Chapter 131 - Natural Disaster.
Once Hal heard the footsteps of the Tretch King, he covered Marla in a protective Dome made purely of Cosmic Energy.
Marla did not protest.
She was well aware that she was only there to observe and to see how Hal dealt with an opponent against whom he would have to go all out.
Till date, she had never witnessed such. Every opponent Hal faced in her presence was usually defeated in a relatively easy fashion.
She had of course heard that he had received a beatdown from the possessed Melinda, however, having never witnessed the fight, she was not convinced.
Hal had told her many times that while he was resourceful, he was far from being the invincible expert she had taken to see him as.
It was not that he was being modest. He was confident that, given time, he would surpass them all, but in there lay the real issue,
Time.
Marla, however, insisted that the images she had of him, while great, was well within his capabilities.
"What happens next?" She asked as she waited for the arrival of the Beast whose footsteps still resounded.
Hal smiled,
"Minions" he said and almost immediately, a series of sounds, from shrieks to howls, drowned at the sound of the Tretch king's footsteps.
From their surroundings, from deep within the forest dashed out numerous Demon beasts. All of them were at the Peak stage of the Pearl beast Realm.
Equivalent to the Peak of the Cosmic Pearl Realm.
The lords of Tretch forest.
Hal smiled as he watched them dash towards him. He could recognize their emotion and what drove them to attack.
It was fear.
Fear of the Tretch King who had commanded them to attack and kill the intruders.
Hal could even recognize four of the Demon beasts as the ones that had attacked Valerie and her entourage once before.
The Virile hare was one of the beasts at the forefront of the attacking beast mob. The moment it saw Marla surrounded by the Dome of Astral energy, It unleashed an immense amount of its quills to strike at her.
Seeing this, Hal could not help but snort as the Dome negated the attacks easily.
He had not been sure before when he had met the Hare for the first time and it had pierced Valerie with one of its quills, but he was now convinced that the hare was a pervert at heart.
After all, it saw Hal standing practically defenseless, and yet it still attacked Marla first.
'A kindred huh?' Grimoire said with a chuckle.
'All the more reason to kill him, how dare he be a pervert?
It's like my darling Marla once said, only I am allowed to be a pervert' Hal said with a mild grin.
'Are you not too greedy?' Grimoire said with a pout.
Hal's mind shrugged at the rhetorical question before he went after the Demon beast mob.
There was no need for him to use any extra abilities. This was the perfect moment to test his body against that of this Demon beast that shared his Realm of cultivation.
He let out the pressure of his Cultivation base and the Beasts could now feel that he was at the peak of the Cosmic Pearl realm.
The Demon beasts felt the pressure and agreed,
He was quite strong.
But what was with the look in his eyes that seemed as though he was challenging them to give it their all.
At their level of strength, while they could not yet speak like humans, they were still intelligent enough to reason and resist the impulse of their Beast instincts.
Of course, without a connection to an ancient Bloodline, their intelligence growth was stunted.
It was why at the Energy sensing realm, Sassy rivaled them in intelligence.
That said, they were more than smart enough to know that going against this intense looking youth, one by one was far from wise.
So they attacked as a group.
However, it was unfortunate that it did not matter how much they outnumber this monster, or how smart they were to attack in a group...
"Third-grade skill: Natural Disaster"
...they were merely the opening act and Hal was not prepared to waste his time on them.
The Three circled ring he had summoned slammed into the ground and immediately imitated an Earthquake that shook the beasts to their core.
The effects were limited to the spot the Beasts stood and did not spread further than that, however, the Earthquake-like Tremor was merely the Skill's way of trapping its targets.
Its real offensive abilities were only just starting.
Trapped and unable to move, the beasts were shocked to see the very earth they stood on morph to create spikes and small hills that wrecked their whole being and rocked them from the inside out.
For some, the ground opened up and closed the moment a part of their body was trapped within it before it twisted their torso and caused them to howl in pain.
"Arrrgggggghhhhhhhh"
Just that one skill immediately rendered the beasts incapable of making any more moves.
They were completely incapacitated and some of them could not bear the pain and succumbed to their injuries.
While the skill had been activated, Hal still had control over it and it continued to drain his body of Comic energy at rapid speeds.
The Natural disaster skill was divided into a series of different imitations of Natural disasters. This was only the one to imitate an Earthquake and the only one Hal had learned to use.
The Skill, (Whichever of the series of Natural disasters chosen for use) was a high-tier Third grade skill and Hal was only able to bear using it thanks to his strong body and his comprehension of the Primordial Cosmic Art.
That said, he had to stop its attacks so that it did not completely weaken him before he could even face the Tretch king.
Once he deactivated the Skill, the damage had been done and there was no single beast left to stand against him in the mob.
"Amazing" Marla could not help but comment.
*Roarrrr!*
Out of the thicket of trees finally emerged the reason they were here, the reason the Southside had deteriorated to this extent.
Out of the thicket of trees emerged the Tretch King who eyed Hal with its crimson eyes.
The Tretch King resembled a bear at first glance but that it was soon clear that the similarity was limited to its head.
From the neck down, it had what resembled the physique of a heavily muscled man standing at about 10 feet in height.
Its whole body was covered with Black fur matted with blood, some of it still looking fresh.
Its gaze was menacing and the pressure it gave off quickly identified it as a Late-Stage Natured beast, which was equivalent to the Late stage of the Cosmic Armament realm.
"So you dealt with them huh?" It said as it gestured to the downed beasts.
Hal's eyes widened, a natured beast while possessing near-human intelligence lacked the ability of human speech so it was a little surprising to see the Tretch king possess this ability.
However, once he began to wonder if the beast was even more powerful than he thought, he turned to Marla and noticed that she gave no indication that she could understand what the Beast had said.
If she had, she would have shared his surprise.
Listening even closer, for the beast was now muttering, he could hear the underlying growls and he could now understand why he could understand its speech.
It was because the beast had crossed the threshold of Demonhood. It was qualified to be called a quasi-demon now.
Or better still, quasi-fiend.
As a Devil prince and son of the Progenitor of Demons, Hal could easily understand all Demon speech.
"Yes I did and they were all weaklings as well" Hal boasted.
The Tretch king's eyes narrowed, it seemed surprised that Hal had understood him.
"Is that so? Well, I didn't really need them to get rid of you. You survived them but you won't survive me" The Tretch King snarled and bent low as though to charge but Hal thrust his hand forward,
"Before we fight, can you at least tell me who helped you become this way?" Hal asked.
From what he had learned from his sources, this beast had been the strongest in the forest long before it began its occasional burst of Bloodlust that had now become the order of the day in Tretch forest.
It was clear to Hal that someone was the cause but he was not so optimistic to think the Tretch king would answer just because he asked.
And sure enough,
The Tretch King snorted,
"You really think I'll tell you?"
Hal shrugged,
"Then I'll beat it out of you"
And with his hand still outstretched, he used the Third-grade skill: Natural disaster against the beast.
Just like before, the three circled ring slammed into the ground and warped it.
Since the target was a single person this time, the energy was more focused and strengthened, and yet...
"Roaaaarrrr!"
...the Tretch king broke free of the skill with its strength.
Seeing this display, Hal was not disheartened.
He had expected such as the Tretch King was more than strong enough to resist the effects of the skill.
"This is about to get physical" he muttered and the Tretch King could not agree more as its eyes turned an even brighter red and it sprout horns on its bearlike head while claws extended from all ten of its fingers.
Hal's eyes also turned Blood-red as he summoned Executioner, he would not take those claws lightly.
Feeling the pressure Hal now gave off, the Tretch King's eyes widened,
"You're a Demon?"
Chapter 132 - Borus, The Tretch King.
To an avid observer, (suppose they could understand Demon speech) the Tretch King's question in the current condition seemed quite out of place.
So what if Hal was a Demon, did it change the fact that if it did not fight seriously, it could lose its life?
Did it change the fact that this human/demon could very likely put an end to its killing spree?
No, it didn't?
However, it could not help but ask.
The one that had given it the ability to harness such strength and even facilitated it's evolution into a Demonic fiend, had opened it's eyes to the reality of the Haron continent.
It allowed the Tretch King to finally connect the dots and finally crack the secret behind the disappearance of the last Tretch King.
The Title of Tretch king was for being the strongest Demon beast in the Forest. Usually, it was won through combat.
When a Beast attains the level of strength to call itself an equal of the Tretch King, it would issue a challenge and whoever won, by killing the other, would become King.
However, it did not matter who won, they never went past the Phenomenon Beast realm.
For some reason, even if they are close to breaking through to the next realm, their corpse would be found soon after.
The other Demon beasts never cared about such details, blaming the death of the former King on its own shortcomings.
Life goes on.
Another King is crowned.
The current Tretch King, Borus, had evolved from a simple wild beast, a male bear, and matured while admiring the strength of the King before him.
That King had been challenged more than its predecessors and yet always emerged victorious.
Alas, just like the others, its corpse was found the day after it attempted to advance to the next realm.
Once Borus took the mantle of King, he began to suspect foul play.
Surely, all these deaths could not have been coincidences. Alas, it did not matter how much he investigated (within the forest) he came up with nothing.
It was in this forest, Months before, that he had met the Hooded one, who had told him in a raspy voice and ultimately confirmed his suspicions, that the Deaths were not coincidences.
They were the result of the Haron genocide.
In the Haron continent, no Demon beast was allowed to advance to the Aurora Beast realm.
This was the barrier that once Demon beasts are able to cross, gain the ability to transform into human forms and at which point, they became even more troublesome to deal with due to certain factors.
This was not done because of fear but because of the lingering hatred the Haron continent or Human continent had for the Beast Continent or the Dystopian Continent.
Unlike the Haron Continent, the Dystopian continent, also called Dystopia is ruled by mortals who possess the bloodline of ancient beasts.
Hence it's an haven for Demon beasts.
