Ever since Ashida disappeared, Tales had never truly tested the power of "Loss of Control" within him.
He did not know how Magic Users controlled it, and he did not even understand the thing itself. He could only use his previous deductions and reasoning to simulate a situation most similar to his experience of "Loss of Control," then try to wield it.
According to Tales's plan, he was supposed to learn a little about the origins of "magic energy" and "Magic Users" in a peaceful, safe environment through Gilbert's lessons, consider how the people around him would react to his "Loss of Control," and only then begin secretly and safely exploring and researching this power step by step.
But the imminent disaster before him, along with Rolf's miserable state of being unable to live or die, made him resolve to begin this potentially dangerous "magic-energy experiment" ahead of schedule.
During the previous two instances of "Loss of Control," the dagger as a physical object and the mysterious sphere as a source of energy had both inexplicably moved before his eyes through blood as a medium. Thus, he initially guessed that the power might be related to spatial teleportation.
If I just teleport the lock on that stone shackle to my hand... Tales silently repeated to himself.
The experiment was simpler than he had imagined.
The increasingly intense burning within his body, the increasingly large stone shackle before his eyes, and the increasing number of scenes in his mind.
Then Tales lost consciousness.
When he opened his eyes again, moonlight shone down on him. He heard the wind, felt the cold, and saw the utterly astonished members of the Blood Race on the ground.
He himself was already clutched in Rolf's arms, while the earth beneath his feet was gradually drifting away.
Although the process was a little strange, Tales thought wearily. It seems the experiment succeeded.
Although Rolf was battered and suffering, he had already escaped the burden of the heavy shackles. He forcibly manipulated the wind, drifting upward.
At that moment, no one was more shocked than Chris.
"How is that possible?"
The elderly member of the Blood Race muttered blankly.
Istrone and Rolana were still young.
Therefore, only he knew that the "Nightwing Lock" imprisoning the Extreme Realm Expert in the dungeon was a secret treasure passed down through the Corleone Family for nearly a thousand years. It was a torture device exclusive to the Blood Race Duke, and it could be unlocked only with the blood of the person who had been shackled.
That thing was meant to imprison an Extreme Realm Expert!
It had originally been prepared to prevent the mentally muddled prince from going berserk. Later, when the prince's condition stabilized, it was used on that Transcendent Rank blood source.
A shackle that even the world's most advanced Magic Energy Gun could not destroy!
How had they opened it?
Before being seriously wounded, Rolf had been the darling of the wind. He could even lie upside down in midair at a height of ten meters for five minutes with the wind's support.
But now, after losing a considerable amount of blood, he was exceedingly weak, exhausted, and thirsty. The sudden loss of both legs had affected his balance, while the agonizing pain in his throat distracted him. Most of the supernatural power he was so proud of had to be used to maintain "breathing" from his throat to his lungs.
He knew he had no chance against three members of the Blood Race. He also knew that the plan Tales had activated seemed to be merely a stopgap measure. Thus, after breaking free of the chains, Rolf only wanted to keep rising with the wind to a height they could not reach. If the Blood Race pursued him, he would do his utmost to blow them down with a gale.
But he had still underestimated Chris, who had become an Extreme Realm Expert centuries ago.
Chris did not let his surprise slow him down. A thousand years had made him old but only tougher. His withered face darkened, and his body instantly shot upward more than ten meters as he pounced toward the two people in the air!
For the prince, I must reclaim that cub!
He reached Rolf in an instant, and a gale surged toward him.
To Tales's astonishment, Chris's clothes and hair whipped wildly in the wind, yet his expression remained blank as he transformed into a bloody mist.
It was not blood water like Istrone's, but blood mist.
In Tales's eyes, the blood mist was blown thin by Rolf, yet it continued spreading upward and passed through the gale barrier Rolf had established without obstruction!
The blood mist seeped in front of Rolf. Under the two men's solemn gazes, it gradually transformed back into the old man with his obscure, pallid complexion, and he began falling again.
"Ah—" Rolf could not speak and could only roar furiously. He raised his left hand and desperately activated his supernatural power, trying to blow the old man from the sky.
But before he could finish roaring, Chris Corleone's hand seized Rolf's left wrist.
"Those without wings—" Chris's voice was colder than the temperature high in the sky. He spoke eerily, "should not dream of flying."
Crack!
"Wugh—"
At a height of more than twenty meters, the sound of Rolf's broken bone and his painful muffled cry rang out simultaneously.
Then Istrone on the ground and Rolana, who had rushed out of the dungeon with dirt all over her and was clutching her half-grown One-Arm, saw Rolf—who was carrying Tales—seized by Chris's left hand and dragged toward the ground with terrifying force!
"Ah—"
Rolf looked deranged as he desperately drove the wind upward, almost forgetting to "breathe" entirely!
