Skoll looked at the old man. The sheer oneness and shamelessness of his dumbfounded him. He seemed like a man who, when decided to do something, he will go with it.
It was, in a weird sense, similar to Skoll’s way of doing things.
Skoll was sure that his path toward freedom was completely lost right now. No more chances to strike this old man. No more chances to run freely. None were currently possible. Dying? He could not simply be crazy enough to end his life just because he lost in this case and die for nothing. He was too proud of wanting freedom. It would be a betrayal of his former self.
As for the strength of this old man? He was crazy enough to catch him alive, so he must be very strong. Perhaps even more than he showed.
Perhaps Skoll got even a little rusty, but that would be nothing but an excuse on his part. Clayton did not care much about his presence and even his own thoughts about him were negative as if he did not exist.
“Clayton would never agree...” Skoll said resolutely, glaring at the man with a focused gaze.
“That depends on me! I will use you no matter what. There still plenty of things I can do with your shackled self.” Lord Gao said in a self-important manner, glancing around to see the degree of changes. “Now, how the hell am I supposed to get back? Freaking bird! Cowardly beast... This is so frustrating.” Lord Gao cursed wildly and glanced toward Skoll.
“You must be something though. Are you part of the Heavenly list?” Lord Gao asked.
“Heavenly list? What is that?” Skoll answered, oblivious to such a question.
“Heavenly list of the beasts. Ranked within the reaches of the Central and Middle part of the universe.”
“Never heard of this nonsense.”
“You really are clueless... Where are you from anyway? How did you end up in this faraway place and be shackled to a mortal of all things?”
“Hnmph!” Skoll sneered, not giving him any answer.
“Well, anyway. It doesn't change the situation at all. Meng will tell me more about the situation anyway since I can't care about such a lowly planet.” Lord Gao said. For such a powerful beast to be here, it was no doubt that something went behind the scene. To be able to get unnoticed by powerful hidden and secret organizations in high enough places, was impressive yet unsurprising.
“I take it as you don't know it since you are clueless. Beast of your... presumably, hierarchy pattern forms no connection to regular Immortal topics. Hence, the Heavenly list is less than important. Wolves... I do know a few wolf species on that list, but you lack some of their specific requirements.”
“I don't get why you even care to open your mouth.” Skoll barked, gazing away. “You can just keep it shut, and die. Sounds easy enough.”
“You wish. Hmph!” Lord Gao snorted, talking for himself as he folded his arms behind the back and walked through the destroyed forest. “Information is a key to many. For you to not know anything is bizarre to me, but it is no longer important to me. In fact. It is even better to have a clueless beast since no one will be willing to get you from me. Heheheh. None know about you anyway, it seems. You will be a great addition to my collection and will be forever mine. Excellent!” he laughed in victorious arrogance, uncaring of the destruction or former sea of red.
“You make me sick to my stomach. I swear I would rather starve than eat your stupid ass.” Skoll swore at the old man.
“What did I get myself into? I swear on my name as a Lord… this is just ridiculous.” Lord Gao sighed and then kept walking on along controlling the shackles around Skoll's body.
Skoll bitterly accepted this fate. He was done fighting since every idea about a forceful escape was unsuccessful so far.
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Night lights of the stars and moons gently gloved to the shattered earth, making the place serene what was once a chaotic tremble of apocalyptic proportions. Animals still did not return, but it was a matter of time before they will.
Utter silence prevailed on this night as not even insects remained, and humans didn't live around.
The wind swayed a few remaining trees and bushes. Some survived the sheer terror that swiped through the hundreds of kilometers of this mountainous region that changed shape.
The hundreds of kilometers were affected by moved mountains, shattered cliffs, and hills that moved to each other, slamming into each other and cracking apart. Its epicenter was a circle of previous Allan's location. It could be seen from high in the sky but from the ground, it was as if destruction was everywhere. Rifts and valleys surrounded this vicinity into 100s kilometers wide circles, and new mountains were made that night.
It would take a long time for life to go back, but nature will be absolutely invisible when it comes to survival and perseverance. New trees will be born. Animals will run through this region once more. Life will begin anew, uncaring of the death that came here as it should.
