No one believed Asher could survive Thora's attack.
Not even Thora himself. To be honest, personally dealing with a mere child did diminish his dignity somewhat, but this was nothing more than a small punishment for the Aurelius family.
Yet at that very moment, the core of the attack suddenly changed. Where the light had gathered and burned fiercely, something shifted.
No longer a dazzling golden radiance, it began to coil and swirl, releasing a fiery golden-orange glow.
"Slash! Slash! Slash!"
Wave after wave of sounds rang out, as if space itself were being torn apart by the sharpest of scythes. Strands of flame erupted violently, spinning without pause, enveloping the figure at the center and blocking every single ray of light without leaving the slightest gap.
Through the movements of the flames, however, Thora caught sight of a pair of amber eyes behind that curtain of fire. Those eyes were staring straight at him, like a hunter watching prey that had willingly stepped into its own trap.
What the hell. How could a child possess eyes like that, eyes that made it feel as though, in his gaze, Thora was nothing more than an ant rather than the head of the Valerius family?
Too arrogant. Far too arrogant!
Thora frowned, but before he could act, the flames transformed once more. At the same time, a majestic voice rang out, soft, yet clear enough to reach his ears.
"O ruler of the flames of heaven, I command you and your power. Use the mana within me, use my will, and make me an unparalleled Awakened! I summon you, Ashley!"
The instant he finished speaking, space itself seemed to freeze for a brief moment. Immediately after, an inferno erupted with terrifying force, sending shockwaves and heat surging outward for hundreds of meters, scattering layers of clouds in every direction, even blowing Thora away.
At the same time, a gigantic silhouette could be seen forming behind Asher. The flames followed the greatsword in his hand, licking up his body and wrapping him completely in fire.
In the blink of an eye, they took shape. Asher's hair suddenly lengthened, its ends streaming wildly in the wind. Upon his head rested a blazing crown, burning with brilliant flames.
His arms were encased in black armor, his upper body bare, while his lower body was clad in a fusion of black and red armor. Bands of flame coiled over his shoulders, forming a graceful arc. Brilliant flames flared from his elbows and knees, and beneath his feet, two spheres of fire spun violently without pause.
The greatsword in his hand was now completely engulfed in flames, and the colossal figure behind him finally manifested. Its form was somewhat translucent, yet it was still clear that her entire body was made of fire, even the exposed skin itself was fire.
The fluttering hem of her robes dragged waves of scorching heat in its wake, instilling fear in all who felt it. The overwhelming pressure caused even the onlookers to tremble in shock at the spectacle unfolding in the sky.
"Asher..." Liona stared blankly at the scene, to the point that she could barely recognize that the figure floating amid that surging torrent of energy was her son.
As for Robert, beyond his excitement, fear had begun to take hold.
He had never imagined that Asher would possess such power.
Just the gigantic "monster" standing behind him alone was something Robert could not possibly measure with ranks.
What kind of monstrous Talent had Asher awakened, exactly?!
High above, Thora had already stabilized himself.
Witnessing the scene before him, even he could not hide his shock, muttering, "Impossible!"
But no matter what, this battle had truly only just begun, and between them, one person was bound to die. The more arrogant Thora had been before, the more panic now gripped him, because looking at Asher before him, he could no longer determine what rank Asher's power belonged to.
Even so, he was the head of the Valerius family. He absolutely would not lose!
Thora let out a roar like rolling thunder. Immediately after, the four remaining spheres of light around him suddenly spread out and began to twist violently, as if a terrifying energy were about to erupt.
Thora raised his hand as well. From his palm, streaks of light like lightning began to appear, gradually converging into a massive spear.
Asher did not stand still waiting for death either. He swung his sword, and at the same time, the colossal figure behind him also raised her hand. A greatsword formed entirely of flame erupted forth, crashing down and carrying with it a raging firestorm that shot straight ahead!
"Boom!"
At the same moment, the spear in Thora's hand finished forming and was hurled straight forward!
At the same time, the four spheres of light fired off four gigantic beams of energy, making Thora seem to vanish as if he had teleported, retreating completely to the rear. The energy from the four spheres surged forward, twisting around the massive spear. The farther they flew, the more enormous they became, carrying power capable of piercing through anything.
"Ziggg—boom! Boom! Boom!"
The two forces collided in the sky, instantly shaking heaven and earth. The thunderous noise was so violent that any ordinary person nearby would have fainted on the spot.
The firestorm devoured everything, even surging straight ahead without leaving behind a single trace of light.
The colossal figure behind Asher gradually faded, leaving only a brilliant streak of red fire shooting past like a meteor.
Thora had clearly teleported away, but Asher was even faster.
Just as Thora thought he had escaped the battlefield and could temporarily withdraw. Yes, only a temporary retreat, it did not mean defeat. One day in the future, he would make Asher pay.
But the instant that thought surfaced in Thora's mind, an intense wave of heat erupted, causing cold sweat to break out all over his body.
At the same time, a soft chuckle sounded behind him.
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave? At least leave your head behind."
Thora spun around in panic, one hand already lifting to strike, but he was nowhere near as fast as Asher's hand.
A slash flashed past. Thora's head was caught in Asher's grip, while his body ignited directly, turning to ashes in the blink of an eye.
"Thud!"
A dull sound rang out as the still-bleeding head was tossed straight in front of Elly.
Elly, who had only just managed to scramble to her feet, screamed, eyes wide, nearly fainting on the spot.
The people around them trembled uncontrollably.
This was madness.
The useless child of the family, the one despised by the entire clan, had now casually severed the head of the Valerius family's patriarch. It felt like a dream, yet everything was undeniably real.
Everyone only felt an overwhelming wave of heat suddenly descend. When they looked again, the greatsword in Asher's hand had already stopped at Robert's neck, the scorching heat radiating from it as if ready to roast Robert alive at any moment.
No, fortunately, Robert was still an Awakened. If he were an ordinary person, he would likely have been truly roasted in an instant.
Silence fell over the space. No one dared to breathe loudly. The Elders of the Aurelius family who had just rushed over also instinctively fell silent.
Of course, they did not want Robert to die. He was the head of the Aurelius family. But if Robert's death could make Asher loyal to the Aurelius family, that was something they could entirely accept.
How could Robert not understand the thoughts of those Elders, when he himself was exactly that kind of person.
But now, he was the one waiting to be chosen, waiting for death. How could he possibly accept that. No one wanted to die.
He curled his lips and looked at the unfamiliar Asher before him, forcing himself to remain calm as he spoke. "Asher, what do you want? We can talk this out."
Asher sneered. "This is not the time for you to talk. I make the demands. You agree, or you die."
Robert was so furious that his breathing became chaotic, but in the face of survival, all anger could be suppressed with ease.
He looked at Asher, waiting for his sentence.
"Kill Elly with your own hands. Exile Elina and Flora. And sign a blood oath that the authority of the family will be split equally with my mother, Liona."
A blood oath. Once signed, if anyone violated its rules, they would explode and die. No one could resist its power.
The Elders clearly found this hard to accept. Splitting authority with Asher might have been tolerable, but Liona… no matter how one looked at it, she was still an outsider.
Asher seemed to read their thoughts and spoke slowly. "Liona is me. Her orders and will represent mine. Agree or die. Making a choice has never been as easy as it is now, has it, Father?"