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Chapter 35: Stellar Approach Fragment

  The fragment's core was life force and will, through decrystalisation both could not avoid some level of harm, which was why there was a chance of death. But with its accelerated thoughts it could guide the process to an extent of dropping the chances of death to no more than forty percent.

  After success life force could be healed and replenished through fusion with the World while the will would remain damaged. In the fragment's case the damage naturally caused it to be less dragonic thanks to not being a dragon in the first place.

  (So that wasn't self destruction.)

  Realised Hiro as the bolts of lightning reached him, he did not evade nor did he need to. Naturally as a hero he had the blessing of nature's affinity, this made it extremely hard if not impossible to harm him with natural phenomena. Be it fire, water, heat, cold, wind, lava, lightning, light, darkness and plants, even gravity at a limited degree.

  Crack! Crack! Zap!

  The lightning harmlessly zigzaged around Hiro while making sizzling and cracking noises.

  (Sigh, at least it's just lightning that it gained.)

  Hiro thought as the lightning began to fade and the fragment was also finishing up its reformation.

  "That is no longer the Moon Fragment but Stellar Approach Fragment. It may have gained the control over electricity now but another ability it wasn't aware of before will be apparent to it."

  Warned B One, moving away from Hiro. He had nothing to fear between their fight but he could not be in a position which would result in him being in Hiro's sight, perhaps even obscuring his view of the fragment.

  "Your form has changed."

  Said Hiro as the swirling life force died down revealing the fragment within.

  It was no longer the rocky and lava body of before but a molten yellow. It was hotter than it appeared to be, its hands were weaponized the same as before while its wings were gone while the legs became more human like, the same was true of the head. Blue sparks of electricity kept appearing and disappearing around its body with most of them concentrated around the mussel hand.

  "I am grateful to you. If you choose to walk away right now, I'm even willing to let bygones be bygones this time."

  "What about them?"

  Hiro asked seemingly unopposed to the idea. The fragment was silent as it stared at the planet Hiro was pointing at.

  "Just as I am grateful to you, I grateful to that world. I will not allow it to be ravaged by parasites I would rather it die alongside them than see them flourish upon it."

  It finally said plainly, Hiro showed his understanding while gesturing with his sword to continue with the fight.

  "You feel for your kind, I am the same. Perhaps my offer was redundant only through the other's death can our conflict be settled."

  It continued before charging towards Hiro, its body was like a lump of light accompanied by sparks. It slashed vertically downward when it was within range.

  "Oof!"

  Groaned Hiro after failing reflect the attack and was sent flying back as a blasts of blue and yellow light chased after him. Hiro brought his body back under control and began to fight back while he started to heal.

  (It has become at least ten times stronger than before, such a difference. Was this how strong the demon lord became at that time... No I shouldn't distract myself. Right now I should focus on finding a way to reflect the its attacks, a body no different from lightning where do I begin to reflect that? Sigh, I'll have to rely on healing until I find the right combination of techniques to reflect its attacks.)

  Hiro could heal himself but he would rather not get injured in the first place. Whether the injury was fatal, large or small there was no guarantee it wouldn't cause excessive delays in actions. This would rob him of his speed advantage, making it possible for him to incur more wounds and eventually sustaining more injuries than he healed, leading to his death.

  But he had no choice but to take the attacks head on while finding the right combination of techniques for his circumstance.

  (So what if you can heal yourself, at best it's only delaying death.)

  The fragment thought as it turned to Hiro, he would reach it in just a blink but it wasn't worried. With a thought power surged from it expanding outward faster than Hiro could reach. A translucent sphere of light blue with lightning running down it from its upper pole to the lower pole. It continued to expand with such speed, the fragment was at its center while Hiro was outside. Seeing this sudden change Hiro slowed down, cautious it might not just be lightning but also the other power B One mentioned.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  (Let us see what it is.)

  He thought, slashing rapidly and shooting out ranged slashes. He watched them pass through the sphere without any resistance and when they reached the fragment they were effortlessly blocked with one hand. Hiro learned nothing from this exchange, he was left with no choice but to resolve himself to enter.

  (Now that it knows time is all it needs to get stronger I can't let it stall, I have to take this risk.)

  He moved forward stabbing into the blue sphere, immediately lightning came streaking to him but he had nature's affinity thus it did him no harm. This did not even draw his attention, what did however was the resistance he felt from the sphere.

  (I'm no genius but I recognise this feeling, repulsion of magnets.)

  He assessed, forcing himself into the sphere felt like two poles of the same kind being brought together. He was certain this was the case and he was right this sphere was an electromagnetic field.