This brief incident was like a drop in the lake, even though the sea of red was nothing like that. It shook the world for a tiny little bit, but that was it. The world will soon forget about it, just like every volcano eruption and earthquake of high attitude in its inhabited places
Time was relative, even in the grand scheme of the universe.
In this place, a figure of a man was walking on the messy roads that shifted kilometers from their original location. Looking around, he found himself on a worrisome topic. All he found was no order. Just destruction and chaos. He was looking for something or figuring out the cause of the destruction, but it was meaningless.
Eventually, he reached the region that he visited not too long ago. Every surrounding was obliterated and the scenery vastly exceeded his experience of living a long life already.
This was Edd Zenilis. He left earlier jsut to return after feeling the tremors in the ground, and an apocalyptic sigh from afar. He wanted to continue with his life, and hope alongside Claytom's secrets. The deal with Allan was of no interest to him any longer, so he fled but he wasn't fast enough to disappear from Orb of Red's area of influence.
One must have to work for oneself and he learned enough information from Allan. All he had to do was to adjust them and found the right reasons that his father had.
He glanced in a deep sigh at the destruction of what had happened here. Earlier, the appearance of enormous clouds from great distances was very obvious to him, so he returned as fast as possible. Edd traveled much faster than some horses, thanks to his unique abilities as an energy user.
Shocks and tremors traveled to him throughout the ground, but they all disappeared before he came close enough. Yet, that did not diminish the shock or fear that even he felt inside his heart. He thought that this must be related to Meng’s master, but then, he calculated it was too large. The area of chaos was something only legends among Immortals can achieve. And Meng's master was only part of the such legend.
Edd felt speechless and wondered what else to consider. The place was silent as if nothing mattered any longer. Could he have done things differently? Was his choice wrong or not? Perhaps, Allan was worth helping, but then, what caused it all?
“There is no hope here. Only power can cause one to be free from worry,” he whispered to himself, deicing to forget this place for good.
Edd moved away, disappearing into whispering wind that moved alongside nature itself.
Out of the distance of 5 kilometers, he watched what was once the original position he was in with Allan.
He could see some regret in this vision. He may be a possible cause. A small variable that moved, or caused this destruction, but he did not think of that as much as he should. There was no pity. Only an opportunity and hope in his heart.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Not knowing what occurred here at all, what was left was to leave.
“I wonder if Lord Gao has managed to finish his disciple’s request. If so, I will try to look for them. Allan or that beast is surely somewhere. Escape is hardly possible for him, but this crimson did not seem right. I will at least ask Meng or higher-ups about it. Right.” He thought.
Before he met Allan, he watched from great distances the total mayhem of two lofty figures. Lord Gao fighting the blurry wolf beast beyond the horizon was his small stop along the way to Allan. Their might shocked him as he was nowhere near as powerful as them. He watched them in awe, before returning to his own problems soon enough. The rest was history, as he did what he wanted.
“Now is no time to waste. Seeing the cause and effect is enough. This eruption of an unknown source is something far beyond their fight. I can see it.” Edd silently thought to himself.
Drifting from the night, he rather left than worry further. Only a sorry figure would think, act and risk one's life in useless, or dangerous situations.
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A few kilometers away, Lord Gao was dragging Skoll above his head. He controlled the shackles with his mindful energy control, hoping that Skoll wouldn't try to escape. As he walked, Lord Gao was looking for something or someone. The source of this huge incident was something he wanted to see. His servant and the boy must be somewhere.
Lord Gao walked on until he noticed a lying man on the ground. He was covered in dust, leaves, and stones, which made him look quite pathetic and almost unrecognizable.
“You… CHUN!?” Lord Gao shouted, almost jumping at this "corpse". “What in the world are you laying here for Get the hell to your feet!” Lord Gao shouted at again.
Yet, Chun still was unresponsive, so he approached the motionless body, and kicked him hard like a rock. His body swayed until another stronger kick sent him dozens of meters to a near boulder. With a thud, he crushed, causing cracks and debris on his body to disappear and his eyes opened.
