Break (3)

The dining hall was in ruins. Flames flickered along the shattered walls, broken furniture littered the floor, and the acrid scent of burning wood and flesh filled the air.

The elves who remained weren't backing down.

I counted six. All of them were trained killers, their movements precise, their mana radiating lethal intent.

One, in particular, stood at the forefront.

He was taller than the others, his long silver hair tied back in a warrior's braid. His emerald eyes burned with pure hatred as he pointed his curved sword at me.

"You," he snarled. "Julius Vaelorian."

I rolled my shoulders, the Hellfire still crackling around my fingers. "That's me."

The elf's grip on his sword tightened. "You murdered Mathias Windrider."

The name barely had time to register before another elf, a woman with the same silver hair and green eyes, stepped forward beside him. Unlike the others, there was no rage in her expression.

Only quiet, seething contempt.

"And before that," she said, her voice sharp as a blade, "you defiled my sister."

Ah.

So that's it.

Mathias and his sister weren't just ordinary elves. They were *Windriders.* One of the oldest, most prestigious clans among the elves. Not just warriors, but royalty in their own right. The former prince and princess of their people.

No wonder they were out for blood.

I exhaled through my nose.

"I didn't kill Mathias because he was an elf." I met the brother's gaze evenly. "I killed him because he tried to kill me first."

The room was silent for a moment.

Then, the brother let out a bitter laugh.

"You think this is a *justification?*" His mana surged, the air around him distorting under the force. "You think your words mean *anything*?"

I sighed. "Didn't think so."

He raised his blade.

I moved first.

Faster than any of them expected.

I closed the distance in an instant, Hellfire trailing behind me as my foot shot up in a devastating axe kick.

The elf barely had time to react. He brought up his sword, blocking at the last moment—but the force of the kick sent him skidding backward, his boots digging deep into the marble floor.

The others snapped out of their shock and lunged at me.

I twisted, pivoting on my heel, my left leg snapping out in a spinning roundhouse kick that caught one of them across the face. Bone crunched. He went flying into the nearest wall, unconscious before he hit the ground.

Another came at me from behind, his dagger aimed for my ribs.

I let my body move on instinct.

I stepped forward, my foot slamming into the ground in a *stomp kick* that shattered the floor beneath me, sending a shockwave through the room. The elf stumbled, losing his footing—just enough for me to grab his wrist, twist it violently, and drive my elbow into his throat.

He collapsed, choking.

Three left.

Mathias's brother roared, dashing toward me, his curved sword a blur. He was fast. Faster than me. But *speed without control is meaningless.*

I ducked under his slash, shifting my weight into a sidekick that struck his ribs with enough force to crack them.

His breath hitched, but he didn't go down.

Instead, he twisted, using the momentum to lash out with a burst of wind magic that sent me skidding back.

I caught my balance, my feet dragging deep grooves into the floor.

The female elf—the princess—raised her hand, chanting something under her breath. A *storm* erupted from her fingertips, a swirling vortex of emerald energy.

I had seconds to react.

I slammed my palm against the ground.

Hellfire exploded outward in a controlled blast, colliding with the wind magic midair. The two forces clashed, twisting and writhing in a chaotic struggle—before my flames *ate* through hers completely.

Her eyes widened in horror.

I was already moving again.

I darted forward, feinting left before pivoting into a back kick that caught her square in the gut. She *flew* across the room, crashing into a table that splintered under the impact.

Two left.

Mathias's brother didn't hesitate.

He came at me with renewed fury, his sword flickering with wind magic, each strike faster, stronger, more precise.

But I wasn't the same Julius from before.

I ducked, dodged, deflected, every movement fluid, every counter *brutal.*

A front kick to his knee. A spinning hook kick to his jaw. A snap kick to his ribs.

He staggered back, dazed, blood dripping from his mouth.

I clenched my fist. Hellfire surged around it.

"This is for my brother," he spat.

He lunged.

I met his charge head-on, my fist slamming into his chest.

The Hellfire erupted on impact.

He *screamed.*

The flames consumed him in seconds, black tendrils wrapping around his body, burning *through* him, not just on him. His eyes, once filled with rage, were now wide with agony.

And then—

Nothing.

His body crumbled into ash.

I exhaled slowly.

The last elf—the princess—stared in horror.

"No," she whispered. "No, no, no—"

She turned, trying to flee.

I caught her by the wrist.

"Don't."

She thrashed wildly, trying to break free, but my grip was iron.

Tears streaked down her face. "You don't understand! We had *nothing left!* You took—"

I twisted her arm behind her back, forcing her onto her knees.

"You think I care?" I murmured.

She let out a strangled sob, her strength finally giving out.

Joseph appeared at my side, his sword still slick with blood. He studied the scene, then looked at me.

"What should we do with her?"

I met her gaze.

For a moment, I considered killing her. It would be the easiest choice. The cleanest.

But then…

An idea formed in my mind.

A slow smirk tugged at my lips.

"We don't kill her," I said.

Joseph raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"No," I repeated.

I crouched down, tilting the princess's chin up so she was forced to look at me.

"You said your people lost everything." My smirk widened. "How about I give you something new?"

Her emerald eyes burned with fresh hatred.

"Over my dead body," she hissed.

I chuckled.

"We'll see."

___

The battle was over.

The Windrider clan had lost.

And as I stood amidst the destruction, Hellfire still flickering in my hands, one thing was clear—

This was only the beginning.