This was the reality that Borus, the Tretch King had been exposed to.
He had despaired, not just because this was his future which he could not escape, but because the one he had admired had been killed due to the cruelty of humans.
The Hooded figure then told him that there was a way to escape this terrible fate.
And then the Hooded one gave Borus a Cultivation technique.
At first, Borus had been skeptical.
After all, Demon beasts did not need Cultivation techniques. The manner to increase their strength had been ingrained within them by nature, like an instinct.
He did not even think he could comprehend the Technique, but through the figure's persuasion, he perused it and discovered, it only required him to do one thing.
Kill!
With the blood essence, he would strengthen himself and ultimately become a Demon. The rate of his growth would be one the Humans would be powerless to stop.
According to the Hooded figure, Demons did not exist in the Nexus world, however, should Borus find one stronger than himself, then he should flee.
After all, he was cultivating to become a Demon, and there was no guarantee that the Demon he would meet would not be a natural-born one.
So Borus, the Tretch King could not help but be surprised when it saw Hal's eyes make a change while he released a Pressure that while similar to Borus', was purer and, dare he say it, more Divine!
He contemplated if combat was wise but ultimately stood his ground.
Natural born or not, Hal was much weaker than himself.
Besides, the blood essence of a Demon was bound to be even better for him than the ones he had absorbed so far.
It was a temptation, he could not possibly resist.
Hal's eyes narrowed at the Tretch King's question.
"Yes, I am. What of it?" He asked.
"Hmm, nothing. This changes nothing!" It snarled and it was clear that its calm reasoning was over, it was about to revert to being Bloodthirsty.
Hal gripped Executioner even tighter as the Tretch King Vanished, as it dashed forward.
Hal having expected a frontal assault timed his swing just so that he could hit the Beast's claws before it made contact with his comparatively smaller form.
Alas, when he swung...
*Whooshhhh*
...it hit nothing.
The beast had not gone for the a frontal assault after all.
Somehow it had ended up behind him and raised his right hand to strike down with its claws.
It was only thanks to Hal's instincts that he was able to block most of the strike in time.
Even so, the Claws still grazed his Arm.
"Damn it" he groaned as he felt the pain.
He had underestimated the Beast. Believing that, because it had surrendered to its violent tendencies, it would not be capable of thinking and fighting smart.
Borus leaped back and pushed himself forward by pressing his feet against a tree,
*Boom*
The impact was so impactful that the Tree was bent as he was propelled forward at Hal.
Once close to him, The Tretch King, Borus, spun around as though intent on shredding Hal to pieces.
Hal narrowed his eyes and began to wield Executioner to defend himself against the Beast's claws that seemed to come from everywhere all at once.
*Clang* *Clang* *Clang*
The contact between Executioner and Borus' claw made the sound of metal clashing against metal and sparks even flew as the two endeavored to seize the upper hand.
Or more accurately, Hal attempted to seize the upper hand, but was unsuccessful, while the Tretch King continued to act leisurely.
Hal could understand why.
The physical difference between them was much too high.
So he released his Fiendish Fog at an even higher concentration and it attacked alongside him.
As they fought, Hal could not help but admire the Tretch King's footwork.
It was most likely instinctive but, it was quite impressive.
The Tretch King, however, finally began to notice that Hal's combative abilities had improved with the appearance of the Fiendish fog.
Most times, it would be convinced, there was an opening and move to attack it but the fog would protect it.
The strength it exerted was just barely weaker than Hal's and as such, it was more than enough to lessen the number of moves the Tretch King could make.
Slowly but surely, Borus was being forced on the defensive.
Then he chuckled and Hal could not help but look up and into his face that was quite taller than him.
"So you were holding out on me, huh? Good, cause I was holding out too"
And with that, the Tretch King's body began to glow a bright orange.
'Be careful!' Grimoire warned
The brightness continued to increase at a rapid speed and Hal had barely enough time to disengage and leap back before...
*BOOOOMMMM!*
...there was an explosion that blasted him back and smacked him against a tree trunk.
*Cough* *Cough* *Cough*
As he slid to the ground and braced himself on his knees, he coughed out blood as he could feel his internal organs in disarray and in danger of rupturing.
"Bastard" he groaned at the Beast.
'I told you to be careful' Grimoire said in a condescending tone.
'Yeah, and you could have said that before it blasted me' Hal retorted.
'That's what I did! You really should learn to be more grateful' Grimoire said in a disapproving tone.
Hal gasped at those words,
'I'm surprised you can even say that with a straight face. Oh, that's right! You don't have one!'
'Hey watch it. Have some respect!' Grimoire said with a frown.
'I'd rather die!'
With that, Hal faced the matter at hand which was for the Tretch King to dash forward at a speed he could not follow and kick at his head.
It was only at the last minute that Hal was able to roll away and escape the fate of a squashed head.
The tree he had been resting on, however, faced the consequences as its trunk exploded.
The Tretch King then turned to Hal as its whole form was now coated with bright orange flames which coupled with its bright red eyes and menacing claws and horns finally depicted it as a true demon.
"Roooaaaaarrrrrr!!!!"
It let loose a terrifying and deafening sound as it ran towards Hal at an incredible speed, with clear intentions,
'oh look, you made it angry' Grimoire commented.
Hal gritted his teeth.
He did not need the commentary.
The Tretch King's intentions were very clear.
*Bam*
The Beast made contact, grabbed Hal in its claws and enveloped itself and Hal in its bright and Demonic looking flames.
Essentially combusting him.
Marla gasped as she covered her mouth and her chest clenched in fear.
However, she was convinced he was not dead.
After all, the Dome was still protecting her.
The Tretch king was planning to stop its flames, after all, it still wished to absorb Hal's Blood essence and burning him to a crisp would make that impossible.
Before it could turn off the flames, however, a hand stretched from the figure that was ablaze and grabbed his own.
The Hand was Crimson and only had a few Black lines on it. Its grip on the Tretch king's hand was vice-like and seemingly unbreakable.
"Now you've done it!"
Chapter 133 - Essence Stealer.
Borus' eyes widened at the Devil grip on his hand, he released the second hand that was gripping the ablaze Hal and attempted to pry those fingers off.
Hal chuckled out of the blaze,
"Hehe, I made him mad? No no no, he made ME mad"
With that, his grip slackened and Borus was quick to take advantage and leaped backward.
With the contact between himself and Hal broken, the flames were put out and revealed Hal, in his Lesser Devil form.
A mild stream of nightmarish dark fog swirled around his naked form.
The Flames had burnt off his clothes and his entire musculature was on display.
His hair was about four inches longer than normal and well past his shoulder now, his eyes that were now dark (sclera and all) occasionally released small bursts of fog of the same color.
Even with the distance that he had now put between them, Borus could still feel the oppressive energy that the nightmarish dark fog gave off.
A part of his mind wished to rush back in and lay it all out, but the rational part of his mind struggled to keep his body in place while observing this change.
Hal watched the Beast struggle against himself and would have loved to take advantage by rushing in immediately, however, he knew that the moment he did so, he would fall victim to the instability of being a lesser devil.
The lack of control over their Devil energy made lesser devils susceptible to random fits of rage.
It messed with their cognition in battle and rendered them victim, to their most basic instinct.
On a norm, Hal would be able to regain control, since his Bloodline was that of the Primeval Devil Queen, but he had taken on this form when the Tretch King upset him by beating him down repeatedly.
The moment he moved to act, he knew he would probably be unable to stop himself until the Tretch King was dead which was something he would much rather avoid.
So it soon became a standoff in which they both watched each other and waited for one of them to make the first move.
*Growl*
The sound had come from Hal as he reached the limit of his restraint and raised one of his legs to attack, but before he could...
*Bam!*
...the Tretch King's fist slammed into his chest.
"Ahhhh" Borus, the Tretch King yelled as he continued to use his maximum force to drive Hal back.
Hal dug his heels into the ground so hard, that it caused grooves as he was forced back.
The Tretch King's flames continued to blaze even brighter from his sense of accomplishment, but it could not help but bear a confused expression when it saw Hal look up at him and smile,
And then he dug his heel even deeper and stopped the Tretch King's movement before he raised his knee and sank it into its abdomen.
Borus' eyes widened from the pain and stretched his arm, which he had been using to push Hal back, even further from himself to put some distance between them but Hal just smiled.
He grabbed that same arm as he released a torrent of Devil energy that oppressed the Beast even more and then he pushed it away from his chest to finally close the distance and punch out with his fist.
*Bam*
With the difference in their heights, the most he could do was punch the Beast's mid-section but even so, it was not a blow it could shrug off.
Borus groaned as the blow forced him to take a few steps back but Hal did not let him have a moment of rest as he was already dashing forward with his crimson fists raised.
*Bam* *Bam* *Bam*
Blow after Blow connected with the Demon Beast's large frame and it was continually forced on the defensive.
With the knowledge that, should things persist in this manner, all would be lost and his dream of breaking free of the callous circle of fate would end, Borus was getting desperate.
All of Hal's strikes were purposeful.
They were to kill him!
If Hal had merely been attempting to beat him up before, it had changed since he took on this form.
He was right. Hal was only barely keeping himself under control. It was why he had refrained from summoning Executioner (which had dispersed after he had been slammed into the Tree trunk earlier) again.
Because with that weapon in hand, he was sure to slay the beast.
Borus suddenly dashed away from Hal as fast as he could and headed in the direction of the Dome-protected Marla.
Hal's eyes widened, strong as the Dome was, Hal was not sure it would be able to resist the strength of a Quasi-demon fiend like the Tretch king.
The moment the Tretch King's destination was clear, Hal blocked its path to Marla with his Devil energy while he ran forward to intercept the Beast itself.
It was then he finally understood that it was a trick.
The Tretch king had no intention of attacking Marla, it only ran towards her so that Hal would move to protect her and clear the way for him to go after the downed lords of Tretch forest.
Hal simply stood by and watched it kill about Eights Beasts all at once and drain their body of Blood essence.
"Roooooaaarrrrr!!!"
Its already Red eyes became deeper by several shades, its already large physique bulged out even more and its roar was terrifying to behold.
It had prioritized instant strengthening over long term effects of Cultivation, thereby reinforcing itself with the Blood essence instead of refining it.
Even though there was a time limit, It was bound to be even more troublesome to deal with until its effects wore off.
But yet, in face of all this, Hal's grin became even wider,
"That position and distance is perfect"
He said and his iris turned a deep shade of Violet while his sclera remained as dark as ever.
He stretched forth his hand...
"Aflame their passion, Essence Stealer"
...and out of it swarmed a mass of purple mist as he summoned the ornate purple Bow with Dark veins and spikes.
Hal raised it and pulled its purple string.
As he did so, a flaming purple arrow formed from the point he held on the string and pointed straight at the Beast.
The Tretch King's wild eyes narrowed at the deadly-looking weapon and its flaming projectile but then it laughed loudly before speaking in Demon speech,
"So what if you have another weapon? And a ranged weapon no less. Hahahahaha, all I have to do is prevent you from having a clear shot"
Then Borus dug in his feet and dashed toward Hal in ZigZagging motions.
Hal couldn't help but smile at its ignorance. Experienced archers could easily predict the Beast's movement and shoot it down even with its zigzag pattern.
But he had to admit that while it was possible, he had neglected the use of a bow and was far from being an experience Archer.
But that hardly mattered.
Essence Stealer did not always need a clear shot.
So with a Grin, Hal did not change the direction of his shot and released the string.
*Whoosh*
Was the sound the flaming arrow made as it left the bow and at a speed much faster than a bullet, it hit the ground that had been its target...
*Boom*
...and set it all ablaze!
Borus did not worry about the blast and merely aimed to use its force to propel him forward at a much faster speed, but he was shocked when he found himself surrounded by a Ring of purple flames.
He had no choice but to force himself to stop.
This was impossible. Unless an accelerant had been poured before the release of the flaming arrow, there was no way it could have surrounded him so fast. He thought.
But yet it had.
Hal chuckled at the Beast's confusion.
Essence stealer has two types of shots but both always cause combustion.
The first shot was a direct hit that once it makes contact and the target's strength is not enough to put it out, it would aflame their passions and burn them from the inside out with lustful flames and in the process, the demon would absorb every Essence their body had to offer.
The whole process would take less than a second.
But, since Hal had no interest in killing the Tretch King, yet, he opted for the second attack.
The Ring of Torture.
"Arrrrrggghhhhh"
Borus yelled suddenly and fell to his knees.
Hal nodded and dispersed of Essence Stealer,
"You succumbed quickly. That's Good"
"Arrrrrggggghhhh" Borus yelled again as his flames began to dim slowly.
Hal sighed as his skin returned to normal.
His sclera was white again but his irises were still a deep violet color. His hair still stretched past his shoulder, which showed that the growth was permanent.
With a thought, he withdrew another set of robes from his inventory and put it on even as the Tretch King's wails grew even louder in the background.
Marla's eyes widened as she understood that this was the end of Hal's combat with the Demonic Tretch King.
The Dome around her faded and it was clear that the Beast would no longer be a threat.
While she had seen Rita make use of those Purple flames, this application was one she had never seen and awed her as the Ten feet tall beast squirmed within the Ring, seemingly from pain.
"Can you feel it? The flames burning within you from the inside out. I've never felt it but the description I got was... Graphic. Right now, the lustful flames are refining your essence and feeding it to me, their master and conjurer, directly.
Once the refinement is done in its entirety, you'll become a husk and as must be obvious to you by now, you'll die"
Borus was now gasping as all the flames on his body were now out and his claws had shrunk out of sight.
The pain was beyond being unbearable,
"Please.... Make.... It... Stop!" He groaned.
Hal stepped forward and walked through the flames before he slammed his palm on the Tretch King's chest and branded him with the Devil mark.
His violet irises returned to their normal blue and the torture flames fizzled out, leaving behind a thin black ring on the forest floor.
"I-i-i will tell you all you wish to know" Borus said and attempted to stand, but found himself unable to do so.
"No need"
Hal said and his eyes (sclera and all) turned Dark as he invaded the Tretch King's mind.
Chapter 134 - Sundown.
Even after his Victory, Hal had to admit that all the information he had received about the Tretch King, no matter how little had proved useful.
Scarface had once faced the Tretch King and was defeated, escaping with only the scars on his face. His experience had told Hal to prepare for some sort of Demonic presence.
The news from Darryl that the Tretch King had been having occasional bursts of blood lust gave this even more credence and only served to make him even more interested in going after it.
Through the Devil mark, Hal could see into all of Borus' experiences and memories and through it confirmed all of his suspicions.
Suspicions that had begun since they stormed Holger Estate and Melinda faced Brysen Holger and his Beast physique.
Melinda was from the high-end part of the Haron Continent and she knew how valuable and impractical it was to own a Beast physique.
While Beast physiques help in reinforcing the body of a cultivator, it also causes them to exhibit Beast-like characteristics which (thanks to the Bad-blood between the Human and beat continent) is a behavior highly frowned upon.
As such, the components required to master such physiques or even assimilate them with a human body were quite rare in the continent but not impossible to find.
However, as it can already be surmised, they are very expensive thanks to their rarity. The demand for them was also not that high thanks to the increase in Pure-blood fanatics, who believed any similarities to Beasts were well worth the death penalty.
Due to its value, Hal doubted the 'Master', the Plebeians now serve could actually spend an exorbitant amount of wealth on the Plebeians, just so they could break free of the Status quo.
Which meant the 'Master' must be from somewhere where getting such a Physique, while expensive, was still well within reason.
Finding Sassy in Tretch Forest, despite her connection to an ancient beast bloodline, was giving this thought more credence.
The reason Sassy was here was also somewhat obvious to him, with the rate at which she grows and the surety of her Bloodline becoming even stronger along with that growth, this 'Master' was obviously setting up a trap for those that perform the Haron Genocide.
When they show up to kill the Toxic Viper which would inevitably become Tretch King, they would have bitten more than they could chew and the beast was bound to take a few of them down with her, even if they did succeed in killing her eventually.
And if they did not succeed and the Toxic Viper was able to attain a human form, there must be a way for the 'Master' to ascertain her submission.
This was something else Hal would need to check for when treating Sassy's condition.
This was all still mostly a guess on Hal's part, but if he was correct, then that Master should be smacked for their stupidity.
They had released such a Valuable Beast into the wild, with an absurd hope that not only would it survive quite well, but no one would succeed in taming it either.
If this was not stupid overconfidence, Hal did not know what was.
That said, he could also see that there was hatred for the Haron Continent in this person's actions, most likely it was someone with ties to this Continent, albeit little.
Back to the Tretch King, he had met this 'Master' -most likely on the very same day Sassy had been released into Tretch forest- where he was fed so many half-truths mixed lies.
The Haron Genocide was truth, but a one-sided one. Just as Demon Beasts are not allowed to attain the ability to transform into human forms and mix in with society, Humans in the Dystopian Continents were by default Slaves.
Means of amusement and ultimately, in times of war, they are meat shields.
Humans were not born into freedom in the Dystopian Continents, they were worked to the bone and usually become Cultivation cauldrons both for Dual cultivators and 'conventional' Cultivators.
When Grimoire had provided Hal with this information, it had been surprised by Hal's casual approach, expecting Hal to sympathize with one of the two races.
However,
To Hal, neither of the two Continents was wrong and neither of them was right. They were just doing it out of spite and for the degradation of the other race.
What he cared about was how to take advantage of their discord and lord over them.
But of course, this is a tale for another time.
This was the First Half-truth, the second was that there truly was a way to escape the cruel fate of death and yet the Hooded figure had declined to tell Borus.
Not all beasts with the Potential to reach the Aurora beast realm were killed, some (A very small percentage) let go of their pride and swore allegiance to the Haron Continent.
They are then shipped off to become generals and fight skirmishes and the occasional war against Dystopia. Thereby earning themselves honor and prestige with the number of kills to their name.
At the phenomenon beast realm, they already possess the ability of human speech and can be negotiated with, however, all those beasts who die are those that stick to their pride and resent a life fighting against their kind for the progress of the Human race.
They prefer to fight and they die unceremoniously.
Hal felt they were idiots and he did not hide this thought from Borus as he passed on all this information to him.
The lie that the Hooded figure had told him, lay in the Cultivation Technique he had been given, the one that was supposed to give him the strength to break free from the cruel hand of fate.
This was a mere pipe dream and but another pit-stop on the path of destruction.
Suppose Borus even became an Aurora Beast before he was attacked. There was still the very likely possibility that those sent after him would be at the same realm.
At that time, was there really any hope of survival?
Of course not.
The Technique was truly to make him a Demon, but a pseudo-Demon at best. It was merely an elaborate way of turning Borus into a Demonic Cauldron.
A Cauldron that would refine all the Blood essence for its master to collect once it was time.
At that time, Borus would be drained to the last bit and lose his life in the process. This was... Inevitable.
Borus shivered on his knees as Hal passed on this information to him.
Had he really being tricked?
Was his hope of survival truly just a trap?
"Yes, it was" Hal answered in a brash manner to the Beast's unpacked question.
Marla's eyes were sad as she looked at the large kneeling Beast whose entire life now seemed to be crumbling down.
Hal had shared all he found with her through their Contract and despite his insensitive demeanor, she knew he pitied Borus as well.
The fact that Borus had slaughtered so many in his quest for power did not faze her one bit. To her, he had merely been trying to become stronger.
Who was she to say his way was evil?
Where was the assurance that she would not do the same or even worse?
In this Dog eat Dog world, was there truly a righteous way of Cultivation?
