CHAPTER 59: CHAPTER 55: THE POWER OF FLAME

BANG! Sparks flew!

The Flying Sword, slightly deflected by Stan Sol’s arm, bounced away unexpectedly. It then resounded with a peculiar SPLUTTER! in mid-air, spun bizarrely, and smoothly soared towards the opposite mountain peak.

The Flying Sword halted in mid-air upon reaching the mountaintop. On the peak, a man in an earthy yellow robe stood with his hands clas meninas, his taut muscles threatening to burst the thin fabric of his clothing. Despite the increasingly frigid winter weather, his clothes were thin. Igor couldn’t help but worry if this man, like Hustace, would be injured overnight by the cold mountain winds.

The man raised both his hands, and the other sword on his back floated into the air. He then flicked his fingers swiftly forward—and with a WHOOSH, his two Flying Swords shot towards Stan Sol again.

"Be careful!" Igor involuntarily warned those around him as he watched the Flying Swords approach. Kadi, Hustace, and Stan Sol were all people Igor cared about.

CLANG! Stan Sol’s reaction was equally swift. This time, he raised his purple robe, deftly blocking and parrying the continuous stabs of the dual swords. His purple robe danced in the air as he parried the Flying Swords, resembling a butterfly gracefully fluttering its wings in rhythm—a truly spectacular sight!

After a succession of unsuccessful attacks, the dual swords made another SPLUTTER! SPLUTTER! as they spun and flew back.

"Hehe, to form a Spirit Power Shield so casually, you’re indeed not simple!" said the man on the mountaintop, a grin revealing his snow-white teeth. The pair of Flying Swords beside him bobbed slowly up and down.

Stan Sol paid no heed to the man on the mountaintop. He turned to look at Igor and the others, and spoke in his unique intonation, pausing after every word, "You guys, be careful. I can’t, guarantee, there won’t, be any, collateral damage." Igor and Kadi nodded vigorously, though Hustace looked utterly puzzled.

Hustace was naturally unaware of what was happening. He was just a clueless young master, oblivious to the fact that all this commotion was his doing. If he had obediently stayed in the Governor’s Mansion, enjoying the privileges due to him, none of this would have occurred...

The fiercely built man in earthy yellow clothing on the mountaintop was Baharo. He had encountered some trouble tracking Hustace because Hustace had used the Invisibility Cloak. Baharo had spent the entire previous night focused on finding the faint traces Hustace had left on the road. After rushing through the night, he finally spotted Hustace on the mountain. When Baharo saw Hustace with his hands bound by a strange figure, he realized he was a step too late.

Stan Sol’s indifference didn’t seem to rile Baharo. His face still bore a brilliant smile, as if he were facing an old drinking buddy rather than an adversary.

"Hehe, I like powerful men; they never waste words. Not like me, always spouting nonsense!" As soon as he finished speaking, the two Flying Swords beside him swooped in again.

It all happened in a flash. Once again, Stan Sol danced and dodged in his long robe. The speed of the two attacking Flying Swords had doubled, making it difficult to perceive their trajectory, leaving only fleeting flashes of sword light around Stan Sol.

Igor had never witnessed such an attack. At the academy, he had mostly seen fights relying on Physique Techniques, leading him to believe that all combat outcomes were determined by the strength of one’s Physique Techniques.

"What’s a Spirit Power Shield?" Kadi asked in a whisper, his single eye wide.

Hustace, who despite nearly dying had recovered some vitality and reverted to his knowledgeable self, explained, "That’s an application developed after the High Rank Awakening of Spirit Power. The book says a user can condense their own Spirit Power into an invisible shield to fend off various attacks."

"How do you know all this?" Igor wanted to scratch his head, but couldn’t, as his hands were bound.

"We have books on this topic in my family’s library, all written by Scholars. Besides, this is..." Hustace nudged his mouth towards Kadi.

"His name is Kadi. He’s a... um, a new friend I made!" Igor had initially wanted to tell Hustace that Kadi was a monster, but recalling Kadi’s earlier analogy, he swallowed the word.

"Friend..." Kadi’s single eye shimmered with an indescribable light.

The trio seemed completely unfazed, oblivious to the fierce battle between the two High Rank Hunters. While the two Hunters fought intensely, the three of them chatted merrily.

Baharo and Stan Sol were locked in a fierce struggle—one attacking, the other defending. Baharo, positioned on higher ground and manipulating his swords for ranged attacks, seemingly held the advantage. However, despite his ferocious dual-sword assault, Baharo couldn’t even graze the hem of Stan Sol’s purple robe, let alone injure him. Meanwhile, Stan Sol had no opportunity to attack Baharo on the mountaintop, as he was fully occupied by the relentless, wind-like assault of the two swords.

"What on earth is this Spirit Power you guys are always talking about?" Kadi, one of the ’laid-back trio’, voiced his own question.

"This..." Igor looked helplessly at Hustace.

"Erm, the book says Spirit Power is the life energy emanating from all Living Beings," Hustace clarified, pausing for a moment. "The book also says some people are born able to perceive Spirit Power, while others need training to perceive it."

