Chapter 7: Tamas Pt II

The next morning.

The sun's rays filtered weakly through the shattered windows, their light barely touching the remnants of the previous night. It should have been a peaceful morning, but the air felt thick with an unease that clung to every breath, as though the very earth itself had not yet fully shaken off the horrors of the night.

I awoke in the quiet of the orphanage, but the stillness wasn't comforting. It was suffocating, heavy with the lingering terror from the curse. The moon's blood-red glow had faded with the dawn, but its imprint on the world seemed indelible. I could still hear the haunting echoes of the screams, the ghoulish wails of creatures that should not exist, their twisted forms haunting the darkness.

The others had already begun stirring, their faces tired but determined. As I walked into the common room, I saw Father Alfred standing at the window, gazing out with an unreadable expression. Sister Helene, Irene, and Amelia moved around the orphanage, their quiet movements betraying a sense of unease. Even the usually unflappable Sister Helene looked shaken.

Father Alfred turned to us, his voice calm but strained. "The curse has passed. For now, at least. But the town is in ruins, and there is much to be done." His eyes met ours, and for a fleeting moment, I saw the weight of his worry. "Be cautious when we go outside. The streets may not be safe."

The weight of his words settled over us, and with reluctance, we headed out into the streets.

As we stepped outside, the full scale of the devastation hit us like a wave. The cobblestone streets, once so vibrant, were now dark and slick with blood. The bodies of the townsfolk were strewn about, some barely recognizable, others in grotesque positions as if they had been discarded carelessly by something monstrous. The once-bustling market square now lay in ruins—overturned carts, shattered windows, and debris everywhere. The air was thick with the scent of iron and decay.

My breath caught in my throat as we walked through the mess. The silence was unnatural, broken only by the occasional soft whisper of the wind. But the wind carried something else—a lingering tension, as if the world itself held its breath.

Shigure walked beside me, her usual calm demeanor nowhere to be found. Her eyes scanned the surroundings carefully, but she didn't speak. None of us had the words to describe what we were feeling. There was nothing to say.

As we ventured deeper into town, we began to see the first signs of life. A small group of townsfolk huddled together near the church, their faces pale and hollow, but they were alive. One of them, an older man with a graying beard, looked up as we approached. His eyes widened slightly, recognition flashing across his face.

"You survived," he rasped, his voice raw and hoarse from days of fear and silence. "We thought… we thought everyone else was gone."

Father Alfred nodded solemnly. "We're fortunate. But we cannot stay here. We need to move on."

Another figure, a woman in her late thirties with long, unkempt hair, stepped forward, her arms wrapped tightly around a young child. The child was pale, too pale, but she clung to her mother desperately, her wide eyes darting nervously at the sight of us.

"You're all from the orphanage?" the woman asked, her voice shaking. "I— I heard you were the last to leave. The curse… it turned the town into a nightmare. The ghouls, the blood, the screams…" She trailed off, her voice trembling as she pressed the child closer.

"We were lucky," Father Alfred said quietly, his voice carrying a weight that none of us had expected. "But we need to keep moving. There are others—there's no time to linger."

As he spoke, more people began to emerge from the shadows. Some were hiding in the alleyways, others had taken refuge in buildings that had remained intact. Survivors. But their faces told the story of everything they had lost. There was a hardness to their eyes, a wariness that made me realize just how fragile our world had become.

I glanced at the Shigure and Akrura . Akrura stood a few paces behind me, his arms crossed and his gaze fixed on the ground. His posture was tense, and I could see the effort it took for him to remain calm. Even he could not escape the aftermath of the curse.

But then, just as we were about to move on, a loud cry broke through the silence. A woman rushed forward, stumbling over the wreckage in her desperation. Her face was streaked with dirt and tears, and she was shouting, though her words were lost in the distance.

"Help! Help! My son—he's still out there! Please, someone, help me!"

Without hesitation, Akrūra stepped forward, his usual detached demeanor replaced with something else. Something softer. His voice was steady but commanding as he turned to Father Alfred.

