191-200

Chapter 191 - I'm A Country Bumpkin.

Hal watched Arya pause and physically rearrange her expression and it caused his eyes to narrow.

If he was asked why he acted that way, he would have said he could not explain it. It was as though he instinctively knew the right things to say and they WERE the right things,

Because while it was subtle, Hal could already confirm some things.

'So are you considering going into business with her?' Grimoire said with a hint of mockery as it referred to Hal's dreams of using his Blood to evolve the beasts in Tretch Forest.

Hal ignored the time and answered seriously...

'Of course not, she's obviously cray cray'

...well, sort of.

He was actually exaggerating as there was nothing to suggest Arya was truly mentally unstable.

Speaking of Arya,

Now that she was no longer displaying hostility, she was smiling sweetly,

"It seems I misunderstood something and I apologize for my indiscretion. It's just that, I have visited Salmon city a lot and none of the residents have so captured my interest as you have.

You can say, I am kind of your fan" She said and somehow, her already sweet smile became breathtaking and seductive.

Hal was not bothered.

Pretty as she was, he could still control himself.

He rubbed his hand on Melinda's back as he smiled at Arya,

"I find that hard to believe"

"And why is that?" Arya asked while leaning forward slightly.

A move that while Melinda was not fond of, she still commended mentally as it was clear this lady was making use of subtle seduction tactics now that the little trip-up had passed.

"Well, I think it's safe to assume that you are not from here. Whether or not you were born in a small city such as this, you are now a traveling Alchemist and must have seen so many wonders and so many geniuses.

Surely, I cannot hold a candle to them" Hal said in a self-deprecating tone of voice.

Arya leaned back, crossed her beautiful legs and crossed her arms beneath her breasts as she sighed,

"That is true. I have seen geniuses of a higher caliber and compared to them, your progress is indeed nothing much, however, I still feel you have done the best you can considering what life has given you.

Surely, you are poised to become the Mayor and govern this city someday."

Hal chuckled and was about to speak but it was Melinda who beat him to the punch,

"And who says he's stopping here. What could being Mayor possibly bring him? Honor?" She said in a snide tone.

If Arya noticed the tone, she gave no indication,

"Yes Exactly. Honor among his peers. I mean he'll be respected by millions" She said while the uncrossed her arms and interlocked her fingers.

Melinda chuckled but there was no mirth in it,

"While I agree that is entitled to honor among his peers, I don't believe his path ends in this city. I believe there are so many on this Continent, no, this world that are his peers and I will love to see him make his mark."

Hal watched the dialogue and decided to simply become a spectator and not just because he found the situation thrilling, but because it gave him more opportunities to study Arya.

And all he had gotten so far was that, If she was hiding something then she was very good at it.

Arya raised her arms in surrender,

"It seems I might have annoyed you in some way. But I stand by it. While your 'Fiancee' does have potential and quite an intelligent mind, it takes more than that to make your mark on this continent.

Not to mention this world.

Melinda Dane, looking into your light gold eyes is more than enough for me to know you are not from here and if that is so, then you must know what I'm saying has credibility.

It takes so much more than determination to become Great. I am sure you have shared whatever resources you received from your family to assist his progress to such an extent but there's only so far he can go.

Once the resources are used up, there will be nothing left other than disappointment. So why not quit while you are ahead.

Cultivate to the Phenomenon realm and cement yourself as the strongest individual in the city. Thereby living the rest of your days in peace."

The way Arya articulated her words was so convincing that her conclusion seemed the right thing to do... for a total idiot.

That said, Melinda was so speechless, not because she saw the truth in those words, but because she could not believe the amount of trash that could come out of such a beautiful mouth.

She turned towards Hal who seemed to be trying very hard to hold his laughter,

"Are you not going to say something?" She whispered.

Surely, this was the time for Hal to break out his pride and show her what he was capable of.

Surely he would not simply take this, right?

"What? What do you want me to say? She got me. I'm just a country bumpkin.

What hope do I have of making my mark on this continent, much less the world?

Maybe I should just quit while I'm ahead. Also, I should not hold you back. Once the civil war is over and I become Mayor, I think it would be better if you returned to your family in the Duchy capital."

All this Hal said with theatrical Embellishment.

Melinda knowing him very well knew he was subtly insulting Arya.

If only Arya knew that Hal was the one providing Melinda with resources and not the other way around.

That said since she had expected Hal to be a tad bit outspoken with Arya, she pouted and made a really big show of not talking to him.

An attitude Arya took as Melinda's dissatisfaction at being told they would eventually separate.

Arya nodded with a compassionate with understanding expression,

"Good decision.

Now. How about some Alchemical products to aid your survival during the Civil war. After all, I like you so much and it would be quite a shame if you died before becoming mayor.

I'll even give you a discount. Surely you have enough gold to purchase my products which contain my own unique flair"

Arya said and batted her eyelashes. And act that caused Hal to snort in his mind.

He found it a little silly that she expected her 'knock him down before picking him up' sales tactics to work on him,

"No thanks"

Arya looked surprised. Shocked even.

"What?"

"I said I'll pass. It just seems like a waste of resources.

After all, I am very intelligent. Winning this war without your alchemical products should be very easy, right?

I mean you did just compliment me. I'd hate to think that was false and simply a sales tactic to butter me up.

That would really hurt my feelings"

Arya looked taken aback,

"But, intelligence without resources is nonsense, it's stupidity"

Hal shrugged,

"Who cares? The whole aim of making my mark on the continent was longevity, but since I'm going to live and die peacefully in this city anyway, why bother?"

"But you should still try to survive. Trying is everything" Arya insisted and it was Melinda who was now trying to hold her laughter.

Hal shook his head,

"Nope. Trying is for those with hope at greatness. And as you have so clearly articulated, I don't have that, so I ask you again,

Why Bother?"

Chapter 192 - Persistence Of The Enemy.

As the banter between him and Arya continued, Hal had to admit that the Alchemist was quite persuasive.

Shame though that she was unable to sell him anything, both literally and figuratively.

Arya eventually stood up from her seat and expressed how disappointed she was that they could not engage in business, after which she left the Mansion, boarded her carriage and pulled out of the courtyard.

By then Hal and Melinda we were outside and watching her carriage shrink into the distance, after which Hal faced Melinda and chuckled when he found she was still pouting.

The truth was that he could actually understand why she would have wanted him to put Arya in her place, with his words but he felt the way things turned out was much better.

He headed back into the lounge with her following closely behind as he sat in the luxurious chair again and held out his hand for her.

Melinda snorted but still sat down on his lap before she lounged on him,

"So... What did you notice?" Hal asked her.

Melinda narrowed her eyes and concluded that Hal was not going to refer to her dissatisfaction.

If so, she would let this one go,

"She's mysterious. And not the good kind of mysterious" she said.

Hal's eyes widened,

"Oh, There's a good kind of mysterious?" He asked but he knew the answer already.

"Of course there is. There is the kind that pulls you in. Makes you curious and relaxed that once you find out what it is, it will make you happy.

Then there's the bad kind which you know nothing about and you wish not to know because you believe the moment you know, things are going to get crazy" She explained.

Hal nodded thoughtfully,

"Okay, so there's the ensnaring and there's the scary."

"Exactly" Melinda nodded

"She is clearly interested in you so we can be sure that part of the conversation was truthful, however, the interest is far from being merely sexual" she said.

