Chapter 901: The Fifth Round
Han’s specialty was his compression of Qi. Due to him being a middle-stage warrior, he had a large pool of Qi, but even more so, he was able to compress it extremely far down to allow it to explode at a point, making it appear stronger.
It was a technique that he had learned to survive, to complete the tasks set by his father.
A technique formed from having to complete impossible missions. It was because of this that Han could often defeat those considered the same rank as him.
Even if there were those that had better techniques, he would often come out as the winner. When Han received the special item from one of his battles-the flute-his strength had increased exponentially. He could input his pure condensed Qi into the flute, creating sound. The sound would act as a wave and was quite close to what people would consider projectile Qi. Through the sounds, Han was able to attack his opponents.
By doing this, he would often catch his opponents by surprise. He could even attend a crowd and get rid of his opponents, but he had never expected a wind barrier around his opponent that was stronger than his condensed Qi.
On top of that, he never expected his special artifact, which he was so used to, to become useless. No sound could be produced, oddly in the area, and the air was moving strangely.
The issue was, Han didn’t have enough time to worry about his flute not working, because these large giant balls of Dark energy in front of him looked frightening.
‘This Dark energy he used before-that was what he used to damage Sha Mo’s body, but he had created several small balls. Now this…’
Flinging his hands forward, the two large balls of Darkness came hurling toward them.
“I’ll take care of this one, brother!” Fing said as he rushed forward, somersaulting his body in the air. When landing, he had the gourd ready and a smile on his face.
‘I can’t wait to see what this energy tastes like,’ Fing licked his lips.
When the two balls approached, they suddenly expanded in size, growing at least five times larger than before. Everything they touched immediately disintegrated, including the floor below.
The attack had even hit the end of Fing’s gourd and had pushed him back again.
“What is this…why isn’t it absorbing it? This has never happened before.”
It was making no sense, and Han had a bad feeling about what he could see. With his flute being useless, he placed it to the side and started to spin his body in the air several times.
As he did this, Qi started to surround his body and linger in the air. It continued, and eventually, as Han spun his body one more time, all of the lingering Qi had gathered in his fist.
He then slammed it on the giant ball of black energy and had gotten rid of it-or more precisely, had pushed it away.
As it went off in the distance, it expanded in size again and exploded, creating a crater in the floor. Han turned his head to look at the other black ball of energy that he dodged, and it was the same.
‘These black balls of energy are pure destruction. The energy that makes this up is strange. There has to be a reason why Fing’s gourd was unable to absorb this energy. It’s quite likely if that ball hit us and we were unable to push it away, both of us would disappear.’
“We have to be careful!” Han said to his cautious brother, but when he went to look at him, he could see that Fing was blindly staring into the air.
When Han looked up, his face didn’t know what expression to pull. Dark shadows had been cast above them. In the sky, there were several Dark balls of magic, all the size of balloons.
There had to be hundreds of them. It wasn’t on the scale of what was used against Sha Mo; however, these Dark balls of magic were far larger.
When Han turned his head, he could see the Dark Balls of magic were behind him as well. In that moment, all of the Dark balls of magic came toward both of them.
They crashed into their bodies, moving them to the same position, to the point where the two brothers were touching skin. The giant balls, as they condensed around the two, started to expand and explode in Dark magic.
There was a brief moment after the explosion where both Han and Fing could be seen. Their clothes were torn, and they were clearly affected and weakened by the attack.
“Second round,” Raze claimed.
More of the balls in the air started to move, and they crushed both Fing and Han, pushing them onto the floor. They kept their Qi surrounding their bodies, doing whatever they could to not get severely hurt by the energy.
They were pushed to the floor, and the Dark balls of magic expanded, exploding again. This time, both Han and Fing hadn’t even gotten up off the floor, yet Raze hadn’t stopped.
“Third round.”
Those watching from the sidelines couldn’t believe their eyes.
“Han and Fing…the two of them weren’t even able to really show their powers or why they are feared in the Demonic Faction!” Mantis said. “Just how strong is Raze right now?”
“I think the real question we need to ask is how do we stop him, because once he’s done with them, he’ll be after us.”
Rayna thought the same thing, and right now her brothers seemed to be in trouble. Maybe… maybe she could reach out to him in that moment.
“Fifth round!” Raze said, lifting his hand, ready to swing it down.
