Ryo’s arm continued its deadly dance, each movement an expression of his wrath. The thorns embedded in his arm dripped with a crimson glow, dark and unyielding. As he spun, his fist collided with the next orc, the force of the blow propelling it into the walls. The orc’s body splintered upon impact, cracks forming all over its armor as sharp thorns punctured through its flesh, slowly disintegrating it from the inside out.

  The smell of burning and rotting flesh filled the air as the orc screamed in agony, trying to break free. But Ryo’s expression was nothing short of detached, as if he was simply executing a task. With each hit, the orcs writhed and melted under the power of the thorns, their bodies no longer recognizable, reduced to charred remains that sizzled and smoked under the weight of Ryo’s vengeance.

  "You should’ve known better than to threaten innocence," Ryo muttered to himself, his voice cold as the ice that encased his trident. He struck another orc with the same brutal force, its head cracking open with a sickening sound, blood and bone splattering against the walls. The once formidable enemies were now reduced to nothing more than husks of their former selves.

  Ryo stepped over the fallen orcs, his footsteps deliberate, as he surveyed the wreckage. Only silence remained, save for the occasional hiss of something still burning.

  “They all deserved this,” Ryo whispered, not to anyone in particular but to the echoes of the destruction he had left in his wake. He flexed his arm, feeling the power of Manus Daemonium surge through him, the thorns retracting slightly as the aura around him began to dissipate.

  "Next," he muttered, his voice a low growl, as he prepared himself for whatever came next.

  The system's voice echoed in Ryo’s mind, tinged with an odd sense of awe. "Amazing... in just 10 minutes."

  Ryo’s expression remained stoic as he wiped the blood from his hands, the thorns retracting into his arm, leaving only the faintest trace of their crimson glow. He didn’t need the system’s praise, not after what he’d just done. It was a simple matter of eliminating threats, of erasing the filth that dared to stain this world.

  His gaze fell to the bodies around him—charred, broken, melted—and he felt no satisfaction. No relief. It was just... another task completed.

  "Let’s finish this," Ryo muttered to himself as he turned his attention to the path ahead.

  He was done with the orcs. Now, there was only the true challenge remaining: the Boss, the one responsible for this mess. The one who had caused so much pain to so many innocent lives. Ryo’s eyes sharpened, his body tightening with anticipation.

  “System, update me on the Boss’s position,” he commanded, his tone cold and calculated.

  "The Boss is located on the fifth floor, heavily fortified," the system responded promptly. "Caution is advised."

  "Fortified?" Ryo grinned. "Let’s see how long that lasts."

  The air around him seemed to thicken as he stepped forward, his mind already preparing for the fight to come. The destruction of the orcs had merely been a prelude. Now, it was time to face what awaited at the top.

  With a single step, Ryo moved forward, toward the fifth floor, leaving the wreckage behind him.

  Raze stormed onto the 5th floor, fists clenched, eyes burning with fury. Amidst the wreckage, a male teacher trembled against the wall, trying to explain, to plead, but it was too late.

  "You piece of shit!" Raze bellowed, slamming his flaming fist straight into the teacher’s face.

  The teacher’s head snapped back, smashing into the concrete wall—cracks spiderwebbing out as blood painted the surface. The force of the punch made the air tremble.

  "You see that?!" Raze roared, grabbing the man by the collar and hitting him again. "You used children—children—just to save your ugly self!"

  He didn’t stop. Each punch blazed hotter. The teacher’s face was wrecked, swelling and cracked, the walls breaking further with every impact.

  “You’re no different from the monsters we’re fighting,” Raze hissed, his fist igniting completely in roaring flames. "You let them die just to crawl away and live like a coward!"

  Just as he pulled his arm back for another fiery blow, a strong arm caught him mid-swing.

  "That’s enough," Ryo said calmly, his voice like cold steel. "Don’t waste your strength on trash. Your sister—save her. That’s what matters."

  Raze froze, breathing hard, the fire still raging in his clenched fists.

  Then, realization dawned. His sister.

  He let go of the teacher, who collapsed to the ground in a heap, barely conscious. Raze stepped back, fire swirling around his body as if answering his fury.

  “Tch… right,” he muttered, looking toward the staircase. His body lit up—shoulders, arms, legs—bursting into controlled flames.

  He let out a roar that shook the floor.

  Then, with a fiery leap, he surged forward toward the highest room of Sunpetal Elementary, a trail of heat and righteous rage left behind.

