Pierced Soul

Tim gripped his sword in his hands as he normally did in a combat with the enemy, Smoghand, who chuckled at him since he didn't see anything unique in Tim other than good grip strength for holding such a massive blade.

"Do you intend to battle me with that large sword? That weapon must be quite heavy for a person. Shouldn't you go find another weapon, considering it's bound to slow you down in combat?"

Tim's least concerned cause in the past of growing his power was gripping the sword because it felt like a feather in his hand and was easy to handle, unlike certain weapons that required a lot of strategic moves.

"You shouldn't worry about my ability to wield a sword; after all, that isn't all there is to me. The sword is quite heavy for a regular human, but believe it or not, I am far from typical."

Smoghand looked at Tim as if he was exaggerating, and responded with a laugh to show that he wasn't afraid of a weapon, and that he didn't expect to see an ordinary human fighting him.

"I'll let you off the hook since it's your grave, not mine. But, in the end, you'll be like any other human; you may have to prove yourself. If you come along with me right now, I might not even have to kill you."

Tim effortlessly leaned his blade past his right hips in response to the decline and began to gather a source of flashing fire that grew hotter every second. As Tim raised his elbow to raise the sword higher up and then grabbed it tighter and slashed it forward, it began to flare out from the blade's tip and proceeded to spew its swirling flames.

The flames swept through the road from the top to the bottom, comparable to a gigantic wave formed by a storm on the ocean, and expanded forward to enhance its length and size.

It blitzed ahead, causing Smoghand's face to erupt, extending while roasting through and turning the plants around it into ash, forcing Smoghand to leap into the air to avoid the tremendous wave.

The onslaught was vicious, cruel, and mostly savage, and it was nearly impossible to endure; nonetheless, avoiding it was a must, or Smoghand's entire body would have been burnt like meat. It extended forward in a straight line and exploded into the cobblestone structure, severely damaging it.

Smoghand's leap, on the other hand, appeared to be a lucky dodge, as he landed his soles on top of a tree's wide branch, crouching and gazing down at the ground, only to see Tim's body vanish in an instant.

"When did he-" Tim's presence evaporated and returned a few inches distant from Smoghand's position, as Tim emerged out of nowhere, wielding an ignited sword high above his own head, continuing to beam out flaring sparks of fire. He swung in a cascade, forcing Smoghand to leap from one tree branch to another, his sword effortlessly slicing through the branch and landing on the grassy terrain.

"He's lightning fast! Until he appeared, I couldn't detect him at all." It was vital to keep a tight check on Tim before it vanished completely, and Tim took a step forward with the other behind him to keep his balance.

Flames swirled at the tip of the blade, and Tim swiped the sword forward and directed it, unleashing a sphere of roaring flames that soared through the air like a sniper's bullet, split the earth in a straight line, and spun its trajectory upward toward Smoghand in an unstoppable pace.

It accelerated the further it flew from Tim, to the point where it was almost impossible for Smoghand to avoid. Smoghand quickly sprung up in the air, the sphere of fire burning through the tree tops and turning the leaves to ashes, when it exploded far away, turning the sky orange for a brief moment.

"I suppose Claude didn't joke around when he told me they could be trouble for us. Chu-Chu-Chu-Hu, but what does it matter? He hasn't managed to land a single hit, so he should be easy to knock out, and in my opinion, he would make a good slave, Hu-Hu-Chu-Chu!"

But his thoughts diverted his attention away from Tim, who emerged behind Smoghand on the same branch, his left arm pressed against his back. "You've lost track of me yet again." Tim's palm heated up and began to sear Smoghand's back, causing him pain, before smiling as Tim prepared to unleash a tremendous burst of fire.

Smoghand's body molded itself into smog and swirled like a tornado, causing the flames to break through the open middle and entirely miss him, crashing into the floor and spreading inferno through the forest, eventually reaching Elliott and Karisa's terrain, who began screaming in terror.

