From the shimmering, flickering purple flames, Josan appeared slowly, his hand clenched around Opelia's heart, which he had torn straight through her chest.
He pulled his hand back, the heart still beating in his grasp, and Opelia's lifeless body collapsed onto the ground.
Holding her heart in his fist, he turned toward Katrina and said, "Quick. The ship will be leaving soon." His voice was calm, almost unhurried, and a faint smile curved his lips.
Then he faced Elizabeth. "The city is yours," he said, preparing to depart the scene.
The purple flames flickered once more as he flicked his wrist.
Suddenly, he felt something wrong. His eyes widened, but it was already too late to react.
A hand burst from the flames, a metal barrel embedded deep in its palm. He heard the sharp click.
A hardened crimson projectile shot toward his eyes.
Before it could gouge them out, black wings erupted from Josan's back, shielding him.
He grunted as he dashed backward. "ROSACER!"
Out of the darkness of space, a man emerged. He wore a black suit, his hair jet black, his eyes dark and reflective, as though they mirrored everything the viewer feared.
"Barud!" Josan screamed.
At that very moment, the entire mansion shook. Seizing the opportunity, Josan vanished into the purple flames.
The mansion began to collapse. Its pillars burst from within, small explosions tearing through the very material that held them together.
Dust and fire swallowed the corridors as Rosacer staggered through the collapsing mansion.
He stepped forward, trying to chase after the fleeing Josan.
Each of his steps sent tremors through the ground, cracks spreading across the floor like veins in the human body, with every movement weaving more intricate patterns into its surface.
He coughed, shielding his eyes as a section of the ceiling crashed down behind him.
"Damn it," he muttered, forcing himself forward.
The main hall was already half gone.
The pillars, once the strong arms of the mansion, collapsed inward, revealing layers of magical gunpowder hidden inside. Rosacer glanced toward the scene, noticing someone else standing with Josan. It wasn't magic at work, but rather a signal to detonate the explosives.
'This is what you get for being rash,' he thought to himself.
Rosacer sprinted forward, his boots splashing through puddles of burning debris, his senses sharpened to a knife's edge.
"When was I ever a Lord of Reason..." he muttered to himself as he leapt through the flaming wreckage.
On the opposite side of the mansion, Fea ran with Katrina and Elizabeth close behind her.
"Do not stop," Fea commanded, her voice sharp despite the chaos. "The whole place is coming down."
Katrina stumbled as the ground lurched, but Elizabeth caught her arm and pulled her forward.
"I can walk," Katrina insisted, though her breath came in ragged gasps.
Another explosion thundered through the mansion, sending a shockwave that knocked loose chunks of marble from the ceiling. They dodged through a collapsing corridor, dust choking the air.
Everything happened so quickly, they couldn't even process it. All they saw was a figure emerging from the pale green flame and Josan dodging with a scream. Then the whole place came crashing down.
Rubble and debris crashed down, a thick veil of smoke and dust blinding their eyes. They coughed from the choking haze, barely able to see through the chaos ahead.
Then Elizabeth saw him.
Through a veil of smoke and drifting ash, a lone figure dashed across the distant passage. His coat was darker than the night, his jet-black hair and deep, dark eyes fixed ahead as he escaped the burning mansion.
"Rosacer..." Her lips quivered.
Her steps faltered.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to narrow to that single silhouette. She opened her mouth to call out, but the roar of another explosion swallowed her voice before it could be born.
"Elizabeth!" Fea shouted. "Move, now!"
Elizabeth turned back, torn between instinct and survival. When she looked again, the passage where Rosacer had been was already gone, sealed by falling stone and fire.
They had been so close.
Her eyes scanned the scene for a moment before drifting back to her teammates.
Rosacer burst through the shattered doorway into the outer hall just as the floor behind him gave way to darkness. He didn't glance back as the entire mansion crumbled.
With the entire mansion collapsing behind him, Rosacer hurried from the street into a narrow alley. He let out a slow breath.
"I lost my chance."
He clenched his jaw.
"I should stay away from the southern sector for a while now."
Just as he turned to leave and head deeper into the streets, a figure emerged from the purple flames before him.
"Not dead yet," Josan said with a smirk. His handsome face carried a sinister edge now. His white gloves had turned crimson, bits of flesh and blood still clinging to them.
"So, you devoured the cult," he continued, his gaze sweeping over Rosacer from head to toe, judging him. It was clear he could sense it. The ancient aura now radiating from Rosacer.
"Tell me," Josan added, not pausing for breath, "how does it feel to use Oblivion?"
As he spoke, he began to walk closer.
Rosacer did not step back. Instead, he replied calmly, "For that, you will have to steal something for me." He scoffed at the end of the sentence.
Josan's expression darkened. "Funny, is it?"
In a sudden jolt, he closed the distance and struck.
His fist tore through Rosacer's neck.
The head flew free, rolling across the blood-stained ground.
"I know you are immortal," Josan said coldly, standing before the headless body. "Go on. Resurrect again."
Minutes passed in silence. Then it began. The same sinister pattern of resurrection unfolded once more.
Moments later, Rosacer opened his eyes. He was still in the alleyway. A figure stood before him, its expression dark and unreadable.
"Flowers," Josan said slowly. "That was lovely. I will remember it."
He paused, then continued.
"You will not be killing me. Forget your revenge."
He took a step closer, his gaze cold.
"Stay away from me, little rat. This is far bigger than you."
Josan turned, the purple flames flickering faintly around him.
"Next time, I will not kill you just once."