"Muspelh."
With my small whisper, a crimson fla conjured in my hand.
It engulfed Ruby's kneeling body.
Her hysteric scream resonated within the place as her body started to burn.
Her dress, along with her skin, burned in an instant before the disgusting sll of flesh lting engulfed .
But instead of feeling repulsed, a sense of satisfaction filled my mind.
Her voice slowly died down while her bones soon started to lt.
I slowly raised my hand, separating her skull, attached to her spine, from her burning body.
Finally, I turned back to Ethan—frozen in place with a broken expression.
"...."
Without a word, I threw the remaining part of Ruby toward him.
It rolled on the ground before stopping in front of him.
"Your Ruby," I said, my lips curling up in a twisted sense of satisfaction.
But—
It wasn't satisfying enough.
Maybe I should have been more brutal.
Ethan quickly snapped from his disbelief as he let out a guttural roar, flashing forward, a sword appearing in his hand covered in a greyish hue.
I rushed forward as well, a sudden blurriness in my eyes, and I stood in front of him.
I ducked under his horizontal slash before I crashed my knees into his ribs.
His body coiled up, and a dagger of ice conjured in my hand, which I lunged into his back.
He swung his sword as he grunted, and I let it slash my chest.
A heartbeat later, the mark was gone.
Without thinking, I grabbed his arm before slamming him on the ground.
"Arghh!"
Ethan grunted in pain as the ground beneath him scattered.
Before he could recover, I followed up with a punch to his chest.
Elohim's divinity shielded his body, making punch him again, cladding my hand with crimson fla.
He coughed violently while I stepped away from him.
A spike of opaque crystal rushed past where I stood.
My gaze slowly turned to my left, where Delwyn stood, glaring at .
His ssy blonde hair covered half his face, dampened in his own blood.
"Is this your master plan against my mother?" I asked as I kicked Ethan's face.
It's sothing that happened in the ga.
Delwyn asking Ethan to promise him to kill Esray.
And funny thing is, Ethan never fulfilled his promise.
"Can he hear ?" I asked, stepping on his face, squeezing it below my feet. "Where did that arrogance go?"
From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Delwyn's face twisting in fury as he rushed toward , a sword erging in his hand.
I kicked Ethan's body away as I lowered myself.
El's blessing wouldn't last long, and I was painfully aware of that.
I needed to kill him before I lost my advantage.
The ice blade conjured in my grip just in ti to deflect a sweeping cut aid at my neck.
A flower of crystal spun at my face before high-speed petals launched.
I unfolded my wings as I quickly flew back.
Delwyn followed instantly, hurtling his sword at my shoulder.
"Urghh!"
The blade plunged through my body, making groan.
But I waited for it to return to normal.
...It didn't.
A kick from Delwyn made spin out of control, flying wildly through the place, but I was quickly jarred to a stop as my back struck a solid surface.
The rush of power that I felt was nowhere to be found.
[...The effect of the blessing ended.]
'Fuck.' I stood up from the debris of the stone pillar, removing it away.
Delwyn was on once again, his sword thrusting faster than before.
I parried his attack with difficulty, and with every strike, my body felt heavier.
Delwyn vanished from my sight. I tried to sense his presence but couldn't.
Sothing hit between my shoulder blades and wings.
My body withstood the blow, and I was knocked forward, colliding with another pillar.
Delwyn reappeared in front of . I clenched my jaw as I slashed my blade at him.
He ducked under before he punched my guts.
My body knocked back as I felt pain hazing my mind.
Sothing crashed on my back once again, making groan in pain.
I quickly got a hold of myself, standing up with the support of the statue as I looked at Delwyn walking toward .
"Has it ended?" he asked mockingly. "Whatever was boosting your strength?"
I drew in deep breaths as I conjured another blade of ice.
Using Andarnaur's first ring, I made it float around . I conjured another blade with its hilt above my right shoulder and another floating parallel to my waist.
"I can defeat you without it," I said, straightening my back, silverish hue burning my entire body.
Delwyn burst forward. I focused as I dodged under his sword strike.
I swung. He deflected the blade aid at his chest.
I grabbed the blade floating at my waist, making a deep cut in his already wounded forearm.
He groaned before driving his knee into my chest. My body flew back from the impact.
He rushed forward, grabbing my leg, jerking back to a halt.
I spun, letting my leg in his hand twist as I kicked the side of his face.
His grip loosened, but my twisting leg scread in pain.
Without thinking, I grabbed the blade close to my shoulder as I rushed forward.
Delwyn tried to regain his composure as I leaped at him, lunging my blade into his wounded forearm.
"Arghh, you bastard!"
He groaned before grabbing my wrist and raising up. I felt no gravity for a fleeting mont before my body crashed hard on the ground.
Clenching my jaw, I conjured a blade in my pinned hand before slashing at his wrist.
It sliced a little, but Delwyn just grit through it before throwing my body away.
I crashed onto the statue once again, my head throbbing with unbearable pain.
