Author note -If anyone didn't get the obvious hint, or forgot this story, I'd remind you clearly, this Alia flashback is happening simultaneously when Rio is taking part in the tournant and preparing for the dungeon event exam. (So whatever happens now is after the event of ch346 and before the opening scene of ch347)
_aning after his plan to kill the students failed, and before he entered the dungeon for the final exam where he got trapped.
__ personally I'd suggest you re-read chapter 346 for better understanding and imrsion.
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Rio who was lying in the academy's nursing room, resting in bed while waiting for the effect of Nyx's curse to be over. (Given in ch346)
Since he couldn't leave the bed and the academy was busy collecting the corpses of students who died in the attacks of Evil's Scion (Eclipse) _ he just stayed there, thinking about how his plan failed and everything he worked for a year turned to ashes.
He walked to the window and stared at the sun outside, his fists clenched in anger.
"I left my ho early, I left my family and friends behind, stayed in this shitty school for a year, pretending, and playing the role of a perfect student _ all just to prepare for this one goal, this one plan – and just to buy a few followers, you decimated everything."
"I didn't want to trouble you, or your protagonist puppet, but know That YOU started this. And I swear on my na, I will destroy you." Rio muttered, challenging Apollo in his heart, "For ssing with my one year of hard work, I will destroy everything you've worked for since the last era."
"Your followers, your partners, your puppets, I will kill them all, and then_ when you're lonely, forgotten by mortals and banished by the gods, when no one even knows your na anymore, that's when I will co for you, and give you the death you deserve."
[Big words for a weak human.] Skuld, who heard his boasting scoffed in her heart, while Nyx just stared at his outburst and the growing darkness in his heart and just smiled to herself.
… .
But just then, sothing strange happened.
A piercing light erupted from the small earring Rio wore, bathing the room in its brilliance. His body stiffened for a second, before it vanished into thin air.
Alarming the staff and students waiting outside the glass doors, hoping to et him when he was ready. Raising their heartbeats as questions ca, did like other students earlier, he got teleported into Evil's Scions trap too.
…
It took a mont for Rio to understand the situation he was in when he appeared on the other end of the light's tunnel, and when he did, only rage filled his heart.
His sister, whom he hadn't seen for months, was standing there with tears in her eyes, and a sword re inches away from her neck.
Madness blinded his judgent as his mana surged uncontrollably despite the controlled curse of Nyx, and a sword appeared in his hands. Stabbing the man's heart instantly who was slashing at Amy.
Darkness seeped into the planet from his shadow and every assassin still in touch with the ground, had their bodies nailed to the earth, as black spears rose from the ground and stabbed them with a sickening squelch. Pouring tons of corrosive morfid mana into their bodies, burning them inside out. (Nyx Hela's blessing combo move)
But before they could even utter a single scream feeling the unimaginable pain, invisible threads, fine as a spider's silk, tied around their necks, and with a simple tug of Rio's hands, everyone's heads slipped off their shoulders, rolling on ground like discarded toys. Their headless corpses spraying a fountain of blood on the dry leaves, bathing them in red. (Skuld's blessing)
When the man with the knife finally opened his eyes again, all he saw around and in front was just… _Death.
His heart felt fear for a few seconds, before greed took over and filled his head with fantasies of the prize he could get for killing not one, but two of the top noble talents.
While Rio just looked at his expression and sneered in his heart. The anger of his plan's failure, and then an attempt on his sister's life, this dude just couldn't have picked a better ti to let him vent.
"Brother…" Amy shouted with relief and tears in her tone after seeing him there, and rushed to hug him, but Rio raised his hand, gently pushing her behind him, and raised his leg to kick the man away.
Sending his body crashing into a nearby tree with a heavy thud.
"Erza, take her away." He ordered, and walked towards the man who stood up again without suffering any injury.
"You must be the famous, Rio?" The man said and smiled happily, while picking his dagger from the ground again. "Didn't know it was a catch one, kill two _kind of offer. Must be my lucky day." He said before charging towards Rio.
"I'm not so sure about that." Rio said and slashed his sword.
The clanking sound of tal rang in the air, as sparks wafted between them. The man brought out another dagger from his back and shoved it straight, hoping to stab Rio in the stomach, as the genius noble seed to be wearing no armor, just a simple hospital gown.
But Rio grabbed his hand mid-strike by the wrist, before twisting it to a degree, until the man was forced to roll over and drop the knife to the ground.
The man kicked Rio, sending him two steps back and getting so space to get a proper breath in.
"What's with the dark lines, you fancying a tattoo these days?" He spoke, pointing at the dark veins spreading from Rio's left arm to half of his chest. Now exposed to light as the kick set the robe loose.
"Dead guys don't deserve answers." Rio answered and moved his fingers, threads of magic moved invisibily, chopping off the man's wrist which he twisted earlier straight from the rest of his arm.
Argghhhhhh
The man scread in sudden pain, not even realizing what happened? Until he saw Rio wave his fingers again, and feeling subtle cracks forming on the blade of his dagger, before it shattered in pieces too.
"You_ ." The man cursed as he looked at the handle of his favorite dagger.
But before even his curses could start, he felt thin threads roll over his body, like a serpent coiling over from his hand to his neck and then to his back. Tightening slowly, ripping his armor with a crunching sound, and digging into his skin.
"Aahhh, what kind of magic is this?" The man cursed, waving his hand all over his body, trying to grab and pull the illusive threads away with his remaining fingers, But it all seed futile.
