Chapter 745 - 514: The Divine Mage Severed in Two and the Arrival of Karachi’s Secret Envoy

Chapter 745: Chapter 514: The Divine Mage Severed in Two and the Arrival of Karachi’s Secret Envoy

"Count Alan."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Count Alan jolted and quickly responded.

"Seize him."

Raylo’s voice was cold and resolute.

"Escort him to Black Stone City and hand him over to Gaius for a public trial!"

"A-As you command, Your Highness!"

Count Alan’s body trembled violently. He forcibly suppressed the storm raging in his heart and accepted the order.

His back was already soaked with cold sweat.

’His Highness Raylo’s methods... they’re just too... shocking.’

First, with the force of a thunderbolt, he froze the ten-thousand-strong Werewolf Legion and instantly killed three Domain Level powerhouses.

Then, he took an aggressive stance and annihilated a Domain Level powerhouse from the Light Holy See on the spot.

The entire process was clean and decisive.

This absolute power that treated Domain Level experts as if they were nothing, this ruthless and decisive efficiency, filled Count Alan with endless reverence, but also a chill that seeped deep into his soul.

He didn’t dare show the slightest hesitation. He immediately turned and barked at his Personal Guard.

"What are you standing around for!"

"Didn’t you hear His Highness’s command!"

"Tie up this traitor!"

"Yes, Lord Earl!"

As if waking from a dream, several Personal Guards rushed forward. They scrambled to bind the Count of Fury—who had already fainted from fear and was as limp as mud—with thick ropes, tying him up securely.

Throughout the entire process, no one dared to say a word. They didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

He watched as his Personal Guard trussed up the boneless Count of Fury like an animal.

Count Alan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

He raised his eyes and looked toward the young figure.

"Your Highness, the Count of Fury has been apprehended. This battlefield... how should we handle it?"

Count Alan’s voice was a bit hoarse, carrying a tremor that had yet to subside.

Raylo withdrew his gaze from the bound Count of Fury and looked out over the surrounding fields.

He was silent for a moment.

"Clean up the battlefield and collect the spoils of war."

Raylo gave his instructions.

"Once you’re done, escort the Count of Fury to Black Stone City."

Count Alan hastily bowed to accept his orders.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Raylo gave a slight nod. Then, mounting Lightning once more, he transformed into a streak of thunder and flew toward Black Stone City.

Raylo stood on Lightning’s broad back.

The cold wind rushed through his hair, carrying the dampness of the distant forest and the lingering stench of blood from the battlefield.

He did not look back at the aftermath behind him.

For him, the mission here was already complete.

Lightning’s speed was immense, like a meteor streaking across the sky.

The wind howled, leaving all the noise far behind.

His thoughts were like the wind, fleeting and gone in a flash.

Soon, the magnificent silhouette of Black Stone City appeared on the horizon.

Lightning slowly descended.

Ed was in the square observing the Knights’ training. When he saw Raylo return safely, he hurried over to greet him.

"Your Highness, you’ve returned. It must have been a long journey."

Raylo leaped off Lightning’s back.

Lightning, meanwhile, shrank down, transforming into a docile Blue Cat. It rubbed against Raylo’s leg, then scampered off to the kitchen with Moonlight and Coal Ball.

"Everything went smoothly,"

Raylo said.

"The Werewolf Legion has been annihilated. The Count of Fury was colluding with the Light Holy See. I’ve had Count Alan take him into custody to be escorted to Black Stone City, where he will be handed over to Gaius for trial."

Hearing this, a flicker of shock crossed Ed’s eyes. In just a few short hours, Raylo had resolved a border crisis.

But his expression quickly returned to calm. He was already used to His Highness’s swift and decisive style and the constant miracles he performed.

"Your Highness, I have two matters to report,"

Ed said.

"Speak."

Raylo said nothing more and walked directly toward the Lord’s Mansion.

Ed followed behind, speaking as he walked.

"First, Baofeng has returned with a total of twenty-three Griffins. They have all been properly settled in the Stone Forest and are in good condition."

Raylo nodded.

’Twenty-three Griffins. That’s a significant reinforcement for the Black Stone Territory’s aerial forces.’

"The second matter..."

Ed lowered his voice slightly.

"A secret envoy from King Karachi of the Fiery Sun Kingdom arrived this morning. He is waiting in the castle and has stated that he must meet with you personally to deliver a message from His Majesty."

’An envoy from Karachi?’

Raylo’s steps faltered for a fraction of a second, then returned to normal.

"The envoy is alone?"

"Yes, just one person,"

Ed replied.

"Mm."

Raylo didn’t ask any more questions, simply saying,

"To my study. Bring him to me."

