"A…trap?" In the Academy corridors, Sucuria''s eyes narrowed at Akamana, who for some reason now dressed like a Victoriandy. The Mansema Queens stood a step behind the Blood Marquess, their brows creasing as they swept Elektra, Belphegor, and Arminius'' Abomination.


    "Don''t bother. Even if you summon Calig''s Abomination, you''re done for…because I alone am worth all of youbined," Akamana said in a bright and cheerful tone, fanning her face as her lc eyes nailed down her foes.


    This was only a semi-exaggeration. Sucuria had tricked and decimated Fylkir Calig, robbing 66% of the Brak king''s powers with the help of a ritual. But the current Akamana could still punk her. Add Calig''s Abomination to the fight and Mana still wins.


    For after receiving Mithras'' secret juice. Akamana no longer had a weakness. Julia and Drusci could tip the scale. But with a full-powered Great King at her beck and call, the Grand Priestess still had nothing to fear.


    Crushed by Akamana''s momentum, the Blood Queens didn''t dare to make rash moves—standing back-to-back as they looked for a way out.


    "How? This is obviously a trap. But how?


    Tell me they were preparing 24/7 for our visit—I can believe. But this? This doesn''t make a lick of sense. They didn''t just know we wereing…they had the when and how of our strike all figured out!


    Everything to the lineups, squads, routes and targets. Otherwise, they couldn''t have set up all these counters ahead of time. But how could that be possible? Make it make sense!" Sucuria couldn''t stomach this L. Unable toprehend how this simple and straightforward strike could have gone wrong so fast and horribly.


    The Mansema twins fared no better. But while Drusci seethed at the twists and turns that surrounded the name "Mithras," Julia''s eyes narrowed at Arminius and Belphegor.


    ''Either we were betrayed…or someone among them can see the future,'' Julia said in a mental message, prompting Sucuria and her sister to shiver at her guess'' sinister implications.


    ''Then…I sincerely hope we were betrayed. But that''s even less probable.'' Sucuria clenched her fists, dark mist and sanguine mes filling her eyes as she faced Akamana with a look that went from poised to psychotic from one moment to the next.


    "A…is that a sore loser''s attempt at making sense of their defeat that I see here? Be not afraid, aunty-inw. I will take my sweet time teaching you the facts of this L…by ramming my fists down your throat…one battering thrust at a time," Akamana dered. The madness in her eyes making Sucuria look like a teddy bear.


    ---


    Meanwhile, as circumstances forced Menaka to cooperate with Vel, Mithras faced Aurelian and Hakim—challenging both with a provocative smirk.


    "Fucked…we got dicked down and kicked to the curb like worn-out cocksuckers," Hakim snapped in a muffled outburst. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off Mithras'' face. But as he swept the Academy with his Sensory Secret, the Huntmaster was forced to admit that the situation had already escaped them.


    Except for maybe the Lord, no one can read the future with 100% certainty. The past and present are often fair game, however. And so bybining his Golden Revtion with the system''s warnings, alerts and freebies, Mithras had all the tools he needed to figure out what his enemies were up to before they came knocking on his door.


    And that''s exactly what our good man did.


    Realizing that he''d jumped head-first into a beatdown, Hakim gnawed his teeth, his pride as a hunter shattered in irreparable ways.


    "(Take the Princeps and assist the men below. I will face him alone)" Here, Aurelian took over. Giving Hakim a directmand. Others might have tried to hide their directives behind mental messages. But Aurelian didn''t bother. Why?


    Because it didn''t matter.


    The oue wouldn''t change.


    Resting their broadsword on their shoulder, Aurelian pressed forth, carrying their Fractal Blood Field as they pushed Mithras back! The power of Aurelian''s blood increased by the second, leveling up to match that of Mithras!


    Hakim didn''t dy, dropping alongside Aurelian''s 24 strongest vassals to meet Mithras'' brothers and gals!


    "Good call. Go ahead, my brothers. Show us what you got…is what I''d like to say. But I was never one to give a fool the time toplete his act. So, in honor of our short-lived brotherhood…let''s end this with a thunderp!" Mithras said with a mild chuckle and aimed his right hand at the sky.


    The moment next, a full-fledged appeared above Mithras, expanding as it crashed into Aurelian alongside a volley of falling stars!


    ary Destruction? He''s going to use that thing here? No way, he''s bluffing!" Aware of that supreme innate skill''s requirements and side effects, Hakim didn''t think Mithras would risk using it at this juncture.


