n

n

n

n

"I've transferred the people of that dimension to another place. They are too weak, so they wouldn't be able to survive the current Imperium. They would die under the strong laws and energy here.

"

nThe Sword Saint's voice echoed before he disappeared into the air.

nHe still had a lot to do. The information about the Deadly Sins that he had obtained needed to be dealt with quickly. The Blackstone Immortal Sect should be razed to the ground.

nHe also needed to inform the Holy Lands about it.

nSwoosh!!

n

"Damn, who is that guy? I could hardly breathe under the pressure he was exuding!

" Eztein said.

n

"That's the Sword Saint, an expert who broke ten shackles,

" Vashno replied.

n

"Ten shackles?! No wonder he's that powerful. He's closer to the realms of gods,

" Eztein said.

"I'm disappointed, you know? I still haven't defeated any of them before the Sword Saint appeared. Eztein is the only one who enjoyed the battle,

" Franklin sighed.

n

"Don't compare me with you, old man! I don't enjoy fighting like you!

" Eztein quickly said.

n

"Stop arguing. Franklin, how many artifacts are left after the Sword Saint took his share?

" Vashno asked, stepping in to separate the two.

n

"Hmm... There are still four red-grade artifacts. Eztein has the dark-grade one.

"

n

"Four red-grade and one dark-grade. The haul is quite good compared to our previous expedition.

"

n

"This dark-grade artifact is amazing. I haven't tested its other skills yet, but the enhancement alone is impressive,

" Eztein muttered as he examined the dark spear in his hand.

n

"Let's go back. We need to inform our leader about this. The Deadly Sins are setting up various summoning circles, and I fear there are tons of them scattered around. Also, I want to enter seclusion-I can feel the next shackle,

" Vashno said.

nHe wondered what was currently happening in the three theaters. The battles involving Hero- rank individuals were catastrophic. Luckily, the Imperium had been enhanced again, so the damage should be less severe than expected.

nOhm!!

nAn immense surge of energy suddenly erupted in the distance, causing the ground to shake violently.

n

"What?!

"

nEztein, Franklin, and Vashno turned their heads.

nThey saw a huge, magnificent golden sword in the distance. It reached the clouds as it pierced the ground, causing a massive explosion that reverberated throughout the entire area. BANG!!!

nIts sheer size alone obliterated the surrounding mountains.

n

"Is that...?

" Eztein asked in shock.

n

"Yeah, that's the direction of the Blackstone Immortal Sect. The Divine Sword Sect has started their attack,

" Vashno nodded.

nThe Sword Saint had just left, and a massive battle had already begun.

nIt seemed they didn't want anyone from the Blackstone Immortal Sect to escape.

n

"This energy level... A demigod?!

" Vashno narrowed his eyes.

n...

nOn the border of Takamagahara, in a small city called Uben.

nAlice was in her rented room, looking through the map in her hands.

nShe had just finished her

"order

" in the Kuro no Densetsu. The innkeeper told her she needed to wait until the order was completed.

nStill, it was her first time in Takamagahara-a Holy Land comparable to Olympus.

nShe couldn't help but look out the window. Being a border city, the concentration of experts here wasn't as high as in the main region of the land. Still, there were B-rank and A-rank experts walking around.

nCompared to her current level, A-rank was weak, but in a city like this, it was considered a powerhouse. The strongest experts here were undoubtedly the people in this inn, who were secretly members of the assassin organization Kuro no Densetsu.

nKnock! Knock!

nA sound echoed from the door. Alice turned her head, surprised that she hadn't sensed any presence.

n

"Come in!

" she said.

nOhm!

nThe shadows shifted, and a figure emerged in front of her. The figure was clad in black, with a pair of slender swords hanging on his back.

nThe light in the room dimmed the moment he appeared.

nThud!

nThe man placed a head on the table.

nAlice glanced at the head.

"Is this...?

"

n

"Yes, the order is complete. This is your request, the head of the leader of the Wingless Crow.

nIt was quite troublesome, but we managed to finish it.

" The man spoke as his body slowly dissolved into the shadows.

nSwoosh!

nAlice narrowed her eyes, still staring at the head. Now that the order was completed, they had to pay the full price.

nShe leaned back in her chair and gazed at the ceiling. The next thing she needed to do was find the dungeon that Souta had told her about.

n

"The powerful leader of the Wingless Crow has fallen just like that.

"

nThe power of the Kuro no Ansatsu was truly something else. After all, they were part of the Koga Clan-one of the most powerful assassin clans in all of Takamagahara.

n...

nHall Plains, Southern Region.

nFive figures arrived in a small city called Dukenbin: Souta, Eilish, Eilan, Anzu, and Aina.

n

"Is this our destination?

