Vol 1 Ch 4 Two-Fold Destruction

Tuesday, August 27, 10:00 PM, 3074 AE

The Farmer’s Farm

The time had come.
The Koso would soon strike the Farmer’s Farm.

Two allies who had gone out to scout the perimeter had yet to return. The silence weighed heavily on the aging farmer, his calloused hands shaking as he stared toward the tree line.

“I hope they’re alright…”

“Don’t worry,” Aeloria replied, her voice cool and level. “I’m sure they’re fine. Either way, you need to hide. If this place comes under attack, you’ll be the first casualty.”

Before the farmer could respond, a wave of crushing power descended upon them like a falling mountain.

The Reiki pressure was suffocating.

Lyria and Scarlett dropped to their knees, gasping for air, sweat dripping from their foreheads. Their legs trembled under the sheer weight of it.

Aeloria didn’t so much as flinch.
She tilted her head slightly, a faint smirk on her lips.

“They’re here.”

From the shadows emerged two figures.

The first was a towering behemoth—a man carved from thunder and stone. He looked to be in his mid-forties, but his aura screamed ancient storm. His muscles bulged beneath cracked, granite-gray skin that glowed faintly with arcs of electricity. Long, wild hair streaked with gray sparked with static energy. His glowing blue eyes churned with storms.

A thick beard covered his square jaw, and a scar shaped like a lightning bolt ran down the left side of his face.

He wore a massive cloak of bear pelts and storm feathers, clasped with a rune-choked collar that pulsed with stormstones. Primitive tattoos spiraled across his exposed arms and chest, glowing in rhythm with the gathering storm.

“I am Toru Kaiden, the Storm Warden,” he rumbled, his voice deep as thunder. “And I am the lightning that will smite you.”

Beside him stood a woman—tall, regal, radiating the fury of flame incarnate.

She looked to be in her early twenties, but the glint in her molten gold eyes betrayed a lifetime of violence. Her long, ember-colored hair shimmered like flowing lava, crackling with heat and light. Her sun-bronzed skin bore glowing fissures, ember-cracks that pulsed with inner fire.

Her flame-scorched bodysuit clung to her like a second skin, woven from phoenix-silk and volcanic glass. Capes shimmered behind her like flickering fire, and ember-jewels adorned her wrists, ears, and neck. A blazing tiara crowned her head.

She took a step forward, chin held high, flames licking at her feet.

“These are the ones we’re fighting? Pathetic.”
“I’ll burn you where you stand and make sure your screams echo into the void.”
“Kneel before me—Levisa Virei, the Flameborne Sovereign.”

Scarlett gritted her teeth, struggling against the oppressive Reiki.

‘Who are these people…? I can barely move…!’

Still, she forced herself to stand, eyes blazing.

“So…” Aeloria spoke with the same chilling calm, “I take it you two are the ones who’ve been interfering with the farmer’s crops?”

Levisa’s eyes narrowed.

“What of it?” she sneered. “Without food, you humans are dust. Fragile. Fleeting. Worthless.”

She extended her hand—flames igniting instantly into a raging inferno.

But just before the fire could engulf them, Toru grabbed her wrist, his grip firm.

“Levisa,” he said sternly. “Calm yourself. They’re just children. Let us grant them a swift, painless end.”

Levisa yanked her arm away, glaring daggers at him.

“I don’t have time for your sentimental nature sermons, thunder boy. Stand back. I’ll handle this.”

She stepped forward.

Flames erupted beneath her feet, transforming the ground into scorched terrain. Flaming pillars burst skyward, turning the air into a blazing hell.

In a blink, she was in front of Scarlett—her foot connecting squarely with her ribs.

BOOM.
Scarlett was sent flying, crashing through the burning terrain, skidding to a halt, smoke curling off her body.

Without hesitation, Levisa turned to Lyria, her fist igniting.

She swung—

CLANG.
A radiant light barrier intercepted the blow, scattering the flames.

Levisa’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“Ho…? Impressive. Let’s see if you can handle this.”

Her hand snapped upward.

[Fire Mastery]

Above her, thousands of flaming swords ignited in the sky, each one humming with deadly intent.

“Try not to die too quickly,” she cooed.

She extended her arms—and the swords rained down.

Lyria dodged gracefully, but a few blades grazed her side and shoulder, cutting deep.

‘There’s… too many of them!’ she hissed, wincing in pain.

Suddenly, a blur streaked into the storm of swords—

Scarlett.

Her fists were blazing, her body battered but unbowed.

[Blazing Fist]

She slammed her fist into a descending sword—

KRA-KOOM!!
The impact triggered a massive explosion, clearing a wide radius of fire-blades and blowing apart the flaming terrain.

Smoke and debris billowed out, masking the battlefield.

From the chaos, Scarlett emerged, her right arm limp and bleeding, but her grin defiant.

“Hmph. Is that all? I’ve seen scarier matches in my sleep,” she spat.

“Scarlett! Are you okay?” Lyria cried, running to her.

Scarlett shrugged, fire flickering in her good hand.

“Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

She ran her flames over her wounded arm. The searing heat sealed her wounds, smoke rising as her skin began to mend.

Lyria gave a shaky laugh.

“Oh right… forgot you could do that.”

“Enough of your chit-chat,” Levisa Virei cracked her knuckles, the ember-gold rings on her fingers glinting fiercely. Her voice was sharp, dripping with arrogant delight. “Looks like this will be fun.”

