A Few seconds earlier,
Aether just wanted to express his gratitude to the man who had generously shared valuable information with him.
He was genuinely thankful since, from the time he arrived in this world, he hadn't learned much about its intricacies, especially the magic and power systems.
Everyone had kept him in the dark, and he wasn't even certain if Ether, the native in this world, was already aware of this knowledge.... but there were no memories coming to him.
"Thank you, sir, for bestowing me with this information," Aether spoke sincerely from the depths of his heart.
He understood the importance of the information he needed in this unfamiliar world, even though he had only arrived a week ago. However, his options were limited to obeying the orders of others..... Even the attempts to escape proved futile.
Aether gazed at the man with a small smile, but the serenity of the moment transformed into horror as he witnessed a gruesome sight.
The soldiers who had accompanied the Empress were being dismantled like livestock, their blood and flesh permeating the air.
"Pofff---" Aether covered his mouth to stifle the urge to vomit, his eyes wide with fear as he looked at the black-haired man, his breath caught in his throat.
"You see, kid, I appreciate receiving gratitude from a mere slave, but..." Sparrow's words trailed off as he clutched Aether's neck.
"I'm not here for idle chatter, though conversing with you was a pleasant pastime... But the time has come to end everything~" Sparrow said with a wicked smile before delivering a punch to Aether's stomach.
"PUffffff!!!!!"
Aether was propelled backwards, crashing into the wall with a resounding thud. His frail body, already weakened, succumbed to the force of the punch. The impact sent him spiralling into unconsciousness, his body crumpling against the surface.
.....
...
After an unknown amount of time,
"Arrhhh!" Aether groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, fluttering against the warm blood trickling through his nostrils.
With hazy vision, he observed Velc engaged in a fierce battle against Sparrow and his peculiar magic..... while others seemed to be subdued by the ominous black-hooded figures.
"I-tts seems that m-man brought his subordinates..." He muttered under his breath, struggling to draw in air that refused to fill his lungs, 'Fuck this body!!' He screamed inwardly.
His gaze shifted to the purple-haired woman, the Empress, who sat stoically, devoid of any emotion as if the chaos around her held no significance.
'Well, I also don't care,' he contemplated. The lack of deep connections upon his arrival in this new world left him indifferent to the chaos surrounding him.
Except...
'Well...' His attention gravitated toward Selene, caught in a relentless struggle against the black-hooded figures.
He shook his head, acknowledging that he wasn't genuinely attached to her; she had merely shown him pity, nothing more. With a sense of detachment, he reclined and decided to passively observe the unfolding events, deliberately dismissing the unsettling grotesqueries he had witnessed earlier.
Although the sudden eruption of gore had initially taken him aback, an inexplicable intuition nagged at him, whispering that he had encountered scenes more disturbing than this... buried deep within the broken memories.
Anyhow,
"Mr. Velc, just how long are you going to fight me?" Sparrow questioned as he effortlessly evaded the water bullet aimed at him.
"-Ha-Ha-Ha-" Velc breathed heavily as fatigue crept into his body. He cast a fleeting glance at the Empress, holding a glimmer of hope, but her stoic expression remained unchanged, as if indifferent to the unfolding struggle.
Although her gaze was fixed on Kai, who had already been ensnared by the black-hooded figures.
'Tsk,' Velc clicked his tongue, a realization settling in, 'She is assessing my son, isn't she?' he pondered.
Turning his attention outside, he sought any means of escape..... not for himself, but for his children. To his dismay, the black-hooded figures had already encircled them.
Anger surged within him as he directed a question at Sparrow, "Why are you doing this?"
"Hmm..." Sparrow smirked, responding casually, "Me? Well, I'm just a guy who wants peace."
"'Snort' Peace?? YOU?" Velc spat the words with a furious expression, attempting to slash at Sparrow, but the latter effortlessly deflected the attack.
"Come on, Mr. Velc. I came here for only a Peace, but that soldier really pissed me off, so I need to finish them off. It's not me who did anything; it was those who started it," Sparrow explained, glancing at Kai, who was now captured by one of his subordinates.
"All I want is the Arcane King, that's all. Give him to me, and I will leave as if I never appeared before," Sparrow declared with a deadly serious tone.
"!!!" Kai visibly flinched, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his eyes before he turned to his father, a worry etched on his face.
The collective reaction was not limited to Kai alone; even those who had jubilantly celebrated Kai's recent attainment of the Arcane King title found themselves visibly flinching at Sparrow's revelation.
"D-Don't tell me yo—" Lucius began, his voice trembling with a mixture of shock and apprehension. However, before he could finish his sentence, Sparrow interjected,
"Yes, we are the ones traversing the world in search of Arcane Kings and Queens... To either claim them or eliminate them... We are known as the Arcane Hunters!"
"NO!!!" Velc exclaimed, swift in drawing an Arcane Card seemingly materializing out of thin air. The card, golden with only two stars, differed from the others as it radiated a shimmer akin to real stars.
As Velc prepared to take decisive action, Lucius urgently shouted,
"STOP IT!! Don't do that in front of the Mother Root; otherwise, you will die!"
"Hehe.... At least someone has a brain," Sparrow chuckled, his tone tinged with mockery as he addressed Velc, "I know you're formidable with that Arcane Card, but without it, you're just a child to me.
That's precisely why I chose this place,
The sanctuary of the Mother Root....
Here, no one shall wield their Arcane Cards....
That's the unwritten rule, right? However, Aren't you a little weak?" Sparrow frowned at Velc's weak body compared to what records said.
"ggrrrrr" Velc gritted his teeth in frustration as he waved his hand, causing the Arcane Card to disintegrate into particles, disappearing into the air.
It was at this juncture that an ethereal voice resonated, commanding the attention of everyone present.
"Why don't you fight?"
Empress, without any visible expression, her gaze fixed on Kai, who stood somewhat taken aback. As she gently regarded him, he couldn't help but blush, his mind wandering to thoughts like, 'If Mother-in-law's voice is like this, then what about the daughter's?'
Empress tilted her head, repeating her question with an air of mysterious authority, "Why don't you try using your Arcane Card?"
"Y-Your Majesty?" Velc was visibly startled, caught off guard by The Empress words that literally meant... Suicide.