In the darkness, Bryndy Town had turned into a sea of flames.
The horses neighed and rammed against the fence in an attempt to escape from this place.
But at the next moment, the dazzling lightning bolted straight into the stable and flipped it upside down. Scattered limbs and burning sparks fluttered in all directions, bringing with it a charred smell.
Zayen lowered his head and looked at the half of the body that had fallen in front of him. The once robust body had now been torn apart and scorched, turning into a pitch-black mass. The head that was barely intact opened its mouth and stopped at the moment of hissing, as if its soul was still wailing.
"If I sprinkle some salt on it, perhaps the taste will be better. But it's a pity that I don't know how to make horse meat …"
Jenn muttered to himself. He lifted his head and gazed at the fully-armored old man who was glaring furiously at him with a sword and shield in his hand.
"This is life, Sir … There are surprises every day. Not everything goes as one wishes. But being incomplete is always perfect …"
"You damned demon!!"
The old man glared at the mage in a black robe and silver mask. He raised his weapon and his entire being was as incomparably sharp as the unsheathed sword in his hand.
"I won't let you hurt my family!
You evil creatures of darkness will forever wail under the judgment of justice!
Even if I have to risk my life, I will never let you harm a single hair on my family! "
"Your courage is commendable."
Jenn twitched his brows at the sword in the old knight's hand. Then, he gently spun the cane in his hand.
"Then, as a return gift for your courage …"
Jenn sneered, extended his right hand, and snapped his fingers.
Boom!!
At the next moment, dark red flames of negative energy erupted from the ground and enveloped the old knight entirely.
Before the pitiful old man could do anything, he screamed and rolled on the ground.
The ice-cold flames of death poured into his body mercilessly through the gaps in his armor, burning his flesh and devouring his innards. His heart-wrenching screams echoed in the manor like the final whimpers of a ghost.
"Grandpa …!"
The door of the manor suddenly opened, and a child ran out crying towards the old man who was surrounded by flames.
He knelt beside the old man, sobbing but unable to say a word. But in the very next moment, a longsword extended from the icy flames and mercilessly pierced the child's chest. The old knight rose from the flames once again, but he no longer looked old under his helmet. What replaced it was a spotless white skull, its dark eye sockets glinting with cold, piercing radiance of negative energy.
He let out a beast-like roar and pierced his grandson's chest with all his might. In the next moment, flames erupted from the old knight's sword, engulfing the frail body that was struggling to escape.
"I'll leave the rest to you, sir knight."
Jenn bent down in an exaggerated manner and bowed to the other party.
"I'm sure your family is willing to die under your sword and return to your side in a brand new form. Alright then, I have something to do and will take my leave now."
Zayen watched as the knight, who was engulfed in cold flames, split open the door and rushed into his home. After hearing the screams and cries coming from inside, Zayen stretched out his hand, pulled down the hood on his head, and turned to leave.
Behind him, the town before him had sunk into an endless sea of flames.
"It's meaningless."
Sophia widened her mouth and let out a crisp dragon roar. The roaring flames destroyed the final barrier of the garrison guards.
On the other hand, the militias who had plenty of experience fighting goblins, dwarves, and other monsters sat paralyzed on the ground with pale faces, trembling in fear as they gazed at the enormous, scarlet dragon that was as tall as a three-story building.
They didn't even think of resisting. The moment Sophia revealed her true form, her unparalleled Dragon Prestige had completely crushed their spirit and willpower. Just by standing there and staring at the massive creature before them, they felt as though everything in the world was rapidly leaving them. Deafening screeches and absolute fear occupied their minds and hearts, forcing them to once again recognize how insignificant and insignificant humans were in this world.
They felt as though they were the smallest grain of sand in the world. At this instant, everything they had fought for, the future they had yearned for, and the past they had excitedly discussed were meaningless just like themselves.
The militias didn't resist at all. They crawled under Sophia's shadow, shivered, and wept bitterly for their incompetence, cowardice, and insignificance. Some of them even cried their last breaths. But Sophia was unmoved. She looked down at these lowly bugs indifferently as though they were cockroaches. Just as she said, it was meaningless.
