Chapter 605 How about we even the odds?
Alec stared at the paper in his hands, feeling the urge to obliterate it, shred it to bits. However, before he could act, Nine approached him and swiftly snatched the paper from his hands.
"You can't tear it or else it would harm your body. We need to eliminate the dark energy within this contract."
Alec nodded, his gaze fixed on the paper in Nine's possession as the brown-haired man handed it back to Kyle, who blinked in surprise. Nine sighed inwardly.
"Don't be clueless. You can read the symbols on this contract, so I trust you have the ability to cleanse the darkness from it, right?"
Kyle looked at Alec and the others, their hopeful gazes focused on him. The paper in his hand began to float, and a spiritual radiance illuminated his index finger. Amid the watchful eyes upon him, he swiftly traced a series of symbols in the air, too fast for anyone to follow, to counter the powerful ones etched on the paper.
Then icy flames burst from his palm, enveloping the paper in frost before breaking it into tiny particles.
Subsequently, dark smoke started to emerge from the back of Alec's hand where the dark petal resided. All present observed as the dark petal dissolved into smoke, leaving nothing behind. Alec looked at his hand and expressed his gratitude to Nine and Kyle with a broad smile.
"Thank you."
The darkness began to lift from his eyes, hinting at a newfound light within. At that instant, Jian looked at the array in the sky.
"What's next? I don't think we can enter the Lost Treasure Tomb at this point."
Kyle eyed the array, noting there was ample time before it dissipated. With a flick of his fingers, a portal materialized in the air.
"Let's make our exit for now. We can strategize our next move later. But before we go... how about we even the odds?
His gaze narrowed as he peered at Ned, who was bound by the chains behind Old Hal. The scoundrel who had called Nox worthless. Kyle wouldn't let this slide; he had a score to settle.
Noticing the silver-haired man's intense gaze fixed on him, Ned's body tensed, and a wave of dread washed over him.
Yue and Jian, who have crossed paths with Ned previously, were momentarily confused by what was happening. But when they saw Nox, floating above Kyle with a fierce look, they immediately understood why Kyle was ready to beat up Ned. The lynx sneered and perched on Kyle's shoulder.
"Finally! It's time to show him who the true worthless one is!"
Kyle chuckled and patted the lynx's head. Before anyone could intervene, he vanished from his spot. In the next moment, Ned was hurled backward as the chains restraining him disappeared.
Despite Ned's desire to fight back, the silver-haired man's speed was just too fast. A violent blow to his stomach left him gasping for air, coughing up blood. In mere seconds, he struggled to even stand on his feet.
Old Hal simply closed his eyes at the sight as Kyle kicked Ned's body away without a hint of mercy. The old man had anticipated that Ned's inconsiderate remarks would eventually result in a situation like this. He let out a deep sigh, somewhat relieved that Kyle chose not to end Ned's life.
Nox couldn't see a thing with Kyle's lightning-fast moves. Yet, he felt content, a wicked grin forming on the lynx's face as he turned his head towards the audience, particularly fixing his gaze on a distant eagle perched on the shoulder of a demi-human woman. The eagle trembled as its eyes met the lynx's.
"Haha, It's my go now."
He glided towards the eagle to exact his revenge while Kyle returned to his position without a trace of blood on his attire. Yue and the others looked at the silver-haired man with speechless expressions but chose to stay silent.
Bia promptly followed Nox, and upon witnessing him assaulting a small eagle, she shot him a scornful look.
-"Don't tell me you couldn't even handle a feeble eagle, huh? Just how weak have you become in my absence? I believe I need to put you through some serious training so you don't cut my nose."
Nox halted his actions and swiftly tossed the eagle he was beating away with a shiver upon hearing Bia's words.
"What sort of training...?"
He inquired with a sinking heart. But Bia departed his side and went towards Kyle to sit on the human's head, leaving Nox behind, cursing his luck.
Nox shot a final glare at the eagle before swiftly joining Kyle. With all debts settled, the group began to drift towards the portal that Kyle had conjured to depart, under the watchful gaze of many onlookers. But Nine paused and, before stepping into the portal, he tossed a storage ring filled with dark contracts toward Old Hal.
"No need to thank me. I have a generous heart, so I assist everyone."
Nine had stolen mountains of dark contracts from the demon realm. He didn't really have any need for them once he found the one he needed. So, he hoped the old man would find a way to cancel the contracts and free all those enslaved by the dark side.
As he entered the array behind the others, he was stunned, just like everyone else, when they materialized right outside one of the gates of the Gladiator Arena.
Jian looked back at the colossal gate, surrounded by a barrier.
"Huh? I thought we were leaving for a distant place. What's the meaning of this?"
Kyle descended and touched down on a grassy field. There were still countless individuals outside the arena who were unable to register in time. They had heard the commotion inside from outside but couldn't enter due to the restrictions. When the group emerged from a portal, it surprised many, but since the group was not recognized, they were safe.
Jian and the others swiftly followed Kyle and landed on the grassy field too. They observed as the silver-haired human settled on the ground and leaned against a tree behind him, wearing a tired expression. A glint of mischief flickered in Kyle's eyes as he began counting the people around him.
"Regius, Jian, Nine, Sinon, Carcel, Alec, Lara, Mia, Yue, Zron, Yon, Susan, and me... Not counting Bia and Nox since the two of them are bonded beasts. We make up a total of 13 individuals."
Jian let out a faint groan.
"You're quite something, aren't you? You didn't free Xavier and the other two humans from the chains. They were with me. I am sure they are going to suffer...."
However, all his complaints died down, and his eyes sparkled brightly when he heard Kyle's next words.
"We can all enter the Lost Treasure Tomb forcefully or maybe secretly if we sit here and wait for the right moment."