Under the moonlit night, the rolling mountains were like a group of crouching giant beasts, lying quietly on the black earth. The highest mountain in this range was covered with dense forests, except for the summit. Occasionally, the roar of a beast would echo through the woods, long and mournful.
Near the summit stood a simple small wooden hut. This was Akaza's current residence. He had no particular requirements for his dwelling; a casually built hut to serve as a shelter was sufficient. In his long life, he rarely stayed in one place for too long, always wandering around. Constantly challenging the strong, constantly honing his own fighting spirit, constantly becoming stronger...
Akaza stood among the rocks on the summit, his gaze somewhat lost as he looked into the distance. From here, he could see a town in the distance, where splendid fireworks were exploding one after another in the sky. Due to the great distance, the light of the fireworks was very faint by the time it reached here. Akaza frowned and slowly looked away.
Ever since he was forced to watch a fireworks display by Doma, he would occasionally feel a bit dazed. A blurry image of a woman seemed to be slowly emerging in his mind, distant and unreal, yet with a sense of familiarity. He couldn't see her face, but her mouth was opening and closing, as if she were chattering endlessly. So annoying, so frustrating... and yet so sad.
"Are these memories from my human life?" Akaza looked at his hands, his gaze gradually turning cold. He had no memories of his time as a human. That boring stuff was not worth caring about at all. "I don't need that kind of thing," Akaza slowly clenched his fist. Nothing could stop him from getting stronger.
He suppressed the inexplicable frustration and sadness that had surfaced in his heart, his face becoming expressionless again. He got into a stance and began his daily training. It's all that idiot Doma's fault, taking me to see fireworks for no reason! Akaza smashed a huge rock with one punch. Imagining that the surrounding rocks all had Doma's annoying face, he instantly felt full of energy. As his fists and feet flew, one rock after another exploded into fine pieces with a "bang, bang, bang."
What a refreshing feeling! Akaza smashed the last rock with two quick punches, looked back at the rubble on the ground, and let out a long sigh, sweeping away the frustration in his heart. Much better!
Just then, an annoying voice sounded in his mind. "Lord Akaza~ Can I come over to play?"
Akaza: (???)
His leaping heart instantly fell into a pit and shattered. "Don't you come here!" he said through gritted teeth.
"Ah! Alright, alright. Don't be anxious, Lord Akaza. I'll be there soon~" Doma's cheerful voice came through.
Akaza stomped his foot in anger, and an invisible shockwave swept away the surrounding rubble.
"Lord Akaza~ I've contacted Miss Nakime."
"Lord Akaza~ I've entered the Infinity Castle."
"Lord Akaza~ I'm nearby! Where are you?"
"Ah! I see you!" Doma's face was filled with a joyful and passionate smile as he rushed out from under the shade of the trees with open arms. "Lord Akaza~ It's been so long!"
ε＝ε＝ε＝(っ≧▽≦)っ
Akaza expertly dodged, looking at him with a blank expression.
"Oh my~ Lord Akaza, we haven't seen each other in a long time. Shouldn't we have a passionate hug?" Doma turned his head, a wronged expression on his face.
Akaza: (???) Do you have any idea how much effort it took for me not to kick you into the next prefecture?
"What are you doing here again?" he said in a fierce tone.
"Eek~ Lord Akaza, you're so mean," Doma's expression became even more wronged. But then he cupped his face and smiled without a care. "But Lord Akaza's fierce look is also very cute!"
Akaza: (???) As expected, I should have just kicked this thing away earlier. Anyway, he would have just giggled and said something like 'Lord Akaza is as passionate as ever'... Huh? Crap, do I already know this guy that well?
Akaza frowned, a sense of powerlessness in his heart. What sin had he committed to be entangled with something like this? Maybe I should initiate a replacement blood battle? Akaza fell into deep thought.
