Chapter 76. Power of a sixth Resonance (II)
"Oh, so you sensed my presence..." A voice made everyone look up.
Standing atop a branch so lean it was surprising it still stayed attached to the tree and now even more surprising, as it bore the weight of the six-foot-five giant of a man. His weight barely bent the thin branch, as if he were but the weight of a sparrow.
Clad in a simple yellow tunic, he twirled his horseshoe mustache, his other hand resting on his belt.
"One with the element," one of the escorts exclaimed, hair standing on end.
The others turned to him, faces ashen with fear, yet the aura around them sharpened.
Though they feared the foe, they didn’t back down, their fear only reinforcing the threat he posed, a threat so great, it could kill them in a matter of seconds. But at least, if they fought, they could buy time for the Patriarch.
Some had already begun mobilizing their mana. Noticing this, Aiden raised his hand, the escorts calming at his gesture. Yet their sharpened aura remained, just in case they had to attack or escape.
"Abdicated Patriarch of the Agni clan, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Without an ounce of fear, Aiden called out to him.
A light frown crossed the man’s face, annoyed that Aiden didn’t show the same fear the rest did.
His frown rose to a smile as a thought crossed his mind.
"This confirms it, you are a sixth Resonance mage pretending to be a fifth." He paused, his smile turning into a grin. Aiden’s expression remained stoic.
"You know it’s against the rules of war for a sixth Resonance mage to join the battle between human nations."
"I am not a sixth Resonance mage, you should be able to tell." Aiden opened his arms, beckoning him to scan him.
But it seemed Sigmund had his own intentions.
"You sly Vulcans, you may have an artefact to block my perception." He forced a frown, though inwardly he smiled.
Such artefacts didn’t exist. Someone of a higher rank could always easily see through your rank, it was impossible to hide it.
Rank, yes. But skill, no.
In their eyes, the nodes representing ones Resonance will be lit, not your experience.
Sigh!!
Aiden shook his head. He was sure Sigmund had made up his mind. He was here to assassinate him under the pretext that he was a Sixth Resonance mage.
"You know if a Sixth Resonance attacks a lower realm without any just cause..."
"There is a just cause." He leaped down, his body descending slowly as if he controlled gravity itself, as weightless as a feather.
"You are allegedly a Fifth Resonance, yet Valentin couldn’t even leave a scratch on your body, not to mention you have killed him three times now."
"So this is what it’s all about." Aiden nodded slightly in understanding.
"He came crying to his father." Aiden looked straight into Sigmund’s eyes, his gaze as cold as ice, Sigmund smirking at the little boy’s bluff.
He knew for sure Aiden was a Fifth Resonance mage, and no matter how powerful he was, there was no way he would win in a fight.
Though the numbers six and five were close, in Resonance there was a chasm that skill alone wouldn’t be able to fill.
"Should I call my own?"
Sigmund’s smirk straightened, the air in the surroundings drying instantly, heat waves dancing as his mood swung a full 180°.
Bark cracked, leaves were forced to transpire, their moisture stolen by the searing heat.
FLAP! FLAP! FLAP!
CAW! CAW!
RUSTLE!
The inhabitants of the forest rushed away from the source of the heat, spanning a radius of half a kilometer.
The creatures fled from the life-threatening heat, their instincts screaming, pulling them away from danger.
Some were fortunate, most unlucky, as the vegetation, robbed of its moisture, sparked, uncontrollable flames blocking their path.
Flames raged through the forest like blazing lakes, claiming those unfortunate enough to cross their path.
At the centre of it all stood Sigmund, his expression cold, tangible killing intent mixed with the searing heat radiating from his form.
Aiden didn’t move an inch, the same for his escorts and even the beasts. They were fire elemental creatures, and thus the surrounding flames barely registered.
"Did I hit a nerve?" Aiden smiled, a mocking grin that tore at Sigmund’s heart.
Just as Aiden and Valentin were supposed rivals, so were Elio and Sigmund.
But unlike Aiden, Elio didn’t hide his strength for the sake of his friends’ mental health.
He crushed him every single time they fought, the arrogant and proud Abdicated Patriarch always mocking Sigmund whenever he challenged him and lost.
"I don’t have time to play with you. I am not a mountain you can hope to climb."
These words, though spoken more than a decade ago, echoed in his mind.
The scornful gaze Elio gave him as he looked at his bruised and battered form, he, a fire mage at the Fourth Resonance, bearing several burn scars from flames far hotter than his own.
"Your arrogant way of speaking, you truly are his spawn." Sigmund stepped forward, the ground beneath his feet cracking under his weight, magma boiling from the cracks that formed.
"Commander!" The strawberry-haired middle-aged man turned to Aiden, waiting for his instruction.
"Keep out of reach." Aiden leaped out of his chariot, his body kept afloat by the flames that erupted from his feet.
The escorts backed away into the flames, far enough from the walking disaster.
"You will die here, and I will be waiting for him to show." Sigmund joined him in the air, but unlike Aiden, he stood in the air, no flames keeping him afloat, yet he flew, several metres from Aiden.
Crackle!!
Black lightning crackled around Aiden’s form, letting out a distinctive melody, one that might pass for a signal like a beep, but made with lightning.
Several spears of flame, so condensed they looked solid, shot towards Sigmund, each meeting its mark.