Once the flame appeared in Draco's palm, the temperature in the room shot up. The flames were roaring, twisting, spilling out of his palm and onto the floor, where they left burn marks on the arena. The raging fire was a reflection of Draco's frustration and anger at how Harry had stolen away Ravenclaw's inheritance.
Yet, within Harry's body, the dormant Nameless Seed began trembling again. After sucking in all that Wood Qi, it had entered a state of rest, the Sea of Wood too full for any more. But the sudden appearance of a rich source of Fire Qi woke it right back up.
Right, after Wood Qi came Fire Qi!
Harry almost couldn't believe this sudden turn of events. The idea of Draco Malfoy being able to control fire never even crossed his mind. Harry's mouth was partially open, wondering if Draco Malfoy was purposefully trying to lose the competition.
He had been suffering from such a long string of bad luck, and finally, he felt like the winds of fortune were blowing his way!
Draco Malfoy, however, interpreted Harry's slackjawed look in a different manner.
"That's right, I recently gained control over a Heaven Grade Natural Flame! I was planning to use this to pass the 3-star Alchemy exam, but before that, I'll use this to kill you first! Are you scared now James?"
Scared? Of course, Harry was delighted. But he couldn't allow that to show on his face.
"A – a Natural Flame?" he yelled in surprise, while backing up in mock-terror.
"That's right! Now, burn to a crisp!"
"No! No! Not a Natural Flame!" Harry yelled, as loudly and as dramatically as he could. He turned around to run away, not missing the vicious smirk on Draco's face.
A Natural Flame was the name for a type of flame produced naturally, usually deep underground. In areas of rich Fire Qi, like underground veins of magma, Natural Flames could be found. Depending on where or how they were created, their grade could vary. Harry could tell from the vast Fire Qi and heat contained in Draco's palm that it was a Heaven Grade Natural Flame.
Though it was Heaven Grade, it should have been a low-quality Heaven Grade Natural Flame. There was no way Draco, merely at the Qi Absorption Realm, could control anything more than that. But just being able to control a low-quality Heaven Grade Natural Flame was already very impressive.
The flame, originally in Draco's hand, turned into a wall of fire that slowly moved towards Harry. It stretched from one side of the arena to the other, cutting off all paths of escape. The wall was wrapped with Draco's Qi, and Harry quickly realized this was a way of controlling the shape and direction of the flame.
"No, you can't do this!" Harry screamed.
"Don't you know that fire is my weakness? You'll kill me! Do you really want to kill me?" Harry wailed as he ran.
"That's right, I do!" Draco Malfoy shouted back, his voice and face betraying the fury he felt. At the same time, he pumped more and more of the fire out of his body. The wall of fire was catching up to Harry, and was only getting larger and larger. The flames now reached the ceiling of the arena, forming an inescapable net.
"Please don't do this!" Harry pretended to beg. He was backed against the far wall of the arena, and the flames were just a few feet away.
"Look, if you want the Wood Qi, I can give it to you, ok? All things can be discussed! There's no need to burn me to death!"
"Ah! Stop it! Stop it! Seriously Draco, stop it!"
"AAAAAIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAA!" Harry did his best impression of a scream. Hearing James' finally frightened, Draco grinned in anticipation, and commanded all the flames to converge on where James was standing.
Now there was a column of silver fire that twisted around James' last position, hiding him from view. Inside, James was surely being roasted alive, every inch of his flesh suffering from deadly burns that would kill anyone within seconds. After his skin and flesh melted away, it'd be followed by his muscles, then his bones, and in the end, only ashes would remain.
The temperature of a Heaven Grade Natural Flame was, in one word, incredible.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! SAVE ME! AAAAAHHHHH – "
Harry's scream was abruptly cut off.
There was a pause, a long pause where no sound could be heard, then Draco's eyes glittered in victory, as did Firenze's and Felix's.
"Hah! I should have thought of this from the very beginning!"
"James, you can just suffer in Hell! I won't recall these flames until I'm sure you're dead!"
Since James couldn't be injured physically, and he also had the ability to heal wounds rapidly, Draco didn't dare to leave anything to chance. Whether it took minutes or an hour, he was definitely going to roast James to a crisp.
