Chapter: 861
Realizing the identity of that guy, I belatedly understood.
Why he suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
And why I couldn’t use flame techniques after meeting him.
‘So it was you.’
The Nine Flames Fire Rune. The deep art of the Gu House that allows me to wield flames.
That’s what he was.
I have no idea why he’s taking the form of my past life or why he’s throwing this nonsense at me now, but the important thing is that I’ve figured out his identity.
“…Ugh…”
I grabbed the arm of the bastard who had my neck.
Even though he fired off an immense amount of energy several times, he showed no signs of fatigue.
Of course. If we’re talking about energy itself, it wouldn’t wear out or anything.
“…You were fine before, so why the hell are you causing trouble now?”
I was trying to find a breakthrough, speaking as I searched for a solution.
“Did I do something wrong? Didn’t you treat me well?”
It wasn’t that I coddled him, but I treated him like he was necessary, and now he suddenly shows up to stab me in the back? I can’t help but get angry.
In response to my irritated protest, the bastard said.
[I told you.]
Grrk.
“Ugh.”
The pressure on my neck intensified.
[This is proof of qualifications.]
What on earth does that prove? What qualifications could I possibly have?
And then.
“…If you can’t prove anything, you’re just going to use my body?”
As I pouted, surprisingly, he mirrored my expression.
[If you lack qualifications, then of course, this is what you should do.]
“This is just plain highway robbery!”
How have I lived up until now, and now you’re just going to take it for yourself? I felt extremely unjust.
[If that bothers you, prove it. Show that you have the qualifications to start a fire.]
What should I do? I rolled my eyes while listening. My strength was already drained.
It was hard to muster any power to pull away from the grip on my neck.
Proof of qualifications. It felt too pathetic to attempt to do something I couldn’t even comprehend.
‘What proof do you need when I can’t even use flame techniques?’
If you want me to prove it, put me on the same level! You’re asking me to prove I can create flames and then robbing me of the ability to do so?
It was absurd.
Whoosh—!! Heat radiated in front of me.
The bastard was swirling flames in his hand.
Just like last time. That hand had pierced my heart.
Back then, I regained consciousness just as I was dying and almost fell victim to possession.
I wondered what would happen this time.
He told me there wouldn’t be a second chance.
If that’s the case, could it be that I really would lose my body this time?
The likelihood was high. I could feel it. This might actually be my last chance.
‘I need to find a way out.’
I had to escape somehow. This wasn’t the time to be stuck on qualifications and proof.
Brute strength alone wouldn’t cut it. There had to be some wit involved.
‘…Can’t see anything?’
No matter how hard I tried, a solution just wouldn’t present itself. At this rate, I could get seriously hurt.
Whoosh! The heat in my hand was growing stronger, and while I still had energy left, I knew that even if I unleashed it, I wouldn’t be able to stop what was coming.
‘Damn it.’
My face automatically twisted in frustration. Even so, I refused to give up and continued to think.
[…]
The guy, who had been quietly watching me, continued.
[In the end, your potential has limits here. I hoped for a bit, but it’s proven quite worthless.]
I didn’t respond to his taunts. Instead, I slowly began siphoning energy from my heart.
I was waiting for the perfect moment to strike. That was my only option now.
As all my focus centered on a single moment.
[Blame yourself for being inadequate and let it go.]
Swish. My shoulders twitched. I narrowed my eyes. Was it now? I focused my senses precisely.
But.
[Once I possess your body, I’ll eliminate all the useless women around you.]
Thud.
At those words, my focus began to waver.
“…What?”
I couldn’t have misheard, but I had to ask again. My head felt icy.
“What did you say just now?”
The pain gripping my neck suddenly ceased. My stiff joints regained their mobility. Crack! I flexed with a force that felt like I could rip off the hand holding onto my arm.
“What did you just say? You punk.”
BAM—!!!
The murderous intent erupting from my heart spread outward. In the mist-like wave of malice, the bastard looked at me and spoke.
[Did you fail to understand, or do you simply refuse to acknowledge the truth?]
With the strengthening of my will, the bastard’s purple eyes grew even sharper.
[The women around you serve no purpose. They’re merely there to help you ease your meaningless guilt. It’s nothing but empty atonement. I thought you knew that?]
“…So? If you take my body, that means you’ll kill them all?”
[Ha ha ha.]
The bastard laughed. And it was a bright, cheerful laugh.
[There’s no need to go that far.]
“What?”
[It’s already underway.]
“…!”
