Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

A pair of yellow eyes shone with grace, watching as several bodies around him collapsed, lifeless, to the ground.

The bodies belonged to thin figures with long, sickly arms that unnervingly stretched down from their backs, their bodies now motionless at his feet as their blood slowly seeped into the dry ground beneath, staining the earth with dark black color.

But as if that wasnt enough, several dozen more of the same creatures surrounded him. They stood still, their vacant, empty eye sockets staring blankly in his direction from all sides.

They were all alive, yet not a single one seemed capable of moving.

As if frozen in place.

.How many does that make?

Caius stretched his arm to the side. In a short few seconds, he felt something soft fall on his hand, and he brought it to his face.

It makes it twenty-three at once.

Oh, not bad.

Caius wiped the sweat using the towel he received and tossed it back to Angela.

Massaging his neck, he flicked his hand up.

One of the Wraiths that surrounded him lifted off the ground and floated before him.

Theyre quite a bit weaker than I thought.

Swiping his hand, the Wraiths body turned and twisted in the air before it levitated right before him.

Caius pinched his chin as he closely examined the corpse.

Its been almost a week, and were soon going to have to return. Its a bit of a pity if this is the little warm-up that well have to do before the second phase.

Closing his hand, Caius watched as the Wraiths body suddenly crumpled, the air filled with the sickening sound of bones cracking and twisting.

Cra Crack!

Within seconds, the Wraith was reduced to a thin, compressed ball, which Caius casually dismissed with a flick of his finger.

Boom!

The ground shattered beneath the impact of the ball.

Thump!

Several bodies fell immediately after, their bodies torn in half, with the missing portions scattered like debris.

Caius glanced around at the dozen or so Wraiths surrounding him. The corner of his lips curled up slightly, a trace of amusement lingering on his lips.

Raising his hand, Caius gave the Wraiths back their ability to move. Instantly, they lunged at him from all sides, hundreds of arms reaching out for him and casting long and thin shadows over the area where he stood.

He remained motionless with the same thin smile on his face as the hands covered him.

Tilting his head slightly, Caius peered through the narrow gaps between the outstretched hands reaching for him. He fixed his gaze on the white sun hanging in the sky, his bright yellow pupils gleaming with an unsettling light.

As he stared, something intangible began to expand from the ground beneath him, gradually enveloping his surroundings and the Wraiths in a creeping, invisible force.

Stop.

As he spoke, his voice quietly layered as his surroundings froze.

His face twitched slightly as he rubbed his head.

.Its not quite there.

Scratching his head, a dome started to form over his surroundings. It slowly covered his surroundings but stopped halfway.

Staring at the half-complete dome, Caius sighed.

Ill get there soon enough, I guess.

With a sigh, he pressed his hands together, and a fountain of black sprayed all over him. Basking in the blood of the Wraiths, Caius took a step forward as the bodies collapsed alongside him.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Without turning back, he quietly mumbled,

Lets go. Were going to be late at this rate. Theres an interesting fellow I want to match up against. Though Im not sure how entertaining our fight will be.

***

In a different area.

Crackle~

A fire crackled as a man stood by, silently observing its dance with his cold, gray eyes. Beside him, a young woman with long platinum hair and piercing blue eyes sat. She wore silver armor that covered half of her chest and legs, reflecting the flickering light of the flames.

Beside her were several other members of the same empire.

What are you thinking so deeply about, Amell?

..

Amell didnt answer, keeping his gaze fixed on the fire in front of him.

Amell?

It was only after Agatha spoke again that he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Its his birthday today

Ah.

As if realizing what this was about, Agathas expression changed subtly. The atmosphere surrounding the fire grew a little tense.

This was a sour topic within the Empire. Something that the Royal family refused to talk about and hid from the world.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten.

Everyone but Amell

He wouldve been about my age by now.

It was regarding his brothers death.

To this day, Amell refused to accept that his brother was dead. The body had never been found, and as long as there was no physical evidence, he clung to the belief that his brother was still alive.

The harsh truth, however, was that what remained of his brother was probably nothing but ashes.

The fire that raged on that day wouldve made it impossible for a young kid to escape.

Agatha, his fiance, and the future Sword Saintess of their Empire knew the truth all too well but chose to remain silent.

There was no use taking the idea off of his mind.

To lighten up the mood, she tried to joke.

Do you think he wouldve been as handsome as you?

That did seem to work as Amell chuckled slightly.

Probably not.

