The sudden appearance of the arrivals startled everyone.
A suffocating wave of killing intent rippled through the coliseum, radiating from every corner as the Virelan shadows filled the arena. The sheer density of their presence made the air feel heavy, a dread pressing down on the hearts of even the strongest warriors present. Every movent, every silent breath carried an unshakable aura of discipline and death. It wasn’t just numbers they brought with them the weight of inevitability.
Arabella, Maximus, and Seraphina all paused, their eyes turning slowly, calmly surveying the scene. Their expressions betrayed little, ripples beneath the surface of still water. Only Arabella’s control cracked as her forehead tightened, a vein popping as her lips curled in annoyance.
Tch. This little cunt... she thought, irritated beyond words. Summoning an entire assassination legion? For what? A childish scuffle? A bruised ego? It was the peak of petty recklessness, a display that went beyond arrogance. Arabella thought though her smirk betrayed the faintest spark of amusent beneath her irritation.
The silence finally broke.
"I accept," Seraphina said first. Her voice was calm, composed, her gaze sweeping over the gathered Virelans before fixing on Nova. Her light green eyes t Nova’s burning ones one side pure calm, the other etched with madness.
"Luminus never stands down when challenged." Maximus’s golden eyes glimred, dignified.
Arabella’s lips curved wider, a sharp, unrestrained smirk spreading across her face. "Then let’s go to war."
They are powerhouses standing at the pinnacle of the world, and now they’re being challenged by a kid flying only on the wings of a family she never built? Ofcourse they won’t let it pass.
On the other side, Razeal too felt the eruption of countless new auras flooding the colosseum. The sudden surge made the very air tremble, and his eyes sharpened imdiately. Looking past risa, his head turning toward Nova’s direction. There, already, three dukes stood firm with dignified expressions carved into their faces silent pillars of might now dragged into this farce.
Razeal narrowed his eyes. He didn’t need anyone to explain. Watching Nova and the dukes exchange glances, feeling the tension clawing at the very air, he understood perfectly what was about to unfold.
And this is the best ti.
Cold calculation spun in his mind. His gaze flickered to his mother from the corner of his eye, then back at Nova, at the power gathering around her. His heartbeat slowed, decisions aligning themselves in his head with terrifying clarity.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand. The bloodline pearl, etched proudly into his forehead, shimred. Then, with one swift motion, he ripped it free.
And with a flick of his wrist, he hurled the pearl across the colosseum toward Arabella.
She blinked, surprised. Her head snapped toward him as her hand shot out instinctively, catching the gleaming orb midair. Her brows furrowed, lifted in quite astonishnt.
"Here," Razeal said, his lips curving into a smirk. His voice carried loud and clear, sharp as a blade. "Take it. I lost the duel. Your family can have it."
A shocked silence followed, heavy and suffocating.
"Huh?" Arabella’s eyes narrowed, her gaze snapping down to the pearl in her palm. She could feel it imdiately the raw, ancient weight it carried. The royal bloodline essence of the Virelan family. And it was now sitting directly in her hand.
risa standing closest to Razeal, didn’t move to stop him even tho she saw it clearly. She just stared, silent, watching him hand away which should be the most guarded treasure of their family. Her eyes betrayed no panic, no outrage just silently watching him do it.
Arabella’s smirk deepened. Her earlier irritation evaporated, replaced with a flicker of amusent. Smart kid, she thought, shaking her head slightly. Reckless, yes. But clever.
The tension, already thick enough to choke on, twisted tighter the mont the pearl ca into her possession. The colosseum seed to hold its breath.
Nova’s expression froze. Marcella’s face darkened. And every single Virelan who had appeared, without exception, shifted. Their gazes locked onto Arabella, cold and sharp, unified in hostility.
Even Maximus and Seraphina turned their eyes toward Arabella now, subtle glints of contemplation flashing in their gazes. The pearl had changed everything.
It was as if soone had tossed a bone into a crowd of starving dogs.
And everyone knew exactly what that ant.
That little shit did this knowingly, didn’t he? Arabella’s eyes narrowed as she rolled the pearl in her palm, the weight of it unmistakable. By the rules of the duel of honor, Razeal had already won. He had no obligation, no need to hand over his bloodline essence. And yet, he had ripped it from his own forehead and tossed it away to her, of all people.
Most likely... she thought darkly, he did this to shift the weight. To drag the storm away from himself and onto . Clever bastard.
