When Clark regained consciousness, he wiped the tear from his face. Beside him were Yi Lian and Bai Hu, who extended their hands to help him stand, while Gene was in a state of frenzied euphoria over his gains.
A status bar appeared before him:
Name: Gene
Path: Tainted Saint!!
Level: 5
Strength: 10
Mana: 10
Sacred Power: 5
Toughness: 16
Stamina: 12
Skills:
· Frenzy Flame (Level: 0)
· Fist of the Chaos King (bestowed upon you by the Lord of Chaos himself)
Warning!!! The Chaos King wishes to witness your achievements and warns you about the man beside you. I grant you the ability "Lie Detector." Souls tremble and bodies begin to feel sensations when lying, and the Lie Detector skill makes this clear to you.
Gene laughed loudly:
· Hahahahaha! This is the power destined for a king like me! Hahahaha!
Clark turned to him, dusting off his robe, and said:
· "I rejoice in your small achievement."
Gene replied arrogantly:
· "Do you want to taste my fist?"
Without giving Clark a chance to respond... "Fist of the Chaos King"!
A massive light aura formed, erupting from his fist. He directed his hand toward the other side of the forest, tearing through several trees. A powerful blow indeed, his aura taking the form of a punch.
But exhaustion was evident on Gene's face.
Clark laughed:
· "You fool! Using such power right after waking up! Of course you'll get tired. But what about the other skill?"
Gene raised his finger. Soon, flames erupted... "Frenzy Flame"!
Clark and the onlookers were stunned.
Clark laughed:
· "Kekeke! It seems you will finally be our trump card!"
Everyone returned to the strategy tent. Clark said to Alisa:
· "Can you appear, Chahaya?"
Suddenly, a dazzling light appeared. Alisa's eyes turned completely white, with no pupils, just pure whiteness.
Amid the shock and bewilderment of everyone, Chahaya spoke:
· "What do you want?"
Clark replied:
· "You are an important part of my plan."
Chahaya fell silent. Clark continued:
· "The damage of Frenzy Flame goes beyond its burning power; it lives up to its name by infecting humans with a madness effect, turning them into slaves under the will of the Mad Sun. However, its effect on Awakened ones who have transcended humanity is relative; with each burn, the probability of madness increases."
"Therefore, according to my analysis, we have two days left until the Mad Sun appears. I will divide you into groups."
The attendees were: Clark, Chahaya, Bai Hu, Yi Lian, Gene, and finally the Minister.
He looked at them all and said:
· "Those who will kill the Mad Sun are: me, Gene, Yi Lian, and Bai Hu. But we will create a diversion to fight without obstacles. I like to call the plan 'Chessboard'."
"A battalion from our side will charge to hold back the beasts under the influence of madness. After that, Chahaya will freeze them. Of course, more hordes of beasts will appear, so another battalion will descend to hold them back, thus stripping the will of madness of any protection. And then we can fight it!!"
Yi Lian asked:
· "But how will we kill it?"
Clark laughed:
· "My flame doesn't affect matter itself; it burns the soul directly. The will is formed from remnants of souls and thoughts. The more the will thinks, the closer it is to its end. But we must enter the will itself, and we need at least one thing: immunity to Frenzy Flame to slow its effect on our minds. And the only man who can do that!!"
Clark pointed to Gene:
· "He will hit us many times with his flames until we acquire immunity. Unfortunately, and I hate this, he will strike us with burning rods of Frenzy Flame. If you feel the effect is almost complete and you're about to succumb to madness, retreat! After that, we try again!!"
Everyone was amazed by his idea. Is he just a fool who wants to be beaten?
Everyone left the tent. Clark stood on a tree, looking at the blue sky.
He thought to himself:
· "Kekeke! I am getting closer to my goal, and I see it now as if it were right in front of me."
Gene approached, leaning against another tree, breaking the silence:
· "Despite my hatred for you, you force my respect. You do not fear me and did not hesitate to harm me even though you know I am a danger to you."
Clark laughed:
· "You are merely a side character in my story. Do you think you can harm me? No, no, Gene. You are just a stepping stone for me, nothing more, nothing less. So why the fear and overthinking?"
Gene laughed loudly:
· "No one can say such arrogant words except you! But do you think I will beat you and your entourage mercilessly?"
Clark replied, moving away from him:
· "And who cares? Rejoice in your small victory, while I climb the heights of the sky and tie the phoenix by its neck!"
They began training and completed two days. Then... the promised day arrived!!!
To be continued...