"Huh?"
Adler looked at his arm. His severed wrist had flown into the air.
"Remove those filthy hands! You are in the presence of Lady Arael!"
One of Arael's subordinates, who had been holding back again and again because of Arael's restraint, shouted gleefully.
'What the hell? This guy? Did he just cut off my hand with his bare hand?'
He had only been struck with a knife-hand, yet the bones and muscles were cleanly severed. Blood spurted from the smooth cut, as if done with an axe.
"Uwaaaaagh!"
As Adler screamed, a voluptuous female herald behind him pressed down on his shoulder, forcing him to the ground.
She pulled the hairpin from her head, and it began to glow red-hot on its own. The pin glowed like it had just come out of a forge. With practiced ease, she cauterized Adler's wound. The scent of burning flesh filled the air.
"Gyaaaaah!"
"Oh my, endure it. You're a grown man, aren't you?"
Smiling sweetly, she plucked a golden key from Adler's hand.
The reason they had come in unarmed was simply because they didn't need weapons. They were that powerful—both as warriors and mages.
"That key?!"
Azadin, alarmed by the key Adler had just lost, turned to Brand.
"That's the key to the Emperor's Treasury!"
"W-what?!"
Azadin's face paled. After all the effort of coming to Lantarik, the key to the Emperor's Treasury had been taken by Arael's faction?
But these people were no ordinary foes. Though unarmed, they exuded an overwhelming killing intent. More than that, there were others nearby radiating the same aura.
'That woman must be the famed Demia of the Flower. And the man… is he Seraph of the Bird? On top of that, there are more lying in ambush.'
As Azadin hesitated, Ishmael stepped forward.
"Azadin! This is your chance to prove your loyalty to the clan by striking down Arael."
In that instant, everyone's killing intent zeroed in on Ishmael.
"You mean to the Elder Council, not the clan."
The woman holding the hairpin sneered. The man who had severed Adler's hand glared at Ishmael.
"You must be a servant. Don't you know who we are?"
"Of course I do."
Ishmael pointed at the woman with the hairpin.
"Demia of the Flower."
"Oh my."
"And Seraph of the Bird."
"..."
The man who had cut off Adler's hands with a knife-hand glared sharply at Ishmael.
"Aleph of the Wind."
A tongue-clicking sound was heard from the castle watchtower terrace.
"Indim of the Moon."
Ishmael pointed to the rooftop.
—BOOM!
The roof was torn open as a shadowy figure, robed from head to toe, landed below. It was Indim of the Moon, breaking through the building upon realizing that Ishmael had detected his presence.
Seeing that Aleph and Indim hadn't disarmed, it was clear that no matter what Adler tried, his life was now completely in Arael's hands.
"You're the team leaders of Beauty of Nature, the ones slated to be the next leaders of the Aragasa. But now, you're traitors to the clan."
"Then even if we are unarmed, you should realize we're far beyond your reach, Azadin. Haven't you trained your servants properly?"
Arael spoke to Azadin with a smile.
"What are you thinking, Arael?"
"I intend to save the world."
Arael's answer was simple.
"Save the world?"
Azadin scoffed at her words… but he was afraid.
The era of Jupiter was approaching, and the gods were losing their power. Arael, whom he encountered again in this chaotic time, had grown incomparably more powerful than before.
Her faction's plan seemed to be to worship her as a living goddess, to raise her as a sage-goddess. It sounded insane—but now it seemed disturbingly possible.
And if that happened, the one Azadin hated and resented the most would become the savior of the world.
His hatred, his contempt, his disgust for Arael—those would be accepted by no one. Already ostracized even among the herald clan, Azadin would be left utterly alone and misunderstood.
To this Azadin, Arael extended her hand.
"I will save the world and save you too, Azadin. You've been afflicted with the Curse of Service, haven't you? Come here. Big sis will take care of it."
"..."
When Arael reached out to him, Seraph and Aleph visibly bristled. Were they worried that Azadin, as Arael's younger brother, might join late and threaten their positions?
Fortunately for them, Azadin had no intention of accepting her offer.
"I refuse!"
Azadin placed his hand on his sword hilt.
Among Arael's party, only Aleph of the Wind and Indim of the Moon were visibly armed.
But the others were not to be underestimated just because they were unarmed. Hadn't they just severed Adler's arm barehanded?
And yet—before any of them moved, Arael stepped directly into Azadin's range. She came close enough that he could take her head with a single draw—completely unarmed, without a hint of tension.
Was it because she thought he wouldn't swing his sword against his own sister? Even after leaving an unhealable scar on his face?
Azadin glared at her in disbelief.
"Is there any reason to refuse? What, is this about… Aldis?"
The moment Aldis's name was mentioned, Azadin flew into a rage.
"That part of you, Arael—I've always hated it. Start by apologizing to me!"
"How dare you?!"
"Such insolence, Azadin! Even if you're Lady Arael's blood, how could you—!"
When Azadin demanded an apology, Arael's loyal Four of Beauty of Nature erupted in fury.
To them, Arael was a divine being—essentially a living goddess. She was not someone a mere mortal could treat as an equal. And even if he was her brother, Azadin had no strength, no power.
