The Star Of Depravity - Chapter 14

The sun rose higher, and the sweat falling at the tips of their chins were like tiny crystals.

The fight against these monsters seemed to have no clear ending, as their quest to find answers in a world that they were unwillingly thrown into.

Due to being too preoccupied with fending off the remaining Voidspawn Agmas, Ronnie hadn’t noticed that two of her supposed comrades had commenced a fight.

The Voidspawns didn’t seem to lessen in number no matter how much Ronnie waved her arms in the air, the wind following every sway of her palms.

What was once a harmless wind, turned into a turmoil that lashed out at the monsters—and it was sharper than any knife as it severed half of their bodies, dismembering their limbs like a pack of confetti got spewed in the air.

Ronnie’s weapon didn’t have an appearance, but she was the perfect instrument for the beasts to not anticipate what is yet to come from their enemies.

But her alone was not enough to rid the place of monsters.

After landing a kick above the Voidspawn’s body that presented itself as both a butterfly and a spider, Ronnie found the interval to look below. She spotted two of her allies fighting against each other instead of helping clear the land from the infestation of the Agmas.

***

A strand of pink hair fell between Seo-rin’s dark eyes—she inhaled sharply, the dried blood showing at her forehead when the wind blew their way. Then, she gritted her teeth as she pushed her glowing sword forward, the light pulsating from her slim, yet sharp blade as she suppressed a scream, the spark in her eyes glinting like sunshine.

In the blink of an eye, Seo-rin retracted and wielded her sword upwards. With one breath, she brought it down, their contrasting blades ringing from the impact.

Ervin didn’t know what to make of what she was doing—he held his ground and forced himself to think that it wasn’t anything personal, but his thoughts from earlier ran—it looped, then, it resurfaced the moment Seo-rin laid eyes on his face as if it was the vilest thing she could behold.

Was this how the people he’d failed saw him? Was Seo-rin’s face how they reacted when they knew about what he did?

Despite her arms that looked skinny and shorter than Ervin’s, Seo-rin’s frail-looking appearance had the strength and speed of a veteran fighter, and Ervin didn’t know how she had acquired such skill at her short time in Lestra.

How did she become this strong? He asked himself as he scrunched his eyebrows, his sweat sliding down the bridge of his nose, his feet burying itself from the intensity of them pushing each other to their limits.

She probably has that Deity with her, said Zyros, his voice sounding resentful.

He didn’t expect such a reaction from Zyros. So the Dark Deity can either mock, taunt, or resent. That’s the least Ervin has observed from him.

Ervin let out a cry as his arms trembled, both their swords were shaking from the impact of gripping the handles of their weapon as he tried to prevent himself from being cut while Seo-rin took the lead to purposefully harm him—her opponent.

They pressed their blades until one of them either severed each other’s limbs. Ervin’s right foot slid forward, but Seo-rin held her ground through tackling his marred foot. He lost his balance and almost fell forward on her, but with lightning speed, Seo-rin managed to transport behind him when Ervin blinked.

Shit…! 

Ervin attempted to twist his body and sword at her, but Seo-rin’s blade brought itself down on him, grazing his shoulder with its sharp ends.

Not the fucking shoulder—again! 

Ervin tried blocking her with his sword, but with immeasurable speed, Seo-rin brought her arms above her and plunged the tip of her blade into Ervin’s stomach—he gawked, and blood spewed out of his mouth.

The blade was inside him, and she was impaling it slowly in his flesh. She pushed the edge of her sword further until Ervin spewed blood out of his mouth.

With her, every movement, Seo-rin looked horrified, but Ervin didn’t understand why.

He mustered a glare, but he didn’t expect to behold such a reaction from her; the horror was all over Seo-rin’s face as Ervin’s blood dripped on her blade, then toward her fingers firmly holding the hilt of her sword.

Her hands were trembling so bad Ervin felt the shaking of her blade inside him.

Then, she stopped pushing her blade further.

Reaching his hands, Ervin didn’t know what else to do—especially when you have a glowing sword stabbed into your stomach—he quickly pulled out her blade away from his stomach—it felt like he’d been struck another time—even if the sharp metal cut the flesh on his palms.

