What followed next was a whole minute of tense silence as this familial rivalry threatened to spiral out of control. Aurelia was furious to hear their conversation. She could no longer stand and watch her brother being insulted and ridiculed by the two rival families. “You forget that Cecilia is already betrothed to Ezra. What kind of mother would allow her own daughter to be a part of such a wager?” Aurelia asked, glaring at Lady Lillian. “I thought I had made it amply clear that my daughter was no longer interested in your crippled brother. But it seems like you want me to air out our private affairs in front of everyone,” Lady Lillian sneered. She then turned to Count Gressil and continued, “We are an honorable family, Your Excellency, but that does not mean I will ruin my daughter’s future with my own hands. As her mother, I must always keep her best interests in mind.” “I understand completely, my Lady,” Count Gressil replied reassuringly. Aurelia could not believe how the C
The High Priest realized something was wrong with Ramel, and it made him uneasy. “Are you alright, Lord Ramel? Nervous about the ritual?” he asked. Ramel’s face darkened as his eyes flashed in the dark. “I wish to be alone with the Goddess. Do you think perhaps you could wait outside?” he enquired, turning to face the priest while holding the dagger in his right hand. The High Priest felt a little uneasy about honoring this strange request, but since the Romanovs had always been generous toward Ishani’s devotees and helped build this shrine, he could not refuse. “Alright, Lord Ramel. I shall leave you alone with the Goddess. But do not tarry. You must be anointed in front of Ishani before sundown, or we cannot begin the consecration ceremony.” Ramel nodded politely. “I understand. I just need a few minutes alone with the Goddess. My heart has been feeling quite heavy these days, so I wish to confess my sins to her.” The High Priest acknowledged with a half bow and quietly walked
While the others were busy enjoying the festivities in Aranor, Ezra rode out of the north gate leading out of Aranor and soon arrived at Gimli's staue. He knew the only place he would be left alone at was Glenn’s abandoned hut. The blood mage had already moved to another cottage, deep in the woods, and his old house was completely empty. Ezra unlocked the door with the key Glenn had given him and headed straight inside. Once he was alone, he locked the door from the inside and walked up to the wooden table at the other end of the room. “That damn Jasenki just doesn’t know how to shut up!” he shouted, slamming his fists on the table. “And then there’s that bitch…Lady Lillian!” “You mustn’t let your emotions get the best of you, my dear Lord,” Marlin whispered into Ezra's ear. “That proud braggart will learn his lesson tomorrow. But for that, you need to prepare yourself first!” "I will humiliate him and his pathetic family after I win the hunt tomorrow. It will give him somethin
The two older knights tightened their grip on the reins of their horses and kept their eyes glued to the Behemoth. Since the knights belonging to the Order of the Holy Lotus were mostly engaged in protecting Ishani’s shrines and quelling religious uprisings, they had limited battle experience. The only monsters they had fought were low-level goblins and Salamancas. Although they were well equipped with weapons and armor, the knights from the Order of the Rose were all normal humans with no magical affinity. They were only trained in mounted warfare and hand-to-hand combat, but had little knowledge of fighting the undead. Seeing their younger companions getting eaten alive by the Behemoth made the knights realize just how much of a danger they were in. They weren’t dealing with a mindless ghoul or a skeletal warrior, but a cursed abomination that was strong enough to rip a fully-grown troll in half. And to make matters worse, unlike a troll or a Cyclops, the Behemoth was quick
Gunther aimed for the Behemoth’s head and fired with deadly precision. But the abomination shielded its face with its bulky arms, deflecting the iron pellets. “It looks like you have a tough hide.” Realizing that normal rounds were never going to be able to penetrate the Behemoth’s thick skin, Gunther reloaded his gun with magic bullets. The rifle went off with a loud bang as the coachman fired again. This time his shots hit the Behemoth in its bloated belly, squishing one of the eyeless faces growing under its navel. The Behemoth shrieked and stumbled back. Inside the carriage, the priestess was trying her best to get the chambermaid to follow her, but she was too terrified to step outside. “I don’t want to be eaten alive. We can’t go out there…That monster will see us!” the chambermaid quivered, trembling from head to toe. “Let’s pray to the Goddess. I know she will save us.” The priestess grabbed the chambermaid’s hand and tried to pull her from her seat. “Listen to me, child
The hungry Behemoth opened its gaping maw, revealing its dirty white teeth, and reached down to grab the knight trapped under the dead horse. “Get away from me, you vile abomination!” the knight shouted as he stabbed the Behemoth’s palm with his backup dagger. But it meant nothing to an undead creature of its stature. Its insensitivity to pain made it completely ignore this blow. It lifted the dead horse and tossed it away before grabbing hold of the knight. “Aghh! Let go of me!” As the knight realized he was about to become the Behemoth’s next meal, he turned his head to look at Tanya. “Run, my Lady!” Tanya opened her eyes, and the scene unfolding before her sent shivers down her spine. Her heart thumped inside her chest, and she felt she would faint at any moment. The Behemoth lifted the knight high in the air and tilted its head back. A pit of razor-sharp teeth awaited underneath, waiting to rip the Behemoth’s fleshy meal to shreds. “How can this be? I believe in you, Goddess