To demand an apology from Arael was an unforgivable insult. Of course, part of their anger also came from concern that Azadin might disrupt the hierarchy if he joined the organization under Arael's favor.
But Arael silenced their rage and apologized to Azadin herself.
"That's enough. Why are you interrupting my conversation with my brother? When did you become so insolent?"
"S-sorry, Lady Arael."
"I just couldn't bear it…"
"Is my little brother really more bothersome than Young Master Adler with his vile mouth?"
Arael had already sensed that her subordinates were particularly wary of Azadin.
The sibling of an Absolute.
For those who had sworn loyalty to Arael, there couldn't be a more troublesome presence. That's why they found it harder to tolerate Azadin's every move than Adler's open insults.
"First of all, Azadin. I apologize for the rudeness of my subordinates."
"That's all?"
"No. I apologize for everything. I'm sorry for bullying you when we were young. I'm sorry for the scars I gave you."
"..."
"Happy now?"
Arael smiled innocently as she looked at Azadin.
She resembled him, but unlike Azadin, who had no eyes, she was a beautiful and enchanting woman with captivating violet eyes brimming with magic charm—and she smiled without a trace of malice.
It made Azadin sick to his stomach.
"Happy? You think that's enough?! I still have nightmares! You've tormented me my whole life, and you think a few words can make up for that?!"
"Of course, I understand. That's why I'm offering you a gesture of goodwill, isn't it?"
"Goodwill?"
"Yes. I'll lift the Curse of Service cast on you, give you money, and if you want, beautiful women too. Wealth, fame, long life, and beauties. Isn't that the ideal life for a man?"
"Hah, hahaha! Unbelievable."
Azadin placed his hand on his sword hilt. At the same time, his other hand threw a dagger. Nearly simultaneous with the dagger throw, he drew his sword to strike at Arael's neck.
But Arael caught the flying dagger mid-air—and used it to parry Azadin's sword.
—Clang!
Azadin's sword flew from his hand and embedded itself in the ceiling beam.
It was driven in so deep that only the hilt jutted out, vibrating slightly like a shivering tail.
'Impossible.'
Zebeck and Shati, knowing Azadin's monstrous strength, were horrified by what they saw. Arael hadn't yielded an inch against that strength—in fact, she was smiling faintly.
"It's been a while. Let's see how much my little brother has grown, shall we?"
"Be my guest. But the admission fee is going to be expensive!"
"I'm looking forward to it. Ah, I suppose I shouldn't use magic. You're using Kazas Haeseo, right?"
At that, the Four of Beauty of Nature were visibly unsettled.
Arael's strength came from her unparalleled magical prowess. But now she was choosing to fight without magic?
"I'll take your place. There's no need for Lady Arael to dirty her hands."
Aleph of the Wind stepped forward, but Arael shook her head.
"What's dirty about trading blows with my own brother? All of you, stand down. I won't forgive anyone who interferes."
"..."
For Azadin, this was an opportunity. Arael probably wanted to defeat Azadin in his area of expertise to assert her dominance…
'She's underestimating Kazas Haeseo. This is the moment.'
Arael and Azadin stood within striking distance of each other.
The close-range gap between members of the Herald Clan—seemingly trivial, but both could inflict fatal wounds with bare hands.
Arael, holding the dagger she had taken from Azadin earlier, approached him confidently.
In that instant, Azadin seized the wrist holding the dagger and, with his other hand, flicked his quiver. As the arrows spilled out, he grabbed them with one hand and thrust them at Arael.
But Arael easily swatted the arrows away with the edge of her hand and countered by jabbing a finger at Azadin's temple.
To try to stab someone's temple with a finger? It seemed laughable, but it couldn't be allowed.
Azadin and Arael's hands and feet clashed midair, each strike releasing explosive shockwaves.
"?!"
"No way!"
Those watching were in shock.
Azadin's companions, who knew of his monstrous strength, were stunned that Arael, a woman, could match him head-on. Meanwhile, Arael's subordinates were flustered to see Azadin, thought to be powerless, holding his own against her.
"Impressive! As expected from Kazas!"
Arael acknowledged Azadin's strength with admiration.
At that moment, the intense and balanced exchange was suddenly disrupted.
As Arael thrust her spear-hand toward Azadin, he caught her wrist mid-motion and slid his hand downward, forcing her fingers to fold unnaturally.
—Crack!
Arael's index finger broke. Startled, she tried to pull back her hand, but Azadin's arms coiled around hers like a serpent and dislocated her wrist.
Arael, using her own strength, had forcibly pulled back and dislocated her own wrist in the process.
"You're nothing like ten years ago!"
Rather than pain, Arael was overcome with surprise, and praised Azadin.
But Azadin had no intention of stopping here. The Four of Beauty of Nature, Arael's subordinates, were each overwhelming talents raised by the Herald Clan elders.
If he didn't capture Arael now while she had stepped forward unguarded, he'd have to deal with all four of them next.
'At the very least, I have to take Arael hostage—'
But then Arael smiled.
"I'm so happy!"