Chapter 121 - Heading To The Southside
It truly was a beautiful sight.
Despite the danger the leader was beginning to feel from Hal's Array, he had to admit it was beautiful.
Funny enough, he could not help but look up at the Array that kept them trapped,
"I'm only just realizing it, but this is truly a wonderful sight. I've seen arrays but none of them compare" he said in a mesmerized tone of voice.
Marla blinked and immediately questioned his sanity.
Not that he was wrong of course, she appreciated Hal's Array's beauty but that was her, admiring the work of her lover.
It made no sense that an opponent whose death was quite close at hand was actually taking the time to admire... Art.
Hal on the other hand, disagreed.
He believed the leader, faced with his mortality, (let's face it, he's not going to survive this day) finally came in touch with his sensitive side.
Anyway,
Hal focused on activating the Array he had drawn in the entrapping Array.
Since he could not attack the Array with Astral energy or Cosmic energy for that matter, he drew up an Array of Rank 3 quality and expanded it so that it pressed against the boundary of the Rank 2 Array.
There was resistance for only a short while before the more powerful Array won, broke through the weaker and shattered it from the inside out.
However, the Array was not done.
Instead it drew energy from the one Hal had drawn before to trap the Assailants.
It siphoned the energy until the Array was completely absorbed and faded from the surroundings.
The two that had been pounding against it's walls fell forward when it was gone.
They were so overjoyed and drunk on their success that they spared a second to glance at each other and grin, at which point, the Array that had absorbed the former's energy expanded and covered up the area.
Essentially replacing the one it had absorbed.
The duo's grin became a grimace almost immediately.
They were back where they had begun.
The leader however, did not think so.
Why would Hal replace an Array he had formed with another that was just the same?
It wasn't logical.
Unfortunately, even staring at the Array, he could not make out what the Runes that formed it were for.
Marla smirked as she saw the uncertainty in the eyes of her converging assailants.
"Impressed?" Hal's voice spoke in her ear.
"Always" she said with a smile.
"What's it for?" She asked, obviously referring to the Array.
"I got tired of picking them off one by one. It was taking too long and becoming a bore, so I decided to turn their plans against them"
Hal told her with a sigh in which she could detect heavy false melancholy.
He used the original Rune that had been incorrectly copied into the Array used in trapping him but instead of siphoning mental health or Cosmic energy, it siphoned their blood essence.
The Assailants clenched their fists at the sight of Hal's new Array. They had no plans of giving up.
Since they could not escape, they might as well go down with a fight.
"Gasp"
At that moment, they turned as their leader gave an audible gasp.
His eyes were wide as he pointed at a particular Rune, the only one he had recognized.
"You recognize it? Good"
Hal said with a light smile before he snapped his fingers and the Array glowed an even brighter shade of royal blue.
"Ahhhhhhhh"
"What the...?"
Was some of the exclamations from all of them as they felt their strength begin to shrink at breakneck speed.
It was not about shortage of Cosmic energy, of that, they still had plenty,
It was a loss of strength that was affecting their muscles and any other part of their body which had contact with their blood.
Their essence was evaporating faster than they could possibly comprehend.
Marla looked down at Hal's feet and realized he was standing on a Royal blue hexagon,
The Center of the Array!
And the point where Hal was absorbing their Blood essence.
It was over in a minute.
There was no blood on the bodies of those that had fallen victim to the Array.
Hal's eyes returned to his normal deep blue and he projected Runes on the bodies and burned them up right as the Array began to fade away.
"Where to now?" Marla asked and Hal stretched his Astral perception far away from the scene to witness other point of attacks.
He had never believed that this was the only place that the Plebeians forces attacked, neither did he believe the squad was the only one that had been sent.
And he was right.
With his Astral perception, he could 'see' that others had not been as lucky as the Krasts and Horsts who he had helped to survive their own assault.
The Payne scions that had been sent into the forest (most probably Gregory's way of reestablishing lost prestige) had had their protectors slaughtered.
Only a few of them had survived and were now trying to escape their assailants.
As for the Edgars, they had been successful in resisting their first wave of attacks, but Hal could see they would face more soon.
Despite not being the targets,
The commoners still suffered the most. With no one to protect them, they became collateral damage and were killed by any assailants they came in contact with.
"Well, we're heading for the southside, it just so happens that the attacks are along the way" He said in a falsely offhand voice.
Marla grinned,
"Sweet"
...
Behind the Cover of trees,
"My goodness, did you see that" said one of the young men who was spying on Hal and Marla.
They could not hear their conversation but the visuals were enough.
"Of course I did, what am I? Blind?" Said the second with impatience.
He was not really a man with a short temper but he was wound quite tight as he had just borne witness to Hal's Rune mastering feats.
Even his master could not possibly make an Array so potent.
Wait a minute.
What the hell was he thinking?
His Master was a Rank 2 Rune master and this Array was Rank 3.
Of course he couldn't do it.
"So... What do we do? Confront him?" Even as the young man said it, it was clear that he found it ludicrous and that only became more evident when his partner turned to him and gave him a look of fear.
It was as though he was looking at a dead man.
The young man who had made the suggestion turned pale from the look.
But he could understand the sentiment, they were both barely at Rank 1 Rune mastering, the idea of confronting a Rank 3 Rune master was suicidal at best.
So he backtracked,
"I-i-i was just kidding. Let's just report this" he said and stood from his crouched position.
That was the best they could do for now.
If Hal Payne was this strong as both a Rune Master and a Cultivator, then he could have assisted Master Swanson in attacking the Holgers.
Getting this information to their Masters was the most important thing to do.
His partner nodded and stood along with him, he did not even bother to glance at Hal as the two left the scene. Heading out of the Forest without any attempt to remain sneaky.
Meanwhile,
Marla frowned as she heard the two leave.
Hal had just told her they were being watched.
When she asked since when, he told her, it was around the same time the assailants had arrived.
Hal was after all an expert in getting spied on.
"Is it wise to let them go?" She asked Hal.
Hal shrugged,
"Who knows? It's risky but I think it's better this way"
"How so?" Marla was understandably skeptical.
"If they were to die, I would be a suspect. I might as well let them go"
The two had obviously been tasked with stealth. With the advantage of Astral perception, they could always move with full knowledge of their surroundings. If someone got close, they would know in advance.
If they did not confront someone more powerful than themselves, they would most likely go around unnoticed.
The only person likely to notice was a Rune Master like themselves who could detect their Astral perception by letting out one of his own.
Hal had made sure not to alert them when he found them, which was not that difficult since his was the stronger Astral sense.
If he killed them, the finger of suspicion was going to pointed to him first as he was the one they were tailing and at that time he would have to contend with the fury of not just the Two Rune Masters (who he was not really worried about) but also the Plebeians.
After all, he would have killed their apprentices.
That was practically a blood debt.
However, while letting them deliver their message would give the Suspicion that Swanson had killed the Holgers more credence, it was still not hard proof.
He was sure the Plebeians would not be reckless and risk it all just for this little bit of evidence.
The most they would do was to keep a close eye on him.
After all, it was not a crime to become more powerful.
That said, he was sure he would be facing a formal accusation once he returned to the city but that was not cause for worry.
There was still someone who could take the blame for the Holger decimation.
However, Marla was not completely convinced that it would all happen as he had said but she trusted him enough to hope it did.
Hal turned to face her and saw the worry on her face,
"What's there to worry about? Trust me, it's going to be fine" He reassured while tilting her face up with his right index so they would be eye to eye.
His touch filled Marla with more confidence and she smiled brightly and nodded.
Her eyes widened slightly when Hal's lips touched hers but she let herself melt into it.
Yes, he was right.
It was going to be fine.
She trusted him,
Completely.
Chapter 122 - This Is My Life Now
The moment was passionate, it was intimate, it was...
"Mmmmhhhh"
...interrupted by Jack's muffled screams.
He had been bound and gagged and forced to bear witness to the duo's incredible deeds and yet their intimate moment was the one that bothered him the most.
To be fair though, he had made sure to be as quiet as he could be, to blend into the environment and not be involved in the monstrous two on twelve battle.
The two separated and turned to face him, Marla's cheeks were flushed but her eyes were very angry,
"Have you no respect for other people's privacy?" She snarled while stamping her feet to the ground.
Jack's eyes were widened and his expression made clear what his thoughts -which he could not voice out- were,
'You were making out right in front of me'
Marla could tell what his thoughts were and it only upset her more,
"You could have just closed your eyes and remain completely silent, you perverted virgin"
Jack turned to Hal who took away the dumbing and binding rune and allowed him to speak and defend himself,
"You were in front of me and I happened to see you. That does not make me a pervert"
Marla took one step towards him and Jack instantly took a step back and backpedaled as he released cold sweats,
"On second thoughts, I was totally in the wrong"
Hal smiled lightly while he told Marla telepathically,
"Since when did you become a bully"
She looked outraged as she replied with telepathy as well,
"Bully? I'm no bully, I just feel like punching him cause he's a..."
"Am I not also a pervert?"Hal interrupted with a mild chuckle,
"Of course you are, but you are the only man allowed to be a pervert" she said in atone that made it seem as though what she had said should have been common knowledge.
Hal went silent for a while, before,
"Well said" he nodded with a smile.
Sassy slithered away from where she had watched the proceedings and once again coiled the front half of her body around his arm.
Hal stroked the Viper's head as he considered the conundrum that involved walking around with her not to mention the danger she might be in.
