The Xoppica Clan stands as one of the Five Great Clans of the Atheliya Empire. Renowned for their unparalleled mastery of toxins, they are the functional equivalent of the Poison Sects found in the Demonic Factions of the Murim world. The Xoppica Clan, like the other Great Clans, is extraordinary. They utilize poison for everything: body reinforcement, physical strengthening, creating potent antidotes, and enhancing poison resistance. They craft lethal tools of war—poisonous weapons, toxic gauntlets, and deadly artifacts. However, what makes them truly terrifying is their Poison Arts. By merging their bodies with toxins, they create a constitution capable of housing various lethal poisons; for a Xoppica warrior, a mere touch is often enough to kill anyone.
During the unification of the Atheliya Empire, the Xoppica Clan played a crucial role. Their warriors slaughtered anyone who stood in their way. Historical records state that while merging the borders of the empire, countless clans, knights, and warriors perished at their hands. By spreading poisonous fog across the battlefield, they killed thousands; the mist was so vicious it melted the flesh and bones of their enemies, turning the entire battlefield into a slurry of human remains. Yet, there was one specific incident that spread fear across the continent and etched the Xoppica name into history.
In war, the defeated lose everything; men are killed, and women are enslaved. During the unification, there was one clan the Xoppica could not easily beat: the Narak Clan. To destroy them, the Xoppica used a method no one could have imagined and thought. The Narak Clan had destroyed a village and slaughtered everyone, sparing only the women to use as tools of pleasure. When the Xoppica Clan received news of this, they infiltrated the captured village—not to fight, but to secretly poison every woman held captive there, turning their bodies into living, lethal traps.
That night, the Narak warriors and their Patriarch, drunk on victory and achievement, committed heinous acts of sexual violence against the villagers. The warriors and higher-ups enjoyed a night full of carnal pleasure, never suspecting it was their last night of enjoyment. When the sun rose at dawn, the scene was gruesome. Whoever had been involved in the heinous act—including the Narak Patriarch—was found dead on the ground. Their bodies were twisted into unnatural shapes, their skin turned black like rotting vegetables, with contorted bones and dark blood oozing from every pore. It was the most gruesome sight of the era. The news spread worldwide that an entire clan had been destroyed in a single night. The revelation that the Xoppica Clan had used the women as living toxic vessels to erase the Narak Clan was a shock to the world. From that day on, no one dared to oppose them.
Through such ruthless methods, many clans and great families perished at their hands.
And right now, the Patriarch of that very clan was standing before Aeon.
Cato Xoppica. The current Patriarch, known to the world as The Last Poison.
Cato is a genius among geniuses in the entire history of the Xoppica Clan. Possessing a clever and sharp mind, he created 72 types of vicious new poisons—a feat no one else in the clan's history had achieved. His 72 creations far outmatched the clan's traditional toxins. Using the Xoppica Clan's secret arts, he merged all 72 poisons into his own body, creating a constitution immune to any kind of toxicity. He became the greatest Poison Master in history. To prove his achievement to the clan, he ventured alone into the Barbarian Forest, the lair of a monster that even Grandmasters struggled to defeat: a humongous snake whose venom could render land barren for generations, the giant predator known as the "Baraboon."
Cato fought the monster alone and killed it. He brought the head of the Baraboon back with him, shocking the entire continent. The Xoppica Clan was stunned by his achievement. To celebrate, they hosted a grand banquet, inviting members of the Five Great Clans, many noble houses, and even the Empress. In the grand banquet hall, Cato did the something unthinkable: he filled a massive drum with the Baraboon's raw poison and drank the entire vessel in front of everyone.
But what was most surprising was that the Baraboon poison had absolutely no effect on Cato's body. With this immense act, Cato became the most fearsome man in the Atheliya Empire. This is the reason for his title, "The Last Poison"—because there will never be anyone in the Xoppica Clan's future generations who can surpass Cato Xoppica.
Even the white coat he wears is tailored from the scales of the Baraboon. The coat is so poisonous that not even the Xoppica Clan's elders or warriors can handle it; anyone else who tries to wear it dies in the most agonizing pain possible. Yet, Cato wears it every day, displaying his immense power and absolute authority to everyone.
Cato walked toward them and took a seat beside Zennid, positioning himself directly across from Elizabeth, Itzayana, and Kayle.