"You _you can't kill ." The man said, as his heart felt cold and fear of death gripped his soul.
"No, I'm sure I can." Rio said and cut his wrist, imbuing the threads with his poisoned blood. (Hela's idea, to get poison resistance is to simply beco poison. Told and talked about in chapter 231.)
The man felt his skin burn as a new kind of pain flashed through his mind, nullifying all his efforts to heal himself.
"You _you don't know who I am? Who's behind ?" The man said and seeing Rio give zero fucks about it, he still added further, "I_it's Apate."
"...." Hearing the na, Rio's hand stopped for a second, as he looked at the man's features and tried to rember his role in the novel. But The man, seeing his actions, seed to find the last straw of hope, as he hurriedly started speaking again.
"Apate, you know her, right? She's famous for being cruel, I'm telling you, you don't want to ss with her, man."
"She's the goddess of deceit so you have no idea how many followers she has, how much power she holds. She's also the daughter of Nyx, the primordial deoty of mi..So just let go and I'll forget everything, I promise." The man proposed with honesty.
"Thanks for the pitch buddy, but you see, this is the problem with guys who have the blessing of making their lies more believable, _ people start doubting their truths." Rio said coldly and waved his hand, his threads slicing the man's heels (achilles tendons) , forcing him to fall to his knees.
"No, no, Apate _ save eeee." The man shouted, "I swear to be your slave and follow your commands, just save ." The man scread on top of his lungs, hoping she'll hear his prayer.
"Still think it's your lucky day?" Rio said, while looking into his eyes and slashed his sword, _ but just then a tightness gripped his chest and he ended up coughing violently, spilling a mouthful of black blood on the dirt below. His cursed hand beca limp, as the sword fell down to the ground.
"Brother," Amy shouted in panic, as she tried to rush forward seeing him fall to his knees, but Erza moved quicker, she grabbed her master and pulled her back.
And though the little girl devoid of mana tried to free herself, kicking and struggling wildly, the emotionless vampire didn't budge from her place. Pulling her further away, so the battle's aftermath doesn't hurt her. Or she gets caught by the few assassins who gathered their courage and started surrounding Rio.
"Brother, please… ."
"Erza, save him."
"Go, I'm your master, go there. _ Save him. I'm ordering you."
Amy begged as she punched her shadow with shallow fists, as tears stread down her eyes, but the vampire just seed devoid of emotions. As she focused just on protecting her, following the order he gave her.
"Ha haa ahhaha, you're cursed, aren't you?" The man who was feeling fear of death a mont ago, backing away restlessly, stopped and started laughing maniacally as he saw Rio gripping his chest and struggling to breathe, as dark veins crawled under his skin. Now even spreading to his neck and covering half of his face.
The man watched with glee as Rio struggled to fight against the 3 remaining ninjas barely. Using not his skills, not his mana, nothing. Not even the whole of his body.
"That's a curse mark, right?" The man said, stopping his retreat and picking up a dagger from a dead body. "I knew it was my lucky day."
"I'll kill you with my own hands, you bastard." The man said and slowly started dragging his injured body forward.
While Rio, who finally managed to slay an assassin, stared at the moonlit mark of Nyx shining on his useless arm, and cursed the goddess in his mind. "Let go, Nyx."
[He is telling the truth, Rio.] Nyx replied, her voice echoing in his mind, [He is chosen by my daughter, and she asked to protect him.]
"If she wanted him alive, she should've warned him not to ss with my sister." Rio cursed loudly, while kicking a man and twisting his neck between his legs.
"If she sends her dogs after my family, I'll slay them, and then I'll slay her too." Rio said while falling back to the ground, avoiding the man's dagger at the last mont, before kicking him in the legs and having him fall over his own body.
[Rio, nooo!] Nyx's voice echoed in his mind, filled with anger as Rio's hand closed around the man's throat. She tried to amplify his pain, flooding his senses with darkness, making every breath harder than the last. But he ignored her completely. His mind already numb to the physical pain.
"Weak, right?" He repeated the words she said to him so ti ago, as he tightened his grip, his nails digging into the man's neck. The enemy's eyes bulged in panic, hands clawing at Rio's face, but it was all useless.
With one final grunt, Rio's arm flexed, crushing the man's windpipe in a sickening snap. The man's desperate gasps were cut short, as his body started twitching and turned into a dead body.
"Never _ss _with my family." Rio muttered through clenched teeth as he shoved the corpse aside, his chest rising and falling heavily, as he stared at the sky that suddenly seed to darken at an alarming rate.
[..... ]
After a few seconds of silence from Nyx, the curse affecting his body, seed to have disappeared suddenly, as all the dark veins covering his body got swallowed back into the mark of moon near his wrist.
Erza and Alia returned to his place, along with so other guards of their family, who started securing the place and collecting the corpses to perform a brain check later, to see if they can track which organisation or group these people belonged to.
"Brother, are you okay?" Alia's voice was shaky as she rushed into his arms, holding him tightly. "I... I was so scared."
Rio wiped her tears and gently hugged her back, trying to calm her down, while his focus remained on a corner, where Erza reported everything that happened today, and how it ca to be.
And when he listened to how Amy has been roaming around playing paw patrol all this ti, risking her safety in dungeons just for fun, and how she got fooled into believing that liar's lies and nearly got herself killed _ well, that was it.
The balloon called anger in his brain, finally burst apart.
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