Chapter 37: Three Months Later

—Three months later—
Three months had passed since the Battle of the Brimme Fields. In that largest civil war in imperial history, Argus, Argus BartClarkefield—the man who had once stood at the pinnacle of the empire and ruled it for three full years—finally died in that battle. His final battle against Thors, and the duel between the two apostles, marked the end of his short life.
Yet the death of this man who had brought darkness did not mean an end to the empire’s dark era; on the contrary, it was merely the beginning…
The Battle of the Brimme Fields left behind far too many sources of instability. First, the nobles who had led the battle did not receive the benefits they deserved. While Ravia, Allen, Scott, and even Prince Theo celebrated their victory, they were shocked to discover that the Saxon Imperial City had already been taken over by another force—a military force that had seized control of Saxon before them.
It was an army led by the Flores family, and the man who stepped forward was someone familiar to Allen, Scott, and Thors: Vincent Flores, the young man who had been defeated by Thors and Allen in the trials at the Riox Academy.
Taking advantage of Altak, Galleck, and Operelles being severely weakened, the Flores family seized control of Saxon’s noble elite. Even JerryBelfort, the president of the Royal Magic Association, defected to their side.
Remember, during that final battle, JerryBelfort never intervened at all. Scott and the others had already found it suspicious, and now they finally understood.
Argus, that pitiful man who had almost brought the entire empire under his control, seemed to have been exploited even in his final moments by the nobles he despised the most…
The Flores family, now in control of Saxon, wisely extended an olive branch to Prince Theo. Represented by his legitimate son, Vincent Flores, they supported Prince Theo as the new emperor. At the same time, they also reached out in friendship to Scott, who represented Galleck. This made the internal dynamics of the allied forces increasingly complicated, especially for Altak and Operelles, who had paid a heavy price for this battle.
I remember, at that meeting held in Saxon—where the post-war spoils were to be divided—Allen’s expression remained gloomy throughout, while Ravia lost her usual composure in anger and stormed out.

Although they won this battle, Altak and Operelles were defeated in the filthy power struggles among the nobles. Worse still, Galic reaped the benefits of the war, causing a sharp deterioration in relations among the three major forces of the allied forces. Even the friendships between Scott, Ravia, and Allen were greatly affected.
The allied forces were successfully divided…
“Damn it! That bastard!”
In a spacious and bright room, Ravia sat on the sofa, cursing angrily. Of course, she wasn’t cursing Scott but Vincent Flores, who had stolen the fruits of the allied forces’ victory.
At the other end of the room, Thos sat behind a large desk, rolling his eyes helplessly as he stared at the piles of documents on the desk. He covered his forehead weakly and said indifferently, “Isn’t that guy your ex-lover?”
“What do you mean?” Ravia frowned, then seemed to remember something. She giggled, biting her lip teasingly, “Oh, my husband is jealous. How unfortunate…” She walked over to Thos, leaned half on his shoulder, and giggled, “So you do care?”
“Hey!” Thos couldn’t help but roll his eyes again. He moved his shoulder, which was pressed tightly by Ravia, and said irritably, “I still have important things to do. Can you stop bothering me all the time? You’ve finished your tasks—why haven’t you gone back to Altak yet?”
“…” Ravia’s smile froze on her face. She glared at Thos hatefully and said sarcastically, “What a heartless husband! I’m leaving so you can go be with your little lover, right?” As she spoke, her slender fingers scratched Thos’s cheek teasingly. “Do you have anything to explain? Lord Headmaster of Heliriox, huh?”
Speaking of which, the Magic Academy Heliriox had been rebuilt. After all, with the power of so many dark magicians, building a new academy was a very simple task.

The new Heliorox Academy still stood in Vando, built on the ruins of the old one. Unable to resist Professor Manhert’s persistent requests, Thos reluctantly became the academy’s headmaster. After the battle in the Brim Fields against Argus, his fame had soared, making him a symbol of Heliorox. Moreover, he enjoyed the trust of the elders of Vandel, making him an ideal candidate for the position. The only regret was that Thos’s original plans were completely disrupted—he had intended to return to Jerbat with Dia right after dealing with Argus.

Glancing helplessly at Lavia, Thos sighed inwardly, closed the documents on the table, and said irritably, “It seems you’re becoming more and more eager to undermine me.”

“Is that so?” Lavia winked playfully, then stepped away from Thos and stood by the window, gazing at the campus. With a hint of resentment, she said, “I’m not willing to just go back like this. I won’t accept that the warriors of Altak sacrificed themselves in vain. Vincent Flores… one day I’ll make those despicable guys pay a heavy price!” Turning around, she added pitifully, “Won’t you comfort me?”

Thos rolled his eyes speechlessly, pinched the bridge of his nose, stood up from his seat, and walked over to Lavia. Looking out the window, he said gravely, “Rather than Vincent Flores, I’m more concerned about who has taken away the soul energies from that altar…”

He was referring, of course, to the souls inside the black silver cup atop the dark altar created by Argus. That cup contained the soul energies Argus had gathered over three years, including those of human soldiers who died in the Brim Fields battle. Thos and his companions had planned to release those poor souls after the battle, but to their shock, not a trace of those soul energies remained in the black silver cup…

Although they destroyed the cup, they had no idea where those soul energies had gone. Even Abel, a genius among astrologers and a witch, couldn’t predict the mastermind behind this darkness.

Without those soul energies, the dark altar was nothing but an empty shell!

“Someone else got there first!” Lavia sighed slightly as she looked at the man beside her. “Though it’s frustrating, didn’t we successfully prevent the resurrection of Mammon? That’s a huge victory!”

“That’s true!” Thos smiled slightly.

Just then, the door to the office was knocked on firmly. After Thors gave permission, Manhert, whose hair had gradually turned gray, came in wearing reading glasses. This respectable old man had devoted countless efforts to the reconstruction of the Rexx Academy. Bowing slightly at Lavia, Professor Manhert said with a smile, “Dean, the academy is on the right track. Aside from a few minor issues, it’s basically complete…” Indeed, this once worried old man seemed much happier and in better spirits after seeing the reconstruction of Rexx. “Hmm! Thank you for your hard work!” Thors nodded, looking at Professor Manhert with deep gratitude. He was well aware of how much the elders of the former Helirexx Academy had sacrificed for the establishment of the new academy, which was also why he could no longer continue to hold the position of dean—after all, among the outstanding people of this generation, almost everyone had their own factions to serve and fight for, except for Thors. “Oh, no…” As they spoke, hurried footsteps were heard in the hallway outside, and Allen rushed in in a hurry. He froze when he saw Professor Manhert. Watching his once mischievous students now achieve such success, Professor Manhert was deeply moved and teased them with a smile, “You’re still as energetic as ever, Lord Skander!” “Uh, hello, Professor Manhert!” Allen bowed respectfully. After all, back at the academy, he had often been called to Professor Manhert’s office by the grade supervisor. “Hehe,” Professor Manhert nodded approvingly, then said to Thors, “I’ll take my leave then. There are still some administrative matters to handle, and the students these days are giving us professors quite a headache!” As he spoke, he glanced at Allen with a hint of amusement, putting Allen in an awkward situation—after all, Allen had once been one of the mischievous troublemakers in the academy. Only after watching Professor Manhert slowly walk out of the room did Allen sigh in relief. He made a strange face at Thors and Lavia, then seemed to remember something and said to Thors in surprise, “Hey, buddy, are you serious? You really plan to let those necromancers stay in Vando? And have them teach at Rexx Academy?” “Yes,” Thors shrugged and said with a smile, “That’s why Rexx has specially introduced courses in necromancy. Are you interested?”

“I’m completely uninterested!” Allen waved his arm, rolled his eyes at Thors, and sat down on the sofa, saying irritably, “What are you thinking, guy? They’re enemies! Don’t forget—we almost died at their hands back then…”
“The Immortal Kings? They are indeed formidable,” Thors nodded slightly before looking out the window and murmuring, “But those necromancers don’t want to be our enemies. They just want to return to the world under the sunlight. Constant suppression isn’t a reasonable approach. Besides, our dark magic users have also suffered severe losses. There’s no need to create extra problems at a time like this…”
“Thors is right,” Ravia, who was standing nearby, agreed. “The war is over. As the losers, the necromancers still retain some strength. Since they’re willing to ally with the Rexox Academy, there’s no reason for the academy to refuse, right? Their strength is still immense! —Aren’t you the one who also subdued that demon lord named Clark Simmonley?”
“Heh!” Allen chuckled.
In the Battle of the Brimme Fields, those Death Knight armies also suffered devastating losses. The commander of this army, the demon lord Clark Simmonley, was even captured for a time. Since he couldn’t be killed outright, he was imprisoned. While he was in custody, Allen, who was quite interested in this demon lord, challenged him to a duel. If Simmonley won, he would be set free; if he lost, he would submit to Allen. After all, Simmonley’s Death Knight army was already greatly reduced, and as a leader with almost no troops left, he posed little threat.
The result of this purely martial duel was that Allen successfully made the demon lord Simmonley submit, using human strength.
Don’t think Allen made a foolish concession. On the contrary, he was very smart. After all, another powerful demon lord under Argus, Lelarkin, seemed to have sided with Scott. Therefore, he urgently needed Simmonley!
The struggle between the noble class and the merchant class had begun the moment Argus died. As a representative of the Operelles merchant class, Allen couldn’t afford to slack off, even if it was against one of his closest friends once.
It’s worth mentioning that due to the involvement of the Flores family, Ravia seemed to have chosen to side with Allen. After all, this queen of the northwest region was extremely dissatisfied with the despicable actions of those Vincent Flores guys.

Gradually, the entire empire took on a structure with eastern forces led by [Galic], [Gron], [Sassen], and others, and western forces centered around [Altak], [Lorn Fortress], [Operelles], and so on. These two groups harbored mutual hostility and opposition. As for the imperial forces led by [Heliriox] and [Vander], they seemed to maintain neutrality. Of course, in the eyes of outsiders, Thos, who served as the head of Heliriox Academy, was clearly on Altak’s side—after all, Thos and Ravia were “husband and wife.” Although they had suffered a hidden setback, Allen’s faction remained extremely powerful. The problem was…

“Hey, Thos,” Ravia said in a low voice, seemingly recalling something, with a hint of jealousy, “Um… is Gianna really your sister?”

“Huh?” Thos was momentarily stunned, then looked at Ravia’s distrustful gaze and forced a smile.

“Ah, maybe… perhaps… probably…”

Meanwhile, in a room of the Sassen Gory Mage Tower, the young archmage Gianna lay alone in bed, sighing over and over again…

“What should I do? What should I do…” She tossed and turned in bed before finally sitting up, showing a pitifully troubled expression. “Oh gods, I actually did such a thing to my brother…” She unconsciously raised her right hand, gently touching her lips with her slender fingers. Her cheeks flushed red as she spoke with a hint of tears, distressedly saying, “He saw my worst side… What should I do!—Oh gods!”

She nervously huddled at the head of the bed, tears welling in her eyes as she murmured, “She must think I’m a frivolous woman… Um, a sister… Sigh!—But…”

She raised her head, gazing out the window through her tearful eyes, and a sincere smile appeared on her face as she said softly, “It’s so good… He’s still alive. My dearest brother…”

But soon, her face turned gloomy again. After several deep sighs, she reached out to gently touch her lips, recalling the incident that filled her with immense distress and shame.

“You’ve grown up, Thos…”

That was half a month ago. The Flores family, which had stolen the spoils of victory from the Allied forces, held a celebration banquet in the royal palace of Saxon Imperial City, inviting many influential nobles. Their goal, of course, was to strengthen their interests and status in Saxon. Of course, they also invited Ravia, Allen, and Thos—after all, even the Flores family didn’t want to provoke them, especially Thos, who was a powerful warrior capable of defeating Agus. The Flores family naturally wanted to win him over. Unfortunately, Thos had already had differences with Vincent Flores during their time in the academy, not to mention that he was now Ravia’s “husband.” Still, even if they couldn’t win him over, maintaining a non-aggressive relationship was still a good thing. After all, the Flores family also didn’t want Ravia and Allen to lose their temper and seek revenge on them over matters of interest. At that banquet, Jiana was also invited—after all, she was the apprentice whom the great mage Veston Malajiji Hastings, who had remained silent ever since, loved like a granddaughter. Just based on this title, she could gather a large number of dark mages, her influence second only to that of Thos today. So, at the dance, many noble men approached her to strike up conversations and build relationships—something Jiana had seen too many times before. Ever since she became Veston’s apprentice, she seemed to have become the object of everyone’s admiration, the brightest black gem at the dance. Even during her travels afterward, she encountered similar situations. She knew very well that the men who approached her valued first her Hastings surname, and second, her beautiful appearance. Her own strength seemed invisible to them, which troubled Jiana greatly. After all, under Veston’s guidance, she had always aspired to become a holy mage of supreme honor. This was not only her ambition but also that of her brother, who had “died” at the hands of orcs. Even if those men praised her beauty with the most gorgeous words, it only made her feel disgusted. Yes, disgusted—utterly disgusted! Due to her exceptional talent, the great mage Veston doted on this apprentice like a granddaughter. Even the most precious gems or magical artifacts—anything she desired—Veston would find ways to obtain and give to her. This old mage’s indulgence, pampering, as well as his methods of training and teaching, all had a certain impact on Jiana’s character.

If the person in question was someone without evil intentions or a civilian in need of help, Jiana would assist them kindly, like an angel. But if it was nobles who coveted her beautiful appearance or her Hastings surname, she would teach those fools a harsh lesson. The nobles who fell victim to her tricks, though seething with hatred, would still approach her again out of instinct. Perhaps this was Jiana’s unique charm—her beautiful appearance and that irresistible aura…

At the party, she once again experienced what it meant to be the center of attention. Though she appeared to be smiling and chatting with the nobles who approached her, in reality, she longed to leave this suffocating place. She had heard many stories from Veston about the ugliness among nobles since childhood and had seen enough of it herself. If possible, she really didn’t want anything to do with those nobles. But just as Veston had been helpless before, even for a great mage, such social interactions were necessary—after all, nobles could provide funds and support to mages.

Suddenly, Jiana noticed in a corner of the party a young man leaning against a sofa, talking to a girl…

“Huh?”

It was that little guy who called her sister! His name seemed to be Allen, right?

With a mischievous smile, Jiana made up an excuse to break away from the noble men and quietly slipped behind Allen, giggling, “I see you again…”

“Huh?” Allen turned around in surprise, staring at Jiana with an awkward expression. Beside him, Lisa, who had come from Operelles after the war, glanced at Jiana’s beautiful appearance and asked jealously, “Who is she, Allen? One of the ladies at afternoon tea? I just arrived! As your wife, can’t you spare me some peace?”

“Uh… well…” Faced with his wife’s question, Allen twitched his lips and stammered, “I think you’ve got the wrong person… Ha, haha…”

“The wrong person?” Lisa looked at Allen doubtfully, then at Jiana.

This guy’s wife?

A mischievous smile appeared on Jiana’s lips as she sighed softly and said to Allen with a hint of resentment, “It’s so sad. Didn’t you invite me for tea a few days ago? You even said, ‘Your beauty is like that of an epic goddess.’ I never expected… Sigh… It’s too heartbreaking, little ‘brother’ Allen…”

“Is this even admitting you mistook me? — You jerk! Weren’t you sworn last time…?” Lisa’s face turned red with anger as she stood on tiptoes and grabbed Allen’s ear tightly, pulling at it while shouting loudly.
“It’s okay, really, it’s fine. I just invited her for a cup of tea… Ugh!” With that, Allen turned to look at Gianna and pleaded, “At least explain yourself, Miss Gianna!”
“Explain what?” Gianna leaned against the sofa, pretending to be confused, giggled, licked her lips seductively, and teased, “Everything I said is true…” She winked playfully.
This made Lisa even angrier. She pulled Allen’s ear hard, leaving him in a dilemma between laughing and crying. He turned to look at the sofa and said irritably, “Hey, at least defend me!”
“Stop it, Lisa. Can’t you see it’s that woman deliberately causing trouble?” Ravia said coldly from the sofa, casting a disdainful glance at Gianna. Coming from Altak, she disapproved of Gianna’s tone and was especially annoyed by her mischievous behavior.
“You must be Gianna Malajiji Hastings, the apprentice of the great mage Veston…”
“Oh, you know me?” Seeing the disgust in Ravia’s eyes, Gianna showed interest and giggled. “I know you too, Ravia Vayer Wilti Womisley. You’re quite imposing, like a boy…”
“Hmph!” Ravia responded coldly, mocking, “Of course I’m not as good as you! — It seems you can get along with anyone!” She was referring to Gianna’s superficial interactions with those nobles earlier.
“Hehe,” Gianna giggled, then seemed to notice something. Looking at the boy dozing on the inner sofa, she said in surprise, “Is this little guy… the one who fought Argus? Volmon Womisley? Your brother?”
“My husband!” Ravia replied irritably.
“…” Covering her mouth in shock, Gianna seemed to realize something and said, “Oh, I see…” She glanced at Ravia provocatively and giggled, “But is that really the case?”
“What do you mean?” Ravia asked with a stern face.

