would let him survive by chance or through extraordinary willpower.

It was as she had said. Ackster would need to die and come back in order to get out of this predicament. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

’Easier said than done. But it’s the only thing that can be done.’

It wouldn’t be the first time Ackster pushed the limits of what was feasible. It was just that if something could kill him despite his skills, it was powerful beyond reason. It would be difficult to come back from that.

Fortunately, even with the blue orb in front of him, Ackster had a moment to prepare. The Sun God Token couldn’t absorb the blue orb’s power due to Trana’s control, but it could slow it down enough for Ackster to empty his entire Inventory into himself.

His skin and flesh were already melting and peeling. His eyes had popped and exploded out of his eyesockets from the heat. His brain was leaking through his ears and nose. His blood evaporated as soon as it came in contact with the air. His insides boiled and burst.

’Let’s hope there are more tools.’

Ackster didn’t have the leeway to be frugal when faced with a definite threat to his life, so he even dumped the tools for Nold’s secret technique into his stomach. He had to eat everything before he lost the ability to.

The only thing Ackster could hope for now was that his soul and the abilities linked to it, such as Smelting Furnace and Stubborn Well-Being would be able to regenerate his body. For that, he would need to fill Smelting Furnace to the brim.

However, he wasn’t sure he had enough. He had already swept it almost clean a couple of times since the ruin exploration with the Sword God. He had stocked up now with Trana’s help. But he had also eaten most of what she gave him.

And giving him anything right now would contradict Trana’s requirement to kill him, so he was on his own.

Ackster gritted his teeth.

As always, he could only rely on himself and his own abilities. That was why, when his Inventory was as bare as the moment he got it, Ackster tossed the broken trident down the hatch. He wasn’t sure, but if Trana’s power surpassed the world’s norm, it might just be enough to smelt or soften the Heavenly Iron.

After the broken trident, the only thing that remained was the Sun God Token. Without even being able to cold sweat from nervousness due to the heat that had already stripped his body to the bone when the blue orb was still several strides away, Ackster tossed the Sun God Token straight into his stomach through his mouth, where it disappeared.

Next was the blue orb that burned and extinguished his skeleton as soon as it came in contact with his teeth.

’Holy fuck, that’s hot.’

Ackster could only vaguely see the two halves of Mazar’s body collapse to the ground.

"I need to rest now. Good luck, Ackster."

Trana vanished like she never existed, leaving only Ackster and Mazar’s corpse in the valley.