Ch. 391..400
Chapter 391 – Potential Ploy
Shang kept drowning himself in training with his saber. He fought one beast after the other without any pause.
During these fights, his mind was calm, and he was focused.
His survival and power were the only important things.
About a month later, Shang summoned some more Abominations in the Storm Eagle Zone, but he only summoned them around Warrior’s Paradise.
The Abominations couldn’t even end a single life during that fight.
Surprisingly, the Storm Eagle didn’t decide to leave. It probably was still a bit afraid of getting involved too much.
Sure, if there were a Commander Stage or True Path Stage Abomination, it would definitely come out and kill it, but the Commander Stage Abomination vanished so quickly that it couldn’t be sure if there had even been one.
Shang’s return was still kept secret, even from the Dean.
Right now, Duke Whirlwind wanted to be careful more than anything else.
Luckily, Shang managed to keep himself away from any prying eyes. He had become very good at hiding after years of staying inside hostile Kingdoms.
Duke Whirlwind and Shang talked from time to time, but it was mostly about how to deal with their next target, Duke Torrent.
Duke Torrent was an Early High Mage with a Water Affinity. She was generally seen as approachable, likable, and friendly. Additionally, since she was the second-best healer in the entire Kingdom, right after the Archduke with her Light Affinity, she was very popular amongst the populace.
Due to her abilities, nearly no one died under her rule while being attacked by the Abominations, which was very rare. After all, only extremely fortified locations could claim to have such a low fatality rate amongst their forces.
However, when Shang heard about these qualities, he only narrowed his right eye.
She was his enemy, just like 90% of the world, and her beloved status only made it harder to assault her public image.
In comparison to Duke Mithril, she followed all the Council’s orders perfectly, and there was nothing Shang could bring to light that could taint her image in the Council’s eyes.
Duke Whirlwind and Shang talked a lot about how to deal with her, but it just seemed too difficult.
That was until Shang got an idea.
But as soon as Duke Whirlwind heard that idea, he shot it down.
He couldn’t possibly do that.
Shang tried to convince him, but Duke Whirlwind refused to do something like that.
He knew that nothing would happen, but he still saw it as a breach of trust.
Shang asked him what else they could do, but Duke Whirlwind kept shooting down the idea, and by the looks of things, he wouldn’t budge.
In the end, Shang could only groan in frustration.
Without Duke Whirlwind’s support, he couldn’t do these kinds of things. Well, he could do them, but that would be akin to betraying Duke Whirlwind, which was bad for Shang.
What had Shang’s plan been?
Kill a couple of isolated and powerful Circles of Duke Torrent.
Now, if it were only that, the Duke wouldn’t mind as much, but the important bit was what came after.
Shang would have killed Circles filled with Mid True Mages, which wouldn’t be easy for him but also not too hard.
Of course, Duke Torrent would quickly investigate what had happened, and she would just happen to find evidence that brought her to one solid conclusion.
A powerful warrior had to have killed them.
Shang would have killed the Mages in a way that made it certain that they had been killed by a warrior.
Together with the power of the dead Circles, only two suspects would come to mind.
The Dean and Vice-Dean Ranos.
Duke Torrent would accuse them of treason, and they would be brought in front of the castle.
A Truth Verification Spell would have been activated, and they would have been questioned thoroughly.
Duke Torrent would have been certain of their guilt since they were the only two warriors with enough power to achieve something like that.
However, since both of them didn’t even know that Shang was back, their innocence would be proven. After all, they genuinely wouldn’t know who had killed the Circle or Circles.
After that, Duke Torrent would have to take a loss and apologize publicly.
Accusing someone of treason was a risky maneuver. After all, the Kingdom couldn’t just investigate everyone that was accused and treat them like criminals.
It was similar to the time Shang had asked the Inquisitor to read the mind of one of the warriors in the Northern Ice Wyvern Zone. If they proved to be a traitor, Shang would have found a criminal and would have been rewarded.
But if he had accused them unjustly, he would have had to pay the price.
So, Duke Torrent’s spotless track record would have received a thick and grimy stain.
Shang thought that this was a good plan. After all, nothing would happen to the Dean or Vice-Dean Ranos. They would just need to talk a bit, and that was it.
However, Duke Whirlwind refused.
According to his words, this was like manipulating or betraying his two most powerful warriors.
It would give him short-term gains, but the broken trust would be more expensive in the long run.
At a very frustrated moment, Shang had nearly given a solution to that as well, but he kept himself in check.
If he gave that solution, Duke Whirlwind might lose all trust in him.
The conversation ended, and Shang got time to think about what he had just been about to say.
For a moment, it felt surreal to even have such a thought in his mind.
Kill the Dean and Vice-Dean Ranos after they showed signs of betrayal?
They had been his teachers for years, and they had helped him.
‘I can’t believe I actually thought of something like that,’ Shang thought. ‘Yes, it would be a solution, but it’s just wrong.’
‘It just seemed like the simplest, most direct, and efficient method of solving the problem.’
For some time, Shang thought about what kind of things he had done, but he quickly focused on training again.
He couldn’t waste time on such unimportant matters of earthly morals!
And just like that, six months passed, and it was time for Shang to officially return to the Skythunder Kingdom.
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Chapter 392 – Disguise
About six months after Shang arrived in the Storm Eagle Zone, he prepared to officially return.
He traveled through multiple Zones in disguise until he arrived at one bordering the frontlines.
In comparison to the rich places all over the Kingdom, this Zone looked barren.
There were no farms, no trading hubs, and no cities.
There were only lots of warriors and Mages stationed here who were preparing for the next assault on the Grandmountain Kingdom.
This Zone was the Hurricane Wolf Zone, and the Zone bordering it, which belonged to the Grandmountain Kingdom, was the Explosion Gecko Zone.
Shang and Duke Whirlwind had already come up with a good plan to let Shang return.
Duke Whirlwind had told Shang that it had been quite a while since there had been any Abominations appearing in these two Zones. If Shang could redirect them more towards the Grandmountain Kingdom’s frontlines, he could charge through without any suspicion.
But wait, wouldn’t someone become suspicious if Abominations appeared around Shang?
No, why would they?
Abominations appeared all the time, and the Zones were already on high alert for the next wave.
The wave would be expected, not unexpected.
Duke Whirlwind had planned everything in detail with Shang, including what things the Skythunder Kingdom would find in his Space Ring.
Shang even changed Sword’s appearance again to its Colossal Sword size. That would make it more believable for Shang to have blended in as a barbarian in the Grandmountain Kingdom.
Theoretically, due to the way the border was set up, Shang could cross it without being noticed, even without the Abominations.
The Hurricane Wolf Zone was filled with thin but incredibly tall spires, housing many flying beasts.
Shang only needed to climb one, “persuade” a beast to carry him, and fly to the Explosion Gecko Zone without anyone noticing. After all, these flying beasts kept flying across the border all the time. They were about as common as birds for the border guards, and they wouldn’t look at them.
Inspecting every single flying beast that flew kilometers above their heads would require a tremendous number of resources, and the Grandmountain Kingdom was already short on resources concerning this frontline.
In the war against the Skythunder Kingdom, the Grandmountain Kingdom wasn’t focusing on winning but on buying time and surviving. They were focusing their entire power on fighting the Blackshadow Kingdom while waiting for the Magic Purity Kingdom to deal with the Skythunder Kingdom.
Shang could get back to the Hurricane Wolf Zone from the Explosion Gecko Zone in a similar way, but in comparison to the Grandmountain Kingdom, the Skythunder Kingdom actually spent the resources to check the beasts flying towards them from the Grandmountain Kingdom.
They had caught quite a few spies that way.
If Shang returned via this way, it would look very suspicious to the Skythunder Kingdom. If Shang were an ally, why would he try to sneak into his own home, and how did he know about the beasts and how the defenses were set up?
So, while Shang could get to the Grandmountain Kingdom this way, he couldn’t return the same way.
Additionally, Shang could just start “flying” with his Blasts since that tool was too good for escaping. Some of Duke Whirlwind’s enemies might suspect Shang of having returned earlier and being responsible for the death of Kiva Orvis.
