UNLIMITED SPEED

Maintaining a safe distance from his weapon, Noah marveled.

It looked like a pillar of mind-bending energy ready to be unleashed.

Cudgel's blinding yellow; almost-golden light, reached regions far away from the town as even the escaping crowd bore witness to it.

A few bolts had stuck areas relatively close to them, lighting everything ablaze.

It was incredible. They picked up their pace, as the understanding of the white-haired expert's words became clear. Death wasn't that far now that its instrument was revealed.

The wind blew like gales during the initial moments of Cudgel's full transformation, but gradually it began to stabilize and that brought about a new reign of peace.

At least sort of.

The crackling of Cudgel's large body continued to bathe the surroundings in its oppressive sound.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Noah asked a horrified Diro. The mere transformation had buried hundreds of people beneath their homes. Some died

His words met no response, his audiences were too terrified to. The death of the third person still replayed in their minds.

Noah quickly regained his composure. For some reason, Cudgel released no heat whatsoever, only light and sparks.

It had become a lightning bolt. A still one.

Noah raised his hand in mild satisfaction, and Cudgel's figure shot into the sky with blazing speed creating a grand streak.

Its departure had been rather silent and soon a new level of peace unfolded in the environment.

"I believe you've spectated enough," Noah announced taking the space ring Diro had stolen from Herald. The one he had given them. He already hated the fact that he had to keep the two of the afloat with his mental waves. Their presence felt tainting.

His words alerted the duo who began to voice cries of plea, but Noah simply sprinted forward and dropped them directly above the town, he began to create ascending platforms, however, aiming at a significant distance from the area, lest he got caught up in the events to unfold.

He eventually reached a height and distance he considered enough, and with a silent streak, Cudgel's figure crossed the night and starry sky to slam into Lilua with a world-shaking bang.

A flash of deep yellow light unfolded in the area, then an explosion so great that Noah felt its force from his position, erupted.

A dome-shaped outline of yellow light originated from the point of contact, and Noah could see it expand while the town and remnants of the mountain saw rivers of yellow yellow-lightning bolts expand into the area frying and turning everything to ash.

Shock waves spread abroad the surrounding kilometers, while Cudgel electrified the very surface of that area, decimating the vegetation. Noah could see incredibly long yellow lines spreading in all directions, lighting up the surrounding areas.

Flames spread rapidly, and a huge portion of the lands and forest surrounding the town directly turned to ash. Overwhelmed by the rivers of lightning bolts.

The sight sent shivers down Noah's spine. Yet he could only nod in affirmation.

Crackling bolts flew everywhere disquieting the region with their thunderous sound. But they never reached his figure; falling on the trees and generating more fire.

Soon the commotion of Cudgel's impact died down while its aftermath continued to rage forth.

The incredible sight of a crackling pillar-like mass of erratic energy embedded in the charred earth; expressed itself to the world.

Unfortunately, that mass soon disappeared and the world was left with only the great destruction it had caused.

Noah had set vegetation miles in all directions on fire and made significant portions of the ground turn black and disappear. The event lit the night sky up, and a great smoke rose to create the illusion of a black wall.

Noah felt the initial excitement of his actions wane and eventually completely disappear.

His eyes returned to their coldness, and he felt it was time to address the main issue. He wanted to know the reason why all that had been done.

A white light wrapped around his body and he opened his icy-blue eyes in his cultivation room.

Noah swept his gaze on the room and his eyes fell on a kneeling Kius, but he was in a state he honestly hadn't expected.

The man noticed his figure and flinched, but he didn't move.

Noah walked closer peeking over the expert's back and sighting a pool of blood, but also a lifeless Tilda.

The sight took him a short while to process, and he wondered why the man had not administered any potions to her to prevent her death.

Kius held onto his dead daughter, head bowed while her head lay on his lap.

He looked pale too and Noah could only consider the fact that the man had no potions with him.

"Have you come to finish what you started?" Kius spoke holding back tears.

Noah remained silent for a few short seconds before opening his mouth to speak.

"Who are the noble families involved in this scheme?" He spoke in a commanding tone, uncaring of the man's hurt.

Kius almost burst into anger, but his senses were too dull and overwhelmed by grief to give thought to his anger. He simply remained silent.

Noah's eyes remained emotionless at that event, they even held disdain. But he knew the man wouldn't answer without a proper coercive.

"Just kill me already," Kius spoke, fatigue in his tone. He was still bleeding, but for an expert like him, he couldn't simply die from a wound like that.

It would take him days before his stamina ran out, but by that point his healing would have kicked in, stopping him from dying.

He wanted to die. There was nothing worth living for anymore.

"I won't do that unless I hear answers," Noah revealed.

"What do I have to gain from telling you anything," Kius snorted in response lifting his head to shoot a glare at Sir George.

"You gain a quick painless death," Noah responded with an even deadlier glare.

The duo fell silent at that point. Both men dealing with their own thoughts.

Kius sighed, sliding the back of his hand over the cold and pale face of his daughter. Such beauty had gone to waste, all because of those nobles.

"I never wanted to do it. They threatened me with my daughter. But she's dead, I guess there's no reason to hold onto any information," Kius began turning to glance at Noah, his eyes soft from fatherly pain.

"There are five noble families in on this. All are large in size and very influential in status. I had been managing this region as a towns head for decades when they brought their offer,"

"Due to the growing fear of a civil war, and they wanting one, they moved to make the people as troubled as possible."

"They siphoned money from them storing up for the future. You'll be surprised how much a town of low leveled individuals can generate if they are desperate enough," he commented.

"Their plan worked, apparently it's been running for over half a century, but with their power, no one dared to go against them. Lilua was simply a victim."

"Anyways skipping to the main question, the names of the noble families are as followed, I won't say this twice."

"The Yuri family, the Nomi family, the Rendo family, the Earl noble family, and finally the Crala family."

"All have multiple members in the fourth tier and together are a powerful force. Whatever you wish to do with that information remember that," Kius explained lowering his gaze back to his daughter.

Noah nodded at that point.

"Thank you," he voiced genuinely, but Kius made no reaction, he simply closed his eyes and when he felt a touch on his back a burst of coldness filled him, but he stopped feeling anything.

Noah shattered the completely frozen figures of Kius and Tilda and watched the ice vanish into nothingness, even if a yellow core appeared before him and he stored it.