Blood trickled like rainfall further down on Seo-rin’s blade, and she looked all the more terrified as it painted red on her cream-colored skin.

The glare Ervin fixed on Seo-rin slowly transformed into an unreadable wall.

If the woman was that angry with him for ruining her career, surely she wasn’t this unforgiving to the point that she’s so eager to kill him?

Unexpectedly, the wind went down on them like a bomb, and Ronnie plummeted at the center, her face in apparent fury.

“Stop it, you two!” the heavy wind slashed between them like walls that pushed them away from each other, separated their blades first, and then placed a distance into what was once their own zones.

Ronnie heaved—the uncertainty apparent in her face, her bright, wavy strands weaving with the wind.

Seo-rin dug her bare feet on the soil while Ervin’s back met the murky waters.

“What are you doing?! This isn’t the time to be fig—” Ronnie wasn’t able to finish her sentence when Seo-rin lashed like an arrow striking the hilt of her sword on Ronnie’s stomach.

“Ugh!” for a moment, Ronnie touched the area Seo-rin had struck as she spits out blood and saliva from her mouth, and then Seo-rin’s blade swiftly sliced Ronnie’s calves, the redhead erupting into a blood-curling cry. She involuntarily kneeled on the soil like she was begging Seo-rin for her life, her blood pooling around their feet.

Ervin cursed and immediately stabbed his sword on the earth as he pushed himself to stand—

A heartbeat rang on his ears like something had been smashed on the wall.

He snapped his head to its direction—his eyes landed on Seo-rin’s breasts. He could see the calm demeanor of her face, her chest steadily breathing—her heartbeat pumped slower, but with accuracy.

Ervin froze.

As if he was in slow motion, Ervin saw how Seo-rin’s heartbeat pulsed a purple light together with the pumping of her heart.

Wait—

The purple light is her heart.

He saw everything as if he were an x-ray machine that scanned a person’s entire body.

You see what you needed to see.  

It was Zyros’s voice, and Ervin caught the way the Dark Deity laughed a little when he realized what part of Seo-rin’s body he’s fixed his stare at—

His eyes twitched, and he quickly ripped his gaze away from Seo-rin.

He shook the ache behind his eyes—It was as if he was experiencing a brief migraine in a manner of seconds.

When the pain subsided, he opened his eyes and saw Seo-rin looking lost a few meters away.

Her nostrils flared, her chest heaving up and down as she frantically looked around her. A line appeared between her dark eyebrows, and her lips quivered as she clenched her sword.

Ervin knew an aspect of Seo-rin well enough—he had observed it several times when they’re arguing during blood-boiling company meetings.

He remembered it was that particular expression she shows when she clearly disapproved of what someone had done.

Seo-rin met his eyes—dark versus light. And when he looked up, her face was emotionless, yet her eyes sparked and promised him the death he thinks he deserves.

What was that?

Zyros hummed, you can see where you can hit them—

His grip tightened on the handle of his sword as he pointed it towards Seo-rin. The sting on his palms made his hand throb a bit, but Ervin didn’t mind as it would heal in a bit.

—fatally, that is, Zyros added.

Ervin had one eyebrow up. That meant that I could see what part of them I can hit so that I can kill them swiftly?

While Ervin was having thoughts to himself, Seo-rin seemed the type to unlikely waste time.

She retracted in a single step before she quickly advanced to where he was. The spark in her eyes flashed like lasers, blinding Ervin for a second.

With an intense outcry, Seo-rin jumped high, the sun shining behind her figure. Ervin thought for a moment as he titled his head above that she’d decapitate it, but then, what he once expected was Seo-rin’s blade that’s about to slice his flesh, turned out to be the hilt of her sword.

Seo-rin happens to switch her sword around, her hand gripping the sharp blade. And just in time, Ervin managed to grab hold of her sword’s handle, as if Seo-rin had given it to him on purpose, her eyes looking sure when he pulled her blade away from her—

The sun comes about brightly on her pale pink colored hair that fluttered gracefully in the air; her face covered with shadows as the light hit her back like it was her wings.

As if time had stopped, Ervin’s gaze widened as Seo-rin’s tears sparkled like glitters at the ends of her dark eyes.

