Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

There is a function of the beacon; it beats more rapidly, the more critical the person's situation gets.

And currently, Celestria's beacon was beating twice per second, indicating that she was in grave trouble.

This might be the first time after his rebirth, that Alex was feeling this nervous as he blindly rushed toward the place from where her signals were arriving.

'Faster…faster…I need to be faster...!'

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Edric watched in horror as the beast advanced towards Celestria.

His mind was turning numb, his body not responding to his cries to get up and attack the demon. However, he knew that if he didn't move, Celestria would die.

'He is here for Alex…there is no doubt…' Edric pressed his hand on the concrete and bit his lip.

With every ounce of strength left in his body, he tried to push himself off the ground—however, then, he paused and stopped trying.

With a smile elevating the left side of his lips, he uttered, "We might survive now…"

Like a meteor, Alex descended toward the beast who was inches away from Celestria—his form was impossible to track and the strength behind his attack made the beast stumble back.

**BOOOOOM**

The heavy resonance of that single attack was evidence of his agitation and anxiety as Alex stood between Celestria and the beast

"Just who the fuck are you?"

The Beast could tell that the being in front of it was the Cursed One—the essence of the curse was quite profound and from what the Soulless could sense,

'He has successfully harnessed the strength of the curse…no wonder, My Lord was anxious.'

The feral beast raised its hand and pointed its finger at Alex, "Come with me and I will spare your friends."

Without a word, Alex summoned a long sword that gleamed with an ominous light. His grip tightened, and in a flash, he lunged forward, his speed leaving a faint afterimage in his wake.

The beast braced itself, its monstrous muscles tensing. It could sense the sheer power emanating from Alex but dismissed the human as reckless.

Alex swung his blade in a vicious overhead arc. The Soulless smirked, raising its clawed hand to swat the weapon aside, "Too slow—huh?!"

The beast's arrogance shattered the moment its palm struck the blade. The sword rebounded off the ground with double the speed, moving like a viper striking its prey. Before the beast could react, the blade slammed into its torso.

**THUNK!**

A deafening crack echoed as the air was driven out of the Soulless, its massive body hurled backward like a rag doll. The sheer force of the strike left a deep gouge on the arena floor as the beast tumbled across the ground, snarling in pain.

Alex's grip tightened on his sword as his body tensed, restless energy radiating from him. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, his speed inhuman, leaving faint cracks in the ground.

The Soulless narrowed its golden eyes, fortifying its body as it swung a massive claw toward Alex's head.

But Alex moved like a phantom, sidestepping with precision as if he already knew the attack was coming. He countered with an upward slash.

SWISH

The beast barely managed to lean back, but the razor-sharp blade sliced through its golden mane, scattering strands into the air.

"You runt!" the beast snarled, leaping back. It slammed its massive palms against each other.

BOOOOM

A shockwave erupted, forcing Alex to stagger and skid across the cracked arena floor. He steadied himself, but his focus faltered for only a second.

That was enough.

Something heavy struck his back like a hammer.

"Ghuk!" Alex grunted, his body lurching forward. But even as pain shot through him, his eyes locked onto the beast.

DUCK!

The Soulless aimed a follow-up kick, but Alex dropped low, dodging cleanly. In one swift motion, he switched to his dagger and slashed upward.

The blade connected.

But the beast didn't even flinch. A faint scratch appeared on its thick hide.

"I am too strong for such pitiful attacks!" it bellowed, its voice booming with arrogance.

The beast raised its massive foot and brought it down with a crushing force.

The impact split the concrete beneath him. Blood spurted from his mouth as the pressure forced his knees to buckle.

Pushing the leg away, Alex leaped back from the spot, and as he did, he threw a few daggers at the beast—targeting its vitals.

**CLANG**

However, nothing was damaged as the blades lost their strength once colliding against the mountain-strong body of the beast.

"Such petty tricks. I thought you finally began harnessing strength from the Curse...but now I think, it's just the damaged seal that's leaking such a strong scent."

Alex didn't know what the monster was saying since he was focused on thinking of a strategy to defeat it.

'Its body is unbelievably strong...none of my attacks are causing any significant damage.'

Left with no choice, Alex broke into a sprint, a small knife gripped tightly in his hand.

Fueling his arm with Soul Energy, he kept his eyes locked on the motionless beast, who stood idly, radiating a sinister confidence.

