Noah was too stunned to speak. He never imagined that Rachel would have the Child of Ruin. The most unexpected part was that the child belonged to the unknown Hero that became his [Grade 1 Inferno Breastplate]. He was also clearly the same child of [Prophecy] Noah had experienced with the Oracle of Misfortune. The one that accompanied the Shepard of Dust. The child hadn’t yet matured into the Hero role like in the vision.

"The Child of Ruin, baptized in fire and the blood of kin. The Shepherd of Dust, cursed to endure the agony of life by the love of a Goddess. They are the harbingers of destruction and a new beginning. They shall cleanse the perverse morality of this world in purification of fire and death. The sky will fall on the Gods of old, giving birth to a new genesis."

In the [Prophecy], the child’s blue coloured lifeforce had included hints of golden latticework. The ragdoll with the roughly carved wooden face had been there too. It had hung from a crude woven net to act similar to a cloak. It was held in place by a small fishing hook alongside a number of other ragdolls shimmering with lifeforce.

Presently, the Child of Ruin was only a toddler held in the arms of Rachel. But he was already formidable enough to [Nullify] the [Inferno] Ability. It was an impressive achievement considering it was able to reduce the Grade-3 Awakened, Ice Devil, to ash in one exchange on the Fallen Citadel.

Noah’s body was currently operating autonomously under the effect of Lord Raptor’s [Compulsion]. He attempted to halt his charge toward the pair being chased by the horde of Soulless. Instead, his [Earth Manipulation +2] Ability activated of its own accord, ripping apart the sealed road between them. The earth was violently torn asunder with large fragments of asphalt lifted into the air.

“This isn’t me. I don’t have control of my body!” Noah shouted in warning, his teeth grinding together while attempting to halt his actions.

His face became soaked with sweat at the gargantuan effort required to pause the barrage of asphalt. Pink-lifeforce meshed with golden filigree surged beneath the hood of Rachel’s cloak. No sigil appeared to alert Noah of the Ability she was activating. He had larger concerns, he could no longer prevent the rocks from firing. The chunks of asphalt fiercely launched through the air, hurtling toward the pair. Rachel’s charge didn’t falter, there was only a flash of light then nothing.

The rocks passed harmlessly through where she had been moments before, bombarding the horde of Soulless behind her. Swathes of Soulless collapsed under the onslaught. Noah had no control over the drain on his stamina as the [Earth Manipulation +2] gained in magnitude, ripping bricks from surrounding buildings into a vortex of destruction. The bricks effectively battered the Soulless, greatly thinning the horde.

Noah’s [Battle Instinct] abruptly forewarned him of critical danger. He twisted his body merely enough to dodge the unexpected dagger slashing toward his exposed throat from behind. A fraction of an inch closer, Rachel’s hunting knife would have cut him.

That was too close! I’ve seen what that knife can do. I would much rather keep my head attached.

“You may be under compulsion, but that’s what makes you dangerous to me. I must kill you to remove the threat,” Rachel indifferently spoke beside his ear.

“Stop. My target isn’t you, it’s the Soulless,” Noah pleaded.

Noah still had no control over his body, debris continued to singlemindedly bombard the horde of Soulless as if Rachel didn’t exist. The weight of countless Soulless had allowed the horde to advance through the barrage of bricks to surround the battling Awakened. He could feel the [Grade 1 Inferno Breastplate] becoming agitated with Rachel putting the child at risk. [Inferno] triggered simultaneously with Noah’s activation of [Freezing Aura].

Flames spewed outward, splitting around Rachel and the child to drown the horde in a sea of fire. The extent of the destruction was obscured by mist swirling in the air, becoming superheated by the blaze. All but one of the surrounding Soulless were reduced to ash in an instant. The remaining Soulless was revealed behind the molten rock of a nearby building. It resisted the roasting flames only to have the superheated mist boil away the outer layer of skin, uncovering the twisted flesh underneath. The Grade-4 Soulless didn’t charge as expected. Instead, it tilted back its head and began to scream. Answering screams could be heard in the distance, dimmed by the dissipating fog.

That Soulless is bigger and more dangerous than any I’ve encountered before. I can see tendrils of black lifeforce squirming inside its exposed muscles. It has to be at least Grade-4. Shit, my most deadly attack only pissed it off. How can I deal with that with Rachel trying to kill me at the same time?

“What the fuck, how many crowd-control Abilities do you have? I don’t care if your target is me, or not. You’re fucking with my plans. I need the Soulless to overrun Raptor. When his stamina is depleted, I’ll finish the job. I guess I have to go with plan B. Make some noise for me,” Rachel replied in agitation.

Gold-infused lifeforce flared in Noah’s peripheral. He struggled to shift his gaze away from the Grade-4 Soulless to warily investigate. Darkness enshrouded Rachel and the child in her arms. Their figures became indistinct, leaving behind only their shadow while the pair became invisible. He was forewarned of danger through his [Battle Instinct].

He was alerted at the last moment by an object piercing his [Wind Elemental Body]. He stumbled away from the threat. He was unable to completely dodge the attack. He felt a sharp blade lightly nick his throat.

Fuck, she cut me. I don’t know where her attack’s coming from! Her [Hero] status blocks me from detecting her Abilities. Now, she’s fucking invisible to top it off!

In a panic, Noah forced the activation of his [Six Spirit Arms] to punch out in all directions. He felt a solid impact as he knocked her away.

“Oof, mother fucker. Noah?” Rachel called out in surprise.

Noah could feel the inconsequential wound quickly widening by the second. He hurriedly clutched his throat in alarm, attempting to prevent what he anticipated was about to happen. To make it worse, the Grade-4 Soulless was now charging toward him with a horde of lesser Soulless behind it. Noah was their only possible target, Rachel was nowhere to be seen.