"Why does it even have to be sexual at all? She might be interested in me for other reasons?" Although Hal's words were a tad bit vague, Melinda understood what he was referring to,

"For starters, and I say this at the risk of inflating your already large ego, you are not the type of Man to not turn the heads of ladies. Whether she swings your way or not.

Even someone who hates you will probably still have to admit that you are well beyond gorgeous... In secret of course..."

"Dial it down Baby girl, you're making me blush" Hal said with a chuckle.

Melinda snorted as him blushing would have to refer to him having the ability to feel embarrassed which was something she doubted existed in his vocabulary.

"As I was saying, it is not a question of whether Arya finds you attractive or not, because she definitely does, it's a question of whether she was seducing you because of that interest or not. And she was definitely attempting to seduce you.

She could hardly keep still, changing position often to get your attention towards certain parts of her body, her legs, her breasts e.t.c.

Her words also focussed a lot on putting you down. Even relating our relationship to that of a princess and a commoner.

So you speak"

"Well, she's not wrong" Hal said with a smile.

Melinda grinned,

"Does that make you feel inadequate?"

Hal looked at her with disbelief,

"Of course not. I just never thought of us that way. It makes the whole thing sexier. I seriously can't wait to sleep with you right in your father's luxurious home."

Melinda's cheeks reddened slightly,

"As I was saying, while that could have all been a tactic to get you to buy her products, I feel it could have also been meaning to set things up for future meetings.

Not to mention her saying that the resources that helped you get as strong as you are now were from me. She cannot possibly believe that.

If she took her time to ask around, which she definitely did, it would have been clear that your cultivation speed was way too fast for a normal cultivator. And its consistency was nothing like someone guzzling up resources for quick progress while neglecting foundations.

As an Alchemist, she should have known that"

Hal could see where she was going with her reasoning and he agreed,

"So you're saying that was just bullcrap to source out what my means of resources and hence success came from"

Melinda nodded,

"Yep. While resources are more abundant and of better quality at the Duchy capital, it is far from being able to create the miracle of monstrous advancement speed.

You not buying her products must have hurt her but it also served as an affirmation to you having some vast pool of resources. Something, even I cannot supply you with.

The whole thing about quitting while you're ahead was probably to know just how much of it you had left. If it had been enough to get under your skin..."

"I might have boasted about it" Hal completed for her.

Melinda nodded in agreement.

Hal became lost in thought.

All that Melinda had been able to study as well as what he had gleaned from Arya's reactions made her seem like nothing more than a very good Alchemist who wanted to sell her products.

Although her actions could be interpreted in other ways, when compared to simpler deduction such as the one above, it seemed more like a stretch so Hal decided to table it for now.

And that decision did not come easy considering the fact that cooperating with Arya could be the perfect way to get some plans up and running.

That said, it was better to leave it this way. She was at the Cosmic Pagoda Realm and not a force he could afford to contend with at the moment.

Much as he would have loved to think, 'there's no rush', the truth was that there was a rush and it was to prepare for something big about to go down.

...

Two Days Later...

The city was buzzing and believe it or not it was not because of the impending civil war but because of the insanity in form of a wedding ceremony right when the city was on the brink of social collapse and total chaos.

Today was the day Marlon Edgar was going to rewed his wife Olivia and it had been made into a grand affair.

Apparently, the logic behind it all was that the bride or groom or maybe even both might not survive the war and so wanted to get it out of the way.

Despite the bad blood that now existed between the Great families, what with them all fighting for themselves, they were all still invited to the ceremony and they all came... guarded.

The truth was that disagreement aside, there was still quite a strong bond between the four families.

Enough for them to call a truce for this Happy occasion.

That said, the security of the Castle was tightened.

Way more than it had been when they had been attacked during the competition.

Hector was not going to let anything ruin his son's... second big day.

If only he knew the security would have no effect in the long run and that when life wants to ruin your day, it won't give up until it succeeds.

Life, in this case, being San Fidwud and the Plebeians of course.

Chapter 193 - Start Of Operation: Gatecrasher. Part 1

Fidwud Family Home...

Sam Fidwud was bursting with confidence.

Which is hard not to be when you're the strongest in a room.

Today they would deal the first blow to the Great families of more accurately to the Edgar family and finally get the war started. Not only would it start, but they would also get the opportunity to seize the initiative.

And seize they would.

The other Family heads had converged in the conference room of the Fidwud Family Home. Bale and Tod chose the farthest seat from the Fidwud Family head for fear that he would look to them and attack them as he had done before.

However, San did not have any interest in looking at any of them. His whole mind was on how today would go smoothly.

He looked to those closest to him; Baret and Ian who had recovered completely from their Mental breakdown during the attack on Hal's mansion.

In fact, not only had the two runemasters recovered but they also felt a significant increase in the Rank and strength of their Astral sense.

As it turned out, Hal's inadvertent attack had been a blessing in disguise for the two Runemasters who were both now Rank 3 Runemasters.

A success that would have put huge smiles on their faces and being a cause for celebration had there not been a serious situation on the horizon.

As San looked to them and was reminded of their advancement, he could not help but smile as it was something he had not factored in during his planning. And yet if his plan had been bound to succeed then, then it would now take a Colossus deterrent to ruin it now.

Yes, he could feel it.

Today was going to be a good day.

...

Meanwhile...

Guests were arriving in droves to Edgar castle. A lot of them were wealthy merchants that were there to kiss ass but their arrival was still greeted with warmth.

But it was when the Great family heads began to arrive that it truly resembled a party.

First was Edvard Krast who came with Karmen right behind him as well as so many Cosmic Armament Realm cultivators. Truce or not, Edvard was not going to take his safety for granted.

That said, the most capable of his entourage was probably Karmen who was merely at the early stage of the Cosmic Armament Realm but had already showcased better prowess in combat compared to even those at the mid-stage.

Yes, she was definitely someone Edvard trusted completely which was peculiar considering they had met not too long ago.

Along with his entourage, Edvard brought along his successors, Arnold and Selina to enjoy the festivities.

He felt he could not always coop them inside the Estate. Considering what they had faced during the competition, it was high time they saw the reality of this city.

After all, they were bound to become top echelons here very soon.

Then after Edvard came Ford Horst who came without his beautiful 'wife' Emily who was in cultivation retreat. He did come with his daughter Amelia (who had returned to the Manor the day before just so she could attend with him) as well as his son who simply exited from his room where he had been cultivating diligently and said he wished to attend as well.

First had been quite surprised at his Son's quiet that he had temporarily let go of his own issues to inquire why 'he was not being himself'.

Frank simply replied nothing and was quiet again.

Ford could detect maturity in his Son but did not know for certain to what extent or even what his new realm of cultivation was.

After his arrival came Gregory Payne who came with his Butler Burt and so many other Payne Elites but no one cared about his entourage.

Their attention was completely on him and the way his eyes looked as though he had lost something. Somehow the audience summed it all up to his decision to reconcile with his Son's killer who also happened to be his second son.

Or maybe it was the fact that his wife had attacked that very son before being whisked away by an unknown individual.

Whatever it was, despite his lost look, there was still enough anger in those eyes to pulverize an unintended victim of his wrath.

It was while they were having this thought of assessment that the Son arrived.

Hal Payne came to the event in an expensive-looking attire that clung to his body and accentuated his muscular physique.

His Sapphire blue eyes seemed to twinkle as he was all smiles and walking proudly arm in arm with a beautiful Golden eyed goddess with long black hair that reached to her calf.

