Four days have passed since my battle with the God Of Agriculture. Every night since then, I would wake up in the middle of the night and feel a tightness in my chest. It would often last a few minutes, but faded away rather quickly, and I could fall asleep again. Now, the weather has gotten nearly freezing. Powdery, frozen water covered the landscape, and I could see every breath I took. Victoria and I have been talking a lot recently. She's told me a lot about her childhood, and what her interests are. She and I have a few things in common. We both enjoy our training, and have decided to work hard in order to protect others. I admire her for that. At first glance, she seems a bit spoiled. But in reality, she's a very humble person, and cares a lot about others. Master Vencer's been quiet recently. I've tried to make conversation but he doesn't seem too emotionally invested in anything. I've begun to worry about him, but I doubt it's anything too serious. He is a God, afterall.
We were walking through a clearing between two mountains when I noticed a tower standing farther down the road, "Master, is that a building!?" I pointed to the tower. He squinted his eyes and leaned towards where I was pointing, "Hmm… yeah that's Karth. What you're seeing is a lookout tower on the outskirts…" He walked ahead of me and Victoria and turned around to face us, "It's been a while, but we've made it to Karth!" The three of us made our way out of the mountain range, and into a large valley of frozen grass. Karth's outskirts were covered in frost. Houses had snow on top of them, and the crops around each resident were dying. We walked down the road, and made our way to Karth's main gate. Master Vencer walked up to the gate and knocked, "Hey it's me, the Fire God! Lemme in, will ya!?" After a few moments of silence, the gates slowly opened. We walked inside, and headed down the city's main road. I looked around; a weird sense of deja vu filled my body. I felt nostalgic, and my heart began to ache slightly. I remembered the time I had spent with Lura, Nyleah and Nazeem. I wonder how they're doing right now. But before I could finish my thought, Victoria began talking, "Hey Kiliano, we've made it to the inn. C'mon inside." I snapped out of my deep thought, and walked inside with her. Master Vencer was already at the counter, asking for a room. Victoria and I sat down, waiting for master to finish up. We began looking around awkwardly, trying to figure out something to do. I sighed and was about to say something when Victoria stood up, "Alright Kiliano… Let's go out and have some fun, yeah?" I looked up at her and smiled, "Sure, sounds good. But don't go around causing too much trouble. The people here are pretty strict." Victoria nodded and ran over to the exit. She looked back and smiled at me playfully, "Alright… let's go!" I smiled softly, and blushed, before standing up and walking out, "Alright master, we're gonna head out now." He gave me a thumbs up, and I walked out with Victoria.
The two of us walked out of the inn and headed down the block, "Hey Victoria, let me show you around, okay? I've lived here for a little while so I'm kinda familiar with these streets." Victoria nodded, "Alrighty then." I walked us around, taking her to a clothing store. We walked inside and began looking around. I walked down an aisle, and spotted someone at the front desk. She was the same shopkeeper I had met with fire years ago, before I was hunted down by a swordmaster and taken to see master Solomon.
I walked up to her, and asked a question, "Excuse me ma'am, do you happen to have any black coats? Preferably ones with white fuzz around the collar." "Hm… I'm not sure, but I can check the back." She walked into the back and disappeared. Victoria tapped my shoulder and revealed a black corset, "Whaddya think? I like it, and the way it's made makes it really easy to move in. So I can fight while wearing it." I ran my index finger down the cloth, "Hm… Yeah it seems pretty good quality. You should buy it." She smiled and nodded.
After a bit less than a minute, the shopkeeper came out from the back and walked over to the front desk, "Sorry it took me a little bit. But I was able to find a coat that matches your description." She handed me a black coat with white fuzz by its collar. I wasn't sure if it was the same one I had bought five years ago, but it was similar, which is good enough. "Okay, thanks, I'll buy it." Victoria came up from behind me and tossed the corset she wanted onto the front desk, "He'll get this too." "W-what? Sigh… yeah sure… that too." I bought the clothes, and we left. I took us down the block, and into the market. It wasn't crowded. Only about two dozen people were at the market, so we had plenty of space to look around. Once we made it into the market, Victoria took the lead and we spent hours looking at all the different kinds of food. We bought everything from meat to candy.
