Chapter 201 - Thank You... And Goodbye...
"Ahhh" Evian yelled and sent a Cosmic attack at San who deflected it with another slash of his Saber while wondering why it was so weak. Only to see that there were more being sent to him by his former right hand.
Evian had reduced the intensity of the Cosmic attacks so that he could send multiple of the watered-down attacks consecutively.
While they were weak, San still swiped them aside with his Saber as they were sure to hinder his vision should they make contact. Not in the lethal sense of course.
Just like throwing sand in someone's eye to obstruct their sense of sight and take advantage. Except for that sand to the eye of a normal man would be far more effective than the Cosmic attack to San.
That said, San knew that any lapse in concentration was what Evian was after and he did not wish to give him that.
The rate at which his hand moved to deflect the multiple attacks was enough to cause it to blur but even then he made use of the hand that was free just to swat them away efficiently.
It was while he was doing so, that he realized that the attacks never needed to make contact for his vision to be obstructed just enough for the corrupted Evian to close the distance.
By the time he realized this and quickly swatted the Cosmic attack in front of him away, Evian was already right in front of him and thrusting his Saber at the Fidwud Family head's midsection.
Even then San sneered and grab the Saber's blade and headbutted Evian so hard it threw the Former right-hand man back by a couple of meters.
*Dumm*
Evian managed to regain his footing quickly and dash towards San who slashed with his Sword and sent a Cosmic attack at Evian who leaped into the air to escape the path of the attack.
San simply slashed his sword and sent another attack at Evian or at least he made to do so but was distracted when the Edgar Brothers made to dash past him to the Runemasters.
He stretched his hand towards them and sent a Cosmic attack that knocked them back a short distance before Evian landed right in front of San and punched at him.
A futile attempt and was made evident when San did not even attempt to dodge and took the blow right to his cheek.
Despite the Devil shroud's dark fog that covered the fist, the punch had absolutely no effect.
This was most probably the moment Evian should have begun to despair. After all, the Devil shroud Fear inducing ability was useless against San whose Cosmic Phenomenon Realm cultivation granted immunity.
The only advantage Evian thus had was the enhancing ability of the Devil shroud and even that was ineffective.
San drew back his Saber and slow as can be he thrust it towards Evian's midsection.
It was in that moment that it could be seen that much as San wished to kill Evian, there was still some hesitation to end the life of the one who he had once boasted knew him best.
It was why his Saber was moving so slow and unconsciously giving Evian the opportunity to dodge or escape the strike.
While he allowed his thoughts to wander, Evian grabbed the slow-moving saber and plunged it into his midsection while he yelled,
"I can only give you this much time. Go!"
The Edgar brothers knew immediately that it was to them he was referring so they were quick to dash past San who was about to stretch his hand to send out another Cosmic attack to prevent their advance when Evian grabbed him in what could only be described as a bear hug and closed any distance that was left between himself and San.
The saber pierced right through him and out the back of his body.
*Puchi*
Evian spout blood on San's shoulder while the outstretched hand of the Plebeian leader remained frozen and his effeminate face paled as his pitch-black eyes widened.
"Thank you and... Goodbye" was the last words of the former right-hand man as his arms slacked and his eyes lost the light of living while his body grew cold.
San's eyes reddened and he turned towards the brothers that were about to strike at the Runemasters...
"Stop right there"
...and sent a Cosmic attack at them.
The two looked back at him and chuckled darkly while keeping out of the way to let the Comic attack from San make contact with Baret and Ian and knocked them away and completely damage their concentration.
Once the brothers were close to them, the Fear inducing ability of the Devil shroud was already affecting the Runemasters' ability to think. Striking them had been the two brothers way of sealing the deal but San's Cosmic attack worked just as well.
San pulled his Saber out of Evian's body and laid it down. Angry at himself that he had allowed his emotions to affect him so much, that he almost killed Baret and Ian.
Had the attack being met to be lethal rather than reprimanding, the results would not have been the same.
He turned his eyes to the brothers while he made use of his perception to check if the Runemasters were fine and they were, only exhausted mentally.
Much as San would have loved to take his grief out on the brothers, he needed to attend to Hector as now was the prime and opportune moment to strike.
He turned away from them and dashed towards the Castle courtyard where Hector lay prone.
Darryl and Marlon wished to follow and attempt to stop him when they heard Hal's voice in their mind,
'Good work. I'll take it from here'
...
Let's back up a few minutes...
When Eugene and the Merchants were attacking the Dome in an attempt to leave the castle grounds as the battle was getting ever closer, Hal stood from his seat and put Amelia there.
"Be careful" Melinda said as he made to leave.
Hal smiled as he lowered himself and kissed her lips,
"I will" and with that, he vanished.
Gregory and Ford's eyes widened as they were the only ones paying attention to him outside of his women.
Selina would probably have caught the disappearance as well if she and her brother had not been paying attention to their uncle smashing at the Dome.
Hal went into the battlefield and occasionally turned visible to cast Runes as any such actions nullified his invisibility anyway.
He had actually been close by when San had killed the 'Corrupted' Plebeians but it was impossible for the Fidwud family head to see him as he fell under the category of those Hal's invisibility could work on;
Two Realms ahead.
He had been careful to use the perfect timing to cast Runes in the area of battle as San's perception was all over the place.
It was only thanks to Grimoire's sensory abilities that he remained under San's radar.
So to speak.
Once he was done, he returned to the castle courtyard, which had not been easy as he needed to maneuver between the battling men.
He was in a hidden location at the side of the Castle, where he had placed the activation circle of the Array when the Dome around Hector faded to reveal the weakened man surrounded by a Cosmic Phenomenon.
The moment San dashed forward as though he had not been hindered by the thousands of battling experts and at a speed that deserved Commendation, the Phenomenon around Hector exploded and its effects were all directed at San!
Chapter 202 - Count Your Days...
*Boommmmm*
For the first time since he arrived at Edgar castle, San looked scared.
And it was no wonder why he was.
Hector Edgar had planned ahead for the moment he would be freed from the Dome. Even predicting quite accurately that San would be after his life once that happened and thus, placed a Cosmic Phenomenon around himself just for the purpose of attacking San once he came close.
To be fair, it had been a very dangerous endeavor, after all, while the Phenomenon was sentient enough to target San, its sentience was far from stable enough to guarantee it would not attack Darryl or Marlon, had they been the closest to the Dome and San not even in the vicinity.
Hector still retained some consciousness and was glad to see the attack had hit its target.
It was the last thought he had before falling totally unconscious.
Anyway...
San was quick to retrieve all the Rank three defensive runes he had on him and activate them just in time while surrounding himself with a Cosmic Phenomenon of his own making.
Even then, the disparity between a Cosmic Phenomenon attack from a Late-stage Cosmic Phenomenon Expert, albeit a weakened expert, was not something San could completely protect himself against.
The explosive attack knocked away from Hector's side and all the way to the side of the Castle where San hit his back against the Dome.
*Puchi*
He could not stop a Blood spout as the Dome had caused even more damage by forcefully stopping his backward movement.
As his arms had been crossed in front of his chest instinctively, the sleeves were completely shredded and his arms were badly injured.
There were long and deep scars on them that still gripped blood.
San quickly retrieved a recovery pill and swallowed it.
However, due to the severity of the injury, the pill only stopped the bleeding, the wound still remained open and the pain was not lessened one bit.
San gritted his teeth and stared at the unconscious Hector with a mixture of dread and hate but that was all the more reason for him to end the Mayor right then and there.
After all, the Cosmic Phenomenon attack could be interpreted as a last-ditch desperate attempt on Hector's part as he could no longer possibly defend himself.
At this thought, San's effeminate face took on a demented expression and he made to dash to where Hector was, the ground suddenly trembled...
*Rumble* *Rumble* *Rumble*
Along with the Rumbling noises, Royal blue lines of Astral energy spread from the side of the Castle and it connected numerous circles all around the courtyard and even outside of the Castle's environs.
If the Plebeians were somewhere, there would be Rune circles there as well.
