Chapter 79: Breaking Chains: Forging Chaos [III]
Deep within the newly forming crowd, a silky-haired maiden murmured, her voice laced with confusion.
"How... W-why did he sign the damned contract? How was she supposed to enact her revenge on a corpse?" she mused, her brows furrowing as she tried to make sense of it all. If he had still been the same youth who awakened that trash F-rank talent that day, she wouldn’t be as concerned. But now... he was dual-awakened, with an S-rank—a bright future ahead. Why toss it all away in one brief moment of rashness?
Something wasn’t adding up. She nodded to herself, her eyes flaring light blue as the air around her grew noticeably colder. With a life-and-death battle contract signed, none of the parties affiliated with the participants were allowed to intervene—whether during the fight or afterward to exact revenge. The consequences were too disastrous to even consider, thanks to the City Lord’s impervious rule and the acolytes under him. The losses massively outweighed any gain.
"What are you playing at here?" Aurora murmured, brushing a strand of hair back. Why did he still have that unfazed, emotionless glint in his eyes even now? He didn’t think he could win... right?
"Agh, why can’t things be simple for once!?" she growled, spiraling deep into thought, her eyes locking on the two figures.
***
"Argh! Why did he have to do it? W-why?"
"Stop whining and look real good—this might be the only chance to witness true bravery in the face of imminent death. If only I had a fraction of it, I wouldn’t be wallowing with you poor bastards!"
"Well, too bad you don’t have it, so technically you’re a poor bastard too!"
"Gold is good, but if you can’t spend it, what good is it?"
"You still don’t understand? Not that I’d ever expect you to anyway. What he fights for is more than you could ever comprehend in your whole life."
"Ha! Since you’re so smart, why don’t you tell me?"
Sigh "The Young Master’s intentions are too complicated. They’ve eluded my grasp as well. It’d be meaningless to try and understand the thought process of such a prodigy."
"For what it’s worth, I’ll carry your memory with me till my dying breath."
"W-wait, I think I get it... The wager he made with that shameless bastard from the Silvermoon family... it didn’t require him to win. Just to fight. Meaning we still get the ring after he dies!"
"Yes... yes, it all makes sense now. Your sacrifice won’t go to waste!"
"I promise not to squander the money..."
"Me too..."
***
At the center of it all, Aurelian’s lips twitched rapidly as the whispers and murmurs from the crowd cut into his ears. He hadn’t given them much to believe in, sure, but wasn’t this all a bit... too much?
He shook his head just as a booming voice echoed.
"Everyone back off at least a hundred meters from the two opponents!" One of the figures standing motionless behind their young lord spoke, raising a bony hand. Mystically, as if in sync with his gesture, the ground shimmered with liquid-like light before shifting shape, molding into a makeshift battle arena flaring with basic runes.
"An earth mage?" Aurelian mused, nodding at the diversity of mana.
Cracking his fingers and folding them into fists, a shriek not far off rang out, erasing the faint scowl on his face and replacing it with a smile.
"Kick his ass, Aurelian, I believe in you!" Amber squealed, flashing a bright smile as she waved at him excitedly.
While others had their doubts, she had none. She had seen the full extent of his power firsthand—the potential surging through him, along with a slew of other things she couldn’t yet put into words. All of it combined gave her unwavering confidence in the figure before her, no matter the odds.
***
"Enough chit-chat already. Let’s get to the good part!" Darius growled, crouching low into a battle stance as he channeled mana around him. "Still, I’ll bestow upon you the honor of uttering your last words," he said shamelessly, a ruthless glint flickering in his eyes.
His image and reputation had clearly taken a hit from all he endured to secure this fight. But if he ended the battle in one move, he could wipe the slate clean.
All previous disparagements cleared, the crowd would fall back to his side once they saw the full extent of his power.
Only the words that parted from the youth before him caused his eyes to widen, blinking rapidly in a bid to process them.
"Three moves. I’ll give you three moves to make my blood boil. Otherwise, you’re no good to me."
