Theodora

Theodora was drenched in blood. Fire magic still spilled wildly from his severed limb, yet it could not suppress the towering rage that threatened to overturn the entire Shadow Alliance camp.

He was the youngest son of the Shadow Church's pope, born at the pinnacle of the dark world. Exceptionally gifted, he had become a sixth-level peak mage at a young age, only one step away from becoming a Level Seven Mage. He had come to the front to temper his mind on the battlefield and break through his limits, never expecting to encounter the greatest nightmare of his life at the Magic Crystal Vein.

The contracted magical beast he had painstakingly raised had been slaughtered, the magic he took such pride in had been utterly torn apart, and one of his arms had been brutally blasted off.

This favored prodigy, whose life had always gone smoothly and who had never suffered the slightest setback, now resembled a vicious beast completely out of control. His scarlet eyes were fixed on the vein's direction, and his hoarse roars shook the tent:

"Damn it! Damn it! Who the hell is he-!"

"How did someone so powerful suddenly appear... I don't care where he comes from. I want him dead! I want him torn to pieces!"

Violent fire elements surged wildly around him. The agony of his severed wrist mingled with the humiliation in his heart, driving the pope's youngest son into utter madness. This crushing defeat had not only destroyed his magical beast and severed his limb, but also shattered the pride of his untroubled life.

He wanted revenge. He wanted to drag the man who had ruined everything for him into the deepest darkness.

The dark elements within the camp were still churning wildly. Theodora leaned against a cold stone chair, his severed wrist bandaged with rudimentary dark magic. The black blood seeping out stained the seat in blotches. The scarlet in his eyes had not faded at all, and the malice surrounding him seemed almost solid.

Before long, the tent flap was violently thrown aside, and a tall, straight-backed figure strode inside. A steady yet sharp aura surrounded the man, his muscles taut, each step carrying a sense of immense weight and power. He was a warrior at the seventh-level warrior peak, and the commander responsible for intelligence gathering on the Shadow Alliance's front lines.

Clutching a thick stack of intelligence dossiers, he approached Theodora with a grave expression and bowed slightly. Not daring to look directly at the pope's enraged youngest son, he reported in a lowered voice, "Lord Theodora, we have uncovered all the information on the identity of the man who severed your arm and killed your contracted magical beast."

"Speak!" Theodora abruptly raised his eyes. His voice rasped like a cracked gong, the killing intent in his tone undisguised. His fingertips whitened from the force he exerted, and the fire magic around him instantly drew taut, as though it would erupt completely in the next second.

The seventh-level warrior dared not delay and immediately reported clearly, "His name is Shiheng. He comes from the remote Yanhe Village and has been in the Light Alliance's army for only a little over a year. Half a year ago, he was granted the title of baron for his military achievements. The speed of his advancement is terrifying. He is only just over fifteen, yet he has already reached the fifth-level warrior late stage. He has also mastered an extremely rare Berserk Secret Art. Once he unleashes his berserk state, his strength can leap an entire major realm, sending his combat power soaring."

He paused, then added, "We have checked repeatedly. This intelligence is almost identical to the information coming from the Light Alliance, with no discrepancies whatsoever."

As his words fell, a deathly silence settled over the tent.

Theodora sat there in a daze. His towering rage froze in an instant, only to be completely submerged by even greater humiliation, resentment, and madness.

He was the youngest son of the Shadow Church's pope, a sixth-level peak mage, a favored prodigy, yet he had fallen to a fifteen-year-old country boy? A fifth-level warrior who had joined the army only a year ago and had only just become a baron? And that boy had severed his arm and killed his contracted magical beast after going berserk?

More than the pain of losing his limb or the humiliation of losing his beast, this intelligence was a blade that viciously pierced the talent and pride he had cherished all his life!

"Fifteen... fifth-level warrior late stage... berserk..." Theodora repeated the words softly, his voice growing quieter and quieter. Yet the fire elements around him suddenly went wild, sweeping through the entire tent and shattering every object on the table.

He sprang to his feet. The wound at his severed wrist split open again, black blood gushing out, but he seemed to feel no pain at all. Staring fixedly at the intelligence dossiers, his face contorted as he screamed hysterically, "A feral country brat! Only fifteen! And he reduced me to this!"

"Shiheng! I don't care what Berserk Secret Art you have or how quickly you advance! I swear I'll tear you to pieces and make you suffer the most agonizing tortures in this world! I'll use your life to wash away every humiliation I suffered today!"

Violent magical fluctuations surged skyward. The entire Dark Alliance frontline camp could feel the towering hatred coming from the pope's youngest son. Amid his fury, a frenzied reprisal against Shiheng was already quietly brewing.

As his anger subsided a little, Theodora stared fixedly at the intelligence commander before him and issued an absolute order through gritted teeth. "Take three more seventh-level warriors and set out immediately. Bring that brat called Shiheng back here bound! I'll slice him apart myself and make him wish he were dead!"

The commander's expression changed. He immediately bowed and urged caution, his voice full of concern. "My lord, deploying four seventh-level warriors at once would cause far too much commotion. It could easily alert the high-level fighters stationed there by the Radiant Church. If it triggers a direct clash between the senior ranks on both sides, the consequences would be unthinkable!"

He stepped forward quickly and lowered his voice to reveal confidential intelligence. "Besides, the informant we planted at the vein has just sent a secret report. Beneath that seemingly ordinary mining site lies a level 8 magic crystal mine! Our informant only learned of it after accidentally digging into it. Even the Light Alliance's own people know nothing about it!"

"This is the perfect opportunity. Rather than rashly deploying high-level warriors and alerting them, we should gather more sixth-level warriors and mages and storm the vein while they remain unaware of what it contains. I'll lie in wait in the shadows and quietly abduct Shiheng when the opportunity arises. That way, we can seize the vein and take revenge without alerting the Radiant Church's senior ranks!"

Theodora's eyes were bloodshot, his mind consumed by his obsession with revenge. He immediately snapped, "Then hurry up and send troops to attack! What are you standing around here for?"

A troubled look crossed the commander's face, and he hastily replied, "My lord, we have enough sixth-level warriors in camp, but it will take another five days to assemble the sixth-level mages. We simply cannot muster the forces needed for an assault right now."

At this, the malice surrounding Theodora surged. His nails dug deep into his palms, and his scarlet eyes filled with cruelty. He spat out each word viciously. "Fine. Then we'll wait five days! In five days, I'll flay Shiheng alive and make him pay ten thousand times over for what he did today!"