I wasn’t trying to provoke it.
After all, the being in front of me was a demon.
Just like how a beast wouldn’t understand any insults shouted at it... I doubted whether it was even possible to get under a demon’s skin using human standards.
The words I had just spoken were my honest feelings.
[Understood.]
Its voice, rumbling and intense, now carried an unusual calmness, even as it locked eyes with me from just an arm’s length away.
[That power you possess seems to contain the heat of the sun, granting its wielder resistance to heat].
“...”
[I admit my misjudgment.]
Even as it spoke, the fire demon’s flames swayed ferociously.As if they were dancing.
Ssss.
The air slowly grew hotter.
As the tension rose, Kajita spoke as if delivering a verdict.
[You are worthy enough to challenge me.]
Kwoooossh!
As soon as the demon finished speaking, a scorching gale swept through, a whirlwind centered on Kajita, far more turbulent than anything before.
Creak creeaaak...!
The iron bars rattled and shook, producing a cacophony. It was a chilling sound, but there was no time to cover my ears.
Thud.
Kajita's palm rested on my abdomen. It wasn’t an attack, it was a casual gesture, almost as if it had been placed there absentmindedly.
But it had been fast.
Even with my senses on high alert, I hadn’t been able to react. All I’d managed to do was layer bodily ki over my abdomen a split second before its hand touched me.
With the sharp sound of an explosion, the rush of heat ceased. And then, in a flash...
Fwooosh!
The flames that had vanished erupted from its palm.
It was the essence of fajin.
KABOOM!
The protective ki over my abdomen shattered like glass, and a moment later came waves of pain.
It felt as though my body was lifted off the ground, a feeling of intense pain radiating through my back.
I groaned in pain.
Fuuuuck...
An instant later, I realized I had been flung across the prison and slammed into the other end several dozen meters away.
I saw the bars I’d been flung into, bent like marshmallows. The high temperature had softened them, leaving them deformed from my impact.
“Cough...”
I swallowed hard at the blood I felt rising in my throat.
It was a heavy blow, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if it had knocked me unconscious.
...Should I be thanking Calzark for this?
The belt around my waist, infused with the coldness of the Sapphire Snake, had absorbed some of the flames.
I was lucky.
What would have happened if it had hit my chest or head instead?
Instead of continuing that pointless train of thought, I got to my feet.
My insides were in turmoil, but I could still move my limbs no problem.
[To think you can still stand.]
I wanted to reply with something like “I’m a hard egg to crack...” but I kept my mouth shut.
I needed to focus on getting my insides calmed before I wasted energy saying something like that.
BANG!
Of course, my opponent was no idiot.
As if its words about me being worthy weren't enough, Kajita kicked off the ground and charged at me.
It's changing gears so quickly.
Just a moment ago, it had been dismissive of me, but now it was treating me like a sworn enemy it couldn’t underestimate.
In the blink of an eye, Kajita, who had been some distance away, had closed the gap right up to my nose.
The scorching heat pressed against me.
I drew up my ki. As the cool flames coursed through my meridians, I managed to counter just in time.
BOOOOOM!
Kajita’s fist and my palm collided midair.
[Haha!]
Did this demon just laugh?
With no facial expression to read, I was left wondering if I had misheard.
Clang clang!
With no time to overthink, we rapidly traded blows.
At this close range, we used every weapon at our disposal—arms, legs, forehead, knees, and elbows.
White Sun Form... it’s going to be hard to use it.
Even the most basic form of the first technique, scorching heat, required at least some time for preparation and concentration.
In this close-quarters combat with Kajita, I didn’t even have the time to afford that.
I was constantly drawing and using energy from my inner core. This was the first time since my regression that I’d experienced such an extreme speed duel.
Fists and gauntlets.
Feet and boots clashed countless times.
But the only one gradually taking damage was, of course, me.
Crack.
I could feel the cracks forming in the protective ki around my body.
Not once since the training camp had I felt like my reserves of internal energy were lacking, but now I did.
My energy was depleting faster than I could keep up. I couldn’t keep up with Kajita’s speed or win a battle of attrition.
—Internal energy is the foundation and basis of a martial artist, and no amount of it is ever enough.
—So, Luan, you must never let yourself think “This is enough” or “I'll never run out of internal energy in the future.” Such arrogance is fatal.
Stupid. Idiot.
I kicked myself mentally.
Why did these warnings only ever come to mind after I'd experienced the consequences?
“Haaa...”
I let out a scalding breath.
Gradually building physical fatigue and damage, dwindling energy—and now even breathing was becoming a struggle.
Was it because I was exhausted? No... this was something else.