'Any way to take her with me?" He asked Grimoire.
He was aware that he could not put a living being inside his inventory, or a spatial pouch.
But, he knew Grimoire would have a solution but would not tell it to him unless he asked.
And sure enough,
'Of course, there is' It said.
Hal sighed,
"Couldn't you have told me that once you realized how the situation was?"
'I don't get what you mean'
That was obviously a lie, or at least not the total truth but Hal decided to let it go,
'So what's the solution?'
'Simple. You just need to open a forest habitat for it to live in, just like the Inventory which, if you remember correctly, you got for free'
Hal narrowed his eyes, the fact that Grimoire mentioned that he had gotten access to the inventory for free, made him suspect it was not going to be the same for this Habitat.
He withdrew into his Mind space and checked out the price for himself and sure enough,
It was worth 10000 gold coins.
"Of course there's a discount" Grimoire said with a sly smile.
"Oh really? What's the discount?" Hal asked cautiously,
"It's a 0℅ discount" Grimoire said with the very same sly smile before it continued,
"So the original price is 10000 gold coins, factor in the discount and you can get it cheap for just 10000 gold coins"
"..."
"What the fuck's wrong with you, it's the same either way" Hal said with red-faced anger.
"Hahahaha" Grimoire cackled,
"That's what you get when you're so cheap. You've got millions of stolen wealth, the least you can do is splurge a little. Besides, to the current you, what do 10000 gold coins count as?" Grimoire said and paused as though expecting a reply but Hal"s face was impassive so it replied to its own question,
"Nothing. That's what"
A moment of silence passed as Hal glared at the slowly becoming uncomfortable, Grimoire.
Then he took a deep breath,
"I hope you never get a body cause the first thing I'll do is strangle you"
He said in a surprisingly level tone of voice that chilled Grimoire more than his screams ever could. But the Artifact shrugged off the feeling with a scoff,
"Are you so sure about that?" It asked.
Hal ignored it.
He exchanged the necessary gold coins and opened the Forest habitat within Grimoire.
He visited it the same way he visits his mind space and had to admit that it looked like a much better replica of Tretch forest, so one might say it looked like what Tretch forest would have looked like if it did not have Demon beasts making use of its resources.
It even imitated the sky on the outside, there was also a steady stream of Cosmic energy that would enable cultivation.
Of course, this space cannot house humans. Only beasts.
He returned to the outside and opened what looked like a portal for Sassy to slither into and the viper did so reluctantly but Hal could see its enjoyment as it began to explore the habitat before eventually coiling up and taking the nap it had been denied by intruders.
Meanwhile, Jack's jaw dropped as he saw Hal accomplish even more insane feats.
He began to feel a sense of fear.
Now that he thought about it, Hal had made the Krasts and Horsts leave before he and Marla 'went all out', it was obvious that he did not want any witnesses.
If that was the case, why was he (Jack) still alive. Surely, his end was near and the feeling of doom only intensified when he noticed Marla's glare.
It was time to go, but he needed to do so very gracefully,
"Ahn" he groaned and stretched his aching bones in an attempt to seem casual,
"This has been fun, but it seems I HAVE become the creepy third wheel, so I'll be taking my leave" he said and made to move when a chuckle caused him to turn,
The one who had chuckled was Marla,
"You think you can choose to stay and also choose to leave whenever you want. What do you take us for?"
Jack sighed in a resigned manner,
"Okay, get it over with. Kill me already"
Now it was time for Hal to chuckle whole Marla shook her head slowly as though out of pity for Jack's narrow-mindedness.
"What makes you think I want to kill you? There's no benefit in killing you and it seems more like a waste of resources. Instead, you can serve as my meat shield in the future"
Hal said and Jack looked up at him,
"Meat shield?" He said in an uncertain tone of voice.
"Exactly. After all, you owe me. You've moved with me and as such, you've survived. Your peers who attacked the Earthen badger with you are dead, so are many other commoners"
Hal told him and Jack's eyes widened in disbelief,
"What?" He exclaimed and Hal smiled lightly at his reactions,
"I thought you said they weren't your friends"
"They aren't. None of my true friends could participate in this competition, even I am close to not being allowed. However, it still leaves a bad taste to find out they are dead. What if it was my fault?" The last part was whispered mostly to himself.
Hal sighed,
"No, it wasn't. It's the fault of circumstances. It's the fault of this world and its partiality towards the strong. They make the rules and they do what they want"
"And... You're different?" Jack asked with a little hesitation and Hal laughed,
"No, I am the same and might one day become even worst. I like the rule of the Strong, just as long as I'm the strongest. This world will bend to your wishes, all you need is ultimate strength." Hal replied,
"You sound like a Preacher," Jack said with a half-hearted chuckle.
"Oh yeah?, then foin my Faith or else I will have to kill you. You've seen too much already"
"Can you give me ultimate power?" Jack asked.
Hal grinned,
"Well, ultimate power shall be mine, and you will have to settle for being below one and above billions. Think you can do that?"
"You have me convinced" Jack said.
"Then sign this..." Hal said and produced a contract "with your blood and give me control of your soul"
Jack looked from the contract to Hal,
"You sound like the Devil" he said.
Hal's grin became even wider as his skin turned scarlet with black lines, his eyes turned pitch black and occasionally released small bursts of fog,
"Well, that's because I am the Devil"
Jack stared at him in silence for a while before he shrugged,
"That makes sense"
He signed the contract and felt the loss of control over his soul just as he received an Ungraded cultivation technique.
Just a quick test of its capabilities and he could already feel an immense difference.
Hal turned away from him and smiled at Marla,
"Let's go, darling, there are so many Asses that still need kicking"
"Oh goody"
Jack watched the two interlock arms and speak so fondly of premeditated violence and sighed in his mind,
'Well, this is my life now'
....
Meanwhile a few distances away, the Edgar protective forces were locked in battle with the Plebeian forces tasked with killing their scions and it was far from being an easy battle.
Mayhem was abundant.
Chapter 123 - Blood Knights. Part 1
*Boooommmm!!!!!*
The battle was intense but the Edgars knew it was nothing compared to the complete slaughter they were in danger of facing should they lose.
And they had no intention of losing.
However,
It was easier said than done.
The battle was far from being in their favor.
They had been forced on the backfoot constantly and their defense was beginning to show cracks.
The Plebeian forces pushed even harder when they noticed this.
They were like sharks that could smell blood in the water.
But, all this was merely on the surface.
Deep down, the Plebeians also felt a sense of urgency.
Of all the forces they had brought, the strongest was at the Peak of the Cosmic Pearl realm. This was enough in the present climate.
However, there was still someone outside of the forest who could turn the tables upon arrival.
There was still Darryl Edgar.
It was no secret that Darryl was at the mid-stage of the Cosmic Armament Realm and more than strong to take them all on.
If he caught wind of what was happening in the forest at that time, he was bound to be incredibly furious, after all, his son was their main target.
And so, it was that Just as the Plebeians were trying to hurry things along, the Edgars were busy trying to slow things down while making as much noise as possible.
They could not risk sending someone to inform Darryl on the outside, for fear that that someone could be ambushed.
Not to mention that they needed all the help they could get.
The noise should be enough to alert him though.
Or so they thought.
The Plebeians were quite prepared when laying this ambush.
They set up silencing runes at the boundary of the forest to keep the noise heard outside of the forest to the bare minimum.
They were not worried about the noise, because they knew it would not affect their plans, They were however concerned that if Darryl did not hear from his men soon, he would come bursting in.
After all, in a semi-expected attack, no news was bad news.
Hence their haste.
What they did not know however was that Darryl already knew all that was going on in the forest.
His master had relayed it to him directly along with the order that he was not to interfere.
There was something he needed to test through that attack.
"Damn it" Alex groaned and clenched his fist as one of his Cosmic attacks was swatted away by the enemy.
Of all the Edgar scions present, only he was able to participate in the ongoing battle thanks to his cultivation and it ticked him off to no end.
When he had managed to advance to the Cosmic Pearl realm a few days ago, he had been filled with confidence and joy.
He could finally call himself Amelia's peer!
This competition was bound to be a breeze, he had thought.
However, who would have thought things were not going to go his way.
He had just succeeded along with the other Edgar scions in retrieving twenty Rune tiles, Five of which he had acquired through combat with his rival, Leyton Fidwud.
Leyton had been the first to surprise him in this Competition when he revealed that he had also advanced to the Cosmic Pearl realm.
Alex did not win but still got away with Five Rune tiles after which, he and the Edgar scions had ran like their life depended on it.
As they ran, Alex had ingrained it in his mind that it was not cowardly.
After all, even running is a skill.
At the time, he had been surprised by Leyton's progress but he could now see that it was not just him, all Plebeians seemed to be on the rise.
'It must be what Father has been worried about' he thought with a clenched jaw.
He would have loved to call out to his Father who he knew was right outside but something told him that if he did not react to such loud combat sounds that could not possibly have been made by the young generation, then he could not possibly react to his son's cry for help.
It might even seem cowardly.
Alex allowed himself another look around and saw the fear and desperation in the eyes of his peers.
It ached his heart and he turned away towards the combating Edgars, it was then he noticed something that caused his eyes to narrow.
Thanks to some successful attacks, the Plebeian forces outnumbered the Edgar protective forces, Thirty to Twenty two and still the numbers showed a tendency of dropping in favor of the Plebeians.
At first, Alex had thought that the Edgars had held on due to sheer force of will but he noticed the actions of Six of the Edgar protective forces that changed his mind.
While the others seemed to be struggling to keep up with attacks, those Six that stood together seemed perfectly at ease.
They were successfully repelling attacks but they were not doing any more than that.
It was as though they had no interest in attacking.
But that made no sense.
"Haaaaaaa"
A sudden battle cry made Alex turn just in time to see a Plebeian attack him directly.
Somehow, he had made it into the protective formation, from within which Alex had been sending out Cosmic Attacks.
The attacker was at the Mid-stage of the Cosmic Pearl Realm and must have made it in sneakily as opposed to using brute force.
Alex could tell that his protectors would not be able to react in time so he tried to defend himself with Cosmic Energy but the attacker's punch still made contact with his face and slammed him right out of the formation.
From the very start, he had been the target.
Any other death was merely collateral damage
The Formation was broken immediately after and quite a few Edgar scions lost their life before it could be formed again.
Meanwhile,
The attacker did not stop after Alex was out of the Formation, instead, he dashed in to finish what he had started.
Lying there, Alex had to admit he had regrets, he was not ready to die and he did not feel it was fair that he was their main target just because he was an heir.
Then again, was it fair that so many Edgars had died just because they were in the way?
No, he decided, he would not go down like this.
It would not end this way.
He rolled away and dodged a blow to his head, and then stood up to face his assailant.
Reaching deep within himself, Alex sought out an inner strength to defeat his foe, to support his family,
To survive.
Alas,
No matter how much energy he harnessed, how tough his flesh was, it was all for naught...
*Bang!*
*Crack!*
Almost every bone in his arm was shattered and he was thrown back with little strength left.
He groaned, he whimpered, he howled in pain as his assailant moved closer and this time Alex gave up.
From the corner of his eye, he could see there were no protectors to spare as they were all embroiled in combat and could not come to his aid.
He could see their desire to do so.
Well, he could see it in all but the Strange six whose expression remained indifferent.
But wait,
Weren't there Six of them?
He counted One, Two, Three... Five...
Where was the sixth?
Alex sighed,
What does it matter? He thought before...
*Bam*
...there was suddenly someone between him and his assailant.
That person, who he could now recognize as the Sixth strange man, had caught the hand of his attacker and did not give a single inch.
Alex's eyes widened,
He could sense that the Man's cultivation was the same as his.
It was at the early stage of the Cosmic Pearl realm.
So how?
How?
How could he catch the full-powered fist of a Mid-stage cultivator?
Or better still,
How did a Cultivator at the Early stage make it into the group of experts tasked with protecting him and the other Edgar scions?
Alex shook his head.
None of that mattered.
At least not for now.
"I knew you were going to save me," he said with a smile while wincing at his broken bones.
The man however seemed confused,
"Save you, Hahaha. I'm not saving you" he said with a snigger.
At time, the other five who had only been on the defensive suddenly broke out simultaneous Cosmic Attacks that imitated an Area of Effect attack and cleared away all assailants from themselves.
Leaving the area around them free.
The eyes of all those present were widened in surprise but it was only the beginning.
"What do you mean, you're not saving me?" Alex asked in a tone of mild outrage.
"I meant exactly what I said and said exactly what I meant. I am only attacking because Master gave the go-ahead"
The man said before he drew back his fist and punched the midsection of the assailant whose hands he held.
Even though he was awed by the display of strength and glad as the assailant was knocked far back, Alex refused to lose track of his questions.
"Did my Father not task you with our protection? Why did it take you so long to take action?"
The man turned to face him while stretching,
"Your Father? *Snort* I and my comrades are Blood knights and we serve only one Being and I can assure you, he's not an Edgar"
The Man told him with a tone of derision.
One of the others then spoke to the Edgar protectors,
"Now stay out of our way and let us feed"
He said this with a savage smile on his face as his eye turned a Blood red color and the pressure he released became stifling and Bloodcurdling.
The others experienced the same change and with each step they took towards the Plebeian Assailants, the assailants took a step back.
Chapter 124 - Blood Knights. Part 2
"Feed?"
"What the hell are they talking about?"
"Forget that! Who the fuck are they?"
Now that they no longer felt the pressure from the attacks of the Plebeian forces, the surviving Edgar scions could once again yap their gums.
The Six Blood knights, however, did not bother to pay heed to their words.
Instead, their eyes were hungry as they started at the assailants as though they were cattle.
Juicy cattle for Juicy Beef steaks.
The Six could not believe their luck.
Just three days ago their Master had organized a Cultivation paradise for them.
One in which they had spent their time cultivating at a Ten to one, Time warp ratio.
Their none existent cultivation foundation strengthened and they quickly advanced to the Cosmic Pearl realm.
However, from that moment, their cultivation speed slowed dramatically and they still needed to make it to the peak of the Cosmic Pearl realm in a Month.
Their Master's requirement was not as strict with the Blood Knights as with the others because they had been tasked with infiltrating the Great families.
But every Blood knight wanted to make him proud in spite of their circumstances.
It had been despairing when they were stationed to guard the Edgar scions and would have loved to spend the time cultivating to advance in the difficult Cosmic Pearl Realm, Alas,
They were to maintain their orders and not to leave anything to be desired in their stations.
It was the reason they were half-hearted in repelling the Plebeian assailants, merely focusing on defending themselves.
But this,
This was an opportunity.
"So what do you think? Each of us gets five?" One of the Six said and the Plebeians stopped walking back.
Instead, they resisted the pressure and stood in place as they clenched their first in outrage.
"Aren't you looking down on us too much?" Said one of them as they began to gather their courage.
The six cracked their knuckles,
"Who knows?" Said one and they all vanished as they dashed towards their first victims, while leaving a trail of red fog behind them.
They would seize the initiative and the element of surprise along with it.
*Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!*
Six strikes!
Six bodies!
And six satisfied Semi-fiends!.
The Six reveled in the Essence they had begun to siphon. Unlike Hal, they could not use the Essence to improve their bloodline.
The Strenght of their Bloodline was reliant on the strength of their Master's bloodline.
The stronger he became, the stronger they would as well.
That said, the Essence was perfect for the Battle type Cultivation techniques Hal had bestowed to them.
They were so excited that they began to refine it on the spot, completely disregarding the other assailants that were on the scene.
This of course did not mean they were letting them go, they were simply very confident in catching up to them, should they try to run.
The assailants, however, had no intention of running.
"Thank you for presenting yourself as easy targets, You fools" They yelled and attacked the Six.
As they got closer, the body of the Six emitted thick red fog that seamlessly came together and blasted all attackers away in one sweep.
*Wham*
It knocked into them with the force of several tons and they all went on to smack into tree branches, tree trunks, and essentially anything that would stop their backward trajectory.
All through this, the Blood knights never turned or gave any indication that they knew what had happened.
But they did.
Soon they had absorbed the blood essence from their victims and could feel themselves finally making progress towards the next stage.
Then they turned and faced the fallen assailants who were slowly rising to their feet.
All Twenty-four of them harnessed immense Cosmic energy and focussed it all on the six Blood knights.
The Knights grinned and dashed forward and with the combination of their own Cosmic Attack and Blood fiend fog, they pierced through the Amalgamate of attacks.
The attacks went on to destroy numerous trees behind the six, but they gave it no notice as they continued their dash to pierce through the chest of their victims,
But the element of surprise was gone and this time, the assailants were prepared.
They knew to be careful of the Red fogs the knights were emitting and while that would make fighting them difficult, at least there was hope.
They came here for an ambush and it would reflect poorly on them if they were ambushed in return.
They successfully stopped the strikes of the Knights by seizing their fists.
The moment the Knights had been stopped, all assailants dashed forward and attacked them together with a barrage of punches, kicks, and Cosmic attacks.
This was their chance as the Knights were now disoriented.
Or so they thought.
The Edgar Protectors stood in place as they watched the Six battle against Twenty-four Plebeian assailants.
And the number was only Twenty-four because those Six had succeeded where they had failed continuously and killed six of the assailants.
They were rooted to the spot.
They could not look away.
And even as they saw the combined attack against the Six, they knew, it could not simply end like that.
Those Six must have something up their sleeves.
And sure enough...
"Booooommm*
The sound was loud and it was followed by the painful cries of the Plebeian assailants as they were thrown away for the third time.
This time, however, they had succeeded in infuriating the Knights whose Blood red eyes were glowing a malevolent shade.
The assailants were far from ready to back down.
None of them knew why, but they could feel that should they attempt to run, they would only be making it easy for these demons to kill them.
And they were Demons.
Only Demons could feel so evil and malevolent.
The assailants fought hard but it was all for naught.
They fell one after the other and unlike before, the Blood Knights did not stop to absorb their essence.
Instead, they seemed more interested in the complete decimation of the Plebeian forces.
Thanks to the Battle type Cultivation techniques Hal had given to them, it was not only through absorbing of Blood essence that they could satiate its peculiarity.
The mere act of battling alone was improving both their constitution and comprehension, the former which improved their resilience and flesh strength while the latter provided long-term increment in their Cultivation speed.
This whole experience was Exhilarating to the Six.
"We won't go down without a fight" Snarled one of the Assailants and his words caused the Blood Knight who was about to seal his fate to pause.
"It's incredible to see someone who preys on kids who are weaker than him speaking as though he has honor" The Blood knight said with boisterous laughter that turned into an angry expression the next second and he vanished from the assailant's sights.
It was as though his anger fueled his speed because he did not even leave a trail of fog as he dashed forward...
*Bam!*
...and pierced his fist into the Assailant's chest.
"Don't make me mad!" He yelled as the assailant's body became lifeless.
He pulled his hand out and turned to the eight assailants that were left.
Faced with the Blood-red eyes of the Six Blood knights, the remaining lost any battle spirit they still had left and fell on their butts.
The six began to close in with no intention of sparing anyone of them when they stopped and perked up.
"Having fun?" Asked a smiling voice that was so close they were caught by surprise.
The Edgars were immediately startled,
Where did he come from?
There was however no one more shocked than Alexander who stared at Hal with his Jaw dropped.
Unlike the others, he saw where Hal had come from.
He came from nowhere.
He simply appeared suddenly as though he had been invisible the whole time.
But that made no sense.
He must have just been too fast.
Meanwhile, Hal could not care less about their disorientation, his whole attention was on his Blood Knights who shivered in his presence.
"Hmm?" Hal cocked his head to the side to indicate that his question had not been answered.
"Well, I -it's been a little fun" One of them said and the others nodded.
The spectators were confused.
Why do these Demons fear him?
Alexander could make a guess and he hoped it was not true.
"Ah. That's good. It's good to have fun once in a while. But you have been unnecessarily careless and that does not make me happy"
He said as he moved away from them just as Marla arrived followed closely by Jack who took care to walk behind her.
She grabbed Hal's arm while her eyes surveyed the scene.
"Hal, he's staring at me again" Marla said while pointing at Alex whose eyes widened and was about to yell that he had not done so but before he could even say a word...
*Smack*
...he felt a stinging pain on the back of his head, which made his vision blurry instantly while he struggled to remain standing.
As his eye began to water, he heard the voice of one of the knights,
"How dare you?!"
"I didn't..." He began to say but another interrupted,
"One more word and I'll cut out your tongue"
At those words, Alex wailed internally,
Where's the justice?
I obviously wasn't staring!
You know what, Miss? I think I might hate you more than I hate your boyfriend!
Chapter 125 - I'm Just Doing My Civic Duty
While Alex complained about Marla in his mind, the lead Edgar protector and strongest of the bunch, Drew, watched the knights and Hal closely then he turned his attention to the defeated assailants,
A few of them were in the Peak stage of the Cosmic Pearl realm and it was how they had managed to survive the onslaught and yet for some reason, they could not even call upon a single unit of that strength.
The brutal manner in which their comrades had been killed had completely shattered their spirit.
He turned to the Knights again.
Amazing!
He could not help but comment as he realized that strength was not the only thing the Blood knights had.
The pressure they released also seemed to have an advanced effect of intimidation, which essentially meant that, it did not matter what stage they were,
In the Cosmic Pearl Realm, they had no rival.
He would have to choose his words correctly.
That said, there was not much he could think to talk to then about.
He did have a question though,
"Um, so what happens to us now?" He asked the Knight closest to him, taking care not to look at Hal.
The fact that Hal was involved with this men, not to mention that they served him was definitely eyebrow raising but it was something he would rather not think about here.
Getting the rest of the scions out of the forest was most important at the moment and he would prefer not to jeopardize that by speaking of such dangerous things.
Alas...
*Bam!*
"You've got some nerve"
...he still received a fist to his face which tossed him right into his comrades.
They tried to stop his motion by supporting him but,
*Wham*
The force that had knocked him back was too strong for them to stop.
Now, Drew could understand Alex's grievances.
What had he done wrong?
Was it a crime to ask a question now?
"With my Master here, how could you ask me what happens to you now? Obviously, it's his decision" Said the Knight that had struck him.
Drew's eyes widened,
"That was my offense?" He growled and stretched his hand as he began to condense Cosmic Energy to blast the Knight with.
"So what if you're strong, I'll still blast you"
The Knight sneered,
"Bring it on"
And that was exactly what Drew did as he let loose his Cosmic Attack.
To hell with the Consequences!
He would not take such blatant disregard sitting down.
So what if he died (which was very likely considering the prowess of the Blood Knights), if he did not defend his honor, who would respect him even if he survived.
The Blood Knight began to protect himself with Cosmic Energy when Hal spoke up,
"That's enough"
He swung his hand casually and his Cosmic Attack dispelled of the fully charged one Drew had released.
Drew was not surprised by the display, if his Knight could perform such feats, then it was within reason that Hal could do the same or even more.
However, he (Drew) had already stood up for himself and he has no intention of stopping now.
"It is you that's got some nerve. You had your men infiltrate the Edgar forces, even after he offered you immunity against your Father. How can you be so ungrateful?"
Drew breathed deeply in and out as he finished his rant while Hal simply looked on in total silence.
The Blood Knights clenched their fists at Drew's audacity and began to move forward when Hal thrust his hand in front of them to stop the approach.
He looked at them out of the corner of his eye and they walked back in an haste.
They knew they had overstepped their bounds too much already.
Hal then looked Drew in the eye,
"Ungrateful? On the contrary, I think this proves I've been very grateful. After all, look around." He said and gestured at the surroundings.
To the lifeless bodies of the Plebeian assailants his Blood Knights had killed and hence saved the Edgars from a total massacre.
"My men have saved your skin or will you deny that, had they not interfered, you and the others would be dead by now"
Karon clenched his jaw before he looked up sharply,
"If that was so, then why did they wait that long to help. This was obviously for your own selfish reasons. Don't try to deny it!"
"What is going on here?" Asked a loud voice and Darryl Edgar walked out of a thicket of trees and beheld the bloody scene.
Seeing that someone had arrived that could finally put things right, Drew and Alex secretly rejoiced.
Darryl expression was completely natural when he saw Hal.
Of course he knew before hand that Hal was there, After all, it was Hal that had ordered him to come.
When Hal had told him he was to remain on the outside even after he had been told of what was going on.
He had been angry and frustrated.
His son was in Danger and he was not allowed to help.
When he had told Hal of his concerns, Hal had chuckled and told him that if Alex would survive, he would survive but he had no interest in actively protecting him.
When he saw Alex alive and only a little injured, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief but he was careful not to let it show, after all, there was a reason Hal had called him here and any sign that he knew the situation prior to arrival was bound to ruin it.
"What is going on?" He asked again but his voice was appropriately tight this time around.
It was the voice of a worried warrior trying to keep his emotions in check.
And so Drew relayed all that had happened to Darryl. He left nothing out and was surprised when neither Hal or the Blood Knights interrupted.
They let him finish, in fact, their countenance was no longer savage, instead it was mellow.
Even their Blood Red eyes had reverted to their natural eye color.
When Drew was done, Darryl closed his eyes briefly,
"I see" he said and then turned and walked towards Hal with steady footsteps.
When he was in front of him, Alex grinned at the Coming retribution.
Surely, his Father was about to avenge the injustice he had faced.
He raised his hand to the back of his head which was still stinging thanks to the smack and chuckled,
"Yes, Father, get 'em" he said quietly.
But to his mighty surprise, his Father, Darryl Edgar, the strongest after the Patriarch, Hector Edgar, fell to his knees at the feet of the teenage boy and his Blood Knights.
"Thank you for saving my Family"
Silence!
Intense Shock!
What the hell?
"Master Darryl..." Drew began but he was interrupted by Darryl who yelled at him and all those present,
"Kneel!"
Disgruntled and confused, the Edgar scions and the Edgar protective forces knelt.
Only Drew and Alex remained standing.
The former because he demanded an explanation and the latter because he had not recovered from the shock.
"Father..."
"I don't want to have to repeat myself" Darryl said and it was clear that his patience was running thin.
Once the two had knelt grudgingly, Darryl spoke again,
"I am grateful for Hal Payne's help" he said and Drew's eyes widened,
"What?"
"Look around, you were slaughtered. Your number did not matter, because you were encumbered with the task of protection, you were practically sitting ducks for the Plebeians. Even if they reacted late, It does not change the fact that they did and the rest of you survived thanks to that"
Darryl said but Drew could not let it go and he was about to speak again when Darryl interrupted,
"Do you see Karon? Do you?" Darryl asked with his voice rising even higher.
Being the Mayor's Right hand man, Karon did not need to defend himself to any of them, neither did he feel the obligation to explain himself and that was why Drew had not bothered to question his sudden disappearance.
But now that he thought about it, he had to admit that it was not like Karon to neglect the safety of his men or the future of the Edgar family.
"There is a reason for the shortage of Cosmic Armament Cultivators and even other Peak stage Cosmic Pearl realm Cultivators and I will not go into those reasons here. Just know that you owe your life to the intervention of Hal Payne and his men"
Drew clenched his fists then bowed his head,
"Thank you for your help"
Alex did the same.
Hal watched him lower his head and grinned,
"Don't mention it. I'm just doing my civic duty"
At those words, Alex looked up and would have yelled,
'What civic duty?'
But, he could not help but keep his mouth shut when he remembered the Blood Knight's heavy smack to his head.
Once all Edgar scions had thanked Hal and his men (and unlike Alex and Drew, they did so wholeheartedly), Darryl stood to his feet and led the Edgars away.
As they walked, Drew could no longer hold it in,
"They absorbed something from the men they killed. They are demons and you will have us thank them?"
Darryl sighed,
"I already appreciated their help so let it go.
