After Ichinaro told Aruka the information, Aruka remained deep in thought.
"Did I see any strange trees?"
He tried his best to remember, but he could not figure out where they were. He jumped from tree to tree, then leaped high into the air, trying to get a better view from above.
He carefully examined the area, searching for the tree, but he could not see it.
He jumped high again, this time from another tree, and continued moving from one tree to another until he thought:
"Ichinaro must have been mistaken."
Then he remembered that the last time he had seen it, the tree had leaves that were almost golden, and the tree itself was tilted.
He headed there.
When he arrived, he found two people.
The first was Novan, whom Aruka immediately recognized. As for the other person, he did not recognize him.
So Aruka remained hidden, listening to their conversation.
Novan said:
"You bastard. How did you know about this location?"
The other man replied:
"I don't think you're going to like the answer... I simply knew from the beginning."
Then he began laughing.
Aruka was shocked.
There was someone who had known the location from the beginning.
That meant someone had been cheating.
The unknown man said:
"And now that you know, I don't think I should keep you alive."
Novan was severely injured. The two of them had been fighting before Aruka arrived.
The unknown man raised his hand and suddenly charged toward Novan at incredible speed.
Just before the attack reached him, Aruka blocked it.
The force of the attack shattered the ground beneath Aruka's feet.
He then turned toward Novan and said:
"Looks like you need some help."
Novan smiled.
"I'd be grateful if you did."
Aruka turned toward the man.
When he saw him up close, he was shocked.
"You..."
The man smiled and stepped backward.
Novan looked at Aruka.
"You know him?"
Aruka replied:
"I know him vaguely. His name is Zaith. He works under the organization that organized the competition."
Novan's expression changed.
"So they were cheating from the beginning!"
He became angry.
"How could those bastards do something like that?!"
Aruka said:
"This isn't the time."
Novan stood up.
"Right. We need to defeat him first."
Zaith smiled.
"You intend to stand in my way, slave?"
Aruka froze.
Novan looked at him.
"What does he mean?"
Aruka remained silent.
Novan said:
"Forget it. We need to defeat him first."
Aruka gathered himself, slapped both sides of his face with his palms, and said:
"Yes... I'll think about everything later."
He gave Zaith a sharp look.
Zaith smiled maliciously.
He was known for his cunning. Even when he could not win, he would provoke his opponents by targeting things that were precious to them.
He was one of the worst kinds of people.
Novan rushed forward and threw a straight punch.
Zaith blocked it with both hands.
While Zaith was holding Novan, Aruka jumped from behind him, coated his hand in flames, and tried to punch him.
But Zaith ducked at the right moment.
Aruka moved behind him again and tried to punch him, but Zaith used his right hand to stop him.
He spun around and threw both Aruka and Novan away.
The force of the throw sent them crashing through the trees.
Aruka and Novan stood back up and moved forward.
Aruka wiped the blood from his mouth and smiled.
"Let's show him what we've got."
Novan took a fighting stance.
"Of course."
Aruka rushed toward Zaith.
The two became locked in close-quarters combat, exchanging powerful blows.
At the last moment, Aruka pretended he was going to punch him.
Just before their fists could collide, Aruka ducked and struck him with his foot from the front, causing Zaith to fall.
Aruka said:
"You thought all I could do was fight with my hands?"
Before Zaith could fall completely, Novan was already above him.
He delivered a punch to Zaith's stomach, causing him to spit blood.
Novan thought it was over.
But when the smoke cleared, it became clear that Zaith had partially blocked the attack.
He kicked Novan into the air.
Then he turned at incredible speed and struck him with a direct punch, sending him flying away.
Novan had not yet regained his balance in the air.
Zaith took advantage of this.
He jumped and struck him again.
Novan tried to block the attack with both hands, but the impact injured them.
Aruka emerged from the smoke.
His hands and feet were covered in flames, forming gloves and boots.
They were not large. They were roughly the same size as his hands and feet.
Twisted patterns ran along the sides of the gloves and boots.
Two fiery chains emerged from each glove, and two more came from his feet.
Aruka rushed toward Zaith at incredible speed.
Zaith moved backward with a smile.
Before he could say anything, he suddenly found himself being pulled toward Aruka at tremendous speed.
Before he could understand what was happening, the chains coming from Aruka's hands had wrapped around his body.
Aruka pulled him toward himself and punched him.
The punch knocked out several of Zaith's teeth.
Before Zaith could react, Aruka was above him, wrapping the chains from both hands around his body.
He then descended with a kick to Zaith's face while holding him in place with the chains.
Aruka spun around and kicked him again.
Zaith stood up and smiled.
He thought:
"Since when did that brat have this much power?"
Then he thought:
"Well, it doesn't matter."
He rushed toward Aruka at high speed and threw a punch.
Aruka blocked it, pushed his hand away, and attempted to counterattack.
Before Aruka's hand could reach Zaith while he was in the air, Zaith twisted around his arm and kicked him, causing Aruka's head to jerk to the side.
But he did not fall.
Zaith curled himself in the air like a hedgehog and kicked downward.
Aruka blocked the kick, but the impact shattered the ground beneath him.
Zaith moved backward and rushed toward Aruka again.
Aruka thought about how he could end the fight as quickly as possible.
He could not maintain his technique for long. It was consuming too much of his energy.
He had only three minutes left.
Before he could finish thinking, he was forced back into the fight.
The two entered another brutal exchange of punches.
Their fists collided, each impact producing a sharp sound that echoed through the area.
Zaith threw a punch toward Aruka's face.
