*Boom* The entire castle quaked under the titanic clash of powers, yet its fortified walls, bolstered by potent enchantments and arcane foundations, remained unscathed.
Even though, many individuals in the castle felt it, and not only because of the shaking, the pressure that was emitted...
Even those weaker individuals realized that a battle had begun between powerful individuals when they fell to their knees from the disturbed energy.
The castle kept shaking as one explosion came after another.
...
Deep inside the castle, in a large room.
*Bang*
The blue lightning and blue fire collided, and explosions occurred.
After another clash of energy, Xalier appeared out of the smoke that was created from the burning of the room and all its interior.
"Have you made another Breakthrough in the short time we haven't seen each other?"
The old man with long white hair, the cause of everything... The one named Iosif received Xalier's sword as he said these words.
"You truly are a monster of talent!"
"..." Their swords locked in a fierce struggle, Xalier met the old man's gaze with unwavering determination. Words were a luxury he couldn't afford; his priority was reaching his only son as swiftly as possible.
Adjusting his grip on the sword, Xalier deftly maneuvered, forcing the old man's blade down before swiftly striking at his upper body, sending him reeling.
Iosif, nursing the minor cut, touched the wound and brought his finger to his lips, tasting his following and stemming blood.
"Hm, your swordsmanship is good, but sadly you're too young and still not strong enough..."
As Iosif's face turned amused, he drew lightning around his body and headed toward Xalier.
*boom*boom*
The fighting continued and the room was further destroyed.
The walls groaned and buckled, their enchanted defenses straining against the overwhelming force emanating from Xalier and the elderly man. Despite their magical fortifications, they yielded inch by inch to the relentless assault.
Slowly through the clashes, more and more wounds appeared on Xalier's body.
In truth, he was two Stages lower than the old fart, so he couldn't overpower him in any way possible, he was simply looking for a chance to escape.
*Groan* With a loud sound, Xalier was flown through the castle wall with a large bolt of lightning.
"You're far too dangerous…" The old man conceded, eyes scanning the minor wounds that adorned his form from their relentless exchanges.
"It's astounding, there were times you were so prepared even I couldn't do much, yet now..."
"Your power over the clan was almost flawless...Young Lear, you really threw away everything for that little girl, for a senseless dream?"
"..." To his questions, still no answer was heard. As his wounds healed, Iosif launched himself by pushing the energy and air to go after Xalier.
And right before he reached the dust cloud.
"With this little monster of yours, your, he, and everyone who followed you will end, not even your father and clan can protect...!"
*Huh?* Noticing the surge of energy in the dust cloud, Iosif raised his sword to block, and in that millisecond...
"Monster...?" With a veiled howle, a wing of black and red energy stretched out to attack.
As he blocked the attack an expression of surprise appeared on his face.
As he flew a few meters back, he continued.
"I already understood that you have Spirit Fire, but this..."
As the smoke cleared, Xalier stepped out, he was almost in the same form as when he fought Antanasia, but this time in full form with 9 white fox tails behind him.
"Um...? Did you combine your Spirit and Vampire forms?"
"It smells strange and gives off an irritating energy." As Xalier took a step forward, he disappeared.
*Huh?* Feeling the energy appear behind him, Iosif quickly turned his body.
'Faster than me?'
As Iosif turned, he was struck down by the sword, surrounded by black and purple fire.
*Ahghh* As the old man groaned in pain from his hands burning, Xalier hit him down to the ground.
The old man frowned at his hand.
'It burns both my physical and spiritual body, it's dangerous...!'
Above him, however, blood flowed from Xalier's mouth.
Xalier's turned around broke through the wall that led outside and started towards a hidden teleportation array.
He was so fast that the people standing outside in the courtyard of the castle didn't even recognize him.
"You young people are so arrogant, they easily turn their backs on the enemy!"
After extinguishing the flames, Iosif ran after Xalire in his Vampire form.
His appearance was similar to Xalier's, but his wings were not made of energy, but physical bat-like wings, and he had a red blood-like aura with lightning running through it, and compared to Xailer's, his aura was much denser.
Iosif released a bolt of lightning from his hand and attacked, with Xalier responding with blood-red fireballs.
As both hit and dodged the attacks, the chase continued.
