Dancing on the golden ashes

My heart pounded wildly, my blood as cold as the abyss itself. At that moment, fear no longer gripped me. Only sorrow and pain were left, urging me to kill, to end anybody who stood in my way.

The dress I wore burned with pure darkness, every thread engulfed in shadowy flames, leaving not a single trace untouched. I held Soo-Ah tightly in my arms, barely sparing a glance at her killer. Memories of our childhood flooded my mind—her laughter, her smile, her warmth.

I wanted to tear this world apart. Why? Why did it have to be her? Why wasn't it me instead?

"Don't let these thoughts corrode your heart any longer, child. What is lost cannot be recovered. Focus your anger—channel it toward your goal, toward that person."

Yes...

I gently laid her cooling body on the ground, my hands trembling as I brushed a strand of hair from her face. Giving her one last look, I swallowed the knot in my throat and gathered all my strength. Slowly, I stood, positioning myself between her and any possible threat, a shield against the world that had taken her from me.

Kim Ha-Joon unleashed another attack—a small, dark needle hurtling toward me with lethal precision. But why would I fear that now? Fear had no place in me anymore.

My scythe ignited, dark flames erupting along its length. The fire was thicker, darker, and more consuming than ever before, as if it came from the very depths of my soul. The flames spread slowly, crawling from the base of the handle to the blade, transforming the weapon into something far more terrifying.

"For those I loved..."

Darkness Slash!

Whoosh!

A concentrated wave of dark flames surged forward, tearing through the air with ferocious power. It hurtled toward Kim Ha-Joon, leaving a blazing trail of destruction in its wake. The ground beneath it was scorched, a deep, jagged crevice replacing the once-untouched grass, as though the god of destruction itself had unleashed the attack.

The black needle was consumed instantly, obliterated in the overwhelming torrent of my flames.

Kim Ha-Joon raised his arm in desperation, the darkness around him swelling in an attempt to shield him. But he underestimated my newfound power.

In a heartbeat, he was struck. His body was split cleanly in half, the dark flames clinging to him, devouring him relentlessly. He didn't even have time to scream as the flames reduced him to nothing—ash, shadows, and silence.

It took only a moment for that same grating voice to echo through the air.

"How interesting. Just who are you, Gaon?" the demonic voice boomed, resonating across the battlefield. "This power you wield... it feels foreign. All of that effort, just to kill me? How pitiful..."

In a burst of black sparks, he materialized once more, hovering in the air. His face twisted into an ugly sneer, brimming with malice. But his expression was met only by my cold, unyielding gaze.

"His body is special, and it doesn't seem like this is his full strength," the eerie voice said, its tone becoming more unsettling with each word. It sounded almost like mine now, so much so that it was nearly indistinguishable. Yet, strangely, I didn't feel threatened.

At that moment, I didn't care anymore. Even if I died, even if this fight left me unable to walk, I would kill him—no matter the cost.

I counted the seconds, each one dragging like an eternity. My boost in power was still thirty seconds away.

"Useless chatter..."

Another barrage of Darkness Slashes rained down on him. Each strike was fueled not by my mana alone, but by the boundless darkness rooted deep within my soul, leaving my reserves barely touched.

His arm flew first, severed cleanly. Then the other followed, each cut delivered with ruthless precision. Yet, instead of despair, his face twisted into a grotesque smile, one that oozed twisted ecstasy.

It was sickening. The sheer delight in his expression made my stomach churn, the sight nearly unbearable.

"Is that all you've got?" he taunted, even as the final slash tore through him, taking his life once more.

It felt endless, this battle—an unrelenting cycle of death and resurrection. Why exactly was he immortal?

There had to be a limit, I thought, my mind racing. No one could resurrect forever... right?

"It is a strange ability indeed, unless..."

The eerie voice trailed off, fading into silence for a moment before returning.

"Unless this isn't his true body but merely a puppet. If that's the case... it means he's hiding somewhere else."

Even so, if that's true, he might be immortal, but he can't have an endless supply of mana. I'll destroy this puppet—and if it's fake, I'll hunt down the real one.

"This is getting boring. How about we raise the stakes, Gaon?" his voice echoed as he materialized once more.

The tone of his words only confirmed what I suspected—he wanted to end this quickly. His dwindling mana supply must have been pushing him to act faster.

"Take this, you bitch!" he roared as his staff shattered into pieces. His body vanished, leaving millions of small, deadly needles suspended in the air, all aimed at me.

"If you think this will kill us, you're an idiot..."

The eerie voice seized control of my lips as a massive orb of darkness erupted around us, shielding me completely. The darkness surged outward, consuming everything in its path with black flames that devoured the light itself.

The needles struck the shield relentlessly but disintegrated on contact, their force utterly nullified. If it had been anyone else but me, they would've been dead. I doubted many could survive such an attack.

As the darkness dissipated, silence fell. I stood alone on the scorched ground, and beside me, Soo-Ah's lifeless body lay unmoving.

I cradled her lifeless body in my arms, her once vibrant face now pale and devoid of warmth. She was gone—completely gone.

Rising into the air, my black fire wings flared brighter than ever, their flames stretching larger, now over a meter long. With a single, powerful flap, I soared toward the palace, its towering structure engulfed in flames. Read new chapters at empire

As I approached, my gaze fell on a harrowing scene. A massive ice flood dragon pinned the samurai's bloodied body to the palace wall, its icy fangs completely froze the poor man's body. His lifeless eyes, drained of all color, stared blankly into the void—he was dead.

Nearby, Kim Seong-Hoon stood, panting heavily. His left hand was gone, the blood dripping steadily from the stump, yet his unwavering gaze remained locked on the samurai, as if anticipating another strike. But the truth was clear: the battle was over. Kim Seong-Hoon had already won.

He dropped to the ground, his weapon vanishing as he pressed his palm against the stump where his arm had been severed. Ice rapidly formed over the wound, freezing it to stop the bleeding.

Not far from him lay his severed arm, already encased in ice. He was likely planning to reattach it later.

I landed softly beside him and gently placed Soo-Ah's body on the ground next to him.

"Big sis?" he murmured, his voice strained with pain as his gaze locked onto mine, searching for something—comfort, reassurance, or perhaps hope.

I shook my head slowly. "Right now, even I don't know who we are," I said, my voice calm but chilling. "I'm something in between." My gaze shifted to Soo-Ah, and I pointed at her still form. "Protect her body for me, Seong-Hoon. That's the only thing I ask of you now."

His lips parted, but no words came. He only nodded weakly, his eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and determination.

I turned away, and with a single step, my form blurred into motion. In an instant, I was standing at the palace entrance.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

My eyes scanned the battlefield, catching fleeting glimpses of my other friends. They were still locked in their own battles, but it was clear the tides had turned. Each of them was on the verge of victory, their opponents faltering.

The air shifted suddenly, growing lighter, as if the weight of the world had lifted. Above us, the sky transformed, awash with a radiant celestial light that painted everything in hues of serenity and beauty.

KABOOM!

Jieun slumped against the wall, her small frame battered and bruised. Cuts covered her body, and a black whip was tightly coiled around her abdomen. One eye barely remained open, her breaths shallow and labored—she was on the brink of collapse.

But her struggles had not been in vain. The disgusting weirdo, clad in those grotesque, revealing leather clothes, was gone—completely wiped from existence. Not even a drop of blood remained, erased by the sheer force of her attack.

Her power had grown so immense it felt as though she could obliterate someone at the atomic level.

I looked at her battered form and couldn't help but feel pride swell in my chest. That kid is going to be so strong someday. Good job, Jieun.