In that instant, I reacted the way I normally do - and that meant grabbing Kiran and Blinking us both to safety.

  Unfortunately, that reaction made us smack right into an invisible barrier that knocked the breath out of my lungs. We stumbled backward and I cursed under my breath as I quickly understood what was happening.

  Behind us, the priest had taken the peak Rank 1 Skybound's hand and placed it on the activation rune of the chamber, which then activated the chamber's ancient defense systems and sealed us in with our potential killer.

  "Master," Azure interrupted the rising panic building within me, "the Lightweaver... he is Rank 2."

  That information was supposed to reassure me. I mean, technically speaking, a Rank 2 was a whole lot less threatening than the Rank 3 and 4 practitioners currently destroying the academy above. However, there was something about the priest's serene smile that chilled my blood to the core.

  I didn't have much faith that I could defeat a Rank 2, but I could have maybe at least gotten us out of here if the chamber hadn't been sealed. But now...

  "Kiran," I asked, keeping my voice low, "how long will the chamber remain sealed?"

  He shook his head and continued to stare at the priest. "There is a Master Rune outside. Only someone of Elder rank who possesses the matching Key can remove the seal. Usually, the Elders let us out when it's time to go to battle; however, now..."

  A rune on the priest's hand flickered to life, and it was the one that still gripped the wrist of the peak Rank 1 Skybound. The marking was beautiful in a terrible way; it resembled a blooming flower made entirely of pure light.

  The Skybound tried to pull away, but it was already too late. Light burst forth from the priest's hand like liquid fire, engulfing the student's body. Scream after scream erupted from the student's body. They were raw, animalistic screams that caused several of the initiates to cover their ears.

  I forced myself to watch as the 'purification' consumed the Skybound. His flesh seemed to melt away, breaking down into tiny motes of light that dissipated like dust in the wind. In seconds, there was nothing left but empty robes falling to the floor.

  The priest calmly wiped his hands together, as if he had just completed some minor household chore. "And that is one of those who has returned to the Beloved's loving arms," he stated.

  Looking around the chamber, I could see fear etched on the faces of every Skybound initiate. They were people who had been taught from a young age to welcome violence, to celebrate the madness of the red sun.

  But, compared to the methodical, almost peaceful manner of the execution, they looked like what they really were: frightened children.

  I couldn't blame with them.

  Although the red sun drives its followers towards violence and destruction, that is at least a primal and understandable type of madness. What I saw in the priest's eyes was something infinitely more frightening: the absolute certainty of a true believer.

  I turned to Kiran, who was staring at the empty robes with his mouth hanging open. "We don't have a choice," I said softly. "We have to fight."

  "What good will it do?" He gestured at the priest, who was still smiling benevolently at the fearful initiates. "We won't be able to defeat that thing."

  I smiled, probably not the most reassuring smile under the circumstances. "If we're going to die anyway, might as well go out with a bang.” I met Kiran's eyes. "Want to help me kill a Rank 2?"

  Kiran stared at me for a long time, then shook his head and laughed. "You're right." The rune on his forehead glowed brightly, his eyes turning that characteristic crimson. "Might as well make it worthwhile."

  I watched as bones pushed through Kiran's skin, forming that unsettling yet formidable armor. The transformation was just as painful-looking up close, but Kiran's grin only grew larger as madness entered his eyes.

  Meanwhile, I looked around the chamber with increasing frustration. There were no plants, no sign of moss anywhere in this underground space. I would have to work with what I had. I activated my wood-element rune and created three vine constructs - each one concealing a nasty surprise.

  "Listen up!" I yelled at the rest of the Skybound initiates. "You have two options: fight or die! Which will it be?"

  They paused, looking among each other uncertainly. Then I saw understanding flash across several faces as they spotted the elemental rune on my palm. Whispers spread through the group—

  "Elemental runes?"

  "Rank 2?"

  "We may actually have a chance..."

  I didn't correct them. If they wanted to think that a senior was fighting with them, that was fine. Maybe it would provide them with the courage to survive the next few minutes.

  The first charge was from a muscular girl with tiger-like stripes on her skin. Her transformation rune blazed as she sprinted at the priest, leaving afterimages behind.

  Three others followed her example, transforming differently: one formed crystalline armor, another grew claw-like blades, and a third transformed into a shadow.

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  The priest did not move to meet them. Instead, he merely raised one hand, a gold-colored rune flashing on his palm. A barrier materialized around him, absorbing all four attacks at the same time. The initiates rebounded off the barrier like bugs crashing into glass.

  "Your spirit is commendable," he said softly, "but misguided."

  The rune on his palm pulsed once, and rays of light shot out from it like spears. The tiger-striped girl was able to avoid the ray, but the others were not so fortunate. The light penetrated through their enhanced bodies like paper, creating perfectly round holes in places where vital organs should have existed.

  They didn't even have time to cry out.

  More initiates joined the fray, driven by desperation to act. A boy with metallic skin attempted to grapple the priest, while a girl with a rune that allowed her to create force waves attacked from a distance. Others used their accelerated speed to search for openings in the priest's defenses.

  It made no difference.

  When the priest touched the metallic boy on the forehead, a rune on his fingers redirected the boy's own enhancement against himself, transforming the boy's metal skin into pure light that dissipated like dust.

  Similarly, the multi-armed initiate's additional limbs were severed by a single motion of the priest's hand, cauterizing them instantly by the same light that destroyed them.

  I continued to observe the scene unfolding before me, searching for patterns in the priest's actions. "Kiran," I said softly, "I need you to create an opportunity for me."

  He nodded, adjusting his bone armor as he aimed. Deadly projectiles launched from his body, resembling arrows from dozens of bows, each one targeting a separate vital area.

  The priest's barrier flickered into existence once more, deflecting the bones with ease. However, I observed something . The barrier only manifested where it was required, which suggested he could not sustain it indefinitely. Was he conserving energy?

  While Kiran continued to bombard the priest with projectiles, I continued to watch the priest complete the systematic slaughter of the other students. He grasped one by the neck and lifted the struggling initiate into the air. The sound of shattering bones drowned out the chaotic melee.

  This is when I saw it. A minuscule delay in timing between when he dropped his barrier and when he delivered the next attack. I didn't hesitate. I launched my vines toward the priest, ensnaring him.

  The priest's serene expression wavered for a brief moment, displaying actual surprise when he realised that the plants had caught him. The vines wrapped tighter around his limbs as he attempted to break free.

  The vines wouldn’t be able to hold him in place for long, but they didn’t need to.

  “Now!” I shouted.

  Kiran did not hesitate and rushed to the Priest; a large spear of bone extended from his right arm. The priest's eyes grew wide as he attempted to put up an additional barrier to block the spear, but the vines restricting his movement were just enough—

  The spear pierced through the priest's abdomen with a gushing sound, exiting out of his back in a splatter of blood. There was a brief moment of silence. The remaining initiates held their breaths, hoping, praying that it was over.

  Then the priest laughed.

  His mouth opened ridiculously wide, exposing a rune etched onto the tip of his tongue. It emitted a brilliant golden light, and before anyone could react, a beam of pure brilliance hit Kiran straight in the chest.

  The circle-shaped hole it made in Kiran's chest was perfectly round and cauterized with extreme heat. For a brief instant, Kiran remained standing, mouth agape in shock, and then collapsed to the ground. As his bone armor crumbled away, the light faded from his eyes.

  My friend was dead.

  "No..." I had spoken the words before I could stop myself. Seeing him fall had ignited something inside of me.

  The priest casually ripped my vines off his limbs and was preparing to give his next sermon—

  That's when the explosive seeds I had embedded into the vines detonated. The resulting blast was quite impressive, especially by my standards. The shockwave sent a number of initiates near Kiran off their feet, and for a second, the room was filled with smoke and debris.

  My satisfaction was short-lived.

  It took about the same amount of time for the smoke to clear as it took for the priest to stand again. The priest healed himself with threads of light to repair his wounds. He picked up the bone spear he had been stabbed with and tossed it away with little effort. It flew towards another initiate and killed them immediately.

  "A Rank 1 Skybound using elemental attacks," he stated, for the first time displaying some semblance of anger. "What kind of abomination are you?"

  I opened my mouth to respond, but he disappeared in a flash of golden light. In the next instant, I was staring into his eyes, which appeared in front of me, inches from my face.

  Pain exploded through my chest. I looked down and saw the priest's hand buried deep in my torso, emitting the awful light. Blood filled my mouth as I tried and failed to move.

  The priest smiled once again, gentle as always. "Since you're willing to sacrifice your life for your master, I'll have to do a more thorough cleansing."

  The few remaining initiates attempted to assist, but a sphere of light began to expand around us, blocking any possible intervention.

  A vine from my robe sprang out to try and attack the priest's throat. He caught it easily with his other hand while it continued to twist and struggle to escape.

  "Oh?" He studied the vine. "You want to defend your master? That's nice." His grip tightened. "Well, since you want to protect your master, I'll have to cleanse you as well."

  As the priest's gaze returned to me, the hand in my chest began to emit an intense golden light, and simultaneously every nerve in my body became ablaze. I tried screaming, but couldn't — my muscles had become frozen in place due to the incredible power he was pouring into me. His other hand also glowed, and I heard my vine scream in agony.

  I could sense myself disintegrating, and my essence was transforming into the same golden light that had consumed so many others. The pain was beyond anything I could have possibly imagined; it was far more agonizing than the transformation I experienced to become a Sun-Touched.

  My thoughts began to fragment, reality unraveling as my body disintegrated.

  "Master!" Azure's voice cut through my haze of suffering. "Stay focused!"

  Using the final remnants of my concentration, I poured every bit of Red Sun Energy I had into the explosive seed rune carved into my index finger. The priest seemed completely absorbed in his speech and did not seem to realize it.

  "Watch carefully, children of corruption," he declared, that soft smile still plastered on his face. "Behold how the Beloved's light cleanses the most distorted of souls. The red sun's taint is strong in this one — a Rank 1 wielding elements, defying nature. However, through sacred purification, all can be redeemed."

  He pointed his free hand at my disintegrating body. "The pain you see is only the corruption of the tainted flesh resisting the Beloved's light. Shortly, the Beloved's light will erase all corruption, and only—"

  He realized what was happening at that point. The surge of power was impossible to miss.

  His eyes snapped down to meet mine, and although I was in the midst of being purified, I managed to force a smile onto my dissolving lips.

  "Boom," I whispered.

  The explosion was unlike any previous one. This was every shred of power I possessed, all compressed into a single point and then released. The light barrier surrounding us actually served to focus the blast inward rather than allow it to dissipate.

  The last thing I remembered was the priest's expression of actual fear before we were both reduced to ash within the barrier.

  No regeneration for him. No rebirth. No body to recover.

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