Her flower-patterned gown was of the finest of material and tight-fitting enough to accentuate her curves and highlight the swell of her ample bust.

She was of course not the only one with Hal.

Right behind the couple was Rita looking especially beautiful in a gown that showed off her curves and Black eyes that looked particularly seductive.

As a succubus, Rita was bound to unconsciously release pheromone scents that could easily rev up the men in the crowd and many wondered where exactly they should look. Should it be the goddess-like Melinda or the Demonic beauty Rita?

Or maybe it was the younger of three ladies who was no slouch as well and could easily give the most beautiful lady in the city a run for her money.

Teenagers of her and Hal's age could not help but wonder where such beauty had been hiding all this while.

So it is needless to say that Hal and his ladies stole the show upon entry and if said entry meant anything, it was that despite the reconciliation, Hal was still not casting his lot with the Payne family or any of the Great families.

That said, it was quite a surprise when Hal and his ladies were directed to what looked like a seat of a much higher honor than the rest of the Great family heads.

Such arrangements had been the work of Darryl and the groom Marlon who had done so because Hal had requested it.

Edward could not help but steal glances at Hal and the ladies or more accurately, he couldn't help but steal glances at Melinda who did not like it one bit.

It wasn't that she was not flattered by the attention but she had enough of that from the other lookers, Edvard was simply an addition to that number that she was not pleased with.

"Do you want me to blind him?" Hal asked with a smile and as Edvard was seated quite close to them, he heard.

So did many others.

A lot of them were surprised that Hal would so boldly attempt to antagonize a Great family head.

Apparently, his survival of San Fidwud's assaults had gone to his head.

Melinda ignored their disapproving looks,

"Would you really do it?" She asked.

"Absolutely. If his eyes are bothering you, he should not have them.

In fact, all these perverts have been starting at you ladies from the start and while it does make me proud, I know you must not like it, so if you want them blind, just say so" Hal announced proudly.

Marla clapped and all but leaped into Hal's laps,

"Do it, Hal. Blind them"

The staring Merchants looked taken aback but it was nothing compared to how they looked when she spoke again...

"Oh Which of them?" Hal asked in a serious tone of voice.

"Why should we bother selecting? Let's pluck all of their eyes. What's the point of them having it?" She said and for some reason, they all felt it was something that could really be done.

Their backs were covered in cold sweats instantly.

Chapter 194 - Start Of Operation: Gatecrasher. Part 2

It quickly became popular opinion for everyone to steer clear of these lunatics. Obviously, as good-looking as they all were, they were also incredibly vicious.

That said, it did not change the fact that it made Edvard very embarrassed and his glare at Hal did not let him see Selina trying her best to get Hal's attention.

He did notice it though when Hal turned to her and winked, causing the busty girl to blush deeply. A change that caused Edvard to turn speechless while Arnold did not know what to say.

After all, Hal intimidated him terribly.

Attention was quickly back upon the couple who were renewing their vows.

Marlon was all smiles as he made his wife a promise to always be faithful and not let anything come between them, which Hal believed was quite a stretch considering Death could very well come between them very soon.

The exchanging of vows was soon completed and the Bride and groom bowed to the heavens while the guest wished them many years of happy married life.

This was of course more of a routine as most of those spectating could not care less if the couple up and died the next day.

Then when the couple was seated and toasts were made to them, Hector stood up on the terrace of the castle where he and his family sat to overlook their Guest and immediately garnered the silence and respect of many in the crowd.

It did not matter if they hated the old man, what mattered was that at that moment, he was still the most powerful in the city and he was still Mayor.

"I truly appreciate you all for coming today to share in my Happiness. It really warms this old man's heart" Hector began and then turned to Marlon.

"Son, you have made quite a few mistakes in your life and I admit that they disappointed me greatly, but today you have not only renewed your vow to your wife, you have also renewed your vow to me to be the son I can be proud of.

To Marlon" He said and raised his glass in a toast to his son.

"To Marlon" replied many merchants but none of the Great family heads raised their glass.

Solidarity was one thing, Ass kissing was another matter altogether and one that had no importance.

Hal and his ladies however raised their glasses in respect to the toast. Their smiles made it seem like they were really enjoying the day's events.

"When is it going to start? I can't take this anymore" Rita told Hal out of the corner of her lips.

Hal patted the back of her hand,

"Soon" he smiled.

Hector turned to Olivia,

"To you my dear, I toast as well. That you have put up with this son of mine has warranted my respect for you. And don't worry, should he ever hurt you again, just tell me and let me deal with him..." A few sniggers could be heard and Marlon himself smiled even if he did look uncomfortable.

"To Olivia" Hector called and glasses were raised once again,

"To Olivia" They chorussed.

"There is so much I'd still like to toast to as well as so many others. Like my diligent Son, Darryl. My capable grandson Alex and most importantly, I feel it is necessary I toast..."

Hector suddenly stopped and perked to something that could not be seen.

Immediately, he stumped his feet to the ground and released a large amount of Cosmic Energy into an Array circle that activated a Dome of swimming runes that shielded the mansion.

"What the..." Said one merchant, obviously worried the Mayor was trapping them for a possible slaughter when a ball of flame suddenly flew at the Dome...

*Booommmm*

...and exploded against it.

This must have been what Hector had sensed.

Immediately everyone on the scene stood to their feet and adopted a battle stance. After all, while the merchants were more about wealth than strength, they were still experts in their own right.

Such a stance was instinctive.

Even the weaklings who were barely at the Cosmic Pearl realm (weaklings considering their age) were on their feet.

The young generation was also on their feet and by the side of their parents or guardians.

The only ones who remained seated were Hal and the three ladies who seemed perfectly at ease.

In fact, their expression lacked any surprise or shock that it should have held.

Could they have been in on this attack?

"Finally" Rita sighed.

"You say that like the ceremony was boring" Hal chuckled but it was Melinda who answered,

"Well, it was boring and that is undisputed, but my issue is that it really was nothing related to me so I did not see the point." She said.

"Same" Rita agreed with a sigh.

Marla was the only one who had something different to say,

"I just can't believe those old dudes can still stare at us when we threatened to pluck out their eyes"

The cause of the explosive contact was seen soon when an Army of Plebeians, led by San Fidwud arrived.

It was quickly clear that compared to what they brought today to Edgar castle, what they had brought to Hal's mansion had been incredibly small.

The army they brought this time around was in thousands and at least ten times what had been used in their assault against him.

Hal was not surprised though cause he already had a rough estimate of the combined might of the Plebeian alliance thanks to his inside men.

However, as he had not told any of this to the ladies, their eyes widened in mild shock that the Plebeians still had this massive number of Men.

While those at the Cosmic Armament Realm were in hundreds and not that many, it was made up for with the thousands of Cosmic Pearl realm Experts.

"How did they train all these men?" Melinda asked in disbelief. The question was rhetorical of course because she already knew how.

She was only asking to express her immense disbelief at the number of resources the Plebeians had been given.

San spoke up and the act of infusing his voice with Cosmic Energy seemed particularly effortless now that he was at the Cosmic Phenomenon Realm,

"Apologies for being late for this joyous occasion. I was preoccupied with the preparation of the perfect gift for you.

Don't worry, I put a lot of thought into it and I am quite confident you will hate it."

Darryl's face twisted in anger. The attack had not really caught him or Marlon by surprise as Hal had informed them beforehand and they had already rallied the Edgar force in the pretense that it was for security.

