Chapter 84: Two Superior Spirits are watching you

The garden where Albert teleported them was a vast space, surrounded by ancient trees and exotic flowers that seemed to glow under the setting sun. It was a place overflowing with tranquility, a stark contrast to the numerous, or rather, thousands of swords thrust into the sacred ground of the Vorah Family.

Upon entering the Garden after teleporting, the first thing Strax saw left him completely stunned for a whole minute. His anger momentarily dissipated as he beheld not just several notifications, but thousands of them.

"[Several Spiritual Entities are observing you]"

"[Several Spiritual Entities are observing you]"

"[Several Spiritual Entities are observing you]"

The moment he laid eyes on those swords, a garden entirely made of swords, of every type, color, mold, and size, Strax felt as though each blade driven into Vorah Family's sacred ground told a tale of past battles, sacrifice, and devotion. The metallic gleam of the blades reflected the light of the setting sun, creating a surreal yet imposing spectacle.

But he paid no mind to that. Instead, his attention was drawn to a small structure in the distance—a place that seemed to be calling out to him. "Father, was it really necessary to teleport us twenty minutes away?" Xenovia broke the silence, and everyone blinked twice, coming back to themselves, indeed impressed by the surroundings.

"I want to get this over with quickly. I have matters to attend to in Skavannher, an important meeting, but you've dragged me here with your nonsense," he replied seriously to Xenovia. She agreed this time; it was all quite nonsensical, but she had an extreme feeling about it.

Albert walked ahead, leaving them behind, then turned to face someone in particular. "Stop suppressing his aura, Xenovia," he ordered. She felt resentful but released Strax's aura.

*WUUUSHHHH*

The garden trembled for a second as Strax's aura burst forth. Anger, fury, a thirst for blood surged into the sky like a jet of air—enough to make Albert hesitate, not out of fear, but curiosity.

"What happened to you..." Albert thought, genuinely wanting to understand what had led to this, such contained fury. He looked around at all his children... trembling, except for Xenovia who was accustomed to it; something seemed off with the others. "I see... directed his aura; one of them must have done something that deeply angered him."

Strax remained silent for a moment, battling the torrent of emotions within him. The air around him felt electrified by the intensity of his presence, but soon it began to calm, his aura fading or rather subdued by Albert's.

"Start," Strax finally replied, his voice low and rough. "Just get this over with."

Albert looked at him, what he saw deep in Strax's eyes truly intrigued him. Despite finding Strax's arrogance foolish, if he weren't here on contract, he might have punished him himself. Albert realized the small structure in the distance emanated a powerful aura, drawing not only his attention but that of everyone present—they were all looking at the structure.

Xenovia glanced at her father, noting for the first time the tension gripping him as he observed the site react to something. She knew that something important awaited beyond the doors of that building, something dangerous.

"The only one touching a sword here will be Strax; you all know why you're here," he said.

"Weren't you the one who ignored him and left him at the mercy of these pieces of trash with legs?" She looked at some of her siblings, then continued, "Deal with the consequences of abandoning an Absolute Genius." They all looked at her with a sense of unease, as if she had been planning this for... years.

"Absolute genius, huh? I would love to see something like that," Albert said, looking at her, surprising her. "Is this man... excited about something?" she wondered internally, but...

A tremor occurred where Strax stood, and she saw... "I don't want swords that don't share my goals," Strax said, and his aura spread, causing all the swords to... sleep?

[You have caught the attention of 606 Spiritual Entities]

[You have caught the attention of 540 Spiritual Entities]

[You have caught the attention of 300 Spiritual Entities]

[You have caught the attention of 130 Spiritual Entities]

[You have caught the attention of 2 Spiritual Entities]

"What is he doing..." Liam, who had been quiet the entire time, questioned. "He's throwing out the trash," Mason, one of the elders after Xenovia, said. He had been quite quiet too, as he had no reason to be otherwise; he just wanted to leave, and he was almost asleep, but the tremor startled him.

Xenovia and her brothers were watching carefully; this was new. The air around pulsated with Strax's intention, for the first time... it wasn't a sword that was choosing its wielder, but the reverse. Diana, who still had some uncertain thoughts, looked at Strax with a faint smile. Now, she really had a reason to admire this man, unlike before. The arrogance he had shown was maintained in some way.

"Tsk... why these two swords..." Albert murmured.

*ROOOOOOOARRRRRRRRRRRR*

*HAHAHAHAHAHA*

The roar and laughter echoed through the halls of the Awakened Garden, sending shivers down everyone's spines. It was a laugh that exuded a sinister and unfamiliar presence, arguably demonic.

[Two Greater Spirits have their eye on you]

[The Golden Dragon King - Tiamat challenges you to a duel.]

[The Abyssal King - Ouroboros challenges you to a duel.]