A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night

Kael's mind was racing, his thoughts tangled in confusion. Mia? In the Clown of Ark Headquarters? Why? He repeated the words in his head, trying to connect the dots. Why would the Clowns of Ark need her to wake up their founder? What was so special about Mia that he didn't know? At the same time, it also became clear for him why a Rank-2 Clown tried to capture him in those woods. It was all connected to Mia. They didn't need him or someone put a bounty on the Queen's son-in-law. Instead, they wanted to capture Mia's brother so that Mia would do their bidding. While this new revelation came as a surprise, the problem hasn't been solved yet. However, he still didn't know where that Headquarters was located. The Queendom of Elyria spans 2 million square kilometers. Where should he go and search for? Knowing that Gabriel is a Supreme Being and this King Clown sent by the organization is only a Tier-8, Kael has no doubt that Gabriel would come out as the winner. Kael decided to wait and ask him about the location Mia was held at. Meanwhile, the air grew thicker as Gabriel's spell locked them all in place. Gabriel, standing confidently, faced down the King Clown and his followers. The assassins—silent and still—waited for orders. The King Clown's frown deepened, his eyes narrowing in anger as he gathered his power. He shot forward with a burst of energy, launching a deadly blast of concentrated energy toward Gabriel. But before the attack could even reach its target, Gabriel raised a hand and crushed the incoming energy with ease, his expression calm as ever. In an instant, Gabriel's form shifted, his figure glowing with a brilliant light. Angelic wings erupted from his back, and a golden halo was seen floating over its head. His aura surged, pushing his soul realm further into Tier-9 and reaching the peak stage of the Supreme realm. The air crackled with raw power as he spoke, his voice ringing out with an air of finality. "Sorry for giving you some sort of hope, but you never had a chance, human." The King Clown recoiled, his grip tightening around his weapons as she called out to her subordinates. "Attack! At will!" As the clowns rushed forward, their weapons raised, Gabriel raised his hand once more. In a blur of motion, he summoned his light sword, the blade shimmering with an almost divine glow. "The Infinite Sword, unleash." Behind him, dozens of sword replicas formed, each one gleaming with destructive power. "Die." With a single motion, Gabriel sent them charging at the attackers. The swords sliced through the clowns with deadly precision, killing them all in one strike. Their bodies crumpled to the ground like ragdolls, leaving the battlefield eerily quiet. The King Clown, however, managed to block the incoming blades just in time, using his mana reserves to form an energy shield, but not enough to stand against Gabriel's overwhelming might. The shield was broken, and he crashed to the ground with an injury to his abdomen. "Oraaa..." With a roar of frustration, the King Clown swung his weapon wildly, charging at Gabriel with a fury born of desperation. But before he could land a blow, Gabriel vanished from sight. He reappeared behind the King Clown in the blink of an eye, his fist crashing into the clown's back with the force of a thunderstrike. The impact sent the King Clown crashing into the ground, his body skidding across the dirt. Before he could rise, Gabriel quickly summoned a spell, and light energy ropes ensnared the King Clown, trapping him in place. Kael, standing quietly from the window of the treehouse, could see that the battle was over. He stepped outside, his expression neutral as he observed the defeated King Clown lying on the ground, struggling against his restraints. He felt a brief sense of relief, knowing he hadn't needed to reveal his true strength. If he had, there was a chance that Gabriel would have escaped, or worse, the King Clown might have gotten away. It was better this way. For now. Gabriel approached the captured King Clown, his steps measured, his eyes cold and calculating. The King Clown, still struggling against the ropes, glared up at him with disdain. Gabriel's voice rang out, steady and unwavering. "My name is Gabriel," he said, his tone carrying the weight of a long-forgotten power. "And I'm from Dawn." The King Clown's eyes widened in shock, a flicker of recognition flashing across his mask. "Dawn?" he spat. "That place was destroyed long ago... by the Dragonlord." Gabriel's face remained stoic as he responded. "Destroyed? Perhaps. But survivors remain." The King Clown struggled harder against the ropes, but Gabriel's gaze never wavered. "I'm going to use you to find