I, Kenneth, am going to get to the root of the problem today.

Page 98

In a hotel in Misaki City, the door opened from the outside, and Stuart, his face full of seriousness, stood behind Altruchi with a slight bow.

“Your Highness, we have investigated and found that those ghouls are the retinue of the Nineteenth Ancestor. In addition, during my tracking of Chaos, I discovered some traces that are somewhat similar to the rituals that once appeared in France. I think... that snake may still be alive.”

"Oh? It's that so-called 'world-killing poison' ritual. Has my sister Yu become so stupid that she can't even handle a snake?"

Skipping over the news about Flöf and gesturing for Stuart to continue, Eltrucci also showed a hint of interest in Roya.

"The reincarnation of this snake was killed by the princess three days ago, but I can't think of anyone else besides a snake who could have mastered that ritual. I suspect that snake had a spare body, and it should be related to Chaos..."

"Sacrificing a body to dispel my sister's vigilance, after a thousand years, that snake has finally learned its lesson. So, do those traitors want me to be the one to stick my neck out? How laughable! My will is beyond the comprehension of those who only dare to cower in the shadows."

As always, she held the White Winged Lord's Dead Apostles in contempt. Having roughly guessed what was going on, Eltrucci somewhat disappointedly shifted her gaze to the window. Waiting a long time for Eltrucci's command, Stuart tentatively spoke:

"Your Highness, would you like us to deal with those who are affecting your mood?"

"No need, Lord Stuart. I am more interested in my foolish sister now."

Seemingly feeling that she hadn't explained things clearly, or perhaps because she hadn't received a reply from Stuart, Eltrucci continued:

"Since those traitors have set up the stage for me, I might as well lose my composure. I want to see which man can go that far. Moreover, besides that guy Chaos, I also want to see how many others dare to defy Brunstad's reputation. This time, I will not let those traitors get away with it!"

The eyes in the window were scarlet and alluring. Her fingers pressed against her lips. Eltrauge was somewhat looking forward to how Kenneth would deal with those who had come from afar. Meanwhile, in the apartment in Misaki City, Kenneth restored the black gun that had been shattered to pieces to its original state, with a look of relief on Hiel's face.

"That's enough for now. I understand its structure. It's getting late, so I won't keep you from working tonight."

After retrieving the black gun and confirming that there were no problems, Hiel, who had maintained a stern face throughout, looked at Kenneth, who was tidying up the test bench.

"What do you know about what's happened these past few days?"

In the past few days, with a certain deranged apostle indiscriminately attacking humans, even without asking for specific details, judging from Noel's expression of exhaustion, Shier could guess that the number of missing persons was by no means small.

"What, do you suspect that I was responsible for those disappearances?"

Kenneth asked a question in return, then continued tidying up the somewhat messy workshop.

"No, I just wanted to ask if you know anything."

"Unfortunately, I don't know."

Realizing that Kenneth didn't want to reveal anything, Hiel picked up the guitar case containing the black gun and left the apartment. Regarding the chaos of the past few nights, Kenneth also knew who was responsible through the familiar's eyes: Floff, excellent research material.

"Let's go, Arcueid. I think you'll get moldy if we stay any longer. How about we get some exercise?"

Lifting the comic book off his face, Arcueid, with messy blond hair and yawning, scrambled to his feet from the sofa, already a useless person.

"Well, is it finally over?"

After scanning the room and not finding Hierre, Arcueid perked up and jumped up from the sofa. With a bang, she flung open the door and strode out of the apartment.

"Come on, come on, I'm getting rusty these past few days. I'll definitely catch that guy Chaos for you tonight."

Seeing Arcueid raise his fist full of energy, Kenneth tore off his coat hanging on the wall and walked out of the apartment. Following the information obtained from his familiar, Kenneth headed towards the abandoned parking lot where Floff was hiding.

Inside the parking lot, feeling the warm blood enveloping his body, Freud, lying in the blood pool, felt warmth for the first time in a long time. His decaying body was no longer pale, and the restless blood ring was calmed down by the dilution of human blood. For the first time in a hundred years, Freud felt a clear consciousness.

"Not enough...not enough...this blood isn't enough, my kin, bring me more warmth..."

