Chapter 130: MAX Synchronization
~Chirp!~
"My Lord!"
Rain\'s soldiers called out in horror, their voices rising in unison.
Chi shot forward like a bolt of lightning, dual swords gleaming in her hands. Her fury was palpable, each step fueled by her anger as she charged at King Kraggul, disregarding her own safety.
King Kraggul wrenched his halberd from Rain\'s chest, sending a spray of blood into the air as he met Chi\'s sword head on.
Rain gasped, pain searing through his body, quickly giving way to numbness. The touch of death felt all too real, and his vision began to fade.
Is this it? Rain thought as he fell, the twin moons looming overhead, cold and indifferent. Before he hit the ground, he felt a strange sense of detachment.
This is it . . . he thought again, feeling the chill of the earth against his back.
Death was painful, but strangely, he wasn\'t entirely surprised at his end. He had ventured into the wastelands, faced the Hobgoblins, and always knew this could be his fate. He was prepared for it.
Still, he regretted not saying goodbye to his parents. They would be shocked, Rain mused, his eyes fluttering shut. I wonder if they\'ll really buy the green coffin I wanted . . .
~Chirp!~
Chin\'s face suddenly filled Rain\'s blurry vision. Even in his haze, he recognized her — Chin, the silent one, his feathers the purest white, his eyes always kind and blue.
Chin . . . Rain tried to speak, but his voice failed him. He could feel the cold encroaching, the finality of death creeping closer. It was peaceful, he realized, no pain, just an enveloping cold.
But then, a faint warmth sparked within his core, slowly intensifying until it burned brightly.
Rain\'s eyes flew open as he gasped for air. The first thing he saw was Chin\'s smiling face, tears streaming down his cheeks.
~Chirp!~
\'My Lord . . . I\'m glad you\'re alive . . .\'
"Chin?" Rain felt his strength returning, the wound on his chest closing. "W-what . . . what\'s going on? Wait .
. . w-what\'s happening to you?"
~Chirp . . .~
Chin only chirped happily, his form gradually dissolving into glowing particles, until he burst into tiny shards and disappeared.
[Your troop Chin has activated the unique skill of the Aasimar Race, Aasimar\'s Heart!]
Unique skill? There wasn\'t like that in their description. Was it a hidden skill?
Rain was paralyzed with shock as the notification appeared before his eyes next.
[Chin has sacrificed his life to save yours]
S-sacrificed? Was that what the skill is?
"N-no . . . no way . . ." Rain whispered, the weight of realization crushing him.
Rain had always been prepared to die. Every day in the wasteland, he faced the brutal reality of his mortality. But nothing could have prepared him for the heavy blow of witnessing his troops sacrifice themselves for him. The weight of their sacrifice crushed him. He didn\'t want anyone to die for him.
It was all his fault. He had been too brash, too reckless in his decision to purge the Hobgoblin threat. His arrogance that he could somehow defeat the Hobgoblin King, had blinded him, and he lacked the power to back it up. The weight of his mistakes pressed heavily on him.
Now, Chin had paid the price. He was gone. He was gone. He was never coming back.
Chin had been with him since day one, one of his first and most loyal troops. Nothing could ever replace him. The loss felt like a part of Rain had been torn away, as if he had lost one of his own children. The pain was excruciating, ripping through his very soul, nerve by nerve, piece by piece.
"AaAaaArRghH!"
Rain\'s howl of anguish tore through the battlefield, his intense emotions resonating with his troops. All of them were enveloped by white light.
Chick, Chill, and Chi echoed his pain. His synchronization with Chi reached its peak in that moment.
[Your Synchronization with Chi has reached maximum! You can now fuse temporarily and gain new strength and skills!]
In a burst of rage and sorrow, Chi transformed into a ball of light, merging with Rain within seconds. The fusion was seamless, and Rain felt an overwhelming surge of power coursing through him.
His body glowed with a radiant aura, and his wounds healed completely. The grief and fury within him melded into a singular, potent force, ready to confront the unstoppable King Kraggul.
Metals wove around Rain, and he was clad in gleaming white armor, intricately designed with golden accents that glowed faintly, reflecting his newfound power. The armor was sleek and fitted, providing both protection and agility. It was as if the very essence of light had been forged into his battle gear.
From his back, a pair of majestic wings unfurled, each feather shimmering with an ethereal glow. They were large and powerful, capable of both shielding and propelling him through the air with grace and speed. The wings added an almost angelic quality to his presence, making him appear as a divine warrior descended from the heavens.
On his head, he wore a headgear that covered half his face, the right side concealed by a sleek, visor-like mask. The mask was adorned with intricate engravings. Despite the awe-inspiring transformation, Rain had no time to marvel at his new appearance or the surge of strength and skills that accompanied it, or the information flooding into his mind about fighting and wielding weapons.
He was still grieving the loss of Chin, the sacrifice that had brought him back from the brink of death. His anger was a seething inferno within him, demanding retribution that could only be quenched by defeating King Kraggul.
With a powerful flap of his wings, Rain took to the air, his gaze locked onto Kraggul. His heart burned with a fury that he only experience now.
Never in his life had he experienced anger as intense as what he felt right now. The burning fury inside him threatened to drive him mad. It was a relentless, searing heat that consumed his thoughts.
He knew that the only way to quell this inferno within was to avenge Chin\'s death.
With a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, Rain launched himself towards Kraggul like a comet streaking through the sky. His wings beat with a powerful rhythm, propelling him forward with unstoppable force, his eyes blazing with unquenchable fury.
"KrRAaAgGuUL!"