The ground trembled beneath Orpheus's feet, but it was not the tremor of battle that shook him, but the despair that gnawed at his soul. Lyra lay inert, a fragile and bloodied body, her breath an almost inaudible whisper. Mira, despite her own severe injuries, struggled to keep her eyes open, a fierce determination in her gaze that Orpheus recognized as the responsibility she felt for him. The scene was a vivid nightmare, a mosaic of pain and helplessness etched into his mind.
Amidst the destruction, Loren rose, not as a woman, but as a grotesque manifestation of power. Her skin, previously torn and mutilated, now regenerated at a disturbing pace, the fissures closing and the black substance that composed her solidifying, making her stronger, more monstrous. Her eyes, once merely dark, now glowed with a supernatural light, and a maniacal smile spread across her face as she spoke, not to them, but to the void. Her words were a guttural murmur, a bizarre and profane prayer, a ritual of devotion to Skull and the Void. She laughed, a shrill laugh that echoed through the ruins, begging for strength and wisdom from entities Orpheus could barely comprehend.
Loren's aura intensified with each passing second, an oppressive power that made the air around her vibrate. Orpheus felt despair grow in his chest, a suffocating knot that threatened to paralyze him. He knew he had no chance against her, not in that state, not with Mira and Lyra on the verge of death. He had to act, he had to protect them, even if it meant the end of his own life.
With superhuman effort, Orpheus bent down, carefully lifting Mira and Lyra. Their bodies were dead weight, but adrenaline and despair gave him a strength he didn't know he possessed. He dragged them into a dark, hidden alley, a temporary refuge from the carnage unfolding. "Hold on," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "I'll fight her. I'll figure it out."
Mira, with immense effort, grabbed his arm. "No, Orpheus! You'll die! She's... she's too strong! Run!" Her voice was weak, but the urgency in her eyes was unmistakable. She tried to get up, but the pain made her fall again, a groan escaping her lips. Orpheus looked at their state, at Lyra's pallor, at Mira's exhaustion. He knew he couldn't run, couldn't leave them. He was their only hope.
In the background, Loren's maniacal laughter echoed, her words distorted and full of religious fervor. "Oh, Void, my beloved! Grant me the strength to crush these worms! Grant me the wisdom to serve my master, Skull!" It was a horrifying spectacle, a demonstration of blind loyalty and growing power. Orpheus felt Loren's aura expand even further, her fighting power increasing exponentially. Despair consumed him, but Mira, with a last effort, touched the necklace he wore, Lyra's gift.
"Your life... is more important," she whispered, her eyes fixed on his. "Run, Orpheus. Please. Run."
A faint smile tried to form on Mira's lips, but pain and exhaustion distorted it. Orpheus, his face marked by sadness and worry, felt the weight of responsibility crush him. He was about to respond, to reaffirm his decision to fight, when a shadow fell over them. A tall, slender figure appeared behind him, looking down. K.
---
Orpheus and Mira startled, their hearts pounding at the sudden appearance. K, with her usual nonchalant demeanor, crouched beside them, her eyes assessing the situation with calculated coolness. "Erase your presence," she instructed Orpheus, her voice low and urgent. "She can't know you're here. Not yet."
K extended her hand, revealing two rolled scrolls, sealed with an arcane symbol. "These are advanced healing scrolls," she explained, her voice maintaining a neutral tone, despite the gravity of the situation. "They are activated after reading and sealing. They will cause them to enter a coma for three days, accelerating body regeneration. But during that time, they will be completely defenseless, unable to move or wake up."
Orpheus felt a mixture of relief and dread. The idea of leaving them so vulnerable terrified him, but it was their only chance to save them. "K, please, help me!" he pleaded, his voice choked. "I'll give you my sword as payment! I know you're a mercenary, I..."
K smiled, an enigmatic smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I owe you, kid. You saved my life against that creature. Now, I'll return the favor." She gestured with her head towards the scrolls. "They'll keep them alive, but you need to activate them and get them out of here. The Broken Mug Bar. They'll be safe there. Tobi can take care of them."
Driven by urgency and gratitude, Orpheus hugged K. It was an impulsive, childish gesture, but filled with genuine emotion. K was momentarily surprised, but a soft, almost imperceptible smile curved her lips. She stroked Orpheus's hair. "I'd forgotten you're just a kid," she murmured, her voice a little softer. "Now go. Activate the scrolls and get them out of here quickly."
Mira, who had witnessed the scene, tried to get up, but the pain made her fall again. "K... Loren is S-Level," she warned, concern evident in her voice. "You don't stand a chance."
K just smiled, a dangerous glint in her eyes. It was the same predatory look Mira saw in Zack when he was about to enter combat. "It's precisely against someone three times my level that my ability works," K replied, her voice filled with unwavering confidence. Orpheus, although he knew K was A-Level, felt a glimmer of hope. He knew K was strong, but this statement... it was something more. Mira stared intently at Orpheus, a silent warning in her eyes: K didn't come to die. She came to hunt. With wide eyes of surprise and a new determination, Orpheus began to activate the scrolls on Mira and Lyra, everyone's fate now in K's hands.
