“……”

Amelia and Reina silently looked down at Eis’s headless body, while breathing heavily. The two had activated their ancestral bloodline and stole the victory by hunting Eis together. However, they still suffered serious injuries before that, injuries that had yet to heal.

They may be experiencing the high of activating their bloodline, but once the adrenaline runs out, the full extent of those injuries will be clear.

“We should hurry and finish this.”

Amelia said.

“I agree. Let’s help the others and be finished.”

Reina said.

“That sounds like a good plan. Let’s do that.”

“?!”

That’s when they heard an unfamiliar voice not too far away from them. No, they heard the voice before even though it was only today. They looked and check to confirm their bad feeling, as expected, their nightmares were confirmed.

“Hi there.”

They saw Dumah waved at them with a friendly smile. When they saw him, they immediately distanced themselves from him.

“Good instincts. As expected of the apex predators of the human race.”

Dumah praised.

“We usually look down on the human race, but Lodons and Megals are exceptions. That’s because they’re more beasts than human. As proof, the last 5 leaders of the Human Race belonged either to the Lodon or the Megal bloodlines.”

He slowly approached them.

“You two were truly praiseworthy. Neither of you have fully awakened your blood, but you can already become so strong from merely activating a small amount of your bloodline. You two may be rare talents among your people.”

The more he approached them, the more the two retreated.

“Where’s Serket? I thought she had you trapped.”

Amelia said.

“Oh, the scorpion queen is having a nap somewhere.”

Dumah replied.

“You’ll be doing same pretty soon.”

Suddenly, he stood in front the girls as if he had always been there. They didn’t get time to react. He reached out his hands and stopped in front of their faces.

“On second thought, I’ll leave you two for last.”

He then walked past them and headed towards the others.

“…….”

The two stood in silence as if they couldn’t figure out what just happened. They could literally feel their deaths just now. Yet, they were powerless to resist.

They looked back at Dumah approaching the others and trembled.

Dumah walked with casual steps as if he was going to have a stroll. No matter how close he got to the battlefield, there wasn’t any indication of anyone noticing him approaching.

Before long he stood at the very center of the battlefield, yet no one paid any attention to him, like he was a ghost. Amelia and Reina were dumbstruck when they saw that, because they could clearly see him yet no one else seemed to be able to.

“What’s going on?”

They asked themselves.

“Oh, so that’s the infamous silence of death?”

Richard, who was watching Dumah, looked intrigued.

“I heard that there was a kid with a very interesting ability among the recruits in the Sacred Army a few decades back. It was then speculated that this recruit had later joined the Aficionado for the Sacred church. Looks like this kid was Dumah. Not only did he join the Aficionado, he even entered the Heavenly Order, which oversees the church in its entirety.”

He said.

“Hmm….What should I do?”

He then looked at Amelia and Reina.

“I think this is far out of their league.”

Dumah stood in the center of the battlefield and observed everything around him. As if he had understood something, he nodded and moved towards the battle closest to him. This was the battle between Marut and the forces of Liam and James.

“?!”

Both sides came to a halt when they saw him appear out of thin air between them.

“Boss!”

Marut looked happy to see Dumah, especially considering the situation he and the rest of the Aficionado were in.

“Marut, looks like the three of you are in trouble.”

Dumah said with a smile.

“Isn’t this guy the boss? Why is he back, and where’s mother?”

Liam asked himself.

Dumah turned and faced them.

“Could it be that you can’t handle them, Marut?”

A sharp look appeared in his eyes.

“If not, I can kill them for you.”

“?!”

Everyone backed off in the face of his gaze. It was like they instantly sensed the difference between them and Dumah.

“No, I’m fine. I can handle them myself now that you’re here.”

Marut said.

“Is that so?”

Dumah looked back at him.

“Then explain to me why you didn’t use the army to just overwhelm them and destroy them in one swoop?”

He asked.

“That’s because of him.”

Marut pointed towards the army, where Richard was sitting. Upon seeing that he was pointed out, Richard waved at Dumah in a friendly way.

“He pressured us into fighting in this stupid manner. If it wasn’t for him, we would’ve already ceased the city.”

Marut explained.

“………”

Dumah silently looked at Richard, and Richard did the same. After a while Dumah spoke-

“Well, this isn’t good.”

“Huh?”

