“Who’s this suicidal brat? Get out of my sight right now… damn it!”
Before the black-clad Great Swordsman could even finish his threat, the Abandoned One, their entire form consumed by the eerie glow of spectral flames, had already unleashed a swing with the obsidian demonic sword.
A cluster of eerie, violet flames erupted from the blade, shooting directly towards the Great Swordsman.
While the Great Swordsman reacted swiftly, narrowly evading the attack with a sidestep, the black-clad man behind him was not so fortunate; the flames directly engulfed his face.
A terrifying scene unfolded: what began as a mere cluster of sparks, upon touching the black-clad man’s face, violently erupted into a roaring inferno, engulfing his entire body in the blink of an eye, defying all reason.
Under the horrified gaze of the other black-clad men, whose eyes seemed ready to burst from their sockets, the one consumed by the violet inferno quickly turned to ash, his screams barely lasting a moment. Only his clothes remained, perfectly intact, on the ground.
“Th-this… this… just who are you?!”
The black-clad Great Swordsman’s palm, gripping his sword, was slick with sweat as his eyes remained fixed on the Abandoned One, who stood atop the carriage, uttering these words with extreme apprehension.
“One who is about to die, just like you…”
With these light, airy words, the Abandoned One leaped down, holding the demonic sword wreathed in violet flames, and plunged into the throng of black-clad men.
“M-my body… it’s burning…”
“It hurts… it hurts so much! Don’t… don’t come closer! Arghhh!!!”
“Help… Boss, help… save us… ughhh!!!”
The demonic sword, wreathed in violet flames, proved terrifying beyond measure; it ignited upon contact and burned endlessly. The black-clad men, who had moments ago charged with such ferocity, instantly became lambs to the slaughter, their agonizing screams rising and falling in a dreadful chorus. Meanwhile, the black-clad Great Swordsman, who had previously been devastating all in his path, now dared only to observe from afar.
His heart was filled with profound terror at the sight of the demonic sword in the Abandoned One’s hand and the scorching spectral flames that wreathed it.
When more than half of his black-clad subordinates had fallen, the black-clad Great Swordsman finally observed something crucial. It seemed the Sword of Netherflame in the Abandoned One’s hand did not burn clothing, nor did it incinerate the maple leaves drifting through the air, even when it clearly made contact.
“I understand! I understand! His flames can’t burn anything beyond the human body! Cover your skin completely with clothes, and shroud your bodies with magic!”
The black-clad Great Swordsman, having devised a countermeasure, roared excitedly. Subsequently, he finally stepped onto the battlefield, charging towards the Abandoned One with fierce might. Just as he had shouted, he covered his skin with clothes and then encased his body completely in an armor forged from magical power.
Although he had fundamentally guessed wrong, the Great Swordsman’s countermeasure was surprisingly effective. Indeed, the flames burning around the Abandoned One were called Netherflame. In its nascent awakened state, Netherflame could only affect the soul, and thus could only incinerate souls. Therefore, direct contact with the soul was necessary, making clothing or magical power the most effective countermeasures to shield oneself.
But what if they knew?
A mad grin stretched across the Abandoned One’s lips.
Since they were all destined for the Underworld, why not make this waltz of death more intense, more entertaining?
The Abandoned One ignored the black-clad Great Swordsman’s attacks, indeed ignoring all enemy attacks. Even fatal blows, he met head-on with his body, neither dodging nor evading.
At this moment, in that place—that arena of death—the seed of madness, cultivated through over a year of relentless death and struggle, was reborn.
“Madman… you absolute madman…!!”
Countless fatal wounds layered themselves upon the Abandoned One’s body. Yet he simply would not fall, would not die, a sight that filled the black-clad Great Swordsman’s heart with ever-increasing dread.
