Haxel was planning to kill Rex, but he didn’t realize it would feel better than he expected.
He didn’t expect it to go like this.
Seeing Rex beg... it was the ultimate triumph that he never knew would make him this powerful.
A fierce warrior who has the capacity to lead effectively.
A fierce warrior who was favored by the empress and took down whatever stood in his way.
That sa fierce warrior who had been dominating him monts ago was now begging for the life of a re woman. The rush of superiority that washed over Haxel was intoxicating, and he knew that the addictive rush would soar higher if he broke this warrior’s will even further.
"No..."
Haxel could hear Rex beg fine, but it fell on deaf ears as he raised his foot.
"Stop it!"
Again, the pathetic voice made him grin even wider.
Crushing Rex right now should be enough to quench his frustration, especially knowing that the empress championed him the most. No amount of pleading and begging would change his mind. He was set on quenching his thirst.
"DON’T DO IT!!"
"Die!"
Roar!
Haxel’s pupils dilated when he saw a glistening flash, and instinctively, he leaned back.
His instinct was right as he narrowly avoided swiping claws.
"Krghh...?!"
Despite reacting in ti to avoid the swipe, the claws still raked across his armor—slicing through the enchanted plating as effortlessly as a heated blade through wax. Blood sprayed outward, tracing a gory arc through the air as his flesh was ripped open.
Brak!
Haxel fell backward.
His armor clanged against the ground as he hissed in pain while reaching for the source of the pain.
Looking down, he was horrified to see that his chest was mangled with deep wounds.
So deep that he almost could see the shape of his bones underneath.
"Y-You bastard..." Haxel muttered, eyes widened in shock. He wasn’t the strongest knight, but he was not the weakest either, but he still ended up like this—being made to seem like a second-rate knight. He clenched his bloodied fist and gritted his teeth. "You bastar—?!
Just as he was about to curse, he stopped.
All of the words that he wanted to say got stuck in his throat.
At that mont, looking at Rex before him, he felt a sensation that he had forgotten before.
Being a knight sounded noble, but knights are only pulled to battle when it involves the safety of the entire empire. For more than a hundred years—other than hunting monsters to satiate his thirst for battle, he had never been in a real battle where he put his life on the line.
And at this mont, he could feel the once familiar emotion once again—fear.
Terror gripping tight.
A cold, crawling thing that slithered beneath his skin and coiled around his heart.
His breath hitched, and the world narrowed.
Every sound sharpened, every heartbeat thundered like war drums inside his skull—instincts scread, not the call of battle like he usually felt, but a raw, primal urge to flee. It was the sa fear that turned the noble knight into prey and made emperors tremble when death’s shadow lood too close.
But this shouldn’t be the case.
’Unless my eyes betrayed , I’m the one who was free to leave, and he was the one dragged to the pit of death.’ A bead of cold sweat trickled down the side of Haxel’s face, and his entire being trembled. ’I am the one who wasn’t in danger, so why... why does it seem like I’m the one near death’s door?’
Haxel blinked and unconsciously crawled back.
Before him, Rex was still being pulled down, but there was no sign of the desperation from before.
Rather, he was smiling so widely, exposing his razor-sharp fangs.
In a surge of strength earlier, Rex pulled himself up enough to attack Haxel one last ti.
He failed, but this terrified Haxel.
’Are you serious...?’ He rasped—his throat turning dry. ’He had been fighting non-stop to rescue the nobles; he had been wounded severely multiple tis, and now... his stamina was being drained rapidly, but he was still able to make that stunt? How is this possible? I can also grow stronger with anger with my Echo, but I... I can’t match his growth!’
’We need our own monster to fight monsters.’
Haxel recalled what Rick said before the mission started.
His expression paled as he stared at Rex’s unflinching gaze, ’He’s a monster!’
"Werewolves are vengeful—and shared a familial bond with their pack, that’s the reason most people from my realm are reluctant to attack," Rex’s voice bood in a cracked, feverish voice. "If you want to attack Werewolves, you have to commit to killing until the last one. I’ve told you the secret..."
Krrk!
Rex’s claws slipped again as the pulling force shot up a notch.
His claws left behind shallow trails across the ground.
"Co here, Haxel..." Rex’s eyes widened with a crazed light—as he cracked a sinister smile. Despite his situation, he still let out a nacing cackle. "Finish what you were doing. Co here and kill ... Don’t give the chance to claw my way back up."
Swallow!
Haxel crawled backward again; he has no intention of coming close.
If he hadn’t been quick enough earlier, he would’ve died.
Approaching Rex again would be foolish, but what Rex said worries him.
Krrk!
Rex was pulled hard again, this ti, only his arms and head poked out of the fissure.
"Seize your chance to kill now because if I survive this... I’m going to kill you," Rex laughed out loud, eyes glowing red with malice. "Do you hear , little man? I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you! HAHAHA!"
Krrk!
Again, Rex was pulled.
Now, he was holding onto the edge with his hands and cheek, still staring straight at Haxel.
"Run to the ends of the world. Run to another realm for all I care; it makes no difference."
Hearing those words, Haxel’s heart skipped a beat.
