The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 211

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 211
That was when a Flame Pillar surged violently from the direction where Cassius stood.
“Father!”
Tiel, startled, bolted toward Cassius, but Olivier caught her by the waist and pulled her back sharply.
“Running won’t get you there any faster!”
As Olivier unleashed his Ability, a wolf formed of wind erupted from beneath their feet.
It was the same Ability Olivier had used during their journey through Luminarie—the Wind Wolf, and it carried both of them forward in a powerful rush.
The others pursued them by various means, but none could match Olivier’s speed.
His light, crisp wind swept like a tempest, depositing them before the Temple in moments.
“Father!”
Tiel’s eyes found Cassius, who was leisurely wielding his Ability with one hand. He turned to face her.
“Tiel? Why have you come back?”
Cassius had watched Tiel, Ferdi, and Iandros escape through the opposite passage.
Until then, afraid the Temple might collapse and harm the children, he’d held back—but now that they were safely away, he was using his full strength.
Yet Tiel had returned. Cassius found it bewildering. He blinked.
“I was worried you might be hurt—!”
But Tiel quickly realized her concern was misplaced.
Alpheus and Cassius had woven their flames into a massive Flame Prison, trapping Rowen inside.
Being a Sacred Leopard, Rowen was terribly sensitive to heat, and inside the Flame Prison, she could barely muster strength—nearly unconscious.
“A sudden column of flame shot up, so I—!”
“Forgive me. I haven’t used this Ability in so long that I couldn’t control my strength properly.”
Cassius spoke in a placating tone. Just then, Alpheus, who had spotted Tiel, ceased his Ability and rushed toward her urgently.
“Tiel! Are you hurt? Are you? Are you all right?”
Alpheus grasped Tiel’s pale, soft cheeks and turned her face back and forth, examining his granddaughter carefully.
“Yes, Grandfather, I’m fine.”
Tiel nodded earnestly. Once Alpheus confirmed she bore no injuries, he pulled her close and exhaled in relief.
“Thank goodness. As long as you’re unharmed, nothing else matters!”
Held in her grandfather’s embrace, Tiel gazed at Rowen. The Sacred Leopard trapped in the Flame Prison looked so small.
‘Like she hasn’t fully grown…….’
But Rowen was the same age as her—it shouldn’t be possible. So why did she look that way?
Watching the unconscious Rowen inside the Flame Prison, Tiel found her thoughts turning to Thender.
Thender cherished his granddaughter Rowen deeply. What would he do if he saw her like this now?
Cassius seemed to share Tiel’s thoughts. He reinforced the Flame Prison and muttered to himself.
“We should confine her somewhere before Thender arrives. If he gets here and loses control, things will get complicated.”
“Thender will…… lose control?”
“Yes. Rowen couldn’t have gained power like this on her own. It must be connected to Je and those strange experiments. And Thender hid Je away in Nestian. That means…….”
“Thender is involved in all of this. Tiel, we should be careful. No one knows what that power truly is. All we know is that it bears a similar quality to the force that once defeated you.”
Alpheus stroked Tiel’s white hair repeatedly as he spoke. She looked up at him directly.
“That power, Grandfather—surely it’s the power of Orpheo, isn’t it?”
“The Evil God Orpheo?”
“Yes. Look at the serpent risen into the sky—it wears the form of the Calamity God Seck. It must be Orpheo’s power. And this place…….”
“Yes. This is where Ryset and Orpheo waged war centuries ago.”
Alpheus nodded. Tiel mirrored the gesture. Je must have found some way to resurrect Orpheo’s power.
Could it be connected to those experiments conducted on the children back then? She’d yet to even see Je, let alone capture him—there was no way to know.
But Tiel understood something instinctively: she alone could stop this power.
‘But not now.’
The strength she possessed now was nowhere near sufficient. Though Ryset had granted her additional power, fully annihilating such a vast force would be impossible.
“For now, we should confine Rowen.”
“Yes, Grandfather! The Emperor is on his way, and other families are gathering here. Once they all arrive, Nestian won’t dare act recklessly.”
Olivier came running up quickly with the news. Alpheus nodded, and Cassius lifted the Flame Prison. Rowen drifted upward, suspended in air.
“There should be a prison beneath this Temple.”
Every Temple held dungeons for the condemned. This newly built Temple would be no exception. Cassius, still holding the unconscious Rowen aloft in her fiery cage, stepped into the Temple.
The Temple stood on the verge of collapse, but when Alpheus used his Ability to seal the cracks with flame, it became sturdy once more.
They descended into the Temple’s basement. Tiel carefully cast light into the darkness below.
The basement was pitch black—barely built and only recently put to use, so there was scarcely a glimmer of light anywhere.
“Ah, found it.”
Cassius pushed open a door in the basement wall. The moment Tiel stepped inside, the brightness stung her eyes, and she shut them tight.
“Ow—!”
“The prisons of Ryset’s Temple are all built from Luminous Stones that gather light. During the day, the ceiling opens to let sunlight pour in. So it should be quite suitable for confining Rowen.”
Alpheus explained. Cassius carefully lowered Rowen to the prison floor and erected Flame Pillars at intervals around her.
Whoosh—click!
Flame Shackles wrapped around Rowen’s ankles. Should she regain consciousness and attempt escape, the flames would ignite, consuming her entirely.
“But something’s strange. It shouldn’t be this dark.”
Cassius murmured. Tiel’s eyes widened as she asked.
“This is dark?”
“Yes. Other Temple dungeons are far brighter than this. Is it because it was only recently built? That shouldn’t be it. This is troubling.”
Cassius muttered. Tiel considered for a moment. It did seem that a brighter space would be necessary to keep Rowen properly contained.
Orpheo was the Master of Darkness, an Evil God who commanded shadow itself. The brighter the space, the weaker his power would become.
After a brief deliberation, Tiel carefully activated her Ability.
A gathering of light formed in her palm, then rose gently into the air.
But this time, unlike usual, no fins appeared—instead, four legs and a tail sprouted forth.
From her head emerged small ears, from her mouth sharp fangs, and from her haunches a long tail…….
It was unmistakably the form of a leopard.
Having shaped a massive leopard from light, Tiel gauged her remaining strength.
The power she’d just received was remarkably potent—maintaining this form hardly taxed her at all. She could sustain this leopard all day without tiring.
“There. Do your part.”
When Tiel stroked the leopard’s neck, the Sacred Leopard of light let out a satisfied purr and settled down beside Rowen.
In an instant, the entire prison blazed with brightness. Tiel’s light reached into every corner—there was no shadow anywhere.
“Tiel, don’t strain yourself. Since Cassius has already used his Ability, yours isn’t necessary.”
“It’s no strain at all, and…… I think it’s better to be thorough. What if Rowen escapes again and something like this happens once more?”
As if agreeing with Tiel’s words, the luminous leopard’s tail swished contentedly. The massive creature pressed itself against Rowen, its front paw pressing firmly across her belly as though it might devour her.
Of course, being formed from Ability, the leopard had no weight—but even so, the unconscious Rowen’s expression crumpled ever so slightly.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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