Chapter 62: Final showdown
The next moment, something completely unexpected happened.
The descending katana suddenly froze.
The blade stopped only a fraction of an inch from moving deeper into Cole’s neck, its sharp edge still buried within his flesh. The elite guard’s arms remained raised, yet his entire body had become strangely rigid, as though an invisible force had forcibly locked him in place.
For a brief moment...
The entire execution ground fell silent.
Then...
BOOM!
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted from within the crowd.
The sound was so violent that the ground beneath everyone’s feet seemed to tremble.
Before anyone could understand what had happened, another explosion followed.
Then another.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The peaceful arrangement of the Saint Family members instantly collapsed into chaos.
Bodies were suddenly thrown into the air.
Blood splattered across the surrounding ground.
Several people didn’t even have time to scream before their bodies violently exploded, sending broken limbs, shattered armor, and fragments of skull flying in every direction.
The thick smell of blood immediately filled the air.
The crowd that had been chanting for Cole’s execution moments ago now screamed in terror.
"AAAAAH!"
"Run!"
"What happened?!"
The elite soldier standing directly beside Cole was also caught in the sudden attack.
His eyes widened in shock.
Before he could even react, his body suddenly twisted violently.
BOOM!
His torso exploded.
The massive katana slipped from his hands as his head was blasted apart by an invisible force, spraying blood across the execution stage.
The blade finally fell from Cole’s neck.
Clang!
It struck the stone floor.
Cole’s eyes slowly opened.
For several breaths, he simply stared at the scene before him.
The blood.
The corpses.
The terrified crowd.
The ruined execution stage.
What...?
What was happening?
He had been prepared to die only a moment ago.
Yet now...
Someone had interrupted his execution.
Before Cole could make sense of the situation, panic completely erupted throughout the Saint Family ranks.
"Attack!"
"Someone actually dared to attack the Saint Family headquarters?!"
"Who did this?!"
"Find them!"
"Protect the Patriarch!"
The previously orderly formation completely collapsed.
Warriors hurriedly drew their weapons, while wizards began frantically preparing their spells.
Some people desperately searched the surroundings.
Others dragged injured family members away from the battlefield.
The execution square that had been filled with bloodthirsty excitement moments ago had transformed into complete chaos.
And then...
A loud laugh suddenly echoed from the distant sky.
"Hahahaha!"
The laughter was arrogant and filled with undisguised contempt.
"Markovich!"
The voice thundered across the entire Saint Family compound.
"Did you really think you would succeed with your petty little scheme?"
The surrounding crowd instinctively looked upward.
The laughter continued.
"Today..."
"The Saint Family is doomed to end!"
As those words fell...
A figure slowly appeared within the distant sky.
He wore a long blue robe that fluttered violently in the night wind.
Across his chest was an enormous emblem.
A majestic Pegasus.
The symbol of the Blue Pegasus Family.
The middle-aged man didn’t descend normally.
Instead...
He walked through the air.
One step.
Then another.
Each step seemed to land upon an invisible staircase, carrying him slowly toward the Saint Family compound.
His blue robes fluttered behind him as a powerful aura spread throughout the entire battlefield.
The crowd’s expressions changed drastically.
"Blue Pegasus..."
"It’s the Blue Pegasus Family!"
"Their Patriarch actually came personally!"
A strange silence descended.
Even Cole’s expression changed slightly.
He had heard enough about the Blue Pegasus Family during his investigation in the city to understand what this meant.
This wasn’t an ordinary enemy.
This was the Patriarch of another Ancient Family.
The person standing before them was one of the absolute peak figures of Blessed Moon City.
Yet...
Among all the people present...
One person remained remarkably calm.
Markovich.
His expression hadn’t changed.
However...
For the first time since the execution began, there was a faint ripple within his eyes.
It lasted only for an instant.
A trace of confusion.
The Patriarch of the Blue Pegasus Family had arrived.
But...
He had arrived too early.
Markovich’s mind rapidly replayed the sequence of events.
Something was wrong.
He had already calculated everything.
The timing.
The reaction.
The movements of the Blue Pegasus Family.
Everything should have been under control.
So why...
Why had the Blue Pegasus Patriarch appeared now?
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Could it be...
He had acted three minutes earlier?
No.
That didn’t make sense.
Even if the Blue Pegasus Family had detected something, they shouldn’t have been able to react this quickly.
Markovich’s thoughts raced.
There was only one possibility.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the shattered execution stage.
Toward Cole.
Toward the attack that had interrupted the execution.
Then...
A cold realization began forming within his mind.
Don’t tell me...
This entire situation...
Had never been unfolding according to his plan?
Thinking up to this point, Markovich’s gaze unconsciously fell upon Cole’s figure.
"Hmmm..."
A faint sound escaped his mouth.
For the first time, his expression showed a subtle shift as several possibilities rapidly flashed through his mind. Yet before he could organize those thoughts, his sharp gaze suddenly moved elsewhere, toward the distant figures who had just appeared.
His pupils contracted slightly.
The patriarchs of the remaining two Ancient Families had arrived.
The situation had completely changed.
What had originally been a carefully controlled execution had now turned into a confrontation involving all four Ancient Families of Blessed Moon City.
...
Meanwhile, Amorpheus was also completely shocked by the sudden turn of events.
The explosions.
The dead guards.
The appearance of the Blue Pegasus Patriarch.
And now the arrival of the remaining two Ancient Family Patriarchs.
Everything had happened too quickly.
Yet unlike the surrounding family members who had fallen into panic, Amorpheus didn’t lose his composure.
The Saint Family had been preparing for war for a long time.
They had anticipated the possibility of the other Ancient Families making a move, and as long as his father, Markovich, remained here, Amorpheus firmly believed that nothing could truly threaten the Saint Family.
His father’s strength alone was enough to suppress the battlefield.
With that thought in mind, Amorpheus’s fear gradually disappeared.
But then...
His eyes suddenly became cold.
His gaze fell upon the broken body of the elite soldier who had been responsible for executing Cole.
The enormous warrior lay motionless on the ground, his body covered in blood and fragments of armor. The katana that had been only moments away from severing Cole’s neck now lay abandoned beside him.
Amorpheus’s expression darkened.
No matter what had happened...
Cole had to die.
He couldn’t allow this bastard to survive yet again.
The opportunity had finally appeared.
And Amorpheus would never forgive himself if he allowed Cole to escape because of this sudden chaos.
His body suddenly moved.
Whoosh!
Amorpheus exploded forward like a released arrow.
The speed was astonishing, his body cutting through the chaotic battlefield in an instant. His movements were fluid and sharp, displaying the terrifying agility of a genuine Moon Knight Realm warrior.
As expected of a genius of the Saint Family.
While countless members of the younger generation were still struggling within the Nascent Trained Realm, Amorpheus had already stepped into the Moon Knight Realm.
His talent was undeniable.
Even in the entire Saint Family, he was considered one of the most outstanding young geniuses.
The surrounding chaos barely affected him.
His eyes remained fixed on one target.
Cole.
By the time Amorpheus reached the execution stage...
His eyes narrowed.
Cole was no longer standing exactly where he had been.
The chains that had previously bound his wrists lay broken on the ground.
Taking advantage of the sudden attack and the chaos that followed, Cole had already freed himself.
He stood amid the scattered fragments of the execution stage, his clothes stained with blood, his expression calm.
Amorpheus’s pupils contracted.
That bastard...
He actually managed to free himself.
A cold smile slowly appeared on Amorpheus’s face.
It didn’t matter.
Cole had escaped the chains.
But he hadn’t escaped him.
Cole Saint prepared to die under my hands...
...
Truly, the heavens have eyes. Who could have thought all the resources that you received were heaven’s way of fattening you before your slaughter?
If I had known this before, I would have never felt jealous of the unfair treatment...
Amorpheus came roaring, completely letting go of his noble bearing. Right now, he didn’t retain his older demeanor of aloof elegance, but looked like a savage beast ready to do some inhumane things.
Cole was checking on Trish’s condition when he saw Amorpheus rushing toward him with the crazed expression on his face.
He dismissed the A.I. chip’s message and allowed Trish to rest for some time.
Then his gaze moved toward Amorpheus, thick killing intent bursting from his eyes.
Amidst the chaos, this is the perfect time to get rid of him...
This thought had barely popped into his mind when the ground beneath his feet exploded, propelling his body forward at insane speed. Cole’s physique, now nourished by the lightning generated by the abyssal worm, was nothing short of extraordinary. It was at least twice as strong as others of the same realm, if not more... and this was just the start.
Maybe Amorpheus was not expecting it, but when he saw Cole explode with such speed, he was caught off guard for a moment, letting down his guard.
It was at this moment that an arrow of lightning pierced through his chest, roughly missing his heart by one inch.