Seeing the light in the dragon's eyes fade away, the grin on Oswald's face widened.

Finally! When I transfuse this beast's blood, I'll be able to advance to the Mana Vortex Rank! Then there's also the dragon heart

Thinking of all those things he could accomplish, the man's breathing grew ragged. Suddenly, Hemingway called out to him from behind.

"What's gotten you so excited?"

Oswald returned to his stoic demeanor as he turned around to glance at his long-time friend.

"Nothing," he replied.

"Don't forget," Hemingway said with an amiable smile. "Half of that belongs to me."

Oswald deeply stared at this man for a few moments, before nodding. "Of course."

The next moment, he cast his gaze over at Edward and Lisa, who were shocked by this sudden turn of events, and sneered. "Don't be so surprised. You'll be following the dragon soon."

"Let me take care of those insects." Hemingway slowly walked toward the couple, his eyes flashing with immense killing intent.

Edward suddenly snapped out of his daze, his body trembling in fear. He tried to move, but found that he couldn't. He had already expended all his mana reserves and his stamina in the earlier battle.

He was but a fish on a chopping board.

Realizing, that his death was a foregone conclusion, tears started to endlessly stream down his eyes. He turned his head toward Lisa and muttered with great unwillingness, "Lisa, I I don't think"

But Lisa interrupted him with a forced smile, "You don't have to say a thing. I already know."

The moment she saw Valerian die at the hands of Oswald, she knew that her fate was already sealed.

Moreover, it seemed to her that Adam had also been rendered completely incapacitated after whatever it was that he tried to pull just now.

She weakly reached out with her trembling hand. "Eddie, in my bleak life you were the best thing that ever happened to me."

"No no no" Edward sobbed and reached out to grab Lisa's hand. "Don't say such things. There's still hope We can still"

He wanted to assure her that everything was going to be alright, but he knew that it would be a lie. In the end, he just silently cried.

"Thank you for coming into my life" Lisa's forced smile turned warm and genuine.

She glanced at Edward with gentle eyes and added, "I love you, Eddie."

The couple's hands were inches apart from each other.

Edward, realizing that they didn't have much time left, finally accepted his fate. He looked deep into Lisa's eyes and softly muttered, "As do I

"Always have

"Always will"

Before their fingers could clasp each other, Hemingway had already appeared before them and hurled two frozen spikes straight through their hearts.

As the light in their eyes slowly dimmed, they desperately tried to hold each other's hand. But in the end, they couldn't.

They passed away, their hands forever apart.

A gust of wind blew and the couple's faces were reflected on the blood beneath them. Their expressions were peaceful, and although their eyes displayed regret, they died with faint smiles on their faces.

Hemingway coldly glanced at their corpses, not moved at all by their actions before death. He then looked at Adam in the distance, his lips curling up into a condescending smirk.

The raven-haired youth was standing motionlessly as blood continued to drip from his eyes and fall to the ground.

Oswald saw the incapacitated state of the youth and couldn't help but chuckle to himself, "To think that I was scared of this hairless brat."

The following moment, he turned around and glanced at his brother. "Morden, go finish him."

"W-What about the Soulmark Retribution?" Morden asked nervously.

Oswald waved his hand and replied with utmost confidence, "Don't worry about it. Once we leave this place, I will have become a Rank 3 Magus and our Gracie Family will soar to unprecedented heights."

He paused for a moment before patting Morden's shoulder and assuring him, "Trust me, brother. Now go. Exact your revenge on the person that killed your son."

Morden's eyes blazed with fury and vengeance. He nodded his head and then stomped toward Adam with a maniacal grin.

Oswald suddenly recalled something and turned his head in a certain direction. There, a shadowy figure was hiding and secretly watching everything unfold.

I should hold my end of the deal, he thought. The orc has been quite useful tonight.

The next moment, he loudly called out, "Gorgo, I know you're alive!"

Gorgo, who was hiding behind a dilapidated building, suddenly flinched in horror. But the words that Oswald said next, caused him to be elated.

"I'm giving you this opportunity. Kill the boy and avenge your tribesmen."

The orc's body trembled in excitement as he glanced at Adam with a bloodthirsty look. The next moment, he brandished his twin daggers and bolted toward the immobilized youth.

Morden attacked from the front, and Gorgo from behind.

Both of them had been wanting to kill Adam for what he did to their dear ones. Today, they would finally be able to exact their revenge.

Even though the two were only moments away from killing him, Adam remained motionless.

Seeing this, the two of them grew even more confident. They raised their weapons, and the following moment, they ferociously thrust them straight through Adam.

"HAHAHA!" Morden laughed maniacally as he twisted his sword that had pierced the youth's heart.

On the other side, Gorgo had an evil grin on his face as he expended his mana into the youth's body through his daggers, effectively destroying the latter's organs.

Seeing that the two had finally gotten rid of Adam, Oswald's shoulders involuntarily loosened.

He then cast a glance at the dragon's corpse that lay before him and couldn't help but think of the bright future that lay ahead of him.

But the next moment, he frowned.

He squinted his eyes and saw that a small crack had appeared in the space before him. Before he could react further, another crack appeared beside the first one.

Oswald had a bad premonition and he muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible.

"What's happening?"