Even if they were twins, he still believed hed be better-looking. But what brother didnt think they were more handsome than their brother?

Hmm, I dont know.

Agatha tilted her head and looked to be in deep contemplation.

Finally, Amells expression changed as his head flicked in her direction.

What are you thinking so deeply about?

.

Agatha didnt answer and just stared into his eyes, her lips curling slightly.

I dont know if youd look better than your brother, to be honest.

Ah?

From what I heard he takes more from your father than you did. Your father is pretty handsome, so

Agatha covered her lips and laughed.

.Its a tough one.

What? Whats so tough about it?

Um.

Agatha shrugged.

Whatever the case, he has the same gray eyes as yours. Im sure he looks good.

After all, those gray eyes of his They were one of the distinctive features of the Verdant Empire Royal Family.

I guess.

Amell waved his hand and the fire faded. Standing up, he looked towards the others to make sure they were all well-rested before nudging with his head.

Lets go. Were almost there.

***

Haaa Haaa

Kaelions chest heaved with labored breaths, his entire body drenched in blood from head to toe. Surrounding him lay several scattered monsters, pieces of their bodies strewn across the ground.

It was a devastating sight that would upset the weakest of stomachs, and yet, Kaelion treated everything as if it were normal.

No, he was used to such a scene.

For as long as he could remember, his life had been like this.

Alone, and filled with blood.

It was for that reason that he didnt think twice about betraying those within his Empire.

Theyd do the same thing if they were in his position.

Since birth, they had been taught the same thing over and over again. Strength first, everything else second. To be strong, he needed to live so he never regretted his choices.

This was the reality of his life.

Hoooo.

Taking a deep breath, Kaelion raised his head as a smile graced his lips.

.I think I should be able to handle it now.

Emotive Magic.

Ever since the incident at the strange, cult-like place, he had tormented himself day and night, hiring every Emotive Mage he could find to expose himself to their power. He ruthlessly subjected himself to it every second he could. To the point where he wished nothing but death on himself, but it was all worth it.

He was confident in his ability to resist it for at least a few seconds.

It wasnt much, but it was enough for him.

Roooaar!

A thunderous roar echoed in the distance. Turning his head, Kaelion saw a gigantic, tiger-like monster with bat-like wings hurtling toward him at tremendous speed.

His lips twisted into a cruel smile as he brought the leg of one of the monsters he had killed to his mouth and took a bite.

Crunch!

Staining his lips in blue, he tossed the leg to the side and rushed toward the approaching monster.

With both hands outstretched, the ground cracked and splintered with each step he took, causing the surroundings to twist and distort wildly.

Haaa!

Shouting at the top of his lungs, he grasped the tigers massive paws, and a tremendous explosion erupted, reverberating through the surroundings and shattering the ground beneath them.

For a brief second, the two remained in a stalemate like that before Kaelions entire body twisted and he brought his hands down.

Boooom!

With a pained wail, the tiger cried out, but before it could react further, Kaelions hand descended sharply, cleaving down toward its neck.

Spurt!

A fountain of blood drowning his features, Kaelion stood still as his chest heaved up and down unevenly.

Haaa Haaa

Staring at the lifeless corpse before him, he quietly mumbled,

A few seconds Thats all Ill need.

Without wiping the blood off his body, he slowly turned around and headed forward.

***

Grimspire.

The Main Plaza was deserted.

Itd usually be filled with all sorts of people, chatting and purchasing goods for the merchants stationed by the sides, but today, it was quiet.

The reason for this was that today would be the day the participants of the Summit would return.

Standing on one of the balconies that overlooked the plaza from above, Delilah calmly gazed toward her surroundings.

A certain, intangible tension lingered in the air as all eyes were on the Plaza.

While death was possible, all the participants were the cream of the crop. Death was quite rare given their skill level. The reason why everyone was so nervous was because there were only forty-eight spots available for the second phase.

It was all on a first come, first served basis.

In that sense, the tension stemmed from the fact that there was no equal number of participants for each Empire. The country with the most participants would inevitably hold the advantage.

It was for that reason that the atmosphere was tense.

Are you not nervous?

Sitting opposite Delilah was Atlas. As the two members of Haven, they naturally sat together.

Delilah briefly glanced in his direction before shaking her head,

It doesnt matter.

Oh? Are you that confident that well have a lot of participants?

No.

Delilah turned her head and looked at him indifferently.

The number doesnt matter. We only need the right people to get at least one spot.

Atlas smiled, turning his attention toward the plaza.

I am of the same opinion.