Chapter 97: Zayne’s Cruelty

The battlefield quaked under the raw force radiating from Kin. His massive purple frame trembled with power, tattoos etched across his body glowing faintly like veins of corruption. A storm of corrupted mana wrapped around him, thick and suffocating, its edges tinged with a strange golden shimmer. Each breath he exhaled distorted the air, carrying the scent of rot and ash.

Across from him, Zayne stood calmly. His long black coat swayed lightly in the wind, arms folded across his chest, his stance relaxed yet unshakable. The faint curl of his lips betrayed a mocking arrogance, a look that only stoked Kin’s fury further. His light purple eyes glimmered faintly, calm and playful, as if the battle ahead was nothing more than entertainment.

Kin’s crimson eyes burned hotter, veins bulging as his teeth ground together. “You won’t be smiling in a moment,” he growled, his voice vibrating with hatred.

Zayne tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing with playful defiance. “Yes… I know,” he replied smoothly. Then his smile widened, sharp and deliberate. “I’ll be laughing.”

The words struck like daggers. Kin roared, fury consuming him, his corrupted aura exploding outward in violent shockwaves. The ground split beneath his feet as he launched forward, his massive form blurring into motion. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Zayne, claws raised to tear him apart—

Kin’s claw ripped through the air, missing Zayne by a hair’s breadth before crashing into the earth.

BOOOM!

The battlefield shook violently as a fifty-meter-wide crater erupted where the strike landed, chunks of stone and dirt flung skyward like cannon fire.

From above, Caelum floated on a platform of pale-blue wind, his sharp eyes widening. He dodged it… so easily. The man clenched his teeth, unsettled by how casually Zayne treated the attack.

Zayne appeared at a distance in the blink of an eye, dusting off the sleeve of his coat with an almost lazy expression. He gave Kin a taunting smirk. “Come on.”

Kin snarled, his corrupted aura rippling with rage. But Zayne’s thoughts drifted elsewhere, his playful expression sharpening.

Hmm… it’s boring to defeat him with techniques. Let’s try one of the weakest kick martial arts Boss created back in Nowhere.

His light purple eyes gleamed with mischief as he shifted. Yeah… let’s do Iron Wind Kick Art.

Slowly, deliberately, Zayne adjusted his posture into the Iron Fold Stance. His feet spread shoulder-width apart, knees bent for balance. The dominant leg slid slightly back, angled outward, poised to unleash rapid kicks. His front leg bent just enough to allow swift transitions, his body weight centered with disciplined control. Both arms folded across his chest, palms relaxed but protective, while his chin lifted high, gaze sharp and calm.

The battlefield’s chaos seemed to quiet around him, the stance radiating a serene deadliness.

Then he smirked, tilting his head toward Kin.

“Come on, little ugly Abyssal.”

Kin’s muscles coiled with fury, and he lunged forward, but Zayne moved first.

He slammed his heel into the ground—

Steel Heel Stomp!

The earth cracked like glass, and three massive boulders ripped free, flung high into the air. Without hesitation, Zayne pivoted on his front foot, his body flowing with effortless grace.

Sweeping Serpent Kick!

His leg whipped out in a wide arc, striking each stone with a sound like metal against metal. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! The boulders shattered midair into dozens of sharp fragments. Instead of scattering, the pieces whirled forward, guided by a faint blue shimmer of mana, streaking toward Kin like a storm of blades.

“Tch—!” Kin snarled, nearly dismissing them as pebbles—until one slashed across his cheek. A thin line of glowing blue blood dripped down. His eyes widened in shock before rage overtook him, and he began weaving between the larger chunks, letting his corrupted aura shield him as smaller shards nicked his skin.

“Human!” he roared, rushing through the barrage, corrupted fists surging with power.

But Zayne was already moving. His coat swirled as he shifted his stance, leg cutting upward in a clean, fluid motion.

Swift Crescent Kick!

His heel clashed against Kin’s incoming fist. The impact rang out like steel on steel—

SPAAARK!

Golden-red corruption and faint blue light burst outward, showering the battlefield in a violent glare. It wasn’t just power clashing—it carried the metallic resonance unique to Zayne’s Iron Wind Kick Art, as if two blades were grinding against one another.

Kin gritted his teeth, veins throbbing with fury as the sound scraped into his ears.

Zayne, however, only smirked, his light purple eyes gleaming with mockery.

The collision blast forced them apart, dust rippling from the shockwave as both figures slid back across the broken battlefield.

Kin roared and surged forward again, corruption flaring like wildfire—

but Zayne’s form blurred, faster, sharper.

In an instant, he was at Kin’s side. His body twisted with surgical grace, coat flowing like a shadow. His leg snapped upward in a precise, elegant arc—

Gentle Tempering Kick!

The strike connected squarely with Kin’s chin.

CRACK!

