Chapter 10: Flames of the Abyss
Jasper's body shimmered and split. Four identical clones materialized in an instant, each mirroring his stance, flames licking at their fingertips, eyes burning with the same cold furry. They surged toward me from four directions, a pincer of heat and malice.
I twisted my cane, planting it firmly into the ground and using the leverage to launch myself backward. The clones detonated in unison. A deafening roar erupted as compressed fireballs expanded outward, the shockwave slamming into my chest like a battering ram. I flew through the air, tumbling across scorched earth, the world a blur of echoing pulses.
"I don't know how you do it, blind devil!" Caleb's voice cut through ringing in my ears. He appeared above me in a blur, body wreathed in violent energy. "But this time, I will kill you." His arms flared brighter, veins glowing molten red.
"Devil Series: Apocia!"
His fist descended like a meteor. I barely raised my arms in time. The impact drove me straight into the ground, cratering the stone beneath me. Pain exploded through my ribs, my mind spinning in white-hot chaos.
Echo Sense.
I activated it without thought. Waves of subtle vibration rippled outward from my body, soundless pulses that mapped every shift in the air, every tremor in the earth, every turbulent flow of mana and aura. The world wasn't dark to me anymore. It was alive with currents: Caleb's raging energy storming like a wildfire, Jasper's clones flickering with residual heat signatures, the distant bronze-ranked fodder trembling in fear.
I bounced back to my feet like a coiled spring, agile despite the bruises. "I have to be careful," Jasper muttered to himself, voice laced with caution. "This one isn't normal."
"Albain Manipulation!" he barked. From a safe distance, he hurled spheres of condensed flame. Each fireball pulsed with layered echoes, deep mana currents swirling inside like trapped rivers of fire. I could feel their trajectories before they even left his palms: the subtle compression of air, the hungry draw of ambient energy feeding their growth.
I hurled my cane at the midpoint of the leading fireball's path. It struck true, the impact disrupting the core flow. The sphere wavered, then burst harmlessly in a shower of sparks. I dodged the rest in a fluid dance, sidestepping where the flames would scorch, weaving through gaps only my senses revealed.
"Lowly bronze-ranked fool," Caleb sneered, disgust twisting his features. "You're not worthy of the title No. 1." His arms remained engulfed in violent energy, crackling like chained lightning.
"Echo Palm!" I countered, slamming my palm against his incoming fist. Waves of concussive vibration exploded outward from the point of contact, ripples that staggered him, forcing him to retreat a step.
I spun back ten paces, hand outstretched. "Gloo Palm." A magnetic pull yanked my cane from the ground, snapping it back into my grip like it had never left.
"Is this one truly blind?" Jasper whispered, watching my precise movements. "Albert, you fool..."
"Albain Shots!" he intoned sadly. A barrage of flame bullets erupted, dozens of condensed orbs streaking like meteors.
I sensed the pivot point where he had condensed his energy into a dense core. The flames hummed with grief, deep, angry, hate-filled currents that tasted like ash and betrayal. I didn't care. I moved, dodging the rain of shots with minimal effort, slashing my cane in arcs that severed the leading projectiles mid-flight.
Several bronze ranks rushed me from the flanks. I beheaded them in a blur, quick, merciless cuts guided by the frantic spikes in their life force. Their bodies crumpled before they could scream.
"Blind devil, you really surprise me, for a bronze rank," Caleb growled.
Then I felt it: a humming resonance between the flame talent I had consumed earlier and the power Jasper now gathered in his palm. The stolen essence inside me stirred, hungry.
"Albain Spear!" Jasper spun forward in a display of mastered battle techniques, footwork precise, spear of flame extending from his grip like molten glass.
Our weapons clashed. Cane met spear in a storm of strikes. In that single instant, we exchanged over seventy blows, each one a clash of intent, energy, and will. I felt the depth of his training: years of drilled forms, muscle memory etched into mana flow.
Caleb closed in, roaring in fury. "Argh, this damn bastard, you must die!" He charged, building momentum until he closed like a human projectile.
Time seemed to slow. I turned toward him, a small giggle escaping my lips. "Caleb, you are truly weird."
He swung for my neck. I raised my hand to block, deliberately. His blade bit deep, severing my arm at the elbow in a spray of blood.
"There's nowhere for you to run, blind devil," Jasper snarled, closing in with hate-filled eyes. He thrust relentlessly for my heart.
I twisted just enough. The spear pierced my shoulder instead, flames searing flesh. "Argh," I grunted lightly.
Jasper leaped back. Caleb, not done, gathered energy and punched me square in the face. The blow sent me flying once more.
Jasper clapped his hands together. "Explode!"
The flames already embedded in my wounds ignited. Rage-fueled fire tore through my chest and half my face, ripping flesh and bone apart. I screamed as the inferno engulfed me. Memories flooded in, memories of yemen, the black sword, the abyss whispering promises.
Power surged uncontrollably. My body convulsed. I clawed at my own skin, tearing away ruined flesh as consciousness flickered.
"Brother..." Jasper fell to his knees, tears streaming. "This one has avenged you."
But Caleb stood alert, instincts screaming danger.
From the flames, my heart pounded wildly. A strong pull gripped me. My body absorbed the surrounding wildfire, accelerating regeneration. The blaze that had threatened to consume the room extinguished in seconds, drawn into me like breath.
Jasper rose shakily. Caleb leaped back several steps.
I stood. Lightning crackled across my skin, abyssal energy flaring skyward. Clawed hands burst from my back. A small dark crack opened in the air beside me. Tiny glowing eyes peered out from within, watching.
"What sort of demonic talent is this?" Caleb's eyes widened in total shock.
"This is no talent," Jasper whispered, collapsing backward. "His an abomination."
He hurled every flame spell he knew, desperate barrages of fire. Pointless. My body drank them all, breaking down his mana into pure aura. I grew stronger with each failed attack.
From Caleb, I no longer sensed pride, only raw envy.
My severed arm regrew in seconds, black veins threading through new flesh. Multiple talents displayed across my body: flickering flames, echoing pulses, abyssal hunger.
Jasper spun into a ritual. From his bag, he pulled a rat, ripping its head off with bare hands. Blood dripped as he chanted in foreign tongues. "God of the Albain flames, I use myself as a medium of sacrifice."
Before he finished, I was upon him.
My clawed hand clamped around his throat. I absorbed his life force and the half-formed sacrificial magic together, claiming the offering as my own.
"Ahhh! Help me! Caleb, save me!" Jasper pleaded, struggling futilely.
Caleb watched in horror for a heartbeat, then turned and fled.