My Shard Bearer System - Elias's Legacy
Chapter 81: A moment to rise

Chapter 81: A moment to rise

"I won’t lie—my back feels like it’s on fire," Yui muttered, rolling his shoulders. "But these gauntlets? They’re usually my ace in the hole. I’ll explain what they do another time... if we make it out of this alive."

Vincent let out a deep growl as he slammed his fist into the ground, molten energy cracking outward in jagged lines. The ground shifted beneath them, fractures glowing with heat as a hardened crust of stone and flame spread across Vincent’s body, encasing him in armor. "You won’t be getting off easy this time, you damn losers!" he shouted, molten eyes narrowing as he scanned his surroundings. "And there’s no pretty little lady to protect you now."

He charged forward, fast and heavy, the air rippling with heat in his wake. Yui’s eyes flicked across the battlefield, taking in the sight of resort security guards lying unconscious, some half-frozen, with their weapons shattered beside them. "It doesn’t look like Elara went down quietly," he muttered, jaw tightening as he turned his focus back to Vincent.

"Elias! You’re playing backup here!" Yui shouted. "When you see an opening—strike however you know how to!"

But Elias barely heard him. His gaze was fixed on Elara’s unconscious form sprawled across the ground. Blood streaked down her face, and her body was marked with deep gashes, her suit torn away, leaving her in nothing but her bathing suit. Smoke lingered around her like a grim reminder of the battle she’d fought. How had she lost? Elara was strong, fast, precise—there was no way Vincent could have taken her down this easily.

"MOVE, DAMN IT!" Dot’s voice screamed inside his head, the urgency rattling through him like a shockwave. "We have to defeat him anyway! It’s part of the quest! I don’t want to deal with being blind... or dealing with you being blind!"

Elias drew in a sharp breath, forcing himself to focus. "You’re right," he whispered. "I just have to dive in, trust my instincts, and play the perfect defensive piece right now."

Before Elias could act, Yui was already charging forward. But he barely made it three steps before Vincent was on him, towering over him with molten fists raised. Elias’s eyes widened as he realized that Vincent’s right arm—the one Elara had severed—was now fully encased in molten stone, reforged and burning with raw power. Vincent’s attack came down in a blinding arc, aimed directly at Yui’s chest.

Yui crossed his gauntlets just in time, meeting the blow head-on. The impact detonated with a sound like a cannon shot, sparks and heat erupting in every direction as the energy surged outward. The force created a vortex of pressure, sending waves of heat rolling across the battlefield as the gauntlets absorbed what they could. The surface of the gauntlets flickered with unstable light, straining to disperse the raw energy of Vincent’s attack.

Yui gritted his teeth as the gauntlet groaned under Vincent’s crushing force. The metal creaked, a hairline fracture forming along its surface as bursts of energy crackled between them. Sparks erupted wildly, flashing in sharp intervals. It was in that brief gap—where the sparks flared brightest—that Elias moved.

Sliding between the chaotic surges of energy, he lunged forward, gripping the long, metal rod Dot had just formed in his hand. A faint blue light pulsed at the tip as he drove the pole against Vincent’s forearm, forcing his arm up and away from Yui. The momentum knocked Vincent slightly off balance, his stance shifting for the first time.

The strain on Yui’s gauntlet, however, had already reached its breaking point. With the last of its structural integrity gone, the metal split apart, fragments clattering onto the ruined resort floor.

Vincent, recovering almost instantly, growled in frustration and attempted to slam his head forward in a brutal strike. Yui reacted on instinct, twisting his body just in time to avoid the impact. Using the motion to his advantage, he spun on his heel and delivered a devastating uppercut with his remaining gauntlet—now glowing a blistering red from absorbing Vincent’s attack. The moment his fist connected with Vincent’s jaw, the stored energy unleashed in a violent explosion.

The shockwave detonated between them, sending Yui hurtling backward and launching Elias toward the far side of the battlefield, his body skidding across the cracked tile near Elara’s unconscious form.

