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Chapter 176: Releasing His Killing Intent (Again)
"What?" Aldrian widened his eyes.
"Yes, the devils have suddenly launched a surprise attack along the border with the Doria Empire. I heard the northeastern border of the empire has been pushed back, and they’ve already lost some territory to the devils. It’s strange, though, as this time the empire doesn’t seem able to regain momentum," King Douwin said.
"What about the Rivas Grand Duchy? How are they holding up?" Aldrian’s voice was laced with worry. He knew that the Rivas Grand Duchy bordered devil territory and was one of the Doria Empire’s primary defenses on the northwestern side of the empire. He thought his mother might already be in her family’s territory to take care of the situation.
King Douwin felt puzzled by Aldrian’s question. "Does this young man have some connection with the Rivas family?" he thought but answered nonetheless.
"The Rivas Grand Duchy is still holding on to its northern territory, but the situation is precarious. I fear that could change at any moment. I’ve received reports that the devils have even deployed members of the Seven Deadly Sins in the Rivas Grand Duchy. This has put the Doria Empire in a difficult position, and the Durand imperial family has already dispatched their Imperial Judgment Battalion to support the northern front."
When Aldrian heard mention of the Seven Deadly Sins, his worry became more apparent.
"Oh, by the way." Suddenly, King Douwin remembered something. "Speaking of the Rivas family, I’ve heard that their successor, the Blizzard Witch, has been dispatched to the northern part of the Rivas Grand Duchy. She even encountered one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The devils have regarded the Blizzard Witch as a primary target for a long time, so I understand—"
King Douwin abruptly stopped speaking as he felt a terrifying killing intent radiating from Aldrian.
He felt goosebumps as he looked into Aldrian’s cold eyes, feeling as though death itself stood before him. At the same time, the entire sky began to darken with thick clouds, and the atmosphere grew oppressively heavy. Everyone within Aldrian’s domain could feel it—the killing intent that seemed to descend from the heavens, a force that, when sensed, brought a chilling glimpse of one’s own death.
At that moment, every being within Aldrian’s domain felt an intense chill deep in their soul, sending shivers through their bodies. Many cultivators inexplicably dropped to the ground, overwhelmed by the sudden, shocking wave of killing intent. Babies burst into cries, cattle made chaotic noises, and dark clouds began to gather, crackling with lightning.
In the throne hall of the Forgeheart Kingdom, where the source of this phenomenon resided, King Douwin and Madred looked at Aldrian with expressions of utter shock. For his killing intent to affect even the heavens and earth—it was unbelievable!
"Shit! This is bad!" Madred, who knew the truth about Aldrian’s parents, hurriedly spoke to him.
"Aldrian, you don’t need to worry! Irene Rivas hasn’t been harmed at all. Even though the devils see her as a high-value target, she’s not an easy opponent to kill or capture! She’s heavily guarded by the Rivas family, and Grand Duke Rivas loves his daughter deeply—of course, he’ll protect her!" Madred’s voice trembled with anxiety. He didn’t care about the sudden shift in the atmosphere; he was far more concerned about the change in Aldrian’s mood. They couldn’t risk facing this monster’s wrath here.
They couldn’t afford to risk the wrath of someone capable of withstanding the strongest heavenly tribulation and unleashing a sword strike powerful enough to destroy a quarter of the continent. In his urgency, he blurted out his thoughts without hesitation. Fortunately, this seemed to help Aldrian regain his composure, and the phenomenon within his domain began to fade. The atmosphere returned to normal, but King Douwin cast a questioning look at Madred. How did Madred seem to know there was a connection between Aldrian and the Blizzard Witch?
"Irene Rivas is Aldrian’s mother!" A voice transmission suddenly reached King Douwin’s mind from Madred, causing his eyes to widen in shock. For a moment, he seemed to forget the fear of the killing intent he had just felt.
"Wha—" he started to exclaim, but Madred cut him off, continuing urgently.
"For now, just work with me. We must do everything we can to keep him calm! We need to reassure him."
King Douwin still wanted to ask more, but when he met his best friend’s stern gaze, he held back and turned to look at Aldrian.
