My Taboo Harem System

Chapter 116: Start

’No backing out now... I just need to get through this. I already fucked his mother. Now all that’s left... is for me to fuck him up. How hard could that be?’ Denzel thought inwardly.

Patrick slowly nodded before reaching into his back pocket. A moment later, he pulled out a neatly folded handkerchief and held it between two fingers for everyone to see.

"Alright then. Let’s get on with this. There we are... Once I let go of this handkerchief and it hits the ground... the battle begins. On the count of three... I’ll let it go."

As he spoke, he extended his arm, allowing the handkerchief to dangle freely between his fingers.

Denzel responded with a slight nod.

"I understand."

Patrick shifted his stance ever so slightly, his body relaxing into position as he fixed his gaze on Denzel.

"One."

The instant the word left Patrick’s mouth—

Whoosh!

A violent gust of wind exploded through the air.

Denzel’s eyes widened ever so slightly.

Before he could react, Patrick had already vanished from where he had been standing.

The very next moment...

He was already right in front of Denzel.

His face remained completely expressionless.

The muscles in his leg bulged and burned, aching beneath the immense force surging through them, ready to explode at any moment.

A murderous smirk spread across Patrick’s face as he looked straight into Denzel’s eyes.

"Three!"

At that exact moment, Denzel’s eyes barely managed to catch sight of Patrick’s leg which came crashing straight at him.

Swoosh!

At the very last possible moment, Denzel barely managed to react. It was only through sheer instinct and his sharpened reflexes that he managed to throw both arms up in time.

Thud!

Patrick’s kick slammed heavily into Denzel’s guard, the impact sending him skidding several meters backward. His feet scraped violently across the ground before he finally forced himself to a stop.

The instant Denzel lifted his head Patrick had already landed lightly on the rooftop once more.

Spreading his legs shoulder-width apart, he slowly drew both arms back, flexing them until his fists were aligned with his chest.

Taking a deep breath, he muttered,

"Heinz!"

The instant the word left his lips, one of his arms shot forward.

Boom!

A massive torrent of flames exploded from his palm, surging toward Denzel like a blazing tidal wave.

Denzel gritted his teeth and instantly dashed out of its path.

The inferno tore across the grassland, scorching the ground where he had been standing only a split second earlier.

The very next instant—

Denzel appeared at Patrick’s side.

Patrick merely turned his head toward him, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

’Yes... that’s exactly it. Entertain me, peasant.’

Without hesitation, Denzel drove a powerful right punch toward Patrick’s face.

Patrick calmly raised one hand.

Thud!

The punch was stopped cold.

The instant his fist was blocked, Denzel immediately pulled his arm back before driving his knee toward Patrick’s stomach.

Patrick simply extended his palm once more.

Thud!

His hand intercepted the knee just as effortlessly.

Again.

And again.

Every strike Denzel launched was met with another clean block.

Patrick’s grin only grew wider.

"Do you really want to have a close-combat battle with a Fire Elemental? Heinz!"

The moment he uttered the final word, flames violently crackled around both of his hands once more.

His grip around Denzel tightened.

Almost immediately, Denzel felt an unbearable heat spreading throughout his body.

He understood instantly.

’He’s trying to burn me alive with his own hands.’

Suppressing a groan of pain, Denzel swung his left fist.

It wasn’t his dominant arm.

Nor was it his strongest.

Even so—

Crunch!

The punch smashed directly into Patrick’s face.

Blood burst from Patrick’s nose and mouth, spraying into the air.

Without wasting the opening, Denzel seized Patrick’s arm and violently yanked him closer before driving another punch into him.

As Patrick attempted to retreat, Denzel refused to release his grip.

He dragged him back once more.

Another punch.

Then another.

However...

The blazing flames surrounding Patrick’s body intensified even further.

The fire burned mercilessly into Denzel’s hand.

Unable to endure the pain any longer, Denzel finally let go with a groan before leaping backward.

The moment he landed, his gaze instinctively dropped to his right hand.

The section Patrick had been gripping through his hoodie had already been badly scorched by the flames.

Denzel clenched his jaw.

’So not only does he have the advantage at long range... even in close combat, if he gets his hands on me, he can kill me almost instantly. This fight isn’t fair in any way.’

Patrick remained standing where he was.

His eyes never once left Denzel.

One hand rested against his knee as blood steadily dripped from his battered face, splattering onto the grass covering beneath him.

Denzel silently studied him.

’I barely managed to do anything. That punch was with my left hand. Even I know I don’t have nearly as much power in that arm. I barely put anything into it. I have to make sure the next hit I land is final. It has to be lethal.’

Slowly, he raised both fists back into his fighting stance, never taking his eyes off Patrick.