The problem lay in that Hal had told them the situation would not really change all that much despite their preparations.

"How dare you, Fidwud? You are attacking the Mayor's home. Do you have any idea whatsoever of what the consequences will be?" Darryl asked.

He was not highlighting the fact that Hector was Mayor just to pull Rank or post but to highlight that San had no hope against a Cosmic Phenomenon expert.

San understood what Darryl was saying perfectly and sneered from atop his palanquin and released the pressure of his Cultivation Base,

"Cosmic Phenomenon Realm" Karon's eyes widened and he was not the only one shocked.

Then the two Plebeian Runemasters, Baret and Ian stepped forward and slammed their hands against the Dome that surrounded and protected Edgar castle.

From the point they touched, projected Runes spread and with it as a clutch, the two began to pull the Dome in opposite direction from each other and thereby created a large opening.

One that was enough to allow the Plebeian force's entry.

San cackled loudly,

"I declare this the start of Operation: Gatecrasher.

Today I bring down the Great Edgar family!"

Chapter 195 - Trapped!

"Very ambitious" Hal could not help but comment.

The opening in the Dome was quickly flooded by Plebeian Forces who quickly engaged the Edgar forces that had flooded out at the sound of distress.

The merchants quickly took steps back. From San's words, the Edgar family was the one that was in danger. They were the targets and none of them wished to be caught in the middle.

Neither did any of the Great Family Heads.

However, it was impossible for them to leave because the only means of entry or exit in the Dome was the one through which the multitude of Plebeian forces was flooding in through.

A lot of those ass-kissing Merchants gritted their teeth and chewed their nails in regret and distress that they had even attended this ceremony.

The Edgar forces however were filled with confidence because, despite San's cosmic Phenomenon Realm cultivation, he was only at the Early stage and nothing compared to the Mayor; The Great Hector Edgar.

Hector straightened himself completely and glared at the Plebeian forces. Clearly he did not consider San a threat.

It was like a slowly rising tidal wave that continued to expand and grow as the old Mayor and Edgar patriarch began to release the pressure of his Late-stage Cosmic Phenomenon realm cultivation.

In the space of a second, A phenomenon was already forming behind him.

Hector swung his hand in a diagonal manner and released a crescent-shaped Cosmic attack that was infused with a Cosmic Phenomenon.

Being on the terrace of the Castle, he had the advantage of vantage point and the attack became a kind of terror from above.

The mere feel of it was chilling and ominous and when it landed...

*Booommmmm*

...it seemed to detonate like a massive explosion and killed hundred of Cosmic Pearl realm cultivators!

It was quite an impressive sight that boosted the morale of the Edgar forces all the more.

However,

Despite so many being killed, the Plebeian forces did not lose their mojo. In fact they pressed on even harder and reaped the lives of numerous men of the Edgar family force.

The situation was looking quite chaotic and having nowhere to go, those that did not want to be involved (who were all those with no ties to the Edgar family) stepped back and far away from the courtyard where they could still hear the sound of battle and the cry of fallen men.

While the merchants were not interested in losing their lives fighting for the Edgars, they did admit that for such a thing to happen on what was supposed to be a joyous occasion, was quite the tragedy.

Hal however watched the events with an impassive expression. So did the ladies with him.

They did not seem to be in a hurry to leave like the others and did not seem particularly worried that they would be victims of stray attacks.

Edvard looked at them and had to admit that he was jealous of their calm.

While he was no coward (his words not mine), he was still worried and a little upset that this happened when he was away from the full might of his estate.

While the guards he has brought with him were quite capable, they were far from being able to fight hundreds of Experts which was something they would have to do should attention be turned to him and his party.

Hal on the other hand came with fewer individuals than him. He only came with three ladies, except if you count the Payne guards.

And even if you did due to their 'reconciliation', they were still very outnumbered.

Yet they did not panic and if Edvard had not known better, he would have said they were waiting for something.

Back to the large Edgar castle Courtyard that had now become a battleground for a battle between two sides with altogether numbers of fighters at the Tens of thousands.

And out of that number, the Plebeians held the majority. Despite Hector Edgar's efforts.

While he had not taken any close combat action, his ranged attacks had been quite effective and reaped the lives of hundreds of cultivates.

So much so that the Old man was beginning to wonder if this was simply a foolish attack. After all, since he had been rampaging and taking out his anger on the Plebeian forces, San simply sat on his Palanquin and smiled.

The other Plebeian heads were on the ground as it seemed to have become San's sole right to ride the luxurious transport to battle.

While the other heads did not smile like San, there was still a calm look on their faces as though things were proceeding accordingly.

It was very odd.

Hector had only just thought of this when he realized the Plebeian Runemastsrs were no longer where they had once been; By San's side.

Quickly, he zeroed in on where the Runemasters were and saw they had mingled with the crowd of Plebeian forces. He quickly condensed another Cosmic attack to send to their direction, Alas,

It was too late.

*Bang!*

With the sound of a strong impact, a combined Rune by the two stuck the terrace Hector was standing on and caused the whole structure to break apart.

Not only Hector, but everyone who had been there with him, Darryl, Marlon and Olivia, Alexander, Karon, and other immediate family members fell straight to the ground.

Granted where they fell to was a part of the courtyard the Plebeians had not gotten to.

But the Runemasters were not done as they quickly tossed an Array scroll towards Hector.

With reflexes that far exceeded what they could hope to have, Hector blasted the Array out of the air.

Without any knowledge as to what the Array's effect was, the best cautious manner was to be aware of the surroundings and destroy the Arrays before they activated.

The Runemasters had planned for such alertness and cautiousness ahead and drew at least fifty Array scrolls altogether and tossed it all at Hextor who chuckled,

"Children" He said in a snide tone and spun.

As he did so, Cosmic energy leaked from his body and formed a cyclone of energy around him as he spun and prevented any scroll's entry while occasionally sending Cosmic attacks to the two RuneMasters who attempted to dodge but did not escape unscathed.

*Bang* *Bang*

Both were hit and knocked backward and away from the Elderly patriarch of the Edgar family.

Once they were down, he directed his gaze at the Plebeian forces and struck them constantly with his dangerous Cosmic attacks.

It was in one such moment that Baret sat up and pulled out an Array scroll which the two infused with Astral energy and Baret tossed it at Hector.

The moment it was thrown, Hector turned towards it and tried to destroy it as he had done the others but before he could, the Array within the scroll activated in the form of a Dome that covered Hector alone.

The other Array scrolls had been decoys to correctly predict Hector's reaction time and take advantage of his overconfidence as a Cosmic phenomenon Realm cultivator.

However, Hector felt nothing from the Array Dome and knew he could simply step out if he wanted to and he was about todo so when an incandescent Blue gem that was retrieved from Baret's spatial pouch was tossed and it latched onto the Dome before he could.

Essentially trapping him.

"This is something special we've been saving for you.

That Day at the Confluence, we were quite tempted to make use of it, but I am glad we didn't" Baret said with a boastful cackle.

"Yes, it was for the best. This is far more satisfying" Ian agreed with a snigger of his own while glaring the Dome and Hector in it with his Eagle-eyed stare.

"What nonsense is this? This can't hold me" Hector sneered and slammed the Dome with the might of his Cultivation but it remained as stable as ever.

Baret and Ian did wince though.

Not only did the Dome prove impossible to break, but it also began to siphon the Mayor's Cosmic Energy and slowly rendering him weak. It also sapped his mental health and gradually made him incapable of rational thought.

"Unfortunately, we can't keep this up for too long as it still affects us and is of a Rank that we can not bear indefinitely. However, by the time we deactivate it, you will have no ability to fight for your family" Baret boasted before San's words sounded from behind,

"And even if you could, there won't be a Family to fight for" He said and it was those words that further forced Hector to his knees as he attempted to fight the Array's effects.

Chapter 196 - 'To Quote Marlon'

"Father" Yelled both Darryl and Marlon as they dashed to the Dome and hit it in an attempt to free their father.

Even as they placed their hands against the Dome, they could feel the energy it was constantly pressuring their father with.

They could only imagine what Hector was going through.

Karon and some other guards were focussing on protecting the Bride Olivia, Alexander and other notable Edgar Family members.

Hal watched it all with what could be described as a sad expression. There was no way the two brothers could free Hector from the Dome so it was better they focused their anger somewhere else,

"Go all out" He told the brothers telepathically.

As they struggled against the Dome, Darryl and Edgar heard the voice in their mind and they looked up and at the Runemasters with vindictive stares.

At that time, Baret and Ian took the hint and dashed off into to rejoin the Plebeian heads at the back of the army. They were by San's side before the brothers had even made a move.

San was still smiling from the top of his palanquin but his smile was wiped off suddenly when the Edgar brothers began to emanate Dark mist.

From their body came the fear that made the Plebeian and Edgar men closest to them shiver uncontrollably and even take a few steps back from them.

Both Darryl and Marlon fed their Devil Marks with the height of their Cosmic Armament Realm cultivation and took on the Devil shroud form.

However, unlike the Emissaries, they could not make use of the Shroud-Blade and the effect of the shroud was a little weakened, but it did not matter to them as they summoned their Cosmic Armaments.

"You are in cohorts with HIM" San yelled.

While he did not mention precisely who the 'HIM' was, the other Plebeian heads knew he was referring to the 'Malevolent One' which was a conclusion they had come to as well.

But it made no sense that the Hectors would fight along with the one who had robbed them of their conjoined riches with the other Great families.

"You are working with the Malevolent One" San said so as to make his accusations clear.

The appearance of the shroud came with it the realization that the 'Malevolent Bastard' was involved and as much as the mere thought of that mysterious figure annoyed him to his core, he saw in it as an opportunity.

An opportunity to turn the other Great families against the Edgar family.

However, when he looked to where they were, he found that his words did not have the desired effect on Ford Horst and Gregory Payne.

Gregory had already been treated to the fact that Hal was the Malevolent One so the fact that he had also sunk his malevolent clutches into the scions of the Edgar family did not cause him to feel anything special.

As for Ford, while he did not know who the Malevolent One was and was indeed surprised at this development, considering all he had been through in the last few days, it was not enough to overly change his expression.

Instead, he wished he could somehow find a way out.

The only one who truly reacted the way San wished was Edvard who narrowed his eyes as he looked at the shroud-covered brothers.

While he had no idea prior that this was an ability with ties to the one that had robbed the Confluence, the fact that the two brothers did not even attempt to deny the accusation was quite frankly, damning evidence.

Then again, they might have just been too laser focussed in taking down the ones that had ambushed them in their home and trapped their father in an oppressive Array Dome.

Either way, the Dark shroud that was causing both their foes and allies to shiver was definitely proof that, at the very least, they were hiding something.

"Is that it?" Rita asked Hal and he nodded.

"Yes, that is the Plebeian's secret weapon which they have kept all this while to take care of Hector Edgar.

It's a Rank 5 array that can't merely be fueled by feeding it Cosmic Energy or even Astral energy by the Runemaster. While Cosmic or Astral energy is indeed required to activate it, it makes use of another source of energy to keep it running and stable..." Hal pointed at the Blue Gem that flowed incandescently on the side of the Dome,

"... It needs a Blue Gem" he completed and Rita nodded.

While she has never transacted with a Blue Gem, she did know what it was. Seeing as she was not originally from Salmon City in the first place.

Blue Gems contain violent bursts of Cosmic Energy that cannot be used in cultivation but serve quite well as a power source for Arrays and formations as well as other things...

The only one who should not have known about Blue Gems was Marla. However, Melinda was already filling her in on what exactly it was.

Hal studied the Dome that surrounded Hector and continued to siphon the Cosmic energy within his body and sapped his Mental health.

The Rune that facilitated the siphoning was one he recognized and had been used in the Array that had trapped him in Tretch forest.

Back then, he had felt the Rune had been copied and badly reproduced so the effect had been watered down on him.

This was obviously where the Rune had been copied from.

Now he could not help but wonder how many more Blue gems (which were obviously another of the Master's generosities) they had with them, which was information Evian and the other spies he had in the Plebeian homes were not privy to.

However, he did know that they did not have any other Array scrolls of this caliber with which to stop any other cultivator of or an equal or even higher caliber to Hector.

It seemed as though such resources were too expensive for the Master to give out more than one but Hal was not so sure about that...

Anyway...

"Ahhhhh"

*Slash*

*Splutter of Blood*

...reinforced by the Devil shroud, the Edgar brother tore through the ranks of Plebeian experts, beheading and hacking as they went.

They had accepted that if the Dome could hold their father who was a Cosmic Phenomenon Expert, then there was not much they could do to free him.

Hacking at the Dome would not do any good.

However, hacking at the Men who had activated it and admitted they were still affected by the Array and hence, still connected to it, was bound to set their father free.

"Don't let them through!" San ordered,

"If they get through, it could all be over!" He yelled.

While the two were merely at the Cosmic Armament Realm as opposed to his Cosmic Phenomenon Realm cultivation, the Devilish shroud around them really worried him as he remembered his encounter with the shroud once before, the worry intensified.

Marlon and Darryl did not even show any reaction as though they had heard the order.

Their goal was clear,

And whoever stood in their way should and must die.

The only stray thought Darryl allowed was the surprise that his brother, who was usually not very invested in combat, was so focussed and ready to step into the heat of battle.

Then again, to quote Marlon Edgar himself 'No one is a coward when love is concerned'.

Chapter 197 - I'll Do It Myself.

With the fear-inducing effect of the shroud, their enemies practically trembled before them and that made killing and cutting through them easier, however, the downside was that the intimidating effect was not picky.

It did not distinguish between friends or foe and so even those of the Edgar family cowered when it came close to them.

As such, they were easy targets for those who could keep their emotions in check among the Plebeian forces.

However, at that moment, improving morale was the farthest thing from the Brothers' minds so they did not care for the feelings of their men and instead continued to carve their bloody path through the Plebeian men.

And they were making progress.

However, San would truly be a fool if he had not even planned for another attack by the Malevolent One.

Although he had not expected to use it this early and surely had hot expected to use it when battling the Edgar forces, he was still calm and quite collected when he thought of his contingencies.

He turned to Evian who unlike previous occasions was not really commanding or directing the Plebeian forces as San had been satisfied with just letting them run wild.

"Do it" San told Evian who nodded with a collected expression.

He stepped forward and delivered the order so that a particular squad of Plebeian men who had not joined the fray began to bring out what looked like different parts of a machine, out of their spatial pouches.

Together, they began to put it together and before long, there were two large crossbows. Just like the types placed in battlements of a castle to shoot down at enemies below.

