Once the Magician finished his sentence, the meeting door burst open. A dozen knights had arrived.
The sound of heavy metal of the swords, spears, and shields, and the synergy of their steps drummed in glory as troops rallied into the hall.
Each knight got to position, standing face to face as they divided by two lines. With six on the left and six on the right, creating a perfect entrance for another particular young knight that stood out the most with his brilliant color white hair and his shimmering golden eyes.
"Duke Ezekiel Alpheus at your service, Your Highness," the young man announced. "And... Sir Magician." He acknowledged, half-heartedly.
"That is Empress Consort to you, you white dog junior. And you're fucking late!!"
A fire flared toward the young Duke. As if he had grown accustomed to the greeting, Ezekiel sighed, raising his shield to block the upcoming attack.
The blaze levitated right in front of the steel shield that crested with Obelia sigil.
"Will you two try not to kill each other for Once?" The Empress who was now standing on her feet, asked.
Her fingers weaved and the fire flickered at her command, soaring toward the chandelier above before disappearing like a firework without a spark.
Something else caught the Magician's attention.
While the other three soldiers were forced to kneel, their forehead against the cold tiles, the old Duke could withstand Lucas' magic. He toiled to keep his head up, yes, but for an elderly-looking man, there was something else about this guy.
The old man proceeded to look at the Empress without blinking an eye. "Your Highness... Knows magic?" He asked in awe, enthralled by the grace of her hand motion or possibly, the imperfection of her mana concentration.
"What of it?" It was Lucas who raised a question.
"There was a prophecy that a monarch... An Empress who wields magic," the duke fixed his eyes on Her Highness to the point where she came to be uncomfortable. "She who possesses great mana will be the sacrifice-"
The Sorcerer reappeared right in front of the old Duke and gripped his neck with just one hand. He took the Duke off the ground as he hovered higher and higher, unhurriedly cutting off the oxygen as the Duke's feet were no longer touching the floor.
"Is there a fucking prophecy that you will die by my fucking hand?" Lucas asked, ignoring Athanasia's warning and shouting.
Lucas never expected an answer. He knew the Duke would struggle to even speak.
But the thought of the duke running his mouth about Her Highness being in this absurdity prognosis, Lucas was furious.
The strength of the mage's grip grew and the old man had his eyes rolled back. His mouth gasped for air and eventually, he stopped struggling.
The Magician was a little taken aback by how fragile the life of a mortal could be. But by the time he had realized what he was doing, the old Duke was seemingly lifeless, his arms hung loosely by his side and so did his legs.
Lucas felt a sense of guilt crawling up his skin with the thought of killing the old man right there because he had promised Athanasia that there would be no blood spilled on her land.
But... Something was wrong. Something big was going to happen. Lucas felt it in his guts too.
The raw energy around the old man was no longer invisible anymore. It was exactly that ominous mana that led him to where Athanasia was for the danger he couldn't ignore.
The lifeless body suddenly came to life again.
"Regarding the prophecy of killing Me, you cannot kill a soulless body, Sir Magician. It doesn't count."
Lucas suddenly tensed and so did everyone else in the hall as the old man's voice changed. It was deep and raspy but it wasn't as trembling and squeaking as how it used to be.
"But don't worry. You will kill and I will feast on those souls you reap."
The old Duke latched on Lucas' wrist with both of his hands. There was a suction that could resemble the feeling of having one blood drawn out but in the form of mana.
"Have a taste of your future, Black Tower Magician."
From head to toe, Lucas felt oddly numb and sedated. He didn't just feel his mana sucked out but flashes of images went through his head.
The Empire that resembled what he could call Home, was falling. The structures for the royalty and the garden of seasonal roses were catching fire. The people and soldiers, their blood curling scream, they were begging for mercy.
"My Love! Focus!!"
Athanasia's voice was somewhere between reality and dream. Was it part of the image in his head that she was telling him to stop? He wasn't sure. He couldn't move. What kind of magic was this?
A loud explosion took place in the hall and Lucas found his sense back slowly. He blinked, still dazed, lightheaded, and confused yet he could see the Duke was clearing some sort of smoke away from his body that was safeguarded by another layer of enchantment shield.
Someone attacked the Duke.
The magician glanced down somewhere to find Athanasia, and she was holding her palm toward the Duke and an energy ray started to form within her hand again.
Lucas closed his eyes and tapped into a telepathic communication again, but with Ezekiel this time.
Get Her Highness out of here. This guy is dangerous-
Lucas had to force his eyes open as he felt his body fly and collide against the wall, regretting every moment of not having cast a protection spell on himself for the pride he held as the most powerful wizard in the universe.
And now he was getting stomped on by the same old guy who was now digging his five fingers into his stomach. When he pulled back, a trace of mana followed his fingertips.
"This is... Extraordinary," the old man looked at the massive energy in his palm. "I can't believe you actually ate the World Tree branch, but not the Fruit."
The red dot that seemed like an energy ray lit up right in front of the Magician's face. It was hot, scorching, and... It was made of his mana.
The magician hugged his stomach. "Just... What the fuck are you?" he asked with his teeth grith, growing weaker by the second from the mana extraction.
"I am everything that One wants to be. I heed the vessel's final wish before he trades his soul to me. Right now We want..."
The Duke held the exuberance red orb in his hand and aimed toward the Empress.
"A complete annihilation of Obelia Empire and it starts with her."
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