Her lip curled, torn between annoyance and amusent. He’s crazy too... giving up his bloodline essence like that. For what? Was it arrogance that he lost and so got angry and now fullfiling his bet?
Arabella clicked her tongue, staring harder at him. Honestly, she couldn’t quite understand this kid. He was unpredictable in a way that irritated her but also made her smirk. And then the next realization hit her one that actually surprised her.
He was still alive.
Even after ripping out his bloodline essence with his own hands, he was alive, standing steady, eyes sharp. That in itself was madness. Anyone including them would’ve died if they tried , yet he stood there, rolling his eyes at her like it was nothing.
And the whole empire called him useless? She chuckled in her head, incredulous. What a joke. He’s extraordinary in himself.
Still, she shook her head and dragged her thoughts back to the situation. The air was already molten with tension; the bloodline pearl had set fire to everything. Now wasn’t the ti to get lost in analyzing the boy.
Still, she couldn’t help but smirk. Raising her voice, she called out teasingly, "Well... thank you, kid. Didn’t expect you to actually go through with it. You could’ve just ignored everything and well whatever. Honestly, we could’ve made children together one day, you know. But now.." she chuckled, winking at him, "since you’ve given up your Virelan bloodline, I guess you’ve lost your golden chance."
The words dripped with mischief as she chuckled, winking at Razeal, her mood oddly lighter thanks to Nova’s ruined composure due to this sudden move by Razeal.
He only rolled his eyes, ignoring the wild woman’s words. Whatever. He didn’t care.
Razeal knew the truth: whether he gave it away to her or anyone, it wouldn’t matter. In the end, his mother would make sure the bloodline essence ended up in her hands. If he tried to keep it, she would never stop watching him maybe.
Sotis he wondered were they caring toward him now only because they wanted to secure the future? If not, who would bear Nova’s children? If he disappeared, the next generation of Virelans would be at risk of losing their purity. They might even try to force him into it.
That was also one of the reasons he had given up his bloodline essence. At least now, they wouldn’t hunger after his body for purity’s sake. Let them use the pearl. Let Nova choose soone else and use it on that person and then keep the family blood intact that way.
And if their concern was only that his absence would leave no heir, now they had an option. If all that false care was just an act, now they would have no reason to keep pretending. Their true faces would eventually show.
That was why he tossed the pearl to Arabella. As for why not hand it to risa directly? Simple.. chaos. Let them fight each other. The more disorder, the better for him.
risa inhaled deeply, watching Razeal with quiet eyes. Her voice was calm, gentle, when she finally spoke.
"Why are you playing this ga? Do you truly think the reason we’re here is only to claim you back for that?"
Her words carried no anger, no reproach only a softness that cut deeper than shouting ever could. It was as though she had read his very soul.
"That slap you received earlier" her gaze didn’t waver, "it wasn’t about the purity of our bloodline. The bloodline is significant not because it carries the purity of family blood, but because it carries the bond between us as a family.
"If it were about the reason you’re thinking, I wouldn’t need to stand here convincing you, explaining myself. I could just control you force you to do whatever I want. And you know you couldnt do anything But I didn’t. Because what I want is you, not the benefits you bring."
Her eyes locked with his, steady and unwavering.
Honestly, I can’t understand why you’d even think that... That’s beneath us." She said this while looking straight into Razeal’s eyes.
At risa’s words, Razeal only smiled faintly. His lips curled into a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and his voice was laced with a casual mockery.
"Oh, what’s there to understand?" he said lightly. "It’s very simple. I just don’t trust you."
He tilted his head slightly, as if the answer should have been obvious to everyone. His dark eyes, however, were sharp and unflinching.
"Who knows? Maybe it’s not who’s wrong," he added, his tone calm yet biting. "Perhaps the real question you should be asking yourselves is this why would I even think that way in the first place?"
He shrugged as if it was all trivial, his indifference more cutting than anger. Clearly, he had no intention of explaining further. To him, this entire conversation was a waste of breath.
risa, however, did not let his words slide so easily. She wanted to argue, to press deeper, but no words ca. Instead, she simply locked her gaze with his, searching his eyes as though she might peel back his layers and see the truth buried inside. Did he truly an what he said? Or was this just another wall he had built to keep them out?
The silence that lingered between them was thick with unspoken things.
But then, on the other side, a sharp voice broke through.
