Radiation of Flames

"Well, all right. Just return before the mana control event, which is… tomorrow."

Leo said, an exasperated expression clouding his face.

"All right. I'll probably be back in a couple of hours.

"That's physically impossible."

"For you, it is. Did you not see my skin ripping off due to the air pressure, which was caused solely due to my inhumane speed?"

"Narcissist."

"It's true, though."

Ace protested, earning a dissatisfied expression from his lanky-armed friend.

"Just go."

Leo said as he shook his head in mockery while waving his hand.

"You're so short-tempered."

Ace muttered under his breath before using [Blitz Step].

Immediately, Ace's figure became a blur as he ran at inhumane speeds towards his house.

Leo's eyes widened as he realized Ace wasn't lying when he said he could return in a couple of hours.

His speed was beyond human comprehension.

Even a mana wielder like Leo, who was at the C Rank, couldn't see his figure properly.

All he saw was a colored blur.

"Just what did he go through this past year and a half!? How did he become so powerful in such a short amount of time!?"

Shaking his head in self-mockery, he headed inside to train to alleviate his guilt for lazing around.

Even though he trained all day, he couldn't surpass Ace.

This made him feel like he was doing it all wrong. He needed to train 24 hours a day if he even wanted a remote chance of reaching Ace's power level.

*

*

*

Near a river that seemed to contain the world itself sat a boy with dirty-blonde hair, spending his lonely days encompassed in sadness.

After he, Larry, and Ace had left the Spirit Realm, Akash's life had never been the same again.

He desperately wanted to go back to the time when they hung out every day and trained until the night.

He also missed the time when he and Larry would beat up Ace.

Of course, that was until Ace became stronger than him.

Following that, Ace was the one who bullied him.

Suddenly, a knocking sound resounded throughout his domain as his eyes lit up.

He rushed to the entrance, which was at the top of the domain and in the skies, and opened the door.

In front of him, he saw an eight-year-old child.

However, it wasn't just any child.

It was Larry, the former Deity of Enlightenment, who was now a Celestial.

Putting aside his childish appearance, he was around the mid-tier in terms of strength for Celestials, being billions or even trillions of times more powerful than Akash, who wasn't based in combat.

"Hello, Akash."

"Hey, Larry."

Akash invited him in, much to Larry's glee.

The latter had also been feeling empty ever since their departure from the Spirit Realm, and finally meeting Akash after a couple of weeks gave him a sense of nostalgia.

Even though it had only been a couple of weeks, they already missed the child they had practically raised.

For others, Ace wasn't a child since he was technically 24.5 years old.

However, for divine beings like them, 24.5 years wasn't even considered enough time to finish a meal.

"So, what has transpired for such a mighty being to seek me out?"

Chuckling due to Akash's formal speech, Larry finally dropped a bombshell on the former.

"Ace died again."

Akash's smirk froze as his actions halted.

His body became stiff, and he swore he could hear his own breathing and heartbeat.

Then, his face paled, following his eyes drooping.

He cowered in sadness, but it wasn't due to the fact that Ace had died.

"I have to find another person to help me defeat the Deity of Destruction…."

He began sobbing uncontrollably, much to Larry's dismay.

"All you care about is his inability to defeat the Deity of Destruction? Moreover, why are you so sad!? Delilah's gone! Charlie is a pushover!"

"Oh… right."

Coughing a few times awkwardly, he walked towards the River of Cosmos.

"So, why are you here? It isn't possible for you to visit my domain only to tell me about Ace's death, which could easily be prevented. Wait, his death would cause his potential to drop significantly. Moreover, he will lose his abilities if we can't retrieve his physical body."

Sighing in disappointment, Larry waited for Akash to get over his panic attack.

"Now, can I finally speak?"

"All right."

"So, a mighty figure who was more powerful than me revived him before his soul migrated to the Spirit Realm. That would need millions of years of focus to be able to perform."

"So, you're saying that a mighty being is assisting Ace?"

"Exactly. If it were in the inner cosmos, it would have to be one of the most powerful Celestials. However, I think it's an Outer God. Maybe one of them found him interesting and wants to support him."

"That's very unlikely. Outer Gods don't just randomly choose people to support. Maybe it's because of his aether, but even then, it's implausible."

"Well, of course! Did you think I didn't know that!?"

Akash sighed as he stared at the River of Cosmos in defeat as a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

"Maybe it's a–"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence. There is no possible way!"

Akash's head drooped as he returned to staring at a colorful river.

"If that's not it, I have no idea who could have possibly helped Ace. Moreover, why would you like to find out in the first place?"

Akash asked, curious about Larry's proactive behavior towards the affairs of a puny mortal.

"It's just… I was thinking about what happened on the day before our departure."

"Huh?"

"The time when he used all of his mana, skills, and aether to try to defeat me. When it first happened, I believed it was a product of all his powers. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize that due to the wide gap between a B- Rank individual and an A+ or S- Rank individual, it would have been impossible for Ace to produce an attack of such a high-scale even if he infused all of his energy into it."

