There was an unknown guest at the party, and Kenny did not know what to do. Was he a friend, or an enemy? He did not seem to understand.
"Take me? Where?" Inquired Kenny. "Who are you?"
"You will get to know me soon enough, exceptional," said the man. He wore a chocolaty lengthy overcoat, red turtleneck, black sweatpants, and long leather boots in brown. The atmosphere was burning, but he appeared to be resting on the poles.
"How would I know if you keep hiding your face behind that flame?"
"Oh, this is because of my work. I am not scared or anything. I just have a protocol to obey," responded the man, shrugging. "I can not expose my face."
Kenny wondered if he belonged to The Faceless. "Are you his friend?" he asked, pointing towards Scribble Mask.
"Oh, you are a sharp one," responded the man to confirm it. "The alias is Flame Mask. Nice to meet you, exceptional."
Kenny raised a brow. "My name is Kenny. What do you want?" He raised his fists to get into a fighting stance.
"I presumed I should check if you are the one," the man mentioned.
"Stop your gibberish," Kenny rebuked. "Who leaked our location? Tell me." Although, he strove to stay strong, but the time was ticking. He knew that if he engaged with a new enemy, there would be no chance of coming out alive. He had to discover a way to save the old men before it was too late.
"Make me spill out," uttered Flame mask, pointing his palm at Tangent. Suddenly, flames erupted out of his palm and began to burn the old man.
"No!" Kenny cried when he picked up the muffled screams of the old man in torment. "Stop it!" He rushed over to the enemy with his fart engine and entered his space with a right hook.
But the enemy just drifted to his side and evaded his assault. He then gently touched Kenny's belly with his other palm and submerged him in reddish flames.
"Ah!" Kenny moaned in shock as he struggled for the fire to go out. He ripped off his upper-body clothes and tossed it away. Also, he snatched off his already battered pants and got rid of it. Although he was naked now, but he had gotten rid of the flames. He suffered some burn smears on his body, especially near his left shoulder and back.
"This enemy is terrible news," he thought with an agitated face. "He could devour anything with those flames."
Flame mask again proceeded to scorch the old man to induce Kenny to attack him again. "Come on, I know you can do better. Do you not want to save this man?"
"Stop that!" Kenny shouted in rage and hurled at the enemy. He started to display some indications of his early power boost as he began to grow quicker and sharper.
The enemy observed his speed growing, while also the area becoming hazy gradually. "I guess you need a boost." Suddenly, the intensity of his flames increased, and the old man screamed vociferously in torment, and he slowly lost his senses as he could not handle it much longer.
"No!" Kenny hurled at him after an explosion and rushed at him mindlessly. The enemy still just brushed his chest serenely and caused a burn, but Kenny somehow handled the pain and kicked him in the jaw.
"Now, that was something," the enemy remarked as he got pushed a few steps apart because of the thrust generated by the kick. His flames shrouding his head sank a bit dimmer, but he did not seem to have received any damage at all.
"Ah!" Kenny winced as he clawed his chest, where a burnt blemish had emerged in the shape of a palm, and slumped to his knee. He could no longer fight.
Cosant, at the moment, sat up somehow, clawing at his wound. "I have to fight." He noticed the enemy overpowering the young man. Suddenly, the enemy reminded him of something. "Is he…" The memories of his family dying surged into his head. He remembered it was Flame Mask, who commanded a force of the soldiers who committed genocide on his people. His daughter was one of them and he could not even find her body. His wife and son also perished as collateral damage later. He could still remember their charred bodies.
Kenny engaged in a fight at the moment as he dodged embers and escaped burns while creating an opening to strike the enemy. However, his body was too weakened to even put up a fight.
Suddenly, he got hit by the flame. "Ah!" he moaned.
The enemy seemed to enjoy burning him. "Come on, you will die at this rate. Bring forth your True Awakening." As he continued to stoke him, someone suddenly clutched him in his arms.
It was the giant skultar who had determined to give his all to save Kenny.
"You can not do as you please," he said as he tightened his muscles to crush Flame Mask. He yelled at Kenny. "Run for your life! Get out of here!"