Besides, what if they are Demons? In times of need, we need to be prepared to make a deal with the Devil"
Chapter 126 - I Will Not Shed A Single Tear.
"A deal with the Devil huh?"
"That's right" Darryl said.
"But they infiltrated our forces" Drew said and Darryl sighed,
"That is a matter of concern, while Hal Payne had no ill intentions, he still breached our security. I will have to be more thorough with my weeding process. But that is for me to worry about so let the matter rest" Darryl ordered and Drew reluctantly let it go.
Alex on the other hand was quite absent minded.
Was the gap between he and Hal that large that it was impossible for him to see a chance of victory?
Had he being too conceited?
Had he been so ready to compete with someone that was obviously not human?
No!
It was not over yet.
So what if he had an army, he, Alexander Edgar would have his own.
He would do whatever it took not to lose!
"Oh that's right" Darryl said and turned to Alex,
"Give me your tiles"
The abrupt stop brought Alex out of his thoughts,
"Huh?"
"Your tiles. The competition is not over" Darryl said and Alex's eye widened in disbelief,
"What? How can the competition continue despite all that has happened" Alex said in a tone of outrage.
The Edgar scions agreed as well. It made no sense that the competition still held credence after the attack against the Great Family Scions.
"Of course it continues. Just because a tragedy occurred does not mean we will not reward hard work" Darryl said in a forthright voice but it only angered Alex even more.
"None of all you just said makes any sense" Even though he said so he still reached into his pockets where he had stashed the Tiles when the attack had begun.
"You were supposed to display them at all times" Darryl said with a sigh.
Alex frowned "I was a little more preoccupied with keeping my life at the time"
He was not feeling particularly patient with his father at the moment. The fact that he would be judged by merely Twenty rune tiles when he believed he could get more if given the time, was infuriating to him,
But where the hell are those Tiles.
He searched a while longer before he eventually had to accept the reality that it had been stolen from him.
Why did he believe it was stolen when it could have just as easily fallen from him when he fell to the ground!
Well, he couldn't really explain it but he was not only sure it was stolen, he knew who the culprits were as well...
"Bastards!"
....
Meanwhile, The Blood Knights had just presented Hal with those same Twenty runes they had taken from Alex without him knowing.
It was Hal that had told Darryl to keep the Competition going despite the fact that there were no longer any Great Family Scions competing.
His logic for doing so was simple;
How was it any of his business that the young generation were powerless to protect themselves from the onslaught of shameless adults.
His and Marla's 'Hard work' needed to be rewarded.
The rest could go to hell!
"Awesome" Hal said as he took the Tiles from them,
"It seems my contract was not wasted on you"
Marla snorted,
"You speak as though this is the only reason they were contracted"
"Of course it is. I contracted them to steal and they are making me so proud" Hal said with the poise of a proud Elder and the Blood knights kowtowed in front of him,
"Thank you for the Praise!" They chorused while Marla tried to hold in her laughter.
The Eight that remained of the Plebeian assailant could not help but chuckle as well.
And this was a good thing.
At least they got to die with a smile.
For the moment the Blood Knights stood up, they killed them all and absorbed their essence.
Once they were done, Hal took a deep breath and announced that it was time he and Marla separated.
"What? You said we would go to the Southside together. You promised it would be a good experience for me" Marla was irate and she grabbed his arm with no intentions of letting it go.
Hal chuckled,
"We will go to the southside together but I have grown bored of combating with the Plebeians both young and old so I would rather not seek them out.
"However, the experience is still useful to you. There are still batches of Plebeian forces in this forest and one of them is on their way here"
As he said this, the Blood Knights began to look around and there was a tinge of red in their eyes but Hal just smiled,
"Good sense of awareness but, bored as I am, I need to take care of the coming batch on my own. While I am taking care of things here, Marla, I would like you to confront Leyton Fidwud and the other Plebeian scions. Jack will accompany you but I don't imagine he'll be of much help..."
"I'll be of help" Jack interrupted but shrunk back when he saw the glowers of the Blood Knights.
Hal on the other hand cast a skeptical look at him,
"Sure you will" he said in a tone that was heavy with sarcasm.
Jack gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. A fire could almost be seen burning in his eyes.
"I''ll show you" he said in a quiet voice and Hal nodded mentally.
'Efficient but harsh way of motivating him' Grimoire commented and Hal mind chuckled,
'Whenever did I endeavor to be 'nice''
'True'
He turned to the Blood Knights,
"As for you, take care of all other batches of Plebeian assailants. Once you are done, return to the estate and wait for me to reassign you. You can no longer return to Edgar Castle but the other families should be safe.
"It just so happens, Karmen is doing well at Krast Estate, she can get some of you in"
Since there was no communication between each batch of men, the Plebeian forces simply went around killing anyone that was not a Plebeian.
It was the reason a lot of Commoners had been killed despite having not been targets.
Marla tugged on his arm,
"You will take me along right?"
Hal smiled,
"Of course"
And then they were gone. The Blood Knights in one direction to seek out the other Plebeian forces and Marla and Jack in another direction Hal had pointed out to them and assured they would find Plebeian scions soon enough.
Once he was alone, Hal took a deep breath,
"It's almost time" he said in a quiet voice and almost immediately, someone could be seen running towards him.
But it was quickly clear that that person was alone, and it was none other than the future lord of Horst Manor, Frank Horst.
It was clear from his haggard appearance and panicked expression that he was in danger.
Hal's expression remained unchanged even as he saw Frank get ever closer. He had been expecting this since he scanned the Area with Astral sense.
Frank's expression however changed once he saw Hal, a quick survey of Hal's surroundings and at the corpses on the floor filled him with hope.
If Hal had done this, then it was a good thing that he was an ally.
"Hal, oh thank goodness you survived."
Frank said the moment he had caught up with Hal.
There were men after him and they were catching up fast. Even as he ran, they only got closer. They were bound to catch up before he left the forest.
He had been ready to give up but now he could stand his ground. Maybe Hal could protect him.
But what was with those indifferent eyes.
It was as though Hal was looking at a stranger.
"Yes I survived, no thanks to you" Hal said in a level voice and Frank recoiled.
"What?" He asked in disbelief.
"When the Plebeians attacked me and the Horst scions, where were you. You ran didn't you?" Hal said with his brow raised and then he smiled coldly and pointed away from himself,
"Then keep running"
Frank began to shiver.
How could he possibly run now?
Those chasing him were bound to be close now, even if he was not tired, they were bound to catch up soon.
"Hal, please don't joke around" Frank said in an urgent voice.
Hal sighed,
"What makes you so sure I can even help you? Why are you staying here to plead for my help instead of running?"
Frank looked down,
The reason should have been obvious enough, Hal was standing here and he was not injured at all. He was definitely in much better shape than Frank so he must have been successful in fending off the ambush.
The fact that he was standing here with confidence even after he was told that Plebeian assailants were on their way proved it beyond all reasonable doubts that Hal was his only hope.
Hal sighed,
"You don't have to answer but you do need to know one thing, even if I can help you, I won't"
Frank clenched his fist,
"You are in a relationship with my sister. Are you really going to let your brother-in-law die?"
Hal raised his eyebrow in mock surprise,
"You left the rest of your relatives alone and ran. Most of them were your cousins but you didn't think twice before leaving them for dead and you want to lecture me on protecting relations,
Haha, Don't make me laugh. You are no Brother-in-Law of mine and I assure you that even though I will console your sister should you die, I will not shed a single tear"
Chapter 127 - It's You!
Frank shivered and the look he gave Hal was one of intense disbelief,
"What are you talking about?" He asked as he made to grab Hal's arm but stopped short when he noticed the coolness in Hal's gaze.
Despite his burly physique, Hal still toward over him in height and aura.
Not to mention that Hal's muscles were more refined than his and hence he could not be intimidated by such.
Not that Frank was trying to, anyway.
Surely the only way he could convince Hal to shelter him was through careful negotiation in hope of eventually wearing him down.
Alas,
The danger was much too close and time was of the essence so Frank did the one thing that came naturally...
*Dull thud*
He knelt and the force of it was enough to cause a low sound on the grassy forest floor.
"Please help me!" He yelled and transitioned the kneel into a Kowtow, complete with a bow.
Hal simply sneered and said nothing.
The Men who would kill Frank were very close by so there was really no reason to say anything anymore.
Also, Even if they were to have time, trying to wear him down with pleading sobs was nothing more than a pipe dream.
He was a patient Devil after all.
...
Meanwhile, Marla had finally found the Plebeians, not Just the Fidwuds, all the Plebeians.
They had banded together to hunt for the Rune Tiles together.
With the Great Family scions escaping the forest and the Commoners just trying their best to survive, there was no one else to stand against them and there was no longer any point in the competition.
Their mindset was just like that of their adults. The Plebeian glory was their glory.
Leyton led them and while he was a good leader, he was not as interested in leading as he normally would have been.
And there was no other reason than Alexander Edgar.
That Bastard had ambushed him and the Fidwuds and managed to steal Five of their Tiles.
Even though after their altercation, Leyton had obviously had the upper hand, Alexander had still managed to escape with the Tiles.
"Damn it" he growled.
*Bang*
Behind him, the Plebeian scions brought down another beast and retrieved the Tile it was holding close.
Once they were done they turned towards Leyton where he stood with his fists clenched in anger.
