Chapter 425: Sacrificed!


    LONYTH


    ENA THUN''S BASE


    Ena Thun''s study was a haunting sight, filled with an atmosphere that sent chills down anyone''s spine. The room was dimly lit, casting long shadows that danced across the walls. The air hung heavy with the scent of old books and the musty odor of neglected knowledge.


    The disarray within the study only heightened its eerie aura. Papers were strewn haphazardly across the floor, creating a chaotic tapestry of information. Books stood precariously on shelves, threatening to tumble at any moment as if they held secrets too dangerous to be contained. Broken quills and shattered ink bottles were scattered among the debris, remnants of Ena''s frustration.


    Ena herself was a figure of intensity. Her face wore a grim expression, etched with lines of stress and determination. Her piercing gaze, filled with a wave of dark anger, seemed to see through the very souls of those who dared to enter. It was as if she possessed an uncanny ability to prate the deepest secrets and darkest intentions of others.


    As Ena Thun sat in her study, a profound sense of bloodlust emanated from her being. It was palpable, an intangible force that sent shivers down the spines of even the bravest individuals. It whispered of revenge and retribution, a hunger that knew no bounds.


    Amidst the clutter, there were symbols and diagrams scrawled hastily across the walls, seemingly marking the path of Ena''s obsession. The twisted sigils and cryptic writings told tales of forbidden knowledge and rituals best left untouched.


    As Ena''s gaze fell upon her missing hand, a malicious sneer curled upon her lips. The room grew charged with unsettling energy, and soon, faint crackles of lightning began to dance and flicker along her remaining arm. The disfigurement had not robbed her of her power; it had only fueled her resolve.


    "Did you perhaps think that I can no longer wield lightning without my hand!?" she hissed, her voiceced with venomous disdain. "Naive!" The memory of the white-haired man who had attacked them in the treacherous Howling Mountains consumed her thoughts. He was an enigma, an entity she had never seen or heard of before. How could someone of such immense power reside on that seemingly unremarkable ind?


    Ena''s irritation grew as she ruminated on their encounter. For years, she had believed herself and the sorcerer who apanied her to be at the pinnacle of power, reigning supreme over their domain. Yet, that man had snatched away her chance to fight, leaving her seething with an insatiable hunger for vengeance.


    Just as her thoughts consumed her, the study door creaked open, and her assistant cautiously entered. The assistant''s eyes darted nervously around the disheveled room as if the chaos mirrored Ena''s wrath.


    "Did you find something?" Ena hissed, her impatience palpable.


    "N Nothing," stammered the assistant, fear, and nervousness evident in their voice.


    In a fit of rage, Ena summoned a surge of raw power. With a deafening BAM, a bolt of lightning crashed into the wall just behind the assistant, leaving behind a scorching mark. "You told me you possessed aprehensive list of the most powerful individuals on this continent! How could you not know who that man is?" Ena''s voice crackled with fury.


    "Your blessedness, there is truly no record of such an individual... I have not heard even a whisper about a man with white hair," the assistant trembled, desperately attempting to cate their furious master.


    "Well, you better find out who he is, or you will suffer the consequences!" Another bolt of lightning exploded against the walls, causing the assistant to whimper in terror.


    "I I will do my best!" the assistant stammered, their voice filled with genuine fear.


    "Do it!" Ena''s chest rose and fell with rapid breaths, her anger simmering just beneath the surface. The memories of the fateful battle in the Howling Mountains resurfaced, haunting her mind. Not only had she lost her left hand, but that merciless man had also snuffed out the life of the feeble sorcerer who had apanied her. The visit to the mountains had proven to be a catastrophic miscalction.


    "Why are you still here?" Ena snapped, noticing her assistant lingering near the door.


    "W We received some news that the ize Family is preparing for war," the assistant stuttered, their voice trembling.


    "Humph!" Ena epted the file that the sorcerer handed over, her eyes gleaming with a cold, calcting glint. "That old man is indeed hot-headed. Good! Let them tear each other apart! Only we can reap the twisted benefits that chaos brings!"


    Ena''s eyes narrowed into an ugly expression as she read through the remaining contents of the report. "Huh? That wretched bug L actually survived?" Her voice dripped with disdain and disbelief.


