LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 164: Madness Overloaded
"Aggghhhh!" Jack roared, his voice a monstrous bellow that sent tremors through the stage. His blade, fueled by the last remnants of his berserk power, slashed through the air with unstoppable force.
One slash.
A black sphere exploded.
Two slashes.
Another shattered into nothingness.
Three slashes.
The final sphere crumbled, its black flames extinguished.
For the first time—
Asha was left unguarded.
Jack's blade rose.
Asha's hand tightened.
Jack's final strike came down, a blow meant to end everything.
Asha raised her palm—
BOOM!
The stage shattered beneath them.
A shockwave erupted, ripping through the stage like a collapsing world. The force of their clash sent cracks sprawling across the ground, obliterating everything in its path.
Crimson blood flooded the stage, swallowing everything in its wake.
Asha stood her ground, her black flames burning fiercely, her breath coming out shallow.
She had spent everything countering him.
Jack had pushed her this far. He had brought her to the very limits of her power, forced her to respond with everything she had, and driven her into a battle where a single mistake could have meant her end.
His relentless onslaught had shattered her defenses, leaving her with nothing but her own raw skill and instinct to survive. He was an unstoppable force, a berserker whose body had become nothing but a vessel of destruction, yet even so, she remained standing.
But—
Before he could land his final blow—before he could carve his victory into reality—his body froze. For the first time since succumbing to madness, his movements halted. The violent energy that had fueled him, that had burned like an unquenchable inferno, flickered.
The wild, overwhelming pressure that had drowned the stage in bloodlust began to fade, giving way to something far more chilling.
His skin withered, tightening over his bones like dried parchment. His once-bulging veins shriveled, drained of the very essence that had given him strength. The rich, crimson blood that had surged through him—the very thing that had powered his monstrous transformation—evaporated into the air like mist under the morning sun.
Then, all at once, Jack's monstrous body crumbled. His limbs, which had once wielded enough force to shatter the stage, collapsed inward, his flesh disintegrating as though he were nothing more than ash caught in the wind.
His sword, the blade that had nearly severed Asha's invincibility, slipped from his lifeless hands and clattered onto the ruined stage.
His voice, once a crazed symphony of destruction, faded into silence.
Jack was gone. Not defeated in battle. Not slain by an enemy's hand. But consumed by his own power.
Asha did not move. She stood in the aftermath of his rampage, her body unwavering, her black flames dimmed to faint embers. She did not celebrate, nor did she revel in victory. Instead, she simply watched the spot where Jack had once stood, the space where a force of sheer willpower had burned so brightly that it had consumed itself.
She knew.
Had Jack lasted just a few more seconds…
Had his body endured for just a single moment longer…
Perhaps—
She would have lost.
The stage fell into a haunting silence. The dust from their clash still lingered in the air, settling slowly over the shattered ground. No one spoke. No one moved.
The geniuses were terrified.
For all his insanity, for all the mindless destruction he had wrought, Jack had perished not as a failure, but as a warrior who stood at the very edge of victory.
In that final moment—
He had nearly done the impossible.
He had stood at the brink of defeating an invincible being.
"Damn!"
Max was blown away by the battle he had just witnessed.
And not just him—every genius present felt the same.
They had all just witnessed something they would never forget.
Jack's madness, his relentless battle style, his ruthless approach—it had shocked them to the core.
Yet, even more than Jack's terrifying display, it was the woman in the mask who left the deepest impression.
She had blocked everything Jack threw at her.
She stood like an unshakable wall, countering every strike, deflecting every attack, and neutralizing even his most overwhelming moves.
She was, in every sense—invincible.
Even with Jack's endless brutality, his unpredictable blood-fueled power, he had barely managed to force her into a defenseless state at the last possible moment.
But…
Was it enough?
Had he actually been capable of defeating her?
Nobody knew.
And that uncertainty—
Made the battle even more terrifying.
Max's eyes remained locked on the woman in the mask, his mind racing with thoughts. The Black Lotus Guild… Just who were they? How could someone be this strong?
"She's too powerful!"
That was the only conclusion he could reach after witnessing her battle.
But before he could dwell on it further—
"Remember this battle, all of you!"
A powerful voice boomed across the battlefield.
Every gaze turned toward the source—
Jack.
He had reappeared on his pillar, fully revived, his presence still carrying the remnants of madness from his battle.
His sharp eyes swept over the gathered geniuses, a confident smirk on his face.
"My class is called Blood Berserker."
The revelation sent murmurs through the crowd.
Jack continued, his tone brimming with wild excitement.
"The more blood I lose, the stronger I become."
A silence settled over the arena as the weight of his words sank in.
Then—Jack grinned.
"So, if any of you want to test your limits, come find me in the West! I'd love to battle you all."
His gaze suddenly shifted—
Landing directly on Max.
"Especially you, Max."
Max raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Jack's grin widened.
"I'd love to fight you one day. Your fighting style—it's like mine. We'd have a blast."
Max chuckled, his lips curling into a confident grin.
"Don't worry." His voice was filled with anticipation. "It won't be long before I visit the West."
Jack nodded, pleased with Max's response. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire
The challenge had been issued.
And both knew—
It was only a matter of time before they clashed.