After the flash of light came the explosion. Like a bomb going off, the flames consumed everything within a few hundred meters of the impact site. Desmond braced himself as the shock wave hit. No matter how often he had seen the spell, it was still as impressive as ever.

After the fire faded, Desmond quickly moved over to the crater’s edge. Looking down, he could see the beast pinned to the ground below, dead. There was a butt end of a massive red spear sticking out of the creature’s corpse. The spear itself looked like it was made from dark red glass wreathed in flames. This had been the heart of Ben’s spell, though it was now mostly spent.

“Looks like my plan worked after all,” Desmond stated with a slight chuckle as he moved into the crater that was a good 100 meters across. As he neared the beast, he found the carcass to be remarkably whole, all things considered. The spear went right through the panther’s neck but was no longer touching any part of the corpse as it had melted a hole bigger than itself through the beast. This left the odd sensation that the spear was just hovering there as it slowly faded. It looked like someone had poured molten metal through the creature. At the sound of footsteps, Desmond turned to see Ben approaching at a full run.

“You see that?” Ben called out before stopping to catch his breath. “I got that fucker in one shot.”

Desmond scoffed, “Yeah, all by yourself too.”

“Hey, don’t put yourself down like that,” Ben chuckled, then spoke almost mockingly. “You played an important role. Every group needs good bait.”

Ben pulled out a knife and started dissecting the corpse from the chest, getting blood all over his fancy red robes. Desmond knew what he was after. They had agreed on the split beforehand. Ben was here for the panther’s beast core, while the rest of the body would be his.

“How about you be in the vanguard next time? Heavens know you got the build for it,” Desmond said while taking out his own skinning knife.

Desmond and Ben had been together in a larger hunting party over the past few months. They had chosen to separate from this group and go after this hunt alone. Ben hadn’t enjoyed the overly cautious nature of their past group’s leader. She had never wanted to go after any hunt higher than disaster class. It was safe hunting with that group. Well, as safe as disaster class beast hunting could be, but improvement had been slow. Ben wanted to get stronger faster, and that was when he approached Desmond about this particular hunt.

Ben had gotten through the beast’s thick hide and was currently working on breaking apart its ribs. He was trying to get access to the chest cavity where the beast core would be located. The bones were giving him trouble though. His focus on the mage stats was starting to show.

Desmond snickered and moved over beside Ben. “You need some help there, mage?”

“Shut up, I got it,” Ben replied curtly. Soon after, there was a snapping sound as Ben finally removed the rib bone that was blocking his access. He immediately shoved his arm into the beast elbow-deep, as he searched for the core. “Ah, got it!”

He pulled his gore-soaked arm out and held up a black crystal about the size of a fist. The crystal was smooth, oval-shaped, and when you looked into it, you could almost see a swirling vortex sucking in the light.

Ben whistled, “Now ain’t she a beaut.”

As Ben fixated on the shiny oval in his hand, Desmond could see the desire clearly in his eyes. It was the perfect opportunity. Desmond, who had been standing beside Ben as he pulled the core out, subtly raised his hand.

“That she is, going to be worth a fortune!” Desmond replies.

“No way I’m selling this-” Ben’s words were cut off as Desmond slid his skinning knife between his fifth and sixth ribs, straight into his mana core below his heart. Unlike beasts who have a crystal-like beast core, human’s mana core was fleshy, like an organ, and very susceptible to trauma.

Ben ripped his attention away from the beast core to stare at Desmond in abject horror, completely stunned by what was happening. Desmond used this moment to activate the enchantment placed on his dagger. With a bang, the dagger forcefully shattered, sending fragments of metal scattering through Ben’s body. Ben opened his mouth, perhaps to try and speak, but only blood came out.

Desmond took a single step back, knowing this was the moment that mattered, the very moment that would decide his fate. The world exploded in an all-consuming fire, with Ben at the center burning the last of his mana to try to kill Desmond, or at least force him away. But Desmond stood his ground before this raging inferno, using his arms to protect his face. Even as his armor melted and his skin began to peel away, he refused to take even a single step back.

After a few moments, Desmond felt the fire waver and forced himself to step forward, reaching out towards Ben. The spell had taken Ben’s whole focus, but with the spell now fading, Desmond knew he could not give Ben any chance to recover. Desmond managed to grab Ben’s right hand just as the fire was flickering out.

With the fire no longer impeding his vision, Desmond could once again see Ben. He had a vial of amber liquid in his right hand with the stopper already off. Desmond had caught Ben’s hand as he was bringing it to his mouth. Desmond squeezed down hard, feeling the bones in Ben’s hand snap and break.

