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🔹 Chapter 18 — Trace of Smoke
> Warning: This chapter is completely fictional, set within a dark, bloody anime world, and has no connection to reality.
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Scene 1 — The Distant Forest
Green trees stretched like a living wall rising toward the sky, their branches casting long shadows over the grass-covered ground. Sunlight slipped through them like golden threads, and the air was filled with the scent of damp plants.
As if the world were calm… perfectly calm—like the silence before a storm.
Amid that calm, Zokimoshi tore through the forest at full speed, wildly waving his arms and shouting:
Zokimoshi: (I'm coming for you, bear!)
Suddenly, his foot stopped, and his expression completely changed… his nose twitched with a sensitivity resembling that of predatory animals.
Zokimoshi: (My nose never lies… this is the smell of fire!)
He quickly turned around and lifted his head toward the sky, where a column of black smoke rose like a beast choking the heavens.
Zokimoshi: (It must be the bear… I'm going to him!)
Before he could take another step, a mysterious sphere shot toward him at blinding speed.
The air split around it.
He leapt skillfully, rolled across the ground, then stood up without even looking back.
Zokimoshi: (It must be the bear who fired it! …Wait for me!)
And he dashed toward the smoke even faster, his eyes widening with excitement.
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Scene 2 — The City Gate
The gate was crowded with travelers, while four guards in iron armor inspected those entering and leaving. Suddenly, one of them raised his head and noticed the smoke.
Guard 1: (Hey… look at that!)
The second turned and frowned.
Guard 2: (That looks like traces of combat… magical beasts, maybe.)
Guard 3: (If it gets close to the city, we'll be in serious trouble.)
Guard 4: (Or maybe… it was caused by that person who passed through here minutes ago.)
Their leader appeared, a man with a thick mustache and a sharp face, and spoke firmly:
Leader: (What happens outside the walls is none of our concern. Focus on your duties.)
Guards: (Yes, sir!)
Despite that… their eyes remained fixed on the rising smoke.
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Scene 3 — Inside the City
People returned to their work. The sounds of the market faded slightly, yet eyes still drifted toward the sky, where the smoke crept like an ill omen.
Person 1: (It seems like the same person… the one who caused trouble before.)
Person 2: (Do you think it's really him?)
Person 3: (Of course… those people don't joke around.)
Person 4: (It's better we pretend we didn't see anything… if they find out we know, we'll be punished… or worse.)
Amid the uneasy whispers stood a figure wearing a wide brown cloak that hid most of their features. They raised their head toward the smoke, narrowed their eyes, then turned and walked steadily toward the exit gate.
Their voice was barely audible:
??? (This… is not an ordinary ignition.)
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Scene 4 — Deep in the Forest, The Battlefield
The forest had become an open hell.
Flames rose and devoured tree trunks.
Smoke formed a suffocating cloud covering the sky.
Animals fled in terror, and the cracking explosions of burning branches echoed everywhere.
Within this inferno… Kiura moved swiftly from behind a charred tree, gripping a sharp shard of ice he had formed with his own hand, and charged at Enzo without hesitation.
As for Enzo, he smiled coldly, as if he had seen the move before it even happened.
Enzo (mockingly calm):
(The idiot… he didn't realize I saw him the moment he hid.)
He raised his finger toward Kiura.
In a split second—
A small fireball appeared from deep within the forest—compressed, dense… it shot forward at terrifying speed, shredding the air before it and tearing through trees in its path.
Kiura, shocked: (When…? Where did it come from?!)
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Short Flashback — Seconds Earlier
When Kiura hid behind the tree, Enzo caught him from the corner of his eye.
With deadly calm… he launched a small fireball deep into the forest, away from the battlefield.
No one noticed it.
And now… he was controlling it through his mana, guiding it back from behind Kiura.
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Present
Kiura couldn't completely evade the attack.
The fireball slammed into his right side—
Ripping his clothes and splashing blood onto the ground.
He staggered back a step, suppressing the pain, while the fireball continued its path deeper into the forest once more.
Kiura: (That hurts…)
Enzo smiled confidently:
Enzo: (A piece of advice… if you want to defeat someone stronger than you, you must step one move ahead of them. Just like I did now.)
Despite the pain… Kiura smiled back with defiance.
Kiura: (And I… did that too.)
Enzo: (Huh? What—)
Before he could finish, a force struck from behind—
Renion appeared, carrying a massive rock, gripping it as if it were a bat.
With strength that didn't match her slender body, she slammed it straight onto Enzo's head.
A direct hit.
The impact echoed through the blazing forest.
Enzo lost his balance and stumbled back several steps.
Kiura & Renion (excited):
(Yes! Direct hit!)
Flames roared—
The air trembled—
And the battle… was far from over.
To be continued…
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