Chapter 32

Third Person's POV

The Empress stood, her gaze fixed upon the boy who stood before her, his lips curled in a mild laughter that seemed to dance beneath his breath.

Then, her attention flickered to the black, transparent screen nearby. There was nothing remarkable about it, yet a hint of curiosity tinged her thoughts, urging her to delve deeper into its enigmatic depths.

"Heheh..." Aether's laughter persisted, a subtle melody amidst the silence of the chamber, his eyes alight with unspoken defiance as they met Mother Root.

Uncertain of why no one intervened, Aether found himself oddly... didn't care, If he going die anyway, he would not succumb without a fight, refusing to meet his death in the same pitiful manner as before.

Observing Aether's hazy and determined wobbly walk toward the Altar, Sparrow merely shrugged, while beads of sweat began to form on Velc's furrowed brow.

Today, Velc purpose was to ascertain whether Aether had fallen prey to manipulation or not.

Velc harbored no intention of allowing him to summon his Arcane Card, fully aware of the dire consequences that would ensue if his father caught wind of such actions.

If he knew, Velc would die surely!!

Velc tried to stop Ether, even though he knew he couldn't. Yet, he couldn't allow it, especially not in front of the Empress.

"H-hey, St---" Velc's attempt to interject was swiftly halted by a single glance from the Empress, her gaze imbued with an authority that commanded obedience and compliance..... much like the invisible pressure he had once exerted upon Aether during their initial encounter.

'Fuck!!' Velc cursed as he lamented the grave error of bringing Aether into their midst.

With bated breath, Aether stood before the Altar, his chest heaving with exertion as he beheld the ethereal spectacle unfolding before him.

The intricate web of Roots intertwined to form a divine hand, its allure mixed against the crimson stains of his own blood...

As his gaze settled upon his torn hand, which lay cradled within the embrace of Mother Root,

'Drip, Drip'

Aether couldn't help but notice the blood still dripping from its flesh, staining the ground that represents purity...

"Heheh..."

With a sinister chuckle, he muttered under his breath, the words dripping with venomous intent,

"Heh... By the... hehe... Cursed words and..... a venomous plea, obey my touch and be tainted by.... blood.

Summon forth..... hehehehe.....

YOU FUCKING ARCANE BITCH!!"

Horrified by the sacrilegious chant, Lucius, the sole priest present, couldn't contain his outrage as he confronted the audacious slave who dared to defile the purity of Mother Root.

"You Bastard!!" Lucius's voice echoed with a mixture of pain and anger, "How dare you defile our pure Mother with such vile words! Kneel down now and beg for her mercy!!!!"

"This guy's gone nuts..." Sparrow muttered incredulously, his eyes widening in disbelief as he observed the chaotic scene unfolding before him, yet Mother Root remained unmoved by the commotion.

Not even a single reaction.

"Of course, there's no way that chant would work," Sparrow remarked mockingly, his tone laced with disdain, before scooping up Kai and preparing to depart.

'Ttrrrr'

But just as he and his subordinates were about to leave, a faint tremor reverberated through the temple, causing Sparrow to pause mid-step, his senses alert to the subtle shift in the atmosphere.

"Hmm?" Frowns creased the brows of those present, their confusion mounting.

"TTTTTRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!"

The sudden eruption of sound echoed like thunder, shaking the very foundations of the temple as if a mighty earthquake had seized hold of the land.

"YOU SLAVE!!" Lucius's voice cracked with a mixture of fear and indignation as he pointed an accusatory finger at Aether, "YOU ANGERED OUR MOTHER!!"

As fear gripped Lucius's heart, his thoughts turned inward, a desperate plea echoing in the recesses of his mind, "Dear Mother, I-I am not... he is the one. He is the one who defiled you, who tainted your sacred face..." His words devolved into incoherent ramblings as panic clouded his senses.

Meanwhile, Aether remained unperturbed, his gaze fixated on the roots before him, his expression unreadable as he slowly inclined his head towards the divine entity.

The tremors left the onlookers stunned, their eyes darting around the chamber in confusion when felt the earthquake.... Yet amidst the chaos, only one individual observed Aether with a mixture of shock and intrigue.

"What in the world is he going to do?" The Empress muttered, her expression a mix of shock and intrigue as she watched the unfolding scene before her.

'Crunch, Crunch'

The unsettling sound of crunching echoed throughout the chamber, causing everyone to flinch before their attention snapped back to the Altar.... To their disbelief, Aether was sinking his teeth into the root.

"YOU HERETIC!!!" Lucius's voice reverberated with pain and fury, his eyes ablaze with righteous anger at the sacrilegious act unfolding before him.

'Drip, Drip...'

The blood that had coated the surface of the root began to flow anew as Aether's teeth pierced its flesh, a crimson rivulet trickling down his chin. With each bite, the blood was drawn deeper into the Roots, triggering a visceral reaction....

"LUBB! DUP!"

A thunderous heartbeat resounded throughout the chamber, its rhythmic pulse shaking the very air around them.

The Empress rose to her feet, her eyes fixed upon Aether as he stubbornly persisted in his bizarre endeavour, attempting to pull the root with just his teeth.

"What in the hell...?" Sparrow exclaimed, his irritation palpable as he set Kai down and strode purposefully towards Aether, determined to put an end to the chaos that surrounded him.

"TTRRRRRRRR!!!!"

Before Sparrow could utter another word, a deafening roar drowned out his voice, the ground trembling violently beneath their feet.

"Do you think you can pull that root with yo--"

"BOOMM!!"

Those were the last words Sparrow uttered before witnessing Aether, now handless, somersault through the air with a massive root clamped firmly between his teeth, crashing down upon his prone body.

Sparrow couldn't even had time to act like a Sparrow...

'Thuuu' Aether spat the root from his mouth, his gaze fixed on the lifeless form of Sparrow.

"...Hehe... That's what my desire..." Aether muttered, his voice tinged with an eerie calmness.

But the unfolding events were far from over. Suddenly, the black screen behind Aether flickered like an old TV, catching everyone's attention.

!~Ding~!

A bell-like sound reverberated in Aether's mind, followed by a deafening,

'SSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!'

As a blinding light emanated from the temple, enveloping everything in its brilliance.

Squinting against the intense glare, the onlookers watched in awe as the light surpassed even Kai, the renowned Arcane King, in brightness.

Speculation ran rampant as they wondered what manner of Card this mere slave could possibly summon.

And just as anticipation reached its peak, an unknown card materialized before their eyes...

"Tang"

"SSshhhh...."

The Empress, Velc, Lucius, Alfred... their eyes widened in astonishment at the sight before them.

What emerged was a pure white card, its radiance transcending any shade of white they had ever encountered.

A Pure White!!

Even Pure Virgins would pale in front of this Purity!!

Aether's head lolled from side to side as his gaze settled on Velc, a silent threat lingering in his eyes. But before he could act further, exhaustion overtook him, and his eyelids drooped shut and leaned on the humongous root.

'Trrrrrkkkkkkk'

Once more, the earth trembled, but this time the disturbance emanated outside of the temple.... Temple's Entrance!

As all eyes turned towards the source, a wave of fear washed over them at the sight of....

"GGFRRRRRRTTTTTT!!!!!"

A sinister, devoid black entity crawling towards them, its ominous presence sending shivers down their spines.