The scorching airwave forced Byrne to step back a considerable distance, taking in a deep breath of hot air, he finally managed to dispose of the ever-pressing Baron Kesse.
This man was a strong and domineering enemy, yet not a very clever one, and an even greater concern to Byrne was the colossal entity that was the Garcia family.
"No need to deal with the body specially, I guess,” he murmured as he looked toward the still-burning flames.
The manor should be taken care of by now, their surprise attack caught the Kesse family off guard, and with Chris, already at the 3rd Rank, stationed there, nothing should go wrong.
The time for “transcend” had passed, and Byrne suddenly felt a heaviness in his head, not quite used to it, and closed his eyes.
In reality, the spirit rune “transcend” didn’t have true side effects; it’s just that the transition from a superhuman state back to normal caused a strong sense of disparity.
"Hmm…”
Byrne groaned, gradually recovering from the discomfort.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of wind as if a sharp gale was approaching from afar. He immediately became alert and opened his eyes.
In front of him, not too far away, stood a man with a deep frown.The man was dressed in grey, very tall, at least 1.9 meters, with piercing eyes and high cheekbones, wearing clothing emblazed with the Garcia family’s crest.
"Are you Byrne Fischer? Did Baron Kesse just die in that explosion?”
His voice was full of arrogance, with an overtly hostile tone.
Byrne was slightly startled before he realized he had emerged from his disguised state and his true identity was completely exposed.
He didn’t answer but contemplated what to do next.
The man’s clothes bore the Garcia family’s crest, and Byrne quickly recalled the man’s identity through “Profound Memory.”
William Garcia, a Mid-level Transmutation, powerful Extraordinary Exponent.
One of the Garcia family’s Level 2 Extraordinary Exponents, he originally was an illegal supernatural being in a mercenary group, then paid a hefty sum to the church as atonement to “come ashore.”
After gaining legal status, he chose to attach himself to the Garcia family and became the son-in-law of Viscount Garcia.
William Garcia looked at the flames consuming Kesse manor in the distance, sighed, and said with tightly furrowed brows:
"These past few days I’ve been betting on horses in Black Mountain Town. Right after the alarm for the Mysterious rare artifact was set off, I rushed here immediately, seems I’m still late.”
He paused for a moment then suddenly said with murderous intent:
"Byrne Fischer, I’ll kill you now and then exterminate all those Fischer people to avenge the Kesse family. Lord Viscount Garcia probably won’t be angry then.”
A killing intent as blatant and intense as if it was tangible instantly struck fear deep in Byrne’s heart!
The spirit rune “transcend” couldn’t be used again in a short time, and most of his Spiritual Power was also depleted, making it extremely difficult to fight another battle against a Mid-level Transmutation opponent!
He knew that after reaching Level 2, every small rank advancement meant a significant gap.
A Mid-level Transmutation Extraordinary Exponent could easily confront two to three low-level Transmutation opponents alone!
With the Extraordinary ability from “Profound Memory,” he remembered William Garcia’s power of Bloodline was the “Windfrost Guard,” controlling the Elemental powers of wind and frost.
Though he intended to silence him, Byrne thought it best to try and make an escape.
"Flame!”
He growled, countless flame butterflies emerged from his hand, instantly enveloping William Garcia.
Byrne planned to act first to create an opportunity to flee.
However, William Garcia simply swung his arm, and a great amount of frost appeared out of nowhere, covering the surroundings, then collided with the flame butterflies to turn into large amounts of steam.
The steam completely obscured the view, and Byrne instinctively used “Mirror Deflection” to create an invisible mirror in front of him for defense!
The next moment, he felt death approaching.
That terrifying premonition of stepping into the hands of a deadly foe was almost unprecedented.
As if he had teleported, William Garcia crossed nearly a hundred meters instantaneously and emotionlessly approached Byrne.
The man used the power of the tempest to propel his body forward, unleashing a hurricane-wrapped fist, smashing into Byrne’s invisible mirror with devastating force, even scattering the surrounding steam with the terrifying impact of the punch!
"Bang!”
The invisible mirror shattered under the punch as if it were nothing more than brittle debris, with the enormous aftermath dispersing in all directions.
Byrne felt a tremendous force hit him, sending his body flying backward a great distance, breaking several trees in succession before crashing to the ground.
He felt his organs tear and bones break, coughing up blood continuously, trying to stand, but after several attempts, he simply couldn’t get up.
The gap in strength was just too vast!
Even Baron Kesse, with the defensive power of “Blackstone Iron Dragon,” would likely be severely injured after three punches; their powers were simply not on the same level.
Byrne was now acutely aware of one thing; there was no way he could defeat this man and he had to find a way to escape.
What to do next?
If he pursued the Fischer family with such terrifying speed, they might all die tonight.
Unless he sought the great power of the Lord of the Lost…
Irene would certainly act if she were aware of the circumstances; he should inform her first and foremost, as the best way to minimize family losses.
Byrne felt profound sadness within his heart, that fate would have him personally ask Irene to step towards death.
William Garcia continued emotionlessly, “Head of the Fischer family, let’s end our fight here. The next time I strike, I’ll kill you.”
"I’ll be busy tonight, I hope you won’t waste any more of my time.”
Byrne didn’t give up struggling for survival, he steeled his gaze on a distant stone and snapped his fingers.
"Snap.”
