*Sigh*

A deep sigh was heard as everyone considered their victory.

It was a male voice. But it sounded so ancient and lost. Everyone became alert. Then suddenly two swords materialized out of thin air. Each sword was the length of the heavens and earth. Written on them were the ancient seals of the First Dawn that were drawn with the blood of every living creature.

Amid the confusion, nobody noticed that the giant swords that had their hilts buried in the clouds had their tips buried in Nostalgia and Daljari. It was so sudden that no one was able to stop it.

Armad was losing his mind. He was talking to his wife just a moment ago, but she was now on the verge of death. Just how many times would someone try to kill them today?

Daljari was instantly killed. The sword tore his heart apart and made a big hole in his chest. Nazara held him in his arms and cried helplessly.

Although Nostalgia had received a similar injury, she still breathed. She looked at Armad, a painful tear sliding down her cheek, and said, "You have to let go of me..." She coughed and uttered one last word, "ArmaNos."

And she went stiff. Even now at the last moment, she was thinking about him.

Armad became hysterical with grief and kept babbling. "H...hey, wake up. Do you remember my promise to take you to my sister? Sister is here. Wake up. You should see how big she is. Wake up. Wake up. Please..." But nothing he said or did could save her.

He lost it when she stopped breathing and became unconscious. Hidaya caught him before he hit the ground. "Armad... Armad... Armad..." She shook him but to no avail. He was deeply unconscious.

Nazara, on the other hand, was holding his father. The enchanted slate was still with him. His father was the person closest to his heart. They were a perfect match: one was ageless and the other a master of pol who could live forever. They were best friends, and both of them had spent a long time living. This year was to be their seven hundredth year of being together.

Amid the silence, the silhouette of a man emerged behind them. It was none other than Bihanzin. He wore a bizarre-looking, voluminous cloak that had an ancient style to it, and a crown. A golden light swirled around his body as if to say he was reborn. And his iris had turned reddish.

Hidaya turned to him, enraged. "The Eyes of Shishirui! You deem it fit to show them now?"

He laughed. "You forced me to it. If I hadn't been on the ready, you would have taken me off chance."

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Hidaya was silent for a moment. Then she said, "Whatever. You can't Bend the Three-Blooded now."

This time, Bihanzin laughed hard. "This is the upside of taking a thousand years to plan something. When I first read about Bending the Three-Blooded, I suspected I wouldn't be able to perform it as it was. Some curious Wilberforce or Ururu will always try to stop me. So I changed the narrative. It took some time, but I was able to do it. Instead of absorbing the three types of blood for three days, I only need to do it for one second. If I can connect the three blood in my core for just one second and then kill one of the three types of blood involved in the ritual to maximize the essence, then the technique would be completed. I got more than thirty seconds and killed two of the three types of blood involved. In three days, I'll Bend the Three-Blooded and become the most powerful man in the world."

The pieces clicked in Hidaya's mind. The golden light surrounding Bihanzin now was a sign of the Three-Blooded. Letting him go on with the ritual would create a Bend at the same level as pol. That alone was enough of a fright.

But how did he conjure those swords?

She decided to ask. "Your summoning has gotten pretty good for someone of your lineage," she said, motioning toward the swords.

"Oh, the swords." He roared with laughter again. "It wasn't that hard to pull off. With Nostalgia, we slept under the same roof, so it was easy to attach a summoning string to her years of pol. As for Daljari, I attached one to him when I lived in Rafiya. I only needed to hide the strings so people like you won't notice it. And whenever I summoned something with the strings, it would go straight to their core. A sword will pierce right through their hearts. I could have killed Daljari at the beginning of this battle or even a long time ago. But I had to wait for the right time.

"As for the swords, they are the two pieces of my perpetual sword. Daljari knew about it. He wanted to force my hands into using it, but I guess he was too old and weak to do that. Anyway, I couldn't use it before even if I wanted to since the two swords were already meant to kill Nostalgia and Daljari. But now I'm free to show you my Dance."

He clapped his hands in a gesture, and the two swords became one. Bihanzin held it with both hands and faced Hidaya. The sword was simply an unsized blade that was too big to resemble a real sword. Half of it was hidden in the clouds. Still, Bihanzin seemed to be fine with it.

"A man without pity, who murders his daughter for his selfish gains doesn't deserve to live," Hidaya said. "How'd it feel to die before realizing your dream? You did say it would take three days to Bend the Three-Blooded."

"What I have been trying to tell you is you cannot kill me," replied Bihanzin. "Even if you kill me, how are you going to deal with Dumakisu and the rest of the jinzidal Kings?"

"I will think about that after I am done with you," she answered.

Nostalgia's cold body on the ground suddenly trembled. She took an unusually long breath and opened her eyes, making Bihanzin shiver with dread. "H... how is she...?"

"Still alive?" Hidaya asked. "You accused the Wilberforce of arrogance. Yet, there is no one more befitting of that description than you. You created perpetual damage and claimed there is no cure for its victims. How laughable. You lost your chance to kill Nostalgia from the moment I found out about her."

Heeda willed it and Nostalgia flew toward her. She placed the semi-conscious girl in her bag of holding.

Bihanzin fixed his eyes on Daljari. If the old man were to also wake up then everything would go to waste... He wouldn't dare think about it.

A while later and Daljari didn't wake up. Bihanzin heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Hidaya.