---
As Orpheus hurried to activate the scrolls, K's aura exploded, not in a dazzling glow, but in a dense, oppressive purple energy that spread throughout the area. It was not the kind of raw power Loren displayed, but something more subtle, more insidious. K stepped out of the alley, her steps firm and determined, towards Loren's monstrous figure who was still cackling amidst the rubble.
Her mind, however, was not solely focused on the impending battle. Fragmented and painful memories invaded her consciousness. She saw herself, at fourteen, amidst the hustle and bustle of a fair of food, weapons, and scrolls, beating a twenty-five-year-old man. His face was disfigured, and she laughed, kicking his head with a ferocity that even scared herself. Nala, her friend with brown eyes and hair, a slender body, and dark skin, held her back, begging her to stop. K stopped, but anger still burned in her eyes.
Nala wiped K's bruised face with a damp cloth, concern evident in her voice. "My father will be angry," she murmured. K smiled, pulling Nala into a tight hug. "They have to learn to respect the Tiger Dojo," she said, her voice laden with a dark promise. "I'm tired of them humiliating your father and you. Everything I do, Nala, will be for you." Nala looked at her with a mixture of affection and apprehension, while people at the fair moved away, fear etched on their faces.
Suddenly, the image changed. A rotten tree, twisted against a gray sky. A rope, tied around a neck. Nala. Dead. Hanged. Dressed in white, loose clothes, her body swaying gently in the wind. The memories were a punch to the gut, a cruel reminder of a pain K had tried to bury for years. Why now? Why did these memories resurface at this crucial moment?
Loren, who watched K approach, seemed to sense the disturbance in her aura. She took a deep breath, a hissing sound that seemed to suck the air around her. "I smell... fear, anger, and sadness," she hissed, a cruel smile spreading across her face. Loren began to laugh uncontrollably, raising her arms in a gesture of triumph. It was as if the Void, or Skull, had whispered K's darkest secrets into her ears. "Nala killed herself," Loren mocked, her voice full of scorn, "for seeing the Tiger Dojo pass its ability to someone like you."
K took a deep breath, Nala's smile, so pure and innocent, flashing in her mind. Loren's provocation was a direct hit, but K would not yield. She changed her stance, raising both arms in front of her face, hands open like tiger claws, legs spread like an animal about to pounce. Her eyes, once filled with memories, were now fixed on Loren, a cold, lethal determination replacing any trace of pain.
Loren stared at her, the scornful smile still on her lips. Both disappeared and reappeared, exchanging punches to the face. K spun, landing a kick to Loren's chest, followed by two more kicks in the air, pushing her back. Loren laughed, her blows seemed weak, ineffective. "All that pretense of being strong was a lie," Loren mocked. "You're just A-Level. Your blows are those of a desperate child. The Dojo you learned to fight in is called Rat, because it only knows how to run and survive on scraps."
K remained silent, knowing Loren was trying to provoke her, trying to break her concentration. She would not fall into that trap. Loren reappeared quickly in front of K, grabbed her head, and dragged her across the ground, throwing her against houses and buildings, humiliating her. K was thrown high and kicked, flying and hitting several houses, her body getting hurt with each impact. Loren continued to mock, saying it was easy to beat someone who learned to fight in a "suicidal Dojo."
K emerged from the rubble, bruised and kneeling, blood dripping from her ears, eyes, and mouth. Loren laughed, taking pleasure in seeing K in such a state of despair. But K stood up, staggering, and gestured with her hand, calling Loren. Loren was furious at the taunt, lunging to punch K. But K was faster. She performed a somersault, her right foot sinking into Loren's hand, making her fall face first. K spun with her left foot, kicking Loren's face, and then punched her head into the ground. K grabbed Loren's head and dragged her across the ground, throwing her against houses and buildings, humiliating her in the same way Loren had done to her. The scene reversed: K stood, and Loren lay on the ground, bleeding, looking at K with a mixture of anger and disbelief.
"You used magic!" Loren screamed, her voice full of fury. "It can only be an illusion!" K smiled, a cold, calculating smile. "My ability, 'Weakness,' was in use from the beginning of the fight. You didn't notice, but I was exchanging our physical attributes. Now, you are A-Level, and I am S-Level." Loren felt weak, despair taking over her. She never imagined such an ability existed, or that anyone could possess it. The truth hit her hard: K had a Dragon-Level ability, above S-Level, something Loren had never seen. "Are you devoted to the Void?" Loren asked, her voice trembling. "Were you sent by Skull?" K smiled with contempt and humiliation. "The only thing the Void will get from me is the shit that comes out of my ass." Loren screamed in rage, humiliation burning in her soul. K had demonstrated that, in the world of Soul - The Killer King, it is not physical power or energy that dominates, but the intelligence and uniqueness of one's ability. Loren would discover how a Dragon-Level ability can annihilate anyone.