To the strains of the Lande national anthem, 《The Rose Blooms Forever》, the balcony doors slowly swung open. Dressed in a trailing blue gown and supported by Duke Vane, Her Highness Princess Sophia gracefully stepped onto the balcony.
“Whoooo!”
All the guests had already gathered below. Thousands of people clustered together, gazing up at the balcony as a thunderous cheer erupted.
“Long live the King! Long live the Princess! Long live the Kingdom of Lande!”
Clamor, excitement, festive joy, and a sea of jostling people—the dazzling splendor of a flourishing age was on full display.
Behind her, two elderly men halted their steps, choosing not to follow her onto the balcony. These two were none other than the strongest protectors guarding the princess tonight: President Olei and President Gulman of the Arcane Research Society.
They had brought over chairs and sat just inside the balcony entrance, motionless like two statues. Yet their will had already swept across the balcony inside and out dozens of times, leaving no corner unexamined.
No abnormalities.
No, there was.
Amid the clamor, the world had been split in two. One half basked in the spotlight and endless cheers; the other teetered on the razor's edge of life and death amidst raging winds and blazing flames.
Heaven and hell shared the same room. The intertwining of the inner and outer worlds filled everything with a twisted sense of discord.
One foot was planted in the splendor of prosperity, the other in blood and death.
Lynch stood on the side of death.
Before his eyes was a sea of white mist, while the crackle of electric current already sputtered behind him.
The sword was faster than sound. The moment the sound reached him, it meant death had already arrived.
It was so fast Lynch didn't even have time to Flash.
Yet right as the electric hum sparked, a hand suddenly broke through the white fog, grabbed Lynch by the collar, and violently yanked him into her arms.
Slash.
The lightning-swift blade sheared through Lynch's lingering afterimage.
It was Natalie. Knowing Lynch couldn't match her speed, she had bolted from her spot precisely to lunge toward Lynch and pull him out of harm's way.
Thud, thud, thud.
Having barely escaped with their lives, the two stumbled under the immense momentum, their heavy footsteps echoing through the mist.
Yet in the next heartbeat, the footsteps abruptly cut off, as though the sound itself had been sliced away.
Holding his blade, the upside-down man froze mid-fog. “Where are they? Find them.”
“They're gone! Both of them vanished!” The other enemy controlling the mist called out from not far behind the swordsman. “I'm looking.”
“Hurry.”
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
“Found one! The woman is circling near you. The man is still... right behind you!”
Got you!
Without a second thought, the man whipped around and slashed his blade, reproducing the same devastating effect from his initial ambush.
The one-handed sword unleashed countless beams of sword light that instantly saturated the surrounding space, colliding head-on with Lynch as he charged straight out of the mist. Countless flashing glints of steel reflected in Lynch's wide-open eyes.
“Die!”
For a moment, the mist was filled with the screech of tearing air. Countless slashes potent enough to sever floor slabs converged before Lynch. Yet Lynch showed no intention of dodging; he charged directly into the incoming sword light straight toward the swordsman. Behind the swordsman, Natalie dashed forward toward the sound of his voice, paying no heed to Lynch's safety.
Squelch, squelch, squelch. In the blink of an eye, dozens of sword slashes ripped through Lynch's body.
“Long live Lande! Long live!”
A tidal wave of cheers resonated throughout the Duke's mansion.
“Dear citizens of Lande, on behalf of His Majesty the King, allow me to extend my highest respects to you all. You are the most valiant and fearless citizens of Lande, and you are the pride of Lande!”
“Wooooo!”
Brilliant fireworks shot into the sky, adorning the night with vibrant colors. Beneath the kaleidoscopic glow, even the two high-tier experts guarding the entrance smiled. Yet just a few meters in front of them, countless sword lights had cleaved Lynch's body in two.
No, they had merely passed through—because no sword light could cleave a ball of fire.
Mid-lunge, Lynch's body had abruptly transformed into a humanoid form of fire. The sword slashes passed unimpeded through his fiery form and flew backward. A mockery of a human smile formed on the fiery face, its lips moving slightly as if silently mouthing: “Surprise!”
