"Young Master Wei, you've made astounding progress with your physical training."
"I do feel stronger every day," Wei Sha agreed with Trainer Sen's statement as he dropped a bar full of steel plates.
"As you should." A familiar voice came from someone who walked onto the courtyard that was encircled by pillars of flame. "We need stronger and tougher fighters if we're going to crush our enemies in Hell's Fourteenth Layer."
"Welcome, father." Wei Sha bowed towards this horned demon. "If father permits, I would like to join the fighting."
Wei Dai huffed, flames spewing out of his crimson nose. "In a few years, you can."
"A few years?" Wei Sha didn't like the sound of this. "I might not be the strongest, but I can still help, right? he protested as the two pairs of yellow eyes stared into each other.
"What is there in killing lesser creatures if it puts your life at risk? Besides, a few more years and with your awakened powers, you'll be squashing lesser creatures by the—"
"But," Wei Sha cut him. "I wish to fight now!"
"Hmm?" Wei Dai hummed, and a blink later appeared in front of Wei Sha. "What do you think you are doing?" Wei Dai grabbed one of the two horns on his son's head, lifting him off the white tiling. "Haven't I warned you not to question me?"
"I want to fight with you, f-father!" Pain from his horn being seized caused Wei Sha to stutter; however, he didn't bend. He had grown up listening to legends speaking of great warriors; by now, he wanted to create his own!
"And I have declared, you can not!" Wei Dai threw the boy who was several heads shorter than him into the fires surrounding the courtyard.
Wei Sha's body disappeared into the flames.
"Ah." Wei Sha scratched his back. 'Does father still think I'm a child who will be hurt by these puny flames? No, even if it has been years since he stopped by to see me, he shouldn't think that!' Wei Sha thought as he got on his feet amidst the flames.
The flames around him latched onto his crimson skin covered with black coloured scales, yet they flowed across him without inflicting harm. Same happened with his clothes. A fire of this calibre couldn't even char them.
Wei Sha appeared back from the midst of the flame pillars. "Father, ask Trainer Sen. He knows how strong I am," he said as he patted out sparks still trying to ignite hair around his shoulders.
Wei Dai, who had begun to talk with Trainer Sen by the weapon racks, glanced at him. "I don't care," and continued his chat.
Now, his father's inattentiveness was getting to him. This made Wei Sha want to throw a punch, show his strength.
"I can sense your intent." Wei Dai shot a scowl.
"I wouldn't!" Wei Sha's body jolted.
Wei Dai turned on his heels.
Began to walk.
At an arm's reach, Wei Dai punched Wei Sha in the gut.
Wei Sha, knowing there was no escape from the punch, had braced himself for the impact. Still, when the blow landed, his lungs emptied, the ground below his feet disappeared, and a powerful wind restrained him from behind as he flew backwards.
It didn't end there either. Wei Dai hadn't been satisfied, noted from the way he appeared where Wei Sha would end his flight — granted if he made it so far.
Mid-flight, Wei Sha gasped, "Father, no!"
"You shouldn't be so rebellious."
Before Wei Sha crashed with the pillar made from hell bricks, his father gave him another punch.
Being hit to his back was the same as the front. Pain washed over him as he flew back to where he had been moments ago.
Wei Sha plummeted face-first onto the courtyard's tile floor.
"Listen to your father," Trainer Sen commented.
Wei Sha turned over to his back. "Maybe," he said before starting to hog the surrounding air into his lungs.
"I have over fifty sons," Wei Dai spoke to Trainer Sen. "And out of them, Sha's the most rebellious by far."
Wei Sha saw Trainer Sen nod before agreeing, "He's too much of a warrior."
"Do something about it," Wei Dai snapped. "In a few weeks, he'll have his awakening. And in his current state, not even a lesser creature or a being will want to bond with him."
"I'll do my best."
"Not your best." Wei Dai scattered his presence strong enough to choke Wei Sha, who was still lying on the floor. "you will do it, understand?"
