CHAPTER 62: CHAPTER62-OLIVER’S AMBITION

Finn glanced at Oliver, his expression turning sour:

"Brother, don’t act rashly, this situation is already unsightly. If you attack now, father will surely be furious."

"You know he dislikes us fighting."

Oliver remained silent, prompting Chrisman to grow impatient:

"Oliver, act now! Though Owen’s thunder magic was formidable, his arcanergy is depleted. This is the best moment to strike."

"If you hesitate, Owen will recover."

Owen, who was drinking an arcanergy restoration potion, paused slightly. He didn’t want to draw too much attention, but his power didn’t give him much choice.

He feigned calm, not engaging in conversation.

Arcanergy restoration was not a simple task.

His body’s arcanergy was like a drained swimming pool, and the restoration potions were like pouring bottles of water into it. To fill it up would take at least fifteen minutes.

If he could delay Oliver for fifteen minutes, the situation could turn around.

Oliver, head bowed, still didn’t speak.

Finn felt a surge of relief but remained quiet.

Chrisman, unable to contain his frustration, spoke more sharply:

"Oliver, do you still want my Rampage Blade? It’s perfectly suited to your attributes and will help you go further on the path of a warrior."

"Are you just going to watch Finn leave with the Dreamscape Stone?"

Owen glanced at Oliver, continuing to drink his arcanergy restoration potions methodically.

His actions were unhurried, betraying no sign of his arcanergy being completely drained.

Finn spat in contempt:

"Chrisman, I’ve truly misjudged you. For power, you’d pit brothers against each other. Such actions are despicable. You deserve condemnation."

Chrisman retorted sharply:

"Aren’t you also driven by power? Otherwise, why would you go to great lengths to enlist a fighter like Owen?"

"A diamond-tier with the fighting prowess of a master-tier, it must have taken considerable effort."

"At least I didn’t turn against my brothers," Finn countered with indignation, his brows furrowing.

"Hmph, what was supposed to be the achievement of us three brothers has now become yours alone. You still have the audacity to say that?"

Chrisman’s irritation was palpable, unable to fathom how Owen had defeated the temple’s guardian.

"That’s because I have the ability..."

Finn began to boast, sneakily glancing at Owen.

Noticing Owen’s perplexed expression, he quickly modified his statement:

"...it’s because I have the foresight to recognize Mr. Owen’s talent. His abilities are my abilities."

Owen shook his head inwardly at Finn’s self-aggrandizement.

Diana also looked on in disbelief, wondering how she hadn’t noticed Finn’s thick skin before.

"Bah!" Chrisman spat in Finn’s direction, "You haven’t accomplished anything yet. Do you really think obtaining the Dreamscape Stone will secure you the throne? Keep dreaming."

"You... you’re not even pretending anymore..."

"Enough, both of you." Oliver lifted his head, his eyes blazing with literal flames, a testament to his mastery of fire-based arcanergy.

Finn and Chrisman turned their gaze towards Oliver.

Oliver, with a twisted smile, said:

"You two really don’t see me as an equal, do you? Do you think I’m the dumbest, the least competitive, the weakest among us three?"

Finn crossed his arms over his chest and gestured awkwardly:

"Oliver, I’ve never thought of you that way. Don’t be like this..."

Chrisman furrowed his brow and took a step back from Oliver.

Oliver squinted his eyes, his face bearing an intelligence quite unlike his usual demeanor:

"Do you know? I’ve long coveted the throne."

Finn managed a strained smile:

"’Coveted’ is a bit of a pejorative term; better to say ’aspired to’."

"Shut up," Oliver’s gaze was electric as it landed on Finn, "You think I don’t know that? I learned that back in school."

Finn fell silent.

"I planned to keep up the pretense, but this moment is too opportune." Oliver stretched languidly, his body cracking like popping beans.

His arcanergy surged within him, reaching the pinnacle of the diamond-tier before it finally stabilized.

"Diamond-tier pinnacle?" Chrisman involuntarily stepped back, "Weren’t you just at the gold-tier peak?"

Finn’s mouth hung open in shock:

"You’ve been hiding your strength all this time?"

Among the three brothers, Chrisman had been the strongest, at the high diamond-tier, followed by Finn at the middle diamond-tier.

Unexpectedly, Oliver, who was always thought to be at the gold-tier, turned out to be at the diamond-tier pinnacle.

Owen observed Oliver intently:

"Well hidden, indeed! I didn’t see this coming."

Diana also appeared surprised, her lips parting slightly:

"Hehe, this drama just got interesting."

Oliver, looking at the stunned crowd, wore a smirk of derision:

"Humans, always like this. What I say is important, but you pay no attention. Instead, you focus on irrelevant realms... No wonder you fail."

"What did you say just now?" Finn, still dazed, asked bluntly.

"Shut your mouth!" Oliver’s eyes widened furiously, his drawn sword pointing directly at Finn, "Are you still mocking me now?"

Finn once again placed his hands on his chest, gesturing rapidly:

"Honestly, no."

Oliver’s chest heaved with emotion as he slightly tilted his head:

"Mr. Aegis, eliminate Finn and any threats around him. I will personally take care of my dear brother."

This statement reverberated in the temple and echoed in the minds of everyone present.

Chrisman, Finn, Owen, Diana, and the members of the guard all turned their gaze towards Oliver.

Their eyes were filled with shock.

"Execute?"

Oliver was seriously contemplating murder.

Chrisman rapidly retreated, shouting in anger:

"Oliver, what are you thinking? Are you really going to kill me?"

Finn was equally horrified, a chill running from his feet to his head:

"Oliver, you’ve gone mad, you’ve truly gone mad."

The mysterious hooded man, Aegis, pulled back his hood to reveal an aged face.

"Prince Oliver, I shall follow your command."

Owen observed Aegis, somewhat surprised.

He seemed quite elderly.

Aegis’ white hair was like the snowflakes of winter, pure and clean.

They fell from the top of his head, almost covering his eyes.

The hair had lost its luster, becoming dry and fragile, as if a gust of wind could scatter it.

His beard, equally white and unkempt, grew haphazardly on his face, starkly contrasting his deep, penetrating eyes.

Aegis’s skin resembled ancient parchment, marked by the passage of time.

His wrinkles were deeply etched into his face, as if they were time’s own signatures.

These wrinkles lent his visage an even more haggard appearance, making his eyes seem weary.

His skin stretched taut over his cheekbones, revealing the contours of what once must have been a handsome face.

Such age seemed more fitting for a life of research in an academy or enjoying familial bliss at home, not for the chaos of the battlefield.

If his appearance was merely surprising to Owen, it was Aegis’s physique that truly astonished him.

Aegis’s fingers resembled withered branches, with large, protruding joints.

His nails were long and pointed, exhibiting an eerie purple hue.

His neck was covered in blue veins, bulging like meandering streams.

Diana stood upright, her mouth forming an ’O’:

"Spellbreaker! Oliver actually managed to enlist a spellbreaker!"

Owen, unfamiliar with the term, asked:

"What’s a spellbreaker?"

"It’s an ancient profession, long lost to the annals of history, originally developed by the Demacian Empire," explained Diana.

"The people of Demacian Empire naturally lacked magical talents and focused on martial skills. But their neighboring nations boasted powerful magi."

"Repeatedly defeated on the battlefield, the Demacian king realized they couldn’t continue this way."

"So they developed a magic pattern capable of absorbing magic, rendering any magus who entered or neared Demacian Empire powerless in casting spells."

"This profession, known as the spellbreaker, became the bane of magi."

"It was the spellbreakers that ultimately saved Demacian Empire, but as empires fall, so do their secrets. Spellbreakers, detested by magi, were mostly eradicated."

"I never imagined encountering a spellbreaker here."

"Ah, that explains it," Owen nodded. "I felt my arcanergy wasn’t flowing smoothly around him. Now I understand why."

Finn and Chrisman, aware of the spellbreaker’s secretive nature, expressed their shock.

"A spellbreaker, what a significant move."

"Oliver, you’ve hidden your cards well."

Oliver, baring his pale teeth, his eyes flickering with a brief flash of crimson:

"My dear brothers, it’s time for you to embrace death."