Blue flames of various sizes appeared out of nowhere.
They flickered gently, bathing the surroundings in a soft azure glow.
Haziqa stared at them in surprise before cautiously approaching one of the smaller flames.
He slowly reached out his hand.
The flame wasn't hot.
It didn't burn him.
Instead...
It filled him with an indescribable sense of peace.
"...Come."
A voice echoed through the silent world.
Haziqa immediately noticed the countless blue flames drifting toward the source of the voice.
Unable to suppress his curiosity...
He quietly followed them.
The moment he heard that voice...
He had already felt something strange.
It was as if an invisible force was compelling him to move.
As though someone was trying to seize control of his very soul.
He resisted the feeling.
But curiosity had always been humanity's greatest weakness.
...Could Haziqa even be considered human anymore?
That wasn't important.
What mattered...
Was that he wanted to know where the voice was coming from.
"I'll keep going."
He steadied his resolve.
The farther he walked...
The stronger the pressure became.
Soon...
A feeling of overwhelming dread engulfed him.
"...Should I turn back?"
He hesitated for a moment.
"No."
"I've already come this far."
"Turning back now would be a complete waste."
With every step...
The pressure intensified.
Every instinct screamed at him to retreat.
Every fiber of his being warned him of imminent danger.
Yet...
His curiosity won.
Eventually...
He reached the source.
Standing before him...
Was a gigantic creature that resembled a cloud.
No...
To be more precise...
It was a cloud shaped like a human.
It stood nearly twenty-two feet tall.
A crimson mask resembling the face of a demon concealed its features.
The giant sat majestically upon a massive stone throne located in the center of a public park.
The throne had once been one of the city's famous landmarks.
It was known as King Arthur's Chair, originally featuring a colossal stone statue seated upon it.
Now...
The statue was gone.
The cloud giant had claimed the throne for himself.
Countless blue flames continuously floated toward him.
One after another...
He absorbed them into his body.
Then...
For some unknown reason...
He refined them.
After several breaths...
The giant finally sensed another presence nearby.
His eyes snapped toward Haziqa.
"WHO DARES DISTURB THE HEAVENLY CLOUD SPIRIT WHILE HE IS CULTIVATING?!"
He did his absolute best to make his voice sound deep and majestic.
Unfortunately...
It came out sounding almost identical to Federico Valverde's voice.
Haziqa froze.
The giant slowly rose to his feet.
"Hmph!"
"Just a weak little soul flame."
"I shall spare your insignificant life."
"Now disappear."
Once again...
He tried to sound imposing.
Once again...
He failed miserably.
Haziqa couldn't hold it anymore.
He burst into laughter.
Not a quiet chuckle.
Not a smile.
He laughed with all his might.
The Heavenly Cloud Spirit's face immediately darkened.
"You dare mock this great one?!"
His patience snapped.
"Very well!"
"I shall show you the consequences of insulting a superior!"
The enormous cloud spirit lunged toward him.
Surprisingly...
He wasn't very fast.
In fact...
Haziqa was at least three times faster.
Seeing his opponent flee, the Heavenly Cloud Spirit repeatedly fired bolts of lightning after him.
Ordinarily...
Lightning was terrifyingly fast.
But these bolts were strangely sluggish.
They also seemed more suited for paralysis than destruction.
Even so...
If one struck him...
The distance between them would immediately shrink.
And the terrifying pressure he had felt earlier...
Had definitely not been an illusion.
Haziqa instinctively knew one thing.
If that giant ever managed to catch him...
He would die.
Without question.
Fortunately...
The difference in speed was overwhelming.
No matter how hard the Heavenly Cloud Spirit chased him...
He simply couldn't catch up.
In the end...
Haziqa escaped unharmed.