"You'll have to trust me." He said

That grin didn't fade. In fact, it deepened sharp and confident, the kind of smile that looked dangerous.

A devil's smile.

Maria stared at him silently, her expression unreadable.

Trust?

She didn't even know what he was planning didn't understand half the things he did.. and Well ofcourse she doesn't trust a shut from this dude.. She never would.. Like what had he even done to get anyone's trust.

Still, she didn't answer right away. Her eyes just followed his face, watching the faint flicker of madness and certainty dancing in his gaze.

But before she could respond before she could even decide whether to ask or agree ..another voice cut sharply through the air.

"The wave!"

It was Neptunia.

Her tone was urgent.

"They're here," she said, her gaze locked forward.

"Arghh"

Razeal grunted at her words ofcourse he didn't need to look up to know the army was almost upon them the vibrations in the water, the hum of monstrous energy, the thunderous rhythm of countless beating fins.. he had already felt it all.

But he couldn't move yet.

He was too deep into his plan, too focused on the threads of thought connecting together inside his head.

Still… he couldn't wait any longer.

The creatures were closing in. The ground beneath them trembled like a living drumbeat.

"Give me two minutes," he said sharply, glancing back at Maria for a brief second before turning again his gaze fixing on the approaching, endless wall of living flesh and death.

Two minutes. That's all he needed.

Facing forward, Razeal took a deep breath, raising both hands as he reached inside his coat once more.

From the inner pockets, more red apples fell into his hands.. the last ones. Smooth, cold, and deceptively harmless-looking.

The air or rather, the water around him began to distort faintly as he activated his Flow sense once again. His pupils flickered with faint light as invisible lines, thousands upon thousands of them, lit up around him.

Every direction, every molecule, every flow revealed in intricate, mesmerizing detail.

He exhaled slowly.

And then he moved.

The apples, one after another, became bullets of annihilation.

The first was launched an almost silent motion followed by a deafening, world-shaking explosion.

BOOM.

Then another.

BOOM.

The water shook violently, shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.

Each sound hit like thunder rolling through an endless canyon.

Then another and another.. and another.

Seven explosions in total.

Seven blinding bursts of underwater light.

Every single blast tore a massive hole through the monstrous tide, vaporizing hundreds of thousands of creatures in a single instant. Their massive bodies turned to shredded mist and fragments, torn apart by the sheer force of the kinetic energy unleashed.

Notifications filled his vision, overlapping one another, relentless.

[+1,000,000 Killing Points]

[+1,000,000 Killing Points]

[+1,000,000 Killing Points]

They flashed again and again a mechanical rhythm of death echoing in his mind.

Razeal finally lowered his hand, sighing lightly.

He straightened, surveying the devastation before him.

The seven enormous holes carved into the monstrous wave looked almost unreal circular tunnels of death reaching far into the distance, their ends swallowed by shadow.

Each hole cut so deep it seemed to tear straight through the horizon.

The pressure alone from those blasts had obliterated millions more creatures nearby those too close to the blast waves were shredded to dust, leaving only faint traces of energy and drifting flesh.

The sea trembled with silence for a brief, precious moment.

Razeal clapped his hands together lightly, as if dusting them off.

"That should hold them," he said calmly. His tone was steady, but there was fatigue in his voice. "They won't be back for at least a minute. We need to move fast."

He turned, walking toward Maria, but she didn't say anything right away. Her eyes were wide still trying to process what she had just seen.

When she finally opened her mouth, the words didn't come out immediately.

Instead, she just lifted a shaky hand, pointing toward his face.

"Your… your eyes," she said quietly.

Razeal frowned slightly. "What about them?"

She didn't answer she didn't need to.

He reached up with his fingers.. and when he pulled them back, they came away slick with blood.

Thin streaks of red ran down from the corners of his eyes, from his ears, even from his nose.

He looked at his hand for half a second, then simply wiped the blood away with the back of his wrist.

"Ah. Ignore it," he said flatly. "It's nothing."

Nothing, he said even though the edges of his vision blurred slightly, and the ringing in his ears grew louder.

