The forest burned.

Entire sections of the ancient Spitting harrows centre had already collapsed into pillars of flames, and dark smoke rose high enough to darken the sunlit sky above the harrows and attract even more attention.

Heat rolled through the air in violent waves while embers drifted between the trees. At the centre of the destruction, two figures collided again.

BOOM!

Fire exploded outwards the instant Igrad swung his arm. A torrent of blue flames is devouring everything ahead of him, swallowing trees, stones, and earth beneath an overwhelming force.

But before the inferno could consume its target, the flames froze. Crystalline ice spread through the fire itself.

The collision between extreme heat and freezing Aether detonated the surrounding air violently as steam burst outwards across the forest.

Through the white mist, a silver arrow pierced forward. Igrad twisted his head sharply sideways. The arrow scraped across his cheek before exploding into compressed lightning.

Electricity erupted across his body.

The attack barely lasted for half a second before flames consumed the lightning entirely. Igrad slid backwards several meters through dirt.

He touched the bleeding cut on his cheek then laughed out loud.

"You’re insane."

Across him, Atheline lowered his bow calmly unaffected by his taunting.

Even through the fight, Atheline’s breath remained perfectly still, only his eyes focused on his target.

From a distance, Igrad could feel the different elemental signatures rotating around Atheline. Even among monsters, such talent should not exist.

Igrad’s smile slowly widened.

"No wonder you’re still alive."

The next instant, he disappeared

The ground exploded beneath his feet from sheer force alone as fire propelled him forward like a launched spear.

Too fast.

Atheline immediately tilted sideways. A burning fire fist tore past his face close enough to scorch skin. The delayed explosion shattered every tree behind him.

Igrad followed instantly with another attack. And another, then another.

Each punch detonated with enough force to flatten buildings. Blue fire spiraled around his arms like living beasts while the surrounding forest collapsed under the pressure.

The Atheline retreated rapidly between the trees, avoiding each strike by impossibly narrow margins while observing his fighting patterns.

Igrad noticed this immediately.

"You’re analysing me?"

Another explosion erupted.

"You think this is some tournament match?!"

The flames burst upwards before condescending behind him into enormous burning spheres. There were more than thirty spheres surrounding them.

The surrounding temperatures became unbearable and even the air itself distorted.

Then the spheres launched simultaneously. The bombardment annihilated everything in their path. The forest disappeared beneath endless explosions while burning debris rained across the forest ground like meteors.

For several moments, nothing remained visible beneath the inferno. Igrad stood still, breathing slowly as flames curled around him.

Then... Something moved behind him. His eyes widened but he was still too late. A dagger coated in lightning slashed towards his neck.

Flames erupted instinctively around his body, forcing the blade away at the last moment.

But Atheline was already moving again and this time, he went for close combat.

The dagger flashed repeatedly through the darkness while lightning amplified every movement. He struck with brutal precision targeting joints, arteries, and weak points between his armour plate.

Igrad blocked the first strike, then the second but the third cut through his shoulder. Blood spluttered across the burning earth.

Igrad immediately retaliated with an explosive point-blank.

BOOM!

Both figures were thrown apart violently.

Atheline flipped backwards through the air before landing smoothly atop a shattered tree trunk. The sleeves of his robes had burned away in the scuffle.

A thin trail of blood ran down his arm.

Igrad stared at him silently then glanced downwards at his bleeding shoulder.

His expression immediately changed, the amusement vanishing. For the first time, he looked serious.

"You really can kill me, huh. Let’s see then."

The flames swallowing the forest suddenly bent sideways as though something enormous had cut through the flames and air itself.

Atheline’s instincts sharpened instantly.

He moved.

A heartbeat later, a crimson spear tore through the same place his chest had been.

The spear pierced through six ancient trees before detonating in an explosion of blue fire powerful enough to erase everything within a dozen meters.

The burning splinters scattered across the ruined battlefield. Igrad walked slowly through the inferno while dragging a massive spear behind him, the blade scraping against the ground with a shrill sound.

The weapon was monstrous, longer than most great swords. Dark red metal ran along the shaft while cracks of molten light pulsed beneath the surface like flowing lava.

It was clear it was a high-grade weapon just like his bow.

Fire gathered around the spearhead unnaturally.

Igrad rested the spear against one shoulder before speaking.

"You pushed me harder than I expected."

Blue flames spiraled lazily around him.

"You’re really different from the information gathered. I expected you to be slightly stronger but an S-ranked overwhelming an SS-ranked is unheard of."

"I will not be the first to fall under someone weaker than me."

Atheline’s gaze lingered on the weapon. He had to admit it, it was good-looking. Whoever had made it was truly an expert.

Igrad noticed his gaze immediately and grinned.

"Pretty isn’t she?"

Atheline said nothing.

His smile widened.

"You should be honoured to die from such a weapon."

Then he vanished. The ground exploded beneath him.

The spear was thrust forward instantly faster than his fists had been.

Atheline twisted sideways narrowly as the spearhead grazed past his ribs, but the attack didn’t stop there.

Igrad spun.

The spear rotated with terrifying momentum before crashing sideways. The impact shattered the ground beneath them.

Atheline blocked using the Earth Element reinforced around his arm and still got thrown backwards through burning trees.

Pain shot through his bones the instant he landed. The spear amplified everything.

Igrad pursued relentlessly.

The spear pierced forward again and again with overwhelming precision, each thrust carrying explosive fire element through the air.

Atheline retreated rapidly between the attacks, his dagger deflecting the spear only enough to redirect fatal blows.

Sparks exploded with each collision but another thrust followed right after.

CLANG!

The dagger shook violently in his grip.

Another...

BOOM!

Fire erupted against his shoulder, throwing him sideways through the smoke and ash.

Igrad did not even slow down.

His fighting style had transformed completely. Before, he fought like living destruction but now he fought like a hunter.

The spears’ reach made close combat dangerous while the flames erupting from each strike restricted escape routes.

The forest itself became a cage of fire.

"You can’t get close anymore, can you?" He said smugly while laughing.