CHAPTER 70: GATHERING.

"AAAAAHHH!!"

Tristen and Percival yelled in pain, covering their eyes as the intense light temporarily blinded them. The sudden and overwhelming brightness disoriented them, leaving them vulnerable and unable to see their surroundings.

*WHOOSH*

"Did you not know that in a fight, you should not take your eyes off your opponent? Kekekeke."

Cobra said in a mocking tone as he appears behind Tristan and Percival.

"!!!"

Tristan and Percival's hearts pounded in fear as they heard the unknown voice behind them. Panic took over, and they instinctively turned around, blindly swinging their swords toward the source of the sound, hoping to hit their unseen assailant. Their actions were fueled by a mix of adrenaline and fear, but the lack of visibility made their attacks wild and unguided.

*SWISH*

*SLASH*

*SLASH*

"Whoops… Kekeke, how do you expect to hit your target if you don't look at it?"

Cobra jeered, his mocking laughter resonating through the hall. As he displays remarkable ease and agility, effortlessly evading their wild attacks, staying just out of their reach.

*SWISH*

*SWISH*

"Did you ever imagine being blinded by a mere everyday magic tool? Normally, it's just used for lighting up a dark space, but in the hands of a killer, this seemingly ordinary tool becomes dangerously potent…"

Cobra taunted with a mocking tone, as he continued to skillfully dodge their attacks.

*SLASH*

*SWISH*

*SWOOSH*

"Well… I must admit, I'm rather disappointed. I had heard grand tales of the capital's mighty imperial knights, yet witnessing your pathetic display now leaves me utterly underwhelmed. I suppose this, is all the capital's imperial knights amount to."

Cobra mocked while reveling in his victory over the blinded knights.

Percival's face contorted with a mix of anger and determination upon hearing the ridiculing words, directed at the imperial knights. His sense of honor as a knight felt deeply wounded, and he was resolute in reclaiming it, no matter the cost.

"Bastard! You can insult me all you want, but I will not stand here and let you tarnish the honor of the imperial knights!!"

Percival yelled in a loud, resolute tone as he activated his mana sense and swiftly located Cobra's position. With all his remaining mana gathered in his sword, he charged at Cobra, fully prepared to unleash a potentially lethal attack.

*WHOOSH*

"…"

As Percival dashed forward, Cobra displayed extraordinary speed, eluding Percival's mana sense effortlessly. And in the blink of an eye, He materialized behind his unsuspecting opponent, his sword unsheathed with lightning-like speed, as he plunged it into Percival's back.

*WHOOSH*

*SHING*

*STAB*

"Argh!!"

Percival groaned in excruciating pain, as Cobra's sword ruthlessly pierced through his back and emerged cruelly from his stomach.

"PERCIVAL!!"

Tristan's voice echoed with worry and panic as he heard Percival's painful grunt. He desperately tried to open his eyes to see what had happened, but his vision remained blurred, making it difficult to distinguish right from left. Not being able to see what was happening, left him in a state of panic.

"One down… one more to go. Kekekeke."

Cobra's chilling words accompanied a menacing grin, as he raises a leg and kicks Percival in the back, causing him to fall forward, sliding out of the sword and falling to the ground.

*BAM*

*SHING*

*THUD*

"Now…it's your turn,"

Cobra said, his voice laced with murderous intent, as he turned his attention toward Tristan. With a blood-stained sword in hand, he exuded a blood lust as he walks slowly toward Tristan. However, before he could reach Tristan, a sudden and powerful explosion rocked the entire manor.

*BOOM*

*RUMBLE*

******************************************************************

A FEW MINUTES EARLIER, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ENTRANCE HALL.

While Cobra was occupied with the knights, Scorpion set off to find Grace.

*CRUNCH*

*CRUNCH*

Stepping on the wooden debris scattered on the ground, Scorpion made his way toward a figure he noticed lying on the floor.

"... There you are."