Out of all the fights Ezra had been in, this had to be the most challenging one. Few Gunners had ever encountered a Behemoth, and even fewer could boast of slaying one. The abomination would have continued slaughtering every person it could find on the highway and eventually reached the gates of Aranor if it hadn’t been stopped. Ezra had not only slain the Behemoth, but done so just in time to save Tanya. And what sweetened this deal was the added reward of unlocking a Gunner’s most useful skill: Bulletproof Armor. But before checking his skills and items, Ezra decided to help the girl he had just saved. He walked up to Tanya while she was still shivering on the ground and offered his hand. Judging by her fine silk gown and delicate features, Ezra realized that she belonged to one of the noble families. But he still had no idea that this was the Count’s daughter he had just saved. “Come on. It’s over now. The Behemoth’s dead,” Ezra said, offering his hand to Tanya. The knight ly
A veil of ashen clouds had darkened the skies over Aranor and its adjoining areas, shading the midday sun and drenching the land in an unnatural darkness. Ezra looked up; expecting it to rain, but what fell from the dimly lit sky was a tarry black liquid. “What on earth is this?” he questioned, staring at the black droplets as they dripped from his open palm. “Ishani is crying. She knows her children are in grave peril,” the priestess proclaimed in a prophetic voice, her eyes staring blankly at the gathering clouds. “We must reach her shrine as soon as possible!” Aurelia picked Tanya up on her stallion and instructed the mercenaries to gather the supplies scattered on the road. “I am sorry we did not bring a carriage, my Lady. I actually had no idea you were going to be here,” Aurelia apologized as she turned her horse around and prepared to ride back to town. Ezra was about to climb onto the last horse when he spotted Gunther’s double-barreled rifle lying at the side of the r
Sir Galahar and Servius had been preparing for this day ever since they heard about the Flame Demon sighting outside Avondale. The city’s guard towers had been repaired, and the walls fortified with magic. But the threat marching toward the capital was much larger than they had anticipated.What made things worse was the appearance of the Eye of Doom over the city, which caused widespread panic among the masses. People scurried out of the Arcadium like insects, and those out on the streets rushed homeward to seek shelter within the safety of their houses.Ten squads of City Guards were immediately dispatched to man the walls, and the sirens were sounded from the garrison, spurring the snipers into action.The Mech Defenders were ordered to clear the streets and reinforce the gates while the adventurers were tasked with protecting the guild houses.Servius surveyed the undead army through the magic windows and quickly understood their strategy.“This is not a skirmish. They are going
Shocked gasps escaped from the people in the crowd as Ezra revealed who he actually was. The news of the brutal massacre in Aranor had made its way to the capital many weeks ago, and it was common knowledge that the Romanov family had been wiped out.But seeing Ezra standing there as the living proof of his bloodline subverted all past notions.This white-haired boy had once been hailed as a prodigy across Valaria, but his name had quickly faded from their memory after his tragic accident. But it seemed fate still had one last die to throw, and with the final toss, it had restored his fortunes.The only ones in the Arcadium who knew about the masked devil’s identity beforehand were Tanya and her father. Ezra had revealed his secret to them just last night, but it was a complete shocker for everyone else.Even Queen Guinevere and Princess Aleena had been completely clueless about Ezra’s identity up until now, and this unexpected revelation left him speechless.“So…the dragon still lives
The Duke’s shocking confession turned the whole narrative on its head, spreading further panic among the crowd. Not even Ezra had suspected him to be allied with the necromancers.“Is this another trick of yours?” Tanya questioned, still struggling to make sense of the whole situation. It seemed absurd that a high and mighty noble like Duke Carrington would willingly worship Zepheroth and kneel before the necromancers.But the Duke was quick to clear her confusion. “There is no trick in what I say. I do not worship any Gods, but I understand Zepheroth’s powers cannot be matched by mere mortals. We must kneel before him if we are to survive his reign,” he replied.“So you lied to all of us?” Marquis Desmond’s voice boomed from the distance as he marched into the arena, ready to confront the Duke. “We thought you wanted to protect the king and help the people of Magaravia fight this darkness.”“Fight? How can anyone fight a God?” Duke Carrington retorted in a mocking tone. “Are you even
