Chapter 160: All I Can Offer is Destruction...
Levi always struggled with the idea of killing other humans, as he genuinely believed that life for their race was already f*cked up as it was... Nightcrawlers, the CRS Platform, Fallen Daywalkers, Sleepwalkers, famine, insomnia, and the list goes on.
Why channel one’s hatred onto another when life already wanted them to drop dead? But as he was gazing at Demetris’ fake sorrowful expression, he felt it in his soul for the first time.
The desire to kill outweighed rationality, emotions, and everything else.
’Boy, as much as I appreciate your attempts to maintain some form of kindness, a time will come when it will bite you in the ass.’ Ash’Kral advised calmly, ’Kindness is weakness, a silent poison that will one day hurt you more than anything else.’
’I am not you.’ Levi retorted coldly, refusing to sink, ’Whether you are right or not, I would rather live a life where my decisions are based on kindness first than evil.’
’I can make my own decision then on who deserves it, and who doesn’t...’
As Levi stressed the last word, his chilling spiritual eyes were locked on Demetris; his decision was made to eliminate him once and for all... But first, a question needed to be answered.
’Who gave it to him? Sir Alaric? Did he hire him to assassinate me for the Sensebound Pearl?’
The initial guess was Sir Alaric, as he was the only one Levi believed to be in bad blood with... and had somewhat the means of obtaining this totem.
In his eyes, he might be participating in the Nocturnal Ring anonymously, earning it there.
Rooarr!!...
However, before he could continue thinking about this, the nightcrawlers’ howls had gotten too close to comfort.
"Wait... How many did you kill exactly?"
When Velmira, Nurah, and the others turned around and saw their few number, they couldn’t help but turn to Levi and Arthur in a daze.
"I have yet to kill anything..." Arthur replied, his tone chilling as he gazed at the army, "My brother has slaughtered about 60% of the army."
Hearing this, everyone was left silent as they gazed at Levi’s back, who summoned his staff and walked in their direction, wanting to continue where he left.
’60% and four elites solo...’ Nurah’s heart fluttered a bit, ’He is getting too strong, too fast... How.’
Levi, in her eyes, was completely unrecognizable from the newbie she had her dagger inches away from his neck... She even started doubting whether she could take him down as easily.
’The boy is an extremely talented individual with great hunger for improvement...’ Nyx’Velar, her nightcrawler, replied calmly, ’But most importantly... His Nightcrawler is too powerful; maybe as powerful as me.’
This statement left Nurah’s pupils thinned in incredulity, knowing just how powerful her nightcrawler was... The things she heard and saw... She found it hard to accept that another nightcrawler was at her level and was in the same region.
If only she knew the truth...
Meanwhile, Arthur and the others caught up to Levi, leaving only Jojo to protect Melissa’s covered body.
"Big bro, you did enough... Take a rest." Arthur said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Let me vent a bit... I need it."
When Levi turned around and saw his brother’s sorrowful expression, he knew that he needed it more than him.
"Go at it."
Levi patted him on the back as he returned next to Melissa, having no interest in more bloodshed... He had killed enough; he had done enough.
Plus, he wanted to keep his attention focused on Demetris, knowing that he might make his move at any slight opening.
As for Arthur? He wasn’t worried in the slightest, knowing that he had yet to show the true power of his new vermilion gemstone.
’He should have stored enough...’
He murmured as he watched his brother chase away everyone, letting him stand at the far front, his shield raised to his chest.
He placed one knee on the ground and bent the other slightly, taking a posture of someone about to get rammed in.
Then, he tapped once on the obsidian gemstone, and it snapped out of the shield... Immediately after, the spherical obsidian gemstone shrank in size until it was big enough to be inserted into the edges’ openings.
Arthur inserted it in one and pulled out the Vermilion gemstone... Once he placed it in the center, it enlarged on its own until it was affixed.
It was gleaming so brightly, it reflected Arthur’s buried anger within... A vermilion fury.
"Orryn’s Heart... Release."
The gemstone went dim at once... then burst alive.
Whoosh!!
Under everyone’s stunned eyes, a concentrated beam of blinding vermilion erupted from the shield’s center, screaming forward like a lance of pure destruction!
The frontline of the enemy army disintegrated instantly, vaporized into nothingness!
"DIIIIE!!!"
Arthur let out a guttural roar as he dragged the beam left, then right, sweeping it across the field. Rows upon rows of enemies vanished in flashes of ash, flesh melting mid-scream, leaving charred scars in the soil.