By the time we made it out, it was beginning to get dark, and our stomachs had grown to the point they wouldn't fit in our shirts. I was rubbing my belly when Victoria began talking, "Oh boy…! That was a lotta fun. What should we do next?" I sat down on a bench by the side of the road, "I'm not too sure. We can head back now, if you'd like." Victoria made a bit of a sad look, and her eyes glanced at the floor, "Oh… yeah, sure." I noticed that her mood had changed, and a slight sense of worry set in. I decided not to dwell on it, and shook the feeling off, before standing up. The two of us started walking back to the inn. By the time we had made it back, neither of us had spoken a word. We walked inside and I made my way to the front desk, "Excuse me, ma'am? What room is under the name of Vencer?" The front desk lady smiled, "Ah right. Master Vencer actually ordered two rooms. He'll be taking one, and the two of you have the other to yourselves." I face-palmed while blushing. That idiot has absolutely no self awareness. I turned around to look at Victoria, who was standing behind me, "Well… you heard her. I guess we'll have to share a room tonight… sorry 'bout that." Victoria covered her mouth with her hand, "Y-yeah… that's fine, I guess." I tensed up a blushed, "Alright then, I'll be going now." I grabbed the key off the desk and walked up the stairs, and towards our room. I looked back and glanced at Victoria. She remained at the front lobby, standing there. I walked into our room, and set my two swords on a table. The room had two beds, and a bathroom. There's one window at the end of the room that exposes an alleyway behind the inn. I took off my traveling attire and walked into the bathroom to take a bath. I made myself a hot bath and stepped inside of the tub, "Sigh… hoh man this feels great! It's always great to take a warm bath like this." I relaxed myself, and fell further into the bathtub.
When I finished my bath, I got out of the tub and dried myself off with a towel. Before I walked out of the bathroom, I wrapped a towel over my waste and opened the door. I walked towards the bed with my stuff on it and sat down, drying my hair. I glanced over at the desk and stood up to grab my clothes, while still drying my hair. I walked over to the desk, but before I could grab my clothes the door opened, and I froze. Victoria walked inside, and the two of us stared blankly at each other. Victoria's eyes slowly began moving farther down my body, and she met gaze with the monster that lay in between my legs, "Hey, don't look…!" I covered my lower body with the towel and snatched my clothes from the desk, before running into the bathroom, "...And what was that face for!?" My face went red, and I felt hotter than before. Victoria set her stuff on the other bed, and laid down to relax.
By the time I walked out of the bathroom, Victoria wasn't in the room. I walked over to my bed and got situated, taking off my socks and laying down. I wrapped myself in the blanket and went to sleep.
After a little while, the door opened, and Victoria walked inside. Kiliano was already asleep. Victoria saw this and grinned. The room was almost pitch black, and almost nothing in the room was visible. She walked over to Kiliano's bed, breathing heavily. Her eyes had a piercing glare, directed towards Kiliano, who was fast asleep, snoring in his bed. Victoria sighed, and crawled onto his bed, slowly making her way next to him. She laid down, staring into his unconscious face. She smiled warmly while blushing, and brushed her fingers through Kiliano's long bangs. Her eyes began to grow heavier, and eventually, they completely closed, falling asleep next to Kiliano.
When morning came around, Kiliano opened his eyes to the sight of a sleeping Victoria, laying mere inches away from him. His eyes widened, and naughty thoughts flooded his mind. What the hell!? Whyyy is she in my bed!? What did we do!? No no no, who am I kidding? There's no way we did anything. I don't remember doing anything… right!? "Euh… mmmph." Victoria began to mumble, and Kiliano got much more flustered. He quietly hopped out of bed and ran over to the other side of the room while staring at Victoria, who was still sleeping. He ran into the bathroom, and started a warm bath.
A few minutes later, Victoria woke up. She slowly laid up, rubbing her eyes. When her vision became clearer, she realized what had happened last night, and got flustered. She noticed that Kiliano wasn't in bed, and put her hands to her face in embarrassment. She whispered to herself, "What the hell was I doing!? Eugh… I'm such an idiot." She got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom, knocking on the door, "Kiliano, are you taking a bath?" He got flustered by hearing her voice and stumbled in the bathtub, "U-uh, yeah, I am." "Alright, I'm going to meet with Vencer. Catch ya later!" Victoria left the room, and headed over to Vencer's room.
