Arden vs Donald [Part 1]

Arden suddenly shifted his right leg backward, and then...

*BOOM*

He kicked off the ground, dashing towards Donald with immense speed, dagger ready to strike.

Donald, seeing this, gripped his axe tighter, prepared to defend himself.

Arden swung his dagger with great force.

*CLANG*

Donald blocked Arden's dagger with his axe, causing sparks to fly.

The force of the clash made their hands recoil, but Arden seized the opportunity. He instantly swung his right leg, striking Donald's ribs.

"Ugh..." Donald groaned in pain as he leaped backward, creating distance between himself and Arden.

'Who is he?' Donald questioned himself again as he eyed Arden. He removed his hand from his throbbing ribs and stood upright.

"You don't want to say anything, huh? I see..." A grin appeared on Donald's face. He raised his axe, and then...

*WHOOSH*

The axe was suddenly engulfed in flames, to the point that the blade couldn't even be seen.

Arden remained unfazed. After all, he already knew that Donald—and the entire Ainsley Household—could use the Fire Element.

"Your strike was strong, but let's see how well you fare against my Fire Element," Donald said with a smirk. Yet, a thought nagged at him: 'Why isn't he using Magic...?'

But that wasn't his concern for now. This person clearly had something against him, so he wouldn't hesitate to protect himself, even if it meant killing his opponent.

"This is your last chance. Tell me, what do you want from me?" Donald asked, trying to discern Arden's purpose.

Arden had already decided to remain silent—there was no need for words during a fight. He had one goal: to kill Donald. Words and explanations were unnecessary.

'Maybe after I've completely defeated him, I can throw in a few words before killing him,' Arden thought.

"I see. You still don't want to talk, huh? It seems like you've already decided your fate. You've chosen to die, so I'll gladly grant you death," Donald declared.

Suddenly...

*WHOOSH* *BOOM*

Flames burst from Donald's feet, propelling him toward Arden with incredible speed. In an instant, he reached Arden and swung his flaming axe.

Arden knew his dagger might break if he tried to block the strike, so he took the next course of action.

*WHOOSH*

Before the axe could touch him, he ducked, evading it. The heat brushed past his skin, but he ignored it, instantly slashing his dagger toward Donald's stomach.

"You think I don't know what you're about to do?!" Donald exclaimed as he slightly leaned back, evading Arden's dagger by mere inches.

Donald leaped back, creating distance once again.

"Why aren't you using your Magic?" Donald asked, narrowing his eyes.

As expected, Arden didn't reply. He kept observing Donald, trying to read his next move.

'I don't know his rank, but I'm sure he's just a bit stronger than me,' Arden thought. 'Though, his Fire Magic gives him an advantage here.'

"You know, the fact that you're not responding is only making things worse," Donald said. "But since that's your decision, then..."

He suddenly raised his hand, and...

*WHOOSH*

Fireballs began appearing above him. One, two, three... four... They kept forming until finally, they stopped.

The grin on Donald's face never faded as he stared at Arden. "You think you can handle this?"

With a flick of his finger, all the fireballs rushed toward Arden, making whooshing sounds as they homed in on their target.

Arden squinted at the approaching fireballs but quickly returned to his usual composure. He glanced to his left, where the system screen popped up.

[Combat Power: 25 (+5) = 30]

[Ability Energy: 25 (+5) = 30]

Because he was wearing the cloak and the mask, his Combat Power and Ability Energy were now 30 each.

'So I'm certainly stronger, and most importantly, faster than before,' Arden thought. With that, his confidence surged. He suddenly crouched, moving his right leg back and his left knee forward.

And then...

*BOOM*

Arden took off with immense speed, causing dust to rise from the ground.

*WHOOSH*

In an instant, he reached the fireballs and began evading them with swift precision.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

The fireballs struck the ground as Arden dodged them one by one.

Donald couldn't hide his shock. His eyes widened as he stared at Arden's movements. "H... How is he evading them so swiftly?"

Three fireballs rushed at Arden simultaneously. He slid under the first one and immediately encountered the second.

*SLASH* *BOOM*

He slashed the second fireball with his dagger, dispersing it instantly. The third fireball came at him, and he leaped over it.

"No... You'll die here!" Donald suddenly raised his hands, summoning more fireballs, along with flame spikes.

"Shit..." Arden cursed. "More fireballs... There must be something..." he muttered as his eyes darted from left to right.

As the fireballs closed in, he realized something. 'I can use this forest to my advantage.'

With that in mind, he suddenly dashed toward a tree on his right.

Seeing this, Donald clapped his hands, and the fireballs followed Arden.

*BOOM* *BOOM*

By the time the fireballs reached him, he had already taken cover behind a tree.

As expected, the tree was instantly blasted into pieces, but Arden kept moving, dashing from tree to tree.

It was clear he had a plan.