Carbon stake pierced the flesh. Blood splatters on the ground.
But a wide grin was plastered on Aril's maniacal face.
The carbon stake did not scratch Aril's face in the slightest, because it was his left hand that blocked the attack.
A desperate attack that caught the opponent off guard because the opponent was too confident of own victory....
A cheap trick that made Aril even more certain that Gilbert was running out of tactics and stamina.
Aril immediately grabbed Gilbert's face with his right hand with great force. So strong that his own fingers bled from the pressure he applied.
Gilbert's skull felt like it was about to crack and he began to whimper in pain.
A diamond layer suddenly formed on top of the skin and rendered Aril's grip useless.
Gilbert's diamond hands gripped Aril's right wrist very firmly and managed to crack Aril's hand bones and weaken the young man's grip.
Gilbert grinned widely and Aril immediately laughed.
Red flames suddenly enveloped Aril's right hand.
Gilbert's head was instantly dizzy from the heat he felt and the bald-headed man began to weaken his grip.
Aril increased the intensity of the heat even more and Gilbert went limp.
Aril laughed maniacally. "Hahaha! I want you to apologize to Aunt Salma, unfortunately you're going to hell!"
Aril tightened his grip and Gilbert screamed.
Aril laughed louder and the fire in his hand grew bigger and hotter.
Aril's flames instantly changed color to a fiery blue flames and exploded Gilbert's brain due to the sudden extreme change in temperature.
Aril's blue flame had gone out, but not because of his will, but because there was no more oxygen left to burn.
Fortunately, Aril didn't need it anymore because Gilbert's head was just a skull now. All the skin, flesh, hair, and other soft organs had been burned away.
Aril's fire dome was instantly extinguished and he could now breathe normally.
His breathing was labored from exhaustion and his vision was slightly blackened because for a few moments, he was in a dome without oxygen.
Aril sat down and tried to catch his breath.
He saw Gilbert's corpse and felt satisfied that he had succeeded in killing him.
Although there was one thing he didn't understand.
"Why am I laughing?" said Aril who was staring at the Marchosias sigil on the back of his right hand that was slowly disappearing.
Gilbert had indeed killed Salma and taking revenge by killing Gilbert was what Aril wanted the most.
But even so, why was he laughing so hard?
Considering that laughing only increased the consumption of oxygen entering his body.
It feels as if...
He liked the sensation he experienced when he killed Gilbert.
Euphoria....
Euphoria that cannot even be described in words.
"Is this the side effect? The strongest fighting demon.... With the side effect of euphoria and becoming a fighting maniac?" Aril sighed and lay down on the scorched ground that was no longer covered in green grass.
"But her ability are truly extraordinary... All the martial arts techniques the world has ever seen... And I suddenly became a master of it in an instant..." Aril chuckled while looking up at the bright blue sky.
"Master of all martial arts and fire manipulation.... It feels like cheating," chuckled Aril.
The sound of slow hand clapping with long pauses between claps...
The sudden sound instantly made Aril stand up alertly.
The voice came from a man who looked to be in his thirties. He had fair white skin, blue eyes and blonde hair.
He was wearing a black t-shirt and black training pants.
His face looked so serious and seemed to look down on Aril.
"Surprisingly, you're very strong for a boy your age," the blond man said.
"Let me guess, are you Johan?" Asked Aril who was watching the man intently.
"That's right. I see you managed to kill one of our higher-ups," said Johan who was staring at Gilbert's corpse whose head was just a skull.
After assessing Johan from top to bottom, Aril sighed heavily.
"I'm sorry I killed your friend, but he deserved it. After he killed one of my family members, he is officially a corpse waiting to be buried," said Aril who turned his back on Johan and walked away.
"I sent them," said Johan who managed to stop Aril.
"I already know it," Aril replied without turning around.
"We collected all system users in the city areas of Palu, Sigi, and Donggala. Which means it includes your girl friend."
"Sorry, we're not interested and she might not want to."
"No, you don't understand. We wanted her at first, but now.... We want you. You're strong enough to defeat Gilbert, which means you more than deserve to be here."
Aril resumed his steps. "Sorry, I'm not interested either."
Johan smirked. "Because you're not a system user? Because you got your powers from a demon-like creature?"
Aril stopped his steps.
"Marchosias," Aril whispered and the Marchosias sigil instantly appeared on the back of the young man's right hand.
"With all the chaos going on, I'm no longer surprised if anyone uses the power of a demon. I'll make a special exception for you," Johan said casually.
"Even so, I'm not interested. Thank you for the offer, but sorry, we'll going to leave," said Aril who continued his steps.
Suddenly dozens of bright blue lightning pillars emerged from the ground and stood upright in front of Aril.
There were so many of them and the height of each lightning pillar could reach 5 meters tall.
Aril was shocked for a few moments then his expression returned to normal expression.
He sighed. "So, this is what Reizel said?"
Johan is indeed a user of the ( Alchemist system ), but what he controls are not elements, but the basic particle that make up the elements themselves...
Electrons...
Aril turned around and looked at Johan who stretched his right hand forward.
"I'm afraid that this is not an option," Johan said, giving the implication to submit and shut up.
Aril looked into Johan's eyes so seriously. "I'm afraid that you are not in a position to command me either."
The two stared at each other and neither wanted to submit.
Johan's hand was suddenly enveloped by a pool of bright blue electricity while Aril's hand was instantly enveloped by fiery red flames.