The Genius Mage Was Reincarnated Into A Swordsman Family

Every eye in the chamber turned skyward as hundreds of ice lances hung suspended like an executioner's blade poised above the entire assembly. The crystalline weapons gleamed with malevolent beauty, each one perfectly formed and radiating cold that made breath visible in rapidly cooling air. Their positioning defied comprehension—rather than targeting the demons or Sabrina exclusively, Klaus had aimed his devastating technique at everyone present.

Fear rippled through the surviving nobles who had abandoned their escape attempts to stare upward in terror. Lord Ashworth's face had drained of all color as he calculated the mathematical impossibility of survival should those weapons fall. Duchess Valmont clutched her ceremonial pearls with trembling fingers, her diplomatic composure shattered by proximity to power that transcended human understanding.

Even those engaged in supernatural combat found themselves questioning Klaus's intentions. Alex studied the ice lances with genuine confusion, his golden aura flickering as he tried to comprehend why his cousin had included him among potential targets. The Beast Emperor's golden eyes tracked the crystalline array with calculating assessment, while Kazimir's phoenix flames dimmed as uncertainty replaced battle fury.

Sabrina observed this development with expression that combined surprise and intrigue. Her crimson gaze shifted between Klaus and the suspended weapons, calculating mind racing through possibilities as she attempted to decode his strategy.

'What's his angle?' she wondered, genuinely puzzled by targeting that included allies alongside enemies. Klaus had demonstrated tactical sophistication throughout their encounter—this seemingly indiscriminate threat suggested purpose she couldn't immediately discern.

{I can feel killing intent aimed at you,} Pride's voice resonated through Alex's consciousness with urgency that demanded immediate attention. The entity's warning carried weight of cosmic perception, recognition of threat that transcended mere physical danger.

Alex's golden eyes fixed on Klaus with dawning comprehension. "What are you doing?" he demanded, his voice carrying harmonics that reflected Pride's influence despite his confusion.

{Don't provoke him,} Pride interjected with sudden intensity. {Tell him exactly what I say to you.} The entity's tone suggested understanding of Klaus's mindset that exceeded Alex's current grasp of the situation.

Alex felt Pride's words flowing through their shared consciousness, cosmic wisdom translated into human language. "Don't be a fool and recognize who is the real threat to this world right now," he stated, repeating Pride's guidance with perfect precision despite not fully comprehending its implications.

Klaus's crystalline eyes narrowed as he studied Alex's transformed state, ice lances trembling with barely contained energy above them. "It won't be long until you also become a threat," he replied, his harmonic voice carrying cold certainty that penetrated every corner of the chamber.

"Trouble in paradise, little ones?" Sabrina called out with delighted excitement, her musical laughter echoing through the tense silence. She hovered above the chaos with expression of pure entertainment, clearly enjoying the discord between potential allies.

Alex's response came through telepathic communication that bypassed normal hearing entirely, his mental voice reaching Klaus with crystalline clarity guided by Pride's knowledge. You don't understand the full scope of what we're facing. Lust has conquered and subjected all demons of the demon realm—she now rules among them like their deity. If she manages to summon stronger demons or increase the limit of their power in this realm, no one in Xyros will be able to stand against her forces.

Klaus's expression shifted slightly, crystalline eyes reflecting consideration of this intelligence. The ice lances above wavered fractionally as he processed implications that exceeded his previous calculations.

And yet you stand there channeling cosmic power through your mortal frame, Klaus responded through their mental link, his telepathic voice carrying bitter irony. When your body becomes fully possessed by Pride, who will be able to stop you? What makes you different from her?

Alex's thoughts turned involuntarily to reports he had studied regarding the Northwatch incident. The sheer scale of destruction, the way Klaus had eliminated an Eternal Rift through power that defied conventional understanding—who on the continent could oppose entity capable of such feats? The mathematical progression was undeniable: if Klaus represented incomplete manifestation of cosmic force, what would full possession achieve?

Yet Alex bristled at the implied comparison. It was Klaus who had been weak enough to let his body be taken over during the Icarus ritual, not him. Alex maintained control over his communion with Pride, directing the entity's power rather than becoming its vessel. He was different—stronger, more disciplined, capable of maintaining autonomy despite cosmic enhancement.

I'm not like either of you, Alex projected with conviction tinged by Pride's confidence. I chose my path willingly and maintain control over it.

So did she, once, Klaus's mental voice carried weight of recovered memory, fragments of recognition that painted disturbing picture. Do you truly believe you're the first to think yourself capable of controlling cosmic force?

The consideration sent chill through Alex's consciousness that had nothing to do with Klaus's atmospheric manipulation. If beings as powerful as Sabrina could be subsumed by their Arkdieu partners, what made him believe his own situation would prove different?

But then another thought intruded—what if Klaus himself represented the greatest threat of all? The raw power he displayed, the memories spanning lifetimes, the casual elimination of continental landmarks—perhaps Klaus's concern about future threats was projection of his own dangerous potential.

Above them, the ice lances pulsed with increasing energy as Klaus's internal struggle reached critical threshold. The crystalline weapons represented not merely tactical advantage but philosophical statement—acknowledgment that sometimes preservation required preemptive elimination of future threats.

You're contemplating murder based on hypothetical futures, Alex projected with growing anger. While ignoring the actual threat standing right in front of us.

Am I? Klaus's response carried weight of accumulated experience. Or am I the only one with perspective to recognize patterns that repeat across multiple incarnations?

Sabrina observed this exchange with calculating intelligence, her crimson eyes tracking the subtle energy fluctuations that indicated telepathic communication. Whatever passed between the cousins clearly involved strategic considerations that transcended immediate circumstances.

Recognizing opportunity amid confusion, she sent mental command to her summoned demons with swift precision. The creatures had outlived their usefulness—Alex's pure Arcane energy had rendered them unable to attack their primary targets, while Klaus's display suggested capabilities that exceeded her initial calculations.

Self-destruction, she ordered with ruthless efficiency. Maximum damage to all present.

The four demons received their Priestess's command with aristocratic acceptance, elegant features showing no emotion as they prepared for final service. Their forms began to glow with internal energy that suggested imminent detonation, supernatural essence gathering for explosive release that would transform their elegant bodies into weapons of mass destruction.

The chamber's temperature spiked as demonic energy reached critical mass. Runic reinforcements along the walls began failing entirely, their protective matrices overwhelmed by power concentrations that exceeded design parameters. Marble columns cracked audibly as structural integrity approached complete failure.

Klaus sensed the building energy with supernatural perception, his crystalline eyes tracking multiple threat vectors simultaneously. The ice lances above trembled with his internal conflict—strike now against potential future threats, or redirect toward immediate danger from suicidal demons?

Alex felt Pride's urgent communication flooding their shared consciousness as cosmic entity recognized catastrophic potential in converging forces. Golden energy flared around his form as divine enhancement reached levels that strained his mortal frame's capacity to contain transcendent power.

Sabrina's laughter reached crescendo of malevolent joy as her final gambit approached execution. Whatever survived the next few moments would face her with significantly reduced numbers and resources, creating tactical advantage that could prove decisive.

The chamber held its breath as three sources of overwhelming power prepared for simultaneous release—Klaus's suspended judgment, the demons' suicidal detonation, and whatever response Alex's Pride-enhanced state might generate. The convergence represented forces sufficient to reshape not merely the ballroom but significant portion of the estate itself.

In that moment of suspended potential, every conscious being recognized they stood at epicenter of event that would echo through continental history. The next few seconds would determine not merely who survived, but what form their survival might take in world where gods walked among mortals and cosmic forces played chess with human lives as pieces.

The ice lances began their descent.