Ah... it’s because of the flames.
I realized the obvious far too late. Was my brain fried too? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.
Inferno seeped through the cracks in my protective ki. The hot pain I felt was enough to make me black out.
However, I endured.
And at the same time, a laugh escaped me.
It was not bravado, and I certainly had not gone crazy.
I didn't know why.
The moment I felt Kajita’s Inferno directly on my skin, a spark of inspiration flashed through my mind. But it was still unclear.
Almost within reach, yet still out of reach.
The flaring fragments of inspiration flickered like intangible flames.
I attacked, half entranced. I blocked. Dodged. Blocked again. Parried. Attacked once more. Blocked. This time, I failed to dodge.
Bam!
A fist connected with my thigh. For a moment, my strength gave out and I almost fell to the ground. I barely managed to hold myself up by straining against my creaking knee.
Our fists clashed again.
Snap.
My right wrist twisted in an impossible direction.
Ah...
More than the searing pain, the pang of disappointment hit me harder.
More.
I wanted to fight a little longer, a little more.
Damn this body.
This weak, incomplete, immature body of mine got on my nerves, this body that was still so very young.
Five years. No, not even five.
If only I had three more years, or even one more, I could have put up a much better fight.
I could have better seized this fleeting inspiration.
I now understood Kajita's pity.
It had genuinely been expressing its disappointment.
In the end, the outcome was not determined by martial arts, internal energy, techniques, or even split-second decisions...
But rather by the difference in our physical bodies.
Pow pow pow!
I was struck simultaneously in the forehead, chest, and once again in the abdomen. Dull pain shot through my entire body.
I let out a choking gasp and collapsed on the spot.
[...Impressive.]
With that, the relentless barrage of attacks ceased.
The flames that had engulfed our surroundings disappeared as well.
Kneeling, I stared down at my blistered skin. It was an ugly sight.
[I will remember your name, Luan Bednicker].
“...”
Its voice was like the last embers of a dying flame.
In a cooled, fading tone, Kajuta had declared the end of our battle.
My spine and legs shook violently. My left thigh, which had been struck hard, was numb, and I could only limp like a man shot with an arrow.
[You still stand?]
“Yeah.”
[Why?]
“Because I’m not done yet.”
[...I see.]
Kajita's blue flames flickered to life again.
[I will respect that.]
* * * * *
* * * * *
With a roar, the heat engulfed us once more, and I couldn’t help but smirk at the sight.
Kajita really did never let its guard down, not even till the very end.
However, that was proof that it acknowledged me as a martial artist. I was grateful for it, but it was also annoying; it was a constant reminder that Kajita was stronger.
Thud.
The figure of Kajita approached me as it took a step forward.
The seconds stretched into eternity.
I used my fevered brain to calculate my odds.
Luckily, I could afford to pull off the White Sun Form this time, but I only had a small amount of internal energy left.
At most, I could do it one last time.
But.
I knew.
Even if I used the last of my energy to use the White Sun Form, my defeat was guaranteed.
I needed another way.
But what?
Throb.
The pain from the burns covering my body was distracting me.
I had a fairly high pain tolerance, but this searing pain was undeniably irritating. It was as if my whole body was caught on fire. It was an extreme nuisance.
...Flames all over my body?
The sudden sensation hit me like fleeting inspiration.
I focused once again on the burning pain in my skin.
From the moment the flow of my Strongest Fire Technique had been cut off, Kajita’s inferno had been directly touching my skin.
Thanks to that, I could feel it all too clearly.
This damn hellfire’s heat.
It is anything but lukewarm.
I shook my head, remembering my boastful words.
The Strongest Fire Technique.
This martial art could absorb any flame that existed in the world.
So perhaps my inability to fully absorb Kajita’s flame was because Hell was not included in my realm.
If so, the solution?
Easy.
Expand my realm of thought.
Expand my realm under heaven.
Kwagagagagak!
I realized why martial artists risked their lives for that short moment of inspiration that could strike out of nowhere.
Pleasure raced down my spine, enough to make me momentarily forget the heat.
I absorbed the last of the inferno from my skin into my body.
And for a moment, two kinds of flames burned within my body at once.
Inferno and cold flames.
Red flame and blue flame.
What should I do with these?
The best thing would be to merge them, but that would be difficult for me at this moment.
Surprisingly, this inferno, despite being flames, didn’t easily mix with my own energy.
I guess I’ll just have to use them separately.
Even if it was less powerful, it was the most likely way to win.
That was when something absurd happened.
BOOOOOOOM!