Kiliano continued his bath for a few more minutes, before getting up and drying off. He walked out of the bathroom and walked over to a desk with his traveling attire on it. He grabbed his coat, and put it on. Walked over to his two swords and put Excalibur on his waist, then the other sword on his back, "Huff, alright I'm ready. Let's see what's going down now." Kiliano walked out of the room and headed down to the lobby. When he made it there, Vencer and Victoria were talking in the lounge. Vencer noticed Kiliano walking over and waved hello, "Good morning kiddo. You sleep well?" Kiliano blushed, "U-uhh… mhm." His head turned to the ground. Vencer smirked, "You're looking a bit red there pal… Did the two of us get up to something?" Victoria immediately turned red. Kiliano took a step forward, "D-don't be an idiot! You weirdo, there's no way we'd do anything like that!" "Haha, alright. Whatever you say kiddo..." Vencer stood up, "...Are the two of you ready to go?" I nodded. Victoria tapped me on the shoulder, and whispered in my ear, "You were quite cute last night…" She took a few steps back and giggled, "...Teehee, let's get going, okay?" My face turned bright pink, and a small stream of blood ran down from my nose. Vencer glanced over at me and grinned, "Good going kid." The two of them walked off, and left the inn. I stood there for a few moments, trying to process what had just happened.
After I had caught up with the two of them, we made our way South once more. The three of us made our way past Karth's outskirts, and headed out of the valley and into a mountain range. Powdery ice covered the mountain peaks, and patches covered the road. I took a step into the powdery ice on the side of the road. My foot felt much colder, and it got wet. "Have you ever seen snow before?" Victoria said from behind me. I looked over and shook my head, "Nope. It just seems like really soft ice though." Victoria smiled, "Yeah well, that's all it is." Vencer's voice called from ahead of us, "Are you two done? I've got a question for Kiliano." I directed my attention away from the side of the road and walked over to my master, "Yeah, what's up?" The two of us walked side by side, and master Vencer began to talk, "So tell me… what's the name of your new spell." "Uh, uhm… I don't really know. Does it matter?" Vencer huffed, "Geez kid! Of course it matters. Your spell is going to be the basis for every other God tier fire mage after me. We need the name! And since you're the one who invented it, it's only fair you name it." "I guess that makes sense. But how should I name it?" "Just remember the way you felt when casting it, and base your answer off how it felt." I began thinking. A few things popped in my head, but one stood out more than any others, "Alright I think I've got it." Vencer smiled, "Oh yeah? Tell me." "Ignition… My new spell's name is going to be Ignition." "Like as in setting something on fire? That makes a lot of sense, good job kid!" He smacked my back with his hand and laughed. "I think the name's good too." Victoria said from my right. I smiled, "Thanks. I thought it made sense because my entire body felt like it was being enveloped in flames." "Yeah, it's pretty clever heh."
We traveled for another four days before anything eventful happened. We decided to spend the night inside a large cave just beyond the end of a mountain range. I walked deeper into the cave and put my things down, setting aside my two swords on a nearby rock. Vencer walked inside the cave and came towards me. I sat down and asked, "Where's Victoria?" "She's takin' a wizz." Master Vencer said, as he sat down, laying his back on the cave's wall. The two of us were silent for a few moments before he cleared his throat, "Ahem… Alright kid, let's get down to business…" I turned my eyes towards him and waited for him to speak again, "...We aren't heading straight to Sumerst. First, we'll have to pass through Zuri'el…" My eyes widened. I was about to say something when he spoke up again, "...But… I will not permit you to visit the capitol under any circumstances. Got it!?" "But why? What if we can take back Zuri'el. You're a god after all, right?" "That isn't the point! The enemies we'll be facing aren't normal. The person who occupies Zuri'el is a very scary person. He's so fearsome and powerful that his nickname is the God Killer. We've tried to collect intel on him but every time we send someone out, they die. All we know about him is that he's killed over a dozen Gods, and that his hair is white. That alone is more than enough to convince me we're outmatched." I was going to say something else, but decided against it and relaxed. Just as our conversation had finished, Victoria walked into the cave, "Oh man, that was awful haha! I'm never gonna get used to doing stuff like this outside of an actual bathroom." I smiled, "Don't worry, it gets easier with time." Victoria sighed in response, and laid down on the ground near me.
