Chapter 232: Geniuses Are Meant to Be Exploited, Worthy of the "Golden" Name
Bzzmm—
A faint white light flashed. The Monitoring Dominion Angel pushed forward the shield on its arm, forcefully driving the Headhunter Rabbit back.
His legs slid uncontrollably for some distance.
"Hah... Hah..."
The Headhunter Rabbit opened his mouth, panting heavily. Having just used several Martial Arts in one breath, his entire body was already feeling the soreness and pain of muscle strain.
However, compared to the physical toll, he was far more aware of the danger he was in. The long ears on his head twitched; without turning around, he already knew the Tranquility Dominion Angel was closing in from behind.
With the Monitoring Dominion Angel in front and the Tranquility Dominion Angel behind, the two Fourth-Tier angelic monsters had completely sealed off all his routes of escape.
Faced with such a predicament, the Headhunter Rabbit was decisive. He raised his hands above his head, palms open to show his calloused hands, and shouted cleanly and clearly in Tang Zheng's direction, "I surrender!"
This monster!
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The Monitoring Dominion Angel and the Tranquility Dominion Angel didn't pause for a moment. In an instant, they arrived in front of and behind the Headhunter Rabbit, trapping him in a pincer attack.
The short-handled iron hammer and the spear-like staff, both glowing with a faint white light, were raised simultaneously. Along with them came Tang Zheng's voice:
"If you can survive, then we'll talk."
Holy Hammer!
Strike Against Evil!
The weapons in the hands of the Monitoring Dominion Angel and the Tranquility Dominion Angel swung down at the same time. A stunning impact instantly enveloped the figure in the shadows.
The Headhunter Rabbit's pupils constricted, shot through with blood. He rapidly raised his arms to parry the attacks from two directions, roaring:
"Pain Nullification!"
"Possibility Perception!"
"Magic Resistance Reinforcement!"
"Outer Skin Reinforcement!"
"Unyielding Fortress!"
BOOM!
A massive, deafening crash exploded, followed by a sky-high plume of blood mist and minced flesh.
Thud—
A dark object flew out from between the Tranquility Dominion Angel and the Monitoring Dominion Angel, then fell from the sky, hitting the ground and rolling over.
Tang Zheng lifted his foot and stepped on the dark object. He looked down at the Headhunter Rabbit's mangled head and shook his own in disappointment. "What a pity."
"If you had managed to survive, I really wouldn't have minded having a proper talk with you."
Oh?
Tang Zheng tilted his head, a smile on his face as he looked toward a figure in the distance to his front-left.
"You brat! Don't think you've beaten me with a single blow! I am..."
Brain, holding his longsword, looking disheveled yet burning with excitement, charged back from the direction he'd been sent flying, yelling as he came.
But halfway through his sentence, his voice came to an abrupt halt.
Brain's body froze in place. He stared at the two three-meter-tall Fourth-Tier angels floating in mid-air behind Tang Zheng, exuding a terrifying aura.
A short while ago, he had been sent flying by the Tranquility Dominion Angel. This was the second time he had been defeated since losing the Royal Court Tournament.
This gave Brain a long-lost feeling of boiling blood and excitement. That Tranquility Dominion Angel was incredibly strong, making him feel pressure once again.
And that was exactly what he had been searching for!
So, after chugging a healing potion he carried, Brain had quickly rushed back, just in time to see the Headhunter Rabbit being utterly obliterated by the two Fourth-Tier angels.
The splattering minced flesh and blooming flowers of blood!
They made Brain's open mouth snap shut. His eyes met Tang Zheng's smiling gaze for a brief moment.
Without a shred of hesitation!
Brain turned and fled. He even used a Martial Art to push his speed to the absolute limit, vanishing into the distance in a puff of smoke, leaving only his retreating back in view.
He wanted an opponent who could pressure him, but that didn't mean he was looking to die.
One Fourth-Tier angel was already a threat to him; against two, he would undoubtedly die!
Faced with Brain's immediate escape, Tang Zheng was momentarily stunned, a strange look appearing on his face as he watched the rapidly disappearing figure. "That really fits his personality."
"Forget it. I'll let him live for now."
The current Brain had only recently been defeated by Gazef and was just beginning to shed his arrogant, unrivaled-warrior mindset.
He had yet to truly unleash his talent. It would be too much of a waste for him to die now. Tang Zheng planned to obtain the Martial Arts that Brain would develop.
Brain probably hadn't mastered the Martial Art "Domain" yet.
Speaking of which, Brain was truly a genius. In just a few short years, he not only developed Martial Arts like "Domain" and "Instant Flash" but even evolved them into stronger versions like "Divine Domain" and "God Flash."
"Such a genius... it would be a true waste of such talent not to exploit him thoroughly."
Watching Brain's pathetic figure gradually disappear, Tang Zheng's lips curved into a meaningful smile.
Instead of spending his own time and effort on research, wasn't it much faster to let these geniuses of the otherworld develop things for him?
When he had made his move earlier, Tang Zheng had already left a magical mark on Brain. From this moment on, he could track Brain's movements at any time.
With a wave of his arm, the Tranquility Dominion Angel and Monitoring Dominion Angel dissipated into white light sparks. A glance around revealed a field of corpses, testament to what had just transpired.
Tang Zheng walked to the front of the carriage and looked at Enri, who was still clutching her short sword, her face pale and stiff. He chuckled lightly, "Weren't you very brave just now? Why are you so scared again?"
"L-Lord, I, Lord..."
Enri's voice stuttered. Her pupils were red with fear, yet also held a trace of adoration.
The scene of her lord summoning those powerful angels had made Enri involuntarily recall the storybooks she had heard as a child.
"Blargh~"
As Enri's tense nerves finally relaxed, the thick stench of blood in the air rushed in, making her stomach churn.
Even though Enri felt she had come to understand the cruelty of being an adventurer, and had even seen quite a few corpses, the sight of so many bodies still made her limbs go weak.
Tang Zheng raised an eyebrow, turning his head with a look of slight distaste. At the same time, he was somewhat impressed that Enri had held on for this long.
On the numerous corpses littering the ground were many magic items. Tang Zheng had the ghoul dogs collect them.
Though he looked down on these ordinary magic items, they could be exchanged for money or given to his subordinates.
A moment later, Enri was huddled weakly in a corner of the carriage. The Green Leaf Witch had also returned; the entire Spreading Death Sword Group had been eliminated by the Twin Witches.
Of all the attackers, besides the escaped Brain, not a single one survived.
Rumble, rumble~
The carriage wheels rolled over the rough ground and the dried blood frozen to it, continuing on its way.
Soon, the large number of corpses alarmed the nearby villages and surrounding towns, with the news even reaching nearby noble territories and the large city of E-Rantel.
The largest territory in this area belonged to Marquis Raeven, and the other small and medium-sized nobles were all under his authority.
The impact of dozens of corpses was on a completely different level than the few scattered bodies from before.
Besides the Kingdom's officials and the nobles, various other factions sent people to investigate.
After confirming that most of the dead were members of the "Death Spreading Sword Corps"—a group with a terrible reputation that was already wanted by the Kingdom—the major nobles in the area collectively breathed a sigh of relief. When further investigation revealed it was related to adventurers, they immediately ceased their inquiries.
After all, the Adventurer's Guild was an organization independent of the Kingdom.
As long as the dead weren't civilians, the nobles weren't about to waste their time on it.
Even the governors dispatched from the Royal Capital to various regions, after understanding the situation, didn't investigate further or issue any additional orders.
Instead, they passed this information back to the Royal Capital.
The other factions naturally concluded their investigations quickly as well. The incident itself wasn't complicated, but the result was somewhat beyond their expectations.
Information about the Gold-rank Adventurer Team, "Free Will," began to appear on the desks of various factions.
Tang Zheng's group proceeded at their usual pace, selling "Regeneration Potions" whenever they reached a village or a large city.
During this process, no more attacks occurred. It was as if all the hunters who had been eyeing the bounty had suddenly vanished.
Dusk.
The pale golden afterglow penetrated the clouds, falling upon the towering, majestic city walls of the Royal Capital, which were filled with mystery and majesty.
Re-Estize Kingdom.
Royal Capital.
In the deepest part of the entire city, connected to the city wall, was the royal castle, Lorenti, formed by more than twenty round, giant towers built at intervals.
Only under the light of dusk could one faintly make out the massive magic formation on the city wall, constructed from magical patterns that reflected a faint glimmer of magic power.
