CHAPTER 20: HALF A DAY (2)

"This time? Does it mean you saw heroes before as well?" This guy is starting to interest me. Also, his face seems really familiar. I think he looks a lot like someone but I can't really say who.

"Does it matter?" His sword starts emitting a dark aura that spreads all around us and covers the whole ground. My feet start getting colder and they sting a little. Thankfully, I have just the right thing for this.

Now that I think about it, it is almost like I obtained it just for this purpose. I can still remember what I saw on my status window after my fight with Emilia that day.

[

Will Otun

Gender: Male

Age: 16

Mana points: 12006 (10 pts/s)

Class: Magic knight

+ 50% damage against demons when using swords and spears

+60% damage against demons when fighting with no weapons.

+30% damage when using magic

Class bonus: + 10000 mana points

Your deep understanding of magic and the high compatibility of your body with mana has made your class evolved to adapt to your body.

Passive skill:

Mana flow

Mana flows naturally in your body like blood, allowing you to increase the output of skills and regulate your mana pool.

Skill: Amplify (Rank F-S)

You can increase or decrease a property.

Current rank: D (95%)

Current level restrictions: You can increase or decrease the properties of objects you touch and yourself. A deep understanding of object's structure is needed to efficiently amplify them.

Mana cost: 5 mana points per seconds of usage.

Blessing: Dance of Fire (Altered)

The Spirit of Fire E***** has acknowleged your determination and discipline in worshipping her. Performing the dance of fire now generates flames around your body. Performing each stance of the dance of Fire will increase the strength of your attack. Performing the last stance of the dance of Fire will generate lightning.

Fire explosions may sometimes occur.

Lightning strikes may sometimes occur.

Affliction: magic cancer (Diminished)

Your body has absorbed too much magic and is slowly deteriorating. Mana flow is currently diminishing the illness's progression. An overuse of magic will aggravate the illness.

The god of law and balance is now watching you with septicism. A judgment may occur depending on your actions.

]

There are a lot of things I want to confirm and see and I am sure you will be the perfect opponent for that now. I sheathe my sword and take the stance of the dance of fire. I immediately start feeling hot all over as I do. A whirlwind engulfs me and the next moment, flames appear all around.

"Oh…You seem to have more than one skill. Interesting."

"You haven't seen even half of it."

The commander raises his sword and as he brings it down, I pounce on him and punch as well. The real problem I will certainly face is to align the different stances and variations of the dance of fire. Because if I am right, as soon as I will fail even one of those, the effects will stop and I will have to start all over.

Our attacks collide and the cold from his aura freezes the whole area. The flames that are covering me don't seem to be efficient enough to protect me as I can feel it as well.

"But it will enough!"

I immediately use the second stance and my kick almost reaches his face. He evades it at the last moment with a slight movement of the head. The third stance then comes and I punch his arm. Although it touched him, it seems the damage I did was close to nothing.

"Hm…Is that all? I was hoping for more."

"Don't be so impatient."

The dance of fire has a total of fifteen stances. If I am already at the third one and I can't injure him. There is a high chance it won't be enough to defeat this guy. But using Amplify now might make him suspicious considering what the assassin thought and surely reported.

I continue fighting while aligning up to the seven stances but then, the commander strikes his sword on the ground and creates a wall of ice that forces me to jump back. As I do, the flames immediately disappear around me. Like I thought, this will be difficult.

"Are you tired already? Wait, it's true that you guys have a magic reserve so you can't just use magic as you please, right?" He starts scratching his chin with the look of a sage. As I thought, this guy knows things about heroes.

"You speak as if you guys aren't the same."

"Unlike you, our powers come from the demon queen. We need not to worry about magic shortage."

"I see." So you guys have a constantly charged battery ready to use then. But if it the case…

"Pay attention." Almost instantly, the commander appears before me. What was that, I didn't even blink.

He strikes heavily and almost like a slow-motion; I see the air freezing as he brings his sword down. When I dodge to the side, a wall of ice is created on the path of his sword. It goes down the hill and my chest was stricken as well.

"Shit!" I have a harder time breathing now. And this is really not the time for losing breath.

I immediately retake the first stance and the flames appear, soothing me a little.

"Hm…I see. So, it is a skill that requires you to take a certain position. That means if I dispose of one of your members, you won't be able to use it, right?" This is exactly why I said this will be difficult.

"Do it if you can, then."

I have to get serious now. This won't end in a good way for me if I lose focus. The commander does this thing where he instantly appears again but this time, I saw it. Before he does that, there is a chilling sensation before me. I barely dodge his attack then strike him with the first stance, then the second, and the third.

"As I said, it is wea-"

The fourth stance manages to shake him up as his body vibrates from the shock of my fist. Now, from the fifth stance and going upwards, I am allowed to create variations between the stances, so long as I don't back down.

"Let's see how you like that!"

I start with the tenth stance, giving him a double punch will stagger him more. Then i make sure he eats my knee, followed by an elbow strike. Implanting my fist on the ground, giving a straight punch filled with the energy that went through my body. More!! More!! I can feel it! My body is getting hot! The flames are getting stronger!

"It is still weak."

He dodges me when I am only missing four stances to complete the dance but as he does, something happens. A spark appears between us and right after, an explosion occurs and sweeps us both. Surprisingly, I am not affected at all.

"What…Ah," Yeah, that's right. A fire explosion may sometimes occur. Well, that sometimes is really not a lot.

"Interesting." As the smoke dissipates, the commander is standing a few meters away. This time, he is hurt. The part of his chest that is demonized is bleeding and the black blood that is coming out of it freezes the ground as soon as it touches it. "I haven't been wounded in a long time. I had almost forgotten what pain was."

"Was that why you became a demon? To forget pain?" This guy's eyes…There is regret in them as well, just like him. Why do you guys who have reached the top always look like it wasn't worth it? What have you seen there?

"To forget pain…I guess it is not wrong to say that. But no matter my reasons, you will die now." With that, he raises his sword, and this time, it turns completely dark. "I would advise you to dodge this but I am not sure you can. Thanks for the entertainment."

"You wish!" Do you think I stayed in the position of that stance for nothing?!

I rapidly channel the rest of the stances while going to him and right before I can reach him, I see sparks all over. "It is time!!" I only have one stance missing. And trust me, I kept the one that hits the hardest just for you.

"Die! Hero!"

The air gets chilled completely, his sword comes down like a hammer of judgment and at the same time, lightning appears around my hands.

"Ahh!!!"

I strike with the last stance, using both of my hands extended before me to the fullest, releasing all possible strength I may have. Lightning is enveloping now and in front of me, ice appears all around. I will pierce through. I must pierce through and I reach you, if even a little, I will reach that place now. Now is the time to shine