<h4>Chapter 723 - Futile and Hopeless Escape</h4>


    A holy beam of light fell from the sky. Two figuresnded atop a tall mountain in shock at what they found.


    "I... I’m abandoned..." Halmut’s lip quivered. His worst fear had be reality, something he came to realize during the physical and mental torture that Skaryn gave him in cier Keep.


    "Halmut, where’s 12-13--"


    "COWARDS!"


    Moranti’s voice didn’t catch Tralbok off guard, who was sure that they would be followed. What he didn’t expect was to find Olympic Chateau in ruin and for 12-13 to be nowhere in sight.


    "HALMUT!" Tralbok shouted in desperation, "WHERE-- waaahh, wah..."


    Before Tralbok could shout and try to bring the broken Halmut back to his senses, Tralbok felt his body be lifted in the air. His feet dangled as a choking pressure covered his throat.


    "I’d surrender peacefully... I’m not in the mood to negotiate..."


    "Staaffaaaan..." Tralbok mumbled as the Assassin Gode into view, standing before Tralbok and gripping Tralbok by the throat.


    The God of Time immediately prepared a wind de at point-nk with one hand and retrieved his staff with the other. Tralbok’s immediate action got Moranti to move but Skaryn stopped Moranti with a curious grin.


    Sterfen’s skin was covered in dry sweat and his clothes were still damp. Given how his past twenty-four hours had been, Sterfen was in the worst mood he had ever been. It was a rare moment where Sterfen didn’t care about being cautious or ying out the scenario to his best possible advantage. All Sterfen cared about was ending Tralbok’s life as quickly and as painfully as possible.


    As Tralbok was about to throw the wind de into Sterfen’s chest, arge dagger appeared in Sterfen’s left hand.


    "AAAAAAAaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAHHHHHhhhh!!!!"


    In less than a second and in one swift motion, Sterfen had countered Tralbokpletely. Thatrge dagger was plunged into Tralbok’s forearm, ced precisely between his ulna and radius bones. For not even a moment, Sterfen loosened his grip on the knife and switched to an underhanded grip of the knife’s hilt. Then, Sterfen turned his hand back to how it was prior, jerking Tralbok’s in a one-eighty and nearly dislocating Tralbok’s shoulder. But before Sterfen ended the counterattack, Sterfen jerked his wrist and tore the dagger ny degrees through Tralbok’s flesh, snapping both bones in Tralbok’s forearm with ease.


    "Oooohh..." Moranti groaned in encouragement, happily imagining the pain that Tralbok was experiencing.


    Skaryn was silent but smiling from ear-to-ear. Nothin made him more proud than seeing his brother and pupil overachieving.


    "Behind you!" Halmut shouted, with fear filling his eyes.


    But Tralbok had no chance to react properly. Tralbok’s other hand wielding the staff had already gathered a follow-up wind de that ripped into Sterfen. However, that image of Sterfen faded out of existence along with the wind de.


    The God of Time had begun to fall forward as he felt a tight grasp around the top of his forehead. Not only was he knocked off bnce, but Tralbok was being brutally pushed into the hard ground by a foot on his back. And as Tralbok shifted his focus to readying time magic around his body, he neared the ground while a knee was driven into the back of Tralbok’s neck.


    <i>CRAAACK!</i>


    Tralbok’s head was pulled upward as Sterfen’s knee forced Tralbok’s into the broken floor of Olympic Chateau. A tiny crater was formed from the impact, cruelly snapping Tralbok’s upper vertebrae.


    Both Moranti and Skaryn winced from the sound alone, let alone the sight of Tralbok’s limp body. Blood trickled out of Tralbok’s open mouth, Pain was stained into Tralbok’s motionless, bloodshot eyes, and Tralbok’s vertebrae were jutting out of his skin where Sterfen lifted his knee.


    But Sterfen kept Tralbok pinned as reviving energy surrounded Tralbok’s body, healing his spine but failing to stop his internal bleedingpletely.


    "You know..." Sterfen sighed in satisfaction as he pressed his knee back against Tralbok’s neck. "I have a theory... After a hundred or so deaths, will you then ept it peacefully?"


    Tralbok said nothing, still shaken as he revived only to be put back under immediate threat.


    "Mind if I handle the first fifty?" Skaryn added with a chuckle. "I’m sure Tralbok has plenty to repay me..."


    "S-Skaryn... Please... You should under--"


    Shutting him up, Skaryn lunged forward and smashed Tralbok’s face into the rubble beneath him. "Mind saying that again? I didn’t hear you properly?"


    Quivering, Tralbok kept his tongue tied. There was no longer anything or anyone that he could sway to save him.


    "What happened to 12-13!" Halmut roared, showing his frightened fury. "Once he returns, you’ll all--"


    "He’s dead!"


    That shouted immediately shut up Halmut and forced Tralbok into a deeper mental pit of despair. They both recognized that voice despite how recently they were introduced to it.


    The group looked to the side and found a man slowly walking towards them. His steps didn’t seem too firm and the man gave off no intimidating energy, but his presence alone was enough for everyone to give him their attention.


    Laughing, Oli stated, "Consider 12-13 a casualty of the war he started. Anyone that dares was with the Resolute Enterprise could consider a simr death their luckiest oue..."


    "Who’s--"


    "I’ll exinter..." Sterfen sighed, keeping Moranti from asking questions.


    "Nah, I’m sure Daruun and I will exin more once he arrives,"mented Oli, sending Halmut into an endless depression. "Now that Jewel’s influence on Kartonia is gone, Daruun can finally change things. He’ll have plenty to exin, so just wait."


    "Alright... What happened in the keep?" Sterfen changed the subject ncing back and forth between Halmut and Skaryn. "Since when did Halmut be a ything and why are you back already?"


    "Thank your son for that one! He even got that runt’s poor excuses for contract destroyed, letting me have my way with him..." Skaryn replied, approaching Halmut with loud, obvious steps. "Come to think of it... This runt still owes me a few more millennia’s worth of torture... I’m sure Dad won’t mind me breaking him some more before the runt’s mind is scoured for any useful information."


    As Skaryn imagined what next he could do to Halmut, Sterfen lined the entirety of Tralbok’s neck with more than a dozen marks of the reaper. With both captives inplete control, Oli enjoyed the show as he and the others waited for Daruun’s imminent arrival.