Chapter 4

The reconstruction following the beast tide was long and arduous.

After Raymond was relegated to the suicide squad, the city's elites fell completely silent, and no one dared to utter a single word of dissent against my orders.

But the anxiety in my heart grew wildly like weeds. The Lord of the Abyss had only retreated temporarily, not perished, while my dear brother remained completely silent.

This deathly stillness, like the impending storm, is more agonizing than a direct confrontation.

Until the early morning, as the first light of dawn pierced through the smoke of battle, a suppressed cry of surprise broke the silence of the camp.

"It's alive... In the soil soaked with demonic blood, it's truly alive!"

I strode out of the tent and saw Karl kneeling in the scorched mud, holding that incredible emerald green in his palm, so excited that he was incoherent.

The fully armed combat knights around them stared intently at the stalk of anti-magic wheat that was emitting a faint glow, their eyes changing from their previous disdain to fanatical awe.

Olivia acted decisively, strode forward, and slammed the city lord's longsword, a symbol of honor, into the ground.

"From today onwards, a 'Support Class Contribution Ranking' will be established! Karl will be ranked first and will enjoy the highest allocation!" Her voice drowned out the morning breeze. "Radiant City does not support idlers, and there will be no more professional prejudice!"

The crowd erupted in deafening cheers.

Looking at those smiling faces of survivors, my stomach churned.

Too slow.

This faint glimmer of hope is no match for the impending darkness.

This suffocating anxiety drove me to avoid the crowds and, after nightfall, head straight for the highest observation deck in the city lord's mansion.

The cold wind was like a knife, but it couldn't blow away the bloody smell etched into my bones.

"I knew you would hide here."

A crisp sound of footsteps came from behind. Olivia removed her heavy silver armor, revealing herself to be wearing only a close-fitting training uniform, and carrying two bags of fruit wine .

"Drink a bag ? This is the last batch before the war..."

"Smack!"

the bag of fruit she handed me .

"Alcohol only dulls the nerves." I stared coldly into her astonished eyes. "Draw your sword. Or, just do it."

Olivia's astonishment instantly turned into fierce anger.

"Arthur, don't go too far!"

She was taught from childhood the elegance and reserve of nobility, but deep down she was a ferocious lion. Before she finished speaking, her long, powerful legs had already torn through the air, slicing straight at my carotid artery with a terrifying whooshing sound!

It was a pure physical fight, without using a single trace of soul power.

I turned my head to avoid the fatal blow, grabbed her ankle with my other hand, and pulled her back sharply.

Olivia used the momentum to leap into the air, her waist bursting with amazing flexibility, and her other leg lashed out at my temple like a whip.

"Too flashy!"

I let out a sharp shout, neither dodging nor flinching, and took the heavy blow head-on, blood instantly spilling from the corner of my mouth.

But this insignificant pain gave me the perfect opportunity to get close. Like a wolf that has smelled blood, I charged into her defenses.

The killing skills he honed in his past life, amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, required no thought whatsoever.

Chokehold, leg trip, joint lock!

"Bang!"

In less than ten moves, I pinned this high and mighty female city lord to the cold floor. My knee pressed against her back, one hand locked her arms behind her back, and the other hand gripped her throat tightly.

With just a flick of my finger, her neck bones would shatter.

"You lost." I said, panting, sweat dripping onto her cheeks.

Olivia did not struggle. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving, and her clear eyes were fixed on me, without fear, only with unfathomable curiosity.

"What kind of monster are you?" she asked through gritted teeth. "This kind of technique, which is purely designed for killing, is something a healer should not possess."

I let go of his hand, stood up, and gave a rare, self-deprecating smile: "A person who crawled back from hell."

Olivia stood up, rubbing her reddened wrist. Instead of pressing me for my secret, she suddenly dropped a bombshell.

Do you know about the 'Purification Sacred Artifact'?

My pupils suddenly contracted.

In their previous lives, the human elite devoted everything to trying to activate that legendary artifact, but failed repeatedly and ultimately became a laughingstock of the abyss.

“The core formation of the sacred artifact requires extremely demanding conditions.” Olivia stared into my eyes. “It requires the absolute resonance of ‘twin soul power.’ That is to say, it must be twins who are closely related by blood, and they must simultaneously inject their soul power to awaken it.”

These words were like a thunderclap, shattering all the doubts in my mind.

Twin resonance! No wonder the sacred artifact from my past life was just a pile of scrap metal!

“Your file says you’re an orphan,” Olivia said, taking a step closer. “But your soul power fluctuations… seem incomplete. Do you… have a twin brother?”

That question made all the muscles in my body tense up instantly.

I must adjust my plans immediately.

Victor cannot die. At least before activating the holy artifact, he must be dragged back to Radiant City alive!

The moment this thought crossed my mind, the iron gate of the observatory was suddenly kicked open.

"Lord! My lord!" The intelligence officer rushed in, stumbling and scrambling .

"Urgent report from the border! Shattered Stone Fortress... is gone!"