Published at 7th of April 2026 7:14 am

Chapter 1656 Genuine Pride

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

As the blade passed through Valerian's figure, the man's lips curled into a victorious smirk.

Easy, he thought in triumph. Now all he had to do was take care of the other enemy.

Too easy…

As the man saw the little gray cat's body cleaved in two and blood spraying outward, his smile faltered ever so slightly.

His strike had cut through the beast without resistance.

It was easy. Way too easy.

A hint of foreboding crept inside his heart. And in the next moment, as if to confirm his suspicions, Valerian, whose face had turned pale from shock and fright, suddenly looked toward him and sneered.

The Haynam Magus's eyes slowly widened as he realized what it was.

An illusion!

A finely crafted illusion. Not just of Valerian's supposed death, but of everything that came with it. The split body, the strands of gray fur, blood spilling outward, and even the shadow it cast as it fell.

Every detail was there. It was precise, convincing, and very real.

How could someone craft an illusion so intricate?

So vivid?

It was astounding.

Valerian dissipated into gray smoke and completely vanished before the Magus's sight. In the next instant, the man felt a presence suddenly appear behind him, vast and dangerous.

Without even turning around to look at the source of this threat, he already knew who it was. So he quickly poured mana into his defensive artifact.

Valerian appeared behind him, his topaz eyes glowing in the dark, radiating excitement and bloodlust. But now, he was no longer in his cat form.

Instead, he had already transformed into a gray-armored panther and viciously struck the man with his paw.

BAM!

The Magus's artifact managed to deal with the brunt of the blow, but he was still swept off his feet and violently hurled into the distance, coughing blood from his mouth.

Realizing that he was unable to deal the killing blow, Valerian's eyes narrowed in slight irritation.

"Tsk." He clicked his tongue. "Magi and their damned artifacts!"

He turned his head to the side, just in time to witness Ulric dancing through the crowd of dazed Magi, his twin axes swirling around him as if he were a macabre whirlwind of death. Heads flew skyward, and blood gushed out in every direction.

It was a chilling dance of violence and cruelty, yet the General of the Dark King's army had made it look so… beautiful.

Ulrich finally came to a stop. Behind him lay half a dozen corpses, blood gushing endlessly out of them and forming a large puddle on the wet cobblestones. He flicked his wrists in a practiced manner, shaking the blood from the edges of his axes.

He turned to Valerian, who was no longer a cute little cat but instead an intimidating panther with gray scales acting like natural armor.

Valerian intently studied the middle-aged man and nodded in approval. "You fight well, human…"

Ulrich couldn't help but feel a little smug. It wasn't every day that one got praised by a dragon, after all.

"Heh, well, what can I say—"

His words got caught in his throat when Valerian interrupted him.

"…As expected of my brother for recruiting someone like you." There was genuine pride in his voice.

The corner of Ulrich's lips twitched. He sighed defeatedly and looked around. "Where's the Mana Vortex Magus?" he asked. "Dealt with him yet?"

"No." Valeriean turned toward the direction his foe was hurled. "He still lives."

"Well then." Ulrich spun the axes in his hands and stepped forward. "Let's get him."

***

On the other side, in the smoky rubble of a building, the Haynam Magus spat a mouthful of dust and blood as he slowly rose to his feet.

Using the broken wall beside him for support, he forced himself upright. In the process, he left behind a bloody handprint on the wall.

"That fucking cat!" he cursed subconsciously, thinking back to the creature who had woven an illusion powerful enough to fool his senses.

"No… is that even a cat?"

He steadied his footing, then lifted his head and looked ahead, at the hole he had burst through to get here.

The Magus saw a figure rapidly approaching him. It was a human.

But suddenly, his eyes narrowed when he saw something else approach… no, hurled toward him with even greater speed.

His eyes soon widened in alarm when he realized what it was. He instinctively rolled to the side. And a split second later…

Thud!

When he looked back up, an axe was buried deep in the wall where he had just been standing.

A drop of cold sweat trickled down the side of his forehead as he gazed at the axe. He hadn't come across many Magi who were experts in close-quarter combat, for all they ever trained in was spell-casting.

But this man, Ulrich, truly was proving to be a nightmare to Magi like him.

And then there was the strange cat…

Thinking of that mysterious creature, he felt a chill crawl down his spine. The illusion the creature weaved was too scary. He quickly got back to his feet again and rushed out of the broken building.

The only advantage that he could think of at the moment was that he knew the outline of the military outpost better than his enemies. So he planned to use it to his advantage.

As soon as he exited the building, he hoped to be out on the wet cobbled streets again. But instead, he found himself in a familiar, broken structure. His feet came to a gradual halt, and he scanned his surroundings with wariness.

Beside him, he noticed a broken wall, one displaying a bloody handprint... his handprint.

The man frowned as the dark familiarity crept into his bones. He turned to his right and saw the hole in the far side of the building, the one he had burst through after the mysterious gray creature had attacked him.

"It can't be," he murmured, his figure trembling.

The man slowly turned to his left, and there it was…

An axe buried deep into the wall.

He gulped subconsciously when realization dawned on him. But the next moment, the world around him spun. And with a dull thud, he fell to the ground, his gaze landing on a familiar, headless body.

It was his own.

Blood gushed out from the severed neck as the body toppled to the ground.

Behind it, Ulrich stepped into view. There was blood on the edge of his axe, and on his shoulder sat a small gray cat, his topaz eyes gleaming.

The last thing the Haynam Magus saw was the cat looking down at him with cold disdain.

"Pathetic!" Valerian snorted.

And then... everything went dark.

Will be posting extra chapters for the rest of the month. I hope we can reach 25k priv unlocks this time:')

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