NOVPUB
Chapter 192: The Cleanup Done
Slash
"AAARRGGHHH!!!!"
The shriek of pain echoed through the entire mansion and could even be heard in the surrounding area. With the town left eerily silent after Aldrian had killed all the devils, the scream became even more chilling as it faintly carried far into the distance.
Without hesitation, Aldrian cut off Davian’s manhood. As he looked at the severed part, he felt a sense of satisfaction and sighed. He then glanced at Davian, who was writhing in pain and seemed close to death, but Aldrian healed the wound, keeping him barely alive.
Aldrian sighed, "You’re truly lucky. If I weren’t in a hurry, I’d play with you much longer. Well, consider it fate, and thank you for playing along." With that, Aldrian touched Davian’s forehead and began searching through his memories. As usual, he broke the seal and shattered the devil lord’s sense before reading Davian’s memories. Once finished, Aldrian considered killing him instantly, but on second thought, he decided on a better option.
He would make sure this man didn’t just die but died in utter humiliation. Aldrian smiled at the thought as he left the barely alive, now-unconscious Davian for the time being. He then moved toward the woman, noticing her faint but weakening breaths. Though still alive, her breathing was growing weaker with each moment. Aldrian took a robe from his storage ring and covered her exposed body with it.
The woman, finally feeling another’s touch, looked at Aldrian with a weak movement. Her eyes seemed to regain some clarity, and as she gazed at him, her mouth moved—she wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Understanding her intent, Aldrian leaned closer, bringing his ear to her lips to better hear what she wanted to say.
"Ki...kill...me."
Aldrian looked into the woman’s eyes. They were still deadpan, but he knew she had finally realized that it was over—that she had been released from the torment of the devils but her cultivation was severely damaged and almost drained; she would have to restart her cultivation and consume expensive pills. Her life could still be saved if Aldrian chose to help, using his golden energy to alleviate her pain, though he wasn’t sure if it could repair her broken dantian or restore her cultivation.
"Kill...me."
He sensed the woman’s will to die once more, and with a sigh, he looked into her eyes before gently closing them with one hand. When he lowered his hand, her eyes were shut, but there was a faint smile on her face, as if she had found peace. Her breath had already ceased, and her soul had departed from the world. Aldrian felt it for a brief moment, a sensation brought on by his deep understanding of the death laws.
Before ending her life by gently crushing her soul with his golden energy, Aldrian gave her a beautiful illusion—one where she lived happily with her family, free of any burdens. Though the moment passed in the blink of an eye in reality, the woman felt as if she had been enjoying it for a long time. Aldrian could only lament her cruel end, but he was glad to have at least allowed her to forget the terrible humiliation she had suffered before her death.
"Rest in peace."
He then looked at all the women’s bodies and arranged them side by side before covering them with sheets. Once again, he could only lament their terrible fate, knowing this was often the plight of the weak. This was not the first time, nor would it be the last. The only way to end this was through power itself.
In the end, to prevent all of this, ultimate strength was still needed." He then remembered the words of the monk he had met in the Forgeheart Kingdom.
"However, not every being’s heart can hold righteousness, and even if they have a righteous heart, not all of them can bear the weight of that righteousness,"
"I hope you can always walk the path of righteousness, the path of the ’sovereign.’"
Walking the path of righteousness was truly heavy. Aldrian had started to understand, more or less, what the monk had meant by the weight of righteousness. He had seen similar scenes in some of his visions, but this time, he faced them directly, and the impact was much clearer. As he looked upon the destruction of so many lives, his heart grew heavy and uncomfortable.
"The path of the Sovereign, huh... Why does it have to be the path of the Sovereign? Why does it have to be the path of the ruler?" he thought to himself.
He set aside those thoughts for the moment and teleported to the place where he felt the people’s fate gathering in the town—the center of the town lord’s mansion. There, he created his domain, making the entire town part of his power.
"Arson Vuran, I order you to send some helpers to Ilyon Town to arrange security before anyone from the Rivas family arrives. Once the Rivas family takes over, you can pull back your forces."
Arson Vuran, stunned by the sudden voice transmission from Aldrian, widened his eyes at the mention of Ilyon Town.
"I don’t know if you already know this, but Master, Ilyon Town has already fallen to the devils. Although I just received reports that you destroyed the invasion force in Vicanti, there are still many unknowns in Ilyon. We can’t just barge—"
"I’ve already cleared the entire Ilyon town of devils."
"..."
Arson Vuran nearly forgot that Aldrian was the real monster here. As the master of the Thunderous Shadow Pavilion, he had already received detailed reports from the first and second fingers, who had infiltrated Vicanti with reinforcements. The invasion had been successfully stopped. The first and second fingers had also gathered many assassins, following Aldrian’s orders to prioritize the Rivas family. While assassins weren’t particularly useful in large-scale battles on an open field, they played a crucial role in supporting forces and eliminating high-value targets, especially when the enemy was caught off guard or distracted.
Aldrian then sent another voice transmission to the First and Second Fingers.
"First Finger, Second Finger, stop gathering information on Irene Rivas. I order you to head to Ilyon Town now to establish security there, I’ve already cleared the entire Ilyon town of devils and I’ve informed your pavilion master to send some helpers to assist."
As their master, Aldrian could naturally sense their presence when they were still in Rivas City. He thought that they must be still in Vicanti, searching for information on his mother.
The sudden voice transmission from Aldrian startled the First and Second Fingers. Having witnessed their master’s power on the battlefield, they could only silently gulp, wondering why they had ever dared to offend someone like him in the past.
After witnessing their master disappear, the First and Second Fingers immediately resumed searching for information on Irene Rivas, as their master had ordered. Although their findings were not particularly optimistic, they planned to continue their search and reach her location if necessary. However, it seemed that their master had gathered his own information far more effectively than they had, which filled them with shame. To think that Aldrian had reached Ilyon Town in such a short time. Without further questions, they quickly made their way to Ilyon Town, undetected, with a few groups of assassins following them.
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In the heart of the devil’s territory, the Devil Lord sat on his throne when he sensed a disturbance that had lingered for some time. He realized that he had lost some of his high-ranking devils, the very ones he had sent to the Rivas Grand Duchy. He wondered what had happened there. He also felt that the senses he had over these devils within the seal had been instantly destroyed by an unknown force, leaving him with no knowledge of who was responsible.
"Or maybe it’s that guy who comprehends death laws?" he thought.
"If it’s really him, then I’ll have to end this sooner than expected. Heh, whatever, my purpose is already achieved. This will add oil to the fire."
He then said to himself,
"Tell the Lust Devil to stop his game and move to the position where the Wrath Devil is. We’ll conclude our ’greeting’ there."
"As you wish, my lord." The voice from the shadow echoed before falling silent again.
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Aldrian, having already made Ilyon Town his domain, dashed north toward the site of the battle between the Rivas family and the devils before Ilyon’s fall. He extended his senses to their maximum as he surveyed the surrounding area, taking in the vast destruction. The only clue he had, even from Davian, was that his mother had successfully escaped the Lust Devil’s grasp and was being pursued by him. At that time, the Lust Devil flew north, so Aldrian took the same direction. He only hoped his mother would hold on until he arrived.
