Blood dripped from Poyraz’s face.


    Another life was extinguished in front of him.


    Another life he couldn’t save.


    What made it worse was G?kb?rü sacrificed himself for him.


    He wasn’t even a day old.


    Maybe it was stupid for Poyraz to get this angry. He didn’t even know G?kb?rü for a day. He wasn’t even human. But he was done. He was done with people dying while he survived. He was done with being powerless enough to stop it.


    However, who he should get angry with? He knew that this wasn’t Blanche’s fault. She wasn’t in control herself.


    But he didn’t care. He had to blame someone. He had to take his anger out on someone.


    Otherwise, he would break.


    Poyraz launched himself towards Blanche using his legs. The top of his head met with her lower job. A loud breaking noise vibrated Poyraz’s entire skeleton. He didn’t know where that noise came from. He also didn’t care.


    Blanche stumbled back as blood poured from her mouth. For a second her emotionless eyes changed, reflecting the horrible thing they saw.


    She saw Poyraz. His hood was ripped and his armor was damaged. Blood poured from his head. His face was twisted with anger and hate. Even with her rationality gone, she knew that the thing in front of her was dangerous even with the form she was in. The ice covering her arm now fully embraced her entire body except her neck and head. The ice gave out a buzzing light as if lightning was trapped inside it.


    Poyraz let out a roar. He forced both of his arms to grab his sword. Even though his arms felt like jelly and shouted at him in pain to stop, his willpower overcame it. His sword, covered with violent purple energy was swung towards Blanche. She raised her sword and blocked the attack. Despite that, despite her immense weight with her ice armor a single strike pushed her several steps back.


    It wasn’t like she lost her balance and stumbled back. She was literally pushed back by the ferocity of Poyraz’s strike.


    “Roar!”


    Poyraz chased Blance.


    One strike.


    Two strikes.


    Three strikes.


    Blood poured from his fingers and hands as the skin under his gauntlets was torn and ripped apart. She was pushed back. Her ice armor slowly cracked. Despite all that she blocked all the attacks.


    Her movements were cold and emotionless. A well-oiled machine. A proof of her training that even though she was wounded and lost herself, her sword could match and surpass Poyraz’s. How many times did she repeat those movements for them to be carved into her being? How much sweat and blood she had to pour into her training?


    “Clang!”


    Two swords clashed against each other again.


    Poyraz didn’t care about any of those.


    His overhead strike bounced off Blanche’s sword. Poyraz let his sword travel to the ground. Its tip touched the ground. Poyraz gained momentum from bouncing it to the ground and swung his sword vertically again. His sword struck Blanche’s chest, breaking the ice armor and cutting into her chest. Lightning escaped from her ice armor and shocked Poyraz. He kicked her, freeing his sword and getting out of lightning’s range.


    Blood dripped from Poyraz’s sword to the ground. It mixed with Poyraz’s own blood pouring out of his own wounds. He breathed rapidly, his face slowly turning purple. He moved with such force that he couldn’t replenish oxygen fast enough. Despite his lungs burning he dashed forward, his sword meeting with Blanche’s maybe for the thousandth time.


    Despite the massive wound on her chest, Blanche’s face was emotionless. Poyraz couldn’t see it though, since now even her face was covered with ice. Ice drew from her mana and life force, draining her every second.


    Somebody had to stop her. Quickly.


    Unfortunately, Poyraz didn’t care about stopping her. He wanted to kill her.


    Sparks flew in the air. They seemed to be evenly matched. Blanche didn’t use magic ever since she entered that form. However, it was obvious it wasn’t going to be like this for long.


    Poyraz’s head and other parts bled more and more as the fight went on. On the other hand, every wound he inflicted on her was sealed with ice. She also didn’t feel any exhaustion both physically and mentally.


    Poyraz was on brink of collapsing. Or at least he should have.


    (Skill Monstrous Strength ranked up to C rank.)


    (Monstrous Strength is activated. Strength is increased by 30 for 150 seconds.)


    (Skill Armor Collapsing Claw ranked up to D rank. Its efficiency increases greatly.)