"Good, kill that cheating bastard!" Pansy Parkinson shouted from the side.
"James deserves a hundred deaths!" Marcus Flint spat from Pansy's side. On his other side, Crabbe and Goyle nodded in agreement.
They had been worried their leader wouldn't be able to kill James, but now they could rest assured. Their leader had countless treasures and methods to kill his enemies – eventually, one of them would work against James.
Who was their leader? He was Draco Malfoy, said to be the most talented junior of the Scarlet Phoenix Empire! Even if James had a few tricks, in the end, he couldn't match up to their leader.
"Oh no!" Sullivan cried out. "D – Daniel, what do we do?"
"What can we do?" Daniel grimaced.
"There's no way we can help James. He'll just have to forfeit."
Without any response from within the flames, Draco relaxed slightly and looked towards Felix Rosier and Firenze.
"You think he's dead now?"
"Must be. No way he –"
"Haha, Draco Malfoy, you're the biggest idiot I've ever met!"
Harry's voice rang from the flames, immediately silencing Draco's words. A stunned expression appeared his face when he heard James' irritating voice again.
"Ring of Elements, come back out!"
The magnificent five-colored ring appeared behind Harry's back once again, lighting up the Room of Requirement with its splendor. Even through the brilliant light of the Heaven Grade Natural Flame, the glow of the ring could be seen. And in front of Draco Malfoy's horrified eyes... it began to revolve!
Like a whirlpool in the ocean, the column of silver fire spun around and around, then was sucked towards the spinning ring. With mounting horror, Draco realized his control over his own Natural Flame was slipping!
"NO!" Draco yelled. He exerted his Qi, trying to summon his flames back, but it was beyond his control now. Once the Ring of Elements latched on to his flames, they were no longer his.
He could only watch as the silver flames were rapidly consumed, disappearing into the ring behind James' back. No matter what he tried, it was all ineffective. The column of fire grew smaller and smaller, the heat in the room was disappearing, and then after a few minutes of struggle, it vanished completely and revealed the unscathed form of James Evans.
His robes looked slightly more burnt than they had before, and the tips of his hair were singed, but as for his body... there wasn't a single wound! Not a singe, nor a burn mark, not any indication of the flame he was just standing within. James had bathed in such intense heat, but came out unharmed!
A mocking grin was on Harry face, betraying the elation he felt. He never thought Draco Malfoy would actually use fire to kill him! Trying to use fire to kill him was like trying to drown a fish in water. It was simply a joke.
And within his Sea of Fire, Harry felt a frightening power simmering, just waiting to be released. With that one Natural Flame, nearly 10% of the Sea of Fire had been converted in one go. Despite that being a small percentage, Harry could easily sense the changes to his body. The Sea of Fire, previously dormant, was now scalding hot.
Back inside the column fire, Harry had activated Washing Marrow, knowing that even if he could refine the Fire Qi, still coming in contact with flames would burn him. Yet, when the first licks of flame brushed against his skin, he surprisingly felt nothing at all.
Harry was so shocked that he almost forgot to start refining. He just looked at his arm, wondering if he had finally experienced so much pain that he lost the ability to feel it all. But Harry was able to confirm – he could still feel pain, he just couldn't be burned from fire.
At the same time, he realized the heat from the flame wasn't affecting him much either. He could still feel the heat, but the temperature of a Heaven Grade flame should have been unbearable. Yet, being trapped inside the fiery vortex was only slightly hotter than being outdoors on a summer day. It was like soaking in a warm bath, and actually felt comfortable.
It must have been an ability of the Nameless Technique, that as long as he had the Sea of Fire, he couldn't be harmed by fire. For the hundredth time, Harry offered a quick thanks to all the abilities that the Nameless Technique provided him.
Only after confirming that did Harry begin refining. The Fire Qi was unlike the Wood Qi in that it surrounded him on all sides. Therefore, when the Ring of Elements started refining, Fire Qi was pulled in from all directions, and the speed at which he took in Fire Qi was even faster than the Wood Qi. It only took a few minutes for the entire Heaven Grade fire to be consumed.
