Thrown forcefully backward, Kaito rolled uncontrollably over the scorching ground until he was stopped by the brutal impact against a wall.
Groaning in pain, he lifted his head with effort. His blurry vision revealed the silhouette of the one who had kicked him. A boy, small but impressively muscular, displayed a physique that even Kaito envied.
"Who are you?" he asked through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his body.
The boy was Rylan. He had also been after the method, but until now he had stayed out of the battle. For him, the moment hadn't been advantageous.
But now? Things had changed. The powerful woman was gravely injured, making her an easy target. The real problem now wasn't her, but the man before him: Kaito. He didn't seem strong, but the treasures he possessed were an immeasurable danger.
'Does his shield only reflect objects, or does it also reflect punches? And it seems like it's not activated instantly because I kicked him before he used it.'
Rylan analyzed the situation with sharp eyes as he watched Kaito reactivate his shield, looking directly at him.
"Are you after the method too?" Kaito asked, trying to control the situation. "The woman is injured. We can take advantage of this and force her to give us the method to climb the volcano and get the fire crystal."
Rylan remained silent. His eyes shifted to the injured woman, whose condition was deplorable. He crouched down, getting closer to her, then spoke:
"What's your proposal? If it's not good, I'll team up with him."
"I won't give you the method, you cowards!" she growled, even in her weakened state.
Rylan stared at her, his gaze seeming to pierce her soul.
"Hey, look at you. In this pitiful state, you still think you can be arrogant?"
He moved forward without hesitation, grabbing her neck firmly, his fingers tightening like claws.
"Tell me, are you afraid of death?"
"Kid, are you crazy? We haven't even gotten the method yet!" Kaito shouted.
Rylan slowly turned his head, his eyes as cold as ice. "Shut up."
The biting silence dominated the scene. He turned his attention back to the woman, who was struggling to breathe.
"Answer me. Are you afraid of death? Look me in the eyes and tell me."
"I..." Cleo tried to speak, but the suffocating grip of the boy prevented her from forming words.
"Answer me!" Rylan repeated, his voice filled with a coldness that made her blood run cold.
For a moment, Cleo felt something she had never experienced before: fear. Not of the boy, but of something deeper, a primal presence.
"I am... I don't want to die!" she screamed in panic, her arrogance disappearing like a flame in the wind.
Rylan slowly released her, allowing her to catch her breath.
"Good," he said, the intensity in his voice fading. "I'll save you. But in exchange, you'll give me the method to climb this volcano. The reason I threatened you now was to wake you up. Drop your arrogance. You're talented, the most impressive woman I've ever seen. Seeing you face a hundred people alone? It was incredible. But this superiority... this arrogance... it will only lead to your ruin."
"I'm taking sermon by a child? And why does he seem so scary?" Cleo thought as she heard those words: "Thank you."
"But still, be yourself. The warrior who fought on the battlefield like a queen of war, someone who doesn't fall for anything. If you start studying your opponents' movements calmly, without arrogance, you'll become a true weapon of war," Rylan said, smiling.
He then looked at Kaito: "And you, what are you going to do? I'll stay by her side."
"I'll fight. I've come this far, there's no turning back. It's impossible..." Kaito replied, staring at Rylan.
He pulled a boot from his storage ring, along with red armor and a sword.
'This is what they call rich people? These artifacts look powerful,' Rylan thought.
In a quick movement, he charged at Kaito, landing a punch on the armor. However, he felt his fists bleeding.
'As I suspected, the shield only reflects objects, while the armor protects. But there are still two unknown artifacts,' he concluded.
It didn't take long for the mystery to be solved. The boot Kaito wore glowed red and drastically increased his speed, reaching 500 km/h.
Faster than Rylan, Kaito threw a punch at him. However, when it hit his skin, he felt his hand break. 'What kind of body is this? It feels like armor!'
Furious, Kaito drew his sword. 'If the fists don't work, maybe a blade will!'
He ran toward Rylan again, aiming the sword at his heart, trying to kill him instantly.
Rylan, noticing the difference in speed, saw the blade approaching. In a 360-degree spin, he managed to dodge it. Taking advantage of the opening, he quickly moved to Kaito's back and slapped his vulnerable spot, the head, which was unprotected by armor.
When the slap landed, the sound of something cracking echoed. Kaito was thrown again, rolling across the ground. This time, his head was crushed.
Seeing Kaito in that state, with his head deformed and bleeding on the ground, Rylan didn't want to continue the fight and turned to the front, where he saw Cleon, sitting in lotus position, recovering from her injuries.
'I know it was in the heat of the moment, but this woman isn't going to kill me, right?... Well, let's not lower our guard. If she holds the blade, I'll kill her instantly.'
Cleon, finally feeling better, looked around, seeing Kaito in that miserable state, and Rylan standing calmly by the wall.
She took a deep breath and walked towards the boy who made her feel fear. As she approached, she began to look from every angle.
"This is the method, read it now, then I'll burn it," she said, throwing an old book to Rylan, who grabbed it.
'Will this woman keep her word? Interesting,'
He thought, observing the book, whose title was Technique of Control. Opening to the first page, he read:
"Use spiritual energy to form control over your own body, making it either heavier or lighter.
"To make the body light, use the spiritual energy around to negate the effects of gravity."
"This is interesting," he said, surprised as he read the technique of control. He sat in lotus position and began to cultivate spiritual energy, which then compressed into a kind of green aura around his body.
Around him, it perfectly outlined every part of his body.
After this, he negated the effects of gravity around him using his aura, returned the method to Cleon, looked at the wall, and jumped, reaching fifty meters due to the low gravity.
And then he began to scale the volcano, ready to finally leave this valley of fire.