--
Cedric destroyed the drill that the cult used to siphon energy from the leylines.
He also incinerated all of the demon eggs including the ones that are feeding on the grieving man's family. He had sent them away to Acala with a prayer and with the blessing of solar energy to restore their spiritual integrity. Within Acala's afterlife, no hurt will reach them.
The grieving man watched it all and was relieved that Cedric kindly saved his family from a damned fate. And for the last act of humanity in him, he followed Cedric's advice. He wrote a note that was sent to the City Lord detailing everything that happened before asking Cedric to end his life.
...which Cedric did because he's the one who offered it in the first place.
The poor man at least had some clarity before he died. He knew that he was unworthy to be called a father and a husband for doing that to his family. He died silently, accepting the fact that he would no longer be with his family anymore and that there was no one else he could blame other than himself.
To ensure that something like this won't happen again, Cedric sealed the leylines using the 『Aspect of the Sun』- the Sagely Totem that he initially took and refined after comprehending Astral Laws.
The sigil of the Sagely Totem is filled by Cedric's very existence and packed with the power of the Sunlight and Sunfire. Even Demon Lords would think twice before carelessly touching it and it will never disappear so long as Cedric is alive.
Additionally, it will also restore the integrity and vitality of the leylines over time. Cedric wasn't sure how long but every little bit helps. The healthier the leyline is, the better this city gets.
It will increase longevity in this area, allowing the next generation of humans to be born from this place to become stronger and more talented. In turn, this also meant increasing the quality of warriors who would join the resistance against the Demon Race.
Before leaving the Black Thread City completely, Cedric did one final thing.
He returned to his house and carved an underground room that only he would know existed. There, he left a formation core he created on the fly using the knowledge he got after mastering his sub-classes.
This Formation Core will protect this city, eliminating anyone touched by corruption who attempts to breach the city's security. His arrangements should last for a very long time and the cult shall never be able to lay their hands on this city so long as this exists.
Once he's done with that, he left the Black Thread City. He didn't tell City Lord Reiner of what he did because there's no need to. Cedric wasn't keen on making the old man feel indebted to him any more than he already was. Whether the old man connects this whole event to him or not isn't important to Cedric.
He did what he wanted to do, plain and simple. No need for formalities whatsoever, he wasn't looking for any form of compensation for doing this. He just wanted to, so he did.
**
Bam!!
"Can somebody tell me what's going on!!"
Flick Flick Flick
Instead of answering, that person continued reading through the documents as if he didn't hear anything.
Their leader's act alarmed the rest of the cult members so they too took out their weapons and prepared for a fight.
The leader's eyes narrowed. With a snort, he flourished his spear and sent an attack towards the man that's ignoring him.
That attack contains the strength of a half-step Planar Traveller Superhuman. It also contained elements that directly injure the target's soul, making it extremely dangerous.
But to their overwhelming surprise, the leader's attack wasn't even able to touch the man. It was burnt to nothingness mere inches away from touching him. It even sent harsh feedback to the leader.
Sigh...
As the leader flinched after dealing with the harsh feedback of his attack failing, they heard the man in question release a deep sigh. They saw him raising a finger and that caused all of the scattered documents on the table to fly towards him.
He neatly stacked them all before unceremoniously putting them in the inventory space.
"Inventory!" Someone exclaimed, "He's an impostor!!"
Everybody here does not have access to the Acala System, therefore they also don't have access to the inventory. That's their punishment for turning their back on humanity and Acala.
The fact that this man used a system function means that he's not their comrade. What's even more frightening is that had he not purposefully caught their attention or shown them that he could do this, none of them; not even their leader, would know.
His presence was muted. As in they couldn't feel anything from him, it's like he's a normal person. He perfectly blended with the surroundings as if he were some background detail, which is scary because that's also how he managed to be within this room without them noticing at all.
"Seven years..." he muttered gently, but due to the tense silence of the room, everybody heard him just fine. "All of you have been doing this for seven years. I'd applaud you but sadly, none of your actions were for the betterment of the Human Race."
The man then casually removed the hood covering his face, revealing his long scarlet hair and deep crimson eyes that stared at their very soul as if judging them.
"You lot deserve what's coming for you..."
Whistles!
Growl!