Summer Mirage

Ever since Xilian could remember, Torchlight Lighthouse had stood atop White Cliff Town like a watchful guardian.

Its existence had long since transcended the building itself, becoming an eternal mark in the townspeople's blood—as natural as the turning of sun and moon, as unshakable as the changing seasons.

Until today.

The scarlet sun suddenly collapsed into the Crimson Spear. As that forbidden gleam pierced the sky, the entire lighthouse crumbled with a deafening roar.

Soul Marrow Flame burst apart like rain. Shattered masonry trailing black smoke shot skyward, turning half the heavens into a swirling Chaos vortex.

Xilian's pupils trembled violently.

The stonework he had thought eternal was turning to dust beneath his feet. The light that had never gone out in his memory was falling into the abyss with a sky full of sparks.

Without Torchlight Lighthouse to hold it back, the surging Grey Fog poured toward White Cliff Town like floodwaters through a broken dam. Demons flickered in and out of sight within it, unleashing terrifying howls.

"Haha!"

The Deathbird's laughter echoed through the Chaos. Then more crazed laughter rose and fell within the Grey Fog, as though the evils of Chaos that had watched from the sidelines had joined the revelry.

"Toren! Tania! What are you waiting for?"

Barking orders, the Deathbird lunged at Nuen. Soul Marrow Flame ignited along his sword-dagger, but its glow held no warmth—only a profound, piercing cold.

Toren drew a deep breath, glanced at Nuen wreathed in blazing flames, then dragged his longsword into the fog and vanished.

Tania chuckled softly. With practiced ease, she took up a dagger and slit her wrist. Blood dripped down.

The moment she closed her eyes, star-like cracks spread through her pupils. When she opened them again, her eyes had become a haze of Chaos-grey mist.

Vast Source Energy erupted from Tania, becoming thousands of silver-blue threads that wove a shifting star chart through the Grey Fog. Each thread pierced a Demon's skull with precision, refining it into a new node.

"May The Highest One show mercy on this feast."

Before Tania finished speaking, the Source Energy network exploded.

The Grey Fog opened like the maw of an abyss, blotting out the sky. White Cliff Town's outline twisted and dissolved in the fog tide, dragged along with the starlight into an abyss of absolute darkness. Only the wails of countless souls sounded from deep within the fog.

Darkness fell.

Bitter cold crusted Xilian's skin with frost, only for the smoldering Soul Marrow inside him to melt it away.

Through the Sacrificial Ritual and the power of her Fated Path, Tania had strengthened the Interstice Gray Domain in this area, recreating the effects of Tidal Night.

Thick darkness divided the battlefield. Xilian could make out only two blurred clusters of firelight: Nuen, still fighting the Deathbird, and the burning White Cliff Town.

Beyond those, Xilian could see nothing within the Interstice Gray Domain. Even Tania, who had caused it all, had vanished without a trace.

Bloodthirsty growls sounded from every direction. Xilian swung his longsword on instinct, cutting down a string of heads.

Suddenly, a torrent of fire cleaved through the darkness. It roared and burned onward, reducing the Demons in its path to ash, then struck a ruined wall and erupted into a huge fireball.

Looking back along the torrent's path, Xilian saw the two monsters locked in combat. They moved so fast that delayed afterimages lingered behind them.

A second later, metal clashed with a deafening boom, spraying sparks.

Nuen's sword strikes were fierce, and the shriek of metal rang around him. The Deathbird's body warped and distorted like a fading illusion.

The battlefield had become a Death Zone. Anything that blundered into it would be pulverized by those lethal sword strikes, mingling with the ash to become dust forgotten in the shadows.

The returning Grey Fog blocked Xilian's view, while the light along the torrent's path rapidly faded.

Xilian understood what Nuen intended. Gritting his teeth, he sprinted down the path of fire.

The worst possibility they had feared had come to pass.

A Chaos invasion.

The Deathbird had clearly come prepared. First, he had unleashed the so-called Evil Sin Power and destroyed Torchlight Lighthouse in a single blow. Then the woman named Tania had summoned the Chaos-tainted Grey Fog and driven countless Demons to besiege White Cliff Town.

Nuen was pinned down by this enemy who had come from afar. Every hope now rested on Xilian alone.

Xilian hurried back to defend White Cliff Town. Though Torchlight Lighthouse had fallen, the town still had a supply of Soul Marrow. If he could ignite it, he could protect the survivors.

A cold blade emerged from the Grey Fog. Xilian instinctively stepped aside.

It broke his train of thought and left a shallow cut across his cheek.

Only seconds later did Xilian feel the pain. If he had not dodged in time, that strike might have taken off his head.

"Oh? You're sharp."

A mocking voice sounded from the darkness. Toren emerged from the Grey Fog, cold flames curling around his blade.

"Oathbreaker..."

Xilian thrust his longsword straight at Toren's heart.

Toren had expected killing Xilian to be easy. Both were rank-one Torchbearers, but Toren had far more combat experience—and the power of Chaos lay hidden inside him.

But just before their blades met, Toren smelled burning in the air and... blood!

A brilliant burst of fire rose between them, completely concealing Xilian's thrust.

Xilian had flung his blood into the air. Its flames blocked Toren's sight.

Toren retreated quickly. He knew Xilian would seize this chance to attack; the longsword would come through the flames and press the advantage.

Cold metal flashed through the fire like lightning. Everything happened just as Toren had expected.

A sneer curled his lips, and he laughed aloud.

"Naive!"

Toren drove his blade toward the tip of the longsword.

But then something strange happened. His blade plunged straight into the fire as though stabbing empty air, touching nothing solid.

At that instant, Xilian crouched low and burst through the flames.

He had thrown his longsword ahead of him solely to mislead Toren.

