Kill.
The word pulsed through Rin's very being, a relentless drumbeat that echoed in her mind and coursed through her veins. It wasn't a thought—it was instinct, as primal and consuming as fire. Her dark eyes scanned the battlefield, locking onto the humans before her. She didn't see individuals. She saw targets. And they all had to die.
She had to kill them all.
Her smile was chilling, devoid of humanity, as dark mana and black mana crackled around her like twin storms vying for dominance. Black mana—the antithesis of the mana humans revered—coiled with a hunger that transcended mortal understanding. Dark mana, a mere subset of its more sinister counterpart, danced alongside it, amplifying her already overwhelming power.
Together, they merged, feeding into the terrifying might of Duality, her Gift. Rin didn't need the meticulous training of a mage or the calculated precision of mana circles. Her spells weren't learned—they were born, raw and instinctive, the kind of power that defied logic and reason.
Before her, a spell began to take shape. It wasn't deliberate; it simply was. A monstrous arrow of purple energy formed, vibrating with the destructive potential of a nine-circle spell. It radiated malice, the very air around it trembling under the pressure of its creation.
Without hesitation, Rin released it, the arrow of purple carnage tearing through the space between her and Arthur.
Arthur didn't flinch. His sword moved in a single, deliberate arc.
With that one swing, the arrow disintegrated, the sheer force of his strike unraveling its chaotic energy into nothingness.
"Kill," Rin muttered, her voice low and guttural, as though speaking the word alone would reshape the world to her will. Her body tensed, preparing to unleash another attack, but something stopped her.
Arthur's hand rested on her shoulder.
She whipped around instantly, her fist lashing out, clad in astral energy forged from the twisted fusion of black mana and mana. Her punch was fast, lethal, but Arthur moved faster. He sidestepped the strike with effortless grace, his hand sliding from her shoulder to her back in a gesture that was almost comforting.
Rin's eyes narrowed. A new spell began to form, droplets of inky blackness materializing in the air around her, glinting like fragments of the night sky. This was destruction given form, a spell that no human should have been able to withstand.
Arthur didn't waver. He simply smiled.
Rin spread the spell wide, letting it blanket the battlefield. It wasn't just an attack—it was an overwhelming force, a tidal wave of annihilation aimed squarely at the man who dared to stand before her.
Arthur's sword touched the ground.
In an instant, the spell unraveled. The droplets dissipated into harmless vapor, neutralized as though they had never existed.
"Let it all out," Arthur said calmly, his voice steady yet unyielding. He warped space, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. His hand returned to her head, patting it gently. "I can take it."
"Kill!" Rin snarled through gritted teeth, her black mana surging as she lashed out with another punch. But again, Arthur warped space, his movements fluid and precise. Her fist met nothing but air.
She twisted her own mana, her power as a Radiant-rank mage allowing her to bend the axis of space itself. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't detect the subtle shifts when Arthur moved.
It wasn't that he was faster. It was that he was absolute.
His Divine Emperor's Throne subdued the very fabric of space within its boundaries. Rin's power, immense as it was, couldn't overcome the sheer authority of his Domain.
The clash between them continued, a dance of chaos and resolve. Arthur never raised his sword to harm her. No, his blade remained a symbol of defiance, not destruction. Instead, he embraced her with actions that defied the very nature of the battlefield. A hand on her head. A gentle pat on her back. A quiet presence that didn't yield under her fury.
Rin poured everything she had into her attacks—black mana and mana fused into lethal blows, spells of pure annihilation, and raw, unbridled force. Yet, despite her might, an absolute gap stood between them. Not one born of strength alone, but of will.
"Why… why don't you just kill me?" Rin's voice cracked, her dark eyes briefly clearing. Her instincts still screamed at her to kill Arthur, to tear him apart, but the relentless drain of her black mana had allowed her rationality to peek through, fragile yet present.
"I want to save you," Arthur replied simply, his tone as steady as the golden light of his Domain.
"Why? Are you some kind of hero?" Rin spat, the derision in her voice failing to mask the tremor beneath it. Her words were sharp, but they carried an undercurrent of yearning, an unspoken plea she could barely acknowledge even to herself.
Arthur tilted his head slightly, his expression softening, though his golden eyes gleamed with unshakable conviction. "A hero sacrifices one person for the world," he said calmly. "I'm just a crazy bastard who'd sacrifice the world for one person."
Rin froze, her mind struggling to process the words. "What?" she whispered, her voice laced with disbelief.
Before she could react further, Arthur moved. His motions were swift, but not aggressive. She instinctively lashed out, her fist arcing toward him with enough force to shatter mountains. Yet Arthur deflected it with ease, stepping into her space and wrapping his arms around her.
He hugged her.
"So I'll save you, Rin Ashbluff," he whispered, his voice low and steady, carrying an unshakable promise. "And I'll teach you how to love."
Rin growled, a sound that was half frustration and half anguish, as black mana erupted from her like a storm breaking free of its constraints. The sheer force of it chipped away at Arthur's golden armor, shards of light falling like embers. He warped space in an instant, retreating just far enough to avoid being consumed.
"More, huh?" Arthur murmured, scratching his cheek in a gesture that belied the growing strain in his movements. His breathing was heavier now, his Domain flickering ever so slightly. "I can't keep this up much longer."
He wasn't lying to himself. The only reason he was maintaining this overwhelming superiority in the battle was because of his Divine Emperor's Throne. The Domain bent space and reality itself, subjugating even the chaos of black mana. But it had its limits, and Arthur could feel them looming closer with every second.
Still, he pressed on. This wasn't a fight he could afford to lose—not for himself, but for Rin.
"Come on, Rin," Arthur called out, his voice calm but resolute. "Let it all out. Every last bit of it."
Rin snarled, her black mana swirling around her like a living entity, coiling and striking with venomous intent. Yet beneath the storm, her gaze faltered for the briefest of moments. Her attacks continued, relentless and wild, but there was hesitation now. Doubt. Something fragile and fragile and raw, fighting against the all-consuming instinct that demanded she kill.
Arthur smiled faintly, his golden aura burning brighter as he steadied himself for what was to come. "I'll save you," he repeated, more to himself than to her. "Even if it breaks me."