Five minutes later.

Roland, with a sunny smile on his face, stood unharmed, carefree as ever, and casually tucked his hands back into his pockets.

The heavy rain which seemed to cease a few moments before continued its relentless downpour.

However, each raindrop that dared to fall on Roland was swiftly met with an intense burst of heat, instantly vaporizing upon contact with his very presence.

Furthermore, the absence of Henry did not come as a surprise to him.

Because, before the battle could begin the other person set all out to escape and had no intention of fighting at all.

“Well, this is a reasonable choice. After all, my colleagues will be here soon.”

With a chuckle Roland shook his head, speaking cheerfully into the headset.

“Hey, hey, hey, I’ve found his location. Everyone who is still eating and waiting for the day off, hurry up and move to this area.”

“Pay attention to forming a siege network and don’t let him have a chance to escape.”

Since the notorious “Silent Terror Incident” had transpired, Beland had garnered worldwide recognition as the esteemed “Land of the Descending Gods.” Individuals and forces from all over the world who wanted to summon God were likely to rush to Beland. 

In an effort to preempt and mitigate the looming, catastrophic threat, the Nolan Anti-Magic Bureau took decisive action by summoning back all its A-level investigators from their missions, as well as the renowned ace S-rank investigator known as “Monster” to bolster their defenses.

However, the “monster” did not participate in the roundup operation today, but three A-level investigators were taking part in it.

The invisible arts of the “teleportation” category were also blocked by special powers, and it would be difficult for Henry to escape as long as he was in the city.

— — 

Near the Beland Imperial Academy.

In a remote alley.

Henry’s body began to materialize slowly from the solid brick wall. 

He didn’t tattoo many “invisible arts” on his skin that could be activated directly without preparation, so he had to use them sparingly from now on.

His expression became grave, under the gravity of the situation. 

Henry drew on his past trials to brace himself for the challenge at hand. This was not his first time encountring such a dire situation. As a Wizard with many means, he could find a way out with his resourcefulness. 

“As long as I delay until ‘honesty and lies’ can be used again, I will have a high chance of escaping successfully.”

Abruptly his tracks stopped. 

A sheer horror took over his feature, causing his feet anchored to the ground as if burdened by an unseen weight. 

His gaze fixed ahead, locking onto an enigmatic figure in a golden mask, a black windbreaker, a unique black threaded cane… at the exit of the alley.

‘It’s hard for me to escape now’, The only thought that came into his mind followed by confusion.

How come he is so fast?

The price of my “bad luck” should have already been paid.

Shen Yi as if seemed to know what Henry was thinking, gave a direct answer.

“The Book of the Ten Traveler.”

The cost of “Spiral Feather” had led him to a fateful encounter with Roland, while a stroke of good fortune, aided by the “Ring of Fortune”, had facilitated his meeting with Shen Yi.

When sending Su Ling back, he used the “Ring of Fortune”.

As if stroke of luck or twist of fate, Henry was very close to the Beland Imperial College. Shen Yi, who had been observing the Book of the Ten Direction Traveler, once again zeroed in on him.

Henry was preplexed, “You are using the Book of Ten Travelers? But it can only be used once a day.” voiced his surprise,

Not so, it just needs to be charged… Shen Yi answered in his heart. Initially, he too had believed that the cooldown time of “Book of Ten Traveler” and “Ring of Fortune” was fixed. 

Until, he retrived the two Blazing Hearts, from the Chaos Embers Order, of course, they gave it to him without the slightest hesitation.

Upon further exploration and experimentation, he unearthed the remarkable and versatile capabilities of these coveted artifacts. 

The Blazing Hearts, beyond being exquisite raw materials, their intrinsic worth could rival even the most exceptional disaster relics. 

One of the remarkable aspects was the swiftly revitalization of mystical relics. 

Whether the Ring of Fortune or the Book of Ten Traveler as long as they were placed within one meter of the Blazing Heart they could be charged, and the number of uses could be increased after a period of time.

Shen Yi approached step by step, silently, his footsteps blurred in the rain.

The scene unfolded like a sinister movie, with Shen Yi resembling a menacing figure cloaked in mystery and danger, reminiscent of a villain lurking in the shadows on a rainy night, his intentions as dark as the sky above, about to harm an innocent old man.

Henry began to retreat slowly, a palpable fear crept into his features, his desperation to escape the impending danger evident in his widening eyes. 

The thought of meeting his end in this secluded spot shook Henry to his core, the stakes far too high for him to accept defeat. 

No, I don’t want to die here, I can’t die here, absolutely can’t. 

In that critical moment, the prospect of his own mortality loomed large, prompting him to resist the impending threat with every fiber of his being. 

Succumbing to this failed assassination seemed inconceivable to him, he stopped on his track and raised his hand. 

“I surrender.”

With a smile, Henry said in a calm tone: “Let’s reconcile.”

He said confidently: “I will be very useful to you, let me be your chess piece. If you feel uneasy, we can make a contract with the invisible technique.”

“As long as you let me survive, I can definitely play a huge role, and then become your most important chess piece.”

Confidence radiated from Henry, his unwavering belief in his own worth anchoring him in the face of imminent peril. The notion of his demise at this juncture never crossed his mind, as he remained steadfast in his resolve to navigate the treacherous waters of deceit and survival. 

Shen Yi’s face behind the golden mask increasingly became gloomy.

According to the information collected. Over the span of several centuries, Henry had frequently used large-scale curses, brutally killing as many as tens of thousands of innocent civilians, men and women, young and old. 

Furthermore, not only did he engage in these heinous acts without a hint of shame or remorse, but he took pleasure in his actions, exuding a sense of smug satisfaction that only added to the depth of his depravity.

The seeds of malevolence, arrogance, and indiscriminate killing that plagued the entire Salian family could be traced back to the twisted perspectives held by old man’s three views.

The extent of his wickedness surpassed even that of the notoriously sinister  Chaos Remnant Order, solidifying his position as a formidable force of darkness. 

Of utmost importance was the fact that had it not been for his intervention, Su Ling’s very essence would have been burned to ashes by the monster.

He had already made up his mind.

He would not let anyone cut off an important “connection”, a “bond”.

That’s his bottom line.

“You are no longer qualified.”

Henry froze, unable to understand why.

“Why? Even the mere information I know is very useful. You can’t possibly not need me.”

In his opinion, the “chess player” wasn’t human beings at all, but rather relatives of Extraterrestrial god. They would never refuse to accept him as a chess piece just because he killed innocent people indiscriminately.

Henry believed that the other party should be the same as himself and would not have any compassion for ordinary humans.

Unfortunately, all his guesses were wrong.

Unconvinced, Henry attempted to continue the negotiations, but unfortunately he had given no choice.

Still.

Shen Yi stretched out his hand to freeze Henry: “Besides… I have other ways to torture useful information out of your mouth.”

The threaded cane struck the old man’s body voilently, yet nothing happened.

Shen Yi put down his spiral cane, after a last glance he turned away.

“Like… let a corpse talk.”

A few seconds passed.

Shen Yi had already walked to the entrance of the alley and gently raised his spiral cane, transforming into a black umbrella.

“Bang!”

The sound of flesh and blood exploding sound came from behind.