The Order is eternal.
It has never changed.
It will never change.
But Yulong was done believing in that lie.
His breath was ragged, his body trembling from exhaustion—not from the battle, but from the weight of reality crashing down on him. The truth he had refused to accept for so long. The years of torment, the countless moments where he had been forced to slaughter under the Order’s control…
It all led to this moment.
His fingers dug into the dirt beneath him, his knuckles white.
“I will kill them.”
His voice was hoarse, shaking with undiluted hatred.
“I will kill them all. Every last one of them.”
Kaela and Veyne exchanged glances. Aelric, however, remained unreadable, his golden eyes carefully observing Yulong’s trembling form.
And then—
A slow, deliberate clapping echoed through the clearing.
“Beautiful. Truly, beautifully tragic.”
The voice was smooth, laced with amusement and something colder beneath it. A predator’s voice.
Aelric’s head snapped up—and he saw him.
Standing atop a broken stone pillar was a man dressed in sleek black, his long, violet hair cascading over his shoulders. His sharp, golden eyes glowed like a serpent’s under the moonlight.
His smirk was the first thing Aelric noticed—because it wasn’t just a smile. It was mocking. Hungry.
Like a man savoring his favorite game.
“Ah, Yulong,” the man drawled, stretching lazily as if he hadn’t just materialized from nowhere. “I was wondering when you’d finally stop struggling and just give in.”
Yulong froze.
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His breathing quickened, and Aelric immediately recognized it. Fear.
“…Belmar.”
The name came out like poison on Yulong’s tongue.
Belmar, the Captain of the Poison Viper.
One of the Order’s most sadistic enforcers.
Belmar sighed dramatically. “You wound me. After all we’ve been through, I would’ve thought you’d at least greet me with a little more warmth.”
He tilted his head, golden eyes glinting. “But no, instead I find you here. With them.” His smirk widened, his gaze flicking lazily toward Aelric, Kaela, and Veyne. “Interesting company you’ve chosen.”
Yulong’s breath was heavy. “I choose nothing. You took everything from me.”
Belmar raised an eyebrow. “Is that how you see it?”
He took a slow step forward, then another—his presence filling the air like venom spreading through a wound.
Then he smiled. And everything shifted.
“You say you want to kill the Order,” Belmar mused, his voice almost gentle. “But tell me, Yulong… what exactly do you think you’ve been doing all this time?”
Yulong’s hands clenched. “Don’t.”
Belmar ignored him, his voice silk and steel. “How many villages have you razed? How many mothers screamed their children’s names before you cut them down?”
Yulong’s breath hitched.
Belmar took another step forward, slow, unhurried.
“How many fathers did you slaughter? How many sons, Yulong?”
Yulong staggered. His fingers twitched against the dirt. He knew. He had always known.
But to hear it out loud—
Kaela’s grip on her spear tightened, her jaw clenching. “You twisted him into a weapon.”
Belmar laughed. “Oh, my dear, he was always a weapon. The Order merely gave him purpose.”
Aelric, silent until now, finally spoke. “A purpose he no longer follows.”
Belmar’s eyes flicked to him, amusement deepening. “Oh?” He tilted his head, studying Aelric with genuine curiosity.
“Tell me, then, mystery man. What is his new purpose? Enlighten me.”
Aelric met his gaze, calm, unwavering.
“To destroy you.”
Belmar’s grin widened. “How delicious.”
Then, suddenly, his expression shifted—sharp as a knife.
“Tell me your name.”
Aelric didn’t answer.
Belmar chuckled. “Cautious, are we?” His eyes flicked to Kaela, then Veyne. “And you two? No?”
Silence.
Belmar clicked his tongue. “How rude. After all, I already introduced myself.” He spread his arms in a mock bow. “Belmar of the Poison Viper. A pleasure.”
No one spoke.
His smirk returned. “Ah, but that’s fine. I’ll just call you—” He pointed lazily at Aelric. “Golden Eyes.” Then at Veyne. “Loyal Dog.” And finally, at Kaela. “Little Spear.”
Kaela glared. “Don’t call me that.”
Belmar grinned. “Oh, but it fits. I have an eye for these things, you know?”
Aelric spoke again, cutting through the tension. “You’re stalling.”
Belmar’s eyes gleamed. “Maybe. Or maybe, I’m just savoring the moment.”
Then—he moved.
Fast.
One second he was standing there—the next, he was right in front of Yulong.
A dagger plunged down—
CLANG.
Aelric’s barrier snapped up just in time.
Belmar’s dagger stopped inches from Yulong’s throat, pressing against the golden energy.
A moment of silence.
Then Belmar whistled. “That was quick.”
Aelric didn’t respond—he was already moving. His hand flicked forward, barriers shifting, expanding—
Belmar twisted midair and flipped back, landing gracefully.
He laughed. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
And then—the real fight began.
Kaela struck first, her spear lancing forward in a blur—
Belmar ducked, spun, and countered, his dagger flashing toward her throat.
Veyne was already there, intercepting with a precise strike. The clash sent sparks flying, and Belmar grinned like a man truly enjoying himself.
Aelric was already analyzing. His movements are fast, fluid. He doesn’t fight with brute strength—he fights like a viper. Precise, deadly, and patient.
But Aelric wasn’t planning to give him that patience.
With a flick of his wrist, barriers snapped into place, forming a shifting maze around Belmar.
“Interesting,” Belmar mused, dodging a strike from Veyne as he tested Aelric’s barriers with a quick jab. “Your ability—I’ve never seen it used quite like this before.”
His eyes flickered with something dark. “I think I want to learn more about you.”
Aelric’s gaze was cold. “You won’t live long enough to.”
Belmar’s grin widened. “Now, that’s the spirit.”
And the battle raged on.
Chapter 21 ends