And once it was in his Sea of Fire, Harry felt a pleasant warmth in his stomach, providing heat to his body. He couldn't help but let out a relaxed grin. He thought after Wood Qi, he'd have to go scouring for Fire Qi – he never thought Draco Malfoy would hand deliver some to him!
On the other side of the arena, Draco Malfoy looked back at him with pure rage. The slanted grin on James' chubby face had always been displeasing, even infuriating, but now, the only emotion Draco could feel was apoplectic fury.
"You son of a bitch, that was a Heaven Grade flame! I need it for Alchemy! Give it back!" Draco roared. He completely lost himself to anger.
Not only did James take the Natural Flame away... James had tricked him! That vile, shameless, despicable bastard pretended to be scared so he would summon the full flame out!
And... he had actually fallen for the trick!
A Heaven Grade Natural Flame... a Heaven Grade Natural Flame... even for a Sacred Clan, it wasn't a simple matter to get one of those. After his clan went through great pains to retrieve it, it had taken Draco months and months of practice until he was able to control it and use it for himself. After all, it was a Heaven Grade flame, with the power of the Core Formation Realm!
Though Harry didn't know it, Draco wasn't just known for his cultivation talent, but also for his dual studies in Alchemy. Draco didn't use the flame for combat, but rather for his pursuits of Alchemy. To refine a Heaven Grade pill, one requirement was to use a Heaven Grade flame to break down the ingredients. An Earth Grade flame wouldn't suffice. For the sake of refining Heaven Grade pills and becoming a 3-star Alchemist, Draco practiced for months until he painstakingly gained control of the flame, and now was practicing with it for Alchemy.
Now, all that effort was for naught. James took his flame away in a matter of minutes!
No matter how Draco tried, the flame no longer responded to him. Before, he had a connection with it, as if the flame was part of his body. If he wanted to summon it, it would come out. If he wanted to shape the flames, or direct them somewhere, it would follow his thoughts. If he wanted it hotter or colder, the flame obeyed. Controlling the flame was like controlling his own arms. But now the connection was gone. It was as if the flame had been snuffed out, unresponsive.
"JAMES, I WANT MY FLAME BACK!" Draco screamed.
"You want it back?" Harry laughed. "You tried to kill me with that fire, so too bad. It's mine now."
"You can refine Wood Qi and Fire Qi?" Felix Rosier demanded.
"No, that's impossible!" Firenze retorted. "The ring must just store Qi!"
"WHO CARES ABOUT THAT?" Draco screamed, sheer fury etched into his face. With reckless abandon, he pulled out a piece of paper from his Space Ring.
This piece of paper wasn't very large, only a strip about the length of a human arm, but it was covered in thousands of tiny runes, front and back. Draco held it up, and poured all his Qi into it.
Felix's eyes widened at the sight of that paper.
"Draco – are you sure you want to use that? Don't you know the backlash you'll get?"
"I don't care! Felix, lock him up!"
The eyeballs around Felix started rotating, and once again Harry felt that locking feeling settle into him, making it difficult for him to move. He felt the same force snap his jaw shut – probably so he couldn't forfeit either. This time, somehow, it felt weaker than before.
Draco reached into his Space Ring again, and then in front of him, enough Qi Crystals to make up a hill appeared. Each one sparkled brilliantly, filling the room with an influx of Qi and glittering blue light. Harry's had never seen so many Qi Crystals at once. Further, each of these crystals contained far more Qi than the crystals he was used to mining. It was almost like they were a special variant of Qi Crystals.
Draco poured his own Qi into the talisman, and then the hill of Qi Crystals shattered. There was a clinking sound, like glass breaking, then every single crystal turned into dust. The only thing left was an enormous cloud of pure Qi, which was rapidly sucked into the tiny piece of paper. All the runes on that talisman lit up like the noonday sun.
"This is an absolute killing formation! James, die like a dog!"
The glow on the paper reached a brilliant level, so bright that everyone had to squint their eyes, and then the paper collapsed into tiny fragments that scattered to the ground.
At the same time, all around the arena, glittering swords made of silver appeared out of thin air. They were created by the formation Draco activated, and filled the room with their glow. In an instant, thousands of deadly swords formed a wall between Harry and Draco.