Not only did they construct these crossbows that were fitted to stands and resembled machine guns, but they also created tall stands that towered over the tallest in the Plebeian army and allowed the archers to have a perfect vantage point.

Then the Archers retrieved Bolts from their spatial pouches and on those Bolts, Runes had been drawn. Its make looked exactly like that of the Rune daggers that had been used to attack Marla and Amelia at the Mansion during the assault.

The Bolts were loaded into the crossbows and directed at the rampaging brothers who had noticed the assembling of the crossbows.

The main idea behind the projectile shooter was that the archer could stay far enough away to not be intimidated. This was only one way San had thought to use against the Malevolent One, but he felt this should be enough for now.

Marlon and Darryl chuckled at the assembling of the crossbow as well as being targeted by it. Due to the high they were on from many successful kills, they underestimated the crossbows and the bolts it would fire at them.

After all, it was common knowledge that normal weapons could not possibly affect the body of a cultivator...

"Fools! Defend yourself" Hal yelled at them telepathically.

His voice jeered the brothers out of their overconfident minds as they quickly surrounded themselves with the Devil shrouds Defensive abilities to shield from the bolts right as they were fired...

*Twang* *Twang*

...went both projectiles before they made contact with the Devil shroud barrier the brothers had made to protect themselves.

Marlon managed to stave away the bolt fired at him, however, Darryl's went right through the point that could be described as his Devil shroud blind spot.

*schtick*

"Arrrggghhhh"

It shot right into his right shoulder and caused him to cry out from the pain.

Darryl grabbed the part of the Bolt that was sticking out and pulled it out. The bolt looked to have dimmed, which meant the Cosmic energy that had been infused into it to allow it to penetrate the cultivator's body was now used up.

Quickly, he retrieved a pill from his spatial pouch and swallowed it. It stopped the bleeding and mended his injury enough for him to handle the pain, but even then, he transferred his Armament to his left hand.

The archers pulled a mechanism on their crossbows and it made a distinct sound of reloading before they fired another set of arrows at the Edgar brothers who shielded themselves with the Devil shroud again.

The two chanced a glance at each other and seemed to decide what to do;

They pushed forward.

First, while they moved, targeting them became harder, and second, they could not let this stop them from reaching their goal.

That said, the Plebeian men, even while still intimidated by the fear-inducing ability of the Devil shroud, knew what they had to do.

They moved closer to the brothers and reduced just how far they could run. Marlon and Darryl swung their armaments and tried to cut down their surrounders, but at the moment they stopped to strike, the Archers took advantage and fired more bolts.

Then the brothers had to stop and shield themselves with the Devil shroud, at which time, the Plebeian men would move closer to attack once the Defensive shroud was gone.

Moving closer should have terrified them, but they seemed to be getting used to the feeling of fear (granted, a lot of them wet their pants) and could endure it enough to strike at the brothers.

The situation quickly became overwhelming for Marlon and Darryl who did not have a moment of rest.

Even when they made use of Cosmic attacks and got rid of those close to them, many others replaced the fallen ones.

The Plebeian forces were not merely making use of their numbers advantage but were also doing so brilliantly.

The Brothers needed help.

Back at the other side of the courtyard... Or at least very far from where the brothers were getting swarmed,

Karon was gritting his teeth in frustration at not being able to get in the mix and not even been able to direct the Edgar forces. It annoyed him a lot that he could not help his lord and he could not even assist the brothers who were attempting to help his lord. Even if their shrouded forms shocked him and felt eerie.

Much as he would have loved to fight as well, he needed to protect these Edgar family members who were mostly those who could not defend themselves due to weaker cultivation bases.

But the weakness was not true for all of them...

"Karon, what are you waiting for? Help them!" Olivia said, obviously referring to the overwhelmed brothers.

Karon clenched his fists,

"I have to keep you all safe until we find a way out of this Dome" he said.

It was a testament to how strong Hector was that the Dome he put up was still active despite the condition he was in.

Although, if the situation did not turn around in favor of the Edgars soon, then it would merely serve as a trap against said Edgars and prevent their escape and since Hector was no longer in the right mind state to deactivate it and allow them to exit, the situation needed to turn around in their favor soon.

Olivia gritted her teeth in annoyance at Karon's reply,

"Fine, I'll do it myself," she said and pushed Karon aside to dash towards the battling men.

"Lady Olivia, Don't..." Karon started before he paused when he saw Olivia leap into the air and perform a graceful spin before she landed with her feet on the heads of two Plebeians and started running forward by leaping from head to head or any part available for her to land on.

Karon could not help but be shocked because while Olivia was a known cultivating Expert, he had no idea she was capable of such grace.

However, Olivia was only just starting...

Chapter 198 - Run With Us.

It has to be said that it was very advantageous to Olivia that the attire for her wedding consisted of a voluminous outer garment and a form-fitting one on the inside.

Once she landed on the heads of two Plebeian men right from the start, she shed the voluminous outer one and it further improved her grace and made it easier for her to transverse the distance atop their heads and shoulders. Or more accurately, wherever she could land on and would give her proper footing.

San who was on his palanquin looked up and saw Marlon's bride make a beeline in his direction and it caused his eyes to narrow before he chuckled in complacency.

Was she really so stupid that she would come after him?

After all, without a Cosmic Phenomenon realm cultivation base, fighting against him was but a pipe dream.

He said nothing and simply laid back even further on his palanquin.

Easy as it would have been to knock her down from the sea of heads she was surfing, he felt it would be much more interesting to see how those whose heads and other body parts she was traveling across would react.

Sure enough, the attention of a lot of Plebeians quickly turned to Olivia and for the mere fact that she was making her way across quite nicely, they sent joint Cosmic attacks towards her.

Olivia perked up to the incoming attack and leaped into the sky where she twisted her body in impossible manners and evaded the attacks.

Then she landed back down on the shoulders of a Plebeian who quickly made to shake her off but she was already off to her next footing by then.

Then the Plebeians attempted to put a lot of distance between themselves so as to stop her successful landings, Alas, since as a cultivator, her jump span was quite long, they could never really get the required distance.

So they focused more on sending Cosmic attacks in her direction.

"Impressive" Melinda said with a nod as she watched Olivia's actions.

"I agree. But I wonder how long she can keep it up" Rita said.

"Keep what up? she hasn't attacked any of the Plebeians" Marla pointed out.

She was right of course. Other than evading and running, Olivia did nothing else. She only seemed interested in heading to the very end.

Marla felt she should have been attacking the Plebeians and maybe take away a little of the pressure the Brothers were still facing.

"That's not her aim" Hal told Marla with a smile and studied Olivia a little more before adding,

"She's after the Archers and their crossbows. I have to say she's quite smart" He complimented.

Clearly, Olivia had taken into account how easily and efficiently Marlon and Darryl had torn through the ranks of Plebeian men.

The issue was obviously with the Crossbow which was allowing said Plebeian men take advantage.

That said, Hal could see that while her plan was simple, it was far from being something she could achieve alone.

Graceful as she was, she was just one against thousands. Thousands among which were those who were of her cultivation base.

While it could be argued that she had not yet made use of her Cultivation base and hence, there was still something up her sleeve, Hal felt that the moment she was overwhelmed, it won't do her any good.

So he reached out to his Blood Knights within the Edgar family forces as well as the few that had come along as Gregory's guards,

"Go"

It was just one word and it had been telepathic and had not been heard by anyone else but it was still felt in the air by those unknowing individuals.

