Mia's vision wavered as she looked up at the black-cloaked figure standing before the advisor. The world blurred at the edges, shapes bleeding into shadow.
Who…who isthatboy…? she wondered faintly, the dark cloak and crimson glow burning into her fading sight.
Then the pain caught up to her.
Her body grew heavy, numb, the strength draining from her limbs as darkness folded in. The last thing she felt was the cold marble beneath her, and then she slipped into unconsciousness, claimed by the wounds and the silence.
The advisor stood rooted to the spot, shock locking his limbs as he stared at the boy draped in black, a long obsidian sword resting at his side like a silent executioner's verdict.
"I asked you, who are you?!" the advisor shouted, his voice cracking despite his effort to sound commanding.
Ethan did not answer.
He walked past him without so much as a glance, as if the man didn't exist. Kneeling beside Mia's broken body, Ethan produced a small vial glowing with a gentle, living light and tipped its contents between her bloodstained lips.
— SYSTEM MESSAGE —
[Item: Lifestone Elixir]
[Quantity: 5/10]
The light seeped into her wounds, and life slowly returned where death had begun to settle.
Her wounds sealed completely, flesh knitting together as if time itself had been reversed. Ethan rose slowly to his feet, the black blade lifting until its tip leveled directly at the advisor's throat.
The man laughed, sharp and unhinged.
"It seems you've lost your mind, boy," he snarled. "You don't even understand what you've stumbled into. You've seen my true identity, and for that alone, you cannot be allowed to live." His mana flared violently as he spread his arms. "In case you're ignorant, I am one of the strongest mages in this.... "
Ethan didn't allow him to finish.
A single, silent arc of the black blade flashed, and the advisor's hands were severed before the scream could form. Blood splashed the marble as Ethan walked past him without a glance, his presence cold and absolute.
He stopped behind the trembling man, the tip of his sword resting at his spine.
"Now speak," Ethan said calmly.
"What is this Cult of Hades you speak of?"
The advisor let out a low chuckle, then it swelled into wild, broken laughter.
"You think I'd tell you anything?" he sneered.
In a desperate motion, he thrust his hands forward. A jagged line of purple energy tore through the air, screaming toward Ethan's face.
Ethan didn't flinch.
He caught the attack mid-flight, fingers closing around the writhing mana like iron around glass, and crushed it. The spell shattered into violet fragments that dissolved before they could touch him.
"What—" the advisor staggered back two steps, his face draining of color. "What did you just do? That spell was faster than the Sword of Wind itself… how did you.... "
Ethan didn't let him finish again. He stepped forward, blade rising, the air around him suffocating with killing intent.
"I'll ask you once more," he said coldly. "Tell me about the Cult of Hades… or this time, you'll be screaming the answer out."
The advisor felt an icy chill crawl down his spine. Ethan hadn't just interrupted him, he had spoken with a terrifying calm, a cold authority that made the advisor's life, power, and pride feel utterly meaningless.
A surge of fury consumed the advisor. "What do you take me for?!" he roared, conjuring a massive orb of explosive magic in his palm. It swelled violently, scorching everything in its path. "Feel the might of a true mage, and know your place!"
The advisor unleashed the blast, grinning wildly. "That's right, kid! Die, you worthless piece of shit!"
The explosive magic surged toward Ethan, but to his eyes, it crawled as if time itself had slowed. He could wave his hand fifteen times, each motion slicing through the air, and still the deadly sphere barely drew closer.
"Why… is it moving like this?" Ethan thought, eyes narrowing. He could track every detail, the boiling purple flames, the way the fire rippled and radiated from the surface of the explosive magic, like a miniature sun trapped in midair.
— SYSTEM MESSAGE —
[Speed Level: Tier 1/20]
Seizing the moment, Ethan saw a perfect chance to aura farm. He swiftly scooped Mia onto his back, retracing his steps to the spot he had just left.
Then it hit him like a thunderbolt.
Holy shit! Holy shit! I wasn't even sure my Black Blade could cut through that… Ethan thought, heart pounding with a mix of fear and exhilaration.
He could have dropped her off, or even dodged the blast, but he couldn't let this moment slip away. More than anything, he wanted the advisor to choke on his own arrogance. Slicing through this explosive magic while keeping Mia safe on his back would humiliate him completely, and Ethan intended to make him feel every second of it.
Ethan planted his feet firmly, blade poised at the ready, fingers gripping tight. Here goes nothing, he thought, swinging with precision. The explosive magic cleaved effortlessly in two.
What…? The split blast erupted harmlessly behind him. Wow… that was way too close. I could've been toast just now, he muttered, adrenaline racing through him.
