Chapter 551 - The True Meaning... R-18
"What is this? What am I feeling?" Elora asked almost as though she was speaking to herself.
She was a Doxon and a well-accomplished Dual cultivator.
She was not new to the feeling of pleasure or to various techniques to elicit said pleasure.
However, the ease with which Hal had caused her to feel pleasure was a new dynamic she was not familiar with.
He had only placed a hand on her shoulder and she could already feel her pussy start to twitch.
She was so absorbed in the feeling that she did not think to move away from his touch and the feeling of pleasure only got more pronounced the longer Hal had contact with her body.
Eventually, she pulled away from Hal but the tingling did not stop.
That said she could now turn around and come face to face with him to glare at him with an accusatory stare that Hal found attractive contrary to the intimidating feeling Elora had been going for.
"Stay away from me" she said and took a step back.
Hal followed after her and said,
"I don't want to"
"Is this about the assassination attempt? 'Cause, you should know I had nothing to do with that" Elora said.
Hal sighed,
"Of course, you didn't. You were just aware of it. You have your own ambitions, your hopes, your dreams but they are not as grand as ruling the Duchy. Although, if either one of your buddies becomes duke, it could help speed up the accomplishment of your dreams" he said.
Elora furrowed her brows in what was clearly meant to be a confused expression,
"What dreams? What ambitions?" She asked as though the mere thought of her having agendas was ridiculous.
Hal rolled his eyes,
"Bringing your branch closer to the top of the arduous and powerful mountain that is the Doxon family" he said as though mocking Elora for attempting to refute the idea of her having such plans.
Elora furrowed her brows and made to speak but by then, Hal had already placed his hands on her hips and used them to pull her closer to himself.
Enjoying the feel of his strong hands on her hips, despite herself, Elora did not resist the pull. Neither did she bother to reply Hal as he continued,
"Of course, I am sure it's not all your decision. The elders of your branch must be in league with my uncles which considering Ivan and Artyom were the only two viable male family members of the young generation on track to taking over from Svetlana as Duke was sensible."
Then Hal leaned down and kissed the side of her neck, so hard that it was sure to leave a mark.
"Mmngghhh" Elora moaned and squirmed before Hal pulled away from her neck to say,
"Living for such dreams is foolish. Let me show you a much better life choice. A much better way to live... Let me show you the true meaning of pleasure..."
Elora was about to point out that his words were arrogant when Hal captured her lips in a hard kiss that instantly chased such thoughts away from her mind.
Her hands which had been at her side were suddenly around Hal's back and pulling him closer to her so that her breasts were pressed against his chest.
As Hal nibbled on her lower lip during the kiss, Elora opened her mouth and it was quickly occupied by Hal's tongue which had a brief battle for dominance with Elora's tongue. A battle that it won in seconds.
Hal explored the inside of the Doxon lady's mouth with his tongue and his sheer experience in the act had Elora emphatically yelling in her mind that this was the best kiss she ever had all her life.
A kiss that somehow already had her close to an Orgasm.
Of course, the last thing the Doxon lady wanted was to climax so fast when this was only just starting and she thought she would be able to stave off that release when Hal's hands went down towards her pussy.
Thanks to the skimpy dressing of hers, as was synonymous with Doxon customs, there was not that much obstruction for Hal's hand to come in contact with her underwear which he was pleased to feel was already moist with Elora's juices.
Thoughts of resisting and maybe pushing Hal away so that he did not so easily take control of her body never came to Elora's mind.
If anything, the moment Hal's hand touched her wet pussy lips through her underwear, Elora widened her stance so that her legs were farther apart which made it easier for Hal to explore her nether regions.
As he teased her pussy lips while not yet venturing deep or touching the truly erogenous spots, Hal pulled his lips away from Elora's, and before the Doxon lady could miss the feel of his lips on her, he was using his other hand, the one that not between her legs, to pull the clothing hiding her breasts away so that the pearly white assets were finally exposed to his ministrations.
Wounding the arm that had been used to pull down the piece of clothing covering Elora's breasts, about her waist, Hal dipped his head and took in one of her nipples into his mouth to suck on it as hard as he could.
At the same time, he pulled Elora's underwear aside to make direct contact with the little nub above her pussy.
"Oohhh...." Was the only word Elora could speak as all other words at that moment came out as gasps of pleasure at the double attack on two of her erogenous spots.
And that was when it hit her...
So hard that it almost knocked her off her feet...
The largest Orgasm of her life and the like of which she could not possibly hold back.
With one hand on Hal's head as he continued sucking on her breast and the other on his hand as it teased her erect clit, Elora yelled out in passion as her leg shook almost violently.
"Arrhnnghhhhhh... Oh yess... RIGHT THERE...."
She squirted pussy juice on Hal's hands still between her thighs and still teasing her clit all through her orgasm. Elora's legs continued to twitch as her body (especially her lower half) spasmed and she slid to the floor.
To her knees, right in front of Hal who promptly loosened his pants and let them pool at his ankles so he could reveal his impressive flaccid tool that instantly drew the attention of the Doxon lady who was still reveling in the aftermath pleasure of her orgasm.
She knew what was required of her and promptly took hold of the flaccid organ to give it a few pumps that gradually got more intense in her bid to get it hard.
"That's not going to work" Hal said before Elora could be frustrated at her handjobs not having the desired effects.
"Why not?" She asked and despite her growing frustration, she could not keep the happy smile that stemmed from her orgasmic high off her face.
"Why do you think?" He asked with a smile that somehow filled Elora with understanding as she then got closer to Hal to take his cockhead into her mouth and suck on it while she stroked the rest of his cock that was not in her mouth.
She only did this for a few seconds and Hal's cock began filling with blood and expanding in size so fast, Elora had to take the head out of her mouth and stare at the large-sized member with wide eyes of surprise...
.... As well as an anticipatory twitch of her pussy.
Chapter 552 - A Symbolic Gesture. Part 1. R-18
That anticipatory twitch soon grew into an itch that Elora felt would have to wait as both her hands were now occupied with the stroking of the magnificent organ in front of her.
Indeed, both her hands were needed.
It was a two-hand job.
As she stroked, Elora took the large head into her mouth and began to suck.
*Fap* *Fap* *Fap*
*Slurp* *Slurp* *Slurp*
Hal, whose hands were placed on his hips and had adopted a pose of dominance could not help but groan at the feel of Elora's mouth on him as well as the incredible sucking prowess she displayed.
While it did not surprise him as she was definitely well proficient in the act, being a dual cultivator as she was, it did not mean it did not cause him to feel his knees close to buckling while his moans and groans of pleasure increased in volume.
Of course, while he felt the urge, he was more than capable of keeping himself under control.
Simply closing his eyes and reveling in the pleasure he was feeling.
The manner with which Elora's dexterous wrist aided the constant screwing motion she employed on his cock and how positively crazy it made him while also causing him to head closer to blowing his load.
Once again, another urge he could keep in control.
Meanwhile, the Doxon lady increased the intensity of her fellation while simultaneously trying her best to ignore the itch between her legs.
And then, she got an idea.
A 'solution' to her 'problems'
Taking one hand of Hal's cock, Elora leaned forward and took more of Hal's cock into her mouth and towards the back of her throat to make up for her second hand's absence while the one still gripping the magnificent check continued with its sensual screwing motions.
The hand that was now free crept down immediately towards her sopping wet and sensually itchy pussy to ease the said itching.
Of course, while her rubbing did feel pleasurable, it did not really do much in the case of easing her sensual itch which only seemed to get more intense the more in contact with Hal that she was.
The large cock head was hitting the back of her throat but that was never the end of the line for the magnificent organ as Elora kept pushing forward to get the large cock going even further into her mouth.
Slowly but surely, Hal's cock began to move down her gullet which she constricted so pleasurably around Hal that it had the Blue-, eyed Devil placing his hand on the back of her head and holding her in place while he moaned with pleasure.
