Angus was dead.
That great knight of the North, famous throughout the entire Empire, the one who spent decades establishing stable towns across the whole Northern Frontier, protecting hundreds of thousands of people... just like that, he died.
Silence seemed to merge with the wind and snow, falling onto the head of every knight within the entire Northern Frontier.
All the knights of the North fell into endless sorrow.
They silently mourned toward the heavens.
Mourned this great knight who safeguarded the Northern Frontier.
He truly accomplished it, he guarded the peace of the North.
For more than thirty years, he protected this snowy land and produced generation after generation of powerful knights.
In the hearts of all Northern knights, Angus was like a teacher, and also like a father.
Strict, but capable.
Sadness and anger surged like a tide into the whole snowfield, leaving the knights filled with mixed, overwhelming emotions.
Right now, all the knights standing in front of the Delin family fortress removed their helmets and lowered their heads.
Within a few minutes, the wind and snow seemed to grow even stronger, the air became much more oppressive, and time turned slowly like grinding gears, bit by bit passing by.
Gwen slowly raised her head again, looking at Jashu, her voice calm, "He was still alive just now."
"Just moments ago, Father stopped breathing."
Jashu spoke in a calm voice, and from his tone, one could hardly hear any sorrow.
"Besides, even if he didn't die, do you think Father, looking like that, could still be called 'alive'?"
After crossing blades with Viktor just once, Angus had become muddled, lost even the most basic sense of reason.
If he could not recover for a long time, then that could no longer be called 'living.'
But even so, everyone understood very clearly.
Living and dying, those are two entirely different concepts.
If Angus were alive, then Viktor had merely injured Angus.
But now Angus was dead.
No matter what the true cause of death was, the label of deliberately murdering a national hero would absolutely be placed on Viktor's head and never be removed.
Jashu's appearance had slammed a nail hard into the wooden board, nailing down Viktor's crime of killing.
Indeed, Angus had done some immoral things.
However...
The dead hold the highest dignity.
Besides, in the true sense of duty, Angus had not done anything that was a crime against heaven.
He merely ignored the lives of those useless residents.
At this moment, no matter what reason was brought up, nothing could outweigh Angus's "death."
He was already dead. Even if his crimes were uncovered, Angus's death was an irrefutable fact.
Jashu slowly spoke, "The news has already spread across the whole Northern Frontier. It won't be long before all the knights of the domain arrive."
"Gwen, do you really still want to keep shielding that criminal?"
Listening to each word Jashu spoke, Gwen bit her lip, her brows tightly furrowed, her eyes locked firmly onto him.
What Angus truly died from, whether he was actually dead or faking it, she couldn't tell.
Staring into Jashu's eyes, she seemed to catch a faint smile, the smile of someone who had won.
But…
"Have you said enough? Why don't you let me say a few words too?" A cold voice came from behind Gwen.
Amid the howling wind and snow, that voice cut through crystal clear into the ears of Jashu and all the knights.
Even from a great distance, that sharp, piercing chill sank straight into their bones.
The white giant bird turned into a whirling gale and transformed back into white runes, re-engraving itself onto Viktor's coat.
But he didn't land. He stood steadily in midair.
The air beneath his feet twisted and swirled, as white crystals formed step after step of floating stairs under him.
One step, two steps, like a dancer in the wind gracefully exiting the stage, he walked forward.
He stepped past Gwen, past the knights.
Before the knights could even react, Viktor was already standing before Jashu.
Countless knights realized in shock that Viktor had already appeared behind them.
At this moment, he had already entered the center of their encirclement.
As if suddenly coming to their senses, every knight drew their blade.
"Protect Young Master Jashu!"
With a shout, the knights raised their weapons and pushed forward through the weak snow toward Viktor.
But Viktor didn't move at all.
A barrier of wind rose instantly around him. The white crystals at his feet were blown up by the massive storm, blocking the knights outside.
The wind barrier was transparent. Even through the drifting sparks of white light, the knights could clearly see Viktor.
But they could not break through.
They could not enter.
All they could do was stare, watch Viktor and Jashu confront each other.
The knight behind Jashu, the one pushing the wheelchair earlier, had already collapsed onto the ground in terror, trembling all over.
Viktor looked at Jashu's smiling eyes and slowly spoke, "Setting aside how Angus actually died, it seems you've forgotten something."
A sharp gleam flashed in Viktor's gaze, like Death lifting his scythe, ready to strike.
"Have you forgotten that I am a mage?"
The emblem on his chest, symbol of a Mage Council member, began to glow, radiating a majestic magical aura.
But Jashu remained calm. He squinted slightly as he looked at Viktor.
In an instant, Viktor's eyes suddenly shone with a bright blue light.
