As Kai rushed through the thick vegetation towards his destination, where he had detected the mana signature of his age-old foe Amon, he recalled the words his biological father, Redmond, had given him about the Chaos Generals.

Redmond warned, "During my time at the Dark Continent, I was surprised at how cognisant Balthazar, the Right Hand of Death, was with our current situation on the Central Continent, which he surmised as the work of the Chaos Legion.

He warned me that the current leaders of the Chaos Legion, the 7 Chaos Generals, could only be stalled but not stopped. This was because of their ability to reincarnate with the memories of their past lives intact, through the possession of compatible individuals.

Unfortunately, even Balthazar did not know the true way of eliminating the Chaos Generals from the face of this world, though he staunchly believed that such a method exists."

When Kai finally arrived at the source of the foul mana he'd detected earlier, he was surprised to see a young, moderately built man before him. The man didn't wear a shirt, as he had a few scars across his shoulders and forearms.

Kai gulped as he attempted to absorb the sight before him. Yes, the man might have a few scars on his body, but they were simply ordinary scars of a combat veteran, not the deep, self-inflicted scars of the Amon he knew. In fact, the man gave off the disposition of an honourable warrior rather than the merciless savage Kai had expected.

Both remained silent for a short while as the wind howled amidst them, rustling leaves in the process. Kai was the first to break the silence, as he demanded, "Who're you? To send out such an ominous mana pressure when no one's around, what's your motive?"

The man didn't reply, choosing instead to ask, "You…You're the one who duelled and killed the man named Psycho then, right?" Kai was bewildered. The only people still alive who knew about the outcome of his battle with Psycho were his fellow teammates, Green King Warren and Red King Redmond. Possessing such knowledge despite not being Nirvanian could possibly mean that the man before Kai was Amon's reincarnation.

The man followed up by introducing himself, "I'm Ikari and in recognition of your strength, I hereby challenge you to a duel." Ikari then casually increased his mana output, emitting a mana signature similarly noxious to Amon's. This only served to reinforce Kai's belief that Ikari was indeed Amon's reincarnation.

Recalling that Amon's Sin, [Vengeance], has the ability to soak up the power of all the attacks the user receives and reflect it all back onto the opponent, regardless of actual damage dealt, Kai resolved to end the battle as quickly as possible.

Kai quickly cloaked his body with demonic energy, converting it into Lightning magic as it manifested itself as red sparks. Kai then swiftly utilised a [Red Lightning Blade], intending for the dissociative properties of his demonic energy to chip away the Chaos General's otherwise formidable mana armour, as his father had done 2 years ago.

To Kai's surprise, instead of opting to take the blow head-on as Kai had expected, Ikari attempted to dodge the attack instead, earning a small gash on his left chest as Kai's spell easily cleaved through Ikari's mana armament.

Kai was dumbfounded; he hadn't expected his attack to go through Ikari's mana armament so easily, since Amon's mana armament was the strongest he had seen thus far outside that of his biological father.

Ikari coolly remarked, "You've gotten a lot stronger since then, good. Contrary to your belief, I'm NOT Amon. I know of him, and I have access to his memories, but I'm still me. The monster you name Amon recently possessed me after I'd let my guard down just once, allowing my rage to consume me.

However, since then, due to the strength of my will and refusal to concede to my rage, I've regained control over my body, keeping Amon far at bay. I heavily regret my weakness then which allowed this monster to take root within me, but now, to prove my strength, I will defeat you without using a single ounce of his power!!"

Kai took a moment to digest the reality before him as he enquired, "If you're free from the will of Amon and the Chaos Legion, why are you doing this? Causing destruction and bloodshed, you're turning into the monster you sought to avoid!"

Ikari drew a deep breath before replying, "I no longer have any purpose in life other than fighting strong opponents to bring excitement to my otherwise boring life. Now, let's not waste any more time and get back into the fray, shall we? Come! If not, I'll kill all of your comrades present in this area!"

Triggered by Ikari's realistic threat, Kai quickly struck with another [Red Lightning Blade] of similar intensity. However, to his confusion, Ikari chose to remain stationary this time and accepted the blow straight on. To Kai's surprise, his spell couldn't break through Ikari's far stronger mana armament, leading Kai to wonder if Ikari was simply holding back earlier.

