The battlefield was silent.

Smoke drifted lazily over shattered stone and broken banners. Blood soaked the cracked ground. The Imperius warships still hovered above like dark clouds, but no one moved, and no one spoke.

They couldn’t.

Every soldier, every officer, and every attendant who had witnessed the scene stood frozen in place, their minds struggling to process the impossible.

Their patriarch—Adrian Evan Imperius—had been kidnapped.

Not by an ancient monster.

Not by a rival SSS-rank powerhouse.

By a boy who wasn’t even half his age.

If anyone had heard that story without seeing it, they would never have stopped laughing. They would have called it a joke, a bad rumor, an insult. And yet, they had seen it with their own eyes: Adrian had turned into motes of light and been sucked into a ring on Arthur’s finger, right before that same boy tore open space and disappeared.

The shame sank in slowly.

Then Agnus screamed.

His enraged cry shook the air like thunder. His bloodlust erupted from him, a volcanic blast of pure killing intent that pressed on every chest, forcing weaker soldiers to their knees. The sky itself seemed to darken as his aura swelled.

"Find that wretched child!" Agnus roared.

His voice carried throughout the entire estate, through every communication artifact, and into every ear.

"Deploy every unit and everyone we have!" he continued. "I want him—dead or alive!"

His gaze swept across the ranks, his eyes glowing with cold fury.

"Put the highest bounty on his head," Agnus said. "Higher than any bounty the world has ever seen!"

Murmurs rippled through the soldiers.

"And the moment you find him," Agnus added, his voice dropping into a dangerous growl, "confiscate the ring on his hand. First."

Sylvia opened her mouth.

"But after—"

Agnus’s gaze snapped toward her.

One look was enough.

Sylvia’s words died instantly. A chill crawled down her spine as she lowered her eyes.

"Litsen Sylvia," Agnus said, his tone still edged with fury, "you will also contact your family. The Phantom Clan."

His voice left no room for refusal.

"They specialize in assassination and tracking," Agnus continued. "Tell them the same thing. We want him dead or alive."

Sylvia’s fingers curled slightly.

Before she could answer, Jessica’s voice cut in.

"Don’t be too conceited, old man," Jessica said, looking directly at Agnus. "He’s already outsmarted us."

Agnus turned toward her slowly.

"You dare speak to your grandfather like that—" he began.

Jessica stepped forward, her jaw clenched.

"Do you even understand what just happened?" Jessica demanded. "He kidnapped the patriarch of the Imperius family."

Her words hung heavily in the air.

"The moment the world finds out, they’ll laugh in our faces," Jessica said. "And from what I can see, Father’s life is in his hands now."

Several soldiers flinched at the blunt truth.

"So in this little game you all started," Jessica continued coldly, "he has the greatest leverage."

She gestured toward the still-floating screen showing Arthur’s captured friends.

"The moment we harm his friends," Jessica said, "the Ashford Empire becomes our enemy. And the Velmora Kingdom has been waiting for a chance to weaken our authority within the Council."

She took a breath.

"Julia Vale Valmont and Aaron Vin Valmont are from their kingdom," Jessica said. "They’ll use them as an excuse the moment we give them one."

Her gaze hardened.

"They’ll use all of this as the perfect opportunity to strike at us. With Father gone, the fear we inspired will weaken. The sharks will smell blood."

Agnus simply looked at her.

Inwardly, he ran through the possibilities.

Ashford’s military might.

Velmora’s political influence.

The delicate balance within the Council.

He reached the same conclusion she had almost instantly.

"So what do you want?" Agnus asked at last.

"It’s simple," Jessica said. "Find Arthur. Get Father back. Then punish him."

A new voice spoke from behind them.

"I completely agree with the young miss," the voice said. "Our patriarch is a symbol of power within this family. The next SSS-rank powerhouse after you, Lord Agnus."

The voice grew clearer as its owner stepped forward.

"We must handle this situation very carefully," he finished.

Everyone turned.

Three figures stood at the edge of the ruined courtyard.

Family elders.

Main protectors of the Imperius bloodline.

Out of the seven elders, three had revealed themselves.

The first was a man with black hair streaked faintly with silver, appearing to be in his late fifties. His features were sharp, his eyes dark and unreadable. He wore a long black coat lined with gold trim, and the aura surrounding him was heavy and disciplined—powerful, but still a level beneath Agnus.

