The unbearable heat from the surrounding firewalls made Liam's sweat flow endlessly, like a stream of water. He frowned, glancing at Matthew, who was grinning twistedly.
"Damn it!"
He quickly looked around at the surrounding fire walls, assessing the situation. They seemed to be closing in, just as he had heard James yell.
"I need to act quickly."
Rushing towards Matthew as fast as he could before the heat around him turned him to ash, Liam threw a powerful punch at Matthew's face, ignoring the blazing flames surrounding him that could burn him. But his punch swiftly grazed past Matthew's face, leaving a strong gust in the air.
Immediately afterward, a powerful sensation surged through his abdomen. Reflexively, he moved his hand to his stomach before his mind could even process it.
"Thud..."
A strong force pushed Liam back a few steps, accompanied by a burning sensation in his hand as he blocked the previous attack. Without time to breathe, the advantage shifted to Matthew, who continued his relentless assault.
"Damn," Liam clicked his tongue as he took several hits of punches and kicks. However, Liam wasn't the only one taking blows. Over time, it became clear the advantage belonged to Matthew. After all, the gap in experience and level was insurmountable. Someone who had lived in this world for 19 years would undoubtedly outmatch someone who had been here for less than a year. No matter what shortcuts Liam took, it was hard to make up for that gap.
Liam planted his right foot, spun, and channeled all his strength into a left kick, forcing Matthew back a short distance. Temporarily, he had broken Matthew's momentum.
"At this rate, I am going to end up losing," Liam muttered to himself. His battered body was the clearest proof of it. The burning sensation and the smell of scorched flesh filled his nose. The Force energy that allowed him to recover wouldn't last much longer if he kept taking such wounds.
"I need to finish this trial quickly."
Despite overwhelming Liam, Matthew didn't see it that way. His face was twisted with frustration. In his last attack, he should have defeated Liam, but instead, he had received a few unexpected counters. Though they were only a few hits, each punch and kick from Liam felt like a sledgehammer, stirring unpleasant memories inside him.
"Fuck this!" Matthew shouted in rage. His coal-black eyes darkened further as he lunged at Liam like a predator.
"Die!" His roar echoed, and Matthew's flaming legs blazed more intensely than ever. Every step left a large black mark on the ground. He raised his leg high and stomped through the air, unleashing a flame larger than any attack he had thrown so far. The massive fire consumed everything in its path.
"Is he still holding back?" Liam frowned as he saw the blazing flame, like a sun burning everything it touched, coming closer. He looked around: the fiery walls were closing in, and in front of him was an enormous flame. Every escape route had been sealed.
"I'll just have to endure it. There's nowhere left to run."
A massive red energy flared up around Liam's body, spreading to every corner, forming a visible barrier that anyone could see. He hoped it would be enough to help him survive this attack. He thought that if he could endure this blow, victory would be his. Sustaining such continuous attacks, Matthew surely wouldn't have any mana left.
"Bring it on!"
Liam took a deep breath before the oxygen around him was consumed by the flames. He shut his eyes tightly and raised his arms in front of him.
"Aah…"
He gritted his teeth, enduring the indescribable pain. The burning sensation tormented him relentlessly. His clothes had been completely reduced to ash, except for his space ring—a premium item for a reason. His scorched skin was being burned entirely but was regenerating. It looked normal, but enduring the process was anything but easy.
In his agony, he accidentally bit his burned lip, causing a little blood to drip out before quickly evaporating.
"Damn it, I thought Jackson said Force energy would protect me from these elements." Liam was now furious at the pain he was enduring. But what he didn't know was that Force energy only worked if he was at Matthew's level or higher.
***
"Too hot… Aah!" James quickly withdrew his hand from the pillar of fire. He promptly activated his energy, extinguishing Matthew's flames.
"Is this really the fire of an F+ rank?"
"No. Matthew is definitely F+ like us, but the mana coming from that flame is abnormal," Lewis frowned, sensing the mana.
"Damn it! If Liam dies, I'm killing him!" James shouted angrily. He swiftly pulled a sword from his space ring, preparing for the worst.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Lewis sighed, her eyes fixed on the weakening wall of fire. If things did go south, she would feel the most guilt for letting it happen.
'I should have insisted my father come with us.'
***
"I'll use it…" Liam gritted his teeth, enduring the tormenting pain. Red energy began forming a solid layer around his hands, no longer an ethereal force but a tangible, visible object. The gauntlet was not refined, but crude and brutal. As the flames around him died down, Liam sensed a powerful energy rushing toward him, though he couldn't see it through the flames.
"Thud…" A massive burst of fire blended into the blaze, heading straight for Liam's head, but it stopped abruptly as his hand caught it. Feeling flesh through his hand, Liam squeezed tightly.
"Aaah!" A piercing scream echoed through the flames. Furious punches rained down on Liam.
"Let go of me!" Matthew screamed, continuing to strike at Liam.
"Sorry. I can't take it anymore," Liam's calm voice resonated through the flames. His eyes remained closed, as if the fire could burn them. He needed to end this, now.
"Let go of me!"
"Fuck you…" Matthew stopped trying to hit Liam and instead frantically pried at his fingers. Even though he unleashed the largest flame he had ever conjured, Liam's energy gauntlets remained unaffected, blackened but unscratched.
"It's… that..." Matthew froze in fear as he saw the gauntlets. He struggled even harder, clearly haunted by psychological trauma. Then, a chilling sensation ran down his spine, leaving him paralyzed. He looked down at his abdomen, where the dreadful feeling was coming from. Liam's other gauntleted hand hovered just 1.5 inches away from his stomach.
"End it."
Matthew turned to face Liam, where the sound of "end it" had come from. Matthew's burning face was unrecognizable, but one thing was clear: the black flame tattoo.
Terror spread through Matthew as that tattoo began to glow. The fire within him was completely snuffed out, to the point that droplets from his pants could be seen falling before evaporating in the heat. That was Matthew's fate—his destiny…
"Thud…"
Before he could recover, pain exploded throughout his body. Liam's familiar powerful punch sent him flying. Strangely, though, deep down, Matthew felt safe as Liam's image faded in the flames. And that was what made him angry, disgusted with himself.
Finally, he lost all consciousness.