Crowds of people stood blocking the street as the five of them headed towards the disaster's epicenter. Rhea ran at a considerable distance in front of him while Queen made an effort to stay beside him. Ryuji could run faster to in an attempt to catch up, but he was much more concerned with making sure he didn't leave Dot and Jessy behind. The two of them were by no means unfit but compared to the three ability users in front of them, they were no match. The smell of smoke and fire filled the air as they got closer. The crowds thinned, and numerous fires could be seen in front of them.
A cold sweat broke on Ryuji's brow as the sight of fire became more and more common the farther they marched on. "Calm down, calm down." He whispered to himself while running over a bridge that connected to the inner ring of the city. They had officially crossed the threshold to the center.
Without a single warning, Rhea stomped on the brakes and whipped around. Ryuji and Queen stopped in response while the two slowpokes managed to catch up. "Fin... ally, are you trying to kill us?!" Dot whipped up a complaint while attempting to catch her breath. She leaned over and clutched her dress, which she had somehow been able to sprint full force in.
Screams and cries echoed through the air. People experienced tragedy all around them. The mood did not allow for anyone to even comment on the poorly timed joke. Rhea's stone face started giving orders. "I want you four to run around and evacuate anyone who hasn't already left. I imagine quite a few people are staying in their houses, afraid to leave. It'll be a big problem for me if there are still innocents around whenever I fight the cause of this."
Jessy spoke up first. "How can you be so sure that this wasn't a hit and run? The attacker might have used all his magic in one shot before running away, using the chaos as cover. Why would someone launch an attack on innocent people and then just sit there and wait? That just doesn't make much sense to me."
"I want to know the answer to that too. But what I do know is that a large presence is still in that square. I felt some interference with it a few minutes ago, but that stopped almost as soon as it began." The confidence in her answer was all the convincing Jessy needed to hear.
Queen spoke her mind next. "Why should we risk our lives like this without any payment? I'm sorry to say this to you, but you're a complete stranger. And frankly, I am not the sort of adventurer that does things out of the kindness of my heart." Her usual lack of empathy made Ryuji grit his teeth in frustration. This was the same attitude that led to more casualties than necessary in the village incident.
Before Ryuji could chew her out, Rhea spoke resolutely without a single hint of anger or annoyance. "If money is all that you require to risk your life, then you have my word that you will receive considerable compensation for this task. Just think of me as your employer for this matter and try to complete this job to the best of your abilities." Queen couldn't help but stay silent as Rhea coerced her using the very logic she laid out.
Rhea turned her head questioningly to Dot, who she assumed would be the next person to interject in some way. But when she turned, she saw that Dot was admiring driftwood floating down the canal. Seeming to notice the attention on her, Dot turned and said. "You don't gotta convince me, sword lady. If Ryu's in it to win it, then so am I!"
"How noble of you! I know from the bottom of my heart that the people you save will be forever grateful to you." Dot rolled her nonexistent eyes at the compliment as if to say that she didn't give a single fuck about the people in this place. Rhea, not noticing, addressed them all. "Okay, then! I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors! May you all stay safe!" With that, Rhea rushed at full speed towards the square.
"Then I'll go left!" With a hop and a skip, Jessy ran to the left. She broke down the first door she saw.
"I'll go Right." Queen noticed the drag state Ryuji was in and flashed a look of concern. With a look like she wanted to say something, she ran towards a nearby enflamed home.
"Hmm, then I guess I'll just start going to random ones!" Dot waved goodbye to Ryuji. With a little dance move that he would describe as a moonwalk, she danced towards a smokey alleyway.
Fires licked buildings while Ryuji stood perfectly still. Memories he had tried his best to push into the back of his mind began resurfacing. The crackle heard all around him made his head spin. With great fervor, he ran towards the square in hopes that he would catch up. The closer he got to the center, the more the smell got to him. Death and melted flesh dominated the air alongside the smoke. His legs moved even faster in response. His breathing ran ragged. The buildings became more and more desolate as if a natural disaster had originated in the center. The thoughts he kept became wilder and wilder.