Elias coughed as he pushed himself up onto his hands, his ribs aching from the impact. "What the hell just happened..." he muttered, his breath uneven.

Dot’s voice chimed in immediately. "From what I saw, Yui transferred the entire blow from his shiny glove thingy to the other shiny glove thingy! And then delivered it right back to that brute’s face!"

Elias groaned as he stumbled to his feet, his head spinning. A heavy scent of dust and burning metal clung to the air, mixing with something sharp and sickly sweet that left a bitter taste on his tongue. It made his stomach churn, his senses momentarily overwhelmed. He inhaled through his nose, trying to steady himself, but the scent lingered, cloying and unnatural.

His HUD flickered, and his quest log appeared in his peripheral vision. Two objectives flashed onto the screen.

[200 Pushups – Completed]

[Win a Sparring Match – Incomplete]

[Create 10 Objects – 7/10]

Right. He was close to finishing that last one. But would he even get a chance to fight Vincent now?

The haze of debris finally began to settle, revealing the extent of the destruction around them. The once pristine resort was now nearly unrecognizable.

The pool, which had been filled with crystal-clear water, was now a half-drained wreck—large cracks running through its foundation, broken tiles jutting out like jagged teeth.

The once-vibrant neon lights surrounding the area flickered weakly, some shattered entirely, their shattered casings littering the ground. Smoke curled from scorched furniture, and overturned lounge chairs lay abandoned across the now battlefield.

Everything was ruined. And Vincent was still standing.

Elias rubbed his face, trying to shake the dizziness creeping into his limbs. He staggered forward, muttering, "We’ll figure something out for sure." But just as he clapped his hands together, readying himself, a sudden force yanked him down.

His leg locked in place, an instant failure to move. His breath hitched as he looked down at his left foot—Elara’s fingers were wrapped tightly around his ankle.

Her grip was weak but unrelenting.

A deep, shuddering breath escaped her lips as she forced out, "Elias... wait... I need to tell you—"

Elias immediately knelt, but the moment he leaned down, the smell hit him again—thick, suffocating, laced with something sickly sweet. It felt like it was seeping into his bones, rattling through his nervous system. Elara’s voice came in ragged, her words slurred, barely coherent.

"H-he... he’s using some type of gas... but beyond that..." she swallowed hard, struggling even to form the next words. "I’m sure you’ll figure it out... His chest... it’s weak."

Elias exhaled sharply, the pieces falling into place.

He scooped Elara up, shifting her into a more stable position. The scent was stronger now, wrapping around him like a weighted chain. His arms trembled, his muscles aching despite not taking a direct hit. Even just breathing this in was making his body want to shut down.

"That makes sense," he muttered under his breath. "Even my bones feel like they’re shaking apart. Whatever this gas is, it’s breaking us down from the inside..."

Such a cheap trick. He should have known. Elara wouldn’t just lose outright—though, to be fair, he’d never actually seen her fight before.

Carefully, he placed her in a safer spot, shifting debris away before peeling off his already torn shirt. He folded it, pressing it gently against the bleeding on her head to slow the wound.

"Elara, hang in there," he muttered.

"Hey!" Dot’s voice cut through his thoughts like a snapped twig. "Stop daydreaming and snap out of it! We still have to actually deal with this dude."

Elias pulled himself back into focus, eyes locking onto Vincent once again.

Vincent hadn’t moved. He stood there, body rigid, his molten stone-coated arms resting at his sides as his head tilted upward.

Something was off.

Yui stepped forward, rolling his injured shoulder with a grimace. Elias could see the strain in his expression—his tendons were probably inflamed from absorbing and redirecting that last hit. The impact force must have ripped through the soft tissue in his shoulder, stretching it to its limit.

And yet, Yui kept moving forward, ignoring the damage.

Elias’s mind raced. What the hell is Vincent waiting for?