Inside the study, the oak desk was piled high with documents. The faint light from the fireplace dispelled the winter chill.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Ed pushed open the study door and led in a middle-aged man wearing a cloak.

The man was slender and had a stern face. His eyes held a shrewd and cautious light.

Upon seeing Raylo, he immediately bowed and performed a standard noble’s salute.

"Lord Earl, I am Lost, the special envoy sent by His Majesty King Karachi, and I offer you my highest respects."

Raylo raised a hand, signaling that he didn’t need to be so formal.

"Mister Lost, please sit."

Lost did as he was told, sitting in the chair opposite Raylo, his back ramrod straight.

"What is His Majesty King Karachi’s message?"

Raylo cut straight to the chase.

Hearing this, Lost’s expression grew even more serious.

"Lord Earl, His Majesty ordered me to deliver his message to you in person. His Majesty asked me to convey this: ’Lord Raylo, according to the plan we agreed upon, I dispatched the expeditionary force three days ago. They have taken a detour through the Jade Swamp and have now ventured deep inside. The time has come. The plan we agreed on can officially begin.’"

Lost said slowly.

Raylo glanced up at Lost.

According to his and Karachi’s plan, they would lure the main forces in the Fiery Sun Kingdom loyal to the Light Holy See deep into the Jade Swamp, letting them test the true strength of the overlord who had been slumbering there for a thousand years.

For Raylo, this was an opportunity to learn the truth about the Jade Swamp, the greatest threat to the Black Stone Territory. For Karachi, it was a chance to eliminate the forces in the Kingdom fanatically loyal to the Holy See, thereby strengthening his control over the Fiery Sun Kingdom.

It was a mutually beneficial situation.

...

「The next morning, at the crack of dawn.」

A cold morning mist shrouded Black Stone City.

Raylo stood at the entrance of the Lord’s Mansion, with Ed standing in attendance at his side.

"Ed, take the Moonlight Knight Order and immediately head to the defensive encampment on the northeastern border. Await my command there."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Ed bowed to accept the order without the slightest hesitation.

He was long accustomed to Raylo’s swift and decisive manner and never asked questions.

’Loyalty is execution.’

Raylo nodded and turned around.

"Let’s go."

Raylo left the Lord’s Mansion with his little companions.

In the blink of an eye, Lightning transformed back into his true Thunder Dragon form.

Raylo leaped up, landing steadily on Lightning’s broad back.

Moonlight, Sun, and Coal Ball also transformed into three streaks of light, following nimbly and finding comfortable spots to lie down.

Sun yawned, seemingly not yet fully awake.

Lightning let out a low draconic roar and gave a powerful flap of his wings.

A fierce wind howled to life.

The next moment, a colossal streak of blue lightning shot into the sky, tearing through the morning mist and speeding away toward the northeast, in the direction of the Jade Swamp.

On the ground, Ed looked up at the streak of lightning as it rapidly vanished over the horizon, his gaze firm.

He turned and strode toward the military barracks.

’His Highness’s orders must be carried out to the letter.’

High in the sky, the wind was biting and fierce.

Lightning’s speed was incredible; the mountains and rivers below blurred into indistinct patches of color as they rushed backward.

Raylo sat cross-legged, his eyes closed in meditation.

Sun lay curled at his leg.

Moonlight’s pale golden eyes stared motionlessly into the distance.

Coal Ball was the most well-behaved, curled up into a ball and sound asleep.

Time slipped by quietly during the high-speed flight.

Soon, the moisture in the air grew thicker, carrying with it a strange, putrid scent of decaying vegetation.

They had arrived at the Jade Swamp.

Lightning lowered his altitude, flying beneath the thick cloud cover.

Raylo opened his eyes and looked down.

As far as the eye could see, there was an endless expanse of dark green.

Enormous, bizarrely shaped trees rose from the murky swamp water. Deep green vines coiled around them like giant pythons, and massive leaves blotted out the sky.

A toxic miasma and fog permeated the forest, filling the land with the unknown and dangerous.

"Found them."

Raylo’s gaze locked onto a relatively open area within the swamp.

An army was struggling to advance through the muddy terrain.

They wore the standard-issue Armor of the Fiery Sun Kingdom, their banners drooping limply in the miasma.

Their numbers were around twenty thousand.

The soldiers trudged on, sinking deep with every step, their faces etched with exhaustion and unease.

The swamp environment was extremely hostile to them.

This was the expeditionary force sent by Karachi.

An army... destined to be sacrificed, a pawn in the game of the higher-ups.

There was not a single ripple of emotion in Raylo’s eyes.

’War has always been this cruel.’