Chapter 293: A New Gaze

Elyria watched Iron walk away, looking utterly confused. Her confusion quickly turned to indignation, and she hurried after him, blocking his path.

"Happy? What? What do you mean, happy?!"

She abruptly pointed a finger right at his right eye.

"But your eye is green!"

Iron winced, waved her hand away like an annoying fly, and replied wearily:

"What are you even talking about? Why don't you go restore your true form instead?"

With that, he continued walking without looking back. Elyria crossed her arms over her chest and thought,

Fine... I came here to thank him, anyway.

The space around her warped slightly, and she vanished in an instant.

Iron stepped outside, hoping to clear his head and get some fresh air. He strolled slowly through the streets, lazily taking in the bustle of life around him.

Passing a row of half-timbered houses under construction, he noticed the workers moving about, but didn't stop, preferring to assess the progress as he walked.

Eventually, he slowed to a stop beside one of the frames. It was a house with empty window openings and no roof at all.

Iron opened his hand, revealing several perfectly flat sheets of sturdy glass he'd created along the way. With a few more precise movements, the glass seamlessly fused with the frames, firmly sealing the openings.

Clerk, who was working nearby, looked up and noticed Iron. He silently watched him take care of the windows with ease, then smiled and calmly returned to his work without asking any questions.

Iron finished installing the last window. The house now had perfectly clear panes of glass, leaving only the roof itself exposed to the elements.

Iron was just about to figure out the best way to tackle the roof when he heard quick footsteps behind him, followed by a cheerful voice.

"Iron! Iron!"

He wearily glanced over his shoulder. Liana was jogging toward him. As she drew closer, she slowed down a little and excitedly blurted out:

"Our farm is finally ready! Just the way you asked!"

Iron paused for a moment, recalling what he'd said a few days earlier, then silently nodded.

"Show me."

They turned and began making their way toward the outskirts of the village. They walked in silence for a while, until Liana glanced sideways at him and suddenly frowned.

"Oh... hey, your right eye looks different. Did you know that?"

Iron let out a heavy sigh, keeping his eyes on the ground as he replied briefly:

"Yeah. Elyria already told me."

Liana simply shrugged, and they continued on their way.

The farm was located on a spacious, sunlit stretch of land on the outskirts of the settlement, where the forest receded slightly, opening up a wide expanse of ground. The air was thick with the smell of damp, fertile soil, greenery, and decaying leaves.

Nastya and Sylphi were already waiting for them beside the neat wooden fences. When they saw Iron approaching, Nastya gestured toward the orderly rows of well-tended garden beds, her eyes filled with pride. Wheat grew in straight lines, alongside the first sprouts of basic root vegetables.

"So, what do you think?" she asked.

Iron silently floated a couple of meters into the air and slowly flew along the entire perimeter of the farm, carefully inspecting every inch of the crops and assessing the soil's moisture.

After descending, he gave a brief nod.

"Excellent work. There are just a couple of things to fix. Those rows of potatoes over there are planted a little too close together. The root crops will eventually run out of room and start competing with each other. The irrigation furrows should also have a slightly gentler slope. Other than that, though, you've done a really good job."

Liana listened carefully to his feedback, then smiled with relief.

"Got it. We'll fix everything right away."

Sylphi nodded in agreement, and she and the other workers immediately grabbed their tools and headed toward the garden beds Iron had pointed out to correct the mistakes.

Iron turned around and slowly made his way back. Along the way, he passed villagers going about their business. Some were carrying building materials, others were chatting outside their houses, while children played happily by the road.

Taking in all the activity around him, Iron realized one thing: judging by how many people were already up and about, he'd slept much longer than he'd intended.

With a heavy sigh, he lowered his head and instantly dissolved into the air, reappearing in his office beside his desk.

The envelope Abel had left behind was still lying there. After glancing at it, Iron realized he could no longer afford to leave it sitting around. Without another moment's hesitation, he picked up the letter and stowed it on his person so he could keep it close at hand.

Far beyond the village stood the massive stone walls of the Kingdom of Asteria. In places, the masonry had long since crumbled away, leaving wide gaps in the walls. Inside, squat, crooked houses stood packed together, their doors covered in peeling paint and their windows boarded up with crisscrossed planks. In the empty, abandoned marketplaces, the wind blew scraps of straw and shards of broken pottery across the ground.

A wave of thick smoke and screams rolled through the streets between the gray buildings. A squat creature scurried between the houses, its body entirely covered in thick, armor-like brown scales. Its green eyes gleamed as it moved. Its forelimbs were so long and powerful that they dragged along the ground, serving as arms.

A knight in worn armor suddenly rushed around a corner and swung his sword with all his might, severing the creature's head in a single stroke. Catching his breath, he barked a quick order to the others before sprinting farther down the street.

But in the very next second, a massive paw came crashing down on him from above.

A huge creature with dark, scarred hide descended upon him. Its body was covered in winding scars that glowed with a faint blue-white light, while massive, rigid spikes jutted out along its back, resembling ragged petals full of holes. Its powerful paw slammed into the ground, partially embedding the knight in the stone beneath him with the sheer force of the impact.

A flash of light erupted nearby. One of the mages, breathing heavily, raised his hands and unleashed a prepared spell directly at the monster's hind leg. The magical blast struck its flesh and detonated instantly. A dull explosion followed, blowing the limb apart and leaving behind a bloody stump.

The creature lost its balance and toppled onto its side. The knights who had rushed to the scene immediately charged in, striking at it with their blades.

Meanwhile, chaos reigned in the streets. Fleeing from the monsters, the townspeople ran in panic toward the castle walls. They stumbled over one another, gasping for breath as they ran, their breathing heavy and ragged. None of them dared look back.

Suddenly, the whistle of something cutting through the air sounded from the side. A large chunk of stone masonry, hurled by one of the larger monsters, came flying straight toward the fleeing crowd, threatening to crush them all in an instant.

Several people squeezed their eyes shut and instinctively threw their hands over their heads, but the impact never came.

A dark shadow cut through the air for a split second, passing straight through the airborne boulder. With a dull crack, the stone shattered into thousands of tiny fragments, which continued flying over the terrified people's heads.

A moment later, the creature that had thrown the stone collapsed behind them. Blood gushed from its neck and joints as it toppled helplessly onto its side. Standing behind it was a tall figure in a dark cloak and mask. Without pausing for even a second, he took off again, rushing straight into the thick of the battle.

Several townspeople who had fallen to the ground slowly pushed themselves up onto their elbows, their hands trembling as they watched the figure disappear into the distance. One man swallowed hard and whispered in fear:

"That... could it really be Z?"

"Z?" someone nearby repeated in a frightened whisper. "Seriously? Is that Z? Is it really him?"

Before they could recover from their shock, the same shadow silently appeared right behind them.

A cold, muffled voice spoke.

"You should head to the castle immediately. Hurry."

The people flinched and spun around, recognizing the familiar outline of the armored mask. One of the men was already opening his mouth to say:

"Z..."

But the figure cut him off without even looking around.

"It's not safe here. Please, move quickly."

As soon as he finished speaking, the figure vanished in a sudden burst of speed, leaving behind only a faint gust of wind before hurtling straight into the nearest group of monsters.

A long, thin, razor-sharp black sword materialized in Z's hand.

His movements were swift. Pushing off a fragment of a wall, he leaped over a three-meter-tall monster, slicing its belly open midair. He then performed a quick flip and landed directly on the back of another monster, driving his blade into the base of its skull with a powerful thrust. He moved with ease and silence, constantly changing positions and using building corners, the ground, and the remains of barricades as footholds.

His face was hidden behind a dark mask with a massive front plate made of ultra-durable metal. Through it, he could see the battlefield in detail, tracking every movement of the enemy. A dark cloak fluttered behind him, while sturdy dark trousers and a jacket, spattered with dust, were visible beneath it.

About fifteen minutes passed before the monsters' furious roars finally died away.

The invasion had been brought to a halt. Z stood amid the corpses of the monsters. His long black sword and dark clothing were stained with blood and dirt. With a flick of his hand, the sword vanished completely, dissolving into thin air.

He surveyed the battlefield. The bodies of fallen knights and mages lay scattered across the cobblestones, all of them having fought to the bitter end. The kingdom around him still stood, battered but intact. Here and there, the roofs of a few houses continued to burn, sending up occasional columns of gray smoke.

But when Z's gaze shifted to the damaged walls of the residential buildings, his steps slowed. Inside the collapsed rooms, crushed beneath beams and piles of stone, lay the motionless bodies of townspeople who had met their deaths in their own homes.

Z silently turned away, a heavy look in his eyes, and vanished moments later.