Brand broke through the door with a single sword strike, the solid oak door disintegrating into wood chips like butterflies fluttering in all directions. His black count's coat bloomed like a rose amidst the shattered boards, its petals unfurling forward, with a chilling sword blade protruding from the center, pointing directly at the noble youth on the bed with a hand pressed against the Countess's neck.
Acker never dreamed that someone would suddenly break in; his face was full of astonishment, and in a fit of angry shock, he roared, "Damn it, Anurek, where are you!"
The next moment, a black shadow shot straight towards him in his field of vision, but Brand had already guessed there might be others in the room upon hearing the young man's anger. His sword instinctively pulled back. 'Ding'—a tooth-grinding sound rang out as Brand felt the Earth Sword catch onto something. Squinting slightly, he saw it was a transparent longsword, shimmering with a cold light like ice crystal.
