Noah stared at the familiar man in Thomas' grasp, and he couldn't help but hesitate.
William had aged a lot in the more than forty years after Noah's escape, but that change wasn't supposed to be so sharp since he was a rank 3 cultivator back then. Yet, Noah was able to notice that his dantian seemed damaged since it didn't contain even the slightest trace of "Breath".
The truth was that the Royals had thoroughly investigated every soldier in the outer circle of the Balvan family after they decided to support Thomas fully.
The investigation revealed many crucial pieces of information that concerned Noah.
The Balvans learnt how Noah became aware of the existence of the Royal academy from Sandy and Mark, and how he obtained the second Kesier rune from William.
It was needless to say that the discovery had kindled the anger of the nobles who did their best to punish those betrayers, and even the innocent captain couldn't escape that. William had received a special treatment though since he was one of the direct causes behind Noah's quick improvements, which led him to that state.
Noah recognized the facial features of the man that had introduced him to the cultivation world under the wrinkled skin and the dirty gray hair. He was missing an eye, and even one of his ears had been cut off.
The skin on his wrists was torn and red, and only a prolonged time in chains could leave those marks on a rank 4 body.
William took a while to understand why Thomas had taken him out of his cell.
The hooded figure under him felt familiar, but he was too tired and old to link it to the disciple that he had trained such a long time ago.
However, he started to understand something as Thomas' words entered his ear.
His tired eye went on the invader and the coldness that he radiated awakened memories that he had been forced to suppress for a long time.
He began to remember about the hardworking disciple that he had trained so many years ago. He remembered his determination to strive for the higher ranks, as well as his resilience when he was forced to join the inner ring.
Then, he couldn't help but laugh when he connected those memories to the hooded figure under him.
William's laugh surprised all the heroic cultivators on the scene, but Noah felt complex emotions rising inside him when he heard it.
He had already made his mind on that situation, but he wanted to stare at his Master for a few more seconds before acting.
Nevertheless, William began to speak before he could do anything. "My disciple is the most driven and ruthless cultivator in the entire world. A ruined old man like me can't block his path, and you are fools if you think that you can do it!"
William kept on laughing when he finished his phrase, but he soon started coughing blood due to that effort. He was simply too old and ruined, and even that small action had brought him to his limit.
Noah lowered his head at that sight.
The Balvan family was using someone he cared about to limit his actions, something that his mother had chosen to prevent with her suicide.
He felt a fit of raging anger inside him, struggling to come out, but his powerful mind managed to suppress it. He felt the unwillingness of severing his ties with his old Master, but he suppressed that feeling too.
The chance to retreat was still there, and Noah was aware of that. He could just contact the elders that were busy somewhere around the mansion and retreat through the separate dimension.
William would have a pitiful life, but he would be alive at least. Noah would just have to wait until he died of old age and then attack again. Nothing was stopping him from doing that.
However, he had already decided to press on.
'This is my choice. I own it.' Noah thought before raising his head again to stare at Thomas.
He had gone through all the available paths in his mind, and there were a few of them that could even end up in William's rescue. Yet, those paths would force him to restrain himself once again, which was something that he wasn't willing to do.
Nevertheless, he didn't want to find justifications for his decision.
He had needed that time to make sure that he wasn't deluding himself with some excuse. He had decided to kill William to continue his revenge, to destroy one of the few people that he cared about to act freely.
There wasn't any emotion coming out of him when he stared at his enemies. His aura simply radiated a cold sharpness that became more intense with each passing second.
Then, he spoke. "Thomas."
Noah directed his words at his grandfather, and his voice resembled a roar rather than a human sound.
Thomas Balvan kept his confident smirk when he heard that unfamiliar voice, but there was only seriousness inside him.
His opponent was a rank 5 mage, while he only had a rank 4 mental sphere.
They were extremely close in power, which was something that genuinely amazed him. After all, he was sure that the hooded man under him was his grandson and seeing that he had reached his level in sixty years of life only affected his morale.
"What can you do against a faster, stronger opponent that you can't outsmart?" Noah asked.
Thomas showed a confused expression when he heard the second part of Noah's phrase, but William's eye widened at those words.
Those were the exact words that he had used to question him during one of their first lessons, and he could only smile when he understood that his disciple still remembered them.
Thomas didn't notice the changes happening inside the man in his grasp, but he did nothing to interrupt Noah. He knew that gaining time was the best option for his family.
He didn't know why no one had answered his call for help, but he was confident that such methods couldn't last long.
Noah saw the smile on his Master's face and felt sorrow, but he still proceeded in waving his hand and creating hundreds of ethereal sabers that floated next to him.
Keith and the other fake heroic cultivator retreated when they sensed the power contained in those ethereal sabers, and even Thomas felt a dangerous sensation coming from them.
The three of them were so focused on the spell that they didn't hear William's murmuring something that only Noah heard. "Giving up?"
William gave the answer that he had given so many years ago, but Noah quickly corrected it. "You become a demonic sword able to sever the fate chosen by Heaven and Earth."
Noah followed his words with another wave of his hand.
The ethereal sabers shot toward the four figures in the air at that point, and Noah made sure to fix his gaze on his Master during the process.
He saw how William's smile didn't fade even when the spell stabbed his internal organs.