Chapter 14: LAUGH OF THE DEVIL
His eyes are ablaze and powerful but deep within those amber eyes reside his weak self.
Arnold is always like that, he is trying to cover his weaknesses by hard work, and if it not enough, he works even harder.
He even pulled me back to light when I have already given up on my life.
Originally, I am supposed to be one of the candidates for choosing the successor of the head of the Stofford Family but unluckily, I am born with low amount of internal energy and I could barely use my cryokinesis to generate ice.
Even so, I still live my life as a son of the Stofford family, I did not lack resources for training but rather the will to do so.
It would not change anything anyways.
That is when I saw Arnold, despite being a son of one of the branches of Stofford family, he is as powerless as me.
The only difference we have is that he has a will to become stronger, something I did not understand.
I mean, all his efforts would be waste so why put any?
Even so, I started to observe him, the more I observe him the greater our difference become visible.
Unlike me who is basically awaiting the family to disown me, he is trying to fight his way through it, weak as he is.
The way he thinks infuriates me, that is why I fought him.
It is nothing more than a child-like fight between two powerless.
But despite being on the same rank, he has shown me power, no, ability that transcends it.
Around that time, I started training seriously, no vigorously.
I swore to myself that I'll make him bow down before me.
The more we clash the more we felt the similarity within us.
It does not take long for us to start training together and our fights also become a daily mock battle.
We only have each other as there is no one willing to train us nor train with us, the two failures of Stofford family.
The long thirteen-year journey of being allies made us basically family, and now, we are standing against each other as soldiers of an elite force named Crimson Night.
Fighting once again in a much larger stage.
"It seems that you are quite ready despite trying to avoid our fight a few moments ago."
"Nah, I just don't want to die."
Both oof us are gathering our internal energy preparing for a large burst of power.
"Is that so?"
"Yes!"
Unleashing flames from the waves created by swinging his arms, Arnold steps back securing his position and firing point in the limited area we have.
Arnold is the same battle-ability user as me but his ability is better to be used for range attacks but it is also not necessarily mean that he is weak in close combat as he has also trained his martial arts, it is just that I am far stronger in close combat than him.
I created a tetrahedron-shaped shield that dispersed the fire and lower its strength before it hit me, after that I used my acclimated internal energy to create ice bow and arrows.
I shot the arrow and while in the air, it split into three arrows that all exploded as it hit the ground.
Unlike me, Arnold do not have any defensive ability so this attack would be very effective.
A swirling projectile made of white flame targeted me after the explosion of the arrows.
Before the arrows hit my targets it seems that Arnold shot them with another explosion and he even counter attacked.
The spinning projectile is just like a drill of flame, even the shield that I just used will do nothing but be crushed by that strength.
I have no other choice but to dodge but retreating isn't my style.
I created floating platforms using ice and conquered the higher grounds.
If I am not fast enough, I would be an easy target for Arnold's attack but I have a great confidence in my speed.
I am dodging the flames that he is throwing by jumping into another platform just before it hits, in this way, I can both protect myself and close the distance at the same time.
"Just stay in the same place and get hit, will you?"
"Only a fool would listen to an enemy"
As the distance is almost just ten meters and I already took the advantage, I created walls of ice mirror and thick fog hiding my presence in the ice.
The radius of the fog is twelve meters, nothing can be seen inside the range and even if he tried to look for me, the halls of ice surrounding him will only reflect fake directions in regards of my position.
"As if… As if I will lose like this, RAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Arnold released waves of flame, no, it is like rings of fire expanding from his body.
He successfully destroyed the ice walls and even pushed me back but he definitely used a lot of energy to create the last attack, I should end this now.
His distance from my hand is point blank, I can freeze his whole body now.
I can surely win.
But when I started freezing him his right fist is covered by enormous amount of flame, it hit my stomach and made me fly tens of meters away.
At the same time that I was attacked, I also released ice impales that pierced his four limbs and his stomach.
MY BODY HURTS!
It is hot and my bones are also shattered.
I could not even open my eyes properly, the last thing I saw is that someone appeared and get us out of the training room.
"That is quite a magnificent fight you have there.
Even though I meant the letter as a joke and a bit of harassment,
to think that there are sane people who would actually obey,
how hilarious! Kuhahahaha!"
I can now hear the laugh of a real devil.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone