135: Mysterious boy

Dazzling golden light penetrated the cloud-covered sky, showering down upon this majestic city, hundreds of years old.

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The noisy and joyful atmosphere of the Birthday Celebration had vanished due to the invaders.

At this moment, everyone in Aetheria, whether they had personally encountered and witnessed the events or heard the news, immediately hid in their homes, closing their doors and windows.

Every citizen wished they could hack the invaders who caused the disturbance into a thousand pieces.

The eastern part of the city, the main battlefield, was eerily quiet after the previous great battle.

From a high point on a rooftop, Lister and the other three, who had no intention of participating and were not qualified to, quietly watched the perpetrators of the distant devastation.

After a few breaths of stalemate, the guardians and invaders gripped their weapons, preparing to act according to their own plans.

Just then, heavy footsteps, “thump, thump, thump,” suddenly sounded, growing from light to heavy, from far to near, clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.

Lister and the other three, several hundred meters away on a high rooftop, also heard it clearly.

The two sides in the battlefield, just about to move, for some reason, tacitly suppressed the restlessness in their hearts and all turned their heads to look in the direction of the footsteps.

Thump—Thump!

In the dark street, heavy, powerful footsteps slowly sounded, like a heavy hammer, rhythmically striking the hearts of everyone on the battlefield.

A few breaths later, a figure in a gray cloak slowly emerged from the dark street.

Boom!

The clear blue sky, filled with white clouds, suddenly erupted with a muffled thunder.

A strange black lightning bolt streaked across the Aetheria city area, illuminating the cloaked figure's complete appearance.

It was a handsome youth with fluffy, blue-black hair reaching his waist, and his bare upper body revealed well-defined muscles.

Dominant blue-purple patterns spread across his face in a regular fashion, and his alluring blood-Red pupils resembled a constantly flickering, deadly phantom flame from the depths of the underworld.

Even though they could only see his back, Lister and the other three on the high point felt as if they were facing death directly, their breathing becoming increasingly difficult.

Realizing this, the four quickly mobilized the Dou Qi energy within their bodies, and their breathing gradually smoothed out, but the inexplicable sense of dread in their hearts did not diminish in the slightest.

And for those closest, directly facing the youth, their hearts pounded uncontrollably, as if the newcomer was a great enemy.

“Everyone, do not act rashly!” Elsid warned in a low voice.

Although Elsid didn't sense any special energy fluctuations from the youth, his battle instincts, honed from years of fighting alien race, told him something was off.

He could clearly feel that the youth in front of him was not right.

Francis, Ellis, and the other knights also sensed this upon hearing him, their expressions subtly hardening, and their grip on their weapons unconsciously tightened.

On the other side, the Dark Church members immediately released their Spiritual Power for a deep-level perception of the youth the moment he appeared.

However, the perception result showed no special features on the youth, not even a trace of energy fluctuation, making him seem no different from an ordinary person.

But their cautious nature prevented them from making any moves; instead, they waited quietly.

After scanning the crowd, the youth's lips curved slightly, and his gaze fixed directly on the Dark Church members.

“Little bugs, you finally dared to come out!”

The youth's voice was filled with infinite loneliness, chill, and mystery, like a whisper from the depths of the underworld.

“Little bugs!”

Upon hearing this, the Dark Church members were instantly displeased. If Elsid on the opposite side had said these words, their hearts would naturally not have wavered.

But an ordinary youth with no special energy dared to belittle them like this. Did he really think their magic blades weren't sharp enough?

At this moment, Middleton and the others' cautious thoughts about the youth had quietly vanished, and they now regarded him as an utterly foolish idiot.

Compared to them, the most composed Archbishop, after discovering that the youth had nothing special about him, no longer paid much attention.

But the next second, the youth started walking slowly towards their direction.

Seeing him so recklessly courting death, the Archbishop showed no anger; instead, his eyes lit up slightly, and he waited quietly.

Although Middleton and the others on the side were displeased, they did not act rashly without a signal from the Archbishop.

