Cosmo, who was originally white, turned black. It wasn't the black caused by pigmentation in the skin, but rather because his skin was scorched. His eyes bulged out, unable to close due to his eyelids having been burned by the fire. Meanwhile, his blonde hair had disappeared from his head, turning into ash.
Ignoring the pain all over his body, he awkwardly ran through the snow, heading toward Amon.
"Fight on, kid," Amon taunted him.
"Tch!" He clicked his tongue and thought, 'I should've cultivated a movement technique.'
He never expected that someone as great as him, at level five, would be toyed with by a fool who hadn't even reached level one.
This was the greatest humiliation of his life.
If he didn't kill Amon now, he would surely live in regret.
"I swear I'll kill you!"
"You're a human, not a dog. Instead of barking, I advise you to take action."
"Shut up!"
Finally, he reached Amon. Without thinking, he swung his sword, but only cleaved the rock; Amon, however, had already vanished.
"What is this? An illusion?"
"How could I use magic? Besides, I'm not omnipotent. I just moved with super speed."
Looking toward the voice, Cosmo realized Amon was already sitting on a tree branch.
"Coward! Face me with courage!"
"Spoiled brat. I know all your wishes were granted by your parents since you're a noble. But, kid, know this: the world doesn't work according to your whims. Especially not on the battlefield—"
"Shut up!" He cut off Amon's lecture, truly fed up with being treated like a child.
"Why are you so mad?" Amon chuckled. "Adults should have the ability to control their emotions. But you don't. Even though you look like an old man on the outside, inside, you're like a kid. So what's wrong with me treating you as one?"
Gritting his teeth, Cosmo said, "I'll rip your tongue out!"
"Barking again, huh? I already told you—"
"I said shut up!" He was utterly frustrated.
"Sigh… Oh my, this kid," Amon shook his head like an old man watching a naughty child.
Cosmo immediately slashed down the tree Amon was on as soon as he arrived.
But, of course, Amon didn't fall in front of him. He quickly leaped to a spot far from Cosmo, further irritating him since he had to chase Amon again.
'Tch! Why is he so nimble?'
Amon injected his spiritual energy into the Karyuken, making the flames on the blade blaze even hotter, raising the temperature to the point where the surrounding snow began to melt.
This time, he would get serious… maybe.
Cosmo steadied his stance.
His plan was simple. By analyzing Amon's speed, he would time his sword swing to attack Amon before Amon could strike him.
Amon dashed forward, leaving an illusion of a red streak behind him and melting the snow as he passed.
With precise prediction and calculations, Cosmo swung his sword. Even if Amon saw the attack, he wouldn't be able to stop because of inertia.
However, Amon's technique was a high-level one, already free from the laws of physics.
Just before he entered Cosmo's attack range, he stopped without deceleration.
"Impossible," Cosmo couldn't believe his sword only cut through air and snow. What shocked him even more was Amon's ability to stop and defy the laws of physics.
"Did you know? Your eyes are wide open like you've seen a ghost, even though all you see is a handsome young man," Amon said with a grin.
Still not recovering from his shock, Cosmo received a slash across his chest, once again being burned alive.
"Aaarggh!!!"
The sadistic Amon once again took a seat on a tree branch, watching Cosmo suffer.
After a while, the forest was filled with agonized screams, and Cosmo finally extinguished the flames before panting heavily. His appearance became even more pitiful. His body was thinner due to the large amount of fluid that evaporated from his body.
"Why? Why can't I touch you?" he said in frustration.
"If the body is the foundation, then the martial formula is its blueprint. A shack, no matter how tall, can never compete with a diamond palace, even if it's unfinished."
"The martial formula I use comes from my ancestor, the Steel Saint."
"Seriously? You're still saying that. Don't take me for a fool, I know you're not a descendant of the Steel Saint."
Cosmo was speechless, too shocked by the fact that his family's secret had been exposed. His body trembled. This was no longer just a personal matter. If this secret continued to spread, his family would not only lose their dignity but also their status.
After a moment, he managed to calm himself before attempting to deny it.
"What are you talking about? Don't speak nonsense," but his voice still trembled. "Do you even have any proof?"
"The legend of the Steel Saint revolves around war since he was a mercenary. After finishing a battle, he saw a starving boy forced to eat human corpses. Out of pity, he adopted the boy and taught him martial arts.
However, he never gave the boy his main inheritance due to the boy's lack of talent. Even so, the boy remained grateful for the Steel Saint's kindness.
But, sadly, the boy's descendants became arrogant and claimed they were the Steel Saint's heirs. Am I right, you arrogant person in my story?"
Logically speaking, the descendants of the Sword Saint ruled a quarter of the world, so why did the descendants of the Steel Saint only become nobles of a kingdom? Shouldn't they at least control one nation? Or was the Steel Saint that weak? Of course not.
Cosmo became weak after hearing that story.
Family secrets were never written down on paper and were only passed down verbally.
But how did Amon know?
He would never get the answer to that question.
"If you still want more proof, our match will be evidence enough."
"What do you want?" Cosmo instantly lost his desire to fight.
Even if Amon couldn't kill him, Amon could still escape with his speed. If the Lucerion Clan spread this secret, the whole world would mock his family.
He didn't want that to happen.
He didn't want his family, his children, his descendants to be laughed at as liars.
"It's simple, become my slave."