Power of Runes

–SCREEETTTTTTCHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

A monstrous, skin-crawling sound tore through the chaos, slicing the air with almost the same overwhelming force as the light itself. The Hollow Mother's voice had taken on a nightmarish quality, its resonance so unnatural that it seemed to bypass the ear and burrow straight into the mind.

Ray's head jerked up, his expression hardening as blood began to seep from his ears.

All around him, the dwarves halted in their tracks. Whatever they had been doing was abandoned in that instant as their eyes turned skyward. Then, one by one, they began to scream—a terrible, unending chorus—until the sound of human voices merged with the Hollow Mother's inhuman howl.

It was a sound too grotesque to be produced by any mortal throat, an unholy harmony of despair and rage that made the very air shudder as if the world itself wanted to recoil.

...Damn it… why is this happening… what am I supposed to do now?

Ray cursed inwardly, the weight of indecision pressing against his chest. For once, even he did not know the next move to make.

So he did what instinct told him was best. Without another thought, he surged forward, dashing toward the Hollow Mother with the intent to end it before things spiraled further.

If I kill it... everything will be over...

But when Ray reached halfway, the creature's countless eyes began to glow, thin streams of golden and green light seeping from beneath the lids. At first it was faint, like the first flicker of dawn, but within seconds it began to swell, spilling out in greater brilliance.

Ray stopped abruptly, a chill racing down his spine.

{It is the will of the Saint. Witness it... it is not every day you will see the power of a Saint. All this time, you treated their authority lightly, simply because they were kind towards you. See this, and be warned. Though, I must admit, I am quite curious who entrusted that boy with something like this.}

Hearing Aetheris words, Ray's expression shifted to one of pure awe. Even though his eardrums had ruptured from the earlier sound, the ringing void in his hearing dulled the chaos around him.

His healing skill was slowly mending the damage, but for now, all his attention was locked on the spectacle before him.

Despite the tangled storm of emotions he carried toward Ash—anger, disgust, bitterness, and a dozen others—those feelings faded in the face of what he was witnessing.

The world itself seemed to bend, its rules warping under the weight of that light. His breath caught in his throat, and an unbidden thought rose within him.

The creature would not survive this.

Within seconds, the radiance spilled outward in a great surge, covering every inch of the Hollow Mother's grotesque form. It struck with such purity and force that even the dwarves standing nearby were reduced to drifting ash at the slightest touch.

That was the moment Ray's daze shattered. He launched himself into motion witnessing that, his body blurring as he kicked aside as many dwarves as he could, clearing them from the path of the Saint's annihilation will.

His movements were desperate yet precise, each kick meant to send them tumbling out of harm's reach.

He sprinted through the chaos, from one cluster of dwarves to another, pulling them away, shoving them clear.

Even Aetheris was sent flying into motion, the sword spinning through the air like a silver flash, striking with the flat of its blade to drive others out of danger.

Yet even with both their efforts, too many were caught in the light. The death toll was impossible to count at the moment, but Ray knew—more than fifty had been lost.

His jaw tightened, a grim shadow passing over his face. But there was no time to grieve.

The light was already receding, fading like the last echo of a storm, and at that moment his ears healed fully.

The ringing faded, and silence rushed in—he realized the screaming had stopped.

The dwarves now stood frozen in place, their bodies locked mid-motion, as if someone had paused time itself. Their heads remained tilted toward the sky, their faces contorted in the echoes of their last scream.

A thick haze of dust and burnt air hung over the place where the Hollow Mother had stood. Without a second's hesitation, Ray tightened his grip on Aetheris and sprinted toward it, every sense straining for whatever would come next.

...Where is Ash? He should have run away before that attack hit... Right?

Even though he asked himself this, the thought did not bring him any real reassurance. Deep down, he did not fully believe it. He had not seen Ash coming out from inside of hollow mother, and there were no traces of him anywhere in the surroundings.

What if Ash died?

Ray did not know what to feel if that was true. Should he be happy that his love rival, the one who had stolen his lucky chances and shifted his fate into a completely different path, had perished?

Or should he feel sad that Ash might have died while trying to save so many lives?

Or perhaps he should feel anger that Ash had died without fulfilling their deal, leaving Ray without the answers he desperately wanted?

The feelings inside him tangled together into something too complicated to name, yet if he had to choose... Ray wanted Ash alive.

Be alive... answer my question, and then... I will kill you some day... yeah...

The dust began to settle, and the place where the Hollow Mother had stood now revealed nothing but a massive crater. Standing at its edge, Ray found no sign of Ash, and the Hollow Mother was gone as well.

"It's dead..." Ray muttered quietly.

There was not even a single fragment of the monster's body left. It was as though it had been erased from existence itself, leaving no trace in this world. That was the might of a Saint. That was the overwhelming power a Saint was capable of.

