Chapter 179: Siblings

Chapter 179: Siblings

Bran ran fast, not paying attention to anything happening around him. People saw his figure flash by but couldn’t remember who it was for a moment. Huahua hid in Bran’s Shadow, moving and jumping with the shadow on the ground, making her hard to notice. The insect shadows surrounding him trailed closely behind like a comet’s tail.

Over a year, Bran had changed a lot. He had grown much taller, and his features had become more defined. Stimulated by Mana, his body had reshaped and grown quickly. He was no longer a short and thin boy. At least in build, he had caught up with his peers and even surpassed them slightly.

Bran did not know the exact road to the Western Territory, but having a general direction was enough. The plain was still that plain, but it no longer seemed vast; it kept shrinking. Now, Bran could see its end.

His Magic Field rubbed and tore against the surroundings, leaving one Mana vortex after another behind him. Bran increased his speed again…

…

Below the Western Territory city, the noise of the crowd was loud as people finally gathered here.

The Dia sisters wandered around with some newly arrived companions, casually telling many stories, some widely known, others unknown. The Northlanders had given too much here; every clan, every family had stories left in this place. So, the one-sided telling soon turned into a back-and-forth exchange.

Angie held her mother’s hand, talking about her longing, worry, and bits and pieces of the past.

The most eye-catching was that team of Little Wizards, now standing in strict discipline under the city wall. Cats crouched obediently beside their owners, swishing their tails uneasily; a young bear hugged its little master’s leg, burying its face in the robe. They had come here joyfully and met their long-awaited nemesis—Lily. All the trouble they stirred up along the way was finally being settled.

No one dared to argue. The one brave enough to do so was standing at the front of the line, bruised and battered.

Adam and Aki stood with Lily on the city wall, watching everything below. Xirui hid behind them, laughing happily.

Adam pointed at the Little Wizards below. “Is this good?”

“It has to be this way. A Wizard’s power is too great. If they don’t learn to follow the Rules, it will be a disaster for everyone.” Lily smiled. “Bran told me this. I didn’t understand it then until I had this power myself.”

Adam also smiled. He hadn’t seen Bran for over a year and seemed to miss him a bit.

“What if they can’t learn? Or if they don’t want to follow the Rules after gaining power?”

Lily didn’t speak, just made a slashing motion with her hand.

Adam teased, “Including you? If you don’t follow the rules, will Bran come for you?”

Lily nodded. “If I really cross his bottom line, then he definitely will.”

Seeing her two brothers’ surprised expressions, Lily couldn’t help but laugh. “Actually, it’s the same for him. If he dares, then I will too.”

Hesitating for a moment, Adam asked the question he had always wondered. “Who is stronger, you or Bran?”

“Him?” Lily sounded unsure. “For a while, I thought Bran had no real means of killing, but you all saw it too. I still haven’t figured out how he did it.”

“Didn’t Bran tell you? I thought you two had no secrets,” Aki chimed in.

Lily showed a bitter smile. “It should be that I have no secrets from him. Hasn’t it been like this since we were little? Did we ever hide anything from him?”

Adam and Aki glanced at each other. That was true. They were used to ignoring Bran’s presence, used to being unguarded in front of him.

Xirui reminded from behind, “Bran’s ability doesn’t work on you, right?”

Lily shook her head. “I didn’t know until I tried. Pure Mana confrontation can indeed cancel out the effect of an ability. But what about the killing methods derived from an ability? Like the weapons on you, the crossbow bolts you carry. And many other possibilities. They are created through Mana, but after creation, they have nothing to do with Mana.

Bran’s ability might not directly cause harm, but if he makes some strange thing through his ability, who knows if it would work on me?”

At this, Lily suddenly laughed, very happily. “Let me tell you a secret. His physical strength is not weaker than mine.”

Xirui exclaimed in surprise, “Really?”

“Yes. I learned by following him, so we have many similarities. Only after Mana became the dominant force in my body did I realize some differences are not as big as I imagined.”

…

While the siblings were chatting and laughing, the vanguard of the Demon Clan rushing to attack the Western Territory had already passed Silverpine Town. Silverpine Town was not badly damaged, and most of its main buildings were still intact. The Northlanders did not occupy this place; they didn’t even care for the armor and weapons here. Swords and armor scattered on the ground could be seen everywhere, and the Storehouse was preserved in relatively good condition.

Very few skeletons could be found in the entire Silverpine Town. The Demon Clan also knew the reason. As the later encirclement and suppression of their followers continued, more and more escapees emerged. It was no longer a secret that the insects fed on humans. But what truly angered them was the rumor that among the insect swarms were figures of their own clansmen, and these clansmen were also feeding on humans.

Anger! Contempt! This was the reaction of the Demon Clan vanguard upon receiving the news. They now had a relatively high-priority task: to find and execute these scum.

The Insect Swarm did not return to the Western Territory with Lily; they still roamed the Bloody Plains. But the plain was too vast. When they split into smaller groups to hide, even the Demon Clan found it hard to eliminate them.

Here, small-scale encounters and clashes began to happen frequently. Both sides were now in a state of mixing together.

…

Rio tended to the wounds on his body, abandoning all illusions.

After the Insect Swarm scattered, he found himself alone without realizing it. He thought his chance had come, so he actively approached a small team of Demon Clan scouts, only to receive a ruthless attack.

Rio’s skills were not bad; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived until now. He fought and tangled with this team of demons until several green figures rescued him.

He let out a sigh of relief. The Insect Swarm had been there all along; they hadn’t abandoned him. Watching the several insects eating in front of him, he couldn’t help but have some thoughts.

Their lives were clearly not considered. Whether they existed or not would not affect the overall situation. But he had to do something to make himself survive, perhaps even live a bit better.

He gave a bitter laugh. You want to kill me, right? Then come on!