Taking all of this into consideration, this meant that Shang had to break through the frontline.
Only in this way would he not receive any suspicion at all…
Well, after he probably got thoroughly interrogated, but Duke Whirlwind had already set everything up for Shang to deal with that.
Due to the distance to Duke Whirlwind, the resident Duke wasn’t involved in the conflict between the Council and Duke Whirlwind. His territories were so far away that it was pointless to involve him.
After all, even though the Council was united against Duke Whirlwind, they still couldn’t allow anyone to talk to King Skythunder about this. The fewer the people that knew the specifics, the better.
Because of that, the resident Duke was not involved in this inner conflict at all.
He and his forces would be neutral in the matter.
After arriving at the Hurricane Wolf Zone, Shang quickly climbed one of the spires, grabbed a powerful bird, and used it to fly across the border.
He flew the bird right into another powerful beast and made it appear that both beasts had heavily injured each other in a fight.
Both of the beasts fell to the ground, and Shang kept himself hidden between their bodies.
After Shang landed, he put the corpses into his inner world and hid amongst the crevices of the Explosion Gecko Zone.
And then, he waited.
Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, a curious barbarian arrived at the spot, searching for the corpses. He had probably seen the two corpses and believed that he could make some money with them.
Shang used his Pseudo-Spirit Sense to check the surroundings and noted that no one was close.
BANG!
Shang exploded forward, killed the barbarian, and pulled him into a hiding spot in less than three seconds.
The kill was clean, quick, and efficient.
After searching through the corpse, Shang found the things he was searching for.
Shang pulled out a silver needle from his inner world and put it into the corpse’s right biceps.
A second later, a light image appeared on the corpse’s shoulder.
It was the insignia of this frontline.
This was a vital piece of information the Skythunder Kingdom had received during their long war, and they were waiting for a good opportunity to use it.
But today, Shang would use it.
After a while, the image disappeared, and the needle shone.
Shang stabbed his own biceps with the needle, and the same image now appeared on his biceps.
Shang put the silver needle away and focused on the heavy collar of the barbarian.
This frontline was not for the talented barbarians but for the criminals. Basically every single barbarian wore these collars here.
Shang retrieved a couple of exquisitely crafted tools and put them on the collar according to Duke Whirlwind’s instructions.
Clink!
The collar opened on its own!
‘Having a High Mage helping me makes a tremendous difference.’
Shang put the collar on his own neck and closed it.
After that, he put the tools away from the collar, and all its function resumed like nothing had happened.
After all of this had happened, Shang was supposed to destroy the tools, but he put them into his inner world instead. After all, Duke Whirlwind didn’t know about Shang’s inner world, and the reason why Shang was supposed to destroy the tools was to keep his Space Ring clean of any suspicious things.
Shang changed his outer appearance to appear more like a barbarian. He even got rid of the bandage that hid his empty eye socket.
By the end, Shang stood in the middle of the crevice with a bare upper body, nearly destroyed pants, rough hair, and a humongous sword.
Lastly, Shang took out a plate and recited a strange chant.
After Shang was done, the plate began to shine and vanish.
At the same time, Shang felt many different kinds of Mana envelop his body until they eventually vanished.
Shang didn’t look any different, but something crucial was now very different.
Anyone that looked at Shang would think that he was at the Mid General Stage with an average Battle-Strength.
Only a High Mage would be able to see through it.
Was there a High Mage here?
Yes, but they couldn’t be bothered with inspecting every single barbarian all the time.
They had people for that.
Shang went through his mental checklist and saw that he was done with the preparations.
He cleared the surroundings, prepared himself mentally, and walked out of the crevice.
He walked towards the frontlines in a leisurely manner.
It was almost like he was supposed to be here.
Chapter 393 – Getting Inside
After a couple of minutes of walking, Shang reached the actual frontlines.
He could see several huge walls, over ten Mage Towers, around 20 True Mages, and hundreds of barbarians.
20 True Mages was a bit on the meager side when it came to fortifications on a war front, but the hundreds of barbarians easily made up for that.
The fact that there were ten Mage Towers with only 20 True Mages told Shang that the Grandmountain Kingdom wanted to lose as few True Mages as possible.
One Mage Tower generally had two True Mages inside of it. They could work with the Magic Circles and perfectly split up the work.
One of them would plan, choose the attacks, and keep the Magic Circles running, while the other one only needed to aim and fire.
The Mana would mostly come from Mana Crystals, which were stored inside the Mage Tower itself.
So, with 20 True Mages, the ten Mage Towers could be used to their full force.
Obviously, the Grandmountain Kingdom saw their True Mages as more valuable than their actual resources. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have built just as many Mage Towers as it needed True Mages to operate them.
They just didn’t want to lose more True Mages.
As Shang looked at the army of barbarians, he saw hopelessness, fear, and frustration.
Based on how the defenses were set up, Shang could very well imagine how everything would go.
A couple of Adepts would herd the barbarians to the front while the True Mages shot at the enemy from their safe Mage Towers.
Naturally, an army of Fighter Stage barbarians was not very threatening to the Skythunder Kingdom. After all, most warriors could cut through them like cutting grass.
But that was not the purpose of the barbarian army.
Their purpose was just to slow the advancing offense down to give the Mage Towers more time to rain death on their enemies.
In short, the barbarians were cannon fodder.
Their purpose was to give their life to buy time.
That was all.
As Shang arrived at the actual gate of the encampments, a couple of True Mages were eying him suspiciously. They were not constantly in their towers. When there was no threat, a quarter of them would manage the encampment.
“Stop, cannon fodder!” one of the True Mages shouted at Shang with a strict voice.
Shang only stopped and looked down at the ground.
He wanted to appear fearful.
“You don’t seem familiar. Identify yourself!” he ordered as he looked at the gigantic sword on Shang’s back. He didn’t remember seeing such a huge weapon.
“Jaimy, stop being so paranoid,” the other True Mage groaned with annoyance. “He’s just another barbarian. We go through barbarians like pieces of paper. Of course you won’t recognize all of them.”
“I like to be careful,” the other True Mage said with furrowed brows. “You! Identify yourself!” he repeated.
“My name is Kernal. I come from the Strong Stone Tribe,” Shang said slowly as he looked at the ground.
Right now, Shang was borrowing one of the names of the barbarians he had taught and another barbarian’s tribe. He was essentially mixing the two identities to create a new one.
The True Mage stepped forward and chanted a short Spell.
Shang didn’t look up.
A second later, Shang’s right biceps shone with the emblem of the frontline.
“See?” the other True Mage commented in boredom. “Stop being so paranoid.”
The other True Mage only narrowed his eyes. “Show me your collar!”
Shang slowly lifted his head and looked upward to show his collar.
The True Mage stepped forward, touched the collar, and chanted a Spell.
A couple of runes appeared on the collar for around three seconds.
The True Mage only furrowed his brows and looked at Shang.
“Look at me,” he ordered.
Shang looked the True Mage in the eyes.
The True Mage only sneered. “We’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel here. We even get cripples now.”
Shang didn’t look away, and he did his best to keep his thoughts a secret.
“Go in,” the other True Mage ordered Shang. Obviously, he had gotten quite annoyed with Shang’s presence.
Shang wasn’t sure if he should follow the new order or the old order.
SLAP!
The first True Mage slapped him, and Shang had to act like it hurt a lot. After all, even though a True Mage’s body wasn’t very powerful, Shang was currently mimicking a Mid Fighter Stage barbarian.
Shang even bit his cheek to make it appear like the slap had injured him.
“You’ve received an order!” the first True Mage shouted aggressively after slapping Shang.
Then, Shang quickly scurried into the base.
The first True Mage sneered at the leaving Shang while the other one just looked forward in boredom.
After some scurrying, Shang started to walk normally again.
‘Sure enough, everything went just as planned,’ Shang thought.
Shang wasn’t exactly angry at the True Mage.
It wasn’t because Shang was such a good person, but because Shang literally saw that True Mage as less than dirt.
Why should Shang get angry at an ant?
Shang might have felt quite some anger on several occasions in the last couple of months, but something like this was insignificant to him.