Yet he still could not escape Chris's claw, which had pierced his hand bone and clamped firmly around his wrist!
Tales could not even open his eyes against the gale. Exhausted, he had already used every trump card.
The boy was powerless.
At last, the struggling Rolf was inevitably dragged down from the sky by Chris.
Rolf lost his balance. His strength nearly exhausted, he desperately manipulated the wind, but Chris's immense power left him unable to rise again.
"For the prince, that cub must be captured alive!" Chris said coldly as he held Rolf tightly and fell through the air.
Rolana licked her teeth resentfully, shook her newly regrown arm, then smiled as she prepared to catch the cub.
Beside her, Istrone's perception was slightly stronger. His expression changed, and he suddenly looked beyond the manor gates.
A dense tremor was drawing closer and closer.
"Rolana—" Istrone said with faint urgency, but Rolana's entire attention was focused on the two people in the air.
Tales did not dare open his eyes. However, the increasingly rapid wind in his ears and the accelerating sensation of weightlessness both indicated that things were going badly.
Had this move still been made too early because of the sudden accident?
Rolf had already given up trying to break free of Chris's hand.
He watched the moon grow farther away and the ground draw closer. His eyes gradually became pure, clear, and relieved.
In that instant, Rolf suddenly realized that after enduring so much suffering, a broken wrist was actually nothing worth calling painful.
The Wind Ghost's lips pulled into a long-missed smile.
What a pity, child.
Thank you for giving me this chance.
At least I struggled.
And those vampires will never get the chance to touch you.
Time seemed to slow.
Then Rolana, who was waiting on the ground to catch Tales, was astonished to see this:
The half-crippled Rolf let out a howling roar just before hitting the ground.
With one hand, he desperately hurled Tales toward the manor house!
"No!" Chris roared without a shred of composure, but Rolf, with one hand free, tightly seized his waist and threw him toward the ground!
Tales felt the direction of his descent suddenly change. His entire body flew uncontrollably in another direction.
In an instant, the stone wall of the manor house appeared before his eyes, drawing closer and closer.
He was about to smash his head against it!
Tales could only squeeze his eyes shut.
Was this the end?
But contrary to the boy's expectations, the imagined scene of his skull shattering did not occur.
His momentum suddenly halted. His head spun, and he landed in a steady, safe embrace.
Thud!
Rolf and Chris crashed hard onto the ground. The tremendous force even smashed through the earth, sending dust flying across the manor grounds!
Rolana's expression changed drastically. She flashed toward Tales, who was flying toward the manor house, and reached him in an instant.
But Istrone cast a grave look at the manor gates, then flashed over. His voice rang across the manor in the empty night.
"Enemy attack!"
Dizzy, Tales slowly opened his eyes in a familiar yet unfamiliar embrace.
Before him, two dark lenses on a dark-purple mask looked toward him in the moonlight.
"Don't worry, Tales," Yordel Gato, the royal family's secret guard, stood on the third-floor balcony of the manor house and spoke hoarsely. His voice seemed to tremble faintly. "You're safe."
Tales smiled wearily and peacefully, closed his eyes, and finally let himself relax.
A dense rumbling came clearly from outside.
Bang!
The gates of Weed Manor were smashed open.
Countless hoofbeats surged inside!
"By the authority of His Majesty Kessel the Radiant Star, Supreme King of the Starry Sky!"
Count Gilbert Casso's steady, resonant voice came through the dust and hoofbeats:
"All personnel currently present at Weed Manor are suspected of stealing and harboring royal secret treasures!"
"Immediately surrender and submit to arrest. Do not resist!"
"Those who disobey will be executed on the spot!"
There was not even a torch in the empty Dark Chamber.
Only endless darkness.
And two faint, intermittent breaths.
"What a pity. This was probably the closest we've come to an Air Elementalist in twelve years." An old, sharp voice spoke.
"But every report indicates that Ashida was killed by someone." A light, bright male voice replied.
"Then let me guess. You, who think he was 'killed by someone,' must also have read the records about Magic Users living forever and being indestructible, right?" the old, sharp voice said sarcastically.
"Don't be so serious, Teacher." The light, bright male voice continued, "At least he was sealed away."
"The problem is, who in Everstar City currently has the ability to seal Ashida? And who has a weapon capable of sealing Ashida?" The hoarse voice continued its question at length.
"It can only be those few people." The light, bright male voice sounded playful.
"Yes, sigh." The hoarse, sharp voice seemed slightly disappointed. "It can only be those few people."
"There's no need to investigate the truth behind Red Quarter anymore. Seal all the files—including the reports on the explosion in the central district and the witness reports of the woman carrying a child. Set the sealing period to permanent."
