BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The battle was eventually moved outside the bounds of the village, with only 15 of the original 60 Bloodring Assassins still alive. They were attempting to lure the devil into an area more to their advantage, but this ultimately ended in failure when giant balls of flame fell from the heavens en masse.
One or two of them wouldn't be that big of a deal, as they weren't too individually strong.
But dozens and hundreds of them rained down one after the other!
It was like a meteor-shower of incineration!
"How can this devil possibly have so much Spiritual Energy!? It doesn't make any sense—Ahh!! NoOoOoo!!!"
Another Foundation Establishment Realm Assassin's protective barrier was melted by a fiery explosion. Similarly, the body of this assassin was melted to the bone, leaving him as a skeleton.
"Y-You monster…!"
The remaining assassins screamed at the hooded boy slowly walking behind them. Huge mass of fire after the next was conjured and thrown by one hand, whereas the other repeatedly cast |Fireball Sniper| to weed out the weaker assassins.
POP! POP! POP!
Heads turned into popped melons, with the corpses piling up even more.
Until finally, there was but a single Bloodring Assassin left—a middle-aged man with half his body charred and the other half drenched in his own snot and tears.
"P-Please don't kill me…!" pleaded the Mid Foundation Establishment Realm assassin. "Our guild has even Golden Core Realm Masters at the top ranks, but if you let me go, I-I can convince them to spare your life!!"
Silence…
The expressionless hooded boy approached the last assassin until he now stood over him. His cold, detached eyes watched as the powerhouse groveled at his feet, saying anything he thought could be used as negotiation.
However, there was no point negotiating with the devil…
"Are you… threatening me…?"
"!!!"
"N-No, I would never—...."
|Fireball Sniper|
Without a shred of emotion present on his frosted-over face, Xue Ren ended the pitiful life of the coward. His head exploded into bloody bits, a couple chunks making their way onto his face.
"Y-Young Lord…?"
The triplets had been chasing after him this entire time but only just now caught up.
However, he was still wearing that scary look, and they were unable to determine if it was actually their Young Lord steering the ship.
Xue Ren merely glanced at them before indifferently turning and walking in the direction of his home.
He had to… He had to see it for himself.
The Soul Banner trapped the souls of the villagers and thousands of other unrelated people, but not his parents. If they really were dead, then he needed to see it with his own eyes.
The triplets exchanged looks with one another before silently following behind their Young Lord.
When Xue Ren made it to the top of his family's hill deep in the mountains, his heart sank to the bottom of his chest.
The mansion where he grew up had been completely demolished, with debris flung about. Only the secret underground bunker was still left intact, but there were no signs of his parents.
That was until Xue Ren found traces of… blood hidden beneath large debris chunks.
"This blood…" he murmured, his voice low, almost disbelieving, as black veins pulsed like creeping cracks across his pale skin.
A bitter metallic taste filled his mouth. He bit down on his lip—hard. Blood welled up, spilled past his chin, and yet he didn't flinch.
His bloodshot eyes slowly lifted to the roiling, grey heavens above. The storm brewing inside him mirrored the clouds.
"Good… Very good. Bloodring Assassins, was it…?"
His voice trembled—not with fear, but with something colder, sharper.
"For years, I've known silence. For two lives, I've lived without anger, without grief. But now—"
His fist clenched. His aura seethed, a violent bloom of killing intent.
"Now you've given me something priceless."
A breath, deep and ragged. A whisper that cut like a blade.
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. There was no joy in it—only promise.
"I'll return the favor. Slowly. Completely. And when I do… I want you to remember this blood."
RUMBLE—!
The earth quaked and the heavens cried.
For the first time in all the years he's lived, Xue Ren felt true, unimaginable hatred. Hatred that ran so deep and dug away at every part of him that it consumed all his thoughts.
It was vengeance.
After a period of challenging the thundering heavens, Xue Ren's facial expression returned to its usual stoicism. And with slow, melancholic steps, he descended the hill that could be considered the only real home he's ever had.
And 'they' were the only ones whom he considered to be his family.
But now they were gone…
*Drip, Drop…*
The sound of rain falling rang faintly in Xue Ren's ears. At some point, dark thunderclouds had rolled in from the west. They hung over him, sorrowful shadows creasing his face, hiding it from view.
While descending the hill, he passed by Mu Qing and her sisters. And for an instant, an extra, larger-than-normal droplet of water seeped into the soil beside them.
"Young Lord…" Their voices, but a whisper, were filled with concern and empathy.
They wanted to reach out to him!
But at the last second, they retracted their hands, letting him continue his lonely descent.
'I'm a coward…' the triplets thought in unison.