Quadruple split.

Chapter 2691 Do whatever you want
Richard Lane, who had been walking on thin ice and being extremely cautious ever since that Academy City exchange meeting, finally paid the price for his carelessness.

Under the apologetic and sympathetic gazes of Brad and Kevin, the handsome, dashing, blond nobleman walked out of the tent with a deathly pale face, followed the dashing and beautiful lady away from the rest area, looking back every few steps, and headed towards the training ground, which seemed to be swallowed up by a giant beast called the night, devouring people at will, and where it was pitch black.

"He... he should be alright, right?"

Watching Richard's figure disappear into the night, Kevin asked a question with lingering fear, shivering as he did so.

"I think he's most likely to survive."

Brad patted his chest lightly and chuckled dryly, "But as for how many of them will survive, that's hard to say."

Kevin nodded, then hesitated and said, "...Even if he dies, it shouldn't be our responsibility, right?"

"What are you saying?"

Brad grinned and said chuckled, "We were just chatting casually, catching up on everyday things, when who knew that Richard Lane was so shameless, harboring impure thoughts about our noble leader and even daring to speak rudely to him! He deserved to die!"

Kevin chuckled, then relaxed. He pulled a blanket over himself and took out a technique notebook from his bag, written by his mentor, Green Tilly: "Let's rest for today. Do you mind if I set up a light source here to read?"

"As long as you don't set the tent on fire, I won't mind."

Brad yawned, then lay down on his side opposite Kevin, hugging the blanket and said lazily, "I'm used to sleeping with the lights on. The only time I turned them off was because the girl I was meeting had no makeup and was unrecognizable. Otherwise, I always enjoy the feeling of seeing a pretty face as soon as I open my eyes."

"Okay, then I hope my face is pretty enough."

Kevin, who didn't need sleep, chuckled dryly and then stopped talking, focusing on his skill notes. This was actually part of his daily routine. Although the rewards were relatively modest, they added up over the years, and he had already raised his weapon specialization by two or three levels each.

To be honest, for a casual player like Kevin who plays games simply to relax, this kind of gameplay, which involves spending time figuring out every move in a broken notebook, is not only tedious but also extremely energy-consuming. The reason why Knight Commander Green Tire was so disappointed in him in the past was because Kevin clearly had the ability and potential, but he just wasn't working hard enough.

From the perspective of an average player, turning "playing the game" into "being played by the game" is a failure. So even though the two are master and apprentice and have a good understanding of each other's personality and character, Kevin and Green still frequently argue.

Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that while Kevin wasn't lazy, he still wasn't ambitious enough.

However, after the "criticism debate" ended, Kevin changed.

It was a change that was visible to the naked eye, and it almost made Green ask Kevin directly if something major or unexpected had happened.

However, this Grand Knight Commander, whose emotional intelligence was far superior to Xia Lian's, wisely refrained from saying much. The reason was simple: Kevin's frequent absent-mindedness and dazedness after the "Debate on Inquiry" was enough to show that the reason that motivated him to work hard was probably not very appealing.

In short, Green knew very well that Kevin had probably encountered an opportunity that would transform him from a big boy into a man—an opportunity that might not be pleasant, but was profound enough.

Indeed, after experiencing the helplessness of facing the Archbishop of the End during the match, Kevin frequently began to have wild thoughts, especially when watching the subsequent matches. He would always involuntarily think about whether things would be different if he were 'Awakening Dragon', 'Luselle', 'Peerless Hero', or 'Morning Glory'.

In the end, he did not find the answer, because even the Holy Son of Justice, Tychus Furson, could not stop the Archbishop of the End before obtaining the Divine Eye of Red Nine. And in the face of such a true epic, even a top-tier player like Xinglong would probably find it difficult to gain any advantage.

Even so, Kevin felt that if he were stronger, the situation might change. So, under this subtle psychological influence, he began to work harder subconsciously, even startling his mentor, "The Slayer" Green Tire.

