Rylan and Sarah headed out of the estate with decisive steps. Even though they walked quickly, his sense of balance was unshaken. One hand on the sword’s hilt, his senses trying to grasp his surroundings accurately, he headed towards the shopping district. The city was different. People stayed to the sides of the main roads; some spoke in hushed tones, while others spoke loudly.

“The City Guard is going to the shopping district! I just saw them pass by!”

“Are you serious? Is it another one of those raids? Are they poking around again?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve never seen so many guards at once! Something is going on.”

From the other side of the street, voices were captured with his improved hearing.

“Someone has fucked up. It’s probably related to all the recent moves by the Guard.”

“Who do you think it is?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m certain that they’re not a small fish. This is gonna go all the way to the top.”

The discussions around him were all about the same topic. Some asked for more information, learning about what was going on, while others gave information away. A slight frown made its way to Rylan’s face. If everyone was this aware of the movements of the Guard, it stood to reason that Evenon already knew about it. The odds of him trying to escape were high. Rylan could only hope that the City Guard had thought of that and put measures in place. Next to him, Sarah spoke as they continued walking.

“How do you think this is going to end, young master?”

He thought about it for a few seconds.

“The way I see it, there are three possibilities. One, Evenon will try to escape; it would be the same as admitting to his crimes, but if he moves to another city, he might succeed in avoiding this. Two, he will willingly comply with the Guard and stand trial; this will lengthen this entire process by an unknown amount, even though he will likely be punished for his crimes at the end of it all the same. Three, he’ll fight back.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Fight back?”

He nodded.

“It’s the most unlikely scenario. He’s a calculating, rational man. I doubt he would truly try to fight against the City Guard, but it’s still a possibility. Either way, all I need is the staff back.”

She looked at him. As he turned to her, he saw different emotions in her eyes. She asked in a low voice.

“What are you hoping for, my lord?”

Rylan remained silent for a few seconds, then replied.

“Truthfully, it would be better if he died today, but as I said, it’s very unlikely. I just want to get the heirloom back.”

“Do you want to kill him yourself?”

He didn’t hesitate.

“Yes.”

Evenon had ruined too many lives. Rylan was no righteous hero, but eliminating him was the right thing to do. The man was a blight. Sarah nodded.

“I respect your decision, young master. You’ve changed.”

It was the first time that she acknowledged his changes. He smiled.

“Sarah.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry about all that you went through because of me. It was more than anybody should have to deal with.”

A shadow of a smile crossed her face.

“It’s fine. It’s my job. I’m glad you’ve grown.”

He nodded. Side by side, they reached the entrance of the shopping district. Just like before, the crowds gathered on the sides of the roads, leaving them empty.

There are far too many people.

If a fight did break out, it was likely that some would be harmed. Knowing this, Rylan spoke loudly.

“Everyone! Do not approach the center of the district! It’s for your own safety.”

Dozens of gazes turned to him. Unshaken, he stood right in the middle of the empty road. He could feel several different emotions in the people’s eyes, ranging from scorn and disregard to confusion and anticipation. It was only natural. Most citizens hadn’t seen his change up close; what they knew about him was the person he used to be. Hushed conversations erupted around him.

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“What the hell is that waste of space going to do right now?”

“Is he somehow related to the movements of the City Guard?”

“Hold up, you might be onto something. Something’s up.”

“Do you think he talked? Told the guard something important?”

“Nah, no way. Rylan Flameheart wouldn’t ruin his own little world.”

“He hasn’t been coming around the shopping district much, though? I heard he hasn’t been to the brothels in over a month.”

Even though the voices superimposed over one another because of the sheer number of people, Rylan still managed to listen to a few. There was no need to explain himself. As he had been doing, his actions would be enough to prove the others wrong. From the start, the opinion of the public didn’t matter much.

The fact that the streets were clear helped Rylan and Sarah move faster towards their destination. Finally, they arrived. A large wooden building stood proudly at the very heart of the shopping district. Over twenty Mages donning the colors of the City Guard stood in front of it. Right behind them, Rylan saw Calan’s figure. He got closer. Seemingly hearing his footsteps, Calan turned to him. He smiled.

“Good morning, Calan.”

Calan smiled as well.

“Hello, Rylan.”

Now, the most important question.

“Is Evenon inside the building?”

“We’ve sent men inside. Following your directions, they found the underground area. They found more evidence and underlings, but no sign of the man himself. Another squad is scouring the actual building.”

“And they’re all within Whisper’s range?”

“Yeah. They should be reaching out in a few minutes.”

Side by side, with Sarah in front of them, they waited. Rylan could feel her mana moving. She was ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. The same went for the guards. Rylan watched them attentively, trying to detect the more minute movements of their mana. Even now, he was training to improve his perception. His training couldn’t stop.

After some time, Calan’s eyes glowed blue. An excited smile made its way to his face.

“They found him!”

Rylan narrowed his eyes, gripping the handle of the sword tighter.

“Did he fight back?”

Calan shook his head.

“No. Not yet, at least.”

Rylan furrowed his brow. What was Evenon planning?

Calan spoke loudly to the guards.

“Ready yourselves!”

"Have everyone disperse. It's better this way," Rylan said. Calan threw him a puzzled look. Rylan raised an eyebrow. Did Calan really not realize that a fight would endanger the whole crowd? Besides, Rylan didn't want anyone to see him fighting. "Just do it."

Calan furrowed his brow and stared at Rylan for a few seconds. As he turned around, a few of the guards pulled out wands, while the others held their staffs. They shifted, getting into a formation. Over ten meters behind them, the crowd also went silent.

"Everyone, move away! This is for your own safety!" Calan yelled as he gestured at a few of the guards.

"We want to know what's going on!" A raspy male voice from the crowd shot back. Rylan frowned. The guards approached the people, but they didn't retreat.

It happened as he was about to turn around and tell Calan to use more forceful methods.

The door opened.

Evenon’s figure came into full view as he stepped out of the building. His short brown hair and beard were illuminated by the sunlight, while his eyes scoured his surroundings, as if he were looking for something. This wasn’t the first thing Rylan took notice of, however.

His gaze moved to the staff Evenon was holding. Completely white in color, gently embracing a red crystal on top. The red lines of energy and the golden engravings united to create the image of flying birds.

It was the heirloom. A chill went down his spine.

Finally, Evenon’s eyes zeroed in on Rylan. They immediately stopped. The man gave him a gentle smile. Rylan reacted immediately.

“Calan. Make everyone retreat. Now!”

He unsheathed his sword and got into the Stormcaller Sword Style’s stance in a heartbeat. Evenon raised the staff. The surrounding guards looked at him, but they were too late. Green mana coursed through the staff.

“Fire Ring.”

The mana around him ignited in the shape of a ring of fire that had him at its very center. As the guards raised their staves and wands, the ring expanded. A wave of fire reached all the guards around him. Their screams resounded. The fire charred their skin and flesh, igniting their hair and melting their eyes. The desperate screams of agony made everyone except for Rylan step back. He had no time to look at Calan’s expression.

“Calan!” he yelled.

At the edge of his vision, Calan flinched. Then, he breathed in and yelled.

“Everyone! Move back! Now!”

The remaining guards started moving before he had even finished talking. A few even turned their back toward Evenon. They simply ran away from the ring of fire that continued to grow without caring about anything else. Some were too slow; the fire reached them and crawled over their skin. Their robes and leather armor ignited, singing their flesh. More screams echoed.

Finally, the fire reached Rylan. His eyes were calm. He raised the sword high above his head, as if preparing for an overhead slash. His mana circulated, fueling the Mountainpeak Swordsmanship’s movement. As he brought the blade down on the wave of fire, it was as if it had been split apart by a divine force. The fire parted, going around him and joining back together behind him. His muscles trembled in complaint. It hadn’t been a Sword Art, but he had spent much more mana than usual in this attack. He heard the yelling from behind him, but his eyes never moved away from the man standing in the middle of the ring of fire.

After what felt like an eternity, the fire vanished, allowing Rylan to see the full extent of the damage the spell had caused. Dozens of corpses lay on the ground, all burned beyond recognition. The smell of burnt flesh was overwhelming. Some of the robes still burned, growing smaller by the second and turning into cinders. The corpses’ eyes had been melted off, as had their lips. Their bones had been burnt black.

Rylan furrowed his brow.

Does the staff really empower fire spells that much?

No, that wasn’t it. It wasn’t the kind of weapon that could create this hellish scene on its own. He stared at Evenon. The man smiled again, raising his right hand and speaking.

“Now, let’s kill each other, like we said we would.”

The ring cracked and fell apart, dropping uselessly to the ground. The moment it did, Evenon’s mana surged. It was as if the very air around him had become heavier. His aura changed. This feeling of pressure and this presence reminded Rylan of a single man, only diminished.

Father.

He heard Calan yell from some distance behind him.

“Fourth Circle!?”

Rylan clicked his tongue. As he thought.

“Today is the day you die, Evenon,” Rylan said after staring at the man for a few seconds. Evenon shook his head.

“Why throw away all that we built together?” he asked.

Rylan didn’t reply. There was no room for wasted words. His opponent was a Fourth Circle Mage.

Falling Snow Steps: Drifting.

He shot forward. Evenon raised his staff again as the distance between them was rapidly reduced. He could feel the man’s mana moving, but he was faster. Evenon only had the time to put his staff in the blade’s way.

A loud noise echoed.