Chapter 541
Sofina’s skin burned as if fire ran beneath it. Heat pooled low in her body, fierce and humiliating, stealing her breath.
What was happening to her?
A terrifying thought slammed into her mind.
Did Count Lorenz drug her?
She looked at Count Lorenz, and without warning a violent urge surged through her -to want him, to crave him, to have sex with him-this middle-aged man who was objectively ugly, yet twisted by her thoughts into a handsome prince.
She understood it then.
Her mind had been compromised.
Sofina tried to stand, forcing her palms against the armrest. Her legs buckled instantly.
They felt weak, useless, like they no longer belonged to her. From the way her body refused to obey, escape was impossible. She was trapped.
Watching her struggle, Count Lorenz smiled.
It was slow. Satisfied.
“Miss Wolfsbane,” he said smoothly, his voice thick with delight. “Everyone in Winchester calls you the most beautiful woman alive. Your reputation is legendary. Truly.” His eyes roamed over her without shame. “I was honored to meet you today p>
He leaned closer, his smile turning ugly.
“No,” he corrected himself softly. “I’m honored that you’re about to become my sex slave p>
With a sudden, brutal motion, he grabbed her clothing and ripped it apart.
“Come on,” he murmured, his grip tightening as he moved to her side and seized her arm. “Stop fighting yourself. Just follow your desire p>
Sofina’s heart slammed wildly in her chest.
“Help she whispered, her voice breaking as the last of her strength slipped away. She knew it. She couldn’t protect herself anymore.
Then-
The entire mansion shook.
A thunderous roar tore through the walls, heavy and violent, like the sky itself had cracked open.
“You bastard-how dare you touch my wife p>
The voice was wrath given sound.
Alex hovered above the mansion, suspended in the air like a god of judgment descending from the sky.
Count Lorenz stiffened.
An invisible force crushed down on him, so heavy his organs screamed. Blood surged up his throat, and he nearly vomited it out. Staggering, he rushed to the window and looked up.
There he was.
Alex.
Count Lorenz threw the window open and laughed, wiping his mouth as if amused. “Marquis Alexander Saint-Claire,” he said, grinning. “I’m already tired of waiting for you p>
Alex shot forward, rage blazing in his eyes.
“You dared to touch my wife p>
But before he could reach him—
A figure burst from the opposite direction.
The ambush struck without warning.
The impact was monstrous. Alex was smashed out of the air like a missile, his body hurled downward. He slammed into the ground below with explosive force, the earth cracking open beneath him in a spiderweb of destruction.
Dust and debris erupted sky-high.
Alex forced himself upright-
And in that instant, another presence appeared behind him.
Steel flashed.
A sword swung toward his back with terrifying speed.
Alex reacted on instinct, drawing on his inner energy, hardening his body to
withstand the blow. Power surged around him like armor—
But the strike was vicious.
Fast.
Razor-sharp.
And unforgiving.
Pain finally caught up with him.
Alex felt his body tearing apart from the inside. For the first time in many years-
after countless battles he was wounded. Truly wounded.
Before he could steady himself, another presence exploded behind him.
A brutal kick slammed into his back.
The impact shattered his protective energy like glass. A sickening crack echoed through the air as both of Alex’s arms snapped. His body was hurled backward, uncontrollable, crashing straight into the mansion behind him.
Stone and steel gave way.
The wall collapsed as his body punched through it, leaving behind a massive, gaping hole.
Alex lay amid the ruins, blood soaking his torn clothes. Every bone screamed. His arms hung uselessly. His legs barely responded.
Still, he forced himself up.
Minutes earlier, an anonymous message had flashed on his communicator.
Sophia is under attack at Count Lorenz’s mansion.
He hadn’t hesitated. He had flown here at full speed, abandoning all caution.
And now-
Alex looked up.
Three elderly figures hovered in the sky above him, gazes cold and amused, watching him like prey trapped in a snare.
It clicked.
This was never about Sophia.
This was a trap.
They had used her to lure him here.
“Who are you?” Alex demanded.
One of the old men stepped forward. He wore no shirt, his body hardened and
corded with muscle, fists clenched like forged iron.
“You don’t need to know who we
are,” the man said coldly. “But you, Marquis Saint-Claire-you should have stayed in whatever hole you were hiding in. Why come back to Prussia just to seek your own death p>
Flames ignited around his fist.
Alex’s eyes narrowed.
Cultivators.
From Xia.
But how could cultivators from Xia cross into Prussian territory?
There was no time to think.
The old man lunged.
The air screamed as he attacked.
Alex drew a deep breath and released everything he had left. Power surged
violently through his body as he threw his strongest punch.
Their fists collided midair.
The shockwave detonated outward like a bomb.
Every window in Count Lorenz’s mansion shattered at once. Glass rained down in glittering shards. Walls split, foundations groaned, and deep cracks raced through the Structure
Before Alex could recover-
Steel flashed behind him.
Another old man appeared out of nowhere, sword thrusting straight toward his
spine.
Alex twisted instinctively, barely avoiding a fatal strike-
Too slow.
A third figure dropped from above.
A heel slammed into Alex’s shoulder with devastating force.
There was no time to evade.
The kick crushed him downward.
Alex was driven into the ground like a meteor, the earth exploding beneath him as a
deep crater formed on impact.
Dust rose. Stone collapsed.
And Alex lay at the center of it-broken, bleeding, and surrounded.
Alex trusted himself in a one-on-one fight. If it came down to that, their strength was
close enough for him to gamble on victory.
But not like this.
The other two were at least on his level as well.
One against three.
The shirtless old man sneered, fists clenched.
“Sword Master,” he barked, clearly irritated. “My fist alone is enough to kill him. Why
did you both jump in p>
“Shut up, Fist King,” the old man with
the sword snapped coldly. “We don’t have all day. LEPIS
Highness paid us
to kill this insect, then we kill him quickly and go back to our harem p>
Before Alex could even draw another breath, the third man struck again.
A savage kick came crashing down on him as he lay on the ground.
Blood burst from Alex’s mouth. A sharp, hollow pain tore through his chest as his
ribs shattered one by one.
“Sword master, cut off his head,” the third man said calmly. “Take it back to His
Highness, and we’re done here p>
The Sword Master stepped forward, blade gleaming.
Alex lay there, soaked in blood.
Every part of him screamed.
Looking at the three figures closing in, he finally understood.
He wasn’t leaving this place alive.
There was no escape. No miracle coming.
He would die here.
Regret flooded him all at once-regret for wasted years, regret for mistakes in his
training, regret that he hadn’t been strong enough to protect Sofina… or himself.
His fingers trembled as he pulled out a hidden elixir pill.
His last resort.
He swallowed it without hesitation.
If he was going to die, then at least one of them would die with him.
At that moment, the Sword Master lunged.
The blade pierced straight into Alex’s chest.
He didn’t dodge.
He couldn’t.
But the instant the sword went in, Alex’s hand shot up. He seized the Sword Master
by the throat, eyes burning with madness, and released everything he had left.
Bones cracked.
The Sword Master screamed in terror.
“Help p>
“You dare!” the Fist King roared. “Insect p>
The Fist King and the man known for his lightning kicks attacked at the same time,
their killing blows already on the way.
Alex knew the truth.
He would die here.
But if fate demanded his life—
Then he would drag at least one of these old monsters down with him, straight into
the afterlife.