110-118

Chapter 110 - Open The Gates!

"Boss."

Leon was greeted by his gang members when he arrived near the western entrance.

The situation was not one he was expecting. He had yet to reach the western entrance, but it was already densely crowded from where he stood.

"Why had everyone not entered the Upper District yet?" Leon asked with a sour tone.

He had delayed the crawlers from reaching the upper wall, but their arrival was inevitable. These people will become food for the crawlers if they don't enter soon.

"As you can see boss... the gates have been shut tight. No one is able to enter the Upper District."

The gang member pointed in the direction of the gate. There was an uproar at the gates. The crawlers were closing in and the crowd were growing restless. They started banging in the gates with greater strength.

"Open the gates!"

"Open the gates!!"

"Open the gates!!!"

"I am a noble! I demand the gates to be open for me at once!" Some nobles roared.

Evidently, there were other nobles and aristocrats that were caught outside in the chaos of the Lower Districts. Their presence made more people on the Upper Walls hesitate.

"What should we do? We can't ignore these nobles and aristocrats."

"Dammit, why do they have to be outside at a time like this."

"It's no use. The commoners will flood inside once the gates are open for these nobles and aristocrats. They only have themselves to blame."

The discussion atop the upper walls were like a death sentence for these nobles and aristocrats stuck outside with the commoners. Their hearts turned cold.

'These people were their peers? They were prepared to watch tens of thousands of people die. They weren't humans. They are a bunch of heartless monsters!'

If they were not stuck outside like the rest of these commoners, they would naturally not think like this. But since they were caught in the same situation, their sentiments aligned with the commoners and hated the cold-bloodedness of the Upper District people.

Similar situations were also occurring at the southern, eastern and northern entrances.

The only exception was the scene at the southern district was the least intense. The people at the southern entrance weren't as desperate as the people at other entrances.

…

On the rooftop of an intact building within the Lower South District, a group of shadowy figures were seen panting and resting.

"Leader, what are our next course of action?" Mark asked respectfully.

"You guys did well in finding me. I would not have been able to close this rift by myself." Kasif said. "However, it is not enough to save the south district. We will head back and report to the Queen. Her majesty will tell us what to do next."

"Yes, Leader… but what about the commoners? They commoners are being barred from entering the Upper District. Are we going to leave them to fend for themselves?" Mark added his concern.

"I believe the problem will be resolved by the Queen shortly." Kasif answered with some thought.

He was sure the Queen could see the situation from the Royal Palace and would not leave all these commoners to die.

Although they had succeeded in sealing the rift for the Lower South District's side, it was not enough to eliminate the danger from the Lower South District.

There were just too many crawlers emerging from the rift in the neighboring districts.

Forget about the absence of the outer city walls, even the adjacent walls dividing the lower districts would not be able to stop these night crawlers from entering the Lower South District.

Unless the entire rift surrounding the Capital was sealed and all the crawlers were eliminated, the danger would always be present. They were only able to buy some time for the commoners.

However, that time was more than enough for the Queen to resolve the entrance blockade by the nobles and allow the commoners to retreat to the Upper District safely.

He wished he could continue to seal the rest of the rift, but the situation did not allow for it. They had exhausted themselves and the place was already swarming with crawlers. It was an impossible task. They would just be offering themselves up as dinner for those nasty insects if they tried.

The group took one last look over the Lower District before they headed back to the Royal Palace. The upper wall may have been able to impede a lot of people from entering the Upper District, but it was nothing for high-level awakeners.

With a strong leap, they were able to scale the wall easily and continue unobstructed.

The Lower East District and Lower North District were the only two districts that didn't receive help from any awakeners.

The intact buildings close to the rift housed many people, whom chose to hide from the explosion. They did not leave and continued to hide inside.

When the crawlers emerged, these people were the first to be killed and eaten clean. Nothing was left of their remains.

…

When Leon found out that the Upper District entrance was selfishly shut tight, he was angered.

'These bastards only care about themselves.'

Among the crowd, he found that Aria and her parents were also still present. If he had chosen to head to the Upper District directly instead of taking the western entrance route, he might have missed them.

"Ahh it's the divine doctor!"

"The Golden Lion Gang boss is here!"

The commoners exclaimed when they saw Leon fly above them with his flame wings.

'Hopefully the boss can get them to open the gates for us.' They prayed.

Leon floated in the air above the upper wall and looked down on the upper wall people coldly.

"Open the gates!"

The nobles and aristocrats were surprised by Leon's appearance and ability. They tried to browse their memory but failed to recognize him. They didn't seem to recall there ever being such a young fire-user among the royal family.

Only royalties could wear the type of royal garments Leon was wearing.

"Brat, don't you know it's a capital offense to pose as royalty? Come down and accept your punishment!" A figured in city guard uniform stepped forward and shouted.

The person wasn't intimidated by Leon's ability. He was a 5th awakener. He didn't think the boy could possibly be stronger than him, given his young appearance.

Leon's words were completely ignored, and his mood sank further when he saw that his demand wasn't being acted upon immediately.

"And what kind of shit are you?"

"You don't know who I am!? I am the Owen, captain of the city guards, brat! How dare you disrespect me!"

The person was immediately angered by Leon's disrespectful words. But while he was anger, he was helpless to do anything about it. He couldn't fly like Leon.

City guards? The city guards!? Which hole did this city guard captain crawl out of?! Where had they been this whole time?

The city guards had the duty of keeping the order and enforcing the law, but what was the situation of the lower districts like? Their presence in the lower district was practically non-existent.

If this city guard captain didn't appear before him, he would have forgotten city guards even existed!

Leon didn't think they were good people to allow the gangs to run rampant in the lower districts and fatten up the coffers of the corrupted nobles for so long.

They must have been in leagues with them or taken bribes to turn a blind eye to all the happenings of the Lower District at least and ignored the suffering of the common people.

Even when chaos descended on the Lower District, the city guards didn't appear to help the commoners in need. They weren't anywhere to be seen in the Lower District in fact.

It turns out they had long retreated to the Upper District, and this bastard prancing in front of him was the head of those useless city guards?

Leon's expression turned cold. He immediately flashed in front of the city guard captain and wrenched him up off his feet by the throat.

Shock and horror bloomed on Owen's face as his eyes bulged at Leon with fear. Leon's cold eyes were like the deep dark abyss that threatened to swallow him whole.

He wasn't able react to Leon's action at all and allowed himself to be grabbed like a hapless little lamb.

He wanted to say something but couldn't due to the tightening grip on his throat. He could feel his eyes starting to roll and was about to pass out.

Someone who could defeat the captain of the city guards so swiftly had to be much more powerful than him.

Would the city guard captain offer his own neck to be grabbed so freely? No!

Thus, the nobles and aristocrats on the wall all retreated in fear. They were from the upper class, but they belong to the bottommost part of it. They weren't as strong as the city guard captain and was easily intimidated by Leon's overbearing presence.

Leon threw the captain off the wall like throwing away garbage before jumping down too. Owen landed on the ground in the Upper District's side painfully with a loud thud.

"I will not be repeating myself!" Leon said with the flair of an overlord.

Owen was completely frightened like a timid rabbit by Leon in their short exchange. When he heard the boy's callous words, he was about to agree and order the city guards to open the gates immediately.

However!

Rumble… The sound of heavy footsteps rushing to their location caused him to stop the words stuck on the tips of his tongue to look. His eyes immediately brightened by what he saw.

"Brat, you are dead now! The palace guards are here!" The city guard captain said venomously. His previous fear seemed to have dissipated without a trace at the palace guard's arrival.

"Sirs, you came at the right time! That brat is posing as some royalty and threatened us to open the gates!" Owen said pitifully to the guards with tears threatening to pour out of his eyes, while pointing to Leon.

The leader of the palace guards looked at him with disgust.

I've seen kids crying to other adults about being wronged, but never a grown man crying to other adults about being wronged.

Act your age, dude!

The leader forced down his unpleasant feelings and turned to look at who Owen was pointing at. He was immediately stunned, before he was driven furious.

PAH!

Owen was slapped so hard he couldn't tell left from right, before he heard how the leader greeted the boy and wanted to faint.

"Your highness!"

Chapter 111 - Leap Of Faith

Your highness!

The words rang like thunder in his ears. Owen could not believe what he was hearing!

Your highness!? He scoured his memory but couldn't remember there ever being such a young figure among the royal members.

Wait a minute! The missing prince should also be around this boy's age…

Is… is he the prince?

After recovering from his concussion, Owen felt like he was doused in a basin of cold water and couldn't stop shivering in fear. He kept silent and looked up at the young figure in royal garment with trepidation.

He knew he had not left a good impression on the prince and the accumulative crimes he had committed over the years was enough to sentence him to death a hundred times over.

If the prince decides to dig into his history, his life would be as good as forfeited. That is if he was still even able to keep his life after just offending the prince.

Owen was as silent as a night owl. He did not dare to let out a single fart and awaited the prince's next words. The prince's following words would be like the edict of heaven. His life and death could be decided with a single word.

"Did my mother send you all here to defend the wall?" Leon inquired.

"Yes, her majesty has dispatched a batch of palace guards to each district and defend against the incoming crawlers. I am the one, her majesty has placed in charge of the defense for the western side, your highness." The palace guard leader, Isaac said respectfully.

The return of the prince to the royal palace was already old news. Such momentous news naturally travels through the palace very fast and every palace guard and maids were made aware of this fact from an early point.

In the off chance that someone among the palace guards did happen to not know who the prince was, then that person must have been a turd with hearing problem or have been living under rock in some unknown corners of the palace.

"I want to open the gate and let all the commoners in. Are there any problems with that?" Leon said coolly.

"There are no problems, your highness. We have been ordered to save as many commoners as we can by her majesty, before defending the wall to the best of our abilities."

