Selena surged forward, twin blades of radiant light crackling in her hands. Her speed shattered the air, leaving golden streaks in her wake. The mammoth, sensing her relentless charge, turned its massive head and unleashed a deafening roar. The sheer force of the sound sent shockwaves tearing through the ground, fracturing the earth beneath them.

The Arcane Knights barely had time to react, throwing up their arms to shield themselves from the devastating force. Dust and debris swirled around them, blinding their vision.

“So much power…!” Ryohie gasped, shielding his face.

But Selena didn’t waver. Her focus was razor-sharp, cutting through fear like her blade cut through the mammoth’s ear. The beast bellowed in agony, its blood spraying into the air, and in that split second, Selena twisted her body mid-air and delivered a thunderous kick to its skull, launching it away from Kazuki’s lifeless form.

The moment her foot touched the ground, memories flooded her mind—visions of a past long buried.

She was just a child, standing beside Aetherius, the God of the Skies, her father. The world around them was in chaos, the aftermath of the Great War between gods and devils. On the edge of a vast cliff, an army of devils marched toward them, their grotesque forms twisting against the red horizon.

Aetherius turned to her, his golden eyes piercing through the storm.

“My child, do you want to see what you can become?”

Selena, a mere girl at the time, nodded eagerly. “Yes, Father!”

Aetherius raised his right hand toward the approaching army.

“Behold the power of a god.”

The moment his hand swung downward, the sky answered. A cataclysmic gust of wind erupted from nowhere, tearing through the devils like invisible blades. Pillars of golden light rained down, piercing the earth and incinerating everything they touched.

But the wind—it wasn’t normal.

The devils screamed, their bodies shredded repeatedly as if the wind itself was alive, punishing them for their existence.

Aetherius smiled. “I’ve saved some for you, my child. Now, you do it.”

Selena stepped forward, lifting her small hand. She mimicked his movements, and—

WHOOSH!

A violent gust of wind roared to life, smaller than her father’s, but still unnatural for a mere child.

Selena’s eyes sparkled. “Father, look! I can do what you can!”

But Aetherius was frozen in disbelief. His mind raced.

“How…? How is this possible?! She is just a child… yet she can already mimic my divine arts?”

Even the mere thought of conjuring such a force required immense mana. For Selena to do it so effortlessly—it terrified him.

Aetherius forced a smile and patted her head. “You did well, my child.”

But deep inside, a decision was made.

“I must seal her potential.”

As his hand rested on her head, divine energy seeped into her, weaving a seal—a limit to her true strength. Not for her sake, but for his and the gods’.

Selena gasped as the memory faded, her heart pounding.

“Father… what did you do to me?”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Shaking off her thoughts, she turned back to Kazuki’s motionless body. In an instant, she was beside him, falling to her knees.

“Kazuki…! Kazuki, stay with me!”

Her hands trembled as she gripped his blood-soaked coat. His wounds—too deep. His body—too cold.

“What do I do?! What do I do?!”

She pressed her hands against his chest, desperately trying to stop the bleeding, but it was endless. The reality of it clawed at her mind.

He can’t die.

Not like this.

Tears blurred her vision, her hands tightening around him. And then—

A surge of light erupted from her body.

BOOM!

The ground trembled. Golden flames of raw divine energy spilled into the air, crackling like the wrath of the heavens themselves. The air around them burned, the temperature skyrocketing. Everything the light touched turned to ash.

Ryohie staggered backward, eyes wide in horror.

“This energy…! We can’t stay here!” He turned to his team. “Everyone, fall back! If we stay, we’ll be incinerated!”

Yuki clenched her fists. “We can’t just leave him—!”

Aiko’s voice broke through. “What about Kazuki?!”

Ryohie’s expression darkened. “…We can’t do anything about it. I’m sorry.”

Jiro, watching from the side, gritted his teeth, jealousy gnawing at him. “Can’t you see it?! He’s dead! Accept it! You’re all acting like fools!”

