"Flatus Purificatio-Maxima... let the next rotation come forth!"
As the physicians of the HoundGuards took turns releasing detoxifying purification magic, the two smaller gray-white forest wolves in the cage were the first to open their eyes.
"Grrr... Awooo!"
Feeling the presence of humans clad in familiar yet infuriating colors and emitting dangerous mana, they immediately began to roar. Trapped in a confined space, they struggled, attempting to use their once-unfailing sharp teeth and claws to tear through the cage. However, they were merely common beasts, incapable of shaking the iron-forged cage constructed by the Hunter's Association.
Meanwhile, Hati and Skoll, thrown into the execution pen, also desperately struggled to rid themselves of the heavy chains. These chains had been driven through their clavicles and reattached, rendering their struggles futile and only succeeding in tearing open their freshly scabbed wounds, covering them in blood.
"Ice Claw! Ice Claw! Dammit..." Hati managed to stand against the wall and immediately began to growl, trying to chant a spell, "No reaction from the mana inside, and the arcane ring too..."
"These chains are likely forged from Spellbane Alloy... Right now, we're just a burden!" Skoll's face showed his dissatisfaction, but he continued to analyze the situation, "That scoundrel Kenneth, he had countless opportunities to kill us outright..."
Wolf Execution—Kenneth insisted on using this time-consuming and laborious method of execution to torment Hati and Skoll slowly. The reason behind this, besides displaying his authority and ruling position, was largely to force Julius to stay and confront him directly, deriving pleasure from it until Julius was literally played to death!
Despite the fact that the brothers were the rightful leaders responsible for protecting all the Nivians of Ironwood, they were now reduced to cumbersome hostages, forced to watch helplessly as the still-young Julius faced the cunning and cruel Kenneth alone.
"Julius! Just focus on dealing with Kenneth!" With a reminder, Hati quickly grasped Kenneth's sinister intent, and using almost the last bit of strength in his battered body, he shouted anxiously, "We can handle things here!"
"It's too far, he might not hear us... we need to think of another way."
As the brothers desperately thought of a way to escape their predicament, the last wolf in the cage stirred.
This wolf, which had awoken last due to being subjected to the heaviest dose of sleeping pollen, had a patch of striking flame-like orange fur on its back, signifying its extraordinary lineage. It was half a size larger than the other two average forest wolves, and merely sitting up, its bushy fur almost filled half the cage.
"Quick, quick, quick! Get them all in there!"
Prompted by the HoundGuards, the partition door between the cage and the execution arena was swiftly opened. Seeing a chance for escape, the three hungry wolves immediately dashed in.
Upon entering the execution arena, the two seemingly brotherly gray and white forest wolves immediately distanced themselves from the large red-haired wolf, unsure of Hati and Skoll's capabilities. They slowly trotted back to the corner of the arena, maintaining their distance from both parties while their probing eyes swept back and forth.
In contrast, the large red-haired wolf displayed a distinctly different attitude. After leaving the cage, it sauntered leisurely to the center of the arena. Despite its hunger, matching that of the other wolves, it seemed to carry an inherent pride from its lineage, surveying everything in the arena like a sovereign inspecting his domain.
Two white, chained, bloodied, and weakened humans; a crowd of black and red humans observing from outside the towering fence, apparently unwilling to intervene; and two inferior breeds—waiting to assess the situation. A glint of ferocity flashed through the red-haired wolf's green eyes, its muscular limbs suddenly tensed, and it adopted an attack stance before lunging forward!
"Awoo—"
Unexpectedly, the large red-haired wolf did not pounce on the readily available Nivian twin brothers but targeted the forest wolf brothers hiding in the corner!
*Thud*
Caught off guard, the slightly forward-positioned forest wolf was swatted away by the red-haired wolf's paw, hitting the sturdy fence made of black ironwood solidly, leaving it disoriented and unable to stand properly.
To the red-haired wolf, Hati and Skoll were merely two easy prey items that could be devoured effortlessly at any time. As for the two forest wolves, they were not even considered kin in its eyes, let alone worthy of sharing a meal. They were merely obstacles that dampened its dining experience—expendable.
