Ruler of Heat: One Man, A Thousand Thirsts-Chapter 21: Crimson Soil, Sacred flame [18+]

The first scream came at sunrise.

Not from a warrior.

From the soil.

Rivan stood atop the Temple steps, half-clothed in flame-slicked armor, staring eastward as the horizon turned red—not with dawn, but with ash. Wind carried the scent of steel, sweat, and rage.

Behind him stood Saelra and Seraxa. One reborn priestess. One freed sin. Both bound to him now by flame and fate.

[System Update: Crimson Sect Activity Detected | Hostile Units Approaching — 31 scouts | Lead Class: Crimson Reaver Tier-2]

"They're testing our border," Saelra said.

"No," Seraxa replied, her voice a husky thread. "They're tasting it."

Rivan flexed his fists.

"They'll choke."

At the Ridge Overlook – Minutes Later

A scout woman, young, feral-eyed, knelt at the edge of the bluff, whispering into a crimson mirror. Her body was cloaked in the Sect's war robes—tight, blood-dyed fabric, cut high at the thigh and open along the cleavage to mark her as both soldier and offering.

"The Temple burns bright," she whispered. "The Flameborn walks. And he's not alone."

The mirror pulsed.

A voice replied.

"Mark him. Do not touch. The others come at dusk."

She nodded. Lowered the mirror.

And that's when Rivan's flame arrow slammed into her chest.

Her body lit like parchment.

[Hostile Scout Neutralized — Signal Trace Blocked]

Seraxa stood beside him, smirking.

"Direct."

"Accurate," he said.

And then he turned away.

Toward preparation.

Inside the Temple – War Council Forming

The Temple was no longer just sacred. It was becoming a fortress.

Kaela had arrived from Mirevale, flanked by two warrior-maidens. Myra walked in behind them, armored up, her flame-thread humming bright.

"I saw the smoke from two ridges away," she said. "How many?"

"Too few to conquer," Rivan replied. "But just enough to measure us."

Saelra summoned a map of flickering light.

"The Crimson Sect doesn't march blind. They always send women who've already tasted male power. It makes them... reckless."

Myra smirked. "Then let's show them how discipline fucks recklessness."

Rivan looked around the table. Allies. Flames. Bonds.

And for the first time, a true army.

[System Update: Flameborn Domain — Defensive Rank Established | Leadership Bonus Activated | Allied Combat Buff: +8%]

"Tonight," Rivan said, "we don't protect the temple."

"We baptize it."

Nightfall came with blood in its mouth.

The forest surrounding the Temple of Veyra darkened, not naturally—but as if the air itself bowed in silence for what was coming. Rivan stood in the treeline, his aura dimmed, skin painted in muted war-ash, chest bare but marked with sigils only visible in low flame.

Beside him crouched Kaela and Seraxa.

In the distance, Crimson Sect soldiers moved in clusters—silent, graceful, lethal. Clad in partial armor that was half ceremonial, half seductive. Exposed cleavage, high splits in their leg wraps, red leather strips tight around their thighs and hips.

They were not just warriors.

They were temptresses trained in blade and body.

[System Alert: Proximity Threshold Reached — Female Combat Units (Crimson Tier) Engaged.]

"Wait," Seraxa murmured. "They're not attacking."

Kaela narrowed her eyes. "They're circling. Looking for something weak to exploit."

"They'll find me," Rivan said.

And he stepped out.

In the Open Clearing

Two sect warriors spotted him.

They halted.

Eyes wide.

He walked slowly—barefoot, confident, cock outlined through loose flamecloth, hair wild from heat and sweat.

They didn't raise their weapons.

One whispered, "He's real."

The other—taller, with dark braids and a scar between her breasts—licked her lips.

"I was told he was a myth."

Rivan didn't stop.

"I'm more than that."

The taller one stepped forward.

"Do you know what we're trained to do to men?" she asked.

He grinned. "Tell me while you're moaning."

[Lust Aura Activated – Target Focus: Dual Combatants | Arousal Spike Detected 43% → 78%]

Her breathing changed.

She lunged.

But not with her blade.

Her body crashed into his, lips finding his throat, hands gripping his arms. The other dropped her weapon entirely, pressing herself against his back.

"Take us," one gasped. "Right here. Before they come."

Rivan grabbed the taller one's throat, lifting her chin.

"I don't take what isn't offered."

"We're offering," she moaned.

The battle hadn't started.

But two enemy scouts were already his.

[Flame Thread Established: Crimson Sect Unit x2 | Status: Converted | Yin Harvest Pending] [Domain Control Expanding – 2 New Threads Absorbed | Charm +3]

In the shadows, Kaela whispered, "He's winning without striking."

