Chapter 16: I Am Dead!

The one hard thing about having enormous Sentinel power at an early age was learning how to balance it.

And Evan, who had possessed an overwhelming amount of Sentinel power since a young age, had always been different from other Sentinels. By the time he reached twenty-one, his power had grown to a level far beyond what his body could easily contain.

At first, he could still control it.

But as his Sentinel power continued to grow, keeping it balanced became increasingly difficult. His energy would sometimes surge without warning, swirling violently inside his body and pushing against the control he had spent years building.

And once that control broke...

Rampage was inevitable.

The officiant continued with the ceremony, his voice echoing throughout the grand hall as he explained the meaning of the Fated Bond and the steps they were about to complete.

But Evan couldn’t hear any of it anymore.

The words had already faded into the background, drowned out by the violent swirling of Sentinel energy inside his body. His fingers remained near his collar as he tried to regulate his breathing, but the pressure in his chest only continued to build.

He slowly turned his head again, his eyes scanning the hall, searching for an explanation.

Meanwhile, at the corner of the grand hall, Lumi remained standing quietly where Esther had told her to stay.

She didn’t dare move any closer to the platform, especially with her entire family watching her.

"You’re probably Celestine, right?"

Suddenly, a man approached her.

Lumi looked up in surprise as he stopped beside her.

The man gave her a small smile before continuing, "I’m Leon... Evan’s bro—"

He paused as his eyes briefly shifted toward the stage before he continued with a slight bob of his head, "Brother."

Lumi stared at him.

’Evan’s brother?’

She had never seen him before, or perhaps that was simply because she had never cared about any of this. She had always stayed out of the spotlight and knew very little about the people surrounding the Caesar family.

Still, there was something about his appearance that made it obvious they were related.

Before Lumi could respond, Leon glanced toward the stage.

His eyes suddenly furrowed, his expression becoming alert. "There is something wrong..."

"Something... wrong?" Lumi asked, tilting her head slightly as she gazed toward the stage.

"His Sentinel power is too overwhelming..." Leon said.

He suddenly turned around cautiously, his eyes scanning the people surrounding them. He carefully looked around the hall, checking whether there was anything suspicious that could have triggered Evan’s Sentinel power.

After finding nothing unusual, Leon raised his hand toward the security personnel stationed at the entrance.

One of the guards immediately noticed his signal and approached.

"Keep the entrance secured. Don’t let anyone leave or enter without checking them first."

"Yes, Young Master."

Leon nodded before turning his attention back toward the stage.

Lumi followed his gaze.

Evan was still standing there, but his posture had become noticeably tense. His hand remained near his collar, and his breathing seemed heavier than before.

For some reason, Lumi’s chest suddenly tightened because she had felt this same overwhelming pressure before.

That same feeling she had experienced when she was standing on the rooftop, watching those strange yellowish eyes staring back at her.

’Ah... don’t tell me... he’s going to go gorilla mode again...’

She muttered the words inside her head before letting out a small, panicked sigh.

But at that exact moment, Evan’s eyes suddenly snapped toward Celestine. His body moved before he could even think about it.

He reached out and grabbed her wrist tightly. "Hurry..." His voice came out rough, almost breathless. "Help... me..."

Evan’s gaze remained fixed on her. For some reason, the voice he had just heard felt strangely familiar.

He half believed he had heard it before, and it carried the same faint feeling that had lingered in his mind after his Rampage a week ago.

A voice... or perhaps a thought.

Something he had never been able to remember clearly after waking up. His brows furrowed as he tried to grasp the fading memory.

But the violent Sentinel energy inside him suddenly surged again, drowning out the thought before he could find the answer.

"Aaaaa!"

Celestine’s scream filled the hall when Evan’s grip on her wrist tightened far beyond what she could handle.

In that instant, everyone in the grand hall went on full alert.

"Move! Guides!"

Several Guides immediately rushed toward the platform, while the Sentinel guards surrounding the hall quickly moved into position.

