Valerian scared Telia into submitting, and then he recreated her arms. The threat of turning her into a mound of ash was untrue. He had implanted a wisp of decay mana in her new body. Suppose she was to turn against him. The mana will eat her up from the inside out.

Telia’s arms were recreated right before the eyes of the Knights and the Enemies. They were shocked because even commoners knew that things did not work like this and that magic was not all-powerful. This spell and magic bring you glory, treasures, and recognition.

However, it also brings envy, jealousy, betrayal, and loneliness. Valerian was not bothered about all these things. His only goal was not to simply kill Immortuous, but he wanted to destroy him. Everything that the Tyrant had, allies, loyal subordinates, and family. All of it, Valerian wanted to destroy.

What could be more toxic than an alienated child raised to be a tool? Telia was the tool, but the hand holding her was different. Valerian said, "The first task is to contain and immobilize all the hounds on the scene, which means three people. Can you do that?"

Thelia nodded, stood up from the position, and asked, "Why are you so sure that I will not harm you or that all my tears were not the act to deceive you?"

Valerian did not look at her but said, "Those who cannot cry have a certain nick for telling whether someone else has true or fake tears."

Telia froze, and Valerian said, "Get going."

The girl was surprised, but the young man did not say anything. Telia moved, and she was quick in her actions. Valerian narrowed his eyes. He could sense that her body had a smooth flow of mana.

The lady flickered over to her sister in less to no time. The moment she stood in front of her sisters. She said, "Valerian undo the spell."

Valerian removed the thorns, and Thelia, in a blink, covered her palms with battle aura and stabbed the two people right through their hearts.

The two ladies opened their eyes wide, and Telia asked, "Did you think I did not know you never liked me? You never loved me, but I never cared. To me, you guys were my first family. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

It is not that you both could use me. It is that I wanted to be used. I thought my dedication could earn me some reciprocation from you. However, the things you just said broke my soul. I would have looped my head off my shoulders for you."

Krel and Mel were flabbergasted when Telia inserted her hands through their flesh and grasped their hearts. They did not expect her to be so cruel. The pain she inflicted on them was so harsh that it froze them in their places.

Telia sighed and was about to crush the hearts. Akra said, "Lady Telia, why? Are you sympathizing with that bastard? Do you forget about everything that Master did for you?"

Telia turned her head and said, "The things I have done for him and his bitchy ass dead sister outweigh what his father did for me. Also, you are a lapdog we raised here, so you have no clue what happened there."

She crushed the hearts with her bare hands, and the two victims vomited blood. They were in shock till the moment they died. Telia took her hands out of the chest and then moved to deal with Akra.

It did not seem like the man could have done anything to prevent himself from her attacks. This was completely different from the sight of his fight with Valerian. This fight helped Valerian understand one thing: Telia had scary fighting skills and was not in the mood to hold back.

Valerian was thinking as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. The lady was not fighting with him seriously. She was holding back, and that left him with two scenarios. Either it was that she underestimated him, or she wanted to catch him alive.

The young man raised his brow and thought about his future actions. This woman was cunning, and killing her sisters meant that her actions were genuine, her pent-up sadness turned into hatred, or she was serious about following Valerian.

If it was the latter, it meant this lady would stab him in the back one day. He did not want to leave such a person standing behind him. So, his brain began to turn. Seven minutes later, Telia looked at the warriors outside the wall and said, "You better surrender to Valerian, or I will make you crawl to the gates of hell."

The warriors and fighters they had recruited were people they had given money or blackmailed into their cohort. Valerian had dealt with the elite force sent by Immortuous.

The young man watched the scene from the top of the tower, looked down at Knights, and said, "Sir Mahiyan, would you like to take charge of the situation? I will have to take Telia through the flames of Vita."

Telia was surprised. She shivered when she heard this. She had just returned to Valerian’s side and looked at him with wide-open eyes. Valerian asked, "Tell me, who are the other hounds? Today we dealt with seven people, excluding you."

Telia shook her head and said, "Two people were killed when they tried to infiltrate the dragon temple."

Valerian nodded and said, "Come along then. They have a chapel in this place. They also have a mural of the goddess where we can walk through the flames."

Telia wanted to say something when Valerian grabbed her hand and pulled her along. His speed was fast, and he brought the young lady to the ground. He looked at Gwen and said, "Gwen be my witness."

Gwen was surprised, but she nodded. Mahiyan began to wake the dazed people and rallied them all to take custody of the surrendering warriors. The young man had become a legend among the Knights of the Mercy. They could not help but look in the direction he went in. They began to discuss the way he handled things.

Some were scared, and some were impressed. The people did not know what he had been through. They only knew about his birth. One of the knights said, "Sir Mahiyan, do you think he can walk through the flames of Vita for the second time?"

Mahiyan shrugged and said, "I would like to believe that he can."

They did not know how much of what Valerian said was true or not.

...

Gwen stood in the chapel before Telia and Valerian lined up. Valerian said, "Should I go first, or should you?"

Telia gulped a mouthful of saliva and said, "I think you should go first."

Valerian shook his head and pushed Telia forward. The girl suddenly found herself standing seven steps away from the mural. The silver-haired monk took a round orb from his magic pouch and said, "Gwen hold onto this and keep a steady flow of mana."

He tossed the orb to Gwen, who was surprised but held the orb in her hand and channeled the mana simultaneously to record the scene. Telia was already covered in flames, and Valerian said, "Stop worrying and focus on your mind."

Telia moved forward slowly. She took a few minutes to take the first step, and then as she moved on, the time increased. The seventh step came after an hour. The girl was in a miserable condition but managed to pass the trial. When the flames vanished, she was on her knees, and her eyes were flooded with tears.

The people were surprised to see someone like her survive the trial of the flames. After regaining her composure, Telia stood up and said, "Valerian, kill me, please, I beg you."

Valerian shook his head and said, "That would be an act of mercy. You ought to live out your punishment."

The people had gathered, and Mahiyan asked, "Valerian, do you still intend to use her?"

The young man nodded and said, "I will use her, but she will not harm anyone anymore."

He moved forward and came to stand seven steps away from the mural. He joined his palms and said, "Please put me through a trial again."

The eyes of the goddess in the mural flashed, and flames appeared around Valerian. The people gasped, and Valerian walked forward. His steps were calm and well-paced. It did not take him more than a few seconds to reach the seventh step. The heat emitted by the fire on his body was far stronger than that on Telia’s.

The Knights were scared. They could not understand how someone could withstand such heat. Many priests had lost their lives to meet the goddess who stands at the end of this path to guide you.

Valerian’s walk came to an end, and the mural on the wall changed. An illusory figure appeared and it made the knights directly fall on their knees. The figure said, "Misericordia, call him to the north."