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly; Cato's very presence exerted a crushing pressure. Cato, Zennid, and Elizabeth—all three stood at the absolute peak of their respective powers. Their combined auras were so intimidating that Itzayana began to suffer heart palpitations, a cold drop of sweat rolling down her forehead.
Elizabeth's displeasure was writ large upon her face. With a glaring look in her eyes, she broke the silence.
"So, you were busy in a meeting with the Patriarch of the Xoppica Clan, Zennid," Elizabeth stated coldly.
"Oh, that hurts. I am the Patriarch of the Xoppica Clan now, not just 'Cato' anymore," Cato said with a faint, mocking smile.
"You're the Patriarch of the Xoppica Clan," Elizabeth repeated flatly.
"Ah, it hurts me so much. This is no way to greet an old friend," Cato sighed dramatically.
Hearing Cato call himself Elizabeth's friend, Itzayana was surprised and turned to look at the Headmaster.
"You are not my friend," Elizabeth spat in vexation, her face a mask of fury.
"Are you still angry at me about the past? Let bygones be bygones, Elizabeth," Cato said smilingly.
Hearing his words, Elizabeth's eyes turned red. It looked like Cato had struck a nerve he shouldn't have touched.
Understanding the volatile atmosphere, Zennid intervened. "Please, stop it, both of you. Elizabeth, stop releasing that much pressure; the kids beside you can't handle it. And you, Cato, shut up," Zennid commanded in an authoritative manner.
Elizabeth regained her composure and turned her eyes away. "I am sorry for what happened just now. Are you two okay?" she asked the others.
"I thought I wouldn't be able to breathe," Itzayana gasped, wiping her sweat.
"Kayle, are you okay?" Elizabeth asked.
"I am fine, Headmaster," Kayle said, breathing heavily.
"Well, I wasn't the one who started it," Cato remarked.
Zennid turned to Elizabeth. "As you can see, Cato is here. We had something to discuss, which is why I couldn't come to welcome you personally."
"If it's something that required a Clan Head to attend personally, it must be something that can't be revealed to just anyone," Elizabeth deduced.
"Yeah, thank you for understanding," Zennid said.
"It's not like we can't tell Elizabeth about it," Cato said, a blissful smile on his face.
"Cato, what are you talking about?" Zennid warned.
"Oh, come on, Zennid. It is just as I said. The world will know sooner or later, so why don't we tell her about it in advance?" Cato shrugged. "We were discussing a marriage between my son, Damian, and Ines."
The room fell silent. Everyone was surprised and shocked; Elizabeth's eyes widened in disbelief, while Kayle was equally stunned.
"What do you mean by a marriage between his son, Damian, and your daughter, Ines?" Elizabeth asked Zennid.
"It is just a proposal, Elizabeth," Zennid said quietly.
"What do you mean by a proposal? Are you seriously planning to marry Ines to his son? Does Ines even know about this? She is in critical condition right now! Rather than solving her issue, you are talking about her marriage?" Elizabeth demanded.
"I can cure Ines," Cato said, confidence ringing in his voice.
Elizabeth turned to Cato, hearing his confident answer. "What do you mean by curing her? Do you even know what is happening to her?"
"Isn't it an ancient curse?" Cato replied calmly.
Elizabeth got surprised."How do you know that it's an ancient curse, when even Zennid didn't know until I told him?" Elizabeth demanded.
"Zennid also contacted me a while back, so I searched into it and found out that it's an ancient curse," Cato replied smoothly.
"So, curing Ines is your condition to marry your son to her?" Elizabeth concluded.
"You are free to think whatever you want," Cato shrugged.
"Hmph, sorry to break your belief, but we can also cure Ines. So I advise you to shut your mouth and leave," Elizabeth sneered.
"It's been so long since I saw that confidence in your eyes, Elizabeth. After what happened thirty years ago, it's the first time I am seeing you this confident," Cato taunted.
Hearing Cato's words, Elizabeth couldn't control herself this time. She raised her hand, created an Ice Spear, and launched it straight at Cato's face.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
A sound of a massive bang echoed in the mansion. The whole building trembled as if an earthquake had just occurred.
Inside the hall, a cloud of dust filled the air. As the dust slowly cleared, the view came to light. Zennid Fiera was standing between Cato and Elizabeth. With his right hand, he had caught the Ice Spear, and with his left hand, he stopped Cato from releasing his poison.