    Your next read awaits at m v|l-e''m,p| y- r


    Aurelian didn''t buy it either—expecting theary Destruction to make way for the real move any moment now.


    It didn''t.


    "Wait…actually he used Lunatic Eruption a moment ago so he might not be thinking straight! AURELIAN, RUN!" Realizing that Mithras might not be in his right mind, Hakim panicked…a step toote!


    ary…Destruction]


    Aurelian''s eyes showed no panic. Yet their heartbeat sped up, something inside of them crying for help as a gigantic pair of gray arms formed above them, blocking Mithras'' falling celestial bodies.


    The celestial bodies struck home, obliterating the Weaver''s arms before sting Aurelian and sinking the Emperor into the ground! In an ironic turn of events, Aurelian and the Weaver had absorbed over 90% of theary Destruction. The rest Mithras condensed into a ball of raw energies, sending it flying into Hakim!


    A wall of ebony shields lined up before Hakim, taking the brunt of the detonation while a couple steps ahead…his emperor…slowly turned to dust. From the feet all the way to the neck, Aurelian''s body was breaking down—wiped out by the Right of Annihtion.


    "Oh…and I almost forgot." Mithras ignored the Emperor''s fate, snapping his fingers, and summoning Hadrian''s Abomination…with Fylkir Lucius'' body!


    "LUCIUUUUS!" Coming from the distance'' Marcus'' voice boomed throughout Springtime City, the Nerva King breaking into atomic particles and traversing Trajan''s Blood Field as he bridged the distance separating him from his helpless brother at the speed of light!


    Or so Marcus hoped at first. But when Trajan''s Abomination and Mithras opened their mouths…


    "Hold still…"


    Marcus stopped dead in his track, forced into his original form as he failed to resist the dual suppression of Trajan and Mithras'' Majesty!


    "No…Mithras! I will serve you! My soul is yours for a lifetime don''t kill him! Please!" Prompted by forces he could neither control nor make sense of, Marcus went on autopilot. Begging with blood tears.


    s…Mithras'' mercy had run out of stock.


    "I thought you were a stoic. Now please stay stoic to the bitter end. Your brother is dead…and nevering back," Mithras said without sparing Marcus a nce, his violet eyes turning gold and scarlet as theatose Lucius awoke under his bestial gaze.


    "Each day, men like you push back the limits of stupidity. What exactly were you hoping to aplish by bringing your fangs to my godmother''s neck? Don''t answer. I don''t wanna know. That''s between you and the Lord.


    For while the Lord in their infinite generosity may have mercy on your miserable soul…" Here, Mithras grabbed Lucius by the throat, ripping it off with one pull, before smashing the Fylkir''s head off his neck and decimating him in the Sr Blood Field!


    "I refuse to allow you…a chance at an afterlife."


    Mithras left Lucius no hope, draining his soul to thest drop. And as Marcus faced the fact that he''d never again have the chance to berate his little brother for his stupidity, half of Aurelian''s mask copsed, corroded by Mithras'' Right of Annihtion. In that instant, blinding sr rays lit up Aurelian''s eyes, and their body''s copse halted—reversed by a rush of transcendent energies.


    Aurelian stood up, ignoring the state of their mask as they raised their eyes at Mithras. Now freed from the mask''s suppression, the right eye changed color, going from sanguine red to rainbow-shaded as the Blood Emperor aimed their sword at the sky. Unleashing…their Pyromantic Thesis.


    But from Hakim to Marcus, as they stared at the right side of Aurelian''s face, both Fylkirs turned livid. Hakim especially shaking and losing his bearing as he refused to ept the truth staring him in the eyes.


    Mithras on the other end closed his eyes immediately. Not allowing himself to nce at Aurelian''s face. His Majesty kicked in. Connecting to his crew for a simple mentalmand.


    ''Don''t look.'' Mithras said stopping his crewmates from gazing at Aurelian…and her sinful beauty.


    A wonderful call. Because the moment next, Hakim and Marcus'' eyes burned to ashes—leaving empty sockets behind!


    [Twilight of Bleeding Angels]


    Aurelian didn''t seem to register her subordinates'' fate. And as the Tyrant Blood Genesis that she shared with her dad erupted at maximum power, her Pyromantic Thesis took off—painting thend red as it reshaped the Academy and beyond into a world of raining blood and weeping angels!