In a secluded corner by the central plaza of Dandren City, sunlight filtered through the tree leaves in dappled patches. Pedestrians hurried past on the street, entirely oblivious as they brushed past the retreating figure of a man.
The wind stirred in the silence, yet his movements remained poised and orderly.
Dusk washed evenly over the bluestone streets. Dense green foliage rustled softly in the breeze, but as the wind gathered speed, the serene harmony was abruptly shattered.
Glass display windows reflected the pedestrians. Amid the moving crowd, that figure seemed to walk at a leisurely pace, yet vanished in the blink of an eye.
The wind's tempo grew faster and tenser. Discarded newspapers flapped through the air, a dog by the roadside began barking frantically, and birds in distant treetops took flight with a flurry of beating wings.
Only when the figure reappeared with absolute clarity did he come to a halt before the main entrance of an inn. The wind's deep hum thickened, the sky darkened another shade as though gray clouds were pressing down, and the man slowly drew an exquisite pocket watch from his pocket to check the time.
Just as the last light faded, he pushed open the inn's front door.
Whenever the door swung open, the hearth fire flickered, dampened by an indescribable chill, and the hall's tones dimmed along with it.
His tailored gray suit fitted his frame snugly, the collar points of his dress shirt revealing just enough to display a silver metal tie clip. His tall figure was somewhat lean, his nose bridge straight, and his thin lips held firmly shut. His short, silver-gray hair paired with the charcoal-gray suit to create a look that was both harmonious and striking in its contrast.
The man strode up to the counter, fixing his gaze on the receptionist.
"Good afternoon, sir. Are you looking to check in?"
The young woman behind the counter offered a polite nod as she addressed the patron before her.
The man showed no reaction.
"Did a man and a woman staying here depart today?"
He smoothly withdrew a leather envelope from his coat, opened it, and drew out two portraits.
The sketches were rendered in rough, heavy strokes, as though repeatedly revised based on secondhand descriptions, yet the key facial features of the two youths remained discernible.
"I'm sorry, sir..."
A troubled expression flitted across the simply made-up face of the young receptionist. Inn staff were forbidden from disclosing guest information. But her words caught in her throat halfway through.
"Answer yes, or no."
The man showed no anger at her hesitation. He simply produced an Imperial Army investigation warrant.
His deep eyes stared down at her coldly from beneath hooded lids, his gaze seeming to pierce right through to her soul, leaving her feeling utterly exposed with nowhere to hide.
The receptionist swallowed hard, not merely intimidated by his rank. More than that, she could sense a serene yet perilous aura radiating from the young man, like a predator poised to strike.
Her hand reflexively clutched the fabric of her skirt, her heart hammering as she struggled to maintain her outward composure. She harbored strong doubts that this dangerous man actually belonged to the Imperial Army, yet instinct warned her not to dare question him.
"A young man and woman did leave today, but... they didn't match those portraits."
"What time did they leave?"
"About three hours ago."
At this, the man nodded, having evidently obtained the information he required.
Seeing that, the receptionist finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Yet before she could even realize it, the man had slowly extended a hand, resting his palm atop her head.
It looked as though he were soothing her, bidding her not to fear.
And yet, that broad palm felt heavy and cold as lead.
In the very next second, the receptionist's stunned expression contorted violently. Her body was compressed from within by an unseen force, her fair skin swallowed by agonizing torment as her bones twisted out of shape. Like a victim helpless in the clutches of an inescapable nightmare, she underwent an increasingly unspeakable metamorphosis until she collapsed into an ugly sphere of raw flesh.
Instantly, the patrons resting in the lobby lounge stared in sheer horror at the grotesque transformation at the counter.
Before long, the fleshy sphere—emitting raspy, muffled pleas for mercy—began to tremble violently. Bizarre folds rippled across its surface as it swelled at horrifying speed, straining like a balloon pumped to its absolute breaking point. In that split second, the inn's lobby fell dead silent save for the impending sound of rupture.
The deafening blast made every person in the hall leap in terror. Blood and shredded meat splattered across the walls, and a thick, choking stench of gore billowed outward, sharp and suffocating.
Yet the man remained shielded by some unseen barrier, unstained by so much as a drop of blood or tissue.
He cast a placid glance behind him. The guests, paralyzed by terror, shuddered under his gaze, incapable of moving a muscle.
Without another word, he turned and strode toward the inn's exit. Outside, several Great Prelates clad in Imperial Army uniforms stepped inside immediately. Taking in the scene, their indifferent expressions barely shifted.
Even without explicit orders, the Great Prelates knew precisely what needed to be done.
The moment the man walked out, all sound within the inn's ground floor vanished.
Near the door, an attendant-like Great Prelate fell into step behind him.
"Lord Anello, won't killing every person who knows anything along the way cause unnecessary trouble?"
This would likely be the last batch of imperial civilians they slaughtered on a whim today; it would not be long before they located the Bishop of Domination and the Holy Son of Domination.
Even when they were operating in the Northwestern Province, they had never butchered imperial citizens so brazenly.
Yet none of them dared disobey the commands of this cruel man, whose senses were as keen and ruthless as a life-reaping spirit fox's.
"The Protos Empire's great criminal, Bishop of Domination Sigrid, defected to the demon race. After committing inhumane atrocities in the north alongside her Holy Son, what does it matter if a few more civilians die during their frantic flight south?"
Anello, the Holy Son of Extinction, glanced back at the Great Prelate and posed the question with cold detachment.
"Understood."
The Great Prelate bowed, not daring to utter another word.
Those who delved too deeply into sealing arts naturally shed their humanity; this was a truth they had long understood.
The Bishop of Domination was severely wounded. Judging by the weather over the past several days, the fugitives were unlikely to spend the night exposed to the wind and snow. As the Holy Son of Extinction had deduced, their trail would inevitably turn up in the towns dotting the route from the northern border down to the Snowfield Province.
Sure enough, the elite squad led by the Holy Son of Extinction had tracked them across the snowfields and successfully pinpointed their escape route.
The sun sank toward the west.
Light was swallowed by the horizon, bringing the snowfields' afternoon to a close. Streets were gradually painted over in black, and without anyone noticing, the presence of the passersby seemed to vanish into hiding, swallowed by silence.
The wind whipped between the figures lingering outside the inn.
"It's time to send the Bishop of Domination and the Holy Son of Domination to reunite with the Saintess of Domination."
Anello gazed southward.
A strange aloofness and distance flickered in his eyes, the deep purple glow of the evening dusk casting one side of his face into shadow.
***
In the dead of night, where even the moonlight was nearly blotted out, every minute and second felt agonizingly long.
On the snowfields a hundred kilometers outside Dandren City, heavy snow drifted endlessly across the boundless dark expanse. The ice crystals, scattered across the earth as though hurled by an invisible giant hand, carried a premeditated chill. They swirled and danced on the wind before settling into the drifts, piling up alongside millions of other flakes to form a deep gray world.
Across this mysterious expanse of snow, a deep rift abruptly tore through the ground.
It was the gouged scar left behind by the violent impact of battle.
A corpse collapsed with a heavy thud onto the snow, looking starkly out of place.
It was the massive form of an Imperial soldier clad in thick iron armor, now being swallowed by the frigid snow.
As the body slammed into the drifts, snow sprayed in every direction, as though signaling the conclusion of the fight.
Blood seeped from his wounds, spreading slowly across the white surface like a blooming blood rose.
Side clenched her fists, the cold wind whipping strands of hair across her face. Her breathing had grown ragged from the exertion and her underlying injuries, each breath condensing into a small puff of white mist that melted into the falling flakes.
Lanqi stood beside her in far better condition.
Even with the skirmish concluded, neither allowed their guard to drop for an instant. Danger lurked ceaselessly throughout this snowfield.
Every gust of wind carried an ominous premonition; with every flake that fluttered down, a new enemy could find them at any moment.
"To think the two of us joining forces had such a hard time killing a single Great Prelate of Extinction."
Side wore an exhausted expression as she glanced at the sky. The clash had clearly aggravated the wounds her body was unable to mend.
Even so, she was undeniably far stronger at night. Paired with her Holy Son's bizarre crowd-control spells, they had finally managed to trap and bring down yet another Great Prelate of Extinction who had caught up to them.
Their trail had already been discovered. One by one, Great Prelates from the Extinction Branch were tracking them down across the snowfield. Although they weren't far from the Snowfield Province now, the true, bitter struggle would likely begin in earnest come daybreak.
"What on earth are those sealing spells of yours anyway? One chorus that seals hearing, one sun that seals vision."
Side caught her breath and finally voiced her grievance.
She had now witnessed her Holy Son's repertoire of sealing arts beyond his explosive tricks.
Even she could barely stomach that grand chorus. At full strength, it might have barely fazed her, but in her current state, hearing those netherworldly chants was downright torment.
If they hadn't prepared specialized earplugs and tinted goggles in advance, those two indiscriminate spells would have driven their own side mad.
"Great power always comes with risks; that is the law of conservation."
Lanqi sighed. He had already brought out his signature methods.
Although his [Radiant Virtue] card was already quite famous in Ikerite, news was completely cut off between the Northern and Southern Continents. Lanqi Wilfort held scarcely any reputation in the South, so it was only natural that a northern heavyweight like Sigrid had never heard of a newly emergent Sealer like him.
After departing Dandren City, they had crossed the mountain range and pushed south across the snowfield for over ten hours.
Far along the horizon, time finally seemed to catch up as a faint dawn began to show.
That feeble light washed over the snow, offering the fleeting illusion of warmth.
"A few dozen more kilometers south and we should reach the Snowfield Province. See how accurately I lead the way?"
Lanqi looked toward the faint sunrise in the east and assessed the terrain, roughly estimating their location.
"Just say whatever you want to say. In consideration of how well you've looked after me along the way, I won't deduct any of your favorability for a limited time."
Side chuckled in exasperation. This guy had completely dropped the act, running his daily quests right in front of her face.
However, just as the two were casually conversing and pressing toward their southern destination, the sky that had carried a touch of dawn's warmth suddenly grew oppressive. The morning light seemed caught in the crushing grip of giant hands, stripped of all its bright color.
The surrounding space seemed to freeze, and a dense, frigid magic permeated the air, encircling the pair like an invisible wall and plunging them into an icy abyss.
Chapter 343