“Boom!”
“One down~” Aether whispered with a hint of madness as he forcefully slammed the woman onto the ground, her body going limp as she lost consciousness in an instant.
Aether tilted his head with drunken amusement, his eyes fixed on Blake and his team, who were utterly stunned by his sudden and brutal attack.
“Attack him!!” Blake’s voice boomed as he unsheathed his silver sword and launched it towards Aether, aiming for a fatal blow.
“Tsk, Tsk, Tsk…” Aether shook his head mockingly and adopted a crazed tone. “Didn’t I tell you ‘Hide and Seek’?” he taunted as he evaded the attacks with lightning speed, his agility increasing with each move.
“Increase Agility”
[+1 Agility]
[Agility: 14↑]
‘ssshhh’
With swift precision, Aether crouched low and delivered a precise strike to one of the man’s legs, causing him to twist and fall with a pained cry. Without hesitation, Aether followed through, slamming the falling man to the ground with enough force to knock him unconscious.
“BOOM!!”
“Two Down~” Aether announced calmly, his voice belying the chaos of the situation as he surveyed the remaining fearful opponents.
The remaining members of Blake’s team backed off, their expressions a mix of fear and disbelief at Aether’s unpredictable behaviour.
“Why are you not hiding? It’s no fun if you are not hiding…” Aether pouted childishly, his demeanour shifting rapidly between playful and menacing.
‘Cough, cough’ A dry cough interrupted his theatrics, the previous fire blast didn’t have much impact on him due to increasing in Magic Affinity but still his throat went dry.
“OI!! Give me something to drink,” Aether demanded impatiently, his annoyance evident as he struggled with his dry throat.
“What’s wrong with this lunatic?” Blake’s team exclaimed, their confusion and frustration palpable.
“Hehe…” Empress chuckled, finding amusement in Aether’s antics. She actually liked this kind of characteristic from Aether… She tossed a bottle of wine towards him instead of water, a mischievous glint in her eye.
The Archpriestess, however, frowned disapprovingly, feeling that Aether’s innocence was being tainted by alcohol. She shot a disapproving glare at Empress for throwing the wine bottle.
“What else? He didn’t specify anything, did he?” Empress retorted with a playful smile, enjoying the spectacle.
Catching the bottle with a deft motion, Aether inspected it briefly before popping the cork and taking a long swig without hesitation.
‘Gulp’
‘Gulp’
As Aether indulged in the wine, oblivious to the chaos around him, one of Blake’s members saw an opportunity and lunged forward to take advantage of Aether’s distraction.
‘Shhhh’
Just as the blade was about to reach Aether’s head,
‘Increase Agility’
[+1 Agility]
[Agility: 15↑]
Aether leaned back in an instant, his agility defying belief as he narrowly avoided the blade, strands of his hair getting clipped by the passing edge. The attacker recoiled in shock at Aether’s speed…
“Trrrrr”
“Arrrhhh!”
Seizing the moment of shock, Aether swung the wine bottle with surprising force, connecting it with the man’s head in a brutal strike. The impact was so intense that the bottle shattered, sending shards of glass flying, and the man cried out in agony as he clutched his injured head, momentarily incapacitated by the unexpected assault.
“Aioo, you wasted my drink ‘Hic'” Aether muttered with annoyance before delivering a slap to the man’s face.
“Sigh…” Aether glanced at the broken bottle in his hand and then at the remaining individuals. “Three down~,” he remarked casually, his tone belying the gravity of the situation.
“B-Blake, we need to escape now!”
“Yes, look at the mad man, he’s clearly out of his mind!
“….” Blake swallowed nervously, feeling a surge of fear as he realized the extent of the transformation in the man before him, who was now devoid of the cowardice he had seen just weeks ago.
“Listen, I know you guys are scared, but if we lose now…. we might never get a chance to enter the palace,” Blake said with determination, rallying his team with a steadfast resolve.
The others frowned, but seeing their leader’s resolute expression, they too hardened their resolve, refusing to let a mere slave overrun them. With newfound determination, they devised a sudden plan…
“Shall we play tag game?” Blake asked with a smile as his party members surrounded Aether.
“Tag?” Aether tilted his head as his eyes scanned the group, his expression playful. “Why no—”
“Shh…” Before Aether could finish, he was bombarded with water spear magic. However, Aether easily evaded the magical assault and was about to move toward the only magic user among them when an axe swung in his direction…
“SHMM!”
“OH!” Aether barely dodged the attack in the nick of time, a realization dawning on him. ‘I see…’ Their strategy became clear…. they were ganging up on him, akin to bullying tactics.
“BOMM!!”
‘sshh’
‘Shhh’
Aether expertly evaded each attack, his movements fluid and graceful. He wanted to retaliate and incapacitate one of them, but every time he moved towards a specific target, the others would strike, leaving him with no opening.
“Yes, we need to drain his strength,” Blake remarked with satisfaction, observing Aether’s struggle to evade their coordinated assault. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret, wishing he had employed this strategy earlier to secure an easier victory.
“Tsk, It’s all my mistake thinking he wouldn’t pose much of a problem,” Blake muttered in frustration, redoubling his efforts to wear down Aether’s defences.
“He is now surrounded,” Princess observed with keen interest, intrigued by Aether’s sudden surge in power as if he were growing stronger amidst the chaos of battle. If this were indeed the case, she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of asset he could be to her kingdom.
‘I see… I now understand,’ Princess muttered to herself, casting a meaningful glance at the Archpriestess. ‘Now it all makes sense… We cannot afford to lose him.’ She then turned her gaze to her mother, who wore a knowing smile, silently acknowledging their shared understanding.
“Finally I got it Mother” Princess mumbled… Empress just smiled.
“I got him!!”
Princess turned her head around at the sound, her eyes widening in shock as she beheld Aether, now bleeding from his stomach.
“!!!” Princess was taken aback by the sudden turn of events.
“E-Ether!!” Selene’s expression turned to one of horror, her concern evident. The Archpriestess, meanwhile, nearly broke the armrest in anger at the sight.
“This is what will happen if you try to play with us, brat!” Blake declared with a haughty smile, his gaze fixed triumphantly on Aether, who was now pierced through both his stomach and his back.
“Cough, Cough” Aether coughed up blood, his vision growing hazy as he looked up at Blake’s smug expression. Despite his injuries, Aether’s grip tightened around the neck of the person he held pinned to the ground.