He realized Rex was throwing his words back at him.
But unlike how Rex was undeterred when he said it, he was absolutely deterred when Rex said it.
"I’ll hunt you down. I’ll tear your body apart... rip your heart out."
Maybe it was the fear working—or maybe he simply couldn’t bear to hear the words that ca out of Rex’s mouth a second longer, but his body no longer obeyed him. Instinct took over. He spun around and sprinted.
His heart pounded like war drums, breath tearing through his throat as he ran faster than ever.
All that mattered was distance.
Distance from that thing—the monster the empress had recruited, now turned its gaze towards him.
And all the faults were on his shoulders.
Crack!
Finally, the ground buckled under the pressure as Rex slipped and fell into the deep fissure.
But as he stumbled, soone grabbed him and stopped him from falling.
Rex looked up and saw Princess Davina.
She was holding onto him for dear life, clenching her teeth so hard that her expression contorted to one that Rex had never seen her wear—a struggle. It was his first ti seeing flinch from her normal mask of calmness; his first ti seeing her troubled.
And when his gaze t with hers, Rex’s eyes cleared for a mont from the cloud of anger.
"Davina..."
"Let go of her."
Princess Davina demanded, eyes blazing with unwavering determination.
Hearing this, Rex looked down and saw that April was still whimpering, but right now, her entire body was being wrapped by the black goo. It wasn’t even clear whether she was still fully aware of what was happening around her or not.
"If we work together, you can co out. But you have to let her go."
"What...?"
Even without her explaining, Rex knew exactly what she was saying, and she’s not wrong.
Right now, the main body of the Immortal Slugs has sent two roots—one wrapped around Rex, while the other wrapped around April. Pulling him right now would be extrely hard, as Princess Davina and he would have to fight two roots instead of one.
So, if Rex lets go of April, their burst of strength should be strong enough for him to escape.
But how can he do that?
"I’ve always failed to protect those around when it mattered," Rex mumbled—eyes burning. "I can’t fail again now. Enough failing. This ti... I will succeed. So no, Davina... I can’t let her go. I won’t abandon her. No amount of convincing will make ch—"
"YOU’RE NOT A MARTYR!"
Rex’s eyes widened as he saw it—the shimr of tears gathering in Princess Davina’s eyes.
For a mont, they pooled until they finally spilled free.
So drops fell onto his face, warm against his skin, carrying with them the weight of emotions he had never thought she was capable of showing. For a heartbeat, the surroundings vanished. There was only her trembling grip, her tears, and her silent, restrained sobs.
A realization that she was breaking—right there, as he slipped more into the fissure below.
But his focus was solely secured by her.
"Stop acting like your life doesn’t matter," Princess Davina sobbed, her face breaking for the first ti from its usual coldness and calm poise. "Nobody asked you to be a savior—I am sure April thought the sa, and I sure never asked or expected you to save . Value your life more."
Hearing those words made Rex’s eyes widen even more.
Inside his mind, it felt almost like the blurry pond’s surface was finally cleared with a ripple.
"April made a choice of her own to co here. It’s not your duty to protect her. It’s not your fault if she dies here," Princess Davina continued, gritting her teeth so hard she tasted blood, as she couldn’t hold on for much longer. "Let her go."
"Listen to , okay?" She sniffled, trying to calm her voice as hard as she could. "Please... Please let her go. I promise... I promise I’ll work hard to help you get over this and get anything you want. Just... Let her go. I don’t want you to die."
Rex looked down, his face turned grim.
In hindsight, Princess Davina was the logical one.
Even if April dies here, her status wasn’t high enough to cause anything but a small ripple to Empress Morgana’s reputation. As long as he survives, everything will go smoothly—and he will get everything he wanted the most from coming to this realm.
But this isn’t about only that.
Of course, the years he spent with April inside the Forsaken Tower weren’t nothing—it’s sothing.
But that wasn’t the only reason.
Rex felt like the world was testing him now—to test whether he’s still the sa or not.
Test whether he’s still helpless when it mattered the most or not.
And for that, he couldn’t bring himself to let April go.
If Evelyn, Adhara, or even Gistella were here, they would’ve cursed him for being dragged by his own emotions when he had always pressed them to always separate emotions from what needed to be done, and this would make him a hypocrite.
All of them weren’t wrong, but they weren’t right either.
It’s true that Rex was swayed by emotions; he wouldn’t deny that.
But he also knew that this was the test a Scion has to go through that Kei Xun warned him about.
A test that would gauge his resolve to reach the Highseat of Invincibility and beco a Blank.
Even if he lets go of April right now, the test will co again.
And next ti, it will not be April—it will be Princess Davina, or even the others back ho.
Rex can’t have that.
"I’m sorry," Rex looked up at Princess Davina again—the black goo was already climbing his arm and neared her hand. He was running out of ti. "But I can’t let her go. I need to prove myself, and I’ll... I’ll try not to die."
As he said that, Rex twisted his hand and broke free from Princess Davina’s grasp.
Princess Davina’s scream was loud.
It echoed loudly as Rex plunged into the darkness.
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