《Playboy Cultivator in the Apocalypse》
Chapter 1 The Emperors Second Coming
Kaze watched clouds pass his throne room''s windows with an unreadable expression.
While he appeared to be in his mid-twenties, the profound aura he exerted made the chamber suffocating. Only immortals at the pinnacle of cultivation could enter it.
One such cultivator stood before Kaze. He was an elder man with long grey hair in a ponytail and a neatly groomed beard.
While most who entered the room knelt by necessity, he calmly walked to the emperor''s side.
"You look dissatisfied, Emperor. It leaves me curious; what more could the man who has everything want from life?" He mused with a slight smile.
"For people to rebel." Kaze replied tersely.
"Pardon me?" The elderly man asked.
"To rebel. You understand the word, yes?" Kaze asked mockingly, "I want enemies to use the free cultivation techniques, shadow armies, and resources I''ve provided to rise up against me."
"Forgive me, emperor. I was just astonished that you would want something so paradoxical." The man chuckled in amazement, "What drives you to fund your enemies?"
"What drives me?" Kaze chuckled bitterly, "I''ve spent my whole life fighting, constantly facing stronger enemies, all for the sake of power. Now I''m at the top, and I have nothing left to aspire to."
"Is that so? I''m curious. If you were to do it over again, would you live a humble life?" The man mused, "Would you give up your power, royal harem, and luxuries?"
"Of course not." Kaze scoffed, "Do you take me for a fool? You cannot live life without power."
"Then what would you do differently?" The man asked with intrigue shing in his lifeless grey eyes.
"I''d enjoy my power." Kaze replied with a slight smile, "I haven''t enjoyed myself in four millennia. I''m so bored that I''m praying you came here to kill me."
"Is that so?" The elderly man chuckled, "Well, unfortunately, you''re wrong. I''m not here to kill you."
Kaze scoffed and looked out the window again. "Then what are you here to do?"
"I''m here to rectify the damage you wrought when you destroyed the Tree of Immortality." The man replied.
"Hoh? And how do you n to do that?" Kaze asked with a murderous grin.
"By giving you this." The man smiled while holding out a scroll.
The emperor epted it hesitantly, preparing to strike. "A cultivation technique?"
"Yes. You can restore the Tree of Immortality and solve your quandary with this cultivation technique." The man imed with a mysterious smile.
Kaze narrowed his vibrant green eyes while examining the scroll. He could cultivate the blueprint but couldn''t read the description or sense its aura.
"I cannot read thisnguage; what does it say?" He asked.
"Why spoil it? You''re the one that''s seeking excitement, are you not?" The man mused while walking away.
The emperor looked up from the scroll to face him, but he had already vanished.
"How strange. I''ve never met that man in five thousand years." He remarked with a wide grin, "He must possess knowledge I do not. Let''s get a taste of his secrets."
Kaze used his hyperthymestic memory to memorize the scroll. Then he waved his hand, and a wall of twisting space sealed off the doors and windows from his throne room.
He stood up, sat on the silk-woven rug in the room''s center in the lotus position, and began cultivating.
A strange sensation washed over his body and distorted his mind and thoughts. The room filled with the sounds of snickering, and Kaze felt a strange feeling on his face.
He immediately understood something was wrong and snapped his eyes open to free himself from the technique. When he did, he found someone''s hand close to his face.
Kaze immediately grabbed the hand, twisted it while standing, and
CRRRAAAACK!
smashed the individual''s face on the [floor].
The area fell silent as he raised his hand to deliver a lethal cultivation technique. It sealed an enemy''s dantian and forced their meridians open, flooding their body with Qi until it ruptured.
It was a brutal attack that worked on any grade of cultivator, yet it wasn''t working on the man before him.
"Did that man seal my cultivation?" Kazeughed with a murderous glint in his eyes.
He checked for traces of the man''s presence but was instead met with silent, shocked gazes from college-aged humans.
Kaze''s eyes widened in bewilderment. He turned down to face his adversary.
"You, speak! How did you defile my pce with this thorough-paced farce?"
Despite his warning, the man didn''t respond, leading Kaze to perform a closer investigation.
To his bewilderment, he hadn''t mmed the scrawny man with neck-length brown hair to the [floor]. His blow smashed the man onto a desk, knocking him unconscious.
A desk. It was a sight the emperor hadn''t seen in over five millennia. "What''s."
"Kaze." A petite brte wearing a white dress in front of a smart board called out timidly. Her light brown eyes trembled at the scene unfolding before her eyes.
The emperor looked at the woman in bewilderment. "Professor Roybock?"
"Um, yes it''s me. Professor Roybock." She replied.
Kaze felt vertigo wave through his body, and his mind became hazy with mixed signals of deja vu.
"Can you please release Steven?" Professor Roybock requested.
"Oh oh, yes." Kaze replied. He released the young man''s wrist while staring at her in disbelief.
CRASH!
A loud noise freed him from his perplexion. He looked down and found Steven had crashed through the broken desk onto the floor.
The two halves of the white desk followed, dramatically dropping on both sides of the man.
The emperor looked up at Professor Roybock''s troubled expression.
"Worry not, Professor. Out of respect, I shall spare this insolent fool''s life today, as this was a misunderstanding. I''ll immediately send for a servant to"
Kaze panned his gaze around the ssroom. Stunned students stared back at him with perplexed expressions and recording smartphones.
It immediately sunk in that even if it were an illusion, he no longer held the power he once had.
The man had hyperthymesiaHighly Superior Autobiographical Memorya condition far exceeding eidetic or photographic memory.
As a result, he knew he was at his old college, Lockheed University in Meridian City, a ce ruled by the weak, not the strong.
"Kaze, I understand your defense, but Steven." Professor Roybock said nervously.
Kazeugh-scoffed at her nativity. Even if he were on the Mortal ne, scum was scum.
"You needn''t concern yourself with this detestable primate, Professor." He asserted while confidently striding to the front of the ssroom.
"He''s weak scum, and my action was simple self-defense. So don''t distort your beautiful face for someone foolish enough to touch a sleeping man.
Please send word to have him detained and concern yourself no further."
Kaze gave Professor Roybock a charming smile before reaching for the door. When he opened it, he called out.
"By the way, Professor. White looks good on you; I just thought you should know."
The ssroom gasped in astonishment at the young man''s words.
Everyone was just as stunned as Professor Roybock, who stared at the shut door with a flushed expression.
The emperor strode through the halls of Lockheed University, trying to decipher the cultivation technique he was given.
When women passed him, he shed them charming smiles as usual. However, they giggled or scoffed before turning away.
"Is there something on my face?" Kaze asked in bewilderment while touching his cheek.
The instant his fingers made contact, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief.
"What is this nightmare!?" He growled with a murderous glint in his eyes, "Once I break free from this illusion, I will find that man and teach him the terrors of raw power!"
Kaze navigated through the halls to the nearest bathroom and burst through the door. It was a small bathroom with two sinks, and both were upied.
"You there!" He announced while pointing to an athlete with a neat haircut, "Move out of the way and go!"
The man turned away andugh-scoffed at his arrogance. However, when he turned back, he found himself face-to-face with Kaze''s overbearing killing intent.
There was no real power behind it, but the emperor''s posture and eyes triggered his fight-or-flight response, and he immediately stepped out of the way and left the bathroom hurriedly.
The blonde-haired, sses-wearing teen at the other sink initially grinned when he saw a geek like him bullying a jock.
However, he wiped the smile off his face when he saw the emperor look in the mirror.
Kaze stared at his appearance in disbelief. His head sported a ck mop-top haircut, and hisnky chest housed an image of his favorite anime.
Worse, his face was riddled with bright red e.
However, those horrifying features paled inparison to the halfpleted dick drawing tattooed on his face with permanent ink. He stared at it intensely with a twitching cheek.
"As a gentleman, I cannot break my word when I make a promise to a woman," He seethed with a murderous glint in his eyes, "But there are times when death is the only option."
p Thenky geek at the other sink froze in fear.
"You there!" Kaze snapped while turning to the man, "What day is it today?"
The man''s sses nearly fell off his nose when addressed.
"D-Day?" He replied.
"Yes, day. Date, Timestamp, Celestial Marker." Kaze rified in annoyance.
"F-Friday, June 1st, 2032." The geeky man stuttered.
The feeling of vertigo and deja vu returned, contorting the emperor''s mental sphere with a surreal haze.
Friday, June 1st, 2032. He was on Earth one day before Elemental Qi was introduced to the Mortal ne, inaugurating the birth of cultivation and ushering in the Qi Sickness epidemic that would trigger the apocalypse and begin his road to power.
Chapter 2 June 1st, 2032 | 21 Days Remaining
"The killing must wait." Kaze muttered under his breath.
"You again. How much money would it take for you to film something and post it on social media?" He asked the geeky blonde-haired man next to him.
"I I don''t want any trouble. Or to be involved in a m-murder"
"Murder? Cease such simple-minded rabble, you buffoon! You don''t [film] yourself killing someone. You let it spread word of mouth so people''s imaginations magnify their fear." The emperor scoffed.
"I want you to film me pummeling a few pretentious jocks from the shadows. Surely, your grizzled self wants to watch such a thing live, yes?"
The young man''s eyes widened in disbelief. "I."
"Gain some minor confidence, you craven milksop. You could have a harem if you had a divine technique and a few centuries." Kaze asserted mockingly.
"I can give you that, Earth permitting, but it starts with a video.
Jocks, merciless beating, social media. Name your price."
"H-Harem?" The man stuttered in disbelief.
"Yes, a harem. Are you deaf?" The emperor scoffughed in disbelief, "Now, give me a number, before I rescind my offer, and you die a hopeless virgin on the cusp of despair."
"I-I five dors?" The teen stuttered.
"Yes. Finally talking some sense." Kaze muttered while checking his pockets. He found his old wallet and looked inside, only to find it empty. There wasn''t even a credit card.
Memories of his past life shed before his eyes, and he closed them with a twitching eyebrow.
"I yes. Will you do it as a favor, by chance?" The emperor requested in humiliation.
"L-Look, man, I''ll do it for free." The young man stammered, "I''m Jacob Hays, but people just call me Jake."
"Heh. Smart man. I''m d you recognize power when you see it." Kaze replied with half a dick drawn on his face.
"R-Right." Jake replied awkwardly, averting his gaze.
The emperor''s eyes widened in confusion before turning back to his image in the mirror. Murderous wrath overtook him, and he quickly set to work scrubbing his face.
"Well, it''s as good as it''ll get." Kaze scoffed while staring at his sloppy, e-riddled appearance, "I can''t believe I have to do this before having the basic necessity of a haircut."
Jake waited patiently with an awkward expression.
"Jake. What time is it right now?" Kaze asked calmly.
Learning from his past mistake, the man replied instantly. "3:32 pm."
The emperor''s expression froze, and then he looked at the man with a panicked expression. "We need to move. We''ll barely catch her before they arrive!"
Jake froze in shock. Unwilling to let the man''s hesitance drag him down, Kaze took his hand and led him out of the bathroom.
Everyone in the hall watched in bafflement at the geeky boy leading the other from the bathroom by the hand. He hated to see women snickering, but there wasn''t time.
When they reached the necessary hall, he pushed the young man into an indent leading to a door. "Don''t start filming until you see the jocks beginning to act. Not the lead-up. Do you understand?"
Jake nodded in a haze and pulled out his smartphone.
"Good man." Kaze said while lightly pping him on the cheek twice with a genuine smile. Then he walked down the hallway.
His target was Evelyn Meadow Skye, a beautiful athlete with a blonde bob-cutyered with hazel highlights. She wore a loose white t-shirt and ck form-fitting leggings, highlighting her athletic body.
Her final ss for the day had just ended, and she was on her way to meet up with three fellow athletes as part of her daily routine.
Countless students got distracted by Evalyn''s stunning smile, which she shed whenever called to. However, when Kaze called out, her smile turned into an expression of astonishment.
"Hello, Evalyn. You''re looking stunning, as always." Kaze remarked with a charming voice from her back.
Evalyn turned around in confusion, uncertain who had called her name. To her bewilderment, it was the person she initially thought, but her mind couldn''t process the connection between the voice and his words.
Kaze Lexicon, the geeky boy from o-chem, was the one who called to her in a hypnotically charming voice.
However, his appearance didn''t match his voice or personality. He was dead silentalways. Evalyn only recognized his voice because she tried to speak to everyone at least once.
"Y-Yes? Can I help you?" She asked hesitantly.
"Not exactly. On the contrary, I''m here to help you." Kaze replied with a slight smile.
Everyone in the hallway turned to the young man with shocked expressions. They were just as confused as she was!
"I don''t understand," Evalyn replied with confusion flickering in her crystal blue eyes.
"Oh, yes. I''m certain you don''t, as what I''m offering has yet toe." Kaze chuckled wryly while gliding his eyes to the left. He realized how awkward his warnings would be.
"Okay?" She replied awkwardly.
Kaze snapped back to focus. "Evalyn, there''s a good chance the atmosphere on earth will shift drastically tomorrow, the sky will open up, and men will fly down to meet you."
After a moment of stunned silence, the women in the hall burst intoughter, leaving Kaze annoyed and Evalyn bright red and ufortable.
"Evalyn, focus." Kaze demanded while snapping his fingers.
"These ants are insignificant. Their meaninglessness won''t change tomorrow, but you''ll notice it for the first time. So listen to what''s important."
His arrogant confidence left her bewildered and shocked the people in the hall. Their indignation hadn''t caught up to their confusion, so they hadn''t acted on it.
"What do you want?" Evalyn asked meekly.
"As I said, men will fly down to greet you tomorrow. They''ll tell you that you have a divine-grade body"
The women burst into mockingughter, leaving Evalyn flushed.
"and give you a technique called Frosted des. When you get it,e find me. " Kaze requested while growling at the others, "I''ll be at Jackson Street Park under arge maple tree."
"I''m painfully aware of how absurdly hideous at the moment, so I understand how ridiculous this will sound. But trust me, Evalyn. I can bring out your body''s true potent"
"Yo! What are you doing near my woman?" A voice gruffed.
Evalyn cringed and closed her eyes when she heard the voiceing from behind the emperor.
Kaze turned to face the man and walked a few steps to the left, moving away from Evalyn to prevent cross-fire. While people thought he was preparing to run, he stopped and gazed at the man with a mocking smile.
"Evalyn''s no one''s [woman], least of all yours, Gregory." He said with a murderous smile, "Don''t insult her with your vulgar delusions. I can guarantee none of you will ever taste the fruit of this beautiful maiden, so don''t waste your breath."
The students in the hallway were stunned-silent by Kaze. It was one thing to spew delusional UFO conspiracies with confidence, but it was another to insult three muscr men with the same arrogance!
Jake began filming on his smartphone with a beating heart. While he was afraid to watch Kaze get hurt, he was given orders and felt strangely driven to follow them.
"Heh. Is that so?" Gregory, a chad with a blond-tipped haircut, replied while turning his head and approaching Kaze.
Chapter 3 While The Weak Still Have A Place
"G-Greg, don''t." Evalyn pleaded as the athlete approached the emperor, "He''s just a bit crazy."
Kaze gave her a bitter, sidelong nce. "You''re not dating anyone, so don''t insult me, least of all out of pity. Okay, Eva"
Greg threw a sucker punch before turning back to Kaze. He nned to insult his bleeding body but turned just in time to watch a fist crash into his jaw.
He stumbled back, crashing into a few students watching the impending beat down with anticipatory grins.
The hallway fell silent as the students tried toprehend what they saw. They turned to the geeky man with perplexed faces.
Kaze was shaking his hand with an annoyed expression. "How out of shape was I?"
Greg cackled on the ground in disbelief. "You know, I was just gonna punch you before. But now I''m gonna kick the living shit out of you."
"Yeah, you also said Evalyn was your woman." Kaze replied mockingly, "Look how that turned out."
The other two jocks growled and walked up to him, preparing to fight.
"Why don''t the weak ever learn from the warning?" The emperor scoffed while turning to them.
"Yes? Can I help"
Craaaash!
Evalyn''s eyes widened in shock as her co-athlete Tim, a buff ck athlete, crashed into a trash can.
Kaze dodged his superman punch, causing him to lurch forward. Then he pushed his back, using his momentum to send him flying.
The emperor learned his body couldn''t handle depressingly basic things, so he opted to use technique instead of strength.
Whoooosh!
"Wha"
BOOM!
Kaze dodged Mark''s side hook and used both hands to smash the man''s head against a wall.
THUD!
Groans and winces filled the hallway as the athlete''s unconscious body it the ground.
"Gahhhhhhh!" Greg yelled while running at him with a football tackle.
Kaze scoffed, moved out of the way, and tripped the man. As the blonde-haired athlete fell, he threw an elbow down on the athlete''s spine, sending his body crashing into the ground.
"Guuuhhhhhhh." Greg groaned while attempting to touch his back. However, his body fell to the ground, in too much pain to struggle.
Tim got back up and moved to attack again, but he froze when he saw the terrifying look in the emperor''s eyes.
"Drop your fist, or I''ll turn your teeth to shrapnel." Kaze dered.
An icy chill crawled down Tim''s spine as the geeky man spoke. The same was true for Evalyn, who watched everything with confused, trembling eyes.
"You''re lucky this world still hasws, and the weak still have a ce." Kaze asserted with narrowed eyes, "If you did this one month from now, your neck would look like an unsolvable geometry problem."
The hallway''s temperature dropped as the studentsprehended his words. A few minutes ago, they thought he was a delusional lunatic. Now, seeing Gregory groaning on the ground from a spinal injury and Mark''s unconscious body, they didn''t doubt the validity of his words.
"You can''t get away with saying things like that, especially with this many witnesses." Tim said with a beating heart.
"We''ll see about that." Kazeugh-scoffed before turning to Evalyn.
"Once again, I''ll be at Jackson Street park under a maple tree tomorrow until 8 pm." He reiterated.
"So go there when the timees and find me, and I will offer you power beyond your wildest imagination. I''m not demanding anything of you, but you''ll understand when the timees."
After his strangely prophetic words, Kaze turned away and walked down the hall.
He stopped next to Jake and reached out his hand.
"I know you filmed that. So give me that phone." Kaze demanded in a loud voice.
The nervous boy looked at him hesitantly, desperately not wanting to give it to him.
"I''m not going to steal your phone, you imbecile. I''m pretending to steal it so no one tries to harm you." The emperor scoffed breathlessly, "Men don''t abandon those who aid their rise to power, let alone those that do them favors."
Jake''s eyes widened in surprise, and he handed him his phone.
"Meet me out at Lamers Park in thirty minutes." Kaze whispered.
Then he walked away, waving the phone over his shoulder to remind everyone that witnesses are meaningless when a video captures the first attacker.
Evalyn watched him walk away with a stunned expression. No words could exin her thoughts, nor would there ever be.
She followed his back as he walked out a hall door, walking to Lamers Park with the same confidence he approached her with.
"Bro! That was so cool! You were like, [you''re weak], and then they were like, [I''ming to kill you], then you were like BAM!" Jake exined while walking up to Kaze.
Thetter was sitting in the lotus position at the park gazebo with closed eyes and a twitching eyebrow.
"You should''ve seen"
"Keep quiet, you fool!" Kaze snapped, "I''m trying to cultivate. Have you no manners?"
"Cul-ti-vate?" Jake asked, "What''s that, and what do you use it for?"
The emperor took a deep breath and released it through his nose. He needed to remind himself that the cultivation customs didn''t exist.
"It''s a profound form of meditation." He replied, "You can use it for many things. Right now I''m using it to scour my memories, trying to remember how to use my smartphone."
Jake''s excited face went nk in confusion. "I''m not sure why you need to do that, but I can help you I guess?"
Kaze opened his eyes in eptance and threw the man his phone.
"It seems you may prove useful yet again." He chuckled breathlessly, "Rejoice. That makes you one step closer to surviving the impending cmity."
Jake opened and closed his mouth silently. "I don''t know what to say."
"Nothing. It''s better that way in general." Kaze remarked, "Now, will you save me time and teach me how to sell things?"
"Sell things? What are you trying to sell?" The geeky man asked.
"Everything." Kaze replied briskly, "Save my bed. Selling one''s bed is a deration they''re willing to sleep alone. I shall never stoop so low."
Jake''s eyes trembled in confusion. "Um okay. Can I ask why?"
Kaze turned to him with a serious expression.
"I need a haircut." He replied, "And while I''ll be dumpster diving at cheap clothing stores that don''t exchange in spirit stones, anything will be better than this this whatever the hell this is."
The man who was an emperor just hours before looked down at his blue anime t-shirt in disbelief. His eyes were filled with disgust, shame, and vexation at his past self.
"I see. Well, if you just need a few hundred dors, I''ll give it to you." Jake said while reaching into his wallet and pulling out a few hundred dor bills.
Kaze epted the bills with perplexion in his eyes. "What is your ask? Speak, and I shall grant it if possible. Just be reasonable."
The geeky man, wearing a dirty white t-shirt from his favorite band, turned away for a moment in thought.
"Could you teach me that kung fu stuff?" Jake asked.
Kaze''s gratitude instantly disappeared and was reced with insufferable annoyance.
"I said to be reasonable, you imbec fool." He growled while taking a deep breath. He was ashamed and humiliated but could not destroy a key rtionship at this critical juncture.
"Reasonable? I don''t understand." Jake replied.
Kaze took a deep breath. "A martial technique of even the most basic caliber could take decades for someone like you to master. I will not apprentice you for centuries for discount clothing."
The young man''s eyes widened in disbelief. The man before him sounded like a lunatic every time he spoke. However, he was strangely believable and had the power to back it up.
"Then another favor, perhaps?" Jake asked.
Kaze''s entire head twitched. "No that''s far worse."
"I then what can I ask for?" Jake asked nervously.
"If cmity strikes tomorrow as it did five millennia ago, I shall give you a divine-grade technique. Surely that will do, will it not?" Kaze asked.
"Ummm sure." The young man replied awkwardly while correcting his sses.
"Good man. Now, please escort me somewhere that we can post this video." The emperor ordered, "We must act fast so that I can restore my reputation. Otherwise, my dual cultivation techniques will be for not!"
Chapter 4 June 2nd, 2032 | 20 Days Remaining
Jake''s eyes lit up when the emperor asked him to lead him somewhere they could post the video. He didn''t have friends, so he enthusiastically led Kaze to his dorm room, filled with action figures and posters of his favorite bands.
"I''m sorry I don''t have another chair." Jake apologized awkwardly while motioning to his bed.
Kaze closed his eyes and sat on the bed, triggering horrifying memories of his dark past. He had things to do and not enough time, so he begrudgingly epted.
Jake opened hisptop and connected his phone, opening inte tabs of different social media sites.
"What should we call the video?" He asked.
The emperor closed his eyes and let his mind go through countlessbinations, weighing the pros and cons of each. It needed to go viral, so it was of utmost importance.
"How about [Three men narrowly escape death after offending an immortal]?" Kaze asked after a period of thought.
Jake''s eyes widened under his square framed sses, reflecting the video on his screen.
"Ummm no. That won''t go so well." He replied timidly.
Kaze took a deep breath. "What about [three men learn that there are people they can''t afford to offend]?"
The geeky man swallowed nervously, afraid to contradict the arrogant young man on his bed.
"If you don''t like it, then voice your opinion. This video is of tantamount urgency, and I will consult my advisors with diligence and discretion." The emperor asserted.
"I don''t think that will work either." Jake replied.
"If you dislike a proposal, you offer one of your own." Kaze seethed while rubbing his temples, restraining his desire to punish the man for his ipetency.
"Y-Yes. What about [geek thrashes three jocks in self-defense]"
The emperor''s eyebrow twitched violently at the insinuation that he, the emperor of the Immortal ne, was a "geek."
"[while defending a woman''s honor]."
Kaze''s eyes widened. "I suppose that will have to do."
Jake smiled, knowing his words got through to the man. He immediately set to work, uploading the video on eight different sites. When he was done, he turned to the man sitting on his bed.
"It''s done. Now, we wait." He said with a smile.
Hundreds of views started ticking up on the top sites in less than a minute. Comments started pouring in.
-----
Geek Thrashes Three Jocks In Self-Defense While Defending a Woman''s Honor
Views: 2,183 | +312
Date: June 2nd, 2032
-
marxs_warning: This is inte royalty! | +124
Alpaca_Lover69: Wait. Isn''t that Scrawn Fu? | +102
Juan_Rodriguez: From the Lost Emperor video? I think it is! The dude''s going on a rampage today hahaha | +88
Anonymous: That''s him. But where''s the dick on his face? | +33
Alpaca_Lover69: I think he must have washed it. Not like it helped his appearance much lol | +15
Badbitch_no1: Lololol. Bro, what''s up with putting 69, lover, and alpaca in a username? | +22
Alpaca_Lover69: There were 68 other alpaca lovers. How many basic women were there that required you to use the word "bad"? | +138
Whitney_Riles: Wait, isn''t that Evalyn!? | +31
Sarah_Roberts1: No way! You''re right! | +22
Rich_Boy25: Kek. It definitely is. Look at her face; she''s looking he thirsty | +21
Mary_Stephenson: Does anyone have her username? We need to send this to her! | +88
Sarah_Roberts1: I''m on it! We need the full story! | +73
-----
"Brooooooo! This video is on fire!" Jake eximed.
"Of course it is. There''s nothing more engaging than raw power. It never ceases to" Kaze stopped speaking when he got up and began reading some of thements.
His new nickname filled him with murderous rage. "Who is this Alpaca_Lover69? Take me to him, immediately! We must make an example of those who use such treasonous names!"
"I-It''s anonymous. We don''t know." Jake stuttered with wide eyes.
Kaze took a deep breath and closed his eyes again.
"Oh, yes. The inte." He chuckled in madness.
"Far more convenient than jade slips, but exponentially more damaging.
It doesn''t matter, as there isn''t time. Now take me home and pick me up at 7 am sharp.
Salons will shut down temporarily tomorrow after the gate to the [Sky ne] opens at 5 pm."
"You want me toe?" Jake asked nervously.
"Of course. I cannot have my aid looking like a third-grade jester on the Moral ne." The emperor scoffed.
"I see. Okay, I''ll call a shuttle."Jake said in disbelief while opening an app on his phone.
He took Kaze home with a bewildered look on his face and patiently waited as the emperor cultivated to remember how to get into his room.
When Kaze finally entered it, he shut off the lights and entered the lotus position.
"I must, without fail, improve my image." He dered, "Dual cultivation is the fastest and most agreeable path toward power. And while I loathe to do it, I must multitask and make money while I''m at it."
June 2nd, 2032 | 20 Days Remaining
At 7:00 am the next day, Jake picked up the emperor in a shuttle, and the two went shopping. It was a surreal experience for Jake, who underwent a full transformation.
While the emperor was an arrogant, ruthless bully, he was also kind in his own way.
"Are you blind? This man might be an ignorantmoner, but he''s my associate, and you''ll treat him with respect." Kaze snapped at a tailor, "Now give him clothing rmendations that suit a man of stature, not coddle him to empty his pockets."
The tailor trembled in shock and immediately set back to work.
"No level of power or wealth will change women''s perception of you if you wear that." Kaze told Jake at another store, "Try again and mean it."
"R-Right." The geeky man replied, putting down a bowtie with a lukewarm smile. While he was spending thousands, he was d he was getting real advice. So every purchase and insult was worth it in his eyes.
The two went to a hairstylist. "K-Kaze. Won''t womenugh at me with this haircut?"
Kaze closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Until you learn basic decency, you should assume everything you do is disagreeable and do the opposite."
Jake nodded hesitantly, looking at a picture of a haircut meant for rich businessmen. He always believed such a haircut would make him look square. Now he was to get one.
Kaze called out to a stylist in the back of the room on her phone.
"Hello, love. I know you''re on break, but you''re the most beautiful person here. Might I ask you to be the one to cut my hair?" He asked with a charming voice.
"I only trust women of taste to style me. As you can see, thest stylist was wrought with lunacy, so I''m seeking only the best."
The redhead with lush curly hair and green eyes looked up in astonishment. As if drawn by a maic force, she put her phone back in her purse and walked up.
"I yes. I can do that for you. What are you looking for today?" She asked.
Kaze took the book from Jake''s hand and showed her the picture.
"Like this, love. But if you can taper the sides to mid-length, I''d appreciate it." He exined, "That way, it can grow out properly in the months ahead."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "That would look really good on you anyone, really."
Jake''s eyes widened in bewilderment after getting confirmation on the haircut.
"I''m d you know taste when you see it." Kaze said with a charming smile, "Now there isn''t much time. There''s much to do before 5 pm this afternoon."
"What are you doingter? Do you have a party?" The stylist asked while leading him to a chair.
"I begin my road to power." Kaze dered with a slight smile, "So I must look good to attract as manydies as possible."
Chapter 5 First Influx Of Elemental Qi | Four Remain
Jake watched in bewilderment as the geeky, e-riddled man of eighteen made his stylist giggle and blush during the haircut.
He was even more shocked when she snuck Kaze her phone number, which was painfully obvious because she needed to help him with his phone.
After saying goodbye to the stylist, the emperor led Jake to Jackson Street Park in the city''s center.
Meridian City was a megacity with 18 million people, making it one of thergest in the world.
It also had one of thergest harbors, making it a maritime city with the growth of an urban area. It was one of the world''s financial capitals, and its size matched its importance.
Therefore, the two spent almost an hour getting to the park, gliding in a shuttle simr to a car but flying slightly above the ground.
The park itself was ten 850 acres, almost three miles in length, making itparable in size to Central Park in New York City. It was also surrounded byrge skyscrapers, each with unique designs showcasing the power of modern industry.
After exiting the shuttle, the emperor led Jake to the maple tree on arge hill overlooking ake at the center. He chose the position because anyone around theke could see him, and it would get easier after people left.
"And now we wait. There''s less than an hour left." Kazemented while checking the clock on his phone.
[4:21]
"What''sing at 5 pm?" Jake asked in a tailored grey button-up, tucked into cks he had bought only hours before. He didn''t have e, so he looked wealthy and respectable instantly.
Kaze looked up to the sky and pointed. "I''d rather not speak truths and be treated as a rambling drunkard. So keep your eyes up there, and see for yourself."
As promised, at 5 pm, a massive, white vortex opened in the sky. The emperor smiled wryly when he saw it. While he hated this point in his life, he couldn''t imagine a life without cultivation. So the impending influx of Qi was a bitter-sweet experience.
"Mimic my movements and breathe melodically. You''ll thank me." Kaze instructed the previously geeky teen while sitting in the lotus position and closing his eyes.
Jake followed hesitantly, blindly trusting the emperor. He sat down, trying to stretch his legs to meet the lotus position. It was painful, preventing him from shutting his eyes.
The space below the vortex warped and exploded outward, sending a visible ripple of warping space through the world.
Jake gasped in agony as the Elemental Qi ripped his meridians open, leaving his body burning.
"Here. Take this and don''t tell a soulor I''ll kill you." Kaze warned while touching the man on his forehead.
A profound blueprint for breathing opened in his mind, and he instinctively tried it. His body''s heat levels instantly dropped, and a wave of energy began circting through his veins.
Kaze experienced the same thing, on a magnitude far greater than Jake would ever know.
However, he snapped his eyes open only a minuteter. While he desired to make the most of the profound levels of Qi that temporarily rivaled the Sky ne, he couldn''t draw too much attention from the cultivators. He was unwilling to be recruited for their war.
As promised to Evalyn, men and women descended from the sky in droves an hourter. There was over a thousand total, blocking the sun in various directions.
A man in a white robe with a long grey beard flew forward, captured on film from different angles by camera crews disying the event to the citizens.
"Cup your hands around your ears." Kaze instructed while doing the same.
Jake immediatelyplied and looked up.
When the cultivator spoke, everyone in a 20-mile radius shut their ears, dropping to their knees.
"We have blessed your world with rich Qi, allowing you to ascend to higher nes of existence." The man announced in a booming voice, "We only ask that you gather in parks and public locations in one hour if you want power to transcend your mortal existence!"
...
Thousands of people filed into the park. Among them was Evalyn Meadow Skye, who came to Jackson Street Park as Kaze instructed. She had so many questions for the man and wanted answers.
The blonde weaved through the park alone. While she arrived with her family and recently humiliated friends, she broke off from everyone to find the maple tree the emperor mentioned.
It was nearly impossible, as she couldn''t see over the crowds of people. However, ten minutes before the hour was up, she finally spotted it and pushed her way through.
When she emerged from the crowd, her eyes widened in shock. Despite the endless sea of people, there was a ten-foot radius of open space around the maple tree.
In the center was a young man wearing a light pink, tailored button-up with two buttons undone. He sported fitted, charcoal grey cks and a ck leather belt that matched his designer dress shoes.
He had the most fashionable haircut she had ever seen on a non-celebrity and a charming smile that would stundies everywhere if he didn''t have e.
Evalyn stared at him in disbelief, uncertain whether she had found the wrong man.
Kaze waved once with a charming smile. "Greetings, lovely."
"Hi." She replied awkwardly.
"Come now, if you''re shocked now, you''ll have a heart attack when I don''t have e." He chuckled, "Now, don''t be shy. Join us."
Evalyn nodded in a haze and walked up. "I have so many questions"
"And I have an equal amount of answers, but they must wait." Kaze said with a smile, "You don''t know what to ask, but you''re about to find out. Now close your ears."
Her face filled with confusion at his words. But sheplied when she saw him cupping his hands over his ears multiple times and Jake doing the same.
Less than a minuteter, the man began speaking.
"For those that showed up, prepare to be appraised by a cultivator!" He announced while waving his arm, "You may be given a technique that will allow you to amass power and give you the potential to ascend to a higher ne of existence!"
A woman d in white robes flew down from the sky to Evalyn. She had brown hair in a tight bun and matching colored eyes. While she looked less than thirty, her aura felt ancientpared to humans. It was hard to breathe around her, and everyone but Kaze and Evalyn held their breath.
"Child, you have a unique divine-grade body called the Frost Tempering Body." The woman exined in astonishment, "What is your name?"
"Evalyn Meadow Skye." Evalyn replied in a haze while ncing at Kaze, who was giving her an amused grin.
"We will seek your aid in the future if you''re strong enough to live for the next six months." The cultivator continued.
"In the meantime, I''ll give you the Frosted des Technique. It''s a heaven-grade offensive technique.
While we wouldn''t normally hand something like this out, it''s only useful to those with ice physiques which are exceedingly rare.
I''m also giving you a sky-grade cultivation technique to get started. It''s the highest grade we''re giving out, so use it wisely."
The woman touched Evalyn''s forehead and transferred the techniques to Evalyn, sending tidal waves of profound information crashing into her mind. The level of knowledge was extremely ufortable and left her wincing.
"You." The cultivator continued, looking at the emperor with narrowed eyes. "You don''t have a body constitution, but your meridians are already breathing, and you''re already approaching the first stage of the Mortal Realm. How?"
"While I never disregard questions from women, I am shamefully ignorant of this subject." Kaze replied with a slight smile.
"When that vortex opened, my entire body was assaulted with a strange sensation during sex.
The same thing happened to my partner when I continued. Did that have anything to do with it?"
The woman''s eyes widened in disbelief. "A natural dual cultivator?"
She reappraised his body and found he gave off the natural aura of a dual cultivator.
"I see. I will give you a cultivation technique that supports sex-based cultivation." The woman said while reaching up her hand, "You seem to have talent, but your body doesn''t warrant further aid. So we''ll leave you with this and reappraise your worth six months from now. If you survive, that is."