By now, it was starting to get dark outside, "Master, should we begin a fire now?" Vencer nodded. I walked outside the cave and walked towards the mountain range for a few minutes. Patches of snow laid on the ground around me, and leafless trees covered the entire area. I picked up some stick off the ground and began walking back. After walking for another minute or so, my stomach growled and I felt a slight stinging pain in my abdomen, "Aw crap, I forgot to eat today." I looked around, scanning the area for any animals as I kept walking back. By the time I made it into the cave, it was completely dark out. I walked deeper inside and laid the stick on the ground. I put my hand over the sticks and snapped my fingers, setting them on fire. I sat down and began heating myself up. Master Vencer walked over and sat down on the opposite side of the fire. It was silent for a few moments before I began talking, "Master, you said that this God Killer had white hair… and said that, that alone was enough to convince you he was strong. Why would having white hair make you think he was dangerous?" Vencer looked up from the fire and into my eyes, "I'm surprised you haven't heard about it yet. There's an ancient folktail that explains the origins of our world. It basically describes the legend of the Seven-Man God religion. But within this story, it talks about people who have unnaturally white hair. This means people who were born with normal colored hair, but it changed as they matured, and turned white at an oddly fast rate. Legend has it that anyone with this condition has an insurmountable amount of power within them. Master Solomon is a good example. He was born with black hair, but by the time he was a teen his hair had turned white. And if this God Killer is anything like that, then I'd rather not risk death." "I guess that makes sense. But I'm a bit confused… Why does their hair turn white?" Master shrugged, "I got absolutely no clue kid." With that, he laid down and began falling asleep. I turned to Victoria, but she was already passed out, laying on a rock. I laid down, thinking about what I had just learned.
After a few hours, I looked up. Master was asleep, and so was Victoria. I stood up and walked toward the end of the cave, trying to make as little noise as possible. Once I made it out of the cave, I began running South as fast as I could. I passed by mountain ranges, valleys, ditches and fields, making my way towards Zuri'el's capital as fast as I could. I thought to myself, if I can take back the capital, then it would set us up for the rest of the war, and we'd surely win. I'm about a two day walk to the capital, if I run at top speed, then I can probably make it in less than ten minutes. I jumped forward, setting my legs in a frog pose in front of me. I planted both of them on the ground and leaned forward, setting myself up to push off the ground. I channeled mana into my legs, and pushed off the ground at full force. The ground around me shattered, and as I flew away, a loud BOOM shattered the sky from where I was. The boom's echo was sent across the entire area, reaching past the forest, and into the cave, although by then, it was a faint noise. But even so, master Vencer's eyes still opened, as he woke up.
I continued my journey towards the capital, making it past hills and forests. After a short while, I squinted my eyes and noticed a darkened blur in the distance. "Hmm… wait, that's the capital!" I planted my feet onto the ground, stopping my momentum, "I guess I'm almost back home. But I've gotta stay vigilant… If I don't then that God Killer fellow might pop up somewhere." "Oh!? So you've heard of me too, ay!?" A voice from farther down spoke. I crouched down, trying to conceal my presence. "It's no use boy. I already know exactly where you are… So get up! It's rude to hide when someone's talking to you." I slowly stood up, staying cautious of my surroundings.
As I did, the silhouette of a man slowly began to form farther down the area. He got closer and closer, until his features were visible too. He had piercing red eyes and white hair. He wore a white robe, and held no weapons. The man began looking me over, but stopped once he reached the sight of Excalibur. His eyes widened and his smile grew slightly bigger, "Ah… I see. So you're Excalibur's wielder. Master's talked a bit about you." "What is it you want from me!?" I said. But my voice trembled slightly. I sensed no murderous intent, or malice, but the aura he was emanating was far more intimidating than anything else before. Not even the God I fought a few days earlier could compare to this guy. I gulped, and took a step back. But once I did, a golden flash of light surrounded the entire area, blinding everything for only a fraction of a second. But within that amount of time, the man had somehow managed to close the hundreds of meters gap between us.
Time suddenly felt slowed down, as he stood there, less than a meter away from my face. He reached towards my waist and grabbed Excalibur from its sheath. He tried pulling it out, but the sword didn't budge. I wasted no time, and threw a left hook aimed towards the right side of his face. But before I could connect, another blinding light filled the entire area for less than an instant. The man was now standing nearly a dozen meters away from me. He was somehow able to move faster than I could perceive, which only means that I'm completely outmatched here. A drop of sweat ran down my cheek, as I pulled Excalibur from its sheath, and pulled a stance. The man began walking over to me slowly, "I wonder… if I kill Excalbiur's wielder, does that mean I get to wield it? Or does it completely disappear…?" Suddenly, his aura changed. And the entire area was smothered in murderous intent, which made my knees weak, "...I suppose we're about to find out." Those words sent a shiver down my spine, but I shook it off and prepared for battle.
The two of us stared at each other for what seemed like hours. But then I noticed his left foot shift backwards, and I tightened my grip on Excalibur. His body leaned forward, as his left leg skidded across the ground behind him. I began channeling mana into Excalibur, but in the blink of an eye, the God Killer disappeared. My eyes widened, and a rush of nervousness hit me. What hit me next, what a sharp stinging pain from behind me. A spurt of blood shot from my lower back as I flitched. Quickly, I turned my body around, but he was nowhere to be seen, "You really can't find me?" His voice rang through my head. It sounded like he was everywhere. I stood my ground, and took another stance. But after a few moments of silence, I channeled the mana into my legs instead. If I can't beat him, then the most logical decision would be to run… as much as I hate to do it. I pushed off my legs, and bolted a few dozen meters. But I wasn't fast enough, and the God Killer reappeared in front of me as I was sprinting towards his direction. Before I could stop, he held out his fist and smashed it into my stomach, "Gyah!" The air was knocked out of me, and my vision became blurry. I crashed onto the ground, but before I could get back up, a golden light shined bright from where the God Killer was standing. He was smiling as his mouth opened, "Light magic… Redemption!" Suddenly, balls of pure light mana shot towards me, each of them roughly a meter in diameter. By now, I was back on my feet. I pulled Excalibur to my side, and swung. Cutting through one, then two, but the third one was too close, and my swing was too wide the second time, which left my right shoulder exposed. DOOSH! It made contact with my shoulder, and sent me flying several meters into a nearby boulder. The God Killer sighed and began walking towards me, "Is this really all you've got? I guess you're above average, but master made it seem like you were something special…" His tone switched to a much more serious one, "...As far as I can tell… you're nothing special."
I gasped for air while crawling my way out of the crumbled rock, "Gyuh… gah… I'm, kinda screwed here. This dude's way beyond me…" I plunged Excalibur into the ground, and used its hilt as support to stand back up, "...But, even so… I'm not backing down! You're known as the God Killer, but I'd like to know your real name!" He smiled, and nodded his head, "Alright sure. Doesn't make a difference either way… My name's Asfodel… Asfodel Zuri'el." Zuri'el!? As in the same Zuri'el that Lura and Nyleah are from!? My eyes widened and the shock of his words paralyzed me for a few moments, "H-hold on… are you a part of the royal family in this kingdom?" Asfodel frowned, "I guess you could say I was. But those days are over…" He went silent for a few moments, "...But enough talking kid. Time to die!"He said with a smile. Asfodel lunged towards me with an opened hand leading his way. I swung Excalibur upwards, aiming to cut off his arm. But as my blade made contact with him, a bright golden light blinded the area once again, for only a fraction of a second, as he was now standing another few meters away from me.
I gripped Excalibur and got ready to attack. But just as I planted my right foot onto the ground, master Vencer's voice called from behind me, "Calm down y'all!" I looked back, he was walking towards me. I let my guard down, and Asfodel dashed towards me. But Vencer grabbed my coat and pulled me back while blocking Asfodel's attack with his hand which was engulfed in flames. Master Vencer put me down behind him, "Alright Kiliano stay ready. I want you to make a run for it into the woods just north of here. While you do that, I'm gonna hold off this guy." "But master-" "No buts, Kiliano. He's after you. Which means he knows how important you are. And I can't let you die. So do as I say!" Just as he said those words, Asfodel laughed, "Hahahaha! You're Fire God Vencer, right!? I've heard a bit about you. Apparently you're pretty formidable at close combat… especially for a mage. Normally… I'd jump at the chance to fight you… But the only reason why I'm out here right now is to make sure nobody interferes with our business in the capital. So if you're planning on leaving, then I won't bother fighting you." He turned around and walked off. I watched as he got farther away, but before I took my leave, he turned around to look at me. He waved his hand at me, and mouthed the words "Goodbye." His body suddenly started glowing a golden sheen, and his body's composition began turning into light particles. After a few moments, his entire body had turned into light particles that were heading back towards the capital.
"You idiot…" Vencer said, "...I told you he was too much for me to handle and you still decided to go out!? You've gotta learn some self restraint kid." I lowered my eyes and nodded. Vencer looked down at me. He sighed, and made a little smile, "All's well that ends well… But unfortunately that man is going to tell Shyzen, and our trip to Sumerst is gonna be a lot harder." "I'm sorry, master." "Don't beat yourself up about it kid. Just listen to me more, okay?" I looked up at him and nodded. The two of us began heading back north.
By the time it was morning, I hadn't slept at all. Ever since that encounter I had with Asfodel, I couldn't stop thinking about it. He was so incredibly fast, almost like teleportation. And he used light magic. I thought master Solomon was the only one capable of using that kind of magic, since he's the person that carries the title of Angel. Maybe Asfodel isn't strong enough to dethrone Solomon's title yet? Whatever the case is, I'd better listen more to master Vencer if I want to survive. Victoria got up and walked over to me, "You ready to go, Kiliano?" I looked up at her and nodded, "Yup, let's get going." I stood up and grabbed my swords, before the two of us walked out of the cave. Vencer was already waiting for us by the time we made it out, "Alright kids, we're off."