Each of these swords was like a Heaven Grade weapon, and Harry's eyes opened wide at just how many there were. No wonder the formation required so much Qi to activate – it was actually capable of summoning this many Heaven Grade items at once!
There was no way to avoid this attack, no way to escape in this tiny room. Not even an ant would be able to avoid getting stabbed. That was doubly true now, with Felix's Magic Spirit encumbering his movements. All Harry could do was defend.
"GO!"
With that command, all the blades shot at Harry. They streaked across the arena like silver raindrops.
For a long and brilliant moment, nothing but dazzling silver could be seen.
At that time, all the spectator's eyes grew wide with horror. They never imagined Draco Malfoy was hiding that kind of move. There was no surviving this kind of attack. Nothing they had, no ability or Magic Spirit or cultivation technique of any kind could possibly protect them from this. They could only thank their good luck that they weren't in the arena with James.
And when the silver cleared, the sight made everyone's jaw drop.
There was James, still standing, looking like a hedgehog with dozens of swords stabbing into his body. Every bit of his body, from arms to chest to legs and even his feet, had numerous blades sticking out of them, except for his face, because just in the nick of time, Harry had fought against Felix's Magic Spirit and raised his arms to cover his head.
On the other side of the arena, Draco Malfoy collapsed to the floor, nearly fainted. He was completely spent and didn't have a single iota of energy left in his body. He coughed out a mouthful of blood, then another, then a third mouthful, before finally forcing himself into a sitting position. Draco had paid a huge price to activate that formation, which was why he didn't use it from the very beginning. It required all the Qi he had – and after using it, there was no way he could continue to fight. The treasure would then go to Felix or Firenze or Selwyn.
Further, this wasn't an attack Draco could use against Felix or Firenze or Selwyn. If they actually died, it would probably lead to a war between his clan and their clans. For those reasons, he held himself back from using it. It was only given to him for moments of desperate need.
But once he lost his Heaven Grade Natural Flame, all reason left Draco's body. In that moment, he couldn't care less who got the treasure. All he wanted to was kill James – that was just how deep his hatred went.
A few seconds later, the formation's power vanished. Along with it, so did the conjured swords. Blood gushed out of a hundred wounds across James' corpse. It formed a spreading pool of crimson across the floor – a certain sign James would topple over and collapse – until James lifted his head and smiled.
Washing Marrow!
A soothing sensation emanated from Harry's bones, washing over his body like a gentle tide over a beach. Wherever it went, his body healed. Lifted by Harry's Qi, the enormous puddle of blood on the floor rose and entered back into his bloodstream. His flesh knit itself together, wounds closed themselves, veins and muscles reconnected.
In a mere 30 seconds, James Evans was standing as whole as before.
In the dead silence of the Room of Requirement, even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. And seeing the looks of fright and amazement on their faces, Harry finally felt some satisfaction.
Washing Marrow was the first medium accomplishment he completed. The price was nearly a whole middle-quality or high-quality Heaven Grade Natural Essence – Harry wasn't sure exactly – but it was worth every bit. As long as he wasn't injured enough to the point of death, Harry felt there wasn't any injury he couldn't recover from.
"You should have started off with that," Harry remarked, smiling at the horrified Firenze, Draco, Felix, and Selwyn.
"Y-y-you – monster!" Draco screamed. A tingling sensation crawled down his spine, and for the first time in his life, Draco Malfoy felt fear, true fear. Fear, made of icy fingers that gripped his heart and throat, paralyzing his body and tongue. There was no more arrogance or superiority on his face, all one could see was his terrified expression, like he encountered a ghost. The shock of seeing all those wounds simply vanish was too much for him to take in.
"W-w-what are you?" Firenze stuttered while backing up in fear. "You're not human!"
That sort of injury – there was no healing from that! Not even all the healing pills in the world could have saved James, simply because it would take hours for the effects of those pills to kick in. But James, he hadn't used any pills or any treasures, and his wounds healed in a matter of seconds!
No matter how one looked at it, it was impossible!
