As soon as Bruce left the bounds of the Luther family, he stood up using the artificial limb that Zach had given him and ran towards the Sosis family estate with all the momentum he could muster. His bloodlust reflected in his eyes as he ran like a wild animal that had been chained for too long.
On the other hand, panic ensued in the Sosis family as the servants who were lacking in loyalty anyway due to the cruelty of the father and the son tried to run away from the wrath of the thunder god. They cursed the family head for attracting the ire of the god of destruction who took the form of Zach to rain down his punishment.
Instead of staying in the drowning ship, most of the servants turned tail and ran. Of course not all of them were able to do so considering the scale of the calamity that descended on them from the heavens. There was no shelter that could save them from the heavenly wrath since it was an S class magic that was capable of ruining cities at its best. A mansion of this level was no different from a thatched hut in front of a bulldozer.
While the Sosis family ran for their lives, and sought any kind of shelter from the raining lightning bolts, Zach was being hailed as the new deity and the only object of worship in the Luther family. Of course, Luna was enjoying it all as she gazed fanatically and lovingly at her master who was like the incarnation of the heavenly gods as he brought destruction on a distant enemy.
There were many casualties in the Sosis family mansion despite the fact that most of the servants had succeeded in escaping the place. Scorched and black bodies lay strewn about like street garbage but not a single living soul cared. All of them were busy trying to survive even though the lightning had long since ceased to fall. The dark clouds in the distance that were raining lightning on to them had started to disperse too.
Frederick on the other hand could not escape. The reason was that the target of the lightning had been him from the start. Had it not been for the fact that he was the caster of the Thunder Chasing spell and the wielder of the magic artifacts that supported it, the thunder would have long since mutilated him to scorched bits.
Despite the ensuing chaos, Frederick had been able to regain enough control to interfere enough to prevent the lightning bolts from falling straight on top of his head. Sometimes he managed while the other times it was always a close call. He even got injured in the process; severely injured. It was enough to prevent him from running away like the servants even though the duration of the spell had ended already.
Frederick's emotions were in turmoil as he looked at the current state of his mansion. He failed to understand how his own S rank magic had been returned back to him with the same strength. Even the control of his spell had been wrenched back from him while the spell was still active. This kind of thing was not possible while staying within the logical bounds of magic.
After giving it a thought, Frederick felt deduced that there could only be two possible reasons for such an outcome.
The first being that Zach was stronger than he had let on and his strength had already reached the bounds of an S rank mage. But that kind of thing was absolutely absurd.
The reason was that an S rank mage wouldn't need to negotiate with a measly Sosis family to get what he wanted. He just needed to wave a finger and all the families would have fallen to their knees to help him get what he wanted just to earn his favor. Moreover, he didn't feel that kind of danger from Zach. He was a high B rank mage or a low A rank mage at best in his opinion.
That left only the second possibility; the forces behind Zach should have intervened to save him. The fact that this S rank magic was enough to harm him must have spurred them on to take action to save Zach.
Frederick felt that the force behind Zach should have the capability to counter his ancestral spell using some high grade scroll or some counter magic of the same rank. This was the only feasible explanation. In the end, he and his son had messed with the wrong person despite knowing his strength and that had brought about the end of their family.
Raisman just like his father was severely injured. The left half of his body was scorched black and the skin on his face and neck looked pudgy and melted which partially disfigured his facial features starting from his left cheek to the edge of his chin and some part of his left ear. He looked horrible to say the least.
Unable to walk on his feet due to the severity of his injuries, Raisman was crawling by pushing his body forwards like a worm in the direction of his father who was his last hope in the apocalyptic weather.
Both of them were completely unable to hold on by themselves but their desires for survival and the knowledge that both of them managed to overcome their ordeals allowed them to try to move forward without looking back at what they had lost through their greed and carelessness. This was especially true for Raisman who knew that he was responsible for all that had happened especially when he had ignored his father's warnings and cautions to directly attack Diana who was Zach's lover.
Frederick didn't blame his son for the ruin of his family after all Raisman was spoiled beyond repair due to his own flexibility and pampering.
Looking towards the sky that was now clear of the dark clouds and the dancing lightning streaks, a long sigh escaped his lips. All his will to fight was drained out of him along with that deep breath.
Frederick finally admitted defeat at the hands of that unknown dark mage who had come to threaten him at his own home. Now that he had time to think, he felt that he should have backed out once he became conscious of the possible background of Zach.
But there was no use crying over spilt milk. He had already taken his own decisions that couldn't be changed and the destruction of his home and his power was the result of all those choices he made.
Looking at the poor condition of his son, Frederick felt that there was only one option that was still open to him if he wanted to make a comeback against those who had brought him ruin. He needed to make a run for it. In his current condition, he wouldn't be able to last long. Even if Zach didn't bother about them, the powerful families would never let him rest in peace knowing that his power was weakened.
"You bastard, we need to leave here." Frederick his son's shoulders and whispered in his ears as he lifted him up from the ground where he had been crawling due to his overwhelming injuries. He was afraid that the retaliation from Zach might be on its way. Therefore he needed to leave the city along with Raisman before that happened.
Raisman tried to speak but due to some reason the only sound that came out of his mouth was a hoarse and throaty whisper that was not understandable. It seemed that his larynx was affected by the lightning strikes and he was currently unable to talk properly. But from the way he was frantically nodding his head, it seemed that he wholeheartedly agreed with his father regarding the matter of escape.
"We will get another chance to exact our vengeance only if we manage to survive. Focus on escaping with our lives and once we do, it won't be long before we will take back what is ours." Frederick knew that his son was one the verge of giving in to death based on his injuries. He needed to give him some strong motivation in order to allow him to live. And what better motivation could there be than vengeance on those responsible for their current condition.
The father and son support each other as they half run half walk towards the exit of the Sosis family estate. Each step that he took made him curse the moment he ordered to build that dastardly maze that increased the distance they had to travel.
Before long the awaited exit was right in front of them. Just when the father and son duo were about to rest easy for having almost escaped the danger zone, someone rolled in from the other side that forced them to come to a halt. They felt as if their feet were stuck under two feet of solid concrete that wouldn't let them take a single step forward.
Bruce rolled his wheelchair inside the premises of the Sosis family residence only to find the half dead father and son duo right in front of him. Had he been a minute late, he might have missed out on his revenge for the rest of his life.
Bruce could have entered on his wheelchair but he wanted to give them hope first. He wanted them to experience hope before crushing it altogether. Only then would his vengeance be complete. They had not only been the cause of continuous torment for his sister but had also been responsible for the plot that took away his ability to walk on his own two feet.