Chapter 1674 Internal Dissent

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The previous day…

In the dying light of the setting sun, Jomuran looked like a refuge to the two cultists.

Murphy's heart was filled with relief as he saw the distant city. But at the same time, there was still lingering fear in his eyes.

He turned to his colleague and spoke in a hoarse voice, "You must… scout… the area… first!"

Orion snapped toward him, eyes gleaming with frustration. "We're so far inland, and you're still afraid of the enemy? Have you finally gone senile!"

Enraged, Murphy tightly clutched the hems of Orion's robes. "Fucking do it!"

Orion couldn't help but flinch a little. He was utterly exasperated at the man's paranoia. He was about to rebuke the man, tell him he'd had enough of it, but right at the moment, Murphy shot him a bloodshot glare.

"Have you forgotten?" He barked. "What I've lost? What I've sacrificed to make sure you were alive! I carried you from that battlefield while I was severely injured! Did you forget all of that?!"

Orion's mouth opened and closed a few times. But in the end, he swallowed his words. He spat in annoyance, "Paranoid cunt!"

With that, he turned around and flew the way they came from.

Orion didn't rise high. He kept close to the ground, skimming just above the terrain as he moved along the edge of the mountain range.

The jagged slopes loomed before him, casting long shadows in the pale moonlight. His eyes never stayed still. He scanned the ground for disturbed earth, broken branches, any sign of pursuit.

Though he was quite frustrated with Murphy, he didn't think his paranoia was unwarranted - maybe a little. The enemy was someone from the Dark King's army, after all. So, although he blatantly displayed his grievances, he still took his word seriously.

His senses stretched outward, feeling for any subtle shifts in mana. Anything out of place, anything that didn't belong, really. He adjusted his path constantly. If someone was truly following, he intended to know first.

"Looking for someone?"

An unfamiliar voice echoed in his ears. It came from… right beside him!

Orion froze, his eyes widening in utter disbelief. Just then, he sensed another figure flying adjacent to him. He hadn't felt this presence right up till the moment it spoke.

Terror flooded his veins, and he slowly turned to his side.

In the darkness of the night, he saw a youth in dark robes flying beside him. His black cape fluttered behind him, and the pointed top of his hat swayed gently in the wind.

Regardless of how dark the night was, this person's eyes seemed to be even darker. They were filled with amusement.

Adam put his arm around Orion's shoulders and lightly chuckled. "Why don't we have a chat? Oh, and…"

He turned to the cultist, his eyes narrowing. "Don't try anything smart. Or I'll kill you."

Orion gulped subconsciously. All he could do was stiffly nod and think to himself bitterly:

Muprhy was right…

Half a minute later, two pairs of feet touched the ground. It was a relatively secluded place at the base of the Jom.

Adam stood before Orion, arms crossed and a light smirk on his face. "Your partner is quite the cautious fellow. I was hoping you'd lead me to the regional command center, but here we are."

He took a few steps, causing Orion to flinch in terror.

"I won't bite." Adam chuckled, appearing gentle and harmless.

He put his arm around Orion's shoulders once again, as if conversing with an old friend. Then they faced in the direction of Jomuran. Adam squinted his eyes, his gaze seemingly traversing many miles.

"Hmm, so what is this place?" He murmured, as if talking to a travel guide rather than an enemy. "Looks like a solid fortress at the center. Quite heavily fortified, too."

His eyes narrowed. "And that stone pillar… is interesting"

Orion remained silent. Nothing escaped his lips, except shaky breaths. Despite standing so close to the raven-haired youth, not for a moment did he think that he could initiate a surprise attack.

The danger emanating from this young man was so vast that Orion felt that if he made even the smallest of movements that hinted even a shred of hostility, that would be the last time he drew breath.

And so, he gulped and answered in a hoarse voice, "G-Great prison…"

"Ah." Adam nodded in understanding. "So this is one of the four great prisons of Haynam, eh? The southern one."

He then stroked his chin with the other hand and murmured. "Well, this is not

bad either. Freeing prisoners and inciting rebellion was one of my plans, anyway. It's good to exploit some internal dissent, don't you think?"

Adam turned to the cultist, his smile widening. "So… any last words?"

Orion broke into tears, his shoulders trembling. He just couldn't help himself. He had never faced such a situation in his life, where he was so helpless. There was no way out that he could see. Nothing he could say or do could help him get out of this situation.

So, in a moment of utter desperation, he begged for his life.

"Please, Dark King, please!" he spoke through chokes and sobs. "I'll do anything!

Just say the word, and I'll do it! Please… I beg you!"

"You'll do anything?" Adam arched a brow, amused.

"Yes, yes, yes!" the elderly cultist blurted out. "Anything!"

"Then… I want you to die," Adam spoke in a polite, gentle voice.

Orion's figure trembled. He just couldn't stop himself from shaking. Pure terror flooded his frame, and he desperately said:

"P-Please! I have children… grandchildren! Please-ackk!"

Adam tightened his arm around Orion's neck, squeezing it. He leaned forward,

whispering in his ears, his voice cold and ruthless.

"So you suddenly care for children, eh? What about those that you tortured and killed in the Mourning Mountains? Hah? The ones you separated from their

families? What about 'em?"

Adam's grip tightened.

Orion's face flushed red, the veins on his face bulged, and his eyeballs slowly started to pop out of their sockets. Forget speaking, he was not even able to breathe as the Dark King's arm tightened slowly, surely, diabolically.

And then…

Splat! Crack!

Adam released his arm, and Orion collapsed to the ground in a heap. He inhaled deeply as he glanced at the cultist's face… or what remained of it anyway. He then smiled as his face twisted and squirmed, as if countless tiny tendrils wriggled underneath the flesh.

The sound of garments flapped, followed by the crunch of boots hitting the

earth.

Murphy turned to the side and saw Orion walking toward him, arms crossed, and a hard look on his face.

"So?" Murphy arched his brows and asked, "Find anything?"

Orion harrumphed in annoyance.

"Goodness arcana! There's no one following us! I am so done with you." With

that, he strode toward the distant city.

Murphy let out a sigh of relief, then followed after him.

Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, Orion's lips curled into a faint,

mischievous smirk…