“STOP! Raze, stop it!” a voice shouted out.
When Raze looked up, his eyes were in disbelief. He wondered if they had worsened with age, or maybe he was imagining things, but he could see Safa standing, and he was sure it was her
voice as well.
“Safa…” A loud thump was felt pounding in Raze’s heart. Immediately, the giant wall blocking the way fell to the ground, as well as all of the Dark magic, and at that moment, Raze collapsed onto the hard floor, his body still.
Chapter 902: The End Of Pagna
Like a flick of a switch, everyone had witnessed the all-powerful Dark Magus, who had been dominating everything in his path, suddenly fall to the ground.
It was a strange sight to see, and no one quite knew how to react. It was as if a large natural disaster had suddenly stopped—the ground shaking, the tornado coming to an end. There was a slight fear that it could start up again at any second, or perhaps a moment of relief that everything was finally over.
It wasn’t just the Behemoth Clan members who were left alive who felt relieved, but also those behind the wall of Flendon.
“It’s over,” Alba said, watching in the distance. “Raze must have been using his power, pushing himself to the point where it completely stopped.”
Of course, Alba and the rest of the Crimson Crane didn’t really have a full picture of what was going on or what had happened. They had no idea about Safa’s demise or what had caused Raze to end up in such a state.
“Safa!” Simyon called out as he rushed over to give her his shoulder. He had been holding onto her the entire time, but in the midst of the fighting, the power had forced Simyon to let go of her. He had been looking for her body while Raze was fighting the two brothers, but it was nowhere to be found. So right now, he couldn’t understand—how was it that Safa was standing?
Even if she had strong Light magic and the special Lux Spear’s capabilities, there had been a giant wound on her stomach.
When Simyon went to look at her stomach, he could see there was no wound at all. Instead, he just saw her smooth, pale skin and belly button.
His face went a little red from staring so hard.
“You can look away, you know,” Safa said.
“Sorry, I just… What happened? How are you alive? I’m just so happy you’re still here,” Simyon said.
“I’m not really sure myself. I have a feeling it has something to do with the special Lux Spear. It feels like part of it helped me,” she answered. “But I’m not sure if it can do that again. Regardless, we need to check on Raze!”
Safa hadn’t fully witnessed what Raze had done or what he had been capable of. There was no memory at all for her after she had been attacked by Sha Mo—it was as if she had truly died in those moments. Yet she knew in an instant that the old man who had been fighting was Raze, not the brother she used to know.
She realized something must have happened, so she had shouted at the top of her lungs to show she was okay. Now that she had seen Raze collapse like that, she felt somewhat responsible. His body had been holding onto that form of power—all because of her.
As for Raze, who was lying flat on the field, he was quite far from the wall of Flendon. He had pushed himself outward, getting into the middle of the large army. When the large earth wall had fallen, many of the warriors had fled, running back to their homes or who knew where.
However, there were still some who were relatively close to Raze. They had been saved from the fight with the two brothers, but their eyes were filled with anger as they looked at their fallen friends and allies.
“He’s passed out. He must have used all his power. This is it—we can get him!” One warrior drew his sword, and several others followed. They no longer had a desire to attack Flendon, but if they could kill the Dark Magus after everything he had put them through, they would be satisfied.
Several men charged toward Raze, but before they could reach him, a high-pitched sound echoed. Their vision went black as their bodies were sliced in half and fell to the floor.
Han could be seen holding his flute up to his mouth. His clothes were badly damaged, and there were several markings on his body.
On the other side, flipping through the air and landing in front of another group was Fing. The warriors stopped in their tracks, but it was too late. A twist of Fing’s hand sent a strange Qi through the air, making the warriors feel like their bodies were being crushed. With a single punch, their limbs were torn from their bodies and flung across the battlefield.
“That was satisfying after taking such a beating,” Fing said.
“What’s going on?!” one of the warriors shouted. “Weren’t they just fighting that man a while ago? Why are they protecting him? It makes no sense.”
Fing wiped the blood from his hand and looked at the remaining warriors.
“You think we’d let you just take him out while he’s worn out like that?” Fing said. “We would never let you touch this man. That fight was to decide the pecking order between us, and it’s quite clear—he is now Brother Number One!”
