My body flashed through the forest as Askruak pursued me with an amused smile. The corruption continued spreading across my abdomen, barely being held back by the mana flowing through my Vectors.

I was a fool.

How had I allowed my emotions to cloud my judgment?

I had fought countless battles. Most of the time, I never lost my composure. But today...

Tch.

Askruak can influence emotions.

I should have realized it sooner. Something had felt wrong ever since I stepped onto this island.

My pity, my compassion and even my anger, all of them had felt... amplified. At the time, I hadn’t thought much of it but now that I deliberately turned my awareness inward, I finally noticed what had been bothering me.

My Chaos Mind had barely activated ever since I entered this place. Normally, it dulled my emotions, preventing any single feeling from overwhelming my judgment unless I consciously allowed it.

But here... It hadn’t done that.

Or perhaps, it had tried only for whatever influence Askruak had cast over this island to prove even stronger. The corruption blanketing the island wasn’t just mana, it felt more like some kind of ancient ritual, subtly amplifying emotion itself.

He was the future God of Pride, a being who wielded one of the primal emotions itself. Even if I had never fought him personally, I should have remembered that much...

Slap!

Without hesitation, I struck my own cheek. The sharp sting pulled my thoughts back into focus. It was happening again.

My emotions were already spiraling toward self-loathing. I refused to let him control my emotions any more as I looked over my shoulder.

No one was chasing me.

Of course.

Askruak already knew exactly where I was heading because he was headed there as well. It was the only place where the one destined to kill him waited and the only place where the sacrifices for his ritual still remained.

I didn’t know what that ritual was meant to accomplish but I had a feeling that if it succeeded, this trial would end in failure.

So I pushed my speed even further as every use of my mana sent searing pain through my body as the corruption spread deeper, resisting the Vectors trying to suppress it.

Thankfully, I arrived within seconds.

Chiki was pacing anxiously in the center of the village, where he had gathered the surviving villagers together.

The moment he saw me, his face lit up with relief. Only for the color to drain from it as his gaze fell upon the black corruption spreading across my abdomen.

"My Lord, what happ—"

Before he could finish, I cut him off.

"We have to leave. Now. Take as many children as you can. We need to retreat immediately. He will be here any moment."

"What are you talking about, my Lord?" Chiki asked, his voice rising in confusion. "What about the villagers? What about everyone else?"

I suppressed the urge to curse.

"Just listen to me. I need time to recover. My mana is at rock bottom and this corruption is making things difficult if we stay here... every one of you will die."

"So make your choice. Will you save the future of your race or perish here alongside everyone else?"

I wasn’t entirely lying. Whatever corruption Askruak had infected me with wasn’t merely attacking my body. Now that I could properly sense it, I realized it was gnawing away at my soul.

And my soul happened to be the strongest part of me. If I were given enough time, I might be able to find a way to suppress it within my Soul Palace.

But...

Time was the one thing I didn’t have.

Retreating and disappearing for a while was the only sensible option since Askruak didn’t seem to have a complete watch on the whole island.

Only after I found a way to suppress the corruption, regained control over my emotions and awakened Chiki would this battle finally turn in our favor.

Chiki hesitated. Despair and anger twisted across his face as his claws clenched tightly.

"Why...? Why are we always the ones who suffer? Why must we always be the ones to pay the price? Was our faith, our trust and our devotion... worth so little?"

His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Because you are weak." I answered without the slightest hesitation. "Because you keep waiting for a savior. You keep praying for miracles instead of changing your own fate. You trained for the sake of this village but you never truly believed in yourself."

I had no intention of softening my words.

Sometimes...

The truth hurt the most and maybe it could somehow help him awaken. But before I could push him any further, an amused voice echoed across the village.

"Do you truly believe you can escape my domain?" It was Askruak. "I merely waited for you all to gather together. After all, the sweetest emotion of all is despair."

A chuckle echoed through the air.

"So I should thank you. Without your little performance, I would never have had the opportunity to savor the despair of an entire village to watch their final hope shatter before their very eyes."

He continued in the same detached tone.

"...And perhaps this alone will finally be enough for me to ascend two, maybe even three ranks at once and perhaps I will finally reach her."

His voice grew distant toward the end, as though he had momentarily forgotten everyone else.

But before he could react, I launched myself from the ground, reinforcing the upward Vectors beneath my feet, I shot toward him like an arrow.

"Chiki! Run, if you don’t want your tribe’s future to disappear forever!"

My mana reserves were already running dangerously low but that no longer mattered. All I needed to do was buy him time. Once Chiki escaped, retreating would become far easier.

***

Chiki stared into the sky as the battle between the two humans raged once more as the little hope he had always carried had finally vanished.

He had always believed the stories about humans were exaggerated but today... One human claimed to be their god behind their suffering while the other had come as their savior.

And neither could save his people.

Chiki didn’t understand what Zenith truly wanted. All he knew was that, in the end, his people still weren’t the ones being saved.

Just then...

A frail claw grasped the sleeve of the martial robe the village chief had woven for him with his own hands.

Chiki lowered his head. Chief Karil lay writhing in agony, yet the old Murgin still wore the same warm, gentle smile.

"Leave... and survive, Chiki, my child."

"You are our dragon."

Dragon...

Chiki remembered the old tale.

The story Chief Karil had told him ever since he was little. The story of how the Murgins had once descended from mighty dragons.

Whenever Chiki returned home with bloodied fists from training, the chief would always smile as he treated his wounds and told him that same story.

"One day, you will soar higher than any of us ever could."

One after another, the villagers lying nearby began whispering the same words. Despite the unbearable pain, despite the corruption devouring their bodies, they all forced smiles onto their faces.

"Soar high... Chiki."

"Live... for us."

"Carry our will..."

"Become... our dragon."

At last...

Chiki broke and with him, the last of the chains that had bound something deep within his soul shattered completely.