Yuto's red eyes looked up; he couldn't turn away from the embodiment of absolute power he had dreamt of as the successor to the Heavenly Demon.
The sharp golden pillar slowly descended, leaving a thin residual trail as if the sky itself had split open.
He swallowed hard. His brow furrowed, feeling the strangeness of the world that seemed to submit to that being of light.
In an instant, the divine sword arrived above the abysmal monster's head and split it without any resistance.
With the momentum and sheer size of the sword, Yuto saw it cleave the land, but there was no wound whatsoever.
The sword carved a clean, straight path, as if heaven itself had blessed the ground.
'What in the world?'
This time, he snapped out of his reverie. Yuto immediately shook his head, realizing that it wasn't a destructive power.
Instead, it was a high-level purification power that even the world desired.
As proof, the abysmal monster's body disintegrated into tiny, scattered dust, and its black blood evaporated into raw mana, which became the essence for the living existence in the world.
Yuto looked down, exhaling a long breath as he stored his sword away. The red sun in his dantian stirred, then he muttered to himself.
'I need to be careful around him.'
It was a purification power straight out of a Hero's tale, the kind Elias once read in his childhood.
Then there was his own Demonic power, focused purely on destruction.
Perhaps fate guided the two opposing natures to meet in the same skies.
All Yuto hoped for was not to draw their attention and to quickly leave this place in silence, since the monster had already been defeated.
He turned and saw Kaelion's figure disappear, rejoining the group of new arrivals.
Trying to ignore their conversation, Yuto walked a few meters from them, only to jolt when the spearman called his name.
"Hey, Yuto, where are you going?"
Blue Qi slowly covered his ears, preventing anything from breaching through as he quickened his pace.
But then, a black magic circle appeared beneath his feet, spinning clockwise.
'This!?'
His mind accelerated, but he was a bit too late as black chains locked his movement in place.
'What is the meaning of this!?'
In an instant, a crimson aura rapidly spread throughout all his meridians and nearly consumed his consciousness.
His eyes glowed, and the will was fading slightly, but a shout from Kaelion pulled him back ashore.
"Nefi, what are you doing?"
"N-No, I just..."
A cautious, feminine voice laced with poisonous chill, pierced Yuto's heart.
"Let him go! The boy's innocent; he even helped me during the previous battle."
Even after being told, the chains didn't loosen but tightened, slithering across Yuto's feet like snakes.
"Nefi!"
"Nefi, please release the chains."
This time, a calm voice came from another man—the wielder of the golden sword.
At his command, the chains loosened, and the magic circle beneath his feet disappeared.
Yuto took a deep breath and resumed his halted steps.
"What's your name, boy?"
The golden man asked politely, but as usual, Yuto chose to remain silent.
His breath hitched as a sudden chill seeped into his head and chest. He instinctively called forth his black sword.
But it was too fast. Even with his swift reflexes, the boy could barely react to the incoming projectiles.
'Damn it!'
Faster than himself, a golden cape blocked Yuto's vision, then a flash of gold severed two arrows that flew towards him.
'What!?'
From there, his expression vanished. A crimson aura began to dominate his head. Yet the boy still retained his sanity, while the emotion within him swelled like a volcano.
"Stop the teasing, Nel, you almost hurt this child."
Yuto heard nothing. His eyes drifted downward, catching the sight of two broken arrows.
He felt something within him break, barely keeping his raw emotion from bursting over the atmosphere.
The man in front of him sighed in relief, then turned and immediately bowed his head slightly.
"I sincerely apologize for my subordinates' foolishness."
A few seconds passed in awkward silence. The man raised his face and flinched, seeing the empty expression on the child's face.
His hands clenched tightly, gritting his teeth. He failed as a leader as he couldn't control his problematic squad.
"I am truly sorry for their actions. So please..."
"Not necessary."
A short answer: The boy's tone was soft yet sharp like a fiery spear piercing his heart.
The man watched the boy's feet detour around him and walk away without a word.
"Yuto, wait—!"
Kael, his old friend, was about to reach out, but a hand grabbed the innocent man.
"Kael. That's enough for now. Leave the child alone."
"B-But, Sirius, I..."
Sirius, the leader of the strongest Guardians in the Empire, straightened his back. His jaws clenched, seeing his friend innocently alternating his gaze back and forth.
"I'm sorry, Kael. But please listen to me, just this once."
"O-Okay then."
Even at the end, the man who loves battle kept his gaze straight.
Sirius followed suit as they saw the boy's back, which looked lonely and battered without even a single word of gratitude for his heroism.
In the previous battle, Sirius witnessed the boy's ability.
The man was speechless.
His aura control and perseverance in facing strong monsters. It sparked a fire in Sirius's heart and compelled him to step in at the end.
But instead of gratitude, the child was attacked. The armour he wore clattered loudly around the clenched palms, and he raised his voice.
"Nefictos! Ferinel! Come here at once!"
The air grew heavy as his voice echoed. A golden aura flared around him, burning everything like fire.
Two women appeared.
One had short white hair. She wore black and red outfits for reconnaissance. Her red eyes glistened, holding back a sob.
A gust of wind came from behind, revealing the figure of a woman with long green hair tied in a ponytail.
She wore tight, minimal clothing, which showed her navel and smooth skin on her stomach.
Nefictos was agitated, clasping her hands together.
"..."
On the other hand, with a blush on her cheeks, Ferinel scratched her cheek.
"Ehehe, sorry, Sirius, my finger slipped out, hic!"
Sirius took a deep breath; he understood both characteristics very well.
Nefictos, who was overly cautious and caring for her comrades, might not have accepted the child's indifferent behavior.
Ferinel, on the other hand, had a habit of teasing anyone she found interesting.
In the battle earlier, Sirius saw the woman's eyes sparkle at the boy's courage and strength.
"Why did you do that?"
Sirius's tone was heavier than usual, putting mental pressure on his other teammates.
He turned to Nefi, and her petite body stiffened. The woman bit her tiny lips, trying so hard to speak her mind, albeit stammering.
"..T-That child might be a spy from the Kingdom."
Then the leader shifted to the other. His sharp blue eyes pierced through Nel's teasing attitude, making her falter.
"Well, I-I just want to test his strength! Maybe he's a good man for me... something like that."
Sirius facepalmed. He never imagined his teammates would be this troublesome in the absence of another member.
Of course, as a direct subordinate of the Emperor himself. Sirius was aware of the news about a suspicious identity mingling on the Imperial grounds.
There were also the trespassers from the neighboring land, whose presence suddenly vanished in a single night, leaving only a dismembered body without a head.
Also, Nefi, head of the intelligence unit working behind the scenes, must have known that the child hadn't shown suspicious activity.
The boy merely lived and led his life peacefully as an adventurer.
Sirius also received information that the boy was currently fostered by the family of a merchant who had significant influence on the Empire's economy.
'Haaah, what should I do? I thought Nefi was only irritated by the boy's attitude. There is also Nel.'
His other teammate, Ferinel. The drunkard cursed in romantic relationships.
She was still in her early twenties, but her obsession with finding strong, handsome men always brought a lot of problems to their group.
Even after being an official subordinate under the Emperor.
Sirius felt pressured; invisible chains wrapped around his limbs, dragging him into the deep sea of problems.
'What should I do? Tia, please help me!'