Kaze summoned willpower not to frown when her finger touched his forehead. The technique she gave him was vulgar and would cripple his growth in the future if he used it.
However, he acted shocked by the profound technique he received.
The woman snickered with malice at his ignorance. Then she nced at Jake and scoffed before flying away, uncertain why "trash" was with those with potential.
Evalyn turned her head to Kaze with narrowed eyes. His arrogance finally snapped her out of her neverending stupor of perplexion.
"Impressive. You''ve gone from geeky loner to yboy, unfettered by vortexes and flying super humans." She said, "How curious. Is this usually how you prioritize your life?"
"Of course not." Kazeugh-scoffed while turning his head, "I understand priorities. That''s why I got my haircut and dropped that hideous garb I was wearing."
Evalyn was stunned by his words. Then her eyes glinted in a mocking gaze.
"I get it now." She chuckled in disbelief, "You got a haircut and clothing, so when you lied to get your sketchy power, it wouldn''t be useless."
"But of course," Kaze replied with a smile, "I have the power to see the future, so my ns always have a purpose. I wouldn''t have chosen this cultivation method if it weren''t powerful."
"How amusing. This whole time I thought you were here as a messenger from the future, but now it turns out you just want my body." Evalyn giggled yfully.
"That happens often, but your desire for my body has depth. It''s impressive. So might I assume you''ll argue sex with you is in my favor? Lust for power?"
"What type of man do you take me for?" Kaze scoffed breathlessly, "I''d never ept a woman who didn''t want to sleep with me."
Evalyn''s eyes widened in surprise.
"I''m offering another proposal. I need someone to help me move around the country ndestinely." Kaze exined, "In exchange, I''ll teach you how to use your power and help you grow."
"Evalyn! There you are!" Greg yelled, running through the crowd.
Evalyn closed her eyes and cringed. "I''ve got to go."
"Of course." Kaze chuckled, "Here. Text me when you''re ready to start."
After his arrogant deration, he handed her a sheet of paper, turned around, and walked away. Evalyn watched his back until he reached the crowd and considered running after him.
However, the second he left the circle, people magically flooded into the area, pushing into her as if it were only natural.
Chapter 6 June 3rd-5th, 2032 | [Paradigm Of Divinity] | 17 Days Remaining
"I will be in closed cultivation for the next two days, three at most." Kaze exined to Jake as thetter dropped him off, "After which time I will begin fulfilling my obligations."
Before Jake could speak, Kaze shut the shuttle''s door and walked into his home. He then got onto his phone and summoned memories of various apps and security features.
He pulled up Yanko, thergest tform that allowed anonymous posting, using a VPN.
"I won''t ever move freely again if this isn''t anonymous." Kaze chuckled bitterly.
-----
I offer to help any woman break into the Earth Realm of cultivation with dual cultivation, a powerful sex-based cultivation technique.
Will journey to the client and offer their husband earth-grade cultivation and offensive techniques if they''re married.
$5,000,000 for the first woman; must leave a public testimonial.
-----
Thirty seconds after he let out the post, dozens ofments began flooding in, iming that [the scams are already popping up], [how creepy, how aren''t you in jail?], and dozens of simr variations.
Most people were salty, and the few interested were immediately drowned out with hundreds of hatements.
"As if a weak man would walk into a well-known man''s home with fake techniques and sleep with his wife." Kaze scoffed, "I wonder how long it''ll take these obtuse simpletons to realize that."
He had other things to worry about, so he sat in the lotus position on the floor.
"What path will bring me to you, Paragon of Immortality?" He asked with a profound expression.
Cultivation was a path. If Kaze started with the Golden God technique he had yesterday, his meridians would be vortexes, summoning all of the Qi in the Moral ne to his body until he exploded.
Therefore, cultivators chose techniques unlocking others in a web of possibilities. A certain path would build his meridians and body constitution to handle the power of the Golden God technique.
While he knew that path, he wanted to learn the path to the Paragon of Immortality. The god of cultivation left behind the technique during the genesis period of cultivation hundreds of millions of years before he was born.
While Kaze became the strongest human cultivator in history, he never became a true god because his cultivation path didn''t allow it. So he sought to rectify that.
"Paradigm of Divinity for elemental cultivation, Spiritual Connection for dual cultivation, and."
Kaze stopped when he thought through the body techniques he could use. It was a hard choice because the enemies on the Moral ne were weak and couldn''t temper a high-level body well.
"It''s fate to eventually end up on higher nes, so I''ll do what''s best... Onyx Definition. Soul cultivation techniques can wait until bodies begin stacking up. Let''s get started with cultivation."
Kaze closed his eyes, summoned the blueprint for the Paradigm of Divinity technique in his mind, and then began cultivating it.
A white aura expanded from his body, warping the space around him yfully in aplex, distorting pattern.
Elemental Qi in the area mixed with his white aura, creating sharp, ck contours that weaved through the warping space, moving in the opposite direction until it entered his meridians.
His body burned as his unused meridians and dantian expanded.
"Paradox of Healing." Kaze muttered while gripping his teeth.
A golden hue developed around his body. He skillfully used the new Qi from the influx to feed an ancient-grade healing technique, using only its most minor application.
It healed the meridians and dantian in intervals, allowing them to expand and rip apart, then heal stronger like muscles in a human''s body.
During that period, he needed to channel the exact amount of Qi he received into the overpowered healing technique to prevent Qi deprivation.
If he failed, he''d pass out, and the Paradigm of Divinity would suck in Qi like a vortex without releasing it, leading to his dantian rupturing or death.
It was an intricate task he performed for 18 hours in excruciating pain, showcasing the skill that made him the emperor of the Immortal ne.
When the meridians and dantian became strong enough, he used a technique to forcefully limit Qi intake and passed out on the floor.
Kaze didn''t wake up for 23 hours. When he finally opened his eyes, he turned to his phone, which had a blinking light.
"Let''s see what''s happened thus far." He groaned.
The minute he saw the notifications, he almost shut off his phone. There were 11,823 notifications on Yanko and 27 text messages.
Kaze sighed and opened up his messages first.
Over twenty were from Jake, seeing if he was okay or wanted him to send a shuttle and asking about cultivation techniques. He also sent him a dozen messages with URL links.
The emperor ignored all of them and scrolled through messages from past acquaintances until he found a text from an unknown contact.
Unknown: This is Evalyn. I want to speak to you in person. Public location, yboy.
PS: If you tell anyone I have a divine body again, I''ll find a suitable method to kill you.
Kaze chuckled when he read it. "Even after 317 years, you didn''t change Eva"
He shut his eyes mid-sentence and took a deep breath. The emperor''s heart ached when thinking about the past.
Somehow he focused exclusively on the apocalypseand poweras he always did, ignoring the intricacies of his feelings that he locked away millennia ago.
Kaze changed her name on his phone and hit the reply button.
[You: Okay. Do you like seafood?]
He sent it with a slight smile, waiting for the impending hell to break loose. Thirty secondster, his phone''s notification light blinked green.
[Ice Pheonix: Are you a stalker?]
Kazeughed and replied again.
[You: No. I can see the future, remember?]
The light blinked.
[Ice Pheonix: Hah. So, do you also see other people''s futures?]
Kaze smiled.
[You: Of course not. I just know because we''re having dinner at a seafood restaurantter.]
Ten seconds passed.
Then a minute.
Three minutes ticked away.
Five.
Ten.
Finally, the flickering light returned.
[Ice Pheonix: Elson''s on 4th. 7 pm tomorrow. If you touch me, I''ll watch your spine snap in half in slow motion. I can see why you''re interested in my power, so be wary of it.]
Kazeugh-scoffed in disbelief.
[You: Scary.]
The notifications stoppeding through, leaving a warm smile on his face.
"Let''s weave through the ant nest." Kaze sighed while looking at the Yanko app with thousands of messages.
"Scam. Scam. Prove it. Interested, contact me, scam, scam." He chuckled while arrogantly posting again.
***Hard offers from prominent people only.***
I offer to help any woman break into the Earth Realm of cultivation with dual cultivation, a powerful sex-based cultivation technique.
Will journey to the client and offer their husband earth-grade cultivation and offensive techniques if they''re married.
$10,000,000 for the first woman; must leave a public testimonial.
***Waste my time with baseless [contact me] messages, and I''ll double it again.***
People who were already following jumped on the post, sending in hatements at twice the rate before. After bitterly understanding the power of cultivation from those who got techniques, theirments became more vitriolic and extreme.
"Ah yes, where was I? Ah yes, Onyx Definition. I don''t have body-tempering treasures, so I''ll just have to make some." Kaze chuckled with hate-filled eyes.
"I supposed I''ll pick up preparations on the way to my date."
Kaze stood up, unbuttoned his shirt and pants, and grabbed a towel on the way to the shower.
"In the meantime, I should start with cleansing." Heughed, "It will be unpleasant shredding my body inch by inch, but it will be worth it to see her face as her power y preparations crumble."
Chapter 7 The Second Influx Of Elemental Qi | Three Remain
Kaze stepped out of the shower, turned around, and waved his hand. Boiling water materialized from thin air, crashing into the walls and tub.
"The stench is unbearable. I can''t believe how disgusting I used to be." He scoffed while summoning more water.
Putrid-smelling ck gunk lined the tub and the shower walls. It came from the twelve hours Kaze spent cultivating the first stages of the Onyx Definition body constitution.
Cultivators used body cleansing treasures to release impurities before establishing their body constitution. However, such treasures did not yet exist. So he used a technique to obliterate every inch of his body before using Paradox of Healing to rebuild it. In essence, he rebuilt his entire body from scratch.
Few could stay sane for a minute obliterating their body, let alone cultivating and using an ancient-grade technique for twelve hours simultaneously.
Yet he walked out of the tub,ining about the smell, showcasing the deep levels of madness that drove him to be the strongest human cultivator in history.
More water crashed in the tub, sending the ck gunk swirling down the drain.
"Well, when she sees my face it''ll be worth it." Kazeughed with madness flickering in his eyes, "Let''s see how that sly woman''s power games hold out when I arrive."
The manughed and continued cleaning out the tub until it was clean, and the air in the room was pure again. Then he walked out, got dressed in a different set of "trash," high-ss clothing, and walked out the door.
Evalyn sat at Elson''s Seafood Bistro on 4th street with a contorted expression. She brushed her blonde, hazelyered hair from her eyes for the fifth time while staring down the waterfront pier.
It was 7:13, and her "date" was nowhere to be seen. For someone punctual with everything, Kaze''steness drilled into her soul.
"If I weren''t so certain that arrogant ass would show, I would''ve left already." Evalyn growled, pushing her bangs out of her eyes again.
Her foot was tapping on the ground, shaking her body and causing her hair to fall. Yet she let it fall over and over, drifting in the saltwater breeze as she sat on the patio.
Arge ss window passed her eyes, held by a young man. She felt the sight was strange but imagined he was a worker sent to install it.
"Hello, love. My apologies for beingte." Kaze called out.
Evalyn turned in surprise to see him cing the body-height pane of ss against the building. It was a strange and truly hideous window. It was yellow and had a modern design with a taste fit for pretentious women with depressing sex lives.
"You wouldn''t believe how expensive windows are." Kaze scoffed bitterly, "I only had $300, and the simpletons set the price of the cheapest window at $275. Such taxation would cripple a dynasty."
She blinked twice in confusion. "Then how do you... have it?"
"Oh, that." He chuckled, "This monstrosity hadn''t sold for 15 years, and they gave it to me for free."
"What is that for?" Evalyn asked in surreal curiosity, forgetting her grievances.
Kaze turned to her with his vibrant green eyes and shed her a stunning smile. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him, bewildered to the point of madness at his transformation.
"I''m going to shatter it into a million pieces, put it in my bathtub, and cultivate in it. Would you like to join me?" He asked charmingly.
Evalyn''s eyes filled with murderous wrath, but she smiled regardless. "Are all your personal experiences with women that painful?"
"Only when they want them to be." Kaze replied with a wink.
Her mind went nk again, unable to react. The man''s appearance was just far too distracting!
Kaze was a scrawny geek riddled with e only a few days ago. He never spoke, was constantly bullied, and wore cringe-worthy clothing. He now had a professional haircut, fine, tailored clothing, refined muscles, and a pristine face and smile.
His personality was charming and arrogant to absurdity. How wasn''t she supposed to get distracted? It was infuriating!
Evalyn watched in disbelief as he beckoned a waitress and charmed her into skipping the thirty-minute wait and taking their order immediately. Before she understood what was happening, the woman was already asking for her order.
"What are we eating today?" The brte waitress asked with a [appraising] smile.
"The freshwater oyster tter, please." Evalyn requested.
"The same for me." Kaze said with a slight smile that made the waitress blush slightly before she walked away.
"Pity. A woman of such grace deserves to be the servant of someone of caliber." He remarked while watching her back disappear.
"Like you?" The blonde mused sarcastically.
"Who else?" Kaze asked with a confident smile.
Evalyn''s eye twitched, but she kept her calm. "So, Mr. yboy, what can I do for you?"
He gave her a mysterious smile and ced his chin in his palm with a dreamy expression, making her avert her gaze.
"In one hour, a new wave of Qi will pump into the atmosphere, magnifying people''s new strength." Kaze casually exined as if describing the next scene of a movie.
"The Malta government will issue a deration tomorrow stating that cultivation will be an integral part of the new world order, sending old money elites scrambling to obtain cultivation techniques and power.
I want your help smuggling me to clients that will pay me a fortune to do both for them."
Evalyn was stunned by his words. "I don''t understand. Why do you need me to do that?"
"I need someone to do it, and I''m already near you. It''s convenient." Kaze replied with an unchanging expression.
"So you''re following me regardless of my aid?" She asked with narrowed eyes.
"Correct." He confirmed shamelessly.
His offputting remark made her lock her eyes with his, fighting through his distracting appearance.
"Why? If you''re interested in me, having me help whore out your body won''t win me over." Evalynughed breathlessly.
Kaze''s eyebrow twitched, and he scoffed in disbelief. "I''m not [whoring] out my body; I would never stoop so low."
Evalyn was satisfied to get a reaction from him but was also nervous about its effect. While his mannerisms were mild, she could tell he was serious.
"Then why would you give out your body for money?" She asked with narrowed eyes.
"Because I need sex to increase my power and satisfy my needs." Kaze replied, "I also need copious quantities of cash for the weeks ahead. It''s convenient."
"Just like me?" Evalyn mused mockingly.
"Cor~rect." He replied with a charming pause.
"What do you need [copious] amounts of money for?" She asked, averting her gaze.
"I''m raising an army." Kaze replied casually, "I assure you that starting a faction requires far more resources than you can imagine. And doing it without financial officers multiplies the difficulty exponentially."
Evalyn took a deep breath. "Why can I never tell if you''re being serious?"
Kazeughed. "I''ve never lied to you, woman. You can''t tell if I''m serious because you refuse to believe me, even though you''re staring at the truth."
He gave her a mocking smile with his pristine face.
"I see and what are you offering?" Evalyn asked with a serious expression.
"Can I touch your forehead?" Kaze asked with a slight smile, "I want to show you, but I don''t want you to [snap my spine in half in slow motion]."
The corner of her mouth twitched after his brazen, mocking statement. She turned away, unwilling to let him toy with her.
"Come now. I''m certain you''ve already experienced something simr, yes?" He goated.
Evalyn''s eyebrow twitched, and she snapped her face forward and gave him a [what are you waiting for?] expression. Kaze chuckled and touched his index finger to her forehead.
Her eyes immediately widened in shock, and she stumbled backward in disbelief, knocking over her chair.
"What did you just give me?" Evalyn cried.
"That question was offensively pointless." Kaze scoffed in annoyance, "I gave you the nuance of Frosted des. Surely, you understood that. Yes?"
"Yes, I know that." She growled while picking up her chair and sitting back down, "How do you have this? It''s a unique skill for my physique, or was that a lie?"
"It was a frivolous lie." He smiled slightly, "However, I know it because I can see the future."
"In other words, I''m not getting rid of you?" Evalyn asked in a haze.
"I''m not sure why you''d want to, but you are correct." He chuckled.
"Thank you, love." Kaze said while grabbing an oyster tter from the waitress with a charming smile.
"Is that really set in stone?" Evalyn asked with a serious expression while epting her te.
"No. I''d never stalk a woman who didn''t find me amusing." He said with a strange, almost lonely smile, "But I will risk my life chasing a woman for a century if she does."
The smile captivated her, breaking her out of belief he was endlessly maddening.
They sat in silence for ten minutes as she ate oysters. Kaze wasn''t eating, so it was extremely awkward.
"Aren''t you going to eat?" Evalyn asked in confusion.
"Of course, I''m just waiting for it to pass." Kaze replied, "I mentioned the next influx. However, I didn''t bring my phone, so we wouldn''t be interrupted. As a result, I don''t know what time it is. Even I cannot handle it senselessly."
"Wait the next Qi wave"
Kaze pointed out the vortex in the distance just in time for her to see the ripple of warping space spreading through the area.
Everyone on the patio choked as a wave of Qi pulsed through the atmosphere, suffocating many. Half of the people suddenly developed strained veins on their faces as they choked.
Evalyn wheezed, uncertain how he could remain calm with his eyes closed.
Kaze wasn''t calm. With the Paradigm of Divinity cultivation technique, his body got assaulted with the full power of Qi levels reserved for the Sky ne. He used his full concentration to circte it and keep his mind sane.
Only a few people on the patio recoveredpletely. Most began coughing and looked nauseous.
"You really know the future?" Evalyn asked after a minute of silence.
"Something like that." Kaze replied in a serious voice.
"Then what''s going on with them?" She asked while tilting her head toward the people choking with veins on their faces.
"Qi sickness." He replied somberly.
Chapter 8 June 7th, 2032 | 15 Days Remaining
Evalyn''s eyes trembled after hearing the word [sickness].
"Large quantities of Qi can only be handled by those who cultivate with techniques or have physiques to support it." Kaze exined.
"Yet they''re pumping the world full of it in high quantities. Soon people will die or go insane, leading to people that attack people randomly like zombies.
They''re not infectious, as it''s a meridian issue and treatable so long as someone can learn cultivation. However, it''s also worse because they have full faculty to use their bodies and use weapons.
If they have muscle memory of an action, they can perform it. That includes eating conventional food. However, they''ll eat flesh if there isn''t food in an area."
Evalyn''s eyes trembled in horror and disbelief. "T-They''ll eat flesh?"
"It isn''t supernatural. Humans have meat, and meat is food. It''s strictly practical, as humans cannot live without eating, and mindless beings can''t work." Kaze rified apathetically.
She couldn''t believe what Kaze was saying. However, he had yet to be wrong when predicting future events.
"How will people fight this many people?" Evalyn asked while looking around at the hundreds of people on the pier.
"They''re not undead. Most will quickly die from disease and starvation in the first 28 days, but they''ll wreak unparalleled damage before they go." He exined, "Those that survive will regain consciousness and be a serious problem before the [next stage]."
Evalyn shook her head in denial. However, despite her efforts to reject his words, she believed him to a fault. So his words filled her with true fear.
"In a month''s time, resources will be meaningless." Kaze warned, "The Qi Sickness epidemic will run rampant, sending the world into chaos. That''s why we must act now."
Evelyn turned to face the wheezing people with aplex look on her face.
"Okay. I''ll help you." She confirmed.
"Great." Kaze said with a p while standing, "Set up a shell organization to wire funds ndestinely and I''ll send you details for ticket arrangements."
"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up!" Evelyn cried, "That''s far more than I agreed to."
Kaze gave her a mocking smile. "What does the word ndestine mean to you?"
She froze, swallowing her words.
"How else will we get tens of millions In funds from prominent business people and celebrities?" He asked sarcastically, "A million dors in twenties weighs more than 100 pounds. We can''t transfer a metric ton in cash every"
"Wait! Let me get this straight." Evelynugh-scoffed in disbelief, "My job is to discreetly wire tens of millions of dors, while you openly interact with the most non-discrete clients possible?"
"It seems you heard correctly." Kaze chuckled while pulling out his wallet.
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Evalynughed bitterly.
The emperor scoffed in disbelief while putting two one-hundred-dor bills on the table. Evalyn immediately scooped them up and shot her hand out.
"Must I do everything?" He asked mockingly, "I''m going to obtain tens of millions from high end clients, and you wish me to figure out logistics as well?"
He took the money and ced one bill on the table, staring at her nk expression.
"I." She muttered.
"Look. We do what we''re good at. That''s why rulers have aids to do what they''re good at." Kaze said with a mocking smile.
"And you''re great at having sex?" Evalyn asked thenky teen, who was riddled with e a few days ago.
"More than you could ever know." He replied with a charming smile before turning around and grabbing the window, "Feel free to find out sometime.*
Evalyn watched him wave his hand at her with a bewildered expression. He was carrying a seven-by-four-foot window with his fingers on his left hand.
She sat down at the table when he finally disappeared and began pouting. In the entire conversation, she hadn''t been able to use even a single preparation she made.
Worse, he somehow roped her into helping him set up a shell organization tounder money!
She looked down at his uneaten oysters and realized he left the second she said yes to prevent her from getting talked out of it!
Evalyn stewed bitterly and pulled his te of oysters to her,pletely ignoring the wheezing people in the background.
June 7th, 2032 - 15 Days Remaining
"The emergence of superpowers haspletely reshaped society." A man in a suit said during a press conference. Evalyn watched the representative of the Malta government speak in a twisted haze.
It was 7 am on a Monday, and she was begrudgingly researching how to set up a shell organization before sses began. Now that the promised announcement went out, she forgot her earlier grievances.
"We''re already setting up task forces to deal with criminals using their cultivation techniques tomit crime, and will now require all cultivators to register their techniques with the military." The man announced.
"That isn''t to say that cultivation isn''t beneficial.
While many have been overexposed to Qi, we''re confident they will return far stronger.
Doctors have already noticed that cultivation reduces aging and reverses the effects of diseases and sickness.
Its anti-aging effects will doubtlessly be a major factor in government posts and financial industries.
The power is also critical to military operations, and the Malta Military will give resources to any cultivators joining the military.
Updates will be made regrly in the days and weeks ahead. That''s all."
Evalyn listened with a wry smile. She was now certain that Kaze didn''t have insider information.
If he did have information on the cultivator''s arrival ahead of time, it would exin his preparations. That would strike one mystery on the table.
However, he shouldn''t have information on the government''s announcement.
She pulled out her phone and logged into Yanko as an anonymous user to look at the havoc she had been following nonstop since Kaze addressed her.
-----
Geek thrashes jocks in self-defense while defending a woman''s honor.
Views: 73,128,978
Likes: 28,283,937
Comments:
Just_Liven_Life: Did this kid have cultivation ahead of time? | +131,783
Tyrone_Shawn: Does anyone know him? We need to ask | +58,278
Get_Rekt_Sun: I''m not sure, but I heard Scrawn Fu goes to Lockheed University | +111,287
Michael_Mann: It''s been two days, and Scrawn Fu is already a legend! | +122,837
Rambunctuous_Riley: You can''t be a legend with one viral video | +7,271
Tweet_Tweet_MF: Woah, check your privilege. @yanko/video/3127/scrawn-fu-the-lost-emperor | +57,381
-----
Evalyn narrowed her eyes when she saw the link to another video.
She pressed it immediately with interest.
-----
Scrawn Fu, the Lost Emperor
Views: 128,978,281
Likes: 87,283,937
Comments:
Just_Liven_Life: The guy looks like a weeb that practiced with a wooden sword until he was a real swordmaster. | +837,037
Wilin_Out: Does this mean we have to start respecting these people now | +191,278
Rando_Maker: Brb. I''m going to grab some popcorn. | +388,287
Lenna_Wynn: Should''ve done that from the start. I hate people like you. | +98,983
Wilin_Out: You''re the type that scoffs at his kind and then rushes to their side once they''re popr. I hate people like you. | +187,057
Anonymous: Look at the professor. She''s he flushed lololol | +483,997
,m Tiara_Willis: I''d be too. I''ll brave the hate to say that charm was fire. | +277,271
Shut_Up_Garden_Gadget: Thirsty. | +32,271
Lisha_Trox: How didn''t your kind die out with evolution? | +139,273
Rob_tes: Don''t worry. Scrawn Fu wille to collect. | +731,007
Just_Liven_Life: Cultivation must''ve hit early. Dude''s straight possessed XD | +393,037
Tiara_Willis: No, seriously. I was in that ss. He walked in geeky as normal and then suddenly woke up like that. | +1,382,271
-----
Evalyn stopped reading when she read thestment, staring at her phone in disbelief.
"He just woke up that way?" She whispered, "What if he really is from the future?"
An icy chill crawled down her spine when the images of the choking people on the pier.
"Qi sickness." Evalyn whispered.
She immediately pulled out her phone and made some calls.
"Yes, Uncle. I''m sorry to bother you right now. Yes, I got a cultivation technique.
Mmhm, I can show you all. But first, I have a serious favor to ask of you." Evalyn requested with a determined expression.
Chapter 9 June 7th, 2032 | First Client
"This is going to take forever." Kaze gruffed while rolling his back in the tub, casually pushing as much ss into his back as possible.
It wasn''t breaking past the firstyer of muscle tissue, so he tried pushing it in. Unfortunately, it only served to grind the ss into dust.
"Perhaps I''ll teach Evalyn the [Razor Flurry] technique, and let her practice on me for a few hours." Kaze pondered, "It will be the first time I''ll let her hit me with it in"
The emperor sighed again. His mind always flooded with memories instinctively, and he caught himself mid-thought. It was ufortable.
Kaze casually stood on the ss bed and stepped out of the tub. Then he waved his hand, and a gust of wind hit his body, pulling the ss out of his shredded skin.
Tiny prisms yfully whipped through the air, creating a sparkling chandelier above the tub.
The gust reached under his individually lifted feet before reaching the tub and creating a thin twister.
The emperor shut his right hand forcefully, and the diamond dustpacted into a ball. Once perfectly spherical, it lit on fire, melting into a solid ball in the air.
Kaze reached out his hand into the twister, ending the upward pressure and causing the crystal ball to drop into his hand. He ced it on the sink before walking out of the bathroom as if it were only natural.
The room was now rearranged and clean, and the sheets were pristine and tucked. The emperor couldn''t remember thest time he did housework but did it begrudgingly because he refused to live like a "corpulent swine."
"Okay. Let''s see if people have developedmon sense." Kaze chuckled with a mocking expression. He opened hisptop and navigated to Yanko.
When he did, he grinned when he saw the number ofments.
-----
***Hard offers from prominent people only.***
I offer to help any woman break into the Earth Realm of cultivation with dual cultivation, a powerful sex-based cultivation technique.
Will journey to the client and offer their husband earth-grade cultivation and offensive techniques if they''re married.
$10,000,000 for the first woman; must leave a public testimonial.
***Waste my time with baseless [contact me] messages, and I''ll double it again.***
Comments: 178,928
Ivanka_Rhodes: I''m certain my name and reputation speak for themselves. I''ll ept your offer if it''s verified andplimentary, as my name is worth more than your ask. Please contact my manager at yesler@wyndhamentertainment. | +272,029
Anonymous: I run a famous technologypany. We''ll pay $20,000,000. Please send a direct message, and we''ll present our full information. We will not post it publicly until we have verified the validity of your statement.
-----
"Your name holds weight?" Kaze scoffed in disgust, "I wouldn''t let you dig ditches in my pce''s forest."
He sent a message to the anonymous posters. Within seconds, he had already gotten a reply.
User: Company name, link to your public profile, and one major news story.
Anonymous: Trotsky Technology, Phillip Trotsky, Inessa Trotsky, https://trotskytechologies/news/182/phillip-trotsky-makes-top-100-weathiest-list
Anonymous: Can you provide proof of your ims?
User: I would provide the cultivation technique to Phillip upon arrival and will provide an Earth-grade offensive technique uponpletion.
User: Inessa would receive a dual cultivation technique, which she can teach Phillip for sexual cultivation, and the same Earth-grade technique. Give me your address and a time in the evening.
Anonymous: Address: 1837 Palco Drive, Lexington AW 8271 | Manager Phone: 137-273-9183
Anonymous: There will be an entire guard division present. Can you do it tomorrow?
User: Let me contact my manager. Her name is Lisa, and she''ll call you from an anonymous number. I wish not to disclose my identity, as I will never be able to walk six inches in peace again.
Anonymous: Of course. We''ll await your call.
Kaze chuckled with a grin. "Humans are the same, no matter what level of cultivation they''re at."
He pulled out his phone but twitched when he saw another 37 texts from Jake. Most sounded anxious, believing he was abandoned like a kitten.
The emperor scoffed and finally hit the reply button in irritation.
You: I told you I''d be in closed cultivation, did I not? I will not permit my regent to disregard my words as baseless falsehoods! You have one warning before an adequate punishment is administered.
The Fool: I''m... sorry. I was just making sure I didn''t offend you.
You: I''m d your actions had partialmon sense. I will see you at 3:00 pm sharp at Lamers Park. I will promptly continue fulfilling my promise of a divine technique. Do not bete!]
Another apology text immediately came in, but Kaze disregarded it and texted Evalyn.
You: First client tomorrow. Trotsky Technology, Phillip Trotsky, Inessa Trotsky, https://trotskytechologies/news/182/phillip-trotsky-makes-top-100-weathiest-list
You: Address: 1837 Palco Drive, Lexington AW 8271 | Manager Phone: 137-273-9183
You: Prepare to wire $20,000,000.
Ice Pheonix: It''s been less than an hour since the deration went out! It takes a minimum of four days to start an LLC!
You: Never underestimate the loathsome resourcefulness of the wealthy when they''re desperate. Call the manager. They''ll find every sketchy loophole imaginable to get me there tomorrow.
You: Now shed that nauseating weakness. It''s a heinous betrayal to your charming countenance.
Ice Phoenix: How do you effortlesslycepliments with toxic messages? It''s inspiring.
You: I regret to inform you that some innate talents are gifts only those destined for greatness can possess.
Ice Phoenix: That in itself is a gift to the world. Gotta go. I received a sketchy number a moment ago and will be busy for the next 72 hours trying to avoid prison time.
You: That sounds unfortunate. If you need anything, I will send my regent to provide it.
Ice Phoenix: Regent? Hah. Well, I''ll need coffee. Can you have your imaginary servant fetch one for your real one, your excellence?
You: If a woman of your caliber deres servitude to me, I''d be a fool to refuse such an inconsequential ask.
Ice Phoenix: Yourck of humor is remarkable. I''ll make sure to mention that to my therapist. Bye.
Kaze chuckled with a warm smile on his face. Then he texted Jake.
You: If you are sorry, get a coffee and deliver it to ssroom 37 at 10:58 sharp. It can be anything so long as it hasvender. Speak this phrase to her when you see her.
You:
You: Do not disappoint me. See you at 3 pm.
Kaze walked through the halls of Lockheed University, constantly flipping between charming smiles and bittersweet expressions.
"Hello,dies. You''re looking charming." He called out to a group. All the women''s eyes widened in bewilderment with gaping expressions.
"Who''s the new guy?" A blonde student asked.
"I don''t know. He''s cute, though!" Her brte friend eximed, triggering them to burst into giggles.
"Right? He''s perfect. His face, smile, and muscles look like a perfect statue."
A guy ran up with his smartphone, recording Kaze''s back with a crazed smile.
"Wait, is he a celebrity?" The blonde asked.
The man recording turned to them with a toothy grin. "I know you''re not gonna believe this, but that''s Scrawn Fu!"
"Wait! No way!" A redhead interjected.
The entire hallway exploded in an uproar.
"I should''ve just avoided ss to pick up women." Kaze said with a murderous smile. He took a deep breath, cultivating while walking to obtain willpower not to kill the man.
The emperor couldn''t ravage his budding reputation with a public killing. However, that didn''t mean he''d foolishly allow people to trample upon his reputation.
"You''re not going to believe this, but" The man said to another group of women before
Kaze discreetly pulled out a quarter in his pocket and flicked it over his shoulder without looking, hitting the man''s phone and causing it to explode.
Everyone was so shocked that they didn''t notice the emperor leaving the hallway to Lamers Park.
Chapter 10 June 8th, 2032 - 14 Days Remaining
When Kaze arrived at Lamers Park, Jake was waiting at the gazebo. The man lit up when he saw the emperor striding into the area with arrogant grace.
"Kaze! Bro, I"
"Status report. The coffee. Ten words or less." Kaze snapped.
"Uh Lavender cappino on time really awkward Evalyn looked really angry." Jake said nervously while counting on his fingers.
"I''ll forgive the pause word until we can get you proper speaking lessons." Kaze said dismissively, "But well done; her reaction was a sign you did well."
"Thanks?" The man replied, "But can I ask you something?"
"Ask without restraint. You have my blessing." The emperor replied with a nod.
"What does the word regent mean?" Jake asked, "When I told Evalyn I was your regent, fulfilling the request of his excellency, I thought it was a cheeky joke. But she took it very seriously and scolded me for saying I was your regent. Does it mean something other than an aid?"
Kazeughed and shook his head. "No, it only means aid. The foolish woman was just bitter that she ensnared herself, yet again, by challenging the veracity of my words."
"I see...." Jake replied in confusion.
"You needn''t concern yourself with the enigmatic woes of strong women." The emperor continued, "Nowe; I must give you a cultivation technique before leaving."
"Wait you''re going already?" Jake asked with a downcast expression.
"Must you always act out a tragedy?" Kaze scoffed, "Your unparalleled devotion to weakness has made your early death preordained. You''re a distinctive waste of future potential."
The man''s eyes trembled in confusion. "W-What did I... I mean, what can I do to rectify... whatever it is that I''ve done?"
The regent''s reply left the emperor with a bittersweet smile. He was satisfied that the man was speaking in action but disgruntled he had to exin something so "juvenile."
"You must never show weakness, Jake." Kaze lectured, "If you do, people will constantly challenge you, trying to use, abuse, or kill you for their gain. Peopletch onto examples of weakness more than demonstrations of strength. The number of bodies required to repair the damage from a single showcase of weakness would shock you."
The regent''s mouth fell to the ground.
p "Now be quiet ande. I must give you techniques." The emperor ordered while sitting down.
"I''ll give you the Divine Arrow, a divine-grade technique as promised, but you won''t be able to use it.
So I must give you the Sky''s Breath cultivation technique. Excessively painful as it may be, it shan''t hurt you."
Jake''s eyes widened in shock, and he stood frozen.
Kaze closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"He is but a boy in a weak, peaceful world. I mustn''t harm him." Kaze muttered, "I must build him up, make him strong, and once he has a divine physique, I''ll be able to vent my frustrations."
He stood up and walked to the grass.
"Jake, follow my lead." Kaze instructed while entering the lotus position.
Jake obeyed in a trance, entering the pose. After failing miserably at Jackson park, he stretched over the weekend and practiced.
"Good, now close your eyes." Kaze continued.
The manplied, and the emperor touched his forehead, sending a profound technique crashing into Jake''s brain.
"Gahhhhhhhhh!" The blonde-haired man yelled as the profound blueprint imprinted on his mind. The information disparity between an earth and sky technique was iparable. Moreover, the emperor had to transfer prerequisite knowledge.
"Control your breathing." Kaze instructed, "This is only the technique; whates next is harder."
Jake grit his teeth and wove through the information, building the mental blueprint.
"Good, you''ve gotten it. Now I must go" Kaze began before stopping with wide eyes.
