I alone am the Honoured One!

Makena's gaze condensed, disgust bubbling up within her as she watched the two men barter her away like some prized possession.

She was no longer a person in their eyes... just a pawn to use.

The bitterness that had simmered within her for years now burned into something more dangerous.

But again, thinking about it...

"Haa..."

For the first time, Makena's lips parted, and a hollow, humorless smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Hahaha..."

Her laughter was low, but it carried a weight that silenced everything around her.

The men turned to her, startled by her sudden laughter, and in their eyes, she saw the faintest flicker of fear.

She took a step forward, and with a sudden burst of energy, flames erupted from her body like an inferno. *woosh*

Seeing her maniac laugh, The Duke's eyes widened, and for the first time, the arrogance in his face vanished, replaced by terror. "M-Makena…" he stammered.

'My authority over her will... just now.'

The Duke's face twisted in anger and desperation as he took another shaky step toward Makena, "Makena! Obey your father!"

Beside him, the High Priest, clutching his broken staff, sneered as he limped closer to her.

His voice was rasping as he spoke with a grin. "Obey? Duke, you're a fool if you think she still serves you."

He turned to Makena, his tone dripping with wickedness. "Makena, you were destined to serve the High Order. As I already said, we'll give you true power... far beyond what your family could."

"Bahahaha..."

Her lips curled up in a cold smile "True power?"

Her voice was soft, almost mocking. "You think you can bargain with me now?"

With a pulse of astral energy, her body began to swirl with flames, as they grew brighter in the cold night.

"You wanted a weapon, didn't you?"

She extended her hand, flames swirling around her fingers, crackling with deadly energy. "Let me show you what you created."

The High Priest's face twisted in anger as he watched the flames rise around her, and his grip on the broken staff tightened. "You think your flames frighten me, girl?"

Raising his broken staff high, he began to chant as dark energy swirled around him, casting a gray aura.

*treek* With a thunderous crack, a wave of dark energy burst from his body, pushing her back momentarily.

Makena staggered but quickly steadied herself, her gaze narrowing as the High Priest's body began to glow with a dark aura.

She knows this is the perfect time to finish things as they are all gravely injured.

The High Preist's eyes brimmed with energy, and a dozen ghostly figures emerged from the shadows, their tortured faces twisted in agony.

*SCREECH* They rushed toward her with clawed, spectral hands, screeching as they closed in.

Makena stepped forward, her flames flaring brighter, and the spectral beings shrieked as the intense heat met them, their bodies melting away like smoke in the sun.

The High Priest's mocking grin faltered as Makena raised her hand, and a single, spiraling flame shot forward.

*wooosh* It twisted through the air like a serpent, and before he could block it, the flame struck his chest, burning through his robes and branding his bones in flames.

"Curse you!" he growled, staggering back.

*swoosh* With a sudden burst, she lunged forward, flames erupting from her hands.

The High Priest barely had time to raise his staff before her flames engulfed him, his screams echoing through the ruins as the fire seared through him.

"ARGHHHH!!! AAAHHHHHHH!"

As the flames devoured him, the High Priest's body disintegrated, his ashes scattered into the night air.

*crack* His staff cracked and splintered, falling to the ground in useless fragments.

Duke Hafsatu staggered back, his eyes shaking in terror. "Makena, stop! This isn't you!" he shouted in a desperate voice.

Makena turned her gaze to him, a hollow emptiness in her eyes. "You don't get to tell me who I am."

She took a slow step toward him, flames swirling like a storm around her, casting her in a blood-red glow.

He tried to raise his hand, but Makena disappeared like a blur as she surged forward.

*sleesh* She swiped her hand through the air, and a wave of fire slashed across him, tearing into his injured body.

"ARGH!"

*thud* He stumbled to his knees as he coughed up blood, his hand clenching his chest.

Around them, the remaining members of the evil sect looked on, stunned, and one by one, they tried to flee.

But Makena had no intention of letting any of them escape.

Her flames bellowed, expanding outward in a circle, cutting off their retreat.

She moved through the chaos, like a gust of flame... dispatching each one with brutal precision.

One of the sect members tried to strike her from behind with a blade gleaming in his hand.

But Makena spun, grabbing his wrist and twisting until she heard it snap.

She shoved him to the ground and unleashed her flames, watching him reduced to ashes.

The last of the men fell before her, eyes wide with terror. "Please," he begged, crawling backward, his hands raised in surrender. "I was only following orde-"

She silenced him with a single, fiery blast, his words dying on his lips as he crumbled to nothing.

When the battlefield finally fell silent, Makena turned to face the Duke, her flames dimming slightly.

He is lying crumpled on the ground, barely clinging to life as his body is charred and broken.

She kneeled beside him, her voice soft, almost gentle. "You raised me to be your weapon," she murmured.

"But you never understood that a weapon, once unleashed, has no loyalty."

With that, she pressed her hand to his chest, and fire poured from her palm, sinking into him with deadly heat.

"GAAHHH!!" He gasped, his body convulsing as the flames consumed him from the inside out.

When it was over, only ashes remained, scattered across the scorched earth.

Makena rose slowly, her gaze sweeping over the ruins of her former life, the shattered remnants of the Hafsatu clan, the evil sect, and the twisted legacy they'd tried to force upon her.

"Haa..."

Looking at this, she couldn't help but laugh...

"Haha.."

"Hahahaha..."

"HAHAHAHAHA!!"

...

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Yao Jing was laughing loudly while being carried by Zhao Tian on his back as she clung to his neck with her legs around his waist.

Zhao Tian was holding her thighs as he continued his walk through the snowy landscape "Stop laughing, you idiot."

Yao Jing pouted her lips and pinched his cheeks "Who are you calling idiot, you scoundrel."

Its already been 2 weeks, but still they haven't found the herb.

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I hope you guys liked this chapter! Enjoy new adventures from mvl