The ceiling crumbled, and a single blade cloaked in light and dark embedded itself between me and Kajita.
[This is...!]
I heard Kajita's shocked voice.
But I stared at the blade with a strangely calm heart.
A single blade with an elegant curve.
A distinctive yin-yang pattern carved at the end of its hilt.
This was the Dark Star Blade, one of Eldest Senior Brother’s weapons.
“...”
Before I could even wonder why it was here, my hand was reaching for the hilt.
It was fortunate that the wrist that broke was my right one.
I was more accustomed to handling swords in my left, after all.
“The power held within the Dark Star Blade.”
This mysterious blade was capable of fully embracing opposing forces and harmonizing them into their most ideal form.
Yin and yang.
A divine weapon capable of uniting even the two most opposing forces in the world.
That was the true merit of the Dark Star Blade.
Kwagagagak!
In other words, merging two different flames was no challenge at all for this blade.
Without hesitation, I poured all of my remaining energy into the Dark Star Blade, and it completely absorbed both flames.
Fwooooosh!
The moment the red and blue flames intertwined, a flame with an impossible color was born.
[...Purple flame.]
Kajita sounded despondent.
I felt the surging power rising from the hilt of the blade.
At the same time, I erased every sword technique I knew from my mind, deciding that none of them could possibly handle this flame.
On instinct alone.
I let my body move as it wished and took the stance that felt most natural.
Before I knew it, the blade’s tip was aimed at Kajita.
“...Round two, Kajita.”
Now I understood, after accepting it into my body. The nature, the traits, and the blazing essence of the inferno.
And at the same time, a new realization struck me.
“Let's heat things up a bit.”
This purple flame would be able to devour Kajita’s Inferno.
* * *
Meanwhile, Leone approached Headmaster Alderson with her presence suppressed.
She knew the layout of the underground prison well enough.
Even if she didn't know the exact way, it wasn't hard for her to track the faint traces of Kajita’s weakened energy.
And so, as she steadily closed the distance between her and Headmaster Alderson, Leone...
“...”
A sudden rush of heat made her turn around.
She saw Luan Bednicker fighting against the legion commander.
Idiot. Why is he taking the demon head-on?
She’d thought he was reckless, but...
No matter how weakened it was, it was still a legion commander, an opponent no mere young hero could hope to match.
The plan had been simple: Stall for time, rescue the headmaster, and flee immediately after.
Had that not been the plan?
Leone clicked her tongue in silent disapproval—but it didn't take long for her mind to change.
“...”
Luan did not back down.
Even though she saw his eyes burn, his skin blister, and his wrist shatter, he continued to trade blows with the legion commander with unrelenting tenacity.
The pain from the inferno should be unimaginable.
It didn’t just burn flesh, it tore into the person’s soul. The faint of heart would cower and collapse from the barest touch.
But not Luan.
His body scorched. His skin blackened. But he kept smiling.
For a moment, all Leone could do was stand frozen, just watching. Though his face burned and scrunched up in agony, his smile shone more radiant and happy.
But...
He, too, would soon reach his limit.
The mind could never truly overcome its body.
Like how a severed tendon could not hold up a sword. Like how a broken spine could not hold up a body.
With his body at its limits, Luan would soon be reduced to ash.
A martial artist of his caliber must have surely realized his end.
And yet Luan’s smile persisted.
...
There were humans whom pain alone could not break.
Leone liked such humans. She wanted them to live long lives.
A sudden urge rose within her and grew into a strong impulse.
An impulse to do something reckless, something unthinkable. Right here and now.
Impulse, too, is a human’s privilege.
Leone chuckled softly, then abruptly dropped to one knee.
In the dark, sweltering underground, beneath a pitch-black ceiling.
Leone placed her right hand over her chest and prayed.
“...Holy Six Judges. The most just of gods. The transcendent who deceive yet bear no malice. A trial has befallen your humble servant. I beseech thee, grant us the sight to see through all deceit and illusion, bestow upon us the strength to punish our enemies. In doing so, let it be known that a worthy and just exchange has been passed between you and us.”
Wooooong.
Deep, crimson energy rose from every inch of Leone's body like a red flame.
“Arbiter of the Black and White, watch upon your apostle, who has been caught in a battle from which they cannot retreat. If such a trial is necessary, grant them the strength to overcome it. If strength be denied, offer a word of guidance. And if guidance be forbid, then bestow upon them even a single blessing.”
Flames swirled in the dark underground dungeon.
But far brighter and redder than those flames were Leone's eyes, which burned with an intensity that could pierce the very depths of hell.
“...I, leader of the Church of Darkness, humbly plead to you.”
____