With the combination of strength, willpower, and hatred, Forus managed to cross the distance between him and the blue-robed sorcerer with just one single decisive jump.

"Die!" Forus moved his hand as fast as he could towards the sorcerer, aiming it at the chest. Although he knew that hitting the face would yield more damage, hitting the centre mass was easier.

Forus knew that he could not afford any mistake, for it would result in his definite loss. He only had one chance.

"What a disappointment..." The originally broken black chains abruptly manifested behind the sorcerer. The new chains emitted greater pressure than the ones previously used to bind Forus.

Before the strike could land, Forus disregarded his safety and forcefully controlled Death Aura to condense into the revolting mist. He fused it with his fist and let it empower his explosive strength.

The Death Aura quickly devoured the flesh it came into contact, creating the appearance of the deformed hand. Forus could see his skin gradually blackened and rot away at a visible rate.

The pain was heightening every passing moment, but Forus never let it slow his movement or dim his determination. In an instant, the fist and the chains collided.

The collision between the defective fist and the black chains birthed countless sparks, resulting in various colourful shades floating in the air. The spectacular scene could only serve as concealment to the devastating damage hidden within.

As a mortal, Forus could not handle the aftershock of the crash. By the force of the impact, Forus flew back and crashed onto the wall, creating a deep crater on it. The blow produced a noise that weaved the entire underground chamber.

On the other side of the impact, the sorcerer stood motionless, uninjured and nonchalant. Except for the broken black chains, the entirety of the man was clean and spotless. There was not even any dust on his cloak.

"It's truly a strange way to use Death Aura. Sadly, your body can't handle the burden brought by it." The sorcerer strolled towards Forus, revealing merely a slight trace of fascination.

Regarding the current situation, the sorcerer remained confident and had not yet chanted any spell. He reacted with a carefree attitude and also allowed Forus to slowly get up on his feet.

To the sorcerer, this was merely one strange experiment. Everything was under his control.

Forus struggled to stand up on his own. His legs were numb, and his arms hardly responded to his will anymore. If not for the constant tempering from the experiments and Death Aura, Forus would have collapsed from exhaustion and died from that single collision.

"Do tell; if I double the current explosive power, will I be able to hurt you?" Knowing that the sorcerer gave him time to relax, Forus asked as he tried to calm his body down. If he had more time to familiarize himself with the dart, he could potentially double or even triple his current power.

Unfortunately, Fate did not give him and more time, and he had to make do with the current situation.

"From my estimation, you might be able to break the barrier if you amplified your output five more times." The sorcerer calmly stated his speculation. His honest answer caused Forus to shake his head in disappointment.

Even if he tried his best, he was not sure if he could scatch the invisible barrier. Maybe he would be able to do it, but he would surely die in the process.

Finally stood up, Forus willed, and the Death Aura erupted from his skin, burning his flesh more fiercely than before. He used his body as the momentum and rushed forwards with reckless abandon.

The sorcerer, however, did not have his chains prepared. He merely covered his hands with a changing sphere of ice. The freezing sphere was so cold that Forus could see bluish shade radiating from it.

Even from the distance, Forus could feel his legs trembling from the icy coldness. As his speed slowed down, Forus gritted his teeth and added more Death Aura into his body, causing it to burn stronger.

Like the previous exchange, both sides collided, creating yet another round of flashing light, but this time, Forus was not going to let the same happen to him. He forcefully twisted his body to let only his fist endured the impact.

As crimson blood splashed into the air, red hue covered the room as the bloody fragrance enveloped both Forus and the sorcerer. The impact, endured solely by his fist, blew Forus' entire arm to smithereens.

In quick succession, Forus spun his other fist and hurled it towards the sorcerer. As it travelled its trajectory, the black flame erupted from his skin, rotting it by each passing second; its intensity was even more potent than before, revealing Forus' actual plan.

The fist struck the sorcerer directly; however, before it could damage him, an invisible barrier manifested and blocked the deadly blow; the blue-robed sorcerer had always been cautious. After all, he would not survive if he was lacking in prudence.

Although the barrier could not withstand the strike, it managed to hold the fist out for a split second, successfully serving its purpose for delaying the impact.

This time, after the exchange, the sorcerer was the one sent flying toward the wall. Dust flew as his body crashed onto the building, creating a deafening noise.

Not letting the sorcerer any time to recover, Forus rushed toward the man, enduring the pain caused by his injuries. With every moment wasted, he risked having his only chance to survive extinguished.

By concentrating all his power at his fist, Forus punched towards the sorcerer, creating a cutting sound produced by the destructive might of Death Aura.

"The Snow of Remembrance shall cover all!" Amidst the leap, a strange chant echoed outwards from the blue-robed sorcerer, filling the room with an enchanting air of serenity.

As the incantation ended, a unique ring on the sorcerer's finger shone faintly, creating an invisible wind that blew around him. Along with the wind, countless snowflakes manifested under their guidance.

Without giving any chance to resist, the magical snow slipped passed Forus and landed on his body, melting into his skin and seeping into his soul.

Upon coming into contact with the snow, Forus' body began to stagnate as his eyes turned unfocused. Before long, his breath stabilized as he collapsed onto the floor, unconscious and paralysed.

...

"Dear, you're back." Worried, Meria had been waiting for Forus in front of their house since the sunset. She feared any harm would befall onto him.

