Chapter 261 - An Omen. R-18
"Mmmnnggghh" Camira bit her bottom lip to stifle some of her moans but that barely reduced the volume and before long she was back to screaming at the top of her lungs.
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
While she did, Hal's thrusts never stopped and only seemed to grow harder with every passing second.
Suddenly, Camira twitched and spasmed while tightening around Hal as she was brought to climax.
Once she was down from her orgasmic high, Hal pulled out of her but she did not have to feel empty for long as he dragged his hand over her desk...
*Clatter*
...and cleared it of all the books and instruments that littered it before he bent her over the desk.
Camira understood and thrust her ass out to him while she grabbed the edge of the Desk. Hal placed his cock at her entrance once again and thrust inside.
He groaned at the tightness of Camira's innards while his Bloodline reveled in the act.
Almost instinctively, he let out a blast of his violet pheromones that quickly saturated the study, and Eva who had only just brought herself to orgasm breathed it in and found that the ache had returned.
She rubbed even harder in her pussy while she glared at the mating pair.
Meanwhile, Camira's arousal seemed to have doubled as she thrust back constantly into Hal's pelvis while Hal grabbed her ass cheeks and kneaded them while he pounded.
Her breasts were pressed against the hard top of the desk and her nipples were so erect, they looked like they could cut through glass.
*Pah* *Pah *Pah*
*Smack* *Smack* *Smack*
"Ohh yes, more give me more" Camira moaned.
It did not come to mind that she should ask to be fucked harder because however manner with which he gave it to her, she loved it.
She began to have stray thoughts;
What had she been doing all her life?
How could she have gone on with life satisfied that she had felt pleasure when she had yet to be fucked into oblivion by Hal.
THIS was pleasure.
Everything else was crap.
Not just her mind agreed with this assessment but her heart, and body as well as it spasmed continuously as orgasm succeeded orgasm and the orgasmic bliss never came to an end.
Unfortunately, there was only so much she could handle and she soon reached that limit.
Hal groaned and released his seed into her tight pussy which seemed intent on milking him of all he had to offer.
The warmth of his seed seemed to be what finally capped the sensation as Camila could no longer hold back...
"Ahhhnnnnnn" she moaned out loud before slumping on the desk and falling into deep blissful slumber with a fucked-silly expression on her face.
Hal pulled out of her and watched his seed leak out of Camira's pussy as she slumped off the desk and onto the floor with a dull thud.
He had not even turned to face Eva that the lithe lady was already on her knees and sucking his cock.
Showing no aversion whatsoever for her sister's juices that coated said cock.
"Fuck me... Please" she said.
Hal sighed and then grinned,
"You don't need to plead" he said and pulled Eva against himself such that the lady wound her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.
Hal's cock poked her pussy from underneath and Eva shivered nervously,
"Please be gentle" she said in a low voice "I'm still a..."
Hal placed a finger on her lips and stopped her,
"Shh, I know" he said.
With his Bloodline being as it was, an untainted pussy was one he could sniff out should he wish.
Eva buried her face into his neck just as Hal eased his cock head in-between her pussy lips and slowly stretched the tight spot no man has ever been in before.
Going slow was only prolonging what need not be prolonged as Hal slammed her down and pierced her hymen in one go,
"Mmmnnhhhh" Eva moaned in surprise as contrary to the pain her sister had told her followed the breaking of a hymen, what she felt was pleasure instead.
Hal did not hold back as he lifted her and slammed her back down as the pounding began in full swing.
He grabbed Eva's ass cheeks and continued to slam into her with such force that his balls smacked her ass in the process,
*Smack* *Smack* *Smack*
"Oooh yes. That's it" was only a few out of the various words Eva said as the session did not look like it was her first time.
The pleasure she was feeling right from her insides turned her into a raving sex-crazed lady whose only interests lay in the cock thrusting into her at that moment.
It was probably unfortunate for this young lady that Hal was her first because no man would ever hold a candle to him.
Even at that moment, despite it being her first time, Eva knew with certainty that a life of normalcy with any other man apart from Hal was going to be unsatisfying and quite frankly horrifying.
She was officially ruined.
...
It was well past midnight when the last of the Party guests left to return to their hotels and Aaro could finally breathe easy as it had mostly been a success.
Other than the little snag that was Henrik losing to Hal in a spar he himself had proposed, everything had gone smoothly.
Henrik was suddenly by his brother's side,
"Is it still going on? It's been hours" Aaro said.
Henrik shrugged,
"I'm as surprised as you are." He said.
Suddenly, it was as though something dropped in the pit of Aaro's stomach as he felt something was not quite right and walked off towards his wife's study
With Henrik right on his heels.
As soon as he arrived before the door, he made to push it open but thought better of it. Well aware that one of the reasons he even managed to garner the presence of all the dignitaries who came on to the party was due to Camira's connections.
Connections she had gained from doing the Princess's bidding.
So instead, he raised his and made to knock but before he could the door opened, and out came Hal with a wide smile on his face.
It was as though he and Aaro were sharing a private joke but the Baron had no idea what it could be.
Hal sighed deeply and opened his mouth as though to say something but instead he just put his fist in front of his mouth to stifle his laughter.
"I'm not even going to bother" he said and walked right past Aaro and then Henrik to head out of the Baron's residence.
Aaro was so confused and focused on figuring out what he was missing that he did not say anything about Hal's lack of respect for him and quite frankly, rude exit.
After Hal's exit came Eva's and she did so on slightly shaky legs, at least it was shaky until she noticed Aaro and Henrik's presence.
"Baron" she bowed and straightened up and proceeded to walk past them to her room.
"Eva, Eva, wait up" Henrik called out to her but she ignored him.
Frowning, Aaro walked into the study and saw Camira sitting behind her desk and taking a sip of wine,
"So... How was it? How was the interrogation?" Aaro asked.
Camira let a moment pass as she downed the whole glass and then smiled lightly,
"It went great. It was perfect" she answered.
But her smile did not put Aaro at ease. If anything, he felt it was an omen. An omen for bad things to come.
Chapter 262 - Penelope's Yearning.
Once Hal was outside the Baron's residence he stopped and looked up at the night sky littered with twinkling stars and the silver moon and sighed deeply.
He had come here with Eva's carriage and did not expect her to be coming out to order him to be taken back anytime soon, so he considered walking back to the Hotel.
The distance was not too far for him to traverse and he quite preferred the option to have to ask one of the Carriage men to take him back.
Even if he could make use of Eva's name.
He was still thinking about this when a carriage stopped right in front of him and the one Lady Penelope thrust her head out of the window,
"Want a ride?" She asked him with a smile.
Hal grinned and shrugged,
"I'm not averse to that" he said just as the carriage doors opened and he stepped inside to sit opposite Penelope and beside her guard.
The guard glared at him so Hal decided to make use of it as the perfect excuse.
He shifted seats and sat beside Penelope instead.
The guard's eyes and he made to protest but Hal raised one hand to signal him to be quiet.
It was so sudden that the guard was caught by surprise and actually kept quiet at which point Hal made himself comfortable in the seat and even went as far as placing his arm behind Penelope.
He did not touch her of course.
He simply let it lay there.
However, it was a bold act that only served to increase the guard's ire,
"What do you think you're doing?" He asked in a menacing tone as the carriage finally pulled out of the Baron's residence and towards the Hotel.
Hal looked confused as though he could not understand why the guard was behaving in such an abrupt and frankly rude manner.
He looked so clueless that it made the guard sick.
"That's enough. I invited him inside and I have not complained about his arm placement so it's none of your business. Now, do be quiet." Penelope said.
"I apologize my lady"
The guard bowed, looking rebuked.
Hal shook his head and sighed,
"Good help is so hard to find these days" he said and the guard visibly swelled in anger.
Penelope chuckled lightly in amusement before her expression became serious once again,
"So, do you mind telling me what the whole thing with them taking you away was all about?" She asked.
Hal sighed again and put his hands into his clothes but once again, it was a cover to actually retrieve something from his inventory.
In this case, it was to retrieve the Jade token he had with him.
"It was about this" he said and just as he had suspected, once it was out, understanding colored Penelope's expression.
Clearly, she knew what it was.
"Of course. Now I understand. I'm guessing the sisters were taxed with keeping an eye out for you which must mean you received the token from Princess Tanya" she summed up.
Hal was impressed,
"Does that mean Tanya is the only one who gives this Tokens?" He asked.
"'PRINCESS Tanya. You need to be careful to always add her title. Anyway, no. Of course not.
All Elders and dignified fellows at the Royal Academy can give out Jade Tokens.
They usually have a specific number of Jade tokens they receive and whoever it is that gives you the Token is the one you study and serve under should you succeed to become a green-robed student." Penelope explained.
While she was clearly learned about all this, Hal could detect a yearning in her voice. A yearning that did not make it seem as though she attended the Royal Academy.
And sure enough,
"I did not attend the Academy of course. I was never talented enough. I was, however, quite obsessed with it when I was still young enough to attend." She confided.
Hal nodded,
"Okay then, do you know anything about the second use of the Token? Something about Espionage." Hal inquired.
Lady Penelope frowned lightly,
"A use other than for attending the Royal Academy selection? I don't know anything about it." She said and Hal could tell that she was not lying.
Which either meant the sisters had lied to him or more likely, the issue of the Token's other use was much too sensitive a matter for an outsider like Penelope to know.
Hal found himself getting more curious about the whole thing and was now quite interested in finding it all out.
The carriage stopped in front of the Hotel and he alighted before holding his hand for Penelope to grab and assist her down.
Penelope smiled at him,
"I will be leaving the city tomorrow, how about following me to to the county?" She said. It was clear that she enjoyed Hal's company and did not wish to be away from him just yet.
Hal smiled in return,
"Tempting but I have my own plans. Don't worry, at some point, I believe we will see each other again" he told her.
"I hope it's sooner rather than later" The lady said and walked away into the Hotel.
Hal followed soon after and headed straight for his room.
Once inside, he locked the door as he had done before and sat cross-legged to refine the essence he had gotten from the sisters.
The refinement did not take long but while it was going on and his whole attention was on it, a portal to the Harem space opened, and out of it came Melinda who surveyed the room with her light gold eyes before laying on the bed.
As soon as Hal was done, he opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Melinda there with her head on one hand and the other lying on her body which was facing him,
Her clothing was a very flimsy nightwear and Hal loved how it clung to her figure and especially emphasized her ample bust.
"Did you grow bored?" He asked and stood up from the bed to begin taking off the clothes he had on.
Melinda sat up and shrugged,
"Not exactly" she said.
While Ten days had actually passed in the Harem space, the time had been completely dedicated to her cultivation and it was far from being a measure of time that counted as too much for a cultivator of their caliber.
That said, it was Hal himself who had once said that all work and no play was not his way.
They needed some alone time.
Hal chuckled when she made use of his words while he stripped right in front of her to change into something more comfortable.
"Wait, don't wear anything. Come to bed just like that." She said and stood from the bed as well.
It was like she did not believe he would really be able to hold herself back from putting on clothes which Hal felt was a notion that did not really make any sense.
Melinda grabbed his hand and pulled him against her.
Hal smiled and leaned forward to capture her lips before tearing off the flimsy nightwear she had on.
He reached to her breasts and grabbed one of them and kneaded it, drawing a moan from her lips which he sealed off with another kiss.
Then he used his other arm to lift her and place her on the bed.
Needless to say, it did not stop there and the duo spent the whole night exploring each other's bodies like it was the very first time.
Chapter 263 - Conflicted...
Melinda's eyes opened the next morning to Hal watching her. She smiled lightly and sat up a little while Hal's expression remained the same,
"Much as I do enjoy last night. I was under the impression that you would be taking advantage of the change in time flow to grow even stronger before we get to the capital.
You said you were not bored, so why not tell me what is it that's on your mind." He said.
Melinda stretched her hand and pushed a lock of his dark hair away from his face to better appreciate its beauty which she could never get enough of. Then she sighed,
"A message from my Grandmother" she said.
The time flow did not affect when she received messages on her communication talisman along as it was not a current communication.
So long as it was a sent prerecorded message. It would be received just fine.
"Hmm, the same over-protective grandmother?" Hal asked as it was not the first time Melinda had made mention of her grandmother.
She was the only relative she ever spoke of with fondness and longing.
"The very same" Melinda nodded.
Hal transitioned to lying on his back which Melinda took as an invitation to lay her head on his chest while tracing a finger on his rock-hard abs.
"Well, what did it say?" He asked.
"She wants me back. Soon. Threatened to have me dragged back if she had to." Melinda said and chuckled lightly.
She was no stranger to her grandmother's irony and the one thing she never worried about was Isabella Dane ever hurting her or holding her against her will.
"Will you reply?" Hal asked as he kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair.
Melinda shook her head as best as she could with her head pressed against his chest,
"There's no need. In three days we should be at the capital and should she decide to follow through with her threat... Well, she won't find us at Sapphire city now would she?" She said.
"No she won't" Hal agreed before a knock interrupted anything else he might have wanted to say.
With the use of Astral sense, he knew who his visitor was already and stood up from the bed to put on a loose robe that showed off his chest as he went to open the door just enough to block Eva's view into the room.
"Hi" was the first thing Eva thought to say as she eyed him from head to toe and memory of last night came flooding back.
Which was not particularly hard as she had never truly forgotten it. In fact, she found she never could. She also did not want to.
"Hi" Hal smiled at her.
"Um, can we talk?" She asked tentatively and Hal nodded and invited her inside by opening the door completely,
"By all means" he said and closed the door as soon as she was inside the room.
Eva was about to speak again when she noticed they were not alone. A dark-haired lady with goddess-like beauty and light gold eyes was looking at her with a neutral expression.
"Eva, this is Melinda. Melinda, this is Eva. Melinda is my Fiance" Hal told the lithe young lady whose eyes widened at the information.
"Is that so?" She said in a faint voice and when she looked at the two she could not help but admit that they looked quite perfect as a couple.
Also, she did not need to be told to understand what was going on. It was clear that Hal held no discrimination against the girls he bedded and was most likely a staunch follower of polygamy.
She had guessed as much when he had brought her more pleasure than imaginable. Even her sister admitted that no normal man could pull that off. The only ones who could, were those from the Doxon Duchy.
Only Dual cultivators whose very craft relied on those means.
If Hal was indeed a Dual cultivator, then it was quite likely he was not a one-woman kind of a guy.
Maybe he had screwed her brains out and she was no longer capable of rational thought, but she could not help but find the very prospect of being part of a harem intriguing.
That said, she felt she was getting ahead of herself.
For one thing, she was in a relationship with Henrik and was also taxed by the princess to be a part of her information circuit.
Her place was here.
She shook off all those thoughts as all answers to her personal dilemma could wait.
She cleared her throat,
"My sister, the Baroness would like to speak with you. It is our understanding that you will be leaving today and we would be remiss to not tell you the Princess' edict." She said.
Hal nodded,
"I'll be sure to drop by before my departure" he said.
