The silence didn't last long.
It shattered like glass when the guards, driven by instinct rather than thought, charged at .
Their blades glead under the sun, their boots sounding loud across the stoned floor, and the panic in their souls called to louder than their war cries.
But I didn't move.
Not at first.
I stood perfectly still, the corpse of the first man I siphoned still cooling behind my figure.
I could see Pixie trembling behind with her broken horns and cracked lips, but knew that I had to fight them and sohow excape this place.
Only if the two of us left this country and settled soemwhere safe could we leave this life of pain and suffering.
Venus's piercing gaze burned into my skin but I didn't waver, I couldn't.
Looking at another guard trying to hold his sword up against , I couldn't help but let out again.
"Soul Siphoning."
The guard didn't even make it to . His body jerked mid-step, his scream ripped from his throat as a pale wisp tore free from his chest.
The sound wasn't physical, not really, it was sothing only my bones, my marrow, could hear.
In fact, I knew that none of these could see the wisp of soul coming out of the guards body and only the figure of the guard suddenly going limp and lifeless was visible to them.
This was one of my hidden abilities that I had shied from using here due to its evil nature.
I still hadn't forgotten my origins.
I still hadn't forgotten how hard I hard tried to awaken this Physique of Sin.
Gluttony.
The guard's soul writhed in the air for a heartbeat before vanishing into , flooding my veins with raw, unfiltered power.
499 –> 499
Not yet, I realised, I needed a much larger influx of soul power to break this barrier.
But I could taste it.
The others hesitated.
Just for a second.
Just long enough for the fear to slip into their disciplined stances.
And in that hesitation, I moved.
My body blurred, faster than I had ever been before.
My fist connected with the next guard's chest, shattering armor, bone, and pride in a single motion.
He collapsed without a breath, and before his soul could even drift away, I reached for it.
"Mine."
It slamd into , filling my lungs with the fire of existence. My head spun, vision sharpening, and the world itself seed to bow beneath the pressure inside .
This wasn't enough, I realised, looking at the terrified faces of my cousins and elders.
I wanted more.
A laugh broke from my throat, sharp and broken, and for the first ti, I didn't choke it down.
I let it out, echoing across the hall like a mad hymn.
The heirs, all my cousins, all my supposed family, backed away, their faces pale, their confidence shattered.
None of them dared co forward.
Not yet.
Pixie's voice cut through my haze, soft, trembling. "Noah…please…calm down…"
I looked at her. For the briefest second, sothing human in flickered.
Her broken form, her bleeding horns, the tears in her crimson eyes, every part of her scread pain.
And I wanted to stop. I wanted to go to her, to hold her, to tell her I'd protect her.
But then my soul roared, drowning out the thought, and I rembered,
I couldn't protect her by being human.
I could only protect her by becoming a monster.
I turned away, facing the crowd of guards, heirs, and Venus.
"Co," I said, my voice carrying not anger, but hunger.
"Feed ."
The spell broke.
The guards rushed again, this ti in unison, weapons raised, mana-infused blades cutting through the air.
I welcod them.
My hands shot out, catching one blade mid-swing, twisting it from its owner's hands, and plunging it into his throat in the sa motion.
Blood sprayed, warm and real, but I didn't care.
My participation in the battle of Willow Greek had made my battle instinct and prowess almost instinctive and crazy. The only reason I wasn't able to show it since a while was because I had plunged into depression right after the battle.
But now that I was fighting them, that fleeting feeling or regret and holding myself back also started to disappear slowly.
Another ca at from the side, but I ducked low, slamd my shoulder into his ribs, and ripped his soul from his flesh before he could even hit the ground.
I could almost see it now, the barrier inside my mind.
A wall made of chains, thick and unbreakable, shaking as each soul slamd into it.
Another guard lunged as I just smiled, blood dripping from my hands as I reached for him.
But a voice stopped .
"ENOUGH!"
The force of it froze the hall.
Venus.
He had finally moved.
With a flick of his wrist, a wave of black pressure slamd into the room, crushing everyone to their knees.
The heirs collapsed instantly, coughing, their faces pale as death.
Even Pixie whimpered, her broken body shivering under the weight.
I alone stood, trembling but upright, teeth gritted against the sheer dominance of his aura.
Venus's eyes t mine, sharp and sorrowful. "You think this power makes you invincible?
You think consuming souls will save her? All you're doing is digging your own grave, boy."
I tilted my head, smiling wider. "Maybe. But at least I'll drag all of you down with ."
He didn't flinch.
Didn't blink.
His robe swayed as he raised his hand. "So be it."
And then he struck.
Venus's speed was inhuman.
One instant he was across the hall, the next his palm was in my chest.
The impact sent flying, ribs cracking, blood spraying from my mouth as I smashed through a pillar and skidded across the stoned pathway.
My vision blurred.
I coughed, grinning through the blood as I raised my hands again, looking deep into his wyes.
"You'll regret this, old man."
***
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