<h4>Chapter 293 Who''s the actual savage?</h4>


    White Dragon Labyrinth Exploration Arc.


    ---


    (POV: Akashic Records)


    The battle was about to begin.


    "( I should have the advantage here... She outsses me in speed, sure, but without a doubt my physical strength is way higher than hers. This anti-magic barrier affects everyone within its range... So that means she''s also at a disadvantage too... )"


    He continued to study Aaron.


    "( She''s stronger than Lirien, but if this was a fair fight I''d win in less than three seconds... For now, I just need to watch out for her speed and cutting strength. She can''t use magical enhancements and neither can I, but naturally, a battle god has a well honed body... )"


    His gaze narrowed.


    "( Hmmm... What to do... )"


    Lumiere gazed at Aaron, his right arm severed and lying discarded on the ground.


    "You''ve lost your arm," Aaron remarked casually. "And yet you don''t seem too bothered..."


    Calmly, Lumiere shrugged with a smile.


    "I''m not gonna lie, it hurts a lot, but if I focused on that, I''ll surely be losing more than an arm in no time."


    "I have no intention of killing you, Curse King..."


    Drawing his sword with his remaining left hand, Lumiere responded, a smug smile on his face, "And doesn''t that make things easier for me? I won''t hold back just cause you''re a woman."


    He pointed her tsurugi at her.


    Aaron clenched her fists.


    "Trust me, I''ve heard far worse threats than anything you can offer."


    Without a moment''s hesitation, Aaron propelled herself towards Lumiere, her speed leaving even him astonished. In a blink, she appeared before her, his de aimed at her with deadly precision. Lumiere barely had time to react, parrying the attack, but the force still sent him hurtling backward.


    As Lumierended on his feet he could hear Ravenna''s concerned voice.


    "Are you alright?"


    "I''ll be alright," he replied calmly. "Just a minor setback is all."


    In an instant, Lumiere dashed towards Aaron once more, their movements bing a blur as they engaged in a high-speed dance of swords. Ravenna struggled to keep up with the intense flurry of sparks and shes. The confined space of thebyrinth seemed to expand around them as they shed, their skills matching each other blow for blow.


    Finally, a surge of deep blue energy, tinged with ck tron lines, burst forth from within Aaron.


    "Wait... That''s not..."


    Ravenna''s breath caught in her throat as Aaron vanished from sight, only to reappear behind Lumiere with astonishing speed.


    Her de sliced through the air and deep into Lumiere''s back, causing him to grunt in pain before copsing onto the ground.


    "Oh... No..." Ravenna?s breath trembled.


    There was no way she could help.


    Without her intense affinity for wide-range [Curse Magic] there was nothing else she could do.


    All her magical abilities were inessible due to her soul still recovering and their magic being canceled by the barrier.


    Blood poured relentlessly from the deep sh in Lumiere''s back, staining, he wore ck, so it wasn''t as visible.


    Yet a small smile graced his face.


    "Hm?"


    Aaron, bewildered by this reaction, questioned him.


    "Why would you smile in the face of such a grievous wound?"


    Lumiere, seemingly amused, touched his face as if to confirm Aaron''s observation. "Ah, you''re right. I really am smiling," he calmly replied, his ck hair concealing the emotions hidden in his eyes, leaving only his chilling grin visible.


    Intrigued, Lumiere inquired about the power Aaron had just disyed.


    "That chakra you used...," he asked. "Quite impressive, I must say. The white dragon taught you, yes?"


    He assumed this because dragons used chakra a lot.


    And after seeing Eunaria use it and making small research on it, he knew it was a norm for them.


    Aaron, caught off guard by Lumiere''s knowledge, hesitated for a moment before responding.


    "Why should I answer the questions of a repugnant Curse King like you? Without your curse abilities, you''re nothing but another pathetic existence."


    Lumiere chuckled softly, his wound continuing to seep blood, yet hisposure unshaken.


    "I don''t get it..."


    "..."


    "The hate on Curse Kings, it''s a little stupid... But I guess maybe one of them did something to change you..."


    "..."


    "They killed your close friend?"


    "..."


    "No? Okay, they ughtered your entire vige...?"


    "...!"


    "Ah, I got it... They killed your entire family didn''t th—"


    Before Lumiere could finish his sentence, Aaron''s aura surged with a burst of intense blue chakra, propelling her towards him in a flurry of motion.


    WHOOOOSH!!


    With raven-like speed, she materialized directly in front of him, her sword aimed for the kill.


    Just as her de descended in a swift, horizontal arc, Lumiere swiftly bent downwards, narrowly evading decapitation, a few strands of his ebony hair severed instead.