The spectators who had once eagerly supported Ezra now seemed to regard him as the greatest enemy of the kingdom. The sudden change in their behavior shocked him.“How did they believe him so easily?” Ezra asked, unable to believe what had just happened. “Something is not right.”While it was common for the gullible commoners to be duped by the cunning words of the influential nobles, the change seemed to be too drastic this time. The same crowd that had been cheering for Ezra had suddenly changed sides, almost on a whim, and even the other nobles seemed to be siding with the Duke.Marlin was also surprised by this twist. It was as if Duke Carrington had bought their allegiance with a snap of his fingers.Queen Guinevere stood up to reason with the spectators. “Listen to me, good people of Magaravia. Your beloved Duke is lying to you. King Reginald never intended to sell you to the Lord of Decay. While I agree he may not be the bravest, he is certainly not a traitor.”The Queen though
The Spectral Phoenix let out a piercing shriek that carried its voice across the city, dispersing the gray clouds and illuminating the sky with a brilliant golden radiance.Ezra channeled his magic energy outward and boosted his flying speed, breaking away from the phoenix as it surged toward him.“I have never seen a Spectral Phoenix before. These spirits are primal manifestations of the fire element and are regarded as the most challenging ones to tame. Their flames are undying, and if you get touched by its feathers, it will burn you to ash in the blink of an eye,” Marlin cautioned.Ezra continued flying backward, keeping the phoenix in his sights. But he was so focused on the spectral bird that he forgot all about its owner.Duke Carrington took advantage of this distraction and replenished his magic power with a couple of Superior Magic Restoration Potions before warming himself with the phoenix’s Thermal Radiance ability.Finally free from the numbing effects of the frost, Duke C
Duke Carrington fired a round into the sky to celebrate his victory and turned to the crowd expecting a thunderous applause. But instead of being greeted with cheers and shouts of joy, he was met with a stern silence.“What’s wrong with you all? Are you not happy I vanquished that rookie and offered you a glimpse of my true powers?” he yelled at the top of his voice, staring at the mute spectators. “I am the Champion of Valaria, and I promise Magaravia will be safe in my care.”“So, what are we celebrating?” A voice questioned from behind, wiping the smile from Duke Carrington’s face.“Over there!”“He is alive!”The crowd went berserk with shouts and howls as they spied their favorite Gunner flying near the clouds, holding a sniper in his hand.Duke Carrington clenched his fist, digging his nails into his palms, and turned around to face his opponent.“How did you survive that?” He muttered, trying his best to restrain his rage.“I have been stabbed in the back plenty of times before
Duke Carrington’s eyes widened as he heard the accusation. He could already tell his plans had been leaked, but he could not understand how a stranger could know about his ambitions.“Who are you?” he demanded, staring daggers at Ezra. “The dragon of Aranor,” Ezra replied, staring right back.Before either could speak again, a set of stone slabs and pillars shot up from the ground, redecorating the arena with obstacles and separating the two contestants.The crowd erupted with wild cheers as the brass bell was hammered in the commentary tower, declaring the start of the round.“I don’t care who you are, but that mask is coming off today!” Duke Carrington shouted with full-throated fury, unleashing a devastating volley of Disintegration Rounds from his Rapid-Firing Six-shooter.Ezra ran across the arena, moving from cover to cover as the stone slabs in front of him were punched full of holes. “There is no point running from me. You can’t survive!”Duke Carrington reloaded his second g
The next day, Ezra put on his new attire: a fiery red coat with golden yellow stripes and two split tails. His old demonic mask was replaced with a new one sporting two large black horns and blazing red eyes. To complete the look, Ezra added a black bowtie over a clean white shirt and a pair of red trousers trimmed at the bottom, hanging taut over his jet-black boots.Although Ezra hadn’t cared much about his appearance during the other rounds, this time, he combed his hair back, put on a pair of spotless white gloves, and pinned the dragon brooch to his pocket.Holstering his single-shot flintlock on his right hip, Ezra walked up to the mirror and gazed at his reflection.Ezra still remembered staring at his trembling hands in the mirror in the Romanov Mansion. He was treated like a cripple back then and could not even shoot a target lying straight in front of him. But a lot had changed since then.Magaravia knew Ezra as the Red Devil: a formidable sharpshooter who had defeated the b
Back at the Blackwell Mansion, Ezra was busy at his workbench, trying to craft a new kind of enchanted ammunition for his sniper rifle.So far, Ezra had experimented with all the common metal ingots and alloys and even tried infusing magic crystal shards and dragon scales into them, but to no avail.Each time Ezra tried to craft a new enchanted bullet for his weapon, he would end up with something so brittle and volatile that it would disintegrate as soon as he loaded it into the sniper rifle.“The Celestial Avenger is a Legendary weapon. You cannot load such low-quality ammunition in it and expect it to work just fine,” Marlin barked once more, grinding his teeth in frustration. “I already told you that you need rare metals to craft your round. Try titanium or refined zirconium.”Ezra loaded another newly crafted round into his weapon and watched it explode with a loud bang before finally relenting.“Damn it! I don’t have any rare metals at hand!”“Then perhaps you can ask your careta