As he ran recklessly forward, he noticed a figure standing and waiting. "Rhea!" He called out her name with a smile on his face. But when she turned to face him, he saw nothing but anger.
"I told you to evacuate people! So why are you following me to the most dangerous place in this city!?" He had never heard her angry before. It was so off-putting that Ryuji froze still in shock before he could answer.
"W-well, you see..." Ryuji turned his gaze towards the ground. "I'm, uh, not so good with fire."
Rhea took a long look at him before turning back around. "Fine then. Let's go. I can't afford to waste any more time."
"R-Right!"
After a blistering full sprint that left Ryuji with burning lungs, they arrived at the square. Ryuji's legs felt weak and wobbly. The scene in front of him was graphic enough to make him feel he arrived at a horror movie set. Bodies lay strewn about the plaza. Some burned, others just cut to pieces, and a few crushed. Blood caked the bricks that made up the ground he stood on. And in the center of it all was a green-haired man in a suit who looked rather bored.
His face lit up instantly the moment he noticed he had company. He got up from the custom seat he made using two rather fresh bodies and patted down his rear end to dispose of any filth. With a smile that could make any child cry, he spoke. "Hello and welcome to your graveyard. Don't worry, I can guarantee you won't be lonely. I mean, just look at all the people who will be joining you, SWORD SAINT!"
Rhea slowly stepped forward, straddling the legendary blade while it remained in the sheath. Ryuji's eyes were glued onto the man whose very presence felt like a violation. Flames flickered all around, only adding to his ever-increasing anxiety before he noticed a flash. A glint of metal next to the bodies he had just been using as a stool. A scythe that he had seen many times. "Rhea!" He called out to her with a cry of uncertainty.
Without turning away from her opponent, she responded. "Yes?"
"I know two of... the casualties. You felt a disturbance earlier right? That had to of been them! We didn't see any more flashy magic, and I know for a fact that nothing less than flashy magic could have taken those two down!"
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that somehow this guy is a master magician and fighter. That, or there's one lurking somewhere around. Either way, you need to be careful." Still looking ahead, she nodded in affirmation before continuing her walk forward.
"Can you please stop having a separate chat? It's kind of rude. Don't you have some burning questions for me?" The amount of joy he seemed to be getting from this made Ryuji sick to his stomach. He had met plenty of demons and killers. Even dark gods who treated mortal lives like stepping stones. But he had never met someone who seemed so human but also so alien.
The Saint's face twisted in contempt. "Yes, I do, actually. I have two questions for you." Her voice boomed, laced with an animosity so heavy that Ryuji momentarily forgot what this person looked like happy. "Who are you? And why did you do this!?"
"Who am I? Ha! Who I am doesn't really matter now, does it? Who cares what my name is? People only care about the crime, not the criminal. And while we're on the subject of that, a crime is subjective. To me, the ones I killed were the criminals, and I was completely and totally justified. Just like governments convict those that oppose them even though in the eyes of most, they've done nothing wrong. So how come a government gets to discern its own judgment, but I can't? Isn't that just plain wrong? So I say to the abyss with them! I really believe-"
"SHUT UP!" Rhea's shout interrupted the mad man's long speech. Ryuji was sure this would set him off, but he actually looked pretty happy about it. As if he was having the most fun time of his life. "I'll give you one more chance. Who are you, and why did you do this?"
"Who am I? I'm a person that hates everything and everyone! Why did I do it? Because that's who I am. In my eyes, those people deserved it." He spoke nonchalantly as if he was explaining something that should be rather obvious.
Ryuji couldn't hold back from butting into the conversation anymore. "How the fuck did those people deserve it!? How can you justify that?"
The lunatic's smirk shifted into something more sinister. His eyes shook in contempt. His hands were openly raised to the skies as if he was attempting to strangle something. "WHY? I saw people communing through here on their way to work. I saw people simply out on a romantic occasion. I saw people taking their children out with them. Is it not infuriating to have something that you do not possess so boldly flaunted in front of you? I have no job. I have no romance. I have no family! I saw people happy. Why are you so happy? What are you so cheerful about? My life is nothing but misery, so why do you get to be so giddy!? Why are you so angry? My heart burns with contempt stronger than any star. Compared to my anger, yours is but a weak ember, so why do you so obviously parade it in front of me!? Why are you so sad? My existence is a constant tragedy, a work of art that would make any who gaze upon it fall into despair. So why do you act like your life is so terrible!? Compared to mine, you're living a fantasy!"