His head throbbed, the sharp pulse of mental exhaustion pounding through his skull like a hammer... Even though he doesn't really feel pain but it was just a too weird feeling to ignore.

He had pushed himself too far.

The strain of controlling Flow at that level of handling the concentration it demanded ..had driven his body past its natural limit.

He could feel it.

One more attack like that… and he'd probably die from the recoil alone.

But he didn't care.

For now.

He had what he needed.

He turned back to Maria, his tone calm but urgent.

"Listen to me," he said, grabbing her shoulders suddenly. His hands were cold.. strong and his eyes, despite the blood, burned with fierce clarity. "I have a way. But it's dangerous."

Maria blinked, startled by his sudden nearness by the intensity in his gaze.

"But it'll work," Razeal said, his voice low, serious.

"Razeal" she began, but he interrupted her.

"I need you to trust me."

He leaned closer, his eyes locked with hers close enough that she could see the faint trembling in his pupils, the exhaustion buried beneath that confidence.

Maria froze, her heartbeat stuttering in her chest.

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.

Then, slowly, she found her voice.

"Then tell me," she said, her tone careful. "Tell me what it is."

Razeal paused. His grip loosened.

He let out a short breath, stepping back.

"I can't tell you," he said finally.

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"I can't," he repeated. "Not yet."

"Why not?" Her tone rose slightly. "If I'm part of it.. if I have to do something then why won't you tell me?"

Razeal exhaled again, looking away briefly before answering.

"Because if I do," he said simply, "you'll be scared. And then you'll refuse."

Maria blinked, confusion flashing across her face. "Scared? What do you mean scared? What are you planning to do with me?"

She instinctively took a small step back, her voice tightening.

"What are you hiding?"

He raised his hands slightly, in a gesture of calm.

"Hey, relax. Don't jump to conclusions," he said lightly, the ghost of a smirk touching his lips. "I just said it might scare you. But it's also the only thing that can save us."

Her eyes narrowed. "Save me.. You mean us? How?"

He tilted his head slightly, looking at her with that same unreadable expression he always wore half serious, half evil.

"Because it'll make you stronger," he said simply.

Maria's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Stronger? What are you talking about?"

"You heard me," Razeal said, his tone firm. "I'll make you stronger. Strong enough to hold that army off for me."

Her eyes flickered uncertainly.

"Stronger… how?" she asked skeptically, her voice low.

"Don't worry about how," Razeal replied. "Just trust that I can do it. And that I will."

Maria stared at him for several seconds searching his face for any hint of mockery, any sign that this was a joke. But there was none.

He wasn't joking...

His gaze was steady. His voice was serious... Well not like he have personality of joking.

And despite the insanity of his words, she felt something strange in her chest something heavy and magnetic pulling at her instincts.

He believed what he was saying.

And somehow, that made her believe it too.

She took a slow breath, her shoulders rising and falling. The tremors of the sea grew louder around them.. the monsters' roars echoing through the deep.

Finally, she nodded.

"Alright," she said quietly. "Tell me what I have to do."

Razeal's lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile.

The devil's smile again.

"Good," he said softly. "That's all I needed to hear."

"Well, first thing… no questions, alright? Just trust me," Razeal raised a hand before Maria could speak. His voice lpw but firm.

Maria's mouth opened but she stopped herself. Her eyes met his, the same cold dark eyes that rarely showed emotion. For several seconds they only stared at each other, the faint light from the sea floor flickering across their faces.

Something in his gaze made her chest tighten not fear exactly, but a heavy feeling that told her he meant what he said.

Neptunia stood a few steps away, her bow hanging loosely at her side. Her eyes flicked between the two, confused. She could feel something heavy building in the space something urgent, serious but she didn't understand it. She wanted to ask what was happening, but the atmosphere around Razeal was too heavy to interrupt.

Maria finally gave a short nod. "Alright," she said quietly.

A small smile tugged at Razeal's lips not mocking, but approving. "Good."

He clapped his hands once and spoke briskly. "Alright we don't have time. So now lie down on the ground. Face up."

Maria blinked. "What?"

He gave her a look that said he wasn't repeating himself.

She hesitated for only a moment. Then, remembering his earlier warning no questions she sighed, muttered under her breath, and did as he asked. She sank down onto the cold, sand-covered rock of the ocean floor, her dress fabric shifting softly. The chill of the seabed seeped through her clothes as she lay flat, eyes on the dim ceiling of water above.

Razeal nodded. "Good. Stay like that."

He turned his head toward Neptunia, who was watching this in open bewilderment.

"You," he said, pointing at her. "Got a dagger?"

"I… no, I don't"

"Arrow, then. Give me one."

She blinked at his interruption, but quickly reached for her quiver. Without argument she handed him one of her arrows. It shimmered faintly in the water, golden-tipped and perfectly balanced.

Razeal inspected it for a second, his expression thoughtful. "Real gold? Why you have read gold on arrows?" he murmured, running a thumb along the edge.. But again just put this question back of his head as this wasnt the time.

The sharpness surprised even him. The blade nicked his skin easily, slicing a thin line across his finger. A single drop of blood floated up before the cut healed instantly, his skin knitting itself back together.

"Sharp enough," he said quietly.

He crouched beside Maria's head, one knee pressing into the sand, the arrow held loosely in his fingers. His presence was suddenly close far closer than before.

Her heart began to pound, her chest rising and falling faster as he held the arrow poised in his hand, its tip pointing down toward her.

Maria turned her eyes toward him, her brows furrowing. She didn't speak, but the question was clear in her expression.

What are you doing?

He didn't answer. He seemed to be measuring something the distance between his hand and her chest.

She had questioning eyes, but still, she didn't ask anything. Time was slipping away, and she didn't want to disturb him now. He wouldn't do something stupid… right? It's our lives on the line too his as well. He wouldn't do anything bad. Maybe he needed it for some kind of magic, she thought to herself.

Still maria's heart beat faster. The arrow glinted faintly as he adjusted his grip.

Then his free hand lowered toward her chest stopping just short of touching her. His fingers caught the edge of her dress fabric, pinching the fabric lightly as though to cut a small opening through it.

For a split second, Maria froze. The realization or what she thought was a realization.. hit her like a slap.

Her cheeks flushed red, her breath catching in her throat. Seriously furious

"What are you doing?" she snapped suddenly, pushing up on her elbows. Her voice came out sharp, louder than intended. "What is this supposed to be? Are you seriously" she stopped herself, disgust flashing across her face. "Is that what this is? Because if you think this is the end and you just want to" Her voice cracked. "'enjoy' before dying, then you're disgusting.. Just as you were.. Did you learned nothing from that?!"

Her pulse hammered in her ears. "I would rather die than.. than" She didn't even finish her sentence. She tried to sit up, ready to fight, but

Razeal's head snapped toward her, and before she could jerk away, his hand pressed gently but firmly against her shoulder, guiding her back down. His touch wasn't rough but it carried authority that made her still instantly.

"I'm not like that," he said quietly. The steadiness in his tone cut through her panic faster than shouting could have.

Maria blinked up at him, breath still uneven.

His tone wasn't angry, but it carried authority that cut through her panic. His gaze locked onto hers.. steady, deep, unwavering

"Don't overreact," he said. "And don't move. I need to do this, and it's not what you think."

Maria stared at him, searching his eyes for even a trace of deceit but there wasn't any. He met her gaze head-on, unflinching.

"If I had those kinds of intentions," he continued, his voice lowering, "I would've done it on the ship and there was nothing you could've done to stop me. Still I didn't. You know that."

She swallowed hard. She knows he was right.. and she hated that he was right.

He exhaled slowly, not moving his hand until she stopped trembling.

"Now," he said softly, "Stop fighting me. Lie down. Just… trust me this once. This is really important."

For a long second, she didn't move. The tension in the air was thick enough to choke on.

For a moment, no one spoke. The world around them seemed to shrink no sound but the whisper of the wind and the faint beat of her racing heart.

Maria had a thousand questions clawing at her throat confusion, disbelief, fear but none of them left her lips.

