No More Pain For This Villain.

Chapter 369 Vile Curse

Chapter 369  Vile Curse

Stepping forward, I asked Aron to stand in front of me. The mana around me churned, swirling in restless waves. I strained my eyes, activating both mana and elemental vision. These skills were already wearing me down, draining a hefty amount of mana from my core. If not for the fact that I had a significantly large mana pool, I would have been in trouble.

"When I signal, you start," I instructed.

Aron nodded silently, understanding my command, and I closed my eyes to prepare.

I didn't need the skills to sense raw mana, but there was always a delay in activating them again. This meant I couldn't afford to waste any more time.

Let's go over the basics again.

Mana is the fuel for spells, and the purer it is, the more potent it becomes. Drawing raw mana requires both skill and determination. I lacked the former but compensated with my heritage, which made me more adept at sensing and channeling mana than most humans.

Elements, on the other hand, are the branches that allow a spell to manifest itself. While they're essential for shaping mana into forms, mana alone, even without an element, can still be used as a weapon—albeit a weaker one.

However, there's another critical thing about mana, especially raw mana. It has no will of its own until the wielder imbues it with intention. Healers will mana to mend, while battle mages will it to destroy.

I had willed raw mana once before, using it to fuel Blaze's flight across hundreds—if not nearly a thousand—kilometers of open sea. It not only propelled us but canceled his fatigue as well. That experience gave me an idea of what I needed to do now.

Raising a finger, I brought it near the scarred side of Aron's face. The mana around me rushed forward, and I absorbed it into my body. Normally, I'd let it settle in my core to replenish my reserves, but that would take too long. This time, I needed to pass it through me as a conduit.

I opened my eyes, welcoming the azure glow of the mana world, and gestured to Aron.

His expression was unclear, but I could see his mana core ignite like a roaring flame. Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, his mana veins radiated a soft glow, spreading light throughout his entire body.

However, this flow wasn't ordinary. Azure tendrils of fire coiled around his veins, writhing like a living creature battling for control.

I recognized that fire. It was similar to the azure flames left inside me by the Soul Tracker, though slightly different. These flames had a will—a purpose to reinforce the body. The ones inside me, on the other hand, were merely markers, tracking me for their owner. The origin of these flames was divine, likely from the gods themselves.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I focused on Aron.

The coiling flames enveloped his body, amplifying the mana flow but also straining his core. This rapid depletion caused the atmosphere around us to shift. The winds swirled violently, as if whispering to him. There was something else—something I couldn't quite identify yet.

Then, the curse stirred.

The onyx tentacles of infection convulsed in pain, recoiling from the divine fire. They shot forward, clashing with the flames in a fierce stalemate.

What a powerful curse, I thought grimly. To withstand divine power is no small feat.

I reached out, touching the scar. Channeling the raw mana, I let it flow through me into Aron's body. It was the same technique I'd used to recharge Blaze. Absorb atmospheric mana, compress it, and direct it.

As the mana surged through me to Aron, the curse reacted violently. It flailed as if attacked from behind, its movements growing erratic. Then, a tendril of white energy—born from the divine flames—wrapped around the curse.

I deactivated my mana vision, watching the results unfold.

It was as if time itself rewound. The scarred tissue, the corrupted veins, and the mangled skin all began to repair themselves, layer by layer.

Aron's pained expression softened, replaced by shock as his face transformed.

The hideous scar was gone.

Standing before me was no longer the broken prince. His unmarred face was striking, his noble features more pronounced than ever. But the transformation didn't end there.

His skin, once pale, began to shimmer. A silvery layer formed over his body, starting as pure energy before materializing into something akin to armor. The gleaming plates gripped his arms tightly, resembling a knight's armor. A flowing cape unfurled from his shoulders, and atop his head, a charred, archaic crown appeared.

His crimson eyes burned brighter, and his blood-red hair shifted to a silvery-grey hue. The change wasn't dull—it radiated power.

This… this is his Archon Form, I realized in awe.

But my awe was short-lived.

A sharp tug pulled at my core, subtle at first but growing stronger. I blinked, glancing at Aron, who was staring at himself in stunned silence. His trembling hand brushed the spot where his scar had once been. Slowly, a hesitant smile broke across his face.

"Y-you did it… You did it!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief and joy.

But before I could respond, the tug became a vacuum.

An unbearable wave of pain followed as my mana was drained entirely within seconds.

It was as if my phoenix-born bones had turned to brittle chalk, fragile and ready to crumble under the weight of agony. My veins burned as if molten iron coursed through them, each heartbeat a sharp, relentless hammering against my chest. I felt like I had lost liters of blood, my strength draining rapidly, leaving me cold and trembling. Thousands of invisible needles pierced my heart, each one sending searing jolts of pain through my body. My vision blurred, the world around me spinning in and out of focus. Every breath I took felt like a battle I was losing.

I caught a glimpse of Aron's pale, alarmed expression before darkness swallowed me whole.