Killed Me? Now I Have Your Power Chapter 437: Yellow dust

Sky dashed through the forest, his feet pounding against the earth covered in snapped twigs and overgrown grass, while his head throbbed as if it might split apart.

Within him, alcohol surged through his bloodstream like a substitute for blood.

He swore fiercely under his breath, his fiery red hair whipping about chaotically as the rushing wind battered his features at full speed.

Sky's expression twisted in deep concern, still clad in the rumpled attire from when he'd dozed off on his chamber floor.

A sharp ache hammered in his skull. Yet, his anxiety for his companion overshadowed that discomfort entirely.

"Assaulting Order Draco?" Sky whispered in shock, weaving and speeding amid the woodland trees, heading directly toward Order Draco.

To this day, he couldn't fathom how Uncle Azad had the audacity for such an act. It defied all reason.

'I'm not moving quick enough!' Sky roared inwardly, nearly resenting his master for the delayed alert.

He longed to tap into his personal strength for greater velocity, but a single obstacle blocked him. Every part of him rebelled against the effort.

It felt as though an inner voice murmured—no, bellowed—urging him to halt; to remain at home or observe the chaos from a safe distance.

This eerie feeling was unfamiliar to Sky no longer.

Over the last two years, this intuition had shielded him from deadly perils countless times. And if it surged now once more...

'Death... heading there means my end.' He grasped the truth, yet his legs kept propelling forward.

Undeterred, he pressed on toward Order Draco without pause.

As he drew nearer, the wave of terror intensified. It grew so potent that it fogged his every thought completely.

Eventually, Sky neared the Order sufficiently to sense the earth convulsing like a figure wracked in agony.

He could've vowed the soil itself wailed in torment.

Booms of detonations and crumbling structures echoed through the area, joined by flares of scarlet and golden hues staining the heavens.

The lingering energy from the confrontation forced Sky to freeze in place right away, his pulse thundering so fiercely it pained his chest.

He remained rooted, gaze locked skyward, captivated by the mesmerizing yet horrifying spectacle.

There, Sky spotted a massive figure, his bulging muscles flexing independently like living entities. Twin enormous yellow war axes rested in his grasp—sparkling with intricate tribal markings; he loomed like a god forged from mortal form.

Dozens of varied dragons in size and shade encircled him, jaws gaping in relentless assaults and bellows that rent the air asunder.

Though his form had altered beyond recognition, Sky wouldn't confuse Uncle Azad with another soul.

His strikes targeted a single violet dragon.

And in that instant, Sky truly comprehended. Or rather, he had suspected. But this vision solidified his darkest fears.

Uncle Azad waged this frenzy solely to honor Maryam's vengeance.

All due to his failure to properly mourn his ally and shoulder the weight she had left behind.

That realization struck like a thunderous strike, sending Sky's legs buckling to the ground where the grass had scorched from stray battle energies.

For a brief spell, his thoughts blurred—remorse, rage, and dread intertwined, binding him in place. But Sky shook it off swiftly and hauled himself upright.

"I... I've got to aid him!" He snarled, battling the inner force desperate to keep him rooted or fleeing.

He forced a hesitant stride ahead, only to halt sharply, his gaze jerking leftward at the noise of labored gasps.

There, Sky beheld a female slumped against a trunk, injuries so severe they stung to witness, her left eye mangled and oozing.

A dragon, he discerned at once, his scarlet eyes sharpening.

"Help... me." The woman begged, peering at Sky with her bloodshot gaze, "H-help me."

Sky had no moment to deliberate further, sensing approaching auras nearby.

He whipped around, peering into the dim shadows, and caught sight of draconians in violet plating charging toward him with savage snarls.

"The Fat’s players group." Sky murmured, swiftly linking the injured woman to their pursuit.

He lifted his chin once more, eyeing afar the frail silhouette of his comrade in a final bid to slay The Fat.

Azad was doomed, Sky accepted.

Yet then, a forgotten ability sparked in his thoughts—one untouched since its acquisition. Still, Sky deemed the moment ripe.

The hour to unleash his Domain had arrived.

Not for his own sake—Sky resolved, with the assailants closing in—but directed toward Uncle Azad.