    Reacting swiftly, Aaron swiftly struck him with a powerful knee to the jaw, sending him flying backward.


    In the same fluid motion, she hurled her chakra-infused de towards Lumiere, the sharp steel effortlessly piercing through his left leg.


    Lumiere, though brought to his knee by the impact, managed to maintain his stoic facade.


    The pain etched onto his face, but calm did he remain.


    He removed the sword from his left thigh.


    Despite the blood gushing from it, Lumiere rose from his knee, his movements tinged with a flicker of pain.


    He gingerly brushed his fingertips against his slightly disfigured chin.


    He was amused.


    "Well, that was a bit uncalled for, don''t you think? I thought the n was to incapacitate, not decapitate me."


    Aaron extended her hand, summoning the de that Lumiere had just removed from his thigh, her expression remaining stoic.


    She chose to remain silent, her eyes fixed firmly on him.


    Lumiere''s lips curled into a wry smile as he continued speaking, his tone barely concealing his amusement.


    "Ah, but I highly doubt the person who seeks my attention would be pleased to find out I''m dead, now would they?"


    Aaron''s voice broke the silence.


    "If it were up to me, I''d have killed you already."


    Lumiere raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise.


    "Oh? Is that so? Impressive resolve, I must say. I''m honestly scared..."


    Without warning, the indifference that had marked Aaron''s expression wavered, reced by a glimmer of sorrow and anger.


    Lumiere noticed the subtle shift in her emotions.


    Unfazed, Aaron dered, "Enough talk. I''ll be done with you now. My apologies for almost killing you a few seconds ago."


    Before Aaron could make her move, Ravenna interjected, pleading with her to reconsider. "No! Don''t do it, Aaron! This is all my fault!"


    Lumiere, bewildered, nced at her. "Ravenna?" he murmured.


    Ravenna looked back at Lumiere, her expression softening as she held his hands gently.


    "Please, Aaron, leave him out of this. He''s not like the other Curse Kings. He''s not evil. Even you should be able to see that."


    "..."


    Lumiere reached out to Ravenna, shaking his head earnestly.


    "Ravenna, I told you I can handle this. You don''t have to-"


    Ravenna interrupted him, her voice filled with gratitude.


    "It''s okay, Lumiere. You''ve done enough already. I was able to walk and talk with someone after so many decades... Just that, is enough..."


    Aaron abruptly cut in, her tone resolute.


    "I''m sorry, but there are no rooms for negotiations..."


    "Aaron, please, if you want, I can kill myself or destroy my own soul, I''ll do it. Just let him go!"


    Aaron''s eyes narrowed as she sized up Lumiere.


    She could feel Laura''s presence in her head, urging her to act swiftly.


    "One less Curse King in the world would indeed be great," Aaron responded. "But this one... he''s a potentially greater threat."


    "Ouch," said Lumiere.


    Ravenna''s voice reverberated.


    "Didn''t you hear me? He''s different from the other Curse Kings! Can''t you see that?"


    But before Aaron could respond, Laura''s concise instructions resounded in her mind.


    "Aaron my dear, you''re wasting time..."


    Then, time seemingly slowed down around her.


    Without hesitation, Aaron sprang into action, her movements akin to a speeding bullet.


    In an instant, she materialized in front of Lumiere and Ravenna.


    Ravenna''s eyes widened in shock as she witnessed Aaron''s unfathomable speed.


    Her [World Acuity] would''ve caught it, if it was active, but given the barrier it was significantly diminished.


    Aaron raised her left elbow, striking Ravenna square in the chest and sending her hurtling through the air.


    The impact reverberated through the corridor, causing a sickening crunch to echo in the stillness.


    Lumiere''s face contorted as he reached out to intervene, but before he could even react, his tsurugi shattered into countless shards as if Aaron had effortlessly demolished it with her own de.


    However, her de was never "seen" moving towards his de.


    Without missing a beat, Aaron vanished once more, her form reappearing behind Lumiere in a sh.


    In a single swift motion, she sliced off his left hand, severing it from his wrist.


    Lumiere''s eyes widened in pain as he looked back, but before he could fullyprehend the situation, Aaron appeared once more, driving her de through his chest with a savage ferocity.


    The force of her attack obliterated his sternum, whilst blood erupted from Lumiere''s mouth.


    "It''s over..."


    But as the de pierced through Lumiere''s sternum, a sadistic grin crept across his face.


    The only other time he''d grinned like this was against Fenghis Rhan.


    His once vibrant purple eyes now burned with an unsettling shade of red.


    "You really are stupid," he hissed through clenched teeth.