Faramond was stupefied.
"Probably? Probably, you say…"
Fire flared to life in the dark forest, and it quickly wrapped around Faramond's fists as he lifted them, pointing directly at Chad, who stood grinning with an unnerving calm.
"Why am I facing someone who's using blood manipulation then, when the Santheus clan was supposed to be wiped out? Are you telling me you're probably someone who just happened to survive, then?!"
The flames erupted higher, twisting around him, and Faramond leapt forward, feet propelling him toward Chad.
Chad tightened his grip on the staff. Heat radiated from Faramond's flames, pressing against Chad's skin, and he braced for impact.
He gritted his teeth and grinned at Faramond, who glared back at him.
"Ha! If you start telling me why someone who wields flames has the Sun God's mark, then I might answer that!"
"You bastard! Are you a half-blood?!"
Faramond didn't miss the golden eyes of his opponent. Members of Santheus Clan are famous for having black hair and red eyes.
However, it is also true that only members of that clan could use blood manipulation.
Thud!
"Ah, shit."
Chad stumbled and hit his head on the ground.
The staff's length extended and aimed for Faramond's stomach, but the black-cloaked man dodged in the nick of time.
Faramond continued to throw blazing punches despite his opponent repeatedly blocking them.
"Tell me, kid! How did you survive?!"
"Ha? I have no idea what you're talking about, old man!"
"Still not talking? Maybe you'll talk once your body gets burned, then!"
Faramond took a deep breath.
The dark forest became bright when a swirling vortex of flames surrounded the two of them.
"This is ridiculous."
Chad squeezed his weapon tight.
The whirlpool of flames shot to the sky, enveloping Chad and swallowing him inside.
The corners of Faramond's mouth curled up as he watched the flames engulf the frowning young man.
'Hmph, he must be frozen in shock.'
His vicious chuckle echoed in the silence.
'As expected, fire is best when used in the dark.'
The spell, Inferno Vortex, pulls in his enemies inside the swirling flames and burns everything within it. His flames are certainly stronger than before now that he has Phoebus' mark.
Even though he had to serve under his insufferable boss, Avarice, he admitted he was generous in some ways. Giving an heirloom mark to someone who wasn't even his own blood was completely unheard of.
Faramond clenched his fist.
'With this, I can now advance to Verse 7 in Agni's Atlas and even have the potential to use high-tier spells from Phoebus'!'
He turned his head to look for the kid in shackles.
But then…
"...huh?"
Red streaks swirled on the bright, orange flames and it rapidly merged with the inferno.
As if a pool of blood had swallowed the fire, the bright light vanished.
Only a huge tornado of blood remained.
It carefully spread out to make way for one man to walk out.
Chad frantically checked his hair, and glared at Faramond.
"Damn it. You just had to use that, of all spells!"
When the fire started to lash at him, Chad quickly dug his nails into the skin of his forearms. From elbow to his wrist, blood surged out to form a barrier and turned into a hurricane.
His index finger pointed at his opponent.
"Hey! Don't you know exposure to flames could damage hair?! What are you gonna do if you burnt my hair?! Damn it, you fire-playing bastard!"
If he hadn't protected himself in time, his precious hair might have been burnt already.
"What…? You brat! How did you do that?!"
Faramond gritted his teeth.
'Impossible! That was my strongest spell, strengthened by the power I got from Phoebus' divine mark! No way…'
The sun mark glowed underneath his palms.
"Die!"
Daggers made out of light shot out, aiming for his opponent who silently glared at him.
Clang!
Chad's golden eyes glimmered as he caught one of the light daggers and the others bounced back against the barrier that appeared just in time to block them.
His face became emotionless as he looked at the glowing dagger on his hand.
'Wha–?!'
Faramond was stunned.
To think his opponent could easily defend against all of his attacks like this. After receiving the Sun God's divine mark, he thought capturing his target couldn't be easier.
