[Author’s Note: HAPPY NEW YEAR🎉]
Tang…. Tang…
“Shit… I am still alive?” Lia shouted, her voice ringing out in disbelief as the swords finally cleared. It was surreal, more like millions of swords had suddenly turned to water and disappeared into nothingness. Yet, there wasn’t a single scratch on her body—or on Morgana, who had shielded Lia with her own form.
“Hmm?” Lia and Morgana frowned simultaneously, their expressions mirroring each other’s confusion. Lia’s gaze shifted, falling on Isadora, who also appeared untouched, her body free from even the smallest of wounds. However—
“Pfftt! Hahaha! Look at that idiot!” Lia burst into laughter, her eyes locking onto Victor. His clothes were in absolute tatters, leaving him standing there in nothing but his underwear. “How shameful~ Hahaha~ This is priceless!” she cackled, her tone dripping with amusement, her hand clutching her side as if to stop herself from doubling over.
But then—
“There isn’t even a scratch on his body… interesting,” Morgana murmured, her tone contemplative. Her words made Lia stop mid-laugh, startled by the realization. Lia clicked her tongue in frustration as her eyes roamed Victor’s body, noticing that he, too, was completely unscathed.
“Tsk, lucky bastard,” Lia muttered under her breath before her attention shifted. She turned her gaze towards Jack, who was… in an entirely different state altogether. His body was riddled with swords, every inch of him pierced as blood seeped relentlessly from his wounds.
Her lips curled slightly in a mix of pity and horror, “Wehh… That must hurt like hell!”
Morgana nodded, her expression softening into one of quiet sympathy. “It does look excruciating,” she admitted, her voice tinged with genuine pity. She knew who Jack was—an important figure, one of the Empire’s chosen. But with The Sovereign herself present, it was clear Jack’s fate was no longer her concern.
Isadora’s gaze lingered on Jack’s broken form… Blood spilled violently from his mouth, staining the ground where he kneeled. His body quivered, swords embedded deeply into his flesh…. But then her eyes shifted—to the Master.
He was a vision of haunting resilience, his body impaled with countless swords, each one piercing through his frame as if to mock his existence. His once-intimidating cloak was in shreds, barely hanging onto him…. Yet his faceless mask remained perfectly intact, still concealing his identity from the world.
“This is your end… the so-called Master,” Isadora declared, her voice cold and resolute. Her eyes, however, betrayed her wariness. Despite the sight before her, she felt nothing—no presence, no essence of life. And strangely, there was no blood dripping from his wounds, despite the sheer violence his body had endured.
“…End?” The Master’s voice emerged, weak yet eerily calm, before—
Chucckkk!
Isadora’s eyes widened in shock. The swords piercing the Master’s body began to shift, moving unnaturally as if the flesh itself was rejecting them. Slowly but surely—
Tang…
Tang…
The swords clattered to the ground one by one, each falling with a distinct metallic ring. His wounds closed almost immediately, healing as if nothing had happened.
“Vampire?” Isadora muttered, her brows furrowed in confusion. Only vampires were known to possess this kind of unparalleled regenerative ability.
Lia’s face mirrored the confusion but shook her head firmly. “No… I can’t feel him at all. He’s definitely not a vampire.”
Vampires could identify their own with a kind of innate signal, an unspoken recognition. But here, with the Master, Lia felt nothing—absolutely nothing.
“Tsk, he’s weird,” Aqualina chimed in, her voice casual as she descended gracefully to the ground. Her movements were fluid Landing softly, she cast a smirk in Lia’s direction. “You owe me,” she said, her tone light but laced with arrogance.
Lia’s lips twitched violently, her eyes narrowing as her thoughts fumed. ‘This bitch…’
Ignoring their exchange, the Master’s body continued to recover, the last of his wounds sealing shut. Then he opened his eyes—pure white voids devoid of pupils!!
The sight was unnerving, and the air itself seemed to grow heavy as everyone flinched instinctively.
“There is no end, child… only the beginning,” the Master intoned, his voice deep and resonant. His gaze drifted to the fox monster, restrained and battered under Isadora’s attack. ‘Tsk, useless,’ he thought disdainfully before his attention returned to Isadora. “It seems I must finish what I started.”
