"It's here!"
Liam, panic-stricken, dashed towards the large boulder, feeling the intense heat closing in on his back without needing to look. It was clear that Matthew had just unleashed another attack.
Gripping the rock tightly with hands enveloped in Force energy, he pulled himself into the inner corner of the boulder. Finally, the scorching sensation on his back disappeared. He turned around and saw the blood-red flames blazing around him. With a weary sigh, he leaned his back against the rock.
"Thank goodness this stone pillar can block that guy's fire."
Feeling the temperature of the rock he was leaning against the rise, Liam couldn't help but frown.
"The fire must be scorching to affect such a massive stone pillar."
Before he could think further, a chilling voice echoed from afar:
"Entertain for me!... Hehe."
Without waiting for Matthew to say more, Liam immediately used his hands, clad in rough red gloves like the claws of a beast. His sharp fingers easily dug into the surface of the rock. With momentum, he climbed swiftly. Feeling the searing heat beneath him as he pressed against the stone. Without hesitation, he leaped quickly to the nearby pillar-not far away.
Looking at the flames now raging at the spot Liam had been just seconds earlier, Matthew smirked.
"Agile monkey," he said with a hint of smugness. "If it were your former human body, it would be hard to keep up with you in this environment. But too bad for you…"
Before he could finish, Matthew sensed a shift in temperature behind him. He glanced back slightly and smirked with contempt. Ignoring the large fireball hurtling toward him, he simply turned his back and continued moving forward, where Liam was hiding deeper inside. James' fire quickly struck Matthew, but it was swiftly absorbed and merged with the red flames emanating from him. His voice rang out, filled with warning:
"Get lost, little matchstick. You know who will be next after I deal with him, don't you?"
Matthew didn't waste time on a weakling like James. His time was limited, and he needed to deal with Liam before anyone else arrived. But that didn't concern him, as he had chosen a location far from the town of Martin, and nightfall was approaching. Everything was working in his favor, so there was no need to worry.
"Tch."
James frowned, seeing his attack futile against Matthew, but it wasn't entirely in vain. From the last strike, he was able to confirm three things.
First, Matthew would ignore him.
The second was quite bad; Matthew was very strong. His [F+] fire level was completely useless against Matthew's power.
And lastly, the most important: he's far too confident in his power."
"Damn it!"
That was all Liam could manage at the moment. With his transformed body, Matthew easily clung to the surface of the stone pillar, chasing after him. He was like a beast, through and through.
Matthew leaped high from the top of the stone pillar, gaining a panoramic view of the surrounding terrain. He could obviously see Liam. He launched a fiery punch into the air, shouting:
"Die!"
Looking up, Liam could clearly see the "red-hot sun" hurtling straight toward him. Not running meant certain death. Reacting quickly, he moved rapidly from one stone pillar to another. Leaping through the air toward a distant pillar, out of the range of the massive flames, he felt the scorching heat behind him and the light from the fire piercing through, causing him to wince in pain.
Finally, he landed firmly on top of a stone pillar, standing steady. Behind him was a crimson inferno that looked like the depths of hell—he had barely escaped in the nick of time.
Before he could make his next move, a sharp pain shot through his back. Trusting his instincts, he flung himself downward, using his elbow, now hardened by Force energy, to strike fiercely behind him—no reason needed.
Feeling the forceful impact of flesh meeting his elbow, followed by intense pain and searing heat spreading across his back, he nearly lost consciousness. He didn't know what might have happened if he hadn't heeded the warning sensation earlier.
He finally fell from the pillar to the ground.
"Thud!"
Lying on the ground, writhing in pain, Liam touched his lower back. He felt the warm flow of blood from the wound caused by the rising heat and quickly started healing it.
"It hurts like hell."
Indeed, even though he sensed the attack, if he hadn't been fast enough to dodge, it would have been useless.
"Damn you, bastard!"
Liam jolted and looked back. As expected, it was Matthew, but something had changed. The beastly face was now engulfed in red flames, and part of his jaw seemed to have been dislocated, looking extremely painful. It seemed Liam's earlier random strike had hit its mark.
"I'll kill you!"
Liam's action had clearly infuriated Matthew. If he hadn't done that, he might have bought himself a little more time to live. There's nothing more dangerous than a crazed beast.
"Shit!" Liam grimaced, trying to stand. Struggling to move, his motions had slowed considerably. He slipped and fell back to the ground, causing his heart to skip a beat. Just as he felt a wave of despair, a shout rang out.
"Keep running!"
Weary, he turned his head to see Matthew being blocked by familiar straw-colored flames. In the distance stood James, with a tense expression. Without hesitation, Liam sped up his healing and quickly ran out of Matthew's sight.
"I told you it wouldn't work!" Matthew raged, glaring at James, who had fled after launching his attack. Even so, that strike had cost him the chance to finish off Liam.
"Tsk. You'll be next after I kill Alex."
At that moment, Matthew still confused Alex with Liam—his hatred for Alex was immense, even though Liam had no idea who Alex was.
Matthew continued to pursue Liam, ignoring James' actions.
"I need a plan. If this keeps up, I'll be caught sooner or later," Liam panted, running farther away from Matthew. His mind raced with countless thoughts and possible plans to escape the situation. Suddenly, something caught his eye.
"That's it."