The sky seemed to spilt in the realm.
Three figures emerged from the now broken entrance of the realm. One of them, who seemed to be their leader had the presence of a sovereign, while the rest were of Grandmaster rank.
They each had a tattoo of a black sun rising from the void.
Both me and Synthia recognised them immediately—The New Dawn.
These are the guys who tried to assassinate me when I was in the orphanage and in the game killed everyone from the orphanage and sold Alicia as a slave for her looks, all because they didn't find any children with talent.
These guys are a bunch of lunatics who believe, that corruption energy is the only hope of this world and wield it.
(In the game, they tried to assassinate Synthia. But she killed them at the cost of her soul. That's why she died when she passed on her sword arts. She was holding on to life from her sheer will.)
My thoughts went numb and I was locked in my place. I was only able to think again when the sovereign released his aura.
'BOOM'
I could feel the mana in the air bending to his will. Synthia felt it too. Without a word, she summoned her sword.
A magnificent odachi appeared in her hands—its deep green blade gleaming with poisonous elegance. A golden rim coiled around the hilt like a serpent. The moment it materialized, a venomous aura burst outward, choking the realm with pressure so thick, even I staggered for a heartbeat, and that's when the sword intent wasn't even pointed at me
(Host, that's her god-ranked sword 'Nightscourge' one of the 10 god-ranked weapons in this world.)
Pixia's voice echoed in my head, but I ignored her for now. The important thing to do now is to get rid of these pests.
Synthia looked at me and then whispered:
"I will hold their leader. You fight the remaining two, I know that you can handle them, but still take this."
Saying so she materialized a katana, which pixia told me was a legendary ranked.
Nodding to her, I charged at the two grandmasters and Synthia launched at the sovereign.
[Synthia's POV]
I charged at the sovereign without holding back. I may have been weakened but I'm still the same sword empress who once fought entire armies at once.
"It's a pleasure meeting you sword empress, but it seems that your past glory has all been an exaggerated romour."
When I heard the mocking voice of that mongrel, my entire body seethed with rage.
He DARED to call ME weak. Even though my body was trembling with rage I still maintained my calm and channeled my mana through Nightscourge and layered it with pure killing intent.
The moment I lunged at the leader of the assassins, the entire realm distorted. He activated his domain, and the pressure of his aura slammed into me like a tidal wave. But Nightscourge was already humming with anticipation, the poison within it writhing like a living beast hungry for prey.
I swung downward, unleashing a wave of ferocious sword energy. The Sovereign casually parried with a flick of his wrist, but even he flinched when his blade hissed upon contact—Nightscourge's venomous nature corroded the very air.
"You carry one of the Ten. Intriguing," he muttered, before vanishing from sight.
I twisted mid-air, flipping backward and slashing in a crescent. Our blades clashed again—shockwaves cracked the sky above, and the land below trembled as mountains shattered beneath the force of our battle.
From the corner of my vision I saw Ravin fight and get wounded, that made me rage more than being called weak.
But I couldn't spare a thought for Ravin now. His side of the battlefield had already erupted.
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[Ravin's POV]
The moment synthia gave me the katana, she vanished in a burst of blue flames, blade drawn. The leader met her with a pulse of dark energy, and their clash shattered the air like thunder.
The two Grandmasters moved toward me. They didn't speak—just summoned blades wreathed in corruption energy.
(Host, mana signatures confirmed. Danger level: Critical. You'll need to go all out.)
Pixia's voice rang in my head, to which I just unsheathed my katana. "Good, let them come. I will devour them."
I let my killing intent loose.
It was such an overwhelming amount of killing intent that even the sky turned red. Everyone present stoped for a moment after sensing my killing intent, even Synthia seemed surprised but went back to her fight without glancing back.
My entire body was filled with rage and my will was focused on killing these fuckers.
When I heard from pixia that they were the one's responsible for Synthia's death and Alicia's suffering, something snapped inside of me.
I activated devour and covered my katana with all the elements and layered it with them. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Void, Null... Every single one in existence.
