While Kreyn was finishing his preparations for the confrontation, the Wurhen Family received the latest news.

Fran, Elvira, and Liliane were supposed to be done with Kreyn and the rebellious prisoners by lunchtime, but instead, they returned to the mansion, barely escaping death. The dozens of guards who were with them were not so lucky.

"So he managed to win over even Vaarh? The Elder of the Arakta Worms is helping him?"

Ardur's low voice echoed through the hall where the entire leadership of the Wurhen Family had gathered.

Fran, Elvira, and Liliane sat on the sofa in front of the large table. Opposite them were two men and one woman in black coats. They were the mentors and servants of the Wurhen Family, just like Enor and Merina had been until death overtook them.

In response to Ardur's question, the tall man nodded deeply.

"Unfortunately, that's right. After Fran, Elvira, and Liliane miraculously escaped, I checked the battlefield. The bridge is destroyed, and if we want to get to the prison, we have to go around it, via the northern road."

The pale man sitting to the side sighed heavily.

"I'm sure they'll take advantage of this. We'll have no choice but to go straight to the prison through the field. We must be prepared for a trap."

Ardur rubbed his chin.

"I don't think Vaarh will participate in the battle. He knows he has no chance against me on the surface."

Liliane crossed one leg over the other. "Father, I think we should just throw all our forces at them. What chance do they have against seven Origins?"

Ardur smirked.

"Hah, you're wrong. There aren't seven of us."

"Hmm?"

Crack.

At the same moment, the door opened as a burly man entered, his step heavy enough to cause tremors. His hair and thick beard were black, the same color as Ardur's, and his eyes were deep, half-hidden in shadow.

A spacious cloak covered his broad shoulders as he stopped in the middle of the hall.

The man stared at Ardur and grinned broadly as all the tension instantly turned to joy.

"Hello, brother. Hahaha! It's been a long time since I've seen you so gloomy!" The burly man laughed, his laughter echoing throughout the hall.

Ardur smiled. His younger brother was one of the few people who could instantly bring a smile to his perpetually sullen face.

"Good to see you, Ozdor. I know you asked not to be disturbed, but the situation is critical."

Ozdor nodded as he approached Fran and ruffled his hair with his calloused hand.

"Yeah, little Fran told me what happened. Who would have thought so much would happen in two days?"

Fran frowned and pulled away from Ozdor's hand. He didn't like being treated like a child, even though he hadn't been one for a long time. Well, to Ozdor and Ardur, they would always be young.

Then, Fran's eyes widened in surprise as he sensed Ozdor's aura.

"Uncle Ozdor, you've become stronger, haven't you?"

"Hahaha, yeah, something like that. Your father noticed it as soon as I walked in, didn't he?" Ozdor crossed his arms over his chest.

Ardur grinned.

"The Borderline Bridge, right? Consider yourself one step behind me. You are full of strength and energy, all you need is a worthy history to achieve the Second Manifest."

"Indeed. I thought about going on a journey or finding a powerful monster in the caves in our region, but fate had other plans for me."

Everyone understood what that meant.

The Bridge reflected how physically strong an Origin was and how much energy it had. There were many ways to develop the Bridge: absorbing energy, meditation, through deadly combat, and even through something as simple as rest after a tragedy, although that was a rare case.

Most Origins either absorbed energy, usually by not contacting the outside world for a long time and training, or fought someone to reach the next Bridge.

Now, Ozdor was at the stage that every First Manifest Origin should strive for. He had reached the Borderline Bridge, a stage far above that of Kreyn or most monsters. As Ardur said, he needed to create a history, perhaps an Epos or Record, to advance further.

True, no matter how much energy Ozdor absorbed and how much he trained, his body had reached the limit of the current Manifest. Only the history force could help him become stronger.

"So, boss, what's the plan?" The woman turned to Ardur.

Ardur leaned forward as a shadow fell over him.

