Chapter 015: The Crack

Ferey didn’t dare respond and could only nod slightly in acknowledgment.
But Du Fan’s question seemed to be directed at himself; he wasn’t expecting an answer from Ferey at all, his gaze fixed on Ordas instead.
Ordas still stood tall, but each step he took carried immense weight. Under his overwhelming presence, Alfred couldn’t help but instinctively take a few steps back.
Having fought side by side all this time, Alfred knew Ordas’s strength all too well. If he teamed up with Nicholas, they might stand a chance against Ordas, but alone, he had no chance at all.
His thoughts raced before finally settling into a sad smile on his face. He glanced back at Nicholas, his eyes filled with tenderness, sorrow, determination, and loneliness—various emotions flashing by in an instant.
Finally, he took a deep breath and looked straight at Ordas, saying, “Lord Ordas… do you really intend to betray Lord Bruce?”
“Betray? Who knows?” Ordas sighed lightly. “As long as you die… who will know what happens here? Besides, for her sake, what does it matter if I betray the whole world?”
Seeing the deep affection on Ordas’s face, Alfred suddenly understood something.
Anything in this world could be betrayed, but one thing one could never betray was their own feelings. Even a genius like Ordas could give up everything for love.
Watching Ordas’s devoted expression and thinking of his own feelings for Nicholas, Alfred found Ordas to be incredibly gentle. Even though he might kill him in an instant, Alfred couldn’t feel any hostility at such a moment.
All lovers in the world are the same!
Ordas finally stepped forward toward Alfred. His long sword was raised slightly, with a surge of combat energy flowing along its blade—strangely intense. That gentle strike seemed to lock onto Alfred’s entire body.
Alfred sighed softly. Though Ordas was far from his match, it was clear that this attack would be devastating. Unless Joshua were here, no Templar knight could withstand it. With his current abilities, even at his peak, he couldn’t escape death, let alone under these circumstances.

Realizing this, Alfred almost thought of closing his eyes and waiting for death. With a soft sigh, the knight’s sword in his hand slowly dropped downward. Seeing Alfred’s state, how could Nicholas not understand his thoughts? Though he hated Alfred deeply at that moment, didn’t he also love him dearly? Immediately, he pulled at his robe, and faint holy light emerged from it as he stepped in front of Alfred, whispering, “Oldas, if you’re going to kill us… just kill us both.” Seeing Nicholas’s expression, Oldas hesitated for a moment. By his nature, he would never turn on his allies unless it was for Kris. But now, pushed to this extreme by Du Fan, he still hesitated. With Nicholas taking such a stance, he couldn’t bring himself to strike—so he could only turn to glance at Du Fan. Du Fan snorted lightly and said, “It seems you two truly care deeply for each other… But Lord Oldas, don’t forget—your bond with your sister Kris isn’t that deep either? If you test my patience again… the consequences might be ones you can’t bear for life…” Oldas sighed. He saw the killing intent in Du Fan’s eyes and dared not say anything more. He simply turned, raised his sword, and said, “Lord Nicholas… I’m sorry…” As soon as the words left his mouth, his long sword shot forward like a meteor cutting through the sky. The combat energy at its tip flowed continuously, leaving a trail of brilliant light wherever it passed. Thousands of trajectories in the air eventually converged into one point—aimed at Alfred’s throat. The weak holy light Nicholas had managed to generate paled in comparison to this sword strike. Though Alfred had already resigned himself to death, seeing Nicholas’s actions filled him with resentment: If you, Oldas, are willing to give everything for your lover, can’t I, Alfred, do the same? At this critical moment, he roared, pulled Nicholas into his arms with his left hand, and thrust his knight’s sword upward with his right. The sword tip danced in the air, and a holy light cross-cut was unleashed. This move by Alfred was perhaps the pinnacle of his life—he faced Oldas’s sword strike head-on. The two streams of combat energy collided in the air, creating a flash of brilliance. With a loud explosion, both Alfred and Oldas were thrown back several feet.

Although they had only used one move, its impact on the others was significant. Du Fan and Ferre exchanged horrified looks. With Alfred and Ordas’ strengths, if it weren’t for Du Fan having prepared this “gift” in advance, it would be hard to say who would win against those two freaks.

Ordas stepped back, but his gaze couldn’t help but glance back. As the saying goes, concern leads to distraction. Though his skills were far better than Alfred’s, he was constantly worried about Kris’s safety, which made him somewhat distracted during the fight. Meanwhile, Alfred was risking his life for his own and Nicholas’s future. With these differences, their strengths became nearly equal, and after exchanging a few more moves in midair, it was still impossible to determine a winner.

Although their fight was rather uneven, Du Fan couldn’t discern much with his current understanding, especially since his mind was mostly on other things. He had no interest in the two fighting fiercely before him. Ferre, on the other hand, knew well that whether it was combat energy or magic, once one reached level five, the gap between each subsequent level grew larger. To break through, hard work was more necessary than talent. Alfred was a level-seven Temple Knight, and Ferre was well aware of that. So if Ordas could match him, could it really be that he was only at level seven?

Such level-based battles were rare usually. Those with good insight might be able to discern the differences in the laws of power at each level by observing them closely. For Ferre, how could he miss such a fight? Even the cold-faced Tasia stared intently at the two. With her strength, she could sense that both of them were struggling in their fights. But for some reason, she felt something was wrong in this divine palace. Though she wanted to warn Du Fan, she didn’t know how to start.

Just then, the entire divine palace suddenly began to shake slightly. Everyone present froze, slowing down their movements. At first, it was just a slight shaking, but moments later, it became violent. Dust accumulated over thousands of years began to fall from above, and the deadly creatures hidden in various corners rushed out like ants in a panicking swarm.

No one knew what had suddenly happened.

Alfred and Ordas exchanged a glance, both turning their eyes toward Du Fan and the others.
Fearing that the two might seize the opportunity to fight over someone, Tasia waved her right hand, and an ice wall appeared between them.
Behind the ice wall, Ferre’s expression changed as he sensed his combat energy being suppressed by some force. In a moment of distraction, he pulled his knight’s sword, cutting through Kris’s delicate skin and causing blood to flow.
Ordas had been watching Kris the whole time. Seeing this, his expression turned grim as he roared, “No!!!”
With that cry, he moved like a ghost toward Ferre.
Tasia waved her hand, sending gusts of wind and snow that pushed back Ordas’s attack. Holding her wand horizontally, she grunted and said, “Back off…”
Although Ordas retreated, he was filled with resentment, his gaze at Ferre almost burning with anger.
Though Alfred had just fought Ordas to the death moments earlier, he still understood the situation. With such sudden chaos in the temple, it was not the time for internal strife. He stepped back a few steps with Nicholas, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
The ground of the temple began to shake. Tasia’s expression changed as she slowly floated upward. Ferre held Kris in one arm, his body swaying unsteadily, unsure of what to do.
Ordas kept his eyes fixed on Kris, ready to charge in at the slightest opportunity.
But amidst the chaos, Du Fan seemed oblivious to everything. His body swayed with the ground, yet his gaze was fixed on the statue.
From the statue, a blood-red light emanated, accompanied by faint sounds of thunder and wind. A faint tearing noise came from within, as if those sounds were driving the entire space.
The tense atmosphere suddenly changed as everyone’s eyes turned to the statue. On the blood-red statue, a dark crack appeared suddenly. In less than a minute and a half, more cracks formed, eventually converging into a crack wide enough to span several meters.