Enemies Meet

On the Yulan Continent, Deke County City of the O'Brien Empire was a medium-sized city located at the junction of the Northwest Province and the North Sea Province. Because of its unique location, although it was only a small-to-medium city capable of housing two or three hundred thousand people, Deke County City saw a tremendous flow of people every day.

Although the Radiant Church had been ruthlessly dealt with by Bolan several years ago, Bolan had not been active on the continent in recent years. As a result, the remaining high-ranking members of the Radiant Church unanimously believed that Bolan might have gone to the teleportation array in the Arctic Ice Sheet and departed for one of the Supreme Planes or a divine plane.

However, since they could not be certain that the white-haired Fiend truly would not appear on the Yulan Continent again, after much deliberation, the remaining members of the Radiant Church still dispatched a peak Saint-level expert: Steller, formerly a special executive of the Radiant Church, whose strength was no weaker than Wusennuo's had been.

They sent him into the outside world to find out whether that man had truly disappeared.

That day, Steller, who had just emerged from the deep mountains and old forests, headed straight for Deke County City in the O'Brien Empire. Relatively speaking, this was a good place to gather intelligence. After all, Bolan had first made his name in the O'Brien Empire, and the current O'Brien Empire had even granted that Fiend's family a marquis title. If there was anywhere to find news of Bolan, gathering intelligence in the O'Brien Empire was indeed a good choice.

On that very day, Bolan's younger brother, Linley, also appeared in Deke County City with several people. Just like in the original story, there were five burly men over two meters tall, their bulging muscles making them look like Fiends from Hell. Weren't they the Barker brothers of the Amanda Family, the Undying Warriors among the Four Ultimate Warriors? There was also a thin, shriveled old man in a black robe. He was Cesler, a Level 9 necromancy Archmagus. These people, who had all been persecuted by the Radiant Church in the original story, had somehow still gathered together. One could not help but marvel at the wonders of Fate.

By coincidence, the two groups entered the same small tavern. Linley arrived first and led the others to seats by the window. Steller came later and sat near the entrance. Thus, guided by Fate, the two groups met.

At first, neither group paid attention to the other. Then Gates, the youngest of the Undying Five Brothers, shouted, "Lord Linley, all we've heard about along the way has been your elder brother's legendary deeds! That lord is truly incredible!" Gates cried out with admiration. The brothers beside him immediately revealed expressions of immense reverence upon hearing their youngest brother's words, as though the lord they spoke of was their only faith. Even Cesler, who had lived for more than eight hundred years, could not help showing a trace of admiration.

Hearing the Barker brothers, fellow Ultimate Warriors, revere his elder brother so deeply, Linley could not help smiling happily. Bebe and the shrunken Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon, Sadius, who were on the table, also wore admiring expressions. Even Bebe, who feared neither Heaven nor Earth, could not help puffing out his little chest whenever Bolan was mentioned.

Steller, seated near the entrance, heard every word. He secretly looked over, only to find that everyone before him was an acquaintance. There was the white-haired Fiend's younger brother, Linley Baruch; Cesler, the Level 9 necromancy Archmagus whom the church had long pursued; and several tower-like strong men who were also listed in the Radiant Church's records as ideal candidates for "angel vessels."

This was truly a meeting of enemies, leaving both sides seeing red. According to the church's intelligence, Linley only had a level 8 black shadow mouse magical beast and another small pet of unknown species. Linley's own strength was estimated to be merely that of a level 8 magus. In Steller's eyes, even if Linley could transform into a Dragonblood Warrior, there was nothing to fear. After all, not every Dragonblood Warrior was as monstrous as Bolan.

In Steller's view, only Cesler, the Level 9 necromancy Archmagus, deserved some caution. Everyone else was meat on the chopping block. With his peak Saint-level strength, he refused to believe he could fall at the hands of a few level 8 ants!

PS: "Because Linley needed experience, the Saint-level Spine-backed Iron-armored Dragon had directly shrunk itself and withdrawn the spikes on its body. It therefore looked like a strange little lizard of mixed appearance, which gave Steller the wrong impression."

Kill Bolan's younger brother! Steller did not know how many times this thought had flashed through his mind since earlier. Just thinking about that Fiend's younger brother dying by his own hand made his whole body tremble. Steller was extremely excited!

He did not intend to make a move in the city. There were too many people there, and it would be easy to expose himself. If that Fiend had not yet left the Yulan Plane and learned that his younger brother had been killed by members of the Radiant Church, then relentlessly hunted down the church's remaining members, the church would be in serious trouble.

After Linley and the others had eaten and drunk their fill, they left Deke County City and headed toward a remote mountain range, as though they intended to stay there for a time. Steller followed directly behind them. What he did not know was that he had already been exposed. The moment he appeared, Sadius had identified his strength. After all, a Saint-level expert entering the little tavern right after they did was suspicious no matter how one looked at it. Based on Sadius's description of his appearance, Linley and the others realized that this Saint-level expert from the Radiant Church definitely bore them ill will. (Steller: "I'm so damn wronged.")

After leaving the city, Linley and the others stopped amid a secluded mountain range. "Why has the famed Lord Steller been following ordinary people like us?" Steller, who had been following behind them, knew his tracks had been exposed upon hearing Linley's words. Yet confident in his own strength, he no longer bothered concealing himself and leaped out openly. He then glanced at Cesler with a hint of wariness. In his view, only Cesler, who practiced necromancy magic, could possibly have discovered him.

"You are hardly ordinary people. One is the younger brother of the church's greatest criminal, one is a necromancy Archmagus the church has pursued for years, and the rest of you are criminals the church has ordered captured," Steller said coldly.

"Especially you, Linley Baruch—the younger brother of Bolan Baruch, the Radiant Church's greatest enemy. He committed such heinous crimes against the church. Now, your life will have to serve as an offering to the church brethren who died at that Fiend's hands." With that, he stared at Linley, murder in his eyes.