A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night

Cut to: Graveyard Outskirts

Kael guided Ignis over the ashen hills and broken mausoleums at the edge of the town. Below, where once must've rested a thousand bones, the ground was… all seemed like they got dug out. It was too messy.

No skeletons. No rotting limbs. Or signs of conflict.

Kael's eyes narrowed, senses sharp. Something was wrong, a Tier-8 aura pulsed faintly from the still mists around the headstones.

He raised a hand to signal Ignis to slow. That's when…

Fffft!

A blur cut through the wind, a razor-thin arrow of light flying straight at his chest. Kael's instincts flared. He tilted aside, letting it pass him…

Except it didn't go past.

It disappeared an inch from contact, as though the air itself swallowed it.

"What the…" Kael's gaze snapped toward the distant mausoleum rooftop.

There, in a shaft of golden sunlight, stood a blonde-haired woman, her butterfly-shaped wings flapping. Her hair danced in the wind, golden like dawnfire. Her piercing blue eyes shimmered with mischief. And her beautiful heart-shaped lips smirked before speaking aloud. "It's been a while, Kael. Didn't expect to run into you here, of all places. And definitely has not expected you to be on such a divine beast."

Kael's brows furrowed as he studied her. But then, as his face fell on her, his eyes widened in recognition. "Alice?"

She grinned widely, letting out a peace sign, "Yup, the peacemaker of Third Street has come to save the day."

Kael couldn't help but smile upon hearing those words. The same words echoed in his mind, except that they were said by an 11-year-old blonde. "What are you doing here?" He couldn't help but ask.

Alice then hurtled toward Kael, arms outstretched in a wide embrace.

But…

SWISH!

The Infernal Pegasus, as if unwelcoming to her, reflexively spun away and kicked her abdomen just as she reached them. Kael's smile froze, and so did Alice's.

WHUMP.

She crashed face-first into the scorched grass below, kicking up a puff of soot. "Oof!"

"Umm… You alright, Alice?" He asked in surprise.

Alice groaned, lifting herself with a very unladylike grunt, face red and nose scrunched. "How dare you dodge your childhood friend's love-powered hug assault!"

"Sorry. Ignis doesn't like strangers approaching it." Kael rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and put up an awkward smile. Of course, he didn't think that she was injured or anything, as he could sense she was in Tier-8, the same as Shiera and Mia.

"Bad horse…" Alice huffed at the pegasus.

The Infernal Pegasus snorted in response, expressing mild irritation.

Kael opened his mouth to apologize again when…

His eyes snapped wide. "Move, Alice—NOW!"

Instinctively, she jumped backward.

A beam of pulsating black energy ripped through the space she'd been occupying, smashing into the ground with a sizzling roar.

Behind where Alice had landed, a cloaked figure stood on the tombstones. His tattered black robe billowed. In one hand, he held a staff carved from bleached bone, the top crowned by a writhing, half-sentient skull with green flame eyes.

The air around him hissed.

"A grand lich?" Kael furrowed his brows.

He didn't hesitate. "Ignis! Dive!"

The Fire Pegasus flared, flames igniting along its hooves and wings. Kael gripped its mane and leaned forward as they descended like a falling star.

The grand lich began another chant, but it's too late.

"Flame Burst Lance!"

Alice summoned a lance, burning in white flames. She hurled at the lich.

BOOM!

It struck the grand lich square in the side. The explosion sent the cloaked figure flying into a row of tombstones, shattering them like brittle clay.

Meanwhile, Kael landed beside Alice, extending a hand. "You alright?"

Alice took it, breathing fast, with her widened eyes. "Relax, I'm alright. That undead isn't a match for me." Placing her hands on her hips, as she puffed her chest with a proud smile on her face, Kael's eyes momentarily fell on her upper body. An instant blush crept to his cheeks as a thought came to his head. "Damn, those are bigger than even Amanda's. Ugh…" He looked away immediately.

Alice caught that expression, and her eyes turned a bit mischievous. "Ho… I forgot that someone is now a man, and not a boy anymore."

The grandlich slowly got up and floated in mid-air, then.

"Hey, it's back," Kael warned.

As Alice summoned another Flame Burst Lance, the grand lich stared at them for a couple of seconds and then raised the skeletal staff once again.

"Get ready…" Alice brandished the lance like a whip, ready to attack.

But then a thick plume of green mist erupted from his feet, coiling around his form like a snake. With a snap of a second, the grandlich blinked from the field, vanishing like smoke.

Kael narrowed his eyes, looking around in alertness to see whether it was masking its appearance. But then Alice said. "It's gone."

Cut to: Distant Hillside

The cloaked man was seen running at a hurried pace. As a scarlet orb of energy struck his back, he stumbled and fell to the ground.

Sith was there, floating above him. With a sadistic grin on her face, she said, "I saw many liches in my life, but never saw a half-lich. I would love to dig through your head and see what your plan is, because I see the movement of souls toward the graveyard back then."

Looking at her face without any fear, he chuckled, hoarse and wheezing. "I guess I can't escape you, after all. In that case, I'll take you with me."

Sith's eyes widened as she scanned his body with her scarlet eyes. She sensed that his mana started going wild.

Suddenly, his core exploded, blasting away Sith a dozen meters.

*Cough* Cough*

She rose to her feet and saw that it had turned into a corpse. She then couldn't help but gaze at her sleeves, torn, and burnt marks were seen on her skin. "This damn bastard…" She gritted her teeth.

Cut to: Southern Gate

"Oraaa…"

With a roar, Shiera is seen jumping mid-air, her sword cutting off the frozen Death Knight's head. As the ice spell on it wore off, Mia cast a fire spell, destroying the remains.

"Shiera…" Orin shouted, pointing at the cluster of rotting flesh corpses coming at them.

"Get ready…" Shiera took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the handle, her sword above her shoulder.

It was then that suddenly, all of them collapsed to the ground. They didn't get up again.

Shiera blinked, exchanging glances with her teammates.

A Few Hours Later at Town Square

The adventurers were busy cremating the corpses and the undead skeletons.

The surviving townsfolk were slowly returning from shelters.

At the center of the town, the party regrouped near a fountain.

Shiera stood tall, her armor scratched, but her posture firm. Mia was chattering animatedly with Orin while Leiza leaned on her twin swords, eyeing Kael's direction. She was supposed to stay close to Kael, but she got lost in the middle of the way, and when she found him again, everything was already over, and she returned.

The beating of wings drew their attention for a moment.

Kael landed with Ignis in a wide arc, the flames of the beast's mane dimming as its hooves touched ground.

But it wasn't just Kael.

Behind him, flying through her wings, was a woman clad in silver-blue leather armor. Her blonde hair flowed gently, and her piercing blue eyes scanned the group with a look of excitement on her face.

"You're late," Shiera said coolly.

Kael dismounted and gestured toward the woman. "Sorry. Got held up. Everyone, this is Alice."