Meanwhile a few minutes earlier, at the edge of the Onyx Veil, where the corruption encroached Bloodhaven, two figures moved casually through the dead forest.
The trees around them had long since withered into blackened husks, their branches hanging lifelessly overhead while dark mist drifted low across the ground. As they headed into deeper regions, the forest no longer resembled Gregoria at all.
It felt foreign, corrupted, and wrong.
Yet the two walking through it remained completely at ease.
One of them wore the immaculate black attire of a Bane family butler, white gloves untouched despite the dead ash beneath his shoes. His slicked-back black hair was all prim and proper and his piercing yellow eyes took in the scenery. He was Alistair Graves, the head butler of the Bane family.
He walked with his usual composed posture, hands folded neatly behind his back as though this corrupted forest was nothing more than another hallway within the Bane estate.
Beside him walked Ezekiel Nova Bane.
Unlike the composed elegance of the butler beside him, Ezekiel looked completely relaxed. His black shirt hung loosely beneath a long dark coat while his white hair shifted lightly with the wind. One blue eye and one purple eye stared lazily ahead as he walked with both hands in his pockets.
"Haaaa…Did you really have to come personally, Old Man?" Ezekiel said calmly as they moved through the forest. "You could've just ordered one of the many servants to tag along."
Alistair glanced at him briefly, a wry smile on his face.
"You disappeared for months Little Nova"
"Mm."
"You ignored every message sent to you."
"Probably."
"And now you suddenly decide to cooperate, not just cooperate but willingly do work?"
Ezekiel yawned slightly. "Hmm…Got bored."
"Haaa…Of course." Alistair sighed softly.
The two continued walking in silence for a few moments before the butler spoke again. Finally briefing his whimsical young Master.
"The corruption in this forest is spreading faster than expected. Several Adventurer Guild teams disappeared investigating it."
Ezekiel's expression didn't change.
"They were weak."
"Most likely," Alistair agreed calmly. "But this level of corruption should not naturally exist within Gregoria."
That made Ezekiel glance around briefly.
The dead forest stretched endlessly ahead of them, dark energy lingering unnaturally in the air. Even the spirit energy in this region felt distorted.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted somewhere ahead.
The shockwave tore through the forest violently, bending trees and scattering ash into the air.
Silver light briefly illuminated the distant sky.
Alistair immediately stopped moving.
"…That was close."
Ezekiel's mismatched eyes narrowed faintly.
A second explosion followed immediately after.
This one heavier.
The ground itself trembled beneath their feet.
Alistair adjusted his gloves calmly while staring toward the source of the disturbance. "That doesn't feel like ordinary Ascendant Beasts."
"No," Ezekiel replied quietly.
For the first time since entering the forest, His lazy expression faded slightly.
The silver light flickering through the distant trees reflected faintly in his eyes.
Then another presence surged outward.
Cold and steeped in malice, Demonic.
The air pressure shifted instantly.
Alistair's gaze sharpened.
"…Demonic mana so soon?….Impossible."
Ezekiel finally stopped walking.
Silence settled briefly around them.
Then—
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Small.
Dangerously amused.
"Well," he muttered softly. "That explains the stench."
Alistair looked toward him carefully. "Young Master" His usual warm voice shifting to something colder, his tone warning.
Ezekiel rolled his shoulders lightly before speaking.
"Relax, old man, you don't have to worry, it's not something I can't handle." He said confidently.
The butler blinked once.
"…You are aware your father specifically instructed me to supervise you."
"Hmm, fine, just don't interfere Alistair" Ezekiel added coldly, his smile vanishing showing how serious he was.
" As you wish young Master " The old butler replied with a nod. Finally relenting.
Ezekiel finally looked at him directly, then he spoke again. "Not like that being poses a threat to you anyway with the kind of power you keep suppressing". He said as his mischievous smile graced his flawless features yet again. His eyes glowing menacingly.
The moment those words left his mouth Alistair immediately understood. 'He can sense my power?!'. The smile on Ezekiel's face all but confirmed it and a chill ran down his spine.
