The Empire’s men rode their horses through the fields, finding no trace of anyone until they reached the small fishing village.
They marched into the village, trampling everything underfoot before stopping in front of a group of men led by the old chief.
“Have you seen anyone suspicious around here in the last few days?” the leader of the riders asked.
“We have seen nobody. As you can see, this place is far away from any large city. Not even hunters come here. A peaceful place it is, though.” The chief replied simply.
“Hmph. Let us make sure of that. You might be hiding them!” The rider scoffed.
“Men, turn this place upside down!” He roared, but one of the fishermen jumped forward.
“Please stop; we don’t want any trouble. There was a group here a day ago that left south alongside the shore.” He shouted, making the chief frown.
“Oh, well, why didn’t you say so earlier?” The rider smiled. “Unfortunately, my orders are to make sure that no witnesses remain.” He spoke coldly and struck the man where he stood. “Men, torch it all down!”
“What do you think you are doing?! These are innocent, honest people! We know nothing about any of this!” The chief screamed.
“Doesn’t matter. I cannot risk it!” The rider shouted and urged his horse forward as he slashed his sword toward the old chief.
The chief closed his eyes and sighed before opening them with a flash of crimson light as bloodlust burst out of him in waves, making the nearby horses neigh in panic and throw their riders into the dirt.
“Men, grab what you can and fight! We are not going to get exterminated at the whims of others! And someone go bring me my axe!” He shouted as his body shone with sharp silver light and exploded in size, growing to over three meters tall while sharp gray fur sprouted across his body.
His limbs turned lupine with the sounds of cracking bones and rearranging flesh. His face twisted into something primal while his spine elongated, and a large, bushy tail sprouted from behind him.
His clothing burst apart as he howled, fear sinking deep into the Empire’s men.
“In battle formations! Savros, lead the others still mounted and slaughter them all!” The leader screamed as he grabbed the shield from his back and prepared for battle.
“What is an Epic Icon holder doing hiding here?” one of the soldiers shouted.
“Must be a criminal. Kill him!” The leader roared and charged with his shield, which exploded with blinding light as he slammed it toward the chief’s chest.
The old werewolf snarled and leaped high into the air before spinning like a small vortex and descending with a devastating kick.
Slam!
The leader braced as the kick landed on his shield, forcing him to one knee.
“Men, help me!” He roared.
The others lunged, stabbing at the werewolf while he positioned himself in front of his villagers, trying to protect those who remained nearby.
Some soldiers unleashed fireballs, while others released arcs of lightning that descended upon the old man's lupine form.
He growled, spitting a mouthful of blood as his body charred beneath the dancing flames and lightning, just as more soldiers descended and stabbed into his back and flank.
His fur shone silver, growing sturdier, though the blades still managed to pierce him.
“Chief, no!”
“Chief, goddammit, run!”
“Chief, you’ve done enough!”
The villagers cried.
“Here, your axe!” Another came running like mad behind him, the village already engulfed in flames.
The werewolf snarled and grabbed his battleaxe.
As he did, the blood he had spilled and the blood of his slaughtered villagers, whose screams still filled the coming night, rushed into the axe, which shone dark-violet, almost abyssal in color, and his wounds slowly recovered as he rose to his feet.
“You will pay for what you have done and for making me walk the path of bloodshed once more!” He roared and cleaved through the soldier closest to him.
Swish!
The axe passed through the man as if through butter. Blood sprayed like a fountain before the axe devoured it all.
“Rita, my girl. Time to awaken. Let us feast!” He howled, and the axe hummed in response.
“Battle Position Alpha Secondi, now!” The leader roared, and his men rushed to him, forming a triangular formation with him at the point and the ranged fighters at the rear.
The entire formation ignited with bright gold light as a thick shell of translucent liquid-metal gold covered them, while those in the back continued their relentless barrage of spells.
“You think that will save you after what you have done?” The chief snarled and lunged high into the air before crashing down with his battleaxe.
Boom!
The axe and the golden barrier clashed, sending large ripples through the shield while the leader tossed a triangular relic beside the chief’s feet.
The relic unfolded on all sides, and thick chains of surging lightning slithered outward and, with lightning-fast speed, bound the werewolf.
The chief howled and tried to slam into the barrier once more, but the lightning chains dragged him into the ground as if the gravity around him had tripled.
“Haha, damn beast. You think you can break the Galvanic Bindings? Dream on!” The leader laughed. “Riders, retreat! Time to wipe this place clean!” He roared, and the moment he saw his riders moving toward the woods, he commanded, “Make it rain, boys!”
Six or so casters at the rear raised their swords toward the sky, and beams of pure mana shot upward. A large formation ignited above them, and a wave of intertwined thunder and fire descended, devouring the villagers alongside their homes.
