Due to the Tarnished's interference and Moongrum's prior actions within the Academy, the institution now existed in name only. The glintstone apprentices and sorcerers belonging to the Academy had essentially vanished, leaving only the Cuckoo Knights on the front lines, who remained unaware of the upheaval that had occurred within the gates.
Or rather, the Cuckoos did not care about the Academy's ultimate fate. The more chaotic the Academy became, the more excited they grew... While the Star and Moon vied for brilliance, little did they know that the birds called Cuckoos would use the radiance of those very stars to make themselves even more beautiful.
However, one must not celebrate too early. The current situation was absolutely dire for the Cuckoos. When they retreated from the front lines to return to the Academy, they found themselves barred from entry.
The voice coming from within the gates was one that irritated them beyond measure—the Carian Knight Moongrum, and the Troll, Bols.
"Carian Knights... damn them, when did they get inside?" The battlefield between the two sides had been primarily concentrated in the west. Due to the Tarnished's intervention and the Academy's information blackout, they were unaware of such a massive change.
Furthermore, the Tarnished had avoided the gaze of the Cuckoo Knights. Before returning to the Academy, the Cuckoos were still dreaming of dominating both Caria and the Academy.
"Cuckoos, your chance is gone. The Academy is dead in all but name; do you lowly birds truly think you can inherit the brilliance of the stars?" Moongrum's words were laced with contempt. These Cuckoo Knights were most fond of using filthy and underhanded methods. To call them knights was an insult to the word itself.
The greed of the Cuckoos had made them disloyal to the masters they served; seeing them fall into such a state was immensely gratifying. Their roars of fury sounded like celestial music to the ears of Bols and Moongrum.
There was nothing more refreshing than hearing an enemy who had ambushed one's homeland howl in such futile resentment. If there were anything better... it would be the Queen regaining her sanity.
The Cuckoos were utterly defeated, but the Carian side could not be considered to have won a total victory. Currently, the Queen was still a pitiful figure, drowned in her own fantasies, and the Carian Princess, Ranni, was nowhere to be found. Their last contact with Ranni had actually been through the sorcery she had set up to protect her mother...
Caria was a power led by a Queen. The Moon they believed in held a high affinity for women; from the founding of Caria to the present day, no new moon had ever been discovered by a male... This was perhaps because the ancestors of the Carians were the Nox, who were similarly dominated by women...
In other words, if Caria were to be restored, Ranni had to be found...
"My sweetings... you shall be born again and again..." Rennala still cradled the Amber Egg left by Radagon, nurturing it with the same care she would show her own beloved child.
"Moongrum, I must ask... what exactly is this Amber Egg?" Bols only knew that the egg was left by Radagon, but even he could sense a transcendent aura within it.
"A demigod resides within the amber... have you heard that saying? It refers to the amber-colored dross formed from momentarily passing starlight. Starlight commands the fate of the gods, and this Great Amber Egg was likely crafted from amber starlight collected by Radagon."
"Perhaps the Great Rune of the Unborn taken by the Tarnished was produced because of this very characteristic," Moongrum explained slowly.
"A perfectly fine family, ruined by that fellow Radagon," Bols said with intense anger. Whether it was the eldest, Radahn, or the youngest, Ranni, he had watched them all grow up.
The past had been so peaceful. Bols could guarantee that it was absolutely the most harmonious place in the entire Lands Between. It was a pity that peace is so fragile—so hard to come by, yet so easily destroyed...
Considerable time had passed since the Tarnished helped Thops escape his predicament. The two had intended to head to the Academy, but they were influenced by the sudden appearance of another rune, which changed their subsequent itinerary.
The rune brought a message from Nepheli. It was brief but radiated her fury. The location mentioned was a place called the Village of the Albinaurics, where a tragedy involving the mass slaughter of villagers had occurred.
The victims were villagers with silver blood and withered lower limbs—the legendary first-generation Albinaurics. The situation was dire, and Nepheli wanted the Tarnished to assist her in the investigation.
"Village of the Albinaurics?" Millicent's expression turned solemn. She hadn't expected to encounter such bastards who treated life like grass again. Her eyes seemed to seek the Tarnished's approval, and as she expected, he did not disappoint her...
The two spurred Torrent toward the mysterious, secluded settlement according to the directions in Nepheli's message...
The location of the Village of the Albinaurics was very hidden, near the area the Tarnished had gone when tracking Adan. Specifically, it was on the western side of a swamp. The deeper they went, the stranger the scenery became.
Dead trees, mud, gloom, and hanging humanoid corpses... it stood in stark contrast to the beautiful scenery of Liurnia.
"Is this... is this all caused by the massacre?" Looking at the dense rows of gaunt remains hanging high on poles by the roadside, Millicent once again witnessed the depths of human evil.
The entire village was tucked beneath a cliff, barely seeing any light. These first-generation Albinaurics had retreated to this sunless place just to survive, yet they still couldn't escape the fate of persecution.
"I am glad you could come, Tarnished... and the lady swordswoman beside you..." Nepheli's mood was foul. She closed the eyes of an Albinauric who hadn't even found peace in death before approaching the two.
"When I was a child, I saw it... the strong slaughtering the weak at will... that filthy desire is loathsome..." Nepheli's tone was low, as if she were suppressing something. "But I am different now... I am no longer that helpless little girl... I am Nepheli Loux... I will make those who prey on the weak understand... what the dignity of a warrior truly is."
"Will you two lend me your strength?" Nepheli looked at them with her resolute eyes.
"Of course," Millicent stepped forward to affirm. Two straightforward people needed few words; they both had similar scales in their hearts guiding them forward.
Nepheli had something on her mind, but since she didn't want to speak of it, the Tarnished wouldn't force her. He only hoped that after this, she could resolve the storm troubling her heart...
There were no living people left in the village... countless spirits, unwilling to accept death, lingered on. At the end of the village stood a somewhat eerie figure—a bone-chilling smile and a crude, bloody cleaver lined with horns.
This person was an Omenkiller. True to the name, they were specialized in hunting the despised Omens. The horns on their twin cleavers were sliced from the bodies of Omen children. They were not righteous people.
They were merely killing machines—former perfumers who had consumed a draught to destroy their own hearts and spirits to eradicate the Omen phenomenon.
"..." Nepheli silently gripped her twin axes. The village was dark, but the gloom on Nepheli's face was no lighter than the surroundings...
"Be careful, there are two other enemies around him." Millicent glanced toward a dark corner; the fur of beasts did not escape her sharp eyes.
"Ah... two Tarnished... and a cripple." The Omenkiller turned around. The bronze mask with its eerie, fixed smile was hair-raising. Rumor had it that this was the image of the old man whom Omen children feared in their dreams.
His true identity was unknown, though suspected to be closely linked to the Omens—a presence in their dreams that was both laughing and lecherous.
"Interesting. An Omenkiller isn't off bothering Omens, but has come to this village to persecute Albinaurics instead?" the Tarnished mocked. Though their spirits were eroded, it didn't mean they couldn't speak.
"The wicked Haligtree dares to harbor Omens... Omens should vanish from this world. Any power that shields them is our enemy." His words seemed to miss the point, but they hinted at a piece of information.
Namely, that this Village of the Albinaurics was related to the Haligtree. The Omenkiller had struck because the Haligtree accepted all things, and he believed the Albinaurics were connected to it.
"I'm quite curious... how did you, who only sense Omens, find this place? You aren't the true mastermind behind this massacre, are you?"
"Nothing to say..." The hunter needed no further words. He swung his great cleavers, and two massive stray dogs hidden in the shadows lunged out.
"It seems someone really did guide you here," the Tarnished sneered.
"Leave him to me... I'll leave the other two to you." Nepheli was the first to charge forward, bypassing the two annoying dogs to clash with the Omenkiller.
Three-on-three was perfectly fair. The two dogs posed no difficulty for the Tarnished and Millicent. Their side of the battle reached a quick conclusion, but things weren't as ideal on Nepheli's end...
The Omenkiller possessed immense strength and agile movement. Nepheli's combat techniques couldn't gain an advantage against him; she was being suppressed by the Omenkiller's monstrous strength throughout.
"Little brat... I won't kill you. Go." The Omenkiller forced Nepheli back with a swing.
"Won't... kill me? Keep your pity! Or did someone tell you to do this! Who was it!!" Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Nepheli roared and summoned a storm to engage the Omenkiller in a second round of combat.
Millicent wanted to step in and help, but she could see Nepheli had something weighing on her... From the attitude just now, it was clear this hunter was intentionally holding back against Nepheli. Could this matter really be related to Nepheli as well...?
"Little brat, you are still too green... as a warrior... you haven't done enough." Cleaving through the storm, the Omenkiller kicked Nepheli in the abdomen. The intense pain made her head swim, leaving her unable to even cry out.
"That's enough." Millicent truly couldn't stand by any longer. If she waited any further, the Omenkiller might actually deliver a lethal blow.
"...? Such sharp swordplay." Millicent's terrifying strike nearly severed the hunter's left arm. Blood gushed from his limb, but he seemed unable to feel pain. After crudely tending to the wound, he raised his cleaver to continue the attack.
If it were the previous Millicent, she might have found it troublesome. But now, having comprehended the mysterious Waterfowl Dance, she had reached a new level of bodily control despite having only one arm. Coordinating with that sword technique, she drove the hunter into a desperate retreat.
"Such a hard body... but it is still flesh and blood in the end." Under the hunter's berserk attacks, Millicent remained unscathed. Conversely, the Omenkiller was covered in bloody "gashes." Even if he couldn't feel pain, his body was issuing warnings—especially the leg muscles used for movement, which Millicent had sliced through. He had already lost... and before long, his life would come to an end.
"Please... wait..." Nepheli's exhausted voice caused a slight shift in the battlefield...
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