Jeremy slowly lowered his skeletal staff as the fiery wall that had illuminated half the sky gradually dissipated.
As the wall of fire completely dissipated, what lay before Jeremy and Bonnie was a landscape of scattered ashes and a few solitary, standing figures.
Every one of these individuals who remained standing was, without exception, an expert with a level exceeding fifty.
They stood there, helpless, having witnessed their kin perish right before their eyes. At this moment, their hearts were consumed with hatred. If looks could kill, Jeremy would have been riddled with wounds by now.
In truth, when Jeremy unleashed the Flames of Sin, these warriors could have attacked him.
However, the clan leaders, including Golden Lion Weber, retained some semblance of reason and prevented their clansmen from attacking Jeremy at that moment.
The reason was simple: if they had attacked Jeremy at that moment, the ensuing plague would have undoubtedly swept through the entire Dawn City.
Such an outcome was something they absolutely did not wish to see.
In this battle, the elite forces of the eight top families, including Golden Lion's, were almost entirely decimated by Jeremy alone.
Even devouring Jeremy alive wouldn't quench their burning hatred.
Now that the plague had been contained, it was time for Golden Lion and his allies to exact their revenge.
Under the hostile gazes of these elite warriors, Bonnie and Jeremy found themselves the focal point of immense animosity.
Bonnie involuntarily swallowed hard, her feet trembling slightly as she moved closer to Jeremy. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"
Yet, Jeremy remained unperturbed. "Don't worry, reinforcements are coming."
Hearing this, Bonnie felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Although she had never seen them, Jeremy and Heber's confidence suggested that the city guards were exceptionally strong.
Bonnie's intuition proved correct.
Soon, she felt a faint but rhythmic tremor beneath her feet.
Moments after sensing the tremor, the rapid clatter of hooves, like a downpour, filled the air.
Looking in the direction of the sound, she saw a group of warriors clad in black armor, riding three-meter-tall, black-scaled, one-horned beasts approaching swiftly.
The residual flames reflected off their armor, casting rippling light that brought Bonnie a sense of inner calm.
The only oddity was that Heber was not with them.
However, this was understandable; given Heber's size, he wouldn't be able to keep pace with the cavalry.
While Bonnie felt reassured and had even lowered her weapon, Jeremy's vigilance only intensified.
Jeremy clearly remembered that Heber had headed in a different direction than the one from which the cavalry was arriving.
Turning his gaze to Golden Lion Weber and the other clan leaders, who stood with an inexplicable smile, Jeremy's unease grew. "Strange, why aren't they fleeing?"
The answer came swiftly with the arrival of the reinforcements.
...
One hour earlier, inside the Lord's Mansion.
A woman with an oval face, exuding an air of cold elegance, sat in the dressing room. Clad in a light purple, luxurious silk gown, she resembled a meticulously crafted jade sculpture.
In front of this noblewoman, Nina was holding two dresses, comparing them in front of a mirror with a conflicted expression.
After a moment, the noblewoman glanced at Nina, who was still rummaging through the wardrobe, a doting smile appearing at the corner of her lips. "My dear, have you not decided which gown to wear yet? The banquet starts in an hour."
Upon hearing this, Nina, who was holding a pale yellow lace dress in one hand and a burgundy form-fitting evening gown in the other, looked up with a hint of panic.
Glancing at the crystal clock in the dressing room, Nina began to spin in circles anxiously. "Oh no, Mom, why didn't you tell me sooner? There's hardly any time left. I still need to wash up and do my makeup—an hour is definitely not enough!"
It turned out that the woman in the light purple gown was none other than Nina's mother, the most enigmatic mistress of the Lord's Mansion, Beatrice.
The current Lord of Dawn City is the fifth-generation lord since the city's establishment. It is under his leadership that Dawn City has grown into a renowned metropolis in the entire Land of Eternal Night.
In Dawn City, the lord's prestige is known by all, without exception. However, in recent years, the lord was cursed and gravely injured, causing him to gradually fade from the public eye..
In contrast to the illustrious Lord, Beatrice's origins remain shrouded in mystery.
When people first learned of Beatrice, she had already given birth to the Lord's daughter.
Moreover, Beatrice never appeared outside the confines of the Lord's Mansion.
Were it not for the fact that the young man named Jeremy, who was coming today, had captured the heart of her second daughter, Beatrice would never have made an appearance.
With a soft sigh, Beatrice gracefully rose and approached Nina, taking the burgundy form-fitting evening gown from her hands. "Here, wear this. My daughter has grown up. It's time for those men to witness your charm."
Nina's eyes lit up as she looked at herself in the mirror. Beatrice's words made perfect sense to her.
Taking the burgundy gown, Nina headed to the dressing room, calling to Beatrice, "Alright, Mom, wait a moment. I'll go change into this dress."
Shortly after, Nina emerged from the dressing room in the form-fitting evening gown.
One had to admit, Beatrice had an impeccable sense of style.
The gown accentuated Nina's voluptuous curves, showcasing her figure to perfection.
While in the dressing room, Nina could hardly believe the reflection in the mirror was her own.
With a hint of admiration in her eyes, Beatrice remarked, "This will surely leave that young Jeremy utterly captivated."
Blushing, Nina hugged Beatrice's arm, pouting playfully, "Mom, stop teasing me."
...
Soon, the vast Lord's Mansion began to operate like a well-oiled machine, everything proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Before long, the hall of the Lord's mansion was brilliantly illuminated, and under the glow of the lights, the classical and elegant decorations inside the hall shimmered magnificently.
There was little time left until the banquet commenced.