CHAPTER 61: TOP ONE VS TOP THREE

Ace ran as fast as he could to intercept Seraphina Griffin. He wanted to save her, so he couldn’t let her do any more damage. The problem: she was miles away.

Before he could reach her, Seraphina swung her swords and sent waves of ash and cinders. The waves hit Ignis Caro and their fallen kin, forcing them to explode. Huge blasts rippled across the battlefield, swallowing rankers and buildings and knocking them down like dominoes.

Even Chaewon and the other top rankers couldn’t get close; they raised their guards and held. Ace threw himself straight in, stepping into a burning world where everything fought him.

Breathing hurt. He shaped an ink mask and forced air through it. His clothes held together only because of Drew’s buffs.

With only those two to help him, he crushed ash and burning soil under his shoes and drove toward the woman. Within the pillar of fire, she stood like an alluring yet callous master of the inferno. To drive it home, Seraphina leveled a sword at him.

Moments later, Ignis Caro crawled from the Totem’s base, then sprinted at him.

Even a child could see through this ploy, Seraphina.

He conjured a long spear from his Ink Armament, thrust, and skewered the closest Ignis Caro. Pinning it to the ground, he vaulted up. A hard kick sent a second enemy skidding back as the spear bent under his weight.

The Ignis Caro beneath him detonated—forced by Seraphina’s attack. Ace had already launched himself forward, riding the blast as it hurled him ahead. It barely hurt his back, thanks to Drew’s buffs and his Armament.

I knew you’d use those Ignis Caro. I use whatever’s thrown at me.

A few more Ignis Caro rose to block his way, but none could stop The Flawless Exploiter; he tore through them and reached Seraphina’s range. Even here, his ink didn’t evaporate in the inferno. It formed a spear; he drove it at her.

She raised her swords and blocked.

That move just now... was awkward.

When their lock broke, Ace swung again. Seraphina caught the blow on one blade and stabbed with the other. He let the spear go, ducked, and surged up with two makeshift daggers leading, slashing through her ashen skin and drawing first blood.

She’s slow and awkward. Not what I expected from a top-three ranker.

Seraphina jammed her swords into the ground. Cracks opened like demon mouths, and fire blazed within. The ground erupted.

The blast flung Ace away. He rolled, dug his dagger into the dirt to stop, and looked up.

Better control of the Immolated’s power than swordsmanship. This isn’t Seraphina. This is Gesta.

The swords were tools to channel the Immolated. The awkward swordplay made sense now that he saw its purpose. She was shaping the field—the Priestess of the Withered Shrine of the Immolated: Gesta.

Cinders and ash billowed, starving the air and feeding the inferno. The ground split wider, trying to swallow him.

Flames erupted from the chasms. Ash and cinders around Seraphina burned nonstop; stepping on them would slow him and scorch his soles.

Even thinking burned his stamina. He couldn’t waste time.

"Cherry, prepare to funnel your blood into me," Ace said.

Yesh!

He sprinted again. The ground bucked, but he kept his footing. Flames slammed into him; the Armament coating his arms swatted them aside.

Ignis Caro rose again. Level-one mobs. The real problem was the cinders and ash near Seraphina.

Stomping on them melted Drew’s buffs around his shoes. Raw, burning pain bit into his soles.

He gritted his teeth and pushed through, closing on Seraphina. She raised her swords in an amateurish guard. Knowing her swordsmanship was clumsy, he carved through the obvious gaps and disarmed her.

His Armament stretched into a long spear, and he thrust straight into her stomach, tearing through her Ashen Skin and burying the blade to the hilt.

Seraphina coughed up blood.

Ace left the spear lodged and caught her wrists, squeezing hard. "I will kill you, Seraphina! You don’t want to die, right? Come out, then! Don’t let this fucking priestess take over you!"

For a moment, Seraphina’s eyes flickered.

Ace slammed his forehead into hers. "If you do nothing, your death will have crimson eyes."

Ace’s crimson eyes flared.

A second later, her eyes cleared—human again, the set he recognized. He let her wrists go and stepped back into guard. Seraphina gripped her swords and took a stance with no obvious flaws.

Good job, girl. Your first victory over Gesta.

Ace smiled behind his ink mask.

Though Seraphina had control over her body again, she still couldn’t resist Gesta’s will—to kill Ace Avalanche. She stepped in and slashed at Ace, her swords flashing toward him. He countered with a spear, catching the slashes on the long shaft. The weight behind her blades drove him deeper into the burning soil.

He squinted and struck first. The spear melted into ink and split into two daggers. He caught them midair, then slashed at Seraphina.

She parried what she could, but a few strikes slipped through, cutting open her Ashen Skin. He kept picking up speed and didn’t stop at shallow cuts.

Between strikes, he hurled both daggers at her chest; she raised her guard. The blades melted into a long spear, which he caught with both hands. With the new reach, he slashed through her guard and carved another deep laceration.

It split open; flames burned within her flesh. But compared to before, the flames inside her were fading.

She’s losing strength and stamina faster than me! I have to keep this up and overpower her before Gesta takes over again!

Cherry steadily funneled blood and stamina into him. Ace was stronger and more experienced, giving her no chance to disrupt Cherry. He hadn’t taken any serious wounds—only a few shallow cuts he could handle.

In the end, Seraphina had nothing other than her swordsmanship. The Immolated’s power was sealed—or rather, in Gesta’s hands. Ace made the gap between Top One and Top Three clear.

Then he dropped her with a double thrust to the stomach, avoiding her organs.

Seraphina vomited another mouthful of blood and dropped to her knees, knocked out cold.

Ace stared at her for a few seconds before Gesta’s soul bored into him from the pillar of fire’s mouth.