https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-844-The-True-Turmoil-of-the-Kreth-Empire-Part-2-/12937120/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-846-The-Empire-s-Strongest-Man-Part-1-/12937133/
Chapter 845: Hestinos' Grand Play
Chapter 845: Hestinos' Grand Play
"I wanted to say that after many years, people say that ancient grievances can be buried," Hestinos spoke, his feet stepping over flecks of blood.
"But I finally realized that was wrong, because the past will crawl back up on its own."
He lifted his index finger slightly, like a conductor directing a musical score, as he spoke to Rahal.
"Hestinos... you... what's going on with you? Why did you kill your companion, Viola?"
Rahal asked in a low voice as he backed away.
He didn't think that his injured state would make him much weaker than the first War God, Hestinos. However, every nerve cell in his brain was telling him that he absolutely must not continue this confrontation with the man before him today.
"Why did you kill Viola, who was with you? Are you in your right mind now?"
Only then did Rahal realize that the seal binding him had completely disappeared.
He had regained his freedom, and he should have been overjoyed, but at this moment, he only felt a chill down his spine.
He couldn't understand Hestinos, and this inability to comprehend brought him a terror that defied logic.
"A companion? Haha... Rahal, you're being a bit naive."
Hestinos spoke as he walked, his tone gentle and eerie.
"These citizens are like candlelight, making me want to snuff them out."
His eyes seemed to see through time, back to twenty years ago.
It was also the National Festival of Crethia, but it was later known as 'Blood Bath Day'.
He had escaped from his manor, only to see the city-state in flames, with black smoke rising from the neighboring manor.
At that time, he dared not look up.
Looking up would mean seeing the unrecognizable thing on top of his family's manor—
"He won't get far, he's just a child of a few years old. There's no way he can escape today."
"Once you catch him, gut him like his parents! Hang him on the manor's roof for all to see!"
"His family has royal blood. Won't we be going too far?"
"We've already gone this far, precisely because of that, we must go to the end."
"Never let the remnants of the Marquis family escape!"
The sound of footsteps searching for him still echoed in his ears, even after twenty years, constantly chasing after him.
"Every day I spent with Viola, I wondered what expression she would have if she saw through me. Do you know? She actually thought of me as a citizen like herself. It's so hilarious."
Hestinos shook his head in relief, looking at Rahal in front of the dark hall,
"Alright, it's time for this play to end."
He stared at Rahal, as if seeing a precious treasure, and calmly spoke to him.
"Hestinos, why don't we cooperate?"
Rahal felt a chill run down his spine, not from Viola's frost aura, but from the deepest, dampest part of the empire under the night sky.
Suddenly, he had no confidence in successfully controlling Hestinos with Blood Mind Control.
In theory, if Hestinos got closer, he should have been able to control him, but his intuition was ringing alarm bells, telling him to absolutely not take the initiative against this man.
He didn't quite understand Hestinos' meaning, but based on his earlier investigation, Hestinos had a childhood heart wound. Hestinos must have suffered some cruel tragedy as a child, which made him extremely resent the empire and citizens. So, he had endured and lived in disguise until now.
And if Hestinos truly wanted to overthrow the Kreth Empire, he might need some more time. If they cooperated with the Vampires, perhaps the opportunity would come.
"I've meticulously prepared betrayal and destruction, as a gift for Viola, and for you Vampires."
Hestinos was about to reach Rahal, and he showed no hostility towards him. However, he didn't listen to what Rahal was saying, as if treating Rahal like a corpse or an object that never had life.
"Don't come any closer!"
Rahal shouted, his footsteps chaotic as he retreated past another pillar.
He wasn't sure why he was so afraid of Hestinos at this moment, but he knew that his current state was no match for this fearless man.
Before Rahal's body could react to retreat, the distance between him and Hestinos seemed to shift, and Hestinos grabbed him by the back of his neck and lifted him up.
Rahal's blood-colored eyes stared straight at Hestinos, shrinking and trembling uncontrollably.
Hestinos' strange physical qualities and swift movements were beyond his perception.
