Brield City.

As the sun began to set, the sky displayed a magnificent golden hue, and the twilight of dusk illuminated the thin layer of snow on the peak of Mount Austerlitz, cloaking the entire mountain range in a sacred mantle.

"As long as I can escape, as long as I can escape to that place..."

Lasalle fled in a disheveled state, certain that the National Day celebrations had just ended and the God of War would soon return to this Hall of Divine Heirs.

As long as those Gods of War returned, they would surely be able to protect him.

The sun would soon set, and once the night of the Krete Empire arrived, he would revert to the ninth rank.

The winter mountain wind rustled through the dense pine forest, the wind swirling withered and fallen leaves, sending them dancing in the air before they slowly descended, forming a golden carpet. At the end of Mount Austerlitz stood a magnificent, off-white building, towering into the clouds, constructed entirely of ancient divine-era stone bricks. The surface of the bricks shimmered with a dazzling golden light, like flowing magma.

Unalterable miracle bricks had withstood the test of hundreds of millions of years, remaining intact without the slightest damage.

Layers of holographic defense barriers surrounded the temple, enveloping the entire structure.

Special patrol troops in black military coats warily scanned the surrounding corners, the setting sun casting long shadows on their uniforms, making them appear like hunters in the night, ready to pounce on their prey at any moment.

This was the location of the Krete Empire's Military Staff Headquarters and General Headquarters.

Deep within the military headquarters complex lay a vast circular space, known to the Krete people as the "Hall of Divine Heirs."

This was where the empire's twelve Gods of War convened. Only after obtaining permission from a God of War could one visit, and to venture further into the core area required a token from a God of War, or the God of War themselves.

However, at this moment...

Under the noses of the guards and barriers, a faint black shadow appeared on the outer edge of the Hall of Divine Heirs.

At first, it was just a blurry phantom, gradually becoming clearer until it solidified into the form of a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy.

Lasalle, at the ninth rank, wanted to sneak in quietly. These imperial soldiers would never be able to detect his presence, especially since he was already intimately familiar with the defensive facilities map surrounding the Hall of Divine Heirs.

Lasalle's transformed appearance was as fair as snow, with fluffy, soft brown hair that shimmered with a golden light.

A pure black velvet suit encased his slender body, and the ancient emblem of the Krete Empire—a rampant griffin, the crest of the Roland family—was embroidered on the lapel with gold thread.

At first glance, he seemed no different from any wealthy young boy in Brield City, perhaps just curious and accidentally stumbling into the outer perimeter of this sacred hall.

But a closer look into his eyes would reveal otherwise.

They were a pair of deep red eyes, like bottomless pools of blood, containing wisdom and time far beyond what his youthful appearance could possibly hold.

Duke Lasalle, the Third Progenitor, materialized here, his aura unusually紊乱 (wěnluàn, chaotic), his eyelids drooping, as if he had just endured a fierce battle.

He leaned against the wall of the temple, avoiding the scorching sunlight that seemed to burn his skin.

The golden rays of the setting sun streamed through the window lattices, and the silhouette that could not be concealed made him appear exceptionally frail.

"Landry… you must be exhausted as well… I want to see how you'll fight against the Gods of War in their full state…"

Lasalle gritted his teeth viciously, his pupils still bloodshot.

Although he had escaped at the cost of abandoning Blood Moon City, he had also lost a significant amount of magic and blood essence in the battle and been exposed to the sunlight, desperately needing to replenish his blood to recover.

He knew he had to find a place Landry couldn't break into or reach before Landry caught up, then gather his strength and strike back against the exhausted Landry and the others!

The injured Lasalle, ignoring his wounds, stealthily made his way to the Hall of Divine Heirs, which could be called the second stronghold of their Blood Clan.

When Lasalle arrived at the outer entrance of the hall, he took out a spare seal engraved with amethyst, belonging to Marquis Ryan, bearing the insignia of the Ninth God of War, Marquis Ryan. Lasalle pressed the general's seal into the slot on the door, and immediately, the layers of restrictions opened, granting passage to the esteemed visitor.

The next second, Lasalle's figure vanished from the spot, as if he had never been there at all.

The entire process was seamless and silent, unnoticed even by the guards outside the hall.

A tranquil and peaceful melody echoed within the Hall of Divine Heirs.

