The night felt endless. The bells continued their frantic tolling, echoing through the valley, while the stench of blood and decay transformed the once pristine snowy basin into a massive graveyard. Mui watched all of this, his eyes wide and unblinking. He found no strength to move, as if he were scared that even the slightest shift would make death instantaneous. His mind had completely stopped working, he could only watch as Death stood just a few feet away from him.
As the woman stepped closer without a single expression, Mui made no move to run. At this point, he had given up subconsciously. Little Mui had never seen such a thing before, his system didn't know whether to beg for mercy, run, scream, or cry. The air around him grew heavy, vibrating with a pressure that made his lungs feel like they were collapsing.
Without any emotion, the woman raised her sword toward Mui's neck. The blue flames around her created a stifling, hot atmosphere in the snowy valley, the heat clashing with the ice to create a thick, ghostly fog.
From a distance, a knife came flying toward the woman, aimed for her neck. She dodged it easily by moving to the right, but the knife contained a paper bomb. A sudden explosion of smoke surrounded them. Instantly, the woman cleared the air by swinging her sword, unleashing a localized air slash that sent the smoke dissipating into the night.
"Running away won't help. I can smell your blood from miles away," the woman said to the three boys now holding Mui. Her voice was calm and composed, yet it carried an edge that suggested she had already calculated their deaths. She had noticed immediately that Mui was no longer in his original spot.
"Mui, are you okay?" Mui snapped out of his terror as he heard a familiar voice and felt a comforting touch.
"B-big brother... where were you?" Mui asked, his voice shaking in pure terror. The smell of his brother's familiar scent provided a brief, fragile shield against the metallic stench of the dead.
"Father wanted me to leave the estate as he was informed that someone had entered this valley... I was placing the horses... but I couldn't find you in your room," Leon explained. He looked at the silver-haired woman in front of them, his eyes fixing on the blood coating her sword. He realized now who had entered the valley, and the thought that she had defeated an entire army alone was terrifying to him. He froze where he stood, the cold of the snow finally reaching his bones.
"Come on! What are you two waiting for? Let's go!" Ryuuken shouted, punching Leon on the head to make him snap out of his thoughts. The sound of the punch echoed in the quiet garden, a sharp contrast to the ringing bells.
"Yeah! To think of fighting that woman would be a death wish," Rui said with deep worry, his eyes darting around the burning estate. The four boys had never seen such high mana pools in their lives, they had only heard of such power in legends.
"B-but you said our valley was never successfully invaded by any army!" Mui asked as the boys started to run. Leon was holding Mui tightly, since Mui's leg was injured and dragging in the snow.
"It was true... we are as shocked as you are, kid... but it's just a woman, not an army, which makes this more terrifying," Ryuuken said. His breath came in ragged gasps, the cold air stinging his throat as they sprinted.
"She is no ordinary woman, you idiot! She is Aurelith Dawnveil. We brought this upon ourselves by our greed," Rui said in a frustrated tone. The snow crunched violently under their feet, a frantic rhythm of escape.
"There is no time for regret. I wish... I wish if I had the power to stop Father at that point, this would never happen," Leon said. His voice cracked and tears fell from his eyes. Mui looked surprised, seeing his big brother cry. Leon had never cried in front of him before, and seeing those tears made the situation feel truly hopeless.
"Let's go..." Ryuuken's expression turned grave. He used his divine blessing for speed, pulling Rui along and hugging Leon and Rui from behind to propel them forward. In a few steps, they were standing by a carriage, the wood creaking under the sudden movement.
Leon looked behind them, he didn't find the woman following. Rui looked as well, his eyes searching the dark tree line.
"There is no time! Get in the carriage, we need to get out of here!" The voice belonged to Leon and Mui's father, the head of House Corvus. His once proud and ambitious expression now showed a stark hint of worry, his skin pale in the moonlight.
"Father... your greed has brought death upon us... our people are dead because of you... we don't even know how many survived!" Leon snapped at his father, his anger reaching a point where he grabbed the man's collar. The fabric strained in his grip.
"Watch your tone! I did each single thing for the well-being of the House," his father said in a defensive tone, his voice gravelly and harsh.
"Well-being? You sent Iriz to eliminate a Dawnveil heir! Because of your ambitions, both Iriz and our people are buried beneath the ground!" Leon shouted. His voice echoed off the carriage, raw with a peak of anger.
"Because of me, you still have your head on your body. You are just like your younger brother. Both are a disgrace," his father said in a gruff voice. Mui's heart sank again at the cold words of his father. The rejection felt sharper than the winter wind.
"Father... don't cross the limits" Leon's eyes darkened, a shadow falling over his face. But before he could do anything, Ryuuken spoke up.
"There is no time for arguing! Let's leave before the woman finds us" Ryuuken said, his eyes scanning the horizon. Rui nodded as well. Leon, understanding the situation, suppressed his anger. As they were about to step inside the carriage, a voice interrupted them.
"Found you."
