Chapter 488: Null Sanctuary Collar

“Just… what do you take me for…?”

Aurelia asked in disbelief.

How paranoid was this guy?

Kael, however, did not care about her thoughts—

“Someone I cannot trust.”

He answered directly, and the General—she turned silent. Looking at Kael’s cold eyes, she could tell that no matter what she said, his broken trust wouldn’t be mended, but she still needed to give it a try. After all, multiple lives were dependent on it.

“I have no reason to do anything you mentioned. Even if we try to escape, it wouldn’t be possible since you can move faster than us and you will be able to chase us down. Even if some of us do escape, it would put others at risk.

As for spreading chaos where you live, our lot had difficulties facing just you. How well do you think we will be able to hold out when we are surrounded by the Velmourns?”

Kael raised his eyebrows at that question, but Aurelia just shook her head, not playing this game.

“There is no need to feign ignorance, Hero Kael.

We know.

We know you are with the Velmourns now—

Everyone does.”

“…”

Kael did not say anything.

He already expected it when Zephyr appeared at Heights with an army. Honestly, he was hoping Drakthar would use its power to suppress the news, but…

That was clearly just his wishful thinking. He had underestimated the information-gathering abilities of other nations.

Not that it was that big of a deal; he and Lavinia had already considered this possibility, and while it did make things more dangerous, it did not change their overall plan.

So Kael simply calmed himself, not showing any particular reaction.

The General, however, was not done yet.

“What I am trying to say is, we are not strong enough to do anything you mentioned. Even if we try to cause disturbance, it will only lead to our death, and trust me when I say this—

We are anything but warriors who are prepared to face their deaths—I wish to live a long, fulfilling life. The same is true for my me—”

“Aurelia Stormborn.”

Before the General could complete, Kael called out in a cold tone.

“I fail to see what is so difficult for you to understand—I do not trust you or your men.

I do not care if you or your men wish to live long, fulfilling lives. I will not take a risk as unnecessary and dangerous as this just based on your words—you have long lost that credibility.”

“…”

Once again, silence spread across the battlefield.

The Hero and the General stared at each other; the soldiers all gulped nervously. The air was still too, as if the world itself was holding its breath.

Aurelia considered all other possibilities, different things she could say that might convince Kael, but in the end—

She could tell there was no other choice.

She… she would need to bow her head—again.

Then, after another slight moment of hesitation, she slowly reached into her Sanctuary, and a small, black metallic collar engraved with faint blue runes appeared in her hand.

The collar glowed weakly in her palm, and the instant Kael saw it—his expression changed.

This thing…

He had seen it before.

Aurelia looked at him and—

“This is a Null Sanctuary Collar.”

She explained.

“We brought dozens of these for you.”

Kael’s eyes flickered.

“What does it do?”

He asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“It seals one’s Sanctuary,”

Aurelia explained steadily.

“Once worn, it prevents summoning of any beasts. It makes the wearer unable to access their Sanctuary at all. Even I wouldn’t be able to use mine once it’s locked unless the collar is taken off.

In a world where both warriors and mages rely on their Bonds for… everything—it is like being stripped of all your power.

All of us may be strong, but without our Bonds helping us—we will lose more than half of our powers—even a single Seventh Stage Warrior would be enough to keep an eye on us.

It will ensure that we are unable to do anything you fear—be it planning an escape, spreading information using artifacts, or… causing destruction.”

The General then stepped closer, holding the artifact toward him.

“Use these on us. On me, my men, all of us. Then you can take us to Heights safely. You’ll have control, and we won’t be able to fight back.”

Kael didn’t move at first.

He just stared at the artifact presented to him, and suddenly his cold, blue eyes turned golden—

Yes, he activated [Eye of the Ancients] just to confirm that what the woman said was true and he wasn’t being fooled.

[Null Sanctuary Collar]

[Description:]

[A black, rune-etched metal collar, cold to the touch. It emits a faint hum when active. Once locked, the runes flare blue, and the wearer’s connection to their Sanctuary is completely cut off.]

[Properties:]

[Sanctuary Lock: Prevents summoning or sensing of bonded beasts.]

[Owner-Linked Key: Can only be removed by the activator’s mana signature.]

[Uses:]

[Safely restrains tamers.]

[Used for prisoner transport or battlefield capture.]

[Limitations:]

[One-time lock; requires a key or high-tier dispel to remove.]

