Chapter 70: Raihn – The Battle with Simon

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Raihn notices Simon looking toward the ruins of what Raihn suspects is the Heir’s tomb. He believes Simon’s god‑forged flesh gives him a supernatural awareness of other powerful magic. The sight of Simon’s greedy interest triggers an instinctive, single‑minded response—just as at the wedding, Raihn drives directly toward him, nothing else mattering.

They collide in midair, unleashing a combined burst of light and darkness so intense it knocks nearby warriors from the sky. Raihn fights with raw brutality, aiming to kill. He lands a first blow by spearing Simon’s wing, surprising him, then drives his blade into a weak point in Simon’s armor, under the armpit. Simon grabs Raihn and spits words that echo Neculai’s: this kingdom was not made for people like Raihn, that he can never become what Neculai was. Raihn realizes Simon is exactly the heir Neculai wanted and that this very fact will be Simon’s downfall. Smiling, Raihn whispers that he is just a Turned slave, then shoves his hand through the gap in Simon’s armor, grabs the twisted god‑forged metal fused into Simon’s skin, and pulls. Simon screams in agony. The world goes white, and when Raihn’s senses return, he and Simon are falling toward the ground.

Key Events

• Simon spots the ruins of the god‑corpse site, and Raihn attacks without hesitation.
• Raihn and Simon collide with equal magical force, causing nearby warriors to fall.
• Raihn wounds Simon’s wing, surprising him.
• Raihn strikes Simon’s vulnerable armpit, drawing black blood.
• Simon grabs Raihn and repeats Neculai‑like taunts about Raihn’s unworthiness.
• Raihn identifies Simon as Neculai’s true heir and uses that truth to set a trap.
• Raihn tears at the god‑forged metal embedded in Simon’s flesh.
• Simon howls in pain, and the two plunge toward the ground.

Character Development

Raihn sheds the calculated, performative fighting style he has used for years. Here he fights purely to kill, acting on instinct and relishing each blow. His confrontation with Simon forces him to face his old nightmare—Neculai—and he embraces the role of the Turned slave to exploit Simon’s arrogance. The chapter shows Raihn moving past his fear of becoming Neculai, instead using that fear as a weapon.

Simon is revealed as more than a generic villain: he genuinely believes he is Neculai’s rightful successor. His taunts echo Neculai’s voice, showing how deeply the old king’s ideology has been absorbed. But his overconfidence leaves him vulnerable to Raihn’s unpredictable tactics.

Neculai appears only in memory and comparison, yet his legacy drives the entire fight. Simon’s words and mannerisms are a direct replication, reinforcing that the old king’s influence has not died with him.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

• God‑forged metal as corruption: The metal Simon has fused into his flesh is both power and weakness. Raihn targets it, turning Neculai’s dark magic against Simon.
• Heirship and identity: Simon insists Raihn cannot become Neculai, but Raihn inverts that idea: Simon is what Neculai’s heir should be, and that makes him predictable.
• Collision imagery: The fight is described as “stars colliding,” linking Raihn’s star‑cursed magic and Simon’s dark power. Their clash is not just physical but thematic—a Turned slave against a monster made of old world tyranny.
• Trauma weaponized: Raihn’s nightmares of Neculai are no longer paralyzing; he uses the memory of that fear to outthink Simon.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is the climax of Raihn’s personal arc against Simon. It moves beyond a simple battle into a psychological victory: Raihn accepts his own past and lack of noble origin (“just a Turned slave”) and uses that humility as a tactical edge. The tearing of the god‑forged metal is both a literal wound and a symbolic strike against the power of the old regime. The chapter sets up the final confrontation by bringing Raihn and Simon to the ground, likely to the ruins where the god corpse’s mate lies.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Raihn abandon his usual fighting style in this battle?
He is haunted by the memory of Neculai and sees Simon as the same threat. The moment Simon looks at the ruins, Raihn’s rational tactics vanish; he acts on pure, instinctive hatred, because the stakes are personal and immediate.

2. What does Raihn mean when he says Simon is “exactly what Neculai’s successor should have been”?
Simon embodies Neculai’s cruelty, power, and ideology. Raihn realizes that this predictability is a weakness—Simon will react the way Neculai would have, allowing Raihn to exploit gaps in his expectations, including the Turned‑slave ruse.

3. How does the physical description of Simon’s armor and god‑forged metal reinforce the theme of corrupted power?
The metal is described as twisted and ragged, fused into Simon’s skin—a permanent marker of his bargain with Neculai’s magic. It gives him power but creates a vulnerable physical point that Raihn can target, symbolizing how the old king’s gifts are double‑edged.

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