The city walls of the Southern Borderlands were cracked, the high towers teetered, and the winding streets were a scene of wreckage. Buildings and plazas once vibrant were now ruins, collapsing stone pillars sinking into the sandy soil layer by layer.

Salomon, his black robes stained with blood from countless knife wounds, finally reached the city gate. Though weakened, a blazing fire of victory burned in his eyes.

But all of this was utterly overturned the moment he clearly saw Loren's figure.

Moonlight retreated into the shadows.

The shouts echoing among the crowd were like restless spirits, impossible to shake off.

"Deceitful... a liar..."

Salomon clutched his head, nearly tearing at his scalp.

In the entire city-state, he could only hear the cries for Loren.

These sounds were like ceaseless thunder, reverberating in Salomon's ears, threatening to shatter his already fractured mind.

He felt as though the twisted priests of the Destruction Cult, brainwashed under the blood moon, were still pursuing him.

Had he escaped? He didn't know.

There were no answers in this darkness.

Filled with terror, Salomon had fled the uncanny Southern Ventina territory, only to see someone he never expected when he reached the city gate, ready to identify the cardinal battling Somerset.

The divine radiance of [Primal Tablet - Wind] surrounding him, and the earth-shattering magical power, belonged undoubtedly to Loren!

Salomon felt only endless fate and a message he could not deliver.

Salomon dared not recall the fellow who had spoken to him earlier in the northwest district of the city-state. Every analysis sent chills down his spine.

The thing in the northwest district was undoubtedly powerful, possessing an aura no less than that of a Destruction Bishop.

Perhaps Loren had obtained some ancient forbidden magic, capable of dividing himself in two, directing and acting in his own play. On the surface, he was a kind and righteous High Priest; in secret, he was the hidden hand manipulating the entire continent. Kingdoms, empires, the Rebirth Church, even the Blood Clan were nothing more than pawns in the High Priest's game!

Salomon looked up. Loren's genuinely perplexed gaze from afar only intensified Salomon's fear.

This person had toyed with him in the northwest district of the city-state, yet now they met again, and Loren could maintain a flawless performance, playing the hero and idol for the people of the Hutton Kingdom.

As if he wasn't worried about the truth and conspiracy being exposed, he was mocking Salomon, a powerless pawn.

"Salomon..."

Marquis Somerset, outside the Southern Ventina border, understood something upon seeing Salomon's expression and condition.

"Tch..."

The Eighth Progenitor, Marquis Somerset, clicked his tongue.

Whether the mission was a success or failure, Salomon's arrival signaled a retreat.

The Southern Ventina territory's barrier would soon be restored.

Saving the Destruction Son, whose magical state was extremely poor, while facing an increasingly powerful Loren, would change nothing.

Besides, for some reason, the Destruction Son seemed to have lost his fighting spirit, as if suffering a mental breakdown. Forcibly saving him might lead to him selling them out to save himself.

The Blood Clan wasn't afraid of attrition, but they dreaded being tied down until daylight.

The best option was to abandon the Destruction Son, use him as bait, and withdraw as quickly as possible!

Marquis Somerset immediately turned away from the Southern Ventina border, transforming into a red comet and breaking straight into the Knox Mountains.

"..."

Loren wasn't eager for battle. It was best if the enemy retreated willingly.

Thus...

Loren could only turn back to look at the Destruction Son, Salomon.

His eyes seemed to ask for answers, as if he didn't understand what was happening.

"...Loren!!!"

Realizing that the Eighth Progenitor, Marquis Somerset, had unhesitatingly withdrawn, leaving him alone at the city gate, fear and hatred intertwined, turning Salomon's eyes bloodshot.

Why was Loren in the Northern Continent?

Why was there a new cardinal?

Why were Loren's movements always similar to those of the new cardinal?

So it turned out that all of this – was nothing more than a stage set for the birth of a hero!

The world's grand scheme, black and white, could be manipulated.

But what if the one playing the game on the black and white chessboard was the same person?

If there was no chaos in the world, then Loren would create it himself.

And the one who quelled the chaos was still Loren, but what he did wasn't fighting, but an unscripted performance.

Loren's actions were all for the sake of the world, selfless and dedicated.

In reality, he knew how each step would unfold, and how to resolve it!

Only now did Salomon realize that he was just a small pawn being toyed with by Loren.

By the time he knew his fate, it was already too late.

The words Loren had told him in the northwest district earlier – "But if you challenge me, I guarantee you will die miserably in Southern Ventina today, and even experience greater fear than any Destruction Bishop could inflict" – now resonated in Salomon's mind, shaking his very being.

His fate had already been arranged.

All that awaited him was his exit.

The more he struggled, the further he fell.

"Salomon, I won't kill you. Surrender."

