At that moment, Artur was multitasking.

He was fighting three opponents at once, trying to stabilize the mana within his body that was still somewhat unstable, and casting a search spell to locate Anna’s presence.

A few minutes later, he finally sensed her.

Anna was currently fighting someone.

From the flow of mana emitted by the spells being used, Artur recognized who Anna’s opponent was. But he paid little attention to it, because all his focus was now locked onto Anna.

"ANNA, WAIT FOR ME! I’LL SAVE YOU!" Artur shouted joyfully.

He quickly subdued his three opponents, who were now covered in wounds and exhausted.

Even so, he didn’t bother finishing them off. Artur knew that cornered enemies would fight desperately to the death.

Right now, the most important thing was reaching Anna—

—and saving her from the clutches of those disgusting creatures.

Artur’s body shot forward rapidly toward the place where he sensed Anna’s mana. With his body wrapped in small streams of lightning, he would reach that location in no time.

But before he could get any closer, a figure blocked his path.

An arion.

Artur stopped and stared at him, his eyes filled with hatred and overflowing killing intent. He could feel the same murderous aura coming from the arion as well.

Artur knew him well.

Because he was one of the living proofs that Anna was no longer pure.

Kuja.

The third child of Anna and that disgusting creature.

Artur no longer showed the indifference he had toward the three previous enemies. This time, the urge to kill the immature youth standing before him burned far stronger.

And there was no better time to kill the son of that revolting creature than now.

No one would stop him.

No one would blame him.

And Kuja, standing before him, seemed to have the same plan.

A smile spread across Artur’s face.

Without exchanging another word, the two immediately unleashed their ultimate attacks.

Kuja punched the air with such speed that the friction ignited the atmosphere itself. Dozens of flaming Kala Heads shot forward ferociously. Their mouths gaped wide, releasing silent roars that Artur could almost feel against his skin.

Artur finished chanting his spell.

From beneath his feet emerged a massive serpent of lightning, its jaws large enough to swallow a horse in a single gulp. Its enormous blue body looked terrifying, its glowing eyes brimming with murderous intent.

BOOM!

The waves of heat and electricity collided violently, the force so immense that the air itself seemed to crack. The ground for dozens of meters around them was blasted into charred black earth.

Before the dust in the air could even settle, Kuja’s body had already burst through it, charging forward with a sword formed from dragon prana firmly in his hand.

Not to be outdone, Artur surged forward as well, surrounded by a sphere of crackling shockwaves.

Artur had been forbidden by Cila to bring his artifacts and magic items to the party. It was Anna’s event, and as her younger brother it would have been improper for him to arrive armed as if he were heading to war.

Even so, Artur had trusted his bad premonition. He had secretly stored his weapons inside a dimensional pouch—an artifact given to him by Robert, capable of concealing magical items so that they could not be detected by mages weaker than its creator.

But Artur had no intention of using those weapons against Kuja.

Not because he intended to spare Kuja’s life, but because the youth before him simply wasn’t strong enough to force him to draw his magical equipment.

Even so, Artur understood the importance of never underestimating an opponent. As a war veteran, he knew that even the smallest mistake could cost him his life.

Under normal circumstances, he would have immediately activated his Mana God Form or perhaps opened his Domain.

But the current situation did not allow it.

Mana God Form required him to control the manifestation of the Mana God itself, and doing so demanded extremely refined mana control. Although the poison was no longer forcing his mana out of control, Artur could still feel disturbances in his Constellation.

As for his Domain—an ability that only Level 5 Constellation Mages could master—it was a terrible option when allies were nearby. A Domain did not distinguish between friend and foe. Everyone within its range would fall under the user’s dominion.

Artur didn’t care much about the weaker mages lying unconscious around him—whether they lived or died meant little to him.

But his instincts were warning him not to use his Domain.

There was a strong possibility that the enemy had already prepared countermeasures specifically for Domain users.

Artur didn’t know what kind of trap the enemy had prepared.

