An ink-black light enveloped Jesus’s entire body. He felt as if tens of thousands of ants were burrowing through his flesh, and the excruciating pain caused him to tremble violently, the veins standing out starkly against his skin.

As a member of the Royal Family who had lived a life of privilege since birth, Jesus never imagined he would one day endure such inhuman torment.

He lost all track of time. It could have been ten minutes, or it could have been half an hour.

Only when Mephisto began to show signs of fatigue, and the glow from the bead in his hand gradually dimmed before vanishing completely, did Jesus finally collapse to the ground in a boneless heap.

He gasped for breath, utterly exhausted, yet the terror that had filled his eyes was gone. In its place was a look of pious devotion.

Mephisto let out a hearty laugh and dispelled the Sound Insulation Barrier.

He glanced at the lusterless bead in his hand and sighed. "For Jesus’s sake, the bead’s Energy is almost completely depleted."

Black Wound’s voice was ice-cold. "It was a transformation of the highest Level, ’Nether Abyss.’ It’s only natural the cost would be greater."

As he spoke, he glanced at the Madman beside him. Unlike Jesus, this man had undergone a ’Frost Level’ transformation, which was considered intermediate.

The difference between the two was that the Nether Abyss Level allowed the subject to retain all memories and even habits; it only twisted the soul.

The Frost Level, on the other hand, only preserved partial memories to varying degrees. Its subjects lacked the mental acuity of the Nether Abyss Level and required time to cultivate complex thought processes.

As the public face of Holy Storm in the Oduin Kingdom, they couldn’t afford for Jesus to appear anything less than natural.

Mephisto smiled and extended a hand to the seated Jesus. "Jesus, welcome. You are now officially one of us, a member of Holy Storm!"

The corners of Jesus’s mouth twitched into a small smile. He was exhausted, but he also felt... good.

"The honor is all mine!"

He reached out and let Mephisto pull him to his feet.

The Jesus of this moment couldn’t tell if he was still an Oduin—he didn’t even know if he was dead or alive.

But none of that mattered anymore.

"Now, let’s start with Moonlight Valley and shake this Kingdom to its core!"

Mephisto said with a smile, "But before that, we need more followers."

Though the Energy in his bead was greatly diminished, there was still enough for more Frost Level transformations.

"That Knight who just left... his strength seemed considerable."

Jesus’s lips curled into a cruel-looking smile. "It will be his honor to become a member of Holy Storm."

He took a deep breath, strode to the entrance, and pushed the grand doors open.

A short distance from the doors, Idrisa, Leader of the Second Knight Order, stood looking up at the sky, bored. He was intensely curious what his Lord had been discussing with those three for so long.

"Idrisa."

Hearing the call, Idrisa snapped to attention. "My Lord, what are your orders?"

"I have a task for you. Come inside."

Jesus acted no differently than usual; there was nothing visibly amiss.

Completely unsuspecting, Idrisa quickly jogged into the great hall.

...

Ronin lingered in Shore City for a long time, wary of any rash moves from Jesus.

To his surprise, however, all was quiet from Moonlight Valley.

Not only had they not sent anyone to search for him or to negotiate, but even the merchants traveling between the two territories hadn’t heard of Ramsay’s and Angus’s deaths.

It was as if the two men Ronin had killed were complete nobodies.

But in reality, even Angus had been an influential figure in Moonlight Valley.

This led Ronin to wonder, ’Was all of Jesus’s past arrogance dependent on Ramsay?’

’Now that Ramsay’s dead, has he decided to tuck his tail between his legs and not dare provoke me again?’

Ronin didn’t know what to make of it, and the merchants traveling from Shore City to Moonlight Valley brought no valuable intelligence.

’Still, peace and quiet means less trouble, so I’ll take it.’

「Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was December twentieth.」

HISS!

A sharp, pale-white Flame shot out, striking the mountain cliff ahead.

The solid rock of the mountain seemed as fragile as tofu, instantly pierced straight through by the impact of the Scorching Beam.

Ronin regarded the result with immense satisfaction.

After a period of constant practice, he had finally mastered the Scorching Beam Secret Skill, able to cast it with perfect success every time.

On top of that, his combat skills had improved significantly from sparring with Ridder.

FWOOSH, FWOOSH~

The sound of beating wings grew louder as two Griffins descended, landing right in front of Ronin.

Ridder and Macken leaped down from their backs.

With Carlos’s help, they had successfully tamed the mounts that once belonged to Ramsay and Angus, allowing them to travel between various locations on Griffin-back.

This way, whether trouble arose in Shore City, Giant Stone City, or Chishan Town, Ridder and Macken could be contacted quickly and provide reinforcements.

The only unfortunate thing was that Macken was still just a Silver Knight.

If he were also a Meteor Knight, Ronin would have far fewer concerns about this region.

Fortunately, after midnight tonight, he would have enough Energy Essence to promote Elron. Then, he would be able to raise Macken’s strength.

"Tomorrow, I’m returning to Wubei Territory to prepare for the Marquis’s birthday banquet."

Ronin briefed Ridder and Macken on a few matters.

’Time passes so quickly. A year has gone by in the blink of an eye.’

In that year, Ronin and his followers had not only expanded beyond Mountain Forest Town, but were now stationed in various locations across the land.

Their territory was larger, and their numbers had grown.

But even though his original Knights were now scattered, some traditions had to continue, like the annual year-end Knight tournament they had established.

It was an event that spurred competition while also fostering a sense of belonging, cohesion, and combat strength, so it was essential to continue it.

Wubei Territory, Giant Stone City, and Shore City would each hold their own.

To that end, Ronin allocated a total of Five Thousand Gold Coins to Ridder and Macken.

Of course, the prizes for the event were only a small portion of the funds. The bulk of it was for maintaining their daily pay and recruiting more Professional Knights.

In addition, Ronin also finalized the command structure for Giant Stone Territory.

Simply put, Ridder would have oversight of all affairs, large and small, in the territory. He could even mobilize the newly formed Knight Squad in Giant Stone City.

His position was effectively that of a Governor.

Macken, meanwhile, would be primarily responsible for military matters in Giant Stone City and Chishan Town. If he faced any issues he was unsure how to handle, he could consult with the nearby Ridder.

"Even though everything seems normal in Moonlight Valley, don’t lower your guard. Both the Fifth Knight Order and our own Knight Squads need to intensify their training," Ronin instructed.

"Rest assured, my Lord. We will remain ever vigilant regarding Moonlight Valley!"

Ridder said, "I’ve already instructed Sangzhuo to carefully screen anyone traveling to or from Moonlight Valley. We’re also investigating the remnants of their faction left behind in Shore City. If we gather any intelligence, I’ll inform you at once."

Ramsay had come to assassinate Ronin almost immediately after he arrived in Shore City. No one would believe there wasn’t an informant involved.

However, rooting out Moonlight Valley’s spies was a complex and lengthy process.

「Early the next morning, Ronin mounted Carlos and set off for Wubei Territory.」

Before leaving, he invested his surplus 72 points of Energy Essence into Macken, raising the latter’s Level progression to Silver Level (590/1500).

’Every bit of strength was another layer of protection for them while he was away.’

「Before noon, Ronin arrived back at Swamp Castle.」

On the training grounds beside the castle, the year-end Knight tournament was in full, boisterous swing. It was the slack season for farming, so many Free People and even passing merchant caravans had gathered to watch.

Building on the experience from the previous year, this year’s Wubei Territory tournament was proceeding very smoothly.

Ronin watched from a distance for a while before sending Gallon to inform Elron. The Wubei Territory’s first Eighth-level Transcendent was about to be created.