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"Impressive, boy," the man said, his face unchanging. Setsuna stayed vigilant. The fireball's power showed any lapse could be fatal. No openings.
The man wouldn't miss one. He'd aimed to kill from the start. No mercy.
"You're the first to dodge Fire Dragon Maiden's Blaze Kiss," he said, raising his staff lightly, flaunting it. Mad.
Fire Dragon Maiden a staff with a dragon-head tip, reddened by the town's flames. Colors warped in the crimson glow.
Its power was clear. It razed this town. A terrifying weapon, capable of incinerating a small city.
Yet Setsuna felt no fear.
He had a lethal weapon.
"Kukukuku," the man's laughter grated, amused but nerve-racking. Irritating, but Setsuna had no counter. Glaring wouldn't faze him.
"Not just me who's mad. You're quite insane too."
"Maybe," Setsuna said coldly. Only a lunatic would charge into flames or fight an arsonist. But his mind was clear. Though consciousness had wavered, he'd rallied. The enemy stood before him, fueling his strength.
"Who are you?" the man asked.
Setsuna's eyes narrowed. Who was he? No time for such thoughts. Heat sapped his stamina. He'd collapse soon. Die. Obvious. Yet he couldn't stop wondering.
"Me…?"
Kamiya Setsuna. Raised by a single mother, her love his lifeline through pain and sorrow. He'd overcome thanks to her.
But he couldn't rely on her love here. Another world. A different sky, different earth. Summoned, standing here without reason.
Not a dream. Not a nightmare.
"I'm…"
No clear answer. Only one truth: he couldn't forgive senseless violence. That's why he faced this man. Death? He didn't dwell on it.
The girl's tears her sobbing form were worth risking his life. That was everything. Enough.
"Just a passing hero of justice," Setsuna said.
The man raised an eyebrow, caught off guard, unsure how to react.
"Hero of justice…?" His face twisted, human no more, monstrous. He aimed his staff, laughing maniacally. "Then destroy evil."
"Was gonna do that anyway," Setsuna said, kicking off the ground, arm raised. "Armed Summon!"
Intricate patterns glowed on his body, radiant light bursting forth, scattering the ferocious heat. Something materialized in his hand. Weight. The black spear his summoned weapon, his trump card.
"So, you're an armed summoner too," the man said, genuinely surprised but grinning with glee. Madness chilled Setsuna.
"Summoning without a formula? That's inhuman."
"Formula? Don't know it," Setsuna snapped, gripping the spear. Power surged. The moment he held it, explosive energy coursed through him. He charged, closing the gap instantly.
But the man leapt left. Setsuna, overshooting, plunged into the fountain. He rolled, unharmed.
"No formula?" the man said.
Rising in the fountain, Setsuna felt revived. The water, cool despite the heat, soothed his scorched body. He gulped it, quenching his throat. But a killing intent stabbed his back.
He turned. The man aimed the staff's dragon maw, sparks gathering. Another fireball. Ten meters away. The last one was fast, linear. He'd dodged by luck. Could he again?
(Then…)
Setsuna tightened his grip, leaping from the fountain. His soaked uniform clung, hindering movement. No matter. He darted left.
The staff tracked him. Left, right no escape. Burning trees and benches offered no cover.
He clicked his tongue, resolving to charge through.
"Blaze Kiss!"
The dragon roared, unleashing a massive fireball. Crimson flames filled Setsuna's vision, immense heat rushing at him. Linear. He didn't dodge. Raising his spear, he roared.
"Ooooooh!"
As the fireball neared, he swung down. The black spear traced a dark arc, cleaving the flames in two. His vision cleared. The man smirked, enjoying it.
The split fireball passed left and right, exploding behind. The shockwave hit Setsuna's back minor.
Not unscathed. The fire's heat seared his uniform, skin, hair. Agony wracked him.
But that was all.
(I can do this!)
Grinning, Setsuna kicked off without hesitation, rushing the still-smirking man, who gave a wry laugh.
"Just brute force, huh?"
"So what!"
Setsuna shouted, powering his legs, accelerating with a fierce kick. The gap shrank to under three meters. One leap closed it. No need for zero distance his spear reached farther than expected.
"Kuku. Fair enough," the man said, madness glinting in his eyes. He swung his staff wildly. Sparks scattered, red particles dazzling around him, clouding Setsuna's vision. A dance of embers.
A bad feeling hit, but Setsuna couldn't stop mid-jump. No turning back. He had to charge through, trap or not.
To the spear's range.
The man spun his staff overhead, scattering more sparks, then slammed it into the ground.
"Burning Hug!"
Instantly, every floating ember exploded.
A soundless chain of blasts filled the air around the man, incinerating everything. Setsuna, mid-leap, was swallowed by the surging flames. His body screamed or was it him?
"Aaaaaaah!"
In unbearable pain, Setsuna's eyes locked on the man, tracking every move. His eyes burned, nearly crushed. But he didn't stop. His body charred, consciousness fading. Yet forward. One step. To the spear's range.
The man grinned maniacally, eyes unfocused. Setsuna's vision blurred. The gaunt face looked ghostly.
"Burn out," the man said, aiming the staff. The dragon's maw glowed red. Blaze Kiss. This time, Setsuna would die.
But in that moment, he had the man in his spear's range.
Eyes wide, Setsuna swung down. The black spear shattered Fire Dragon Maiden effortlessly. The dragon's head broke, its gathered fire dissipating harmlessly. The staff became a mere stick.
The man's face twisted in shock.
For that instant, Setsuna forgot his pain. Stepping in, he declared:
"You burn out."
He drove the spear's butt into the man's gut.
"Why…?"
The man collapsed, stunned, his face frozen in disbelief. The deep blow should keep him down for days. Setsuna had put that much force into it. But he didn't kill.
He couldn't.
No matter the evil, he couldn't take a life.