The ground beneath me withered. The mana in the air itself was devoured as it was pulled into the pitch black aura around me.
It would have been very dangerous normally but I was in rage and was too far gone to think about the consequences.
"Void Step"
I disappeared from my spot and reappeared behind them and slashed my katana at one of them aimed at their heart.
My blade moved faster than thought. One Grandmaster reacted—barely—but I slashed through his guard, cleaving his left arm. Flesh and armor melted, disintegrated, vanished and devoured.
He screamed, but no sound came. His arm was being erased from existence.
His partner reacted, unleashing a spear made of lightning laced with corruption energy, but I didn't dodge.
My instincts screamed at me, reminding me of the danger. But I blocked it with my hand.
The energy hit me—then got absorbed into the aura surrounding me as a result of using Devour and all the elements. I felt its taste. Corrupted. Bitter. Vile.
"That's it?" I whispered.
I moved again.
I Slashed his knees—then his neck. He staggered, blood spraying, but even that was devoured midair.
He tried to teleport away, but my hand snapped forward.
"Devour: Chain of death."
Black tendrils erupted from my palm, latching onto his soul before he could flee.
I yanked him back and plunged my katana through his heart.
Then I whispered—
"Devour Core."
His eyes went wide in horror. Then he screamed as the skill took effect.
His mana core, soul, and even his life essence were pulled into me.
I watched him age, decay, collapse into dust. And felt the power rush in.
My stats rose. Soul strengthened. My aura became denser, darker—unstoppable. But I didn't care.
The first Grandmaster—one-armed and terrified—started to run.
I let him.
Then, in a command filled with absolute authority, I said:
"Devour: Absolute Erasure."
A shadow glyph formed beneath his feet.
He froze—looked down—then exploded into nothing.
Not ash. Not dust.
Nothing.
The realm shuddered. The void pulsed.
Even the Sovereign, locked in battle with Synthia, faltered for a heartbeat as he watched me kill his team. And that's all it took for Synthia to finish the battle.
[Synthia's POV]
Our blades clashed again—mine singing with venom, his pulsing with corruption.
His domain wrapped around me like a storm of shadows—but I cut through it.
Then I felt it.
Ravin had used it.
The Devour Skill.
A forbidden art that doesn't just kill—it consumes. Erases. And DEVOURS.
For a moment, I feared he might lose control. But no... he was focused. Controlled. Alive.
I smiled.
The ant in front of me, faltered for a moment and that was all I needed.
"Nightfall Bloom."
I activated my finishing move.
My blade became a blur. A storm. A blooming lotus of poisoned slashes filled the sky, petals of death raining down upon the Sovereign.
He raised his blade, but he was already too slow.
Too corroded.
I pierced his heart and whispered:
"Rot."
He gasped as Nightscourge's venom spread from his chest into his soul, eroding him from the inside out.
He died choking on his own breath. Not even his domain remained.
[Ravin's POV]
Synthia landed beside me. Calm. Composed. Bloody.
I deactivated my skill and the darkness receded, though its hunger still lingered beneath my skin.
Even though my body was fine from the outside, on the inside it was almost destroyed. It was only thanks to my physique and bloodline that I didn't get erased from existence after using that power.
Pixia spoke, almost reverent.
(Three confirmed eliminations. Devour Skill synchronized. Realm stabilized. Threat nullified.)
I sheathed my katana.
Synthia looked at me, and, smiled faintly.
"You didn't hold back," she said in a voice that seemed calm, but held sadness and guilt beneath it.
"They didn't deserve mercy."
Saying so I collapsed and fell.
(Sleep well, Host. You pushed yourself too much. Who told you to use all elements when you don't even know how to control them.)
It was the last thing I heard before I fainted.
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(A/N: I'm back guys. I tried writing this chapter in a new style, do tell me if you like it. Also the next 2 chapters are snu-snu chapters. Soo, tell me if you want them released as one 2k+ words chapters or not?)