Chapter 68. Rescue Team
Rin slumped against a scorched, twisted tree, her violet hair sticky with blood and ash, her body covered in bruises, cuts, and burns. Her torn robes hung in shreds, her broken staff in pieces at her feet.
She’d fought with everything, all her strength—to stop the shadow Valtharion. Her fight let all the students escape, but left her empty, no mana, no energy.
Her pink, bloodshot eyes shimmered with exhaustion as she slid down the tree, barely awake.
Shadow Valtharion loomed, its greatsword lifted, ready to cut her down. Rin’s lips trembled, forming a small, defiant smile. "I kept my promise, Leonhardt... don’t break yours," she whispered, voice soft as a breeze.
She closed her eyes, ready for the end, her heart calm.
Then shadow Valtharion froze, its blade stopping mid-air. Its body quivered, then broke apart into swirling black fog, gone. Rin’s eyes flew open, a gasp escaping her cracked lips. A weak, happy laugh spilled out, her voice shaky but full of relief.
"You did it, you crazy idiot," she whispered, tears mixing with blood on her face. Her strength vanished, and she fell sideways, unconscious, curling against the tree, a faint smile on her lips, the forest quiet around her.
In the Dominion of Pride
Valtharion’s hand rested on Reo’s head, warm despite his fading life. "You fought like a storm, child," he said, purple eyes locked on Reo’s, a spark of respect shining through. "You burned through my Pride, a feat few have dreamed."
Reo chuckled, pain stabbing him, blood dripping from his mouth, his torn chest heaving. "Storm? Just desperate to kill you," he rasped, a weak grin on his face. "Used many cheats.....if it’s a fair fight, I’d be done."
Valtharion’s laugh was soft, almost kind, black blood staining his teeth. "Pride bows to no one... yet you made it kneel." His eyes warmed, a rare softness in the demon’s gaze. "State your name."