Ikari chuckled, "Man, your attack is really scary, with its speed, precision and incision! Unfortunately, such an attack would no longer work on me thanks to my Enigma Ability, [Evolution Armour] which increases the durability of my physical exoskeleton each time I get hurt by an attack which had breached through it. This implies that attacks of similar magnitude would no longer be able to hurt me! Sadly though, these increments in sturdiness are only temporary."

Kai, stunned by Ikari's sudden revelation, questioned, "Why would you reveal the nature of your trump card so easily to your enemy? I could find a way to circumvent your ability, you know?"

Ikari merely snickered, "That's precisely what I want, to see how you'll struggle in your navigation through this predicament! It'll be more fun this way, giving you a little clue and observing how you can make the most out of it! However, I won't be standing still any longer, so I'm afraid the pressure's on you to perform, hahaha!"

Ikari then leapt towards Kai, hurling a few powerful punches which Kai noted to be highly efficient as Ikari kept all the destructive power within his fists instead of releasing it in the form of air blasts. Kai also observed that the weight of Ikari's punches were immense, theorising that Ikari's Enigma Ability could also be used offensively due to the increase in weight of his exoskeleton.

As Kai continued to dodge or deflect Ikari's well-placed blows, which spoke volumes of his aptitude in close combat, Kai started to contemplate his next move. Increasing his power output slowly was suicidal, for every non-fatal wound scored on Ikari would only make him stronger.

On the other hand, going all out was probably a bad idea as well, especially Ikari could choose to dodge and counter, which would only cause a pointless drain of his stamina and mana on top of putting him in an extremely vulnerable position.

Therefore, the answer probably lay somewhere in between, as Kai continued to rack his brain further to devise a method to overcome his opponent's apparent invincibility, his hands crackling with red electricity…

Jibril and Eunice stared at their newest opponent, whom they could sense a dangerous aura from despite his restrained mana emission. Suddenly, Jibril sensed bloodlust as he quickly leapt towards Eunice, as both dived away in the nick of time as a ravine opened up where Eunice once stood.

Both students were appalled at how casually their opponent had swung his battle axe, swinging it so effortlessly to generate a cleaving force sharp enough to tear the ground before them. The man laughed heartily as he declared, "Good job dodging that attack, hahaha!

Your survival despite that little test only shows how worthy you kids are in engaging in battle with me at 100%! Not to mention that you both succeeded in taking out my henchmen! Oh, where are my manners? The name is Aran of Casimir, pleased to be your acquaintance!"

Jibril couldn't believe his ears. Casimir was the legendary autonomous village located North of Nirvania. Jibril had heard tales from his father who had often visited Casimir in the past during escort duty that the village was both simple yet extraordinary.

After all, despite its small size and populace, Casimir had managed to retain its independence from Nirvania, partly due to the respect the pioneer King Stormfury had for the indigenous people living in the North, also known as the Northerners.

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The other reason was simply the military strength wielded by these Northerners, tested by their constant struggles against the monsters from the Northern Wildlands. Consequently, this implied that too much effort was required to subjugate them, making the establishment of diplomatic ties a more feasible option.

In return for autonomy from Nirvania, Casimir welcomed Nirvania as an ally and trade partner, fostering amicable relations all this while. Jibril questioned, "As a representative of Casimir, how dare you raise your hand against us Nirvanians! This is a severe violation of the peace treaty between Casimir and Nirvania! Do you really want war to break out between our states?"

Aran replied coldly, "It doesn't matter anymore if the peace treaty is violated, after all, Casimir is no more." Shocked by the sudden revelation, Jibril replied sceptically, "If Casimir is truly no more, Nirvania would have heard about it, given the close proximity between both territories."

Aran laughed heartily before proclaiming, "You guys probably heard nothing because of how fast Casimir was brought to ruin by the three of us, the Casimir Trio!" Jibril found the name extremely familiar, but before he could delve deeper into his memories, Aran launched a flurry of swings at Jibril, which were both pinpoint and deadly.

