GARDEN OF FLAMES

As soon as Lynne passed through the passage, he felt a slight pain across his entire body, as if he was assailed by countless, small needles. Shortly after, a blinding light caused him to close his eyes, and space around him tore apart before he was flung downwardly, crashing into the ground like a falling rock. However, surprisingly, he didn’t feel any pain. Grumbling lowly, he got up and dusted off his robes before taking a look around him. He was actually standing on an island, roughly two hundred meters in circumference. However, what was more shocking was the environment outside the island.

Ocean; for as far as the eye can see, bellowing ocean stretched. However, it was not of water, but rather of endless flames! What’s even more surprising, countless colors molded in against each other, creating both pacifying and terrorizing scenery. Flames rose akin to waves, roaring like beasts. After being briefly shocked, Lynne regained his composure. After all, he already expected something like this. It was called Garden of Flames, after all. Or, perhaps, better name would have been Ocean of Flames.

As Lynne scrutinized the island, he spotted two, isolated flames at southernmost and northernmost edges of the island. Southernmost flame was completely white, whiter than even snow itself, while the northernmost flame was completely pitch black, fighting back against invading light.

“Skyfire and Hellfire…” Lynne mumbled.

Although he had never seen them before, Lynne quickly recognized them. White flame was Skyfire Origin Flame, and according to legends, Ancient Gods used Skyfire to create the sun itself as to provide hospitable environment for mortals. Skyfire was actually rather calm; even if Lynne went to touch it, the flame wouldn’t resist him, and would actually play with him. As one of two Origin Flames, each Skyfire had its own sentience, and all of them were childlike.

On the other hand, Hellfire Origin Flame was a complete opposite; according to the legends, it was used to build enormous Punishing Chasm of legends, where those who have committed grave sins were cast to suffer. Supposedly, Hellfire can never be extinguished. Once it’s born, it is eternal. Its nature was akin to that disposition; whoever, outside its Master, got closed to it, they would be burnt to ashes. Just thinking about it, Lynne shivered and immediately looked elsewhere from fear of angering the flames. Can’t die just after acquiring massive treasure, no?

Lynne knew very well there was actually no point in him meditating over the two Origin Flames. He was far, far away from being able to anything with them, so he instead chose to focus onto the ocean. He walked over to the eastern side of the island and sat down in a lotus position, expanding his sight to reach into the depths of the ocean. However, no matter how far or how deep he inspected, there was no end to the ocean.

“Amazing…” he muttered, taking in a deep breath. “I first thought it was an illusion… but it’s an actual dimension. Anyone able to create spacial dimensions of this scale… I don’t even dare to think about it.”

Lynne was correct; although the dimension he found himself in wasn’t infinite, it actually rivaled the entire Alloy Continent in size, and was perhaps even larger. Sect Master of Emperor’s Flame Sect paid inhumane price to invite Lacuna God to construct the Seven Worlds.

Reverting back his gaze, Lynne focused on the flames themselves. He held no hopes of having sudden breakthroughs, as he already had one just a few days prior. What he needed now was to stabilize what he already had. The best way to do that, outside of calmly pondering over everything, was definitely combat.

Unfortunately, Lynne rarely engaged in combat; in truth, he never fought in a life and death duel. He certainly felt death grasp his neck during the fall of Edgemaw, but he had no strength to oppose it, and it was only due to lucky circumstances and unselfishness of his seniors that he was able to prevail. Most others his age had already gone through baptism of blood, to say nothing of their battle experience.

However, Lynne was still not willing to engage into the art of killing; he had done so only once in his entire life, and just remembering the scene still left him with strange, uncomfortable feeling. He understood very well that Path of Magus is synonymous with Path of Slaughter, but he was still reluctant to accept it. He enjoyed life, perhaps more than almost all other Mages, and because he had spent his first 17 years as ordinary person, he knew very well how simple life is. Perhaps, to a venerated Magus, life of some ordinary Master Magus was insignificant, but Lynne’s father was at that margin. If he was to simply discard everyone beneath him, wouldn’t it be the same as discarding his own father?

“Ah, now’s not the time,” Lynne sighed as he shook his head. “I can’t hesitate. For the sake of my father… for the sake of the future… I at least need to be able to take a life.”

“Hm, that Eternal Spirit said that I can spar against some wills or intents or whatever?” Lynne mused in a low voice, glancing over his back. “I wonder how?”

Just as he finished talking, flames in the ocean churned slightly as a pillar erupted from within them. The pillar then turned into an arc, and like a falling rainbow landed onto the other side of the island, opposite of Lynne. The flames were golden and burned in unpredictable manner, but had quickly changed into a humanoid figure. The flames had appearance of a youth in his early twenties; the youth appeared rather ordinary, yet Lynne couldn’t help but feel his heartbeat stiffen. He’s strong!

“Iglis Flame,” the figure suddenly spoke in a coarse voice. “Longblades, Empyrean Child, All-Light Flame wielder. Prepare!” Eh?!!

Although Lynne immediately jumped onto his feet, he was still unprepared; the figure in front of him bolted forwards, leaving behind a beautiful arc of flames. Two longblades churning with flames suddenly appeared in the youth’s hands, as he waved them in a crescent manner, sending out two horizontal rivers of fire towards Lynne. Crap!

Lynne immediately summoned his Aqua Blade and rose slightly into the air, expanding both his hands outwardly. With a flash, two silver-colored Chakrams appeared; Lynne let go of them whereas two clanging chains appeared, wreathed in golden flames, coiling around his arms, linking down to the Chakrams, holding them.