In a blink, the gap between them vanished. Xilian charged into Toren like a bull, slamming him hard to the ground.

Xilian landed astride Toren and drove an iron fist into his face with crushing force.

With a crack, Toren's nose caved in and teeth flew. Blood instantly blurred his vision.

"What the hell have you bastards done?" Xilian roared.

Toren's face became a bloody pulp. He tried to curse back, but broken teeth and blood filled his mouth, leaving him able to make only meaningless whimpers.

Pain overwhelmed Toren like a wave. Driven by the instinct to survive, he released his sword.

He clamped both hands around Xilian's wrist and forced the fist off course with all his strength. At the same time, he drew up his legs and kicked Xilian hard in the stomach.

Xilian grunted in pain and leaned back.

Toren seized the opening to roll to his feet. Without bothering to wipe the blood from his face, he snatched up his sword and swept it at Xilian.

Xilian withdrew and retrieved his own longsword. They put distance between them and faced each other, breathing hard.

There were no words. No warning.

The Soul Marrow within Xilian burned at full force. Light coursed through his veins, and pure white shone in his eyes.

The same change came over Toren. But as his flames rose, his body underwent a Chaos transformation like a Demon's.

Fine scales spread wildly across him. His ribs swelled, tearing through his clothes to form two bulging sacs. Something seemed to squirm inside them. Then a pair of bloody arms burst out.

"I've always wondered what a Torchbearer who can resist Chaos would look like after being corrupted by it," Xilian said, facing the horrifying sight.

"Now that I've seen it, it's uglier than I imagined. You look like a sun-dried lizard crawling with maggots. Only a Demon would date you."

Toren did not quite understand Xilian's mockery, but he caught the insult clearly enough.

He cared nothing for the taunt. There was no point getting angry with a dead man.

Toren let out a terrifying laugh.

His bloody arms reached into his chest. With a sickening sound, Toren snapped off two ribs trailing strands of blood. Their ends were sharp and deadly, like a pair of bone daggers.

"How pitiful."

Xilian shook his head, his gaze full of pity.

That condescending look enraged Toren completely.

He rushed forward. Several sharp flashes struck down at Xilian, spraying blood from his body and sweeping dazzling flames through the air.

Strangely, the flames were not hot. Wherever they passed, a thin layer of frost formed on the ground and walls, just as it did under the Grey Fog suffused with Chaos.

If Soul Marrow could ward off Chaos, then corrupted Soul Marrow did the opposite: it fed Chaos's power, strengthening it further in the real world.

"Stop struggling, kid!" Toren roared.

They danced through the Grey Fog, every strike carrying the intent to kill.

Blood kept seeping from Toren's wounds and staining his clothes red, but his eyes grew fiercer, like a wounded beast made all the more dangerous.

Xilian's breathing quickened. Sweat slid down his cheek and pattered softly onto the ground.

He spotted a gap in Toren's guard and abruptly changed his attack, driving his knee into Toren's chest. Toren failed to dodge and staggered back several steps, the taste of blood rising in his throat.

A tremendous boom came from one side of the Grey Fog. Before either could evade it, a surging wave of heat swept over them, throwing them down and pinning them to the ground while its searing temperature scorched their flesh.

The terrifying heat wave lasted more than ten seconds before slowly subsiding. Xilian lay on the ground, pain wracking his entire body, his mind dizzy and blurred.

"Damn it..."

Xilian forced himself to his feet. His fine clothes hung in bloody tatters, and his neatly combed hair was a mess.

He searched for Toren but found nothing.

Then a chill crawled up Xilian's spine.

Chaotic visions flashed before his eyes, while faint, broken whispers murmured in his ears.

Toren appeared soundlessly behind Xilian. The heat wave had covered his body in blisters and severed one of his bloody arms. Blood welled from the wound.

He was in a wretched state, but Toren had won. Chaos had seized Xilian. Even if Xilian could break free, that brief delay was enough for Toren to drive the bone spike into his heart.

The spike pierced Xilian's flesh and pressed against bone.

"Bell..."

Xilian suddenly spoke an unfamiliar name. He turned his head and looked at Toren from the corner of his eye.

"That was the name of the first Demon I killed."

Toren's movements inexplicably slowed. One more push would have driven the bone spike through Xilian's heart, yet it stopped.

A rapid series of cracking sounds came from Xilian's body. The power of Chaos binding him was swiftly receding before some unknown force.

After the blood sacrifice of countless Demons, the Ouroboros Mark had nurtured Xilian's anger, loathing, and hatred.

It was on the verge of igniting. All it needed was one spark.

Myriad Forms Evolution, nurture...

Molten-gold light flickered in Xilian's eyes. The sound of breaking ice echoed.

In an instant, Xilian broke free of Chaos's shackles. His longsword swept upward and struck the opposing blade, throwing off blinding sparks.

It was a strike fueled by Soul Marrow burning at full force, like an engine pushed beyond its limits.

The explosive force severed the bone spike raised to block him, knocked aside the descending sword, and cut a bloody line across Toren's neck.

The blow sent Toren staggering backward.

"How... is that possible?"

Toren stared in disbelief. Xilian was only a rank-one Torchbearer. How could he resist Chaos so powerfully?

Xilian gave no answer. He responded with a heavy punch.

His fist slammed into the wound on Toren's neck with such force that half of it sank inside.

"I'll remember your name, Toren."

Xilian drove his hand deeper into the wound. His fingers tore through flesh and fascia until they gripped bone.

The Ouroboros Mark lit up in his palm, and the flowing blood caught fire.

Fire burst from his palm, engulfing his fist and setting Toren ablaze.

As Toren screamed in agony, Xilian roared in fury.

"You'll be the first Oathbreaker I kill!"

Xilian kicked Toren away and took off his head with his longsword.