"Good. Begin immediately. Much time has been lost."

"Yes, your highness!" Isaac said proudly, before turning to the other palace guards to direct them. A total of fifty palace guards have arrived.

By Leon's calculations that was a total of two hundred guards sent to the four districts. The palace most likely wasn't many palace guards left behind to guard the royal palace.

"Go open the gates!"

Isaac issued his commands, followed by a string of instructions to control the flow of commoners.

The city guards managing the wall watched on dumbly as the palace guards took over their role. They turn their heads to Owen for instructions, but he pretended they did not see him. He wanted to silently curse them.

Don't look at me dammit!

He was quite happy when the prince didn't mention him immediately when talking to the palace guard leader.

He had this vain hope that the prince had forgotten about him, but in fact, Leon had not. He was simply preoccupied with getting the commoners to start entering the Upper District as soon as possible.

Now that it was settled and the commoners began entering, he refocused his attention on Owen coldly.

"You."

"Y-Yes, your highness? What are your instructions?" Owen trembled.

"I order you and all your men to get out there and cover the commoners retreat. None of you can return if there is even one commoner left behind, do you accept?"

"Y-Y-Yes, your highness! I hear and obey." Owen complied obediently, but his face still paled at the mission.

What they had to do was not much different to a suicide mission if no one else were to assist them.

His men only consist of first step to second step awakeners, and they did not wear full body metal armor like the palace guards. Thus, they would be very vulnerable to the crawler's attacks.

The city guards heard the prince's words and paled when their captain agreed.

"Y-Your highness, there are too many people pouring in through the entrance. If we forced our way through, it will slow down the flow of people entering." A city guard protested with a poor excuse.

Leon had no intention of taking no for an answer from these pot-bellied city guards. They will do as they are told.

"Do you need me to teach you how to leave?" Leon coldly at the city guard just now.

"Y-Yes."

When the city guard answered. The others stepped away from him in fear of being implicated in whatever the prince planned do to the person.

"Very well. Let me show you how exactly you should all get out there and help the commoners without using the entrance." Leon said darkly.

Before the daring city guard could react, he was grabbed by the leg and taken over the fifty feet upper wall.

"AHHH!"

The city guard screamed as he was tossed over the wall. His unfit body landed with a thud on the roof of a nearby building in the Lower District.

Leon looked back down at the rest of the city guards and said, "Who else doesn't know how to go out?"

"We... we all know now. Thank you for your guidance, your highness."

The city guards all answered with gratitude, but they wore ugly expressions of wanting to cry. They would rather jump themselves, than be flung by the prince.

"Then get to it!"

"Y-Yes!"

Owen and the city guards all climbed up the upper wall and made the leap.

"AHHH!"

All sorts of screams came from these men as they tried to leap over to the nearest buildings, which were at least forty feet away.

Some made it, some barely made it, and some didn't. Leon didn't care. They weren't going to die from such a short fall anyway.

The ones that barely did, clung to the edges of the roof like they were clinging to their dear life. It was a very pathetic sight for these city guards who were supposed to be soldiers.

A trained first step awakener from the military would have been able to leap fifty feet long, even if they couldn't leap fifty feet high.

They only have themselves to blame for indulging themselves in the sex, alcohol and gambling over the years transformed their own trained bodies into that akin to pigs.

"Mummy, what are they doing?"

A child pointed up and asked her mother as they were following the crowds to enter the Upper District. The crowds also followed suit and looked.

"Mother doesn't know. It's better not to know."

The mother quickly covered her child's eyes as she deemed the sight of two hundred pot-bellied men leaping through the air with their dangling flesh unseemly for her child's eyes.

Others looked at it with some resentment and amusement intermixed. It was truly a sight to behold. What are flying pigs? No one really knows, but this was probably it.

Leon watched them coldly on top of the walls in case they didn't do as they were ordered. He had refrained from killing them because they had their uses, but if they continue to misbehave, he would not hesitate to execute them.

The city guards looked back and shivered. They dared not act on any funny thoughts as the prince was ever watching them like an ancient beast waiting for its prey to make a wrong move. They quickly head off to the rear to help.

"The pace is too slow..." Leon thought with a frown.

There were ten thousand commoners needing to enter, but the crawlers were closing in faster than the rate of commoners entering the Upper District. A confrontation with the crawlers was inevitable.

They were also severely undermanned.

Leon glanced over at the nobles and aristocrats doing nothing on the wall but watching. In times like these, everyone should be helping.

"Everyone, do you plan to help out or do you all just plan to stand there and watch?" Leon asked calmly.

"This… of course, we will help out… but we are not armed…" A nobleman said carefully. He was not stupid. The prince asked them a simple question, but he was implying that they should help out.

"That is not a problem. You can go collect your weapons and return. When the time comes, everyone is required to defend the wall and not let these crawlers break past."

"Yes…"

"Go now, I will remember you." Leon said placidly.

I will remember you…

The nobles and aristocrats wiped their sweats. The prince had imprinted their faces in his memory. They can't just leave and not return to help or they would be in trouble later.

After these nobles and aristocrats left to go arm themselves, Leon called for the guard leader.

"You called for me, your highness?"

"What is the defense plan?"

Hearing the prince's question, Isaac answered, "We have to hold the line until sunrise, your highness."

Leon nodded at Isaac's answer. He thought as such.

Once the sun rises from the east, the crawlers will scatter towards the light. But it will be a grueling period to defend until sun rise.

'There should also be a follow up plan to eliminate all the crawlers before they lay waste to all that lies east.'

Leon thought.

Chapter 112 - What Was The Last Thing That Went Through Their Heads?

Somewhere in the Wildlands, on a certain hilltop that seems to be the heart of a beast tribe, the transcendental 6-Tailed Silver Wolf laid in a lackadaisical manner. As a transcendental beast and the king of a tribe, it stood at the peak of power and there weren't many things that could excite it.

Most of its time was normally spent on its hill overlooking the development of its tribe that did not consist of only its own kind, but also various other beast races. Although there were many conflicts of interest among the beast races, the king itself wasn't prejudiced. In its books, any beast within its territory and loyal to its rule, was its subject. So it would not discriminate.

If the troops from the Great Wall were present, they would gasp in amazement at the sight of the beast tribe. Although the military has been made aware that beasts don't necessarily possess intelligence below their own, they would still never think that the beasts would adapt their humanly ways.

There were many large huts and tents made of wood, straws, grass and even beast hides and bones were included. It was very similar to how humans started out during their primitive stages or nomadic lifestyle in the past.

At this moment, the 6-Tailed Silver Wolf raised its head with a frown as if it had smelt something unpleasant... something that made it felt revolting.

Its ancestry had always been known for its extraordinary sense of smell, so much so that even a newborn cub would possess a sense of smell that was a hundred times greater than that of humans.

As a full-grown Silver Wolf with transcendental fleshly might, the 6-Tailed Silver Wolf's sense of smell was far beyond that of a newborn cub and it was able to smell up to a few hundred miles away.

"Awooo!"

The king issued its howl to the sky and a flock of aerial beast soon descended as they were summoned by their king.

Among the aerial beasts that consists of giant crows, one small figure stood out at the forefront from among the group of black crows and appeared to be the head of the group. It possessed the appearance of a young girl with jet black wings like a fallen angel in black-feathered dress.

The young girl's small frame made her look particularly weak with her flimsy limbs and silky smooth skin. However, one should not judge the young girl by her appearance. Behind her thin arms lies an astronomical amount of strength compressed within that was contrary to its frail appearance.

The two did not converse in the human language. Instead, they spoke in the ancient beast language that was universally used by the beasts throughout the Wildlands.

"Something big is happening in the Human Domain. Go and investigate it for this King." The Transcendent silver wolf ordered with an imposing air.

"That is suicide! My people will die!" The young girl protested.

"Hmm? Are you planning to disobey this King's orders, Lilith?" The silver wolf narrowed its eyes.

The lives of its subjects were inconsequential, only results mattered. Beneath the Transcendent level, all life were ants and unworthy of the Silver Wolf's concern.

"…"

"No!" Lilith answered after a moment of silence.

Before long, the young girl and her flock of giant crows took off to the skies with a sad but determined look and flew east.

The king's order was absolute!

…

There was a reason why aerial beasts no longer attempted to fly past the Great Wall to scout the Human Domain in the many years the wall had been erected.

During the cataclysm, many things had been changed and transformed. The sky was also no exception to the changes. There was an unknown pressure within the sky that bore down on all creation.

The higher one flew, the increasingly difficult it becomes. Thus, whether it was aerial beast or airships, none had been able to break the thousand feet limit. The only exception to the limit were Transcendent-level birds.

For non-transcendent birds to attempt to bypass the Great Wall at such low heights, it was akin to suicide as they are still within firing range of human firearms.

At this moment, a flock of aerial beast could be seen approaching the Great Wall with great speed without slowing down.

The ever-vigilant watchers atop the walls were immediately alerted of their arrival and rung the alarm. They would never relax while on watch duty. It had been drilled into their beings to always be wary and vigilant of the beasts. The false talk of peace was too incredible for them to believe. They didn't slip up then, they wouldn't slip up now.

"It's the aerial beasts! They have come!"

"Dammit, I knew there would never be any peace between our two races!"

Troops quickly lined the wall and took aims with their firearms in a swift manner.

Bang* Bang* Bang*

The shots were fired and the flock of crows were all hit.

While the bullets failed to penetrate their bodies at such height, it was a different story when their feathered wings that were weak in defense.

Caw… Caw… The crows cried.

Their wings were riddled with holes and they helplessly dropped from the skies.

The crows seemed to be vehement in crossing into the Human Domain, but it seems like it was futile. They were easy targets for the trained shooters on the wall.