Isadora grinned wickedly, her lips curling into a predatory smile. “I’ve been waiting for this moment,” she admitted, her tone dripping with anticipation. “Let’s see if you’re as powerful as you claim.” She knew it would come to this—a direct confrontation, one-on-one. And she was damn sure she’d emerge victorious.
After all, she was the Sovereign, the pinnacle of power!
Aqualina slowly stepped back, her sharp instincts sensing the imminent clash. Her eyes flicked to the cube where Celestia remained trapped. As she moved towards it, curiosity sparked in her mind, ‘I recognize this artifact… it belongs to our Empire. Why does he have it?’
Snap!
With a sharp snap, the Master and Isadora moved simultaneously. Their feet stomped the ground with explosive force, and their fists collided at the center of the battlefield.
BOOOMMMM!!!
A shockwave rippled outward, the sheer force of their clash creating a deafening sonic wave.
As their faces drew closer in the heat of combat, Isadora swung her other hand, aiming to blast his face.
PUFFFF!!
Or so she thought. The Master moved like liquid, redirecting her attack in a smooth, almost graceful motion.
He wasted no time. Channeling his power, he blasted the ground beneath them before pivoting and landing a powerful kick aimed at her abdomen.
Thud!
But Isadora reacted with lightning speed, catching his leg just in time. With a sharp swing, she attempted to slam him into the ground.
BOOMM!
However, the tables turned in an instant. It wasn’t the Master who hit the ground—it was Isadora!
She froze in shock, her mind struggling to process what had just happened. In a fraction of a second, as she prepared to slam him down, he twisted with unnatural precision, reversing their positions effortlessly. He caught her leg, spun her midair, and slammed her down instead.
It was as if time itself had bent to his will…. like a Miracle!
‘No way… this isn’t possible. That’s not a miracle! That man… he knows my fighting technique?’ Isadora’s mind raced as unease gripped her heart. She wanted to deny it, to dismiss the thought entirely, but something about him gnawed at her resolve.
Shaking her lingering doubts aside, Isadora stomped the ground.. This time, instead of relying on her usual techniques, she drew upon what Aether had painstakingly taught her—a skill set she rarely used but now felt essential.
Boom!
Slam!
Bam!
Thud!
With a swift uppercut, followed seamlessly by a sharp lower strike, she transitioned into a powerful kick before slamming down with her full force blasting using flames… The series of moves was executed with such precision and ferocity that the Master was momentarily taken aback, ‘Where did she learn this?’ he wondered as he stumbbled!
Seizing the fleeting moment of disturbance, Isadora’s hands clapped together, her movements fluid and deliberate…. A colossal, air-filled hand materialized above the battlefield, its sheer size and weight daunting. Without hesitation, the hand descended, capturing the Master in its crushing, inescapable grip.
“Arrhh!” The Master groaned, his body struggling against the invisible force. His eyes darted to Isadora, who was now airborne, hurtling toward him at an incredible speed, an enormous ice axe clenched in her hands.
“Shi—”
BBBOOOMMMMMM!!!!!!
The very foundation of the Empire quaked under the impact, tilting slightly from the sheer force of the collision.
“Fuck!!” Lia shouted, She struggled to stay on her feet, the unrelenting force of the shockwave pushing her. Her hand instinctively shot up in front of her like a shield… but then her aunt stood before her erupting the shield to protect them.
“Is this what a Sovereign’s fight actually looks like?” Lia asked aloud, her voice trembling with awe and disbelief. To be honest, she was genuinely taken aback by the overwhelming display of power and unparalleled skill that Sovereigns wielded with such ease.
However—
Morgana chuckled softly, “Don’t forget, dear. She has the power to destroy an entire Empire without breaking much of a sweat…”
Hearing those words, Lia’s eyes widened in shock, her lips parting slightly. “S-She’s holding back?” she asked hesitantly.
“What else would you expect?” Morgana replied, her expression tinged with a wry smile and the weight of understanding. “If she wasn’t, the people of this Empire would be the ones to suffer the consequences. It’s not just the Empress who has the duty to protect the Empire… Sovereigns, too, have their roles to play in maintaining the balance of nature. That’s the law, dear.”
Lia blinked several times…. Her gaze shifted back to the battlefield, locking onto Isadora. Her breath hitched….
