Dora’s hand was completely burned, leaving nothing but blackened bones exposed to plain view, yet the pain remained unbearable. Every nerve in her body screamed in agony.
Even though her face twisted in distress at the sight of Aether engulfed in the relentless white flames, she couldn’t even lift a finger to help.
“C-come on…” she muttered weakly, trying to push her trembling body off the ground. But before she could even gather the strength to move—
Thud!
A heavy force pressed down on her shoulder, pinning her like a dog.
It was Master. His foot dug into her, keeping her in place.
“Thinking of running away?” he asked, his voice laced with amusement. A cruel grin spread across his face as he glanced down at his stomach, where deep, fresh wounds still bled. The fact that he was still standing, unfazed by the damage, made Dora’s stomach churn with dread.
Dora groaned, her expression contorted with pain. Every breath she took felt like it would be her last.
Master chuckled, shaking his head as if disappointed. “You should’ve just frozen me in place… instead of trying to play games.
But no, you had to make things complicated, didn’t you?” His voice was filled with mockery. He then gestured toward the raging inferno ahead, his grin widening. “Take a good look, Dora. Everyone’s being buried alive… consumed by the judgment of the Holy flames.”
Her eyes followed his hand, and her heart sank at the horrific sight before her… Aether… The Archpriestess… Sandra… Mary.
All of them were engulfed in the merciless white flames, their bodies writhing in agony as the fire mercilessly ate away at them.
Mary was the worst off—her blurry, trembling figure barely visible through the flames. She screamed, her cries shrill and desperate.
Sandra, too, was being burned alive, her body convulsing from the unbearable torment.
Even the Archpriestess, who was known for her ability to handle holy flames, struggled against its intensity.
These flames were different… stronger, purer. They still affected her, though not as severely as the others. She tried to counteract them, using her own holy fire to push back the divine punishment, but it was barely working.
And then there was Aether.
His body was seared red, his flesh charred, and his fingers… pulverized beyond recognition.
Dora’s lips trembled as tears welled up in her eyes.
This was happening because of her… He was suffering because of her… all to save her pathetic, worthless ass.
“Damn…” Master muttered, watching Aether’s suffering with a flicker of curiosity. “That kid must be a real sinner. Otherwise, why would he be getting torn apart like that? I’ve never seen flames react this violently before… even Mary isn’t suffering that much.” He tilted his head, genuinely surprised. “What the hell did he do to deserve that?”
But then, his expression darkened as he noticed something strange. The flames around Aether suddenly grew more vicious, their intensity skyrocketing as if they had been provoked by something beyond mere sin.
Master frowned.
Something wasn’t right.
He wasn’t sure what was happening, but in the end, it didn’t matter. No one could escape from these flames.
They would all be judged.
And then, suddenly—
Thud!
Master’s attention snapped to the side. His eyes narrowed slightly as he saw the Archpriestess emerge from the flames.
“Well, well…” he muttered, a hint of amusement returning to his voice. “Not bad. I suppose you’ve got some good qualities after all.”
The Archpriestess panted, her entire body flushed a deep red—not just her face, but her arms, her legs, everything.
She glared at him, fury and defiance burning in her eyes as she forced herself to stand. Then, with a single wave of her hand, a radiant glow enveloped Dora’s broken form.
Dora gasped as warmth flooded through her. Her skeletal hand shimmered, and before her very eyes, flesh began to reappear, knitting itself back together.
Master blinked in mild surprise before shifting his gaze back to the Archpriestess.
She grinned. “No matter how powerful you think you are… as long as I’m here… you won’t harm any of them.” Her voice was firm, unwavering.
She turned toward Aether, prepared to heal him first, but before she could take a single step—
Snap!
Master snapped his fingers.
Instantly, flames engulfed the Archpriestess once more, just as they did Dora’s hand. The healing process was severed in an instant, and the connection was violently cut off.
“Ahhh…!” The Archpriestess let out a strangled groan, her body doubling over as the pain returned in full force.
She hadn’t committed any grave sins, but that didn’t mean she was pure… Not like Luna.
She was selfish… Just a little!
And that was more than enough for the flames to burn her alive.
Master grinned before speaking, “Now, now…” His gaze shifted to Dora, amusement dancing in his eyes. “The only reason you haven’t burned yet… is because I need you. You should understand just how important you are to me, dear. You are the most crucial piece in all of this, the one thing I cannot afford to lose.” His voice dripped with twisted affection as he pressed his foot against her wound, rubbing it in with cruel intent, watching her flinch under his touch.
