As Ferdino offered to shake his hand as a sign of peace and Vivian reached out for it, he suddenly "slipped forward" with his hand heading towards Vivian's mask. His fingers slid under her mask and then flipped it, causing the straps to slide from her head and reveal her face.
Vivian froze as her mind was still trying to process what just happened. Even Caleb who was standing beside her could only stare in astonishment.
Nevertheless, everyone was looking at her face.
In the case of Caleb, once the initial astonishment of Vivian's mask getting removed in such an absurd and comical way passed, a confused expression flashed across his face.
Based on Vivian's accent, he knew that she was from the Luxen Kingdom, despite her face being covered by a mask, he could tell she was in her mid-20s, and given she was assigned to this high-profile Escort Field Mission despite still being in her mid-20s, that would mean she's either someone very talented or someone with a very special background. However, to his surprise, there was nothing, he did not know her at all. If she was still in her teens, he would've understood why he had never heard of her. But she was in her mid-20s and yet her face was a complete stranger to him.
In the case of Alejandro, a somewhat dissatisfied or disappointed look flashed across his face. Given how cold or immune Vivian was to his "charms", he was expecting her to be beautiful. Of course, he wasn't saying that Vivian wasn't ugly. However, when it comes to beauty, to him, Vivian was at least 2 grades lower compared to Nina. She was also too skinny for his taste.
Emiliano, his group and the rest of the personnel in the lobby stared at Vivian's face as well.
And lastly, there was Ferdino. Unlike Caleb, Alejandro and the rest, he didn't have time to study Vivian's face as a dark future flashed inside his head, causing his face to become deathly pale and he subconsciously raised his arms to shield his face.
[Power Fist].
Ba-riiip!
Vivian's fist shot right through Ferdino's arms and head and shredded everything on its path into a mist of blood.
Thud!
Ferdino's headless and armless corpse fell to the floor.
Although he had the power to see 4 seconds into the future because of his Lore Magic, [Ojo de Melinna], the difference between his stats and Vivian's stats were just too high.
Vivian's INT was 8 (+293) which allows her to process things at x30.1 speed while her AGI was 12 (+299) which allows her to move at x31.1 speed.
Ferdino, on the other hand, had an INT and AGI of 10 (+195) which allows him to process things and move at x20.5 speed.
So between the two of them, there was a base difference of 9.6 seconds in their processing speed and 10.6 seconds in their movement speed. And even if the extra 4 seconds from Ferdino's [Ojo de Melinna] Lore Magic was added, it was still a difference of 5.6 and 6.6 seconds.
With that, the only future Ferdino could see was Vivian hitting and killing him no matter what he did. Nevertheless, call it survival instinct or whatever, he still raised his arms to cover his face.
Everyone's jaw dropped.
In Caleb's case, although he witnessed Vivian chopping off a thief's head yesterday, he didn't expect her to have the guts to actually kill an Aristocratic Noble, especially in front of many people.
In the case of Alejandro and his group, they were all aware of Ferdino's power. In fact, when it came to Alejandro, other than the old and powerful key members of their families, he had never seen anyone land a hit on Ferdino.
He turned to Vivian.
"MAR-YOU MAR-BITCH!!!" he said and then activated a spell.
[Enchant Fire].
Instead of the fire only appearing on a single part of his body, the fire enveloped his entire body, making him like a walking human torch.
Vooom!
He charged towards Vivian.
Vooom!
Caleb moved in between Alejandro and Ferdino.
"Stop!" he said and then activated his Lore Magic.
[Holy Wrath].
A golden light shock wave with a diameter of 5 meters erupted from Caleb's body and knocked Vivian and Alejandro away.
"BLAAARRRGGGHHH!"
Thud!
"BLAAARRRGGGHHH!"
Thud!
Vivian coughed out blood as she was blown away from where she was standing and then crashed to the floor. The impact was so great that it felt like she was struck by a truck running at full speed and her soul jumping out of her body.
"Blaaarrrggghhh…!"
She coughed out another gallon of blood as she tried to get up.
What the fuck is this…?!
Aside from her entire body aching, she also felt as if something inside her, like her soul, was burning but there were no flames, it was just inside her. The pain she felt, both physical and spiritual, was so great that she couldn't stand up and could only be on her fours.
She was about to use [Greater Origin Transformation] but stopped herself.
[Heal].
A faint yellow light enveloped her body but she still couldn't stand up and remained on her fours as she suppressed the urge the cough out another gallon of blood.
Not enough…!
[Heal].
A faint yellow light enveloped her body once again and this time around she felt her physical wounds subsided. However, she could still feel that burning sensation in her soul.
[Cleanse].
A green light enveloped her body and she finally felt fine.
She raised her head.
Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were bloodshot, and fresh blood covered her mouth, chin and clothes as she projected a thick murderous intent.
Her gaze landed on Caleb who standing by the main entrance of the building and lying down beside his feet was Ferdino's corpse and one of Alejandro's hired Mercenaries.
***
Right after Caleb cast [Holy Wrath], his face became pale as his eyes bounced between Vivian and Alejandro.
He opened his mouth but no words came out of his mouth.
Truth be told, he moved by instinct and didn't expect to have that effect, especially towards Vivian.
Emiliano and his fellow Mercenaries began moving.
Emiliano went over to an unconscious Alejandro and carried him away. Meanwhile, the rest, one rushed over to recover Ferdino's body and the other three charged towards Caleb.
Caleb held out his hand.
"Wait!" he commanded but no one listened so he activated [Halo]. "I said stop!"
The four Mercenaries were affected and stopped in their tracks. However, only a second later, they recovered half of their senses and not only resumed charging but also cast spells.
A Thief activated a spell.
[Light Step].
A Wizard activated a skill and spell simultaneously through their [Double Cast] Class Magic.
[Blood Drinker], [Lightning Golem].
A Monk activated a skill, a spell, and a Class Magic spell.
[Blood Drinker].
[Enchant Poison].
[Vibrating Fists].
A Hunter activated a Class Magic spell.
[Nature's Guardian].
Vooom!
Caleb turned into a blur and appeared in front of the Wizard Mercenary.
Bam!
"I said I don't want to fight!" he said and then threw a straight uppercut on the Wizard's jaw, knocking him out.
Vooom!
He turned into a blur once again and appeared in front of the Monk.
BAM~!!!
The Monk threw a [Power Fist] imbued with [Vibrating Fist] and Caleb caught it with one hand which destroyed his gauntlet and slightly twisted his hand into an unnatural state.
Caleb gritted his teeth as he felt the pain on his slightly twisted hand and the vibrating sensation on his hand from the Monk's fist that was trying to make it numb.
Bam!
"I said stop!" Caleb said and he punched the Monk in the face.
Due to the effect of [Blood Drinker], the Monk didn't get knocked out. However, he was momentarily affected by Caleb's [Halo].
Caleb noticed the Monk's left leg twitch for an attack.
Ba-crack!
This time around, he threw [Power Fist] and broke the Monk's neck, killing him.
BAM!
A 2-meter-tall long four-legged monster made out of wood and vines tackled Caleb on the side.
[Greater Heal].
A yellow light enveloped Caleb's body which cured his broken hand and he stomped his feet on the floor to stop himself from being pushed around by the wood monster. He then shifted his body to face the monster and activated a skill.
[Explosive Fist].
Booom!
The front half of the monster exploded into a mist of wood.
Caleb turned to the Hunter who summoned the wood monster and pointed at him.
"I command you to stop or I'll kill you!"
Hunter knelt down and raised his hands.
Caleb immediately turned to the Thief who already had Ferdino's headless and armless corpse on his arms and about to exit through the main entrance of the building.
Vooom!
Caleb appeared behind the Thief.
Pah!
Thud! Thud!
He delivered a chop on the back of the Thief's neck, knocking him out and causing him to drop Ferdino's corpse.
Unfortunately for Emiliano's Mercenary group, Caleb was just too powerful.
Emiliano was the strongest in his Mercenary group with his Physical and Magic Force at Rainbow Steel or around 180 points. Caleb, on the other hand, had all of his stats beyond Spirit Steel or at 10 (+240) to specific.
Caleb's suddenly felt the hairs on his neck stand up so he turned around.
It was Vivian.
Her hair was disheveled, her eyes bloodshot, and fresh blood covered her mouth, chin and clothes as she projected a thick murderous intent on him.
"Sister, I didn't mean --" Caleb said as he held out his hand.
Vooom!
Vivian appeared in front of him which caught Caleb in a surprise.
Truth be told, he wasn't able to properly assess her strength earlier.
When it came to her killing Ferdino, he was caught off-guard.
And when it came to him using [Holy Wrath], it's more potent against targets with evil souls and less potent against targets with good souls so it's not that reliable in measuring an opponent's strength.
Ba-crang-crack!
Vivian delivered a kick on Caleb's left rib with her full force, sending him flying to the side and outside of the building. The force was so great that not only did it bend the metal of his Crusade Armor which was made out of Adamantite, but it also broke a couple of his ribs and bent his body to a very unnatural state. And when he landed in the middle of the street, he was barely alive.
Shock and disbelief reflected in the eyes of every person in the lobby who was still alive or at least conscious. No one uttered a word and no one also moved.
Vivian wiped the blood on her mouth and chin and then she swept her gaze around her surroundings.
Spit!
Pah!
"YOU FUCKING FAT UGLY PIG WEIRDO!!!" she said as she spat and kicked Fedino's corpse, causing it to roll a couple of feet away from her and out of the building.
She swept her gaze around her surroundings once again. This time around, no one dared to look at her. Even the surviving Hunter Mercenary decided to play dead.
Vivian took a deep breath.
Inhale.
Calm down…
Exhale.
Don't focus on the smell of food...
Inhale.
Don't also focus on anger…
Exhale.
She spotted her mask a couple of feet away from where she was standing and went over to it.
She picked up her mask, fixed her hair with her fingers, and then wore her mask.
"God of Light! What happened here?!" Tuno's voice echoed throughout the lobby and beside him were Nicandro and Hereta.
***
12:41 p.m.
A luxurious carriage being pulled by two Karfaxes was being escorted by four Knights who were each riding a Karfax -- two on the front and another two at the rear -- and traveling down a road.
Inside the carriage.
Lozario and a Knight in his late 60s with black and white hair were sitting in silence. Each of them minding their own business.
The carriage began to slow down until it finally stopped.
There were still a few minutes away from the Coliseo so Lozario turned to the window to see what was happening. There was a small parade of people worshiping the God of Fire crossing the street.
He shifted his gaze to another sight and saw a mother buying two red candies for her two sons who looked like they were no older than 10 years. And when the two boys received their candies, they both had a huge smile on their faces.
The carriage started moving once again.
"If we meet another distraction that would slow us down, I will personally deal with it," the Knight said.
Lozario waved his hand.
"It's fine. Let the people enjoy the Feugo Festival and honor the God of Fire."
The Knight bowed.
"As you wish, Your Excellency."
The image of the two boys happily eating candy he saw earlier flashed inside Lozario's head, causing him to let out a small smile.
"Is there something wrong, Your Excellency?"
Lozario shook his head.
"It's nothing, Francisco. I just remembered something," he said and then returned his gaze to the window.
Ever since Lozario became the Viscount of Plano Town and Tapa Village at the age of 35 years old, Francisco became his personal bodyguard.
But that's not the interesting part.
Francisco was actually his brother, his elder brother to be exact and they both had 4 True Magic Art Affinities. However, Lozario's Lore Magic or connection to the God of Fire was stronger so he was chosen to be the next Viscount.
So when Lozario reached 5 years old, he was immediately sent to a secret location for training under the guidance of the former Viscount. It was only at the age of 35 years old when he mastered at least 3 of his 4 Magic Art Affinities, was somewhat free to step outside of the secret training location, and a month before his coronation as the new Viscount when he finally reunited with Francisco.
However, there's more.
When Lozario became 17 years old and still wasn't allowed to leave the secret location where he was training at, he was forced to marry someone, a 16-year-old woman from the Marbleam Kingdom's Duke family whom he had never met, let alone spoke to, until their wedding day and she bore him two sons.
Because of those experiences, if Lozario were to be honest, he used to hold a lot of resentment towards Francisco back when they were younger. But now at his age, 65 years old, most of that feeling inside of him has already passed. It's "most" because although he understood that all of the people born in Aristocratic Noble families must sacrifice something whether they like it or not, whether it's their choice or not, he still couldn't help but feel a little bit of resentment from having 30 years of his life which involved his entire teens and 20s taken like that.
As for who will be the next Viscount of Plano Town and Tapa Village, assuming that no tragic accident would happen to Lozario, the next Viscount would be the older brother of Alejandro or the first cousin of Nina who was born with 5 True Magic Art Affinities and the Plano family's Lore Magic, and is currently being trained at a secret location under the guidance of the former Viscount.