Now that there was not much space for her hand to continue stroking Hal's cock, Elora changed her hand's position and had it grabbing hold of Hal's large balls to massage them in a bid to coerce his seed out of the large organ and into her throat.
If his dick already tasted this good, Elora felt it stood to reason his seed would taste even better.
The deep throat went on for half an hour and only then did Hal finally tether at the edge of release, something that Elora was quick to note due to the tension in his balls.
Hal groaned particularly deeper than usual and that served as a harbinger for the spewing of copious amounts of his delicious tasting seed that went straight into Elora's stomach due to the deep throat.
However, like many women before her, Elora knew to lean back and let quite a substantial amount pool in her mouth for savoring the taste.
Hal's eyes were closed as he enjoyed the feeling of pleasured release as well as the increasing urge to finally thrust into the delectable pussy of the Doxon woman.
Eventually, Elora pulled away from Hal's cock and let it fall out of her mouth while she could not believe how good his seeds tasted, not to mention the burst of energy she got from ingesting it.
Energy she could feel welling up within her and increasing her stamina for intercourse exponentially.
While she caught the bit sliding down the side of her lips and returned it into her mouth to be tasted and swallowed, Hal eyed her with a lustful gaze as he took off his upper clothing.
As the clothes fell to the floor, Elora looked up from her knees, and for all she had thought about Hal's physique (while clothed), she could now see she had been quite wrong.
Hal was not simply 'lean' and 'fit' and incredibly 'toned'... No, Hal had the body of a god.
It was perfection.
Placing her hands on his chest to feel those wonderful contours and then roam her hands down at his wonderful abs was getting her giddy with sexual excitement.
And that was before she looked up at the face that completed the wonderful image.
The face was incomparable handsome.
"Speak" Hal said in a low mellifluous tone that was music to the Doxon lady's ears.
Elora gulped
"What do I say?" She asked.
"What do you want?" Hal asked her in the same mellifluous tone and with a mild smile.
Once again, Elora gulped and then leaned forward to inhale the scent coming off his skin.
A scent that smelled so sweet and pleasure-inducing, her legs trembled lightly and she looked set to crumble to the ground.
"I want you... To fuck me" she finally got out as she held onto Hal for support to remain upright.
"And do all the work?" Hal asked with a chuckle.
Elora nodded immediately,
"Absolutely. Take me... Use me... Fuck me... Humph"
She was not even done talking that Hal had already lifted and placed her on the bed in the room. Probably the only furniture in the room that had somehow not been touched during the brief battle between the two.
Coincidence?
Well, considering Hal was involved and had been planning this since he thought to pick the trio apart one by one, that's not very likely.
Anyway,
The moment Elora's back hit the bed, Hal was in between her legs and lapping at all her leaked juices. The very sensation of which already had the Doxon lady moaning and squirting even more juices.
Maybe it was because Hal was the one who had caused her itch and should be the one to take care of it or maybe Hal was just the only one with the skills to take care of it,
Either way, Elora was glad the itch was alleviating and simply maintaining itself as pleasure coursing all over her nether regions and now even extending to her upper body parts.
Speaking of upper-body parts, while Hal licked her pussy and now had his tongue probing through her tight pussy to lick at her squirting juices right at the source, he had also extended his hands upwards to grab hold of her breasts.
Kneading them all through his oral ministrations to her pussy.
And Elora's pussy really tasted good.
The taste of it had Hal wanting more which he soon got when Elora gripped the bedsheets tightly and squirmed while she squirted her pussy juice into Hal's mouth as she climaxed.
Her first orgasm of the night but nowhere near her last.
Hal made sure not one drop of those delicious juices was wasted and only after he had lapped it all up, all through Elora's orgasmic spasms, did he finally raise his head away from her pussy.
But only to spread her apart and hold his cock at her entrance in a preparation for the main event which was him pounding the Doxon lady as hard as he possibly could.
Knowing what was to come, Elora giggled especially as she felt her twitching pussy get wet all over again in preparation for being thrust into.
Chapter 553 - A Symbolic Gesture. Part 2. R-18
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
Hal had hold of one of Elora's thighs as he thrust repeatedly into her. The Doxon lady had her other leg wrapped around his back in a bid to help pull him even harder into her pussy.
*PAH* *PAH* *PAH*
Since the intensity of Hal's thrusts did indeed increase, despite the blue-eyed Devil definitely not crediting it to her leg hold, it was hard to argue with the logic.
"Ohh... Yes... Just like that... Fuck me... Fuck me hard!" Elora groaned as she had one hand around Hal's neck while the other was grabbing bedsheets.
Bundling it tightly as Hal's cock wrought pleasure within her pussy.
Hal groaned as he fucked the Doxon beauty.
Reveling in the tightness of her pussy as it constricted him and had the session feeling (if possible) more pleasurable for him.
Just because it was not his first time feeling such tightness did not make this moment any less enjoyable.
For half an hour, he had fucked her like this, and somehow, despite having smaller orgasms that seemed to be leading towards the big culmination of pleasure, Elora managed to stave off the big one.
Hal did not mind though.
He could do this all day if he wanted to.
Elora bit her lip and opened her eyes which had been tightly shut to look up into Hal's face.
Her deep blue orbs looked into his eyes of the same hue.
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
Hal had not closed his eyes once since he started fucking her.
Enjoying watching her facial expressions as she surrendered to the pleasures he provided her almost as much as he loved the actual thrusting.
However, after their brief staring contest of sorts, Hal dipped his head and took the nipple of her right breast into his mouth to suck.
While his mouth held the right breast in place, the other remained free to bounce to the motions of his thrusts.
And then it finally arrived.
The added sensual stimulation in the form of Hal's sucking of her nipples finally got Elora over the edge causing her to howl in the throes of orgasm.
Her pussy tightened even harder around Hal who acknowledged the constriction with a groan of pleasure as the force behind the squirting of Elora's pussy almost seemed intent on forcing Hal's cock out.
Hal felt the push added an even more interesting and exciting dynamic to his thrusts which never stopped or faltered all through Elora's orgasmic wails.
Only when it subsided did he pull out of the sopping wet pussy.
The volume of Elora's squirted juices became evident in immensity when it trailed out of her nethers and wet the bedsheets.
Creating a damp patch, the smell of which Hal found invigorating.
Elora did not need to be told that they were not yet done.
The energy she had gained by ingesting Hal's seed, as well as her own stamina for intercourse, made it clear that there was still a long way to go.
That and Hal's lustful eyes and smile as he eyed her body which seemed to glow in the perspiration of their act.
He propped the Doxon lady on all fours with Elora pushing her buttocks even further back while also arching her back in a big to accentuate said buttocks and better catch Hal's eye.
Hal grabbed hold of her plump ass cheeks as he knelt behind her and gave both cheeks a spank that had Elora giggling with excitement.
"Hmmm, Yesss" she said in an obvious attempt to spur Hal on for even more spanks.
Any pain she should have felt was getting interpreted as pleasure and causing her to want more.
Hal took hold of his cock and rubbed his cock head against her pussy for a while before pushing it into the tight snatch that grabbed hold of him and looked to have no intentions of ever letting him go.
*Smack*
Hal pushed into her until his pelvis smacked against her ass.
This position making Elora feel Hal even deeper inside her than before.
Then the pounding began in full swing.
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
Lubrication was never an issue with Elora practically flooding with pussy juices and wishing in her mind and to all gods that exist (not just the ones the Doxons worship) that this moment never came to an end...
...
But it did.
After an hour during which Elora had climaxed more times than she could count and after Hal had shot his seed deep inside her pussy, their session came to an end.
Elora was unhappy with the outcome and would have liked to continue.
Her stamina could more than handle more and the burst of energy due to her ingestion of Hal's seed was not yet used up.
The itch in her pussy was not completely taken care of.
While it was much more manageable and could be fairly ignored, she would have very much preferred complete alleviation which would see the itch turn into mind-blowing pleasure. The alleviation in the form of Hal's cock driving into her pussy.
