Reincarnated: I Became The First Warlord Of The World-Chapter 71

His eyes narrowed with determination.

"I can give you one chance."

Evan turned to him, his jaw tightening as he considered the risk. The two of them were beaten, battered, almost empty—but there was one last card left to play.

Evan took a deep breath, steadying his legs, centering himself.

And then, without hesitation, he nodded.

Not slowly, not uncertainly—but with resolve.

"Then do it," Evan said. "Create that opening."

His voice gained strength as he spoke the next words, like a man remembering who he was.

"I’ll take it from there."

Jonathan looked at him.

Evan lifted his chin, his expression turning hard.

"I’ll use my B-Ranked Skill. Everything I’ve got left."

He exhaled, and his next words came out like a war drum.

"I’ll send Jake straight to hell."

Jonathan gave Evan a small nod, firm and silent—the kind of nod that didn’t need words. It was the unspoken trust between warriors. He understood the plan. He knew the risk. And he was ready to execute it.

Evan, despite the bruises covering his body and the weariness tugging at his limbs, couldn’t help but let out a half-smile. It was faint, but genuine. There was something about Jonathan—something rare. He admired the way the young soldier didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate. His willpower burned like a second sun.

This wasn’t just a soldier anymore.

This was a fighter willing to risk everything—in a battle where one wrong step, one misplaced breath, could mean instant death.

Evan took a deep breath and began gathering what little energy he had left, trusting Jonathan to do what needed to be done.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the battlefield, Jake noticed the movement.

His gaze lifted as Jonathan stepped forward alone, slowly and fearlessly. There were no distractions this time. No one flanking. No sudden tricks. Just Jonathan, walking steadily across the broken ruins of Baytorn.

Jake’s eyebrows twitched slightly, a small sign of curiosity.

He chuckled, the sound low and cold, and tilted his head as Jonathan drew closer.

"You sure have some balls to face me alone," Jake said with a crooked grin.

Then, without warning, Jake spread his arms wide, his body surrounded by an explosive surge of energy. Silver-black tendrils of aura twisted through the air, snarling like smoke with a mind of its own.

The earth beneath him cracked, and the winds whipped up into a violent howl.

This was a signal—a warning, a declaration.

Jake was calling on the full might of the Titan Whale’s aura, preparing to crush whatever dared to stand before him.

But Jonathan didn’t slow down.

Didn’t flinch.

Didn’t break stride.

He was walking into the heart of the storm.

Alone.

Jonathan’s feet slammed against the cracked earth as he closed the distance between himself and Jake in a flash.

He didn’t hesitate—there was no room to. He raised his fist with explosive force and swung straight for Jake’s face, aiming to catch him off guard with a frontal strike.

But Jake... barely blinked.

With fluid motion, he tilted his head, and Jonathan’s fist cut through nothing but air.

He dodged it—effortlessly.

Before Jonathan could reset, Jake moved again, sidestepping with grace that felt almost lazy. Jonathan spun, kicked, jabbed—one strike after another, relentless, fast, ruthless.

But Jake evaded every single blow like wind flowing through cracks.

No guard. No counters.

Just perfect, calculated movement.

Jake’s expression didn’t change much. If anything, he looked mildly amused.

He casually turned his head toward Jonathan after slipping away from another attack and smirked.

"You know," Jake said, his voice annoyingly calm, "I’ve faced generals, warlords, even creatures who forgot how to feel fear. And yet, none of them stood their ground quite like you."

He chuckled.

"You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that."

Jonathan’s fist froze for a split second in the air.

His jaw clenched, he talks too much...

Jake’s arrogant praise only made Jonathan’s blood boil. It wasn’t admiration—it was condescension. He was treating this as sport.

Jonathan’s eyes narrowed, and his entire expression darkened.

He dropped his stance slightly and muttered under his breath, the words vibrating with suppressed power.

"Vanishing Step: Ultra Plus."

The moment the words left his mouth—he disappeared.

No sound. No flicker. Just gone.

Jake’s eyes widened, his smirk fading into sharp focus.

What?! Before he could comprehend what had happened—

Jonathan appeared again, Inches away.

Not to the left. Not behind. Not from above. Directly in front of his chest, from a blind angle Jake hadn’t predicted.