The pure and ethereal sound of a harp, like celestial music, resonated throughout the hall.

At times soaring, at times whispering, it was like angels singing in the clouds, comforting every soul. Intertwined with the harp's sound was the crisp tinkling of wind chimes, like elves dancing on treetops, bringing a subtle joy.

The sound of a flute, melodious and lingering, seemed to come from a distant time and space, recounting ancient legends and singing of distant memories. Various instruments intertwined, converging into a harmonious melody, sacred and lofty, elegant and melodious, vaporizing in the glow of the setting sun, reaching straight to the heavens.

The music was like the chanting of heaven and earth, like the joyful song of all living things.

The slanting rays of the sun streamed through the towering rose windows of the Hall of Divine Heirs, falling on the marble floor like shards of diamonds scattered from the celestial realm, reflecting off the divine-era murals on the walls.

Lasalle carefully avoided the sunbeams.

Now that he was here, Landry wouldn't be able to catch up.

His face was hidden in the shadow of his hood, revealing only a pair of blood-red eyes, burning with the fire of revenge.

"I will search every corner of the Krete Empire, even if I have to dig three feet into the ground, I will drag you out, you cunning professor, and make you taste a fate worse than death..."

Duke Lasalle gritted his teeth, listening to the tolling of the five o'clock bell.

He would stop at nothing to gather the power of half the empire's Gods of War to hunt down the culprit who had driven him to this desperate situation.

Professor Landry, the ghost of Lancross, would perish.

However, in Brield, a densely populated city during the National Day when all the Gods of War were gathered, Lasalle dared not easily use powerful mental magic to contact the Gods of War he controlled, as that would inevitably attract the attention of the other Gods of War and even expose his presence.

If the Gods of War started fighting among themselves, and Landry added to the chaos, Landry probably wouldn't want to see that, and neither would Lasalle.

He had to act discreetly, avoid attention, divert those uncontrollable Gods of War, and then demand repayment, with interest, from Landry.

Therefore, Lasalle activated a backup false identity he had prepared in the Krete Empire, posing as a distant relative of the Ninth God of War Marquis Ryan's mother, hiding in this temple with the empire's highest-level full-shielding barrier, secretly contacting the Gods of War, gathering half of those he controlled.

At this time, the Gods of War should have just finished the blessing ceremony at Krete Memorial Square and would continue guarding Emperor Saint Baldo's closing speech for a while before returning to the Hall of Divine Heirs.

Lasalle tilted his head, glancing at the setting sun streaming into the hall.

Soon, soon it would be dark.

Only when it was completely dark would he feel completely at ease.

In any case, fighting during the day was too disadvantageous.

It was precisely because that villain Landry had exploited this weakness that he had been able to succeed in driving him to this point.

"Landry, our second round has only just begun..."

Just as Lasalle was secretly gloating over his plan,

A silvery radiance suddenly shone in the Hall of Divine Heirs.

Like a bright silver moon rising, enveloping the entire hall in a sacred light.

"?!"

Lasalle was startled but dared not move too much, lest he expose himself to the scorching sun.

It was the aura of the Moon Goddess, as if a pure land of paradise had descended to earth, permeating this side of the temple.

Although this pure moonlight was not as lethal as sunlight, Lasalle still felt a physiological discomfort, his internal organs churning.

He could only barely open his eyes in the sunlight, seeing only a blurry figure appearing outside the silver light, slowly walking towards him.

"I, I am a visitor, I am here to see Marquis Ryan..."

Lasalle had to suppress the alarm bells ringing in his heart, expressing his lack of hostility to the other party.

Logically speaking, if a God of War returned to the Hall of Divine Heirs at this time, it would likely be to abandon their duties of guarding Emperor Saint Baldo and engage in inappropriate and irresponsible actions.

But the logic behind their return made him feel vaguely uneasy.

"Third Progenitor, no need to hide. I know it's you."

Violet Aquamarine had set up the Moon Goddess's Flawless Pure Land barrier, carrying her tin staff and walking towards the direction Lasalle was hiding.

The clearly audible clinking of the rings on the tin staff made Lasalle's heart tremble in the same rhythm.

"Violet… why is it you?"

When Lasalle heard the other party call out his identity, he confirmed the God of War currently in the Hall of Divine Heirs.

It was the person he least wanted to see.

