Oscar's cold words did little to intimidate Kan, who reacted with Frederick's hearty smile, but it was without Frederick's bright enthusiasm. It was almost mechanical, as though the speech was not used to the voice.

"Abe. You fool. You should have just stayed in the illusion until your soul dissipated. At least, it would spare you the torment I'll put you through now." Kan spoke to Abe, who was clinging to Oscar's side like a shroud.

Abe looked at Kan with derision. "A mere Wraith talks big. You're not Kan. You're nothing but a malformed remnant of a madman who could never aspire to greatness but got drunk in the praises of others."

Kan stomped on the floor, shaking the manor. His blackened eyes looked chillingly at Abe; Oscar felt cold from the pure hatred that spilled out from Kan. The green Ein that surrounded him was intertwined with a black Ein. "I never aspired to greatness?! HAHAHA. I had the resolve to kill and destroy the clan for strength. Look at me now! With this body, I will make a great name for myself outside while you decay in this place. Don't worry, brother. I will carry on the Elire name."

"The Elire name is long gone due to your selfish whims." Oscar spoke up for Abe, who was about to retort. "But don't ignore me. I'm going to beat the shit out of you."

"Ah, I see what you're doing. That old devil will try to break my hold from the inside while you hold me down on the outside. Clever. That grandfather of ours was always clever, but he was dumb to choose you as the next clan head." Kan continued his tirade. "He dared to–"

Oscar came in close and summoned his deer anima. They swiped at Kan from both sides with all they had.

Kan may be a weakened Greater Knight Exalt possessing a Greater Apprentice Exalt, but he was still powerful. He screamed at Oscar, "What are you doing?!"

"You talk too much. I don't give a damn about your family problems. But you threatened my friends and me." Oscar did not waste more time and bashed like a savage with his buckler. The deer anima provided support by supplementing Oscar's attacks.

Kan defended against Oscar's blows but was shocked at how heavy they were. His hands were already trembling while gripping the twin-leaf swords. What manner of strength was this?

"Hmph." Kan unleashed his Ein to the fullest.

Oscar's vision began to distort as he saw Kan disappear into nothingness. "Abe!"

Abe flowed his purple Ein and condensed it into a large gold unbloomed flower.

'Grade Two Dispelling Pollen.'

The flower bloomed and burst forth a tide of pollen. The air around Oscar distorted again until it calmed down, but Kan was now in view; his face expressed clear shock.

"There's not running away, Kan's Wraith. I will dispel any illusions you summon forth." Abe spoke as though it was natural for him to defeat Kan's illusions.

This infuriated Kan even further. He looked at his younger brother and thought of the past when he was the genius and Abe was a sickly child with no prospects. But the heavens had betrayed him and made Abe the better one.

As the oldest, how could he stand for this?

"You took everything from me!" Kan swirled the Ein to his feet as he invoked Frederick's spell, 'Wind Steps', to sidestep Oscar, intent on cutting through Abe. The mix of black and green Ein was intimidating, but Oscar was ready.

'Flowing Mountain'

He blocked Kan's swords and rotated with more Reis, rebounding Kan's power and added with more strength.

Kan was blown back to the wall, but he didn't scream or yell. He didn't feel any pain as a Wraith; they could fight until their host bodies were dust.

Oscar scanned Frederick's body and inwardly sighed in relief. He didn't want to wound his friend's body too much. However, a drop of sweat dripped down his chin; he felt Kan's strength was abnormal.

"Abe. Can we knock him unconscious? I think he's overusing Fred's body." Oscar asked his partner.

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"No, a Wraith does not need sleep. They are forever conscious; no amount of pain would knock them down unless you can have a spell to attack the mind." Abe also saw the overexertion on Frederick's body. But he knew Kan wouldn't carelessly destory his vessel.

"I do have one of those." Oscar rushed in, to Abe's surprise. The plan was to stay put and defend; they had already claimed the initiative. What was the point of charging in?

Kan put up his two swords, and they glowed with immense light.

'Brilliant Slash'

The ensuing cross attack, composed of two slashes, was large. It was three times as large as Frederick's output. The supplement of a Kan's power had boosted it to incredible powers.

'Dual Awaken'

'Adamasreis'

'Shattering Wave'

Oscar focused the trifecta of attacks with his deer anima, and they broke through the sharp blades of light. He came closer to Kan, who was starting to invoke another spell, but Oscar was one step ahead.