One by one they all dropped out of the skies and plunged headfirst into the ground with their sharp beaks. The momentum gained from plunging from such height was extremely fatal and without surprises, the crows all splattered on the ground with booming noises.

None of their features could be recognized after they had all become bloody mushes, but if they still could then there would have been content expressions on their faces.

Why content expressions?

In the air, Lilith managed to slip into the Human Domain unnoticed, but she was heartbroken by her clansman's sacrifice. She had hidden under the big frames of her own people and used them as shield in order to succeed.

…

The soldiers arrived at the location of the bloody mushes to see if there were still any salvageable materials they could recover from the bird's carcasses.

"Damn… these stupid birds never learn their lessons, do they?" Harry commented to himself.

"What do you think was the last thing that went through their heads, when they hit the ground?" He suddenly ask his good mate at his side, Tim.

"Hmm… I don't know…. maybe its ass?" Tim looked at the bloody mushes in the ground and answered.

"…"

Harry looked at his mate, speechlessly and dumbly.

This buddy of his actually… took his words in the literal sense… he doesn't know what to say about this.

"That wasn't what I mean you know… Actually, never mind…"

Tim scratched his head dumbly. Did he say something wrong?

Harry ended their short conversation there and rubbed his temples.

Most commoner soldiers chose to enlist in the army because they weren't good with education. They were more brawns over brains. Tim was one such example and his way of thinking would naturally be simpler.

…

Back at the Capital,

The commoners to retreat into the Upper District at a steady pace. However, the rear started to grow frantic in their hearts when they saw the crawlers closing in. There were no burning buildings left between them to delay them.

Owen gulped at the sea of crawlers. There was still more than half the number of commoners left in the Lower West District.

It seems like where he stood will be his final resting ground… no, these bugs would not even spit out his bones. He would be in their stomaches.

Leon also saw the situation. At the same time, the nobles and aristocrats returned with weapon and armor.

He looked at their shiny suits of armors with interest. It must have cost them a fortune to afford it.

"We will follow your orders, your highness." They said steadfastly and firmly. The protection of their armor seemed to have boosted their confidence.

Leon quickly arranged for them to replace the palace guards' role of guiding the commoners into the Upper District without disorder.

"Guards, at my command!"

"What are your orders, your highness?" Isaac answered.

"We will go help the rear. Those lousy city guards will not be able hold the crawlers off by themselves." Leon stated.

"Yes, your highness." Isaac was prepared to carry the task out at once.

"One more thing. Since my mother has placed you in charge of the western defense, you will naturally be in command. I will not take this role from you." Leon said.

He still had some self-awareness and didn't think he was some great commander. He had been directing the order of things based on what needed to be done and what had to be done.

He had yet to complete his military training. He had no experience in commanding the guards in battle and definitely no knowledge of their guard formations and such. The defensive commands should be left to the capable.

"Yes." Isaac saluted with his fist and palm with respect and admiration. The prince knows when to step down.

At this moment, someone called out to him.

"Leon."

He looked down and found that Aria and her family already made it to the gates. They were at the rear; how did they make it to the front so soon?

The commoners let her through due to her status as Saintess, Leon immediately understood.

"Go on, the people will need you to calm them down, Saintess." Leon flashed her a warm smile.

Aria nodded quietly and entered the Upper District compliantly. Under the cover of her hair, her face was flushed with embarrassment.

Saintess!

That title is going to stick, isn't it?!

Chapter 113 - Hendrick Arrives!

Capital outskirts, hilltop woods,

"When will it be time for us to make our move?"

One of the lords asked. He was growing impatient from all the waiting.

The Capital could not see what was happening outside due to the veil of black smoke, but it was also true the other way around. No one outside could see what was happening inside. However, the bugs had begun spilling outwards and not just towards the Capital.

"We will move once they all exhausted their strength in defending at against the Deadeye Spiders. Furthermore, the Queen had not made her move yet. We cannot move ahead of her."

The Queen was their biggest problem. Being secluded in the palace for so many years without outside interaction, no one knew how exactly powerful her majesty had become. They had to tread each step carefully. One wrong move could spell the destruction of all their families.

At the mention of the bugs, the faces of all the lords and members of the four great families could no longer remain calm.

They had been told about the existence of these creatures that lurked under the Capital, but it still came as greater shock to them when they actually witness the creatures with their own eyes.

It was unbelievable that they had obliviously spent most of their life living above such an abominable existence and unbeknownst to them.

Watching the sea of crawlers continuing to expand, they began to grow nervous. Such numbers had far exceeded their expectations.

"Quiet. Someone is coming."

Suddenly, they found that someone was flying towards the Capital. The four great family hid behind the covers of the trees and watched the figure approach.

"Isn't that the general marquis? What is he doing here?"

They were surprised at the arrival of such a strong awakener. The general marquis rarely leaves the western frontier.

They didn't believe the general marquis could see what was happening to the Capital from the western frontier. The distance between the two places weren't exactly far, but it wasn't close either.

However, under the cover of the night, it should have been exceedingly difficult to see the smokes rising from Capital. Which means, the general marquis' visit to the Capital was pure coincidence.

They lament at the bad timing.

"No need to pay him any attention. He would not be able to disrupt our plans." Sir Zagan said nonchalantly before no long paying the newcomer any further attention.

A 9th step awakener was just an ant to him. The newcomer would not be able to stir big waves.

The lords were taken aback. The general marquis was someone on par with them, but sir Zagan didn't put the general marquis in his eyes.

This… was a bit too arrogant, no? They didn't know how powerful sir Zagan was, but they always felt suppressed by some invisible pressure just being in his presence. Thus, they could only assume he was very powerful.

Little did they know, the general marquis had already advanced to one star and could continue making breakthroughs in a very short time if he cultivated.

Wind was present everywhere and very chaotic, but also easily manipulated. Due to its nature, it did not belong to the five elements that formed a perfect cycle and balance. But this didn't mean it was worse than any of the five elements. Whether it is weak or strong was dependent on the user.

…

The surrounding lands outside the Capital mainly comprised of farmlands, growing the crops that sustained the kingdom's population. There were many farmers that chose to live on their farmlands instead of inside the Capital due to convenience of their work.

The farmers gathered and watched the burning Capital roughly two miles away. They did not dare to head over to investigate as they were afraid of being caught up in the chaos. They were just ordinary folks.

The people who had the galls to blow up the Capital couldn't possibly be ordinary. What could they do?

Among these farmers, Rowan watched the rising black smoke in his wheelchair with trepidation along with his servant.

"It was a good call to leave the Capital early, young master." Enzo said with some fear.

"Good call… good call…" Rowan gave him a thumbs up, but his sight was still glued on the Capital with wide eyes.

"Hmm? Isn't that master?" Enzo suddenly spotted Hendrick in the skies.

"Father?" Rowan turned to look, before growing ecstatic.

"Father!"

Rowan shouted, but it was a pity that the general marquis did not hear him.

When Hendrick Graham saw the burning capital in the distance, he immediately sped towards it. He arrived at the outskirts of the Capital shortly.

"What the hell happened here? Who has the gall to attack the Capital? Where do these things come from?"

Hendrick frowned with concern.

Due to the low altitude of his flight, he could not see past the veil of black smoke.

He swiped his hand and a strong gale blew away the smoke with ease. The situation of the Capital was laid bare to him. He didn't stay idle and immediately flew over to assist the people defend.

The black smoke closed back up shortly after, but the people outside was able to get a glimpse of what was happening inside. They paled at the sight.

Crawlers. Unending streams of them.

"Young master, those things are starting to towards us. We should retreat further back." Enzo suggested.

Rowan nodded with a heavy expression.

…

By now, the commoners could no longer keep calm, especially the rear. Tragic cries and screams of the city guards made the legs turn weak, but they didn't dare to look back. Run!

"Move faster! Get to the walls!"

The flow of commoners sped up.

"AHHH! SAVE ME!"

Another unfortunate city guard cried before it was drowned in the sea of crawlers.

One bite was enough to make them lose strength and several more to sentence them to death. Even if Leon provided a healing pill at this point, it was too late to save them.

If Hades wants them, he would not be able to snatch them back. They were goners, both body and soul. Not a trace of their existence was left behind after being swallowed.

Owen and the surviving city guards wavered at the sight. They wish to run at this point.

"Do not falter! Do not retreat! If the spiders don't kill you, I will!" Leon roared.

If their defensive line break now, the vulnerable commoners will become their prey and their death count would soar.

The city guards grew ugly at Leon's words and their eyes were soon replaced with madness.

"Goddammit! Even if you must die, kill as many of them as you can for me!" Owen roared.

The city guards uttered war cries and started hacking up the crawlers indiscriminately in their frenzied state.

Die! Die! Die!

The crawlers were pushed back slightly form their efforts.

"Your highness." The palace guards greeted upon arrival.

"Assist them! Don't let too many of them die!"

"Yes, your highness."

The palace guards flattened the crawlers with their earth abilities and a gap was created between them. The pressure on the city guards lessen dramatically, but instead of retreating, they charged into the sea of crawlers.

They no longer cared for their life and death. The blood on their hand was a bit heavy from the crimes they committed in their last decade. They hoped that by killing more crawlers, their sin could be reduced and be blessed with a clean slate in their next life.

At this moment, the general marquis arrived!

"Tempest!"

Hendrick pointed his finger and roared. All the air in the world was his to command!

The wind gathered in large amounts, twisting and twirling with increasing momentum and powerful before transforming into a tornado.

The destructive vortex of violently rotating wind descended and shredded all things that met it. All creation within five yards of the tornado was pulled inside and shredded into a thousand pieces.

This was Hendrick's best skill and almost the most unstable one. It was beyond his control once it was formed!