They were not offended that he had not assisted, they could all understand his frustration and knew, should they be attacked, he would interfere for the sake of their protection.
Leyton sighed and slowly unclenched his fists, when he was out of the forest, he would find that scum and show him pain.
Of course, that was only if Alex was still alive.
As he thought of this, a nasty grin stretched over his effeminate face.
*BOOOOOOOM*
The sound was loud and the shockwave it caused blasted a lot of them back and they scrambled to get back to their feet.
It was obvious that whatever had caused the loud sound was malignant and none of them wanted to be caught with their butt on the ground as they rushed to ready themselves.
When the dust cleared, they were all surprised and more than a little scared when they saw that the cause was an illusionary Dark lady of about 5 meters in height.
More surprising though was the one who the illusionary dark lady coated her form.
Was she not the one that had been with Hal Payne?
Leyton grinned,
"I was wondering when you'll get here" he said.
Marla stood from the one knee on the ground position that she had been in as a result of landing on the scene after a very strong leap.
She smirked at the confidence Leyton still possessed despite seeing her Physique in action.
Others would admire it as courage,
Marla however saw it as hubris and what was bound to cause his fall.
Although to be fair, it wasn't really Leyton's fault for not taking Marla's peculiarity seriously.
His father had told him that there were techniques that specialize in mirages that were to intimidate the opponent and cause them to be an easy target.
As long as the opponent's Cultivation was clear, then he should not be too worried and he could easily sense that Marla was at the Peak of the Energy sensing Realm.
There was surely no way she could defeat him at the Early stage of the Cosmic Pearl Realm.
So as you can see, whatever happens to Leyton in the (very) near future is not totally his fault but also that of his father who refrained from enlightening him of the truth of the world simply because he was still young and none of the young Generation could possibly be such monsters.
He had also said it to bolster his son's confidence and once the time was right he would reveal to him just how unfair the cultivation world really is.
Sadly, Leyton was about to receive the lesson a little earlier than his Father had initially planned and his teacher will be very cruel.
"Oh, you were expecting me? Thought you would have expected your men to do away with me" Marla said and by men, she was obviously referring to the Plebeian assailants.
Leyton grinned even wider,
"I expected you to get away but not so unscathed It seems Hal Payne is even more resourceful than I thought. You even have a mirage inducing Cultivation technique"
He had to admit that he was not in the right frame of mind at the moment. Beating Marla seemed the perfect way to let out all of his anger and frustration.
Besides, hadn't Hal said she would be doing a lot of ass-kicking, well, he was curious if she would still be able to do that once she realized he was way out of her league.
'Mirage what?'
Marla thought before she shook it off, if he wanted to spout non-sense with a grin, then it had nothing to do with her, and as for the blatant admittance that he was aware of the Plebeian assailants,
She wouldn't have it any other way. He was at least straightforward. This was bound to be so much fun.
Not for Leyton of course.
But for her? So, so, so much fun.
It was then that Jack caught up with her, his breathing labored.
It was clear that Marla had kept his behind and boosted her speed by leaping occasionally with her Physique.
Once he was at her side, he bowed subtly,
"What would you have me do, Lady Marla?"
Marla looked at him out of the corner of his eye,
"Make sure no one interferes" she ordered him and Jack nodded.
"No one will" Leyton said and Marla ignored him.
Leyton shrugged and suddenly let out the full might of his Cultivation base.
He had done it for intimidation but to his surprise, Marla's expression did not change even a little bit.
She just said,
"I'll attack you now"
...and vanished to appear before him with her fist raised,
Leyton sneered,
"You must be insane to still attack first despite being obviously weaker, aren't you underestimating me too much!"
He yelled the last part as he attacked her first with one of his own.
Seeing this, Jack sniggered,
"Say goodbye to your hand, stupid young Master Fidwud"
.....
Meanwhile,
"Why are you so cold?" Frank yelled.
"So what if I ran, if you knew my reasons then you would understand"
Hal looked down at him,
"Oh, what reasons. Do share"
Frank gritted his teeth. He had not told anyone other than his immediate family. Even they had shut him down and so he was not interested in anyone else telling him it was not true, he wanted a solution.
Here he was in the Forest and just as he had feared, his death was near and he could not escape it unless Hal helped him.
He could hear the sound of his pursuers' footsteps getting closer.
In fact, looking over the horizon, he could already see them.
And so he told Hal everything, from how he had met the ethereal woman who had given him the prophecy of his death and how he had been staying away from danger all this while just so it did not come to pass, to how the only solution was to enter the service of the strongest Runemaster in Salmon City.
He emphasized how that was the reason he had not helped the others.
When Hal took a deep breath and Frank smiled cause it seemed he had finally met someone who understood his plight.
Alas,
"Idiot"
...it was not to be.
Frank's eyes widened but Hal was not done.
"What prophesy? You were told you were going to die and you accepted it as fact. You couldn't take procedures to protect yourself. You could not surround yourself with those who could guarantee your safety, instead, you ran"
"The prophesy..." Frank tried to say but Hal interrupted,
"...was trash. If you had stayed with the Horst. You would be completely safe because I would have interfered. The prophecy is not why your death is close at hand.
The only reason your death is close is because of your fear of it coming to pass"
Frank lowered his head, his eyes wide with shock.
"If you had died today, it would not have been because of a prophecy but because of you!"
As soon as Hal said that, the area around him and Frank was surrounded by those that were after Frank and they did not stop once they saw he was there.
They converged and got ever closer before Hal snarled,
"Get back!" He said and raised his hand high.
Out of his hand emerged a dome of pure Astral energy and it effortlessly repelled all attackers.
Soon only he and Frank were left in the middle of the Dome.
Frank's expression changed from one of doom to excitement immediately as he yelled,
"It's you!"
Chapter 128 - Plebeian Victory.
While Things in Tretch forest remained intense despite the exit of the Great family scions,
Those very same scions were about to find out that the life-threatening experience they had just undergone was ultimately a distraction for the main goal of the Plebeians.
This, of course, did not mean that the attack against them was half-hearted, on the contrary, the Plebeians had hoped to kill two birds on that day.
Alas,
Hal and his Blood knights put a wrench in their minor plans.
That said, the main event was going on in full spring.
All Great Family homes: Payne Estate, Krast Estate, Horst Manor, and Edgar Castle, were under attack!.
The Plebeians never went to great lengths to keep their plans of attacking the young generation a secret. They made sure there was still enough suspicion. Enough that initially, all Great families deployed their strongest to protect their young generation.
This reduced the security in certain areas in the Great families.
With war looming, it was not just Hal who had tasked his men with cultivation. All the Great families had done the same when they realized they had been slacking all this while.
If Plebeian leaders could cultivate and attain an equal level of strength as the Great family heads, it stood to reason that the same was true for their forces.
So the Great families put their men who were at the Energy sensing Realm and Cosmic Pearl realm through rigorous cultivation and training. Only sparing some of them for the security of those who were cultivating.
However, once the suspicion of the threat against their young generation came to light, they dispatched a lot of those men to protect them.
It was then that the Plebeians struck.
Sending in all of the gangs under them, telling them that this would be the only way for redemption since they had failed to successfully loot the Confluence.
Even though the Gangs were upset that they were being blamed for something that wasn't their fault, they recognized that their support still came from the Plebeians, and an attempt to break free of that support now was unwise.
So with clenched fists and gritted teeth, they stormed the Great Households.
It didn't take long for the Greats to know what was happening, unfortunately, the damage was already done.
While the Gangs aimed to kill as many as they could of those in seclusion for cultivation, the reality was that merely causing a commotion had caused Cultivation deviation for a lot of those in seclusion.
*BOOOOMMMM!!!*
*CRACK!!!*
*BAAANNNNGGG!!!*
Foundations were getting damage with every shockwave their attacks were causing.
The problem was that even though they knew it was dangerous and counterproductive to engage in combat with the Gangs, the Great Family forced had no choice.
The best they could do now was defeat the Gangs quickly to put the matter to rest.
Maybe then they would be able to salvage the safety of some of them.
Payne Estate...
The attack had begun and Gregory was forced to direct his forces as Burt was not yet at his best.
While he directed them, he could not help but wonder where Lilian was.
He had gone to find her at the start of the attack and had expected to find her cultivating so he could call her out of it safely before she suffered Cultivation derivation.
He could still risk the safety of his men but he could not risk hers.
But when he went in, she was nowhere to be found.
He shook his head to shake away those worries. He needed to focus on these idiots who had the audacity to storm his home.
He directed his forces not to attack but to herd the Gang members to a part of the Estate.
Once they were all there, he harnessed immense Cosmic Energy that was worthy of someone of his caliber at the peak of the Cosmic Armament realm and he released all of it into the Center of an array by his side.
Immediately, the array came to life in the form of spinning blades of Astral runes that whirled and slashed all Gang members to pieces instantly.
"Did they really think this was enough to shake me?"
Gregory snorted before he turned away from the scene and left cleaning the Blood and gore to his servants.
...
Other than the Payne Family, the others focussed more on direct combat, one that they won easily but the Cost was still high.
None of them (the Great Families) had taken any chances and still left their young generation with protection, and it was a testament to the power of the Great families that they still won overwhelmingly despite being ambushed.
However,
The Plebeian leaders had expected this and it was why their plan had never being to defeat the Great Families, if it had been, they would have attacked with their true force and not with Gangs.
They had aimed to cripple the fighting force of the Great families, and while a lot of Gang members had died and many more had been injured, on that note they had succeeded.
