The night hung heavy over the Veythrone estate. Candles flickered, shadows dancing across marble floors.
Seoluke stood alone in the main hall, calm, perfectly still. Twenty shadows moved silently along the walls.
Not ordinary soldiers. Elite assassins, trained for years, surrounded him completely.
"…So they finally came," he whispered softly. His words carried weight without effort.
Blades cut through the air like whispers, aimed precisely at his head.
Seoluke's body shifted fluidly, the first blade glanced harmlessly past him.
Another came from the left flank, twin daggers spinning in deadly arcs.
He twisted and redirected momentum, sending the attackers colliding midair.
Energy pulsed faintly from his aura, noticeable even from the stairs.
Aurelian's heart raced. He realized this was far beyond any diary descriptions.
Seoluke moved like liquid. Each motion was calculated, precise, and devastating.
A ninja lunged from above. He grabbed the wrist, elbowed another into the wall.
Bodies slammed against pillars, weapons clattering across the marble floors.
Three attacked simultaneously from all directions, trying to overwhelm him.
His aura shimmered faintly, bending momentum of incoming attacks subtly.
A dagger whistled past his ear, harmlessly, deflected by invisible force.
He twisted midair, Flying Side Kick, sending one assassin crashing into a chandelier.
Two more lunged from the flank. He blocked one dagger, Spinning Back Elbow the other into a wall.
A powerful arc of force radiated from his motion, throwing a fourth off balance.
The ninjas realized their coordination was futile. Seoluke was untouchable, calm, deadly.
Another wave approached. Five attacked in perfect synchronization, each strike calculated.
He countered with Axe Kick, Hook Kick, disarming one and launching another.
Three struck simultaneously. He rotated, Jumping Crescent Kick, sending one crashing into a pillar.
The hall trembled faintly from the force of his casual movements.
Rosemary remained calm in his left hand, unharmed, protected by every motion.
Seoluke's subtle aura pulses bent the battlefield, making their attacks ineffective.
He twisted again, Flying Crescent Kick, Triple Palm Strike, scattering the remaining attackers.
Only three remained, staggering, exhausted, struggling to stay upright.
Seoluke's gaze softened slightly. "Enough," he whispered. The ninjas froze.
His aura pulsed faintly, dissipating slowly. Not a scratch marred him.
Rosemary remained safe. Twenty elite assassins defeated without effort.
Aurelian exhaled. "This… this is what father is capable of."
Seoluke's lips curved faintly. "Observe carefully, Aurelian. Power is meaningless without control."
The hall remained silent. The storm had passed.