And he had no intention of becoming the first person to test it.

Artur didn’t care much about the weaker mages lying unconscious around him—whether they lived or died meant little to him.

But his instincts were warning him not to use his Domain.

There was a strong possibility that the enemy had already prepared countermeasures specifically for Domain users.

Artur didn’t know what kind of trap the enemy had prepared.

And he had no intention of becoming the first person to test it. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Besides, Artur didn’t need Mana God Form or a Domain to defeat the snot-nosed brat in front of him.

Kuja wasn’t weak. Judging from the flow of mana surrounding his body, the boy possessed strength equivalent to a Level 4 Constellation Mage. However, the way he used that power was far from refined. Most likely, Kuja had only recently entered the realm of a Level 4 Constellation Mage—or he simply lacked experience fighting opponents of equal strength.

Because of that, it didn’t take long for Artur to push the brat into a corner. Kuja’s body was already covered in wounds, and his movements were growing slower.

Artur knew it was foolish to talk during a fight. A harmless enemy was a dead enemy. That was the lesson war had drilled into him again and again.

Even so, he still felt the urge to open his mouth and start mocking the brat in front of him—like some cheap villain who would die in the next Chapter of a storybook.

But Artur wasn’t someone who couldn’t restrain his impulses.

So he decided to completely cripple Kuja’s ability to fight before he started taunting him.

Artur approached, his body wrapped in crackling lightning. His fist tightened as mana surged violently through him. He took a stance and raised his arm for a vertical lightning slash.

Kuja, already cornered, raised both arms defensively. They crossed before him, forming a crimson shield.

But in the next instant, Artur shifted his stance.

The direction of his lightning slash changed from vertical to horizontal.

The hairs on the back of Kuja’s neck stood on end.

In a panic, he tried to lower his raised shield—but Artur’s attack only grazed the lower edge of the barrier before the rest of the strike slammed brutally into Kuja’s stomach.

The youth screamed in agony.

His body was hurled backward. Lightning surged through him, scorching his skin and nerves. Blood burst from his mouth. His internal organs were severely damaged—his heart might even have been partially burned.

Yet the physiology of an asura kept him from dying instantly.

Kuja collapsed on the ground, powerless. His muscles twitched as the remaining electrical currents coursed through his bloodstream.

Artur walked toward him slowly, unhurried.

His body was still surrounded by a shield of electricity, ready in case Kuja suddenly revealed some hidden trump card. After all, Kuja was the son of a prince. From Artur’s experience dealing with noble children, they often carried secret life-saving tools given by their families—hidden trump cards meant to save them in life-threatening situations.

But it seemed the nobles of Wilwatikta were very different from human nobles.

The brat simply stared at Artur with pure hatred.

There was no sign of surrender. No trace of begging in his eyes.

Artur didn’t even see fear.

"Fufufufu~ what’s wrong?" Artur chuckled. "Did you think I’d let you live? Did you think I’d act like some kind uncle who scolds his nephew and then just walks away?"

"Why don’t you try begging me? Who knows—maybe I’ll spare you. After all, you’re Anna’s child. I might not kill you."

"Just curse that bastard rapist you call a father, and maybe I’ll give you a chance. Go on—try it~"

Artur remained cautious. Even though his instincts told him Kuja no longer posed a threat, he still wanted to savor the moment.

He wanted to see the son of that disgusting creature beg for his life.

Before taking his last breath.

But all he received in return was a gaze filled with hatred.

There was no fear in the boy’s eyes.

If anything—

It looked as though Kuja wanted to die as soon as possible.

Artur had once heard about the religion followed by the arion race. They worshipped The One and hoped to enter His heaven. To them, death was not the end, but the beginning of something new.

When Artur first heard that, he had merely snorted in ridicule. To him, those disgusting creatures were simply delusional—manipulated by their church into worshipping a nonexistent god and charging into battle without fear of death.

But perhaps that teaching had some use after all.