Chapter 64: Unbeatable Foe (2)

Chapter 66

You damn bastard. I am really going to rip you limb from limb, Ricu said as he looked at the wounds he had suffered in this second clash.

Most of them were because of the feral way Callack fought.

Compared to Callack, his own wounds were lighter, far better off. Yet the fact remained that a lowly, newly awakened cultivator had managed to injure him at all.

That alone made his blood boil.

Callack looked back at Sisco’s headless body.

The red in his eyes deepened. Anger poured into him like fuel on fire.

He was going to get rid of this damn Ricu, even if it meant the end of him.

He would kill him no matter how much damage he took.

Because without taking damage, there was no way he could land his own blows. And if taking pain was the price for ending this bastard, then so be it.

Callack smiled.

A predatory smile. An infuriating one.

Let us see who rips who apart, Callack said.

And he charged again.

His gaze promised only pain and suffering.

The suicidal battle resumed.

If Rayden were watching his father fight right now, he would have given the old man a thumbs up. After all, killing your enemy and making them suffer was a fine way to have fun.

Though Rayden would disagree with one thing.

Suffering to deal damage was inefficient.

True domination was crushing your enemy completely. Making them scream in despair. Breaking them until all hope was gone before taking their life.

The battle continued.

Minutes passed.

Then it ended.

Ricu stood there, heart racing. A large gash split his face, nearly tearing one of his eyes apart. Somehow, it was still intact.

I won, he said.

His voice held no joy. No satisfaction.

At his feet lay Callack, drenched in blood. His breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling in a weak but steady rhythm.

The fight was not over the way most would think.

Callack had not been defeated by Ricu.

He had collapsed from immense strain.

His awakening sphere was completely dry. His wounds had finally caught up to him. With no energy left to sustain his body, he had fallen unconscious.

Should I just kill him here? Ricu thought as his gaze narrowed on Callack’s broken form.

He wanted nothing more than to end this abominable human.

In all his years, he had never faced such danger. For a moment, he had truly thought he might die at the hands of someone weaker than him.

Someone with inferior realm and lesser skill.

If Callack had been more trained, if he had been on the same tier, Ricu sucked in a cold breath.

He would be dead.

Ending him now would be the safest choice.

Ricu raised his circle, qi surging, ready to snuff out Callack’s life.

Then a whip snapped forward and wrapped around his arm, stopping him.

Selene stood there.

Her posture was unsteady. Exhaustion was clear on her face. But her gaze was firm. Cold.

Do not you dare touch him, she said.

Ricu looked at her.

For a moment, his face showed no emotion.

He considered killing her first. Then finishing Callack.

But that would be letting them off too easily.

These two had killed too many scavengers. Too many of his people. The lord would not be pleased.

Killing them here would not be in his best interest.

Callack would be tortured. The lord would decide whether to turn him into a slave or throw him into one of the deadly trials.

As for the woman.

Ricu’s gaze swept over Selene’s body. Curved. Strong. Beautiful.

Too beautiful.

Ricu grinned.

Actually, she would do well serving as the lord’s sex slave, Ricu thought.

Let him go, Selene said.

Her voice was threatening, but she knew she was fooling no one. She was finished. There was no way she could stand up to the man before her. He was simply too strong.

Even at full strength, she would not be able to take him down. Not to mention now, when she barely had enough energy to remain standing.

Let him go, she repeated, her voice shaking from exhaustion.

Ricu smiled.

He yanked the whip out of her hand, sending her crashing to her knees. She gasped, breathing hard. Her eyelids felt heavy, as if unconsciousness was dragging her down.

She had not helped Callack much in the last exchange. She had fought only briefly before the exhaustion became suffocating.

Perhaps it was because her awakening sphere was still new. It had not stored enough energy yet.

Luck is on your side, young lady, Ricu’s voice reached her ears.

She looked up.

What is with that devouring look? Ricu chuckled softly. His gaze was cold despite the casual tone. The look in your eyes is as if you cannot wait to rip me apart. Unfortunately, your situation does not allow that.

He smiled again, this time even more amused.

And even more unfortunate for you, your future will be far worse than you ever imagined.

You two will live, he said, pointing at Callack’s collapsed body and then at her.

But you will wish you did not.

His smile turned devilish.

Before Selene could reply, her body was bound tightly by her own whip. She struggled, but her body was weak and her awakening sphere completely depleted. There was nothing she could do.

Callack’s body was bundled up and dragged along. Selene was thrown over Ricu’s shoulder as if she were nothing more than property.