He immediately halted when he succeeded in pulling the sword away from her hand.

The fucking woman is mad—he thought inwardly followed by Zyros’s vile laugh that didn’t help the situation, but Ervin didn’t entirely linger on the thought as Seo-rin turned his way, her pale strands sticking at her blood-stained cheeks, her dark irises shinning. A silver-colored circle traced the outline of her irises to make it stand-out.

Her tears were like waterfalls that continued falling, and Ervin felt immense hesitation—he was unsure of what to do or what to say.

“Why…?” he murmured to himself as quietly as possible.

Seo-rin shook her head as if she wasn’t able to talk, the muscles on her jaw stiff.

Her blade on Ervin’s hand pulsed brightly. It took him by surprise when it slipped from his grip, falling directly on the water as it scattered like tiny sparks.

Ervin held his breath, awaiting what she’s about to do.

Seo-rin stood a few feet away from him.

They didn’t look at each other.

But when one of them did, the fire within them burned like it could make an entire city fall into ashes.

The rising and falling of Ervin’s chest slowly stabilized, and just when he was about to strike an attack—

“Above you!” Ronnie screamed as a Voidspawn clawed right at Ervin’s head.

Clicking his tongue, Ervin maneuvered the hilt of his sword and slashed the monster with one swift movement—again, he saw the inside of the creature’s head like it was in an x-ray—the blood splattering on his face when he stabbed it where he saw the purple light is coming from.

He wouldn’t be surprised if he’s even bloodier than Seo-rin.

That’s right, Zyros commended. That’s right where you need to stab them. 

The pink-haired woman stood like a statue, her hands clenched on her sides as if she was hindering her own movements.

“I’m fucking done,” he declared to the carcass of the Voidspawn. “So fucking done!” he screamed at the dark sky.

I’m here. Why do you keep on screaming at the sky?

Ervin looked around as if to disapprove of his argument, “You aren’t.”

He had a sudden impression that made him envision that the Dark Deity was rolling his ruby-colored eyes.

I’m here, the Dark Deity insisted, you just didn’t like to see me—

“I don’t need to see you!”

“Ervin—”

Ervin whipped his head to the direction of her voice as if it was the first time he’d heard her in a while.

“What? Are you that angry that you decided to kill me?” said Ervin, who gripped his sword tightly in case Seo-rin goes berserk on him again.

Seo-rin’s jaw tightened. She opened and closed her mouth until she managed to start with “n—yes!” her lips trembled a bit, “you ruined—” she stopped and coughed blood, but decided to continue once it subsided, “—ruined. You ruined a lot of lives, you selfish man,” her eyes burning like a feral animal that’s about to pounce at him. Then, she later discovered the almost dried tears on her eyes when she ran her palms on her cheeks.

Her eyes were sure and determined that Ervin looked away.

Ervin had the impression that she was having a hard time talking.

“I already…” he closed his mouth as he darted his eyes on the water out of guilt. “I already apologized,” he said, and he was defeated all over again.

“You think an apology is enough?” Seo-rin answered monotonously. “Did you think you’d be able—” she halted, her coughing intensifying.

Ervin didn’t know why she was coughing blood or if she was sick.

Wiping at her blood-stained lips with the back of her hand, Seo-rin looked up at Ervin, her dark eyes fierce, “You can’t undo what you did to me—what you did to your employees.”

And Ervin knew she was right, the despair clouding his chest once more.

Why was this woman always telling him what he didn’t want to hear? Can’t she just let him be?

He balled his hands as if his veins would pop out from the impact.

“You think it was my fault?” he spouted.

Seo-rin tipped her chin down, “You’re asking me that?” she chortled in disbelief.

Ervin wanted to punch Seo-rin—despite her being a girl. He didn’t want to look beyond the person’s gender for him to do such an action. He’d wanted to stop her mouth from talking.

“Whose fault do you think it is? Mine?” her anger radiated like the sun’s rays.

***

From the other side, Ronnie could be seen looking at an incoming group of Voidspawn Agmas. Her eyes looked exhausted, she’d been too tired fighting all the monsters without Seo-rin and Ervin’s help.