And then—Jonathan struck.

"Combo Punch: Ultra Plus!" he roared.

His fists moved like thunder and lightning—a flurry of devastating blows, each one faster and heavier than the last. The first punch slammed into Jake’s core, knocking the breath from his lungs. The second drove upward into his ribs. The third curved around into his side, and the fourth straight into his sternum.

The final blow, a brutal, focused strike, landed dead center on Jake’s midsection, tearing through the last layer of his aura like a hammer through glass.

"RAAAAAAH!!"

Jonathan roared, his voice shaking the battlefield as his fist drove into Jake’s middle, the force of his strike bursting with raw fury and blazing will. A shockwave ripped through the air the moment the blow landed, splitting the wind in all directions like an invisible explosion.

Jake barely had time to brace himself.

He quickly channeled his Titan Whale energy—a thick layer of aura surged around his torso, wrapping him in its ancient, monstrous strength. It was meant to be unbreakable. Meant to nullify anything that came close.

But—

BOOM!

Jonathan’s punch still crashed through. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Jake’s body was forced backward, his feet scraping across the rubble-strewn ground, carving two deep trails as he staggered a full ten meters away. Stones shattered beneath his heels, and dust swirled around his legs as he came to a grinding halt.

For the first time, Jake’s expression truly darkened.

He touched his stomach, where the punch had landed, and clenched his jaw.

How?

He was using everything—the Titan Whale’s full power, its cursed energy flooding his limbs, muscles hardened with ancient resilience. And yet—Jonathan’s attack still made him retreat. Still left a mark.

That shouldn’t be possible...

Across the field, Jonathan stood tall, panting, his chest rising and falling sharply. His body was drenched in sweat and blood, and his legs trembled slightly—but his eyes burned with relentless fire.

Then he looked down at his hands.

The metal gloves.

A faint glow flickered across them—tough, silver plating laced with blue veins of embedded energy. They wrapped tightly around his fingers and wrists, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.

A few moments ago, when Jake’s overwhelming aura surged and all odds began to collapse against them, Jonathan had made a silent gamble—he had converted one of his last Essence Stones using the system interface.

The result?

Metal Punching Gloves.

Not just a cosmetic change—but an enhancement weapon, forged from pure Essence. They were crude but powerful.

The stats were simple:

+5% Attack Power Boost

And thanks to the system’s synergy enhancement...

+50% Total Strength Output in brief bursts.

Jonathan clenched his fists, feeling the gloves hum with energy.

It was insane—his strikes now carried the weight of two warriors, packed into one broken body.

But... there was a catch.

His energy was fading fast.

Too fast.

He had pushed past his limits to deliver that blow. His breathing was shallow now, the world spinning just a little around the edges.

He couldn’t finish this alone.

Not now, not with Jake still standing.

He needed the final move—the only move strong enough to end this.

Jonathan slowly turned his head, eyes locked on his comrade.

"Evan..." he whispered to himself.

He needed Evan’s B-Ranked Skill.

Jake’s expression twisted—no longer amused, no longer smug.

Ugly.

That was the only word to describe it now.

His lips curled downward, and his jaw clenched tight. The veins on his forehead bulged, and for the first time since the battle began, true fury flashed across his face.

He opened his mouth to speak, to taunt, to break Jonathan with words before fists—but blood suddenly trickled from his nostrils.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

He brought the back of his hand to his face, wiped the blood away slowly, then looked at it.

Red.

Real.

The strike Jonathan landed—it had pierced deeper than he thought.

Jake’s fingers trembled slightly before tightening into fists again.

He turned his gaze back to Jonathan, pure hatred burning in his eyes.

"It’s time I kill you," Jake growled.

As the words fell from his lips, his eyes changed—no longer brown, or grey, or human. They became white, glowing orbs of raw energy, pulsing with power from the Titan Whale’s essence.

Then—

BOOOOM!

His energy exploded outward.

The ground trembled. The clouds above swirled like a maelstrom. The entire battlefield was blanketed in a suffocating wave of force that crushed the air itself. Trees bent. Buildings that were already fractured collapsed completely.

And then—

Jake spoke, and his voice carried like a divine command.

"Kneel."