Eva held her head high and looked at him snd then at Melinda and back again before she said,
"Good" and turned towards the door to leave.
It was clear that this was not all she had been interested in saying but she could not even piece her words together anymore.
She had pulled the door open and was poised to leave when Hal pulled her arm,
"You didn't really have to say anything. It's a consequence of being with me. You can never again settle for mediocrity. It does not matter what choice you make going forward, you are my woman." He said.
He was rational enough to simply let her make her decisions and attempt to forget him but he also knew it was impossible. At some point, she would no longer be able to hold back anymore.
Eva breathed in and seemed to consider the implications of Hal's words before he released her arm and she left the hotel.
Once she was gone, Hal sighed and turned away towards Melinda who was now getting ready to return to the Harem space.
"Another sister?" She asked and unlike her neutral expression when Eva was around, she was now smiling lightly.
Hal brushed his hand through his long dark hair,
"Who knows? She's too conflicted between pleasure and loyalty to her Boyfriend. It's quite endearing."
"Too bad you'll be leaving soon." Melinda said but Hal stepped closer to her and took off the clothes she had put on.
"Not really. You should know me well enough to know that this cannot really be the end. All I do is for the purpose of one day indulging in all of you ladies' embrace.
Now, how does taking a bath with me before returning sound?" He said and kissed her neck.
Melinda moaned,
"It sounds perfect."
...
Two hours later,
Hal was boarding a carriage to the Baron's residence and arrived quiet after.
It was quite obvious that the guards had been told to allow him entry because they did not attempt to stop him.
Once inside the residence, he made his way to the Baroness' study and did not bother to ask for direction or escort since he knew the way.
And then he ran into the Baron,
"Mr. Hal. I see you have returned." The Baron said.
Hal bowed,
"Yes, Baron. As it turns out the Baroness and I still have matters to discuss. I hope to see you again" he said and walked past him.
Once before the study door, with the Baron watching, Hal did not bother to knock and merely pushed the it open to enter into the study.
"Something is not right" Baron Aaro said and moved closer to the study door...
Chapter 264 - She's Clapping. R-18
There was no point in him attempting to hear what was being discussed in the study as Camira was likely to block all sounds with the sound canceling Array.
That said, Aaro could still not bring himself to leave...
...
Meanwhile, inside the study,
After activating the sound canceling Array,
Camira eyed Hal from behind her ornate desk while the blue-eyed young man simply smiled at her.
Eventually, she cleared her throat and began,
"Early this morning, I contacted the princess and informed her of your presence in Kirsten city.
She asked me to give you this..." Camira stretched a communication Talisman to him.
"It's a one-way communication Talisman. Can only be messaged and cannot message in return. She told me to tell you, that she'll be in touch."
Hal received the Talisman and studied it. The runes on it told him Camira was right and he really could not contact anyone with it.
He sent it to his inventory soon after.
Camira watched him do so and brushed back her hair.
Hal glanced up at her,
"Is that the only reason you wanted to speak with me?" He asked with a slight smile.
Camira looked away from him and crossed her legs,
"Well, I felt it would be prudent to discuss yesterday's... activities." She said and squirmed uncomfortably in her chair.
Hal leaned forward and placed his hands on the desk,
"Are you sure you don't want to act like nothing happened?" He asked in a low breathy voice that had blood rushing to Camira's cheeks in seconds.
The Baroness cleared her throat,
"Last night should not have happened. I detest the fact that I cheated on Aaro. I hope you don't attempt to make a move on me again, because I will be forced to disregard that the Princess is interested in you."
Hal raised a brow,
"Is that so?" He asked and stood from his chair.
He walked around the desk to bend right by Camira's side just so he could speak directly into her ear,
"I think I'll risk it. Even at this moment, I can smell your arousal and your pussy getting wetter by the second.
So do yourself a favor and let go of the tough girl act."
With that Hal placed his hands on the chair's armrest and turned it to face him, mildly acknowledging that her clothes were lighter than yesterday's, so he could look directly into her eyes while she stared back into his eyes and could not look away,
It held her in place.
He was right after all.
She was aroused.
Hal lowered his face and looked about to kiss her but stopped just before his lips brushed hers.
Camira's chest rose and fell as she breathed in and out deeply.
"You know what amuses me the most about this situation?" Hal asked.
Camira shook her head slowly and he smiled,
"It's that knowing your husband is right outside of that door is really getting your juices flowing. You naughty, naughty girl" Hal said and before Camira could protest, his lips were connecting with hers in a deep and hurried kiss.
There was no resistance whatsoever from the Baroness as she melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him in closer.
Hal pulled her up from the chair and Camira clamped up on him.
Her legs were wound tight about his waist while she attempted to grind her aching pussy against his hard cock right through their layers of clothing.
Hal once again cleared the Desk just he had the night before and placed her on it just halfway so that her leg would hang off the end once it was unwound from around his waist.
Once her back was on the desk, he pulled her gown up and bunched it around her waist before moving her underwear away from her pussy and then fingering her to an orgasm.
"Ahhhnnn" Camira moaned and clamped even harder on him while Hal pressed on her erect clit with his thumb.
She groaned even harder and twitched occasionally as she thrust her pussy at him.
With his other hand, Hal undid the bodice on the top half of her gown to create an opening and gain access to her full breasts topped with pink and erect nipples.
He lowered his lips captured one of them and sucked on it hard while kneading the other with his hand.
Camira's hands were now grabbing his face and holding him in place while she moaned and writhed as her pussy clenched about his fingers.
It was like her whole body was an instrument for Hal's bidding because all he needed to do was touch somewhere and it would drive her insane with pleasure.
Then Hal separated from her breasts and pulled out his fingers from her pussy before straightening up and pushing down his pants to his ankles and freeing his fully erect dick.
The sight of which caused Camira to lick her lips while her face lit up with lust.
Hal did not keep her wanting for long as well as he thrust right into her to the hilt with a loud *Smack* sound of his balls making contact with her ass.
Speaking of her ass,
Hal grabbed it and used it as leverage to pound incessantly into her pussy.
Once again, Camira wound her legs around Hal's waist and pulled him into her with no intentions of letting him go but that did nothing to stop the force of Hal's thrusts.
Which only excited her the more.
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
Their pelvises continued to slam together and make what Hal considered to be sweet music.
"Ohh yes. I want more. Oh, So this is what I've been missing. Damn you Aaro!" Camira groaned and tightened her pussy even harder around Hal while She was experienced minor orgasms that paved the way for the colossal one.
...
Meanwhile, outside of the study,
Henrik joined his brother outside of the study,
"Brother, What are you doing?" He asked as the Baron was now placing his ear against the Study door.
"Shh. I think I can hear something." He cautioned his sibling and pressed even harder against the door and could how hear faint *pah* sounds.
He pulled his ear away and chuckled mildly.
"What did you hear?" Henrik asked as he wondered what had caused his brother's mirth.
"Clapping" Aaro said.
"Excuse me?" Henrik looked stunned.
"I said I heard clapping. One of them, most likely Camira, is clapping. He must have done or said something that pleased her." Aaro said with a grin which considering how wrongly he had interpreted the faint sounds he heard, looked quite foolish.
Even worse, Henrik sighed in relief and chuckled as well.
Soon the two were walking away from the study door while Aaro transitioned to boisterous laughter.
"Hahahaha. I was worried for nothing"
...
Back inside the Study,
Camira had no idea what had just happened but Hal who had been looking on with his Astral perception did and it caused him to smile at the Baron's naivete while he continued to enjoy the warmth and tightness Of the Baroness' pussy.
"Perfect Goodbye' he thought before he groaned and dumped his seed deep inside her pussy.
