CHAPTER 455: CHAPTER 33: DIVERGENCE

The atmosphere immediately froze, colder than the frigid weather of the North.

Jeremy hovered in mid-air, spreading his six wings, and silently stared at Richie. The two were at a standstill.

Jones, dressed in armor with a thick cotton coat over it, stood beside Richie. Faint white mist drifted from the gaps in his armor visor.

"Don’t refuse so quickly," Jeremy faintly smiled and said softly, "We can give you ample time to consider, but of course, not too long. We want you to understand two things. First, we are not pressuring you, we are just seeking a proper way to resolve this issue and maintain the balance on Keltos Continent. Balance means avoiding war, avoiding casualties, which aligns with the ideology your father, Lich King Gray Gruggle, has always advocated. At the same time, a ceasefire doesn’t have to be unconditional. You can demand that the Black Dragon Clan relinquish control over Gustav. They could even compensate you in another way, as long as they agree. This suggestion is actually quite generous."

"The other thing we want you to understand is that if war becomes inevitable, it will not be another Salted Fish Port battle. The Holy Spirit has made the worst preparations. We do not want Keltos to fall into your hands, which means we would lose it forever, no different from its destruction."

Richie stood motionless, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

Looking back in the direction of the Golden Dragon Clan, Jeremy continued, "I will convey this message to your allies, hoping you all can sit down together and come up with an ideal solution. No one wants to reach the last step, do they? I will return in three days, hoping for a satisfactory answer."

"No need, I can tell you now that I refuse!" Richie responded angrily.

"As I said, don’t refuse so quickly. We will give you ample time to consider. Wish you a pleasant time."

With that, Jeremy smiled, and his figure slowly disappeared.

In the distance, the Black Dragons poked their heads out from the peak of Dragon’s Crest, their eyes wide open, looking as if they were completely unaware of what had transpired between Richie and Jeremy.

...

"What a joke, if they want to fight, then let’s fight to the end!"

"Who have we ever been afraid of? We have our soul jars, can they find them?"

"We can fight them for eternity!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

Upon hearing the news, the Liches were all indignant.

Amidst the indignant atmosphere, Jones suddenly said, "But Richie doesn’t have a soul jar."

Immediately, everyone turned to look at Richie and Jones. The Liches suddenly fell silent.

"I don’t care!" Richie said resolutely, "To avenge my father, even if I have to give my life, I have no regrets! It’s not just delivering an ultimatum, even if the Angel Army were right in front of me, I would never surrender!"

"Yes, exactly!"

"We will never surrender!"

"Let them taste the scourge of the undead!"

One by one, the Liches shouted again. Only Jones remained quietly seated, stealing a cautious glance at Richie.

...

"I think it’s unfeasible."

"Why?"

In the dark tunnel, Dora handed Jones a jar of fresh blood.

Taking off his knight helmet, Jones accepted the blood-filled jar, tilted his head back, and chugged it down. After finishing it all, he wiped his mouth casually and continued, "We have seen the strength of the Angel Army. Although they lost, it doesn’t mean they will always lose. In fact, I think if they go all out, they can definitely win. After all, they have the Holy Spirit, whose power is at the same level as the Demon Lord. We have all witnessed the Demon Lord’s power. Even in the presence of his Demon Envoy, ordinary angels and demons are completely helpless."

Leaning against the stone, Jones took a deep breath, paused, then continued, gazing at the empty ground ahead, "I can understand their intention. They don’t want to get directly involved because if they do, the demons will surely make a move as well. But if it becomes unsolvable, they will certainly intervene. Accepting their conditions might be the best outcome for us."

Dora carefully took the empty jar from Jones and cautiously asked, "Lord Jones, don’t you want to avenge the Lord of Lich King?"

"Of course, I do. But, avenging our father is not the only thing in front of us. Besides avenging our father, we have many other tasks, like defending what our father stood for, carrying out what he carried out. If we lose here, they might even erase our father’s existence from this world entirely, and no history book will record it. Heaven and Hell would be happy to do so, and they have the power. The entire Keltos would revert to its state before our father appeared." Jones’s eyes were filled with exhaustion and confusion. He glanced at Dora and said softly, "Between our father’s dream and revenge, we have to make a difficult choice."

"Lord Richie won’t agree."

"I know. Not just him, none of the Liches of the White Bone Holy Light Court would agree." Closing his eyes slowly, Jones’s face was full of concern, "I want to persuade Richie, but I don’t know how to start. In his heart, avenging our father seems more important than anything, more than even his own life."