    "We have yet to confirm his survival, Your Blessedness. However, our informants in Wugari have reported witnessing a man exhibiting extraordinary fire-based abilities, rescuing a handful of individuals. The incidents drew considerable attention," the assistant responded, her tone cautious. "It seems that he was apanied by a woman."


    "Another sorcerer, I presume?" Ena inquired, her mind involuntarily recalling the memory of Rosie, the woman whom the enigmatic white-haired man had saved. The reports triggered a flicker of uncertainty, a nagging thought in the back of her mind.


    "No specific details regarding the Duke or Wugari have been uncovered. Our agents have not spotted him in the vicinity. Rumors suggest he might be engaged in training within the northernnds," the assistant informed, her voiceced with a touch of uncertainty.


    "Or perhaps he still lurks within the treacherous Howling Mountains," Ena hissed, her anger resurfacing as she reminisced about the harrowing events that unfolded in that deste ce. However, what truly caught her off guard during her journey was the rming number of demons lurking in the shadows. Could it be somehow connected to the Duke''s influence?


    "Very well..." Ena''s tone softened as she collected herself. The impending prospect of the ize Family initiating war against Sloryn managed to appease her. It offered a semnce of sce amidst the chaos. What she desired now were the lifeless bodies of her enemies, and the ize Family proved to be the perfect catalyst. Their hotheadedness and naivety would pave the way for bloodshed.


    "Assemble a team to infiltrate Sloryn and assume the roles of ize Family members. Provoke the people of Sloryn, sow seeds of discord. I want chaos, and I crave blood," Ena added, her eyes narrowing with a sinister intensity as she red at the document.


    The unsettling calmness that enveloped her masked the dark intentions lurking beneath. As long as the turmoil escted, the barrier separating them from the unlimited power of ancient relics would weaken. With ess to those relics, their strength would grow immeasurable. Ena reveled in the thought of harnessing such power, no matter the cost.


    The study, once eerie and chaotic, now became a haven of calcted malevolence. The walls seemed to close in, mirroring Ena''s growing hunger for domination and her thirst for the crimson rivers that would flow in the wake of her actions.


    Ena''s gaze fixated on the assistant, her expression grim as she posed a crucial question. "What of the experiments?" she demanded to know.


    "Well... since his excellency''s passing, numerous experiments were left unfinished," the assistant replied with a hint of trepidation. "Approximately sixty individuals remain in the second stage. They underwent a transformation where their bodies evolved, granting them powers beyond lightning maniption. However, they are unable to control these newfound abilities. For ten individuals, they were able to materialize lightning, but the power proved too overwhelming, leaving them scarred and disfigured."


    Ena''s brows furrowed in frustration. "So, they still cannot harness and control the lightning?" she pressed for confirmation.


    "They remain unable to control it," the assistant confirmed as she swallowed hard.


    "So, those people are still useless," Ena muttered with a tinge of annoyance. Her attention shifted to a new topic. "And what of the new children?"


    "They are too young, Your Blessedness. Initiating the first phase of the experiments would be detrimental to their fragile bodies," the assistant exined, attempting to dissuade Ena from her impulsive desires.


    "Start it," Ena hissed, her voice dripping with an unyielding determination.


    "Your Blessedness, I must implore you to reconsider. Without the sorcerer''s presence, the children would endure excruciating pain, and there''s a significant risk of fatality," the assistant protested, genuine concern etched across her face.


    "Then do you wish to die in their ce?" Ena''s voice grew cold and menacing, and tendrils of lightning crackled menacingly along her hand, emphasizing her point.


    "N No, Your Blessedness. The experiments will be carried out as youmand," the assistant relented, her fear overpowering her reservations.


    "Good," Ena sneered, her dark intentionsid bare. "Those children were brought into existence for this very purpose. Speak not of pain when their sole purpose is to be sacrificed!"


    "Y Yes, Your Blessedness!" the assistant stammered, bowing their head in submission.


    "Hmph! Leave me be!" Ena dismissed the assistant with a wave of her hand, her face contorted into an expression of relentless determination. The study fell into an eerie silence as she was left alone to revel in her sinister ns.