The next moment, he had switched places with the distant stone, then struggled to his feet and started running, continuously increasing the distance with “Shape-shifting” as he fled.
"A spell of transformation, or perhaps the power of some Mysterious rare artifact?”
William Garcia walked forward calmly, with each step ascending higher, the wind by his side lifting him into mid-air as if he were climbing the stairs to divinity.
There had to be a reason for his rapid arrival from Black Mountain Town!
The next moment, he darted towards Byrne in the high sky with extraordinary speed, the surrounding air even bursting into waves!
"Bang!”
Byrne, still temporarily unable to activate the spirit rune “transcend,” and further hampered by his serious injuries, was quickly caught up with.
It was over.
He felt all thoughts disappear, knowing only that he was about to die and that there would be no future.
William Garcia’s body plunged from the sky like a cannonball, crashing to the ground and shattering the surrounding trees.
Byrne, who had narrowly avoided the attack through “Shape-shifting,” also rolled onto the ground and couldn’t get up for a while.
His Spiritual Power drained, he was even unable to cast “Mirror Deflection” again.
Byrne clearly knew that when he looked up again, it would be the moment of his death.
Just then, all the scenery in front of him suddenly changed; a warm sunny beach appeared out of nowhere, replacing the dark forest, and a gentle sea breeze whispered in Byrne’s ear.
"Huh…”
He stared blankly at the incredible scene before him.
Sunshine spilled onto the golden sand, waves caressed the shore with a gentle cadence, and a soft breeze passed quietly, allowing him to even feel the clean, fine grains of sand under his feet, comfortable and warm.
Without any warning, he found himself suddenly on a warm, sunlit beach.
"Byrne Fischer.”
Byrne suddenly noticed a man wearing a dark gold mask standing beside him, a mask he recognized well as the alchemy mask carried by the participants of the Alchemy Council.
He immediately pondered, could this be someone sent by Lord Viscount Bast, donning an alchemy mask?
The old man wearing the dark gold mask was dressed in a black tailcoat, stalwart and erect, with a voice that was exceedingly gentle and graceful.
"I am the shadow lurking beneath the valiant lions of the Lion clan, tasked with handling those affairs that must not see the light of day. Mr. Byrne, you may call me ‘the Black Lion’.”
The Black Lion?
Byrne instantly understood the man’s role, somewhat akin to Chris in the Lion clan.
Thank goodness!
He finally released a sigh of relief; his decision to report the situation to the Lion clan in advance now seemed to be extremely correct!
The Black Lion was gazing at the distant sea.
Byrne likewise followed the Black Lion’s gaze, looking towards the far-off sea.
William Garcia stood there quietly.
He towered above the sea’s surface, his expression filled with tension and fear. He tried to control the wind to fly but couldn’t, only able to desperately move his feet toward the beach.
However, no matter how long William Garcia walked, he simply couldn’t reach the beach.
His feet could only sink bit by bit into the sea’s surface, falling deeper and deeper until his whole body was gradually engulfed by the sea from foot to head, and finally, with only his arms left, he flailed trying to climb out but it was impossible.
Byrne, witnessing this scene, was utterly astonished and speechless.
He knew all too well how powerful that man was, yet without any ability to retaliate, he just sank into that sea.
Byrne couldn’t help but look at the Black Lion, who stood with his hands behind his back next to him. The old man did not exude an ounce of killing intent, appearing just like an ordinary elderly gentleman.
The Black Lion looked towards the now tranquil sea, nodded, and in a tone used for teaching students, slowly said:
"Mental Magic and Necromancy are both types of magic that are very poorly developed, with the number and quality of spells far inferior to the other six types, but they can occasionally be quite effective.”
"He had no ability to counteract Mental Magic, nor did he carry a Mysterious rare artifact to break the control, so he was utterly defenseless against a Mind-type spell from a high-level Transmutation Spellcaster.”
The old man paused, then continued:
"So, it is over.”
Byrne nodded like a student and bowed respectfully, “Thank you for your rescue. The Fischer family will always be grateful to you!”
"The Fischer family has done well; you have proven your strength, ambition, and wisdom. Rescuing you was the right thing to do, as it will benefit the Lion clan.”
The man wearing the dark gold mask gazed at Byrne, sensing an incomplete yet promising powerhouse growing, even seeing shadows of some great personalities, and perhaps one day, he might become a power revered by the families of the East Coast!
"Recent events in Cyart have become increasingly chaotic, Mr. Byrne, and I must warn you of something important.”
His next words made Byrne break into a sweat instantly!
"Beware the followers of the Lord of the Lost! They have made their appearance on the East Coast, and just last night, they massacred an entire town in a sacrificial slaughter!”
When Byrne came to his senses, he found himself still in the forest, completely unmoved, surrounded by the darkness of night rather than warm sunlight.
The injuries on his body remained, and he struggled to sit up and then settled back on the ground, taking deep breaths and feeling unbearable intense pain all over.
The old man with the gentle and graceful voice had disappeared, and not even William Garcia’s corpse remained in the surroundings; everything that had just happened seemed like a dream.
But he was clear that it was real.
He had been rescued by a member of the Lion clan, and William Garcia was likely dead or captured by the old man.
Yet, when Byrne recalled that final image, he was still shaking and murmured to himself:
"The followers of the Lord of the Lost, they massacred an entire town’s people?”
What on earth was that about?
He fell into contemplation.
Could it be, there are other followers of my lord in this world?
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