your headquarters and retrieve Mia. It doesn't matter whether you want to tell it yourself or not. I'll break you down for sure. And if I can't retrieve her, I'll make sure to kill her. No matter what, the Monarch of Darkness will not be revived." The King Clown's expression faltered for a moment, but he said nothing. However, Kael, still standing just outside the treehouse, overheard Gabriel's words. He didn't care about Dawn, Monarch of Darkness, or the dragonlord. His mind was wrapped around one thing. This angel wants to kill his sister? Kael's face turned cold, killing intent released from his body without any hesitation while twin daggers appeared in his hands. "Gabriel..." However, before he made a move, Gabriel, having secured the King Clown, didn't even spare a glance at Kael before being enveloped with the Clown in a blinding flash of light. By the time Kael came out and reached him, both of them had disappeared. Kael's arms trembled in anger; his dark aura went out of control for a moment. "Dammit. Again and again, my hesitancy is stabbing me in the back." After a while; Kael returned to the valley where Seraphina, Laura, and the two knights awaited. The reunion was swift but warm, with no time wasted on unnecessary pleasantries. The group gathered in a quiet corner, the atmosphere charged with curiosity about what each of them had discovered during their time in the tower. Seraphina broke the silence first, her voice thoughtful. "I ate a peach I found in one of the chambers. My soul realm increased to Tier-7. I can now learn the Salvation Spell of the Church." Her eyes gleamed with the excitement of gaining qualifications to learn the most precious spell of the Radiant Church. Laura, holding a small blank tome in her hands, nodded thoughtfully. "I found this blank magic tome. I still need to figure out what it is, but I suspect it holds some secrets." She paused, opening a random magic scroll Kael had taken from the tower. Her fingers brushed over the ancient incantations inscribed in the ancient Orlon language. Kael observed her closely, waiting for her reaction. "What does it say?" He asked, despite knowing what it was. Laura examined the scroll for a moment longer before she handed it back to Kael. "It's a weather magic spell. One that allows the user to summon rain in an immediate radius, a cloud to block the sunlight, or even create gusts of wind. Nothing too fancy, but it could come in handy in the right situation." Kael tucked the scroll back into his storage ring, his thoughts racing about his sister. Seraphina's brow furrowed in thought. "What do we do now? What about the client who sent us on that quest? He must still be out there." Kael sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It doesn't matter anymore. I failed in my quest, and we weren't powerful enough to convince him. We'll find another opportunity to track him down through the information guild. Now that we know his appearance, it'll be easier to find more details." He stood up, determined. "Let's go home. We'll figure out what to do." The group nodded in agreement, understanding Kael's decision. Meanwhile, far from the valley... In a secluded mountain location, Princess Artemis, the doll-faced girl, sat in deep meditation. The tower had disappeared, and with it, any hopes of attaining the sword. Since she couldn't do anything about it, she could only focus on what she was given. Finding a secluded spot in the mountains, she meditated to understand the power she inherited from Zurin. Her eyes were closed in concentration as she slowly extended her hand before her. The power of chaos swirled in the air, a vibrant energy that danced and hummed with ancient potential. With a simple thought, she shaped the energy into a small dagger, its form sharp and sleek. But then, with another thought, the dagger morphed into a loaf of bread, soft and warm to the touch. After hesitating a bit, she took a bite of bread. "Hmm... it tastes exactly like the one I usually have at home." As a faint smile brought to her face, she whispered under her breath, "This power... It's far more interesting than some celestial treasure." As she stood and gazed out into the mountains, something popped up inside her head. She mumbled with a deep frown on her face, "Zurin told me that I should be ready for the time when the Wheel of Light comes into existence. But is it really possible to gather the seven celestial treasures of Zurin? For it to happen, three Empresses needed to be killed, two demigods would need to be killed, and the lost treasure should also be found. Who could do that? And most importantly, who could have gotten the Sword of Zurin? I need to research more about those primordial energies once I return."