The fiery body didn't press the attack. Instead, after mocking the foe, it reverted to human form and quickly shifted aside, vacating the spot. At that exact moment, the mist was rapidly siphoned away, restoring vision to the hall within a second. Following Lynch's sidestep, the swordsman finally saw what had previously been obscured by both the fiery form and the fog—the space directly behind Lynch.
He witnessed a sight beyond belief.
His comrade—the grinning mist caster who had drawn Lynch's attention earlier—was standing there with his arms raised before his chest, his eyes wide, staring blankly back at him.
In the next heartbeat, his body suddenly fell apart, sliding in every direction and collapsing onto the floor as dozens of cleanly severed chunks of meat. A single eye blinked one last time, filled with utter bewilderment.
The sudden turn of events caused the swordsman's brain to freeze for a split second. In that very instant, the tip of a blade burst through his right chest.
Officer Natalie had seized the opening to slip behind him, running him through without a word of waste.
Still, the strike was slightly off-center and failed to pierce his heart. With a guttural screech of agony, the swordsman lunged forward a few steps to dislodge himself from the blade. Clutching his bleeding wound, he fearlessly raised his crackling lightning sword toward Natalie.
Clang! Natalie's rapier parried the incoming strike just in time, sending sparks flying in all directions. The tremendous force behind the blow made the officer furrow her brow.
“We people of Lande dare to face any challenge and fear no enemy! Every blow struck against us will only make us stronger. Any enemy who dares to harm us will swallow the bitter fruit in tears and endure our fiercest wrath!”
“Wooooo! Long live the Princess! Long live Lande!”
Boom, boom, boom! More fireworks detonated in the night sky as countless flower petals drifted down from the fourth-floor balcony, bathing Her Highness the Princess in a shower of petals.
“Leave this one to me.” Natalie exerted force through her wrist, shoving the swordsman's blade away. “Go check on the princess—he has accomplices!”
Without hesitation, Lynch spun around and Flashed straight to the balcony doorway.
“Hmm?”
President Olei seemed to sense something, his gaze snapping toward the doorway. Both men stood up simultaneously, circling the entrance several times with puzzled frowns.
Meanwhile, Lynch had already brushed past them and rushed onto the balcony. The moment he reached the doorway, a sight met his eyes that made his blood run cold.
Below was the cheering crowd gazing up at the balcony; on the balcony was the princess, composed and smiling as always, amidst flickering fireworks and swirling flower petals.
Yet a somewhat familiar figure was descending from above, blending in among the petals and landing onto the third-floor balcony—right beside Her Highness the Princess.
Lynch had seen him once before in the Valente family's library, when the man had successfully fled after getting what he wanted.
Now they met again as he fell from the sky.
It was none other than the apostate rank six authority Soul Severer from the Church of the Sun.
The moment he touched down, a sharp jolt ran through Lynch's spirit, warning him that something catastrophic was about to happen.
The man noticed Lynch rushing over. Flashing a smile, he raised his fist, and blinding light instantly gathered around it, as though a morning sun were rising in the night sky.
Lynch immediately realized that space was about to normalize.
The burgeoning daylight illuminated Lynch's grim face, as well as the oblivious profile of Her Highness the Princess.
Lynch's heart stirred. Instinctively charging toward the princess, only one thought filled his mind:
She helped me once. I want to save her.
【You can do it】
Understanding in an instant, Lynch threw himself between them. Facing the fist shining brighter by the moment, he raised his ring-bearing right hand.
The crimson full moon shone ever brighter, its radiant crimson glow steadily coalescing into the palm of Lynch's left hand. In that moment, the round moon in the sky and the round moon on earth seemed to overlap, emanating an endless, gentle light.
Her Highness the Princess seemed to sense something as well. Like everyone below, her gaze turned to her side.
In the next heartbeat, the anomaly vanished, and the two halves of space merged into one.
Everyone bore witness to an unforgettable scene that would be etched into their memories forever.
Two figures abruptly materialized beside Her Highness the Princess.
One descended from the heavens carrying the brilliance of the blazing sun, while the other met him head-on, clad in the soft glow of moonlight.
Sunlight and moonlight collided head-on, instantly turning the night as bright as day.
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