Chapter 72: Playtime Is Over, But Is It really?
Countless thoughts tore through Ozai’s mind, but none brought clarity, only fury. His expression twisted with rage as he glared at Bruce, his entire body trembling with restrained hatred. The air between them seemed to thrum with tension.
"Now you’re done," Ozai said, his voice low and venomous. "Playtime is over."
The words reverberated through the cave, heavy and final. For the first time, there was no arrogance in his tone, only cold intent. He had found his spark back which was a good thing for Bruce...
Bruce tilted his head slightly, calm as ever, and gave a small nod. "That’s the spirit."
The simple response was like oil poured over fire. Ozai’s fists clenched. His breathing grew rough. Every syllable from Bruce’s mouth only deepened his fury.
"Fire God Incarnate," Ozai said finally, his tone eerily calm after a deep inhale. He knew anger was power, but also poison. If he let it control him, it would burn him from within. But controlled? It could burn the world instead.
The words rolled off his tongue like a divine decree, resonating with something ancient and primal.
The temperature spiked instantly.
WHOOSH!
The entire cave responded as though obeying him. The air shimmered with heat, distorting the surroundings. Crimson tendrils of fire licked through the cavern, coiling around stalactites and stone walls. Above Ozai, a blazing silhouette began to form, a towering figure of fire and divinity.
It was humanoid in shape, its body composed of searing red flames that flickered like molten silk. Every contour of its form burned with beauty and destruction intertwined. The only part untouched by flame were its eyes and mouth, both milky white, glowing with a light that seemed to pierce the soul.
For a breathless moment, it hovered above Ozai, its presence divine, commanding, overwhelming. Then, without warning, it dove down and then merged with him.
A blinding surge of energy exploded outward. The shockwave scorched the very air. Bruce’s hair and coat flared from the gust, his feet digging into the ground as he watched the transformation unfold.
Ozai’s body convulsed. His skin pulsed with fiery veins as molten light flowed through him like liquid magma. Flames burst from his pores, consuming him whole, yet his clothes remained untouched, protected by a thin barrier of energy so precise it was almost surgical.
The black fabric clung to his form, accentuating every ripple of power beneath.
His eyes turned a piercing white, mirroring the divine flame that had fused with him. The twin swords in his hands ignited, their steel melting into crimson blades that screamed with energy. Each movement left trails of embers that shimmered in the air before fading.
Bruce watched, unflinching, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. He didn’t interrupt. He wanted to see it all, to witness just how far Ozai could push himself before breaking.
The heat became unbearable. The cave’s air warped, shimmering like a mirage. The stone walls began to blacken and crack under the temperature. Even the earth beneath their feet glowed faintly red.
Ozai moved, and the cave responded with a hiss, the moisture in the air evaporating in an instant.
As the flames surged, the oxygen thinned. The air grew dry, unnaturally dry, each breath scraping the throat like sandpaper. Bruce’s chest tightened. His vision dimmed for a split second.
[The air is dry and there’s lack of oxygen due to the intense heat... You’re in danger of hypoxia.]
His pulse slowed. Muscles tensed. The faint dizziness began to creep in...
[You’ve healed. Your body has adapted to survive with minimal oxygen intake.]
He exhaled, steady once again. His body was changing, reacting, evolving in real time.
Then the next wave hit.
A burst of pure heat rolled over him like a storm, searing his skin raw. The world blurred. His flesh began to redden, tiny blisters forming across his arms.
[Your body is incinerating due to the intense heat.]
Bruce’s lips curled faintly. "So this is what you’ve got?"
[You’ve healed.]
[You’ve adapted to the intense heat.]
Steam hissed from his skin as it instantly regenerated. His flesh cooled, his cells reorganizing to withstand the impossible temperature. Within seconds, the burns vanished as though they had never existed.
But despite his body’s adaptation, Bruce felt it, the raw, unfiltered might pouring from Ozai. The air itself seemed to bend around him.
This wasn’t the power of an A-Rank anymore.
It was transcending. Going beyond...
He could sense it clearly, Ozai’s aura now eclipsed the strength of every so-called S-Ranked beast he had faced in this trial. Those "S-Ranks" had been shadows of the real thing, nerfed imitations for training purposes. Only Bruce who was a genuine S-Ranked in real life knew that the so called S-Ranked Beasts of this trial was actually nerfed by a lot.
Even the Hyena boss he had slain was merely brushing against the highest strength achievable by an A rank ... It was called S-Ranked her but in real life it’s not even close to the weakest S-Ranked, it was just merely a berserk A-ranked beast.
But Ozai... Ozai’s current presence was different. The energy radiating from him was real, pure, destructive, alive. Ozai was getting close to S-Ranked strength inside this trial...
Bruce clenched his daggers, eyes narrowing slightly. It was surprising indeed, he was glad he pushed Ozai this far...
This wasn’t a spar anymore.
Ozai’s strength had reached a level approaching that of a genuine S-Ranked Awakened’s weakest base power, something never recorded before inside this simulation.
As the cave floor glowed molten red and cracks spread across the stone, Bruce stood silently amid the inferno, the clean, composed aura of a man who had killed too many times to be shaken.
His gaze was sharp, unreadable, the faint curve of his lips betraying neither fear nor admiration, only interest.
He could see the fire swirling around Ozai, feel the weight of the transformation pressing down like a tidal wave. And yet...
He didn’t move.
Not because he couldn’t. But because he didn’t need to.
Ozai, engulfed in living flame, looked every bit the Fire God Incarnate, his white eyes burning through the haze, his twin swords blazing with apocalyptic light. Each step he took scorched the earth black, and every breath he exhaled turned the air into shimmering waves of heat.
Bruce simply watched, calm and calculating, his expression saying it all.
’Show me more!’
Then the air shifted. Ozai’s eyes locked onto him.