“Outrageous!”
Thorne Steelhart roared in fury upon hearing those words.
As the esteemed Prince of Great Lyria, the mere thought of Chris daring to threaten him was an insult beyond bearing. Grinding his teeth in anger, Thorne declared, “Chris, I will kill you!”
At the same moment, a scout from Amerosia returned and approached Seraphina.
“Princess of Monroe,” the scout reported, “a man named Chris, accompanied by a single spirit beast, infiltrated the Great Lyria army. He slaughtered hundreds of their cultivators, tens of thousands of their soldiers, and escaped unscathed, even after being surrounded by their massive forces!”
“What?”
Everyone present was stunned, disbelief written plainly across their faces.
A single man and a beast escaping from the encirclement of an entire Great Lyria army? It was beyond imagination.
Seraphina’s face lit up with joy. “I knew it! Mr. Shelby isn’t so easily defeated!”
Elias Dorneles, standing nearby, wore a complicated expression. She would never have believed that the man she had once dismissed as insignificant could now wield such overwhelming power.
To survive an assault from thousands of Aetherbinding cultivators and escape unscathed was a feat even she doubted she could achieve.
Alexandre Leite scoffed coldly. “Ridiculous! How could one man and one beast break free from tens of thousands of soldiers? That’s pure fabrication!”
Elias Dorneles gave a bitter laugh.
It wasn’t just Alexandre who found it hard to believe-she herself struggled to accept it. Yet, the facts could not be denied.
For decades, Amerosia and Great Lyria had been locked in conflict, with the Shoreline Gate serving as the primary battlefield.
This most recent war between the two nations had lasted for months, culminating in one of the bloodiest battles in their history.
After an entire day and night of relentless combat, Amerosia managed to drive Great Lyria’s forces out of their territory-a hard-fought victory for the nation.
When news of the triumph reached Amerosia’s capital, Pinkshire, the city erupted in celebration.
Not just Pinkshire-the entire nation of Amerosia was overcome with jubilation.
Amid the euphoria of victory, one name rose to prominence: Chris.
—
At that time, in Pinkshire, within the Wainwright family estate, life had returned to relative calm since Joanne’s death.
As the young mistress of the Wainwright family, Mara Wainwright commanded respect wherever she went. Yet, despite her position, she remained troubled.
Ever since Chris had left, she had heard no news of him.
But then, a message arrived.
Seraphina herself had led Amerosia’s forces to drive Great Lyria’s army out of their lands. During the battle, a man named Chris had emerged-a lone figure who plunged into the heart of Great Lyria’s army, leaving them in utter disarray.
Upon hearing this, Mara was shaken to her core.
Moments later, a single tear slid down her cheek.
—
Beyond the gates of Pinkshire, a man cloaked in black arrived at the city’s entrance.
This was none other than Lord Valerian.
Having left the Celestial Peaks, Lord Valerian had journeyed to Pinkshire.
When he heard of Chris’s exploits at the northern border, his expression was one of utter shock.
The tale of Chris’s daring assault had already spread across all of Amerosia.
Now aware of Chris’s formidable strength, Valerian’s feelings were mixed.
Once, their powers had been evenly matched. But now, after their time in Aethelgard, Chris had far surpassed him.
Clenching his teeth, Lord Valerian muttered, “Chris, I won’t let this defeat me!”
Determination burned in his eyes.
Back in Aethelgard, he and Chris had been equals. Now, Chris’s strength had grown to unimaginable heights.
Resolving himself, Valerian said, “There’s a place I’ve always feared to enter. But now, I have no choice.”
During his training in the Celestial Peaks, Valerian had discovered an extraordinarily dangerous location. Even Solstice-level cultivators faced near-certain death upon entering.
Driven to grow stronger, Valerian decided to venture into the perilous territory.
—
Meanwhile, Chris’s rise to prominence had drawn the attention of every major power in Amerosia.
The Flower Clan, the Sword Clan, and the Jefferson family all began investigating his origins.
While his name spread through Amerosia, Chris found himself wandering alone in a vast desert.
He was lost.
Nearly a third of Haven was covered in desert, and this one dwarfed Earth’s largest deserts by a hundredfold.
After escaping the Great Lyria army’s encirclement, Chris had traveled northward, intending to reach Great Lyria’s capital, Silver Crown.
His goal was to rescue Lindsay Windson.
But halfway there, he had lost his way.
Before him stretched an endless expanse of golden sand.
Chris sighed. “So, I’m lost. The question is-where’s Silver Crown?”
Despite this setback, Chris was unafraid.
As Amerosia’s Primus, he had carried out numerous missions in the Middle East, a region known for its harsh deserts.
He had once survived alone in a desert for an entire month.
Retrieving a flask of water from his storage ring, Chris took a sip.
Fortunately, he had prepared ample supplies of water and food in his storage ring, so survival wasn’t a concern.
Moments later, he sensed something was off.
Chris tensed, his senses sharp.
At first glance, the desert appeared unremarkable.
But as he walked, he realized there was no sign of life anywhere.
Even deserts teemed with resilient creatures, yet this one was eerily lifeless.
Chris glanced at Stripes, his spirit beast companion, and noticed its unease.
Stripes paced restlessly, clearly sensing the danger that lay hidden in this desert.
Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the ground.
Chris looked up to see a massive figure emerging from the sands-a giant formed entirely of golden sand.
“A Sand Wraith!” Chris exclaimed.
The Sand Wraiths of Aethelgard’s deserts were infamous, constructs of pure sand and notoriously difficult to defeat.
Gripping the Dragon Slayer tightly, Chris lunged forward and struck with all his might.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, Chris was sent flying backward.