"YOU WILL KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO SUFFER, I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT," declared Thorian Blackvale as his killing intent burst forth, pressing down on his older half-brother Nox.

There was nothing that would stop him from exacting his lifelong revenge for all the humiliation and pain he had suffered for his entire life.

Nox felt a trace of fear drowning him under the potency of that profound hatred. But when he remembered that bastard child in front of him was only a peak 2nd phase seeker, his fear dissipated, with a burst of energy.

The killing intent of Thorian was dispersed; the only worrying thing was Nox’s injuries, and his mana reserves were almost empty. Eventually, his eyes flashed as a thought appeared in his head. This was the perfect opportunity to kill his troublesome younger brother.

No, better yet, he would cripple this bastard badly enough so that he would never be able to heal again, because he still wanted Thorian to see the shredded corpse of his mother, how that whore was tortured and killed. He wanted to see this low-blood drop to his knees in pain and despair.

In the end, he made the decision, and Nox brought out his final card, which would give him enough power to do the job.

Because no matter how much Nox looked down on his bastard half-brother, it was obvious that Thorian was extremely confident. Allowing Nox to prepare for whatever his last resort was, and Thorian was also no weakling.

In his current state, Nox was sure that he could be killed quite easily.

That dark fog, which surrounded such a large area, seemed to be some powerful isolation barrier. So, there was no chance of anyone coming to diffuse the situation. Which made sense; otherwise, Thorian would be guilty of treason against the Great Kingdom’s forces.

In the end, Nox let out a tired sigh and brought out the Royal Relic of the Blackvale family, which he received as the Eldest Prince.

It was in the shape of an unassuming, dull ring, with not a single character written on it. And the moment he put it in his finger. His shallow presence exploded into a storm, and pressure radiated from him for hundreds of meters in all directions.

But most of it was pressing down on Thorian, cracking the ground beneath his feet. Nox saw a barrage of notifications flashing in his retina.

[Relic "Aspect Booster" has been activated.]

[The blood of the Royal family of Blackvale has been verified.] 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

[Calibrating your aspects....]

[Your warrior branch aspect has been boosted to 25% additional power on all facets.]

[The effects will remain active for five minutes.]

[While in effect, only one main weapon type artifact or relic can be used.]

Nox grinned. This was no simple boost of attribute; the two aspects that made up the existence of a seeker were like the two halves of a soul. The two aspect chambers within the soul sanctum of a seeker were the very representation of one’s half soul.

So, when the royal relic boosted his warrior branch aspect by 25%, it means half of his existence was boosted 25%, in an inconceivable manner that was hard to explain even by himself, who was experiencing it.

In fact, it almost felt too much, as if his very vessel was having difficulty adjusting to the sudden inflation of one part of his soul. While the other remained the same, which was the price for using this Relic, as it was too damn dangerous. There would be severe backlash after using it.

But if he managed to cripple his brother or kill him by chance, it would be more than worth it. The throne of Blackvale would be assured of his forever.

He would also, one day, sit on that throne as a 6th-phase existence. With every one of those thoughts, his arrogance grew bigger and bigger.

As the power he currently exuded was almost on par with that of a late 3rd-phase existence.

Nox eventually turned to Thorian, giving him a condescending look filled with an obvious superiority complex. He strangely found that his lowly brother was not panicked, not even in the slightest bit pressured.

Nox frowned. By the sheer power he was exuding, Thorian should be trembling on his knees, barely able to stand, but it looked like he was barely affected. Seeing the shock in Nox’s gaze, Thorian’s lips curved upwards.

He brought out a small wooden box bearing the insignia of his Blackvale royal family. The moment Nox saw that, his pupils constricted, and his face grew extremely grave.

"You?? How do you have that?" growled Nox, gnashing his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to attack right here and now, and kill him before Thorian could even have the chance to use it, but....

He couldn’t do it, especially not after he activated the forbidden royal relic; his pride wouldn’t allow him to do so, because if he did, it would always stay at the back of his mind. It would be the same as him accepting that he was inferior compared to Thorian; that even with this Relic, there was a chance he could lose to his half-brother.

He would never even entertain that thought, which was why he would crush his little brother and whatever plans or artifacts he had.

The small but calm smile remained on Thorian’s lips, as if utterly unaffected by the pressure or voice pulled by his older brother, as he already knew of it from long before.

Without replying, he opened the box, and there was a green colored pill in it, oozing with an incredible amount of life force and another form of strange energy that no one could discern.

He put the pill in his mouth and gulped it down without hesitation. Only then did he flash a dark smile towards his stunned brother and revealed, his tone akin to thunder in the ears of Nox, "Yes, this is the medicine meant for the most pureblood of the Blackvale royal family. He who is blessed to contain the attribute of Energy Adaptation."

[Fragmented Harmony between your two aspects is in effect.]

[The potency of your innate attribute "Energy Adaptation" has increased by 30%]

[This effect will remain for 5 minutes.]

Thorian felt a wave of indescribable harmony sweep over his entire being. Though he had healed most of the injuries he sustained in the previous battle, some lingering problems remained.

So with his now superior control over the attribute of adaptation, he changed his own mana to have a divine healing effect, channeling it towards the places within his body that had lingering problems.