"Urgh."
I groaned as I stood up once again, wiping the blood from my face.
Most of my body was screaming in pain, especially my back. It hurt like hell to even move a single step.
My gaze felt heavy, as if I would collapse any second.
Delwyn walked towards once again, his confidence returning as he saw losing.
'...Hah.'
I ntally sighed as I reflected on my actions.
Sothing clicked in my mind.
...Why am I fighting fairly with him?
My gaze slowly turned to my side, where Ethan crawled towards Ruby's burning body.
Unlike before, he didn't seem like he could fight right now.
Delwyn also noticed my gaze on him.
"You won't be able to defend yourself if you try to attack him," Delwyn snarled as my body turned towards Ethan.
I ignored his words.
My legs turned that of an angel as I rushed towards him.
I conjured a blade of ice in my left hand as I locked my gaze on Ethan.
He also noticed reaching closer.
Through the corner of my eyes, I noticed Delwyn's body reaching closer to Ethan.
'He will reach faster than .'
...I won't make it in ti.
But even then, I didn't stop.
My blade swung vertically, aid to split his skull.
SLASH!!!
The sound of flesh ripping and bones cracking echoed within the place.
I clenched my jaw, gazing at my left hand slowly separating from the elbow.
Delwyn stepped back after slicing my hand clean, blood gushing out of the wound.
"You lose," he said coldly as I stumbled back away from them.
Ah, the look of relief in both of their eyes.
They seed happy, thinking it all ended.
My steps halted as I grinned, looking at them.
Delwyn quickly sensed sothing was wrong, but before he could react, I whispered, "Muspelh."
BOOM!!!
The severed hand exploded at point blank, engulfing everything in crimson.
My body flew back at an alarming speed from the shockwave.
My vision dimd, and my eyes lost focus. I blinked, the world around twisting.
"Urghh!"
My body hit sothing solid, halting abruptly as I felt so part of my bones fracturing.
"Huff… Huff…" I struggled, trying to stand up but couldn't, my body howling in pain.
Raising my torso, I looked forward through my haziness, my vision crimson from my own blood.
The middle part of the field burned in crimson flas.
Ethan lay at the other end of the field, below a statue, the greyish divinity around him scattering like broken glass.
Delwyn was nowhere to be seen.
...Nothing was left of him after the explosion.
And though I wanted the sa for Ethan, his god wouldn't let that happen.
He survived without much damage.
'Not for long.'
I groaned, rolling to my side, forcing myself to stand back to my feet.
Neplh. A layer of ice stopped blood from gushing out of my severed hand while another blade conjured in my right hand.
'Ah, my engagent ring.' ...I lost it in the explosion.
Fuck!
My mana depleted to nothing as I limply walked towards Ethan.
His gaze shifted to as he stood up.
"...S-stay away." His grueling voice echoed in the silence as he stepped back. "Stay away, you monster!"
Ah.
I could clearly see it now.
The fear in his eyes.
Fear for his life.
"Don't run, Ethan," I said, smiling like a madman. "…Don't you want to take revenge for Ruby?"
Even after the provocation, he didn't attack .
He stepped back, stumbled, and fell on his butt.
And I imdiately concluded he didn't have any value now.
But my steps halted imdiately as the 'space' between and Ethan enlarged.
[...Azariah.]
El's tired voice echoed as a single beam of light descended.
But soon, the entire sky fractured, light pouring through in hues of molten gold.
An unbearable pressure bore on .
I slowly lowered myself, sitting on the ground, leaning against a stone pillar.
[Run away, Az!]
'...'
I slowly looked up at the sky.
The sky fell down like broken pieces, making way.
And then they ca.
The first was a single silhouette, descending slowly, wings outstretched.
It had a muscular, well-defined physique and glowing, white-golden wings that exuded an aura of divinity.
Its hands elongated and featured sharp, black claw-like fingers.
Following closely, another appeared, and then another, until the sky was filled with legions of angels.
...At least a hundred of them.
Their wings shimred like liquid fire.
They stood between and Ethan.
[Azariah....]
'Can you feel it, El? The killing intent.'
I asked, folding my wings while relaxing my body.
...The way they looked at .
It was the look of a predator.
They were here to kill .
...No, they were supposed to try killing my mother, not .
'Is he really that important to Elohim?' I wondered, shifting my gaze back to Ethan, who now stood confidently.
It didn't matter.
[No—you don't!]
My body trembled in fear as I stood back to my feet, trying to ignore the pressure.
'I can't die at the hands of so random angels.'
[I will take care of the—.]
'No.'
[...]
'I will be enough.' [...Don't do it.]
'No one is going to know about this.'
I replied as I gazed up at them.
The legion of angels slowly moved towards .
Abnormally slow.
Are they cautious?
I didn't think so.
[...Az.]
'I don't want to run away, El.' ...Not anymore.
I exhaled softly, parting my lips as I whispered in a low voice.
"In the na of Amun-Ra… ...I summon you, my daughter."
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