"Help me" Borus said and even though Marla could not understand his speech, she got the gist of it.
"With what?" Hal asked and Borus looked up with a confused expression.
Hal sighed,
"If it's to escape the Haron genocide, consider yourself helped. You won't be killed. But if it's to not be that bastard's Cauldron, then I won't"
"Why not?" Borus asked.
"Why not?" Marla asked.
Hal turned to her and smiled,
"It's simple, Borus here is the perfect bait for my plan, and said plan requires for that bastard's plans to go smoothly. At least for the most part.
Don't worry, even if he is siphoned of all his energy, he won't die. Not anymore"
Marla nodded with a reassured expression.
Borus looked between the two,
Wait a minute, it looks like my position remains the same.
To Marla, he pleaded,
"Please, don't let me be bait"
Marla could not understand him but when he suddenly burst into tears, She once again got the gist of it.
"Don't bother begging. Think of it as your punishment for going after her" Hal snorted.
"But that was just a trick" Borus wailed.
"Am I supposed to care?"
Borus opened his mouth to argue but shut it quickly when Hal gave him a look that chilled him to the bones.
Hal then turned towards the Horizon,
"It's almost sundown," he said.
Marla blinked and watched the sun begin to set.
That's right. The competition is supposed to be ending soon.
Hal left Borus with an Edict that he was not to absorb any more Blood essence. Absorbing anymore would prove troublesome once the 'Master' comes to collect.
...
Right outside of Tretch Forest, Darryl stood to await the rest of the participants.
Normally, he should have probably left but as Hal was still in the forest and it was not yet sundown, he had no choice but to await his inevitable exit and victory.
After all, Darryl knew Hal must now hold all the tiles.
All the Great family scions that had already exited the Forest, the ones that had managed to find Rune tiles, had claimed that it was missing or in Alexander's case, it had been stolen.
Darryl was not an idiot, he knew all the Tiles had already made their way into Hal's hands.
This was mostly because Hal had told him so in a forthright manner and forbade him from leaving until he exchanged the Tiles for Gold.
Suddenly, Karon arrived and stood beside him,
"Master Darryl, You're still here?" He asked.
"Yes, I still need to award the winner," Darryl said in an attempt to be casual.
Karon was about to speak about how unnecessary that would be in the current climate when Hal and Marla walked out of the Forest, arm in arm.
Despite the Tension from the aftermath of the Plebeian attacks, the two's movements were casual and seemingly at ease.
When Darryl saw Hal, he was glad to finally get this over with, however, when Karon saw Hal, his expression soured and he frowned.
Chapter 135 - Amaze Me.
It was no wonder that Karon did not feel particularly enamored with Hal's presence.
He had of course been told of the events that had happened in the forest.
While it was true that it was only thanks to Hal's knights (Despite their late intervention) that some Edgar scions survived, including the designated heir, Alexander Edgar, it did not change the fact that they had infiltrated a Great Family.
That alone was a grave disrespect.
What made Karon more upset was that Darryl was so ready to let things be when this was a mockery of him, since he (Darryl) had been taxed with rooting out spies.
Karon was only keeping calm so far because the Mayor had not been informed and he had not yet decided what action to take.
No matter his displeasure, he (Karon) would always await his lord's order.
That said, Hal's casual footsteps coupled with his jovial smile that made a mockery of the significant events of that day, still caused him to frown.
Two aspects of the Edgar Family had been attacked on that day: Their present (The cultivating forces) and their future (The scions).
"Are we the last ones out?" Hal asked with a smile that made it seem as though he had no idea whatsoever of the things that had happened in the forest.
It was all that was needed for Karon to let out a bit of his displeasure,
"Are you seriously asking about that? What do you think we are? Fools?"
Hal turned to Marla by his side,
"Did I say something wrong?"
Marla smiled sweetly,
"Of course not. Don't worry, he's just jealous"
Hal looked from her to Karon,
"Yeah, I can see that. Maybe we shouldn't hold hands. It's tough for old single dudes to be happy for us young lovers"
Hal said in a considerate tone of voice and acted as though to remove his arm from Marla's but she grabbed on even tighter.
"Who cares about them?" She pouted and grabbed him closer to her for a hot smooch.
Darryl placed one hand over his face as though embarrassed by his Master's antics and at the same frustrated that he could not tell Karon not to take Hal's disregard seriously.
And even more frustrated that he could not warn him that taking the disregard seriously could result in Karon losing control over his soul.
Alas, he was forbidden from saying these things and the usually cool Karon was not feeling particularly patient today.
It was to be expected. The day's events had been taxing on them all.
Karon's eyes widened,
What the...? I'm talking about serious issues and you're rubbing your relationship in my face. So shameless!
"Such blatant disrespect! You are yet to face trial for your infiltration of the Mayor's forces and you still act to mock me and hence my Lord? I will not have it!"
Karon's voice was so loud that it scared away some winged beasts, causing them to take flight.
His loud voice was understandable,
Surely, they could not ignore him now.
But as Karon was about to realize...
*Smooch* *Smooch* *Smoooocccchhhh*
...a lot can be ignored during smooching.
When the two finally separated, with Marla looking flushed despite having initiated the kiss, Karon was fuming.
Hal looked confused,
"Have I offended you in any way?" He asked in a would-be polite voice.
Seeing as Karon was close to exploding and his hand was shaking slightly as though to unleash his Cosmic Armament, Hal smirked secretly,
'It's so easy to rile this sort of people up. Can't he just chill out?' He shook his head mentally in false melancholy.
'Do you want to brand him?' Grimoire asked.
Hal mind shrugged,
'I'm not interested in doing that. I'm just having a little fun'
At first, Grimoire froze and then it smirked,
'That's juvenile of you'
'Of course, it is. It's good to be juvenile once in a while. All work and no play is not the Hal way'
Karon glared at Hal for a while before he loosened his clenched fists and sneered,
"Bastard, Act ignorant all you want. Once the Mayor is briefed on this matter, you can say goodbye to your immunity. Helpful or not. You crossed the line"
For the first time since he had faced Karon, Hal's jovial expression changed and he grinned with cold eyes,
"Is that so? No problem then. The immunity has been useful but I think it's for the best if it's lifted now"
Hal's words were, from all appearances, polite, however, Karon could not shake the dangerous feeling he got from those cold eyes.
While the two stared at each other, Marla walked up to Darryl and poured all 100 Rune tiles into his hands.
She poured it all with one hand and stretched the other to receive what they were worth,
Karon looked at all those tiles and frowned. For them to possess all those tiles...
"You must have got them through dubious means" he growled.
Hal's eyes narrowed,
"What are you insinuating? That my beautiful Marla stole these tiles?"
Karon faced Hal square-on,
"That's exactly what I mean"
Hal's expression became jovial again,
"Well, you're absolutely correct, we worked together and robbed the majority of these Tiles. I have to tell you, it was quite fulfilling"
Listening to Hal shamelessly admit it, Karon could not hold himself back,
"What...?" He began but Hal was close to him in a second.
The speed was such that Karon could not even follow his progress, he was just suddenly... there.
Scary!
Hal smiled,
"Don't tell me you want to complain. This morning, and you should remember since you were there, it was said that we were allowed to 'snatch' the tiles, there was nothing about snatching them only through combat."
Hal said and stepped away.
Karon turned to Darryl, who shrugged in a 'he has a point' kind of way.
The truth was that even Karon knew there was nothing wrong with stealing Rune tiles from other participants, it just so happens that whatever Hal did today would seem wrong to him, due to his grievances.
Darryl cleared his throat when he noticed Marla begin to exhibit impatience,
"Normally we should have a small occasion where you would be presented with the Title of Champion and all those who possess tiles would also be able to exchange them for gold.
However, in light of recent events, we will not be able to do that. Since you possess all the Tiles, it makes things easier. You will be given your winnings now and your name will be announced throughout the City as Champion"
Marla looked bored,
"My arm is aching"
Darryl smiled uncomfortably before he withdrew a pouch from his Spatial pouch, he placed it in Marla's hands and she turned away to return to Hal's side.
"Very well, by tomorrow, all will know Hal Payne and..." Darryl started but was interrupted when a carriage drew up a short distance away.
Without even glancing at Darryl or Karon, Hal and Marla walked towards it while Castor opened up the Carriage's door to admit them.
Once Marla was inside, Hal turned a fraction towards Darryl behind him,
"Announce only Marla as the winner, my input was minute"
Karon went red with anger,
"Who are you to make such...?" He started but Darryl interrupted,
"If that is what you want"
Hal smirked and finally entered the carriage and it pulled away.
Once it had trudged a few distances away, Karon turned to Darryl but before he could vent, Darryl frowned,
"You are usually cool-headed. Being so riled up is so not like you. What are you going to do? Attack him? Be realistic"
Karon sighed,
"I'm sorry Master Darryl."
Darryl nodded,
"Come on, let's go"
...
The Mansion.
The carriage stopped outside of it and Hal and Marla stepped out of it.
"That was an incredible experience" Marla said as they walked arm in arm into the compound.
Hal agreed that it had been an... experience and almost hard to imagine that it had all been in a span of one day.
Now that it was over, he knew there were events just waiting to happen.
The Plebeians were bound to have received news that he was a powerful Runemaster, capable enough to have been involved in the Holger Decimation and they might even have caught whiff of his Blood Knights.
Things were bound to become slightly chaotic soon, but he welcomed the chaos. It would be perfect for things to fall in place.
That said, this was all for later.
Right now, there was something prepared for him in the Time warped Chamber.
He and Marla walked to the Chamber and pulled open the door to find the inside completely renovated.
The ladies from Pleasure inn were on one side of the Chamber and a demarcation blocked away the part where Rita lay bound to the Large bed.
Melinda stood by the side of the bed, completely naked, with a demeanor of the mistress of the household and hands on her hips in a sultry pose.
