My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

In the center of the practice field, Lucas stood calmly in his training clothes, his eyes scanning the ten human-shaped wooden puppets before him.

In his right hand, he gripped a sturdy, sharp wooden sword.

"Let's get started!" he exclaimed with excitement before lunging at the puppets.

Unexpectedly, the ten puppets suddenly sprang to life, splitting into an orderly formation before two of them charged at Lucas from his right and left.

But Lucas showed no fear. He leapt into the air, spinning horizontally, and delivered a precise strike to the necks of both puppets.

*Slash!*

The two fell in an instant, sliced in half and lying motionless on the ground.

*Whoosh!*

Without giving him a moment to rest, three more puppets shot toward him—one from above, one from the front, and one from behind.

Lucas raised his sword to smash the puppet attacking from above, then leapt high, kicking the heads off the other two coming from the front and back.

He disappeared in a blur, swiftly moving to strike the remaining five puppets.

In just fifteen minutes, all ten puppets lay defeated, and Lucas couldn't help but smile.

"In the past, I was always soundly defeated by these ten puppets. But now, I'm much stronger, and they no longer pose any challenge," Lucas remarked, catching his breath.

These weren't just ordinary training puppets. They were specially designed by Victor, the Great Mage of Mankind, with abilities drawn from the battle data of many powerful fighters, making them exceptionally formidable.

*Clap! Clap!*

The sound of applause echoed from a distance, startling Lucas.

He looked up and saw that the clapping came from Louis, who was approaching from the front.

A soft smile unconsciously appeared on Lucas's face as he said, "You surprised me, Louis."

Louis chuckled and stopped two meters in front of him. "Sorry to catch you off guard, Lucas. I was just strolling around and happened to see you practicing with the puppets. Your swordsmanship and fighting skills have improved a lot. It's impressive that you were finally able to defeat them."

In the past, Lucas had often used these wooden puppets for practice, but the result was always the same—he was soundly defeated. Given that the puppets were designed by Victor using high-level magic, his defeats were understandable.

But now, Lucas had effortlessly defeated them all, a clear sign of his significant improvement.

At Louis's words, Lucas simply smiled and gave a small nod.
Your next read awaits at empire

"Yes, these years of wandering have made me stronger. I'm truly grateful for that," Lucas said, embedding a hidden meaning in his words—something Louis didn't catch.

"Speaking of your wanderings, I recall you mentioning the woman you love. Where is she now? Do you still see her often?" Louis asked, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around Lucas's neck with a playful, mysterious smile.

Lucas felt a slight flush of embarrassment at the question and shook his head a little.

"She's not in Holy Orthodoxy; she's in a small town in the far southern region," Lucas replied, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I used to visit her often, but with everything keeping me busy, I haven't had the time lately."

Louis sensed the underlying sadness in his tone, and he dropped his arm from around Lucas's neck, giving his shoulder a gentle pat.

"What's there to worry about, man? You're the Second Guardian of Holy Orthodoxy, and your status is extraordinary. Bring the woman you love to the holy hall, or I could ask the saint to buy her a mansion near the palace. That way, you'll always be together," Louis said with a helpless sigh.

The status of the Guardians was high and revered. They held immense power in Holy Orthodoxy, ranking just below the true leader, Saint Arshley.

Louis felt puzzled as to why Lucas hadn't brought the woman he loved to Holy Orthodoxy. With his status, they could surely live happily and inseparably.

Lucas's expression froze for a moment at Louis's words, but it quickly returned to normal.

"I'll think about it. Thanks for the advice, Louis," Lucas said sincerely.

Suddenly, his eyes widened slightly, and his brows furrowed. The change was obvious to Louis, who regarded him with confusion.

"What's wrong, Lucas? Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his voice.

Lucas took a deep breath and shook his head. "It's nothing."

His gaze briefly flicked to his right palm, which was faintly glowing with red light, then returned to Louis.

"By the way, I heard from Victor that the Sword Hero Leon has returned and is now trying to overthrow the rule of Holy Emperor Velix. Is that true?"

Louis was momentarily taken aback by the sudden shift in topic but shrugged it off, nodding helplessly.

"Yes, Sword Hero Leon has returned, and he's now in the Holy Empire of Elysium, aiming to overthrow Velix's rule."

When Louis first heard the news from Edward, he had a feeling that Edward might be deceiving him. But after considering Edward's serious nature, he realized his words were true—Leon truly sought to overthrow Velix's power.

Louis didn't know whether Leon's actions would bring disaster to humanity, but one thing was clear: he would support him.

