Just as Rourke braced himself for the incoming blade, a red tail slammed into Haunted’s side, sending him flying out of sight.
“Please don’t ignore me and push forward with your conversation.”
Turning his head, Rourke saw Leia and Salamander glaring at Haunted, who had been sent flying. Salamander, in particular, had flames leaking from its mouth, clearly furious.
“Ah, I got so focused on talking with Rourke that I forgot about you.”
“Then I’ll make sure you remember.”
Leia muttered with anger in her voice, and Salamander roared in response.
“Guh!”
The roar, imbued with the spiritual power unique to dragon species, temporarily paralyzed Haunted, leaving him unable to move.
“Rourke-senpai.”
The sudden roar also affected Rourke, who winced slightly and knelt on one knee. Leia called out to him.
“Pull yourself together. I don’t know what you’re hiding, but there’s no way you’re the same as that man.”
“L-Leia?”
“You’re the senpai we juniors admire at Eutrea Academy.”
Leia spoke with a firm voice, reminding Rourke of the moments she had seen him—during the freshman welcome party, ancient ruins exploration, ranking match, and even during the academy’s attack.
“…………”
“So, Rourke-senpai, can I count on your support? This time, I want to send him flying.”
“…Yeah, I got it.”
For a moment, Rourke was stunned by his junior’s words, but soon a smile spread across his face as he stood up, shifting his mindset.
“Let’s go all out! I’ll support you with everything I’ve got!”
“I’m counting on you!”
With Leia’s response, Salamander spread its wings wide and landed behind her.
“Salamander! Show him your true inferno!”
“Gaaaaah!”
Salamander roared once in acknowledgment, then took a deep breath. Simultaneously, its body began to emit heat, and its massive form burst into crimson flames.
“This… This is bad.”
Haunted, sensing the danger from Salamander’s spiritual power, forced his still-paralyzed body to move by channeling his own spiritual energy. Just then, the ground behind him rose up, forming a humanoid shape that grabbed and restrained him.
“This is my junior’s moment to shine. Don’t interfere.”
“You’re really annoying!”
Haunted shattered the earthen arms and tried to move again, but the ground beneath him sank. Looking down, he realized Rourke had summoned water and earth spirits to create a swamp beneath his feet.
“Tch!”
“Leia! Don’t worry about the aftermath! Go all out!”
Rourke shouted as he raised the surrounding earth into a dome-like wall around Haunted, sealing off any escape from the flames.
Leia, hearing Rourke’s voice, calmly issued a command to her fire dragon, like an executioner.
“Cremation.”
The immense spiritual power gathered in Salamander’s mouth, and with a brilliance akin to the sun, the scorching inferno was unleashed toward Haunted.
“Ugh!”
The inferno, incomparable in heat and spiritual power to anything before, swallowed Haunted in an instant, painting the two’s vision in red.
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“…………”
The earthen wall Rourke had erected to protect himself from the aftermath of Salamander’s breath crumbled. The sight that greeted him left him speechless.
The land looked like a scorched wasteland. The dome-shaped earthen walls, meant to contain the flames and minimize damage to the surroundings, had been completely obliterated—a testament to the sheer power of the attack.
In fact, this single strike might have even surpassed the power of Misha’s spiritual arts.
It was that overwhelming.
“Hah… hah…”
“Grrr…”
Leia, sweating profusely and breathing heavily, and Salamander, growling in exhaustion, showed just how much they had expended in that one attack.
Given the power, it was only natural.
“That was… exhausting.”
“You okay?”
“…Yes, my spiritual energy is a bit strained, but I’ll manage.”
“Good. Rest for a bit.”
As Rourke spoke to the exhausted Leia, he summoned four minor spirits around them and turned his gaze toward the scorched wasteland, where Haunted still showed no reaction.
“We really went all out… Was that not enough?”
“It should’ve worked, but I can still feel his presence.”
“He’s using evil spirits… Just who is he?”
