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Chapter 119 - Betrayal and Escape

Draven stared at Ivan, his glowing red eyes cold. The hallway was silent—tension thick in the air.

His voice broke through it, calm and steady.

"Alright."

He took a step forward.

"I'll hand the rock over. It's not like I wanna keep it anyway."

He looked down at the Spirit Egg resting in his palm. His fingers tightened. Then, with a sudden motion, he reeled his hand back.

"Here."

He flung the egg hard—straight at Ivan's face.

In that same instant he moved, Draven crouched low, reversing the grip on his dagger, and launched forward like a predator.

The maid's eyes flicked toward the blur—Draven was already in motion.

Ivan didn't flinch he raised his left hand casually and caught the Spirit Egg midair, completely unfazed.

In that instant, Draven's figure appeared beside him—dagger slicing toward Ivan's head.

Ivan tilted his head back slightly.

narrowly avoiding the blade.

His eyes flicked toward him, unreadable..

Draven was already twisting—his body a blur of motion twisted with precision. His leg snapped upward toward Ivan's temple.

Ivan's other hand whipped up and caught Draven's leg mid-kick. The impact stopped cold.

He stared at Draven. Draven glared back—eyes burning red.

Ivan's face remained calm, but a flicker of irritation passed through his voice.

"Tch. Disgusting."

"I'll kill you for making me block that."

His grip tightened.

CRACK.

Draven's bones crunched between his fingers.

Draven's expression didn't flinch completely unfazed. His voice, cold and steady, cut through the pain.

"Just hearing your voice pisses me off. Keep yapping—I'll rip your damn tongue out."

Ivan frowned slightly, fingers digging in deeper—until:

A red flash.

The maid was already there. Her eyes sharp, her blood-forged axe already in mid-swing—slashing across Ivan's chest. Blood sprayed. Her second axe came in fluidly, slicing across the hand holding Draven's leg.

SLASH.

Ivan's grip broke.

Now free, Draven didn't hesitate. His crushed leg snapped forward again—still regenerating. continued the kick. Ivan stepped back—dodging by inches.

But Draven didn't stop moving.

In a single motion, he placed a hand on the maid's head to balance himself, twisted midair, planted a foot on her shoulder, and launched off again—his leg already regenerating. body fully recovered.

He closed in a flash, he was on Ivan.

His dagger glinted shot forward, piercing straight for Ivan's face.

Ivan's eyes narrowed as he lifted the same hand that held the Spirit Egg—moved sharply deflecting the blade.

Draven's hands snapped forward, gripping tightly around Ivan's wrist.

His leg came in again, knee slamming toward Ivan's face.

It didn't land.

Ivan's other hand—already regenerated—caught the knee effortlessly.

He glared, calm and cold, crimson eyes burning into Draven's.

"Is this all you had to offer?"

"How disappointing. I'd expect nothing more from someone with disgusting blood."

He thought to himself:

> Now that I've taken what I wanted… he no longer serves any purpose. I'll dispose of the trash.

Behind them across the hall, Aldric and Lyriana, who had watched the exchange in silence, looked at each other. were already moving, surged forward, weapons gripped tight, mana crackling off their bodies.

Ivan's mana flared violently.

Dozens of blood blades manifested around him—spiraling into the air before launching outward.

Some shot forward toward the charging maid.

Others lashed backward toward Lyriana and Aldric.

The two weaved between them, deflecting and dodging with skilled precision.

Meanwhile, Ivan's fingers tightened again—still crushing Draven's knee—then shifted. He stepped into his stance, clenched his bloodstained hand into a tight fist, and reeled it back.

SNAP.

He threw a devastating punch.

Draven, eyes wide, reacted on instinct.

"CRAP—!"

He raised his regenerating knee and elbow to guard his side—

Then—

BAGOOOM!!

The blow smashed into Draven's side like a meteor.

he's body exploded backward, blasting through the stone hallway wall—then the next—then another. The sound of stone cracking and beams snapping echoed through the halls.

His momentum didn't stop. He crashed through the final wall of the castle and flew into the forest beyond, vanishing into the trees.

---

Silence returned.

Inside the ruined hall, Ivan stood still arm lowering still—his fist covered in Mana.

The hallway echoed with the aftermath of the strike.

His eyes flicked down—to his palm.

The spirit egg was gone.

Only severed fingers remained, twitching. Already regrowing.

Ivan's expression darkened. His jaw clenched. Fury leaked from his calm like poison from a cracked vial.

> You… Crafty little vermin. You knew you couldn't win—so you chose to steal.

He stepped back slowly, turning

Mana swirled violently surging off him like Crimson storm around him.

His voice dropped to a whisper — low, cold, filled with promised violence.

"What you took..."

"...will cost you more than death."

"It will cost everyone who ever mattered to you."

His eyes blazed. The air trembled.

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