The warmth and feel of it finally drove Camira over the edge as she groaned out her pleasure and satisfaction and sprayed her juices in climax.
Hal then pulled out while the Baroness breathed in and out deeply while basking in the afterglow and was perfectly dressed in seconds.
"Until we meet again" he said and walked out of the study, leaving Camira feeling empty despite her pussy being full of his seed.
Chapter 265 - Departure To Doxon.
Hal left the Baron's residence and boarded a carriage that took him straight to the Departing teleportation circle.
It had been fun to be in this city but it was about time he went off to his true destination, the Silva Duchy capital. Also, it was better he went there now before it became filled with dignitaries returning to their homes.
He had only just arrived at the circle with the attending Runemaster's head bowed as he studied the holographic Rune screen when the portal to the Harem space opened and out if it came Emily with her mask in hand.
The Runemaster made to look up but Emily snapped her fingers and it was as though he was punched because swayed and fell unconscious on top of the Rune screen.
Hal smiled,
"Emily. What brings you here?" He asked.
Emily looked conflicted as she held her Saint rank mask in her hands and Hal did not like the look on her eyes.
It was a pained look he would rather not see on his woman.
He moved closer to her and brushed back her hair while looking directly into her eyes,
"What is it?" He asked.
Emily took a deep breath,
"I can't go with you to the Capital. I... I'm going back to Doxon" She told him.
After which she spoke of her father's most recent message which she had received before they had even left Sapphire city.
It was not that the message was threatening or particularly urgent. In fact, Emily had received Messages like that all through her twenty years away from home. However, it was different this time because what held her back from returning was gone.
Thanks to Hal, she had now experienced Dual cultivation for real and had even experienced it at the hands of the word's best lover.
The stigma she used to feel was gone and she could return home with no misgivings.
Well, almost no misgivings.
Emily did not want to be away from him. This last month with him had been the best of her life and the idea that it would take a while, even if just a few weeks before she sees him again was quite frankly disheartening.
Hal's smile was light and it was a sure sign of how much he did not want the separation as well.
But he also knew to keep his emotions in check. What he cherished the most about his five main ladies, especially Emily and Melinda was how they had a life of their own.
They had families.
Melinda might be estranged from the majority of that family but she was not estranged from her grandmother.
And Emily's relationship with her family was normal. More or less. There were no grudges she wished to correct.
She had been away for twenty years. It was high time she returned.
He understood that.
Now was just not the time for them all to be clamped together.
Hal lowered his face to hers and kissed her lips. Lightly at first but she let her emotions take control and grabbed onto him while increasing the intensity of the kiss.
When they separated, Hal was grinning,
"You should go. But trust me on this, it won't be two weeks before you see me at your doorstep." He said.
"I won't have it any other way." Emily smiled as the portal opened up again and this time, Amelia walked out of it.
Words could not accurately express what she was feeling at the moment so she did not bother attempting to articulate, instead choosing to let her actions speak for her in the ardent kiss she pulled Hal into.
Emily retrieved her spatial ring from her spatial pouch and placed it on her finger, before retrieving incandescent Blue gems from the ring which she fitted to the Teleportation circle.
The number of Blue Gems was quite large as a representation of sorts for the distance to be traveled.
After all, the Doxon Fuchy capital was out of this territory entirely and the Teleportation circle was not particularly high ranked.
It was the reason their journey to Doxon while seeming quick, would actually be over a span of six days.
The Teleportation circles in the Duchy capitals could however complete the same long-distance journey in an hour.
It all depends on the Teleportation circle rank.
Take their journey to the Barony center, for example, considering the distance, high-ranked circles would only require minutes while theirs took an hour.
Anyway,
As soon as the Blue gems were fitted in place, Emily put on her mask and stepped into the circle and after one last look at Hal, so did Amelia before all went black and they were sucked into the void.
Hal watched them leave and sighed.
He was about to retrieve gems for his own transportation when the unconscious attending Runemaster opened his eyes blearily and squinted at Hal who stood in front of the Teleportation circle with a forlorn expression.
"You. Hold it right there!" He said and leaped up from his seat to run towards Hal who rolled his eyes.
What was with him and attending Runemasters?
This was the second one who would have an issue with him after just three days in the Barony center.
"What is it?" Hal said with a slight frown.
"Where is that Lady?" Asked the attending Runemaster.
Hal shrugged and decided to play dumb or else, should there be proof that Emily had indeed made use of the Teleportation circle without paying Ten percent of the number of gems required for her travel, he would have to foot the bill for being 'obviously connected to her'.
"What lady?"
"Don't play dumb. I meant the sexy lady that was just here. I saw her" the Runemaster said and moved closer to Hal to stare directly into his face.
At that time, carriages began to arrive at the building as the Dignitaries were ready to depart.
"I really don't know what you're talking about. I'm sure there are ways to know if I'm telling the truth right?" Hal said in the tone of a law-abiding citizen.
The Runemaster's eyes narrowed and he walked away to check in the holographic screen just as one snobby-looking dude came down from one of the carriages and strut towards the circle.
"Pay him, and let me get out of this town of a city." He said and the guard walking behind hurried to give the Runemaster the ten percent.
"Hold on please." Said the Runemaster still focussed on the holographic rune screen.
"This is urgent" said the guard as he thrust the pouch of Blue gems at the runemaster who pushed it away.
"Please hold on, I am trying to catch a thief." He said.
The ears of the snobby young man perked at those words,
"Thief?" He repeated.
The runemaster was so caught by surprise at the sudden change in the air that he paused and looked up at the snobby young man who had now shed his cloak and only had on a Martial attire.
Not to mention that there was a sheathed sword belted to his hips which he unsheathed with a *Shinng* sound.
The sword blade was Bronze colored and glinted in a dull manner.
"Where is the scoundrel? I shall reap his life right this instant!" Said the young man in a menacing tone before he released the pressure of his cultivation base.
*Boomm*
Hal's eyes widened,
'Is it just me or is every man in this city a little insane?:
Chapter 266 - Pierre Silva.
"I said, where is the scoundrel? Let me cut him up, lest he steals again!" The young man yelled.
Now, other dignitaries were watching the proceedings and while some of them laughed at what they all the very least considered foolishness, there were some in the crowd who looked at the young man with eyes wide with respect and even... fear.
Hal decided it would be much better to pay heed to their reactions and just remain quiet for now.
Clearly, this crazy and snobby young man was someone important.
The attending Runemaster narrowed his eyes wondering if this was some sort of joke,
"Calm down, sir. I was only..." He began to say before the young man thrust his sword towards the Runemaster's throat,
"Did you not hear me? I asked you, where is the scoundrel"
This time the young man's voice was low and threatening as he glared with his pale eyes that seemed to glow silver.
They quite matched the young Man's silver hairs.
The Runemaster was covered in cold sweats instantly while he quickly pointed to Hal who had all but faded into the background but not entirely as he still had the silver haired young man's guard staring at him the whole time.
"So, there you are!" The young man said and whirled around to face Hal with his sword now pointed at Hal's chest.
He looked Hal up and down and took in his outstanding features as well as poor quality robes.
They both were almost the same height, with Hal about one inch taller and clearly the more handsome of the two. Although the silver-haired young man was no slouch himself.
The guard rolled his eyes,
"Of course, he's there. He was the only other person in the building when we arrived." He said.
"Right, right, right." Said the young man and he licked his lips with giddy pleasure.
"Who would have thought that my visit to such a rundown city would provide such excitement. I get to punish a thief.
Draw your weapon, you miscreant."
