Maji walked out of the ceremony hall.
He strode through the grand hallways of the imperial palace, his eyes drifting over the towering portraits of past emperors and the kings of the imperial houses. Each painting was a testament to power and legacy, their gazes immortalized in regal authority. Some bore cold expressions of indifference, others fierce determination.
His footsteps echoed against the polished marble floor as he absently traced his fingers along the gilded frames.
One day, my portrait might hang here too, he mused—but the thought was fleeting. His journey was far from over.
His phone buzzed. He took it from his trouser's pocket.
A message flashed across the holographic screen, sent from Daimon's phone.
"Come to the top open roof of the Imperial Palace. Now."
Maji's brow furrowed. Daimon? Why the hell would he be there?
A feeling of unease settled in his chest, but he pushed forward, ascending the spiral staircase that led to the rooftop. As he stepped onto the open-air platform, the cold wind hit him, carrying the scent of approaching rain.
The sprawling city stretched below, lights shimmering against the dusk-painted sky.
But his eyes locked onto the figures ahead.
Hakili stood at the center of the rooftop, his stance exuding dangerous confidence. His signature smirk was present, sharp and condescending. Around him, five of his lackeys—young men from noble families, hand-picked for their ruthlessness—formed a semi-circle, watching with amused expressions.
Maji's heart clenched. Where's Daimon?
Daimon was nowhere in sight.
He took a step forward, his voice edged with anger. "What did you do to him?"
Hakili tilted his head, feigning innocence. "Him?" he mused, then chuckled. "Oh, you mean your little friend? I don't think you deserve an explanation."
Maji's fists clenched. He knew this was another one of Hakili's twisted games. A trap. His body tensed, instincts screaming at him to leave.
Maji's jaw clenched. This was a trap.
He turned to walk away—
But before he could take another step, lightning crackled behind him.
A hand, blazing with electric currents, snapped around his neck.
The air around them buzzed with static as Maji gasped, struggling against Hakili's iron grip. His half-brother was too fast.
Hakili leaned in, his golden eyes gleaming. "Do you really think your pathetic blue flame will ever match my storm?" His fingers tightened, the raw electricity searing into Maji's skin.
Maji gritted his teeth, glaring. "What do you want from me?"
Hakili smirked, then, with lightning still coiling around his hand, he drove his fist into Maji's spinal cord.
A sharp, searing pain exploded through his body.
Maji staggered forward, groaning as his knees nearly buckled. His breath came in short, ragged gasps. The pain lingered, electricity still crackling under his skin like embers beneath his flesh.
But he forced himself to turn and meet Hakili's gaze.
His half-brother merely smiled.
Maji's hands ignited in vivid blue flames, their heat burning away the lingering static. His fire roared, wild and untamed, the air around him warping from its intensity.
Hakili's response was immediate—a surge of white-hot lightning crackled around his body, arcing across the rooftop like living serpents.
In a flash of light, Hakili vanished—only to reappear behind Maji in an instant.
Maji barely twisted in time, blocking the electrified fist aimed at his ribs. The impact sent a shock wave through his body, but he retaliated, twisting his palm outward and unleashing a torrent of blue fire.
Maji lunged forward, his blue flames roaring to life. He swung his fist—flames crackling against the air—straight at Hakili's smirking face.
Hakili dodged, but Maji was faster than he expected.
Twisting mid-strike, Maji delivered a blazing kick to Hakili's ribs, sending him skidding back.
For the first time, Hakili's smirk faltered.
Maji pressed forward. His flames surged, hotter, brighter, wilder. He unleashed a wave of fire, forcing Hakili to leap backward to avoid the scorching heat.
Maji charged forward, feinting left before bringing his knee up, aiming for Hakili's gut. But Hakili saw through it, dodging effortlessly and slamming a lightning-coated palm into Maji's side.
A sharp crack split the air.
Agonizing pain surged through Maji's ribs, the electricity searing through his muscles. His vision blurred for a split second, but he gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to stumble.
Hakili's movements were unnervingly fluid, his smirk never fading. "You'll have to do better than that, little brother."
Maji's flames flared, heat rippling around him. His eyes narrowed.
With a burst of speed, he twisted his body, driving a flaming uppercut into Hakili's chin.
The force lifted Hakili off the ground.
He crashed onto the rooftop, rolling to a stop. A groan escaped his lips as he pushed himself up, a scorch mark darkening his cheek. His eyes flashed with irritation.
"You're stronger than I thought," Hakili admitted, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip.
Maji's flames whipped around him, his body pulsing with raw power. "And you're not as untouchable as you think."
Hakili chuckled lowly, but his expression darkened. "I was going easy on you."
CRACK!
A wave of lightning exploded from his body, illuminating the rooftop like a storm breaking loose.
Maji barely had time to react before Hakili vanished—reappearing beside him in a flash of white lightning.
Before Maji could dodge, Hakili's fist slammed into his ribs, sending another jolt of electricity coursing through his body.
Maji gasped, staggering backward. His limbs trembled from the residual charge.
He clenched his jaw. "F**k, that hurts."
But he had no time for pain. His blue flames erupted once more, surrounding him like a roaring inferno. The rooftop glowed with flickering embers as heat rippled through the air.
Maji charged.
His entire body was now engulfed in fire. He leapt forward, fists burning, the intensity of his flames warping the very air around him.
"Flames of Distraction!" he called out, slamming his fists against the ground.
A wave of blue fire exploded outward, forming a circle of flames around Hakili.
Hakili tried to dodge, his lightning flickering as he moved at blinding speed—
But it was too late.
The flames surrounded him, licking at his uniform, disrupting his lightning field. The heat was unbearable, even for him.
