Ascension of the Dark Seraph

Somewhere in the Light World, the mountains trembled.

An earthquake was happening.

It wasn't destructive—no rockslides tore down the cliffs and no peaks crumbled into valleys.

But it was enough to send flocks of birds scattering into the sky, their cries sharp and panicked.

Deer and land animals alike bolted from the underbrush, while those who decided to stay whimpered deeper into their dens. Even the wind paused—as if mother nature herself was holding her breath, until the turmoil passed.

At the heart of this tremor stood the mighty volcanic titan of the region.

A massive mountain.

From afar, the fiery glow at its summit painted a scene of imminent disaster, lava churning like a sea on fire. One would certainly think that it was about to erupt, seeing how the volcano was spewing out, and the smoke oozed out.

But it wasn't.

Deep within the caldera, in the throat of the mountain where even stone dared not to rest, a rock floated.

It hovered steadily above the magma lake.

Kneeling atop it was a man.

Naked from the waist up, his copper-toned skin rippled with rock-hard muscle and movement, his every breath stirring the heated air around him. Black tattoos, etched like ancient runes and tribal scars, coiled across his chest and arms—alive with faint embers.

His only armor was a molten pauldron clamped over his left shoulder and shimmering greaves.

Despite the scorching air from how even his greaves were sizzling, the man wasn't disturbed.

He remained on his spot as if the volcanic heat was nothing more than a hot day.

Both of his hands were plunged into the lava.

Not resting, not testing, but completely submerged.

He moved with focus, as if sculpting something unseen beneath the molten surface.

No pain touched his face. No flinch betrayed him.

He treated the deadly volcano like a craftsman might treat clay, shaping and commanding it.

Then, his eyes flickered when he heard the sound of rustling wind.

Swoosh!

A razor gust howled down from the heavens, cleaving through the clouds above the mountain.

It split the sky with thunder, not of storm, but of presence.

From the rustling and divine gale emerged a figure, hovering right above the crater's edge.

Unlike the barbaric appearance of the man in the mountain, he was refined.

He was dressed in flowing white and gold garments too immaculate for the soot-stained sky.

As he watched the muscular man down below, his cloak feathered like the wings of a falcon. One of his eyes glowed with quiet authority—golden and avian-shaped, exuding an aura—that could see through anything it rested upon.

His other eye remained human, calm but sharp.

For a moment there, he didn't say anything, and the man in the lava didn't look up.

But the refined man was the first one to break the silence.

He descended in silence, the air parting around him.

Once he got close, he swept his long, snow-white hair behind him like a trailing banner of wind.

"Sunna's Avatar has fallen." He announced.

"Did you come all the way here to say that?" The muscular man asked without even turning. "I know. But I don't want to take any chances. I do not know the patron God behind this world's chaos—so I am preparing myself."

"We have numbers. If we take too long, we'll sully the Architects' name." The avian man went further.

He stopped only when he was floating right before the muscular man.

"What about the other one of us?"

"On her way, but this world's situation is rather unique, so it'll take time."

"Then we wait."

"No, we can't wait. We'll only be giving him time to grow."

"If you're in a hurry, why don't you go on ahead?"

Hearing this, the avian man frowned, but then sneered in contempt.

"Fine, I'll give you a bit more time. I'll try finding him."

Upon saying that, the avian man flew out of the mountain again and stood at the center of the sky.

His eyes flashed with power as a spear made entirely of divine gale manifested in his hand.

…

Death.

It was a familiar concept for academy hunters like them who fought for the future.

But it has never been so close before.

Andrea and Leo could feel the chilling air of death brushing against their nape, seducing their souls to come out. Taking on this mission was Malric's idea, to keep things interesting, he said, but now, the two regretted following his request.

Clang!

Both tensed as a high, brittle clang sliced through the air as the bullet hit the floor.

It was the bullet that Andrea and Leo were confident would at least severely hurt Lucivar.

"How…? A-Aren't you a Demon Hybrid?"

Andrea forced out a question.

Someone who possessed such an overwhelmingly negative aura, wicked and heavy, could only be a Demon Hybrid like Malric. But since the bullet that she drenched in holy water did not work at all, he must not be a Demon Hybrid.

Behind, Lucivar leaned forward until his face was parallel to Leo's and Andrea's.

"I am wicked," He whispered and grinned. "But that does not mean I'm a Demon Hybrid."

Swoosh!

Out of nowhere, two massive wings sprouted from Lucivar's back, furling onto them like a cocoon.

"I'm an Angel Hybrid. Not a normal one at that."

Hearing this, Leo's shoulders slumped.

Lucivar didn't kill them instantly, and that made him cling to the hope that somehow, the three of them could get out of this situation alive. No matter the cost or humiliation, he'd do it as long as the three of them were spared.