Hal sighed and facepalmed himself,
"This is no more than a misunderstanding. I did not steal anything." He said.
The young man seemed not to have heard as he began to bear down on Hal with the pressure of his Late-stage Cosmic Phenomenon realm cultivation.
The pressure had no effect on Hal as he frowned.
This silver-haired young man was not as old as Argo and Evelyn and surely not as old as Henrik who was older than the previously mentioned duo and yet he was much stronger.
"Do you know who I am?"
Hal shook his head.
"My name is Pierre. Pierre Silva." Pierre said with pride.
Those who had been chuckling at the proceedings were suddenly struck dumb while those who had been sober from the very start mockd them for not taking a hint.
The silver-haired, handsome young man before them belonged to the ruling family of the Silva Duchy.
He was a Silva.
"Interesting" was all Hal said.
He had never really expected to meet a member of such a powerful family in the Barony center. He had hoped that would wait till he was in the Duchy capital.
However, now that he had met one, he found it impossible to think to say anything other than 'Interesting'. Especially since said individual had a sword pointed at his chest.
A sword that was clearly a Phenenomenon Rank artifact.
"Do not let my name scare you. For I am a fair man and will now give you the chance to defend yourself." Pierre said.
Hal shrugged,
"Simple. I came here to leave the city and this Runemaster was asleep, on duty might I add, and when he woke up, he accused me of aiding a Lady's exit without proper payment.
He must have been having a perverted dream and could not distinguish reality from dreams." Hal said with a sigh and the shake of his head.
The Runemaster perked up again,
"That's not true"
"Then check the screen" Hal said with a wave of his hand.
The Runemaster glared at him and went back to check the screen. This time no one interrupted and none of the dignitaries showed satisfaction or impatience at having to wait.
The most disgruntled simply returned to their carriage to wait or return to their hotel altogether.
The fact that Pierre was a Silva had quelled any possible complaints.
"No, this can't be" the Runemaster mumbled while he continued to check the screen.
"What is it?" Asked Pierre's guard.
"There is no record. None at all that anyone left at that time." The Runemaster said.
Pierre suddenly turned his sword back on the Runemaster,
"So you almost had me punish an innocent man?" He said in a low menacing voice.
The runemaster frowned and cursed him in his mind,
'This was not any of your business. I had this well under control before you interfered. You ass!' He thought but,
"I don't know what to say. I have to accept that he is innocent. Only a Rank 4 Runemaster can tamper with the records. I, Runemaster Giller humbly apologize "
...was what he actually said.
Hal sighed and his face was in a grimace of a man subjected to injustice when footsteps sounded and in came Arlet the Runemaster with about 7 others who were dressed in the green uniforms of attending Remasters.
"Arlet. What are you doing here? Why do you have them with you?" Giller asked.
Adler sneered at Hal,
"I am here for him. He disrespected me. I was subjected to punishment yesterday because of him.
And now, I'm gonna make him pay."
Pierre stepped forward,
"Gentlemen, I just raised my sword against this man wrongly and I will not allow it to happen a second time." He said and turned to Hal,
"Is what he claims true?" He asked.
Hal frowned,
"You really need to stop involving yourself in other people's affairs. Silva last name or not, it is quite annoying and I really detest it." He said.
A lot of the spectators gasped at Hal's words while some others shook their head,
"It was nice knowing you" they all said under their breaths.
So it was quite a surprise when Pierre grinned,
"Straightforward. Me likey. But I'll take that as a yes. The best way to settle this is a duel."
"Fine" Arlet said immediately before adding,
"But not one on one. It will be him against all of us."
Pierre turned to Hal who shrugged,
"The same either way" he said and cranked his neck and muscles as all eight readied themselves.
Clearly, they were not averse to using this building for the duel. They let out the pressure of their cultivation bases and were all at the Early and mid-stage of the Cosmic Phenomenon realm.
As expected of those who belonged to the Barony center.
Impressive,
But not impressive enough.
Hal let out his Early stage of the Cosmic Phenomenon realm cultivation base pressure, much to the surprise of Pierre, and did not wait for any of the eight to attack as he quickly closed the distance.
Being enclose in this location, to avoid damaging sensitive equipment, close combat attacks were more preferable and Hal did not hold back at all as he began.
First, he went after the largest and punched at his midsection which the man thrust back to avoid but that only put his face a little closer to Hal and well in reach of his left hand and...
*Bam!*
... One solid hit to the jaw and the largest was unconscious.
He had been at the mid-stage.
Such swiftness and effectiveness served as a deterrent to the others who quickly began to project Runes which they hoped to bind or attack him.
But being a Runemaster himself, Hal knew how fast he needed to be to avoid the projected runes and as long as he avoided their casting enough, at some point they would be unable to project anymore.
After all, they were not like him and could not harness Astral energy in their body, hence projection was quite limited.
Especially in battle.
Chapter 267 - Welcome To Silva Duchy!
*Bam*
Hal had just landed another punch on one of the others while the rest tried to band together before going after him.
Clearly, he was picking them off one by one and therein lay his advantage. Once that was taken away, he would become useless.
That was what they thought.
There were only six still conscious and among them was the one who instigated the whole thing; Arlet.
He also happened to be the farthest away from the action.
Not out of cowardice or fear.
It was so far he could study Hal and map patterns in his attacks before striking when his guard was down.
Another carriage pulled outside of the building and out if it came Penelope who frowned lightly at the convergence of a few dignitaries outside of the building.
Something had clearly gotten their attention.
She moved closer and beheld the sight of Hal battling against six or more accurately five experts whose green robes signaled them as Runemasters.
She sighed and shook her head.
This was Hal's second battle or at the very least if last night's spar does not count as a battle, conflict in the last two days.
It was like he was a magnet for such situations.
Then she raked her eyes over and saw a silver-haired young man watching the battle with a grin and her eyes widened as she could very easily recognize him.
She had no recollection of him being at the Baron's residence for last night's party despite him obviously having being in the city.
The Silva scion must have had no interest in attending.
"Look at him go" he said to his guard who nodded with a neutral expression.
The guard was impressed by Hal's display so far as well, but just had no intentions of letting his interest show so glaringly.
"Who do you think he is?" Asked Pierre while the guard frowned,
"He does not seem to have any features of an important family in the Silva Duchy capital. He might, however, be from one of the other cities." The guard said.
Pierre nodded in agreement, his sword still by his side.
Hal had already knocked three more unconscious while the others, excluding Arlet was now attempting to gang up on him.
At first, it worked, as when Hal made to punch one, another would duck under and hit him in the ribs.
The hit might have been painful to others but it was not to Hal whose body was sturdy enough to withstand it.
Then he noticed Arlet was no longer where he used to be and by the time he located him, the runemaster had already placed a Binding Rune (Readily drawn on a Rune sheet) on his back which forced him to freeze in place.
Arlet grinned and so did the other two we they moved closer and charged their first with Cosmic Attack infused with a Phenomenon to end it all in one go.
Hal chuckled lightly as there came the flaw in the little sneak attack which was the amount of Astral energy the Rune Sheet could hold before imploding.
He passed Astral energy, a large amount of it, into the Rune sheet on his back, and by the time they there were closer to him, he was already free and punching two of them deep in the stomach.
They doubled up over his hands which he pulled back and...
*Bam* *Bam*
...ended the whole affair with solid punches to their faces.
Arlet looked around and suddenly came to the realization that he was alone. Alone to face a very angry Hal who struck at numerous parts of his body and cracked many of his bones.
Arlet groaned at the feel of his injuries before falling unconscious shortly after.
Runemaster Giller was quick to call for assistance who took the unconscious eight away to be treated.
