The Fire from Hell, the forbidden fire beyond the gate. It was deemed as such in the novel. However, even if Rise was not informed about it in the book, he was very well aware of this ability.
An ability that even five years later was not known to everyone, except for two people. Kamille himself and him, Rise.
"Fire?" The woman frowned, her face twisting due to the heat. As a being who was fond of cold, she extremely despises the fire. Yet, while looking closely at the black fire, a forbidden knowledge suddenly crossed her mind.
Her eyes widened, and the cracks were significantly widened. If she was only an almost broken mirror earlier, it wouldn't be long for her to break.
Cracks also began to appear in her frozen hair and dress.
She pointed at Kamille incredulously; her blue eyes, which normally could not be seen for emotion, were filled with terror.
"How... How could you have this fire?" The woman stepped back, and could not help but shriek, trying to avoid the black fire. "No! Don't come closer!"
The dominant ice woman began to panic. Seeing how the black fire was continuously spreading and also intending to engulf her, shards of block ice emerged, wanting to envelope herself with it.
However, this was no ordinary fire. The ice gradually melted under the assault of the black fire.
Her panicked eyes turned to Kamille once more. The cracks in her face could not be called cracks anymore at this point; she was slowly melting.
"You..." The woman's trembling voice sounded once more, looking at the human in terror. She was sure this human, whom she felt was strong when she woke up, was not this strong and terrifying.
It was as though, he was deliberately hiding himself, now fully unleashing his true power.
Those cold and emotionless eyes did not hold great weight when she first saw them, yet now... She felt afraid for the first time.
She, a dignified noble, was scared of a... human? An insignificant human?
Feeling indignant, resentment piled up within her. However, not to mention she was far from her peak... Fire was a great counter to her. And this human's fire was no ordinary fire.
"Human..." Her voice sounded so weak as if exhausted; the ice around her was melting as she spoke. "Tell me... How could you have..." Her voice trailed off, terrified at the mere thought of it.
Gritting her teeth, she shouted, feeling unfair. "How could you have the Oblivion Flame? Tell me, who are you?" The ice woman could not understand just how the forbidden fire emerged and is now even being wielded by a mere human?
Oblivion Flame?
Rise, who was watching, was also a bit taken aback. He did not know this kind of flame, but having that name seemed... overpowered, right? At least, they did not name it like that but just called it Hellfire.
On the other hand, Kamille did not flinch as the woman continued to question him. Wielding this power, he always felt that his emotions and consciousness were drifting apart while at the same time merging.
He could not pinpoint exactly what it was, and Kamille did not have any opportunity or desire to explore it. Whenever he was forced to use this ability, he was not himself.
Kamille did not want his control over himself to disappear, which is why he despised the power. He felt like the power was leading him on and not the other way around.
It was an ability he did not truly have control over.
Like now, his emotions were chaotic, and despite not usually being impulsive, Kamille suddenly hated how this woman questioned him.
Kamille did not like her tone. He did not like how she was shouting; her voice irritated her. He hated that... She was existing.
Kamille took a step forward and did not stop, causing the woman to again shout in fear.
"Don't! Don't come closer... you... you demon!" She shrieked; the protective ice around her did not make her feel at ease. Instead, she wanted to escape from it and run, far away from this human whose abilities were unlike a human!
She was too far gone, though, and the fires around her were like beasts waiting for the opportunity to pounce on her and devour her.
Amusement filled his eyes; he even had the urge to laugh. This scene was too funny. If someone other than him witnessed this, they would also think it was quite ridiculous.
A powerful Viscount was now shrieking and begging a human not to get too close. All their knowledge would be overturned.
In the eyes of human civilization, nobles, not to mention a Viscount, were higher-ranking beings capable of destroying humanity.
Now, the situation was reversed, painting a rather comical scene.
Kamille stopped in front of the shouting woman; his emotionless, crimson eyes stared at her. His jaw clenched, the annoyance getting through his head.
Erase her.
She shouldn't exist.
Voices began to appear in his mind, increasing his irritation. These voices were back.
Kamille's face quickly became distorted, and the aura around him surged once more, causing the fire around him to ripple.
"Shut up!" Kamille shouted; his voice was unlike the calm tone he usually had, Rise did not flinch though, as if used to it.
This was not the case for the ice woman; as soon as Kamille shouted, she instinctively stopped wailing. She thought Kamille was reprimanding her.
Kamille's eyes looked at her; it was not the kind of look he would pour on an enemy, more like an annoying pest. The ice woman opened her mouth to say something, but she hiccupped instead.
The fear was not shrouding her whole being and rationality.
She knew that look. She had seen it before. The look of a powerful being looking down on someone he could erase with a flick of his fingers.
For a moment, it reminded her of that powerful figure; someone like her would not be compared to. However, she also did not know why she was comparing a mere human, albeit a more powerful human, to that being?
In fact, she could not delve into it deeper. It only took a few seconds for her consciousness to fade away in an instant. She melted, evaporating like smoke. Her existence vanished, as if she had never existed in the first place.
At some point, Kamille had already raised his sword, striking at the ice woman. The black fire devoured the woman until there was nothing left, not even ash.
Kamille hated the voice but could not control his body and was also annoyed at the existence of the woman.
His eyes glimmered; the crimson hue did not vanish with the disappearance of the woman.
As Kamille said, once the fire was ignited, it would be difficult to put it out. It would continue to burn until... Nothing was left around him.
He slowly turned his head, automatically meeting someone's eyes.
It was Rise, looking intently at Kamille, who looked so much different with his crimson eyes, devoid of any emotion but glimmering with blood lust.
Kamille, in his black uniform, holding his black fire sword, stood in the sea of black flames. He was like the Grim Reaper—no, he was more than that.
He was the king of death itself.
Rise's heart was beating so fast, but not out of fear but excitement.
Looking closely, their eyes were not only different but also different. The obsession they exuded stemmed from opposite sides.
Kamille stopped; his eyes stared at Rise, not sure why the voice stopped.
As he looked at Rise... He did not hate his existence.
Rise laughed, as if anticipating this. He took a step, planning to leave the enclosure of the whirlpool Kamille made to protect the members not from the ice woman but from himself.
Kamille, in this state, would inevitably try to kill everyone until he was exhausted.
The whirlpool was strong, but Rise still managed to bypass it using his ability, the forcefield protecting him from being shredded to pieces. Without fear, Rise slowly approached Kamille.
Kamille did not move an inch; his eyes were only watching as Rise approached him. He unconsciously furrowed his brow, not sure why Rise was not afraid of him. He was confused as to why he did not hate his existence.
A few steps and Rise stood in front of Kamille, raising his head. He smiled widely.
"Guild Leader..." he called, and then slowly reached out until his fingers were about to touch Kamille's right cheek.
Kamille glanced at Rise's fingers, then back at him, again, confused.
Rise felt like his heart was about to escape his chest.
His plan was this, and yet this was more than a plan. Kamille was not just part of his plan; he was his goal. Then or now, he would always be Rise's goal.
A few seconds later, Rise finally touched Kamille's cheek. He saw just how Kamille flinched, tilted his head, and then looked at Rise with bewilderment.
Soon, that bewilderment became astonishment.
Rise's smile widened to the point where it hurt, but he couldn't stop smiling.
"You need me." Rise, then close the distance again until there is almost no space between them.
And I need you, too.