Three battles have already begun, and each of them will fight to the end, for victory and their future.

Still, the most important battle, the outcome of which could change all the others, has not yet begun.

It doesn't matter how Groza, Azura, Daren, and the others perform. If all members of the Wurhen Family and servants perish, but Ardur remains alive, it will still be a victory for the Wurhen Family.

Sure, Ardur will have to pay a great price in such a scenario, but his strength was enough to restore his family's influence.

Step. Step. Step.

Ardur walked through the forest as the exit from the abandoned mine was visible behind him. All the animals that had not yet fled the forest glanced at him from behind the trees and ran away as if from the plague.

None of them was Arthur's target, but the pure aura emanating from him, dark and grim, would have frightened both a cowardly rabbit and a dangerous monster.

He did not rush to the aid of Fran and Elvira; he had nowhere to hurry, for ordinary people and even weak Origins should fear his every step.

Well, no matter how arrogant a person was, everything could change dramatically when faced with reality.

"Agh...?"

Ardur's expression froze as he stopped on the slope overlooking Varthon.

More than half of the town had been destroyed, the bodies of dead people lay everywhere, and there were so many bloody stains that they covered every street.

But what made Ardur's heart ache with pain was a completely different sight:

Two bodies burned to ashes were impaled on stakes right in the middle of the main square. Even in such a mutilated state, it was not difficult for the father to recognize his children.

"F-Fran... Elvira... What happened here... How could this have happened?"

Suddenly, a calm voice came from behind him:

"I'm glad you're interested."

Ardur spun around as he saw who he thought it was—Kreyn stood off to the side, at the edge of the forest and field. He came here without fear, with the confidence of a winner, which was just another humiliation for Ardur.

"You..."

Ardur's eyes trembled as he looked at the frail, slightly pale young man in front of him. It had only been two days since Kreyn's awakening, which was not enough to hide weeks of starvation.

"You are Kreyn Skard?! What nonsense!" Ardur exclaimed furiously with a wave of his hand. "A random gust of wind will tear you from the ground! Your legs will break from a single blast of my aura!"

In fact, Ardur was not lying.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The darkness emanating from Ardur weighed heavily on Kreyn. It was a clash between the First Manifest Origin and the Second Manifest Origin. The difference in their powers was several leagues.

His legs trembled naturally, and a chill ran down his spine as the shiver grew.

The right decision would be to run away, he wasn't strong enough to withstand more than a couple of blows, but Kreyn's will wouldn't allow him to take a step back.

He came here to fight, and his first move was to attack Ardur's mind, not his body.

"You may not believe your eyes, but everything you see, everything that has happened to the Wurhen Family over the past two days..."

Kreyn slowly raised his hand to chest level.

"Every death was brought about by these hands. Enor, Merina, hundreds of your guards and people. And now, it's your children's turn—Fran and Elvira. They burned to death, begging me to spare their lives. What do you think they were thinking in their final moments?"

Slowly, Kreyn's voice deepened.

"Maybe about their father who abandoned them? Maybe if their father had stayed with them, they would still be—"

Crack.

With a tremor, Ardur lunged forward as his large hand fell upon Kreyn's face.

He pounced on him like a wild shadow, seemingly ready to end it all right here and now.

Still, there was no panic in Kreyn's eyes, because he knew where such actions would lead.

"Don't you dare talk about them!!!" Ardur roared, throwing Kreyn with all his might.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Kreyn rolled over on the ground several times as he slowly got up, brushing the dust off his clothes. Now he was in the middle of the field, while his furious father moved toward him, shaking the ground with every step.

The fight was about to begin. Ardur's patience was running out, but he must not forget why it all started.

"F-Father!"

A gentle voice rang out from the side, causing Ardur's anger to subside as he turned to see Laura running towards him.

Her face was slightly reddened with visible streaks of dried tears. She realized that she had been the catalyst for all the events, yet she couldn't decide what to do.

"Stop!" Ardur waved his hand as Laura flinched. "Don't come any closer! Once I deal with this bastard, we'll talk. I know they were holding you hostage, don't worry, I'll save you!"

Strangely enough, Laura's reaction was not what Ardur expected.

She was hesitant.

"This... father. I want to be free... Being a noble, one of the Wurhen Family, is not what I dream of!"

Laura clenched her fists.

"I want to go beyond the Frost Ridge! I want to see the world and understand what I am truly capable of! I want more than to rule over pathetic prisoners!"

Ardur was caught off guard, it was obvious from his gaze.

His eyes darted from Kreyn to Laura as, after a few moments, he sighed heavily.

"In that case, you must make a choice, my daughter."

With a slight smile, Ardur held out his hand.

"I hear you, Laura. You should come home, and if that is truly your wish, then it will be good for both of us if I listen to you."

Kreyn nodded, looking at Laura with a cold gaze.

"He's right, it's time to make a decision. What will you choose, family or a cruel, cold world?"

It was a question with many answers.

But if you were weak, there was only one option left.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Tears flowed from Laura's eyes as she hesitantly stepped toward Ardur.

"Father... I should have told you everything right away."

Ardur's gaze softened as a happy smile spread across his face.

"I want us to—!"

Clap.

Suddenly, Kreyn clapped his hands as his grim glare was more telling than a thousand words.

Then, Kreyn clapped his hands again, as his palms collided for the third and final time.

"So you've made your choice?" Kreyn said emotionlessly. "In that case, I hope you're ready for the consequences, because every decision has consequences, good and bad."

Like a judge ready to deliver a death sentence, Kreyn pointed his hand at Laura and snapped his fingers.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

At the same moment, the earth shook, nearly knocking Laura off her feet as a great shadow burst forth, and Ardur's face was covered with horror.

The moment had come for the formidable Ardur von Wurhen to lose the last thing he had left in his life.

He would lose everything: his army, his influence, his family, and ultimately his life.

The beginning of the end for him would be the hundreds of teeth of his old enemy, who had finally been able to fight back in the most brutal way possible.

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