But even then, this type of attack took time to prepare. If a Saint had fought The Hollow Mother, there would be no chance for this type of attack power.

Ray felt awe at the sight, but far stronger than that... he felt anger.

"That... he died..."

His emotions were a mess, clashing violently inside him, and before he could even release that storm—

A rock in the center of the crater shifted aside, catching Ray's attention.

From beneath it emerged a pale boy with long white hair, his body without a single scar, skin smooth and untouched as though sculpted by careful hands. The only imperfection was the deep scowl etched into his expression, a look that made it clear he was far from pleased.

It was Ash.

Seeing him, Ray let out a breath he had not realized he was holding, a quiet sigh of relief escaping him.

At least, I will get my answers...

Yes, Ray was selfish when it came to the people he cared about, but it was not out of pure concern for Ash. He wanted Ash alive because he still needed answers related to his family from him. Nothing more.

Just then, a dull thud echoed from somewhere nearby, then another, and another... the sound continuing without pause.

Ray turned and saw the Hollow-controlled people collapsing to the ground one after another, their bodies finally free from the monster's control.

The air beside him shimmered like a disturbed reflection in water, and Ash appeared without a sound.

"...Why are you looking like that? Did you get caught in the attack?" Ray asked, his eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion.

The scowl on Ash's face deepened further.

His mood was foul. On one side, he had been forced to endure the attack of two combined Saint, feeling every ounce of its pain tear into him, he had died only to be revived again.

If not for the Soul Library, he might have lost his mind entirely. Even though the memory of that pain was now stored within the Library, his body still remembered it all, the sensation lingering in his bones and across his skin, making him shudder involuntarily.

There are some experiences the mind can forget, but the body never lets go of them. That was what was happening to Ash.

And it was not only the pain. His armor—the Phantom Veil—had been utterly destroyed. Not even a single fragment remained, leaving him unable to regenerate it.

It was a good utility item... damn it, it's gone...

Ash tried to bury his focus in that thought, using it as a distraction from the phantom sensations that still clung to his body like a shadow he could not shake off.

"..Heal the injured here. We don't have time."

Acting like some aloof, edgy lord, Ash turned his back on Ray without hesitation and walked toward the dwarves lying unconscious on the cold, cracked ground. The faint tremor of his boots against the stone echoed through the air, as if even his footsteps carried an air of command.

Ray exhaled slowly, the faintest sigh slipping past his lips, though his face remained cold and expressionless. Without a word, he started walking as well, but in the opposite direction from Ash, not wanting to follow him.

Yet, before either of them could take more than exactly ten steps, something stirred within their minds—a sudden, intrusive thought that jolted them into sharp awareness. The thoughts came at the same instant, but the questions were not the same.

Why is Life Breath still consuming mana?

Why am I still feeling this unease?

Their eyes widened in unison, a sudden urgency flashing within them as they instantly expanded their senses—Ash reaching out through Omni Thought and Elemental Sight, Ray spreading the reach of his sharp, master-level perception.

The Hollowborns...

They were still there. Still alive. Not destroyed, not even moving—merely frozen in place.

Yet even as Ash looked at them now, none made the slightest attempt to attack.

It was wrong. It felt wrong.

Both of them pushed their senses further, stretching them as wide as they could.

And then, something caught their attention.

It was a worm—about the size of a human palm—its skin pitch black, its mouth jagged with uneven, saw-like teeth, and a single glaring eye in the center of its head. That eye was unmistakable… it looked exactly like the one belonging to the Hollow Mother.

Damn… this thing is still alive...

They didn't waste a heartbeat. In perfect synchronicity, both teleported to its location, their movements sharp and precise. Their swords lit up instantly, one wreathed in aura, the other in mana, both aiming to cut down the black worm in a single strike.

This bastard…

This shit…

Ash and Ray cursed in their minds, their irritation not aimed at the worm, but at each other for arriving at the same time and attacking the same target. Yet neither slowed down.

But just as their blades were about to cleave the creature apart, the worm turned its lone, eerie eye toward them and…

Did it just smile…?

An icy wave of dread surged through them. Their instincts screamed to stop, to pull back immediately, but it was already too late.

Their swords sliced through, and dark, viscous black blood splattered across the rocks.

Silence. A silence so deep it pressed against their ears, their senses spread wide, waiting for the inevitable counterattack. Muscles tense. Heartbeats steady but sharp. Ready.

But nothing happened...

Was it—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The explosion ripped through the land with the raw, blinding force of a nuclear strike. The shockwave roared outward, tearing through mountains, shattering stone, and erasing the Iron Hall City from the face of the continent as if it had never existed.

The Iron Hall City became the Iron Tomb City.

***