While retreating, Sigil fired several scarlet beams from his eyes toward Morgan.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The attacks crossed the battlefield instantly, but Morgan calmly raised several layers of water shields before him. The beams tore through the first few barriers before finally losing momentum.
"After all this time, your sword still does the thinking for you," Morgan mocked while forming more glaciers around himself.
The frozen constructs filled the sky before rushing toward Sigil once again.
This time, Sigil did not destroy them as effortlessly as before.
He dodged sideways.
Another glacier barely missed his shoulder.
His expression darkened.
Something was deeply wrong.
His armor had actually been pierced.
Even now, the suppression spreading through his body continued weakening his strength little by little.
'How did he do it?'
Several thoughts flashed through Sigil's mind rapidly.
Everything seemed connected to the golden light.
He wanted to spread his senses across the battlefield fully and understand the changes happening throughout the island.
But Morgan never gave him the chance.
"Sacred Hearth."
A warm light spread across Sigil's armor.
The wound on his side slowly closed while the chaotic energy inside his body stabilized once again.
Morgan watched quietly.
He was not surprised.
If Sigil could be brought down so easily, then none of this would have been necessary.
"I'm sure you're curious about why I said the destruction of your clan is connected to you," Morgan said while several water barriers formed around him once again.
Even while speaking, he remained cautious.
Fighting Sigil carelessly was still suicide.
"Do you remember our battle fifteen years ago at the Scorched Lands of the Northern Continent, Arden?"
Sigil's eyes narrowed slightly.
Of course he remembered.
That battle had been the last major conflict he fought before Khate forced him to slow down.
At that time, she had already been carrying Three.
Three was born years later, but Sigil had never forgotten the battle.
It was also the first time Morgan disappeared completely afterward.
"After you defeated me, I fell into a spatial rift by accident," Morgan continued. "Inside it, I discovered an ancient inheritance."
His fingers slowly rubbed against the golden ring.
"I was lucky enough to survive long enough to claim it."
Sigil immediately noticed the movement.
His attention fixed itself onto the ring.
Morgan smiled faintly.
"The owner of that inheritance hated the Starborn clan more than anyone I have ever seen. Even after death, he still wanted your bloodline erased completely."
His eyes turned colder.
"Our goals aligned perfectly."
The rain around the battlefield became heavier.
"So I inherited his will."
Sigil remained silent.
Several missing pieces in his mind were finally connecting together.
The suppression. The ring. and the reaction toward his blood.
Everything pointed toward an ancient inheritance.
"So you see," Morgan continued calmly, "the destruction of your clan began because of you."
The shields around him disappeared instantly.
"Heaven's Wrath."
The sky darkened violently.
A powerful gale swept across the island while the clouds churned like a storm barely being restrained.
Rain began falling.
Then the rain hardened.
Sharp blocks of hail started crashing onto the battlefield.
At first, the attack did not seem dangerous.
Then the second wave descended.
Boom.
The ground cracked.
Several soldiers below were smashed directly into the earth.
The hailstones carried terrifying weight behind them.
Wails immediately spread across different parts of the battlefield as both sides suffered losses.
Sigil finished healing completely.
"Deviant's Blaze."
Black flames exploded upward from his swords and rushed toward the storm clouds.
Everything in their path melted instantly.
Morgan frowned slightly but made no move to stop the attack.
"Dragon's Might."
The clouds suddenly compressed together.
A massive dragon emerged from the storm itself.
Its body consisted of water, ice, and dense fog woven together into one terrifying creature.
The transformation happened so quickly that even Sigil reacted a moment too late.
Roar.
The dragon rushed downward and collided directly against the black flames.
The sky exploded.
Ice shattered apart while black flames spread wildly through the storm.
But the dragon continued pushing forward.
Little by little, it consumed the attack completely.
Blood trickled from Sigil's mouth as the forced cancellation rebounded against him.
The dragon roared again before releasing thick black fog toward Sigil.
A crimson barrier formed around him instantly and blocked the attack.
...
Meanwhile, inside Vexer's manor, the defensive arrays failed one after another.
The lights across the building flickered repeatedly before several sections shut down completely.
Khate did everything she could to stabilize the formations, but the suppression affecting the island was interfering with the arrays themselves.
The fortress that once seemed untouchable was rapidly becoming an ordinary building.
Her expression grew darker.
Several Starborn soldiers nearby immediately rushed toward the manor after receiving her signal.
Chaos could not be allowed to spread inside.
After giving several quick instructions, Khate walked toward Three before crouching beside him.
"Are you scared?" she asked softly.
Three shook his head quickly.
Even while nervous, he still tried reassuring his mother.
Khate released a faint sigh before glancing toward the people gathered throughout the manor.
Deep down, she already understood something.
Not everyone here would survive.
Bang.
A violent impact sounded outside.
Khate's eyes sharpened instantly.
Without hesitation, she rushed out of the manor.
The moment she stepped outside, her expression changed.
The Starborn guards protecting the area were already dead.
Bodies covered the ground.
A hundred meters away, a small army slowly advanced toward the manor while releasing terrifying auras.
Their eyes were fixed directly on the building behind her.