The town of Omai lay in ruins. Its buildings had crumbled and the streets had been carpeted with rivers of blood. The stench of death hung heavy in the air.

Corpses of corrupted magical beasts were strewn across the cobblestoned streets. The reflection of the twin moons on the crimson liquid created a dazzling yet dreadful scene.

Suddenly, a cold whisper reverberated in every corner of the town.

"Blossom."

Then, a spectacular change began to take place.

Amidst the chaos and carnage, the blood-soaked streets suddenly trembled. And then, small white buds started to emerge from the crimson ground.

Despite growing on land stained by blood, these white buds remained untainted.

It was beautiful.

It was breathtaking.

It was otherwordly.

The flower buds pushed toward the sky, and in mere moments, they bloomed into magnificence.

White lotus flowers, pure and holy, grew against the stark contrast to the surrounding bloodbath and darkness. Their pristine petals were delicate, gracefully unfurling and glowing with an ethereal light.

As the white lotuses bloomed, the oppressive atmosphere became calmer.

The field of white lotuses spread rapidly, and within moments, it had covered every street in Omai. It was like this small town had suddenly been covered in a soft, white blanket.

Oswald's long blade was only inches away from piercing Valerian's head when all of a sudden this drastic transformation took place.

His heart was overwhelmed by terror at this sudden change, and he couldn't help but retreat a few steps, looking around in alarm.

"What the hell is happening?!"

Hemingway was the same. For a moment, his mind turned blank and his eyes glazed over. Realizing this, he was in an extremely flustered state.

"T-This is not normal," he blurted out in panic. "What the hell are these flowers?!"

The white lotuses swayed gently in the nonexistent breeze. They emitted a faint yet sweet fragrance that was like the fresh breath of life amidst so much death.

Valerian weakly opened his eyes. When he gazed at the lotuses growing on the ground right before him, his yellow pupils constricted.

It can't be!

Edward and Lisa, who were barely able to stay conscious after sustaining so many life-threatening injuries throughout the night, couldn't help but be astounded by this scene.

The field of white lotuses that lay before them soothed their minds and removed whatever negative thoughts they had about their impending doom.

Everyone that was still drawing breath in the town of Omai was overcome by a feeling of unprecedented calm. They felt like they were dreaming.

All of them simultaneously turned their heads in the direction of the town's central square. There, a raven-haired youth was standing tall, his aura similar to that of the white lotuses around him.

Instantly, everyone understood that the cause of this sudden change was none other than that young man!

Oswald's eyes trembled in fear and a drop of sweat trickled down his forehead when he saw the scene of Adam standing amidst the sea of flowers.

All the white lotuses in the vicinity seemed like they were gently bowing toward this youth as if acknowledging him.

"What what has he done?!" Oswald muttered in apprehension.

Hemingway's mouth was agape. He couldn't speak a word. When he glanced at Adam, he felt vastly inferior to him for some reason.

He had this sudden urge to lower his head toward the youth. When Hemingway realized this, he was stunned. He screamed inwardly, What's happening to me?!

The next moment, everyone witnessed a magical scene take place.

They saw Adam slowly raise his hands. This caused all the white lotuses to tremble ever so slightly.

Adam's hands slowly rose higher and higher, causing the flowers' trembling to grow more and more intense.

Everyone was rooted in their spot, wondering what would happen next. Edward and Lisa's eyes flashed with hope as they glanced at their friend.

Meanwhile, Oswald and Hemingway's hearts pounded wildly in their chests. Terror flooded their veins and an intense foreboding feeling welled up inside them.

They wanted to move but found that they could not. They could only helplessly stare as Adam's arms rose higher and higher.

Until finally

The raven-haired youth's arms shuddered violently before falling weakly to his sides.

Following that, the trembling of the white lotuses also ceased.

Everyone watched with bated breaths as the field of white lotuses began to glow with a resplendent light.

Then, the pristine white petals of the countless flowers slowly dissipated into tiny motes of light. The flowers started to dissolve slowly but surely.

The white motes of light drifted lazily in the air, floating upward like fireflies at sunset. As these motes ascended, they left behind a soft trail of light, like that of a comet.

One by one, their lights were gradually extinguished.

The streets of Omai reverted to their blood-stained state. The rivers of blood and the heaps of corpses now seemed even more pronounced in the absence of the white lotuses.

Omai now felt cold and desolate yet again.

The premonition that the two Rank 2 Magi felt in their hearts subsided with the disappearance of the flowers.

Oswald's mind suddenly cleared up and he felt like he could move again. With a shocked look on his face, he glanced around and saw that everything had returned to normal.

He turned toward Adam and saw that the youth was weakly standing amidst a sea of corpses with a defeated look on his pale face.

Seeing that, Oswald's lips curled up into a menacing grin, "Heh, so it was nothing, after all."

"Whatever he attempted to do, it looks like he failed," Hemingway nodded with a solemn expression, fear still lingering in his eyes.

The sudden appearance of the white lotuses had caused these two Magi to feel immense horror. They had never felt so much dread in their long lives.

Clearly, something was different about those flowers that Adam had just summoned.

The greed in their hearts grew exponentially as they thought of acquiring whatever it was that had allowed Adam to display such a technique.

"If that is the case." Oswald's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. "Let's just kill them all."

The next moment, the man conjured a sharp blade and viciously thrust it into Valerian's head.

SPLURT!

The blade pierced through the young dragon's scales and instantly killed him.

Valerian's topaz eyes flashed with sorrow and regret as darkness finally claimed him. In his final moments, he thought to himself,

Brother

You did it

But at what cost?