CHAPTER 151: CHAPTER 151 | STORM

*bzzt!

*CRACK!

Jinn snapped his sword arm in rapid succession, each motion sharp and deliberate, the air cracking with the sound of steel cutting through nothingness.

From his blade erupted a volley of crimson eidra waves, each one dense with power, slicing through the air with blistering speed.

They tore forward like blades of lightning unleashed from a storm, their edges shimmering with volatile sparks.

In the blink of an eye, they closed the distance, a deadly barrage aimed straight for the General.

But Gaius met them without hesitation.

His arm extended casually, palm open, as though swatting away mere nuisances.

*FWOOM!

With each incoming wave, the winds coiled and gathered across his hand, solidifying into barriers of raw air.

*FWOOSH!

One after another, the crimson arcs shattered against invisible shields, disintegrating into sparks the instant they touched the rippling force.

The power of Jinn’s assault dissolved into nothing, scattered into harmless wisps of energy that hissed and died against Gaius’s wind-clad form.

Yet Jinn refused to relent.

His eyes blazed with intensity, his lips curling into a determined snarl.

Shifting his stance, he drove Fangeryth downward with brutal force.

*KRSHHH!

The blade pierced the stone, sending cracks spider webbing outward beneath his feet.

In that instant, the ground came alive.

*Bang! *Bang! *Bang! *Bang! *Bang! *Bang!

*Bzzzzzzzzzt!!!

Violent arcs of crimson eidra erupted from the fissures, crackling like serpents uncoiling from the earth.

The power surged beneath the ground, slithering with terrifying speed as though a predator hidden beneath stone, seeking its prey.

One after another, jagged trails of light raced toward Gaius, the earth splitting in their wake. T

he sound of cracking stone thundered across the square as the energy carved its path forward.

Then—

Impact.

*BAAAAAAAANG!!!

The eidra erupted upward in explosive bursts the moment they reached their target.

KRAK-BOOOM!

*boom! *boom! *boom! *boom! *boom!

Each detonation split the air with savage force, violent arcs snapping outward in a storm of crimson fury.

Sparks cascaded like fire from the sky, illuminating the battlefield in a terrifying glow.

The roars of the explosions echoed throughout the abandoned city, bouncing between ruined buildings and trembling across empty streets, until it sounded as though a hundred beasts were howling in unison.

The light of Jinn’s attack painted the square crimson, the glow so fierce it burned into the eyes of any who would have dared to watch.

The waves of power seemed alive, primal, their ferocity carrying the image of something greater than a mere strike.

It was as if Jinn was channeling not just his strength, but the essence of a wild beast struggling to break free—each blast a manifestation of untamed wrath clawing its way into the world.

In that moment, the battle was no longer between man and man.

It was between the storm of Gaius’s winds and the unleashed crimson beast that Jinn had become.

.

.

.

As the thick dust began to settle, the aftermath of Jinn’s violent assault revealed its futility.

The haze drifted away in tattered wisps, unveiling the towering figure of General Gaius standing firm, completely unscathed.

His air eidra still roared around him, bursting in waves that clung to his frame like living armor.

It shifted and rippled with a ceaseless hum, translucent currents shimmering faintly as though the very wind itself bowed to his will.

Not a single strike had pierced his barrier.

Gaius rolled his massive shoulder,

*crack! *crack!

the sound of bones and muscle grinding with deliberate menace as he rotated the joint.

Then his glare locked onto Jinn, eyes sharp as daggers under the banner’s glow.

"My turn,"

he growled, his voice low but heavy with command, a predator announcing the kill.

In the next heartbeat, his body blurred.

*WHOOM!

He burst forward in a powerful gale, the wind around him detonating outward in a shockwave that sent cracks splitting through the stone beneath his boots.

His entire form became a streak of speed and force, a human tempest tearing through the square.

The air screamed in his wake, each step carrying the weight of a collapsing storm.

In an instant, he was upon Jinn, fist clenched tight, coiled with strength enough to crush bone and stone alike.

But Jinn did not falter.

His other arm, the synthetic one gleaming with its mechanical sheen, flared alive.

With a metallic

*whirrr!

arcs of crimson electricity surged across its frame, snapping viciously as the inner core hummed to life.

The limb vibrated with raw power, crimson sparks crawling across its surface like serpents of lightning eager to strike.

The hiss of energy filled the air, mingling with the roar of the winds.

The General’s strike then came, a thunderous blow aimed to obliterate.

Jinn reacted in a blur, ducking low beneath the arc of the attack,

*FWOOM!

the wind from Gaius’s fist brushing so close it burned across his crimson hair.

He pivoted sharply,

*crunch!

body twisting like a coiled spring unbound, and with precision, he unleashed his counterstrike.

RAAAAAAGH!

His synthetic arm, crackling with violent eidra, surged upward with terrifying force, aimed to smash straight into Gaius’s body.

The sound of the strike alone—before it even connected—split the air like an oncoming thunderclap.

But mere inches before contact, the General answered.

*FWOOOSH!

A sudden gust erupted from his body, compressed air exploding outward like a cannon blast.

The force propelled Gaius backwards in a controlled retreat, his massive frame gliding on the wave of wind.

The timing was flawless. Jinn’s strike cleaved upward into nothing, missing entirely as his fist tore through the empty air.

Yet the miss did not end quietly.

The sheer force of Jinn’s uppercut unleashed the stored eidric energy violently.

*KRA-THOOOOM!

A column of crimson arc erupted from his arm, streaking upward like a raging beast freed from its chains.

It tore into the heavens with explosive fury, splitting the air as its roar thundered across the sky.

The illumination painted the night in a brilliant crimson light, jagged arcs lashing wildly outward before fading into the clouds above.

For a fleeting moment, the city itself bore witness.

Distant soldiers, scattered throughout the streets and alleys, froze mid-step.

Heads turned sharply, eyes widening as the brilliant flare lit the horizon.

The ground quaked faintly, and the roar of the blast drowned out even the march of boots and the rumble of war machines.

For an instant, their duties were forgotten.

The spectacle in the heart of the city pulled their attention, a beacon of raw power that demanded respect and fear in equal measure.

Yet no real concern stirred among the soldiers who had witnessed the crimson flare in the sky.

Their gazes lingered only for a moment before discipline steered them back to duty.

They knew the truth of what was happening—

that General Gaius was with Jinn, overseeing him, disciplining him in his own brutal manner.

To them, this clash was no anomaly but a test, a crucible.

And though the violent crimson arcs screamed power, they recognized that energy instantly.

It was Jinn.

No mistaking it.

The men returned to their patrols, boots thudding against cracked stone, their movements resuming as the distant echoes of scattered battles carried faintly through the city.

Yet a quiet respect lingered unspoken among them.

None said it aloud, but all knew the apprentice of Battlemaster Venedix was unlike any ordinary soldier.

===

"Hah!" Gaius exhaled sharply, his smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth as he lifted his gaze skyward, watching the last traces of Jinn’s arc fade into the heavens.

His teeth gleamed faintly beneath the smoke curling from his lips, his expression caught between amusement and satisfaction.

"You’re strong," he muttered,

half to himself,

half to the boy before him.

He could not deny it—even for one of his stature, Jinn’s strength was formidable.

But strength alone was never enough.

The edge Gaius possessed was something Jinn could not imitate, could not steal—

experience,

forged over countless hundred years of battles, tempered by victories and failures alike.

It was a weight heavier than muscle,

sharper than steel.

With a sudden

*CRACK!

Gaius drove his boot downward into the stone.

The ground splintered violently beneath the strike, rupturing outward in jagged lines as if a meteor had plummeted from the sky.

Dust burst upward in clouds as the city square quaked under the weight of his stomp.

Then, with one massive hand, Gaius thrust his palm toward the ground.

*FWOOM!

A surge of wind eidra roared into the earth, the force rumbling deep below like a subterranean beast stirring awake.

In the very next heartbeat, the battlefield changed.

*WHOOOSH!

Pillars of compressed wind erupted violently from the ruptured ground.

They tore upward like geysers, thick columns of air spiraling with relentless force.

The square was transformed in an instant into a jagged field of chaos,

the stone ground fractured and uneven,

dominated by dozens of towering eidric obstructions.

Each pillar hissed and howled as torrents of wind burst outward in waves, filling the space with shrieking gales that slashed at the air with invisible blades.

The once open arena was now a labyrinth of shifting currents.

The pillars stood like watchful guardians, each one exhaling continuous gusts of destructive energy.

They twisted and pressed against one another, creating shifting corridors of violent air that cut off sightlines and distorted sound.

From Jinn’s perspective, they were no mere obstacles.

They were traps—

each one a hazard waiting to shred flesh from bone if he dared misstep.

His eye narrowed as he steadied his breathing, Fangeryth held firm in his grasp.

The hum of his sword vibrated faintly in his palm, sparks crawling hungrily along its edge.

He studied the field, the constant bursts of wind that danced unpredictably, the ground still trembling beneath his boots.

One wrong move would mean being torn apart, battered by the very battlefield Gaius himself had created.

Jinn exhaled slowly, the weight of the challenge pressing against him.

He would have to tread carefully—avoid, adapt, survive.

This was no longer a simple duel.

It was a trial in the heart of a storm.