Natural Paradise 02

Jace's mind raced. Everything around him felt surreal, like a dream he couldn't wake up from. The bright orange light was blinding, filling the entire space with an unbearable heat.

"What... what is happening?" Jace muttered, taking a step back.

Vance lay on the ground, the dust swirling around him as he stared at the spot where Iry once stood. His breath came in ragged gasps as he pressed his hands into the earth, his fingers curling into fists.

"Why... why did this have to happen...?" His voice trembled with grief and anger. Slowly, Vance pulled himself up, his face twisted in desperation. He staggered toward Jace, grabbing his shoulder with a tight grip.

"Do something, Jace," he hissed, his voice rising in a frantic plea. "Do something! Bring her back!"

Jace stared at him, shocked. "What are you even talking about?" he said, his voice edged with frustration and confusion.

"Kill yourself if you have to! Just bring her back!" Vance's eyes darkened with a sinister glint, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

"Get away from me, damn it!" Jace shouted, pushing Vance away with force. "Can't you see? He's the one who did this!"

Vance fell to the ground again, his face etched with both shock and fury.

Vance lay on the ground, his body trembling as he crawled toward the knife that had slipped from his grip earlier. His hand shakily reached out, grabbing the knife and clutching it tightly against his chest. Tears streamed down his face, his sobs barely audible as the weight of the moment crushed him.

"Iryyy... nooo," he cried, his voice broken, filled with anguish.

Jace looked up in disbelief, seeing only Naur standing before him. but he had 2 bracelets in each hand one green and one pink, and he seemed a little less tall than before

He just kept staring at Jace, as if searching for something deep within him, something only he could see.

"Naur?" Jace asked, his voice uncertain.

He approached Jace, inspecting him closely even more. "You're not even Arecus, are you?" Without warning, Naur slammed his fist into Jace's chest, sending him crashing into a nearby building.

From the rubble, Arecus emerged with a twisted grin, stretching his muscles and walking towards Naur "What's your problem, asshole?"

Naur chuckled darkly. "Problem? Your very existence pisses me off."

"Is that so? Then it is going to piss you even more."

Naur burst into laughter. "Your existence is nothing but a joke to me. You’re just the inheritor of a pathetic entity that was only claimed because it was the last one left. What was its name again? Oh, yes—Amberian. How laughable. And you’re not even the real inheritor, you are more like a human who just got this in legacy."

Arecus was staring at him with his usual face with no expression but sinister eyes

“Do you wish to die?”

Naur sneered. "You? You’re nothing compared to me. I am the inheritor of Librian—the rejector of nature. Second to be inherited, and far superior to a fool like you who dares to stand in front of me that way."

"Can you stop yapping and show me what you really got? Because right now, you sound really pathetic," Arecus sneered, his eyes gleaming with cold amusement as he pointed at Naur.

With a sharp breath, he shifted into his fighting stance—legs spread, body slightly leaned forward, fists clenched and ready. His presence was like a coiled spring, ready to strike. "Now, come at me… or is talking all you’re good for?"

Naur's face twisted with rage as he charged at Arecus, closing the distance with terrifying speed. Arecus cocked his fist back, prepared to deliver a punishing blow—but suddenly, the ground beneath him erupted. Thick, thorn-covered vines shot up, wrapping themselves around his legs and torso, tightening like a living trap. The thorns pierced deep into his flesh.

Arecus glanced down at the writhing vines in confusion. "What the… I am losing my consciousness. What are these things coated with?"

But before he could even attempt to break free, Naur was upon him. His fists moved like hammers, each one striking Arecus’s face with brutal precision. The sound of bone cracking echoed through the air as Naur landed punch after punch—one, two, three blows straight to the face.

Blood streamed from Arecus's mouth, his vision fading. "Damn it… I need to break out of this…"

A fiery red glow began to radiate from the mark on his arm. With a roar, Arecus summoned all his strength, snapping the vines apart in an explosion of raw energy. Thorny fragments scattered everywhere as he tore himself free, stumbling to regain his footing.

But as he got free from the vines. Naur’s fist crashed into Arecus's jaw with an earth-shattering force, sending him flying backward like a ragdoll. Arecus hit the ground with a sickening thud, skidding across the dirt before coming to a stop, lying motionless in a growing pool of his own blood.

Naur strolled over to Arecus, a smug grin plastered on his face. "What’s the matter, tough guy? Down already?" His mocking tone dripped with disdain.