'It ought to work— No,' his stare steeled, 'It will work.' He affirmed, his energy flickering about him, then invoked the domain.

Azad was briefly engulfed in a crimson glow.

Sky’s Domain proved an odd phenomenon.

Within its bounds, Sky could elect to embody a certain essence, identity, or potency at a desired intensity for the domain's full span.

He merely required unwavering belief, free of hesitation, and it manifested without fail.

Thus, what might occur if he imposed it upon Uncle Azad?

Sky held no certainty, nor did he linger to witness the outcome as he scooped the wounded woman into his hold and fled before Fat’s Players closed in.

His final plea directed upward for his ally's sake.

...

In an instant, as he dropped to one knee, his frame collapsing like a withered husk, Azad sensed a surge flooding his core.

Sky's essence wrapped him in a brief yet blazing heavenly crimson radiance, the domain's secrets murmuring in his consciousness.

Grasping the circumstance, Azad let out a hearty chuckle, joyful tears welling up, his spirit kindled by Sky's gesture.

All at once, perishing felt far less grim.

"You filthy maggot," The Fat rumbled in his coarse tone, glaring at Azad with raw killing fury, "Death would be a—!"

The Fat went utterly mute as Uncle Azad ignited in a fierce golden radiance.

The warrior himself gazed at the glow in bewilderment, then his eyes bulged in utter disbelief.

Ere the dragons stirred, Azad's form disintegrated into golden particles that the gusting breeze scattered everywhere.

...

"Impressively solid." Kaden murmured, eyeing the display before him,

[New Trait obtained.]

[Trait: Two-Hearts – Heart of Fire, Heart of Runes.]

[You have twin hearts. Your blood pumps faster, you react faster, stronger and nastier.]

[Your Fire affinity is reaching a critical level. Your Runes affinity is reaching a critical level.]

[Increase more to step into the next rank.]

[Your Stats: Strength, Intelligence and Mana have reached their limit.]

His stats hitting their cap marked a positive development, Kaden nodded in satisfaction. Just half remained now. And with an Evolution Stone, he'd ascend to the Epithet rank at last.

Kaden brimmed with anticipation, prompting him to include hunting an evolution stone among his objectives.

He hoped fortune favored him in the search ahead.

'Yet prior to that...' he pivoted toward Rea, observing her huddled before Rudolph, fixating on him with keen scrutiny. The sort of gaze an alchemist might cast upon a test specimen.

The youth slumbered on undisturbed.

"Why," Kaden started, approaching her, "are you staring at him like that?"

Rea replied without delay.

"I've unlocked fresh understandings, Kaden, in emotions and runes alike." She stated, "I see now that emotions extend beyond the feeling alone..."

She swiveled to face him, crimson eyes narrowing,

"An emotion includes your body's response to it as well."

"That's plain enough. Don't say you only grasped it now? Did boosting your mind yield zilch?" Kaden's features twisted in feigned sympathy, "It's somewhat alarming."

"It's far from straightforward." Rea snapped, "This epiphany led me to believe Fear isn't my sole domain."

She jabbed her forefinger his way, "Imagine the possibilities if I could manipulate your pulse, your blood flow...or even muscle spasms and throat tightness..."

Kaden's eyes widened in a flash.

Rea beamed, thrilled to unprecedented heights,

"Exactly, via Fear and Sorrow, I could master the entire human form. Sorrow’s breath—can you picture it?"

'...wow.’ Blanche murmured in wonder tinged with subtle dread.

’Her power...is too strong, isn’t it?’

Kaden merely shook his head, exhaustion dulling his interest in Rea's innovative power wield.

"Blood and ashes, Rea, let's just wrap up this damn quest."

He placed his palm on Rudolph's crown.

"Feeling envious of my fresh power, Kaden?" Rea's tone dripped with sly satisfaction.

"I basically handed you this breakthrough. And now you behave so?" He tsked, "Ungrateful wretch."

"Sorrow’s breath, you are jealous indeed."

Kaden tuned her out. He shut his lids, and then...

"Seed of Prometheus."

Flames burst forth, swallowing Rudolph whole.

—End of Chapter 437—