Both of the spectators couldn't help but just gaze at the man in front of them as his rant continued. He was now clutching his head with his hands as he foamed at the mouth. "WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? Why are you so indifferent!? You should wear your life on your sleeve more! Show me a glimpse into your world! Don't hide it from me! All those people working in tandem to HUMILIATE ME!" With his last line, the screaming stopped. The only noises heard in the square were the flames slowly spreading and the heavy breathing.
"You still haven't told me your name." Quietly yet menacingly, Rhea forced her demand.
A wild chuckle came out of him before looking directly into her eyes. "Why do you want to know so badly!?"
"It's mostly for the clerical duties I will have to attend to after I kill you. But it's also for the families that you destroyed today. They need someone that they can curse for eternity."
"Is that so? Is that so? I don't really see much of a reason to give my name to people who will die. But I guess it can't hurt!" His anger all but vanished and was now replaced with a cold smugness. With great mockery, he bowed. "I am the jealous sinner, Zelus! Pleased to make your acquaintance Sword Saint!"
"So you are Envy!? Then, you planned this, didn't you?"
"Planned? I suppose you could say that. But really, I was just passing through here by chance. Then I heard a rumor that the all-powerful Saint was residing here. So in the spur of the moment, I beckoned you here to see if the rumors were true."
She slowly drew the legendary sword. "I can't believe this! I will put you down!"
"You are more than welcome to try!" In an instant, she was upon him. Her strike surpassed the speed of sound. The clang of metal sounded throughout the plaza. "You have to try harder." With one hand Zelus held a dagger, which he used to repel the strike.
"How?" Ryuji shared the same perplexion as Rhea. Her sword was one of the sacred blades. A set of weapons crafted with such rare material that they could never chip, break, or rust. They were also renowned for being the sharpest and hardest weapons on the planet. His dagger should be in pieces.
"You are so conceited. Do you think you own the only sacred blade in the world? Even if you, the Sword Saint, attack another sacred blade, it would not shatter." With a flick of his wrist, he started spinning the dagger. "Your Reaper cannot scratch my Night Grazer." The dagger he held emanated an aura much like the sword in Rhea's possession. The blade looked as if someone had forged a weapon out of the very cosmos itself.
This information shocked Rhea more than Ryuji thought it would. He wanted to walk forward and help, but if this man blocked Rhea's attack, then there was no way of him landing anything on him. Rhea spoke out with a shaky voice. "If that's true, then how would you even get that weapon?"
"Hmm? Well, it used to belong to some hero name... Algoro, I believe. He was the hero of the elves and monstrously strong. The thing that people tend to forget about is that heroes are still just people. They're still just men. Eventually, he had to take a nap, and well, the rest is history." His self-satisfying smile sent chills down Ryuji's spine.
It had the opposite effect on Rhea, however. "Scum!"
"I never claimed I wasn't!" A flurry of strikes descended upon him. But to Ryuji's surprise, he parried and dodged them all without much effort. "Ah, I love this part! The part where you learn what it feels like to be powerless!" An ungodly amount of mana flowed around his dagger. A visible distortion appeared in the air around it. "Hunt, Grey Pack!" With a thrust of his dagger, numerous giant grey wolves appeared out of thin air.
"So Ryuji was right." The wolves bore down on her from all directions. "Photon Razor." Within a millisecond, the wolves were torn into ribbons, and the mana holding them together disappeared.
"What an amazing move!" Zelus crossed the distance between them, holding his dagger above his head. "Photon Razor!"
Rhea could barely react in time. "La Buris!" A flash of steel that happened too fast for human observation rang out. New blood made its way onto the bricks from both sides. Zelus now missed his right arm and a piece of his shoulder. Rhea was now without her right eye. A giant waterfall of crimson flowed from the wound.
