“W-What is that?”

Everyone was shocked silly when they saw the emergence of the pillar of sinister anima. Just looking at it made one feel mad, and depressed.

It covered the entire city with an oppressive pressure. Just breathing felt painful to everyone affected by it. No one could move from where they stood. They just could stare at the pillar that seemed like the gateway to hell itself.

“T-This….This is someone’s anima?”

Reina asked with a shocked voice.

“Can Anima really be that evil?”

Amelia asked.

This was the first everyone here have ever seen such Anima. They started to wonder if this person was really human or a demon from the darkest abyss in hell.

After a while, the pillar of anima disappeared along with the oppressive aura.

“Huh?”

Richard was confused when he saw this.

“He didn’t snap completely…..?”

He muttered.

“Could it be that he still has a little self restraint left?”

*BOOM!*

As if to answer his question, a long streak of dark anima cut through the sky and crashed into the church’s forces. Body parts were blown everywhere and cries of agony were short lived before the silence of death took over.

Richard looked and saw a wasteland of death caused by the scattered corpses, and someone standing silently in the center.

Their body was covered with a quiet yet eerie dark anima, and it felt like even the air itself was trembling in its presences.

This person was Rory.

“………”

He didn’t speak or move. He just stood there silently with his head down as if looking at the floor.

“R-Rory?”

Seeing him, Amelia hesitantly called out to him. However, she didn’t receive a reply as if he didn’t acknowledge her existence.

“Good. If he looks like that, then he’s not completely out of control.”

Richard said after observing Rory.

“However, I don’t think he’s that far off.”

He said.

“It looks like something indeed happened to Serket, but I doubt she’s dead. Killing her is extremely hard even for me. But, I doubt the current Rory can come to the same conclusion in that state.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Should I just watch how things play out, or should I stop him first?”

He asked him.

“Hm?”

That’s when he noticed that Rory was looking at him. The two’s eyes met and they stared at here other in silence for a while.

“Yeah, yeah. Have it your way.”

Richard suddenly spoke with a tone of resignation.

“You can rampage all you want until your satisfied. I’ll clean up after.”

He then started to walk away. He looked at Dumah and the others one last time and laughed.

“Whatever happens, is your own fault. Remember that.”

After saying that, he disappeared.

“……..”

After Richards sudden disappearance, Rory silently stood there with dark anima dancing around him.

“Gulp.”

Even though he didn’t move a finger, his presence was enough to suffocate everyone there. They all felt like something terrible was about to happen.

“Sound the retreat.”

Dumah suddenly said.

“Huh?”

The Aficionado members were confused by what he said.

“Did you not hear me?! We’re retreating now!”

Dumah shouted.

“Yes!”

The Aficionado members all quickly took out a whistle and blew it. A deafening sound rung out and spread to every corner of the kingdom.

“A retreat?”

When the soldiers who were left behind in the rural areas of the country heard it they were all confused. That was because the signal was for a sudden retreat instead of a victory like they thought they would hear. Some even question if it was a mistake.

However, for the soldiers who were on the scene at the capital, the signal for a retreat was like music to their ears. The monster which stood before them was too terrifying despite him remaining motionless.

“Retreat!”

They all started to run with all that they had to leave the city. Dumah released the princes and turned and face his comrades.

“Run and don’t look back!”

He shouted.

“Yes!”

They all started to retreat with all their strength. The only one that remained was Dumah. He looked at the silent Rory and spoke.

“The reason you haven’t attacked yet is because your comrades are still in the area, right?”

He asked.

“That’s why you’re trying your best to keep calm. I appreciate it, because my comrades can escape while I hold you off.”

“Escape?”

Rory suddenly spoke for the first time and faced Dumah.

“?!”

Dumah and everyone else shuddered when they saw the expression on his face. He wore a smile, a smile that only the devil himself could wear. They all felt like that smile was like a vacuum that sucked out the souls of all who saw it.

“There’s no escape for anyone.”

He said.

Rory suddenly shot in the air like a rocket and headed towards the escaping army.

*Bam!*

In a second he landed in front of the army.

“?!”

They all stopped when they saw him.

“Hear my voice, Sacred Church.”

He started walking towards them. His voice rung in the ears of everyone in the city. It was like have a swarm of bugs crawling in your head.

“You have committed a grave sin. It’s sin so great that there’s no coming back from it.”

His smile grew wider.

“Even if your god forgives you, I won’t.”

*Bam!*

Suddenly a powerful force crashed into the army causing those of the front to burst into pieces. Arms, legs, heads, eyes, countless body parts started dancing in the air.

Rory was seen walking through this storm of body parts with slow steps. The more steps he took, the more bodies burst apart and their limbs joined the others and danced in the air.

“Ahhh!!!!”

The army made an U-Turn and and started running in the opposite direction in order to escape Rory.

“Heh.”

Rory smiled as they retreated in terror. Soon those in the city could see the army of soldiers running for their lives. They quickly reentered the city and screamed for their leader.

By this time, the storm of body parts halt and limbs started raining down around Rory along with droplets of blood.

The blood drenched Rory’s body and made his red hair even redder. The blood flowed down his face and down his cheeks. He looked like a demon from hell.

“Hahaha.”

He suddenly started laughing and increased his walking pace. He then broke out in a sprint and pounced at the army.

“Fight him! Overpower him with numbers!”

No one knew who shouted that order, but they all carried it out without hesitation. They didn’t want to die, so Rory had to die instead.

“Die!”

Rory concentrated his anima at his hands and swung them like they were claws.