At Flov's command, familiars and mindless ghouls swarmed out. Glug...glug...glug...orange flames climbed the blood pool, churning as Flov absorbed the blood of hundreds of people into his body. Clenching his fists, Flov knew that his current strength was not enough to deal with the man who had once driven him to the brink of despair.

"Arquet...Arquet...your heart...your blood, surely it can warm my body..."

"Idiot, what do you think? It looks like this guy wants your blood."

The unforgettable sound reached his ears, and the reinforced concrete wall collapsed. After determining the direction, Arcueid, who was known for his ability to dismantle walls, quickly created a crystal path leading to his destination.

The ghouls that remained underground swarmed forward upon smelling the fresh flesh and blood, their incomprehensible roars quickly drowning out all other sounds within seconds.

"You guys, now that you're dead, you'd better lie down properly!"

With a deafening roar, the long-abandoned platform collapsed instantly, and the collapsing concrete sent these clumsy creatures sprawling to the ground. Arcueid, who always relied on brute force, swung a piece of concrete still reinforced with steel bars and smashed the lowest-ranking ghouls into a bloody pulp with a single throw.

Although the destruction before him was in line with Arcueid's character, Kenneth had never seen Arcueid so violent from the start. Noticing the pair of red eyes full of ferocity, Kenneth pushed through the smoke and dust and walked toward Arcueid, who had transformed into a tornado and destroyed the parking lot.

"Hahaha, you bunch of bastards, just die! Lowly people deserve... Ouch! Ouch! Partner, why are you hitting me again?!"

"You idiot, wake up! We didn't come here for these ghouls."

After being knocked on by Kenneth, Arcueid, who had just emerged from the abnormal state, remembered that Love was still there. He looked around for his target, but there was no sign of Love in the ruins before him.

"Hehe~ I haven't exercised for days and I've forgotten how. Sniff...sniff...where is he? Partner, I'll bring him back for you right away."

Seeing Arcueid return to normal, Kenneth could swear he had never seen such a complicated situation as Arcueid. If he was not mistaken, Arcueid had just entered a state called "Origin Awakening," manifesting a consciousness between Arcueid and Zhu Yue.

"Leave Flöf to me, Arcueid, you keep those guys who might bother me."

Realizing he had no one to fight, Arcueid looked at Kenneth with some displeasure. Finding that Kenneth had already walked far away, Arcueid, puffing out his cheeks, could only angrily chase after him.

Chapter 258 Materials Acquired

Escape, escape that place as soon as possible. Flov had a clear understanding of Kenneth's power. He would never fight Kenneth before he had collected enough blood. The ghouls scattered throughout the city sensed Flov's consciousness surging toward the parking lot and tried to use their fragile flesh and blood to block Kenneth's pursuit.

With a whoosh, a streak of white light fell from the sky, and a spherical Moon Spirit Essence burst forth with sharp spikes, blocking Flov's path. The spreading jet instantly pierced through all the surrounding buildings. Raising his riding sword to protect himself, amidst the clanging sounds of the impact, Kenneth appeared behind Flov.

“It’s impolite to leave your guests behind. My house is quite big. Why don’t you come and sit here for a while? I’ll teach you how to entertain guests.”

The next second, frost spread, the surrounding temperature plummeted, water vapor condensed and froze into ice, and icicles shimmering with a chilling aura engulfed the sky. Moonlight filtered through the ice crystals, scattering a ghostly glow. Under this light-polluted sub-sky, countless icicles fell like raindrops.

In the frigid conditions that defied the laws of the planet, the translucent ice crystals burst forth with a hardness far exceeding that of steel. The asphalt-paved surface was torn apart, and the concrete mixed with steel bars was pulverized like tofu. In just a few seconds, a high wall forged from solid ice firmly froze Kenneth inside.

Crack...crack...The ice, frozen at the extreme low temperature, shattered from the inside out. Accumulated magic gathered in his hands, and Flov's lance, accompanied by a spiraling wave of wind, pierced the ice crystal-covered Moon Spirit Essence.

Boom!

The shattered ice crystals from the impact made Floff's expression even more sinister. With a piercing shot, the Moon Spirit Essence Fluid dented out like a balloon poked by chopsticks amidst the slight ripples.

"Not bad, right? I specifically enhanced it."

A blast of air hit him from behind, and the fierce wind made Flov's clothes flutter wildly. Dense ice crystals pelted his body, and feeling the blood as hot as the sun in the frigid space, Flov drew his lance and finally chose to face Kenneth head-on.