Even Gregory Payne who had taken care of the Gangs quickly and efficiently with the use of that powerful array still recorded quite a few casualties.
The other families were considerably worse off thanks to the prolonged effect of direct combat.
By the time the Horst, Krast and Edgar scions were out of the forest, the attack was over, most of the Gang members were dead, and yet they could already feel it in the air that their families had not won on that day.
Victory was the Plebeians'.
...
Tretch Forest...
Hal's hand was raised and the Dome that had pushed away Frank's attackers remained strong as he could not help but think about the things that were happening in the City at that moment.
Thanks to his Blood knights having infiltrated the Great Families, he could see it all unfold if he so wished.
The one he focussed on the most at that moment was the attack on Payne Estate and he could not help but sneer at Gregory's use of the high powered array.
Of all the Great Families, Payne Family survived best not only because of Gregory's use of the Array, but because the targets of the attack (the Payne Elites) were not even there.
His Elites were cultivating in a different location altogether. Hal knew where it was thanks to the Map Rita had managed to steal the day he killed Rad.
Hal could not help but admire Gregory's brilliance, those Cultivating in the Estate were mainly Guards and not his true fighting force.
They were the perfect decoy.
Following this attack, the Plebeians would believe themselves to have the upper hand but in regards to the Paynes, it would be nothing more than gross underestimation.
Hal nodded in his mind, he preferred it this way.
He would eventually pay a visit to those 'Elites'.
Frank's excited voice brought him out of his thoughts,
"It's you!"
'Oh yeah, this idiot is still here' he thought before he spoke to him,
"It's me what?"
"You're the strongest Runemaster in Salmon City. You can save me" Frank said with a grin.
Hal wanted to ask why Frank believed he was the strongest Runemanster but when he looked at the Dome which still covered both of them, he had to admit it was fairly obvious.
There were no runes involved in the creation of this dome and even Frank could identify that as strength.
Hal chuckled,
"I can save you? Well I don't want to"
The dome faded and he stepped closer to Frank who unconsciously took a step back and then he spoke to him again,
"If I kill you now. Would your prophecy have come to pass? Hmm?" Hal asked with a cold smile.
However, unlike before Frank stood his ground with a smile,
"It will not. But you are not going to kill me" he said with a smile.
"What makes you so sure?" Hal asked with the same cold smile.
"Because you know it would make my sister sad and besides you already saved me once"
Frank said and gestured at the assailants on the ground, some unconscious while others struggled to stand and failed time and time again.
Hal raised his eyebrow,
"Oh? The very same sister you obviously envy?"
Frank clenched his fists.
He could not deny that he envied his sister. Despite being twins, she always outclassed him. She was always better.
When their mother called a friend of hers to take Amelia as her student and even facilitated her enrollment into the flame lotus sect, the feeling of envy intensified.
The only thing he ever got was the title of the future ford of Horst manor but how could he not see that compared to his sister, this title was merely a shackle to keep him in this city while greater titles abound outside.
Why?
Why?
Why was life so unfair?
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so hard that his nails dug into his palm and drew blood.
*Pat*
His eyes widened when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see Hal frowning down at him.
"Normally I wouldn't care about your envy but I know how dangerous it could be if it's allowed to fester"
Hal took his hand away from him and the area around them was once again surrounded by a Dome of Astral energy that Frank could see was meant to cut off his path of escape.
"You see, I have a sense for these things and I felt it the moment I saw you. The envy is strong and it will eventually drive you to seek her life..."
Hal's eyes turned Blood red as he said,
"...and unlike you, I protect those close to me and so before that happens, I will kill you myself"
Chapter 129 - I Will Break Away From Destiny!
*Boooomm!!!*
Marla's fist made contact with Leyton's and he could instantly feel the difference in strength.
Moreover, he could feel that the illusionary dark lady around Marla was far from being a simple mirage.
It had substance!
Leyton gritted his teeth and forced out every single bit of Cosmic Energy out of his body through his punch, creating a kind of combination of Cosmic attack and physical strength.
Against another opponent, this would have been a formidable move, however, his opponent was Marla who was really making use of her physique,
His brilliant attack was rendered next to useless against her.
"Arrgghh" He yelled as he was thrown back by the force.
He closed his eye reflexively from the pain of his wounded fist but when he opened it barely a second later, Marla was nowhere to be found, he instinctively knew she was behind him and despite the pain on his arm, he forced himself to turn.
Big mistake.
Marla smiled and once he faced her, she sunk her fist into his midsection...
*Puh*
...he sat out blood but Marla did not stop.
She turned and gave him a roundhouse kick that knocked a few of his teeth loose and smacked him into a tree bark.
He bounced off the bark and fell forward, spitting out even more blood and slowly struggling to his feet,
Alas,
Marla was not done.
She was soon in front of him and she kicked upward, lifting the Fidwud heir to his feet with her kick.
For a while, it seemed as though Leyton was just going to stay afloat but Marla did not wait for him to be back on the ground as she launched a kick to his ribs.
*Bam*
The moment the kick connected, Leyton grabbed her leg and attached a Rank 2 rune to it.
By the time the kick knocked him back, he activated the Rune and...
*Booommmm!*
...it exploded and knocked Marla back with her clothes smoking from the Rune's effect that seemed to have bypassed the protection of the illusionary Dark lady around her.
Leyton had adjusted himself in the air and managed to land on his knees.
He watched Marla stand to her feet with a smile and took a leaf a leaf out of her book by not waiting for her to regain her orientation.
He dashed forward, ignoring the pain in his ribs, back, and other parts of his body. It would all be worth it once he defeated her.
He withdrew more Runes from his spatial pouch as he grinned,
"I was saving this up but that was foolish, I will use it all to defeat you. Hahahaha"
When he arrived before the seemingly unsteady Marla and made to attach it to her body, she leaped up at the last moment at a speed he could not possibly follow with his eyes.
When Leyton looked up instinctively, he was greeted with her foot smashing into his bruised effeminate face.
*Bang!*
"What the...?!" The rest of the Plebeians exclaimed as they saw Leyton fail to seize the initiative and get beat down the more he resisted.
Surely, they could not let this go on.
They made to move forward but their path was quickly blocked by Jack while Marla continued her onslaught.
She was unlikely to stop until Leyton was unconscious.
The Plebeian scions could not help but turn to one another,
That's right. There was still this guy.
Could he be a monster just like the girl?
They shook off their worry.
Even if he was, he could not possibly be that way against all of them at once.
The Plebeian scions together amounted to more than 50 young men and a few young ladies and they all stared at Jack with unveiled animosity as they harnessed the totality of their strength.
The majority of them were at the Seven and Eight stages of the Energy sensing Realm but there were at least 15 of them at the peak of the same realm.
Jack thought back to how he had run from the Ninth stages that had attempted to take away his Rune tile, there was even more danger here but he would not run, he would face them and he would win.
When the Plebeian scions saw the wild look of conviction in his eyes, they decided not to take any chances and they all attacked at once with their full strength at the get-go.
Jack reinforced himself and stood with his back straight to fend off the Plebeian mob, and...
*Bam*
*Bang*
*Wham*
*Crack*
"Arrrgggggggghhhhhh"
...he failed woefully!
Once the Mob began their attack, they quickly came to the understanding that Jack was completely ordinary.
There was no single bit of peculiarity in him.
He fell to their might and numbers before long.
Even as they beat him towards the sweet release of death, they could not help but wonder if there was a reason for Jack's confidence when it was clear that he lacked ability.
While Jack was getting beat up and every one of those in the mob tried to get a piece of him,
A gigantic figure cast its large shadow over all of them and they quickly stopped hitting Jack and looked up at the figure of a 15 feet tall illusionary Dark lady, in the middle of which stood Marla.
"Good job getting them in one place" she said with a grin and covered the whole scene with Dark mist.
Then the illusionary figure shrunk and concentrated even more before it vanished into the mist.
To Marla, it did not really matter if the beat down was caused by Jack's overestimation of his abilities or if he had truly done so to make it easier for her to attack,
All that mattered now was that she could end this quickly and meet up with Hal for the Grand finale.
It was as though she had melted into the mist,
*Bam* *Bam* *Bam*
"Ahhh!"
"Oww!"
Exclamations of pain were the order of the day as they could not see a thing within the mist.
Once they were attacked, they hurried to stomach the pain and punch at where it had come from, only to make contact with mist.
Some of them even had the presence of mind to grab at the hand or body part that had hit them, but they might as well have been grabbing at air for all the substance they caught.
Soon the mist was retracted back into her being and she regained the form she had attacked Leyton with.
Jack was slightly getting back to his feet while massaging his aching muscles, he looked around and was glad to see that the Plebeian scions were even worse off than him.
Marla looked at him and could understand that the reason he had embroiled himself in combat with the Plebeian scions even when he had no chance was simply to do what he had told Hal he would do.
He made himself useful.
While Marla knew she could have taken the Plebeians on her own, she acknowledged his help all the same.
-
Leyton opened his eyes and awoke from his unconscious state, only to witness the unconscious bodies of his fellow Plebeians, left in plain view for Demon beast attacks.
He checked for the Rune tiles and was not surprised to see them gone until he realized it was not the only thing that was missing.
Every other valuable possession he had, except for his clothes, was gone.
This no longer had anything to do with the Competition.
This was Robbery!
Plain and simple.
...
Meanwhile...
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Frank yelled as he ran as far as he could from Hal within the Astral Dome.
Hal watched him run with an indifferent expression,
When Frank saw Hal had no intention of speaking, the feeling of fear intensified but he reasoned that if Hal had not yet killed him, then maybe he could still talk him out of it.
"Have you considered how much this will hurt Amelia?" He asked.
Hal shrugged,
"She'll get over it"
'What kind of monster did Amelia get involved with? Is this the end of my glorious youth?'
While Frank gritted his teeth to those words, Grimoire commented on the situation,
'There's more to this than his envy, isn't there?' It asked.
Hal was silent at first.
There was really more to this than Frank's insecurities. It cost him nothing to guarantee Frank's loyalty.
All he needed to do was ask Frank to sign a Devil contract or he could simply brand him with the Devil's mark.
Something he was sure Frank would accept gladly as opposed to death.
But he did not want to do that because that would prove that Frank's prophecy came to pass.
'Why are you so adamant to reject the reality of this prophecy?' Grimoire asked and unlike usual, Its voice was soft and comforting like that of a friend.
Hal sighed,
'Does Destiny really exist in this world?' He asked.
Now it was time for Grimoire to go quiet but it was only for a while,
'Destiny definitely exists' it said in a careful voice.
'Is it immutable?' Hal asked.
'You ask questions that will do you no good for now. Maybe it is, maybe it's not. You don't need to worry about that for now. Just try your best to succeed'
'What if, with every victory, I'm only setting myself up for an even more painful downfall. What if there is someone who can render all I achieve, useless?'
'Idiot! I'm sorry to disappoint you but there are undoubtedly existences that can render all you achieve, useless, but is that not the point of Cultivation? Of getting stronger?
Fulfilling Frank's prophecy does not guarantee that Destiny cannot be fought and besides who is to say your destiny is downfall?'
Hal chuckled,
'You're right. Fuck destiny! If I want something, I will get it. I will succeed whether it's in my Destiny that I will or not. If my Destiny is to fail, I will break away from it.
This is only the beginning. I am only just getting started'
With that, he opened his eyes and looked down at Frank,
"You've convinced me, your sister will be sad If you die, so..."
He drafted a contract and held it out for him,
"Sign this and I'll let you live"
Chapter 130 - You Will Be My Weapon.
Frank looked up at the Contract Hal held out to him and could not help but tremble at the nefarious energy it oozed.
"W-What the hell is that?" He asked.
Hal smiled,
"It's a contract that you will sign with your blood and relinquish control of your soul to me."
'You like saying that don't you?' Grimoire said with a sigh.
'Saying what?' Hal asked.
'You like telling people that the contract will give you control over their soul, don't you?' Grimoire clarified.
'I don't know what you're talking about' Hal denied.
Frank gulped and signed the Contract.
He could feel the effects but Hal simply smiled as the Contract rolled up and vanished into the inside of his palm.
"So what now?" Frank asked.
Hal knew he was talking about his future from here on out so he sighed and turned away as the Dome faded and the disoriented assailants regained their senses.
Before they could straighten up completely, Hal dashed into their midst as his eyes turned a Blood red and a fog of the same color surrounded his form.
He struck all of them efficiently, killed them, and absorbed their Blood essence.
Frank watched them all fall and felt the stifling pressure Hal gave off, he couldn't help but draw a parallel of their situation to what his would have been had Hal not been lenient.
He did not believe one bit that he had managed to convince this demon.
Surely he only received mercy.
Once Hal drained the Essence, he sat cross-legged on the grassy floor and got into the position for advancement.
He was heading to the southside after this and was mentally prepared to be involved in a battle.
He had been saving all the Essence he absorbed till now for future advancement but now seemed good enough.
At first, he drove it to further strengthen his Bloodline but he could only go so far until he advanced to the Cosmic Armament realm or at the very least, the Peak stage of the Cosmic Pearl realm.
So he spent most of it on advancing his cultivation while also absorbing Cosmic energy to further the process.
These last three days, he had dual cultivated hard, even with the use of the Time Warped chamber, so his advancement was quite certain.
And sure enough,
*Boom*
Peak Stage of the Cosmic Pearl Realm!
Not just that, he could feel, it would not be long before he could form his Cosmic Armament and advanced to the Cosmic Armament Realm.
At that time, he doubted any of the Family Heads (Aside from Hector) could match up to him.
That said, this remained a personal advancement, he needed his forces to get stronger as well.
Hal sighed as he opened his eyes and stood up,
'All in due time'
Then he faced Frank again,
"You cultivate. Hard! I spared you and guaranteed your loyalty, however, my contracts and Marks are not so cheap that you can just be useless.
"Your future is no longer tied to this City. In the future, when I leave, you will leave with me. You will be my weapon against my foes"
Frank bowed and opened his mouth to speak, to pledge but Hal interrupted.
"I don't want to hear it. Leave now, I have things to take care off. Know this though, slack off and I will kill you!"
Despite knowing Hal was serious and despite the fear he was feeling, Frank clenched his fist and steeled his resolve.
He won't slack off!
Maybe he could not change all at once, but he would never stop trying.
His future was heading to a change.
It was high-time he changed as well.
*Dash*
Hal watched Frank run out of the forest with the quiet confidence that he would not face any danger on his way out. After all, the prophecy was fulfilled.
Hal however snorted at such shallow thinking, he was not yet convinced Frank's prophecy was not a string of coincidences and bad choices.
It didn't take long before he caught up with Marla and Jack. He directed Jack to join the Blood Knights and return to the Estate with them.
It was not going to take long for him to meet up with them.
Thanks to their going after the Plebeian assailants and draining them of their essence, quite a number of Commoners had survived as well as a majority of the Payne Family scions.
Once he was gone, Hal and Marla began their journey to the southside of Tretch forest, where Hal would finally sate his curiosity and also get some answers.
...
Meanwhile,
Back in the City, despite the Great families succeeding in repelling the enemy and even succeeding in killing quite a number of them.
The damage that had been caused to their establishment spoke volumes to the denizens.
It had been so long since the Great families had ever been dealt such a blow.
So many were sure they would not take this lying down.
Surely they would band together and get their revenge.
Alas,
The Great families were silent.
Had it been the time they were still cooperating, that would have been the case, however, now that they were divided, the need to act smart was even more paramount.
The insult was truly stinging but they knew what they needed to do now was get back on the feet and plan their counter-attack.
Even the Plebeians did not celebrate their success, instead, they planned the next step. One that was close at hand while they strengthened their defenses.
It would after all be quite embarrassing to be caught up in revelry and struck down.
As the Great Family scions began to leave Tretch forest, they could see that their plans to kill the Great family young generation had ultimately failed.
While they had succeeded in killing a few, their main target (The heirs) had survived.
Their survival along with the absence of their forces running out in retreat did not sit well with them.
Something terrible must have happened.
The reason they had sent their forces after the Young generation as opposed to the gangs they had sent to the Great family Homebases was that they were convinced of victory of at the very least, the casualty would be kept to the minimum.
According to their calculations, the Great family protectors could not eradicate the Plebeian forces completely.
So who did?
Who interfered and slipped through their preparations?
"Could it be HIM?" Baret asked.
He had asked already when he remembered this was a touchy subject for San Fidwud.
He turned to look at him but it seemed although San had not heard him for all the attention he showed.
He simply said,
"Who knows?"
It was clear to Baret and Ian that he was worried, they couldn't blame him though.
They were all worried about the Plebeian scions.
What if the one who had interfered decided to give them a taste of their own medicine?
They needed to act quickly and rescue them.
In hope that it was not too late.
...
Tretch Forest.
SouthSide...
Hal had scouted ahead with Astral sense and knew it was the picture of decadence but he was not ready for the smell of the place.
The place reeked of death and Blood.
The two should have gone hand in hand but Hal recognized the distinctive Blood stench.
It was the type he had perceived the day he killed Rad. He had perceived it when visited his soul world before killing him.
It was the Smell of a Fiend.
Of a Blood Fiend.
It was only a hundred times worse.
Hal projected a Rune to Marla's nose and it prevented her from perceiving the Concentrated smell.
He could still bear it and he knew he would have to.
That the smell was so strong could only mean that his target had picked this place as his domain.
As his kingdom.
Not to mention that there were signs that it intends to spread even wider.
"How strong do you think it is?" Marla asked and it was clear that the scene was intimidating to her.
Hal smiled reassuringly,
"At least at the Early stage of the Cosmic Armament Realm"
Marla looked down.
She knew he could handle such an opponent but it remained a guess, the beast could be even stronger. Not to mention that its physical capabilities would most likely be off the charts.
"This place looks awful" she commented the obvious in an attempt to clear her mind...
"It's a sign of chronic killing. This beast is not killing to eat. It's killing simply for the thrill of it"
...alas, it failed.
Hal continued,
"It's no longer just a demon Beast. It's coming closer to being a demon. It's why I was curious and needed to see it.
The arrival of Sassy and the change of this beast most likely happened around the same time and one person might be responsible so I need to check it out"
Hal suddenly stopped and thrust his hand to stop her from moving forward any further.
"It's here," he said.
*Dumm* *Dumm* *Dumm*
The footsteps of the Beast sounded as it moved towards the two that intruded into its territory.
How dare they come?
Have they no respect for a king?
Oh well, they would face the consequences.
They would face the wrath of the Tretch King!