In contrast, Elsid and the others on the other side showed surprise at the youth's actions.

“Youth, don't go over there!”

Although he felt there was something off about the youth, Elsid still couldn't help but warn him.

But the youth seemed not to hear him, still walking towards the Dark Church members on his own.

“Middleton, kill him!”

Seeing that the youth had reached the desired distance, the Archbishop's low voice, full of killing intent, suddenly rang out. Although he didn't know who the youth was, since he appeared in Aetheria.

He must either be a citizen of Aetheria or someone attending the Birthday Celebration.

Given Elsid's character, he would certainly not stand by and watch. If the situation became chaotic, they would have a better chance to retreat.

Middleton did not hesitate for a moment. The next second, a Magic Fireball imbued with powerful might materialized out of thin air in his hand and shot straight towards the youth.

Upon seeing this, Elsid's expression hardened. Without thinking, he swung his longsword towards the fireball. With a “swish,” a golden Dou Qi Energy Slash shot out in response.

On the other side, at the instant Middleton made his move, taking advantage of the loud sound of the fireball flying, the Archbishop quickly chanted the incantation for a Teleportation Array.

Boom!

The next second, as the Magic Fireball was effortlessly cut by the golden energy slash, a violent explosion of magic energy suddenly erupted.

Thick black smoke filled the youth's path, but he seemed not to notice, his footsteps not pausing in the slightest.

Buzz~

Accompanied by the humming sound of a Magic Array, a huge black Teleportation Array appeared beneath the feet of the Dark Church members.

“Don't let them escape!” Elsid roared.

At this moment, he no longer cared about the

Under Elsid's command, Ellis and the other knights instinctively and instantly condensed various Dou Qi skills, shooting them towards the Dark Church members.

And Francis, after a slight hesitation, also released a magic skill, preparing to restrain the Dark Church members.

But their attacks were still a bit slow. Just as the Dark Church members were about to teleport away—

Screech!

A sound of flesh tearing suddenly rang out, and the array that was about to fully form instantly dissipated into thin air, as if it had never appeared.

At the same time, a dark Spatial Vortex, like a gate to the underworld, suddenly appeared in front of the Dark Church members.

Swish, swish, swish—!

Sharp whooshing sounds filled the air as the Dou Qi energy bodies, which should have struck the Dark Church members, all vanished silently into the dark Spatial Vortex.

The next second, everyone who looked at this scene had their pupils shrink, and an indescribable terror surged into their eyes.

And Middleton and the others, who were closest, all felt as if they were in a demonic world.

“You, you—”

The Archbishop, beneath his black robe, lowered his head to look at his chest, pierced by a pale arm and continuously gushing blood, then with difficulty shifted his gaze to the youth in front of him.

“This is what you get for offending me!”

The youth's alluring blood-Red pupils glanced at the Archbishop, his tone eerie.

“You, you are Ni—”

The moment the words fell, the Archbishop's pupils suddenly constricted, as if he had recalled something terrifying.

But his blood-stained lips, though clearly wanting to say something, could no longer utter those last few words, his body having already lost all vitality.

Screech!

As the youth cleanly withdrew his arm, the sound of flesh tearing suddenly rang out, and Middleton and the others around them suddenly snapped back to their senses.

The Archbishop was dead!

If not for the burning sensation on their skin and the smell of blood in their nostrils, they would surely doubt they were in an illusion.

That was a top-tier expert even within the Pedan Kingdom, just one step away from being comparable to a Patriarch in the Grand Mage realm of the Kingdom Church.

Yet such a powerful expert had no chance to react, easily and violently pierced through the chest by the youth and killed.

At this moment, the fear in Middleton and the others' hearts reached its peak. They no longer had any will to fight and frantically fled towards the city walls, completely forgetting about Elsid and the others not far away.

Although they abandoned using the Teleportation Array and only used their physical strength to flee, their speed was as fast as a Demon Beast Cheetah.

In just a few breaths, they were already several hundred meters away.

