Number Two’s earth-shattering self-destruction instantly swept across the entire battlefield.
None were more horrified than those belonging to the Ten Pillars—especially Number Three, who also ranked among the top three, and Chise, who had been closely monitoring the battle.
Almost the very instant the shockwave began to subside, Number Three traded a massive blow with Laura.
Using the momentum to drift backward, his blood-red figure pulled a series of afterimages through the air.
He abandoned the troublesome blue-haired Sword Saint without hesitation, shooting toward the city wall at maximum speed.
On the other side, Chise instantly shook off Dio’s interference, transforming into a streak of blood-red light to follow close behind.
Atop the city wall, the dust had mostly settled, revealing scorched marks and Bart. He sat slumped against a corner, his aura withered and weak, his face wearing an expression of complex, unreadable emotions.
“Bart! What on earth happened?!”
Chise was the first to land. Seeing Bart’s miserable state, an ominous premonition filled her heart.
Almost simultaneously, Number Three’s figure appeared silently beside them.
His face, which usually wore a playful smirk, was now dark. His eyes remained fixed on Bart before scanning the empty ground, which was covered only by the scorched remains of the struggle.
“Number Two… Why did he self-destruct? And where is that black-haired human?”
His confusion ran deeper than Chise’s.
He knew Number Two’s strength better than anyone. Among humans, there should not have been anyone capable of defeating Number Two. To force Number Two into a self-destruction? It was simply impossible!
Furthermore, the top three Blood Pillars had long since been reborn thanks to the Chief’s “gift.”
The Bloodline Restraint of Casimir had been significantly weakened for them. Number Two had absolutely no reason to be “forced into self-destruction due to leaking secrets!”
Bart seemed still immersed in the logic-defying scene from earlier, his eyes slightly dazed.
Hearing their demands, he slowly raised his head. His gaze drifted past the anxious Chise and the grim Number Three. His mouth twisted into a smile that looked more painful than crying.
He didn’t answer the question about Number Two first. Instead, he spoke in a voice filled with lingering fear and absurdity.
“Let’s talk about that black-haired kid first… We all misjudged him. We were dead wrong.”
He took a deep breath, enduring the pain, and described everything that had happened in the most concise yet shocking terms.
How Yize had used pure physical strength to effortlessly crush Bart’s fist while in his Blood Awakening state; how he had beaten Bart’s face into a pulp with a single punch; how he had completely ignored the powerful recovery abilities of the Blood Race.
And how, after Number Two appeared, he had been equally suppressed in close-quarters combat.
Number Two hadn’t even been given the chance to use Blood Awakening or any other abilities before being subjected to a brutal beating…
“… His strength and speed were so great… it wasn’t human,” Bart concluded, his voice trembling with lingering terror.
“Impossible!” Chise cried out, her face written with disbelief. “Bart, are you sure you didn’t have a hallucination? Or fall under some Spirit Magic?”
“That black-haired kid, who looked like he was dying of cowardice, crushed you and Number Two with nothing but physical strength? You couldn’t even fight back in your Blood Awakening state?”
She truly could not connect the black-haired young man from her memory—the one who always hid behind women—to the Yize described by Bart.
Bart pointed to his face, which had yet to fully heal, and his mangled fist. He felt the hollowed-out state of his Blood Qi Origin and said bitterly, “Hallucinations? Spirit Magic?”
“What kind of illusion do you think could wound me like this?”
“This body full of injuries and my depleted Blood Qi Origin—do you think those are fake?”
Number Three’s brow furrowed deeply. He understood Bart’s personality better than Chise did. This brute might be crude and arrogant, but he would never lie about something like this, especially not by detailing his own humiliating defeat.
But because of that, the situation felt even more inconceivable.
“Even if that human’s physical strength is as freakish as you say,” Number Three’s voice was icy, “I know Number Two’s Blood Awakening ability. Once fully activated, his physical toughness and recovery reach a terrifying level. Combined with his own combat techniques, it’s impossible for him to lose so easily, let alone be forced to self-destruct!”
