Chapter 133: The Aura Realm

Chapter 133: Chapter 133: The Aura Realm

The air changed.

It was subtle at first. A shift. A pressure. A weight. The flames around Lord Ashworth flickered. They didn’t burn brighter. They didn’t grow larger. They just... changed. They became denser. Heavier. More real.

Daniel felt it. His instincts screamed at him. His body tensed. His mana surged. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"He’s entering stage four," Paul whispered. His voice was hoarse. His face was pale.

Daniel looked at him. "Stage four?"

Paul nodded. "The peak of the mortal realm. The last stage before the aura realm."

Daniel frowned. "Aura realm?"

Paul took a breath. He was exhausted. He was broken. But he explained.

"The power system has two realms," he said. "The mortal realm and the aura realm. Each realm has five stages."

Daniel listened.

"The mortal realm is what most people know. Stage one. Stage two. Stage three. Stage four. Stage five. It’s about enhancing your body. Your mana. Your talent."

He paused.

"The aura realm is different. It’s about enhancing your soul. Your presence. Your very existence. It’s a completely different level of power."

Daniel nodded slowly. "And stage four is the peak of the mortal realm?"

"No. Stage five is the peak of the mortal realm. Stage four is just... the beginning of the end."

Daniel looked at Lord Ashworth. At his flames. At his rage. At his power.

"So he’s entering stage four," Daniel said.

"Yes."

"And that’s bad."

"Very bad."

Daniel smiled. A cold, dangerous smile.

"Good," he said. "I like a challenge."

Paul stared at him. "Are you insane?"

"Probably."

---

Lord Ashworth screamed.

His flames exploded outward. They didn’t just burn. They consumed. They devoured. They destroyed.

The ground melted beneath his feet. The buildings crumbled around him. The air itself seemed to ignite.

His body was glowing. His eyes were burning. His aura was blazing.

He was no longer just a fire talent user. He was fire itself. He was the embodiment of flame. He was the lord of the inferno.

He looked at Daniel. His eyes were white. Pure white. Burning with power.

"You," he said. His voice was deeper now. More powerful. More menacing. "You think you can beat me?"

Daniel didn’t answer.

"You think your little tricks can hurt me?"

Daniel still didn’t answer.

"I am Lord Ashworth! I am the master of this city! I am the lord of fire!"

Daniel smiled. A cold, dangerous smile.

"You talk too much," he said.

Lord Ashworth screamed. His flames exploded. They shot toward Daniel. They were fast. They were hot. They were deadly.

Daniel dodged. Barely. The flames passed inches from his face. The heat scorched his skin. He stumbled back.

Lord Ashworth didn’t stop. He threw another fireball. Daniel dodged. Another. He dodged. Another. He dodged.

But Lord Ashworth was faster now. Stronger. More relentless. His attacks were coming faster. Harder. More deadly.

Daniel was struggling. He was dodging. He was blocking. He was countering. But he was losing ground. He was being pushed back.

"Lyra!" he shouted.

Lyra appeared beside him. Her guns were drawn. Her eyes were sharp.

"Cover me!" Daniel shouted.

Lyra nodded. She fired. The bullets hit Lord Ashworth. They bounced off. They melted. They disappeared.

"What?" Lyra whispered.

Lord Ashworth laughed. "Your bullets can’t hurt me! My flames are too hot! They melt everything!"

Lyra stared at him. Her mouth was open.

"Fluffy!" Daniel shouted.

Fluffy appeared behind Lord Ashworth. Her daggers were drawn. Her eyes were fierce.

She slashed. The daggers hit his back. They scraped. They sparked. They didn’t penetrate.

Lord Ashworth turned. He grabbed her by the throat. He lifted her off the ground.

"You," he spat. "You’re annoying."

Fluffy gasped. She clawed at his hand. She kicked. She struggled.

"Let her go!" Daniel shouted.

Lord Ashworth smiled. A cold, cruel smile.

"Why should I?"

He threw her. She flew across the plaza. She crashed into a building. The building crumbled.

Daniel screamed. He charged. He transformed his hand into a machine gun. He fired.

The bullets hit Lord Ashworth. They tore through his body. They put holes in his chest. His arms. His legs.

Lord Ashworth stumbled. He looked down at his wounds. He laughed.

"You think that hurts me?" he said. "I’m at stage four. My body is enhanced. My regeneration is enhanced. My everything is enhanced."

The wounds healed. The holes closed. The blood stopped.