"Yes, the Bliz— I mean, Irene Rivas is still in good condition. Although she’s on the front lines, the Rivas family isn’t foolish enough to leave their successor in danger. Her old man would never let his precious daughter go unprotected. And don’t forget, her title as the Blizzard Witch isn’t for nothing. She’s a powerful cultivator and one of the geniuses of her generation, even on par with the ’Fire Apostle,’" King Douwin said.
Madred almost wanted to facepalm. After all, the Fire Apostle was the father of this young man. Instead, he simply nodded in acknowledgment of King Douwin’s explanation. As for Aldrian, he narrowed his eyes at Madred, suspicion evident in his gaze.
"Since when did you know?" Aldrian asked while teleporting all the royal guards outside the throne hall. He wasn’t stupid—at first, Mardred seemed to know about the special relationship between him and his mother, Irene Rivas. The way Mardred spoke about her, along with his gestures, and finally the voice transmission to King Douwin, which he had tapped using his own technique, confirmed it. One of his secrets had finally been revealed.
Seeing Aldrian’s serious expression, Madred sighed and said to him.
"Since the moment I saw your true face without disguise, I could deduce your parentage from it. You possess incredible ability and extraordinary skill, so the first conclusion I made was that you must come from a noble bloodline. And if you have noble blood, there’s only one characteristic that could match yours, don’t you think? From there, I could deduce your mother’s identity."
Aldrian nodded, finally understanding that the cause of this was his disguise, which had been undone after his heavenly tribulation. He could only sigh, knowing that once his true face was seen by anyone with a sharp mind, his origin would soon be discovered. Now his true face had been seen by the three men of his group on Dragon Back Mountain. They were geniuses, so it was inevitable that they would connect the dots about his origin based on his story and everything he had done in the past.
As for King Douwin, he was still in a state of confusion due to this turn of events. He hadn’t even asked about the royal guards who had suddenly disappeared. He still couldn’t grasp the news that Aldrian was the son of Irene Rivas.
"Then I can assume you already know my father?" Aldrian asked Mardred again.
Mardred nodded, while King Douwin continued to watch them in confusion.
"What is going on? Irene Rivas doesn’t have a husband. How can she have a son, and this monster, nonetheless?" King Douwin thought. He rubbed his temple, trying to make sense of it all. Unfortunately, he didn’t know the details about Aldrian, so he couldn’t fathom how everything fit together—unless Irene had a son out of wedlock. The thought made him shudder, and he turned his gaze to the two of them.
"Wait, you two. I demand an explanation. What the hell is going on? How can you be the son of Irene Rivas, and who is your father? This is too shocking and confusing. I don’t even know how I’m supposed to react," he said.
Mardred then shared his side of the story, explaining how he was able to infer that Aldrian was Irene’s son just from seeing his true appearance. Aldrian listened carefully, acknowledging that Mardred’s sharp mind had led him to this conclusion simply from the sight of his red hair. This also made Aldrian aware of what others might think upon seeing his true appearance. With this in mind, he knew he needed to act more cautiously in the future, ensuring that situations like this wouldn’t happen again.
However, he knew that in the future, there might be events beyond his control, much like what he experienced in Dragon Back Mountain. He hadn’t expected to comprehend death laws and attract such a powerful heavenly tribulation, which drained his energy, left him severely injured and caused him to faint. In the end, his face was seen by others, leading to this situation.
King Douwin gasped in shock after hearing Mardred’s side of the story and looked at Aldrian with bewilderment. To think that this was the son of Aldrey Flamecrest and Irene Rivas—this would be sensational news for the entire continent! Aldrian decided to no longer hide his true face and canceled his disguise to reveal his true appearance to King Douwin.
King Douwin raised an eyebrow and then nodded in understanding.
"No wonder Mardred could infer that you are Aldrey’s son. Even I would’ve thought the same once I saw your face. Your features are unmistakably like his, but your eyes, they’re just like your mother’s. You are truly their son."
Aldrian nodded as he looked at both King Douwin and Mardred.
"So, Your Majesty, Sir Mardred, I ask that you keep this fact hidden for now. If the time comes when my identity must be revealed, then so be it. But for now, I wish to keep it a secret. With the devils attacking my mother’s hometown, I must go there to support her. It’s better if only a few know my true identity."