However, truth be told, Alejandro and Nina's Lore Magic was stronger or their connection with the God of Fire was stronger which is why Alejandro still managed to be born. But unfortunately, Alejandro wasn't born with 5 Magic Arts unlike his older brother.
But will this affect the Lore Magic of the Plano Family in the future? In the eyes of Viscount Lozario, it won't because it's not like Alejandro and Alejandro's brother won't be able to have sons who have a strong connection with the God of Fire.
The carriage finally arrived at the Coliseo.
It stopped at a section where Knights were standing guard to make sure that Lozario could enter and leave the coliseum with ease.
However, today, there was something different.
Francisco stepped out of the carriage first and the first thing he noticed were three people.
The first one was a Knight in his mid-50s with black hair and tanned skin. He was part of the Surveillance Enforcer Unit but was assigned and in charge of the security here in the Coliseo.
The second one was Hereta who was in her mid-30s and tanned skin. She was also part of the Surveillance Enforcer Unit. However, she was assigned at the Knights Office Headquarters in the Market District. Also, she was the daughter of the Knight she was standing beside with.
And the third one was Homerico. He was an obese man with black balding hair in his late 30s, tanned skin, and wearing a gaudy black and gold robe embroidered with numerous jewels. He was in charge of managing the Feugo Tournament.
Putting aside the fact that there was no reason for the three of them to be here, especially Hereta, Francisco couldn't help but notice their strange reactions. Despite the stone-cold expression of the Knight and Hereta, there was a subtle hint of uncomfortable worry in their eyes. And as for Homerico, he was sweating more than usual and had an obviously worried look on his face.
"What is it?" Francisco asked with a frown.
The Knight and Hereta saluted, while Homerico bowed.
"Lord Knight Major, there's been a situation," the Knight said.
***
Ka-cha!
Lozario and a group of people behind him entered a large room within the Coliseo where there was another group waiting for them -- 5 people to be exact.
There was Antonio, a black-haired man in his mid-40s and the Village Chief of Tapa Village.
There was a green-haired Knight who was in his mid-40s and Antonio's personal bodyguard.
There was Pablo, a dark-blonde-haired man in his late 20s and the Royal Assistant of Estevan who was the Royal Adviser of Plano Town.
There was Sergio, an orange-haired man in his mid-20s and the Royal Assistant of Santiago who was the Royal Adviser of Tapa Village.
And there was Emiliano.
When they saw Lozario, they all greeted him.
"Your Excellency!"
Lozario simply nodded and Antonio approached him.
He bowed once again.
"Your Excellency, Alejandro is resting in the other room. He was severely injured and in a semi-comatose state when he was brought here because he was struck by a Lore Magic. Although his wounds have been cured and he's now awake, I've decided to let him continue lying down for now and observe him."
"What kind of Lore Magic he was struck with?" Lozario asked.
"We don't know the exact details. All we know it was by the Priest Crusader who accompanies Priest Inquisitor Pen at the Royal Box and we believe he's from the Wrath family."
"Where are the others?" Lozario asked.
"Lord Fernando, Lord Estevan, Lord Santiago and Lord Knight Major Cruz are at the Royal Box hall to keep the public from noticing anything strange. As for the people from the Temple of Priests, they haven't arrived yet. However, I believe that Knight Captain Hereta has already mentioned to you about the message from High Priest Nicandro and also about Lord Ferdino."
Lozario turned to Emiliano.
"And you are?"
Emiliano bowed.
"Your Excellency, I am Emiliano Acqua, the leader of the Mercenary group called Nessuno. My group and I were hired by Lord Alejandro as his personal bodyguards and I was the one who brought him here."
"I will talk with you first."
********************
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Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
I would like to thank these Top 5 Immortal Power Voters:
• First Seat: DaoistL27fr7
• Second Seat: DaoistowxxrO
• Third Seat: Higime142
• Fourth Seat: Leitor_Morto
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And in case you really like what I do and want to support me even further, do consider joining my Patreon group for $1 a month because this novel would never have a chance to get a contract.
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With that being said, I would like to give my special thanks for this month's Immortal Patron(s):
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I also created social media accounts for Vivian:
• Instagram: vivian_lightstorm
• Facebook: Vivian Vivian
• TikTok: vivian.lightstorm
On these socials, I will be posting extra details about Vivian and the world she inhabits that I couldn't post here in WebNovel because it would break the story's immersion and other reasons such as the limitations of the WebNovel site.
Thank you once again and I will see you in the next chapter :)