"What's happening?"
For Sophia, everything was happening too fast. One moment was filled with joy, and the next, her mother was streaked with blood from her throat. Her breath caught as her fingers stiffened at her sides. Before she could even process what was happening, a scream cut through the tension.
"You have three seconds to remove the barrier, or else!"
The voice came from the guard who had taken her mother hostage, his grip tight as he yanked Valeslina back against his chest.
"N-no, stop." Sophia tried to speak out, her lips trembling, but her voice was barely audible.
"One!" the guard shouted, pressing the ornate silver-covered knife deeper into Valeslina's throat, his arm jerking forward and causing the blood to spill faster.
Sophia looked around the room, her head snapping from side to side, seeing everyone else frozen in place.
'Why isn't anyone doing anything!? Mother's life is in danger!'
"Two!" the guard shouted again, his hand shaking as he pressed the knife deeper.
Sophia started to panic. Her hands clenched into fists, nails digging into her palms. She knew she couldn't do anything on her own, having no talent at all. It was always Cal who showed up to save the day for her, and without him, she had no idea what to do.
'Cal, someone, please, anyone, help Mother!'
Sophia glanced around the room once more, desperation tightening her chest, hoping someone would act, but no one did. And then, before hopelessness could take hold, her eyes fell on the table, landing on a cat casually scratching its ear, completely unbothered.
'Sir Seraphix!'
"Thre—"
Before the guard could finish, Sophia lurched forward a step, her trembling voice breaking through the tension.
"S-Seraphix, p-please help Mother." She clasped her hands together tightly. "I'm begging you, Sir Seraphix! I'll give you so many treats later!"
***
At Sophia's trembling plea, everyone in the room froze in shock, even the spy. Instinctively, every gaze shifted to the cat lounging on the table, heads turning almost in unison. Outwardly, Sophia's words seemed like a desperate plea, but for everyone present, they conveyed something far more significant.
In beast taming, there was no such thing as a plea to a beast; when a master spoke, it was absolute. It was an order, not a request. And this order was directed at a nine-stroke.
Grigori, far more accustomed to the destruction an eight-stroke could unleash with a simple gesture, felt his spine tense. He could not imagine what devastation a nine-stroke might bring. Disregarding the spy's threat, he slammed his palms against the floor and poured every bit of mana he could muster into the room's barrier, layering it again and again. Bluish veins stood out along his arms as the barrier thickened, becoming denser and much sturdier. His sole focus now was to reduce the casualties that a nine-stroke might bring to the whole Zlatogorye.
Shira, being an eight-stroke beast tamer, reacted differently. Her eyes widened, and her lips curled into a faint, excited smile. She was thrilled, eager to witness the power of a nine-stroke firsthand. Still, for safety, she raised her hand and wrapped herself in a special barrier that severed all 'connection' to the 'real realm' except for sight.
One by one, the rest of the room followed suit, hands lifting and mana flaring as barriers formed, shielding themselves from the calamity about to unfold.
***
I was now sitting casually at the table, my body relaxed but my tail hanging loosely off the edge, worried about something.
I already did my part: I reported the spy to the emperor, and now I'm just waiting for whatever the emperor will do to handle it. Considering him, being one of the highest levels in the room, I wasn't worried that he couldn't handle the situation.
It was a bit unfortunate that the spy had taken Valeslina hostage, but I'm not really worried about her either. What I'm worried about is something else.
'That was fast.'
My ears twitched slightly at the memory. Even with my cat-like reaction speed, the spy's movement was beyond me.
'Isn't that practically teleportation?'
Even if I transformed into the fastest animal from my old world with Transmogrify Essence, catching up to the spy would've been impossible. And above all.
'He could've taken Sophia.'
My claws pressed lightly into the tabletop. That alone was enough for me to realize the danger this world held.
'I really should be more careful from now on.'
And then, out of nowhere, Sophia's voice cut through my thoughts.
"S-Seraphix, p-please help Mother. I'm begging you, Sir Seraphix! I'll give you so many treats later!"
My head turned toward her instinctively. It was a trembling voice, much like the one she had during the breakfast incident with her father. All of a sudden, I felt my mind go completely blank.
'Sophia, we are the weakest people in this place; we shouldn't get involved.'
That's what I wanted to say, but somehow, I didn't. Seeing her in this state, my tail slowly stiffened as an 'old memory' surfaced, bringing with it an intense anger that began welling up inside me.
I then glanced at the spy, my pupils narrowing slightly.