“Die, beast, alongside your people!” The leader broke formation and stabbed the chief through the chest while his soldiers lunged to finish off the remaining villagers nearby.
Most of them died amidst screams and cries as the chief howled in agony, still struggling against the bindings.
Woosh.
A large black cat suddenly appeared.
“Apologies, wolf. We saw it too late and were too far away.” Lucian sighed as he grabbed the werewolf and his axe and tossed them through a portal before turning and swiping at the guards behind him, throwing the remaining three men into another portal.
“A talking panther?! What the hell is this place?!” The leader roared.
“Shush, human. You made my master very upset, you see. And I was sleeping so nicely.” Lucian complained.
Above them, the dusk-covered sky ignited with hues of gold as Nera flew overhead with Corvin hanging from her tail.
“Vex, time for slaughter,” Corvin whispered coldly as he released his demons.
They descended from above as an enormous tear in space opened overhead.
“As you wish, honey.” She laughed.
Corvin’s demons descended, led by Vex, and immediately started slaughtering the soldiers while Corvin landed before the leader.
“So, you Empire guys think you can do whatever you want, huh?” He asked coldly.
The leader turned, shaking. “A demon?! So, you killed Linnus?!” He gasped.
“I killed them all, and now I will do the same to you. Hunting me is one thing, but killing all those simple people... for what?” Corvin asked, furious.
“We were ordered to remove any witnesses, and orders must be obeyed!” The man shouted.
“True, true. An order is an order, right?” Corvin smiled simply, his eyes cold as ice, as he grabbed the man with Mage Hand and raised him for all to see. “Everyone, don’t kill them just yet. Brael, go with Lucian and hunt down the ones riding west.” Corvin commanded.
Brael morphed into an enormous bat while Lucian slipped through the shadows.
“Now then, let me test this new skill. Hopefully, something remains of your soul afterward.” Corvin muttered and drew Coilbreaker for the most painful experience possible.
He layered Soul Cleave over the serrated blade, and a sickly green light surged across it, making the weapon look like a living nightmare.
The raiders’ leader started screaming and squirming in midair as Corvin activated Flurry.
A rain of slashes descended upon the man. Each attack shattered armor and shredded bone and muscle, while sickly green, almost ethereal copies of every strike passed through him and struck his soul directly.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!” He screamed before his body went limp.
Corvin activated Demon Buffet and grasped a small gray flame.
Hmm, looks fine enough. A bit smaller than a normal soul. He devoured it before turning toward the others. “Kill them one by one. Let me store their souls.”
“Nooo, please no! Spare us!” They screamed as Vex and Vanta bound them.
“Like you spared those men, women, and children?” Corvin responded coldly and began harvesting souls.
Ten or so minutes later, the screaming stopped, and Corvin nodded.
Sixteen more souls. Not bad at all for such a fucked-up situation. Fuck this shit. He stood and looked over the burning village.
[Experience Gained: 30,380]
[Level Up!]
[Experience toward next level: 23%]
He released Spatial Prediction in the hope of finding anyone left alive, but the scan returned nothing.
Only destruction and corpses. He sighed and sold the corpses.
“Everyone, please go assist Brael and Lucian. Make sure none of the bodies remain.”
“My lord, can I eat them?” Vanta asked quietly.
“Sure, go wild!” Corvin nodded and moved toward the ravine where Nera was healing the survivors.
***
“How are they?” Corvin asked solemnly.
“These three are mostly fine, at least physically,” Nera said and pointed toward the half-naked old man grasping his axe, a large wound on his body slowly closing. “He, on the other hand, is refusing to be healed.”
“Old man, why don’t you let her heal you?” Corvin asked.
“My Icon is linked to a demonic power. I cannot be healed by holy powers.” The old chief muttered.
“Fine, take these then.” Corvin handed the man three Greater Potions. “Drink and heal.” He said.
“Why are you helping us when we sent you away?” The old man asked, confused.
“Why not? You did nothing wrong. They attacked you because of us anyway. Filthy sons of whores.” Corvin spat.
“And as you saw, I have nothing against demonic or divine beings.” He smiled warmly.
“So, what kind of Icon gives someone demonic powers? Haven’t heard of those before.” Corvin muttered.
“Just like those Church bastards gain their holy Icons, so do the worshippers of demons. Unfortunately for me, having a mother who led a demonic cult did not help me live peacefully on this continent.” He shrugged.
“So, you left civilization behind and lived here with the fishermen?” Corvin asked.
“Yes. For decades now. I protected them while they accepted me for who I was.” He sighed, and tears began to fall.
“I see,” Corvin muttered, falling silent.
The other three men rushed toward the old man and embraced him, all four crying together.
Corvin left them to their grief and turned toward the distant sounds of screams and explosions as his demons continued their hunt.
“Every day I am reminded what kind of place this damn world is...” Corvin sighed as Nera coiled around him gently.