The eyes of the Blood knights among the Edgar forces turned Blood-red and could once again be recognized as those who were staying quite a few distances away from the heat of Combat.

Olivia was trying her best to stay high by leaping from person to person but she was not making that much progress and could not stay on top of someone for long.

To be honest, Marlon getting shrouded by a Dark fog was shocking to her but it was an issue she had decided to table for now, at least until she had joined in putting these bastards who gatecrashed her remarriage in their place.

"Get down" A voice called to her but she could not recognize it.

Even then, she obeyed and leaped down from the shoulder she had been on, and therefore lost the vantage advantage that she wished to make use of to enable her to get to the Archers.

Immediately she was down and before any of the Plebeian men around her could take advantage, she was surrounded by about Two men and Three women with Blood red eyes and emanating a fog of the same color.

She was quite curious as to who they were and her curiosity was only heightened when she noticed they were dressed like Edgar family Experts.

Their cultivation was at the Peak Stage of the Cosmic Pearl Realm.

They formed a circle around Olivia and one of them, whose voice she recognized as the one who had ordered her to get down said,

"Don't leave this circle. Run with us"

And they began to run.

It was such an efficient scene that Olivia's eyes were widened in surprise at the ease with which they made it through the Mass of Plebeians.

It was as though whenever they struck, they drew blood and that was exactly what they were doing.

With their cultivation base at the Peak of the Cosmic Pearl realm and the those they came across were at most at the Early stage of the Cosmic Armament Realm. Breaking through was a piece of cake.

Especially since their abilities were boosted by their Semi-Fiend Bloodline.

Olivia did not need to make a move as they got her through to where she wished to go quite easily.

By then, San's expression was souring as this was yet another unexpected occurrence.

What was with those Red-eyed experts?

This did not fit the profile of the Malevolent One who had never been colorful.

It was then he saw more Red-eyed men dashing towards the battlefield from Gregory Payne's side.

Those were the ones who had been with him as his guards.

This was further proof for the Plebeian Leader that there was more involved than the Malevolent One colluding with the Edgar family.

Or even being a member of the Edgar family.

However, it did nothing to Dampen his mood as the main target was not this battle that had broken out. The main target of the assault on Edgar castle was...

*Bang!!*

At the moment San let his mind wander to what he was after, the Blood Knights had enabled Olivia to finally reach the Archers' platform and send out a Cosmic attack to destroy the crossbows.

She had even gone past where the Edgar brothers had been battling which was quite some distances away from the platform.

One of the Crossbows had been destroyed in its entirety while the other had been protected by its Archer canceling out the part of the Cosmic attack that had come in his direction.

San turned his attention towards her to see her leap up onto the platform while taking advantage of the Red-eyed men watching her back.

Olivia landed and went after the Archer whose crossbow had been destroyed as the impact had knocked him back and made him an easy target whose life she wanted to take as swiftly as she could.

However, the second Archer was not going to have that and turned his Crossbow at her.

Chapter 199 - Fog Of Corruption. Part 1

The trigger was pulled and the bolt flew right at Olivia, it's target was the side of her neck and probably would have made contact had it not been for the Blood Knight that leaped atop the platform and hit the bolt out of its path with her hand covered in thick Blood-red fog.

Olivia released the pressure of her Early-stage cosmic Armament Realm cultivation and she summoned her spear Cosmic Armament as well and pierced the neck of the Archer on the ground, ending his life.

Then she looked up at the female Blood knight that had just saved her life and was now embroiled in combat with the second Archer.

Although 'embroiled' was too strong a word seeing as the archer was pierced through by her hand coated in blood-red fog.

"Thank you" Olivia said.

The Blood knight barely glanced at her as she said,

"It's not over yet"

Sure enough,

So many Plebeians began to alight the platform and dash at the two to overwhelm them.

Back at the point where the Edgar forces met the Plebeian forces on the battlefield that was the castle's courtyard, The Blood knights that had been acting as Gregory's guard had joined the fray and were reaping the lives of Plebeian men as though it were nothing.

There was a hunger in their actions as Hal had only allowed them to reap about Thirty percent of the Blood essence within the body of their victims.

As such, what they would usually get from one victim became something they had to source from four victims, so they endeavored to kill more.

After all, the more they killed, the more they got.

The reason why Hal did not allow them to reap it all was that could see, judging from the strength of the Plebeians that the Master had put in a lot and as they died, their essence was dissipating into the air which was simply the Master's way of reaping it.

And said Mater would not simply sit back if none of the essence make it back. At least with 70 percent, the fact that they were stealing the Master's nourishment would go mostly unnoticed.

It was why the Blood knights were not only tasked with just reaping Thirty percent, they were also tasked with doing it in a manner that was not obvious to the Plebeian heads.

A little mystery is good for the soul.

"Damn, I can't take it anymore" Edvard suddenly yelled and began to attack the Dome.

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*

The guards he had brought with him began to attack the Dome as well, so did all the Merchants.

Gregory however remained seated and his expression was impossible to read.

Ford remained seated as well but his expression was one of surrender, but it was not surrender to his present situation but to the fact that his soul was Hal's and in a matter such as this, he might as well wait for his Master's decision.

Frank's eyes were closed and it was clear to the seasoned Men on the scene that he was absorbing Cosmic energy, not to cultivate as the situation was much too chaotic but to solidify his recent advancement.

Amelia walked away from her Father's side to where Hal and his ladies were seated.

Hal held out his arms for her with a smile and she sat down in his lap and wound her arm around his neck.

He placed his hand on the small of her back while he continued to watch the proceedings. While not being at a vantage point that would give him more visual, he could still watch the events thanks to his Blood knights.

And so he could see that Marlon and Darryl were finally getting through the last blockade of Plebeians to reach the back of the Plebeian forces and get to the Rune Masters.

"What's their endgame?" Melinda asked him and he sighed,

"They are not actually here to defeat the Edgar family or more accurately, they are not here for all-out war. They are here for him..." Hal said and pointed at the Dome within which Hector had fallen to his knees and surrendered to the siphoning of his Cosmic Energy and Mental health. The only hint of resistance was the phenomenon that lightly shrouded him.

"They are here to incapacitate Hector Edgar and they are doing quite a good job at it."

Melinda's eyes widened.

Hal had told them there would be an ambush but he had never told them exactly what the ambush was about and it was not that he wished to keep them in the dark, it's that he had no idea.

The only thing even Evian had been told about Operation: Gatecrasher was that it aimed to destroy the Edgar family which was a statement that was open to interpretation.

It could have been an all-out assault to completely decimate the forces of the Edgar family and in turn, damage the morale of the other Great families.

It was only after the start of the assault that he began to notice patterns.

With San's cultivation now at the Cosmic Phenomenon realm, there was only one person in the whole city who was capable of defeating him and that was Hector Edgar.

In fact, even before he reached the Cosmic Phenomenon Realm, Hector was still the only one he deemed worthy of derailing his plans. The others were after all, still in his realm and it would simply become about strategies and preparations.

This was San's preemptive strike to take away the only obstacle in his plans and once he was done, the rest would be smooth sailing.

Except for the Malevolent one of course.

"So they want to kill him?" Rita asked as she gazed upon the Fime trapped Hector,

"Eventually. However that Dome is sucking away years of Hector's hard work and softening him up.

