"You consider this guy your boss?" Sergio asked, sneering. "I assure you that whatever he offered you, the Aubert Company can offer ten times more."
Sergio felt that it was a waste that Jaku was under the employ of a teenage boy who didn’t know anything about the world except history. He was a nobody!
However, Jaku just laughed at his words. "Hahahaha," and offered no other explanation.
This made Sergio obviously angry. What did this kid have that he or the Aubert company didn’t?
From his perspective, Jaku’s future was endless. His achievement of becoming the first successful demi-human Maugnetic would be spread around the world! Even the conglomerates would be more than willing to have him under their employ.
In other words, he deserved so much better. Sergio thought they could give him so much better.
However, it seemed like the demi-human was far too stupid to notice that.
And this infuriated him.
It now seemed more than likely that he wasn’t going to get the Antique. And now, he just found out that the demi-human anomaly was actually the ally of the professor’s protege!
His father wasn’t going to forgive him if he lost both the Antique as well as the demi-human anomaly.
He decided that he was going to go scorched earth.
"You don’t get to treat me like this," Sergio warned. "I’ve seen what you did to my brother."
The rage in Sergio’s face was barely hidden now. He had come from the Brownblood’s healer and saw the extent of injuries in Mauricio’s body. He had never seen his little brother so... vulnerable.
He was going to forget this slight if Jaku had just been a little bit smarter and accepted this glorious invitation.
"Joining the Aubert company could have been your salvation for hurting my brother like that. Choose. Pay for your crimes, or join the Aubert company," Sergio threatened.
"Crime?" Jaku asked incredulously.
Even the professor, who was hearing from a distance, couldn’t help but scoff. "Is he serious?!"
"Shut up, professor," warned Sergio. "I suggest that you tell this guy what I can do so that he can make a wise decision."
Then he turned to Jaku. "Just because you defeated my brother doesn’t mean you can defeat me."
"Your father will not allow for this," the professor shouted. "You cannot threaten someone for not joining your company!"
"Yes, I can. My father will never know," Sergio chuckled. "He’ll be too busy celebrating the fact that I gave him both the Antique and this demi-human anomaly."
The professor gritted his teeth. Sergio built an independent department for himself in the Aubert Company. It was very well possible that with enough hushed tones, this little incident could become unnoticed by his father.
Meanwhile, Jaku opened his eyes a little bit before closing it back up. "Haha. You’re willing to try," he said, imperceptibly looking at Michael. "I’m fine with whatever since I’m not the one fighting."
Sergio crossed his arms in his chest. "That’s right. You are still at the 1st stage of Body Formation. You have no power here. Instead..."
He turned to Michael and reached down his coat, revealing a Mithril Relic that was circular in nature and went around his knuckles.
Once he equipped both Charkrams in his hands, he bent his knees and assumed a cobra-like pose, ready to strike.
"Instead, I’m going to teach you the difference between a good leader and a bad one," Sergio smiled.
Immediately, the professor got in front of Michael. "Don’t do this, Sergio! If you want to fight, you have to go through the proper means! You have to declare a duel!"
But Sergio shook his head. A duel would leave footprints—footprints that his father could see. An unofficial battle, one that had no records at all of whatever happened tonight, was the one that benefitted Sergio the most.
Just then, the professor felt a hand on his shoulder. "It’s okay," Michael said. "I’ll fight him, professor."
Professor Lichtenstein looked at ’Keo’ with disbelief. "What?! Are you crazy?! Mauricio isn’t the only one considered to be a genius in the Aubert family! Before he was born, Sergio was the one they hailed as the prodigy.
Not only that, but he has already advanced far in his cultivation. Last I heard, he has already reached the 5th stage of Body Formation!"
"6th stage, professor. I have just transcended onto the next stage just recently," Sergio corrected, smiling.
He appreciated the ’compliment’ the professor gave him. At least he was acting normal. Meanwhile, the kid and the demi-human were looking at him weirdly—as if they were bored!
"You should heed your teacher’s advice, boy. Surrender now and let the demi-human come over to my company. You may lose a once-in-a-generational talent, but at least you’ll get to keep your life."
Killing Michael was the only solution Sergio had for keeping Jaku in the Aubert Company.
But this was the worst mistake he made today.
Michael sighed. "You just had to threaten my life," he said disappointedly. He could already hear Harbinger inside his head celebrating.
Seeing the look on Michael’s face, the professor immediately tried to stop him. "What are you doing?! You can’t fight him. Just accept defeat for now and we can ask for help later. Chief Klaus is just waiting for a chance to bite at the Auberts. He’ll help us!"
But Michael still kept on walking towards Sergio, unafraid of that Mithril Relic Charkram he held in his hands.
"URGH! Fine! Just, just...just don’t get killed. I’ll ask for help from the Werewolves," the professor whispered to him.
"Don’t," Michael said, stopping the professor.
"What?"
"Don’t. I don’t want anyone knowing about this," he said.
Sergio laughed. "HAHAHAHA! You’re even more stupid than I thought!"
Michael ignored the professor’s shocked gaze and stood face to face with Sergio.
"I’m not above teaching children a lesson," Sergio said as he reached down deep inside his heart and activated his Aubility.
A burst of power emanated from him, the GodForge pieces in his heart glowing red and orange.
Above him, the form of a humanoid man, wearing a black hood that obscured the top half of its face that went all the way to its torso. Going around its shoulder was the same weapon Sergio held in his hand, except this one burned with an eternal red flame.
Beyond the blade were numerous other copies made out of the same red fire, making the illusion as if it was in an endless mirror.
"He’s already advanced his Diva this much?!" the professor exclaimed in disbelief. "Be careful, Keo. His Aubility allows him to create those spinning blades that will hit anything as they intersect in a circle!"
Just as the professor said that, Sergio threw one of his weapons to the left, its inherent spin allowing it to curve in a perfect circular arc.
As soon as flames lit up on the spinning blade, an instantaneous burst of fire appeared on the arc, completing the circle and splicing through everything it touched.
It would have bisected Michael in half, but it seemed that he was able to step back just in time.
"Lucky," said Sergio. "Looks like you survived thanks to the professor’s warning."
The Charkram then arced back perfectly in Sergio’s hands, landing on his palms.
"Your luck won’t last long," he said, before swinging his hands, with the circular weapon creating after-images behind its wake.
And as his movements came to a stop, the after-images solidified into flaming Chakrams, ten in total. It floated above him and circled around his shoulders, mirroring the Diva above his head.
Sergio swung his arms forward like a wave, the flaming weapons rolling around his shoulders and launching towards Michael.
Each one took different paths and speeds. And even if one wasn’t a mathematical genius, they would see that the circular trail would perfectly coincide with Michael’s position, including the one area around him.
He had no chance to escape.
Even with the professor’s mortal senses, he knew Michael was in big trouble!
But Michael didn’t even try to move! Anyone with a basic amount of instinct would have definitely used their weapons to block the attack. Heck, even putting your hands up would be better than not doing anything at all!
"DODGE!" the professor shouted.
But Michael simply retrieved something from his pockets and threw it in the direction of the spinning blade head right towards him.
It seemed like a simple move, yet it landed perfectly on the weapon’s blade.
CLICK!
As soon as the arc of fire was about to reach Michael, it suddenly stopped in place, as if frozen in time.
The rest of the weapons sliced through the air around Michael, while one remained in the air, its circular arc of flames paused.
A second later, Michael stepped away with a casual step.
"WHAT?!" Sergio shouted.
Meanwhile, the professor was stunned in silence as he slowly looked up above Michael. There, he saw a Diva with only its arms and chest visible in place.