Chapter 61: Confidence Of A Fool!
In another stretch of the savannah, just a few kilometers from the territory where Bruce was fighting, silence ruled.
Then...
Phew!
An arrow whistled through the air like a shard of death.
It struck cleanly, piercing straight through the skull of a mutant hyena.
The shaft was made entirely of ice, glimmering faintly under the sun. A vapor of frost hissed from the wound as the arrow buried itself deep into the creature’s brain. Only the nock and feathered fletching remained visible outside, quivering gently from the force of impact.
The hyena let out a strangled wail, half roar, half scream, before the impossible happened.
The arrow exploded.
A burst of frozen mist expanded outward, shattering into hundreds of razor-sharp shards of ice that tore through the hyena’s skull, pulverizing what remained of its brain.
The sound ended as abruptly as it began.
The creature fell to the ground with a dull thud, blood and pale brain matter seeping from its forehead and staining the cracked earth.
It was over before it even realized it had died.
Everything was clean. Fast. Surgical.
Perched high above, hidden among the thick branches of a baobab tree, a girl lowered her bow.
Her long white hair fluttered in the dry breeze, catching the light of the fading sun. Her beauty was distinct, cold, composed, untouchable.
In her hands rested a weapon as intricate as it was deadly: a hybrid bow forged with dual mechanisms, elegant curves of metal etched with frost runes that shimmered faintly with every movement.
Jean Frost.
Her crimson eyes narrowed as she observed the fallen beast, watching for even the slightest twitch of movement. None came. Only then did she relax her draw and exhale softly.
A faint vibration came from her wrist. The smart bracelet.
She glanced at it and whispered, "Ranking."
The hologram flickered to life, displaying the current standings.
[RANKINGS]
[Bruce Ackerman — Points: 150]
[Jean Frost — Points: 75]
[Sophie Reign — Points: 60]
[Ozai Thorne — Points: 37]
[Aria Stormheart — Points: 18]
[Dominic Savior — Points: 10]
[Luke Drot — Points: 10]
[Bale Las — Points: 5]
Jean’s brows furrowed slightly.
"Who’s this..." she murmured, eyes narrowing at the name above hers.
’Bruce Ackerman?’
Her lips curved into a faint, intrigued smile.
’So someone’s already ahead of me. Interesting.’
She leaned back against the trunk, letting the wind brush against her face.
’Ozai, Sophie... descendants of Great Ancient Families. Let’s see if either of you can live up to the reputation you carry.’
Her gaze returned to Bruce’s name.
’And you, Bruce Ackerman... let’s see how long you can keep that lead.’
A cool mist spread around her feet as she stood up on the branch. Frost bloomed beneath her boots, cracking softly across the bark.
In the next instant, she leapt.
The air shimmered. A trail of frost followed her movement as her body blurred forward, gliding effortlessly over the dry earth.
Her white hair whipped behind her like a banner of winter, gleaming against the golden savannah sun.
The hunt was on again.
...
In another location, right beside the hyena territory where Bruce was fighting, a handsome young man with black hair could be seen darting between the savage strikes of multiple beasts.
But these beasts were completely different from the ones Bruce had fought.
Bloodhounds.
Ferocious, coordinated, and relentless.
’These annoying beasts just had to target me right now of all times,’ Ozai thought in irritation, his eyes narrowing as he sidestepped a snapping jaw. ’They’ve marked me. They just keep blocking my path no matter what I do.’
The bloodhounds surrounding him were in a miserable state, bloodied, limping, gashes covering their bodies, but their blazing red eyes still gleamed with violent hunger. Even with their bodies faltering, their movements were unnervingly synchronized. Their teamwork was so sharp that Ozai was forced to stop holding back.
He exhaled a long, weary sigh.
"I really didn’t want to do this," he muttered. Then his tone dropped to a whisper. "You forced my hand."
The air trembled.
In the next second, his vision was lit by a blinding flash, and fire erupted.
It wasn’t normal flame. It burst out from inside the beasts’ bodies, igniting through their wounds as if their very blood had turned volatile. The flames tore through flesh, spreading faster than thought.
A grin curved on Ozai’s lips as he straightened slowly, watching the scene unfold.
The bloodhounds howled in agony, thrashing violently, but it was pointless.
"It’s useless," he said softly, his smile widening as the fire consumed them. "There’s no escape."
Moments later, silence returned.
The scorched remains of the bloodhounds lay scattered around him—blackened husks still faintly smoking against the dry earth. The heat shimmered in waves across the field, the stench of burnt fur thick in the air.
Ozai’s flames faded, retreating into faint embers that licked around his fingers before dying out completely.
He lifted his wrist lazily. "Ranking."
The holographic display appeared instantly before him.
[RANKINGS]
[Bruce Ackerman — Points: 150]
[Ozai Thorne — Points: 120]
[Jean Frost — Points: 75]
[Sophie Reign — Points: 60]
[Aria Stormheart — Points: 25]
[Dominic Savior — Points: 20]
[Luke Drot — Points: 15]
[Bale Las — Points: 10]
Ozai stared quietly at the glowing screen. For a moment, his grin remained, but then it faded.
The name at the top drew his gaze like a challenge etched in fire.
"Bruce Ackerman," he murmured under his breath.
A solemn look crossed his face.
"Interesting," he said after a pause, voice low and thoughtful. "So he does have some skill after all. Guess he’s not the weakling I thought he was."
The corner of his lips lifted again, that confident, cocky smile returning.
"But still..." His eyes narrowed slightly, burning with quiet arrogance. "I’m not worried."
He dismissed the hologram, turned his back to the smoldering corpses, and walked into the horizon, his silhouette framed against the rising heat haze, calm and unhurried.
He was still confident... The Confidence of a Fool...
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A/N:
What do you guys think of the current pace of the book? Should I speed things up, or should I keep going with this current speed...