Hal smiled at her quiet confidence and at Rita's nervousness. The rustling of clothes behind him caused him to turn and behold Marla taking off the last bit of her clothing and smiling wildly.
"You're quick, I like that" Melinda said with a wink while Marla took to taking off Hal's robes.
"You're not going to say anything?" Melinda asked him with a small pout.
She had gone to all this trouble and he was not even complimenting her.
Hal chuckled,
"Okay then, Amaze me"
Chapter 136 - Left At The Threshold. R-18.
*Slurp* *Slurp* *Slurp*
In the demarcated and remodeled part of the Time warped Chamber, Hal sat on a high-backed chair while Marla was on her knees with his Dick in her hand.
*Fap* *Fap* *Fap*
Marla stroked the tool with a reverence that did not affect the sensuality of the act. She let out her tongue and tickled the underneath, slowly licking her way to its head that was already slick with her saliva from the previous lick.
If not that she was already used to it, she might have wondered why licking this wonderful Dick did not just make her feel good, it tasted good as well.
Surely, there was no other man who could have such a sweet-tasting organ and even if there was, she had no interest in meeting them.
Her primary life goal was to one day make Hal moan and cum uncontrollably while deep inside her pussy or ass.
While She was well aware that this was mostly a dream that would never come to reality. It did not change the fact that chasing this impossible goal only filled her life with more sensual, sexual joy.
Marla was getting giddy just from the mere thought of this and it was clear from how her pussy continued to leak a substantial amount of juice.
Her whole insides were squirming from the anticipation of when this tool trapped between her lips would once again ravage her insides.
Despite this anticipation, however, she also could not bring herself to take out this wonderful popsicle of pleasure.
It was an enjoyable conundrum of indecision.
Hal, for his part, was enjoying the moist heaven that was the inside of Marla's mouth.
He groaned as she suckled lightly.
He looked down at her and saw her trying her best to smile from around the circumference of his Dick in her mouth.
The little minx was teasing him!
She suckled lightly once again and Hal groaned. She did it a few more times and each time, Hal could not stop himself from displaying his satisfaction in the act.
He was quite sure that this was mostly a preamble for her while she prepared for the big one,
And sure enough,
*Suckle*
A particularly deep and long suck later, pulled Hal even further into her vacuum-like throat which hugged his tool so wonderfully that he wondered if he had shaped it as he had done for her pussy.
Marla's eyes while looking up at him was slightly teary from the gag reflex she was attempting to hold back.
Not wanting to let her continue to suffer unnecessarily, Hal stopped holding back his climax and released what she craved right down her throat with a pleasured groan.
Marla, of course, would not have that and pulled back so as to allow his cum to pool inside her mouth where she mixed the hefty amount with her tongue, savoring the taste before she swallowed it down.
It was not the first time Hal had seen a lady swallow his cum, but it was sexy every time.
As Marla savored the residual taste of his cum, Hal noticed with his keen deep blue eyes that she was dripping with arousal.
Before she could truly pull herself together and go after the main event, Hal picked her up and placed her on his lap.
He made sure her legs were spread and that gave him access to her pink snatch which was wet with her juices along with her inner thighs.
The smell of her juices and pussy (they were quite distinct to him) was salivating for him, but hers was not the only one he could smell.
Over at the Bed, Rita was bound with her legs spread and her pussy directed towards him.
Her hands were tied to the headboard and the look she gave Melinda who stood by the side and surveyed the scene, was one of intense dislike from the embarrassment.
"Oh don't give me that look. Once I have you moaning you will be looking at me with lust" Melinda said with a smirk.
Rita raised her head and looked at Hal who was slowly teasing Marla's labia,
"Can't you tell her to stop? Tell her to let it go just this once" she said with flushed cheeks.
On the norm, she would not be embarrassed, after all, what was wrong with her showing her pussy to her man?
The issue this time lay in the position she was in and the vulnerability Melinda was making her feel.
That said, the ropes used to bound her were merely symbolic. They were normal and not reinforced and she could easily break free of them.
Melinda turned to Hal with a smirk, as though to see what he would do.
Hal chuckled at the look because every one of the ladies knew that if he really wanted it to stop, it was as easy as him asking.
After all, to all the ladies present, he was completely irresistible.
The thing was, Hal did not want it to stop, he was quite interested in the show the two would put on for him, so he said,
"Bets have consequences, Rita dear. So this one time, I think I'll rather be a passive observer"
Rita blanked,
"You just want to see this don't you?"
Hal smiled as he pushed one finger into Marla's pussy and caused her to moan,
"Guilty as charged. Now be a good girl and play to the audience"
"Shameless" Rita groaned as Melinda began her ministrations.
Rita clenched her fists as Melinda immediately went after parts that were the most sensitive points on her body.
She did not even bother worrying about how Melinda knew where to go because if there was one thing the two had taken to do since their first threesome with Hal, it was to study each other.
To see exactly what made the other one tick.
Rita just never expected Melinda would be the first to make use of this intelligence.
Unlike Hal, Melinda could not turn every single part of the body into an erogenous zone but she did quite well and pushed all the right buttons.
Three buttons in particular.
Rita's nipples and clit.
She started from the nipples. She pinched, pulled, and bit at the nub.
Rita lightly bit her lower lip to stifle the moan of pleasure that threatened to leak out.
She would not give in.
Melinda smirked at the action that she saw as futile, that was merely a taste, she was about to really delve in.
And delve in, she did.
Knowing just the right places to touch and the right time to touch them as well.
Rita felt like she was a fiddle and Melinda was playing her perfectly. Soon she couldn't totally keep quiet and occasional moans could be heard.
While, at that point, she would have preferred not giving Melinda the satisfaction that her actions were having an effect on her, her body could not help but react to the pleasurable feeling.
It was nowhere as good as how Hal made her feel but it was enough to push her closer and closer to climax. Melinda's ministrations to the prone Rita's body only became more precise and wonderful to feel as the time went on.
Rita's moans of arousal were contagious as soon enough, even Melinda who was responsible for those moans, was moaning along as well.
Marla was gyrating her pelvis against Hal's finger to gain even more friction or even better, make him use the touch that would stimulate her even when the reminded static.
Hal could feel her need and its steady increase as well, but being the tease he was, he was going to hold out just a bit longer.
Besides, there was something he was starting to notice from Marla amid her moans which was that Melinda's tempo was increasing the longer she touched Rita.
Marla's increasing tempo was understandable since she was on the receiving end of pleasure but Melinda's was suspicious.
Even if it was pleasurable to pleasure someone, it could not possibly be to this extent.
Melinda was also starting to notice the flames of passion rising within her and also beginning to rise in her. She soon realized, with her powerful senses that Rita was not being as passive as she seemed.
Hal smiled at the two fondly as Rita used lust flames to get back at Melinda and Melinda in turn was starting to catch on.
"So you're cheating, huh?" Melinda said with a smirk.
Rita turned away with a scoff.
Melinda nodded with a smile,
"Good, good, good"
Before long, Rita felt even more pleasure from Melinda's ministrations and soon stood at the threshold of climax. As she felt it coming from her very core, Rita could not help but grin and let out a loud moan...
"Ahhhhnnnn"
...when suddenly, Melinda's hands stopped. Leaving Rita at the threshold but unable to feel the bliss of an orgasm. Melinda had cut her off before she could feel the pleasurable relief.
She squirmed against the ropes but did not dare break it. They agreed that, if she broke the rope then, all that happened till then would be null and void.
Melinda would have the right to start again or schedule it for another day. Teasing Melinda back with her lust flames had not being prohibited from the start and hence, while it was technically cheating, it was not a deal-breaker.
For the first time, Rita looked scared and Melinda's grin only made the fear even worse.
Melinda grabbed her bountiful mounds and squeezed lightly, Rita moaned and looked at her with pleading eyes,
This was not looking good.
Hal smiled at the turn of events while he lifted Marla and positioned her above his erect cock.
As soon as the tip touched her labia, Marla grabbed it and held it up as she lowered herself on it.
"Aaahhhhhnnnnnnn"
Marla moaned and arched her back with her hands on his chest. She gripped him with her inner walls as tight as she possibley could. Her whole attention was on him and the only word she could think of at that moment was,
'Finally'
Chapter 137 - Lust Flames. R-18
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
"Ohh yes"
Marla moaned as she lifted herself over and over again and slammed over and over again on Hal's pelvis, driving his dick as deep as she could inside herself.
Hal smiled at her enthusiasm as he dropped her waist and slammed her even harder on himself.
Since they had started, Hal had not made use of {Erogenous touch}, relying on his plethora of techniques to drive Marla closer and closer to orgasm.
"Oh more. I want more"
She said and fell forward to grab his head against her chest. Hal chuckled,
"You make it seem as though I don't want the same"
He said before he sucked her nipple into his mouth.
"Ahhnn" Marla moaned and tightened even more around the cock that was ravaging her insides, enough to cause Hal to groan and suck even harder.
Increasing the rate at which her pussy released juices and facilitated his thrusts into her.
Hal smiled about her nipple and moved his hands from her waist to grab her ass and pull her even closer.
Marla stopped lifting herself up and instead focused on gyrating her hips as though to stir up her insides with Hal's pleasurable cock.
With her hands still around his neck and her continued gyrations, Hal lifted himself off the chair. Marla transitioned easily and wound her legs behind his back while he supported her weight with his hands.
Once they were in a standing position, he supported her back against the room wall and his thrusts steadily became deeper and faster.
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
"Oh, oh, ohhhhh"
Along with the increase in thrust speed and deepest was an increase in juice discharge from her pussy. Throughout the exercise, she had been having mini-orgasms, more than enough to cause her to have pleasurable spasms, but she could now feel the big one on the way.
Hal could feel it too, judging from the way her pussy was tightening around his cock at intervals.
He initiated {Erogenous Touch} not just with his cock but with his hands as well.
