Following the words of the Fire Servant, the flames around him surged with an even greater intensity, almost as if they were trying to compete with the pillars of fire just some twenty to thirty metres away. Except, instead of stretching into the skies, they just roared behind the Fire Servant’s back, barely expanding to twice their size.

  Yet, Alnea did not dare to underestimate those flames. On the contrary, the more they restrained themselves, the more solemn he became. But he could not let his emotions show on his face. So, he just took a deep breath, staring at the Fire Servant in silence. One that was extended by the Fire Servant was also staring back at him, waiting for his move. Or maybe he was just preparing his own move. The blood flame did look difficult to control. Though he seemed to have it restrained without any problems…

  In the end, Alnea just gave up thinking. Exhaling the breath he was holding, he grabbed the sheath, hanging on the left side of his waist, near the edge of its mouth, before putting his sword away. But he did not let go of its hilt. Instead, he tightened his grip even further, both on the sword, and its sheath, as he shifted his left leg back and bent his knees, while urging the lightning flowing within him.

  “Since you have not even begun testing, then I might as well help you to speed things up,” Alnea said, and rushed towards the Fire Servant once again. But the latter did not seem to like his offer, and sent the blood red flames to block his path. Or maybe it was the lunatic’s way of taking him up on his offer… Reminding himself to be careful of his words, he shifted his attention back to the flames, that were already upon him, giving him no time to prepare his defences. If only that stupid Fire Spirit—

  Alnea Slashed his errant thoughts, and focussed on the flames. The scorching, blood red flames, hot enough to singe his robe, despite the distance between them. And the smell… That awful smell… Or was it the heat that was watering up his eyes and burning his nose? He could not tell. Neither did he have the time to focus on such trivial details. At the moment, the only thing on his mind was to figure out how to deal with the flames.

  Glyph Tokens? No, that dumb Fire Spirit should have ruined them all, just like his robe. And his storage pouch. Along with everything that was inside that pouch. Thankfully, he had dropped his dagger before the Fire Spirit possessed him. Otherwise—

  Focus, Alnea told himself, Slashing his errant thoughts once again. But it was too late. The flames were just inches away from him, giving him no time to think. Fortunately, he did not have to think. When facing the breath of death climbing up his neck, his body acted on its own, directing the lightning he had already summoned to surge out of his body, and fight off the flames trying to devour him.

  Not completely, of course. He could still feel the scorching heat seeping into his skin, and boiling his blood, as the flames passed over him, but that was it. With the golden lighting flickering around him, the flames could not even touch his clothes. At worst, they just stopped his Spirit from exploring what lay beyond their boundaries. As such, there was no need for him to stop his steps, Alnea noted, and rushed towards the direction he had last seen the Fire Servant in. But he never left the flames.

  “Cretes spit!” Alnea cursed, and regretted it right away, when he felt the flames burning his throat and lungs. Thankfully, it was just the heat, and not really the flames. Hurriedly closing his mouth, he changed the direction he was running, only to be met with the same result.

  It was as if he stepped into a different world altogether. But that was impossible. He did not feel any fluctuations of the Mysteries of Space. Even the ground he was stepping on was the same. Then why could he not get rid of the flames? Had the small cloud of flame evolved in an endless sea?

  No, even if the Fire Servant had broken through to the True Rank, he should have seen only a marginal increase in his Spirit Power. He could not possibly summon a sea of fire. And that was in case of normal flames, let alone the blood red flames he was trapped within. Then there was only one explanation left. The flames had not passed over him, they had settled on him. And they were moving with him, always keeping him trapped within its borders.

  What was the lunatic trying to do? Exhaust his Spirit Power? Was he not afraid of exhausting his own Spirit Power first?

  …Probably not. After all, there was a difference of over four times in their Spirit Power. Even if the Fire Servant’s consumption was thrice as much as his, he would still be the first one to be exhausted, and then end up being captured by the lunatic. Or run away in shame. If he could run away, that is. The Fire Servant would not just stand there in silence, and watch all his efforts go down the drain. Especially after all the price he had paid…

  At the moment, the only way Alnea could think out of his predicament was to defeat the Fire Servant before he ran out of his Spirit Power. But to defeat the lunatic, he would have to run out of the flame cloud first, which he had already confirmed was impossible. At the very least, the Golden Lighting could not help him get rid of the flames.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Yet, the lightning was already one of the strongest forces he could summon. If even the Golden Lightning could not help him run out of the flames, the Killing Winds would not be of any help either. And neither would be the Golden Wheel. Or any other forces of similar level. Unless…

  Alnea closed his eyes, and concentrated within himself, Clearing his Heart of any distractions, even the stinging heat of the flames. Only when he was at complete peace, bringing his Heart to Serenity, and then, to Clarity, did he open his eyes, and glanced at the flames around him. Impossible to escape? Who was trying to escape?

