Chapter 9: Squad 4 (Continued)
The training hall of Squad 4 hung thick with the aftermath of chaos. Scorched stone floors still smoldered from Yoroki's flames, puddles of water evaporated from Pyo's flood techniques, and the faint crackle of residual lightning danced in the air like restless spirits.
The cadets stood frozen in a mixture of shock, exhaustion, and dawning realization, their breaths coming in ragged gasps as the dust settled around them.
"Today," Gilgamesh announced from the entrance, his demeanor as frigid as a winter gale sweeping across the void plains, voice cutting through the tension like a sharpened blade. Beside him stood a woman, her features shrouded by a thin, ethereal veil that did little to hide the graceful silhouette beneath. Curves hinted at a fierce, untamed beauty that could ensnare souls as easily as it could end them. "That scoundrel will be joining my team."
"Are you speaking of our Young Lord's son, Damon Rim?" she inquired, disbelief tinging her melodic voice like a shadow across moonlight. "What could he possibly hope to achieve here, among warriors who live and breathe battle?"
Gilgamesh merely smirked, a rare hint of mischief curling at the corners of his scarred lips, his eyes gleaming with hidden knowledge. If only you could glimpse the depths of that child's potential, he mused silently, a shiver of anticipation running through his battle-hardened frame.
"Why am I feeling this surge of exhilaration at the thought of that boy?" he exclaimed suddenly, punctuating his words with a powerful self-inflicted punch to his own chest that echoed like thunder, startling the veiled lady beside him and causing her to step back instinctively.
Inside the hall, the fight had reached its fever pitch.
Damon activated the "Chasing Moon Art of Murder," his muscles coiling like tightly wound springs forged in the fires of ancient madness. Divine energy surged through his veins, sharpening every sense to razor precision. "They are all exceptionally talented individuals," he thought, crimson eyes scanning his opponents with predatory delight.
From his pocket, he produced a small, unassuming dagger. Its blade etched with faint runes that seemed to drink in the light. He confronted Sacha without a moment's hesitation, lunging forward with speed that blurred the air.
Almost instantly, a tempest of lightning engulfed him as Sacha unleashed her technique in full fury.
"Ahhhhhh!" Damon cried out, not in pain, but in ecstatic joy, as his body moved rhythmically amid the electric downpour, dancing through the bolts as though they were a lover's caress.
"What on earth is wrong with that guy?" Sacha exclaimed, her eyes widening in genuine shock, twin blades trembling slightly in her grip. "It can't hold him much longer!" she screamed, pouring more energy into her lightning storm, sweat beading on her brow.
"Pillar of Control lv3: Absorption!"
In a remarkable display of raw, domineering power, Damon drew the lightning into his very being. His body crackled with intense surge of stolen energy, veins glowing blue-white beneath his pale skin as he absorbed every bolt without harm, converting it into fuel for his own madness.
"This guy is completely insane!" the cadets thought in unison, fear and awe mingling in their hearts.
Without warning, Daniella spun in like a whirlwind of death, her massive axe cleaving the air as she activated "Whaling Step", a profound movement technique that doubled both her speed and attack force, turning her into a blur of destructive grace.
With a maniacal grin that revealed the depths of his unhinged joy, Damon unleashed a burst of the absorbed lightning, directing it precisely to immobilize her mid-spin. Electric chains wrapped around her limbs, forcing her to a halt as sparks danced across her skin.
"What will happen if I kill one of them?" Damon pondered silently, an unsettling, predatory grin spreading across his face as his palm flattened, poised for a downward slash that promised finality. "Will their full potential be unleashed in desperation?"
"No one will die today!"
Yoroki soared in like a flaming comet, his entire body engulfed in roaring crimson flames that distorted the air with intense heat. "Form One: Devil Spawn!" he cried, slashing his sword at Damon with all his might. The blade came within inches of making lethal contact, flames licking hungrily toward Damon's throat.
"Pillar of Strength: Level 3!"
Damon proclaimed with a gentle, almost serene smile that belied the storm within. His speed surged explosively as Yoroki whispered the fatal command, "Explode," unleashing a cataclysmic burst of flames that engulfed the space where Damon had stood.
Author's Note: Damon wields unparalleled control over the Pillar of Control, driven by his mindset as a Mad God. Absolute dominion born from ancient will that bends reality to his whims. In contrast, the Pillar of Strength demands access through relentless dominance, grit, and unwavering will, forged in the fires of endless suffering and triumph.
"Truly remarkable," Damon pondered amid the inferno, emerging unscathed as the flames parted around him like obedient servants. "This one is a demi-human, a fusion of devil and human bloodlines, flames born from infernal heritage."
A crazed flood of energy surged within him, adrenaline and divinity mixing into intoxicating power.
Pyo appeared behind Damon in a blur, seizing him with iron arms for a devastating suplex. For reasons unknown to the others, he had shed tremendous weight during the chaos. His once-stout body now revealed extraordinarily toned muscles rippling with power. Yet the most peculiar sight was his calabash, which had grown several times larger, sloshing with the roar of contained oceans.
"Flood Gate: Flood Dragon Series!"
