CHAPTER 150: CHAPTER 150 | UNQUESTIONABLE II

"You have strength, boy," Gaius growled, his voice low and firm, each word carrying the weight of command.

His grip only tightened as he pressed his chest against Jinn’s back, locking him further.

"But strength alone... is nothing without resolve."

Jinn’s body buckled,

his muscles trembling against the hold,

but Gaius’s words continued, cutting deeper than the pressure of his arms.

"You cannot hesitate in your decisions! Whether they are right, or whether they are wrong—it matters not. What matters is that you commit!"

RAAAAAAAAAGH!!!

With a roar, Gaius lifted Jinn bodily into the air before slamming him down with monstrous force.

*BOOM!

*Craaaaack!!!

The ground cracked violently beneath the impact, stone splitting as dust exploded outward in a cloud.

The shockwave rippled across the square, rattling the illuminated banner above them as if it even trembled at the force.

"Kaghk!" Jinn’s voice tore from his throat as his back slammed hard against the stone, the impact rippling through every bone in his body.

The ground itself cracked beneath the force, dust scattering into the air as vibrations echoed outward.

His chest heaved from the shock, his muscles screaming in protest, but there was no chance to recover.

Gaius did not relent.

Like a predator pinning its prey, he mounted Jinn from above, his massive frame casting a shadow under the harsh glow of the banner overhead.

His presence pressed down like a mountain.

"Defend yourself!" Gaius barked, his voice guttural, fueled by both fury and command.

His fist came down with terrifying weight, cutting through the air with a whistle before crashing toward Jinn’s head.

"Kurghk!" Jinn grunted,

*THUD!

his arms snapping up just in time to shield his face.

The strike landed true against his forearms, the shock traveling violently from the point of impact, shuddering down into his chest and ribs.

The force was enough to make his teeth clatter together, his vision flashing white for an instant.

"COME ON!"

Gaius roared, his voice rattling the square as his fist swung again, this time even harder.

*THUD!!

The blow slammed against Jinn’s guard, reverberating through him like a war drum.

The sound of bone against bone, wrapped in flesh and muscle, echoed like thunder.

*THUD!!

Another strike followed.

"See!" Gaius shouted as his fist drove downward.

*THUD!!

Another.

"How!" His voice grew louder, more demanding, punctuated with each blow.

*THUD!!

Another.

"I—" The word came through clenched teeth as his arm blurred with speed.

*THUD!!

And another.

"Don’t hold back!?"

Each word was a hammer, each strike a lesson.

Again and again,

*THUD!! *THUD!! *THUD!! *THUD!! *THUD!! *THUD!! *THUD!! *THUD!!

Gaius’s fists rained down, every swing carrying the full weight of his monstrous strength.

The ground beneath them cracked further from the repeated impacts, tiny fissures splitting outward as if the city itself trembled at the ferocity of the duel.

Jinn’s body shook under the assault, his arms rattling from the sheer punishment.

His teeth ground together as his muscles burned, veins bulging along his forearms.

His body screamed at him—

move, fight back, act!

Crimson energy sparked faintly at his skin, tiny flickers dancing along his frame as his control buckled under the strain.

His eyes snapped open wide, blazing with fury.

"Enough of this!" he roared, his voice a mix of anger and defiance.

*bzzt

*BAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!

In that instant, crimson eidra erupted violently from his arm, exploding outward in a storm of electricity.

The surge lashed across the square like a lightning strike, its energy rippling with savage force.

The backlash slammed into Gaius, swatting him aside in an instant as if he had been struck by a raging tempest.

Seizing the moment,

Jinn’s hand shot to the ground where his weapon had fallen, fingers wrapping around the familiar hilt of Fangeryth

.

With a single pull, he lifted Fangeryth—

*bzzzt *crack! *Bzzzt!

the sword humming to life as it drank in his unleashed power.

Its blade flared brilliantly, flickering with jagged arcs of crimson lightning that snapped and writhed like serpents hungry for blood.

Jinn rose to his feet, body tense, every muscle coiled for battle.

His uncovered eye narrowed into a sharp slit, the crimson glow of his eidra reflecting in their depths.

He held Fangeryth firmly, its weight both comforting and commanding, his aura now one of unshakable conviction.

