"Yes. I have broken the Veil," Vahn said happily.
But in the next mont, a flash of light passed before his eyes.
Before his mind could process what had happened, a burning pain erupted from his left thigh.
"Thud!"
A sickening sound followed.
"Ahhh!"
Emilia’s scream tore through the air, her eyes widening with raw terror.
Only then did Vahn see it. His left leg... it was gone. Cut clean off by sothing razor sharp.
"Arghhhh!"
He howled in agony, rolling across the ground, until his gaze caught the blood dripping from Orion’s sword.
And Orion... his once-handso face was twisted into a sadistic expression.
The culprit could not be more obvious.
Emilia rushed forward to help Vahn, her face twisted with anxiety and rage.
"Orion!" she cried like an injured beast. "Why would you do this? Why would you harm your own friend?"
Orion tilted his head slightly, his eyes cold and his smile cruel.
"Why, you ask?" he said mockingly. "Don’t play so dumb as if you don’t know anything, Emilia."
"No. I really don’t," Emilia replied while trembling, though her face showed so conflicted emotions.
Vahn, seizing the chance, quickly used the Art of Healing on his wound. A faint glow of light burst from his palm, slowing the bleeding in monts.
Orion’s eyes narrowed, noticing this from the corner of his eyes. His lips then curved into a vicious grin.
"Well, well... so you really awakened the rare Light affinity after all. But do you know what? If you hadn’t awakened it, I would not have to kill you today."
Vahn forced himself to stay calm despite the searing pain.
"Why did you do this? Why try to kill after just saving ?" he asked through gritted teeth, his voice trembling with disbelief. He truly wanted to know the answer. The betrayal was too sudden.
Orion’s gaze turned colder, his face lowering until it hovered just above Vahn’s. "You really want to know why?" His breath was icy, his eyes sharp as blades.
"Then let tell you..."
He straightened up, then cast his gaze toward Emilia. A shadow of obsession twisted across his expression.
"Because... I wanted her."
Orion’s face suddenly turned sorrowful. While Emilia lowered her head, tears welled and spilled down her cheeks.
Orion then continued in an aggrieved tone,
"For months I trained day and night just so I could protect her. Be worthy of her. And one day I will confess my feelings to her. But today when I proposed to her, she said she only saw as a friend. She loves soone else.
He turned to Vahn with lifeless eyes.
"And who would it be if not you, Vahn? You were always her favorite. Whenever we walked together, she always stuck closer to you. Whenever we ca for fishing, she sat next to you. For years I tried to reach her heart, but all I t was rejection. Her eyes were full of love, not for , but for you.
"Still, I endured that cold rejection, hoping one day she would grow up and realize how useless you are in this world, and I am the only worthy partner for her. But no, you just had to awaken at the worst mont and ruin everything for .
Now, do you understand?" He glared at Vahn with hateful eyes.
"You are not worthy of being my friend. You are my enemy."
Vahn’s eyes widened at the unexpected confession. while Emilia’s tears fell like rain.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up." She repeated the words three tis, as if drowning in despair and sorrow.
"See? She isn’t even trying to deny it," Orion said with a hollow chuckle, as if mocking no one but himself.
But in the next instant, his grip on the sword tightened. His eyes darkened as he said,
"I suppose this is the end, my friend. What’s mine, no one can take it."
"Swoosh!"
The blade arced downward, aiming straight for Vahn’s head. Orion’s face was eerily cold, devoid of hesitation.
"NO!" Emilia scread, but she was too late.
The sword was already centiters from Vahn’s throat.
Her face drained of all color, despair flooding her eyes.
Vahn was utterly powerless. His body refused to move. Orion’s strike was too fast, far beyond what he could hope to dodge.
But—
Just as despair and helplessness painted the red sky, a light so bright burst forth that it illuminated the riverbed in a holy glow.
The birds stopped screeching. The trees ceased swaying. Even the mountains seed to stop breathing.
The silver sword froze a re milliter from Vahn’s throat.
"What’s happening..." Orion muttered, panic flashing in his eyes. No matter how he pushed or pulled, the blade refused to move an inch.
Vahn, on the other hand, calmly rose to his feet. His gaze fixed on the source of the light above.
Orion’s eyes also followed, and the sight struck him speechless.
From the sky, emitting holy radiance, descended a divine beauty. Her flowing white robes trimd with gold, flawless pale skin, golden hair cascading like liquid sunlight, her serene blue eyes shimring with infinite depth, and radiant aura—all of this combined painted the sky into an immortal’s masterpiece.
Orion’s breath was stolen away in an instant. His heart, once consud by madness for Emilia, now faltered in the presence of this celestial figure. Her unintended charm seized his soul. For a fleeting mont, he even forgot Emilia’s existence.
He felt if he could sohow touch this beauty, even dying for it would be worth the price.
Emilia also stood frozen in shock at the sudden appearance while her tears were still glistening on her cheeks. Yet what unsettled her most was not the divine figure itself but Vahn’s reaction. He was calm. Far too calm, as if he had been expecting this.
Orion, on the other hand, was entranced. His eyes widened, his lips trembling as he whispered in a hypnotized voice, "Who are you, fairy? How can you be so beautiful...?"
His fanatical tone grew heavier, his expression no longer sane. He did not even realize that his skin was blistering, his flesh burning away as if invisible flas sought to purge him. Every breath he drew was t with unbearable searing pain, yet his obsession blinded him.
From above, Seraphina gazed down and opened her mouth:
"Who am I? You do not need to know. What matters is... your heart is steeped in corruption, tainted by a greater evil. Such filth must be cleansed."
Though her face remained serene, a cold fury rippled beneath her words. Her divine aura pressed down like an unshakable mountain.
She did not even need to raise her voice, her presence alone was judgnt.
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