Scorpion said as he drew closer to the figure and recognized Grace lying there. His eyes fell upon her unconscious and vulnerable form, realizing she was naked. A faint smile crept across his face as he crouched down beside her.

"What a beautiful body… after giving me so much trouble in capturing you, the least you can do is let me release some tension…"

Scorpion's voice dripped with a sinister and lustful tone as he stared at Grace's unconscious form, his hand inching closer to touch her. However, just as his hand was about to make contact, he noticed a faint, ominous purple glow emanating from her.

"Huh…? What is-"

*BOOM*

*ZZZWWWSHH!!*

*RUMBLE*

Scorpion's words were abruptly silenced as a surge of powerful purple energy erupted from Grace's body, accompanied by a shockwave that caused the ground to tremble beneath its might. The burst of purple energy pierced through the manor's ceiling, shooting into the night sky, illuminating it with its radiant glow. Everyone in the imperial Capital, both in the inner and outer regions, bore witness to the awe-inspiring display.

"KEUK!!"

Scorpion, being dangerously close to the epicenter of the explosion, let out a pained grunt as the shock wave struck him with its full force. He was violently propelled through the air, tumbling uncontrollably toward the other end of the hall before colliding forcefully with the walls.

*CRASH*

*BANG*

—----------------------------------------------------------

IMPERIAL PALACE- EMPEROR'S OFFICE.

Gazing out of his office window, Emperor Maximus noticed a mesmerizing sight—a purple light emerging in the sky above the inner capital city. As he stared at the light, he sensed a powerful energy from it. This energy was unlike anything he had encountered before, he could tell it was much more powerful and domineering than mana.

"If I can harness this power, I shall transcend my limits and ascend to greater strength… Then, I can challenge them once more."

Emperor Maximus said with unshakable conviction, his palm pressed resolutely against the window's glass. It was as though he could already envision the overwhelming power flowing through his fingertips.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

AT TWENTY THOUSAND FEET IN THE AIR, FLOATING MAGIC CITY - MAGUS SANCTUM.

The Magus Sanctum, situated at the pinnacle of the magic tower, grants access only to the individual possessing the highest knowledge and mastery over magic.

"This power!... this unfathomable power! Where did such a thing come from!... This-this could be the answer to my research! The power of gods… I must obtain it at any cost!!"

Tower Master Zurrick exclaimed, a crazed look in his eyes as he stood before the windows. His gaze fixated on the mesmerizing glow of purple energy in the distance, and his mind was consumed by the limitless possibilities and his insatiable desire to possess it.

—---------------------------------------------------------------

PRESENT TIME- SILVERWOOD MANOR.

A faint melody could be heard in the air as the purple energy continued to leave Grace's body, but neither Cobra nor Scorpion could hear this melody.

*ZZZWWWSHH!!*

*WHOOSH*

"Why the hell is that bitch glowing and shooting such strong energy?"

Cobra asked while following behind Scorpion, as they rushed towards Grace.

"I don't know…? But with that light drawing so much attention, it's only a matter of time before the imperial knights arrive."

Scorpion replied, hastily taking a healing potion to tend to his wounds caused by the shockwave. He could sense that the brilliant light emitted by Grace possessed extraordinarily powerful energy, and the knights coming to investigate would be more powerful than a third-class grandmaster. Which meant their priority was to retrieve Grace and make their escape before the knights arrived.

"But, how are we going to escape with her when we can't even get close to her?"

Cobra asked, his expression filled with concern, as Grace's body was surrounded by a powerful gust of wind, acting as a protective barrier that made it challenging to approach her.

"I think we can contain her with one of the abilities of the Starhex-magic tool."

Scorpion replied, with a tinge of uncertainty in his tone as they moved closer to Grace.

"Hey!... so, are you guys the ones who caused this to happen?"

An unknown voice called out, stopping Scorpion and Cobra in their tracks.

"!!!"

In a panic, Scorpion and Cobra's gazes darted around, both searching for the source of the voice.

