“What happened? Tell me what happened!” Flynn roared as he led Scott Chilton and Olive out of the mall. His fury erupted the moment they stepped outside.
Boom!
A surge of overwhelming energy swept through the area, setting off alarms on all the cars in front of the mall. The shockwave spread like a tidal wave, sending fierce gusts of wind that rattled everything in its path.
Panic broke out. Screams filled the air as people scattered in every direction.
Ignoring the chaos around him, Flynn hurriedly ushered the two elderly figures into his Porsche and sped towards the back hills of Indigo Grove Estate.
Slatin was in crisis.
Niarak was in crisis.
At that moment, it felt like the sky was falling.
Both places needed him.
There wasn’t a second to waste.
Too urgent.
Far too urgent.
He was being pulled in too many directions.
He had prepared everything. He had planned meticulously.
And yet, Rose and Molly were in grave danger.
Scarlet was seriously injured.
Grandma Wilcox had been reduced to blood mist, her body entirely obliterated.
Harriet was dead.
Dead?
Dead?!
It had happened too suddenly.
How could this happen?
Even Flynn, who had faced countless life-and-death scenarios, couldn’t remain calm in the face of such devastation.
These were the people dearest to him.
Especially Harriet. Just yesterday, she had called him. She had given him a white robe, and he hadn’t even had the chance to wear it for her to see.
Why?
Why did it have to happen?
She had endured so much hardship. She was so obedient, so kind, so polite.
Whenever Flynn helped her, even in the smallest way, she would thank him profusely, her gratitude genuine and heartfelt.
Harriet wasn’t just his brother’s sister. She was his sister too.
Whenever Flynn’s involvement caused trouble for her, she would always apologize endlessly, tears brimming in her eyes.
She was the kind of person who always put others’ safety before her own.
She was only twenty-one.
So much beauty and promise awaited her.
Rose had wanted to mentor her.
Flynn had promised to take her to Pelens, to cleave the Hussain family’s manor in two with a single strike and retrieve the Elixir of Vigor.
But now, she was gone.
Dead.
In that final moment, had she been in pain?
“I forbid you to insult Flynn! He’s the handsomest, the strongest in the world, unbeatable!”
“Harriet, the next time I face a powerful enemy, I’ll wear the white robe you gave me.”
“You’ll see for yourself just how amazing your Flynn is!”
Ah-
Memories came flooding back, overwhelming Flynn.
He threw his head back and howled at the sky, his voice filled with anguish.
Tears streamed down his face.
Flynn was strong.
Strong beyond measure.
So strong that even he didn’t truly know the limits of his power.
Yet even he couldn’t bear the pain of losing his loved ones.
Yes, Flynn had long since considered Grandma Wilcox and Harriet as family. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent wave after wave of trained experts to Niarak to protect their safety.
“Mr. Clark, here’s what happened…”
Even over the phone, Brandon could feel the searing intensity of Flynn’s emotions.
The killing intent was suffocating, like the roar of a colossal beast.
The murderous aura seemed capable of consuming the entire world.
Brandon shivered involuntarily as he quickly recounted the events.
Zion Watson and his son had used a diversion to evade the surveillance of the National Security Bureau. They traveled to Ipholn and picked up Petrin Wilder.
From there, the three headed straight to Niarak.
Their first act was to kill Katie Wilcox and the five Lesser Sovereigns secretly guarding her. Afterward, they moved on to Sharp’s Group.
By then, Ronald and Kendal had received word of the attack. On their way to Sharp’s Group, they urgently contacted Brandon, requesting reinforcements from The Edge.
But Petrin Wilder was too swift and far too powerful.
Even when Lila dispatched two Adept Greater Sovereigns to intervene, they couldn’t withstand more than two strikes.
Both were killed on the spot.
Harriet, in an effort to protect Scarlet, was struck down by Petrin Wilder’s sword energy and died instantly.
Scarlet was gravely injured as well.
Just as Petrin Wilder was about to finish off Scarlet, Ronald and his team arrived.
But they were no match for him either. They couldn’t hold out even for a single move and were all seriously injured.
Luckily, The Edge’s operatives arrived at the last possible moment.
Petrin Wilder, unwilling to provoke the military, was forced to retreat and quickly left Niarak.
“Petrin Wilder, Zion Watson’s master?”
“Why is he in Niarak so soon?”
“What the hell is Nathan doing?! I told him not to alert the enemy! What’s he doing?! What-”
Flynn roared, veins bulging on his forehead.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
It was too tragic.
The scene must have been unimaginably horrific.
A wave of helplessness washed over him.
His mind was blank, filled only with endless questions-why, why, why!
“It seems Katie Wilcox leaked the information. Zion Watson tricked the National Security Bureau, and they only just found out…”
Brandon’s voice trembled, his body cold as ice.
Everything had happened too suddenly.
It was far too grave.
He didn’t dare imagine what Flynn would do next. A man of Flynn’s stature, once enraged, could bring about utter destruction.
“Katie Wilcox? It was her?” Flynn froze in disbelief.
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t fathom how all his carefully laid plans had been undone by such a seemingly insignificant woman.
Now it made sense why, during a trip to Pelens, he had encountered Katie Wilcox at the foot of the mountain.
It turned out that Jace Watson’s father was Zion Watson.
Flynn had never paid much attention to Katie Wilcox, assuming that with Justice Roy and others keeping an eye on her, she was harmless.
And who could have known she had ties to the Hussain family?
As for Jace Watson, Flynn had even less recollection of him.
To Flynn, Zion Watson was nothing more than the lowest of pawns, an ant among ants.
Why would he bother to investigate his family?
But now, a colossal plan had been ruined by two nobodies.
“Take care of them. I’m heading to Niarak immediately!”
Flynn ended the call and dialed Lila, requesting a helicopter to Indigo Grove Estate.
After rescuing Rose and Molly, he planned to fly directly to Niarak.
With the arrangements made, he floored the Porsche’s accelerator, its engine roaring like a thunderclap as he sped towards Indigo Grove Estate.
“Child, don’t blame yourself too much. This isn’t your fault-it’s just the cruelty of fate,” Olive gently consoled him.
She and Scott Chilton, both Semi-Heavenly Sovereigns, had overheard Flynn’s conversation with Brandon.
Though they had no idea who Harriet or Grandma Wilcox were, Flynn’s reaction made it clear how much they had meant to him.
Scott Chilton didn’t offer words of comfort. Instead, he sighed deeply.
“There’s no such thing as invincibility,” he said quietly.
“As long as someone has loved ones, they can never be truly untouchable.”
“Unless their heart is made of stone.”
“Flynn, go to Niarak. I’ll handle things here in Slatin.”
“No,” Flynn replied firmly. “I need to see Rose and Molly with my own eyes and ensure their safety.”
Rose. Molly.
You must hang on.
Don’t give up.
Harriet was gone.
Flynn couldn’t bear the thought of losing anyone else.
The Porsche roared through the winding roads, finally arriving at Indigo Grove Estate.
The three of them rushed into the back garden and were met with a harrowing scene below the cliff.
By the lake, Molly, covered in blood, was locked in combat with four Lesser Sovereigns.
Rose lay motionless on the lakeshore, her condition unknown.
Molly was clearly running out of strength. Her sword strikes were growing weaker and weaker.
One of the Lesser Sovereigns seized the opportunity, delivering a devastating punch that sent Molly flying over ten meters.
“Ahh-die!” Flynn bellowed, launching himself off the cliff and straight toward the four Lesser Sovereigns.
Boom!
A ferocious tidal wave of energy erupted, blanketing the valley in a suffocating pressure, as though the heavens themselves were collapsing…