CH 217

All of sudden, the fireballs that had only been targeting Estian came flying towards the empress in his arms. Realizing this, Ruin immediately dodged as a stinging blast of heat missed him by inches. ‘That was close!’ However, before he could breathe a sigh of release, his senses detected something far more menacing.

“Damn it!” Ruin muttered, when he looked up and his eyes met Estian’s. His plan to make a run for it while the emperor was still occupied by the fireballs was ruined. Getting caught like this was not part of the plan!

The moment he thought to run, something sharp sliced through the air and headed towards him. He instinctively tilted his head to dodge it, but frowned at the pain he felt burning from his cheek. If he had reacted a split second slower, the sword embedded in the building behind him would’ve pierced right through his head. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen my own blood.’

The sky above them was brightening once more, as the fireballs began to divide themselves many times over, and the new ones quickly grew in size. The air was now sizzling as an even greater wave of heat emanated from above.

Seeing how the outlook was grim, Ruin shouted, “Emperor, keep those things well away, will you! Or else the empress might get hurt!” With those words, he secured Cecile in his arms and leapt off the roof.

“Aah!”

“What the— Someone fell down!”

People screamed in surprise at the sight of Ruin suddenly landing in their midst. However, he ignored them and immediately broke into a sprint. The sky above was brightening and soon more loud explosions could be heard. ‘I’ve got to get as far away as possible right now,’ Ruin thought. It was clear the balls of fire were aiming at both the emperor and the empress. Emperor Estian would just have to deal with them all.

* * *

Not having the time to retrieve his black steel blade, Estian deflected the onslaught of fireballs with his fists. Now he wasn’t just dealing with those attacking him, but also the ones that were flying over his head towards Cecile. Even as he moved on instinct, there was only one thought in his head—Cecile was kidnapped.

Perhaps his extreme fury resulted in an eerie composure, and he dealt with the fireballs without making a single sound. Cecile had been limp in that man’s arms, but luckily she didn’t seem injured.

‘He’s not trying to kill her.’ But then, what could be the purpose? Why? Why had this man come this far to kidnap Cecile? Was he behind this spell? Was the kidnapping a prelude to extracting some sort of demand from him? But then, why had the man run without stating anything? And moreover, he was definitely a person of the Hyun continent. Why were the Hyun suddenly making a move?

Estian’s mind was rapidly formulating numerous possibilities based on the situation, but nothing seemed to stand out as the plausible conclusion. As he watched the fireballs splitting yet again, he thought about how he needed to chase after the man who’d kidnapped his wife. He needed to hurry and rescue her. But before that, he would need to quickly get rid of these fireballs.

Sprinting to where his blade was lodged in the wall, he pulled it out. The sword began to hum with vibration as soon as it was in his hand, and he watched as the blood on the blade seeped and disappeared into the metal. ‘As long as I have his blood…’ Having his blood meant he’d be able to track the kidnapper.

Estian turned his attention back towards the fireballs as they resumed their assault. Instead of dodging them, he held out a hand and a black fog arose. Adrenaline surged as his body trembled. The emperor was well aware that what he was about to do would awaken the Eugendiph’s blood within him. It was a measure he wouldn’t normally resort to, since he’d need to clad himself in that horrendous shell once again if the blood fully awakened. However, he simply clenched his jaw in determination. If it was for the sake of retrieving Cecile, becoming a monster was nothing.