Thanks to the former king’s final actions, Michael found his thoughts changing slightly. He was even less interested in dragging things further.

The atmosphere within the hall remained heavy with grief and panic. The Ninth Prince and Count Hallen remained frozen on the floor while the Tenth Prince floated weakly in the air.

Suddenly, all three figures jerked violently.

"GHHK...!"

The Ninth Prince instantly grabbed his throat. Count Hallen’s eyes widened in horror as both his hands clawed desperately at his neck. Even the Tenth Prince immediately began choking again.

Their bodies rose from the ground before being dragged directly toward Michael by an invisible force.

"N-No...!"

"PLEASE...!"

"SPARE ME...!"

The three screamed desperately while their bodies floated helplessly through the air. Michael’s expression remained calm throughout everything.

Princess Priscilla noticed his actions immediately, but this time she said nothing. Perhaps after her brother’s death, she no longer had the strength to interfere anymore. Or perhaps she already understood there was no point.

The surrounding nobles also remained silent despite their pale expressions.

Michael slowly turned his head afterward and glanced toward Mage Lian. The old mage stared back at him with a complicated gaze. Shock. Helplessness. Sorrow. And perhaps even slight understanding.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke. Then Michael simply gave the old mage a small nod.

The next moment, space distorted silently around Michael and the three struggling figures, and in the next instant all four disappeared from the meeting hall completely. Only the heavy atmosphere of grief remained behind.

Meanwhile, elsewhere within the royal palace, space twisted quietly once more. Michael reappeared within another location entirely.

It was a garden. A small stream flowed peacefully through the center while soft wind brushed gently against the leaves overhead. Compared to the suffocating atmosphere of the meeting hall, this place felt almost unnaturally calm. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Unfortunately, the three figures currently choking in midair could not appreciate any of it.

The Ninth Prince struggled wildly while tears streamed down his face. Count Hallen had already lost complete control of himself. Michael didn’t know if it was because of his age or something else, but the man’s bowels had let loose. The Tenth Prince still stared at Michael with pure terror within his eyes.

Michael quietly looked at the three people before him. Then finally, he spoke.

"Initially, I planned to make the two of you suffer greatly before dying."

The Ninth Prince and Tenth Prince both trembled violently afterward. Michael’s eyes remained calm.

"But in respect for your father, I changed my mind."

The moment those words fell, visible relief instantly appeared within the eyes of both princes. Meanwhile, Count Hallen’s face instead became even paler.

Throughout everything, Michael had completely ignored his existence. Count Hallen felt an overwhelming dread. The two princes still at least had the blood of the former king protecting them somewhat. But him? He was nothing.

Suddenly, the expressions of both princes froze completely. Their eyes instantly became vacant. Then their floating bodies dropped heavily onto the garden ground below.

THUD!

For a brief moment, neither of them moved. Count Hallen stared blankly in confusion amidst his pain.

Then suddenly, both princes began shaking violently.

"GHH...!"

Low grunts escaped from their mouths as their bodies started twitching nonstop across the garden floor. The Ninth Prince clawed desperately at the dirt beneath him. The Tenth Prince’s entire body arched unnaturally while veins bulged across his neck.

Yet strangely, neither of them screamed. It was as if their voices had become trapped inside their throats.

Count Hallen watched the scene unfold with widening eyes. Fear completely exploded within his heart afterward.

Despite their silent appearance, anyone could tell the two princes were currently experiencing horrifying pain. Their bodies twisted violently nonstop while muffled grunts continued escaping their mouths.

Michael quietly overlooked everything with a calm expression.

Yes. Although he had decided to honor the former king somewhat, that did not mean the two princes would simply die peacefully.

Using his law to copy the illusionary traits belonging to Purple and Blue, Michael directly dragged both princes into a mental illusion. Inside that illusion, time flowed differently. Countless things would happen to them there, and everything they experienced inside would feel as real as possible.

In the real world, both princes continued convulsing violently across the garden floor while trapped within the nightmare Michael had created for them.

Michael slowly raised his hand and dark flames quietly emerged above his palm. The moment the fire appeared, even the surrounding garden atmosphere distorted faintly.

Count Hallen’s pupils contracted violently.

This was the Abyss Flame Michael had copied from Spartan’s Law of Abyssal Pyre. A terrifying flame said to devour nearly anything it touched.

Michael calmly compressed part of the black flame until two tiny seeds formed above his fingertips. Then he casually flicked them forward. The seeds instantly entered the bodies of both princes.

The bodies of the Ninth Prince and Tenth Prince shook even harder as the Abyss Flame began devouring their lifeforce slowly from within. It would continue feeding upon them little by little until absolutely nothing remained to consume. Only when they died would the illusion finally end.

Count Hallen completely collapsed mentally after witnessing everything. His body trembled uncontrollably while terror filled every inch of his face as he noticed Michael finally turning to look at him.

Michael looked at Count Hallen quietly. "And you..."

His voice trailed off. For some reason, Michael felt strangely uninterested in continuing.

Initially, he had thought about asking the man several questions, but after everything that had happened tonight, Michael suddenly realized none of it would make him feel better. So in the end, he simply lost interest.

Count Hallen immediately sensed it. That cold indifference inside Michael’s eyes terrified him even more than rage would have.

"P-Please..." The old count’s voice completely broke apart. "I-I was wrong. I truly was wrong."

Michael said nothing. He merely raised his hand once more as a tiny black flame seed appeared above his fingertips.

Count Hallen’s pupils shrank violently. "N-No..."

This time, Michael did not place anyone under an illusion. With a casual flick of his finger, the black seed entered Count Hallen’s body directly.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

A horrifying scream instantly exploded throughout the entire garden. Count Hallen’s body slammed against the ground violently as he rolled across the dirt like a madman. Both hands clawed desperately at his own chest while the Abyss Flame began devouring his lifeforce from within.

Unlike the two princes who suffered silently within their illusions, Count Hallen experienced everything directly. He no longer resembled a noble. He sounded like a pig being slaughtered alive.

"AAAAAHHHH...!"

"IT HURTS...!"

"PLEASE...!"

"T-TURN IT OFF...!"

Tears, mucus, and saliva covered his face completely while his body twisted nonstop across the garden floor.

Meanwhile, Michael simply watched him quietly for several seconds. "With this, I’ve at least paid some respects to Arianne."

Michael’s voice faded as he disappeared. Only Count Hallen’s miserable screams continued echoing endlessly throughout the garden.