Pima's lightning bolts materialized around her at that moment, and the white, transparent bolts looked terrifying. Both Maria and Kasuur felt like ants in the face of this terrifying sight. Wur knew he couldn't fight this, and Baro was looking at Pima with complete seriousness.
At that moment, the aura of the 4th Origin Heart erupted.
Mais calmed down a little and withdrew his desire to kill. He allowed the girl to serve him tea but did not allow her to leave the room. It would not be surprising if she were crushed like snot under these auras; the lower floors of the tavern had probably already turned into a snot-like structure—from blood, of course. Even though Mais was completely focused on the scene, he could sense some of the blood below.
'If Pima can't kill him... she just has to wound him badly enough... if she can't finish him off...'
The urge to kill that Mais radiated had disappeared, but the murderous intent in those gray eyes had reached a higher dimension. The more certain Mais was that he couldn't defeat Baro in a one-on-one fight, the more his desire to kill this man right then and there grew. Baro knew too much about him.
The second lightning bolt seemed about to strike Baro at that moment, but Pima sensed that even that wouldn't be enough to kill him. Baro was completely ready. The woman's face became ugly; her bloodshot eyes, streaming with tears, contained wild, trembling pupils. A terrible power descended upon the city, one that even Pima struggled to control. The white lightning around her kept striking Pima's own skin.
"You weren't the only one I wanted to kill!"
At that moment, Pima turned in the opposite direction—toward the fat child and the beautiful young girl. The fake Origin Heart Lord in front of them was powerless to stop Pima.
"Pima, stop!" Meng Duo shouted. The shock in his eyes was genuine. Even he hadn't expected this. Targeting a child? Pima had gone mad!
Baro's eyes widened, too. Even though he moved, it was too late. Although Commander Wur was right next to the children, he couldn't keep up with the speed of the lightning. The white lightning struck with tremendous speed and force, sending him flying backward and reaching toward the young girl.
Or rather, it would have reached her.
BOOOMMM!!!
At that moment, a figure in a black robe fell in front of Maria and met the lightning bolt with full force. His robe was completely torn, and the right sleeve of the white, buttoned-up shirt underneath, which reached his chest, was shredded. Holes appeared in many areas of the shirt. Despite this, the man himself was unharmed and only took a step back. After the attack, he was panting, his arms glowing red like roasted meat. At that moment, his black hair and mature face were visible. His face was clean-shaven and stern—sharp features and long hair touching his back. It was clear who he was. Fire seemed to shoot out of Pima's eyes.
"Meng Liao!"
This person was Meng Duo's older brother and the second son of Clan Leader Meng Zhuo. After Pima's sudden departure, he had also set out—to stop Pima from doing something reckless, of course. Meng Duo looked at his older brother with a complex expression.
Meng Liao was definitely much more talented than Meng Duo. Unlike his brother, he hadn't forced his way into the Origin Heart Realm. Still, he had been in this realm for hundreds of years and, despite his status, found it difficult to reach the Ascension Realm. He hadn't reached the peak of the Origin Heart and was barely progressing in the upper stages. Although he was definitely weaker than Pima in terms of cultivation, he was much older. With his understanding of techniques, he could rival Pima for a short time.
FRRRR!!!!
At that moment, the temperature of the environment rapidly rose. When Pima turned around, she saw a fire bird flying rapidly toward her. It was several meters wide and radiated immense heat. She could see the bird opening its mouth, trying to scream. At that moment, Pima didn't underestimate the monster. Her body moved instantly, and her hands reached out as if to catch the air. When she closed her fingers, white sparks appeared on her hands once again. When the bird was a few tens of meters away, Pima clapped her fists together in front of her.
A lightning bolt shot out from between her clashing hands and struck the bird directly.
BOOOOMMM!!!
A massive explosion and thick black smoke followed. Meng Liao kept the children behind him while Commander Wur tried to protect his army. However, the shockwave caused some soldiers to faint. Mais couldn't even understand what was happening anymore amidst the chaotic auras. If he were to try to get involved in the fight now, he wouldn't even be able to distinguish his opponent, and he would most likely fall into the crossfire.
At that moment, Pima was staring at the black smoke. Mad or not, she could actually discern the situation quite clearly. She now understood that the fire bird was just an attack, but who was it that directed it? Could Baro really have performed such an attack? She seemed to have underestimated that child quite a bit.