Rayna was surprised to hear those words from her brother, and she could see that Han was nodding in agreement, clearly acknowledging it as well.
“These guys are crazy! Come on, let’s get out of here!” one of the Behemoth Clan members yelled. With that, the remaining members turned and fled the battlefield.
Andy and the other guards saw this and erupted into cheers.
“The war is over!” Andy shouted. “The town of Flendon and the Dark Magus have defeated the Behemoth Clan!”
More cheers erupted, and the citizens who had been hiding in their homes started to come out. They were wondering if their ears were playing tricks on them. Could it really be over?
Out on the field, Rayna and the others slowly walked over to where Raze lay. His appearance had reverted to his younger self.
“Raze…” Rayna said, falling to her knees and stroking the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair. It was something she had never been able to do. Sometimes she just wanted to give him a hug—he always looked like he needed it.
“What happened to you?” Rayna said, her voice full of tears. “What happened to you that made you like this?”
Right now, Raze was trapped in deep dreams about his past—a past filled with pain and suffering that didn’t end with Sabrina. There was more to Raze’s story, more pain that couldn’t be forgotten.
Standing far back, Lince watched everything unfold.
“This is the catalyst that’s going to change everything. First the Dark Faction is thrown into chaos, and now the Demonic Faction… The Light Faction will be making its move. And from what I know, it might not be enough. But I guess you knew that too, Belil, which is why you sent your two sons here. It can’t be a coincidence.”
“The end of Pagna is near…”
Chapter 903: An Order For The Demonic Faction
Exhaustion had reached its peak for those that had fought in the battle against the Behemoth Clan. Many of the guards that had taken up arms fighting had dropped to the floor.
They lay there, looking at the sky. It was hard for them to believe that they had managed to survive once again, and that they were able to live another day.
During the fight, they reflected, thinking back to how many times they had said their last words in their heads, repeated the phrase, yet they had managed to live.
Others were thinking about those that weren’t so fortunate, but promised that they would spread their names in the Town of Flendon, so others would never forget the sacrifice they had made.
Another amazing thing that had occurred, was that while the guards lay there in place, they heard movement. It wasn’t coming from out on the field but instead was coming from the town of Flendon first.
“Make sure all of these people have plenty to eat and drink first!” a woman shouted. “After that, make a note of all of those injured.”
“The theater has said that they will house them. If the theater fills up, move them to the inn!”
Groups of people, including that of children, had rushed out from the town to care for those that had taken part in the fight. They were carrying drinks, and buckets of food, feeding all of the hard workers.
Some of them were even family members of those that had fought. They had grabbed their loved ones.
While others searched for those that had perished in the fight.
Rayna and the rest of them were walking back through the entrance of Flendon, seeing everything that was taking place. She was carrying Raze on her back.
No one had dared to even approach her or ask if they could help. After crying in front of Raze and stroking his hair, she had just picked him up.
As they continued, eventually Alba and the other Crimson Crane members had arrived.
“It looks like you managed to do a good job out there,” Alba said with her hands held by her hips. She was trying to look energetic, even though she could pass out at any moment. “You did your part, and it looks like you all came out of it alive.”
Rayna turned her head to look at Safa for a moment.
“I guess it did turn out that way. You did a good job too. I’m going to take Raze to the Town Hall. I think it might be good for all of us if we meet up there when he wakes up, and see what to do next with all of this.”
The others agreed, but who knew when Raze was going to wake up or recover from this fight. With that said, Cronker was sent to the Town Hall, and when the time was right, he would go and inform the rest.
“Crimson Crane, let’s all go and rest up. You all did well! Let’s get a big meal as well,” Alba said.
They all cheered and agreed in response, but when looking around, Alba noticed something. “Where’s Froma?” she asked.
“I saw one of the men take her into one of the nearby houses in the middle of the fight. It seems he’s treating her wounds,” Reno answered.
“Oh?” Alba replied with a raised eyebrow. For some reason, Alba could hear a particular type of music playing in her head. “Well, as long as she’s okay, let’s leave her be.”
When Rayna and the others had reached the Town Hall, they felt like there was something strange, almost as if they had forgotten about something.
Constantly, Liam was mumbling numbers under his breath as he spoke.
“What’s wrong man, are you trying to learn maths right now of all times?” Simyon said.
“No, it’s not that,” Liam said. “I literally could do any calculation you could come up with. I’m beyond smarter than you.”
“And with all that smartness, that was the best thing you could say,” Simyon replied.
“Anyway, what I’m counting is the number of people here. I’m counting everyone and looking at everyone and it seems like everyone’s here, yet at the same time, someone is missing, and I can’t remember who.”
“You’re right, one person left us,” Anna said. “It was the guy that had randomly appeared, with the cloth covering his face.”
“Oh right, there was that guy, who even was he?” Simyon asked. “I mean he was dressed like one of the guards, but none of the other guards even made it that deep into the fight.”
“Does it even matter?” Mantis said. “Let’s eat, I’m starving.”
Anna was deeply curious about the person as well, but she was more curious about what was currently happening at the Dark Faction, where Zon was still at.
The person in question that the others had forgotten about, had taken off their disguise and now a man with long, flowing black hair was sitting in one of the many inns.
Since he was dressed as a guard, free food was given to him. He felt a bit guilty eating the food meant for those that had fought to protect the city, when he hadn’t done so.
‘I guess… I did stop Sha Mo’s big rock, so I can take some of this food,’ Lince thought as he continued to eat.
Eventually, another person sat down opposite him. A young man who was dressed as a regular street merchant with plain clothing.
“You called, sir,” the man whispered.
“Right,” Lince said, picking up the giant pork chop and taking a large bite. After chewing it down, he placed it back down on his plate.
“I have some orders for you. Make sure every member of the Behemoth Clan is eliminated. Moving forward, we can’t have anyone trying to oppose us, or go against us, no matter how
small the risk.”
“Inform those in the Light Faction that they are to pull out of there immediately. As for the Elders, tell them that I will be paying a visit to Belil. It seems he is aware of a lot more than we originally thought,” Lince ordered.
Chapter 904 Alter Make A Move
Once again, news was spreading throughout the world of Pagna. Lately, it seemed like a common occurrence.
So much was happening in Pagna that the citizens were starting to get worried, as well as the warriors themselves.
Big changes were occurring, which wasn’t good for the kingdoms and empires that relied on the clans for balance.
They, too, were keeping a careful eye. This time, though, the news wasn’t broken by anyone special—it was word of mouth instead.
In one of the smaller cities in the Demonic Faction, a warrior was walking down the main street.
He spotted a shop that sold clay pots. Walking forward, the warrior swept his hand, moving the cloth from the entrance, and entered.
“I’m here for Clay,” the warrior said.
An old gentleman behind the counter pointed to an open door.
The warrior quickly entered and could see a table with a man sitting opposite.
The warrior looked over his shoulder and out through the door to the shop’s entrance. Right after, he returned and pulled up a seat, sitting down.
“You need to be clear with all the details,” the man said, bringing out a scroll of paper, a feather, and some ink.
“The Behemoth Clan was defeated,” the warrior said, his hands shaking as he thought back to the battlefield.
He was remembering everything and recounted it to the man opposite him, from the start of the battle with the fallen arrows to the strength of the Crimson Crane members.
All the details were being jotted down.
“It seems there were others fighting as well. I didn’t see it firsthand, but all of the pillars had been defeated. It wasn’t the Crimson Crane—they were too busy defending.”
“As for Sha Mo himself…”
The man writing down the details paused, waiting for a response.
“Go on… who was it that defeated Sha Mo? How did they do such a thing?” the man asked.
“I’m not sure, no one has the details, but I’m sure it was the old man with white hair—the Dark Magus. He used all sorts of powers that didn’t feel like they were from this world. It was almost as if he was a Divine being!”
The warrior continued to recount what was said—thunder striking from the air, giant walls created, and a field of ice freezing everyone.
The man marking down the details thought it was a clear exaggeration, and the warrior would make a great storyteller.
Regardless, he wrote it down as the man explained, as that was what he was tasked to do.
But he placed the tip of the feather against his mouth.
“An old man with white hair? Are you sure? The reports state that the Dark Magus is a young man with white hair,” the man asked.
“I’m sure of it,” the warrior said, standing up. “I have done my part. The Behemoth Clan is clearly no more after today, and I don’t wish to disappear as an informant. This is the last report I give to you, Clay,” the warrior said and made a swift exit toward the door.
When the warrior reentered the shop, he noticed that the old man behind the counter was missing.
