Grimm Jura continued crushing Roto Night, who could no longer use his power properly. However, the regeneration within his body was still functioning, though its effect would soon disappear. He also could no longer summon the energy outside the palace.
Roto looked toward Asin Knight and thought,
'That brat should possess enough energy for my return, but the problem is that I can't move. Even if I use all my power, I won't catch him before he retreats…'
Then a new idea crossed his mind.
'This will work!'
He exploded with all his remaining energy one final time, blasting Grimm backward into a wall and canceling the gravity field.
When Princess Jina Joul saw this, she was shocked.
"At this rate, the inheritance will be destroyed!"
Asin continued calmly,
"But the next move will be devastating. Still, he has already consumed too much energy, and since he's a spirit, he won't remain a major threat."
Meanwhile, outside the battlefield, Ji Jura was receiving the incoming forces that were handling the rotten corpses when she noticed cracks forming across the barrier walls containing the corrupt energy.
"Reinforce the barrier immediately!"
But her order came too late.
The barrier shattered, and the corrupt energy rushed back inside toward Roto.
Asin noticed a dense mass of energy rushing toward him.
"So he's trying to forcefully possess me? What a ridiculous ancestor!"
He leapt upward and used his own power to destroy the approaching energy. Though it did not completely stop the corruption—and even strengthened it slightly—it bought him time to evade.
But what he assumed turned into a disaster.
"What?!" Asin was shocked.
The attack had never been aimed at him in the first place.
Its true purpose had been to drive him away from the others.
Roto instantly rushed toward the trio: Shion Lan, Solan Neumann, and Jina Joul—none of whom possessed the strength to move anymore.
"Solan!! Jina!!"
Shion tried to defend them but Roto unleashed his power toward Solan and Jina, but suddenly two stone spears flew forward, separating the girls from Shion.
At that moment, Shion felt genuine fear for the first time.
Roto said,
"That witch is powerful, but her intelligence is lacking. My plan was only to capture you, since everyone cares about you so much."
Corrupt energy surrounded them, so dense and violent that even Asin would perish if he tried forcing his way inside.
Grimm regained consciousness from the blast and witnessed a horrifying sight: a corpse-like figure surrounding the boy lying helplessly on the ground.
He attempted to use his power but realized he himself had been corrupted as well.
"Save Shion now!"
But it was already too late.
Ji stared in horror at the green-purple dome.
"He focused his attack on the girls so I wouldn't notice the real target!"
Solan completely lost control and desperately tried approaching Shion, but Ji stopped her.
"If you go near him now, you'll die with him!"
However, Solan had lost all reason.
"Get away from me, you bitch!!"
She attempted to use her exhausted powers, but blood burst from her nose and eyes as the Spirit World vanished completely before she collapsed onto the ground.
Polter felt the mark in his chest and heard the orders from Shi Yun Lan so he forced him self to go against Solan's will and summoned himself.
"Milady! We have to go!"
"No!! Shion!!"
He gave her no choice and decided to get her away from Shion.
Then triumphant laughter echoed from the purple smoke rising within the dome as Roto's figure materialized.
"I admit my plan had a few flaws, and this little bastard managed to discover them. But I never intended to hurt anyone—especially with two descendants of the Night Family here…"
He smiled cunningly.
"So I'll simply take this boy hostage. I won't harm him, and I'll release him once I ensure my own safety."
Everyone present became furious.
Roto continued,
"I can sense that this boy possesses a powerful heritage. Though incomplete, it is still extraordinary. If the boy loses consciousness, I can detonate that heritage and kill everyone here!"
At those words, several groups began retreating—especially the military squads—because of Shion Lan's reputation as the possessor of an heritage personally acknowledged by King Jord Joul.
Asin did not know what to do.
"I can't allow a monster like this to escape… but Shion… what should I do now?!"
Several influential Seventh-Level individuals arrived, among them the Healing Heroine, Hyurin.
She sensed the ominous energy leaking from Shion's body and said,
"I don't think there's anything I can do here."
Asin was startled by her sudden arrival.
"My lady! Since when were you here?!"
"Just now. I couldn't ignore the distress signal. But what I see is complete chaos. Even if every hero gathered here, it wouldn't make a difference."
Her pessimistic answer stunned Asin.
Roto smirked.
"Since the little girl already understands the situation, why don't you order these fools to step aside?"
Hyurin replied coldly,
"I don't think I can save the life of the future head of the Lan Family… but I am certain his sacrifice will not be in vain."
When heard this, both objected immediately.
"No! I won't allow it!"
Hyurin looked toward them.
"Your Highness, we must protect you and eliminate the threat to the kingdom. So please do not stand in my way."
Then the uncle of Grimm and Ji—another Seventh-Level expert—prepared himself to move and finish Shion.
Roto laughed.
"You see, brat?! Are these the people you wanted to protect?! Accept my heritage, become the lord of chaos, and spread ruin everywhere!"
For the first time since leaving home, Shion's eyes were filled with fear.
He could no longer feel the presence of Shi Yun Lan. All the emotions once devoured by emptiness and death returned to him.
And on that night, he remembered the stars in the sky he had abandoned long ago.
He tried reaching them once more.
But another failure pierced his heart.
Helplessness became his only answer.
Then one thought surfaced in his mind,
'Am I… going to die?'
Soon afterward, Roto's spirit merged with Shion, invading his body as corpse remains wrapped around him.
