Chapter 313

Chapter 313

Rumble—

The thunderclaps reverberated across the snow-draped plains.

The heavy, snow-laden clouds that had previously dominated the sky now lingered like a hazy fog.

No, it was smoke.

Crackle…

Pale gray ash drifted downward toward the earth. Quite unlike the pristine white snow, these murky flakes settled heavily upon the ground.

Plop, plop.

One, two. As the mounds of ash began to stack on the terrain, Aster and Holland locked eyes in absolute silence.

It was not long before Aster shifted his gaze toward the heavens.

Zas!, crackle…

Was it merely a trick of his senses?

In the midst of the dark clouds shedding ash, a faint crimson glow pulsed.

Much like clouds before a lightning strike, a scarlet radiance rippled through the ascending smoke.

After studying it for a moment, Aster looked back at Holland.

Right then, something crimson began to descend from above.

Astonishingly, the plumes of smoke were discharging vibrant red flames.

It defied the fundamental laws of nature, yet Aster remained unfazed. He raised a barrier to intercept the falling fire.

Imbued with the true essence of crimson fire, the flames scorched the barrier fiercely, but he paid it no mind.

His focus remained entirely on Holland.

Holland, drenched in blood, was grinning. His teeth, stained crimson from the gore, gleamed as his cheeks twitched.

He appeared ecstatic, completely unable to restrain his joy, and his clenched fists popped as his knuckles collided.

Even in the middle of all this chaos.

Crackle, pat.

The flames kept pouring down.

Fwoosh.

The ground itself was set ablaze.

Whooosh…

As the wind swept through, the fire enveloping the earth fluttered like battle flags.

Nonetheless, the two combatants facing each other did not budge.

It wasn’t long before the smoke clouds disgorged a massive sphere of fire.

Fwoom…!

It plummeted like a legendary meteor, the blazing mass twisting along with the shifting air currents.

Every strand of flame contorted and danced as it neared the ground.

For a fleeting instant.

The line of sight between the two men was completely obstructed.

The fireball collided with the earth in a dull explosion.

With a resounding “boom!”, the flames surged high into the heavens.

That was the exact moment.

“…Gasp!”

Holland caught his breath as Aster’s silhouette tore through the flames, charging directly toward him.

He crossed his arms in a defensive posture, inhaling sharply.

And…

Thud!

An impact that shook him to his very bones.

Holland felt his body lift off the turf as he exhaled.

It wasn’t merely a sensation; his body actually floated a full foot into the air.

He had barely regained his footing when Aster’s secondary strike arrived.

Aaack…!

How could flesh and bone collide to produce such a horrific sound? His bones had to be damaged, without a doubt.

Holland groaned in agony while manipulating his mana.

Your physical form… far surpasses mine!

Incredibly, his adversary possessed a physique that rivaled a knight at the absolute pinnacle of mastery.

Holland had no inkling of how this was possible, but after exchanging blows in close-quarters combat multiple times, he had no choice but to acknowledge reality.

Therefore, he had to counter accordingly.

The flames raining from above, the blazing earth—that was his answer.

Fwoosh-!

The fire on the ground, whipped up by his sheer will, swirled like a vortex toward a single destination.

That destination was, needless to say, Aster.

Aster had been deploying a Collision Formula for his third assault, but he shifted to a barrier against the approaching inferno and leaped backward.

At that moment, Holland could not help but marvel once more.

A barrier that fitted his form like a glove.

Holland could replicate that himself, but not without considerable effort in the heat of combat.

It was the absolute embodiment of mana manipulation mastery…

But, despite everything, Holland smiled smugly.

Because.

These were flames steeped in the essence of crimson fire.

They were designed to tear down barriers.

A perfectly constructed barrier was efficient, even marvelous in its own right, but before the crimson flames, it was nothing more than prey.

Sizzle-

Destructive capacity could always be amplified.

Snap!

A firm snap of his fingers.

…Boom!

The subsequent detonation.

Naturally, he did not expect it to slay him. But it would buy him just enough time to mend his fractured bones…

That was as far as Holland’s thoughts managed to go.

Fwoosh-!

A blinding light pierced right through the heat of the blast. Concurrently, Aster burst forth from the flames.

“What… what a monster!”

Holland gaped in disbelief upon seeing Aster completely unharmed, and then he let out a massive grin.

Fear? Not a chance.

What was there to be frightened of?

“Gasp…!”

Boom!

Another fist shattered his guard.

At the very same time…!

Boom! Boombom, boomboomboom!

Explosions erupted in every direction. They weren’t massive, however; the crimson flames had already consumed the entire area.

Even so, those detonations were more than enough to pulverize flesh. They were even excessive.