"As for Echeida Sackern, prepare yourselves. The Supreme Sword is incomplete. Whether it takes ten or twenty years, the Air Elementalist will eventually return." The hoarse, sharp voice issued the order gloomily.
A long silence followed.
"Don't look so glum, Teacher. Look on the bright side—we've lost one great enemy. And looking on the even brighter side, we might be able to draw out the Blood Elementalist." The light male voice spoke lazily.
"Don't pretend you can see my expression." The hoarse, sharp voice sounded displeased, then sighed. "The Blood Elementalist... Sigh. Damn this fate. The Royal Capital will probably fall into chaos again very soon, won't it?"
"Twelve years ago, I still had Lancer, Jinnie, Tissen, and Lancel Norfolk beside me. Now, the only person I can use is you." The hoarse voice sighed, filled with desolation and loneliness.
"But twelve years ago, even with all of you, did the Former King not still pass away?"
"So strength isn't the key. Luck is." The light voice spoke without the slightest restraint, discussing the tragedy of twelve years ago.
In the darkness, both voices fell silent for a long time.
"Yes. Even twelve years ago..." The hoarse voice finally replied. This time, it was filled with grief and resentment. "The Former King still passed away."
"Right." The light voice finally seemed to realize that something was wrong with the atmosphere and awkwardly changed the subject. "The Dark Chamber sent an unsigned letter through an intermediary. It said that yesterday, a figure from the underworld was leaving Exeter and heading toward Star Kingdom, toward Everstar City. That old woman also said this was repayment for the favor she owed you."
"Ah, the Secret Section and the Dark Chamber working together again after all these years."
The hoarse, sharp voice seemed intrigued. "Coming to the Royal Capital at a time like this? The Blood Elementalist?"
"No. I had someone investigate. It seems to be a doctor from the Black Street Brotherhood named Ramon."
"Is there something wrong with him?"
"Someone saw him perform a 'little trick' on a country road."
"A little trick?" The hoarse voice finally grew solemn.
"Yes, a 'little trick.'" The light male voice spoke flippantly. "But after reviewing the entire Brilliant Star Library's immense store of knowledge, from the first floor to the twentieth, my conclusion is that this 'little trick' that can instantly heal wounds was called—"
His light voice suddenly dropped into a low tone.
"Magic."
The words slowly faded.
Only then did the darkness truly fall into absolute silence, like a cemetery in the middle of the night.
After a long while—
"That old woman..." The hoarse voice actually chuckled. "She actually used this information to repay me."
"She's as sly and cunning as ever."
Count Gilbert Casso led the way. The guard composed of Terminus Swordsmen rode into the manor in formation.
They surrounded the three members of the Blood Race!
"Draw silver swords! Prepare to meet the enemy!" Gilbert did not waste any more words. He knew that the earlier declaration of "surrender and you will not be killed" had merely been a formality.
What truly worked was always strength and weapons!
Just like diplomacy.
"Rolana!" Istrone flashed nimbly aside, avoiding two sword thrusts from horseback aimed directly at his head. He shouted anxiously and angrily, "Summon the Shadow Guard!"
Rolana landed on a second-floor window. She was furious beyond measure. Neither her peerless movements nor her indestructible claws could do anything to Yordel Gato, who was carrying Tales and whose figure faded in and out of sight. Knowing the current situation, she spread her arms and let out a strange, soundless howl toward the dungeon.
Rumble!
A dense trembling like a thunderstorm suddenly came from the direction of the dungeon.
Gilbert's expression changed. He decisively swung the long sword in his hand, and the swordsmen beside him all shouted in unison!
But it was already too late.
A Black Tide suddenly erupted from the dungeon entrance!
It surged toward the formation of thirty Terminus Swordsmen on horseback.
"Form a circular formation!" Gilbert saw what had rushed out and shouted with an ashen expression, "They're Blood Thralls!"
The thirty Terminus Swordsmen, all at least in the Mortal Tier, also saw what had emerged.
They were people with blood-red eyes and faces twisted with madness!
Almost everyone present was a battle-hardened guard. They knew what these creatures were.
They were the lowest and most despicable members of the Blood Race, transformed from humans or other races after receiving the Blood Race's essence. They were bloodthirsty, crazed, loyal, and unafraid of death—
Blood Thralls.
Dozens of Blood Thralls surged toward the formation like a tidal wave!
Gilbert saw the situation clearly. Knowing Tales was safe, he realized that relying blindly on their mounts to charge these fearless creatures would only increase their own casualties.
"Defend!" he shouted.
"Ha!"
Thirty Terminus Swordsmen roared as they dismounted and swiftly formed a circular formation! Each stepped forward with his left foot and angled his sword, guarding the person beside him!
This was Star Kingdom's renowned defensive formation—the Returning Radiance Formation!