Scratching the itch in a direct sense.
All in all, she wished to keep going.
She had been teased with a taste of something with no idea when she would ever get to enjoy it again.
On the bright side, Hal had assured her that she would get to feel it again.
Speaking of Hal,
Due to wanting a more direct and hands-on way of dealing with his cousins, he decided to question Elora about them.
To know exactly what abilities to look out for.
"They didn't plan the assassination" Elora said with a serious expression.
Hal raised his brows,
"Oh?"
Elora sighed,
"They commissioned it but that was more of a symbolic gesture stemming from the fact that Ivan is the decided next Duke if you are dead. Everything that is done is to further that goal so he commissioned the assassination to be more hands-on in decisions about his future. Artyom tagged along like the lackey he is comfortable being.
The actual plan to have you killed can be credited to your uncles as well as probably every Doxon in their faction.
It was a unanimous decision."
"Interesting" Hal said.
He had been so short-sighted.
How could he not have thought of the fact that there would be others involved?
That it would be a decision made by the collective rather than simply those two idiots.
Elora continued,
"Attempting to kill you themselves would have been their plan if they had thought of it rather than hiring assassins who were paid an upfront payment of five hundred thousand Blue gems with five hundred thousand balance to be paid upon completion.
No Doxon scion can afford that much on their own.
Wealthy as the Doxon family is, there are strict regulations regarding the allocation of our funds. A system that was further optimized by the Duchess once she took over from her father.
Not even Ivan, who is regarded as the Doxon prince or WAS regarded as the Doxon prince before your arrival can ask for that much.
The only ones who could gather such funds are the elders and accomplished adults in the family. Those working to make the Doxon family even richer than it already is."
Hal ignored the fact that Elora had an idolizing look in her eyes when she talked about Svetlana and instead focussed on the fact that he had not seen that many blue gems altogether in the spatial rings of the assassin trio after he took it off them.
Sure there were skills and cultivation techniques as well as a few artifacts but the number of blue gems altogether barely amounted to Two hundred thousand.
Clearly, they were wise enough to not move around with all of their funds. Which meant it was all kept somewhere.
Probably in their base.... Wherever that was.
Chapter 554 - Branding Torture.
But that was a matter for later...
While he would be sure to seek out the base and retrieve all that was kept there, which should by right being to him as he brought about the demise of the previous owners, he had more pressing matters to attend to. Matters that could not simply be solved by beating up those two idiots.
...
Present time...
Artyom had now retrieved his sword Artifact with the blue gem glowing with the cosmic energy that had been stored inside it for a destructive release.
Ivan was clearly on guard even though he had a much more relaxed take on the whole situation.
Merely eyeing Hal with a look of annoyance and suspicion.
After all, why would someone who had just survived an assassination planned by a faction appear seemingly out of nowhere just to talk?
An assassination by a trio of Cosmic Pagoda experts.
Ivan knew for fact that had it been him in Hal's shoes, the chances of survival while possible, were slim. And that was not without sustaining injuries.
And yet, from what his grandfather had said, which Ivan knew to be true, there was nothing suggesting Hal had been injured or overly bothered by the attack.
Even though there was said to be a Dane woman at the Cosmic Aurora realm to battle the trio with, the fact that they had won was definitely not something to be ignored.
To be honest, Ivan dreaded a one-on-one battle with this young man who was setting up a reputation of being a monster.
That was not to say he would back out If a fight if there ever was one, after all, there was the more likely scenario that Hal had used up the necessary trump cards that allowed him to be victorious against the trio and was more vulnerable now than he ever was before.
That said, Ivan relaxed with the knowledge that attempting to kill him, which he believed to be Hal's plan, in the Doxon family territory where there were already reinforcements in the form of the family's fighting force on their way to the hut was foolish.
Anyway,
Hal's attention was on Artyom as he said,
"Seriously, You still draw your sword against me? Can't you see that Ivan is your real enemy?"
And then to Ivan, he said,
"And you, can't you see it's only a matter of time before he can't take being pushed around by you anymore and finally snaps? Can't you see that it's inevitable for the both of you to one day be at each other's throats? Surely, no bond is so strong that it can keep you together through all stages of your lives.
Eventually, you will both wish to succeed and your dreams will clash." Hal said with the patience and charismatic tone of someone merely pointing out inevitabilities.
"Oh? Then what would you have us do?" Ivan asked with a light smile.
He might have meant it as a joke to mock Hal but the blue-eyed Devil seemed to take it as an active attempt to indulge in the conversation and decided to answer,
"It's not about what I want you to do... It's about what YOU want to do. The both of you... Tell me, Ivan, what do you want?" Hal asked.
Ivan shrugged,
"I want my grandfather's approval. I want to be duke" Ivan said with a shrug. The things he wanted were not really secret to anyone anyways.
Hal shook his head lightly,
"Of course you do. Even when you speak about your life ambitions, you can't keep your grandfather out of it. Those are some deep issues man, but one issue at a time.
What about you Artyom, what do you want? Is it to forever support Ivan or to one day be your own man? To take the Doxon Family by storm?" He asked and all eyes turned to Artyom with Elora still sipping her beverage as Artyom had his eyes focused on the ground.
For a while, the Doxon lad kept quiet and Hal decided to prompt him,
"Artyom, are you with us? Ivan was honest about his ambitions no matter how disturbing they might seem, I think that means you should be honest with yours as well" he said to which Artyom looked up and sneered,
"I know what you're doing?" He said,
"You do?" Hal asked with wide eyes of surprise as though the idea of Artyom knowing anything was genuinely surprising,
"Of course I do. You're trying to get us honest and get me to say something I shouldn't..." He was not yet done speaking when Elora interrupted,
"Well, there's our answer" she said to which Artyom looked over at her in confusion,
"What?"
Elora shrugged,
"You want to be Duke as well. You want the same thing Ivan wants. Why else would you not want to be honest?"
Ivan's brows furrowed as Elora spoke and Artyom noticed.
"It doesn't matter what I want! What matters is what Ivan wants. Killing you will clear the way for me – I mean Ivan– to become Duke. Without you, grandfather's faction crumbles."
Ivan nodded along,
"You're right Artyom. What is most important right now is to get rid of this pest. All other issues, especially your inability to lie about what you really want and simply remain my subordinate can be discussed after that" he said with a glare at Hal who shook his head,
"I just can't stand it" he said.
"Can't stand what?" Ivan asked.
"Someone being so untrue to themselves" almost as soon as he was done talking, there was a loud rattling sound of chains as Elora attacked Ivan with a chain sharply tapered at the end.
Ivan thought to nonchalantly repel it when he felt the pressure coming off those chains. A pressure that caused his eyes to widen.
Elora who used to be at the late stage of the Cosmic Aurora realm was now at the peak just like him.
Advancement might be gradual but he knew for a fact that it was not yet a whole month since she advanced to the late stage.
Advancing again was inconceivable.
Or so it should have been had Elora not had enough time to refine the energy within the seed Hal had deposited inside her which resulted in the sudden boost in cultivation that had actually capped off her efforts to progress.
With such advantages after one night, there was another reason for her to want to experience it again.
Anyway, Ivan repelled the chain with a serious expression while he took on a battle stance.
Elora sneered,
"Your days of tyranny are over. It's about time Artyom realized waiting on you hand and foot and only fighting for the achievement of your goals is no way to live" she said.
While she spoke, Artyom waved his sword in her direction, sending the powerful burst of energy within it towards Elora but suddenly Hal was between Elora and the attack, and with a wave of his hand he diverted the attack towards the roof of the hut which resulted in a loud explosion on account of the roof's destruction.
As the roof shattered and debris rained down, Hal closed the short distance between him and Artyom before he surrounded them with a dome if Astral energy.
Despite such an impressive display from Hal (the smacking away of the charged energy from an Aurora grade Artifact) Artyom still sneered as he held his sword in front of himself while he summoned a deadly looking barbed speat that was his Cosmic Armament and standard of all members of the Doxon family.
"What...?" He began but Hal interrupted.
"We don't have much time for you to make your stupid and annoying comments. Even now, many experts are hurrying to this part of the residence all to offer assistance to you two.
I need to get this done fast" he said and cracked his knuckles,
"Get what done?" Artyom asked and Hal's eyes turned nightmarish dark as he let out his Devil presence.
"What the...?" Artyom said before Hal vanished only to reappear behind him and hit him so that he fell facefirst...
*Bam!*
*Crack!*
... Cracking the ground floor.
Artyom olled over and was quickly back to his feet.
With both his hands holding a weapon each, none of which he wished to let go, he endured the pain in his face to charge spear-first at Hal who smiled sinisterly before grabbing the sharp and barbed head of the spear with hands that were now a devilish crimson hue.
With better control of his bloodline, Hal could isolate the change in his complexion (I.e the transformation into the Mid-world-Devil form) to certain parts of his body.
The Devil-hand had more than enough resilence to endure the sharpness of the spear which he used to pull Artyom closer and hit their foreheads together before his opponent could attempt to swing his sword.
*Bang!*
Hal took no damage but to say Artyom felt like his head had been split open would be an understatement,
*Bam!*
As he fell backward from the force of his forehead's connection with Hal's, Hal kicked him in the chest.
A kick so hard that it sent him smacking into the wall of the dome which covered him and Hal.
Then Hal stood over him, grabbed the front of his shirt, and used it to pull him up,
"I thought about killing you two but quickly scrapped the idea as pointless. What good would it do to just kill you? If anything, that would be showing you mercy.
No, what I want is to see you and that idiot tear each other apart. I want to see you ruin the laid-down plans of your fathers and your entire faction. I want a rivalry to the death.
According to Elora, you definitely had the ambitions that could put you against Ivan but you're too much of a coward to push through with it.
Not to worry though, I shall rid you of that cowardice." Hal said with a sinister smile before grabbing Artyom's neck to brand him with the Devil mark.
But this was nothing like the ones he had ever given before.
This branding did not feel ensnaring...
It felt painful...
Like hot iron pressed against a normal human skin...
Like knives cutting a normal human body over and over again...
The pain in actuality only lasted a second, but to Artyom, it felt like hours.
Hours he was to be tortured by the pain of the branding...
It was no wonder he yelled so loudly almost everyone in the Doxon Duchy Palace heard,
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Chapter 555 - Opportunity...
Ivan was still battling Elora and debating whether or not to make use of his lightning blessing as it proved difficult to overpower Elora when he heard the yell.
A yell he knew to have been produced by Artyom.
Almost at the same time the yell sounded out, the reinforcements arrived and even they perked towards the sound coming out of the dome.
Then the dome came down and revealed a peculiar sight; Hal was down on one knee, his head bowed while Artyom, still gripping his sword artifact stood before him.
"Artyom, are you alright?" Ivan could not help but ask the question on everyone's mind just as Artyom turned around and grinned in a grotesque manner that resembled the expression of a man recovering from a traumatic event.
It made the scene all the more confusing.
Who had won what everyone felt had been a battle within the Dome?
Was it the kneeling Hal who, despite being in a submissive-looking position, remained immaculately dressed?
Or
Was it the disheveled crazy looking Artyom whose pose was that of a dominant victor but whose face told a completely different story?
"Of course I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" Artyom asked as he began taking quick steps towards Ivan whose battle with Elora was definitely on a pause with the young lady no longer attacking him with her chains but hanging back to see how things played out.
While also occasionally looking over at Hal whose head was still bowed.
"I have finally seen the light" Artyom said as he stood only a foot away from Ivan and stretched his hand to grab his cousin's shoulder,
"I finally understand..." He said.
Ivan furrowed his brows,
"Understand what? The value of our brotherhood?" He asked and Artyom shook his head as with one hand grabbing Ivan's shoulder, he said,
"No. I finally understand the foolishness of my convictions. Also, I finally have what I need to take you down a peg..."
*Bang!*
The release of a cosmic Aurora by Artyom seemed completely spontaneous and without any prior charge up and it hit Ivan point-blank and tossed the Doxon man far away from his cousin...
... With minimal injuries.
Ivan would have been a fool if he had not taken measures to protect himself with cosmic energy the moment a disheveled Artyom walked up to him after only yelling out in agony just seconds ago due to unknown events within the Dome.
It only stood to reason that nothing was as it seemed.
And the Doxon was prepared for any such scenarios.
Or so he thought before Artyom began to release a dark fog whose presence instilled fear in Ivan. Fear that increased in intensity the closer Artyom got to Ivan.
Ivan shook the fear off, thinking 'It's all in my head' and blinking a few times.
When Ivan refocused on Artyom, the fog was done and he summoned his barbed spear cosmic Armament and took a defensive stance as he tried to jeer Artyom back to his senses,
"Artyom, what do you think you are doing? Get a grip!" He said but his cousin merely smiled his grotesque smile and dashed forward to go in on the attack.
How was Ivan to know that even now, Artyom's mind was constantly reliving his traumatic torturous experience while getting branded by Hal?
Speaking of Hal,
Now that the battle between cousins had begun, he had stood back to his feet and was now stretching in a perfectly relaxed pose while he eyed the guards who had no idea if they were to intervene or not.
The two who were battling were the ones they had come to support and now that they were fighting each other, were they also supposed to separate into two groups and battle it out as well?
Eventually, they settled for a more passive reaction and stood watching it all unfold.
They thought about sending a message to the fathers of the duo but ultimately decided against it...
There was just no need when servants were already spreading tales of the event throughout their wide network.
The two fathers were bound to hear of it and intervene soon which was good as the battle between the two was getting more serious the longer it went on without intervention.
*Boom!*
Artyom only just released another Cosmic aurora that Ivan easily dodged only to realize it had only been to herd him in a certain direction that only made it easier for Artyom to close the distance between them and swing his sword at his cousin's neck.
Ivan blocked the strike with his spear and still determinedly on the defensive and only searching for space to talk some sense into Artyom, he leaped back but had only just made to move that Artyom twisted and kicked him in the stomach.
Moving at a speed that surpassed the speed of a mid-stage cosmic Aurora realm expert that he was giving off.
Moving so fast, Ivan who was at the peak of the realm could not map his movements or follow them with his eyes.
And then as Ivan moved back having just been hit, Artyom followed up with a series of blows on his cousin's face...
... Most of which Ivan was unable to avoid and served to aggravate him even further.
Artyom would have reveled in the joy of the advantages he was reaping by getting branded with Hal's devil mark but that was hard when the very same mark made it impossible for him to forget the pain of his branding torture.
Forcing him to relive it even while he was fighting.
But somehow still making it possible for him to be focussed on fighting at the same time.
Hal had told him,
"Do what I want properly and one day, Ivan will feel this pain as well. Do not do it properly -half-ass it- and forever live with the knowledge that only you will feel it."
Hal had granted him three abilities;
One of them was the Devil shroud which was to be used liberally as it was not exactly a subtle ability.
The second was the Shadow demon ability of speed and killer precision and the third was the most exciting to use...
An ability only Hal had used thus far and had never shared with anyone.
However, without it, Artyom would be powerless against Ivan's trump card.
"Since when was Artyom so battle sharp?" Elora asked Hal now that she was by his side.
She had known Artyom for years, they had fought together enough for her to know that while impressive in his own right and worthy of the title of genius, he was nothing compared to Ivan.
While she went on with Hal's plan to try and get him to turn against Ivan, she had not actually believed he could be Ivan's match.
Of course, it could be argued that he was only still winning because Ivan was not serious about fighting.
"Since I knocked some senses into him" Hal answered with a light satisfied smile.
"How did you get him to turn against Ivan?" Elora asked and Hal shrugged with the same smile,
"I talked some sense into him" he had only just spoken that there was a bang sound that was resultant of Ivan finally having had enough.
Finally realizing there was no talking to his idiotic cousin.
"You want a fight? You've got one!" He yelled and he began releasing crackling lightning that all those at the scene knew went past simply being powerful.
The lightning blessing coupled with his peak cosmic aurora realm cultivation meant Ivan was unrivaled in his cultivation realm and could even most likely battle Cosmic Pagoda realm experts.
Alas, as Artyom faced it, his grin only got wider.
Not even his constant reminder of torturous pain could take away the genuine anticipatory feeling he had at the moment.
This was it.
This was the moment he would get to test out the third ability Hal had granted him.
He would get the opportunity to make use of the Primeval Devil Authority!
Chapter 556 - Already At Each Other's Throats.
The Primeval Devil Authority!
Of all the parts of his bloodline Hal could outsource to all those in his camp, the authority that was his by birth was not one of them.
To be able or allowed to use the Primeval Devil authority was a privilege only the child of the Primeval Devil queen could enjoy.
Anyone else who tried to use the Primeval Devil authority besides Hal, even if they had been granted the opportunity either by the Devil queen herself or by Hal would have to pay a steep price.
The pain Artyom was feeling right now and would continue to feel for as long as he was branded by Hal qualified as a heavy price.
And to further highlight the importance and significance of what he was making use of despite not being a kin of the Devil queen, the pain was quadrupled whenever Artyom made use of the Primeval Devil Authority.
As he reached towards the third ability Hal had granted him, Artyom's legs shook as he was overwhelmed by the pain.
However, as stipulated by the branding, he was not allowed to scream out and was thus forced to suffer in silence.
His pain only being evident by his increasing-in-intensity grotesque smile and deranged expression.
Ivan was, however, not taking note of this as the lightning he was now harnessing formed into a spear that he prepared to toss at his cousin.
From experience, he knew the speed of such a strike was such that Artyom had no hope of ever dodging.
The Lightning blessing was an inheritance that had been passed down for generations in the Doxon family and their form of being blessed by their patron god(s).
Anyway, it was an inheritance that was meant to mimic the harnessing level of comprehension of a lightning Ordinance.
It was not exactly easy to master. If anything, its difficulty had been proven by a wide range of failures to acquire it.
Ivan could still remember the day he became capable of using it and had gloated to his grandfather in a bid to show off his ability and was only left mortified when Kirill looked over at him and said,
"I never learned to use the lightning blessing. Are you trying to insinuate that you are better than me?" As the Doxon patron spoke, there was a darkness about him that warned Ivan to choose his next words well or even better, walk away and not speak at all...
... Which was what he had done.
Anyway,
Ivan charged the lightning spear and prepared to let it loose.
His pose looked like that of an all-important Greek god about to smite his enemy but Artyom never looked worried.
He merely smiled his grotesque smile and released the Authority.
The fact that he was not too far from Ivan allowed him to spread the influence of the authority so that it affected his opponent and caused the lightning spear Ivan was charging to begin to flicker.
Slowly getting rendered null.
"What the- what the HELL?!" Ivan yelled in a confused and annoyed tone of voice as he found it impossible to harness his lightning.
The sliver of the Devil authority Hal could make use of was only fully effective on someone with Insight level Ordinance comprehension but since Ivan was not really wielding an ordinance but an inheritance meant to mimic an Ordinance, he more than fell within Hal's range of influence.
Had it been a battle between Hal and Ivan, it would have long been over.
Thanks to Elora, Hal knew what to expect of Ivan and Artyom and they had no real idea what to expect from him.
With that alone, he already had an edge and when you factor in that at the mid-stage of the Cosmic Aurora, Hal was unrivaled in the Cosmic Aurora ream and that the lightning Ivan relied on to surpass his peers and beyond was useless against the blue-eyed Devil, you can see how victory would be easy for Hal.
But that would not be satisfying.
He needed to turn the family upside down.
Speaking of turning the family upside down, the fathers of the battling duo (Kohen and Elian), arrived just in time to see the lightning fade away from Ivan's body because of whatever Artyom was doing.
While Ivan tried and failed to reactivate the Lightning and was getting more frustrated the longer things went on, Artyom pushed the speed he had been granted through the Shadow demon bloodline to the limit all to catch Ivan by surprise and sink his fist into his cousin's abdomen.
"Ack" Ivan groaned and doubled over only to be kicked in the face by Ivan.
A kick that forced him upright.
Ivan shook off the shock of the hit and attempted a block and a counter but he was too late to attempt to get back into the grove as Artyom already had a strong rhythm that would be hard to topple.
Artyom vanished only to reappear behind Ivan and smack him in the back of the head so hard that Ivan fell face-first into the ground.
A crack could be heard as his nose broke.
Hal smiled to himself as this was almost the same as what he had done to Artyom within the Dome.
Standing tall and ready to deliver a crushing kick to Ivan's head, Artyom spat,
"Pathetic. You lose your one trump card and you are rendered useless. Forced to gravel before me and keep on proving why you are not fit to be Duke" he said the words Hal had ordered him to say and the result was just as Hal had expected.
The burning drive was reignited within Ivan and he found the strength to roll away from Artyom's disastrous kick and launch into a series of counterattacks that served to bring the battle to more of an equilibrium.
Although, when things tipped in the favor of someone, it was always Artyom's.
"What the hell is going on here?" Kohen asked in a loud voice that both Doxon scions ignored as their battle continued.
Then Kohen and his brother turned towards Hal,
"This is all your fault" Kohen said.
Even if he had not heard from the servants that Hal seemed to be the mastermind of the altercation between cousins who had always considered themselves brothers, the mere fact that Hal was here already made him a culprit in the eyes of the Doxon brothers.
Hal sighed,
"I admit it is. I have opened Artyom's eyes to the truth. I have made him realize he is more than capable of governing the duchy. I have encouraged him to stand up for himself.
Oh, the horror" his words seemed in no way sincere and his tone was mocking.
Kohen sneered,
"Filling his head with pointless lies and unachievable dreams is not 'opening his eyes'" he said and his brother turned to face him,
"What's that supposed to mean? That my son is not destined for great things?" Elian asked and Kohen paused before saying,
"Look at us. Already at each other's throats" Kohen said.
Elian foreword his brows,
"If we are at each other's throats, it's because you are disregarding my son's prowess when the decision to make Ivan the face of our faction was not because he is the best but just so we can present a united front" he said.
Kohen's lips twitched in obvious disagreement to Ivan not being the best but tabled it to return focus to Hal,
"Look at that, he is already making us fight. Guards, What are you waiting for? Apprehend that bastard for inciting discord among the best of the Doxon family"
That seemed to jeer the spectating guards and they moved towards Hal who smiled threateningly,
"Are you really sure you want to listen to him? You know, they are not the ones who will die if you do" he said, and just as a powerful presence descended upon the scene.
A presence that secured a hold on Ivan and Artyom and forced them to remain in place.
The one responsible for that presence was the Patron of the Doxon Family, Kirill Doxon who was at the moment floating in mid-air above Ivan's residence and eyeing them with an intense glare that filled them with fear...
.... If his presence had not already taken care of that.
Chapter 557 - Who's To Say?
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Two scions of the Doxon family, especially those so close to me engaging in a street-like brawl in the family territory.
Letting servants gossip about your brash behaviors.
Idiots" Kirill spat and with a wave of his hand, he separated the two with cosmic energy, and with what could be considered a gentle wave of Saint energy, he rendered the two of them incapable of mustering any fighting ability.
Followed with a threat he delivered with his eyes which made it clear that any attempt to still further muster any bit of cosmic energy would be rewarded with a strike they would most likely never recover from.
Then Kirill descended from on high to land solidly on the ground with his two hands behind him while both Ivan and Artyom glared at each other with an intensity that told their conflict was not over.
