Milena stood, while her tears silently poured down, she stood in front of the collapsing Lux. Her eyes red from crying met her uncle's burning gaze, but she was no longer the same trembling girl. She slowly extended her hand and wiped her tears with the back of her palm, then clenched her other hand on her chest.
She said in a trembling voice, but charged with a will of steel:
"I promise you, uncle… I promise that I will avenge those who brought down our clan, I will make everyone who turned their back on the Flarins kneel under our radiance once more! I will restore the glory, and I will ignite the flame again... I am the last spark of the promised flame!"
Lux slowly raised his head, his gaze fluctuating between deep pride and deep pain. His mouth moved as if he was whispering something, then his voice came out faintly, struggling:
"I...pr—"
But he did not complete. Suddenly, he gasped violently, and his giant body shook as if a storm exploded inside him. He grabbed his head with both hands, and a terrifying scream came out from his throat, its echo tearing through the cave walls. His eyes turned into full bloody red, a thick black aura exploded from his body and swept the place, cold as death and dark as dusk.
"Uncle!" Milena screamed and rushed toward him without hesitation.
But before she got close, he waved his massive arm with blind force, releasing a clear killing intent unconsciously, as if his mind had been entirely devoured.
At the same moment, Christopher disappeared from his place, and with a swift shadow movement appeared behind Milena, grabbed her from her waist and pulled her back forcefully, then braced on his heel and retreated with her to the wall, and spoke in a sharp voice like a sword:
"What are you doing?! Are you trying to die?!"
She tried to break free from his grip, and her eyes were still fixed on Lux, who was now groaning and writhing, and his chains were shaking.
"Uncle! Lux!" Milena screamed, sadness filling her voice, her gaze begging that familiar face behind the dark aura that had begun to form around him.
But Christopher tightened his grip around her, and whispered in her ear in a calm yet firm tone:
"Calm down... Your uncle Lux needs you now."
Milena froze, her ragged breaths slightly calmed, Christopher's voice pierced the chaos of her emotions like a thread of light in a dark tunnel.
Christopher continued, his voice now deeper:
"If you don't stay calm... you will lose him forever."
Her lips trembled, but she nodded slowly. The tears didn't stop, but her gaze changed… transformed from helplessness to determination.
Christopher spoke in a calm voice to Milena without lifting his eyes off Lux:
"Activate the rest of the formations... We must suppress him in the cave until his trial ends."
Milena nodded quickly and ran toward the nearest wall, started to pass her fingers over the gray engravings, quick murmurs slipping from her lips. Each formation blinked for a moment, then began to glow with a faint violet color, as if waking from its slumber.
On the other side, Christopher started to move. He gathered his belongings quickly, fixed the disk with the purple gem inside his side belt, then wore his long black robe, under it a light leather vest. Finally, he tightly wrapped the purple scarf around his neck.
Christopher looked at Lux with each engraving Milena activated, the black chains were getting stronger and suppressing him. He was screaming wanting to break free, but the chains were severely suppressing him and pinning him in place.
"What powerful black chains... They're suppressing this monster completely!" Christopher muttered as he looked at the black chains that were suppressing Lux harshly.
"I'm done!" Milena shouted as she activated the last engraving on the wall, then walked to Christopher.
"Good, take this." Christopher extended his bag that contained Milena's belongings. Milena grabbed her bag, then turned to look at Lux. Her eyes were filled with hesitation, but after a few seconds, the hesitation disappeared and was replaced with a determination to move forward.
"Alright, let's go." Christopher placed his hand on Milena's shoulder and spoke in his usual voice.
Milena nodded, and the two walked out of the cave. Christopher and Milena stood outside the cave looking at its entrance. After a few minutes of silence, Christopher spoke:
"How will we close this cave?"
"Don't worry, I've already prepared a method." Milena walked toward the entrance and pulled out a long black brush, and began drawing engravings on the wall at an unnatural speed. When she finished, she touched the engravings and whispered inaudible words. The engravings began to glow with a quiet purple color. With the activation of the formation, the cave entrance began to curve and close by itself, as if the rock was melting then freezing again.
Christopher silently watched the entrance as it completely closed. He couldn't help but sigh and said to himself in a low voice:
"Lux… what a wonderful person."
Milena stepped back and stood next to Christopher, her eyes fixed on the place behind which her uncle had disappeared, drowned in her thoughts, until Christopher broke the silence with a soft voice:
"So… what's your plan?"
Milena thought a little while looking at the cave, and just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, a strange voice interrupted her:
"I found you."