The possession had already begun.
Hyurin did not wish to waste time and stepped forward.
When Jina attempted to resist, Hyurin cast her spell and forced the princess to collapse.
It was paralysis magic.
Yet the one who stood against her was Asin Night himself.
He raised his palm, forcing Hyurin to retreat.
"What do you mean by this, Asin?"
"This isn't the first time Shion has been placed in such a situation. I'm saying we should restrain him until he overcomes it!"
Although Asin did not truly understand what was happening, he still wanted to save Shion as much as possible.
Hyurin's eyes glowed with essence.
"General, handle the boy while I play with this amateur."
The Jura Family general advanced toward Shion, but Grimm and Ji blocked his path.
"Young masters, step aside."
Grimm replied,
"We should save him, and now you're saying he should be killed? Father wants Lord Lan alive."
The general was stunned and reluctantly stepped back.
Seeing this, Hyurin sighed.
"I've always saved everyone, but… I suppose some injuries are inevitable in the end."
She activated her domain.
"(Harmful Amplification Domain)!"
Everyone except Jina trapped inside her domain experienced unbearable pain:
swordsmen felt agony in their joints and muscles,
mages suffered splitting headaches and bleeding from their facial openings.
Hyurin declared:
"(Harmful Amplification)!"
The spell amplified energy output at the expense of the body itself:
muscles tore from overexertion,
minds suffered severe headaches,
brain hemorrhages became possible,
and weaker individuals would inevitably die.
"AAAAHHHGHHH!!!"
"NOOO... AAAAHHHH!!"
The all screamed because of the pain but Asin did not remain idle.
He activated his own simple domain thinking of Hyurin, 'As expected from a hero, she has a domain technique while being in the seventh level!'
He used his techniques.
"(Waves of Devouring Darkness)!"
The technique spread aura throughout the domain, and with movements of his hands, the energy surged like waves devouring his enemies.
Combined with the corrosive nature of his darkness, the attack became lethally destructive.
Panic spread among the people.
The Star Instructor Asin stood against the Healing Heroine Hyurin, and both were using deadly techniques.
The general shouted,
"Come here if you don't want to die!"
He activated his own domain as well, remaining neutral while sheltering everyone inside it.
Asin's waves began devouring Hyurin's domain, yet every collision caused violent explosions from the uncontrollable excess energy.
Since both of them were affected by their own domains, blood flowed from their bodies as well.
Meanwhile, the energy around Shion's body gradually calmed.
At that moment, Hyurin stopped caring about anything else.
She pulled out a magical bracelet, strengthening her power.
"(Purification Magic: Destruction of Corruption)!"
Her domain expanded violently and shook Asin's own domain.
But the thing that terrified him most was Shion standing behind him.
It was already too late.
The purification reached him.
"NOOOOO!!"
Asin screamed.
Yet for some reason, Shion's body remained completely unharmed.
Even the corpse remnants surrounding him were unaffected.
Without hesitation, Hyurin instantly teleported through her own domain and touched the corpse remains herself.
Shock covered her face.
"There's no trace of corruption!"
Asin sighed in relief.
"In case you didn't notice… your domain is still hurting me."
With a wave of her hand, Hyurin canceled the domain, and everyone emerged safely from the general's protection.
Grimm and Ji hurried toward Shion to examine him.
Ji said in relief,
"His pulse is still there! Dad won't punish us."
Shock filled Hyurin's expression.
"Impossible! Shion died!"
Then Solan, having regained control over herself, after escaping Polter, glared furiously at Hyurin.
"Old woman! Say another word and I won't forgive you!"
Hyurin ignored her and listened carefully to Shion's heartbeat.
"How is this possible?! There's no trace of Roto's heritage! Earlier I couldn't even sense Shion breathing!"
Though she had been certain of his death, she approached once more and examined him directly.
Her eyes widened even further.
After ensuring that Shion is ok, Solan pretended her spirit connection was destabilizing.
"It seems Sol Hart is suffering right now, so I'll be leaving."
Jina, recovering from the paralysis, immediately asked,
"What happened to Sol?!"
Solan answered,
"Sol wanted to help, but the condition for summoning me was for her to remain unconscious while communicating with me. Her body would be in danger in a place like this, so I ordered her to move somewhere safe. It seems she already arrived there… so farewell."
Solan secretly stole one final glance toward Shion before vanishing into the wind alongside her spirits and artifacts.
Everyone began gathering the injured.
Princess Jina and Violet Night helped organize the survivors.
Soon afterward, Solan returned disguised as Sol herself.
"I apologize for not being here personally to help."
Jina shook her head.
"You saved us by summoning Lady Neumann. Thank you."
Solan nodded, then asked casually:
"Where's Shion? I don't see him."
"He's receiving treatment from the Healing Heroine Hyurin."
Even though Solan wanted to punch that woman, she pretended to relax and smiled.
"Then he should be alright."
Jina looked at her seriously.
"You should receive treatment too and make sure you're safe."
"As you command, Your Highness."
She then hurried toward Shion.
When she arrived, she saw Hyurin leaving the room.
Solan entered quietly.
At that moment, Shion slowly opened his eyes and looked toward her.
But his vision blurred.
"Shion....." She felt pain for seeing him in his condition.
But his last words stunned her.
"Sol…an?"
And then he lost consciousness.