The voice was so calm that they all recognized who it belonged to. Aurelith stood before them, her posture perfectly composed, her silver hair shimmering like a blade under the moon.
"U-um... Lady Aurelith... perhaps we can negotiate this..." Leon's father tried to speak, but he was cut off by her calm, steady voice.
"Do you think a mother can forgive a person who dared to harm her child? You are solely mistaken. You desired the blood of my child, but now your whole valley is colored in the blood of your own people," Aurelith said firmly. She stepped closer, and they all tensed. Sweat started dripping from the forehead of Leon and Mui's father, the heat of her blue flames melting the snow around their feet.
"Now I understand... this woman let us escape at the beginning so she could get to you," Leon mumbled to himself. He watched as she stepped forward with the intent to finish them.
Suddenly, a blue, needle-sized light came from a distance and went straight through the head of the woman. They all looked on in shock. The woman's eyes widened before she fell to the ground, her body hitting the snow with a dull thud.
"Forgive me... it took me long, Lord Corvus. This mission took so many casualties," a familiar voice echoed through the freezing wind. Iriz appeared, his blue hair flashy even in the dark.
"Iriz? You are alive?" Lord Corvus asked, looking at the assassin he thought was dead.
"Yes... they held me captive... I escaped as soon as that woman left the Dawnveil estate. However... I couldn't eliminate the boy," Iriz said, panting slightly. A hint of wounded pride showed in his eyes; he had never failed before.
"At least you stopped that woman," Ryuuken said, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.
"Yeah, at least you are going to live now," Rui added, sighing in relief.
"Have you seen anyone alive on your way into the valley?" Leon asked with a clear hint of concern.
"Unfortunately... no, I haven't checked. My top priority was to reach her and eliminate the woman as soon as possible. But looks like I was late," Iriz said, his usual smirk gone, replaced by a weary stare.
"At least you killed Aurelith. Really, you are the best assassin," Lord Corvus said, his usual expression returning. He looked at the lifeless body of the woman. In his wounded pride and blinded anger, he stepped toward her.
He looked at the lifeless body of the woman. Blinded by pride and lingering anger, he stepped toward the corpse while the others watched in surprise.
In a final act of petty spite, Lord Corvus ground his boot into the face of the dead women.
"You lost, woman... this is what you deserve. Soon, your whole family will join you in hell!" he shouted, his voice thick with rage.
his voice panting with lingering rage.
"Don't look, Mui," Leon said, covering Mui's eyes. He felt a deep disgust at his father's actions.
After finishing his cursing, Lord Corvus turned to Iriz. "Now nobody can stop us from becoming the Seventh Great Noble House! Haha!" He hugged Iriz in pure confidence and arrogance.
"He didn't even care if his people live or die," Ryuuken muttered to himself.
"I guess every head of the nobles are like that" Rui added quietly.
"I am ashamed of being his son..." Leon muttered, clenching his fist so hard that blood began to drop into the snow.
"Now... perhaps I can showcase the head of this woman in my office. She was beautiful, I have to say, despite her madness," Lord Corvus said. An inhuman light appeared on his face as he thanked Iriz again, promising him the land he wanted. He hugged the assassin once more. Iriz, having no choice, hugged him back and closed his eyes for a moment of peace.
Suddenly, Iriz felt Lord Corvus become weightless. When he opened his eyes, they turned wide in absolute horror. The scene before him made his own skills look like child's play.
Lord Corvus had been cut into many pieces, like a fish. Only his upper body was still hugging Iriz. The Lord's expression was one of pure terror; he had realized what was happening just before death, but couldn't understand how.
"H-h-how... you were dead... there was no sign of your mana... nobody has survived that attack!" Iriz screamed.
Aurelith stood before him, looking at the lifeless parts of Lord Corvus as if she had just created a masterpiece of art.
"You are next," she declared. Her voice was as calm as the falling snow. Iriz tried to move, to hide in the white landscape, but Aurelith pinned him in place with one hand.
"I won't let you escape again."
Aurelith, with her raw strength, began to open Iriz's skin. Her elegant nails dug deep into his forehead, tearing through tissue and muscle. She smiled a serene, terrifying smile as she reached for his skull. Iriz was frozen in terror, his mind unable to process the death that had come for him.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The scream echoed through the valley, a haunting sound that finally ended when Aurelith pulled his entire skeleton out of his body. She held the bones in one hand as Iriz's lifeless skin fell to the ground.
"Now you are quiet," Aurelith said, tossing the skeleton aside. She turned toward the boys. Ryuuken and Rui, seeing the horror, vomited on the ground before passing out.
Mui's eyes were covered by Leon, but at the sound of that scream and the massive weight of the woman's mana, he passed out as well. Leon shook in absolute fear as she stepped closer. With two fingers of her left hand, she tapped his forehead, knocking him unconscious.
Aurelith remained the last one standing. The full moon shone above her as a witness, and the blood on her sword was the final proof of her total victory.