The warrior didn’t like the feeling he had as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he drew his sword.
“I’m warning you, I am a warrior of the prestigious Behemoth Clan. I know how to fight!” the warrior claimed.
The warrior moved slowly across the room, still unable to see anyone. He started to panic and decided to bolt for the exit, but a person appeared right in front of him, followed by a sharp pain in his stomach.
The warrior looked down and saw a blade had impaled him.
“The Behemoth Clan is no longer prestigious. Its name and all its members will be erased from history on this day.” The man pulled out the blade and swiped it, slashing across the warrior’s neck, killing him on the spot.
Quickly, the man moved to the entrance of the other room but saw that no one was present.
“It looks like I was a little behind.”
The occurrence in the shop was happening all over the Demonic Faction.
The lingering members who survived the battle against the town of Flendon were falling fairly quickly.
Although regular citizens had no idea who was behind it, it wasn’t the same for the clans in the Demonic Faction.
There was only one clan capable of such a thing, and it was the Lost Clan.
Despite the Lost Clan’s efforts, reports had left the Demonic Faction, traveling far and wide until they reached the Light Faction as well.
“Not even Sha Mo, the biggest clan in the Demonic Faction, can stop him!”
“Does this mean the Demonic Faction is severely weakened at this point? Maybe the Light Faction will act. It’s a chance, right?”
“A war has practically broken out between the Dark Faction and the Light Faction, so it means the Dark Faction is weakened at the moment.”
“But also, isn’t this Dark Magus kind of scary as well? He took over the Dark Faction and bested one of the top clans in the Demonic Faction. Can the Light Faction take him down? Who even is this Dark Magus?”
Walking through the streets, a light-haired man with round glasses and a fancy blazer was making his way.
By his side, a man dressed in finely layered cloth with swords at his side, his red hair standing out, walked next to him.
“We haven’t read the full report yet, but it appears that the Dark Magus was able to best the Behemoth Clan,” Heino said, looking ahead at a large church-like building.
It was the Aurora Clan’s main base of operations.
“You know what that means then, right?” Red said. “That the person who killed Scar… it wasn’t the Dark Magus. There has to be someone else strong by his side.”
“Hmm… Come on, we should get the reports from the Aurora Clan, and we need to discuss another, more important matter that has come up.”
News had been received by Alter—news so important that they had to even set aside the Dark Magus for now.
Chapter 905: At All Costs
Aurora City was home to the Aurora Clan, currently the biggest clan in all of the Light Faction. Unlike the other factions, where there was no clear unity and either ran by strong individuals or by a single person, the Light Faction was different. The clans gathered and often voted for which clans would represent the Light Faction. The lower clans in the Light Faction would all have thoughts to select the major clans.
The major clans themselves had votes worth more when selecting who they believed should be the head, and the current head was the Aurora Clan.
Followed by the Illumination Clan, and finally the Dawnblade Clan, which, in the eyes of some, had fallen from its high position, as it had the longest standing at the top of the Light Faction but slowly was being pushed down, further and further.
The city was mostly made out of grey stone that carved the walls and paved the flooring. They didn’t cover the entirety of the green space, keeping a perfect balance in the city.
The structures in the city itself were well made, and maintenance was kept up on all of the buildings. Unlike cities in other factions, there seemed to be a standard of quality in every single area.
This could also be seen with the people walking through the streets. There were no holes in their clothing, and no one sat on the streets begging for food or looked malnourished.
Some say this was the reason why the Aurora Clan had risen to the top-because Aurora City had become the happiest place to live in the Light Faction. With the Aurora Clan at the top, everyone in the Light Faction hoped for the same result.
Centered in one area of the city was a large church, an architectural marvel for the people. Crafted by Pagna warriors with their very own hands.
It was an impressive sight, with the very top of one of the spires visible from the entire city. Currently, a meeting was taking place inside. A room where seats were arranged in a circle, tiered on top of each other, and the main three clans of the Light Faction had gathered.
Kawak was stationed on a pillar slightly elevated above the others, giving him a clear view of all those around.
As he watched those entering the room, his eyes made contact with Henio and the mysterious person he had brought with him.
The two of them gave each other a nod. Since Henio’s last visit, Alter and the Light Faction had agreed to improve their bonds and work closely together.
Henio himself didn’t have to attend these meetings, but he had come for a few reasons.
“A first-hand report has come in from one of our members who were directly in the Behemoth Clan. The informant has stated that everything said is as seen,” Kawak said, clearing his throat.
Already many in the Light Faction had heard the news of the Behemoth Clan’s fall. What was surprising was how it had even occurred.
The current leader of the Dark Faction should have been at the Dark Faction Academy, according to their reports. So how did one get to the Town of Flendon, and how did they protect themselves from such a large group like the Behemoth Clan?
“These are the accounts of what occurred on the battlefield…”
Kawak read them aloud, and everyone listened carefully with varied reactions. Some of the Light Faction members were in disbelief, wondering what type of artifacts had been used.
While others thought it had to be exaggerations, but if they were exaggerations, how did they beat the Behemoth Clan? The only answer they had was the one in front of them.
They had all also witnessed what the Dark Magus was capable of, having teleported them away during the Martial Arts Tournament.
“I believe there is some confusion among the reports, so we also had sketches made of the people described as the Dark Magus that we know of, and the one that appeared on the field.”
Walking into the center, two large scrolls were revealed, one depicting a young man, the other an old, frail man.
When looking at the two individuals, it was quite obvious to them that these weren’t the same people.
“So was it the Dark Magus that actually got rid of the Behemoth Clan? That looks like a different person.”
“There’s a chance that it was a mistake in the report, but Kawak said this is confirmed by more than one eyewitness.”
“Then I guess, for the time being, we have to believe that there is a second individual among those in the Dark Magus’ circle who is strong enough.”
Henio also took note of the sketches that had been drawn and leaned in to whisper to Red by his side.
“You’ve analyzed the drawings, right? If you were to create a replica, would it be possible?” Henio asked.
“Yes, I’ll do that when we’re back at the base.”
“Good. I think the others will be interested to know what the Dark Magus of Pagna looks like -the person who has tried to use his name.”
The meeting continued with deliberation and plans of action. They debated whether to go against the Dark Faction, ask for an official report, and pretend as if there was still no bad blood between the groups.
There seemed to be next to no result, and in the middle of all their talking, Red stood up from his seat and leapt down to the center.
“What is he…?”
Red moved over to one of the guards on the ground floor in the inner circle and pulled the guard’s head down. In that moment, a red energy beam shot out from the palm of his hand, going right through the warrior’s head.
Red then threw him onto the ground. His body lay still, and for a moment, everyone was stunned into silence.
“Well, I guess this is as good a time as any for me to talk,” Henio said as he jumped into the
center.
From the last visit, many recognized who he was, but it was clear by the looks on their faces that they wanted answers to what had just happened.
“The man on the ground was a spy. For whom, unfortunately, we don’t know, but I thought it best to get rid of him before I talk about important matters.”
“What do you mean important matters? Do you think what you have to say is more important than what we have to say?” a man yelled.
Kawak quickly raised his hand, getting the warrior to stop.
“You see, there is something very important that has appeared, and we have to get it at all costs. An item known as the Golden Globe.”
“Until recently, we had no idea about its location, but it has been discovered-or should I say soon to be discovered. Regardless… this is something that we can’t do much about ourselves, so we’ll need your help.”
“We must get the Golden Globe… at all costs.”
Chapter 906: A Sour Reunion
Fortunately, there wasn’t much destruction that had occurred in the town of Flendon. It was only a few houses and buildings on one side of the wall that were impacted.
The locals were using their own resources to already help each other and their community. They wouldn’t dare want the guards to work, or the people of Flendon that had stayed to have this come out of their pockets.
Especially when they had the resources to do such things. They had plenty of gifts given to them when the town of Flendon had been put under the Dark Magus’s control.
The truth was, now that the news of Flendon defeating the Behemoth Clan had spread again, there was a phenomenal amount of visitors.
The clans nearby came bearing gifts, the local merchants and many more would visit. All of them had done so with the intention of meeting the Dark Magus.
Yet, not a single one of them was given an audience with the Dark Magus. Regardless, they hoped their gifts would allow them to be remembered in his head as good people.
With many in the Demonic Faction rising to the top, the others gave gifts more so out of fear, for fear that something would happen to them.
In the town hall that was stationed at the back near the south gate, this was where Raze was currently located. When the town hall had been rebuilt and upgraded, a special area had been created for guests.
