While Amelia and the others were engaged in battle with the Aficionado, Serket who had removed their leader from the battle was now leaning on a wall looking at the captured Dumah.

“Scorpion Queen, you do realize that what you’re doing is punishable by death, right?”

Dumah asked calmly.

“Of course, I also know that it’s enough for the Sacred Church to consider me their enemy.”

Serket replied.

“And yet, you still do it. Is it for your new family or your old?”

Dumah asked.

“Why should I answer that? Just sit here until everything is over.”

Serket replied.

Dumah shook his head.

“You surely don’t believe that your family can defeat us. After all, those three are decently ranked members in the church forces. One alone would be enough to lead this crusade. They’re pretty strong.”

“Just as you have confidence in them, I have confidence in my own people.”

Serket replied.

“Then, do you have confidence in your technique?”

Dumah asked while indicating the chains wrapped around him.

“Do you believe that you can keep me immobile forever? It would’ve been better if you had killed me.”

“It’s not rare for someone to ask for death when facing one of my techniques, but it’s the first that one have done so with a calm expression.”

Serket said.

“You people from the Heavenly Powers really are freaks. You don’t even fear death.”

“Death is just a form of relief. Why should it be feared?”

Dumah replied.

“But we’re not the only one who don’t fear death. You’re quite bold yourself, calling a sinner like the Devil King your son.”

He said.

“I heard that the Devil King fought the current Beast Emperor of Draconic Race, Zahak, before he became an emperor a century ago. It’s quite natural that he would sustain serious wounds from meeting such an entity, but it looks like he’s a walking time bomb now that he can’t control himself.”

Dumah smiled.

“If you were smart, it would be better to kill him before it’s too late.”

*Bam!*

Dumah was suddenly kicked in the face so hard that he was sent flying through a couple buildings that were barely standing. He bounced off the ground a couple times before stopping at someone’s foot.

He looked up and saw Serket looking down at him coldly. She stepped on his face and spoke to him with a chilling tone.

“No matter what he becomes, I will never kill my own child. I also won’t tolerate anyone telling me to do so.”

She started to put some weight under her step.

*Crack!*

The ground under him started to have cracks in them.

“Is that so? My apologies.”

Dumah said with a calm tone.

“Tsk.”

Serket clicked her tongue and took her foot off him. She then threw him to the side like he was garbage and then walked away to sit in a corner.

“……..”

Dumah quietly lay on his face and didn’t say another word to her. Unnoticed by Serket, he showed a mischievous smile.

Meanwhile, the intense battles between the Aficionado members and the royal faction had started.

The combine forces of the first and the second prince was facing off against Marut.

The one who served as the vanguard was James, while he was being backed up by the Brooks Sisters and Black Bull. Liam was stationed in the back observing the situation and giving out instructions.

James rushed towards Marut, who easily deflected his sword with his palms. He stepped in and swung his sword with all of his strength, however Marut was agile and was able to jump over it.

*Bam!*

That’s when something extremely heavy slammed into him and forced him out of the air. He looked and saw that it was Emily Brooks.

‘Heavy!’

He shouted as he was forced into the ground. He was able to stop her and was getting ready to strike her. However, he sound saw someone moved and grabbed her in a flash. His eyes was able to see clearly that it was Harley Brooks.

“Hm?”

*Bam!*

A black demonic bull smashed into him immediately after his attention was drawn by the sisters escaping.

“Oh? That was a decent effort.”

Marut said, after instantly blocking Omar’s strike.

“However….”

He quickly circled around to Omar’s back and placed his palm on his spine.

“Decent will only get you a Nice Try.”

*Bam!*

“?”

At that moment, Marut had released a blast of anima, but Omar’s back didn’t burst open as he expected it to. He looked and saw that there was a thick layer of anima protecting Omar. This anima however, didn’t belong to Omar.

He turned around and saw Liam stretching out his hand. It was obvious that this was his doing.

*Bam!*

Being distracted again, Omar was able to attack him with the Black Bull which forced him back and into the path of James’s sword.

“Tsk.”

He swung his hand up in a chop and blocked James’s attack. At that moment, Omar and the Brooks Sisters attacked him from behind and the sides.

“Annoying!”

He lifted his foot and fired lightning speed kicks attack them and sent them flying.

“Tsk!”

He clicked his tongue again when he saw that they were shielded by Liam’s anima again, so the damage they received was minimal.

“You annoying pest!”

Marut shouted and blew James away and charged towards Liam.He saw Liam lifted his hand in the air.

*Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!*

At that moment, Marut was assaulted by a bombard of Cannon fire. This came from Brooks and his men who were station further back.

“Damn it!”

The cannon fire was blocked by Marut quickly covering his body with Sacred Anima and crossing his arms in front of him. His body was being moved back inch by inch, but he barely took any damage.

“You pest!”

He roared and started to advance towards Liam, step by step, while enduring the cannons.

When he reached relatively close, he saw Liam dropped his arm. Immediately after the cannon fire ceased.

‘As I thought, they’ll have to stop if I’m too close to their commander.’

Marut thought.

“Now you’re mine!”

He focused part of the anima he was using to defend himself to his feet and shot towards Liam in a flash.

He arrived in arms reach of him and smiled victoriously. That’s when he saw Liam smiled back at him.

*Boom!*

Marut heard a cannon firing and was immediately hit with something extremely heavy and too huge to be ammo.

He was able to get a quick look, and saw that it was Emily.

“Wha?!”

