Glory

Two figures were sprinting through the depths of the dense forest. They tore at the furs on their bodies, their skin sliced into bloody trails by unknown plants. Some wounds even oozed beads of blood. To avoid leaving too much of a scent in the air, they gathered wild herbs on the spot to treat their injuries.

“Damn it, why won't this come off at all...?” one of them muttered, still trying to rip the fur from his body. The balm acted like an incredibly strong glue, but its adhesive power wasn't just on the surface of his skin. It felt as if countless barbs had pierced into the muscles of his back; to tear it off would mean stripping away all the flesh from his spine.

It was a death sentence. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remove the deer hide. It was as if it had grown into his very body.

“I hear them... I hear them... the howling of the hounds...” One of them began to stagger. “We split up... we run in different directions. You know where I hid the money...”

“If you make it out alive, remember to support my son... and my parents, though I don't know if they're still alive...”

“You do the same...” The other man stopped fighting the deer hide. The two went their separate ways, sprinting through the thick autumn grass. The sounds of hounds and galloping horses drew closer, like the approaching footsteps of a death god.

“Whiz!” Along with the sound of a feathered arrow slicing through the air, a bright red blood blossom bloomed on his calf. His sprinting body instantly lost balance, and he tumbled to the ground with a heavy thud. He struggled a couple of times, trying to stand back up and keep running.

“Your Highness, you must aim for the heart to ensure death,” a purple-haired attendant whispered. Dmitry hesitated for a moment before preparing his bow again. This time, the feathered arrow pierced the deer hide cleanly and struck the man’s heart.

“I don't have Camillian's Life Force Vision. That deer hide made me misjudge the location of his vitals, that’s all.” Dmitry took a deep breath. The death row inmate's vitality exceeded his expectations; even after being shot in the heart, he didn't die immediately. However, this was exactly what they, as Soul followers, preferred. A body hovering on the brink of death was the best vessel for refining a soul.

“Then, let me extract his filthy soul.” The purple-haired middle-aged man spurred his horse forward and dismounted. He placed a hand over the man’s head. This prisoner would not die; instead, he would exist in a form far more agonizing than death.

The deer hide gradually softened. The prisoner's life was like a candle in the wind. His consciousness grew blurred, and he no longer harbored any desires, only wishing for this pain to end quickly.

“Whiz!” A piercing sound exploded in the air, accompanied by a sharp shockwave that sliced through the atmosphere. Its speed was nearly as fast as the sound itself, and almost no one present could react in time.

A pitch-black feathered arrow, moving so fast its shape was a blur, instantly pierced the purple-haired man’s palm. It then continued through the prisoner's skull, sending brain matter and plasma flying everywhere. A roar of rage and shock followed, along with a low, almost inaudible voice.

“Sorry... my aim was a bit off.” In the distance, a girl with red light flickering in her eyes looked at them indifferently, her bow still raised.

“Yelling so loud... how long has it been since you felt pain?” Li Yue left them with those words, not bothering to argue further with the nobles. She wasn't trying to save anyone; she simply wanted them to respect death. If someone did not respect death, she would make them experience its weight and silence.

“It's just a minor puncture wound. A bit of magic will heal it,” Li Yue said with a yawn. she didn't bother to collect the fur as a trophy, but she knew that after such a humiliation, the noble's pride would never allow him to claim it for himself.

She turned away. In her Life Force Vision, another aura of life was slowly fading. It seemed the other prince had completed his first objective. But looking at the speed of that vitality's ebb... had he been hesitating to deliver the final blow?

As expected, peaceful times always produced a crop of pampered magic users. It was the same at sea, and it was the same here. It seemed even the sons of a tyrant were no exception.

“No wonder he’s so pessimistic. No matter who he chooses, his precious country will eventually be handed over to others,” Li Yue mused, stroking her chin.

“The nation's faith changes, and then a King at the level of a Great Mage will be controlled by a church of a higher tier—the one he believes in. After all, he doesn't have any special lineage. In a kingdom of ‘Soul,’ having the bloodline of the ‘God of Death’ isn't exactly a good omen.”

Li Yue glanced at Dmitry, her gaze sweeping over him casually.

Could he become a Calamity? The probability was minuscule. Soul at most possessed one authority, which could only give birth to two Calamity-class beings at most: one relying on faith and the other on authority. However, it seemed both of these had already been claimed by that archbishop.

As for Camillian, he was even less likely. He wasn't even a Great Mage, so owning a crown was useless. And she would eventually ascend to godhood; faith and authority would be entirely hers. Camillian's path to becoming a demigod would be completely severed by her.

Unless he found another way, like Reinhardt. But in all her travels through the secular world, she had never encountered another person who had carved out their own path like that.

From this perspective, it seemed the future of this country was truly doomed.

Li Yue smiled slightly. No wonder the King had made such a decision. It truly was a desperate gamble. However... he had bet correctly.

In the distance, the white-haired prince’s figure drew closer. The surging aura of soul magic behind him was slowly settling, as if he were forcibly suppressing his rage.

The hunt did not last long. Although it usually ended at dawn, the hunt was completely over just as night had fully fallen.

The result was obvious. The next head of the Raven's Beak Covenant had achieved a crushing victory, her individual catch count exceeding that of all other participants combined.

“I thought you were going to suppress the eldest prince, but instead, you went and stole all the spotlight,” Clo said with a wry smile, looking somewhat speechless. “What is this? Some bored competitiveness?”

“Maybe it is.” Li Yue raised a hand, receiving scattered cheers.

Only now did everyone begin to take notice of this unusual individual. What exactly was she here for? To witness glory... or to witness a great undertaking?