As the vial fell from Ben’s hand, it caught Desmond’s attention. He didn’t know what it was, but since Ben turned to it first in his time of need, it was likely worth a staggering amount. An amount of wealth that even kings would fret over was unceremoniously falling to the ground. Desmond had to force himself to look away from the vial and back to Ben. This was not an opponent he could afford to be greedy against.

Ben didn’t miss this opportunity, as his body seemed to fade into sparks of fire. Desmond quickly ran mana through his hand in an attempt to cancel Ben’s Fire Teleport spell. Ben pushed through the spell anyway, knowing what would happen. Ben appeared 200 meters away, missing his right arm, which was still firmly in Desmond’s grasp.

A moment of tranquility ensued as the two had taken distance and were assessing each other. Ben had lost an arm and taken severe internal damage from the exploding dagger. He was very much on the clock and didn’t have much time left on it at that. Desmond on the other hand was standing there basically naked, covered head to toe in burn wounds. Although gravely wounded, Desmond’s fighting capacity had not taken a significant hit.

Desmond looked down at the hand he was holding, staring at the spatial ring on its middle finger. He knew that his moment of greed had caused him to miss an easy opportunity to end this fight. Desmond threw the hand on the ground beside himself and focused back on Ben. Ben was wounded, lethally so, he no longer had the option to run, but a corned beast was the most dangerous.

“Why?” Ben managed to choke out between mouthfuls of blood.

Desmond stood there silently. There was no point talking to a dead man, and he would not allow Ben to get him riled up and miss another opportunity. Desmond stared at Ben intently, waiting for his next move. Then he saw it, the slight flicker of Ben’s eyes that told Desmond everything he needed to know.

Ben raised his remaining arm, the massive spear that had been impaling the beast levitated and quickly moved into his grasp. It struck an odd sight, the huge spear making Ben look much smaller than he was. Though still a deadly weapon, the spear in his hand was a pale reflection of what it once was. It would seem Ben’s wounds were finally catching up to him, as he clearly no longer had the mana to reinvigorate the spell. Desmond braced himself for the attack, knowing full well how hard it was to dodge when Ben could use [Living Fire]. But more than anything Desmond knew this attack would be the feint.

The sight was almost comical as Ben pulled back, getting into a throwing stance with the oversized weapon. The two locked eyes in a moment of calm, Ben in his throwing stance, and Desmond braced to receive the blow. They both knew this would be the last exchange.

Ben hurled the spear forward with everything he could muster. As it traveled, it seemed to ignite on fire, turning into a massive fireball traveling directly at Desmond. It was nothing like the meteor that had fallen, but it was still a potentially lethal threat. Desmond ignored it, taking a step to the left and finding himself beside Ben’s severed hand. Desmond reached down, not for the hand but for the space directly beside it.

Time seemed to slow as the spear was mere moments from impact. Then he saw it, a small flick of sparks that was the telltale sign of a Fire Teleport. His outstretched hand was nearly in the perfect place, needing only a slight adjustment. The massive fireball caused by the spear obscured his vision of Ben, but this worked both ways. Desmond knew that Ben’s only option now was to go for his spatial ring.

Ben flickered into existence just as the spear was about to collide with Desmond’s chest. But to Ben’s momentary horror, the very space he was trying to teleport to was occupied. But alas, the thought dissipated as quickly as it came. Ben was frozen in place, kneeling beside his severed arm with Desmond’s hand firmly impaling his skull.

Desmond quickly extracted his hand from Ben’s head just as the spear reached him. The spear had lost much of its luster in light of Ben’s death and was unable to hold its form, shattering upon impact with Desmond’s chest. The exploding spear caused a small fireball, but it was relatively harmless. Leaving but a few more burns on his battered body.

With the spear gone, Desmond’s focus was drawn back to Ben. He stood there beside the body, covered from head to toe in severe burns and basically nude as he waited. He did not know what exactly he was waiting for. The beast had forced the activation of the Phoenix Talisman, and he had separated Ben from his spatial ring and any potential life-saving potions inside. But was there really nothing else?

He had hunted this prey for the past thirteen years, studying him, biding his time, gaining his trust, all for this moment. He had been through this fight in his head thousands of times, preparing for any possible scenario, any trick Ben might have up his sleeve. Yet, Ben just lay there in a pool of his own blood, no second Phoenix Talisman, no grand spell to reset the fight. It was all a bit anticlimactic. He had expected more. He had been prepared for more. He had wanted there to be more.

Now, Desmond was forced to face the reality of the situation: Ben was dead. The blood debt had been repaid. After thirteen long years, he had gotten revenge on the man who had taken everything from him. But somehow, it felt hollow.