When Kael spoke these words, the two assassins actually breathed a sigh of relief. For them now, a swift death was a form of liberation.
These two had outlived their usefulness. Since they couldn't be recruited, letting them go was out of the question.
"Leave it to me, sir. I'll handle it," Lone Wolf nodded, understanding Kael's intent.
Kael patted Lone Wolf's shoulder, exhaled deeply, and returned to the City Lord's residence to rest. After the night's events, the sky was already turning pale with dawn.
Amelia had long since fallen asleep. Watching her peaceful face, Kael felt another surge of anger toward the Tower of Ghostflame. This threat needed to be eliminated—and soon.
Now that Kael knew the Tower's secrets, their conflict had reached a deadlock. The only question was how to deal with them.
The current strength of Lefay Territory was still slightly lacking. Facing the Tower head-on wasn't a guaranteed victory. To ensure success, he needed to borrow external forces.
"Strange… They should have arrived by now. Why is there still no news?" Kael muttered to himself in the darkness.
For days, he had been waiting for one thing—
A message from the Sacred Council.
From what Kael knew, the Sacred Council and the Sanctuary were currently locked in a standoff at Thousand Moon Lake. The Sanctuary's "Holy Son," Einar, had consecutively defeated three of the Sacred Council's champions, humiliating them. Among the younger generation of the Sacred Council, there was virtually no one who could rival Einar.
But the news of Kael annihilating the Reynolds Family had changed everything!
Single-handedly eliminating two Tier 10 powerhouses, Kael's strength had become undeniable across the three continents. The Sacred Council had to have taken notice—and they would surely consider recruiting him to suppress Einar!
That was why Kael had been waiting. With the Sacred Council's backing, he could use their influence to deal with the Tower of Ghostflame!
"Logically, the Sacred Council should have arrived by now..." Kael thought to himself.
The night passed without incident.
At dawn the next morning, Kael received the good news he had been waiting for.
Zorath the Silent had arrived!
Grace came to inform Kael early in the morning. His eyes lit up—the Sacred Councilhad finally sent someone, and it was none other than Zorath the Silent himself!
Kael walked into the main hall, where Zorath was already waiting. As always, the towering man was in high spirits. The moment he saw Kael, he let out a booming laugh and stood up, his eyes gleaming.
"Kael! Just as the rumors say, you've reached Tier 10! Hahaha!"
When Zorath rose to his full height, his two-meter-plus frame loomed like a small giant, subconsciously making Kael feel a faint pressure.
This man's strength is formidable… Kael mused. He estimated Zorath to be at least at the peak of Tier 11, if not higher—no wonder he was one of the Sacred Council's Twelve Arbiters.
The fact that the Council had sent Zorath the Silent, a core figure, spoke volumes. While their personal friendship played a role, it also signaled that Kael's value in the Sacred Council's eyes had skyrocketed!
Zorath was as warm as ever, immediately pulling Kael into a bone-crushing bear hug. The man's strength was terrifying—even with Kael's monstrous physical resilience, he couldn't help but grimace in pain.
"Easy there, Zorath! You'll break me!"
Still, Kael felt a surge of familiarity. Zorath had been one of the first top-tier powerhouses he'd met in this world, and the man had always treated him well. Seeing him again brought genuine joy.
Zorath laughed heartily. "You're a Tier 10 Archmage now, a prodigy whose name echoes across the continent! And you're scared of a little pat?"
His teasing only made Kael chuckle wryly. "Come on, Zorath. You're blessed with divine strength. Us mages are fragile by nature..."
"You? Fragile?" Zorath the Silent let out an amused snort. Having just embraced Kael, he could tell—this guy's physical strength was easily on par with a Tier 8 warrior's.
"So, Zorath, what brings you here?" Kael asked with a smile.
Zorath grinned. "No need for pretenses between us. I assume you've already heard about the conflict between the Sacred Council and the Sanctuary?"
"Bits and pieces," Kael admitted.
Zorath nodded. "Then I'll cut to the chase. You're one of us, and you've earned the right to know the full story."
Kael's eyes gleamed with interest. Though he knew the Sacred Council and the Sanctuary were locked in a fierce standoff at Thousand Moon Lake, he still didn't understand the root cause—something that had gnawed at his curiosity.
Zorath took a deep breath. "This is classified intel, but as a Five-Star Executor of the Sacred Council, you're cleared for it. It all started three months ago..."
"Three months ago?" Kael frowned.
"Exactly. Three months back, the Twilight City in the Southern Continent reported sightings of large numbers of Vampires."
Vampires!
Kael stiffened. The Vampire race had all but vanished from the three continents—how could they suddenly reappear in force? His mind immediately flashed to Scarlett from Moonlight Dusk, who had been cultivating with the power of lunar shadows and had now reached Tier 9.
The Vampires were humanity's ancient nemesis. The legendary "Undead Calamity War" had been instigated by an alliance of Vampires, Beastmen, and Dark-Winged Mages, who summoned the undead to wage an apocalyptic conflict.
Yet after the war's end, the Vampires had nearly gone extinct across the land.
Zorath's expression darkened. "Yes, a full resurgence—and worse, they've allied with certain Dark-Winged Mage factions. They've been operating in the shadows, but we've caught wind of it."
Vampires and Dark-Winged Mages...
Kael's brow furrowed. The storm clouds were gathering. For these two forces to intertwine again could shake the very foundations of the continent. It was impossible not to recall the cataclysmic upheaval from three thousand years ago...
Zorath the Silent sighed and lowered his voice. "So here's the situation—the Southern Continent is on edge. The Vampires and Dark-Winged Mage factions have even spooked the Human Alliance's upper echelons."
Kael felt a chill. For the three continents to face such upheaval… Just recalling the Undead Calamity War from three millennia ago made his blood run cold.
Back then, even the legendary Archmage Orlando, a figure of godlike power, had vanished without a trace. The Elven Kingdoms fractured after their mightiest leader, the Great Sylvan Monarch Yu Luo, fell in battle…
Of course, the current crisis wasn't nearly as dire—but it was still alarming.
"But what does this have to do with the Sacred Council and the Sanctuary clashing at Thousand Moon Lake?"
Zorath gave a bitter laugh. "Kid, you know how it is. The Sacred Council and the Sanctuary have been at odds for ages. Now, with the Vampires' return, the Sanctuary's using it as an excuse! 'Of course we must exterminate the Vampires!' But who gets to lead the charge? Traditionally, it's always been us—the Sacred Council. Yet lately, the Sanctuary's grown too damn ambitious. Those bastards won't sit quietly…"
Kael finally understood.
At its core, this was a power struggle between two titans. Both factions were evenly matched in strength, each vying for dominance. But there could only be one leader—hence the friction.
Truthfully, the Vampires and Dark-Winged Mages posed little threat to behemoths like the Sacred Council. While concerning, the real danger was the Sanctuary itself.
So that was the heart of it.
Kael could guess the rest. The two factions had likely agreed to meet at Thousand Moon Lake, settling the leadership dispute through some contest of strength. Yet neither side would dare escalate things openly—both were too shrewd to risk outright war.
Still, Kael could vividly imagine the undercurrents of tension swirling at Thousand Moon Lake—a powder keg waiting to ignite.
Now that he grasped the full picture, Kael smirked. "So, Zorath… why come to me?"
Zorath exhaled heavily. "Kael, in this mess… you might be our only hope."