Chapter 49: A Kiss in the Flames

BAAAM!

A man flew several meters in the air until he crashed into a stone wall, leaving a bloody red stain on impact. The ground shook from the force of the impact as the man's lifeless body slumped to the ground.

Aron stood tall and imposing, his crimson eyes filled with rage and determination. His fists and the greataxe were covered in blood, evidence of the brutal slaughter he had just committed. The bodies of the Rats faction members littered the area, a testament to his power and ruthlessness.

"Is that all you've got?" Aron's voice echoed through the place, his words dripping with disdain.

"Pathetic."

Aron's attention shifted to the remaining members of the Rats, who were still standing, albeit with fear evident in their eyes. They trembled in his presence, their confidence shattered by the overwhelming display of strength.

"HAHAHA~ What did you expect, Boss? They are all weak," Freya commented as she pulled her bloody hand from a man's chest.

During the whole massacre, Freya didn't lift her eyes from Aron. She came to understand Aron's fighting style, if you can call it a 'style,' because based on her observation, Aron doesn't have a style or doesn't use any techniques.

In some instances during his fight, Freya saw an opportunity for Aron to dodge an incoming attack, and right after that, he could use a simple foot technique to attack from the side or allow the enemy to go past him and attack him from behind, but no. Aron just blocked the attack with his black axe, then he immediately delivered a powerful blow that split the man in two.

Freya saw that in a scenario where she'll use her speed and technique to achieve a certain result, Aron will just use brute force while standing his ground like a mountain.

'A bloody brutal fighting style, like a Berserker?' she thought

'Damn! I love it!' she screamed inwardly as she gazed at Aron with seductive eyes.

Aron stood tall, and he gazed in disdain at the remaining Rat members. As he was about to continue his slaughter, he suddenly sensed something coming their way at high speed.

"!!!" Aron immediately sensed danger coming his way.

'Wrong! I'm not the target,' he quickly turned to Freya, and instantly and without hesitation, he dashed toward her, using his mana coupled with his flames, which allowed Aron to almost instantly and like magic teleportation, appear in front of Freya.

"...Ahh?..Boss-" Freya saw, confused by him suddenly appearing in front of her, but she didn't have the time to speak as Aron immediately pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly.

"!!!" Freya instantly felt her heart beating like crazy as Aron's scent entered her nose. She was about to fall under the influence of her instincts, but...

FUSHHHH.

The sound of something powerful approaching them was heard, and then...

BOOOOM!

A loud explosion rocked the area as a massive fireball collided with Aron's back. The force of the impact sent shockwaves throughout the surrounding area, causing debris to fly in every direction.

[-100 HP]

Aron shielded Freya with his body, protecting her from the fireball. Since Aron is a dragon, he sensed a powerful fireball infused with a dangerous level of mana targeting Freya.

"..Ooooh! My head!" Freya held her head. The sheer force of the blast rattled her senses, leaving her feeling dizzy and off-balance, and a ringing sound reverberated through her mind.

Drop. Drop.

Drops of liquid that she knows really well fell on her cheek. She instantly opened her eyes and gazed up. And as she feared, it was blood.

Blood coming from Aron's mouth. He suffered from internal injuries, but he remained standing, and his grip on Freya never wavered.

"No! Aron!" Freya's voice trembled with fear and concern as she held onto him tightly.

She called him 'Aron' for the first time. The 'Boss' thing was her being playful, but when things get serious, that playful mood was thrown out the window.

Aron winced in pain, feeling the injuries from the powerful blast. He coughed up more blood. He looked down at Freya and smiled warmly at her.

"Good, you didn't get hurt."

"..." Freya was speechless.

'Is he worried about me more than himself?'

Although she was touched by his concern for her well-being, she was angry at him at the same time.

"You idiot!" Freya's voice cracked with emotion. "Why did you protect me like that? You should have focused on defending yourself."

Aron chuckled as he slowly wiped the blood from her cheeks. "I couldn't... let anything happen to you. You're important to me. All of you are important to me."

"Idiot," she whispered softly, her voice filled with a mix of affection and frustration. "You can't just... sacrifice yourself like that. I have high self-healing. I could have survived that magic."

Aron's grip on Freya tightened as he placed his finger on her lips. He looked into her eyes.

