Chapter 110: Jealous
Malrik stood with the same serene smile he always wore. Neither dust nor sweat clung to his form, as his solar energy incinerated everything that dared approach him. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he worked to steady his breathing.
In his right hand, his katana vibrated in what felt like satisfaction, as though it had long yearned for a battle of such magnitude, and indeed, it had. With a single fluid motion, Malrik sheathed the blade into its scabbard.
Most Wargraves didn’t even bother acquiring a scabbard for their weapons, much like Asher, who carried his rapier bare. But Malrik considered himself a true swordsman.
After awakening, he had specifically requested a scabbard and had never once carried his weapon without it, always secured at his waist, a symbol of discipline and pride.
"You seem extremely pleased, Solaris," Malrik’s deep voice rumbled as his fingers lightly brushed the edge of the scabbard. At the mention of its name, the katana responded with a low hum, vibrating once more.
"Don’t expect another battle like this anytime soon," Malrik said quietly, his tone carrying a strange mix of fondness and resignation. "They are exceedingly rare, Solaris."
His piercing blue eyes scanned the desolate surroundings, or at least, what remained of them. Thousands of kilometers had been reshaped into a warped, glass-like landscape. Sinkholes yawned open as if trying to devour the sky itself, and dust and ash swirled through the air, thick enough to choke any creature still clinging to life.
It was almost beyond belief that a human had caused such cataclysm. In fact, it was outright inconceivable. Yet Malrik had done it. At barely thirty years of age, he had ascended above the thresholds that the world had placed on power. He stood above limits, a sword-wielding titan under the watchful gaze of the sun.
The blazing sun overhead bore down on Malrik’s figure, but to him, it was not oppressive. Quite the opposite, it was invigorating. He could feel his Astra replenishing rapidly, and even his stamina returning at an incredible pace.
This wasn’t the doing of Solaris, his katana. No, this was something entirely personal. It was one of Malrik’s own unique abilities: under the direct light of the sun, he possessed near-limitless stamina, boundless Astra, and remarkable regeneration.