Loren slowly descended from mid-air, gazing at Salomon with an air of nobility and righteousness.

He was certain that the eighth-order enemy had fled far away and didn't want to pursue him further. Chasing him deep into the Knox Mountains would not only make it difficult to capture the opponent but also risk losing the rear.

Furthermore, if he were to kill the Destruction Son, it would only enrage the Destruction Bishop.

The young man suitable to defeat the Destruction Son had yet to appear.

The best outcome would be for the kingdom's army in the rear to imprison the Destruction Son and hand him over to the Kingdom Union Council.

"Loren..."

Salomon looked at Loren, tears of fear streaming down his face.

"Hahahaha, you foolish people, the day you discover the truth, you will understand what kind of person Loren really is!"

Along with his shout, the magical power in his body suddenly surged for the last time.

As if realizing something, Loren rushed towards Salomon.

However, before Loren could stop him, Salomon had already taken his own life.

He used his magic to destroy himself in the fastest way possible, leaving only blood and gore scattered in the air, brushing past Loren's horrified eyes.

"...?"

Loren stared blankly at Salomon's ruined corpse.

He didn't understand what Salomon meant, or why the Destruction Son had died so inexplicably.

From the moment Salomon appeared until now, there were too many things he couldn't comprehend.

Before Loren could react,

officers had already rushed up to drape a thick cloak over Loren's shoulders.

"The temperature fluctuates greatly between day and night, Mr. Loren, please wear more!"

"We've won!"

"With just a single glance, he could scare away the Destruction Son, truly worthy of being Mr. Loren!"

"Mr. Loren, after today's battle, your reputation will soar again!"

The Southern Ventina Territory's city defense force commander and soldiers shouted excitedly at Loren.

Loren stood there, dumbfounded.

He really didn't understand why the Destruction Son would run over to him to commit suicide.

In the wake of the great victory, spirits were high, and everyone was focused on jointly tossing up their savior, the great hero Loren, so few people noticed Salomon's last, cryptic words before his death.

...

The next day.

The northernmost port of the Southern Continent.

The city of Rosham, located on stone pillars and reefs extending into the bay, possessed a beautiful and astonishing landscape.

From here to the Hutton Kingdom, located on the eastern coast of the central Southern Continent, would take another ten days or so.

The city's center was a huge harbor, filled with ships and docks, a gathering place for merchants, sailors, and adventurers, where goods and cultures from all over circulated.

The city's architecture was known for its marine style, with buildings usually painted in bright colors, such as blue and white, with wooden decorations, pointed spires, and curved roofs, giving a wavy feeling, as if the sea was dancing between the buildings.

The upper and lower levels of the city were connected by a series of stairs and magic-powered elevators.

The upper level was mainly residential areas and municipal institutions, offering magnificent sea and city views, while the lower level had various shops, bars, and restaurants for residents and tourists to enjoy.

As the waves gently lapped against the wooden planks of the port, a large passenger ship slowly sailed into the harbor.

After a long time, among the many disembarking passengers, a woman with an icy, pure aura was particularly striking.

Her light blue eyes faintly reflected the sunlight of the port, and her silver-white hair danced lightly in the wind, as soft as snowflakes.

She lightly stepped down the gangplank, setting foot in this port city of the Southern Continent.

The surrounding scene was bustling, with crew unloading cargo, vendors hawking goods, and the sea breeze carrying the salty taste and calls from afar. The wooden planks of the port creaked softly beneath her feet.

She walked to a newsstand and used her slender, white fingers to select a local newspaper, which featured the latest news from the Southern Continent and strange tales from afar.

After exchanging a few coins, she began to read as she walked, immersed in the news and stories of the Southern Continent.

She quickly flipped through the "Southern Continent Union News."

Until she stopped at a certain page, as if she had found what she expected.

The picture showed a group of people united as one, surrounding a brown-haired man wearing a thick coat, his eyes full of natural gentleness and confusion.

The people's admiration for him was beyond words, all written in their eyes.

[...The Destruction Son chose to take his own life after being defeated. He suffered multiple fatal wounds before his death. The specific details of his escape in Southern Ventina are unclear, but his abnormal mental state at the end and the words he left behind, "The day you discover the truth, you will understand what kind of person Loren really is," are puzzling. Some suspect that it was not the Destruction Son's suicide, but that Loren made a move at close range to silence him. However, many experts interpret this as the Destruction Son attempting to smear Loren's reputation at the last moment... Reported by the Southern Continent Union News.]

"Loren... you definitely have a problem..."

The Ice Witch clenched the newspaper, her expression full of hostility.

She would definitely investigate the source of the chaos, starting with an investigation of the royal capital, Ikrath!

(End of this chapter)