Poison.

In the dimly lit room, shrouded in shadows, only the sound of shallow, uneven breathing filled the air. The atmosphere was heavy, laden with tension and despair.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, a figure materialized at the center of the room. His speed was so incomprehensibly fast that none of the individuals present could track his movement.

The moment he arrived, an overwhelming pressure descended upon the room, suffocating and oppressive. It bore down on everyone like a tidal wave, forcing their knees to buckle under its sheer weight.

Nathan and the others, their bodies battered and their spirits broken from the earlier blast, stood trembling under pressure.

Their heads hung low, their breaths uneven as the crushing aura robbed them of even the will to stand upright. The remnants of their pride as elite warriors had been stripped away in an instant.

The figure's presence was absolute, commanding the space with an authority that was both terrifying and undeniable.

His crimson eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, like embers smoldering in a dying fire. The air around him seemed to hum with restrained power, as if the world itself feared to disturb his silence.

Nathan, his jaw clenched and sweat dripping down his face, dared to glance up slightly. "My Lord..." he managed to croak, his voice weak and barely audible under the suffocating pressure. He couldn't complete his sentence, the words caught in his throat.

The figure tilted his head slightly, his gaze piercing and cold. The silence dragged on, each second stretching unbearably as if awaiting judgment. Finally, his deep, resonant voice broke through the tension like a blade.

"Do you understand the consequences of failure?" The voice cut through the silence, cold and sharp as a blade, sending a shiver down the spines of those gathered in the room.

The figure stepped forward, his presence alone overwhelming, as though the very air was being sucked from the room. Each step he took reverberated with authority, suffocating those who knelt before him.

"W-We are extremely s-sorry, my lord," Nathan and the others stammered in unison, their voices trembling under the oppressive weight of his gaze.

The figure stood still for a moment, studying them, his eyes glowing with an unsettling intensity. "Why do you think we took such a massive risk, coordinating attacks on multiple fronts today?" His voice was calm, but the danger beneath it was palpable.

"B-Because the new generation is extremely dangerous," Nathan replied hesitantly, his voice quivering. "They're highly talented, and as the prophecy foretold, they will only grow stronger if given time."

A pause. The figure's eyes glinted, his lips curling into a barely perceptible smirk. "And why do you think I gave you forces more powerful than any other?" His tone was almost casual, but there was an undeniable edge to it, as if daring them to answer incorrectly.

Nathan swallowed hard, his throat dry. "B-Because the child of the witch was one of the most dangerous ones."

The figure's gaze intensified, as if piercing straight through Nathan. "Correct," he said, his voice a chilling whisper.

"The child of the Celestial Witch... One born with powers that could rival even the gods themselves. And yet, despite all that power at your disposal, you failed to bring him down."

His words hung in the air, heavy with implication, as the room seemed to grow colder still.

"My lord..." Lia spoke, her voice trembling with both fear and hope. She dared not meet his gaze, but she pressed on, knowing the weight of the situation. "There's a ninety percent chance that the boy will die."

The figure's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze cold as ice, but he simply hummed in acknowledgment, his finger tapping lightly on the armrest of his throne. "Hmm," he murmured, signaling for her to continue.

Lia took a deep breath before speaking again, her words slow and deliberate, as if weighing each one.

"At the last moment, when he was escaping, I managed to poison him. It's one of the most powerful poisons known. Even the most resilient would struggle to survive it."

It was true. Lia had used one of the most potent poisons she had, one that could fell even the mightiest of warriors, a poison so vile that even grandmasters would struggle against it.

However what Lia had failed to anticipate was the incredible resilience of Azhrael's constitution. His body, a rare and exceptional vessel, was far more powerful than she had ever imagined.

She had known the child was special, but not to this extent. Even the most normal poisons she could concoct would be able to kill those with resistable constitutions. But Azhrael was different; his power ran so deep, it could resist the worst of poisons and curses.

Yet, his constitution could only do so much. After being sealed, the immense power that had once flowed through him had been suppressed to a mere trickle.

The poison, which should have been fatal, had taken a toll on his weakened state. His body was battered, his reserves of energy drained. It would take years for him to recover from this.

A moment of silence followed her words, thick with tension. The figure remained still, his expression unreadable, but the air around him seemed to grow even colder.

Finally, after a long pause, he spoke again, his voice low and menacing. "You better be right, Lia. Because If that calamity survives..."

His words trailed off, but the threat in his voice was clear.

Lia swallowed, her heart racing. "He will die, my lord. I'm sure of it."

The figure stared at her for a long moment, his presence overwhelming as he weighed her words. Finally, he nodded, but his eyes burned with an intensity that promised consequences if she was wrong. "I see."

"Wait for your next task and stay hidden. There will be chaos out there after what we've done," the figure's voice echoed, cold and emotionless. "Also, some demons have appeared, so the empire will be on high alert."

With that, the figure vanished as swiftly as it had arrived, leaving nothing but a lingering, oppressive silence.