Chapter 394: Opportunity

"No, Malakai, don’t—!"

"Stay back, my lady."

Rena immediately caught Donna by the arm just as she was about to rush towards Malakai.

"Rena, let go! Didn’t you hear them!? Malakai’s in danger! We have to do something!"

"Is that really what you think, my lady?"

"Huh?" Donna turned towards her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Rena swallowed, then gestured towards Malakai. "Just look at him, my lady. Does he look even remotely worried to you?"

Donna frowned and turned back towards Malakai. For the first time since his arrival, she took a proper look at him, and what she saw made her freeze.

His crimson eyes were fixed on the two brothers, his expression cold and his posture perfectly composed. There wasn’t the slightest hint of fear or hesitation on his face. Even when faced with two opponents who were supposedly far stronger than him, he stood there as though he hadn’t a care in the world.

Donna found herself momentarily speechless.

’And there’s something else. That wasn’t some trick of his weapon. He really did it himself,’ Rena thought grimly.

The two brothers might have missed it, but she, who had been much closer, hadn’t. She had clearly felt the surge of vita when Malakai moved Donna, and it was no different from what happened whenever a bloom took control of the surrounding vita.

Which meant Malakai had truly manipulated vita outside his body.

’But how...? How in the Dome is that even possible?’

He was only fourteen years old, yet he’d somehow already reached the synergy stage. That alone was practically unheard of, but now he was displaying an ability that should’ve been completely impossible for someone at his rank.

As the silence stretched, Snow finally took a step forward and cracked his knuckles.

"Oi, you! Ninth vein, was it? Must’ve been nice growing up in that fancy little clan of yours, huh? Never had to worry about a damn thing in your life, I bet." He grinned maliciously. "Well, bad news, brat. Today’s the day you learn the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. So, what’s it gonna be? Carrot or stick? With the carrot, you get down on your knees, kowtow to me, and beg like a good little boy. As for the stick..." His grin widened. "Heh, trust me. You don’t want the stick."

Malakai merely stared at him.

’Let me handle this,’ Nyx’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

’No. I’ll do it.’

’Malakai, don’t be reckless. They’re both at the mid stage.’

’I know.’

Malakai cut off the connection before she could protest any further.

’There’s no way I’m passing up a chance like this.’

He’d only recently awakened his muscle node and advanced to the synergy stage, and he’d yet to have a proper opportunity to test his newfound strength in actual combat. In fact, ever since arriving, he’d been quietly observing the two brothers, assessing their strength and abilities.

’Mid-stage synergy. Aurelius clan.’

One of the great clans of the Dome, ranking just below the four grand clans. The Aurelius were renowned for their unique lineage, which granted them extraordinary control over their lungs and breathing.

By manipulating their breaths, they could enhance various bodily functions, allowing them to achieve remarkable feats of speed, strength, and endurance. Their warriors were particularly notorious for their swift, explosive fighting style, often ending battles in the span of a single breath.

’Couldn’t have asked for better opponents.’

Malakai’s fingers twitched, and the scythe lying some distance away immediately trembled before shooting through the air and snapping into his grip. He brought both scythes together, seamlessly merging them into a single, longer weapon with a curved blade at either end. A faint hum emanated from the blades, causing the surrounding air to vibrate as he calmly settled into a fighting stance.

Seeing this, Snow’s grin slowly widened.

"Heh. Don’t say I didn’t give you a choice, brat."

He drew in a deep breath, his chest expanding as he invoked:

"Breath Form: Blitz."

***

A/N: First of all, I’d like to apologize to you all for the unstable uploads. Truthfully, I severely underestimated just how stressful wedding preparations would be. I thought I’d be able to manage everything while keeping up with my writing, but apparently, I was being a little too optimistic.

It’s gotten to the point where writing even one novel has become difficult, let alone two. These days, I find myself completely exhausted by the time I’m done with everything. My head feels like it’s about to explode, and all I want to do is shut down and get some rest.

But I want to assure you all that I haven’t abandoned EV. I still intend to continue writing until we reach the point in the story we agreed on, and from there, I’ll decide how best to proceed.

I’m genuinely sorry about the inconsistency, and I really appreciate your patience. Hopefully, once the wedding is over and things finally settle down, I’ll be able to return to a much more stable and acceptable upload schedule. Honestly, I’m looking forward to that just as much as you are lol.

Now, regarding the story itself.

Since quite some time has passed between when I stopped writing Malakai and when I picked it back up, I’ll occasionally be revisiting certain names, titles, and worldbuilding details that were mentioned earlier in the novel.

For example, in this Chapter, I reiterated that the Aurelius clan is one of the great clans, even though this was already established much earlier in the story. This is intentional. I know it’s been a while, and I don’t expect everyone to remember every little detail from hundreds of Chapters ago. Heck, even I sometimes have to go back and check things.

So, if you notice a few seemingly redundant explanations here and there, please bear with me. I’m simply trying to refresh your memories and make sure everyone can follow the story without feeling lost.

And if there’s still anything you’re confused about, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comment section. I’ll be more than happy to explain.

Lastly, thank you so much for your continued support. If you’re reading this author’s note, then I genuinely adore you. The fact that you’ve stuck around this long, despite my shortcomings and the inconsistent uploads, means a great deal to me.

Thank you for your patience, your understanding, and for continuing to give this author and his stories a chance.

I appreciate you all, and I love you guys.