There, looming before him in the chaos, was the shape of a man—or something that resembled a man, its form colossal and ever-shifting. Jolthar's mind screamed as he recognized it. The aura, the rage—it was the spirit of his predecessor, the one who had wielded Chaosbane before him. He was sure of it. His predecessor had returned, a manifestation of the sword's fury, and it was angry—furiously so.

Jolthar reached out with his mind, trying to make contact, but the shadow roared, a sound that rattled the very core of his being. The earth shuddered violently beneath them, as if the world itself feared the power that now stood before him. It was the Wrath of the Chaosbane; surprised, Jolthar tried to feel its emotions.

The onlookers, watching from a distance, were frozen, their bodies stiff with terror. None could move, and none could speak. The air was thick with the weight of the chaos, and it was all they could do to stand in place, too paralyzed to even breathe properly.

But then, the shadow's gaze fell upon Jolthar, its fiery, burning eyes locking with his. It loomed over him for a moment, its form shifting, a creature of nightmares, and then, slowly, it began to retreat. The chaos energy that had erupted from the sword pulled back into him, the shape of the predecessor fading into nothingness, absorbed back into the vessel that was Jolthar.

The ground beneath Jolthar groaned and cracked when the colossal shadow retreated. . The sheer force of the chaos aura, now ebbing back into the sword, left a void where it had once been. Jolthar's feet slipped as the earth beneath him gave way, the stones shuddering violently. The ground seemed to pull away from him, sinking deeper with every passing second as if the very earth feared the residual power lingering from the sword's fury.

The pit formed quickly, jagged edges of broken stone rising around him like the teeth of a massive, unseen creature, trapping him in its depths.

Jolthar felt a wave of dizziness wash over him as the immense pressure lifted. The ground beneath him stopped shaking, and the roar of the chaos energy subsided into an eerie silence.

[Chaos aura detected]

[Power of Ascendant advanced]

[Telekinesis unlocked]

[Qalena's Will in effect]

Jolthar heard the voice in his head, confused, but he didn't have time to wonder about it now. He could feel that he had risen a tier. The aura was becoming pure with the level increasing and his sense of aura was deepening too.

At tier 6, he felt like he could take on beings higher than him by two levels.

The sword in his grasp still shook with vibration; he tightened his grip. It was alive—or something far worse. Its anger was palpable, seeping into the air, ancient and wrathful. Jolthar's eyes lowered to the blade, his breath caught in awe and unease, sensing a power far greater than himself.

Whatever made it angry, it wasn't something to be taken lightly.

High above, Segarus and Caelum stood in midair; both looked towards the sudden burst of energy. They seemed to know what it was, and it made them bewildered.

When they saw the shadow, their expressions darkened in unison. Both muttered the same name in disbelief: "Mad Sovereign of the Blade..."

Not far from the chaos, Johamma's eyes locked onto the figure wielding the legendary sword. Her breath hitched, her body rigid with shock.

Jolthar? It was impossible, yet undeniable. The bastard child, the shadow of the clan, now held a weapon that history had deemed untouchable, its very presence a herald of upheaval.

She then remembered telling him about the sword and the book. But she couldn't believe that he had found the sword of the sword king, the mad sovereign. That man had earned himself many titles during his time. The shadow she just saw, she could see the faint traces of that man.

Jolthar stood wielding the sword now, but the domineering aura dissipated around him.

Segarus looked at Jolthar and said, "Well, well, well, Caelum, I didn't think that I would see the famous mad sovereign again. And the child seemed to wield his sword, and he is…still standing."

He looked at Caelum, and Caelum seemed just as surprised as he was. Then Segarus cracked, "Wait," he turned to Jolthar and said, "don't tell me you didn't know that a child of your clan wielded that sword. I thought it was gone with him."

"He isn't your son, then who is he, again?"

Caelum was watching the sword in Jolthar's hand and then turned to Jolthar. It was the first time in many years he had seen Jolthar. He could see he had inherited his mother's looks. He turned to his mother, with a questioning look, wondering how he obtained the sword.

Then Segarus' mana surged once again, "Hey! You shouldn't look away when you are fighting with someone."

He shouted to his men, "Don't let the kid get out of here alive. Kill him at any cost."

The air around the battlefield grew heavier, thick with a force that felt almost divine. Both Caelum and Segarus had reached a level of power that transcended mortal understanding. They were beyond tiers—each one just a step away from transcendence, where power could reshape worlds. The sheer energy they emitted pulsed outward like a cosmic storm, bending the very atmosphere around them.

For now, Caelum thought about focusing on his battle with Seragus. Though he thought about the chaos aura he felt earlier, it still lingered on Jolthar. It seemed like the sword had acknowledged him; a smile appeared on his lips as he tightened his grip on his sword, ready to face Seragus again.

Liliana and Lorryll, who had retreated earlier, watched the shadow with astonishment. They couldn't believe that Jolthar was capable of holding such power. Especially Lorryll was fuming; once again he felt like he was insignificant in his own clan as an outsider like Jolthar was holding the sword of their ancestor. Everyone in the clan knew about the chaosbane, but no one was able to wield it.