The previously geeky man had a thin blue aura wrapped around the man, only noticeable because it reflected off his light blonde hair.
He took deep breaths to make it past the pain as his meridians ripped open like muscle fibers, and his small dantian expanded.
The cultivation grades moved in stages from mortal to god on a path. Mortal, earth, water, sky, heaven, divine, sacred, celestial, ancient, paragon, and immortal.
Each stage had a far wider gap in potency. Even with a divine-grade healing technique, a divine-grade cultivation technique was all Kaze could handle.
For someone like Jake, a sky-grade technique was something one should only hold for a few seconds. Yet the man was gritting in pain, pushing forward with determination.
Kaze closed his eyes, and images of his past self during the first apocalypse shed past his eyes. He took a deep breath and collected his thoughts.
"I cannot let his determination go to waste." He whispered, "So only a little. Paradox of Healing."
A faint golden light passed over Jake''s twelve major meridians, mixing with the blue and creating a green hue.
Jake gasped for breath, gaining control of his breathing as sweat passed his eyelids. He continued cultivating for another fifteen minutes before a sharp pain made him gasp and stop.
He kept his eyes shut for a moment to catch his breath. When he opened them, Kaze was gone.
"Did he." Jake whispered with a lightugh while falling to his back, "He won''t be there forever, and not very long if I stay weak and useless."
The man rubbed his fingers through his short hair with a strange expression. He had tasted a sliver of true confidence and refused to let it go.
Jake stood up and called for a shuttle to his home, determined to cultivate until he passed out.
June 8th, 2032 | 5:25 pm
"Thank you, love." Kaze said to a private sky cruiser attendant, "Thank you for greeting me with such a charming smile."
As he climbed in, the beautiful brte blushed and averted her gaze for a second. She couldn''t let herself get flustered.
The emperor used an illusion technique to transform his appearance into an older man in his early thirties. While illusionary techniques were a weak point, as he never hid his presence, it was enough to fool mortals and Sky ne cultivators.
Kaze''s fame as Scrawn Fu made it impossible to move around unhindered. If people knew who he was, he wouldn''t be able to operate and would get investigated [too soon] if he caused issues.
"Of course, sir. My name is Marilyn, and I''ll be your personal attendant. I hope I perform my duties satisfactorily." She said with a slight bow.
Marilyn used two fingers to tuck a strand of her sleek, hazel hair from her slightly unbuttoned white button-up and tucked it behind her ear with a slight smile.
Kaze narrowed his eyes slightly with a charming yet predatory look, making her shiver. She was trying to retain control, but it was difficult.
"Come, let''s get seated." She requested before leading him to the back of the private cruiser and seating him.
"What would you like to drink? Bottle service is avable." Marilyn asked with a smile.
"I''ll take some champagne. Thank you, love." He replied with a charming smile.
She nodded and walked away, swiveling her hips in her ck, tight, professional skirt.
"There''s a price to this." Kaze chuckled, "I wonder what promises she made."
Evalyn called her wealthy uncle to make the arrangements. She promised to pay him back in interest, but he said he was booked at that moment.
However, he switched his tune when she revealed she was transporting someone handing out cultivation techniques, and he immediately began making phone calls.
While she didn''t want to make promises on Kaze''s behalf, she considered it [asshole tax] and nned to tell him that she [shed the weakness unbing of her charming countenance].
Marilyn returned with a portable bar cart. The tray in front of him was intentionally too low, so she dropped it, and her hand brushed against his inner thigh. It was a ruse to excite him and seek to explore theplimentary "amenities." However, it flipped instantly.
Kaze gently caught Marilyn''s hand and glided his fingertips up her palms. As his fingers moved, a golden aura glowed on his fingers, hypnotizing her.
He stopped in an area on the lower part of her palm.
"Ahhh~" Marilyn gasped in surprise as a wave of ecstasy washed over her. She looked up at the man to see what was going on and froze when she saw the wildly charming smile he gave her.
"That the tray is far too low, sweetheart." Kaze remarked charmingly.
"Y-Yes, I''ll fix it." Marilyn stuttered with a nk mind, as he still hadn''tpletely released his hand.
"Oh, there''s no need for that." He said with a slight smile, "I don''t ept sexual experiences with someone instructed to please me."
She blushed and looked away. "I ah~"
Kaze smiled as she turned away. However, she didn''t pull away her hand.
"Now, it would be a different story if you were to enjoy your job." He remarked in a hypnotic voice.
Marilyn''s heart pounded as she looked at him. Kaze shed her a charming smile, and she gave up trying to act in control.
Chapter 11 June 8th, 2032 - [Spiritual Connection]
Marilyn''s back crashed into the wall of the bathroom.
"Ahhhh~" She gasped in pleasure as his fingers traced up her body to her neck. Golden light left lingering after-trails up her body, highlighting a pathway up her body''s curves. "How are you"
He wrapped his hands around her head and put his mouth against her, pushing his tongue in. The action sent shivering waves rolling through her body.
Kaze released his mouth. "You needn''t voice your deepest desires. Just let your body do the talking."
His charming voice made her close her eyes and allow herself to be picked up and ced on the sink, which [conveniently] had a removable cover. It was a table until removed, showcasing the bathroom was primarily used for [other] purposes.
Marilyn spread her legs, allowing him to move forward. He immediately unbuttoned her white shirt, exposing her perfectly proportionate C-plus cup breasts and unveiling the ckces bra underneath.
During that time, she worked to unbuckle his belt, which she found difficult to do while he undressed her. She seeded and unzipped his pants.
"Let me show you a new world," Kaze requested with a smile, gliding up her neck and moving to her ear before stopping on her forehead.
A profound blueprint of sexual wisdom entered her mind. The vastness of sexual exploration captivated her and made her yearn for experiences.
It started with a form of breathing that she instinctively tried. When she did, her body felt rolling waves of pleasurable heat moving toward her chest and thighs.
Marilyn tried to ask questions, but he put his finger on her lips. "Keep that breathing, and let me give you the answers you seek."
She obeyed, allowing herself to explore the cosmic world of energy circting through her body.
When Kaze reached into her skirt and slid his fingers on the back of her thighs, she finally understood. Qi guided pathways to her pleasure points, and Kaze glided his fingers against them skillfully.
He glided to her waist and gripped her panties, slowly pulling them off as his ring finger glided down an intricate pleasure channel.
"Mmmmhn~" Marilyn moaned while biting her lower lip.
Kaze put her ckce panties on the toilet lid, released his hard rod, and used it to part her lips on the top, touching against her clitoris.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!~" The attendant screamed with unrivaled pleasure as it touched. She hadn''t learned how to control the energy flowing through her, so the Qi pressing on her lower body hit her pleasure channels without release.
"Breathe." Kaze instructed with a charming voice, allowing her time to regain her senses.
Once she gripped control again, he slowly slid his member into her.
"AhhhhhhhhhHHHHHH!~" Marilyn screamed in ecstasy, letting her back crash against the mirror.
While inside her, Kaze closed his eyes and summoned the blueprint for [Spiritual Connection]. With the image clear in his mind, he began cultivating it.
Marilyn felt her soul leave her body and embrace Kaze''s, melding them together in a celestial experience that brought their spirits together.
As she gasped for breath, keeping her mind from getting lost in the deeper part of her consciousness, he slowly weaved through their Qi channels.
Yin and Yang Qi were created when a human body processed Elemental Qi before release. By dual cultivating, the individuals could tap the resource again, nearly doubling the amount of Qi intake they processed.
Moreover, it didn''t rip open someone''s meridians, as it recircted Qi instead of intaking it. Instead, it exhaled Elemental Qi, making the intake of new Elemental Qi effortless because it was [breathing].
Still, her Yin Qi was vastly inferior to his Yang Qi, so he skillfully limited his output, allowing her to safely experience a divine-grade technique as a mortal.
Marilyn''s body developed a pink glow, intaking Elemental Qi as processed Yin Qi exhaled from her body. The Elemental Ki turned pure white, contorting the space in a pink and white swirling pattern, mixing into a marbled look as the colors interacted but didn''t mix.
Kaze''s glowed in a faint blue light. When his processed Yang Qi exhaled, it marbled and swirled with Elemental Qi which turned ck.
The small room glowed in two colors, one half pink and the other blue, as their bodies attracted the rich Qi housed within each other. It created a light purple color around their bodies, highlighted by non-glowing ck and white marbling.
Kaze pulled back. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh~!"
The motion caused Marilyn''s body to lurch forward as their spiritual energy tugged her two him, attracting her like a ma. She instinctively wrapped around his neck to keep their body close as he circted the Yin and Yang Qi around their inner spirits and then pushed his rod in again.
"AhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHH~!"
She screamed in unreserved ecstasy. The motion connected their meridian patterns, connecting their Yin and Yang Qi in their spiritual body.
Marilyn''s Yin Qi circted through Kaze''s body and vice versa, sharing their energy intimately, mining the Qi dormant in their bodies.
He pulled back and thrust again, restarting the cycle. "AhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHH~!"
The divine grade technique was too profound for the amount of Qi in the atmosphere, so it warped space itself as the air pulled as much energy into the area as possible.
"Ahhhh~ Ahhhhhh~ Ahhhhhhhh~!"
After thirty minutes of a semi-hallucinogenic spiritual experience, he pushed her past the edge, summoning Qi to push through all of her pleasure channels.
"AhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHH~!"
Marilyn shut her eyes as tight as possible as she screamed as loud as possible to release the pleasure she received.
"I''m going to release rich Yang Qi into your body, so keep cultivating." Kaze exined in a steady, hypnotic voice while releasing energy from her pleasure channels.
"O-Okay. I''m o-on birth control." She said between sharp breaths of sensitivity.
"Don''t worry. You can''t get pregnant unless I want you to." He replied while closing his eyes.
A vortex of ck energy warped around the area, dimming the atmosphere, contrasting against the purple energy illuminating their bodies.
Kaze thrust forward, channeling Yang Qi in her body and then pulling Yin Qi back through her meridians. The spiritual form of each was filled with their corresponding color, slowly bing perfectly white and ck.
Once their spiritual forms were perfectly ck and white, a torrent of liquid poured into her body.
"AhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHH~!"
Their spiritual bodies melted into each other, creating a perfect bnce of white and ck energy.
His usage of his divine-grade cultivation technique pushed her body, without cultivation, through the Mortal Realm, instantly breaking into the early stages of the Earth realm.
Kaze had pushed forward to the top of the Sky realm. In a world where fewpeting forces breathed Qi, his divine-grade technique was an endless vortex supplying the energy he needed to paint the world with.
Marilyn''s chest rose and fell, and her legs shook as Kaze pulled out of her body.
She opened her eyes and saw Kaze''s rich green eyes connecting to her. After the sexual experience, she felt connected to him,fortable, and understanding.
"That was." Marilyn began, trying to express what was on her mind.
"Spiritual, love." Kaze said with a charming smile.
She looked up at him with wide eyes. "What?"
"Spiritual. The word you''re looking for is spiritual." He confirmed with a slight smile.
The word perfectly described her thoughts, putting her thoughts into words. She only asked for confirmation because Kaze didn''t describe it as an analogy. His confidence presented it as a hard fact.
Marilyn nodded in eptance and smiled. She had never felt so pure and blissful.
"I feel amazing." She chuckled in disbelief.
"That''s why you should work for people that deserve you and enjoy sex for what it is." Kaze said while handing her a sheet of paper.
It had his phone number. "In two weeks, I''ll have a faction. I''ll fly you out to join me when it''s set up."
Marilyn''s eyes widened in disbelief at his charming smile. She immediately nodded, fully epting her new life.
"You''ll need this." Kaze chuckled while touching her forehead. Another blueprint, far less profound, entered her mind.
"Illuminecent Breathing?" She asked in confusion.
"You''ll know why you need it when the timees." He replied mysteriously while pulling up his pants, "In the meantime, I''ll let you freshen up."
Marilyn slowly stepped down from the sink, braced her hands against it to keep standing, and pulled her skirt down. Kaze chuckled and walked up, slowly buttoning her shirt with a gentle demeanor, and walked out the door.
When he did, two other women working for the sky cruiser in other positions hid immediately. They were listening to the sex as if in a trance.
They heard "orgasms" often, but it was always faked. Beyond being genuine, the moaninging from the bathroom was unworldly.
Kaze tilted his body to make eye contact with the two embarrassed women.
"No need to be shy, loves." He said with a charming voice, "If you''re curious, there''s still two hours left, and I''m not reserved."
[A/N: Conventional info dump [too long for AN]. The body intakes Elemental Qi and is processed to create fuel for techniques. Unrefined Qi circtes, creating Yin Qi in females and Yang Qi in males. It isn''t used and is eventually exhaled.
Dual cultivation extracts the Qi with sophisticated and highly cultured refinement techniques. The processed Qi is released [in bulk], and the body intakes more Qi as it inhales. It''s like squeezing a bottle. It pushes air outward and then sucks it back in after release. Same concept.
Dual cultivation processes Elemental Qi is like oil extraction. Crude oil separates into butane, gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and heavy gas oil in that order. Techniques run on butane and gasoline, but the body can use kerosene, diesel, and heavy crude energy with further refinement.
Fun fact: Green tea, white tea, oolong tea, and ck tea are made from the same leaf in the same way. As the leaf oxidizes, it extracts more caffeine, which is why ck tea has the highest quantity.]
Chapter 12 June 8th, 2032 - The Value Of Dual Cultivation
"Goodbye, you lovelydies." Kaze said to Marilyn, Lisa, and Rell, the three women on the private sky cruiser.
"Goodbye!" Marilyn said with a flushed face.
"Same. Thank you for the amazing experience." Lisa said with a bow.
"It was magical. Safe travels!" Rell said with a bittersweet smile.
All three had trouble standing and were all sad to watch him go. They all felt connected to him, so it felt like a part of them was leaving.
"Don''t look so letdown." Kaze chuckled, shaking his head, "You act as though you''ll never see me again."
Their faces lit up when he reaffirmed his earlier statement and waved goodbye as he entered a pitch-ck shuttle.
The driver, a clean-shaven, muscr man with thin brown eyebrows, looked at Kaze in the cab camera skeptically.
"Those women seem satisfied." Hemented as they took to flight, gliding through the Lexington skies glittering with nighttime lights.
"Alldies that I spend time with leave satisfied." Kaze scoffughed at the man''s circuitousness, "That afterglow is the reason I''m here."
The driver''s face tensed up at his arrogant response. "You''re not here to please Lady Trotsky. You''re here to perform a service."
Kaze scoffed in disbelief. "Putting aside your grotesque assertion that sex could ever be a lifeless transaction, I perform sex cultivation.
Do mortals believe I can channel Qi in an awkward 5-minute prostitution session?"
The man''s eyes widened. The emperor''snguage was crude, but his point was valid. Despite that, he was duty-bound to represent his clients.
"I don''t think thatnguage is appropriate." He replied in a terse voice.
"And I don''t think that a servant should interfere in the affairs of their patrons." Kaze replied mockingly, "I''m here on business. How I conduct it is between your patrons and me; it has nothing to do with you. So stay silent and do as you''ve been ordered."
The driver''s face twitched, but he couldn''t offend the man. As Kaze said, he was on orders and couldn''t break them. So he fell silent and finished his flight.
The two touched down at the Trotsky family''s private air dock, and the driver opened the door for Kaze.
A group of ten men in suits checked him for weapons, making himugh mockingly. It had almost been a week since cultivation began, and everyone still checked for guns as if they were the only threat.
The guards then led Kaze through the airstrip and into the back entrance of the home. Once they reached the top of the stairs, a man and woman greeted them.
"Wee." The man, with pale white skin and blonde hair, said in a thick Russian ent.
"Greetings, Mr. Phillip Trotsky." Kaze replied while shaking his hand and giving him a slight nod.
He glided his eyes toward the elegant looked woman to his left in a rich red dress. She wore red lipstick and had straight, shoulder-length auburn hair.
"And I assume this is Ms. Inessa Trotsky?" Kaze asked while reaching his hand to give her a light shake.
"Yes." Inessa replied with a slight handshake and smile.
Phillip closed his eyes before opening them with a warm, fake smile. It was clear to everyone that the value of the meeting didn''t make it easier.
Only the emperor was unfazed by the situation. The deal was far greater in their favor than they realized.
"Let''s talk business, shall we?" Phillip requested while motioning Kaze to a white sofa lined with white bear fur.
"Of course." Kaze replied while sitting down, "First things first, did you follow secrecy protocols?"
The Russian man and his guards were stunned that Kaze arrogantly took hold of the conversation and demanded information.
"No need to worry," Phillip replied, "Your presence here hasn''t been disclosed, and the money is getting routed through two shellpanies in Switzend before reaching your ount."
Kaze nodded. "Thank you. I''m sure you have questions, so feel free to ask them."
"Can I see the scroll?" Phillip requested.
Few people received a direct transfer of their techniques. Evalyn got one because she received a sky-grade cultivation technique, which they wouldn''t proliferate. The same was true of Frosted des, which they wouldn''t carry.
Kaze shook his head, stunning everyone present.
"What"
The guards started moving in, and Phillip began demanding answers before Kaze raised his hands, chuckling and giving everyone mocking smiles.
"I''ll perform a direct transfer. It''s a high-level technique that imprints the cultivation technique into your mind and gets you started." Kaze exined.
"First, I''ll give you a cultivation technique, then help your wife reach the Earth realm.
After you pay me, I''ll give you both Earth techniques and unlock the knowledge you need to use them at full capacity, skipping decades of practice.
You''ll get four techniques, cultivation and offensive, for each, and your wife will skip an entire realm, multiplying her power exponentially. Everything is beyond what you can get elsewhere."
Phillip''s eyes glittered, and his guards'' eyes filled with bitter jealousy.
"Now, please let me touch your forehead." Kaze said. The guards nervously watched as he reached forward, prepared to strike.
The emperor scoffed at their attitude and touched the Russian man''s forehead. An explosion of knowledge entered the man''s head, leaving him wide-eyed, analyzing the profound blueprint he had received.
"Try it out." Kaze requested.
Inessa and the guards watched in shock as the man immediately began without the need to study the technique.
"Ha hah! It works!" Phillip eximed in his Russian ent as Qi entered his body at an insane levelpared to the low-end mortal-grade technique he had.
"That''s only the beginning." Kaze said with a slight smile, "You''ll normally need to spend decades mastering this. Once I''m paid, I''ll give you that information, and you can see for yourself."
Phillip grinned in delight. Then he remembered that period that stood between then and the present. He gave Inessa a sidelong nce before locking eyes with the emperor.
"Your power. How does it work?" Phillip asked.
"Just as Qi is channeling through your body, dual cultivation allows individuals to share." Kaze replied, "Since I''m at a far higher level of cultivation and have more skill, I can immediately bring Ms. Trotsky into the Earth realm."
Everyone''s eyes widened, abstract understanding at his overly simplistic exnation.
"Additionally, dual cultivation uses three different types of Qi, speeding up cultivation exponentially. Yin and Yang Qi are unrefined and are released from exchanging bodily fluids." The emperor continued.
Phillip cringed instantly, but Kaze continued with the selling point.
"It''s the most intricate form of cultivation, but it''s also the fastest. After tonight, your wife will leave with a six-month headstart on everyone with mortal grade cultivation techniques." He said, "It will highlight your power and increase your fame."
The Russian man thought about it,bing his fingers through his blonde hair. "Is it."
He looked at Kaze with a strained expression. "Is it possible to just buy the techniques, as a potential option?"
The emperor smiled. He would have asked the same question, so it wasn''t surprising.
"Of course," He replied with a slight smile.
"I''m providing a professional service in exchange for money, so selling the techniques will aplish my goals.
However, I''m a dual cultivator that also benefits from co-cultivation. So if you wish to turn down the sub-service to boost your wife''s cultivation, I''ll charge you the same price."
Phillip narrowed his eyes. "I''m not sure how I feel about you benefiting from sleeping with my wife."
Kaze scoffed at the man''s offensive words. "Mr. Trotsky, the techniques you are receiving are worth far more than what you''re paying. You''re just my first customer. By next week, I''d value these techniques in the billions."
The Russian eyes widened, and he held his breath. The emperor''s manner of speech didn''t sound like a sales pitch; it was matter-of-factly andced with exasperation.
"I''m offering your wife a six-month headstart on cultivation in exchange for the co-benefits I''m receiving.
If you cannot understand the benefits, I''ll erase that technique from your mind and leave."
The pressure in the room multiplied. Everyone was shocked at the emperor''s brazenness, and the guards prepared to strike.
Kaze and Phillip stared at each other for a split second before thetter turned away.
"I apologize for offending you. Please understand this is a sensitive action." The Russian said.
The emperor''s face rxed, and he nodded at the man''s reasonableness.
"Of course. That''s why your wife will also receive a dual cultivation technique, allowing you to increase your power through sex." Kaze said with a slight smile, "Surely, that''s appealing. Is it not?"
Phillip''s eyes widened in surprise. He looked at his wife, who nodded in eptance. It was a strange development that he wasn''t expecting.
"I do find that appealing." He said, "So I can trust you won''t take advantage of my wife with your power for one-sided gain?"
"Sir, I''d never take advantage of a woman." Kaze replied, "Everything I do will be to increase her power in the most agreeable way possible."
Phillip closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he pped while standing.
"Okay, let''s take you to the prepared room." He requested, "Come this way."
Chapter 13 June 8th, 2032 - Dark Fantasies
Phillip Trotsky led his wife and the emperor into a luxurious bedroom on the east wing of his mansion. The room was white and pristine.
The message was that he would see the aftermath of the sex session. It made Kaze chuckle as the foolish man was actively inviting trauma.
"I''ll leave you two to cultivate." The Russian said awkwardly, "Just make sure to keep your word and not take advantage of her."
"Don''t worry, Mr. Trotsky." Kaze said with a reassuring smile, "Everything we do will directly further her cultivation; it''s strictly professional."
The man nodded and led his guards out of the room, leaving the emperor and his wife alone.
Inessa looked at him with light brown eyes. "I apologize for my ignorance, but I don''t know what to do."
Kaze nced at her slender body wrapped in a skin-tight dress. It entuated her curves.
It was doubtlessly a normal outfit for her, as Phillip wouldn''t dress her up on his behalf.
"There''s no reason to treat it differently than normal sex." He chuckled with a charming smile, "But it will be significantly more profound."
She smirked at him with her red lips and vicious eyes. "You make it sound like casual sex with someone other than my husband."
Kaze gave her a slight smile. "It is strictly professional, but that doesn''t mean you can''t enjoy it. Pleasure is the essence of sex and the crux of dual cultivation."
"Is enjoying sex with a stranger supposed to be easy?" Inessaughed while turning away.
"It can if you allow yourself to embrace your curiosities and desires." Kaze said as he walked forward to her slowly.
"You sound so confident" Sheugh-scoffed.
"I assure you, Ms. Trotsky. You''ll wish you made the most of my service from the second that door closed for the rest of your life." Kaze replied with a smug smile.
Inessa narrowed her eyes. "Where do you get this absurd confidence from."
"If you had these hands, you''d be confident too." He replied with an arrogant smirk.
Sheughed and turned away in disbelief. "Hands? Make it sound like that''s all it takes to please a woman. What a joke."
"Have your doutbs, but please don''t insult me." Kaze scoffughed in amazement, "I couldn''t live with myself if I couldn''t prove such an absurdity unfounded."
He extended his index before her eyes, "I can please you with this one finger. If I can''t, I''ll be your personal servant for life."
"You''re here to have sex with me," Inessa smirked, "So prove it."
"dly." Kaze replied with a charming smile.
He walked up to her slowly while staring her in the eyes. She slightly trembled as he got within a foot and reached his index to her side.
His finger developed a faint white glow as it touched her side and moved only an inch.
"Ah~!" Inessa gasped in shock after her forced moan and backed away in disbelief.
"What did you just do?" She asked in a thick Russian ident, "Is that part of your power?"
"Of course." Kaze replied with a charming smile, "Do you think I''d touch a beautiful woman with mortal hands when I have the power to treat them like they deserve?"
Inessa blushed and averted her gaze. "You cannot im you can please a woman with your finger and then cheat."
"Cheat? Surely you don''t think someone like me would offer to be your servant if I wasn''t certain of my skill." Kazeughed in disbelief, "It''s strange enough you''d expect I''d break my professionalism to win a bet."
Her eyes widened when she was reminded it was a professional exchange. However, they narrowed, and she developed a predatory smile.
"Then I admit defeat." Inessa said while walking back to him, "So, Mr. Professional, please do your job."
"It would be my pleasure." He replied while moving her fingers a centimeter above her side.
The space warped around his fingers, leaving trails of his movement. As soon as he reached her ribcage, he touched down.
"Mmhn~" She moaned slightly with a wincing expression, trying her best to keep from sounding enthusiastic.
"You''re only denying yourself by rejecting your desires." He chuckled.
"You make it sound easy. I''m marrahhh~!" Inessa gasped. She tried to give him an unenthusiastic expression, but as soon as she began pouting, his fingers lit up again, "Ahhh~!"
"I''m a professional sex cultivator, Ms. Trotsky." Kaze chuckled while tracing his mortal fingers to the side of her breasts, "Pleasure is expected, so enjoy it."
He glided his finger around her side and up to the back of her neck. She closed her eyes and fell silent during the action. "Mmhm~"
"Embrace it." Kaze said while grabbing the dress'' zipper and pulling it down.
"Make me." Inessa replied with a bitter chuckle. He wouldn''t let her deny her desires even if she wanted him to.
Kaze unzipped the dress to her shoulder des and then pulled back his hand, reached up with both to her neck, and glided his fingers down her neck to the sleeves.
"Mmmmmhn~" She moaned as he pulled each strap and let them fall off her shoulders.
The dress dropped to the ground, exposing her red lingerieden body. While she was 35-two, she had the body of a fit model in herte twenties.
Inessa was a beautiful ex-model, and she couldn''t remember thest time a man touched her with such care. It filled her body with a deep desire to embrace it.
"Whates next?" She whispered.
"Whatever you want." Kaze replied with a charming voice, "All forms of sex allow for dual cultivation, so we can do what you wish."
She took a deep breath, allowing her chest to rise and fall.
"Don''t make me choose, as Iahhh~"
The emperor traced his hands down her back and grabbed her ass lightly, causing her to tremble and her body to heat up.
"Don''t forget that this is a professional service." He said calmly, "Anything we do is to build your power and is permissible. So embrace your womanly nature and tell me your darkest fantasies."
"Mmhn~" Inessa gasped as he traced the back of her thighs, "I I want you to use me. To take control and be dominant, it''s always been my dark fantasy."
"As you wish. If you wish for me to rule you then kneel before your ruler." Kaze ordered with a dominant voice while pressing down on her shoulders, gently prompting her to fall to her knees.
The experience left her astonished and conflicted as she stared at the generous bulge hiding behind his cks. The idea of sucking a man''s cock in her home while her husband was present shocked her.
But Inessa found it thrilling and Kaze''s brazenness enthralling. He highlighted his professionalism, then ordered her to her knees to please him momentster while guards listened outside the room.
It was beyond attractive and made her lustful. She gave in and began unbuckling the emperor''s pants with haste until his lower body was exposed, and she faced his member.
"Now suck." Kaze ordered quietly with the authority that only an emperor couldmand.
Chapter 14 June 8th, 2032 - Strictly Professional
Inessa let her chest rise and fall as she stared at his member with a lustful expression. She grabbed the base and hesitantly opened her mouth, allowing herself to y the exploited servant.
Once she put it in as far as she could, she closed her mouth slowly. As soon as her tongue touched his member, she felt her body heat up in desire and began. She glided backward and opened her mouth again to roll her tongue around his tip, putting a smile on his face.
To the emperor, no mortal could ever please him physically. However, all women could please him with their desire and passion.
Kaze reached down and pressed his finger to her forehead.
Inessa''s eyes widened in disbelief as a profound blueprint for a higher ne of sexual experiences opened before her. She wanted to look up, but her tongue felt energy passing through his rod. It had an intricate path and pleasure channels.
As if in a trance, she released her mouth and used the tip of her tongue to trace up the energy channels. It developed a light pink aura as her meridians took in Yang Qi, and she released Yin Qi through his skin.
It processed the unrefined Elemental Qi in her body and then exhaled post-cycle Qi, gently pulling in new Elemental Qi as it breathed in again.
Everything about the experience felt heavenly, and she quickly ignored the world.
The guards listened in disbelief as the sound of her giving him oral sex enthusiastically leaked through the words. But they didn''t mention it to Phillip, cultivating and undergoing a full transformation.
Inessa threw reason to the wind as she performed the action, and Kaze guided her with his eyes closed, cultivating and creating a spiritual link.
As the Yin and Yang Qi mixed in his dantian, itpleted its cycle, and Kaze allowed it to be released.
Gushing liquid filled her mouth without warning. It pleased the shocked Inessa greatly, as itpleted her BDSM fantasy.
"Breathe. Cultivate the technique before you swallow." Kaze said in an authoritative voice.
She nodded and began cultivating, once connected, she swallowed. Her entire body burst forth with energy, and her meridians felt alive.
Inessa went through a profound experience as she cultivated and pressed against the top of the Mortal Realm.
"Nowe, there''s still use for you yet." Kaze scoffed while pulling her up, stripping off her bra, and pushing her onto the bed.
Inessa was having the most amazing sexual experience in her life, living her fantasy with the most charming and captivating man she had met.
Most people didn''t understand the strange desires that drove such a social dynamic. So the guards heard her get pushed onto the bed with beating hearts.
She wasn''t struggling, but it was forceful. Their eyes glided to their employer, who was still gracefully cultivating.
None knew what to do about the situation. People had already decided that people shouldn''t interfere with the cultivation of others. Stopping the two could break a multi-million dor deal, causing a significant problem for everyone involved.
Just as they were about to knock to see if she was okay
"Ahhhhhhh~!" Inessa sharply moaned in pleasure after Kaze established their spiritual connection.
Phillip''s eyes snapped open when he heard her moaning. It shook the guards to their core, who waited with bated breath, ready to act.
"No." The Russian muttered with a deep breath, "It''s sex cultivation. Naturally, pleasure a normal"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh~!" Inessa moaned in pleasure in the most unreserved way imaginable. It left him feeling emascted and jealous.
"No. The man already followed through." Phillip reasoned through gritted teeth, "This is all part of a professional rtionship. I must develop stronger willpower through cultivation."
His determined mindset drove him to close his eyes and begin cultivation, taking him into another zone. A powerful people welled in him as his meridians epted far more Qi than he felt possible, making him grin.
"I can''t believe this is only the beginning"
"AhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHH~!"
"Strictly professional?" Phillip scoffed in disbelief while snapping open his eyes, "He calls [this] strictly professional!?"
He stared down the hall and found all his guards looking at him with awkward expressions.
The Russian gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. He wanted to burst through the door, yell at the man, and say he broke their arrangement. However, if Kaze snapped and the guards killed him in self-defense, he''d never get the other half of his technique!
"My wife is taking lessons to improve our sex life and bring us power." Phillip rationalized, "I''ll soon be able to"
"AhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHH~!"
Inessa screeched in the most unworldly ways imaginable. Just as cultivation allowed humans to be more powerful than they could ever reach through hard work alone, cultivation did the same for sexual experiences.
Phillip was painfully aware he would never be able to satisfy his wife again.
The damage was permanent, and he couldn''t bear it any longer. He stood up and marched down the hall, prepared to knock and respectfully request to end the session.
The guards let him pass, and he approached the door. However, when he went to knock
"You''re approaching an enlightened state," Kaze said from behind the door, "Focus your breathing, and I''ll take you into the Earth Realm."
Phillip heard Kaze''s words and developed a wry smile. He immediately turned down and sat against the hallway wall, ignoring the nces from the guards.
The man decided that he''d patiently wait for the conclusion.
"Are you there?" Kaze asked from the other side of the door.
"Yes." Inessa gasped in response.
"Okay. Now take a deep breath and I''ll carry you there now." The emperor said, "Then we''ll finish up and I''ll unlock the rest for you and your husband."
Phillip took a breath of relief when Kaze addressed him, showcasing professionalism. He thought about the strength they''d both have and how they''d be on the top of the social
"AhhhhHHAhhhhhhhhhHHHaaahHHHHaaaHHHHHHHAHhhAhhhh~!"
The Russian''s eyes snapped open again. He had heard countless screams over thest two minutes, but the one he was listening to wasn''t on the same ne of existence!
Phillip was ready to snap, but the screaming from the other side of the door was so primal and surreal that the man forgot his wife was even in the room!
Whatever was behind the door was a wild animal getting tortured, and it wouldn''t stop screeching. The unworldly rolling orgasm through hellsted for five seconds.
Then ten seconds. Twenty seconds. Forty-five.
A minute and twenty seconds of unnatural screaming urred before it stopped, and Phillip and his guards snapped out of their trance.
They couldn''t tell how long they were listening. It was as if they had minor strokes and snapped back to reality as loved ones arrived to save them.
Phillip brushed the blonde hair from his eyes, unclear what had just happened.
It wasn''t until he blinked twice and found Kaze staring at him that he remembered what he was doing. "What was."
"You''ll see." Kaze said with a slight smile.
When Inessa walked out of the room, the man gasped in shock.
Now that he had a cultivation technique that properly gained him entrance into cultivation, he could finally feel the pressure she exerted.
Kaze was even extra enough to use cultivation to dry the sweat from her, quickly fixed her hair, and held her up like a puppet with minor Qi manifestation so she wouldn''t copse.
"As agreed, I''ve brought Ms. Trotsky to the early stages of the Earth realm." The emperor said with a slight smile.
"I''ll unlock the rest of your cultivation technique and give you a minor technique to see Qi channels to verify for yourself."
"What"
Before the man or his guards could react, Kaze''s finger touched his forehead, and a flurry of profound information assaulted his brain.
The guards finally snapped to attention and began to move, but Phillip raised his hand in disbelief. He could finally see Qi, and his wife was glowing. Literally!
Phillip looked at Kaze for an exnation but froze. It was as if he was seeing him for the first time.
Despite Kaze dropping his meridian intake to a level that dropped his pressure lower than the Earth Realm, he couldn''t hide his cultivation skill.
The man could now see the emperor''s meridians breathing Qi, warping the space around them. So while his pressure was lower than Earth Realm and his cultivation base was hidden, the man could see how refined his cultivation was.
The intricate breathing patterns showed a beautifully established system far beyond what he saw in his wife. Their two forms were the difference between heaven and earth!
"I believe you can see she has entered the next realm, yes?" Kaze asked with a slight smile.
"Y-Yes." The man replied with a thick Russian ent.
"Okay. Let''s get money transferred, I''ll unlock your skills, and I''ll teach them to you for the video." The emperor said while leading the man from the hallway.
Phillip was so shocked during the process that he never noticed Inessa gazing at Kaze with profound longing.
Chapter 15 June 9th, 2032 - 13 Days Remaining
Kaze sat in his Microbiology ss at Lockheed University cultivating with his eyes shut.
"Mr. Lexicon, can you please not sleep in my ss?" Professor Roybock asked in a stern voice.
She wore a light charcoal zer and matching cks that day, highlighting her professionalism. Her white shirt highlighted her light brown eyes, which desperately tried not tond on his face.
"Concern not, Lady Roybock." Kaze said in a hypnotizing voice without opening his eyes, "I''m sifting through your charming insights to reestablish my knowledge of this subject."
