A middle-aged man appeared as he said those words. His presence was intense, which made Olly's brow furrow slightly. Just by the aura, this newcomer seemed to match Olly in power. As for who was actually stronger, it would only be clear after a fight. But right now, Felix was the main issue."Did you witness my disciple's death?" Olly asked.The middle-aged man's lips curled into a smirk. "Not personally, but our guys saw it. Your disciple was killed in an instant. You really think you can take this guy down solo?" Felix turned to face the man. His eyes flashed coldly. "Inferno Clan, I gave you a chance. You've got balls sending someone else. Get ready to be wiped off the map then." He had enough on his plate and did not want to waste time on this. Plus, these assassin groups were a pain to track down. But with Dragon Alliance in his pocket now, it would not be impossible If he really wanted to find them. "Inferno Clan?" Olly's expression changed, and he chuckled and said, "Fel
Olly and the man from Inferno Clan were still standing, but their eyes were wide with disbelief. A moment later, blood trickled from their mouths. "You… you…" Olly sputtered, unable to get out another word before he and the middle-aged man collapsed. Felix shook his head with a wry smile. "Rosalie, I could've handled this myself." The woman who had appeared was Rosalie Evan, his senior. Even Xena could not match her beauty. Rosalie rushed to Felix's side before touching his face and legs. He dodged away. "Oh, Felix, let me check if you're hurt." Felix was terrified. He had experienced Rosalie's boldness all too well during his three years in Eden Village. One wrong move, and she would eat him alive, leaving nothing but bones. Rosalie pouted and glanced at Xena. "This woman is useless. If someone dared touch my man, I wouldn't waste time talking. I'd have already taken them out. Yet she's still playing by the rules. Should I just off her so you and I can ride off into the su
After they arrived at the hotel room, Felix asked again, "Rosalie, can you tell me now?" No matter how playful his seniors were, they never lied. So he definitely had another fiancée, but he could not remember a thing about her. "What's the rush? I'm tired from traveling. I need a shower. Wait here!" Rosalie said.Felix sighed. Now that he was here, he knew he was at her mercy. Around 15 minutes later, a voice came from the bathroom. "Felix, come in and help me with my back." Felix hesitated. For the sake of learning about this mysterious fiancée, he went in. Damn. He almost turned right back around. Rosalie was lounging in the bathtub with her smooth shoulders on full display. "What are you standing there for? Come here." She turned, presenting her back to Felix. "Rosalie, do we have to do this? I'm a guy too, you know." Rosalie smirked. "I know that. I'm not asking you to do anything weird. Just hold it together, okay? Remember, you've got a fiancée. If you get any f
Just seeing Rosalie had made Felix happy. Since his parents passed, his seniors and Gerald had become his family. How could he not be thrilled?His phone rang. Seeing it was Madeline, Felix felt relieved. He did not want to rekindle their romance—it had to do with her working at the club. He just wanted his first love to enjoy life again, that was all. "Madeline." "Felix, I've made up my mind. I want a chance to find my own life again. So… please help me." Over the afternoon, Felix paid off the loans Madeline's dad had taken out on her phone. He then hit up several banks and paid off over six million dollars in total. It would have taken Madeline forever to pay off such a massive sum on her own. "How many lenders from the underworld forces do you still owe money to?" Madeline replied, "Just one more to go." It made sense. These guys were on her back every day, so of course, she would pay them off first. When they neared a pawn shop, Felix motioned for Madeline to stop. "
Felix had met Stinger several times and thought he was decent. He was Kane's right-hand man, after all. But he was already facing rebellion right after taking over. "If it were Kane, I'd be on my knees apologizing and wiping the debt. It's a shame you only know Stinger." Just as Hunter finished, a car pulled up, and Stinger stepped out. "Stinger! What an honor! What brings you to our shop?" In a heartbeat, Hunter's tune changed. He was now all smiles and bows. "Mr. Zeller." Ignoring Hunter, Stinger went straight to Felix and bowed. Hunter's eyes widened. It seemed this young guy was a bigger fish than he thought. "Give me your account number. I'll transfer now." Felix kept it short. Proving his earlier bravado, Hunter coughed up his account details. When the text alert pinged, Hunter checked and frowned. "500 thousand dollars? What's the deal?" Felix pocketed his phone. "I told you the price changes when Stinger shows up. Now, you only deserve 500 thousand for the principal
At the same time, a helicopter descended over the Great Imperial Sect. Xena stepped out, accompanied by two subordinates carrying a corpse covered with a white cloth.Every seat was filled except one in the Great Imperial Sect's council hall.The five remaining elders, the sect leader, and the deputy leader were all present."Ms. Cunningham."Xena greeted Jaxon with a deep bow. The sect leader of the Great Imperial Sect, Jaxon Cunningham, sat in front of everyone with a solemn expression."It's been years, and yet you came back only to deliver a corpse. As your mentor, I can't help but feel ashamed."Anyone else could hear the dissatisfaction and anger in his tone, not to mention Xena."Mr. Cunningham, Olly was killed by a mysterious woman. I'm doing everything I can to track her down," Xena explained.Just as she finished speaking, an elder interjected."Xena, we old folks may be on the verge of death or hidden away in the mountains, but we're not ignorant. Are you trying to
