Just as the great battle outside the
"Young Master! The head of our coastal branch has sent word — there's not a trace of information on this 'Nick.' It's as if the man simply appeared out of thin air!"
A guard with sharp triangular eyes and a sinister face reported to Thomas.
"And we've contacted the other pure-blooded White Devil nobles as well. None of them have any record of a clansman named 'Nick.' Perhaps he's just from some obscure branch family..."
"No background to be found? Perfect! Arrest him on charges of espionage! We move out now!"
Thomas stroked his chin, a vicious gleam in his eyes. He had not a moment's patience left to endure.
As for the bigger picture? Ha! That had never once factored into Young Master Thomas's considerations!
"Yes, sir!" The triangular-eyed guard accepted the order and departed immediately.
Had the former butler Manbas still been around, he might have tried to dissuade them, but this guard clearly had no such intention — if anything, he was eager to fan the flames.
After all, as minor figures, all they cared about was seizing every opportunity to climb higher. As for the bigger picture? Ha...
The group swept up to Leilin's quarters in a menacing cluster and threw open the front door.
"Nick! Your crimes have been discovered, and I am here to arrest you on charges of espionage!"
Thomas held his head high, a triumphant grin spreading across his face, as though he could already see the panic in the other man's eyes.
"Oh? You actually held out this long. Agnes must have been the reason."
But Leilin's reaction was clearly not what Thomas had expected. Upon hearing the accusation, there was not the slightest trace of fear or panic — only a thoughtful stroking of his chin.
"What's going on?"
Suddenly, a sense of foreboding engulfed Thomas's entire being. A vague feeling of regret crept over him, as though he had done something incredibly foolish today.
"Seize him!" The triangular-eyed guard at Thomas's side had no such complex thoughts. After seeing Leilin looking so decrepit — his Life Energy depleted to its absolute limit — he issued the order without a second thought.
Several guards lunged forward at once, their movements so swift they threw sparks against the air. The Holy City's defenders were naturally all formidable in strength — the minimum standard was the peak of the third level, and even a squad leader possessed the power of a fourth-level
"Annihilate!"
But Leilin remained reclined in his lounge chair, not even a finger twitching, merely uttering two syllables from his lips.
Crack! Crack!
The air seemed to freeze for a single instant, and then came the sound of something shattering like crystal — a cascade of it.
The guards who had rushed forward, the triangular-eyed one among them, were all annihilated by a ring of black gas. Not even their souls remained.
"This kind of power... and that black annihilation gas — you're... the Great Thief Dudu, who stole the Sacred Light Crystals! ...Heh heh..."
As heir to the Stewart Family, Thomas had enough knowledge to recognize this. His teeth began to chatter immediately.
The Great Thief Dudu! This name had only recently emerged in the Holy City. The thief had done only one thing, yet it had been enough to cause enormous upheaval.
Within the heavily fortified Holy City, the thief had struck directly, stealing the entire stockpile of Sacred Light Crystals — and even killing several of the strongest defenders in the process!
And the thief's greatest specialty was precisely this black annihilation gas!
If it weren't for the current state of war, Thomas believed that this feat alone would have been enough to make the thief's name famous across all seven continents!
This act was a clear insult to the Stewart Family, guardians of the Holy City. Even Thomas's sister Agnes had sworn she would capture the thief, but unfortunately, there had been not a single clue.
But Thomas had never imagined in his wildest dreams that the terrifying Great Thief Dudu could be hiding in his own home — that the thief was none other than Nick!
This bizarre contrast gave Thomas an overwhelming sense of unreality.
"You're the Great Thief Dudu, then why... why..."
Thomas stumbled back several steps, his face a mask of panic and humiliation.
He had already realized that the other's previous tolerance and accommodation had been nothing but using him as cover. And here he had been feeling so smug about it — when in truth, he had been played for a fool!
"To think... to think you dare treat me this way — I will have my revenge, I swear it!"
After the intense wave of humiliation came bone-deep hatred, gnawing at Thomas's heart like a venomous snake.
Of course, on the surface Thomas still wore that expression of fear laced with humiliation, but in truth, the massive ruby ring on his hand was already emitting a subtle, concealed pulse.
"Do you know... why I decided to strike today, even at the cost of exposing myself?"
Leilin seemed entirely unaware of his little trick, still half-reclined in his lounge chair, asking calmly.