Additionally, Shang’s focus was on something else.
Ever since he had gotten close to the encampment, he had felt some kind of spying force interact with his being.
This was nothing new to Shang.
This was the feeling of being inside a High Mage’s Spirit Sense.
Shang didn’t dare to activate his own Pseudo-Spirit Sense for fear of being discovered by the High Mage, but he could still feel the High Mage’s Spirit Sense.
Shang hadn’t seen the High Mage, but he felt like they were quite a bit weaker than Duke Whirlwind, which wasn’t very surprising.
Duke Whirlwind was one of the most powerful High Mages in the entire Skythunder Kingdom. He could probably even win against most members of the Council.
After entering the camp, Shang walked around, talked with some barbarians, and simply focused on wasting time.
He had to wait for a good opportunity to summon the Abominations.
Chapter 394 – It Begins
Shang spent the next couple of days just waiting in the camp. He obviously couldn’t train in his usual way in the encampment, but he could consume another beast heart at least. It might not be the heart of an Abomination, but Shang didn’t need to exclusively only use beast hearts.
By now, Shang’s power was at around 97% of a Mid Commander Stage beast, and he felt that he could still grow by quite a bit. In at most three more months, he should be ready to advance to the Late Commander Stage.
Finally, five days after Shang had arrived, something happened.
The normal barbarians didn’t feel like anything had changed, but Shang managed to pick up on the subtle cues.
Several of the Mage Towers were deactivated as the Mages left them. They didn’t seem to act suspiciously, but they quickly made their way to the northeast of the Zone.
The Mages that managed the camp were reduced from around six to only two as the other Mages entered the Mage Towers.
But there was one change that was even more important.
The Spirit Sense of the High Mage had vanished.
‘And that’s my cue to leave,’ Shang thought with a smirk.
The reason why Duke Whirlwind had chosen this specific frontline and this specific time was the Skythunder Kingdom’s plan for the war.
Over the past couple of months, the Skythunder Kingdom had gathered more and more forces on this frontline, forcing the Grandmountain Kingdom to also station more forces here.
But then, with the help of some Magic, the forces of the Skythunder Kingdom left without the Grandmountain Kingdom noticing.
The walls, towers, and defenses were still manned to the absolute brim on the Skythunder Kingdom’s side, but there was nothing behind them.
The defenses were essentially only a cardboard cutout.
Everyone else had traveled further north to attack a different frontline, which was at the northern end of this Zone.
Of course, something like this didn’t come without risks. If the Grandmountain Kingdom decided to attack this place right now, the defenses of the Skythunder Kingdom might be breached, which would be devastating.
However, the Skythunder Kingdom was certain that the Grandmountain Kingdom wouldn’t do that.
They were simply too intimidated.
They were doing their best just to keep the Skythunder Kingdom at bay, and they were even failing at that.
Actively attacking such an enemy?
That was suicide!
At least, that was how the Grandmountain Kingdom saw things.
With half of the True Mages and the High Mage gone, Shang could finally try escaping.
‘Originally, I wanted to summon some Abominations, but I think the timing might make it a bit suspicious,’ Shang thought as he looked around the calm camp. ‘I should just go for it.’
Shang looked up and saw that around four Mage Towers were active.
‘Why don’t we help the Skythunder Kingdom a bit? After all, I only need to keep my ability to escape a secret. My power doesn’t necessarily need to remain a secret.’
‘It might actually be even better if Duke Whirlwind’s enemies believe me to be a powerful warrior. That might motivate them to strike me, which would open them up to a counterattack.’
Shang only smirked as he looked at the Mage Towers. ‘Might as well put on a show.’
Shang had already looked at the Mages. There were one Peak True Mage, two Late True Mages, five Mid True Mages, and 13 to 15 Early True Mages. Together with the High Mage, it would have been basically impossible for Shang to escape.
However, the High Mage, the Peak True Mage, one of the Late True Mages, and all five Mid True Mages had left for the north.
This meant that there were only one Late True Mage and 13 to 15 Early True Mages left in the encampment.
From the outside, just like the Skythunder Kingdom’s side, the defenses looked to be fully manned, but most of their power had secretly left them.
Shang glanced at a rather large building in the middle of the encampment.
This was where the leaders of the frontline lived and met. It was essentially the command center.
Shang quickly walked over.
“Halt!” the single True Mage that defended the entrance ordered. Normally, there were two, but this time, there was only one.
“I have a message for Major Sparker from Lord Hario!” Shang said respectfully with a salute.
Over the last couple of days, Shang had had plenty of time to find out the titles and names of all the important people.
The True Mage only furrowed his brows at Shang. “And why would he commission your services instead of using the Communication Crystal?” he asked.
“Sir, I don’t know!” Shang said. “I’m only following orders!”
The True Mage kept eying Shang suspiciously. “Did Lord Hario tell you something that you should tell the guard of the command center?”
“No, sir,” Shang said. “Only Major Sparker is allowed to hear the message.”
The True Mage kept eying Shang. “You do know that if you are lying, you will be executed right then and there, right?”
“I know, sir!” Shang said. “I’m just following orders!”
The True Mage kept looking at Shang suspiciously.
However, Shang’s power was truly pitiful. The True Mage could probably beat Shang up with only his body.
Even if that barbarian tried anything fishy, he wouldn’t pose any danger.
And if Shang was actually under the orders of Lord Hario, the True Mage might get severely punished.
“Go in,” the True Mage said with a cold voice as he opened the door.
“Thank you, sir!” Shang said as he quickly ran into the building.
Shang hurriedly ran up the stairs until he was in front of the biggest door.
Then, he knocked.
“Enter!” came the order from behind the door.
Shang quickly opened the door and looked at the Mage standing beside the table with a worried expression.
When Major Sparker saw Shang, he furrowed his brows.
Why was a lowly barbarian inside here?
“Major Sparker!” Shang shouted as he stepped forward with a crestfallen face. “I bring bad news!”
Major Sparker wasn’t a fan of Shang stepping closer, but he was more concerned with the news. “What’s the news?”
Shang continued stepping forward with nervousness. “A sword has been found!”
Major Sparker furrowed his brows in confusion.
BANG!
Major Sparker’s eyes opened widely in terror as he looked down.
An absolutely enormous sword had pierced his chest. It was so big that its edge went from his neck to his pelvis!
How had this sword been so fast?!
“Inside your chest,” Shang said with a smirk. “Well, torso.”
SHING!
Shang’s sword cut upward and bisected the Late True Mage like a sausage.
Without their Mana Shield active and while being in weapon’s distance of Shang, Mages were really not scary.
Shang quickly cut Major Sparker’s head off, dumped it inside his Space Ring, and put Major Sparker’s Space Ring into a small sack that hung on Shang’s waist. Sadly, Space Rings couldn’t be stored in other Space Rings. Sure, Shang could also put the Space Ring in his inner world, but he wanted this Space Ring to be found by Skythunder Kingdom’s border guards.
Shang slowly walked down the stairs and stopped in front of them.
Then, he took a deep breath.
“SKYTHUNDER KINGDOM SENDS THEIR REGARDS!”
BANG!
Sure enough, the front door burst open as the True Mage charged in.
CRACK!
Shang quickly arrived in front of him, tore his head off, pulled the corpse into a corner, and pocketed the Space Ring together with the head.
From the side of a wall, Shang glanced through the opened door.
It was forbidden for barbarians to approach the building unless specifically ordered.
Even though Shang had shouted, only the guard had heard him.
Shang saw that no one had noticed and smirked.
Then, he stepped out of the building…
And looked at the Mage Towers with a malicious smirk.
Chapter 395 – Escape
Nearly all the barbarians and Mages winced and looked in shock at the command center.
Its roof had just exploded off, and everyone could see flames come out from beneath the destroyed roof.
For two seconds, no one could react.
“HELP!” Shang shouted as he ran out in a panic.
There were burns all over his body, and he was bleeding in multiple places.
His face was full of terror.
“Lord Sparker has been assassinated!” he shouted.
The True Mages quickly looked at each other in shock.
Silence.
