"Hmm?" Eli furrowed his brow, observing as Bloodsucker disappeared abruptly. "What is he up to now?" he wondered aloud, momentarily puzzled before shrugging it off and refocusing on his current task at hand.


    "Why aren''t you begging?" Eli''s frown deepened as he noticed Theo, his eyes downcast and filled with uncertainty.


    Within King Theo''s mind, a poignant memory resurfaced..... the words of his father echoing through the years, imprinted in his consciousness from childhood,


    /


    "Listen, my son... See these chants..."


    "Yes, what are those strange words, Daddy?"


    "These are the words that once summoned a power beyond humanprehension... If you were chosen as a Hero..."


    "A Hero, Daddy?"


    "Yes, if fate deemed you worthy of bing a Hero, you must be prepared to harness this power... and if you seed..."


    "We will reign over the world together, won''t we, Daddy?"


    "Hehehe... Yes," his father''sughter resonated in his memory.


    /


    Shaking himself from his reverie, Theo couldn''t help but feel a pang of disappointment, "But I wasn''t chosen as a Hero... Father," he muttered softly, grappling with the weight of unfulfilled expectations and lost dreams.


    From the very moment of his birth, Theo''s father instilled in him the belief that he was destined to be a hero, urging him to always be prepared for that role. Fueled by this unwavering faith in his father''s words, Theo dedicated himself tirelessly to every aspect of heroism.


    He honed his skills to perfection, mastering the arts of elegance, generosity, bravery, courage, maniption, and swordsmanship, among countless others, all in pursuit of embodying the ideal hero.


    And yet, despite his relentless efforts and unwavering determination,


    a mere upstart, a brash and inexperienced youth, was chosen as the Hero. Theo, who had poured his heart and soul into bing worthy of that title, found himself relegated to the role of a sidelined character—merely a stepping stone or a supporting figure to the Hero.


    The gravity of this injustice threatened to engulf everything Theo held dear—his life, his throne, his very future—all at the mercy of someone he saw as unworthy, an obstacle to his rightful path.


    "Is this some kind of sick joke?" Theo seethed inwardly, the weight of disillusionment and betrayal pressing down upon him, threatening to suffocate his once unyielding spirit.


    Above all, it was the sheer absurdity of it all that gnawed at him—the fact that he, who had worked tirelessly and strived for excellence, was now being crushed under the heel of a mortal who seemed no more significant than a pebble in the grand scheme of things.


    As he watched his father suffer, Theo''s thoughts turned introspective, his pride now a bitter pill to swallow.


    "Howughable it all is!" Theo''s voice echoed with a mix of bitterness and resignation as his mind finally reached its breaking point, the weight of unfulfilled dreams and shattered expectations pushing him to the brink of despair.


    If only I had been chosen as the Hero...


    If only this mortal were not so abnormal...


    "I would have never suffered this kind of humiliation..." Theo muttered bitterly, his frustration boiling over as his mind finally snapped.


    In the silence of the arena, Theo''s voice cut through like a dagger. "You want me to beg, right?" he sneered, the words dripping with disdain.


    "Yes," Eli responded, though a sense of unease crept over him, sensing something amiss in Theo''s demeanour.


    A chillingughter escaped Theo''s lips, a stark contrast to his previous demeanour,"Hehe... hehehehe," he chuckled darkly before lifting his head to fix a piercing re upon Eli, who sat confidently upon the throne.


    Eli, taken aback by the sudden shift in Theo''s behaviour, tilted his head in confusion, trying to decipher the meaning behind Theo''s intense gaze that seemed to pierce through him.


    "We will see who is going to beg..." Theo''s voice took on a sinister edge, his smile twisted into a creepy grin as he muttered iprehensible words under his breath,


    "Ζε??


    "Hmm? What the hell are you speaking?" Eli frowned deeply.


    "? μεγ?λε Ζε?, ?ρχοντα το?


    "Father, what is he speaking about?" Kayden''s voice carried a note of concern as he turned to Richard, seeking an exnation.


    "πατ?ρ θε?ν κα? ?νθρ?πων, σεμν? κα


    Ignoring his son''s question, Richard turned to his brother Rock, urgency evident in his tone. "Brother, whatnguage is he speaking?"


    Rock''s expression turned ashen, a mixture of shock and rm crossing his features, mirrored by the frown on Aadya''s face as she observed her father''s reaction.


    Rock stood abruptly, his voice trembling with urgency, "ELI, STOP HIM!!"