Still considerably confused about what happened he mumbled. “What? Where? Why? Huh?” He was looking around like a madman who had just woken up from a questionable trip. Yet, along with the confusion, he noticed his master’s gaze. It was piercing through him to the mind, awakening the fear he should feel.
“Ahhh! Master! I am glad to see you.” Chun went to his knees, uncaring for the boulder, or his appearance. “Have you finished your little hunt?” he asked, face facing the ground. He did not notice Lord Gao’s poor appearance or bound Skoll above him.
“You stupid moron. How and why did you end in such a state?” Lord Gao asked, inclined to kick him a couple of times again.
“I-I-I have tracked down my prey, and I even captured him easily,” Chun said, remembering things as he should, but what was further was nothing but blankness and crimson terror. “But… but then. Huge bloody redness covered the sky… oh my god. That sheer violet violence and utmost power to shake the Heavens! It was wild, master!” Chun muttered in deep shock, releasing his head to look around him, but not enough to see Skoll.
“So you have seen what caused all of this?” Lord Gao asked glancing around as well.
“Master? Huh? Where are we?” Chun looked around him, unrecognizing the place whatsoever. Vast destruction was all he could see on the ground. Cracks and general position were different from his previous one. Chun remembered the position and geology since a good hunter needed to know about it.
From the mountain’s positions from the distant horizon and near ones, he deducted that he was in the same position as before, but some things were different. Some mountains changed shape, but a couple of them stayed together. They just moved somewhere else or shattered apart.
“So you know nothing, then? Huh?” Lord Gao said in an angry voice.
Seeing his master's irritation, Chun pushed himself up to rest on his knees.
“I saw a terrifying red orb of power. It was utterly fascinating and violent! I was deeply moved by such extreme… power. And then… I do not remember what happened next. Just a blank emptiness as a powerful voice pushed against my will to survive. I almost thought I went to the Underworld, sir.” he explained.
“So you are just lucky to be considered alive?” Lord Gao shook his head, coming closer to him. “That is just great. Prey? Where is that kid?” Lord Gao indifferently asked as his goal was apparent. The kid would greatly improve his chances of pushing Skoll to the edge since he was variable in his shackled heart. He did not have a powerful beast around his level of power so it was no wonder he tried his best. This will be the strongest of them all.
“I don’t know.” Chun shook his head, glancing around and sniffing the air. “I made him unable to run away or move at all. He should have not escaped far. If he even survived. What happened when I was unconscious?” Chun mumbled in seriousness. Still confused about what could cause his visions of redness to be so damn dominating, he couldn't get it out of his head.
“So be it. I didn't see or felt a living thing here, and it appeared the kid is gone. I do not know what happened here. I was dealing with this piece of hard work. ” Lord Gao pointed above him.
“Aaaahh!? Master?!” Chun filled his finger, noticing bound Skoll who was quite noticeable, yet he still didn't notice him. “Congratulation on gaining such a powerful pet.” Chen bowed toward his master. He also noticed his injuries and exhausted mood, yet his dominating aura could still leave a deep impression.
“Hmph! As if it is under my control. Not yet! I want him, but I need some things and the right mindset. The kid would also help, but forget about it.” Lord Gao said sternly. He gazed at the Skoll and Skoll gazed at him. Seemingly understanding his intention, Skoll just snorted. “I won’t help you at all.”
“Ugh. Beast. Tell me if you can even scent him. I do not need your life for that.”
“No way…” He answered in disinterest.
“Damn you. I need to know if that kid is even alive or not.” Lord Gao cursed, turning back to Chen. “Chen, do make a quick check of the perimeter. Try to find that brat in 2 square kilometers around the position you had seen him last time. If you won't do so, then we are finished here. Meng’s request did not turn out to be a success, but what is lost is lost. It's fine.” he ordered, loftily glaring at Chun.
“Yes, master!” Chen bowed and quickly moved away to look for Allan.
After watching everything unfolding, Skoll also checked his surrounding and sniffed the air. He no longer sensed Allan’s scent at all. That didn't mean that he was dead because the dead still had their own scents. He would notice it.
Skoll had phenomenal scent sensors as a wolf species. He could understand many things from it. Foe's movement, general health, a position from great distances, and much more. It was his proud weapon and ability that was undeniably powerful thanks to his lineage.
