Awoo! A mighty howl made Thomas turn. He saw a red-armored knight on the back of a mighty white wolf.
With each step the wolf took, ice would spread out. Although the sea was chaotic, it wasn't a threat to the wolf and its rider.
Both their eyes were white!
Seeing this, Thomas shot toward the rider. Before he fused with the giant sea viper, he would have never done this as that rider; the red-armored knight was none other than the dreadful duchess, Ariel Ashbourne.
But this was his domain, and the giant sea viper gave him strength beyond measure. It was time to kill those he once looked up to.
"He's dead. You came too late!"
"Insolent child!" Ariel's white eyes glowed brighter as she leaped off Luna, her pet beast, and pushed her palm forward with great force. A forceful wind blast surged forth like a storm, splitting the tides with ease as it went for Thomas.
Thomas clapped his palms, causing water as tall as 10 feet to rise from both sides. Ariel flew above it and then formed a wind ball around her.
Luna growled, and ice spread out, freezing the sea's surface. Almost instantly, it made a 500-yard ice zone. The ice was so thick that Thomas couldn't force water through it.
Now on ice, his eyes dilated.
Ariel clenched her fist, and wind wrapped around Thomas, lifting him into the air. "You're a disgrace to our bloodline."
Veins popped out of Thomas' neck as he struggled to free himself but was unable to. His eyes became bloodshot.
He realized their disparity was more than just pet beasts. Not even the Sea of No Return was able to stop one of the great four.
Realizing this shattered his confidence built on ignorance.
Thomas bellowed. "I can take his body; I can be the one. I am a true Ashbourne!"
Ariel scowled, lifting him higher and suddenly launching him downward. Thomas slammed the ice, yet the wind kept blasting him until he broke through the thick ice and sank into the sea.
Recovering himself in the depths, he tried swimming out, but the ice prevented him from bursting out.
He was slowly running out of breath.
The ice shattered, and Ariel pulled him out. Before Thomas could speak, she threw him toward Luna. The beast nailed him to the ground, her claws acting like steel bars at his right and left.
Luna revealed her steel-like fangs as she leaned closer.
Thomas's eyes grew wide. He frantically turned his head, pleading for mercy, only to discover Ariel had jumped into the sea, leaving him with this flesh-devouring beast.
Some minutes later, Ariel burst out of the sea with a limp young man in her arms. She took two steps, then squatted and laid him down.
She tried reviving him with all the means she knew, but his body was unresponsive and frigid. The rate of her heart was slowly rising as she could see that all signs of life were gone.
Her voice rang once again. She saw him as a son. He was just 23, and although he had achieved many feats before Ariel, he was still a child, and those emotions revealed themselves when she saw his current state.
Fear slowly gripped her heart.
What would she say to Torah? Or even to Zenas?
If Asher's spirit was dead, it meant his body was also dead, and being spirit dead meant he wasn't a living being anymore. His seed of life had returned to the Soul Scroll, the same thing that granted all races talents!
"A… Asher, can you hear me?"
For the first time, her voice cracked.
[Ding! Your talent has successfully upgraded. Blood Shura is now an SSS-ranked talent named by the Scroll as Ancient Blood Shura.]
[Talent description: This active talent drowns the individual in blood rage upon sight of your blood when cut. In this state the individual is connected to ALL the past Ashbourne lords, walking in both the spirit and the mortal world, possessing their skills, knowledge, battle experience, mastery, emotions, and TALENTS!]
As if the voice of the system triggered something inside of Asher, his eyes opened. His irises glowed like burning golden flames, causing Ariel to superimpose him for Zenas for a split second.
A pair of bright golden eyes snapped open. He first took in the sight of the ceiling before tilting his head to the right. His eyes wandered over the silent room for some seconds before he sat up, grunting softly.
He lowered his head to his arms. After folding and opening his fingers several times, he got to his feet, heading for the door with slow, steady steps.
Asher could sense something had changed inside of him. That experience gave him a taste of death. It made him understand he truly wasn't unkillable, but there was a feeling beyond that.
A reward he felt but couldn't grasp it.
Meanwhile, inside the meeting hall, Alex sat with Katarina, Aquilia, Eritrea, and Sapphira.
"It's been three days. His body is colder than the snowflakes. Don't you think it's time we let Baron Flameheart and Regent Kelvin know?"
"Know what?" Eritrea glared at him.
Alex exhaled. He returned his focus to Katarina and Sapphira, the two who had the power to make decisions when the regent wasn't present.
"Lady Sapphira. You've tried all you could, but you can't heal a wound that's not there. Whatever attacked His Lordship wasn't physical, and we all know it's from House Tigris." "How would Regent Kelvin react to His Lordship's death news?" Katarina asked, causing Alex to sigh. For three days now, the news of Asher's death had circulated amongst the top figures in Greenrock.
Right now the entire castle was covered in blooming flowers and lots of greenery because Sapphira has unleashed her powers to the max, causing an outflow of life, so much that the King Swordsmen found themselves looking younger!
The air was filled with life. Never had Alex seen anything like that in his life. Such power was mind-blowing, yet even when Asher was soaked in it, his body grew colder.