A Few Minutes Earlier
Outside the Castle
Aude stood up and saw Ulturion appear before him.
"You filthy bastard, are you planning to betray us?" Aude said calmly.
Ulturion placed a finger on his lips.
"Well, yes and no. I'm only doing this for power… and the thrill of fighting," Ulturion replied, assuming a combat stance.
"If that's what you want…" Aude also took a fighting position. "I'll give it to you."
"And which element are you going to use?" asked Ulturion.
"Let me show you," Aude murmured, lunging at Ulturion.
"For my part, I'll only use my aura," Ulturion whispered.
Aude slammed his fist straight into Ulturion's chest.
"What the hell is this?" Aude exclaimed.
His fist had indeed struck Ulturion's chest, but it felt like he'd punched a stone wall.
"Did you really think you could take me down with such weak power?"
Ulturion's expression widened, filled with anger. Seeing that look, Aude tried to step back. But before he could, Ulturion's fist crashed into Aude's abdomen.
Aude's face contorted in pain. He felt blood rising in his mouth, his organs crushed. He collapsed to the ground, spitting blood. Despite the agony, he managed to speak:
"You… How can you have such power… It was just a simple punch!"
Looking down at him, Ulturion replied:
"I can't stand people who dare underestimate me. I told you to fight at full strength from the start, but you didn't listen."
Ulturion raised his fist again.
"And now, you're going to die."
He aimed at Aude, intending to deliver a fatal blow. Aude knew that if he was hit, it would be his death sentence.
But just as Ulturion was about to finish him, he caught a glimpse of a flaming sword hurtling toward his head. Interrupting his movement, Ulturion deflected the blade from its path. The stranger followed up with a fiery kick, unleashing a wave of flames at Ulturion. The latter stepped back to avoid the attack.
Aude turned his gaze to the man who had just arrived.
"What are you doing here, Li Vêt?" he asked.
"What do you think? Hunting a traitor… And get up, aren't you ashamed? One attack was enough to put you down!" Li Vêt replied.
"Shut up! First, we deal with him, then I'll deal with you," Aude growled, standing up.
Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure bore down on their shoulders.
"Gentlemen, please, don't argue. Instead, fight me," Ulturion declared, now standing behind them, his hands on their shoulders.
"You wanted me to fight seriously?" Aude shot back. "You'll get what you asked for. Try to survive this!"
A violent gust of wind slammed into Ulturion, forcing him to retreat step by step.
"Now you can target someone with your gusts without hitting others," Li Vêt commented.
"Well, training pays off, you know… Get your flames ready. We won't leave a trace of him," Aude said with a smile.
"Works for me," Li Vêt declared.
Aude crossed his arms and, releasing them, unleashed multiple blades of air toward Ulturion. Li Vêt, meanwhile, launched an enormous wave of flames toward Aude's gusts.
Ulturion tried to withstand the blasts, but they were incredibly fierce. Yet, even in this situation, he was smiling.
"Sorry, you two, but this isn't enough to make me use my element," he said.
A sword, forged from his aura, appeared in his hands. The next second, his blade sliced through the wind itself.
He advanced, his sword moving so swiftly that Aude and Li Vêt stood dumbfounded. The air blades were scattered, the wave of flames swept away. Even the massive gust of wind battering Ulturion lost its strength, overwhelmed by a greater force.
Li Vêt, watching in shock, decided to act.
"If he wants to go all out, I'll send him something that'll kill him for sure!"
Flames burst from his hands, which he compressed into a blazing sphere. Aude, worried, thought, Is he trying to kill us all or what?
"Hahahahaha!" Ulturion's joyful laughter filled their ears. "That's it, go all in before I reach you!" he roared.
Despite his excessive use of aura, Ulturion kept smiling. He charged toward Li Vêt.
"You think I'm going to let you?" Aude shouted, now using both hands to amplify the gusts of wind even further.