"Hey! I am right here."

Helena said in a nonchalant tone while crouched beside Grace. The gust of wind surrounding Grace seemed to avoid her as she effortlessly raised her hand, skillfully controlling the leaking universal Qi and sealing it back into Grace's body.

"That should stabilize her for a while…"

Helena paused, getting up from her crouched position and turning towards Scorpion and Cobra.

"…Now, I'll ask again, are you the bastards who hurt her?"

Helena asked with a serious and angry expression, her gaze fixed on Scorpion and Cobra.

"…H-how and where did she come from…? I did not even notice her presence until she spoke… something is off."

Scorpion thought in his mind as he stared at Helena with a hint of caution.

"Where the hell! Did this brat come-"

*WHOOSH*

Before Cobra could finish his words, in an instant, Helena's foot was inches away from his face.

"!!!"

Despite seeing the attack at the last second, Cobra's brain and body were too slow to react to Helena's astonishing speed. He found himself frozen in time, unable to evade or defend against the attack.

"I asked you a fucking question!"

Helena said before stepping on Cobra's face and stomping his head into the ground, causing a loud explosive sound.

*STOMP*

*BANG*

*BOOM! * *RUMBLE*

"WHAT!!?"

*SWISH*

Scorpion exclaimed with a shocked expression, swiftly turning around to see what had caused the sudden sound and movement. But after turning around, he sees Cobra's lifeless body on the ground with his head turned into a chunk of brains, flesh, and blood.

*SQUELCH*

"Yuck!... now I've got blood all over my shoes. And this is the pair I like the most…"

Helena complained, grimacing as she cleaned the bloodstain on her shoes, using Cobra's clothes to wipe them off.

"How is that possible!?... How did she get past me without me noticing? Even if it was a fourth or fifth-class grandmaster, I could still feel their presence, but this 'little girl' could evade my senses."

Scorpion's mind raced as he stared at Helena with a gaze filled with disbelief, fear, curiosity, and killing intent. However, as he continued to observe, he noticed something about the little girl's hair.

"Silver hair… a member of the imperial family. I didn't notice before, but are you, Princess Helena?"

Scorpion asked, his expression softening slightly as he realized the possible identity of the young girl before him.

"Yeah, and who's asking?"

Helena replied in a nonchalant tone, her expression calm and composed despite the situation.

"Hahahaha… interesting, really interesting. I thought only the brown-haired maid was special, but to think her master is more special. You and your maid must possess the same sort of power because, just like her, I can't sense a drop of mana in you…"

Scorpion paused, his steps deliberate as he moved closer to Helena, his expression shrouded in intrigue and curiosity.

"... So, why don't you offer that power to the young Lord? You might not know this, but the imperial family's rule over the empire will soon come to an end. When that day arrives, the young Lord could spare your life and reward you as an important servant or even a concubine for your contribution. After all, that kind of power is not meant for a female like you. Now, what's your answer?"

Scorpion asked with a menacing grin.

"What did he say? I stopped listening after his evil villain laugh."

Helena said in her mind as she stared at Scorpion with a confused expression.

"Well… it doesn't matter, anyway. I must check on Grace before her condition worsens. And with the three strong individuals approaching, I should wrap things up here first so I can have some fun."

Helena said with an excited tone and a mischievous grin as she turned and walked toward Grace. Her eagerness to attend to Grace's well-being seemed paired with a sense of thrill at the prospect of her getting to fight.

*SNAP*

"..."

Scorpion snapped with anger as he noticed Helena ignoring him.

"How… How dare, a little female brat ignore me! Just because you killed that trash with a sneak attack, you think you have the same power as a man!? You are nothing but a femal–"

"Yeah, yeah… put a shoe in it."

*BOOM*

*WHOOSH*

Helena said with a dismissive tone as she takes off one of her shoes and throws it with incredible force. And in an instant, the shoe flies into Scorpion's mouth and comes out of the back of his head. Splitting his head in half.