Chapter 85: Antoine's Mission

Catherine was inwardly thrilled, but at these words, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. She turned to Anton with a pitiful expression and pleaded, "Lord Anton, I think I only drank two sips of water... No, no, what I mean is, I have come to a profound realization of my mistake and feel deeply ashamed. I beg you, Lord Anton, to give me a chance to make amends. Just give the order, and I will do my utmost!"

Anton withdrew his glare, snorted, and said to Ling Mo, "Your apprentice certainly has a way with words. I half expected her to say, 'Whatever the order, I will face death without hesitation.'"

Ling Mo rolled his eyes and ignored him, but Anton paid it no mind. He slowly braced his massive body, unleashing the terrifying aura of an eighth-tier magical beast. From the volcano on his back, countless blazing crimson fireballs erupted, larger and denser than those of the seventh-tier spell Meteor Firestorm! Where the fireballs struck, lakes of magma formed, spattering innumerable sparks, making the rain of fireballs even more overwhelming. Thick black fog pressed down, shrouding the surroundings in darkness, while within the clouds, thunder and lightning crackled incessantly. As the thunder reached its peak, Anton raised one colossal leg, as towering as a pillar holding up the sky, and brought it down gently.

There was no sound—or rather, the sound had surpassed the limit of human hearing. The dark, brown earth was instantly covered in cracks, as if it were brittle biscuit. The fissures stretched past Catherine, spreading toward the unseen distance. Air was compressed visibly, and a ring-shaped shockwave swept over everything. Within sight, anything rising above the ground was leveled by the blast. The force of that single step was truly earth-shattering.

Though Anton had deliberately spared her from the devastating energy, Catherine's face was drained of all color. To cause such destruction with a simple raising and lowering of his leg—this far exceeded what she could have imagined. Was this the horror of an eighth-tier magical beast? Countless books had exaggerated the terror of such creatures, but reading those words had never moved her. Only when confronted in person did she begin to understand how the Golden Fortress could single-handedly storm human society, massacre millions, and escape unscathed.

"This is a warning. I hope you take it to heart." Anton's eyes were no longer blood-red, but a deep, ghostly green. "What I am about to say is not a request, but something you must do. Otherwise, no matter where you hide on the continent, I will find you and kill you. Not even your master can save you. Is that clear?"

Catherine glanced at Ling Mo, who could only shrug helplessly. She nodded frantically, like a pecking chick. Anton was satisfied and, after a long silence, continued, "I need you to kill... to kill one of my children."

"Your child?" Catherine repeated, her expression turning odd. "Lord Anton, by your child, do you mean a spirit creature like Nelbe the Annihilator or Mediel of the Abyss?"

"Yes. She... should be considered my daughter. Her ability is Blazing Flame, and her true name is Agnes."

"And is her strength similar to Nelbe or Mediel?"

"No, she is much stronger than they are. After all, she is my most accomplished child."

Then why are you sending me to my death! Catherine barely stopped herself from blurting it out. Though she often courted disaster, seeing the look of reminiscence on Anton's face, she knew this was not the time for sarcasm. She waited quietly for him to continue.

After a long pause, Anton finally spoke again, "It seems I am getting old. Even among long-lived species like turtles, old age makes it hard to keep one's mind in check. Now, where was I? Oh, right—Agnes. When she was little, I liked to call her Nisel, but as she grew up, she no longer liked that name. Looking back, those were truly warm days. Nisel—no, Agnes—was the most talented of my children. Her Blazing Flame ability was the finest variant of my own fire, and her progress always satisfied me. She was very fond of clinging to me, and we got along well as father and daughter..."

As Anton recounted these memories, his voice grew soft, tinged with affection, indulgence, and warmth. But Catherine felt no warmth at all—she nearly fell to her knees. "Lord Anton, I am but a lowly Intermediate Warrior. Just Nelbe alone could kill a thousand of me. How am I supposed to kill someone even stronger, your most exceptional child?"

"I know a thing or two about martial arts," Anton replied carelessly. "You are no longer an Intermediate Warrior. But that hardly matters. Even if your strength has increased, a hundred of you would still be instantly defeated by Agnes."

He explained this indifferently, then spoke sternly: "I am not asking you to kill Agnes now. You are to do it only after you reach the rank of Grandmaster. Remember, it must be at the Grandmaster level. If you wait until you become an Extreme Grandmaster, I will kill you. And in the process of slaying Agnes, you may not rely on any external force—only your own power. If you fail, I will kill you all the same."

Catherine was baffled. Seeing her confusion, Anton glared. "What, are you unwilling?"

"It's not about being willing or not..." Catherine turned to Ling Mo. "It's just that my teacher hasn't told me much about these martial ranks. I don't even know what 'Grandmaster' or 'Extreme Grandmaster' means."

"The rank after Advanced Warrior is Grandmaster, and the next is Extreme Grandmaster," Ling Mo explained, picking up the conversation. "What Anton is giving you is a truly daunting challenge. Normally, a Grandmaster can handle a sixth-tier magical beast, and Agnes is indeed a sixth-tier beast."

At this, Ling Mo's expression grew grave. "However, Agnes was originally a seventh-tier beast. She fell to the sixth tier only because she was hunted by Anton's other offspring. With the foundation of a seventh-tier, and her unparalleled combat experience, her power is at the absolute peak of the sixth tier—perhaps even its pinnacle. Even as a Grandmaster, killing her would be nearly impossible. Even at Extreme Grandmaster, you couldn't be sure of victory."

Catherine's face turned ashen, but she nodded resolutely, accepting the task. She knew she had no right to refuse—accepting might mean death, but refusing meant certain death on the spot!

Seeing her acceptance, Anton seemed gratified. "Good. Now that everything is settled, you two may leave. Human girl, before you go, you may ask me a question. As long as it is not too sensitive, I will answer."

Catherine considered for a moment, then asked, "Lord Anton, I wish to know—why do you want to kill Agnes? Why kill the child you once cherished most?"

Anton gave her a surprised look. "I thought you would ask about Agnes's weaknesses or something similar. But there’s no harm in telling you: it's because she fell in love with a demon. She fell deeply and recklessly in love, ignoring all else. And because I opposed it, she ran away from home in secret to elope with that demon!"