Chapter 374: Domination

Astrid’s eyes narrowed as she sensed Kael’s aura. A flicker of amusement crossed her regal features. She let out a sharp, mocking scoff.

"A Spirit Soul Rank 4?" she mused, her voice dripping with condescension. "I have been cultivating for nearly a century to reach the Peak Spirit Soul. And you, a child, dare to infiltrate my palace at such a pathetic level?"

She tilted her head, studying him. "That face must be an illusion. Some cheap trick to appear young while hiding your true, wrinkled self. What are you? A hermit hired by a rival kingdom to assassinate me?"

Kael didn’t answer. He simply smiled.

Void Step.

WHOOSH!

Kael vanished. He reappeared directly in front of Astrid, his Shadow Slayer blade thrusting toward her throat.

CLANG! Astrid reacted instantly, her water spear snapping up to deflect the blow. Sparks flew. But Kael didn’t press the attack. Instead, he pivoted, his body twisting as he lunged toward the bed where the two children slept.

"NO!" Astrid screamed.

FWOOSH!

A terrifying wave of Water Rule Power erupted from her palm. BAM! The attack slammed into Kael’s back, sending him crashing into the far wall. CRACK! The runic formation flickered, spiderweb cracks appearing across the symbols on the icy stone.

Kael gritted his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He immediately weaved a series of hand seals, channeling his dense soul power into the runes. BZZZT! The cracks sealed, the formation reinforcing itself.

She’s strong, Kael thought, wiping the blood away. Her Water Rule Power is at the Fifth Step—Law Threshold. She’s only one step away from breaking through to the Origin Realm.

He couldn’t afford to hold back.

THUMP. THUMP.

Kael activated the Void Core. A dense, black sphere of compressed darkness materialized in front of his chest, spinning violently as it absorbed the ambient mana in the room.

Astrid’s eyes widened. She immediately fired another water technique—a massive, spear-shaped torrent of condensed water rule power.

HISS!

Kael’s shadow rippled. The Shadow Serpent erupted from the darkness, its massive, fanged maw snapping shut around the water spear. CRUNCH! The attack shattered, but the serpent let out a pained hiss, its scales dissolving where the rule power had touched it.

"Go for the children," Kael whispered.

The serpent lunged toward the bed. But Astrid was faster. FWOOSH! A shimmering, spherical barrier of water materialized around the twins, and the serpent’s fangs scraped harmlessly against it.

THUD!

The Void Core completed its formation, slamming into Kael’s chest. BOOM! His aura exploded outward, the pressure in the room multiplying tenfold. His cultivation skyrocketed from Spirit Soul Rank 4 to Spirit Soul Rank 8.

Astrid’s mocking smile vanished. "What... what is this?!"

Kael didn’t answer. He formed another hand seal.

"Shadow God Transformation. Second Form: Archfiend."

FWOOSH!

The shadows in the room converged on Kael, solidifying into a terrifying set of abyssal armor. Unlike the First Form’s jagged, incomplete plates, this armor was sleek, seamless, and radiated a suffocating, divine darkness. A crown of black flames materialized above his head, and his eyes turned into pools of absolute void. Twin horns, curved and cruel, extended from his temples.

His aura amplified by 200%. His darkness abilities doubled. His soul attacks became lethal.

Astrid took a step back, her water spear trembling in her grip. This is no ordinary assassin. This is a demon.

Kael sent the rank 7 Shadow serpent back to the shadow world as it dissolved into his shadow.

CLASH!

Kael lunged. The Shadow Slayer blades clashed against her water spear in a blinding exchange of sparks and shockwaves.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

They moved at terrifying speeds, their battle destroying the furniture and cracking the walls. Astrid was a master of water techniques, her spear flowing like a living river, deflecting and countering.

"Water Rule: Torrential Abyss!" she screamed.

FWOOSH! A massive, swirling vortex of water rule power erupted around Kael, attempting to crush him from all sides.

Kael planted his feet. BZZT! He activated Heaven’s Mandate Body Art. A layer of reactive aura armor formed over his skin. The water pressure crashed against him, but his Tier 5 body cultivation held firm, the armor auto-hardening at every point of impact.

Crack! He swung his blade, tearing through the vortex.

Astrid’s eyes widened. "Tier 5 Body Cultivation?! You’re a dual cultivator?!"

Kael smirked, but he was sweating. Between maintaining the Void Core, the Second Form, and continuously reinforcing the rune formation to prevent the noise from leaking, he was burning through his mana at an alarming rate.

He needed to end this quickly.

BZZT! He unleashed his three Rule Powers simultaneously. Lightning crackled around his left blade, Gravity warped the air around his right, and Darkness swirled around his body.

"Three Rule Powers?!" Astrid gasped, deflecting a lightning-infused slash. "At the Third Step... but three of them! What kind of monster are you?!"

She gritted her teeth. He must be a hermit from a hidden sect. A century-old monster in a young body. There’s no other explanation.

WHOOSH! Kael formed a hand seal with his free hand. "Soul Weaver’s Requiem: Mind Fracture."

BUZZZZZT!

An invisible shockwave of soul power slammed directly into Astrid’s mind. She screamed, "AGH!", her hands flying to her head. Blood trickled from her nose. Her water spear wavered.

Now!

Kael formed another seal. WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! Three Shadow Clones erupted from his body, dashing in different directions.

Astrid, still disoriented, swung her spear wildly, destroying two of the clones. POP! POP! But the third clone slipped past her, lunging directly toward the barrier protecting the children.

"NO!" she screamed, turning to chase it.

CRACKLE! The clone raised its hand, unleashing a distributed Lightning Strike. BZZZT-BOOM! The water barrier shattered into a thousand droplets.

Astrid froze. Her eyes locked onto her children, now exposed and vulnerable. Her spear clattered to the floor. CLANG.

"I... I yield," she whispered, her voice broken. "Please... don’t hurt them."

Kael let out a long, exhausted breath. He deactivated the Second Form, the armor and horns fading into shadows. He closed his fist.

CLINK-CLANK!

Dark chains erupted from the ground, wrapping around Astrid’s limbs, her waist, and her throat, restraining her completely. She didn’t resist. She just stared at her children, tears streaming down her face.

Kael walked toward her slowly, his footsteps echoing in the silent room.

"Smart choice, Your Majesty," Kael said, his voice cold but not cruel. "Now, I would like to get this over with."