Imperial Throne

Chapter 131: Truth of the Ruins

Ion, who was in the room, had already heard Raven’s words.

The bloodline of the Bourbon Family?!

“What are you saying?!” Ion suddenly stood up and instinctively grabbed the sword beside him.

“I didn’t expect Arsen to actually give that bloodline to Akar. So, you all knew everything from the start. No wonder your whole family left immediately that night without coming to help.” Raven shook his head with a bitter smile. The flames beside him were already burning rapidly, turning almost the entire house into a sea of fire, making his expression look even more unstable. “Garen believed until his death that you would definitely come to his rescue.”

Ion held his sword, but only stared at Raven without recklessly attacking.

He knew Raven was trying to provoke him into attacking, but Ion still guarded the window.

There were only four exits in the entire house.

Ion had already observed them upon entering.

The first was the main door. The second was the window near the kitchen. The third was the window beside the bed. The fourth was a hidden trapdoor at the back of the house.

After completing his inspection, Ion immediately blocked the trapdoor.

Raven, once Ion’s comrade-in-arms and a distinguished soldier trained by the same military instructor, naturally knew the trapdoor couldn’t be opened the moment he saw Ion. The main door was obviously being watched by Akar. If Raven rushed out from that direction, he would be completely exposed to Akar’s line of sight. He didn’t want to gamble on whether Akar’s reputation as the wielder of the Blazing Bow was exaggerated.

As for the window near the kitchen, it meant he would have to cross the already blazing fire.

If Ion hadn’t been here, Raven might have attempted an escape from that direction. But since Ion was present, Raven knew he wouldn’t get the chance.

Therefore, since a confrontation with Ion was inevitable, Raven naturally hoped it would happen under conditions where he held the advantage.

Unfortunately, Ion wasn’t falling for it.

“I’ll ask again, what do you mean by the Bourbon bloodline?” Ion asked in a deep voice, unfazed by the increasingly intense blaze around them.

“Haven’t you already figured it out?”

Raven sighed. He suddenly twisted the pickaxe in his hand, and from it drew a narrow rapier.

He swiped the blade across the flames, and blazing fire instantly erupted along the blade. Flames also ignited on Raven himself—not the cold flame like Ion’s, nor the scorching blaze of the surrounding fire sea, but something in between, imbued with a sense of deathly stillness.

Yet, faced with this manifestation of bloodline power, Ion was completely puzzled, for among all the bloodlines he knew, there was no record of this one.

“What bloodline is that?”

“Looks like Arsen didn’t tell you everything.” A trace of surprise appeared on Raven’s face, but he quickly returned to normal. “Ion, I think maybe we can work together again, like when we founded the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group.”

“You killed Arsen and still think we can be like before?” Ion looked utterly incredulous. “Barney said Arsen had a heated argument with you before he died, and after that, he was dead. You also kept trying to retrieve that Rusty Sword he left behind.”

“Arsen wasn’t killed by me.” Raven shook his head. “And that Bloodline Knight you ran into, I didn’t lure him there. It’s just... I accidentally revealed my power, which caught his attention. So he tried to kill me to ensure the operation’s success. My wife and daughter were already dead, Garen’s entire family too. I had no choice but to flee, but he kept chasing me. I had no way to warn or inform anyone.”

Ion still remembered—the incident had first erupted on the mountaintop, and the fire had also been ignited from above.

This wasn’t exactly the same as Raven’s account, but there weren’t any glaring contradictions or flaws either.

“How did my son die?”

“Are you sure you want to continue this conversation here?” Raven pointed at their surroundings.

By now, the blaze had engulfed the entire house.

Ion didn’t know whether Raven could withstand the burning flames, but he himself definitely had no such immunity.

“Fair point.” Ion nodded. “We really should find another place to talk.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he leapt directly toward the window.

Raven’s expression changed abruptly. He cursed and quickly charged in the direction Ion had escaped, then vaulted through the window himself.

After rolling on the ground, he sprang to his feet and prepared to flee.

His house had become a sea of fire, yet there were no cries for help from neighbors. He knew the area around his home had already been cleared and monitored. Otherwise, in this village, if even one house caught fire, the neighbors would’ve come running to extinguish it. If the blaze spread, it would endanger the entire district.

This was considered a matter of utmost importance, especially for the relatively impoverished residential area.

However, just as Raven stood up, Ion had already rushed forward, swinging his longsword directly at Raven.

Raven clearly anticipated that he wouldn't escape so easily. Upon landing from his leap, he had already devised a countermeasure.

Flames suddenly burst from his body and quickly formed into the shape of a shield.

When Ion's longsword struck the shield, it failed to break through. Instead, the explosive force caused a recoil that sent Ion's sword flying high. Even his own balance was disrupted due to the unexpected force, causing him to stagger backward several steps.

Raven took the opportunity to rise swiftly.

But he didn’t counterattack while Ion was off balance. Instead, he immediately turned and attempted to flee.

He had long gathered information: Ion, Yam, and Akar—this father and sons trio—had established the Bloodline User family "Soderbell". They had pledged allegiance to the lords of White Mountain Territory and Gem Territory, respectively, and were true Bloodline Knights. If he got entangled with them here, he would surely be surrounded by the mercenary group hired to deal with the magical beast in Ruby Village. Raven was certain he wouldn’t be able to escape at that point. It was far better to flee now while the enemy had yet to close in.

However, while Raven’s thinking was correct, Ion wouldn't have dared to appear in front of him without being prepared.

Several ice spikes shot toward him from a distance.

Raven immediately raised his right hand and thrust it forward.

Only a few vague trails of flame were seen in the air before the ice spikes shattered.

