Escaping Patel City

The Jettanson Family patriarch's hand reached for the Death Scythe, but Matthews's Hanguang sliced off his head.

"Someone's been killed!"

When Matthews killed the Jettanson Family patriarch, the maid immediately screamed. Matthews ignored her and tried once more to claim the Sovereign Artifact, the Death Scythe. When he found that he could, he immediately called to the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion, preparing to make for the outskirts of Patel City.

The Jettanson Family's guards were no match for Matthews, who was already a ninth-level warrior, and a ninth-level peak magic beast. The two of them charged straight out of the family estate.

The Patel Family controlled the city. When Matthews left the Jettanson Family after killing someone, it inevitably caused a commotion, and the City Guard reported it to the Patel Family patriarch.

"Patriarch, someone's reported trouble at the Jettanson Family!"

The Patel Family patriarch had been busy dealing with the Saint Realm ancestor's affairs lately. He asked indifferently, "What happened?"

"A ninth-level warrior killed their patriarch at the Jettanson Family. The City Guard and the Jettanson Family's people are giving chase. The enemy has probably already left the city!"

"Do we know why?"

"No."

"Fine. Send people after him."

The Patel Family patriarch assumed it was an ordinary vendetta involving a ninth-level warrior. Since people were already pursuing the culprit, he paid it no mind. There was no need to bother the Saint Realm ancestor of their family over something so minor.

An hour later, Matthews still hadn't stopped for long. He knew that Patel City had Saint Realm experts. If one of them joined the pursuit, neither he nor Pal, the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion, would have any chance of surviving.

"Oh? How interesting."

Hearing the voice of the ninth-level angel Lyriel, who was riding a horse beside him, the Jettanson Family's eldest son, Ford, asked curiously, "What is it?"

"A ninth-level warrior is riding toward us on a ninth-level Blood-Eyed Mane Lion!"

As soon as the ninth-level angel Lyriel finished speaking, Ford Jettanson, already a ninth-level mage, sensed Matthews and Pal as well. Seeing Matthews hurry along atop Pal, he remarked, "That is interesting. A warrior who can subdue a ninth-level peak Blood-Eyed Mane Lion must be close to the Saint Realm."

Just as they were about to try recruiting Matthews for the Church of Light, he passed them without even stopping and raced off, as if some flood or ferocious beast were on his heels.

"Forget it. The Patel Family Saint Realm ancestor's birthday is more important."

Ford Jettanson thought it over and agreed. This was a province near the Magic Beast Mountain Range, so winning over the Saint Realm expert Patel and bringing him into the Church of Light was the top priority.

Not long after they parted ways with Matthews, they encountered people from the Jettanson Family who had chased him out of Patel City. Ford Jettanson recognized one of the knights loyal to their family at a glance. He stepped forward and asked, "What happened?"

"Young master, a ninth-level warrior just killed the master at the family estate, then fled on a magic beast!"

"What?"

The ninth-level angel Lyriel stepped forward and asked, "What is it?"

Ford Jettanson quickly pieced together what had happened. Ten years ago, his father had acquired a weapon at an auction. Later, by chance, he had claimed it as his own. Only after testing it had they discovered that it was a sharp divine artifact.

Since his father was a mage, he had always wielded the divine artifact that resembled a Death Scythe. Judging by what had happened, the ninth-level warrior they had just encountered was his father's killer. He also knew that the warrior had a peak Blood-Eyed Mane Lion. He probably couldn't recover the artifact on his own.

"Lyriel, do me a favor."

Although descended angels couldn't train to become stronger, they still had human thoughts. And angels like them, who had descended into the world, were generally treated by the Church as expendable resources, so they had allies within the Church.

Lyriel looked at Ford Jettanson. They had come for the Patel Family Saint Realm ancestor's birthday, which was only a few days away. Helping Ford Jettanson kill a ninth-level warrior wouldn't take long, so she nodded.

As Matthews rode the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion onward, he suddenly sensed a fluctuation in the magic elements. He urged the lion to dart aside, narrowly dodging a fire serpent plunging from the sky!

Forced to stop by the magical attack, Matthews looked up and saw an eighth-level magic beast, a Thunderbird, flying overhead. A mage stood on its back.

An angel was also blocking the path ahead. Matthews jumped off the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion and said to it, "Hold off the angel. I'll kill the mage."

In that brief moment, Ford Jettanson unleashed an area-of-effect spell from the sky.

"Meteor Shower!"

He had assumed that neither Matthews nor the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion could fly. So he used his strongest attack, hoping to take Matthews out in one strike.

Matthews's lightning-wreathed figure suddenly shot into the air, and a flash of blade light followed. The eighth-level Thunderbird, already flying low, was cut down. Ninth-level mage Ford Jettanson jumped off in time, barely dodging the strike.

Just as Matthews prepared to kill the ninth-level mage, the angel Lyriel flew up and dodged the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion's attack. She appeared in front of Ford Jettanson and blocked Matthews's deadly blow.

"This is bad, Ford. We should retreat!"

Seeing that Matthews could also fly using lightning magic, and that Ford Jettanson had lost his flying magic beast, the angel Lyriel knew Ford would be at a disadvantage against the ninth-level warrior.

If Ford was killed, she probably wouldn't escape either, so Lyriel began to consider retreating. She glanced at Ford, who was glaring at Matthews with hatred, and urged him, "We have to put the mission first!"

Ford Jettanson shook his head. Their brief exchange had shown him that he was no match for the warrior before him. Recovering the family's divine artifact was impossible for him alone.

"He took the treasure I intended to offer the Church. We have to get it back."

Lyriel hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What is it?"

"A divine artifact! We have to kill him. Otherwise, he'll become the most dangerous enemy of the Church of Light."

While Ford and the angel discussed what to do, Matthews and Pal were also making plans. A mage who had lost the advantage of flight stood no chance against a Saint Realm peak magic beast. So Matthews would deal with the angel, whom Pal hadn't managed to hold off.

Before the angel and Ford had finished discussing matters, Matthews and the Blood-Eyed Mane Lion were already charging toward them. Lyriel had no choice but to swing her sword at the oncoming Matthews.