The second was a woman with grey hair tied into a high knot, her eyes narrow and calculating. She appeared to be around the same age. Her posture was straight as a blade, her hands folded calmly in front of her. Her gaze moved like a knife, weighing value and threat in every glance.

The third was a man with brown hair and a deceptively mild expression, also in his fifties. He smiled lightly, but the cold steadiness in his aura betrayed that he was anything but harmless.

All three radiated the same level of power.

SS-Rank, Tier 2.

Agnus looked at them.

"Melina. Logan. Riley," Agnus said.

All three elders bowed to him in unison.

Melina, the grey-haired woman, spoke first.

"We have to keep what happened a secret," Melina said. "We cannot allow the truth to spread. We will claim that those children attacked Lady Arina first."

Logan, the black-haired elder, nodded.

"Let’s change the story," Logan said. "We’ll say it was that wretched boy who attacked first. That way, everyone will be forced to stay silent and accept the consequences of harming an Imperius."

Riley, the brown-haired man, smiled faintly.

"And that boy will not be able to run far," Riley said. "We underestimated him once, but it will not happen again. With all this manpower, he will be captured easily. That is certain."

All three elders smiled together.

"If you want him dead," Melina said, "you will get his dead body."

"Leave it to us," Logan finished.

Agnus’s lips twitched into a thin smile.

"Good," Agnus said. "Carry out the orders as I commanded."

Jessica opened her mouth, about to argue again—

Sylvia grabbed her hand.

She gave a small shake of her head.

"It’s useless," Sylvia said quietly. "These wretches have been waiting for a chance to raise their standing within the family. Now Arthur is their opportunity. No matter what you say, nobody will support you."

She sighed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It’s clear to everyone now," Sylvia said. "We gave Arthur a chance. Instead of taking it, he chose to become our enemy. It’s over between us and him."

Jessica’s throat tightened.

"Mother," Jessica said, "you’re seriously going to involve your father in this?"

Sylvia’s eyes flickered.

"I have to," Sylvia said in a low voice. "My husband’s life is at stake."

Jessica’s fists clenched until her knuckles turned white.

She turned away and walked off with heavy steps, her boots grinding against the broken stone.

"Arthur, you idiot," Jessica muttered under her breath. "What have you done..."

───────────────

Far from the ruined estate, in a quiet, untouched forest on another continent, the world split open.

Space itself tore like paper, a crack of darkness slicing through the air between ancient trees. Leaves rustled as wild animals fled, their instincts screaming at them to run from the wrongness in the air.

From the tear, a black-haired boy stepped out.

Behind him came a woman with flowing crimson hair and matching eyes, and in her arms was another woman with long pink hair, unconscious and pale.

Arthur took one step onto solid ground.

His legs buckled.

He dropped to his knees, one hand slamming against the earth to stop himself from collapsing completely.

His body was riddled with injuries—burns, cuts, bruises, internal damage from pushing himself beyond his limits, and the invisible toll of the lifespan he had sacrificed. Every nerve screamed in agony. Every breath felt like dragging air through broken glass.

His vision swam.

He could feel his consciousness slipping away.

"Fuck..." Arthur rasped. "I was worried it wouldn’t work..."

He stared at the empty air where the tear in space had already closed.

"I’ve only seen Miss Sophia do it once," Arthur muttered. "But it worked. Tearing a hole through space is really nothing to scoff at..."

His strength finally gave out.

He collapsed onto his back, staring up at the canopy of unfamiliar trees, his chest heaving.

Elizabeth adjusted her grip on Yuna, then looked around at the forest surrounding them—towering trees, thick undergrowth, and the distant sound of a river. There was no sign of the Imperius estate, no sign of warships, and no sign of civilization at all.

"Where the hell are we?" Elizabeth asked.

Arthur closed his eyes for a moment, then forced them open again.

As he realized there were no enemies surrounding him anymore, and that Yuna was still safely in Elizabeth’s arms, he finally felt a sense of relief.

The tension that had been gripping his body since the battle began slowly faded away.

For the first time since the fighting started, he no longer had to worry about the next attack, the next trap, or the next enemy waiting around the corner.

He had escaped.

Against all odds, he had actually escaped.

A faint smile appeared on his exhausted face.

And for the first time since the battle began, he allowed himself to simply relax.