"What does perceiving Spirit Power mean?" Kadi pressed.

"That..." For once, even the knowledgeable Hustace was at a loss for words.

At that moment, the fighting duo fell silent. Baharo looked grave, his dual swords once again slung across his back. Stan Sol, meanwhile, was breathing in short, quick gasps, his body still on high alert.

"Heh, it seems I need to get serious," Baharo clenched his fists. "Actually, there’s no need for us to fight like this. We can make a trade."

"Oh?" Stan Sol raised an eyebrow. The Spirit Power Shield consumed a significant amount of his physical strength and Spirit Power, and he didn’t want to continue wasting this precious resource. "What kind of trade are you proposing?"

"Hehehe, you release my client, and I’ll let you have that blue Alien Species."

"Your, bargaining chip, isn’t fair." It was clear Stan Sol was unsatisfied with Baharo’s terms. He couldn’t fathom where the big fellow opposite him got the confidence to use his own captive as a bargaining chip.

"Hehehe, when I get serious, I can be quite terrifying." Baharo’s confidence stemmed from the last few rounds of their fight. Although he hadn’t been able to harm his opponent with his Flying Swords, his adversary had remained purely defensive. This meant that while his dual swords kept his opponent occupied, he still had a chance to land a devastating blow using his own powerful Physique Technique...

That pair of dual swords was crafted for him by Wizards from the Imperial Wizards Alliance. The Wizards used Spellcraft to imbue the two swords with power, allowing them to possess Spirit Power. Over time, by gradually Devouring Baharo’s Spirit Power through Spellcraft while on his back, these swords had become like extensions of Baharo himself, similar to an Alchemist’s primary control Exchange Beast. Unlike Alchemists, who often neglected the cultivation of Physique Techniques, Baharo, being a Hunter, also possessed formidable Physique Techniques.

"Hehehe, I’ll give you some time to consider." On one hand, Baharo had absolute confidence; these twin swords had accompanied him through countless battles and assassinations. On the other hand, he was also stalling for time, as his dual swords had been in combat for too long and needed to replenish their Spirit Power.

"Hmph—" Stan Sol sighed deeply. "I, thought, you had, a bargaining chip. Now, it seems, I, was wrong."

"Hehehe, we’re both Hunters. There’s no need for us to resort to violence."

"You, are mistaken. I am, a Hunter." Stan Sol stretched out his hand, a flame flickering in his palm. "A Hunter, is not, a Hunter."

The flame in his palm leaped and swelled, gradually transforming into a fireball. This pulsating fireball made everyone present widen their eyes in astonishment.

"I, didn’t, want, to do this." Stan Sol carefully released the fireball from his hand. "But, captives, are, my bargaining chips. You, cannot, treat them, as, prey."

When the fireball landed on the ground, it stood, roared, and vented its fury like a wild beast...

"Evil, Evil Spell!" Hustace exclaimed, having already concluded that the purple-robed man was a Dark Wizard.

Igor and Kadi’s mouths fell open in shock. They had witnessed Stan Sol’s flames in the mountain cave, but the sight of such a large, living flame still astounded them.

"Is this, an Exchange Beast, or a Contract Beast? Are you a Dark Wizard?" Clearly, the living flame had also shocked Baharo; this was a spectacle he had never encountered in his numerous battles.

"This, is, my, Battle Pet, Fiery Blaze." Stan Sol removed his purple robe, revealing his powerful physique to everyone. "Now, you will, witness, the power, of an ancient, Hunter. And the, might, of flame."

Baharo hurriedly summoned his extensions, not even pausing to consider if his dual swords had fully replenished their Spirit Power.

"Fiery Blaze, will, deal with, your, dual swords." Stan Sol cracked his neck. "And I, will, deal with, you."

After speaking, Stan Sol mimed drawing a bow, one arm extended, the other bent. When he opened his clenched fist, a WHOOSH reached everyone’s ears.

It was a Spirit Arrow! Baharo, though shocked, immediately reacted defensively. He recalled one Flying Sword and, gripping it tightly, began to whirl it around his body.

Sword Dance Defense! This was the only method he knew to defend against a Spirit Arrow, while his other Flying Sword had to struggle against that ball of fire.

This was the very offensive strategy he had envisioned! And now it was being used against him!

The fight had gradually become a one-sided onslaught.

Kadi reveled in the spectacle. After spending so long on Guru Mountain, the events of the past two days made him feel he could boast to Kevin for quite some time. The morphing, living flame alone was astounding enough.

The flames divided and merged, and the Flying Sword could neither pierce nor sever them. In no time, Fiery Blaze forced the Flying Sword back towards Baharo.

Baharo had to constantly defend against Stan Sol’s Spirit Arrows. Their frequency was so high that he couldn’t find an opportunity to get close. When he finally had a moment to catch his breath, he suddenly found himself encircled by a ring of fire.

His opponent clearly had no intention of killing him!

This was an insult, but an insult was still far better than death.

Stricken with despair, Baharo dropped his dual swords, sinking helplessly to his knees before the might of the flames.