Professor Roybock blushed at his minorpliment, spoken with a degree of charm that she couldn''tprehend and a face she couldn''t ignore.
The students in the ssroom burst intoughter but not at the professor. They didn''t even notice her reaction because their eyes were glued to Kaze.
This lecture was the first they had had with the emperor since his transformation, and his transformation was captivating. While most was theoretically possible with cultivation, his style was belligerently offensive to men, as it highlighted how bad theirs was!
He walked in with a light-purple, tailored button-up shirt and mid-tan chinos, which the females found excessively charming. Women loved when men wore daring clothing as long as it was excessively fashionableand it was.
The geeky teen looked like a handsome multi-millionaire upstart out of nowhere, which was just as absurd as it was true. He received a million dors in a personal business ount that morning and blew 25,000 at tailors throughout the city.
"Is that so? If your reviewing the content, I suppose you wouldn''t mind solving this problem." Professor Roybock said awkwardly while putting a form on the electronic whiteboard.
Kaze opened his eyes in mild irritation and strode to the front of the ss as if the students were soldiers awaiting his war harangue.
"While I do not appreciate your insinuation that I would lie to a woman, to the degree you''d put a question from a future section on the board to test me, I''m duty bound to prove that I indeed listen to the words of my charming professor."
He presented his palm to Professor Roybock, demanding the smart marker.
The petite woman stared at him with stunned, light brown eyes. She handed him the red smart marker in a daze and turned to the smartboard, which Kaze had already begun marking up wlessly.
Kaze shamelessly used his eidetic memory to mindlesslyplete the future test problem from memory alone, side-stepping the entire purpose of her test.
However, he was telling the truth. He was cultivating to remember everything for the tests during each ss, as he would miss ss often.
While he didn''t care about college lectures, they contained something of critical importance: women.
"Are you satisfied?" Kaze asked while presenting the wless answer.
"I-I." Professor Roybock stuttered in disbelief. The rest of the ss was also dazed.
"Why Why do you know how to solve this problem?" She asked hesitantly.
"I was preprocessing information I had ahead of time, so I needn''t worry about learning forms and could focus on your charming insights." Kaze replied with a yful, mocking smile.
"Any man that wouldn''t cling to your elegant words is a tasteless ignoramus."
Professor Roybock blushed furiously. She reflexively opened her mouth to lecture him on appropriate student-teacher rtionships, harassment, and workce environments.
However, whenever she did, he gave her a charming smile that said [try to find my words disagreeable].
The females in the room were going wild, giggling and whispering amongst each other.
"I think you did great." Professor Roybock said, "Thank you for paying attention in ss. If you could please take your seat now."
"As you wish." Kaze replied with a charming smile.
The door to the ssroom abruptly opened, and one of the most popr women on campus strode through the room.
Her sky blue eyes popped from the dark grey bags under her eyes. It made her bloodshot eyes and irritation highly visible.
"My apologies, professor," Evalyn said apologetically, "but I need to borrow this man here for a very important matter that cannot wait."
The ssroom fell silent, filled with students wearing gobsmacked expressions.
It was a truly surreal sight seeing Evalyn, the co-star of the number one trending video in the world, reunited with the lead performer.
"Come now, can it not wait until I finish this lovelydy''s lecture?" Kaze asked with a hypnotic smile.
Evalyn panicked when she saw everyone pulling out their phone, awaiting the juicy drama that would doubtlessly unfold.
"What do you mean, can it wait?" She growled, "We don''t have time for you to flirt with your teacher right now."
Professor Roybock blushed aggressively. She wanted to act, but she, too, could see the smartphones popping up.
"If we don''t have time, that''s one thing." Kazeugh-scoffed, but to insinuate that I cannot flirt with a beautiful"
Mid-sentence, Evalyn gripped his hand with her excessively strong-byparison cultivation strength and pulled.
To everyone''s bewilderment, Kaze didn''t move in the slightest. Not even a jolt. It was a treasonous p in the face to modern physics.
The insults didn''t end there. Kaze casually looked down and then back up to her with a mocking smile.
"I''m happy to follow you." He said with a maic smile, "But do not proim I cannot flirt with a woman. Lady Roybock, please excuse me."
Evalyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath when he casually walked out of the room. She turned around and followed him without looking at the students or teachers.
"Now, what is it?" Kaze asked in the hallway, "Wait. Why do you look so disheveled?"
The blonde''s eyes began twitching. "Why? I was up all night thanks to someone I know."
"Why must you always me me?" He asked mockingly, "It''s not as if I wasn''t also upte."
Evalyn blinked twice and swallowed, trying to control her inner hellfire and rage boiling over.
"Kaze, or whoever you are." She began.
"Kaze." He confirmed with a charming smile.
"Look, [Kaze]. I look like this because you''re mercilessly infuriating, and I can''t take my eyes off you for a moment." Evalyn seethed.
"That''s rathermon withdies." Kaze chuckled, "But don''t associate me with your looks. Here, let me fix it."
Before she could react, Kaze stroked her cheek, causing her to turn red to the tip of her ears.
"K-Kaze! What are"
Golden light illuminated her face, and she felt refreshed, and her eyes opened up, indicating he had done something to restore her drooping eyelids to normal.
"See? Your face is remarkable, so it only takes a little Qi to restore its beauty." Kaze said with a tempting smile.
Evalyn blushed again and covered her face. When she released her hands, she saw that the students from the ss were filming the conversation.
"Kaze." She said while closing her eyes, "The school wants to speak to you regarding your incidentsst Friday, and you''ve set off a firestorm online. So please, take this seriously. We can''t get wrapped up in legal work during this time."
"Hoh? Is that all?" Kaze chuckled, "Please, take me to them."
Evalyn''s eyes widened in surprise. "You sound extremely confident."
"Of course." He replied arrogantly, "Speaking to authority figures is what I do best."
Chapter 16 June 9th, 2032 | Restrained Revenge
Evalyn led Kaze to the Lockheed University administration building, which she had just returned from after giving her testimony.
He walked into the main room and addressed the secretary.
"Hello, miss. My name is Kaze Lexicon." Kaze said with an alluring smile, "I hear Lockheed University wishes to speak to me for the safe-environmentwsuit I''m filing."
The secretary blinked twice. She nned to tell Kaze they weren''t ready for his testimony yet, but she froze when he said wsuit].
"P-Please give me a moment." She requested while picking up the phone.
"Of course, miss. Please take your time." He said with a courteous smile.
Evalyn blinked twice in disbelief. She wanted to ask if Kaze nned for this strategy, but a man in a grey suit rushed out into the room.
"Roger Whitfield." The man said while reaching out his hand, "I''m the head of Security and Student Safety on campus."
"Kaze Lexicon," The emperor replied coldly, epting the man''s hand.
The man froze, and his dark brown eyes trembled. Just moments before, they were considering disciplinary action against Kaze, depending on the testimony of others.
Now, they faced awsuit when there was clear evidence a court would deem sufficient. Kaze''s eyes told the man he wasn''t ying around.
Roger panned his gaze to Evalyn, who was with Kaze. She nned to leave immediately, but everything happened too fast.
"Why are you still here?" He asked.
"She came and got me out of concern when she learned that the school was interviewing people, seeking disciplinary action instead of directly punishing violent actors on campus." Kaze interjected coldly.
"I faced two illegal acts of violence in one day, on video, once while asleep, and no one has been punished.
Additionally, a man harassed this woman, announcing that she was his property nonconsensually before trying to strike me. Surely you don''t [also] ignore harassment, do you?"
Evalyn''s eyes shook violently. She didn''t want to get involved in the case. It was bad enough she was involved, but getting her friends involved was another story.
Roger''s face was painfully tense. "Mr. Lexicon, please do not misunderstand. The interviewing is part of the arbitrary investigation process for the school."
"Is that so?" Kaze asked mockingly, "So you wait three days without contacting the victim in concern, and then interview everyone before contacting them?"
The man''s face froze, and he took a sharp breath. "Mr. Lexicon, once again. Due to the public nature of your case, it''s important that we"
"On April 15th, I was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of a woman with cat ears." Kaze interjected with a ruthless gaze.
"Collin Finch, Peter Rhodes, and Quinn Laybolt threw me against a wall and forced me to say I was into bestiality on video. They posted it on Yanko. That''s also a public event, is it not?"
Roger''s eyes widened in shock, and so did Evalyn''s. Kaze was so charming, strong, and arrogant that she forgot who he used to be.
"March 22nd, three weeks after school began, I was thrown into theke at Lamers Park." Kaze continued with a vicious gaze.
"That was also posted on Yanko. Tell me, Roger Whitfield, where was your investigation then?"
Evalyn held her breath. Her sadness was reced with light fear from Kaze''s aura. He had true killing intent in his eyes. The more he remembered his past life, the angrier he got.
While a person with a hyperthymestic memory can remember every detail of what they see, that doesn''t imply they have instant recall memory. (1)
He, like most people, didn''t remember things before they came up unless he searched for them on purpose. Now that he recalled the memories, he had to exhibit excessive self-control not to act.
Kaze hadn''t known such disgrace in almost five millennia and ruthlessly killed everyone that mocked him. Now he was face to face with the events that pushed him to be who he was.
"Mr. Lexicon." Roger said while swallowing, "We apologize and will seek to rectify the situation."
"Apologize?" Kaze scoffed in disgust. In his mind, the man deserved death.
If it weren''t for his desire to let Evalyn retain happiness for two more weeks, he would seal the man''s meridians, forcing Qi sickness on him in days. It would drive him crazy, solve Kaze''s problem, and eventually kill the man.
"Your job is to prevent violence." He asserted, "Yet you''re actively seeking to find fault in a chronic victim''s self-defense because your failure to do your job is going viral."
Roger turned away with an indignant expression. "Mr. Lexicon, you are currently interfering in an investigation. I''ll ask you to leave now so I can do my job."
Kazeughed in disbelief. "Your job? I have neither the time nor the words tobel such arrogance, Roger Whitfield."
The man turned to Kaze but froze at his murderous gaze.
"If you''re not fired by the end of the day, I''ll have a full legal team file an internationally publicizedwsuit and use my newfound fame to highlight your name." Kaze dered.
"I''ll give you thirty seconds to call the president of this school and resign before this goes on your public and professional record."
"Are you threatening me?" Roger asked with trembling eyes.
Kaze pulled out his phone and searched for the number onew team in the field.
"Never confuse threats with generosity." The emperor chuckled maliciously, "The first is a showcase of spineless indecisiveness, the second is a [right] only afforded to those able and willing to take action."
He stared into Roger Whitfield''s eyes as he hit the call button and put it on speaker phone.
"Phillip and Lemond." A legal assistant on the other end of the phone called out.
"Yes, my name is Kaze Lexicon. I''m the recent viral self-defense victim in the Scrawn Fu videos; I''m currently under a physical assault investigation and am considering filing awsuit against Lockheed University." Kaze said.
Roger scoffed at his arrogance; there was no way that he could afford
"I can wire a million dor deposit down in five minutes"
p The man covered the phone''s microphone. "W-Wait a moment."
"Okay. To verify, are you speaking of the Geek Thrashes Jocks in Self-Defense to Protect a Woman''s Honor?" The legal assistant asked.
Kaze forcefully pulled the phone away from Roger''s hand.
"That''s right, miss. I suffered two actions of violence in one day, and have video evidence of two other incidents." He said, "So if I seek action, it will be open and shut."
"I-I see. I''ll have Mr. Lemond give you a call for a consultation." She said, "If you present ample evidence, there''s a chance we could provide it pro bono."
"Thank you, miss. I look forward to it. Please use this number in the future." Kaze said in a charming voice.
"Of course, expect a phone call shortly." She replied.
Kaze hung up and sent a murderous re at Roger, who was staring at the air with a face that showcased his forced eptance that his professional career, pension, and general life were about to grind to a halt.
"Tell me, Roger Whitfield. Do you want to send in your resignation, or do you want to be in the room when you face an investigation?" Kaze asked coldly.
"I." Roger said.
"You have ten seconds. Nine Eight Seven Six Five Four Three."
"W-Wait! I''ll file my resignation, but can we discuss terms?" The man asked in desperation.
"You can''t negotiate terms when your life hinges on the [generosity] of the other party." The emperor scoffed in vexation.
The insinuation was that his callous terms paled inparison to how thoroughly he''d mangle the man''s life if he refused. Roger understood that and turned away with a broken expression.
Kaze gave a sidelong nce to Evalyn, who stared at him with a pained expression. She was still weak and naive at this point in her life, and her expression made the emperor close his eyes.
He wasn''t softening for Evalyn. All he wanted was to give her a brief moment of carefree living before the hell broke loose in thirteen days, robbing her of her blissful idealism forever.
The thought of stealing thest two weeks of her carefree life away when the man would die in a few weeks was too much for him to bare.
However, the emperor wouldn''t let the man walk free; he would ensure he''d suffer in the remaining days till the apocalypse. That way, the man''s existence would worsen by the day, without improvement, for the rest of his short and inconsequential life.
"But rejoice! I don''t want to spend the peak of my youth locked in legal matters." Kaze announced, "So there''s slight hope for you yet."
Roger looked at Kaze with pleading eyes, and so did Evalyn, who was shocked to see his bloodlust dissipate after looking at her.
"I''ll let you keep your post until the end of the month if you force close this farce by the end of the day." The emperor said, "You can exin the precarious legal situation you and the other seven students face to aplish that."
The man held his breath. It was a generous deal inparison to what he was facing.
"If you do, I''ll let you disclose that I won''t pursue criminal charges against my attackers as the reason. If you can''t do that much, you''re less than worthless, and I''ll ensure you never work at a University again." Kaze dered coldly.
Roger looked at the secretary, who watched the proceeding. She witnessed an under-the-table deal, and she looked conflicted about what to do.
Kaze turned to her. "You needn''t concern yourself, miss. The president will understand this full situation, and I''ll go through the right process."
Her eyes widened in surprise at his reassuring tone.
"Our arrangement is only to discuss the level of magnanimity I will show this man while I resolve the issue." Kaze said while giving Roger a nce that burrowed into his soul.
The secretary nodded, and Roger Whitfield pulled out his phone and made a call to the University''s President.
Chapter 17 June 9th, 2032 | 16 Days Until Outbreak
"Did you think of that strategy ahead of time?" Evalyn asked as they left the administration building.
As expected, Kaze talked to the president, and Roger Whitfield ced his resignation effective at the end of the month. Now she was stunned in disbelief.
"Did I think of that strategy?" Kaze scoffed in disdain, "There were a dozen alternatives far more deserving and effective."
"Then why didn''t you use them?" She asked quietly.
He nced at her for a moment and then continued walking.
"Hell''sing." Kaze said solemnly, "You don''t need to face that yet."
Evalyn''s face tightened, and she silently walked with him until they reached the shuttle dock.
"Kaze, are you from the future?" She asked.
"Yes." He replied without hesitation.
Her jaw dropped in disbelief that he confirmed her statement. However, her expression instantly changed to a look of pain.
Now she confirmed that the geeky boy she knew was bullied ruthlessly. Kaze wasn''t someone in hiding, waiting to show his colors. He was a real victim.
"So are you here to save humanity and prevent all this?" Evalyn asked with a solemn expression.
Kaze turned his head a full ny degrees away from her disbelief.
"Save the future? Are you mad?" Heughed in ridicule.
The corner of Evalyn''s mouth twitched. If there was something that Kaze excelled at, it was making it impossible for her to feel normal emotions.
Whether she felt fear, concern, sadness, regret, or positive feelings, his arrogance always managed to rece them with aggravation.
"Then what are you here to do?" Evalyn asked, changing the subject.
"A clever bastard tricked me intoing back." Kaze chuckled bitterly, "Now, I''m going to enjoy my life."
"Enjoy your life?" She asked in disbelief, "In the apocalypse you speak of?"
"Does parroting my words make the insight any less surprising?" Kaze asked mockingly, "Yes. I''ll eventually end up on the Fifth ne again, but I''ll stay here as long as I can."
Evalyn''s eyes widened, "You''re from the Fifth ne? Like where those cultivators came from?"
Kaze''s face scrunched up in an attempt not to burst intoughter, making her re at him.
"Those people are but ants." He chuckled.
"An immortal from the Fifth ne could destroy this with the snap of their fingers.
Compared to true power, those insignificant insects are just as worthless as the mortals you see around you."
Evalyn''s eyes glided to the left before returning, not staring at anything. She felt like his words confirmed something, but she didn''t know what.
"Do you think mortals, as you call them, are all trash?" She asked.
"Not thedies," Kaze replied with a charming smile, "They''re generally beautiful if they''re not thorny, but they''re equally insignificant. Like real flowers."
"Even me? Am I insignificant?" Evalyn asked, ignoring his horrifying analogy and edging toward her main question.
Kaze froze for a moment before smiling again. "Not you; you''re not insignificant."
"What exactly was I to you in the future?" She asked.
"Someone that wasn''t insignificant." Kaze replied with a mysterious smile, "Nowe. It''s time to help your cultivation grow before I set out for my next job."
The emperor brazenly strode away, ending the conversation and beckoning her to his room in one profoundly arrogant action.
"Wait!" Evalyn cried while running up, "I know what your cultivation is now. I''m not going to your room!"
Kazeughed breathlessly. "I''d never sleep with a woman that didn''t want me. Must I always repeat myself?"
He didn''t stop walking, forcing Evalyn to stride forward to keep following him.
"Still you can''t expect me to just go to your room." She snapped.
"Sure I can." Kaze said with a wide grin, "Because if you weren''t you would have walked away by now."
Evalyn stopped walking in disbelief. She was following him like a kitten!
After a moment''s pause, she noticed that he hadn''t stopped walking, so she ran after him with an indigent expression on her face.
"Then what are we doing?" Evalyn asked bitterly, "Can you at least tell me that much?"
"You act like I don''t give you answers to real questions." Kaze chuckled.
She stopped walking, and her eyes filled with murderous wrath, butyet againhe continued walking without finishing his statement. So she bit her lip and ran to catch up.
"Hoh? You''re back." Kaze chuckled, "It seems I can tell you now."
"Just tell me, you ass." Evalyn snapped.
"I''m going to teach you how to cultivate." He said while giving her a sidelong nce.
Evalyn scoffed, "Well that''s patronizing."
"Hoh? You think so?" Kaze grinned.
Without warning, he touched her forehead, and a flood of information entered her mind.
"W-Wait! You can''t just put things into my" She snapped before falling dead-silent.
"Well, I can put a lot of things in you. It''s just a matter of consent." He replied with a charming smile.
"What." Evalyn asked dumbly. Kaze had turned around, and she could now see his Qi channels after being given a minor yet profound technique.
"What? Don''t tell me you''ve already forgotten I''m from the Immortal ne." He derided, "Nowe. Unless you''re genuinely leaving, stop denying your desires."
Evalyn begrudgingly followed him to his room. When she walked in, she was surprised at how pristine it was.
"Do you have a bathroom?" She asked awkwardly.
"Of course. It''s right down that hall." Kaze replied indifferently.
When she returned, she was holding a grapefruit-sized crystal ball. However, it was milky white, making it extremely weird looking.
"What''s this?" Evalyn asked curiously.
"Oh, that?" Kaze chuckled, "It''s that window you saw. It turned out to be worthless."
"S-So you actually." She stuttered in disbelief.
"Filled my bathtub with it and cultivated on top of it?" He asked with a slight smile, "Yes. I wish you didn''t need a melted sphere of ss to trust that I''m not lying to you. Obtaining lucid proof of that caliber every time I speak is exceedingly tiresome"
Evalyn stared at the ss ball in her hand in a state of mental disarray. His words consistently checked off the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. However, his ceaseless proof made her question if she had the disorder instead.
It finally urred to her that every arrogant thing he had said was likely true. Not just the major events but also the things she took for irritating jokes. She immediately ced the ball onto his desk to rid herself of such a horrifying potential reality.
Kaze pped his hands to help free her from the hellish mental nightmare she was walking into.
"Now join me in the lotus position and prepare yourself." Kaze ordered, "You won''t be able to cultivate this if I don''t help you, and we''ll be busy from now on."
Evalyn took a deep breath. She didn''t like getting ordered around but sat down regardless. When she was in position, his expression turned serious.
"First, I''ll show you what high-level cultivation looks like." Kaze said in a conflicted voice, "So watch; don''t try to learn, just visualize it."
She nodded and watched him as he closed his eyes and began breathing.
Ever since she learned to see Qi, she felt like she was in a new world. When she saw Kaze cultivate, her perception of the world changedpletely.
"Beautiful." Evalyn whispered.
The space around him warped into a forceless tornado, showing grey, shapeless lines moving toward Kaze.
Twisting lines of white aura reached out from his meridians to grab the grey lines. The moment the two swirling lines connected, the lines turned ck and followed the path as if they were on a winding roller coaster leading into his body.
Thousands of strands of Qi in the room pulled toward him as if he were the only person present.
To support her understanding, she used her technique to cultivate with her eyes open. She saw Qi moving toward her when she did, but it fought against Kaze''s meridians. As a result, the Qi she received was minimal.
Evalyn immediately tried focusing all her concentration on cultivation, trying to pull back.
Kaze smiled when he felt her effort, and a mischievous grin developed on his face. He closed his meridians to make her believe she was winning, filling her with satisfaction.
When she smiled
Wooooooosh! A silent gust washed over the room, sucking everything in sight into his meridians like back holes. It was so fast that it left her stupefied, staring nkly at Kaze, who opened his eyes and turned to her.
"I find your effort admirable." He said with a slight smile, "But surely you don''t think your lower sky-grade cultivation technique canpete against a peak divine-grade one, do you?"
Evalyn turned her head, whipping her blonde hair at him aggressively.
"Sorry, Mr. Fifth ne." She replied bitterly, "I''m sorry I''m only slightly above insignificant."
Kazeughed warmly. "Come now, do you think I''d bring you here to show off?"
She turned to him with interest in her eyes, sparking a genuine smile on his face.
"I showed you that to show you the potential of this technique, the Paradigm of Divinity." He exined, "I''m offering you something of the same grade but fit for your body type. However."
"However, what?" Evalyn whispered with aplex expression, watching true conflict on his face.
"It''s extremely painful, and you''ll have to endure for eighteen hours." Kaze said with a serious voice, "If you didn''t have me healing you, it would kill you. That''s why I''m also offering to give you a path, starting at lower heaven-grade and giving you a new one every three months."
Evalyn stared at him in disbelief. "Kaze, please. Who was I to you?"
Chapter 18 Frost Tempering Physique
Evalyn stared at him in disbelief. "Kaze, please. Who was I to you?"
Kaze turned to her with a slight smile andplex eyes.
"Were." He said softly before turning back into his pose, closing his eyes, and cultivating.
As before, his meridians pulled thousands of grey lines of Qi toward him, but his warping aura twisted the Qi in a beautiful, lonely dance.
"I want the divine-technique." Evalyn said after a period of silence.
Kaze opened his eyes and gave her a sidelong nce. "Are you sure? You can''t back out, or it will permanently cripple your meridians. So you only have five seconds to change your mind."
She closed her eyes. "What would the old me have done?"
"The old you?" Heughed heartily, wiping slight tears from his eyes.
Evalyn turned to him in interest.
"The old you would have killed 50,000 people for this technique." Kaze chuckled, "And then she''d tell me to kill my self when I offered to heal her during it."
"Hmmm. That''s not really my style. Are you transposing your arrogance on my past self, mayhaps?" Evalyn asked in a cute voice while blinking twice.
"No." Kazeughed, shing her charming smile, "I''m telling you a true story. Only it was a celestial technique."
The blonde''s eyes widened as far as physically possible, but he pped his hands to free her from her confusion.
"Yep, the old you was tough as nails." Kazeughed, "So I''m certain the current you can handle it with divine-grade healing. If I coddle you any more than I have, your past self will break through death, space, and time to murder me."
Evalyn gave the man a warm smile. His slight amount of vulnerability made him more attractive in her eyes.
"I''d wipe that smile off your face." Kaze said with a grin while waving his hand. The space in the room warped, and a twisting dome barrier encased them.
"What did you just do?" She asked.
"Keep focused." He replied while touching her forehead, "Just getting this technique will hurt, so you have to prepare."
"Wait, what"
Evalyn screamed in pain as a never-ending torrent of profound information poured into her mind like a massive waterfall crashing against rocks.
She fell to the floor and crawled into a ball, grabbing her head as forced tears streamed from her eyes.
Kaze closed his eyes and listened with a pained expression. There was an insurmountable difference between the Evalyn Skye he knew and the one before him.
The former was forged from the mes of the apocalypse; the current was still a college girl in a peaceful world.
The same scene with her past self would leave him with respect for her resolve; the current sight made him feel like he was stealing thest bit of happiness she''d have left.
Watching her crying on the ground, he determined he''d build a faction where she wouldn''t have to be the ruthless, cunning woman she used to be.
"What happened to letting me prepare, you arrogant ass!?" Evalyn yelled while pushing herself from the floor, "If you do that shit again, I''ll cultivate this technique until I''m strong enough to kill you, then wear your teeth around my ne."
Or maybe not.
"Come now, love." Kaze replied with a grin, "I just thought I''d bring out your past self. That way you''ll have someone to hate me with for the next eighteen hours."
"Heh. I guess I never asked." Evalyn scoffughed, "Did the old me find you as irritating as I do?"
"Oh, love." Heughed with a huge grin, "So much more, and I didn''t have half the charm, power, or sexual talent topensate."
Evalyn stared at him in confusion. "Then how the hell did she handle you?"
"The same reason you are." Kaze replied with a mocking smile.
She blushed and turned away bitterly. "Why can''t I hate you?"
"Because I won''t let you." He replied with a maic voice.
"I wish you would. But help me with this technique first." Evalyn grumbled.
Kaze smiled and swiped his finger in the air. "Paradox of Healing."
A warm feeling washed over Evalyn as his technique mended her torn muscle fibers like instant anabolic steroids.
Parts of her that she didn''t think were diforting became obvious once healed.
"What are you doing?" She asked in confusion.
"I''m bringing your body to the top condition." He replied, "That way, you can focus your energy on your meridians."
Evalyn moved around her arms and legs in disbelief. "Just how powerful are you?"
"When you wake up two days from now, you''ll get an idea." Kaze replied with a smile.
"T-Two days?" She stuttered, "What about your clients?"
"Don''t worry." He chuckled, "Two days is enough to make their offers skyrocket."
Evalyn gave him an amused grin. "Fair enough. I''m ready."
Kaze raised his right hand in a sphere of water materialized in his hand. When Evalyn saw it, she stared in shock. Not because she was surprised by his power but because she understood its relevance.
He waved his left hand, and the water sphere boiled and exploded into steam.
"Begin." Kaze said with a serious voice.
She closed her eyes and began cultivating. Her body illuminated in a crystal blue aura, and the grey Qi lines pulled to her in a blizzard flurry.
As the Qi interacted with the water, it turned white and pulled freezing water molecules to her body. Evalyn screamed in pain as her body instantly developed frostbite.
As soon as the maximum amount of Qi she could receive entered her body, golden light illuminated her meridians, thawing the ice and healing her skin.
The cultivation technique, Crystal Divinity, was meant for rare ice physiques. Evalyn''s Frost Tempering Physique allowed Qi to turn water molecules into frost and temper her body simultaneously.
Body tempering makes people powerful. However, body tempering was dangerous, and giving her a divine grade technique that pulled more Qi to her meridians would instantly kill her without healing.
GIving Evalyn the technique was a testament to the extreme level of faith and respect that he had for her.
The healing and thawing process continued for eighteen hours, as Kaze promised. It was excruciating for both of them.
Evelyn woke up feeling refreshed. She didn''t know how much time had passed, but she wasfortable.
The blonde turned on her back to see what was happening and found aforter printed with a strange anime girl on her. "W-Wait. Am I in his bed!?"
p She turned her head to the other side with a mortified, blushing face. However, she didn''t find Kaze next to her.
Her face filled with perplexion, and she immediately shot up to look for the man. When she did, her eyes widened in terror.
"Kaze!" Evelyn screamed while jumping out of the bed and rushing to his side. He was on the ground with ck frostbite all over his body. His body was shivering uncontrobly.
"Talk to me!" She eximed breathlessly while deciding whether to touch him.
"Keep it down." Kazeugh-scoffed, "I''m trying to sleep, woman."
He immediately started coughing and shivering.
"Kaze, this isn''t a time to joke around!" Evelyn cried, "You''re really hurt. You need to wake up and heal yourself."
Kazeughed with a weak voice. "Do you think I wouldn''t do that if I could?"
She froze in fear and disbelief, "Why can''t you?"
"The Qi here is thin. We consumed all of it in a thirty-mile radius or more." He replied.
"You saw howpeting forces consume Qi, did you not? Such are the consequences of divine techniques on the Mortal ne."
"So what? You used the Qi to heal me as your body suffered?" Evalyn asked in disbelief.
"Of course I did." Kaze scoffed, "Do you think I''d lead a woman into death?"
Her eyes trembled at his words. "You could have at least let me share part of the burden. You could die right now!"
"Do you take me for a weakmb?" He scoffed before coughing, "If I can''t survive this much, I deserve to die."
"Don''t joke about that!" She snapped in panic.
"I''m not joking. Now let me sleep so I can recover." He instructed in a weak voice.
"I''m not letting you die." Evalyn growled while pushing her arms under his body.
Kaze groaned in pain. "Put me down, woman!"
"No. You told me to shed my weakness, so don''tin." She snapped.
"Hah." Kaze coughed, wheezing in pain, "Fair enough."
Evalyn carried him to his bed andid him down. After a moment of staring at him, she stripped her shirt and ck leggings off without hesitation.
She then removed her pink cotton bra and matching set of fullback panties, symbols of her belief in practical simplicity.
Kaze had fallen unconscious before her slender bodyy next to him, wrapped around his chest and legs, and he didn''t wake up after.
Evalyn listened to his heartbeat diligently until the strong rhythm of resolve within guided her to sleep.
Chapter 19 June 11th, 2032 | 11 Days Remaining
Evalyn awoke to a warm feeling filling her body. She opened her eyes slightly, allowing sunlight and a golden glow to fill her vision.
"Kaze." She asked in a groggy voice.
"Who else would youy next to?" Kaze replied with a charming voice.
Her eyes snapped open when she felt his bare body against her skin, remembering how she fell asleep. She immediately sat up but realized that was worse. Far war worse.
Evalyn wrapped her hands around her perfectly proportioned c-cup breasts with a face flushed red to the tip of her ears. "Don''t look!"
"Rx," Kaze replied charmingly, "This is but a practical arrangement. Is it not?"
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before lying down and covering herself with a pouting face. "Yes, it was."
"Then what''s the problem?" He mused, "You made the choice toy here, so why not enjoy it?"
"Enjoy it!?" Evalyn cried, turning to face him with an indignant expression.
When she did, she froze. Kaze''s vibrant green eyes gazed into her soul. His expression didn''t showcase lust, and his body wasn''t giving her the feeling either.
"What''s wrong?" Kazeughed breathlessly, "Isn''t this where you''re supposed to yell at me?"
Evalyn''s face scrunched up indignantly. She showcased her discontent, but she didn''t turn away from him. "How can I?"
"It''s quite simple, really." He replied charmingly, "Just channel your discontent and speak your mind."
She gave him a murderous gaze and then turned away again, unable to retain the expression.
"I''m not discontented. You gave me something invaluable, saved my life, and you''re not pushing yourself on me." Evalyn grumbled.
"Hoh? So you do see my good points. I wondered whether you did." Kaze chuckled.
"Why do you always have to be an ass?" She asked, "I find good in you, and you ruin it. Ipliment you, and you return it with mockery."
"I''m just being who I am," Kaze replied with a smile, "Surely that''s more desirable than charming you and then showing my true nature, is it not?"
"Do you want to charm me?" Evalyn asked while staring at him with her crystal blue eyes.
"Of course." He confirmed with an alluring smile.
"Then why do you keep me at arm''s length?" She asked softly, "As much as I hate it, I''m following you around like a lonely kitten. Do you not see that?"
Kaze''s eyes glided to the left before he turned onto his back. "If you do not understand what I am, you cannot love me for who I am."
"Love?" Evalyn asked in shock, "You, the most arrogant and charming womanizer, seek such a thing of me?"
Heugh-scoffed. "Do you think I, the most [powerful], arrogant, and charming womanizer, would waste time on you otherwise?"
Her eyes filled with annoyance momentarily but snapped free of it instantly. She couldn''t hide her interest in the man.
"Kaze. Kiss me." Evalyn requested softly.
"I guarantee you''ll regret such an action at this time." He warned.
"I won''t regret it now." She replied with a gentle voice.
Kazeughed breathlessly, staring at the ceiling a moment before turning onto his side to meet her gaze. Their eyes connected, and a maic pulse entered the atmosphere.
He reached up and gently embraced her cheek and let himself pull his lips close to her.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The door groaned under the force of the fist pounding on the door.
"Kaze Lexicon! I know you''re in there." Gregory yelled from the other side of the door.
Evalyn closed her eyes in irritation and indignation.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Kaze scoffed at the man''s arrogance. "Don''t concern yourself further with this fool."
He prepared to swipe his hand to iste the room with a barrier.
"Don''t ignore me! Evalyn''s missing, and her parents are searching for her. If you don''t tell us where she is, we''ll have cops crawling over this ce!" Gregory yelled.
Evalyn''s eyes widened in shock when she remembered that their closed cultivation took 18 hours [before] they slept for an unknown amount of time.
She immediately shot out of bed, grabbed Kaze''s shirt for easy wearing, and threw on her leggings.
"Gregory!" Evalyn called out, "I''m fine. So leave!"
"Are you kidding me?" Gregoryughed, "You''re leaving with me right now. I''m taking you to your parents, and that scumbag will be lucky if he doesn''t get kidnapping charges."
Her eyes panicked when she saw Kaze getting out of bed with closed eyes and a rising chest. She immediately acted, forcing the door open and staring at the man.
Gregory''s sleeveless ck shirt showed he was just as muscr a week ago. However, his blonde-tipped haircut was messy, and his blue eyes were bloodshot with wrath.
"We were in closed cultivation." Evalyn snapped in a fury, "Are you a child? I''m an adult! What I do is none of your business. If you call the cops, I''ll testify that you faked the crime and tried assaulting Kaze."
The man''s eyes widened in bewilderment.
"What?" Gregoryughed in disbelief, "I''ve only tried protecting you as I always have, yet you''d im me a criminal to protect that scumbag."
"im?" Evalyn scoffed with a vicious gaze, "You tried assaulting him, and you''re threatening to fake a crime; that would make you a criminal. You''re borderline stalking right now, Gregory."
"Gregory." He scoffed breathlessly, "Now you won''t call me Greg? What did he do to you"
The man''s eyes widened when he saw Kaze walking toward him without a shirt, and then he looked down and saw her wearing his shirt.
"Oh." Gregory chuckled in a daze, "So it''s true. You have be that man''s whore"
The man grabbed his throat and dropped to his knees with a strained expression.
Evalyn held her breath when she felt the excessive pressure Kaze released from his cultivation base. She was certain she''d have fallen to her knees, too, had she not received a divine cultivation technique.
"Did you just call Evalyn a whore?" Kaze asked while falling to his haunches to look the man in the eyes. His vicious green iris'' gazed into his soul. They looked like the eyes of a true demon.
"I-I." Gregory choked as Kaze lowered his cultivation base just low enough to let him breathe.
Kaze grabbed the man by his shirt and lifted him effortlessly from the ground.
