Chapter 49: When Weakness Turns Into Strength
James had already acquired a new mode, the Divine Break Mode, and he was determined to beat Illidan at this point in their battle. Meanwhile, Ian was still in the process of rejuvenating his own strength.
"I can sense that James has become way stronger now at this time. I wish I could help him with his battles with the Titans," Ian said.
"You'll have your time to fight the last three strongest Titans, Master. For now, you should focus on how to beat Vandrix. You can easily beat him with your full strength, but Draco and Kratos are much stronger than him. You should not be overconfident," Eros said.
"Vandrix is my husband when we were still mortals, but we lost our son when Zeo stole him from us. How I wish I could beat the hell out of that supreme God. Please beat Vandrix, and together, we will be unstoppable facing Draco and Kratos," Vyrella said.
"It has been a quite exciting journey for me to be with you, Ian. I can definitely recall my battle with James, and he was totally remarkable! I believe he can beat the three Titans he will be going to face after Illidan, but he should be very careful with his next opponent. He is known to be the Punisher," Xerath said.
"I am very honored that my powers are very useful to you and James, Ian. I chose you because I can sense the spark of pure light with you because you've got no weakness. You're the simplest and the strongest being now, and you've got the potential to bring Zeo down. I will do my best just to help you with your battles," Mindrax said.
"I'll protect you with my life, Ian. You mean so much to me. Just be careful with your battles, okay? You're mine now, so you must take good care of yourself," Samantha said.
"It's my great pleasure to be a part of your team, Ian. I never thought we are going to be this far, facing and beating Titans. I really admire you and James with your ability to fight," Bavery said.
"I'm very thankful for your support, everyone. I know nothing can stop us if we work together to beat all the odds," Ian replied while embracing Samantha.
"We are good to go after the fight of James and Illidan. We must extend our help to James with his next fight, Master," Eros said.
The battle between James and Illidan got intensified as James continually attacked Illidan with his sun abilities, but Illidan still had the advantage because of the Blood Manipulation Spell.
"I still got you, James," Illidan said.
"This takes a lot of time now, and it's draining my energy. I need to find a way to unlink myself from his Blood Manipulation Spell," James thought.
Illidan cast the Blood Rage Spell, which created blood claws, and he relentlessly attacked James. His attacks were very effective, as they wounded James because his Blood Manipulation was still very active because of James' weakness.
Illidan cast the Blood Rupture Grip again, but it didn't affect James because of his Divine Break Mode. James powered up again by fusing the Divine Break Mode to Super Sacred Phoenix-Dragon Mode while using the Pyroclast.
"This battle is the most insane I had with you, James. Me and Zexerav will do our very best to support you," Draven said.
"I didn't imagine in my wildest imagination that Illidan is this strong. He can match the Top 6 Titan at this point," Zexerav said.
"Master, fuse Draven and Zexerav's flames with the Divine Flare to cast the Divine Stellar Flare! You still can't use the offensive power of your Divine Break Mode; you can only use it for defense," Heat said.
The Blood Rage Spell was still active, along with the Blood Manipulation Spell, so Illidan still had a very accurate anticipation for James' every move. He continually dodged the super-powered attacks of James, but his powers also didn't have any effect on James anymore.
They shifted their battle into a battle of physical strength.
"Our magic power couldn't do any damage to both of us now, James! Let's see who's stronger between us without magic," Illidan said.
"Let's settle this with fists then, Illidan!" James shouted.
Illidan's Blood Manipulation didn't have any effect on James anymore because it could only affect him when he used magic. James started to attack Illidan with punches and kicks. Illidan was just dodging and blocking his attacks.
Illidan delivered a knee kick right into James' ribs; he felt the kick but retaliated with a strong punch. They were both on their knees.
"You are really awesome, James. I didn't expect you to be this strong without magic, but I guess it's time to end this," Illidan said
Illidan continued, "You have passed, James. There's no point in continuing this battle. I just bought some time for you to really learn that your weakness is your ultimate strength and not a hindrance during battle. You have shown me excellent endurance, courage, and skills. You truly deserve my power."
"I admire you for your strength, Illidan. You truly belong to the elites," James complimented Illidan.
Illidan decided to lend his power to James and Ian and chose James as his soul's body, joining Zexerav and Draven.
Illidan instructed King Vladimir on how to use the Book of Blood Wolf: "There are limitless blood spells in there, including the Blood Contract Magic Replenisher. You can use Blood Contract Magic 20 times without offering your own life. You can even kill sun and moon-attuned beings with it. The great thing about that is you can kill gods and titans with it, so that's why I chose you to kill me. It is my ultimate desire to put an end to Zeo, and that book will be a great help to you in your upcoming war with the gods. You can enchant one Blood Contract to kill me. ErythroPlasmaBlast is also there, so you can use it over and over again if you're in grave danger. Use that book only if needed, Vladimir."
"I will treasure this book with full gratitude, Lord Illidan," King Vladimir responded in full appreciation.
Ian, Samantha, and Bavery arrived at the battlefield, and Illidan acknowledged Ian.
"Your power is overwhelming, Ian. I know and predicted that you will defeat Kratos in battle. You will have my power as well, as you are one with James. I will just be on James' body," Illidan said.
"Are you sure you don't want to join us here, Illidan?" Vyrella asked.
"I'm still with you, Vyrella. We can still fight alongside each other," Illidan answered.
"I can't wait to put an end to Zeo and Thalos, but we still have a long way to go here," Mindrax said.
"You're right, Mindrax. We are only halfway through so far, so everything is still not secured," Ian replied.
"Cast the Blood Contract Magic now, Vladimir. That's the only spell that can kill me instantly, but be aware that you have 19 left after you use it on me. I can't wait to join you in battle, James, Vladimir, and Ian," Illidan ordered King Vladimir.
King Vladimir cast the Blood Contract Magic to kill Illidan, and his insignia formed under Draven's insignia on James' arm. Ian and James now had three Titans each: Ian had Mindrax, Xerath, and Vyrella, while James had Zexerav, Draven, and Illidan.
"Their chances now rose to 50%. I'm really happy to find you, Ian. I can't wait to get out of this place and go home," Bavery said.
"The next Titan will be my best friend, James. He is the Top 6 Titan. We can handle him. He is known to be the Punisher, and his ultimate beast is Eagle. Be very cautious with his abilities because he is known to be the Titan of Wind and Thunder combined," Illidan warned James for their next battle.
Meanwhile, Kratos sensed that the Grand Soul Gem was about to be destroyed and the return of the Baron was nearly approaching.
"What will we do now, Kratos?" Draco asked.
"We'll wait for the Master of Titans here, Draco. We need him to complete his training. He is our final shot at stopping this curse. I need to destroy Zeo as soon as possible," Kratos said.
"Are you planning on uniting with him, Kratos? We can still have our bodies and fight Zeo," Draco replied.
"No, Draco. We can't afford to lose to Zeo, as the fate of the universe is at hand. We can't let the Soul-attuned Almighty totally eradicate the Disciples of Jax. It would mean eternal darkness," Kratos said.
What plan does Kratos have in mind to beat Zeo?