"Thank you father" Kohen said and Elian nodded briefly before rethinking the action.
Was he to nod along even now that he was not so sure he and his brother should be in the same camp?
Kirill rolled his eyes,
"Don't thank me. There is nothing I would love more than a self-implosion among your annoying parties, but there should be due process.
This is not a situation that should be forced.
Oh yes, it's not" he said with a wicked smile of enjoyment that matched Hal's before he looked over at the intensely glaring duo,
"I like a good competition. What fun is it if you two simply want the same things? No, you should disagree. It brings a much more fun dynamic into your so-called faction. If you want to even kill each other, by all means, go ahead.
That said, I don't want to see you dying in the Doxon family territory. At least not in such an anti-climatic situation where we have not even fully explored the interesting points of this newly born rivalry." He said to the two.
Kohen furrowed his brows,
"Father, that is... *sigh* Is this really what you want to say to the young ones? Is this how you want to encourage them to fight among themselves. To kill themselves?" He asked.
Elian by his side agreed with his words but once again was unsure if he was to nod along or keep rethinking his partnership with his brother.
Kirill shrugged,
"Why not? After discovering Hal was my dear daughter's only son, you tried to kill him, did you not? Did I interfere? No, I did not.
In fact, if you still try to kill him, I won't interfere.
Why then should I discourage your sons from battling to the death?
No, let them fight for the right to govern the Duchy if that is what they want but let them, at the very least, have the courtesy to still keep this sort of defining duels-to-the-death on hold until they have explored all options.
Options including but not limited to poorly planned assassinations that are usually doomed to fail." Kirill said.
Hal rolled his eyes behind the Ex-Duke.
He felt the shameless old bastard was just here to savor the dissolution of an alliance between his sons.
Also, Kirill's presence was something Hal could very well do without.
Hal had things planned out already and was never going to let either Ivan or Artyom die.
The battle was meant to end in a stalemate eventually.
The main purpose of the battle was just to show Artyom's ability to render Ivan's lightning blessing, the very thing that made Ivan the most special of the two and the one thing that was said to be unbeatable in the same cultivation realm, useless.
To show that Artyom was more than capable of governing the Duchy if the next duke was being chosen mostly on battle strength which was what it usually was chosen with.
He did not need the Doxon Ex-duke's arrival to make his plans a success because they already were and he definitely did not need the speeches that just told everyone what they already knew which was that Kirill Doxon was a terrible Grandfather.
Artyom straightened himself now that Kirill's powerful presence was no longer baring down on him and with one last glare at Ivan, he walked away. Heading away from the residence to better prepare his case and present an alternative to various parties in what used to be a joint faction in the Doxon family.
As he walked away, Elora followed after him and after a sigh at what he realized was probably a situation that would mark the first time he and his brother would not be on the same side, Elian walked away as well.
Both Ivan and his father looked over at Hal but while the expression of the father had nothing but an annoyance to show, that of Ivan had fear within it.
Fear he tried to hide but still surfaced a fair bit on his face nonetheless.
He was sure the only reason Artyom had been able to fight him to a stalemate was because of Hal and the mere thought of Hal being so capable, he actually imparted enough within Artyom in the space of a minute or so to make him so formidable was worrying.
No, it was frightening.
And as Hal watched the fear increase on the Doxon's expression, he worried he had overdone it.
'Oh well, this was never meant to be enough. If I was going to orchestrate a battle between Artyom and Ivan, a battle that would turn the Doxon family upside down, I can't rely on things following due course. Ivan will need a little help' Hal thought and could barely keep the enjoyment he was getting from this situation off his face.
Eventually, he decided to stop trying.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" Kirill suddenly asked him and Hal looked over at him,
"Absolutely" he said.
Even if he wanted to deny his enjoyment of the situation, he would not be able to, so why bother.
Kirill nodded with a smile,
"Aren't you going to say thank you?" He asked which confused Hal who wondered what he was supposed to say thank you for.
Before he answered though, the guards at the scene all left and so did Ivan who occasionally cast a fearful look back at Hal as he went over to his building to tend to his wounds and better plot a way forward with his father who was the only clear support he had at the moment.
When they were the only ones in the backyard that had, only seconds ago being a battleground, Kirill clarified his question,
"I doubt you wanted them to kill each other at least not from the get-go. I helped you bring it all to a stalemate. Otherwise, with the passion they were showing, someone was bound not to see the morrow."
Hal rolled his eyes,
"Don't tell me that. You and I both know you just wanted to see their faces and the dissolution of their relationship in person. Even if you had not shown up, their fathers would have interfered once things got out of hand.
Once they were no longer focussed on attacking me, that is" he said and walked past the Ex-duke to head out of the residence and prepare for the next part of his plans.
Before he was too far gone though, Kirill called to him,
"How did you do it?" He asked but when Hal opened his mouth to speak, Kirill interrupted to clarify his question,
"I mean how did you make Artyom capable of holding his own against Ivan. How could he render the lightning blessing useless?" He asked.
Hal shrugged,
"Who's to say I did anything?" He said and after a brief pause, the ex-duke allowed himself one more look if just mysterious grandson before he chuckled and vanished.
Chapter 558 - Seeking To Take Center Stage.
News of what had happened between Artyom and Ivan spread like wildfire.
And in the space of a few hours, every single Doxon knew what had happened between the two but the main talking point was the fact that Artyom had actually held Ivan to a stalemate.
He had found an answer to the formidable lightning blessing.
He was no longer just the second-best scion who was looked past to place focus on Ivan, he was a genuine candidate.
And a candidate interested in becoming Duke.
Artyom was not undecided.
Back in his residence, he had presented his case to his father and demanded the right to compete for the title of Duke.
"I am done being looked down on. I am done being looked past. I want everyone in the Doxon family to respect and accept my legitimacy" he had told his father Elian.
The pain he felt from the branding now becoming so minimal that he could live with it.
Now it seemed more like a prod to always make him stay on the path that had been chosen for him by Hal.
Elian felt some trepidation at the thought of being against his brother and nephew but that all changed when support arrived in the form of Vaughn Doxon.
Vaughn was Elora's father to whom his daughter had been quick to take firsthand details of the conflict between Artyom and Ivan.
Giving her father a play-by-play that served to pull the man away from the state of indecision that he had been.
Vaughn felt he could trust his daughter's words.
The task he and the other elders of their family branch had given Elora was to integrate herself with the top scions of the Doxon family and she had done it so well, she was now a well-known member of the Doxon trio.
The trio of the best of the young generation the Doxon family had to offer.
If his daughter was sure siding with Artyom was the right thing to do, then Vaughn was sure it was the case.
Not to mention that from what he had heard, Mid-stage Cosmic Aurora realm Artyom holding peak stage lightning blessed Ivan to a stalemate was clear evidence of Artyom's capabilities.
He gushed about all this to Elian and buttered the father up so that he realized what a gem he now had in hand.
Vaughn also promised Elian that he could get other members of the faction to see reason and side with Artyom in support of him becoming Duke after Svetlana.
When Artyom joined the conversation and welcomed Vaughn to his newly formed faction while also ensuring him that he was more competent than Ivan, Elian realized he had no choice.
With the incredible mental capacity Artyom was displaying with the formation of many plans to one-up his cousin's faction, Elian realized this was going to happen whether he supported it or not as things were already being kicked off.
He could only try to support his son as best he could.
***
In Ivan's camp, things were not moving at such a high speed.
In fact, they had gone stale.
Many who had been on their side were showing up in hope for an explanation. To better know how to proceed with the news they had been receiving.
But while Kohen was attempting to keep their minds at ease and also keep them invested in supporting Ivan, his son was in a state of confusion.
Ivan was not sure if he even wanted to try becoming Duke anymore...
At least he knew for a fact that the way he was right now, he was incapable of holding a candle to Hal who he was now sure (no longer suspecting) was a monster.