The tornado was like a harbinger of death and destruction as it moved through the sea of crawlers, laying waste to everything in its wake.

If Leon's guards were still competing for kills, the general marquis would be the clear winner!

He arrived late but the number of crawlers that died under his attack already broke into the hundred thousand and continued to soar.

It would have no problem reaching the millions!

"The general marquis is here!"

"Praise the general marquis!"

Such calamitous technique would hardly go unnoticed. The commoners saw and cheered immediately.

The general marquis had always been defending west and was revered as a hero by the people. In this moment, he was like a war god.

Leon did not envy the general marquis strength. It was a joke for someone who had formally achieved the Divine. He wasn't entranced like everyone else and focused on the important task at hand.

"Do not stop moving! The general marquis has bought us time! Use this chance to retreat now!" Leon barked.

The people quickly recovered with a start and quickly entered the Upper Districts.

The general marquis killed millions, yes, but it was only a small fraction of their numbers. There were at least tens of millions on the surface and for every crawler they kill, ten more would crawl out.

There didn't seem to be an end to their numbers unless they seal the rift.

…

The Queen, who was up in the Royal Palace also witnessed the sight. She had been paying attention to the whole Capital from above, but never left. She saw the bigger picture. The crawlers weren't their only enemies.

"So, you have figured out the next step to transcend." Elizabeth said with interest, before looking up at the clouds in the night sky.

"The winds of change have begun to blow."

Chapter 114 - Crazy Don In Seclusion

After the people successfully retreated behind the upper walls, Hendrick made his way over to Leon.

"Young man, you are very good." Hendrick praised.

The young man in front of him was able to remain calm and focus on important tasks during crucial moments. He had great prospects.

The general marquis didn't plan to stick for long. The other districts also required urgent help. He was prepared to leave immediately after praising the boy.

However, Isaac couldn't keep silent, seeing that the prince didn't receive the proper salutations.

"With all due respect, even if you are the general marquis, you are still below the royal family and should address his highness as such." Isaac said staunchly.

Others might revere the general marquis, but not him. They had been equals in strength for many years. Now that the general marquis had advanced, he would at most only show proper respects as one would to a stronger person, but not to the point of revering.

Leon raised his hand to stop him from continuing, but it was too late.

His highness?

When the words were uttered, Hendrick Graham paused his steps. There was no prince the last time he visited the Capital, but seeing Leon's attire and aura of majesty, he didn't doubt the validity of the statement.

Which means the prince was found in the last two weeks. For a person growing up as a commoner to already cultivate such a majestic aura, this prince was not simple.

"Apologies for the impudence, your highness." Hendrick offered his proper fist-palm salutation.

"There's no need for such formality, general. Do what you need to do." Leon shook his head before saying respectfully.

This person was a hero, someone who had safeguard the western border from the beasts for many years and was worthy of his great respects.

The general marquis nodded.

Lives were at stake and the sooner the other district receive help, the more lives to be saved.

He was originally anxious for his son but seeing that the Upper District had not been breached, he let down his worries and allowed himself to focus wholeheartedly on the bigger picture.

After the general marquis left, Isaac started issuing orders to everyone so they could prepare themselves to welcome the next wave of crawlers.

The commoners were moved to the innermost region of the Upper District. Just outside the Royal Palace and far from the Upper Walls. These people would not be able to help if they camp near the walls. Instead, they would affect the chain of commands and hinder the defenses by being in the way.

…

At the same time, troubles were looming in the Upper North District.

A crowd of young nobles and aristocrats from all districts had begun to concentrate outside the Lancaster Empire Estate Building.

Despite being called a building, it was not square. It held the appearance of a pyramid-shaped metal fortress that seemed like the result of fusing many buildings together.

The pack of young nobles and aristocrats were the bottommost people in terms of importance within their families. They were deemed to have the least potential in being able to help their family prosper. Thus, no awakening pills had ever been distributed to them by their family head.

They were basically a bunch of profligates and wastrels.

There was only one reason why they have gathered at this spot instead of retreating towards the safety of the Royal Palace.

They all wish to board the airship carrier docked at the top floor and flee the Capital by air. Unfortunately, they are currently being blocked off by the Duke's people.

There were several hundred people gathered outside and their numbers continued to grow with each passing moment.

However, not everyone would be able to board the airship carrier even if they succeeded breaking into the building. There was only one airship and it can only hold so many people.

The reason there weren't many airships manufactured in the kingdom, was not due to the complexity of the manufacturing itself, but the supply of levitation stones. Levitation stones weren't naturally formed resources, but high-tech relics that were unearthed from the ancient ruins sent over by the Royal family. Unless the royal family had more to send them, there would not be anymore airships.

"Back off! We are not open for business today!" One of the guards barked.

"How can you shun away your customers!? The building has always been opened for business and never had it closed before!" A good-for-nothing young noble roared angrily.

"Yeah! We are all customers! We came to place some special orders!"

The guards did not speak another word, but there was only one word they all want to curse inside their minds,

'Bullshit!'

At normal times, they would naturally be open for business, but even during their peak business hours, there were never so many people coming in to place their orders at once.

They would never believe what these people are saying, especially in a time like this. They obviously came for the airship, but they were making lame excuses to enter.

There was no doubt in their minds that once these people were allowed to enter the building, they would no longer be able to stop them all. There were too many people, even for trained awakeners like themselves.

Inside the building, a bunch of blacksmiths and assistants with hammers and tools in their hands gathered on the ground floor. They were prepared to fend the people off, should they try to force their way in.

"Has the family head been informed?" A senior blacksmith asked.

"A messenger has already been sent to inform the family head." His assistant apprentice answered.

"Good grief. I hope the family head arrives quickly. These good-for-nothings look like they are about to break in." The senior blacksmith said with concern.

When the Duke received the news from the palace grounds, he was angered. He had been busy observing the situation of the upper walls and overlooked his own family's business.

Some opportunist was trying to take this chance to get away with his airship?! How can he not be angry?

These profligate good-for-nothing sons had no backbone and was so cowardly. Even if they can't fight on the frontlines, they should at least support the people fighting by bringing them supplies.

If he didn't let them board his airship, were they planning to resort to stealing it!? It seems he need to go teach them a lesson!

"Hmph! I'll be making a trip to our workshop." Duke Ignis said grumpily.

"Mm, take care." Amelia nodded.

Watching her father leave, Rachel uncomfortable that the rest of them were just sitting back doing nothing. Even the Greene family had left to see where they can help with the healing property of their wood ability.

"Mother, I feel we should also help out with the defenses. The destructiveness of our flames would be major help."

"Nonsense. We would only make things worse with our abilities. Have you seen what those creatures are capable of? They can eat flames. Not only would we not be able to help, we would even aggravate them and place ourselves in danger. Those creatures seem very sensitive to heat." Amelia quickly refuted with a frown.

What she didn't know was that these creatures were resistant to fire, but they were not immune to it. A 9th step fire-user was more than powerful enough to burn them to a crisp. While her daughter's flames might be too weak to burn the crawlers to death, her flames definitely can.

"This…" Listening to help mother's explanation, she felt a sense of helplessness. What could she do?

Suddenly her eyes lit up and said, "Mother, I will go see if Teacher Lina and her parents require assistants."

Amelia watched the back view of daughter and shook her head with a smile. Her daughter had a righteous heart and strong sense of noblesse oblige.

Hmm… she should pay her sworn sister a visit. Her sworn sister would know what to do.

…

Standing at the top of the Inner Palace, Elizabeth sighed at the state of the Capital. She was not a good queen and did not look after the Capital well in her husband's place.

Even if she left the others alone, they would not leave her alone.

She flashed a cold look in the distance

"Summon Crazy Don for me." Elizabeth ordered.

"Err… Elder Don has secluded himself in the pill room for some time now, your majesty." Lily answered respectfully.

"In seclusion? Why would he choose now of all time to start a pill refinement session?" Elizabeth asked with knitted brows.

"The elder isn't in a secluded pill refinement session… he is in secluded cultivation… it has been a few days."

"Oh?" Her expression quickly changed to surprise.

It had been a long time since Crazy Don last entered a secluded cultivation session. The last time was when he was breaking through to nine stars… could it be…?

"Since Crazy Don is in secluded cultivation then never mind." Elizabeth said nonchalantly, but her eyes were shining.

"Go and clean up the east side a bit for me, then you may return to my side."

Since Crazy Don was busy, she decided to send her loyal maid off. Lily was only 26, but she was already a one-star fire-user.

"Yes, your majesty. I will be back shortly." Lily complied faithfully.

She shot to east direction quickly with very powerful big leaps. Residual flames could be seen under her soles.

…

Not long after the palace maid was sent off, the Shadow Guards returned to the Royal Palace. However, they weren't given any time to rest. After receiving new instructions from the Queen, they gathered the entirely of their forces and set off once more.

"Haih… these old bones will be worked to death by her majesty." Kasif shook his head as he headed north to meet the Duke with the rest of his Shadow Guards.

Chapter 115 - Bullying & Meeting

"Who dares to barge into my workshop!?"

The Duke roared furiously upon his arrival. His roar was not earthshaking to say the least, but to the crowd, it was thunder to their ears.

Who else would call such a titanic fortress as his workshop?

"Oh shit, the Duke is here! Run!" A young noble cried.

The crowd panicked and began to run once they heard the word 'Duke' being uttered. However, the direction they all ran made the young noble want to faint in anger.

"Are you all idiots!? Why are you all running this way?! Quickly scatter! Scatter I say!"

The crowd followed closely behind the young noble like he was the alpha of the pack, but the situation did not last very long. The others ran faster than him and soon overtook him one by one. He regretted not having enough legs to run with.

He immediately noticed a problem. Big problem. He wasn't getting anywhere at all, despite running with all his might.

"You got big guts to be causing trouble at my workshop, kid. What makes you think you'll be able to get away with my airship?" The Duke's voice loomed over him.

His face instantly paled. It turns out he had been grabbed by the Duke like one would with a chicken.

"Y-Y-Your grace... have mercy... It was a misunderstanding…" The young noble pleaded, while desperately struggling.

But how could he hope to break free from the Duke's vice-like grip?

He wanted to cry. Of all the people, why was he the one singled out? Was it because he was the loudest, so the Duke took him as the ringleader? So he had unknowingly made himself the scapegoat for the others?

He couldn't see their expression, but they are surely saying, "Thank you, brother. We will never forget you."

'F*ck you!'

He mentally cursed. He wasn't dead yet.

"Hmph! A misunderstanding? Do you think I would believe that? Do you think I am a fool?"

Duke Ignis lashed out at the poor kid. Each consecutive question held a heavier tone than the last. The young noble trembled with fear.

"I... I wouldn't dare think that way, your grace. P-Please spare me on behalf of my father."

"Your father?" Duke Ignis gave the kid a good look but didn't recognize him. Just a nonentity. However, the family crest on his attire was easily recognized.

"The Sharon family? Do you think I need to give face to a baron? Only they need to give face to me." Duke Ignis narrowed his eyes.

He was planning to beat the kid to scare the rest. The young noble of the Sharon family finally couldn't hold it anymore and wet himself.

"Ugh... forget it. It will just sully my hands and people would think I am bullying the young. Scram!" Ignis kicked the young noble away.

"Thank you for your mercy, your grace!"

The young noble said gratefully and fled like his ass was on fire. He was truly scared.

"Master, it is good that you are here. We've all missed you." A senior blacksmith said.

Duke Ignis was immediately greet upon entering the building.

"Mm. Anything important in the last couple of days to report?" The duke asked casually.

"Yes, the research team had made some progress in replicating the levitation stone."

Duke Ignis's eyes lit up when he heard this.

"Good! Tell them to double the efforts. If we can really succeed, their names will go down in the annals of history. I will not be stingy with my rewards."

"Yes, master." The senior blacksmith bowed in compliance.

They soon moved onto some casual talk, but it was interrupted by the guard's sudden bark outside.

"Stop! We are closed for business today."

Duke Ignis's expression darkened immediately when he heard this. He had just scared off a bunch of brats, but it wasn't enough to deter the rest from coming by the looks of it. Perhaps he needs to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.

"Who's tired of living!?"

He stormed out with a dominating aura, but it deflated the moment he saw who came.

Cough*

"Err... ahem. Your excellency, what brings you here?" Duke Ignis said respectfully.

His people were immediately dumbfounded by his respectful behavior. Was this still the grand and noble duke they knew?

It was natural for the Duke to act like this in the face of someone stronger. The person in front of him was powerful beyond his understanding and was suspected to be a Transcendent. He was already at the peak 9th step, but couldn't gauge the other party's strength.

"Her majesty has sent us over for an important mission. Your airship is of vital importance in completing it." Kasif said.

He had arrived with a hundred shadow guards, all dressed in black. They emanated the aura of an elite force.

The Duke made a quick comparison between them and his own core forces, before shaking his head. His core force was stronger than his house servants in cultivation, but they were mainly profession workers, not fighters.

"Sure, sure. Let me guide your excellency to the airship." Duke Ignis said cordially.

In a short moment, the airship took off with the Shadow Guards.

Duke Ignis did not ask about the details of their mission before they left. Kasif could have chosen to disclose it, but he was too lazy to speak so much.

"I guess it's time to contribute to the defensive efforts." Ignis muttered to himself as he watched his prized airship leave. He doubted anyone would still make trouble at his workshop, now that the airship gone.

"Arm yourselves. We will go over to support the north side defenses."

The duke summoned his people and ordered. His home was next to the north entrance. He did not want it to be overrun with crawlers.

…

At the Capital's central region, roughly 50,000 commoners concentrated without being overly crowded.

The size of the Upper District was not any less than the Lower District, despite having only one fifth as many residents. In the Upper Districts, the buildiings were spread out and not dense like the Lower Districts. There were plenty of open land for the commoners to temporarily reside.

The crowd sat serenely and without nervousness nor tension. Aria made her way around as she calmed the people with her voice that was like the heavenly hymns.

Lina and her parents were making their own waves among the crowd. Their healing abilities did not leave behind scars and were popular among the younger ladies that suffered wounds.

At the same time, a lot of the viscount-level nobles and above had already been emptied of their homes to go assist the defenses of their respective sides. Only their offspring and some servants were left to look after their homes. However, these noble scions weren't happy to stay at home either.

Inside the home of the marquis-level Solaris family,

"F*ck, this is too boring. Half my days are already wasted on military training. How can my parents expect me to be cooped up at home at a time like this? I need to go out and look for some excitement." Sean grumbled.

"The master's arrangement was made in consideration of your own safety, young master. Please understand the master's difficulties." A servant opined.

"For my safety? I am already a 3rd step awakener. I can take care of myself. No one would know I snuck out if you don't say anything." Sean said unreasonably and left.

The servant sighed. The young master only knows how to make things difficult for him. He had to stay and watch the house. He couldn't leave. He could only prepare himself to be reprimanded when the master returns.

"Sean, you snuck out too?" Another young noble called out.

"Oh, Carson. Your family wanted to keep you home too?" Sean asked his classmate from Crawford University.

Carson was a 3rd step awakener young noble and heir of the Laguna family. His father, Earl Julian was the head of the family and a powerful 7th step water-user.

"Yeah… what are you going to do?" The Carson asked.

"Me? Of course, I'm going to find a good spot to watch the battle." Sean said stately as a matter of fact. Such a big thing happening, how can he miss it?

"Tch. You're too boring. I'm going to the central district to check out the Saintess. I heard she has a heavenly voice that can enrapture all the boys that listen to it. Supposedly her beauty is equally unmatched."

'You're the boring person!'

Sean flashed him a disdainful look.

"Well, I suppose it won't hurt to have a quick look." Sean said nonchalantly like he didn't care, but his interest was also piqued. He was a hypocrite.

He has seen his fair share of beauties. Rachel, Lynne and Teacher Lina from his campus. They were all fine beauties. Unfortunately, none of them could be touched. Teacher Lina seemed to have the weakest background, but she was the most untouchable.

He did not dare to get on the bad side of the mysterious dean.

But the point being… how good can the beauty of a commoner be? He had his doubts, but if it's true, he wouldn't let his classmate have her. He would take the Saintess for himself.

They were nobles. It would be too easy to convince any girls from the commoner class to date them as long as they are vain people, chasing the better life.

The two headed off to the central district.

"F*ck, there are so many commoners here." Carson cursed. Where can he find the Saintess among these piles of filth.

A ball rolled towards them and stained his shoe, before a child followed suit to fetch it.

"Big brother, can you return my ball?" The child asked politely.

"Little runt, how dare you stain my shoes with your commoner filth!" Carson said contemptuously and kicked ball at the child.

"Ahhh..."

The child was sent flying by the force of the ball and knocked unconscious.

"Nooo! My child!" A mother cried. She ran over and hugged her poor child.

"Bastard, how could you raise your hand against a child!?" The father grabbed the young noble's clothes cursed furiously.

The crowd was equally furious at the overbearing nature and unreasonableness of the young noble. They just went through life and death together, making them feel closer to one another and more united. The injustice the father felt, they felt it too. Their blood boiled.

"Hmph! I didn't raise my hand! I raised my foot! And don't touch me, commoner! You are all trash to me!" Carson kicked the father flying away too.

The father coughed up blood after landing some distance away.

"Hubby!" The mother cried out for her husband too. Why was this happening? Why!?

After reaching the Upper District, she thought her family could enjoy the safety and protection of the nobles… but no! She was dead wrong! Her family had just suffered unexpected and intolerable bullying by the nobles!

The mother flashed the young nobles a look filled with hatred.

Sean watched by side indifferently. He didn't take any stance, but it was clear that he agreed with what his classmate just said. As nobles, they naturally looked down on commoners.

"If you are not here to help, then please go away. Don't cause any more trouble." A cold, but heavenly voice interrupted.

Carson and Sean gave each other a look of surprise.

This voice… so delightful… so captivating… so transcendental…

"I thought they were exaggerating, but this voice is definitely otherworldly." Carson was enraptured. He did not noticed the cold undertone. Even if the person turns out to be a pig, he had to take her home.

"Hmm… I'm interested in seeing what this Saintess looks like. Why does she hides her face?" Sean rubbed his chin thoughtfully, before pushing his classmate aside and stepped in front.

Carson was immediately gloomy, but watched on silently. If his classmate resort to forceful methods, he could intervene like a hero saving the beauty.

"You must be the Saintess. This young master has taken a liking to you. Hehehe, let me see what kind of beauty you are."

Sean reached out his hand towards Aria's hair cover domineeringly. He did not put up any guard whatsoever. How strong can a commoner be anyway?

The nearby Golden Lion Gang members and commoners immediately wanted to help.

'How dare this person lay his hand our boss's woman!'

"How dare you disrespect the Saintess!'

However, Aria raised a hand to stopped them. She looked at the young noble coldly as his hand drifted closer and closer.

When it got within two inches of her face, it was stopped by her grip.

"Ahh… such silky smooth and tender hands… but aren't you a cold beauty? Hehehe… however I like playing with cold ones… Your strength is not enough to stop me, miss Saintess." Sean said smugly. He exerted more strength, but his expression soon froze in disbelief.

W-W-Why can't I move my hand? Is she more powerful than me? Impossible!

He exerted all his strength, but his hand wouldn't budge. The Saintess's grip was like a pair of iron pliers holding it in place.