"What's your point? That he's stronger than normal mortals? That's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

"I'm surprised an intelligent individual like yourself didn't realize the fact that his bloodline could be contaminated with divinity."

Akash's jaw dropped as his eyes threatened to bulge out.

Drool began escaping his mouth, but as it was about to, Akash swallowed it.

"You mean to say… he's a product of the corpse of an Outer God!?"

"Yes, indeed. I believe it is possible that he was a by-product of an Outer God's death. His species is named the 'Fictus Deus.'"

"B–But that's a speculation, isn't it?"

"For now, yes. However, the signs are obvious, especially for someone like you."

"Ace is a… Fictus Deus?"

"Hey, hey. For now, it's just a speculation, so calm down."

"Y–Yeah."

"For now, we observe."

*

*

*

Ripples spread throughout the atmosphere surrounding Ace as he traveled at inhumane speeds towards his home.

He had to meet his parents and ask why they didn't come to the Inter-Academy Tournament.

Moreover, he wanted to know what he did wrong.

There was no way his parents would miss something so crucial as the Inter-Academy Tournament because they were busy.

It had to be a mistake Ace made which angered his family.

Little did he know, that wasn't even close to the truth.

Night had fallen, and the moonlight that shone upon Ace made him look majestic.

Boom!

He abruptly came to a stop when he took a glance at his home in the distance.

The entire house radiated an orange-red hue as heat radiated off its surface.

Ace's eyes widened as his jaw dropped to the floor.

Following that, he dropped to his knees, his head on his thighs.

His eyelids drooped, and he didn't dare imagine what must have happened.

He couldn't.

What kind of son could imagine his family being burnt alive, even if the signs pointed towards that conclusion?

Looking at the burning house in the distance, he decided to call the cops immediately.

However, that wasn't needed, because as soon as he took out his phone, he heard sirens off in the distance, approaching his location.

Without a change in his indifferent expression, he stood up.

Utilizing [Indifference] to calm his mind that threatened to explode, he grit his teeth, his body stationary.

"Felix. He'll know something about this."

He arrived at a conclusion before darting towards the academy once again at speeds higher than a B- Rank could endure.

His skin suffered little damage due to him augmenting his body for it to be durable enough to endure such air pressure.

His expression stayed neutral the entire time, but his emotions waged war against his rationality, eating away at it.

If his family had truly been killed, he would devour the killers by any means possible… even if he had to die.

He was ready to give up his life for things that were important to him.

His goals were important, sure. However, there were thing just as important to him as his goals, such as his family.

Arriving at the entrance of the academy, he saw that the lights were turned off, symbolizing the end of the day's events in the Inter-Academy Tournament.

He entered the main building and approached the door leading to Felix's office.

Standing before it, he knocked gently.

"Come in, Mr. Ambrosia."

Perplexed by his formal speech, he hesitated, but eventually grabbed the knob and pushed open the door.

He saw before him the back of Felix's office chair.

His chair was facing the window at the back of his room, and Ace couldn't see his figure.

"So, what have I done for such an absolute being to pay me a visit?"

Frustrated by his sarcastic comments, he gathered mana in his palm but was disrupted by Felix's mana, which overwhelmed his own.

"Now now, I'm sure we can resolve this without violence."

Boom!

The resistance posed against Ace by Felix was shattered as the former gathered aether instead of mana.

His hand glowed purple, earning a shocked expression from Felix, who finally turned around to glance at Ace.

His eyes, which were filled with utter disbelief, suddenly went cold as the atmosphere between the two stiffened.

Ace and Felix locked eyes as they both tried discerning the other's intentions.

"I'm going to be as straightforward as I possibly can. Why did you burn my home? Moreover, where is my family?"

"I don't know what happened to your home or your family."

He said in a calm tone.

However, that only helped fuel Ace's rage, which was piling up at a rapid pace.

Several purple spears appeared behind Ace's back, shocking Felix due to the concentration of energy present inside of them.

Moreover, the substance Ace utilized couldn't be disrupted using an overwhelming method or 'Disrupt Flow'.

This perplexed Felix, since he had never seen a substance that couldn't be suppressed by a higher power.

Despite the origin or potency of said element, the power was always discerned through the rank of the individual.

However, this was not true in the case of aether.

Aether was a form of energy unrestricted to any bounds, forcing its superiority among other elements or types of energies, including mana.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about, and I have no interest in the affairs of your family."

Felix explained, trying to look unfazed by Ace's display of power.

However, the latter had already noticed the former's disbelief and knew that he was confused by the substance's potency and superiority.

This was why he was certain that he wouldn't be suppressed so easily.

However, this was definite not the case.

Being at the S+ Rank, Felix could easily overwhelm and suppress Ace.

However, his reaction was as such due to him noticing the versatility as well as the power Ace held despite being at such a low rank.

"I know that you were one who burnt down my home. Answer my questions now, or else I won't spare you."