  The lightning wasn't a threat to him and the field was repelling him. From these two main points Hiro concluded this was a method of defense and this method was indeed wise for the fragment, if it wanted to stall for more time.

  (With each passing moment the gap between us grows, even this field that I can forcefully push through now may be too strong for me to even move my sword just an inch. If I force my way in I'll also be giving up on speed, can I afford to do this?)

  With this question in mind Hiro smiled bitterly and began to move, forcing his way into the field. His expression for the first time was grim.

  (If I don't find the right techniques soon I might just die here.)

  A moment's thought as Hiro advanced. And like it was waiting for him to come inside it acted, it lifted its mussel hand and shot out a beam of plasma.

  Pew! Pew pew!

  The beam was the fastest attack thus far but things had changed, from moments ago Hiro increased his perception to the max, everything before him might as well have been frozen in time. It gave him a great amount of perception time to make judgments but this was also its weakness and the reason he did not use it often. Anyone under its effects would feel the agony of feeling an eternity in every second, even worse being motionless with only thoughts to one's self.

  Fast as it was by the time it arrived Hiro had long since come up with a solution. He slashed at it with Spiriton, even with its power it was helpless against the severing of space and was cut in two, each piece passing on either side of Hiro. But this was not the only attack, following after it were several other beams and blasts, lightning bolts were also mixed in. Even with them being ineffective against Hiro, the fragment did not believe Hiro didn't find them to be a nuisance, every bit of deviation they caused it could use to end this fight.

  Bam! Bam!

  Several hit Hiro after he failed to reflect them. Hiro continued to defend and evade when he had to heal. Thanks to the fragment keeping its distance Hiro just had to contend against such attacks.

  (Now that its ranged attacks are this strong it doesn't want to take a risk of fighting me at close range. It knows Spiriton will be as effective as before.)

  He continued to defend and evade the attacks. With such a tactic Hiro eventually found the right combination of techniques to reflect its attacks.

  "Using my own strength against me, how easy can it be."

  It roared bringing its blade hand down to attack, Hiro matched it bringing Spiriton to meet the vertical slash. But at this moment something that had not happened till now happened.

  (What... it could do this the whole time.)

  He felt the force around him change and with this bit of change his stance was broken but only for a short time, so short even the fragment barely noticed. This was all thanks to Hiro's maxed perception, if not his reaction to this change would come late and its slash would land squarely on his right shoulder cutting all the way down with no hope of resistance. Though he evaded he also missed his chance to attack.

  Crack crack!

  Electric sparks went back and forth as the two exchanged blows.

  (Again!)

  Hiro thought, the strength and direction of the electromagnetic field was altered. It went from resisting his movement to assisting his movement in an instant, making it so Hiro hurdles past the fragment with no time to react while it went in the opposite direction. A moment later Hiro came to a stop and charged at it once more.

  (It may not have any refined fighting style but so far it has shown its craftiness, but I'm no fool either. Clashing head on there is no way I would not find this suspicious when it has been avoiding Spiriton so far.)

  He thought while reflecting and deflecting his way through its barrage of blast attacks.

  Both sides were expending everything they had and with the exception of sacrifice Hiro was going all out with nothing held back. His greatest offense was his defense, reflecting attacks while looking for an opportunity to attack the core with Spiriton. But he wasn't given the chance. Every time Hiro came close the fragment controlled the field, changing it to its favor, increasing and decreasing the the magnitude and whether it attracted or repelled Hiro, causing him to miss while using the chance to attack as well.

  (Again with these quick reflexes.)

  It cursed after missing, not knowing Hiro could see these attacks and make judgments long before they are even half way to him. Their battle had developed a sort of wits, everytime the fragment would change the direction and magnitude of the field offsetting the rhythm of Hiro's attacks, balance and precision.

  Like a tag of war when Hiro pulled with all his might it would release its grip on the rope causing his fall and when he was not pulling with great might, it would. All these bits of deviations piled up bringing Hiro ever closer to death but he survived narrowly fixing his movement and responding accordingly. This was the advantage of perception if not he would have died several times over.

  (Ah, not good even my dark dragon scale gear will perish at this rate)

  He examined himself while healing from another attack he couldn't reflect in time. He had a massive wound on the chest, blood was floating outward when he healed it flowed back. But even with the wound closing his dark clothes remained torn like many other areas, legs and arms. This once black and mystery inducing clothing was greatly ruined. Even when he fought it the first time there was not a scratch on it, now its fate was uncertain.

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