Nero raised his head, the blush on his face not yet fully faded.
The first thing he saw was quite a few Silvermane Guards raising their weapons.
This was not good news.
"That youth is an outsider attempting to overthrow Belobog. You two, go report to Commander Gepard. Everyone else, follow me, begin the arrest immediately!"
The guard leading the group shouted, and the Silvermane Guards moved at once.
Aside from the two sent to deliver the message, everyone else charged straight toward Nero.
Meanwhile, the Belobog citizens around them were still a bit stunned by this sudden situation.
To be honest, they had seen the wanted notice too.
But they didn't feel that this child was someone who could really be called a dangerous criminal.
Between Cocolia's orders and that strange charm surrounding Nero, which one was more appealing to ordinary people was honestly hard to say.
Seeing the Silvermane Guards closing in, Nero knew he had to escape first.
Charging straight through them would also work, but he was worried that doing so might affect Stelle and the others' plans.
So, facing this wave of Silvermane Guards rushing at him, the youth extended both hands, preparing to use a new skill.
Nero gathered his power, and suddenly wind surged up beneath his feet.
The wind spiraled, wrapping around Nero, waiting for its master's command.
"Do, don't touch me… ahem, disturb not the carefree!"
As Nero's voice fell, a fierce gale roared out.
The wind spread layer by layer like rolling waves, ring after ring slamming outward, then instantly scattering, lifting the Silvermane Guards off the ground and flipping them over.
It all happened in an instant. To outside observers, it probably looked like Nero just waved his hand, and those howling, fiercely charging Silvermane Guards seemed to be struck by some unseen force all at once, then flew backward in unison, crashing to the ground after being sent a distance away.
It was like a miracle.
Many citizens who had been led down a "crooked path" by Silver Branch cheered when they saw this and began showering praise.
"As expected of Idrila, just a wave of her hand and the guards are down!"
"So this is the power of a Aeon?"
"Idrila and Lord Qlipoth are both Aeons, she'll surely be able to save Belobog!"
"Idiot! He's Nero, not Idrila!"
"You're the idiot! Nero is Idrila! Didn't you see Silver Branch shout 'Praise Idrila' the moment Lord Nero appeared?"
Because of a few careless misunderstandings, these people seemed to have formed some rather mistaken ideas.
But with the situation so urgent, there was no time to correct the thoughts of these Pure Beauty rookies.
After blowing away the Silvermane Guards, Nero didn't hesitate at all, he picked a random direction and ran.
Throughout the entire process, Silver Branch didn't move an inch, merely watching with a smile.
Only after the Silvermane Guards had gotten back on their feet did Silver Branch speak again.
Even as the guards charged, this Pure Beauty Knight's tone was unhurried. He continued to speak slowly, still carrying that devout cadence.
"Brave and fearless warriors, it is true that you stand upon the path of justice, but please forgive me, I cannot allow you to harm him."
"Rest assured, however, I will not injure you either. Our meeting was brief, yet it sparked blazing fire. And so, let us part ways here."
Silver Branch was as he always was, even when a fight was about to break out, he remained polite, even taking the time to praise his opponents.
From someone else, it might have sounded mocking, but these words were spoken by Silver Branch…
There was no doubt he truly meant them. He was always utterly sincere, something evident from his calm and resolute tone.
As his words fell, he lightly raised his wrist. In the next moment, a vividly crimson spear appeared in his hand.
The man twirled the spear, then turned and swung it.
How confident the smile on his face was, how his bright red hair flew in the wind, how his silver armor gleamed brilliantly. Rose petals drifted down from nowhere, and some unseen spotlight shone upon him as a sacred, elegant melody suddenly rang in the ears...
It was just a single swing of the spear, yet his graceful, confident posture looked as though he were dancing.
Measured and composed, refined and elegant, utterly graceful.
The fiery red spear tip swept across the ground, and the power forged through the Pure Beauty Knight's ceaseless tempering of his body burst forth.
In the next instant, the ground cracked, rubble flew, and the force turned into a gale that blew the Silvermane Guards backward.
The power of this strike was astonishing, yet it didn't injure a single guard.
Immediately after, Silver Branch raised his spear high. Even under Belobog's not-so-dazzling sunlight, the Pure Beauty Knight still reflected dazzling brilliance.
Pure Beauty's radiance shone forth, leaving all eyes dazzled.
Then Silver Branch put away the spear, slung the black case sealing the falling star over his shoulder, and with his free hand picked up the injured Martin, who was unable to move easily, chasing after Nero in the direction he had fled.
In the blink of an eye, the radiant knight vanished from sight.
Only after Silver Branch disappeared did the Silvermane Guards come back to their senses. They rubbed their eyes, looked at the now-empty ground before them, and at the earth torn open by that single spear strike, then clenched their teeth.
"Damn it! Chase them! Hurry! We can't let them get away!"
The squad leader of the Silvermane Guards said angrily.
Just as he was about to lead his men in pursuit, a group of citizens suddenly surrounded them.
Seeing this, the Silvermane Guard frowned and shouted, "What are you surrounding us for? Are you trying to shelter criminals? Move aside!"
At this, an elderly man among the citizens stepped forward with a slightly ingratiating smile and said eagerly, "Oh, not at all, officer. How would we dare interfere with official duties? Well, um… we're here to report something. We just saw which direction they ran."
"Oh? Then speak quickly, where did they run?"
The Silvermane Guard stepped forward and asked.
The old man nodded repeatedly. "They went..."
Before he could finish, in the very next moment, he suddenly lunged forward, locking his own body around the squad leader and restraining him.
No one knew where this old man found such strength in his aged limbs, but with a grip as agile as a monkey's, the squad leader found he couldn't break free for the moment.
At the same time, the old man shouted loudly, "Everyone, get them! We can't let them catch up! The Aeon of Pure Beauty must not be offended!"
Even before the old man finished shouting, the others had already started moving. They surged forward like a swarm, surrounding and restraining the squad of guards right there.
Although the Silvermane Guards were trained and armed, these citizens seemed to have gone mad for some reason, each with a crazed look in their eyes and no one knew where they were getting such strength.
And the citizens far outnumbered the guard squad.
The guards were completely dumbfounded.
What was going on?
What was wrong with this mob?
Just as Lady Cocolia had said, those outsiders were stirring up rebellion, trying to overthrow the Architects.
'But what in the world is this "Aeon of Pure Beauty"?'
'What kind of ideas had the outsiders implanted in them?!'
'These insane cultists!'
Although the guard squad wasn't injured, they were completely unable to leave.
The two guards sent to report hadn't returned yet, but when they eventually came back with Gepard, what they would probably see was just the guards being restrained by citizens.
But this was normal…
People's unrest was normal…
This was just the most ordinary, the most commonplace…
Not all Pathstriders could hold firm to their will.
Pure Beauty brings salvation, and also brings disaster.
Silver Branch understood this deeply. He had once hunted down the lone beast called "Omen," and before the prophecy of the end was born, that Omen had once traveled briefly alongside him, a hero who had slain world-devouring beasts.
At times, Silver Branch also pondered whether, at some moment, he too might lose himself to obsession and fall into becoming an Omen…
Yet even so, he continued to travel tirelessly through the universe, pursuing Idrila's traces while upholding justice and spreading beauty's renown.
Because he came from the Pure Beauty Knights.
Because he was the knight who had received honors, Silver Branch.
Leaving the city, stepping onto the snowfields, slipping into a dead corner.
At a crumbling wall untouched by wind and snow, Silver Branch lifted his head, quickened his pace, and caught up to that figure.
He had not lost his way, and now, the road ahead of him shone all the more brilliantly.
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