My eyes widened at his words. ‘Already underway?’, I thought, fear creeping in as my breathing quickened.
Wooooo—!!!
A colossal white orb floating in the air began to tremble.
The thing that had been motionless was finally stirring, but I didn’t bother paying any heed to it.
[Now, perish.]
The flames surged forward. They came rushing to pierce my heart.
Thud!
Before I could even touch my chest, I seized his arm.
[Hmm?]
Clearly surprised, he tilted his head.
I felt the same bewilderment.
I caught it.
The flames were scorching enough to almost burn my hand, yet I endured it. It wasn’t particularly difficult to resist.
What in the world was happening? I couldn’t grasp it.
Rather than trying to understand it, I simply put strength into my grip.
CRACK!!
I took hold of the flame-wrapped arm and twisted it.
It warped and rebounded. Simultaneously, I grabbed the arm still clamped around my neck and with a mighty heave, I tore it right off.
Sizzle…
Despite the tremendous force, ripping it away posed no substantial challenge.
[…]
One hand was twisted, the other had been torn off.
As he confirmed this, the bastard scanned me with a subtly strange expression.
[…Useless actions.]
He quietly murmured, not looking in my direction.
Where was he gazing? I didn’t mind, albeit feeling a hint of concern.
“Phew…”
Strangely enough, I felt a surge of strength.
What could be the focal point? It felt like the middle dantian or possibly the lower one.
Maybe even higher up?
My perception was hazy.
The pain had faded long ago.
What the hell was going on?
WHOOOOAAAAA—!!!!
The vibration made me look skyward. I noticed the orb was trembling even more intensely.
And as the quaking increased…
Hooooo—!!!
I felt the vital energy within rising stronger.
‘That’s it.’
That’s the source of this unknown power flooding through me. It must be flowing in from there.
But what on earth was that?
What could possibly grant me such strength? Of course, I was questioning it, and the entire situation left me bewildered.
Despite the multitude of unknowns, the one thing I did understand was clear.
“I promise.”
I bent forward, speaking defiantly.
“I will definitely kill you.”
Instead of searching for the source of this newfound power, my priority was to harness it.
THUD—!! I crashed hard against the ground and propelled myself forward.
I dashed swiftly. In an instant, I was right in front of him.
I twisted my waist, adding force to every individual joint.
With both arms damaged, he surely wouldn’t be able to defend himself properly. I aimed directly for his chest.
FWHOOSH!
Flames erupted from the bastard’s arms, and his wrecked limbs were immediately restored.
He raised his arms and blocked my attack.
BOOM—!!!
The clash exploded against the impact, knocking him back.
This time was different than before. The guy who had never budged was sent skidding back.
And so I pondered.
‘Is that an act? Or is this the real deal?’
I didn’t dismiss the possibility of it being a ruse. Yet.
‘Even if it is, there’s only one correct answer.’
Whether it was an act or not, retreating wasn’t an option. I closed the distance even further.
My strength had undeniably increased. My speed had doubled, and the brute force was definitely non-negligible.
WOOOOOO—!!
I could see flames flickering. The bastard was weaving his hands, gathering flames as he floated through the air.
Seeing that, I dashed in even faster.
I launched my fist, rushing it forward with the flame. The fiery core was unleashed.
THWACK—!
The impact jolted the unfinished flame-formation. At that instant.
BOOM—!!!
A massive explosion sent flames shooting in all directions. It was scorching. The heat was intense but still bearable.
[Oh.]
He let out a sigh of incredulity at my somewhat reckless moves.
[You actually dare to wield that disgusting aura. Are you not ashamed?]
A disgusting aura. It appeared he was well aware of the nature of my current power.
The corners of my mouth lifted.
“You’ve seen it all, haven’t you?”
[What?]
“As you’ve been watching, you must know by now.”
I twisted my waist and kicked powerfully.
He crossed his arms, forming an X in defense.
“I don’t care about your judgments.”
Dirty power or whatever else—none of that mattered to me.
What mattered was whether it aided me in the present moment. That alone was paramount.
Whether it aligned with righteous men or villains was ultimately the same to me.
‘If it benefits me, then that’s justice.’
Is there even a separate definition? That’s the justice I long embraced.
BOOM—!! Black flames exploded forth. Instead of evading like before, I dodged aside.
Aerial combat was hazardous. I needed to fight on solid ground.
The tricky part was that I felt he was aware of that too.
HOOONG—!!
As expected, he launched himself skyward.
The sight of him soaring, scattering black flames, was as appalling as ever.