Arecus’s body remained lifeless, sprawled across the ground. Naur leaned down, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and lifting him off the ground as though he weighed nothing. Arecus’s head lolled back, his limbs hanging limp and lifeless.

Naur shook him violently, his expression twisted into a mask of cruel amusement. "What’s wrong, huh?" he snarled. "Weren’t you supposed to be some great legend? The almighty wanna be Arecus?" He shook Arecus harder, his voice a venomous growl. "Where’s that strength, you worthless puppet?"

Arecus was knocked down, in Naur’s grasp like a broken doll, blood smeared across his pale face.

With a cruel laugh, Naur tossed Arecus’s limp body aside, watching as he hit the ground with a dull thud. "And to think I wasted my time on you," Naur said, shaking his head as if disappointed.

He looked down at his blood-stained hands, a grimace of revulsion crossing his face. "Great… Now I need to clean my hands. I can’t believe I touched something so… beneath me."

Arecus lay motionless on the ground while Vance stood frozen in shock, too paralyzed by fear to move. Slowly, the poison began to fade, and Arecus stirred, his body twitching as consciousness returned. Naur watched with cold amusement as Arecus slowly pushed himself to his feet. This time, no emotion crossed his face—just a void of pure, seething rage, Naur could feel it

Arecus rose fully, his eyes locked on Naur, who raised his hands once more. Vines shot up from the earth, thorny and deadly, aimed to ensnare Arecus again. But Arecus was already behind him. His punch, once aimed at the vines, now tore through the air at Naur’s back.

“What the...?” Naur spun around just in time to see Arecus behind him. Instinctively, a tree erupted between them, and Arecus's fist slammed into it with the force of a cannon. The tree shattered into splinters, exploding on impact.

Naur quickly stepped back, putting more distance between himself and Arecus. “So, you’ve got some tricks of your own,” Naur laughed, but the humor in his voice was strained.

Arecus stood unfazed, his eyes cold, his face devoid of expression.

Arecus lunged forward, his fist aimed directly at Naur’s face. But Naur, with quick reflexes, twisted his head and dodged the strike effortlessly. In a swift counter, Naur unleashed a devastating punch, expecting Arecus to crash into the ground. But in the blink of an eye, Arecus vanished and reappeared behind him.

Before Naur could react, Arecus’s fist connected with a bone-shattering force, and the impact tore a gaping hole through Naur's torso. But it was like nothing for Naur, Naur turned his face towards Arecus.

“I’ve got you now,” Naur hissed, grabbing Arecus with his hands, which morphed into thick, twisting vines that coiled tightly around him. The vines constricted, binding Arecus in place. “Now you can’t escape, you bastard.”

But just as Naur tightened his grip, Arecus disappeared once again, He reappeared at Naur’s side, and before Naur could comprehend what was happening, Arecus delivered another crushing punch. This time, the force was catastrophic—Naur’s head exploded from the impact, his body hurtling through the air and slamming into the ground on the other side of the battlefield.

Arecus stood, his gaze cold and unwavering, watching Naur’s body go sliding.

Naur slowly emerged from the swirling dust cloud, his body regenerating before Arecus’s eyes. The gaping wounds closed up, his flesh knitting itself back together with eerie precision. A malicious grin spread across his face as he wiped away the green blood that lingered on his lips. His jade-colored eyes darkened, turning into a menacing blood-red. His clothes disintegrated into nothing, revealing his bare skin, which now pulsed with dark, web-like veins running across his face and body. The air around him seemed to distort.

Naur growled, his voice dripping with venom. “I guess it's time I stop playing around.”

watching him naked Jace couldn't control himself

“Why the heck are you naked?” Jace asked, as he glanced at Naur.

Naur’s face twisted in rage. “It’s the ultimate natural form of a being!” he shouted, veins bulging as his voice echoed with fury.

Arecus smirked, shaking his head. “Ah, but it’d be a lot more fun without that little thing swinging around,”

“Shut up and die!” Naur roared.

From the ground, massive tree-bark-like vines exploded upward, rushing toward Arecus with blinding speed. Arecus reacted instantly, leaping onto the vines and sprinting along them toward Naur. But as he ran, a vicious thorn-like spike shot up from beneath his feet. It pierced through Arecus’s flesh, locking him in place. He looked down just in time to see the spike drive upward, impaling his right eye.

Gritting his teeth against the sudden agony, Arecus smashed the spike with a powerful punch, shattering it into splinters. He jumped into the air, blood pouring from his damaged eye and the hole in his foot.