She wore the high priest's robe of the Silver Moon and Healing Goddess, her deep indigo hair cascading down her waist. She was also the Sixth God of War, the Throne of Aquamarine, with the right to enter any area of the hall.

Among the twelve Krete Gods of War, Violet Aquamarine was one of the most gentle in temperament, refusing to kill. Even after the Krete Empire went to war, she resolutely refused to go to the front lines, remaining in Brield in the rear, responsible for logistics and protecting the safety of the Krete heartland.

But for the Blood Clan, her high-level wolf witch bloodline represented endless trouble.

"Landry was right. You Blood Clan have been a threat to the empire for too long. It's my dereliction of duty that I haven't been able to drag you out sooner."

Violet acted without hesitation, silvery moonlight swirling around her, her voice like celestial music yet carrying an unquestionable majesty.

Pillars of ice blasted Lasalle out of the corner of the colonnade like chasing a rat.

Lasalle barely supported himself, and after seeing Violet's location and her murderous intent, he dove behind another colonnade.

"Landry, it's Landry again…"

Lasalle suddenly cried out in relief, his laughter echoing in the empty hall, sounding exceptionally eerie.

Wherever he ran, there was Landry!

He really was a ghost!

"But, Violet, since you've chased me here, you must be determined to capture me, right? Since you're going to be so thorough, you must have thought about the consequences!"

As soon as the words fell, Lasalle, no longer harboring any wishful thinking, unleashed a surge of black and red magical energy, his blood essence suddenly condensing, transforming into a sharp weapon.

He was almost at his wit's end.

Whoever tried to block him now would pay with their life!

"The empire's sun hasn't set yet."

Violet remained expressionless, gently waving her staff, moonlight transforming into a giant net, descending on Lasalle.

The Hall of Divine Heirs, shrouded in twilight, became a battlefield steeped in divine-era colors.

The marble floor reflected the blood-red setting sun, and the twelve columns cast long shadows, crisscrossing the ground like the fingers of giants. Above, the myriad of glowing, immortal crystals shimmered, the unchanging starry sky witnessing the epic battle between the wolf and the Blood Clan.

Violet, the High Priestess of the Moon Goddess, held a silver-white tin staff, her purple eyes reflecting two pools of clear, dark water, chanting divine incantations, each syllable carrying the power to shatter gold and split stone.

Two races, two powers, meeting at the end of ten thousand years in this hall.

Lasalle's crimson claws spread from the ground, transforming into afterimages as they clawed at Violet.

"Die!"

Lasalle let out a piercing roar.

Violet gently waved her staff.

An ice-blue fan-shaped defense came head-on, blocking Lasalle's path.

Cold light burst out of ten thousand points of ice crystals, forming an ice net in mid-air.

Lasalle's figure paused, the blood hand he was controlling striking the ice net like a sharp blade.

In an instant, ice crystals splashed, turning to powder.

"In the sunlight, you're just a bit stronger than an ordinary eighth-rank, and I'm not weaker than a cardinal of the Rebirth Church."

Violet's response to Lasalle was a crisp snap of her fingers.

The next second, all the ice crystals retreated like a tide, turning into specks of starlight, dissipating into the twilight glow.

Lasalle felt as if his magical power had been drained by these ice crystals.

"Despicable wolf witch."

Lasalle never expected that the dignified Third Progenitor would be forced into this situation by a mere wolf clan priestess.

Compared to directly harming the opponent's life, this female wolf witch's spells subtly carried the power of the Moon Goddess, depleting the opponent's magical power.

And this was undoubtedly a fatal threat to him, the progenitor of the magic system.

If he were in his full state at night, he would be much stronger than Violet.

But he was injured and under the sunlight reflected by the temple, he would become extremely weak.

Forced by Violet's Moon Goddess magic and ice magic to have nowhere to hide, he was being suppressed and beaten by Violet in the light!

"You forced me to do this, Violet—"

Forced to the brink, Lasalle had no choice but to roar.

He could only use mental magic to forcefully control the other Gods of War to quickly return to the Hall of Divine Heirs to help him kill Violet!

Even if it alerted the other Gods of War to his presence, ruining the painstaking infiltration and erosion he had cultivated over the years, causing chaos in Brield and triggering an unprecedented battle between multiple Gods of War, and even possibly allowing Professor Landry to take advantage of the chaos to catch up with him, Lasalle had no choice!

