I paused to gather my thoughts. Leone gently pushed away my fist, still wrapped in her palm, and smiled brightly, as if waiting for my answer.
What kind of person was she? This was already our third encounter. I didn't know all the details, but the encounters gave me enough to guess her intentions and moves. Still, I knew very little about her. It was time to simplify my thoughts.
An enemy? Not exactly. It was thanks to her advice that I learned Alderson was a puppet. Despite my vigilance, she managed to surprise me. If she truly were an enemy, she could have made things much worse by now.
An ally? I hesitated to accept that. Something told me she had an ulterior motive for helping me. At the very least, her actions weren't purely kindhearted. For now, she was someone I could rely on.
"How are you going to help me?" I asked.
It was better if she had her own plan. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about being betrayed before she reached her goal. We could cooperate cautiously, keeping each other in check. That was the perfect balance for now.
"Are you trying to save the dean?" she inquired.
"That's right."
Leone hummed and tilted her head.
I felt a brief moment of confusion watching her as she plotted a plan. Is she really thinking this through on the spot?
Her head tilted from side to side, and her ink-black hair flowed softly with the movement. I couldn't help but notice the color. In the empire, black hair was even rarer than red. Bright red hair like Glenn's was unusual, but reddish-brown or orange shades appeared surprisingly often. Arjan and Pam were good examples.
On the other hand, black hair was hard to find. The Badnikers' ancestor was a Dark Fairy, so black hair often manifested in the family. Beyond that, it was a rare sight across the continent.
Her eyes are also bright red like a rabbit's, I thought. Red eyes and black hair...
Leone possessed two of the most elusive colors in the empire at once. Was it mere coincidence she was born with such traits, or something more?
"Okay." Leone pursed her lips and stopped thinking. "That is Khajitta, the Hellfire Legion Commander. He's quite eccentric among demons."
Her tone had changed from before. This time, it wasn't awkward. Not that this was how she usually spoke, but whatever style she chose always seemed to suit her perfectly.
"Eccentric?" I repeated.
"Should I say he's a martial artist by nature? He can't exactly be called honorable, but he prefers one-on-one fights," she elaborated.
"A demon as a martial artist?" The absurdity made me laugh. It sounded more like a mocking chuckle.
Leone didn't seem bothered. "If the two of us fight him together, he'll rage like fire. He'll unleash his power without holding back, and we'll both turn to ashes in an instant."
I asked, "Then what should we do?"
"Let's split up. One of us will handle Khajitta, and the other will head to the dean. We just need to buy time. After all, the demon is bound to this prison. Once we rescue him, we can run away."
It was a solid plan—assuming everything she said was true.
I decided to play along, even if it meant being tricked. That left only one crucial question. "So who will fight him?"
Dragging out time against the mighty legion commander demon would be harder and riskier.. Leone had to know this. Of course, I planned to fight the demon, but I was also curious about her intentions.
"It's up to you," Leone said with a grin. "I don't care either way. I'm versatile."
I hadn't expected her response. I crossed my arms and asked, "Which role do you feel more confident in?"
" Hmm. Probably the rescue side. I'm good at concealing my presence."
At that moment, her presence seemed to vanish, even though she stood right in front of me. She looks like a ghost.
I nodded. "Okay. I will take on the demon."
"It is a good choice." Leone's eyes curved slightly. It was a vague response. She could be pleased by my unexpected reply, or satisfied because it was exactly what she anticipated.
I had questions for her, but they would have to wait until after Alderson was rescued.
"Then work hard." Leone waved her hand and disappeared into the black prison's darkness.
I stared where she had stood and realized one thing: she was not a puppet.
That's enough for now. I cleared my mind and turned my attention to the legion commander, Khajitta.
As I approached, the sharp smell of sulfur stung my nose. I had thought he had no facial features, but this was not the case. Blue flames flickered within the burning shape of his head, twisting into eyes and a mouth. It was not a transformation.
The moment I saw the flames, the sense that our eyes met came over met with certainty. Apart from that, I was briefly captivated by the demon's flames. Somehow, it felt like discovering a gem in an unexpected place.
"You...?" Khajitta even knew how to speak. "Are you here to save this old man?"
You? Old man? I froze, half a beat late. Was I really having a conversation with a demon?
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I am Khajitta, the Hellfire Legion Commander. By circumstance, I serve as gatekeeper of this prison. And you?"
"I'm Luan Badniker," I said instinctively.
Khajitta's flames flickered in a strange pattern. It felt as if my entire body was being scanned. A chill ran down my spine. The searching gaze of this being with eyes of fire was unlike anything I had felt before.
He is measuring my strength. I almost laughed. A demon martial artist.
Leone's words, once dismissed as nonsense, suddenly made perfect sense.
