The heavy footsteps had disturbed the tranquility of the mountain peak. A shadow walked out slowly from the woods. Anfey was leaning against an old tree at the mountain peak, enjoying the view at the foot of the mountain. He had heard the sound of footsteps, but he did not turn around. He looked calm, and his eyes were bright. His long, white, magic robe was fluttering, making him look graceful.
The footsteps sounded steady and heavy. It was as though the body had been made from iron and steel. The shadow stopped when he was more than 10 meters away from Anfey, and said in a deep voice, "Do you have a letter for me?"
"Yes." Anfey smiled amicably and took out a letter. "Here it is."
The man glanced at Anfey and walked slowly toward him. Anfey could hide his strength well, and even Saul, Ernest, Baery and the other top level powers had been deceived. This man must have been deceived as well, but he was very cautious. When he was two meters away from Anfey, he stopped and took the letter from him.
Anfey smiled and continued to look at the foot of the mountain.
The man could not sense any animosity from Anfey. Moreover, he was confident of himself. Anfey seemed to be a low level magician, and his power was extremely weak, so he took only one step backward and quickly opened the letter.
There were only a few words on the letter: Your daughter has been killed by Anfey!
The man turned pale and squashed the letter. The thin paper tore in two. Suddenly, he frowned. He felt that something was amiss. Anfey had expended much effort in capturing his daughter from Diamond City, so he would not have killed her so suddenly!
As the man was frowning, Anfey had taken action. He was indescribably fast. To a bystander, Anfey had just moved his shoulders, but he was already close to the man. His fist was about to hit upon the man's face.
The man was quick, too. He stepped back and countered with a backhand. He had wanted to block the blow and seize Anfey's fist.
The punch and the palm met, and there was a loud bang. The man's hand had been pushed back a few inches. He had wanted to seize Anfey's fist, but he ended up grabbing into the air. Anfey had borrowed strength from the force and had now retreated.
"Your palm is very warm and moist. Did I give you a fright?" Anfey said with a smile. He was professionally trained to put on a deceptive smile. Other than those who knew him, the rest of the people would have thought that he was smiling like a big brother. To Kamlin, Anfey did not look like a big brother, but rather an energetic youth.
"What do you want?" Kamlin asked coldly. He was puzzled. Although he was shocked by the punch, he perceived that Anfey was only testing him, and had not wanted to attack him.
"Your reaction is quick and your strength is superb. You do have a chance to save your daughter." Anfey smiled.
"From where do I save her?" Kamlin asked anxiously.
"Here."
"Here?" Kamlin was stunned for a while, and suddenly said coldly, "You mean here?"
"That's right, here." Anfey scanned the surroundings and said: "Look at the sunset, clouds, mountain peak and strong wind. This is such a beautiful and exciting place. You can die here without regrets."
"You are Anfey?" Kamlin shouted. He was of a bigger build than Anfey. With the shout, he seemed to have grown even bigger.
"Bingo," Anfey said flatly. "But…if you strike now, it will be to your disadvantage. You should be standing there." Having said that, Anfey pointed toward the cliff.
"Why?" Kamlin said coldly, while he kept glancing at Anfey. He had heard that Anfey was terrifying, but he could not see how terrifying Anfey could be. Since his track record had shown to be so, Kamlin had to be careful.
"Since your daughters are there, and you want to protect them, shouldn't you be there?"
Kamlin took a deep breath. He stood frozen to the ground, and after some time, he slowly walked past Anfey, moving toward the cliff. When he was a few meters away from the cliff, Kamlin suddenly lost control of himself and pounced forward. His hands were on the edge of the cliff, and he looked down.
This should be the best time to attack. but Anfey stood firm and did not move. He found it interesting. It was a rare opportunity to watch the performance of a top level power. Moreover, the top level power was lying down there, like a dog. Anfey felt entertained.
Kamlin's right foot was deep in the mud, and his back muscles bulged. The most valuable thing about this was, Kamlin had stopped breathing. He was ready to attack. He had pretended to lose control in order to deceive Anfey into attacking—a decoy of sorts.
Holding one's breath could condition the body into tip-top condition. Anfey had known this since he was young. When one stopped breathing, his punch would be at its quickest and most powerful. His senses would be at their sharpest, and he would be very focused. It was like jumping down from a high place. Before landing, one would naturally stop breathing. If he had deliberately started to breathe in or out, he would suffer internal injuries.