On the other side, Itzayana had made a big mana shield covering both her and Kayle.
CRACK.
The mana shield that Itzayana created cracked down and shattered.
Zennid, with a furious look in his eyes, spoke. "I remember telling both of you to shut up. This is not a battleground but my house. Elizabeth, I won't tolerate this again. And you, Cato, shut your mouth. Otherwise, I'll break it."
Elizabeth turned away. "I can save my student, so you stay out of it. And don't dare to utter a single word from that venomous mouth of yours, you snake."
Then.
BAM.
The door of the hall opened with a bang, and several people came running in. They were the warriors of the Xoppica Clan that Aeon had seen in the city. Among them was Tryphaina Xoppica, the woman with twin-colored eyes just like Aeon. They all stood before Elizabeth, Kayle, and Itzayana, holding their daggers and small kunais, pointing them towards the group.
Zennid, who was already furious because of Elizabeth and Cato, now exploded. "Am I really seeing this nonsense in my own house?!" he shouted.
Waves of aura released from him, piercing the environment like blades. All the Xoppica Clan warriors, including Tryphaina, had a hard time standing on the ground. They were all pushed back. Tryphaina was giving her all to stand before Zennid Fiera; she tried to hold her ground but couldn't do anything. Zennid was furious, his eyes shining white, the surroundings getting chopped up by his piercing aura.
Then, Cato raised his hand and released a poisonous aura, blocking Zennid's pressure.
Zennid looked at Cato, and Cato smiled at him. "You shouldn't bully juniors like this, Zennid," he said softly.
"They dared to barge into my house like this. What do you expect me to do, welcome them with flowers?" Zennid retorted.
"And you punished them for it. Look at them; they can't even stand on the ground. They did that because they thought something must have happened to me. I apologize on their behalf," Cato said.
Just then, Ines and Ren came running into the hall. Before their eyes were the Xoppica Clan warriors who were barely holding themselves on the ground. Ines ran towards Kayle. She was panicking, sweat droplets rolling down her face. She had woken up after hearing the sound of Elizabeth and Cato's clash and came running to the main hall.
She held Kayle's hand. "Senior, what happened? I heard an explosive sound," she asked breathlessy.
"Nothing happened, Ines," Zennid said quickly.
"What do you mean by nothing happened? What's that spear in your hand, and why are the Xoppica Clan warriors on the ground?"
Ines asked in one breath, panting heavily.
Zennid looked at his hand; he was still holding the Ice Spear. He threw the spear outside of the house.
"Ines, you should rest. You are not in a condition to walk right now," Kayle said.
"No, I am .....fine. It's just that I came running, so..... I was out of breath," Ines claimed.
Kayle realized that it wasn't because Ines was out of breath, but her body could no longer handle the curse.
"I had just temporarily blocked her connection with Bellatora. This is a sign that the curse is taking over her body again. We need to hurry,"
Aeon thought.
Ines pressed her chest tightly, sweat rolling down continuously. Her complexion changed gradually, then suddenly, Ines fainted. Seeing Ines faint like this, Aeon quickly caught her in his arms and stood up.
Zennid and Elizabeth both panicked.
"Ines! What happened to her?" Zennid cried out.
"Kayle, what happened to her? She was fine when you brought her with you," Ren asked.
"We need to start now. We can't waste any more time, Headmaster," Kayle said urgently.
"You mean removing the curse from her body?" Itzayana asked.
"We don't have time. Ines's condition is not looking good, so please let us begin," Kayle said.
Understanding the serious expression on Kayle's face, Zennid nodded. "Please, come with me."
Zennid ran outside, and Kayle and the others followed him from behind. Zennid took them all towards the three-story building on the right side.
"Come here. When Elizabeth contacted me a few days ago, I prepared everything she told me," Zennid said.
They all went up to the third floor. He opened the door. Inside the room was a magic circle made from red, violet, and green colors, with something written in the center in rune language. Kayle put Ines on the right side of the circle, took off his jacket, and lay next to Ines.
Zennid, Elizabeth, Cato, Ren, Itzayana, and Tryphaina were all present in the hall.
"Professor Itzayana, please begin," Kayle said.