Orange and blue flames flowed from the hem of her clothes, and the leaping flames were particularly dazzling under the reflection of the dark blue ice crystals. As the ice continued to refract, this area full of crystals was instantly as bright as day.

A sea of ​​fire spread across the sky, while ice crystals froze beneath his feet. Such extremes, defying the laws of the planet, appeared before Kenneth at the same time. The flowing flames, the ethereal ice crystals, and the interplay of red and blue light reached Kenneth's throat amidst a dazzling visual spectacle.

"These lights are really blinding."

Commenting on the light pollution caused by Floff's power, his arms were covered in black scales, and a lance made of frozen soil swept past Kenneth's forearm with a streak of light. At point-blank range, Floff drew his sword from his waist and thrust it into Kenneth's heart.

The blade scraped against his palm with a piercing screech. Kenneth's scale-covered hand gripped the incoming blade directly. The sword bent and the blade shattered. In the constant struggle between the two, the cavalry sword forged from cold iron let out a miserable wail. With a crack, the cavalry sword reached its limit and shattered instantly. The broken pieces flew and cut through Flov's forehead.

Blood welled in his eyes, and in an instant, the lance slipped from his hand. The sharp claws, gleaming with a cold light, were already at Kenneth's heart. The broken sword flipped from his palm, and just as Kenneth blocked the claws, Floff's broken sword was only a hair's breadth away from Kenneth's chest.

"Superb martial arts skills, indeed compared to you guys who are born warriors. A magician should use magic to deal with obstacles."

Without chanting or preparation, relying on the infusion of massive amounts of magic power, the surging magic power drew air currents into Flov's wrist. With a tearing sound, the hand holding the broken sword fell to the ground amidst the splattering blood. The hand, now a blade, slashed forward, and the resulting gale swept the hound that had leaped from Flov's chest into the air.

'Pata'

A crisp snap of the fingers unleashed magic, and a burst of flames engulfed Flov in an instant. His flesh sizzled as it burned, and his scaled arm suddenly exerted force. With a thunderous boom, Flov, engulfed in flames, was forced to arch uncontrollably by Kenneth's punch.

With a flick of his fingertips, he gripped the lance handle. After creating enough distance between himself and Kenneth, the flames engulfing him extinguished, and the lance, which had split the ground, rose up and slammed down towards Kenneth, who was standing still.

Suddenly, a pitch-black vortex appeared above Flov, and the claws that tore through space fell with an unstoppable pressure. Given the absolute difference in size, Flov was as small as an ant. The lance made of frozen soil shattered the moment it touched the scales. The shockwave from the dragon claws hitting the ground caused the ground to tremble.

Standing on the ground still shaken by aftershocks, with smoke and dust mixed with ice crystals obscuring his vision, Kenneth caught a glimpse of a rapidly moving presence in the turbulent wind. Hollows were eroding the world, and with a flick of Kenneth's arm, Floff, hidden in the dust, was sent flying like a tennis ball hit by a racket.

"I sincerely invited you to visit me. Since you keep resisting, I have no choice but to use some rather rough methods."

Drawn by an unknown force, the blue and red flames surged toward the broken gun in Floff's hand. The blue flames that took lives swirled, while the orange flames that burned flesh flowed backward. The endless sea of ​​fire drew away the body, and, nourished by blood, the bursting pillars of fire shot out like towers of light, disappearing into the earth from the sky.

Vision was distorted by the intense heat, and every sensory cell beneath his skin described the scorching heat ahead to Kenneth. He opened his arms to release magic, and the space in his mind connected with the world. Red light flickered within the expanding black vortex, and sharp claws pierced through the barrier, radiating a cold light. With the space trembling, the Sixth Beast suddenly exerted force with its arms, and with a crack, the space on the surface of the world shattered. The Sixth Beast, having broken free of its cage, revealed its body to the world.

Magic overflowed from its body, and the beast's half responded to Kenneth's thoughts. Kenneth's consciousness entered the body without hindrance. As the beast that had been eroding human reason opened its eyes, a powerful pressure collapsed the ground, and the tangible malice instantly locked onto Flov, who had been accumulating magic power.

"Honestly, as valuable material, I don't want you to lose your value. Fine, then let's be a little more serious."

