Chapter 13 Ashes Of Black Thorn
Vaelith’s POV
The moment the Dominion Inquisitor appeared… the battlefield changed.
Instantly.
The assassins who had been fighting fearlessly moments ago suddenly stepped backward in visible fear while even the Holy Dominion hunters lowered their heads respectfully. That alone told me enough. This man was dangerous.
Flames crackled around the ruined camp while smoke drifted through the cold night air. Bodies covered the ground,assassins and holy knights alike.
And standing calmly in the middle of the destruction… was the Inquisitor.
Tall. Silver-haired.
My instincts screamed immediately.
Run. Nysera stepped slightly in front of me again.
“You’re trespassing on Black Thorn territory.”
The Inquisitor looked toward her calmly.
“And Black Thorn shelters corruption.”
His voice wasn’t loud. Yet somehow everyone heard it clearly.
The man slowly walked forward through the burning camp while holy mana spread across the ground beneath his feet.
The assassins backed away instinctively.
Even Nysera’s expression tightened. So she really feared him.
The Inquisitor stopped several meters away from us before speaking again.
“I was expecting a monster.”
His gaze remained fixed on me.
“Not a child pretending to be one.”
He tilted his head slightly.
“Your mana is strange.”
Cold unease settled in my chest immediately. He could sense it.
Nysera’s grip tightened around her sword.
“You won’t touch him.”
The Inquisitor finally looked at her directly.
And smiled. That smile chilled me more than open hatred.
“You would sacrifice your people for a creature?”
Nysera didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
The entire battlefield fell silent briefly. Even I looked at her in surprise.
The Inquisitor’s smile disappeared afterward.
“A shame.”
Then he raised one hand casually.
Golden light exploded across the battlefield instantly.
BOOOOOOM!
Several assassins were vaporized before they could even scream. My eyes widened sharply.
What the hell?!
Nysera reacted instantly.
“MOVE!”
She shoved me sideways just as another blast of holy mana tore through the area where we’d been standing.
The ground exploded violently.
Smoke and debris filled the battlefield.
Screams echoed everywhere.
The Dominion Inquisitor walked calmly through the destruction like death itself.
Every movement felt effortless.
A holy knight rushed toward him nervously.
“Inquisitor, should we capture the corrupted one alive?”
The man’s amber eyes remained fixed on me.
“No.”
Silence followed.
Then…
“Kill everything.”
The Holy Dominion hunters surged forward instantly. And the massacre began. The assassins fought desperately.
Fast shadows clashed against holy magic throughout the burning camp while bodies continued falling every second.
But it was hopeless. Completely hopeless.
The Inquisitor alone was enough to overwhelm them. I watched him raise one hand casually again, nd five assassins exploded into blood instantly.
“…Monster,” I muttered.
Nysera heard me.
Her expression darkened bitterly.
“Now you understand.”
Another assassin stumbled toward her covered in blood.
“Lady Nysera! We can’t hold them!”
Nysera looked around the battlefield.
And for the first time since meeting her…
I saw despair. Black Thorn was dying.
Their home. Their people. Everything was burning.
The Inquisitor suddenly pointed toward me.
“There.”
Three holy knights rushed forward instantly. I moved before thinking.
CRACK!
My fist shattered one knight’s armor instantly before I grabbed another by the throat and slammed him into the ground.
The third attacked from behind, Nysera intercepted him immediately.
CLANG!
Her blades moved beautifully through the firelight before slicing across the knight’s chest. Blood sprayed across the snow.
But even while fighting… I could feel it.
The battle was already lost.
Another explosion tore through the camp.
More assassins died.
Vark came running toward us covered in soot.
“MASTER! EVERYTHING BURNING!”
“I can see that!”
The goblin pointed frantically toward the battlefield.
“Pretty knife lady people losing!”
No kidding. The Inquisitor slowly walked toward us again. Completely untouched.
Completely calm. Like this was all beneath him.
“Your resistance is meaningless,” he said quietly.
Nysera immediately charged him anyway.
Fearless. Her blades flashed toward his throat beautifully, The Inquisitor caught her sword with two fingers. I froze.
Nysera’s eyes widened.
Impossible.
Then…
BAM!
He struck her stomach casually.
Nysera coughed blood instantly before crashing violently through a burning tent.
“NYSERA!”
I moved instantly. The Inquisitor appeared directly before me.
Fast.
His amber eyes studied mine calmly.
“…Interesting.”
Then he touched my chest lightly.
Pain exploded through my entire body.
BOOOOM!
I flew backward violently, crashing through several trees before slamming into the frozen ground. My vision blurred instantly.
“…GHHH…”
What was that power? Even my Dungeon Core-enhanced body felt shattered.
The Inquisitor slowly approached again through the smoke.
“Corrupted mana.”
His gaze sharpened.
“You truly are dangerous.”
I forced myself upright painfully. Every instinct screamed at me to run.
But Nysera… I looked toward the destroyed camp. The assassins were dying.
And near the flames, Nysera struggled weakly against the ground, blood spilling from her mouth.
The Inquisitor noticed my gaze.
Then smiled faintly.
“She matters to you already?”
I clenched my fists tightly. Dangerous mistake. The Inquisitor’s expression changed slightly. Then golden mana erupted around him again.
“I’ll kill her first.”
Something inside me snapped. The world suddenly became quieter. Darker.
The bodies scattered across the battlefield caught my attention instinctively.
Mana. So much mana.
The system appeared instantly.
[Mass Residual Mana Detected]
[Absorption Recommended]
My crimson eyes widened slightly. Right.
The dead. I looked around the battlefield.
Hundreds of bodies. Assassins. Holy knights. Enough mana to overwhelm an ordinary person instantly.
But I wasn’t ordinary anymore. The Inquisitor noticed the change in my expression. Then his smile faded.
I slowly placed one hand against the ground. And activated absorption.
The battlefield exploded with crimson light.
Every corpse nearby began glowing violently as streams of blue and crimson mana surged directly toward me.
The assassins froze. The holy knights panicked.
“What is that?!”
“The bodies!”
The mana entered me violently. Painfully.
Too much at once. But I endured it.
Because Nysera was dying.
The ground beneath me cracked violently as dark crimson mana erupted around my body like a storm.
The system flickered rapidly.
[Mass Mana Absorption Successful]
[Energy Capacity Exceeded]
[Emergency Evolution Threshold Near]
The Inquisitor’s calm expression finally changed.
“…A Monarch.”
My head snapped upward instantly.
Then I moved.
BOOOOOOM!
The frozen ground shattered beneath my feet as I appeared directly before him.
Fast. Far faster than before.
The Inquisitor barely blocked my punch in time.
CRAAAAACK!
The impact blasted him backward across the battlefield violently. Every assassin froze in shock. The Inquisitor slid across the ruined ground before finally stopping.
And for the first time since arriving… his expression became serious. I stood between him and Nysera while crimson mana twisted around my body like living shadows.
The Holy Dominion hunters hesitated visibly now.
Nysera weakly lifted her head behind me.
“…Vaelith…”
I didn’t look back.
“Can you move?”
“…Barely.”
The Inquisitor slowly straightened while w
iping blood from the corner of his mouth.
Blood. I’d actually injured him.
His amber eyes narrowed dangerously afterward. Then suddenly, he laughed softly.
“You truly are the Dungeon Core.”
Silence spread across the battlefield instantly. And every surviving assassin turned toward me in shock.
