The Viscount's Manor

Silence. A heavy, unanswered silence where no one dared even breathe.

Waaah—!

It wasn't until a child's cry rang out in front of the Holy Light Cathedral that the crowd seemed to find their reset button, and a myriad of reactions began to surface.

The nobles were initially furious, but when they saw clearly that it was Leon who had cast the divine spell, their anger instantly vanished, and they didn't dare say a word.

The city's residents, on the other hand, showed expressions of satisfaction. Those who worked under Baron Terra, in particular, silently cursed, "Good riddance!"

The warriors of the Falcon Warband were mostly stunned, having not expected their young master to be so decisive—and to kill a noble without leaving any room for legal recourse.

Bishop Miles, however, had a look of appreciation and relief in his eyes.

Leon didn't care about their reactions. What he cared about was... the feedback from the crowd.

【Divine Spell Performance Rating: Good】

【Hand of Divine Spells Experience +13】

【Hand of Divine Spells Lv1 (26/100) → Hand of Divine Spells Lv1 (39/100)】

"The feedback is quite substantial..."

Leon thought to himself, though the fact that he needed to expend an Imperial noble every time he wanted this kind of feedback made it difficult to replicate...

"Since no one is speaking, I assume there are no objections."

Leon turned and said, "Bishop Miles, time waits for no one. Let us go."

Miles nodded, gripped his priestly staff, and led the way toward the Viscount's manor.

"Wait a moment!"

A voice suddenly called out from behind them.

Leon turned to see it was Baron Sori, the noble who had just been punished by the Tribunal.

"Young Master Leon, please take us with you!"

Baron Sori said with his head lowered. Behind him stood several other nobles—some were Bronze rank transcendents, while others were ordinary nobles.

Leon saw through their intentions at a glance.

They simply wanted to ride Bishop Miles's coattails for protection. Even knowing the Viscount's manor was swarming with monsters, they were forcing themselves to follow.

He lowered his eyes in thought for a moment before finally nodding, signaling the group of nobles to follow.

Even if their bodies had long been hollowed out by wine and women, they still possessed the strength of the Bronze rank, which might come in handy in a crisis.

And if things truly took a turn for the worse... these nobles could always serve as a rearguard.

...

Outside the Viscount's manor.

"Captain! We can't stay here any longer! We must break out immediately!"

The Lionheart Warband vice-commander shouted to Captain Colin.

The Lionheart Warband had originally been stationed at the pass but was recalled to Solainem due to the vampire incident.

They had been ordered back to stabilize public morale, but they never expected that not only would they fail to do so, but they would also be trapped in a corner of the Viscount's manor by the sudden gray mist invasion.

Drawn by the Gray Mist Blood inside the manor, swarms of gray mist monsters were relentlessly attacking the estate.

As the captain of a warband loyal to Viscount Clyde, Colin had intended to hold the manor and prevent the monsters from destroying it. However, the strength and number of the gray mist monsters far exceeded his expectations, forcing him to abandon the manor.

The most pressing problem now, however, was that while they intended to abandon the manor, they found themselves unable to break out!

They were currently completely cornered by the gray mist monsters!

"I know we need to break out, but how the hell are we supposed to do it?!"

Colin's body flared with battle qi as red as a setting sun. With a violent swing of his sword, he cleaved two gray mist monsters in half.

But before he could even catch his breath, three more monsters surged forward from behind.

This made Colin curse under his breath, "Are these monsters coming off a damn assembly line? How are there so many of them?!"

"Captain! Forget the assembly line! I'm about to break over here!"

A Lionheart warrior roared.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the perimeter wall the warrior was relying on collapsed under the monsters' assault, sending stone fragments and dust flying.

The collapsed wall acted like a hole in a bucket, allowing the monsters outside to pour into the manor without restraint, besieging the Lionheart Warband from all sides.

"Dammit!"

Colin rushed forward to block the monsters surging through the gap and ordered his warriors to reorganize their formation for an immediate breakout attempt.

However, even after repeated attempts, they failed to break through. They were forced to retreat deeper and deeper, their situation becoming increasingly dire.

"This can't go on..."

Colin's heart sank. At this rate, they would eventually be worn down and killed by the tide of monsters.

"Holy Light Radiance."

As the words were spoken, a ball of light as dazzling as a midday sun slowly rose, hovering above the manor.

When it reached its highest point, the sphere suddenly shuddered, releasing thousands of luminous threads as fine as hair from its interior.

Swoosh!

The threads extended abruptly, like spears of divine punishment piercing the monster tide below, accurately skewering the head of every monster.

Sizzle—!

A series of chilling hissing sounds erupted as every monster connected to the light threads turned to ash in an instant.

The gray mist monsters surrounding Colin's corner were cleared in a heartbeat, leaving behind a monster-free zone.

Colin watched as the monster in front of him was incinerated by the light thread, and he stood dazed for a moment.

But he recovered quickly.

"It's Bishop Miles! Quick! Get out while we can!"

On the other side, Leon and the others stood behind Miles. Having witnessed the power of the Gold rank divine spell, Holy Light Radiance, they were deeply shaken.

"So this is the power of the Gold rank..."

Leon looked at the massive sphere in the sky, composed of pure light threads, and truly experienced what it meant to possess "individual might."

"Bishop Miles!" Colin led the Lionheart Warband toward them in a hurry. "Thank you for your intervention!"

Miles nodded. Given the urgency, he skipped the pleasantries and spoke directly.

"We are entering the Viscount's manor to repair the Gray Mist Barrier. Follow us."

"Yes, sir!" Colin didn't hesitate, immediately agreeing to the operation.

The sooner the Gray Mist Barrier was repaired, the sooner the destruction of Solainem by the gray mist monsters would cease. Naturally, it was for the best.

Without further words, Miles led the way, clearing out the gray mist monsters that had already invaded the manor.

They moved deep into the Viscount's manor, gradually approaching the area where the Gray Mist Barrier device was located.

A vibrant blue energy barrier suddenly appeared before them, standing tall.

Outside the barrier, a terrifying horde of gray mist monsters had gathered. It included not only a large number of Silver rank monsters but also two powerful Gold rank ones.

Drawn by the intense attraction of the Gray Mist Blood inside the device, these monsters were attempting to break through the obstruction.

However, because the Gray Mist Barrier had automatically activated its protective mechanism upon being damaged, a magic barrier had been generated, firmly blocking them from entering.

Frustrated by their inability to succeed, the monsters began to launch frenzied attacks on the barrier. Every impact sent ripples cascading across the barrier's surface, causing energy waves to spread continuously.

Although the magic barrier showed no signs of collapsing yet, if the gray mist monsters were allowed to keep attacking, it was only a matter of time before the mana crystals within were exhausted.

"Bishop Miles."

Leon's gaze shifted to Miles at the front, and Miles gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.

Leon took a deep breath and led the warriors of the Lionheart Warband toward the surging tide of monsters.

Behind him, Baron Sori and the other nobles looked at each other.

"Are we... are we really going in?" one noble asked, struggling with the idea.

"Do we even have a choice at this point?!"

A trace of madness flickered in Baron Sori's eyes. He gritted his teeth and was the first to follow closely in Leon's footsteps.