Volume 3, Chapter 43 – Great Guardian General Lockephy

Meanwhile, inside the banquet hall, a heated argument was taking place.

“Pay you back?! You clearly won by cheating! Why the hell should I pay you back?!”

“Who the hell cheated?! You’re just terrible at gambling! No, you’re not just terrible, you’re absolute trash! Just admit defeat and pay up already!”

“Like hell I will! What do you mean my gambling skills are bad? You guys must have rigged it from behind the scenes, otherwise, how could I have lost so miserably? Have you no shame? I was the one rolling the dice, yet you actually made me roll four ones ten times in a row?! if you want to scam me out of my money, at least don’t be so blatant about it!”

“That was clearly your own sh tty luck! You motherf cker!”

“You dare swear at me?! I’ll f*cking kill you!”

Under the strange gazes of countless people, a muscular blue-haired man and a slender white-haired female knight suddenly began a shouting match in public. The argument grew more frantic by the second, nearly turning the elegant banquet venue into a noisy marketplace and causing the surrounding guests to display looks of profound disgust.

However, despite the escalating conflict, the nearby guests and Royal Knights did not dare step forward to intervene. The reason was simple: the aura radiating from the two was far too terrifying for anyone to approach.

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After all, the muscular man was Bernrose, the Lord of the neutral Golden City, while the white-haired girl was Miss Bai Yanluo, the Heavenly Apostle of the Ashurmos Church. Both of these individuals were genuine eighth tier powerhouses, and the terrifying auras surrounding them were not something ordinary people could withstand.

In an instant, an uneasy atmosphere spread wildly throughout the banquet hall as guests began to flee in terror, guided by their instincts. If these two rivals actually came to blows, the consequences would be unimaginable. Even Xue Tian’ao, standing not far away, could not help but adopt a grave expression.

Just as Bernrose clenched his fists to gather his battle aura and Bai Yanluo gripped her hilt to draw her sword, an icy blue light accompanied by a terrifying chill suddenly burst between them. Along with a powerful surge of mixed battle aura and magic power that swept out like a shockwave, a gray-haired middle-aged man wearing a sharp cloak and a blue-and-white military uniform suddenly appeared before Bernrose and Bai Yanluo. He forcefully suppressed the power fluctuations of both parties with his bare hands.

The expressionless man, his eyes filled with a murderous intent, then coldly swept his gaze toward the two eighth tier powerhouses beside him. “Mr. Bernrose, Miss Bai Yanluo, please mind the occasion. This is not the Golden City, nor is it the territory of the Ashurmos Church. Do not be so insolent.”

With the appearance of this uniformed man, the anxious Royal Knights immediately broke into cheers. “It’s the General!”

The man’s arrival instantly wiped away their internal unease. This middle-aged man was a figure whose popularity within the Snownight Empire was second only to Xue Tian’ao, and perhaps even equal to him—the Empire’s Great Guardian General, Lockephy Baret. He was recognized as the strongest warrior in the Snownight Empire, a peerless master who had repelled the demon king tier Abyssal Demon known as the ‘Sword Demon’ thirty years ago.

Glancing indifferently at the two about to clash, Lockephy added a hint of a threat to his tone. “If you insist on fighting, then I will be forced to take action.”

Faced with the powerful aura of the veteran Imperial general, the two young eighth tier powerhouses said nothing more, slowly dissipating the dense energy gathered around them.

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“My apologies, General. I was merely joking with Miss Bai.” Bernrose stepped back, the intent to fight having vanished from his eyes.

Beside him, Bai Yanluo glanced at Lockephy with a touch of wariness before reluctantly sheathing her longsword. “A joke? It didn’t feel like a joke to me.”

Bai Yanluo spoke with a look of disdain while simultaneously eying Lockephy with suspicion. ‘This old guy… he usually never interferes in these matters, yet he suddenly rushed over from a distance this time… As expected, is it because of Xue Tian’ao?’

Glancing at the golden-haired man on the high platform who now wore a smug expression, Bai Yanluo couldn’t help but think to herself. At this moment, she understood why Xue Tian’ao had been able to become the new Emperor so smoothly. It seemed he had found a way to win over the Imperial General.

“Then, Miss Bai Yanluo, do you still intend to strike?” Seeing that Bai Yanluo had not yet stated her position, Lockephy spoke again. This time, a powerful pressure slowly emanated from his body, rushing toward Bai Yanluo like an overwhelming tide and causing the white-haired girl to furrow her brows tightly.

The guests standing behind her who were caught in the wake of the pressure involuntarily fell to their knees. A look of gravity emerged in Bai Yanluo’s azure eyes. ‘This guy’s strength is a bit terrifying…’

Thirty years ago, when he repelled the ‘Sword Demon’, Lockephy was already a mid-level eighth tier powerhouse. Now, after another thirty years of cultivation, this old man surely possessed the strength of a high-level eighth tier, right? No, judging by the feeling of this pressurized aura, he was likely approaching the peak. This man was even stronger than the Snow Devourer she had dealt with before.

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Although her competitive nature made Bai Yanluo want to have a ‘friendly sparring session’ with Lockephy, she had to avoid conflict with the Snownight Empire as much as possible, keeping Archbishop Nick’s words in mind. Left with no choice, Bai Yanluo could only manage a slightly bitter smile.

“There’s no need to be so tense, I have no intention of continuing. I am very sorry for causing such a mess at the banquet.” After performing an elegant curtsy, Bai Yanluo ignored Bernrose and Lockephy, turning around to walk toward Archbishop Nick.

Lockephy did not say anything more, as the instructions he had received were merely to stop the conflict. Since the clash would not break out, he had no reason to stay. He still needed to go back and check on his daughter who was staying in the palace. Thus, amidst the applause of the crowd, Lockephy suddenly transformed into a streak of grayish-white light and left the banquet hall through a window.

And so, a minor farce at the banquet ended peacefully.

However, following the conclusion, Miss Bai Yanluo became increasingly uneasy. Her unease did not stem from fearing Archbishop Nick’s murderous gaze, nor did she care about the whispers of those around her; rather, she had suddenly discovered that the girl she was responsible for protecting had vanished.

‘Wait?! Eh? Where… where is Mengxi?’

Indeed, after ending her argument with the Lord of the Golden City, Bai Yanluo suddenly realized that Miss Mengxi was nowhere to be found in the banquet hall. A surge of panic instantly rushed into Bai Yanluo’s heart, causing the young Heavenly Apostle to look frantic. She had been playing in the food area with the eldest daughter of the Blackrose Family just a moment ago! How could she be gone in the blink of an eye?

‘Wait? Why was the eldest daughter of the Blackrose Family missing as well? What on earth was going on?!’

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So, where was Miss Mengxi now?

The answer was inside the White Star Mansion, a residence arranged by the Sky Dome for the members of the Blackrose Family to rest.

At this moment, in Miss Yumo’s temporary bedroom, a beautiful black-haired girl was sitting on the windowsill with a very complicated expression. From time to time, she looked toward the large bed in the room with a bewildered gaze. Or rather, she was looking at the silver-haired girl who was lying on the bed in a very unladylike fashion.

Watching Mengxi’s flushed face and tightly closed eyes, the black-haired girl, Miss Yumo, sighed and raised a hand to her forehead.

‘If I had known, I wouldn’t have given her so much to drink…’