We continued walking for another two and a half weeks. The air has become much thinner, and my breath is now visible, even when it's midday. Our travels have brought us to the coast. We walked through a dense forest, and once it became clear, a beach connecting to the ocean revealed itself. Victoria ran past me, making her way to the sand. She dropped all her belongings, whipped off her shoes, and ran into the water. Immediately after making it into the water, she turned around, and ran back, "It's Coooold!" I giggled while walking over to her, "You should've known, considering the weather we've been having." Victoria frowned and walked over to me. We set up camp on the beach. I grabbed some wood and made a fire. The three of us laid down by the fire and went to sleep.
Once morning came, the three of us immediately packed our things and headed south. We walked down the beach, making our way next to the ocean. We continued onwards, for a few more hours before master Vencer stopped us, "Killiano, I believe it's time I told you something." "O-oh, alright." "The truth is… we aren't going to Sumerst's capital. Currently, we're on the way to the North Sword God's temple." I was shocked to hear this, "W-what do you mean!? We aren't going to Sumerst? Does that mean they're all waiting for me there?" "No… All of your friends are in the capital right now. But as you are now, we can't send you to fight Shyzen. So I'm taking you to train with the North God." "What!? I'm not strong enough!? You told me yourself that I didn't need to become strong enough to kill him myself! Was that a lie?" Vencer furrowed his eyebrows, and stared me down, "Yes… it was. I'm sorry Kiliano but this is for the best. You cannot let your friends hold you back." Victoria chimed in, "Hold him down? Vencer what the hell are you talking about!? This isn't fair to Kiliano. He's waited years to see his friends again, and now you're going to deny him that privilege at the last second!?" "It's okay… Victoria. I do want to see my friends again… But if Vencer thinks that I'm not ready, then that's it. I'll just have to grow stronger." I smiled at her, but my eyes showed a hint of sadness to them. Victoria cast her gaze toward the sand by her feet, and the three of us continued walking down the beach.
After a few hours of walking, and the sun had begun to go down, Vencer led us up a hill on the side of the beach. The hill led us toward a path above the beach that we took for another half an hour. Eventually, we reached a large house that stood on the edge of the cliff. Vencer stopped walking, and turned to face me, "Alright kid… this is where we part ways." He said with a smile. "You aren't going inside?" Vencer shook his head, "No, I'm not permitted to enter. Neither is Victoria, so we'll have to say our goodbyes here." I walked over to him, and wrapped my arms around Vencer, "Thank you so much master. I couldn't have grown this strong without you." "Now wait a second Kiliano. I've got a request to ask you before we head off..." I released my grip on him and looked up, "...I, Vencer, the Fire God, request a challenge of Gods against you, Kiliano Monfril." "W-what!? You want to challenge me for your title of Fire God?" Vencer nodded, "I believe you've grown strong enough to rival my own power. So it's only fair we duel to see who's really worthy of the title of God." I was shocked to hear this. But refused to back down, "Alright then… let's do this, master!"