They were waiting for orders…
But there was no one left to order them!
The High Mage, the Peak Mage, and one of the Late True Mages had left.
And the last Late True Mage had just been killed!
“Tower Three, check the command center! We will protect you from the other towers!” one of the Mages shouted under these stressful circumstances.
This person was somewhat the unofficial leader amongst Early True Mages.
“Understood,” one of the Mages in Tower Three said.
The two Mages in Tower Three quickly left their Mage Towers and ran toward the command center.
Shang ran towards them, fear in his eyes.
When he saw that they had already activated their Mana Shields, he got annoyed.
Then, Shang seemed to stumble.
His left arm went towards the ground to catch him while his right arm went to his back.
An instant of silence.
Then, Shang looked upward with a narrowed right eye.
BANG!
Before Shang hit the ground, he exploded forward with a Fire Blast, cooling his body.
BOOOOOM!
Shang’s humongous sword hit the Early True Mage’s Mana Shield, breaking it in an instant.
No one could react in time.
As soon as the Mana Shield broke, Shang pointed his left index and middle fingers at the forehead of the Mage.
BANG!
A lance of fire left Shang’s two fingers and blew the True Mage’s head off.
After having trained his Affinity for so long, Shang had also upgraded his Fire Affinity.
Now, he could concentrate the fire in a small beam. It didn’t have nearly as much recoil as his Blasts, but the damage was much greater.
This attack was basically useless against a Mage with Mana Shield since its power was too small in exchange for the burden it put on Shang’s body, but a weak True Mage without a powerful body would die to that attack.
It didn’t have a lot of range, but it was still quite strong when someone was directly in front of it.
One could imagine the attack as the muzzle flash of a high-caliber gun without the bullet.
Shang called it Fire Lance.
BANG!
Shang released an Ice Blast and immediately arrived at the second Mage.
His sword destroyed the Mana Shield, and another Fire Lance also killed the second Mage.
In less than two seconds, Shang had killed two Early True Mages with their Mana Shields active.
“Kill him!” the unofficial leader shouted.
Shang had already put the corpses away into one of his Space Rings while pocketing their Space Rings when the unofficial leader shouted.
Due to Shang’s earlier alarm, the Mage Towers had already activated their Mana Shields and were ready to fire.
The barbarians looked with horror at the Mage Towers and Shang.
They had to flee!
Just by being close to Shang, they would die to the Mage Towers!
When the barbarians were about to run, the Mage Towers had already fired.
Several powerful fireballs were flying towards Shang with quite some speed.
BANG!
Shang charged to the side and avoided the explosions.
However, around twenty barbarians were turned to ash by them.
The True Mages truly didn’t care about the barbarians.
Shang immediately charged to the closest tower that wasn’t occupied…
And kicked.
BOOOOM!
A gigantic part of the Mage Tower’s wall exploded off, making the entire thing fall over.
One had to remember that Shang was essentially as strong as a Mid Commander Stage beast. One only needed to replace Shang with a twenty-meter-long rhinoceros to know what devastating damage Shang could cause to a five-meter-tall tower.
Even more, the Mage Tower’s defenses were their impressive Mana Shields, not their structural integrity. One Mage Tower could resist as much abuse as the Mana Shield of a Peak True Mage.
When the True Mages saw the tower collapse, their minds were filled with shock, realization, and fear.
They weren’t afraid of Shang’s power.
No, they were afraid for their unmanned Mage Towers!
Usually, in the case of an enemy attack, one of the leaders of the encampment would remotely activate the unmanned Mage Towers’ Mana Shields until True Mages arrived to man them. Activating the Mana Shields cost a lot of resources, which was why only Late True Mages and higher had the power to do that.
However, there were no Late True Mages or stronger present!
They couldn’t activate the Mana Shields!
As the tower crumbled, Shang immediately put it inside one of his new Space Rings, completely filling it to the brim. Usually, this wouldn’t be possible since there were Magic Circles imprinted on them to prevent that, but by toppling the tower, those Magic Circles got deactivated.
BANG!
After the toppled Mage Tower vanished, Shang immediately exploded to the next one.
Three fireballs shot at him, but Shang managed to avoid them. For now, the Mages were trying to kill him with the normal Spells, which made it easy for Shang to avoid getting hit, but that would soon change.
BOOOOM!
Shang destroyed another unmanned tower, filling another Space Ring with it.
“Change to Speed Spells!” the unofficial leader shouted.
When Shang heard that, he frowned. ‘Now, it becomes a bit dangerous.’
He glanced at one more unmanned tower. ‘But I can still destroy one last one. I can’t pocket it, but destroying it should be enough.’
Shang went from the side of the towers to the southeastern side of the encampment.
Now, one last Mage Tower was between Shang and the Skythunder Kingdom.
At that moment, Shang could feel several Spells with a lot of speed and large areas of destruction. They didn’t have as much power as the earlier ones, but they were faster and bigger, making it harder to avoid them.
Waves of wind, Fire Waves, and storms of icicles were shooting at Shang.
Shang looked at the tower.
“Ishah!”
BOOOOOM!
It was like a gigantic cannonball had shot through the last unmanned tower, and it exploded into pieces.
Shang arrived around 500 meters away from the tower, which had just started crumbling.
Behind the exploding tower, a mix of destructive Mana tore through the encampment.
Over 60 barbarians died in that attack.
Shang only glanced back with a grin.
And then, he began to run towards the Skythunder Kingdom.
The Mages quickly found him again and aimed their Spells at his new location.
BOOOOM!
BOOOOM!
Shang’s surroundings were torn apart by the gigantic forces of destruction, but with the additional distance, Shang managed to survive the explosions.
He didn’t manage to completely avoid all of them, and a couple of his bones broke, but they were quickly taken care of by his warrior’s body.
BOOOOOM!
More explosions occurred, but the further Shang got away from the Mage Towers, the easier it was to avoid their Spells. In this situation, Shang’s Pseudo-Spirit Sense did wonders for his ability to feel the Spells and avoid them.
The Mages’ fury increased as they realized that Shang would escape.
But there was nothing they could do!
And after around half a minute, Shang escaped the range of the Grandmountain Kingdom’s towers.
Shang only smirked, put one of his hands at his collar, and just broke it off.
CRK!
Shang squashed the metallic ring into a ball and let it fall to the ground behind him.
Then, he continued running towards the Skythunder Kingdom.
He wanted to walk there leisurely, but if the High Mage returned early, Shang might die.
He just wanted to be on the safe side.
After around two minutes, Shang entered the range of the Skythunder Kingdom’s Mage Towers, and he stopped.
They hadn’t yet shot at him, but they had definitely noticed the destruction in the distance behind him, and they had definitely seen him already.
SHING!
Duke Whirlwind’s emblem appeared in his hand, and he lifted it upwards for a couple of seconds.
SHING! BOOOOM!
After that, two destroyed Mage Towers and a couple of corpses appeared in front of Shang.
With a small jump, Shang landed on top of the destroyed Mage Towers and grabbed the head of Major Sparker.
He lifted the head high with a wide grin.
“Tell Duke Whirlwind that Shang is finally back!”
Chapter 396 – Interrogation
“Your name is Shang, correct?” an older True Mage with grey robes said as he looked at Shang.
Right now, Shang was in a closed-off room with the grey-robed True Mage.
“Correct,” Shang said with a wide grin. “It’s been so long since I used my true name. It feels weird to hear it from someone else’s mouth.”
Shockingly enough, Shang’s legs were on the table.
Usually, Shang would never act like this.
He was a serious person that wanted to get things over with as quickly as possible.
But this time, Shang was acting differently.
After talking with Duke Whirlwind, they decided that Shang should take on an entirely different personality when he returned.
After all, Shang had one eye, and the warrior that had come from the Spirit Spring Kingdom six months ago also only had one eye.
In order to make the Aura between these two people as different as possible, Duke Whirlwind instructed Shang to act differently.
True Mages couldn’t recognize people by their Auras, but they still felt it subconsciously. Instead of knowing what was different, they simply felt that something was different, but they didn’t know why.
The grey-robed True Mage only looked at Shang evenly.
