A dark, suffocatingly dense aura enveloped Rian's entire body. He unleashed it all—every last drop of mana he had painstakingly stored, the vast reservoir that could sustain his breath for a full day, now poured out in an unrestrained, cataclysmic flood.
He pressed one palm flat against the bleeding wound on Catty's back, reciting a new mantra in his mind. Super Heal. It was a healing spell he had only recently learned, a tier stronger than his usual magic. He laid her gently on the ground, pouring more and more of his overflowing mana into the spell, willing her broken body to mend.
With his other hand, he reached into his Storage. The sword Bebegig had left him materialized, its hilt cool and familiar in his grip. He drew it slowly, the sharp, gleaming blade emerging from the dark portal. While one hand remained a conduit of life-giving energy for Catty, the other clenched the instrument of death.
For the first time, he channeled darkness magic into the blade. He then layered it with the blue fire he commanded so well. The two elements twisted and merged, erupting into a roaring conflagration of black flame that coated the entire length of the sword.
"Before his bodyguard recovers, kill the support!" Daniel shrieked, his voice cracking with a mix of triumph and fear. "Don't let him heal her! ATTACK!"
Half of the cloaked figures surged forward, leaping from the trees with a variety of close-range weapons. The other half held their positions, nocking arrows and preparing to strike from a distance.
Rian's voice was a low, soft murmur, a chilling counterpoint to the chaos around him. "I remember the wound Catty got from that wolf… and I made a vow then," he whispered, his words laced with a venomous rage. "Anyone who dares to harm my Catty, I will kill in the most painful way imaginable, without exception. Come one step closer, interrupt me while I heal her, and you will experience an instant death."
His chest felt like a furnace, a burning pressure that threatened to consume him. He could not, would not, leave Catty's side until she was whole again.
An attacker descended from above, body perfectly straight, a sharp katana aimed directly at Rian's head.
In the blink of an eye, the attacker's body was cleaved in two. A phantom afterimage of black fire from Rian's sword followed a split second later, incinerating the bisected corpse before a single drop of blood could even spill.
Fredd, watching from the edge of the clearing, felt his knees tremble violently. He clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood. "This isn't normal power," he thought, his mind screaming in terror. "This is far beyond my own strength. I'm no match for him. I can't mess with him. I could die in an instant. I… I don't… I don't even dare to look at him when he's like this." Cold sweat poured down his face.
"ALL OF YOU, ATTACK! KILL HIM AT ONCE!" Daniel screamed, his own courage beginning to falter in the face of Rian's terrifying wrath.
Three more assassins charged simultaneously. In a flash, all three were bisected, their bodies consumed by the black flames that trailed Rian's blade.
Five more attacked. Five seamless, consecutive slashes, executed without Rian even looking in their direction. Five more bodies fell, incinerated.
"No, no, no," Fredd stammered, watching the brutal, effortless slaughter. He had to do something. He had to save himself.
"Sir, I'm not involved!" he shouted, his voice a panicked, trembling plea. "I swear, I didn't order Daniel to attack or betray you! I have truly repented! Please, don't involve me in this! He called me a fool for not being able to defeat you—that's proof he wasn't under my command! Please, I swear I have no ill intentions towards you!"
Rian glanced down at Catty. Her breathing was beginning to normalize. The pained grimace on her face had softened into a more relaxed, peaceful expression. He looked up, his gaze locking onto Fredd. The intimidating aura of black and red fire flared around him.
"If that's true, then get over here," Rian commanded, his voice a low, menacing growl. "Protect her. And DO NOT TOUCH HER. If I see a single suspicious move towards Catty, I will extend the agony of your death beyond anything you can possibly imagine. These attackers are only feeling a brief, instant pain before they die. That will not be the case for you two."
"Yes, sir! Yes! I'll protect her with my life! I swear on the name of the Blue God, I have no ill intent!" Fredd stammered, scrambling over to Catty's side.
Rian stood up. He spread his senses, unleashing a massive wave of mana detection that could pinpoint even the smallest spark of life in the area. In an instant, he vanished.
Screams and the sickening thud of falling bodies erupted from all corners of the clearing. One by one, the hidden archers and ambushers were cut down, their last moments illuminated by the black flames that consumed them.
Fredd, who was supposed to be guarding Catty, was so paralyzed by fear that he couldn't even stand. His legs had given out from under him.
Through his terrified haze, he saw Daniel begin to chant a familiar fire spell, aiming it directly at the still-unconscious Catty. Fredd's survival instinct warred with his terror. "It's better to die by fire protecting someone than to be tortured by that… that thing," he decided, steeling himself to shield Catty with his own body. "I could never endure what he has planned."
Daniel finished his incantation. A dense, massive fireball materialized, ready to be launched. He thrust his hand forward—and in that same instant, his arm detached from his body at the shoulder. The stump where his arm had been immediately burst into black flames that could not be extinguished.
Daniel shrieked in agony and tried to run. Rian was suddenly standing beside him, a silent, terrifying specter. Daniel ignored him, scrambling to escape.
"Monster! He's not human, he's a monster!" he screamed, his voice a raw sound of pain and terror.
He managed only a few steps before his body collapsed to the ground. He had no legs to support him. He looked back and saw them, severed at the knees, the stumps also burning with the inextinguishable black fire. He was now a limbless, screaming torso, unable to do anything but writhe in agony.
The black flames on his four severed limbs did not go out. They just burned, a constant, searing pain that felt like his very soul was being incinerated.
"This is the best atonement," Rian said, his voice devoid of all emotion as he looked down at the screaming man. "Because you dared to hurt Catty. Enjoy what's left of your life. This fire will spread slowly, like a candle consuming its own wax."
Far away, in her own realm, the Goddess Bodas watched the carnage unfold on her celestial hologram.
"Now that this has happened," she mused to herself, "what will you do in the future, Rian? What will you become?"
A slow, knowing smile spread across her lips.