Kael stood alone against the four most powerful fighters in the kingdom. Sweat dripped from William's forehead. They want to see my secret, Kael thought.
High above, King Aldric smiled. "The game begins!"
"BLUE FLAME!" Kael roared. Fire exploded in his hands – bright, unnatural blue.
Sorcerer Silas (still masked as "Orion") watched closely. William, Varric, and Erec froze in shock.
William attacked first. He ran at Kael, fists burning red. "DEATH FIRE!" A huge wave of fire swallowed Kael! Kael screamed as flames covered him.
Varric shouted: "GLACIAL MOUNTAIN!" Ice shot from the ground, trying to trap the burning Kael. Kael jumped away just in time – but Erec was waiting.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Erec's sword moved like light. He cut off Kael's right arm, left arm, right leg, and left leg! Kael collapsed, burning and limbless.
William stepped back, breathing hard. The crowd screamed:
"This was supposed to be friendly!"
"They're killing him!"
King Aldric clapped slowly. "Ooohoo! What teamwork!"
Kael lay on the ground, a broken, burning thing...
Then blue light glowed where his limbs were cut.
Muscles regrew. Skin healed. Burns vanished.
In seconds, Kael stood whole again. His clothes weren't even burnt.
Everyone stared in horror.
Varric whispered: "How…?"
Silas's cold voice cut through the silence: "You really are a monster."
Kael's eyes burned with blue fire. "You tried to kill me." His voice was terrifying. "BLUE FLAME CLONES!"
POOF! POOF! POOF!
Twenty perfect copies of Kael appeared around him! All glowed with blue fire.
Anis! What's my rank? Kael thought.
[ANSWER: YOU ARE NOW SSS-RANK. YOUR CLONES ARE SSS-RANK TOO.]
One clone grabbed William by the throat, lifting him off the ground. Its eyes were empty fire.
"NO!" William choked.
PUNCH! The clone slammed William into the ground. Stone cracked like glass.
The other clones attacked:
Three jumped on Varric. One froze his ice hand with blue fire! SNAP! It broke his frozen wrist! Another punched his stomach – THUD! – making him vomit blood.
Three swarmed Erec. One kicked his knee backward – CRUNCH! Erec screamed. Another punched his face 90,000 times in 6 seconds! Erec collapsed, unmoving. People whispered: "Is the Crystal Knight dead?"
Cinder Blades – hundreds of burning swords – appeared around Silas!
Silas finally moved. Light exploded from him! "DISPEL!"
WHOOSH! All twenty Kael clones vanished instantly!
Silas grabbed the real Kael's wrist. He was impossibly fast. "You're strong," Silas hissed. "But not strong enough."
PUNCH-PUNCH-PUNCH! Silas hit Kael 50,000 times in one second!
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK! Every bone in Kael's body broke! He collapsed like a broken doll.
William, Varric, and Erec lay nearby, bleeding and gasping. Varric coughed blood: "He could kill us all... and you thought he was D-Rank? Fool!"
Blue fire glowed around Kael's broken body. He healed instantly.
He stood up. "FINAL GUARDIAN!" he roared.
A giant blue fire god appeared behind Kael! It was 50 feet tall, shaped like a flaming warrior! Its eyes burned like suns.
The fire god's power lifted William, Varric, Erec, and Silas into the air!
William yelled: "Why am I flying?!"
Silas whispered: "Astonishing…"
CRACK! Silas's mask split open! He grabbed it before it fell, hiding his face.
The fire god raised its hand. 50,000 Cinder Blades pointed at the four floating fighters.
Kael smiled a terrible smile. His eyes glowed pure blue. "Now... it ends."
The blades shot forward like a storm of fire!
Silas moved in a blur. He grabbed Varric and Erec, yanking them aside.
William wasn't fast enough.
SCHLICK! SCHLICK! SCHLICK!
Eight burning swords stabbed through William's chest and legs! He screamed, blood pouring from his mouth.
The crowd finally understood. "HE'S FIGHTING A SORCERER!" they screamed.
Kael vanished. POOF! He reappeared behind Silas.
"BLUE FLAME SWORD!" A blade of fire appeared in Kael's hand.
STAB! He drove it deep into Silas's back!
Silas gasped, blood dripping from his lips under the broken mask. He smiled. "You are quite powerful..."
Suddenly, Kael wasn't in the arena.
He was in a beautiful garden. His mother stood there, holding a bloody knife. She smiled sadly. "My son... my son..." Her hands were covered in blood. She was eating... his own dead body!
"MOTHER?!" Kael choked.
The garden exploded! Volcanoes erupted! Kael fell into boiling lava! He felt his skin burn, his bones melt...
AGONY!
He snapped back to reality.
Silas stood before him.
SLICE!
Silas's hand swept through the air.
Kael saw his own headless body standing below him.
Oh, he thought. He cut off my...
Darkness.
Silas held Kael's head.
William, Varric, and Erec lay unconscious nearby.
King Aldric smiled. "Finally. The game ends."
Silas stared at Kael's head. "I thought you were him... but you're not."
A memory flashed in Silas's mind:
A man with a blue flame sword cutting off his big sister's head. The man picked up the head... and started eating it.
Silas blinked, back in the arena. "So this is the end." He threw Kael's head aside like trash.
Healers rushed to help William, Varric, and Erec.
The hunters and knights stood frozen in terror.
The Blue Flame God had vanished.
Only Kael's headless body remained on the bloody stones.
The monster was gone.
(Chapter 22 Fin)