"Young Master Caesar is entering Rampage!"

The moment those words were shouted, the entire atmosphere of the grand hall changed.

The guests began retreating from the platform, while the Guides prepared themselves to enter Evan’s mental space and stabilize his overwhelming Sentinel energy.

"You—you are Evan’s Fated Guide! Do it! Enter his mental space!" Alexandra shouted at Celestine, who was already in tears on the stage.

Celestine couldn’t even reply when Evan’s other hand suddenly wrapped around her neck, easily lifting her from the stage.

"Celestine!" Esther screamed in fear. Tears were already streaming down her face as she stood frozen, completely unsure of what to do. "Felix... our daughter..."

Then she turned around anxiously, looking for help or anything. Her eyes suddenly met Lumi’s from the corner of the hall.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Esther’s tearful expression suddenly changed. She stared at Lumi as if she had just remembered something.

"Lumi..." she whispered.

"Help..." The word was only mouthed by her lips.

But Lumi stood there unmoved.

"Please... help..." Esther called for her again.

Lumi could read her lips clearly. She took one step forward, but someone suddenly stopped her.

Leon gently held onto her arms. "Even the senior Guides couldn’t stop him. It would be better for you to stay back."

Lumi blinked at him.

Before she could say anything, Leon suddenly released her and jumped forward, heading straight toward the stage.

"Leon!" Alexandra’s voice followed him, but he didn’t stop.

In the blink of an eye, Leon landed on the stage and immediately grabbed Evan’s arm.

"Evan! Let her go!"

Evan’s head slowly turned toward him, his eyes already losing their usual hazel colour.

"Wake up!" Leon’s expression tightened as he tried to pry Evan’s fingers away from Celestine’s neck.

But Evan’s grip didn’t loosen.

Leon gritted his teeth and pulled harder, trying to free Celestine from his grasp. "Evan! Listen to me!"

Celestine struggled desperately in Evan’s grip, her face already turning pale as she tried to breathe.

Leon’s eyes widened when Evan suddenly turned his head toward him.

That gaze... It was no longer the Evan he knew.

"Damn it..." Leon muttered.

His Sentinel power immediately surged as he prepared to force Evan’s hand away.

But before he could make his move, Evan’s other hand suddenly reached toward him.

Leon barely had time to react when Evan struck him across the chest with overwhelming force, sending him flying across the stage.

"Leon!"

His body slammed hard against the wall of the grand hall.

BOOM!

The impact echoed throughout the entire hall.

"Aaaah!"

Several guests screamed in fear as they watched Leon’s body hit the wall and fall heavily to the ground.

The Sentinels immediately rushed toward him, while the Guides on the platform froze for a moment.

"Young Master Leon!"

Leon slowly lifted his head, his breathing becoming heavier as he tried to push himself back up. His gaze returned to Evan.

Evan was still standing in the middle of the stage, one hand tightly wrapped around Celestine’s neck. His eyes had completely lost their usual warmth.

And the terrifying pressure of an SSS-rank Sentinel continued spreading through the entire hall.

Lumi, who was staring at the chaos in front of her, eventually began to tremble when she remembered being choked by Evan a week ago.

’No... no... no, I should run.’

She quickly glanced toward the stage one more time, but at that exact moment, Evan’s eyes suddenly locked onto her.

Before Lumi could react, Evan abruptly released Celestine.

Her body was thrown off the stage, causing everyone in the hall to panic.

"Catch her!"

Several Sentinels immediately rushed forward and managed to catch Celestine before she could hit the ground.

Lumi’s eyes widened as she watched the scene unfold.

’What the hell is he doing?!’

But before she could take another step backward, Evan suddenly disappeared from the stage.

A strong gust of air swept through the hall.

Lumi’s body froze. When she looked up again, Evan was already standing directly in front of her.

His terrifying pressure instantly surrounded her.

Lumi slowly raised her head, staring at the familiar face only a few steps away.

Her heart nearly stopped.

’Damn, I am dead!’