Even the Holy Soul Lant Pope, in his time, had never picked him up like a small animal and looked at him from such close proximity.
"What are you thinking when you look at me?"
Hestinos observed Lashar's blood-red eyes.
"..."
Lashar's rage intensified, his fear and anger intertwining as he realized he had to make a move.
Lashar's eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, and his body levitated, suspended in mid-air. Countless dark red blood threads shot out from his body, swirling and intertwining in close proximity, forming a massive blood net that enveloped Hestinos.
"Submit to me, Hestinos!"
Lashar immediately activated his ability, attempting to control Hestinos.
Hestinos had overlooked one crucial detail, a miscalculation born from his arrogance.
His ability, Blood Mind Control, had failed earlier because of the interference from Violet's Moon Goddess Pureland Barrier, which disrupted the mental incantations within the temple's space.
However, at this moment, Hestinos had personally killed Violet, and the barrier had disappeared along with her.
Given Hestinos's mental state and the severity of his heart wound, it was impossible for him to evade Blood Mind Control.
If he had once controlled Hestinos, he could do it again.
"..."
Hestinos's body stiffened, his gaze fixed on Lashar.
"Hestinos, you've taken on too much. You've gone too far this time."
Lashar's heart pounded like a drum, and a victorious smile slowly spread across his lips.
He breathed heavily in the cold air of the dark hall.
He had successfully hit Hestinos.
The last attack had neither been hindered by the Moon Goddess Pureland nor evaded by Hestinos.
Once Hestinos was under control, no matter how enigmatic this man was, he would no longer pose a threat.
Time passed.
Lashar's heart was still racing, and he dared not relax completely.
"Hestinos, obey my command?"
Lashar asked tentatively.
Something felt off to him.
Hestinos was still holding him, not moving an inch.
"Haha, no problem."
Instead of obeying, Hestinos laughed, his gentle demeanor unchanged.
"No, something's wrong. Why can't I control you? You have such a severe heart wound; it's impossible for it to have healed!"
Lashar was stunned, feeling a sudden sense of weightlessness, and cold sweat broke out on his back.
His Blood Mind Control... had failed?
"Could it be..."
Lashar's eyes darted left and right in panic, and in his rapid thoughts, he found a possible explanation.
Hestinos's specialty was counter-attribute magic.
If Hestinos was a suitable target for Blood Mind Control, and he had successfully hit him without any external interference, the only possible reason for the ability's failure was that Hestinos possessed an incredibly powerful ultimate counter-spell.
Theoretically, Lashar had never seen a counter-spell that could easily affect their progenitor's epic-level abilities.
Lashar's bloodshot eyes reflected the invisible vortex of mana in front of Hestinos, and he used his last bit of mana to sense the mana fluctuations that had just been triggered before him.
"Oh, you've figured it out?" Hestinos asked lightly.
At this moment, Lashar finally understood the nature of the magic Hestinos had cast.
[Imbalance Devourer]
[Type: Active Spell]
[Grade: Epic]
[Attribute: Counter/Seal]
[Class: 8th]
[Effect: Devours and nullifies all attacks, traps, and items within range, temporarily storing them in the soul space, and can return them all within 30 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute.]
Lashar's pupils contracted as if struck by lightning.
Even during the long era of the Blood Moon Cataclysm, he had never seen such a counter-spell among demons or humans.
In any era, this individual posed a threat to their blood clan no less than Lanclos of the Eclipse Black Sun.
Even without using his true sword skills, this counter-spell alone could nullify all the offensive and controlling abilities of their blood clan.
"In fact, I could have defeated you the last time, but I didn't. Do you know why?"
Hestinos, seeing that Lashar had used the 9th-rank Appraisal Skill, also felt a rare sense of distress.
"What... what are you? What's your purpose?!"
Lashar demanded sharply, his voice sharp with fear.
"I find it amusing to watch you stir up trouble in the Empire. I just want to see how far you can push Kreth. I'll silently play along with your act, and it won't affect my life. I'll still be Hestinos, what's the difference?"
