Control over people was impossible without fear, and fear was maintained by force. The light guards were representatives of this force; they remained below the Golden Light's name.
There were few of them, usually only a few light guards per village. There were many people in their ranks, but many either remained at the Chain Island or supervised the work at the Mardek Mines.
Sure, there were far more villagers than light guards, and they could outnumber them and attack them at any moment. No one did this, nor would they in the near future.
Why?
Well, people were afraid. They knew that if they attacked even one light guard, they would face execution and death. Everyone in all five villages understood this.
Essentially, regardless of whether the light guards issued an order or not, no one dared to disobey them for fear of the consequences.
Now, the residents of Iron Chain Village had to watch as one of the light guards was coldly killed by an unknown man.
It wasn't even a duel or a fair fight; Ardur just beat the guard like a wild animal.
Step. Step. Step.
Barna ran up from the side as her eyes widened in horror. There was no chance that the light guard had survived; the man was already dead, his heart no longer beating.
"W-Why..." Her voice trembled. "Why did you do that, you bastard?!"
She clenched her hands into fists.
"Do you even understand what will happen to these people now?! Do you even know what the Heaven Dwellers will do now?!"
Every villager shared her opinion. They saw Ardur for the first time, and hatred began to grow in their hearts.
In this situation, Ardur could only do one thing, at least in his opinion:
Double Down.
"Of course I am. That's exactly why I did it."
Barna was about to say something, but Ardur interrupted her, pointing at the dead guard.
"And that's the whole problem! That piece of shit should have been dead a long time ago, one of you, maybe even you or Ren, should have slit his throat so he could choke on his own blood!"
He stepped forward, knowing that with every word he was attracting more and more attention.
If he wanted to get to Luras, he had to destabilize the situation, and for that, he needed the people of the villages, or rather, their righteous anger.
"What was your plan? To continue suffering and wait for a miracle to save you? Well, I am your miracle, but you must save yourselves."
Crash.
A middle-aged man with a haggard look came out from around the corner.
"But... You've just doomed us to death. The Heaven Dwellers, no... the Golden Light, they will send their guards after us and slaughter us!"
"That doesn't matter," Ardur replied sharply. "It was already happening, only slowly. Look, whether you like it or not, you now have only two choices: to die or to fight. What's done cannot be undone, and the Golden Light will not forgive you."
Sometimes, inaction was simply not an option. Obviously, no one wanted to die, so by killing just one guard, Ardur forced the villagers to prepare for battle.
Sure, many would die in the battle against the light guards, but in Ardur's eyes, this would only add fuel to the fire he had lit.
Still, it wasn't enough.
'Hmm, Barna said that other villages also have Origins. I doubt they are thrilled about this situation.'
After a few moments, Ardur nodded. He couldn't afford to waste any more time here.
"You." He pointed at Barna. "Stay here, someone has to show people how to defend themselves."
Pure outrage covered Barna's face.
"WHAT? How dare you give me orders after what you did?"
Ardur gave her only a cold stare.
"Hmm? Are you saying you're going to stand by and watch the light guards slaughter your people?"
She had no answer.
Then, he turned to the miners.
"Hey, which one of you can take me to the leader of the nearest village?"
The skinny young man raised his hand.
"Actually, one of the leaders is at the Mardek Mines right now. We work together with the Copper Chain Village, and one leader always has to be down here to help us fight off the monsters."
Ardur's eyes flashed.
"The light guards. They watch over you like supervisors while you work, don't they?"
The skinny man lowered his head. Admitting this was not only shameful but also humiliating.
"Y-Yes, that's right." He gulped.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Ardur patted him on the shoulder and headed straight for the cave entrance.
"Great, then take me there. I've already made enemies, so it's time for friends."
No matter how tired and frightened the skinny man had been a few moments ago, now his energy was boundless. All because of one thing: hope.
Things could go well or badly, but as long as something was happening, people believed in a good outcome.
Barna had no choice but to watch Ardur's back disappear into the cave entrance.
He wasn't wasting any time, so neither should she.
"Tsk," she bit her lip until it bled, looking at the dead light guard. "Is this really the only way?"
Deep down, beneath the thick, cold layer, Barna had a kind heart. She was one of those who believed that violence only began more violence.
Ardur didn't think so.
How could violence arise if all enemies were dead?
...
Crash. Crash. Crash.
One pickaxe after another struck the rock, breaking stones just to get to the Blight Crystals.
The workers couldn't even take a break despite the sweat running down their backs because the light guards were watching them from the upper level. The guards didn't know what had happened at the Iron Chain Village; it was too far away, and it had all ended quickly.
From time to time, the miners glanced toward the left passageway, as if expecting something bad to come from there.
"Here," the skinny man pointed forward, whispering.
Ardur nodded and quietly moved forward alone.
He didn't know if he could defeat four light guards on his own, but he didn't need to.
He had one tool that he had received when he absorbed his first gene. Every Catalyst had an ability, the Spark, and Ardur's sword was no exception.
Crack.
The pickaxe hit the rock when the man stopped. He couldn't go on anymore. Afraid of punishment, he looked up to see the guards' reaction, but his eyes widened in disbelief.
BLAST!
The blast of darkness knocked three guards off the cliff. They weren't dead, but they fell straight into the hands of the exhausted workers.
The last light guard spun around, swinging his spear.
"Agh?"
His pupils narrowed as he looked down.
The wide dark blade was buried deep in his chest, piercing his fast-beating heart.
On the other side, he only saw the cold gaze of his killer as Ardur's foot slammed into the guard's stomach, knocking him off the slope.
THUMP!
Already dead, the light guard collapsed like a sack of bones among the others who were recovering from the fall. The blast of darkness left open wounds on their shoulders.
The miners, as one, first looked at the dead guard and then up where they saw a man with black hair and gray eyes.
Ardur didn't need to say anything, he just pointed his sword at the guards, and the miners gripped their pickaxes tighter. Soon, the sharp tips would be covered in blood.
"That..." Ardur raised his sword and narrowed his eyes. "Is this the Origin's power?"
[Spark of the Catalyst was revealed – Abandoned Star.]