Immediately, a gigantic magic circle covered the ground beneath them, glowing thick black. Even the drifting snowflakes froze midair.
Everyone was enveloped by that massive black magic circle, and an extremely powerful magical pressure surged upward from the ground.
Black energy slowly leaked out from the circle, almost conscious, drifting thread by thread toward the enormous silver fortress.
Countless lines slowly formed beneath every knight's feet, and runes crept outward along the edges.
Jashu stood at the center of the circle, expression unchanging.
"You're showing off your power to me?"
"You can kill me, kill everyone here if you like."
"The news will spread. Everyone will remember you as the demon who slaughters loyal subjects."
Viktor sighed and brushed the snow from his shoulder.
"You're really delusional."
"Loyal? You think you deserve that word?"
Black flames spread instantly across the magic circle. That terrifying, wraith-like fire climbed up every person's body and gradually engulfed the entire fortress.
But… no one felt any heat.
The black flames were like illusions, their only purpose seemed to be to shock the knights who were staring at them.
"You think that just because you're not afraid of death, there's nothing I can do to you?"
Viktor continued speaking, and Jashu still showed no fear.
Until Viktor suddenly smiled.
To Jashu, that smile seemed stretched all the way to Viktor's ears, terrifyingly sinister.
He froze in the wheelchair, watching Viktor casually walk toward him.
His chest, his heart, felt like something had suddenly gripped it, sending a wave of unbearable pain.
He shouldn't have been capable of feeling that kind of pain.
Viktor slowly bent down, leaning to Jashu's ear. A voice only he could hear sounded softly, "Disguising yourself as a human..."
"Is it fun?"
Suddenly, Jashu's eyes widened.
All the spreading black energy surged forward at once, rolling outward like a tide, and shot out from the knights' bodies, flying into the distance.
The knights followed the black tide with their eyes, it was rushing straight toward the Delin estate.
At this moment, the entire fortress looked like a massive black beast had swallowed it whole.
The flames roared wildly, like the greedy chewing of a monster.
A scream filled with agony suddenly burst from the depths of the blackness inside the castle.
Viktor stepped back a few paces, a smile appearing on his face.
The smile of a victor.
"Found you."
"[Believer of the Goddess]."
The moment the words fell, Jashu's body shriveled up like a burnt-out dead branch.
Black dust poured out of him. The white bandages dropped away. Jashu's body collapsed inward as if all flesh and blood had been hollowed out, leaving only a sheet of human skin drifting down.
Everyone widened their eyes at the horrific scene, nausea churning instantly in their stomachs.
They turned their gaze back to Viktor.
In the knights' eyes, it looked exactly like Viktor had used magic to drain Jashu's flesh and blood.
Otherwise, how could this sight be explained?
At that moment, the knights rushing from the nearby town arrived, riding through the snow.
They too saw the scene clearly.
Among them, naturally, was Kefra.
She watched as Jashu's body suddenly dried up and finally turned into a sheet of skin, collapsing onto the chair.
Instantly, Kefra's mind went blank and hollow.
But that was only the beginning.
The magic circle beneath Viktor exploded with enormous power.
The sun burned above, melting all wind and snow into nothing.
A shriek that pierced the soul echoed through the Delin estate, horrible wails shaking the land.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the black flames.
Within that fire, a gigantic monster burst out, its body burning.
With the sound of steel breaking and wood being crushed, a pitch-black mass of flesh slowly squeezed out.
Its enormous body was covered in tentacles and eyes, and green slime dripped from its trembling mouthparts.
Like all kinds of organs mashed together, an utterly absurd sight.
Its tentacles writhed wildly. Even while burning, the huge mouth on each one still trembled hungrily, craving something.
The knights recoiled dozens of meters in fear at the unknown creature before them.
They froze, staring at the sky in disbelief.
Kefra was even more stunned. She could not believe that this thing, more terrifying than any demon, had emerged from the Delin household.
"Th-this… what is… this…"
Gwen looked at the black monster and drew her sword. She stepped forward and stood beside Viktor.
"Vi... ik... tor..."
A dying, dragging howl echoed from the sky, rumbling like a great drum being torn apart.
"Vi... ik... tor..."
"Why... would... you... know..."
The blazing sun hung overhead, scorching heat beating down upon them.
Viktor's coat whipped violently in the wind.
"Did Angus, before he died, ever tell you he had recently changed his faith?"
"Oh, sorry, I forgot he couldn't talk."
He spread his hands, a confident smile tugging at his eyes.
The sinister raven on his shoulder, with its single eye, gleamed even more cunningly.
Like the final winner staring at the chessboard.
"General, pull the cart."