Leia muttered in exasperation, and Rourke wholeheartedly agreed in his mind.
Who the hell is this guy, judging people’s talents on a whim and demanding they join him? Seriously, what’s his deal?
“—!”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
A chilling, ominous aura emanated from ahead.
Rourke and Leia immediately braced themselves as a pool of blood-like red spiritual energy bubbled up from the ground, revealing Haunted, now shirtless.
“…Phew.”
Haunted exhaled as he brushed off the dirt and ash clinging to his body, leaving the two speechless.
“I really thought I was going to die there. Seriously.”
“No way…”
His clothes were burnt, and his body bore burn marks, but that was it. Haunted showed signs of fatigue and damage, but he was still very much alive.
“Monster…”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Rourke couldn’t help but curse, and Haunted responded by turning his gaze toward Leia.
“You really went all out, didn’t you, girl?”
“!!”
The moment their eyes met, Leia felt a terror that made her hair stand on end, her body frozen as if bound.
“I wasn’t planning to kill you, but you went too far… Shall we end this?”
Haunted’s previously carefree demeanor turned cold and ruthless as he unleashed a spiritual art without hesitation.
“Vlad, impalement.”
The spirit’s blade glowed crimson, and the ground around Haunted turned red. Countless scarlet stakes shot out of the ground like arrows, aimed straight at Leia.
“Tch!”
Rourke clicked his tongue and activated a spiritual art, quickly forming an earthen ceiling to shield them. But the stakes were heavy, and the ceiling was destroyed in moments.
“Run!”
“Ah!?”
Realizing the next ceiling would be pointless, Rourke grabbed Leia and sprinted to escape the rain of stakes.
“Ugh!”
But before they could get out of range, several stakes closed in. Rourke shielded Leia, dodging and deflecting them, but some grazed his body, staining it with blood. He is now in the range of the rain of spears.
“Guh!”
“Gaaaaah!”
“Salamander!?”
Salamander, realizing the danger, spread its wings to protect them, but countless stakes pierced its back, forcing it to let out a pained cry. Already drained from the previous attack, Salamander eventually vanished.
“That annoying lizard’s gone.”
“You bastard!”
Rourke shouted in anger as he continued to run, but escaping the relentless rain of stakes seemed hopeless.
“Senpai! Leave me behind! If it’s just you—”
“Shut up! I’ll protect you!”
Rourke silenced the struggling Leia in his arms, then turned on his heel, abandoning the idea of escape. He focused his strength—there was no choice but to use it.
“Hurricane Blade!”
The power of the wind spirit infused his sword, and a raging storm erupted.
Rourke stomped the ground and swung his sword horizontally. The wind released from the blade formed a wall of air, blocking the incoming stakes.
He repeated the motion two, three times, finally managing to fend off the spiritual art. Rourke’s breathing was ragged from maintaining maximum output, and the Hurricane Blade was dispelled. His spiritual energy was severely depleted.
“Hah… hah…”
“I won’t let you escape.”
Haunted coldly watched Rourke, then flipped his sword and plunged it into the ground.
“Guh!?”
Rourke’s feet turned red, and in the next moment, stakes erupted from the ground, piercing his body.
“Senpai!”
Leia cried out in anguish as she saw Rourke’s body impaled.
Rourke had thrown Leia out of harm’s way at the last moment, but in doing so, he lost his chance to escape and was skewered himself.
“Oh, I can’t have you dying on me.”
Haunted frowned slightly as he pulled his sword from the ground, and the stakes impaling Rourke dissolved into liquid. Rourke collapsed to the ground, and Leia rushed to his side in a panic.
“Rourke-senpai!”
“Gah!”
Though the vital areas were avoided, the wound was still severe enough to be life-threatening. If left untreated, it could endanger Rourke’s life.
Determined to heal his injuries even a little, Leia gathered her remaining spiritual energy and began to cast a healing spell. Just then, the sound of footsteps reached her ears, and she looked up.
“Ah…”
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