" Eilish asked.

nSouta shook his head and explained,

"No, but we're going to stay here for a while. You can think of it as a vacation.

"

n

"Yeah, I mean, you wouldn't bring Anzu and Aina if there was danger,

" Eilish said, glancing at the two children.

nThe ancient ruins that the Dragon Council was going to explore were just thirty kilometers away from the city of Dukenbin. With Souta's speed, he could easily get there, so there was

nnothing to worry about.

nHe decided to bring Anzu and Aina with him since they hadn't been outside of Ekatoe City for a long time. Souta also altered his appearance using the ability of his parasites. As the Lord of Ekatoe, he was well-known in Hall Plains, so it was better to keep a low profile while they

nwere here.

n

"Let's go,

" Souta said before taking a step forward.

nAnzu and Aina looked at the streets with excitement.

nThe City of Dukenbin was prosperous. The narrow cobblestone streets twisted and turned like

na labyrinth, lined with houses and stalls. Merchants shouted, waving their wares at the

ncrowded stalls, selling everything from tapestries to fragrant spices.

nVarious people darted between the stalls, their voices echoing in the streets. The smells of freshly baked bread and roasted meat filled the air. Souta and the others wove their way

nthrough the crowd.

nSouta said,

"Let's find a place to stay first.

"

n

"After that, we should find a place to eat. The food here looks amazing,

" Aina said with a

nbright smile as she tightly held Eilish's hand.

nEilish smiled and said,

"Sure.

"

nEilan didn't say anything. He just curiously looked at his surroundings, as if it were his first time entering a city like this. His memories hadn't recovered yet.

n

"Whoa, that sword looks cool!

" Anzu exclaimed while staring at the sword displayed in the

nstore.

nSouta shook his head with a smile. These children didn't realize that the artifacts they were wearing were a hundred times more expensive than anything in the store.

nEilish walked beside him, holding the children's hands. She looked at him and said,

"About

nthe ancient ruins...

"

n

"There's danger, so we won't be bringing Anzu and Aina with us. Elder Hanmi will arrive

ntomorrow to set up a base camp near the ruins. We'll leave the kids there before entering the

nruins,

" Souta answered.

nNot only the Astros but the entire Dragon Council would be setting up a base camp. Aside

nfrom Ekatoe City, this base camp would be the second safest place in all of Hall Plains.

nAlso, only Souta and the others strong enough would enter the deeper layers of the ancient ruins. Eilish was qualified, but it was better for her to stay outside.

nSoon, the group arrived at an inn. They rented a room before heading out to find a place to eat.

nThe group chatted while eating.

n

"Still, I thought this city was quite peaceful,

" Eilish muttered, turning her head. The children

ncouldn't hear her words.

n

"Most cities are like this,

" Souta replied.

nBoth of them sensed that there were people being executed in the main plaza of the city. It

nwas likely due to a political struggle.

n

"The battle against the No God Emperor claimed numerous experts. Many of those experts were officials of the cities and countries in Hall Plains. So it's natural for a second party to

nwant to take their positions,

" Souta said.

n

"Let's avoid going there,

" Eilish said.

n

"I know; we have children in our company,

" Souta nodded.

nAfter they finished their meal, the group went to a high place where they could enjoy the

nbeautiful scenery. The mountains and rivers in the background, along with the chirping of birds, made the view even more stunning.

nIn the soft glow of the setting sun, Souta and the others admired the scenery before them. The sky was painted in hues of orange and pink, reflecting off the river below, with trees and grass

nrustling gently in the cool breeze.

n

"How pretty,

" Aina murmured.

n

"Hmm?

" Souta raised his eyebrows and turned his head.

n

"Is there something wrong?

" Eilish asked.

n

"Well, the witches arrived earlier than I expected. It seems they already planned to meet me

nto learn more about the ancient ruins,

" Souta explained.

n

"Is Elder Hanmi among them?

"

n

"Nope, only three witches arrived. I think Hanmi will go straight to the base camp

ntomorrow.

"

n

"Are you going to meet them now?

"

n

"No, let them wait for a while. It's not every day that we can relax like this.

" Souta shook his

nhead with a smile. He leaned back and stared at the sunset.

n'My eyes... My vision has returned, but it's still blurry. It will probably take another week

nbefore I fully recover my sight.'

nHe could feel that his vision was slowly returning. The punishment for failing the quest

nwasn't severe, but he should probably avoid failing next time. After all, he didn't know what kind of punishment might be given next.

nEilish, who was beside him, stared at him for a few moments. Then she gently smiled and said,

"Sometimes I wonder if you were really born a monster.

"

n

n