"Shh!... I can't let that happen, even if you're strong. I won't... let anyone... hurt you," he said, his voice filled with unwavering resolve. "I'll protect you... no matter what."

Freya felt her heart sink with warmth at his words. She had never expected someone to care for her so deeply and be willing to put his own life on the line for her sake.

And truth be told, this is what she has been looking for her whole life: someone to care for her. This is why she felt jealous when she heard from the girls that Aron killed a noble without hesitation just because he wanted to take Kasumi from him.

Kasumi and Pethra told all the women inside the warehouse about that day. You know, women can't keep a secret like that for more than 10 minutes.

And Kasumi couldn't because she was so touched by Aron that day that the moment she stepped inside the warehouse, she immediately told the girls about it.

And right now, that same man who didn't hesitate to crush a noble's head like a bug is telling Freya, the fearsome werewolf, that men will wet their pants when encountering her.

'I'll protect you no matter what.'

Freya closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath, then she opened them with determination.

'If I don't do it now, I'll probably regret it later.'

She brought her face close to Aron and gave him a kiss on the lips.

"!!!" Aron was surprised for a moment by her approach. However, he didn't refuse her kiss. Instead, he accepted it, his arms tightening around her as he deepened the kiss.

As Freya pressed her lips against Aron's, a surge of emotions coursed through her. It was a kiss filled with gratitude, affection, and a hint of longing.

Time seemed to stand still as they embraced each other, despite the chaos and violence around them. They were literally inside the flames, but since Aron can control fire, they were safe for now at least.

After what felt like an eternity, they finally broke the kiss. Their breaths were heavy as they gazed into each other's eyes.

Freya's face was beyond red, but she kept gazing into his crimson eyes. She then gently placed her hand on his cheek.

"I'll protect you too."

Aron's eyes softened. Her words had a great effect on him. Aron couldn't explain the feeling he got when she spoke those words. However, he didn't have time to think about it now because he sensed three individuals had just appeared out of the flames. They were probably the ones who attacked Freya with that fireball.

When Aron thought that Freya might get hurt by the attack, he felt a surge of rage coursing through his veins. The attack on Freya had awakened a primal instinct within him, triggering his protective and obsessive nature and igniting his anger like an inferno.

He glanced at the silver-haired woman in his arms for a second before giving her a small kiss on the lips.

"Three people just showed up. We need to take them out."

"...Mm" Freya could only nod as her emotions were in chaos and her mind was only focused on the man's face, imprinting his image in her head.

Aron's crimson eyes ignited with fury as the flames around him and Freya began to circle around them like a tornado.

…

"Wooow! That was awesome! Did you see that?... My super awesome magic just wrecked them, like BOOM!" A man was jumping in joy as he looked at the damage and the flames caused by his fireball.

His clothes were all red, and his hair too was dyed red and styled like fire. In his hand was a black staff with a red jewel on top.

"Pfft, you call that super awesome magic? Isn't it just a basic fire spell?" said a woman, mocking the red man. She had just appeared with another man.

"OOH! Our leaders arrived."

"We're saved."

"Of course, they are powerful. Those intruders will soon be dealt with."

The remaining Rats sighed in relief after the arrival of their faction leaders.

"Shut up, Viper! You can't understand how AWESOME my magic is. That basic fire spell cost me more than half of my mana, and it has 10 times more damage. No one can possibly survive that… Well, except Marcus over here with his tough skin."

"..." Viper rolled her eyes at Red's words. He was always like this when it came to his 'awesome magic,' and she wasn't going to bother herself by listening to his boasting.

Viper was responsible for intelligence in this faction. She possessed an air of stealth and cunning, as well as charm, which worked extremely well to her advantage.

She had short, straight-cut hair the color of wine, sharp and seductive gray eyes, and flawless milky skin that she took care of dearly.

Her outfit was designed to accentuate her seductive and alluring aura. She wore a form-fitting, sleeveless crimson mini-dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, with high-knee boots of the same color.

"Why did an attack happen today? I was planning to have some fun back in town, but now I'm stuck here," she complained.

"Yes... yes, I can feel your pain. I was planning to show my super magic to a lady, but this happened. Well, at least I blew them up, right?" Red nodded many times as he spoke.

The two of them completely ignored their surroundings as they complied. Only Marcus remained silent as he carefully observed the flames that started behaving strangely

"It's not over yet."