Evan’s tears fell emptily, soaking the dry ground that was now stained with the blood of the orphanage children.
Just when he had already come to see them as family, these people had been the ones who filled the emptiness in his heart, the ones who gave him a reason to feel alive. Yet they had died because of him.
"Why... does it always end up like this?"
Slowly, Evan released his grip on Anastasia’s head. He wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his torn clothes, then stood upright.
The light in his eyes had died, replaced by a deep, burning darkness. Evan gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands.
Crimson-golden Sword Aura exploded from within his body once again, this time far denser, twisting wildly like flames ready to devour everything in their path.
"You..." Evan’s voice sounded like a whisper of death from the depths of an abyss. "...will pay for every drop of their blood."
BOOOMMM!
Without caring about his own life anymore, Evan charged alone toward the hundreds of soldiers, Lord Velmora, and Luis.
The one-sided battle erupted violently. Evan fought like a fearless, pain-free demon. Every swing of his sword cleaved through iron armor and claimed the lives of dozens of knights. His Sword Aura slashes cracked the walls of the orphanage, creating devastating chaos in the middle of the dark night.
Behind the ranks of soldiers, Silvy Velmora screamed hysterically. Her face was soaked with tears as she watched the man she loved being mercilessly slaughtered.
"Aiden! Stop! Father, stop this attack!" Silvy screamed as she tried to push her way forward.
However, two senior knights tightly restrained both of her arms. Silvy could only cry and scream in agonizing helplessness. She watched with her own eyes as the man who had protected her all this time fought alone until his very last drop of blood.
STAB!
A spear pierced through Evan’s thigh, followed by Lord Velmora’s sword slashing across his back. Yet Evan did not even groan. With the last of his strength, he twisted his body and sliced off Lord Velmora’s right hand, causing the Lord to scream in agony!
"You bastard, Aiden!" Lord Velmora roared as he clutched his severed arm.
Luis, the Holy Knight, took advantage of the opening. With a cold gaze, Luis stepped forward swiftly and drove his Holy Sword straight through Evan’s left chest!
CRASH!
The gleaming steel pierced Evan’s heart, ripping away the last remnants of Aura and life from the young Sword Master’s body. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Thick blood gushed from Evan’s mouth. His body froze. However, instead of collapsing face-first onto the ground in disgrace, Evan drove his own sword deep into the stone beneath him. With the last remnants of his consciousness, Evan supported his shattered body, allowing himself to fall in an upright kneeling position, like a hero who refused to bow even before death.
"Aideeeennn!" Silvy screamed, her voice tearing through the night before she finally fainted from the overwhelming shock.
Evan’s vision began to fade into darkness. His heartbeat stopped. However, precisely at the threshold of death, a freezing breeze carrying an intense scent of lavender gently brushed against his ears.
"Ah... how beautiful you look when you’re broken like this, my dear Evan..."
SRAAAAAKKK!
The night sky above Velmora City suddenly split apart! The black clouds turned a terrifying blood-red. The air temperature plummeted to freezing, freezing every drop of blood suspended in the air into ice crystals.
An elegant woman in a black dress stepped out from the dimensional rift. Anna had arrived.
The Witch’s face showed neither anger nor sorrow. Instead, her red lips curved into the happiest, most beautiful, and most insane smile that had ever existed. Her eyes sparkled with absolute adoration as she gazed at Evan’s stiff, kneeling corpse.
"W-What the hell is this?!" Luis screamed in panic as his Holy Sword trembled violently before shattering into tiny fragments. "This magical pressure... the Witch Queen!"
Anna did not even look toward Luis or Lord Velmora. She merely lazily flicked her slender fingertip.
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!
Destructive Magic exploded across the entirety of Velmora City! In the blink of an eye, a gigantic wave of red energy flattened every building in the city, burning thousands of soldiers, Lord Velmora, Luis, and every citizen into fine ash before they could even scream. The entire city of Velmora vanished from the map of the world in less than three seconds.
Only a small area two meters in diameter remained completely intact without a single scratch: the area where Evan’s corpse was kneeling.
Anna stepped onto it gracefully. She crouched before Evan’s cold corpse, brushing the man’s hair aside with her warm fingers.
Anna pulled Evan’s stiff body into her embrace, kissing his cheeks and pale lips with affectionate kisses.
"You fought so wonderfully, Darling..." Anna whispered softly, giggling in triumph. "You must be wondering, right? Where did I go during this past month? Even though I said you were free to try escaping from me... The truth is, I was afraid you would really leave. You have no idea how much I suffered when I couldn’t see you."
"I deliberately didn’t come for an entire month, Evan... I let you feel free and made you lose your vigilance and information about the Empire’s suspicions. I let you build this orphanage, gather those children, and believe that you could live without me..."
Anna gazed at Evan’s face as she caressed his pierced chest.
"I knew this place would be attacked. I knew your children would be slaughtered and that you would die here... But I chose to remain silent and watch from afar. Why? Because I wanted you to realize, Evan... that this world is cruel. This world will only give you suffering, betrayal, and pain."
Anna’s red eyes gleamed with an obsession that was profound and limitless.
"Only me... I am the only safe place for you in this world. I am the only one who will never leave you."
Anna placed both palms over Evan’s shattered chest. An ancient magic circle glowed brightly beneath their bodies.
To revive a human who had died with a shattered heart, the price required was something that went beyond the logic of magic itself—Anna had to sacrifice half of her Dark Magic Core and the life force she had accumulated.
Anna’s face suddenly turned deathly pale, black blood trickled from the corner of her lips, and several strands of her beautiful black hair briefly turned white from the massive sacrifice of power. Yet Anna laughed happily.
"Take my power, Evan... Take my soul... Live again only for me! From now on, you truly will never try to distance yourself from me again! If I die, you will die with me."
THUMP.
The hole in Evan’s chest suddenly filled with flesh and pure magical energy! His dead heart gave one powerful beat!
THUMP! THUMP!
Evan gasped violently as his lungs began drawing in fresh air again. Color returned to his skin, and slowly, his brown eyes opened slightly, hazily looking at Anna, who was holding him tightly with a pale face and an obsessive smile.
"A... nna...?" Evan whispered in an exceedingly weak and hoarse voice.
Anna tightened her embrace, pressing their foreheads together.
"Welcome back, my Evan..." Anna whispered in a sweet yet chilling tone. "Now, you have no one else left in this world. You have nowhere to return to, no destination, and no reason to run from me anymore."
Anna wiped away the tears at the corner of Evan’s eyes as he had just awakened from death, wearing a smile of absolute victory.
"From today onward and forever... you will always need me. And you... truly will never be able to leave or even think of running away from me again, my Husband."