After a while, Kamlin slowly stood up and turned to face Anfey. He looked puzzled, but at the same time, angry.
"Did you see it? Sir Kamlin, what do you think…under such a situation, a father will do?" Anfey put on a devilish smile. However, since he was a gentleman, he was a polite devil.
It did not bother Anfey that Kamlin was agitated. He had been well-entertained! The sky was getting dark, and the moon would soon be out. Anfey was not affected by the darkness. If Kamlin was not used to the dark, he would definitely lose out! This was all about timing.
There were only a few old trees on the mountain peak. However, the foot of the mountain was thriving with woods. It was summer, and the rich smell of nature was enough to replenish the energy that Anfey had lost when he was using his mental strength to spy on Kamlin. The cliff was behind Kamlin. Anfey would not use magic. Even if he were in danger, he would have stayed put. To prevent the mountain from destruction and causing rockslides, he would not exert full force. This was his topographical advantage.
The two daughters of Kamlin had been tied up to a long rope, which was hung somewhere at the foot of the mountain, over 30 meters away. Should Anfey get into danger, he would attack the rope in order to turn the situation around, forcing Kamlin to save his daughters. At the very least, he was in an unassailable position. This was about people.
Anfey had all three elements to his advantage: timing, topography, and people. His preparation was much more than these!
"Anfey, we need to talk." Kamlin controlled his anger and tried to speak calmly.
"Talk? Of course." Anfey nodded and said: "If I release your daughters, you must pledge your loyalty to me and kill Edward VIII."
"You…" Kamlin grasped his fists, and his body made sounds, similar to the popping of popcorn.
"Is the deal off?"
"Kamlin, are you qualified to question me?" Anfey said with a smile. "Lord Yolanthe will definitely unify the continents, but you chose to go against the Maho Empire. This is your first mistake. In order to save your daughters, you have snuck into the Rozin Province. Now, you can only depend on yourself. This is your second mistake. Your third mistake is that you don't understand me. This is a grave mistake! You said that I have gone overboard, hahaha…I like to go overboard. What can you do to me?"
Kamlin maintained his composure, but the nerves on his neck had protruded out. He was obviously enraged.
"Kamlin, I think my request is reasonable. I will let you and your daughters off, and have only asked of you to pledge your loyalty to me. Is this asking too much?" Anfey raised his brows and said, "Do you have other means to save your daughters? All right, even if you manage to kill me and save your daughters, where can you go to? After Lord Yolante has unified the continents, there will be no place for you. If you have surrendered then, will you not become a laughing stock?"
Finally, Kamlin's expression changed. What Anfey had said was true.
"Moreover, if you kill me today, do you think that Lord Yolanthe will take you in if you surrender in the future? My master will be heartbroken, Lord Christian will be heartbroken, all those people who serve the Maho Empire will be heartbroken! Frankly speaking, Kamlin, the only way out for you is to submit to the Maho Empire. You have to do it now. If not, your life will end here. You can't even save yourself, let alone others!"
Kamlin stood still, without saying a word.
The sun had set, and the sky had gradually darkened. After some time, Kamlin said in a hoarse voice, "Anfey, If I pledge loyalty to you, will you release my daughters now?" Kamlin seemed to have come to a decision. With Anfey around, it would be impossible for him to save his daughters. Even he was in danger. The only way out for him was to compromise.
"That's right." Anfey nodded.
"All right…" Kamlin said reluctantly, and slowly knelt down on one knee and said, "I, Kamlin, swear to Dragon God that I will pledge loyalty to Sir Anfey from now on."
"Hahaha…" Anfey suddenly broke out into laughter.
"Sir, why are you laughing? Are you insulting me?" Kamlin lifted up his head and said.
"Hahaha…" Anfey suppressed his laughter and said, "Kamlin, you don't understand me, but I know you well! I have heard that you have been living in seclusion for a long time. It is a pity…I think it suits you well to lead such a life. You…shouldn't have come out. You really shouldn't have!"
"Sir, what do you mean?"
"No matter how well you have controlled your emotions, or how sincere your words sounded, they will not help you gain my trust. It is your choice that counts." Anfey sighed and said, "You are stubborn, strong, and courageous. My master has told me that you are a valiant warrior. Hahaha…I don't think so. You are stupid enough to bring your wife to challenge the master necromancer, Morgan. I don't think you will submit to me and serve me."