Be it in the speed of cultivation or in the possession of so much insidious means of getting his way, Ivan was sure Hal was not to be messed with.
Artyom was his puppet.
Of that, he was convinced.
Maybe it was best he rescinds his interest in becoming Duke...
"No, I can't do that" he said out loud.
Becoming Duke was his dream.
Along with one day seeing his grandfather acknowledge him.
He was conflicted between giving up his dreams or saying 'screw it' and pushing forward.
In an attempt to clear his mind, he crossed his legs and began to cultivate.
It helped clear his mind and he ignored all that was happening around him.
It also helped to know that there were powerful experts placed around his residence in a move to keep him safe in case of an attack.
And for hours after, cultivation was what he was focused on.
He only opened his eyes when someone grabbed his shoulder in a tight grip.
Ivan's eyelids flew open and he looked into the deep blue eyes of the intruder.
"It's time"
Hal smiled down at Ivan and chuckled at how useless the security placed around the residence had been.
There had been semi-saints patrolling but since his invisibility could hide him from their sights as well, he had practically walked up to the residence and searched all the rooms until he found the one Ivan was in with no one being the wiser.
Ivan's eyes were widened but before he could say a word which was actually not that likely considering how paralyzed he was by fear at the moment, a portal opened behind Hal and the Blue-eyed Devil pulled Ivan with him into the Portal.
Ivan was awed by the size of the space Hal had pulled him into. Not to mention the magnificence of the mansion in front of him.
"Let's get this over with, shall we?" Hal said and before Ivan could ask what he was talking about, the Devil began to deliver a beatdown.
One Ivan could not even bring himself to defend against.
*Bam*
*Bam*
*Bam*
*Bam*
Hit after hit that served to subdue a now-terrified Ivan and prime him for the finishing touch which was a torturous branding that was not dissimilar to the one Hal had given Artyom.
And just like Artyom, Ivan yelled in pain,
"AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
But within the space, no one in the Doxon Duchy palace could hear.
When the torture was over and Ivan twitched on the floor, Hal then spread his arms and the image along with the wicked look on his face gave off a sort of unhealthy, wicked mix of malevolence and Benevolence.
Nothing about the pain he had put both Artyom and Ivan through was anything other than a prospect that filled him with immense joy and satisfaction but this was not the end.
Far from it.
The two were only ever meant to be pawns.
There remained their fathers and by extension, every member of their faction.
The way Hal saw it, the faction Kirill had formed with him (Hal) as the face was Kirill's. It wasn't Hal's.
Maybe Kirill did prefer Hal to his other grandchildren because Hal was the son of his dear daughter or because Hal had shown himself to be more capable than the others, but he still wanted to control him.
And if there was anything Hal would not stand for, it would be to be tied to some shameless and annoying old man, even if they were striving for the same things.
He would have control of the Doxon family.
But on his own terms.
Ivan and Artyom were merely the pawns to kickstart that ambition and plan into motion.
It is amazing how much people lose sight of and how much one can sneak past them when their attention is focussed on a strong rivalry (Between Ivan and Artyom) that seeks to take center stage.
Come morning, that Rivalry would have two readily participating sides, each playing a role scripted by Hal and helping his plans of taking over the Doxon family without ever actually having to contend with the powerhouse that was Kirill Doxon.
Chapter 559 - Emily The Tomb Raider. Part 1
The Doxon family underwent a change.
And the main catalyst of that change was Ivan Doxon who began to try his possible best to convince as many as he could that Arryom's impressive display of strength and capability was nothing more than a fluke. One that had happened because he (Ivan) had let his guard down.
And had not been fully prepared to go in on the offensive.
Well, now his indecisiveness was gone.
He was ready to face his cousin head-on and after bringing together all those Doxon branch families he was sure were still on his side to form a faction that would try its absolute best to bring his cousin's faction to its knees, he formulated a plan.
The plan was fairly simple but at the same time elaborate.
It was to chip away at the support Artyom had. The support in the form of the faction behind him.
So far, the branch families had not actively fought against one another.
They had not even turned their wicked intents on the branch families in Kirill Doxon's faction.
In all honesty, their only plan thus far had been to take away the face of Kirill's faction which was Hal and they had spent a lot of Blue gems on that.
A plan that had ultimately failed.
But now, the metaphoric gloves were coming off.
And it was time to fight bare-knuckled.
It was time to get serious.
It was time to rip apart the families in the opposing faction.
Not rip apart in the sense of killing but in taking away their financial stability.
Taking control of the Doxon family wealth by taking control of the smaller subsidiaries in the form of the financial security in the branch families.
In whatever way possible.
Direct theft.
Financial sabotage.
Hostile takeovers.
Anything that was required would be done.
And once they had stripped them of financial (which usually also resulted in power) advantages, there would be the final face-off between the two opposing cousins to decide once and for all who would be the next Duke of the Doxon Duchy.
It is important to note that the fundamental plans of the two factions, plans that had been proposed by Ivan and Artyom who were mere proxies of Hal, were the same.
Both had the same ideas and had justified it when holding a meeting with those in their faction as the least barbaric mode of takeover.
A systematic attempt that their brash enemies would not see coming.
...
"What the hell is your son planning?" Kirill asked Svetlana as he paced up and down.
It was irksome how that young man could manage to keep things so secretive from the cosmic saint that he was. And almost as mind-boggling as his insane cultivation speed.
The Duchess was relaxed and sipping cultivational wine. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she said,
"Who's to say he's planning anything?"
Kirill turned to face her,
"That sounds exactly like what he said" he told her with furrowed brows.
Svetlana shrugged,
"Well, he IS my son. It stands to reason that we will be alike" she said.
Kirill scoffed,
"Or you just had your senses tuned in and heard him say it" he said.
"Maybe" Svetlana said with a smile and took another sip of wine.
Kirill shook his head,
"Look how easy it was to solve that mystery. Wish I could solve the mystery of your son's head just as easily" he said.
Svetlana sighed,
"It's funny how you can't just take a minute to not search for a conspiracy and simply enjoy the show. At least for now.
For the first time in... Forever, Kohen and Elian are not on the same side.
Hal has managed to do something that I was starting to believe was impossible and the result has been so interesting" she said with a smile.
"I don't know why you're so relaxed. He went for those two first, he could be coming after you and me next" Kirill said.
"I don't know about you, father but Hal was always definitely going to come after me. I almost can't wait for that day to come. The day he stops ignoring his mother and realizes I have feelings too. Feelings he is hurting.
I mean he was in the palace and didn't even think to visit me. "
Svetlana said with a shake of her head.
Kirill sighed,
"There you go again being all melodramatic" he said to which the Duchess laughed,
"Now you know how you sound pacing around and looking worried for what I believe is no reason" she said and other than frowning, Kirill had no retort.
Svetlana then added,
"But I guess I can see how you would be so bent out of shape when your grand, mysterious plans to control my son like you never could control me looks to be on a fast track towards failure."
Kirill smiled slyly,
"I'm not trying to control him... But if I were, I would expect you would be supportive and not so negative. You have a gem in hand and not just one to parade about the Duchy but one to bring the Doxon prestige to what it once was;
Independent.
Don't tell me you don't want that" he said with a sagely pose and tone.
Rather than reply him though, Svetlana poured herself another goblet of wine and proceeded to drink in silence.
Silence that Kirill took as signs that she was mulling over his words.
And on some level, maybe she was.
...
Sensual Palace...
Meanwhile, the one who was to blame for the discord that split a faction into two was lying on an expensive sofa with his head on Emily's lap while she stroked his hair.
Hal's eyes were closed as he looked to be indulging in the serenity of the surroundings.
Of course, the serenity is not to be mistaken as quiet as right outside the lounge, in the courtyard of Emily's residence, there were duels going on.
Karmen was sparring with Marla.
Both their appetites for battle made them even more indulged in the act.
Rita, Lillian, and Olivia were having a three-way duel with Rita showing the two Blood Knights that a member of the inner circle of ladies was one to be respected.