This is a very subtle psychological state. After all, from an objective point of view, the situation that Kevin wanted to salvage never "existed" in the first place. The motivation that drove him to work so hard was not the idea that "I must never regret it again," but rather the desire to protect that woman who theoretically did not exist, who only lived in the past, and who had no connection with the Great Knight Kevin.

It was as if there was some unseen feeling that made Kevin firmly believe, deep down, that the girl named 'Hong Jiu' was still alive and had a chance to be protected by his stronger self.

Haha, what an idiot...

Kevin patted his head, sighed with a wry smile, and then turned to the next page, continuing to study his notes and improve himself amidst Brad's ear-piercing snoring, which sounded like a bellows.

……

Half an hour later
"Uh-huh——"

Forbidden from using divine magic, the blond heartthrob, who had been desperately trying to keep up with the pace of Hess Winter, the standard-bearer of the Sun Church's Knights of the Sun, knelt on the ground, his face pale, and began to dry heave with bloodshot eyes.

"Oh? That's not enough?"

The aloof and beautiful woman beside him lowered her eyes and said in an icy tone, "It's a rare romantic date, Mr. Richard, you're not planning to back out halfway, are you? Since I'm fortunate enough to be your dream girl this month, I should at least fulfill my obligations and leave you with a lasting impression."

Richard, who had been enduring the terrifying pressure beside him almost entirely through sheer willpower, suddenly collapsed to the ground, rolling over weakly before laughing bitterly, "No thanks, no thanks. If this impression were any deeper, it probably wouldn't be a matter of a month or two."

Hess sneered: "What's the question then?"

“This is a question I will remember for the rest of my life, Standard-Bearer Hess.”

Unable to move, Richard forced a smile and said in a dry voice, "You wouldn't want to be constantly thought about by a lowlife playboy like me, would you?"

Hess Dongya's gaze gradually turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, "You think you're funny?"

"In fact, it's not that I 'thought'; I've always been a humorous person."

Having barely regained some strength, Richard slowly sat up, looked up at the cold and beautiful woman who was looking down at him with her hands behind her back, and smiled, "So, what did you call me out for?"

Hess's expression stiffened slightly, then he frowned and said in an unfriendly tone, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, although I got a beating from you, it was entirely my own fault. But you, who should bear secondary responsibility for the accident just now, shouldn't have been there half an hour ago."

Richard stretched and smiled at Hess, whose vertical pupils were gradually narrowing, "Even if you're just passing by on business, there's no reason for you to waste thirty precious minutes punishing me. After all, you're an efficiency-oriented person. It would be more worthwhile to beat me half to death on the spot and leave me bedridden for three days than to accompany me on a 'walk' for half an hour."

Hess clenched his right hand slightly, and amidst a series of cracking sounds from his joints, he said coldly, "I'll beat you half to death, and it won't be too late if you can't get out of bed for three days."

"Of course it's not too late."

Richard swayed as he stood up, then ignored Hess's previous prohibition and used two divine spells to restore his condition. He smiled at the latter, whose expression was not good, and said, "However, as I just mentioned, Ms. Hess, you are an efficiency-oriented person. Rather than wasting time with someone like me here, it is more in your interest to get to the point first."

“Alright, I admit you have a point.” Hess looked calmly at Richard and said indifferently, “Now, as your superior and the interim commander of the investigation force, I order you, Mr. Richard, that you are not allowed to use any divine magic in the next five minutes, or I will remove you from the investigation force.”

"Ah? No, I..."

"Do you have any objection?"

"I don't."

Under Hess's sharp gaze, Richard ultimately didn't dare to continue testing the other party's bottom line, obediently raising his hands, and then—

He was punched hard in the stomach!
"Woo!"

Unsurprisingly, Richard, despite his good physical condition, was still just a priest and was immediately beaten to a pulp. He spit out a mouthful of acid while bent over, but before he could fall, Hess grabbed his arm and gave him a heavy over-the-shoulder throw, slamming him hard to the ground!
Five minutes, a full five minutes. Although Hess did not use his battle aura, and even used only physical abilities that were not much stronger than Richard's, he still managed to beat his opponent into a pile of mud, as if he had just been sent flying by a great force. Apart from not being dead, he was hardly alive.