That was all he could shout before being blown away.

*Bam!*

He was sent flying hundreds of meters away, cutting through the air like an arrow. After a few seconds his body momentum finally started to decrease and he bounced off the ground and even crashing through several structures.

He finally stopped after being forced all the way back to the city walls.

“……”

He laid out on the ground motionless with blood seeping from his body. However, he was still conscious.

‘What the hell just happened?’

He asked himself. He then remembered Liam’s face.

“That bastard….!”

He immediately realized that Liam was the one that caused someone like him to suffer this much. If it wasn’t for him shielding everyone with thick anima, he could’ve easily killed those he hit.

‘I’m sure that he’s the one who’s telling them how to attack me.’

He concluded.

However the biggest surprise was when he used the army to attack Marut. The rules Richard set was that they didn’t need to kill everyone just the main players, but he never said that you couldn’t use your pawns to attack. Liam obviously realized this and took advantage of it.

However, even that was a diversion. The real attack was Emily.

“That girl animus makes her heavy, I figured that out when fighting her, but could there be more to it. Otherwise, she couldn’t survive being fired from a cannon.”

He suddenly realized something.

“Could it be that her animus also grants her high defensive abilities? It’s true I never got a clean hit on her, so I wouldn’t know.”

He then realized that Liam purposely showcased his ability to deploy anima shields on others to prevent Marut from finding out about Emily’s defensive abilities.

But to actually fire her from a cannon….

“……..”

He sat up and slowly got to his feet. Blood flowed from his wounds and fell to the ground as he did so.

“Heh.”

He showed a smirk. However, the veins in his head started pulsating and his expression looked like that of a furious demon.

“I’m gonna slaughter them all.”

He immediately disappeared from where he stood after saying that.

“Did that do it?”

Omar walked up to James and said.

“I don’t know, but he should have taken a lot of damage.”

James replied.

“Emily, are you alright?”

Liam approached Emily and asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Emily stood up and said.

“Sorry for putting you through that.”

Liam said.

“I’m fine, really. I’m always honored to be of use of you.”

Emily said.

“I see.”

He turned around and spoke to Brooks.

“I’m sorry for the rough way I treated your daughter.”

“It’s fine. I’m sure she’s happy just to be able to aid you.”

Brooks said.

“Your Highness!”

At that moment, one of the many scouts that Liam had set up to look out for Marut, shouted.

“He’s-”

Before the scout could finish, Marut appeared behind Liam.

“First, I’ll get rid of you!”

Marut swung down his hand in a chop towards Liam, who was late in turning around.

“Hm?”

In that moment, Emily who was beside him pushed Liam out of the way and stood in front of the attack. She steel herself for the attack, but she suddenly felt someone drag her out of the way.

*Bam!*

She looked and saw Marut’s hand slicing through someone’s body like it was a butter.

“Father?!”

She screamed out in horror as she saw her father’s upper body being separated from his lower body.

By that time, Liam had already turned around to see the same horrifying scene.

“Brooks!”

He wailed as he watched Brooks’s severed upper half spinning in the air before descending to the ground.

To him everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Whether it was Marut’s hand or Brooks blood spraying about. Even the smile that slowly formed on Brooks face. He even saw his lips move and a very familiar voice reached his ears.

“Liam, please take care of my daughters.”

That was the last time he heard Brooks’s voice. The moment Brooks’s body hit the floor, time starter moving again.

“………”

Liam looked at the body of his long time friend and comrade in silence. The one who broke this silence was Harley who saw her father die protecting her sister.

“You bastard!”

She roared and rushed towards Marut.

Liam saw it. He saw a smile appeared on Marut’s face before he turned around to face Harley.

“No!”

He saw Marut thrusting his palm towards Harley’s head and screamed.

*Bam!*

At the last second he saw someone tackle Harley and pushed her out of the way. It was Black Bull Omar.

He then saw James appearing from behind Omar swinging down his sword with a roar.

*Bam!*

Marut blocked it with his palm and then hit James with the other.

*Bam!*

“Guh?!”

Blood sprayed from James mouth after receiving the hit. However, he clenched his teeth and slammed his fist on the side of Marut’s face.

“Too light!”

Marut grabbed him by the face and slammed James head into the ground.

“You’ll be the second to die!”

*Bam!*

Marut was then hit in the back of his head with a kick which caused him to look up.

*Bam!*

He received a heel to the face after looking up and slammed on the ground. This gave James the chance to escape his grasp.

Marut looked up and saw who attacked him.

“YOU BASTARD!”

He saw Liam with bloodshot eyes and crying tears of blood.

“?!”

This intense look of rage sent a chill down Marut’s spine.

“I WILL DESTROY YOU!!”

Liam roared while throwing a fist at his face.

*Bam!*

Marut was able to blow him back with a kick, but that was something he did on pure instinct. An action born from fear.

He looked and saw Liam fell on the ground, only to raise to his feet like a mad beast. He shot towards Marut, who instantly decided to flee. However, he was attacked from behind by Harley who sent him towards Liam with a kick.

“Ahh!”

Liam clenched his fist and slammed it in the center of Marut’s face.

*BOOM!*

A deafening sound resounded as Liam’s fist clashed with Marut’s face. Marut was hit so hard that his body spun in the air and slammed into the ground a dozen meters away.

Liam stood with his body emitting a raging red anima. His normal calm and in control persona was nowhere to be found. All that was left was the aura of a mad beast.

“Stand up, you fucker!”