BOOM!
The moment the sphere of black and orange fire disappeared into Simon’s Chaos Flame, the entire Chaos Flame Space shook violently.
A deep rumbling echoed across the endless darkness.
The dark silver Chaos Flame floating before Simon abruptly expanded.
Then it contracted.
Then it expanded again.
The fluctuations were so violent that cracks began appearing throughout the surrounding darkness.
Simon’s eyes narrowed.
"So it begins."
The instability he had expected was finally appearing.
Previously, the Wind Affinity and Shadow Affinity had resisted him.
Now, they were resisting each other.
Azure currents of wind suddenly erupted from the Chaos Flame.
The winds swirled around the black and orange flames like a hurricane feeding a wildfire.
The fire instantly grew stronger. It became larger and more violent. The inferno roared as though it had suddenly discovered a limitless source of fuel.
At the same time, countless strands of black shadows emerged from within the Chaos Flame and wrapped themselves around the flames.
Unlike the wind, the shadows wanted to suppress the fire.
They wanted to devour it.
They wanted to smother it.
The fire responded immediately.
The shadows burned.
The winds intensified.
The flames became even more violent.
Then...
BOOM!
A shockwave swept through the Chaos Flame Space.
The darkness fractured.
The Chaos Flame expanded to nearly three times its original size before shrinking once more.
Simon observed everything calmly.
His expression remained indifferent despite what was occurring, but his full attention was focused on the Chaos Flame.
The battle occurring inside it was far more dangerous than it appeared.
If he allowed the affinities to continue fighting unchecked, they could destabilize the entire advancement process.
They could even kill him.
One must not forget that his Chaos Flame was the most important part of his existence as a demon.
But the problem wasn’t him.
The problem was Chaos itself.
This was why it was said that when a demon becomes an Archfiend, they learned how to control their Chaos.
They didn’t just learn how to wield, they learned how to control their Chaos.
Normally, an average demon at his age and rank would struggle to control a single element, but he had done so with ease because of his experience and Will.
But now, he had five chaos/elements.
Wind desired freedom.
Fire desired destruction.
Shadow desired consumption.
Each affinity possessed its own nature, its own instincts, and its own Will.
And now they had all been trapped inside the same prison... His Chaos Flames.
Simon extended his consciousness.
His Will descended upon his Chaos Flame.
The struggling affinities immediately resisted.
The pressure they released was immense.
Yet Simon’s expression didn’t change.
Even though they had their own Wills, they were nothing before his Will. They were nothing before him.
His Will pressed down harder, and a few seconds later...
The raging winds slowed.
The flames weakened.
The shadows stopped spreading.
All of these happened gradually and slowly. Then the three affinities settled.
Not because they accepted one another, but because Simon had forced them into submission.
His Chaos Flame eventually stabilized... though only barely.
Three colours continuously flowed through the dark silver Chaos Flame like rivers colliding against one another.
Azure, black, and orange.
They were like predators sharing the same territory while waiting for an opportunity to attack.
’Interesting. Will the colour of my Chaos Flame change?’
Simon studied his Chaos Flame carefully.
The instability hadn’t disappeared. It was merely dormant.
It was waiting, growing, and accumulating.
And he still had two affinities left.
The thought would’ve made many demons hesitate. It would’ve made many demons stop their advancement and reconsider.
Some might have even chosen to abandon these last two affinities if they were in Simon’s shoes.
But Simon... he didn’t even have such thoughts.
The only path was for him to move forward.
Abandoning his affinities because he was worried about losing control would make him weaker.
And right now... He needed strength.
He needed power.
’Now that I think about it... I don’t think I’ve ever seen a demon with five affinities.’
’Wind. Space. Fire. Ice. And Shadow.’
’Hmm... I wonder what some other organizations and the Shadow Grave Clan would think about this.’
After having these thoughts, Simon simply shifted his gaze toward the frozen wasteland.
"Your turn."
The moment his gaze landed upon the frozen world, the temperature of the Chaos Flame Space dropped.
The darkness itself seemed to freeze.
Frost spread across the void.
The blizzard intensified.
Countless snowflakes appeared from nowhere and began drifting through the darkness.
Simon calmly took a step forward.
The icy winds greeted him immediately.
However, something he didn’t expect happened.
Unlike the inferno, unlike the shadows, and unlike the storm... The frozen wasteland did not attack him.
It simply existed without doing anything.
The ice affinity was quiet and patient.
But Simon did not mind. He continued walking.
Every step he took made the blizzard grow stronger. His surroundings became completely white.
Suddenly, the icebergs disappeared and the mountains vanished.
Even the frozen ground beneath his feet gradually became difficult to see.
The entire world became white.
An endless white.
Simon walked for what felt like minutes.
Then hours.
Then perhaps even days.
But nothing changed.
The scenery remained exactly the same.
The blizzard never weakened, and the frozen wasteland never reacted.
It simply remained there.
It was silent, cold, and unmoving.
Simon eventually stopped walking, then his eyes narrowed slightly.
He looked around, then he released a soft sigh before laughing softly.
A genuine laugh.
"I see. For an affinity, you’re pretty cunning."
Simon knew exactly what was going on.
The Ice Affinity wasn’t fighting him like the wind affinity. It wasn’t trying to consume him and subdue him like the shadow affinity. It wasn’t trying to burn him like the fire affinity.
It was merely hiding.
The frozen wasteland was concealing itself.
The blizzard, the snow, and the ice... everything was merely camouflage.
It was a veil. A disguise.
The true Ice Affinity was hidden somewhere within this endless frozen world.
And unlike the previous affinities which challenged his strength and Will directly, this one was challenging something else entirely.
It targeted his perception and his patience.
His ability to notice what others would miss.