020. Carbon Manipulation? Aight, Catch This Hands!

Gilbert coated his entire body with diamonds and then walked towards Aril. "If you know alchemy, then you should know that complex carbon can form diamonds."

Aril wiped the blood flowing from his mouth and stood up immediately.

Despite having just been dealt a crushing blow, he just grinned. "Yeah, I know. I just didn't think someone like you had a functioning brain."

Gilbert's patience ran out and he leapt at the young man with a wide grin. 

His diamond fist was ready to smash Aril's face. 

But what Aril had in mind was Gilbert's position. Position that Gilbert would not be able to dodge while floating in the air. 

*BHWRRRRUUUUUSSSHH! 

A huge pillar of fire was created right below Gilbert and burned everything in one big vertical line. 

Gilbert passed through the flames in a limp condition and immediately lay on the ground. 

The diamond coating on his body peeled off and fell off bit by bit. 

Gilbert vomited blood and tried to get up. "Damn brat!"

Aril grinned. "Looks like your internal organs are still made of flesh."

Gilbert stood up with difficulty with his knees still shaking.

Aril struck the ground with both palms and a dome of fire suddenly formed.

A huge dome made of fiery red flames that enclosed Aril and Gilbert in it.

The radius of the dome was about 25 meters and the heat could be felt as if it was piercing the skin. 

Immediately afterwards, all the green grass inside the dome was burnt off quickly, leaving only dry grass that would crumble if touched. 

"What are you doing?" asked Gilbert who was looking around very warily. 

"Nothing, I just didn't want you to run away like before," Aril replied casually. 

Gilbert laughed. "You think you can win? Yesterday I was just tired, but this time..."

Gilbert's body was once again covered in diamonds. "...This time I'll be the one who slay you."

Aril stood up and walked towards Gilbert with his fists enveloped in crimson flames.

The two walked up to each other and immediately punched each other in the face.

*BHAM! 

Aril's fire punch barely had any effect, but the heat managed to make Gilbert a little dizzy. 

On the other hand, Gilbert's diamond punch was so powerful that it managed to push Aril backwards. 

Aril spat blood onto the ground and once again exchanged blows with Gilbert. 

*BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! 

After getting punched in the face several times, Aril could only sit on the ground with blood flowing from his mouth and nose.

Gilbert started laughing. "Do you think a little dizziness can beat me?"

Aril chuckled. "Of course no, but I wonder how much energy it takes to stay focused on maintaining your diamond body."

"Huh?!"

Gilbert's vision suddenly swayed and he lost his balance. The bald-headed man immediately fell to his knees with his breath catching. 

The diamond coating on his body began to peel off and began to fall. 

"Impossible! There's no way his punch had any effect!" said Gilbert, who couldn't believe the situation he was in. 

"Not my punch, but something more important," Aril replied swiftly. 

"Huh?! What are you talking about?!"

"Unfortunately, we are humans who need oxygen."

Gilbert's eyes widened immediately. He saw the dome of fire that surrounded them and then saw the dry grass that was no longer green. 

It was then that Gilbert realized, Aril's punch was not to weaken him, but to accelerate the reduction of oxygen levels in the dome. 

Gilbert chuckled. "So, you want to fight with limited oxygen?"

Aril only smiled. "It's not fair that only you have a hard body."

Gilbert laughed. "It's a pity that your strategy has one weakness."

Gilbert instantly covered his entire body with a layer of diamonds and ran towards the wall of fire. 

As the bald man tried to step out of the fire dome, the intense heat suddenly burned his internal organs.

Gilbert jumped back into the dome with his breath catching, blood pouring out of his mouth and the diamond coating peeling off.

"Impossible! There's no way you can maintain that kind of heat!" cried a pale-looking Gilbert. 

Aril chuckled. "Of course it's impossible. I only increased the intensity of the heat in the place you're going to."

"Huh?!"

Aril looked sharply at Gilbert with a smile. "I told you, I won't let you run away. I will torture you slowly inside this hell dome."

'This kid is crazy! How long can he do this?! He could kill both of us! He must be bluffing! There's no way he's going to kill himself,' thought Gilbert who was starting to break out in a cold sweat.

Aril grinned widely and Gilbert immediately got goosebumps when he saw that reaction.

'He's not bluffing!' Gilbert shouted in his mind.

"SHIT!" Gilbert shouted, slamming his palms into the ground. 

A collection of large carbon stakes instantly erected from the ground and stabbed towards Aril. 

*BRUUWSH! 

Aril burned the stakes while running towards Gilbert with a wide grin on his face. 