Evalyn snapped out of her daze. "Kaze! Please don''t hurt him. He''s just jealous, nothing more!"
"If you let people trample upon your reputation, they''ll return over and over." The emperor exined coldly, "Even if they''re weak, they''ll return stronger over and over."
"N-No, Kaze. That may be true, but please. I-I I don''t want this." She whispered.
Kaze closed his eyes at the sound of her stuttering words. He released his cultivation base, allowing Gregory to gasp for breath.
"You''re naive. Do you think this weak man will allow us to work without nder and false legal bacsh?" The emperor scoffed, "There are consequences for being kind, Evalyn."
Her eyes trembled with a strained expression. She finally heard the imperial voice Kaze spoke during his first viral video. He didn''t speak like that to her.
Now that she knew who he used to be, that voice drilled in his previous assertions of being a powerful Immortal ne existence.
She didn''t question whether he''d execute her childhood friend.
"I cannot fault you for your naivety, so I''ll drop this upon your request." Kaze said while exhaling.
"However, I refuse to let anyone attack me twice without any punishment, and we don''t have time to waste with police."
Evalyn''s eyes widened in shock, and her heart skipped a beat. He had abdicated to her for a second time.
? Kaze scoffed silently at her false interpretations. He reached into his pocket while holding the man with his left hand, pulled out his phone, and began dialing a number.
The effortlessness of the action stunned both of them.
"H-Hello, Mr. Lexicon. I''m d that you called again." The receptionist at Phillip and Lemond said, "We were worried when you didn''t return our calls thest two days."
"My apologies, Jacquline. I was in closed cultivation." Kaze replied.
"Anyway, I''m calling you because one of my attackers just left my home after threatening my life. He imed he''d return, so I''ll send you a timestamped recording if he returns.
If I send one to you, could you please add it to the evidence and contact the police for an investigation? I fear bacsh from him, so I''d appreciate a discreet investigation."
Gregory''s eyes widened in shock, and his eyes trembled in fear. He turned to Evalyn, but she turned away coldly. She was grateful he was still alive and understood he deserved what he was getting.
"I''ll wire you more funds this afternoon for the trouble if you could do that for me." Kaze offered.
"Of course, we''ll do that, but we''ve decided to do the case pro bono and will be prepared for the end of the semester as discussed. So don''t worry about the payment." Jacquline replied.
"However, you''ll have to speak with investigators at least once if you''re pressing criminal charges."
Gregory couldn''t believe what he was hearing.
"I''m willing to assist in the investigation." Kaze replied, "Thank you for your kind consideration."
"Of course. We''ll await the new evidence. I hope your day improves." She said in closing.
"I hope so too. Take care, love." He said while hanging up the phone.
The emperor turned back to Gregory with a murderous gaze. "Unlike you, I have the number onew firm in this country on my side and real, video criminal evidence against you. Case closed."
Gregory winced in fear.
"You''re fucked, Gregory." Kaze said with a ruthless voice.
"However, you have a gentle friend here that cares about you. So I''ll spare you fromplete destruction if you y the fool on video, recreating your suicidal actions from five minutes ago.
I don''t have time to y with you. So tell me, Gregory, will you dance and avoid prison or wait until the legal reaperse for you?"
"I-I''ll do the video." Gregory stuttered in fear.
Kaze turned to Evalyn. "I''ll spare your friend upon your request. However, I courteously ask that you testify to the investigators if this imbecile tries iming that I threatened him into making a video."
Evalyn nodded while giving Greggory a murderous stare.
"Of course I will. This idiot showed up at your home, called me a whore, attempted to make me leave by force, and threatened to fake criminal action against you." She replied.
"Yet he''s leaving without a mark on him. I''ll testify to all of it."
Kaze dropped Gregory and opened the camera on his phone. "Thank you, Evalyn. Now then, monkey. Dance."
Chapter 20 June 11th, 2032 | Rejection
"I called my mom and posted a video on Yanko proving that I''m alive." Evalyn said in a solemn voice as she returned from the bathroom.
"Thanks for doing that." Kaze chuckled bitterly.
"Heh. You make it sound like I did it as a favor." She scoffughed, "You''re so famous I''m sure there''s a citizen investigation going on after I disappeared for two days."
He chuckled bitterly, annoyed the inte was destroying his reputation as fast as it rebuilt it.
Evalyn sat down on the bed next to him with a downcast expression. "Thank you for sparing him."
Kaze gave her a sidelong nce before closing his eyes.
"In the future, I will not ept such requests, as doing so is to court death." He replied, "However, the world is still peaceful, and your mind is still pure. So I''ll ept it, if it''s only this much."
"Please hug me." She requested in a low voice.
"If that''s what you wish." Kaze said with a slight smile. He opened his arms, and she fell into them, dropping to the bed.
The twoy on the bed in silence for fifteen minutes before he pulled out his phone.
"Cheer up. There''s bound to be something amusing online after our absence." Kaze said in a charming voice.
Evalyn giggled. "Let''s see what type of firestorm you''ve caused."
He opened the Yanko app and grinned at the 87,281 notifications he got from people worldwide. Instead of reading them, he checked the testimonial video left by the Trotsky couple.
Video Testimonial of the Emperor''s Offering
Views: 827,928,917 | Likes: 283,298,782
-
"Hello, My name is Phillip Trotsky, the head of Trotsky Technologies.
Recently I''ve reached out to a man going by the pseudonym the [Emperor] to buy cultivation techniques and help my wife, Inessa Trotsky, reach the Earth Realm of cultivation.
We had the Emperor arrive with a full team of armed guards to validate his offer. Within minutes, he had directly given me an earth-grade cultivation technique as proof.
After validating the profound technique he provided me, he guided my wife to the Earth Realm of cultivation from the lower Mortal Realm within an hour. The results were.... remarkable."
"I''ll add that it was an extremely professional and positive experience. The Emperor was gentle with the cultivation, and I feltfortable during the entire experience."
Evalyn narrowed his eyes at Kaze when she saw Phillip''s lifeless eyes. They spoke volumes about how "professional" it was, far more than the glowing expression on Inessa''s face.
Kaze sent her a mocking smile that read, [did you expect anything less?].
"... Yes. We had guards outside the room. They can verify that the Emperor did not ask or force my wife to do anything unprofessional.
Afterward, we received an offensive technique from the Emperor, which we will demonstrate now.
Not only will you get to see the power of an earth-grade technique, but you''ll also be able to see the difference between the Mortal and Earth Realms of cultivation."
Phillip waved his hand, and a fireball crashed onto the concrete wall of the shuttle dock. A momentter, Inessa reced his hand and waved her arm.
BOOM!
The entire wall exploded in mes, and the area burst into mes. Those in charge of putting out the fire panicked as the fire spread rapidly.
Whoooooosh! Shiiiiishhhhhsiishh.
A man in a ck mask waved his hand, and a massive water ball crashed onto the fire, instantly extinguishing it and flooding the area.
More shocking, the man waved his hand, and the area in front of the couple warped and twisted. When the water crashed against it, it disappeared into a void.
Evalyn looked at Kaze with shock twisting in her eyes. She hadn''t practiced her offensive technique yet, so she had yet to understand the true power of cultivation.
Kaze shrugged with a smug expression and continued watching in amusement.
"Y-Yes. As you can see, the difference between the Mortal Realm and the Earth Realm is night and day.
And the difference between the E-Earth Realm and whatever the Emperor is at isparing mortals against demigods.
The results speak for themselves. So when you see the post he had left on Yanko offering techniques and dual cultivation, know that it''s worth any amount of money."
The video cut and Evalyn''s stared at the screen nkly. "How far apart is the Earth Realm from the Divine Realm?"
"Mortal, Earth, Skye, and Heaven realms,e before Divine realm." Kaze chuckled.
"The difference between the first and second stages of Divine Realm is farther than Mortal and the third stage of Heaven. Your technique is the pinnacle of the third and final stage of the Divine Realm."
Evalyn stared at him in shock. Seeing her contorted expression, he smiled and continued looking at how orders were doing.
----
***Hard offers from prominent people only.***
I offer to help any woman break into the Earth Realm of cultivation with dual cultivation, a powerful sex-based cultivation technique.
Will journey to the client and offer their husband earth-grade cultivation and offensive techniques if they''re married.
$10,000,000 for the first woman; must leave a public testimonial.
***Waste my time with baseless [contact me] messages, and I''ll double it again.***
Comments:1,983,828
Electraxxx: The saltiness on that man''s face when he mentioned the sex would make the Antic blush. | +28,837,187
Cray_Cray_Babe: Someone call Elson Salt Co. We''ve spotted a new mine. | +13,837,293
Mike_Likes_Dikes: The original video got deleted because it show''s the dude''s wife stumbling into position with a crazed smile. She might be legitimately insane. | +15,117,224
Reggie_Messie: Sauce? | +2,302,187
Rupert_Eliss: I got you, fam. https:///.porntwisters/cuckold/inessa-trotsky-post-emperorng=en&id=918 | +21,938,712
RomanPillow: Lolol. That woman will never be able to be satisfied by another man again. | +11,827,382
TwilightBunny: And these guys are throwing their entire fortune to leave their wives in the same spot XD | +8,273,124
Randolf_Industries: Chairman Brown and his wife are offering $100,000,000 for your services. Please DM for full details. | +7,820,382
DarkElf_Master: Admit it, your wife just wants to look like Ms. Trotsky. | +2,832,912
Petra_Wells283: What woman doesn''t? | +1,283,173
Pussy_yerrr: Women with respect. | -287,831
Petra_Wells283: Lol. The number of women flooding the downvote button proves your username''s criminal. | +883,173
Justice_Now381: Good men contributed as well. | +184,827
Manny_Rickerman: *simps. | +412,831
Ivanka_Rhodes: Hello, Emperor. I''m not sure if you''ve seen my previous offers. I''m offering $35,000,000. Combined with my fame, I''m certain it''ll be worth your time. | +1,423,831
RedRobinReaper: The most famous actress in the world is offering him 35 milli to have sex with her. What a legend. | +3,983,823
Ellis_Wainright: Wtf. I''ve seen your offer on at least 250ment threads. This guy''s more famous than you, so give it up. It''s annoying. | +1,783,823
RobbyHunterSmith: My friends are betting on whether he''ll turn him down. I have my next paycheck on turning her down. | + 1,072,262
Master_Construction: Pondra Raskol and his wife, Panna Raskol, will pay 10% higher than the highest offer. | +1,283,783
Lesco_Real_Estate: Mark Rimer and his wife Tanya offer 15% higher. | +3,382,918
Evalyn stared at thement section in disbelief. She couldn''t figure out which topic was more unbelievable. "What did you do to that woman?"
"Do you want to find out?" Kaze asked with a charming voice.
Her face flushed bright red to the tip of her ears, and she buried her head into his chest.
"Of course not!" She replied in a muffled voice.
"Hoh? You don''t look disinterested." He replied mockingly.
Evalyn lifted her face with a narrowed gaze but immediately buried her head again when she saw his smile.
"Okay, I''m notpletely disinterested." She whispered into his chest, "Just not yet I mean if gah!"
She turned away again in embarrassment. The blonde didn''t want to admit her desires for the man; she didn''t deny them but hated that she was wrapped around his finger.
"When the time''s right." Kaze said with a smile.
Evalyn looked up with a pouting expression. "What if I''m curious now?"
"Hoh? What''s the rush?" He asked with a mysterious smile, "We have plenty of time together; right now, we need to get to work."
She scrunched up her face in discontent. "That''s as unfair as it is arrogant."
"I''ll happily please you in ways you cannot imagine." Kaze said with a charming smile, "But it''s not the right time."
"Why isn''t it the right time?" Evalyn asked in perplexion, "You don''t have an aversion to flirting with teachers or sleeping with people''s wives in their homes. Yet you won''t have sex with the woman you risked your life forst night?"
"That''s because I don''t n to spend millennia with those flowers." He replied with a genuine smile.
Evalyn''s eyes trembled. Her body was instantly flooded with countless emotions, sending mixed signals in aplex web.
Kaze hugged her and gently rolled her off him, leaving her dazed.
"Now, let''s get started." He said, "Tell your uncle to meet me at the next jet, and I''ll fulfill whatever sketchy promise you made to him. We have work to do."
Evalyn gave him a wry smile, sighed, and then got off the bed. She pulled off his shirt before him, showing him her toned body in protest.
She turned a bit self-conscious when he replied with a mocking smile.
"What What should I do about Ivanka Rhodes?" Evalyn asked hesitantly.
"Ignore her, of course." Kaze scoffughed, "And wipe that self-consciousness off your face. It''s a treasonable insult to your beauty and charm."
Evalyn turned away with aplex smile. After a moment, she turned back to him. "Can I use yourputer?"
"Only if you stay." Kaze replied with a maic voice.
Chapter 21 June 12th, 2032 | Immortal Skye
"Hello, you must be the Emperor." A man said with a toothy grin as he shook Kaze''s hand. Despite being middle-aged, he had a full head of brown hair in a professional-looking haircut.
He wore a dark charcoal grey suit with a red striped tie and had friendly blue eyes.
"You can call me Kaze, Mr. Skye." Kaze replied in his illusionary form, "I''m close to your niece, so I trust you to use my name wisely."
"Your trust is well ced, Kaze." The man replied, releasing his hand. "Likewise, please call me Daniel. Any friend of my niece is a friend to me."
"If you insist." The emperor said with a nod.
"Shall we?" Daniel asked while leading him to the private sky cruiser.
The female attendants worked hard to hide their wry smiles when they made it inside. Thest attendants raved about Kaze to no end. As a result, thepany sent other women, hoping he''d provide more cultivation techniques. It was a deal that pleased everyone.
Unfortunately, he was with another man. They still tried to capture his attention, knowing they might see him again.
Kaze gave them charming smiles every once in a while but didn''t act. He wouldn''t cause issues with a business partner, let alone Evalyn''s uncle.
"You''ve been exceptionally helpful to me, Daniel." The emperor said after some small talk, "And I reward those who aid me handsomely."
The man gulped nervously. "It has been my pleasure, Kaze."
Kaze gave him a slight smile and then presented the man with both of his palms.
"I offer you the Twilight Sky cultivation technique in my left hand." He announced, "That''s one realm above what I''m giving Mr. Rimer in an hour."
Daniel''s eyes widened in shock, and he summoned all the self-control he possessed to remain respectable.
"I offer you the earth-grade Fertility of Growth cultivation technique in my right." Kaze continued, "It also provides cultivation vastly superior to what you have."
The man''s eyes filled with confusion.
"The first is excruciating at first, as it will rip open your meridians." The emperor exined, "However, it will give you extraordinary power in the long run."
Daniel blinked twice with a nk expression. His eyes glided to the left, believing he understood what the man was getting at.
"The second will only provide you difort and will increase your cultivation far faster, but the returns will diminish in the long run." Kaze continued.
"Both options are equally valuable, as an advanced skycruiser is worthless if you cannot fly it.
You will encounter many techniques along your cultivation journey. Therefore, you needn''t be hasty for long-run value when you cannot handle cultivation.
So please choose the one that aids you the best now."
Daniel studied Kaze''s sharp smile pensively, trying to discern the man''s words.
"Tell me, Kaze. When you say I''ll encounter many techniques along my journey, do you mean to imply that I may be able to get both?"
Kaze gave him a mysterious smile. "As I''ve said, Daniel. I reward those that aid me handsomely."
"What is it that I can do for you, Kaze?" Daniel asked with a discerning smile.
"I''d like you to work for me." The emperor replied casually.
"Work for you?" The man asked with a semi-mocking smile. "Forgive me for being so forward, it''s rather bold for an eighteen-year-old to ask a sessful businessman to work for him. Don''t you think?"
Evalyn didn''t know Kaze would be able to change his appearance when she asked her uncle for help. As a result, Daniel knew his appearance was an illusion and that he was eighteen.
Therefore, as a businessman who ran a multinational corporation, he felt the emperor''s ask was exceptionally arrogant.
Kaze scoffed in disbelief. "Daniel, you''re a businessman, yes?"
The man froze when the emperor scoffed, worried he''d rescind his offers. However, he also had a reputation to uphold.
"Correct. I run a highly sessful multinational energy corporation." Daniel replied.
"Yes, that''s why I''m speaking to you." The emperorughed breathlessly, "I wouldn''t ask a person without talent and a track record of achievement to work for me."
His arrogance was extremely off-putting, but Daniel listened, curious where his confidence came from.
"You''re talented. So why are you not seeing the opportunity before your eyes?" Kaze asked mockingly, "You need only put a price tag on the Twilight Sky technique in my hand to know what type of opportunity I provide."
Daniel''s eyes widened in astonishment. Cultivation was the future, but it was an abstract concept. While the emperor was sessful, it didn''t imply he sought to scale his operation.
"Do you wish to start a cultivation business?" Daniel asked.
"Correct. I need to create and fill a cultivation faction in only two weeks'' time. I''d like for you to build and run it." Kaze replied with a sharp smile.
"I''m making 230 million today on two jobs. I assure you that funds are not an issue and that my rewards are handsome."
Daniel developed a wry smile. His ego overtook hismon sense, as with all people.
"What is a cultivation faction?" He asked.
"I d you''re thinking past my age." Kaze smiled, "A faction is a ce where people pay to learn cultivation and develop techniques. They''re the future, and will be the training ground for the military, government organizations, and private business."
Daniel''s eyes lit up, but he took a deep breath to regain his emotions and think rationally.
"Why two weeks?" He asked discerningly.
"I have my reasons." Kaze replied curtly.
"What do you need by then?" The man asked with a sharp glint in his crystal blue eyes.
"I''ll need a gated space away from the city with enough space to house three thousand people or more, and I will pay all upfront business costs to mitigate risk." The emperor exined.
"I expect to have billions in cash over the next two weeks, so you can buy out homes and industrial housing above market value."
Daniel''s eyes lit up. Wealth is typically held in stocks, bonds, or property. Being able to offer a person $50,000,000 to buy their home with cash is typically unheard of and extremely enticing. So it wasn''t inconceivable to pull it off.
"I''ll also need three months of food supplies and living necessities, as we''ll be in isted closed cultivation. I''ll provide you with a list of general supplies." The emperor continued.
"It must be ready in two weeks, and I''ll need transport for those who are chosen to enter. We''ll need skycruisers to pick them up worldwide and fly them out immediately upon eptance."
Daniel''s eyes glided to the left in thought. "That''s a tall ask. Just renting out space of that caliber in such a short timeline is nothing short of impossible."
"Ah, yes. If I could do it, I would." Kaze chuckled mockingly, "However, I can''t, and that''s why I''m seeking to hire someone talented enough to pull off the impossible."
The businessman closed his eyes. He didn''t like the emperor''s arrogance, but he would be a fool not to take the offer.
"Would you consider us business partners?" Daniel asked with narrowed eyes.
"If you call working for me in business a [business partner], then yes." The emperor said with a sharp smile, "I''ve never once shared authority, and I n to keep it that way."
Daniel''s eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
"However, so long as you don''t imply you own the business, you can call yourself whatever you like." Kaze continued.
"CEO, Head of Cultivation Management, it doesn''t matter. The profit will be divided in an equal split across the board."
Daniel looked at Kaze in shock. From a financial point of view, it was a partnership.
"Once again, Daniel Skye. I reward those who aid me handsomely." The emperor said with a dominant smile while representing his palms.
"Establish the faction in two weeks'' time, as discussed, and you''ll have both techniques." He continued, "If you seek power, follow the source, and you will find it."
The businessman gulped when looking at both palms. If he didn''t have a direct connection to Kaze, he''d also be on Yanko offering millions.
"Will you give me the Twilight Sky technique first so that I can make a more informed decision about the rewards?" Daniel asked.
"Of course. I''d never rescinded a reward." Kaze said with a slight smile. He showed the man his right palm and then curled all fingers until only his index remained.
Daniel gulped with a beating heart.
Kaze closed his eyes to recreate the Twilight Sky blueprint and touched the man''s forehead.
A tidal wave of profound information followed into the man''s head, instantly opening a world of cultivation knowledge. He stared nkly in front of him as he parsed through the information.
It taught him about the cultivation technique and its use cases. Consequently, he understood the vast potential of Qi and cultivation.
"I-I can live for two hundred years if I use this technique." Daniel stuttered.
"You can live for a millennium with the second I''ll give you." Kaze said with a knowing smile.
The businessman looked at him in disbelief. "How long can you live with your techniques?"
Kaze chuckled and gave the man a mysterious smile. "Forever."
Daniel took a deep breath. "I''ll make it happen."
The emperor epted a handshake, satisfied he could rely on power to aplish anything.
"What will the name be?" The businessman asked.
"Immortal Skye." Kaze replied with a slight smile.
[A/N: Bonus chapter courtesy of monkyphil. Thank you for your review and for being active in Harem God as well!
Shout out to DeternityDude and GoldenStick69 for the humorous yandere reviews. I''ll throw another bonus chapter as well, so keep posted! :)]
Chapter 22 June 12th, 2032 | 10 Days Remain
"Hello, Emperor!" A man with a long, brown, shoulder-length ponytail announced with a bright smile, "We have excitedly awaited your presence."
Kaze met the man''s smile with one of his own. "It''s a pleasure to be here, Mr. Rimer."
It was 9:30 am, and the emperor had just finished discussing the preparations for the Immortal Skye faction. Now he was at Mark Rimer''s luxurious estate, meeting the real estate magnate paying him $120,000,000 for his services.
"It seems it''s mutual." Mark said with a wide grin.
The emperor nodded and looked at the man''s wife. She was a blonde model around thirty, wearing red lipstick and a ck dress.
Her aura gave off a lovely charm, and her enthusiasm to begin was obvious.
Seeing Kaze nce at his wife, the man frowned. "Oh, and this is Tanya. She''s out of her prime, but I''m sure she can satisfy your dual cultivation."
Kaze''s eyebrow twitched when he heard the man''s ambivalence towards his wife. She shrugged her shoulders to indicate she was used to being dismissed.
"My dual cultivation will be mutually beneficial for all. I look forward to increasing both of your strength." He said in aposed voice.
"Yes, yes. Well then, shall we get started?" Mark asked with a bright smile.
"Of course. Please show me your forehead." Kaze requested.
The manplied, and the emperor touched his forehead, transferring a technique through the man''s head.
Mark couldn''t grin further as the profound information filled his mental sphere.
It made Kaze grin internally. He transferred a technique beneficial for short-term cultivation but crippledter growth and development. The man''s ambivalence toward his wife left him discontented, but he''d still follow through.
"I take it that the technique is to your liking, Mr. Rimer?" Kaze asked.
"I-It''s perfect, Emperor." Mark replied ecstatically, "I will begin with it at once. Tanya, please take the Emperor to our guest bedroom inside and try your hardest to please him."
"Of course." She replied tersely. She turned to the emperor and motioned her head toward the front door.
Kaze strode into the home with her, walking down two flights of stairs to a room in the back.
It was a simplistic room with expensive but nd leather furniture. The bed had gaudy dark greenforters and floral sheets. It felt absurdly unceremonious for the extravagant home.
Additionally, no guards were posted outside the room. They stood around Mark as he cultivated his technique outside in the grass.
The man''s ambivalence toward his wife was unprecedented in the emperor''s eyes.
"I apologize for my husband''s disregard of your techniques." Tanya said softly.
"My techniques." Kazeugh-scoffed, "I''m disappointed how he treats ady of your caliber."
Tanya gave him a wry smile. "Don''t worry. While Mark''s rude to me, he''s kind to others. He also has a point; I am out of my prime."
"Nonsense." Kaze scoffed in disbelief, "You are still a flower at this age, and I shall water you to give you the vitality you deserve."
Her eyes widened in shock. "W-Water me?"
Kaze gave her a slight smile. "Wait until you leave this room. You''ll not only shine like a blossom but you''ll look far more lively than you have for years."
He stepped forward and embraced her face, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She melted into him, allowing herself to feel the passion of a man for the first time in years.
The emperor guided her to the bed,ying her down and kneeling between her legs.
"But first, I shall give you the full attention deprived of you for so long." Kaze said in a charming voice while pulling her red panties off underneath her slender ck dress.
"Emperor, please take me without your techniques." She pleaded, "Just once before we begin."
"Lady Rimer," Kaze said charmingly, "I have three hours before I must leave this estate and need but three minutes to fulfill my obligations. Until then, I''m at your full service."
"W-Whaahhhhhhh~!" Tanya screamed in pleasure as Kaze''s tongue rolled over her clitoris
"I-I thought you agreed not to use your powers at first." She stuttered in a long gasp.
"What? Do you think that Qi makes me good at sex?" Kazeugh-scoffed in disbelief, "Does being beautiful make you a model?"
"No it''s justahhhhhhhhhhh~!" Tanya moaned while running her fingers through the emperor''s short, well-groomed haircut.
"I''ve never had an orgasm, so I''m confused how you''re bringing me so much pleasure."
Kaze''s eyes widened in disbelief. "How inhumane is the Mortal ne?"
"The mortal whaaaaaaaahhhh~!?" She screamed as Kaze reached under her thighs, grabbed her ass, and continued.
"W-Whaaaaat i-is this!?" Tanya screeched in pleasure as he skillfully matched her gasps to determine the exact spots that made her tick.
She arched her back on the bed, attempting to roll over, but Kaze held her lower back, preventing her from escaping the rolling orgasms she was having.
Tanya grabbed his hair and pulled him closer, unable to resist. Everything was happening so fast; he had only started twenty seconds ago.
Five secondster, she came, squirting everywhere.
Kaze licked it from her legs, closed his eyes, and cultivated the Qi from it.
"H-How?" Tanya stuttered, "I''ve never had an orgasm before, yet you made me have three in less than a minute. I cannot understand how this is natural."
The emperor grinned while his eyes were closed, carefully extracting the full amount of Yin Qi from her cum.
"Hoh? You don''t believe me?" Kaze mused, "Would you like to know what Qi can do?"
"Yes...." She trembled, "But I''m so sensitive."
Kaze smiled. "Then we must water this body and revitalize it."
"Please, Emperor. I cannot see how epting your cum will change this sensitivity." Tanya cried in pleading desperation.
"No, no. Lady Rimer." He chuckled, "I will use Qi to water your cells and reverse them to an earlier state and heal any muscle loss from aging in your face."
"You''re what?" The blonde asked in disbelief as he climbed on top of her body.
"I''m going to remove the three years of aging from your body." Kaze said with a charming smile.
"The Qi here is far too weak to use this technique beyond your face and breasts, but I can do at least that much."
"I don''t believe it." Tanya whispered.
"Then I''ll make you believe it," Kaze replied in a charming tone while stroking the back of his knuckles on the back of her cheek.
A golden light traced his movements, and her eyes widened involuntarily as her slightly drooping eyelids'' muscles healed and tightened.
Her cheeks became revitalized, and small wrinkles hidden by her masterful makeup disappeared instantly.
"How are you making me feel young again?" Tanya whispered as his hand moved down her chest, tightening the skin. "I don''tmmmhn~"
Kaze glided his hands over her breasts, making them perkier and firmer as he rolled his fingers over the top of her chest. She was still wearing her ck dress, but it didn''t matter.
"You are young." He said with a slight smile, "Your body just hasn''t been nourished in years. So I''m using a technique to restore your cells and muscles to a previous state, and then revitalizing them."
He used Paradox of Healing, a general healing technique that also housed profound capabilities.
It was called [paradox] because it [could] heal by reverting the body to a previous state using the spiritual record as a blueprint and transposing it to the present. Thus, the past and the present could thus exist simultaneously. (1)
There were limitations to the rewinding techniques, namely that twisting back time required substantial Qi and removed growth someone obtained.
It also restored impurities, reverted body tempering gains, and required the user to heal the victim''s body to adapt to the new changes.
Its primary usage was restoring limbs directly after loss. Anything beyond that was dangerous for [cultivators].
However, Kaze only used the technique to rewind the cells in her muscles back to their state a few years ago. Thus, it healed her body back to when it was stronger, not weaker.
"I-I didn''t understand." Tanya whispered.
"And you don''t need to. Hush now; the fun has just begun." Kaze instructed, "Now let''s build your Qi channels, so you stop aging for a century."
"D-Did you just say stop aging for aahhhhHHHHHH~!" She screamed in extreme pleasure as he channeled Qi into his fingertips, touching all of her breasts'' pleasure channels.
"Will you let me water you in another way that will bring out a new potential?" He asked while gliding his fingers down her chest to her thighs.
"My body is yours. Undress me, use me, anything else you desire." Tanya begged, "To have pleasure like this with such rewards deserves payment I could never give."
Kazeughed breathlessly. "Your time is invaluable beyond measure. Now let me show you I mean it."
He unbuckled his pants and prepared for cultivation.
Two hourster, the two emerged from the room, greeting Mark and his guards. The man opened his eyes from deep cultivation to greet him but froze instead.
His wife looked more beautiful than when they met her two years ago!
"H-How did you be so beautiful?" Mark stuttered.
Kaze gave him a slight smile. "Your wife was always beautiful. I just restored her luster when we cultivated."
"I-I see." The man replied while standing up to face his wife.
"Hello, Mark. Do you like what you see?" Tanya giggled. As instructed, she yfully flirted with Mark seductively. The emperor didn''t want her to be cold before the review process.
"Y-Yes." Mark replied in excitement.
"I''m d. Please transfer the payment now, and we''ll set you up with techniques and create the review video." Kaze requested.
"Right away, Emperor." The man replied with shaky hands. He immediately called his financial manager, and they took care of the payment.
During that period, Tanya snuck nces at Kaze with lust and longing in her eyes. She couldn''t believe how much he had changed her life in such a short time.
Kaze gave her a charming smile and then continued creating a testimonial that befitted his power.
[A/N: Once again, shout out to DeternityDude and GoldenStick69 for the humorous yandere reviews. I''ll be giving bonus chapters for every review up to chapter 50.
I already have the drafts, so you can expect them within a day of posting, an hour if I''m awake. Thank you for reading! :)]
Chapter 23 June 13th-16th, 2032 | 6 Days Remaining
Evalyn sat at her desk with her chin on her palm. She hadn''t slept more than five hours a day in thest four days.
Uncle: Can you help with the inquiries? I don''t have answers to most of the questions they''re asking.
You: Heh. And you think I do? That''s cute.
Uncle: Aren''t you dating?
You: Are you mad? I haven''t seen him for four days because he''s sleeping with rich wives left and right! Why would you think that?
Evalyn threw her phone on the bed in protest and rested her head against her desk.
"Heh. That jerk didn''t even text me about the faction, and Uncle thinks I have answers?" She scoffed in annoyance, "What a joke."
Her phone went off, and she took a deep breath. She ignored it and went online to see if there was anything new.
Despite her best efforts, she shot up from her position and typed in the URL for Yanko. It was her "job" to readments to find clients.
-----
Emperor Starts Wife Watering Service, Offers for His Services Explode
Views: 98,991,283 | +48,283,178
Date: June 12th, 2032
Willis_Makes_It: The dude''s wife literally said he "watered her." Dead. | +3,821,237
Shut_Up_Garden_Gadget: People hated on me so hard when I said these women were thirsty. | +298,921
Lisa_Whitham: People are hitting like because they agree that people hated you. That hasn''t changed, tool. | +428,893
LizZard: The emperor''s identity exposed: He''s Baba Yaga''s husband and offers his fountain of youth. ;) | +13,001,283
Cackling_Hyena: I bet the offers will hit ten digits. | 2,182,772
Anonymous: They already have. Ivanka Rhodes offered to sell all of her stock in Wyndham Entertainment to make it happen, but the stocks in thepany tanked immediately, and now she''s broke af. Lol | +2,382,192
Usher_Weds_Her: She started begging, and two thousand people reported her for harassment. | +1
Rampin_Up: Finally. Be gone thot. | +1,281,298
-----
"The guy acts like he used to love me but then leaves every woman satisfied by me." Evalynughed in self-deprecation.
"I used to think it was age. I probably look like a child to him, but now this?"
She closed her eyes.
"Charming me and then giving me this job make a dick move. I''m going to sleep!" Evalyn protested while opening her eyes and preparing to shut her browser.
Despite her best efforts, she continued scrolling.
"Why do I always do this?" She chuckled while scrolling, "It''s like I''m a masochist now."
-----
Emperor''s Estimated Value Soars to Over a Billion in One Week After Only Five Clients, Secures Another Six Billion For Following Days
Views: 21,283,831 | +11,382,173
Date: June 13th, 2032
-----
The Emperor Announces He''s Starting a Cultivation Faction. Says Money Isn''t a Barrier
Views: 3,821,382,187 | +837,283,110
Date: June 14th, 2032
-
DeadChimp: Is this story real? | +253,531,218
SweetNSour: It is. He announced it during a testimonial video.| +138,281,831
Ingrid_Reed: I''ll believe it''s free when I see it. The guy''s bleeding rich people dry right now. | +193,283,827
TrickedSilly: Yeah, that''s why he doesn''t need money. | +56,287,812
Aleena_Mays: Lol. | +33,983,178
OnePact_Global: One Pact is offering anyone with information about the emperor''s identity $31,000,000 | +123,837,138
Dragonnade: Two words: Scrawn Fu | +569,283,827
Kamora_Coleman: Who else? There has yet to be another person instantly transformed after cultivation began. Everyone else is making tiny fireball videos. | +101,382,838
Gorix: Scrawn Fu is beingpared to the Wifescaper. What a legend. | +299,999,999
Anonymous: Who''s stupid enough to sell out a man that powerful? | +88,827,182
Ben_Bailey: When an anonymous poster says something''s sketchy, that''s how you know it''s stupid. lol | +182,281,378
-----
Breaking! Emperor to Post Mystery Cultivation Technique Online; Says It''s The Ticket to Faction; Emphasizes No Exceptions
Views: 6,283,281,382 | +1,232,111,092
Date: June 15th, 2032
Nayeli_Gates: I''ll believe "no exception" when I see it. | +802,281,997
ViciousOrange: The guy''s getting paid a billion a job to sleep with rich men''s wives, leaving them satisfied and younger afterward. Yet you still don''t believe him? | +488,281,283
Chimpantzer: Does no one care he''s giving out unique Earth-grade techniques like they''re water? | +315,938,821
PixieDreams: A cultivation school that doesn''t require money but leaves out the 99% of people that didn''t get a cultivation technique. Figures. | +683,281,382
Carlos_Petersen: He hasn''t even posted the *free cultivation technique to the 99% of people that didn''t get one, and people are alreadyining they won''t get in because they''re not talented enough. | +283,827,283
Anonymous: You act like rich people won''t spend millions on tutors. | +159,288,171
Bryant_Downs: This proves it. No matter how much people get, socialism is still the only answer. Lulz | +27,827,283
Ape_in_hard: I''d bet my paycheck it''s a "dual cultivation" technique for only women. | +662,182,838
Zoe_Jefferson: I hope so. | +381,283,781
TheTrickster28: At first, I thought this guy was a legend. Now I''m just jealous. | +552,382,811
BeautyDuty: I will practice that technique day or night until I master it. | +112,283,283
Harem_Hunter69: You just want to sleep with the guy. | +88,283,178
BeautyDuty: Obviously. | +583,183,187
-----
"Hah. No exceptions, eh?" Evalyn giggled, "He''s even going to make me work to get into his faction. I''m going to shove that in uncle''s face."
She picked up her phone, prepared to counter his dating ims outright. However, when she opened her texting app, she stared at the message he had sent in disbelief.
Uncle: Aren''t you dating?
