“Why is this happening?!”

Violetta shouted as the whole place violently shakes and the ground cracks, splitting the earth. The air reeks of malicious aura and the atmosphere is extremely heavy as if even sitting down takes a lot of energy.

“Violetta! What in the world is that?!”

Master, who is in his dragon form flying in the sky and aiming barrage of magic towards Nil, furiously asks the pale and trembling Violetta.

“”

“I didn’t expect this too! It was my first time using it on the Rage King!”

Hydrangea who is in a form of a sapphire winged-sword reprimanded Nil as they escape not only from the barrage of magic Master is firing at them, they are also fleeing against the raging dark flame the is being showered on them.

As for me and the twins, I barely manage to sit upright against this wave of destructive power while the twins are behind me lying on their belly like they are being crushed. We are just able to maintain our consciousness on a thin thread.

“This is very different…this surging Astlan’s Ira… has taken its form…?”

I softly mutter as I gaze the phenomenon comparable to Alstroe’s Divine Ascension form. Not comparable, but soon it will.

But, it is far wicked and vile than Divine Ascension.

The King, Ashfon Astlan Lionheart stands at the very heart of the calamity.

………

As Nil slashes him earlier, he holds his body in pain and shouted as if his head is breaking in half. As he shouts in pain, he muttered names of people, happenings, and events that happened in his younger years.

He starts shedding tears of blood.

I was baffled.

What kind of painful things he experienced in the past?

Nil’s Pain of the Heart is a skill well known to me. It opens a person’s deepest and saddest memories that even the person themselves forgotten. Painful and traumatic memories are brought out and had the victim recall all of these memories in a flash.

But instead of lying down on the ground like what Alstroe did, Big Brother Ashfon… seethes and baths himself with wrath.

Astlan’s Ira fills the surrounding.

After that, it created a vortex of hatred, swirling around Big Brother Fon as the center.

He stands there as he recalls every memory he’d like to forget, the regrets he tried to go through and all the lies he was fed.

Astlan’s Ira completely covers him in a shade of dark and dimly lit with blood red glow. And when the vile mist was completely absorbed, there stands a man donning full body armor.

It was not fear or fright that showers my mind.

It was awe.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Big brother Fon is now wearing a dark armor with blood red outlines. The greaves, the gauntlets, the thigh armors and everything is greatly detailed with metallic spikes curving out and steel dyed in scarlet color the glows brightly.

His face, however, is covered with a helm the covers everything except his mouth, which now depicts anguish.

And the last of it is the blood red insignia that floats behind his back…

Its motif is two swords the overlaps with each other. Also, inside the overlapping circles, there’s a language I cannot comprehend, let alone, guess if it is even a word.

It had me in a daze even though his presence itself could crush me anytime. It had me in awe as to my admiration to strong and powerful people. It had me locked my eyes on him for a brief moment as my heart tightens, thinking that this is the same man I look up to as a family.

It’s an unbearable sight.

When I thought that I have to do something, I shakily brought myself up to stand. My feet tries to root themselves on the ground even though they are shaking.

I reach out to the barrier that sealed us from the outside. And when my palm touches it…

“[Blooming Tho--!]”

“Don’t you dare do that, Asagao! I told you to stay put!”

Violetta comes roaring at me.

I immediately pull my hand away from the barrier they erected.

Realizing my own limits should be the first one I should learn. I was about to do something stupid but I was stopped.

But…is it fine like this?

“[Ancient – Flame Stroke!]”

“[Barrier!]”

“Annoying lizard! Come down here! I’ll deal with you and Ashfon together!!!”

“Hmph! I am far too old to give into your provocations.”

“”

Master is hovering in the sky while still barraging Nil with what he called ancient spells which he really didn’t give me any idea since I don’t have anything else other than a barrier and its weird way of manipulating it… and blooming thorn…

Nil is still running around avoiding Master’s attack and Big brother Fon’s Astlan’s Ira that is directed to him.

No…

Astlan’s Ira flew out everywhere burning anything. Even Master has to dodge from several random attacks that came to him.

Violetta is just standing there…unable to do anything…

“I…never knew….Fon can be this uncontrollable…”

Eh…?!

“Violetta! What are you doing?!”

“Asagao…”

“…”

“I am…trying to use my arcana magic on Fon to control him…”

“Arcana magic to…dominate…?!”

“I am…trying to dominate his emotion...”

I see…

She was trying to…invade Fonfon’s own emotion and control it…

It sounds twisted and creepy but it is just a way to control the situation from getting worse, this situation that is already worse from the start.

As I saw a glimpse of Violetta’s countenance, she is pale and sweating, ragged breathing and her eyes look tired. Above all, it is show in her face that she is worried.

“[Ancient – Torrent of Space!]”

“[Ancient – Quagmire!]”

“[Ancient – Lapsing Downfall!]”

BAM!

With an exploding sound, my attention shifts to where the sound came from.

First, in the empty air, space is distorted around Nil and starts spinning around him while it continuously cuts him over and over. Nil can’t breakthrough it so the second magic was hurriedly executed.

Nil lost his footing and his sole slowly sinks on the ground below him. Even though it is paved, it becomes soft as sand.

The third magic is like a hammer of magic suddenly comes crashing Nil repeatedly, over and over again. The ground shook many times and he got flattened.

After that, the place where Nil was attacked repeatedly raises dust.

………

I intently look at the place where dust rises from the ground and rabbles of rock and stone scatters everywhere.

And from there, Nil appears…

“Geez! I can’t even take a break! Magic here, attack there, Asagao just watching. Can’t we have any interesting developments here?!”

We’re dumbfounded.

What?

Even after everything he did. After everything happened, he was able to complain like that like he is not the culprit or the perpetrator.

Like he was just watching a theater or playing around with puppets.

What does he think people lives are?!

He speaks like he is an outsider to all problems and wants this and that to happen! But then he greatly influences everything that happens and still has the balls to say that.

He pisses me off so much, but right now, with the death not only of Milin but adding to the scope of the people killed by the devils, he seriously garners my hatred.

But I can only look at him angrily.

It was shown earlier our differences and I am not a fool like in the past to jump into the battle without knowing what I am facing.

Because of Nil, my life has taken a huge turn.

Because of Nil, I was taken away from the castle…and…

…

Eh…?

Because of Nil, I wouldn’t have met Alstroe and Higan, even master.

I would not have met people in our journey.

I wouldn’t be able to be true to myself and everyone around me.

As those thoughts swirls around my head, there is a change in the battle that is taking place in front of me. Nil is now atop Master.

“Bastard! How…!?”

“You are Asagao’s esteemed mentor, right?”

“You…!”

“I don’t have any personal grudge against you but, bye bye!~”

“Ah..?!”

Nil…struck Master’s back with Hydrangea.

A violent purple light blasts through his abdomen, shattering his scales. But the attack didn’t end there.

“AAAAAAUUGGGGHHHHH!”

“ARGHH!”

Astlan’s Ira came blazing at Master, burning his scales to ashen and creating holes on his thick scaly wings.

After the struggle, Nil jumps off from Master.

BAM!

Ah…

No way…

“Mrothgir!”

“Master!!”

Master crashes lifelessly while his body shrinks back into his human form, creating a large open crater and gouging the stone wall open where his whole body lands.

And…there’s blood everywhere.

….

Is it…happening to me again…?