"You… You…" Sean started to sweat. He thought he was picking on a soft flower, but it seems he had kicked an iron plate.

Suddenly, his hand felt extremely cold… bone-chillingly cold. It followed by a painful itch running through his entire body like being pricked by a thousand needles. It was electrifying!

"AHH! Unhand me at once!" Sean screamed painfully as his hair stood on end.

Aria only released he grip after lashing out a kick to send him flying.

'Hmph! Only my man can touch me! No one else!'

Her kick was very vicious. She had broken several of his bones and the pain banished his consciousness into the realm of darkness.

Aria flashed a similar cold look at Carson.

"Erm… We'll be on our way… sorry for the trouble." Carson fearfully apologized before picking up his buddy and attempted to leave.

But he was similarly kicked flying before he could. The sound of bone cracking could be heard.

Carson endured the pained and quickly left with the unconscious Sean. Today was a painful lesson for him.

Don't look down on commoners!

She was no longer a soft persimmon that could be squished by others.

Her strength had grown explosively along with her confidence and reached the 7th step. Furthermore, she was an ice-lightning user! If Leon knew, he would be left gaping in shock. How was that possible!?

In fact, Aria didn't know why herself, but it was really fast during the storming period. By now, it had already slowed back down to normal rate.

"Thank you, Saintess, for addressing my family's grievance." The mother kowtowed wholeheartedly with gratitude. She was tearfully grateful to the Saintess for righting the injustice.

Aria shook her head. "There's no need for this. Please get up. I just did what had to be done."

"We should take a look are your husband and child. It doesn't seem good."

"Right… right… my hubby and child."

The mother was reminded and scrambled back to them.

"This… this doesn't look good. That young noble was too heavy-handed." A middle-aged doctor shook his head and said after he inspected the father. "I'm afraid only the Divine Doctor can cure this kind of injury quickly, otherwise his life will be forfeited."

The father suffered broken bones and damaged organs. Aria knew this and returned the favor in kind to the young nobles, but their situation were worlds apart.

The young nobles had stronger vitality and natural recovery speed as awakeners, but the father didn't.

The mother wailed wretchedly when she heard the doctor's diagnosis. What can a weak woman like her do once her husband is gone?

"Make way, make way! I can help him."

Teacher Lina arrived. She had been helping nearby when the commotion drew her attention.

"Young lady, it's no use. He needs a miraculous pill from the Divine Doctor." The middle-aged doctor advised her to save her from wasting her efforts.

However, the mother didn't care about the doctor's statement and clung to whatever little hope there was.

"Please save my husband! I beg you!" The mother grasped on to Lina and pleaded desperately.

"Don't worry, aunty. I promise I will be able to save your husband." Lina smiled warmly and kindly.

The middle-aged doctor sighed. Young people are always overly confident until they wake up to the harsh reality.

Lina hovered her hand over the husband's chest and a halo of pale green light softly illuminated on his body like the gentle coming of spring. The husband's painful expression slowly relaxed as a pleasantly feeling washed over him.

In a few short moments, he was back on his feet and good as new. The child regained consciousness after a similar repeat of process.

The doctor's eyes widened with great surprise along with the crowd. Such miraculous healing without the use of medicinal pills. He didn't care about the redness of his face

Was this the legendary wood ability of the Greene family? When could they heal others?

This… This was a real saint!

Crowd looked back and forth between Lina and Aria with utmost worship.

Two Saintess! Healing both mind and body!

"Hi, I'm Aria. Thank you for what you did for the people. You are a real saint!"

Aria said gratefully. She would have been in a bind if not for Lina's timely arrival. She never thought she was deserving of her title as she couldn't heal people.

"Hi, I'm Lina. Thank you. I just did what I can with this ability of mine." Lina smiled as she accepted the handshake.

The two had admired each other for being able to help the common people in these difficult times.

As this small episode ended, the defensive battle at the upper wall rages on.

Chapter 116 - Sealing The Rifts

Upper North District's northern entrance. The Duke arrived at the upper wall and evaluated the situation.

The defensive battle was intense and visible exhaustion could already be seen on the people's faces. From the current look of the situation, it did not seem like they would be able to last until sunset.

People could fight very long battles with adequate rest in between, but a battle like this left them with no rest at all and tested the limits of their endurance.

In the distance, the airship hovered over the rift at low altitude. A portion of the crawlers were attracted by the drumming noise of the airship and began to change direction.

"Damn, why are they flying so low?"

The guards and nobles, who didn't know the situation, took the airship to be filled with civilians.

"I don't know but it works in our favor. The pressure on us has already decreased by half."

A palace guard said as he hacked away some crawlers with difficulties. In order to cover for these weaker nobles and aristocrats, the palace guards were forced to overuse their earth ability.

There was a severe deficiency in adequate defenders. The nobles and aristocrats had made up the numbers and cultivation, but they had proven to be more burdensome than they are useful.

These were people who had long grown use to ordering others and not others commanding them. A bunch of riffraff banding together would not be able to demonstrate the unity and discipline of a trained legion.

The defenders fought back the crawlers chaotically and a delicate love-hate relationship was formed between the palace guards and the upper district people.

"Look, the airship stopped moving. Why did they stop at the rift? Are they looking to die?" A noble said dubiously.

In his mind, such a move was stupid beyond imagination. Were they going to start tossing civilians off to feed the crawlers next?

The ocean of crawlers over at the rift began to form mountains as their climbed over each other to reach the airship. Duke Ignis knew exactly who was onboard the airship and understood their intentions.

"They are trying to seal the rifts! Allow me to assist them in clearing the path!" Duke Ignis shouted with a dignified bearing.

A flame lance appeared in his hands before he tossed it into the far distance.

The flame lance exploded on a small mountain of crawlers. The area was immediately engulfed in flames and all the crawlers were burned to a crisp.

The Duke soon leaped off the wall and dived into the sea of crawlers. An omnidirectional flame barrier protected him from all attacks and vaporized all that touches it.

His actions grew the attention of all crawlers and they charged at him like a moth in flying into the flame.

"Allow me to help also."

The general marquis dropped by and summoned another [Tempest] to wreak havoc on the crawlers.

"So, you have come, Hendrick. It seems you have also grown stronger." Duke Ignis commented with a hint of envy.

"Not much, just twofold." Hendrick downplayed his achievements, but a grin hung on his face.

When the Duke heard this, his face twitched, and he wanted to smack the person. Twofold is not much!?

The two continued to work together to sweep the area. Their abilities had great synergy as the size of the Duke's flames grew ridiculously large under the nourishment of Hendrick's wind.

The people on the wall all dropped their jaws at the sheer size of the flame.

The giant hellfire dropped into a section of the rift and reduced all the creatures in it to dust, making that patch of area temporarily devoid of crawlers.

"I thank you both for the timely assistance." Kasif's voice drifted over from the airship, before commanding his men, "Shadow Guards, go now! Take this chance to seal the rift!"

The Shadow Guards did not answer, but took action immediately, jumping off the airship towards the edges of the rift. The rift was closed at a visible rate under the manipulation of their earth ability.

Any new crawlers that began climbing out of the rift were flattened under the crushing weight of the earth after the Shadow Guards combined their strength.

After working hand in hand with the general marquis and Duke for a full hour, they manage to completely seal off the entire northern rift.

With that, the north side was finally brought under control. It was only be a matter of time before the Lower North District was completely eradicated of crawlers.

Watching this situation, general marquis and Duke felt proud of their accomplishment. They had played a large role in this success.

"The north is finally stabilized. I wonder if you two gents are willing to accompany this Old man in sealing the rest of the rifts?" Kasif asked.

Hendrick and Ignis looked at each other with sweat still trickling down their faces and smiled.

"Gladly!" They answered simultaneously.

…

Upper West District's western entrance.

"The north and south has now been sealed. Good! It's just a matter of time until the west and east are also brought under control."

Leon floated in the sky and observed the happenings of the Capital. The situation in the north was not missed by him.

His mother must've anticipated that they would not last until dawn and sent people to seal the rifts. That was a great move. It was not realistic to defend until dawn. Even if they manage to pull it off, they would have no strength left to face the real enemy.

Leon watched as the billowing black smoke surround the Capital, finally start to die down.

From the timing of the explosion to the long billowing black smoke, he knew that the enemy was very knowledgeable about the underground spiders and had planned everything carefully.

How could the source of the black smoke not be snuffed out by the spiders after so long? Evidently, the enemy knew what type of fire the spiders avoid.

Some time later, the smoke cover completely dissipated, and the outside world was clear again, although this didn't matter to Leon, whom had good vantage in the sky.

Where was the enemy?

At he thought this, he could sense numerous eyes trained on him from afar. He immediately locked onto their location and wanted to laugh out loud. The enemies were either fools or very brave. They didn't seem like they were trying to hide at all!

Their gazes were completely sensed by him!

The enemy would have never thought Leon's senses could be so sharp as to sense them from miles away! Edric and Albert of the Grey family stood out from among the enemies. Was it time to collect old debts as well as new ones?

Leon's expression turned cold as he avoided direct eye contact. He did not want to alert them.

He took one last look at the Capital that had been devastated and thought it was fine this way. Without destruction, there can be no creation. But there will be great changes after this crisis was settled and his royal family will have to be the one to enforce it. They can no longer keep to their old ways. Times have changed.

He didn't agree with the royal family's conservative methods. If everyone had been awakened, their manpower would not be lacking against these arachnids and they wouldn't had to fight so hard.

…

At this point, his mother was still holed up in the palace. He didn't know what his mother was on guard against, but he could feel his mother's affection and concern for his unconscious father. The King was too vulnerable in his vegetative state and anything could happen. Thus, his mother had stayed in the confines of the palace grounds.

Since his mother remains passive due to his father, let the son clean up the enemy for them!