One by one, the carbon stakes were destroyed by Aril and his burning fists. 

As long as the carbon was not as complex as diamond, then Aril could melt it down. If he could melt it, then there was no way he would lose. 

Aril was getting closer to Gilbert who looked desperate. 

Gilbert created a huge carbon wall from the ground and tried to stop Aril.

*BHRUAK! 

The wall was destroyed. 

*BHAM! 

A diamond fist slammed into Aril's face and knocked the young man backwards.

Aril wiped the blood flowing out of his mouth and tried to refocus. 

He stood up on slightly shaky knees. 

Gilbert suddenly appeared in front of Aril and immediately delivered an uppercut punch to the young man's stomach, making Aril vomit a lot of blood. 

Gilbert choked Aril and lifted the young man into the air. "Remove the dome now!"

Aril grinned widely. He raised both hands and slammed them together in front of Gilbert's face.

The hot flames were created followed by thick black smoke that managed to enter Gilbert's lungs.

Gilbert's vision blackened slightly and he lost his strength. The bald-headed man fell to his knees while coughing. The diamond coating covering his hands instantly peeled off and fell off bit by bit. 

What Aril was holding were chunks of black carbon taken from the previous carbon stakes. 

Aril chuckled. "Highly concentrated carbon that burns."

Gilbert tried to stand up. "B... Ba... Bastard!"

Gilbert's vision was still swaying and his lungs felt tight. 

Aril now stood in front of Gilbert with both fists coated in bright red flames.

Aril immediately threw a series of jabs at Gilbert's face.

*BHAM! 

A jab punch with the left hand pushed Gilbert's head to the right. 

*BHAM! 

A powerful jab punch from the right hand returns Gilbert's head to its original position.

Gilbert, who was still dizzy, was unable to react as Aril continued to deliver his fiery jabbing punches. 

Left! Right! Left! Right! Left! Right! 

*BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! 

Left! Right! Left! Right! Left! Right! 

*BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! 

Gilbert tried to fight back and punch forward, but Aril ducked to the side and immediately hit Gilbert's chin with an uppercut with all his might.

Aril then set up a solid stance. 

Aril's left hand grabbed Gilbert's neck and his right hand grasped Gilbert's right hand. 

Aril spun around and turned his back to Gilbert and immediately slammed the bald man forward like a judo athlete would do. 

Gilbert's body was lifted forward. But what awaited Gilbert's back was not the ground, but Aril's knee. 

*CRACK! 

Gilbert could feel one of his vertebrae shift slightly and he cried out in pain. 

Gilbert lay on the ground screaming in pain, but Aril didn't give the bald man time to breathe as his knee was now aimed at Gilbert's face. 

Gilbert rolled to the side and immediately stood up but his back seemed about to break.

Aril approached with his fists clenched tightly and immediately launched a powerful jab with his right hand.

*BHRAK! 

The bones of the fingers of Aril's right hand cracked as they struck the diamonds that coated Gilbert's cheek. 

Gilbert smiled slightly but Aril's fist suddenly enveloped in fire and a puff of black smoke was created and the black smoke was inhaled by Gilbert. 

Once again Gilbert lost his focus and the diamond coating peeled right off. 

Aril did not waste the opportunity and immediately enveloped both fists in red-hot flames and then jabbed Gilbert repeatedly in the face. 

Left! Right! Left! Right! Left! Right! 

*BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! 

Gilbert was fed up and immediately coated his right hand with a sharp diamond like a diamond dagger.

Gilbert tried to slash Aril's neck, but the young man had ducked and crouched.

Aril delivered an uppercut to Gilbert's groin and crushed Gilbert's balls.

Gilbert screamed with his mouth wide open and his tongue slightly sticking out.

Aril stood up and immediately delivered an uppercut to Gilbert's chin, forcing Gilbert to close his mouth and bite the tip of his own tongue off. 

Blood oozed out of the tongue. Groin pain. Lungs tight. Headache. The backbone seemed to want to break. And the vision swayed. 

But Aril showed no mercy and once again delivered his fiery jab to Gilbert's face. 

Left! Right! Left! Right! Left! Right! 

*BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM! BHAM!

Gilbert fell to his knees and Aril immediately delivered an elbow attack to Gilbert's face.

*BRAK! 

Gilbert's skull cracked and he fell to the ground. 

Aril stepped forward and wanted to make a finishing blow but Gilbert smirked. 

As Aril began to approach the helpless Gilbert, Gilbert touched the ground and a carbon stakes emerged from the ground and stabbed towards Aril's face.

*JRASH! 

Blood splashed into the air and onto the ground.