Adrian was filled with intense anger at the thought of this. He refused to allow the enemy to use the lives of innocent people as leverage against him.He snarled, "I didn't expect you to use their lives as a source of power. I'll make you pay for this with your blood!" He took to the air.Mark let out a furious shout, and a powerful energy converged in his hand. It gathered into a hundred-meter-long spear of blood and slashed toward Adrian.Adrian quickly summoned a barrier to withstand the onslaught. Given his strength, this should have been an easy task. However, Mark's power exceeded his expectations, and it felt as though his barrier was on the verge of being shattered. 'He's strong, but his power shouldn't rival that of an average Battle Warrior. Is this the culmination of Falconia's technology? It certainly is impressive,' Adrian thought. He knew that Mark was no longer purely human. After all, the power he demonstrated showed how terrifying his abilities were."Impressive
“Do you plan to hide in that shell forever? How long do you think you can keep this up?" Mark taunted as his attacks grew even more ferocious, but Adrian remained unfazed, simply observing Mark closely.Mark drew his strength from the residents of Westania. If Adrian attacked him directly, it could endanger the citizens’ lives. Therefore, Adrian had to find a method that would neutralize Mark without harming the citizens. And this challenge was daunting. Finding a solution that preserved the lives of the citizens while defeating Mark seemed nearly impossible. If he couldn’t find one, he would have to sacrifice them to eliminate Mark.'If I let Mark go unchecked, Falconia will perfect their human experimentation. They would then be able to create countless powerful beings similar to him. If that happens, not just Aethersphere, but the entire world will be in grave danger,' Adrian thought.Sacrificing the three million residents of Westania to save the billions worldwide could be seen
Adrian ignored Mark as the powerful, malevolent energy surged toward him."Begone!" Adrian shouted and unleashed a devastating strike.Adrian’s attack collided with Mark's, and the clash of their energies was so intense that the ground trembled violently."Is that all you have? It's nothing impressive!" Mark sneered, his face twisted with contempt. "Is that so?" Adrian replied, raising an eyebrow.This caught Mark off guard. As Mark looked closer, he noticed a distinct change in Adrian. There was an aura of confidence around Adrian that had not been there before. Initially, he did not think much of it, but soon he realized something was amiss. Adrian's entire being was now enveloped in a powerful energy field, absorbing his energy bit by bit.Mark was shocked as he shouted, "How is this possible?!" This was Adrian's strategy. He was going to absorb Mark's energy into his own body. But Mark’s power was immense, and the malevolent energy Adrian was absorbing started to overwhelm
Before he could do anything, Adrian's next wave of attacks swiftly followed.Initially, Mark managed to resist a few blows. However, he was slowly overwhelmed by Adrian's attack. Eventually, he could not defend himself anymore and fell with a final cry of defeat. At this moment, his dark energy did not disperse into the surroundings. Instead, Adrian absorbed it into himself.'Next, I'll use the power of the Draco Vein to dissolve this,' Adrian thought and began to act accordingly.A powerful energy enveloped Adrian and started pressing in on him. Through this tactic, all the power of the Draco Vein would be utilized to combat the dark energy. He refused to believe that this dark energy could stand against the might of the Draco Vein.Finally, with a roar from Adrian and a thunderous boom, the blood-red clouds and dark miasma dissipated. Everything returned to normal, and the citizens who were enslaved were out of danger."Mr. Adrian!"Some people rushed in through the city gates.
"Why not let Machias and the others manage Westania?" Adrian suggested."What? No! I'm just a wanderer. I've never managed a city before. It's ridiculous to appoint me as a city mayor out of nowhere!" Machias refused.Adrian looked at him and calmly replied, "Machias, although you haven't managed a city before, you're more capable than you think you are. I have confidence in you."Machias sighed. "But I have no experience in this...""Everyone starts from somewhere, right? Even if you lack experience now, experience can be gained with time."The council elders discussed among themselves. After a moment, they finally made a decision and said, "Let's proceed as you suggested, Adrian. But although we'll appoint him as the mayor of Westania, we'll need to assign some people to assist him. He lacks experience in this field, after all. It’d be too difficult for him to handle everything alone."Adrian understood the elders’ concerns. He nodded and said, "I agree with your suggestion. It
The next morning, a carriage entered Westania, and from it emerged a person. He was the envoy from the Council of Elders who was tasked with appointing Machias as the mayor of Westania. "Welcome, welcome! You must be tired after your journey. Please, come to the mayor’s residence and have a rest," Adrian greeted warmly. "No need, just proceed with the appointment. Once it's done, I'll be on my way," the envoy replied. Adrian and the others nodded. They understood that the envoy had other matters to attend to, so they did not press him to stay.Next came the appointment ceremony. Luckily, they had prepared everything beforehand, so the process went smoothly. Once everything was done, Machias officially became the mayor. Adrian and the others stood by, congratulating him one by one. Machias was visibly excited. Despite his earlier reluctance, he seemed to genuinely appreciate his new position."Well, now that everything's settled, I should be leaving. We'll meet again someday!" A
Adrian's days returned to their usual calm.But a few days later, he heard an urgent knocking at his door. The intensity and urgency of the sound made Adrian's heart skip a beat, and he felt that something might have happened. He immediately set aside what he was doing and hurried to open the door.Lying at the entrance was Zector Kreig, who was covered in blood and looking as if he was at death's door. Seeing him in such a state caused a chill to run through Adrian's heart. After all, Zector was no ordinary person. He was a powerful person, and very few people in this world could fight him. Adrian wondered what kind of opponent could inflict such grievous injuries on him.Adrian quickly helped Zector inside and began to clean his wounds. "Who did this to you, Zector?" he asked."Mr. Adrian, I-I'm sorry… I-I’ve failed you," Zector stammered."Don't worry about it. You're not just my subordinate, but also my friend. Tell me, what happened?"Whoever harmed Zector was challenging Ad
Despite his grievous injuries, Zector was recovering."Alright…" Zector sighed before recounting the events to Adrian.During Adrian's time in Keltes Mountain, the Eastania Sword Demon launched a powerful assault on Sword Sanctuary. Despite being imprisoned deep underground, his immense power managed to break through multiple layers of restrictive barriers and slaughter the guards. Sword Sanctuary suffered significant losses in the clash, and Zector had no choice but to face the Eastania Sword Demon. However, he was quickly defeated, and he fled to seek Adrian's help."Before I left, I activated Sword Sanctuary's self-defense mechanism. For now, the Eastania Sword Demon is trapped. You must hurry to support them, Mr. Adrian. Time is of the essence!" Zector said.Hearing this, Adrian fell into deep thought. As Zector's superior, he knew he had to act immediately. "Don't worry, I'll handle this," he assured Zector.*Sword Sanctuary was located in the heart of Dragoria. This grand