Even if they died together, he would drag High Priestess Violet, Professor Landry, and those civilians down with him.

But just as Lasalle was exerting all his strength to use Blood Control,

He discovered that his mental magic seemed to be blocked by the Moon Goddess's Flawless Pure Land barrier in this hall.

"It's not... getting through?"

This barrier almost severed his mental connection with the other Gods of War.

Making it impossible for him to summon any God of War over.

"Violet, what is this?!"

He questioned Violet in utter dismay and anger.

"Lasalle, did you think I would start fighting you here without any preparation?"

The air currents that Violet's tin staff waved away transformed into countless sharp streaks of frost, howling through the ice prison and surging towards Lasalle.

"I've long prepared methods to deal with your mental control. Although I don't know which Gods of War you've controlled, I won't let you recall other Gods of War now, nor will I let you harm the innocent civilians of the empire. Just repent here!"

She looked at Lasalle with a stern gaze and said.

"No! I refuse to lose to you, you despicable wolf clan."

Lasalle roared unwillingly, forcibly urging the remaining magical power in his body to raise a dark red shield in front of him.

The frost struck the shield, making a series of muffled sounds, the blood-red shield trembling violently, gradually showing spiderweb-like cracks.

He was making a last-ditch resistance against Violet.

As long as he could drag it out until the damned sun set, he would surely be able to defeat Violet.

But this brief twilight seemed so far away to him.

Just as the shield was about to shatter, a flash of blood light flashed in Lasalle's eyes, and he suddenly reached out his right hand, catching a streak of frost.

Frozen blood dripped from Lasalle's fingers, but he didn't notice, he clutched the frost tightly, and dark red magic flowed madly into Violet's tin staff along the frost.

"Hold on a little longer, hold on a little longer, you can't defeat me!!"

Lasalle's ferocious gaze fixed on Violet.

As if telling her, and also telling himself that he must hold on.

Violet felt a surge of mental magic invade her body along the tin staff, trying to disrupt her magic circuits and cause her to cast spells incorrectly.

"You're not like Landry, who never casts spells. Since you cast spells, you'll make mistakes!"

Lasalle didn't know if he had been influenced or tormented too much, but he was now subconsciously reviewing the battle.

"..."

As Violet's magic became紊乱 (wěnluàn, chaotic), the ice prison also showed cracks.

Lasalle seized the opportunity, and dark red magic erupted, shattering the ice prison in an instant.

"I'm going to let you taste the pain of being backlashed by magic! Let you experience the despair of your blood flowing backward!"

Lasalle's eyes glowed with a blood-red light, and he pointed at Violet.

At the same time, all the shadows around suddenly became incredibly thick, like pools of black asphalt, drilling into the broken ground, seeping into the fractured columns, about to swallow the entire hall.

Black and red magic erupted from Lasalle's fingertips, flying out as if alive, heading straight for Violet's heart!

But in this split second, pure white moonlight suddenly rose from Violet's body, the silver-white light transforming into a light shield, actually blocking the magic arrow, and the frost in the hall suddenly gathered again, accompanied by rising air currents, almost breaking Lasalle's balance.

More ice crystals grew out of the gaps in the ice net, continuously repairing the gaps, completely entangling Lasalle.

Violet's figure floated behind Lasalle, the tin staff in her hand already transformed into a pure white longsword, radiating a bright moonlight, drawing an arc and slashing towards Lasalle's neck.

Lasalle turned around vigilantly, his steel-like arm blocking the longsword, sparks flying from the friction of metal.

After a moment of stalemate, Violet did not give Lasalle a chance to breathe.

A huge barrier magic array suddenly appeared on the ground, emitting a faint blue light.

In the center of the magic array, a crystal-clear ice flower slowly grew out, growing taller and taller, turning into an ice prison, completely engulfing Lasalle.

Inside the ice prison, Lasalle felt his magical power rapidly draining, his blood vessels almost frozen, his limbs becoming stiff.

No matter how he urged his magical power, it was difficult to break through this impenetrable ice cage.

"Lasalle, you underestimate the magic of the Moon Goddess too much."

Violet stood motionless opposite Lasalle, holding the tin staff upright in front of her, her hands gripping the handle, concentrating her magical power.

Lasalle felt an icy chill rising from the depths of his soul, about to freeze his consciousness.

He wanted to resist, but found that his frozen torso was about to lose consciousness.

"What... exactly... did you... do to me..."

Lasalle asked through gritted teeth.

"Seal."

Violet replied calmly.

This was a sealing spell inherited by the wolf clan.

Under this purifying moonlight, even the immortal vampire could not escape the fate of being sealed.

As Violet whispered, a phantom of the moon wheel appeared out of thin air, enveloping Lasalle, and countless silver threads hung down from the moon wheel, entangling Lasalle's hands and feet.

"Stop!!"

Lasalle struggled desperately, but his power was visibly draining away.

He was like a beast driven to the brink, frantically struggling, roaring, vowing to break free from the extremely cold seal clinging to him.

Lasalle's dark red magical power raged like a storm, gathering around him into a black and red vortex, flowing under the ice.

And in the center of the ice seal, Lasalle was constantly erupting with dazzling electric cocoons of blood light, trying to tear apart the silver threads wrapped around him.

Each movement brought a storm of magical power, shaking the entire temple.

"You stupid woman, do you think you can seal me?"

Lasalle roared through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse and frantic,

"When the night comes, it will be your death! I swear, I will make you taste my pain of tens of thousands of years!"

"These spells were designed to seal you from the beginning."

Violet gripped the staff tightly, feeling the power of her ancestors, moonlight condensing from the Moon Goddess's Pure Land barrier, locking Lasalle firmly.

The light net contracted, and the sealing silver threads tightened.

Lasalle felt as if his limbs were being strangled, his bones creaking, about to be crushed.

He stubbornly supported himself with his tenacious will, clashing with Violet.

Sweat beaded on Violet's forehead, tracing faint watermarks on her fair face.

"Lasalle, don't make futile struggles. Your defeat is inevitable."

Her eyes remained firm, without the slightest wavering.

It was not difficult for Violet to suppress Lasalle under the sun, but it was still quite difficult to completely seal Lasalle, an immortal being in the divine realm.

Time did not allow her to continue to wear down Lasalle's condition, so she could only forcibly seal him.

Or rather, Lasalle's battle strategy was to drag her until nightfall.

"Hahahaha, I haven't lost, you can't seal me."

Lasalle looked up and laughed wildly, his laughter hollow and eerie.

"As long as I regain my freedom, I will definitely make you pay with blood. Look, the sun is about to set!"

Before he could finish speaking, another surge of blood-colored magic erupted, rushing towards Violet.

Violet had no choice but to pinch her fingers with one hand and raise a shield of moonlight in front of her.

The blood-colored magic struck the light shield, emitting dazzling sparks.

This was a tug-of-war between the two sides to determine the outcome.

Until the last moment, as the sky completely darkened, whether Lasalle was sealed first or whether he regained his power first and broke free from Violet's seal, was not only a contest of magic and life, but also an ultimate competition of faith and willpower.

Every second became very long.

As if it was broken into a hundred parts, a thousand parts, so that Lasalle and Violet could clearly perceive it.

And any node in it could change the game.

But the speed at which the sun set was faster than Violet had predicted.

It was as if the God of the Night wanted to help his favored child, the Blood Clan, in the end.

"Violet, you've lost."

Just as Lasalle was making his last resistance,

The light in the Hall of Divine Heirs, which was gradually dimming, suddenly changed, becoming brighter.

A indigo figure appeared at the entrance of the hall.

He pushed the door open in surprise, letting the light in, watching the battle in the hall.

Lasalle's laughter stopped abruptly after seeing this figure.

The newcomer wore an azure and white wing-like cloak over his knightly attire, shimmering with a faint blue and white light, as if it were a fragment peeled from the clouds in the sky.

He seemed to have accidentally stumbled into this battlefield.

"Violet, what's going on?"

Hyacinth looked in amazement at Violet, who was suppressing Lasalle inside the Hall of Divine Heirs.

"Hyacinth, come and help me."

Seeing the newcomer, Violet shouted happily.

Originally, it would take her a while to suppress Lasalle, and today the sunset was unusually fast. At this time, Hyacinth coming to help her seal Lasalle would complete the seal soon.

"Why are you here?"

Violet originally felt that she was about to lose control of Lasalle, who was recovering his strength.