You: Are you mad? I haven''t seen him for four days because he''s sleeping with rich wives left and right! Why would you think that?
Uncle: Why else would he name the faction Immortal Skye? While I sell the faction as a partnership, I assure you he didn''t do that on my behalf.
Evalyn stared at the screen in disbelief, opening and closing her mouth, trying to find the words to say. "He said he''d spend a thousand years with me."
Her eyes fell still as she stared at her phone nkly. An unknown amount of time passed before she snapped out of her daze.
"Who was I to you, Kaze?" She asked the empty room before shutting herptop.
No matter how hard she thought about it, she could never figure out that riddle. ording to the emperor, her past self was violent and rude to him.
While he might enjoy that, his mood always shifted when he spoke about her. It didn''t feel like she was by his side to thest minute, present until the second that he left the fifth ne.
Now she got an even greater hint: Immortal Skye.
Evalyn felt the faction''s name symbolized she''d live this time.
"How long did I live before?" She whispered, "To an immortal, a millennium could feel short. I killed thousands of people to get a Celestial Technique. That''s lower than ancient, but how many years did that take? Centuries? Millenia?"
She shook her head. "I''m not going to get answers, but I do need to take a shower."
Chapter 24 [Evalyn Skye]
Evalyn walked to her closet, took out a light pink towel, opened the door to her luxurious connected bathroom, walked inside, and pressed a button that simultaneously locked all the doors.
The bathroom was white with marble tiles and a shower in the center of the room, encased in a ss rectangle that left it fully transparent for anyone to see. Everything was spotless; proof housekeepers cleaned it daily.
"Figures that I can''t even think in here clearly." Evalyn scoffed breathlessly.
She stripped off her blue tank top and ck leggings, exposing a light pink bra and matching set of panties. She put them into her hamper as always.
? Then unbuckled her bra, let it slowly glide off her shoulders to the floor, pulled her panties down, and lightly kicked them off. She left them on the floor that night, leaving them to pop against the pure white room like the pink toothbrush and hand towel.
Pink was her favorite color, and she wasn''t ashamed of that. It made her feel feminine, a strict contrast to her strict and self-disciplined self that thrived on ambition and sacrifice.
Evalyn stepped into the standing shower and turned on the water, which perfectly heated the second she turned it on. Perfect. Precise.
Water crashed against her hair, dripping down her perfectly toned breasts. They had pink nipples, perfectly shaped and proportioned, like her C-cup breasts.
The water continued down her stomach, gliding between her legs and touching the carefully shaved lower half, proof of her recent attention to sexual behavior.
When it touched the top of her lips, she gasped in frustration.
"I offered that man chastity after only knowing him less than a week, but he didn''t blink twice." Evalynughed in self-deprecation, "How embarrassing on two fronts."
She closed her eyes and pressed her back against the cool ss to stave off her sleep deprivation under the calming feeling of water.
The shower head followed her body, crashing down on her chest directly.
Images of Kaze shed into her mind. "Why can''t I get you out of my head?"
Evalyn bit her lip to break free. However, when she did, his voice reced his image.
"Someone that wasn''t insignificant."
"You treat me like a past lover, but nothing about my past self seems appealing." Sheughed.
"The old you would have killed 50,000 people for this technique. And then she''d tell me to kill myself when I offered to heal her during it."
"The old you was tough as nails. So I''m certain you can handle the current with divine-grade healing. If I coddle you any more than I have, your past self will break through space and time to murder me."
"Yet your words." Evalyn whispered.
"I''d never stalk a woman who didn''t find me amusing. But I will risk my life chasing a woman for a century if she does."
"I just thought I''d bring out your past self. That way, you''ll have someone to hate me with for the next eighteen hours."
[Did the old me find you as irritating as I do?]
"Oh, love. So much more, and I didn''t have half the charm, power, or sexual talent topensate."
[Then how the hell did she handle you?]
"The same reason you are."
[Why can''t I hate you?]
"Because I won''t let you."
"You chased after me for a century?" Evalyn asked herself, "Given the current you, that''s so hard the believe."
"I''ve never lied to you, woman. You can''t tell if I''m serious because you refuse to believe me, even though you''re staring at the truth."
"Yet you''re here, risking your life to ensure I wouldn''t get frostbite for a few hours until your Qi recovered." She whispered, "And you''re changing your tactics on my behalf."
Kaze held back in the administration office and didn''t harm Gregory. He was even conflicted about giving her a divine technique and protected her with his life when she chose it.
Now he chose to contract his faction out with her uncle. Was that for convenience? Or was it because it was her family?
Most of all
"Immortal Skye? Are you trying to safeguard me? You''re centuries old, at least. Am I just a child to you? Like your daughter?"
"Do you think I, the most powerful, arrogant, and charming womanizer, would waste time on you otherwise?"
[Kaze. Kiss me.]
"I guarantee you''ll regret such an action at this time."
[I won''t regret it now.]
The image of Kaze moving to kiss her while theyy naked together when she was on his chest shed in her mind, causing her face to heat up.
"No." Evalyn whispered, "He sees me as a woman, and is trying hard as I am."
Hot water crashed against her breasts, leading down her body to the top of her lips. She gasped breathlessly when she concentrated on it.
"Wipe that self-consciousness off your face. It''s an unforgivable insult to your beauty and charm."
[You can''t expect me to just go to your room.]
"Sure I can. Because if you weren''t, you would have walked away by now."
"I can put a lot of things in you. It''s just a matter of consent."
"I''ll happily please you in ways you cannot imagine. But it''s not the right time."
Evalyn''s lower body became sensitive. It was a feeling that didn''t have meaning until she followed Kaze to his room for the first time with a beating heart.
She wasn''t averse to sex and begrudgingly pleased herself periodically to stave off the frustration of constantly rejecting handsome men.
The blonde was obsessed with her reputation and her life. She never let anyone threaten her future and rejected dates and parties to study and maintain her high grades.
Fearing a rtionship, she held herself back.
Yet she threw all caution to the wind to blindly follow an arrogant man spouting nonsense about the future after a physical makeover and two predictions.
Now.
Evalyn''s chest rose and fell as warm water touched her lips. She gave up trying to deny herself, epting she was helplessly attached to Kaze Lexicon.
He was charming and extremely attracted. It felt like a maic force pulled the two together whenever they were alone.
She lifted her right hand and let her fingers glide up her thighs softly, curving them above her belly button. Then she glided them downward to the area between her thighs.
Her heart pounded harder and harder until she reached them, and then she slowly began parting her lips.
Evalyn''s emergency phone abruptly went off. It was a heavily encrypted security phone that her uncle gave her to talk about Kaze. She never ced it on silent.
"This better be fucking good." She growled while lifting her hand to turn off the water.
Her eyes were filled with murderous wrath and indignation that she was interrupted twice when approaching a sexual interaction regarding Kaze.
She immediately stomped out of the shower room, kicking her underwear out of the way and grabbing the towel.
Her emergency phone went off again, indicating her uncle had called her immediately after the first one left.
Evalyn snatched it off her bed and answered. "This better be important."
"It is important, Evalyn. Kaze one of our client''s homes was destroyed tonight. Kaze left on schedule, but everyone else is dead."
Chapter 25 June 16th, 2032 | An Inconvenient Truth
"It is important, Evalyn. Kaze one of our client''s homes was destroyed tonight. Kaze left on schedule, but everyone else is dead."
Images of Kaze''s murderous wrath and warnings about unwillingness to concede his tactics shed before Evalyn''s eyes.
He spoke of people like ants and how he could have snapped his fingers and destroyed Earth.
"No I was like that too." Evalyn whispered.
"What did you say?" Daniel asked in confusion.
"Nothing. What was the security like at the event? Was itpletely anonymous?" She asked.
"Anonymous? Evalyn, why aren''t you focused on figuring out if this man is dangerous!?" He cried.
"What do you want me to say, uncle?" Evalyn asked, "Unless you want to be unprepared for agents to show up at your home, I suggest we talk about the obvious."
"I you''re right. The security was solid;pletely anonymous as usual." Daniel replied, "However, the ce was a wreck. Multiple types of cultivation techniques were used."
"It''s one man versus countless people." She noted, "So we shouldn''t assume it wasn''t self defense. I''m going to hang up and call Kaze."
"Please do. I''ll speak to you shortly." He replied before ending the call.
Evalyn stared at her phone in disbelief with a racing heart. While she seemedposed, she was anything butposed!
She didn''t question for a moment that it was "self-defense." With Kaze''s might, she was certain he could resolve it peacefully.
The thought twisted in her mind as she paced through her room.
"Should I call? Go to his home?" Evalyn cried under her breath. Her heart was pounding, and her thoughts were mangled.
"Will I be aiding and abetting if I show up?" She asked frantically, "No, I don''t know what happened. It''s okay to figure out what happened. Definitely okay to figure out what happened."
She typed in Kaze''s phone number and then stared at it hesitantly.
After three more minutes of pacing, she hit it sporadically and immediately tried to hang up but felt awkward. "Oh no, what should I"
"Evening, beautiful." A maic voice said from the other side.
"H-Hi"
Evalyn dropped the phone, and it fumbled on the ground, causing her to scramble to pick it up.
"Are you there?" Kaze asked.
She grabbed her phone and wrangled it back into position. "Y-Yes. Sorry, I I just dropped my phone."
"Why do you sound so concerned?" He chuckled.
Evalyn''s eyes filled with murderous rage when she heard that question. She didn''t question whether he had destroyed the client''s home for a moment, yet he was so calm!
That had only just caught up to her.
"What do you mean, [why do I sound so concerned]?" She snapped.
"Why must people parrot someone''s question and act as if it''s an answer?" Kaze scoffed on the other end. "Yes, why do you sound so concerned? I cannot provide support until I know why you sound like this."
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to prevent yelling at him.
"Can Ie to see you right now? I need to talk to you." Evalyn asked between her teeth.
"Your voice tells me the conversation will be rather bothersome." Kaze chuckled, "I''m very tired, and"
"I''ming to see you right now!" She snapped, "You better be at your home when I get there!"
"Yes, mam." He replied charmingly, "I can never refuse a woman with so much passion. I''ll make sure to heat up my"
Click.
Evalyn cut the connection, dressed hurriedly, and ran to her private shuttle. As she glided down the streets, she chuckled in disbelief that she had memorized the route to his home.
She had only been there once.
Despite her aversions, she parked, immediately marched to his home, and knocked on the door.
"You act as if I locked the door when I knew you wereing." Kaze called out mockingly from the other side.
"Open this damn door!" Evalyn snapped.
"Are you deaf?" He scoffed in disbelief, "Or do you think my opening it will make your trip here more official?"
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled her murderous rage, and twisted the door nob. When she walked in, she froze.
Kaze was sitting on his perfectly pristine bed with one leg crossed over the other. His clothing was impable, and his face was just as rxed as his voice.
"Seems you finally made it in." He chuckled, "Would you like some tea? I bought an electric kettle after work, and it''s remarkably efficient at"
"You left your client''s home." Evalyn began to snap, but she lowered her voice, "In that condition, you immediately went shopping for something to make tea?"
Kaze gave her a slight smile. "You''re looking at the proof of that. So need you ask?"
She took a deep breath and averted her gaze. His voice was so charming and his actions so absurd that she couldn''t stay angry!
He waved his hand to the two enclosed in a barrier of warping Qi.
"I''m not going to bite you. So just ask. Kaze, did you kill your clients and their entire self-defense bodyguard unit?" Kaze asked mockingly.
Evalyn closed her eyes. "Did you?"
"Are you incapable of asking?" He asked.
"Why are you like this!" She snapped.
"I''m just being who I am," Kaze echoed with a smile, "Surely that''s more desirable than charming you and then showing my true nature, is it not?"
"You''re a piece of work." Evalyn scoffed, "You charmed me, and now you''re showing me your true nature. So echoing that statement is far beyond arrogant."
"Are you certain of that?" He mused, "You haven''t even asked me if I did it."
"Kaze. Did you kill your clients and their guards?" She asked in annoyance.
"Of course. Why else would their home light on fireand everyone die within it?" Kaze asked mockingly.
Evalyn stared at him with a stunned expression.
"Kaze why?" She whispered.
"Well, I was having marvelous sex with the man''s wife when he decided to try kiling us both." Kaze said with a charming smile.
"Emperor! Emperor! EmperAHHHHHHHHH~!" A redhead with a curvy body screamed in ecstasy. The two had only been having sex for 60 seconds before she lost her aversion to screaming out his name.
As a gentleman, he was duty-bound not to prevent her from expressing herself, so he let her continue screaming it for twenty minutes straight. Unfortunately, her husband didn''t feel the same way.
He had been sitting outside the room for the entire experience, and his mind twisted.
"My marriage is ruined." He scoffed, "That whore is finally showing her true colors."
The man stood up, walked out of the hallway, and called the thirty guards he hired to the living room.
"Mr. Jacobs, what would you like of us?" A guard asked.
The man was Brandon Jacobs, the owner of sessful nightclubs across the European Union. He had a well-groomed ck haircut, a grey suit with a blue button-up, and murderous blue eyes.
At a nce, he looked excessively charming. Well dressed, muscr, and a million-dor-smile. Yetpared to the illusion Kaze created for himself, he looked like a poser.
In looks, sex techniques, and charm, the man outssed him.
His wife made that clear when she met Kaze and didn''t hide her excitement. Now, after twent excruciating minutes of hearing her call out his name in bed, when she knew she was outside, his ego snapped.
"Gentlemen. He imed this was strictly professional, yet he exceeded that, did he not?" Brandon asked coldly.
"I think so." A cultivator with a brown military haircut and dark brown eyes said.
"Isn''t this sex cultivation? He informed us that it revolved around pleasure"
"Shut up. You work for me. So you don''t question me, Kyle." Brandon snapped, "Otherwise, I wouldn''t have hired mercenaries. So tell me, gentlemen. Did you see a need for self-defense?"
"I did." The first guard said.
"Me as well." Another seconded.
"It was necessary." A third man, with shaggy ck hair and a scar on his face, said.
"However, I do not see how we can protect you and attack a man of that caliber."
"What!? He''s one man. Are you telling me thirty cultivators will have an issue defending themselves, Matthews?" Brandon snapped, "Then what did I hire you for?"
"I second his concern, sir." The original man said.
"Why, Tanner?" Brandon asked in irritation.
"Because we don''t know how strong he is. Not just us; no one on earth can guess how strong he is. We''re just now learning cultivation.
The difference between Mortal and Earth cultivation techniques is vast. If he has many Earth-grade techniques or higher, we''ll get ughtered.
So unless we trap him, we can''t be certain you''ll be safe."
Brandon ran his fingers through his hair. "Then trap him now, Tanner. That woman''s a whore, and she''s proven her disloyalty since she looked at the man."
"Are you certain, sir?" Tanner asked.
"Yes. Just do it, and we''ll file the report immediately. I got my technique regardless, so it was worth it." Brandon replied.
The mercenary nodded and approached the room with machine guns. Tanner and Matthews walked with swords, and Kyle walled with gauntlets on his hands.
It had only been two weeks since cultivation came into the world, so only the elite used cultivation as their main weapon. These three were in that ssification.
Kaze took a deep breath when he felt real killing intenting from the hallway.
"One moment, love." He said to the redhead, wrapping her legs around his waist.
The emperor pulled out and stood up, facing the door nude.
The guards got into position. Tanner, Matthews, Kyle, and two others stood back, preparing to unleash cultivation techniques.
"Listen up!" The emperor yelled in a booming voice, "If you wish to court death, I suggest you let me finish up first!"
"So what did you do about it?" Evalyn asked with a twitching eyebrow.
"I killed them all, of course." Kaze replied with a slight smile.
Chapter 26 June 15th/16th, 2032 | Kazes True Nature
"You killed everyone?" Evalyn asked with a strained expression.
"Cutting de!" Tanner yelled while cutting at the door with his sword.
"Destructive sh!" Matthews followed.
"Combusion!" Kyle roared while pushing his hands forward.
The wall split in half horizontally with Tanner''s attack, Matthews'' strike caused the door to explode, and Kyle''s attack caused the room to explode.
From the outside, the attack appeared open and closed. The destruction was devastating and would kill anyone. Moreover, the walls began copsing inward as Tanner''s sh destroyed the support pirs in the area.
"Did we do it?" Matthews chuckled with madness swirling in his eyes.
"Wait. Why isn''t there a fire?" Kyle asked in perplexion, "I just usedbust"
BOOM!
A massive piece of the wall crashed into the man at a surreal level of force.
Tanner and Matthews looked to their left in disbelief.
While Kyle was considered a top-ss cultivator at that point, the man''s head was reduced to blood spatter inside the drywall. His body''s chest had crashed through the wall, and his decapitated corpse was leaning in the indent as if it were a recliner.
"O-Open fire!" One man yelled out, snapping everyone out of their daze.
Machine gun fire shot into the room; a hail of bullets returned to them instantly, riddling the firstyer of men, reducing them to flesh piles.
Tanner looked inside the room and found the atmosphere warping and twisting but couldn''t see the emperor anywhere.
Kaze was behind a spatial barrier ncing to his right at the bed he was having sex on moments before. Tanner''s attack sliced Ms. Jacobs in half, and the fire charred her remains.
"Well, at least my conscience is clear." He sighed, "It''s better than doing it myself."
"Everyone?" Evalyn asked Kaze with a strained expression.
"No. The mercenaries Brandon Jacobs hired killed his wife." Kaze replied, "I just killed Brandon Jacobs and his mercenaries."
"W-What the fuck is happening?" Matthews yelled in a frenzy.
"I don''t know!" Tanner yelled, "Look alive! Matthews?"
The man next to him disappeared through the floor. A momentter, he heard the man screaming from outside. His voice got louder, and louder, and louder before
BOOOOM! Boom! BOOM!
Matthews crashed through the roof and attic before mming into three mercenaries and crushing the floor next to them. It had a sickening impact and shook the ground.
No one saw what happened because the ceiling caved in, hitting the men in the head with wood and other debris. It wasn''t until they looked up and saw moonlight peering in that they got a clue.
"W-What the hell just happened?" One of the men asked.
"Are you blind? The man fell from eighty feet in the sky, crashing back into the room. Surly nothing else would exin this scene." A charming voice called out from the room.
Everyone trembled in fear. "W-Wait!"
"Foolish mortals." Kaze scoffed, "You try ambushing a man during sex and beg forgiveness after? Is there not a warrior among you?"
"Cutting de!" Tanner yelled.
The sharp strike warped the Qi in the air, preparing to sh through everything. However, when it reached Kaze, the Qi warped and twisted.
Sheeeelsh!
An unnatural sound whistled before bodies copsed, and many began coughing blood or screaming.
"M-My arm! Where the fuck is my arm!?" Tanner asked in physical shock. The arm holding his sword was missing, and blood poured out of the stub.
"Hoh? You mean this?" Kaze asked while picking up the man''s arm and disying it before him.
"H-How the fuck are you doing this?" The military man stuttered.
Kaze''s vicious green eyes peered into the man''s soul as he approached. The atmosphere twisted, pushing blood away from him as he walked, leaving his body clean and pristine.
Tanner looked away from his eyes and turned away again when he saw the emperor''s uncovered penis.
Kaze scoffed in disgust. "You tried to kill a man while he was having sex, but can''t stand to face his naked body?"
"I.."
Crrraaaack!
The man''s head snapped to the side when the emperor pped him with his decapitated arm, causing both parts of his body to snap.
Brandon watched the scene in horror, trying to scurry backward on his butt and hands. However, he felt frozen, and his body wouldn''t move.
The man saw Tanner''s Cutting de warp in Kaze''s Qi and then shoot backward in a direction that sliced the remaining men to ribbons. Then he saw the emperor snap a cultivator''s neck with their own arm.
Kaze Lexicon looked like Lucifer himself as he walked down the hall.
"G-Get away from me!" Brandon yelled.
"Silence!" The emperor ordered with the authority and countenance of an emperor. The atmosphere immediately became suffocating, and the man held his neck, desperately trying to breathe.
Kaze stood before Brandon like a god. "I have one question, and you have one answer. If you do not give me that answer in 15 seconds, the coroner will have to solve your body like a Rubik''s cube."
Brandon''s eyes trembled in fear.
"Did you tell anyone about this, and were you foolish enough to take a recording?" The emperor asked with a sharp gaze, "Fifteen seconds. GO!"
His blood lust dissipated, causing the man to gasp for breath.
"I-I yes. Everything is recorded, but the recording teams left. I wouldn''t have filmed myself killing you." Brandon said.
"Thank you forplying, you pathetic baboon." Kaze said coldly, "At least your life amounted to something."
The emperor turned around and returned to the room to collect his clothing. While Brandon wanted to run, his body was frozen, gasping for air.
He watched in fleeting breaths as Kaze returned, tucking his pristine, cottontail-blue button-up into his medium grey cks.
"I lied." Kaze chuckled breathlessly, "You do have a purpose yet."
"T-Tell me." Brandon requested between sharp breaths.
"To serve as a warning to others." The emperor replied coldly while waving his hand.
The entire back wall burst into mes, and the royal blue drapes in the room turned purple in the flickering light.
Kaze walked past the man indifferently on the way downstairs to leave.
"W-Wait." Brandon cried with red veins popping against his light blue eyes.
The emperor stopped on the stairs.
"Only people that once supported me can beg my forgiveness." He said ruthlessly, "And I only allow that so they can repent and die without disgrace."
"Kaze." Evalyn whispered with trembling eyes, "How can you treat this so casually?"
Kaze closed his eyes when her shaky demeanor.
"The same reason that you could." He replied, "It wasmon sense. Those men burst through that door, attacking me unprovoked. I''d be dead now if I didn''t do what I did. I was a genuine victim in all regards, Evalyn."
Evalyn scoffed at his bold assertion. "Common sense? Victim? Don''t joke around."
"Are you mad, woman?" Kaze scoffed in disdain.
"I was a victim. The man murdered his wife and tried to kill me because I provided the service he requested.
My strength doesn''t make unprovoked murder eptable, yes?"
"Kaze, I understand your point." Evalyn swallowed nervously.
"However, killing one person isn''t an eptable solution to any problem, let alone thirty.
Moreover, if you had the power to resolve it peacefully, then your actions went far beyond self-defense. It''s hard to find you a [victim]."
"Unbelievable. You''re a thoroughbred chimera of delusional beliefs." Kaze scoffughed in disbelief, "What do you think would have happened after I left that home?"
Evalyn''s eyes glided to the left and thought about it. Every scenario was disagreeable.
"I''d walk out unpaid, and that man would im I killed his wife with dozens of false witnesses." The emperorughed mockingly.
"He didn''t have a problem with murder, let alone falsifying crimes to prevent prison time."
The blonde''s eyes trembled in shock and horror. "Couldn''t... you have just sent a message or threatened them?"
Kazeughed in disdain. "Use your head. If I assaulted even one person in self-defense, it would''ve given them false evidence to exin why they blew the room up.
With his level of wealth or influence, I''d end up in prison for walking out peacefully. "
"You... you had money and influence to fight them, though." She whispered.
"Grow up, Evalyn." Kaze scoffed, "Laws won''t save you from the strong. Only personal strength and power can do that."
Evalyn turned away in shame. She understood his point but couldn''te to terms with sociopathic behavior two weeks after living a peaceful life.
In her neen years of life, a mundane single murder inspired documentaries.
Now, the person she was attracted to had casually killed thirty-one people and imed it was the only option.
"Kaze... if I ask you never to follow me, would you?" Evalyn asked while considering her internal dilemmas.
Kaze closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Would you be satisfied if I protected you from a distance until you''re strong enough?" He asked.
"Or would you ask me to gamble with your death, knowing you''ll quickly regret asking for such a thing?"
She swallowed, and her chest tightened. "I don''t know."
Kaze scoffed breathlessly. "Then ask that question when you do. Until then, go home and think about this. Take time to ''process'' or whatever foolish mortals used to do."
He waved his hand, shooing her away unceremoniously.
Evalyn''s eyes filled with bitterness. "Is this how you used to treat me?"
Kaze turned and locked eyes with her. "Did I treat her like this? The Evalyn I knew tried to kill me, just like the rest of the people that threatened her ambitions and desires for control. Not once, not twicedozens of times."
Her eyes welled in shock as the Evalyn Skye of the future fused with the one in the present. Those were two aspects of herself she skillfully kept hidden.
He shouldn''t know those aspects of her, considering she abandoned both to follow him.
"I never had to convince the Evalyn Skye I knew the importance of killing one''s enemies." He chuckled.
"She was so used to it that she couldn''t see allies she didn''t buy or force to kneel."
Evalyn dry swallowed and turned away in fear, fear to face herself.
"Then why, Kaze? Why chase someone like that?" She asked.
"Why?" Kaze chuckled, "I idently saw her pink underwear, and she tried to kill me to hide her secret love for cute things."
Her eyes trembled in shock.
"Then she tried killed killing me every time I saw her." He said with a reminiscent smile, "But after the first time, she never gave me a challenge I couldn''t win."
Evalyn held her breath as she stared at Kaze''s contorted expression. His human side was far more oppressive than his charming side. Unbearable.
It left her suffocating naturally as if its unnaturalness threatened the world''s bnce.
"That continued for eighty-two years." Kazeughed while looking at the ceiling.
"It continued until the war the cultivators farmed us mortals for finished. By then, one hundred million people had died in direct battle. Billions if you count the Mortal ne."
Kaze turned to her with a deep expression that warped her soul. "So no, I didn''t treat you like this; that''s because that was then, and this is now."
Evalyn turned away and began walking to the door. "Will you at least tell me what I was to you?"
"Was." He replied coldly, "You''re not the same you, and I''m not the same me. So stop looking to a past you can''tprehend to search for irrelevant answers to your insignificant woes.
If I had my way, anything you''d learn from her would be just as worthless as your internal conflicts."
She chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to express her emotions. After a moment, she walked to the door and opened it.
"Well then, I''m off to process, or whatever us foolish mortals do." Evalyn scoffed breathlessly, walking into the night and shutting the door behind her.
[A/N: Is Kaze''snguage too overbearing? I''ll tone down his pompousness if it is.]
Chapter 27 June 17th, 2032 | 5 Days Remaining
"The OG emperor is back!" An athletic man with short blonde hair announced as Kaze walked into Molecr Biology ss.
"Yes, your emperor is back." Kaze said with a slight smile.
The ssroom buzzed with giggling women and chuckling men. Countless whispers rippled through the area as he strode to his desk and sat down.
A cute brte with neck-length feathered bob-cut hair, even at all sides, said. The haircut was simr to Evalyn''s but was wavy with minor curls.
Her name was Kylie, and she was the second most popr amongst the school''s football cheerleaders due to her looks alone.
"Um Kaze. We want to know if your transformation is it the result of cultivation?" Kylie asked nervously.
Kaze turned to her with a charming smile that froze the women in the area.
"If you''re speaking of my e and muscles, yes. If you''re asking about my charm, style, andbat skills, I''m afraid cultivation cannot help you with that." He replied smoothly.
The women burst into giggles, and then the men smiled wryly.
"What techniques did you use?" A young man with anky body asked.
? "Ancient ones." Kaze chuckled.
Everyoneughed again, this time in bewilderment. His prior reputation was so thrashed that everyone assumed he was joking.
He continued smiling and nced at all the women in the room, giving slightly narrowed eyes to some he found attractive.
"Ahem!" Professor Roybock coughed to gain everyone''s attention. The petite woman wore a ck pencil skirt, white heels, and a matching shirt.
"Wee back, Kaze." She said coldly, "I''m d you decided to grace us with your presence again."
"Many people have said that in my life, but I never imagined you''d be one of them, Lady Roybock." Kaze replied with a cheeky smile.
The ssroom burst intoughter and giggles, leaving the woman flushed in annoyance. He had disappeared for thest two sses unannounced; now, he was back and hijacked her ss again. It was beyond frustrating.
"About yournguage, Kaze. My name is Professor Roybock." She said sternly, "I''d appreciate it if you stopped calling me [Lady Roybock]."
"Why? It seems like you like it." Kaze replied charmingly, "Surely it''s preferable for people to address you with a title befitting of your character."
More giggles and whispers spread through the ssroom, mortifying the poor professor who closed her eyes to prevent her students from seeing them trembling.
"Kaze. Please see me after ss." She ordered, "We must discuss your recent breach of student-teacher boundaries."
"I would be my pleasure." Kaze replied with a hypnotic voice.
Laughter erupted in the room as if a floodgate had broken. Professor Roybock closed her eyes in humiliation, reeling from his wit.
Somehow her order against harassment turned into a sex joke, validating her point.
She reluctantly recovered and continued her lecture, desperately trying to avert Kaze''s gaze. He watched her, soaking up her words with a level of attention she had never seen in her life.
His slight smile and attention weren''t ufortable. On the contrary, it made her feel listened to and appreciated.
"Kaze, can you summarize what this section covers?" Professor Roybock requested.
"The section covers antigenic shifts and how slight mutations prevent the development of immunity to RNA-based viruses." Kaze replied with a smile.
"Your approach is to focus on how different mutations change the nature of the virus, causing ripple effects in how it spreads between humans and cross-species."
Professor Roybock blinked twice with a perplexed expression. "What made youe to thetter conclusion."
"In your third lecture, you spoke of the environment of bacteria and how it transfers from individuals, spreading diseases through rtionships." He said with a slight smile.
"In your fourth, fifth, and seventh lecture, you spoke of different bacteria and how they evolved to meet the social environment that spread them.
You spoke in the samenguage when addressing this topic, so it''s only reasonable to assume that you nned a simr approach. I look forward to it, as always."
The ssroom fell silent, stunned by Kaze''s answer. He sat with a slight smile, demonstrating the profound usage of his hyperthymesiac memory to charm women into believing he hung on their every word. Shameless; but effective.
Professor Roybock gulped nervously. She wasn''t prepared for such a detailed answer and could hardly call him a stalker for listening to her!
Not that she would. She had never felt so valued for her teaching.
"You are correct." Professor Robock said while pushing a lock of brown hair from her eyes.
"That is what I''ll be teaching on Wednesday. Soe prepared, everyone."
The ss erupted into giggles and whispers as everyone stood up but Kaze, who patiently waited for everyone to pass him.
"Oh, by the way, emperor." The blonde athlete said, "There''s a party on Friday; you''re invited."
Everyone in the ssroom and hallway froze, awaiting the emperor''s response.
"That''s a coincidence." Kaze replied with a slight smile, "I''m throwing a party that day. You''re all invited. Bring your friends, especially if they''redies."
The area devolved into pandemonium and chaos as students messaged their friends.
"Right on. I guess I know where I''ll be." The man said, "I''m Brad, by the way."
"Kaze." Kaze replied, "But you can continue calling me Emperor if you wish."
Brad scoffughed in amusement. "You''re something else, Emperor. See ya, next ss. Our teacher will kill us both if I don''t leave."
The area burst into a frenzy as everyone walked away, texting everyone they knew.
"It seems I''ll need to procure a block." Kaze chuckled.
"Ahem!" Professor Roybock coughed, giving him a murderous re with her sharp tan eyes.
"Don''t worry, Professor Roybock." He said with a charming smile, "I''d never forget to provide the attention I promised a woman."
She turned away to avert her gaze. His smile and perfect face and body made him impossible to ignore. "Yournguage suggests that there''s no student-teacher rtionship barrier between us, and it''s not professional and befitting of your environment."
Kaze scoffughed and turned away. "I only spoke a fact. Your denial that being a woman has intrinsic value in all aspects of life does not necessitate mynguage breaks the rules."
Professor Roybock narrowed her eyes. "I''m a professor; my sex doesn''t change that."
"Sure it does." Heughed, "It means you''re a female professor. It just doesn''t say anything about your skill in teaching, mind, or professionalism."
Her eyes widened in astonishment, causing a mocking smile to develop on his face.
"As you''ve seen, I listen to your lectures carefully and find your insights charming." Kaze asserted with a slight smile, "I respect you in the areas you seek; so what exactly is the problem?"
Professor Roybock opened and closed her mouth twice. "I just don''t see how my sex is relevant."
"Why? Because I''m a man." He chuckled breathlessly, "Even if our rtionship is professional, it doesn''t change the natural dynamic between our sexes."
"Mr. Lexicon, I believe thatnguage pushes against the boundaries I speak of." She replied nervously.
"Is it that you believe my status as your student jeopardizes your career?" Kaze asked with a maic smile, "If that''s the case, allow me to test out of the ss and worry yourself no further."
Professor Roybock''s eyes widened in shock. "W-Wait, what? Are you confident you can even do that?"
She was confused and curious if he was being genuine, beyond his possible insinuation.
"Of course." Kaze said with a slight smile, "I can test out of all of my subjects. I only sign up for your sses because I enjoy your teaching."
She blushed and turned away, uncertain what to say.
"Would you like me to test out, so I can call you Lady Roybock, professor?" Kaze asked with a charming smile.
"You understand anything I say could be misinterpreted, right?" Professor Roybock replied bitterly, still averting her gaze.
"If both options are equally problematic, then just say yes like you want to." He chuckled.
The woman turned to him to snap but froze at his hypnotic gaze.
"You''re a workce environment ticking timebomb, Kaze." Professor Roybock said, "So meet me tomorrow at 1 pm and I''ll set up the test."
"I look forward to it, [Professor] Roybock." Kaze chuckled while turning around and walking out the door.
Professor Royback followed his broad back until it disappeared before snapping out of her daze. She turned around, put her hands on her desk, and took a deep breath, feeling like he had put her under a spell.
After a few deep breaths, she packed up and headed to the academic building to fill out paperwork to allow him to test out of her ss. During that period, she tried not to convince herself of her actions, as anything she thought to herself felt incriminating.
Chapter 28 June 18th, 2032 | 4 Days Remaining
"A-Are you sure we''re supposed to be walking around like this?" Jake asked nervously.
"Like what?" Kaze asked while shing a woman a charming smile.
The two were openly striding through the halls of Lockheed University together. Rather, the emperor strode through the halls shing women smiles, and Jake followed him around nervously.
"Like, you know?" Jake replied hesitantly.
"No, I don''t know." Kaze scoffed, "I wouldn''t have asked if I did. Now speak your mind and enunciate clearly. Otherwise, you''ll never be capable of charming women and that''s something I won''t stand for."
"You you won''t stand for that?" The previously geeky man replied.
Kaze stopped walking and turned to him. "Of course, not. I can''t have a regent that represents me bumbling like a fickle fool. Now, give that woman a charming smile."
Jake''s eyes widened, turning to a respectably cute brte with the fluidity of a rusty cog. Then, as told, she gave her an awkward smile, leaving the woman giggling in bewilderment.
The emperor closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"You''ve made progress. But stop smiling for now." He ordered, "Just follow me around with a stern expression. That way you look like there''s something on your mind. Practice."
The man fixed his blonde his short blonde hair, took a deep breath, and tried to look serious. His face looked just as unnatural as before.
Kaze cringed when he saw a group of girls approaching.
"Just act natural." He said while touching Jake''s back.
"Like how"
The man''s face tensed up as a white glow illuminated his back, and a minor wave of pain washed over his entire body, leaving him stiff and gritting his teeth.
"Hello,dies." Kaze said with a charming smile.
"Hi, Kaze." A blonde said with a bright smile, "I hear you''re having a party on Friday."
"It seems you''ve heard correctly." He replied, "Can I put you four on the list?"
"There''s going to be a list?" A brte asked in confusion.
"Not for general entry." Kaze chuckled, "But I have a surprise for everyone on the list. I assure youdies you want to be on the list."
