"Young Master, is it really possible to defeat Lady Drishti?" Adrian asked as all the Crawfords moved towards the exit of the mansion, knowing that night would soon fall on Devereaux territory.

A whole day had passed while their Young Master was immersed in preparations to defeat one of the strongest beings in Ardoros.

Did they believe he would win?

No.

They were absolutely loyal, but in reality, they couldn't blindly assume that their liege would triumph against a monster like Drishti Devereaux.

If not for her habit of getting interested in things and engaging in conversation regularly, none of them would have ever gotten a chance to even catch a glimpse of her.

Just like the Family Head, powerhouses above Legendary were a rare sight due to their tendency to venture outside Ardoros to become stronger, unlike Lady Drishti, who always stayed within Ardoros and only ventured outside when she found something to her liking.

"Who told you that I can defeat her?" Ryuk asked, his eyes fixed on the Energy Stabiliser in his hand, feeling satisfied with its performance. Though it was a one-time use and would burn out the circuits of the entire device upon completion.

"Sorry?" Adrian couldn't understand the meaning behind his Young Master's words, glancing at the other Crawfords moving along with him, all of whom seemed confused.

"Adrian, the Crawfords will suffer a huge blow in this battle." Wearing the Energy Stabiliser, Ryuk halted in his path and turned his gaze towards the people following him.

He had only been awake for two days and three nights, a short time for anyone to trust him. But whether they agreed or not, he needed to utilize their resources, including the Battleships.

Thirty-five Battleships were not a small thing. He would be considered selfish to fulfill his desire by sacrificing these people's years of hard work, but in exchange for this sacrifice, he would give them a chance.

A chance to accompany him on this journey, dependent on their choice of words upon his revelation.

thud thud

"Young Master, it doesn't matter how many losses we suffer. I just hope there won't be loss of any life." All four of the Crawfords present there swiftly knelt, their determination evident from their complete submission of aura, looking downward as Adrian proposed a small request of asset loss, not lives.

"Good then. No one will die in this battle. Also, I heard someone named Regina wanted to meet me?" Ryuk looked down at those people, assuring them while reminding about the message he got from the servants about an appointment.

"Yes, Young Master. Regina is the one who attacked that day with her battalion," Adrian revealed while looking downward, already contemplating the results of tonight's battle.

Technically, all of them had never seen someone stronger than their Young Master until now. Even he doubted if Lady Alisia would be able to defeat him if he went all out, but...

The difference between Zenith and its next level, Ascendency, was like heaven and earth, while their Young Master was only at Early Legendary with imperfect strength, making this a one-sided battle.

They couldn't help but take it on a whim decision from a young man, more like ignorance.

But this doubt also crumbled when they conversed with him; the wise man's words held the proof of their enlightenment.

These words became true, proving their Young Master's intellect, making everything even more confusing.

Couldn't he just retreat back and challenge Lady Drishti after becoming stronger?

"Tell her to meet me tomorrow," Ryuk stated before turning and leaving the place.

And this was it.

Looking at his disappearing and firm back, those words lashed with confident and authoritative tone made Adrian think once again, what if his Young Master might be able to defeat her?

.

.

.

.

Unlike daylight, which brings warmth and a slight dryness, moonlight acts like soft sprinkling water dews, illuminating while filling the atmosphere with a slight coldness and serenity.

Yet, today's expanse on the Devereaux Family seemed much calmer than usual.

Technically, except for a few branch families supporting Alisia Devereaux and a small division of the army under the main family, not everyone was present on Ardoros.

During the early period when the competition of Flagbearers was at its peak, all their background support went out of Ardoros to strategize and help their candidate win the battle, even at the cost of using other races by force, since they couldn't directly kill a Devereaux.

There were just too many things regarding the Flagbearer battle, leaving that for another time.

Right now, the Devereaux Expanse, especially the area of 83 miles near a Spire which was erased from its place two days ago, seemed much calmer and denser.

"Be prepared," Ryuk commanded while seated on the steps at a distance of a mile from his Spire, which was completely crumbled with its remains cleaned the same day, leaving behind an open ground.

It has been 43 hours since he came to this place again

His strength didn't increase at all in such a short amount of time.

The only thing he had was resources on him, which could have to be used to their full extent to somehow accomplish what he wants.

Was he confident in winning against her?

Absolutely not.

One may fill the gaps between strength within a short amount of time, but surpassing someone who is on a different league was another thing.

SWISH

Slowly, the air density started to increase, instantly throwing the area around four miles into a heat haze.

The temperature directly surged enough to evaporate any humidity in the air.

"It's nice to meet you again, Lady Drishti," Ryuk said with a soft smile forming on his face while his amber eyes reflected a figure slowly materializing at a distance from him, the center of changes in the surrounding.

"..." Drishti's eyes fell on the young man seated with a sword placed on his thighs, looking much calmer than she had expected, making her observe the surrounding for any anomaly.

From the previous meeting, she knew that the young man was a sharp thinker, making her doubt his calm demeanor where his defeat was inevitable.

Not because she doubted the talent of the young man, but it's just that Time Wasn't On His Side.

"It seems we can talk after we're done with these things," Ryuk slowly stood, his eyes looking straight at Drishti, who seemed to be quieter than the previous time.

Her instincts seemed to find something amiss since she could sense the individual in front of her, even his power level being on Legendary Rank.

It was confusing.

Unlike the previous time, why could she feel it now?

SWISH

Standing there, Drishti's eyes reflected the young man's body closing the distance within milliseconds while his body in mid-air with a sharp sword gripped in his hand aimed at her body swung.

SLICE

A sharp sound and a thin line formed across the land, falling in the path of the arc formed by that swing, passing through Drishti's body, which was nothing but an afterimage; her speed was much faster.

schrrk!

A sharp sound reached her ears, causing her to glance at her right arm, which had a small knife cut on it, instantly widening her eyes.

WHOOOOSH

Her aura burst like a tsunami, throwing the young man several steps away, while also alerting her senses to someone's presence around her.

A smirk forming on her face as she felt the vast amount of energy which instantly got nullified on that knife's touch, but she was not here unprepared.

SWOOSH

The bracelet on her wrist softly glowed before all the nullified energy was refilled with small knife wound healing instantly, as if her body returned to its original state.

Looking at the young man who stood with a blank expression, gazing at her intensely, with a smirk the woman remarked,

"Heh, are we playing hide and seek now?"