"Forgive me, Master." Trainer Sen bowed low. "This lowly one will succeed in fulfilling Master's will."
Wei Dai didn't even order Trainer Sen to stand up again as he left the courtyard right then and there.
X
"Rise," Wei Sha spoke while getting onto straight legs.
"Thank you, Young Master." Trainer Sen straightened his back.
"No need for honorifics with me. Haven't I said so many times?"
"Yes, you have. Yes, Young Master has," he corrected himself. "But it always leads to this."
Wei Sha shook his head, helpless. He couldn't change how Trainer Sen had been ordered to speak by Wei Dai. "Right," he sighed. "My father is different."
Wei Sha raised his fists into a fighting stance. "Let's continue."
X
Hours of exercise behind him already, Wei Sha now stood in the flames, sweat running on his body. However, he had no inclination to move, for demons trained this way.
"Facing this amount of heat isn't good." Trainer Sen strolled around him, educating him. .
"Because my father said so?"
"Err. . ." Trainer Sen meandered with words. "If I say it's not good, that means it's not good. I am your trainer."
"A first-class slave is what you are, fatso." Wei Sha didn't save words. "You want me to decrease the temperature because everyone knows that would calm my soul."
"Y-you. . ."
"What?" Wei Sha twisted his head to face Trainer Sen. "With that slave collar around your neck; you'll not harm anyone in the Wei Family," he said with a laugh made to tempt Trainer Sen.
"Your father will get what he wants." Trainer Sen didn't bite Wei Sha's bait. Instead, he smiled back.
"Whatever. For now, increase the heat."
Trainer Sen heeded the order, and so more flames around them burst out from the demon-made cracks in the tiling.
To create and control this effect, they used a mechanism called "Heat Tool". With it, the amount and so the heat was controlled by adjusting the exhaust a lave pool below them could discharge at a given time. This type of training allowed for demons to strengthen their heat resistance while also serving as extreme training. Of course, this was expensive beyond belief but covered by being born into the right family. In Wei Sha's case, the Wei Family.
The current temperature broke a record for Wei Sha. '400 Celsius. Should I push for 500?' Wei Sha didn't celebrate it much. There would always be a higher peak, so why should he?
"Trainer Sen, can I go any higher?" He felt good about trying; but on the other hand, he couldn't be sure if it would be safe. Dying in battle would be glorious and fitting, during training? Not so much.
"We can," Trainer Sen gave the go-ahead. "But—"
"Do it."
"But it might injure you. And I'm not even talking about the effects on your soul." Trainer Sen said what Wei Sha had known he would.
So Wei Sha didn't respond. He waited for the temperature to increase.
It did, flames rose higher again.
"Ugh. . ." Wei Sha's grumbled as his upper muscles tightened and the scales on his legs hardened to become airtight armour.
Having his legs covered by scales gave relief, for a moment.
Soon the heat would overheat them too. Then he would be forced to release the heat by softening the scales back to their original form.
"Hold in there." Trainer Sen had crouched in front of him. If any harm came, he would be able to detect it and act long before Wei Sha could.
'I need to impress father to help mother.' Wei Sha bit his lower lip. The heat surging from beneath had, in some places, penetrated through his scales and was now testing his skin. Wei Sha wouldn't be able to take this much longer, for his exposed skin would suffer injuries if in direct contact with the floor at this temperature.
"HUP!" All of a sudden, Trainer Sen yelled the signal for danger.
When the signal still sounded, Wei Sha jumped forwards and softened his scales. Smoke trails followed him as he leapt towards the middle of the courtyard.
"ROOOAAR!"
'Lava Worm!' Wei Sha recognised the threat. A Lava Worm had somehow entered the pool of lava below them.
"Young Master Wei, watch out." Trainer Sen knew his family's life was tied to Wei Sha's so he would do his all to keep him safe and sound.
The Lava Worm burrowed through the flooring near Trainer Sen.
'A big one!' It was well over twenty meters, Wei Sha noted when the entirety of the enormous Higher Creature had landed on the courtyard.