The Abyssal’s head snapped back violently, his jaw rattling as agony shot through his skull. His massive frame was lifted off the ground, body flung upward by the sheer force.

But before Kin could even process the pain, Zayne was already above him.

Appearing midair with uncanny speed, his silhouette loomed above the rising Abyssal.

Shield Breaker Stomp!

Zayne’s heel crashed down on Kin’s chest with bone-shattering precision. The impact detonated like a hammer to glass—

CRUNCH!

Kin’s corrupted aura flickered as multiple ribs gave way under the weight. His scream was swallowed by the blast of force as his body was sent plummeting like a meteor.

BOOOOM!!!

The ground split apart as Kin slammed into it, a massive crater over a hundred meters wide blooming in an instant. Chunks of earth and shattered trees scattered like leaves in a storm.

When the dust settled, Zayne landed softly on the crater’s rim, his long coat swaying in the settling wind. His arms were still folded across his chest, posture calm, expression mocking.

Standing firm in the Iron Fold Stance, he tilted his head slightly, light purple eyes gleaming as he thought—

“That’s it…”

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Kin slumped onto the fractured ground, blue blood spewing from his mouth, sizzling as it hit the earth like acid. His massive form trembled with rage and pain.

Zayne’s light purple eyes glinted with amusement, lips curling into a mocking smirk.

“Is that all, the great Abyssal…?” he drawled, tilting his head. “I mean… give me a challenge!”

Kin’s jagged teeth clenched. His body shimmered faintly as corrupted energy worked on self-healing, slowly knitting wounds and restoring some of his might. A cold, calculating smile crept across his face.

It can happen any time now… he thought, coiling with tension.

“Human,” he rasped through the pain, “you have no idea what’s going to happen to you…”

He inhaled deeply, muscles tensing, corrupted energy flaring outward. “In just… three… two… one…!”

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Zayne remained perfectly still, light purple eyes sparkling with amusement, the wind lightly ruffling his long coat.

Kin’s eyes widened, confusion and horror mingling. “What the—?! Why isn’t something… happening to you?!”

Zayne tilted his head, feigning a puzzled frown for effect. “Something happening… to me?”

Then his smirk widened, playful and cruel. “Ohhh… you mean the corruption from your mana? Don’t worry, I’m immune to that.”

The words hit Kin like a thunderclap. His golden-tinged, corrupted aura flickered violently as he tried to process it.

H-how is this possible? he thought, panic creeping in. I didn’t sense any divinity from it… this should be impossible!

Zayne threw his head back and laughed, loud, clear, and cruel.

“Ahahahahaha! Look at your face, hoping your mana will corrupt me!” His voice rang across the battlefield, mocking and unstoppable.

Leaning slightly forward, hands still folded in the Iron Fold Stance, his smirk widened into pure malice.

“Time to have some fun… and then… finish you off.”

Zayne loosened his Iron Fold stance and stood upright.

In the next instant, he vanished—only to reappear casually, his fist burying itself deep into Kin’s gut.

The massive Abyssal choked, his knees buckling as he clutched his stomach. His breath came ragged, pain etched across his monstrous features.

“Y-you said… you wouldn’t use… your hand…”

Zayne let out a short laugh that rolled into mocking hysteria.

“Pfft… ahahahahaha! Look at you. An Abyssal, born of schemes and deception, whining that I didn’t play fair? Don’t make me laugh.”

Kin’s lips trembled as he spat, “…m-monster…”

Zayne tilted his head, a cruel smile on his face.

“Well… between the two of us, who really looks like the monster?”

Before Kin could move, Zayne’s hand shot forward. He grabbed the Abyssal’s massive arm—and with one violent pull, tore it clean off.

Kin’s roar of agony shook the ground.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!”

Zayne twirled the severed arm once, then slammed it across Kin’s face.

Smack!

“Stop hitting yourself.”

He swung again.

Smack!

“Stop hitting yourself.”

Again. And again.

Each blow carried that same mocking phrase, until Kin’s broken voice wheezed, “…y-you… are… h-hitt…ing…me…”

Silence fell.

Zayne stopped. He looked Kin dead in the eye—then, with one final strike of Kin’s own torn fist, sneered, “Stop hitting yourself.”

His grin widened, merciless. Without hesitation, he drove his own fist into Kin’s chest, the impact caving through muscle and bone until his hand burst out the other side. Blue blood sprayed, covering Zayne, but he didn’t flinch.

His fingers closed around something pulsating. With a sharp tug, he ripped Kin’s heart free.

Holding it up, dripping, Zayne tilted his head and smirked.

“…Wow. You really do have a big heart, huh?”

The Abyssal’s monstrous body quivered once… then collapsed lifelessly into the crater.

Zayne stood there, blood-soaked and smiling, his eyes glinting with cruel satisfaction.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep