BXBX NOVEL Chapter 89: We found her but...
"Get up." He said to Darius, who was still on the ground, but Darius didn't move. "I said get up." Strax commanded and kicked Darius backward, his kick landing on the man's stomach.
"Urgh!" Darius groaned in pain. Because of Tiamat's Aura, Darius's body was completely weakened; in fact, he could barely move at this moment. The pressure the Dragon exerted on his body was overwhelming. "Damn coward," he cursed...
"Coward?" Strax questioned... [Dragon's Aura] he used, making the man curl up on the ground, his strength still stagnant, and he couldn't do anything. "You kidnap my wife, and I'm the coward?" Strax questioned. He had already killed two of his brothers; killing the third would not be a problem.
"That's enough, Strax." Albert's voice came into his mind, and he turned around, his red eyes landing on his siblings, some of whom, like Veronica and Eva, trembled. "Enough?" Strax questioned, no longer thinking about the consequences, driven purely by hatred.
"Yes, enough." Albert repeated, releasing his aura upon Strax, who resisted it firmly; [Dragon's Aura] held faithfully against Albert's. "A mere Master withstanding the aura of an Emperor…" Liam murmured from a distance.
"Do you really want to challenge my orders?" Albert questioned, "Getting rid of those two trash was fine, but you are crossing the line." He said while Strax looked at him. For a moment, a massive Giant Tiger appeared behind Albert. Strax saw it and even felt fear for a moment. "Byakko, the White Tiger of the West." Strax heard from one of his swords, Tiamat to be precise.
"Is he strong?" he asked mentally. "One of the Four Greats, as strong as us," Ouroboros responded.
Strax looked at the White Tiger with pure disdain. "Strong or not, I don't care." The fury boiling in his eyes increased, his aura radiating like red flames around him. "You all... have no idea what it's like to lose someone you love. I don't care about rules, hierarchies, or this damn power game!" He roared, feeling every fiber of his body pulsate with rage.
Albert, standing with his imposing Emperor's presence, kept his arms crossed, his gaze steady and emotionless. "You're letting anger consume you, Strax. It will only destroy you."
"Destroy?" Strax let out a dark laugh, tilting his head to the side while his eyes sparkled. "Do you think I care? That bastard took my damn wife, you useless fool. Just because you failed and lost your wives doesn't mean I have to lose mine."
The ground around them began to crack under the pressure of the opposing auras, the earth trembling as if feeling the weight of the mortal tension between the two. Strax tightened his grip around his sword, feeling the blade vibrate in response to his fury. "I will destroy everything until I find her."
"Brother, wait." Xenovia said, interrupting the escalating conflict. "If you kill him now, we won't know where Beatrice is." Xenovia said, "Since he doesn't want Darius to die, we just need to give him a plausible reason, right?" She telepathically sent to Strax, who was still blinded by fury, but he lowered his aura. "Let's return to the physical world," Strax said, and Xenovia agreed.
Strax lowered his sword slowly, the weight of his emotions and the pressure of the surrounding auras finally breaking through. He let out a heavy sigh, the anger transforming into a deep exhaustion.
Albert relaxed his hand, dissipating Byakko's protective energy. "Let's go back," he said and drew his sword, starting to reconstruct the seal, making the entire place glow, returning to the present.
And in the next moment... they were all back at the Vorah mansion. Strax, however... was not pleased. "Cristine!" He shouted, and the woman appeared immediately before him. "Did you find her?" He demanded an answer, and fortunately...
"Yes," she said, but her face... was troubled. "What happened?" Strax questioned... "She's not in a good condition," he heard, and his world shattered for a moment. "What do you mean by that?" He followed firmly as he felt his blood boil with fury...
"I think you'd better see for yourself, Master," she said with sorrow, and Strax's eyes... his Aura... his very "self" seemed to be breaking even more. "Xenovia," he said without looking at her, "When I get back... he'd better be fully healed...
because I'm going to erase his existence from this world in every way possible, even if I have to become a true monster to do it." His words carried so much murderous intent that, for a second... Xenovia no longer saw the brother she loved in that man, only a source of infinite hatred...
"All because he loves her?... I wish he loved me like that too..." she thought, perhaps... just perhaps... this wasn't the time for such thoughts.
"Don't think this is over," Strax growled, his eyes sparking with insatiable rage. He had not yet calmed down, but there was something more urgent to deal with. Cristine's words echoed in his mind, creating a tension impossible to ignore. He needed to see Beatrice.
"Let's go!" he ordered, leaving no room for further conversation. His steps were heavy, each one more weighted than the last.
Albert stayed behind, observing with an unreadable expression. The tension between him and Strax still hung in the air, but he knew this wasn't the moment for more confrontations. "So be it," murmured Albert, the aura of the White Tiger still pulsing around him, though now more restrained.
"I gave you time to heal and have a fair fight; you'd better make use of the time you have." Albert's words were heavy, and the people in the room looked at Xenovia, who already had a potion in her hand. "You heard him; prepare to die," she said, throwing the potion on his body.
Strax followed Cristine with long strides; the Vorah mansion felt oppressively silent, as if everyone were waiting for the storm he would bring. The fury that had consumed him earlier now transformed into a sharp fear about what he might find. Every fiber of his being was focused on Beatrice.
"If something happened to her..." He left the thought unfinished, his mind already forming scenarios that made him tremble with rage.
"She's upstairs; we brought her to the main mansion," Cristine said, leading him down a corridor to a room where the light was dim.
Strax entered forcefully, flinging the door open with a bang. His heart pounded as he saw Beatrice lying on the bed, her body covered in wounds. Her skin was pale, her eyes closed, and each breath was a painful effort. He fell to his knees beside the bed, his face contorted in a mask of pain and fury.
"Beatrice..." The word left his mouth as a groan, his hand trembling as he touched her gently. Every mark on her body was an insult, a direct attack on his being. He felt a wave of despair, something he rarely allowed himself to feel.
Cristine looked at him with silent sorrow. "We did what we could to stabilize her, but she needs time to recover. She has suffered greatly..."
Strax couldn't contain the fury rising in his throat. "Who did this...?" The question came out as a roar, his voice trembling with rage. "Who dared to touch her?"
Cristine hesitated but then pointed to a ring on Beatrice's finger. "That ring... it's a symbol of the Olarin clan. They were responsible for all this. Your suspicions were correct; Dominic, Virgil, and Darius had contracts with them. The property where we found her...
was in Darius's name. We killed many people in the process, but none of them were innocent."
He turned to Cristine, who had followed him silently. "Take care of her. Do whatever is necessary." His voice was a command, an unquestionable order.
"Yes, Master," Cristine responded, the gravity of the situation clear in her eyes. Xenovia stood outside, merely listening to him speak. Strax left the room, his mind already planning the vengeance that would fall upon the Olarin. "I'll make a massacre and be right back," he promised silently to Beatrice.
"Wait!" Cristine shouted, feeling she should give him something. "Take this; it will protect you." She handed Strax a black bracelet and continued, "My assassins are outside the mansion; I'll have them take you to the Clan that hurt Beatrice..."
[You have obtained Thanatos's Bracelet – Legendary Item] He read the message, puzzled at how Cristine had such an item. But that didn't matter now. "Thank you, I'm sorry for using you this way; I will reward you in the future." He said with a gentle smile that made Cristine blush slightly, but she said nothing...