"Impossible… How did you…?" the advisor stammered, his face twisting in disbelief. That spell, his most perfected, honed over years of relentless training and mastery, had never been broken. Yet here was a mere child, slicing through it as if it were nothing.
[Power Up!]
[Power Up!]
[Power Up!]
[Achievement Unlocked: Magic Slayer]
Ethan blinked at the screen, a mix of confusion and amusement crossing his face. He wasn't entirely sure what "Magic Slayer" meant, maybe it had something to do with splitting that explosive spell in two, but he didn't care. The name sounded badass, and that was enough.
Ethan turned back to face the advisor, whose expression was still frozen in disbelief, eyes wide at how effortlessly his strongest spell had been shredded.
"Will you speak, or not?" Ethan asked, his voice ice-cold, every word dripping with authority. "Whatever you planned for this girl… it's not happening."
Ethan drove his sword through the advisor's already-slashed hand.
"Ahhh!" the advisor screamed, but still refused to answer, only a twisted, defiant grin on his face. It didn't faze Ethan. Calmly, he ignited his blade, the black flames licking the metal, heating it until the air itself seemed to burn around the advisor.
"Ahhh! No, please! I'll talk! I'll talk! Just… please, stop!" the advisor cried, his voice cracking as pain tore through him.
Ethan held the scorching blade against the advisor's hand, letting the heat sear through him for a long, torturous moment before finally pulling it away. His crimson eyes, glowing with unyielding fury beneath the rage mask, bored into the advisor as he spoke coldly, "Now… speak."
"The… the Cult of Hades…" the advisor groaned, his voice trembling as blood pooled beneath him. His lips twitched, twisting into a sick, defiant smile as he forced the words out. "We are a hidden order, one that exists to erase the human race itself. Our purpose is simple… destruction."
He coughed, eyes gleaming with fanatical madness as he continued, "We seek to resurrect one of the Demon King's generals, slain fifteen years ago by Zane Cole, the Sun Fighter… and the warriors who stood beside him."
Wait… what? A Demon King? Ethan's thoughts jolted. This world had systems, quests, monsters, but a Demon King and generals? That was something straight out of legends and games, not reality. Yet the terror in the advisor's voice told him this wasn't fiction.
"Go on," Ethan said flatly, the edge of his blade pressing closer to the man's throat.
The advisor swallowed hard. "To achieve our long-awaited goal… we require royal blood. A royal vessel. Dead or alive, it doesn't matter." His eyes slid, almost reverently, toward Mia's unconscious form. "That is why we targeted Mia Quinn… Princess of Gondolin."
"Why do you need their blood?" Ethan demanded, his voice low and cutting. "What connection does a royal body have to the reign of demons—or to a Demon King's general?"
The advisor's lips trembled. "It is the foundation," he rasped. "The beginning of—"
Thhk.
An arrow tore through his throat mid-sentence.
Blood sprayed in a crimson arc as the words died in his mouth. His eyes widened in shock, fingers clawing at nothing as his body collapsed heavily onto the marble floor, lifeless before it even finished echoing.
Ethan's eyes widened. An archer…
So they killed him to keep him quiet?
The answer came instantly, whistling death slicing through the air. More arrows rained down, biting into stone and shadow. Without hesitation, Ethan scooped Mia onto his back and bolted, instincts screaming louder than thought. Her safety came first. Always.
Moments later, Mia's lashes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was darkness, black cloth, steady movement, unfamiliar strength carrying her away. Panic surged.
"Put me down, you creep!" she snapped weakly, her voice sharp despite the blood loss, fists striking uselessly against his back as the world blurred around them.
"I'm sorry, I can't do that right now," Ethan said flatly as he ran. "Our lives are in danger, so shut the fuck up."
Mia froze. The pain she'd been bracing for never came.
She looked down at herself, no stab wound, no blood, not even a scratch. Her breath hitched.
"…You did this?" she asked carefully. "The healing, I mean."
"Yeah. I did," Ethan replied, eyes fixed forward, never once turning to look at her. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah… I think so," Mia said softly. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks. "Thanks anyway. Where are you taking me?"
"To meet your parents," Ethan replied without slowing down. "They should be somewhere nearby—"
"Look up!" Mia suddenly shouted.
Ethan's head snapped skyward.
A massive, humongous dragon loomed above them, its wings blotting out the sky. It was the same beast the Dragon Sage had ridden, now perched atop the castle, its gaze locked onto them.
"Oh… damn," Ethan muttered. "This just got really challenging."
Without a second thought, flames were unleashed upon them. At the same time, the hidden archer reacted, loosing a blazing-hot arrow straight at their path.