Chapter 73: The Man Who Wouldn’t Burn!
The air shifted as Ozai’s eyes locked onto him.
In that instant, the temperature soared again, skyrocketing past reason, past survival, ten thousand degrees and climbing.
The cave walls split open with deafening cracks, molten lines of orange webbing through the blackened rock. The floor caved slightly under the pressure, fissures glowing like rivers of fire.
The world had become a furnace.
And yet, in the heart of it all, Bruce still stood, unburnt, unbent, and utterly focused on the blazing devil standing before him.
At that moment, the air around Ozai shimmered with heat so intense it warped reality itself. Then, without warning, he began to rise, slowly, deliberately, his feet lifting a few inches off the ground.
Bruce’s eyes widened slightly, surprise flickering across his usually calm face. ’He can fly...’
Before the thought could even settle, Ozai vanished.
In the blink of an eye, his blazing figure flickered out of sight, then reappeared right in front of Bruce. A spinning kick cut through the air, the twin flaming swords still clutched in his hands, heat and fury radiating off him like a miniature sun.
Bruce barely had time to brace.
The kick connected squarely with his chest.
A thunderous impact echoed through the cave, BOOM! as the ground beneath them cracked like glass, and Bruce’s body was sent hurtling backward like a ragdoll caught in an explosion.
The heat struck him first, then the force, a combined assault that ripped the breath from his lungs.
[You’ve been hit and sent flying by 5,347 tons of force!]
[A gaping hole has formed in your chest!]
[You’re bleeding profusely!]
[You’ve healed!]
[You’ve adapted to such ton of force!]
Bruce’s body shot through the air, Trees and rocks blurred past as he crashed through the open clearing, his trajectory wild and unrestrained.
Mid-air, the massive hole in his chest sealed within seconds, skin and tissue regenerating with a faint silver glow. Blood evaporated into steam before it could even hit the ground.
Still spinning through the air, Bruce twisted his wrist sharply and plunged one of his daggers toward the floor.
SCREECH!!!
Sparks exploded as the dagger tore through stone, dragging a molten scar across the rocky terrain. The friction howled through the air, echoing like a beast’s roar. His arms trembled from the resistance, but the effort slowed him down, just enough.
BOOM!!
He hit a massive tree trunk with an explosive thud, splintering it in half. Bark and debris scattered as the entire base cracked open, collapsing under the weight of the impact.
The falling branches crashed down on him, but Bruce didn’t even flinch.
He had already adapted.
After taking a kick that carried over five thousand tons of force, the crash felt like nothing more than a mild shove. His body, once again, had learned, changed, and strengthened.
Kneeling amidst the dust and splinters, Bruce coughed out a mouthful of blood that sizzled upon hitting the scorched earth, only for his body to instantly mend itself once more. His breathing steadied, his composure untouched.
When he looked up, Ozai was already there.
The Fire God Incarnate descended with divine grace, flames coiling around him like living serpents. The heat alone made the air ripple, distorting everything in view.
The remains of the fallen tree, massive and ancient, turned to ash in seconds, collapsing into nothing but black dust that scattered into the wind. Even the roots beneath the soil glowed red, liquefying under the impossible temperature.
Bruce stood slowly, his eyes steady and unreadable, the faintest smile curling on his lips. Despite the devastation around them, he looked more intrigued than alarmed.
Ozai’s molten gaze locked onto him, expecting fear. Instead, Bruce’s calm stare met his, unwavering.
The contrast between them was chilling. One, a blazing god of wrath; the other, a cold and calculating killer who seemed to grow stronger with every wound.
Bruce brushed a trace of blood from his lips, almost casually. ’Just a few more hits,’ he thought, the glint in his eyes darkening with excitement. ’A few more, and I can test the next theory...’
Ozai’s brow furrowed, frustration seeping into his fiery aura. Bruce’s composure, his maddening indifference, was more insulting than any taunt.
The ground beneath them hissed and cracked, molten rivers spreading through the cave floor as their gazes locked once more.
Two predators. Two monsters. Both feeding off the clash, both evolving in their own way.
The real fight had only just begun.
Seeing Bruce still standing there, calm, composed, utterly unbothered, Ozai’s lips twisted into a cold smile. The flames around him flared violently, responding to his emotions like living things.
’Die now, bastard,’ he thought darkly, eyes narrowing, he wasn’t dumb and knew that Bruce was getting stronger as well, and he didn’t want to give him that chance.
Then, aloud, he said one word, soft, deliberate, and final.
"Burn."
It didn’t sound like a skill chant. It sounded like an order.
The command carried authority: divine, absolute, and the world obeyed.
In the next instant, Bruce’s body ignited. Not from the outside, but from within. His very cells began to burn; spontaneous cellular combustion, as if every fiber of his being had been ordered to self-destruct.
His skin flared crimson, steam and flame erupting from his pores. The pain hit instantly, a searing inferno that even his nerves could barely process.
[You’re Healing...]
[You’re Healing...]
[You’re Healing...]
[You’re Healing...]
[You’re Healing...]
[You’re Healing...]
Over and over, the messages flashed, his regeneration struggling to keep up. The flames were relentless, digging into his flesh, tearing through muscle, trying to erase him down to the cellular level.
Bruce gritted his teeth. The heat was unbearable. The rate of healing, slower than ever. This was the first time since the trial began that his regeneration had lagged.
His expression hardened. For the first time, he took Ozai seriously.
The fire continued to roar, his entire body glowing like molten metal. His skin peeled and healed, peeled and healed, again and again in an endless loop of destruction and repair.
Then...
[You’ve Healed!]
[You’ve Adapted and are now immune to Cellular Combustion!]