Aruka tilted his head and avoided it, then countered with a punch toward Zaith's side.
Zaith took half a step backward before immediately returning with another punch.
Aruka raised his arm to block it, but the force pushed him backward.
Zaith gave him no chance to regain his balance.
He rushed forward and unleashed several consecutive punches.
Aruka blocked some and took others before answering with a series of his own.
A punch from Zaith.
A punch from Aruka.
Then another from Zaith.
Aruka stepped backward and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth before charging forward again.
The two continued exchanging punches, each trying to exploit even the smallest opening in the other's defense.
Then Aruka's fist struck Zaith directly in the face, sending him flying.
When Aruka looked ahead, he saw numerous chains flying toward Zaith.
Aruka stood in the center, in a powerful stance.
Zaith smiled widely and regained his balance.
He launched himself from one of the trees, avoiding the chains and using them as a path toward Aruka.
At the moment he was about to kick him, Aruka was ready.
But Zaith suddenly moved behind him at incredible speed and completed his kick against Aruka's back, sending him flying.
Before Aruka could notice, he found the chains wrapped around Zaith's leg.
Aruka pulled him from behind and slammed him into the ground.
Aruka coughed afterward.
He did not have much time left.
At that moment, Novan emerged and joined the attack.
The two charged toward Zaith together.
Zaith defended himself against both of them, but Aruka continued landing hits.
Zaith was close to losing.
He thought carefully.
Then he smiled.
It was a smile that promised nothing good.
He rushed toward Aruka and whispered:
"Remember... if anything goes wrong, I can end your family with a single word."
Aruka froze for a moment.
His eyes widened in shock.
He could no longer process what was happening around him.
Novan warned him, but it was already too late.
Suddenly, Aruka was stabbed and kicked away.
Novan was sent flying with him.
Aruka remained dazed.
Novan said:
"Listen. I don't know what's going on between you two, but if we don't move, we're going to die."
Aruka regained his senses.
Then he said:
"Yes... I'll think about everything later."
He began spitting blood.
Zaith looked at him.
With a vile tone, he said:
"This is my technique. A poison closer to a curse. And it remains until I defeat you."
Then he added:
"Oh, right... you only have two minutes left."
Novan spoke with clear urgency and fear in his voice.
"What are we going to do now?"
Aruka remained where he was, thinking.
But only one idea came to his mind.
He looked at Novan.
"Can you keep him busy for one minute?"
Novan was severely injured.
There was a possibility that he would be killed.
But he agreed.
He said:
"Tell me where you'll be. If he kills me, I'll kill you."
Aruka stood up, wiping the blood from his face.
"Don't worry."
Novan rushed toward Zaith.
But Zaith released a barrage of flying poison blades.
They covered the area around him.
Novan skillfully avoided them and punched the last blade.
The amount of poison was enormous, and the pain was so intense that Novan thought about killing himself.
He believed death would be easier.
But he endured it.
He continued forward and attacked.
He managed to hit Zaith.
Zaith drew his dagger and countered with a punch.
It was so powerful that Zaith thought he had killed Novan.
But Novan smiled.
He returned the punch.
His face was covered in blood, and his vision had become blurred.
Yet he continued exchanging punches with Zaith with incredible force, as if he were enjoying himself.
Novan stepped forward despite the pain and threw another punch.
Zaith blocked it and countered with a punch that struck Novan's face.
Novan staggered backward, but he did not fall.
He raised his head.
His eyes could barely see what was in front of him.
He smiled.
Then he charged again.
Their fists collided once more.
A punch from Novan.
Another from Zaith.
Each blow was stronger than the last.
Their breathing became heavier, but neither of them backed down.
Novan continued taking the attacks and returning them without stopping, as if he could no longer feel the pain.
At one point, Novan threw a powerful punch toward Zaith.
Zaith took the blow and grabbed his hand.
He then delivered an extremely powerful punch.
But Novan did not fall.
Meanwhile, Aruka had canceled his transformation.
He gathered every bit of fire and magic inside him and brought it out as a gigantic ball of fire.
But he compressed it all and reshaped it.
Until it became an arrow.
The tip of the arrow was positioned between the index and middle fingers of his right hand.
The energy was being pulled together with tremendous force, preparing to launch it at an even greater speed.
Aruka said:
"Now."
At that moment, Novan's strength finally gave out.
As he fell, and before Aruka became visible behind him, Aruka pointed his finger at Zaith and smiled.
"Prepare to die."
The moment Aruka appeared, he was already ready to fire.
It was a silent moment, filled with terror for Zaith.
He saw the arrow as if it were the very thing that would take his life.
He could not even move his feet.
Aruka stared at him with a sharp gaze.
There was nothing in Zaith that made him feel pity or hesitation.
Then the arrow launched at tremendous speed.
It pierced through Zaith and caused a massive fiery explosion.
Zaith fell.
They had won.
But even Aruka coughed up blood and collapsed onto the ground.
Still, he resisted.
He went to Novan and found him unconscious.
Aruka gave him a small amount of treatment, using what he knew.
Then he looked at Zaith.
His body, which had been slightly darkened from its original pale complexion, was burned.
His brown hair had also been burned, leaving only a small amount of it.
He looked at Aruka with hatred.
But Aruka ignored all of it.
He dug beneath the tree with his fingers until he found half of the leaf.
He said:
"I found it!"
He was so happy that he almost felt like he could fly from joy.
He called Ichinaro.
"I found it."
Ichinaro smiled.
"Let's meet at half of the city."