Damon was taken aback once more, genuine surprise flashing in his eyes. "Leviathan bloodline! Do humans truly mix with anything in this world: dragons, devils, leviathans?" he wondered, exhilaration overriding caution.
"Ayee!! Lizard of the great flood," Damon taunted with mad glee, "haven't they ever told you to obey those above you?"
"Crazed Step: Mad God Series!"
He activated the technique in a burst of primal fury. Adrenaline flooded his brain like a tempest unleashed. His expression transformed into one of sheer, unbridled exhilaration; for a few fleeting seconds, everything slowed. The world bending to his perception.
Pyo's face filled with shock as time seemed to crawl. "Things keep escalating more and more!" he realized, glancing desperately at Daniella kneeling in lingering paralysis and fear, and Sacha trembling behind him for protection.
At that moment, only he and Yoroki remained standing against the chaos, yet Pyo felt an unsettling certainty deep in his soul, that this chaotic figure had everything under complete control.
"Before me stands the wrath of a demon spawn and the will of a dragon," Damon said with eerie calm in his gaze, voice cutting through the slowed world like divine judgment.
Like nothing had happened, Damon was lofted off his feet. Pyo executed five devastating suplexes in rapid succession, each release unleashing a burst of concentrated water energy that inflicted additional crushing damage, waves slamming into Damon's body with the force of tsunamis.
Before Damon could fully recover or counter, he saw Yoroki closing in from the front, flames coalescing into a final, apocalyptic strike.
"Good, hold him there!" Yoroki roared, coordination born from battlefield instinct.
But the chaos only made Damon smile wider through the pain, blood trickling from his lips. "These bastards are impressive," he thought, eyes gleaming with manic delight. "Gilgamesh, you are truly remarkable for gathering such talents."
Breaking free with explosive force, he performed a flawless reversal technique, using Pyo's own momentum against him, gripping the cadet and turning him into a human shield against Yoroki's impending assault.
"I can't break free!" Pyo realized in horror, struggling futilely against Damon's iron grip that held him firmly in place.
All he could see now were Yoroki's flames bearing down inexorably.
"For you, oh lizard of the great flood," Damon laughed maniacally, voice ringing with mad joy, "I will unleash everything I have!"
Yoroki's attack was about to collide directly with Pyo.
"Is this where I meet my end?" Pyo wondered, the weight of realization sinking in like drowning depths. "I can't even hate this man; he is truly formidable. If only I knew his name..."
"Please, Pyo, move! I beg you!" Yoroki screamed in desperation, trying futilely to retract his flames, horror twisting his features.
"Is another of us going to die?" The memory of Razor's face flashed in his mind, their fallen comrade, and the same horror reflected in Sacha and Daniella's wide eyes.
"Someone, please save him!"
Almost immediately, a tremendous gust of wind swept through the hall like a divine intervention, sending all combatants, including Damon, tumbling across the stone floor in a whirlwind of force.
The cadets' eyes widened in excitement and profound relief.
"Commander Gilgamesh!"
Pyo exclaimed, heart racing as salvation arrived.
Gilgamesh stood at the center of the storm's aftermath, aura flaring with barely contained fury.
"Don't you think this is enough disrespect?" he demanded, voice booming with authority that silenced the hall instantly. "Young Lord, there are limits to one's actions," he stated calmly, taking a deliberate step forward. "And I believe you have overstepped your bounds," he raged, having witnessed his cadet's near demise from the shadows.
Their eyes widened in collective shock.
"Did he just say 'Young Lord?'" Pyo whispered in disbelief, voice barely audible.
Shock painted their faces; they all knew the infamous Young Lord, "the fool of the Void Territory," the one whispered to be broken and unable to cultivate.
Yet he had flawlessly dominated each of them, Baptism Realm prodigies, in brutal combat.
What stung their pride the most was the humiliating ease of it all.
Finally, Damon spoke from his position on the floor, brushing dust from his robes with casual grace.
"Ah, Gilgamesh, calm your anger. I was merely assessing the talents of my new teammates," he said with a charming, disarming smile that ignited fresh sparks of fury among the cadets.
"Eh? Master, please don't tell me he's the new guy!" Yoroki exclaimed, his flames slowly extinguishing as reality sank in.
"It was merely a bit of fun; don't be so uptight," Damon said playfully, rising to his feet with fluid ease.
He approached Daniella, who still knelt recovering from the lightning paralysis, and extended his hand with that same charming smile. "Darling, I apologize for my earlier actions," he said smoothly, helping her to her feet with gentle strength that belied his madness, causing a faint blush to color her cheeks despite herself.
"Honestly," Damon continued, turning to address the group with casual authority, "it was a simple assessment, and they all passed... except for one."
He raised his index finger pointedly.
"Her movements were too dull, her attacks easily countered, no effort required!"
He declared coldly, the words landing like judgment.
Gilgamesh's eyes widened in surprise, his fury cooling into intrigued respect.
"Ahhhh," Damon added with theatrical flair, "and who might that be?"
The hall fell silent, all eyes turning to the cadets.
Tension returned, different now, charged with anticipation.
Damon's madness had found its new playground.
And Squad 4 would never be the same.