Chapter 61: Chapter 61: System's Intervention

Selene and Raelar pressed their advantage against the other five Summoners, who were visibly exhausted from their previous confrontation with Lucien.

Selene, with a fierce smile on her face, observed the water that had accumulated on the floor during the fight. Her eyes sparkled with a sudden idea. With a fluid gesture of her hand, she and her frog created more water, flooding the floor up to their ankles.

The liquid reflected the refracted lights in the ice shards around the room, creating an almost hypnotic effect. The other Summoners looked on warily, aware that Selene rarely acted without a hidden purpose.

"What are you plotting, Selene?" Mordred growled, his eyes narrowed with suspicion, while he commanded his magic and his frog. 'That girl was just like Lucien,' he thought. Years of experience had taught him to fear the young female Summoner's unpredictable strategies.

Selene smiled, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Can't you guess? When I was little, you told me it was easy to understand the mind of a foolish girl who wants to be a man because of her da..."

But before Selene could finish her response, Varen intervened, his voice laden with urgency. "Careful! Remember what Lucien did. Heat the water, quickly!"

The four remaining Summoners nodded, understanding the strategy. With a coordination born from fear of Lucien's previous combo, they began forming fireballs in their hands. The air filled with intense heat as they launched them to counter Selene's plan.

Raelar arched an eyebrow, exchanging an amused look with Selene as he created two fireballs, one in each hand. The fire danced between his fingers, reflecting in his eyes with an almost diabolical gleam. "It seems our relatives have learned some lessons," he murmured, his voice laden with sarcasm.

Selene nodded, but her smile didn't falter. Two other fireballs appeared in her hands, the heat intensifying the already charged atmosphere of the room. "Pity for them, it's the wrong lessons."

But Selene was prepared. With a movement of her eyes, her frog stopped impeding Mordred and Estin's frogs and created a water barrier in front of Varen's fire attack, preventing it from blocking the combo. Water and fire clashed in an explosion of steam, creating a momentary curtain that hid Selene from view. "Not so fast, darling," she smiled, her voice cutting through the mist with a mocking tone.

Selene and Raelar launched their attacks facing each other, generating an explosion of ice shards similar to Lucien's.

The air filled with razor-sharp crystals, flying in all directions. Selene and Raelar knew they would lose 14 points themselves, but their resistances were much better than what little the other five had. Kairos, still unconscious, seemed destined to die painlessly amidst the chaos.

Just when all seemed lost for Kairos, Varen, Mordred, Estin, and Lotar, an overwhelming presence filled the room. The air became dense, charged with an ancient and powerful energy.

With an almost imperceptible movement of his hand, dark forms they had never seen before materialized almost instantly around the Summoners.

These mysterious shadows covered them from the damage of the ice explosion, defying all logic and expectation. They seemed to emerge from nowhere, like shadows coming to life, moving with an unnatural fluidity.

From the shadows emerged a figure that made all present hold their breath. Fathoran, the patriarch of the families who never left his chambers or the harem, advanced with deliberate steps, his presence filling the room with undeniable authority.

His body, surprisingly young and athletic for his hundred years, was not naked this time; a strange robe adorned him. On his hooded head, undisturbed by the chaos surrounding him, rested a small white rabbit with red eyes.

"Well, well," Fathoran said, his jovial voice contrasting with the tension in the air. "What do we have here? A little family dispute?"