"...Okay, but please don't die," Itzayana whispered.
"Ren, tell every warrior to guard the mansion inside and out. I don't want anyone to disturb them," Zennid ordered.
"Yes, Father," Ren said.
Aeon, lying next to Ines, thought, "It has finally begun. My plan to save Ines. This is something dangerous that no one would do in their life."
He continued, "I planned to transfer the curse. Transferring the curse is not something easy. Itzayana has to connect both me and Ines mentally. When our consciousness becomes one, then she can transfer the curse into my body. Ines's curse has connected her with Bellatora; that's why I temporarily blocked their connection, but with her fainting like this, it can't be blocked any longer. I hope that Itzayana correctly completes the curse transfer. If the slightest mistake is made, it will cost Ines dearly. It will be a fight against time. When Itzayana connects me with Ines's consciousness, I'll have to forcefully remove the curse and take it back with me. When the curse is put into my body, I'll get rid of it."
"Everyone, please back off," Itzayana said.
Then Itzayana entered the circle. She sat between Ines and Kayle and started chanting ancient spells. Suddenly, red, violet, and green flames erupted within the circle.
Itzayana continued chanting the spells. As she chanted, the flames simultaneously got bigger and bigger. Inside the circle, both Aeon and Ines lay quietly. Itzayana raised her hands and placed them on Ines and Kayle's chests, then she pressed them down.
Inside Aeon's consciousness, he found himself in a dark place. All around him was darkness and more darkness.
"She did it. I am in Ines's consciousness right now. This darkness shows that the curse has taken root deep within Ines's body. I'll need to find her quickly," Aeon said.
Aeon closed his eyes. He stood calmly, breathing slowly. He was focused and concentrated.
After a few seconds, the dark ground beneath Aeon started trembling. The darkness shook and shook, then massive waves began exploding.
Aeon opened his eyes; his twin-colored eyes turned pitch black, including his iris and retina.
Then the massive waves before Aeon turned into big black chains, and those chains attacked him.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM.
The sound of explosions quieted down. The black chains that attacked Aeon were trembling.
On the ground was a melted sphere where Aeon was standing. The sphere dissolved, and from inside, Aeon came out totally unscratched.
"Surprised, aren't you? My primary attributes are Dark and Light. Which means I am invincible in darkness and light. Well, I don't have time to chat with you, so move from my way," Aeon said.
Then he raised his fist and hit the ground.
BOOOOOOOOOOM.
A massive bang explosion occurred, and the ground broke apart. Aeon fell from above, reaching the ground below. When he landed, the scenery was different. He was standing on plain ground, and before him stood creatures made of darkness holding weapons in their hands.
"Yeah, give me a brutal battle, you damn curse! It's been so long since I have had a proper fight. So entertain me more! Hahahahahaha!" Aeon laughed like a maniac.
He ran towards those creatures. As he took steps, a dark substance started covering his legs from his feet, suddenly turning into boots. Aeon jumped and kicked those creatures.
THUD.
From the force of his kick, a creature went flying into the wall and got stuck on it.
He ran to them and threw many punches at once.
BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM.
Then he grabbed the legs of two creatures and jumped. From above, he spun both of them and then threw them onto the ground.
BAM.
The ground broke again, and Aeon fell further down.
Aeon landed heavily on the ground. The scenery had shifted instantly, transforming into a jagged mountain range. He stood at the very corner of a precipice; one step backward would send him plummeting into the abyss. However, this landscape was hauntingly familiar to Aeon.
Before him stood a stone table. The stone was drenched in fresh blood, and red droplets were rolling down like water from an unseen ceiling. Aeon looked at the stone table in shock, recognizing a memory he had buried deep inside his heart.
"Hahaha." Aeon laughed, but it was a dry, hollow sound. A flicker of pure anger contorted his face.
"This damn curse," Aeon hissed, his face a mask of vexation. "It knows that it can't stop me, so now you are invading my mind and bringing up the worst memories of my past."
Then, a woman, her hairs were brown with black eyes, came walking out of the mist toward the stone table. In her hand, she was holding a boy—a child around nine or ten years old. She stopped before the blood-soaked stone. As she saw the table, tears started streaming down from her eyes. She held the boy close and hugged him tightly. Seeing the woman cry, the boy started crying as well.
