The battlefield trembled as Aaron, the Devil of Inferno, took a step forward. His presence alone distorted the air—thick waves of mana swelled like molten air rippling above a forge. The lingering flames from the Fire Dragon he'd summoned earlier still danced around him, now fading into embers as if bowing to their master. The red earth beneath cracked with each step he took, the ground itself acknowledging a creature of higher existence.
Mia and her squad stood in formation, their armor smeared with soot, their breathing uneven but steady. Across the scarred battlefield, Aaron's calm grin carved through the tension like a blade.
"So," the devil began, voice dripping with amusement, "you chose to challenge me directly. I suppose muscle truly is what humans trust when they grow desperate."
"Desperate?" Mia's icy tone snapped through the heated air. "No. Just done playing your little games."
Aaron chuckled—deep, resonant, echoing across the plains. "How amusing. You think this is still a game? I've already seen your potential. I measured every ounce of strength from your fights with my champions. Your reactions. Your teamwork. Your limits."
He raised a single clawed hand, and behind him, the air shimmered. Pillars of black fire spiraled upward like sentient beings, roaring in agreement.
"You are predictable now," he said simply.
"Then let's make it unpredictable," Hiro muttered beside Mia, gripping his sword tighter. Sparks of lightning coursed down its length, lighting the edges of his determined gaze.
Lisa, standing slightly behind him, whispered, "He's… strong. The air itself feels like it's burning my mana." Follow current novels on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
Sylvia inhaled sharply. "Then we'll adapt."
But when she lifted her bow and released a glowing mana arrow, it struck the air inches before reaching Aaron—melting into nothing as if the space around him refused to allow foreign mana.
Lisa tried next, sending a sharp beam of wind blades, but the result was identical. The attacks didn't even reach him.
Aaron tilted his head, smiling with cruel satisfaction. "Ah. I see the weaker links have begun to understand."
Misha growled, stepping forward with her blade drawn. "Say that again, you smug bastard."
The devil's smirk only deepened. "Useless."
He snapped his fingers—and a wave of heat exploded outward. Zion raised a barrier instantly, but the sheer pressure made his knees buckle. The others dove for cover behind the half-melted remnants of stone pillars scattered across the terrain.
When the flames subsided, Aaron stood unmoved, his crimson armor glowing faintly.
"You've all done well surviving my trials," he said almost kindly. "But only two of you can dance with me now." His eyes shifted—glowing like a furnace—fixing on Mia and Hiro. "The ice queen who defied my fire… and the lightning brat who thinks speed can outmatch wrath."
Hiro wiped the sweat from his brow, lightning still crackling around his form. "Good. At least you know who to worry about."
Mia raised her blade, the icy mist coiling around her in thin ribbons. Her mana flared, freezing the air as frost began spreading under her boots, pushing back against the heat.
Aaron's smile faded, just slightly. "So you're finally serious."
"I was serious the moment you burned the innocents during your games," she snapped, her voice trembling not with fear but rage. "Every life lost was fuel for your entertainment. Not anymore."
Her aura expanded, the temperature plummeting. Steam hissed between the conflicting energies—fire and frost devouring each other.
Zion, crouched behind cover with Lisa and Sylvia, whispered, "This is insane… I can barely stand between them."
Lisa nodded, shielding her eyes from the brightness. "The pressure—it's suffocating."
"Stay back," Misha ordered, voice firm though her knuckles were white. "If you can't pierce his barrier, don't waste mana. Let those two handle him. We'll cover their flanks and defend against any side strikes."
But there was no flank to defend. The field had turned into a world of fire and ice, locked between two unrelenting forces.
Aaron flexed his arm once, letting flames dance around his gauntlet. "You humans think in such linear ways—attack, defend, repeat. But strength isn't about speed or skill. It's about dominance. The world bends to those who force it to kneel."
"Then let's see how far your world bends before it shatters," Hiro said, stepping forward beside Mia.
For a moment, all sound vanished—then a distant explosion thundered across the field, signaling the clash on Kaelion's front far away. The two fronts were now intertwined—the devil armies pressing harder on one side while Aaron himself stood before the War Council's elite squad.
The connection wasn't lost on Mia. Her eyes flicked skyward briefly, as though she could see Kaelion's forces fighting miles away. Please hold on, she thought. We'll finish this and join you.
Aaron noticed her momentary glance. "Worried for your friends?"
She met his gaze again, unflinching. "No. They'll win. Just like we will."
The devil laughed softly. "Such confidence. It reminds me of the humans who challenged my master centuries ago." He paused, voice lowering to a tone that carried the faintest hint of nostalgia—or mockery. "They said the same thing, too."
He raised his hand again, summoning a wall of fire that curved into a perfect ring around the battlefield, cutting off any escape.
Zion cursed. "He's trapping us!"
"Let him," Hiro said, stepping into the ring. "We're not running anyway."
Mia followed beside him, her presence calm, her eyes locked on Aaron. "You said you prefer muscle over cunning," she said coldly. "Then stop talking."
Aaron's grin widened once more, fangs glinting in the dim light. "As you wish."
The ring of fire shrank slightly, forcing the squad to scatter farther back. Zion and the others knew it was no longer their fight to lead. Hiro and Mia stood at the heart of the inferno, their mana flaring like opposing storms.
"This," Aaron said, spreading his arms, "is what I wanted to see. The full strength of humanity's hope."
Hiro smirked. "And we'll make sure it's the last thing you ever see."
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath.
The wind stilled. The flames froze mid-flicker. Mana particles spiraled in the air like dust caught in sunlight.
Aaron's grin turned feral. "Show me, humans—how far your courage burns before despair devours it."
Mia's fingers tightened around her sword hilt. The frost beneath her feet began to glow faintly blue, stretching outward as if alive. Beside her, Hiro's lightning roared to life again, splitting the smoke-filled air with veins of pure light.
The two auras collided with Aaron's blazing inferno, and the battlefield shuddered—like the world itself preparing for war.
The real battle had just begun.