Chapter 235: See You the F**k Later!

(A massive update, the main text of the second volume is officially concluded, haha. Tomorrow or the day after should be the concluding thoughts for the second volume, a small side story, and updates on the protagonist's attributes and skills. There will be no break in updates, but please let the author rest a little.)

Archmage, a rank of mage comparable to a Grand Knight. Once one crosses the threshold between a high-level formal mage and an Archmage, their application and understanding of mana reach a new level. In the eyes of an Archmage, the essence of this world becomes something entirely different from what it once was.

Rudolph is also an Archmage, though it is a pity that this fellow has primarily poured his Archmage-level strength into his research.

His understanding and application of magic are peerless, but combat has never been a mere test of how strong your power is or how many tricks you have; it is a test of how much of that power you can actually bring to bear.

Having attached himself to the royal family long ago, Rudolph used most of his resources to collect various secrets and seek out novelties. The number of real battles he has experienced is, in truth, quite small. After all, breaking through the ranks of a mage is different from that of a knight.

Under normal circumstances, an Archmage's strength is more than enough. Even if not specialized in combat, an Archmage’s ability to command mana is sufficient to crush and tear apart most enemies.

But now, facing Wang Yu, who had returned to full strength, and Aivia standing behind him, that power was no longer enough. One was a "monster," the other a true genius, and they were facing him in tandem.

"Aivia, give me some alchemical alloy."

Wang Yu’s words were conveyed to the girl behind him through his new power. Without hesitation, Aivia opened a spatial rift, inside of which lay a vast quantity of metal materials she had stored for alchemy.

These materials fell beside Wang Yu. His Inner Power: Chariot covered them entirely. Under the radiation of Wang Yu’s body, these alchemical metals were twisted, conscripted, and deformed, crawling up his frame and adhering to his skin to form a suit of heavy armor.

His figure expanded by a circle, and clad in heavy armor, Wang Yu now looked incredibly powerful and imposing.

In fact, he was. These alchemical metals were already incredibly dense, and once they covered Wang Yu, they piled on his weight. As his feet pressed against the floor of the prison corridor, the immense pressure cracked the ground beneath him.

"Clack, clack, clack."

As he flexed his joints, the metal groaned with the sound of clashing iron. The armor covering his body also obscured his face; he looked like an alchemical golem, not a knight.

Previously, due to concerns about agility and defense, Wang Yu rarely wore armor heavier than light gear.

But now it was different. These metals were manipulated by Wang Yu’s Inner Power: Chariot, driven by him out of thin air just like the blood before. Not only did they not hinder his agility, but they even provided Wang Yu with additional strength.

"Boom!"

A massive metal fist was slammed into the ground by Wang Yu, creating a deep crater. The force was channeled into the floor, and the material composing the ground was instantly controlled by Wang Yu’s power, becoming an extension of his own strength as it surged forward in a wave of earth toward Rudolph.

Rudolph’s expression was grave. He was still somewhat shocked; how had this guy Wang Yu suddenly recovered? Moreover, he was displaying a power entirely different from before. A knight whose battle-qi vortex had been shattered by the Qi-Dispersing Nail should have been unable to recover by any means.

He did not want to face the two of them unprepared. The strange new power Wang Yu displayed made him curious and wary, and as for Aivia, he had to admit that this girl was more terrifying than Wang Yu. Her dual application of magic and sorcery could very well threaten him.

But he had to stop Wang Yu and Aivia from escaping. The royal family was already enraged by today’s events. If he failed to stop the two main culprits, given the ruthlessness of the royals, he would certainly be liquidated.

"With my strength as an Archmage, holding them off should be doable. Why hasn't the royal support arrived yet? What on earth are they doing..."

Rudolph was filled with doubt. He had never intended to lose his life for reasons other than his research, so he did not plan to fight Wang Yu and the others to the death. He only intended to stall until the royal family discovered the anomaly in the dungeon and reinforcements arrived to surround and easily dispose of Wang Yu and Aivia.

He took out a spare wand hidden at his waist and channeled earth elements into the ground. A large number of interlocking earth spikes erupted frantically, surging toward the wave of earth controlled by Wang Yu’s power. The two forces collided, scattering gravel across the sky.

On Rudolph’s side, relying on his Archmage power, his spellcasting was relentless. As soon as the earth spikes subsided, a black flame serpent shot out from before him.

