Ascension: Rebirth in a World of Powers-Chapter 25 - : Breaking the Chains

The battle between Eren and Darius ignited the courtyard in a whirlwind of power. The very air crackled with tension, heat from Eren's flames clashing against the crushing force of Darius's gravity manipulation. The ground beneath them splintered, each strike shaking the academy's ancient stone pathways.

Darius's eyes narrowed as he extended his hand, his fingers flexing as if grasping something invisible. Suddenly, the weight around Eren doubled, then tripled, pressing him toward the ground. His knees buckled as gravity wrenched at his body, his flames flickering under the strain.

"You think a fancy artifact makes you strong?" Darius sneered. "Strength is about control, Eren. And I control everything around me."

Eren gritted his teeth, forcing himself to remain standing. The Shard pulsed against his palm, its energy surging through his veins. He could feel its presence—wild, raw, and unfathomable. But he had yet to fully unleash it.

Kaelena struggled to her feet a few feet away, her breathing ragged. "Eren! You have to push through! The Shard—use it!"

He knew she was right, but something deep inside him hesitated. The Shard was powerful, but it was also unpredictable. If he let it consume him, would he lose himself in the process?

Darius smirked at his hesitation. "Pathetic." He clenched his fist, and the gravity around Eren intensified even further. The stone beneath Eren cracked as the pressure mounted. His vision blurred, his lungs screamed for air.

No choice.

With a guttural roar, Eren stopped resisting and let the Shard's power flood his body. The moment he did, the weight on him shattered. A wave of energy erupted from him in an explosion of heat, sending a shockwave rippling across the courtyard.

Darius stumbled back, his smirk finally replaced with shock. "What—"

Eren didn't wait for him to recover. In a flash, he closed the distance between them, his body moving faster than it ever had before. Flames coiled around his fists as he struck, forcing Darius to raise a hand to counter. The moment Darius tried to increase gravity, Eren's fire surged, counteracting the pull with sheer heat and force.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Darius let out a grunt of frustration, leaping backward. His arrogance was gone now, replaced with something far more satisfying—fear.

"You don't control everything, Darius," Eren growled. He raised his hand, summoning a pillar of fire that spiraled toward the sky. "You've spent so long crushing others that you never thought what would happen if someone pushed back."

Darius scowled. "You think you've won? This is just beginning."

He launched himself forward, using his gravity magic to propel himself like a human missile. Eren met him head-on, their powers colliding in a cataclysmic shockwave. The sheer force of their impact sent cracks spiderwebbing through the courtyard, students who had gathered to watch stumbling backward from the raw power on display.

Kaelena, Kain, and the others fought to stay on their feet, their faces filled with a mixture of awe and concern.

"Eren's pushing himself too hard," Mira said, shielding her eyes from the flames. "If this keeps up, he might burn himself out."

Kaelena clenched her fists. "Then we need to end this before that happens."

As Eren and Darius exchanged blow after blow, the Shard's energy surged through Eren in a way he had never felt before. It was intoxicating. Every movement was sharper, every strike more precise. He felt unstoppable.

But deep inside, a whisper of doubt crept in. The power was immense—but it wasn't just his.

Darius lashed out with one final desperate attack, gathering all of his energy into a single gravitational pulse meant to flatten Eren completely. The force sent a visible ripple through the air, warping the space around them.

Eren met it with everything he had. Flames surged from his core, forming a swirling inferno that pushed back against the crushing gravity. It was a battle of pure strength, raw energy against raw force.

And then, with a final burst of determination, Eren took a step forward. Then another.

Darius's eyes widened. "No... that's impossible."

Eren clenched his fist, his flames coiling into a concentrated sphere of energy. "You never had control, Darius. You just bullied people into thinking you did."

With that, he unleashed the firestorm.

The explosion of energy sent Darius flying across the courtyard, his body slamming into the stone with a thunderous impact. The force of the blast sent a gust of heat rushing through the academy, forcing everyone nearby to shield their faces.

Silence followed.

Darius groaned, his body twitching as he tried—and failed—to push himself up. The fight was over.

Eren stood in the center of the battlefield, flames flickering around him before slowly dying out. He took a deep breath, his chest heaving. The Shard was still warm in his hand, but the overwhelming surge of power had finally subsided.

Kaelena rushed to his side. "Eren, are you—"

"I'm fine," he said, though his legs wobbled beneath him. He turned to Darius, who remained motionless. "It's over."

The students who had gathered began murmuring amongst themselves. Some looked at Eren with awe, others with fear.

Darius had ruled over them with intimidation and sheer dominance. But now, that era had ended.

Eren had won.

But as he stood there, victorious, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning.