Flames That Never Extinguish
Too strong. Countless embers rained down from the sky. Front, back, left, right. Torrents of water surged from every direction, threatening to swallow them whole. Darkness writhed at their feet, rearing up to seize their throats.
Flam, Portus, and Kalligo. The trio had given their all. They'd unleashed every attack in their arsenal. Drawing on every form of ability control they'd honed until now, they'd fought to overpower the enemy before them.
"Flam! Get it together! You giving up already?!"
"I'm still fine, damn it?!"
A lie. He looked ready to collapse any second. His stamina was scraping bottom. The flames that had blazed fiercely at the start had lost much of their vigor now. A clear sign of his limits.
Abilities couldn't be used freely at any time without cost. Like all power, they weren't infinite. Use them, and you tired. The more you used, the stronger the strain on your body. If you kept pushing without stopping?
Permanent disability. Or in the worst case, runaway—death.
"Lord Kalligo!"
"I know, no need to say it!"
Kalligo swapped positions with Flam. Darkness erupted massively from all sides, binding Jureung tight. Thanks to that, Flam bought a brief moment to survey the situation.
Not good.
There were three of them. Even one attack each added up to three. The enemy was just one. So they should have tired first, forcing him to expend three times the effort. That's how it should have gone.
But the man who'd introduced himself as Jureung was still holding strong. Not fresh as a daisy, but nowhere near as worn out as they were. Now Flam understood why he'd called them "young friends." It wasn't provocation or disdain. Just an objective assessment.
How much experience did he have? How many ability users had he fought—and taken lives from? Would his own name join the list of those sacrificed to this man today?
"Don't forget, Flam."
From his childhood, when he lacked both the power and confidence he had now. Words from his father, already the continent's top pyrokinesis user.
"Flames must burn even in the moment they flicker out."
Such a strange saying. Burn even as they go out? Was that even possible? It paired words that couldn't coexist! As a kid, he hadn't gotten it.
But now, he did. He understood what his father had meant.
"Hey, Portus. Move aside!"
"You stubborn pyro maniac! I pulled back to let you recover, and now you're trying to burn out completely?!"
The Phoenix family never, ever went out. They burned to the end. Let's see if you turned to ash first or if his own firewood gave out before that.
With that thought, Flam squeezed out every last drop of power. He conjured a fireball of utterly unprecedented size. No—a blazing meteor of pure flame.
"Hah!"
Even Jureung, who hadn't lost his composure until now, let out a sigh of genuine surprise. His ability seal was his weapon, sure. But taking that head-on? Even he couldn't be certain he'd walk away unscathed.
Impressive. A true son of Lord Phoenix.
Maybe he could try persuading him more. But Jureung shook his head. Akin Phoenix hated Ability Supremacy more than anything. The man wore his title of "Lord" like some badge of honor—the fool who saw duty as glory.
Which is exactly why I must kill these young friends.
A parent who lost a child would rage, of course. But they'd also taste deep despair and defeat. This powerhouse was nearly untouchable now. Lose his son, though, and cracks would show. Strike then, and he'd eliminate a major obstacle for good. Perfect.
BOOM!!
Entering the ability-nullifying field, the massive fireball vanished in an explosion of nothing. Another strike wasted. But had it truly done nothing to Jureung?
No. He still drew on his own stamina to wield his power. Nullifying something that massive came at a cost. For a moment, Jureung's breathing grew ragged. He seemed to stroll leisurely, but it was like sprinting flat-out nonstop.
Who would tire and fall first? Whose ability would hit its stamina limit first?
The fight came down to experience—and the edge raw combat tension gave.
"Urk!"
Flam dropped first. Kalligo filled the gap, but he was at his limit too. Portus held out longest. But even he had no margin left. Alone, he might flee. But leaving those two? His feet wouldn't move.
SHHHH!!
The shift came right after. Tiny embers flew in from somewhere, encircling Jureung. Pathetic scraps. Mildly warm at best.
Which was exactly why Jureung didn't move rashly. He paused to assess. Could be a trick. Seemingly powerless, but packed with condensed heat or explosive force.
He'd already burned a lot of stamina. If his ability ran dry, this overwhelming advantage vanished. Caution was natural.
As Jureung hesitated, Seria dashed in from somewhere, grabbing Flam.
"Miss Seria? Why'd you come back?!"
"I can't just run alone! Come on!"
They couldn't win. So run, fast. That was Seria's call.
At first, the three guys resisted. But her shout—"You all planning to die here?!"—snapped them awake.
But their foe, the supremacist Jureung, wasn't one to underestimate. They'd pinned him, yet instead of pressing, they fled? It felt off.
No way?
Jureung, who'd kept up the seal nonstop, withdrew his power. Not to conserve stamina. Instead, he cautiously touched one of the encircling embers.
"...Hah."
He realized it instantly. The girl who'd boldly disrupted him was just a failure with utterly worthless power.
What was this? The young trio had at least shown solid ability. But this girl? Ability user in name only—her power was laughably weak.
"Even so, did you think such a sloppy feint would work?!"
As Jureung accelerated, Portus hastily summoned a massive wave. But it wasn't the same. A decent-depth puddle was his best now.
Jureung sealed it effortlessly. He'd blocked that huge wave with ease—what was a puddle to him?
His power wasn't just sealing. He wielded physical enhancement too. Ranged attacks? Useless. Close quarters? Still sealed. But he was enhanced—any clash meant certain defeat. Desperate odds.
"Lord Kalligo. Please protect Miss Seria and that pyro maniac."
"Portus! No! Retreat now, at least!"
"We'll all die like this."
Water wasn't just for sweeping away. It rose to protect too. Like a moat before castle walls. Filled to the brim.
Portus meant to block this overwhelming foe to the last. He knew he couldn't win. His side's stamina would give out first while the enemy kept using power. But what could he do? He couldn't just watch the others fall first.
Especially that girl Seria. Something had seemed off about her from the start, and now even more so. He couldn't let her die here.
"Fine. Starting with Master Sparrow's son isn't bad either!"
As Jureung closed in, Portus gritted his teeth—
"Not yet."
Suddenly, someone lunged at Jureung from the side.
"You and I still have business."
KABOOM!!
Jureung twisted at the last second, sensing the flank attack. The two tangled in ultra-close combat, rolling across the floor, slamming into walls, unleashing thunderous roars.
"A-Abel?"
Yes. Abel. The classmate who'd been blasted through the wall by Jureung's strike earlier. The hit had been so precise. The damage so severe. Moderate injury at best—fatal at worst, they'd thought.
"Huuuuh…."
Battered and bloodied everywhere, Abel still moved.
"What are you?"
Portus wasn't the only shocked one. Jureung was too. He'd been the only one using physical enhancement. For every hit he took, he'd countered at least three times. Yet the guy hadn't fallen. Bones cracked and broken in places. Pain stabbing his lungs with every breath. And still he stood!
"Losing my ability doesn't mean I lose my endurance too."
Licking the blood from his face, Abel grinned.
Conviction hit Jureung. Capture that guy, and growth beyond ability awakening would follow. The fame he'd craved. Glory in the ability user world. Undeniable.
...Just a tiny bit. Makes me wonder if it's really an ability user story, but anyway.