Fourth-tier spell: Magic Flame Black Serpent. It opened its maw, covered in corrosive and aggressive fire elements, and bit toward the "metal giant" that was charging straight ahead, shaking the ground with every step.

"Bang!"

To Rudolph’s astonishment, Wang Yu did not dodge. He met the terrifyingly hot black flame serpent head-on with his metal-covered arms. Then, the intangible black serpent, composed of flames, was actually grabbed by its maw by this guy and pinned right there.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!"

Amidst the violent sound of burning flames, Wang Yu’s physical strength was tearing the fire apart. The giant maw of the black flame serpent was pulled open bit by bit by Wang Yu’s hands, and then, in an instant, it was completely destroyed, bursting into a pile of sparks in the air.

Completely covered in metal, Wang Yu continued his charge toward Rudolph without pause. Within the only gap in his faceplate, a red light seemed to flicker, shaking the soul of anyone who faced him.

"Is this guy a monster? He has no battle-qi; how did he tear apart magic!"

Rudolph’s shock grew even greater. The power Wang Yu displayed exceeded his understanding. Just now, Wang Yu hadn't used battle-qi; he had simply, absurdly, torn the flames apart. He couldn't understand how this was possible.

"I want to study it... if I can catch them."

A spark of excitement suddenly rose in his heart, and a smile returned to the lips of Rudolph, who had been somewhat dazed by the series of events. This power was so novel and mysterious; he wanted to know how Wang Yu had done it.

The magic in his hands did not slow down by even a fraction due to his change in mood. Using the brief moment the black flame serpent blocked Wang Yu, Rudolph unleashed a fifth-tier spell: Struss’s Earth Pulse Breakthrough.

Most spells above the fifth tier are named after the mages who invented them. They are fundamentally different from spells below the fourth tier; in terms of sheer power, they are worlds apart.

A rapidly rotating conical rock appeared out of thin air in front of Rudolph. The hardness of the grayish-white shell covering it was exaggeratedly high. Under the coverage of highly compressed earth elements, these rock cones possessed a hardness exceeding most alchemical alloys.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Dozens of rock cones shot out, scattering at high speed toward the charging Wang Yu. The rapidly rotating solids would easily pierce the layer of "armor" covering Wang Yu’s body.

With a rapid reaction, Wang Yu flicked his hand. His massive, metal-covered body was impossibly agile. The physical prowess of a knight was pushed to the limit. Wang Yu ducked and slid, avoiding the trajectory of most of the Earth Pulse Breakthrough’s projectiles.

The arm he swung violently before ducking was a manifestation of Inner Power: Chariot. The prison walls suddenly moved at Wang Yu’s command, forming a hand of earth and stone that blocked his front.

"Clack, clack, clack!"

The power of the fifth-tier spell easily pierced the earthen hand, continuing toward its target with only a slight reduction in speed.

"Clang!"

Wang Yu, mid-slide, slammed a fist into one of the incoming rock cones without hesitation. Under his control, the metal on his body automatically filled his fist to meet the projectile.

The rock cone pierced the metal rapidly, breaking through several layers before colliding with the battle-qi on the surface of Wang Yu’s body, exploding into a large number of hard rock fragments with a loud bang.

As Wang Yu ducked, Aivia was naturally revealed behind him. Before Wang Yu had even ducked, the girl had already accumulated a storm in her hands. A longbow formed of rapidly rotating, compressed airflow was held in her grip: Fifth-tier spell, Lamoine’s Piercing Storm.

"Bang!"

The storm roared, and a giant arrow formed of condensed currents pierced through the prison corridor, shattering and crushing all the rotating rock cones it touched. Tearing through everything in its path, it shot straight toward Rudolph.

This fifth-tier spell, which pushed single-target lethality to its peak, crushed the scattered rock cones with its sheer intensity.

Rudolph’s hand holding the staff did not move; the accumulation of the next fifth-tier spell did not prevent him from using simple second or third-tier spells.

He raised his hand slightly, and the walls of the prison corridor deformed and cracked under Rudolph’s power. An invisible force dragged Rudolph to the side, and the straight-shooting Piercing Storm could not harm him in the slightest.

However, Wang Yu was still there. As the storm arrow passed by, he exerted his power upon it. The power of the Chariot immediately commanded the arrow of gathered storm currents.

