46 Packing a Punch P2

Naive.

Eren had naively believed that since Stan and the others were instructed not to report to the guild for a week, they would spend their time indulging in the usual festivities and leisure activities available in the Elysian cities.

He had observed their behavior through his memories inherited from the previous Eren and assumed they would be too preoccupied to bother with him. However, he had severely underestimated the psychological impact his defiance had on Stan and his companions.

'I should have kept Reece closer until I was fully prepared to face these bastards,' Eren thought to himself, realizing his mistake. Despite his physical pain, he maintained a clear understanding of his situation, separating his thoughts from the agony coursing through his body.

'Knowing is not enough. We must apply. Willing is not enough. We must do.'

A sudden realization struck Eren, and he began perceiving time differently, his vision tainted red from the blood pouring into his eyes from a wound on his forehead. Paradoxically, his clarity of thought seemed heightened, as if the path he must take had become clear.

The amalgamation of experiences from the creator's inheritance and his own journey as Vik and Eren coalesced within his mind, forming a plan that had lain dormant until this critical moment. His survival instincts had unearthed these dormant memories, guiding him towards a purpose he held dear.

Though Eren had been forced into this confrontation and endured brutal beatings, he had remained silent till this point, knowing that speaking or pleading would only fuel Stan's sadistic satisfaction.

However, as he struggled to rise from his battered state, Eren found the strength to speak, his voice filled with determination.

"Even when I faced death before, I never truly understood its meaning. I'm not afraid to die, Stan. But I refuse to die like the pathetic cockroach I've always been. This is not the end for me. I won't accept it. I thank you for the lessons you've taught me today. For helping me digest my gains from the Easter Egg. For making me aware of what "he" meant when he said, "Don't be afraid to spill the blood.'"

For a moment, Stan was lost in his own thoughts, his mind consumed by fantasies of being with Reece. It took him a while to process Eren's words and realize that the young man had risen to his feet, defying the pain and injuries that plagued him.

Before Stan, Jayce, or Ralph could react, Eren vanished from his position, leaving behind only streaks of crackling lightning dancing on the ground before disappearing into thin air.

Stan, who had been closing in on Eren, found himself on the receiving end of a punch to the solar plexus. Despite Eren's non-ranker status, he had channeled his mana into a movement spell, granting him a burst of speed that caught Stan off guard. Having honed his combat skills in the harsh world of the Numbered Oasis, Stan managed to raise his arms in defense, but it was not enough.

The crackling sound of lightning filled the air as Eren poured his remaining mana into the punch, imbuing it with the power of his elemental affinity. Stan, taken aback by the explosive force and ferocity displayed by Eren, felt his defenses crumble. Eren's lightning-coated fist found its mark, striking his solar plexus from an unexpected angle. Eren had outmaneuvered his defense, altering the trajectory of his attack at the last moment.

Foreign mana invaded Stan's body, the lightning's stun effect compromising his reaction time further. In that split second, Eren's true potential even as a non-ranker became apparent, breaching the limits set for someone of his status and posing a significant threat to an official ranker like Stan.

Stunned and confused, Stan struggled to activate his fire-element mana in time, his natural mana defenses compromised by his wavering state of mind. The sequence of events unfolded in a mere fraction of a second, leaving Jayce and Ralph unaware of what was transpiring between Stan and Eren.

With a swift motion, Eren's lightning-infused punch sent Stan hurtling through the air, surpassing his two companions in both speed and impact. Jayce and Ralph exchanged bewildered glances as their de facto leader crashed to the ground, roughly fifteen meters away. Stan's body crackled with residual lightning mana, wreaking havoc within him.

Eren, drawing from the experiences he had gained from Bruce, unleashed his lightning-coated punch as a symbol of his resistance against the circumstances that sought to break him. In that moment, the tables turned as a low-key psychopath struck down a high-functioning psychopath with a single devastating blow.