"We need to help them. There could still be survivors out there."

Father Alfred hesitated. I could see the internal battle waging in his eyes. But there was no time for indecision. The woman was frantic, and we couldn't ignore her cries for help.

"We'll go," he said firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument.

The group of us followed the woman as she led us down an alley, past wrecked buildings and streets still littered with the remains of the fallen. There was no sign of life, just the remnants of destruction. The further we went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. The air felt thick, suffocating.

And then, we saw it.

At the end of the alley, a figure stood, silhouetted against the backdrop of broken homes. A man, hunched over, his back to us. His movements were jerky, inhuman. As he turned, I saw the grotesque distortion of his face—his skin pale and stretched, his eyes wide and unseeing.

A ghoul.

I could hear the others' sharp intakes of breath. We had no time to react before the creature lunged toward us, its eyes locked on the woman who had led us here.

Akrūra was the first to move. With a single motion, he stepped forward, his hand raised. In a flash, a blast of energy erupted from his palm, sending the creature reeling backward, its body contorting as it hit the ground.

For a moment, there was silence.

But then, more figures appeared from the shadows, slowly emerging, their forms shifting unnaturally as they closed in on us. A chorus of low growls and hisses filled the air.

The woman screamed, clutching her child to her chest as the creatures advanced. "No! Please! Help me!"

And just as we prepared to fight, something in the distance caught my eye—movement, fast and fleeting. Another group of survivors? Or was it something worse?

Before I could say anything, the ground beneath us trembled. The rumble grew louder, and the earth itself seemed to shudder. Something was coming. Something much bigger than anything we had faced before.

With the ghouls circling around us and the tremor beneath our feet, I knew—this was only the beginning.

And the nightmare was far from over.

As the ghouls were going to kill the woman and her child I felt that someone ran past then a figure with incredible speed ran towards the ghoul grabbing it by its head and punch a hole in its heart and kick it sending it crashing towards the walls creating a smoke and rubbles.

As the smoke starts to clear we can see the figure clearly who had just kicked the ghoul just a few moments ago. She was standing on the rubble of a mountain of bricks. She has silver hair. Wait is that. As I was thinking the female figure turned towards us, she has blue eyes and blood in her hand , lips and mouth, and she was eating the brain and heart of the ghoul. It was none other than Shigure as I was going to call out to her suddenly she move at a inhuman speed towards the women and her child and summon a knife out of nowhere with an intent to kill both of them suddenly Father Alfred ran towards the women and the child by summoning his sword he blocked Shigure's attack which caused a large shock wave which pushed me and Akrūra a little then Father Alfred call out to Shigure.

".Shigure, what do you think you are doing!!!."

Father Alfred said with a stern voice then a wicked smile formed on Shigure's face and suddenly she started to laugh.

"Kukuku…ah so this is what freedom feels like.. Fufufufu!!."

Then she looked at Father Alfred and said.

"It's been years since I saw a human and no–!." She said as suddenly a fat ghoul came out but then hundreds of knives stabbed the ghoul cutting it into pieces then she started to talk again this time annoyance evident in her voice ".Hah! A lowly worm like you dares to interrupt me? How amusing!!."

She said as the ghoul's remains turned to dust then, at that moment Akrura spoke up with anger in his voice. An anger in his voice that I have never heard from him ever. He's the last man I would expect to get mad but here he is, mad.

"Who do you think you are? Our Shigure would never speak like that, let alone harm innocent civilians! What have you done to her?"

As Akrūra's words echoed in the tense silence, the world seemed to hold its breath. But even in the midst of the silence the laughter from Shigure's lips twisted the air, an unsettling contrast to the familiar warmth of her voice that we had all grown accustomed to. The shift in her behavior was like the sudden storming of a peaceful horizon—violent, raw, and without mercy.

She was not the same person we had known, not the person who smiled softly, who carried a hint of compassion in every gesture. This… thing that stood before us was something unrecognizable, something monstrous. Her face, once soft and serene, was twisted in a cruel smirk, and her eyes—those familiar blue eyes—now burned with an icy malice. Then Shigure spoke up.

