He felt he could not hesitate any longer and had to pack up and flee with his family to a neighboring land. Both major the Empire were willing to take in displaced experts and families, and they were also happy to profit from Augustus's insanity. No one really cared why the strongest nation on the continent was tearing down its own walls, as long as they could sharpen their knives on the side.
"It is basically done," Fei'er Li said. "That damn title of yours cannot be removed for now, but you can change your name and have people suppress related records. That might work."
"If not, run farther and go to the Northlands. I have contacts there, and Icelis can definitely protect you."
After finally finishing everything, Fei'er Li let out a breath. At least she had pulled this man out safely, securing a future member of the Chosen Hero, which was not bad. Still, with Augustus running wild and gathering military power everywhere, she felt it was best to leave quickly, since Icelis had confirmed the emperor was using large-scale domain-type Laws.
That seemed to be a kind of Laws domain built on an entire nation, with strength rarely seen in the world. Only a few top experts could even sense it, and after realizing the scale, everyone chose to lie low and observe. As for the talk of dragon hunting, Fei'er Li suspected there was internal conflict among the Four Heavenly Kings, since one of them represented dragons.
"All right, that should be enough. If possible, we leave today," she said. "By the way, where is Icelis? Wait a bit, I will go find her."
Using the contract mark in her book to check the location, she saw it was the snack street. She stepped out, leaving only Lyles Edward in the house, where he sighed quietly to himself.
How did things end up like this, forcing him to become a refugee? Lyles Edward decided to walk through the old mansion one last time. From his father, to his grandfather, and even earlier ancestors, they had all lived here.
The once old yet refined furniture had already been packed and moved away. Only a few boxed odds and ends remained, when Lyles Edward noticed one of the boxes shaking. A sense of unease rose in his chest.
"What is going on? There should not be anything else here."
He opened the box and found the source of the vibration. It was the Greatsword that had been shattered down to its hilt after using Rend against the Black Dragon. The stone guard's carved eyes seemed to twitch as if alive, making him frown as he reached for the hilt.
"Who is there!"
He spun around and roared with Battle Aura, his shout blasting the roof apart. His legs stamped down, cracking the floor and tearing a long Crack through the ground. With a violent burst of Battle Aura, Lyles Edward crossed his arms and barely blocked a heavy strike from a white-cloth-wrapped figure that dropped from above.
"Who are you?" he growled.
The attacker stayed silent like a corpse, and after being deflected, continued punching. The arm swelled at the moment of impact, thickening to the size of a barrel. Lyles Edward did not dare take it head-on and was thrown backward.
"Guh!"
His body bent nearly into a V shape as a grotesquely thick foot kicked him away. The area where it landed was smashed into ruins, sending out tremors like an earthquake. Wiping blood from his mouth, Lyles Edward stared grimly as more such white-clothed figures emerged from rubble and shadow.
Individually, they were weaker than him, but there were many of them. He had already lost Dragon-Cursed Blood, and with that loss, his strength was no longer what it used to be. If they all attacked together, he would not hold.
Still, he was not very afraid. The commotion was already massive, and while he could not win, there was someone far stronger nearby, casually shopping. What truly unsettled him was the thought that his family might already be targeted by Augustus.
"Were you sent by Augustus or the Royal Family?" he asked.
The figures remained silent, but their noses twitched as if sniffing. One of them suddenly trembled, its cloth tearing open with Rend, revealing a mouth that did not look human, licking its lips with delight.
"Found it."
Before Lyles Edward could react, a flash of white light swept across the world, and everything froze for a brief moment. When he came back to himself, he saw Icelis kicking the frozen head of a monster like a ball, with several piles of white shards nearby.
"Tch, this is all they can do, and they still dare cause trouble," she said, spitting on the ground.
Another monster was sealed inside a block of ice beside her, frozen mid-pounce, unaware of what had happened. She held a cup of hot spicy skewers in her other hand, clearly annoyed that such weak pests had interrupted her shopping.
"These things are just puppets, so do not worry about me sparing them," she said.
Up close, their nature was disgusting. They were made with humans as a base, mixed with monster flesh and dark elements until even they could not recognize themselves. It matched exactly what she expected from those tied to Abyss.
Their appearance meant this place could not be stayed in any longer. She turned to Lyles Edward and spoke calmly.
"Forget the rest of your stuff. Gather your people and I will take you away. Just riding carriages will not get you past the borders now."
Before he could respond, an unexpected voice answered instead. Ice cracked sharply, and the shattered frost on the ground seemed to come alive, gathering into a humanoid form of black, rotting flesh. Wings spread, a staff made from an elongated spine in its hand, ribs forming a blasphemous crown atop its head.
Before Elfido could fully show his signature smile, a howling storm of ice engulfed him. His body was wrapped and torn apart by surging Ice Element. Icelis did not hesitate to strike during his entrance, since it was clearly nothing good.
The hit landed, but she did not relax. Behind her came that familiar, hateful voice.
"As expected, great Elves. You have not disappointed me," Elfido said with a smile, stroking a beard made of tangled intestines. "It seems you abandoned many things, even your past, to seal that existence in the Northlands."
"Leave now," he continued. "You cannot stop me. I am only borrowing something."
Icelis kept her face cold while quickly analyzing his words. He knew about the sealed existence in the Northlands, and even about her past. Still, his misunderstanding told her that he did not know everything.
"What I need is simple," Elfido said lightly. "From the dragon-hunting bloodline, Dragon-Cursed Blood. I just need the heart of another Edward."
As he spoke, he swung his staff. Dark mire surged behind him, glowing with blood-red light, and black torrents poured out, filled with wailing spirits and grasping hands. In the red-black darkness, twisted figures charged forward, wrapped in chains and carrying torches and crosses, screaming as they attacked.
Crimson and violet flames also erupted, burning like hellfire that even Icelis's ice could not extinguish. She could tell that while his raw power was lower than hers, his use of Laws and Authority was far more refined. She could survive this fight, but Lyles Edward could not.
Fortunately, she had already signaled him to go find Nefit and flee. She only needed to stall this old monster. Though she was weaker than in her prime, defeating her would not be easy.
"Hmm?"
"Is there a fight over there? That looks scary."
Looking at the sky half-covered by endless ice rivers and Blizzard, Nefit tossed away her popsicle stick after finishing it. She was a little afraid, but her eyes shone with excitement. She stared at the scene, thinking it looked as powerful as her father.
"Found you."
She turned at the sound and saw a white-haired old man smiling warmly at her, waving gently. His expression was friendly, almost comforting.
"Hello, little girl," he said. "A friend of mine is sick. Could you lend me something to help treat him?"
"Sick? Lend something?" she asked. "Do you not have money to see a doctor?"
It sounded like a scam, yet under his smile, she somehow felt he was telling the truth. She checked her small wallet, finding that most of her allowance had already been spent on food with Icelis. The old man chuckled softly.
"I am not asking for money," he said. "Just a very small thing from you."
He stepped closer, reaching out his rough right hand. Before Nefit could react, it thrust straight toward her chest. Ice-blue light flared from her body, releasing a burst of cold, but Elfido did not care, knowing it was just a small protective measure.
His hand swelled grotesquely, shattering the ice light into a Shard. With a soft whimper, Nefit's small body was pierced through, lifted into the air as blood poured out. Elfido pulled his hand back, smiling at the small heart in his grasp, still beating and flowing with golden Gold Rank-colored blood.
"The key to revival is mine," he murmured.