The hall descended into absolute chaos.

For a single moment after the unknown merchant crushed the skulls of two royal knights with his bare hands, everyone stood frozen. Blood dripped from his fingers, staining the polished royal floor beneath him, while that horrifying wave of corrupted mana spread across the palace like a suffocating storm.

The sheer pressure alone stunned nearly every guest.

Even Priest Paul himself was visibly shaken.

But only for a moment.

Because then—

He remembered.

The words his superior had once told him.

That there would be one hidden among them. A secret member of the Vassel whose identity even they would not know. Someone watching from the shadows.

Priest Paul’s mechanical hand clenched tightly.

His expression darkened.

So this is that person…

Then there is no point in hiding anymore.

His voice thundered throughout the wedding hall.

“FOR ABYSSALS!!!”

Instantly, the entire atmosphere shattered.

Around sixty percent of the guests, servants, guards, and even several nobles released corrupted mana all at once.

“FOR ABYSSALS!!!”

The hidden Vassel operatives finally revealed themselves.

Dark mana burst from every direction, shocking the innocent guests into panic.

“The Vassel?!”

“It’s an ambush!”

Screams erupted.

One noble barely managed to react before a corrupted servant behind him swung a sword toward his neck—

But a silver flash cut through the air.

Valeriana moved.

Her blade sliced cleanly through the attacker’s throat before his strike could land.

His head rolled across the floor.

Valeriana stood protectively in front of several horrified guests, her sword gleaming.

Priest Paul immediately turned his gaze.

“Hans.”

“Stop her.”

Hans maintained that same foxy smile as though this was all perfectly normal.

“With pleasure.”

He vanished instantly, twin daggers in hand, moving toward Valeriana with terrifying speed.

Meanwhile, Dex and Maya stood completely stunned.

Their expressions had lost all composure.

“Priest Paul…?”

Maya’s voice trembled slightly.

“Hans too…?”

Even Ron and Lia, still restrained in chains, stared in disbelief at their older siblings’ reactions.

For the first time—

It looked like Dex and Maya genuinely didn’t know about anyof this..

—

Priest Paul wasted no more time.

He turned sharply toward the knights escorting Ron and Lia.

“Bring the prisoners to the stage.”

“Place them within the magic formation.”

The armored knights moved—

But suddenly, three helmets came off.

“Not so fast.”

Ron and Lia’s eyes widened immediately.

Maera ,Selene ,Drevin.

Their academy friends had arrived.

But before anyone could process the reunion—

Priest Paul moved.

He appeared before them almost instantly and threw a devastating punch.

Selene reacted on pure instinct, summoning a defensive rune barrier in front of them.

It shattered like fragile glass.

The force behind the strike was overwhelming.

Maera, Selene, and Drevin were all sent crashing violently into the nearby wall.

The impact cracked stone.

Selene coughed blood.

Priest Paul’s expression remained calm.

“Quickly.”

“Grab them.”

“Place them.”

Ron and Lia tried to resist, but their mana-restraining cuffs and already battered bodies made it nearly impossible.

At that moment, Maya shouted.

“Priest Paul!”

“What are you doing?!”

Paul turned his head slightly.

“You wished for their deaths, did you not?”

“I am simply making it happen.”

Maya’s face twisted in anger.

“No.”

“You are from the Vassel, traitor!!!”

“We might hate them but you and your people are enemy of humanity..”

“We want to kill them…!” Maya shouted in anger..

“But we’ll kill them on our terms

not by yours…!” Dex supported maya..

Priest Paul let out an almost disappointed sigh.

“How unfortunate.”

Then he snapped his fingers.

“Guards.”

“Restrain them.”

“They still can be useful…”

Corrupted guards immediately seized Dex and Maya from behind.

Both struggled violently—

But then suddenly, both froze.

A terrible pain surged through their chests.

Their eyes widened.

“W-What…?!”

Dex collapsed to one knee.

Maya gasped in pain.

“What did you do…?!”

Priest Paul did not answer.

Ron and Lia were thrown into the center of the stage.

Priest Paul clasped his hands together and began chanting.

Dark pink mana surged outward.

A massive magic circle spread across the ceremonial floor beneath Ron and Lia.

Its glow intensified rapidly, filling the hall with oppressive energy.

Then a dark pink and black hemispherical barrier formed around them, sealing them inside completely.

Maera, Selene, and Drevin immediately tried to rush forward—

But the three Vassel knights intercepted them.

Battle erupted between them.

Meanwhile, Dex and Maya remained on the ground, clutching their chests in agony.

“Paul…”

“What are you doing to them…?”

Priest Paul slowly turned to face them.

His usual gentle smile remained—

But now it looked grotesque.

Fanatical.

Mad.

His eyes trembled with blind worship.

