Jared did not answer immediately. A small, unhurried silence settled over the inferno-lit cavern, as though he wished the crackle of molten stone to speak first.
He then glanced at Clara, who lay off to one side, a streak of blood glimmering against her pale robes, then let his calm gaze climb back to Reiner.
“So you’re the Flame-Sword Venerable,” he said, his voice cool enough to hiss against the heat. “Clara’s master… Correct?”
Reiner lifted his chin, pride flaring in ember-bright eyes. “I am. Now answer me, boy. Where did you learn the Blazing Stride?”
Jared merely tilted his head, a faint, icy smile cutting across his mouth. “Why should I indulge your curiosity? Instead, explain something to me. A master maims his own disciple without hearing the whole story—what lesson does that teach? She led them here to save them, nothing more, nothing less. Where exactly is the crime in that?”
Reiner barked, “Impudence!”
The word cracked like a whip, shaking sparks from the cavern roof.
“How I discipline my disciples is none of your concern!” he growled, every syllable scattering sparks. “The Blazefire Secret Realm is my retreat. First rule: no outsider sets foot within its flames. She broke that rule by bringing you in. I spared her cultivation only for the sake of our bond. Answer me now, or I will shackle your soul and scour your memories myself.”
Jared’s expression did not so much as tremble; a mocking curve tugged at one corner of his mouth. “Your retreat? Your rules? Tell me, are you certain this sanctuary actually belongs to you? Because it feels more like something the old Fire Demon Lord left behind.”
Reiner recoiled as though thunderstruck. “What?!”
The authority he had been projecting shattered for an instant; the molten air around him wavered, and flames along the rock face guttered. A shock greater than his earlier outrage swept across his features, raw dread mingling with disbelief.
His pupils tightened to pinpoints. “How do you know the Fire Demon Lord? Who… Who are you really?”
Certainty settled in Jared’s chest like a well-placed stone.
So my hunch was right after all…
Jared had found the name familiar when Linden first mentioned the Blazefire Secret Realm, and Reiner’s reaction made the connection undeniable.
“Who am I?” Jared met Reiner’s trembling stare. “Since you recognize the Blazing Stride and have heard of the Fire Demon Lord, there’s no harm in telling you… The Fire Demon Lord is an old friend of mine. He left this sanctuary behind, and as his friend, I have every right to bring a few companions here for shelter.”
“Friend?” Reiner echoed, brows arching.
He then laughed—a booming, jagged sound that ricocheted across the lava walls. “Ridiculous! The Fire Demon Lord has lived for tens of thousands of years. You’ve barely stepped a century into the Human Immortal Realm, yet you dare call him your friend? Absurd!”
His laughter cut short, eyes narrowing to blades. “Even if, by some chance, you inherited a scrap of his legacy and learned his name, explain the Blazing Stride. That art is the Fire Spirit Lord’s exclusive creation. The Fire Spirit Lord and the Fire Demon Lord, one righteous, one demonic, have warred for endless ages, fire against fire!”
“You stand there claiming friendship with the Fire Demon Lord, yet your technique belongs to the Fire Spirit Lord. Are we supposed to believe you befriended two beings who would sooner burn each other out of existence than share a cup of water? Rubbish! Absolute, stinking rubbish!”
Reiner, veins flaring crimson beneath his skin, lost what little patience he had left. “I have no time for these fairy tales. Tell me now, from whom did you learn the Blazing Stride? And how, brat, did you learn the true name of the Fire Demon Lord? Lie, and I will erase both flesh and soul from the face of this canyon.”
Before Jared could answer, Reiner’s sword intent erupted like a volcano held too long.
Scarlet sword-light thrashed upward, bathing half the ravine in blood-red glare.
The heat snapped through the air with gunshot cracks. Stone liquefied, ran in molten rivulets. Behind him, the ancient blade slid halfway from its scabbard, its exposed edge glowing like fresh magma while a predatory hum rattled the air.
The full weight of a Heavenly Immortal Realm master crashed outward.
Paxton and the other beast-clan warriors groaned, stumbling back. Those of lesser rank spat blood and crumpled, unable to bear the pressure. Even Clara, already wounded, clutched her chest, lungs suddenly too small for air.
At the very center, Jared remained unruffled, coat hanging still as dead calm water. It was as if he occupied a pocket of untouched space. The blaze powerful enough to boil seas halted three feet from his boots and went no farther.
“You are correct,” Jared said, voice mild, almost conversational. “The Fire Demon Lord and the Fire Spirit Lord seldom see eye to eye. Their quarrels are their own. But I met them separately…”
“The Fire Demon Lord once shared wine and philosophy with me. The Fire Spirit Lord, finding my stride agreeable, taught me the Blazing Stride. For amusement, nothing more.”
Reiner’s lip curled in a smile made of sparks. “Amusement? Fine! Looks like you won’t tell the truth if I don’t teach you a lesson!”
He no longer cared to untangle contradictions. A single thought—break him first, question him later—flashed across his mind. After all, the boy had stolen the Blazing Stride, invoked the Fire Demon Lord by name, and now spouted nonsense in front of everyone. That alone warranted execution.
“Redflame… Rise!” The command cracked like flint.
The ancient sword cleared its sheath in a shriek of metal. Temperature spiked again; air folded into ripples around the blade’s molten glow while stone screamed under the heat.
Rather than hack straight down, the sword traced a single line across the sky, carving fire into emptiness.
“Sky Scorching Sword Domain! Unfold!”
Thunder rolled. Within a circle a hundred paces wide, scarlet infernos blossomed, some as blades, others as lotus petals, still others drifting like burning clouds.
Every flicker carried Reiner’s lifetime of sword intent, each strand hot enough to vaporize the body and soul of a novice Heavenly Immortal.
