However, when he saw Vincent's unperturbed reaction to Catherine's words, even as his purple eyes stared at the group of House of Lords members on Catherine's side, Nolan knew that, in Vincent's eyes, they were nothing more than tiny, insignificant ants.
Vincent stretched out his hand. A pitch-black sphere formed in his palm, solid and pulsating slowly. With a single, firm grip, it shattered. Simultaneously, a tremendous wave of mana swept through the throne hall.
The hall rumbled violently.
The walls cracked and the ceiling collapsed, revealing a gloomy sky, as if the sun had been obscured by the same darkness as the black sphere.
The members of the House of Lords fell to the floor from the immense pressure. Nolan and President Mycroft were also pushed away, but Mycroft swiftly erected a protective shield, preventing the wave of mana from hitting Nolan directly.
"How impudent of you, Vincent! You dare attack Arathen's Throne Hall!" Catherine snapped angrily.
She drew her sword—a purple blade engraved with a spider motif—and swung it forward. A crescent arc shrouded in purple lightning shot out in a torrent. Vincent casually deflected the attack with his hand, redirecting the arc to strike the wall behind the members of the House of Lords and instantly destroying it.
Nolan realized that Mycroft had expanded a protective shield large enough to protect him and the members of the House of Lords as the two most powerful Sentinels clashed.
"Nolan, what do you think?" Mycroft asked. "About your decision to join the Death God Guild?"
Nolan remained focused on the brutal and oppressive battle before him. Catherine and Vincent were both Squeance 9 Extreme Sentinels of the Knight Path. Vincent, however, hadn't drawn his sword. He remained composed in the throne hall whose roof had collapsed.
In contrast, Catherine dominated with a barrage of aggressive attacks. Vincent simply snapped his fingers and conjured a purple, spherical shield that effortlessly blocked her attacks.
A knight should have drawn his sword, but Vincent didn't.
Nolan concluded that Vincent was merely a stepping stone to him. He wasn't swayed by the emotional bonds of family. As a Squeance 2 Sentinel Master, Nolan was wary of Vincent, whom he had just met but who was clearly on a completely different level.
Nolan studied his uncle closely. The man standing before him was too strong and calm and had a cold, unpredictable demeanor. One thing was clear, though: Vincent was the only stepping stone Nolan could use to escape Catherine's shackles.
"To be used or to use. Who would be swallowed up first?"
Nolan stared at the battle before him with a straight face.
"Nolan, this is your first lesson," Mycroft said calmly, his hands crossed behind his back. "Watch how those two strong them fight. Your path is the same as theirs—the Path of the Knight. You can see the difference clearly. I never saw Master Vincent draw his sword."
Nolan observed calmly.
Catherine's fighting style was aggressive. She unleashed purple lightning relentlessly, striking from multiple directions with overwhelming force. Each of her sword swings was intended to suppress and destroy her opponent as quickly as possible.
In contrast, Vincent stood almost motionless. He relied solely on his solid, nearly impenetrable, dark purple spherical shield. There were no superfluous attacks or wasted movements.
Despite her arrogance, Catherine was no fool. Nolan could see how she slowly read the rhythm of the fight, waiting for an opening in her elusive opponent.
When Vincent's shield finally cracked and Catherine swung her sword, the purple blade nearly touched Vincent's neck.
Suddenly, a small black sphere solidified in Vincent's hand.
He simply crushed it.
An invisible explosion erupted, creating a powerful shockwave. Catherine was pushed back several steps, her dress fluttering violently.
"He's tortured me a hundred times," Nolan said flatly and almost emotionlessly. "But now he's fallen into his opponent's trap. Has he lost his arrogance?"
This was the first time Nolan had truly studied Vincent's fighting style. It was not aggressive but almost casual yet exuded a power that made Vincent untouchable.
"That's enough!" Catherine's voice echoed through the hall. Her anger was suppressed but palpable. "Vincent, you've gone too far. You're destroying the palace hall!"
Purple lightning swirled and coalesced, slowly forming a pattern that resembled a blooming lotus flower. Sharp lightning bolts flashed, drowning out the roars of two black, scaly dragons in the air.
The dragons' mana waves clashed with the increasingly dense lightning currents, restrained.
Nolan narrowed his eyes.
"Lotus Flower Formation," he murmured softly.
"That's right, Nolan," Mycroft said calmly. "The Lotus Flower Formation can suppress almost any attack and multiply it back. However, it can only last for five minutes. Queen Catherine was forced to use it because she had difficulty containing the roars of the two Heaven-Defying Dragons unleashed by Master Vincent."
The formation and the dragons' roars collided in the sky above the hall. The members of the Council of Lords could only stare as they watched the battle between the two terrifying figures, whose power far exceeded their own.
The Heaven-Defying Dragons were Legendary Magic Beasts completely subservient to Vincent.