Leon dropped out of the sky and switched into his black attire before dashing out of the Capital. The crawlers ignored him like he was invisible and allowed their heads to be stepped on along the way. Each step was packed with power and would crush the crawlers head as he goes.

The personal palace guards lost sight of their prince and panicked. They began searching for him within the boundary of the Upper District.

They would have never thought that he was going out to seek the real enemy alone, or else they would have fainted from anger.

After leaping over the rift, he used his shadowy steps to make his way around to the enemy's camp without being detected.

He took the initiative because he was confident in his strength and also didn't want the enemy to escape one they found out the Capital was under control. He was fed up with these corrupted nobles.

He did not know the full extent of their strength so he wouldn't face them head on as such. To fight a head on battle based on blind confidence was being too arrogant and foolish.

He would first assess their strengths from the dark and act accordingly.

…

The four great families continue to wait patiently for the Capital to exhaust their strengths.

Edric and Albert had seen Leon floating in the sky. They weren't able to make out the contours of his face from such great distance, but still thought the figure was somewhat familiar to a certain someone they hated. They flashed the person at hateful look as they thought this.

The four great families did not know that because of this father-son duo of the Grey family, the other side was alerted of their location and was coming to pay them a visit from the shadows.

If they knew, they would have cursed the Grey family's nine generations.

But If they also knew it was just one person, then they wouldn't care as much and think that person was a fool... except that one person would become their nightmare.

A blade in the open was easy to dodge, but a dagger in the dark was not.

Chapter 117 - Silent Massacre

While the people were busy dealing with the crawlers and stabilizing the situation of the Capital, no one knew that at this one, there was a small petite figure flying above them.

"Hmmmm... so, this is what the Human Domain looks like... doesn't seem much." Lilith tilted her head with one finger on her cheek and pondered thoughtfully as she stared at the structure of Capital.

"It is still better than our low-rank beast tribe, but nothing compared to the others. The mid-rank and high-rank beast tribes were much more impressive than this..."

In her tribe, the higher-ranking humanoid beasts all reside in straw huts, while the lower rank beasts rest in trees, caves, dug up holes or simply on the open plains. As for mid-rank beast tribes and higher, they have transformed into large cities much grander and majestic than the human city she was seeing.

There were no lower rank beasts among the mid-rank tribes and higher. All the beastkins of these higher rank tribes were born of humanoid figures, while the highest-ranking ones were practically no different to humans.

The only difference was they have inherited the strongest bloodline of their ancestors and were basically perfected existences that carried the culmination of both races, the best of both worlds.

In the Wildlands, many beast tribes existed, both large and small. Lilith belonged to a low-rank beast tribe, the Skysilver Tribe. Skysilver was both name and title of the of the Skysilver Tribe's Transcendent-level beast king.

Each low-rank beast tribe was typically ruled by one Transcendent-level beast and have its name ingrained in the tribe's name. This was to demonstrate the highest level of prestige and recognition of its rule over its tribe.

The Skysilver tribe occupied the easternmost lands and had always been the only tribe confronting the Human Domain in all these years.

Looking at the state of the human capital below, Lilith was both amused and apathetic, with traces of tear stains still present on the rims of her starry eyes.

Even before the devastation of the Lower District, the contrast between the Upper District and the Lower District of the human capital had been very great.

But seeing the state it was in now...

"Heaven and hell are worlds aparts, but here you can find both of them in one spot..."

Lilith said, before shaking her head. She was being distracted.

Her lovable expression turned serious in the next moment, "These ugly things must be reason for his majesty's displeasure."

Although she felt repulsed by such vulgar creatures, she continued to observe the situation from the night sky.

...

With the black smoke cover gone, the four great families were finally able to see the situation of the Capital.

"Sir Zagan... it seems our great plan has failed. Should... should we take this chance to retreat, while they are still busy?"

One of the lords said with some regrets and fear. Once the crawler crisis was settled, there no doubt that the royal family would send people after them.

They must have been fools to think they stood a chance against the royal family. Each palace guard was as powerful as them, if not stronger. Wasn't this like an ant pitting itself against an elephant? The thought of it was ludicrous.

When sir Zagan heard the cowardly undertone, the edge of his mouth raised into a smirk filled with disdain, but since he stood at the front, no one could see his expression.

"You can all leave if you want. I am staying for one more major event." Sir Zagan said nonchalantly.

In any case, these people had outlived their usefulness. They could only serve as cannon fodders for his goal in the upcoming battle if they stayed. Thus, he no longer placed any importance on their opinions.

He continued to watch the Capital with anticipation. Despite being rooted in the exact spot for half a night, He had not grown tired of watching and his interest had never waned. It was as if he would never be bored watching the world burn.

"This..."

The lords were hesitant. Although they believe sir Zagan was powerful. He was after all just one person. Could he fight off an entire army of experts?

"Inform the members to pack up their things and prepare to retreat at any time." Lord Esmond ordered.

Ultimately, they decided to leave. In their minds, the Capital has already taken control of the battle. What else could happen?

"Yes, Lord Esmond." A servant complied.

Lady Harriet and Lord Grey also sent their servants off to make their preparations for leave. Only the Weld family did nothing as they did not carry much items with them.

There was only three people left in the Weld family. Lord Weld, Cayden and their steward, whom wore a retarded look that was beyond his bodily control.

...

At this moment, Leon was watching the group in the trees like a predator eyeing his prey. The people below were complete unaware of his presence.

He couldn't gauge the strength of the called sir Zagan. However, the rest were below his notice. He was filled with disdain at their strength.

To completely remove these weeds from plaguing the kingdom, he had to pull them up by the roots.

'Let's start with the weak ones.'

Leon darted skillfully from tree to tree as he moved towards the enemy camp deeper in the woods. His movements were quick and subtle, like a gentle breeze and unable to draw their attention.

At the center of the woods, the enemy camp was hidden. Tents were erected, carts and crates full of goods, filled the place. It was clear that the four great family had brought their entire wealth along with them, away from the Capital.

Located in the heart of the hilltop woods, the camp was dark as one would expect it to be. Apart from a few rays of moonlight that manage to slip past the dense branches and tree leaves, there were no other light sources within the camp.

The enemy had been meticulous and restrained from the usage or torches and candles as to not expose their location, but it had become the perfect hunting ground for Leon to carry out his silent killing.

He arrives at the edges of the camp easily and sighed at his stealth's proficiency. In the past, it was used to hide from the husbands of the women he bedded, but now, it was finally being put to good use.

As he recalled the dissolute lifestyle he used to live, the experience of that period came flooding back, along with his raging libido after his years of abstinence was already broken.

Leon silently cursed for having his mind wondered off and his movements became slightly awkward. Nobody knew that there was another tent erected in their camp at this moment, or else Leon would have died from shame.

'Ssss… calm down… my little brother… now is not the time be playful. I'll let you play all you want another time, alright?'

Some time later, Leon slipped into the enemy's camp with a serious and refocused look. Although there were some delays, his plans have not been affected.

…

"I'll be back." Servant A said.

"Where are you going? We need to pack up." Servant B asked as he was carrying a crate.

"To answer nature's calling, where else?" Servant A answered.

five minutes later, the servant still had not returned.

'He must be chucking a dump then.' Servant B thought.

Thirty minutes later, still no return. The servant began to grow impatient. Originally, there were lots of servants moving about in the camp. However, the numbers grew less over time like they had all decided to run off and skip work.

The servant would have never thought that they camp would be under attack and that someone was killing them all.

Leon move around the camp with ghostly steps and killed his opponents in the most efficient and subtle, a needle to their heads. The servants died without a sound as Leon hid their bodies, some in the shrubs, some in the empty tents.

"Holy shit, this motherf*cker is really taking his time. Is he trying to break a record for longest dump or what? Where is he!?" Servant B cussed.

He decided to go check on his buddy, but he never came back after he left.

Sometime later, apart from some movements within the occupied tents, the activities outside had completely ceased and became dead silent. Not long after, the movements inside all but one tent also ceased.

The tents were occupied by the four great family's direct descents. Whether they were the wives, the children, uncles or aunties, nephew or niece of the four great family's marquises, as long as they were related by blood, Leon hardened his heart to kill them all, even if there may have been innocents among them.

To be associated with evil was evil in and of itself. To show mercy to his enemies, was also to be cruel to himself. He did what had to be done. There were no exceptions.

Even the [Heart of Saint] mantra in his mind did not react to his killing. As such, there was no mental burden.

They all died suddenly with their eyes wide open. Even in death, they did not know why or how they died.

Inside of another tent, Edric was resting when he suddenly felt alarm bells ringing in his mind. It was too quiet outside!

Before he could head out to investigate, a figure had slipped into his tent. Edric widened his eyes in horror at the sight of the person in question.

"You… why are you here?"

Chapter 118 - End Of The Four Great Family

"You… why are you here?"

When Edric Grey uttered these words, he subconsciously stepped back in fear of Leon. It was too bizarre that this commoner could be here. What were all the servants doing!?

"To do something I should have done long ago." Leon said coolly without much emotion. His enemy's life was long overdue.

Edric felt a bone-chilling cold from Leon's words and took a few more steps back until he was backed against the wall. He had developed an innate fear of Leon after his family's servants were completely decimated by this one person.

"Guards! Where are the guards!?"

He tried to summon the servants, but no one answered his call.

Leon chuckled at his futile efforts. They were in the middle of the woods, which was quite far from the marquises, lords and that mysterious sir Zagan. Their voices couldn't reach far from inside the tent either.

"Nobody can hear you. Everyone in the camp are already dead. I killed them all." Leon chuckled coldly.

"Bullshit! Do you think you can really kill all the servants of the four families?!" Edric denied strongly, but in his heart, he wasn't confident. Leon might really be capable of this.