Although, he poured all his strength against the enemy, which could even smother the metallic bodies of automobiles, but Flame Mask appeared least troubled by it.
"Why are you helping an enemy?" he asked the giant skultar. His voice exhibited no indications of strain or difficulty.
"He let me live when he had the chance," the skultar replied, putting all his strength in his clutches. "I just… do not like to incur debts…" He saw there was no effect of his might on the enemy whatsoever. "Just what are you made of?"
"I see," acknowledged Flame Mask. "Then you might be the trigger for his True Awakening."
The skultar's eyes expanded when he realized it was the end for him. His body got engulfed in black flames. His grip loosened as it burnt him, but he did not want to let go.
"Persistent, even on the brink of death," uttered Flame Mask, acknowledging the fighting spirit of his foe. "Commendable."
At the moment, the skultar dropped to his knees and leaned his chest against the enemy's back. His head resting on top of the enemy's head, and his arms dangling over the shoulders of the enemy. It was over.
His body was fully engulfed in the flame, and the prevailing stillness announced his death.
There was never such a loud silence for Kenny, as he witnessed the giant skulter perishing in front of him. His will wished his body to move, but it could not.
Suddenly, something happened.
"Interesting. I must express I am impressed by the willpower of you people," said Flame Mask when Cosant pierced his liver with his dagger.
"I will…" The old man gritted his teeth as he shoved the blade further inside. "I will avenge my family."
"I am sorry I can not seem to remember either you or your family," responded the enemy man, his voice unremarkable, as if the dagger did not harm him a bit. "If you could help me remember…"
His words disturbed Cosant. The man had killed his entire family, along with countless other families, but could not seem to recall his wrongdoings. Just how evil one could be? "I will kill you, dastard…" he hissed, twisting his dagger.
Suddenly, the dagger melted, and he found only the handle remaining in his hand. "Huh?"
"I admire your tenacity, insect," said Flame Mask, keeping his palm on the old man's shoulder. "But it is time to say goodbye. Maybe your family misses you."
At this moment, Cosant could see, hear, or sense nothing. One thing he could experience were the voices of his wife and son. They called him over to their side.
"Papa, come here. Mumma has prepared chicken for you."
His wife waited for him with a smile under the sun. A table was set on the lawn for a barbecue party. His daughter barbecued some meat at the corner.
"Oh dear, where were you? Do you know what your son did today?" His wife prepared a chair for him. "Come, I will tell you all about it."
Tears drip down his eyes as he slowly headed over to the other side. "Wait, dear, I am coming."
Kenny lied there aghast as he witnessed the old man burned to death. Cosant remained erect for a while before crashing to the ground, his body entirely enveloped in black flames.
The giant skultar too slipped aside when Flame Mask stepped ahead.
"Exceptional, did something change in you? Are you enraged? Do you want to avenge the old man? Do you want to kill me? Tell me." He bent towards Kenny's face. "Come at me if you want to kill me." He backed up and headed towards Tangent, who had passed out because of his wounds and was on the brink of giving up his life. "Let us see if you could save him."
"No…" Kenny muttered with his eyes in despair. "Stop… stop it… you dastard…"
The enemy set his palm above the old man, his body partly turned towards Kenny. "I will count to three. One…"
"No… uncle Tangent…"
"Two."
Kenny struggled to get up. He searched for any wind inside his belly, but it was all hopeless at the moment.
"Thr…"
"I am pleased to meet you, Sir Flame Mask."
"Huh?" Flame Mask reacted in puzzlement as someone took his hand and shook it up to down, replicating a handshake. He had his focus on Kenny, so he had not sensed anyone approaching him. Heck, there was no presence around him. He gazed at the face clearly, and he recognized it. His demeanor suddenly changed, and he felt intimidated a bit. "S-Symon?" he uttered in disbelief.
"I am glad you recognized me, dear sir," Symon responded with a cheerful smile. "It is an honor."
Kenny could see it was a middle-aged man, presumably in his forties. He wore a black hood, which covered his entire body except his head. He had curtains hairstyle with a middle-parting, diamond-shaped face, and a soul patch beard.
He was the founder, and the acting head of The Outliers. He was Symon Dyne.
The boss was here.