Voren's bruised, swollen face tightened, the wounds Atticus had inflicted on him still refusing to heal.
His rage boiled over as he spat out, "That human—!"
But—
"General."
Voren froze.
Zenon's voice was still amused, but there was an undeniable coldness beneath it.
"Say it properly."
The pressure of Zenon's aura pressed down, subtle but suffocating.
Voren gritted his teeth, swallowing his pride.
"G-General."
Zenon nodded approvingly. "Good. Now continue."
Voren inhaled sharply before forcing himself to speak.
"That General came to the main island without permission, he encroached, disrespected me, and even dared—"
He stopped himself instantly, correcting his words as Zenon's aura thickened.
"—He took my badge."
Zenon's grin widened.
"Why did he take your badge?"
Voren stiffened, his jaw tightening.
Finally, he spat, "Because he was delusional enough to believe he could demote me."
Zenon let out a small chuckle, resting his chin on his palm.
"He demoted you?"
"Yes! But he has no authority!" Voren snapped, his frustration seething through his tone.
Zenon's smile only grew wider.
"Sounds to me like he has every authority to do that."
"But—!"
"What is his rank?" Zenon cut him off smoothly.
A long pause.
Then, begrudgingly, Voren muttered, "General."
"And what is mine?"
Voren's teeth clenched. "Colonel."
"Good. Let me explain this in a way that even you can understand."
Voren's hands curled into fists. He knew what was coming.
"He, along with the other Apexes, are the highest-ranking officers in this training camp."
"But the difference between Atticus and the others—"
His smirk sharpened.
"—is that he has the power to back up his words."
Voren's breathing became ragged, his frustration palpable.
"But he can't do this!"
Zenon's smile dropped slightly, his expression turning baffled.
"Are you deaf? Or is your comprehension ability nonexistent?"
Voren stiffened. It wasn't every day you saw an Evolari being insulting.
"He outranks even me. If he wanted to, he could probably demote me too."
Zenon leaned back against the tree, completely unbothered.
"His orders are final. Behave, and maybe he'll restore you."
His golden eyes narrowed.
"Now leave."
Voren's muscles tensed, his pride burning as he gritted his teeth so hard they might have cracked.
But, he had no choice.
With a final clench of his fists, he turned on his heel and stormed away.
As he disappeared into the distance—
Laughter.
Zenon laughed, his body shaking as though he had just heard the most entertaining thing in the world.
…
Atticus meditated for hours, envisioning the mana signature of Hell's Fire in his mind.
He was currently using Ozeroth's Omnicognition, and while he had already memorized the mana signature, replicating it was another thing entirely, especially when it was an ability of a different race.
It took time. But fortunately, Atticus had come a long way since he learned the superior races' arts after the Nexus. He didn't need weeks, just a few hours.
As the moments passed, Atticus opened his eyes and stretched his arm forward.
His gaze focused on the empty space above his open palm.
To generate fire, Atticus had to form a connection between the fire molecules and the mana in the air. However, with Hell's Fire, there was a slight difference.
Atticus had to change the signature of the mana to that of the one he had just learned first before forming the connection.
He had already done the hard part, getting the mana signature.
With a small focus, the mana signature around his palm changed, and with another thought, he formed the connection.
A dark crimson fire blazed to life, its thickness so intense that it dwarfed Viktor's.
"W-What are you…"
A trembling voice sounded, one filled with so much shock that it could fill an ocean.
Atticus's eyes turned to Sergeant Viktor, not a hint of surprise in his expression. He had known Viktor had regained consciousness moments ago and had simply ignored him.
"I'm an eighteen-year-old boy," Atticus responded calmly, the dark crimson flames only blazing stronger.
"I don't think you're supposed to be resting. You should have a lot on your plate."
Atticus gestured towards Viktor's right shoulder, where a badge with a chevron-shaped insignia was etched, signifying the Staff Sergeant rank.
"You're a staff sergeant now."
Viktor's gaze widened as the memories came crashing down on him. Atticus was right. He had accepted the role.
'B-But will the Colonel allow it?'
As he turned and met Atticus's eyes, the thought vanished from his mind.
Every flicker of doubt disappeared.
Atticus's entire being appeared absolute, as if he dared anyone to refute him.
A slow smile formed on Viktor's lips.
'I was wrong.'
He had been so wrong.
Atticus's greatest gift wasn't his talent.
It was his mind.
Viktor forced himself to stand. His back straightened before he saluted toward Atticus.
"General!"
There was no way Atticus was going to do something as cringe as saluting.
He simply nodded, watching as Viktor left the island with a determined expression.
As soon as he left, Atticus focused back on Hell's Fire.
Unlike normal crimson flames, it was darker and appeared even more lethal.
Atticus stretched out his other palm, and another fire flickered to life, this time, a normal flame.
There was a clear distinction.
One bright crimson.
The other dark.
With a thought, they both shot toward two different trees, engulfing them.
'The Hell's Fire burns faster.'
Atticus observed the tree the Hell's Fire had engulfed.
Before the flames had even made full contact, the tree had turned to ash.
Meanwhile, the normal fire took time before the tree burned completely.
Atticus noted the difference. Then, he used the tab-like device and summoned a training robot.
This time, he didn't turn off the mana in the island.
The instant it appeared, Atticus began his experiments.
After a few minutes, Atticus confirmed that the information he had about Hell's Fire was true.
Aside from burning, it could drain the stamina of opponents and weaken the wills of those it touched, filling them with fear.
Atticus had been elated afterward and focused on improving his proficiency in it so there would be no lag in battle.
Time passed quickly.
A few days went by in the blink of an eye.
As Atticus meditated in the middle of his island, Viktor arrived, approaching his still form.
"General Atticus Ravenstein," he saluted.
Atticus opened his eyes after a second, wondering why Viktor had come.