*Bam!*

Giant streaks of dark anima rushed forth and ripped the soldiers in pieces, along with carving up the earth. The soldiers continued to run to fight their enemy like they had lost their senses.

Rory grabbed them one by one tore them to pieces with his bare hands. He took the hand of a soldier and forced it down the throat of one of his comrades. He ripped out the intestines of another, and used it to strangle a woman while using her as a shield to stop the attacks of others.

He threw her away and swung his hands again and bodies exploded into pieces and rained down onto the earth. He stomped the ground and spikes burst out skewered countless soldiers and lifted them in the air and let their blood drain and nurture the earth.

His dark anima transformed into countless tentacles and wrapped around the soldiers’s necks. They lifted the soldiers into the air and strangled them until their necks broke.

The sea of enemies parted with Miko walking and slaughtering everyone in his way. Soon Dumah eyes could meet with his from a far. It sent a chill down his spine.

“How cruel…..”

Rory’s actions were so terrifying that even his “comrades” started to fear him.

“Now, how should I kill you?”

Rory asked with a sinister grin.

“Stay away from the boss!”

Suddenly Harut appeared from under a heap of corpses and threw a punch at Rory.

*Bam!*

His fist hit a barrier of dark anima, and couldn’t reach Rory.

Rory looked at him and smiled.

“Harut!”

Suddenly Marut pushed his brother to ground. A light shot past them and devoured two thirds of a soldier’s body.

*Bam!*

Dumah attacked Rory at that time with a flaming sword. The sword cut into his shoulder, but couldn’t move any further.

“?!”

Suddenly Rory’s faced paled and the dark anima surrounding him disappeared.

“Ahhhh!”

He roared in agony.

“All darkness will be burnt away by my sword!”

Dumah shouted and the flames started seeking into Rory’s body.

“Eleleth!”

Dumah shouted.

“Yes!”

Eleleth jumped in front of Rory looked into his eyes.

“Animus: Tears Of Peace!”

Suddenly golden tears flowed from her eyes.

“?!”

The moment Rory saw that, all the anger and bloodlust he felt started to diminish. His mind was entering a tranquil state. He no longer felt like wrecking havoc.

‘Good. Eleleth’s animus erases all negative feelings of whoever sees it. This will make it easier to kill him.’

Dumah thought.

“Marut, Harut! Kill him while I’m holding him back!”

Dumah shouted.

“Yes!”

The two moved towards Rory and attacked him with their strongest attacks.

*Bam!*

Suddenly Rory thrust his hand through Harut’s chest.

“?!”

The Aficionado members were shocked when they saw that.

“Harut?!”

None were more surprised than Harut himself. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and looked at the hand in his chest. He looked at Dumah.

“B-Boss, run away…”

*Rip!*

Suddenly Rory tore his heart out and crushed it in front of Dumah’s face. Harut’s body fell to the ground.

“I was trying my best to keep my control after everything you’ve done….and yet you had to push it.”

Rory held Dumah’s flame sword and smiled.

“I don’t care anymore. If this country is destroyed, then so be it.”

A dark mist like Anima started leaking from the wound on Rory’s shoulder. His body was once again covered with dark anima, but this time it felt far more sinister and evil. It felt like the anima that came from the pillar that pierced the sky earlier.

The anima covered Rory until his body was no longer visible. Only a dark silhouette remained.

He looked at Eleleth who was scared stiff in front of him. The silhouette showed her a beastly smile.

“B-Boss-”

*Swoosh!*

Before she could finish speaking, her body was separated from her body. The silhouette swung its hand and beheaded her.

*Thud!*

Her head fell at Dumah’s feet. He looked down and saw a scared expression on her face as she blinked for the last time.

“You bastard!”

Marut rushed towards him in anger.

“No!”

*Bam!*

Rory simply slapped him away like a fly. However, this backhand also shattered all of his bones and rupture some of his organs. He flew and landed in front of where Liam and the other princes were.

“…….”

Liam looked at him with a smile on his face. Marut despite his situation was still alive, if only barely. Liam stooped down and silently started to stab his face with a knife. He cut out his tongue, puncture his eyes, cut off his ears, before slitting his throat vertically and crush his windpipe.

Like this Marut suffered a gruesome death in front of those he belittled.

Dumah saw his death and flew up in rage.

“Rory!”

He pulled his sword and started swinging it onto Rory’s body in a fit of madness and rage. Long cuts appeared on Rory’s silhouette form, but the cuts quickly sealed back up an instant later. Seeing that only made Dumah lose his sanity.

“Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!”

He cursed while continuing to cut Rory to no prevail.

“……..”

Rory stood there as if allowing him to do as he wish. However, that too was another blow to Dumah’s sanity. He grew even more frantic and continued to cut Rory.

As if he had grown bored, Rory reached out his hand and gripped his head.

“Let me go! Let me go! You bastard!”

Dumah shouted.

“The sacred church will never forget this humiliation! We will hunt you down to the end of time! You hear me, Devil King?!”

*Splat!*

As if he had enough of Dumah’s rant, he silently crushed his head and threw him to the side.

“…….He won…”

Amelia said after a long silence.

“Then is the war over?”

*Bam!*

Suddenly she heard a loud explosion behind her. She looked and saw that a part of the mountain in the distanced was blown apart. She looked back in front of her and saw that Rory was stretching out his hand. It was obvious that he had been the one to destroy it.

“Rory?”

“Raaaahhhhh!”

A terrifying howl came from Rory’s mouth, causing the earth to tremble. Cracks started appearing in it, and dark anima started to burst the earth open.

“This isn’t good! He’s out of control!”