After all, Edward had no objections—on the contrary, he seemed very supportive. So, Louis wasn't worried. Besides, as Leon's teacher, he would stand by him.

Lucas smiled faintly and nodded. "So the news was true after all? No wonder he asked for help."

Louis blinked in surprise. "He? Who are you talking about?"

"No, no one," Lucas replied casually. He took a deep breath, stretching slightly before adding, "By the way, it's been years since I've seen the capital. I happen to be free, so I thought I'd take a short walk there."

He looked back at Louis and gave his shoulder a friendly pat. "I'll probably stay for two days at a hotel and won't return to the Holy Hall during that time. If Edward or Victor asks for me, please let them know."

Without waiting for a response, Lucas turned and left the practice field.

Louis watched Lucas walk away, his brow furrowed in suspicion as he muttered, "If I remember correctly, Lucas used to hate crowds. Has that changed after his years of wandering?"

After a moment of contemplation, he quickly shrugged off his doubts and headed back to the Holy Hall.

...

In a magnificent room adorned with strange paintings, a man sat leisurely on a golden sofa, his legs crossed.

The man was tall and well-built, his slightly long black hair falling over both ears.

Dressed in a black robe, he had two sun- and star-shaped brooches pinned to his chest.

A black devil mask, with a sinister smile, covered his face, concealing his identity from anyone who might see him.

At that moment, a man in a black cloak, his appearance hidden, hurried over and bowed respectfully.

"Sorry to interrupt, First Apostle! I have urgent news to report!" He said, his voice frantic.

The masked man shifted his gaze. His hoarse, cold voice echoed. "What's happened?"

The cloaked man raised his head and replied, "We've received a distress signal from the Fourth Apostle. It seems he's encountered an accident while on duty and needs immediate assistance. How should we proceed?"

The masked man was momentarily surprised. "Oh? I didn't expect that arrogant man to find himself in this kind of situation. How unexpected."

At the same time, he glanced at his right palm, covered by a glove, and noticed a red light flickering there.

"What should we do about the distress signal, First Apostle?" the black-cloaked man asked anxiously.

"We will help him," the masked man replied nonchalantly as he slowly rose to his feet. "Despite our enmity, the Fourth Apostle's duty is vital. It concerns the well-being and future of the Temple of Twilight. We cannot afford for it to fail. If it does, the plans we've worked on for centuries will be in vain."

The black-cloaked man nodded slightly before asking again, "How many should we send to help him?"

The masked man paused for a moment, then answered casually, "Send two thousand elite Temple members. Also, notify the other apostles to act swiftly. Although they should've received the distress signal by now, I suspect some are still dragging their feet."

"As you command!" The black-cloaked man replied with respect.

Just as he stood and prepared to leave, the masked man halted him.

"Wait. I have one more question. Is the body of the man named Guren still in good condition?"

At the question, the black-cloaked man nodded firmly and answered confidently, "Don't worry, First Apostle. The man's body is in good condition and well-preserved. We've guarded it carefully and ensured not a single insect has touched it."

"Good! Keep it up, for it's the task the Son of God entrusted to me. Don't worry, there will be a great reward for you later," the masked man praised.

"Thank you, First Apostle!" The black-cloaked man couldn't contain his excitement and bowed respectfully.

The masked man gave a small nod and waved his right hand. "Go, and make the arrangements to help the Fourth Apostle."

"Understood!" Without hesitation, the black-cloaked man turned and left, leaving the masked man alone in the large, magnificent room.

Watching the silence around him, the masked man let out a soft chuckle before sitting back down on the sofa.

His gaze settled on a large painting in the center of the room, depicting a scene of destruction.

The sun and moon were shattered, while between them hovered a long-haired man with a majestic, arrogant demeanor.

On the ground in the painting, two striking figures stood side by side, each holding a sword—one white, the other black—in their right hands. Both stared intently at the man suspended between the sun and moon, as if daring him.

"Hahaha! The Hero of Mankind, Luminus Troya, and the First Demon Emperor, Amon Crimson... You sealed our god away seven thousand years ago. This grudge will be settled soon. The mighty Evil God will break free from his seal, and when that happens, this corrupt world will be reborn in a new era!" he whispered, his voice thick with cold laughter.

-----------

A/N: Phew! It's hard to believe it's already January. Thank you to everyone who has loyally supported me! Starting next month, I plan to update two chapters per day to speed up the story's progress. Stay tuned, and thank you!

Oh! Don't forget your support!