Chapter 88: Won't you stop him?

Tiamat stood in front of Darius, preventing him from advancing. Meanwhile...

"Are you not going to stop him?" Veronica asked her father, who stood with arms crossed, observing the "execution."

"Why should I do anything?" Albert spoke into the wind, his tone so indifferent that it startled everyone, except for the older ones like Noah, Liam, and Xenovia.

"B-but! He killed Vigil!" Veronica tried to counter-argue but was interrupted by Xenovia. "The rules are absolute in the family, even if our father wanted to stop it, it's impossible. The patriarch's seal doesn't allow going against it. The rules of the first patriarch were absolute, 'Never compromise the Family.' That was his motto, and these three... are simply disgraceful." Xenovia concluded.

"Do you even know why you're fighting each other? All of this was a big joke from your distorted minds." She said with a sharp look at the confrontation.

Everyone fell into silence. In a way, what she had said was true... "Kidnapping a Family Member's Wife, for simply Nothing." This time, Albert said, who only saw the whole situation in a general way. "What did they think would happen? That I would stop a confrontation with quite plausible motives?" He wondered, seemingly viewing his children as just...

"A bunch of idiots." Diana said seeing that it all happened because of a simple, foolish envy.

Meanwhile...

"S-Stop! It wasn't me who planned this!" Dominic shouted as he parried Strax's Black Sword, which came with all its force. He was constantly on the defensive, with no room to strike back, and Strax... Just silent as he pushed him back.

Dominic instantly recognized that unique sword style... Sword of Eclipse... the way Xenovia fought, but... "Ahgt!!" He roared in pain as he felt his wrist injured by the pressure of Strax's sword... his movements were too fluid, the sliding of the sword was like a...

"A snake..." Dominic thought, seeing the seriousness with which Strax attacked. His sword had a strange blade as if it could change location. With each strike, it was as if he was unleashing all the frustration and anger accumulated in his soul. The ground around them was marked by the fight's trail, bits of grass and earth thrown around as Dominic tried to dodge and block the deadly attacks.

"Do you think you can escape what you've done?" Strax finally spoke, his voice a low and dangerous growl. Fury burned in his eyes, a rage that seemed to grow with each passing moment. "Do you think your apologies will stop me?"

Dominic didn't have time to respond. Strax moved with nearly imperceptible speed, the black sword glowing with a threatening aura. Dominic raised his sword in a desperate last effort to block the attack, but Strax was relentless. With a fluid motion, he diverted Dominic's blade and advanced, cutting through any defense Dominic could offer.

He was on his knees, utterly defeated, his entire body burning in pain and bathed in the crimson of his own blood, the pain that was passing before his own soul, and all he could see was a blur of red approaching him.

"Do you think you can touch what's mine and get away with it?" Strax's voice echoed throughout the garden, laden with cold rage and relentless determination. Each word seemed like a death sentence, heavy as lead.

Dominic, soaked in blood and clinging to life by a thread, looked up, eyes wide with terror. He tried to speak, but only groans of pain escaped his cracked lips. His expression of despair mixed with the recognition of his terrible fall before Strax's fury.

Strax stopped in front of him, placing his hand on Dominic's head. "You should tuck your tail between your legs and stay quiet," Strax said in a low, icy voice, looking into Dominic's eyes. "And you wasted that chance."

Grabbing his head, he pulled it up, tearing it completely off with his own hands. Strax then held it firmly and headed towards Darius, who was still powerless because of Tiamat, who was already reaching her limit in physical state.

Strax's aura reached its peak. "Let him go," he ordered, and Tiamat obeyed, turning back into a sword and into Strax's hands, a storm of power that enveloped the garden, causing the flowers to wilt and the swords stuck in the ground to tremble. The silence that followed was deafening, only the echo of the wind and Strax's heavy breathing filled the tense air.

Strax turned slowly, locking eyes with Darius with a gaze burning with pure, natural hatred. "Are you going to tell me where my wife is?" His voice echoed, all because of his wife.

He killed a brother in a way that no one expected, just a clean cut with no trace of mercy, and the other... He tortured him until the last second and ended it with the absolute strength he had.

"If you're not going to speak, come at me," Strax said in a superior tone, looking down at Darius as various windows of missions and achievements from recent events began to appear.

[You eliminated two marked targets; your rewards are being saved.]

[You contracted with two Legendary Spirits from the Aetheria World; your cultivation has advanced.]

[You partially awakened your Demonic Dragon physique.]

[The Act's Mission Chain has not been completed yet.]

[Your rage created the ability - Predator.]