I stood still, silent, waiting.
My body was tense, every muscle coiled like a spring, my eyes locked forward. The white flames on my limbs danced wildly, flickering like waves on fire.
Then—
BOOM.
An explosion tore through the distance, hurling dust and rubble across the ruined ground. From within the smoke, Rhyver emerged. His predator-like eyes locked onto mine. And then… he smiled.
"Hmph. Finally, you showed up…"
His voice dripped with danger, his tone vibrating with excitement as he strode toward me.
"I was beginning to wonder if you'd run away."
His footsteps grew louder, heavier with each step.
I met his gaze, my eyes hard.
"No. I had no intention of running."
I spoke coldly, evenly.
"Even if I did… I knew you'd find me."
The air grew tense. A breeze passed between us, carrying the stillness like a knife's edge. Rhyver let out a soft laugh, amused.
"You're smarter than you look, Slave. Facing the predator head-on instead of running from death… I'll give you that. Bold."
He finally stopped, about thirty meters from me.
"But…"
His voice dropped, low and deadly.
"…Even if you try to fight, even if you run, you can't change your fate."
Silence fell. A thick, oppressive pause.
Then—
"…hmhmhmhm…"
I giggled.
Rhyver blinked. Surprised.
My soft giggle grew louder, until I was full-on laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!"
Rhyver watched, dumbfounded.
"…He's laughing?"
Frustration began to rise in his face. I placed one hand over half of mine, chuckling to myself as I calmed down.
"Ahh…" I exhaled.
Then, I looked up, our eyes locked.
"Rhyver…" I began.
"I wish I could be scared, really…"
My voice was calm, too calm.
"…But I just couldn't hold it in."
Rhyver stared, his expression shifting from confusion to disbelief.
"Is this guy… serious?"
I relaxed my stance. A smirk carved itself across my face.
"People like you have tried to scare me with death my whole life. And yet—"
I slowly stepped forward, flames crackling beneath my feet.
"—I'm still here. Proving them wrong."
I clenched my fist.
"I've stayed quiet. I've stayed low. I survived people like you who tried to break me, toy with me, chain me…"
"But I've had enough."
A crimson glow flared in my eyes.
Rhyver's face twitched. He felt it.
I spoke with icy conviction:
"I, Kajin, the so-called 'Slave' of the Darkvill Kingdom—"
Suddenly, crimson lightning surged around my white flames, crackling violently.
"—will NEVER bow again! I will destroy anyone who dares stand in my path!"
With a roar, a wave of mana energy erupted from me, shaking the ground.
"?!"
Rhyver raised his arms, bracing himself as the shockwave slammed into him. He gritted his teeth, barely holding.
"This… feeling…"
He muttered, eyes widening.
"…This is Lucif Magic!"
The pressure died down. He straightened up, stunned.
"He's actually using it… Lucif Magic…"
He watched me closely.
"For eighteen years, he refused to use it. I thought he couldn't, but we were wrong."
A crooked smile broke through his tense face.
"Hah… Even just a glimpse of it, and it's still this powerful…"
He hardened his stance.
"That slave… he probably hates that magic more than he hates his own family."
Then suddenly, he chuckled. He relaxed, strangely calm.
"How much do you hate that power, Kajin?"
He asked with curiosity. I didn't answer.
"You're using the very magic of the first demon king, the Lucif Magic that conquered the Ignathian continent, not as a weapon… but as a booster for your little White Flame trick?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"You reject your demon heritage… and choose to empower your human side?"
He shook his head.
"You are a disgrace."
His voice was like venom.
"You've insulted your blood. Continue like this, and next time you will be in front of the king… he isn't going to show you any mercy."
I looked at him, not with fear, not with guilt,
…but with joy.
"You're the last person who should be talking about disgrace."
I replied, voice cold as steel.
"You've disobeyed the King's orders more times than I can count. You're a living example of defying a tyrant's leash… only to crawl back and lick his boots."
A vein popped in Rhyver's forehead.
My words hit deep.
"Once a proud wild wolf… now an obedient house dog. Pathetic."
He trembled with rage.
But I didn't stop.
"And yes. I don't care if I'm my family's shame… or this kingdom's disappointment."
I stepped forward, fire swirling around me.
"Because I will NEVER return to being a slave!"
I raised my voice, loud and proud:
"Unlike you, I will change everything! I'll rewrite the fate of our world!"
Rhyver's aura exploded into blood-red light. His rage overflowing.
"So when they call me a disgrace—"
I smiled.
"—I accept it. Because I couldn't care less about them."
Rhyver's face darkened. His body tensed.
"I will prove them wrong. I will return. And I will bring a new era to Darkvill!"
I raised my fist to the sky.
"I am… Claiming the throne of the Demon King!"
"And it begins, NOW!"
"DIE, YOU FUCKING SLAVE!!!"
Rhyver bellowed, launching toward me like a missile, his scream shaking windows.
I locked my eyes on him, crouched into position, and charged.
Our fists met in a violent explosion of lightning and flame, the impact leveling the ground beneath us.
The battlefield had just awakened.