The night was deep, but the beacon fires still cast light, illuminating the mottled city wall. Beneath the wall, Paladins, the King’s Army, and a large group of soldiers were glaring menacingly.
“Count Matthews, please come out and speak.”
Matthews leaned out from the wall, looking down at the crowd.
But he was still somewhat surprised that the leader was not Kris.
*’Could it be that Man En lured him away ahead of time?’*
In any case, he had to deal with the immediate crisis first.
“Gray, you’ve grown quite arrogant, huh?”
“You jest, Count.”
Paladin Leader Gray replied calmly, neither servile nor overbearing.
“Hmph…”
The Count let out a disdainful snort.
“So, what is your intention in leading a large force to besiege my territory without cause?”
“Prince Kris suspects you of colluding with the Heretic God Sect. Why don’t you open the gates and let us investigate?”
“Heh… Hahahaha!”
Count Matthews suddenly burst into laughter.
“Just because of a suspicion, without any evidence, you want me to cooperate with an investigation?”
“Yes.”
“And what if I say no?”
“Count, please cooperate. If the situation proves false, we will withdraw on our own.”
But Kris’s trusted subordinates in the ranks couldn’t sit still upon hearing this.
“Gray, have you forgotten Prince Kris’s orders? Why all the talk? Just attack the city!”
Gray slowly turned his head, glaring coldly at the speaker.
“Who the hell do you think you are to give me orders?”
In the next instant, a flash of cold light, and the man’s head rolled to the ground.
“Oh, my apologies. Please forgive the Count for that display.”
Gray turned to look at Matthews, bowing respectfully.
This sudden scene stunned Kris’s trusted subordinates, and also made Matthews pause.
Then, a trace of appreciation appeared in his eyes. Immediately after, a Paladin rushed over and whispered in Gray’s ear.
The latter gave an almost imperceptible nod.
“Since the Count is unwilling, that’s fine. My men are still inside the city.”
“Let them speak on the situation within the territory!”
At that very moment, Lifu led a group of knights and the Royal Army onto the city wall.
“We can all testify that there are absolutely no members of the Heretic God Sect in the territory!”
“Oh, is that so.”
Gray nodded.
Then he exchanged a glance with the commander of the Royal Army, and they each led their troops to station themselves in front of Matthews Territory.
Nearly half of the several thousand troops were instantly withdrawn.
“What is the meaning of this?”
Faced with the furious Kris loyalists, the only response was their disdainful snorts.
“Meaning? That’s what I should be asking you.”
“The territory is unrelated to the Heretic God Sect. The evidence is solid.”
The Royal Army commander quickly followed up.
“Even so, you still want to attack by force? Are you plotting a rebellion?”
“Gray… you bastard, when did you betray?”
“Betrayal? Watch your wording, rebel!”
Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Kris’s loyalists were already thinking of retreat.
“Mark my words. I will report everything that happened today to Prince Kris!”
“We’re pulling out!”
Gray and the Royal Army commander merely watched coldly, not stopping them.
But just as they were about to turn and flee, they found themselves surrounded by Matthews’s soldiers.
“Want to leave now? Too late!”
“Brothers, attack together! Annihilate the traitors!”
At Count Matthews’s command, all three forces struck simultaneously.
Instantly, flesh and blood flew through the air. In just over ten minutes, Kris’s personal guards were all slain, not a single one left.
“Open the gates! Welcome the heroes who quelled the rebellion!”
With a loud grinding sound, the gates of the territory slowly opened.
The Count, Gray, and the Royal Army commander met, inevitably exchanging some polite compliments.
It was at that moment that a violent surge of energy rippled from the distant territory.
“That’s… Man En?!”
“Why is the location different from what was agreed? Could something have gone wrong?”
*’This is bad.’*
The Count’s heart sank, and he lost all interest in the pleasantries.
Fortunately, Gray and the other man could see his anxiety.
“Your Excellency, please attend to your own affairs.”
He nodded to them and then rushed off without a moment’s pause toward Man En’s direction. — Kris’s fierce charge was effortlessly countered by Man En, and even one of his legs was torn off.
Seeing that close combat wasn’t working, he wisely chose to keep his distance.
“Even though we both possess the Body of the Evil God, you are far stronger than I.”
As he spoke, the Mana around him began to grow dense.
Man En wasn’t about to give him a chance.
In the blink of an eye, he closed in, the blood-red dagger aimed at Kris’s throat, intending to finish him in one blow.
But suddenly, two pairs of pitch-black wings sprouted from Kris’s back, knocking Man En back violently.
When Man En looked again, he saw that Kris was enveloped in black Mana.
*’This is… the power of the Pale Dragon God?!’*
*’How can he use it too?’*
The next moment, the massive wings tore through the Magic Barrier, an ear-piercing shatter followed, and then a thunderous roar.
A demon-like claw emerged first, until the Magic Barrier slowly faded, revealing the full monstrous form before him.
But in complete contrast to Sophien’s holiness, the dragon Kris had transformed into was hideously twisted.
Apart from the transplanted arm, his entire body was composed of bone, partially covered with an alien Armor.
His hollow eyes glowed with faint red light, and black Mana coiled around him.
“Come on, let me see what else you’ve got!”
Man En answered with action. In an instant, he was beside the dragon, slashing down at Kris’s neck with all his might. Massive energy surged and flowed, but the dagger stopped against the bone, unable to advance even an inch.
*’How is that possible?’*
*’Even the God of Space couldn’t block that strike…’*
At the same time, the dragon’s Armor emitted a faint glow.
*’Is that the Armor of Time? I need to find a way to strip it off.’*
Almost instantly, the giant wings came at Man En. He tried to use Time Control to dodge, but it was too late.
With no choice, he had to inject energy into the dagger to forcefully block the blow.
“Damn it! Again! The closer I get to him, the faster he becomes! I don’t even have time to think of a counter!”
His figure flew backward at tremendous speed, crashing through several mountain peaks without stopping.
But his opponent wouldn’t give him a break.
The dragonified Kris instantly appeared above Man En.
Black Mana gathered in its mouth. Man En immediately tried to use Retrospection to avoid the attack, but this time the lag was worse than ever, so severe that he could easily perceive it.
*’So that’s it. He’s not getting faster; I’m getting slower.’*
*’Affecting the flow of time within a certain range around himself—that’s the power the Armor of Time grants him, isn’t it?’*
“Already figured it out? To let you die knowing the truth, I’ll kindly tell you.”
“As long as I select a target, the closer that target is to me, the slower their time becomes, while my time simultaneously accelerates.”
Kris’s words had just finished when the high-density Mana attack reached Man En’s eyes.
“The target I chose is naturally you, and the value I set is a full one thousand times!”