Chapter 96: Hollow Victory.

Haden’s words thundered throughout the forest, and he appeared before The Remnant.

The Remnant peered into Haden’s eyes and mumbled, “Thou art here, descendant of war.”

Haden ignored their words and asked flatly, “Why are you already here?”

The hole in their upper body began to heal, and they shifted their gaze at the fatigued Rion before they answered in a joyous tone,

“I have found something that may grant mother her revenge.”

For the first time, Haden’s calm cracked, and he muttered in an edged tone, “He is a Dhaevrak.”

Rion sat down as the tiredness weighed on him and looked at his father with a puzzled expression. He thought, ’Why is Father talking with him like that?’

Haden was talking to The Remnant as if they had known each other for a long time.

The Ramnant didn’t react to Haden’s fury and asked in a slightly irritated tone, “So dost thou suggest that I sit and wait, as thou dost?”

Haden shook his head and answered in a flat tone, “I do not suggest anything to those who can barely keep their sanity.”

They burst out laughing, and their melodious chuckle echoed throughout the area as they declared, “Sane or not, I shall have my revenge.”

“For how many decades are you going to continue this stupidity?” Haden questioned and glanced at Rion from the corner of his eye.

With each passing moment, Rion’s confusion only deepened, and suddenly Haden’s words echoed in his head.

<Take some rest.>

“Huh?”

That was the only thing that he could mutter before his vision darkened and he fell unconscious.

They glanced at Rion and muttered, “He is not like the rest.”

Haden nodded and stated in a prideful tone, “He is my son, after all.”

And those words were the last words The Remnant heard before Haden thrust his spear towards them.

AZURE ASCENDING SPEAR — DRAGON’S ASCENT!

The thick red aura around his spear swirled into the form of a majestic eastern dragon, which lunged at them with its maw wide open.

The sky above and the ground beneath fractured just from the aura behind the attack.

The Remnant grinned, and instead of blocking, they continued to stare at Rion, and the dragon engulfed them. Everything fell silent for a heartbeat before the world shuddered.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM——!

Tarek’s body was torn apart so fast that it seemingly vanished from existence. The cliff and forest behind him fell to the same ruin, leaving nothing but fine dust behind.

Haden lowered his spear and his dark eyes stared at the devastation for a few moments before he turned towards Rion and walked over to him.

He hung the spear at his back and picked up Rion in his scarred arms. He watched his son breathe rhythmically, and his lips arched up into a faint smile before he took a step and disappeared from there.

***

The scene of Tarek’s body twisting into the form of The Remnant replayed itself in his head as he slept soundly.

His eyelids quivered, and he took a shallow breath before he sat up and looked around with a panicked expression.

“Where am I? Where is that Rem—!?”

Before he could finish his words, Lara pulled him in her embrace and muttered with warm tears streaming down her face, “You are finally awake, Rio!”

He looked at Lara with a surprised expression and concluded inwardly, ’I am back at the hut…’ A smile appeared on his face. He hugged his mother and mumbled, “Yeah, I am awake.”

A few minutes passed as both of them calmed themselves into each other’s warm embrace, and she finally let go of the hug.

He watched her with a bright smile before he frowned and asked in a worried tone, “How are the others?”

She stared at him with a pout and declared before looking away, “Why did you go to that stupid place? You should’ve just stayed with me. Hmph!”

“Haha!” He let out a chuckle and shook his head.

“I am with you now,” he said and grabbed her hands before asking again, “How are the others?”

This time, she couldn’t dodge the question because of how grim his tone was. She didn’t want him to tell him right after he woke up, but she had no other choice.

She lowered her head and bit her lip before she answered darkly, “Seventy-eight tribe members walked over to Celestia…”

Rion’s jaw hardened, and his head loosened. He whispered in a heavy voice, “Seventy-eight…”

His heart tightened as if something was crushing it with its claws, and his blood went cold. Lara’s expression turned grim, and she rubbed his back while mumbling, “Don’t worry, Rio. There won’t be any Kareth till next year.”

He nodded, and suddenly a thought appeared in his head. He quickly raised his head and questioned with a puzzled expression, “How is it possible for there to be seventy-eight deaths? Are you telling me that two groups fell that easily?”

“You are right,” she nodded and heaved a heavy sigh before she explained,

“The Remnant can only take over the bodies of those who know of them and are weaker than them. Many within the basin know them, and they took over their body to delay your father, Varok and the other group leaders from reaching the campsites.”

Rion’s vision darkened even further. He quickly grabbed her shoulder and asked with a horrified expression, “Don’t you know of him? What if he takes over your body?”

She chuckled and booped his nose before she said, “The Remnant are addressed as ’They’ because they are a being born of countless souls. As for why I don’t fear them? Well, they can’t control me because of my latent bloodline.”

He heaved a relieved sigh and said as his lips widened into a smile, “It’s good that they can’t do anything to you, mother.”

She stated while flexing her arms, “Of course!” And both of them burst into laughter.

A few minutes later, the hut’s door creaked as Haden walked in, and his eyes drifted towards Rion.

Rion and Lara looked at him with bright smiles, and he announced, “Marin has promoted you to the position of group leader.”

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