Kael retraced his steps through the desolate ruins of the Valtherion estate. It has been a place of grandeur, but was now a memory in shambles—a reminder of what had been stolen from him.
His boots crunched over broken stone and splintered wood, the air carried ash and silence. The sight of it all made his blood simmer.
Every shattered pillar and charred wall cried of betrayal, of loss. The rage burned at his chest.
This was home once—wasn't it? The thought was lost as soon as he found it, blurred by the fog of his fractured memories.
However, the anger felt instinctive. He clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms.
As Kael stepped deeper through the breach, a snarl broke the silence. From the shadows came a goblin-like creature, its skin was a pale green-gray and its uneven teeth bared in a snarl.
The Ravager was crouched low, its blood red eyes locked on him with intent nothing if not predatory.
Then it rushed at him.
Kael moved with instincts, his hand feeling the worn hilt of the blade seemingly glued to his hand—the very blade the mysterious figure had forced into his grip countless times, so much so his hand felt unnatural without it.
The Ravager's claws swiped at him, but Kael ducked low, the blade flashed upward in a single brutal arc.
The creature made a strangled shriek as Kael's blade tore through its midsection. It staggered back, clutching its spilling entrails, but Kael didn't stop.
He stepped forward, driving the sword through the creature's chest with a force that pinned it to the ground. The Ravager writhed for a moment, its death throes violent, before it fell still.
Kael pulled the blade free, blood dripping from its edge. He stood over the corpse, breathing steady, unshaken. It wasn't a fight—it was an execution.
The silence then returned. A glowing text appeared in the air.
> ◇ Ravager (Rank E) Eliminated. 20 VRP Gained.
> ◇ Current Void Resonance: Level 1 (20/1000 VRP).
The Ravager's body began to disintegrate, crumbling into ash that drifted away on an unseen breeze. Left behind was a single glowing fragment—a soul core. Kael crouched, picking it up. The moment his fingers closed around it, another text appeared.
> ◇ Attempting Soul Absorption.
> ◇ Absorption Failed.
> ◇ Void Resonance Level too low.
Kael studied the floating text, his expression impassive. "Hmm," he muttered, slipping the core into the folds of his tattered cloak. He rose, his attention shifting back to the desolate path ahead.
The breach was collapsing, and he now only waited to leave.
Moving through the landscape, Kael kept his grip on the blade tight. His sharp gaze caught movement ahead, and his steps quickened. What he found stopped him cold.
It was the squad he had followed into the breach—or what was left of them.
The red-haired girl stood with her back to a crumbling wall, her armor scratched and stained with blood. Beside her was the bald man, his posture tense, his breathing labored.
The blonde leader, the one who had barked orders with confidence before, now clutched his abdomen, blood seeping through his fingers. They were battered, exhausted, and clearly at their limit.
In front of them, another Ravager crept forward, its fanged maw dripping with saliva. It was another E-rank, Kael noted, but the squad was in no shape to fight it. Their Etherion reserves were drained, their movements sluggish. They were cornered, and they knew it.
The Ravager snarled, preparing to pounce—but it never got the chance. Kael stepped forward, his blade a flash alone as he slashed through the beast's neck in a single, decisive motion.
The creature collapsed, headless, its blood pooling around its twitching corpse.
The squad stared at him, stunned.
"It's you...You're alive" The blonde leader muttered.
"You're… a Lightforged," the bald man said, his voice laced with disbelief. "I knew it that's the only way you could've entered the breach. But—why do you look so… different?"
"Are you really the beggar?"
Kael ignored the question, his gaze sweeping over the group. "How long has it been?" he asked, his tone flat.
"Five days," the bald man replied. "We couldn't find a way to clear the breach. Two of us didn't make it."
Kael's eyes flicked to the blonde leader, whose pained groans filled the silence, then to the red-haired girl. She wouldn't meet his gaze, her head bowed in shame. She knew what she'd done—how she'd left him to die.
"It's fine," Kael said, his voice lost of emotion. "You did what you had to."
Before she could respond, a growl echoed through the breach. From the shadows emerged three wolf-like creatures, their snouts sniffing the air.
Bloodsniffers.
Kael's eyes narrowed. All of them knew it now—they were deaf and blind, guided only by the scent of blood. And the blonde leader was bleeding.
Panic moved through the squad. The bald man muttered a curse under his breath, and the red-haired girl drew her daggers.
Kael stepped forward, his expression calm. "I have a plan," he said, holding out his hand. "Give me your knife."
The girl hesitated, but only for a moment. She unsheathed one of her daggers from her hips and handed it to him.
Kael took the blade, but before she could pull away, he grabbed her wrist. In one swift motion, he dragged the blade across her arm, drawing a deep, crimson line.
The bloodsniffers froze, their heads snapping toward her. Their nostrils flared, their attention shifting from the blonde leader to the fresh scent of blood.
"What—what are you doing?" she stammered, panic rising in her voice.
Kael didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed her by the arm and shoved her toward the Ravagers. The bloodsniffers pounced, their jaws sinking into her flesh before she could scream. The sound of tearing flesh and her anguished cries rang out, only to be cut short as her body was ripped apart.
The bald man and the blonde leader watched in horror, their expressions disbelief.
"You… you…" the bald man whispered, his voice trembling.
Kael turned to him, his gaze cold. He held up the bloodied dagger, letting the bloodsniffers catch its scent. Then, without a word, he hurled the blade at the bald man. It struck, embedding itself in his gut.
The bald man staggered, clutching at the blade as blood soaked his armor. The bloodsniffers' heads snapped toward him, their snarls growing louder.
Kael's voice was low, almost like he whispered.
"Go eat."
The bloodsniffers obeyed, lunging at the bald man and the blonde leader. Their screams shooting through the breach, only to be drowned out by the sound of tearing flesh and snapping bones.
Kael watched, his expression blank, until the screams faded to silence. He turned away from the carnage, his attention drawn to the glowing text that appeared before him.
> ◇ Void Breach has been cleared. 5 seconds until collapse.
> ◇ Void Breach is collapsing. 1 survivor.
> ◇ Exiting.
As the world around him began to dissolve, Kael lowered his blade. The breach had taken much, but it had given him clarity. He would survive this—and whatever else came next.
The God Slayer always did.