Only after being carried by William at such tremendous speed did Richard realize how many battlefields there actually were.

But regardless of where they were, the strongest enemies he encountered were only World Realm Magi.

The Rulers were naturally occupied at the capital, while the Lords—according to William—were being dealt with by the elders and ancestors of the Starlight Kingdom, who had taken action even before Lilith's ascension was formally announced.

Their battles took place far from populated areas to avoid unnecessary mass casualties.

Since he only encountered Grimoire Realm Magi, Richard easily dominated many battlefields.

Although he was still in the World Realm, he effortlessly killed every Grimoire Realm Magus he found.

Tonight, his name caused another uproar.

At first, nobody knew who he was, but news spread rapidly from the capital that he was Richard, the famous child prodigy from ten years ago—now an adult and terrifyingly powerful.

There was a city that once served as the capital of one of the Starlight Kingdom's provinces, but it had been turned into an invasion headquarters by the Holy Light Kingdom.

In that city stood a massive tower emitting endless light across the area, turning night into day.

This was where all military commands originated, but now only two Grimoire Realm Magi remained, assisted by several World Realm Magi. The rest had gone to fight.

"How is this happening? How can that boy be this strong?"

Inside a chamber, several men were discussing anxiously.

They were elderly and middle-aged men.

In front of them was a screen showing Richard obliterating a massive light lion—sent by the Holy Light Kingdom—using the laser from the Ignis Volt Core.

The lion was a Primordial Beast Star with Emperor-level Bloodline, even at Tier 70.

Yet it had died instantly.

"We need a truly powerful Grimoire Realm Magus," one of them said.

"Who? Our kingdom may have many Grimoire Realm Magi capable of facing him, but they've long returned to the capital—and the capital is in chaos. Even a Ruler has been killed. How can they survive right now?"

"Our only hope is Prince Charles."

"We can't disturb him. He's in the middle of serious training."

"Then we should ask him to send someone strong from the Order of the Crimson Veil."

"Agreed… Prince Charles must have at least one friend nearly as strong as he is in the Grimoire Realm."

"Hurry, send the message—use the fastest bird."

"Everyone—things are bad…" Suddenly, a young man burst into the room in panic.

"What is it?" The strongest old man glared at him.

"Queen Lilith—Queen Lilith suddenly appeared above us."

"What? How? Isn't anyone fighting her?"

"…"

As everyone fell into extreme panic, golden light suddenly shone through the cracks—light so majestic and oppressive that merely touching it turned several men into dust.

Words could no longer be spoken.

An instant later, the entire headquarters was destroyed, and everyone inside was annihilated.

All their strategizing became meaningless the moment they died.

Outside, Lilith stood calmly, holding a golden blade about 30 centimeters long.

She wore a luxurious black dress, accompanied by several ravens circling around her.

The city remained intact—only the Holy Light Kingdom's headquarters had vanished.

As the dust settled, it became clear that not even ruins remained.

Lilith's attack had eradicated the entire base.

She had come personally to disrupt the command structure of the Holy Light Kingdom, ensuring further chaos among their ranks.

"Your Majesty, most of the Holy Light Kingdom's forces have already retreated," the royal butler appeared behind her and reported.

The ruler of the kingdom had changed, but he still retained his position.

"Tell the soldiers not to pursue," Lilith replied.

The butler nodded and immediately began relaying messages one after another.

Lilith naturally had her reasons for refusing pursuit. The Holy Light Kingdom was anything but safe at the moment.

Meanwhile, after killing numerous Grimoire Realm Magi, Richard was beginning to struggle to find strong opponents.

He began to lose the mood to fight and wasn't interested in facing weak Magi.

He stopped having William carry him and began flying on his own, accompanied by his horse.

To his surprise, he eventually arrived near the border between the Eastern Region and the Ancient Ice Region.

It was very close to his own city—Snowy Sky City.

That city had become one of the new border fronts with the Holy Light Kingdom.

The only reason it hadn't been conquered was because Grace was defending it.

Otherwise, it would've been taken long ago—and likely destroyed—given the crown prince's grudge against her.

Richard hadn't planned to return so soon, but since he was nearby, he couldn't help but go there.

Grace, his childhood friend, also made him curious—how much she had changed now that she was an adult.

As he continued walking toward the increasingly colder region, Richard soon saw Snowy Sky City again. It didn't look much different, aside from some damage on the city walls that had yet to be repaired.

Long ago, he would've felt cold here, but now it was only slightly chilly even with thin clothing.

After a few more steps, he arrived near the city lord's castle, which had been empty for a long time but was still maintained and guarded.

But now, he didn't see many soldiers.

He didn't sense Commander Arthur's presence either.

Most likely, they had gone to attack the Holy Light Kingdom and help the Ice Mountain Duke reclaim the half of his territory that had been lost.

Richard landed in front of the castle gates, startling the two soldiers guarding them.

They raised their spears toward him, looking tense and frightened.

Richard noticed they were around his age.

Back when he ruled the city for a few days, they had clearly been children.

"What are you doing? I'm Richard, your city lord—this is my home," Richard said with a faint smile.

Both of them seemed as if they heard something when they heard his words.

But they appeared to struggle to react.

Richard was too lazy to wait for their response, so he simply stepped forward and entered, unlocking the door with one of the keys he still kept.

That alone was enough to prove that he really was the owner of the castle.

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