The two of us stood nearly ten meters away from each other, with Victoria much farther off to the side. The rules are, I could use my swords, but couldn't use any techniques. This means that fire magic is going to be my main source of power. I'm at a slight advantage, since my swordsmanship is more advanced than master Vencer's. But I can't let my guard down. It's going to be a tough win, but this isn't impossible. "Alright kid… begin!" Suddenly, Vencer channeled mana through his body, and fire began to form from behind him, "Fireball!" A giant ball of fire was sent hurling towards me. I dashed right, dodging it, and ran towards him at top speed. I closed the gap in less than a second, and swung my sword to the left. Vencer dodged backwards, holding his hand out to face me. Fire began to envelop his hand, and he said, "Flamethrower!" Suddenly, a giant blast of flames shot into me, completely submerging me in a stinging pain that blinded me. I staggered for a moment, but dashed left, escaping from the flames. However, Vencer was waiting for me, and appeared behind me with a punch to my back, sending me flying upwards with a loud BOOF! I looked back while in midair, but Vencer was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, he reappeared just above me, holding both of his hands above his head. He swung them downwards, but I blocked them with the palms of my hand. The shockwave of his blow sent me hurling downwards. BAM! I hit the ground, creating a crater nearly 10 meters by 10 meters. Before I could stand back up, Vencer sent out another fireball hurling towards me. I slammed my hand onto the broken ground and said, "Combustion!" The ground around me began to heat up, and spurts of flames sent flying upwards from the ground, connecting with the fireball and sending it flying the opposite way. The flames around me began to dissipate, but by then, I was already standing up, raring to go with a smile. Vencer dropped down a few meters in front of me. His body was emanating a sizzling aura. I pulled my sword to my side and pushed against my right foot, dashing forwards. I cleared the distance between us in less than a second, and swiped upwards. Vencer dashed backwards, swiping his arm upwards, creating a stream of flames from where his arm was. I pulled my sword to my left side and dashed forwards once again. The stream of flames that had come from Vencer's arm began to reform into three arrows of pure flame. Each one shot at me. I ducked down on the first one. The second one connected with my shoulder, sending a small spurt of blood out from it. I staggered backwards, but was able to deflect the last arrow with my sword. I was put in a bad position, with both my arms raised above my head, leaving my abdomen open. Vencer took advantage of this and sent a flaming punch straight into my stomach, sending me flying nearly a hundred meters. I landed on the ground, rolling through the cracking rock below me. I had lost my sword after Vencer punched me, so I grabbed Excalibur and plunged it into the ground, stopping my momentum. But before I could stand back up, Vencer appeared to my right, and threw another punch to my ribs. I heard a crack, and my body shot to my left, landing into a boulder. I had tightened my grip on Excalibur just before Vencer's attack, so my weapon was still in my hand. But once I stumbled out of the rubble, Vencer had completely disappeared. I looked around, but the only person in sight was Victoria off to the distance. My right shoulder had a stream of blood running down it. I sheathed Excalibur, and put my left hand on my right shoulder while channeling mana into it, "Healing." A green ray of light emanated from my shoulder. But before my spell could take full effect, I felt a sizzling heat from behind me. Suddenly, an orange light spewed out from behind me, and time seemed to slow down. I turned my head, twisting my torso to look back. A giant ray of flames was hurling towards me. I bent my knees and got down low. Just before the flames reached me, I dashed to my right, dodging them. Vencer dissipated his spell and rushed towards me. I unsheathed Excalibur and swung downwards, aiming for his face. Vencer's body became a blur, and he disappeared, reappearing behind me. But I was prepared, and put my right hand under my left armpit, aiming my palm towards Vencer. I channeled mana into it, and released a spurt of flames that made him stagger a few steps backwards. This gave me enough time to turn around and swipe left, cutting through Vencer's robe and reacting a shallow cut through his stomach. He gritted his teeth and dashed backwards.
I regained my footing and positioned Excalibur in front of me. Vencer stiffened his feet into the ground and sighed, "Sign… Good work kid. But now I'm gonna show you the power… of a God..!" Just then, his body began to emanate a red aura. The ground around him began to sizzle, and small rocks around him disintegrated. A malicious smile covered his face, as flames began to form from around him. The ground began to glow a red sheen, and powerful winds pushed out from his body, "...Pyro!" Suddenly from behind Vencer, high-intensity flames began to form in a swirl. In less than a few seconds, the flames grew to the size of a large house. Even though I was over a hundred meters away, the heat from his spell was enough to make any normal person scream in agony, "Well crap, this isn't good. He's finally using his ace? I'll have to figure something out if I wanna walk away in one piece." "Alright Kiliano, here it comes! This is my… God tier fire spell, Pyro!" The flames from behind Vencer began to flow faster and more intensely. The swirl of flames began to clear from the middle, with its exterior forming a ring of pure flames. The inside turned pitch black, sucking in all the light around it. A pressure began to push onto me, my feet sinking into the ground. I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on Excalibur. Vencer raised both his arms, so they were on the same level as his shoulders, "It's over Kiliano! This spell is going to kill you if you're not careful!"