"N-No..." Thomas leaned against the wall, afraid that retreating any further would invite Leilin's pursuit, but inside he was screaming: "Yes! Yes! That's it! Humiliate your prey before the kill, right? Fine! Come on — just give me a little more time. Once the family's reinforcements arrive, I'll pay you back for this humiliation a hundredfold!"
"You might be thinking... that I'm just toying with you, like a predator toying with its prey — humiliating you first before going in for the kill!"
But at that moment, Leilin spoke in his usual calm manner, a teasing edge to his voice. His eyes, in particular, burned with a sharp light, as though he had already seen through Thomas from the inside out.
"No! No! How would I dare?"
Thomas knew his smile must look worse than a grimace, but this feeling of being utterly transparent still made his heart sink.
"About time?"
Leilin paid Thomas no further attention, instead turning his gaze toward the Triumphal Arch of the Holy City.
Just as Thomas was feeling puzzled, a violent earthquake rumbled through, nearly knocking him to the ground.
BOOM!
From the direction of the city gates came a deafening explosion, accompanied by the howls of Devouring Beasts and the roar of battle. Violent energy storms had already begun to spread into the city.
"Do you know why I didn't respond to your little trick earlier?"
Leilin rose to his feet and glanced with amusement at Thomas's tightly clenched fists, and Thomas's face went white in an instant, as though every drop of blood had drained from it.
"Because... the Stewart Family — and perhaps the entire Holy City — will be nothing but history after tonight. Why would I care about your call for help?"
"How... how is that possible? This is the Holy City! We have the Mother Sovereign's protection!"
Thomas's voice was bone-dry, like a traveler in the desert on the verge of dying of thirst.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, two black daggers shot straight from Thomas's sleeves like vipers that had been lying in wait, instantly baring their fangs at Leilin!
As a fellow clansman of Agnes, possessing a pure sixth-level bloodline, even though Thomas was a spoiled noble who had barely trained, he had still reached the Morning Star realm.
The black twin daggers, in particular, gleamed with an ink-dark luster, and the energy they radiated was no less than that of high-grade magical artifacts.
Whoosh! The daggers arrived before Leilin's eyes in the span of a heartbeat, and behind them one could see Thomas's savage grin.
Crack! Crack!
A shower of sparks erupted, and then an enormous force surged forth, making Thomas feel as though the daggers had been driven into a block of iron — unable to budge even a fraction.
"Impossible!" Thomas's expression changed in an instant, and then his entire body was flung backward as though struck by a locomotive, his chest caving in, spewing blood and bone fragments.
Thomas lay on the ground like a dead dog, having instantly lost most of his combat capability — but his pupils suddenly dilated, as though he had witnessed something utterly inconceivable.
"Nice daggers! Pity I can't use them!"
Leilin looked at the daggers caught in his hands and sighed.
The terrifying magical artifacts that Thomas had sent flying had been caught bare-handed, unable to inflict even significant damage.
But this was not what truly shocked Thomas.
He discovered that a mass of fine shadow serpents had suddenly emerged from both daggers, lunging directly at Leilin's palms to bite.
Sizzle! Several wisps of white smoke rose up, causing Leilin to frown. He dropped the daggers immediately.
Thud! Thud! The two daggers plunged straight into the ground, and on Leilin's palms, two burn-like marks had appeared.
"My daggers are a treasured family heirloom, blessed by the Serpent Mother! And you...!"
Thomas's eyes went wide. "I understand now! You're a descendant cursed by the Serpent Mother!!!"
"Haha... ahahaha... you're dead! Once the daggers have marked you, the great Holy Mother will surely discover your presence — you're dead! Haha..."
Thomas cackled wildly.
"Oh? I'm afraid she has more pressing matters than dealing with me right now." Leilin shook his head.
"What do you mean?"
Thomas had also noticed something wrong — particularly that the battle cries from the city gates were growing weaker, yet the chaos was spreading further into the city, bringing with it waves of screams and panicked shouts.
"You still haven't heard? The gates have been breached! The Devouring Beasts have poured straight in. I imagine the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents is currently more concerned with how to deal with Beelusebub..."
Leilin gazed down at Thomas from above, a hint of pity in his eyes.
"With the Stewart Family full of specimens like you, it's no wonder they can't hold the Holy City..."
After parting ways with
"Preparations are complete! The Punishment Legion has been deployed! Based on the enemy's response, our chances of success are very high!"
A serpent person resembling a clerk reported.