With a sweep of his gaze, Carl silently avoided the patrolling personnel, slipped into a shadowy corner, and quietly sensed his surroundings. The backyard! His eyes immediately brightened.

Trick—Muffle!

Battle Skill—Concealing Breath!

Adolf possessed not only two complete inheritances but also many collected tricks and Zero-Circle Magic. Muffle was one of them. Once the spell was cast, the sound made by the caster's movements would be weakened, making it hard to attract the attention of others.

"Since you won't give it, I'll just take it myself. After all, I've already paid, so it wouldn't be taking advantage," Carl whispered to himself, his figure quietly taking to the air and leaping into the courtyard.

He landed without a sound, the noise of his feet on the grass seemingly erased by an invisible force. The Concealing Breath Battle Skill from the Giant Spirit Breathing Technique also allowed him to contain his aura so well that not even a hound with an extraordinary sense of smell could detect his presence.

This place was heavily guarded; it had to be an important stronghold under Jasper's control, but it couldn't stop him.

SWOOSH!

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Dodging the patrolling guards, Carl quickly moved toward the backyard. The sensation from the Wind-Winged Sky Lion was getting clearer.

Phew...

The robust, burly figure crossed over the courtyard wall and landed lightly, like an agile swallow.

Finally, his objective for today appeared before his eyes.

It was a courtyard of moderate size, with several large iron cages arranged within, each containing a ferocious beast. The corpse of the Wind-Winged Sky Lion was right in the center. Its abdomen had been cut open, with some flesh and tissue removed, and its wings were badly damaged.

To ordinary people, this was nothing more than a terrifying corpse. To Knights, to Great Knights, the flesh of Legendary Creatures was a nourishing treasure, highly valuable.

To Carl, the corpse before him was a treasure trove! As long as he could completely analyze this body, the prerequisites for a Bloodline Wizard would be met, and he could proceed with the physical transformation.

We had an agreement on the delivery, but you're reneging on it. As compensation, it shouldn't be too much if I take all the remaining corpses, should it? Carl's expression was one of perfect justification. He had traveled a long distance and put in so much effort; it wouldn't be satisfying to only take away a little bit.

He stepped forward, reached out to grab the iron gate, and was about to open it when his eyebrows shot up. There was a lock on the iron cage's gate, yet in this deserted courtyard, the lock was unexpectedly open.

Who would be so careless? No! Someone has infiltrated the place!

HISS!

A faint whistling sound came from behind him.

A dark shadow materialized out of thin air, like a ghost from the night, its arm blurring as it thrust the longsword it held. The longsword cut through the air with astonishing speed.

Die! The shadow's gaze was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion. He had killed too many people; it had become routine.

As a top assassin from the Sickle Brotherhood, he specialized in surprise attacks from behind at close range. He was confident of success, even against a Great Knight.

Moreover...

The dark night sky above suddenly converged, forming the shape of a person wielding a dagger, thrusting down towards Carl's head.

Dharma Seal—Shadow!

Dharma Seal—Dark Night Walker!

Both of these Dharma Seals enabled their users to blend into the darkness, increasing their strength somewhat at night. The two of them, working together, had never failed.

"Hmm?"

"Eh!"

Sounds of surprise erupted. An invisible force materialized before their blades, and their lightning-fast speed was forcibly reduced.

No! It wasn't just one force, but several!

An invisible forcefield impeded their movements, and immense pressure caused their actions to stiffen. Streams of water suddenly appeared around them, converging into a vortex that pulled them inward.

Zero-Circle Magic—Lesser Spell Forcefield!

Zero-Circle Magic—Water Vortex!

Demonized Item Meteorite Ball—Double Gravity!

And the overwhelming pressure of a Great Knight unleashing their power!

Carl slowly turned, his expression indifferent as his gaze swept over the two night assassins whose movements had slowed.

Knights? It seems that apart from me, others are also eyeing the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce's benefits. You're just unlucky to have encountered me.

This was normal. With the Dragon King no longer in command, the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce, its internal strife laid bare, was like a juicy target for other forces. Not taking a bite would be doing themselves a disservice. If it hadn't been for Carl, the two of them would likely have succeeded. But in front of an Intermediate Wizard Apprentice armed to the teeth, Knights couldn't even get close.

Dark Night Walker! Carl's eyes lingered momentarily on one of them, a flash of recognition in his gaze. When I first arrived at Freedom Port, someone offered me this Dharma Seal as a recruitment reward. Tough luck for them!

"You're members of the Sickle Brotherhood?"

The black-clad man's eyes hardened, and his speed suddenly surged. Under the enhancement of the Dharma Seal and within the cover of night, his explosive power instantly reached that of a Peak Knight.

Battle Skill—Thrust!

With extreme speed and a sudden burst of strength, he broke through numerous restrictions, rushing toward Carl.

PLOP!

A ball of water appeared out of nowhere. The longsword pierced the water ball, its speed decreasing for a moment before it thrust forward again after a slight pause.

DING...

A suit of pitch-black armor blocked the way again. Carl lifted his left hand, the ring on it flashing faintly.

Zero-Circle Magic—Aquatic Guardian!

Demonized Item—Guna!

The black-clad man's strength faltered, despair filling his eyes. "A Peak Knight's full power burst… and still can't break through the defense?" he muttered softly in despair.

Carl casually waved his arm.

SWISH!

A cold glint flashed.

THUD! THUD!

Two corpses crumpled to the ground.

Although he had only recently been promoted to Great Knight, those beneath that level posed no threat to him whatsoever. A Peak Knight... he could kill with ease!

I wonder what it would be like to encounter another Great Knight?

Unhurriedly stroking his chin, he manipulated the flowing water to sweep the corpses aside, then reached out to grab the corpse in the cage.

"Collect!"

NNGH!

Carl grunted, his body trembling slightly. He was also realizing for the first time how strenuous it was to bring something over a certain weight into the Divine Domain Fragment. It was like trying to stuff a large meal into a small mouth, only able to swallow bit by bit.

After a long while, the void suddenly trembled, and Carl, along with the corpse of the Wind-Winged Sky Lion in the iron cage, vanished.

「The Divine Domain Fragment.」

Whew...

Carl's body went limp, nearly collapsing on the spot. He rested for a long time before gradually regaining some energy.

When he returned to the Otherworld, utter chaos greeted his eyes.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.