The lightning bolt struck with deafening silence.
The moment it hit the ground, time seemed to stand still. A blinding flash engulfed the hall, and in that instant, the entire citadel trembled violently.
The protective runes lining the citadel's walls ignited, their symbols glowing with a brilliant golden light as they struggled to contain the force of the attack.
Cracks formed along the walls of the citadel, and the ground beneath the hall rippled like water.
Outside, the city felt the impact.
Buildings shook violently, windows shattered, and the earth quaked as though the very foundations of the city were being torn apart.
The earthquake radiated outward, reaching even the farthest corners of the metropolis, sending people scrambling for safety. The scale of the destruction was immense—like nothing the city had ever experienced.
Inside the hall, chaos had already erupted. The grandmaster+ ranks of the tier one families staggered from their seats, barely holding themselves together, while those of tier two spat blood, their bodies wracked with pain.
A golden glow had already enveloped every single one of them, protecting them from the lightning that had just struck.
This was one of the protective measures put in place by Oberon to safeguard the lives of the people. When anyone's life was in danger, the runes surrounding the citadel would flare to life, protecting them.
The tier three family heads, along with the apex candidates who were already enveloped in a protective barrier, gazed in utter fear at the devastation of the citadel.
But all eyes soon turned to Magnus.
Intense lightning crackled around his body, his eyes emitting a brilliant white light. Magnus's aura unfurled like a storm—dark and overwhelming.
The temperature in the room dropped as the atmosphere thickened. Every heartbeat echoed like a drum, and then even that stopped.
For a moment, it felt as though time itself had ceased.
Magnus moved, and it was as if the world shifted with him. No sound, no movement—just the terrifying stillness of a universe held in his grasp.
His spear materialized in his hand, not with a flash, but as if it had always been there, waiting for his call.
The aura surrounding him intensified, pressing down on everyone in the hall. Grandmasters of the tier one and tier two families, who had barely withstood the earlier assault, collapsed to the ground, unconscious, their minds overwhelmed by the sheer power radiating from him.
The air vibrated, the space around him warping as the lightning intensified, dancing along the spear's edge.
Octavius's heartbeat quickened, an intense fear gripping him. He turned to his side, only to see a blinding white spear covering the entirety of his vision.
"MAGNUS, DON'T DO THIS!"
For the first time since the event began, Oberon shouted. But it was already too late.
The paragons of the tier one families had spent enough time with each other to be well aware of their respective traits, most importantly, their breaking points.
Octavius of the Resonara was quick to anger and acted on impulse. Don't tick him off.
Luminous of the Stellaris was incredibly boastful, but when it came to it, he could stab anyone in the back. Never trust him.
Aurelius of the Frostbane was straightforward and valued honor and the warrior's way above all. When this was questioned, he would erupt.
Every other paragon had their own traits, including Magnus Ravenstein.
For Magnus, it was simple: don't push your luck.
Magnus never tolerated any nonsense that threatened his family, nor did he waste time on anything. There was no bending him.
The paragons acted carefully among themselves because none had any intention of battling against each other.
A battle between paragons was world-ending. It wasn't an event that should be taken lightly; sectors could be flattened in a matter of seconds and billions of lives lost.
They were all aware of this fact and chose to avoid such scenarios from occurring.
But Magnus did not care about any of this. Once an enemy was identified, he would strike.
If anyone was stupid enough to threaten him or the Ravensteins with war, the war would begin right there and then, with him directly attacking without wasting a second.
Octavius had attacked Atticus, and that was all Magnus needed. There was no need to say anything further.
Octavius Resonara would taste his spear.
In the entirety of the human domain, only two beings were moving, and a few had the perception to perceive time at such a speed.
A golden glow had already started enveloping Octavius. However, the spear tip about to pierce him abruptly halted midair, a devastating shockwave that destroyed the citadel walls spreading outward.
The heads of Magnus, along with the other paragons, shot toward one direction in unison, their gazes immediately narrowing.
The world regained its motion, and Magnus quickly turned toward Oberon. "I leave Atticus in your care," he said.
As soon as Oberon nodded seriously, the skies rumbled as a streak of lightning tore through the atmosphere at a velocity that defied reality.
The streak of lightning was followed by a deafening clap of thunder, and almost immediately, the shockwave hit the citadel.
Oberon's eyes shone with intense blue light, his aura unfolding to surround the whole citadel in a protective embrace, stopping the shockwave from destroying what remained of the citadel.
Oberon sighed lightly, looking at the departing Magnus who had already crossed the capital and sector 6 in just a second. 'This is not going to end well,' he thought.
"Octavius, he's under my protection,"
Oberon's words were accompanied by him unleashing his aura slightly.
Octavius instead took a deep breath, both his hands clenched. His gaze was fixed on Atticus down below, his mind going through all sorts of scenarios.
However, he took another deep breath and cleared his mind, taking his eyes off Atticus.
The other paragons had their attention fixed on the direction Magnus had left in, their minds swirling. In the next second, seeing as everything was basically over here, many of them took off, moving towards the direction Magnus had left in.
"Young master! Are you okay?"
Yotad appeared out of Atticus's shadow and bowed, but the latter offered no response, his mind working rapidly.
'What happened?' Atticus wondered, but he soon found out the answer. A shadow swirled in front of him, and a man appeared from it.
Atticus immediately recognized Magnus's Ravenblade, Vector.
"Young master, Master Magnus left me behind to watch over you," Vector said.
"What happened?" Atticus asked, his voice sharp.
Vector bowed, but Atticus's impatient tone interrupted him.
Vector hesitated, but seeing Atticus's eyes, he knew he had no other option but to answer.
"The paragon of the Stellaris family has attacked sector 3."