Marut was confused by what he said.

“What do you mean?”

He asked.

“What I mean is, I don’t think I can beat that.”

“?!”

Marut was shocked to hear this, after all Dumah was a member of the Heavenly Order that controls the church. For him to declare that he can’t defeat an opponent was a very big deal. Especially when he said it so casually as if it was a well known fact.

“Lieutenant General? Or maybe General?”

Dumah started to mutter.

“Are you comparing him to those in the Sacred Army?”

Marut asked with a pale face.

“Yeah.”

Dumah replied. That simple reply sounded like a death sentence from Marut’s point of view.

A General or Lieutenant General is strong enough to fend off both the church and royal forces with ease. In fact, a General was more than enough to completely destroy this country.

If Richard was really someone of that level, then he would be like a god among men.

“Ah, but don’t worry. He won’t attack us.”

Dumah suddenly said.

“He and I already came to agreement.”

“An agreement? When?”

Marut asked.

“Just now.”

That’s when Marut figured it out.

‘They must have communicated through Ajna.’

He thought himself.

“Since you said that, I can feel more relieved.’

Marut said with a sigh.

“I can take care of these bastards once and for all.”

“No, I’ll take care of them.”

Dumah said and started to approach the princes.

“You guys can take a rest, I’ll take it from here.”

He said. Marut didn’t argue because he believed that Dumah must have his reasons. So he decided to relax.

“Watch out. This guy is trouble.”

Said Liam.

That’s when he saw something appear beside him. He looked and saw Dumah sticking his hand into James’s stomach.

“That’s one.”

Dumah said.

“Broth-”

*Bam!*

Before he could finish shouting, Liam was sent flying by Dumah’s back hand. He felt his bones broke under the immense pressure.

“That’s two.”

Dumah said as Liam crashed into the earth with several broken bones.

“Hm?”

He wanted to move to his next target, but he suddenly felt his hand being grasped. He looked and saw that James was holding his hand with a smile.

“You’re still stuck at one.”

He said.

“I see, you’re under the effect of an animus that nullifies pain. However, I don’t see fear in your eyes while facing me, so it looks like it rids you of fear as well.”

Dumah shook his head.

“What a naïve action to take.”

He lifted his hand while it was still inside James and was being gripped by him, thus lifting James along with him.

“Fear and pain are essential to our survival. It allows us to learn our limits and not to recklessly push past them. Throwing them away for mindless power is only something a simpleton would do.”

He said and lifted James overhead.

“Learn the error of your ways.”

He swung down his hand and slammed James on the ground.

*Bam!*

James hit the ground so hard that it cracked.

“Oh? Even after that you still cling to me?”

Dumah said after seeing James still holding him.

“Just so you know, even if you don’t feel it, your body is still receiving damage. You can still die.”

He said.

“I know, but I still won’t let go!”

James shouted.

That’s when black bull and the Brooks Sisters started to attack Dumah from the side.

“Why? Because I’m this country’s future king!”

James shouted and put all of his strength in holding Dumah.

“King?”

Dumah lifted his hand and destroyed Omar’s black bull before grabbing him by the face and slamming him to Harley, who was attacking him from the side. He then turned around, and punched Emily in the stomach so hard that he forcibly deactivated her animus and destroyed her defense.

“Blegh?!”

When the punch dug into her stomach, Emily started vomiting on the spot while holding her stomach.

“What’s a king before a god? Do you think that just because you’re king you can defy our god’s teachings?”

Dumah grabbed Emily by the hair and lifted her up. He then brought James beside her.

“Look king, save your subjects.”

He said.

“Unfortunately, I’m not that girl’s king.”

James said.

“He is.”

At that moment Liam appeared behind Dumah attacking him with all of his power condensed in one fist.

“I see. My mistake.”

Dumah threw Emily like a doll and turned and blocked Liam’s fist.

*Crack!*

“Ahhhh?!”

Liam screamed out in agony as his hand was crushed by Dumah.

Dumah grabbed him by his collar and lifted him in the air.

“First prince James and second prince Liam. I heard about you two and rivalry you share.”

He looked at James.

.

“The first prince who was hailed as a prodigy and natural born leader.”

He then looked at Liam.

“The second prince who received the same praises.”

He then smiled.

“I heard that you two hated each other though. I’m surprised that you can actually work with each other. Especially you Prince James. I heard that you really feared your brother because he possessed talents that you didn’t and would be constantly compared to him. Did you perhaps had an inferiority complex towards him, since his birth made it hard for you to inherit the throne, even though it should’ve been your birthright?”

“You’re surprisingly talkative.”

James said with a scrawl.

“Really? I was just curious, so I asked. But don’t be embarrassed. Prince Liam also feared you because of the same reasons you feared him. But there’s someone you two both feared the most.”

*Bam!*

At that moment, Dumah was kicked square in the face.

“Let my brothers go!”

Christi shouted.

“Speaking of the devil.”

Dumah seemed unfazed by Christi’s kick and said.

“B-Boss, I’m sorry! He slipped away from me.”

Eleleth came running with wounds all over her body. It seemed that Christi was really close to assassinating her.

“No, that’s fine. It works out better for me like this.”

Dumah said.

*Bam!*

Christi suddenly formed a scorpion tail and blocked a knee from Dumah.

“It seems you have an hack for perceiving danger.”

Dumah said.

He circled around Christi in an instant.

“But you’re not fast enough to stop me.”

He lifted his leg and slammed it on top of Christi’s head and forced him to the ground where he stepped on his head to keep him down.

Like this he had James in one hand, Liam in the other, and Christi at his feet.

“?!”

Seeing that, James tried to release his grip, but soon realized that he couldn’t no matter how much he tried.

“With children captured, it’s obviously the job of the parent to rescue them. Isn’t that right, King Xavier?”

Xavier in his iron giant form rushed towards Dumah in rage after seeing his sons captured.

“Wait, you rodent!”

Harut was chasing after him to prevent him from reaching Dumah.

“It’s fine, Harut. Leave him be.”

Dumah said.

“A-As you wish.”

Hearing that Harut left Xavier alone.

“You bastard! Let them go!”

Xavier roared and threw his man sized fist at Dumah in a fit of rage.

“That won’t do king.”

*Bam!*

Suddenly a fist shaped impression appeared in Xavier’s iron armor and he frozen in placed.

“Calm down a little.”

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

Countless fist marks appeared on Xavier’s armor in an instant, bending it out of shape. It crumbled, and Xavier was revealed standing there with fist marks all over his body.

He fell to his knee with his eyes wide open.

“Blegh?!”

He threw up a mouthful of blood, and started bleeding from his nose and ears as well. He then silently fell on his face, and laid motionlessly on the ground.

“?!”

When the princes saw their father in such a beaten up state, it was as if something snapped inside them.

“You fucker!”

“I’m gonna kill you!”

“Ahhhh!”

They all roared and tried their best to break free from Dumah, but it was useless no matter what they did. Dumah clearly outclassed them.

“N-No way…..”

Even Amelia and Reina felt powerless in front of Dumah’s dominance.

“I did say he can’t push it too far, but to think that he didn’t kill a single one of them. I must’ve scared him more than I thought.”

Richard said while watching everything unfold.

At that moment-

*BOOOM!*

The entire city started trembling after a deafening explosion resounded. No, it felt like the whole country was trembling. Richard looked towards his east, and saw a gigantic pillar of sinister anima raising to the sky.

“Huh? He’s awake already?”

He said when he saw it.

“Wait, this isn’t a simple show of power. I can sense intense rage in that anima!”

He stood up and cold sweat started to cover his body. He quickly looked at Dumah, who too seemed frightened looking at the pillar.

“What did you do to Serket, you fool?!”

Richard roared towards him.

“……..”

Dumah didn’t answer and only looked at the pillar dumbfoundedly.

“Tsk!”

He clicked his tongue he saw that.

“Of all the things you could’ve done, you just had to touch his reverse scale.”

A few minutes earlier, a couple miles away from everyone else. Rory was walking towards the battle when he came across someone laying on the ground. He approached them and when he got a good look at who it was, it was like time had came to a stop.

“Ser…ket…?”

He saw Serket laying in a pool of her own blood, motionlessly. The longer he looked at her the blanker his mind became.

After a while, the image of Serket overlapped with that of another woman with dark skin white hair.

“Mother?”

At that point, it was like reality started crumbling around him. After that-

*BOOOM!*

The darkest day in this country’s history had began.