That's right. A newfound ability and boosted divine power. Clearly, only success should follow him after.
However, a strange young man who uses blood manipulation suddenly appeared, and blatantly got in his way.
"Why are you doing this? After all this time, nobody dared to show up when the world was looking for a survivor. So why is someone like you interfering now, of all times?! Tell me, you wretched kin of Santheus!"
But Chad only stood motionless without saying anything.
Faramond's face crunched up when he saw the young man's silence. It only made his rage boil hotter.
The traitors of the House of Agni.
That's what people called his family after they were banished from their respective clan. His father and elder brothers were loyal to the previous Archeion of Agni.
Years after the Santheus Clan fell, demigods and demons waged war against each other after the demons lost their ruler. Their prime target became the House of Agni, putting the blame onto their then leader.
Members of the House of Agni had rummaged everywhere, looking for a survivor, in order to prove their innocence.
In the end, the other divine clans berated their leader, and the previous Agni fell from rebellion. Their family, in particular, was kicked out of the clan for defending their previous clan leader, having to live with shame for the rest of their lives.
His father died without having the chance to regain his dignity, and his brothers scattered trying to make a living in the cruel world where no one accepts them.
In the end, Faramond, the youngest of his family, was recruited by an organization who operates in the underworld.
From living his life as a proud member of a major clan to a secret organization's underling. Faramond endured all kinds of humiliation until now.
'If only back then… If only someone from the Santheus Clan had stepped up, then the clan leader wouldn't have died! Then, we wouldn't have had to get banished!'
The demons worshipped the Santheus Clan like their gods. If even one person lived to defend them, then the war never would have happened.
Light gathered underneath Faramond's feet. His face burned with rage.
"You bastard… you've been hiding all this time, huh? I'll make you regret showing your face in front of me!"
Using the Sun God's light, he vanished from his position and appeared in front of Chad in the blink of an eye.
'Dayblinker!'
A blinding flash of light surged from his hands.
Chad lifted his arm to cover his eyes.
Faramond used this split second of opening as an opportunity to stab his opponent using his dagger made out of light.
Stab!
The man wearing black cloak grinned widely.
'I got him!'
"Cough!"
Blood splattered into his clothes.
"...ha?"
Chad came into view, his face showing no ounce of emotion, as if his mind were void of any thoughts about what was happening around him.
The light on his golden eyes was nowhere to be found.
After staring at Faramond for a few moments, he finally opened his mouth.
"...Only an Archeion could grant their heirloom to other people. In other words, Phoebus himself must have chosen you as his heir."
"Kugh–!"
Faramond's eyes trembled as he listened to the man speaking. Blood dripped from his mouth.
He looked down at his chest, only to see it bleeding from a red staff piercing through it.
"Leave. I'll at least let you keep your life."
Chad retracted his staff.
It swiftly vanished into thin air, which resulted in Faramond falling to his feet.
"Cough… ugh!"
He spat out blood, tightly holding onto his chest.
Chad looked at him in apathy,
"Heir of Sun God… consider yourself lucky. That heirloom mark of yours saved you. If it weren't for that, then your soul would have ceased to exist."
He turned around and walked away without looking back at his fallen enemy.
Chad's brows creased.
His opponent uses fire efficiently and has clearly mastered it. Meanwhile, he uses light spells clumsily, as if he's someone who just started using Phoebus' Atlas of Verse recently.
He's not sure why the Sun God chose him, but one thing left him confused.
'Phoebus' heir is targeting Hypnos' heir?'
Naturally, not all demigods are friendly to each other. However, an Archeion's heir actively hunting down another heir is unthinkable. They could be hostile, but never to the point of doing something like that in the open.
'Moreover…'
He closed his eyes as Faramond's voice echoed inside his mind.
'After all this time, nobody dared to show up when the world was looking for a survivor. So why is someone like you interfering now, of all times?! Tell me, you wretched kin of Santheus!'
His golden eyes glimmered as he opened them again.