"I sense the same aura in you as in myself," Khajitta said.
"I'm not a demon."
"I'm not referring to the unique essence of life. I mean the history and attributes of a martial artist. You definitely carry a flame within, much like mine. No, yours are closer to the sun." Khajitta paused. "Your body is still developing, though. It's a shame. I hear human life is fleeting. Ten years... No, it would have been a good match if you had matured five more years."
I smirked in response. "You're not in good shape either."
"It is an imperfect manifestation. I said that with my condition in mind." Khajitta looked at me and declared, "Go back, young martial artist."
"What?"
"My duty is to kill all intruders, but where you stand is precarious. That means I can pretend I didn't see you," he explained.
How many surprises did this demon have in store for me?
He'd seen through my strength at a glance, and now he was offering mercy? Suddenly, Alderson's words about good demons echoed in my mind. I hadn't agreed with them, but now that I stood before such an entity, I couldn't deny it. Demons came in different forms.
"I'm sorry," I said. "But I can't turn back. There's no need to drag this out. Let's fight, demon martial artist."
"You are foolish." Khajitta muttered, and at once, his flames spread as if whipped by a fierce wind.
The candlelight exploded into a raging forest fire. The air thickened with heat, and a scorching wind swept through. Sweat dried on my skin under the intense heat, and my eyes burned with discomfort.
Khajitta's flames blazed hotter and seemed to double his size.
"Hellfire is something even flame-resistant demons cannot endure. Young martial artist, you won't even reach me, let alone compete," Khajitta said. "I'll say it again. Retreat. It is still too early for you."
He wasn't bluffing. Even I, someone who never flinched at heat, was struggling now. And regardless of the heat, it was true that he was an expert.
He's manipulating the flames at will. That explained why the imprisoned Alderson showed no sign of feeling the heat, even though it was intense enough to melt the iron bars.
Then what about Leone? Could she grasp the flow of heat and move to get near Alderson?
Well, I am sure she will take care of it. I erased every distraction and fixed my gaze on the hellfire, as if possessed.
An odd itch prickled the top of my head. It felt like something was crawling just beneath my skull, like my brain was stirring. It was not unpleasant, though. I felt a bit impatient, but otherwise, it wasn't uncomfortable.
"Does this mean that you will acknowledge me if I touch you?" I murmured, drawn toward the flames like a moth.
"Why are you so eager to die?"
I stepped forward, his warning sliding through one ear and out the other. At the same time, I activated the First Fire Technique. The internal energy swirling in my dantian felt different from usual.
It's cold. It came from Khajitta's hellfire. The contrast was refreshing, even fascinating. I rarely felt cold internally.
Step by step, I moved forward, pressing my weight into each stride as if trying to leave a mark behind. At first glance, I looked like I was struggling, but the reason for my slow pace came from within.
I circulated my internal energy as I always did. When the cool rush spread through my bloodstream, I suddenly understood the complementary nature of this internal energy flow. The experience was fascinating. The path I had traveled for decades suddenly revealed a hidden element, a new detail in a familiar landscape I had long found dull.
After five steps, Khajitta's voice broke the silence again. "What is this...?"
I ignored him once again and fully embraced the hellfire's heat. My half-lidded eyes snapped open. Flames seeped through my parted lips. It felt like I was inhaling fire. My throat and lungs burned.
Yet in the midst of this scorching heat, my senses sharpened. If a person was dying in the middle of the desert, they would feel every drop of water on their skin more clearly. It was as if it permeated the body.
Ah. The fresh wriggling sensation stirred inside me. I felt not just the flow but the intricate details of its components. For me, the internal energy in my body took the form of flames, though I had heard most people sensed it as a liquid. In fact, internal energy, or mana, flowed through the bloodstream like a fluid. To be honest, my senses were probably unusual. Yet describing this sensation proved nearly impossible unless someone experienced it firsthand.
So this is how it feels like. At last, I grasped the internal energy inside me as a liquid. The experience was rare and extraordinary. The internal energy I always carried was not simply a flame. It was a form of energy capable of endless transformation, full of limitless possibilities.
This coldness, this chill... Cold flames... The image flashed through my mind and branded itself into my thoughts. Inspiration struck without warning. The third stage of the First Fire Technique—I had believed I wasn't ready to touch it yet.
Just then, the hellfire I'd absorbed seared my insides.
Without realizing it, I closed the distance between Khajitta and myself to a single step. I saw the raging flames around Khajitta, like a bonfire burning under the rain. I reached toward the source of heat, but the pain vanished instead. The First Fire Technique had absorbed the hellfire and adapted. My cold internal energy now radiated warmth again.
"It is a bit lukewarm to be called hellfire," I muttered to myself with regret.
Khajitta didn't respond.
"Can you raise the temperature a bit more?" I requested.