"Here!" Trainer Sen didn't give it any chance to act. He jumped at the Lava Worm's head, piercing the Higher Creature's skin with his horn.
'Epic,' Wei Sha thought — eyes glimmering — as he saw a half meter long horn pierce the Lava Worm's skin. Horns, or in the case of Trainer Sen a horn, is the toughest part of a demon.
'Wait! What am I doing? Am I here just to watch the fight?' Wei Sha had a realisation. 'No, absolutely not.' If he wanted to thrive in the wars to come, he needed to be combat-ready at any moment and charge against anything.
His eyes studied the surrounding area, looking for the weapon racks.
After his eyes located the weapon racks, it didn't take him long to run to them. There was the issue of dodging the Lava Worm, but as long as Trainer Sen occupied most of its attention, Wei Sha could avoid the scattered bursts of lava.
First thing there, Wei Sha grabbed a sword tall as him. "Sen, catch!" With no further thought, he threw the sword.
Trainer Sen heard him and caught the sword while combating the Lava Worm with his bare fists. Oozing lava spread across the Lava Worm's skin, yet Trainer Sen punched it without any repercussions.
"Thanks!"
In Trainer Sen's hand, the sword looked much smaller.
'I still have time to grow,' he thought, shaking his head.
Next up on the weapons rack were actual spears, throwing spears that were two meters in length to be exact. They were created for hunting beasts on the scale of big to enormous.
Their sheer size meant Wei Sha could wield only one of them at any given time. Moreover, to throw one, he needed considerable momentum and the space to do so in peace.
So after grabbing one of them, he ran to the opposite side of the courtyard.
On his way, Wei Sha felt the temperature rise uncomfortably high for him. Unlike his father, he couldn't bathe inside a volcano. Thus he needed to steer clear of the lava which was now flooding the courtyard.
Arriving at the other end, Wei Sha hardened every scale he had, excluding the ones on his hands and head. The heat had become too much, and a minor mistake due to heat overload could lead to him losing the optimal throw.
'Hop, hop, hop, hop, throw' Wei Sha recalled a lecture in which Trainer Sen had explained how to throw a throwing spear. 'Four hops and throw.'
Done with the reminiscence, he began.
The first hop passed with no inconvenience.
During the second hop's landing, Wei Sha felt a strong notion of heat.
The spear wasn't just long; it was cumbersome and so dragged him down.
When the third hop landed, Wei Sha felt his scales overload. They hadn't gained enough of a breather to be used so soon again.
"Dammit!" Wei Sha screamed as he softened his scales.
On the fourth hop, Wei Sha's bare skin hit the floor. A sound reminiscent of a piece of raw meat hitting a hot pan hit the air. He tried not to think of it too much as he released the weapon over his shoulder.
Right after it though? Well, he cried from the top of his lungs while hopping on his unscathed feet.
Even so, Wei Sha still had well enough curiosity to look after his throw. The spear flew across the courtyard, through a lava bubble that didn't hinder its speed.
'Hit!' "Argh!" Wei Sha let out a scream. 'Hit!' Between his pain-filled screams, he rejoiced in his mind. The spear now dangled right in the middle of the Lava Worm's mouth filled with a teeth row after another.
"Good one, Young Master Sha!" Even Trainer Sen who went head to head with the Higher Creature acknowledged his prowess.
"Save that for later!" Wei Sha retorted. "Kill the worm first!" Most of the heat in his legs had dispersed. Only a burn mark at the bottom of his left leg lingered. The demon race had done their best to adapt to their surroundings. Their heat dispersion and resistance were without a match; furthermore, these traits could be improved!
"No need," sounded a calm voice from above.
Wei Dai had returned.
Wei Sha's father leapt from the sky. Two black wings on his back aiding him to reach the Higher Creature in less than a second.
With an open fist, Wei Dai crushed the Lava Worm through the floor tiling. His actions sank them both into the lava pool with a splash.