"Hand it over yourself," Nova said coldly. She was the first to move, her eyes glinting as she leveled her sword directly toward Arabella. Her tone carried no pretense, only demand. "That might be the best option for you right now."
Her voice echoed across the coliseum, tense and unwavering.
Arabella only raised a brow, her lips curving into a dangerous smirk. "Oh? Wasn’t it already war?" she said lazily, twirling the pearl in her hand. The bloodline essence glead faintly, dancing between her fingers as though mocking everyone who watched.
"What more are you going to do, Nova? Hmm?" Arabella chuckled softly, her voice dripping with amusent. "This is mine now. My son won it, and he gave it to willingly. What right do you have to ask for it back?"
Her words were like knives, sharp and deliberate, cutting directly into Nova’s growing desperation.
"The owner of the pearl himself gave it to ," Arabella continued, holding it up for all to see, letting the light reflect off its surface. "So no. Whether I use it, keep it, or shatter it into dust... that’s entirely on ."
She smiled wickedly, savoring the flicker of fear on Nova’s face.
Nova’s hand trembled slightly as she gripped her sword tighter, her knuckles pale. Her heart pounded with a confusion she couldn’t quite put into words. She didn’t know why but the thought of Arabella destroying that pearl struck sothing deep inside her, sothing raw and desperate.
Why? Why did it matter so much? Why did her chest tighten as if she couldn’t breathe, as if the re ntion of its destruction could tear her apart? She couldn’t answer. She didn’t understand. But the desperation was there, plain in her trembling sword and the fire in her eyes.
Arabella, noticing that reaction, smirked wider. "Look at you," she whispered almost mockingly. "You look like you’re about to break."
But before the tension could snap, risa’s calm voice cut through the chaos.
"Say whatever you want," she said firmly, though her eyes never left Razeal. "But you" she paused, her tone resolute, "you are coming ho with today."
Her words carried the weight of inevitability, her will ironclad. "I don’t care what you’re thinking, Razeal. We will speak of that later. For now..." Her gaze finally shifted toward the growing conflict. "Let solve this small issue first."
Razeal said nothing, only leaning back in silence. His face remained unreadable, his smirk faded, replaced by a calm detachnt.
risa turned slowly, her steps deliberate as she faced the center of the arena, where Arabella still played with the pearl and the three dukes stood like mountains in her path.
Her voice dropped into a cold calm, carrying an authority that pressed down on everyone listening. "If you dare to believe I will not act simply because of rules," she said, her gaze sweeping over Arabella and the others, "then let remind you."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, not fierce but frighteningly calm. "The thing you hold in your hand... is my son’s bloodline. And for him, I will break rules."
Her words fell heavy into the air, undeniable and absolute.
Arabella’s smirk flickered, just for an instant, before returning sharper. Maximus and Seraphina exchanged a glance, their expressions thoughtful.
The coliseum, already tense, now seed to choke under the weight of risa’s declaration.
"I don’t think you will," Arabella said with a mocking smirk, shaking her head. She knew risa too well. This woman would never break the rules, not even for her son. Empty threats.. nothing more.
But to everyone’s shock, a grin spread across risa’s face.
"Then die," she whispered.
Her eyes flared with a deep, violent purple light, power crackling in the air like a storm about to split the heavens. The atmosphere warped, crushing down on everyone present. For the first ti, Arabella’s confidence faltered, fingers tightening around the pearl as if it might shield her.
The dukes reacted instantly, tension flooding their bodies. Even nova’s sword rose to protect herself her instincts screaming that her mother was serious this ti deadly serious.
But then
"Stop."
The single word rang across the coliseum like a divine command, still and absolute.
Click. Click. Click.
The sharp sound of heels echoed against the stone floor, calm, asured, drawing closer with each step.
In that instant, everything froze.
The storm of energy risa had unleashed locked mid-surge, suspended in the air like a shattered painting. The dukes, Arabella, even the Nova every body seized, unmoving, their limbs bound by an unseen force.
It was as if ti itself had been halted.
Arabella’s smirk vanished, her eyes widening as disbelief flickered across her face as if understanding what is happening. Even all dukes faces going ugly.
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Extrely sorry, guys... such a late Chapter. Honestly, I don’t know, I’m not really ntally stable today. One of the worst moods, idk.
And yeah, just one Chapter. Honestly, I wrote it so hard, and I don’t even feel good about it. I might re-edit it. Anyways, sorry, guys.
So days are just bad days. Thanks for understanding.
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