This was to accommodate not just those in the city, but perhaps those who had traveled far. Rather than pay for an inn, the town hall would accommodate them to their needs.
Located on the second floor, in a fairly large room, where half of it looked like a library of sorts, Raze was laid out on the bed, tucked under his sheets.
His eyes peacefully closed.
A knock was heard at the door, and that’s when Rayna, who was sitting by his bedside in a chair, closed her book.
“Come in,” Rayna said.
When the door opened, Alba entered the room. She quickly closed it behind her and started to walk toward where Raze was.
“Man, the people, they don’t just stop coming. If they can’t see Raze, then they at least want to see you, and I don’t know what to tell them?” Alba said, rubbing the back of her neck.
“I said to just inform them that he is currently back at the Dark Faction. It will take a while for them to travel there and find out if it’s the truth or not,” Rayna replied.
Alba walked closer and continued toward the bed, and just as she was about to step further forward, two men came and stood in her path.
“You know the rules,” Fing said. “No one is allowed to get within arm’s reach of the top brother here.”
Alba pulled a face, thinking this was ridiculous. It was the same thing that had occurred last time she had come to visit, and it wasn’t just one brother.
Although Han didn’t say anything, he was also standing guard beside Raze’s bed.
“I’m the leader of the Crimson Crane, and Raze is part of it. If anything, I’m above him in terms of rank, and I can’t even see him. I’ve also known him a lot longer than the two of you!” Alba complained.
The two of them shook their heads.
“Do you really think that’s the case? Raze, the Dark Magus, has become even bigger than the Crimson Crane.”
“When he married Rayna and joined the Neverfall Clan, he became a part of our family, which is already a higher status than some wanderer clan.”
“You have to remember you’re talking about the head of the Dark Faction as well. You’re a fool if you think he’s still part of your Crimson Crane group.”
Fing’s words stung Alba’s heart somewhat. They were true, and it was hard to say he was part of the Crimson Crane when lately they had been relying on him to make weapons in order to increase their strength.
They had also all been caught up in Raze’s troubles and pulled along. Still, it felt ridiculous. She was closer to Raze than just some type of contract they had going on, right?
Alba then looked at Rayna, hoping that she could reason with her brothers. Instead, she just saw her mouth the words “sorry.”
There was a reason why neither of them could say anything. Because the two brothers were ridiculously strong, to the point where Alba couldn’t even force her way through.
Right now, Raze was certainly in safe hands, and it was unlikely anyone would be able to get to him.
So despite everything, she decided to stay standing away from him.
“He’s still sleeping, no sign of waking up yet?” Alba asked.
“No, but he seems stable,” Rayna answered. “We had some physicians see him, and they say there are no problems, so I think he’ll wake up soon.”
“It’s still all so hard to believe that he did all that, and that old man from before, that it was really him,” Alba said.
When she remembered the image of the old man, she remembered something else as well. The look in his eyes.
“Hey Rayna… when Raze had transformed or turned old, whatever you call it, did you notice something that felt a bit different about him? I mean his ey-“
Just as Alba was about to finish her question, another knock was heard at the door. The only people that knew Raze was staying here were those that were considered close to him.
When the door opened, the person standing there paused for a moment.
“I was told Raze was in here, but I didn’t realize who else would be here,” Dame said.
Rayna’s heart was starting to race at that moment. Currently, all of the children of Belil were in the same room. This hadn’t occurred in a very long time.
And there was a good reason why it hadn’t either.
Chapter 907: He is not your Brother
In an instant, Alba could feel the extremely tense atmosphere in the air, and it had occurred the moment Dame had entered the room.
‘I almost forgot that all of these are from the same clan, and not even just the same clan- they’re from the same blood!’ Alba thought.
It was quite common in the larger and more famous clans for sibling rivalry to occur.
Often the descendants would be the ones to take over the clan, but when there were many descendants, it became an intense competition among them.
It was quite normal for families to even facilitate competition between each other, and oftentimes it would incur death.
Yet, it wasn’t a problem for the father and mother, for they had many descendants to choose from, and their favorites would be the strongest ones.
In the Demonic Faction clans, that was even more true. It was part of the reason Alba had become a wanderer, making her own clan.
One with rules far away from all of that.
