My Girlfriends Are Hardcore Yanderes - Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Breaking the Norm
Asher’s vision slowly cleared, revealing both combatants still standing—seemingly unharmed, yet the air between them was still filled with tension. Neither of them was backing down, and they seemed to want nothing more than to kill each other.

Lucy, however, wasn’t as unaffected as she looked.

Her blood-forged battle dress, which had once glowed with a powerful aura, had started to weaken. The strong fabric no longer looked as fierce. It appeared torn and worn, like it couldn’t hold up much longer in the fight.

Even from a distance, he could see it—Lucy’s face was tight, her eyes losing their focus, her movements more sluggish. She didn’t look good, and the toll of the fight was becoming evident with every passing second.

‘I have to help her,’ he muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance as uncertainty began to creep in.

Deep down, he knew he wasn’t strong enough. If he jumped in now, he’d only add to her burden. Lyka might turn her attention on him, leaving Lucy even more vulnerable to a surprised attack.

‘Why am I so useless?’ his frustration overwhelmed him, and he shook his head, trying to push the negative thoughts away.

It wasn’t just his lack of power that held him back—it was his inexperience. Even in that twisted place, he had been passive, always just going with the flow. His lack of knowledge and understanding had always kept him on the sidelines.

As his emotions spiraled, something inside him clicked—his hyperfocus state. That singular, laser-sharp clarity surged through him, fortifying his mind and pushing all doubts aside.

In that moment of clarity, the memory of the pills resurfaced.

‘I have to take a risk,’

The fight between Lucy and Lyka raged on, both combatants too absorbed in their battle to notice him.

Asher didn’t know whether to feel relieved or frustrated by this. After all, it was a reminder of his weakness. They didn’t even consider him a threat.

As he looked around, his eyes landed on a pile of rubble. He quickly ducked behind it, staying out of sight.

Without hesitation, one pill was swallowed, and almost instantly, a surge of energy rushed through his body.

Asher expected some discomfort, or at the very least, strain, but the energy coursing through him felt almost… natural. It was as if it had always been there, waiting for the right moment to surface.

‘This is amazing,’ he murmured, clenching his fists as raw power crackled in his veins. ‘My power… it feels like it doubled.’

The sensation was intoxicating. With this much improvement, the temptation to take another one was irresistible. So, he swallowed a second.

This time, the increase in power wasn’t as drastic, but it was still noticeable. His strength surged by about 70%. He wasn’t really that surprised.

It was like building muscle. In the beginning, progress came quickly. Strength quickly doubled, but as the body adapted, improvement slowed down. Every step forward required more time, more effort, and more consistency.

Even so, the force flowing through him had propelled him far beyond his usual boundaries.

‘I need more,’

He grabbed a third pill, but it wasn’t enough. The urge to grow even stronger pushed him to take a fourth, then a fifth, chasing the promise of more potential.

At first, the energy was exhilarating. He felt unstoppable, as if nothing could hinder him.

But soon, a sharp pain bloomed in his chest, and his heart pounded erratically, faster and harder, as if it was trying to burst free of his ribcage.

He had reached his limit.

Logically, he should have stopped. But instead, he swallowed another, knowing full well it could be the end for him.

His heart threatened to explode, and disorientation washed over him. But through gritted teeth, he pushed past it.

‘I can’t stay weak forever.’

‘I can’t keep relying on her,’ he muttered through the chaos in his body.

Then, something shifted—his vision blurred.

The world around him faded to black and white, like an x-ray filter was applied to his senses. The surroundings were sharp and clear, and for the first time, he felt a strange control over his senses.

When he focused, he saw them—Lucy and Lyka’s magical circuits, glowing like veins filled with pulsating power.

Unlike the usual black and white, their bodies glowed with bright colors.

Each one had its own unique shade, full of energy. Lucy’s magical paths glowed in dark red, white, and blue, the colors blending and pulsing together.

On the other hand, Lyka’s circuits shone with a vibrant orange, fiery and intense, like the glow of the sun.

‘What’s happening to my body?’

His mind raced to make sense of the change. It was overwhelming, but at the same time, he felt an odd sense of power—of control.

Instinctively, his gaze shifted to their fight. He could see their energy flowing through their bodies, following complex pathways.

It pulsed like a rhythm, and he could tell they were using the pathways efficiently and effectively. The control they had was far beyond his current level.

Then, he looked at his own hands and gasped. His magic circuits were different—denser, thicker, as if they were built to hold unimaginable force.

Zooming in, he discovered his circuits were made up of seven thinner strands, twisted together like braided rope, in contrast to the girls’ smooth, straight pathways.

He wasn’t knowledgeable about this kind of thing, but he guessed that having more circuits would usually mean more power. At least, that’s what made sense to him.

‘What’s this?’ He raised his eyebrows in surprise. Most of his magic circuits were dormant. More than half of them were idle, wasted potential waiting to be tapped.

‘If I could be more efficient, then maybe…’ he trailed off, his thoughts racing.

He then began to slowly fill the unused pathways. This was supposed to be difficult, but because he could see each one clearly, it became hundreds—no, thousands—of times easier to manage.

Just like that, he filled every pathway, and the fireball he unleashed instantly turned blue. It was so hot that he had to summon wind around it to avoid being burned.

‘It’s hotter now, but what about my control?’ he wondered.

He concentrated again, summoning more fireballs.

To his amazement, he saw in detail how his circuits responded. Each tiny shift in his concentration sent ripples of energy flowing through them. The pathways lit up, reacting almost instinctively to his thoughts.

The fireballs began to form, one after another.

In no time, 100 fist-size fireballs hovered in the air around him. Each one followed his mental commands like extensions of his will.

He clenched his fist, and the fireballs in the air grew larger.

Next, he replicated his strongest technique: a swirling wind vortex appeared in the center of his palm, quickly absorbing all the flames.

From between his hands, it looked like a blue radiant sun. The wind kept it perfectly round, and he knew that once released, even Lyka wouldn’t escape unscathed.

Right now, he shattered all the norms with his abnormal body and talent.

‘Now, I can fight.’ He muttered to himself.

The words slipped out before he even realized it. This wasn’t arrogance; it was his trust in his own ability.