The Devil’s Hearth clashed violently with the Eye. Never had the custodians faced any miscreants quite like these. Their Demonic Ki, their combat prowess, and their fearless will to dive into battle made the wizards overwhelmingly strong.

  The Sokidus had been ordered to the rear and most of the 200 Parliamentarians had come to the front lines. The Zaatsus were backing them up with strength and their unmatched command over Ki.

  But the Eye was being pushed back by the Demon worshippers. Their set formation had been disturbed. The punishing attacks of the wizards – spell after spell, strike after strike – were proving heavier than they would have liked.

  The Zeta Squad arrived at the scene, led by Neil. They saw the attack concentrated at the gate but wizards escaping on either side trying to find ways into the city. At a battlement south of the gate, there was a small group of Martial Artists struggling. Upon the young Zaatsu’s directive, Marcus shot a powerful flame ball at the group of wizards attacking scattering them and halting their charge. Ella then led to undo the Demonic charms allowing Camille and Neil a chance to attack directly.

  The squad leader, Zaatsu Master Tiago Mora of the City Guard, joined the siblings and they rounded up the weakened wizard septet quickly. But the battle had taken its toll on his weaker, inexperienced squad members. The trio was badly injured.

  “Take them back,” the 34-year-old Zaatsu said. “The medics have set up camps three miles inside.”

  “What about the mobile triage units?” Neil quickly asked. “Where are they?”

  He shook his head. “They’re much more useful in keeping the standing ones from falling. For now, the fallen need to be taken back to the camps.”

  The guardian moved a step closer. “Split the group, Neil,” he said, placing a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “You guys have faced the wizards before. The way you intervened, you know how to tackle them. Right?”

  Neil nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “Stay with me right here then.” He looked at the others. “The rest of you guys, take my squad back to the medics and then stay there.”

  Camille pleaded. “Stay there? But Master…”

  “Someone needs to guard the camps, young one,” Tiago interrupted. “You guys are absolutely the right people for that.”

  After merely a moment’s pause, he exclaimed, “Move! More wizards are on their way! There’s no time to waste! GO!”

  And more wizards did come. But so did more Eye compatriots. And as Camille, Ella, and Marcus escaped with the injured, a larger battle ensued.

  Larger still, however, was the dual duel unfolding a few miles away – Hugo Baylis up against Ambris Ferrer, and Vincent the White Bolt versus Derek the Alchemist and his aides.

  With his yataghan in hand, Hugo attacked with unbound ferocity. Ambris, wielding a dagger in each hand, defended with elegance of a seasoned warrior, and attacked with blinding speed. He was aggressively attempting to get close and slip inside the yataghan’s arc. But Hugo was up to the task. Showing the colours of his teachers and mentors, the Zaatsu was matching the Basilisk blow for blow and tactic for tactic.

  Ambris blocked a strike of the yataghan with his dagger. With a grunt, Hugo pushed Ki into his blade and applied pressure. It was more than the Basilisk expected. He was thrown back. Mid-air, the brute retaliated – the daggers crossed with a metallic shriek, an X carved into the air. Energy compressed between the blades… then detonated. The cross tore loose as a roaring, sharp Ki wave exploded, shredding everything in its path.

  Hugo jumped up. “Not like this,” he exclaimed and brought his sword down swiftly. Ki extended from the blade and cut the X in half. The broken Ki deteriorated quickly. Both the dualists landed and rushed at each other once more.

  The intensifying war was spreading wide. Taking aim, multiple wizards combined their Ki and unleashed a Demonic Ki beam. Martial Artists quickly got out of the way barely avoiding a fatal blow. But the beam kept going and travelled more than a mile in no time until it reached Vincent…

  The Alchemist and both his partners leaped away to avoid the blast.

  But the White Bolt simply put up his right hand, engulfed in a maroon, viscous shroud of energy.

  The Serpents of God trio gawked in awe as the white haired bounty hunter simply deflected the beam as if it was a pebble thrown at him by a baby.

  “What the hell was that?” one of them said, gasping.

  It was not a matter of strength. With Vincent, it rarely was. It was his peculiarly strong and almost supernatural control over Demonic Ki.

  He smiled. “Surprised?”

  “Not one bit…” Derek’s stance widened. “Aristide, Lee – take the lead, gents.”

  Aristide, the senior bandit of the Serpents, rested his twinblade across his shoulders, while Lee, his younger partner, spun an axe in each hand. They slowly began moving towards Vincent.

  Bent ahead, the White Bolt took a deep breath. In his extended hand, a katana appeared. “Bring it on…”

  The duo rushed at him and attacked ferociously. But Vincent was fast and his movements fluid – he avoided their attacks comfortably and defended when necessary just as easily.

  Before he could retaliate, however, Derek intervened. The ground beneath the White Bolt’s feet began to melt. He was forced to leap away. But as he did, vines rushed at him. He cut through them, but was then engaged by the bandits once more.

  It was an effective strategy keeping Vincent’s focus divided – Derek kept a distance and continuously distracted him with the elements while the Serpents remained close and kept attacking him every chance they got. Where the White Bolt could have dominated with his speed and superior skills, the battle had become an equally contested one.

  Elsewhere, Fiona stumbled and fell to her knees before quickly gathering herself.

  “Master Bennett!” A Sokidu came rushing to her aide and helped her to her feet.

  The Mystic thanked him and then looked back – several Martial Artists lay dead along with many wizards. But there were many who were injured also. “Take them,” she said, looking at her junior who was now joined by a group of friends. “Take the injured ones back. And tell Master Talgatov to push forces back wherever necessary. We must avoid unnecessary casualties.”

  “What about you, Master?”

  “I will rally the Parliamentarians to undo the Demonic charms empowering the damned wizards. Without the charms they are nothing! Relay the message. Talgat will know what to do.”

  The Sokidu and his friends quickly rushed off to help the injured ones.

  Fiona looked up at the sky then tightly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She steadied her Ki to regain composure. Within seconds she was ready to jump right back in. And she rushed off to help Mystics in undoing the Demonic charms.

  A sudden spike of Ki caught the attention of the entire war zone. An unsettling trace of harsh Ki violently pacing through – they all felt it… Ambris had summoned the basilisks.

  Someone exclaimed, “The basilisks!”

  “Don’t worry,” Master Rickard calmed him down. “Our best chance is on it already…”

  Hugo stood tall staring down the beasts and the monster controlling them.

  “Broken blades won’t do much, Baylis,” he said, grinning. “But this should be fun…”

  The two basilisks stood restlessly on his either flank. Hugo saw the familiar rock hard exterior and felt the pure earth-Ki interior – it reminded him of how Marion once battled not two but three of these beasts and still came out on top.

  He threw his cracked yataghan away, straightened himself, and smiled. “I’m a good observer, Ambris, and I take notes. I remember how Marion destroyed all three of your beasts.”

  The smile on the brute’s face disappeared quickly. “Then let’s see you replicate her fluke…”

  The basilisks rushed directly at Hugo who avoided easily by teleporting and landing on top of a tree. Ambris came down from overhead. He kicked with force but the Zaatsu leaped away. The tree branch got shattered from the attack.

  But then, Hugo noticed a basilisk closing in from behind him.

  “Shit…” he whispered.

  The wind barrier he put up mitigated the damage but he was thrown away from the force of the basilisk ramming into him. Couple of backflips and the Zaatsu finally steadied himself.

  He shook his head. ‘Come on, Hugo! You’re not strong enough to overpower him. You’ve got to take them out first.’

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  On the other side of the trees, Vincent decided to flip the script on the tactics of the Alchemist and his aides. With his sword broken, he was constantly leaping and teleporting away, staying a safe distance from his adversaries. To further upset them and counterattack, he was using small Ki blasts and wizardry.

  The trio was starting to take some serious damage. If they dodged the incoming Ki blast, they would be swept by a gust of wind, and if they avoided that too, then a spell would catch them off guard. The White Bolt’s vast array of skills was giving him a clear edge.

  ‘I’ve to get a move on,’ Vincent thought. ‘These tactics are exhausting a lot of Ki.’

  He paused the Ki attacks and stuck to wizardry for a bit. Aristide and Lee saw it as an opportunity. White Bolt or not, they knew the extensive Ki use was going to be exhaustive. Derek joined them as well as they began pushing forward.

  Vincent grinned. ‘Perfect…’

  All he wanted was to lure them in and let them feel comfortable. And then came the Instantaneous charge – he pushed Ki into his feet and suddenly rushed at the trio. He was far faster than any of them. They could not react fast enough. He rammed into Derek, throwing him away.

  Quickly turning back, the bounty hunter raised both hands above his head and chanted, “FORSUV-TAWUM-PETRICHOR!”

  A connection was formed between his Ki and the atmospheric Ki in the air above the bandits. As he brought his hands down, the Ki came down upon the duo with speed. Aristide managed to avoid getting hit. Lee, however, was not so lucky. The downward force was so great that it crushed his bones – the cracks were loud enough for both Vincent and Aristide to hear.

  “That’s one down,” said Vincent. “Two to go…”

  As he then tried to move towards Derek, a huge explosion in the far shook the ground underneath his feet. He lost his balance and fell on all fours. The wizards of the Devil’s Hearth had caused a massive Ki blast taking out an entire contingent of Martial Artists in the process.

  By the time the bounty hunter got to his feet, both Aristide and Derek were ready to fight as well. The war at the border had stretched out for miles now. The Eye was trying its level best to keep the assailants from entering Ayn but it was starting to take its toll.

  Talgat Talgatov rushed, tearing through the battle lines, and arrived at the blast site.

  “Orlov!” he screamed then covered his mouth and nose with his muffler. But no one was left to answer. Bloody mist and contaminated smoke filled the area – Master Orlov and his entire contingent of over hundred Martial Artists had been taken out in one overwhelming suicide explosion of Ki.

  More wizards moved in slowly.

  Talgat looked at the unguarded wall behind him, then observed the attackers coming in.

  He whispered, “Over my dead body,” and began charging his Ki, adamant to hold the fort until reinforcements could arrive. But the odds were stacked against him. The Zaatsu was about to face 50 wizards of the Devil’s Hearth charged with Demonic Ki – alone.

  Ambris and Hugo had felt the blast as well, but they remained unbothered. It would have taken more than a mere shockwave to disturb these two.

  The Basilisk threw his jacket away. “Let’s move this along, shall we…”

  Hugo nodded, panting. “Wouldn’t have it any other way…”

  The brute rushed at the Zaatsu and they duelled ferociously. Weapons broken, they brawled with bare fists. Hugo felt as if he was fighting against a steel wall. No matter how much Ki he put into his attacks, no matter how much strength he focused, he was hardly putting a dent in Ambris.

  Even the punches that got through left his knuckles sore and wrists screaming in protest. It made little sense. He had punched down walls, dug into mountains, and fought many a great foe – but none of them were like Ambris Ferrer.

  Hugo tried creating distance and leaped away but that only gave the two basilisks a chance to intervene. And they were no less relentless. Their skin was perhaps even harder and their attacks were even heavier. The Zaatsu had found himself in between a rock and a hard place – almost literally.

  It was exhausting, he was losing Ki, and he was hurting. He understood that no matter how much he tried, he could not overpower and defeat this man. So, he shifted to subtler tactics.

  This time, when he leaped back, he shifted his concentration towards the two serpents. As they moved closer, Ambris noticed that they suddenly slowed down. The brute immediately rushed ahead to attack Hugo but the Zaatsu vanished.

  “My, my,” the Basilisk said. “You’re full of tricks, Baylis.”

  Not only could he not see him, he could not even sense Hugo’s Ki. Blending in with the elements in the surroundings, he had immobilized the two basilisks. The beasts were made of pure earth Ki, and Hugo had command over all elements. But his control paled in comparison to Ambris’s.

  One jerking motion of his arms, and the basilisks shook themselves free. However, the time he had bought was enough for Hugo to prepare a decisive attack.

  Ambris turned around and shot a Ki wave straight at a tree. Hugo was hiding behind it. Sensing the incoming wave he quickly leaped high in the air.

  The brute was more focused on attacking. He did not anticipate what was coming next.

  Suddenly, two huge bolts of lightning fell atop the beasts!

  Ambris ducked for cover as the bolts of electric charge cracked open the basilisks’ rock hard exterior. The Ki within overloaded and they exploded throwing rocks and dust all over.

  Hugo landed safely. A few smaller bolts discharged from his body.

  A breath came out sharp through his nose and Ambris shook dust and rocks off of himself. His jaw tightened, eyes narrowing as the irritation finally surfaced. “You’re full of tricks, Baylis. The lightning bolts were just the right choice to pierce the skin of my pets.”

  The Zaatsu breathed a sigh of relief and calmed the current down. “I learned from the best.”

  “So did I, boy. But I never went after elemental conduction. Conquering all elements seemed a fruitless task.”

  “For you, it really was…”

  Ki spread across multiple elements lost density per element. Hence, although Ambris never surpassed Warren in total strength – he surpassed him in elemental saturation – the physical manifestation of it was his summoning of the basilisks.

  “Your control over the earth Ki is second to none,” Hugo added as he massaged his wrists.

  Ambris grinned momentarily and then shifted, pacing sideways in a slow arc around the Zaatsu, never turning his back, never breaking eye contact. “Then let’s find out how good you really are…”

  Elsewhere, Zaatsu Masters Markson and Owusu killed the last of the Demonic wizards that had arrived at the western battlements and secured that part of the wall. But when they looked around, they saw destruction – Martial Artists injured, hurt, or dead, the wall itself damaged, and debris fallen on the street below.

  Benny Markson fell to his knees. Short of breath and waning Ki, he needed a breather, but the job was not done yet. Master Owusu placed a hand on his shoulder. “Come, brother. There’s much work still to be done.”

