Everyone was dumbstruck by Melina's drastic transformation.
The gloam-colored flames blazed around her as though alive, yet did not harm her in the slightest. As the flames surged, Melina's entire bearing changed-even her formerly sleek short hair bristled into sharp spikes!
No one was more shocked than Tarnished.
His eyes widened as he stared in disbelief.
A gloam-colored eye... her hair's bristling... but I haven't gone mad?!
Countless thoughts flashed through Tarnished's mind before realization suddenly struck-
So the trigger wasn't me becoming the Lord of Frenzied Flame. It was contact with destined death!
This time, she encountered destined death through Vila's black knife. Last time, it was because I killed Maliketh the Black Blade and released destined death throughout the Lands Between.
But why does Melu have a gloam-colored eye?
What exactly is her connection to the legendary Gloam-Eyed Queen?
And who sealed her left eye? Marika?
There were far too many questions, but this was no time to investigate.
Because the most important thing right now-
Was beating the hell out of Miquella!
Others might not know how terrifying bristling-haired Melina was, but how could Tarnished not know?
Back when he became the Lord of Frenzied Flame and achieved god-king unity, bristling-haired Melina had still chased him into hiding all over the Lands Between! After all, the Gloam-Eyed Queen had been a fearsome figure who hunted deities as her daily routine. Why were her followers called Godskin Apostles? Because they actually flayed deities and made clothes from their skin!
Melina had inherited only one gloam-colored eye, but the power within it was certainly not to be underestimated. Against ancient deities, the outcome might still be uncertain, but against Miquella, a second-generation god-
She would have him in the bag!
With that thought, Tarnished looked up at Melina.
Melina