"No, sister... it seems you were the one who forgot the rules of the clan."

My light voice drifted outward, soft... yet it carried unnaturally far, brushing against every ear present as though it had weight of its own.

The crowd froze.

They stared, utterly dumbstruck, struggling to process what had just happened.

Even they could barely keep up with our speed.

To them, all they saw was Sylvia vanishing... and then reappearing a moment later, her posture tense, as though she had just encountered something far more terrifying than an equal.

Their gazes flickered rapidly between the two of us, trying to determine who held the upper hand.

From what they could see... neither of us had been harmed.

And that only made it worse.

Glancing between us, a sharp glint passed through Rosaline’s eyes.

’That cursed technique...’ she muttered internally, her gaze narrowing ever so slightly as it settled on Aristarkh.

She replayed the exchange in her mind.

The clash. The timing. The distortion.

And slowly, her frown deepened.

She realized something unsettling.

She didn’t understand it.

Not even a fragment of it.

She had never seen anything like it before.

’It’s as though there’s a barrier on his body... but at the same time there isn’t... I can’t even sense anything...’

A second wave of curiosity stirred within her, deeper this time, edged with unease as her attention locked onto Aristarkh.

The youth... he had to have inherited the lineage of an extremely powerful cursed warrior.

There was no other—

Her thoughts stalled.

Her expression stiffened almost imperceptibly as another possibility surfaced... one she clearly did not want to acknowledge.

’...or he’s that much of a monstrous genius... to create such overpowered techniques on his own.’

...

My sister’s expression slowly settled back into its usual calm.

Then, almost strangely...

A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

It deepened.

Curled.

Until it became a grin.

The feeling her brother was giving her right now...

It was unfamiliar.

Unsettling.

Yet... strangely nostalgic.

She couldn’t help but recall a man from her past.

Her mate... one she had only encountered once, during a mission.

He had crushed her.

Effortlessly.

So completely that, for a fleeting moment, she had almost lost faith in her cursed path entirely.

Only after returning had her father revealed the truth.

That man... was ranked among the top twenty strongest.

The feeling she had experienced back then...

Was the exact same feeling she was experiencing now.

Her brother’s half-lidded eyes rested on her, heavy with indifference as he looked down.

It was the same arrogance.

That quiet, suffocating arrogance.

The kind that suggested he could look down on the world itself.

The kind that dared to look down on her.

Her lips twitched.

Her expression darkened.

She hated that arrogance.

Hated it to her bones.

What right did he have...?

What right did he have to look at her like that?

Her fury churned violently within her chest, rising fast and uncontrollable.

Then—

Crack.

A faint arc of black lightning flickered into existence around her.

Then another.

Then dozens.

They danced wildly, erratic and violent, crackling through the air like enraged beasts struggling to break free.

The low hum of distant thunder rolled through the atmosphere, subtle at first... then steadily growing.

Occasional bursts of black sparks exploded outward, tearing through the air around her.

The lightning coiled and lashed, alive, feral... eager.

"Brotherrr..." Sylvia groaned, her voice low, almost trembling with something between rage and excitement.

But all she received in return...

Was Aristarkh’s indifferent gaze.

Calm.

Unmoved.

And worse...

There was curiosity in his eyes.

Curiosity... directed at her ability.

That single detail snapped something inside her.

Her anger surged.

The black lightning surrounding her erupted violently, scattering outward as her figure blurred—

And vanished.

A chill spread through the air.

This time, she was even faster.

She appeared before me in less than a blink, her movement so abrupt it distorted the air itself. A sharp, gleaming arc of black lightning formed in her grasp, humming with destructive force as it shot toward my chest, aimed directly at my heart.

’She’s so feisty...’ I complained internally, my body already shifting.

I stepped aside smoothly.

Effortlessly.

Her attack brushed against my skin—

And stopped.

It met ’infinity.’

Sylvia didn’t hesitate.

The instant her first strike failed, her body twisted midair, perfectly controlled, as though she had already anticipated the outcome.

Her leg snapped upward—

Low.

Aimed directly at my... balls?

My pupils shrank slightly.

’This sister of mine...’

At the same time, a bolt of black lightning burst from her fingertips, streaking toward my groin with terrifying precision.

It cut through the air in a flash—

And struck.

Upon contact with my pants...

It exploded.

