Blood is thicker than water (3)

Empress Diana watched as the guards carried countless people to safety. It infuriated her so much she felt a sharp ache in her chest. Did Archillus have something to do with this? When they got the alert, the emperor stayed in the meeting hall and did not rush out.

If he was involved in this in some way, then he went too far.

Empress Diana gritted her teeth and raised her sword, pointing toward the sky. "Ancestors, help me protect the people of Machaera!" She proclaimed before piercing the sword onto the ground, releasing a tremendous power to form a barrier that stretched across the sky.

"I will never forgive someone who dares to hurt my people."

-

"Huhu," Acre covered his face, his body bent down while a nurse stood beside him to give support.

"S-sir, he won't die." The nurse assured, her forehead covered with beads of sweat, concerned for the man who sat on the chair. He had been crying nonstop, whimpering, "Why won't he wake up? Huhu, my little nephew is going to die!"

He was one of many families that cramped the hospital room to see their affected loved ones. Acre put his hands down and sniffed, his lips trembling to fight back tears when the sight of Levinte sleeping on the bed came into his vision.

The nurse was startled when Acre gently tugged her shirt. When she gave him attention, he reached out for her hand.

"Please take of him," He pleaded, his puppy eyes twinkling and his lashes glistening with tears.

His cute face managed to tug at her heartstrings and she was caught off guard, her face took on a pink hue. "Y-yes, of course."

Acre kissed her hand out of gratitude and left. Her eyes tracked him, her face hot and blushed scarlet.

As soon as Acre exited the hospital, his sad demeanor altered and his face turned dark. Looking at the dark sky, his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched, trying to suppress something growing in him.

He whipped out his sword and rode on it. With a motion of his legs, the sword soared into the air on a curved path. Acre flew toward the building standing tall on the highest point in the city; the palace.

He landed swiftly on the roof. As he gazed up at the night sky, the stars and moon were equally stunning. The barrier summoned by the empress was a shimmering dome of energy that surrounded the entire empire.

A sigh escaped Acre's lips and a small smile slowly crept across his face. The thrill was coming back to him; the feeling to do something serious in his long break.

With his eyes closed, he entered a state of total tranquility. A tap of his foot enabled his sense to reach the pinnacle, allowing his domain of sensitivity to spread throughout the entire empire.

To locate the target, Acre would need to focus and pin the target's emotions. During their encounter earlier, he made sure to instill a sense of something in the target toward him. Whether it be fear, anger, or interest, it does not matter as long as it is a type of emotion. This way, he would be able to aim at the emotion and feel the direction of the aura.

His eyes snapped open the moment he was able to track down the aura. It was inside the palace! He jumped off and the sword appeared to support his soles in midair.

The front door was not guarded by anyone. Acre landed on the ground and ran inside.

"Hey you," Acre called when he saw the standing figure amongst the defeated knights. The person took a step back when Acre started to move forward.

"I order you to stop this instance!" The person commanded.

"So you're related to the person earlier." Acre furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes. He clicked his tongue and glanced around. "Stop being a coward in the shadow and come out."

"Do you not understand my order? Halt!"

Acre glared at him, "Shut up. Where's your wife?"

The emperor was taken aback by his insult, his face turned red out of fury. "How dare you speak to me like that!"

"And how dare you do this!" Another voice yelled from behind. Acre did not need to turn his head around to recognize the voice.

"Diana!" Emperor Archillus cried out and ran toward her. Suddenly, it was pitch black again. The familiar voice echoed around the hall, "Amazing ability! You managed to find me that easily."

Acre scowled at the voice, "You're an annoying one."

The voice continued to laugh. It irked Acre so much. The shouting of the emperor for his wife made the situation more chaotic.

"You're one ungrateful emperor. My subordinates did everything you wanted yet you poisoned them. We were one step closer to achieving our agreement but you kept delaying it!" The voice thundered.

The emperor snapped, "You tricked me! I never agreed that you can attack other people without my order!"

The voice argued back, "You fool! All you had to do was gather enough mana and the deal is done! Why are you hindering the plan? I was forced to come here and check on you like a baby!"