At the very center of the royal castle stood an exquisite and luxurious palace. This was not only the heart of the royal city, but also the place where many nobles and important ministers held court meetings with the king—the Francia Palace.
Inside a lavishly decorated, multi-functional room filled with an air of authority, a figure sat on the throne. His hair was white but neatly combed, his face aged, and his body frail. His somewhat withered hands grasped a scepter, and a crown rested upon his head.
Such attire and position left no doubt as to his status—Ramposa III!
At this moment, a hint of fatigue showed on Ramposa III's wrinkled cheeks. The crown on his head felt a bit heavy; having just concluded a meeting, his stamina was already failing him.
He had ascended to the throne at the age of 21 and was now 57. Even among the other countries, he was considered a long-lived king.
This was an age when he should have passed the throne to his successor, but Ramposa III had no suitable heir in mind.
The thought of his two sons secretly at odds with each other left Ramposa III feeling weary. It wasn't that the two princes weren't outstanding.
Rather, in Ramposa III's eyes, the moment he abdicated, regardless of which son ascended, he would likely become a puppet of the great nobles behind him.
Ramposa III sighed inwardly. It wasn't just the issue of a successor, but also the Kingdom's internal problems and the perennial wars with the Empire.
This series of issues made Ramposa III, already old, feel that he was losing his grip.
Fortunately, it wasn't all bad news.
Several thoughts flashed through Ramposa III's mind, but the expression on his face remained unchanged, still full of majesty.
He lifted his eyelids slightly, looking at the two figures standing below.
One was Gazef, who had won his way through the combat stage of the Royal Court Tournament and been personally granted the title of "Warrior Captain" by him.
The other was Leinas, who had defected from the Empire to join the Kingdom's faction. She was secretly known as the "Bloody Rose," but publicly called the "Kingdom's Rose" by various parties.
Both were rare geniuses and assets to the Kingdom.
Faintly, Ramposa III could also see, behind the two of them, another battlefield where the "Pro-Royal Faction" and the "Noble Faction" secretly vied for power.
This, too, could be considered a good thing.
"You two are already aware of the situation. What happens next will depend on your abilities."
"I hope to see your prowess on the battlefield against the Empire next year."
A slight smile appeared on Ramposa III's wrinkled face as his aged voice slowly rang out.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Gazef immediately bowed deeply and replied respectfully.
Leinas's reaction was calmer; she merely curtsied slightly, performing a noble's etiquette.
Ramposa III was not surprised by the clear difference in their attitudes. Compared to a talent of commoner origin like Gazef, who had little world experience, it was an extremely difficult matter to make a noble-born like Leinas offer her complete loyalty.
However, Ramposa III didn't mind. As a traitor to the Empire who had joined their Kingdom, Leinas had no third option.
Even if she were to betray their Kingdom, no other country would be willing to accept such a person. On the contrary, she would be hunted by two major nations.
So, in a sense, Leinas was actually more reliable than Gazef.
Ramposa III gave a slight nod and waved his withered hand, signaling that the two could leave.
Leinas and Gazef curtsied once more, retreated from the room, and walked toward the exit of the Francia Palace.
Their figures were reflected on the polished floor and in the exquisite passage.
Leinas remained expressionless from start to finish, projecting a cold, unapproachable air.
Gazef, trailing half a step behind, looked as if he wanted to speak several times, but always swallowed his words, a hint of awkwardness and helplessness on his face.
The path ahead soon came to a fork.
Leinas and Gazef both paused their steps, because a figure had appeared at the fork ahead, blocking their way.
Even someone with Gazef's temperament couldn't help but be a little stunned at the sight of this figure.
She was an exceptionally beautiful young lady. Even just standing there quietly, she was enough to draw anyone's gaze.
A head of golden hair flowed, smooth and soft, over her fair neck and down her back. Her cherry-pink lips were pursed into a radiant smile.
Her sapphire-like, deep blue eyes looked at the two of them with a gentle light.
A simple white dress, devoid of any extra ornaments, further accentuated the girl's sacred and pure appearance.
After a moment of daze, Gazef hastily averted his gaze, a hint of panic in his eyes. He lowered his head and bowed respectfully.
"Your Highness, Princess Renner."
Even though Gazef had never met her, he could confirm her identity based on her beauty alone.
Just as the rumors said. Worthy of the "Golden" name.
(end of chapter)