Marla could feel her whole ass become an erogenous zone and it was incredibly pleasurable to her as Hal gave it mild squeezes, however, that was nothing compared to how the {Erogenous Touch} charged cock was making her feel from the inside.
"Ahhhnnnn"
Marla faced upward with Hal's head buried in the inside of her neck as she moaned out loud and her body was subjected to violent and wonderful spasms that caused her to squeeze harder on Hal's dick than she possibly could have, had she done so consciously.
Hal groaned as he released his gallons of seed deep inside her while he absorbed her essence and kept it away for future use, after all, this was only the beginning.
Melinda spared a few minutes to watch the end to the activity between Hal and Marla and the moistening of her thighs was testament to how much it turned her on.
She had nothing against Marla going first, in fact, she preferred being last, allow the juniors to go ahead and Hal to finally focus all his attention on her once he was done.
After all, he was unlike a normal man so his passion only increased over time.
Also, the time Marla spent with Hal was well spent 'disciplining' Rita and while she was loving it, she could see how much Rita disliked it.
At least that was the case a few minutes ago, now Rita seemed to be getting more 'into it'. That was not to say that being denied climax over and over again was not agonizing and annoying, it was just that it was building up the anticipation of release and the promise of the pleasure to come once she was granted release.
However, bright as that future was, Melinda was still very well in control of how fast it was to arrive and she was in no rush to bring it about soon.
Or so Rita thought.
As Melinda went lower to her very moist lower lips while placing kisses along the way, she also felt a little indecisive, wondering if to deny Rita as long as she could or grant her release the moment Marla falls unconscious due to exhaustion.
She could tell that Marla already climaxed but Hal would not be Hal if one climax was all he granted his partner. There were multiple orgasms in all of their futures and she would very much like Hal to take care of her itch quickly.
She let out a quiet sigh as she finally lay before Rita's pink and sleek hole.
A mere touch of that area was enough to cause Rita to squirm and leak even more juices. Her body was so hot and bothered at the moment, that almost every part of her body that Melinda touched and kissed was sending spasms to her lower region.
After a few delicate touches, Melinda began to fully devote her attention to Rita's clit and stopping whenever it seemed the other lady was close to that release.
Rita tried her best to not show signs and maybe sneak one past Melinda, Alas, the longer this went on, the more flustered she was and the harder it was for her to control involuntary actions.
"Ahhn"
She moaned and just as Melinda had predicted, her eyes were now filled with lust, but also, she knew there was hope.
Once Hal was done with Marla, his attention would inevitably turn to the two of them, at which time Rita was sure, bet or no bet, Melinda was going to give all this up to jump Hal's bones.
As a Semi-Succubus tied to Hal through a contract, she knew that Lust flames never fully die out, especially when their victims stay in close proximity with the Demoness who lit them.
Melinda touching her was like a two-edged sword that fanned the flames of lust and passion and increases arousal to the point that she would be unable to control herself, even if she wished to.
"Ohhhhhh, yessssss!" Marla howled passionately in the loudest volume yet, which instantly alerted the two ladies that the session was over and the younger lady was heading to sweet, blissful slumber.
Melinda smiled with false melancholy,
"Well, we'll stop this here. I don't doubt you will challenge me again and once you lose, which you will, I'll finish this even better"
Rita rolled her eyes while Melinda chuckled,
"I should end it the right way though" She said and within seconds, brought Rita the climax she craved and it was just as good as the flustered lady had anticipated.
The rush of pleasure was enough to make her feel faint as her body spasmed while her pussy squirted juices over and over again, however she held on to consciousness by sheer force of will and broke the ropes she had been bound with as easily as raising her arms and legs.
Since the Bet had been paid, this was not breaking any agreement and Melinda ignored it as she made to stand from the bed when Rita suddenly pulled her arm to stop her.
When she turned and saw Rita's vindictive smile, Melinda finally realized that now that the bet was over, their original goal of one-upping each other when in a threesome with Hal, was back on.
*Yelp*
She had barely let out the sound as Rita pulled her and she fell on top of her.
Rita smiled and locked her arms around the Golden-eyed beauty, there was mischievousness evident in her black irises which turned a shimmering purple color, barely a second later.
Her whole body became coated in purple sensual flames that quickly snuck into Melunda's pores and caused her body to get flushed almost immediately.
"Ohhhh, Ahhhnnnn"
Melinda moaned as her whole body began to twitch and she reached climax.
Hal who had just let Marla down after she fell unconscious from multiple orgasms, smiled lightly at the sight.
It was beautiful, and even as Rita unwound her arms from around Melinda and let her roll to her side, the two ladies breathed in and out in synch from their activities.
"Are you tired? That's a shame" Hal said in a smiling tone of voice that acted as a stimulant for the two ladies who hopped up as soon as he said it.
"Tired?" Rita asked with incredulity.
"Impossible" Melinda said conviction and immediately rose from the bed to take the still erect cock, in her mouth.
It was still slick with Marla's juices, but that was not a deterrent for the two ladies as they soon took to double-teaming him.
As his cock was already erect, the two did not suck him off for that long, and Rita soon spread herself for the penetration that would make even Melinda's bullying worth it.
Hal placed his tool at her entrance and thrust in sharply, going as deep as he could in one go.
"Hnnghhh" Rita groaned from pleasure and gripped at the bedsheets as the thrusting soon became vigorous.
"Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
*Squelch* *Squelch* *Squelch*
Along with thrusting sounds was the sounds her wet pussy made as a testament to how stimulating the past events and the eventual climax was.
Melinda did not wish to stay idle and she did not need to. {Erogenous Touch} was initiated on all parts of Hal's body and any contact with any of said parts was stimulating Melinda, who did not neglect to touch him all over, in preparation for her penetration.
Which, despite all the time she had felt it, she was looking forward to.
Chapter 138 - The Tremor Of A Visit. R-18
Unknown Location...
San Fidwud had one knee on the ground while he bowed, not having the courage to look upon the face of his benefactor.
While it was true that a part of their plans had been successful, the other part, which had been to kill the Great family scions had failed and in the process, a lot of Plebeian men had been lost.
What made it worse was that the only ones who knew the party responsible for the loss were the Great family that had been saved, hence they had more information that could prove critical once the war began.
After all, they were completely sure, thanks to careful planning and information gathering that the Great families could not have handled the threat so efficiently with the strongest of their forces at the home base fighting off the gang assault.
Since he had arrived to give a report, the Master had not said a word, they just watched him, and that terrified him even more.
How could San have known that the Master was not disappointed by the day's events? In fact, they welcomed the bloodshed of that day.
Also, while the Plebeians might not know the interfering party, the same could not be said of the Master, who had their suspicion already.
"I failed. You spent so many resources to facilitate the progress of the Plebeian forces, to lose them in such a manner due to my incompetence, I'm truly sorry Master."
San said with a tone filled with melancholy and shame.
The Master would have chuckled if it would not have seemed inappropriate in the present climate.
Even then, they could not help but smile slightly with amusement,
If only these fools knew this was exactly what they wanted.
If only they knew the Valuable resources they had received were next to nothing to them.
But, it was to be expected, they were beggars after all. Something this small must seem like a fortune to them.
"Not to worry. 'If at first, you don't succeed, try and try again'. So San, try and try again"
San was overwhelmed with emotion,
"Yes, master I will. And next time I will succeed"
The master laughed in their mind,
'No, you won't. But it hardly matters' they thought and then paused as their senses stretched all over the location as though in search of something.
It is only for an instant and then the Master frowned and gripped the arms of their chair tightly in frustration.
San noticed the change and looked up, about to inquire what the matter was but was interrupted by the Master who says,
"You may leave now, there is something I must now attend to"
San was confused but also aware that his conference with the Master was over and so he retreated.
As soon as he was gone, the Master's frown became even deeper,
"Foolish girl. Why are you so impatient?"
...
Meanwhile at the mansion...
Marla and Rita were slumbering peacefully on a side of the large bed that could easily accommodate twenty individuals. On another, quite independent side, Melinda and Hal were still at it.
In real-time, they had been at it for hours and that did not factor in the time Hal had spent thoroughly satisfying the other two ladies.
However in the outside world, barely an hour had passed.
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
Hal's thrusts were slowing down as Melinda was going through numerous orgasms that followed each other as though in a chain.
The moment one stopped, another would begin and with it came the squeezing of Hal's cock within her snatch.
Hal groaned at the wonderful feeling as he finally shot his cum right into her cave.
Melinda simply reveled in the hot heat of his seed that warmed her up from the inside out.
"That's so good" she moaned with a slight slur.
It was as though she was drunk and in actuality, she was.
She was drunk on pleasure.
Hal pulled out, the session had been wonderful and he had managed to curb his sexual appetite that always wanted more.
But he did not see this as a problem, however, it just seemed to him a guarantee that sex would always be a constant in his life. A reality he gladly welcomed.
As soon as his ass hit the bed, however, Melinda had sat up and transitioned into a kneel as she grabbed his dick in her hand and lowered her head to lick it.
*Slurp* *Slurp* *Slurp*
Soon, she was licking it all around and the pleasure was tickling and wonderful to Hal. She focused on the head, or more accurately, the sensitive ridge beneath it.
Hal looked down at her with a smile.
She seemed to be as insatiable as he was.
*Fap* *Fap* *Fap*
She stroked it only for a short while, she had no real interest in tasting his cum at the moment, she already had her fill of it, she, however, wanted more of it deep inside of her pussy, despite her cave almost completely filled with the stuff.
The warm sensation it gave her was adductive. The addiction had been slowly increasing over time and today, she wished to get her fix, until her pussy could hold no more.
While she could easily expel it from inside of her cave, she was not so foolish to do so, after all, it was potent with his essence.
A terrible shame and waste it would be to expel it.
Melinda got on all fours and directed her shapely ass at him.
"Give it to me in my favorite position" she said with a groan.
"I didn't know it was" Hal said with a smile.