"We have eight Origins and 500 guards ready to fight to the death. They have six Origins and the Elder of the Arakta Worms, along with just over a hundred prisoners. I'll take Vaarh on myself. At the beginning of the battle, our position will not be the best, but our forces are much greater. We should be able to take control of the situation in just a couple of hours.

"We will go into battle in the evening to arrive at the prison at night. I don't know if they will expect this or not, but our people have much more experience in night combat. This will be our advantage. Perhaps we can even sneak up on them if they are foolish."

Everyone nodded as Ardur looked at Fran.

"Fran and Elvira, you will stay here in the city."

Fran's eyes widened.

"What? Father! They almost killed my sisters and me! I must take revenge on them with my own hands!"

Ardur raised his hand, stopping his rant.

"I know, but I already underestimated them once, no, twice. First, we lost Merina, and then the three of you almost died. Someone has to watch over the town and the people while we're gone. We can't let people panic or show our weakness.

"You are well known in the town. Elvira will help you if anything happens. We are throwing more forces at these prisoners than we could have imagined initially. This time, there is no room for error. We will destroy them at their base and return home with Laura, that's it."

It was clear from their faces that some had objections and some thought the attack should be carried out differently, but in the end, everyone nodded in agreement with Ardur's position. He was the head of the family and the strongest Origin.

Ozdor stepped forward.

"When do we start preparing, brother?"

Ardur looked at him through his eyebrows.

"Right now."

...

The guards headed for the mansion, and rumors spread throughout Varthon as residents were on guard. They hadn't seen the Wurhen Family deploy so many forces in a long time.

None of the guards answered questions. They prepared for battle, sharpened their swords, and led their horses to the gates.

But panic was not destined to begin, for Fran and Elvira had come out to the main square of the city.

The residents knew there had been a riot in the prison, but that was all the information they had. Well, they had heard that the Arakta Worm had attacked the convoy, but they didn't know if the two things were related.

The Wurhen Family was constantly involved in some kind of conflict, but usually everything was resolved within a day, and it had no bearing on the town residents.

"Ahem."

Fran coughed as he looked at the hundreds of people gathered in front of him.

"I'm sure you've all heard about the crisis in the prison, but you have nothing to worry about. My father, Ardur von Wurhen, will personally go there and suppress the uprising. Until then, my sister and I will stay with you so that you know you are safe—that is our top priority."

Elvira and Fran said a few more words and answered some questions. Deep down, they didn't care what ordinary people without power thought, but they couldn't let the situation get out of control.

Strangely enough, similar things were happening at the Dark Hand Prison.

Crash.

The gates opened as a single person entered—Judith, with a sword on her back, the one she had received from the Echo.

"Well, well, I see you're almost ready?" She smirked as she approached Kreyn.

He nodded, glancing around.

All the prisoners were fed, clothed, and armed. They were full of strength, and their eyes burned with fire. Perhaps in another situation, they would have been too afraid to go against the Origins, but each of them had an open hatred for the Wurhen Family.

"Yeah, we're ready to go. Everyone already knows the plan."

Kreyn looked up. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky that night, and the moon cast a bright, blue light.

"You do know that their forces greatly outnumber ours, right?" Judith asked with a serious expression.

"Sure, but they don't know about all of our Origins, and after the first part of the plan, we'll have the advantage. I don't know how many they left in the town, but with our numbers, we'll just wipe them out."

A cold gust of wind blew between them as Judith lowered her gaze.

"Look, I know you're going to sacrifice hundreds of people, it's part of your deal with the Elder of the Arakta Worms, but... Is it worth it?"

Judith bit her lip.

"I understand you have no other choice. You must use every opportunity to survive. But what then? You will kill most of the people of Vorthon, they will only wish you dead and see you as a villain!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Agh...?" Judith gasped in confusion.

"Villain? Hah."

A sly grin spread across Kreyn's face as a shadow engulfed him, leaving only his black eyes, full of bloodlust, visible.

"No, Judith, you're wrong. I will be their hero, and they will thank me for saving them!"

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