The battlefield had become a storm of claws, wings, and fangs. The endless horde of enraged monsters surged forward, their roars deafening, their eyes glowing with fury. Yet at the center of it all, Rocky's aura blazed brighter than ever. Shadows twisted around him, copying Risha's skills, yet evolving beyond simple mimicry.
He didn't hesitate.
With a roar, Rocky propelled himself forward, faster than the eye could track. Gravity twisted around him, allowing him to accelerate across the battlefield with terrifying momentum. Each step crushed stone; each movement bent the shadows into jagged, slashing forms.
The monsters lunged to intercept him. One. Two. Ten at once. But Rocky's speed was unreal. Shadows lashed out as extensions of his body, tearing through the horde, striking simultaneously at multiple targets. The ground exploded where his aura collided with theirs, sending shockwaves that scattered everything in his path.
Risha watched, awe in her crimson eyes. "He's… moving faster than I can track! His aura—he's not just copying, he's improving!"
Rocky's gaze locked on Lucifer in the distance. The legendary summoner's calm figure loomed over the battlefield, Excalibur glinting ominously. But Rocky didn't falter. Every strike, every dash, was deliberate—a straight path through the horde toward Lucifer.
Shadows wrapped around his legs, extending like whips to trip monsters.
Claws of energy sliced through armored wings.
Gravity pulses launched enemies into the air, where they collided into one another.
It was brutal efficiency, a perfect blend of speed, power, and strategy. Even the enraged monsters couldn't anticipate his movements—they were too chaotic, too scattered, and too slow.
Rocky felt the thrill of his aura pushing him further. Copying Risha's powers was one thing, but now his body was thinking faster than the battlefield, instincts sharper than his mind alone.
He reached the edge of Lucifer's space in seconds, shadows forming a jagged armor around him. His aura blazed like a comet, and in one fluid motion, Rocky struck straight at the legendary summoner.
The horde froze mid-charge. The air trembled. Even Lucifer's eyes narrowed slightly at the audacity.
For the first time, the battlefield had shifted—not in Lucifer's favor yet, but enough that the legendary summoner had to acknowledge Rocky as a real threat.
And Rocky didn't stop. Not now. Not ever.
This was his fight. His speed. His aura. His summons.
And now, it was time to prove it
The horde froze mid-charge as Rocky's aura blazed like a comet, shadows forming jagged armor around him. He surged forward, every movement precise, every strike cutting through monsters with terrifying speed. His eyes locked on Lucifer—Excalibur gleamed in the distance, a cold promise of inevitability.
Rocky didn't falter. He struck straight at the legendary summoner, head-on, shadows and speed merging into one unstoppable force.
And then Excalibur moved.
Lucifer's hand was steady, his motion calm. With a single swing, the blade descended—light, gravity, and authority wrapped into one strike. The impact warped the air around it, sending shockwaves that rattled the dungeon walls. Even Rocky's copied powers faltered for a heartbeat under the sheer weight of the attack.
He twisted mid-air, aura flaring violently, shadows snapping out like whips to intercept some of the blow. But the sword wasn't ordinary. Excalibur didn't just strike—it cut through space, through defenses, through everything Rocky had built in seconds of training and adaptation.
The ground beneath him cracked. Rocks exploded. Energy pulsed in violent arcs across the battlefield. The monsters scattered, almost bowing before the authority of the strike.
Risha's eyes widened. "Rocky… that sword… it's not just power. It's law!"
Rocky gritted his teeth, aura surging, adapting, pushing Risha's powers past their limits to protect him from the impact. He felt the force trying to crush him, trying to erase his presence, but his speed, shadows, and aura kept him moving—barely.
And in that instant, something clicked inside him. Not just mimicry. Not just copying. Control. Precision. Adaptation.
He wouldn't be destroyed.
He would fight back.
The clash between the adaptive summoner and the legendary blade had begun.
The swing of Excalibur wasn't just a strike—it was law made flesh.
Rocky twisted his aura, shadows snapping out to intercept and defend—but the legendary blade ignored them like they were nothing. When it connected with his link to Risha's power, a searing flash erupted, like the threads of his copied skills were being erased at the source.
A jolt of pain and shock surged through him. His shadows writhed uncontrollably, then vanished—one of his strongest copied abilities was gone in an instant.
Risha gasped. "No… Rocky!"
The system screeched a warning:
Link Severed: Risha – Shadow Manipulation
Summon Boosts Critical
Stability: Failing
Rocky staggered, aura flickering violently. The horde of enraged monsters pressed closer, their own fury amplified, but his focus snapped to the blade in Lucifer's hands.
Excalibur pulsed, its glow slicing through the air, erasing bonds, energy, and defense alike. Even Rocky's instinctive speed wasn't enough to avoid the impact fully—the ground beneath him shattered from the force, sending rocks and dust into the air.
Lucifer's expression remained calm, almost casual. "Predictable," he said. "You rely on others. You cling to bonds you cannot control."
Rocky's teeth clenched. Pain flared, shadows vanished, one of his strongest links erased—but his aura still burned, flickering like lightning across the battlefield.
Fine, he thought. If I can't rely on them… I'll rely on myself.
And with that, Rocky pushed forward again, faster than before, aura flaring wildly, his remaining powers straining, ready to face Excalibur head-on once more.
Pain flared through Rocky's body from the severed link, but his resolve didn't waver. Shadows flickered weakly at first, then surged back, reforming around him as his aura burned hotter than ever.
And then it happened.
Rocky accelerated beyond comprehension. His movements blurred, shadows stretching into streaks of darkness that tore across the battlefield. The monsters he had just carved through couldn't track him anymore. Their roars became confused, their strikes swinging through nothing but air.
Even Lucifer's eyes narrowed. The legendary summoner tilted Excalibur, but Rocky's speed was more than human perception could follow.
The ground beneath him flashed with afterimages.
Shadows twisted into long, jagged streaks, doubling and tripling the illusion of his form.
His aura radiated so violently it bent light, scattering sparks that made the battlefield look like a storm of shadow and fire.
Risha's eyes widened. "He… he's moving faster than the eye can follow! That's not just speed… he's becoming a blur!"
Rocky didn't stop. Every motion was precise, yet impossible to track. Every strike, every dash, was a ghost—a perfect blend of adaptation, instinct, and raw aura power.
Lucifer's calm demeanor flickered for a fraction of a second. He had fought countless summoners, gods, and monsters… but few had ever moved like this. Few had adapted under extreme pressure to push speed beyond the natural limits of perception.
Excalibur slashed toward him, cutting through air and stone—but Rocky was already gone, leaving only a streak of shadows in his wake.
The battlefield trembled. The horde faltered. Even the enraged monsters seemed momentarily disoriented, unable to predict the blur that now tore through them relentlessly.
Rocky's aura screamed in exhilaration. Pain, loss, and the threat of Excalibur melted into one driving force: survival and the path to Sylvia.
And in that blur, he charged straight at Lucifer, faster than ever, the battlefield itself bending under the speed of a summoner who refused to die.