Translator: CinderTL
"Are you certain it's him?"
In the manor room, Viscount Mo De examined the portrait in his hand, a slight frown creasing his brow.
"Yes, Miss Suoya's Extraordinary Artifact revelation confirms it's this man."
His subordinate replied in a grave tone. Viscount Mo De fell silent for a moment.
He thought of the man wanted by the kingdom—the one who had killed Duke Charles and rescued the Mermaid.
Combining this with Bernard's death and the similar disappearance of the Mermaid, a question arose in his mind.
"Do you think he might be the Saint?"
His voice was low and grave. A Saint-level criminal, even for the Hurricane Lord's Mansion, demanded utmost caution.
"Master, I don't think so," his subordinate speculated after a moment's consideration. "The evidence at the scene of Bernard's death doesn't quite match the rumors from Banli Port."
"Moreover, while the suspect is believed to possess Saint-level abilities, the scene suggests he might not even be Fifth-Tier. Perhaps someone is impersonating him to throw us off the trail."
After this analysis, Viscount Mo De pondered for a moment. His gaze gradually turned cold as he committed the golden-armored figure in the portrait to memory.
"If that's the case, then we'll investigate thoroughly."
"I want to see who dares to act so brazenly on Hurricane Island."
As the words fell, the subordinate nodded solemnly and hurried away.
At the same moment, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed.
"Viscount, the Birthday Banquet is about to begin."
"I know," Viscount Mo De replied calmly, adjusting his silk ceremonial robe.
The robe was navy blue with gold embroidery, intricate patterns woven into the fabric.
He then stepped out of the room, following his attendant and the silver-helmeted knight guarding him down the second floor and into the grand banquet hall on the first floor.
Red carpets, exquisite chandeliers.
The vast space, nearly a thousand square meters, was illuminated by the soft glow of white candles placed near the seven- or eight-meter-tall carved windows.
In the center of the hall, a massive oval wooden table displayed a lavish spread of fruits, delicacies, red wine, and pastries.
Guests in suits and long gowns moved about, mingling and conversing. Relaxing music filled the air, and some couples took the opportunity to dance gracefully.
"Viscount Mo De!"
"Viscount!"
"Master Mo De!"
Suddenly, a chorus of greetings erupted, instantly drawing all eyes to the man in the silk robe with several brown braids.
Though shorter than average, his somewhat savage features and his status as the third son of the Hurricane Lord commanded an aura of immense pressure. Everyone present was eager to curry favor.
He acknowledged the greetings with a slight nod, occasionally exchanging a few words with a few high-ranking nobles.
Viscount Mo De accepted the wine glass from a servant and swirled the crimson liquid gently.
"Viscount, when do you think the Hurricane Lord will arrive?" someone asked.
He shook his head casually. "My father has his own arrangements. Please, enjoy the banquet."
The questioner fell into thought, and then a group of figures hurried toward the intricately carved double doors of the banquet hall.
Leading the procession was a tall woman in a red silk gown, her golden hair cascading in waves, her beauty still radiant despite her approaching thirties.
Several knights and guards followed behind her, especially the two who trailed just half a step behind.
One wore a Mage's robe, his hair streaked with gray, his aura profound.
The other was exceptionally muscular, clad in a sleeveless robe, his head shaved bald. His gaze alone exuded immense pressure.
"It's Miss Suoya! After all these years, she's still as beautiful and captivating as ever."
"No wonder she's the Hurricane Lord's only daughter and the lady of the Red Dragon Family. Even Mage Simon is willingly following her."
"And Lord Long Tai! He's the Hurricane Lord's top warrior. I heard he recently became Miss Suoya's head of security."
Murmurs of envy rippled through the crowd. Viscount Mo De's eyes flickered, and he stepped forward to greet her.
"Suoya," he said, feigning a warm smile. The woman in the red silk gown, however, remained aloof.
"Where's Father?"
"He will appear," Viscount Mo De said with his usual smile. The woman named Suoya stared at him for several seconds.
"Don't think I don't know you lured Vito into taking Simon and Long Tai out to sea."
"If he doesn't wake up, I'll settle this score with you slowly."
As her words fell, Viscount Mo De's smile gradually faded.
"It seems marrying into the Red Dragon Family has made you quite temperamental."
"Don't forget, I'm his uncle. My concern for him is no less than anyone else's."
Their gazes locked, the previously relaxed atmosphere stiffening considerably.
Finally, Viscount Mo De turned and walked away to converse with other high-ranking nobles.
"I truly don't understand why Father keeps turning a blind eye to his reckless behavior," Suoya muttered, her exquisite features furrowed in a frown. Her golden, wavy hair was coiled at the back of her head and secured with a golden hairpin.
Mage Simon and Long Tai, standing behind her, hesitated to speak. Then she turned her head and asked, "Do you think the Ocean Overlord truly has no master?"
"Most likely not, Madam," Mage Simon nodded. "We observed it for several days in advance. Its habits are entirely solitary. It grows by hunting on its own, not as if under anyone's command."
"But there's something strange. It possesses an Extraordinary Artifact. We're uncertain whether this was given to it by someone else..."
No one answered. The woman named Suoya turned to the bald middle-aged man, Long Tai.
"I share Mage Simon's view," he said in a low voice, using the master-servant relationship between himself and his griffin as an example.
"Very well, whether it has a master or not," Suoya said coldly, her phoenix eyes narrowed. "After the Birthday Banquet ends, I will ask my father to intervene and have it torn to pieces."
"You two, go down and thoroughly investigate its whereabouts again."
"Yes!"
The two men nodded in obedience, then watched her walk toward the center of the banquet hall.
"Looks like we'll be busy again," Mage Simon sighed, his gray hair swaying. Beside him, the bald middle-aged man, Long Tai, remained vigilant, his voice still low.
"After all, it's a Fifth-Tier sea beast. Miss Suoya doesn't want to leave any loose ends."
"Indeed, that makes sense," Mage Simon agreed. "But for some reason, ever since that sea beast escaped, I've felt uneasy these past few days."
Mage Simon voiced his concerns, and Long Tai frowned.
"Do you think it might come back to seek revenge on us soon?"
"It sounds far-fetched, but beasts are known to hold grudges. It's not entirely impossible."
Hearing this, Long Tai's brow suddenly relaxed as he observed the worried expression on Mage Simon's wrinkled face.
"No wonder they say the Mage Sequence is so difficult to achieve."
"Old Simon, when did you become so timid?"
Speaking in a booming voice, Long Tai continued without restraint, "It's just a sea beast, and we're on land."
"Besides, don't forget..."
He raised a finger, pointing at the red carpet beneath their feet before sweeping his gaze across the manor.
"This is Viscount Mo De's manor, under the protection of the Hurricane Lord's..."
Boom!!!
A deafening explosion suddenly echoed through the manor, shaking the entire estate.
The unfinished words and the surrounding clamor abruptly ceased. Everyone froze in shock before a sharp, warning roar pierced the air.
"Roar!!"
Boom!!
The roar was violently cut short as the ornate, eight-meter-tall window of the manor's banquet hall shattered instantly.
A Griffin, its body a mix of eagle, lion, and griffin, was flung backward. Its eight- or nine-meter-long body crashed through the glass, sliding for over ten meters before slamming into an oval wooden table in the hall, overturning it and finally coming to rest at the feet of the bald, middle-aged Long Tai.
The red carpet was stained even redder with blood. The crowd stood frozen in shock, stunned for several seconds.
Finally, someone looked down.
It was clear to the naked eye that the Fifth-Tier Griffin had already lost half its body, especially the area behind its neck, including its lion-like chest and abdomen.
It looked as if a fist had punched straight through the Griffin, obliterating its heart and internal organs. The half-circle-shaped hole was starkly visible.
"No!!"
The roar echoed through the manor. Long Tai, the bald middle-aged man, snapped back to his senses. His eyes instantly flooded with bloodshot veins, turning almost entirely blood red and bulging from his sockets.
The sight of the Griffin's death had struck him hard. His aura flared up instantly, causing the air inside the manor to tremble.
Blue veins bulged across his forehead. His face contorted with murderous intent as he turned his head to look out the shattered window.
Beneath the blood-red moon, a seven- or eight-meter-tall Silver-Gray Colossus in Golden Armor hovered in midair.
Its stone wings beat, and its massive right arm, carved from rock, remained in a punching pose.
Perched on its shoulder was a dark blue-black figure with a single horn, its Scarlet Eyes devoid of emotion as it gazed down.
"Is it you who injured my sea beast?"
The deep question hung in the air, leaving everyone stunned.
Mage Simon's expression darkened. A sense of foreboding washed over him. Viscount Mo De and Suoya, who were in the banquet hall behind them, frowned as well.
Sea beast?
The Ocean Overlord, the Giant Octopus?
It actually had a master?
"So what if it was me!!"
Suddenly, a roar erupted.
Long Tai lost control. He leaped into the air, his body expanding to nearly three meters in midair.
Bulging veins and arteries twisted like savage pythons, their rhythmic thumping echoing in everyone's hearts.
"A Fifth-Tier Warrior Sequence Practitioner!" someone exclaimed, the rigid, icy atmosphere thawing slightly.
It was as if the solidified air had finally begun to flow, dimming the entire night sky in its wake.
Everyone focused their attention, a flurry of thoughts racing through their minds.
The next moment...
BOOM!!!
The three-meter-tall figure instantly exploded into dust, crimson blood splattering across the sky.
Flesh and bone vanished without a trace, leaving only a spherical object rolling across the neatly manicured green lawn below.
The widened, bloodshot eyes still held the last moment's horror, their pupils reflecting the golden-armored Silver-Gray Colossus suspended in mid-air, frozen in its punching pose.
From start to finish, the scene had barely changed. Everyone inside and outside the manor gaped in stunned terror.
A Fifth-Tier peak Warrior Sequence Practitioner... instantly killed?
"What about you?"
The calm, deep voice echoed again. The shadowy figure on the Silver-Gray Colossus's shoulder lowered its head, gazing down at the banquet hall.
Magician Simon, his hair streaked with gray, stood frozen in place. Then, an even colder, deeper voice cut through the silence.
"Would you take your own life, or be left without even a corpse?"
(End of the Chapter)
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