Chapter 101: Chapter 86: Isaac: Shushu are better than my own brothers! My beloved family and friends!!

WHOOSH~ THUD!

Just as Isaac was striking a pose with arms outstretched on the back of a giant eagle, his older brother, Remington, suddenly appeared. He raised his longsword, aiming its tip directly at Isaac.

"This is as far as it goes, Isaac. It’s all I can do to help you."

"..." Isaac looked at Remington, whose blade was pointed at him. He let out a heavy sigh, lowered his hands, and said with utter helplessness, "Oh, Remington... Why must you always make the wrong choices?"

"I’m not like you. I have no choice," Remington said, holding his longsword steady, his expression placid.

Isaac sighed and raised a hand, stopping Liu Li, who was about to charge forward.

"Brother. This is the last time I’ll call you that. We are, after all, family. Barring any surprises, this will be the last time we see each other. And even though this plays right into Philo’s hands, let your little brother teach you a proper lesson, so you’ll understand when you die whether you truly had no choice, or if you’re just a fool!"

Looking at Remington, Isaac said, "Your first foolish choice was competing with our eldest brother for the position of Patriarch. It was like pitting an egg against a stone—you completely overestimated your own strength! Your second foolish choice was colluding with the Black Orcs, which crossed a line the clan will not tolerate. Given our eldest brother’s personality, even if you had lost to him, there would have been no consequences. He is that magnanimous.

"Your third foolish choice was choosing to completely side with the Norns Clan. The only one in the family who truly had it out for you was Father, and that old man is about to retire. Eldest brother will be in charge then. The so-called ’disownment’ would have been nothing but empty words. You couldn’t even see that. And your final foolish choice... was to stand against me..."

As he spoke, Isaac stared darkly at Remington. "I’m not like our eldest brother. He loves his family. He’s magnanimous—practically perfect. So even after all the terrible things you’ve done, he would forgive you. But I’m not him. I’m going to kill you, right here!"

"Are you finished?" Remington raised his sword, his face devoid of expression. A flicker of lightning danced along the blade, making his intentions perfectly clear.

"Yes, I’m done lecturing you," Isaac nodded. He then pulled a brass pendant from his coat and asked with a smile, "You seem very confident. Is it because you think you know all my trump cards? Then do you know why I never hide my abilities?"

"Because you’re a fool, just like our brother."

"Ha..." Isaac gave a helpless laugh. "And that’s why you’re the fool... I don’t hide my abilities because there’s no need to, you idiot!"

CLICK! CLACK! CLICK!

As he spoke, the pendant on Isaac’s chest began to whir and click. Its brass casing retracted piece by piece, revealing a bright red gemstone that pulsed with a brilliant, crimson light!

"Behold! This is what it means to be a true Mad Witch!" Isaac cupped the glowing red gemstone in his hands. Ripples distorted the air behind him as a world teeming with fleshy tumors slowly materialized. A blood-red hexagram appeared between his brows, unleashing an immense wave of Magic Power!

Flesh Dimension, descend!

Infinite Magic Power, link!

"Kill."

Remington charged forward, trying to interrupt the ritual, but Liu Li intercepted him. Watching them, Isaac gave a casual wave of his hand, and a torrential surge of Magic Power erupted toward the sky!

An endless tide of fleshy ooze poured from an unseen Void behind him, SIZZLING as it completely corroded all matter in its path!

And this was only the beginning!

Remington, having just fought through Liu Li’s Invisible Hand, swung his sword to cut down a Great Sword Ghost. The moment he looked up, his pupils contracted!

He saw...

A dense swarm of Demons was surging out from the ooze!

They were all grey-furred rats, each sprouting a single large horn!

"HAAH!"

Remington roared, unleashing an arc of Thunder Sword Qi that instantly shredded the Great-Horned Rats in a hundred-meter radius!

In the process, it also sliced in half the advancing Liu Li!

"Did you think I was some kind of worthle—" Before Remington could finish his taunt, he watched in horror. Aside from the rats incinerated to ash by his Thunder Sword Qi, the remaining Great-Horned Rats not only healed their injuries in an instant but multiplied several times over!

This was... Horned Rabbit Magic!

But how was that possible? The Horned Rabbit was a Tier One Demon!

These rats were merely...

’Hm?’

Still reeling from the rats’ ability, Remington’s heart lurched. Instinct took over, and he leaped away just as a sword and a katana slashed through the space he had just occupied!

Looking closely, Remington realized it wasn’t just the Great-Horned Rats that had split—Liu Li had also become two people!

A shiver ran down Remington’s spine. ’Damn it, is she not human either?’

’Is there anything normal about the people around Isaac?’

But while Remington was still reeling, an even more outrageous scene unfolded...

Hundreds of Great Sword Ghosts struggled to their feet, emerging from the fleshy ooze!

In just a few short seconds, their numbers swelled to over a thousand!

At this, not only did Remington’s face turn deathly pale, but the expressions of the High-level Knight and Grand Arcanist observing from the shadows grew solemn. A thousand Great Sword Ghosts... not even a High-level Knight could win against that in a direct confrontation!

What was more terrifying was that Great Sword Ghosts were still climbing out of the ooze!