His gaze was calm. Cold. Callous.

He moved away from the center of the city where they had fought, leaving ruin in every direction.

As he walked, he noticed how many of his people had died. Most of them killed by the villagers themselves.

Strange.

The villagers were non cultivators. There was no way they should have resisted this long.

Ricu’s gaze did not change.

It does not matter.

Those who brought this upon themselves would have their punishment served cold.

When he reached the outer lands of the ruined city, the scene worsened. Mass bloodshed lay everywhere. Burnt bodies were scattered across the ground. Buildings collapsed. Corpses piled atop one another.

Devastation in its purest form.

The surviving villagers were already being rounded up. They would be taken as slaves to the scavengers’ base, where their lives would turn into a living hell.

They had no choice.

Ricu paused.

Some distance away, he saw something that did not belong in this sea of destruction.

A baby.

Raven black hair. Dark eyes. Calm.

Too calm.

The child sat there, watching a scene that would make grown men soil themselves.

What is a baby doing here for crying out loud? Ricu thought.

At the same time, Selene opened her eyes.

She saw her child sitting exactly where she had left him.

Her heart skipped.

She had to protect him.

She needed to.

But how?

If he were older, she would have told him to run. But he was just a baby. Barely learning how to walk. How could he run?

With no other choice left, she turned to Ricu.

Her gaze pleaded.

Please… do not touch my baby, she said.

Ricu looked at the strange baby staring at them with a calm face. Then he looked back at Selene.

He grinned.

Why should I? You two just tried to kill me minutes ago, he said, glancing at the unconscious Callack still in his grip. Would it not be more fitting if I killed your baby in front of you? In the most mutilating way possible. To show you your place.

He smiled as he spoke.

Selene’s heart froze.

If there was anyone she could never allow harm to come to, it was her innocent baby boy.

Now she could not avoid it anymore.

She fell to her knees.

Please… I beg you…

Ricu did not reply. He simply grinned wider and stepped forward, his circle drawing close as he approached the baby.

No, Selene screamed. If you touch even a hair on his body, I swear I will kill myself before your plan ever comes to pass.

Ricu stopped dead in his tracks.

For cultivators, killing oneself was not difficult. Destabilize inner energy violently, especially near the heart, and death would come before a second thought.

He could tell.

That woman was not lying.

Annoying, Ricu scoffed.

He sheathed his blade and turned away.

Killing the small brat would not be much fulfillment anyway, he thought as he began to leave.

Selene sagged in relief.

Rayden did not.

If Ricu had moved even a little closer, he would have stepped into the traps Rayden had prepared. If luck favored him, Ricu would already be dead.

Moments earlier, when Ricu had appeared carrying his battered mother and heavily wounded father, Rayden had decided.

He would end his life.

He wanted Ricu to burn. To scream. To suffer before dying.

Rayden hated to admit it, but his human parents had rubbed off on him. They had shown time and time again that they would sacrifice their lives for his safety.

He respected that.

Though he was not willing to go that far for them, the least he could do was make anyone foolish enough to touch them pay with their life.

His first plan had failed.

Time for the second.

Rayden watched Ricu’s back.

If he activated Ultra Boost and Hellskin Fortification together with Abyssal Pulses, he could catch Ricu off guard. His chances of killing him would be high. With Ultra Boost active, he was certain he would be stronger than both his parents combined.

Just as Rayden was about to activate his skills, he sensed danger.

He turned sharply.

Too late.

A massive warhammer slammed into the side of his head.

Rayden was hurled off the spot he sat on, his small body launched through the air and crashing into the remains of a burnt building. He landed hard.

Selene’s world froze.

Then it shattered.

She looked at her baby.

He had been flung across the ground. Blood spilled from his head, pooling beneath his small body.

Her heart raced. Her breath came in broken gasps.

She could not understand what she was feeling.

He is going to die, she whispered.

Her focus snapped back to reality.

He is going to die.

She tore free from the whip and rushed to her son. She dropped to her knees, hands shaking as she checked him.

No pulse.

No breathing.

No heartbeat.

Her worst fear. Her greatest fear.

It had come to pass.

Her heart felt like it was tearing apart.

Ricu was also stunned by the sudden turn of events. He turned to the side and locked eyes with the one who had swung the hammer.

Why did you do that? Ricu asked.

Standing there, arm still extended from the swing, was Poto.

His face was calm.

Yet something in him was shaken.

He lifted the warhammer and rested it against his shoulder.

Then he spoke.

That kid…

He is trouble.

TO BE CONTINUED

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