Villain Awakening: Rising to the Strongest Dragon God-Chapter 60: Rising Moon

"Do not move or she dies"

Those words shattered Castor’s world like a hammer through glass. Even while his eyes stared forward. His face had turn ghostly pale feeling the bloodlust that oozed from whoever was behind him and his daughter.

Just in time.... The young guard thought. He’d been trying his best to stall knowing Troy was probably on his way. His expression had changed from one of despair to hope. After all Troy was one of the best shadow users he had ever seen. Infamous to being the great "Midnight Butcher."

But while the threat emerged, Auryn’s expression remained unfazed. He knew there was more than one traitor but he never predicted that things would turn out this way. The man had been undetected by Author’s eyes. His ability to stay hidden in the shadows must be why he didn’t notice on time.

"How annoying!" Auryn muttered under his breathe even while he took a single step forward, ignoring the initial threat and breaking the stillness that this shadowy figure had induced with his unexpected rise from Claudia’s shadow.

"I said, stay back" the figure tried to command with a strained voice, while he took a step back, dragging Claudia along. The cold steel of his obsidian dagger bit just deep enough to dimple her pale skin, leaving a single crimson droplet to well where the edge pressed.

Claudia couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t scream. Just stood frozen between the rookery doorway and the dark interior while moonlight cut across the stone floor behind her.

Auryn stopped. His right leg stuck mid-step even as his eyes darted from the young guard who had a smile on his face then to Castor who had seemingly frozen in place but not out of fear anymore. His jaw had tightened, eyes dead cold. He was pissed.

That’s more like it Auryn thought while he gave the Duke a simple nod and a rare moment of understanding streamed between them.

Auryn faced the man behind Claudia. He already knew the man was afraid and desperate. That single step backward while Auryn approached had sealed his fate as Auryn could almost taste his fear.

The captor’s voice started to form words.

"Let us go, Or---"

SWOOSH

He never finished. One second the dagger was at Claudia’s throat.The next, arms were around her. Gentler arms pulling her against a chest that wasn’t the captor’s.

She gasped. Tried to understand what happened. But it was too fast, she hadn’t seen him move. Hadn’t seen anything between standing at knifepoint and being held.

Warmth pressed against her shoulder. She looked up slowly. Auryn’s right transformed hand hovered above her, claws curled around the captor’s head with eyes still wide with shock. Mouth open mid-syllable. Blood dripping from the severed neck onto cold midnight stone.

Behind them, there was a heavy sound as the headless body flew backward through the doorway, momentum carrying it into the courtyard below where it hit stone with a crack that echoed across the castle.

Her eyes welled with tears. She didn’t mean to but she couldn’t help it. The feeling of terror replaced by relief had opened the floodgates.

Auryn’s left arm tightened around her head while still holding the severed head in his right. He made sure to angle his body in such a way that it shielded her from seeing it.

His voice came calm and quiet.

"You’re safe."

The head dropped, rolling into the shadow where Troy would never see the light of day ever again.

Auryn had both arms wrapped around her now. Just holding her while she shook softly.

Simultaneously, the young guard’s hand went to his sword.

But Castor’s blade was already drawn, the moment Auryn nodded. He’d decided to trust the prince with his daughter’s life and obliged to rid the world of the traitor scum in front of him.

SLASH

With a single motion, a slash of orange caught moonlight through the rookery window. The sound came after Castor’s sword cleared its sheath with air splitting around the consecrated edges.

A diagonal slash travelled from the lower left to upper right of the guard’s position. The angled movement cutting through space where the guard stood.

The guard froze mid-draw, perfectly still. Sword halfway from scabbard. His eyes wide with mouth open like he wanted to speak but couldn’t remember how.

Orange light flickered as a thin line across his torso with precision, like the glowing embers of a dying fire.

The heat had cauterized as it cut.

Dragon Flame technique: Rising moon

Sealing flesh even as it separated it. There was no blood, just orange wisps marking where the blade had passed.

Behind the guard, the stone wall showed the same line and angle.The cut extended through body and building with perfect geometr, as if reality itself had been sliced along a single plane.

The soldier’s upper half slid gentle and slowly. The diagonal cut meaning his torso separated from lower body at an angle that defied how bodies should break.

The top was half tilted, as it slipped and fell. Hitting the floor with a wet thump.The lower half stood for one more second.

Then collapsed...

The wall suddenly cracked as stones groaned.The entire section Castor had cut through gave way, with rubble blasting outward into the night sky, opposite the direction of his slash with chunks of stone tumbling into the courtyard below.

Ravens exploded from their perchesz wings beating panic into cold air. Silhouettes scattering across the moon’s gaze.

Dozens of them forming black shapes against silver light, cries echoing as they fled the violence that had shattered their home.

The bisected body steamed where Dragon Flame had sealed it as Castor finally turned to see Claudia crying in Auryn’s embrace. His narrowed eyes softened in relief.

He stepped forward, crouched and piicked up the letter that the dead guard had fallen on. Unfurling it, he read slowly even as his eyes widened not in horror but shock.

Indeed this men were traitors but not for anyone but Vaedon. The seal and destination was proof of it. He had sent and received such messages a thousand times and now he was the victim of such betrayal.

Soldiers he"d trusted willing to threaten his daughter’s life while spying for the man who he would have ran to the front lines to die for.

"That damn bastard," Castor cursed under his breathe. He had lost his son to this hubris and yet he was been watched like a traitor. Treated like just another tool. He hated the feeling but he was now caught between two snakes.

He looked at Auryn who was half-turned watching him with menacing eyes.

*Atleast one of them doesn’t hide it*

Claudia had now managed to lift her head even as heavy footsteps approached from below. The explosion and body had attracted Valir Keep’s like ants to sweets.

Just as the commander arrived to see the entire scenario. Auryn spoke releasing Claudia to him softly.

"Escort her to her chambers immediately and call for her mother,"

The commander turned to face Castor who simply nodded like a man been toyed with by fate.

Once Claudia was taken away. Auryn walked beside and crouched near Castor.

He spoke slowly and quietly. Each word like a well aimed missile at Castor’s weakness.

"He infiltrated your house. Used your men, threatened your heir. You are not weak Castor. You’re merely a trusting fool and he exploited that"

Castor’s head turned to Auryn. His eyes carried frustration but he knew the third prince was right. He was a fool to believe his son’s death on Vaedon’s orders would be enough for Vaedon to respect boundaries.

"I was indeed a fool," Castor whispered as he looked directly into Auryn’s eyes.

"What do you want? You orchestrated this and exposed them. Made me see what I refused to. What’s your price for this revelation?"

Auryn scoffed. "Nothing you haven’t already given. But now I hope you understand why I took them."

He stood.

"Don’t wallow too much in your despair Castor. Your adversaries still linger"

Castor turned to Auryn but before he could ask what the prince meant by that. He has disappeared leaving the Duke to his thoughts.

Auryn could be seen walking down the hall-way towards his chambers where Lyra waited.

Right in front of him, a screen hovered.

[ Emergency Mission: Rescue the Wife (Completed )]

[Rewards: Rank progression 68% >>>>70% ]

[ The host has also unlocked an innate ability: Roar of the Crimson Dragon ]

Auryn smirked.

"That’s more like it"