A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Chapter 681 Good Deeds - I

Red Valley City, a settlement on the border of the Bloodust domain.

The fierce battle between the Duke of Bloodust and the Duke of Firmament had scorched the boundaries of their territories. Recent intelligence from Shadewellindicated that an intense war had been raging here.

Now, with both sides withdrawn, only a desolate wasteland and an empty city remained.

However, with the imminent opening of the Enigma Gate, adventurers flocked to the area. The gate's impending arrival was heralded by potent omens — colossal ethereal fluctuations and a surge of fiery elemental energy — drawing numerous established adventurers' guilds to the site.

Due to the unique nature of the Dukes of Bloodust and Firmament, their domains had never hosted many adventurers' guilds, and the recent war had decimated their ranks. Consequently, as per the Zero Explorers' Covenant, no guild held priority exploration rights, sparking preemptive competition for access.

The influx of people breathed new life into Red Valley City, which had lost nearly a quarter of its structure during the war and lay abandoned, strewn with corpses.

"Damn it, couldn't anyone be bothered to clean up?"

Grumbled adventurers astride giant eagles as they alighted on the city walls. Surveying the corpse-littered rubble below and the devastated cityscape within, one turned to his companions. "Are we really meant to lodge here?"

"Just find a place to sleep and bear with it... We've endured worse conditions in the Enigma."

"You're welcome to clean up if you want, but I'd advise against touching the bodies. Two necromancers from Valrhona's group are here, and those are their spell components."

"Valrhona? That neither-human-nor-ghost guy sent people too?"

"Have you seen how extreme the fire element is? It's practically reaching the sky. There are rumors it might be the manifestation of the Sky Conquering Ruins. Of course they'd send people."

The adventurers clamored as they descended from the walls into the ruined city. Nearby, a black-haired youth observed them briefly before returning his gaze to the crimson-tinted horizon.

"The Sky Conquering Ruins..."

Ansel's eyes narrowed slightly, a fleeting glimmer of the abyss passing through them.

Capturing this elusive entity was imperative, not merely for vengeance, but to uncover... further means of shattering fate's design.

The youth withdrew his gaze, preparing to descend from the wall. By his calculations, the gate would open tomorrow at noon, revealing whether fate would seize this opportunity to make its move or bide its time.

However, he had scarcely taken two steps when a hand, its bare bones exposed, suddenly grasped the edge of the wall at his feet.

"Fau...st..."

A hoarse, unnatural voice rasped from below. Slowly, a corpse with scant flesh and an incomplete skeleton clambered onto the wall, addressing Ansel, "I bring... greetings... from Valr...hona."

The black-haired youth, making no effort to conceal his appearance or aura, furrowed his brow slightly. "Is this your way of greeting?"

"My true form... is even more unseemly... than this vessel. Forgive... me," the necromancer from Crow's Nest apologized through the corpse. "She intended... to come herself...

but refused to set foot... on Bloodust's domain."

"This warrants her personal attention?"

"The Sky Conquering Ruins... highly probable," the corpse explained. "The fire element... is unusually active. No gate... in the past decade...

has been this intense."

— Naturally, otherwise Shadewell wouldn't have prioritized this location.

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