'Stone Gaze'

He formed a link to Kan's eyes and froze him in place, halting his Ein as well. "Abe, share your Ein with me."

Abe understood the spell Oscar used and gladly gave Oscar his Ein. The link between Oscar and Kan became stronger. But Kan was not just all talk; his mind was incredibly resilient and began to resist Oscar's gaze.

Hold on! Oscar needed to hold on; otherwise, Kan would run Frederick's body ragged until he had ground the bones into dust. There was only hope in this deadlock.

"Counting on you, Emily!"

…….

Albert led Emily through Kan's eyes and traveled into the inner world. Emily saw Frederick's green core but was shocked to find black chains around it. They were spreading a dark color around the parts where they touched.

"This is your friend's core. Look at his hawk anima." Albert pointed to the hawk anima that was also in chains. It was still green but was slowly being corrupted. "It is fortunate that we're here in time. It may have been impossible if the Exolsia Core and Anima were completely corrupted, but possession is a tricky process."

"Let's hurry up and save Frederick!" Emily beckoned Albert to continue; she could not wait a moment longer. She was going to see Frederick again.

"I cannot go with you into the Exolsia Core. You must go in alone." Albert stated solemnly. "Once you are inside, Kan will begin his assault inside. I must be outside to prevent most of his influence from trying to kill you."

"No problem. Give me a short time; I'll drag him out myself." Emily stared at the Exolsia Core.

"Let's begin." Albert waved his hand and threw Emily straight into the Exolsia Core. It began to tremble and wail as the chains began to squeeze.

But Albert was quick and exerted his Ein to stop the chains. "Kan, my foolish grandchild. Your time is long past. We both made many mistakes in the past, but we must not affect the present time with our problems."

The dark inner world trembled as more force was exerted to expel Albert and stop Emily. But Albert shone brightly, forcing Kan's will to subside. "The rest is up to you."

…….

Inside Frederick's Exolsia Core, Emily found herself in a strange place. It was a large estate. Many workers worked in various places, from the stables to the gardens.

She was confused about what was going on. Why was she in this place? However, she soon placed it out of her mind; her priority did not change.

Where was Frederick?

"Who are you?" A sudden voice interrupted her thoughts.

Emily turned to find a guard, but the face was blurry. He brandished his spear to ask more. "How did you get into these grounds? This is the estate of the Klein Family."

Emily felt like teaching this guard a lesson but quelled her hostility. She was not sure what would happen if she went on a rampage in this place. Albert kept mentioning that the Exolsia Core was a very delicate part of the Exalt and not to act recklessly.

How should she deal with this? Emily thought and caught some of the workers working in the garden. A light bulb set off in her head.

"I'm a new worker here. I just arrived and went in." Emily hastily said before the sharp spear of the guard.

"A new worker? Were we expecting one today?" The guard relaxed his spear. "Follow me."

He led Emily outside the estate doors, where he ordered her to stay under the other guards' watchful eyes. He went inside, leaving Emily alone.

"....." Emily felt awkward standing here, but she stayed put. She also felt something odd about the way these guards were behaving. They behaved very awkwardly. Even the guard that talked to her talked in a very monotone voice, not to mention their vague faces.

Then the doors opened, and a middle-aged woman with hair tied in a bun walked out. She wore a long dress maid uniform and wore a pair of glasses.

"Hmmm, you must be the young master's new personal maid. Follow me." The woman spoke in a low tone, but she was more animated than the guards. Emily followed her inside the estate. It wasn't the biggest estate, half the size of the Elire Manor, but the inside was very large and with wide windows.

"I am the head maid, Roberta Chase. Welcome to the Klein Estate." The woman bowed slightly to Emily, who knew to return the bow. "Hmmm, we'll need to work on your posture and etiquette."

Roberta led Emily into a room. "Wear this and come out."

In the changing room, Emily stared at the clothing Roberta gave her. Her face flushed slightly, thinking, what the hell am I doing?

A few moments later, Emily exited the room. Her orange hair was tied into a ponytail with a black and white ribbon holding it together. She was dressed in a beautiful maid uniform with a white lining along the black cloth.

She was embarrassed at the thought of becoming a maid. She didn't look down on them, but as an Exalt, it was still mildly off-putting.

Roberta led her to a room, and they entered with Roberta at the helm.

"Young master, I've brought the new maid." She bowed.

"Hah? Why do I need her, old lady Robert!"

There was a young boy with green hair and yellow eyes.

Emily's orange eyes glinted.

"Found you."