Chapter 1411: Calm Flame

“Well, well, they’re already starting, right?” Helasa said, sitting on top of a cliff, a few kilometers away from the silent expanse.

No one was closer than this line. Adam and Anelez were more than ten kilometers away from them, which allowed them not to worry and to focus completely on the battle, which was important for both of them.

Next to her was Xander, who nodded deeply. Erada was not there, she was too angry and upset that she could not become Adam’s opponent.

“I have no desire to watch him fight!”

Those were Erada’s words as she disappeared into the streets of Izardo, leaving Helasa and Xander alone.

“Yes. Adam encountered the ancient voice for the first time. However, as soon as the fight began, he would forget about it. After all, his desire to fight and win has led him to this moment,” Xander replied calmly.

A gust of cold wind blew past him, ruffling his long black hair and heading towards the cliffs and forests in the distance, to the places where other monsters were waiting to watch Adam and Anelez’s fight.

Moreover, right now at Izardo, many arenas have begun taking bets on who would win this battle. Xander and Helasa tried, but they couldn’t hide the information that Adam would be fighting a Hybrid from the Black Fang Troupe.

Anelez was not particularly well known, unlike Adam, but in this case, that didn’t matter.

It was a battle between a Phantom and a Monster-Hybrid. That was a great rarity in itself.

Many wanted to know who would win and, of course, make money on it. The next time such an opportunity would arise would not be soon.

Helasa, who, despite the great distance, could see every detail, every movement on Adam’s expression, smirked.

“He doesn’t know what’s in store for him. This girl, Anelez… No matter how hard I tried to find out more about her, you refused to tell me anything. Maybe it’s time to reveal more information about her.”

“Well…” Xander lingered, staring at Anelez in the distance. “What can I say? Anelez is a girl with a goal and a desire to become better. If Adam is driven by a desire to fight like a bright flame, then in her case, it is a pragmatic goal. She came to the candidate selection because she knew there was a chance she could move on, and it would help her become stronger.”

Helasa bit her lip. “Hah, what a cold calculation. I’m afraid that’s not the kind of opponent Adam is counting on.”

“It doesn’t matter, not anymore. Once they exchange the first series of attacks, he’ll realize that nothing can be changed. His only way out will be victory, and I’m not sure he can do that.”

Xander’s eyes darkened, and his tone lowered.

“Anelez is strong. She has a chance to stop Adam. At least that’s what I believe.”

Helasa glanced at Xander, but said nothing. As a monster, she could sense the auras of other beings better than Xander, but as a Hybrid, he had much keener instincts. They could both be right and wrong at the same time.

…

About a minute after the conclusion of the Rule of Blood, Adam flexed his wrist and glanced at the drop sign on his hand.

He nodded slightly and turned to Anelez, who was waiting patiently for him to be ready to begin.

“You know, most of my past opponents would have already attacked me and tried to rip my heart out of my chest.”

Anelez didn’t even blink.

“I am different from them. However, I believe we should begin.”

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Her aura burst forth, resembling a calm, scarlet flame. She was its source and the sole ruler of its power.

A tremor ran through the ground, reaching Adam’s back.

He smiled bitterly, realizing that this was only the beginning, that Anelez, like him, had many tricks up her sleeve.

“Great, your aura is powerful. Since you are acting so formally, I will not go against your will and will respond in kind!”

Anelez knew what would follow his words. She stood in a fighting stance, ready for his aura.

‘I’ve heard the stories. A white, majestic flame, as pure as his desire to fight and win,’ she thought with a slight nod. ‘I’m ready for this!’

However…

‘What?’

What she saw next was different from the rumors about Adam.

As she had expected, a white flame appeared first, but it was immediately followed by a dark, frightening one, making up about a third of Adam’s aura.

These were the changes that had occurred to Adam after he found the Desire of Beyond, and Anelez was the first to encounter his full power after the event at Hollow Spire Island.

Whoooooooosh.

Adam’s frame trembled as he disappeared.

Shocked, Anelez blinked. The next moment, Adam was right in front of her as his fist cut through the wind at tremendous speed.

No abilities, for now. Brute force, aura, and energy.

‘No! I should have seen this coming!’ Anelez exclaimed internally. Her mind couldn’t react fast enough to Adam’s attack, and he saw it.

But…

‘Agh? What the…?’

Despite Anelez’s confusion, her hands moved, crossing in front of her face.

BAM!

Adam’s fist slammed into Anelez’s block as the impact traveled through her entire body. The shockwave was strong enough to throw her sideways, but Anelez hadn’t flown ten meters before she flipped in the air and crashed to the ground, confidently landing on her feet.

It all happened too fast for a normal person to see all the details, but that wasn’t a problem for Adam.

‘Shit… She didn’t just regain her balance. She created a barrier above herself, bounced off it, and used the momentum to land hard on the ground, basically reducing the effect of my attack.’

He gulped as he looked into Anelez’s cold, predatory eyes.

‘She did all that on instinct alone, didn’t she? Hah, I always thought monsters had incredible instincts, but the Hybrids are on a whole other level.’

Crunch.

Adam stretched his neck and smiled broadly.

“Great. With an opponent like that, I’m sure to get the Dark Heart!”