Chapter 114: Broken Coordinates and the Weight of Loyalty
I. The Hierarchy of Power
The silence in the shattered auditorium was sepulchral. Gorno's head lay at Samael's feet, a look of terror frozen upon the charred flesh. From the upper balcony, Altair staggered, his body pushed to its absolute limit, covered in soot and the blood of his enemy. His stormy gray eyes sought Samael's, looking for validation, perhaps even a word of comfort.
Samael did not smile. He offered no solace. He looked up, his face an imperial mask of authority. His violet eyes shimmered with a piercing coldness. —"You have killed a butcher," Samael said, his voice projecting effortlessly through the room. —"But you remain a slave to your own wounds."
Kael, standing beside Samael, sheathed his greatsword with a sharp metallic click. There was no trace of his usual youthful camaraderie. His posture was rigid, martial. He looked toward the entrance. —"Patriarch," Kael said, formal and clipped. —"The Citadel guards are breaching the outer doors. I detect three Origin Stage 5 auras approaching."
Samael nodded, ignoring the chaos outside. He fixed his gaze on Altair. —"If you wish to follow me, come down. By your own strength. In my clan, we do not carry those who surrender to pain."
Altair gritted his teeth. His legs shook, his ribs were shattered, but pride ignited a spark in his chest. He let go of the railing and, instead of using the stairs, threw himself from the six-meter balcony. He landed heavily, rolling to dissipate the impact, and let out a stifled groan. Yet, he stood up. Limping, dragging his feet, he walked until he stopped before Samael and knelt, bowing his head.
—"My life... is yours," Altair rasped.
—"Your life is of no use to me if you lose it today," Samael replied. He looked at Kael. —"Gather the loot and secure the Silver Ash survivors. We are leaving."
II. The Cage Closes
—"HALT!"
The massive double doors of the auction hall exploded inward. A phalanx of elite Citadel guards marched in, shields raised. Behind them, three figures floated in the air: the Commanders of the Citadel Guard. —"No one leaves this place!" roared the one in the center, a man in golden armor. —"You have murdered Master Gorno and destroyed Citadel property! Surrender, and your deaths will be swift!"
Lorian, the Star Ice heir whom Kael had knocked out earlier, was being revived by his servants in a corner. Seeing the guards, he shrieked hysterically, —"It's them! That 'Dorian Vylos' is an impostor! Kill them!"
The guards charged. Hundreds of spears pointed at a single target. The exit was blocked. The matrices on the walls glowed, activating a Confinement Seal to prevent aerial escapes or teleportation.
Kael stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. —"Patriarch, shall I order the Legion to attack?"
—"No," Samael said with bored calm. —"It would be a waste of time." Samael took a step forward. He did not draw a weapon. He simply raised his right hand and extended his fingers toward the empty space in front of him.
III. Spatial Domain: The Fold
—"You believe the walls protect you," Samael said, his voice echoing strangely as if coming from all directions at once. —"You believe distance matters."
His eyes shifted. His vertical pupils dilated.
[Space Law: Partial Activation]
Samael suddenly clenched his fist. —"[Coordinate Collapse]."
The world folded.
It was not an illusion. The physical reality of the auction hall violently distorted. The space between Samael and the rear exit—which was fifty meters away and blocked by debris—simply ceased to exist. It was as if someone had taken a paper map and joined two distant points by folding the sheet.
The charging guards screamed as the ground beneath their feet stretched and compressed, throwing them against the ceiling or causing them to fall into spatial rifts that led nowhere. The fifty-meter distance became a single step.
Samael walked. One step, and he crossed the entire auditorium. Kael, accustomed to his leader's impossible feats, grabbed Altair by the collar and followed Samael, also dragging the twelve freed slaves who floated in a Qi bubble created by Malak.
—"Impossible!" the Guard Commander shouted. —"The confinement seal is active! Teleportation is forbidden!"
Samael paused for a moment at the threshold of the "fold," just before disappearing. He turned his head slightly. —"I did not teleport," he said with disdain. —"I brought the exit to my feet. Your spatial laws are... primitive."
With a snap, space returned to its original shape. BOOM! The displaced air exploded, creating a shockwave that leveled every guard in the room. When the dust settled, Samael and his group were gone.
IV. The Rooftop and the Humiliation
They reappeared instantly on a high rooftop two kilometers away, near the outer wall. The sudden change in pressure caused Altair to vomit blood, his mortal body barely enduring the forced spatial travel.
—"Breathe," Kael ordered, dropping him abruptly. —"If you die from motion sickness, you aren't worth the effort."
But they were not alone. A lone figure stood at the edge of the roof, blocking their path to freedom. It was Lorian. Somehow, he had used a high-grade escape talisman to get ahead of them, guessing their flight path. The Star Ice youth was pale, his jaw swollen from Kael's earlier blow, but his eyes burned with humiliation. He held a glowing blue orb: a Saint-Summoning Jewel. He was about to shatter it to call an Elder of his Empire.
—"You!" Lorian shrieked, pointing at Samael. —"I don't know who you are, but you won't escape! My grandfather is a Saint! If I break this—!"
Samael didn't even slow his pace. He walked toward Lorian as if the boy were mere mist. —"Are you going to break it?" Samael asked.
—"I will!" Lorian gripped the jewel. —"It will freeze your very souls!"
Samael raised a finger. —"[Positional Swap]."
There was no flash. In a blink, Samael and Lorian switched places. Samael appeared at the edge of the roof, free. Lorian appeared in the middle of Samael's group, right in front of Kael. The boy blinked, confused. He looked around. He was surrounded by Kael, Malak (who emerged from the shadows with a dagger), and Altair's murderous gaze.
—"Uh..." Lorian lowered his hand, trembling.
Samael, his back to them, looked at the moon. —"Kael. Take the jewel. And throw him off the roof." —"With pleasure, Patriarch."
Kael snatched the jewel from Lorian's hand with a swift motion, breaking two of the boy's fingers in the process. Then, he grabbed him by his luxurious robes. —"Have a nice flight, little bird," Kael growled. He tossed him. Lorian screamed as he fell toward the dark alleys below. He wouldn't die, being a cultivator, but he would certainly break quite a few bones.
V. Return to the Shadows
Samael looked at the Saint-Summoning Jewel Kael handed him. —"A useful object," he murmured, stowing it in his ring. —"It might serve as bait later."
He turned toward the group. The twelve Silver Ash vassals were terrified, looking at Samael as if he were a demon god. Altair, kneeling again, breathed heavily, his skin returning to its normal tone, leaving behind gray scars.
—"Malak," Samael ordered. —"Take them to the base. Have Violeta prepare treatment for the new member. His body is shattered and his core is unstable." He pointed at Altair. —"If he survives the night, he begins his training tomorrow." —"And if he doesn't?" Kael asked, looking at the boy's critical state.
Samael looked Altair in the eyes. —"Then he will be buried as a free man, not a slave. That is all the mercy he will get from me."
Samael activated his Qi once more. The space around them began to distort, enveloping them in a void bubble to hide their spiritual trail as they left the city. —"Let's go. The Bronze Citadel knows we are here. The infiltration phase is over." —"What is the next phase, Patriarch?" Kael asked.
Samael smiled, and the air froze. —"The phase of conquest."
[END OF CHAPTER 114]