This pressured Jibril immensely as his defence was on the verge of breaking under duress, even after releasing his lance from its inactive pocket form. As Jibril continued to withstand Aran's incessant blows, he began to analyse Aran's style in an attempt to find an opening to exploit. To his perplexion, Jibril realised that despite feeling overwhelmed, it was not because Aran was fast or strong.

On the contrary, despite using such continuous attacks, Aran appeared relaxed without a hint of fatigue which meant that he wasn't pushing his body hard to generate power or speed. Before Jibril could further analyse, Aran swiftly aimed a powerful downward swing towards his head, which Jibril countered with a powerful thrust of his lance. The resultant shockwave shattered the earth as Eunice was almost blown off her feet.

To Jibril's surprise, Aran recovered much more quickly than he did, utilising Jibril's own power to lift him up slightly as he performed a flip over Jibril's head before slashing Jibril's unprotected back in one smooth motion, landing gently on the floor thereafter.

Jibril stumbled forward, feeling extremely disappointed with himself for getting caught on the counter again. Aran commended, "You have pretty quick reflexes, kid, to channel enough mana to your back to protect yourself from further harm! Now, come and entertain me more!"

Realising that Aran was probably the most fearsome opponent he had faced thus far, and he couldn't compromise the outcome of the mission, Jibril turned around and asked, "Eunice, I need your help against him. Let's put our joint training into good use and beat this guy!"

Eunice, who was initially surprised by Jibril's request as he was known to be relatively proud, nonetheless agreed readily as she prepared herself for their uphill battle ahead…

In the thick forest, Viper and Chen were busy dodging shuriken empowered with Wind magic, as the projectiles were not only fast, they were lethal as they chopped down the trees in their way effortlessly.

Due to the relentless barrage which intentionally came from all directions, both students couldn't determine the location of their unknown assailant. Chen shouted over the howling winds that accompanied the shuriken, "Our enemy must have some way of determining our location so accurately other than vision! From the trajectories of the shuriken, it's clear that he doesn't need a direct line of sight to us!"

Viper nodded her head, before signalling for Chen to hold on his own momentarily, as she used her Enigma Ability to meld into the shadows, darting under the cover of the shadows as she searched for their opponent frantically.

Meanwhile, Chen was forced to use his [Limit Break - Level 1] as he fended off all the shuriken headed towards him, their number, power and speed all increasing substantially after Viper had separated from him. Despite activating his technique, Chen still received a few gashes as the shuriken grazed through his mana armament.

Realising that he was just going to be worn down as a sitting duck, Chen decided to count on Viper to defeat their mysterious assailant. Chen then resolved to distract their foe for as long as possible, raising his [Limit Break] to the next level as the projectiles headed for him were all blown back by the sudden release of mana.

Chen then swerved through the forest at breakneck pace in random directions, as his adversary's shuriken failed to hit him, often striking his last position when he was long gone. Now, it became a battle of stamina between the two as both refused to be outdone by each other.

At the same time, Viper had finally determined the location of their hidden opponent, as she approached him surreptitiously. When she had a confirmed visual of the enemy, whom she could barely make out form the thick foliage he was concealed in, Viper immediately leapt out of the shadows towards him, her hands armed with a [Void Blast].

The resultant explosion rocked the earth as the attacks on Chen halted near instantly, as he swiftly took off in the direction of the blast. Chen know that Viper usually preferred subterfuge in her battles, but she performed that flashy spell anyway in order to notify him of the enemy's location.

After the smokescreen had dispersed, Viper was surprised to see a dome of rapidly revolving wind before she barely dodged a near invisible [Wind Slash]. After recovering from the attack, which took down a few trees, Viper could finally take a good look at her enigmatic nemesis.

Viper's opponent was a rather lean man with relatively pale skin which colour was a huge contrast to his dark auburn coloured hair. Like Viper, he chose to hide his facial features with a mask that was the same colour as his entire attire, which was green interspersed with a few patches of brown and black. His attire was thus perfect for blending in with his environment, which made it difficult for Viper to determine his location earlier.

After a short moment of silence, the stranger was first to speak, "I'm impressed with how you managed to sneak up on me, though I did notice one unexplained missing presence earlier. Fortunately, I was on guard for any surprise attack after that discovery, if not, you would have got me already."

