Chapter 110

"M-My HANDDD!!!" Timmy's piercing scream tore through the air, echoing with raw agony as he beheld the gruesome sight of his right hand shattered into pieces, blood spurting in a crimson arc from the shattered joints.

Timmy writhed on the cold ground as waves of searing pain crashed over him, lasting longer than he had anticipated and leaving him gasping for air.

"M-My son!!" Alfred's voice trembled with shock and despair as he beheld the dire state of his beloved child, his gaze shifting swiftly to the figure responsible for Timmy's grievous injury.

'trrrr'

Debris cascaded from Aether's form as he rose to his feet with an eerie calmness. His expression remained inscrutable, His eyes were obscured by strands of black-dyed hair that hinted at his true white hair beneath.

'Drip, Drip'

Blood trickled down Aether's face in a macabre rhythm, each droplet a stark reminder of the brutal exchange that had marred his features.

'Step'

With measured purpose, Aether advanced toward the still-writhing Timmy, whose cries of anguish pierced the tumultuous atmosphere.

"Something feels wrong..." The Archpriestess's voice carried a note of unease, her keen senses detecting a subtle shift in the arcane energies enveloping them... a strange calmness.

"..." The Empress remained silent, yet she also felt the sudden calmness in the surroundings.

"S-Stop him!!" Alfred's face contorted with dread as he spoke, his uncertainty evident. He knew that if Aether was not halted now, something far worse than death could befall his son..... a thought of how Priest turned into a black monster... chilled him to the core.

Just as Alfred moved to intervene,

"!!!" he was seized by a sudden pressure a force exerted by none other than.... the Empress.

"Y-Your Majesty?" Alfred stammered, his eyes filled with dread as he looked at the Empress.

"Didn't you previously say, 'My son wants to face this slave, so we should refrain from interfering'?" The Empress's smile held no warmth, her tone edged with a hint of menace that sent a shiver down Alfred's spine,

"Remember, this is merely a tournament where death is but a matter of pride, and your son's unauthorized entry into the battle arena without permission..... Let's see what he's capable of. Who knows, he might surprise us all."

However, the Empress couldn't help but wonder about Aether, 'What in the world is wrong with this boy?... Even I have a hard time sensing him. He seems to be mingled in the arcane, beyond my understanding.'

The Empress's excitement always peaked when Aether exceeded her expectations, a fact that both intrigued and unsettled her heart.

Velc, although tempted to disagree with the Empress's decision, found himself at a loss for words.... Timmy's haughty entrance into the battle arena left him no voice of opinion.

Timmy, who had been writhing in excruciating pain moments ago, abruptly ceased his cries as he sensed a looming presence over him. Turning his head, he locked eyes with Aether standing before him.

"Y-You, Bastard!! How dare you hit me, you Bastard!!" Timmy's voice cracked with anger and pain.

Aether remained silent, his imposing figure casting a shadow over Timmy, his eyes hidden behind strands of hair that swayed gently in the breeze.

"Just because you've grown stronger, you think you're some kind of big shot, doing as you please... You pathetic slave, A filth!! You should never forget your place in the en—" Timmy's words faltered as a sudden gust of wind lifted Aether's hair, revealing eyes that were hidden.

The eyes shrouded in darkness, devoid of emotion, sending a chill down Timmy's spine!!

A sense of fear gripped Timmy, his breath catching in his throat, "H-Hahah..." He forced a nervous laugh, attempting to mask his unease as he slowly began to crawl back, his bravado waning in the face of Aether's silent menace.

However, before Timmy could move, Aether swiftly seized his leg, "W-Wait!! S-Sto—" Before Timmy could finish.

'Slikcckk!'

With a forceful motion, Aether tightened his grip and jerked Timmy's limb like a whip, causing him to collide with the ground with a sickening thud, the force of the impact tearing Timmy's leg from his body. With a pained cry, Timmy was sent rolling across the ground until he finally came to a halt at a considerable distance.

"Puffkkk"

"ARRRHHHHHHH!!!"

Timmy's agonized screams echoed through the arena, his pain palpable in the air, yet...

'Step'

At the sound of the approaching footsteps, Timmy's survival instinct kicked in, propelling him to crawl desperately away, "I-I accept defeat!! I give up!! Please, no more! Please stop this madman!" Timmy's pleas were drowned in tears and mucus as he lay in a pool of agony.

The Announcer, also known as the Empress's Maid, exchanged a glance with the Empress, but the Empress's gaze remained fixed on Aether's advancing figure.

"Y-Your Majesty, he has surrendered! Please, stop this before it goes further!" Alfred's voice trembled with fear as he pleaded for his son's safety.

But Alfred's words seemed to fall on deaf ears as the Empress maintained her silence, her expression unreadable, instilling dread in those around her. Velc, too, shared in Alfred's apprehension, his lips pressed together in anxiety.

"H-Hey! Someone, stop him... Please!!" Timmy's voice trembled as he watched in despair, realizing that no one was coming to his aid despite his surrender.

Aether closed in, his presence suffocating, and Timmy's heart sank with despair as he resigned himself to a grim fate. With no other options left, he turned to Kai, Aether's Master.

"Y-Young Master, P-Please help me... Even though I acted rashly, it was for your sake," Timmy implored, his desperation evident.

Upon hearing Timmy's plea, Kai's heart sank with remorse. He understood Timmy's actions were motivated by a desire to protect the princess, but he couldn't stand by and watch his assistant and slave engage in a potentially deadly confrontation.

Kai shook his head, torn between his only truthful servant and his desires. Despite his longing to marry the Princess, he couldn't abandon Timmy, who had been by his side since childhood. Summoning his courage, Kai commanded, "Ether, I order you to stop!"

Aether's movements halted abruptly, frozen in response to his Master's command.

Princess and Empress exchanged disapproving glances, their annoyance palpable.

"Forgive me, Princess, but I cannot allow my Assistant and Slave to harm each other," Kai stated firmly, his decision final.

He finally maned up!!

"Very well," the Princess responded nonchalantly, She was truly intrigued by Aether. While Selene, though not sure what was happening to him, was relieved that Aether was unharmed, as long as Aether didn't get hurt she was fine.

However,

"Arrhh"

"trrrrr"

'Crack, Crack'

"Oh My...." The Empress muttered in disbelief as she witnessed Aether move his finger ever so slightly, a feat that defied the laws of their world.

"Cough!!" Kai suddenly doubled over, coughing up blood, his body unable to bear the strain of what was unfolding.

"W-What is happening?" Velc's voice shook with concern as he held his son close, his eyes fixed on Aether whose body trembled as if struggling against an invisible force constricting him.

"Is he serious?!" Delphine couldn't contain her shock, her gaze locked on Aether's struggling form.

"H-He is defying the law of the Eternal Slave," the Princess whispered in shock, her usually composed demeanour shattered as she watched some kind of invincible restraint wrap itself around Aether's body.

Before anyone could comprehend the gravity of the situation,

"Crack, Crack..."

"trrrcckk"

'Step, Step...'

Aether took his first deliberate step forward, ignoring his Master's command and the fundamental laws that bound him.

"Cough, Cough!!" Kai's condition worsened as he coughed up even more blood, his once-clear eyes now clouded with pain and confusion.

"W-What is happening!! YOUNG MASTER!" Timmy's voice trembled with horror and disbelief as he witnessed Aether's defiance, a sight that struck fear into his heart.

The Empress and Archpriestess stood frozen, their mouths agape in utter shock at the unprecedented events unfolding before them, events that threatened to unravel the very fabric of their established law.