Unlike Levi, Arthur genuinely hated the nightcrawlers race to the core, barely getting comfortable with the ones closest to him... If it wasn’t for Khu’zan’s kind and calm demeanor, Arthur would have struggled connecting with him.
His hatred was understandable when his parents were slaughtered, and his brother’s eyes were ripped out when he was at his uncle’s.
Although he was a child when it happened, the guilt never went away.
Now, his sweet friend Melissa, who was nothing but rays of sunshine, was also taken away from him by the same bastards.
How could he not rage? How could he not let his hatred take over?
Whoosh! Whoosh!
From the shield’s back, two vents snapped open, blasting scalding steam in rhythmic bursts... Hissing jets that kept his body from being crushed under the unbearable pressure.
The ground beneath him cracked, and his boots slid back with every second he maintained the beam.
His teeth were clenched tight... His muscles screamed... His skin burnt from the steaming hot jets... But he didn’t stop.
Once he chose to release the stored energy within Orryn’s gemheart, there was no pulling back... At least, not when he still didn’t possess the ability to control this kind of kinetic energy.
When the final ripple of energy was discharged and the gemstone dulled to its natural color, silence fell.
Nothing remained of the enemy but scorched earth and drifting embers.
Arthur collapsed to both knees, smoke curling from his shoulders, eyes dim... but alive.
He had razed an army with a single breath... Yet, he didn’t feel an ounce of happiness.
All his life, his dream was to protect his brother and loved ones with a big shield... But, as he gazed at the scorched battlefield, his eyes couldn’t help but turn teary...
"This is for you, Melissa... I am sorry, I promised protection, but all I can offer is destruction..."
Arthur’s voice echoed in the silent battlefield, breaking everyone out of their stupor at such pure destruction... But his sorrowful weeping left them unable to appreciate it.
The ambushing army was conquered by a C2 classroom students... Kids, still with no official Daywalkers’ ID... Only three lives were lost.
Statistically, this was a miracle in display, an outcome worth celebration... Yet, no one felt like they had won.
For they learned a grave lesson today...
No amount of death or destruction could offset the hurt of a single life that mattered to them.
No amount...
...
Meanwhile, Lord Darius had watched the whole shitshow; his expression was chilling... He had reached out to Grave’Maw, providing him with some leaks related to Velmira, but from how things turned out, he knew that he didn’t take them seriously, not bothering to inform his elites.
’That stone head and his pride... Just because they are junior Daywalkers, he chose to ignore me.’ Lord Darius narrowed his eyes coldly, ’Well, he better be winning the battle inside the mountain.’
Lord Darius had anticipated some setbacks, but he believed that the Hound was more than capable of erasing the Seraphis and his squad solo... He didn’t expect Seraphis to hold him down for so long inside the Rift of Binding Laws.
Yet to his shock, the scarlet bloody tree suddenly disintegrated into petals, leaving only the golden tree, standing proud...
Then, a rippling dimensional portal appeared on the tree’s bark, attracting everyone’s attention to a fragile, old man stumbling into the outside world.
The moment the old man exited, he fell on his back and remained there unmoving. The golden tree became somewhat dim, but still stood strong.
’It can’t be...’
Lord Darius was left stunned. He was seldom shocked by anything, but this? His stupefaction took the best of him.
In his eyes, it was nearly impossible for The Hound to lose against Seraphis. As the Bishop’s personal dog, the Hound was an unrelenting killing machine... He dominated everyone below him and those of a similar rank to him.
Yet, he was nowhere to be seen.
"Instructor!"
"It’s Instructor Seraphis!"
"He won!"
Meanwhile, Arthur and the rest swiftly rushed in the direction of the golden tree with delighted expressions... Only Levi remained behind next to Melissa, his expression quite grim.
’His lifeforce... Barely any is left.’
He could see that Instructor Seraphis’ condition was far from ideal... He was a step away from death, hanging to his dear life by a miracle.
Understanding that something horrible must have happened, Levi followed the others. When he arrived, he was shocked to see Instructor Seraphis’ body shriveled, akin to a raisin.
His hair was white and falling off. His skin was gray and dead. His eyes looked dim and muddy, like he was keeping them open with great difficulty.
"I got you, easy there, don’t move an inch."
Velmira swiftly got down and fed him the most potent recovery totem in her possession. Seraphis opened his cracked lips slightly and drank a pink liquid.
A few moments later, a faint luster took shape on his skin while his eyes opened up slightly wider.
"Sir, are you okay? What happened inside?" Velmira inquired, her tone urgent.
Seraphis went silent for a moment, and then said with his eyes closed, "I lost."
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