An Attribute Control Skill belonging solely to a Sovereign Boundary Physique.
That was "Affection Annihilation".
Arthur watched as the formless image of an enormous Affection Tree Fae appeared behind him, standing at over a kilometre tall, constantly flickering in and out of existence. The faint green coloured leaves rustled gently in the wind as the pink coloured vines fell loosely from its tall branches.
Because the Affection Tree Fae was something unique to the Boundless Forest Yearning, only the wielder of that specific Sovereign Boundary Physique could use this Attribute Control Skill at any given point in time.
It was a relatively common piece of knowledge that was passed down through all Clans and Sects, in the event that they ever come across a Fae Master with a Sovereign Boundary Physique. They could entice them with promises of Attribute Control Skills, and powers unique to them and them alone.
Of course Arthur knew this Skill. It was one that had been refined by countless generations of Boundless Forest Yearning wielders. Arthur was only the next person in line, to perfect, or adapt this Skill for his own personal use.
Due to it only being a Rank 2 Spirit Affection Tree Fae, the range of the Skill was only about a kilometre in every direction around Arthur. But considering how long he had spent exposing everyone in the Village to his seeds of affection, it was natural that almost everyone in the Village possessed pink lines of affection.
Both Elder Vova and Elder Anatol felt their eyes widen, and they both suppressed any injuries they might've possessed, opting to make use of their Attribute Control Skills once more.
Arthur instantly felt a connection between each and every single person currently affected by his Attribute Control Skill, within the range if a single kilometre. Numerous pink coloured lines could be perceived by his Eyes of Affection, and smiling softly, Arthur pulled at the faint string between him and Elder Anatol, instantly causing a physical reaction within the five hundred year old man.
The line of attraction linking Elder Anatol and Arthur was severed with a gentle pull, causing the seed of affection within Elder Anatol's mind to explode, and his sea of consciousness to instantly detonate.
In the real world, Elder Vova's eyes turned red, and he fell from the sky as if an angel whose wings had suddenly been cut.
Arthur glanced at all the remaining lines of affection, pulling at them all as if a harpist gently pulling on a series of notes. The bodies of all the villagers who resided within Parachenko Village all collapsed to the ground, as if lifeless puppets who had their strings suddenly severed.
Arthur could've used this Attribute Control Skill the exact moment he entered the Village, but thought it would be rude to kill his entire family in such an impersonal way. The people who had given birth to him.... raised him.... fed and clothed him.... cutting their strings of affection and causing the seed of affection within them to explode would be so.... boring....
Also, if the affection connected two people was stronger than the powers of his Affection Tree Fae, then the seeds of affection wouldn't properly take root. Real affection, was the only way to beat the Affection Tree Fae.
'Kind of ironic.... isn't it....'.
Arthur sighed.
With this final note, he would kill every single person within Parachenko Village.
Arthur stared down at Elder Vova, who was currently clenching his fists as he continued to surround himself with untainted flower petals. The elderly man glanced out at all of the Fae Masters whom he had taught, whom he had considered children to some degree, and glared at Arthur with all the rage in the world that could only come from a Father grieving the loss of his children.
Arthur rested his leafsword fae gently on the shoulder of Elder Vova. The old man gritting his teeth as he continued to unblinkingly stare daggers into Arthur's soul.
"Is there anything you'd like to say before I end this?".
Elder Vova shook his head, his expression stern and his gaze filled to the brim with hatred.
"Even if you destroy the Kovacs Clan Arthur, you can never change the fact that you yourself bear the blood of your ancestors! From now until the end of your days, your name will always be Arthur-".
Arthur silenced Vova Kovacs, not even sparing him a glance as his head collided with the ground.
Once more Arthur flicked his sword out, not daring to stain his sword with blood.
Letting out a deep breath, Arthur looked upwards, towards the rising smoke, trying to find any trace of feeling within his heart. But.... like always, nothing but a still and gentle sea was reflected back at Arthur....
Other than the desires of the flesh, he had no emotion within his heart. At least.... no remorse or guilt or any sort of lingering attachment could be felt.
Arthur glanced upwards at the massive illusion of the Affection Tree Fae. A small feeling of pride could be felt within him.
He had no doubt that to some degree, Arthur was proud, or even arrogant about himself. He was over a thousand years old at this point, and messing around like a teenager again did feel slightly entertaining at the very least.
But.... there was a time for childish antics, and there was a time for growing up. Leaving the Village, in his current state especially would always need strength to back it up.
And after a year.... he had killed almost the entirety of his Village.
Only a handful of chosen Kovacs were still alive. Ones that Arthur himself chose, out of the entire population.
Glancing at the entrance to Parachenko Village, Arthur could hear the faint sounds of horses and the shouts of young men and women. Sitting down on a seat without any blood on it, Arthur took out a Rank 1 Fae material and lit the tip of it on fire, taking in a deep breath before crushing it under his foot.
He could hear the shouts and screams coming from Milena, Parvan, Iryna and the rest, but just let out a dull sigh before clutching his head in his hands. His expression, posture and everything else just caused Helga in the back to collapse to her knees, screaming out as an endless stream of tears trailed down her face.....
Wandering around the streets of Parachenko Village, Zlatanna and Eric suppressed the bile rising in their throats, gagging slightly as they saw the mutilated bodies and the few remaining corrupted mortals still devouring a half eaten child.
Henrik and Dagen, gazed at the remnants of the Clan Leaders residence, looking at the headless Vova as well as the collapsed Elder Anatol. It had only been a couple weeks since they last saw either of them, and now they were both....
Nyssa, just stood silently amongst the rubble and the destruction. Her expression still and her face seemingly undisturbed. Turning her head slightly and gazing at Arthur, the young girl knelt down, holding Arthur's head in her chest.
She lowered herself, placing her mouth just beside his ear.
"If at any point in time I'm not useful to you anymore.... you can just throw me away, but until that point....".
"I'm yours".
Arthur's eyes turned slightly pink and he smiled slightly, looking at the black line of affection between him and Nyssa. The two teens, amidst all the carnage and destruction, held each other as if they were a lifeline.
Yet, one was willing to let the other use them to hide their true feelings.