"You're wrong. I don't think, I already DID and you're next." A fine silver needle danced on the tips of Leon's fingers as he gave Edric a playful look.

"Are you sure you want to make this an irreconcilable grudge? Aren't you afraid of my father and grandpa's retaliation? There also the other lords and sir Zagan around." Edric took a deep breath to calm his nerves, before threatening Leon with a heavy tone.

When Leon heard this, he thought this person was too funny. An irreconcilable grudge had long been formed between them, not to mention he just killed all his possible relatives as well as the other three families.

"You don't have to worry about this. They will join you soon. Every injustice has its perpetrator and every debt its debtor. Even if I am not acting on my own personal grudge, I will act on behalf of the heavens. To rid the kingdom of you scourges and bring solace to all the people you've harmed." Leon said coldly as his eyes flashed a dangerous light. The four great family had committed far too much evil.

When Edric heard Leon's words, his face grew very dark. This person was too arrogant!

Does he think he can take on the lords just because he can deal with their servants!?

"Who the fuck, do you think you are to judge me and my family!? Do you take yourself to be some hero!?" Edric snapped at Leon's self-righteous and arrogant words. His anger superseded his fear as he pointed his finger at Leon and condemned him. "Some hero you are to not even spare the women and children on camp."

Leon looked at him calmly without any ripples of emotion. The person was already a dead man in his eyes and his words had no effect on him.

"Naturally I am no hero. As for what rights I have…? I am the prince of Crawford! To condemn villains like you to death, that is my royal authority as well as my birth right!" Leon said imposingly. A pressuring aura gushed out from his body.

Boom!

Leon's words were like thunder in his ears. Prince of Crawford! How was that possible!? He is just a commoner! Edric was shocked speechless.

"I've wasted enough nonsense with you. It's time to die. Goodbye and thank you." Leon said indifferently.

"Wait!-"

Before Edric could understand the meaning of 'thank you', a needle pierced his forehead and ended his life.

Their strengths were too far apart. It was to the extent that he was not even able to put up a single shred of resistance before death claimed him.

His body dropped to the floor with a thud. Leon walked over and retrieved his needle placidly, despite wasting so much time talking.

Without Edric's schemes to poison him, he may have never awaken his past life memories in this life. Thus, the words 'thank you' was to express his gratitude, while allowing Edric to live for so long was already a display of his greatest mercy to his enemy. His enemies still has to die in the end.

Anyone who had the audacity to make an attempt on his life would not be allowed to live.

Leon stepped out the tent without looking back. His eyes were clear like the pond without any ripples. This was just a small episode in his life and the person was just a nobody. He would surely bump into tougher foes and face stronger opponents on his path back to the Divine Realm.

...

At this point, the Capital had managed to seal off another rift, the western side. This leaves only one side left to seal, the eastern side.

The lords have grown impatient after sending their servants to prepare their departure. Someone should have report back to them by now, but no one did.

"Rae, go see what the holdup is. If you see the servants slacking off, kill them." Lord Esmond said ruthlessly. His family did not need idlers that didn't place enough importance on his words.

"Yes, lord father." Marquis Rae complied obediently.

Adrian took the chance to also follow his father back to the camp.

As the father-son duo of the Esmond family entered the woods side by side, and headed towards their campsite, Marquis Rae frowned. It was too quiet. Where was the sound of activity?

Suddenly there was a swoosh sound followed by a thud shortly after.

"Hm?" The sudden sound made Marquis Rae alert. He turned towards the source and found that his son had dropped to the ground.

"Adrian, what are you doing? Get up!" Marquis Rae chided.

He thought his son was fooling around. But when his words didn't provoke any response from his son, his heart shook.

"Adrian… you… no heartbeat…? Dead!? …. Arghhhh! MY SON!!!!" Marquis Rae roared with great anguish and sorrow. A heart-wrenching pain threatened to tear him apart.

"WHO!? WHO DID THIS!?"

In the darkness of the woods, his anguish cries elicit no response from the surrounding. However, his powerful voice echoed beyond the woods and alarmed the others waiting outside.

"Something happened!"

The other three lords said at the same time. They look towards sir Zagan.

"Go deal with it." Sir Zagan waved them off nonchalantly. His eyes were still glued on the Capital, but his interest was secretly piqued. Some rat actually managed to slip behind them, under his notice!

With those words, the remaining people of the four great family all entered the woods to investigate. They quickly arrived at Marquis Esmond's location.

"What happened?" Lord Grey questioned immediately.

"Beware of projectiles! There's a hidden enemy somewhere! That person already killed my son!" Marquis Rae warned, while trying to suppress his blood-boiling rage as to not cloud his judgment.

Against this unknown threat, only a clear and calm mind would help him make the optimum choices to survive.

Leon eyed them from the darkness with creased brows. He planned to take them out one by one but didn't expect them to all come together. He wasn't swift and decisive enough and allowed them the chance to gather!

But no matter! The only one he had to be on guard against did not come with the rest.

Leon locked onto all his targets. Several needles appeared in his hands as he gripped them with bulging muscles and pulsing veins, before firing them with… twofold strength! Skill integration success!

The essence of the [Nine Echoes Oscillating Fist] has been successfully integrated into his throwing!

Swoosh… the needles shot towards the group with great speed!

"Dodge!"

The family lords all reacted quickly, but the rest were too slow to! They were shot in various fatal spots; head, throat and heart. The power behind the needles were great as they exited from the other ends of its victim's bodies and drilled into the ground and trees.

"Mother…" Marquise Luella called weakly. She gripped her heart as blood oozed out of the penetrated hole in her chest that was inexplicably larger than the size of the needle that pierced her. Coldness began to seep into her body as she fell on her knees, while herr gaze turned to the starry skies that could be barely seen.

'Is this retribution?' Luella thought as she drew her last breath.

Marquis Rae died instantly from the shot to his head, while Marquis Albert grabbed onto his throat, unable to utter a sound. He died shortly after.

The ground was laid with corpses in a short instance. Apart from the marquise and marquises, Cayden Weld and the ice princess of the Acker family were also among the bodies.

Lady Harriet and the Lords felt pained in their thought-to-be stone-cold hearts. Their descendants had all died…

Even if they succeeded their ambition and live longer, they have no family. They were already so old and can no longer produce new offspring. In short, their families were finished.

They suddenly felt lost. They thought they had long become cold-blooded demons from all the blood on their hands, but never would they have thought that the death of all their kin would affect them this much.

Leon was taken aback from as he watched from the shadows. All these evil fiends had their guard lowered and full of openings.

'So… these fiends still have feelings huh? But don't blame me for being ruthless!'

'You reap what you sow! Allow me to send you all on your way to reunite with them.' Leon thought with cold glint.

The turn of events was unexpected, but he wasn't going to miss such an opportunity. He produced another four needles and shot them through their heads without resistance.

…

Staring at the corpses of the four great family, Leon sighed. He had finally put an end to these fiends.

Clap… clap… clap…

"Great execution. I didn't expect there to be someone like you in the kingdom." Sir Zagan suddenly appeared and praised, before glancing at the corpses with pity in his eyes.

"It's unfortunate that they weren't able to become real bloodfiends in the end." He lamented.

Leon was greatly alarmed when he couldn't sense this person before he got so close. He had never let his guard down! He immediately took a defensive stance with a weary expression.

"Now… now… no need to be impatient. Wait for your turn."

Sir Zagan did not even looked at Leon. His stretched out his hands towards the corpses, before the following scene made Leon greatly startled.

The blood mist seeped from the bodies of the four lords, until their corpses became thin and dried like mummies. The blood mist coagulated into a crimson red pill in sir Zagan's hand.

Blood manipulation! Demonic cultivation! Demonic cultivators were people who had forsaken humanity to become demons!

These were the thoughts that raced through Leon's mind as he wore a grievous expression and his killing intent erupted. This person had to die!

[Extreme Vanishing Step]!

Leon shot forward at his quickest speed as he circulated his energy.

Twofold strength… threefold… no threefold was not enough. Leon pushed his body to carry out a fourfold attack, regardless of whether his body could take it. His fist shot forward at lightning speed with 3600-jin force!

"Boy, didn't I say to wait your turn!?" sir Zagan said grimly as he raised his hand to block.

He didn't put Leon's puny strength in his eyes, even after it was augmented by fourfold. His cultivation was at five-stars with a physical strength of 5400-jin.

However!

A black spear suddenly materialized in Leon hands that made sir Zagan's eyes bulge with shock.

"What sorcery is this!?" He roared. in retaliation but it was too late.

Even if his strength was great, his flesh was not made of steel. The black spear easily penetrated his hand before stabbing into his heart!

Sir Zagan's expression turned nasty as he ripped the black spear away from his body and shot backwards in retreat with heavy steps.

"I underestimated you, boy. To think you know spatial manipulation." Sir Zagan said darkly as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His previous elegant and aloof bearing was destroyed by Leon. "But don't think that you can kill me with just this. We will meet again."

Sir Zagan retreated further away. If he wanted to leave, Leon wouldn't be able to stop him.

"It's a pity that I won't be able to watch the grand event. You should hurry back to the Capital before you miss it, boy. HAHAHA!"

Sir Zagan escaped after leaving those last words with a wild laugh.

After confirming that Sir Zagan was gone, Leon let down his worried and sighed with both relief and disappointment. He was safe, but the person wasn't killed even after having his heart destroyed.

He was drenched in cold sweat as he endured the pain from his mutilated right arm for forcibly using fourfold strength that he had derived from the [Oscillating Fist] technique.

"As expected, the body is still not strong enough to use fourfold strength." Leon said self-mockingly.

Suddenly a resounding boom echoed over from the Capital and made Leon's expression froze.. He called the demonic cultivator's last words and quickly hurried back.