Chapter 32: You Don’t Understand What True Power Is

Carlisle dared not hide a single thing.

He poured out the greatest trouble in one breath.

After speaking, he held his breath and awaited the thunderous wrath.

As expected.

In the stone chair, Cassius’s soul fire flickered once within his eye sockets.

The deathly aura around him surged violently, and the temperature instantly dropped a few more degrees.

“A human powerhouse, you say…”

Cassius’s tone grew colder, carrying an anger of being offended.

“He dared to kill my men on the Morgan family’s territory?”

“Investigate! Find out who it is!”

“I’ll pull his soul out and use it as a lantern! Let him beg for death and never find it!!”

“Y-yes, Brother! I’ve already sent men to investigate,” Carlisle stammered.

“It’s just that… for the time being, there are no leads.” He lowered his head even further, cold sweat dripping down his temples.

“Hmph, useless!” Cassius snorted coldly.

Yet his anger toward this matter seemed to end there.

Instead, he asked, “Anything else?”

Carlisle hesitated, but still braced himself and spoke again, “Th-there’s one more thing.”

“At the edge of the Mistwood, a camp called ‘Holy Light Town’ has recently appeared.”

“It’s said to be protected by angels and even produces high-purity holy water.”

“I sent Captain Fann Perick of the Black Crow Knight Squad to take it over, but until now… there’s been no news. Together with fifteen elite knights, they’ve all gone missing.”

“……”

Cassius fell into deep thought.

His withered fingers gently tapped on the armrest of the stone chair.

“The Mistwood…” A hint of wariness flickered in Cassius’s eye sockets.

“That place runs deep—stretching for thousands of kilometers.”

“It borders not only the human empire, but even touches upon the lands of elves and dwarves.”

“So the outer areas are fine, but going deep inside… hmph, even the high-ranking nobles of the empire wouldn’t dare to try it lightly.”

“High-tier magical beasts, ancient dangerous ruins, and even stranger things abound there.”

“With the few men you sent, perishing in there is nothing surprising.”

Cassius paused, then sneered disdainfully, “As for this so-called angel.”

“It’s nothing more than the delusion of ignorant fools—or perhaps someone got lucky and stumbled upon some relic of the ancient church. Nothing to worry about.”

“That forest devours all who overestimate themselves!”

“Don’t waste your energy on such trifles.”

Carlisle froze.

A trifle?

He had lost an entire squad of elite knights!

And that precious, easily obtainable holy water… yet he dared not object.

Cassius seemed to see through his thoughts.

The two ghostly green soul fires turned toward him with an aloof indifference from above.

“Carlisle, your vision is still far too narrow.”

“A mere town, a few bottles of holy water—what are they worth?”

His tone carried a feverish fervor. “This time, upon awakening, my strength… has reached the threshold of the Fifth-tier!”

“One more step, and I’ll be completely reborn—become a true Undead Noble!”

“To possess life and power nearing eternity!”

Carlisle couldn’t help but raise his head in shock.

His brother’s strength… had become that terrifying?

From hopelessness at the Third-tier, leaping an entire realm to the peak of Fourth-tier—and now aiming for the legendary divide of the Fifth-tier?!

One must know that a Fifth-tier powerhouse was already an expert even in the royal capital.

Not to mention here, in this remote territory—a mere baron?!

Cassius’s face twisted into an ambitious, cold grin. “For that, I need more sacrifices!”

“Whether it’s Oak Town, Lemon Port, Maple Leaf Town… or even our own Williams Territory!”

“I will devour them all!”

“I’ll turn every drop of blood within them into nourishment for my ascension!”

“Their lives will pave my path to the Fifth-tier!”

“W-what?!”

Carlisle was completely dumbfounded, his whole body turning cold.

Oak Town, Lemon Port, Maple Leaf Town—and even his own Williams Territory?!

That would be hundreds of thousands of lives!

The forty thousand people of Florence had already terrified him, fearing someone above might notice something amiss.

And now his brother wanted to slaughter entire towns!

This wasn’t ambition anymore—this was utter madness!

Carlisle’s hesitation—was, of course, noticed immediately.

Cassius let out another dissatisfied snort; the deathly aura around him grew violent.

Countless cold tendrils of necrotic energy slithered toward Carlisle.

“You’re afraid? Or have you gone soft?!”

Under the pressure, Carlisle nearly suffocated.

“Truly a worthless fool with no vision!”

Cassius mocked mercilessly. “You don’t understand what true power means!”

“This decaying mortal flesh, this fleeting life of ants—what is there to cling to?!”

He raised a hand shrouded in dark mist and clenched toward Carlisle through the air!

If not for the Morgan blood flowing in this fool’s veins, and Cassius’s deep attachment to family heritage—

he would have crushed this waste long ago!

But a little suffering—was still in order!

At once—

Carlisle let out a wretched scream.

A surge of deathly energy poured forcibly into his body!

No one knew how long it lasted before the pain finally subsided.

Carlisle collapsed to the ground, gasping heavily, his entire body drenched in cold sweat.

When he lifted his hand, he found his skin still retained a human hue—but faintly tinged with gray. His nails had become sharp and blackened.

An icy power flowed through him, filled with stillness—yet it brought a strength far greater than ever before!

Carlisle felt… different.

No longer purely human.

But something between life and death—

A living corpse?

A half-human, half-undead existence?!

Fortunately, his outward change was far less terrifying than Cassius’s.

At least, from a glance, he still looked human.

“Do you feel it?”

Cassius sounded quite pleased. “This—this is power!”

“I grant you a bit of my blessing. Continue managing those trivial affairs outside for me.”

“In this form, it’s not suitable for me to appear under the sun for now.”

Struggling to rise, Carlisle, despite his fear—felt a faint, twisted excitement.

He bowed deeply. “Yes, Brother! I will give my utmost!”

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