Chapter 2125
Starling let out a piercing shriek.
She poured every ounce of her internal energy into a desperate defense against Liam's incoming blade, but it was completely useless.
The terrifying magma scorched her flesh. As the flames finally extinguished and the swirling water cascaded away, all that remained in her place was a set of crystal-clear, translucent skeletal remains!
An immortal skeleton left behind by a Permanent-Tier powerhouse!
Archie took a heavy, ragged breath before turning his fierce gaze toward the remaining Soul Hall members who were still putting up a futile resistance.
"Kill them all!" Archie and Liam shouted almost simultaneously!
The two figures moved in a flash, launching into the final cleanup phase of the battle.
Within minutes, the fighting came to a complete halt!
The ground was littered with over a hundred corpses and the shattered fragments left behind by the destroyed Purple-Armored Elites.
Chloe's internal energy enveloped everyone, soothing their injuries and accelerating their recovery.
Archie drew a deep breath and commanded, "Quickly, clear the battlefield!"
Only high-level Flame Decay experts from the Ancient Clan had directly participated in the combat, but there were plenty of other personnel stationed within the base. At Archie's command, numerous figures swarmed out to get to work.
Liam sheathed his Dragon-Roar Blade. Choosing to sit out the cleanup duty, he walked over to Archie and said, "This incident probably can't be kept under wraps."
Gritting his teeth, Archie replied, "According to Starling, keeping it a secret is indeed impossible. Right now... my only plan is that if anyone comes to question us, I'll claim that these people attacked us without stating any reason, forcing us to launch a counterattack..."
He shook his head despondently the next second. "Damn it, even I don't believe that excuse! If worst comes to worst, I'll just state that the order came entirely from me alone, completely unrelated to the Ancient Clan. The worst they can do is execute me!"
"Actually... I happen to have a pretty solid excuse," Liam said with a faint smile.
"Oh?" Archie turned to Liam, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of excuse?"
"Before we get into that, I'm still quite curious: why must someone with the Prophecy Trait be put to death?" Liam asked. "Is it like us? Is a unique, powerful trait viewed as a threat by others who worry the Ancient Clan might use it to challenge their ruling status in the future?"
Archie stowed his weapon away and let out a long, heavy sigh. "It's far more serious than that. Since Elena has kept this secret hidden for so long, you should just ask her directly—she should know the whole story. Alas... I honestly don't know whether my actions today were right or wrong, but your group pushed me into a corner where I had no choice but to fight!"
"Regardless of the reasons, a person's destiny shouldn't be decided the moment they are born," Liam stated firmly. "If anyone comes questioning us later, you only need to stick to one story: Elena never broke through to the Flame Decay level and is still only a Half-Step Flame Decay. Soul Hall simply fabricated this rumor because they knew about my close relationship with her, using it as an excuse to hunt me down."
Archie’s eyes lit up. Then, a thought crossed his mind. "What if... what if they demand to test Elena?"
"They can demand whatever they want," Liam scoffed dismissively. "Can't we just play dumb? Right now, Pluto Palace's presence has everyone tied up dealing with external threats. If the eight major factions want to trigger an internal conflict over this, let them start it. Leverage momentum to play your opponents against each other while building our strength in secret—surely I don't need to spell out such basic logic for you!"
Archie froze, staring intently at Liam.
Liam possessed the unbridled arrogance of youth, which was abundantly clear from the way he boldly took on two opponents at once earlier.
At the same time, he possessed a sharp, calculated mind. Right after the battle ended, he immediately formulated a viable contingency plan—imperfect perhaps, but it provided a plausible cover story.
Of course, Archie had no way of knowing whether this narrative would successfully fool the other factions. If it failed, he had already resigned himself to death!
If this matter directly implicated the core of the Ancient Clan, the wrath and joint crusade of the other seven major factions would be something the Ancient Clan could never withstand!
Without dragging out the conversation any further, Liam re-holstered his blade and vaulted back up onto the fortress ramparts.
Elena stood alone on the wall, her eyes rimmed with red. Seeing Liam approach, she bowed deeply and said, "Thank you... thank you so much!"
"You're a Night Watchman now, which makes you one of us. No need for thanks," Liam replied. "Why do they... want you dead so badly?"
Elena looked at Liam, letting out a long, melancholic sigh. "You should call Leo, Jake, and the others over as well. There's no point keeping secrets anymore."