"You are doubting my sincerity?" Kamlin slowly stood up and said. "Why don't you tell me, how can I prove my sincerity to you?"
"I am not doubting you, I just don't trust you at all." Anfey laughed. "I have said, I know you well! You are very particular about your reputation. After your wife had been killed by Morgan, you were too ashamed to face anyone, so you chose to live a secluded life. If you have rejected my offer and promised me that you will bring your daughters to live in seclusion and no longer involve yourself with the matters of the Shansa Empire, …I would have probably believed you. Given your character, this is what you would have done."
Kamlin's cheeks twitched, and he chose to remain silent.
"Kamlin, you know how to bargain, don't you? If you had wanted to compromise, you would have come up with various solutions to preserve your dignity, and at the same time, to save your daughters." Anfey said slowly, "It is a pity that you have been thinking of ways to deceive me instead. You have placed your energy at the wrong place! This is why you have not realized that not bargaining with me was a mistake!"
"Sir, you…" Kamlin opened his mouth, but could not get out a word.
"One more thing, you have never mentioned someone! The kid that you have sent to assassinate Alice was the descendant of dragonborn! Why have you not mentioned it? Are you worried that I will doubt you?" Anfey laughed out loud. "Since you have not mentioned it, all the more, I will not trust you! You have withdrawn from your seclusion and worked with Edward VIII to avenge your child, haven't you?"
Kamlin moved suddenly, and like a crazy wild ox, he barged toward Anfey. His hair and clothes had been straightened by the strong wind.
Anfey continued to smile, and lifted up his hand to release magic. A blazing meteorite appeared in the air, and with a hiss, it dropped down.
Kamlin was stunned at first, but quickly turned around and pounced toward the meteorite. The meteorite will fall to the foot of the mountain, and Kamlin knew now who Anfey was planning to attack.
Kamlin's skin was immune to fire. The weight of the meteorite was not a threat to him. With a wave of his backhand, Kamlin sent the meteorite toward the side of the mountain.
"Have you been exposed? I was testing you earlier. It is a pity that you did not pass the test," Anfey said with a smile.
Kamlin was stunned. He felt like vomiting. When Anfey had pointed out the mistakes that he had committed, and had mentioned that not understanding Anfey was a grave mistake, he had thought that Anfey was bragging. However, Anfey had now become a devil to him. He did not know when Anfey was telling the truth. Even at this moment, he did not know if Anfey was testing him, making fun of him, or ridiculing him.
When he was on his way up the mountain, he was calm. When he saw his daughters being hung at the foot of the mountain, he was composed. However, he was now confused. His thoughts could have been led by Anfey, or the confusion could be due to the teasing and sneering.
Regardless of what it was, he had to fight. Kamlin roared and stabbed toward Anfey.
Anfey lifted up his hand. He still had the smile on his face, he had maintained his posture, the magic was still there, and the target remained unchanged. Kamlin could only repeat his earlier actions, which were to stop abruptly and then pounce toward the back.
"Anfey, as the heir of the Sacred Level, you could only attack the innocent?" Kamlin shouted. He could not explain how Anfey was able to release the meteorite. He only knew that if they continued to fight, he would be at his mercy!
"What do you mean by innocent? When I first learned magic from my master, I was innocent. But, I have been framed. I have wanted to remain innocent, but after a few days, Phillip's grandson, Zeda, barged into the master's house and wanted to kill me. He was ruthless. Was I not innocent? After that, I met a high priest. I respected and trusted him, but what did I get?"
Anfey sneered. "Everyone is innocent. Anyone can hurt another innocent person, so why can't I?"
"Bullshit!" Kamlin shouted. "If you are a man, have a fair duel with me!"
"Only an idiot will have a fair duel with you." Anfey smiled sarcastically. "When you were after Morgan's life, did you go with your wife? When the people asked you to be fair, were you being fair to them?"
At this instant, a magic signal was sent from the foot of the mountain, which took Kamlin by surprise. Anfey said knowingly, "It seems like you have gotten yourself help. What a pity…they will not be able to help you!"
"Great…you think you are great!" Kamlin's eyes gradually turned red.