But the brief delay allowed Aliman’s longspear to thrust out from the side.

This strike aimed directly for Raven’s vital point.

A trace of viciousness flashed in Raven’s eyes.

He raised his left hand, and more flames surged from his body, rapidly converging into another shield of fire. However, unlike the large shield that had blocked Ion’s earlier attack, this one was much smaller—comparable to a small round shield.

"Careful!"

At that moment, Ion had just regained his balance and looked up to see Aliman’s longspear thrusting toward Raven’s flame shield. Remembering the result of his own attack, he quickly shouted in warning.

But Ion’s warning was evidently too late.

Aliman’s longspear had already pierced the flame round shield.

The next moment, flames erupted violently from the shield’s surface.

The flames, like chains, rapidly coiled up the shaft of the longspear. The entire weapon began to glow red-hot at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Raven suddenly flung his left hand.

The flame round shield immediately scattered into more chains of fire that rushed toward Aliman, trying to bind and incinerate him alive.

Aliman had never seen such a terrifying technique and was momentarily stunned.

At that moment, the shaft of his spear was burned through by the flames. Although the Aliman family were Bloodline Users, Aliman himself had a mercenary background and could not afford a weapon forged entirely of Rare Iron. Only the spearhead of his weapon was Rare Iron; the shaft was made of tough stone steel.

Aliman had hesitated before, but now that even his weapon was gone, he didn’t persist. He released his grip and used the special effect of the Suspended Zone to quickly retreat from Raven.

He had never imagined that the person the Soderbell Family was after could be this terrifying!

The battle arts Raven had just displayed were clearly beyond what an ordinary Bloodline User could wield—they undoubtedly signified noble lineage!

Although Aliman temporarily retreated, he had bought Ion enough time. Before Raven could escape, Ion resumed his assault, swinging his longsword at Raven once more.

Raven turned and countered with a slash.

Flames twined around his sword as it clashed with Ion’s, which burned with a ghostly blue fire. In an instant, a strange suction force erupted.

At that moment, Ion felt the strength of his sword being drained by Raven.

As the flames on his blade diminished, his bloodline power also weakened, as if being suppressed. In contrast, Raven’s aura was growing stronger, exuding an overwhelming force.

"You..." Ion’s face showed surprise.

"Flame Hounds can never defeat Hellhounds!" Raven said coldly. "Hellhounds are the guardians of the Bourbon Family. Flame Hounds are just cannon fodder. Within the Bourbon Family's bloodline, the hierarchy is strictly enforced—those of lower status must obey their superiors. ...Ion, I’ll say it again, let’s work together—like before."

"Do you think that’s possible?" Ion’s face turned red with rage.

"Damn it! Listen carefully, Arsen wasn’t killed by me!" Raven cursed. "He was—"

"Whoosh—!"

A sharp whistle rang out.

Raven suddenly burst forth, breaking free from Ion’s grapple, then swung his sword to intercept the incoming fire arrow.

But this time, the flame erupting from Raven’s longsword wasn’t enough to completely block Akar’s arrow. Due to his carelessness, the fire arrow pierced his right shoulder, creating a bloody hole. The splattered blood fell into the flames surrounding him, making them burn even fiercer.

Raven clutched his wound and quickly scanned his surroundings.

He soon realized that he was surrounded by many enemies—and to his shock, they were all Bloodline Users, not a single ordinary person among them!

"You’ve inherited the Bourbon Family’s legacy?!"

Raven exclaimed in disbelief.

"What are you talking about?!" Ion frowned, his heart finally showing its first sign of panic.

Raven carefully studied Ion’s expression, hoping to glean something useful. But soon, he gave up. He couldn’t discern any clues. That kind of detailed work had always been Garen’s task. Raven was better at disguise and intelligence gathering—just like Ion was better at scouting and tracking.

Each of the three had their own area of expertise.

"Arsen wasn’t killed by me. He was killed by a few green-haired people."

Raven knew that if he didn’t say something now, he might not survive tonight. The Bloodline Users were closing in. Raven, who had a clear grasp of his own strength, knew that his Second-Tier ability couldn’t possibly overcome more than ten Bloodline Users.

Hatch and the others had ended their mission in White Mountain Territory a week ago, returned to Gem Territory, and encountered Akar, who was heading back to Ruby Village. So they had all come together.

Now, thirteen Bloodline Users had gathered here!

Although only four were Second-Tier and the other nine were First-Tier, they were still facing just one Second-Tier Bloodline User.

"Arsen and I argued because he told me he had a wife and couldn’t marry my daughter."

"What did you say?!" Ion was stunned. "Arsen had a wife?"

"Yes!" Raven said solemnly. "Before we discovered the ruins, he had met a woman during a mission. They later had a child together. That’s why he couldn’t marry my daughter. But my daughter told me they had been intimate, which is what led to our argument! ...As for his death, it was Levens who told me—he said Arsen was killed by several green-haired people!"

"I didn’t kill your son, Ion!"

"That day I fled, it was just unfortunate that my escape route overlapped with yours, which is why that Bloodline Knight targeted you—not because I lured him there. ...I admit, after Arsen’s death, I did think about keeping all the ruins' treasures for myself, but everything that happened afterward in Iron Wolf Mountain had nothing to do with me."

"Then what about that Rusty Sword?" Ion said gravely. "Why did Barney tell me that sword held a secret?"

"He wasn’t wrong. That sword is the key," Raven sighed. "I only discovered this after Arsen’s death, when I intensified the excavation of the ruins. Without that sword, there’s only one other way to open the ruins—by finding a true bloodline heir of the Bourbon Family. Only then can the gate to that ruin be opened."