Dora gritted her teeth, a sharp breath escaping her lips before she finally spoke. “Y-You want my head, right?” she asked, already knowing the answer. There was no point in resisting—not now.
Master was the key figure required for the process, which meant she had only one option left, and that was to stall him.
For now, she had to buy time for the others, even if it meant….
“Then let them go,” she demanded, her voice steady despite the agony coursing through her body.
Master raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by her words. But then, a slow, wicked smile stretched across his face. “Oh? And how exactly did you figure that out?” His tone carried mild amusement as if her words had merely entertained him for a brief moment. But his grin only widened as he pressed his foot down harder on her wound, relishing in the way she squirmed beneath him.
“Arrhh!”
Dora let out a choked cry of pain, her body trembling from the unbearable pressure. It felt as if her bones were being crushed under his heel, her nerves screaming for relief.
“Let others go?” he repeated, his smirk deepening, his voice dripping with mockery. “Dear, do you really think you have any say in this? Do you believe you hold even a sliver of control over what happens next?”
His pleasure was evident in the way he toyed with her, savouring every moment of her suffering. With a soft chuckle, he casually summoned his dull sword once more, the blade materializing in his hand with an eerie glow as he brought the tip to her neck, resting it against her trembling skin.
“This is already over,” he murmured, his tone almost soothing, as if he were speaking to a frightened child. “Nobody can help you now… or any of them. Their fates have already been sealed.”
His grip on the hilt tightened slightly, but then his expression shifted, a flicker of curiosity crossing his face as he regarded her with narrowed eyes.
“Though I must admit, I am rather curious about what you did to me,” he mused, tilting his head slightly. “But in the end… it doesn’t really matter. Whatever you did, it’s benefiting me more than harming me. And that’s all that matters.”
He exhaled softly, almost as if he were relieved by this revelation. Then, with a deadly calm, his face turned serious, his eyes darkening.
“I am truly honoured to have had you as my student, child,” he said, his voice disturbingly genuine, filled with a twisted sense of pride.
And with that, he raised his sword, moving it closer to her throat, the blunt edge brushing against her skin,
Just then—
“Hey.”
A single word. Cold. Emotionless.
Master flinched.
His sword halted mid-air—not because of any physical force, but simply because of that voice.
That voice alone was enough to stop him in his tracks.
His frown deepened as he instinctively scanned his surroundings, his senses sharpening.
No one was there.
The four bodies still burned within the flames, their screams of agony piercing the air, the heat of the white fire distorting everything in sight.
So then… what the hell was—
Ssssshhhhh!
One of the flames abruptly extinguished, its glow fading into nothingness.
Master’s eyes flickered toward the dying embers, confusion settling in as his mind tried to grasp what was happening. His frown deepened as he turned his gaze forward—
Aether.
His body was different.
Bigger!
And he was stepping out of the flames as if they were nothing but a gentle breeze against his skin.
He appeared.
“You’re still alive?” Master muttered, his frown tightening as he watched Aether emerge unscathed. He had fully expected the boy to be reduced to ash by now, consumed entirely by the holy fire.
The moment Aether’s form became fully visible, Master lifted his fingers, prepared to snap and reignite the flames around him, to watch him suffer once more—
But then—
Aether’s eyes opened.
Pure white.
Nothing but glowing white.
Master’s eyes widened in shock seeing those purity in his eyes!
Before Master could react, Aether lifted his hand and flicked his fingers toward the raging infernos that engulfed the others.
And just like that—
The flames vanished.
As if they had never been there, to begin with.
Master’s breath hitched. His eyes widened in shock, a rare flicker of uncertainty flashing through them.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Sandra, Mary, and the Archpriestess collapsed onto the ground with heavy thuds, their bodies trembling, still searing from the burns. They gasped for breath, their limbs weak, their skin still smoking from the aftermath of the flames that had once threatened to consume them entirely.
The Archpriestess’s eyes widened in disbelief before—
“I knew it!” she cried out, her voice filled with unexpected joy, almost as if she had been waiting for this moment all along.
A smile, genuine and bright, spread across her face as she took in the sight before her, hope glimmering in her exhausted eyes.
Master, however, could only stare in horror.
‘What the hell is going on here?’
His mind raced as he watched Aether standing there, effortlessly controlling the Holy Flames—flames that were meant for the rare people of the Aurora Empire, flames that should have been impossible for someone like him to command.
This was impossible.
And yet…
Aether had done it and eerily those pure white eyes… something wasn’t right!