Saying this in a tone filled with no hesitation whatsoever, he locked eyes with Felix once again.

His determined expression with a smidge of murderous intent blended perfectly, sending shivers down Felix's spine despite his advantage in pure strength.

Seeing that Felix did not have any intention of answering his questions without a proper battle, he summoned several more spears of aether while augmenting his body.

Unsheathing his blade that contained the powers of a Demigod, he aimed it at Felix.

An expression of disbelief appeared on Felix's face, which soon contorted into a fearful but blank stare.

He had seen this power during Ace's previous visit.

It was completely overwhelming, like a monarch looking down on the peasants with a gaze that screamed, you're worthless!

The sleek, black blade and the majestic hilt contained the powers of a half-god as it was aimed at a human not even worthy of licking its feet.

Suddenly, the blade was encompassed in mana, aura, aether, fire, and darkness.

The blend of colors traveled throughout the insides of the blade with fluency, forming an equilibrium in seconds.

Soon, Ace was prepared for a head-on strike.

"Now, will you face me head-on?"

Felix's absent-minded expression soon turned into one of determination as he gathered mana in both of his palms.

The atmosphere of the room darkened as Ace's aura and mana was suppressed, leaving only aether remaining on his blade.

Even Ace's [Body Augmentation] skill disabled as he was left with no form of retaliation.

Felix had utilized a form of 'Disrupt Flow', which had the power of blocking one's mana for a certain period of time depending on the gap between the user and the opponent.

Since Ace was a total of two major ranks blow Felix, it was possible for the latter to block the former's flow of mana for a long time.

Having faced an opponent at the S+ Rank for the first time in his two lives, he was unbeknownst to the true power of 'Disrupt Flow', which is why he was caught off-guard by it.

His eyes widened to the size of saucers as he lowered his blade, baring his teeth at his opponent, who had unarmed him using one of the strongest techniques one could utilize in battle.

"Disrupt Flow… of course, how could I forget…"

Ace sighed, but his eyes carried a glint of killing intent.

His body was overtaken by emotions, and his amygdala had overwhelmed the other parts of his brain that could think rationally.

Currently, all he cared about was either finding out what had happened to his family, saving them, or killing the murderer.

A menacing laugh emerged from the depths of Ace's mouth as the atmosphere around him froze.

The world turned grey and Felix's actions halted immediately.

It was like time had stopped for everyone except Ace, who ruled over it.

Although he was shocked by the sudden development, he approached Felix to try to harm him.

However, before he could, a ringing noise entered his ears as time returned to normal.

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

An intense pain ran through Ace's body as he collapsed immediately, blood gushing out of his newfound wounds.

Felix's eyes widened as he realized Ace had traveled forward at a speed even he couldn't recognize.

He ran towards Ace with all his might and began the first-aid process.

"H–His… All of his bones are cracked. Even his spinal cord suffered hefty damage."

Felix was awed by the fact that Ace was still breathing in such a condition, which displayed the sheer amount of endurance he possessed.

The unrecognizable figure of Ace was then taken to the infirmary once again.

*

*

*

His eyes quivered as his eyelids slowly opened.

What he saw in front of him was the face of a man who had questions, and desperately desired answers.

"W–What happened?"

Ace asked, clutching his temples due to the throbbing and pain coursing through them.

Felix, with a face harder than boulders, said…

"You approached me at a speed faster than I could recognize. Then, before you could get close enough, all of your bones shattered…"

Ace's eyes suddenly widened as he realized he still had a bone to pick with Felix.

Extending his arm towards his scabbard, he was dumbstruck when he felt his hip instead of a sheath.

Immediately, he materialized aether, while Felix, who wasn't able to use Disrupt Flow, prepared defense mechanisms.

The scene was majestic as if it were out of a fantasy comic or novel.

The two spears on either side of Ace's shoulder faced the two dark balls of fire on Felix's shoulders.

Both of them carried a nonchalant look on their faces, but deep down, they were extremely wary of their opponent.

Felix was dumbstruck by the fact that even though Ace couldn't defeat him, he had the methods to instill fear into him.

"Now now, can we talk about this?"

Felix asked, expecting an answer such as, "No, fight me, you fool!"

However, his negative thoughts were soon disrupted by the tone of a troubled teenager, who said…

"Y–Yeah, sure."

Diminishing their mana and aether, the atmosphere became calm once again.

"So, what happened?"

"Basically, I noticed my parents weren't at the Inter-Academy Tournament. So today, I decided to check on them. Afterwards, what I saw was my house burning."

Ace explained with a bit of trouble, his eyes revealing his distress.

"I can swear on the OTF's name that I had no knowledge of such a thing. However, I can call someone who can help."

"Phantom?"

"Indeed."

"All right."

Sighing in defeat, Ace motioned for Felix to call Phantom, who was the only person who could help them in their endeavor.

Taking out his phone, he dialed Phantom's number.

[Phantom]

[*** *** ****]

[Dialing…]