For the first time, she saw Isadora’s face etched with something unexpected—fear and shock.
Everyone frowned collectively… This was unprecedented—Isadora, the ever-dominant Sovereign, wearing an expression of such vulnerability?
Something was undeniably, terribly wrong…
Their focus shifted instinctively to the Master.
His body was a horrifying sight—his shoulder severed almost entirely, hanging by mere threads of flesh and muscle. The cut extended halfway down to his abdomen, leaving his form grotesquely mangled. And yet, what was truly unsettling wasn’t the extent of the injury but the complete absence of blood. Not a single drop stained his body or the ground beneath him.
A collective shiver ran down their spines.
But it wasn’t over.
The faceless mask that had concealed the Master’s identity for so long finally fell away, splitting cleanly into two shattered pieces.
Thud… Thud…
As everyone leaned in closer, straining to catch a glimpse of his face, a hood materialized out of nowhere, shrouding his features in an impenetrable shadow… They only managed to catch fleeting details—his pure white eyes, void of any pupils, and a massive scar etched into his face, forming a crude ‘X’ across his features. And then, like a phantom, his visage vanished beneath the hood’s cover. [Imgoncmt] Explore more stories at My Virtual Library Empire
The group exchanged uneasy, questioning glances.
“Principal?” Aqualina called softly, her voice barely above a whisper. But Isadora didn’t respond. Her face remained frozen, etched with unrelenting fear and horror.
The Master took a slow, deliberate breath, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. As they watched in stunned silence, his severed shoulder began to mend itself, the torn flesh knitting together with an unnatural precision and speed. Within moments, he was whole again, as if nothing had ever happened.
He sighed heavily, his tone almost casual as he muttered, “Well… not everything goes according to plan, does it? Haha…” He let out a weak, almost self-deprecating laugh, brushing off the severity of the situation like it was nothing more than a trivial inconvenience.
But his gaze lingered on Isadora, who remained utterly paralyzed by fear. He sighed again, this time with a sense of resignation,
“Hmm… I didn’t expect this to happen. Well, I suppose I don’t have much of a choice anymore. Time is already ticking, My plan is already messed up… I cannot delay any more… and I need to finish this.” He paused, his tone softening, warmth creeping into his voice.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, dear Doar?”
The sudden shift in his demeanour was jarring. His tone was filled with a strange, almost painful longing.
Isadora flinched violently as if something had snapped inside her. She gulped audibly, her throat bobbing as she struggled to form coherent words. “…M…Master… S… Snape?” she stammered, her voice barely audible, almost a whisper.
“…. Indeed”
Lia’s brows furrowed as she observed the interaction. Her expression was one of bewilderment. ‘Who? Her lover or what?’ she wondered.
But then her gaze shifted to Morgana, whose face betrayed pure shock. It was as if Morgana herself couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“Aunt, who is that?” Lia asked her voice firm despite the unease creeping into her tone. But Morgana’s eyes remained fixed on the hooded figure, her expression blank, almost haunted by recognition.
Aqualina’s frown deepened initially but then something in her mind suddenly sifted through fragments of her memory, piecing together something long buried in the past life. Her eyes widened in realization, her hands trembling as she pointed toward the Master,
“D-Don’t tell me… H-He is that…” she stuttered, her voice cracking with fear and disbelief.
….
Meanwhile, in the chaos of it all, the usual forgotten background characters had quietly disappeared, swept away when Aqualina’s flood had engulfed the area.
With everything seemingly under control and the Master’s sole focus on Isadora, Aether deemed it unnecessary to linger. He trusted that she could handle herself, and with Aqualina nearby, Celestia would eventually be freed. With his priorities clear, Aether turned his attention back to his mission.
!~Ding~!
[Warning: Teleporting to Another World… Target: Pyra Fulgur]
!~Ding~!
[-1,000,000 AP Deducted]
[Remaining: 3,168,021 AP]
Only to see—
Sssshhhh
Everything was destroyed.
Everything was horrifyingly, irreversibly wrong.
“What… happened here?” Aether mumbled, his voice thick with disbelief and a growing sense of dread as he stared at the scene before him. His Empire… was utterly annihilated.
The people were injured, their anguished cries piercing the eerie stillness of the air… and The castle was silent as if nothing in there!