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*****
On the other side, Red Skull watched in utter confusion as the human and the stone somehow shifted the topic of conversation onto him. From beginning to end, he hadn't uttered a single word; his presence was practically zero. How on earth did this involve him?!
The Soul Stone, having reached an agreement, showed no delay. It immediately projected a beam of orange light onto Red Skull. His billowing black cloak ceased its spectral fluttering, and his previously vanished feet materialized once more, planting themselves firmly on the ground.
Red Skull stared blankly at his hands. Having spent decades as a wraith, he could now more poignantly appreciate the solid sense of having a physical form. Though he knew this was only temporary—and that he hadn't truly regained a living body—it still filled him with a surge of pleasant surprise.
Seeing the change in Red Skull, Fini walked over with a smile. He casually summoned a fried chicken roll, held it out, and asked, "Want a taste?"
Gazing at the roll in Fini's hand, Red Skull hesitated. He hadn't tasted food in seventy years. In his previous state, eating was an impossibility, but now that he had a temporary physical form, he could finally try.
"Thank you."
Red Skull took the fried chicken roll and voiced his thanks. Although he didn't understand why Fini had granted him a physical body, he truly had nothing left to lose. Even death or total erasure would be a form of liberation for him.
He took a bite of the fragrant, tender roll. As the long-lost impact hit his taste buds and a wave of pure joy erupted from his heart, tears actually began to stream down Red Skull's face.
Is it so good that he's crying?! Fini was dumbfounded.
"It is... excellent!"
In just a few bites, Red Skull finished the roll. After offering Fini a word of praise, he asked expectantly, "May I have another?"
"No problem, eat your fill!"
Fini immediately used the *Golden Ars Magna* to create a large table and two chairs, allowing Red Skull to feast to his heart's content.
It was as if he were making up for lost time, or perhaps treating it as a final meal—or maybe the fried chicken rolls were simply that delicious. Red Skull ate without stopping, and despite it being the only item on the menu, he enjoyed it immensely.
Half an hour later, Red Skull finally slowed down. While his appetite was still a bit behind that of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, it was already comparable to the Hulk in his early stages.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Helsatze," Red Skull said. He had been the leader of Hydra, after all; though he had been a ghost for seventy years, he hadn't completely lost his sense of etiquette.
"You're welcome." Fini shook his head, contemplating how to bring up the matter of combat.
As a former head of a global organization, Red Skull still possessed the ability to read people. Seeing Fini's expression, he spoke directly: "Whatever request you have, as long as I can fulfill it, feel free to ask."
"It's nothing big. I just wanted to spar with you."
Seeing how cooperative Red Skull was being, Fini actually felt a bit embarrassed.
"Just a spar?"
Red Skull froze. He had prepared himself for everything from being sacrificed to being fed to a dragon, and all Fini wanted was a sparring partner? That was it?
Though he felt he had zero chance of winning, Red Skull agreed without hesitation: "No problem!"
"Shall we begin now?"
After seventy years of monotony, Red Skull found he wasn't as detached as he'd imagined. He actually felt a flicker of anticipation—and even a desire to win—regarding this duel with Fini. Of course, based on any of the abilities Fini had demonstrated earlier, his chances of winning were effectively nil.
Watching Red Skull look more eager than himself, Fini was taken aback. He eventually chalked it up to the man not having seen or talked to anyone for too long, leading to a bit of over-excitement.
"If you don't mind, then let's start now!"
---
Fini didn't stand on ceremony. Barring any accidents, he would likely be staying here for a while, so he needed to determine exactly how much experience he could farm from Red Skull.
After transforming Red Skull, the Soul Stone had vanished. It hadn't spoken to Fini again; he wasn't sure if it was hiding in the shadows, observing.
Although Red Skull had a temporary body, he still technically belonged to the Soul Stone, so Fini chose not to fight on the altar. Instead, they headed down the mountain to a stretch of beach.
"Are you ready?" Fini asked, equipping *Incursio*.
"Begin!" Red Skull nodded, calming his nerves. Even though Fini was powerful, he didn't think he was completely without hope of victory.
The battle commenced. Fini didn't open with Explosion magic or suppress him with Ars Magna. Instead, relying on the physical buffs of Incursio, he engaged Red Skull in close-quarters combat, slowly testing his strength, speed, and defense.
It had to be said: Red Skull, who had been injected with a version of the Super Soldier Serum nearly identical to Captain America's, was truly not weak. His combat techniques, in particular, exerted a comprehensive pressure on Fini throughout the fight. Had it not been for the fact that Red Skull's strength couldn't penetrate Incursio's physical resistance, he might have actually had a sliver of a chance.
After a period of testing, Fini had a general grasp of Red Skull's tier. He was definitely weaker than the Hulk, but significantly stronger than most sorcerers at Kamar-Taj. His exquisite combat skills were a natural counter to the typical Kamar-Taj fighting style.
Fini calculated that Red Skull's overall strength was roughly on par with a "holding-back" Mordo who wasn't using high-lethality spells. Even if he was slightly weaker, the difference wasn't great.
This filled Fini with internal delight. While Red Skull might be slightly weaker than Mordo, he was a 24/7 sparring partner with no downtime. Where else could he find such a safe, efficient experience-point tool? Even the Hulk, while providing high experience, couldn't be dragged out to fight every single day, and there was always the risk of injury.
Having gauged the situation, Fini decided to end the fight to see exactly how much experience Red Skull provided. Regardless of his guesses, the system's evaluation was the final word.
Red Skull knew Fini was holding back severely—the boy hadn't used that terrifying fire pillar once, nor had he taken to the skies. As the former leader of Hydra, Red Skull had never been defeated by anyone other than Captain America. Now, he was being toyed with to such an extent. Even back then, he and Captain America had been an even match.
He had accepted the inevitability of loss, but he didn't want it to be ugly. If he was going down, he wanted to go down with some dignity.
Just as he was thinking this, he heard Fini speak:
"Quicksand!"
The soft sand beneath his feet instantly turned into a mire. Red Skull stumbled, nearly sinking in, but he reacted quickly. Relying on his high-level reflexes, he leaped out of the pit just in time.
But before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, a black frying pan suddenly appeared right in front of his face.
Until the very last second, the only thought in his mind was...
Why a frying pan?!
Looking at the knocked-out Red Skull, Fini glanced with satisfaction at the frying pan he had created using the *Golden Ars Magna*.
In truth, he still wasn't very good at using Ars Magna during active combat. Focusing on a fight while simultaneously maintaining a complex "Creation" was too difficult, so he had to take it slow—starting with the simplest "weapons" he could think of.
(End of Chapter)