Chapter 62: NEW TARGET (2)

Chapter 63

Ricu moved.

Not fast. Not very fast.

He moved far faster than before, far beyond the speed he had shown against Callack.

One second he was standing there.

The next, he vanished.

Callack could not track him with his eyes, but his instincts screamed danger. His heart dropped.

“He’s going for your front!” Callack shouted.

Selene reacted instantly.

She lashed her whip straight ahead, striking at empty air. She could not see him, but she trusted Callack’s judgment without hesitation. He had always had sharper instincts than her.

Her trust paid off.

Ricu’s Sickle slammed into her whip at the very last moment.

He stepped back, then struck again, this time redirecting the circle at an angle that made its intent clear. It was aimed straight for the side of her neck.

Selene’s breath caught.

With her whip already extended, she had no time to pull it back and block. She could only watch as the circle closed in.

If it hit, she would die.

Then metal flashed.

A small sword intercepted the circle.

Selene exhaled sharply. She had almost forgotten, but she never should have.

She was not alone.

“Don’t you dare touch her!” Callack roared.

His small sword knocked the Sickle aside. His other hand drove the second circle straight toward Ricu’s eyes.

Ricu blocked and countered, but Callack was already moving.

There was a reason Callack had survived the arduous forest and risen as a hunter. It was not just skill or strength. It was his mind, his ruthlessness.

His leg swept forward.

Ricu was caught off guard.

He was thrown backward, heading straight for the ground. At the last instant, he released a wave of qi from his body and stabilized his fall. If he had not, Callack’s sword would have pierced his head.

It did not matter.

As Ricu regained his balance, something tightened around his neck.

A whip.

Ricu’s hand shot up, ready to tear it away.

Too late.

The whip pulled.

Ricu was yanked skyward, his body lifting as control slipped from him.

“Begone, you scum!” Selene shouted.

She straightened her whip to its limit, pouring as much qi as she could into it, then slammed him down with full force.

Ricu’s body crashed into the ground.

Dust exploded outward, swallowing the impact….

——

Elsewhere, Poto, who had been watching the strange baby that unsettled him, turned his gaze toward the battle.

He did not frown. He did not sigh.

He simply watched Ricu slam into the earth.

“Why is he even playing with them?” Poto muttered, confusion creeping into his voice. “Why not just kill them already?”

As the thought crossed his mind, danger flared.

A long, broken blade shot toward his face.

Poto tried to dodge, but the tree he stood on bent slightly beneath his feet. His balance shifted. The blade seemed to accelerate, its trajectory locking onto his neck.

It was a killing strike. Fast. Clean.

But Poto was no weakling.

Just as the broken blade reached him, he opened his mouth and released a thunderous cry of qi.

“Aaah!”

The wave of qi burst outward, smashing the blade into fragments midair.

But to his greatest surprise, a few of the shards still flew toward him at an insane speed.

Poto narrowed his eyes.

He managed to block everything through subtle movements of his body alone. He did not even shift his stance, dodging and deflecting with near perfect precision.

Near perfect.

A thin slit appeared along his cheek.

He touched his face. His fingers came back wet.

Blood.

So one of the blades did reach him after all.

Poto stared at the stain on his hand, his expression darkening.

There was no doubt now. Someone was protecting the settlement. And whoever it was had strength dangerously close to his own. Almost on par.

The only reason this protector had not shown themselves yet could only be because Ricu was still active.

Even though Poto had surpassed Ricu and stepped into stage six, there was no denying it. Ricu was almost as strong as him.

If that protector appeared now, Poto would die quickly under their hands.

What Poto did not know was the truth.

There was no protector.

No hidden guardian.

No elder watching from the shadows.

The attack he suffered was nothing more than the action of a particular depraved existence.

Baby Rayden groaned softly, irritation leaking from his tiny body after his failed assassination attempt.

This is what happens when you deal with someone far stronger and far more experienced than the others.

Well. Plan A failed. Plan B in action.

Rayden focused.

Another of the ten skills awakened.

Ember of Will activated.

Poto, still standing atop the tree, suddenly felt it.

A small spark flickered to life beside him.

Rayden looked at the world and whispered.

Burn.

Poto sensed danger and glanced downward, but it was already too late.

The tree branches erupted into flames, swallowing him whole as fire roared upward.

Rayden smiled.

—–

Meanwhile, back at Selene and Callack.

Ricu slowly pushed himself up from the ground.

Blood dripped from his mouth. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, then lifted his gaze to Selene.

You do have some skill, he said, genuinely impressed.

Then he looked at Callack.

And your attacks pack some punch as well.

Neither of them answered.

Their eyes met instead.

They were already planning the next barrage. The one meant to end him.

After all, Ricu was still the strongest enemy they had ever faced. The strongest they had faced and still believed they could defeat. Even if the hope was small.

After a silent exchange, Callack nodded.

Selene nodded back.

They were ready.

They charged.

Their movement turned erratic, zigzagging wildly as their speed spiked. Their auras flared, growing heavier and more violent with every step.

This was the power of the cultivation technique Callack had crudely created.

By forcing their bodies under immense pressure, they drained more qi from their awakening spheres. With every step, that qi became more refined.

But that was not the terrifying part.

With each moment they passed each other, they enhanced one another. Their bodies synchronized, reinforcing every movement.

More steps meant more refinement.

More refinement meant more qi.

More qi meant stronger attacks.

Ricu felt the danger climbing by the second.

So he did the only thing he believed he could do.

He spun.

The wind howled as it wrapped around him, forming a mini tornado.

Blades of compressed air tore outward.

The duo dodged every slash with frightening precision. It was difficult, but they endured, pushing forward inch by inch until they reached the heart of the spinning storm.

They raised their weapons.

Ready to unleash everything.

Then the tornado stopped.

Ricu stood there, smiling.

Checkmate, he said.

Severe sword slashes erupted from nowhere.

Large gashes ripped across their bodies, pain exploding through them as they were launched backward, crashing into the ground meters away.

They gritted their teeth, bodies screaming.

The truth became painfully clear.

They could not stop Ricu.

Not unless they understood his strange skill. Not unless they found a way to counter it.

Ricu smiled wider.

This is fun.

Dangerous gleamed in his eyes.

“But you really need to die now.” Ricu said.

To be continued…..

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