She only stared into Razeal's eyes, wide and uncertain, searching for any hint of deceit. But there was none. His eyes were cold, unreadable yet there was something fierce and resolute behind them, a sharp determination that pulled her in like gravity.

Her heartbeat slowed.

Finally, she let out a shaky breath and turned her gaze aside, lowering herself once again to the ground. The coarse, cold sand pressed against her back as she lay flat, turning her head slightly to one side.

She didn't say a word.

He had told her to trust him.

And as much as her instincts screamed to move, to demand answers, she couldn't deny one simple truth he could've done anything he wanted before. On the ship, when she was alone. He never once crossed a line.. And even now if he wanna force she wouldn't be able to do anything.. So many these aren't his intentions if he is saying so..

So, she breathed slowly and forced herself to stay calm, even as her closed eyes trembled.

Razeal, seeing this small act of trust, nodded once. A faint shadow of gratitude flickered behind his calm expression.

"Good," he murmured softly. "That's enough."

Without another word, he reached out, pinching the cloth of her tunic between his fingers. The fabric was damp from the ocean water, heavy and resistant, but it yielded easily beneath the sharp tip of the arrow he held.

With one smooth motion, the sound of tearing cloth broke the silence.

A thin, circular cut spread open near her chest not deep, not invasive, but precise, controlled... Making white skin to be shown now.. as there was nothing underneath..

Maria's breath hitched at the sound, but she didn't move. Her body tensed, trembling lightly, yet she kept her eyes shut tight, forcing herself to stay still.

"I'm sorry," she heard him whisper under his breath, almost inaudible. "But this is necessary."

His voice wasn't cold now... As it always is weirdly enough. It carried something else a weight of regret.

Maria's ears twitched at the tone. She heard sincerity there, faint but real... She for some seconds couldn't even beleive that it was Razeals.

She stayed silent.

Razeal carefully pulled the torn fabric aside, revealing the pale curve of her upper chest. His movements were methodical, detached, entirely focused on precision rather than appearance.

He paused for a moment, exhaling quietly through his nose.

"Alright," he said under his breath, more to himself than to her.

From the corner, Neptunia watched with confusion and unease. Her yellow eyes narrowed slightly as she took in the scene the serious look on Razeal's face, the trembling in Maria's closed hands, the deliberate way he worked.

There was no lust.. Only focus maybe he really have something useful reason for this.

So she stayed quiet, though her hands tightened around her bow.

Razeal turned the golden arrow in his hand, wiping it clean on his palm. Then, with a deep breath, he ripped open the remnants of his own half torn shirt and black coat. The fabric gave way instantly, scattering bits of cloth into the drifting water.

For the first time, his upper body was fully visible under the dim light filtering through the water above.

Neptunia instantly gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

Razeal's body was a map of pain scars upon scars, layered across his chest, ribs, shoulders, and arms. Deep cuts, burn marks, punctures, all healed yet grotesquely permanent. Every inch of his skin told a story of battles.he survived or maybe the torment endured.

But worse than the scars was what sat in the center of his chest.. a silver luke engraving, intricate and cruel, glowing faintly with a metalic hue.

Neptunia's eyes trembled. "How… how is he even alive?" she whispered under her breath. she thought, genuinely shaken. The scene before her was horrific.. there wasn't a single place on his body unmarked by scars. And on his chest… something was engraved. She couldn't read it; the language was foreign to her.

What kind of monster could do this? And did he really endure all that pain?

Her bright yellow eyes trembled as she looked at Razeal's face.. serious, focused as he stood over Maria, silent and unreadable.

And what is he even trying to do here? Even taking his clothes off?

For what reason?

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Hey guys!

First of all, I want to thank Yuri_isNTR for the 10k coin spaceship! This extra work was so worth it.. I swear, my back's gone 💀. Over 9k words in one day!

Thanks so much for the gift, I really appreciate it. 💖 Also, how about I count those 60 golden tickets and throw in an extra chapter for this one too? I mean, each chapter is almost 3k words.. I think I deserve it, right? 😭❣️

Alright, good night everyone~

Your lovely author is going to sleep now 💤ys

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