Yuki’s glare turned sharp. “That’s enough!”

She grabbed Aiko’s wrist. “We have to go.”

But Aiko jerked her arm away, her voice cracking with emotion. “NO! Why do you guys never listen to me?! Why do you never take my side—”

THUD.

Before she could finish, Ryohie’s hand struck the back of her neck. Aiko’s eyes widened in shock before her body collapsed into unconsciousness.

Ryohie caught her before she hit the ground. “…You left me no other choice.”

Without another word, he lifted her into his arms.

“We’re leaving.”

Jiro, carrying the unconscious bodies of Taro and Sako, followed behind.

The golden inferno raged on, swallowing the battlefield whole.

And at the center of it all—

Selena held Kazuki’s lifeless body, her scream of pure agony swallowed by the burning sky.

A searing light consumed the battlefield, its brilliance swallowing everything in sight. The air shimmered with unbearable heat, turning the once-lush grass beneath into a sea of blackened ash. At the heart of the storm, Selena trembled, her arms wrapped tightly around Kazuki’s lifeless body.

She could feel it—his warmth fading, his breaths growing weaker.

Her fingers dug into his torn coat as she hugged him tighter, desperate, trembling. "Kazuki… please… wake up!"

But there was no response.

Tears blurred her vision. Grief twisted inside her, an unbearable agony clawing at her soul. And then—something broke.

It was more than sorrow. More than pain. It was rage.

A surge of golden-white energy erupted from her body, warping and twisting into something untamed, something unrelenting. The battlefield trembled. The wind howled like a beast unchained, and the light that once flickered gently now burned with merciless intensity.

The Arcane Knights had retreated to a safe distance, but even from afar, they could feel the sheer force of her presence.

"This power…" Ryohie muttered, shielding his face from the scorching radiance. "It's unlike anything I’ve seen before."

Jiro scoffed, folding his arms. "Tch… what does it matter? Kazuki’s gone. She’s just wasting her strength."

Aiko, barely conscious after Ryohie’s earlier strike, forced her eyes open. Her heart clenched at the sight before her. "Please…" she whispered, though her voice was too weak to reach Selena.

But Selena refused to accept it.

The light surged, crackling violently, growing ever brighter—until suddenly, something changed.

A twitch.

Selena’s breath hitched.

Her grip on Kazuki’s body tightened. "Kazuki…?"

The world fell silent.

The roaring winds ceased. The violent glow softened. And for a moment—just a single moment—it was as if time itself had stopped.

Then—

Kazuki inhaled sharply.

His fingers curled.

Selena’s eyes widened in shock. “Kazuki…!?”

A deep, shuddering breath left his lips as his body tensed. The gaping wound in his chest—one that should have been fatal—was closing. Slowly, but undeniably, his flesh began to mend itself.

Impossible.

Selena watched in disbelief. Kazuki had gained healing abilities after consuming an orc’s flesh to survive, but he wasn’t an orc. He was human. Healing at this rate shouldn’t have been possible. Yet, there he was—his body mending, fueled by sheer will and the rush of adrenaline surging through his veins.

Kazuki exhaled, his gaze flickering toward her. Weak. Dazed. But alive.

Selena nearly collapsed, her emotions overwhelming her. A tear slipped down her cheek as she clutched his hand tightly. “I thought I lost you…”

Kazuki, still dazed, stared at her for a long moment before finally muttering, "What… happened?" His voice was hoarse, raw from pain and exhaustion.

But before Selena could respond, he felt it.

A foreign sensation coursed through his veins—something new, something… powerful. He flexed his fingers, feeling raw energy swirling beneath his skin. His body, once broken, now felt different. Stronger.

Ryohie, still watching from afar, clenched his fists. “Kazuki… is not normal.”

Jiro narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening. “No way. He was dead. How the hell is he standing?”

Kazuki slowly pushed himself up, testing his strength, feeling the raw power crackling within him. He didn’t understand what had just happened—how he was still alive, how his wounds had closed..

TBC…