Ulturion felt the increased power of the blasts and stopped, turning his attention to Aude. He slid his sword into his left hand, as if sheathing it.
"Dispersion!"
With a single vertical motion, he raised his sword to the sky. The gusts split in two, continuing to blow but now passing to either side of Ulturion.
"What?" Aude couldn't believe his eyes.
He cut the gusts? Now they're passing around him!
"Don't make me laugh, Ulturion!" Aude gritted his teeth, about to draw his sword.
But before he could act, an entire tree struck him, sending him flying backward.
"Well, having to use my element on you pisses me off," Ulturion growled. "I was only supposed to use my aura… but no matter. As for you, Li Vêt, even though your attack isn't complete, I can already feel its power."
He charged faster and faster, propelled by his aura.
Damn it, I won't have time to finish my attack before he's gutting me! Li Vêt thought. No choice.
Ulturion raised his sword, ready to strike Li Vêt. The latter grabbed the sphere of compressed flames with his bare hands and fused it with his blade.
"Here we go, Ulturion! Just die!" Li Vêt shouted.
As their swords were about to clash, an explosion of light erupted from Shia's quarters.
"The princess!" Li Vêt cried.
"Don't forget about me, Li Vêt," Ulturion taunted.
"Shut up! I don't have time for your games anymore!" Li Vêt roared.
Their swords clashed, pushing both of them back. But immediately, they charged again, neither yielding an inch.
"Interesting," Ulturion said. "You're counting on that sphere of flames, on the power of its explosion, to match my strength?"
He adjusted his grip on his sword.
"Unfortunately for you, it takes power, speed, and precision to beat me. Which you don't have."
"Fifty paces! Multiple swords!"
From Li Vêt's perspective, it felt like he was being attacked from every possible angle, though the strikes always came from the front. He tried to discern the real sword, but he didn't have the chance.
First, slashes to his lower body, then to his torso, so deep that his flesh was laid bare. Li Vêt tried to detonate the sphere of flames, but it was now in the sky, along with his sword. Ulturion had snatched it from his hands without him noticing.
In the sky, the sphere exploded. The shockwave was so powerful it swept away the clouds, revealing a red and orange sky as scorching winds swept over the city.
Amid the deafening noise, the hot gusts, and a sky ablaze, Li Vêt collapsed to the ground, mutilated and engulfed in flames.
"Well, good thing I got rid of that beforehand," Ulturion said, admiring the sky.
A man appeared beside him.
"So, are we done here?" asked Rieze.
"As you can see, it was pretty easy. At least I only used my aura," Ulturion replied.
"Why didn't you use your element?" Rieze asked.
Ulturion smiled.
"Because I wanted the fight to last. If I'd used earth, those two would've been dead long ago," he growled.
"Well, you're quite the battle maniac. Now come on, we need to prepare," Rieze said, walking away from the castle, followed by Ulturion.
Inside the Castle
Shia's chamber was now nothing but rubble. A shadow reformed, and two women emerged from it.
"Well, dear sister, without your affinity for darkness, we'd be dead right now," Shia said.
"Aren't we already? My right arm is completely shattered, and several of my organs are destroyed. He knew full well his light would obliterate all my shadows, but he reduced the power of his attack. Otherwise, we'd be dead," Verna replied.
Lying on the ground, she gazed at the fiery sky.
"It seems there's quite a commotion outside too," she murmured.
"That must be Li Vêt," Shia responded.
"So, Shia, how do you feel knowing that Rieze is at least rank eight, with an affinity for fire and now light?" Verna asked.
"I understand why he hid it. Otherwise, you would've killed him the moment you learned he had the light affinity," Shia said.
A radiant smile spread across her lips.
"Honestly, I feel nothing but excitement. I can't wait to see what he does next. But one thing's certain: he's not doing this for revenge. He has a plan, and I hope he'll share it with us."
Shia fainted, a smile still on her face.
"What a lunatic that one is! A real maniac," Verna muttered, staring at Shia before fainting herself.