“Ah…”

“Yes…”

“They are descending…”

His voice was filled with twisted reverence.

“In their perfect vessels…”

.

.

.

.

Time passed.

A second.

Then another.

The massive ritual circle beneath Ron and Lia continued glowing violently, dark pink and black corrupted mana swirling with terrifying force. The hemisphere barrier pulsed ominously, and Priest Paul stood there with wide, fanatical eyes—waiting.

But nothing happened.

Just silence.

Priest Paul’s confident smile slowly began to crack.

“…What?”

His mechanical hand twitched slightly as panic crept into his expression.

“This… this isn’t right…”

Inside the barrier, however, something entirely different was happening.

In front of Ron, Lia, and Selene, translucent windows suddenly appeared.

System screens.

—

WARNING!!!

Danger to user detected!

Possession attempt negated!

System update complete!

—

Then, with familiar absurdity, a tiny chibi figure popped into view.

“OH! Hi guys!”

Ron and Lia’s eyes widened immediately.

“…William?!”

Selene was equally stunned.

The tiny AI floated cheerfully, completely out of place given the catastrophic ritual around them.

“System update completed!”

“So… what’s happening here?!”

Ron almost wanted to laugh at the timing.

But before any of them could answer—

Priest Paul’s voice thundered through the hall.

“WHAT IS HAPPENING?!”

The sheer desperation in his tone shook even the Vassel members around him.

“Why are Abyssals not descending?!”

“These two should be perfect vessels!”

“They possess extreme elemental compatibility!”

For the first time, the guests, infiltrators, and even Maya and Dex could hear genuine panic from the priest.

Then Paul’s face twisted viciously.

“No matter…”

“If these two fail…”

His eyes shifted toward Dex and Maya.

“I’ll use the next best thing.”

He pointed directly toward the ritual boundary.

“Put them there.”

Corrupted guards immediately obeyed.

Dex and Maya tried to resist, but the unbearable pain in their chests made even standing difficult. Unknown to them, the agony was caused by corrupted mana Priest Paul had secretly implanted long ago.

They were dragged helplessly toward the ritual boundary.

Then Paul resumed his chanting.

The hemisphere expanded outward, swallowing Dex and Maya into the ritual zone as well.

Now—

All four siblings stood inside the same corrupted ritual prison.

Ron.

Lia.

Dex.

Maya.

Inside the dome, Dex and Maya immediately began to feel it.

Extreme corruption.

Far stronger than before.

It spread like poison through their bodies, trying to forcefully claim them.

Priest Paul’s face twisted with renewed zeal.

“Yes…”

“This time…”

“This time they shall descend…”

Meanwhile, outside the dome, Zane still stood in disguise, surrounded by corrupted knights aiming spears at him.

To everyone watching, it looked tense.

But in Zane’s mind—

Everything was proceeding exactly as planned.

Now, Zayne.

In an instant, Zayne moved.

His speed was so absurd that even Priest Paul couldn’t process what happened.

One moment he stood chanting.

The next—

A hand wrapped around his throat.

He was violently ripped away from the stage and launched out of the palace entirely.

At the same time, Zayne grabbed Zane as well, making it appear as though he was taking down another dangerous target.

To everyone inside, it felt like Valeriana’s man took the enemy outside to fight..

But in truth—

It was controlled perfection.

Outside the palace, high above the floating kingdom, Priest Paul finally processed his surroundings.

He was suspended in the open air.

Zayne held him effortlessly.

“Good work,” Zayne said casually.

Paul’s mind reeled.

“…What?”

He looked at Zayne, then at the disguised merchant beside him.

His expression shifted rapidly from confusion to horror.

“You…”

“You’re not from the Vassel if you’re saying good work to him…”

Then he looked at Zayne again.

“And you…”

“Why can’t I recognize your face?”

Zayne smirked.

“Curious one, aren’t you?”

“It’s my illusion magic.”

“I’m kind of a big deal.”

“If you recognized me , you would be in a shock.”

With a wave of his hand, Zayne dropped his disguise.

Priest Paul’s eyes widened.

“Z-Zane Creed?!”

Zayne chuckled.

“Close.”

“But not quite.”

He pointed beside him.

“He is.”

Priest Paul slowly turned.

The disguised merchant sighed and removed his own appearance.

Revealing—

The real Zane Creed.

The being Vassel once considered its greatest threat.

An unknown entity of unprecedented strength.

Paul’s superior planned to seal him but dropped that plane after his death…

But now—

He stood before him.

Alive and smiling.

Priest Paul’s entire body trembled.

Fear unlike anything before consumed him.

“Y-You…”

“It can’t be…”

“I thought you were dead…”

Zane smirked, his eyes filled with amusement.

“My death…”

“…was greatly exaggerated.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep