The arcs of electricity crackling along the Matthews’ Greatsword grew increasingly violent, their snapping sounds unceasing.
The next instant, accompanied by the sound of thunderclap, he leaped fiercely toward Kris, the blade driving straight for the latter’s neck.
Lightning-like mana burst forth alongside murderous intent, the momentum terrifying enough to make one tremble.
Yet the opponent remained completely unimpressed.
And that very attitude infuriated Matthews immensely.
“Arrogant!”
His full-power strike aimed directly at the opponent’s vital point—he held nothing back.
The moment the two collided, dust flew everywhere, and countless arcs of lightning pierced through the haze, their screeching as they cut through the air stinging one’s ears.
At the same time, Kris’s entire body was enveloped in massive electric currents as he flew backward at extreme speed.
But Matthews, who had landed the blow, showed no smugness.
He looked at his greatsword, now marred with several fierce cracks, and his expression grew only more solemn.
He discarded the greatsword, drew a spare military saber from his waist, and stood on guard.
“Uncle, I’ll say it one last time…”
Kris patted away a few arcs of electricity on his body, walking out from the rubble with a nonchalant expression.
“Hand over Mann…”
“I’ll say it one last time too—if you want to take him, you’ll have to get through me first!”
“Is that so… What a hassle. Looks like I’ll have to ask Uncle for another lesson.”
The moment he finished speaking, his entire aura changed.
Mana mixed with murderous intent continuously released, nearly solidifying into something tangible.
‘This guy… is only now getting serious?’
The Count still held his blade, refusing to yield a single step.
But cold sweat had already quietly seeped onto his forehead.
Not just the Blood Demon of Campbell Territory—among all of Matthews’ enemies, Kris was overwhelmingly strong across every dimension.
“We both serve the Empire, so a little scuffle should suffice. There’s no need to truly come to blows, right?”
Lifu walked out gracefully, blocking in front of Matthews.
“If there’s something, why don’t we talk it out properly?”
“Aunt Lifu… Skip the stalling, shall we?”
“Or do you intend to stop me too?”
Hearing this, Lifu smiled behind her hand.
“If you really want to search, I, as your aunt, naturally won’t stop you.”
She pulled Matthews and cleared a path for Kris.
“Please?”
“?”
“Are you crazy?!”
Count Matthews almost lost control at her behavior.
“Shut up!”
“Wiping out heretics is the King’s direct order. Refusing to cooperate like this—are you objecting to the command?”
Kris merely swept a glance at the two, seeing through their act of echoing each other, and couldn’t be bothered to engage.
At his command, over a dozen paladins immediately appeared.
“Search!”
Relying on his mana sense, he quickly located the room where Mei and Ge Rui En were.
He threw the door open, and what met his eyes was a person lying motionless in bed, while three girls were busily bustling around.
“Who are you?”
“What are you doing here?”
Mei noticed him and charged forward almost instantly, while Ge Rui En shielded Lai La behind her, staring at Kris with utmost caution.
But in the blink of an eye, his figure flashed past the three women and arrived beside the person lying on the bed.
Mei, who also possessed some power over time, stared at Kris who had teleported, an expression of disbelief on her face.
‘This guy… just manipulated time? How is that possible?’
Yet Kris paid no heed to the three behind him—his gaze was entirely focused on the person lying quietly in bed.
“You schemed and plotted, and yet here you are, falling into my hands.”
“How pathetic… Mann Matthews!”
“Mann? Are you calling him that?”
Kris turned to look at the three women. Not only the speaker Lai La, but the faces of the other two showed no sign of anxiety whatsoever.
He immediately sensed something was wrong and fiercely flipped the blanket.
As if confirming his premonition, the person lying here was not Mann at all.
“This… how is this possible?”
He couldn’t accept the result before him.
Due to this sudden turn of events, all his plans were thrown into chaos; even the ostensibly legitimate excuse he’d worked so hard to find had become nothing but castles in the air.
At the same time, the paladins he had dispatched came rushing back.
The leading knight knelt on one knee and respectfully reported the devastating result.
“Subordinate… failed in my task. We searched the entire mansion and found no trace of either Mann or Her Imperial Highness…”
“What did you say?! Not found?!”
Kris’s eyes were bloodshot, clearly infuriated.
“Yes…”
Before he could finish, Kris’s fist sent him flying backward.
“Get lost! A bunch of incompetents!”
Then he turned his gaze to Mei and the other two, all his previous composure gone.
“Tell me where Mann is, and maybe I’ll spare your lives.”
“Quite the bold claim, aren’t you? So how about we first settle the account of you forcibly breaking into the territory?”
Count Matthews arrived with Lifu.
“This child… you weren’t this reckless before, were you?”
“Let me see—entering the territory without evidence, coming to blows with the lord, threatening his servants—how do you plan to account for all this?”
“For the stability of the Empire, I have a clear conscience.”
“And don’t forget, your suspicion of harboring a fugitive hasn’t been cleared yet.”
Kris’s eyes turned vicious; he glared at them venomously.
He was unwilling to accept it, but lacking evidence, he had no justification to continue making trouble.
Now he deeply regretted it, but it was already too late.
He should have disposed of Mann from the very beginning—perhaps this situation wouldn’t have arisen.
‘In the end, it’s because I underestimated the enemy.’
Thinking this in his mind, Kris had already begun to consider retreat.
“Don’t celebrate too soon. You’d better pray I don’t find any leverage against you.”
“Heh, is that so? Take your time leaving.”
He gave Count Matthews a disdainful look, and though deeply displeased, he could only turn and leave with his men.
It was his only option.
After a long while, only when they confirmed he was far away did everyone let out a sigh of relief.
“What a monster…”
Count Matthews looked at his own palm—it was already soaked with sweat.
“To be honest, getting through this was all thanks to Lai La. If she hadn’t suggested moving the young master, the consequences might have been truly irreparable…”
“Actually, Brother Mann mentioned this to me earlier, and this was his idea. I just added some details.”
Faced with Mei’s praise, Lai La spoke truthfully.
“Anyway, we’ve gotten past this hurdle.”
“It’s still too early to say…”
Mann suddenly appeared before everyone, though his face remained pale.
“Let me talk about our plans from now on.”
“I intend to form a team to secretly investigate the relationship between Kris and the Heretic God Sect.”
“You’re leaving the mansion?”
Mann nodded.
“Yes, Father. As long as I don’t show my face, they’ll never have a reason to target the territory. Unless he’s willing to give up his position as heir and go all out.”
“Is there no other choice…”
Everyone agreed with Mann’s words.
“After this, he’ll undoubtedly be desperate to find out Sophien’s whereabouts. I’ll stoke the fire even more for him—make it impossible for him to handle both ends…”
But before Mann could finish, an outside soldier rushed in frantically.
“What is it? So panicked?”
“Prince Kris not only refused to withdraw the surrounding troops but also sent a team to forcibly enter the city, claiming they need to prevent the Heretic God Sect from making a comeback!”
“He’s fast to react…”
Mann couldn’t help but praise Kris’s adaptability.
“Too bad—from the moment Sophien was rescued, his momentum has been irretrievably lost.”
As Mann spoke, a hint of cunning surfaced in the corner of his eyes.
“Mei, Ge Rui En, pick a few trustworthy people. We’re leaving the mansion immediately.”
“Let’s add some more pressure on him.”