Screams broke out across the mansion grounds.
Servants, maids, and guards ca running from every direction, their eyes wide with panic after the destruction. It was chaos, pure and sudden.
The assassin butler stepped in front of Vale, shielding him from view. Vale’s face lost all color as he stared at the figure walking toward them through the settling dust.
"Everyone stand back. Do not move unless I order it," Vale shouted. His voice was tight, almost breaking.
A violent shockwave erupted from the newcor. The force ripped away the haze of smoke and dust, revealing the man standing in the open.
Vale’s eyes widened to the point of pain. "Sir Veydrin?" His voice cracked. "Why are you here? No... why did you attack us?"
"This is against the law and order set by the Emperor"
Aman’s posture stiffened, his expression shifting into shock. This was no ordinary intruder.
Veydrin’s voice was cold and without emotion. "You want to know why I attacked you?" His eyes lowered to et Vale’s. "Since when does the Assassin Tower have the courage to send their people to follow Veydrinm?"
Vale’s heart pounded against his ribs. His mind scread denial. He can’t be talking about that. No... it’s impossible.
"It’s... it’s a misunderstanding..." Vale began, but his voice faltered.
Before he could finish, Veydrin tossed sothing at his feet. Vale froze when he saw it,a badge and weapons that only belonged to Assassin Tower operatives. There was no mistaking them.
Ruth Veydrin’s stare cut through him. "Tell again. What were you saying?"
Vale swallowed hard. His throat felt dry. "I only sent them to watch over Kael. I ant no harm."
The temperature seed to drop instantly. The air around them felt heavy, suffocating. Even the trained assassins nearby, hardened by years of deadly missions, began to shake under the weight of Ruth’s killing intent.
His eyes were like sharpened blades, and for a mont it felt as if they could tear apart everything in their sight. Without a single word of warning, he drew his sword and swung.
BOOM!
A massive arc of energy tore through the air, splitting the ground in its path. The cut was so fast and so clean that it was almost silent until the explosion followed a heartbeat later.
Vale jumped, trying to evade, but the arc was already upon them. Aman moved, but it was too late. Just before it could reach them, a shadow shot forward, wrapping around their bodies.
In the next instant, both Vale and Aman vanished.
A voice called out from behind Ruth. "Why are you bullying a boy? If you have the strength, you should fight soone like ."
Ruth turned his head slightly. From the darkness, a figure erged, the shadows peeling away from his form until they revealed an elderly man in a dark suit. His wrinkled face was calm, but his eyes were sharp.
"Grandfather!" Vale’s voice ca from behind the man, filled with relief. But his joy faded as his gaze flicked back to Ruth.
Ruth’s eyes scanned the old man. His voice was still cold. "So it begins. I didn’t know the assassin tower was handled by shaless people.First the grandson sends assassins to target Veydrin. Then the old man cos to protect him."
"Narul..Do you think you can stand in my way?"
"Enough Ruth..Do you think I am afraid of you.Even your father had to treat with respect."
"Good." His tone did not carry pride or anger—only the weight of final judgnt. "Very good."
Lightning began to coil around Ruth’s body, flickering like living serpents. The air itself seed to shudder with the force. Every ti the lightning struck the ground, it vaporized the earth beneath it.
"My brother and I have hidden ourselves for years," Ruth said, his voice carrying over the rising storm. "But it seems people have forgotten the wrath of Veydrin just because I had been laying low."
He lifted his sword, the lightning now surging along its blade. "It is ti to remind them."
Without hesitation, without rcy, Ruth swung his weapon. The attack ca so suddenly that Narul’s eyes widened in shock—he had not expected Ruth to strike without a single mont of restraint.
A mass of condensed sword light tore through the air and ground, splitting everything in its path before shooting forward.
BOOM.
The explosion that followed shook the outskirts like an earthquake. A cloud of smoke and fire rose high into the sky, swallowing the area in a deafening roar.
Narul had barely avoided the strike, reappearing far away with his voice raised in anger. "Ruth... have you lost your mind? This is the outskirts of the capital!"
A flicker of lightning cut through the air without warning. The strike landed with a force that created a vacuum blast, the pressure ripping through the surroundings. Ruth’s sword cleaved cleanly through a shadow clone, which dissolved into nothing.
His voice was cold, each word carrying a killing edge. "Did you think of Veydrin’s face before sending people to kill my child and wife?"
Narul froze. "What?"
His roar was so loud it echoed across the ruined grounds. "This must be a mistake. Why would we—"
He turned sharply toward Vale, his expression twisting. "Vale, what is this?" His voice cracked with fury.
Vale’s body trembled under the weight of Narul’s glare. "I... I only sent people to monitor Kael. Not to kill him," he stamred.
Narul’s expression darkened.
How can he not know.
Eight out of ten people monitored by the Assassin Tower ended up dead. If it was simply for gathering information, they would have sent low-ranking mbers, not assassins. And the tokens Ruth had thrown down monts ago were unmistakably from the Tower’s assassins.
The disappointnt in Narul’s eyes cut deeper than any blade. His sons had been useless, too weak to lead. This grandson had been different.
He was quite steady, calm, and capable. But now...
How can he make such a mistake?
"You fool," Narul roared. "No matter what, how could you send people after a Grand Duke’s family? I made it law never to tail higher nobles. Why did you break it?"
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