The sky was strange today, darkening too quickly. Fortunately, at this most critical moment, her strongest companion, Hyacinth, arrived.

"I was worried about you when I saw you suddenly running away, and after consulting with Emperor Saint Baldo and other Gods of War, I also violated the rules and came over early."

Hyacinth immediately became vigilant against Lasalle and explained to Violet.

Earlier, when the five o'clock bells rang, Violet had abandoned her post without regard for anything as soon as her God of War of War and Swords blessing ended, which made them all not understand what happened.

The other Gods of War still had the important task of protecting Emperor Saint Baldo and could not arbitrarily leave Krete Memorial Square any more.

Moreover, after a while, several of them seemed to wake up from a dream, and were in a very confused state of memory.

"No, Goddess of Fate, this is not fair, why do you want to manipulate my destiny!"

Lasalle angrily roared in the temple.

Just seeing a glimmer of hope, it was ruthlessly wiped out.

Hyacinth was not only the most extreme specialized powerhouse, but also a powerhouse that could be called all-around, because he had no weaknesses.

In addition to reaching the extreme of slashing, being recognized as the strongest in the South Continent today, Hyacinth also had unparalleled swordsmanship talent and special spell talent, but he did not spend too much time pursuing mastery of all types of spells, but specialized in various counter-spells.

Lasalle was completely no match for Hyacinth at this moment.

"Don't blame everything on the gods, do you never consider the sins you have committed when you accept punishment?"

Violet confidently maintained Lasalle's seal, unafraid of the dark night.

"I was wondering what was going on, I'm glad I came to see."

Hyacinth said, raising his eyes and looking at Lasalle, who was locked in ice on the other side of the temple, his gaze like a torch, already stained with fighting intent.

He unconditionally believed in Violet and locked onto Lasalle as his enemy.

Lasalle hurriedly struggled against the seal, trying to use mental magic to control Hyacinth's mind and make a final counterattack.

"Hyacinth, recall your painful childhood, let me help you fill the wounds in your heart, and submit to me again!"

His eyes suddenly glowed red, and invisible magic veins flew out from all parts of his body, swirling and weaving in mid-air to form a thread that disappeared into Hyacinth's body.

Hyacinth's steps stopped, and the Hall of Divine Heirs was quiet for half a moment.

"How do you know my past...?"

Hyacinth looked at Lasalle and asked, touching his head in confusion.

"No, this is impossible..."

To Lasalle's surprise, his mental magic was like a stone sinking into the sea, not stirring up even the slightest ripple.

Hyacinth's eyes were clear, and he was not affected in the slightest.

"Don't dream, in the Moon Goddess's Flawless Pure Land, your mental control magic has failed."

Violet disdainfully added more ice to lock Lasalle down.

Sure enough, her best friend Hyacinth had been controlled by the Third Progenitor Lasalle.

Lasalle was妄想(wàngxiǎng,deluding) to control Hyacinth's power to launch a counterattack.

But now, that control has been lifted.

Hearing this, Lasalle's face turned pale.

In this Moon Goddess's Flawless Pure Land, his Blood Control could not take effect, and it would be dissolved the moment it touched Hyacinth.

This was another dead end.

"Damned wolf clan, damned wolf witch, ahhhhh."

Seeing Hyacinth's will so clear at this moment, Lasalle's last hope was also shattered.

Even in his full state, he would not necessarily be able to steadily defeat Hyacinth, this monster among humans, in a frontal battle.

Now, with his serious injuries, even if he survived until night, he would not necessarily be able to resist the combination of Violet and Hyacinth!

What's more, the other Gods of War, whose Blood Control had been blocked, would soon return to this Hall of Divine Heirs, and their mental magic would be isolated by the Moon Goddess's Flawless Pure Land, and they could not be controlled by him.

"I'm not reconciled, I'm not reconciled!"

He roared frantically, his voice hoarse.

But the roar soon turned into a scream.

Countless ice crystals and silver threads were like steel needles, piercing into Lasalle's flesh, sealing every magic node in his body, and Lasalle felt that his internal organs were churning, his bones were all dislocated, and he was in unbearable pain.

"Violet, come over, go to a safe place, stay away from him, I'll cut him to pieces."

Hyacinth whispered to Violet, his voice as steady as the sea.