…

Once he was done reading everything, he once again turned back to Aurelia and—

“Dozens of these for me, huh…

So from the beginning, you came prepared to enslave me.”

He muttered softly.

“I came prepared to capture a threat. I did not expect to meet you.”

Aurelia lowered her gaze, and Kael just laughed out loud.

“We are not friends, General.

There is no need to lie to me—especially when everything is so apparent.

Perhaps she is right. I am… still too naïve.”

“I—”

The General tried to defend herself.

But Kael interrupted her again—

“As I said, there is no need for any explanations.

I agree to your conditions.”

He then turned toward the rest of the soldiers who were still in the air, staring at him nervously and—

“Send your Bonds back into your Sanctuaries.”

He ordered.

The soldiers nodded. They gently nudged their Bonds and landed on the ground. Then, the Tamers and the Beasts stared at each other once the Sanctuary portal was opened, and finally—

The Beasts returned to their respective Sanctuaries.

Kael watched it all happen. He saw how Vaya looked at Aurelia before she walked in, he saw the soldiers clench their fists tightly as they lowered their gazes in guilt and helplessness. After all, at the end of the day, they too were Tamers who were deeply attached to their Bonds. Even for soldiers who had trained for war and death since they were children, imprisoning their beasts for an indefinite amount of time was a difficult decision to make—and watching it happen right in front of them was… even more painful.

Kael, however, did not care.

He watched it all happen with cold eyes, and once all the beasts were inside their Sanctuaries and the Sanctuaries were closed—

“Now kneel and put your hands above your head.”

He ordered in a cold, authoritative tone, and in an instant, Aurelia’s and the soldiers’ expressions changed—looking at Kael in surprise.

“…Wha—”

Aurelia wanted to say something but—

“What are you looking at me for?

Prisoners should be treated as such.”

He spoke, his tone still icy cold.

It was clear that he would not let this matter go unless they complied with his words. The soldiers stared at each other with uncertain looks on their faces; even Aurelia was hesitating, and Kael…

He just waited in cold, emotionless silence.

Waiting for them to make a decision on their own.

And… after a few seconds of silence—

One of the soldiers knelt.

The others stared at him, so he lowered his head in humiliation, but… it didn’t last long as another soldier knelt.

One after another, more and more knelt, until finally—even Aurelia knelt.

“Raise your hands.”

Kael ordered again.

And the General and the soldiers all closed their eyes in humiliation before doing what they were told.

Finally—Kael landed on the ground together with his Bonds. Igni stared closely at the prisoners, as if prepared to burn them alive the moment they made a foolish choice, and Kael took the collar from Aurelia’s hand.

For a long moment, there was silence.

The Hero stared at the collar that was meant for his own imprisonment, and the General knelt on the ground with her soldiers, offering her life and power to end a war.

“Give the rest.”

Kael ordered as he stared at Aurelia.

The General moved slowly, making sure none of her actions made Kael wary. Then, she reached out into her Sanctuary and brought out more than thirty collars.

Kael took them all before looking at Aurelia one last time and—he reached out with a collar in his hand—prepared to put it on her.

“Wait.”

Suddenly, Aurelia called out.

“What is it now?”

Kael asked.

“I have a condition.”

“I do not think you are in a position to have conditions—especially now.”

Kael answered, looking into her eyes, but Aurelia did not back down.

“I purposefully put myself in this position before saying it—so you have the control. See it as a sign of trust and at least listen to me.”

She requested.

And Kael…

“Speak.”

He sighed.

“Once a day, I want you to allow us to open our Sanctuaries—one by one so it won’t pose much danger to you or your people.

I do not want my children to starve to death inside.”

Kael stared at Aurelia for a while, then he nodded.

“I’ll allow you to feed them three times a day, like you normally do.”

He gave in—

No matter what he became, it was still difficult for him to completely abandon his morals.

’Still too naïve…’

He cursed inwardly, knowing full well that he might regret this choice later.

But in the end, he just sighed and wrapped the collar around Aurelia’s neck, who was nodding at him with a grateful smile.

ZHHMM

The moment the locks clicked, a hum was heard, and the next instant, the General felt her connection with her Sanctuary disappear.

Kael did the same with the other soldiers, sealing all their Sanctuaries and taking away their strongest power.

When the final collar clicked shut, the battlefield fell silent.

The flames had died, the cries had ended, and what remained was only submission—and the quiet, cold presence of a Hero who… who may have changed into someone different after what had happened today.

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