  The half-dead teacher—a frail old man who once wore respect like a badge—crawled forward, blood trailing beneath him. His voice was barely a whisper.

  “Save… me…”

  Ryo stopped mid-step.

  But he didn’t turn around.

  Didn’t even glance.

  “No way,” he muttered coldly.

  He raised his foot and, without hesitation, pressed it down onto the old man’s skull—slowly, with pressure deliberate enough to crush both bone and dignity. A sickening crack echoed through the empty corridor.

  Pop.

  The man’s head burst like a rotten melon.

  Ryo wiped the bottom of his foot on the debris-covered floor, face unreadable. Then he casually walked away, shadows from the burning floor flickering along the walls.

  "I feel like I just stepped on some shit," he muttered dryly.

  The System Notification chimed in:

  [System: For once, I agree with you.]

  Ryo didn’t laugh.

  But there was the faintest smirk.

  And then silence, broken only by the crackle of flames and the fading echoes of justice.

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  Smoke and blood painted the ruined walls of the 5th floor. Raze’s boots slammed against the scorched tile as he stormed through the hallway, eyes scanning through collapsed ceilings and broken doors.

  "RIN!!!" he roared, voice burning with desperation.

  A weak, trembling voice echoed from a corner classroom.

  "R-Raze…?"

  His heart froze. That was her.

  He sprinted and bashed through the half-burnt door with his shoulder.

  There—his little sister, Rin. Huddled among a group of terrified kids, tears streaking her soot-covered cheeks.

  “I’m here… I found you,” Raze whispered, breathless with relief.

  But the moment was shattered.

  A wave of pressure slammed down from above.

  The air thickened.

  And all around him—orcs. Dozens. Crawling from the shadows, rising from wreckage, snarling like beasts drunk on blood.

  "GET OUT OF MY WAY!!!"

  Raze’s sword ignited in white-blue flame. He spun—

  Slash.

  Strike.

  Burn.

  In one fiery sweep, he carved a circle through the enemy, bodies falling in cinders.

  But before he could take another step—

  His limbs froze.

  Eyes wide.

  "…What the—?!"

  It was like an invisible force had wrapped around him. Pressure. Dense, ancient, and malevolent. A monstrous presence that rooted his body to the ground.

  His sword trembled in his hand.

  Then—System Notification Appeared.

  > [System Alert: SS-Rank Threat Detected]

  [Orc Lord – Belicus, the Wrath of the Slaughtered]

  [Aura Effect: Paralysis – King's Domain]

  Raze’s eyes widened.

  A shadow stepped forward from the smoke.

  Towering. Armored. Horned.

  Its blood-colored eyes locked onto him like prey.

  The Orc Lord had arrived.

  Sunpetal Elementary – 5th Floor, Ruins of Classroom 5-A

  "So… after pigs, now a boar?" Raze muttered through gritted teeth, blood dripping from his temple as he slowly raised his sword. His smirk didn't hide the strain on his face.

  Belicus—the Orc Lord—grinned wide, tusks gleaming, then slowly reached out with a monstrous hand, fingers curling around Raze's skull like a child gripping a fruit.

  “Small fire… I’ll crush it.”

  The grip tightened—

  Raze’s knees buckled—

  Then—boom!—Belicus yanked back his arm, muscles bulging grotesquely, a horrifying whine of power rising in the air.

  With a deafening roar, Belicus thrust his fist toward Raze’s face.

  CLANG!

  Raze blocked—barely—crossing his arms in front of him.

  The impact was earth-shattering.

  Raze flew backward like a missile, crashing through desks and cement, flames bursting from his body mid-air to slow the fall.

  He skidded, rolled, slammed against a wall.

  Smoke hissed around his limbs as he stood up, flames coiling tighter and tighter around his arms and legs like living serpents.

  His breathing was ragged, but his eyes were sharper than ever.

  “Not gonna fall. Not now.”

  He dug his boots into the broken floor, crouched low, and gritted his teeth, muscles trembling as he locked his gaze on the towering orc.

  Belicus cracked his neck, then pointed forward.

  “Come, fire brat. Let’s see how long you can stand.”

  Raze didn’t blink.

  His entire body ignited like a sun ready to explode.

  “You’ll regret laying a hand on my sister.”

  And the floor trembled beneath them.

  Raze’s body tensed, the air thick with the heat radiating off him. He lifted his sword, flames licking its edges as if they were alive—hungry, wild, ready to devour.