“What exactly happened? Why would he self-destruct?”
Upon hearing this, Bart’s expression suddenly became complicated. He gave a low, mocking chuckle, which triggered a coughing fit before he could continue.
“Self-destruct? Do you think he wanted to? He had no choice, or rather… he was ordered to do it.”
“Ordered?” Number Three and Chise spoke in unison, stunned.
“That’s right. Ordered.” Bart’s gaze became deep, as if he were witnessing that unforgettable scene once again. “That black-haired kid pulled out a bottle of some strange Magic Potion from somewhere. I think it was called Obedience Water. He forced it down Number Two’s throat.”
“And then, Number Two changed.” Bart’s tone carried a sense of trance. “Whatever that kid asked, he answered. He was as obedient as a tamed dog.”
“He even… spoke about the existence of the Chief and some of our plans.”
“What?!” Number Three and Chise both turned pale!
The Chief’s existence was a top secret! Number Two actually…
Bart looked at their changing expressions and felt a strange flicker of satisfaction in his heart. He sneered, “Shocking, isn’t it? I was scared witless at the time, too.”
“What I can’t figure out is this: shouldn’t Lord Casimir’s Bloodline Restraint be weak against you top three?”
“Why didn’t Number Two self-destruct the moment he said those things? Instead, he only ‘obediently’ blew himself up after receiving a direct command from that black-haired kid?”
He paused, a flash of realization and fear crossing his eyes. “Thinking back, Horn’s death… it probably wasn’t because of some ‘Ancient Vampire bloodline suppression.’ He most likely fell into this black-haired kid’s trap and drank something similar!”
“For our operations, the real trouble isn’t that silver-haired Ancient Vampire—it’s this terrifying potion that can ignore our Blood Race rules and control the mind!”
A Magic Potion capable of forcibly controlling a Level 4 Blood Pillar, making them go against their instincts, ignore bloodline restraints to spill secrets, and ultimately self-destruct?
Chise and Number Three felt a chill run from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads!
This was far more terrifying than Yize possessing monstrous physical strength! Strength could be measured and countered, but this mysterious, unpredictable method that directly targeted the core of the will was almost impossible to defend against!
“Where is the black-haired kid now?” Number Three forced himself to calm down, looking around to find no sign of Yize.
“He disappeared.” Bart pointed toward a spot in the air. “Just before Number Two blew up, a space rift suddenly appeared right here.”
“Then a strange purple beam of light shone down, and the kid was gone. Whether he’s dead or alive, or where he was transported, I don’t know.”
Chise and Number Three exchanged a glance, seeing the gravity and suspicion in each other’s eyes.
Space Magic? To be able to intervene so precisely and take the young man away right under their noses?
At that moment, a voice rang out without warning in Number Three’s mind. it belonged to the one they served—the Chief, Jellal!
The voice was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.
[The plan proceeds as scheduled. Continue to pressure the Human Territory.]
[That black-haired human is an ‘anomaly.’ I have taken him away to be dealt with.]
[Your mission remains unchanged. Find Iguneel’s soul fragments as quickly as possible.]
The voice came suddenly and vanished just as fast, as if it were a pre-recorded message being transmitted.
Number Three’s body shook slightly. The doubt in his eyes faded, replaced by a cold understanding.
If even Lord Jellal had personally intervened and called him an “anomaly”… then every word Bart said was likely the truth!
That Yize truly was a terrifying existence that defied common sense!
Fortunately, he had been taken away by the Chief…
Number Three let out a long sigh of relief. He looked once more at the battered Bart, a deep impression of that black-haired young man etched into his mind.
…
Meanwhile, the human camp was completely shaken by the familiar yet far more violent blood-red “firework” blooming high in the sky.
As the destructive energy swept across the battlefield, the hearts of Sarah, Dio, and Emma—those who had experienced Horn’s attack—shuddered simultaneously!
The power of this self-destruction, this bloody energy signature… it was so similar to when Horn had died! It was even more intense!