The appearance of the Circle puzzled the Plebeians, enough to cause them to pause and take a look around.
While they did that, the Blood Knights that were with Olivia and were resisting the hordes of Plebeians alongside her told her,
"Let's go"
Not knowing why she felt solidarity with these Red-eyed impressive experts, Olivia nodded and together they took advantage of the pause to run back to where the Edgar men still populated; the very end of the castle grounds.
The brothers followed as well. Their Devil shroud Fear-inducing ability aided their smooth movement all the more.
The Blood Knights that had been on the other side and fought alongside the Plebeian Forces, informed those that were closest to the Plebeians to step back and most of them obeyed.
For those who did not, whether due to their distrust of the Blood Knights or their hatred for the Plebeians, the Blood Knights did not spare another glance and ran back as Hal had instructed.
The line connected and the Rune circles shone brightly as they were activated and caused massive tremors and created Earthquakes.
The ground began to open up in places as Plebeian Experts fell into the crevices and were only able to escape as it was not yet too wide so they could find footings and leap back out.
"Retreat!" Yelled the Plebeian heads but it was unnecessary as the Plebeians had already resorted to the most basic of human instinct; Survival!
Every one of them was already making their way back while the Edgar Forces who had not listened to the Blood Knights now tried to escape the Earthquake but not all of them survived and about a hundred still fell into the crevices and to their deaths.
Since the Tremor was so loud and extensive that places that were miles away from the Castle could hear and feel it, it stood to reason that Edvard, the Merchants and practically every guest at the other end of the Castle grounds could hear it and it shocked them greatly.
Hal had gotten inspiration for the Array from the Third Grade skill: Natural disaster.
Natural disaster was however not as extensive as this and while Hal could have used the skill more than once and maybe get the same effect, he felt this was far less strenuous and it was. As long as he had the time to set up the Runes which would remain invisible unless activated, then he could have a more extensive effect as it was now evident.
Granted, Natural disasters had displayed more offensive abilities but this was still good enough.
San's eyes widened at what was going on and he directed his gaze to where the guests were and when he saw Melinda, Rita, Marla and Amelia seated there, he knew his suspicions were confirmed.
The ladies along with this Royal blue Astral energy signature... Hal Payne had decided to get involved.
He clenched his fists angrily as the Plebeian Experts fled the Estate and vowed to one day rip Hal and the Malevolent One apart.
Then he stepped towards Hector Edgar's still prone form which no one had attended to. Probably from fear that San had his eye on the body.
As long as he killed Hector, Hal's nuisances were but a mere hindrance he would deal with later.
He was about to touch Hector's body when multiple Rune suddenly flew out from the side of the Castle where he could now tell was where Hal was.
With speed that left even him speechless, the Runes came together and seamlessly formed a Rune Circle.
Even with how much he hated Hal, San could not deny the talent. Neither could anyone else who saw the formation of the Rune Circle in less than a second.
Since Hal was not seated, they did not need rocket science to know it was his doing.
The Rune circle surrounded Hector's frail and old-looking body and right before San's eyes, the ground opened up and swallowed the Mayor's body while the Rune circle remained.
San's eyes widened in disbelief and he immediately harnessed the might of his cultivation and broke the ground in an attempt to find the Mayor but it proved to be futile.
He stretched his senses and even though the Dome kept it confined he could still sense the body vanishing from the Castle's vicinity which made no sense since even if the body was transported underground, the Dome would still exist even underground.
It was why once an Array Dome was activated, burrowing through the earth into the inside of the Dome was next to impossible as the Dome would still be an obstacle underground.
But San forgot that if Baret and Ian could create an opening for their forces to go through, then Hal could create a temporary opening to sneak Hector out.
Once it was outside, he directed one of his Emissaries to pick up the Mayor and take him to the Holger Estate.
Once Hector was far enough from the castle, his connection to the Dome was finally caught off and it faded.
"Don't you think that's enough? San, you have weakened him and Hector is an inch of death, you have won the day.
So why do you still wish to go overboard" Hal's voice sounded from the side of the castle while the Array circle caused the point San was at to tremble and quake.
San narrowed his eyes and shook with anger before he yelled...
"COUNT YOUR DAYS, HAL PAYNE BECAUSE VERY SOON, MUCH SOONER THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY THINK, I WILL KILL YOU. I PROMISE YOU THAT!!"
As his voice had been imbued with Cosmic Energy worthy of his Cultivation Base, the whole city heard his promise.
He sent a fully-charged, highly powered Cosmic Phenomenon Attack at Hal (obviously not interested in waiting too long)...
*Boommmmm"
...but did not wait to see the result as he dashed out of the Castle grounds with the ground quaking behind him.
Had he looked backward, he would have seen a Crimson Devil shrouded by Malevolent, nightmarish Dark fog grinning at him...
...in a non-friendly manner of course.
Chapter 203 - He Got To You Too!
On his way out, San picked up Evian's dead body, which was somehow standing on an unaffected piece of land and left with it. He ignored the palanquin and that was to be expected as those who carried it were gone, having retreated along with the rest of the Plebeian forces.
In fact, the palanquin itself was in a precarious situation itself as the ground blow it had parted but not enough to swallow up the palanquin which was balanced on the two sides of the crevice.
Once the Plebeians were gone, the Rune circles seemed to reverse and as they did, the ground was stitched back, closing up completely on those that might have fallen in, after which the Royal blue Astral lines faded.
The attack San had sent to Hal had mostly hit the side of the Castle but its force was still too strong for Hal to attempt resisting without the lesser devil form which was why his Skin was now crimson and Devil energy shrouded him.
They protected him from the Castle debris as well as any residual Cosmic phenomenon force in the attack.
Now his skin was back to normal and he came out of where he had been hiding.
By then, the merchants had all exited the castle grounds. Since the Dome was down, most of them just leaped out over the high fence while others ran out through the main gate.
The only ones still seated other than Hal's faction were the Great family heads. Edvard continued to stare off at the direction San and the Plebeians had retreated to and his eyes were narrowed.
For one thing, Hal had been right; San and by extension, the Plebeians had won the day. A lot of Edgar men had died and it had not only been about number advantages.
The Plebeians were simply the better experts.
Also, Hector Edgar had been incapacitated. The one pillar the Edgar family could always count on was now gone and took with him any hope the Edgars ever had of staying on top.
Granted, a lot of things had been revealed today, one of them being the possibility that the Edgars were colluding with the Malevolent One and much as Gregory wished to know where his money was, he could also see that the brothers were mere pawns.
If even Evian could showcase the same peculiarities as the brothers (yes, he had seen the battle between the two former Lord and subordinate) then it means they were mere pawns and they most likely knew nothing of real importance about the mysterious figure.
Besides, if the grudge between San and the Malevolent one, albeit a one-sided grudge, held true then at some point, the man himself would show up and that was the time Edvard would get retribution.
However, the Malevolent One was only one of the mysterious parties that worried him today;
The guards that had come with Gregory had all turned Red-eyed and fought with the Edgars. They had done so the moment the two brothers were in a pinch and Olivia had gone off to assist by taking down the Archers...
Edvard's eyes widened as he realized that he had been looking at it all wrong,
There were not two parties but most likely one single party. The Red-eyed men as well as the Fog shrouded brothers and Plebeians were all on the same side. They were on the side of the Malevolent One.
Quickly Eduard turned to Gregory, after all, it had been his guards who had experienced the change, so he could very well be the Malevolent One.
His face went red as he swelled with anger and indignation that Gregory had been out to screw them over. He was about to explode when he rethought the situation.
Gregory did not seem the kind of person to come up with such schemes. He seemed too much like a Man of action who handled all issues with his fists and even if he was to come up with schemes, this was much too convoluted to be his doing.
So Edvard calmed himself a little and looked at the 'Facts' once again. It only became even more evident that Gregory was not the Malevolent One, after all, why would he assist the Edgars if he was, considering how much he hated Hector.
Gregory was not the one calling the shots and if it was not him, it could only be...