---
Uridel Ames
Level: 93
Mana Capacity: 15,205
Occupation: Member of the Sacred Bound; Spy (United Republic of Aur); Member of the Ash Disciples
Strength: 63
Intelligence: 247
Agility: 23
Dexterity: 24
Vitality: 15
---
From seeing his stats alone and what he is capable of, I'm sure I am no match for him at all. But, somehow, my mind is consumed by something else.
'If he's gone, would Sophia calm down?'
My tail flicked once as I decided to act.
Of course, I'm not that stupid. Charging in my cat form and scratching him was definitely not an option. Considering everyone in the room is at the same or higher level, I was sure they could handle the spy if an opening appeared. I decided to be that opening, focusing inward as I used my skill, Veil of the Abyss.
---
Veil of the Abyss
Class: High-tier
Attribute: Abyss
Effect: Envelops the user in an aura of the abyss.
---
From my previous experience using it on Naphael, it was clear that the 'Aura' I emitted could stun a person.
'That should be enough to create an opening.'
***
Uridel was now locked in a stare with the cat, the confirmed nine-stroke beast. His pupils quivered as his grip on the knife tightened. With its master already ordering it to make a move, he knew his end was inevitable. In desperation, his chest heaved as he suddenly screamed in anger, scolding and mocking his master.
"You idiot tamer! Do you think I didn't know that cat of yours is just a fraud?!" He jerked his head toward the table. "Even from here, I could tell his mana density was so insignificant it was below a one-stroke!"
Everyone in the room watched the scene in horror. No one dared to breathe. The idea of insulting the master of a nine-stroke beast was something that had never crossed their minds. But they immediately understood what he was trying to do, which was far more dire.
Uridel's plan was simple: to rile the nine-stroke beast, making it angry enough to unleash devastating destruction on the whole of Zlatogorye.
'If I have to die, then all of you will go with me!'
"You stupid, brainless tamer." Spittle flew from his mouth as he continued, veins bulging on his neck. "Don't think I didn't know, you're quite famous here, even in the imperial palace. You're nothing but the Failure of the Kovalevs—"
Uridel couldn't finish his sentence. Or to be precise, he couldn't let out a voice. His mouth remained open mid-insult, but no sound followed. And not just his voice, the whole world was suddenly engulfed in silence. It was as if no sound was allowed to be uttered. His eyes widened in panic as he immediately guessed the source of this phenomenon.
'The nine-stroke... is he trying to silence me?'
And then, he suddenly felt something invading him. His body jerked violently.
'What is this feeling...'
At first, it felt strange and unnatural, like a cold pressure spreading beneath his skin. But it slowly grew into something else.
'It feels... uncomfortable.'
His breathing became ragged as sweat poured down his face. And then it grew again, this time even faster.
'It hurts...'
All of a sudden, the sensation surged uncontrollably, as if he were being 'eaten' from within. His eyes bulged, and his back arched violently.
"Aaaah! AHHHHH!!!"
He screamed in pain and panic, clawing at his own chest. He did not know what had invaded him, but the agony it caused was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
"Aaaahhh! Ghh—AAHHHHhhhgghhh!!!"
Uridel fell to his knees with a sickening thud, his screaming becoming more and more contorted. His hands slammed against the floor as his body convulsed.
"Aaaghhhkkhh—hhggghhhkkhhhhh…!"
And that was not the end; the pain kept increasing, faster and faster, to the point where his vision began to blur and his thoughts fractured. His mind was reduced to one thing: to make the pain stop. He began banging his head against the floor again and again, each impact echoing dully as blood smeared beneath him. Finding it insufficient, he enveloped himself in even more mana, his body swelling with power beyond what he had ever achieved before. With a hoarse cry, he slammed his head down harder and harder. His skull began to crack open, spewing blood and fragments of his brain across the floor. But he kept banging, harder and harder, as if trying to match the increasing pain inside him.
But it was not enough. The pain inside him surged with unbearable force, tearing through him far worse than before. His limbs spasmed violently. And then, in that unbearable torment, he felt it. Something writhed within him. Something was about to be born.
Uridel grew even more panicked. His eyes shook with terror as instinct screamed at him that if whatever was inside him was born, there would be nothing left in the world. With the last shred of sanity he had left, he fumbled for the ornate silver-covered knife and stabbed himself repeatedly into his heart, his throat, his head, each strike clumsy and desperate. Eventually, his strength failed him, and he collapsed to the ground, blood pooling rapidly beneath his body.
Amidst his final moments, a smile crept across his now torn mouth, lips twitching weakly.
"The pain..." he whispered hoarsely. "It's finally gone."