"AETHERIONNN!!"
Their expressions changed drastically as they lifted their heads to the sky. Above them, a shadow descended like a comet veiled in darkness, crashing toward the earth.
""WATCH OUT!""
Realizing the danger instantly, they grabbed hold of each other to escape the impact zone—but it was too late.
BOOOOOM
A fierce explosion rippled outward as the comet struck the ground, sending cobblestone and rock flying in every direction.
Vairon and Kaelira were hurled backward by the impact. Though they dodged the full brunt of the strike, even the residual force inflicted damage on their bodies.
As dust and stone rained down, Vairon staggered to his feet. A deep gash split his forehead, blood pouring down the side of his face. His vision swam, and the ringing in his ears refused to fade—blood leaking from his ears made the internal damage obvious.
His mind slowly cleared before panic seized him.
"KAELIRA!? KAELIRA, WHERE ARE YOU!?"
His heart pounded as he tore through the dust cloud, desperation fueling every step.
Hearing no reply, his eyes reddened. Gathering wind qi, he shouted:
"ARGHHH!"
The blast of qi tore the dust apart, clearing the dust cloud. He immediately spread his spiritual sense—only to lock onto the one person he wished he would never see again.
"KARTH!!"
Standing at the center of the crater was Sylas Karth. Just as handsome and pretentious as ever… yet somehow changed. The mask of a saint and hero was gone, replaced by a twisted expression of jealousy and greed.
The air around him felt rotten, like he had bathed in corpses for centuries. Even if this was Sylas, he had transformed into something else entirely. He felt like a coiled viper, his eyes gleaming with sadistic intent.
"Well, well, Aetherion. You look like you've seen better days. How have you been holding up~?"
Vairon grit his teeth. Rage and panic warred inside him as he tried to reconcile this Sylas with the one he once knew.
'Soul Expansion Realm… and the last stage at that. How the hell did he get this strong!?'
The waves of power rolling off Sylas made it clear: Vairon couldn't match him.
'And I can't use my Incarnation again. Last time nearly drained all my soul energy. If I try now…'
Before he could finish the thought, Sylas vanished from the crater and appeared inches from Vairon's face.
"Hmm? What are you thinking about so deeply~? Focus on this moment. I want to see every drop of agony in your eyes."
Before Vairon could react, a kick slammed into his chest, launching him through a nearby building. Laying within the rubble, the bandages still wrapped around his body began to turn a deep red as his wounds reopened.
He struggled upright just before coughing a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
'Five ribs… my sternum… and I think he ruptured a lung.'
In barely five seconds, Sylas had crippled him.
'Vairon, it's me! Keep him busy—I have a plan. Just distract him for a few minutes!'
'Kaelira! Are you okay!? Are you hurt!?'
Relief washed over him as he listened to Kaelira's mental transmission.
'I'm fine. You look worse. Can you hold on?'
'Doesn't matter. Are you confident in your plan?'
She fell silent—never a good sign.
Before Vairon could press, a hand seized the back of his head and smashed him into the floor. The impact drove him through three stories of the building, down into the bedrock.
"HAHAHA! ISN'T THIS FUN!? COME ON, AETHERION! FIGHT BACK! SHOW ME THE MIGHT OF THE 'GREAT GENIUS OF THE EAST'!!"
Sylas's manic cackling echoed through the surroundings. The reverberations of his voice sounded like the wailing of tormented souls.
'Kaelira!'
'Okay—big gamble! Huge! Odds are bad! But the alternative is worse, so just stall him, Stone-face!'
'…I trust you. Do what you must.'
Even with his head buried in rock, Vairon was sure he heard her mutter something about "unfair toward a maiden's heart."
'KAELIRA FOCUS! I'M DYING!'
'ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! Just… be careful. Sylas is different.'
With that, their mental link fell silent, and before he could think of a method to distract Sylas. His head was lifted from its new home in the ground and brought level with Sylas' twisted smirk.
"Aetherion… Do you know how long I've waited for this? Don't ruin it. SCREAM. BEG. GROVEL LIKE THE INSECT YOU ARE!"
Listening to Sylas' psychotic ravings. Vairon displayed his own smirk before spitting a glob of blood into his face.
"F-Fuck you… asshole."
Sylas paused briefly as his expression went blank. Suddenly, a wide smile appeared on his face that sent a shiver through Vairon's spine.
"Actually… this works too. I'm going to enjoy breaking you."
Just then, Sylas' grip on Vairon's head loosened just as a punch was sent towards his face. Letting his body fall towards the ground, Sylas barely moved his head before grabbing Vairon's arm and unleashing another kick towards his mid-section.
RIPPPP
With the sickening sound of flesh tearing, Vairon was once again catapulted through the roof of the building before crashing onto the pavement outside.
A searing, agony tore through Vairon's body from the socket his arm used to be attached to. Vairon's forehead was dripping in sweat as the veins within his head pulsed furiously with pain.
He had barely stifled his screams of agony, not wanting to distract Kaelira from whatever it was she was doing. His consciousness faded in and out. He only stayed awake due to sheer willpower.
Footsteps approached, slow and deliberate. Sylas held Vairon's severed arm casually at his side, droplets of blood falling like a reaper's call.
"Quite the weak body for a cultivator, huh? You break easily. Don't know if you'll last till the end."
The lazy drawl in Sylas' voice nearly made Vairon lose his head. But remembering Kaelira's words, he forcefully focused his mind on a single goal.
Keep the bastard talking.
"H-How did you get so strong? You can't jump a whole stage with any known resource. Sylas… what did you do?"
At Vairon's words Sylas' steps halted. His facial expression alternated between awe, fear, and unbridled reverence.
"I was chosen. Blessed by the Ancient One. He made me his apostle—to spread his gospel to the ignorant."
Seeing the crazed expression on Sylas' face, Vairon knew that whatever or whoever gave him this power wasn't a good thing. The unnaturalness of Sykas' state, a stark contrast to his previous calm and pretentious demeanor.
Before Vairon could speak, Sylas' shadow stretched outward. Black tendrils slithered from it, wrapping around Vairon's remaining limbs and throat, immobilizing him.
"Don't think I can't tell you're stalling. That bitch Kaelira is nearby isn't she? I'm going to enjoy my first night with my wife so we will have to cut the fun here."
His voice dropped, cold and vile.
"I'm done wasting time."
With ruthless decisiveness, Sylas drove his fist straight through Vairon's abdomen and clean through his body, now being held up by his forearm.
As the warm blood poured down his arm, Sylas' sinister expression twisted into an almost euphoric joy.
"HAHAHAHA! Goodbye, Vairon Aetherion. You died as you lived—uselessly. Don't worry about Kaelira Aenwyn…"
He licked his lips, expression turning disturbingly possessive.
"I will make sure to taste her through. At least your corpse will get a good look as your soul travels through the underworld."
Vairon's vision blurred. Sylas' voice grew distant.
"VAIRON, NOOO!!"