Chapter 256: The World’s Enemy (2)

Time had proven that Rise’s words were not merely a false alarm. Of course, it was impossible for it to be. As someone heavily associated with everything in the author’s schemes, Rise knew not to celebrate too early.

Thalia would not dismiss his words cheaply either. Their expressions and vigilance did not relax even when they had already left the villa.

Suspiciously, their escape was so smooth. Other than Mitchel, most of the espers dispatched in the area were easily dealt with by Thalia.

Only an hour later did everything change.

Rise’s mana had yet to recover, and so he had to rest. While he was given some recovery potions by Thalia, the results were not immediate; it could even be said to be slow.

The bastard Mitchel had always put small doses on his food, after all.

"How did you find me?" Rise asked Thalia. Only at this brief moment could he ask what was happening to her.

The most important question he wanted to ask did not leave his mouth in the end. He knew that it might agitate his thoughts if he found out anything about Kamille.

They were not yet out of danger. He could afford to wait.

Thalia gave a small smile.

"You already know that I’ll always remember, no matter what."

Rise stared at her. For a moment, a plethora of emotions flickered in his eyes. The most prominent was his conflicted thoughts.

Thalia noticed it, and her smile widened. She knew what the other was thinking about.

"Saving you has become my deepest obsession. This is what I want to do." Her voice was firm, and so was her expression despite the smile on her lips.

Rise seemed to forget to blink for a moment. Perhaps he was just a bit overwhelmed. It was not about him being confused by such a deep and fervent obsession.

In fact, it was quite the opposite. Rise was very familiar with that feeling. It was precisely because he was very familiar with it that he was a bit overwhelmed about it.

He could understand her. Yet, he was still confused.

Eventually, Rise had to let out a defeated sigh. It was an emotion he could not just dismiss. Doing so would also be undermining, not just Thalia’s feelings but also his own.

"You really... hah." Rise rolled his eyes as he heard Thalia chuckle. His expression then softened, but his gaze pierced through Thalia.

"I originally thought not letting you be involved was a good thing. Actually, I still do. But," Rise paused, took a deep breath, and looked outside the building; his expression hardened. "I respect your decision. This battle determines our fate."

Rise’s voice sank deeper as he turned serious. Thalia did not need to be told; her beautiful and graceful appearance turned colder. They fully became alert.

The clouds outside shrouded the moon and stars, swallowing any light in the vicinity. It was as though it had become a tad darker than usual, giving anyone an ominous feeling.

Rise took a deep breath. He knew that there was no way the author, who was now determined to deal with him, would let him escape. He was unsurprised, but truly he was unprepared.

Just by the phenomenon outside and the degree of danger he was feeling, escaping from this den would not be easy. Usually, he would not be this solemn, no matter the danger.

That was on the premise that he was in his usual form. Yet now, he was powerless. Rise was an absolute burden that needed Thalia to protect him until he recovered.

Rise bit his lips, and his fists unconsciously clenched.

This was the feeling he absolutely detested. Rise swallowed and reined in his emotions. He glanced beside him, meeting Thalia’s firm gaze.

Seeing that, Rise curled his lips slightly.

"I’m counting on you, Thalia. Give me time to recover."

Thalia also smiled and then nodded.

"Don’t worry."

Such simple words held far more weight than any deep promise. That was all he needed.

The ominous dark cloud shrouding the sky became thicker, and so was the ominous aura that began to close in on their location. The two looked at each other and began to set out once more.

He had the feeling that it was not simple. Rather than absolute power, which might have held them down here, his intuition told him something was prepared for them, or him. They had to retreat as soon as possible.

They did not say anything to each other. Thalia also sensed the difference in the atmosphere. The two did not have a clue about the situation awaiting them.

As they were running away, the fierce winds suddenly blew. Rise’s silver hair danced in the air. His jaw tightened. The two were about to enter an intersection when a strange scene greeted them.

Rise paused, and so did Thalia. Their expressions glimmered with shock. They were prepared for some forces closing in on their location, but seeing what it was made them fall silent.

"What the fuck?" Thalia exclaimed in surprise. This was not what she was expecting.

In a normal street, which should be a usual business district. As it was about to be dawn, most of the business owners and workers were just getting up.

Rise saw a bustling scene waiting for them. The scene itself was not shocking, if only... It was not a massive crowd of people filled with hatred raging at their sight.

Some of them were not even the workers getting ready for a new day, most of them still wore their pajamas or were obviously just woken up in the deep of the night.

Every pair of eyes bypassed Thalia, and they looked at Rise as though he was the demon lord needed to be purged to save the world.

In a way, that seemed to be the case. Rise had become the number one enemy of the world.

The wind raged, and so did the crowd. And it seemed this was not even all of them. The others were running towards this location. And it was not just common people.

Espers, guides, and even the army were on their way.

Rise thought, at the very least, it made him uncomfortable being subjected to the same gaze as last time. He felt none of that. Instead, he was calm. He took this hatred with a relaxed mind.

Even the oppressive aura that made his shoulders shake, without the protection of his ability, did not make him afraid.

They looked at Rise and then simultaneously roared.

"Kill him. Kill Rise!"

They fearlessly shouted, extreme and unwarranted fury reflected in their eyes. They were only common people, and the weapons in their hands were simple everyday things; only a few had decent knives, at least.

They chanted this as they marched towards their location.