"He's completely mad! If he kept using his flames in such a careless manner, he'll kill both of us!" When the flames began to spread, she jumped out of the way, holding her head and falling to his knees as Elliott yelled in the air. "For genuine, who made him captain?"

"Tim, take it easy with your Element! If you keep doing this, you're going to ignite the two of us as well!" While the smog floated to another branch and shaped again into a regular body, he grew embarrassed, rubbed the back of his head, and sweated at how reckless he was.

"It'll burn like hell if I get hit by one of those flame blasts, so I'll hurry up and go offensive, Chu-Chu-Chu!" Tim, who was out of focus, was used by Smoghand to turn his body into smog, which flew through the air smoothly and gently to the front of Tim's placement.

Tim hurriedly became serious and rolled his eyes to the side when he noticed the haze approaching and pretended he couldn't see it. ("Does he expect like I can't utilize my Spirituality to my advantage? Whoever approaches me, especially anyone with even a smidgeon of Spiritual Force in their body, I can clearly see and sense.")

"Watch out, Tim!"

Tim lightly opened his mouth and let out steam, which turned into the flaring fire that raged forward without pausing, and then he corrected his posture by rearing his left leg and fronting his right to slightly squat, before lifting his sword slightly.

As the tip of the sword broke forth extending to the fire that spread through the air with the tree becoming ignited again, flames flowed out like water and rapidly swelled in size. They also began to quickly swivel around the blade without pausing.

With the flames flawlessly floating, he released the heated breath he had accumulated in his mouth and slashed the sword ahead obliquely where he unleashed a roaring fire.

It rushed forward like a one-directional wind, catching Smoghand and overcoming the smog into which he had changed, with a loud scream echoing in the flames when they abruptly detonated in an instant, blinding Elliott and Karisa who had shielded their eyes.

Smoghand's body reverted to physical form and was thrown back into one of the trees, which trembled as a result of the weight, giving Karisa and Elliott hope that he had been defeated. "He did it! That was a lot quicker than the skeleton!"

Tim hastily prepared to reattach the blade to his back as the flames in the air dispersed slowly, but a shadow dropped from the sky with black wings flapping and closed in on him, shocking him. The next second, a sharp item punctured Tim's chest, causing him to bleed and immobilizing him.

As he peered forward, his eyes, shook, and he felt a sharp thing pushing against the insides of his body.

"It appears that you, too, dear pirate, can't keep a good eye on the surroundings." Claude fixed his gaze on Tim's feet before slowly moving it to Tim's face, which was suffering from a bleeding lip.

"Now, please do me a favor and die before I have to get even rougher." Tim's strength had fled his body, causing him to drop the sword and feel how the spear twisted inside his chest as Claude threw the spear to the side and sent Tim flying onto the floor, near the fire.

Elliott and Karisa were taken aback by their opponent when Karisa's painful cry cried out her captain's name, leaving Elliott speechless and unable to move.

"Take a look at that. Six of you arrive, and one of them has died unexpectedly in the front."

Karisa dashed by Elliott and crouched beside Tim's crumpled form, listening to his still-beating heart. "He's still alive, but he has to see a doctor asap!" Claude was taken aback because he assumed he had successfully killed one of their crew members, yet he appeared to be annoyed.

"How could he have survived a body that had been pierced? That isn't supposed to be possible." However, he was startled to notice a tremendous increase in someone's Spiritual Force and turned to Elliott.

Elliot stood straight on the floor, twisting his hips sideways while maintaining a serious expression on his face. His skin was scratched, and black sparks of electricity surrounded his body, and his voice became more strained.

"I'll tell you how. Because he's our leader and a long-time buddy with whom we've traveled. That's why a slight wound won't kill him, because all he needs is determination and passion. There's no way you can kill him so easily. As for you, I'll make it easy."

Elliott's hair began to wave in the wind, frightening Claude, and the final spark of black energy zapped out.

To be continued...