  “Blaze.” His voice was low, but the fire that ignited around him was anything but silent.

  His sword crackled as flames erupted from it, swirling and dancing, casting long shadows in the crumbled room. He shifted into a stance—focused, determined. The tip of his sword gleamed like molten metal.

  Without a moment’s hesitation, he dashed forward, feet pounding the floor, creating an intense ripple of heat that distorted the very air around him. His sword glowed brighter, lighting the path with fire, leaving a trail of scorched earth in his wake.

  “Molten Pierce!”

  A lance of fire shot forward with incredible force, the blaze writhing as it streaked across the room with the speed of a bullet. It was a strike powered by pure fury, directed at Belicus with all the weight of Raze’s anger and intent.

  The flames surrounded the Orc Lord as the lance collided with his monstrous form, erupting into a dazzling explosion of fire.

  But as the smoke cleared, Belicus stood unharmed.

  The flames had been swallowed whole by the blackened armor on his body, the flames dissipating against his thick, almost invulnerable hide. Not a single burn mark, not a singed hair.

  Belicus grinned, showing off his razor-sharp tusks, unmoved, unfazed.

  “Is that all?” The deep rumble of his voice was almost mocking, as if to say the fire was nothing more than a spark to a beast like him.

  Raze’s heart clenched, frustration boiling in his chest. He had put everything into that attack—every ounce of his power, every flame he could summon.

  But Belicus just stood there, unaffected.

  “This… this will not be enough.” Belicus chuckled darkly, raising his hands. “You’re wasting your time, brat.”

  The heat that radiated from Belicus’s body intensified, and the pressure in the room shifted. He swung his massive arms, causing the ground to quake as though the very earth was bowing before him. His voice rumbled like thunder as he prepared to retaliate.

  But Raze didn’t falter. His determination burned hotter than the flames around them.

  This fight wasn’t over.

  Not by a long shot.

  Raze knew the situation was dire. His sword couldn’t handle the heat any longer, but he wasn’t about to give up. "I know," Raze muttered, eyeing the Orc Lord's impenetrable form. “It's just the weapon. It can’t handle it if I release more heat."

  Belicus let out a mocking laugh, clearly relishing the moment. "Ohhh?" he taunted, his fist slamming against his own armor with a loud clang. “Why don’t you try it, then?" His voice oozed challenge.

  Raze’s grip on his sword tightened, flames dancing wildly around him. “I don’t care.” His voice was low but firm. “I’ll break through your walls, Belicus. I’ll burn you down to nothing.”

  The heat emanating from Raze intensified as he gathered his strength. His sword ignited with fire once more, and he dashed forward with renewed ferocity. "Molten Pierce!" he shouted, unleashing a powerful flame thrust. The blast of fire roared toward Belicus, enveloping the area in a scorching blaze.

  But the Orc Lord merely stood there, unbothered. The flames that Raze had poured every ounce of strength into barely scratched Belicus’ hardened armor.

  "Pathetic," Belicus sneered, his voice booming. "Your flames can’t even touch me. Try again, if you must."

  Raze’s heart pounded, frustration mounting. "I won’t lose... I won’t fail her," he muttered to himself, stepping back to reassess his attack. "I still have one more chance."

  Belicus laughed again. “Go on, try harder. Let’s see if you can even scratch me.”

  A cold, venom-laced voice echoed from the shadows.

  "Scratch?"

  The voice paused.

  "I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t I just rip you to shreds."

  From the darkness, lightning crackled—crimson and black—and Manus Daemonium lit up like a cursed sigil. Ryo emerged, his eyes cold and deadlocked on Belicus, each step slow and heavy, like death approaching.

  Raze glanced back, chuckling despite the blood on his face.

  "I knew it," he said, panting. "I had a bad feeling the first time I met you, bro..."

  He slashed through the last orcs standing in his way and shouted, "He’s all yours!", sprinting toward the cell door where his sister was trapped.

  Then—

  DING—System Notification:

  “Warning: Manus Daemonium now exerting… 3%... 4%... 5% of its full power.”

  A shockwave of dark aura flared outward, twisting the air, warping it like reality was trying to escape. The ground cracked beneath Ryo’s feet.

  Belicus froze, his instincts screaming.

  Ryo stopped just a few meters away, glaring up at the towering Orc Lord.

  "Tell me..." his voice low, vibrating with hatred,

  "Are you ready to see what real terror looks like?"