Elsid and the others merely watched their escape, with no intention of stopping them.

Their attention was now entirely drawn to this terrifying youth.

And from a high point not far away, Lister and the other three, who had witnessed the entire scene, felt their fear turn into tangible blades, constantly tearing at their hearts and minds.

The next second, as they watched in terror, the youth turned to look at the fleeing Middleton and his companions, slightly opened his mouth, and then a terrifying beast roar, as if descending from the sky from an unknown source, shook everyone's spiritual core.

Roar—!

Just as Middleton and the others were about to climb over the city wall and escape, a hint of joy rising in their hearts, their bodies suddenly froze, unable to move a single inch, as if the surrounding space-time had completely solidified.

The terrifying beast roar clearly came from outside, but it was like a death-attribute thunderclap, exploding deep within their spirits.

Pfft!

The next moment, accompanied by sounds of flesh exploding, Middleton and the others' bodies all turned into bloody mist, dissipating into the air.

Elsid and the others, who were closest, although not directly hit by the beast roar, all spat out fresh blood, their internal organs vibrating and damaged.

And Lister and the other three, several hundred meters away, were also deeply shaken, a trace of crimson blood flowing from the corners of their mouths, and the Wizard Magic Power and Dou Qi energy within their bodies surged uneasily.

It took a while for them to fully calm down under their deliberate guidance.

At this moment, the youth turned his head and glanced at Elsid and the others not far away, his alluring blood-Red pupils causing their bodies to tremble instantly, as if facing a formidable enemy.

However, it was merely a glance before the youth turned back and slowly walked towards the city gate.

Although the youth's steps seemed leisurely, in just a few breaths, he had covered several hundred meters and appeared at the gate.

The guard Soldiers at the gate, seeing this, tremblingly hastened to open the gate, fearing they would obstruct the youth's unceasing steps.

After the youth's back completely disappeared from everyone's sight and perception, sighs of relief followed one after another.

Pulling on the reins and turning his horse around, Elsid loudly ordered: “Everyone, split into small teams and continue to clear out the remaining hidden instigators of the unrest within the city.”

“At the same time, arrange for Soldiers to conduct casualty checks on the city's residents, and immediately find craftsmen to repair buildings damaged by the fighting.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ellis and the other knights respectfully complied. Although they were filled with curiosity at this moment, they still maintained the excellent military qualities of the Count's Knight Order.

Immediately, everyone quickly and orderly divided into small teams and galloped towards various directions within the city.

Nodding in satisfaction, Elsid shifted his gaze to Francis beside him and thanked him: “Lord Francis, thank you for your assistance this time, otherwise the casualties in Aetheria would have been considerable.”

“I, Elsid Fland, will remember this favor.”

“Lord Elsid, you are too kind.”

Francis waved his hand and said earnestly: “Cleaning up the reactionary forces attempting to overthrow the kingdom is what our Church should do.”

Elsid nodded. Francis's words were within his expectations. The two had a fairly good friendship during the war with the Orc Race, and thus understood each other's personalities quite well.

Francis was one of the few people he admired in the Kingdom Church.

So he didn't bother with excessive politeness; after all, his words were always binding.

Turning his horse around, Elsid galloped towards the direction of the castle manor.

Watching his retreating figure, Francis activated a Teleportation Array and then vanished from his spot.

From beginning to end, no one mentioned a single word about the youth from earlier, tacitly remaining silent.

Whoosh~

Accompanied by a cold wind whistling past, Lister and the other three on the high rooftop finally regained their senses.

As the feeling of dread receded, Spartacus said excitedly, “Is this what a strong person's battle is like? It's so exhilarating!”

”

“And that youth's beast roar just now, how does it feel even more terrifying than those top-tier demon beasts!”

Seguin nodded in agreement, saying, “It seems I need to cultivate even harder from now on.”

Compared to the two of them, Lister and Red were much calmer, but the excitement in their eyes still remained.

This close-up observation of the battle brought significant gains to all four of them, which would be of great help for their future cultivation insights.