Hal watched the eight get taken away and frowned lightly knowing that had it not being something that would be deemed as overboard in front of the large crowd, he would probably have killed Arlet right there and then.
Still, poison by Astral energy was not half bad.
You see, Hal's extra vindictive strikes at Arlet were not just to cause him pain but to distract him from his pain of his body getting flooded with astral energy.
Astral energy that would remain dormant until he was well again, at which point it would react with the cosmic energy in Arket's body and kill him in quite a gruesome manner.
Hal had never thought to do such before and should it work which he would know through his connection, albeit faint, with the Astral energy that had poisoned Arlet's system, it would serve as a stealthy way of killing.
*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*
"Marvelous!" Pierre praised and seeing as he was clapping, the spectators joined in as well.
Hal on the other hand quickly retrieved the blue gems he needed from a Spatial pouch, an attempt to keep his inventory a secret until he could fake things with a spatial ring.
He paid the Ten percent to Giller and quickly fitted the gems where they needed to go before Pierre saw it fit to delay him any further.
Penelope watched him get ready to depart and wondered if she should approach him but eventually thought better of it.
They had already said goodbye. It was best to leave it at that.
Pierre noticed the coordinates Hal was imputing into the circle and he smiled,
"It seems we will meet again soon. You seem like a pretty hardcore guy. Come find me at Silva Palace, we will hunt miscreants together." He said as ebb though he now saw Hal as a friend.
'Don't hold your breath' was what Hal thought to say but he found it unnecessary,
"Sure why not" was what he actually said before stepping on the circle.
However, just before he activated it, he called,
"Hey Giller!" The attending Runemaster looked up to see Hal grin and project a Rune at him.
The rune only created fancy sparks but Giller's eyes widened,
"Rank 4 Rune... You Bas..."
That was the last thing Hal heard as he chuckled and was sucked into the void.
The journey was quite swift to him and he would have said it did not take up to a minute before he was opening his eyes to a building of luxurious designs.
This was a building that looked beautiful enough to be the home of a wealthy merchant in Sapphire city and hereit it was only used for transportation.
He stepped off the circle and a middle-aged man was quickly in front of him,
"State your name" he said and had a scroll open for documentation.
Hal shrugged, well aware that a name was not compulsory to be stated and fakes could very well be given,
"I don't want to" he said.
The man nodded,
"Only description then" he said and there was a flash before a painting of Hal appeared on top of Man's scroll.
The scroll was then rolled over and given a number for filing and stored away.
This was the Nexus world's version of a photograph which was just to use runes to draw painting at an incredibly fast pace.
This was a measure taken to keep the Duke and other notable members of the capital safe from assassination and other malicious plots.
Of course, this was not foolproof security and there were means to circumvent it.
Not to mention that only those who use Public transport such as this one were subjected to such practices.
All notable families and organizations in the Duchy capital had private Teleportation circles where such practices don't occur for the sake of security.
As Hal walked out of the building g onto the street, he felt the pressure coming off the bodies of many random passersby and a lot of them were at the Cosmic Armament and Phenomenon realm.
It was as though the capital was screaming that he let go of erroneous notions and open his eyes to the reality of the strong.
Chapter 268 - Harshest Outcomes.
"Wow! So this is your home." Marla said with awe and twirled around the large space the four of them had just entered.
This was their second day at the Duchy capital. The previous day had been used to secure a room at a hotel and then go shopping for presentable clothing.
Clothing of enough standard as the norm of the capital. Gold had been more than enough for that purchase and now Melinda no no longer had any intentions of prolonging issues.
It was high time she returned home and got this over with.
She and Hal walked ahead with Marla and Rita closely behind as they went past the guards who did not even dare to stop her once they noted her light gold eyes.
"Idiots" Melinda had insulted them for not even taking care to inspect if she was an imposter.
Hal had smiled lightly because he knew for sure, that had the guards tried to inspect her, they would have sorely regretted it.
This was the classic 'They can never win' situation.
"And you are sure we can come with you?" Rita asked as she had been more for the option of her and Marka staying in the Harem space.
Melinda shrugged,
"It's fine. They banished me and now call me back. Surely I was not expected to live there without making connections. I invite you and I see no need why anything else needs to be said."
Hal however agreed with Rita on how staying in the Harem space would be more prudent but he also understood Melinda's point of view.
The least her father could do was be a little accommodating.
Melinda led them to a Teleportation circle as the distance to traverse within the territory was quite long. The circle was activated, a short walk through the void and they were at their destination.
And they were not alone.
*The sound of Trumpet fanfare*
"Welcome back, Lady Melinda."
The entire courtyard in front of the main residence of the Dane territory was filled to capacity with men and women of said Dane family.
All of those present had light gold eyes and were clearly main family members numbering in the thousands and yet from all Melinda had told him, Hal knew this was a mere fraction of their true numbered might.
The thousands in the courtyard presently were important members and none of them dared not to be present in the fanfare of the daughter of the Dane Monster.
Marla had stepped closer into Rita's side at the suddenness of the fanfare and Rita was stroking her hairs to signal to get to be calm.
Hal's eyes narrowed because his Devil bloodline was picking up on animosity from so many in the crowd of Danes and the animosity was all directed at Melinda.
Melinda stared at the display and repressed a snort with difficulty,
"Assholes"
Clearly, she could see the animosity as well but it was not bothering her at all. Under her annoyed expression was an amused one.
The Dane men and women suddenly separated and out of their midst came the Dark-haired Devon who walked towards his daughter in quick steps. A daughter who glared at him.
"Linda my dear. Father missed you" He said and made to hug her but Melinda pushed him away. Her beautiful face was getting pink from suppressed rage.
Devon sighed at her coolness,
"I am sure you are upset with me but you need to understand they needed to be done. Besides, humor your father before our kinsmen and hug me. If not for anything, do it as a show of solidarity." He said with his arms spread wide.
Melinda paused and then slowly walked into his embrace as the father and daughter held each other, the crowd of Danes burst into applause and cheer.
Melinda spoke in a quiet voice that only her father could hear,
"I don't give a crap about solidarity" she said and separated from Devon who smiled uncomfortably.
And then there was someone else walking down the middle of the crowd up Dane kinsmen.
It was none other than Damien Dane, the Patriarch of the Dane family.
"My niece. It's been much too long since I last saw you" he said fondly but Hal was not buying it.
And judging from the look on Melinda's face, neither was she.
Damien looked at her and seemed amused at how she was reacting so far. It was then that another member of the immediate Dane family showed up.
With long brown hair held at the top of his head with a headpiece, light gold eyes, and a handsome face, the young man was Cirk Dane.
He walked towards Melinda and the whole courtyard was silent as so quite a few of those in the crowd held their breaths in anticipation of what would happen next.
Funnily enough, Even Rita and Marla held their breaths. Albeit briefly.
Cirk arrived before Melinda and bowed low. When he looked up, he was smiling lightly as he proffered his hand to her,
"Melinda. I hope you have been well" he said and for a few seconds, nothing happened and then fast as lightning, Melinda grabbed the hand and twisted it,
*Crack*
The sound was sickening as Cirk's arm was broken in at least three different places from that single twist.
"Arrrggghhhhh" Cirk yelled and leaped backward while his arm dangled uselessly by his side.
"What are you doing?" Damien yelled while Devon's eyes were narrowed.
Melinda was grinning while walked slowly over to where Cirk was now swallowing a pill and mending his arm,
"What does it look like, Uncle? I want to kill him. I want to kill your son." She said with a calm voice before she tackled wickedly.