Aeon watched quietly as they wept, frozen by the memory. The woman took the boy and placed his head gently on the stone table.
Then, she grabbed a heavy rock lying beside it and stood over the boy.
She raised her hands high and brought the rock down.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
She crushed the boy's head. The blood flowed from the stone table, cascading down to Aeon's feet. It collected beneath him,
covering the ground entirely in crimson. Aeon just looked at the scene quietly, unable to look away.
The woman who had just killed the boy slowly turned her gaze to Aeon. They looked at each other, not saying a word. Then, gripping the bloodied stone in her hands, she ran toward him..
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
She shouted a scream of pure madness as she charged. As she got close to him, she threw the stone aside and grabbed Aeon by his shirt collar, shaking him.
Aeon just stood quietly, not saying a word.
Then the woman broke the silence. "Why? Why didn't you stop me?" she shouted.
"Why did you just look at me as I crushed Heleo's head? Why? Tell me why, Mateo!" she cried out.
"You lied to me! You lied to Heleo! You lied to every one of us, Mateo!" she sobbed.
"We should have never believed you," she said, turning her gaze piercingly into Aeon's.
Her eyes were red—red and full of furiousness and hatred directed solely at him. Aeon just stood quietly, accepting her rage.
"You can't save anyone. You think you're a hero? You think you know everything? You think your plans are unbeatable? Then why didn't your plan work that time? Tell me! Why, Mateo?" she asked..
At last, Aeon broke his silence. "It wasn't my choice, Melria," Aeon said, his voice barely a whisper..
"What did you say?" Melria hissed.
"It was you who chose this. It was you who did this to Heleo," Aeon said, his voice low and filled with guilt. "I admit that I was late... but in the end, it was your choice. The truth was always before your eyes, Melria, but you chose not to believe it."
"Hahahahaha!" Melria laughed maniacally.
"Don't want to admit your fault, and now you're blaming me? You hypocrite! You liar! You bastard! You are nothing! You can't save anyone!"
Her face twisted into a cruel sneer. "This girl, Ines... she will also die like this, and you will watch her die just as you watched us."
Just then, Aeon's hand shot out and grabbed the neck of Melria.
"Ahh... hahaha... want to kill me? Truth is always painful," Melria laughed, choking.
Aeon lifted his head. Guilt, sorrow, and deep sadness were masked on his face.
"Yeah, the truth is always painful. The painful truth that I couldn't stop you. The painful truth that I couldn't save you and Heleo. It hurts me so much that I wanted to bury my heart... but I couldn't do it. That's why I buried these memories deep inside me," Aeon said, his voice trembling..
"That's why I swore to myself that I won't let anything like that happen to anyone else that happened to you and Heleo," Aeon said, and he choked her neck tighter.
"You... c-can not... sa-ve... her," Melria gasped.
Aeon didn't answer her this time.
SNAP.
He broke the neck of Melria.
As he broke her neck, the ground started shaking violently. Aeon stood quietly, and he clenched his fist tightly until his nails dug into his palms..
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He roared, releasing his agony.
Then.
BAAAAM!
Aeon punched the ground and shattered the illusion. With this, he fell further into the void.
As he fell, hands reached out from the darkness to stop him. They grabbed Aeon, trying to hold him back.
"This is enough," Aeon said.
He grabbed one of the hands. As he grabbed it, the hand transformed into a long hammer—a dark, heavy war hammer. Aeon swung the hammer and freed himself. He started rolling the hammer in mid-air, swinging it faster and faster, and then he threw it downward.
With that, the world shattered.
BAAAAM!
BAAAAM!
BAAAAM!
BAAAAM!
BAAAAM!
The sound of the ground shattering echoed repeatedly as Aeon fell deeper and deeper into the abyss..
After a few seconds, Aeon reached the ground.
He looked up. Before him was the estate of the Fiera Clan. But it was twisted; the entire estate was filled with darkness.
Aeon stood at the center of the Fiera Clan estate. He searched around him, scanning the darkness. Then, he saw her.
Ines.
Ines was bound by thick cords of curse energy. Her hands and legs were tied, and a black root was growing out from her mouth, silencing her. She was on the rooftop of the main mansion.
And behind her was a big eye. An eye that was looking down at Aeon from the sky. It filled up the whole sky, staring with malice..
It was the main body of the curse.