"Ah.... you mean the owner of this body?." She said with a wicked smile as she continued."I have put her into an eternal sleep now this perfect body belongs to me".

"What do you mean?"

I asked cautiously, suspicion laced in my voice but even so my voice carried a hint of curiosity.

"I am not the Shigure you all know, I am the Queen of Vampire's Mary Tudor". She declared.

Then suddenly Father Alfred attacked Mary as she calls herself but she dodged the attack and kicked Father Alfred in the stomach which sent him flying towards a half destroyed house as the smoke cleared Father Alfred came out with a left hand placed on his stomach then Father Alfred told us.

"Take the people to the orphanage, they will be safe there for a moment". He said as the woman and her child ran towards me and Akrūra.

As father Alfred said, Akrura and I took the survivors to the orphanage. As we ran towards the orphanage I looked behind me and saw that Akrura wasn't there. Then I tried to search for him, then suddenly I heard a loud explosion which came from the direction of the orphanage.

—-------

No POV

As an explosion happened at the orphanage, exploding almost half of the orphanage and sending debris everywhere. Mirai wondered what was happening? Everything is just happening too fast.

So. Let's rewind time a bit shall we?

As the imaginary narrator said that. Time seemed to rewind and we could see the friends of Mirai and some of the children of the orphanage outside.

Their faces showed signs of relief, thankful the night had passed and the seemingly unending nightmare finally ended. Or is it?

Some were talking with each other hoping to calm down each other's worries. But they couldn't shake the weird things that happened in the basement.

In the midst of this Beatrice who was injected first was talking with Marie.

"So what do you think about this whole situation? Us getting isekaid to this. What do you think of it?" Marie asked, hoping to keep her mind out of her problems but, Beatrice didn't reply. Instead she put a finger on her neck moving groggily and then she stopped moving.

"Beatrice? Beatrice? Are you okay?" Marie asked, confused on what's going on with Beatrice, she moved closer to inspect her but suddenly Beatrice lunged towards Marie with no warning at an inhuman speed.

Fortunately, Marie managed to react in time and move out of the way, millimeters away from being hit.

"Beatrice what are you doing?! Are you crazy!? Na buang na ka!?" Marie shouted saying are you crazy again but saying it in her past life's native language.

Beatrice didn't respond; instead, she turned around and looked at Marie with emotionless eyes. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Estelle attacked Marie with scissors, but Marie dodged it by hitting Estelle with a cushion. At that moment, Sister Amelia entered the scene and saw the children fighting each other. She watched in shock as Noah materialized a sword, a katana used exclusively by the Unzen people, and leaped toward Karna, who also summoned a sword. Both of them clashed with deadly intent, their attacks filled with a desire to harm eachother.

Then, out of nowhere, Estelle attacked her with a knife, cutting her hand. After that, she ran toward where Sister Helene, Sister Irene, and Angelika were.

And the rest was history.

—--------

Mirai PoV.

As I ran towards the orphanage I saw that half of the orphanage was gone and the people who came with me were shocked. Then I saw Sister Helene with Angelika who was unconscious and Sister Irene dragging Sister Amelia who was seriously injured. Her right hand was bleeding as I ran towards them.

"Sister Helene, Sister Irene what happened here and why is sister Amelia injured." I said with a worried voice.

Then both of them looked at me and said,

"Mirai you have to run from here no–!." Their voice were cut off by another explosion as I look towards were the explosion came from and then I saw my friends fighting with each other with Luciana, Estelle , and Marie being injured and are unconscious then I look at the side and saw Beatrice, Yuuka, Noah and Karna were fighting each other and then out came Tsukiko whose appearance are still the same with a scythe as she walk towards us she swing the scythe which cause a large shock wave. I took the sisters and other survivors to a safe place .

Then ghouls start to come out but either they are killed by my friend or are decapitated by Tsukiko as we watch them fighting each other and killing the ghouls. I ask Sister Helene how did this happen?

