I did my best to get back on my feet but there was nothing I could do. No matter how much I pushed and struggled there was no getting up.

No amount of gritting my teeth, pushing, activating techniques, calling on my flames, circulating my Qi, nothing at all I did was worth anything in this situation.

This is the same sort of helplessness I felt when training with Elder Zal. No matter what I did, there would be no winning, no random moment of brilliance to achieve victory. Nothing at all could tip the scales in my favor here.

Even if I wanted to say the V word I simply couldn't because the pressure was so great I couldn't even open my mouth to speak.

Then the voice that spoke out before finally spoke again.

"I truly am disappointed."

The voice sounded like it was coming from everywhere. I couldn't see who was talking and there was no way for me to find them.

While I strained my ears to try and find out where the voice was, it was then it finally hit me. The battlefield was silent. All the sounds of fighting I heard earlier were gone.

I didn't know if they were simply dead, or if the pressure was just affecting them too. All I knew was that we were now at the mercy of whoever was speaking.

"I was told there would be a Patriarch here. A mighty Infernal Patriarch. The type of being that struck fear into the hearts of all those who heard it. Someone who couldn't be trifled with! Someone who wielded the mighty Eternal Flames!

"Someone whose skill with the spear surpassed even the greatest od spear masters of other races. The list goes on and on about everything one could expect from an Infernal Patriarch.

"Yet this is all you could manage. This is all you amounted to be."

Despite the pain. Despite the gravity of the situation. Despite it all… I couldn't help but cringe a bit internally at the fact this voice was giving us a prototypical villain speech. I honestly thought this was something only seen in the movies.

Of course the cringe didn't stop the speech from continuing…

"I was informed of the fact that you and this planet was fresh out of a Tutorial, so I knew to temper my expectations of what you'd be capable of but this is far beneath even that.

"My interest was peaked when I learned of your feat at the coast, but what type of plan is this? An attack at the front, one at the back, and then you'd try to sneak in another little force, as if no one would notice.

"Perhaps you thought we were fools. Maybe that's why such a foolish plan, by someone as weak as you would be carried out.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"But instead… I'm starting to understand why there are no rumors about the intelligence of Infernals. If you or even your Elders thought about it for even just one moment, maybe you would ask yourself one simple question.

"Why would they risk going to war with Infernals, just to leave such an important task to a mortal?

"It truly makes me wonder, just how seriously did you all take this? You are quite literally an ant compared to the powers at play here, yet here you are."

I hate to admit it, but he's not wrong. Yes I have the V word, but would that even help me in this situation? At the end of the day I am still in the Qi Refinement Realm, and the foe before me is somewhere above Nascent Soul.

No matter how much I thought about it.

I had no place here.

Not when an Immortal was present.

Everything hurt. The pressure from the Immortal, the consequences of saying the V word more times than I should, the scars from my battle with the Core Formation Vamps. It all hurt.

Yet now, a feeling of helplessness had joined the pain in their efforts to derail my thoughts.

It's a feeling I've never quite felt before.

To be helpless.

To be without use.

To not have an option or a way forward.

I guess that's not entirely true. The day I lost my parents. I felt a similar sort of helplessness then as well. There was nothing I could do to keep them alive or bring them back. No one I could plead with to return them to me.

No dream to wake up from.

To lose the only people in the world I truly considered my family and there was nothing I could do about it.

Though I suppose I had another family member that entire time. My flames, which had always been there.

Then there was the new member.

Or at least the supposed the new member.

The being I felt every time I said the V word. It always felt like family. Like it was something truly dear to me.

I'm supposed to be able to communicate with it, but all I have is the V word. And if I can't say it then what type of communication is that hm?

"Look let me show you just how hopeless this is for you, and truly folly of your actions."

I barely had a second to snap out of the spiral of thoughts I was in and process his words before I felt something wet splash onto my face.

There wasn't any doubts about what it is.

There was blood on my face.

Jarken and Jrino were in front of me, the Ash Guard and the boys were behind me. I couldn't hear them or see them. But someone was dead. One of them was dead and I had no id..

"One of your Infernals. Dead. Do you…"

The voice continued to speak but I heard nothing.

His voice trailed off into the wind as the faces of Liran and Frian flashed into my mind.

It could've also have been Jarken, but my interactions with him were few, and although I would've still been angry at his death…it doesn't compare to the emotional reaction the boys brought forth from me.

I have learned with them, ate with them, trained with them, fought with them, killed with them.

But most of all I accepted them in my Clan.

MY Clan.

Yet one of them could've just died. And here I am with my face planted on the ground without the ability to do anything.

I don't even know when it happened but at some point I started answering a small voice in my head…it was unconscious…

What are you going to do Raizen?

...I'm going to kill him.

Kill who Raizen?

The pale bastard who dared to touch my people…

I'm going to fucking murder him.

Swear it Raizen…Swear by your words.

I swear it.

I SWEAR IT BY THE ETERNAL FUCKING FLAME

I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!!

Ah.

Yes…feel it…You never needed to speak for me to listen…

All you've done so far is call my attention…now…Invoke me…Summon me…Bring Forth the Azh'Kharel.

I understand now.

DROVAKH.

…

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