Everyone gathered in Rasmus' room and they heard about Rasmus' plan to abandon West Neva. Rasmus explained the reason behind his decision to abandon the continent, but he didn't force anyone to follow him, he never was. Carrion, Erlina, and Aider didn't have a reason to not follow him. Daryus on the other hand, he didn't want to accept that he had to abandon people when they could be saved.

Videl hadn't said a single word ever since he was brought into the room. His gaze was cold, the same coldness that led Rasmus to experience what it felt like to be tortured in hell. He was suspicious not just toward Rasmus but toward Aris and Serena because he could feel something was off about them ever since they left the Walloce Trench.

"The world is still recovering, Daryus. We have no chance of winning on our own," Serena looked at Daryus, feeling what he felt.

"I know, but are we really just abandon them without giving them a warning?" Daryus looked at Rasmus.

"The Westerners believe they're superior to anyone from other continents and you know that already. You want them to abandon this continent that they believe to be a sacred land when their whole lives and ideals have been nothing but to believe that?" Rasmus asked and stared back at Daryus. "They would rather die than abandon this land, but if you want to convince them, then go ahead. We have three days before we leave because the Blackhands are still on their way here. You can use that time to convince them," he suggested.

Daryus looked at Erlina, Carrion, and Serena, he knew that those three had no reason to stay or to be against Rasmus' decision. However, the three of them nodded their heads, telling him that they would help him. He was relieved that even though they agreed with Rasmus, they didn't believe that they couldn't change the people's minds.

"Then, we will take our leave now," Serena looked at Rasmus.

Rasmus watched everyone leave the room, leaving only Aris and Videl. Serena looked over her shoulder at the door as she walked down the hallway. She knew that Videl was against it, and she could sense the brewing demonic energy in that room. Rasmus glanced at Videl after everyone had gone far enough from the room, staring into his eyes without saying a word. When he saw Videl take a step forward, he knew what was coming.

Videl charged at Rasmus, grabbing Rasmus' neck with such force filled with anger. He pushed Rasmus onto the wall before he used his other hand to grab Rasmus' face, slamming it against the thick and sturdy marble wall. The impact was enough to make the whole palace feel the vibration. Videl glanced at Aris, expecting her to stop him, but she didn't, she just stood there staring at them with her arms crossed.

"(Not reacting, huh? So she wasn't a part of his scheme? Or because she's pretending...)" Videl thought as his hand tried to crush Rasmus' face.

Rasmus grabbed Videl's wrist, using his pure strength that was enough to make a cracking sound coming from Videl's wrist. Videl's wrist was locked, loosening his grip on Rasmus' face until slowly but surely Rasmus pushed Videl's hand away from his face. Videl knew that Rasmus had dragon scales inside his body, enhancing and amplifying his both strength and resistance, but he didn't expect that Rasmus' pure strength was greater than his.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rasmus raised his brows before he kicked Videl in the chest and sent him flying to the other side of the room, hitting the marble wall until the wall cracked and Videl's body stuck in the cracks. "Can't you use words first?" He asked as he rubbed his neck, still feeling the phantom of Videl's hand on it.

Videl pushed himself off the wall with a grin on his face and slowly walked toward Rasmus with a desire to make Rasmus submit to him. However, that was when Aris stood in the middle and looked at him with a cold gaze. Videl then raised his hands with a smirk on his face, knowing how powerful she had become, especially when she made him realize that he was no match for her yet.

"Words? You have been using your mouth more than your sword and your magic. All you can do is talk, and that's it. How pathetic," Videl scoffed as he glared at Rasmus with killing intent. "Might as well become a whore and make good use of that mouth," he grinned with a mockery.

"And look where we are now. You were as pathetic as I was when we came here. You have been doing nothing but being useless most of the time, I fed you like a helpess infant," Rasmus raised his brows. "I have been doing nothing but to get you stronger. It feels like you have some schemes against us," he pointed out, his expression turned colder, his heterochromatic eyes stared into Videl's blood red eyes.

Videl's grin widened when Rasmus suddenly accused him and then the grin turned into laughter.

"Scheme? Are you so full of yourself that you think this is about scheme against you?" Videl asked with a clenched jaw. "Isn't this because of your fucking decision to let the cult to do whatever they wanted? If you didn't let them summon those angels, Satan wouldn't even have an opportunity to use this to her advantage!" He was seething in rage, and he was so close to snapping and would turn this whole continent into a sea of flames.

"Why are you mad at me when you were there when I let them free. You could have killed them, you could have erased them. But you didn't, why? If you think you were in charge, why you listened to me?" Rasmus asked back as he slowly walked toward Videl. "Because you knew, you were useless without me. On the other hand? You have done nothing for me, and I could survive even without you here," he pointed out with a smirk formed on his lips.

At that moment Videl realized something that he didn't want to admit , and that was the fact that Rasmus had attained independence. He realized that he was no longer needed like how Rasmus had needed him before because Rasmus had everyone on his side. The world didn't treat Rasmus like a tyrant or even an enemy to get rid of, he had become both a savior and someone necessary in this kind of world. That was when Videl felt he was being abandoned and that he was on his own. He also realized that this whole time Rasmus had been slowly loosening the tie between him and Videl, making Videl's presence unimportant and insignificant.

"You'll regret this... you'll regret of making me your enemy," Videl grinned widely as he snapped his fingers and opened a portal behind him. "I know you well enough, and from this moment onward, I'll make sure you'll lose everything you have..." He chuckled as he took a few steps back until he entered the portal and disappeared.

The room became silent the moment the portal disappeared, leaving Aris and Rasmus alone. Aris slowly turned around to look at Rasmus, observing his expression and reaction, but he showed none.

"You wanted this?" Aris asked.

"A part of it," Rasmus answered as he nodded.

Aris hummed and slowly walked back to the couch she was sitting on.

At the same time, a portal appeared in the sky and Videl came out of it. He looked down at the whole West Neva continent below him. His eyes began to glow red and his back began to deform until a pair of wings ripped apart his back and his clothes. Horns appeared from his forehead and around his head, making them look like a crown. He then stretched his wings until they grew wider and wider that it blocked the sunlight and made the people look up.

Videl spread his wings as wide as he could that they looked like two giant pieces of clothing floating beyond the clouds. He released his demonic energy like how his shadow covered the land below him. That was when suddenly the whole continent began to tremble, and the people looked down on the ground when they noticed black substance to come out from the cracks of their floors, the paved streets, and even the soil.

They panicked when they realized it was the same thing that had been terrorizing the whole continent. However, this time the substance was aggresive and attached themselves onto any living beings. It was so invasive that most of the people couldn't avoid or dodge them. In just a matter of seconds, thousands then hundreds of thousands of people got affected by corruption without any warning or showing any mercy.

Serena who felt the sudden surge of corruption energy from underneath, she had created a barrier that protected the whole city from it. She then looked at the sky, feeling a familiar feeling that she didn't want to remember.

"You finally showed your true color..." Serena furrowed her brows and looked at Videl and his massive wings flowing beyond the clouds.