"You asked for this, old man," Jinn growled, his voice low but laced with deadly promise as he shifted into position, stance firm and prepared.

The air around him buzzed with raw energy, the crimson sparks hissing against the cold night air.

Across from him, Gaius stood tall, brushing off the violent surge as though it was nothing more than a passing storm.

His lips curled into a smirk, his expression equal parts challenge and amusement.

Slowly, deliberately,

*crack! *crack!

he cracked his knuckles one by one, the sound sharp and deliberate in the heavy silence.

Then he extended one hand forward, palm open, fingers curling inward in a beckoning motion.

His grin widened, his voice taunting yet proud.

"Come on, young bull..."

he rumbled, the cigar ember still glowing faintly at the corner of his mouth.

"Show me what you’ve got!"

"Gladly,"

*bzzt!

Jinn muttered, his voice low and sharp,

*BAANG!!!

before his body erupted into motion.

In the span of a heartbeat, he launched forward, the stone beneath his boots cracking from the sheer force of his step.

His dash tore through the air with a thunderous roar, the sound mimicking the crash of storm clouds colliding above the skies.

His blade screamed as it cut through the wind, the steel of Fangeryth alive with unleashed power.

Crimson eidra arced wildly along its edge, sparking and writhing in jagged lines that trailed after his swing.

With the momentum of a storm given flesh, Jinn brought the sword upward from below in a vicious ascending slash, the crimson aura forming a brilliant arc that illuminated the square.

The strike’s trajectory was merciless—aimed to carve through Gaius from chin to crown.

The blade came within inches of its mark.

But before steel could taste flesh, the air itself rebelled.

A sudden distortion rippled outward, almost invisible yet undeniably present.

*WHUUMPH!

A translucent veil of compressed wind snapped into existence, deflecting Fangeryth’s arc.

The crimson-edged blade jolted violently, bouncing off the unseen barrier with a sharp recoil.

The sound of clashing forces—steel against the raw pressure of the elements—rang like a distorted bell.

Jinn reacted instantly, pulling back before his momentum betrayed him.

He spun midair, his body flipping backwards with fluid control.

*Thud!

His boots struck the ground with a harsh skid,

*skrrrrk!

stone scraping under the weight of his landing as he slid to a halt.

His crimson hair whipped around him as he steadied, already refocusing on the looming figure ahead.

His eyes narrowed,

his senses sharpened.

He could feel it clearly now—

the winds wrapping themselves around Gaius’s body like a second skin.

It wasn’t just armor, it was a living barrier, shifting, flowing, reacting.

The General was cloaked in a sheath of elemental force, an extension of his eidra itself.

For a moment, Jinn considered it.

If he removed the eyepatch covering his right eye, he could peer directly into the very composition of Gaius’s eidra.

He could analyze it, dismantle it, and strike precisely where it was weakest.

That power rested within his reach.

But he refused.

Not because he wished to hold back, nor out of arrogance.

No—he refused because of the challenge standing before him.

For all his snobbish tendencies, Jinn relished a true test of strength, one fought not with shortcuts or advantages but with will, skill, and conviction.

This was the kind of battle he longed for.

*bzzt! *crack!

His blade crackled again, crimson lightning snapping viciously along Fangeryth’s edge.

He lowered the sword to his hip, his stance solid, his body coiling like a predator ready to strike once more.

His lips curved faintly, the edge of a smirk tugging at his face.

"I... accept your challenge," he said, his voice steady but carrying a weight that filled the square.

For the first time in the clash, Gaius’s eyes widened.

In that instant, the man did not see Jinn alone.

He saw a ghost—

an image from the past.

Before him stood not just the boy he was testing, but a figure that echoed Venedix herself in her youth.

The resemblance in stance, in spirit, in unyielding defiance was uncanny.

"Mhm!" The General exhaled sharply, both fists clenching as his own power surged to life.

*WHOOOOM!

Winds howled violently, bursting outward from his body in a sudden eruption.

The force tore across the square, kicking up debris and rattling the very stones beneath them.

The banner overhead whipped wildly, its massive fabric thrashing against the furious gusts.

Dust and smoke were cast aside as the General stood at the center of a storm of his own making, his aura towering.

Indomitable.

"Later on..." he said with a smirk, his voice carrying beneath the roaring gusts,

"...you’ll thank me for this moment, boy."