The three blushed and then giggled.
"You can put me down." The blonde giggled.
The other three nodded.
"By the way, who''s this?" A woman with short ck hair asked in interest, "I''ve never seen him before."
Jake''s eyes widened in shock as she had a ss with himst semester. However, Kaze sent another strategic wave of pain down his back to prevent him from outing himself.
"This man is a business partner, Veronica." Kaze said with a charming smile, "He''s on his way to an important business meeting, thus he''s in the zone. Introduce yourself, Payton."
The regent tried to turn to him again in confusion, but more strategic pain prevented him from doing so.
"Hello. I''m Payton." Jake said after a deep breath.
Kaze chuckled in amusement. "I know the meeting is important, but you don''t have to be so serious. I suppose that determination is what makes a good partner."
Jake gave him a sidelong nce and a wry smile, triggering the women to giggle.
"Just wait until you see this man at the party." Kaze said with a smile, "Trust me. You''ll see this same one-sided attention directed at beautiful flowers such as yourselves."
"I have high expectations then." Veronica said while narrowing her eyes at Jake in interest.
While Jake wanted to act nervous, he feared another jolt of pain, so he nodded at her silently. The women giggled at his stoic expression.
"Now excuse us,dies." Kaze requested, "Please find me tomorrow so we can exchange numbers and I''ll get you on the list."
"Bye, Kaze. [And] Payton." Veronica said with a smile and slightly narrowed eyes.
The others said goodbye, and they walked away.
"What was thing you were doing to me?" Jake asked bitterly.
"ssical conditioning, Jake." Kaze replied casually, "The only way to learn life lessons is through pain, so this is a shortcut."
The regent developed a wry smile. "That was a lesson? What were you teaching me? To be quiet?"
"Of course not. It was a lesson, but the opposite of keeping you quiet. Did you see that look she gave you, Jake?" Kaze asked.
"Yes? Her eyes were burning a hole through me. It was ufortable." Jake replied.
"The work we must do with you is like a bottomless well." The emperor scoffed.
"Interest, Jake. That look she gave you was called [interest]. Look we don''t have time for a lecture in basic living, so please fetch me these items."
He pulled out his phone and sent Jake a list of over 200 items.
"W-What? This is a lot, Kaze." Jake replied nervously, expecting to pay for the copious amounts of high-ss booze event supplies.
"No, it''s not enough." The emperor replied tersely, "Now give me your Yanko Finance id."
The man looked at Kaze in confusion, but he replied when he met a stern re.
"Jake dash Hays dash 31." Jake replied nervously.
Two secondster, he got a notification on his phone. He looked down, and his eyes widened in shock. "O-One mill"
"Are you insane? Don''t announce your resources, you fool!" The emperor scoffed in disbelief.
"You''re still too weak to espouse wealth. You mustn''t show off wealth until you have the power to kill those that attempt to steal it; otherwise, you''re courting death!"
Jake looked at the emperor in shock. Two weeks ago, he loaned the guy $300 and taught him how to use a smartphone. Now, the same man wired him a million dors for party supplies.
However, the man''s macabre talk of killing people didn''t change, making him nervous.
"O-Okay. I''ll get the items and wire you the change." He stammered.
"Keep the change. While this doesn''t repay my debt to you, it''s due interest." Kaze replied indifferently, "Now, go. I have a date."
The regent tried to ask questions, but the emperor had already strode away, moving to a certain professor''s ssroom.
Jake stared nkly at the man''s back, finally understanding the value of a "favor" and why Kaze scoffed at him at the park. He snapped out of his haze and immediately called for a shuttle to make arrangements.
"Hello, [Professor] Roybock." Kaze said as he entered her ssroom, emphasizing her title with charming sarcasm.
The woman looked at him with a wry smile. She wore a white pencil skirt, ck heels, and a red shirt entuating her feminine curves.
On her neck was a charming silver ne with a simplistic pendant. It was professional jewelry, but jewelry nheless.
"Hello, Kaze. Thank you foring early." She said, "Let''s get started, as I''m busy after this."
Kaze nced at it and then locked eyes with her with a smile as charming as it was mocking. Professor Roybock turned away in annoyance.
"I''m happy to. Please provide me with the test and I''ll get started." He said.
"Okay. Since you''re testing out of the ss, these questions require written exnations to ensure you haven''t cheated in any way." Professor Roybock said, "Are you sure you want to take the test?"
"What type of man do you take me for?" Kaze scoffed. "I told you that I came to your sses for your charming insights. What type of man would I be if I couldn''t back my words and made a mockery of your image? It would be a punishable offense."
The professor''s face turned to perplexion. The man was eightyers deep in the depths of lunacy in her mind, but she found it maically charming.
"Yes." Professor Roybock replied, "Very well. Here is your test. You have an hour and a half."
She passed him a piece of paper and sat down at her desk. "You may begin."
Kaze analyzed the paper and then closed his eyes for fifteen minutes, bewildering the woman. She wanted to scoff and shake him, but she couldn''t interfere.
However, at the sixteenth minute, something remarkable happened. The emperor''s eyes snapped open, and he immediately began marking the page at an iprehensible speed.
He didn''t even read the questions again; he just marked them, one after the other, without pause.
His pen''s ink stopped running mid-way through, and he scoffed in annoyance. Instead of asking for another, he touched the tip.
His finger illuminated his finger with a red aura, and ink dripped from the tip onto the sheet. The experience left him with a wry smile, but he blew on the tip lightly and began again as if nothing had happened.
Professor Roybock watched the demonstration in shock. He was so casual about using cultivation that it left her bewildered.
Kaze continued marking the page for another ten minutes until he filled every inch of the paper. When finished, he pped, stood up, and walked to Professor Roybock with a slight smile.
"Surely this will do, will it not?" He asked with a twisted smile.
The woman grabbed the sheet and stared at his test in disbelief as she navigated through the questions briefly and cross-checked the answers.
Not only were the answers all correct, but the approach to the answers also eerily reflected the insights she taught. No one would question if she wrote it; it only shared the same angle.
Professor Roybock looked at Kaze with a perplexed expression. "How did you do this?"
Kaze gave her a slight smile. "As I said, I''ve reviewed the information previously and only show up to your sses for your charming insights, Lady Roybock."
"You honestly only show up for me?" She asked with a light blush.
"Correct." Kaze replied with a charming smile, "Anyone who doesn''t is a tasteless fool and tragically blind."
Chapter 29 [Frances]
Professor Roybock turned her head with a blushing expression. "Kaze Lexicon, I''m your professor. You cannot say such things."
"Was." He replied charmingly, "Past tense, [Lady] Roybock. Now I''m just a man with an extra hour with an acquaintance."
She looked at him and turned away with a wry smile. "You''re a workce disaster, Kaze."
"Must you be so circuitous when youpliment me?" Kaze chuckled in amusement.
Lady Roybock puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and turned to him to snap but froze when she saw his smile.
The emperor''s vibrant green eyes and charming smile were impossible to ignore. His light yellow t-shirt, tucked into his charcoal cks, ck designer belt, and shoes, were impable.
His body looked like a perfectly proportioned Greek god statue, only more attractive with his short, neatly tapered ck hair cut.
"What do you want from me, Kaze?" Lady Roybock said.
"I am but a humble workce disaster, Lady Roybock." Kaze replied charmingly, "The question is, what do [you] want from me?"
She gave him a wry smile. "I''m afraid that I cannot tell you such a thing. We''re on campus property in a ssroom with thin walls."
"Hoh? If you''re afraid to tell me when people can hear, worry yourself no further." He chuckled while waving his hand.
The entire wall to the hallway warped, making the wall look as if it were underwater, and waves diffracted it, distorting the shape and magnification.
"W-What did you do?" Lady Roybock stuttered.
"Listen." Kaze chuckled.
She fell silent and listened and heard nothing from the bustling hallway. However, she could hear minor noises from the other side of the wall.
The emperor waved his hand, and the other walls began twisting and warping.
Everything fell dead silent.
Lady Roybock turned to him with wide eyes and slight fear.
"You needn''t concern that you cannot leave." Kazeugh-scoffed, "I can snap my fingers and make this spatial barrier disappear. However, no one can hear anything from this room while you''re in it. Moreover, we''re in a testing period, so no one will, anyway."
"Who are you, Kaze?" She asked in a low voice.
"A devilishly charming [male] cultivator." He replied with a cheeky voice.
"That doesn''t answer my question, but it is a true statement." Lady Roybockugh-scoffed in annoyance.
"Since you''ve gone out of your way to wear such beautiful jewelry today to feel like a woman, would you like me to help you [feel] like one?" Kaze mused while walking up to her slowly.
She turned to him with a gaping expression and a beating heart. "I."
"You need only say the word, and I''ll guide the rest." He said in a tone that left her mesmerized.
,m "T-This is extremely unprofessional." Lady Roybock said while tucking a lock of her neck-length brown hair behind her ear.
"If it bothers you, say the word, and this barrier will disappear." Kaze replied, "However, if it doesn''t, then you needn''t concern yourself. I proved myself intelligent enough to hide my true nature for this long. Do you think me incapable of hiding something like this from others?"
"Were you really hiding at the beginning of the semester?" She asked in interest.
"I assure you, Lady Roybock. Everything you''re seeing was always within me." He chuckled, "It was only a matter of time before it showed."
Lady Roybock closed her eyes, and her chest rose and fell. "I don''t know what to say or do. So don''t expect anything from me."
Kaze smiled. "You needn''t do a thing. Just express yourself."
His hands reached around her neck, and his fingertips touched the inside wings of her shoulder des. The minute his fingers touched down, the tips lit up with pink light, and waves of pleasure washed over the professor as he glided his fingers around her shoulders.
"Mmhm~" Lady Roybock gasped. She didn''t know how he made waves of pleasure shoot through her back in aplexwork. However, she didn''t question it.
Kaze glided his fingertips down her red shirt to her breasts.
"Mmhm~" She moaned slightly as his fingers teased the top of her breasts and then detoured, contouring the outside, leaving her annoyedly unsatisfied. It only increased her lust.
He continued tracing her side, tracing her feminine curves before wrapping around her sides and holding her lower back.
"Kaze." Lady Roybock whispered, "Please don''t make me voice my desires."
"Say no further." Kaze said in a mesmerising voice while gently picking her up.
She felt her body lift into the air effortlessly as if nothing was stopping her from floating, and a momentter, she felt herself touch down on a desk in a sitting position.
Her heart began beating faster as Kaze traced her thighs down to her shins, the bottom of her tight white pencil skirt.
Lady Roybock gasped for breath as he lifted it and stopped above her knees. She thought he might have stopped, but she felt his smooth wool cks trace the inside of her legs before he continued.
Her breathing stopped as he pushed it to her lower thighs, and she could hear his breathing approaching her.
Without warning, his lips pressed against hers, and she opened her mouth, weing his tongue.
The emperor kissed her passionately, giving her the attention she felt in thest lecture but in a much more powerful way.
She released her inhibitions and grabbed the back of his neck, passionately kissing him and spreading her legs to ept him closer.
Kaze reached under the bottom of her shirt and pulled upward. Lady Roybock raised her hands, allowing the shirt to be ripped off her body.
Matching her passion, he ripped it off, threw it on the floor, unbuckled the greyced bra from her generous chest, and threw it toward the shirt.
The interaction only took a few seconds while Lady Roybock unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants with the passion that screamed her desire for him to be inside her.
When she finished, she dropped his cks, grabbed his luxurious red silk boxers, and tugged. However, she was left shocked, unprepared to face the resistance from his ten-inch penis.
Hepleted the action for her to match her desire and passion, not letting it die.
The second it was exposed, he pushed against her thighs to get close, reached beneath her skirt, and pushed her greyce panties out of the way, clearing the path to sexual desire.
"I need you inside me, Kaze." Lady Roybock groaned in anticipation.
Kaze parted her lips with his head and inserted it up to the tip. "Your wish is mymand, Lady Roybock."
"KazeeeeeeeeAhhhhhh!~" She screamed in pleasure, snapping her eyes open in fear that her scream could be heard.
He smiled and waved his hand, creating an igloo-sized barrier around them, closing out all noise from herputer and the fan in the corner of the room.
Once his demonstration was clear, she looked around. "This is sureeeeeeeEAL!~"
Lady Roybock screamed in pleasure as he thrust inward again. He pushed his finger to her forehead, and a new study of desire, theory, study, and practice entered her mind.
"I-I never knew." She whispered as she sorted through the information.
"But you will." Kaze said with a charming smile.
"I-I can''t belieeeeeeeve~!" Lady Roybock screamed, closing her keys shut and screaming downward to handle the incense pleasure she received.
Her body glowed in pink light as the warping Qi distorting the grey space around her drew to her body. It slowly marbled with the pink aura, turning it white on its journey into her body.
Kaze thrust his lips back onto hers as the two established a spiritual connection. Their two auras danced together in the warping space as he pleasured her, making her disconnect her lips and send a passionate scream to the sky.
She felt her entire body melt away as the two melded together, making them one. He closed his eyes, carefully leading her through the stages of cultivation, passionately teaching her body how to cultivate.
Their inner bodies passionately made love for fifteen minutes as the two spiritual bodies turned pure ck and white. When they were ready, she understood the value.
"K-Kaze, don''t cum in me. I cannot get pregnant." Lady Roybock gasped.
"You cannot get pregnant unless I let you." Kaze replied with a smile, touching her forehead to teach her the technique to remove fertility.
While it amazed her, she didn''t feelfortable. "While I can see you can do it, I won''t be able to sleep. Please let me ept your Yang Qi elsewhere."
"Say no further, Lady Roybock." He said while pulling himself from her body.
"It''s Frances." She demanded while standing, pushing her hands on his chest and falling to her knees.
Kaze chuckled before he felt her smooth mouth close around him. She wasn''t very experienced, but her passion felt charming to him.
He closed his eyes and helped guide her Yin Yi through her saliva, allowing it to enter his body through their spiritual connection before
A torrent of hot liquid filled her mouth. She epted it greedily, allowing it to fill her mouth until it couldn''t ept more.
She closed her eyes and waited until she couldn''t hold more, and he stopped his stream, allowing her time to look him in the eyes before swallowing. Then she opened her mouth to ept more.
Frances rolled her tongue around his member, epting as much as possible.
Power welled in her body in a tidal wave, gently opening her meridians as light warping Qi that Kaze controlled entered her body.
Oncepleted, she snapped out of her trance and looked up at Kaze, hesitant to look him in the eye. As a professor, she gave into lust and desperately slept with a student.
Kazeughed in amusement, causing her to look at him in confusion.
"Frances." He said charmingly, making her blush, "There''s still another thirty minutes left. If you needlessly worry about your reputation now, you won''t enjoy the rest of our closed testing period together."
Chapter 30 1 Day Until Contagion | 3 Days Until Apocalypse
Evalyn walked down the halls of Lockheed University, nervously trying to avoid or hoping to run into Kaze. She couldn''t decide.
Either way, she wanted to avoid Gregory, Timothy, and Samuel.
Her secure phone buzzed in her ck shoulder purse. She pulled it out discreetly and checked the message.
Uncle: Have you talked to Kaze yet?
Her eyes glided down the hall, trying to assess the situation. She decided to move to the bathroom to avoid peoplepletely. Once she closed the door, she replied.
Uncle: Did you talk to Kaze?
You: No. Not yet.
Uncle: Then don''t make contact with him until we figure out the situation.
Evalyn gave her phone a wry smile. Kaze had warped her world perception so extensively that she didn''t know how to respond.
While she didn''t want to look like she was enabling him, he had information integral to everyone''s life.
She took a deep breath.
You: I''m avoiding him, but it won''t matter after tomorrow.
Uncle: What do you mean?
You: Just trust me. Tomorrow, no government will have the time to focus on the incident.
Evalyn put her phone back into her purse, ignoring the next notification, and looked into the mirror to examine her eyes.
They had sloppy eyeliner, proof that her eyes were puffy when she applied it that morning.
She took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom. When she did, she immediately hid in a panic.
"I heard you''re throwing a party Friday. Is it true?" A cute brte asked a familiar face.
"It seems you heard correctly." Kaze replied with a charming smile, making the group of girls blush.
"He''s throwing a party!?" Evalyn cried breathlessly.
"Can wee?" A blonde asked while ying with a lock of hair.
"Of course." Heughed. "Do you think I''d disregard flowers of your caliber?"
The women turned bright red and turned away coquettishly. While they were embarrassed, they enjoyed the attention. They swayed back and forth in their white skirts.
Evalyn froze in disbelief when she noticed their outfits. She was staring at her fellow tennis team members! It was annoying and left her horrendously jealous immediately.
"Where are you holding it?" Another with dark brown hair asked.
"I''m not sure, as I''m uncertain where I can find a locationrge enough to house such an event." Kaze replied arrogantly, "We''ll need a central block with plenty of space."
The women giggled in bewilderment. "You sound quite confident."
"But of course. There are benefits to fame, no matter how disagreeable it may be." He replied with a slight smile.
"All fame is good fame." The blonde giggled, triggering the others to join in.
Evalyn scoffed breathlessly and hid. "No, it''s not."
"I''m not sure everyone would agree with that." Kaze chuckled, causing all the women tough awkwardly. It wasn''t particrly funny, but they were wrapped around his finger.
The cute brte covered her mouth when she giggled. "By the way, my name is Laura."
"Whitney." The blonde followed with a charming smile.
Lastly, the dark-haired brte turned away shyly. "Sammy. Also my block might work."
"Hoh? It would be helpful if you have a suitable location." Kaze said with a bright smile.
"But I don''t want trouble. How big are you thinking?" Sammy asked.
"Big enough to cause substantial trouble." He replied, triggering a round of giggles.
Evalyn scoffed breathlessly behind the wall she was stalking from. "They don''t even know."
"However, I have unlimited funds to reimburse any damage and will personally deal with cops and anyone else thates." Kaze said with a confident smile, "I''ll take full responsibility."
"You sound so confident dealing with the cops you''re certain wille." Laura giggled in bewilderment.
"Of course." He chuckled, "I''m ustomed to dealing with authority figures. I wouldn''t hold a party if I couldn''t do something so trivial."
"Do you have an insider with the police?" Sammy asked in confusion.
"No." Kaze chuckled, "But all people are the same. If you make them offers that they cannot refuse, they''ll acquiesce."
Evalyn''s eyes shot open, and she reflexively shot out from her hiding spot.
"Hoh, Evalyn." Kaze said with a charming smile, "I was wondering if you''d ever join us from behind that wall."
Evalyn froze and blushed, triggering her team members to burst into bewildered giggles.
"Wait. So you too [are] close!" Whitney giggled mockingly.
"No, we''re" Evalyn awkwardly began before being cut off.
"Come now, Evalyn. Anyone that watched the [Scrawn Fu Courts Honor Girl] video knows as much." Kaze chuckled, "There''s no reason to hide it when 100 million people know it''s true."
The video was filmed after she burst into his ssroom to take him to the administration building. He charmed her in the hallway and ran his fingers down her face to heal her eyes.
It was an instant sensation that swept the inte yet again.
Evalyn shut her eyes in embarrassment. "Our rtionship aside, that video grossly misinterpreted the situation."
"Just like this one?" Kaze asked while pointing his thumb at the people taking videos.
She sighed in disbelief. Her uncle told her five minutes prior to avoid Kaze; now she''d be stered on the inte speaking to him!
While her uncle had never seen Kaze in his non-illusionary form, he knew who the man was because his names matched; both Kaze and [Emperor].
"Kaze. We need to talk." Evalyn said in annoyance.
Kaze turned to the others. "Please excuse me. I have a conversation to have."
"W-Wait!" Sammy cried, "I need your number you know to help set up the party."
He gave her a charming smile. "Do you think I''d forget?"
The women watched in bewilderment as he pulled out business cards.
No, they weren''t business cards. They were nk cards with one line embossed and lined with gold leaf.
Kaze Lexicon: 888-283-1111
The cards, printed on luxurious 18pt thick paper, were extremely charming and excessively arrogant. The message was that it was an honor to get his phone number.
"When did you get time to make those?" Evalyn asked in disbelief.
Kazeugh-scoffed in disbelief. "When something is as important as this, people make time."
The women giggled as he handed them cards and waved, indicating he was off.
All three watched Evalyn walk away with him with narrowed gazes. She stole the spotlight, as always, and they were determined to win the strange man.
Everything was captured on video, and they were determined to make the most of it.
Meanwhile, Evalyn led Kaze to a Lamers Park bench facing theke.
"Is this your way of saying you want me to be serious?" Kaze asked mockingly, staring at theke he was thrown into over five millennia ago.
Evalyn averted her gaze. She shamelessly did so, knowing he''d understand. Still, she needed him to take things seriously.
"Kaze, are you reaching out to my teammates to ensure I go to this party of yours?" She asked in a serious voice.
"Of course. I''m not sure who they are, so I''m inviting everyone." He replied charmingly, "I''ll be teaching everyone the technique. Don''t you want them to be part of the faction?"
Her eyes shot open. "Kaze. You sent me offst night to think through things. Now you''re making decisions for my life? That''s maniptive."
Kaze scoffed in bewilderment. "And you''re stalking me in a hallway you had no reason to walk down today. But you don''t see me calling you a stalker."
Evalyn sent the sky a wry smile. "Kaze, do you want me to love you or not?"
"Of course, I want that." Heughed breathlessly.
"Then kiss me." She replied while turning to him.
He gave her a mocking smile. "So what? You have a reason to throw a fitter?"
Evalyn scoffed aggressively. "Well, that was rude. It''s not like I''m offering myself to you two days after you murdered thirty people in self-defense or anything."
Kaze scoffed and shook his head. "You''re throwing a jealous fit that I was talking to your teammates."
She pursed her lips and glided her eyes away. "Just kiss me, asshole."
"You''ll regret it." He replied, "I''m a sex cultivator, Evalyn. I will not change my ways after four and a half millennia. I don''t have time to deal with emotional conflicts at this critical time."
Evalyn''s eyes glided to the left as she noted that number for the future.
"Kaze. I just I want to experience this before the world goes to hell." She whispered.
Kaze turned to her with a conflicted gaze and then pped, standing up. "Okay, we''re off."
"You won''t kiss me in public, but you''ll take me home?" She giggled with a malicious smile.
His eyes widened, and then he turned his head, rolling his eyes.
"Taking you home?" He asked sarcastically, "Woman, if I could be swayed and give into your desires so easily, we wouldn''t be having this conversation."
Her eyes widened, and then they rxed into a dead expression. "Then where are we going?"
"To learn the Frosted des technique." Kaze replied with a slight smile, "You''ve been busy helping me, so you haven''t practiced it."
Evalyn''s expression went nk as she considered it.
"Nowe," He chuckled, "We''ll be able to go out into the forest. If you practiced it with your cultivation, you could destroy this area."
Chapter 31 June 19th, 2032 | [Frosted Blades]
Kaze and Evalyn took a shuttle to the edge of the Rimo Forest on the city''s outskirts. They sat in silence during the trip, with the former enjoying the scenery and Evalyn pouting that he was ignoring her.
When they arrived at the mountain''s base, Kaze pointed to the top. "Do you remember the t face rock at the top of this section of the mountain?"
Evalyn gave him a quizzical nce. "Yes?"
Heced his fingers and stretched his hands above his head. "Good. Meet me there."
"W-Wait, meet"
She watched in shock as Kaze ran up the hill at an absurd speed that would makepetitive track runners blush.
"That jerk!" Evalyn yelled before running after him with an annoyed look on her face.
Thirty minutester, she wandered through the forest near the top when she heard a voice.
"Eyoh! Seems you made it." Kaze said with a charming voice.
Evalyn looked up and saw him standing on top of a t rock face fifty feet in the air. "How did you? Hey, what are you doing!? Kaze"
Boom!
She covered her eyes as a cloud of dirt assaulted her eyes and coughed.
"Come now." Kaze chuckled, "You need to free yourself of old world standards."
Evalyn looked at him, back up at the rock face, and then back at him. Then she stumbled backward and fell on her butt. He was right next to her!
Thirty-foot falls into an ocean would kill a human three weeks ago, but Kaze jumped from a 50-foot rockface onto the earth and casually walked over to her.
"Free myself?" Sheughed awkwardly, "If I did that, I''d die, yes?"
Kaze gave her a cheeky smile while reaching out his hand. "Well, yes. Thank you for reminding me I''m amazing."
Evalyn pulled her hand away in annoyance and stood up on her own.
"Yes, that word describes you. It fits in with the words asshole, narcissist, and criminal." She said with a scrunched-up face.
"I prefer the words generous, confident, and alive." He replied with a charming smile.
The blonde turned away from him, trying not tough.
"Come now. I saw a pond over in the distance that will be perfect." Kaze said while walking.
"You''re walking this time? That''s a shock." Evalyn scoffed.
He turned to her and sent her a slight smile. "Yes. I''m ustomed to following a woman''s pace when there''s time to enjoy theirpany."
Evalyn''s eyes filled with indigent rage. "Do you have to"
A cold gust of breeze hit her, and she turned to the source, widening her eyes in shock. The emperor was twirling an ice dagger in his fingers.
It was crystal clear with an intricate hilt carved with artistic engravings. The de had floral designs that grooved through it, reflecting the light.
"Hoh? You''re interested in cultivation?" Kaze mused mockingly, "I thought you came here just toin I won''t sleep with you."
Her eyes became crazed and her wry smile curved in a malicious signal of her mental state. However, she dropped it as the de in his hand filled her mind with endless curiosity.
"That technique." Evalyn asked.
"Is Frosted des." Kaze replied with a mysterious smile.
He lifted his hands, and the atmosphere plummeted, drawing moisture from the air and developing two dozen intricately designed des.
Each swirled in the air, releasing gas like dry ice.
She stared at the hovering des in a trance before
Whoooooosh!
A dozen des left gas trails through the air as they shot into the forest.
Evalyn looked just in time to watch them slice through a tree from all sides. She watched the sight in surreal disbelief as the tree tipped over.
"Wait, what."
BOOM!
The forest trembled as the tree hit the ground. Evalyn turned to him in shock, demanding answers.
"What the hell was that?" She snapped.
Kaze scoffed in annoyance. "How long will you retain that habit of denying my words and questioning the obvious?"
Evalyn took a deep breath. "That''s Frosted des, right? How can you use that technique?"
"I''m a fifth ne immortal. If I couldn''t use a sky-grade technique, I''d hang myself from the Tree of Immortality." Kazeugh-scoffed in exasperation.
"If it were still possible oh, heh. I guess it is, isn''t it?" He mused under his breath in amusement.
He remembered that the man gave him the technique to restore the Tree of Immortality. Turns out, he did just that.
Evalyn''s head cocked in perplexion, unsure why his arrogance shifted.
"What? Never mind. The cultivator said that no one else could use this technique because they didn''t have my body." She asked.
Kazeughed and gave her an amused smile.
"That''s why you don''t take advice from ants." He chuckled, "Anyone can cultivate any technique. They''re weak; therefore, they think like the weak. Come, I''ll show you."
The two entered a meadow of lush green forest with a small, crystal clear pond. There was a wooden sign that said, Skaller Pond.
It looked like a smallke with defined shores,cking the marshy area full of weeds that defined ponds. A major stream led into it, and various small streams exited it.
The area was surrounded by trees, seeping in the final rays of sunshine before sunset began.
Everything looked surreal and beautiful. It was the type of area women would love for a date spot. Evalyn didn''t have any interest in that, but she still found it breathtaking.
"Now, sit." Kaze instructed while picking up arge stick and sitting under a tree.
Sheplied, sat in the lotus position, and turned to him.
"There are four types of five types of Qi." He exined, "Elemental Qi, which is general for all things is the Qi everyone is using."
Evalyn listened with an intrigued expression. He had never taught her anything before.
"Using Elemental Qi, you can alter thews of physics however you wish." He continued.
"Then there''s Yin and Yang Qi. When cultivators [breathe] Qi, it goes through a cycle, processed through the body and mixed with the individual''s spirit.
In males, it develops into Yang Qi, and in females Yin Qi. Those types of Qi can only be mined ifbined through dual cultivation. They mix, and the bodies sharebined resources."
Evalyn''s eyes widened, and she blushed furiously before turning away.
"The fourth type is soul Qi, which is released after the death of a being or organism rich with Qi." Kaze chuckled, "Lastly, there''s spiritual Qi, which interacts with a person''s mind."
She turned back to him to listen again. His ambivalence toward the subject made her realize how impersonal dual cultivation was to him.
"Using these types of Qi, anyone can cultivate any technique." Kaze exined, "However, natural physicses to reap the souls of those foolish enough to cultivate techniques beyond their means."
Evalyn''s ears perked up, ready to receive her answer.
"Observe." He said with a slight smile while holding his left arm out and raising therge stick above his head.
Her eyes widened in shock, and her heart pumped adrenaline, causing her to close her eyes in panic as he swung down.
SNNAAAAP!
"How am I supposed to demonstrate if you don''t watch?" Kaze scoffed in annoyance.
Evalyn opened her eyes and found that his arm was in the same position without a scratch. She looked down and found half of the stick on the ground and Kaze waving the other half in his right hand.
"How.?" She whispered.
"This is a body constitution." Kaze said with an amused smile, "My body makes me generally resistant to elemental conditions and impervious to most attacks. However"
He looked her in the eyes, capturing her full attention.
"It doesn''t stop me from getting frostbite if I''m too exposed." He said with a charming half-smile.
Evalyn''s eyes widened in understanding. "That."
Kaze smiled and turned away.
"To use certain techniques safely, you must follow a special path. If you don''t, the technique will kill you. That''s why those ants found your technique useless." Kaze chuckled.
"That''s also why I don''t use ice cultivation techniques. However, that doesn''t mean I can''t use them if I know them."
Evalyn wanted to ask why he knew the technique, but she already knew the answer. It was surreal getting constant reminders.
"You can use these techniques faster in your cultivation journey than any other ice cultivator because your body tempers against the cold as you cultivate." Kaze said.
"That''s the only thing that makes you special. Remember that before you get killed by a skilled mortal with a weak cultivation technique."
"I will." Evalyn said in a haze.
"Okay." He said with a p, "Cultivate for an hour. We''ll start once you''re replenished."
Chapter 32 June 19th, 2032 | Dance Of The Ice Phoenix
The atmosphere around Skaller Pond became cloudy at sunset, giving an unnatural eeriness to the area as hues of purple and orange reflected against the fog.
Water from the pond slowly pulled into the air and turned to crystals before swirling in an unnatural breeze, creating a vortex.
Kaze watched Evalyn cultivate with a nostalgic smile. He had epted the death of the woman she once was and the life of the one before him.
Evalyn didn''t need to create ice when cultivating. However, the Elemental Qi intake was higher, and the body tempering had profound benefits. As a result, the old Evalyn sky almost exclusively used it when it didn''t give away her position.
An hour and a half passed before she snapped out of her trance. Her body shivered due to the cold, and she looked around. Kaze was watching her with a gentle smile.
They locked eyes for a moment before he snapped his fingers.
"Ah, yes." Kaze chuckled while waving his hands.
The atmosphere heated up instantly, and the frost she didn''t notice on her body melted, drenching her clothing.
"Let''s get started." He said while standing up.
Evalyn nodded hesitantly and stood, looking toward the trees opposite of him.
"Step one. Visualize the cultivation blueprint in your mind." He instructed.
"Then use your imagination to design a de. The more refined the mental image is, the stronger your technique will be."
She blinked twice. "The technique didn''t say that I had to do that."
"It didn''t tell you to?" Kaze scoffed, "What do you think cultivation is? A video game where you acquire prebuilt skills?"
Evalyn turned away in shame. "I don''t know."
"That''s why you should just do what I said." He scoffughed breathlessly, "Look."
She turned back to him and watched in a trance as he developed a sword out of a thin area, followed by a spear, and ended with a modernbat knife.
"Your technique isn''t designed to create objects." Kaze said, "Most ice techniques do that. Frosted des makes the ice sharp and durable so it can be used as a real de, and allows you to swing the des in the air.."
Evalyn''s heart thumped with excitement.
"As you can see, I made abat knife from the Mortal ne." He continued, "For now, focus on des you''ve seen so that your imagination doesn''t have to create the object."
She took a deep breath and summoned the blueprint. White air swirled above her hand until it formed an object.
Evalyn opened her eyes and looked at it in excitement, then looked up to see Kaze giving her a mocking smile. "What?"
"Are you going to kill your enemies with a pocket knife?" Kaze asked with a mocking smile.
She created a realistic de on her first try, but it was a three-inch pocket knife for daily practical use.
Evalyn huffed and turned away. "You told me to create something that I''ve seen."
The emperor smiled, and his eyes glided to the left. "I suppose I did say that, didn''t I?"
She turned to him with an annoyed re.
"Very well, make this then." Kaze chuckled while summoning a basicbat dagger and handing it to her.
Evalyn couldn''t feel the cold on her hand, so she gripped it and noticed how sturdy it felt.
She examined it closely, taking all details into ount, before she closed her eyes and summoned another object.
A new de materialized in her hand. While it looked the same, the weights were different, and the sharpness wasn''tparable. Theparison made her frown.
"Come now." Kaze chuckled, "You have centuries to master the technique. For now, resummon the cultivation blueprint in your mind and have your de hover."
Evalyn nodded with a determined expression. The de levitated a few inches, making the blonde extremely excited. However, the moment she got excited, the de went haywire, awkwardly fumbling in the air.
"Take a deep breath and concentrate." Heughed, "Feel the Qi in your environment and then create a mental image of how you want it to move."
She tried for five minutes but couldn''t make it do more than levitate and move around a little bit.
"Here, try this." Kaze said with a mysterious smile while summoning a replica of [her] shoddy de.
He dropped it into the area, letting it levitate, and then he used his finger to draw an eight. The de''s tip stayed fixed in Evalyn''s direction but moved in a figure-eight motion.
"Stabilize it in ce and then guide it with your finger. That allows you to visualize it naturally." Kaze suggested.
Evalyn watched everything in a trance before looking down at her floating de. She stared at it while putting down Kaze''s de and then used her mind to stabilize it.
After it was fixed, she began guiding it with her finger. To her amazement, it followed her finger.
Lost in fascination, she began gliding her hand through the air, allowing her ice creation to ebb and flow to her will. The motion increased her understanding and feeling for Qi in the atmosphere, and she began dancing around to increase its full range of motion.
Kaze gave the woman a gentle smile, enjoying it. He hadn''t seen Evalyn look that free and expressive until long after he originally met her.
Evalyn Skye, the Ice Pheonix. She didn''t thaw for anyone for centuries; he only gazed upon her true form in theirter years together.
Yet had got to witness her inner self without barriers pre-apocalypse. For a moment, the old Evalyn Skye transposed over the present, gracefully guiding her younger form in the dance.
Evalyn stopped dancing and looked at his nostalgic gaze. "Am I not doing it right?"
Kaze snapped out of his emotional state.
"You''re doing it perfectly." He replied with a slight smile, "Now increase the distance between you and the de. Once you get a feeling for it, increase and decrease the distance."
Her eyes sparkled after his affirmation, and she continued, allowing the de to move closer and farther from her. The motion wasn''tbat-ready, but her talent showed, given she had never practiced it.
The practice continued until dark. Evalyn was exhausted, and Kaze picked her up in a princess carry.
"W-What are you doing?" She cried.
"Taking you home. Right now, you''re focusing on mental strength, so save your strength." He chuckled.