  The young Zaatsu came to his feet. “Right then. It looks like the Parliamentarians are doing a good job with the charms. We need to rally the soldiers at the wall to make sure nothing gets through.”

  Owusu looked back at the city and said, “But we need to be realistic.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There will always be some leaks…”

  Ella and Marcus, along with three young Mystics, were facing off against six wizards in the middle of a wide street. The miscreants had sneaked in to attack the camps being set up for medical assistance and healing. Recognized by Mystics, they were finally intercepted and halted by Ella and Marcus. The duo knew exactly how to handle wizards of the Devil’s Hearth.

  “You’re no inexperienced fighters,” a wizard opined. “You know our magic.”

  “Oh, we don’t just know it, creep,” Marcus replied, grinning. “We’ve seen it and fought it, we’ve lived through it and we’re ready to have at it again.”

  The powerhouse Sokidu burned bright as flames rose from his body. The infiltrators no longer had moles assisting them, they no longer had any elements of surprise, nor was their magic new to them.

  Assisted by the Mystics, Marcus took down the half dozen wizards easily and secured the medical camp.

  “You stay with them, Cami,” he said, looking at Camille. “We’re gonna do a checkup of other camps. If that’s the strategy they’re going for, then it’s better to check than to mourn.”

  Leaving Camille in charge of the camp, Ella and Marcus went off to check the neighbouring camps.

  Outside the city, pushing to the edge of the Lake Baikal, Aristide and Derek were trying to drain Vincent. They had surrounded the bounty hunter and were not letting him break away. He was using up his Ki fast.

  They punched one after the other. The White Bolt caught both fists hard, stopping them dead.

  Something twisted inside him tore free. He whispered, “No choice…”

  The air buckled. Vincent’s hair lifted in a slow, unnatural sway – and the surge rippled outward, snapping Derek’s coat and dragging Aristide’s sleeves tight as if a current had passed through them.

  “What?!” Derek exclaimed. He could not recognise it. This was not usual elemental conduction.

  He pulled the serpents in – they smashed against each other – and then the White Bolt went on a ferocious offensive. Punch after punch, strike after strike, he kept coming at them as if he had been suddenly rejuvenated.

  Aristide noticed the bounty hunter’s eyes – they burned maroon – the colour of Demonic Ki. The bolts of static current radiating from his body and burning everything in the surrounding area, were also tainted with the same maroon hue.

  He tried grabbing control of the white haired man’s Ki. The bandit was skilled. Not to the level of Ambris, but he had a knack of manipulating Demonic Ki. However, he could not even find a connection.

  Wide-eyed, he stared. He stared for a few moments too many. Vincent’s punch went straight through his defences and hit cleanly at the gawking man’s jaw. As he reeled back, the White Bolt said, “It’s not what you think, you demon worshiper!”

  The following surge of current that extended from the White Bolt’s hand pierced a gaping hole through the bandit. He coughed blood. But the hole burnt black and did not bleed – all the blood there had been dried.

  “Aristide, no!” Derek leaped away. He grunted as he extended his arms and used all the strength he could muster. The entire area surrounding the White Bolt – the ground and grass beneath his feet, the trees next to him, and the air and water vapours around him, all began to terraform. The Alchemist screamed some more as he turned the entire area into a pit of flame, fire, and lava.

  But he was prepared. He knew after seeing him make a mockery of their tricks that this man was not going to go down easily. And sure enough, Vincent had escaped. He had teleported behind Derek.

  However, the Alchemist chose not to show that he knew exactly where the White Bolt was. And just as the bounty hunter started to move in to attack, Derek chanted, “COROSOV-TERAMUV…”

  The wizarding spell was to immobilize Vincent. It created a connection between the host’s Ki and the atmosphere around them, binding them right where they were.

  But wide-eyed Derek stared as the incoming White Bolt never halted even for a moment. He never flinched. He never took his eyes off. A couple of heavy blows to the gut and a powerful uppercut sent the Alchemist flying into the same lava that he had created.

  He burned, but only for a moment. He turned the lava and the fire back into the broken forest.

  “You’re immune,” he said, panting, sweating, and aching. Derek’s usual composure had shattered. His mouth parted in a silent gasp, pupils dilated as the impossible unfolded before him. “How are you immune?”

  “You look like a deer caught in the headlights there, Derek.” Vincent grinned. “And here I was thinking you had figured me out…”

  The Alchemist’s eyes went wide, his breath catching as if the world had just shifted beneath him. “But that’s impossible! You never countered… you’re immune! Your Ki… what is your Ki?!”

  “Oh, don’t worry, tongue-man.” The White Bolt straightened himself and took a deep breath. “I’ve been living with that question my entire life…”