’Whatever happens next... the only opening I can see is while he’s charging one of his attacks. I need to end this quickly. It’s the only way I can win. If this fight drags on much longer... I’m a goner.’

Patrick fixed his gaze on Denzel before once again spreading his legs apart and drawing one arm back into the familiar stance.

The instant Denzel saw it, his eyes narrowed.

’Here he comes.’

Without the slightest hesitation, Denzel burst forward, charging straight at Patrick.

Patrick responded immediately, thrusting one hand forward.

Boom!

Another roaring torrent of blazing fire erupted from his palm, scorching everything in its path.

Denzel narrowly evaded the blast, slipping around the flames from the side before rapidly closing the distance.

The moment he entered striking range, he unleashed the same maneuver as before.

A vicious spinning kick.

Patrick instantly leaped backward, causing the kick to whistle harmlessly through the empty air.

He remained still for only a brief moment, calmly watching Denzel regain his footing almost immediately.

Once again, Patrick spread his legs apart and drew one arm back, flexing it as he prepared another attack.

Denzel didn’t hesitate.

He charged again.

Boom!

Another torrent of flames surged toward him.

Denzel barely slipped past it.

This time, however, Patrick’s eyes carefully tracked every one of Denzel’s movements.

Instead of simply firing straight ahead, he began sweeping the stream of fire to follow Denzel’s path.

Whenever Denzel managed to get closer, Patrick immediately fired another blast from his free hand, forcing him to change direction once more.

Again.

And again.

Patrick relentlessly bombarded him with wave after wave of fire, refusing to allow Denzel to enter close combat.

Finally...

The barrage stopped.

The instant it did, Denzel sprinted toward him once again.

Patrick remained exactly where he stood, quietly watching Denzel approach before letting out a soft hum.

"Hmm..."

’It’s exactly as I thought. He only charges at me whenever I take this stance.’

Standing several meters away, Patrick calmly observed Denzel’s every movement.

’The moment I prepare an attack... he immediately rushes toward me.’

’Does he actually think I need this stance just to launch all of my attacks? Heh... Failing to understand your opponent is the first reason people die. And that’s exactly what’ll bring this newbies end.’

A slow smile spread across Patrick’s face.

"Very well... let’s put that theory to the test."

The pressure surrounding Denzel instantly intensified.

’Here he comes!’

But this time...

Instead of pulling one arm back like before, Patrick crossed both arms in front of his chest.

He widened his stance slightly before lowering both hands, each pointing in a different direction.

The next instant—

"Heinz!"

BOOM!!

Blazing torrents of fire erupted from both palms simultaneously, each stream racing outward in separate directions.

The temperature exploded.

Even from several meters away, Denzel could feel the terrifying heat pressing against his skin.

It became so intense that he instinctively raised an arm to shield his face.

Patrick laughed thunderously.

"You think I’ve just been standing here while you’ve been dodging all this?"

Then—

Patrick moved.

With incredible speed, he swung both arms inward as though pulling someone into a crushing embrace.

The two raging streams of fire instantly curved inward with his movements.

A fraction of a second later—

BOOOOM!!

The massive torrents collided directly on Denzel’s position, merging into a colossal inferno that engulfed everything between them, scorching the entire area.

Nothing remained but a thick cloud of smoke.

It blanketed the entire battlefield, completely obscuring Patrick’s vision.

Taking slow, measured breaths, Patrick kept his eyes fixed on the smoke, carefully searching for even the faintest silhouette or shadow moving within it.

There was nothing.

Nothing but smoke... and the charred battlefield.

Taking another deep breath, Patrick closed his eyes and focused his senses.

’Hmm... I don’t sense him anywhere around me. Does that mean I got him? I’m quite certain there was no way he could have dodged that attack... and still be alive.’

A slow smile crept onto his face as he let out one final breath of relief.

"Finally... the peasant is dead. That actually went on alot longer than I-"

The words had barely left his mouth before-

"Sling." The words roared out from behind him.

[Ding!]

[Activation phrase detected.]

[Skill activated.]

Standing directly behind him...

Was Denzel, who at this point, large portions of his body had been badly scorched by the flames, yet he was somehow still standing.

Patrick’s eyes widened in astonishment even further as he only managed to get a glance of Denzel.

"What...?"

Before Patrick could even process what had happened, a powerful distortion suddenly spread throughout his cortex as in that instant—

Bash!

Denzel’s fist shot forward like a cannon.

The punch crashed squarely into Patrick’s face with devastating force.

Bash!

Another crushing blow landed, and another.

Denzel instantly trapped Patrick in place, unleashing a relentless barrage of devastating, match deciding K.O. strikes.

"Lights out, motherfucker!"