He was an Inquisitor, and it was his job to make sure that Shang was not some sort of exotic spy.
“Tell me what happened. How did you leave the Skythunder Kingdom, what happened in the Grandmountain Kingdom, and how did you return?” the Inquisitor asked.
Shang’s grin only widened, looking like he was elated at the prospect of telling his grand story.
Of course, Duke Whirlwind and Shang had already gone over the story he should use thoroughly.
During the attack of the Storm Eagle, Shang fell into the black structure at the bottom of the Storm Eagle Zone. In the hope of escaping, Shang entered a portal, which brought him to another black structure.
When Shang talked about the powerful Mage that had teleported him, the Inquisitor didn’t believe him.
However, at the urging of Shang, the Inquisitor contacted Duke Whirlwind to confirm.
Duke Whirlwind put on an amazing performance of being shocked that Shang had returned.
After that, Duke Whirlwind gave a recounting of the event that happened in the Storm Eagle Zone.
Something had thrown the Storm Eagle away without injuring it too heavily, which meant that there had been something with insane power near the Storm Eagle at that time.
Duke Whirlwind also ordered the Inquisitor to keep quiet about that matter and that he would inform King Skythunder. He also told the Inquisitor that he would send someone over to receive Shang.
The Inquisitor made it clear that Duke Whirlwind wasn’t allowed to order him since he wasn’t in Duke Whirlwind’s forces, but he did it in the politest way possible.
He also told Duke Whirlwind that Shang had to clear the inquisitorial inspection first.
Duke Whirlwind said that he never intended to interfere in it.
He was simply convinced of Shang’s innocence, which was why he was sending someone.
They could continue investigating him until they were satisfied.
After having that cleared up, the Inquisitor returned to listening to Shang’s story.
According to Shang, he had managed to stay hidden during the first couple of years until he was found by a Governor.
Of course, there had been a Truth Verification Spell active this entire time, but Duke Whirlwind had obviously thought about that.
Shang was currently under a Spell that fooled the Inquisition’s Truth Verification Spells. Shang could control the results the Spell showed.
If he wanted it to show truth, it would show truth. If he wanted it to show a lie, it would show a lie.
However, Shang’s story still had to be logically sound, or the Inquisitor would become suspicious.
After Shang had allegedly been found by a Governor, he had been sent to the northern frontlines.
The important difference between this story and the truth was that, in this version, Shang had already reached the Commander Stage before being found.
Of course, the Mages were surprised that an unknown barbarian had reached the Champion Stage and inspected him.
And what they found shocked them.
The very thing they had been desperately searching for was right in front of them.
Over the next couple of years, Shang was under constant supervision by the Grandmountain Kingdom’s best researchers.
Shang had only said that he had eaten something funny.
One would think that such a wild bunch of researchers would kill and dissect Shang, but that would be stupid.
He was the only living member with the perfect body they had always wanted, and if they killed him, they couldn’t keep experimenting on him.
Shang only brushed the years of torture off as unimportant.
Eventually, Shang managed to go to a Tribe and live there after the researchers were finished experimenting on him.
A couple of years of calm training followed.
But then, the Mages were urging Shang to get a wife and have kids.
They wanted to see if that body could be given to his kids.
They didn’t want to force him since they were afraid that he would do something stupid and kill himself, which would kill the only person with the perfect body in the world, according to their knowledge.
That was why they only pushed him in that direction.
Eventually, Shang managed to get the Mages to allow him to change tribes for the reason that all the women there were ugly.
And he managed to get to the closest tribe towards the south of the Kingdom.
After that, Shang kept watching over the frontlines from a distance.
Until today, when he saw several Mages leave the encampment.
Shang charged in, wreaked havoc in the encampment, and that was how he had returned.
Of course, the Inquisitor asked many questions to verify everything Shang had said, but Shang and Duke Whirlwind had already planned out everything in excruciating detail.
The interrogation took nearly six hours.
By the end of it, the Inquisitor had no more questions.
However, Shang could still see some suspicion and doubt in the Inquisitor’s eyes.
“The interrogation is over,” the Inquisitor said.
“However, there is one last thing I must do to verify the truth.”
Shang furrowed his brows.
The Inquisitor stood up and looked at Shang.
“I need to read your mind to confirm that everything you have said is the truth.”
Chapter 397 – Outburst
Shang's right eye narrowed as soon as the Inquisitor asked for a Mind Read.
The entire time, the atmosphere had been somewhat jovial due to Shang's arrogant and joking retelling of the past ten years, but as soon as that question popped up, the entire atmosphere shifted to the opposite.
"Are you serious?" Shang asked with a dark tone.
The Inquisitor was quite shocked by the sudden pressure Shang was exhibiting on him just by getting genuinely upset, but he didn't let it show.
His eyes inspected Shang.
Shang was in the middle of a room inside a fortification guarded by over 30 True Mages. Additionally, even the resident Duke wasn't far away.
On top of that, the Inquisitor had had his Mana Shield active ever since the interrogation started, and lastly, Shang's weapon was placed in a completely different room.
So, even though Shang's mood put a lot of pressure on the Inquisitor, he wasn't scared.
"If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear," the Inquisitor said in a strict tone.
BANG!
The table between them exploded into pieces as Shang's fist hit it with all his power.
"How dare you?!" Shang shouted with genuine anger. His right eye showed genuine hatred and absolute rage inside it.
The Inquisitor's insides shuddered at the outburst, but he kept his appearance under control.
SHING!
A head appeared in Shang's hand, and he held it in front of him by its long hair.
"Look at that!" Shang shouted. "I killed a Late True Mage, several Early True Mages, took down three Mage Towers, and donated these things to the Skythunder Kingdom!"
"I severely weakened one of the Grandmountain Kingdom's frontlines, and I was so happy to finally be back home that I donated all of that stuff!"
"I fucking did more for the Skythunder Kingdom than the majority of Mages do in their lifetime!"
"I answered questions under a Truth Verification Spell for over six fucking hours!"
"And yet, you want to dig around in my mind?!"
"The Skythunder Kingdom should treat me like a hero, but instead, you're treating me like a traitor!"
BANG!
Shang threw the head of the dead Mage against the wall, and the head exploded into a shower of gore.
"What's the fucking point of giving you fucking disrespectful, heinous, scheming little shits anything if you just treat me like a fucking rat that just shat in your bed?!"
The Inquisitor took a deep breath. He could practically feel Shang's burning hatred and rage in the air.
That anger was so very genuine.
For the past six hours, Shang had joked around arrogantly while retelling everything, but as soon as the Inquisitor had asked for a Mind Read, it was like a switch had been flipped inside Shang.
A deep hatred and anger exploded out of Shang, and the Inquisitor was a bit surprised that Shang still had control over his faculties. He had expected Shang to attack him immediately.
However, all of that made the Inquisitor only more suspicious.
"This is not a question, a request, or a suggestion," the Inquisitor said slowly and coldly.
"This is an order."
"You will undergo a Mind Read. It doesn't matter if you want to or not."
For two seconds, silence came over the room as the fire in Shang's eye retreated.
However, for some reason, the atmosphere only became colder.
"If that is the stance of the Skythunder Kingdom, so be it!" Shang said coldly.
Then, Shang extended his hand to his right and opened it.
For just a second, seemingly nothing happened.
Bang.
A distant sound of something exploding could be heard in the room.
Bang!
A second sound came, this one louder.
BANG!
The wall of the room exploded, and something entered.
When the Inquisitor saw the object, fear appeared in his eyes for the first time.
It was Shang's sword!
Somehow, Shang's sword had broken past three walls and had entered of its own volition!
As soon as Shang was reunited with Sword, the pressure he put on the Inquisitor multiplied.
The Inquisitor felt like he would be helpless in front of Shang.
"What are you doing?!" the Inquisitor shouted in outrage. "Are you betraying the Skythunder Kingdom?!"
Shang's expression turned into a sneer.
"What's it to you? In your eyes, I am already a traitor."
Shang readied his sword.
"Might as well act like it."
BOOOOOM!
One entire side of a rather big building exploded outward as a round thing shot through it like a cannonball.
