The Commercial District, once the most prestigious and priceless area in the Royal City, had been a hub of bustling trade and vibrant commercial activities.

  Now, however, it had been reduced to a desolate and silent wasteland.

  Under the vast sky, metal debris drifted aimlessly.

  The heavy, grayish dust had shattered into countless layers, transforming into a dense fog that churned and billowed across the earth with the faint breeze.

  The thick clouds that once shrouded the sky had now completely dissipated. The twinkling stars had vanished into endless darkness. The bright moon hung solitary in the pitch-black night sky, quietly casting its pale light upon the devastated land below.

  The surrounding buildings had been reduced to dust, leaving only pervasive silence wandering aimlessly across the desolate ground. This once-bustling terrain now seemed immersed in post-disaster silence and desolation. All signs of life and vitality had been erased.

  In the more distant areas, towering buildings still retained half their silhouettes, swaying in the howling wind as falling debris trembled gently. Only a golden ruin stood silently on the ground.

  The candlelight of yesteryear had been replaced by moonlight, which shone quietly through the broken dome onto the abandoned venue below.

  The nobles slowly opened their eyes, their trembling fingers gripping the armrests or backs of their chairs. They cautiously peeked out from behind their seats. All the nobles present had eyes filled with doubt about their survival and shocking fear.

  "Is it... is it over?"

  They stared wide-eyed, looking around helplessly. Their gaze passed through the massive holes in the golden walls, beyond the ruined hall entrance, fixating on the flattened world outside.

  Across the entire land, nothing remained except dust being carried by the wind. Those once prosperous streets, those shops full of life, had all vanished without a trace. Even the tall ruins left no marks on this land. Only dust swirled in the air, dancing wildly.

  Everything that was once the Commercial District seemed to have been completely wiped from the earth by some giant hand. The weak silver moonlight replaced the original flickering candlelight, making even the golden walls appear particularly dim in this murky light.

  Surprisingly, the only relatively intact building was the auction venue that had just been reduced to rubble by those demi-humans.

  This was the Commercial District, the most valuable real estate in the Royal City! If all buildings needed to be rebuilt... How much would that cost?!

  The noble lords, having just survived the disaster, were once again filled with that sense of helpless powerlessness. They slumped in their chairs, their minds racing with frantic calculations of monetary losses.

  Since reconstruction was necessary, naturally these present lords would have to share the burden. Despite all their precautions, Viktor had still managed to blow everything up.

  Compensation? Although every noble present knew Viktor caused the explosion, after witnessing his terrifying magic, who would be foolish enough to seek compensation from him?

  The chaotic magical fluctuations had overturned the earth, with soil and debris from the depths all consumed by the light. Scorching air waves swept through the magnificent golden venue, making the broken walls shake even more unstably in their violent tremors.

  The magical fluctuations shot straight into the sky, accompanied by deep and furious roars that broke through the cloud-covered sky. Dozens of meters high crystalline blue waves, like a surging flood, poured towards the auction venue and its surroundings.

  Those black steel towers, as numerous as a forest, rose from the ground like a quiet dark grove. In an instant, this dark forest was illuminated by bright blue light, as if momentarily brightened by moonlight, gleaming and sparkling. Those towering peaks of giant towers rushing towards the clouds were completely swallowed by the surging waves.

  Everyone present was stunned after witnessing this terrifying magic. Their thoughts completely stopped, their eyes hollow, their minds seemingly shocked into blank whiteness.

  That was absolutely a disaster. Just recalling that previous magic was enough to make everyone present tremble with deep fear.

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  At this moment, however, Viktor stood calmly on the already cracked ground. His coat fluttered gently in the wind, and though dust tried to settle on it, it was blocked by a weak magical barrier.

  In front of him, the two once-imposing orange tiger-men now lay motionless on the ground, their fur turned a miserable charred black.

  The nobles also noticed the tiger-men, stood up, and hurriedly pointed:

  "Look... look..."

  The two charred tiger-men lay stiffly on the ground, their severe burns seemingly rendering them unconscious.

  Seeing these two once-arrogant tiger-men defeated so easily, the tense nerves of those present finally relaxed somewhat. At least, they had survived this demi-human uprising, thanks to Viktor.

  King Augustus also peered down from the second floor, his gaze blank as he surveyed the destroyed surroundings. This young king had clearly suffered an indescribable mental shock.

  "Is this... what a mage is?" His voice carried unmistakable trembling and shock.

  "Yes, this is what a mage is," Aurelianne answered softly beside him.