“We have been ordered by father to be here,” Fing claimed, drinking from his gourd. “We have a right to be here, but you don’t. Why don’t you run away and flee, it’s what you do best, right?”
Dame tensed his fist as he moved closer to where Raze was.
“I have no right? You know nothing about the relationship between me and Raze. You knew nothing about him until you met him today.”
“Just because you bore witness to his power, now suddenly you are willing to call him brother?”
“Someone strong like him is much more worthy of being called a brother than a slacker like you.”
Fing’s response had visibly angered Dame, whose lips raised, revealing his clenched teeth. “Stop it. I don’t want to be involved in a useless fight,” Han said. “And you, Dame, should be more honest with yourself. If you didn’t know about the Dark Magus’s power, then you too wouldn’t have stayed by his side.”
Dame’s anger subsided slightly as a feeling of guilt entered the pit of his stomach.
It was true. Dame saw great use in the Dark Magus, and that’s why he originally approached him, but it wasn’t like that anymore.
Whenever Dame thought back to the times he had spent with Raze, he couldn’t help but smile. Even when their lives were in danger, a bond had been growing within him from everything they had done together.
And Dame realized that most when he had joined the Martial Arts Tournament with the aim of helping the others.
Although Dame had the goal of impressing his family and father through his own legacy, he wanted to be part of this legacy.
“None of you have earned any right,” Dame said, “to call him or me your brother. The things you did growing up.”
“I had already told both of you that I didn’t care for the Neverfall Clan anymore, yet both of you took every chance you could to shove me down.”
“Throwing me into the pit of a descending spiral, forcing me to even hurt those who got close to me so no one could get close. Luckily, I still found some people I cared for.”
“Whereas you two, you just found each other because you’re as sick as the other.”
Rayna was holding in her pain and sorrow. She remembered the number of times she had seen Dame crying, lost and alone.
Although she hadn’t taken part in any of the abuse, she hadn’t comforted or helped Dame either.
“Those were just childish things,” Han said. “I can’t believe you’re still a child holding onto things that happened when we were kids.”
“If anything, you should be thanking us. Everything we did to you was to prepare you for the world out there.”
“Right!” Fing said, nodding. “Being a descendant, there is a lot expected of you, but we could see you were soft.”
“The moment you trained with others or went to the academy, they would have eaten you alive, and you would have never been able to progress.”
“Sure, you’re nothing like us two, but without us, you wouldn’t have even survived and would’ve taken your own life!”
“Just childish play. I deserved all that for what, because I was the youngest child?” Dame said, his mind incredibly conflicted.
He couldn’t believe the reason his brothers were giving for having done such things.
“So, even injuring my dantian before entering the academy-that was all for my sake?” Dame shouted.
Rayna almost gasped. She wasn’t even aware of this happening. When Dame entered the academy, he wouldn’t have been a child anymore.
Not only that, but Dame’s performance was subpar to what was expected, at least from what Belil had expected.
In turn, large punishments were received from their father, and after that, the relationship looked like it would never be fixed.
When Rayna looked back on it, she realized that was when Dame had started to change drastically.
No longer caring at all for his training, frequently visiting brothels, and essentially being known as the failure within the family.
It was then that Rayna realized the hardships had never stopped from her brothers and could have very well stunted Dame’s growth.
“If you had overcome that, you’d be stronger than you are today,” Han commented.
At that moment, a smile appeared on Dame’s face, and tears rolled down the sides of his
cheeks.
“Thank you, thank you. I’m glad now I understand-you two were never my brothers… and you don’t deserve to call Raze your brother!”
Dame transformed, his face changing and his arms breaking out from his back. Shooting out from his mouth, the strange webbing wrapped around Han and his flute.
“STOP IT!” Rayna screamed.
She didn’t want to see this, especially something happening to Dame, and her being unable to
stop it.
Sure, Dame had grown leaps and bounds due to his Hybrid form, but to take on both of his brothers was an impossible task.
The Qi in the room had risen, and the webbing had broken from Han’s hand.
“Wrong move, you’re not a child anymore. And you’re no longer part of the clan. These
actions are courting death,” Han claimed.
He raised his flute to his mouth and blew down, but when he did, no sound was made. A familiar feeling overcame Han, sending shivers down his spine.
“Don’t touch him… don’t touch my friend.”