The Aqua Blade changed its shape to that of a towering shield, clashing against the incoming rivers. Sounds of vaporizing water echoed out into the world, causing Lynne’s face to immediately grow solemn. He enveloped his feet in blue flames, causing his body to sweep sideways just as the two rivers breached the towering shield of water. The two rivers exploded past Lynne into horizon, carrying with them increasing warmth.

Without hesitating any longer, Lynne shouted as one hundred fiery blades appeared above him; the sight turned serene, as each blade burned with either golden, blue or green flames. Veins bulged atop Lynne’s forehead, causing his eyes to grow bloodshot. As the youth closed in onto Lynne, the latter quickly swept out his Chakrams in a diving arc. The Chakrams itself, mid-flight, got wreathed into green flames, increasing their speed threefold. The youth raised his two longblades, reflecting the two Chakrams and causing them to slither backwards like snakes towards Lynne.

However, the youth was briefly stopped, which was enough time for the sudden torrential rain of blades to descend upon him. The green ones were the fastest, the golden ones the most explosive, and the blue ones most unpredictable. However, the youth danced like a sword god as he deflected one blade after another. Dual-wielding two longblades without any effort, he bellowed out strike after strike; each slashed caused massive arc of flames to expand outwardly towards the sky. He shifted around his feet in a perfect rhythm, and Lynne could feel terrifying power with each of the youth’s swings. He isn’t even using any Spell Arts or just general spells… he’s fighting solely with his swordsmanship…

Although being awed was fine, Lynne didn’t tarry; this was what he lacked. He immediately began swinging his Chakrams, causing wind itself to stir. Faster, faster, faster!!! Even chains themselves were wreathed in green fires, causing them to clang louder and louder. Strike after strike, Chakrams against longblades, caused sparks to fly. The earth beneath was already dented like a steel plate, and crumbs of it began raining from above.

Lynne gritted his teeth as he continued using Fiery Sweeps to evade engaging in close-combat against the youth. He knew he stood no chance of even defending a single strike. However, with each exchange, Lynne slowly began noticing flaws in his style, and immediately began correcting them. Luckily, the island was reinforced with some form of array formation, otherwise it would have been blown to pieces long, long time ago.

Lynne was wielding his two Soul Weapons in a beautiful fashion, and had, similarly to youth, stopped using every spell outside of Fiery Sweeps. He rained his Chakrams from above, swept them in a diving or rising arc, he torched the air itself with the weight of each strike, he turned in circles and swept in a whirlwind fashion… yet youth deflected each strike effortlessly. His footwork was perfect, his balance between using two weapons even more so; Lynne wasn’t accustomed to having to guide two different weapons, so he lacked the balance, causing him to have more and more openings in his defense, which in turn caused him to burn more and more Mana on casting Fiery Sweeps. He was well below halfway point of his reserves, and he would run out at any moment.

If it were not for Blaze, which was the reason for the green flames to wreathe his Chakrams and chains passively, and if he was forced to actually cast it himself, he’d burn through the Mana within first few minutes of the fight. Realizing that the youth was still closing in, and was now mere seven or so meters away from Lynne, the latter realized he was at the last strand of strength. His Chakrams worked best at the distance between 10 and 15 meters. The moment someone closed in within 10m, their efficiency would fall off tremendously. He also knew there was no hope in using Aqua Blade per his plans, as the youth would destroy it with a single strike. Eh, may as well test it out…

Lynne sent a sliver of his Soul Force into the special storage within himself: Pyre! Immediately, the storage exploded with tremendous power, causing Lynne’s body to be set ablaze! Golden flames burned hotter and hotter, yet they didn’t harm Lynne in the slightest. They didn’t even burn his clothes.

“Explode!!!” Lynne bellowed loudly; the moment later, the golden flames burning through him stirred for a second, after which they exploded outwardly.

Moving in a ring-like fashion, with Lynne being epicenter, the flames rose like waves, tens of meters high, burning all in their wake. Even the youth was swallowed within the incoming pillage. They expanded for hundreds of meters before coming to a stop. Lynne stood jaw-agape; he actually didn’t defeat the youth, but only managed to send it back with the ring of flames. He was already charging back onto the island to fight Lynne. However, Lynne didn’t care. This youth in front of him was some freak of nature talent; heck, Lynne was unable to whiff his fart while the youth used merely sword stances. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if he began using Spell Arts.

Still, freak of nature is freak of nature; there’s a reason they were called ‘freaks’: they were low in numbers. Did Alloy have freaks akin to this youth? Hell no! This means that his ring of fire truly can become a last resort trump card used to save his life!

“I admit defeat!” Lynne excitedly shouted, as if he had actually won. Just as his voice faded, so did the youth. “Damn, that felt good!” he muttered, immediately sitting down, beginning to meditate. “Truly, there’s no better way to train myself than through the battle. Just now I realized many things, and we barely fought for five minutes… I’m relying too much on my Spell Arts, my control over Soul Weapons is lacking due to the fact that my Soul Force is simply too weak to perfectly fuse with the weapons, my command over Chakrams is terrible because I have no freaking idea how to use them… ugh, I suck. I suck so hard I’m actually feeling pity… for myself. Ah, alas, everyone needs to begin from somewhere. Anyway… that guy’s sword skills were freaking unreal… how can he wield them so smoothly?”

“He left absolutely no gap in his defenses, and even if you killed me I wouldn’t be able to tell how he switched between the stances… hell, I couldn’t even count how many stances he had. I remember him using at least four… hmm, still, dual-wielding longblades is actually rare. No wonder he’s a freak of nature. H-he can’t be the weakest of the spar partners… right? Right?” Please, don’t be the weakest… please…

Alas, he was the weakest.