Sebastian and Moonlight Glow's group was the first to depart.
Meanwhile, Charise, Bloed, and the others stayed behind for a bit longer.
The reason? there was something Bloed needed to ask.
"Why?" Bloed asked Charise.
Charise smiled charmingly and tilted her head. "What is it, Mr. Bloed? I don't understand your question."
"Don't play dumb, saintess." Bloed's expression was cold. "No matter how I see it, I can't think of a reason you helped us before."
Charise looked at Bloed briefly and giggled. "Mr. Bloed, you are not used to receiving others' goodwill, right? Don't worry, I'm not going to ask anything of you. However, there is something I want to tell you."
"… Do tell."
"If one day you become strong enough to influence the fate of the world, don't forget you are from this world too."
Bloed fell silent and thought about Charise's words. A few seconds later, he nodded.
"I'll think about it." Then, he left.
Kallevang, who was standing behind Charise, spoke at that moment.
"Saintess, are you sure about this?"
Charise sighed. "… That boy… And the girls beside him. They are filled with potential. The exiled prince of the Kingdom of Alterna, a mysterious demigod with an incomplete soul, and the former princess of the demon empire. If they have time to develop their abilities, maybe they can become another beacon of hope for this world. Moreover… I fear that if they and the kingdom continue crossing paths, the final result will be a tragedy."
"A tragedy? Do you mean, the boy will die?"
Charise sighed. "Who knows? But I have the feeling it will be something worse."
…
Bloed's group was riding Leto at full speed.
His group was formed by four people. Bloed, Regina, Liu Ying, and Javelin, who chose to support Bloed's group instead of going with Moonlight Glow.
To be honest, Bloed's group was the smallest of the three. Madeline even suggested to have some of the beastmen of Moonlight Glow going with them, but Bloed rejected the suggestion. In fact, he would not have brought Javelin with him if not by the insistence of the later.
Javelin only understood Bloed's intentions when he experienced Leto's speed.
"… I see. Certainly, this creature of yours is very fast, but the number of people it can carry is limited. If we bring more people, our speed would slow down drastically."
Bloed nodded. "Exactly. The most important part of tonight's operation is speed. If we finish our part quickly, we can go to support Charise and the others."
"I understand… By the way, Bloed, should I call you Prince Glenn from now onwards?"
Bloed shot Javelin a cold look, making the later stiffen. "A Joke! It's a joke!"
Bloed sighed. "Just call me Bloed. I don't have anything to do with that family anymore."
"Even so, I was surprised when I learned you were a prince." Javelin sighed in admiration.
Liu Ying nodded at that moment.
"To be honest, I thought it was destiny."
"Destiny?" Javelin asked confused. Liu Ying, however, just smiled and looked at Bloed with gentle eyes.
Regina squinted her eyes and glared at Liu Ying before snorting. Bloed could only smile wryly and ignore them.
To be honest, he could not understand how the two of them could be so relaxed in the current situation.
But soon, the Valkyrie and the demon stopped with their antics.
Instead, they put on serious expressions.
The group had arrived at their destination.
"Halt!" A city guard stood in front of the group with his sword unsheathed. Several other city guards were standing behind him.
"Who are you!? What are you doing here!?"
Bloed frowned. The node of the magic circle was behind these guards, however, the place was completely surrounded.
Moreover, Bloed was not sure if the guards were involved in this plot or were simply being fooled by the duke.
Fortunately, he did not need to fight them.
"Regina. Do it quickly."
The Valkyrie nodded. Calmly, she floated in the air and extended her hand.
The city guard's expression changed. "You… You must be one of the villains destroying the city. Men, attack them!"
Instantly, tens of arrows were released from the city guards. However, it was completely useless in front of Regina. With an indifferent expression, she gathered energy in the palm of her hand and aimed at the node.
When the city guard saw that, he kicked the ground and charged towards her.
"I won't let you!"
A sword slash cut through the air, flying towards Regina.
But Javelin moved at that moment. With a twirl of his daggers, he stopped the A-Rank city guard's attack.
"Sorry about that, man, but we need to destroy this place."
While Javelin was speaking, Regina finished gathering energy.
Then–
"Go."
A thin beam of energy was shot towards the node.
*BOOOMMMM!!!*
The powerful explosion shook the surroundings, however, the beam Regina just used was designed to penetrate and destroy. Despite its immense power, it did not hurt any of the guards nearby.
Unfortunately, it did not destroy the node.
A barrier of light in front of the beam, stopping it momentarily.
The shield of light was quickly destroyed, but then, another thicker and stronger barrier appeared behind it. This time, it was a woman who created it.
"A demigod." Bloed and the other turned serious.
Although they already suspected that something like this was likely to happen, seeing it in person made them realize how important this magic circle was for the duke.
"I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to destroy this place." The woman sighed. She then waved her hand, creating instantly several magic circles behind her.
"It has been a long time since the last time I fought another demigod seriously." The woman said. "Why don't you show me what you are able of?"
Regina smirked. Then, a silver flower appeared over her right shoulder. The flower hovered silently while silver lightning circled tamely around it.
"Unfortunately, master asked me to destroy it quickly. I don't have time to play with you."
When Regina finished speaking, the flower lit up.
Then, an even greater amount of energy gathered on it.
The demigod woman's expression changed. Instantly, she cast several shields around her and the and the node.
And in the next instant–
*KABOOOMMM!!!*
The second beam of energy was shot.
And this time, it was much thicker and stronger than before.
In just an instant, he penetrated several barriers, finally arriving in front of the demigod.
Without hesitation, the woman crossed her arms. Her mana surged, transforming into a powerful shield of energy.
And this time, she resisted for a bit longer.
But just like before–
*Crash!*
With a sound like glass breaking, the last shield shattered.
Then, the beam of light pierced the demigod's last defenses.
One second later, an even more powerful explosion shook the city.
And this time, the node did not manage to survive.
...
P4TRE0N: patr-eon.com/aidnovels