"…I see." He didn't argue further.
Because after serving the Bane family for as long as he had, he knew exactly what that expression meant.
Someone was about to have a very bad day.
Another explosion echoed through the forest.
This time accompanied by a surge of silver flames.
Ezekiel sighed softly.
"They're making too much noise, something interesting is definitely going on."
Then—
He disappeared.
No buildup.
No visible movement.
One moment he stood there and the next moment he was gone.
Alistair stared at the now empty space for a moment before adjusting his gloves once more.
"…Just like the Duke when he was younger," he murmured, a smile on his face.
Then he started walking slowly through the corrupted forest alone, towards the ruckus.
——————-
Back to the present
——————-
| ABYSSAL FROST BREAKER |
His leg descended coated in compressed dark ice.
Ishmael barely crossed his arms in time.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The impact sent Ishmael flying for a few seconds till he crashed-landed…. hard.
He could feel it now, the difference between them. Desperation clawed at his psyche as he got back to his feet as fast as he could.
The demon, Dominic wasn't just stronger, he was more experienced.
Every movement carried precision behind it. Every attack chained seamlessly into the next without hesitation or wasted effort.
Meanwhile, Ishmael was adapting as he fought.
Learning, Surviving but just Barely.
The demon appeared again.
Faster than before.
Black ice wrapped around his arm violently before he punched forward.
| ICE BREAKER |
CRAAAAASH!!!
The attack collided directly against Ishmael's hastily formed light shield and shattered it instantly.
Silver moonlight cracked apart.
Ishmael's body was launched across the battlefield like a rag doll before slamming violently into the remains of a frozen tree.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
His vision blurred briefly.
The demon approached slowly.
"No technique."
Step.
"No control."
Step.
"No experience."
Black ice spiraled around his claws.
"And yet…"
The demon smiled faintly.
"You still haven't run."
Ishmael forced himself upright again.
Silver flames reignited weakly around him.
"…Shut up."
The demon laughed then vanished.
This time Ishmael couldn't react fully.
A claw tore directly across his chest.
Blood exploded outward.
A second strike slammed into his ribs before he could recover.
CRAAASH!!
The ground shattered beneath him.
The demon grabbed him by the throat instantly and lifted him into the air.
William froze.
Ana's face paled completely.
Luka took a step forward instinctively then stopped.
Because the pressure radiating from the demon had become unbearable.
Ishmael grabbed the demon's wrist immediately, silver flames burning violently around his arm as space distorted wildly around them.
But the demon didn't let go.
Instead Black ice spread across Ishmael's body directly.
Freezing him and Pain shot through him instantly.
The demon leaned closer.
"You fought well." Dark ice condensed around his free hand. "But this ends now."
Demonic energy surged violently. Enough to kill him completely.
"Ishmael!" Lunaris' voice echoed desperately.
Then
Space warped silently, and A firm hand suddenly grabbed the demon's arm mid-strike.
Everything stopped.
The demon's crimson eyes widened.
Slowly—
A voice echoed calmly beside him.
"…You're pretty noisy for someone so weak."
The pressure across the battlefield changed instantly.
The demon turned sharply and froze.
The intruder had on a black shirt and pants with a long coat. His long White hair shifted lightly beneath the ruined sky and his heterochromatic eyes glowed faintly.
One a clear azure blue colour.
The other a regal purple.
A lazy, carefree smile rested on the newcomer's face despite the chaos around him.
His hand tightened slightly around the demon's arm.
CRACK.
The black ice coating it shattered instantly with nothing but his sheer strength.
Dominic winced and blurred backwards, creating as much space between himself and the newcomer. A deep frown on his face.
'When did he appear?' He wondered as he glanced at his arm.
Meanwhile, Ishmael stared at the white-haired young man before him in shock.
" Z— Zeke?" He stuttered his older brother's name, "Is that you?" still unsure.
"Hmm, the one and only, fancy meeting you here, brother. You look terrible" He said with his characteristic smirk.
"..…."