Ten minutes later, inside the council hall, the atmosphere among the Great Imperial Sect members was tense, and no one said a word."Mr. Cunningham! Are we really going to detain Xena like this? Is that fine?"The deputy sect leader, who was arrogant and dismissive of Xena, now appeared worried.After all, while his seniority might allow him to treat her this way, Xena's identity as the goddess of war was a whole different matter."Exactly, Mr. Cunningham. Xena is the goddess of war, and if Hector gets involved, we're in serious trouble."In Dragonia, were there sects that dared to defy the Warlord of the East openly? Yes. But the Great Imperial Sect was definitely not one of them. The authority of the Warlord of the East wasn't just an empty title.However, Jaxon didn't seem concerned."There's no need to worry! We'll just say that Xena was deep into her cultivation and returned to the Great Imperial Sect to go into seclusion. Even the Warlord of the East won't interfere."The
"Simple! You've humiliated me, and you even hit Sasha. She's made it clear that I should inform you of this. Tomorrow night, go to this place and apologize to her and me. Otherwise, don't blame her for not giving any face, not even for her father," Ruth declared.Felix smiled."Alright, I'll definitely be there. You can also tell Sasha that from now until the meeting time tomorrow, she still has a chance to change her mind. Otherwise, I'll make sure she spends the rest of her life in a wheelchair."Did Sasha really think that just because Warren had her back, she could act as she pleased? She had already been involved in a lot of messy situations."Interesting. I'll be sure to pass on your message."Meanwhile, in a high-end café, Jack arrived at the entrance. Judging by the interior, he could tell that the person who had arranged to meet him wasn't ordinary. The person had only mentioned they were Felix's friend and nothing else.When he entered the room, Jack was stunned. The wo
Felix had clearly found Holt's weak spot. These guys were so desperate to extend their lives that they turned the entire Aquamarinus into a breeding ground. Obviously, they were terrified of death. As long as there was even the slightest chance of survival, they'd take it.And sure enough, Holt immediately agreed. He pulled out some kind of device and flew off, clearly contacting his comrades."But even if I agreed," Holt said, "the three of us split up and searched in different directions. Even if they rush over, they won't make it until tomorrow."The fear in his eyes was obvious, so much so that Felix couldn't help but laugh."How interesting," Felix said. "You made a deal with the Ant Queen, right? Couldn't she at least give you something to help you move freely through Desolated Lands at night?"Holt shot him a bitter smile. "The Ant Queen's children—the soldier ants—are born hunters. That instinct can't be erased. And honestly, we've never needed to go out at night anyway."
Lumen flew out and quickly returned. Felix's expression eased completely, and with a step, he vanished from where he stood."Chasing me was fun last time, huh? Did you think it'd go the same this time?" he asked.When he reappeared, someone was already lying on the ground about ten yards ahead. It was a figure fully shrouded in a gray robe, a man named Holt Bovington.That was Felix holding back. Otherwise, Lumen's previous strike could've shattered Holt's soul on the spot."Felix Zeller? It really is you!" Holt's voice was full of shock. Whatever he'd planned to do was already too late. His soul had taken a devastating blow, and he no longer had the strength to fight."Yeah, it's me. Just like I suspected, you people really aren't all that strong when it comes to soul power."Felix had spared his life because he wanted answers."If you answer a few questions honestly, I'll let you live. Even with your soul badly damaged, I assume someone who knows about Nine Flames and Desolate
Three months later, deep within a mountain on Aquamarinus, a meeting was taking place. Who would've imagined palace-like structures hidden within the mountain itself?In one of the chambers, a sky-blue dome adorned the ceiling. Beneath it, three figures in gray robes sat cross-legged, their bodies cloaked in shadow. Their faces were completely obscured."I went to see the Ant Queen yesterday. There's definitely something wrong.""Enough with the vague talk. Be specific.""In just three months, the Ant Queen has lost millions of her children. Do you even understand what that means?"The atmosphere shifted as all three took a sharp breath. A long silence followed before one finally spoke, "Perhaps our earlier theory is right. Is someone hunting soldier ants in Desolated Lands at night?""It has to be. How else do you explain millions of casualties? At this rate, we're down to just a million soldier ants across the entire planet. If this keeps up, they'll be wiped out in a month. An
