Chapter 447: 447

Outside the mansion, Chris rushed forward the moment he saw Ariana and the others returning safely. His face lit up with a mix of relief and confusion. His heart had been pounding the whole time. He stopped right in front of them, breathing hard as if he had run from the other side of the fortress.

"Where is the Lord?" Chris asked anxiously. His voice trembled slightly because he did not know what to expect anymore.

He had been escorted away during the middle of the Crown Games and had been stuck with Seraphina. During that time he trained under her guidance a little, yet all they could do was wait helplessly for news that never came.

Seraphina looked toward her mother and her aunt. Her hands tightened nervously and her voice shook a little as she spoke. "Mother, Aunt, are you two alright?"

Both women nodded slowly, though there was a faint trace of fear and exhaustion in their eyes. Their faces looked pale and tired. They looked at Seraphina with gentle worry and a soft sadness that was difficult to hide.

"It is good that you were left here,"Alina whispered softly.

Her voice sounded as if she was trying to stay calm but was falling apart inside. She gently touched Seraphina’s hair as if reassuring herself that her daughter was truly safe.

Chris looked helplessly between them. His question had been ignored and he felt even more lost. He turned toward his teammates hoping someone would answer him, and his eyebrows furrowed anxiously.

Vic clicked his tongue and scoffed lightly, crossing his arms with a tired expression.

"Why ask something useless? Are you really worried about the Lord?"

"No," Chris shook his head quickly, waving his hands in front of him in panic. "I am just a bit curious."

His voice cracked slightly as he spoke, and he swallowed hard. He did not even know what emotion he was supposed to feel right now.

"Lord... I think he might be having fun somewhere," Handel said with a helpless smile, scratching the back of his head. He exhaled slowly and his expression looked as if he could not believe what he just said. He tried to lighten the weight even though no one really felt light.

Chris blinked repeatedly, looking confused and frustrated, while a heavy silence fell over all of them. No one seemed to know what to say next, and the pressure around them grew heavier and heavier.

At that time Vic turned and looked at Ariana, who stood in a bit of a stupor. She was staring outside through the cracked window where dust and smoke filled the distant sky.

"Lady Ariana, what happened?" Vic asked cautiously. Among all of them, the only one Kael truly asked for opinions was Ariana, so Vic spoke carefully. Everyone’s eyes shifted toward her with concern.

"Nothing... I was just reminiscing." Ariana finally spoke. Her voice was soft and distant as if she was lost somewhere far away in memories.

Ariana looked at them for a moment and then turned her gaze back toward the distant sky outside. Her eyes trembled faintly.

"It has changed again." She murmured softly under her breath, almost too quiet for them to hear.

By this time the capital was already in ruins. The broken structures still smoked and the streets echoed with the cries of the wounded.

To kill the Archangel of War, the Emperor Edward sacrificed his life alongside Ramos.

And Tte death of two powerhouses began the catastrophe.

The reason?

It was because there were not many Demi-Gods appearing openly. Those who attained Demi-God usually stayed reclusive, searching for ways to become God, only to be blocked or forced to surrender to the Church.

So it would not be wrong to say that the Church held absolute authority.

With the fall of The Emperor, Rein took the throne, and what followed was a brutal war. His first goal was to deal with those who opposed him and followed others.

Grand Duke Ruth retreated. No, he simply disappeared as if he had never existed at all.

Adele grabbed full control over the Duchy and became the sword for Rein to slice others down.

For an entire five years, blood flowed like a river through the cursed land. Villages burned. Cities collapsed. Endless corpses piled on the battlefield.

Many noble families vanished without a trace.

After finishing the bloody battle, Rein thought he could finally reign in peace. Yet the moment he believed peace had come, the world turned upside down again, because all the chaos had allowed the evil forces to rise and take root.

Nightstar was in a similar situation, slowly falling apart.

The chaos spread even to other Empires and Kingdoms, pulling the world toward destruction.

And that was when the Temple finally started the act of salvation.

But the salvation brought another Great War

The War between Outer God And Orthodox God’s.

Ariana let out a long sigh. Her fingers trembled slightly as she pressed them against her forehead.

"Sigh... Thinking about this, I cannot believe how naive I was to follow those who only caused chaos all around."

"I wonder where he will be.." she whispered quietly, looking up toward the sky.

Just then they heard a loud scream somewhere outside the fortress.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The scream echoed sharply, sending chills down their spine. Everyone froze for a split second.

Following it, something descended from the sky and crashed onto the ground with a huge explosive boom that shook the earth under their feet.

The floor trembled violently. Dust and debris burst upward.

"Aahha.."

"No..."

"It is an attack.."

"Quickly act..."

What followed was another round of chaos. People ran in panic from every direction. Alarms echoed through the building. Soldiers grabbed weapons and ran towards the place of impact.

As everyone sprawled to the ground in a hurry, expecting a bloody war or a sudden attack from the cults, they froze the moment they saw a man slowly walking out from the crater. Dust and smoke rolled off his shoulders, and the ground shook lightly under his steps.

"The Grand Duke!" someone shouted in shock.

Everyone stared speechlessly. Their eyes widened with disbelief as they slowly got up.

"Why did he come in such a manner?" another voice whispered, confused and frightened at the same time.

Rami took a careful step forward and cleared his throat while bowing respectfully. "Your Highness, is there a problem?"

"I have none but to pick him up." Ruth spoke in a calm but cold voice.

"Huh?" Rami’s brows furrowed slightly. He was confused, but as a loyal butler he did not dare question further. He walked toward the crater and glanced inside. His eyes widened in shock the moment he saw a figure twitching and lying awkwardly inside the impact zone.

"Uh... Ramii... Can you give me a hand? You see that old bastard... cough..." Kael groaned painfully, his voice strained.

If not for the fact that he was holding back, he might have cursed Ruth’s entire generation without hesitation.

He had just come back, trying to quietly survey the situation, and suddenly this son of... cough, he meant... this lovely father of his, appeared like lightning from the sky, grabbed his face, and flew all the way here with him.

Like who the hell does this kind of thing?

For a moment, he had really been scared. Truly, he was terrified that his cover had been blown and that everything he built was over.

Rami and the knights hurriedly lifted Kael out of the crater and stood him back on his feet. They carefully dusted the dirt off his clothes while he winced from the pain.

"Old man... What is this insolence..." Kael muttered while rubbing his sore neck.

Ruth paused and glared at him coldly, his expression sharp enough to cut steel.

"I was on the way when I saw you so I thought I should give you a lift. Any problem."

"Problem my ass... It is not me... but you seem to have a problem in your head."

Ruth’s glare sharpened. His voice carried a heavy pressure.

"Freshen up and meet me. We have some serious things to talk about."

Hearing this, Kael felt a sudden shiver crawl down his spine. For a moment he wondered what important matter they needed to discuss. Even though his instincts screamed danger, he swallowed every word and forced himself to stay calm. All he could do was nod stiffly.

"Okay..."

Ruth turned around without another word and walked away.

Kael let out a long breath and looked at Rami tiredly.

"What about others?"

"All are back safe and fine. They had been worried about you and waiting for you."

"Hmm." Kael nodded slowly, finally letting out a breath of relief.

As he walked forward into the hall, he saw his people waiting for him with anxious eyes and hopeful expressions.

"Papa..."

"My Lord..."

"Thank God you are alright..."

The voices overlapped with trembling relief. Kael stopped in his tracks, staring at them quietly. His heart buzzed with a warm and unfamiliar excitement.

’I have been quite envious of others, seeing their family greeting them when they returned from war, and I even cursed them for being showy. But now that I feel it...’

’What a good and heavenly feeling.’

For the first time in his life, Kael felt that things were moving on the right track.

And deep inside, he wished moments like this could last longer.