“Hehe… You mean the little princess?” Sadom curled his lips into a chilling, reaper-like smirk. “Rest assured—she’s still unharmed. She can even cry out, ‘Brother, come save me!’ But as for what comes after… hehe…”
Leaving the rest unsaid with a cryptic smile, his eyes flicked meaningfully toward the Imitation Holy Sword in Eugia’s hands.
“Tch. This old monster,” Eugia clicked his tongue in displeasure.
Temporarily retracting his killing intent and standing down, he roared at Sadom, “Bring my sister here. I’ll hand over what you want—right now.”
“No. You hand it over first. Then I’ll release Her Highness the Princess.”
“You—!”
At the insolent demand, fury surged uncontrollably through Eugia and every soldier present. All were poised to draw swords and charge.
But Sadom calmly raised one finger. “You have one minute. Decide wisely. Or… hnh… I won’t mind reenacting what happened to the Empress Consort years ago.”
“You! Ugh… despicable villain!”
“Hehe, too kind. By the way, Your Highness—the clock’s ticking. Forty-nine… forty-eight… forty-seven…”
Deliberately dragging out the countdown, he pressured Eugia to choose. His ruthlessness and cold resolve radiated the aura of a true villain.
Though Eugia burned to punch him, for Lia’s sake, he swallowed his rage. “Fine. I’ll give you what you want… but first—you must let me see Lia is safe!”
“Do you truly believe you’re in any position to negotiate?” Sadom’s eyes narrowed, icy pupils contracting as he unleashed a crushing aura—far beyond Eugia’s level: the Peak of Transcendent Rank.
“Th-this is the Peak of Transcendent Rank?! How?! How did you break through?!”
Overwhelmed, Eugia and the soldiers instinctively stepped back. Weaker-ranked men collapsed, legs buckling. The air itself seemed to freeze.
Watching them flinch, Sadom’s lips curled in scorn. With a flick of his sleeve: “Time’s up. Hand it over, Your Highness.”
“Ugh… Tch…” Eugia gritted his teeth, resentment boiling with nowhere to go. He cast a reluctant glance at the Imitation Holy Sword. “Understood.”
Escorted by two soldiers, he advanced. *Two years ago, he was only at the initial Transcendent Tier… How could he leap four stages?* The gap was monstrous. Worse—Eugia sensed Sadom teetering on the brink of the Divine Tier. One step further, and he’d replace the fallen Silverfrost Dragon Queen among the continent’s five Divine Tier sovereigns. With the Imitation Holy Sword’s power added… the world would tremble.
*No reason outweighs family. Not even the world.*
He placed the sword where instructed, then rushed back. “It’s done! Where’s Lia? Return her now!”
“Hehe, patience, Your Highness. Once verified, I’ll release her.” A smug grin spread across Sadom’s face as he strolled leisurely toward the sword—deliberately provoking Eugia until blood seeped from his clenched fists.
Just as all assumed the exchange would conclude—
A Bloodnight Cult disciple burst in, panting wildly: “Master Sadom! The princess escaped!”
“!”
*Lia escaped?!* Uncontainable joy lit Eugia’s face. Sadom’s turned deathly pale.
“Tch. Blind fools?” With a sharp flick of his sleeve, a wind blade severed the messenger’s throat. Without pause, Sadom lunged for the sword.
“No way you’re getting it!” Eugia and nearby soldiers charged.
“Damn… must I use *that* again?” Sadom muttered. He whispered an incantation—and in an instant, sky and earth dimmed.
To their shock, Sadom vanished—then reappeared directly before the sword, which settled perfectly in his grasp.
Speechless, Eugia recovered fast. “All units! Retrieve the Imitation Holy Sword! Do not let it fall to the Bloodnight Cult!”
“Yes, sir!” Soldiers encircled him.
Sadom stroked his chin, amused. “Your Highness… do you truly think these foot soldiers can stop me? Have you underestimated the Peak of Transcendent Rank?”
“So it’s confirmed.” Eugia stepped back half a pace, cold sweat beading. *But Frederick—one of the five Divine Tier masters—is already en route. Spies reported everything.*
“Hmph. How do you know numbers won’t win?” Eugia shot back. “On the battlefield, quantity often outweighs quality.”
“Oh? So you’re confident?” Sadom’s eyes gleamed with fearless pride. “No one’s spoken to me like this since I ascended. Guess I’ll have to show you something.”
He swung Eugia’s own Imitation Holy Sword twice through the air. “Perfect. Testing its feel on its original wielder… I’m sure the sword’s thrilled too.”
“Shameless! Without Sage bloodline, you can’t possibly wield it!” Eugia sneered. *Only summoned heroes of Sage lineage may command holy blades.*
“Did you really think *only* your bloodline or the Goddess’s lapdogs could wield it?” Sadom laughed. “Watch closely—*this* is the Holy Sword’s true power!”
“What?!”
Impossible. The Imitation Holy Sword—meant solely for Sage blood—blazed with radiant light in Sadom’s hand. He slashed horizontally. Sword qi erupted, hurling rocks with annihilating force.
“Evade!” Soldiers countered with magic. Clashing sounds echoed. Though attacks canceled, lower-ranked soldiers were injured.
“H-how… can you wield it…?” Eugia stared, eyes wide with disbelief.
Ignoring him, Sadom admired the blade like a child with a new toy. “Merely the tip of the iceberg… and this is just a counterfeit. Imagine the original Holy Sword in the Luminous Church’s hands… Hehe. No wonder the Goddess is so generous with her pawns.”
Chuckling, he recalled the Bloodnight Cult’s ancient creed: *Overthrow all tied to the Goddess.* All his suffering to wield this blade… worth it. He advanced, a reaper for his cause.
But timing is everything.
At that moment—Cang Xiaoxi and Lia arrived.
“Brother Eugia!”
