Chapter 278: 029: Can’t Let Go

“Boom——”

An earth-shattering explosion, like a meteor crashing down from the heavens.

A massive crater with a diameter of several dozen meters smashed into the center of the square, debris flying in all directions, the ground instantly fracturing into a web of countless cracks.

Dust billowed as Reo stood up from the crater.

“Drip! Drip!” Blood fell drop by drop.

The blood came from the center of Reo’s face, where a deep, bone-exposing wound was slowly seeping crimson, staining his once imposing visage. His eyes were opened wide, fury and humiliation burning in his pupils with indescribable disbelief.

With his gaze full of rage, he scanned his surroundings.

In the sky above,

The Black Robe Enforcers were either dead or gravely injured. The few remaining were frantically fleeing as three Alchemy Guardians hunted them mercilessly. Their leader, Marshall, was almost completely melted, resembling a heap of rotting flesh sprawled on the ground, life or death uncertain.

On the spectator stands, skeletons howled in madness, zombies shrieked piercingly, and purebloods who had come to witness the event fell in droves under the butcher’s blade of Dead Spirits. The square echoed with screams of anguish and cries of despair.

Across the square, scattered haphazardly were countless mutilated corpses—Bloodline Knights, Black Robe Enforcers, purebloods… Their shattered remains lay across the square, garish blood painting the entire area crimson.

And all of this unfolded right before his very eyes.

Reo took a deep breath and lifted his gaze toward the Punishment Stone Pillar ahead of him.

The Soul-devouring Iron Chains were shattered into several pieces and scattered to the sides. The sinner who had been bound upon it was long gone, while the sky above stretched empty, devoid of even the slightest ripple.

Reo’s eyes almost erupted in flames.

“Ahhhhhhh!!!!”

A guttural and hoarse scream was wrenched from the depths of his throat, like the roar of a wounded beast.

He abruptly raised his fist and smashed it fiercely against the ground.

“Crackle!”

A terrifying ripple of lightning blasted outward from his fist at the center, lightning exploding across the sky like a violent tempest, sweeping over the entire square in an instant, engulfing rampaging undead, fleeing purebloods, and the battling Black Robe Enforcers alike.

Each of them was torn to shreds.

…

Shadow Land, White Castle.

“Screech!” With a sharp sound, the newly arrived carriage halted in front of the castle gates.

The door opened, and Avery stepped out from the cabin.

“Eh? Miss Avery?”

“Weren’t you heading to the South Coast? Why have you returned so suddenly?”

A few guards quickly approached to greet her with courtesy.

But the usually affable Avery didn’t even glance at them this time. Her steps were brisk, crossing the threshold and entering the castle without pause, as though carrying an urgent matter.

She moved quickly, passing the fountain, the hall, the corridor, striding toward the deepest part of the castle.

As she walked, Avery was frantically convincing herself:

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Feelings are nothing but trivial matters anyway.”

“Being with Lynch was only about chasing an ideal life, merely an extension of my childish infatuation with fairy tales from childhood, not something I truly cared about.”

“Even if I lose him, what does it matter?”

Avery told herself she was ready to lose Lynch.

After all, it was she who had personally handed the Wizard Inheritance over to him, so assured of herself back then.

And Lynch had trusted her so deeply, treating the inheritance she gave him with such seriousness, his dedication unwavering—whether by day or night, in storms or snow, he had never neglected it, devoting decades of effort without respite.

But now she had to tell him that the inheritance was fake, that those decades of effort were nothing but a dream, that everything he had struggled for and sacrificed was bound to be futile, leading nowhere.

How could she possibly explain it to him?

She couldn’t tell him it was merely a joke, could she?

A breakup was inevitable.

“If it’s lost, then let it go. After all, he’s just a Muggle, one among countless others.”

“I’m tired anyway. Out with the old and in with the new, isn’t that perfect?”

Moving through the corridor, Avery continued muttering to herself.

Soon, she reached the end of the corridor, now standing in the core area of White Castle. Ahead lay the Pure White Secret Temple—the Tavendish family’s repository for core knowledge. By all rights, Avery should not have the authority to enter this place now.

Yet she plunged ahead without hesitation, her steps showing no trace of stopping.

“Miss Avery? Why are you here?”

One of the Guard Wizards stationed at the Secret Temple quickly appeared, intercepting Avery.

“Get out of my way!”

With a sharp command, golden flames unexpectedly erupted around Avery, the flames coalescing behind her into the towering figure of a golden giant clad in resplendent armor. The giant wielded a massive silver cross-shaped sword, a pair of expansive angelic wings spread wide behind it.

This was Avery’s Lifebound Magic, Divine Attribute Magic·Blazing Angel’s Servant.

The golden giant raised its cross-shaped sword and swung it forward in a sweeping arc, unleashing searing golden flames several meters wide from the sword’s edge, slashing straight ahead.

Although Avery’s spiritual power wasn’t high, this 1-ring High-level Magic under her control still exceeded 500 units of energy. The blazing heat released by the strike was intense enough to singe the air, leaving behind the scent of burning.

The Guard Wizard was shocked and immediately summoned his Defense Magic while quickly dodging to the side.

Next moment—

“Boom!” A thunderous explosion.

Flames detonated before the Secret Temple, but a suddenly manifested Magic Barrier managed to block the ferocious attack. This was the first defensive perimeter laid out by the Tavendish family, the Guard Barrier.

“Who’s there!”

“Are you insane? Attacking the Tavendish family’s Secret Temple?”

Sharp sounds of breaking air echoed as more than ten figures instantly appeared around the temple, all clad in neatly identical gray cloaks adorned with the Tavendish family’s crest—these were the wizards assigned to guard the temple.

Initially believing it might be some unknown enemy or a reckless Black Wizard daring an assault, the guarding wizards froze upon seeing the aggressor.

“Miss Avery?!”

Avery ignored them and continued her assault on the temple. Her Blazing Angel wielded its giant sword, slashing out one golden flame Sword Qi after another, repeatedly striking the Guard Barrier until it flickered under the onslaught.

In confusion, the guarding wizards exchanged glances, not knowing what to do.

Their deliberation was cut short when a loud crack resounded. The Guard Barrier, after dozens of assaults, finally shattered. As an outer layer of defense, it was merely a preliminary warning mechanism and lacked the strength to withstand Avery’s Divine Attribute Magic.

Even so, Avery was visibly drained, panting heavily and pale-faced. The massive expenditure of spiritual power had left her unnerved and faint, her body wavering slightly.

Yet she didn’t pause for even a moment, immediately setting her sights on the Secret Temple’s deepest section—

The resting place of the family’s Wizard Inheritance.

Avery smiled.

“Though some time has been wasted, it’s not entirely irrecoverable.”

“As long as I give the family inheritance to him and complement it with some precious resources, the lost progress can be quickly regained, right?”

“If that happens… I… might be able to…”

“Earn forgiveness, perhaps?”

Dragging her fatigued body forward, she continued her advance.

The guarding wizards furrowed their brows.

They weren’t worried about Avery actually taking the family inheritance away. The external Guard Barrier was just a warning measure, but the true Defense Magic defending the core of the temple was laid within. It wasn’t something even a high-level intruder could easily bypass, let alone a single wizard.

The problem was, the defense mechanisms inside weren’t just passive barriers—they were designed with both offensive and defensive functionality. These measures targeted high-level threats, leaving Avery no chance to endure them.

“Miss Avery, please stop.”

Several wizards stepped forward, attempting to halt her.

However, Avery seemed completely unhinged, wielding her golden giant without hesitation, slashing at them immediately.

The wizards exchanged helpless looks, forced to defend themselves.

Guarding the temple was no small responsibility—those assigned here were hardly weaklings. Despite being unable to retaliate, they managed to endure several rounds of Avery’s frenzied attacks, preventing her from advancing further.

Avery’s figure faltered, the golden giant vanished abruptly. Her spiritual power had finally been exhausted.

Yet, even at this point, she refused to relent, pressing forward as if she intended to storm inside with her bare hands.

The guarding wizards had no choice but to erect an Element Barrier to block her path.

“Move…”

“Move out of my way!”

Standing before the barrier, Avery screamed in blind fury. When there was no response, she furiously attacked the barrier using her fists, rammed it with her shoulders, scratched it with her nails, clawing and pounding, trying everything in her power.

But all her efforts were futile. No matter how blood streamed from her battered flesh, no matter how her nails were torn apart, no matter how crimson dripped from every fingertip.

The barrier remained unchanged.

In the end, her disheveled hair, blood-soaked appearance, and completely ragged state remained all she had to show.

The guarding wizards frowned.

They began to debate whether to intervene and stop this senseless display.

At that moment, a voice sounded—

“Stop, Miss Avery!”

Doll Lisa emerged from the corridor, walking toward Avery. She stopped in front of her and sighed: “It’s no use. Even if you get inside now, you won’t be able to change anything. It ends here, everything…”

“Is over!”

As though some mysterious switch had been flipped, Avery, who had been moving like a war machine on autopilot, suddenly froze, stopping altogether.

Her body turned rigidly toward Lisa, her movements stiff and jerky like a broken automaton. She resembled a worn-out piece of machinery more than Lisa’s alchemical doll counterpart.

She stared at Lisa, her gaze unfocused, pupils lifeless.

Murmuring, she asked, “Over?”

Lisa hesitated for a moment.

But she still nodded: “Yes, it’s over.”

Avery smiled faintly, as if she had snapped back to reality. Her expression seemed light and worry-free: “It’s okay.”

Yet tears streamed from her eyes.

She wiped them away.

But they continued to cascade.

She wiped them again.

And even more overflowed.

After repeating the action several times, the dam finally broke. Tears poured out uncontrollably, and Avery could no longer hold back her restrained emotions. With a loud wail, she burst into sobs.

She collapsed to her knees, clutching Doll Lisa as she wept endlessly, crying out:

“I can’t let go!”

“I can’t let go!”

Her voice,

Torn to shreds, ravaged and broken…

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