Henry’s eyes widened in disbelief as his body emitted eerie crackling sounds, almost every inch of his flesh and blood began to crumble, feeling the insidious power of “destruction” coursing through him with relentless force, it was a horrific sight to behold.

But then, something inexplicable happened – the flesh and blood that seemed to disintegrated had transformed miraculously into delicate pieces of paper and twirled and fluttered in the mid air. Once it made contact with the rain drop it disappeared in the sky.

As the illusion shattered it became clear that “Henry” who was shot was nothing more than a mere paper man. 

After shooting crossbow in the mid-air, Shen Yi’s body fell straight down, against the backdrop of the collapsing building. Just as he was about to touch the ground his body turned into wispy white mist. 

Dust storms erupted throughout the apartment complex after the entire building collapsed, obscuring the scene in a haze of destruction. 

Amidst this, the black crossbow arrow that had fired autonomously retraced its path back to its origin and merged with the black crossbow as one. 

Then as if guided by an unseen hand, the amalgam of black crossbow and arrow transmuted like liquid, shifting and reshaping into a threaded cane again.

In the midst of the swirling dust cloud, a pale white hand stretched out and held the threaded cane, then once again turned into mist dissipating into the air, then fleed high air, and discovered that Henry had disappeared.

“Escape?”

Shen Yi in the mist lingered in the air for a while, before deciding to check Su Ling’s situation and moved to the school.

Landing on the rooftop, he turned back into his human form and checked the unconscious Su Ling.

Seeing that nothing happened apart from looking pale, he felt a bit relieved, then turned his gaze to the sea of unconscious people and saw all returned to their normal form.

He picked Su Ling up and decided to take her back to the cafe first.

As for that vicious wizard – Henry.

A backup plan was already in place and he would not let him get away so easily.

Beland is the place where he is going to be buried.

　　——

The sky was still shrouded in heavy clouds, while the cascading raindrops falling with a steady rhythm that seemed unending on the already flooded streets, while the landscape was covered with heavy mist blurring the vision.

As Henry hurried along the deserted street, his footsteps splashed through the shallow water that pooled at his feet, the echo of their sound lost in the oppressive silence that enveloped him. 

His expression, a mask of determination tinged with a hint of fear, betrayed the gravity of the situation as he forged ahead, his grim gaze fixed on a distant point beyond the deluge, as he fervently replayed the recent, harrowing encounter in his mind. 

Only moments ago, he had activated the powerful enchantment of “Honesty and Lies” for the third time, a desperate attempt that had ultimately saved him from the clutches of the “Chess Player”. 

“It’s finally over, this terrible side effect.” he whispered to himself, a mixture of exhaustion and resignation in his voice as he grappled with the aftermath of his choice.

Having narrowly evaded the deadly crossbow through “Honesty and Lies” his mind lingered with the price he had paid.

The cost of “truth” has only now begun to fade.

“I just told him some information…” He muttered to himself.

Henry’s face dropped slightly, a flicker of concern crossing his features as he pondered the unintended consequences of his disclosure. He could only hope that the “writer” didn’t mind his unintentional “spoiler,” a slip of information. 

“For now, it looks like the Pseudo-Gods’ plan will go smoothly,” he mused, a hint of resignation in his tone, “even if it doesn’t go smoothly enough, it doesn’t matter.”

In a sudden epiphany, he realized something pivotal, that the effect of the “Spiral Feather” was over.

Eventually, he would be unlucky for a period of time.

Uncertain of the form that his impending streak of misfortune would take, Henry found himself lost in a deep whirlpool of contemplation, only to be startled back to reality by the unexpected voice of a young man. 

“You are very lucky.” 

This jolting statement only added to Henry’s mounting sense of foreboding, deepening the uncertainty that clouded his future.

The young man’s relaxed voice continued. “To actually meet me.”

Following the source of voice, Henry’s eyes shifted slightly ahead. 

A figure emerged from the periphery of his vision, gradually materializing into a young man dressed in a crisply tailored black suit, with his hands tucked in his pants pockets.

In contrast to his soft features, the man had blonde hair and deep blue eyes, a smile adorning his face. He looked like the kind of sunny young man in his mid-twenties.

Roland. 

Henry recognized the person in front of him and had heard a lot about him.

The name murmured in hushed whispers of rumor and legend, now stood before him, a living embodiment of myth and reality intertwined.

One of the six A-level investigators in the Nolan Anti-Magic Bureau, claiming to be a descendant of an ancient Nolan aristocrat, with nicknames such as “Hand of Light”, “Sacred Arrow”, and “Immortal Man”.

Despite appearing no more than twenty years of age, Roland bore the mark of timelessness upon his countenance. — — An old immortal who has taken “immortality pill” and lived for nearly a thousand years.

It was whispered among the halls of the Coronation Church that Roland, in his earlier years, had gallantly served as a “Knight of Discipline” for over a century.

Roland’s smile radiated a gentle warmth akin to the sun piercing through morning mist: “Hey, hello, hello you must be Henry, the patriarch of the Salian family… Well, during my childhood, the Salian Dynasty even existed, and the Holy Empire was still very powerful back then. I remember that your ancestor had an ambiguous relationship with His Holiness, the Pope of the Corona Church.” 

He shook his head, his hands still stuck in his pants pockets, and smiled: “However, these are all clouds of the past now, the new world doesn’t need you remnants of the old times, and the ancient families should be hidden in the dust.”

Despite being the rightful heir to an ancient lineage, Roland’s demeanor exuded a palpable disdain for the ancient nobility

Roland let out a chuckle, “Let the battle end quickly. I still need to find some pretty young girls to play with.”

Henry was silent for a long while, as he contemplated the unexpected arrival of the other party. 

The situation was truly perplexing, given that the recent battle had transpired in such a short span, lasting no more than twenty tense minutes. The swiftness and efficiency of the Bureau’s response struck him as peculiarly rapid, almost unnaturally so.

Under normal circumstances,  it would take at least an hour for Anti-Magic Bureau to discover the situation.

Initiating a wide-scale search across the entire city, gathering information, coordinating resources, and devising a strategic plan would undoubtedly demand more time than had seemingly elapsed.

Why did they come so quickly?

He couldn’t shake off the nagging thought that it might not have been a mere coincidence. 

A sudden realization dawned on him.

It should not be him? Right?

That the “chess player” had notified the Anti-Magic Bureau at the very beginning of the battle.

The pieces of the puzzle fell into place as he acknowledged the intricate web of collaboration between the investigator and the “chess player”.

Indeed, Henry almost guessed right. 

As soon as Shen Yi discovered that something was amiss, he wasted no time and swiftly “traveled” to the Anti-Magic Bureau to report the issue.  

The Anti-Magic Bureau sprang into action promptly by dispatching a formidable team of skilled investigators. These investigators reacted very quickly by splitting up, with some heading directly to the location of the battle while others strategically positioned themselves to block any potential escape routes, ensuring that the target would not slip away unnoticed. 

Henry has figured it out.

His attention then shifted to the spectacle before him as he observed Roland taking his hands from pocket.

Light!

Suddenly, the surroundings were bathed in radiant light as Roland’s flawless white hands emitted a brilliant glow. This radiant illumination instantly dispelled all shadows, even the relentless downpour abruptly ceased its cascade. 

“Praise the sun.”

——