The clash of power sent sparks and lightning lashing out in all directions, destroying the remaining walls and pillars of the Throne Hall. A massive explosion followed, but it was contained by the protective dome that Mycroft had activated. The dome protected Nolan and the members of the House of Lords from total destruction.
Though the palace hall was in ruins, none of them were injured. Their clothes appeared pristine, as if the destruction outside the dome were an illusion.
The two scaly, black dragons circled Vincent again. He was still standing in front of the portal. His face remained impassive as he first stared at Catherine and then shifted his gaze to Nolan.
"Nolan," Vincent said, his voice echoing through the air. "I'll wait for you at the Death God Guild."
With that, he stepped into the portal. The two dragons followed him, and the pitch-black portal slowly disappeared. The previously dark sky cleared again as if nothing had happened.
Nolan glanced at Catherine. He saw her hands clenched tightly, holding back unquenchable anger. Without a word, she turned and left the shattered Throne Hall, unconcerned by the destruction around her.
***
The Death God Guild was located east of Athens. To get there, Nolan took the Bullet Train, which took about three hours.
Unfortunately, Antares could not take him to Athens Main Station. Lucas, his loyal servant, was the only person accompanying him.
Athens Main Station, the largest train station in the capital, was grand and futuristic. Lucas loaded Nolan's suitcase and bag onto a trolley. Nolan simply nodded curtly as Lucas waved goodbye; his eyes glistened with tears at the thought of leaving Nolan.
"Prince Nolan, take care of yourself!" Lucas shouted, his voice trembling. "If you need anything or help, call me. I'll be there as soon as possible!"
Several people in the station turned to look at them, but Nolan simply stared ahead with a calm expression.
He pressed his hologram card against the box-shaped ticket counter. The screen in front of him flashed green, an iron portal lifted, and he stepped onto the train tracks. He walked slowly, searching for the track number leading to Dominiq City in the north, where the Death God Guild was located.
On track three, two figures were waiting for him. One was a girl with short, shoulder-length hair wearing a formal suit, the other was a boy with messy, curly hair wearing a jacket. They were Selena and Julian. They both waved at him as soon as they saw him.
A faint smile appeared on Nolan's face. This reminded him of his lonely life on Earth. He had no friends. He withdrew, kept his distance, and eventually dropped out of school, disappearing from social life entirely.
Here, Caelthorn had friends. Those friends were now approaching him, too.
Having someone want to be close to him always brought up negative thoughts—suspicion, distance, and a nagging sense of alienation.
"Besides, Caelthorn is at least lucky. He has genuine friends," Nolan muttered quietly.
He approached them and boarded the train. He didn't have much luggage—just a small bag and a suitcase—unlike Selena and Julian, who were struggling to load their large suitcases into the overhead compartment, making a bit of a mess in the process. Nolan sighed softly as he watched the two jockey for position and curse at their luggage.
Once he found a seat, he immediately chose a window one. He couldn't hide his sense of wonder as the train began to move. This intercity train reminded him of the bullet trains on Earth, only more advanced. Elongated like a bullet, it glided low over the tracks, almost without a jolt. Nolan stared at the tall buildings lined up neatly outside the window. A minute later, the cityscape disappeared and was replaced by towering trees and mountain valleys that looked like a living painting.
Selena broke the silence.
"Nolan, I suggested forming a new team, but you refused. As it turns out, your goal was to join the Guild." Her tone was suspicious.
"Wouldn't joining the Guild be better?" Julian added quickly, looking excited. "The dormitory, the facilities, the mission funding... There are so many benefits!"
Selena puffed out her cheeks and leaned back. "I'm not angry or disappointed, but I'm curious. You have to explain. Don't act so mysterious after waking up from your coma." The old Nolan—the innocent, timid one—suddenly became cool. That's suspicious." Her voice rose and fell like a small bird chirping.
Nolan held back a laugh.
"Selena, I'm not saying no. Forming a team and becoming captain... The average person who qualifies is an Ultimate-level Sentinel. Even a Saint Sentinel isn't enough. You have to take the Transcendence test, and advancing to a higher rank takes a long time."
But Selena's frown deepened.
"Nolan, your face is so blank. You're usually either shy or gloomy, you know?"
Nolan cleared his throat, holding back a sigh. "Selena's known Caelthorn for too long. She'll notice if something's changed about me."
"Do I have to go back to being gloomy like before?" he asked curtly, turning his face to the window. "I think you prefer the old me."
Selena was silent for a moment before opening her mouth wide, as if she'd just heard a major confession. She patted her chest excitedly.
"How touching! Little Nolan's all grown up now!"
Nolan let Selena and Julian's antics pass him by. The two began arguing about something trivial that escalated into a minor argument until several passengers glanced their way. Nolan chose not to get involved and returned his gaze to the expanse of mountains neatly lined up in the distance.