He dropped her without hesitation and flew toward Carai.
Dravena dragged herself across the ground, her body trembling under the crushing pressure of Kayon's aura. Each movement was slow. Painful. Desperate.
"Miss… Carai…" she rasped.
Her fingers clawed into the soil, nails splitting as she forced herself forward.
"I mean… Boss Carai."
Carai didn't even look at her.
"Yes? What is it?" she replied flatly, her eyes still fixed on Kayon. "Can't you see I'm enjoying the show?"
Dravena pressed her forehead into the dirt.
"Please… I beg you. Spare us, and we'll serve you."
Carai slowly bent down, completely unaffected by the pressure. Her hair fell forward as she leaned close to Dravena's ear.
"I did want servants…" she whispered.
A pause.
"But now… I'm not so sure."
Before Dravena could respond, Kayon appeared beside Carai.
"We need to leave. Now."
Carai glanced at him. "Why?"
He pointed toward the southern horizon.
"About fifty forlorn are approaching."
Dravena's eyes widened.
"Fifty?!"
Carai blinked, mildly surprised. "Well… that's a lot."
She tilted her head and looked up at Kayon.
"Hey… when were you planning on freeing them?"
His voice was calm. Cold.
"I wasn't."
He didn't look at her.
"I was going to leave them like this until the forlorn arrived."
Dravena broke.
"Please!" she cried, her voice cracking. "Boss, spare us! Just this once! We beg you!"
Kayon's eyes shifted to Carai. She had turned her face away.
"Boss?" he murmured.
He reached out and gently turned her head back toward him, grinning.
"When did that happen… Boss?"
Carai slapped his hand away, flustered.
"Just… leave me alone."
Kayon's gaze lifted toward the distance.
"They're here," he whispered.
A low rumble echoed across the land.
Carai exhaled slowly.
"Well… it was nice meeting you, Dravena."
She paused, then glanced at Kayon.
"…At least free them."
For a moment, Kayon said nothing.
Then the crushing aura vanished.
The warriors collapsed fully to the ground, gasping, broken. Some couldn't move. Others didn't wake at all.
They were alive.
But helpless.
Carai stared at them for a second. Then she looked beyond them.
Shapes moved in the distance.
The forlorn were coming.
She reached out and gently grabbed Kayon's arm.
"Hey, Kayon."
"Yes, love."
She rested her head briefly against him.
"I changed my mind."
She looked at Dravena.
"I'll save them."
Dravena's face lit up.
"Thank you… thank you so much…"
Kayon scoffed softly.
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"
Carai smiled.
She closed her eyes and patted his chest.
"Not me, love."
She opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"You are."
He raised a brow.
"You say that like I can."
She reached up and gently held his chin.
"Well…" she whispered.
"Can you?"
He held her gaze for a long moment.
Then he smiled faintly.
"…Watch me."
Without another word, he rose into the sky.
He ascended effortlessly, cutting through the darkening air as he flew toward the incoming swarm.
'Mian.'
'Yes, Master.'
'You copied that ability.'
'Yes.'
Kayon's eyes sharpened as he faced the approaching horde.
'Master, activate ability?.'
A single word left his lips.
"Yes."
He stopped just beyond their reach and raised his hand.
A force gathered in his palm, swirling and compressing until it formed a pulsing sphere of violent red light.
"This should be enough."
With a flick of his wrist, he released it into the center of the horde.
For a split second, there was silence.
Then.
The world erupted.
A deafening explosion swallowed the forlorn whole. The shockwave tore through the land, devouring everything in its radius.
When the light faded, nothing remained.
No bodies.
No blood.
Not even ashes.
Only a massive crater carved into the earth.
Carai and Dravena's men stood frozen in absolute shock.
Dravena swallowed hard, her voice stiff.
"I… I'm glad we ran into you first."
Carai clenched her fist.
The air went cold, Dravena looked up to see Carai and Dravena's face went pale.
Without another word, Carai sprinted toward Kayon.
"Yes! That worked," Kayon muttered proudly to himself. "Though… I should probably be more careful next time."
'Master.'
He blinked. "Yes? What is it, Mian?"
'I suggest you run.'
"…Run?" He frowned, glancing around. "I killed everything, didn't I?"
'They are not the threat.'
"…Then what is?"
The men nearby suddenly parted.
And there she was.
An angry Carai.
Kayon's soul nearly left his body.
"I'm dead."
She launched at him instantly, grabbing him by the collar.
"Are you trying to kill us all?!" she snapped. "Why didn't you use a simple attack? Why didn't you use that lightning thingy?!"
"I, I'm sorry!" he cried. "How was I supposed to know it was that strong?!"
"What was that?" she barked.
"N, Nothing!"
He flinched as she pulled his ear sharply.
Behind them, the archer quietly stepped closer to Dravena.
"I told you we should've gone west to the other cities…"
"Shut it," Dravena muttered, pushing herself to her feet. "Come on. Let's go speak to them."
The archer grabbed her armor.
"You must think I'm insane if you believe I'm walking over there to meet that monster," she whispered frantically.
Dravena looked at Kayon, then at Carai twisting his ear and him pleading for his release.
"…You may have a point." Dravena straightened and slowly approached.
"Mm… Boss…" she called hesitantly.
No response.
"Boss!"
"What?!" Carai snapped without turning, still pulling Kayon's ear.
Dravena froze.
How can she treat such a terrifying being like that…?
She coughed lightly.
"…I suppose the real terrifying one is her."
"Go on. Speak."
"Oh. Sorry. I was asking if we could depart tomorrow."
