—----POV: Kaelira—----
Vairon Aetherion, the youngest son of the Aetherion clan. Not much is known about him since he apparently prefers his books and tea over human interaction. (Goddamn NEET.)
But like the rest of his family, he is known to be quite the zealous warrior. He is one of the most well-known "geniuses" of our era—able to reach the third stage of the Core Formation realm at the age of 23.
When I first heard of him I thought nothing of it. After all, as one of the ten supreme beauties of Genara and a 22-year-old Core Formation genius, I am simply better than him in every way that matters. Also, bookworms aren't really my type.
My master always told me that a man's gotta be covered in the blood of his enemies to be seen as a dao companion, and I wholeheartedly agree. Who doesn't love a man covered in the hot, boiling blood of his vanquished lessers? Ugh, so hot!
But when I first met him in the city outside of the secret realm I realized that the rumors were dead wrong. While he definitely has that scholarly thing going for him, treats everyone outside his immediate family like buzzing flies, and has a perpetual stone-face…
He is far from just a simple bookworm. I could feel it, almost smell the blood that coated him. Hell, he wears it like a goddamn coat. He's a predator, a conqueror—the same as me.
His steps, his gaze, his aura.
All of it exposed the pride and arrogance ingrained into his very being. Out of all the trash that gathered in the secret realm, he was the only one who made my heart stir with anticipation and danger. Well, besides that Karth bastard, but he's nothing but a sleazy loach wearing the skin of a holy man, as Aunt Karliah so beautifully pointed out.
The second I truly met him, I knew I had to fight him. I wanted to mold him into the companion I sought. But the stone-face bastard refused! He refused me! The most beautiful woman on this ball of dirt!!
Now here we are, mere minutes from dying to this slithering mistake of nature, and he is once again exceeding my expectations. He hasn't abandoned me. In a situation where I am essentially useless dead weight, he continues to defend me against all odds.
Even going so far as revealing his Apex Incarnate to buy me a few precious minutes to gather my strength.
'Does he truly trust me so much? Why? We barely know each other and we honestly do not seem to be the most compatible spirits, so why?'
'This stone-faced idiot… It'll take more than this for me to see you as a man, ya know.' As I gazed at his broad back, I felt a tickle of emotion flicker through my chest.
His calm demeanor under stress. His unbending back. The arrogance and confidence in his words and actions. Each one of them was deadly to rationale.
'God, his ass looks nice in that armor… No, no, no! Kaelira Aenwyn, focus! We are in the middle of a life-and-death situation— that ass can wait! That tight… sexy as— FOCUS, WOMAN!!'
Ignoring my raging hormones and the suspicious heat gathering below me, I once more drew all of my attention to my task. With my mind settling, I began to pull the qi around me toward my golden core.
As the struggle before me grew fiercer, I pulled more and more qi into myself—practically ripping it from the heavens as a vortex gathered beneath me, channeling into the soles of my feet and traveling rapidly through my meridians.
A faint trickle of blood escaped my lips from the stress my body was once more subjected to, but I couldn't be bothered with it.
'He is counting on me. He trusts me to do this, so I will.'
As I redoubled my efforts, Vairon's deep voice—one that seemed to carry the vicissitudes of time—echoed through the air.
"Kaelira! You've got five minutes! If you can't finish what you're doing in that time we both die. I won't have the strength to protect you. Make every second count."
Hearing his steady, unwavering voice, I recognized the frustration, resolve, and trust he had for me. A smile graced my face as my own resolve hardened.
'Since you have such faith in me, I will show you that I am deserving of that right. You aren't the only monster in our generation, Vairon.'
With that, I cast aside all lingering thoughts and completely focused all my senses on the technique I had brewing within me.
—----POV: General—----
As Vairon hovered above the ground motionless, the serpent's tail swept out toward his unresponsive body like an obsidian whip. The air shrieked from the friction and strength behind the blow.
Clearly the serpent was done playing with its food and wanted to eliminate its foe as quickly as possible. As its tail reached mere inches from the head of its prey, its beastly features curved into a devilish smirk, waiting to feel the satisfying crunch of the skull of the hairless ape that dared stand against it.
But as its tail sliced through the air, the impact it expected never arrived. Confused, the beast focused on the spot where Vairon had been—only to see nothing there. No blood, no corpse. Only a new crater and a plume of dirt.
Before it could make sense of what was occurring, its head was violently whipped to the side as a searing pain shot through its skull.
"HISSSSS!"
Letting out a pained hiss, the serpent's body was catapulted into the ground, digging a trench of earth that stretched for twenty meters.
In its place, the prey it had looked down upon now stood with an outstretched leg. As the snake rose from its earthy bed and faced its offender, the slits in its eyes shrank into thin lines—its body shaking with an emotion it had not felt since its birth.
Fear.
Raw and untamed rippled through its entire being. A sense of helplessness imprinted itself across its form. This man—no, this monster—before it was not the same as before.
"There it is. That was the look I wanted to see. The look that all who oppose me should hold in their eyes."
As the man spoke, he began to lower his leg and revealed himself once again.
The face and body were the same, but the atmosphere and aura of the human had changed. If before Vairon had been a calm breeze steadily growing in strength, the "creature" before the serpent was now a titan of storm and fury—an unending hurricane, devoid of calm. Only a fierce will to devour sky and earth alike.
With an arrogant smirk, "Vairon" spoke once again.
"Do you know how long I have waited? For that weak-minded, self-righteous stain to give me control? Can you possibly understand the joy this moment brings me? CAN YOU!?"
As his voice reached a peak, he stretched his arms as if to hold up the very sky and his armor began to glow once more.
"Your death will not be quick. It will be slow—agonizingly painful. You will be my jester, my toy, until I can relieve these feelings of overwhelming joy at my release. Until I am sated, you are not allowed to die. You will entertain me, and in return I will make your death… glorious!"
As "Vairon" became overwhelmed with emotion, his armor morphed into a simple, sleeveless golden chestplate adorned with roaring dragons and dancing phoenixes. The gem atop his brow sprouted lines of gold across his forehead like a crown, pulsing with power his body seemed unable to contain.
His once-green eyes had become a lustrous gold, filled with an arrogance and pride that seemed not his own.
Sigh.
"Now, worm! Let us begin anew! Let me show you the beauty of surrender and conquest! Let me show you the might of Ardamesh!"
"LET ME SHOW YOU YOUR FATE'S END! HAHAHAHA!!"