The next second, the wind that had been flowing rapidly due to the high temperature stopped. The instant the beam of light fell, a darkness deeper than the night suddenly erupted from the Sixth Beast. The all-encompassing blackness devoured the light, the tide of evil extinguished the flames, and the black light curtain dissolved everything. The world was like a canvas, and Kenneth, who wielded the Sixth Beast, was like a person holding a paintbrush, erasing everything he was dissatisfied with.

The boundless darkness swallowed the moonlight, and the surging malice twisted the world. The power of the beast of reason replaced the light at this moment. When everything calmed down, a spherical crater a hundred meters deep was silently carved into the ground. The flowing wind carried Kenneth to the ground and he picked up the barely alive Floff. Kenneth walked towards Arcueid, who was waiting outside.

Chapter 259 The Jealousy Jar

Leaning on the "No Entry" sign, Arcueid stood impatiently facing off against Hierle. Hearing Kenneth's footsteps, Arcueid, his face showing displeasure, threw down the sign and rushed towards Kenneth.

"Partner, you're finally back! Let me tell you, this guy tried to bother you but I stopped him. Hehe, aren't I awesome!"

Kenneth raised his hand to pat Arcueid on the head as encouragement, but Arcueid noticed Kenneth's gesture and immediately covered his head and squatted down on the ground. Realizing that the silly boy had been traumatized by his pat, a slightly embarrassed Kenneth had no choice but to give up and lower his hand.

"Well done, I'll give you extra food when we get back."

"Hmm, of course. As long as I'm around, no one can bother your partner..."

Watching Arcueid's face change drastically in front of Kenneth, and having taken several solid punches from Arcueid, Siel finally turned her gaze to the Moon Spirit Essence floating behind Kenneth. She wouldn't mistake it; it was Floff's aura. To defeat an Ancestor without a scratch—such strength left Siel truly unsure how to carry out the Church's orders.

The order from the church was to annihilate the heretics in Misaki City and expel Kenneth. If Hiel hadn't been an honest working man, the butt of the Seventh Holy Scripture might have already been smashed on the head of the church's higher-ups.

"The nineteenth patriarch, is he still alive? If possible, could you tell me what you plan to do with him?"

The ghouls on the ground were still alive, and Floff, the apex of the lineage, was not killed. It was unrealistic to ask Kenneth for Floff. Now, all Hierre wanted to know was what Kenneth planned to do with Floff.

“Wasting materials is not a good habit. I am a magician, so it’s normal for me to be interested in these guys.”

Having received Kenneth's reply, Ciel, wielding the Seventh Holy Scripture, stepped aside to make way, then tapped Arcueid, who was still gritting her teeth at Ciel. Kenneth, having made a good haul, was the first to leave the parking lot. As she left, Arcueid paused, turning around and glaring angrily at Ciel.

"Your name is Hiel, right? Your partner can only be me, so stop following me!"

Still harboring hostility towards Chiel, Arcueid even brandished his fists at Chiel a few times. Seeing that Chiel didn't intend to answer him, Arcueid, inexplicably annoyed, wanted to test his skills against Chiel.

Arcueid is gone.

Seeing Arcueid's defiant gesture even as she left, Chier, whose attempt to follow her had been discovered, stopped after a moment's thought. Arcueid was too wary, and continuing to follow her would yield nothing of value. Raising the Seventh Holy Scripture, Chier dealt with the ghouls left behind.

Back at the apartment, Kenneth used the Moon Spirit Essence to immobilize Floff on the control panel. Seeing Kenneth ignoring her since returning, Arcueid deliberately pushed the water glass in front of him off the table.

"Oops, I broke it by accident. Partner, you can continue, don't worry about me."

Picking up the broken glass and wiping the water from her feet with a tissue, Arcueid's gaze unconsciously drifted towards Kenneth. Noticing that Kenneth hadn't turned around at all, Arcueid, inexplicably annoyed, stood up and 'accidentally' knocked over the round table.

The teapot and tea table tipped over with a clatter. Kenneth, who had stopped what he was doing, glanced back at Arcueid lying on the ground before continuing to study Flöf. A dozen seconds later, Arcueid, who was lying on the ground, opened her eyes and puffed up her cheeks when she saw that Kenneth was still ignoring her.