Over the years, he had constantly honed himself, fighting against many strong opponents, and had made significant progress. Especially after fighting some Star Demons, some of whom were even as strong as an Upper Moon. The powerful Star Demons were no longer as chaotic as the lower-level ones. Although still like beasts, they had learned to hide themselves and avoid danger, rarely causing great destruction. Although their fighting techniques were clumsy, their beast-like sharp combat instincts combined with their Blood Demon Arts made them worthy opponents. Especially since they didn't die as easily as humans, they were good sparring partners for testing new ideas. A battle between demons could not be decided by normal means; the victor had to devour the loser. This way, the increase in strength was also considerable.
"I wonder how much Doma has improved over the years," Akaza thought. I can't stand this life for another moment!
"Ah, Lord Akaza~" Doma brought his head closer, his rainbow eyes shimmering with a beautiful light in the night. "I've recently developed a new ability. I have to show it to you!" he said with a brilliant smile.
"Hmm?" Akaza grunted in confusion. Show me for what?
"You'll definitely love it~" Doma winked his left eye at him, acting cute. Next, he cleared his throat seriously, imitated Akaza's stance by raising his right hand, palm forward, and stomped his right foot hard. "Domain Expansion: Frosty Sky, Wintry Snow."
A crystal-clear, beautiful snowflake-shaped frost bloomed from under his feet, instantly freezing a large area, its edges adorned with large and small exquisite snowflakes, breathtakingly beautiful. Feeling the surrounding air so cold it seemed to freeze his skin and lungs, Akaza looked down at the snowflake pattern on the ground, the corner of his eye twitching slightly.
This... looks just like my Compass Needle... And this guy deliberately struck the same starting pose as me. Did he come here specifically to annoy me?
"Lord Akaza How is it, how is it?" Doma said, his eyes sparkling. "This is a brother-style I designed with all my heart, thinking of you, Lord Akaza"
"To commemorate our unbreakable friendship," he placed a hand on his chest and said with a gentle and intoxicated smile. "From now on, anyone who sees our abilities will know that we are the best of friends!"
"Isn't it delightful, Lord Akaza?" Doma showed an innocent smile.
Akaza couldn't help but clench his fists, his teeth grinding, his eyes red with anger. He took a deep breath, turned his head away sharply, not wanting to look for another second. Doma's words echoed in his ears, making his stomach churn and his vision go dark. This guy definitely came here just to annoy me. Who the hell wants to have a 'brother-style' ability with Doma! I instantly feel like I can't even use my Compass Needle anymore.
"Disgusting!" Akaza squeezed out a word through gritted teeth.
"Oh my, my, I guessed Lord Akaza's reaction correctly! How cute~" Doma said with a shy look. "You don't have to be so moved. It makes me feel embarrassed."
"This is just a small token of my... affection... as your closest friend..." His words hadn't even finished when Akaza, unable to hold back any longer, swung a fist hard at his head.
Doma, who had sensed it early on, chuckled and tilted his head, dodging before the fist could land. "Oh my, does Lord Akaza want to help me test this new ability? You're as passionate as ever."
Akaza's face was grim. Seeing his fist miss Doma's face, he instantly changed the direction of his arm and swept it horizontally. However, Doma, as if he had eyes on the side of his head, chuckled and ducked, easily dodging again. Akaza didn't hesitate to throw a punch with his other fist.
Doma swayed on the spot, effortlessly neutralizing all his attacks, the smile on his face growing brighter and brighter. "Ah, you can't hit me, you can't hit me~"
"Heave-ho... Lord Akaza, try a little harder!"
Akaza kept punching, his eyes slowly widening. This ability... it's not just the appearance that's similar to my Compass Needle? The repulsion and anger from before were instantly forgotten. Encountering such an ability, he couldn't help but feel a thrill. So far, the only opponent he had met with such powerful predictive ability was Kokushibo. But that guy was not a good opponent for him at the moment. Now he had finally met another one! Perhaps it could give him some inspiration for the development of his Compass Needle and make him stronger.
A strong fighting spirit suddenly rose in Akaza's heart. He wanted to fight! Although the opponent was Doma, it was barely acceptable. Akaza swung his fists faster, his expression gradually becoming focused and serious. Watching the guy in front of him playfully dodge one attack after another, the light in his eyes grew hotter.
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