"One Slash!"
Blinding flames echoed with a clear phoenix cry, transforming into flaming sabers that consumed everything in their path.
Blazing inferno.
Giant stones in the wilderness were incinerated into powder.
Whoosh!
A lightning arrow descended from the sky, morphing into a vast electrical field.
In an instant, dozens of orcs wearing masks surged out from all directions of the wilderness. In less than half an hour, they had annihilated all the defenders at this location.
"Thank you!"
Fuhua Alderton, covered in dirt, emerged from a pile of rubble. At this moment, he bore no resemblance to the majestic patriarch of the Alderton family.
He looked as dejected as a wanderer.
"Patriarch Fuhua, we apologize for our late arrival," the masked human whispered apologetically, while his subordinates were already clearing the battlefield and collecting spoils.
Fuhua Alderton, with his disheveled hair, surveyed his surroundings.
Everywhere he looked, there were corpses.
These individuals all bore the Alderton family crest, serving as Fuhua Alderton's escorts. Now, they lay around him, lifeless bodies as cold as ice.
"They were all loyal."
"Even unto the very end, they stayed by your side, sacrificing their lives to buy you a chance to survive, and waited for our arrival."
The masked human whispered, bowing slightly towards the fallen Alderton clansmen.
"Yes, they were all my most loyal subordinates," Fuhua Alderton's eyes turned red, his voice trembling as he walked past each corpse.
Finally, he stopped before a youth whose youthful innocence had not yet faded, and tremblingly reached out to caress his face.
...
"Brother, let me go with you."
"I'm not a child anymore. My niece, Luoni, can already walk around. Why can't I? I learned several moves from the swordmaster just a few days ago. If the Tatu royal family dares to harm you, see if my sword agrees."
"Is this the outside world? It's not as interesting as I imagined."
"Kill them all! Protect the Patriarch!"
"Brother, don't worry, with me here, no one can touch you."
"If they want to touch the Patriarch of our Alderton family, they'll have to step over my dead body."
"I'll fight you!"
...
Turbid tears slid down Fuhua Alderton's cheeks, dripping onto the young man's body, which was covered in scars, with scarcely a pristine spot.
He, too, was Fuhua Alderton's youngest brother.
Even Luoni was three months older than him.
Fuhua had always protected him well, even more so than Luoni. His brother had no interest in business, but was very keen on swordsmanship.
Undeniably, he possessed great talent in the way of the sword.
At the age of fourteen, he had already reached the Black Obsidian realm. He was the most outstanding sword prodigy in the history of the Alderton family.
If Luoni represented the commercial hope of the Alderton family's future, then the tender youth before him was the hope for the family's strength.
He would be the sharpest sword of the Alderton family!
Yet—
"Jingrui!!!"
Fuhua Alderton could no longer suppress the pain in his heart, embracing the youth tightly, paying no mind to the masked human beside him or the orcs in the distance weeping uncontrollably.
The masked orcs glanced over, and the masked human shook his head at them.
Desperate cries echoed on the mountaintop.
After an unknown period, Fuhua Alderton gradually composed himself and retrieved over thirty chilling ice coffins from his bracelet.
He had had these ice coffins made months ago.
From the moment friction arose with the Tatu Kingdom's royal family, he had anticipated such an outcome. These ice coffins were prepared for his subordinates, and for himself.
He personally placed the tender youth into a coffin, then sequentially placed his other escorts into the coffins.
"I'm sorry for making you witness such a scene," Fuhua Alderton said, retracting the coffins and wiping the tears from his eyes with his sleeve. He then turned back, a smile on his face, "I am simply finding it difficult to accept."
"Anyone would react this way when losing loved ones. We understand," the masked human whispered softly. "The departed are gone. We hope Patriarch Fuhua can take solace. Grief and mourning cannot bring back the dead. We who are alive must carry their future forward. Only then can their departure not be in vain."
"I understand," Fuhua Alderton's voice was soft, yet the sorrow on his face remained undiminished.
"Then, what are Patriarch Fuhua's plans going forward?" the masked human inquired softly. "Will you return to the Tatu Kingdom, or come with us?"
"The Tatu Kingdom?"
Suddenly, Fuhua Alderton let out a wild, unrestrained laugh, only to immediately suppress all emotion.
"I thought that if I made a few concessions, they would remember our past."
"Concessions are meaningless. In our Batu Federation, there is a legend of a Grass Sparrow God who valued agricultural development. During the War of the Gods, he continuously conceded. Ultimately, his divinity dissipated, and the people he protected suffered heavy casualties in the war," the masked human whispered. "In the eyes of some, concession is indeed cowardice."
"Yes, concession is cowardice!" Fuhua Alderton's eyes gleamed with ferocity.
"The Tatu royal family has crippled my clan. There is no room for reconciliation between us. This century of camaraderie must come to an end."
"I am happy to hear you say this."
"Happy for me?" Fuhua, still with a face full of sorrow, slowly raised his head. The masked human nodded slightly.
"Is it not a cause for celebration to pull oneself out of a quagmire? The Tatu royal family has decayed to the point of having no future. Staying there would only lead to sinking deeper. The wise know when to retreat. Instead of guarding a decaying dynasty, why not try something else?"
"Are you suggesting your Batu Federation is the future?" Fuhua murmured.
"Let time prove it." The masked human exuded an indescribable confidence. "No matter what I say now, you may not believe me. Therefore, it is better to let time prove everything. The Batu Free Federation will forge a great enterprise, and you will be a witness to it."
Fuhua Alderton silently observed the masked person before him for a long moment.
He still had not fully emerged from the pain of losing his loved ones, and he was also curious about this masked human. He had met this masked individual several times but had never seen his true face.
The decay of the Tatu royal family was undeniable.
As for the Batu Free Federation, Fuhua Alderton could not make a judgment at this moment.
"Then I shall await and see," Fuhua Alderton said softly. The masked human smiled and nodded, "Then let us depart. The Chief has been waiting for you in Central City for a long time."
"No!" Fuhua Alderton shook his head slightly and glanced at his watch.
"To River Town."