"I didn't expect you to be a doctor, too. Thanks," Myles said, but then suddenly froze. His mind started racing.Wait a minute! He took down a tiger of True Blood Realm. On top of that, he was extremely skilled in medicine. That could only mean…"You figured out who I am?" Felix asked with a smile, trying to put Myles at ease. Despite that, Myles couldn't hide his fear. "You're Felix Zeller?""That's right. Judging by your reaction, I take it I've become a traitor to The Recovery Association? Or maybe some kind of unforgivable villain?"The air grew a bit awkward, and Myles shot him a strained smile."Not exactly… It's just that you took down the Flame Monarch. That's kind of hard to wrap my head around."His expression shifted again."Actually, everyone's still pretty confused. When we woke up this morning, every city, town, and even the smallest villages received a message. Five days from now, the Flame Monarch is holding a Flame Ceremony."Felix paused, frowning. "What's t
With Lumen and Indigo attacking and the Infinite Shield defending, Felix held his ground. Occasionally, he cast minor spells that barely consumed any soul power. Even as the monsters surged toward him like a tidal wave, not one of them could so much as scratch him.Feeling the steady stream of energy flooding into him, Felix grinned. If things kept going like this, there was a high chance he'd break through to the next major soul realm—Soul Overlord Realm.If he could level up again during the elimination rounds, his odds of winning the whole thing would increase significantly. Especially since Soul Overlord Realm required soul enhancement, it was a whole different league compared to Aetherium Realm.Once he hit Soul Overlord Realm, he was confident he'd be able to go toe-to-toe in a soul battle with the powerful figure who had chased him during dusk.That guy didn't dare appear in Desolated Lands at night, which likely meant his soul wasn't strong. In that case, Felix might actual
The sun had already begun to set. After fleeing in a panic, Felix had no idea if there was even a single place ahead that could shield him from the coming darkness.A few minutes later, the presence chasing him within his domain disappeared. Logically, the pursuer should've caught up in less than ten minutes, but they gave up. Still, Felix didn't relax for a second. The darkness was about to fall, and that could only mean two things. Either the pursuer wasn't confident they could survive the desolate night themselves, or they assumed there was no flame nearby and Felix was as good as dead.Either way, this was the most dangerous moment yet.After sprinting several more miles, Felix finally stopped. All around him stretched a barren wasteland with no end in sight. Even though he had memorized maps to identify different areas, they were useless now. As darkness swallowed the land, all reference points vanished."Damn it! I guess I'll have to see for myself what the hell comes out i
When Eira and Luigi saw that Felix was determined to go through with it, they moved instantly. Appearing right in front of him, they dropped to their knees."Please, Felix! For the sake of all those innocent lives, stop.""If you're really set on taking this flame, then kill us first."Seeing the two of them so resolute, Felix hesitated. The lives of hundreds of thousands—maybe even millions—now hung in the balance, all dependent on one decision from him."I haven't known you for long," Eira continued. "But from the way you avenged the 200 people of Innswood Village, I know you're not someone who kills without reason. You'd never turn a blind eye to the lives of ordinary people. "Please show them mercy. They've already suffered enough."Tears streamed down her face. The purpose of The Recovery Association was clear—overthrow the Flame Monarch, destroy the Nine Flames, and return Aquamarinus to what it once was. However, when it came to principles and morals, they were unwaveri
Felix thought that Gerald's advice really was spot-on. If he hadn't achieved Extreme Mastery, he could still beat the Flame Monarch. However, his subsequent journey would have been difficult. Winning first place in the Rank-Ascending Competition to protect Earth would've been almost impossible.With a casual wave of Felix's hand, the Flame Monarch collapsed to the ground. Thankfully, no one was around to see it. Otherwise, they'd have been scared out of their minds.The most powerful being on Aquamarinus, the Flame Monarch, just got instantly wiped out by Felix. To Felix, it was like crushing an ant and required no effort at all."It's time to complete the mission," Felix said.Just like that, he vanished. His speed was insane because Nine Flames were all scattered far apart. Since travel was banned at night, he couldn't afford to waste even a second.Honestly, he was curious what it would be like to go out at night. However, after thinking it over, he decided it just wasn't worth
Under the sunlight, Innswood Village looked even lonelier. If it weren't for Felix standing in the open field, the place would've looked like a dead town. Soon, a sound broke through the silent air. A person stood 30 feet in front of Felix. It was the Flame Monarch, whom Felix had met once."I really thought you were a member of The Recovery Association and that you'd laid a trap here. But it turns out, you're really alone."Felix replied, "I am a member of The Recovery Association, but why do I need a trap to kill you?"Oh? A member of The Recovery Association? The Flame Monarch smiled. "You're really brave, you know. You're the first person in Aquamarinus who dares to face me like this. Even the leader of The Recovery Association had been in seclusion, trying to reach Heavenly Realm before facing me."I don't know where you get your confidence from."Initially, Felix wanted to attack immediately. But he still had questions to ask. "There are only the two of us here. Sinc