Chapter 366: The Weight Of A Title
Back where Solan and Selene were, their battle had taken a vicious turn after witnessing Evelyn’s return.
Selene had grown livid at the sight. After all the effort she had taken to finally rid herself of the woman who had been a constant thorn in her side, Evelyn now stood alive once more... more radiant than ever.
As if that fact alone were not enough to grate on her nerves, Evelyn had dared to claim Ivan’s lips in front of everyone, marking him as if he belonged to her and her alone.
Rage slithered inside Selene’s dark heart. She was ready to attack the audacious woman right then and there, but Solan had intercepted her. He had been fighting her ever since, appearing to have gained a sudden surge of strength from the realisation that his daughter was truly alive.
Fine. If killing him first was the only way to finally drive another dagger into that shameless woman’s heart, then so be it!
From that moment on, Selene fought Solan with everything she had to end him.
But the man was like a cockroach, refusing to die no matter how much she stomped on him. He was clearly exhausted from the barrage of her attacks, his body covered in bleeding wounds, yet he remained maddeningly persistent.
Having had enough, she prepared to unleash her ultimate attack. But just as she did, the entire place began to hum with ancient power, drawing her attention back to the sky.
There, she saw Ivan in his new form.... a striking reflection of the majestic Malakai from the past.
Her mouth watered at the sight of the sheer, commanding presence of him. A desperate, consuming urge to possess him rose within her, overpowering everything else.
Noticing that the two celestial beings were now engaged in battle with Lord Azrath, she forced her focus back onto the pest before her, who, too, seemed momentarily distracted by Ivan’s overwhelming power.
She took the opportunity to hurl a powerful blow against Solan, catching him off guard and sending him crashing to the ground.
Grinning in delight to finally see him struggling to rise, she stalked toward him. She towered over him, mocking him in a raspy, double-toned voice.
"Ah... finally. I thought I would have to squish you in the end like the cockroach you are, Solan. Now... be good and die obediently, as you are supposed to. Then I can finally go and claim the only man worthy of standing beside me."
She raised her hands, which were shaped as jagged blades, and prepared to pierce his heart. But before she could strike, Solan raised his own hand and blasted her with white magic, forcing her to stagger back.
"What makes you think I will go down without a fight?" Solan roared in anger.
He rose from the ground, huffing for air. The exhaustion from using so much power was taking a heavy toll on him, but he refused to give this vile woman the satisfaction of seeing him fall.
Stepping forward weakly, his sword still glinting with magic, he spoke again.
"And what makes you think you are worthy of standing beside Prince Ivan?"
Selene rose back to her feet, her lips curling into a venomous sneer. "What did you say to me?"
"You heard me, witch!" Solan snapped, his voice laced with mockery and hatred. "That man is the only one worthy of standing beside my daughter, and she beside him. It’s laughable to think you could ever belong in that place. Have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror, Selene... or whatever your real name is? Regardless, you look like a filthy snake shedding its skin, only to reveal an even more hideous form beneath."
His words struck like blades.
For a split second, there was silence.
Then....Selene let out a piercing, inhuman scream, her fury exploding into something monstrous.
"I’LL KILL YOU!!!"
With that, she raised her hands into the air, and a pitch-black sphere of dark energy began to form at the tip of her sword. It sizzled with violent purple energy, rapidly growing to nearly thirty inches in size before she hurled it forward at an incredible speed, leaving Solan with barely any time to react.
So, out of pure instinct, Solan raised his hands and created a powerful light shield around himself, trying to stop the attack from hitting him, as something within him warned that it would be fatal if it did.
And his instinct was right.
The moment the black sphere collided with his energy shield, it did not dissipate or deflect. Instead, it pressed harder against it, forcing cracks to spread across the surface as Solan himself was pushed back by the sheer force of the attack.
His body trembled under the strain as he struggled to withstand the relentless assault. Sweat, mixed with blood, trailed down his forehead into his glowing white eyes, yet he did not dare blink.
Because he knew...
The moment he slipped, it would all be over.
But even so, his powers did not seem enough to hold off the demoness’s attack, and he could hear her disturbing, crackling laughter as she watched him struggle against it.
He gritted his teeth, refusing to give in, even as his body screamed at him to stop... to surrender and end it all.
But the image of his daughter, alive and well, gave him a renewed sense of hope, a chance to finally atone for the sins he had committed against her.
And so, he refused to fall here. He refused to give this vile woman the satisfaction of watching him die.
But as the seconds dragged on, Solan’s strength began to falter... and with it, his hope.
Selene’s attack was simply too powerful for him to continue holding back. His hope of surviving began to slip away before his very eyes.
In that final moment, his mind drifted to a memory.
The day he had held newborn Evelyn in his arms. She had been so small... so beautiful... so precious. He remembered the overwhelming joy he had felt, holding that fragile life so carefully, so protectively.
Now, that same memory filled his heart with warmth... and unbearable guilt. Regret seeped deep into his chest.
His trembling lips parted as he whispered, "Forgive me, my... daughter."
With that, he slowly closed his eyes, accepting that he could no longer hold on... that this was the end of his long, miserable life.
And in the very next moment, the barrier, already on the verge of breaking, shattered completely, and Solan waited for the attack to finally strike him.
Just then, Solan felt a shift in the air. The sound of a blast echoed in front of him, making him flinch. He waited for the impact, thinking it had hit him, but seconds passed, and nothing happened.
Instead, he heard an animalistic scream from the other side of the field where that vile woman stood.
Goosebumps erupted across his skin as he sensed a tremendous divine power radiating from right in front of him. His eyebrows drew together as he finally opened his cold blue eyes. They widened at the sight of golden hair flowing before him, alongside a long, white, flowy gown that reminded him of a pure white flower.
Evelyn was radiating so much power that his entire being trembled in submission, just as it had the first time he witnessed her awakening back in Dartmouth.
This time, however, Solan did not fight it. He let the feeling of submitting to her sink in as he fell weakly to his knees. His eyes remained fixed on her silhouette, unable to look away.
"D-daughter?" he whispered.
It was only then that she looked over her shoulder, meeting his gaze with eyes that shone like twin golden suns.
"Daughter? You do not get to die here, King Solan."
The distinction she drew was clear, addressing him as a king and not a father. It was exactly what he had always demanded of her in the past, but hearing it now pierced his heart.
"You have a lot to repent for," Evelyn continued, "before you can even entertain the thought of addressing me as your daughter."
Solan’s eyes teared up, but Eve had already looked away.
"I am only saving you because the people of the kingdom depend on you, and for nothing more," she said. "Do not make the mistake of thinking this act was anything more than that."
Her voice was so cold that it squeezed Solan’s heart, but he still nodded in agreement. He knew she was absolutely right to feel that way. After all, he was one of the greatest sinners against her. He was a sinner who no longer deserved the right to call her his daughter.
"Do not get in my way."
That was all she said before she began to walk toward Selene. The demoness was clutching her shoulder, where a gaping wound was gushing black blood.
