Chapter 60 | Valerius Phoenix
The Phoenix family was one of the five great families alongside the Crowford family, which Iris was part of, and the Thorne family, the one the green-haired man he met in the Initial Stage was from, each of them wielding immense power and influence across the world.
Even inside of the Second Layer and forward, they were very known among all other races.
Valerius was tall and lean, with sharp features and piercing amber eyes that seemed to glow with an inner fire, his crimson hair flowing like flames in the wind, and he wore elegant, form-fitting armor that gleamed with enchantments.
"Should we move?" David whispered, his voice barely audible. "At least he’s not a Stray, so we should be safe if we leave quietly..."
"I don’t want to have the Phoenix family on my bad side either, I heard they get angry easily," Lena responded with a nervous laugh, her knuckles white as she gripped her staff. "I’d rather fight the goblins than deal with someone like him."
As Alicar looked at Leon, even he seemed to agree, his expression carefully neutral.
Even though he had spent two years in the Sun Temple’s secret realm and faced a legendary monster, he didn’t seem to want to challenge a member of the Phoenix family.
’Oh well, who cares,’ Alicar thought as he was ready to turn around as well, his mind already moving on. ’He’s not even vessel worthy.’
An excellent rating was amazing by any standards after all the people Alicar had checked, thousands of souls, but still, it wasn’t enough.
Even if he had to wait for months to find a Supreme vessel or above, he would do it gladly, as his number of contract slots was limited and precious.
’Also I have to make sure to pick people that aren’t... like his kind,’ Alicar reminded himself, thinking of the arrogance and cruelty that seemed to plague the great families.
Iris was a rare exception, a soul trapped in a world of privilege and expectation, but almost every other awakener from the big families would likely have a horrid personality.
And indeed, Alicar’s thoughts were proven within a few seconds.
Because as the group tried to move away silently, hoping to avoid confrontation...
BOOM!
Valerius launched a massive fireball toward the group’s location, one that would likely kill them if they didn’t react in time.
"HOLY SHIT!" David shouted as he, Lena and Alice turned back to escape, scrambling away from the deadly projectile.
Alicar was the one to move first as he positioned his hands forward to use Demon Guard, the image of Vorgath appearing just in time to tank the fireball entirely.
Though even then, his arms still felt scorched from the sheer force of the attack, the heat intense even through his demonic barrier, and the nearby trees lit on fire, their leaves crackling and blackening.
Fortunately, the others had been too busy running to see it, but they could only wonder why they didn’t die, turning back with confused expressions.
They turned around to see Leon and Alicar facing Valerius from a distance, their stances firm and unyielding.
"Looking at others is disrespectful," Valerius said with a cold voice, his amber eyes narrowing with contempt. "This will be your one and only warning, I didn’t even use half of my true firepower."
"Are you insane?" Leon shouted, his voice filled with disbelief and anger. "This could have killed us!"
"That was the point," Valerius smiled coldly, his expression utterly devoid of remorse. "The Phoenix family’s motto is always to punish those that wrong you, no matter how small the slight."
As a response, Alicar’s staff began to crackle with elemental energy, electricity dancing along its length, ready to attack or counter if anything happened.
Leon, seeing this, also readied himself, his fists exploding with the crimson aura from the Demonic Arts, his body tensed for battle.
Only David, Sera and Alice seemed to be nervous enough not to raise their weapons, their faces pale with fear.
But that was normal: even if they fought, how could they ever hope to defeat Valerius, who was much stronger than them, both in terms of level, attributes, experience and class.
And yet, neither Leon nor Alicar seemed to want to back away, their eyes locked on the Phoenix heir with unwavering determination.
They had faced the Sun Beast, which was much stronger than both of them combined, and won, so someone like Valerius would never scare them.
Flames crackled around Valerius’ entire form as he gazed coldly at them, his body wreathed in fire.
"I don’t have any time to waste on you weaklings," he turned around dismissively, his voice dripping with superiority. "I’m currently participating in a Phoenix family trial to prove my strength and worth."
Fwoosh!
Valerius launched a massive fireball toward the corpse of the Obsidian Bear, turning it into ashes and leaving nothing behind, ensuring they couldn’t profit from his kill.
’He burned the Obsidian Bear so we wouldn’t grab the corpse...!’ Alicar’s expression turned grim, frustration flickering across his face. ’Oh well.’
Just like that, Valerius disappeared from his spot and rushed away to another location, likely to continue leveling and hunting.
But right as the group was about to talk about their future plans and regroup...
Fwoosh... BOOM!
A flame was sent upward into the sky in the location where Valerius rushed to, and it exploded like fireworks, a brilliant signal visible for miles.
’That guy...’ Alicar instantly understood what was happening and turned toward his group, his voice urgent. "We need to move right now!"
"Huh, but why?" Lena asked with a confused expression, her brow furrowing. "We can rest here and—"
"No," Leon shook his head, his expression darkening with understanding. "I understand what Alicar means, this is... a way to attract THEM."
"Who is them?" David mumbled, his eyes darting around nervously.
"Them," Alicar pointed toward a location in the clearing, and behind the bushes and trees, a few goblins appeared, their green forms emerging from the shadows. "They must have been close."
Valerius made it so that none of them could chase him, and also making sure to distract them from his trail using the goblins.
Either way, the green creatures began to surround the group, holding their weapons in hands and ready to attack as a group of thirty of them appeared from all directions.
The Goblin Shaman wasn’t here any longer, which was good, as he would have been too strong for them to handle.
But standing behind the goblins was the second worst opponent Alicar knew about, its yellow eyes burning with hatred.
"Submit to the Goblin King, humans," it growled, its voice grating and cruel.
It was the rare-rank Goblin Commander, he was here again, and his arm was fully healed, his expression much more furious than before, eager for revenge.