But Holland managed to piece together a makeshift barrier to deflect the blasts, and then he drove his teeth into Aster’s shoulder instead of targeting his flailing arms.

Splash!

The warm blood splattering across his face felt hotter than the flames themselves. At least, that was how Holland perceived it.

Spit, ptoo!

“Pff, I was aiming for the throat.”

To Holland, this conflict was a game, a lethal amusement. To Aster, it was a solemn duty.

“First things first, let’s have a look at that face.”

Holland grew annoyed by the pristine mask remaining intact throughout the fight. He believed it was distracting his opponent.

Shortly after, Aster stumbled backward after taking a brutal strike to the face.

That was when Holland’s arms wrapped around Aster’s neck like a noose.

With his limp arms tightening securely, he yanked Aster’s head backward. And…

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

The mask began to shatter.

But even with a firm grip on him, it merely fractured without breaking away entirely.

A few more strikes, and…

With blood trickling down his forehead, Holland smiled savagely at that exact moment.

Zas!

“Guh…k!”

A heavy blow delivered right between his legs. Holland gasped. No matter how transcendent one’s path was, biological vulnerabilities remained.

Aster quickly backed away and adjusted his mask while Holland wavered in a daze.

A surprise assault might have yielded better outcomes, but the reason it hadn’t occurred was simple.

Aster’s ultimate objective had never been Holland.

Life at the academy.

Connections.

The daily routine.

And… the tower.

In this predicament, exposing his identity meant letting everything fall apart.

He had pondered Sha-in’s counsel regarding stepping into the light, but revealing himself in such a manner was entirely out of the question.

Perhaps that was why.

“Damn you…!”

Holland stared intensely at Aster, swaying on his feet. Fury blazed within his bloodshot eyes, utterly impossible to conceal.

Why such intense wrath?

No, wait.

In a conflict waged on the razor-edge of life and death, what significance did decorum hold?

The survivor claimed victory, underhanded or not. If justice entered the equation, it was merely a meaningless spectacle. Normally, he would have chuckled with sheer delight.

Because that implied his opponent was giving everything they had.

But.

“What in the world are you doing?”

Across the burning plains, Holland spat out his rage.

If it had been him, he would have seized that opening mere moments ago.

Or at the very least, he would have taken the upper hand to dictate the course of the battle.

But his opponent had completely disregarded the fight just to fix his damaged mask. As if it were the most natural occurrence in the world.

“I am standing right here, right in front of you.”

Aster gave no reply. He kicked off the air, unleashing his transcendence. Instantaneously, a pillar of fire erupted right beneath Holland’s feet.

Holland glared at Aster from within the horrifying blaze that even swallowed up crimson flames, ceaselessly summoning more crimson fire to counteract it.

Aster’s sorcery was terrifying.

… Akin to the fires of the underworld.

But.

The one wielding those flames was no demon. Those eyes trembled far too much to belong to a devil.

The tremor was faint, nearly imperceptible, but Holland, entirely locked onto Aster, caught it.

“You weren’t even looking at me.”

Then, what exactly was he gazing at?

Holland knew the answer.

… The second black and white slums.

The orphanage.

Naturally, he had lured him out with that bait from the very start.

Of course the bastard would carry that heavy in his heart throughout the confrontation.

In the midst of the roaring flames, Holland’s eyes burned with fury, completely numb to the agony of the fire consuming his flesh,

And he thought.

Anxious? About the second black and white slums? About the vermin crammed inside that orphanage?

About the relic of a bygone era named Muspellun? About those preposterous mages called Sakwol?

Yes, he would want to cross this plain as swiftly as possible to check on them. Of course he would.

But what about right now?

This body of mine has absolutely no intention of letting you walk away.

Holland concentrated his mana. The crimson flames enveloping him grew fiercer, repelling Aster’s magic.

The instant the fire waned, he propelled himself toward the sky.

Holland, shrouded in flames, resembled a fiend ascending from hell. Aster met his boiling gaze.

Aster’s eyes were icy in stark contrast. Like winter itself made manifest.

No more testing each other’s strength.

Boom-!

Flames surged along with Holland’s fist, primal force unleashed. Aster’s deflections were entirely instinctive.

The flames devoured the mana barriers, the flowing mana of annihilation dominating the entire space.

Blue lightning intertwined wildly with the crimson fire, consuming one another.

Fists crashing against fists.

Blood sprayed in every direction.

The erupting gore vanished rapidly, sometimes swallowed by flames, sometimes by lightning.

Bone-jarring strikes.

Soul-burning incantations.

There were no mages here.

Merely two beasts lunging at each other’s throats.

A snowy night.

Vast prairies.

Fire rained down unceasingly at the center, the earth blazing. Lightning sliced through the firmament, the very space screaming out.