The atmosphere inside the bathroom instantly became incredibly tense and gripping. The air felt exceedingly heavy, as if crushing the lungs of anyone breathing within it.
Not a single one of the youths in the room dared to move their bodies even an inch. They could all only stand paralyzed as they watched their husband, who had just been thrown back, now rising with an expression that looked so terrifying and utterly furious.
However, amidst the tension creeping through the room, there was one person who realized the truth behind that mask of anger.
Davin, whose soul was bound to Arvin, could feel very clearly what was actually churning inside his husband's heart. Instead of being filled with burning rage, the blue-haired youth's feelings were actually profoundly calm, even filled with an immense sense of satisfaction.
Good heavens... Are you that happy because you managed to awaken that youth's power, My King? Davin thought with a sigh of relief, only able to slowly shake his head at the extreme theatrical play his husband had just performed.
While walking slowly toward Victor with his sharp, intimidating gaze, Arvin raised one of his hands. In an instant, he controlled his water magic, creating a flow of clear water that washed and cleansed his entire body from the remnants of mud caused by the previous magical strike.
"You have truly gone too far, Victor!" Arvin snapped with a very loud and echoing voice, breaking the agonizing silence inside the bathroom. "What did you just do to me?!"
Even though his body was still trembling upon the block of ice, Victor refused to back down. His desperation and humiliation exploded into anger.
"I am the one who should be asking you that!" Victor snapped back with all his might, his shrill voice echoing and bouncing off the bathroom walls, penetrating all the way out to the hall. "Why did you want to rape me in front of all of them?! Are you angry because you knew all along that I secretly have feelings for you?!"
Arvin did not immediately answer that emotional question. He continued stepping forward until he finally stood right beside the block of ice.
With a calm motion, he leaned his body down and dropped both his hands onto the surface of the ice block to support his body weight, trapping Victor beneath him.
From his position, he could intensely gaze at Victor's pale face, who was still shackled by the dark elemental chains.
"I believe you know exactly what my reason was for doing all those extreme things to you, Victor." Arvin answered in a very casual tone, his voice now beginning to soften, casting away his murderous aura entirely. "Try to feel for yourself the power that is inside your body right now."
Hearing those words, Victor instantly gasped. He steadied his ragged breathing and began to focus entirely on himself. At that very second, his eyes widened. He just realized that a massive and pure new power was currently surging and flowing heavily through every vein in his body.
"Did... did you intentionally commit all that harassment just for the sake of awakening my power?" Victor asked to confirm. His voice trembled violently, but this time not out of fear, but rather from a mixture of joy, shock, and an explosive enthusiasm within his chest.
Arvin offered a faint smile and nodded slowly, confirming the assumption. He then straightened his posture, stepping down from the block of ice.
With a snap of his fingers, he released all the dark chain magic that had been shackling both of the youth's arms and legs all this time.
Realizing that he was finally freed from the icy restraints and the chains, Victor quickly shifted down. He stood up, then immediately took swift steps to approach Arvin, who was walking toward the bathing area.
Right as he arrived in front of the King of Terror...
Bam!
A very hard bare-handed punch flew and struck squarely on Arvin's right cheek. The sound of the impact rang out loudly.
The blue-haired youth did not dodge at all. He merely stood in silence, looking at Victor's reddened face, while slowly raising his hand to rub his cheek, which throbbed with pain.
The atmosphere inside the bathroom instantly became incredibly tense once again after Victor so boldly struck Arvin's face.
Kylen, unable to accept seeing the face of the person he loved so deeply struck just like that, prepared to step forward, wanting to approach the two of them and teach a lesson to the youth who had dared to act so presumptuously.
Ordion immediately took swift action. With agility, the red-haired youth grabbed and tightly held Kylen's arm, holding him back to immediately stop his action might trigger a commotion that could ruin everything.
"Just let them settle their affairs and do not interfere!" Ordion whispered in a stern tone, warning the sixth spouse not to act recklessly. "It's better if we stay quiet and just watch everything from here."
Kylen turned his head with a look of disbelief. He truly never expected that Ordion would actually stop his attempt to defend and teach a lesson to the person who had audaciously struck their husband's face.
He desperately wanted to protest and rebel. But, when his eyes met the gaze of the third spouse, which looked so sharp and serious, Kylen let out a long sigh. He finally yielded and immediately dropped his intention to approach Victor.
On the other side of the bathroom, Victor was still staring at Arvin with his chest heaving up and down.
"Why did you have to do something so humiliating and degrading just for the sake of awakening my power?!" Victor snapped with his sharp glare, his eyes tearing up once again. "For the first time in my life, I was treated so despicably like this by someone! You even almost made me make the decision to end my life immediately because of your crazy and barbaric actions!"
"I am so sorry, Victor." Arvin replied with an incredibly gentle and remorseful voice, looking straight into the youth's eyes. "I never meant to hurt you at all. I only intended to push you so you would be honest with me about your feelings. But I truly never expected that the panic from my actions would actually serve as the trigger for the sudden awakening of your dormant power."
Hearing that sincere explanation, the anger that Victor was currently feeling slowly began to crumble.
Even though he still felt very annoyed and humiliated from being forcefully harassed in front of many people, deep down in his heart, Victor felt extremely happy about two things that had just been revealed.
The first was that Arvin actually returned his feelings and desired him. And the second was that the power inside his body had finally been awakened perfectly thanks to that extreme push.
The youth let out a long and very heavy sigh, as if trying to cast far away all of his annoyance, momentary trauma, and anger toward the King of Terror standing before him.
Once his feelings had calmed down significantly, Victor looked at Arvin's face once more. This time, with a serious gaze that was so sharp and demanding.
"You intentionally stripped me naked and also harassed me in front of all of them!" Victor stated firmly, though the tone of his voice now sounded much lower and friendlier than before. "Therefore, you must take full responsibility for your actions toward me! I want you to propose and marry me immediately!"
Arvin smiled warmly at the demand full of courage he had just heard.
"I will very gladly propose to you and marry you, Victor." Arvin replied gently, his eyes radiating an absolute conviction to take responsibility for all his actions. "But unfortunately, you must be patient until your turn arrives after I propose and marry Kylen, Dylan, Davin, Arion, and Kaydan first."