A violent burst of black sparks erupted outward.

Yet Sylvia didn’t pause.

Not even for a fraction of a second.

She had already moved on.

She knew.

She understood.

Her attacks wouldn’t reach me.

So she shifted her intent entirely.

She wanted to exploit the moment.

The instant my focus shifted toward protecting my weak point—

She would strike.

A fatal blow.

Clean.

Efficient.

Decisive.

’However... sister...’ my thoughts flowed calmly, untouched by urgency.

’Why would I allow that?’

"Sister... aren’t you interested in fighting me?" I asked smoothly, a faint red glint flashing across my eyes.

Suddenly—

Sylvia froze.

Her movements halted abruptly.

Then, without hesitation, she retreated sharply from the ’Aristarkh’ she had been fighting all this time.

Her gaze snapped upward, scanning her surroundings.

And what she saw—

Made her pupils contract.

There were two Aristarkhs.

"What’s going on...? Did he awaken a clone cursed ability?" her thoughts spiraled rapidly, her eyes darting between the two figures.

Then—

The one she had been fighting...

Disappeared.

It dissolved into a thin wisp of smoke, fading into nothingness.

Her gaze snapped toward me.

Locked.

Her pupils dilated.

Realization hit.

I was the real one.

Around us, the onlookers frowned in confusion, their expressions twisted with uncertainty as they stared at Sylvia.

Naturally...

They didn’t understand.

To them, she had suddenly begun attacking empty air, unleashing a barrage of deadly techniques against... nothing.

It looked almost ridiculous.

Almost.

’He has an illusion ability...’ Rosaline’s eyes narrowed, suspicion deepening as her gaze fixed onto Aristarkh.

Then, her attention shifted.

To his eyes.

’No... his eyes... they weren’t red before... they were silvery... did he awaken a unique pair of eyes, just like his mother?’

Her thoughts churned rapidly, theories stacking upon theories as her focus sharpened.

"Sister... I asked a question..."

My voice drifted toward Sylvia once more, cutting cleanly through her thoughts.

Her gaze snapped back.

Just in time to see me lunging toward her.

Black lightning coiled around my body, wild and violent, moving like living serpents—

Mirroring her own ability perfectly.

’What’s going on...? How is he using my cursed ability?’ Sylvia’s thoughts shook, but she didn’t have the luxury of hesitation.

She reacted instantly.

Her hand shot out, grasping a strand of the black lightning still lingering around her from her previous attack. It crackled violently in her grip as she forced it into submission—

And then she met me head-on.

Our clash began.

My movements were fast. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Precise.

Every strike was sharp, calculated, lethal.

Each attack slipped through the smallest openings, targeting her weak points with unsettling accuracy.

Sylvia’s breathing hitched.

A thin layer of cold sweat formed across her skin as she struggled to keep up.

Block.

Deflect.

Shift.

Too slow.

An attack grazed her arm.

Another brushed her neck.

Then her shoulder.

Her head.

The strikes came from everywhere.

And nowhere.

It felt wrong.

Distorted.

As though she wasn’t fighting a human at all.

"Such interesting techniques..." a lazy voice drifted across the battlefield once more.

Sylvia froze.

Slowly...

Almost mechanically...

She turned toward the source.

And there—

She saw him.

A young man standing casually, his posture loose, his expression tired... bored.

Her brother.

He hadn’t moved.

Not even once.

Understanding hit her like a hammer.

Everything she had been fighting...

Was an illusion.

Her mind trembled.

’This... this monster...’

Even that man ranked twentieth...

Had never made her feel this kind of overwhelming despair.

Then—

In that single moment of distraction—

The ’Aristarkh’ before her moved.

It struck.

She didn’t react.

Didn’t defend.

After all...

It was just an illusion.

Or so she thought.

Bang.

The lightning tore through her stomach.

Violent.

Real.

Her body jerked as the force blasted her backward, sending her skidding across the grassland.

A spray of blood burst from her mouth, staining the air red.

Pain.

Raw and undeniable.

Her mind screamed.

’How...?!’

Her thoughts shattered, spiraling wildly.

’How is it not an illusion...?!’

Author’s note: Hey guys... How was the fight scene? satisfactory? I will be uploading the character arts soon, sorry for the delay. also... Please check out my other novel if you’re interested in milfs.