Under the special nature of Wang Yu’s body, which drove and conscripted surrounding matter, the compressed airflow—already converted from mana into actual matter—was forcibly influenced by Wang Yu, just like the flames he had torn apart. The straight trajectory of the Piercing Storm was bent...

The high-speed storm arrow, having changed direction, shot straight toward Rudolph, who was dodging to the side and preparing his next spell.

The powerful airflow tore all the bricks and stones from the nearby walls before it even touched them. If this hit, Rudolph would be instantly shredded into a mist of blood.

"What on earth is this power..."

As his pupils contracted, Rudolph was still thinking about Wang Yu’s ability to tear magic apart with his bare hands. He was simply too curious, and too desperate to understand this power.

He changed the structure of several magic circuits in the fifth-tier attack spell he was preparing in a split second, immediately converting it into a fifth-tier defensive spell: Extreme Cold.

The temperature plummeted. The environment around Rudolph began to be continuously covered in frost. Frost began to appear on the walls, the air, and everything else. Then, things slowed down, locked in place by the newly born ice elements.

The storm arrow was immediately affected as well. Ice crystals constantly mixed into it, and the high-speed airflow, within a distance of only a few meters, saw its speed plummet, slowing down visibly to the naked eye.

"Bang!"

Several spinning rock saw-wheels popped out from the surrounding walls and were drawn into the storm arrow. While easily torn apart, they quickly exhausted most of the power of the storm arrow, which was already being hampered by the extreme cold.

Magic surged once more. Drawing upon the frigid environment he had conjured, Rudolph prepared to unleash another fifth-tier spell. He intended to drag this out; once these two were captured by royal reinforcements, he would make it his life’s work to unravel the secrets they harbored.

Yet, a disparity in mindset often dictates the thin line between victory and death. Rudolph, lacking the seasoned instincts of a true warrior, failed to grasp what it meant to be closed in upon by Wang Yu—a man who treated every skirmish as a dance with the reaper. Unbeknownst to the mage, Wang Yu had slipped within ten meters.

"Boom!"

A burst of eerie, emerald flames erupted instantly. His body, having memorized the sensation of burning itself to ignite the fires of sorcery, pushed this power to its absolute limit. Wang Yu incinerated his own life force without hesitation, and the impossibly hot flames flooded the prison corridor.

"Bang!"

Metal-clad legs hammered the ground with full force. Burning with sorcerous fire, Wang Yu became a blur, his muscles and battle aura exploding in a display of knightly speed. He shattered the air, his armored form wreathed in flame as he charged directly into the frozen domain.

Ice elements collided with the raging sorcerous fire, tearing and annihilating one another. The intense, emerald blaze granted Wang Yu a brief respite from the numbing cold, allowing him to move freely within the frozen expanse.

"Hoo!"

A flaming iron fist smashed toward Rudolph’s head. A mage could never react to such knightly speed and power at close range; with one strike, Rudolph’s body was pulverized.

Pulverized... no. Beneath his iron visor, Wang Yu’s eyes narrowed. That was not Rudolph’s body, but a hollow shell of frost—a fourth-tier spell: Frost Decoy.

Rudolph had long since used the ice-rich environment to craft a decoy trap, deceiving his opponent with a construct nearly identical to his own form.

"Crack..."

As Wang Yu shattered the decoy, the ice elements exploded outward. The energy trapped within the shell discharged at point-blank range, instantly suppressing the sorcerous fire that had been holding the cold at bay.

Wang Yu’s metal-covered, flame-engulfed arm was frozen solid. The frost crept upward, snaking along his limb, attempting to encase his entire body in ice.

Rudolph’s true form appeared several meters away, a faint smile on his lips. His staff glowed with radiance as he prepared his next spell to strike Wang Yu down.

However, Wang Yu was faster than the mage’s incantation. The metal armor covering his body suddenly detonated. It was merely a shell he had donned for basic defense, a material he commanded through the power of the Chariot; discarding it was effortless.

As the frost clung to the metal plating, Wang Yu shed the armor and broke free from the icy shackles, charging at Rudolph without a second’s delay.

This caught Rudolph off guard. The spell he was weaving dropped a tier, sacrificed for the sake of speed to halt Wang Yu’s advance.

Claws of frost manifested from thin air, reaching out to seize the charging knight. Wang Yu did not dodge. Sorcerous fire erupted from his entire body, then detached from his skin, molding into a solid, curved blade that he hurled directly at the mage’s spell.