Their deaths wouldn't make this world any worse, and their lives wouldn't be better for this world.
Upon hearing Sophia's mutterings, Elyse turned around, looked at her, and stretched out her hand. Soon, fresh blood formed in Elyse's hand and turned into a sharp blade that flashed and pierced through the people kneeling on the ground in front of her.
Then, she raised her right hand again and gestured. Shortly after, the people who were howling in pain became weak. Their bodies shriveled like deflated balloons, and fresh blood flowed out of them quickly. The blood condensed in Elyse's palm as though they were being attracted by an invisible force. Then, she clutched the blood ball and muttered to herself. At the next moment, Elyse raised her arms and the blood ball in her hand flew into the air and exploded in a loud bang. Then, a putrid rain of blood scattered in all directions, enveloping the entire town in a poisonous mist of evil decay and death.
"At least for Master and me, this is also a form of entertainment."
She watched in satisfaction as a man stumbled out of his hiding place in the cellar, clutched his neck, fell to the ground, twisted, and died.
Elyse shrugged and said to the red dragon princess beside her.
After venting her frustrations in the previous few nights in this massacre, she finally regained her composure. At least, watching these cursed, evil, and filthy humans die made Elyse feel much better.
"Indulging in pleasure is very dangerous."
Upon hearing Elyse's answer, Sophia snorted and spewed out a ball of flames.
"Pleasure itself isn't a sin, Sophia."
And at this moment, Zayen had stepped out of the shadows and came to their side.
He extended his hand, caressed the silver mask on his face, and said with a smile.
"Righteous paladins will also be immersed in the joy of satisfaction after eliminating the devils. Soldiers will also rejoice after killing the barbarians who invaded their homeland. What we do is no different from them.
The only difference is that they are humans, and we are not. So just like how they will be happy to see that there is one less threat to their homeland when they kill a goblin, we will also be happy to see that there are fewer obstacles in front of us. So there's no need to think so much. Think about your position and think about our standpoint. That's right, all of this is natural.
Everyone would drink a few more when they were happy, but only idiots who were immersed in alcohol would fail because of this.
For us, a small fix isn't a big deal.
Besides … now isn't the time. "
"Isn't the time?"
Hearing until here, Sophina blinked and asked curiously.
Upon hearing her question, Zayen nodded and turned his head to look at the ridge on the other side. Behind it was Parsus.
"That's right, now isn't the time … But I think it won't be long …"
The battle in the Four Seasons Realm went smoothly.
Gazing at the city in the distance, Perstan felt excited and relaxed.
The Glittergold Empire's army had swept through the entire Four Seasons Realm, and the Skal Federation still didn't have any useful resistance. The self-organized rebel army was just a bunch of stragglers who weren't worth mentioning at all.
Thinking of this, Perstan shifted his gaze to the other side.
Next up was Parsus. Perstan didn't care about it and it didn't matter.
Parsus was just a small place and didn't even have any military power.
For Perstan, attacking Parsus was just to perfect the entire operation. This way, the army he led could penetrate the entire eastern defensive line of the Skal Federation and force the Skal Federation to retreat further.
Although Perstan didn't approve of this war in the beginning and even felt that His Majesty was a little too hasty, it seemed that even though His Majesty was young and vigorous, his grasp of the situation was still very accurate.
As expected of the Lion Family of Glittergold, their bloodline couldn't be underestimated.
But when he thought of the woman beside His Majesty, Perstan felt a little uncomfortable. He admitted that she was a beautiful, noble, and elegant lady who was worthy of any hero.
But Perstan just didn't like her. Although it was a pleasure for Perstan every time he heard her voice, it was another matter when he found out that the other generals felt the same way.
Perhaps this time, after he performed well enough, the beautiful and noble lady would treat him with a more special attitude. As long as he could prove that he was an irreplaceable existence in the Glittergold Empire, then everything would definitely change.
Thinking of this, Perstan clenched his fists, raised his head, and gave an order.
"Advance! Target … Parsus!"