As Richard crossed the border of the capital, he immediately saw numerous Holy Light Kingdom military bases—towering structures resembling high spires.

BANG! BANG!

Even though Athena was flying extremely fast, some had arrived before him. They directly attacked those towers.

"How dare you!" a thunderous voice roared from one of the towers as a tall, thin old man appeared.

He held a wooden staff shaped like a serpent, his crimson eyes radiating a chilling light.

Just his gaze alone was enough to make many of the Magi who had flown from the capital tremble in fear.

He was a Grimoire Realm Magus.

Richard observed the Magi leaving the capital, but around here, it seemed there were only World Realm Magi.

William Anderson should be in the Grimoire Realm too… but it looks like he went to deal with a stronger base, he thought.

"Hm!"

Richard pulled out the Ignis Volt Core, which had already evolved to a higher level.

He channeled massive amounts of fire and lightning into it.

The core could hold as much as he wanted—it had no limit.

If he wanted to make it even stronger, he only needed to add an Elemental Spirit, but for now, his own Aether would suffice.

As the fire and lightning filled the golden coin-like artifact, it began to vibrate faintly.

Richard then aimed it toward the old man.

The Ignis Volt Core instantly flared up, emitting a red-purple light so bright it could blind anyone who looked at it.

Though it was night, that light illuminated the entire sky.

The Core then transformed into a beam of superheated energy, one that shredded through space and time itself.

The light of that beam was brighter than the sun.

In fact, the space around it melted like ice exposed to fire.

From the Ignis Volt Core to the old man, the laser didn't even take an instant—

it was faster than a blink.

Though the beam was small, the moment it hit the old man, it expanded violently.

His entire body melted into nothingness.

Even his serpent staff—a Tier 4 weapon—was obliterated.

As for his other treasures, there was no need to mention them; even his storage artifact was completely destroyed.

And the laser didn't vanish there—it pierced everything behind the old man, annihilating everything in its path, including the Holy Light Kingdom base.

Except for the ground, everything the laser touched disintegrated, and the beam grew larger each time it hit something, leaving not just holes but complete erasure.

Swish!

When it finally disappeared, the sky went dark again, but thick black smoke billowed upward.

Everything happened too quickly—faster than a blink—

yet everyone saw it clearly.

They stared at Richard with utter disbelief.

Most people didn't recognize him, but some did.

Richard knew he couldn't avoid attention now, something he never liked.

Before anyone could speak, he moved.

He wasn't here just to fight random battles. His true value lay in hunting powerful enemies.

As he traveled farther, he found larger military bases.

The Holy Light Kingdom hadn't merely seized territory—they wanted to completely dominate it.

Richard saw numerous formations being constructed in the cities that once belonged to the Starlight Kingdom.

But what surprised him even more was how well-coordinated the counterattack was.

It seemed that many of the Starlight Kingdom's soldiers had already infiltrated enemy territory, disguising themselves as civilians and waiting for this exact moment to strike.

Lilith had clearly been preparing this counterattack for a long time.

However, the Holy Light Kingdom's forces were also numerous.

Their troops clashed fiercely with those of the Starlight Kingdom.

Since he didn't see any powerful Magus around, Richard stopped in one of the cities where a brutal battle between the two armies was taking place.

It was easy for him to distinguish them by the difference in their armor designs.

After observing the fight for a while, Richard decided to act.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

He summoned shadow wolves—dozens of them.

Each wolf even had wings, and their massive bodies towered like giants.

Compared to one of them, Richard looked like a mere child.

He summoned fifty shadow wolves—the maximum number he could currently create, as his mastery of Hundred Shadow Monsters had reached only 50%.

"Slaughter every enemy!"

At his command, all fifty wolves stormed into the city.

The city was large, but their sheer presence was enough to shake it to its core.

Yet their targets were clear—the enemy soldiers, who vastly outnumbered the Starlight troops.

With Richard's current power and his ability to reinforce them through his energy, even World Realm Magi struggled against several of the wolves.

As for Life Aether Realm Magi, they were completely massacred.

Richard simply watched from above.

Of course, those in the city were aware of his presence.

It wasn't hard to track, since his energy continuously flowed into the wolves, making it obvious he was their master.

"Attack him!" one World Realm Magus shouted.

"I can't—I'm already fighting!" another replied.

"You damned brat, stop right there!"

A furious voice suddenly echoed from afar.

Richard turned to see an old man in a white robe flying toward him at high speed.

Light radiated from his body, making him look divine and oppressive.

Richard assumed this man was likely a member of the Holy Light Royal Family.

But clearly, he wasn't a high-ranking one—he was already an old man and only in the Grimoire Realm.

Richard didn't think he'd be hard to kill. At most, it would take a Mind Attack.

As the old man approached, Richard unleashed his Mind Attack.

Instantly, the man's eyes went wide. His speed dropped by ninety percent, and the holy light around him flickered out completely.

"Die."

Richard's right fist transformed—scales spread across it, and it grew larger.

This time, he was slightly surprised. The transformation didn't stop at his fist; it extended up his wrist, nearly reaching his shoulder.

Combined with his Titan Skeleton, which already enhanced his physique, Richard felt the air and space freeze as he clenched his fist.

The sheer pressure it released was unimaginable.

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