"You know, if you four actually worked together from the very beginning, I would have lost. Three of you hold me down, one of you gets the treasure. But you four are just too selfish, too prideful, too blinded by your own arrogance. You saw me as beneath you, you thought I was a cheater, and you refused to accept the truth or treat me seriously. That was your first mistake."
"And then, you even delivered some Fire Qi to me. That was another mistake, Draco. The battle is as good as won."
To those words, none of the four could retort. They indeed had made a mistake. Not a single one of them believed James was a cheater anymore – unfortunately, that realization came far too late. They glanced at each other nervously, wondering what would come next. It had been a draw up to this point, but James' confident tone left them feeling uneasy.
"Keep fighting me, and you won't like the result. But let me warn you, I scare even myself when I get fired up. I can't guarantee what's going to happen next."
"Out of respect for your clans, I'll give you four the chance you never granted me. The chance to forfeit."
"I forfeit!"
Without any hesitation, Draco Malfoy said the magic words. He had exhausted all his treasures and all his energy. But moreover, he was too scared to keep fighting. He immediately vanished, then reappeared in his section of the room, amidst his allies. Even back in safety, he looked at James with nothing but fear.
"DAMNED HUMAN RACE COWARD!" Firenze howled.
"Draco, you – don't you want the treasure?" Felix demanded. Even if James drained out all the Wood Qi, it was still a valuable treasure.
"If you want it, you fight for it!" Draco retorted, betraying the terror he felt.
"Fine! The three of us will work together! Felix, you and me will hold James down! And Selwyn, you get the treasure! We'll split it between our three clans afterwards!"
Felix nodded, then his Magic Spirit began spinning again. The two eyeballs rotated in place, and then Felix's own two eyeballs rotated in their sockets, turning red as veins of blood snaked through them. They gave him a horrifying appearance, like some kind of ghoul or monster. His own two eyes became a perfect mirror of his Magic Spirit.
"Blood Seeing Eyes – Blood Transformation!"
For the third time, the locking feeling settled onto Harry's body again. It was even stronger than before, as Felix wasn't holding anything back anymore. But to Felix, Harry just smiled contemptuously.
"Felix, do you really think that will work on me?" Harry asked.
"It worked before, didn't it?" Felix retorted.
"Before was before, and now is now. Now... haha, it doesn't work at all!" Harry laughed.
Burning Blood!
The Nameless Seed rapidly heated up, and Harry felt like his entire body was set alight. Fire, actual fire, the same silver fire that Draco Malfoy had summoned, rose in a plume of silver out his body, turning him into a human torch. For a moment even Harry was shocked – but the heat didn't bother him at all, for he had gained immunity.
Harry crouched down then leapt directly at Felix. The locking power barely affected him, and a horrified expression appeared on Felix's face when he saw James charging in.
The first time Felix used this move, Harry didn't understand how it worked. He thought the eyeballs were able to control the Qi around him, solidifying it to lock him in place. But after the second time, Harry realized the eyeballs weren't controlling Qi – it was actually controlling his blood.
After all, his spirit was called the Blood Seeing Eyes.
But now, with some partial progress in Burning Blood, the power was insufficient to lock him down. The burning energy in his veins resisted against the power of the Magic Spirit, and he was free.
In a flash, Harry was already in front of Felix. A precious metal shield appeared in front of him. Harry's fist smashed into it, and the sound of a gong rang across the Room of Requirement. Felix staggered back, taking multiple steps to stabilize himself. When he looked at his shield, he felt numb with terror. There was a dent where James had struck it!
"A hand has been placed on the barrier. The one minute countdown will start now," Rowena Ravenclaw announced. It was Selwyn, having reached the treasure.
Gong! Gong! Gong!
Harry's flaming fists struck Felix's shield with all their might. Under the furious assault, Felix backed up step by step. Though the strikes were insufficient to overpower the shield, each one left another dent, another crack, another burn mark, and in about five seconds, Felix had his back pressed against a wall of light. The sound of overlapping gong strikes continuously echoed through the room. Five seconds later, the shield crumbled into smouldering scraps of metal.
Harry's next fist was aimed right at Felix's head, but he ducked just in time – for Harry's other hand to catch him in the stomach.