  She rose from her seat, eyes sparkling, and smiled gently at Augustus.

  "Your Majesty, perhaps it would be more prudent to bring more guards next time you travel. What if we happen to be absent when such unexpected situations arise again? Your safety would be concerning."

  With that, Aurelianne gracefully nodded to him. Her dress swayed gently with her steps as she descended the damaged stairs.

  Gwen sheathed her red blade and followed closely behind.

  Only Vanilla bowed politely to Augustus before quickly catching up with the princess's pace.

  Left behind were Augustus, crouching on the ground, and Hilda beside him, both in complete silence.

  Hearing light footsteps, Viktor looked to the side.

  Aurelianne walked to Viktor's side with light, graceful steps.

  "Master."

  Viktor glanced at her, then raised his head to look at Augustus on the second floor, his calm voice slowly rising:

  "Your Majesty."

  Hearing Viktor's indifferent voice, Augustus's body suddenly trembled. That voice entered his ears like a demon's whisper.

  "The aftermath cleanup... I won't need to handle that, right?"

  Augustus hurriedly stood up, his hands unconsciously trembling:

  "No problem, Councilor Viktor. Our kingdom will handle everything properly."

  Viktor nodded knowingly, turned around, and looked at the female auctioneer who was fearfully curled up in a corner behind him.

  She wore the heavy robe Viktor had given her. Her wet hair draped over both shoulders, revealing only a pair of fair legs.

  Perhaps still traumatized by the two tiger-men, or perhaps terrified by Viktor's recent display of magic, her hands now tightly gripped the red curtain, her body trembling.

  Only after feeling Viktor's gaze did she slowly come to her senses. She raised her head somewhat fearfully, forcing an awkward smile.

  "Remember my two items. Have them delivered to Duke Balo's territory later. And don't forget my compensation."

  Viktor's voice reached the female auctioneer's ears, and she nodded frantically, not daring to say a word to Viktor.

  Seeing that she had agreed, Viktor turned around, with crimson magical stripes like slow-moving lava crossing his coat.

  A giant hand composed of lava and flames slowly extended from behind him, picking up the two tiger-men from the ground:

  "Then I'll take these two with me first."

  As soon as the words fell, the space in front of Viktor began to distort.

  Overflowing magical power flowed within the space before him, slowly tearing open a vast rift.

  Flowing blue formation arrays covered this spatial fluctuation, with bent and twisted patterns adorning the array's periphery.

  Azure light filled the deep black rift, and a beam of light burst forth, illuminating the ruins of the auction house.

  Chaotic energy emanated from the portal, passing over Viktor's crimson coat and striking the faces of those present.

  Gwen and Aurelianne's silver hair danced in the wind, while the nobles' clothes rustled in response.

  The diplomatic ministers followed closely behind Aurelianne, entering the blue teleportation array together with everyone else.

  The next second, Viktor's group instantly vanished from the spot.

  As the portal's light transformed into points of starlight, gradually disappearing in the air, the nobles stared at where the portal had been, completely dumbfounded.

  They watched this incredibly magical scene before them, unable to utter a single word.

  Clop—clop—clop—

  Only when a chaotic sound of iron hooves rang out not far from the auction venue did the nobles come to their senses.

  They followed the sound with their eyes, looking outside.

  Countless war horses and armored troops galloped across the flat ground towards them.

  Dust clouds nearly fifty feet high flew up with each hoof strike, almost completely obscuring the night sky behind them.

  It was the kingdom's army.

  The reinforcements had finally arrived.

  However, no joy could be seen on these noble lords' faces.

  The battle was already over - what meaning did the army's arrival have now?

  Leading the troops was Count Laurien. He didn't even wait for his horse to completely stop before hurriedly jumping off and rushing into the ruins.

  As soon as he entered, he shouted loudly:

  "Where is His Majesty?! Is His Majesty unharmed?"

  The nobles present all remained silent.

  They all knew Count Laurien was a loyal count and also Duke Balo's confidant.

  Although his rank was that of a count, he had already acquired territory and military power nearly equal to that of a marquis.

  Seeing Count Laurien standing on the cracked ground, the other noble lords' gazes calmly turned toward Augustus.

  Laurien also followed their gaze to the second floor.

  Augustus stood on the second floor, wearing a forced smile.

  "Count Laurien, fortunately you came a bit late. If you had come earlier, you might have been blown up with us."

  Laurien froze, looking at the desolation across the flat ground, and along with all the other nobles, fell into silence.

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