Renn remained kneeling at the center of the shattered chamber, holding Seris gently against him while blood stained his hands endlessly. Her silver hair rested weakly against his arm.
Still.
Too still.
Taren lowered his spear slowly. "…Seris…"
Kael looked away quietly. Even Lio's calm expression cracked slightly. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Only the sound of dripping blood echoed softly across the ruined throne room.
Then— Renn spoke. Very quietly.
"…I lost someone important to me…"
His voice trembled slightly. Then his grip around Lumindelle tightened violently.
"…Again."
BOOOOOOM—!!!
Golden Aether exploded outward from Renn's body violently enough to shake the entire throne room. The pressure erupted like a storm breaking free from restraint.
Cracks spread instantly across the floor beneath him.
The air trembled. Walls shattered. Purple tendrils surrounding the throne recoiled instinctively.
Lumindelle suddenly materialized fully beside Renn, no longer in spirit form alone. Her radiant golden body floated near him while her glowing eyes widened immediately.
"…No…" Golden mist surged wildly around Renn's body. "He's using Overdrive again."
Cedric's eyes narrowed sharply.
"…That's dangerous. He might lose his aether forever."
Lumindelle immediately looked toward him. "His Aether Meridian hasn't fully healed from the last activation."
Renn slowly stood.
Golden Aether erupted endlessly from his body before suddenly collapsing downward like heavy cold smoke. Instead of exploding outward— it crawled.
Flowing slowly across the ground like living mist. The atmosphere changed instantly.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Dangerous.
Even Garrick instinctively stepped backward slightly. "…What the hell…"
Renn took one step forward.
THUD.
The sound echoed unnaturally throughout the throne room. Another step.
THUD.
Golden cracks slowly spread beneath Renn's eyes. Thin fractures extended across his arms like glass beginning to break apart from internal pressure.
Cedric's expression darkened immediately. "…That's bad."
Taren looked toward him. "What is?"
Cedric stared at Renn carefully. "…His body's reaching its limit."
Golden light poured endlessly from Renn's eyes now. Not glowing. Burning. Like something inside him was breaking apart.
Veyr observed the scene silently from across the throne room. Then, for the first time— he looked intrigued.
"…Aether Overdrive." The black tendrils behind him slowed slightly.
"…Just like Him."
His gaze sharpened deeply toward Renn. "But its incomplete."
Silence lingered briefly.
Then Veyr smiled faintly. "…Who exactly are you?"
Renn disappeared.
BOOOOM—!!!
The throne room exploded beneath the sheer force of his acceleration. Veyr's eyes widened instantly.
Fast.
SHHHKKKK—!
Black tendrils erupted around Veyr immediately, layering around his body in dozens of defensive coils. But—
SHHK.
A single slash cut through them. Silently. No explosion. No shockwave. The tendrils simply separated cleanly.
Veyr's eyes widened slightly as Renn appeared directly before him. Golden dagger already near his neck.
Too close.
Veyr reacted instantly.
SHHK—!
A tendril erupted from beneath the floor, coiling tightly around Renn's ankle before the killing blow landed completely.
Veyr smirked. "Caught you."
BOOOOM—!
The tendril violently slammed Renn sideways through a massive stone wall. The impact shook the throne room violently while debris exploded outward.
Dust filled the chamber. Silence followed briefly. Then—
Golden mist emerged from the rubble. Renn walked out slowly. Unharmed. The cracks across his body had spread further. But his expression remained empty now.
No anger. No grief. Only pressure. Then he vanished again.
CRACK—!
Veyr immediately raised one hand. "Veil Domain."
BOOOOM—!
Black tendrils spread throughout the entire throne room instantly. But Veyr didn't stop.
"Second Domain."
The shadows thickened further. Pressure doubled. The tendrils sharpened violently. Then—
"Third Domain."
BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
The throne room itself distorted beneath the overwhelming Veil Arts pressure. Tendrils layered endlessly throughout every surface until the entire chamber became a living execution field.