Just then, a figure slowly rose from the crater Rolf and Chris had smashed into the ground.
Then the figure flickered and vanished in an instant!
"Please wait here for a moment and get some rest." Yordel gently placed Tales on the third-floor balcony. He had seen Chris emerge from the dust, as well as the instant his figure disappeared.
"We'll handle the rest."
Then Yordel vanished before Tales's eyes as well.
The next moment, Yordel's short sword, with its dark-gray crossed guard, appeared in midair. It crossed blades with Chris's sharp claws as Chris rushed toward the third floor, sending sparks flying!
"Clang!"
The ear-piercing impact assaulted everyone's eardrums!
Yet, strangely, there was no collision of air.
Yordel and Chris, two Extreme Realm Experts who ranked among the finest in the Western Continent, understood each other's strength after a single exchange and scattered apart.
"This is the ability to travel through shadows!" Chris said coldly. His right claw was sunk deep into the second-floor wall, anchoring him there.
"As an Extreme Realm Expert at the peak, you shouldn't be unknown even in the Starfall Kingdom. Was your light simply overshadowed by the 'Wrath of the Kingdom'?" the old man said coldly. The battle between the Blood Thralls and the guards did not attract his attention at all. All his focus seemed to be on Tales on the third floor.
As usual, Yordel said nothing and revealed no emotion. His strange figure stood lightly and almost illusorily on the frame of a second-floor window. He looked as though he might topple at any moment, yet never did.
Below the manor, the Blood Thralls finally clashed with the circular formation!
"Bang!" The first muffled impact came from the violent collision between a Blood Thrall and a guard!
The guard's sword hacked into the Blood Thrall's body with both edges, while the Blood Thrall's claws and fingernails tore through the Warrior's armor without regard for the cost.
The same scene rapidly unfolded at every point of the circular formation.
The entire battlefield instantly descended into chaos.
Amid the confusion, Tales noticed Lorraine Corleone roaring furiously as she leaped toward him!
But before she could reach him, a silver metal chain sword twisting through the air forced her back two steps.
"Your battlefield is here, you blood-sucking bitch!"
With those fury-filled words, Tales saw a black-haired woman around forty, dressed in a suspiciously light-blue court Female Official's uniform—which he did not recognize at the time—lash out viciously with a chain before Lorraine.
Lorraine let out a cold laugh and flickered as she tried to leap beyond the metal chain sword's range. But the instant her figure swayed, it wrapped tightly around her neck. The spot where the chain coiled around her throat actually began to hiss and smoke!
"This is a silver chain sword, bitch!" The court Female Official, Jinnie, shouted angrily with a displeased expression. "I've spared no expense for the sake of you lot!"
At that moment, Istrone's eyes turned blood-red as his body transformed into blood and soared into the air, attacking Tales as well!
"Clang!" Istrone roared as he crossed his claws and deflected a silver sword thrust straight at his chest.
"Sir!" Gilbert, who had dismounted and was working with three Terminus Swordsmen to push through the Blood Thralls while firmly guarding the first-floor entrance, looked at Istrone with displeasure. Raising his silver sword, he performed a standard opening stance for a duel. "Please stay away from that child."
The slaughter between the Blood Thralls and the swordsmen continued!
But in his exhaustion, Tales watched the three members of the Blood Race repeatedly pounce toward him, only to be stopped time and again by their troublesome opponents.
The boy suddenly understood!
They don't want me, he thought silently.
They want something on the third floor.
That must be their weakness.
The sounds of the Blood Thralls and swordsmen fighting continued, while the three members of the Blood Race and three Warriors remained locked in fierce combat.
With this thought in mind, Tales shoved open the balcony door with a suspicious and fearful gaze, yet with firm resolve!
His weak body immediately collapsed inside the room after he pushed the door open.
"Thud!"
But a dull, eerie thump caught the boy's attention.
Breathing softly, Tales raised his head. Beneath the moonlight outside the balcony, he slowly made out the dim room.
Especially the object in the center, connected to countless blood vessels and covered in intricate patterns and inscrutable writing—
a black Giant Coffin.
"Thud! Thud!"
As though awakened by something, the dull thumps from inside the Black Coffin grew more and more violent.
More and more savage.
"Thud-thud! Bang! Bang!"
Tales suddenly realized that his decision to throw open the door and charge into the room had been somewhat reckless.
Until—
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion!
The impact knocked Tales backward, and his eardrums rang incessantly.
The lid of the Black Coffin jolted violently upward, as though a terrifying explosion had occurred inside it, then crashed to the floor!
Clutching his aching ears, Tales gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet.
He saw that, from the rim of the Black Coffin, now missing its lid, something had extended at some point—
a withered, charred-black, ominous—
hand.