BANG!
The round thing hit the hard walls and stopped as waves of instability spread across it.
The entire encampment looked with shock at what had just happened.
The Inquisitor had been shot out of the building and had hit the walls!
Inside his Mana Shield, the Inquisitor puked a stream of blood. Even though Shang's sword had been stopped by his Mana Shield, the force of the attack had severely injured his organs.
At the same time, genuine fear and terror appeared inside his eyes.
That attack had destroyed over 70% of his Mana reserves!
It was like he had been hit full force by a gigantic beast!
Step.
Shang slowly stepped out of the dusty cloud that had formed around the building, his sword trailing behind him.
"I killed several Mages of the Grandmountain Kingdom!" Shang shouted.
"I destroyed three Mage Towers and gave you two!"
"I answered your questions under a Truth Verification Spell for six hours!"
"Yet, you still treat me like a traitor?!"
Shang's voice echoed throughout the base.
"Well, if it's a traitor you want, it's a traitor you'll get!"
As Shang was talking, all the Mage Towers activated and locked onto him.
Several more True Mages summoned their Foci and prepared their Spells on top of the walls.
They were waiting for orders.
Shang glanced around the base, and a derisive smirk appeared on his face.
"I've broken through one encampment," Shang said.
WHOOOM!
At that moment, the air around Shang began to vibrate with power.
The ground around him slowly turned into dust, which slowly floated upwards before it vanished.
He had activated his Domain.
At that moment, all the onlookers felt a feeling of mortal threat.
It was like a gigantic True Path Stage beast was in the middle of their base!
"I can break through another," Shang slowly said as his right eye narrowed.
The eyes of the Inquisitor were filled with terror.
"Kill him!" he shouted.
BANG!
Shang shot forward and reached the Inquisitor in an instant.
The Inquisitor had been too intimidated to use Mana Step.
He was only a Mid True Mage.
BANG!
Shang's sword hit his shield and broke it apart.
As all this happened, the Mages only looked with uncertainty at what was going on.
They were at a crossroads.
The Inquisitor didn't have the authority to give them orders, which was why they hadn't attacked yet.
At the same time, they didn't believe that Shang was a spy.
No spy acted like that.
However, they couldn't just let an Inquisitor die in the middle of their base while there were so many soldiers around him!
Shang slowly lifted his sword above himself.
The Inquisitor was out of Mana.
There was nothing he could do.
"You'll get the traitor you've been so desperately searching for," Shang said with a mad grin.
The Inquisitor looked at Shang's raised sword with terror.
He was going to die!
Suddenly, Shang's grin vanished.
He quickly glanced to his right and jumped back.
SHING!
A tiny pebble shot past the place Shang had just been standing.
Its speed had been terrifyingly fast!
Shang's eyes focused on a man with short brown hair, wearing quite expensive robes.
Right now, the man was looking at Shang with an eyebrow raised in surprise.
He hadn't expected Shang to sense his Spell and avoid it.
The Spell hadn't been meant to kill Shang but to simply injure him and throw him away from the Inquisitor.
But the man was still quite surprised.
Sure, that hadn't been a serious Spell, but avoiding the Spell of a High Mage was still very impressive.
As soon as that man appeared, the Mages released a sigh of relief.
Their Duke was here.
Everything would resolve itself now.
The Duke looked at the Inquisitor, who was still in complete shock.
Then, he glanced at Shang.
And lastly, he looked back at the Inquisitor.
"What is going on here?"
Chapter 398 – Duke Whirlwind's Advice
The Inquisitor slowly stood up, took a deep breath, and saluted in front of the Duke.
"Sir, I requested a Mind Read, but instead of complying, this warrior attacked me," the Inquisitor said.
The Duke furrowed his brows and looked at Shang. "A Mind Read is standard procedure for anyone coming from an enemy Kingdom. Why did you refuse?"
Shang only snorted in disrespect.
The Duke narrowed his eyes.
It was like Shang wasn't respecting the Duke at all.
"I killed the strongest Mage present on the enemy encampment, killed three more Early True Mages, destroyed three Mage Towers, donated two of those Towers to the Skythunder Kingdom, answered his questions under a Truth Verification Spell for six hours, but instead of showing me any kind of respect, you treat me like shit and want to dig around in my brain?"
"After ten years, I finally managed to come home, I give the Skythunder Kingdom some presents, but instead of being treated with respect, I get treated like a piece of shit and a traitor."
At that point, the Duke interrupted Shang. "A Mind Read is still standard procedure."
"Fuck your standard procedure!" Shang shouted.
Silence.
The Duke only narrowed his eyes threateningly.
Shang's right eye narrowed as his grin widened maliciously.
Then, he lifted his sword and readied it.
The Mages almost couldn't believe what they were seeing.
This warrior wasn't showing any respect to the Duke at all!
Did he have a death wish?!
"You do know that I have enough justification to kill you on the spot, right?" the Duke asked threateningly.
Shang only smirked, pointed his left arm towards the Duke, and taunted him to come at him.
The atmosphere turned tense, and Shang could feel the insane pressure coming from the Duke.
But on the other side, the Duke also felt a bit nervous.
Something was telling him that attacking Shang was a very bad idea.
Logic told him that he should be able to turn Shang into dust in an instant, but his instincts were telling him that Shang had the power to threaten his life if it came down to it.
Of course, Shang didn't have that power.
However, if he sacrificed an arm...
For nearly five seconds, the two only looked at each other.
The Duke had expected that he could make an appearance and the unrest would be resolved.
However, this warrior was proving impossible to reason with.
The Duke wanted to kill Shang, but his instincts were against that decision.
A High Mage's instinct had been honed by years of battle, experience, and research, and it was very reliable.
The Duke didn't like it at all, but he came to a decision.
"Put your sword away," the Duke said coldly. "I will call the Chief Inquisitor, and she will make the call."
Shang looked at the Duke for another second before putting his sword to the side.
"Fine," he said.
At that moment, the Mages around them released another sigh of relief.
Something like this was far beyond their ability to manage or control.
When the Duke saw that Shang had put his sword to the side, he summoned a Communication Crystal and contacted the Chief Inquisitor.
It took about ten minutes until the Chief Inquisitor appeared.
The Chief Inquisitor was an older woman with grey hair and grey eyes, but one could see an unfathomable amount of wisdom and power in her emotionless eyes.
'She isn't a truly powerful Peak True Mage, but she's definitely stronger than the average,' Shang thought when he saw her.
The Chief Inquisitor threw a look at Shang, but her expression didn't change.
After that, she walked over to the Inquisitor and wordlessly put a hand on his head.
It was normal for Inquisitors to have their minds read by the Chief Inquisitor. The Inquisitors were the judges of traitors, and having a traitorous Inquisitor would be devastating. Because of that, their minds regularly got read by the Chief Inquisitor.
The Chief Inquisitor's eyes opened after a couple of seconds.
Then, she looked at Shang and back at the Inquisitor.
"The rules and laws keep the Kingdom safe and in order," the Chief Inquisitor spoke slowly.
"But while we do have the power and authority to request a Mind Read from everyone, we must keep in mind that what is natural for us might be a devastating event for someone else."
"A Mind Read is not without consequences, and we must have a good reason to request one."
"In this case, this was not the case."
The Inquisitor only lowered his head in respect as he listened to the Chief Inquisitor.
Then, the Chief Inquisitor looked emotionlessly at Shang.
"Human cooperation is the basis of our survival, Shang," she said, obviously having found out Shang's name via the Mind Read. "While I do agree that the Mind Read was excessive, you had the power to refuse without trying to kill one of my Inquisitors."
Shang's right eye focused on the Chief Inquisitor. "And if I didn't have that power, I would have to eat the abuse up like a pathetic weakling."
Then, Shang's eye narrowed. "If that's your philosophy, your Inquisitor should also eat my abuse up like a pathetic weakling."
Silence.
The Duke furrowed his brows.
However, the Chief Inquisitor's expression didn't change.
"It is your choice whether to accept my advice or not," she calmly said. Then, she looked at the Duke. "There is no good reason to perform a Mind Read. I do not think he is a traitor."