Three stacked domains.
Three times the density.
Three times the speed.
Three times the destructive force.
Even Cedric's face paled slightly. "…He literally is a monster…"
Lio narrowed his eyes. "…That's possible?"
Cedric answered quietly. "…It shouldn't be."
Then the tendrils moved.
SHHHKKKKK—!!!
Thousands of black-purple tendrils surged toward Renn simultaneously from every direction imaginable.
Every blind spot. Every angle. An unavoidable death. But Renn kept walking.
Slowly, calmly. Then—
SHHK—! SHHK—! SHHK—!
Golden flashes exploded endlessly across the throne room.
One slash.
Two.
Ten.
Hundreds.
The tendrils were cut apart faster than they could regenerate. No wasted movement. No hesitation. Only destruction.
"Aether Art: Flash Rend."
BOOOOOOM—!!!
The throne room erupted into countless golden slashes simultaneously. Tendrils shattered apart endlessly while Renn crossed the battlefield in flashes of light impossible to follow completely.
Even Veyr was forced backward.
CLANG—!
Renn's dagger collided against Veyr's tendril defenses repeatedly while golden and black Aether exploded violently around them.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Veyr's smirk slowly widened despite the pressure. "…You're more monster than me, brat."
Renn attacked again.
SHHK—!
Veyr barely blocked in time. Another slash immediately followed. Then another. The exchange of blows intensified violently until even the throne room itself began collapsing around them.
Yet slowly— the golden glow around Renn weakened. Just slightly. Barely noticeable.
But Veyr noticed.
Of course he noticed. The cracks spreading across Renn's body deepened further. His breathing worsened. His movements remained fast— but unstable now.
Veyr's eyes sharpened instantly. "…There it is."
Another clash.
CLANG—!
Veyr redirected Renn's blade sideways before stepping directly into his range.
"This is it, Renn."
Black tendrils slowly gathered behind him.
"…Goodbye."
The nature of Veyr's power revealed itself completely. Purple-black threads emerged slowly from his fingertips.
Thin.
Almost invisible.
But horrifying.
Cedric's eyes widened immediately. "…Those threads…"
Veil Forbidden Art: Shin'en Kugutsu — was never meant to simply kill. It controls. This Aether rewrites commands directly through the nervous system. From thread, to nerve, to brain.
"My Veil Arts interfere with the natural signals of the body itself."
Renn attempted another strike— but his movement slowed suddenly. His arm twitched unnaturally. Veyr smiled faintly. More threads spread outward.
"It only functions while the brain remains alive."
Cedric's expression darkened completely. "…It's already over for all of us…"
Veyr's eyes sharpened. Thousands of tendrils erupted simultaneously.
"Sleep, Renn."
BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
The entire throne room disappeared beneath black-purple tendrils. They wrapped around Renn from every direction instantly, forming a massive sphere of compressed Veil Arts at the center of the chamber.
Silence followed.
No movement.
No sound.
Only the horrifying pressure of Veyr's Aether flooding the room.
Taren struggled upright immediately. "RENN—!"
Kael gritted his teeth. "… Shit, I'll break it!"
Lio stepped forward weakly.
Cedric immediately blocked all of them. "…Don't."
The sphere slowly pulsed. Once. Twice. Then—
SHHHKKK…
The tendrils slowly unraveled. Dropping lifelessly toward the floor. And at the center—
Renn stood silently.
Head lowered. Golden cracks spread completely across both arms now. Black-purple threads connected themselves subtly beneath his skin.
His glowing eyes looked empty. Wrong.
Veyr slowly smiled. "…You're mine now."
Taren's face paled instantly. "…No…"
Renn slowly raised his head. Golden eyes stared toward them emotionlessly. Then, black tendrils rose behind him. The throne room fell completely silent. Because everyone understood immediately.
Renn Valehart— had become Veyr's puppet.