Chapter 26: A Swift Escape and Royal Interrogation

“Alright, game over, little ones. Come with me!” Approaching the trio, Dilud spoke with a grim, disdainful expression.

“How could we possibly go with you?!”

Qi Lin roared, swinging her scythe in a wide arc.

Blocking with his sword hilt, Dilud’s eyes widened slightly. “Do not refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!”

“It’s not certain who will be drinking the forfeit yet!”

While Dilud’s sword was pressed against Qi Lin’s scythe, Ailin and Nia swung their fists, aiming for his waist.

Clad in armor, Dilud calmly gazed down at Ailin and Nia.

He merely lifted his foot and stomped it down, sending a burst of air that knocked all three of them flying.

“With such weak strength, there’s no need to resist. You’ll only suffer more,” Dilud sneered, looking down at the figures on the ground, who, despite their varying distances, were attempting to struggle back to their feet.

“What do we do? We can’t beat him at all…” Nia stood up, a hint of despair in her voice. This man was simply too powerful.

Qi Lin, however, did not reply. She was frantically sifting through the ancestral Bloodline memories in her mind, yet these memories were almost entirely composed of common Bloodline knowledge, with very few records pertaining to combat.

From these memories, she understood that the scarcity of combat knowledge stemmed from the fact that most Bloodline members were born under the protection of kin or within the Blood Domain, making exceptions rare.

Crucially, she was precisely that exception; she had no kin by her side, and this Kanradir Continent bore no resemblance to the Blood Domain described in the inherited memories.

“Fighting is out of the question; we can only run,” Ailin murmured, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

“But… can you truly escape?” Dilud pointed his sword at Ailin, his voice a low, demonic whisper.

Indeed, they had nowhere left to flee, unless they could fly away—but which of them could fly? Hah.

…Wait, fly?!

Her heart pounding, Nia looked towards Qi Lin, who appeared anxious but lost in thought.

She remembered that Qi Lin seemed to be able to fly!

Recalling the time she herself was in danger and Qi Lin flew down from the sky to save her, Nia’s eyes lit up.

That was it; if they couldn’t escape by land, they could escape by air, and Qi Lin could fly.

Clenching her fists, Nia turned her gaze towards Dilud.

“Oh? What, do you still intend to resist?” Sensing the stare, Dilud shifted his gaze from Ailin to Nia.

“Of course!”

With a sharp cry, Nia dropped to all fours and swiftly darted towards Dilud.

Seeing Nia charge at Dilud, Ailin’s pupils constricted, and he immediately bellowed, “Don’t!”

But it was already too late; Nia had already dashed forward.

Sharp claws sprang from her fingertips, slashing towards Dilud’s cheek.

By the time Dilud attempted to grab Nia, she was already circling him rapidly.

“Damn it, you cunning cat-person!” Dilud cursed, clutching the scratch marks on his face. He had actually been scratched—this was simply intolerable.

Consumed by a burning rage, Dilud seized an opportunity and cleaved towards Nia.

“As if!”

Seeing Nia about to face danger, Ailin violently slammed the ground, causing massive boulders to erupt and pierce towards Dilud.

Sensing the incoming threat, Dilud abandoned his strike on Nia, spun around, and met the rising stones, cutting them down with his sword.

The clash of sword and stone echoed with a resounding boom.

The boulders shattered, and Nia seized this momentary opening to sprint towards Ailin.

Grabbed by Nia’s arm, Ailin felt somewhat bewildered. What was happening?

Nia paid no mind to his confusion, directly sprinting towards Qi Lin, who was a few meters away.

“Quick! Qi Lin, take us away!” Nia shouted, clutching Qi Lin’s arm.

“Huh?”

“‘Huh’ what?! Now, while we have the chance, fly us out of here! That way we can escape the fate of being taken to the Ditters Empire!” Nia urged anxiously.

Like a stone disturbing a still pond, Qi Lin’s eyes brightened.

Right, she could fly! How could she have forgotten that?

Without needing Nia to say another word, Qi Lin immediately unfurled her wings, grabbing one person with each hand, and soared into the air.

Soon, the trio had flown off the ground and ascended into the sky.

All of this transpired in less than half a minute.

Below, Dilud, who had just ceased swinging his sword, watched the three figures in mid-air with a grim expression.

‘Damn it, I was careless. One of them actually knows how to fly.’

In the sky, after catching their breath, Qi Lin, Nia, and Ailin looked down at the disgruntled Dilud.

“That was close! We were almost captured and taken to the Ditters Empire,” Nia exclaimed, wiping cold sweat from her brow as Qi Lin held her by the waist.

Ailin remained silent, but nodded in agreement. After all, being captured by these empires could easily be worse than death.

“Phew, good thing I can fly, or we’d be dead for sure,” Qi Lin said, flapping her wings, a shiver of fear running through her.

“Enough chatter. Let’s leave quickly. Looking at that guy’s stance, I have a bad feeling,” Ailin suddenly interjected after a moment of silence.

Hearing Ailin’s words, Qi Lin nodded profoundly and immediately flew towards the distant horizon.

Below, watching Qi Lin flap her wings and depart, Dilud clenched the sword in his hand, intending to unleash a cleaving strike, but suddenly paused just as he was about to swing.

“Where should we go now?” Qi Lin asked, flapping her wings as she faced the sunlight.

“…Are you still looking for your elf friend?” Hearing Qi Lin’s question, Ailin gazed at the sun for a moment before replying with a question of his own.

Qi Lin paused, then nodded emphatically. ‘Of course I am! I promised Elder Sylph and Manrot. Speaking of them, how are they doing now? Have they left the Luminous Forest?’

“Good, in that case, fly north. I sense the scent of your friend there.”

“Really?” Qi Lin’s face lit up with joy.

“Indeed,” Ailin affirmed.

Receiving the confirmation, Qi Lin said nothing further, instead exerting all her strength to fly north.

****

*Thud*, a dull sound echoed through the palace.

“What did you say? The rebels escaped? What good are you?! Huh?!” From his throne, Allenwalker slammed the armrest and rose to his feet, unleashing a furious tirade upon Dilud, who stood respectfully bowed below.

“My apologies, Your Majesty, this subordinate is incompetent.”

“Are the rebels very strong?” Staring at Dilud for a long moment, Allenwalker pinched the bridge of his nose and sat back down.

“Yes, Your Majesty, the rebels are very strong.” Dilud looked at Allenwalker on the throne with a grave expression.

“How strong?”

“There were three rebels in total. They only sent one and slaughtered the War Fiends, even suppressing this humble minister, leaving me no power to retaliate.”

Staring at Dilud, Allenwalker tapped the armrest, creating a rhythmic sound.

‘Dilud is my most trusted man; he shouldn’t be lying. But which race could have survived the great war decades ago?’

Deep in thought, Allenwalker waved his hand, preparing to dismiss him from the hall, but then reconsidered and asked, “Did you see them reveal any racial characteristics?”

Dilud, who had just turned to withdraw, turned back again and respectfully said, “Your Majesty, this minister is not clear. They concealed themselves very well, showing no features, and even used different techniques, seemingly employing the techniques of multiple races.”

“Is that so? I understand. You may withdraw.”

“Yes!”

Dilud bowed, then slowly exited the grand hall.

“A race capable of using techniques from many other races? What kind of race is this? Can the techniques of one race truly be used by another? Why have I never heard of this race… or could it be… sent by the Candirac Empire and the Lassaklu Empire? To confuse me, to create a non-existent enemy?” High on his throne, Allenwalker murmured to himself.

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