*Cha* Iosif was getting closer to Xalier with each step, his speed was faster, but not by much so it annoyed him.
"I'll get you either way!" This caused Iosif to use up even more energy and take another few steps to arrive right above Xalier.
Sensing the danger of the attack he summoned both his black and blue Spiritfire and the blood-red Bloodfire which is a unique quality of the Lear family.
As he mixed the two fires in his left hand, he blocked Iosif's attack with his sword.
Iosif released lightning from his other hand, but Xalier didn't defend against it, taking the damage he used this chance to hit him in the face with his purple fire that could burn everything.
In such a surprising way, Iosif was hit by the fire and he pushed himself away because of it.
'This fire is dangerous, it's better not to be hit...' he thought as he felt extreme pain.
Feeling this danger he didn't get very close because of it, and in such a manner, they only exchanged ranged attacks from then on.
"You can't run forever!"
In just minutes as Iosif sensed the aura of the Elder, whom he directed to stand before Xalier, he began to grin.
Feeling the energy in front of him, Xalier didn't stop but pushed himself even harder to go faster.
"...?"
When Xalier came before the Elder, he brought out a short sword-like artifact from his ring.
"Imprison them Arrogance!"
As the words fell, a barrier appeared, around both Iosif, who had just arrived, and The Elder of the Dalca family.
"A True Immortal Rank Sealing artifact...?"
As they were both imprisoned in a white transparent orb, Xalier summoned more black-purple fire and surrounded them.
"Hm? Your body doesn't seem to like using this fire either!"
When Iosif noticed that blood was flowing from Xalier's mouth he grinned.
Instead of speaking, Xalier turned and advanced, knowing that since the artifact had been activated in a hurry, it could not hold them back for long.
...
Following Xalier, the old man, Iosif, and the Elder arrived at the teleportation array a few minutes later.
As soon as Iosif saw Xalier sitting in his usual form in the center of the glowing blue array, he began to speak.
"You see, young people always hold nothing back...!"
"Admirable, but mistaken."
"You'll always lose the long battle."
Thinking that Xalier had used up all his momentum and strength, he began to smile.
As he began to attack the barrier around the array with the Elder, Iosif continued.
"Now you're like a trapped mouse, the array won't activate before we break through this barrier."
After a few attacks, the barrier was shattered, and at this moment, he felt something strange.
"What? Why is it activating?"
Looking at Xalier who was sitting there gathering energy to activate the array, he looked confused as he felt the array was already activating.
As he felt the absurdity of the situation, he heard Xalier's voice.
"I don't know which one of us is truly trapped!"
As the array glowed up, Iosif realized why it was activating, it wasn't this array that activated the teleport, but it was this one that received it.
At this moment, thousands of white lights appeared with the figures of people, and as the light disappeared, revealing their identities, Xalier's subordinates, the Leader's protectors, and the strong men of the Lear Clan appeared in the teleportation array.
"Fuck it...!"
"It was a trap!"
"Attack them, don't let them bother me!" As Xalier commanded, thousands of soldiers rushed out and attacked the two men.
After a few minutes of fighting, many fell, none as strong as Iosif and the Elder as there were only young people there, but the problem was that there were many of them and they were not weak either.
As the fight continued, Xalier had already activated his array to teleport in the vicinity of their house.
"Fuck it!"
Seeing the teleportation array activate, Iosif's annoyance rises to unimaginable heights, he was played by a person ten times younger so it was obvious.
*Huh?*
But at that moment, Iosif felt Leyla and some of his subordinates from his Clan approaching them.
His annoyed face quickly turned into a grin when he heard Leyla's Divine Sense message.
'I brought the reinforcements!' As the men of the Dalca clan slowly appeared one after the other, Iosif commanded.
"Don't let them come after us!"
After the order, both Iosif and the Elder turned and started towards the east forest, the one where he ordered the other two Elders to go.
...
At the same time, Xalier flew towards the house.
Since the teleport destination wasn't at the house, he had to fly for a few minutes to get there.
And while he approached the sycamore tree, he felt Elah's slightly weaker energy moving in front of him, she was even much closer to the house than he was.
Sensing four more distinct presences, he quickened his pace, and the moment he was not far away, he heard a scream echoing through the sky.
"NOOO...!"