"Enough you brainless freaks." Acre whipped out his sword and the air crackled with energy to disperse light within the black orb. The darkness waned and gathered into a single source, like a small tornado swirling to form a person in the middle.

Acre altered his stance as his eyes glared at the black tornado leaping toward him. Once the incoming hand was visible, Acre parried the attack and released a powerful shockwave to repel the enemy.

A black aura flowed out from his hands and legs to suspend him in midair. The person finally took his form — his long white hair cascaded down his face, displaying a creepy smile underneath that corresponded with his tone. His loose black tunic contrasted with his white hair, matching the color of his black aura.

"Impressive! I need to consume thousands of creatures to be on your level!"

In the meantime, Empress Diana stood at the door as she watched everything in shock. As much as she wanted to assist him, she knew better than to throw herself in danger and become a hindrance to him.

While her eyes followed Acre, another pair of eyes were fixed on her. The intense stare caught her attention and she averted her gaze to make eye contact with her husband. Her blood boiled at the sight of him. "You traitor! How could you do this to me?" She screamed, tears streaming down her face.

Emperor Archillus fell to his knees, "I'm sorry Diana! I never wanted this from the start, I only wanted to be powerful like you! Those mistresses were only tools for communication, I never loved them! Please believe me!"

If he said something pitiful like that to her past self, she would have forgotten everything and run toward him for a hug. Unfortunately for him, her heart had turned cold, like a fire dying in the cold winter.

"Your Majesty!" A knight dressed up in shining golden armor approached her. "Forgive me for the delay!" He kneeled before the empress.

Obtaining no order, the knight lifted his head and saw the appalling scene in the grand hall. Every knight had fallen in the hands of the enemy, except for three men standing afar from each other.

The enemy snickered, "Ah, another strong human has come. Maybe I should consume all of you to boost my power so that I could beat him."

In the blink of an eye, Acre dashed forward with a speed almost invisible to the human eye. When the opponent realized Acre had disappeared, in less than a second, Acre showed up in front of him.

"You talk too much." Acre swung his sword and sliced his body horizontally into two pieces. Before the upper part could fall properly, another cut was made through his neck, chopping his head off.

"Eh-" His words were cut off as the life in his eyes faded. However, a black aura surged out from the dismembered body and formed a black mist that veiled the entire hall.

"How rude of you to sneak up on me like that! We could've at least had a good physical fight in my human form. Never mind, we'll meet again soon!" The black aura flitted around like a fly.

Subsequently, the black aura flew through the door and disappeared into thin air. Kneading his temple, Acre sighed, tired of the absurdity he faced earlier.

He looked at the dismembered body and then remembered the spectators of their battle. Pursing his lips, he slowly turned to peek at the empress and the knight, displaying a nervous smile. "Oops, sorry about this... thing." He fidgeted and slightly shifted to cover the horrible murder scene from their view.

The knight kneeling beside the empress stood up and advanced toward Acre. "Allow me," He said, unsheathing a golden sword from a golden scabbard.

Everything about him was gold!

Amazed by his 'goldness', Acre nodded and stepped aside. The point of the golden sword touched the body and it ignited. He burned the body to ashes and made the cleaning process easier.

"Thanks, brother," Acre smiled and patted his shoulder. "Take care of the empress. I advise you to detain the emperor for now."

The knight shot him a glare from the corner of his eyes, indicating that he only takes orders from the empress and no one else. Acre did not mind and walked toward the door where the empress remained.

"Do as he says." Empress Diana ordered. She looked at Acre and gave him a weak smile. "Thank you and sorry for not being able to help you. My sword is still embedded in the ground and my mana is currently drained. I've set up multiple mini-barriers including the hospital where your assistant is currently in. I've sorted the nobles to protect many areas so he can't run anywhere."

"You did well, empress. I'll keep him on track, he can't do anything for now so you don't have to worry too much." Acre assured her by placing his hand on her shoulder. Receiving a nod from her, Acre smiled and walked out.

"Diana! Please help me! I'm sorry!" The emperor shouted his lungs out while being arrested by the knight.