“Hehe,” giggled Gianna as she sat down on the other side of the boy, glancing at the stern-looking Ravia before deliberately saying, “What an amazing little guy—being able to defeat Argus… I heard Argus is very strong!” With a hint of curiosity, she took in the sleeping boy, only to freeze suddenly.
He…
Seemed…
Too similar…
If her brother were still alive, he would be about this age…
But…
Unavoidably, a hint of unspeakable sadness appeared in Gianna’s eyes as she reached out to touch the boy’s face.
“Little guy, you’re not much older than us…” She stopped mid-sentence. Noticing Gianna’s actions, Ravia snapped, “Hey, what are you trying to do to someone else’s husband?”
“I’m just a little curious…”
“Hmph!—Don’t disturb him. He’s exhausted from fighting Argus!”
“Giggle, okay… What an amazing little guy indeed…”
At that moment, the sleeping boy seemed to notice something as well. He opened his eyes, looking around in confusion before fixing his gaze on Gianna.
Gianna was surprised by the boy’s unusual eyes—one silver-white and the other dark gold—but more than that, she sighed inwardly.
What was she even hoping for?
Hadn’t her brother died long ago?
Though they looked similar, were they really the same…
Her brother had beautiful dark golden hair, while this boy’s was black. Her brother had pitch-black eyes, not silver-white or dark gold…
Still, they were really alike…
So alike…
Too alike…
Unavoidably, Gianna felt a pain in her chest that made it hard for her to breathe.
“Hey, hey, enough!” Ravia said angrily, glaring at Gianna. “You should leave. You’re not welcome here!”
“Not necessarily,” Gianna replied playfully, glancing at Ravia before looking at the boy again. With a giggle, she said, “It must be tough having such a wife!” Then, she gazed deeply at the boy, suddenly lifting his face and giving him a light kiss on the lips.
Who would have thought she’d meet someone so similar…
Was this some kind of mercy from the gods of fate?
My dearest brother…

It’s just that this little guy is cheaper. Well, let’s just consider it as an honor for the Warrior—for defeating Argus and protecting the country on behalf of Old Weston. Besides, his fierce wife will surely teach him a lesson, hehe…
That’s good enough…
Although it’s not what I’ve longed for, meeting someone so similar is a kind of comfort…
Goodbye, my dearest brother. I will definitely fulfill our promise…
So, don’t sneak into my heart and cause trouble anymore…
“What are you doing?!” Ravia stared in shock, her eyes wide with anger as she glared at Jiana. But to her surprise, she saw two tears streaming down Jiana’s cheeks…
What on earth is this woman up to?
Confused, Ravia looked at Jiana, then at her husband, who still seemed dazed. Her anger surged, and she snapped, “Idiot!—At least consider my position, Thors!”
“Thors…” Jiana, who was turning slightly to wipe away her tears, suddenly trembled. She turned to Ravia with an incredulous expression and asked, “Wh… what did you just call him?”
“Thors… Thors?” Seeing her excited reaction, Ravia was utterly puzzled. Allen, who was watching the scene with amusement, said with a sly smile, “Thors was his old name. Now everyone calls him ‘Vormon Klaest’ or ‘Vormon Vormisley’. Do you know them?”
Jiana instinctively turned her head toward the boy. The boy named Thors stared at her blankly and murmured, “Ni… Nina? Sister?”
Both “Nina” and “sister” rang in Jiana’s ears like thunder. She looked at the boy with infinite joy, her body trembling from excitement.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she reached out hesitantly and touched her lips. Her face turned pale, and with a tearless expression, she stared at the boy for a long time before suddenly pushing Allen aside and rushing away from the banquet, leaving everyone in a daze.
Watching Jiana hurry away in panic, Allen, Ravia, and Lisa all stared at the boy in shock.
“Sister?!”
—Around the same time, Ancient Ruins, Tower of Thunder [Vander]—

Unnoticed by anyone, Belial, who had seized the immense soul power of the Dark Altar first, now stood on the outskirts of the Astrological City of Sgdel, gazing at the towering structure with a complex expression.
Seeming to sense Belial’s unusual mood, the King Puppet Cain whispered, “Do you feel nostalgic, my master?”
“Hah,” Belial smiled faintly, sighed softly, and shook his head. “What about you, Cain?”
Cain shook his head and said in a deep voice, “No matter in which world, I will always follow you, my master. Any existence that defies your will will be eradicated by my sword!—including Vandel!”
“Is that so?” Belial nodded slightly before looking up at the Tower of Thunder and murmuring, “I really hope those elders don’t make any foolish moves…”
“What if they refuse to hand over the [Codex] and resist stubbornly?” asked the demon god Hampa in a low voice.
Glancing at Hampa, Belial snorted indifferently.
“Then, [Vandel] will no longer exist!”