Hal smiled proudly while he said under his breath,
"That's my girl"
Damien let out terrifying pressure that made it oppress her but was canceled out by Devon's own pressure in retaliation.
Even then Damien addressed Melinda,
"Stop that or else..." He began but Melinda interrupted,
"What are you going to do? Banish me? By all means, do so, but know this I will not leave here today until I finish what I started five years ago" she said and her pace towards Cirk never slowed.
"Your father already avenged you" Damien said.
Melinda paused and looked back,
"What?" She asked.
Damien said through clenched teeth,
"After you were banished, Cirk was punished as well. He was beaten every day for seven days and only let go when he was on his last breath. He nearly lost his life.
Now stop this Madness!"
There was pin-drop silence only punctuated by Cirk's heavy breathing as his arm continued to mend and he glared at Melinda with immense dislike.
Then the silence was broken by laugher. A malevolent cackle which Melinda made,
"And so fucking what? How is it my business that my 'father' beat him up? He's still alive, is he not? Well, then let me end this now..."
And then to Cirk she said,
"I have to commend your idiocy for still coming out to face me."
*Puh*
Cirk spat on the floor,
"I hate you, Melinda. You ruined my life and I have to admit I have no interest in letting you take it. You got one lucky hit in. Now be a good girl and run along because any attempt to attack me will result in the harshest of outcomes." He said.
Melinda could not care less what he meant about him ruining get life as she summoned her Cosmic Armament and pointed it at him,
"I agree that it would be harsh outcomes but not in your favor" She said and closed the distance between them in seconds.
The two fathers made to move when a voice sounded,
"No one Must Interfere!!"
Chapter 269 - I Don't Care.
The voice froze the brothers in their tracks and the looks in the eyes of all this present was a mixture of fear and immense respect.
Melinda however just smiled and her stride never faltered as she swung her sword at Cirk's neck.
*Clang*
The strike was intercepted by Cirk's blade while and they were soon locked in a deadlock of swords. One that Melinda broke by pushing him backward.
Cirk stumbled and only just managed to get his sword up in time to stop Melinda from slashing his chest.
And with that successful defense, Cirk let out his pressure...
*Boom*
...to show that he was at the late stage of the Cosmic Phenomenon realm.
"I was punished you know?" He said suddenly.
Melinda sneered,
"You must be a nincompoop and deaf to boot. I don't give a crap if someone beats you up. This is MY fight and my 'Father' won't fight it for me"
Despite her anger and crass words, Melinda's tone was actually quite level.
Cirk frowned,
"That's not what I mean. I'm referring to my punishment from the Patriarch." He said with venom coating his words when referring to his father.
Melinda did not make a move which was her way of saying he could speak.
"I lost the potential to become Patriarch. I am no longer being groomed to lead my family. My younger brother now strives to exceed me in cultivation as well as talent.
I have been made destitute of resources and prestige and all because of my one mistake." He spat.
Hal frowned.
It would seem Melinda was not quite accurate when she said her cousin remained a genius after she was banished.
He looked at a smile slowly creeping up on Cirk's face as he must have believed Melinda was now sympathizing with him or at the very least realizing he was punished enough.
But how could Hal not know his woman...
*Swoosh*
...she was incredibly vindictive and 'enough' was not in her vocabulary when referring to Cirk Dane.
There was a flash of silver and even though, with his superior senses, Cirk tried to evade, Melinda still cut at his waist.
"Arrggh" he groaned and turned to her now that she was behind him. His eyes were wide but Melinda was grinning.
"Who cares?" She asked.
"What?" Cirk looked confused.
Melinda walked closer to him,
"I said who cares? You lost prestige and you lost resources. You also lost your claim to the seat of Patriarch but you are still alive.
And you still have a cultivation base and a strong one too.
So I ask again, who Cares?"
"Hahahaha" Cirk burst into sudden laughter and when he stopped laughing, his hands were no longer on his wound.
He had swallowed another mending pill.
"I only told you of my ordeals in hope that you will come to your senses but if you really want to continue, then I will entertain you." He said and gripped his sword tighter while Melinda let out the pressure of her early-stage Cosmic Phenomenon realm cultivation.
Cirk's grin grew even wider but four sword exchanges later and his grin had become a grimace.
Here was Melinda fighting him at the same pace despite being two stage lower.
'This is impossible' was what he wished to say but here it was happening right in front of him.
The only thing he surpassed her in was his pressure and it was far from strong enough to incapacitate her.
Melinda on the other hand was not quite as peachy as she seemed and although she looked calm and collected, it was taking all she had to hold on.
And it was a detail that Hal, Marla, and Rita did not miss.
They could easily see that Melinda was not her usual overpowering self.
Cirk was clearly deserving of being a once-upon-a-time genius.
And then Cirk let his frustration fuel him and...
*Boom*
...his sword was quickly coated with the light gold flames of his bloodline that flared at Melinda who leaped back with a flip to escape combustion.
Cirk smiled proudly with his flaming sword in his hand but that was exactly what Melinda had been waiting for.
Melinda waved her sword and a crescent wave of flames formed in front of her and stayed there for a while before shooting at Cirk with the speed of a bullet.
With his eyes wide, Cirk divided the attack but the force still be pushed him back.
Melinda did not stop and more of those bullet-fast attacks shot towards Cirk while she cackled,
"You really want to contend with me in the use of Bloodline flames. Now I am sure you are retarded." She said.
Long before the incident, while Cirk was a martial genius, Melinda always surpassed him in the use of their Bloodline.
The thought caused Cirk to frown because he could not overpower her and now she was even so good in close combat attacks that she was well on her way to becoming a martial genius.
If she was not there already.
The only thing he could possibly win with was his cultivation and with that realization came the release of cosmic attacks infused with Cosmic Phenomenons.
*Boom*
The explosion hit the ground right in front of Melinda and the force of it to see her away to land on her back.
*Whump*
Cirk looked to take advantage of that fall by sending a cosmic attack ahead while he ran forward to seal the deal.
Whether it was to kill her or to simply incapacitate her was unclear.
But Melinda was definitely not going to wait for him as she rolled away and used the explosion resulting from the missed cosmic attack to put distance between herself and Cirk.
Soon she was back on her feet and her target mode of attack was close combat once again and take away Cirk's advantage of long-distance powerful Cosmic attacks.
It was the only way her cousin could take advantage of their disparity in cultivation.
Cirk was well aware of how dangerous close combat attack would be with Melinda so he began to aim towards putting distance between them.
Melinda knew what he was after but did not let frustration set in. This just meant she would need to be versatile.
*Boooommmm*
Their cosmic attacks met in a resounding explosion with Melinda's being overpowered and her getting tossed backward but not before she took advantage of the cloud of explosive dust to send her light gold flames at him.
They were close to Cirk before he sensed them and only barely managed to escape it but the explosion tossed him up where he was weightless for a few seconds.
He was falling back towards the ground when he noticed Melinda was there waiting for him with her sword by her side.
Cirk quickly tucked himself and spun in the air, managing to land a few meters away from Melinda.
Alas...
*Bam*
... It was not a distance she could not easily traverse and kick him on the face.
Cirk spat blood and hurried to get back to his feet but Melinda did not give him the chance as she was already battering at him with her fists.
"Arr... Arr... Arrrrggghhhh"
Cirk yelled as she landed a particularly sickening hit that cracked his ribs and yet Melinda did not stop.
Her Armament was sunk into the courtyard floor as she continued to batter at Cirk.
This felt more satisfying to her and her face was alight with rage as she took out all of her frustration on him.
"Melinda, stop this. You've won. You've made me pay, but don't go overboard..." Cirk said as she grabbed the front of his shirt with her fist raised.
