Adam and as it turned out Kenward had no choice but to follow the dark route. It could lead them anywhere, to the next dew tree, to the Sacrificial Waterfalls or sowhere beyond those two territories.
Adam was shocked at how fast they were moving. Thanks to Kenward and his horse, they had crossed dozens of kiloters in just a few minutes and reached the borders of a new, completely different territory - the Soaring Chain Islands.
Strangely enough, Kenward did not move on.
He stopped in a field among brightly colored flowers, letting the warm breeze welco the two new guests.
Everything was more than welcoming, at least until the broad shadow of two great wings fell upon them.
Adam looked up to see a multitude of silhouettes hovering above them. They grew larger and larger with each passing second until they blocked out the bright light of the sun with their wings, leaving only a few faint rays.
’That’s... Which one of them is Saegar?’ Adam inwardly muttered, looking at the new to him monsters.
A multitude of warriors with sharp facial features stared at them intently, their gazes full of arrogance and pride. Black refined armor covered their lean bodies, matching well with their dark wings lined with several rows of feathers. A single flap would be enough to cause torrents of wind.
Several tis, Adam faced similar-looking monsters. It was always the Crown Type monsters, but...
’They look a lot stronger than the weaker ones,’ Adam muttered inwardly, paying attention to the way the monsters’ arms and legs looked.
He didn’t see any claws, fangs, horns, or tails on them.
If it weren’t for their vertical pupils, wings, and tall stature, it would be hard to distinguish them from a handso man who chose to wear black armor.
’Adam...’ Silvana’s voice bood in his mind. ’There are so many of them? Are you sure you’ll be alright?’
Deep inside, Adam smiled bitterly.
’Hah, I’m in foreign territory. I can’t be sure of anything. But, to disrespect them and try to do sothing about it at a ti like this would be the height of foolishness. For starters... We’ll have to see what this Saegar has to say.’
Tap.
One of the warriors descended, smooth and calm, his great wings barely moving.
He was a man with perfect skin and long blond hair coming down below his shoulders.
It didn’t matter that he was a monster, if there were girls here, they wouldn’t be able to hold their hearts in front of such a handso man.
After a few steps, he dropped to one knee, taking one hand behind his back and leaving the other on his knee, performing every action with grace.
"Mr. Kenward... I, Valdris, welco you to our lands. May I ask what brings you here? And..."
His blue, deep eyes darted in Adam’s direction for a mont.
"Why is that weak Phantom with you?"
None of the wing warriors were in a hurry to act. However, it was clear by the look in their eyes that if necessary, they were ready to attack Adam even if Kenward was in front of them.
"Agh... That’s disappointing." Kenward shook his head.
Valdris raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Mr. Kenward, what do you an?"
"We are monsters, so with only a na, others holding titles. It’s not just our reward, but my duty to be a wise, intelligent beings. And, what do I see in the end?"
He sighed heavily.
"A Phantom who isn’t even twenty yet, though he’s close to it, has turned out to be much smarter and more mature than you."
After a few heavy monts, Kenward slowly raised his hand.
"At least he knows how to behave facing one of the Lords!"
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
At the sa mont, a terrifying aura erged from Kenward as the darkness of his horse grew in nacing flas.
No one was able to resist it. Dozens of wing warriors, one after another, collapsed to the ground under the force of Kenward’s aura.
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
Their faces smashed into the earth, their wings shook as feathers were ready to fall like unsteady leaves from the autumn trees.
The only one who could resist to any degree was Valdris.
He was still on one knee, and his head was up, but for him, the feat did not go unnoticed.
A trickle of blood dripped from his nose, and then there were two more, darker, running from the corners of his mouth.
Kenward locked gaze with Valdris for a few seconds before loosening his aura, giving the rest of the warriors much-needed relief.
Fortunately for Adam, Kenward took him out of range of his aura. If he didn’t take that detail into account, Adam would most likely be dead by now.
’Holy shit! That ti he appeared... Was that his aura in a calm state?!’ Adam exclaid to himself, realizing that he had underestimated Kenward’s true strength.
Then, Adam’s eyes went wide as he rembered what Kenward had said before activating his aura.
’W-Wait! Did I hear correctly that he called himself a Lord?!
Silvana gulped, nodding affirmatively. ’Yes... I heard that, too. It should be clear from the start, though, right?’
’Yeah, you’re probably right. I an, he’s too strong to be an opponent for the K4-Phantoms. I’ve t so of them, especially at the Alderran Family estate... What’s more, those monsters.’
Adam narrowed his eyes, looking at the wing warriors who were struggling to get up from the ground. Many of them were wounded, but none of them were in a hurry to express their displeasure to Kenward. They knew it would only lead to an ignominious death.
’They are certainly much stronger than I am. So they are opponents for the K4-Phantoms.’
Following his thoughts, Adam ca to the conclusion he had early on when he first learned about the Lords from Arnoth.
’After all, Lords are the equivalent of the Second Rank Phantoms among monsters. But... The Second Rank Phantoms are also different. Not all of them are equally strong, though there are quite a few of them.’
"I see you’ve learned your lesson."
Kenward’s voice broke as he glared at Valdris.
"This Phantom is with because he was brought here by the First Star. He follows the dark route, and it is my duty as a follower of the Free End to bring him to the Twilight Crystal that lies on your territory!"
In a heartbeat, as if an electric shock had passed through everyone, their eyes opened wide.
Like the Midnight Crystals, the Twilight Crystals were resources of the highest value. If the level of the resource was the sa, no essence, artifact, or plant could compare to the Twilight/Midnight Crystals.
It was very difficult to miss the appearance of the Midnight Crystal. It was a cot that demolished everything in its path, drawing attention with its destructive power and majestic energy.
The Twilight Crystals were the complete opposite.
They didn’t try to loudly announce their appearance. They could erge without anyone noticing and stay in one place for a long ti.
For a short period, greed appeared in the monsters’ eyes - the desire to obtain the Twilight Crystal.
It would hardly help them advance to the next level, but this amount of energy would allow them to beco stronger.
Although for soone like Valdris, it could be the beginning of a change.
With a wave of his hand, Kenward continued.
"However, unlike you, I know what respect is. I realize that this is your territory and that you don’t follow the Free End, so I want to talk to your leader so that this Phantom behind , Adam Vinter, can get what the First Star brought him here for."
Valdris nodded deeply, pressing his palm to his chest.
"I apologize for the disrespect. I’m sure my n and I will rember this lesson. Our only purpose was to protect our territory from uninvited guests like this Phantom."
Kenward nodded. "Sure. That’s why I didn’t kill you."
He was about to say sothing else when a slight tremor rippled through the space that imdiately drew everyone’s attention.
At the sa mont, a powerful, dark aura, sowhat reminiscent of Kenward’s, ripped out from the largest island, chaining five others around it.
The aura wasn’t as strong, or rather, it didn’t carry the sa aggression. It wasn’t an attack or a threat, it was an invitation.
"It seems my master has already grasped the situation," Valdris muttered, glancing at the main island. "Mr. Kenward, allow to escort you."
"Well, if you want, you can try to catch up with ." Kenward shrugged.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He leaned forward, slapping his horse on its mighty neck.
In a heartbeat, the horse lunged forward, turning into a dark flash. But the horse ran not forward, but upward, creating a path of darkness beneath its hooves.
Valdris waved his hand, flapping his wings quickly to keep up with Kenward’s speed.
The others followed, but they had little chance of arriving at the main island on ti.
When the two Lords t, it was especially important for each to perform at their best.
If this eting ended badly, they would only face disaster and death instead of sunlight lands.
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