“Ella? Ella!” Shin’s voice gradually got louder with each passing step. Among all of those that lived with him in the Lantis Republic, other than Lady Seph, he’d known the twins for the longest. Shin could recognise their silhouettes even if they were ten kilometres away, let alone just a few metres. He took significant steps and instantly got a hold of the stationary girl, who was wearing a beautiful frown.

Ella didn’t bother to free herself from Shin’s grasp. No, she didn’t even bother to move a single inch. Ella wanted Shin to come chase her, and more importantly, she wanted to talk to him alone, free from the distractions that surrounded them. There was no reverence in her expression like the numerous high-ranking officials that Shin just addressed. In fact, Ella was sending Shin a visible scowl, utterly unbefitting of how one should address a Prince. However, that was a luxury that Ella and the rest of the orphans could afford.

Few got to peek behind the curtain and see what the indomitable Prince was really like on the inside, and Ella was one of the few that got a first-class ticket. She had known Shin when they were barely able to walk. Obviously, she could be forefront and direct about her feelings towards the Prince without any barrier separating them.

“I want to go with you...” Ella said, completely immune to any pressure, which caught Shin slightly off guard. His sister had cut straight to the point, not giving him any slack. “I want to be there… I want to be there to avenge Shizen!!!”

It took all of her resolve to mutter out those words. From the start to end, Ella has always been denying her relationship with Shizen, and it was sad to say… The feeling was mutual. For some reason, the pair had always been denying their feelings for one another. Ella always felt like Shizen was a brat that couldn’t be left alone, while the nature boy thought that Ella was a nagging mother or sister that never ceased to disturb him. They had always kept some distance but were almost always seen together. Even Ella didn’t really know if the feelings she had for Shizen were indeed that of how a woman loved a man. However, she did know one thing…

Shizen had to be avenged… For her sake, and for the mental well-being of all those that knew and loved him…

“Ella, I know how you feel… I really do...” Shin shook his head and placed one hand on Ella’s shoulders. How could Shin blame her for being impulsive when he was doing the exact same thing? However, the battlefield that he was going into, the Illusory Canyon and the Junius’ base, they were all far more dangerous than any other place they’ve been before.

According to Venerate Maurice, the infamous World Serpent that had killed the Dalgeom Sect’s Wangu and had forced Shin to escape with his tail between his legs was present as well. Not to mention whatever, forces lay within the Uncharted Wilderness. It could very well be the most dangerous place that Shin would have ever entered, and no one’s safety could be guaranteed. That’s why he was so apprehensive about bringing Kanari.

“If I bring you there, you’ll only be a burden to us,” Shin logically explained. “Of the force, there are eleven Spirit Venerates and four Tier 9 Spirit Beasts! Tier 8 Azure Dragons that can match any Spirit Emperors in the world would also be heading out to battle! Our objective is to destroy the base and either kill or capture Junius! There’s no place for a Spirit Spectre like you!!!”

Shin’s words were harsh but true. Over the years, the gap between Shin and the rest of the young heroes that he toured the world with became increasingly apparent. Kanari was a freak and could be counted out. Isadore had been in reclusive training; thus, no one knew how strong he’d become. However, the twins, Shizen and Elrin had been lagging far behind, particularly the twins.

Shizen was known as the Freak of the Dundlewoods and was once slated to be more prodigal than Shin himself. Elrin, who had been steadily improving her cultivation and merchant skills concurrently, was also once considered to be equals with Kanari. Alas, even they were incapable of keeping pace with the couple’s monstrous pace. So, one could imagine how far behind the twins were.

Yes, they’d reached the Spirit Spectre realm at a relatively young age, becoming Luminaries of their own right. However, that was with the help of the Meijing Clan and their resources, the Celestial Dragon’s Aura that Shin provided for them to cultivate and most importantly, their overall relationship with the Prince of Water. If they wanted the best teachers, they'd get them. If they wanted more resources, the Lantis Republic would dive the deepest oceans just to procure more for them. It was their heaven… but also their hell….

Humans needed conflict to grow, and the twins were deprived of that. Everything was handed to them on a silver platter, and there wasn’t a hunger for them to grow anymore. In the end, after they reached the Spirit Spectre realm… they stagnated. Their cultivation didn’t grow at the stratospheric rate that it did before, and it became apparent that the twins weren’t able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as they did with Shin before.

“I know that!” Ella screamed back, forcing Shin to jump a little. The ponytailed girl was known to be calm and collected, even during the most desperate of situations. However, in these dire times, Ella’s facade was shattered into pieces. “I know that I’ll only become a burden, I know that my power is inconsequential against the force that you have gathered! But… I can’t just sit back and do nothing!!!”

“...” The young Prince was silenced. There were so many logical arguments he could throwback at the woman, how she’ll only slow him down, or how her presence alone would be a weak point that the Black Masks could exploit. Alas, none of those words came out of Shin’s mouth. Why? It was because… Shin was feeling the exact same way as Ella.

