Once Ragnar finished absorbing the Phantom, I dismissed him back into the core space. As expected, the weak creature barely gave him anything, maybe a three percent increase in his attributes. Not impressive, but even a small gain was better than nothing. Ragnar would make use of it.
With that done, I returned to Orobas’s chamber and stepped through the hidden portal. The space around me twisted once, then I appeared inside the Del Reys’ secret chamber again. I scanned the place quickly, to make sure there was nothing unusual.
Satisfied, I turned toward the second portal, the one I had found earlier, the one that connected directly to the Ronics’ ancestral chamber. I let my Essence ripple across the surface and activated it.
Space folded, and I stepped through.
A heartbeat later, I stood inside the Ronic ancestral chamber.
I sank into the shadows immediately, hiding myself from sight.
The Ronic ancestor sat at the center of the chamber. Just like Orobas, he was using a ritual to keep himself alive and upright, forcing his failing body to continue functioning.
His breathing was shallow. His heartbeat slow. He had no idea death was already standing in the same room as him.
I took a silent step forward and waved my hand. A sword slipped out of my storage ring and floated beside me.
Then I reached into my soul space.
The blue flame I had taken earlier from Romothese rose from inside me, swirling in faint spirals. It flickered gently at first, like it was waking up from sleep. Slowly, I guided it toward the sword.
The moment the flame touched the metal, it reacted.
The blade turned cold, the surface glowing with a thin layer of blue light. This wasn’t ordinary fire. It carried soul energy. Enough to burn flesh and spirit at the same time. Perfect for the job I had come here for.
I walked toward the ancestor without a single sound.
He didn’t sense me. Not even a flicker of awareness crossed his face.
I flashed behind him in a single step and drove the blade straight into his back.
The sword pierced him effortlessly, sliding through his chest like the air itself parted for me. A wet gasp tore from his throat. His eyes snapped open wide, glowing violet fire dimming in an instant as blood bubbled from his lips.
Before he could release a single attack or trigger a defensive seal, I froze the space around him. His body locked in place, unable to move even a finger.
Seconds passed.
He stared ahead blankly, his mind trying to catch up to what was happening... but his soul was already unraveling under the touch of the blue flame.
Then the light in his eyes died permanently.
The ritual on his body failed. The fire flickered out. The old man collapsed forward, face-first onto the stone floor.
I pulled my sword free, wiped the blade clean with a flick of Essence, and sent it back into my storage ring. The smell of burning soul lingered in the chamber, faint but sharp.
For a moment I simply watched the corpse. An ancestor of a major family, dead without a whisper, killed by a quiet decision I had made some time ago.
"I guess this is another choice that I have made," I muttered softly.
Then I stepped into the shadows and left the chamber, disappearing before anyone even knew I had been there.
I arrived back in Harus and from there flew straight toward the capital of Armus. The forest blurred beneath me, mountains shrinking behind me. In a few seconds, the capital appeared, bright and loud, its towers rising like black pillars against the sky.
I slowed my speed as I reached the Envoy’s tower. I stayed hidden, weaving myself into the space, and slipped inside without disturbing a single guard. The tower was quiet except for the faint hum of runic barriers.
I let my perception spread. It didn’t take long to find them, Gyros and Romothese were sitting inside the Envoy’s private office, deep in conversation.
I sent a quick message to Knight through our bond.
’Anything useful so far?’
Knight’s reply came immediately.
’Yes. They’ve been discussing what went wrong. Romothese is panicking. Gyros is trying to keep him calm.’
I nodded inwardly and focused, tuning my senses toward the voices inside.
Gyros leaned forward in his chair.
"So you’re telling me there was someone who attacked you before you could finish off Orobas?"
Romothese’s expression tightened. He looked tired, shaken even and his flame aura kept flickering like a candle in the wind. He gave a slow nod.
"Yes. I was attacked and captured. And when I woke up, I found myself standing behind Orobas with my blade raised." He rubbed his temples, frustrated. "Not only that, every time I tried to run away or escape the area, someone kept freezing the space around me. I couldn’t move. I am telling you, someone is interfering with our entire plan."
He shook his head hard.
"We need to rethink everything."
Gyros didn’t answer right away. He leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowed in deep thought. The silence stretched for several seconds as he weighed his options.
Finally, he exhaled and spoke.
"The plan is ruined anyway. The Phantom is dead. I don’t know how Lady Lana will react to this. Bringing a Transcendent Phantom into Armus was not something easy to arrange. There will be consequences... for all of us."
I raised an eyebrow from my hiding place. Arranged?
So the Phantom wasn’t wandering freely, it was deliberately sent through that floating portal in the pocket space. This made the portal even more suspicious. Someone was sending these monsters on command.
Romothese nodded bitterly. "Yes... the whole thing is a mess. But what do we do next? How are you going to calm Orobas? He isn’t someone who forgets things. He might attack my family himself."
Gyros sighed. "There’s no other choice but to give him some kind of proof that you weren’t involved. Anything. A lie, a half-truth, whatever we can craft. If we can’t prove your innocence, then get ready for a war between your clan and the Bloodreavers."
He paused and frowned. "But... who killed the Phantom? Orobas didn’t say."
Romothese’s expression turned serious and troubled.
"It was Primus. With the help of his human friend."
He rubbed his arm slowly. "Those two... they are strong. Maybe even stronger than me."
Gyros’s eyes widened a fraction. For a man who hid emotions well, the reaction was obvious enough. He stood up from his chair and began pacing across the room, the sound of his boots echoing against the wooden floor.
"A grandmaster demon defeating a Transcendent Phantom..." he muttered. "This is not something that happens often. If he ranks up further, he will become a force we can’t control. Or kill."
He stopped walking and looked directly at Romothese.
"We need to deal with him before he ranks up. If he reaches Transcedent, he will become a threat too big to handle."
Romothese swallowed. "You mean kill him? But how?"
Gyros didn’t confirm. He didn’t deny either. He just kept pacing with a dark expression, the gears already turning in his mind.
"Let’s discuss it with Lady Lana." Gyros finally responded.