Milena froze, and Christopher frowned, then wrapped his purple scarf around his face, and turned while grabbing the handle of his sword, preparing to activate the black ring.
A man with white hair appeared, his face hidden behind a black mask that only revealed his eyes. He was wearing light black armor that allowed him freedom of movement, and on his back was a long sword. Behind him, dozens of men appeared, numbering between fifty to sixty men, all wearing the same black combat attire, moving with clear discipline, as if they were a carefully trained squad.
Christopher thought as he looked puzzled at the white-haired man who seemed their leader: How did they find and determine our location so precisely? Then he continued in his mind: Well, that doesn't matter now. This man in front of me looks extremely strong. If I fight him with my raw power, the odds of my defeat are between ninety to eighty percent. But if I use the black ring, the odds become fifty percent. Christopher analyzed the situation quickly and spoke in a very calm voice:
"Are you from the Holy Temple?"
The white-haired man did not reply to Christopher. He seemed as if he completely ignored him, or perhaps didn't care at all. He turned his head back and asked in a dry tone:
"Where is the rabbit?"
"Yes, sir."
A tall man came out from the ranks, carrying a softly glowing white gem, and bowed before the white-haired man.
The commander asked him in a calm voice devoid of emotion:
"Are you sure the mana that the tracking gem sensed was here?"
"Yes, sir. There's no doubt about that." The tall man replied calmly with clear confidence in his tone.
The white-haired commander turned his gaze toward Christopher and Milena, his eyes shining with thought. It's impossible that the mana sensed by the tracking gem came from these two weaklings… It was at least from the peak of rank two. He frowned a little, if someone of that strength was accompanying this girl, it must be Lux, the heavy hunter... But he's not here. Is he hiding? He slowly shifted his gaze toward the surrounding trees, his eyes calmly scanning the place as he sank into his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Christopher was watching him coldly, his hand still gripping the sword handle tightly. Did he ignore me on purpose? Or does he not see me as a threat? Christopher wondered internally, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the commander.
Then, with creeping calmness, a dark and heavy aura began to leak from his body. The air around him became still, as if something broke the balance in the place. Silence became heavier, as if even the breaths retreated.
Milena looked at him with faint astonishment, and her heart was beating fast. Is this the black ring? She wondered as she observed the disturbing transformation in Christopher. He truly deserves to be a weapon fought over by third-rank hunters. I didn't expect it to have such an effect on him.
At the same moment Christopher's aura emerged, the commander looked at him in surprise. It seemed as if he saw him for the first time, noticing the strong aura he released. He narrowed his eyes, suspicious: Is he hiding his power? The commander quickly thought to himself, I sensed his strength earlier, and it was at least in the first level of the first rank... How did his power reach this level now? Is he hiding his strength? Or was the information I received from Carlos about this person wrong? Or did he not reveal his true power against Carlos?
At that moment, Christopher quickly drew his sword, and didn't look back at Milena. He spoke calmly and without hesitation, saying:
"We will escape in different directions."
Christopher didn't think long about this decision. He was someone who loved risk, and enjoyed challenging the impossible. But at the same time, he understood when to retreat and when to advance. He knew very well that the people in front of him were strong, especially the white-haired commander who gave him a strange feeling he couldn't explain.
Milena looked at Christopher in surprise for a moment, but she quickly understood his intent. She nodded to him and said: "Then, goodbye." As soon as she finished speaking, she disappeared at great speed, and a flashing fiery spark shot out of her, rushing quickly in the opposite direction.
Christopher felt slight astonishment at her speed, but he didn't give the matter more attention. He used Earth Shadow Steps and ran quickly in the opposite direction from Milena.
When the white-haired commander saw Christopher and Melina escaping, he did not show any form of surprise. He simply observed the situation with calm eyes, as if he was expecting what would happen. The aura released by Christopher had left an effect in the air, but the commander did not show any sign of tension. On the contrary, he seemed calmer and more majestic than what any ordinary person would perceive. He moved slowly, in a way that reflected only his deep strength, which is unaffected by the actions of others.
Then, in a calm and strong voice, he commanded:
"The Rabbit."
"Yes, sir," answered the man nicknamed "The Rabbit," as he stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Take forty men, and go chase that girl."
"At your command."
And as soon as he finished his words, he disappeared from his place like a mirage, followed by forty men, launching after Melina with lightning speed, without making any sound, like deadly ghosts.
As for the white-haired commander, he continued in a calm tone:
"The rest will follow me."