"The Baston City may be far from here, but I have to take Yuki there—no matter what happens!"
Aeris clenched his teeth, gripping her unconscious body tighter. His legs pounded against the ground, tearing through the air like a storm. The wind screamed in his ears, but his body only grew faster.
"Faster… faster!"
He poured every ounce of strength into his steps. His glowing purple eyes cut through the blur of the world.
"I still don't understand… why does every person who dies because of me give me their power? Is this some kind of ability? But if I was never reincarnated, then how did I even get this? Was it always hidden inside me? Whatever it is, it's useful—more useful than anything I could have imagined."
*****
The Battlefield of Baston
Far ahead, Baston City trembled under the weight of war.
The battlefield outside its walls had turned crimson with blood. The ground was littered with broken bodies—shattered heads, severed limbs, torn flesh. All of it belonged to humans, for spiritumen and curseumen did not leave corpses behind. Their bodies disintegrated upon death, fading into particles of energy.
Beasts roared, shaking the earth with their fury. Armored soldiers clashed against them—some with swords, others with bows and arrows, others relying only on their fists. From the other side, swarms of obsidian-black curseumen surged forward, their monstrous bodies blotting out the horizon.
Among them, figures stood taller than the rest: Dark Lords and Void Lords. Unlike the lower curseuman , their forms resembled humans, they body colour was like of humans and their strength was unmatched.
A single Dark Lord could fight an S-rank warrior on equal footing—or even crush them. And a Void Lord? Their strength rivaled SS or even SSS rank Spiritumen or Spirit Possesors.
The clash shook the earth, a war of survival where every second drowned in death.
*****
Yaeki City
Behind Baston, another city stood—Yaeki City, the backbone of the war. Here, humans and spiritumen had established medical grounds, supply stations, and countless other setups to sustain the battle.
In one vast open space, injured soldiers lay sprawled across the floor, groaning, coughing, struggling to cling to life. Spiritumen with healing powers worked tirelessly, their glowing hands channeling energy into wounds, while human nurses and attendants rushed about with bandages and medicines. Soldiers stood guard around them, their weapons drawn, ready to protect the medical unit at all costs.
Because in war, the medical unit was the lifeline. Destroy them, and victory would tilt instantly to the enemy.
High above, perched on the thick branch of an enormous tree, Aeris stood perfectly balanced with Yuki in his arms. His posture was calm, steady, but his aura was anything but.
Below, the injured began coughing violently, their breathing shallow and strained. Healers froze, sensing it immediately—the heavy, suffocating presence of a curseuman.
A young girl in white clothes and with normal body shape, kneeling beside an old man, pressed her glowing hands against his chest. But her eyes darted around nervously.
"How… how could a curseuman reach this far?"
Her voice shook with fear. Healers were rarely fighters; their role was to save, not to battle. That was why soldiers had been stationed here—to guard them.
But now panic spread. Soldiers rushed about, searching desperately for the unseen enemy. Healers trembled, some rising to their feet as if ready to flee. Even the injured warriors lying on the ground twitched, their conditions worsening under the unseen pressure.
Aeris looked down at Yuki in his arms and whispered, "I can't stay here. If I remain, Yuki along with others here will suffer because of me."
That girl, her hands still on the old man, glanced up as her eyes roamed across the field. Then she froze.
On the branch of the great tree, her gaze locked onto Aeris.
He stood like a statue, tall, flawless, his purple eyes glowing faintly in the shade. His features were sharp, unnaturally handsome, his aura commanding without effort. For a moment, her breath hitched. No thought of him being a curseuman crossed her mind—he was far too striking, far too human.
Still, confusion clouded her.
Who is he? Who is the girl in his arms?
Before she could blink again, the figure vanished.
Her arms suddenly grew heavy. Startled, she looked down. Yuki lay in her embrace, unconscious, a cloth tied clumsily across her chest.
Her eyes widened. "What! Who was that? Why is this girl in my hands?"
She inspected the bindings across Yuki's body, then paled. The girl's condition was far worse than she had thought.
"I need three healers immediately! This girl's condition is critical!"
Her voice cracked like a whip, pulling the other healers to attention.
"She's strong," the girl in white muttered, her eyes analyzing Yuki's shallow breathing.
"Even unconscious, she's controlling her blood flow… and she's still alive despite this state. She must be at least B-rank—no, probably A or even S-rank."
Her mind flickered back to the man who had carried Yuki here.
But who was that boy? Was it him who hurt her? No… that can't be.
If he wanted her dead, he wouldn't have brought her here. She bit her lip, her cheeks warming against her will. Still… he was unbelievably fast. And… incredibly handsome.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. The suffocating fear that had gripped the healers and soldiers melted away. The trembling stopped. The injured warriors stopped choking. Calm washed over the area as if the unseen presence had retreated.
The girl's eyes widened. Don't tell me… was all of this because of his presence?
Her hands trembled slightly as she pressed them harder onto Yuki's chest. A strange mix of fear and awe flickered in her gaze.
With the pressure gone, healers quickly returned to their duties, channeling energy into the wounded. Soldiers sheathed their swords, though unease still lingered.
Two young women rushed toward the girl in white. One had long, flowing blue hair; the other had fiery red locks.
"Noa, where did you get this girl from?" the blue-haired one demanded.
The girl in white—Noa—answered quickly, "Don't waste time asking. Heal her immediately! Her condition is critical—she could die any moment. That's why I called both of you here."
The two sisters knelt beside her. The blue-haired one, Luri, leaned forward, her feminine curves pressing against the ground as she placed her glowing hands over Yuki's chest. The red-haired one, Aoi, knelt silently beside them, calm and reserved as she always was. Her body wasn't that special.
Together with Noa, they poured energy into Yuki's broken body.
As they worked, Luri's eyes flickered repeatedly toward Yuki's face. Her skin was soft, her figure perfect even in its fragile state. Envy twisted inside Luri, though she kept her expression neutral.
Finally, she asked quietly, "Who exactly is this girl? Could she be… royalty?"
The question hung in the air, unanswered, as their hands glowed brighter, trying to pull Yuki back from the edge of death.