As he came to this realization, Edvard shook his head at how impossible it was. While Hal was surely a capable Runemaster as evident by this elaborate Array...
This time Edvard grabbed his chest as the piece of the puzzle that proved it was Hal became more evident...
Immediately, he condensed a powerful Cosmic attack and tossed it towards Hal while he yelled,
"The Array!"
Hal had been hugging Melinda to his chest when the Cosmic attack came rocketing towards his back.
Before he could even make a move, Rita's sky blue long sword Cosmic armament was slashing at the Cosmic attack and splitting it into two large halves.
Even though she had successfully split the Attack, she was still at the Mid-stage of the Cosmic Armament and moving ever closer to the Late stages the disparity between her and Edvard's strength caused her to take many steps back.
As she did, Hal's arms caught her as he had turned and his glare towards Edvard was absolutely murderous.
Marla and Amelia were on their feet and even though they could not possibly contend with Edvard, it did not stop them from glaring at him as well.
"Are you alright?" Hal asked Rita and she nodded with a frown at Edvard.
"Uncle" Selina called with an indignant tone but Edvard ignored her.
The Edgar family, the core of the Family were crowded close together while those of the Edgar forces that needed treatment were taking away. The Blood knights all stayed together but far away from the Edgars.
Karon was quite upset with himself for not doing more but also glad that his lord was still alive. He was about to thank the one who had been responsible for that when he heard the commotion and the topic of it drew his attention as it finally answered so the many questions he used to have and the ones that were now forming in his head.
"It was you. You are the Malevolent One. You stole from us and don't you dare deny it because the Dome that surrounded the Confluence in that Day, while of stronger quality was of the same energy as this Array" Edvard yelled and there was silence.
Nobody said a word and those on the scene (who had no idea prior) looked to Hal as though expecting him to deny the accusations but the Blue eyes Young man simply sneered,
"That's it? That's the reason you attacked Rita?"
"No, I attacked you" Edvard said.
"No, you attacked her. If she was the one who split the attack, then take responsibility that she was the one you attacked" Hal said.
Edvard was a little confused. Here he was accusing Hal of something as major as robbing the Great families and even making a fool of them and yet, Hal seemed only interested in Rita's discomfort.
He was about to speak again when he thought to why Hal might not be overly concerned,
The other Great family heads had said nothing thus far.
Even if they did not believe what he had said, Edvard felt they should still have asked how he came to that conjecture but they did not say a single word.
It could not possibly be a shock as they had faced much more surprising turn of events as Great family heads.
Then Edvard took another look around;
Amelia was with Hal.
The announcement that the Payne Father and Son had reconciled.
The Edgar brothers shrouded by Dark fog and not denying they were colluding with the Malevolent One,
"Oh my goodness.
He got to you too!"
Chapter 204 - In A Bid For Total Transparency.
Edvard's words were directed to the other two Great family heads as he realized that not only had Hal gotten to them, he had taken away Hector's weakened body and should the Mayor regain his good health, then of all the Great families, only the Krasts would be free of Hal's clutches.
He looked once at the young man with a face that should not exist and the woman he had set his heart on in his arms and could not help but wonder;
What moment was it exactly that the Boy toy surpassed him so much?
Ford sighed as he could understand the despairing look on Edvard's face and would have loved to put in an input when he thought better of it once he remembered that he was now at the Deadline Hal had given him to make a decision.
As such he had his own issues and could not truly be bothered with Edvard's despairing discovery.
Gregory was the one who could not care less what Edvard was realizing or discovering. He had no means of escape and he seemed to be counting the minutes before Hal finally put an end to his life.
And even if his life was spared, he had been promised that his family would be destroyed. Years of Payne History ruined in his lifetime.
Surely that was a matter that far exceeded whatever Edvard was discovering in importance.
Seeing as he could not count on support from any of his Great family head colleagues, Edvard summoned his Cosmic Armament; a black glaive and pointed it at Hal,
"Fine, I'll take care of you myself" He said.
Edvard's whole thought process was that, no matter how formidable the Red-eyes men were, they had just been involved in a battle and could not be functioning at one hundred percent.
While the guards he came to Edgar castle with were outnumbered by those Red-eyed men, they were still relatively fresh, having only been attacking the encasing Dome around the castle.
Also, there was Karmen who he had seen on more than one occasion grew stronger the longer she fought and hardly ever looked tired.
If only Edvard had known that this was only an effect of the Battle-type cultivation technique Hal had given to his Blood Knights which ensured they get stronger in battle. Of course, this did not mean they could go on indefinitely because there was only so much their body could take.
However, in the recent battle, they only joined quite a while later and at the moment, were nowhere near their limit.
Edward was obviously planning to wage a mini-war on Hal.
So to speak.
Probably taking a risk in the hope that only the Edgar brothers were in cohort with Hal.
His risky bet paid off as Karon was fuming at the moment because he could see now that Hal had played him and his Lord.
Now everything made sense. When Blood Knights were suddenly part of the Edgar force, he had been angry that Hal had infiltrated the Mayor's Army with his men yet again,
Except now he knew Hal did not need to infiltrate anything or anywhere. Darryl was obviously in charge of placing them there.
He turned to Darryl who shrugged.
He did not regret being branded one bit because this was the second time the Blood Knights' appearance would aid them. It was clear now that allying with Hal was in no way detrimental to the Edgar family.
On the contrary, it was the complete opposite of that.
Karon suddenly summoned his Cosmic Armament; a green Axe which he clenched tightly and glared at the brothers.
His eyes looked about the Edgar main family and Alex staring open-mouthed at the revelation that Hal was the one who had robbed the Great Families. Events of which he had only caught bits and pieces during his eavesdropping sessions.
What the hell?
How could this monster still count as being in his generation?
If Hal was the standard of what to be at their age, then he, Alex might as well just kill himself.
The whole situation was totally insane.
Karon looked to Olivia who was looking at Hal with an almost imperceptible change as she stood with one of the Female Blood Knights that had fought by her side.
"You two betrayed your Family" Karon said as his Axe glowed with a charged-up Cosmic attack.
Darryl and Marlin took on poses to defend themselves when Karon slashed in a different direction and sent his Cosmic attack towards Hal.
Hal lightly pulled Melinda and Rita back as he summoned his Cosmic armament and slashed nonchalantly at the Cosmic attack.
Easily negating it.
The Blood Knights quickly made to surround Karon but Hal shook his head while telling them telepathically,
"No need"
The Blood Knights stepped back and Karon made to run in Hal's direction when Darryl called out to him,
"You do realize that he just saved us right?"
Karon looked back in Darryl's direction, noting that neither Darryl nor Marlon or the Blood Knights were making a move to stop him. Most likely due to overconfidence that Hal could defeat him.
Overconfidence he was sure would cost them...
"So what? Infiltrating the Edgar family with his Men is an act of gross disrespect. My lord is the Mayor, for goodness sake!
Then again, he robbed the Great families. So how can he have any respect for our authority?"
Hal could hear Karon's words where he stood and they made him chuckle.
Clearly, Karon was only looking for an excuse to fight and get rid of some of the frustration he was feeling.
No-one stopped Karon as he went to stand by Edvard's side and faced Hal while blasting out his Late Stage Cosmic Armament Realm cultivation.
Much to the surprise of many.
'So this is why he's confident' Hal thought.
'That and the fact that once your Blood Knights get involved, those who respect him in the Edgar Family force would get involved as well. And their numbers far exceed your Knights' Grimoire told him.
It was probably what Edvard was thinking as well because he seemed even calmer once Karon was by his side.
"Are you really sure you want to do this?" Hal asked with a sigh.
"What? Afraid that I'll make you spit out every coin you stole?" Edward said.
Everyone not directly involved in the soon to begin combat took a step back. Even Hal's ladies.
Arnold gaped and his thought process was just like Alex's.
Selina looked torn between who to root for; Her beloved uncle or this strapping young man who made her feel giddy.
Hal sighed again,
"Okay then. In a bid for total transparency, I feel it is only fair I tell you... Karmen is my Blood knight.
Edward paused and he could begin to see a pattern, if the Plebeians and the Mayor's family could be infiltrated then why not...
"You're lying!" He practically yelled and let out the might of his cultivation base.
Hal was not fazed,
"See for yourself" he said and once Edvard turned his head, in great trepidation, to look, he saw Karmen smiling fiendishly in his direction, her usually wild eyes were even more so as they were a Blood-Red and fog of the same color emanated from her form.
Edvard seemed to choke and become incapable of speech, but what he wished and could not say were shown in the Cosmic Attack that he sent towards Hal...
*Boommmm*
Chapter 205 - Just A Mission.
Hal stepped back and it was more than enough for the Cosmic attack to miss him and hit the floor instead. As for the resulting force, he slashed with his sword and divided the wind pressure to render it void.
Even then Hal did not turn to Edvard but Karmen,
"I didn't ask you for the fog" He chastised as though the fog's appearance made a difference or was somehow the reason Edvard seemed to be losing his mind.
Karmen shrugged,
"Master, I was only trying to make an impact. Besides what difference does it make? You're just going to beat him up anyway" she said and it looked as though Edvard was heading towards a mental breakdown.
It was not so much the words that were causing the reaction, it was the nonchalance with which Karmen said it.
This was a woman who from the moment he employed her to Krast Estate had proven herself worthy of his trust. How exactly she had done so, Edvard did not know.
He just felt... drawn to her.
And then she began to showcase her impressive combat skills and although she did not live on the property and usually left for about an hour during the day, he was never worried or upset as whenever she returned, she would be stronger than before.
She was someone who was worthy of becoming his right hand and while he had never admitted it, he was... interested in her. Sexually.
And here she was speaking about him getting beat up in a tone that made it clear she could not care less.
How could he not have a breakdown?
Of course, he was right.
Karmen did not care about him one bit.
While she did admit that the terrible image he had with the public was not all accurate (Despite him still being a horndog), she could never truly build a relationship with him as she saw him as nothing but a mission. The only man who mattered in her life was Hal.
And even though she had not used those exact words so far, Edvard could infer it as well, so he might as well take out his frustrations.
*Clang*
Hal's sword met Edvard's Glaive before they drew back their weapons and attacked each other once again to create another ringing clang.
Hal had let out the pressure of his mid-stage Cosmic Armament Realm cultivation and the fact that he was using only that to contend with him, did not sit well with the Krast Patriarch.
They had only just separated again when a Cosmic attack came pelting at Hal having being sent by Karon.
Hal pointed a finger at the incoming attack and projected Five Runes that came together to form a wall of defense in a second and successfully blocked the attack.
Also reminding the two that Hal was still a Runemaster and they needed to be alert for little things such as this.
That said, there was only so long Hal could hold out.
Or at least that's what they both thought.
On the contrary, Hal could go as long as they could.
Once the cosmic attack from Karon had been nullified, Hal sent a Cosmic attack of his own at the Mayor's right-hand who leaped up to escape it.
The moment he was in the air, however, Hal was there as well and striking at him with the straight edge of his sword.
Karon sneered as he struck at Hal with his Axe which was the heavier of the two and would win in case of a stalemate.
The attack would have connected as Hal could not possibly change his position and avoid the strike efficiently, unless he could fly.
Hal chuckled mildly because while he indeed could not fly, he could perform the next best thing...
"Second-grade skill: Updraft" he said and pointed downwards to summon the two circled rings of the skill that allowed him enough foothold and lift to spin around Karon and arrive behind him.
*Bam*
He slammed Karon in the back with his hand coated with Cosmic energy.
The impact was so strong it smacked Karon into the ground below so hard that he cracked the courtyard floor.
Needless to say, Karon suffered more than a few fractures to his body but could still groan and rollover.
Just in time to see Hal land and Edvard did not give him any breathing room as he charged at him while sending a Cosmic attack ahead.
What worried Edvard as he made his approach was that Hal had not made use of any of the peculiarities he expected of the Malevolent One.
He had not made use of the Dark shroud and his eyes had not turned Red.
Could it be that even though Hal could give his men awesome abilities, he could not do the same for himself?
But that made no sense.
And if Hal was not already making use of the Peculiarities even though he could, did that mean he was simply toying with them.
He shook those thoughts away just as Hal blasted his own Cosmic attack to cancel Edvard's. The resulting force knocking Hal back a few steps while having close to no effect on Edvard.
A situation that was quite similar to when Hal had fought San.
Frank watched the events unfold with rapt attention. While it seemed Hal was on the back foot due to a weaker cultivation base, an observer with no ties to him would still be able to tell, he was not struggling.
The battle looked to be going exactly how he wanted.
Frank took it as a lesson.
Hal being his Master, he was well aware that there was so much he could learn from him.
It was one of the reasons he had been incredibly quiet so far and simply faded into the background.
Become an observer.
The ladies however saw this as entertainment.
One Hal soon grew bored of.
With him a few distances away due to the resultant force from the collision of the two Cosmic attacks, Edvard continued to pursue and followed after Hal, at which point, Karon was back on his feet and enduring his aching body to attempt to get back at Hal.
The speed at which he moved despite his fractures was quite commendable, Alas, Hal saw no point in prolonging such a futile battle.
His eyes became a hybrid of Fiend and Devil, with his Sclera Black and his iris Red.
Edvard's eyes widened as this was the peculiarity he had been expecting but even then, he did not stop.
Hal had no interest in employing his means of secrecy as there was no one on the Castle grounds at that moment he wished to keep anything from by all means so he let out his Devil Energy in the form of nightmarish Black fog.
That alone caused Edvard to freeze as he began to shiver in fear that emanated from the fog. As did Karon as Hal stepped toward them with quick casual steps and kicked them in the chest.
First Edvard and then Karon.
Then he pulled the two of them up as they both attempted to struggle not only against his hold but against the fear that gripped their very being but it was futile...
*Bam* *Bam* *Crack* *Crack* *Bam* *Crack*
...as Hal took his time and beat them both to a pulp.
Chapter 206 - San's Final 'Goodbyes' To Evian.
The events at Edgar castle, Namely the attack by the Plebeian alliance, were far from being a secret. While it had only been the privileged that had been present for the ceremony at the Castle, the ruckus caused during the attack told everyone in the city of events to come.
They all agreed, including the commoners, that this was a sign of Dark times to come.
The Plebeians had dealt the first blow and while they had been forced to leave due to the Earthquake (which had shaken a good percentage of the city's landmass by the way) it did not change the fact that momentum was on their side.
The Plebeian family heads were now gathered at Fidwud Family home to go over what they were to do now and as much as a lot of them did not like San and wished he was not the leader of the alliance, it did not change the fact that his plans had been successful today.
The casualties of Plebeians as compared to the Edgars were miles apart and in the favor of the Plebeians, Not to mention that the Backbone of the Edgars was now out of commission.
So despite their dissatisfaction, they all agreed that if there was anyone who could guarantee their victory and the complete decimation of the Great families, it was San Fidwud.
The thing was, San could feel that at that moment, he had finally gotten their loyalty, at least in all things related to leading the alliance against the Greats but he just did not care about their 'Loyalty'.
There was only one thing he cared about at the moment and it was burying Evian's body with his own hands.
Corrupted or not, Evian had been a major part of the Fidwud family and his death was a mighty loss to the family.
The Plebeian family heads stepped back and only those with direct ties with the Fidwud Family moved close enough to San.
As his wife was long dead, the closest to San at the moment was his son Leyton who could not possibly distance himself from his father in such sad circumstances.
That said, there was still enough space between them to depict that their relationship was not the close father-son relationship it once was.
Leyton had already begun to notice his father's change but it seemed Evian's death had aggravated it. So much so that Leyton felt he could feel coldness emanating from his father's form.
And it was a coldness that made him no more than a stranger to the teenage boy.
San was bent over Evian's body and there was solemnity in the visage of those present as they waited for what he would say and he began,
"You bastard. You allowed yourself to be corrupted... You deserve to... die!"