The pace had slowed considerably, but a new one still emerged every few seconds!

Only now did they finally understand what Isaac had meant by "there’s no need to."

"Liu Li, come back. The rest of you, kill."

Liu Li, who had been about to attack again, froze. She shot Remington a cold glance as her two bodies merged back into one and she returned to Isaac’s side. In her place, a dozen Great Sword Ghosts lunged at Remington!

Calling Liu Li back did not mean Isaac intended to spare Remington.

With a heavy sigh, Remington raised his longsword, his eyes resolute as he faced the Great Sword Ghosts. A moment later, the brilliant flash of lightning faded, and the horde of Great Sword Ghosts charged toward the center of town!

"Alas!"

At that moment, a sigh echoed through the air. Isaac’s heart skipped a beat, and he put his guard up. A golden, ten-meter-tall avatar rose from the town below. It drew its longsword and, with a single sweep, sent dozens of Great Sword Ghosts flying!

"A High-level Knight?!" Isaac’s pupils contracted as he stared at the giant golden avatar. The worst-case scenario had arrived. He had barely begun his assault, and the Empire was already here to interfere... "Hm?"

Isaac paused, then raised a hand. Harmon emitted an invisible pulse, and all the Demons halted their advance.

He had spotted two people in the avatar’s raised left hand: one was a dazed-looking Princess Philo, and the other was an old man—Hitz Balt, the High-level Knight charged with protecting Philis Town.

"Lord Hitz, what is the meaning of this...?"

"Can you call this off?" Hitz asked from the avatar’s hand, his tone weary.

Given his personality, he normally would have just attacked, and if they didn’t listen, he’d keep attacking. But this person... this person was different.

’Faced with such terrifying power, I might not be able to win a head-on fight...’

’What a... terrifying young man!’

’After all, defeating Isaac himself might be easy—a swift strike to take him out would suffice. But what about the remaining Demons? They didn’t seem like the kind of things that would just stop if their master fell...’

’And most importantly, I can’t beat Gaia Solomon...’

’Not just any High-level Knight could earn a title, especially not one from the [Sword Saint] faction. The gap between High-level Knights can be immense. Not to mention, there are rumors that Gaia is only a single step away from becoming a [Miracle Knight], a rank beyond even High-level.’

’So, making a move against Isaac is extremely risky.’

Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one who understood this; Isaac understood it, too. Thus, he didn’t back down, nor did he stop producing Great Sword Ghosts. ’I can’t,’ he thought. ’Infinite Magic Power only lasts for three minutes, so I have to make the most of it. Besides, even if I really have to retreat this time, I can just send the ones I’ve made back to the Flesh Nest in the Flesh Dimension. Nothing will be wasted.’

"If you were in my position, would you stop so easily?" Isaac retorted.

Hitz fell silent. He wanted to say that he would, but he knew it would be pointless. After a moment, he said, "Be that as it in may, the Eldest Princess cannot die. That is our absolute bottom line."

"’We’?" Isaac asked, puzzled.

At that, a brilliant Arcane Radiance flared to life beside Hitz. A young man in a cyan wizard robe stepped out of the light. He looked at Isaac with a complicated expression and said, "He was referring to me. One High-level Knight and one Grand Arcanist. I believe we should be able to handle your little pets with ease."

"Great Arcanist Mensa Ballos..." Isaac stared at the newcomer in surprise, then fell silent.

’I guessed a High-level Knight would intervene,’ Isaac thought. ’After all, both my and Philo’s identities are sensitive. The death of either of us could easily throw the Empire into chaos. But I never expected a Grand Arcanist to get involved...’

’And this one, of all people...’

Just as there are vast differences between High-level Knights, the same is true for High-level Mages. For instance, this particular Grand Arcanist, Mensa Ballos, was a Legendary figure. Beyond his many published works, he was most famous for his terrifying combat prowess!

According to *Arcane History—The Terra Age*, roughly thirty years ago, Great Arcanist Mensa Ballos used a single Authority Magic to instantly kill three High-level Knights who were going all out, as well as a High-level Mage who was protected by a slew of Defense Warlocks!

Then, without so much as batting an eye, he used Time Magic to restore the ravaged battlefield and resurrect the dead. Because of his intervention, the Terra Empire, which had been caught by surprise and suffered immense casualties, not only ended up with zero losses but also claimed the lives of four High-level Creatures.

Great Arcanist Mensa Ballos made his name in that single battle!

And now, a legendary figure of his stature had appeared in the middle of a squabble between two children...

’Was this really necessary?’

"It seems you recognize me. That makes things simpler. Let’s stop this here... You’re not willing to do that, are you?"

’No shit! I already struck my epic pose and everything!’

Isaac said nothing, listening quietly.

"I have a proposal—one that will allow you to vent your frustration. Little Philo has many Alchemy Demonic Puppets. Unlike yours, once they’re destroyed, they’re gone for good. I’ll have her summon all of them. You can demolish them all to blow off some steam, and in return, you spare her life. How does that sound?"

Hearing this, Isaac paused for a moment before saying, "Do we have to fight? You could just give me all her Alchemy Demonic Puppets!"

Hitz and Mensa: "..."