The Duke nodded. "Thank you, Melanie."
The Chief Inquisitor performed a polite bow, turned around, and left.
Then, the Duke turned to Shang with a cold expression.
"You may stay in the Skythunder Kingdom. Everything you have done, including your damage done to the Grandmountain Kingdom, the things you have donated to the Skythunder Kingdom, and how you have conducted yourself in this base, will be reported to the Council."
"Leave the base in the next ten minutes after gathering all your things. This is a military encampment, and you are not part of the military."
Shang relaxed and nodded. "I will do so."
The Duke didn't react to Shang's word. He only turned around and left.
After the Duke left, Shang shot another sneer at the Inquisitor before leaving.
He had everything that he needed, and he walked out of the encampment just half a minute later.
The Mages were unsure what they should think about this incident.
Shang had shown disrespect to the Inquisitors and even the Duke. Just his mere presence had put them in danger, and worst of all, he was a physi.
But on the other hand, Shang had done an incredible service to the Skythunder Kingdom.
They didn't like Shang, and they didn't want to be near him, but they couldn't deny his power and worth.
As Shang left the encampment, his arrogant façade slowly vanished as a calm but cold expression appeared on his face.
However, there was just the slightest bit of excitement visible in his eye.
When Duke Whirlwind had given Shang instructions on how to deal with the interrogation, this situation had also come up, and Shang had acted according to Duke Whirlwind's suggestions...
More or less.
"Shang, you have to prove your power and worth to the Skythunder Kingdom," Duke Whirlwind had said. "But you also have to show that they can't just push you around. You have that level of power now."
"Remember, even though most people don't see the impact, you must remember that the ruler of this Kingdom is King Skythunder, not the Council."
"The Kingdom might appear like an extension of the castle, but in its deepest core, it is still ruled by King Skythunder."
"People believe that following orders is the best way to live prosperously and peacefully in the Skythunder Kingdom, but that's only true for the 99% at the bottom."
"You are part of the top one percent, and you have to show that you won't allow anyone to push you around."
"If the Inquisitor requests a Mind Read after the interrogation, remember this."
"Become angry, refuse, and don't budge under any circumstance."
"Show your power and make everyone around you realize that they are not the ones in control. You are!"
After that, Duke Whirlwind talked about the details of what Shang should do.
At the moment, Shang only scratched his cheek.
'I was supposed to shout at the Inquisitor and refuse until the Chief Inquisitor was forced to come.'
'I mean, that's what happened.'
'However, I think Duke Whirlwind had something else in mind.'
'But it worked, right?'
Chapter 399 – Ranos
Shang waited a couple of kilometers away from the base for another six hours.
And after these six hours, his escort to the Storm Eagle Zone finally arrived.
When Shang saw the group, he raised an eyebrow.
'That's quite a strong escort.'
In front of Shang stood six people. Five of them were True Mages, with four of them being at the Mid True Mage Realm and the leader being at the Late True Mage Realm.
The last person wasn't a Mage, but someone Shang knew very well.
In front of Shang stood a red-haired man who looked to be in his early thirties. He wore powerful red armor, and his eyes were cold.
Shang only smiled a bit. 'Seems like reaching the True Path Stage made Vice-Dean Ranos younger.'
Yes, it was Vice-Dean Ranos.
Vice-Dean Ranos and Shang's Spirit Senses had already sensed each other earlier.
Shang wasn't exactly surprised when he felt Vice-Dean Ranos' Spirit Sense, but Ranos was very surprised.
According to his estimates, Shang was in his early thirties, but he had already made progress on establishing his True Path.
Additionally, when Vice-Dean Ranos felt Shang's power, he could barely believe his senses.
Right now, Shang felt like an incredible threat to Vice-Dean Ranos. He felt so dangerous that Ranos wasn't even sure if he could beat Shang.
Lastly, Shang felt very different from the young boy he used to know.
Shang felt much colder.
The two of them only looked at each other for a while.
"Congratulations on reaching the True Path Stage," Shang said.
Vice-Dean Ranos' eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not sure if I should gratulate you or pity you," he said.
The other Mages were also shocked when they felt Shang's pressure.
How could a warrior at the Mid Commander Stage feel so incredibly powerful?!
After the short exchange, silence returned.
Instead of talking like old times, Shang and Ranos only looked at each other with evaluating gazes.
"Let's go," Ranos said as he turned around to leave.
"You don't want to know what happened?" Shang asked.
"You are you. I am I," Ranos answered before leaving.
"Fine," Shang said.
Then, the group traveled southward towards the Storm Eagle Zone.
On the way, some of the Mages asked Shang some questions, but Shang only gave them quick and curt answers.
They realized that Shang wasn't a big fan of talking, and they focused on telling Shang about what had changed in the last ten years.
Shang already knew all the changes, but he still acted like he hadn't heard of these things before.
"Are the warriors that underwent the Bloodline Infusion still being hunted down?" Shang asked after a Mage told him that some warriors were vanishing.
"Yes," the Head of the Circle of Mages said. "Nearly all the General Stage warriors that underwent the Bloodline Infusion don't dare to exit the Storm Eagle Zone or even the academy."
The Mage narrowed his eyes. "Recently, even some of the warriors in the Storm Eagle Zone started vanishing. It's not as bad as in the other Zones, but it's worrisome."
Shang slightly narrowed his right eye. "Sounds like I should investigate."
"You don't need to investigate," Vice-Dean Ranos chimed in. "We basically know who is doing these things."
"And why are you not attacking them?" Shang asked.
"We can only defend ourselves," Vice-Dean Ranos explained. "If we take up the initiative and kill them without them directly threatening us, the Council will accuse us of treason. They will make it look like we attacked an innocent group of Mages that were just minding their own business."
Shang looked at the back of Vice-Dean Ranos' head, who was currently running in front of Shang. "Who gave that order?"
"This is a joint decision between Vice-Dean Soran and me," he answered.
'Thought so,' Shang thought. 'Duke Whirlwind told me that I can't accept being pushed around, but this sounds exactly like being pushed around.'
"Does Duke Whirlwind know?" Shang asked.
For a while, Vice-Dean Ranos didn't answer.
"Most of it," he said.
However, at the same time, Vice-Dean Ranos' voice appeared inside Shang's head. Obviously, he didn't want the Mages around him to know.
"Duke Whirlwind might be an ally, but he is still a Mage," he said via voice transmission. "Right now, he is helping us, but if we warriors actually become strong enough to threaten the Mages' supremacy, he will stand with his kind."
"In his eyes, we are illegal mercenaries to him. He will keep helping us, but as soon as things actually become serious, he will abandon us."
"If we attack the Mages, he will wash his hands off the matter and throw us in front of the Council with a smile," he explained.
Shang looked at Vice-Dean Ranos with a curious gleam in his eyes. "How did you come to that conclusion?"
"He's a Mage," Vice-Dean Ranos answered via voice transmission. "That's what Mages do."
"That seems like an overgeneralization."
At that point, Vice-Dean Ranos glanced at Shang with a cold light.
"You might be powerful, but you are still young, boy," Vice-Dean Ranos transmitted. "When you've lived as long as me, you will see that the Mages are all of a piece."
'Interesting,' Shang thought without answering Ranos. 'So, it's not only the Mages that view the warriors in an unfavorable light, but the warriors also see the Mages in this way.'
'I'm convinced that Duke Whirlwind is not like Vice-Dean Ranos makes him out to be. I gave him the suggestion to frame Vice-Dean Ranos for something that happened, but he was adamantly against it.'
'Duke Whirlwind would throw the warriors in front of the Council?'
'I doubt it.'
At that point, Shang also remembered that Vice-Dean Ranos' entire existence was built around killing Mages.
What led him to choose such a path?
'He must have been betrayed and attacked by Mages more than once. His negative experiences with Mages clouded his judgment until he believed that every Mage is a selfish monster.'
At that point, Shang had a funny thought.
'In Earth-terms, he could be compared to some form of bigot or racist, right?'
Chapter 400 – The Dean's Sacrifice
Shang and Ranos stopped talking after that.
