Hidden Fury
From the peaks of the kingdoms, when the skies rain blood instead of water, the earth opens its eyes to a legend… the Anthrois.
It is said that the appearance of the Anthrois is a sign of a great curse… a catastrophe that makes the earth bleed and drown in a slumber of bloody rain. One must never anger the Anthrois.
"Do not anger an insect, a cat, or even a dog… for the one who surpasses them all cannot tolerate rage: the Anthrois."
— From the words of Saint Sin, in the book Anxix
…
In a courtyard breathing cold and anxiety, Isaak stood in the center, gazing at his students with a look wrapped in cunning, his deep voice slicing through the silence:
"A rare event is about to begin… Lady Malvina versus Prince Vaitheless. Just a training? Maybe. But it's not only for learning — it's to discover who deserves the other's weakness."
Then he added with chilling calm:
"Don't use your power on the weak. If you are strong… break those above you, not below."
Isaak raised a wooden sword and handed it to Lady Malvina, then walked toward Vaitheless and extended a similar sword… but stopped and whispered something cryptic:
"Don't hold back your strength against her. She's like the crimson moon… no one knows when she will overflow with something inescapable."
Vaitheless took the sword in silence and coldness. His lifeless eyes revealed nothing.
"…"
Isaak stepped back and raised his voice firmly:
"Let the duel begin… hero versus hero."
…
On the side benches, Julianne sat with one hand over the other, a confident smirk on her face:
"Most likely the prince will win, meow~"
Marceline chuckled mockingly:
"Oh, are you in love with him now?"
Without hesitation, Julianne turned her hand into silver claws and placed them on Marceline's neck, threateningly:
"Take that back, Marcy. I don't care about him."
Marceline replied without fear, joking as she laughed:
"Oh, you are in love, and rude too."
But all of it came to a sudden stop.
A heavy aura emanated from Twakizra, freezing the air. Eyes closed, his voice like a cold blade:
"Enough foolishness. The fight has begun."
…
Lady Malvina stepped forward, her head tilted, a sharp smile preceding her words:
"Son of the Emperor… what a filthy lineage. Emperor Zero was the only exception. But the rest of you? Your ideals ruined the kingdom."
Vaitheless replied with a cold voice, moving his hand as if pulling out an old memory:
"I never cared about emperors or the kingdom… The only thing I loved: my mother, who smiled like peace for the eye and heart… and my brother, who trained me to become a beast one could rely on."
Malvina let out a mocking laugh:
"Oh, what a big child you are… talking like someone who never left the age of five, you faithless brat."
Vaitheless laughed faintly, placed a hand on his face, and said in a heavy tone:
"You'll never taste the bitterness of loss… until you lose everything."
"…"
…
She swung her wooden sword at him, but he leaned back and dodged it with fluidity, then delivered a sudden kick. She blocked it with the hilt of her sword, then mocked:
"Didn't anyone teach you the manners of listening?"
He replied sarcastically:
"I had my fingers in my ears. Didn't hear a thing."
They launched into a swift fight, the movements were precise and clear… but behind the clarity, intentions were bleeding.
…
In the corner, Twakizra sat watching with calm focus, while Isaak tapped his finger on his arm, a smile on his face — one that cared not who won, but how they lost.
"I didn't expect Vaitheless to have such a decent fighting style," Marceline said steadily, watching. "He has the skill, but it's still raw… the road ahead is long."
…
In the center of the courtyard, the battle grew fierce.
Vaitheless tried to strike her chest, but she twisted and landed a harsh slap to his stomach, forcing him back. He tried to regain balance by stabbing the sword into the ground.
But when he lifted his head… she was gone.
He felt danger behind him and turned… no one.
Relying on instinct, he raised his sword in front of his chest.
The next moment, a violent strike landed on the sword, almost crushing the bone beneath.
He smiled at her and said with a faint trace of flirtation:
"You look beautiful… from this distance."
She responded with the same cold tone:
"And you… look gloomier than the night."
…
He suddenly surprised her — another kick to her stomach, sending her flying backward. She was about to crash into a tree, but he caught her by the back before impact.
The moment froze.
He was holding her.
She looked into his eyes.
And a mysterious smile formed on his lips.
"Looks like a tree almost hit you."
Lady Malvina swung her wooden sword and landed a sudden strike to his abdomen. Vaitheless's body curled slightly from the sharp pain, but Malvina smirked, tapped the sword lightly on her shoulder, and said with biting sarcasm:
"Sorry… seems I hit your beautiful muscles."
Julianne, who had been watching the scene from afar, exploded with a shout:
"You bitch! Don't hurt his muscles! If anything happens to them… I'll kill you!"
Malvina laughed dismissively, placed a hand on her hip, and raised an eyebrow as she said:
"Seems you've got admirers, Prince Vaitheless."
Vaitheless lifted his head and looked at her with a half-closed eye:
"I have many… including the one standing in front of me right now."
She ignored his words, but Vaitheless caught something in her eyes for a brief second—a strange spark.
"That strike to your stomach must've reached your brain too," she said, returning to her combat stance.
But Vaitheless lunged toward her, the smile never leaving his face despite the pain in his ribs. He wasn't enjoying the fight… he was enjoying the mystery this woman concealed.
Near a large tree, Twakizra stood beside Isaak. He was about to speak, but Isaak beat him to it:
"I know what's on your mind, Twakizra. Both of them are holding back. Neither is fighting at full strength."
Twakizra smiled calmly and said:
"As always… you read my face like an open book. But tell me, why haven't either of them revealed their true power yet?"
Isaak replied, opening one eye and locking it on Malvina:
"Because you don't want to see Marianne when she bares her fangs… and you don't want to find out what that lunatic, Vaitheless, is hiding."
A chill ran down Twakizra's spine. He placed his fingers on his lips and muttered:
"Did you… did you allow this duel to test something?"
Isaak didn't answer. He simply kept watching the fight in silence, a cryptic smile creeping onto his face.
On the battlefield, Lady Malvina was pushing Vaitheless hard, giving him no room to breathe—no time to think. But she didn't realize that still wasn't enough to bring him down.
In a flash, Vaitheless grabbed her shoulder, lifted his body up, and delivered a direct blow to her chest. Malvina crashed into the tree behind her with brutal force, but before she could collapse, she stabbed her sword into its trunk to stabilize herself.
She looked at him while holding her chest, her voice thick with challenge:
"Strong hit… but still below my level."
She lunged at him again and slapped his face with the sword. He staggered back a few steps, but she didn't stop. She raised her wooden sword to strike his neck, but he blocked it by positioning the hilt of his sword against it.
Her strikes were heavy—as if she was striking with all her disappointments.
On the side, Eric was breathing nervously:
"Saint Isaak… the fight is getting out of control."
Marceline nodded and said:
"We need to intervene."
But Isaak said nothing. He simply clasped his hands behind his back, as if waiting for something specific.
In the heart of the battle, Vaitheless muttered as he took a step back:
'She's angry… so very angry. But… what is this intent I feel? It's not just anger…'
He waved his sword and began to whisper:
"Archimedes…"
Suddenly, the air around the blade trembled, and an illusory sword shimmered before everyone's eyes for a few seconds. Malvina stared in astonishment, unable to tell which blade was real. In the next instant, the illusion vanished, and the real blade slashed down on her shoulder.
She stepped back and scoffed:
"Emperor's children… always good at mimicking things, but they never master them."
He said nothing. Just smiled coldly. But before he could speak a word, Malvina appeared in front of him and stabbed him in the stomach. A shallow wound… but one that delivered a message.
Marceline shouted:
"We must stop this now! This has gone far beyond training!"
Julianne was about to intervene, but Isaak raised his hand and said sharply, with a smile:
"No one interferes."
Malvina's strikes became more violent… and more honest.
"What's wrong with you? It's like you hold a deep hatred," Vaitheless asked in a low voice.
"Shut up! You're of filthy blood, don't speak!" she screamed as she struck his sword.
Vaitheless's eyes froze, a strange tremble coursing through his chest. But he didn't explode. He didn't reply. He simply held in his fury.
Suddenly, Malvina vanished and reappeared behind him at lightning speed. She aimed to strike a finishing blow, but he took the Royal Guard stance to block her.
But Malvina lost control. She ignored every rule, pulled out a blood-red blade, and drove it into his chest, then delivered a brutal strike that sent him crashing into the tree behind.
Everyone wanted to intervene, but Isaak blocked their path.
Then… something strange happened.
Above the arena, a lone black cloud appeared.
Everyone looked to the sky as whispers of fear filled the place. Drops of human blood began to fall from above, one after another.
Marceline screamed:
"What the hell is this?!"
Eric whispered nervously:
"Weather anomaly? A spell? No… this isn't natural…"
But Isaak… was only smiling.
In the middle of the chaos, Vaitheless moved at blinding speed. His eyes were shut, but a golden stream ran down his cheek from beneath his eyelids. He raced straight toward Marianne, sword raised. He was aiming for her head.
But a hand stopped him… Isaak.
He caught his arm tightly. As for Malvina, a deep, bleeding strike had appeared on her cheek—a slash that almost split her face in two.
Vaitheless resisted, but Isaak tapped his chest three times, then gave a light tap over his heart. In the next moment, Vaitheless collapsed unconscious.
Malvina fell to the ground, blood streaming down her face, eyes wide in shock. No one understood what had just happened.
Isaak lifted Vaitheless's body onto his shoulder and said with a smile:
"The duel is over… with no victor."