"Sister Helene, how did this happen?" I asked as Sister Helene looked at me, my gaze meeting her's and replied.

"We were hiding in the basement, but suddenly Beatrice started attacking others, followed by Estelle, Luciana, Karna, Noah, and Yuuka—" As Sister Helene was about to finish her explanation, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my neck, and then I heard a sound.

"Kill, kill , kill them all . You are neither human nor their kin . Their blood is your birthright , their screams are your melody. So why hesitate? Embrace what you were meant to be."

The voice said as I stood there and went outside the house a small smile formed on my face. Ah I see I wasn't a human so why do I care for these humans I thought as my consciousness was being dragged into the black liquid by hands that are coming out of the black liquid as I fully submerged I closed my eyes and it was all dark.

No PoV.

Mirai clutched her head as two curved dragon-like horns began to grow, their bases dark black, fading into a light blue at the tips. Without hesitation, she materialized a spear and lunged toward Tsukiko, who had effortlessly knocked out Beatrice, Noah, Karna, and Estelle.

Just as Mirai was about to strike, she suddenly collapsed, pulled down by the force of gravity.

"You're a cheater, Sefiros!" she growled, her golden eyes shining brightly as she glared at Tsukiko.

Tsukiko looked down at her, unfazed. "You haven't changed at all since we last met, Urukieus."

Raising her scythe, she struck Mirai, knocking her unconscious.

Without another glance, she turned and sprinted toward the source of a distant scream.

At Shigure's position.

(Alfred Pov)

As I got up from the ground I clutched my stomach to the area where Shigure kicked me and it started to bleed, I looked up and I saw Shigure summoning a hundred– no it was a thousand knives and said with a sweet terrifying smile.

"Ah humans, such fragile beings!!."

As soon as she said that I heard a loud noise and look towards the direction were the sound came from and saw Tsukiko who was holding a head of a ghoul with her left hand she had two large halo on her head and a large scythe which was soaked with the blood of ghouls her dress was covered in blood with two wings coming out of her back on the left side, then at that moment she swing her scythe which cause a large wave of wind which deflected and sent the knives flying in the air then Shigure said with a smile.

"It's been thousands of years since we met each other, old friend Sefiros or should I call you by your title Angel of Black Dawn ."

As she said those words she summon more knife and throw it towards Tsukiko with an unimaginable speed but Tsukiko reacted in time and deflected the attacks with her scythe by swinging it creating a gush of wind that knocked the knives back, then both of them started to fight as Tsukiko closed the distance she swung her scythe to cut Shigure head but she dodges it and counter Tsukiko by throwing knives which Tsukiko have dodged it jumping towards a top of a building.

As I was watching their fight from a distance I heard another scream and it was Akrura as he was clutching his head. Suddenly the ground started to shake beneath Akrura and a large explosion happened which knocked me out as I was losing my consciousness. I heard the last word said by Akrura.

"Leave me alone".

Then as he said a black halo crown appears on his head and a straight sword in his right hand then at that moment I pass out.

(No PoV)

The Imaginary camera zooms in revealing the once beautiful town that is now in ruins. Screams and cries of humans can be heard from the broken town of Drachenheim. In the midst of all this chaos three figures can be seen standing on broken debris of bricks, wood, and other building materials

One seems to be a ten year old girl with silver hair and blue eyes. She was surrounded by knives and was holding a knife herself.

The second figure also seems to be a ten year old girl but with violet hair which was slowly becoming purple at the back part of her hair while at the front is magenta in color, with two wings sprouting on her back while holding a scythe. With two large halos on the top of her head.

The third figure is a boy but having a more feminine appearance, the boy has silver hair that is slowly turning black and his right eye is grape wine yellowish while his left eye has the color blue. Sword in hand, and a black crown like halo on top of his head

These three were the children of the orphanage Shigure, Tsukiko and Akrura who were possessed as they stand there still we can hear the screams of human from every side

After a small time skip, they are now at the northern side of the town while fighting each other.

In the midst of their battle, there were thousands of survivors of the ghoul attack

While they were fighting no one said a single word. And the first one to break the silence was Shigure again.

"Ahh~, so you were also here Emperor Rudra, it's been a while since the three of us had met each other."

She said as she licked the blood that was in her knife at that moment Tsukiko spoke up.

"Yes , it has been a while since we met each other but today I will kill both of you–."

As she was going to complete what she said she was interrupted by Akrura who was now possessed by Emperor Rudra.

"I don't care what you are going to say, let's just end it here."

He said as a red energy appeared in his left hand and transformed into a ball the size of a marble then he said.

"Gluten of Vieus." As he said the red ball of energy flair up and cause a explosion which have a radius of thirty two kilometers and a height of eleven thousand kilometers the people inside or near the explosion were instantly vaporised not even the bones powders were left behind.

After a few minutes after the devastating blast we can see a giant crater where once the northern part of the town was.

But there in the centre of the large hole we can see Shigure, Tsukiko and Akrura standing there like nothing has happened, there was not even a single scratch in their bodies at that moment Shigure was the one that spoke up to break the silence again.

"Ah~, Gluten of vieus a skill that can even destroy souls upon activation of the skill but I heard that this skill can destroy half of the world."

She said that a smirk appeared on her face and said,

"Ahh~,I know why you can't use your skill because you are in a weak body. Am I right R-u-d-r-a?"

As she said that Akrura who was now possesses by Rudra clicked his tongue and attack Shigure with his sword but was blocked by her while summon hundreds of knives and attack Akrura but he deflected it by swinging his sword

As Shigure was flying high in the sky by using wind magic suddenly Tsukiko appeared behind her, swinging her scythe at Shigure but as her blade reach Shigure neck she suddenly vanished and a millisecond later, appeared behind Tsukiko and kick her in the back sending her flying through houses we can see that Shigure left eye was red in color with a clock like structure in her eye as the clock stop moving it also stopped the time around the town then she summon thousands of knife that have surrounded Akrura. After that she snapped her finger and time starts to move again, the knives that have surrounded Akrura flies towards him at an incredible speed but he deflected those knives by using his sword then at that moment Tsukiko appears and kick Akrura and attack Shigure as she swing her scythe at her again, Shigure dodged her attack but was punch by her at the face which sends her flying to the ground then Tsukiko said.

"Tarot card: hanged man." As she said that the gravity around them began to change as they feel the increased gravitational pull which makes both Shigure and Akrura collapse to the ground then at that moment Tsukiko appears right in front of Shigure as she was going to swing her scythe Shigure have again vanished from that place and appear on top of a building with a ball of fire and fired it towards Tsukiko who dodged the attack, seeing the threat, Tsukiko dashed towards the top of the town library and closed her eyes and said.

"EnoughI i'll have to use one of my trump card that shall bring your total annihilation ."

As she said that suddenly the wind grew heavier as small blue dots appeared around her, and then she chanted the words.

"Reap"

As she chanted the first word the air grew thicker.

"Unbounded"

As Tsukiko said that Rudra who possessed Akrura ran from that area as fast as he could and hid behind a wall even though he didn't know what her opponent was doing, he knew that skills that needed chanting were absolutely devastating.

"Unsealed"

But Shigure who was possessed by Mary was still there as her left hand starts to shake she doesn't know what was her opponent chanting and why did Rudra run away and hide behind a wall as her thoughts were running wild, a sentence came in her mind she had to run that was the thought that came in her mind. At that moment she ran as fast as she could.

"Severed"

As Tsukiko chants her last word the sun turned black as she readied her scythe to be swung.

"Soul shattering slash–Ekriya"

As she said her final word, she swung her scythe from which a large slash manifested. A single slash of that swing destroyed and split everything in its way making a large crack in the ground.

We can see the huge crack on the ground which seemed to separate the earth. It was two km long and three hundred meters in width.

The immense crack in the earth remained, dust and debris settling in the wake of Tsukiko's devastating strike. The town of Drachenheim, once a symbol of life and civilization, now lay in absolute ruins. Silent reigned for a brief moment before the earth trembled once, resonating with the energy released by Tsukiko strike.

From the depths of the chasm, movement stirred. A flicker of Silver and violet emerged, revealing Shigure and Akrura— both unharmed, standing on top of the terrain as if the attack had been nothing more than a mere breeze.

Shigure let out a low chuckle, wiping a trace of dust from her cheek.

"Impressive, Sefiros. But do you really think that would be enough to kill me?"

She said as her left eye still glowed red, the intricate clockwork design within it subtly shifting.

Tsukiko remained expressionless, but the way she gripped her scythe betrayed her

growing irritation.

"Tch. You're as troublesome as ever, Mary."

Akrura, or rather Emperor Rudra, scoffed.

"You talk to much,"

He muttered, gripping his sword tighter. The aura around him flickered like unstable flames, his temporary vessel proving insufficient for his overwhelming power.

The air between the three grew heavier, tension rising more. Then, without warning, Shigure disappeared from sight— only to reappear an instant later behind Tsukiko, knives appeared mid‐air, poised to strike.

Tsukiko reacted instantly, swinging her scythe in a wide arc, deflecting the incoming blades with a metallic clang. At the same time Akrura lunged forward, his sword cutting through the air like a black streak of death, aiming directly for Tsukiko's neck.

She barely managed to evade, twisting her body at an unnatural angle. However Shigure was moving again, her knives reforming and launching at Tsukiko from all directions.

"Tch!" Tsukiko clicked her tongue, raising her free hand.

"Reservoir."

As she said that, a sudden explosion of raw force erupted around her, repelling every incoming knife and sending sound waves through the ruined battlefield. The air crackled with unstable energy as the gravitational field around her warped.

But Akrura didn't hesitate. With a single step, he vanished—reappearing right above Tsukiko with his sword raised high.

"Crimson Ascent."

As he said those two words a crimson aura erupted from his body, swirling around him like armour. The force of his descent shattered the ground beneath them, cracks extending outwards in a chaotic pattern. The moment his blade made contact, the very space around them twisted.

Tsukiko gritted her teeth, barely managing to block the attack with her scythe as dust and debris clouded the air.

From above, Shigure watched with narrowed eyes. Then, with a smirk, she extended her hand forward.

"Chrono Severance."

For a brief moment, everything seemed to stop. The dust, the rubble, even the energy rippling through the air— frozen in air.

In the next moment , a bright red slash appeared, heading straight for the two combatants below.

Akrura's eyes widened in realization, and with a grunt, he leapt back, dragging Tsukiko along with him. The attack struck the already devastated ground, erasing a section of the battlefield entirely, leaving behind a void of nothingness.

Landing a fair distance away, Tsukiko steadied herself, breathing slightly heavier than before.

"Hah... you really don't hold back, do you, Mary?"

Shigure chickled, while twirling a knife between her fingers.

"Why would I? This is fun."

Akrura standing between them, ran a hand through his now violet hair that had changed due to his disease, his expression darkening and said.

"Enough of this. Playing around like this is pointless."

Tsukiko tilted her head slightly, a smirk appeared on her face.

"Oh? Getting tired already, Rudra?"

He didn't respond. Instead, he raised his hand, as a swirling black and red energy started forming at his fingertips. The sky above them darkened as the very air became thick with malice and then he summoned ten swords made by the energy.

Shigure's smirk widened to a grin.

"Oh? Now this is getting interesting."

As she said, thousands of knives appeared on top of them.

Tsukiko exhaled, gripping her scythe tighter.

"Then let's end this."

As Tsukiko said that 5 spears appear from the ground

The three of them stood motionless for a brief second.

And then, in a blur of motion, they clash ones more—shattering what remained of Drachenheim.

Just as the battle reached its climax, the air trembled violently. A powerful presence descended upon the battlefield, suffocating everything under its sheer weight. Before any of the three could react, a sudden force struck them down with immense speed and precision.

BOOM!

The shockwave of the impact shattered what remained of the ruined town, sending dust and debris flying in all directions. Akrūra, Tsukiko, and Shigure were flung across the battlefield like ragdolls, crashing into the broken remains of buildings.

A figure stood at the center of the destruction—tall, imposing, clad in a long black coat lined with silver, his presence alone was enough to command attention. His sharp golden eyes scanned the battlefield, his silver hair swaying in the wind.

This was Felix, a close friend of Father Alfred and a high-ranking warrior of the Theocratic Empire. His expression remained calm, but his aura radiated overwhelming dominance.

"Enough,"

Felix declared, his voice steady yet filled with undeniable authority.

"This madness ends here."

As he said that Akrūra, Tsukiko, and Shigure struggled to rise, their bodies refusing to move properly under the sheer force that had struck them. However, before they could retaliate, figures in golden armor swiftly surrounded them.

The Elite Forces of the Thalrithian Empire—warriors specializing in sealing and subduing supernatural threats.

Chains inscribed with sacred runes shot forward, wrapping around the three combatants with divine energy. Talisman-covered bindings tightened around their arms and legs, suppressing their overwhelming power. The moment the talismans touched them, their auras flickered and weakened instantly.

Shigure gritted her teeth, struggling against the restraints, but even with her immense power, she couldn't break free. "Tch… these damn seals…"

Tsukiko let out a frustrated sigh. "How troublesome."

Akrūra, still possessed by Emperor Rudra, narrowed his eyes at Felix, his usual composed demeanor showing the slightest irritation. "You dare interfere?" His voice was laced with regal authority, though slightly unstable due to his weakened vessel.

Felix met his gaze without fear. "I don't know who or what has taken hold of you three, but I won't allow this destruction to continue." His expression darkened as he observed the devastation around them—the once-thriving town of Drachenheim reduced to ruins.

Despite his power, Felix had no knowledge of the true identities of those possessing the children. He only saw three dangerous entities wreaking havoc, and his duty was to stop them.

With a swift motion of his hand, the talismans glowed brighter, reinforcing the restraints. The possessed children felt their strength fading even further, their spiritual energy forcefully suppressed.

Akrūra clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tch… if only this body weren't so weak…"

Shigure sighed in frustration but smiled slightly. "Well, this is a bit of a problem, isn't it?"

Tsukiko remained silent, assessing the situation carefully.

Felix exhaled, glancing at the elite soldiers he said.

"Put them to sleep."

As Felix issued his command, an elven woman stepped forward from among the elite forces. Her long emerald hair flowed behind her, and her piercing silver eyes shimmered with magic. She was Elara Veydris, one of the empire's most skilled mages specializing in sealing and suppression magic.

Raising a hand, Elara chanted softly in the Slyvaren language, spoken only by the elves, her voice carrying an otherworldly melody.

"Sarell en Virelya Thalos."

A wave of gentle green energy spread from her fingertips, weaving through the air like dancing fireflies. The magic seeped into Akrūra, Tsukiko, and Shigure, their struggles slowing as a heavy drowsiness overtook them.

Shigure tried to resist, her crimson eye glowing faintly, but the spell was too potent. "Damn it…" she muttered before her vision blurred, and her body went limp.

Tsukiko merely exhaled, closing her eyes as she succumbed to the spell without resistance.

Akrūra, still partially possessed by Emperor Rudra, fought the hardest. His yellow eye flickered dangerously, attempting to resist the forced sleep. "You… dare…" But his voice faded as his body fell unconscious.

Elara lowered her hand, exhaling softly. "It's done."

Felix nodded, watching as the elite soldiers carefully lifted the restrained combatants and placed them in an armored carriage. "Take them to the Capital, for interrogation"

As Felix said that the soldiers lifted the three restrained combatants and locked them in the carriage.

Meanwhile, several soldiers split off, combing through the ruins of Drachenheim in search of any survivors amidst the devastation. The air was still thick with the scent of blood and fire, but now, at least, the worst of the destruction had come to an end.

To be continued