"Thank the go- no myself, my brain wasn’t hit,” Arecus muttered,

In an instant, a tall tree grew behind Arecus, and Naur suddenly grew out from one of its branch, as Arecus tried to look back, he received a tight punch from Naur mid-air and fell to the ground…. the mark had disappeared from his arm and he was laying on the ground.

Jace struggled to his feet, his body shaking uncontrollably as his every muscle screamed in agony. Naur loomed in front of him, the twisted grin on his face and his presence radiating pure malice. Even Naur could sense the overwhelming fear pouring out of Jace.

I....I’m going to die… I... I... can’t... see clearly… My whole body... it feels like... it’s tearing apart..

He lowered his hand and opened it but nothing happened

I…I can't get the sword…. I am not fully conscious……my…my feet are trembling….I can't focus

His vision started to blur as he glanced over at Vance, who stood a few meters away, frozen and helpless.

Me and my brother… Are we both going to die? This person... this thing... he’s a monster.... he is going to kill us both. Jace's mind raced in despair, his breath ragged as he faced what seemed like the inevitable.

But then, just as the weight of it all seemed to crush him, something inside Jace shifted.

“Nah... even if I am going to die today, I am taking this bastard with me” Arecus’s voice broke through the chaos, calm yet cold.

Naur took a look at Vance he was just frozen and standing like a statue

“he ain’t getting to just enjoy the show”

Naur lunged at Vance his fist tearing thru the air but as it was just about to hit Vance his other hand pierced through his own face

Naur’s fist stopped mid air

“What the-“ Naur looked at his other hand when one was pierced in his face

“Why the hell are you resisting” he shouted in pure aggression and irritation

“But he is family” came thru his lips softly

“Do not resist and let me do what I want to” Naur said his voice very loud

After few moments Naur was looking in the sky is expression filled with pleasure there were tall white sunflowers around him

“Now everything is all right” he chopped his arm off which was pierced in his face and grabbed it and threw it and another arm grew in matter of seconds then he turned his gaze towards Arecus

"Still standing?" Naur sneered, his dark eyes gleaming with twisted delight.

He rushed toward Arecus, who appeared to be trembling, barely able to stand straight. Naur clenched his fist, charging up a powerful punch aimed straight at Arecus's face. But in a blink, Arecus’s hand shot up, effortlessly catching Naur's fist mid-air. The impact caused a deafening shockwave, sending dust and debris flying in all directions.

shockwave hit the frozen Vance and it made him come back to his senses a little

he looked at both of them

Iry will be still inside that guy, right...... why are these two fighting aren't Iry and Jace friends

Arecus slowly lowered Naur's fist, the tremor in his body vanishing. His sinister smile returned as his left hand rocketed forward, landing a brutal punch to Naur's gut, followed immediately by a vicious kick that sent Naur sliding backward across the ground.

Arecus moved forward, slowly and deliberately, his sinister smile widening as he began to sing softly, "I feel the heat as we collide..."

Naur, confused but alert, stared at him. "What the... what is he doing?"

Arecus kept walking, his tone casual, "like a fever, that feels so right...".

Naur smirked, though his expressions were laced with anxiety. "So, he isn’t done yet…. I am not getting the feeling of fear from him anymore," he muttered under his breath, but then he smiled. "Looks like I have to use that."

Naur opened his palm, summoning an orb of light. It crackled and grew, shining brighter and brighter with every passing second, and in a flash, he slammed the orb into the ground.

A massive explosion of light engulfed everything. The brightness was overwhelming, so intense it swallowed the entire world for a moment. Arecus covered his eyes with his arm, When the light finally faded, the landscape had transformed entirely. The sky looked more blue, clearer than ever before, while every cloud vanished. The greenery looked more vibrant.

Naur was now in the form of a woman, her red eyes glared at Arecus, her features sharp and fierce. Arecus pointed at her, a mocking smirk on his face. "Why do you look like a woman now? Wouldn’t it be better if you fought like a man?"

Naur’s eyes narrowed, her voice cold and cutting. "Female species are the most dominant in nature, you fool. Something a simple-minded brute like you could never understand."

Arecus tilted his head, unimpressed. "What? If I’d been born a girl, I wouldn’t have inherited Arecus in the first place."

Naur’s anger flared. "I will rip you to pieces."

Arecus pointed at Naur with a smirk. "Bad babe,"

At this point Arecus was chill like he has everything under control

Naur’s vines erupted from the ground, twisting and whipping toward Arecus. But instead of dodging, Arecus was laughing, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he weaved between the attacks. He was having fun, his veins racing with adrenaline.

