The instant those words left Ignis's mouth, the courtroom exploded into blinding radiance and bone-chilling cold.

A thunderous boom followed.

By the time the Banes' eyes adjusted to the overwhelming light, what they witnessed sent shock and horror racing down their spines.

Where Ignis had been kneeling moments ago, a massive crater now scarred the marble floor—its surface spider-webbed with frozen cracks and scorched lightning marks.

Ignis lay embedded at its center, his body slammed deep into the ground, breath forced violently from his lungs.

Standing over him were two figures.

Each had planted a foot upon Ignis's chest, pinning him like a condemned criminal before execution.

One was Aurelion.

His icy white sword rested against Ignis's throat, so cold that beads of blood drawn by the blade had already frozen solid before they could fall. A killing intent sharper than steel poured from him, suffocating the air itself.

The other was Taranis.

His golden eyes burned with restrained fury, narrowed upon Ignis as if he were nothing more than filth beneath his feet. In his hand crackled a condensed bolt of golden lightning—razor-sharp, humming violently—hovering mere inches from Ignis's chest, ready to pierce straight through his heart.

"Bastard," Taranis muttered, his voice low, heavy, and trembling with rage.

"Say those words again."

For the first time in his life, Taranis felt an emotion so violent it threatened to tear him apart from within.

Aurelion's grip tightened, frost spreading further along the blade.

"Forget the courtroom," he said coldly, his voice devoid of restraint.

"I will kill you this instant."

Taranis's blonde hair surged with unrestrained power.

Violent thunder roared through the courtroom as arcs of lightning erupted from every corner, shaking the very foundations of the castle. The walls and pillars groaned in protest as countless cracks spread across their surfaces, and debris began raining down from the ceiling.

"I-isn't he just two and a half years old?" Sylvaris murmured, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"T-the castle walls are reinforced with mid-tier Soul Stone powder—materials not even a True Sage could shake," Tartaglia added, his voice equally stunned. "Is this… the difference between a mortal and a god?"

"Interesting…" Barbatos murmured, an amused smile curling at the corners of his lips.

Titan, meanwhile, remained silent, his sharp eyes never leaving the scene before him.

As for Aethon, an amber aura wrapped tightly around his clenched fist as he readied himself to strike at a moment's notice.

Before the situation could spiral completely out of control, a commanding and authoritative voice rang through the hall—one no one would dare ignore.

"Step back! Taranis. Aurelion!"

Voltrex's previous smile had vanished entirely as he rose from his throne, sparks of blue lightning dancing around his body.

"How dare the two of you defile the sacred courtroom by unleashing your Soulforce within these hallowed walls?"

Aurelion cast one final, ice-cold glare at Ignis, who was already on the verge of collapsing under raw terror. With a sharp motion, he sheathed his sword and stepped back.

"Taranis!" Voltrex spoke again, his voice hardening as the lightning around him flared brighter. "Do you not hear what I said?"

"With all due respect, Father," Taranis replied, his voice eerily calm and stripped of all emotion, refusing to retreat,

"the sacred courtroom was already defiled the moment this bastard insulted the Snow Goddess with his lecherous tongue."

"Impudence!!!" Voltrex roared.

With his voice alone, a suffocating tide of Soulforce exploded across the courtroom. The invisible pressure descended like a divine hammer, slamming Taranis to the ground in an instant.

Though the force was meant only to subdue him, it was so overwhelmingly vast that the six Banes present were forced to immediately cloak themselves in Soulforce.

Even then, their legs trembled violently as they struggled to remain standing, every ounce of willpower pushed to its limit.

Th-this is the Soulforce pressure of the strongest cultivator of the Western Continent…

N-no wonder he is our King.

Demi-God Voltrex…

Barbatos murmured inwardly, the familiar smile still etched upon his face—though even he could not mask the reverence beneath it.

The golden bolt clenched in Taranis' hand shattered into motes of light. The arcs of lightning that had been ravaging the courtroom vanished, and a thin trickle of blood slid from the corner of his lips as the crushing pressure bore down on him.

Then—

The world outside erupted.

The tranquil skies turned violent in a single breath. Howling winds surged forth, carrying dust and debris as the massive gates of the castle were torn open. Daylight was swallowed as catastrophic black clouds smothered the heavens. Thunder roared like enraged beasts, and streaks of golden lightning split the sky, shaking the entire mountain to its core.

One by one, the Banes rose slowly from their seats, eyes wide and lips parted in disbelief.

Even Voltrex narrowed his eyes, a flicker of surprise flashing across his expression.

Such a phenomenon had never occurred in the recorded history of the Hundred Sky Mountains.

"A-are you kidding me…?" Barbatos whispered, the smile finally gone, replaced by raw, unfiltered awe.

"Th-the heavens are furious…" Sylvaris murmured, her lips trembling.

"Y-Your Majesty, please retract your Soulforce pressure from the Prince," she pleaded, bowing deeply toward Voltrex.

"Or else… the Hundred Sky Mountains will face Heaven's wrath."

Just as Voltrex prepared to withdraw his pressure, a deep, commanding roar echoed through the air.

"Back away! He is my father!"

Taranis' voice thundered across the hall as he forced himself upright, his golden eyes fixed upon something beyond the castle walls, something none of the others could see.

As if obeying his command, the raging winds fell silent. The thunder faded. The abyssal clouds trembled before slowly dispersing, dissolving into nothingness as though they had never existed.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. He is our son," Aestra murmured, clutching Voltrex's hand in a mother's plea.

Taking a deep breath, Voltrex steadied himself and withdrew the crushing pressure from Taranis' body.

"Your impudence will not go unpunished, Taranis," Voltrex said as he settled back onto his throne.

The moment Voltrex withdrew his pressure, Nymeria leapt down from the upper floor, rushing to Taranis. Her eyes shimmered with defiance, her face etched with worry.

"S-stupid Taranis… why did you anger Uncle Voltrex?" she murmured, gently wiping the blood from the corner of his lips with her sleeve before cradling his head in her lap.

Taranis slowly raised a trembling hand and cupped Nymeria's cheek. In a faint voice, he murmured,

"If I had backed down… I wouldn't have been worthy to become your husband, Nymeria."

A soft blush bloomed across her face at his words.

"Thank you… for protecting my honor," she whispered, holding his hand against her cheek.

With a gentle smile, Taranis forced his battered body—still aching from Voltrex's pressure—to stand once more.

"Go back, Nymeria. I'm fine."

"B-but—"

"I cannot leave yet," Taranis said quietly, reading her hesitation like an open book.

Understanding his resolve, Nymeria bit her lip in frustration before reluctantly stepping back.

Once Nymeria returned to her place, the others followed suit, slowly settling back into their seats.

When silence reclaimed the courtroom, Voltrex turned his cold, merciless gaze toward the man responsible for the chaos.

"First, I will hear what you have to say in your defense, before I decide how to execute you, Ignis El Flamebane."

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