The moment he heard those words, Raon's face twisted in rage. With a furious motion, he drew a green-bladed dagger that exuded a strange, nauseating smell.
Darian, on the other hand, remained calm. His hand slid to his chest, discreetly touching the group crystal hidden beneath his clothes. A subtle black aura slithered through his fingers and seeped into the crystal.
Two seconds.
He lifted his gaze to Raon, who was just two meters away, and smirked slightly, as if he had just confirmed something.
"Looks like our karma is destined to settle here."
Raon let out a cold grunt. "Indeed. I'm going to make you regret ever being born..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
The air grew thick.
His eyes widened, his breath caught in his chest.
"What the hell..."
Instinctively, he took a step back. Something was wrong—very wrong.
He saw what seemed like an illusion, but his instincts screamed otherwise. The figure before him was no longer the frail, scrawny support. Something monstrous had emerged from within.
Darian's eyes glowed a cruel red, like sinister beacons. His silhouette was cloaked in a black aura that wrapped around him like a demonic mantle.
A shiver tore down Raon's spine.
"A... a R-Risen!" His voice trembled with pure terror.
Without hesitation, he spun on his heels and tried to run.
"Oh? Running?"
Darian let out a low chuckle, raising his hand. Instantly, several flying daggers materialized in the air. In his other hand, an artifact gleamed—it was an excellent gift he had received earlier.
Raon felt mortal danger. There was no escape. In desperation, he reached for the supreme artifact core of his clan.
He thought everything was in his hands.
So now, Darian wouldn't give him a single chance.
*Pierce!*
The sound of blades tearing through flesh echoed repeatedly.
*Bang!*
His body was slammed into the ground brutally.
"AH!"
His scream of pain and agony filled the air. But at that moment, only Darian was there to hear it.
Darian let go of the artifact, allowing it to disintegrate into dust. The same artifact Raon had once tried to use against him—but which Darian had stolen in their first fight.
It had been an expensive and useful artifact. It required no energy to activate but had severe limitations—few uses, limited range, and it only worked with lightweight objects like daggers or punches. Now, it was nothing but ashes.
Darian stepped forward slowly.
"NO! AAAH!"
Raon struggled, but his body wouldn't obey. The heat surging through his veins was unbearable, as if burning embers had been poured inside him, scorching him from the inside out.
His fists and feet were pinned to the ground by four daggers. He tried to pull free, but the blades felt like they had fused with his flesh, a corrosive pain spreading through his body. The black energy flowed from the daggers like living tendrils, wrapping around his bones, devouring his vitality.
Darian watched, his expression unchanged. His dark power had always been a tool of brute destruction, but now he was exploring other uses. If he had complete control over it, why only explode it outward? What were its limits?
And now, he had a perfect volunteer to help him practice.
Instead of using the dark power to strike with raw force, he controlled it precisely. The artifact had done the brute work.
Now, the black power was shaping itself into a living poison—not just killing, but consuming. The dark energy crawled under Raon's skin, forming twisted black veins. Every beat of his heart spread the corruption faster.
His limbs started twitching involuntarily. The horror on his face no longer looked human.
"Oh? You had your fun with my mother, didn't you?" Darian's voice was cold, almost indifferent. "I remember you bragging about how she screamed in hatred and pain... and how that turned you on."
Raon's gaze trembled.
Darian smiled faintly.
"It'll be interesting to see how much you can take."
He gestured.
The remaining daggers shot through the air, mercilessly piercing the fallen body.
*CRACK!*
Twelve blades embedded themselves in Raon's body at once. The sound of breaking bones and tearing flesh mixed with a dull thud.
Raon tried to scream but couldn't. His throat locked up. His eyes rolled back. His body twitched only as a reflex. His life seemed to slip away...
Then, in the next instant, something pulled him back.
The heat reignited inside him.
His vision returned, and the first thing he saw was Darian's sarcastic smile.
"What? Giving up already?" Darian's voice carried a faint trace of mockery. "Show some resilience."
He manipulated the white power, healing Raon just enough to keep him conscious—to make sure he felt every second of what was still to come.
Raon's body was unrecognizable. His blackened skin was cracked, leaking blood that had turned into a dark, viscous liquid. His eyes, his mouth—every orifice oozed darkness.
But he was still alive.
And Darian wasn't done practicing yet.
"Argh!... My father will… everyone you know will die…"
Raon spat out the words between ragged groans, his body trembling as the black blood dripped from his lips.
Darian tilted his head, watching him with a cruel glint in his eyes.
"Oh, really?" His voice dripped with irony. "Then I guess I'll have to make this last day... the best of my life."
He raised his hand, and the black energy pulsed, spreading like invisible roots through Raon's body.
"Let's take our time..." Darian murmured, his expression satisfied. "We don't have much, but we should make the most of it."
The energy slowed down, dragging out every moment of Raon's agony to its limit.
Not far away, Raon's four allies waited in silence, all gathered in one place. The space around them was completely sealed—no sound escaped, no presence could be sensed through the group crystal. They knew Raon liked to toy with his prey before finishing them. He had even said he'd take his time with Darian.
But the hunter had become the hunted.
Half an hour passed.
Raon's body stopped moving. His groans ceased.
But he was still alive.
Or at least, what was left of him. His skin was shriveled, dry like a corpse rotting for days. His vitality had been drained to the very edge, leaving only an empty husk.
Darian looked up and sighed.
He wanted more time. Days, maybe. But his mother would never want him to become someone like that.
This wasn't just about torturing Raon for revenge. He was doing it with purpose—experimenting, testing the limits of his black power. Refining his control to perfection.
And now, only the main course remained.
Darian snapped his fingers.
The lingering black energy condensed before him, swirling slowly in the air. A black mark appeared—small but dense, pulsing with something that felt alive.
He studied it with curiosity. It was a miniature version of the mark on his soul.
If he was right, this mark wouldn't just attach to anyone.
Only to those drenched in the densest black karma.
Darian smiled and waved his hand.
The mark floated slowly through the air, drifting like a predator watching its prey. But as it neared Raon…
It trembled.
Then, in the next instant, it shot forward like a lightning bolt, sucked straight into him.
Darian narrowed his eyes.
Raon was on the brink of death. His black karma was still there, clinging to his body like a dense miasma, invisible to others. But something abnormal was happening.
The black energy that had consumed his body began to retract.
His dried, ashen skin started regaining some color.
But his dark aura…
It began to expand.
*Whooosh!*
"AHHHHHHH!"
The scream cut through the silence like a blade.
Raon found strength where none should exist and let out a howl filled with absolute desperation. His entire body started convulsing violently.
To ordinary eyes, he just looked like he was suffering through seizures. But Darian saw everything clearly.
Raon's black karma flickered like a living flame.
And then, Darian understood.
"It's burning his soul… like a refinement?"
His eyes gleamed with genuine interest.
He had felt his soul being torn apart before. The pain of having one's soul wounded was incomparable to any physical suffering. But being refined… that seemed like a whole new level. And nothing could make Darian happier.
It was only happening to Raon's soul. His body was relatively normal—the black power that had invaded him earlier seemed to be merging with the black mark.
Darian could barely wait to see what would happen next.
Until something crossed his mind—his eyes lit up.