  Burning with determination, Alnea detonated all the Blood Crystals still flowing within his veins, before unsheathing his sword in one swift motion, sending a Golden Slash riding along the Crimson Winds towards the flames. A slash, that was the culmination of all his achievements on the path of Warriors, with the additional blessings of Oren, that cut through anything and everything in its path, even the flames.

  In return, the flames surged once again, trying to quickly fill in the metre wide gap, but Alnea did not panic. Instead, he first let out the breath he was holding, before putting his sword back into its sheath. Then, and only then, did he began walking through the path he had slashed, as the flames on his either side kept roiling, trying to bridge the gap he had left behind. In vain.

  “…You surprise me once again, Tresting,” the Fire Servant said, as he saw Alnea walk out of the flames, before glancing on the gash left on the ground, stretching for at least a hundred metres into the distance. “Do you have a name for your last move?”

  “…Not yet,” Alnea said, inhaling a big gulp of air. Although the air was not as cool as he had hoped it would be, it was much better than scorching air he had been breathing for a while. “This is the first time I used that move.”

  “Then you should think about it,” the Fire Servant said, turning back towards Alnea. “Such a beautiful move deserves a name.”

  “…Let’s call it the Golden Slash of Freedom then.”

  “…Has anyone told you that you have a very bad sense of naming?”

  “On the contrary, people often praise me for my naming sense,” Alnea said, withdrawing most of the Golden Lighting back into his body, leaving just a trace of it flicker around his legs, before gripping the hilt of his sword, and bending his knees. “Are you ready for the second round, Whitebud?”

  “…Are you?” the Fire Servant said, tilting his head to his left, pointing to the pillars of flame in the distance, which seemed to have shrunk to just three metres tall, and were shrinking even further with each passing moment. “How about we call for a truce?”

  “Truce?” Alnea said with a sneer. “Are trying to kill me with jokes?”

  “…That was not a joke, Tresting. I truly want to call for a truce. Even if only a temporary one.”

  “You betrayed hundreds of your companions and sacrificed them all as your stepping stone. Do you really expect me to believe your so called ‘Truce’?”

  “You believed me when I made that Oath earlier.”

  “Are you willing to make that Oath again?”

  “…I do not like the feeling of chains binding my Spirit.”

  “Then there is nothing to talk about between us. Get ready—

  “There is no need to be so hasty, Tresting. I am sure that you do not wish to be surrounded by Enthralled Wanderers. Especially not in your condition.”

  “Worry about yourself,” Alnea said with a scoff. “How much of your Spirit Power do you still have left?”

  “Enough to outlast you,” the Fire Servant said, waving his hand towards the blood red flames, summoning them back to his side. “And to ensure that you cannot leave the Final World before me.”

  “…As expected of someone from the Lotus clan.”

  “…I do not think this has anything to do with my clan. Anyone would have made the same choice in my position. Even you.”

  “…Do not compare me with yourself. It makes me sick.”

  “…If that is what you wish—

  “Just stop talking.”

  “…So, do you agree to a truce?”

  “…It is not impossible. Anyways, it does not matter me to whether you live or die. Neither do I have to answer to anyone about the failure of my mission.”

  “Are you worried about me?”

  “…Are you sick?”

  “…In any case, like you said before, our lives should always be our priority. Everything else should come later. Maybe I will be punished for failing my mission. But with my new strength and abilities… I am sure that my clan will not abandon me. So, for me, a truce seems to be the most logical option right now.”

  “…I was not asking about—Forget it. If you want a truce, then you just need to give me the information that you promised earlier.”

  “That was not our deal,” the Fire Servant said, shaking his head. “The Oath compels me to tell you the information only after you defeat me.”

  “…Then there is nothi—

  “But we can work around the Oath,” the Fire Servant said, putting on a solemn face. “Since you are willing to make a truce, I can also give a piece of information in return as a gesture of goodwill. But the value of this information will not be as good as the as information I promised earlier.”

  “…But it must be related to me and the Lotus clan, and it must be something that I did not know before.”

  “Of course.”

  “…If you try to fool me—

  “You can listen to the information first, and then judge whether or not I am trying to fool you.”

  “…Go ahead.”

  “…Do you know the name of the Arcana that led to your father’s death?”