Lio slowly got back up, glancing at his sister before throwing himself at the enemy once again. Flames swirled around him, condensing into his fists as he reeled his arm back. An inferno engulfed his limbs, burning the vegetation around him.

"Solar fist," he muttered, beads of sweat flying off his face. He took a deep breath as he narrowed his gaze on his opponent, cautiously awaiting any retaliation while he prepared his attack.

His hand ignited with unparalleled brightness, blinding the world as he sucked in the power of the sun into his punch.

"Come here, Jay Cadmium!" he roared before slamming his attack right into the motionless boy.

BOOOOOOMMM

The ground collapsed into a giant crater, the explosion from the attack cracking the surface of the earth in a massive radius around the impact. Everyone stood still, awed by the ridiculous amount of power Lio Vye possessed. Even if he was considered the weakest S-rank, he had still achieved a level that was considered godlike.

The smoke cleared, revealing the two combatants. A small ravine had been created by the feet of the target, but he remained standing.

My mind finally clicked.

I looked down at my torn clothes. My chest was burned from the attack, but for some reason, I felt nothing. My eyes met Lio's, and I could tell he was at a loss for words. I had just taken the full force of an S-ranked spell without much consequence.

I glanced behind the silhouette of the bulky fighter, seeing Rena was still decently distanced.

"My turn," I growled.

"!!"

I appeared right in front of Lio, avoiding his reactive swing with ease and sending my knee into his gut. The Fei winced but stood strong, bringing his arms back as he created some distance and unleashed a ray of energy.

My body moved on its own, twirling to the side and zooming towards my opponent. I grabbed Lio's face with my hand, my figure still midair as I slammed him into the ground. My eyes darted to the side, feeling the oncoming presence of projectiles.

I avoided the attacks easily.

A blazing foot suddenly came out of nowhere as Lio spun back onto his feet, forcing me to retreat momentarily.

This was the legendary teamwork of the Vye twins?

I could see Rena floating behind Lio, her eyes locked with mine as she pulled back the golden string of her bow. She let loose three more arrows right as Lio charged me, accompanying the projectiles perfectly.

Incredible!I picked up the pace, avoiding the arrows and preparing myself for Lio's coordinated strike.

BOOM

Another eruption of bind silenced the battlefield as I met Lio's flaming fist with an open palm, absorbing the blow.

"Wha-"

BOOM

I released a punch filled with lightning, shocking the Fei and sending him tumbling back. His body stopped right underneath his sister, the archer glaring at me as she began firing numerous volleys to protect her sibling.

Rena was the first I had to eliminate.

I felt a chilling frost make its way to my foot. My eyes burst open, accompanied by a cyan mist that began forming around me. The ground below froze immediately, rapidly spreading to the surrounding areas as a massive pillar of ice shot up from behind me.

The pillar bent towards Rena, tracking its target as I blasted myself towards the Fei. I continuously channeled ice bind into the pillar with my left hand, maintaining the spell. Lightning crackled around my right arm, the violet energy overflooding as zaps escaped the limits of my skin.

Rena channeled holy bind into her arrow, releasing it and shattering the massive pillar that had been blocking her view.

"!!"

I appeared before her.

"No way-" she muttered, realizing the giant spell had never meant to hit her in the first place. The amount of bind I had received from the Elder Wyvern was almost limitless. A large-scale ice spell cost me nothing.

I pulled my arm back, condensing the energy into my fist before sending it crashing into Rena's collarbone.

BOOOOOOOMMM

There was only so much teamwork could do...

If your opponent overwhelmed you, then all teamwork would achieve was more futile resistance. Inevitably, you would die.

"Rena!" cried Lio. He leaped back, trying to shield his sister and see if she was still breathing.

"!!"A sudden flash of purple energy filled the area as I found myself in front of Lio, my violet eyes glaring at him.

"Where are you going?"

The Fei unleashed a fury of attacks, trying to pulverize me with all of the hatred he felt inside. My speed could only be matched by one individual, and to the naked eye of an S-rank without a lightning attunement, my movements resembled teleportations.

I zipped around Lio's attack, counter-attacking after every strike. This was where I'd end them.

I leaped into the air, feeling my body dematerialize in an instant before crashing back down.

"Supernova."

BOOM

Lightning sparked in the area affected by the attack, freezing everything in place as I approached Lio's still body.

BOOM

My fist sunk into his chest, sending him shooting back like a comet right into the other S-ranks. I let out a small sigh, appearing beside Rena and grabbing her by the neck. The tight grip returned the girl's consciousness.

She gasped for air, dropping her weapon, and squirmed violently. I lifted her off the ground calmly, ignoring her resistance and looking at her without remorse.

"Stop!!!" roared Lio as he watched from afar. He struggled to get back up, the damage inflicted upon him already near-fatal. "Please stop!!!"

Tears began to form in his eyes as he tumbled back onto the ground. Jean rushed over to his side, tending to his wounds immediately with her holy bind. My eyes danced back and forth between the teary-eyed warrior and the dying archer, the lack of oxygen slowly killing her.

"Please! I have no one else..." he pleaded, dropping to his knees as a stream of tears began to dampen the floor below him. "Everyone else is dead..."

My body shuddered at his weakness.

What... am I doing?magic

I saw the situation in a new light, realizing I was choking Rena to death right in front of all the S-ranks. The Faros were fighting the wyverns over to the West, a flood of blood marking the floor around them. The wails of pain and anger rung across the battlefield, but all I could hear was the small whimpers from the woman who remained in my grasp.

"You..." she croaked, her voice ragged from the lack of oxygen, "are a monster..."

My eyes swirled momentarily, returning to their dark purple color. My mouth opened, uttering the words that had been repeating themselves over and over again in my head. I didn't know if they were my own feelings or those of the Elder Wyvern, but the response that followed was nothing but the truth.

"That's right."

I tightened my grasp. The shred of guilt I had briefly felt was completely gone, and all that was left were enemies that had to be destroyed. My purpose in this world was to annihilate those who stood against me.

At least this one remained fierce until the bitter end.

CRUNCH