"Alright, let's leave the business here for now."

Hess clapped his hands, glanced at Richard on the ground, who was covered in superficial wounds but no good flesh left, and was in excruciating pain. He said calmly, "Take a quick recovery now, and then we can chat for a bit."

This woman definitely has something wrong with her...

Richard gritted his teeth and used the silent holy words to heal himself. Given that Hess only left him with superficial injuries and his own half-step epic strength, although his whole body still felt like it was about to fall apart, he managed to treat most of the bruises and swellings on his body. In the blink of an eye, he had recovered to the level of a basic human form.

"Don't look at me like that."

Hess gave Richard a heartwarming smile and said calmly, "You're probably right. I am indeed an efficiency-first person, and I did want to talk to you about some trivial things, but you shouldn't have been so clever as to say all that. After all, even though I'm in a hurry, I don't need five more minutes."

Richard twitched the corner of his mouth and said in a dry voice, "Most importantly, I'm your subordinate in rank, so you have every right to order me to do anything, right?"

"Do not."

Faced with Richard's provocation, which was tantamount to "If you weren't my boss, I would kill you," Hess shook his head dismissively and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Most importantly, I know very well that you, like me, are in a state where you really want to prove yourself. Considering our current situation, it's clear that 'I am much more important to you than you are to me.' So no matter what, you won't do anything to me, but I can do whatever I want to you."

"Heh, if it were a different occasion... okay, okay, let's not change the occasion."

Richard, who had intended to retort, pursed his lips but swallowed his words after noticing the sudden sharpness in the other's gaze. He then asked dejectedly, "So, what are you planning to talk about that's not quite right now?"

"According to feedback from our investigation team and the scouts dispatched from Gospel Mountain City, a fierce battle broke out not long ago at Eagle Claw, a narrow pass located in the western part of the central Blood Barbarian region, between Headless Cliff, Bloodfeather Plateau and Steelmane Tribal Kingdom."

Hess stared intently at Richard and said slowly, "Although our scouts couldn't get too close, they sensed a vast divine power of justice, much like... the missing Holy Son of Justice, Avery."

Richard's pupils suddenly contracted, and he said in a deep voice, "A fierce battle broke out in Eagle Claw Gorge not long ago? How long ago exactly?"

"No more than two hours."

Hess immediately answered, then followed up with, "So what do you think?"

"I?"

Richard frowned, not answering Hess's question directly, but instead asking, "Why would you, as the interim commander of the investigation force, specifically come to consult my thoughts?"

"Because you are the commander that Theresa Tarosa has her eye on. That girl with the name 'Witch' told me not long ago that Richard Lane has the ability to win the 'War League'."

Hess calmly met Richard's gaze and said indifferently, "Neither Sister Clara nor Lady Louise understands military strategy, and although I have some experience in this area, I am probably still somewhat lacking compared to you."

"That's all? Because you lack confidence in yourself, while I'm recognized by the [Witch] as a leader-type talent?"

"More importantly, only I can give you this opportunity, and if you want to use your talents, you must also gain my approval."

"And the credit?"

"Then it depends on whether you have the ability."

"What if I had it?"

"half each."

"So dark?"

"If you're not happy about it, you can always go back to your tent and continue your private chat with your friends."

"...We should get going."

"what?"

"Let's go to Eagle Claw Gorge. We'll leave at daybreak, or we can have an emergency assembly now and everyone set off immediately."

"What do you mean? The Holy Son of Justice is right there..."

"What Holy Son of Justice?"

"Ok?"

"Where is the Son of Justice? The Son of Justice has clearly disappeared, and the reason we are going here is to find the Son of Justice, who may be in danger."

"That divine power..."

"That's the clue."

Chapter 2682: The End