Chapter 538 — Worth It

Then Ashford Patriarch’s voice emerged, carrying confusion mixed with something sharper.

"Vice Director Felix."

His grey eyes narrowed, studying the younger man’s face.

"Don’t tell me you’re foolish enough to intervene in Imperial business? Why would you possibly–"

Kinsley’s laughter cut through Ashford’s words, the sound bright and genuinely amused.

"Oh, Brother Ashford."

His blue eyes gleamed with understanding.

"Haven’t you figured it out yet? The nature of a human being truly cannot be hidden, no matter how hard they try to bury it."

He looked at Felix directly, his smile becoming warmer.

"The moment we appeared here today, I knew little Felix would come. I’ve been counting on it, in fact."

His head tilted slightly, the gesture birdlike.

"Let me guess..."

He paused, letting the tension build.

"You’ve already sent your remaining family to safety, haven’t you? Evacuated them to some secure location where they’ll be protected from what happens next?"

Felix remained silent, his expression showing nothing.

But his hands clenched fractionally at his sides, knuckles going white.

Cross Patriarch stepped forward, his brown eyes tracking between Felix and Damian.

"Risking your life for a boy you don’t even love..."

His voice carried genuine curiosity mixed with contempt.

"For a grandson you’ve never acknowledged, whose very existence brought nothing but danger to your family..."

He paused.

"Is it worth it?"

Felix’s gaze shifted fractionally, his head turning just enough that he could see Damian from the corner of his eye.

The boy covered in his friend’s blood, his expression completely empty, the Blood Sovereign marks blazing across his skin.

Then Felix’s whisper emerged, quiet but absolute.

"Worth it."

The two words hung in the cold air, carrying conviction that made them feel heavier than mountains.

Royce Patriarch let out a long breath, his orange eyes tracking between Felix and Damian with disappointment.

"The younger generation really is becoming more and more foolish with each passing year."

His hands came out of his sleeves, power beginning to gather around his fingers.

"There’s no saving him anymore. Let’s kill them both and be done with this farce."

The other three Patriarchs moved simultaneously, their killing intent intensifying, space beginning to warp around their frames.

Then–

WHOOSH

Another figure materialized between the Patriarchs and their targets.

This one wore the same black Military Police uniform as Felix, the fabric pristine and formal.

But crimson hair fell past their shoulders, secured with an ornate tie that caught the light.

And a crimson mask covered their face completely, showing nothing except the shape of a head and the outline of features beneath.

Whispers exploded through the crowd like wildfire, spreading faster than the earlier shock.

"Is that–"

"The mask–"

"That hair–"

"It can’t be–"

"The Director–"

"The Military Police Director is here–"

The murmurs built into something approaching panic, understanding rippling outward.

If even the Director had appeared, if the highest authority in the entire Military Police structure was standing on this field...

The Patriarchs’ expressions shifted simultaneously, pleasant masks cracking to show something harder beneath.

Then Ashford’s voice emerged first, sharp and demanding.

"What are you doing here, Director?"

His grey eyes blazed brighter.

"Shouldn’t you be stationed at the Demon portals? If you’ve abandoned your post, if you’ve left those barriers undefended–"

"Patriarchs."

The Director’s voice cut through Ashford’s words, distorted slightly by the mask but it couldn’t hide her gender.

She looked at each Patriarch in turn, her masked face tracking across their positions with deliberate slowness.

"I urge you to reconsider this course of action."

Her hand gestured toward where Damian knelt, still blank and motionless.

"Leave him a way out. Let him live and this situation can still be resolved."

Kinsley’s smile returned, becoming something sharper as he moved back towards his brothers.

"I’m afraid that simply cannot be done, Director."

His voice stayed pleasant despite the words.

"Damian Bloodworth must die today. There’s no room for negotiation or compromise on this matter."

The Director’s masked face turned toward where the Sage stood silent among the other Patriarchs.

She stared at him for a long moment, waiting for some sign, some indication that he might intervene.

But Murdock Patriarch remained perfectly still, his expression showing nothing through the white mask covering his face.

The Director’s shoulders rose and fell with a breath that carried through the mask.

Then she started laughing.

The sound emerged broken and mad, mixing humor with something darker, echoing across the field until people shifted uncomfortably.

"Then you leave me with no choice at all."

Her hand rose, fingers spreading.

WHOOSH

Light flashed as an artifact materialized in the air above her palm.

Spherical and intricate, covered in engravings that seemed to shift when looked at directly.

The Director’s voice rose, carrying across the entire field.

"If the Federation won’t allow a Bloodworth to live..."

Her masked face turned toward the cameras, toward the billions watching this unfold across every screen.

"If the Imperials have decided that this boy’s existence is unforgivable..."

The artifact began spinning, faster and faster, energy building around it like a star preparing to go nova.

"Then there is no reason for this Federation to continue existing at all!"

The declaration hit like a physical blow, silence crashing down as minds struggled to process what she’d just said.

Before anyone could react, before anyone could even breathe–

The Director’s voice exploded across the field.

"ALL DEMIGODS OF THE MILITARY!"

Power surged outward from the spinning sphere, creating connections across impossible distances.

"ALL NORTHERN NOBLE FAMILIES WHO REMEMBER THEIR OATHS!"

The artifact blazed brighter, crimson light painting everything.

"ALL THOSE WHO REMAIN LOYAL TO THE BLOODWORTH IMPERIAL FAMILY!"

Her masked face tilted back, looking toward the sky as if seeing through it to the people scattered across the world.

"I, IGNIS BLOODWORTH, LOYAL SERVANT OF DESIDERIUS BLOODWORTH, SWORN PROTECTOR OF HIS BLOODLINE..."

The name hit like thunder, echoing across the field.

"IN THE NAME OF MY YOUNG LORD, DAMIAN BLOODWORTH..."

Her hand clenched into a fist.

"ORDER YOU TO ABANDON YOUR POSTS IMMEDIATELY! WITHDRAW FROM EVERY PORTAL UNDER YOUR COMMAND! LET THE DEFENSES FALL! LET THE BARRIERS CRUMBLE!"

The artifact spun faster, connections forming across the world as her words reached their targets.

"RETURN TO THE NORTH WITH ALL YOUR FORCES! BRING EVERY WARRIOR WHO OWES THEIR LIFE TO THE BLOODWORTH NAME!"

Her voice became harder, carrying conviction that made the ground itself tremble.

"PREPARE FOR WAR AGAINST THE IMPERIAL COUNCIL! TODAY WE AVENGE WHAT WAS TAKEN! TODAY THE FEDERATION LEARNS THE PRICE OF BETRAYING THOSE WHO SAVED THEM!"

WHOOSH

The Chairman materialized beside her, his face showing panic that cracked his usual composure.

"Director, please stop!"

His voice came out desperate, hands rising in placating gestures.

"If you do this, all the major portals will fall within hours! The monsters will invade across every region! Our world will be doomed! Billions will die!"

Ignis’s masked face turned toward him slowly, her voice emerging quiet but carrying clearly.

"Why should I protect a world that will have no blood of his?"

The question sat heavy and unanswerable between them.

The Chairman’s mouth opened, then closed, his hands falling to his sides.

Then Kinsley’s laughter cut across the field, bright and genuinely delighted.

"There’s no need to worry so much, my dear Chairman!"

His blue eyes gleamed with amusement as another artifact materialized before him.

Similar to Ignis’s but darker, covered in different symbols that pulsed with their own power.

"Before you children were even born, we old folks managed to protect this world quite well!"

His smile widened until it showed teeth.

"We can handle a few portal breaks while dealing with some traitorous dogs!"

His hand closed around the artifact, power flooding into it.

"ALL DEMIGODS OF THE IMPERIAL COUNCIL!"

His voice carried the same amplification as Ignis’s had, spreading across the world.

"ALL LOYAL FORCES OF THE TWELVE FAMILIES!"

The artifact spun faster, creating its own network of connections.

"COME TO THE NORTHERN REGION IMMEDIATELY AND KILL THIS EVIL BLOODWORTH SPAWN BEFORE THE TRAITORS ARRIVE!"

Both artifacts blazed simultaneously, their light painting the snow crimson and blue.

Then everything happened at once, too fast for normal eyes to track.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH

Ignis vanished, her body folding through space.

Felix disappeared in the same instant, reality bending around his form.

All four Patriarchs moved simultaneously, their bodies blurring as they targeted the space where Damian knelt.

But Ignis reappeared between them and him, her power grabbing three of the Patriarchs before they could redirect.

CRACK

Space tore open, a wound in reality itself, pure void showing through the gap.

She dragged Royce, Ashford, and Cross through with her, all four figures vanishing into the darkness beyond.

Felix materialized in front of Kinsley, his own power exploding outward as he grabbed the Patriarch.

CRACK

Another tear opened, Felix and Kinsley disappearing through it an instant before it sealed.

The void tears closed, leaving only distortions in the air showing where they’d been.

But sounds leaked through the void anyway

BOOM BOOM BOOM

Explosions echoed from nowhere and everywhere, reality itself shaking from impacts happening in spaces between spaces.

Kinsley’s voice cut through the chaos, distorted but clear.

"BROTHER MURDOCK, KILL HIM! KILL THE BLOODWORTH SPAWN BEFORE THOSE DOGS ARRIVE!"

Another impact, louder this time.

"LYSANDER! YOUR FATHER WILL BE HERE SOON! MAKE HIM PROUD! KILL YOUR ENEMY’S SON BEFORE HE ESCAPES!"

Ignis’s voice followed immediately, carrying sharpness.

"CHAIRMAN!"

Power surged with each word, making the air crack.

"YOU OWE YOUR LIFE TO MY MASTER! YOU OWE EVERYTHING YOU’VE BECOME TO DESIDERIUS BLOODWORTH’S PROTECTION!"

BOOM

"GUARD HIS GRANDSON WITH YOUR LIFE! PROTECT HIM AT ANY COST UNTIL REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE!"

The sounds faded slightly, becoming more distant as the battles moved deeper into the void.

And on the field, surrounded by thousands of witnesses and billions watching through screens...

Three figures remained standing.

The Chairman, his hands clenched at his sides, his face showing conflict that tore him apart.

Marshal Lysander Eckhart, his body rigid, his expression caught between family duty and something darker.

And the Sage, Murdock Patriarch, his purple hair shifting in wind that came from nowhere, his masked face showing nothing at all.

All three of them looking down at where Damian Valcor knelt in the snow.

The last surviving heir of the Bloodworth Imperial Family.

And the spark that had just ignited a war that would consume the entire Federation.