Viper didn't reply, as her expression remained stoic. The man added, "A lady of few words, as expected of an assassin like you. Now that I see you upfront, I can tell that you're really built for assassination and covert ops. Your attire, method of approach-"

Before he could speak any further, Viper conjured a [Shadow Barrage] spell towards him before melding into the shadows once more. The spell was easily thwarted by the man's revolving wind dome as he chuckled heartily at Viper's paltry attempt to catch him off guard in the middle of his speech.

To his pleasant surprise, Viper was missing once more, as she hid within the shadows, waiting for the most opportune time to strike. When the chance arose, Viper quickly seized it, as she emerged stealthily from the shadows behind the man.

As Viper was phasing out of the shadows, a shiver shot down her spine as she instinctively attempted to avoid an invisible slash to her throat, which earned her a slight nick on her cheek instead. The tree which she emerged from wasn't so fortunate, as it was cleanly cut into 2.

Refusing to give Viper an inch of space, the man quickly followed up with a volley of Wind-empowered shuriken as Viper performed successive back flips and twists through the woods to avoid them as they whistled dangerously close.

The man then quickly drew a kunai from his sleeve before coating it with Wind magic as he charged towards Viper. Viper immediately responded to his challenge with a counter, drawing her own tanto and coating it with Dark magic. The two exchanged rapid blows as neither could get the upper hand.

The exchange only ended when the man unexplainably conjured an invisible blade of air behind Viper just as he launched a horizontal slash towards her front, forcing her to leap into the air to avoid both assaults.

Unfortunately, leaping into the air placed Viper in a vulnerable position as she couldn't change her direction of movement while in mid-air unlike Jibril. The unnamed foe quickly seized the opportunity to conjure yet another unseen blade of wind, nearly inflicting a fatal wound on Viper if not for her reflexes to avoid the slash to her throat, earning a gash across her arms instead as she protected herself.

The man commended, "That's pretty nifty, though I really ought to have killed you with that strike. I can only blame my naivety for thinking that an attack of that calibre was sufficient to end your life.

In lieu of your outstanding performance, I grant you the honour of taking my name into the grave, just as others had done so before you. The name's Kazehito of Casimir! Rejoice, for only the worthy are given the privilege of hearing my name before death comes to claim its due!"

Viper could only acknowledge in silence as she began to meld into the shadows, her mind racing with thoughts on how to break through his impenetrable defence. However, in her distraction, a strong gust lifted her off her feet as she was blown high into the air. Kazehito smirked as he foresaw her intention to hide within the shadows again.

Unfortunately for Viper, though the time taken to meld with the shadows was minimal, any slight movement could be easily picked up by Kazehito's Enigma Ability. As Viper remained trapped in mid-air, Kazehito taunted, "How do you like my [Atmos]? With it, I maintain full control over the air around me, including its currents! You're nothing but a dish waiting to be served now!"

Viper immediately understood her situation, as she linked Kazehito's revelation to the phenomena she had experienced. The man's Enigma Ability was responsible for all those invisible air blades, on top of his ability to detect with pinpoint accuracy, any changes in his surroundings due to his use of air currents as sonar waves.

Viper instantly prepared a [Void Blast] to break free from Kazehito's [Atmos Prison], but Kazehito quickly transitioned into offence, unleashing his special technique, [Atmos Blade - Raging Fury] as Viper was buffeted by sharp winds from all over, slashing her body numerous times as her concentration was broken.

Indignant, Viper could only redirect her efforts towards defence, as she persevered to hang on. Unwilling to drag things any longer, Kazehito decided to end things with an [Atmos Blade - Grand Sickle]. The wind shredded through a huge expanse of the forest, instantly clearing the canopy over a large area.

After the wind had settled, Kazehito was surprised that there was no trace of Viper remaining, not even blood, a first for an assassin like himself. However, Kazehito soon realised that his second opponent had finally shown up, as Chen held Viper across his arms, his mana pressure overbearing. Chen placed the weakened Viper against a tree to rest, before declaring, "The fight's now between us men! Bring it!"

A smile of delight crept onto Kazehito's face as he relished to defeat the one whom could avoid his pinpoint detection with brute speed, for it had been a long time since he met anyone who could give him such a thrilling challenge.