"Dad, let's play!" Before Forus could excuse himself, Matia sneaked up from behind and hugged him, begging for his attention.

"... Am I home?" Forus extended his hands forwards. However, as he looked down, he saw a pair of rotten arms, burning in black flame.

The blaze of Death Aura persisted in its intensity, magnifying itself every passing second. As its heat radiated outwards, the vision began to distort as Forus once again fell into the darkness.

...

As his eyes snapped opened, Forus found himself staring at the panting sorcerer, evidently exhausted from the usage of the strange incantation.

At first, Forus tried to move, but his body was restricted by the chains, creating a clanking sound which alerted the sorcerer of Forus' action.

"How is this... even possible? How did you overcome the illusion?!" The sorcerer expressed an extreme amount of surprise as he stood up despite the pain he had to endure.

Clenching his fist, Forus willed, and the black flame manifested once more. This time, the flame did not just rot his fist, but its power extended all over Forus' body, transforming him into a human touch.

The chains which bound Forus instantly crumbled upon coming into contact with the Death Aura, freeing Forus from its restrain.

"You're mad!" The sorcerer panicked, but on his face, a deranged smile manifested as he let out a burst of distorted laughter. His hands moved, and along with his gesture, countless ice spikes revealed themselves.

Forus wasted no time to jump towards the sorcerer, facing off against his army of ice without any fear. With his body as a sacrifice, Forus could exert power beyond his limit and disregarded his injuries.

By the time his fist came close to the sorcerer, numerous ice spikes had also reached Forus. He instinctively closed his eyes, even though he could no longer see anything.

In the darkness before death, Forus imagined about various things. Although he could no longer speak, he still whispered his thoughts inside his mind.

"Meria, wait for me. I'm going to see you soon." Forus thought about his wife, and how he would meet her very soon.

"Matia, I hope you're doing well. I'm sorry, but I've to go." Despite knowing that his daughter would do well, Forus remained worried for her future.

"Intor— in the end— I still haven't visited you." A face, so unknown yet so familiar, manifested in his mind. Forus thought about his brother, and how he was enjoying his life.

Time slowed down in front of the inevitable death. During a single instant, before the blow happened, Forus managed to reflect upon himself every waking moment of his.

"Farewell..." The burning fist hit the ice spikes.

...

"Why am I crying?" The lady in white muttered as tears trickled down from her face. In her distorted vision, she saw a silhouette so familiar yet so distant, strolling towards the sunset.

"Meria, wait for me. I'm going to see you soon." Forus smiled as he looked upwards. His body fading into the rose-like shade.

That day, Meria found herself sitting alone, gazing toward the horizon.

...

Intor Ander was meditating when he suddenly snapped his eyes opened in disbelief. He could feel that something unbelievably precious to him had been stripped away from him.

As if an instance of wisdom struck him, Intor gradually calmed down and pondered about his experience. His mind had never become so clear, that he could comprehend abstract concepts as easy as breathing and drinking.

"Brother, farewell..." Although he did not wish for it, Intor remained grateful for the blessing he received.

...

Matia was an intelligent and hard-working lady. When she first joined Flying Green Garden at the age of ten, her talent for sorcery was classified as a genius-class.

Now, almost eleven years had passed. Her mastery over sorcery had progressed beyond the expectation imposed onto her, making her prospect even brighter than before.

Matia had no surname. She was an orphan picked up by one of the higher-ups of the Garden. Her memory before she joined this place was sealed; she would be able to break the seal once she advanced to the second rank.

"... Who is trying to communicate with me?" Her dark-cyan eyes flashed as she tried to determine the origin of the power. With her high comprehension capacity, she could quickly decipher a part of the communication.

Upon touching the invisible line, Matia felt a headache as the world around her lost their colours. Her vision faded into a monochrome tone as her surrounding turned into various shades of grey.

Little by little, the seals created by higher-ups of the Garden began to break apart. The invisible line slowly corroded the seal, causing the repressed memory to leak out.

... "Mom... dad... where are you?" ...

Countless images flashed past her eyes, and with them, the overwhelming emotions belonged to her previous self. They ruptured in anger and despair at the last scene before she fell unconscious.

In her eyes, the only colourful thing in the entire world was her family.

...

Outside the boundary of Flying Green Garden, a green-robed figure was holding a weak string of light. He examined it for a moment before crushing it into dust.

"An interesting phenomenon... Unfortunately, there isn't enough time for her." The figure shook his head lightly before descending back into Flying Green Garden.

Without the line, Matia failed to hear the last farewell of her father. However, with her gifted attributes, she was quick enough to receive his blessing before the line was terminated.

...

The underground chamber, after the impact, failed to support the weight above it and collapsed onto itself. Although some parts were still in places, most of the structure was already ruined.

At the centre of the wreckage, countless shards of ice and puddles of water lingered. The shade of their colour was crimson, covered in blood.

"This is a serious miscalculation— as expected from the power of that being..." The blue-robed sorcerer crawled out from the wreckage, panting weakly as he froze his body into ice. His lower body was gone, blown away by the impact.

"Still, I am the winner." Although the pain was unbearable, the sorcerer managed to sneak out a smile before groaning again. He needed to quickly stop the bleeding or else he would really die.