Arc 2: Chapter 13

The cities near the borders were descending into hell.

At first, Brand had simply seized them and had not done anything else, as the army he had brought with him was a mixture of angels and all types of human classes—warriors, magicians, and archers. There was a variety. He hadn't wanted to leave them with a bad impression, as they had all come from different kingdoms, big and small.

But he had forgotten—angels were the ones who were blind to authority, and devils loved to go against the law. They especially hated being forced into submission by another race.

On the third day of the siege, the devils had started a riot.

The city trembled under the onslaught of clashing light and dark magic, its streets engulfed in chaos. A gruesome battle raged both above and below, painting the sky and ground with the crimson hue of spilled blood. Limbs were torn asunder, flesh rent from bone, and heads severed from their bodies in a grotesque dance of death and destruction.

It was as if a grim prophecy had come true.

Brand felt his head ache. He had already reached halfway through the main city when he was called back to the borders to take care of the rioting devils. Just as he was about to coerce them into submission, the devils had violently replied with a high-tier dark spell. They didn't seem to have any plans of backing down. Even when more than half of them had fallen, they continued to resist.

They were wasting their lives!

Brand quickly dodged an oncoming spell. Out of all the humans present, he was the only one floating in the sky. It was no easy feat for humans to fly, so it was clear to everyone that he was the strongest.

Not far from him stood a white-haired man who appeared to be in his thirties. His eyes were a pale blue, and his wings were off-white—almost silver. "How insolent!" he snarled.

The man parried a devil knight's strike and sent a light spell at him, the explosion upon contact lighting up the battlefield. His sword had long been dyed red.

"Uncle, I apologize for this situation," Brand said, his expression genuine and apologetic.

The man glanced at him with distaste but held back from scolding him. "Finish this quickly. I want my daughter back."

Brand's eyes glinted, and he lowered his head just in time to hide it. "Yes."

It hadn't been part of his plan to bring this man. But since he couldn't get the Stella Kingdom to help in time, he had no choice but to turn to him. If one looked closely, the man shared similar features with Sevianna.

This was her father.

Brand had no idea why Sevianna's father wanted her back, but he wasn't planning on simply handing her over. At the moment, however, he needed all the help he could get.

"Chief Louscatt!" An angel approached, his face twisted with terror. "Th—There's more coming." His voice trembled, and his face was pale.

Chief Louscatt didn't understand the angel's fears. Even if more devils were to come, he didn't believe they were worth the angel's panic. "Hm, and what about it?" His eyes narrowed arrogantly.

The angel was taken aback by his Chief's indifference, but his fear was genuine! He opened his mouth to justify himself, but then a sharp pain pierced his back. His eyes widened in horror.

The angel disintegrated into particles.

The terrifying scene sent a shiver down the spines of those who witnessed it. Chief Louscatt stood frozen, stunned. Furiously, he turned to face the perpetrator, and only then did he realize what had caused the angel's fear.

A few feet above the walls of the city, a sea of devils floated in uniform formation. They had surrounded half of the city, while Brand's forces occupied the other. It was no wonder Brand needed all the help they could get. Just seeing this army was enough to instill terror in everyone who witnessed it.

While the opposing side consisted solely of devils, Brand's forces were a mix of humans and angels. If the angels had come alone, it would have been an annihilation.

Brand spotted a familiar devil fearlessly flying toward their position. His forces immediately targeted the devil, poised to release their spells at a moment's notice. But the devils behind him didn't seem bothered in the slightest. Their confidence in this devil was unfathomable.

As the devil drew closer, Brand understood why.

It's him!

It was the person mentioned in the report—the one who had taken Sevianna! Brand's eyes flared with hatred as he glared at the approaching devil.

Mirroring Brand's hate, Adounis did not hide his hostility. Had he not been placated by Sevianna's indirect confession, he would not have entertained the idea of negotiating first but would have attacked Brand directly instead.

Adounis stopped ten meters away from them. "Greetings," he said curtly.

His brief greeting made Brand's forces heighten their guards. They could feel the overwhelming dominance emanating from the devil, a presence so heavy it seemed to press them down, almost pinning them to the ground. And this was just his presence!

Chief Louscatt sneered, raising his bloodied sword and pointing its tip toward Adounis. His motion drew hostile glares from the devils in the distance. "If it's negotiation you're seeking, you'll be disappointed."

Adounis considered that to be true. But he had the habit of giving his enemies a warning before attacking. It was a terrible habit, honestly. He nodded, acknowledging their stance. "What brings you all here?"

They were all speechless. Wasn't it obvious? Of course, they were here to start a war! Why had this devil asked such a stupid question?

But Brand didn't think the same. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails nearly dug into his palms. "Where is Sevianna?" His voice deepened with anger.

Chief Louscatt raised an eyebrow and immediately turned a questioning gaze to Adounis. Brand's words had revealed that this man knew where his daughter was.

Adounis visibly relaxed, a fond memory of the girl's blushing face crossing his mind. "At home," he replied, his lips curling into a sly smile.

Chief Louscatt and Brand were instantly consumed with rage. Brand, especially, had a contorted expression as fury overwhelmed him. He condensed a combusting light spell in his hand, the ball of light crackling with the immense power he had gathered. Without hesitation, he launched it at Adounis.

"Give her back!" he shouted.

Adounis dodged the attack, and the ball of light hit the ground below. There was a loud boom, followed by a massive crater forming in the earth. His gaze, when it turned back to Brand, was full of mockery. "Give her back? Why should I?"

Brand formed another ball of light, but this time he didn't launch it. Instead, he charged forward, delivering it directly in his hands toward Adounis, the intensity of the battlefield igniting once more.