With the aid of the Chariot’s power, the sorcerous fire was no longer confined to his skin; once released, it could be shaped at will.

"Sshhh!"

Frost and flame collided. The sorcerous fire, fueled by Wang Yu’s desperate burning of his own life force, gained the upper hand, cleaving the frost claws in two before surging toward Rudolph.

A magical shield shimmered into existence—a trigger-based defense Rudolph had pre-cast—successfully blocking the fiery strike.

But Wang Yu, his own flames momentarily extinguished, succumbed to the lingering frost domain. Ice began to coat his body, the cold seeping in to suppress the sorcerous fire and preventing it from reigniting.

Rudolph smiled. Magic surged through his staff; his next spell was ready. He would finish off the immobilized warrior now.

Yet, a spatial rift suddenly tore open behind Wang Yu, chilling Rudolph to the bone. Avia emerged, her hands glowing as she unleashed an attack toward the mage.

Rudolph didn't hesitate to redirect his spell. He hurled his prepared fifth-tier incantation—Bursting Starfire—to meet the girl’s assault.

The concentrated fire-elemental magic exploded, powerful enough to block her attack while using the shockwave to render Wang Yu combat-ineffective.

But the moment the magic left his staff, Rudolph knew he had erred. What the girl held was not a spell, but a hex, disguised by the slight dissipation of her mana to mimic a sorcery.

Deep purple light collided with the scorching starfire. Void energy twisted reality; this fourth-ring hex, prepared by the girl long ago, warped the laws of physics to alter the potency of Rudolph’s spell.

The total amount of fire elements and mana remained unchanged, but the highly concentrated starfire was shattered into hundreds of fragments. Each piece lost its lethal intensity, becoming a force that a desperate, reckless Wang Yu could forcibly endure.

The moment the girl appeared through the rift, she had transferred ownership of the Chronos Hourglass to Wang Yu.

Acceleration. One-eighth of normal time. The world slowed to a crawl in Wang Yu’s perception. He gathered every ounce of his strength, igniting his sorcerous fire without restraint until it enveloped his entire frame, burning away the encroaching ice.

Facing the hundreds of scorching sparks, Wang Yu didn't even look. He ignored them entirely and charged straight at Rudolph.

"Whoosh! Bang-bang-bang! Boom!"

At eight times the speed, the overload tore at Wang Yu’s body, but it also propelled him to a velocity that even Rudolph’s spiritual perception could not track.

The sky full of sparks detonated in an instant, but Wang Yu’s iron fist had already punched through the wall behind Rudolph. Bone and masonry shattered together; Wang Yu’s mangled right arm drove over a meter deep into the stone.

As for Rudolph, his body had been pulverized by the impact. The sorcerous fire covering Wang Yu, combined with the torrent of fire elements from the detonating sparks, incinerated the fragments of the mage’s body into nothingness.

"Hoo..."

Wang Yu gave a thumbs-up to Avia behind him. It was done. Though he was covered in wounds from forcing his way through the explosions and the overload of the Chronos Hourglass, these were non-lethal injuries. Even if he were near death, it was but a minor scratch.

"Let's go!"

The girl smiled and activated the Reversed Star Tarot card, which could now be used normally without Rudolph’s spatial blockade. With a flicker of spatial distortion, the two vanished.

Above the prison, hidden by the power of the Lady of the Night, Zig—who had transformed into a dragon to "battle" the royal guards converging from above—sensed something.

The dragon’s head paused. Ignoring Uller, the Grand Commander of the Royal Guard with whom he was "locked in combat," he activated the Star Tarot card held in his jaws. The dragon’s form vanished.

...

Spatial ripples reappeared. Wang Yu and Avia emerged amidst a crowd. A moment later, a massive dragon, its scales shimmering with flowing dark matter, manifested as well. The sudden appearance startled the surrounding group, though they instinctively cleared a path for Zig.

"Wang Yu, welcome back!"

Father Fang’s smiling voice reached him. A firm hand clapped his shoulder, and the power of the Light surged into Wang Yu, mending the wounds he had sustained during his desperate strike on Rudolph.

"Thank you!"

Wang Yu shouted his gratitude, directed not only at Father Fang but at everyone who had gathered around him.

"Mr. Wang Yu, rest assured. As the creator of the prayer communication network, you are a benefactor to all of us in the Night’s Edge. We will never let the royal family threaten you, even if it means going to war."

"Exactly. As long as they are our kin, regardless of their contributions, we will never stand idly by while they suffer. Today, we must stand firm. Even if the royal family comes, they won't take you."

"The Night’s Edge is not to be oppressed. The compromises we made were for the sake of this kingdom, not for the royal family..."

Voices of the Night’s Edge members rose from all sides.

Edward recounted what Wang Yu and Shugin had endured, while also spreading the news that Wang Yu was not only an Archbishop of the Church of Nightfall but also the creator of the communication network that had revolutionized the Night’s Edge.

Every member of the Night’s Edge stood up, gathering here at this moment to stand by his side.

"The Night’s Edge technicians are preparing a teleportation. Go with the Professor and his sister when the time comes."

Charles and Edward walked over, each thumping Wang Yu on the chest. The bond between these three was truly unbreakable.

"Understood."

Wang Yu nodded calmly, turning his gaze toward the sky in the distance. Intense battle auras and magical fluctuations were approaching in unison.

The Minister of War, the Minister of State, and several of the strongest royal guards—all mid-tier Great Knights and Archmages. The two ministers, in particular, were peak-level powerhouses, mere steps away from the legendary realm.

"Assaulting the palace, attacking the royal family—do you intend to betray the Kingdom of Alastair? Night’s Edge Special Operations Team: Wang Yu, Zig Wilsbach, the Dofin family, Avia Dofin."

The Minister of War, a burly middle-aged man with graying hair and a fierce, solemn expression, floated in the air, his solidified battle aura churning incessantly.

Seeing the two humans and the dragon surrounded by the Night’s Edge members, he unleashed his pressure without a moment’s hesitation.

Much like the draconic suppression of lesser life forms, the peak-level Knight power of the Minister of Military Affairs weighed heavily upon the air.

Yet, Zig’s draconic nature rendered this pressure meaningless, and Wang Yu, empowered by his Chariot, sensed the illusory threat and tore it to shreds with a casual wave, shielding Avia from its reach.

"Stop your barking. I am no citizen of Alastair, so spare me your talk of betrayal; I owe you nothing, and I care not for the whims of your royal house.

I have no interest in your petty power struggles, and today, I am leaving."

Wang Yu curled his lip, casting a look of utter disdain toward the Minister above.

"You!"

Fury erupted within the Minister; that a weakling of no status, holding only a pittance of a title, would dare address him so, caused his battle aura to surge as he prepared to crush the insect before him.

But a hand blocked his path—it was the Minister of State.

"What is the meaning of this!..."

The hot-tempered Minister of Military Affairs began to snap, only to notice Father Fang standing beside Wang Yu, watching with a faint, enigmatic smile, radiating the soft, holy light of the Church.

"Lord Fang, is it truly appropriate for the Church of Light to interfere in the internal affairs of Alastair..."

The Minister forced his rage down, knowing he could not afford to provoke such a being, and instead offered a cold, biting challenge.

"I am merely protecting my friend, my disciple, and my subordinate—shielding one who has been wantonly victimized. Such an act of justice is entirely consistent with the teachings of the Church, and has nothing to do with interfering in Alastair’s internal affairs."

Father Fang smiled as he explained, his gentle tone masking an unyielding, iron-clad resolve.

"And what of you, Night’s Edge? Does your entire organization intend to betray Alastair and the Crown?"

The Minister turned his gaze toward the members of Night’s Edge surrounding Wang Yu, his voice trembling with suppressed rage.

"We fight for Alastair, but you, the royal family, do not represent the nation. It seems our compromise has reached its end. Today, our protection of Mr. Wang Yu will not falter for the sake of the Crown. If you want war, then let it be war."

Gilbert, a captain of Night’s Edge, spoke for the others, voicing their collective resolve.

The Minister said nothing more, turning his eyes instead to Edward Walling, the "Hero who saved the Royal City."

"This is my own will, though I do not mind borrowing the power of my father, nor the status I shall one day hold."

Edward’s expression was indifferent as he met the Minister’s gaze, showing not a hint of retreat—a man transformed from the hesitant youth he once was.

"..."

The Minister seemed momentarily struck dumb; forcing Wang Yu to stay now appeared entirely impossible.

It was at that moment that the long-range teleportation array, prepared by the technicians of Night’s Edge for the two humans and two dragons, hummed to life.