Carai finally released Kayon's ear.
"Why is that?"
Dravena gestured toward her men, many still collapsed or barely standing.
"They're in no condition to travel."
Carai rubbed the back of her head and glanced over the wounded warriors.
"…That's a valid point."
She let out a soft sigh.
"Alright. We leave tomorrow at noon."
Dravena lowered her head respectfully.
"Thank you."
"But please," Carai added, her gaze drifting over the bruises and fractures she had inflicted, "stop calling me 'Boss.' And take care of your injuries."
Dravena nodded.
"I will."
She turned and began gathering her men, explaining their situation and organizing what little strength they had left.
Kayon stood and brushed the dirt from his clothes.
"Are you sure it was the right decision to go with them?"
Carai stepped in front of him and punched his chest lightly.
"Do you think we'll always survive that?"
Her voice wasn't angry anymore.
Kayon bent slightly from the punch before straightening, forcing a confident grin.
"I'm stronger now," he said, flexing faintly. "I can protect you."
Carai's expression crumpled.
"What if you're not there next time?"
Her voice cracked.
Kayon opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
His throat tightened, as if the air itself had thickened.
"What if I'm alone again?"
A tear slipped down her cheek.
Kayon lowered his hands slowly, unable to move, unable to fix what was breaking in front of him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice tight. "It's my fault."
Carai's breathing faltered.
Then she stepped forward and collapsed into him, gripping his clothes tightly.
"I was scared you would never wake up."
Kayon froze, his arms hovering for a second before he slowly wrapped them around her.
He gently rested his hand on her head, letting her cry against his chest.
"I'm sorry I left you alone," he murmured as they slowly sank to their knees.
"I won't do that again."
The battlefield, once torn apart by his power, fell completely silent.
The battlefield, once torn apart by his power, fell completely silent.
Carai's breathing gradually evened out.
Her grip loosened.
"Kayon…" she murmured faintly, half-asleep.
"I'm here," he whispered.
A few moments later, her body went limp in his arms.
Asleep.
Kayon looked down at her for a long moment.
The battlefield was quiet now.
Without a word, he slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back and lifted her carefully.
She stirred slightly, instinctively pressing closer to his chest.
He walked toward Dravena's men.
The soldiers stood in small clusters, whispering about the crater. About the explosion. About him.
One of them looked up first.
Then froze.
Another followed his gaze.
Silence spread through the group.
For the first time, they saw him clearly.
Not the monster who erased fifty forlorn.
Not the overwhelming presence that crushed them into the ground.
But his face.
Sharp features. Unnaturally symmetrical. Eyes almost too bright against the fading light. Even stained with dirt and ash, he looked unreal. Less born… more sculpted.
"…Is she really the same person?" someone whispered.
His expression remained calm. Detached.
"Prepare a place for her to sleep," he said quietly.
The softness in his voice vanished.
"I want it clean and warm."
The men jolted as if struck.
"Yes!" one barked immediately.
They scattered into motion, clearing debris, laying cloaks, gathering wood, moving faster than they had all day.
Kayon adjusted Carai slightly in his arms.
She shifted closer again, her face resting against his chest.
He stepped past the men without another word.
Dravena approached the cluster of men gathered in one spot, their heads turned toward something in the distance.
"What's going on here?" Dravena asked.
One of the men pointed toward the newly set up camp.
"We're just watching the beautiful woman over there."
"Ahh… you mean Kayon?" Dravena narrowed her eyes, trying to see past them. "Is she really that pretty?"
The men shifted awkwardly.
"No offense, Boss… but they're both very pretty."
Dravena stepped in front of the one who spoke, her expression sharpening.
"You'd better keep it in your pants if you know what's good for you."
She scanned the group again.
"Where's Saeriel?"
A man scratched the back of his head and pointed.
"I saw her heading toward that broken house over there."
Dravena started walking in that direction but paused long enough to glance over her shoulder.
"If any of you try something stupid with them… you'll be begging to die."
The men stared at each other.
"Boss… we aren't that dumb, are we?"
Dravena didn't look back.
"Should I trust that?" she muttered.
A short distance away, Saeriel stood beneath the moonlight. Silver light brushed over her features as she let out a slow sigh.
"What did we get ourselves into…"
"What do you mean?" Dravena asked, sitting beside her.
Saeriel hugged herself tightly.
"These people we serve now… they're terrifying."
Her fingers brushed her injured wrist.
"The one who came after me snapped my wrist like it was nothing. Then he lifted me by the neck. I just hung there… couldn't move. Just crushed by his aura."
Dravena flexed her own hand thoughtfully.
"Yeah. They're strong. I nearly died facing Carai."
Saeriel let out a weak laugh.
"Have you ever been treated like you don't exist? Like you're just… insignificant?"
They fell quiet.
Then, unexpectedly, they both burst into laughter. The absurdity of their shared fear broke the tension.
After a moment, the silence returned.
Dravena glanced back toward the camp, her expression firm.
"But we can rely on that strength too. If they're on our side… we survive."
Saeriel straightened, a faint smile forming.
"You've always had good instincts."
"Oh? And why's that?"
Saeriel pointed at herself with a smirk.
"Because you managed to recruit me. Saeriel. An elf."
Dravena laughed.
"That was skill, not instinct."
A sudden roar of voices erupted from the camp.
Both women stood immediately.
Dravena strode toward the noise.
"What now?"
One of the men grinned sheepishly.
"We're just… placing bets on who's prettier between the new bosses."
Dravena's eye twitched.