Knox expressed his annoyance by clicking his tongue disdainfully. "Tch, you pests are so annoying," he said with a darkening gaze, imbuing his voice with an intense aura of mana. “Stand still."
Knox's voice echoed with a chilling authority that seemed to freeze the air around them. Aric and Lyra felt a weight pressing down on them, a force so potent that it immobilized their limbs, rendering them helpless before Knox's power.
Their hearts pounded with a mixture of fear and defiance as Knox advanced towards them, his form wreathed in swirling white flames that licked at the air with an otherworldly intensity. The fire cast strange shadows across his face, accentuating the cruel curve of his grin and the icy glint in his eyes.
Aric strained against the invisible bonds that held him in place, his muscles trembling as he tried to break free. Beside him, Lyra struggled in vain, her staff crackling with arcane energy as she attempted to summon a countermeasure against Knox's control.
But Knox paid their struggles no heed, his gaze fixed solely on his prey. With a swift, predatory grace, he closed the distance between them, his movements fluid and precise despite the raging flames that surrounded him.
Aric and Lyra braced themselves for the inevitable clash, their senses on high alert as Knox raised a hand wreathed in white fire. They could feel the intense heat radiating from his palm, a harbinger of the devastation to come.
Before they could react, Knox unleashed a torrent of searing flame, engulfing them in a blazing inferno. The heat was suffocating, the flames licking at their skin with a relentless fury that threatened to consume them whole.
Aric gritted his teeth against the pain, his vision swimming as he struggled to maintain consciousness. He could hear Lyra's voice, her cries mingling with the crackle of the flames as she fought to resist Knox's onslaught.
As the flames ebbed away, leaving behind a scorched landscape, Lyra emerged from the inferno, her once vibrant form now charred and smoldering. She swayed unsteadily on her feet, her tattered robes clinging to her burnt flesh as she struggled to remain upright.
Despite the agony that wracked her body, Lyra's eyes burned with a fierce determination as she raised her staff once more, the faint glow of arcane energy flickering weakly at its tip. She attempted to muster the strength for another incantation, her lips moving in silent invocation, but before she could utter a single word, her efforts were cut short.
A hand wreathed in flames, its fiery tendrils licking at the air with evil intensity, pierced through her chest with chilling precision. Lyra's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in shock as she looked down at the hand that had impaled her. It was human in form, yet there was an otherworldly darkness to it that sent shivers down her spine.
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With a trembling hand, Lyra reached up to grasp the wrist of her assailant, her fingers trembling against the searing heat of the flames. She met the gaze of the figure before her, his eyes pools of darkness that seemed to swallow the light around them. Yet within that darkness, Lyra glimpsed something else—a profound sadness that seemed to echo through the depths of his soul.
As Lyra's vision began to fade, she felt a surge of regret wash over her. She had fought bravely, but in the end, she had been no match for the darkness that now consumed her. With one last gasp, she uttered a silent prayer for her fallen comrades and closed her eyes, surrendering to the inevitable embrace of death.
You have killed Lyra, Level 321. Experience gained.
Aric's vision blurred with rage, his muscles tensing as a primal fury surged through him. He watched, helpless and seething, as Lyra collapsed next to him, her life extinguished by the ruthless hand of their enemy. His hand twitched slightly, drawing Knox’s attention back to him.
Knox's voice echoed with deranged amusement, his eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure as he taunted Aric. "Oh? Are you mad because I killed the girl?" he sneered, his tone dripping with contempt. His laughter rang out, a chilling cacophony that cut through the air like shards of ice. "Of course you are! But you haven’t experienced this pain, have you?" With a cruel gesture, he pointed towards Lyra's lifeless body, a grotesque tableau of death and despair. "Everyone you know and love will die like the garbage your race is." His words dripped with venom, each syllable a dagger aimed at Aric's heart, fueling the flames of his fury.
Knox's expression shifted to one of sinister contemplation, his features twisted with a dark sense of satisfaction. "But I guess it won't matter to you, will it?" he mused, his voice laced with malice. "Because you'll be dead." In an instant, Knox materialized before Aric, his presence looming over him like a specter of death. The flames of his sword flickered ominously beside Aric's neck, casting dancing shadows across his face. Aric could feel the searing heat of the flames, a prelude to the imminent end.
"Goodbye, little Aetherian," Knox whispered, his words carrying the weight of finality. With a swift motion, he severed Aric's head from his body, the blade of fire slicing through flesh and bone with brutal efficiency. Aric's head tumbled across the ground, his lifeless eyes staring into the void as his world faded to darkness.
You have killed Aric, Level 313. Experience gained.
One of the elite soldiers, a seasoned warrior with years of battle-hardened experience, stirred slightly amidst the carnage. Instantly, Knox was upon her, moving with predatory grace. As he loomed over her, he decided against ending her life. Instead, a twisted idea sparked in his mind, filling him with dark excitement for the future.
With a calculated move, Knox placed his fiery hand against her back, channeling his flames not to harm but to heal. The searing heat closed her wounds and rejuvenated her strength, a cruel irony in the midst of such devastation. The woman gasped, feeling the excruciating yet revitalizing heat coursing through her body.
Then, Knox grabbed her roughly by the hair, yanking her to her feet. She barely reached his shoulder, appearing diminutive and fragile compared to the overwhelming power radiating from him. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she forced herself to hold them back, a mixture of fear and defiance playing across her features.
"Go back to wherever you came from," Knox commanded, his voice a low, menacing growl. "Tell your leaders that Knox will be there to wipe out your entire camp. After that, I'll go to the other districts, erasing them from existence as well."
The woman's heart pounded in her chest as she nodded, the weight of his words sinking in. She felt like a child in the presence of an evil deity, utterly powerless and insignificant. Holding back tears, she struggled to maintain her composure, knowing that her survival hinged on delivering Knox's terrifying message.