This was the first time he had ever used such a harsh tone with Little Gold. The terrifying pressure caused several people in the room to involuntarily take a half-step back, yet Starlight and the others still showed no intention of moving aside.
“This is the final warning I shall give for Aidanach's sake! If you persist in obstructing me, I will show you the true meaning of a Dragon King's wrath!”
The Rift Dragon King's low voice rumbled like rolling thunder. As he spoke, he began to slowly close the distance toward Little Gold.
While the auction downstairs continued in full swing, the private box had already become an entirely different world.
Under the oppressive weight of the Rift Dragon King's power, the space he had previously isolated began to solidify, transforming into invisible shackles that left Starlight and his companions almost unable to breathe.
“Dammit... why are these Dragon Kings all so temperamental? Even if he is Little Gold's uncle, we can't just sit here and wait for death!” Po Kong's frustrated voice came through the soul link.
For someone possessing the War God Battle Qi, neutralizing this kind of element-based seal wasn't a difficult task. However, he knew that once a battle began, the situation would spiral completely out of their control.
“You're right. Let's strike together, Po Kong!” Starlight gritted his teeth as the elemental power within his body began to boil once more.
In the next second, bursts of golden and white light erupted simultaneously from Po Kong and Starlight, shattering Yserazor's spatial shackles almost instantly.
“Crack!”
A crisp sound of fracturing echoed. Not only was the spatial power Yserazor used to isolate the room completely broken, but even the barrier of the private box began to show visible cracks.
Yserazor was stunned. He had never expected that these two young men—who, in his eyes, didn't even constitute a threat—could break through his control in such a short time.
His hand, which had been reaching toward Little Gold, hung suspended in mid-air as he momentarily forgot to move.
Although the cracks on the private box were small, and the ordinary people below couldn't perceive the battle about to erupt over their heads, the sudden surge of aura acted like an alarm for the powerhouses within the auction house. One after another, they turned their gazes toward Private Box No. 3.
“Next, it is time for the grand finale of this auction!” Lia's clear voice rang out through the amplification stones.
At this moment, she was fully focused on the massive red cloth on the stage, completely oblivious to the abnormality on the second floor.
As for the spectacle below and the potential consequences that might follow, Starlight and the others had no time to care. Their entire attention was fixed on the Yserazor standing before them.
“For our next auction item, describing it as a ‘unique rarity of this world’ would not be an exaggeration...”
“Please, everyone, keep your eyes peeled!” Lia announced loudly as she suddenly yanked away the red cloth.
The moment the cloth fell, Starlight felt as if a giant hammer had struck him in the chest, causing his body to shudder violently.
A throb originating from the depths of his soul caused the Power of Destruction he had just gathered to falter and dissipate into the air.
“Star...”
Moen immediately noticed Starlight's abnormality and was about to ask what was wrong, but her gaze inadvertently swept past the glass wall to the “auction item” in the center of the stage.
It was a massive iron cage, roughly the size of their private box. As the red cloth fell, several partitions used to isolate its aura also crashed to the ground.
Inside the iron cage, a silver-haired figure, hands and feet bound by chains and body covered in bloodstains, was slowly revealed.
“This... am I seeing things?”
Moen rubbed her eyes, trying to confirm if her vision was playing tricks on her.
But she didn't even need to speak; Starlight had already subconsciously cried out that name.
“LIAN!!!!”
Starlight's voice exploded within the private box like a thunderclap, causing the very air to tremble.
His pupils constricted sharply as he stared fixedly at the familiar figure inside the iron cage. His heart felt as though it were being crushed by an invisible hand, making it impossible to draw breath.
“Lian... she... what's happening?” Xia Duo's voice trembled, her eyes filled with disbelief.
The silver-haired girl in the cage kept her head lowered, her messy hair veiling her face, but that familiar aura made them absolutely certain—it was Lian.
“Impossible... how could she be here?”
A hint of panic crept into Po Kong's voice as he looked down at the stage, completely ignoring the Rift Dragon King standing beside them.
Even Yserazor was interrupted by this sudden turn of events. He narrowed his eyes, his gaze shifting between Starlight and the iron cage as if he were deep in thought.
Meanwhile, the auction hall below was in an uproar, with everyone's attention captivated by this “rarity.”
Lia's voice remained clear and pleasant, yet it sent a bone-chilling cold through Starlight: “Distinguished guests, this auction item is a treasure that our House of Red went through immense hardship to obtain—a young girl possessing the Night Elf royal bloodline!”
“A Night Elf? Royal bloodline?!” Gasps erupted from the audience as countless greedy gazes focused on the figure in the iron cage.
While most didn't understand the full significance of the royal bloodline, the Night Elves themselves—who almost never ventured into the world—were already exceptionally rare.
Combined with the certification of the Crimson Smoke Merchant Group, calling her a unique rarity was no exaggeration at all.
Starlight's fists creaked as he clenched them, the elemental power within his body beginning to surge uncontrollably.
If it weren't for their incompetence, the carefree Lian should be living peacefully with her people in Night Lotus Valley.
Yet here she was, being treated as a commodity, locked in a cold iron cage and subjected to the scrutiny of those greedy eyes.
“Calm down, Starlight!” Sui Yun's voice came through the soul link, carrying a note of urgency. “Acting impulsively now will only make things worse!”
“Calm down? How do you expect me to be calm!” Starlight's voice was squeezed through his teeth, the fury in his eyes nearly overflowing.
Just then, Lian seemed to sense something within the cage and slowly lifted her head.
Her gaze passed through the crowd, looking straight toward the private box where Starlight was. Those silver eyes, once as clear as water, were now dim and lifeless, as if all vitality had been drained from them.
“Brother Starlight...” Lian's lips trembled slightly.
Though the people in the private box couldn't possibly hear her, it felt as if a sharp blade had been thrust into their chests.
“Lian!” Starlight could no longer suppress the fury in his heart. The elemental powers within him fused into one, and the white Power of Destruction swept out like a tidal wave, grinding the decorations in the room into dust.
“Bang! Crash!”
Starlight kicked out, shattering the glass wall that was already riddled with cracks. Before anyone could react, he leaped from the window. His figure was like a bolt of lightning cutting through the air as he landed squarely in the center of the stage.
“Oh no! Po Kong, stop Starlight! If a fight breaks out here, no one will be able to protect him!” Sui Yun's voice, carrying a rare sense of anxiety, echoed through the private box.
It wasn't that Sui Yun was unwilling to act, but the power Starlight had just displayed had already surpassed what Sui Yun had possessed during his own prime. Given his current physical condition, he simply couldn't compete with it.
However, his warning came too late. Starlight's figure had already appeared on the stage like a ghost, while the falling shards of glass rained down on the crowd on the first floor, triggering a wave of chaos.
Lia, who had been enthusiastically introducing the item, felt a blur before her eyes. A dark shadow was suddenly standing right in front of her.
“Who are you!?” Lia cried out in shock. In all her years as an auctioneer, this was the first time she had encountered someone daring enough to storm the auction stage.
But as an Archmage, her reactions were swift. She quickly drew a short sword from beneath her evening gown and thrust it toward Starlight without hesitation.
“Begone!”
Starlight let out a furious roar as white flames of energy erupted from him, forcing the charging Lia back by dozens of steps.
Lia steadied herself and looked down, her pupils shrinking instantly—more than half of the fine steel short sword in her hand had silently melted away, leaving only a jagged stump in her grip.
Rate on N.U.