Respect the Blood knights were happy to show by fighting with immense intensity and a drive to win.
Such that, what should have been a three-way duel now became more of a two on one battle.
Rita was not complaining.
Thanks to Hal she was close to an advancement into the Early stage of the Cosmic aurora realm and while Hal felt there was no real correlation between her cultivation speed and the number of battles she fought since her cultivation technique was not a battle-type like that of the Blood knights, she insisted fighting helped her focus and aided in advancement.
Anyways, the last one present in the courtyard was Sassy.
Having taken to Hal's idea of her dressing like ladies in the Doxon Duchy do, she was clothed scantily which she claimed was 'bearable' as she practiced with the daggers that once belonged to the Assassin nicknamed Dee.
The sounds of spars and clanging of connecting weapons were not disturbing to Hal who felt it helped calm him even further.
Kind of like how ocean sounds in the background could help a person sleep better.
"So, you never said" Hal said suddenly and Emily raised a brow,
"Never said what?" She asked.
"How much you missed me. You've been so strong trying to keep it off your face. I felt it would be rude for me not to prompt you to speak about it" he said with a chuckle.
Emily smiled,
"I did miss you. And I have been trying hard to keep it off my face. It's been nearly three months after all.
During which time, you've been to war, been to a sect filled with women, and then survived an assassination while simultaneously passing an exam.
Clearly, you've been having a lot of fun without a second look back"
Hal opened one eye,
"You consider almost getting killed 'fun'?" He asked.
Emily shrugged,
"Wasn't it?"
Hal paused then closed his eye again as he chuckled and said,
"Yes, yes it kinda was"
Emily nodded,
"And you did a lot of that with Melinda by your side. You always have someone with you. And I am left to await your return."
In a way, she was exaggerating as she and Hal could communicate telepathically through the contract she had signed with him, and in a way, she was being quite accurate with her feelings towards being left behind while Hal went about gallivanting.
She let a silence permeate the room before she said with a brighter tone,
"On a much brighter note, had you come to the Doxon Duchy a day later than you did, you probably would not have met me here"
Now both Hal's eyes opened,
"Why not?" He asked.
Emily shrugged,
"Oh, nothing much. I would just have gone to a distant corner of the Doxon Duchy to raid a tomb"
Chapter 560 - Emily The Tomb Raider. Part 2
Hal raised his brow,
"Tomb raiding?" The question came out with much more surprise than he had actually wanted to put in but it was mainly because he had never thought Emily to be interested in such.
Emily nodded with a smile,
"Oh yes. How better to get rid of the boredom I feel in your absence than to desecrate the final resting place of a cosmic saint who died hundreds of millennia ago" she said with such a bright and cheery tone and expression that one could very well think she was being sarcastic.
But Hal knew that was not the case.
Emily was bright and cheery because that was actually what she thought of the prospect of violating a tomb.
"There is always a lot to acquire in the tomb of such selfish people and they can prove helpful for me personally as well as my sect in general." She said.
Now Hal raised his head off her laps to smile at her,
"Selfish?" He asked with a tone that held a bit of curiosity to how Emily had decided to describe the one in the tomb without actually knowing who said person was.
At least, he guessed she did not know who was in the tomb.
Emily nodded,
"Oh yes. No one dies right now, whether by reaching the end of their lifetime or by dying from unnatural courses and locks up what they have in a tomb out of reach of everyone.
They leave whatever they have as a legacy for those to come.
I'm not saying I am against selfishness cause I am not. Not really.
Not everyone feels Camaraderie with their family or friends.
Many walk the path of cultivation as it probably should be walked; Alone... Well, alone with their partner in the case of us Dual cultivators." She said.
Hal could see what she meant by that and smiled to himself when he realized that by this definition, the first emperor had been selfish as well. Having a vault he kept away from his family and stored the most precious of all he had; The Nexus stone.
Sure he had left behind a map to lead to the stone and had also handed down a story that was actually a true story of sorts disguised as more of a legend but in all honesty, he must have been dead for hundreds of thousands of years, and his descendants are yet to find it.
The one who was searching earnestly for it was right now left stumped trying to figure out the map to the pieces of an orb she chose to believe was not a complete waste of time.
"Have you ever done this before?" Hal asked Emily who shrugged with a smile,
"Twice. But both times had mostly been a test of prowess and the owners of the tombs, as well as the securities outside and within the tomb, were nothing too extravagant.
At least not too much that youngsters, as I was back then, like me could not handle once we buckled down and really went all out.
And as this tomb is said to be the final resting place of a Cosmic saint, there is so much more to gain" she said.
"Were you planning to go alone?" Hal asked.
"Not exactly. I can have my pick of experts in the Sensual palace to take with me to face the dangers of the tomb. Also, either one of Andrei or Dimitri volunteered as well. Both can't come along though as father wants a son to remain in the sect with him.
Why? Do you want to come along?" Emily asked and Hal grinned.
"Do you even have to ask? Of course, I want to come along. I wouldn't miss it" he said.
Emily nodded with a smile,
"Okay then. We head there tomorrow"
A brief moment of silence passed in which the two just enjoyed each other's presence before Hal then said,
"So how has it felt, with Amelia gone most of the time" he asked as he put his head back on her laps.
Ever since Hal left the Duchy, Amelia had become even more of a member of the Sensual palace. Now going about her business as a disciple with her clique that comprised of Jelena and Vanya (her Antonov cousins) as well as Delaney.
Apparently, they were now tagged as untouchables.
The ones to admire from afar but never dare to get close to.
They were apparently taking the sect by storm.
Establishing a visage of a dominant group that every young lady in the sect wished to be a part of.
Emily chuckled,
"How is it supposed to feel? I feel proud. It's not the first time Amelia has been away from me and she is not even actually away. She is still in the same environment as me. Just spends more time with her clique than with her mother.
She is now independent... I like that" she said and continued stroking Hal's hair.
"Good... I like that you like that"
Another brief moment of silence that the Antonov woman decided to break,
"You've been talking so much that I wonder if you think a conversation is all I require from you during this reunion" Emily said. Hal sat up and looked over at her with a smile,
"It's words like that that makes me think you don't know me at all" he said before pulling her closer to mash their lips together in a passionate kiss that had the woman grabbing hold on to him even tighter to better indulge in the said kiss.
The doors of the lounge were closed and with the abysmal amount of guards in the residence, Emily had no thoughts that they would be interrupted and saw no reason to take the quickly heating up session anywhere else.
At least not for now.
Hal for his part merely informed the dueling and practicing ladies on the outside to not allow for any interruptions which they were all more than glad to do.
Emily deserved the hot and steamy reunion she wanted.
When they separated, Hal pulled her shirt open to reveal even more of her neck since Emily was dressed elegantly but quite well covered up.
He dipped his head and kissed her neck while reaching his hand into her dress to grab hold of her breast and knead it while Emily's hand held his head harder against her to increase the pressure of the kisses...
... While she thrust her chest forward into his hand.
While he kissed her neck, a kiss that quickly turned into a suckle the longer it went on, Hal grabbed her nipple and pinched it as hard as he could and the result was a clamping of Emily's thighs in a hopeless bid to stop her pussy juices from leaking out.
"Mnnghhh" Emily groaned.
She really missed this and knew Hal could feel her enthusiasm much more than she could possibly express in words.
While one hand kneaded her breast and his mouth left her her neck to take hold of her mouth again, Hal's other hand went down to her clamped thighs, where he pulled up her skirt or tore it open (Emily was not sure and did not care as her entire mind focus, even body focus for that matter, was on the pleasure she was feeling) and one touch later, Emily spread her thighs apart to allow her man access to her snatch.
To do with it as he pleased.
And to surprise her with immense pleasure as he always found a way to do.
And indeed, Hal did not dilly dally one bit with his fingers going straight past her underwear to her plump pussy lips where he began his teasing.