BOOM!
Felix was smashed right against the wall of light, and he let out a scream. Harry's fists were still wrapped in flames, so it wasn't just the blunt force, but also the heat. He felt like an iron poker was driven into his stomach. He tried to push Harry away, but it was like trying to push against a flaming boulder. James's physical strength – it was overwhelming!
Felix didn't have any experience in close combat, and especially not hand-to-hand combat like Harry did. He preferred using his Magic Spirit or cultivation techniques. In this fight he was at a severe disadvantage.
Like a snake, Harry's arm shot out and grabbed Felix's. He gave it a yank, then twisted, and then there was a POP as Felix's arm came out his socket.
"EEEEEIIIAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Felix let out another scream, and clutched his useless arm. Where Harry grabbed him, there was a vicious burn-mark in the shape of five fingers.
Harry was wary of taking things too far with the Rosier Sacred Clan, so he left Felix with light injuries. The arm could be healed in a matter of seconds, and the burns in a matter of days. It was certainly unlike Firenze, who would need to spend weeks or month regrowing skin.
When Felix felt James grab onto his other arm –
"I forfeit!"
Felix was gone, teleported to safety and surrounded by his team members.
About 15 seconds had passed, meaning Harry had 45 seconds to stop Selwyn. Both Selwyn and Firenze looked at James with fearful looks, no longer so confident about their chances.
Burning Blood!
The power was simmering down, so Harry activated it again. The silver fire rose once again, forming an enormous plume surrounding his body, and then he charged forwards.
Bravely, Firenze charged forwards too, hoping to buy some time for Selwyn. He took out a large shield of his own, twice as large as Felix's. All that mattered right now was defense.
As for Harry, he sneered then jumped. He leapt a dozen feet into the air, sailing straight above Firenze's head, then landed right in front of Selwyn. Selwyn stabbed at Harry –
"Take your hands off my treasure!" Harry snapped, then punched Selwyn as hard as he could.
His fist was like a blur of fire, landing directly on Selwyn's nose. It was too fast to be dodged, too strong to be endured, and Selwyn let out a scream as he flew across the arena. For the third time, his body smashed into the wall of light.
"Hand was taken off. The countdown has been reset."
"I forfeit."
Without even attempting to get back up, Selwyn was teleported to amidst the centaurs.
Now, there was just Harry and Firenze!
Nervously, Firenze backed up. The James now was totally different than the James from before. Though James had terrifying defensive strength, his offensive strength was much lower. None of them had been able to injure each other. But now, with that silvery fire encasing his body, it was like he turned into a different person. With just a few moves, James took out both Felix and Selwyn!
"Damned centaur, you deserve what's coming next! Go to Hell!"
Harry leapt high into the air, his movements a blur, then smashed his fist into Firenze's ugly face. There was a loud and clear CRACK as Firenze's nose snapped, and then Harry had Firenze in a chokehold and tossed the centaur over his shoulder. The beast landed with a crash on the floor, then Harry slammed his foot on the creature's neck.
By pure chance, Harry and Firenze landed near where one of Draco Malfoy's swords lay. Harry bent down and picked it up, running his fingers along the sharp edge. This would do nicely.
"I should continue where I left off," Harry eyed Firenze's partially skinned arm. The centaur's face immediately paled. Despite his sense of pride, the thought of forfeiting crossed his mind.
"James, stop right now!"
That shout came from outside the arena, so Harry turned his head to look. There, he saw it was Zacharias Smith who shouted those words.
And when he saw what Zacharias was holding, Harry felt his blood boil with rage.
He and Ernest Macmillan had captured Sullivan, each of them pinning one of his arms. A twisted expression was on both their faces. A short knife was in Zacharias' hands, pressed against Sullivan's neck. Likely, the airhead had been too focused on watching the battle and wasn't paying attention to his surroundings.
As for Daniel, he was cornered by Anthony Goldstein, Terry Boot, and Michael Corner. Against all three of them, and with Sullivan's life in danger, it was difficult for him to do anything.
"You two are friends, aren't you? If you don't immediately forfeit, then I'll kill him right now!"