A sweat drop ran from my cheek, as I formed a smile, "Is that so!? Don't worry master… because I'm not done just yet…!" I raised Excalibur over my head, and released my aura with all the strength I had left in my body, "...This is all I've got…!" My skin turned numb, but my insides began to turn hot, "...Ignition!" A burst of flames shot out from my body. The ground around me began to crumble and turn to dust. And in just a few moments, my entire body was enveloped in flames. Vencer scoffed, "Tch! Nice try Kiliano, but your spell isn't refined!" The abyss within his swirling flames began to emanate a glowing red. I stiffened my footing and got ready to attack. Vencer pointed his hand towards me, and his spell shot out a burst of at least half a dozen fireballs. Each one flying nearly too fast for me to see. I bent my knees, lowering my body, and swung downwards, sending out a wave of compact flames hurling through two fireballs and flying towards Vencer. But before it could connect, his Pyro spell created a spurt of flames that clashed with my attack, stopping it completely. I slashed through each other fireball that was sent at me, and dashed forward, pulling Excalibur to the right side of my waist. Vencer's Pyro shot out another group of fireballs, but I dashed to the side, dodging the first one. The rest changed trajectory but I channeled flames into Excalibur and cut each one down. My left leg pulled behind me, and I pushed forward, creating a crater from where I had launched from. Vencer hadn't moved since he created Pyro, but my advancements forced him to take a step back. My eyes narrowed into the right side of his waist. I ran onwards, the flames of Ignition covering my entire body and leaving a trail of flames behind me. My eyes shifted towards his face, and I noticed his smile grow wider, which gave me a sense of suspicion. By now, I had closed the gap between us, and was only a few meters away. Just then, I noticed the glow from Vencer's Pyro intensify. And in less than a second, it shot out a condensed spurt of flames hurling towards me. It struck down, creating an explosion of flames.
Vencer pulled his arm back to the same level as his shoulder, holding his position, "Sigh… You alive kid!?" "Yes… I am." My voice said from behind Vencer. He twisted backwards just in time to see me reappear behind him, holding Excalibur behind my right shoulder. He sent out a spurt of flames, but before they could fully form, I swung left, slicing through his torso and sending a spurt of blood spewing out. His spell dissipated, and he staggered backwards. I pushed forward, raising Excalibur above my head and swinging downwards slicing through his chest and sending him hurling into the ground. He tried getting back up, but I swung Excalibur downwards once more, aiming for his neck.
Excalibur's edge was pointed mere inches away from Vencer's neck. I had stopped just short, to make sure not to kill him, "I believe it's over, master." His eyes were wide, and he had a stream of blood rolling down from his mouth. He was breathing heavily, "Huff, huff… Nice one kid…" He smiled, "...Congratulations, Fire God Kiliano." I stook a few steps back, as a sense of relief rushed down my body. My arms went limp, and I dropped Excalibur onto the ground, raising my head to the sky. Victoria ran over, "You did it! You actually did it!" She jumped onto me, wrapping her arms around my torso. I turned my face to look at her and smiled, "Yeah… I guess I did." Just then, Vencer grunted and stood back up, "Jeez kid, I didn't expect that. I could've sworn I hit you with that last shot." "Yeah, you did. But the flames weren't hot enough." "What!? I used maximum output! There's no way any human alive can withstand that temperature…" He let out a long sigh and put his hands on his knees, "...You're one strong kid, that's for sure… I made the right call bringing you here."
Suddenly, a man appeared from behind Vencer. His face was covered in scars, and his hair was short and white, similar to Asfodel's. The man walked up to me and bowed his head slightly before talking, "I saw your battle, Kiliano. You're a very talented squirt, so I'll allow you to live with me for a while." I bowed my head to him in response, "Thank you sir. May I ask your name?" "Call me master Torrid. I'm the Northern Sword God. And from here on out, you'll be my pupil, got it?" I raised my head and smiled, "Yessir, thank you so much." Although my face didn't show it, my chest felt tight and ached. I knew this was necessary, but leaving my friends behind like this didn't sit right with me.
Vencer walked up to master Torrid and tapped him on the shoulder, "Do ya mind?" Torrid sighed, and placed his hand on Vencer's chest, "Grand Healing." Torrid's hand began to glow a bright green, and all of Vencer's wounds began to heal. I grabbed Excalibur from off the ground and put it back in its sheath. Once master Torrid finished healing Vencer, he began walking back to his estate, "I'll meet you inside, Kiliano." He said without looking back. Vencer walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder, "Alright kid… this is it." My eyes grew sad, and I lowered my head. But Victoria placed her hand on my left shoulder and said, "It's alright Kiliano. We'll see each other soon. This isn't goodbye." I looked at her. She was smiling warmly, but I could tell she was putting up a front. I squinted my eyes, and smiled. Vencer wrapped his arms around me, and gave me a hug, "I'm proud of you kid. It was a lot of fun teaching you everything. Stay in touch, will ya?" "Yeah… I will." My voice was shaking and I was holding back tears. Once Vencer released his grip on me, Victoria stuck out her hand, "I'll cya soon, okay?" We shook hands and I nodded with a smile, "Right! I'll see you once the war is taken care of." And with that, the two of them walked off, heading to Sumerst's capital. I watched for a few minutes, before heading towards Torrid's estate.