Shizen was a close friend to everyone. Shin would even go so far as to call him family. Thus, it wasn’t surprising for Shin have the desire to avenge his fallen brother. It was the same feeling that Shin once had with Junius, back when he was injured by the Second Elder.

“Use me as a squire, a cleaner, a porter, I don’t care! I just want to be there when you finally bring Junius… That asshole who ripped our lives apart time and time again… apart...” Ella gritted her teeth and held back a thunderous scream. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her veins were already popping out.

“Shin, Ella is right...” Just as the Prince was about to rebut, a third voice entered the fray. A young woman, who looked exactly like Ella, walked out from the darkness with her hands held behind her back. Emma’s expression was stern, entirely unlike her aloof and easygoing self. Gone was the gentleness that Shin was used to. In its stead, there was a scowl befitting of the moniker, the Glacial Fairy Markswoman.

“We have allowed Brother Junius to have run rampant for far too long. As long as he’s with the Black Masks, we’ll always run the risk of losing those that we love...” Emma’s logical voice sounded within Shin’s mind, and… her next words really pushed him over the edge. “Shin, let me ask you this… Are you going to kill Brother Junius?”

“T-That!”

‘Of course!!!’ Those were the words that Shin immediately wanted to holler back. However, as Shin thought about the deed, as he visualised the scene where he took his former brother’s life… Shin couldn’t see himself going through with the killing, and he couldn’t really be blamed for it.

After he found out that Latina was Star Face’s daughter, he realised that his actions had repercussions, no matter if it was the right thing to do or not. Therefore, Shin had resolved himself to never kill again. Now, think about Junius. Though almost a decade has passed since the tragedy on Frie Mountain, the young man still once loved the man like a brother. Heck, Junius was the one that raised the orphan division as the eldest and most matured child. That attachment… Those memories… They didn’t vanish entirely… They were just buried in the deep recesses of the orphans’ minds.

So, if one asked Shin if he could really murder Junius as vengeance for Shizen… It would be a hard question to answer…

“I knew it,” seeing Shin’s hesitance, Emma sighed. “Shin… Brother Junius isn’t just your cross to bear. All of us, the orphans, have ties to both you and Brother Junius. So, it must be one of us to sever those ties. Ella and I are both part of the orphans, and also the ones that were most detached from Brother Junius… If push comes to shove… We’ll be the ones that will land the final blow...”

“Emma, you...” Shin finally understood their plan. They wanted to be the backup in case Shin’s convictions faltered and if he was unable to kill off Junius.

“Please, Shin… This could be the request of our lifetimes...” Ella pleaded, her eyes were on the verge of tears. From the looks of it, Shizen’s death had affected her more than she imagined. “Let us be there… Let us be there to bring Junius to justice!!!”

❖❖❖

East of the Uncharted Wilderness. The Illusory Canyon. The Black Masks’ Western Base.

Crows cawed unsuspecting into the moonless night as feathers silently floated down towards the winter earth. The howls of snow creaked every window that lay within the area and the memory of light faded into oblivion. No one could see through the thick darkness and the solid, snowy winds that ploughed through the vicinity, but… There was a single light source amidst the dark. A flickering flame that was distorted by the harsh conditions guided those that sought shelter, or demise to its humble abode. Well, it wasn’t particularly ordinary at all.

A vast castle, at least five dozen metres tall, stood within the blizzards, protected by a potent energy field. Spirit Beasts, many of which were Tier 5 or 6, flew around the compound with watchful eyes. It wasn’t just feral beasts that roamed the lands. Hundreds of Black Masks’ ranging from Shudras to Kshatriyas stood guard at the watch posts as well. They were all on red alert, even though there wasn’t a single soul in sight. Why? Because of one single room in that castle…

“H-Healer Adrian, how is he?” A frantic woman’s voice echoed down the hallways of the massive palace, breaking the peace of the atmosphere. Shia held the hands of an aged old man, who had black lines over his forehead.

“Mistress Shia, the Kshatriya injuries are quite bad this time...” Healer Adrian remarked with a sigh. All these years, he had been treating Junius for his wounds. Even when the Blade of Death was battered and blue, the fallen Registrar had the capability of putting Junius back to shape. Alas, this time, the battle against Shizen had cost far too much. “I’ve done all that I could… The rest... is honestly up to the Kshatriya to handle...”

“N-No way...” Aghast, Shia fell to the ground with a loud thud. Her knees were wobbly, and her body was screaming out in fear. The rest of the Awter Clan members came forward as well, this time to assist the shaken mother. However, even they couldn’t hide their trepidation. It was the first time that Junius had been injured this badly before.

“Fortunately, the noble has brought him back in time… If he was left out in the open for a few minutes longer… Hah, even the Allfather wouldn’t be able to save him...” Healer Adrian looked over at the blue-haired man, who was blankly staring out the window as this matter was none of his concern.

“I’ll remain in the mansion for the next few weeks to monitor the Kshatriya’s condition. If we’re lucky, he’ll wake up in two or three days. If we’re not...” The healer didn’t dare to say the next few words, but everyone knew what they were. Junius… May be on borrowed time.