A few years ago, back in a forest, a huge wave of water erupted from the ground, blasting through trees and flooding the entire place. Alex(6 years old at the time), was jumping and flying through trees to avoid the huge flood. The young Alex at the time was able to pick up enough speed to continously fly around, jumping from tree branch to tree branch and even able to gather energy into his hands and shoot out a flash fist that halted the water for a moment. The huge pressure of his flash fist blasted the water backwards for a moment before it rushed at him with even more force. Alex jolted "Oh no!", the flood exploded, scattering the forest around them. Ranpo walked out, looking down at the flooded area filled with splinters and pieces of trees. He took a sigh, hands in his pockets "Haah! What am I going to do with you?", he called out "Alex! Come out, I know you're in there.". Without warning, a dagger flew out of the water, flying straight at Ranpo. Ranpo easily evaded it without even looking like he moved, he had a disinterested look on his face "You can come out now, trainings over.", Alex quickly got out of the water gasping and holding unto a log for dear life. The boy took heavy breaths, his hair and clothes were wet, he started to cough "GHAG! CHGAHA!", Ranpo said to him "Look, you can stop the dramatics already, let's take a rest.". The young Alex yelled "I TOLD YOU IM NOT GOOD AT SWIMMING, GRANDPA! HAVEN'T YOU SEEN MY REPORT STATS?!", Ranpo got annoyed "JUST GET OUT OF THE DAMN WATER, KID! HOW THE HELL CANT YOU EVEN SWIM?". About an hour later, Alex and Ranpo were sitting on a training field, Alex was wildly eating down some snacks, while Ranpo sat on a rock, looking at his grandson devour a meal like he was some kind of animal. Ranpo had a deadpan expression on his face "Seriously, does he always eat like this when he's exhausted?", he looked forward "He took after his mom's demon side a lot, so it makes sense.". Alex called to Ranpo "Hey, grandpa?", Ranpo looked at him "What?", Alex explained "Hey, yesterday at school, kids were talking about the number of techniques they've mastered.". Ranpo seemed a little interested in what his grandkid was saying "Hm? Is that so?", Alex started to explain "One kid showed that he's mastered three change in elements. Another kid said that he's been able to learn mind control and tried practicing it on one of the teachers (He failed horribly). And another class mate activated a new technique from his fire claws ability.", Ranpo was more interested "Ohh. So if that's the case, what about you?". Alex froze before smiling nervously "Well, I've only been able to master energy fist and that new flash fist thing I came up with.", his head clicked and his eyes widened "Oh, I've also been able to use that doll clone technique thing.". Ranpo blinked "Doll clone. Oh, that. It's a basic technique you should be able to do once you're in grade 3, but I guess it makes sense you can do it.", Alex smiled "I'm very smart!". Ranpo said dryly "Your combat skills needs more work, you're a bit behind your friends in terms of that.", Alex said dryly "Teachers told me I'm clever enough to compete and outlast everyone else, so i don't see it affecting me too much.". Ranpo looked forward "Well, at least you pay attention. And you're pretty good for your age, so there's no complaint there.". Alex kept quiet for a while before asking "Hey, grandpa? What does it mean to be truly strong?", Ranpo paused for a moment "Truly strong, huh?", he muttered. The grandfather explained "To be truly strong, you need to be able to push forward at all times, that includes sharpening your skills.". Ranpo continued to evaluate "Intense situations make people do what they normally won't do, especially in terms of strength. Even if one fails to succeed due to intense situations, it doesn't change the fact that they've pushed themselves to their absolute limit for survival.", Alex seemed confused "Absolute limit? Survival....?". Ranpo scoffed "At this age, you wouldn't understand.", he patted Alex on the head "You don't need to know a million techniques, although knowing that amount would probably kill you even tho it's beneficial. As long as you keep pushing, you'll become stronger than you know it.", Ranpo smiled at Alex, the young Alex's eyes lit up with excitement before smiling back "YEAH!". Currently, Alex was being crushed by gravity bombs, the singularity of said pressure was slowly tearing his body apart, as well as breaking his bones to an almost powerder like state. Alex muttered, his head faced down "Push yourself to the absolute limit, that was what you taught me, grandpa. What you didn't teach me..... was that life itself would want to prevent you from achieving said limit, not to talk of pushing past it. I've learnt that the hard way.", his bones were snapping, and his fingers were twitching and breaking as well. Each time any vital organ was in pain, or any of his joints and bones snapped, Alex's regeneration always kicked in. The young man was in a state where he was constantly breaking and regenerating at painful rates. Alex started to push himself upwards despite the intense gravity "You weren't too strict with me, but you weren't so soft either. You taught me how to fight and improve whatever I had, I had to learn what it meant to survive all on my own.". Suddenly, blue energy started to radiat from his body, his fingers trying to grip what he thought was the ground "Absorb whatever energy is flowing in your surroundings. Store that energy and make sure it doesn't go down. Increase the amount of energy absorbed.", the blue energy started to become even stronger, his hair turned into pure energy, blue in colour. He started to stand up despite his body breaking "Normally, I don't need to obey the process step by step. But for me to get stronger, I guess going back to the basics was necessary.". He started to cackle while coughing out blood, his bleeding head raised forward, one eye blood red while the other one was crushed, blood leaking out from the spot the eye once was "Wasn't that what you taught me.... Grandpa?!", he said in a weak but slightly deranged tone. A dangerous level of power shot out of the smoke caused by the gravity bombs that had swallowed Alex, this caused Zailvred to be filled with terror "EI! EI! EI! Didn't we just kill this guy already?!". Behind them, Bellika, Astavel, Dairadel and the rest of the soldiers were in shock due to the tramendous display of power, Bellika's cannons where a few seconds away from firing at Zailvred and Grai "What... is that?!", Astavel asked with fear "So much energy!". Alex was seen standing in the middle of his outburst, an unhinged smile on his face as held a giant blade of death "ENERGY BURST MODE, FULL POWER: BERSERK MAN!", Alex growled the name of his new level of power, a power Ranpo had taught him at mount law, three years ago. A nervous but surprisingly mocking smirk grew on Zailvred's face "Oh, no! We are absolutely done for!".
END OF CHAPTER.