What Richard didnât know was that ever since he appeared in front of the palace, news of his arrival had already spread throughout the entire capital.
People might not have talked about him for a long time, but no one had forgotten his nameâhis achievements as a child were too remarkable to fade away.
And today, he had finally transformed into a full-grown man.
Many were curious about what Richard looked like now, and when he stepped out of the palace, he was surprised to find a huge crowd outside the courtyard.
They had gathered there just to see him. Some were even sketching his appearance right on the spot.
Unprepared for such attention, Richard chose to leave quicklyâthis time using his flying ark instead of flying on his own.
He didnât hesitate to consume a large number of Nature Spirits to maximize the arkâs speed, shortening his journey significantly.
Red Star Empress Village.
When he arrived there again, what he found was no longer a village filled with grand castles, but ruins and collapsed structures.
Seeing it in such a state, Richard couldnât help but feel sorrow for the Red Star Empress, whom he regarded as a wise consort.
His flying ark descended into the deserted village, and he saw no one around.
It was hard to believe that beneath this place lay an enormous underground prison.
Whoosh!
Richard leapt toward a well that looked small from the outside and contained no waterâonly darkness and thin air.
Lilith had told him this was the entrance, so he jumped right in.
His body plummeted at incredible speed, and he even chose to accelerate his descent.
BANG!
He landed hard on a concrete floor.
In front of him was a staircase leading further down.
He started descending the long staircaseâabout two hundred metersâuntil he reached a vast basement.
His eyes flickered in awe as he looked around; it was unlike anything he had ever seen before.
The entire floor of the basement was filled with cracks, revealing that it was actually the upper part of a gigantic cage.
Inside, Richard saw nothing but piles of giant skeletonsâno sign of life remained.
He descended into the cage, which was divided into many chambers.
After some exploration, he noticed a tunnel below.
Whoosh!
He moved toward it and entered.
It wasnât dark, nor was it particularly long.
There, Richard saw Lilith standing motionlessâlike a statueâin front of a wolf shackled by chains on its arms and legs.
This wolf was different; its body resembled that of a human, marking it as a werewolf.
Of course, that was only its partial formâits true nature was still that of a beast.
Its fur shimmered in a mix of silver and gold, gleaming beautifully, yet even in its calm state, the aura it released was oppressively terrifying.
Fortunately, its eyes were tightly closed, as if in deep slumber.
Although this werewolf was technically his uncle, Richard found it hard to feel any familial connection while looking at him in such a form.
"Do you have a plan, boy?" Lilith suddenly asked, her gaze fixed on him.
Though she needed focus, a brief conversation wouldnât interfere.
"Sister Lilith, what would happen if a Slave Seal were placed on him?" Richard asked in return.
"His primal instincts would reject it, even if it meant his death," Lilith replied.
"So thatâs not a good idea," Richard muttered.
Their goal wasnât merely to subdue himâbut to save him, or perhaps gain benefit from the Alpha Werewolfâs power.
"In short, conventional methods wonât work."
"What about the Blood Devourer Arcane Art?" Richard asked next.
Rather than using it immediately, he decided to discuss it with Lilith first.
The woman was visibly taken aback upon hearing that, giving him a strange look.
"Youâve mastered it?" she asked.
"Of course. If I use the Heavenly Waterâs power, I should be able to match this Werewolfâs level," Richard answered.
"Youâre sure you want to use it?" Lilith asked, to which Richard only responded with a faint smile.
Lilith thought he meant using the Heavenly Water itselfâsomething that would cost him his greatest life-saving trump card.
But in truth, he would only consume its energy.
Though replenishing it was difficult, he had no issue doing so. The infinite regeneration of the Heavenly Water was what truly mattered.
"Iâll give it a try," Richard said softly.
He could feel the hidden energy of the Heavenly Water within himâfar greater than his own strength.
With a thought, he drew that energy into his body.
Buzz!
A golden light erupted from him, releasing such immense pressure that Lilith instinctively stepped back.
Although it was external power, it didnât throw his aura into chaos. It was perfectly controlledâno explosions, no erratic phenomena.
Richard continued to radiate golden light. His form didnât change at all.
The only difference was the power he now felt surging through him.
He wasnât sure how many times stronger he had becomeâonly that it was beyond imagination.
Richard raised his hand toward the werewolf before him.
Blood streamed from his fingertips, forming the head of a monstrous creature with a wide, gaping maw clearly meant to devour.
Whoosh!
It swallowed the werewolf whole.
Richard frowned slightly afterward.
He tried to draw the werewolfâs blood. When he had done so with Sterling, it was easy.
But this time, even with his drastically increased strength, he found the werewolfâs blood as solid and heavy as fused steelâimpossible to pull out.
Is this Werewolf still far stronger than me? Richard wondered.
BANG!
Moments later, the blood construct exploded as Richard ran out of Heavenly Water energyâit couldnât last long.
His aura returned to normal, the golden light around him fading away.
There were no side effects. Richard didnât even feel weakâonly part of his Aether had been drained.
Still, he couldnât help but feel frustrated by his failure.
"It seems thereâs no other way," Lilith said calmly, unsurprised.
Clearly, she hadnât expected much to begin with.
And Richard couldnât say anything in response.