Hestinos didn't answer directly, but instead, he once again raised Rahal's neck, his slender fingers sinking into his flesh, causing Rahal excruciating pain.
"But this time, since you still want to challenge me, I won't go easy on you."
Hestinos looked down at Rahal, causing his feet to hang in the air as he spoke to him.
Boundless shadows engulfed the entire space, plunging the temple into unprecedented darkness.
In the darkness, only Hestinos' eyes flashed with eerie light, like a predator lurking in the night, making Rahal shiver in fear.
And Rahal, at this moment, could only shiver and lift his hand to grab Hestinos' iron-like hand, but he couldn't move him an inch.
"No, Hestinos, we can talk! Whatever you want to do in the empire, I can help you, and I'll cooperate with you!"
Rahal begged, trying to communicate with Hestinos.
He was already severely injured, and now captured by Hestinos, the strongest man in the Kreth Empire. His spells were ineffective against Hestinos, and he couldn't think of any way to counter this guy.
"Is that necessary?"
Hestinos asked Rahal with a puzzled look.
"..."
Rahal realized, his throat dry and raspy.
He thought of the worst possible scenario that was about to happen.
Hestinos had already swallowed his Blood Mind Control, and he could immediately return it to Rahal.
And he, the esteemed Third Ancestor Rahal, indeed had painful memories he didn't want to face, which would be controlled by the Blood Mind Control.
"No, don't control me!"
Rahal begged for mercy in despair.
"Oh? Look at your expression, it seems you can be controlled by your Psychic Control Magic too? How ironic, do you also have a heart wound?"
Hestinos mocked Rahal with a playful tone.
He hadn't thought that this spell could control Rahal until now.
From Rahal's mental state tonight, Hestinos could almost confirm that Rahal, the Ancestor, had this weakness, and now he had verified it, and it was indeed true.
The vortex in front of Hestinos opened again, and its center suddenly turned blood-red. Countless dark red blood threads flew out from the vortex, swirling and intertwining in close proximity, transforming into a giant blood net that wrapped around Rahal.
"Ahhh! No, no!!!"
Rahal's voice shattered as he cried out, trying to retain his last shred of will.
"Why are you so serious? You should be laughing too. Today is such a wonderful day."
Hestinos didn't stop, returning the swallowed spell to Rahal as it was.
He placed his other hand on his ear, as if listening to the cheers and laughter of the National Festival's citizens.
The screams from twenty years ago, when listened to carefully, had a frequency that was eerily similar.
In an instant, Rahal's eyes became hollow, and his struggles ceased. He stood still like a doll in the original place.
"Alright, Rahal, it's night, and you've recovered to the 9th Rank. I'll provide some entertainment for you."
Hestinos placed his bloodstained hand on the sword hilt, gazing towards the direction of the royal palace, Saint Asteria Palace.
Now, Emperor Saint Baldor was probably giving his final speech to the citizens in comfort.
Unbeknownst to him, the crimson moon was about to shine upon his body.
"Emperor Saint Baldor..."
Rahal muttered with empty eyes,
"Emperor Saint Baldor..."
His scarlet eyes gradually scattered blood-colored mist, and with the eruption of murderous intent, his 9th Rank mana burst through the entrance of the Divine Lineage Hall, triggering continuous city defense alarms echoing in the skies of Brillada.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm."
Hestinos hummed a little tune, his hand on the sword hilt, like a walking with a cane, slowly walked towards the direction outside the temple where Rahal had fled.
His boots made clear, crisp sounds on the ivory white structure's stonework, each step like the ringing of a bell.
Until Hestinos' figure completely disappeared into the dusk of the hall, only thing left in the temple was the rose window's dazzling light, covering the blood flowing in the cracks of the stonework.
The blood moon illuminated the pillars of the Divine Lineage Hall.
"Viola, what's happening on your end..."
"Hmm..."
"Can you hear me..."
The sacred communication magic link, to which Viola's soul was bound, gradually began to falter.
The final voice couldn't wake the High Priest, whose body lay motionless in a pool of blood.
(End of Chapter)
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