The words while quiet were more than loud enough for all those at the scene to hear and their eyes widened. Especially the Plebeian family heads who wished they had recovered the bodies of their Right-hand men as well.
They would have loved to say that this was simply how San dealt with grief but those of the Fidwud family knew it was not so and could not help but feel they might have underestimated just how much change San had gone through.
San continued,
"I gave you everything and you could not even resist the corruption... For my sake.
Not to worry though, that Master of yours, that Malevolent Son of a Bitch... I shall meet him soon and when I do, I shall make him wish for death.
So don't worry, you corrupted, traitorous bastard, you won't be alone for long, he and Hal Payne shall soon join you"
San included Hal in his vow, not only because he hated him but because he was convinced now more than ever that Hal and the Malevolent One were connected.
San stood to his feet, dusted his robe and pointed at Evian's body and sent a small version of a Cosmic phenomenon to it.
The Phenomenon rounded about the body, digging the ground up along the way. San rotated his finger and the patch of earth Evian's body was laying on lifted and the earth that had been dug up was at least 5 feet before it turned around and buried Evian's body in quite an unceremonious manner.
After which, with hands behind his back, San turned towards the Fidwud Family home with a relaxed smile on his face, which considering he just buried his right-hand man (albeit corrupted) was a little out of place.
If San noticed or cared about how they viewed him, it did not show in his visage as he said on his way into his home,
"We have much to discuss, Years of Hegemony to destroy and most importantly,
We should be expecting a letter"
...
Edgar Castle Court...
Hal sat at the Head of the ornate table and his ladies, -Melinda, Rita, Amelia and Marla- were the closest to him. After which was the Edgar brothers followed by a heavily bruised Karon who stared at the table as though it were distances away rather than right in front of him.
On the other side of the table was an empty seat followed by Gregory Payne whose expression was terrible to behold. Terrible in a sad sense.
After him was Edvard whose bruises were even more extensive than Karon and was now sporting quite a few broken ribs of his own.
Beating the two had been more than enough to brand them and Hal hardly had any vendetta against Karon but Edvard was another matter altogether and his thorough beating was a long time coming.
However, Hal had not been the one to deliver those vicious strikes. Once he had branded Edvard with the Devil Mark, Melinda stepped forward and mentioned how the slap she had once given him had not been satisfying to her.
She claimed that his cultivation was much too low at the time and the slap had only been successful because she caught the Krast lord by surprise and totally off-guard.
She then proceeded to punch and hit any part of Edvard she could touch. Hal had not allowed Edvard to use his cultivation base to defend himself, but even if he had been able to fight back, he would still have been defenseless against her.
Once she was satisfied, Rita stepped forward and delivered her round of beating because Edvard had 'attacked her' and even though he cried out that it was Hal he had been after and not her, she beat him up for 'having the guts to attack her man'.
To be honest, had they had the cultivation base to inflict significant pain on the Krast patriarch, Marla and Amelia would most likely have joined the fray as well.
Marla was even tempted to use her physique.
Anyway,
Even without the Devil Mark, Edvard had no rebellion in him anymore. It had been beaten out completely.
The last straw that broke his will was when he found out that as Karmen was the one who had selected 'Capable' guards to accompany him today, they were all Blood knights who she had aided in infiltrating the Estate's forces much earlier.
Speaking of Karmen, she was seated at the end of the table as one of the four Blood Knights allowed to join the meeting and by her side was Olivia who had declined Marlon's opinion to go into the castle and attempt to forget the Day's terrible events.
She wanted to be here.
Frank was seated close to the Blood Knights as well and keeping his ears open for what Hal wished to say.
Hal cleared his throat,
"For those of you it concerns, you will be pleased to know that I have taken Hector to somewhere safe and I will attempt to aid his recovery.
It will be difficult and the chances of success are quite slim since as you are already aware, Hector Edgar is at the end of his lifespan and if he does not advance to the next realm, his recovery will be meaningless..."
"But you can help him" Marlon interrupted.
"Yes I can but if your father does not wish for survival, there is not much I can do"
Marlon dipped his head at this while Darryl patted his back and told him that at least, there was hope.
Hal was about to continue when someone walked into the hall and it was none other than Ford Horst.
Once inside, he ignored the looks of all those present and looked Hal in the eye. The sentiment was clear;
Ford was tossing his lot with Hal. Not because his soul was in Hal's hands but because it was his choice.
Hal smiled lightly,
"Now on to the matter at hand..." He said and passed every information they might not have known to all those present.
Either through Devil marks or contracts.
And then he gave a vocal summary for the purpose of those he had not branded or signed contracts with and did not know anything prior.
Of all those present, only Olivia fell into that category.
He did not really entertain questions as he was only telling them this as a preview for things to come,
"A letter will be composed and will be delivered to the Plebeians tomorrow. A letter that I would like all the Great family heads to sign, Darryl Edgar can sign for his father. With it, you will officially declare war on the Plebeians and a Battlefield will be decided upon.
I was the reason you were all divided and while it was quite entertaining to see you all think only about yourselves, I now want, No, I now command you to join forces against a common enemy.
On that battlefield, this whole shenanigans with the Civil war will be put to an end and the bigger fishes will finally come out to play.
As for how the battle will be fought, other than the Payne Family, I shall not command or interfere with any family. At least not for now.
As for the Pills you all purchased from Arya the Alchemist, do not use any of them personally and only give them to your men.
They're going to need all the help they can get"
The words were generous but the wolfish smile on Hal's face was anything but.
Chapter 207 - I Wish... R-18
*Slush* *Slush* *Slush*
The sound of slushing of pussy juice from Rita's very wet pussy was music to Hal's ears as he fingered her pussy to a froth while Melinda watched on as she crossed her legs at the side of the bed.
After the short discussion at Edgar Castle, Hal wished to get to work quickly on Hector's weakened form while everyone left to prepare for the war with the Plebeians as well as compose the letter of declaration of war which Hal wanted nothing to do with.
He found it an 'uninteresting prospect'.
Even though he had ordered it.
Amelia went back to Horst Manor with her father and Brother while longing for the day she could spend all her time with Hal which Hal promised would happen after the war.
Marla left with her to keep her company, seeing as Emily was still in cultivation retreat.
A situation Hal wished he had avoided by asking Emily to make use of the Time warped chamber and speed up the refining and cultivation process.
Once they were back at the Mansion, the two ladies had jumped him and demanded satisfaction until which he would not be allowed to leave.
Apparently, he had been 'neglecting them'
Of course, these were mere empty threats as far as Hal was concerned as he was quite confident he could leave if he so wished, but also, pleasing his women was a job he took quite seriously.
So he had his Emissaries, who were overseeing Hector, prepare him for the diagnosis. A job he admitted did not need his presence and would speed up the process once he arrived there.
To be fair, it was not merely for the pleasure, this was also their way of preparing for the civil war, in which they were determined to play a part. A decision Hal had nothing against.
"Mmnnngghh" Rita moaned and gripped the sheets.
Hal had his free hand on her breast and was kneading it while he sucked at the erect nipple.
The other breast wobbled as she arched her back as her orgasm was not far off.
The wobbling stopped when Melinda grabbed the ample tit and teased the nipple with her thumb and forefinger.
"Annngghhh" Rita squirmed from the pleasure she felt from the teasing.
She opened the eyes she had shut in the throes of pleasure to glare at Melinda because despite having made her feel good, she did not appreciate the sentiment.
When it came to situations such as this, Melinda was hardly ever selfless. The whole pleasurable teasing was probably to get her so hot and bothered that during Melinda's moment with Hal, Rita would not be able to return the favor.
She was about to point out that the terms of their bet had been paid and Melinda did not have any premise to tease her when the Golden eyed lady lowered her head after tucking a lock of stray hair behind her ear and sucked Rita's nipple into her mouth.
At this point, Hal was no longer suckling the other breast and was merely kneading it so he could see Rita grab Melinda's head and hold it tight to her chest.
He grinned and while still kneading and fingering, he released violet pheromones of a lust demon that saturated the room in seconds. Melinda's thighs that had already been moistening did so at an even faster rate.
"Ohh yessss" Rita groaned and clenched her inner muscles against Hal's invading fingers as she spasmed and the pleasures of climax washed over her while her pussy squirted juices onto the bed.
Her eyes opened suddenly as the Pleasure continued to ravage her and they became a bright side of violet and along with the change came the spontaneous release of Lust flames that pleasured Hal immensely.
While it could not be truly compared to his touch on the ladies, it was a fraction of it and he allowed the flames to make their way into his system and as though rejoicing from making contact with his Lust demon affiliation, the pleasure increased even more.
Rita grabbed Melinda and the mere touch caused the golden eyes lady to groan long before their lips were connected and neither wished to pull away.
That said, once Hal had helped her ride out her orgasm and then pulled out his fingers, the two ladies separated and together, they had Hal lay down and pleasured his rigid cock before Rita lowered herself onto of it.
"Ohhh wonderful. The best. The absolute best" she groaned and began going up and down and pounding riding him for all she was worth.
Hal shrugged as best he could,
"I try" he said and grabbed her waist to assist her in the lifting and landing on his cock.
Rita moaned constantly as she felt the familiar and addictive feeling of having him deep inside her.
Melinda lowered herself to grab Hal's face and kiss him deeply as Rita went completely berserk on top of Hal with the purple sensual lust flames still coating her form.
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
"Oh... Oh... Ohhhh" she moaned.
Melinda continued to tease every erogenous zone that would get her to go crazy with pleasure.
The session lasted close to an hour before Rita climaxed loudly for the last time before slumping off Hal and going to sleep as the lust flames faded.
Hal turned to Melinda and grinned wolfishly.
The golden-eyed lady could tell that Hal was going to be vindictive in Rita's place.
She gulped from the knowledge that whatever she had done to Rita, Hal would do double.
And sure enough,
Hal's iris turned a bright and sensual purple color as his whole form, including his large, rigid and perfect-looking cock was shrouded by lust flames.
Hal lay Melinda down, went between her legs and began to lap at wet thighs. Slowly working his way up to her pussy.
He grabbed her legs as he buried his face into it and delved in deep into her pussy with his elongating tongue that was now coated with lust flames as well.
Right from the moment Hal grabbed her thighs...
"Nnggghhh"
... Melinda was already moaning.
This was a feeling that was way more intense than {Erogeneous touch}, because while Erogenous touch merely turned its targets into erogenous zones that caused the ladies to go crazy with pleasure,
The Lust flames on the other hand seemed to burn the target with Pleasure. Heating their body and quickly rendering them incapable of rational thought.
So that during intercourse, their whole mind was degraded until they became capable of thinking of only one thing; Getting fucked into oblivion.
"Oh, please Hal, stick it in" Melinda did not mince words as she flat out pleaded.
It was unnecessary though because by then she was squirting into his mouth and once he had swallowed her delicious juices, he was lining up his cock with her pussy and pounding her hard.
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
Rita would soon awake and once she did, she would want to continue.
Once she was tired, Melinda would return once again, such that the circle did not seem to have a near end in sight.
But Hal was more than up to the task.
...
Midnight...
Edgar Castle...
Marlon and Olivia's Room...
The day had been hectic, to say the least and while Hal had given them hope, Marlon still worried about their father.
But at least it was nighttime and finally, he could go to sleep with his wife to whom he had just been remarried.
Olivia walked into the room out of the bathroom having finally changed her clothes and freshened up.
Marlon looked at her and remembered how she had braved the dangers just to assist him and Darryl move forward and help the trapped Mayor. He could not help but be proud.
While Olivia cultivated quite well and was adept in weapons as well, the attack had been the one moment she had truly gone 'wild'.
As she sat in front of the mirror and began to comb her hair, Marlon marveled at her beauty and made to move closer. After all, they had not yet consummated their remarriage.
He was almost touching her shoulder when Olivia spoke up,
"Marlon..." She called.
"Yes dear" The Edgar scion smiled.
"I wish to become a Blood Knight" Olivia said and her words wiped the smile off Marlon's face...
*Thud*
...as he crumbled to his knees.
Chapter 208 - Acceptance.
While Hal had never filled him on the deeper details of his other squads I.e the Emissaries and the Blood Knights, Marlon could not for the life of him reason as to why Olivia would want to be a part of the Blood Knights.
Could she have been seduced by Hal's looks?
But that would mean she was already quite prepared to surrender her life to him despite only meeting him once.
Olivia heard the sound of his knees hitting the ground and she turned towards him and sighed;
She had not really expected him to react this way.
And the worst part was he had not even been told of what being a Blood Knight entailed.
Fighting beside the Blood Knights against the Plebeian forces had caused Olivia to rethink the path her life had been moving on.
She had never been so incredibly talented but she had always been hardworking.
Like every Female or at the very least, 90 percent of the females in Salmon city, she dreamed of becoming an expert of her own, but all that was kept locked away once she was married to Marlon.
Hell, even though she had known of his infatuation with another woman, she had not called him out for it.
Once the Plebeians had retreated all thanks to one young man, she began to think of taking her life in a different direction altogether.
Maybe it was finally time she dedicated her life to the quest of becoming an expert and in such a vulnerable moment when almost anything could have an impact on her newfound resolution -due to it being open to outside interference- she looked up at the female Blood Knight that was with her and noted they had been part of the Edgar family force before their eyes underwent the change.
So she grabbed the Blood Knight's hand to hold her as she moved to assemble with her fellow Knights,
"How do I become one of you?" Olivia asked, going straight to the point.
The Blood Knight eyed her with her Blood Red eyes and brushed her hair back.
"Excuse me?" She asked. It was not that she had not heard, she just did not expect Olivia to be so courageous as to hold her arm and ask such a thing.
The Blood Knight knew her Blood Red eyes could be quite intimidating.
Olivia did not take offense. The fact that the Blood Knight who she now found herself placing on a pedestal, replied to her was more than enough to encourage her and she asked again.
This time the Blood Knight smiled at her and stretched her hand to Olivia for a handshake,
"I'm Lila"
Olivia took the hand and shook it,
"I'm..." She started but Lila interrupted with a smile,
"I know who you are, Olivia Edgar nee Allan. It is not my place to make you a Blood Knight. That is something only our Master can do." She said and pointed to Hal who at that time had exited the side of the castle and was returning to where his ladies were.
"Him?" She said with more surprise than she had intended.
Lila raised her eyebrow and Olivia clarified,
"He's awful young" she said.
While Hal could surely be referred to as perfect, he was only a teenager. However, even as she said this, she thought back to how Hal had sent the Plebeians into retreat with his Array which no one knew when he had drawn.
He now seemed to fit the profile.
Lila saw that she was finally coming to a reasonable conclusion so she said nothing further about her disbelief.
Then Edvard and Karon challenged Hal and Olivia watched firsthand as this 'Teenager' held off a Great family head and the Mayor's right-hand man before he showcased a hybrid of abilities and beat the two senseless.
Once he had done so, they no longer had it in them to revolt.
Those of importance followed him into the Edgar Hall and she bore more witness to how impressive Hal was.
Of all those that ended up being Blood Knights, only Karmen and three others joined the conference and Olivia sat next to her so that once it was over she could inquire further about how to become a Blood Knight.
An interest that was now growing even more within her.
Hal and his ladies left and soon, everyone began to disperse. It was clear that they were not ready to think of more battles at that time.
For fear that Karmen would leave soon as well, Olivia turned to her but before she could say a word, Karmen was already addressing her,
"So you wish to become a Blood Knight? Why?" She asked.
Olivia swallowed,
"Well, I want to be strong and from what I have seen today, you Blood Knights have a good grasp on that" Olivia said. It would be a lie if she said she was not extremely nervous at that moment.
Karmen chuckled,
"You can become strong on your own" She said it as though she were pointing out a fact but the truth was that Karmen did not believe anyone could guarantee the level of success Hal did.
Olivia sighed,
"There just seems to be a limit someone can reach in this city. I mean, Hector could never get past the Cosmic Phenomenon Realm"
"So you wish to ride my Master's coattails?" Karmen asked with a smirk.
"Is there a problem with that?"
"Not at all" Karmen shook her head.
Olivia allowed herself a smile and seeing it, Karmen could not help but shake her head at the lady's naivete, so she decided to educate her,
"You can become a Blood Knight but you will have to give some things up" she told her.
Olivia perked up,
"Like what?" She asked.
"Everything. To become a Blood Knight, you surrender your very being to the Master and you will have no life outside of him" Karmen told her.
"I don't follow" Olivia said with a bit of confusion.
Karmen smiled,
"Every Female who becomes a Blood Knight becomes the Master's sole property. Take it how you will, but you will only be his and his alone.
You are not allowed to have sexual relations with any other man."
Olivia's eyes widened,
"That's selfish and perverted"
Karen burst into laughter,
"Oh my goodness. Dear, you have just summed up Hal Payne. When it comes to women, he is incredibly selfish and very perverted.
Then again, you have a choice, or at least you do at the moment. However, once you become a Blood Knight, your whole existence will be dedicated to him.
In fact, it's not just his Blood Knights, it's every female who is contracted into his service" Karmen said.
"Contracted?" Olivia repeated the word.
This was getting weirder.
Karmen smiled compassionately,
"My advice to you Olivia, go back to your husband. Try moving out of this city if you have to.
Find other means to become stronger because becoming a Blood Knight or a member of Hal's Payne's forces is a journey of no return"
Olivia eyed Karmen,
"Shouldn't you be trying your hardest to recruit me?" She asked.
Karmen chuckled,
"My Master did not task me with recruitment. That is a duty that is his and his alone. At least for now.
I was a Slave. My destiny was to be sold and whatever happened to me there would have been my lot.
While details of Edvard Krast's life might have been exaggerated a bit by the public, I have still seen firsthand how his female slaves have no choice but to please him. My reputation as being a Combatant and being wild is probably what made him view me more as a trusty right-hand than a fuck buddy.
Hal Payne offered me a choice. I did not have anywhere else to go and I could not possibly have resisted had he used force but he still offered me a choice.
So, sweetie, I eagerly await the day I am allowed to please him in bed and for that purpose, I would rather he recruit Men and not women. So as to stave off competition and whatnot."
Karmen then stood from her seat to return to Krast Estate where she was still being stationed,
Olivia watched her leave and smiled to herself.
Karmen was probably right and she should return to her husband and find other means to become stronger. Or maybe give up on the thought of growing stronger completely but she felt a pull towards becoming a Blood Knight.
Or maybe it had now become a pull towards Hal Payne.
Whatever it was, it made her feel like her moment with Marlon was at a close...
...and as she told Marlon, who was now sitting on their bed, what becoming a Blood Knight would entail, the Edgar scion vowed he would convince her otherwise and would not allow her to make this life-altering decision. HIS life-altering decision to be more exact.
If he would succeed is only to be seen.
...
The Next Day,
The Plebeian alliance head, San Fidwud received a letter of declaration of war but when he opened it, he was quite surprised to find that it was not just from the Edgars as he had expected but from all the Great families who seemed to have now returned to a time when they worked in cooperation.
He found it a little ironic;
The Plebeians had been brought together by their Master and now the Great families were rallying together most likely due to Malevolent One who must have sunk his claws into more than just the Edgars and the Paynes.
Yes, San finally accepted what he had denied all this while; Hal Payne was the Malevolent One.
And with it came the realization that he had been thwarted multiple times by a youth no older than his Son.
Chapter 209 - Giving Up.
While San read the letter, Hal made his way to Holger Estate in a carriage. As he got closer to the Estate, he could detect with the use of Astral sense that there were a few Cosmic Pearl realm cultivators who were watching the Estate.
Clearly, San had finally deduced that the Estate purchase was not merely out of greed for territory but must be where Hal was training his Men.
An observation that was only given more credence when the Cosmic Pearl realm cultivators reported that they could not get very close to the Estate as every time they tried to, they were hit with a wave of fear.
When at first he had heard this report, San had finally being convinced that Hal and the Malevolent one were in league with each other as fear seemed to be something the Malevolent bastard wished to make his signature.
As Hal rode towards the Estate and the knowledge that the letter of declaration of war had been delivered to San Fidwud and it had been delivered by a Cosmic Pearl Realm Expert who gave it to the guard at the gate and left, he felt it was high time he ended the charade.
He snapped his fingers and the Array around the Estate faded and with it cane a complete view of what the Estate contained and it was not that much different from what could be seen before as the thousand men and women were cultivating inside the Estate.
However, there was one thing different and it was the Twenty Emissaries who were standing on the Estate fence.
The moment the Array faded and the Spies saw the Emissaries visible, they all stood and took a step back, however, the Emissaries did not give them a chance to retreat as they leaped towards them.
The Devil shroud around their body trapped the Cosmic Pearl realm experts in place so that their lives could be reaped easily with Shroud-blades.
Hal did not give it any attention as he continued into the Estate.
By the time he alighted the carriage, the Emissaries were already back and kneeling before him on one knee, the Devil shroud no longer around their form,
"Rise" Hal said as he walked past them "Dana" he called and a female Emissary caught up with him quickly before walking ahead of him to lead him to where she had placed Hector Edgar.
It was in one of the rooms in the Estate and once he was inside, she bowed and left him alone with the weakened Mayor.
Hector's face was pale and he looked close to taking his final breath.
While he only had a few months left anyway, the Siphoning Array had accelerated the process.
The truth was that it was most likely easier for Hal to simply let Hector die but he felt it would be a waste to just let Hector's powerful cultivation base go to waste, also letting San kill Hector would have allowed the Plebeian leader's plans to succeed with relatively no hitch.
Even if Hal had not realized it before, the fact that San's first aim was to get Hector out of the way showed just how threatened of the aged Mayor he was.
He might as well help the old man.
And if he succeeded, which would be more dependant on Hector himself, then seeing the look on San's face then would be quite worth it.
He rubbed his hands together and began to project runes on top of the bed Hector was lying on.
The runes came together to form a Rune Circle that began to absorb Cosmic Energy from the surroundings and fed it to Hector directly.
It took a few minutes but Hector's pale face began to gain a healthy glow and his Cosmic Pearl that seemed dried up, which Hal had been studying with Astral sense, began to fill up with Cosmic Energy again.
Hal turned towards the Door as he felt the process was going to take long when Hector stirred on the bed and Hal turned to see him open his eyes,
"Hal... Payne" Hector croaked.
"That was fast" Hal said.
"Sit... With... Me" Hector said.
Hal drew a chair to the side of the bed while he cautioned,
"You shouldn't strain yourself"
Hector chuckled,
"You are trying to save me... Why?"
Hal sighed,
"Who knows? Maybe I'm feeling sympathetic"
Hector eyed him as though he did not believe it but then he seemed to simply give up and take another deep breath.
There was something Hal noticed as he watched Hector. Now that the Mayor was awake, he should be working to absorb cosmic energy even more and once his body was strong enough, Hal would give him a Cultivation technique from Grimoire and he would then attempt to advance to the Cosmic Aurora realm which was his only hope at avoiding death.
And even if he could not advance to the next realm, at least he would have the strength to fight back against San and the Plebeians before he reached the end of his lifespan.
However, Hector did not attempt to absorb Cosmic Energy and if Hal did not know better, he would have thought,
"You're giving up" Hal said.
Hector looked at Hal as though he was offended,
"Giving up? That's harsh. I'm not giving up. I'm accepting the flow of things. I am accepting my fate. And after a long journey which is life, I believe I deserve to rest"
After which he turned away and looked towards the ceiling.
Hal cocked his head to the side,
"Bullshit!" He yelled.
Hector turned to face him again,
"How so?"
Hal looked indignant,
"You talk as though death is so homely and welcoming and a nice place to be after this 'Long journey which is life'. That's Bullshit because it's not. I've been to Hell and whatever you think it is, it's not"
'You haven't been to hell' Grimoire told him.