Hakili cursed under his breath, eyes widening.
The intensity of the flames erased his lightning.
Maji saw the panic flash across his brother's face.
His smirk returned. "Petty blue flames. Is that what you called them some minutes ago?"
Hakili gritted his teeth, his body turning red from the scorching heat. If not for the circuitry wires woven into his uniform, the fire would have already consumed him.
"Damn you!" Hakili growled. "I'll kill you today!"
Maji summoned a concentrated sphere of blue fire in his palm, the heat radiating dangerously.
Without hesitation, he hurled it forward.
The fireball slammed into Hakili's chest, sending him crashing onto his back.
Hakili let out a sharp cry.
"Ouch!"
Maji chuckled. "I thought you were a man?" he teased, stepping closer.
Hakili's face twisted in rage.
His pride couldn't take it.
His fingers twitched, sparks crackling as his rage-fueled energy tried to rekindle—
But before he could retaliate, his fury snapped in another direction.
His golden eyes flicked toward his lackeys.
"The hell are you standing there for?!" he shouted. "Finish this idiot!"
WARNING!
Health Status: Poor
Energy Pool Remaining: 205 Ew
Dammit.
Maji could feel the exhaustion weighing down his limbs. He was burning through his reserves too fast.
But he wasn't about to back down.
He scowled, raising his left fist, flames swirling violently around it.
But before he could make another move—
Five figures rushed at him all at once.
Their weapons drawn, their energy pulsing.
Maji's body screamed in protest.
The five figures spread out, surrounding Maji like predators cornering their prey.
He could feel their energy crackling in the air—water, ice, and earth—each a direct counter to his fire.
But Maji didn't flinch.
His flames swirled around him, casting flickering blue light over the rooftop. The embers in his breath matched the fire in his defiant glare.
"You think five against one will change the outcome?" he said, his voice laced with cold amusement.
They hesitated.
For a moment, none of them dared to move.
The one with water abilities, a muscular warrior with a jagged scar on his cheek, gritted his teeth and was the first to step forward. With a sharp motion of his hands, a wave of water erupted from the ground beneath his feet, surging toward Maji like a tidal beast.
Maji jumped, twisting midair, his flames spiraling around him.
"Pathetic."
With a snap of his fingers, a massive burst of fire shot downward.
The heat was so intense it vaporized the water instantly, leaving only a burst of steam that blinded the battlefield for a second.
Taking advantage of the cover, Maji landed behind the water user, his fist already alight.
Before the man could react—
CRACK!
A blazing backfist to the jaw sent him flying across the rooftop, skidding into a pillar.
The others hesitated again.
A shiver of doubt flickered in their eyes.
"Keep going!" Hakili snarled from the other side. His voice was strained, his body still weak from their earlier battle, but his pride wouldn't let him stand down. "What are you waiting for? He's almost finished!"
Maji snorted. "You're the one who's finished, Hakili. These guys? They're just stalling."
The ice user—a slim warrior with silver-streaked hair—gritted his teeth and struck next.
With a wave of his hand, jagged ice spikes erupted from the ground, sharp as spears, aiming to impale Maji from all sides.
Maji sidestepped, ducked, and weaved, his reflexes blindingly fast.
He twisted in the air, dodging another incoming spike, and as he landed, he grabbed one of the ice formations with his bare hand.
SSSSS—the ice hissed, melting instantly under his burning grip.
The ice user's eyes widened in horror.
Before he could retreat, Maji closed the distance in a blink.
THWACK!
A devastating flaming knee to the gut had the ice wielder coughing up spit as he collapsed to his knees.
"Too slow," Maji growled, driving his elbow down on the back of the man's neck.
Another down.
The remaining three looked at each other.
Maji could see the doubt forming in their expressions.
"You wanna run?" he taunted, flames snapping in the air around him. "Go ahead. No one would blame you."
One of them flinched, clearly considering it.
But Hakili's voice rang out, sharp and demanding. "If you even think of retreating, I'll kill you myself!"
That hesitation vanished.
The earth user, a warrior with vines coiling around his arms, gritted his teeth and roared.
"Hold him down!" he ordered, slamming his palm to the ground.
Thick vines exploded from the rooftop, shooting toward Maji like serpents.
Maji burned through the first wave, incinerating the vines before they could reach him.
But more kept coming.
The plant user was relentless, drawing from every surface, making the battlefield itself his weapon.
Vines lashed out, twisting around Maji's ankles.
Before they could tighten, he crouched low and exploded upward, a spiraling tornado of blue fire engulfing him.
The vines burnt to ash in an instant.
Maji landed behind the earth user, placing a burning hand on the man's shoulder.
The moment their skin met—
BOOM!
A shock wave of fire sent the man flying, his arms smoldering from the sheer heat.
That left two. One was also water user and the other an ice.
The water user was already moving, sending another wave crashing toward Maji.
This time, the ice user followed, sending a freezing wind to turn the water into a rushing wall of jagged icicles.
Maji gritted his teeth. His body was burning out.
With a deep breath, he threw both arms forward, summoning one last surge of fire.
The blue flames clashed against the icy water, sending an explosion of steam across the rooftop.
For a second, everything was white.
Then—
Maji shot through the mist, fist cocked back.
Before the ice wielder could react, a burning punch to the temple sent him sprawling.
The water user turned to run, but Maji grabbed him by the collar, yanked him back, and drove his knee into his stomach.
The man collapsed, gasping for breath.
The battlefield was silent.
The five warriors lay groaning on the ground, defeated.
Maji staggered slightly, chest heaving.
WARNING!
Health Status: very Poor
Energy Pool Remaining: 104 Ew
Damn it.
His energy was nearly gone.