But now that Lucivar had told them such a secret… all hope was lost.

It was clear that he had no intention of sparing them.

"Rrgghkk!!"

Leo's body tensed up as a powerful, dark energy seeped into his body and corrupted him.

His bloodline was that of an Earth Elemental Hybrid, a purple-grade bloodline.

Had it not been the very low purity of his bloodline—people would have revered him as a purple-grade bloodline is by no means weak. But in comparison to an Angel Hybrid or even a Vampire Hybrid like Andrea's, it pales.

And thus, he couldn't resist the dark attribute at all.

"Leo!"

Andrea snapped towards him, but stopped when Lucivar's finger pressed against her neck.

She could only watch as Leo dropped to the ground, his body convulsing painfully.

Like Malric, he wasn't dead, but he was in great agony.

"Don't kill them," She mumbled softly, trying to remain strong. "As I said, I'm part of the supreme house, and we have a tracker on us. If you kill us, the house would know. I do not know where you are from, but you can't go against the supreme house."

Lucivar looked at her with amusement.

He could see that she was trying hard to stay strong, but her body was mildly shaking.

Seeing her trying so hard was amusing.

'She's cute when she's scared.'

Gently, Lucivar rubbed her cheek with the back of his index finger, forcing her to softly turn away.

"Academy hunters died all the time. In fact, becoming an academy hunter meant you accepted being a tool of humanity. If I kill you here, the supreme house would replace you without batting their eye," His grin grew as he said that. "I'm quite well-versed about academy hunters, too, you see."

At that moment, Andrea's heart skipped a beat.

Her eyes widened as she came to a sudden realization.

"You…" Her lips trembled uncontrollably. "You're Lucivar? You're Lucivar Asarafall?"

"Oh? And how do you know that?"

"Feathered wings, dark and light attributes, wicked, and you knew about academy hunters."

Lucivar chuckled.

He wasn't surprised that Andrea found out.

After all, he was famous now—everyone in Sunhold City practically knew him.

"You're an Angel Hybrid…?"

"Yes. You took the wrong mission, Andrea, but hey… the good news is, you didn't lose to a nobody."

Lucivar straightened his back and gestured at Morriva.

Nodding her head, she pointed her hand to the side and fired a fireball out of the cathedral.

It was a signal for the people to come out.

"Tell me something," Andrea uttered, already losing hope to survive. "What are you going to do to us?"

Not expecting the question, Lucivar crossed his arms in thought.

"You attacked what's mine—and that's unforgivable, so death is inevitable. But you can rest assured that you wouldn't get the worst of it," He shrugged, turning to Malric, who was still paralyzed. "You're not the one who struck the blow, so I'm going to sacrifice you along with the people of the city you lot are protecting."

"Malric… What are you going to do to him?" Andrea looked up at him with fear.

Even though they weren't related, they had been fighting as a team for years.

For her, Malric was her little brother.

Sure, he can be frantic at times and act like an asshole, but he's still someone dear to her.

Despite everything he had done, she didn't want him to suffer.

"Please, kill him peacefully. Don't make him suffer, that's the only thing I request from you…"

Andrea clutched Lucivar's pants.

She even prostrated and kissed his foot, pleading mercy for Malric's sake.

Lucivar looked at Malric intently, and then looked down at Andrea, who was now frantic and desperate, repeating the same words over and over again. A mischievous, evil smile crept to his face as he crouched down to pat her head.

Other people might pity her for being desperate like this, and Lucivar wasn't an exception.

But the reason for his pity was entirely different.

She's blind… She thought begging could change anything in a world this cruel. It couldn't. Begging was nothing more than a hollow gesture—a desperate reach toward a hope that did not exist. She believed she was doing something, but in truth, she was doing nothing at all. No good or bad karma was made from this. Just... nothing.

Had she fought to protect Malric, even hopelessly knowing death awaited, at least the universe would've listened. She would've earned good karma, which would make her situation worse and painful, but it's real. Instead, she clung to pitiful words, as if mercy could be coaxed from monsters.

At least an action that has alignment, even if foolish, leaves a mark. But this? This left nothing.

Lucivar shook his head and shot dark attribute into her.

Since she's a Vampire Hybrid, she fared better than Leo, but she still collapsed to the ground.

She was awake, but she couldn't move.

"I'm not expecting you to understand this, but I don't give mercy. That would only bite me in the future."

Not even waiting for a response, Lucivar headed for the door.

He glanced at Nerissa, who was still standing by the door.

"Bring them with us and make sure they have a good view of the massacre."

"Can I burn them a bit so they scream?"

"Of course. Do what you want, as long as you don't kill them."

Nerissa turned to the three academy hunters, an excited grin curling on her lips.