At this moment, on the eastern side of Koga City, the Red Dragon Witch Freya was using her powerful magic to extinguish a blaze, drawing cheers from the crowd below. In another alley, the three heirs of the Hamilton family, along with the Black Feather Knights, were helping to put out fires and even evacuate civilians...
But just then, Rian and Aelia both received messages from their household guards.
"What? You're saying rioters have appeared at the Earl's mansion, right now?"
"Yes, Miss. Please bring your people back quickly, or I fear the Earl might... he might..." The soldier delivering the message dared not say it outright, but his intent was clear.
Everyone turned to look at the Red Dragon Witch, Freya Igueil. She had been exerting great effort to stop the flames; whenever she cast a spell, it could extinguish all fires within range.
"Are you sure about this information?" Aelia asked.
"Of course. I wouldn't joke about the Earl's life. By the time I left, they had already reached the mansion's gates. If we don't hurry back now, it might be too late," the soldier said anxiously.
Just then, a special signal flare sounded from afar. Even Freya noticed the commotion in the distance... the direction from which the flare came. A burst of fireworks in the sky drew everyone's attention...
Beyond that, the more perceptive mages noticed strange, swirling cumulus clouds forming in another part of the sky.
Something's wrong. Something must have happened over there.
Freya stared at the distant clouds, sensing an unusual magical energy!
…………………………
"Don't run!" a voice called from behind.
You think I'll stop just because you say so? That'd be stupid.
Sean scooped up Igniya and bolted out of the yard without daring to look back. Smoke bombs were probably useless against someone of this caliber... but the sudden, rare appearance of such an item in this world did create some confusion.
For a few seconds, Isley hesitated, allowing Sean to carry Igniya several steps.
"Think you can escape? Not so easy. No one in Koga City has ever evaded my pursuit." Hearing the voice behind him, Sean still didn't turn back, choosing to keep running.
Just then, he noticed a faint, visible trace appearing on the ground beneath his feet! It looked oddly familiar... like...
A skill indicator of some kind.
It was like when he played games in his past life—before a boss struck the ground, it would show a range indicator, letting players dodge. And now, something like that appeared before him!
It hadn't happened during the earlier fight...
"Die!" Isley raised his sword and swung down, but to his surprise, the target had already leaped to the edge of the corridor before the blow landed.
In the blink of an eye, there was no time to think or even react in time to stop. The force of the blade passed through the path the target had just taken, missing perfectly!
It didn't hit Sean or Igniya, leaving only a visible battle scar on the ground.
He dodged it!
Even Isley found it hard to believe—someone had evaded his proud slashes.
"No one can escape my attacks."
Another slash came from a distance...
But incredibly, the target dodged again, jumping out of range before the strike even landed!
Isley was baffled...
How was the other party dodging his attacks?
"Isley, stop playing around. Just kill them... something's off here." Inside the room, Weissman was still watching the changes in Earl Hamilton.
The Earl's body still held the energy of the Cain Tablet, and contact with the tablet had backfired, causing him to be riddled with disease. Among known abilities, using a specific magic to activate it could unleash the tablet's power.
The story of the Cain Tablet's appearance in the south was far from glorious—it had been steeped in blood from the very beginning. And he had used that to gain the right to activate the tablet's power, learning about its records from higher authorities.
But now...
Its changes seemed uncontrollable.
"Isley, haven't you dealt with those two wastes yet?" Weissman called from the room, never having left.
Before him, Earl Hamilton had become something different...
His head twisted into a grotesque shape, like a long tentacle, and the sounds he made grew more and more unsettling.
"Almost there. I'll kill them soon, damn it. I'm going to kill that baron!" Isley roared angrily outside.
His several strikes had been dodged inexplicably, so now he just had to chase them down and cut them both.
But just then, Weissman sensed trouble inside the room.
"Isley! Something's happening here, come back!"
Isley was about to run out when he heard the call from inside...
By now, Earl Hamilton had fully transformed into a bizarre creature. The flowing muscle tissue on his body seemed alive, constantly contracting and expanding, while tentacles sprouted from the muscles. His already hideous face, with sunken eyes, began to move.
……………………
Sean carried Igniya straight out of the yard and over to one side of the corridor.
He was exhausted.
Even though she wasn't heavy, carrying her this far was tiring...
"Put me down, Sean. I think I can walk now." The brief paralysis wouldn't last long. The spell had only been a quick cast, capable of immobilizing them for a short time, but it couldn't persist. After a few minutes, the [Paralysis~] effect had worn off.
Sean no longer saw any magical effect on her.
"They don't seem to be following!" He looked back at the corridor. If Isley wanted to catch them, with his ability, he almost certainly wouldn't fail—yet he hadn't come.
"They're not following."
Sean stared toward the opposite end of the corridor.
Just then, another attribute appeared in his vision.
[!a#￥*]: o:25:oo.
Wasn't that the garbled prompt from when Earl Hamilton had mutated earlier?
Five minutes had already passed!
The next second, a massive mass of tentacles burst out from the corridor, aimed directly at where Sean and Igniya stood.
"What is that!"
It was so fast there was almost no room to dodge. But just as the tentacles lunged, a slash cut through them, slicing them apart.