'That bridge was a close second' Hal retorted. 'A place where you just float and is called a 'Bridge to the Nether realm' can not possibly be leading to somewhere happy.'
Hector smiled,
"Maybe that's true. Even then, I would still like to see it for myself. My only worry is my Family and I feel like I can entrust that to you"
Now Hal looked shocked,
"Excuse me what?"
Hector grabbed Hal's hand,
"Consider this my dying wish. Please protect my family and help them survive this civil war"
Hal managed to pull his hand from Hector's death grip which was ironic as the old Man gave up the ghost soon after.
'Well, that's just great. Saddle me up with a promise and then die the next moment' Hal was disgruntled.
'Be a little sensitive. The man just died' Grimoire said.
'So? Does that give him a free pass and the right to be an Ass?' Hal retorted and stood up to cause the rune circle around Hector to fade.
As he watched Hector's lifeless body, he had to admit that he was upset. He hated the fact that his attempt to save Hector was futile.
Then again, he had already said that the success was completely dependant on Hector...
...and there was not much he could do for someone who had given up on life.
...
That Evening,
Hector's body was delivered to Edgar castle and funeral rites were performed.
The Ceremony was attended by those who had ties to the Edgar family.
Hal stood atop a tall building and looked down at the proceedings with Melinda by his side.
"Does his death affect you?" She asked.
Hal smiled at her,
"Why would it? You are not suggesting I care what happens to Hector are you?
I mean, he was probably the only decent man among the Great family heads but that also made him the dumbest.
He could have made use of his superior cultivation base to put down the others but he practically lay down and let them all walk over him.
He is the kind of person I feel does not deserve to have power.
So why would I care?"
Melinda smiled lightly and grabbed his arm,
"Because you tried to save him and he died."
Hal shrugged,
"Maybe"
They watched the proceedings a while longer. Alexander's tear-streamed face was clear even from the distance.
"So will you do it?" Melinda asked and Hal knew she was referring to Hector's request.
He shrugged,
"Might as well. I was going to focus my attention on the Plebeians anyway. Keeping the Edgars safe will simply be a result"
Chapter 210 - Grimoire's Alert.
Two Days Later...
With the letter of declaration of war having been delivered, a day when the battle was to commence was chosen and so was the battlefield which happened to be the clearing in which Hal had met up with the gangs and contracted them.
The whole thing might have looked official and a final semblance of civility before they killed each other but in the course of the two days before then, so many sneak attacks and cheap shots had been taken.
The Plebeians occasionally sent Men to any Great family gatherings to kill as much as they could.
There had been numerous kidnappings followed by the deaths of the victims all in the hope of depleting the fighting force of their enemies in hope of victory.
However, no one carried out covert operations more than the Edgar family or more accurately, the Edgar brothers.
The death of their father had brought out their vindictive sides and the core of their attacks was against the Plebeian Runemasters who had been the ones to activate the Array that trapped Hector and siphoned him.
The Baret and Ian families had been attacked so much and lost so many men that they took to making use of Elaborate Arrays to protect their homes. Which considering the fact that they were Runemasters and should have implemented the elaborate Arrays in the first place was a little redundant.
That said, they retaliated as hard as they possibly could against the Edgar family which was always followed by the death of many Edgar men.
At Payne Estate,
The Elites were cultivating because from what Hal had told them, becoming stronger was paramount and it was also the best way to take their minds off things.
The day the war began they all gathered together and were directed by Burt and the Blood Knights to the clearing where they would meet up with the other Great family forces.
Speaking of the other Great family forces,
Edvard was still reeling from finding out that his cousin Ciel had been Marked by Hal and while he and Karmen did not communicate directly, they still worked together to fill the Estate with Blood Knights.
To be fair, it was something he should have expected considering everyone in the Dome with Hal had been marked.
-
Ford Horst had come to terms with his situation but still wished he could speak with Emily as there were lingering emotions that he could not possibly let go of.
However, Emily had told him one thing when he attempted to converse with her which was that he should 'let it be'. Speaking of it would only make it worse for him.
She had made her decision and it had nothing to do with him.
He sighed.
He had decided to cast his lot with Hal and that entailed leading the Horst forces to battle.
Frank knocked on his study door and after Ford invited him in, he stood in front of his father with his hands behind his back,
"Father, are you ready to depart?" He asked.
Ford who had been looking out the window, turned towards Frank,
"Yes, I am." He said and walked around his desk.
Noting as he did, the difference in Frank's posture and the seriousness that was evident in his eyes.
Ford sighed once again as he thought of how much their lives had changed within one month and all because Of Hal.
While they now had hope of going past the limit of this city, Ford also wondered if all they had given up for that hope was worth it.
Whether he should thank Hal or not.
Might as well go with the flow for now.
"I still don't know why you're coming along, you're still a teenager and your Early-stage Cosmic Pearl Realm cultivation will not be of much use" he said to Frank who nodded,
"I know that, but Master says it would be best I come along anyway as I might learn something. Besides, I would be protected all through." He replied.
Ford nodded, noting that it was not his opinion that mattered anymore but Hal's, who was now Frank's mother's man.
'What a messed up tangle of relationships'. He thought.
...
Meanwhile...
At The Mansion...
All of Hal's women were present and all of them put finishing touches in their preparation for the civil war.
But while they all prepared in their room, Hal was in his with Emily whose legs were crossed over the side of the bed.
Hal was cross-legged on the bed and refining the essence he had gotten from his session with the ladies the day before.
Emily who had only just finally completed the formation of the foundation of her Cosmic Pagoda that morning before she came to visit wished they had time for a romp.
Which they did, except that Hal felt it was a little beneath them both to rush just because of a war with the Plebeians. It seemed much more prudent to destroy the Plebeians and then copulate in celebration.
Or better still, with a Hal style orgy.
Emily had tried to convince him at first when she first arrived in his room and Hal replied that if she really wanted it, she should have come earlier.
"There's only so long a high-quality commodity like me can be free. I'm a busy man" He had said.
Emily trailed her fingers down the front of his shirt,
"Too busy to fuck me?" She had asked in a low breathy tone of voice.
Hal chuckled and said with a smirk,
"I'll never be too busy to fuck you. But right now yes, I am too busy"
Emily groaned,
"You are tempting me to just go ahead of you to the battlefield and kill all the Plebeians that are there"
Hal had looked at her,
"You wouldn't dare. You are my secret weapon, remember?"
And so now we are back to Hal refining the Essence while Emily waited for him with a hint of impatience.
Hal finally completed his refinement and with it, he advanced to the Late stage of the Cosmic Armament Realm.
He opened his eyes and the sapphire blue orbs seemed to sparkle,
"I'm guessing I shouldn't celebrate such a small advancement in front of a Cosmic Pagoda Expert like yourself." He said with a smile.
Emily giggled,
"No you shouldn't, but then again, you probably should. After all, I am several centuries older than you."
That statement was quite an understatement as Emily was well past the 500-year mark but it was still a testament to her talent and superior background that even younger than the dead 800-year-old Hector, she surpassed him immensely.
Hal shrugged,
"It doesn't seem to make a difference in bed" he said as he stood from the bed and stretched his muscles.
Emily stretched atop the bed and rubbed her hand on the sheets fondly,
"Thank the gods for that"
Hal smiled and thought about the things that were soon to commence.
While the war was bound to be life-changing to some, Hal did not care and only anticipated his encounter with the Plebeian Master who he knew would not be able to resist showing up by the end of the day.
He was about to take a short break and fondle Emily's fun bags which he knew was a sentiment she would appreciate when Grimoire suddenly alerted him in a professional tone,
'Those you purchased Ungraded Cultivation Techniques for, now require upgrades in said Techniques as they have advanced to the next Realm' It said.
'Oh? How many of them?' Hal asked.
'All of them' Grimoire replied...
...and although the upgrade was bound to cost him, there was no way he could keep the grin off his face even as he complained to the Artifact,
'Damn it! They all advanced? Is it so much to ask that some of them fail so I kick them to the curb?'