"Ignatiel," Rael called out, tapping on the glass cage. "How have you been?"
They didn’t know each other very well, but Rael felt a tad bit guilty at the sight. After all, Ignatiel was currently bashing his head against the glass cage with his eyes unfocused.
A year of solitude was enough to turn anyone crazy, and even more so somebody who thrived on attention and debauchery.
Ignatiel was so out of it that he didn’t even bother to look up and meet Rael’s gaze.
"I see..." Rael muttered. "You know, it wouldn’t be too late for me to spare your life."
That seemed to spark something in Ignatiel as he stopped midway through banging his head against the glass cage. Finally, he looked toward Rael, his head bloodied.
Without hesitation, Rael continued.
"Hand over your kingdom and leave the continent. If you do that, I shall spare your life," Rael offered coldly.
"Haha..." Ignatiel chuckled before sighing. "You’re really foolish. Maybe even more foolish than me. However, there is one thing you should know before I answer your question."
He leaned back, finally settling in before speaking.
"I take it you’ve convinced Malinali to also give you her lands? If that’s the case, then you’d be in control of the entire Sathmir Continent... Did you also take over Aurenthia?"
"Of course," Rael replied. "Silas was not as difficult to deal with as you might think."
Hearing that, Ignatiel’s gaze sharpened. "I see... So with three kingdoms in your grasp, you would rule the continent. I suppose you’re ready to cement your name among the Law-controlling monsters, right?"
Rael frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Ignatiel raised a brow. "Pfft... Each Law-controlling monster owns a continent, and people try their best to maintain peace, or at least, they always split their territories. The moment you become the sole ruler of an entire continent, you will have to challenge the Law-controlling monster who owns the continent."
He rose to his feet and approached the glass of the cage, a large smirk now plastered over his face.
"You will face the monster in a series of duels. It doesn’t have to be combat. It can be something as simple as rock-paper-scissors, or even who can make a better paper airplane," he explained, then tapped the glass.
"But in your case... You know what? I believe my death is the single most interesting thing that’s going to happen to this continent in the last several decades, so be my guest."
He ripped his shirt, revealing several dozen scars of all shapes and sizes. Some were from thrusts, some from direct stabs, and there were even a few deep gashes created by monsters. He was clearly experienced in combat despite his age.
With that, he extended his arms forward, and after taking a deep breath, closed his eyes.
Then, in a deep, cold voice, he spoke.
"You can kill me, as that will do nothing but seal your fate."
And just like that, he continued standing there, waiting for Rael to react.
He knew Adam’s words meant something, and that certain something was now explained to him.
But despite all that, Rael wasn’t panicking. If anything, he was slightly overjoyed.
I doubt Kareth will really fight with me, but if he does, does that mean I can literally fight him on fair grounds? Rael thought. I’m sure there’s more to it, but I’ll only really find out after this guy is gone.
"I appreciate all that you’ve done for the Hollow Kingdom," Rael said. "Your strength is—"
Before Rael could even finish his words, Ignatiel suddenly slammed his face straight through the glass cage, sending sharp pieces that embedded themselves into Rael’s body.
Rael was slightly stunned as he swiftly moved backward. However, Ignatiel didn’t let up as he chased him.
He even finally pulled out his two greatswords, prepared to cut Rael down.
In all honesty, Ignatiel had gained a lot of mental integrity in this past year, but in the end, he had overlooked something crucial.
And that was the fact that Rael had even more.
Rael bound Ignatiel with a bunch of tentacles, making it impossible for him to move.
The shallow water below their feet rippled as the crimson moon overhead began to glow brighter.
But in the end, Rael was tired of these theatrics, so he simply took a few steps forward and arrived in front of Ignatiel.
"It was a really nice try," Rael said, neatly taking out all the shards of glass from his body.
"But in the end, it was not enough."
Ignatiel was about to speak, but before he could, Rael suddenly slashed his arm sideways, cleaving Ignatiel’s head off.
It floated through the air, and while he wasn’t dead, his Mental Integrity wasn’t full enough to regenerate him. Therefore, Rael suspended Ignatiel’s head in the air and created a staircase leading up to it.
He calmly walked up the stairs and eventually arrived in front of the shocked Ignatiel, who couldn’t even utter a word anymore. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novelꜰire.net
Even so, Rael placed a single finger on Ignatiel’s forehead, and in the next instant, a tight cocoon wrapped around his head while also disintegrating the body lying on the shallow water.
Rael took a deep breath and placed his hand over the cocoon. In the next instant, his vision darkened, but just as quickly it came back.
And of course, he soon found himself standing on one end of the table, with his main body not too far away.
"Hmm..." Rael muttered inside Ignatiel’s body, then dropped one greatsword to the ground before tightly holding up another.
But not before glancing at Melina, who hadn’t moved at all from her seat.
"You know, I did tell you to kill Ignatiel, didn’t I?"