    Without hesitation, Eli hurled his trident, Celestria, towards Theo''s head, a sense of foreboding gnawing at his gut.


    ''Spark, Spark''


    ''Ting''


    However, before the trident could reach its target, a sudden golden lightning bolt materialized out of thin air, deflecting Eli''s weapon with astonishing precision.


    "Hehe..." Theo''s smirk held a hint of dark satisfaction as he continued chanting in the unrecognizablenguage, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling determination, "ε?? το?τον τ?ν τ?πον παρ?στασο κα? τ?ν βο?θει?----"


    ''Thud''


    Before Theo could finish his incantation, his head rolled off his shoulders, the shockwave of his sudden demise rippling through the silent arena. His body slumped lifelessly to the ground, a stark testament to the abrupt end of his unknown intentions.


    "Whatever he was nning, I had a bad feeling about it... So, I hope you don''t mind my interference..." The Vampire Queen''s indifferent voice resonated through the arena as she materialized before Eli, her presencemanding attention.


    Eli''s gaze lingered briefly on Theo''s decapitated head, the lingering smirk on its face a haunting reminder of something he knew he would seed.


    With a nonchnt shrug, Eli turned his attention back to the Vampire Queen. "Well, I don''t mind if my wife is genuinely concerned about my well-being....." he remarked casually, punctuating his words with a yful wink directed at her.


    "OHHH!!" The unexpected banter between Eli and the Vampire Queen elicited an exmation of surprise from the onlookers, momentarily distracting them from the grisly scene that had just unfolded. Despite the horrors witnessed, the intrigue and drama of the moment captivated the spectators.


    "Kayden!!" A sudden cry pierced the arena, drawing all eyes to separate tforms where the Hero of Theos Kingdom was seen, his eyes zed over in white, as if some unseen force had taken hold of him.


    The iprehensiblenguage spilled from Kayden''s lips, echoing with an otherworldly resonance, "σου παρ?χετε!....." His hand pointed towards Theo''s lifeless body, a sense of urgency andmand imbued in his gestures.


    "Ξυπν?στε!!!!"


    ''Thud!''


    A heavy thud reverberated through the air as Kayden plummeted from the sky, his descent abrupt and uncontrolled, akin to a marite with its strings severed.


    The sudden turn of events left everyone in stunned silence, the air itself seeming to hold its breath in anticipation.


    But then, a deafening sound shattered the tranquillity...


    "SSSSIIGGGGGG!!!!"


    A blinding light erupted, illuminating the night sky with an intensity that rivalled the sun, its epicentre originating from the direction of Theos Kingdom.


    The spectacle left onlookers in awe, the calm atmosphere shattered by the unfolding mystery and the overwhelming disy of unknown light forces at y.


    In Theos Kingdom


    The underground expanse of the castle was a testament to meticulous craftsmanship, designed with a blend of harmony and bnce, showcasing the use of pristine white marble stones and majestic pirs that adorned the surroundings.


    Within this subterranean domain, a peculiar scene unfolded... A small, distorted figure perched at the centre of a wide circr area. This figure''s vantage point was atop a unique symbol resembling thunder, intricately embedded into a massive circr door-like structure. Suddenly, the figure began to radiate with a brilliant luminosity, akin to a star shining amidst the darkness.


    The thunder-like symbol crackled with newfound energy, its presence manifesting as a shimmering circr outline upon the door. The massive structure seemed to stir of its own ord, attempting to rotate on its hinges, but,


    "I won''t!" The figure''s voice echoed resolutely as it used its hand to halt the circr motion of the door, disrupting its attempt to turn.


    ''Dum, Dum, Dum...''


    ''PPPINNGGGGGGG''


    A rhythmic beat, akin to drumming, resonated from within the door, apanied by a resounding horn sound that reverberated through the underground chambers. The figure struggled to maintain its grip on the door, preventing it from spinning asmanded by the mysterious sounds emanating from within.


    "WHO DID THIS!!" The figure''s frustration rang out in the lonely castle, its voice a blend of anger and bewilderment.


    Suddenly,


    "sssiiii"


    A soft whisper-like white line emerged from the narrow gap created by the slightly ajar circr door. The figure made a futile attempt to capture it, but with every movement, the circr door threatened to spin uncontrobly.


    ''Tsk'' With a dissatisfied click of its tongue, the figure observed the small white thread slipping away from it''s grasp.