With a sudden, blistering surge of speed, she vanished from sight.

[Infernal Speed], [Fire Mastery]

The air itself seemed to burn as Levisa reappeared inches from Scarlett, moving faster than the eye could follow, faster even than the rays of light piercing the darkened farmstead. Trails of scorching flames scorched the earth beneath her feet, leaving smoldering embers in her wake. In her right hand, a spear forged from living fire blazed fiercely, aimed with lethal precision at Scarlett’s heart.

Scarlett’s confident smirk faltered just for a moment.

But before Levisa could strike…

[Gravity Crush], [Photon Burst]

An invisible, oppressive force slammed into Levisa, pinning her to the scorched soil. The sudden spike in gravity crushed her movement, holding her like a stone in a swift, merciless vice. Then, a piercing beam of blinding light streaked forward—pure concentrated energy that shattered through the blazing spear, continuing its deadly path into Levisa’s chest. The light seared, and her heart was destroyed in a violent eruption of power.

Scarlett staggered, chest heaving, eyes wide.

“Huff… did we get her?” Lyria’s voice was strained but hopeful, sweat dripping down her temple. “Gravity Crush takes so much out of me… It drains every ounce of Reiki.”

Silence fell—until a chilling, maniacal cackle sliced through the night air.

From the ashes where Levisa had fallen, a dark ember glow began to pulse. Her body, consumed by fire, was no more than smoldering ash—until, with a fierce roar, the [Flame of Rebirth] ignited. Like a phoenix risen from the flames, Levisa’s form reassembled, reborn but temporarily weakened, embers flickering along her skin.

A cruel smile twisted her lips as she stood tall once more. “To think you’d actually harm me… How amusing.” Her voice was dripping with venomous delight, seductive and cruel. “I’m going to enjoy watching you burn, little girl.”

Toru Kaiden’s stone-like gaze hardened, his presence steady and unmoved. “They struck only because you lowered your guard, blinded by arrogance. Strength alone is not enough. You still have much to learn.”

Levisa turned sharply, her golden eyes burning with defiance. “Who do you think you’re talking to? Want me to end you too, Toru? Even weakened, I’m the flame that will consume everything.”

The stoic Storm Warden did not respond, his eyes flickering briefly to the detached figure of Aeloria, who remained unmoved, a cold, almost celestial aura surrounding her.

‘That woman…’ Toru thought grimly. ‘She hasn’t budged an inch, even while the young ones fought. Three possibilities: she doesn’t care, she trusts them to win, or she’s confident enough to handle us both if needed.’

“Levisa,” Toru warned quietly, “be careful of that woman. I cannot sense her Reiki, and something about her unsettles me.”

Levisa laughed, flames dancing around her like a living cloak. “If you’re scared, just say so. She looks like a fragile weakling to me.”

Toru exhaled, rubbing his temples beneath his heavy cloak. ‘How did I get stuck working alongside her?’ he muttered in frustration.

But Levisa had already launched herself into the air, wings of burning ash unfurling from her back in a magnificent yet terrifying display.

[Ashen Wings], [Fire Mastery]

The wings spread wide, trailing flaming particles that drifted like deadly embers, turning patches of earth into scorched ash wherever they touched.

“Now, the real fight begins.”

Around her, a swirling arsenal materialized: flaming swords, spears, and cannons hovering in the air, each forged from volatile fire and forged in ancient volcanic fury. With a single commanding gesture, the weapons fired in unison—swords and spears slicing through the smoky air, cannons hurling blazing projectiles that exploded on impact.

Scarlett gritted her teeth, rushing forward with a furious roar. Slamming her fist into the ground, molten magma erupted violently, splashing around and forming a protective barrier. The flaming projectiles shattered on contact, exploding in fiery bursts that sent shockwaves through the battlefield.

“Lyria!” Scarlett shouted, fierce and commanding.

Without hesitation, Lyria raised her hands, palms glowing bright. Around her, multiple orbs of light blossomed like radiant stars, then fired concentrated beams toward Levisa in a coordinated barrage.

[Photon Burst]

The beams seared through the night, striking Levisa’s form with dazzling brilliance. “It has to be over… now. She has to be dead, right?”

Scarlett’s hopeful words barely left her mouth before a chilling sensation slammed into her back.

“Incorrect.”

Levisa appeared suddenly behind them, her movements as fluid as wildfire. Two flaming swords, each crackling with volatile heat, plunged deep into their backs. Blood gushed as Scarlett and Lyria fell forward, collapsing onto the scorched earth.

Levisa sneered, stepping over their bodies. “I’ll commend you both—you lasted far longer than you should have.”

Toru knelt beside the fallen, hands clasped in prayer. “At least you granted them a swift and merciful death.”

But as Levisa turned, flames licking the air, to incinerate their bodies to ash, both Scarlett and Lyria suddenly vanished—replaced by a pair of glowing shadows.

They reappeared behind Aeloria, who stood with a knowing smirk, eyes gleaming with cold amusement.

“Always watch your surroundings, or you could die.”

Before Levisa could react, a fist enveloped in swirling red and violet energy—crackling with raw power—struck her with the force of a meteor, sending her flying through the dense forest. The impact carved a mountain-sized crater, uprooting trees and scattering debris in a violent storm.

Levisa groaned, struggling to rise as the echo of power still radiated from the mysterious attacker.

The battlefield had just shifted.