Ranos thought that Shang was angry at being called a young boy, but he actually wasn't.
In Shang's eyes, Ranos seemed to be someone that was stuck in their way and wasn't willing to look at the Mages as individuals instead of as a group.
Because of that, Ranos' opinion of Shang was not very important to him.
After a couple of hours, they reached the Ice Wyvern Zone.
While they were traveling through it, Shang didn't feel any suspicious Mages with his Pseudo-Spirit Sense, which probably meant that they knew that a powerful group of Duke Whirlwind's people would be traveling through here.
Some minutes later, they reached the Storm Eagle Zone. Shang had been here for several months, but now, he could officially walk amongst people again.
As Shang ran through the Farm Line, he fell into nostalgia.
He still remembered the first time he had come here.
Everything here had been more powerful than him by a lot.
Shang and the group reached Warrior's Paradise in the middle of the night, after which they split apart.
The Mages returned to whatever they were doing previously while Ranos and Shang entered Warrior's Paradise.
As Shang entered, more of his memories awakened.
The first time he had come here, it had also been at night.
"You're back."
Shang looked in front of him and saw a familiar face.
The Dean.
His Teacher.
"I'm back, Teacher," Shang said as he looked at him.
The two of them only looked at each other for a while.
Vice-Dean Ranos had vanished as soon as the Dean appeared in front of Shang.
As Shang looked at his Teacher for the first time in ten years, he was surprised.
His Teacher felt very similar to him, but there were still some differences.
The Dean felt cold to Shang, but there was a certain honor and righteousness to his coldness.
These were qualities Shang couldn't identify with.
To Shang, his power was the most important thing, and he would do anything to become more powerful.
That included lying, deceit, and plotting.
In the past, Shang had seen himself as a very honest person, but that image had vanished as soon as he began talking to Duke Whirlwind again.
He had become accustomed to lying and hiding in the last ten years.
Shang wasn't sure, but he guessed that this change had appeared inside of him after he had killed Lash.
But in a way, Shang was also glad about the Dean's aura.
He knew that he didn't need to worry about the Dean as long as he didn't betray him.
"Tell me what happened," the Dean said as he started walking towards the academy.
"I can tell you some things, but I can't tell you everything," Shang said as he followed him.
"That is your decision, but might I ask for the reason?"
"Because I don't want to involve you in politics," Shang answered.
The Dean threw a cold look at Shang.
For a while, he didn't say anything, but he understood what Shang meant.
After some seconds, he sighed.
"This was why I didn't want you to accept his mission back then," the Dean said.
Shang knew what the Dean was referring to.
Back when Shang wanted the Entropy Ore, Duke Whirlwind had offered it at a high price. Shang could have purchased it with his contributions, but he chose the alternative.
Work for Duke Whirlwind on a mission.
He hadn't thought much of it back then, but after the Dean spoke these words, Shang realized the far-reaching effects this choice had had on his life.
Shang had officially always been under the Dean's neutral faction, but as soon as Shang had returned to the Skythunder Kingdom, he had searched for Duke Whirlwind first.
However, that had been the logical choice in Shang's mind.
Duke Whirlwind had given Shang the ore, his emblem, had done his best to protect him from the Thunder Horse, had given him his armor, and had protected him.
Additionally, Duke Whirlwind was very charismatic and honest.
Without noticing, Shang had left the Dean's camp and had joined Duke Whirlwind.
"Do you think he manipulates me?" Shang asked.
"No," the Dean answered with a shake of his head. "I am good friends with Jerald, and I know how he thinks and what he wants. I know that he knows that manipulating powerful allies will only drive them away with time. He helps them honestly, and he knows that they will help him back."
"But he is still involved in the politics, and he wants to become the King. This is why I like to keep a certain distance from him."
"Becoming King means becoming enemies with every other powerful person in the Kingdom. Following him will most likely end in my death," the Dean explained.
Shang nodded. "But with great risk come great rewards."
"That's true, but the rewards are not what I need right now," he answered.
"What do you need?" Shang asked.
"Peace, quiet, and time."
Shang furrowed his brows. "Did you give up on becoming more powerful?"
If this had been in the past, the Dean might have become irritated at Shang's question, but he could feel Shang's power.
Shang felt like a genuine threat to the Dean, which meant he was incredibly powerful.
This question coming from Shang was justified.
"No," the Dean said. "You have already made progress on your True Path, and you should be able to judge my power accurately."
Shang nodded.
"What do you think of it?" the Dean asked.
Shang looked at the Dean.
"Fragile and hasty," he said.
The Dean nodded. "Don't make the same mistake I've made."
"I won't," Shang said.
Then, he used his Pseudo-Spirit Sense to check if anyone was listening.
After that, his Pseudo-Spirit Sense came into contact with the Dean, and Shang used a voice transmission.
"In the latest trial, Teacher Mervin was one of my enemies," he said via voice transmission.
The Dean stopped walking for about a second before he continued.
"What happened?" he asked.
"He trained me for five full years inside the trial," Shang answered.
The Dean looked at the academy, which was only a couple hundred meters away from him at the moment, with nostalgic eyes.
"If I had the luxury of having such a good teacher, I might not have made the very mistakes I still regret to this day," he answered.
Shang could hear deep respect emanate from the Dean when he talked about Teacher Mervin.
"But without you, Teacher Mervin would have committed your mistake," Shang answered. "He saw what you have done, learned from it, and is still in the Commander Stage because of it."
"Someone had to be the first to make this mistake so that others wouldn't."
The Dean didn't answer for a while.
"Yet, it is my mistake to bear," he answered, but at that moment, some fire appeared in his eyes. "But I will rectify it."
"Is that what you meant earlier?" Shang asked. "The way you are working on your power right now?"
The Dean nodded. "I am focusing on establishing a new True Path. Then, I will destroy my old one, fall to the Commander Stage again, and rejoin the True Path Stage as a new warrior."
"That's possible?" Shang asked.
The Dean nodded. "This was the second thing I focused my studies on. It is very costly, time-consuming, risky, and hasn't been tested yet, but it should work."
"Does it have negative consequences?" Shang asked.
"Yes," the Dean answered. "Everything that has led up to my current Path will vanish from my mind."
"Additionally, creating a new Path is very difficult for me since I can't fight any beasts or Mages on my level. I have to theorize everything without any practical testing."
Shang raised an eyebrow. "But if you were to fall to the Commander Stage right now, that problem would be solved to some degree."
"It would, but I can't," the Dean answered. "Right now, it would take a Peak True Mage to threaten me, which makes it very difficult to assassinate me. If I fall to the Commander Stage, I could be killed by a Mid True Mage since I would have forgotten my previous Path."
"I am the core of the powerful warriors of the world, and if I fall, the warriors will receive a heavy hit."
"For the warriors, I have to keep myself safe and powerful, even if it makes it difficult for me to become more powerful in the future."
Shang didn't say anything for a while.
"What about Vice-Dean Ranos? Couldn't he take up that role?" he asked.
"He could, but his hardline stance against Mages would damage the warriors as a whole. I wouldn't like to give him full authority over warriors."
Shang could only agree.
"What if it is Teacher Mervin?" Shang asked.
"If he were at the True Path Stage, I would gladly hand him control," the Dean answered, "but that might take a couple of decades more. Creating a True Path consumes a lot of time."
When Shang heard that, a smirk appeared on his face.
"Teacher, don't you want to know how many points I've gotten in the trial?" he asked.
At that moment, a light appeared in the Dean's eyes, and he turned to Shang.
"Did you get a good reward?" he asked.
Shang only grinned. "I've gotten 30 points. What do you think?"
The Dean's eyes widened in shock.
30 points was ridiculous!
He knew that Shang was way more powerful thanks to the Procedure, but the Dean would have expected 20 points, at the most.
30?!
How did he even do that?!
"My reward is something that allows you to view your progress on creating your True Path. You should remember the concept of a video game from Earth."
"You could look at it like a talent tree."
"And its help in creating a True Path can't be overstated."
"Who knows? With it, Teacher Mervin might reach the True Path Stage in just a couple of years."
"Leaving you to focus on your own True Path again."