Seraxa chuckled. "He hasn't even started fucking."

The two soldiers lay spent in the grass, skin damp, lips swollen, legs trembling from more than exhaustion. Rivan stood over them, body aglow, power humming under his skin like a storm waiting to snap.

But the air shifted.

He felt it before she stepped out.

A new presence—cold, sharp, untouched by lust.

Saelra and Seraxa turned sharply in the distance.

"Trouble," Seraxa muttered.

[System Notice: Threat Level Spiking — Female Combatant Approaching | Status: Lust-Null | Class: Crimson Sect Executioner Tier-3]

The woman walked through the trees like she belonged to them.

Tall. Lean muscle. Pale red hair tied tight. Her armor was minimal—more a blood-symbol than a uniform. Bare shoulders, black sigils carved into her thighs, and crimson silk wrapped around her bust, leaving her midriff fully exposed.

But her eyes?

Void of warmth. Void of reaction.

"Your aura's impressive," she said, voice cool as shadow.

Rivan didn't speak.

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"I'm Commander Vael. I've come to deliver a message."

She tossed a burning scroll at his feet.

[System Sync: Enemy Relay Scroll Detected – Decoding...]

"The Crimson Sect recognizes the rise of your flame. This is not admiration. This is warning. Your heat breeds chaos. And we are order."

She drew her blade.

"Return to ash, Flameborn."

She charged.

Rivan moved too—bare hands against a sword.

But he was faster.

Their clash wasn't beautiful.

It was brutal.

She cut deep across his ribs. He slammed her into a tree, his forearm pressed to her throat. Her thigh came up—aiming for his groin.

He blocked it with his knee.

She growled.

He bared teeth.

[Lust Aura Rejected — Subject Immune | Secondary Skill Required: Mindbind Not Yet Unlocked]

He released her.

Stepped back.

She panted. Bleeding. Glaring.

"I'll be back with forty more," she spat. "And you won't seduce them all."

Rivan stepped forward.

"No," he said. "Just the ones that matter."

Vael backed away into the woods.

But her eyes lingered.

And even then—just for a breath—her lips parted.

A moan threatened.

But never came.

[System Note: Subject Vael – Resistance Level 94%. LustCore Recognized. Emotional Crack: Found.]

Dawn had not yet broken.

But the Temple of Veyra burned with living light.

The warriors of Rivan's growing domain—Kaela, Myra, Saelra, Seraxa, and now the two converted Crimson scouts—stood in the inner sanctum, bodies slick with oil and warpaint, eyes sharp with lust and resolve.

Tonight wasn't a feast.

It was preparation.

[System Alert: Flamebond Ceremony Ready — Flameborn Dominion Upgrade Tier I Pending]

"My Flamebearer," Saelra said softly, "they're ready to bind to you. Not with chains. But by choice."

Rivan stood at the center of the sanctum—bare from the waist up, his LustCore sigil glowing across his chest. He looked each woman in the eye.

"You fight with me not because I ask it," he said, voice calm. "But because you've felt what I awaken. And you want more."

They nodded. No shame. No hesitation.

Seraxa licked her lips. "Let them feel what it means to be part of you."

The Ceremony Began.

One by one, they stepped forward.

Kaela first—kneeling, chest bare, lips parted in reverence.

Rivan cupped her face. Kissed her slowly.

Their foreheads touched.

[Flame Thread Strengthened – Kaela: Wildheart Vanguard]

Next came Myra.

Fierce. Proud.

But she lowered herself just the same. Not in submission—but in pact.

He kissed her too. A promise forged on tongues.

[Thread Reinforced – Myra: Shield of Flameborn]

And so it went.

Saelra. Then Seraxa.

And finally—the two converted scouts.

The ceremony was not just touch.

It was synchronization.

Orgasmic flame shared through breath, through skin, through connection deeper than sex.

[Ceremony Complete – Flameborn Domain Expanded | LustCore Evolution Unlocked Tier I]

[New Skill Gained: Flamewave – Buff Allies within 20 meters with Combat + Arousal Boost]

[Title Earned: Flamelord of Veyra]

They lay together after.

Naked, panting, glowing.

No fear.

Just flame.

And far in the east... horns echoed across the hills.

The Crimson Sect had come.

Rivan rose.

"Let them burn."

---

To be continued

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Next Chapter (22): Blood on Silk and Skin [18+]

The war ignites.

And one woman on the enemy side doesn't want to kill Rivan.

She wants to join him... in more ways than one.