The battle surged to an even greater intensity than before. The city below them had long since been reduced to ruin by the constant barrage of combusting spells. Now, even the debris seemed to disintegrate into particles, leaving only sand in its wake.

The once-beautiful city had transformed into a grey desert.

Adounis and Brand were lost in their own world, locked in a battle of life and death. 

Adounis' expectations had proven true. Brand's strength had terrifyingly increased to match his own. He would deftly dodge Brand's combusting light spells, inwardly amused at how the man seemed to be wasting his energy. But despite the continuous strain, Brand appeared to have an inexhaustible reservoir of power, relentlessly hurling spells with unyielding force.

Adounis raised his hand, coated with his own force, and grabbed Brand's spell. His eyes narrowed slightly as he felt his hand tremble. Rather than weakening, Brand was growing stronger. He needed to finish this quickly before Brand surpassed him!

The fight between Brand and Adounis grew fiercer as Adounis stopped holding back. They were both locked in combat, completely ignoring everything around them.

In his single-minded focus on Brand, Adounis forgot about Chief Louscatt's presence.

The Chief was carefully observing their battle, waiting for the right moment. When Brand's attack successfully landed, he immediately raised his sword and lunged toward Adounis.

Adounis' battle-hardened instincts kicked in. He conjured a protective force field just in time to intercept Chief Louscatt's sword, but it wasn't enough to stop the sword's strength.

The force of the strike sent him hurtling toward the ground, his body seized by the overwhelming impact. As he crashed down, the earth beneath him gave way, carving out a mini-trench in his wake. With each ragged cough, he expelled large amounts of blood, staining the ground beneath him.

Brand looked at Chief Louscatt with furrowed brows. There was no gratitude in his eyes, only disdain. Still, he held his tongue, refraining from commenting. If this was what it took to get Sevianna back, then it was all worth it.

He focused, gathering a brighter ball of light in his hand and diving toward Adounis. He had no intention of giving the enemy a moment's respite.

"You dare!!!"

A female voice shrieked.

Before Brand could reach Adounis, he was abruptly shoved to the ground by two cold hands pressing firmly on his shoulders. His back slammed into the earth, and the force sent debris soaring into the air before falling with a resounding thud. 

As Brand regained his bearings, his eyes widened in shock as he looked up to see Sevianna's raging eyes glaring down at him.

He was stunned.

Sevianna didn't spare Brand another glance and bolted to Adounis' side. The fatigue from continuous rapid flight weighed on her, but her concern for Adounis overshadowed everything else. Her heart ached when she saw him in such a sorry state.

He was leaning weakly against the edge of the trench he had created, drenched in his own blood. Sevianna landed beside him with great care, her trembling hands gently cradling his head.

"Adounis?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

His eyes seemed lifeless, and the sight terrified her to her core. Panic surged through her as she poured all her healing energy into him, praying that she wasn't too late.

After a few long moments, he finally stirred. But Sevianna's heart did not ease. She continued to pour her power into him, even as her own energy drained at an alarming rate.

When his blurry vision finally cleared, the first thing Adounis saw was the sight of a teary-eyed Sevianna. Her face was etched with worry, her lips trembling. She looked pale, weary, and fragile.

"Don't cry," he whispered, weakly lifting his hand to gently pat her hair. "Shh, don't cry. Don't cry."

Sevianna could no longer hold back the tears in her eyes. Her healing intensified, fueled by a mix of frustration and love. Why was Adounis still trying to comfort her when he, himself, was on the verge of death?! She wanted to scold him right then and there, but the words wouldn't come out. She couldn't bear to.

His priorities were incomprehensible to her. He was so weak, struggling to keep his eyes open, yet he still insisted on patting her hair, trying to soothe her.

'You can comfort me later, can't you please just rest for now?'

She wanted to shout these words, but they choked in her throat when she saw his sweet, peaceful smile. It broke her heart. She cried harder.

Adounis, panicking in his heart at seeing that his attempts to comfort her were futile, summoned the strength to move. After Sevianna's meticulous healing, he gently brought the still-crying girl into his lap, repeating his words softly as he continued to pet her head, unsure of what else he could do.

From a distance, Lily watched the scene unfold, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. The background was different, their faces had changed, and the world itself was entirely new. But the two of them were the same as they had been in the last life. 

Thankfully, her master's actions aligned with the reactions of the original soul, otherwise, she feared that if she had been cast aside in her unstable state, this world might not have seen another day.

Unfortunately, their tender moment couldn't last too long with the looming presence of their spectators.

"Sevianna! Get over here!" "Sevianna! Get away from him!"

The simultaneous shouts from Chief Louscatt and Brand shattered the moment. Chief Louscatt's face twisted with rage, while Brand's expression seethed with jealousy. The sight before them made both of them want to tear Adounis apart.

Sevianna, however, acted as though she hadn't heard a single word. She remained in Adounis' arms, crying, her healing energy still flowing into him. Despite feeling the exhaustion of her depleted power, she stubbornly held on.

Adounis could sense his physical strength returning. With a soft grunt, he shifted, placing one hand beneath Sevianna's thighs and the other on her back, lifting her into his arms in a bridal style. The girl instinctively clutched onto his shirt, her glowing hands continuing their healing work, radiating warmth that melted something deep within him. It was a simple act, but it warmed his heart in a way he hadn't expected.

Adounis pressed his lips gently against Sevianna's furrowed brow, then moved to kiss away the tears pooling in her eyes.

He also completely ignored the two erupting volcanoes that were glaring at them.