"You arrogant prick! Still bragging in the face of death? Die then!" Darius snapped, breaking away from his stupor. Rage welled up deep inside as his black eyes glimmered softly, an orange glow setting in before he yelled out—
"Viper’s Descent!"
The air around him rippled, mana surging in response to his call. A sizzling sound filled the area, a roaring flame forming up ahead. Slowly, it took shape into a monstrous seven-meter viper made of fire, towering before him.
"Attack!" Darius inhaled sharply, pointing at Aurelian, a wicked smile stretching across his lips.
Let’s see what you can do, toughness, Aurelian mused, pinching his skin. He used the skirmish less as a real fight and more as a parameter to measure his recent growth. With that in mind, he inhaled sharply, folding his hands behind his back as he braced for impact, coating his robe with mana to prevent any damage.
Seconds passed before the massive flaming viper lunged, engulfing him completely before bursting into a raging ball of fire, sending shockwaves rippling outward. A thick mist of smoke clouded the area.
"Hahahaha! Nothing to say to that? I can’t hear your cocky voice anymore!" Darius laughed, not even bothering to hide the joy swelling inside him.
His only regret was that he hadn’t crushed his head personally.
But his euphoria shattered as a voice echoed behind him, anchoring him back to reality. His breath hitched as he turned.
"Trash damage output! One move wasted!" Aurelian’s voice rang out as he stepped from the smoke, a look hovering between joy and disappointment on his lips.
Joy—because his toughness attribute was proving more useful than he thought. Apart from mild warmth across his body, he felt nothing. The heat blocked by his tough skin. His clothes remained untouched, thanks to his mana.
Disappointment—because if this trend continued, he could already foresee how bland his future battles would become.
"I-impossible!" Darius stammered, falling back, beads of sweat forming at his temples. "Y-you’re supposed to be dead... how?"
A sliver of fear trickled in, shifting his perspective of the youth.
"It’s... luck... yes... you were lucky the first time!" he growled, rationality slipping as he crawled backward, desperately channeling mana through his pathways. "Havoc of the Twin Viper!"
The air exploded into a raging inferno, massive orange light coalescing into twin vipers. They resembled a two-headed fire hydra.
They roared, spitting out balls of flames before lunging at him, maws wide open. And just as before, Aurelian remained in place, letting the fire devour him whole.
"T-this has to be it... there’s no way... you can survive that... you can’t!" Darius shrieked, the burden of overusing mana weighing him down.
"Two wasted attempts..." Aurelian’s voice echoed again, no different from the devil incarnate in Darius’ ears. The heat had grown, but only enough to leave a faint pricking sensation that soon faded.
"Your final chance," Aurelian growled, unimpressed.
"No... no... you’re not real... I already killed y-you... I’m just seeing things... I..." Darius whispered, the light fading from his eyes as he sank into delirium.
"Mentally weak, unable to rise before defeat? Weak trash!" Aurelian snickered, walking forward slowly, his hands still behind his back, eyes glowing with a vortex of crimson and abyssal light.
"You’re not worthy of a third move," he breathed, a golden orb manifesting just beneath his nape as he watched Darius break down.
Then, embodying his name, his figure flickered—no different from a grim reaper leaving only a mirage, before appearing before Darius. With a ruthless glint in his eyes, he struck, poking the orb, and turned away.
Cries of pain echoed as spiderline cracks spread across the youth’s body. His skin split, his form unraveled, his metaphysical core shattered.
Aurelian’s hand shot up, catching something amidst the fragments of bone and flesh, an interdimensional storage ring.
***
The crowd stared blankly, silence blanketing the area as they struggled to process what had just happened.
But Aurelian paid them no mind. He grabbed the dazed Amber before making his exit from the Graeogor family residence, his words trailing behind him.
"From today on, I sever all connections with the Graeogor family! I venture into the realm of Arcadia, bound to none."
His words snapped everyone from their daze as Amber regained her bearings, whispering cutely under her breath as their figures faded into the distance—
"Me too."