Laybirth Kingdom — Battle of Flames
In the Laybirth Kingdom, the sun rose
high, bringing hope to a new day.
Current time: 7:10 a.m.
The lower left side of the kingdom was
in ruins, torn apart by explosions. One of the massive walls had collapsed,
dust filling the air. It was a battlefield of destruction—and a boy had just
awakened.
Up on the middle wall sat Kaji,
overlooking the chaos across the kingdom.
"Goro has awakened," Kaji said, a grin
stretching across his face. "There we go… now win."
Back on the ground, Goro and Que faced
each other among the rubble.
Que jumped back, sliding across the
dirt, leaving behind the half-destroyed house.
"What the hell is with this kid? One
thing's for sure—he's not human. That's common sense right there," Que
muttered.
He stared at the wreckage, waiting for
Goro to appear.
Okay… as soon as he comes out, I'll
attack, Que thought, crouching slightly.
Seconds passed. No movement.
"What the hell is he doing?" Que said,
confused.
Then, in an instant—
What?! Que thought, eyes wide.
Goro was inches in front of him, his
fist blazing with fire, eyes glowing crimson.
"Too fast!" Que gasped before being
sent flying through a nearby house with a single fiery punch.
Goro stood still, breathing heavily,
his body trembling with power.
"So this is the Half-Hell State…
amazing. I feel ten times stronger—and faster," he said, astonished.
Que rose slowly, his face twisted with
rage and disgust.
"Goro, you're the most annoying person
I've ever fought! You hear me?!" Que shouted, his voice echoing through the
debris. Each step he took left small explosions behind.
"Get ready for this one—Breath of the
Dragon!"
A burst of fire erupted from Goro's
mouth, racing toward Que. But Que jumped high, flipping over it, his hand
already glowing inches from Goro's face.
"Take this one—Blast!"
The explosion tore through the ground,
shaking the battlefield and filling it with smoke.
Que exhaled, thinking he'd finally
ended it.
But then a voice came from behind him.
"Hey," Goro said with a grin.
No way… I hit him! How did he dodge
that fast?! Que thought in disbelief.
"Didn't I tell you to warn me before
blowing up stuff?" Goro said casually.
Que spun around and kicked hard,
sending Goro crashing into a house. Goro flipped and landed on the rooftop,
just as Que leapt up to face him again.
They stood on opposite ends of the
roof, eyes locked.
"I admit—you got stronger," Que said,
catching his breath.
Goro laughed softly. "Yeah, I know.
But it's time to get serious… and go home." His expression hardened.
"You couldn't have said that better,"
Que replied.
Both charged forward. Que threw a
punch—Goro dodged easily and swung back with his flaming fist. Que ducked,
countering with an explosion that rocked the rooftop.
Goro leapt sideways. "Fire Bullets!"
he shouted, launching rapid bursts of flame.
Que dodged them, then blasted his feet
with explosions to fly toward Goro.
"Buddy, you're still weaker than me!"
Que taunted.
"Oh really?" Goro said, his tone
shifting. He slammed Que's head straight through the roof.
Que hit the floor hard. Goro landed
after him, flames still burning along his side.
Que rose, cracking his neck.
"Hey, kid—you got some nerve thinking
you can play with me like that. You're still just a C-rank. I'm B-rank. Time to
show you there's levels to this!"
He rushed in, punching Goro in the
stomach and sending him flying back onto another roof.
Damn… Goro thought as he hit the
tiles.
Que followed, landing with a smirk.
"Get up! I'm not done with you yet!"
Goro stood. Orange orbs of heat began
forming around him, spinning slowly.
"Alright… let's get this party
started," he said with a grin. The orbs ignited into flaming spheres.
He fired them rapidly. Que dodged the
first—then one struck his stomach, scorching his jacket.
"Damn it—they're hot and fast!" Que
yelled, dodging the rest in a blur.
Goro slammed his hand onto the roof.
"Surprise Attack: Unknown Flame
Strike!" he shouted.
Que blinked. "What kind of name is
that? It sucks!"
But then, beams of fire shot from the
rooftop in every direction.
Damn it—it's a real surprise attack!
Que thought, flipping and dodging frantically.
Landing on the ground, Que barely had
time to react as Goro jumped down after him, half his body still burning
bright.
"Even if I'm just a C-rank ninja, I'm
still making this hard for you," Goro laughed.
"You seriously piss me off, man—no
joke!" Que shouted, rushing forward. He swung; Goro caught the punch—but Que
stomped the ground, triggering a massive explosion that sent Goro flying
upward.
While Goro was airborne, Que blasted
upward with explosions from his feet, closing the distance instantly.
Too fast! Goro thought—then Que's fist
exploded against his face, sending him crashing to the ground.
BOOM!
Smoke covered the battlefield once
again. The ground trembled.
Goro slowly stood, his breathing
heavy. Que stood several yards away, panting.
"Damn… are you immortal or something?
You just won't die, you damn kid!" Que shouted, frustrated.
Then, laughter echoed through the
smoke. Goro stepped forward—shirt ripped, jacket torn, a massive hole burned
through both cheeks—and he was still laughing.
"Oh, so my attack finally hit your
face," Que said with a grin. "Alright, time to wrap this up. My spiritual force
is running low. I'm a grown man—I'm not losing to a kid."
Goro smirked, eyes glowing hotter.
"How about we turn up the heat a
little… if you don't mind?"
His orange spiritual force flared,
merging with his flames. The air grew hotter, wind swirling violently.
Que dropped to one knee, sweating.
"What the hell is this? Why is his
spiritual force rising? This shouldn't be happening!"
The other half of Goro's body ignited.
His flames intensified, painting the battlefield orange.
"Oh, I feel it! Let's get hot—hotter!"
Goro shouted, power surging around him.
"I need to strike now—while he's
vulnerable!" Que vanished, reappearing right in front of Goro. But before he
could move—he was blasted backward, smashing through a wall.
"Damn it—what just happened?!" Que
shouted in shock.
Now Goro stood, fully engulfed in
flame. The raw energy around him suddenly vanished, compressed into his body.
He lowered his head, flames rippling across his shoulders.
Que stood trembling. "No… no, this
can't be possible."
"This spiritual force—it's on a whole
other level. He just jumped a full rank!" Que said in disbelief. "To grow that
much, his ability had to evolve too! His spiritual force… it's reading at 73,000.
That's higher than Jinko! This isn't humanly possible!"
Seconds passed. Que could only stare
at the young boy who had surpassed him in mere moments.
Goro slowly lifted his head. His eyes
burned a deep, glowing red.
What the hell is he? A fire clan
descendant? Can he really control pure heat itself? This kid is full of
mysteries… and terrifying potential, Que thought, his mind racing.
Finally, Goro spoke—his voice low but
steady.
"Okay… I've figured it out. Let's call
this form—Full Hell State: Red Devil."
Current time: 7:30 a.m.
Time seemed to slow. Que locked eyes
with Goro—and the only thing Goro did was smile. Que's eyes widened in shock.
"Goro's smile had vanished — only the
eyes of a demon remained."
Then, before he could even move,
Goro's fist was buried deep in his stomach.
What the hell—how did he get here so
fast?! Que thought,
Goro leaned in.
"Well now… let's end this—for good,
Que."
To Be Continued…
.