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.Every step he took dug deep into the ground. It transferred the very force that dug to the ground.


    His feet to his calves.


    His calves to his hips.


    His hips to his obliques.


    His obliques to his shoulders.


    His shoulders to his sword.


    He drew out strength from his entire body to match Blanche’s power output.


    No, not match her. Surpass her. Even though he destroyed his body in the process and caused more harm to himself than her, he didn’t care.


    Strangely enough, his body wasn’t the only thing he gathered power from. While he didn’t realize it shadows gathered around Poyraz more and more. Those shadows were the same as the shadows gathered around him when he equipped his armor.


    (Your Spark answers to your will and rage.)


    (Fallen Soldier’s Armor is maturing to its next form.)


    Shadows wrapped around his coat first. It slowly lengthened. It became darker as it took the form of a cloak. It wrapped around Poyraz’s body when it formed. Poyraz frowned when he noticed it and shook it with his non-sword-holding hand. Mysteriously, it changed its shape, becoming shorter and smaller. It turned into a cape that danced with Poyraz’s movements, making him look like a superhero out of a comic book.


    His gauntlets and boots were next. The change wasn’t as drastic as his coat. They became bulkier. They were made out of a grey metallic substance but it didn’t reflect the light. The armor covering his forearm was a solid one piece while the armor covering his hands and fingers fit so perfectly that it was hard to imagine they being made by a mortal hand. His boots went up to his knee, protecting it.


    His chest armor became more pronounced, covering his entire torso. Circular pauldrons also showed themselves.


    Lastly, shadows wrapped around Poyraz’s head, hiding his now greying hair. A helmet made out of the same grey metal was formed to protect his entire head. It was a sharp-looking helmet with two horns poking toward the sky from the sides of his head. The only gap in the helmet was a single horizontal slit at Poyraz’s eye level. Two purple lights shone from it.


    (With your soul maturing your Spark answers.)


    (Fallen Soldier’s Armor matured into Fallen Knight’s Armor.)


    (You acquired Spark Skill “Armory of the Fallen”.)


    (All already existing Spark Skills increases by 1 rank.)


    (Your resistances increases.)


    (Your stats increases.)


    Poyraz realized the changes however he was too busy to read all of it. All he noticed was his body was lighter, he didn’t feel as tired as before and he swung his sword more easily.


    With the power boost he got, Poyraz loaded his sword with the purple energy. Unlike before it overshadowed Blanche’s energy.


    “ROAR!”


    Poyraz swung his sword just like many times he has done it in this fight. But this time the energy his strike carried was too much for Blanche to handle. She was sent flying as a purple energy wave assaulted her.


    Blanche’s ice armor shattered into thousands of pieces, releasing lightning everywhere. Poyraz tried to raise his shield even though he knew it was futile. When lightning nearly reached Poyraz, several ice blocks covered his vision, blocking most of the lightning strikes.


    Poyraz heard a small bark as his helmet opened by itself. He saw G?kb?rü weakly wagging his tail while looking at him.


    “You are alive?”


    Poyraz’s voice was coarse. Breathing that rapidly must have taken its toll on his throat.


    “Bork!”


    G?kb?rü answered with an energetic bark despite the blood covering him. Poyraz felt what little strength he had left his body. He fell down ass first to the ground. He opened his arms to welcome G?kb?rü who was walking with a limp. But rather than coming toward him, he walked toward where Blanche was. Seeing him move towards her, Poyraz mustered the very last energy he had and followed him.


    Blanche was covered with blood and unconscious. Poyraz couldn’t help but feel bad. His feelings changed quickly as he saw the crest on her arm shining and blood slowly freezing into ice. He knew he had to kill her. Quickly, before she could wake up and attack him again. Attack G?kb?rü again.


    Despite that G?kb?rü seemed fearless. He climbed toward Blanche’s face and opened her mouth with his paws. He allowed some of his blood to spill into her mouth.


    Just like that, crest stopped giving out light. G?kb?rü wagged his tail and turned to Poyraz.


    “Bork!”


    He proudly barked.