At that moment, the man—his clothes covered in soot and dirt—leaped out of the smoke. He planned to surprise Pima and lure her into a trap, but luckily for her, Pima was far more experienced in this type of fight. The moment Baro emerged from the smoke and leaped at her, Pima took a step forward and grabbed him. Then, to throw Baro off balance, she quickly stepped back and, before he could react, turned and pinned him to the ground.
Lightning flashed in her palm. Neither Liao nor anyone else could take Baro from her now. Those red eyes and that hideous expression... there was no madness on Pima's face, only pure rage. At that moment, she could hear the young girl's scream. Maria was being held by Kasuur. Pima didn't want to kill Baro in front of his daughter's eyes, but that wouldn't stop her now. Someone had to die.
Now, here, she would avenge her son! Nobody could stop her from doing it!
"Pima! Don't!"
The lightning bolt became increasingly tangible in her hand and enveloped her entire arm. Lightning flashed in Baro's eyes, and this brave man now felt fear. He had miscalculated.
TIRIRIM!!!
"Grandmother!"
CRASH!!!
A single call distracted Pima, and Baro narrowly avoided the attack, missing at the last moment. At that moment, Liao didn't hesitate and unleashed a brutal kick on his sister-in-law. Pima managed to block it but was pushed back a few steps, and Baro was no longer under her grip. Liao pulled Baro away, and they both retreated. Although Pima missed, the right side of Baro's face was still red from the impact. The man stared at the woman with a look of horror.
Maria's face contorted with worry. She pushed Kasuur aside and ran toward her father. However, her father didn't look at her. His gaze shifted from Pima to the distracting element.
And it wasn't just her. Meng Liao and Meng Duo were also staring at the young man who had suddenly appeared from between the buildings. They couldn't hide their astonishment. This black-haired young man looked pale and tired. Weak and in pain. He seemed sleepless; the black circles surrounding his eyes showed it. But the strangeness in him didn't end there. No energy could be felt from him, yet his and Pima's lightning bolts had momentarily synchronized. This revealed an important element the Lords in the region needed to know.
Pima also looked up in surprise and glanced at her grandson. She understood what it meant to lose a father. Many people must have understood. But did losing a father at such a young age really bring a person to this state? Pima remembered. She remembered feeling so lonely when she lost her own father. She was alone in a clan full of strangers, and those people weren't really her family. If no one had comforted her and shown her warmth back then, would she have shut herself off like that?
At that moment, she realized she had never considered how Ulam, her only grandson in this world, felt. She had always treated him like a stranger. But now, this child was the most important legacy left by her son.
Ulam just stood there. She didn't even know how his cry had reached Pima amidst the chaos. At that moment, he had wanted to stop Maria's tears. He knew that. And he didn't want this chaos to continue any longer, since it had all been his fault.
"Ulam... you've become a Sage," Pima managed to say. Amidst the dust and smoke, she didn't really know how to speak to her grandson.
"Grandmother, can we go to the Capital? I... I don't want to stay here anymore."
Pima froze for a moment. She had to admit she hadn't expected her grandson to suddenly appear and make such a request after all this war. Yet, she finally felt a little more understanding. She saw what Ulam felt. Sufkro was gone. Even though it was unknown who had killed him, Sufkro was gone. Then she nodded in agreement. At that moment, she felt she had lost all will to fight. She had lost her son.
There was no point in fighting anymore.
Sufkro had been exiled to Yellow City due to an argument with his brother, but Sufkro was dead, and Ulam could not be blamed for past events. Sufkro's exile was over, and it was Ulam who should return to the clan in his place.
Baro and Maria were still tense. Meng Liao breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his nephew's son. This child had appeared unexpectedly, and he was a Sage. A rarely seen member of the Meng family was returning to the Capital. He wondered what changes this would bring.
Pima hugged Ulam, and they began to walk away together. Meng Duo and his brother followed behind, and the Meng military unit was similarly led away by their commander. Commander Wur, Maria, and Kasuur approached Baro, looking worried about his condition. Baro looked at Kasuur with a hidden glint in his eyes, but Kasuur immediately averted his gaze without noticing anything. Then, under his daughter's worried, watchful eye, he quickly turned his gaze to the window on the upper floor of the tavern. The child there must have 'watched' all of this.
Yet, when Baro looked there, he sensed no one's aura in the tavern room except for a young woman.