I Die to Rise: Resurrection System-Chapter 54: Braun Ironside!

The pressure was everywhere. It pressed down like an invisible hand, making it harder to breathe. Every person still standing in the guild felt it—a suffocating wave of essence so dense it was nearly tangible.

Deep beneath the crater, Joshua tried to laugh, but the sound came out as a pained groan. Blood pooled beneath him, and his body refused to cooperate when he tried to move.

Rook stood at the edge of the massive pit, his stone form already receding, and he heard Joshua’s pathetic attempt at laughter.

His gaze shifted toward the direction of the guild building several hundred meters away, barely visible through the smoke and debris. Their battle had carried them far from it.

Even from that distance, they could both sense the immense essence and Joshua’s reaction to it told Rook everything he needed to know. "Shit." He turned away from Joshua and ran.

***

Inside the warehouse, Kurt felt the pressure hit like a punch to the gut. His hand instinctively moved to his chest, and beside him, Lizzie stumbled, catching herself against a broken support beam. Sam’s face went pale, her hands trembling.

"What the hell is that?" Lizzie gasped.

Kurt grabbed her shoulder, steadying her. "Nothing good. Come on."

They rushed outside, boots crunching over shattered concrete and twisted metal, and found Cassandra and Emma already standing in the open, their eyes locked on something in the distance.

Kurt stepped up beside Emma, lighting a cigarette despite the tension. "I take it that’s the Kingpin himself?"

Emma didn’t look at him, but her lips twitched slightly. "Ever heard of the Tchaigolian Ecstasy?"

"No, I don’t think I have," Kurt responded. "Why?"

"It’s a drink. Rumors say it’s so potent, that if used as a tranq, it’s strong enough to knock out a Wyvern." Emma wiggled her arm, preparing for the inevitable. "If I survive this, I want a bottle."

"Sounds like my kind of party," Kurt grinned at Emma.

Lizzie held out her hair, examining it with a serious expression that suddenly shifted into a grin. "Ooh! Can I get one too? I’ve never had a drink that could knock out a Wyvern! Does it actually knock them out? Or is that, like, a metaphor?"

Cassandra’s cold voice cut through the banter. "Focus." She swallowed like she was nervous, but Kurt could have sworn he saw a faint smile on her face.

Sam who stood slightly behind them, her hands clasped together, looked up at Kurt. "What do we do?"

Kurt exhaled smoke slowly, his eyes narrowing as he stared ahead. "We fight. Or preferably, take him out for shots and let bygones be bygones."

Emma cracked her knuckles. "I vote for fighting."

"Seconded," Cassandra said, unsheathing her blade that glinted in the dim light.

"Thirded," Lizzie added, braiding a part of her hair nervously.

The ground trembled, and a figure emerged from the smoke and debris at the far end of the street. Massive. Towering.

Each step he took cracked the concrete beneath his boots, sending spiderwebs of fractures spreading outward. His presence alone seemed to warp the air around him.

Braun Ironside.

He was built like a mountain given human form. Broad shoulders, arms thick as tree trunks, a jaw that looked like it could bite through steel, and eyes that burned with barely restrained fury.

Kurt sighed quietly. "That’s him?"

"That’s him," Cassandra confirmed quietly.

"He’s... big," Sam whispered.

"Yeah," Emma muttered. "Real observant, Sam."

Reaching out, Kurt grabbed Sam’s face. "Listen to me Sam. Get back into the guild, look for anyone still there and evacuate them immediately."

Sam’s fingers tightened into a fist beside her. She wanted to protest but the look in Kurt’s eyes told her otherwise. She simply nodded. "Mh-hm," and took off.

The three women present said nothing as they observed the exchange from the corner of their eyes. Most of their attention focused on the incoming threat.

***

At the edge of the battlefield, Zaza wandered through the rubble like a person who was lost, her purple eyes wide and unfocused.

She stopped a safe distance away, tilted her head, and watched Braun approach with her lips puckered in an expression that conveyed absolutely nothing.

"Oh?" she murmured to herself.

A crimson blur appeared beside her, and Eli materialized, still carrying Riley on his shoulder. Riley squirmed immediately, her face flushed with frustration.

"Put me down, you pretentious bastard!" Riley hissed.

Eli ignored her and glanced at Zaza. "We’re heading out. We’ll just get in the way here. You coming?"

Zaza blinked slowly, as if she’d forgotten he was there, and then shook her head. "No. I want to watch. This looks... fun."

Riley struggled harder against Eli’s grip. "I’m staying too! I can still fight! I can—"

Eli smiled politely, his expression never changing, and tightened his hold on her. "No, you can’t."

"Let me go, you—!"

Eli vanished in another crimson blur, Riley’s protests fading into the distance.

Zaza watched them leave, then turned her attention back to Braun, her lips curling into a faint smile. "I want to see it again."

***

Kurt’s vision flickered as a system notification chimed.

[EMERGENCY QUEST UPDATED]

[Objective: Survive Braun Ironside]

[Reward: +15 points]

[WARNING: Extreme threat detected]

[RECOMMENDATION: Retreat immediately]

"Yeah, thanks for the vote of confidence." Kurt dismissed the notification with a thought and pulled up his template.

Just like before, his C rank abilities were locked in the upgrade section until he increased his stats to match the rank. So he began distributing the points he had left.

[Agility: 34 → 44] (10 points)

[Perception: 33 → 43] (10 points)

[Strength: 33 → 43] (10 points

[Luck: 23 → 35] (12 points)

[Available Points: 0]

[Host’s Luck has improved chances of better rewards]

"That’s new."

Before Kurt could appreciate his growth, the air changed as ambient essence began to move, like it was being pulled by an invisible magnet. Thin streams of energy, barely visible, drifted toward Braun’s body from every direction.

The essence in the ground, in the air, in the broken buildings around them, all of it converged on him. His body began to glow faintly as steam hissed from his skin.

"Shit," Cassandra said quietly.

Emma’s head snapped toward her. "What? What is it!?"

Cassandra’s grip tightened on her blade. "That’s Braun’s ability. Nuclear Titan. He absorbs ambient essence to evolve through stages. We need to stop him before he reaches Stage Three."

"Stage Three?" Lizzie asked, her voice rising slightly. "What happens at Stage Three?!"

Cassandra opened her mouth to answer, but the words died in her throat because Braun was already moving.

"Here he comes," Cassandra said, dropping into a fighting stance.

Braun’s walk became a run, and his run became a charge. The ground exploded beneath his feet with every step, and his massive form barreled toward them.

Without hesitation, he leaped. His body launched into the air, blocking out the dim light, and when he reached the apex of his jump, he roared.

"RAVEN’S CROW!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

His voice shook the air itself, and his fist came down like a falling star.

***

A/N: I hope you’re enjoying this so far. Send a golden ticket or two if you’re.

And a review or two would mean something to me! Thank you and peace!