Should I strike with heart techniques? If strictly concerned about efficiency, that would indeed be the best option.
‘But just because I have more strength, it doesn’t mean I’ve got a solution.’
This ambiguous power couldn’t fix everything.
While it appeared my intrinsic strength had been enhanced, the amount of energy restored wasn’t too impressive.
‘In this case…’
As always, I reached the same conclusion.
‘I need flames.’
If only I had them, there wouldn’t be anything to worry about.
‘Tsk.’
The mere fact that I couldn’t unleash flames was putting me in quite a jam.
‘What should I do?’
Just because I wanted to create flames, that wasn’t possible. If he truly was that flame wielder bound within my body, I couldn’t summon flames without his consent.
“…Huh?”
As I contemplated, my eyes widened.
A peculiar feeling buzzed through my mind.
It felt as if lightning had struck from my crown down to my toes.
[…]
[Abominable.]
The bastard declared.
[Your actions under the guise of atonement. Your struggles to forget past transgressions. They all seem revolting.]
I stared back into his eyes as I heard those words.
I couldn’t use flames now. But why couldn’t I?
Because he didn’t permit it?
Thump!
The more I dwelled on these thoughts, the harder my heart pounded.
KAAA—!!! A massive flame erupted from the dude’s body.
It felt far more intense and significant than when I’d crafted dozens of fireballs.
[You wish to collapse but resist, forcing yourself to endure. You think more of others than yourself when doing so. All of that is disgusting.]
The black flames intensified, heating up infinitely. I observed it, still catching my breath.
Indeed. Why hadn’t I considered this?
[Hand it over. If you wish to use it, give me your body. I’ll set the world aflame in your stead.]
With those final words, the bastard lowered his hand.
And then.
BOOM—!!!
Flames filled the sky and cascaded down over me.
“…”
It felt as if the sky were collapsing around me.
It was overwhelming. Vast as well.
At first glance, it looked like a scene to dread, yet paradoxically, it didn’t frighten me at all.
What could possibly be the reason for this?
If I were to fear my own flames, then what?
“…”
SWISH. I reached out my hand toward the cascading flames.
No change occurred.
The flames continued to pour down, engulfing me wholly.
ZZZZT—! My body ignited.
The flames seemed intent on consuming every aspect of me, as if they wouldn’t leave a single bone behind.
I didn’t regard it solely as pain.
My skin was ablaze. I recognized that, yet I touched the flames.
[…]
[What are you doing?]
The bastard frowned, seemingly perplexed by my actions.
But I remained undeterred.
‘This too is energy in the end.’
The flames he emitted were energy.
Moreover, this was the fire art I once had dominion over.
Which means.
‘It’s more familiar than any other energy.’
It signified that it was a power I inherently grasped. Rewording that would lead me to conclude.
‘All I have to do is take it back.’
Since it was originally mine, it meant handling it was exceptionally easy.
FWOOSH—!!!!
Why had I been so certain that I couldn’t ignite any flames?
For now, this too was fire.
FWHOOSH—!!!
As I played with their energies, they bumped and danced about, seemingly resisting taming.
That didn’t matter.
SNAP!
With a firm grasp on that energy, I began pulling it in.
“If you don’t want to become ashes.”
There’s an old saying that goes, “The unyielding need discipline.”
“Stop struggling and listen to me.”
HOOOO—!!
In a low voice, I began to consolidate the energy.
All the while, my body was already a complete mess due to the intense heat.
Ignoring the pains rising within.
KYYYYYAAA—!!!
I positioned myself to capture every final spark that clung to the struggle.
In that exact moment.
WHOOOOO—!!!! The black flames that had been rushing to consume me abruptly changed course.
SHHHHHH—!!!!
They gathered like a vortex around my fingertips, aligning with my will.
Compressing and rotating once more. In an instant, that form was fully realized.
What materialized was a Heavenly Spear.
Although it had originated from black flames, the absolute form created was actually a crimson flame.
It transitioned to an azure hue, a color I hadn’t seen in ages.
Moreover.
‘I didn’t even need to wrap it in a specific shape.’
Utilization of additional energy just to maintain the form had turned out to be unnecessary.
The flames truly danced to my control.
Indeed. This was the sensation of my original flames.
Should I say that it felt renewed? No, it wasn’t that.
It was simply comforting.
[…]
A sacred spear crafted from all my stolen flames.
The guy looking upon it wore an oddly tranquil expression. What expression was that? It utterly baffled me.
I hurled the spear at the silent figure.
And the spear plunged directly into the bastard’s chest.
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