Naturally, the Abandoned One did not endure these cuts and wounds without consequence. In return, with his demonic sword, he relentlessly cleaved through the black-clad Great Swordsman’s magical armor, one strike after another. Finally, as a spectral sword light flashed, the Great Swordsman’s sturdy magical armor shattered completely.
“Hehehehe, farewell—Netherflame.”
Accompanied by the Abandoned One’s fiendish grin and the black-clad Great Swordsman’s inexpressible terror, the dreadful Netherflame wreathed around the demonic sword finally consumed him.
“Demon! This man is a true demon!”
“Quick… quickly seize the princess! He’ll surely hesitate if we do!”
From the moment the black-clad Great Swordsman died, the black-clad men completely lost their will to fight. Someone shouted, and the remaining black-clad men immediately shifted their gaze to Princess Yuina, rushing towards her.
The Abandoned One, however, expressionlessly sheathed the demonic sword at his waist.
“Blade Rush, Consecutive Draws!”
As the Abandoned One took a single step, his figure stretched into a spectral black afterimage against the night sky.
The next instant, countless heads, still wrapped in black cloth, rolled consecutively across the ground. Pillars of blood shot skyward, transforming into a crimson rain as they cascaded down.
The black-clad men were, by this point, utterly annihilated.
The Netherflame receded from the demonic sword, and the demonic sword itself gradually faded away. The Abandoned One, meanwhile, swayed unsteadily, necrotic black blood dripping from his body, as he silently and solitarily walked away, step by step.
****
“Wait!”
At that moment, Yuina chased after him, extending her arms to block the Abandoned One’s path, then approaching him with small, hurried steps.
“Your injuries are too severe; you’ll die without treatment! Release your current state, or my healing magic can’t be cast! Hurry!”
Yuina, it turned out, wished to heal him. A faint smile touched the Abandoned One’s heart. ‘What a truly kind princess she is.’
“Are you not afraid of me? You saw what I was like just now, didn’t you? I might suddenly go mad and kill you too.”
The Abandoned One took several steps back, avoiding her touch, deliberately using a fierce tone to scare her. Of course, he couldn’t possibly release his current state, for once it was lifted, his incredibly hideous face would be exposed to her without any concealment. Moreover, he knew his own body best. This body, which had barely endured three months under the curse of the Shadow Demon Spirit, had now reached its absolute limit. There was no possibility of salvation, not even with light or healing magic.
“You won’t! I can feel the warmth in your heart, your kindness… I know you won’t hurt me! So please, let me heal you!”
Princess Yuina seemed on the verge of tears, her beautiful, golden-pink eyes filled with anxiety.
“You can’t save me… Instead of me, you should go check on the guards and maids. There might be survivors among them.”
The Abandoned One simply changed the subject, and this diversion proved effective. Princess Yuina, biting her silver lip, temporarily abandoned the idea of healing the Abandoned One and instead turned to search the pile of corpses for potential survivors.
Unfortunately, the black-clad men had been too ruthless, leaving no survivors on the scene, much like the Abandoned One had done in his wake.
Standing alone amidst the pile of corpses, Princess Yuina’s face beneath her veil revealed deep sorrow, and agonizing tears, unbearable to witness, streamed from her golden-pink eyes.
“Alas…”
The Abandoned One, watching this scene from a corner, felt a faint pang in his heart. He sighed softly, then strode towards Yuina, knelt before her on one knee, and spoke with solemn declaration.
“Esteemed Princess Yuina, if you do not find me distasteful, then I shall be your protector until your safety is assured.”
“Thank you, my esteemed knight!”
Princess Yuina, still stunned, finally wiped away her tears after a long moment. She grasped the Abandoned One’s hand, which was enveloped in dark magic, and looked at him with the innocent, childlike expression of a little girl, asking him:
“My knight, how long will you protect me for?”
“My protection will last until death.”
The Abandoned One, smiling, answered with such ease.
And so, the one blessed by light and the one cursed by darkness embarked hand in hand on their brief, three-day journey…