"Well, you're the most reliable, my friend."

Violet nodded knowingly.

With Hyacinth's help, he could seal the Third Progenitor Lasalle, who still had the strength to resist, in the blink of an eye.

She carefully took a few steps back, retreating to the rear.

Violet was sure that with her suppressing Lasalle, Hyacinth would soon end this ultimate scourge of the Blood Clan in the Krete Empire.

They hadn't fought side by side like this in a long time.

"Violet, you are my best friend..."

Hyacinth walked towards Lasalle on the other side of the temple, reaching for the sword at his waist.

Just when Violet thought everything was about to end, a familiar sense of security came from behind.

She breathed a sigh of relief, about to express her gratitude to Hyacinth, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest.

Violet lowered her head in disbelief, only to see a hand piercing through her body from behind, blood gushing from the wound.

And the owner of that hand was her best friend, whom she had always been able to trust.

"Always!!"

Hyacinth's maniacal laughter erupted, his blade-like hand directly tearing Violet's heart out of her back and crushing it in his hand.

"...?!"

Violet's mouth overflowed with blood, and her gradually dimming purple eyes still showed disbelief.

Even Lasalle, who was being sealed by Violet in the distance, widened his eyes.

He didn't understand why Hyacinth would attack Violet, since Hyacinth had already lost his mental control.

"Hyacinth, why..."

Violet spat out a few words with difficulty, her lips trembling.

She stiffly turned her head with all her strength, and the scene that came into her eyes made her pupils shrink sharply.

Only to see Hyacinth's handsome face, with a released pleasure hanging on it, his eyes not hiding his disgust for her.

"I like to see your expressions the most. Don't be surprised, you're just one step ahead of them, you damned commoner."

Hyacinth's voice gradually lowered, saying to Violet.

What answered her was a heart-rending pain.

"I've been living under the radar just for today, and you must disappear because of it."

Red blood splattered everywhere, covering Hyacinth's palms, but he didn't care, shaking his hand, scattering the broken wolf heart on the ground.

Violet fell to the ground, her once beautiful and sacred face now as pale as paper, her body motionless like a petrified statue, her life rapidly dissipating.

The sunset was gradually hidden by the other side of the horizon, and the day of the National Day celebration was coming to an end.

Replacing it was a full moon rising towards the zenith, accompanied by a faint purple haze.

The sky was full of stars, and the streets of Brield City under the temple were completely painted over by black, and unconsciously people's breaths were hidden, falling into silence.

The music in the Hall of Divine Heirs also became eerie.

The originally gentle harp sound suddenly rose, as if it were the shriek of a vengeful ghost spanning twenty years, the wind chimes were no longer happy, but made a harsh collision sound, like a wail in hell.

Hyacinth's iron boots stepped on the temple's floor tiles, the drumbeats like thunder.

Under such music, the Hall of Divine Heirs faded its past sanctity, the blood-colored moonlight casting mottled shadows on the ground through the rose windows, and the shadows of the stone pillars were distorted and deformed as he walked past.

The entire space was immersed in a dark red, bloody, crazy, and stern, intertwined into a fugue of death.

"Twenty years ago, this day was like this, with the taste of blood everywhere."

Hyacinth walked towards Lasalle, saying matter-of-factly,

"I started hiding my name and living in anonymity from the eldest son of the Marquis family, giving up everything, disguising myself as a commoner to cover up my life. Now, I almost forgot my original name, and I can hardly recall the appearance of my parents and sister."

There was no sadness or self-deprecation in his eyes, just calmly recalling the past.

"What, what are you talking about?"

Lasalle's mind was in chaos, supporting himself, instinctively wanting to retreat.

He knew that Hyacinth had always been upright and benevolent, known as the spiritual leader and benchmark of the people of the Krete Empire.

But now, Hyacinth was killing his companion, the High Priestess of the Moon Goddess, without hesitation in a sober state.

All of this was too abnormal!

Hyacinth walked towards Lasalle on the blood-red Hall of Divine Heirs floor tiles.

At this moment, even Lasalle, who had just regained his freedom from the interrupted ice seal, was so shocked that his back was tense and his whole body was cold.

He stared at Hyacinth, raising and trying to resist Hyacinth's hand trembling non-stop, obviously unable to understand everything that was happening in front of him.