Deko County City was a mid-sized city of over three hundred thousand residents. As a border city between the Northwest Province and the North Sea Province, it saw a heavy flow of people every single day.
"We're here."
Gazing at the massive city in the distance, Lin Lei came to a stop.
Eight hundred li in six hours, and Lin Lei's breathing was perfectly steady. In truth, this was still far from his maximum speed. For the black-striped cloud leopard Heilu, it was even more effortless.
"We're here, and the sun hasn't even set yet." Sessler turned to glance at the sun hanging in the western sky and sighed.
Perry's memory actually contained a clear address, since Perry had originally planned to come to Deko County City in person to welcome them.
Lin Lei, Sessler, and the others had rented a courtyard not far from that address.
Money made everything easy!
After that, Lin Lei, Sessler, and the rest quietly cultivated, waiting for that escort convoy to walk right into their trap.
Over ten days later, after winding through the roads of the North Sea Province for more than two thousand li, Shteler and his escort squad finally exited the province's borders.
"Giddy-up, giddy-up." A man rode his fine horse up to Shteler's side and said respectfully, "My lord, the report says that Count Perry, the chief overseer of the Northwest Province, has been killed. Should we still follow the original route?"
Shteler, mounted on his own horse, was silent for a moment before saying calmly, "Count Perry's faith in the Lord is beyond question. He would never betray the Lord. Continue on the original route."
"Yes, my lord." The knight beside him bowed in acknowledgment.
The knights weren't worried either.
For one thing, Count Perry was indeed a fanatical member of the Church of Light and would absolutely never betray them. For another, even if the enemy had interrogated Count Perry, they could only learn certain secrets of the Church of Light — they would never learn about this escort squad's plans.
Besides, with a powerhouse like Shteler in the convoy, what was there to fear?
By evening, Shteler's group finally arrived at Deko County City. The people inside the city had received their orders long before Perry's death.
They had been waiting for this escort squad.
"My lords, you may rest here for the evening. Meals and everything else will be prepared for you." The person in charge within Deko County City said respectfully.
A ninth-level warrior looked at him. "There haven't been any disturbances around here lately, have there?"
"None at all," the person in charge replied respectfully.
"Good. You may leave. Have the servants prepare the meals and then leave as well — we have no need for them here," the ninth-level warrior ordered.
"Yes, sir." The person in charge bowed and withdrew.
After dismounting, Shteler walked straight into the courtyard, found a room, and settled in. "Scarrow, call me when dinner is ready." With that, he shut the door.
The ninth-level warrior acknowledged the order respectfully.
Scarrow had originally been the captain of this escort squad, but with Shteler present, everything naturally fell under his command. Scarrow carefully scrutinized the handful of servants and, finding them all to be ordinary people, felt at ease.
"Bring them out," Scarrow barked.
The five brothers were pulled one by one from the carriage. Fortunately, the carriage interior was spacious enough — otherwise, given their builds, the five brothers wouldn't have fit at all.
"You five, listen carefully. If you scream or shout, I'll break one of your hands the first time and cut out your tongue the second," Scarrow said coldly.
His subordinates then removed the cloths that had been stuffed in the five brothers' mouths.
The five brothers glared at Scarrow with hatred, but they knew this group was perfectly willing to follow through on their threats. They weren't foolish enough to bring suffering upon themselves.
"Scarrow, one day, the five of us will kill you," said Bak, the eldest of the brothers, his voice icy.
Scarrow let out a derisive snort.
Others might not know, but he did — in the end, these five brothers would still become vessels for the angels, and their souls would be utterly destroyed.
"If you get the chance, you're welcome to try anytime," Scarrow huffed.
Bak and his four brothers had grown up in the Eighteen Duchies of the Northern Region. They were orphans, taken in and raised by an old man since childhood. They called him Grandpa.
Grandpa ran a modest tavern — just enough to feed the five brothers. They had been remarkably strong from a young age. Grandpa had once been a soldier in an army and had trained them from childhood. No one expected the five brothers to possess such extraordinary talent — by the age of sixteen, their bodies alone had reached the sixth level. Now, having just passed thirty, their bodies had already reached the eighth level.
After Grandpa passed away, the five brothers joined the army.
In the Eighteen Duchies of the Northern Region, the five brothers were treated as heroes in one of the duchies. They led armies that swept through all opposition. In wars between duchies, an eighth-level warrior was already considered the absolute pinnacle — and the five brothers' bodies were that formidable, their striking power terrifying.
But…
Eventually, they were discovered by the Church of Light. The Church immediately dispatched the two nearest ninth-level warriors with a force to apprehend them. The brothers resisted, but the Church's people simply slaughtered every last one of their family members.
Bak and his brothers stared at the group with seething hatred.
Three of the five brothers had wives and children, and the other two each had a woman they loved. The Church of Light had destroyed all of it.
"They've arrived."
Lin Lei, who had been keeping watch on that courtyard every day, finally noticed that the long-vacant courtyard was now occupied — and from the sounds of it, there were quite a few people.
A flash of emerald light flickered through Sessler's eyes, and he grinned wickedly. "After more than ten days of waiting, they've finally shown up. Lin Lei, when do you want to make our move?" In Sessler's view, they held an overwhelming advantage and could strike at any time with complete success.
"Late at night," Lin Lei decided.
Sessler nodded.
Beside them, the black-striped cloud leopard Heilu lay in the courtyard feign sleep, quietly waiting for the deep of night to arrive. Deko County City grew increasingly still, and by the time true night fell, the entire city was nearly silent.
Lin Lei, sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes.