Chapter 89: The Burning Fires of Hell (Part 1)

Li Wei: "You bastard!"

Eshin: "Say what you will! You are the one losing here."

For small groups of supernaturals, especially Aurals, that make bases at some secluded places but stay there very rarely, often travelling across places, the biggest problem is often others like them.

If an Aural group is small, bigger groups often try to take over them, trying to turn all of its members into their members.

And that is what happens pretty much every time when a big and a small Aural group come across. Thus, the smaller groups don't venture out carelessly and travel with much planning and strategizing beforehand.

On the other hand, if two Aural groups of large numbers come against each other, then they are generally at each other's throats.

They don't necessarily try to kill each other but the aura of hostility and the schemes of trampling each other are never a surprise.

Thus, one could say that the division among Aurals is somewhat the same as the religious division between people in the middle of humanity's history, the Middle Ages.

The big difference here is that, in those religious divisions, what clashed were different faiths in different gods. Here, all the groups have the same God and Devil to look at.

All Aural groups worship Ozyllus and loathe Abyss. Hence, that part does not cause any conflict but brings the groups together.

What causes conflict though is the difference in opinion on how to use their abilities. One could say it's like the rivalries between the different styles of swordplay or different clans performing the same art.

But, over the years, or decades, it has grown worse than a rivalry and become sheer hatred-filled enmity.

And in the middle of this enmity are two of the strongest Aural groups in Orland Union, Heise and Baise.

It is a fact that this enmity between the two had been building up for many, many decades, maybe even centuries. And when, 12 years ago, the only other Aural group that was as powerful as them but focused on maintaining peace rather than conflict was annihilated by a certain Psychic in a certain calamity, these two groups jumped on each other's throats with full force.

And ever since then, the peace that was known to most Aural groups 12 years ago has become a thing of the past, with no traces of it remaining still.

Whether this constant conflict or this current situation is what Ozyllus, the man responsible for that third group's slaughter, intended or not, remains a mystery.

Angela: "So, what are you planning to do with them?"

Eshin: "Oh, you know!"

One thing that is clear though is when outmatched like Heise is at present, Eshin Mir and his members of Baise would not be showing any mercy.

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"AAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!"

Hearing that scream, my head involuntarily turns in its direction for a moment.

Kais: "That was … Sona?"

The anxiety growing within me grows evermore with that scream, but on the other hand,

Ross: "Looks like your girlfriend is getting her ass handed to her!"

I would love to correct the notion of her being my girlfriend, but I can't take my mind off the question of what may have happened to her to make her scream like that.

Ross: "Well, since she is fighting that pipsqueak, I am not surprised."

And what … does that mean?

Ross: "She's a Spirit-user, right? I bet she could have taken down Ms Laurie Brown. She may even give me a run for my life. But, against him, a Spirit-user ain't gonna win."

…?

Ross: "Well,"

Closing his eyes and forming a smile, as if taking his focus off that scream,

Ross: "We have our own problems, right? Right? RIGHT?"

He says so, looking at me. And I guess, he is not wrong.

So,

Kais: "We'll see how much of a problem we can be to each other."

I say, smirking voluntarily as I turn to him with my arms raised, preparing to use psychokinesis.

And just at that moment, as if having predicted that, he jumps ahead and reaches me within a moment,

Ross: "You fool, you're too late! You should have been preparing an attack while I was acting distracted by your girlfriend's scream."

Hearing him say so, I can't help but twirl up the corners of my lips.

Kais: "And what makes you think I wasn't doing that?"

I ask, sarcastically, with my outstretched arms igniting like kerosene.

Ross: "W-wh-!"

My hands burn brighter than his eyes can take at such a close distance without any warning. And so, he inadvertently averts his eyes, giving me ample time to move away from his incoming attack, and also ample time to activate psychokinesis to trap his now falling body underneath a pillar.

For destroying a pillar in Heise's beloved shrine, I do feel bad ... a little, but defeating this guy has higher priority in my mind than preserving architecture.

Ross: "That wasn't half-"

Kais: "Who told you you could speak?!"

I say, and press my ignited arms to the ground, controlling the fire to rapidly spread on the ground and form a ring around him. And as soon as the ring is completed, I increase the fire's intensity and temperature.

Ross: "Cool, but you know that a Psychic can easily telep-"

Kais: "You are yet to be given my permission to speak."

I say so again, exerting a large amount of Psychic energy and turning the flames pure blue, the likes of which would be unbearable for any human, even with supernatural abilities to protect them.

Ross: "Shit!"

Realizing that he would need to get out of the fire, he irritatedly looks down upon me and tries to teleport, only to find the ability not working properly.

Ross: "W-what the heck!"

Well, that's to be expected.

I increase the temperature even more, which leads to the fire touching the roof. It doesn't start spreading because I am controlling it but it does start burning the roof, charring it black.

Ross: "Why can't I-"

Meanwhile, the Hellfire, standing in a ring of fire, scratches his head over why he can't teleport out of the fire. And then, he seems to realize why.

Ross: "Shit!"

Even more than any other kind of supernatural abilities, Psychic is dependent on the mind of the person. Hence, if one harms their mind in some way, a Psychic can become weaker.

And well, harming one's mind doesn't necessarily mean that you have to physically harm them. Psychological damage like the panic one feels when a painful death like being roasted in a ring of fire draws near, can make someone lose touch.

Ross: "Tsk!"

Even in this panic though, it's not that he can't use any Psychic abilities but that he knows he can mess up and self-destruct.

In this situation, where the panic causes Psychic abilities to not work properly, which in turn induces more panic because the thing that gives all of us the confidence to do the impossible malfunctioning - it's a downward spiral that experienced Psychics may be able to break through, but a teenager being dictated by his hormones like Ross Green is highly unlikely to.

So,

Ross: "No choice, I guess!"

Making a painful expression, having left with the conclusion that any Psychic ability used here can backfire on him, he does what a person without Psychic would do to get out of this - run through it.

Ross: "AAAGGHH!!!"

The ring of fire I have created is quite thin so it isn't all that hard running through it but not catching fire while doing so is pretty much impossible with how hot and pure it is.

Kais: "Looks like you are the one who has joined the screaming, right? Right? RIGHT?"

I say, deridingly.

Still, even if I take care of this guy, I am getting worried about Sona. As such, I can't help but get distracted for just a second, which is all Ross Green needs to -

Kais: "What!?"

Heal himself completely.

Kais: "Y-you-"

Ross: "I bet you were thinking you were going to win this one easy, right? Right? RIGHT?"

With painfully stretched jabs to mock me back, the teenager in front of me looks at me like he never got burned, like he never had a pillar fall on him, like he never even entered a fight.

Ross: "In case you didn't know,"

And for the sake of mocking me further, he tells me,

Ross: "I am known as the Hellfire of Healing."

Healing? Is that why his 'defence stat' looked high to Ethan? Is that why he called this guy 'almost invincible'? Because he can heal himself like this and look like nothing ever happened?

Kais: "Well, talk about a deceptive stats menu!"

But, if that really is the case, I fear I could be outmatched.

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