"This could be my last day, so I might as well enjoy it,"

She could feel his excitement. "He’s enjoying this way too much,”.

"I’ll finish him off myself," Naur muttered, she could have used poison, which could easily have been Arecus’s downfall but she was arrogant.

The vines had stopped, and Naur joined the fight herself. She rushed toward Arecus, but this time she was faster and stronger than before. As soon as she reached him, Arecus threw a punch, ripping her arm off with brutal force. Yet, in an instant, Naur regenerated, now even more stronger. Their battle was monstrous, their power shaking the ground beneath them.

Arecus landed a devastating punch to her torso, his arm plunging deep into her skin, but as soon as it pierced through, her body regenerated, trapping his arm inside. Naur smiled darkly, her red eyes gleaming with malicious intent. With a swift, forceful strike, she shattered Arecus's stuck arm, leaving half of it embedded within her. Arecus leaped backward, blood flowing, the jagged stump of his arm twitching.

Blood was overflowing and Arecus looked at his detached arm.

A deep anger toward Naur began building within Arecus, like a slow-burning fire. Naur, sensing it, raised his hands, summoning two massive beasts from the earth.

Arecus, battered with only one arm, a damaged foot, and a bloodied eye, narrowed his gaze at the creatures. “These look like the beasts I’ve faced before… I don’t have really good memories of these things.”

The two beasts charged. Arecus met them head-on, throwing a powerful punch into one of them. The force sent the creature skidding across the ground. But before he could take a breath, the second beast lunged at him. Arecus managed to stop its jaws with his hand, feeling the creature’s strength pushing back against him.

“These things aren't just uglier… they’re stronger than the ones before,” Arecus thought, gritting his teeth. Behind him, the first beast was already getting back on its feet, ready to join the fight again.

Naur’s legs morphed into thick vines, lifting her up as she watched Arecus battle below. In her arrogance, she believed the beasts would be enough to finish him off. She wanted so desperately to prove that Arecus was nothing compared to her. So, she left him to fight the monsters, confident they’d tear him apart.

But she failed to realise: the longer the battle was going on, the stronger Arecus was becoming.

From her vantage point, Naur could see Arecus moving faster. His attacks were more precise, more lethal—even with only one arm left, he was dismantling the beasts piece by piece.

Then suddenly, something shifted. Arecus reached the threshold of his ignition state, he successfully reached his Awakened consciousness. His muscles bulged, more defined than before. The very space around them began to tear apart, the ground trembling as red lightning crackled through the space around them like veins of energy.

In an instant, Arecus destroyed both beasts. Their massive forms crumbled, leaving nothing but silence in the wake of his overwhelming force.

Naur stared in disbelief. as one of the beast’s head flew right close to her

“No way this can happen… He should have died from this much blood loss, but instead, he just killed them.”

As the dust settled, Arecus slowly turned toward her, a sinister smile etched across his face. He began to walk toward Naur, slow and steady, as if he had all the time in the world.

Naur summoned vines, thorns, and all manner of tricks to block his approach, but nothing worked. Every attempt to stop him was effortlessly destroyed. Arecus kept moving forward, his smile never wavering, his pace undeterred, and unaffected by anything she tried.

Naur’s shock deepened. She couldn’t accept what she was seeing.

“What is going on...?” she muttered

The space around them seemed to warp and crack, shaking under Arecus’s power. As he drew closer, his red eyes burned brighter, and his presence became darker—more sinister. It was like a nightmare, as though an emotionless demon was approaching her in this shattered, broken world.

Naur’s eyes widened as a terrible realization dawned on her.

The reason Amberian was inherited last wasn’t because he was the only one left... it was because he was too strong for anyone to claim him sooner

Her thoughts raced; her gaze locked on the unstoppable force before her.

"No, I can still win," Naur thought, her mind racing. "Even though he’s just walking, he could appear near me at any second."

And just as she predicted, Arecus was suddenly right in front of her.

"Ha, I knew it," Naur muttered, wasting no time. She thrust her fist into Arecus's chest, aiming to rip out his heart. "It's the end, baby," she hissed, her confidence surging.

But Arecus reacted just as quickly, driving his broken, jagged left hand into her chest. The sharp bone pierced through her easily, as though slicing through paper.

Naur's thoughts scrambled. "What is he thinking? I can just regenerate… Even if he takes my heart, it won’t matter. but if I take his—it’s over."