Daniel stared. His mouth was open.

"You can’t beat me," Lord Ashworth said. "You can’t hurt me. You can’t stop me."

He raised his hand. Fire gathered. It swirled. It grew. It compressed. It became a spear. A long, thin spear of pure white flame.

"Goodbye," he said.

He threw the spear.

Daniel dodged. Barely. The spear passed by. It hit a building. The building exploded.

Daniel stumbled back. He was exhausted. He was broken. He was outmatched.

"Paul!" he shouted. "Cheeky! Brick Head! Anyone!"

Paul appeared beside him. His wind was flickering. His body was broken.

"I’m here," he said.

Cheeky appeared on the other side. Her iron skin was cracked. Her body was broken.

"I’m here," she said.

Brick Head appeared behind them. His fists were raised. His eyes were determined.

"I’m here!" he shouted.

Daniel looked at them. At his team. At his family. At his friends.

"We can’t beat him," he said.

Paul nodded. "I know."

"We can’t hurt him."

"I know."

"We can’t stop him."

"I know."

Daniel smiled. A cold, dangerous smile.

"But we can slow him down."

Paul blinked. "What?"

Daniel looked at Lord Ashworth. At his flames. At his rage. At his power.

"We can slow him down," he repeated. "We can distract him. We can wear him out. We can wait for an opening."

Paul stared at him. "And then what?"

Daniel’s smile widened.

"And then," he said, "we run."

---

The fight continued.

Daniel attacked from the front. He transformed his arms into blades. He transformed his legs into rockets. He moved like a machine. He moved like a monster. He moved like a god.

But Lord Ashworth was stronger. He blocked the blades. He dodged the rockets. He countered the attacks. He kept coming. He kept burning. He kept destroying.

Paul attacked from the side. His wind was weak. His body was broken. But he kept attacking. He kept distracting. He kept fighting.

Cheeky attacked from the other side. Her iron skin was cracked. Her metal was melting. But she kept attacking. She kept tanking. She kept fighting.

Brick Head attacked from behind. His punches were wild. His kicks were sloppy. But he kept attacking. He kept screaming. He kept fighting.

Fluffy appeared and disappeared. She slashed. She vanished. She reappeared. She slashed again. She kept fighting.

Mittens stayed back. She was scared. She was trembling. But she was watching. She was waiting. She was ready.

Lord Ashworth was overwhelmed. He was surrounded. He was outnumbered.

But he was not outmatched.

His flames burned brighter. His eyes glowed whiter. His aura blazed hotter.

He screamed. His flames exploded outward. They hit everyone. They burned everyone. They sent everyone flying.

Daniel crashed into a wall. Paul crashed into a building. Cheeky crashed into a fountain. Brick Head crashed into a cart. Fluffy crashed into a tree.

They were all down. They were all broken. They were all defeated.

Lord Ashworth stood in the center of the destruction. His flames burned brighter than ever. His eyes glowed whiter than ever. His aura blazed hotter than ever.

He looked at Daniel. At his broken body. At his bleeding face. At his exhausted eyes.

"You," he said. "You’re the leader. You’re the one who started this."

Daniel didn’t answer.

"You’re the one who hurt my daughter. You’re the one who defied me. You’re the one who made me use stage four."

Daniel still didn’t answer.

"Now you’ll die. Slowly. Painfully. I’m going to make you suffer."

Daniel looked at him. At his flames. At his rage. At his power.

Then he smiled. A cold, dangerous smile.

"You talk too much," he said.

Lord Ashworth screamed. He raised his hand. Fire gathered. It swirled. It grew. It compressed. It became a spear. A long, thin spear of pure white flame.

"Goodbye," he said.

He threw the spear.

The spear flew toward Daniel. It was fast. It was hot. It was deadly.

Daniel closed his eyes. He waited for the end.

Then something happened.

A shadow appeared. A dark, swirling shadow. It formed in front of Daniel. It absorbed the spear. It swallowed the flames. It disappeared.

Lord Ashworth stared. His mouth was open. His eyes were wide.

"What?" he whispered. "What was that?"

Daniel opened his eyes. He looked at the shadow. At the empty space where it had been.

He smiled.

"You’re not the only one with tricks," he said.

He stood up. His body was broken. His face was bleeding. His eyes were exhausted.

But he was standing.

He looked at Lord Ashworth. At his flames. At his rage. At his power.

"Let’s finish this," he said.

Lord Ashworth screamed. He charged.

Daniel charged.

They clashed.