Feeling the spatial fluctuations, Wang Yu, Avia, and Zig’s sister, Noelle, climbed onto Zig’s draconic form, awaiting the imminent jump.

With a brief delay, Wang Yu raised his middle finger toward the direction of the palace.

"Go to hell, all of you..."

His words vanished into the air along with the spatial ripples, and Wang Yu and his companions were gone from Alastair forever.

The Minister’s face was ashen, but he could only turn back with the Minister of State. To wage war against Night’s Edge? Or the Church of Light? Or perhaps execute the son of the Northern Duke? No, the royal family could not afford such losses.

And yet, across the kingdom, other events were unfolding.

………

Inside the palace, a commander of the Royal Guard glared at Uller, demanding an answer in a sharp, stinging voice.

"Why did you not deploy the Imperial Guard to capture those who attacked the palace!?"

"My service to the Crown is a matter of contract; my true loyalty lies with the Northern Duke. And since this was the first time the heir of Duke Leon used a 'command' upon me, how could I refuse?"

Uller spoke calmly, his face a mask of serenity.

"As for my brothers in the Guard, I am pleased they chose to follow their captain."

Turning his head, Uller looked at the Royal Guards behind him, who stood with their swords planted in the ground, refusing the Crown’s orders, and offered a satisfied smile.

……

"Use the Academy’s arrays to help you track down Mr. Wang Yu?"

Westin Stevenson, Dean of the Stevenson Academy of Magic, straightened his robes and looked at the royal envoy who had come to demand his cooperation, asking with a hint of mockery.

"That is correct. Please, cooperate."

The envoy gritted his teeth and nodded.

"I have said before that our Academy is a place for the study of magic’s essence, not a factory for your war efforts. Our relationship is limited to cooperation; do not command me. Furthermore, even if I do not consider myself a paragon of virtue, to strike at the benefactor who saved this Academy? I can only say: impossible."

Westin’s voice turned frigid, and with a wave of his staff, he used a spatial spell to banish the envoy from the grounds.

……

The Mine Estate.

A firestorm swept through the grounds, yet through exquisite control, it left every blade of grass planted by the mistress of the house untouched, merely encircling a group of Alastair soldiers.

Lilia Swain, true to her title as the Flame Witch, hung in the air as if cradled by the fire itself, her expression hardened by undisguised fury as she looked down at the panic-stricken soldiers being slowly consumed by the flames.

"I just heard what you did to the knight of my dear niece, and now you dare to use my sister to threaten her daughter? You have a lot of nerve. If my niece hadn't asked Garcia for help in advance, you might have actually succeeded."

The flames were fierce, her words colder still. The Flame Witch spoke with chilling detachment, her magic surging as she vented the fire of her wrath.

"Even if I am bound by a curse that prevents me from interfering in politics, I am still more than capable of protecting my own kin..."

The fierce, icy Lilia bore no resemblance to the carefree, slightly scatterbrained woman she usually appeared to be.

"I don't care about the rules of those old fools at the Tower of Binding anymore. Mira will stay with me for now, and Garcia—stop serving that trash of a royal family. My dear niece has her knight, it’s only fair that I have one too..."

The firestorm reduced the soldiers below to ash, leaving the Mine Estate unscathed as Lilia, wreathed in roaring flames, shot into the sky.

……

High above the horizon, the body of a great dragon, faintly veiled by the dark, water-like essence extending from a wooden statuette of the Lady of Night held by a red-haired girl with dragon horns, flew toward the distance.

Wang Yu, sitting on the dragon’s back, glanced at the Alastair Kingdom, now fading into a blur behind them, then turned his head to focus on Avia, who leaned against his shoulder.

"Wang Yu, I’m sleepy..."

The girl’s voice, weary yet laced with a faint sense of relief, reached Wang Yu’s ears.

"Sleep, then."

Wang Yu pulled her into his arms, ignoring the gaze of Noelle, who sat nearby, blushing furiously and covering her face with her hands, though leaving a wide gap between her fingers.

Gently stroking Avia’s soft golden hair, Wang Yu nuzzled the top of her head, letting her sweet scent fill his senses.

The girl adjusted her position in his arms, curling her petite frame against him, resting her head on his warm chest, and drifted into a peaceful slumber.

"Hoo..."

With a soft exhale, Wang Yu looked toward the distance—beyond the borders of Alastair.

The wandering begins now.

(Volume Two: The Rising Winds and Surging Clouds — Concluded)