Stubborn to the end, Arcueid, refusing to believe Kenneth would ignore her, lay straight down on the carpet. Time passed slowly, until the water stains spread and soaked her clothes. Arcueid glanced at Kenneth every three seconds, but he still didn't come.

"Partner! Partner! My head hurts so much, I must have bumped it just now, please check if I'm hurt..."

"It hurts so much, what should I do? Will I become stupid...?"

If one trick didn't work, she tried another. Arcueid, clutching her head and looking pained, did everything she could to get Kenneth's attention. When she noticed Kenneth stop and walk over, Arcueid put on an even more enthusiastic performance. Then, under Arcueid's expectant gaze, Kenneth's right hand struck her directly on the head.

"Are you an idiot?! What kind of True Ancestor would break their head by hitting a table?!"

"Ugh... I don't care! I was lying on the ground and you weren't even paying attention to me! You haven't spent any time with me lately, are you planning to team up with that guy...?"

As Arcueid spoke, a red glint appeared in his eyes, as if he wanted to bite Kenneth. Without mercy, he raised his right hand, and Kenneth delivered another chop to Arcueid's head.

"Ugh... I told you not to hit my head anymore, or I'll really become stupid. Hurry up and answer me, are you planning to leave me behind and team up with that guy?"

There are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. Although there were signs earlier, Kenneth never expected Arcueid to be so jealous of him. Looking at Arcueid, who seemed to be saying "I'll cry if you don't give me an explanation," Kenneth truly understood the pain of raising a child.

Just as Kenneth was pondering how to deal with Arcueid's jealous state, in the southwest corner of Misaki City, Nero Chaos, who had witnessed Flöf's fate through the eyes of his familiar, twirled his fingers as he looked at Roa, who was using his own blood as paint.

“That good-for-nothing failed. I don’t think your snake molt can hide from that man for long. How much longer will the complete ritual take?”

Flov was far from useless to Chaos. In just one encounter, that seemingly impressive guy was killed by Kenneth. Eltruchi didn't intend to make a move. Given the current situation, Kenneth's next target was likely to be her. Suppressing her unease, Nero Chaos urged Roya, who was engrossed in the elaborate ritual, to hurry up.

"It would be my dereliction of duty to entertain Her Highness the Princess with a flawed ceremony. Besides, none of the audience members were even present. Art takes time."

As Roya meticulously traced the magic formula beneath his feet, seemingly oblivious to Chaos's urging, he traced the circuit beneath his feet, which resembled an oil painting. No matter how strong Kenneth's performance was, with a thousand years of accumulation and the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Roya was brimming with confidence for his next move.

“That man won’t give you time to play around with art. They’ll be here soon, and I want you to complete your ritual before they arrive!”

"Is it already here? Looks like I need to speed things up. As for that man, don't worry, under my watchful eyes, only death awaits him. I'll personally remove his heart then."

Despite saying he was going to speed up, Roya's hands didn't increase their speed at all. Realizing that he was no threat to Roya in his current state, Chaos, feeling increasingly uneasy, disappeared into the shadows.

Chapter 260 The Gemstone Elder

Gemstone was in a bad mood. If he had to describe it, it was like the horror of turning on the 'Tokyo is a Little Hot' DVD only to find that the movie was 'Ju-on'. He had only gone to a parallel world for a business trip, but the future of that world was jumping around like flamenco steps.

"Hehehe, Mr. Zell, you're here. The partner you found for me is really good. This time, we took care of Roya as soon as he woke up."

Just moments ago, with the appearance of the Jewel Mage, Arcueid, who had been in a jealous state, quickly recovered after a moment of stunned silence. She sidled up to Kenneth and began praising the Jewel Mage's discerning eye. Meanwhile, the Jewel Mage, still looking rather foolish, stared blankly at Kenneth with a numb gaze, completely numbed by the chaotic future.

"Ahem, actually I don't want to interfere too much, but some things will happen even if I don't interfere. From the moment I appeared, the accumulated anomalies will lead to an unknown outcome."

Kenneth felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at by an old man with resentful eyes. Although he did bear some responsibility for the mess, he honestly felt that he had deliberately caused trouble, and the way things had turned out was purely a butterfly effect.

"I understand, that's why I didn't pull you back. You've probably noticed that this world is special, and my purpose in being here is to solve these problems."

"To solve the problem, it seems the changes I've caused are quite significant. Is it that thing in the sky?"