Yet, for Allan to disappear like this from the path of scent was strange. It reached the conclusion that he was gone from this place for good. Moving won't cause the disappearance of the scent. Only the movement caused by teleportation would cause this situation. Skoll was unaware of what or who forced such a situation to occur, so he simply assumed that he disappeared into a thin air.
In fact, he did.
“Maybe it is a better thing for him to simply disappear.” Skoll thought to himself. “Clayton will suffer more, but his mind will be strong. He won’t yield. As for me? Hmph! They won’t get me at all. Forget it. If I have time to escape, I will bite their heads off.”
Lord Gao watched Chun disappear, so he turned back to Skoll. “Tell me what you know and I will treat you much better. It's going to be quite pleasant compared to one of my hard-to-tame beasts.” Lord Gao tried to pursue Skoll to give up.
“Oh well, then. He is not here anymore. Take it as you wish.” Skoll said. He found it much more important to let this information out since it was a fact. Allan was gone and this old man can't do anything about it. Although he was unsure if Lord Gao would even trust his words, he still chose to say them. With him gone, they won’t get him, so why bother with being stubborn? That was what Skoll thought and decided on.
“Really? Gone?” Lord Gao pushed Skoll to the ground, glaring at him in a serious manner. “I hope you do not lie. I hate liars,” he said, but Skoll only whimpered, glancing away as he can't be bothered by him.
They waited for a few dozen minutes until Chen appeared in front of them. He looked at his master and bowed.
“There is really no one here. No living, no beast, nor even insects. Everything is barren like the Land of the Dying. It is very easy to spot someone on the ground and I am considerably confident in my tracking abilities. I vouch for myself. It is either someone helped him escape or he was smushed between mountains, killing him instead of me. He could have also been left in some crevice or simply disappear into a thin air. I do not know what it could be. There are many hiding spots, but they are hardly suitable for cover.”
Lord Gao turned around to face him. “I will trust your words for now. Fine, let us leave for now. Eagle is gone now so… Ahhhhh.” Lord Gao screeched as he saw a ghost. His body pushed forwards with a fierce force. Two halves of the jaw were wrapped around his body.
In a moment of temporal distraction, Skoll pushed forth with his slightly less restricted paws. It was enough to propel him forward where Lord Gao was distracted. Bearing his fangs right around the body of Lord Gao, he wanted to take a deserved bite.
He pushed himself forward as his jaw was mostly free since he did not have any potential ranged attacks, Lord Gao did let his mouth run free since he wished him to talk.
Yet, even though Skoll tried his best, he still struggled in vain.
“You fucking bastard!!” Lord Gao shouted furiously. Green specks of fog protected his body for a moment, making a momentary defense against the fangs that penetrated his robe. He slipped away, forcefully tearing open his grip to slip from this clutch. Lord Gao then started to punch him as the layers of green rope tied Skoll even further.
Beng. Beng. Beng. After a while, Lord Gao calmed down, as if he had the toughest work in the world.
He sighed, glancing at bloodied Skoll.
“I liked that face of yours. You nearly pissed yourself... Heheheh.” Skoll muttered in a faint voice. He found it still worth it.
“Hmph. Let us leave!” Lord Gao said, sounding calm yet his body or face wasn't. “Eagle is gone. I don't know where it flew to. The distance is probably no longer under my contract’s control, so forget it.” Lord Gao nonchalantly said, ignoring the pattern of jaw wounds around his body.
“I swear… this beast. It thinks it is better than me, huh?” Lord Gao cursed in his mind. He never suffered such humiliation but only flabbergasted Chun saw it so it was no time to worry.
“Yes, master.” Chun could bow and forget what he watched in shocked silence.
They left this region on foot, disappearing from the mountain range areas towards the city of Waan, which was undergoing raging flames of war and suffering.
Nature would slowly repair this destroyed world, yet the lives would not come back. The heavens, nor men, didn't know that this day made some significant otherworldly plays. Chess moves that would only be moved by inconceivable figures.
The state of the age of the Maker would slowly come to another light but it was unknown if it would be warmer or dimmer.