You see, the Dome can't be kept up for long. Whether the Edgar brothers make it to the Runemasters or not, the Dome will eventually be taken down. It's still connected to Baret and Ian and they are attempting to assist each other to handle the strain.

They are only at the Cosmic Armament Realm and their Astral sense is only Rank 3 so a Rank 5 Array is detrimental to them.

That said, things are still going according to plan for San."

Just then, Marlon and Darryl broke through to the end of the Plebeian men who ignored the duo and instead continued their assault on Edgar castle.

Olivia and the Blood Knights that had assisted her were on the platform and holding their own against the assault of Plebeians who were leaping onto the platform.

Marlon and Darryl paused to look at San and then locate the Rumasters who were on the ground beside his palanquin and cross-legged in their effort to stay focus.

Their expression now was miles apart from the mocking one they had displayed earlier.

The brothers dashed towards them but were intercepted by Evian and about three other Cosmic Armament Realm Experts who were barely holding back the fear they felt from the shrouded brothers.

Even Evian was shivering.

San grinned from atop his seat because he felt the Shroud did not instill fear in him as it had once done back at his home when he was still at the Cosmic Armament Realm.

However, something changed...

From Evian's body, Dark fog began to seep out and it was the same for the other Cosmic Armament Realm experts that were with him...

A clear indication that the Malevolent One had gotten to them!

And yet as San watched this new development, his grin only grew wider...

"Finally"

Chapter 200 - Fog Of Corruption. Part 2

Despite San's words, he was actually quite surprised, shocked even, at this turn of events. It was most likely what made his wide grin eerier.

With the way things were starting to turn out, there should be way more pain evident in his visage, and yet while he did not show it, Evian felt a lot of pain and a lot of anger that was all directed at the one who had caused this.

They were all directed at the Malevolent One.

Once Darryl and Marlon showcased abilities like those of the Malevolent One's representative, he truly wondered if one of the two or someone else of the Edgar family could be the Malevolent One.

However, he felt if that was the case, there would have been more graceful means of robbing the Confluence so he concluded that it was most likely someone who got to the brothers to get to the Confluence.

After all, once the location of the Confluence was known, half of the problem had been solved.

So he surmised as he watched the brothers get ever closer to him and the two Runemasters that if the two could have been convinced by whatever means then who could truly account for what had happened once their view was obstructed by a Dome of Astral energy.

Thinking back, the Dome had been preceded by an explosion that once down was shown to have caused numerous casualties!

San almost slapped himself across the face for not having realized it sooner. The Malevolent One -who he still believed had been there personally- had not only managed to defeat all of the Great families most trusted Men, he had also done so to those that had been sent to represent the Plebeians and seize the Confluence's riches,

And yet none of them had been killed!

At the time, all the family heads, San included, had been so relieved and happy to see their most trusted alive that they not only declined to ask themselves the most important question, they were also so complacent enough to believe the allegiance of their men was unshakable.

Of course, they could not be blamed. After all, if they could not trust their right-hand men, then who could they possibly trust.

Anyway, the revelation of the Edgar brothers caused San to -as much as he wished not to- suspect that Evian's allegiance might have shifted.

Although if he was being honest with himself, this merely confirmed what he had been suspecting long before and had been the reason he did not reveal the complete details of his plans to anyone else, Especially Evian.

"Deg, snap out of it" Called Bale to his right-hand man.

He had been the first to recover from the shock of the shroud-covered Cosmic Armament Realm Experts who instead of battling with the Edgar brothers were standing with them.

His voice jeered up the other Plebeian heads and they opened their mouth to call out to their right-hand men as well when San interrupted them with a loud yell...

"That's enough, you buffoons! If you really want to show dissatisfaction, then get down and kill them!"

The Plebeian heads whose men were among the corrupted, looked at San like he was insane. While they surely could attempt to kill their men, it was far from being something they could do immediately.

At the very least, they needed some time to adjust.

San tsked in annoyance and leaped down from the palanquin with a blast of Cosmic Attack, infused with a Cosmic Phenomenon.

*Boommmmmm*

So great was the effect that the Plebeian men dashed forward to keep away from the impact while also going deeper into the Castle courtyard to engage more Edgar men, who Karon was now directing as best he could without leaving those he was protecting defenseless.

However, he was now considering entrusting their safety to a few guards as him staying away from the battle was not doing anybody any good.

Anyway, when the blast settled, all Eight men (Six Plebeians including Evian and the two Edgar brothers) were still standing.

The shroud had completely covered their body and protected them quite nicely while it also dug into the ground to give them more footing to withstand the backward propelling force.

Evian being the strongest of the Plebeians summoned his Saber Armament and dashed at the one who he had once called Lord.

"Good. Come over here. I can see you are corrupted and the only way to cleanse you is to purge you of your perverse soul" San said with a hint of crazy in his eyes.

It was a wonder as to where he got such exorcist-sounding words but one thing was clear as he summoned his Armament as well and it was covered lightly by a Cosmic Phenomenon; The cleansing meant he would kill Evian.

*Clang*

Their sabers met and even with the Devil shroud enhancing his strength, Evian could not gain the upper hand.

The force from their swords meeting had already numbed his wrist but he gritted his teeth and pushed forward.

He had been given one order and it was to make sure the Edgar brothers stop the Plebeian Runemasters and freed the Mayor.

And until he drew his final breath, he would do just that.

*Bang!*

Evian released a Cosmic attack mixed in with dark fog from the Devil shroud and slashed it towards San who deflected the attack like it was nothing, however just as he did that and smiled complacently at Evian...

...two of the remaining Plebeians leaped up and tossed simultaneous Cosmic attacks at him and they not only were not deflected, but they also hit San point-blank before exploding.

*Bang*

*Boom*

A cloud of dust covered the Plebeian leader before he leaped out of it towards the two still in mid-air and in two incredibly fast strikes, the heads of the two Plebeians fell to the ground along with their bodies.

San looked at their bodies and thought he saw something that resembled a mark peel off their bodies and dissipate in the air. But he wasn't sure what he had seen as the Dark fog around them was dissipating in almost the same manner.

He shook it off and faced the remaining four, including Evian, while he flicked his Saber Armament at them,

"Come on" he said as he noted the Edgar brothers staying a few distances away from the fight as though to take advantage of any lapse in attention on his part.

He sneered at their naivete!

The Plebeians suddenly dashed forward, the only one who did not was Evian who hung back as those three engaged San in what was clearly a pointless struggle right from the start.

The three not only sent fully charged Cosmic attacks at San, but they also made use of the skills at their disposal but for every single attack, San had only one response which was to slash his Saber and cancel it all out.

And then he sent out his own attack and showcased that the one he had blasted at the start was merely a warning as this one did not merely attempt to toss them back, it contained the height of lethal will and killed them instantaneously.

The Plebeian leaders whose men those had been, among whom were Bale and Tod, choked as San killed them as though their lives amounted to nothing in his sights.

Which was exactly how it was, their death had no impact whatsoever, however as he faced Evian, the last of the corrupted ones, there could be seen in his eyes a barely perceptible change...

...but that did not stop him from forming a Cosmic phenomenon around himself.

...

Meanwhile, while the battle between this two, once upon a time Lord and subordinate was about to begin and the Plebeian forces still embroiled in Combat with the Edgars, no one noticed a blue-eyed young man turn visible and project a Rune at the ground before going invisible again...

...only to become visible a few distances away and do the same thing...