Chapter 105
Austin's fire wings blazed behind him, casting long shadows across the frozen stone. Across the basin, the rust-haired man stood with his hands at his sides, his scarred face twisted into something that might have been a smile or a sneer.
They had been watching each other since the clash began.
The man spoke first. "You're the one who killed a dear friend of mine."
Austin said nothing. His grip tightened on Emberclaw.
The man's smile widened. "You should be strong to have defeated him in his berserker state.."
He moved.
Abyssal Flames Spell: Inferno Dash
Flame erupted from his feet, propelling him forward at a hundred meters per second. Austin barely had time to raise his blade. The man's fist—wreathed in black-red fire—slammed into Emberclaw's flat.
CLANG!
Austin flew backward, his boots scraping trenches in the stone. His arms screamed. The man was already there, pressing the attack, his fists coming in fast, each one carrying enough force to shatter rock.
Abyssal Flames Spell: Volcanic Fist
Austin ducked the first punch. The heat alone scorched his shoulder. He parried the second with Emberclaw, the impact sending vibrations up his arms. The third—he could not avoid.
It caught him in the ribs.
Fire Spell: Quick Step
He launched himself sideways, the blow glancing instead of landing solid. His ribs still burned. He landed in a crouch, his wings flaring to keep his balance.
The man did not pursue immediately. He stood where he was, watching, his hands crackling with black-red flame.
"You're faster than I expected," the man said.
Austin straightened, as a smile of Excitement shown on his face.
He had wanted this, a fight where he had to push, where he had to risk his life. Because he was hoping it was what he needs to reach a higher level.
He raised Emberclaw.
Fire Spell: Phoenix Ascent
His wings flared brighter, the flames shifting from orange to white-hot. His speed climbed—eighty meters per second, then ninety. He launched himself forward, Emberclaw cutting a burning arc through the air.
The man met him head-on.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
Their blows came faster, harder, each one shaking the stone beneath them. Austin's fire met the man's Abyssal Flames, the two elements clashing in bursts of heat and light. Sparks flew as the air shimmered.
Austin drove forward, pressing the attack, trying to find an opening. The man's defense was solid, his counters brutal, each strike forcing Austin back a step, then another.
The man caught Emberclaw between his palms. Flame roared around his hands, the heat so intense the steel began to glow.
Abyssal Flames Spell: Heat Leech
Austin felt it—his fire being drawn from him, pulled into the man's grip, feeding the black-red flames. His Phoenix wings flickered. His speed dropped.
He pulled back.
Fire Spell: Great Fireball
A sphere of flame erupted, forcing the man to release his blade. Austin leaped back, putting distance between them.
The man laughed. "Is that all?"
Austin's chest heaved. His mana was draining faster than he wanted. The man was stronger, faster, his flames hungrier.
But Austin had fought stronger opponents before. He had learned from them.
He closed his eyes for a heartbeat. When he opened them, his irises were red. Three black leaves spun in their depths.
The man's smile faltered. "What—"
Austin moved.
Ocular Spell: Cinderfall Phantasm
The man's vision filled with fire. Not the fire of Austin's spells, but something older, deeper—a world burning, the sky raining ash, the ground cracking open to reveal molten rivers below. He stumbled, his hands rising to shield his face from flames that were not there.
Austin did not wait.
Fire Spell: Quick Step
He crossed the distance in an instant. Emberclaw came up, the blade already white-hot.
Fire Spell: Inferno Point
The man's instincts screamed. He raised his arm, black-red flame condensing into a shield.
Abyssal Flames Spell: Ember Ward
Emberclaw struck the shield. White fire met black. The impact sent shockwaves through the basin, cracking the stone beneath them.
Austin pushed harder. His flames burned brighter, hotter, forcing the man back step by step.
The man's eyes cleared as the illusion shattered. He looked at Austin, and for the first time, something other than amusement crossed his face.
"Impressive," he said.
Abyssal Flames Spell: Surge
Flame exploded from his body, a wave of black-red fire that threw Austin backward. He hit the ground hard, rolling, his wings catching the stone to stop himself.
The man stood over him, his hands wreathed in flame, his shadow long and dark in the firelight.
"You have talent," the man said.
Austin pushed himself up. His arms were shaking. His mana was low. But he was not done.
He reached for what was left, drawing it into Emberclaw, compressing it, focusing it into a single point.
The man raised his hand for the final strike.
Austin moved.
Fire Spell: Mountain-Cutting Flame Strike
The crescent of fire that erupted from his blade was smaller than before, thinner, but it moved faster, burned hotter, a blade of white flame that crossed the distance between them in an instant.
The man's eyes widened. He threw up his hands, summoning everything he had.
Abyssal Flames Spell: Inferno Wall
A wall of black-red fire rose before him, thick, dense, hungry. Austin's crescent struck it.
For a moment, the two forces pressed against each other, neither giving. Then Austin's blade cut through.
The man threw himself sideways. The crescent caught his shoulder, shearing through his guard, through his flesh, carving a trench across his chest. He hit the ground, blood spraying across the stone.
Austin stood over him, Emberclaw raised.
The man looked up, his face pale, his hand pressed against the wound. He was beaten.
He smiled anyway.
"Next time," he said.
Abyssal Flames Spell: Smokescreen
Black smoke exploded from his body, thick and burning. Austin swung, but his blade cut only air. When the smoke cleared, the man was gone.
Austin stood alone in the basin, his chest heaving, his arms shaking, his wings flickering behind him.
His mana was low.
He looked across the basin. Ethan was already moving toward Kaya's fight. The white-haired woman was gone.
Austin let out a breath. He had done enough.
He watched the spot where the rust-haired man had disappeared and smiled.