"Grrr..." Seeing this, the other forest wolf quickly ran in the opposite direction while growling lowly to taunt the large red-haired wolf, buying time for its brother to recover.
Feeling its pride insulted, the large red-haired wolf immediately pursued the provocateur, its sharp claws relentlessly striking forward, and its massive fanged maw emitting a chilling grinding noise. Initially, the forest wolf managed to awkwardly dodge using its small size for agility, narrowly escaping attacks several times, but given the significant disparity in strength and the debilitating hunger, it soon suffered numerous deep lacerations, with blood spurting profusely.
"Are these wolves fighting each other? An internal conflict?" Skoll suddenly couldn't comprehend the situation.
"They... are just like us." Watching the forest wolf brothers, Hati felt an unusual resonance deep within, reminding him of the battle they had with Kenneth the day before.
"What?" Skoll, usually the rational one, couldn't follow his brother's train of thought and looked puzzled.
The same struggle of the weak against the strong, the same helpless plight of two brothers, the same cruel law of the survival of the fittest replaying in this cursed world—how could Hati not feel a resonance?
"We need to help the wolf brothers." Suddenly, Hati suggested.
"What are you even talking about—" Before Skoll could ask for clarification, he saw Hati, as if on a suicide mission, charging at the large red-haired wolf, dragging his chain-wrapped, battered body along!
By then, the distracting forest wolf was in dire straits, cornered and exhausted by the large red-haired wolf, just as it was about to deliver the fatal bite—
"I don't think so!"
Under the astonished gazes of the three wolves and everyone else, Hati suddenly lunged forward, positioning himself in front of the forest wolf, allowing the large red-haired wolf to bite down hard on him.
*Clang*
But when the fangs closed, instead of the sound of bones and flesh tearing, there was a loud clink of metal.
"Ha! How does Spellbane Alloy taste? I bet it's sweet as hell!" Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain, Hati managed to squeeze out a taunting smile.
To ensure the prisoners' magic was completely sealed, his chains were interlinked and embedded firmly in each other; by controlling the position of his body, he could use the chains to somewhat block those sharp fangs.
"Second smash!" Skoll, who had followed in a rush, immediately backed up his brother.
The instinctive connection between the twin brothers quickly made Skoll grasp Hati's plan, and he too, with all his strength, pounced forward, using his chains as a weapon to smash against the large red-haired wolf's canine.
*Crack*
Caught off guard, the sharp canine, already caught in the chains, was brutally struck and snapped in two!
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The large red-haired wolf, priding itself on its sharp teeth, yelped in pain from the unexpected defeat and quickly disengaged to reassess these seemingly easy human prey.
Seizing the moment, Hati quickly picked up the broken canine from the ground and turned to look at the forest wolf, still stunned and standing motionless.
"You two brothers, and we two brothers, either we all die in this bastard's jaw, or we kill it and survive together. Choose one!" Before his words even settled, he tossed the broken canine to the ground next to the forest wolf.
While the forest wolf's intelligence was not developed enough to understand human speech, the favor of having their lives saved by these humans, coupled with the actions before them, allowed it to grasp the intent behind the gesture.
"Whine..." It seemed to hesitate with a low whine, then swallowed the broken canine of the red-haired large wolf and looked up at Hati again.
Eyes of man and wolf met, forming a remarkable connection across species barriers, establishing a basic trust in each other's hearts.
"Alright! Now let's beat this giant dog into a pulp together!"
-Break-
"Hmph." Kenneth, clad in fiery heavy armor, glanced briefly towards the execution ground and scoffed dismissively, "They seem to be having fun over there, but unfortunately... things here are about to get boring."
Julius didn't bother to reply, instead lowering his body again and closing his eyes to focus on manipulating waves of consciousness.
*Boom—Swoosh—*
An explosion followed by the sound of tearing wind echoed as Julius, enveloped in a sinister mix of black and red flames and smoke, used the blast to accelerate his assault.
In his hands, the reforged charred sword burst forth with an aura that spiraled around it, the sword's Karma released under the catalyst of the consciousness waves, sending forth flying ashes that propelled the sword forward, stabbing fiercely towards Kenneth!
*Clang*
But the sword's tip barely pierced through before it was completely stopped by the sturdy fiery heavy armor. It managed only to slightly penetrate the almost solid layer of condensed flames that wrapped Kenneth's robust body, far from a fatal blow, and then the tip of the sword broke off completely.
"As I said, it's getting boring!" Kenneth casually took the stab and then countered with a punch.
*Whoosh—*
The fierce force of the punch, enhanced by the spell Ashwarden, transformed into a tidal wave of flames that surged towards Julius, who was too close to avoid. It enveloped him completely, blasting him away.
*Splash*
Thrown back like a fallen leaf, Julius, covered in flames, crashed heavily to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of dark red blood.
"This is disappointing, too disappointing. Maybe it's time to end this?"
Julius responded to Kenneth's taunts not with words but action. Despite being roasted by the surrounding flames, he stubbornly stood up, swinging his charred sword which scattered a cloud of black smoke, extinguishing the flames around him. The black blade of the sword, having exhausted its Karma, once again disintegrated, turning into a mud-like black liquid that dripped into the earth.
Then, Julius pulled out a blackened hoe stuck in the ground, melted it down, and reforged it into a new blade for the charred sword.
"Again, consuming another weapon. Only seven left now, how much longer can you keep this up?" Kenneth's expression, initially driven by excitement, was now swept with boredom and laziness, "Aren't you supposed to judge me? Where is your anger? Your hatred? Show me something new to entertain me."
As Kenneth said, this seemingly pointless cycle of attack and defense had continued several times.
Under the pressure of Kenneth's hostage tactics, the situation had completely reversed. Originally, Julius, who dodged attacks with agile movements waiting for his enemy's mana to drain, now had to switch from evasion to offense, confronting an amplified Kenneth head-on.
Each assault almost invariably ended the same way, with the weapon just barely penetrating the flame armor created by the spell Ashwarden, only for the tips that managed to scratch the skin to break off, and Julius himself would be violently blown back by the flames, losing another entire blade of the charred sword in the process to protect himself.
"Kid, I've figured you out," Kenneth's face no longer held the obsession and desire for battle but rather a predatory amusement, "Blessing? Curse? Or an ancient artifact? Whatever it is, it's ultimately not your own power."
With his combat ability's secret laid bare in a single comment, Julius's face showed no sign of surprise or panic because he had never intended to hide it.
The twisted Karma extracted from the weapons of the twenty-seven Nivians who had been burned alive, the crystallization of negative emotions that could not become the Unmatched Sword Intent, now manifested as the ominous black and red flames that wrapped around him—this was the power he used in battle, a sword cultivators' spell known as Vengeful Sword Revenant.
The continuously regenerating charred sword was forged from the resentment contained in those deceased's weapons.
However, at this moment, Julius's expression was no longer as composed as before, instead showing a rare hint of pity.
"What's with that look?" As if provoked by that pity, Kenneth suddenly released waves of scorching energy.
In his mindset, Julius was the prey, and Kenneth the Ashwarden was the hunter! Prey was supposed to struggle and ultimately die in despair; since when did prey show pity towards their hunter?!
"Yes, pitiful as you are, you still don't understand that your end is near, nor even the cause of your impending demise." Julius pulled another charred dagger from the ground, pointing it at Kenneth with a faint black and red glow flickering upon it. "After all this time, do you still not recognize these?"
This statement ignited Kenneth's fury completely.
*Boom boom boom*
Waves of fire spread like a tsunami around Kenneth, the air temperature skyrocketing with his mood, even the soil under the scorched grass beginning to hiss as if it were burning under his agitated mana.
"My end is near? Enough with your bluster!" His deep roar seemed to shake the entire arena, his heavy footsteps truly shaking the earth. "I had thought to spare your life, let you grow stronger before I killed you... but since you’ve provoked me, this hunt can only end in this unpleasant way!"
Kenneth clenched his fists, and the flames enveloping him, sensing his anger, became even more ferocious. The blazing heavy armor, formed by the technique Ashwarden, expanded within the sea of fire, and in a few breaths, Kenneth transformed into a towering flame giant, standing two to three times the height of a man.
image [https://img2.imgtp.com/2024/04/29/Uk1wSPBJ.png]
Amidst the roaring flames, Kenneth's roar sounded like a wild beast, "Now, die!!!"
The flame giant, radiating terrifying heat, spread its massive arms and advanced towards the defiantly insignificant boy—
"Huh?!"
But it stopped.
As the flame giant turned, it encountered a hellish and eerie scene.
One, two, three—twenty-seven charred and twisted corpses, emerging from the ash-covered soil, one after another. They clung to the giant's legs with their deformed, charred hands, mouths agape, using their cracking, crumbling bodies to climb upwards.
"What... what the hell is this?!"
Kenneth instinctively tried to shake off these grotesque walking dead with the flame giant, but each seemed as heavy as a thousand pounds, momentarily immobilizing the giant.
*Thud—boom—*
When that failed, Kenneth attempted to punch and explode the charred corpses, successfully scattering them to pieces—
But before he could catch his breath, the scattered pieces of the charred corpses began to move again, writhing and reassembling, relentlessly clinging to the flame giant, mouths gaping as they gnawed and consumed the body made of flames.
"Necromancy?! Is there an Umbramancer nearby? Did those idiot fools not thoroughly search the area?!"
For a moment, the flame giant became utterly disheveled, looking like a clown trying desperately to escape the seemingly feeble charred corpses.
Meanwhile, Julius quietly walked on the scorched earth, gathering the remaining seven charred weapons, bringing them together, and then turning his gaze towards Kenneth, still encased within the flame giant.
"Slums, the White Wolf Gang—the twenty-seven people you killed, even now as they stand before you, can you not remember even a trace of them?" Julius spoke with disdain. "Or is it that you've burned so many alive that even more charred corpses couldn't evoke a flicker of recollection?"
"How could that be? Are you saying you can revive the dead?!"
Anger, unease, disbelief, and even fear overwhelmed Kenneth's heart like a tidal wave, but his reason helped him overcome these emotions. He turned to look at his subordinates, trying to shout out orders for their assistance.
"Ashwarden even has a flame giant form?! That's awesome!"
"The dignity of the HoundGuards cannot be challenged!"
"Vice-Captain, mighty!"
From afar, the members of the HoundGuards were still shouting flattery and encouragement, seemingly oblivious to the eerie horde of charred corpses devouring the flame giant.
"You fools, hurry up—uh—"
Before Kenneth could finish his shout, a child-like charred corpse crawled into the mouth of the flame giant, stuffing his mouth with its burnt palms, all fingers already fallen off, leaving only crumbling hands.
"Exactly, this sin is solely yours, hence they belong only to you."
Julius looked up; he too couldn't see any charred corpses, but merely seeing Kenneth comically struggling to control the flame giant, trying to free himself from something, was enough to confirm that his long-planned tactics were taking effect.
"The twenty weapons previously transformed into blades, all of which have damaged your body, if only as mere scratches."
"Every fragment of the blade that has entered your body is a part of them, their souls, their desire for life, and also the sins you've committed, naturally belonging to your Karma."
"Yes, you've healed your wounds, your body can expel foreign objects like blades, but what about those who are highly compatible with your soul?"
*Buzzzz*
Once again, Julius released the Karma from the weapons with waves of his consciousness, turning the remaining seven charred weapons into a viscous black liquid, gathering it all onto the blade of the charred sword.
*Shing—*
Following a crisp sound of a sword's call, a massive, thick charred greatsword, twice as tall as Julius, appeared in his hands.
Simultaneously, the black and red flames wrapped around Julius surged dramatically, gradually spreading over his entire body.
As his body became completely enveloped in the flames of vengeance, much like Kenneth's earlier flame giant form, Julius's figure also began to grow. Eventually, he transformed into a twisted and ominous giant humanoid, fully embodying the Vengeful Sword Ghost's ultimate form.
image [https://img2.imgtp.com/2024/04/29/apvUMr7m.webp]
Picking up the charred greatsword, the Vengeful Sword Revenant let out a roar like a burning beast:
"NOW, IT'S OUR TURN!"
The greatsword swung, transforming into a pitch-black shadow, and ferociously slashed down at the immobilized flame giant!