Melinda moaned while shaking her ass at him,
"I love how deep you get in this position, now come on baby, Fuck me!"
"Music to my ears" Hal said and he buried himself to the hilt inside of her pussy.
"Ahhhhnnn"
Melinda arched her back at the pleasure that Hal's cock radiated pleasure inside her.
He leaned over her and reached to her front to grab her breasts with both hands.
Ample as they were, he could not hold their whole volume in his hand but the way the excess spilled out of the gaps within his fingers was incredible to him as he went on to knead her assets.
Melinda lifted herself off the bed to grab and press his hands against her boobs as though to dig his fingers in further.
All through this, Hal never stopped thrusting. Never stopped stirring up her insides.
All this coupled with the sensations she had already felt earlier, it did not take long for Melinda to climax and Hal spurted into her at the same time.
As the exchange of essence took place, the two simply held each other before slumping on the bed and remaining motionless.
The high of the climax was still very much in them and speaking at that moment would only ruin it.
Melinda was satisfied with his touch on her body, his semi-flaccid cock in her pussy and his sizeable and beautiful hands on her breasts. Not to mention the wonderful scent wafting off his body mixed in with manly musk and the combined smell of their secretions and sweat.
While on another side of the bed, two other ladies slept peacefully and just past the demarcation, twenty ladies cultivated diligently to earn his favor, for that moment, they seemed to be in their own little world and that was enough.
*Sigh*
They sighed deeply, simultaneously, and could not help but chuckle at their timing of the act.
Hal was no longer grabbing her breasts, simply tracing circles around her nipple.
The sensation of which Melinda enjoyed.
"Don't you think you were a little too harsh with the bet?" He said in a quiet voice.
Melinda turned to face him and smiled lightly,
"No, I don't think so. Besides towards the end, she must have loved it"
Hal smiled,
"I don't doubt that but she is sure to not be kind if she ever gets the opportunity to get back at you"
Melinda snorted and turned a fraction in Rita's direction before turning back to face Hal,
"She can bring it on. If she ever gets the chance, I'll accept the punishment gladly"
Hal chuckled lightly and would have loved to say more if not for the Tremor that suddenly shook the chamber they were in.
Melinda perked up to the disturbance as well as Hal stood from the bed and withdrew clothes from his inventory which he quickly put on.
"Who is it?" Melinda asked, knowing he would have scouted with his Astral perception.
"Trouble" Hal said and left the chamber.
Melinda picked up her spatial pouch from out of the midst of discarded clothes. From it, she retrieved a fresh set of clothing and hastened to put it on.
Meanwhile, Hal walked towards the front of the Mansion in a haste.
While he was expecting visitors, it was much too early to receive them.
Not to mention that this particular visitor was one he had not been expecting and (he had to admit) he had overlooked.
In the front of the mansion, Castor was directing the guards to defend against the intruder.
The gate had been destroyed and the front wall had been reduced to rubble, it must gave been the cause of the tremor.
And the intruder looked upon the guards with a smirk that did not completely hide the mild surprise in her eyes as she sensed their competence.
In her left hand, she held a blood-red Broadsword that was obviously her Cosmic Armament.
The pants she wore below her short gown showcased her long legs and when her eyes fell upon Hal and his expressionless but beautiful face, they were immediately filled with hatred.
Lillian Payne had decided to pay a visit.
Chapter 139 - A Mother's Duty.
Horst Manor...
Amelia was in her room, changing into outdoor clothes and thinking of the day's events, wishing she had taken Frank's place and participated in the competition in his place.
But even then, according to the news of how strong the assailants had been, she had to admit that there was no assurance that she would have survived.
The Competition had officially ended about an hour ago but long before then, the Horst scions had already returned and sometime later, Frank arrived as well.
When the knowledge of all that had happened in the forest had been relayed to her in full detail, Amelia had not seen her brother as a coward, on the contrary, she now believed his prophecy had been real.
She was no idiot. She knew that the difference in their talent was bound to cause envy. As someone who had seen life outside of this City, the prospect of staying here, even with the title of Horst lord, was not something to celebrate.
Had their roles being reversed, Amelia believed she would be resentful as well.
And that was why she forbade any of the scions from calling Frank a coward. Admonishing them to put themselves in Frank's shoes.
She would not have been this defensive if the attack on the Horst scions had not been to kill Frank specifically, as he was the future lord of Horst Manor.
Which brings us to how they had all managed to survive.
It had nothing to do with the Horst protectors who were taken care of easily.
In that situation, there was absolutely no hope and had it not been for Hal's intervention, they would all be dead.
There was also some news about some Men who took on all the Plebeian assailants and killed all of them. Apparently, no one knew who they were and if someone did, they were not saying anything.
Amelia sighed as she put the finishing touches to her dressing and then turned to see her mother standing in the doorway,
"Heading out?" Emily said with a light smile.
Amelia frowned and declined to comment.
As she mulled things over and sought someone to blame and relieve her guilt, her mother's face was what always came up and it was understandable why it was so.
After all, it had been Emily who insisted Frank should go to the forest.
Amelia knew she should not have been so harsh with her mother, since, at the time, they had no idea, the Great family scions would be targeted and her actions were merely to toughen up her son. Even then she could not help but feel a little twinge of resentment.
"You're upset" Emily said.
Amelia looked down, a little embarrassed that she was being so unfair.
"You should be" Emily did and Amelia's head snapped up to look into her mother's face.
"What?" She was incredulous.
Emily shrugged with a sigh,
"I said you should be angry. Even more so since I believed the prophecy"
Amelia's eyes widened slightly,
"You believed it?"
Emily stepped into the room,
"Well, believe is a little strong. Let's just say, I did not dismiss it as easily as it outwardly seemed. I accepted that there were too many things beyond understanding in the Cultivation world.
Besides, I've heard rumors of a sect shrouded in secrecy that deals with such things"
Amelia was taken aback,
"You have?"
Emily nodded,
"They are rumors and not totally credible but it was enough to sow doubt. That said, I dismissed it to give your brother some peace of mind.
It does not bode well to dwell on prophecies and for something I did not completely believe, he was obsessing on it too much"
"So why did you make him participate in the competition that had the potential to be life-threatening? Did you just not care?" Amelia said with a clenched fist and anger.
Emily looked as though she had been slapped,
"Of course I care. I can't believe you would even doubt that. He is my son and it is the duty of a mother to make her child strong.
Frank was too insecure and envious for his own good and nothing I did was making him see reason"
Emily took a deep breath and sat on Amelia's large princess bed, her slightly gray eyes, cloudy with emotion.
"That said, once he failed to become Master Swanson's apprentice -which I did not expect him to succeed at- I began to wonder if the prophecy might truly be bogus.
But then, the Holgers were killed and to block the events from public eye, a Dome of Astral energy surrounded it. Judging from its two colors, the dome was clearly of two energy signatures. The fact that no runes had been involved was very peculiar. It wasn't something a Rune Master should be capable of. Especially not in this city"
Amelia nodded,
"With your peerless deduction, you figured Hal was the cause," she said.
Emily chuckled,
"Yes, I did. Insisting Frank participate in the Competition was my way of giving him a fighting chance. If Hal participated in the Competition then the Forest was the right place for Frank to be.
I don't know if the prophecy was real but at least, your brother survived and he did so because of Hal"
While Frank had not been with the Horst scions when Hal had helped them, the two still believed Hal had been involved in securing his safety.
Emily fell into deep thoughts. There were too many mysteries with Hal. Too many peculiarities.
Amelia walked past her and it brought her out of her thoughts. It was obvious where Amelia was off to.
Emily sighed and stood from the bed.
She might as well tag along.
Amelia turned to look at her and smiled before interlocking their arms and they left the room together.
If there was one thing she prided herself on Other than talent, it was the ability to understand her mother's motives.
Meanwhile, ever since he returned to the Manor, Frank was back to taking his Cultivation seriously. Putting himself in seclusion for that very reason.
...
The Mansion...
Lillian watched Hal closely with clear animosity. She was well justified to feel this way, after all, Hal had killed her son and made a mess of what she had once considered peace.
Since that day, nothing relating to the Paynes had meaning to her and all she wanted was to make the two bastards pay.
The first was Gregory. While he had been the reason Rad had even fought in the first place, her hatred for him went beyond that. Rad's death had dredged up past pain that she no longer had any intention of ignoring.
As for Hal, although he had dealt the blow, her hatred for him also went beyond that and related to the very same thing that she was now putting to bed.
That said, Gregory was still much too powerful and surrounded by his forces. It was best to start from Hal, the easy target.
Fitting too.
Start with the son and end with the father.
She gripped her Cosmic Armament tighter as she studied Hal's posture and released the pressure of her cultivation base subtly.
Even though she was at the Mid-stage of the Cosmic Armament realm, Lillian had no intention of underestimating Hal's prowess.
However, she could not help but be skeptical that Hal could have possibly attained the strength to contend with her. Such progress would be inhuman!
So when Hal released his in the same manner and she realized what his cultivation was, she sighed in relief but did not relax her vigilance.
Hal was after all still a Runemaster.
"It's been a while, Stepmother" Hal greeted in a polite tone that Lillian took for mockery.
She was not surprised he had figured it out. Although she had never told him outright, Lilian had never treated him like a son. She had mostly ignored him.
"I really do blame Gregory. Just because he could not keep it in his pants, he got seduced by your slut of a mother. That Witch!" Lillian said with spite.
Being the first time he had heard, from Lillian's lips, about the mother of this body, Hal was a little intrigued.
Even if all he had heard -from Lillian- so far were insults.
Lillian continued,
"It was his fault. He brought you into our lives and I and Rad paid the price. But it's fine, I will put an end to it all. If only I had been more assertive back then, all this could have been avoided"
Hal smiled,
"Oh? What was your solution?" He asked
Lillian grinned and licked her lips,
"To kill you of course"
Hal could feel the pressure of her cultivation but he was not fazed in the slightest.
