After leaving Chier County City, Linley headed south.
He was in no hurry.
Wharton was still in the imperial capital, but Linley knew nothing of his younger brother's current circumstances. Rather than travel day and night, he might as well gather news along the way.
A few days later, Linley entered a small city.
The city was small, but its streets were bustling. At dusk, Linley walked into a tavern with Bebe and Haeru.
Haeru was too large and could only lie by the street outside the tavern. Bebe crouched on Linley's shoulder, concealing his aura.
Linley sat in a corner and ordered a jug of wine.
He had barely drunk two cups when voices from the next table reached him.
"Another ten days or half a month, and this assignment will be over."
"It'll finally be over. How many men did we lose catching that old fellow?"
"Five ninth-rank experts."
"Hmph. Five ninth-rank experts for one Grand Necromancer. That's worth it."
The wine cup in Linley's hand stopped.
He did not turn around, only quietly spread out his spiritual energy.
There were six people at the next table.
One wore red robes, his aura steadier than the others'. The rest wore black robes. Some carried longswords on their backs, while others had Church badges hanging at their waists.
The Radiant Church.
"How's that old fellow doing now?" someone asked quietly.
"He's in magic-sealing manacles, locked up in a courtyard in the east of the city. Right now, he's weaker than an ordinary person."
"We've already caught him. Why be so careful?"
"He made the Church chase him for two years and cost us five ninth-rank experts. Would you dare let your guard down?"
The red-robed man set down his wine cup.
"Enough talk. Once we leave the O'Brien Empire, we'll return to the Holy Island immediately. As long as we bring him back, the losses of these past two years will have been worth it."
A cold gleam flashed through Linley's eyes.
Sessler.
He had never seen this name, but he had heard rumors of a ninth-rank Grand Necromancer.
More importantly, the people escorting him belonged to the Radiant Church.
The enmity between Linley and the Radiant Church had long since become a fight to the death.
Grandpa Doehring, Linley asked inwardly, how strong are these men?
"Six ninth-rank experts." Doehring stood behind him, stroking his white beard. "If you decide to act, you mustn't let a single one escape."
"I know."
"That old man might not be willing to come with you."
"I'll rescue him first."
Linley left a few gold coins and rose to leave the tavern.
The six Radiant Church experts did not leave until half an hour later.
Linley followed far behind.
Bebe slipped into the shadows, while Haeru circled onto another street and headed to the east of the city ahead of them.
Linley did not have Haeru act immediately.
This time, he wanted to find out the courtyard's layout first.
After darkness had fully fallen, the escort party entered a secluded courtyard.
The courtyard was small, with three rooms inside.
Sessler was locked in the middle room.
Two ninth-rank experts guarded the door, while the other four stayed in rooms on the second floor. There were no visible sentries around the courtyard walls, but simple Light Element alarm spells had been set up.
Linley stood outside the courtyard wall, waiting quietly.
The two guards in the courtyard conversed in low voices.
"These past two years have been rough."
"So many of our brothers died just to catch one man. Luckily, we're inside the empire now. There shouldn't be any more trouble."
"Don't speak too soon."
"What's there to fear? This is the O'Brien Empire."
After a moment, one of them turned to leave.
"I'm going to relieve myself. Keep an eye on him."
The remaining black-robed man stood before the door, his expression gradually relaxing.
Linley entered from outside the courtyard wall.
There was no sound of wind.
There were no footsteps.
In his perception, the surrounding space seemed to slow. Even the flames in the corner did not flicker in the slightest.
He came to stand before the ninth-rank guard.
The black-robed man suddenly looked up.
The Edgeless Heavy Sword was already cleaving down.
Space abruptly grew heavy.
The man tried to retreat, but his body seemed mired in a bog. He could not even make a sound. He raised his palm, rapidly gathering Light Battle Qi.
The heavy sword struck his palm first.
Bam!
His palm and arm exploded simultaneously.
Edgeless continued downward, smashing viciously into his chest.
The man shuddered, his breastbone shattered, and his entire body crumpled before the door.
Linley caught his corpse and gently laid it beside the wall.
He pushed open the door.
The room was dark.
A white-haired old man sat in the corner.
His hair and long eyebrows were white, his cheeks gaunt, his body as thin as a skeleton draped in skin. His emerald-green eyes glimmered in the darkness as he stared coldly at Linley.
"Which plane are you a dragonman from?"
Sessler's voice was hoarse, but held not a trace of fear.
Linley did not explain his origins.
Sessler glanced outside, then looked at Edgeless on Linley's back.
"Can you break the magic-sealing manacles?"
"Hold out your hands."
Without hesitation, Sessler held out both hands.
Black magic-sealing manacles clamped tightly around his wrists, their surfaces covered in fine, densely packed light runes.
Linley raised Edgeless.
The heavy sword descended gently.
Crack!
Several cracks appeared in the magic-sealing manacles.
Sessler shook his wrists, and the manacles immediately broke into two pieces.
The restriction vanished.
The magical energy within Sessler instantly recovered.
His withered fingers moved slightly, and cold magical fluctuations immediately appeared in the surrounding space.
"I never asked you to save me." Sessler looked at Linley. "So I don't owe you anything."
Linley glanced at him.
"As you like."
Sessler seemed not to have expected this response from Linley.
He was just about to speak when footsteps suddenly came from the courtyard entrance.
The guard who had left had returned.
He spotted the corpse outside the door at once.
"Enemy attack!"
His voice pierced the night sky.
The four ninth-rank experts upstairs burst through the windows simultaneously.
The red-robed man leading them landed in the courtyard, his gaze falling on Sessler.
"The magic-sealing manacles have been broken?"
He turned to Linley, and his expression instantly changed.
"It's you!"
Linley ignored his surprise.
Sessler walked to the doorway and raised a hand.
Black magical ripples spread beneath his feet.
"You killed one." Sessler swept his gaze over the people in the courtyard. "Of the five left, I want three."
"Fine," Linley said.
A sinister smile appeared on Sessler's face.
"At least you don't seem like a young man who can only boast."
He waved both hands.
Two black dimensional rifts appeared in the courtyard.
Golden skeleton archers stepped out of the rifts, closely followed by three Gold-furred Zombies. A cold aura of death instantly filled the entire courtyard.
The red-robed man's expression changed completely.
"Retreat!"
The six ninth-rank experts had intended to break out over the courtyard walls.
Outside the walls, two black shadows charged in at the same time.
Bebe pounced on a black-robed deacon.
Haeru charged at another Ascetic.
The deacon had barely raised his sword when Bebe's sharp claws pierced his chest.
His heart shattered.
Haeru's forepaw came down on the other Ascetic's shoulder.
Bones broke, and his body was slammed straight into the ground.
The two golden skeleton archers drew their bows simultaneously.
Golden arrows streaked across the night sky.
Squelch!
Squelch!
Two black-robed experts climbing over the courtyard walls had their skulls pierced by arrows.
The remaining red-robed man and a black-robed deacon turned around simultaneously.
Linley was already before them.
The Edgeless Heavy Sword swept across.
The black-robed deacon hurriedly raised his sword to block.
Clang!
The longsword bent.
His arms went numb from the impact, and he staggered backward.
Linley followed with a single step.
The heavy sword cleaved down.
Space solidified around the sword's edge.
With nowhere even to retreat, the black-robed deacon had his chest smashed open by the heavy sword.
The red-robed man gritted his teeth and thrust his sword.
Its blade, wreathed in dense Light Battle Qi, stabbed toward the spot between Linley's eyebrows.
Linley turned aside to evade it.
The Purple Blood Soft Sword sprang from his waist.
The blade swept along the red-robed man's arm.
Blood sprayed.
Having lost an arm, the red-robed man retreated in terror.
Linley withdrew the Purple Blood Soft Sword and gripped Edgeless again.
"You're Linley!" The red-robed man finally recognized him. "You're actually still alive!"
Linley's gaze turned cold.
"So you know me."
"The Church won't let you go!"
"And I won't let the Church go."
The Edgeless Heavy Sword fell.
This time, the heavy sword did not pause.
There were no obvious wounds on the red-robed man's body, but it began to shake violently from within.
His bones shattered, and his internal organs turned to pulp.
His eyes widened, and he collapsed in the courtyard.
From the moment Linley killed the first guard to the fall of the last red-robed expert, only a brief moment had passed.
Six ninth-level experts, all dead.
Sessler stood to one side, having already opened a larger undead portal.
An enormous dragon's head had just emerged from the portal, yet the battle in the courtyard was already over.
Sessler fell silent.
He waved a hand and closed the undead portal again.
"My corpse dragon hadn't even come out yet."
Linley turned and walked away.
"Then let it go back."
Sessler looked at the corpses strewn across the ground, his face twitching slightly.
"Two special executors, two Ascetics, and a Cardinal. You killed three by yourself, and my undead killed two."
Crouching on Linley's shoulder, Bebe couldn't help saying, "Haeru and I were the ones who killed them."
Sessler looked at Bebe, then at Haeru.
"Two magical beasts at the peak of the ninth level."
"Interesting."
Linley reached the courtyard gate and looked back at Sessler.
"Where are you planning to go?"
"I have no destination."
Sessler brushed his white hair back.
"The Radiant Church pursued me for two years, and now another six ninth-level experts have died. Do you think I can still go back to where I was?"
"Then come with me."
Sessler looked at Linley.
"You're not afraid of me?"
"You're a ninth-level Grand Magus of Necromancy," Linley said. "Why should I be afraid?"
Sessler suddenly smiled.
His smile was sinister, yet held a measure of satisfaction.
"What about you, then? Why did you save me?"
"Because you're someone the Radiant Church wants."
"That's the only reason?"
Linley raised his eyes.
"The Radiant Church and I are also sworn enemies."
The green light in Sessler's eyes suddenly flared.
"Very good."
He strode out of the courtyard.
"Linley, my name is Sessler. A ninth-level Grand Magus of Necromancy."
"I know."
"Then let's join forces," Sessler said. "I won't be your subordinate, and don't treat me as someone who owes you a debt of gratitude. We'll simply fight the Radiant Church together."
Linley nodded.
"Agreed."
The distant streets remained silent.
The people of the small city still did not know that the Radiant Church's entire escort party had vanished.
Linley, Bebe, Haeru, and Sessler left the courtyard and headed out of the city.
Doehring followed beside Linley, his gaze resting on Sessler.
"A very interesting old fellow."
Sessler did not turn around, but seemed to have sensed something.
"Linley."
"What?"
"When are you planning to make trouble for the Radiant Church?"
Linley gripped Edgeless's hilt.
"Very soon."
Sessler began to laugh.
Four figures disappeared into the night.
And the plan the Radiant Church had spent two years laying out in the Northwest Province was utterly shattered that night.