RENA VYE'S POV:

We closed in on the village of Oran, the wind howling in my ears as we tracked across Fei territory with blinding speed. The trees around us began to disappear as we exited the giant forest that surrounded the heart of Nethnore.

"We're dismounting here," ordered Jean. Everyone came to a halt, obeying her words and leaving the tamed deer behind. I glanced back at Asthia. Her eyes were glued to the ground as she followed the sound of our footsteps, her skin pale-white.

We came out of the dense vegetation, finding ourselves in an empty plane with small hills. My eyes widened in horror, scanning the area and realizing the issue with the landscape.

Oran... was gone.

I looked down, seeing piles of rubble occupying the area where the village had previously been located. It had all been destroyed...

Everyone was dead.

I had always believed in a small glimmer of hope; maybe everyone had miraculously made it out alive. What a fool I had been... this attack was not directed at the city. This attack was directed at the population, and the city's destruction was only the aftermath.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to break down in tears, mourning the lives of the family I had loved so dearly. They had done nothing wrong. All they had ever done was help others, aiding the less fortunate and supporting their community.

This world didn't care about what kind of person you were... All that mattered was the amount of power you possessed. My eyes burned with fury, my body beginning to absorb all the bind around me.

I summoned my weapon, the gleaming bow appearing in my hands in a flash of light. The other S-ranks prepared themselves, everyone feeling the powerful aura that was approaching us.

An individual appeared at the top of a hill a few hundred mels in front of us, his clothes and hair waving calmly in the wind that swirled around him.

So that was Jay Cadmium.

I felt my fist clench. His aura was nothing like what I had expected. The aura before us now, was the aura of an S-rank, nothing more. I glanced at Lio, seeing the raw hatred in his eyes.

This was no time to wait and gaze at our opponent. If we wanted to kill him... we had to attack now. Trying to convince him to stand down would only be a waste of time, and time was not something we had.magic"Jean. We kill him now, don't try and talk to him," I warned, implying that I would attack should the S-rank refuse.

"I agree," she muttered. "He's not invincible. I know that all too well."

"Let's begin!" bellowed Lio, slamming his fists together as bright red flames encircled his arms.

Come, Jay Cadmium. I will make you regret all of your sins.

JAY CADMIUM'S POV:

A ball of flames shot into the sky, exploding into the symbol of a royal Dragon. Hundreds of monstrous roars echoed to my right as numerous figures emerged. That was Asthia's signal?

Asthia...

Brief flashes of blurry images illuminated the dark world around me, every single one of them showing a girl with long white hair and ruby red eyes.

That's right. Wasn't I doing this to protect her? I was.

I'll protect her, no matter the cost.

"Begin the attack," I muttered, my words echoing in the mind of every wyvern that lay dormant behind the hill I was located on. They all growled and snapped their jaws, taking to the skies. The serene blue expanse was suddenly covered in a black mist of creatures, thousands of wings flapping in harmony as the monsters eyed their prey.

My eyes narrowed in on the horrified expressions of the S-ranks, all of them except for Asthia unsure as to how their enemy had acquired such a massive force.

"A lot of them are untrained," murmured Asthia, her words reaching my ears through the link. "The Faros will deal with most of them."

"Your forces will die," said Amelia. Asthia nodded, still unable to look me in the eye.

"I'm aware of that. They're ready to pay the price for freedom."I glanced to the side, seeing both masses of monsters snarling at each other as they stormed towards one another. A large black minotaur led the charge, his raging eyes glaring at the enemy before him.

"Rena and I will deal with Jay Cadmium," said Lio confidently, his blazing arms illuminating the darkened area.

"We'll support you," added Amelia, manifesting a silver blade with a crackle of electricity into her right hand.

"First we have to deal with the wyverns," announced Jean as a thick cloud of beasts approached the S-ranks. "Lio, Rena, we'll clear a path for you. Once we're done with the wyverns, we'll help you. We can't deal with the beasts and Jay at the same time."

Lio smiled, his eyes flaring up with rage.

"Don't worry. Rena and I have never lost. We'll destroy him."

I remained neutral, watching the small conversation from afar. It seemed like the Vye twins were going to try and take me alone.

A small smile appeared on my face, the expression suddenly morphing into a wide grin as lightning sparked around me. What a perfect situation!

Howling laughter filled my mind and ears, the Elder Wyvern's rage filling me with power.

An explosion of energy snapped me back to reality. Two figures shot towards me at blinding speed, their movements completely synchronized. The faces of the Vye twins flashed before me, both of their bodies mere mels away from my own before time came to a stop.

I unleashed the full power of my aura, silencing the area that had been filled with cries. War... conflict... bloodshed... there really wasn't anything better than them, was there?!

In a society where power rules above all else, only a single individual can change the world. I was given a second chance of life... and it seems like it'll be spent laying waste to those below me. This was all I could do.

Living life to the fullest? Those were irrealistic ideals that plagued the minds of the hopeful. Reality was ugly, and the only way to live in this messed-up world was to dominate with true power.

Isn't that right?

"That's right," growled the voice in my head. "It's time to destroy your enemies. It's time to live, Jay!"

BOOOOOOOMMM

A giant thunderbolt of violet energy slammed down onto my position, sending the Vye twins flying back. Their faces were ghost-white, their eyes trembling uncontrollably as they were exposed to the true aura of a god.

I'll wipe all of you off the face of this world!