"What now, little human?" the beast mocked, resting its massive hand on its waist, seemingly amused by Alex's desperate act.

Ignoring the taunts, Alex pressed on, his breathing ragged. Reaching his mark, he leaped high into the air, his body twisting mid-flight to generate a burst of momentum.

With a sharp exhale, he hurled the knife, the weapon soaring through the air at a blinding speed.

The beast's smirk faded. Recognizing the force behind the throw, it fortified its body instantly. Raising its paw with precision, it intercepted the dart just inches from its face.

**CLANG!**

The blade collided with the beast's reinforced paw, sparks flying upon impact. Though it managed to block the knife, the sheer force behind the throw caused the beast to stagger slightly, its confidence shaken for the first time

However, not so long after, the monster parried the blade away and turned just in time to block Alex's sword

"Not sneaky enough, brat." The monster grinned before while holding the blade, it used the other hand to punch Alex in the gut.

"Guh!" Spit blended with blood, spurted out of his mouth, with his eyes stretching wide.

He dropped the weapon and staggered back. This monster was strong....unbelievably so.

Alex was, for the third time now, facing an enemy way above his league. He was once again reminded that the strength he had gained wasn't anywhere enough to survive in this world or face the foes in the ascension quest.

'I...need more power...but I can't let my consciousness slip away...can't let that happen again...'

Glancing at Celestria, Alex clenched his fist, and inwardly exclaimed,

'If I can't control the curse, I won't let it devour me, as well!'

His breath grew heavy, and his vision blurred as a searing heat coursed through his veins.

The beast's grin faltered.

A sudden, suffocating aura erupted from Alex, thick and vile, spreading across the battlefield like a storm. The air grew colder, yet an ominous heat radiated from him, making even the Soulless flinch.

Black tendrils of energy began to snake around Alex, twisting and writhing like living shadows. His once bright eyes turned into bottomless voids, emanating a suffocating malice. Your next journey awaits at empire

The ground beneath him cracked, small fissures spreading outward as if the earth itself recoiled from his presence.

The beast snarled, "You are letting the Curse take over, huh?! So this is the only thing you can think of?!" The Beast knew what was within Alex, however, he was not capable of fighting against it. As such, it dashed toward Alex, intending to finish the human before the Curse could surface.

Without wasting a moment, the Soulless lunged forward, its massive fist cocked back, aiming to obliterate Alex before the monstrous transformation could complete.

"DIE, YOU FOOL!" it roared.

TING

CRUNCH

The sound of the shattering bone echoed as the beast's fist connected with Alex's head—only to crumble upon impact. Alex didn't flinch, didn't budge an inch.

The beast reeled back, clutching its broken hand, its golden eyes wide with disbelief. But before it could retreat, Alex vanished.

"What—?!"

In an instant, Alex appeared behind the Soulless. With an eerie calm, he grabbed the beast by its tail. His voice was a guttural growl, cold and menacing. "Playtime isn't over, kitty."

The Soulless had no time to react. With a feral roar, Alex swung the beast like a ragdoll, hurling it into the sky.

The inhumane creature twisted mid-air, desperate to regain control. But its panic only deepened as Alex's presence eclipsed the sky. His figure hovered above, his blood-red eyes glowing with unrestrained malice.

Alex clasped his hands together, raising them high. "Let's see you survive this."

With an earth-shaking roar, he slammed his joined fists down onto the Soulless.

BOOOOM

The impact shattered the arena walls, sending chunks of stone flying as a crater several feet deep formed beneath the beast's mangled body. Dust and debris filled the air, choking the scene in chaos.

But Alex didn't stop.

A glowing red sigil burned above his head, pulsating with a sinister energy. The Soulless struggled to rise, trembling, but Alex's voice cut through the haze.

"Cursebind."

An invisible force crashed down on the Soulless like a tidal wave, pinning it to the ground. The beast let out a strangled gasp, its body crushed under the oppressive weight of Alex's skill.

Hovering in mid-air, Alex spread his hands, a crackling sphere of crimson energy forming between his palms.

The energy ball hissed and growled, alive with lethal intent, as Alex unleashed it with a snarl.

"Burn."

The sphere shot toward the Soulless like a comet, tearing through the air with unrelenting force. The ground beneath the beast fractured even before the attack landed.

The Beast closed its eyes and accepted its fate.

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A/N:- If you are wondering what kind of marking Alex adapted, then see chapter chapter 66- Fangs and Steel(5), title comment.