From Secret Clan to the Divine Dynasty

The old dog's footsteps gradually slowed, he stopped running away and turned around to gaze behind him.

Deep within his heart, there was an inexplicable premonition that he was likely to die today.

Of course, the old dog's original name wasn't "Old Dog", that was the name given to him by someone who had once taken him in; it's just unfortunate that the ones who took him in were not good people, but a secret organization called "Obsidian Blade" that specialized in training Extraordinary assassins.

He had been trained to become a true assassin, killing many for the organization to earn money and eliminate adversaries—men, women, the elderly, and even children.

The old dog originally had a good memory, but now he could only vaguely recall those days, and easily forgot about them.

Perhaps it was a kind of self-protection mechanism from the brain, so that he wouldn't remember those times too clearly.

In the end, he was captured by the machinations of the church. He didn't die from it but was instead forced to join the Cyart Royal Army due to the outbreak of war and the Cyart King's conscription, becoming a powerful Atoner.

Among all those who took different "The Oath" and became Extraordinary Exponents seeking atonement, the old dog with Middle Rank Transmutation stood as one of the strongest in the Royal Army.

He soon discovered that army life and his days in the secret organization "Obsidian Blade" were not very different.

All along, he had just been following orders, killing, following orders, killing.

There was no real life, no need to show emotions, not even a need to remember his true name.

Follow orders, kill, follow orders, kill…

After enduring torture in a prison following his capture by the Rhea People, the old dog felt no fear of death deep inside; he only felt a profound emptiness, and silently lost all motivation in his heart.

Until that day, when the man wearing the Iron Mask suddenly passed through the wall materializing before him.

"Prisoner, who are you?" the man wearing the Iron Mask asked.

"I'm Old Dog."

Without hesitation, the old dog answered. He had always responded this way; everyone who gave him orders knew he was the Old Dog, adept at killing.

However, the Iron Mask Man shook his head.

"No, I want to know your real name. Hmm, if you haven't thought of it yet, just come with me for now, and you can think about it slowly, until you fully understand it."

Understand it…

Darren taught him a lesson, from now on, he would belong to himself completely. Whether he wanted to do something or needed to obtain something, he had to make his own choices.

"If you want to be a good person, go help those you meet, without asking for anything in return. If you want to be a bad person, then go burn, murder, and plunder, inflict pain. Or you can come with me and kill the Rhea People, after all, they almost killed you, didn't they? You have the right to seek revenge, the right to hate."

"Perhaps after enough experiences and making enough choices on your own, you will be able to understand, and then find your true name."

In the dark cell, the old dog stared at the Iron Mask, unable to see the true face of the man behind the steel mask, and had no idea what kind of person he was.

But deep inside, a spark of vitality suddenly emerged.

He thought the man made a lot of sense.

"Alright, I will go with you."

At this very moment in the jungle, the old dog's face revealed a strange and bizarre smile, with a hint of madness in his eyes.

He suddenly clapped his hands and stopped running.

"Back then, I indeed made the right decision. Darren Fischer, thank you for not letting me rot and wait for death in that prison!"

The more the old dog dealt with Darren, the more he felt a peculiar Magic Power emanating from him, as if he could stir the deepest desires in people's hearts.

In fact, thinking about it, he knew those desires had always been hidden deep in people's hearts; it was just Darren Fischer who had lured them out.

And it was with such ability that Darren had gradually built his own team over a few years.

"HAHAHAHA! Bring it on!"

He too stopped in his tracks, deciding to confront the enemy and buy time for his comrades.

The old dog had lived for decades, always killing never saving even a single person, so he hoped to make a different choice.

A different choice on his own terms!

The next moment, his scarred body began to swell, the power nestled in his flesh was that of the high-level magic beast "Spinel Giant Wolf", endowing him with a powerful and indestructible werewolf body!

"Whoo!"

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Just after the old dog had fully transformed, his wolf nose suddenly caught the scent of a large amount of gunpowder.

He looked towards the distance and then noticed raging flames burning through the jungle. The forest had too much combustible material; once a fire started, it could not be put out for several days and nights.

"What's going on?"

A sense of surprise welled up within the old dog's heart.

——

"Burn!"

There was a flame in Darren Fischer's palm.

The source of his power of Bloodline was a common magic beast known as the Blazing Fire Lizard Spirit, which possessed the ability to control flames and robust life force.

Darren not only possessed the Power of Consecution but as well had the power of Bloodline. The combination of these two types of extraordinary powers, along with Destiny's Trajectory and runes, meant that indeed, no one below the Mid-Level Transmutation could contend with him.

In theory, by combining the magical effects of Destiny's Trajectory's "Sufferer" and the might of that priceless, extraordinary treasure, he could even pose a fatal threat to those with low-level Transmutation power.

However, even with the Blazing Fire Lizard Spirit's damage reduction, Darren was utterly unable to challenge Arthur Meyer back then, as the gap in their strength was simply too great.

"Burn! Hahahahaha, burn! Let it all burn!"

He waved his arms, and a great amount of fire covered the surroundings, setting tree after tree ablaze in an instant.

Ever since he was burned all over, Darren's life and his destiny had completely changed, and the deepest recesses of his heart became increasingly mad and merciless.

Although he trusted those companions of his, even if any of them were to die, he was not truly able to feel sad.

Over the years, too many people had died. If he felt sad for every death, Darren thought it would be simply too troublesome, so he decided not to feel sad for any!

Flames constantly erupted from his festering palm, again and again spewing forth into the surrounding forest.

The Blazing Fire Lizard Spirit Bloodline was a very ordinary source of power, and the flames it produced were nothing special, but they were already enough for Darren's purposes.

The spread of the forest fire was like the most intense fire dancer, swiftly moving between the trees, flames howling as they passed, casting firelight in all directions.

The heatwave spread with the wind, enveloping both the dense trees and the dry ground in the destruction, like a merciless natural disaster magic, ruthlessly stripping the surroundings of their beauty and vitality.

"Nice view. Let it all go into chaos, it's easier to escape that way!"

As for how many creatures would die in the forest fire, or whether his companions might get burned to death because of it, that was not a consideration in Darren's mind at all.

"Hahahahaha!"

He laughed heartily and continued to flee southwards. After about half a day, he suddenly heard the sound of flying coming from behind him.

"Eh, caught up already?"

Darren smiled and turned his head, only to see a tall Rhea officer with wings like those of a bird on his back, flying towards him at a high speed through the sky.

He flew over the blazing flames and landed in front of Darren, looking immensely displeased.

"No matter, although indeed a few have escaped, killing you will make four, and taking out half is still an acceptable outcome..."

The dense smoke and chaos caused by the forest fire indeed delayed the deputy's pursuit, preventing him from killing all the fugitives.

Oh, out of his seven comrades, three had died? That was a range he could accept.

Darren gazed at the tall Rhea officer with dense beard on both sides of his face and suddenly started laughing neurotically. Deep inside, he felt not a trace of fear or trepidation but was instead filled with excitement!

He knew that it was impossible to escape merely by relying on his feet, and that the formidable figure before him was an opponent he was not capable of challenging. His current situation was undoubtedly one of hopelessness.

Oh great Lord of the Lost, I might be returning to your embrace!

The deputy gazed at the forest fire, and at the man standing in the dense smoke, and asked with great authority, "What's your name? Iron Mask Man, I've heard of you! You are a group of scoundrels wreaking havoc everywhere, despicable Cyart invaders!"

"My name?"

Darren chuckled heh heh, and then replied:

"A name is just a label. You can call me Darren Fischer, or Iron Mask Man, or whatever else you like... Either way, my actions to date have left a real name for me in your hearts!"