Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss

There was a loud crack and the bear's head exploded like a crushed pumpkin. Blood sprayed everywhere, but none of it touched Dario, as the force of his punch was responsible for its trajectory.

Contessa leapt back from the spray of blood, unwilling to get any on her white cloak. Her eyes moved from the red liquid as it designed the snow carpeting the ground to the bear, as its body flopped to the floor in death.

The man responsible for its death yawned, adjusting the straw hat on his head. "That was fun."

He clapped, turning back to the other group. "Oh, I see that you did it too." He said, eyeing Ren. "But how will you get rid of the blood?"

Ren looked down at himself. He was still covered in the mantis' green blood. With a blink, he untied his spatial pouch from his belt and raised it over his head, the opening facing down.

With a thought, water began flowing out of it. In a few seconds, there was a pool of water around Ren, and his clothes were clean of the gunk.

"That works too." Dario nodded with a chuckle. "But how will you stop yourself from freezing to death?"

Without another word, Ren focused on himself. Focusing on the water clinging to his clothes and flesh, he used a localized Push, pushing the liquid out of the places it was clinging to. And in an instant, he was dry.

"Ingenious use of resonance." Nero nodded appreciatively, as he retied his wooden mask around his face.

"Wait a minute." Dario turned to Ren. "You use Resonance magic? I thought it was Bloodbinding."

"Aren't we getting out of here?" thorn piped up from where he stood. "Who knows what monster heard our battle."

"True." Dario nodded, turning to make sure everyone was accounted for. "Let's get out of here."

He led the way out of the Flats, and in a few minutes, the rough terrain of the mountain range was back. Thankfully, they only had to walk uphill for a time, instead of climbing any cliffs.

As usual, the formation of the group was back to its usual structure. Dario at the front, leading the way, Nero and Contessa in the middle, with Ren, Thorn, and Lilith at the back.

"Be right back." Thorn muttered to Ren before increasing his pace. He walked past Nero and Contessa to walk beside Dario.

"If I may ask," he spoke up, gaining the guide's attention, "how are you so strong?"

The man chuckled in response.

"I know powerful people are meant to have a degree of strength, but yours is… extraordinary." Thorn said. "And, forgive me if this is wrong, you don't seem like the type to use your Bloodbinding enhancements on just strength increase."

"If you use Bloodbinding, that is." Th0rn added hurriedly.

"You're right." Dario grinned, keeping his eyes on the trail. "I do use Bloodbinding, and no, none of my enhancement focuses on strength."

"What you saw me use was my Divine Gift, Indomitable. As long as I'm alive, I cannot be defeated." Dario adjusted his straw hat.

Thorn stared at the man with wide eyes. "You mean you cannot be…" he trailed off, and Dario said nothing, the man's smile only growing wider.

"What the hell?!" Thorn exhaled. "If you cannot be defeated, doesn't that make you one of the most powerful people in the world?"

"Not necessarily, kid." Dario chuckled. "Divine Gifts are not absolute. An immortal can still be killed, and the undefeatable can still be defeated." He paused. "Theoretically."

"Theoretically." Thorn repeated, dazed. "Wow."

They walked in silence for a few more seconds before something occurred to him.

"Wait a minute." He turned to look at Dario. "If you're this powerful, why work as a guide?"

"Didn't I answer this before?" Dario chuckled. "I'm incredibly lazy. Guides have the freedom to disappear for weeks at a time. I can use that time to nap, instead of fighting off contenders for my territory. It's a pretty sweet gig if I do say so myself."

"I see." Thorn nodded, even though his thoughts churned.

Was it normal for people as strong as Dario to not lead? He was sure that if Dario was back at Albion, he would be the strongest person in the kingdom. He could overthrow the king and force himself as the new Monarch.

But that was the power of the Primordial Flame. It drew to it all those who had the power to destabilize civilization.

His mind went to Death. The man they'd seen when they'd first arrived at Ur. That kind of person would be classified as a disaster back at Albion. And he was Rank 7!

Thorn knew the Bloodbinding Ranks went up to Rank 9, but even a Rank 6 Knight was pretty rare back at Albion. Does that mean the Rank 9 Knights and other powerhouses were all on the Arondale mountain range?

"Dario." He said.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever met a Rank 9 Knight."

Dario was silent for a moment, the only sound around them the crunch of their boots as they walked through a thin layer of snow. Then, the man spoke.

"Remember when I said Divine Gifts were not absolute?"

"Yeah?"

"I was speaking from experience."

"Oh."

Silence ensued.

Thorn walked, not paying any attention to where he was going. All he knew was that he was following the direction Dario was moving in.

His mind was on the topic of Divine Gifts. He would soon lose his Bloodbinding and get a Divine Gift, and that was… scary.

He knew that there was no way he would be getting a Divine Gift as strong as Lilith's Soul Dominion, but if the Gift wasn't even as strong as that, what use was it?

Even Ren's Unfettered Enhancement seemed unremarkable at first glance, but it was muchj more powerful than most would think.

And after eight years, he was close to maxing out most of the disciplines he'd been honing through the years. And that meant he would soon be getting a flood of new skills from the Divine Gift.

Would he be as strong as them? Or would he be so weak that one didn't even need to be strong to defeat him?