"It seems you were faster than I expected! But no matter, for I will simply heal my wounds. You, on the other hand, will suffer without your complete eyesight!" His hand touched the eyesore that was his shoulder. "Highest Heal!" A flash of green light extended but immediately faded away. His injury still flooded out dark scarlet. "H-How... HOW!?" Genuine fear cemented itself upon his visage.
"Those who are struck by me cannot heal their wounds with spells. My blessing of the hunt cuts off all ether support to the spot I injure. You may be able to stop the bleeding, but your arm will remain severed." She threateningly stepped forward with her sword pointed directly at him.
He stepped back in fear holding his dagger in a defensive pose. "I see. Then I can't win in a fair fight, huh?" The smile he lost quickly found its way back to him again. "Do you see that building over there?"
Rhea's eye widened. Across the way, to his left, barely in sight of the plaza, was an untouched building. As if the carnage had purposefully missed that one sanctuary. "...No..."
A quick laugh escaped him. "Oh, yes! You see, people are still inside it. You can feel them, can you not?" Sweat trickled down her neck as her hands tightened around her sword grip. "Say, what would happen if I attacked them? Would you let them die and kill me while I was attacking, or would you protect them like the noble Saint you are!?" Rhea launched across the ground, leaving a wake of destroyed brick.
"Margra." A beam of condensed ether discharged towards the building. Rhea intercepted it before it could even leave the square. Her sword cut against the energy splitting it down the middle. "Behind you." A whisper caressed her ear. Both in front of her and behind her, Zelus stood. "A body duplication magic I learned from a colleague." His dagger pressed against the back of her head. "Remember, you lost to me because you underestimated my power." A single phrase sounded from his lips.
"Impact."
A red and pink mess with bits of white splattered in front of her. Her head looked very much like a cartoon gun after it misfires. Bile rose in Ryuji's throat, and he suppressed the urge to vomit. The double disappeared into smoke while the real one went to inspect the body. "So only she can use it, huh?" Envy tugged at the Reaper, which wouldn't budge an inch.
"You psychopath..." A faint whisper escaped him as he drew his sword from its sheath.
Zelus faked a surprised look. "Oh? Are you going to try and stop meeeee?" With a mocking grin, he placed the one hand he had inquisitively upon his lips. "Even though you're the epitome of weak?"
"I'll show you how weak I am!"
"Oh, I am sure you will." a fist drove itself deep into Ryuji's ribcage. Audible cracks could be heard as bone slipped off bone.
With his teeth grit so hard that blood leaked out of his gums, Ryuji struck the object of his rage. "Death-" The man with a grin shoved the dagger through Ryuji's palms before slicing away. The katana fell out of his now unusable hands. Tendons dangled, keeping the hands barely fixed to his body. An animalistic cry came out of his mouth as the pain blurred all thoughts.
"You and I are alike in a lot of different ways, boy." Zelus kneeled in front of Ryuji, so their eyes were level with each other.
"I'm nothing like you!" Ryuji wanted nothing more than to slice apart the man in front of him. A feral rage was the only thing keeping him awake as ounces of blood escaped through his hands.
"Oh, cmon don't be like that. We both are weak, brittle creatures that despise those who oppose us, right? Not to mention, we both carry a shard of the dark soul. In a way, we are comrades."
"You can take your comradery and choke on it!" Spittle flew from his mouth and landed on the man in front of him.
"You know, maybe we aren't alike after all." The smile he wore fell away to a darker expression. His words lost their chipper tone. "I hate that look in your eyes. They tell me that you think there's a way out of this. You're wrong. There is no way out. You're going to die here. Do you want to know why? It's because you're weak. That's it. Isn't this world so cruel? Isn't it so unfair? Aren't you upset?"
Ryuji couldn't muster any words to bite back. He was thinking about using Sacred High Heal. Then, before he could, a high-speed punch laid him flat. The world spun around him. "Hey, I noticed something from looking at you. Do you not like fire?" Ryuji's face seized up. "I thought so." A devilish smile was the last thing Ryuji saw before he heard. "Inferno."
Flesh melted against flesh as flames engulfed his whole body. His mind gave way. The body he possessed became nothing more than a puddle. Ryuji's first life in the city of Priscillica faded away as his trial by fire began.