As long as there were no surprises, Hal was sure he could contend with her with just his peak Cosmic Pearl realm cultivation and the reinforcement of his flesh by his Bloodline.
If he summoned Executioner, it would be laughably easy, but considering how the more he made use of his Bloodline Armament, the sooner he was bound to face another Curse tribulation, he would rather not unless he absolutely needed it.
As soon as she made her declaration, he expected her to attack but she simply stood in place, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
When she opened her eyes, her face seemed to morph and gain a feral beauty.
The difference was easy to spot since her looks were normally just above average. Her eyes also gained a crimson tint.
Hal signaled for Castor and the other guards to step back and they did.
'Just my luck, just when I thought of surprises, she showcases one. Can't this just be easy?'
"Haha... Haha... Hahahaha" Lillian laughed with a hint of crazy and in a flash, she crossed the little distance between her and Hal and swung her Armament at his neck.
*Bang!*
The Sound was kind of explosive as the broad sword made contact with Hal's hand which he had raised at the last minute to block the broadsword by slamming it on the flat side of the blade.
The force of the contact slammed him away and into the Mansion walls...
*Bang*
*Crack*
...cracking it just as Melinda arrived at the scene.
Chapter 140 - Pike Of Vengeance!
As Melinda saw Hal's back make contact with the Mansion wall, she summoned her Cosmic Armament.
In her anger, the white and gold Armament was summoned in a manner that immediately attracted the attention of the grinning Lillian.
Lillyan looked at the Armament and her eyes narrowed because she could infer that the golden veins on the weapon were peculiar.
From Melinda's body, she could feel the pressure of a Mid-stage Cosmic Armament realm cultivator just like herself so she was not convinced she could be victorious, as such, she became somewhat cautious.
Melinda on the other hand did not put Lillian's mid-stage cultivation to mind and prepared to attack when Hal groaned and stood steadily from where he had fallen.
"Can you let me handle this, Baby girl?" His voice came from behind her and she turned to find him grinning.
His hair had formed a partial curtain in front of his face, casting a dark shadow in it. Such that, even in the absence of transformation, he looked like a Devil.
"Oh? You're standing. Good. It would have been a shame if that was all it took to end you"
Melinda looked at him for a while before she went over to the side with a sigh. Her Armament was still out, a warning to Lillian that she would be ready to intervene at any time.
Lillian sneered at the display. She planned to kill Hal as soon as she could. Faster than Melinda could possibly interfere.
Hal on the other hand was performing some minor stretches to loosen his body. He even executed a few squats.
The slam against the mansion wall had done a number on him.
Lillian did not bother to wait and as she had done before, she closed the distance between them in a flash but this time, she stabbed at his midsection instead.
The fact that even after he had received a hit that strong, Hal still told Melinda to step aside, notified Lillian that he must have a few tricks up his sleeve and so she would not let him use those tricks.
This time around, despite his stretches, Hal was prepared and very aware that Lillian was much too close for him to dodge completely, so he settled for twisting his body away, just enough to let her jab go astray.
As her broadsword hit nothing, Lillian was not the least bit disappointed or flustered. Instead, she smiled in a feral manner and twisted to slash at his side...
*Bam*
...however, before the slash could connect, Hal had not been idle and punched her in the arm.
The force of it caused Lillian to slide away from him. She looked up at him and frowned in a self-deprecating manner as though berating herself for letting Hal's fist connect with her arm.
Hal chuckled as he relaxed from the stance he had taken,
"You're strong. Rad crumpled up when I punched him"
The moment he mentioned Rad, Lillian's crimson tinged eyes became even deeper in color and her face twisted in anger. Despite that,
"Damn, you're beautiful" Hal commented.
He was not totally attempting to distract her, the more angry Lillian became, the more beautiful her feral looking face became.
Lillian did not let his words distract her as she dashed forward with a cackle,
"If that's so, then die with it being the last you ever see."
This time she transferred her Broadsword to her left hand so as to leave her right free
It was that right gist that she directed at Hal while packing behind it, the might of her cultivation base.
Hal was ready to reciprocate with a fist of his own.
Ambitious, but very well within his capabilities.
As she took on a punching stance, Lillian smiled and opened up her palm while stopping in place,
"Third-grade skill: Pike of Vengeance"
Hal was taken aback as she summoned a three circle ring, out of which came a giant green fist holding a Pike of the same color. Both composed of Cosmic Energy.
With the Pike in hand, the giant fist advanced toward Hal with incredible speed.
Hal immediately became stationary as the Skill's energy trapped him in place. Judging from what he could note from Lillian's face and the Skills name, Hal was sure the Skill did not only rely on the user's Cosmic Energy but also the depth of their hatred for their opponent.
There were such skills that depended on not only Cosmic Energy but also peculiar conditions such as emotions.
The joy on Lillian's face was deep and malignant. Hal was comfortable in assessing that this Skill was fully powered.
That said, she was delusional if she thought this was enough to put him down.
"Third Grade skill: Beetle Shell"
The shell-shaped shield was summoned and blocked the skill just enough to reduce its lethality, but it was eventually overpowered and the washed-down attack continued uninterrupted to connect with Hal's skin.
*Bang*
*Shatter*
The Pike shattered against his skin but not before piercing it.
Hal's hand reflexively went to the wound which was superficial at best as he could already feel it healing.
Lillian frowned as he survived it but quickly decided to return to aiming to run him through with her sword.
Before long, she and Hal were embroiled in close combat where Hal cleverly avoided direct cuts from her sword and reciprocated with punches to her arm and mid-section but never her face.
Lillian soon understood that Hal had no interest in killing her. All his punches were to defend himself.
Also,
why were the connecting strikes feeling good?
Since when did she become a masochist?
She shook her head to rid it of unnecessary thoughts as she decided to take advantage of his leniency.
She had been focusing her attacks with her Broadsword just enough to make it the one part of her attack he was truly looking out for.
She easily performed trickery by making it seem as though she would attack with the broadsword. Once Hal made to hit it away again by making contact with the flat side, Lillian dispersed of the broad sword.
In the short second in which Hal stumbled as he failed to make contact, she packed as much energy as she could into her left fist and sunk it into his ribs.
*Crack*
Hal groaned at the pain but still grinned.
Lillian was confused by this reaction before Hal hugged her tight.
Her eyes widened and she made to extricate herself from him when...
"Mmmhh"
...she moaned from the Contact.
The moment the sound leaked out, Lillian caught herself and growled in anger but by then, Hal had pushed her away and put distance between them.
...
"What the hell?" Emily asked with a light smile.
She and Amelia were watching the battle and the bizarre turn from a few distances away having just arrived at the Mansion. Emily really had no intention of speaking to Hal, but that did not mean she did not want to see him.
To her surprise, Hal was battling with Lillian Payne who was not pulling any punches, causing the strikes to be loud and attention-grabbing.
She was sure that news was already circulating the city by now. She was also curious as to whether this broke the one-year immunity that Hector Edgar had ordered.
As soon as she thought so, she had to admit that the order seemed only towards Gregory, most likely because Hector overlooked the pain of a grieving mother as Lillian had never been truly outspoken outside of her home.
From what she had observed so far, while Lillian had been smiling and cackling, the pain behind her actions was real which was to be expected.
What surprised her however was how Hal was contending with her with them not even being in the same realm.
It wasn't that Lillian was weak, Hal was just that strong.
That said, it was more than a little bizarre for Lillian to moan while Hal held her but Emily could understand why and knew just how frustrated Lillian was at the moment.
She looked away from the battle at her daughter whose eyes were shining despite her clenched fists. It was obvious that she was rooting for Hal and quite convinced of his victory.
...
Meanwhile,
Embarrassed as she was that different parts of her body were tingling with pleasure at that moment, Lillian endeavored to shake those feelings and end Hal's life once and for all.
Melinda struggled to keep from smiling at how dirty Hal could play. The worst of it was how serious Hal was now, almost as though to convince all those present that he was not a pervert and his focus was completely on defeating Lillian.
"You shameless bastard" Lillian groaned in exasperation when the realization set in that the parts that were tingling were all parts Hal had touched.
"What did I do?" Hal asked innocently.
"What did you hug me for?" She sneered.
"A parting remark. I plan to get serious now and kill you, it is only fitting I say goodbye first, stepmother" Hal said with a shrug.
"Y-you..." Lillian struggled to compose herself.
"Are you going to fight or what? I don't have all day" Hal said with impatience.
"You don't have time? You perverted Bastard, I want to kill you so much!"
Hal sighed with impatience,
"Of course you do, I doubt you broke down my wall and cracked my ribs to say hello. Now come on, don't be lazy... Mommy"
Lillian blanked and the next moment she was reaching within herself and summoning a turbulent mass of cosmic energy.
There was something about how destructive it was that reminded Hal of something.
It reminded him of the assassin who had attacked him and attempted to use a First-grade skill even though he could not control it.
'It would seem, you've really upset her' Grimoire said as though Hal could not see that for himself.
'Tsk, Damn it'
Hal was more worried about her than himself. He could very well escape the effects of an unstable skill and should he take on the lesser Devil form, he was bound to escape without a scratch.
Lillian on the other hand could suffer its ricocheted effects on her.
"Fourth-grade skill: Retribution!"
She snarled with considerable effort and made to direct the skill which had yet to take a definite form at him, when...
*Pah*
There was a smack to her back and an Array scroll appeared and activated. It sucked away the skill's energy and imploded while Lillian slumped and fell into the arms of a figure covered head to toe in a Black cloak.
The figure held Lillian and Hal could see an activated rune (Sleep) on her back.
Melinda was by Hal's side in an instant and together they surveyed the new arrival whose only discernable feature was Crimson eyes full of Malice.
Hal was ready to bet all the Gold in his inventory that this was the Master the Plebeians serve.