"... If you kill me, don't you really think your father will be able to protect you? No matter how much my father detests me, do you think, he'll be happy you killed me?" He asked with a hint of defiance.
Melinda grinned and stretched her hand towards her Cosmic Armament without letting go of Cirk's clothes.
The golden veins on the sword flashed and it wrenched from the ground and flew right into Melinda's hand,
"I don't care" she said and brought the sword down towards Cirk's chest.
Then a hand grabbed her arm while another arm wound around her chest as though to hold her back while a voice spoke quietly in her ear,
"Not yet, Baby girl, Not yet"
Chapter 270 - Ordinance??
Before coming here, Hal and Melinda had weighed things and had decided that killing Cirk right now was short-sighted. Because just as Cirk himself had said, his father was bound not to just simply take his son's death in stride.
And that was with the strong brotherly bond Melinda had admitted to noting between the the Devon and Damien brotherly pair.
Also, Melinda had not been very sure as to how open her grandmother would be about the whole thing. True, she disliked Cirk and she was on Melinda's side. That did not change the fact that Cirk was still family.
In fact, while Hal could not really pinpoint where the feeling was coming from, he could sense that there was someone close to intervening and said person was surely strong enough to take their time and cut in at the last minute.
He did not need to go over to stop Melinda, but he preferred it this way.
It gave him the opportunity to look Cirk in the eyes...
"That's enough for now." Hal cooed and slowly lowered her hand and Melinda did not resist because first, despite her words to Cirk, she actually cared about the outcome of her actions.
At least for now.
Second, well... It was Hal. Enough said.
Cirk looked at Hal's hand on Melinda and his eyes narrowed just as she released his shirt and he fell to the ground.
*Whump*
Cirk made to stand up when Hal looked him in the eyes and Cirk witnessed the Devilish Darkness flash in his eyes and was so transfixed he could not look away.
The fear paralyzed him completely.
Hal cast a Rune that cut out all noise in their immediate surroundings while also dialing his voice down to the lowest of whispers.
"Cirk, is it? You touched my woman. Granted I had not met her then but that hardly matters. In fact, it does not matter one bit.
Don't worry too much though, we won't kill you yet. Now scream"
It was not a command, it was more like Hal reminding Cirk of what his body wanted to do naturally from the fear he felt from Hal's presence.
With that, Hal canceled out the noise canceling rune and let Cirk's yell resound in the courtyard...
"Arrrgggghhhhhhh"
...before he fell unconscious.
This would be his reprieve for now. Neither Hal nor Melinda were done with him.
Melinda looked away from him and walked from where he was now lying spread eagled with Hal's hand on her back.
A guard went over to where Cirk was and directed for him to be taken away as it was now clear that Melinda was no longer interested in attacking him.
Soon Devon was right in front of the two with his eyes narrowed at Hal who looked back with a controlled and cautious smile.
Devon glanced at Marla and Rita who were behind the two before he looked finally to his daughter who met his gaze with defiance while still gripping her Armament tight.
He sighed,
"Are you satisfied now? Can you finally let it go?" He asked.
Melinda shrugged,
"It has sated me for now but I am still not ready to let it go."
Devon sighed again and looked to where Cirk was being lifted into the residence while he noted that there was nothing Melinda had done that should have warranted him screaming that loud.
He had detected the faint use of a Rune and believed it must have been used to mask what had really caused the scream.
More that that, he suspected that this young man had something to do with it.
Speaking of him,
"Who are your friends?" Devon asked with a slight smile that Melinda did not buy but Hal introduced himself,
"My name is Hal, I'm from Sapphire city" He said with his same cautious smile and a short bow.
Once he was erect again, Devon looked into his eyes and found that he did not like him.
There was nothing he could point to that could have caused the dislike, he just... did not like him.
What was with that perfect face even he could find no flaw in?
Even if good looks were quite common among cultivators, did he have to stand out so much?
Also what was with those sapphire blue eyes that he could have sworn made the boy a Doxon?
And last but certainly not least (since it was what was truly bothering him),
Why was he touching his daughter?
As much as he did not like Hal, Devon felt it would be far wiser not to say anything regarding it yet.
"Hal from sapphire city huh? Okay" Devon said before Marla and Rita introduced themselves and Devon wondered why their body posture was so close to the boy.
They seemed to be here with him and not Melinda.
By then, Damien walked over as well and then sighed deeply,
"I am glad family ties still mean something to you, my dear niece. I appreciate you for sparing your cousin's life. What a tragedy that has befallen this family." He said with a shake of his head.
Hal looked back and forth between both brothers and his eyes narrowed because he could not really tell if the patriarch was being sincere or was holding a grudge against Melinda for her treatment of Cirk.
The Space a few meters away from them shimmered, almost as though it folded upon itself.
When it unfolded barely a second later, it produced a beautiful lady with waist-length brown hair in voluminous robes that tried but failed to hide her curves completely. Her light gold eyes were joyous and there was a smile on her mature face as she spread her arms.
"Grandmother" Melinda said and was dashing into the woman's embrace immediately.
Isabella held her tight and only separated to put Melinda at arm's length and survey her from head to toe.
Hal's eyes widened as he reviewed Melinda's overprotective grandmother as though he had been struck dumb which he blamed on Melinda for never telling him her grandmother was a knockout.
All that aside, the manner in which she had bent space was impressive and he took to asking Grimoire if that was a mark of her superior cultivation base,
'No, it's not. She is able to manipulate space because she has gained insight into the ordinance of space.'
'The what?'
'The Ordinance of space. She is well underway to gaining the ability to command space itself.'
Needless to say, Hal was intrigued but he decided to table it for now and he was cutting off his conversation with Grimoire just as Isabella led Melinda into the residence while ignoring completely every Dane kinsman and woman bowing in respect to her.
She only turned back once,
"You can join in the celebrations if you wish" she said and continued on her way.
Hal did not need to be told twice and he was not shy at all as he followed after them with Marla and Rita, into the residence.
...
It would seem Melinda's duel with Cirk had been a mere hiccup in their welcoming preparation for her.
The dining hall which was quite large and only held the most important members of the Dane family was flowing with foods rich in cultivation resources.
Such that the wine Hal had drunk at the Baron's residence would be seen as trash in comparison and Hal was not complaining as he served as Melinda's guest.
He knew there was only a matter of time before the arrow of questions was pointed at him and with it would come the animosity of probably everyone in the scene so he might as well not be shy.
Besides, how could he who preached shamelessness act reserved?
"I feel uncomfortable" Rita told him in a quiet voice and he smiled,
"How so?" He asked.
"They keep looking at me. Lewdly might I add" she told him and Hal chuckled.
Meanwhile, Marla offered advice,
"When they stare, just stare back Rita. Most of them are clearly virgins. They can't handle a hot babe staring at them for long.
Look at the fellow over there..." She said and pointed at one of the golden eyes Dane men looking at her and she started back.
The poor guy seemed to hold his breath and forget to release it before falling unconscious.
He fell from his chair to the ground with a dull thud and she shook her head,
"See? Bloody pathetic" she said and did not lower her voice but said it clearly enough for at least half of the dining hall to hear.
The half that contained the Patriarch, his wife, Melinda's father, and the Dane Patroness who looked at Marla with a weird expression while Hal shook his head and Melinda and Rita chuckled.
Devon frowned,
"So, Melinda, who exactly is this... Hal from Sapphire city to you?" He asked in a disparaging voice that did not hide his dislike.
Melinda smiled, and grabbed Hal's arm,
"We're engaged. He's my fiance."
... Silence...