"But I can stillKAZE!" Evalyn screamed as she felt her center of gravity shift. She looked to the side and saw dark outlines of trees pass by her face at a rate that would kill a mortal if they crashed.
She screamed and then hugged him, burying her face in his chest.
"I wouldn''t rmend that you ever look away in a life threatening situation." Kaze chuckled as he jumped over a major boulder at 20 miles an hour, shifting through trees effortlessly.
"L-Life threatening!?" Evalyn cried.
"Oh, love. Everything is life threatening if you''re not ying attention." Heughed as he continued moving.
After five gruesome minutes, Evalyn felt her body fall as she called a shuttle. The blonde looked mildly traumatized, but he ignored herpletely.
It took her an hour and a half to get to the top of the mountain using her athletic build and the excessive strength gained from her cultivation.
Yet he made it to the bottom with her in his arms in five minutes! Her fear melted into fascination the more she thought about it.
Fifteen minutester, the shuttle came to pick them up, and they glided to his house, where he exited alone.
"Meet me there tomorrow morning at 7 am. We''re skipping ss." Kaze ordered with a hypnotic voice.
"Okay wait. If we''re doing this in the morning, can I." Evalyn whispered.
"No-pe~" He smacked, "If you want me to aid you with sexual relief, you can practice your mental image training at the same time."
Evalyn''s eyes filled with murderous rage when she connected his statement and maic smile. However, she scoffed and admitted it was charming. "Tomorrow, then. Jerk."
"I love you too." Kaze chuckled while walking away.
She could only watch his back with aplex expression, trying to decipher the level of truth hidden within his joke.
Chapter 33 June 20th, 2032 | 2 Days Remaining
Evalyn journeyed to Rimo Forest in the morning and made her way to the top of the mountain. Kaze wasn''t on the rock face, so she retraced her steps to the pond.
She stopped to examine the tree that he had felled the day before. The sight left her bewildered.
A dozen daggers sliced into it at a 45-degree angle and curved downward simultaneously, cleanly slicing the tree in half in a beautiful pattern.
It told her that he was teaching that power isn''t developed by raw force but rather by control and fundamental understanding.
Evalyn walked into the area in a mental haze but snapped out of it when she saw Kaze cultivating with a serious expression on his face.
"Create a de." He said without opening his eyes, "Your goal for today is to cut down a tree."
She nodded and closed her eyes. Moisture in the atmosphere cooled, recreating the de from yesterday but with far more refinement.
Evalyn practiced for a few minutes, allowing the de to fly around her, moving nearer and farther with her thoughts.
The de abruptly stopped in the air, and she put her hands down and closed her eyes.
Another air dance began, only without her hands guiding it. Kaze opened his eyes and watched the de drifting around slowly with a warm smile.
Evalyn opened her eyes and watched the de recreate the emotions from her dance in amusement until she saw Kaze''s vibrant green eyes staring at her.
She turned bright red, and the de dropped to the ground.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Evalyn asked.
"I''m teaching you how to use your technique, and you''re embarrassed that I''m looking at you?" Kazeughed in disbelief.
Her eyes filled with annoyance, and she reflexively used her technique to lift the de to look intimidating. However, her mind became hazy, and the de shot across the ground at Kaze.
Evalyn''s eyes widened in shock and fear.
Crack!
The sound of shattering ice filled the atmosphere. With surreal speed, Kaze moved out of the way and used his thumb and middle finger to flick the dagger, shattering it.
She stared at him in shock. Her eyesight had improved exponentially, slowing the motions until she could barely see his after image flicking it.
"Just like that. Only at a tree, and not your teacher." Kaze said in a charming voice.
Evalyn snapped out of her haze and realized she did use the de to attack. "Why did it attack like that?"
"While you create and control the des, the technique aligns with your basic intent. Since it''s an offensive technique, it''s sensitive to attacking intent." He said with a slight, mocking smile.
She blushed in embarrassment and then turned away to make another de.
Boom!
A dagger hit a tree at full speed, causing the branches to shake and leaves to fall to the ground.
Evalyn stared at the tree in frustration. It was riddled with dozens of puncture marks, but it wasn''t enough to make it fall.
"Come now." Kaze chuckled, "Surely you saw the tree on the way in."
Her eyes filled with understanding, and her lips pursed into a wry smile.
"I just figured I wouldn''t have that level of control." Evalyn said bitterly, "I could barely make my des dance, let alone swing twelve simultaneously at an angle."
Kaze scoffed. "Your des almost yed a mortal earlier, yet you''ve already forgotten that they sensitively align to your intent?"
"You''re not a mortal and that wasn''t my intent!" She snapped in annoyance.
"If I were a normal mortal, I''d be dead, and your weak intent would have killed me." He scoffughed, "Don''t you think if you meant to attack me, it''d have better control?"
Evalyn froze,ing to terms with the consequences of failure.
"I''m alive, so wipe that concern off your face. Study your blueprint to see how you can make your dagger swing, and murder that tree." Kaze scoffed while rolling his eyes.
She took a deep breath andplied.
Snap, snap, snap! Boom!
A small tree fell to the ground, snapping branches from the neighboring trees as it fell to the earth.
Evalyn fell to her knees, taking long breaths with sweat dripping down her face.
Kaze pped five times methodically. "Well done. It seems there''s a Phoenix in you yet."
She looked at him in confusion. "Phoenix?"
"It''s nothing. Just a bit a [legend] from the future." He said mysteriously.
"Is that so?" She asked suspiciously, wondering about her past self.
"Now,e. We have to learn another technique." Kaze said with a slight smile.
"Another technique?" Evalyn asked, "I haven''t be proficient in this one."
"True, but this one doesn''t require much self control, and it''s useful." He replied with a ghostly smile.
She stared at him in confusion until she noticed his fingering toward her forehead.
"Wait! Don''t just put stuff in my"
Her eyes clouded over as she parsed through the profound information flooding her mind.
"head. Why is this useful?"
Kaze chuckled. "Surely you see it''s general value, yes?"
Evalyn''s filled with annoyance. "Of course I do! I''m asking why it''s useful now."
He gave her another strange smile. "Because you need a practice dummy, and I need you to use that on me."
Her mouth fell open, and she stared at him with trembling eyes. "You can''t be serious."
"Sure I am!" Kaze replied with a wide smile, "Otherwise, I wouldn''t waste my time teaching you this when you have a multi-purpose offensive technique."
Evalyn trembled in fear, uncertain what to say.
"Now get up and start practicing it." He ordered with a smile, "If you can''t use it correctly it''s useless."
"Kaze. You''re not going to say, [You fool! Why would you trust anyone telling you to attack them? Are you mad!?], are you?" Evalyn asked mockingly.
"Of course not." Kaze chuckled, "I''m not a good teacher."
She gave him a wry smile and took a deep breath.
Kaze was wearing red silk boxers; otherwise, he waspletely bare.
"Do you at least want me to avoid you you know." Evalyn said awkwardly while looking at his bewilderingly generous package.
"Penis? No. Body tempering is useless if you don''t use it on everything." He replied casually.
"If I always did that, my member would explode if an immortal walked into the area.
This method of body tempering is extremely disagreeable, but there are no treasures on the Mortal ne yet. So it''s necessary."
Evalyn nervously swallowed while getting into position. "Okay are you ready?"
Kaze gave her a slight smile. "Any century now."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Remember that you asked for this! Razor Flurry!"
A vortex of air developed around her hands, and then a blizzard wind shot thousands of shards of ss-like ice as Kaze.
"Gahhhhhhh!" A voice groaned in the flurry.
When the air cleared, Evalyn stared at Kaze''s body in horror. He was riddled with thousands of cuts, and his face, back, and legs were bleeding.
He dropped to his knees and smashed face first into the ground.
"KAZE!" Evalyn screamed in horror as she approached his bloodied corpse. She pulled him onto his back to ess the damage.
Tears fell from her eyes as she saw his face swallowing blood to keep breathing.
"Kaze." She whispered, "Why did you make me."
"You should see your face right now." Kazeughed breathlessly.
His acting ceased, and a golden light enveloped his body. Evalyn watched in disbelief as the thousands of cuts she created healed.
"Do you think I''d ask you to cut my penis if I couldn''t repair the damage?" Heugh-scoffed in bewilderment, "Are you mad?"
Evalyn''s eyes filled with murderous rage. "You were riddled with enough cuts to kill you from blood loss, and you''re thinking exclusively about your dick?"
"Of course I am. What do you take me for? A faithful eunuch?" He scoffed.
Her face flushed with annoyance as she stared at his mocking expression on the ground. She was still on her knees with her face close to his.
Kaze looked into her trembling eyes with a deep gaze, remembering her Frosted des dance from the day before. The two Evalyns transposed onto each other.
Evalyn lost control looking at him and aggressively pushed her lips on his.
Chapter 34 12 Hours Until Contagion | The Third Influx | Two Days Remain
Evalyn lost control looking at him and aggressively pushed her lips on his. His eyes widened in shock, and he wanted to throw her off, but he couldn''t. No, he didn''t want to.
He reached up and embraced her cheek, pulling her into a less awkward position as he opened his mouth, allowing her tongue to enter.
She immediately pushed forward, passionately kissing him between gasping breaths.
They kissed on the ground for three minutes, engaged in deep passion.
Evalyn disconnected her mouth and took a sharp breath. "Kaze, please take me. I want to experience sex before the world goes to hell before this feeling bes impossible."
Kaze closed his eyes and took a few breaths before turning back to her.
"Evalyn, I know you want that as much as I do." He said seriously, "But I''ll continue sleeping with women tomorrow, the next day, and the next. You''re not going to change that, so I don''t want to hurt you by giving false perceptions."
Her mood dropped instantly, and a cool feeling washed over her. "Can''t you cultivate with me?"
"Of course, I can." Heughed breathlessly, "It would be the fastest way for us both to gain power."
"Then why not? There won''t be anyone on this ne more powerful." Evalyn asked in bitter confusion.
"Because I became a dual cultivator to cope with your death, and I''ve been this way for thousands of years." Kaze replied before taking a deep breath.
"Think of your habits at neen, then live your life with the same habits two hundred times."
Evalyn''s eyes widened in shock. She wasn''t prepared for his admission.
"So instead of hurting yourself by offering yourself and then feeling cheated on, just try to love me for who I am, not who you wish I were." He requested.
"It''s not that easy." She replied with a bitter expression.
"Trust me, Evalyn." Kaze chuckled half-heartedly, "I know."
A static pulse ripped through Evalyn''s body when she pieced together his words. She looked into his eyes and saw a deep pain he hid from the world.
"Kaze are the emotions I feel from you directed solely on my past self?" Evalyn asked.
Kazeughed and gently pushed her off of him.
"Not at all. I love the same things about the current you as I did the old you." He said gently, "That''s why I refuse to hurt you with my [de-baucherous ways]."
He cheekily emphasized thest words as he stood and shook his red silk boxers to get the dirt off them.
Evalynughed bitterly but couldn''t stay angry. He somehow twisted her emotions until she was epting again.
Kaze walked over to his backpack and started pulling out clothing.
"Hey, Kaze?" She called out.
The emperor turned to face her. "Yes?"
Evalyn''s blushed furiously, causing him to look down. His ten-inch member was hanging down, proof that she assaulted him with a blizzard of razor des ten minutes prior.
Kaze looked back up at her blushing face again. "Why are you so mortified? Isn''t this what you wanted thirty seconds ago?"
"Yeah, I did. Now I''m praticing not wanting it. So cover up, you ass!" She snapped.
Heughed and turned around and continued pulling out his clothes.
"Women. So powerful yet oh so sensitive." Kaze chuckled while stripping his boxers and putting on new ones.
Evalyn snuck nces at his body. She couldn''t help it and knew he didn''t mind.
Once he finished dressing, he turned around with a charming smile. "Now,e. There''s a long way to the top of that mountain."
His voice was so hypnotic that she didn''t realize he was announcing something. She turned around, following the finger he was pointing.
Evalyn''s eyes widened in shock when she saw what he was pointing at.
"M-Mount Limon?" She stuttered, "We''re an hour flight to the base of that mountain!"
Kaze chuckled and gave her a cheeky smile. "I told you there was a long way."
"You''re serious?" Evalyn asked hesitantly.
"Of course. Would you like me to princess carry you?" He asked mockingly.
The blonde puffed out her cheeks and replied sarcastically. "Yes."
"If that''s what you wish." Kaze replied with a malicious smile.
"W-Wait, I was jokingKAZE!" Evalyn cried as he circled her at a ghostly speed and scooped her into his arms.
She struggled at first but lost vitality when she saw him moving in the daylight. Trees passed them at a dizzying rate, but the running didn''t feel bumpy.
Evalyn looked down and saw that Kaze was moving in leaps fifteen feet or longer and only slowing down from the need to avoid trees.
"You look like you''re gliding." She whispered.
"I am. Just wait until you can fly." Kaze replied with a slight smile.
"F-Fly!?" Evalyn cried.
"You heard correctly. So don''t make me go deaf." He said while rolling his eyes.
"Wait, you mean like those ants?" She asked.
Kaze gave her an evil grin. "Exactly. Now hold on."
"Hold on? Wait, KAZE, WAIT!" Evalyn yelled in sheer fear as he jumped off a cliff, closing her eyes and gripping his chest, preparing for impact.
However, no impact ever came. Evalyn opened her eyes and saw new trees passing by her.
"Wait why didn''t we touch the ground?" She asked.
"Oh, that? We''re gliding on Qi." Kaze chuckled, "I just jumped to the ground yesterday to show off."
"I knew it!" Evalyn snapped. However, she did find it amusing, so she let go and watched the scenery pass.
The farther they went, the more she trusted him. She feltfortable in his arms.
Once the two reached a road, Kaze grinned. He picked up the pace, using a movement technique to maximize their speed.
Evalyn''s eyes shot open as they elerated, and her heart started pumping.
As he ran, the two reached forty miles an hour, and he didn''t stop for anything. They sped through farnd, forests, and all other terrains at the same speed.
They flew through the area for hours, leaving herfortable and rxed.
Evalyn giggled as she watched Kaze disregard no trespassing signs with their owners in sight. He didn''t even blink at them and continued moving as they came yelling.
Sheughed when he jumped over shuttles on the roads and passed through small towns, bewildering the townsfolk.
Kaze did everything with the same ambivalent expression and didn''t calm down when they reached Mount Limon. He kept running, disregarding trails, fences, and signs along the way.
They didn''t slow down until they reached the timberline. There was snow on the ground and a chilly breeze.
Evalyn exhaled, and hot steam rose from her breath. Yet she didn''t feel cold, and her arms didn''t have goosebumps. The sight was surreal proof of her changes.
After another five minutes of navigation, Kaze looked around. "This will do."
He turned around, and she saw what was hidden behind his chest.
"Wow." Evalyn said while looking over the mountain. The sun was setting over the horizon, turning the white mountain into a sea of oranges, reds, and blues.
She could see the cityscape and everything behind it as well.
It finally urred to her that they were on one of thergest mountains in the world. The two shouldn''t be able to breathe without gas masks, yet they casually overlooked the area from the top as if it were only natural.
Kaze let her down, pulled a nket out of his backpack, andid it on the ground.
Evalyn giggled at how gentlemanly he was and sat on it.
"Are weing here for a romantic date?" She mused.
Kaze''s slight smile became wry. "No, we''re here to cultivate."
"Cultivate? Doesn''t my physique allow me to do that wherever?" She looked at him in confusion.
"It can. We''re here because the next influx of Qi urs an hour from now." He said solemnly, "So we''re cultivating it at its purest because we can handle it."
Evalyn looked into his solemn eyes. She turned back to face the world and chose her words carefully. "Other people won''t be able to, even at the bottom. Will they?"
Kaze nodded. "They won''t. People will start getting very sick after the influx. Even those who haven''t shown symptoms of Qi Sickness will fall ill."
Her eyes trembled. "What about my family?"
"I don''t know. But to prevent issues, you should teach your mother the cultivation technique that I''m posting online and tell your uncle to do so with his wife and kids." He said.
"Is it a special technique?" Evalyn asked.
Kaze shook his head. "No, it''s just a shy upper-mortal-grade technique. However, only those who can cultivate it can enter Immortal Skye, no exceptions."
"You''re serious." She whispered.
"Yes. If there''s even one exception, the faction will devolve into chaos, and members will demand to bring their family and friends." He said.
"When I refuse, the faction members will turn on your mom due to favoritism ims. Bodies will pile up, and only raw force will keep order."
Evalyn''s eyes filled with shock. "But you''re the faction leader and the strongest person. Who would be foolish enough to question you?"
Kaze looked into her eyes. "Desperate people. The weak will summon all of their resources to force the strong to do what they want; they''ll trample upon your generosity, spit on your intentions, and smother you with their desires."
"Don''t you think your viewpoint is a bit extreme?" She asked hesitantly.
"Wait a week and ask me that again." He scoffed.
"In the meantime, teach cultivation to your family and don''t help people.
No exceptions. It''s better if you don''t learn these lessons the hard way."
Evalyn nodded and turned to him as the sun passed over the horizon. "Kaze will you kiss me onest time before the Qi influx?"
Kaze smiled and turned to her. "Just this once."
He caressed her cheek and then guided them forward until their lips met. The kiss felt like itsted forever, and they reveled in it.
After they disconnected their lips, Kaze pointed into the distance. "It''s almost time."
Evalyn sat back down and watched the horizon where he was pointing. Ten minutester, a white warp gate opened in the sky, flooding Earth with bright white light.
Not just there. She could see dozens of warp gates opening in the skies above them from the mountain.
"Get into position, Evalyn." Kaze instructed while entering the lotus position.
Evalyn gave him a worried nce and then closed her eyes. "Ready."
Less than a minuteter, massive pulses ripped through the earth. When the first hit Evalyn, her heart stopped momentarily, and she clutched her chest.
The snow in their area rose from the earth as Qi pulled it toward her in a misty vortex.
"Breathe, Evalyn." Kaze instructed, "If you don''t control your Qi intake your the Crystal Divinity technique will push Qi into your meridians until you die. Don''t forget that using frost tempering will also kill you if you don''t regte it carefully."
Evalyn opened her eyes to face him. When she did, she saw the entire area warping.
There was an invisible wall preventing a blizzard tornado from reaching them.
She immediately got her breathing under control and summoned the Crystal Divinity blueprint in her mind to regte her breathing.
"I''m ready." Evalyn said.
"Okay. Take in deep breaths and prepare for hell." Kaze replied.
He released his barrier, and two vortexes instantly crashed into each other, turning their worlds crystalline white.
Chapter 35 June 21st, 2032 | Contagion | 1 Day Remaining
----
The Emperor''s Cultivation Technique; First 2500 People To Prove It On Video Are Guaranteed Entrance to Immortal Skye Faction.
Views: 931,382,178 | +199,283,178
Date: June 21st, 2032
-
[Deleted]: I got it! It''s a cultivation technique. The normal kind fyi >.< | +198,283,878
Retromingent: Figures it''d be a girl. | +101,101,102
Woningmey_: Teach me! | +99,281,377
Chuckwa: Lol, she deleted her ount. | +73,283,183
Yoniquiddy72: She got 98 million replies. I bet her phone sounded like a machine gun XD | +88,282,554
Erythraean: I can''t wait until Scrawn Fu posts his video. It''s going to break Yanko. | +123,823,187
Katabothron: Scrawn Fu = Lost Emperor = Emperor. There can''t be a coincidence. | +39,283,117
Bionergy: it would be better if they were two people so he could mentor him | +44,283,199
Oligomania: I''d love it if Scrawn Fu mentored me too. | +78,938,188
Clodhopper: The fact that people are fighting over who would mentor who shows Scrawn Fu''s the GOAT. | +58,938,188
Razzmatazz: 108 million views? He posted this 5 minutes ago. Wtf. | +83,283,993
Pravity: Update from one minuteter: 155 million views. | +95,981,812
Kazz_Rompkin: 20 minutes, and it''s already at 300 million. This is crazy. XD | +39,283,123
Quantulum: No exceptions? Lulz. | +66,837,211
Lasco_Treatz: He said he''s posting a video of every person in the faction cultivating the technique. There''s no hired help. It''s just faction members there. | +92,831,839
Raticide: If that''s true, then the emperor proves he''s a legend yet again! | +38,182,222
-----
Evalyn put her phone down and took a deep breath, waiting for her uncle to arrive.
It was early in the morning, and her foot was tapping. She didn''t want to meet with her uncle about Kaze''s case when the world was going to hell.
Daniel walked into the kitchen and epted a cup of coffee from a housekeeper before heading to the table. "Good morning."
Evalyn gave him a wry smile. "Good morning, uncle."
He motioned for the housekeepers to leave the room and then turned to Evalyn with his crystal blue eyes.
"Why haven''t you messaged me?" Daniel asked with a sharp smile, "Is it because you''ve spent time with Kaze, I wonder?"
"Did your preparations to scold me prevent you from paying attention to traffic or reading the news?" Evalyn asked with a mocking smile.
Daniel frowned. "What do you mean?"
She turned on the TV to the new station. "I''ll just leave this here to remind [you] that I said it wouldn''t matter."
"Evalyn, what are you talking about? Kaze?" He asked dryly.
"The world''s going to hell, uncle." She replied, "We need to stop ying games, help Kaze all our resources, and teach this cultivation technique to everyone."
Danielughed in bewilderment. "Investigators showed up at my house yesterday. And you''re telling me that I should just stop talking about it and put my job, reputation, and life on the line?"
"Uncle, if you don''t, you won''t have a job." Evalyn replied, "Everyone''s getting Qi Sickness right now, and you''re ignoring it."
"Qi sickness?" Heughed, "The government already debunked it as a hoax. Now, you''re asking me to help your murderous boyfriend with his faction? Are you mad?"
"I should have asked you to show up after the broadcast." She scoffed while rolling her eyes.
"What broadcast?" Daniel frowned.
Every phone in the house red with an emergency rm, sending messages to everyone. The TV switched to another broadcast as well.
-
[Breaking News! The government is asking all non-essential work citizens to remain in their homes for the rest of the day.
A mandatory curfew of 10 pm is being ced on the city.
If you or your loved ones are experiencing Qi Sickness symptoms, stay indoors to prevent further exposure, and.]
-
"Send your address to the YHA, and we''ll contact you." Evalyn smacked,pleting the person''s words verbatim, showcasing the power y preparations she had made with Kaze the night before.
Daniel stared at her in shock, simultaneously embarrassed, terrified, and confused.
"Uncle. This sickness is caused by people being incapable of circting Qi." She exined.
"The military has already figured that out, so they''ll be searching for Kaze for professional, not criminal, reasons.
So it''s okay to support him, but don''t release his identity under any circumstances."
He awkwardlyughed and stared at her in disbelief.
"You''re telling me that an epidemic is breaking out, Kaze is being sought after [more] aggressively, and I''m supposed to openly support him while kicking the military to the curb?"
"That''s exactly what I''m saying, Uncle," Evalyn replied mockingly.
"If you don''t, Kaze will disappear, and you and your family won''t get into Immortal Skye.
The military is searching for him because he canbat this sickness; don''t you think that being near him is important for your family?
It''s bad enough he won''t let our families in by default."
Daniel''s eyes trembled, and then he snapped back to focus. "We can''t get into Immortal Skye by default? Hah. I have everything set up for Immortal Skye in my name!"
? "It''s been thirty minutes, and there are half a billion views on one post he made. Do you think he needs [you] to set up a faction?" Evalynughed sharply.
"You''re also missing the point. Being in Immortal Sky is irrelevant without Kaze.
Otherwise, it''s just a glorified set of mansions with dangerous people, angry that you swindled them into thinking he''d be there."
He turned away with a bitter expression.
"You''re talented, but Kaze chose you because you''re my uncle. That''s it." She said, "So don''t feel entitled because of it or you''ll get burned."
"Heh. So it''s true." Danielughed bitterly.
"Yes, it''s true." Evalyn confirmed, "But he''s not letting me, mom, or dad into the faction unless we learn the cultivation technique."
"Wait, what?" Daniel asked in confusion.
"There are no exceptions, uncle." She replied, "For this reason. Everyone would demand he give people cultivation techniques and help them and their families otherwise."
He rubbed his temples with his thumbs. "I see the issue."
"Now go home now. There''s an hour before a riot breaks out in Walterwood." Evalyn warned.
"It won''t be serious, but you''ll get stuck there for hours, and right now, you need to start teaching your family that cultivation technique so they''ll get into the faction."
"Why do you know that?" Daniel asked.
"Kaze is a lot more connected than you think." She replied mockingly, "While you''re staring at falsified news and iming it to be truth, he has real information."
Daniel''s eyes widened, and then he gave her a wry smile. "Okay, I''m off. I''ll try to convince your stubborn father to take your warnings seriously, crazy girl."
Evalyn gave him a wry smile. "Thanks. I could use that. Let me know if you hear from my mom."
"She''s missing?" He asked in shock.
"No, but she got up feeling sick and went to work. I haven''t heard from her since." Evalyn replied.
Daniel took a deep breath. "Okay. Will you tell me when you talk to Kaze [next time]?"
"I''ll be talking to him tomorrow." She replied with a wry smile, being reminded of the video of them together.
"Good. Tell him that I''m still backing him will my full support." Her uncle said while walking out of the room hesitantly.
Evalyn looked down at her phone, and her eyes filled with annoyance.
Kaze Lexicon to (99+): See you all at the apocalypse party, you naughty curfew breakers. ;)
"Only he would be focusing on this when dozens of articles are being posted online about Qi Sickness every minute." She scoffed, "Whatever."
Kaze Lexicon to (99+): See you all at the apocalypse party, you naughty curfew breakers. ;)
Matty Wright: Lol. If Emperor Scrawn dgaf, I don''t.
Mary Lister: I''m still on the list right?
Jenna Mire: I wouldn''t miss it for the world ;)
Dozens of replies flooded in instantly. Evalyn gave her phone a wry smile before putting it on silent. She already knew how that song and dance went.
You: Mom, I need to talk to you. I''lle to you, wherever you are. Just let me know asap.
Evalyn took a deep breath while staring at the screen and then pressed send.
Chapter 36 June 22nd, 2032 | 0 Days Remaining | The Apocalypse Party
"Hello, Sammy. You''re looking lovely today." Kaze said with a charming smile. He was wearing a light pink button-up again with two buttons undone, highlighting a portion of his chiseled chest.
His charcoal grey cks entuated the color, making it pop. The daring look was increasingly attractive to the women, and quite a few men began dressing like him.
Sammy, the cute brte with dark brown hair on Evalyn''s tennis team, blushed. The anxiety on her face instantly melted.
She wore a cute pink tank top and leggings with white tennis shoes that day, and slight sweat glistened off her body from the sun in the summer heat.
"Hey Leon." Sammy said with her half-closed fist in front of her mouth.
"You looked a bit distressed a moment ago." Kaze said, "Are you worried about the police?"
She turned away in embarrassment. "Yes. My parents are, but I told them you were a cultivator like you said, and they acquiested. But they said I''d be in trouble if the cops cited them."
The two were in the joint park area of a gatedmunity on the city''s north side. It was a wealthy area, and the park was between two sets of high-ss housing skyscrapers.
It was the length of a block but had a park atmosphere. It was perfect.
Kaze gave her a mysterious smile. "If you keep a secret, I''ll show you what I''ll give the cops that show up."
Sammy''s eyes lit up in excitement. "Is it something official? Like a permit?"
"Do you think a document will make problems go away?" The emperor scoffughed, "No, I prepared to hand them real power."
Her eyes widened in surprise when he pulled out a piece of folded paper from his pocket.
"I-Isn''t that the emperor''s technique?" Sammy asked with trembling eyes when he unfolded it.
Kaze gave her a mysterious smile. "Yes, it is. However, I marked this one up with a little trick for people to understand it better. Here, give it a look."
Sammy took the sheet of paper from her hand, and he stealthfully touched her head.
"W-Wh." Sammy tried reacting to the feeling on her forehead, but a waterfall of information crashed into her mental sphere, leaving her dazed in a trance. "I-I got I understand it!"
"See?" Leon said with a slight smile, "With this trick, I can give people the key to Immortal Skye. Who''s going to refuse this to shut down a party?"
The brte''s light brown eyes widened in shock. "T-That''s amazing, Kaze. You you get more and more amazing every time I see you."
Kazeugh-scoffed breathlessly. "I''m the same amount of amazing, you''re just realizing it more and more."
"I guess that''s true, isn''t it?" Sammy giggled.
"Hey, Kaze Where do you want the kegs?" Jake asked nervously while carrying a keg on his shoulder effortlessly. He was wearing a slight grey button-up, neatly pressed and starched.
On his legs were tan chinos, perfectly fitted to his legs with one inch at the bottom rolled up, proof Kaze helped him dress beforehand. He also wore a ck leather belt and matching designer shoes.
Seeing the man walking around with a keg on his shoulder without wrinkling his shirt was surreal.
Veronica, the ck-haired woman who took an interest in [Payton], watched him with keen interest. His effortless strength was reminiscent of Kaze, who she unwisely judged as untouchable.
She came early wearing a tight ck skirt, a white v-neck, a silver ne, and a dark green pendant that matched her eyes.
Her short ck hair was fashionably done, proof of her preparations.
Jake averted his gaze when she nced at him, leading the emperor to scoff openly.
"I''ll see you in a bit, Sammy." Kaze said with a charming smile before turning around and giving Jake an annoyed frown.
"Are you a jester or a regent?" He scoffed in exasperation.
"W-What?" Jake asked.
"Your incessant befuddlement is appalling." The emperor scoffed in disbelief, "Are you a babbling clown, or my aid? Multiple choice. Surely you understand the question, do you not?"
"I yes. I''m your aid?" The blonde hair man replied hesitantly.
"Very good, we''re making progress." Kazz remarked, rolling his eyes. "So why can you not take the initiative to do something as simplistic as cing spirits on the ground?"
Jake''s eyes trembled, and he averted his gaze. "It''s just I don''t want to disappoint you."
The emperor turned away with an aghast expression. "You mean like now, triggered by your timid shiftlessness?"
The man gave Kaze a wry smile. "Yes, like now. You''re very particr about your wants. How am I supposed to know?"
Kaze took a deep breath and closed his eyes, understanding the conflict the man was facing.
"Since you''re learning, I shall write off my discontent as a misunderstanding." He said dryly.
Jake''s eyes filled with hope.
"You''re afraid to disappoint me. That means you''re smart." The emperor asserted.
"It''s not wise to offend your leader. That''s why you must exertmon sense and followmands [literally] in the beginning of your rtionship. Literal. Exact. Precise."
The man''s eyes glided to the left. "Are you saying I should ignore what you mean and do what you say?"
"It seems you''re learning." Kaze chuckled breathlessly, "Yes. That''s exactly what I''m saying. However, you must exertpetence in doing whatever it is and have a reason for doing what you do."
"I understand using my head. But isn''t that a problem to do what you say literally if you mean something else?" Jake asked.
"It is, in the long run." The emperor replied, "However, in the beginning, your leader cannot fault you if you do as they ask exactly and do it withpetence."
Jake listened with his full attention, attempting to understand everything.
"When you do something, and the emp leader isn''t pleased, they''ll tell you what they wish you did." Kaze continued, "Then you log those experiences and apply them in the future."
The regent''s eyes lit up with understanding. "So you''re saying I should do as you ask and use the feedback as part of future orders?"
Kaze smiled in satisfaction. "It seems you''re not a jester after all. Nowplete your work, and send a charming smirk to Veronica every once in a while."
Jake froze. "Won''t she find that creepy? Women always have in the past."
"That was in the past; what is the point of building power if you live life as you did before obtaining it?" The emperor asked, visibly bbergasted.
"Are you saying I''ve built up power?" The regent asked in confusion.
Kaze nced at the keg on the man''s shoulder and then back at him with a mocking smile. The manpletely forgot he was holding it!
"I-I see." Jake stuttered.
"As my regent, you must represent me and my reputation and can never show weakness." The emperor demanded.
"That is why I''ve invested so many resources into making you stronger. Now, you do not need charm to attractdies or the skill to fight."
"Wait, I don''t need charm or skill?" The regent asked with wide eyes.
"There areyers to strength and power, Jake." Kaze chuckled breathlessly, "Reputation, wealth, strength, appearance, and charm."
Jake listened and hung onto his every word, learning as much as possible. He wanted to shed his weakness and grow stronger, not to satisfy the emperor but to fulfill himself.
"Youck the first. However, you now have sizable resources in your bank ount and look wealthy because of your appearance." The emperor exined.
"Your appearance is no longer that of a bumbling fool, and your strength is visible now. Those two factors alone are the reason Veronica is staring at you right now."
Jake nced at Veronica and looked away.
"Smile, you fool!" Kaze scoffed in annoyance. The regent tried to correct himself, but the emperor held him back. "Not now. The moment has past."
The previously geeky man smiled wryly. It was a downhill situation.
"Pay attention, Jake. You have a reputation through me and false perceptions about your wealth, strength, and appearance." Kaze exined.
"Those are four pirs and more than enough to draw female attention. While they''re fake, perception is power where youck, so acting is your trump card."
Jake''s eyes glided to the left in thought. "So it''s enough that people think I''m like you?"
"Exactly. You''re piggybacking off my reputation." Kaze replied.
"So you needn''t concern yourself frivolously about having the right things to say.
Just smile and say you have a quiet personality, and countless women will acquiesce to your will. Such is the nature of power."
He gave a sidelong nce to Veronica to check her position." Jake, she''s looking again. So smirk at me and nce at her in one motion."
Jake froze up. "Should I"
"Just do as your told, hurry up, and don''t disappoint me." Kaze interjected hurriedly.
The regent''s eyes filled with determination. He smirked, emting his emperor the best he could. Then he awkwardly looked at Veronica but retained his expression.
The ck-haired woman giggled and exchanged a smirk.
Jake turned back to Kaze. "I don''t know how well I did."
"Marvelous, Jake. There''s hope for you yet." Kaze chuckled in satisfaction, "She knows you''re awkward but also sees your potential."
The regent''s eyes lit up with excitement.
"Now, get back to work. If Veronica tries talking to you, say you''ll find herter, as you''re preparing for hell to show up. Drop my name if necessary. Now go." Kaze chuckled while pping the man on the back.
Jake nodded and then nced at the keg on his shoulder, and his eyes widened in shock. He forgot about it again!
He heard Veronica giggling in the distance, so he turned to her. His overbearing strength amused her, and he sent her a wry smile.
However, that only served to make her smile more. Jake''s heart skipped a beat when he realized that a socialite, friends with Evalyn Skye, was sincerely interested in him.
He turned away after a thin smile and returned to work, avoiding her strategically, as Kaze suggested.
When Jake put the keg down, he looked down at his clothes as he walked and felt the light breeze against his short haircut.
It made him think about power and what it could do for him.
While he believed his new confidence came from Kaze, it turned out that Kaze had transformed him independently.
The emperor was not the nicest man. However, Jake followed him because he dramatically changed his life and built his confidence. This exchange was just another example.
Jake chuckled with a strange smile and continued, following the man''s orders [literally] and praying he wouldn''t receive feedback that ruined his mood.
Chapter 37 June 22nd, 2032 | The Apocalypse Party
"Hello, Ladies." Kaze said with a charming smile.
"Hey, big shot." Whitney, the blonde from Evalyn''s tennis team, said. He narrowed his eyes slightly in response.
"Hey, Kaze." Sage, a beautiful redhead, followed. She was a business major with ssic green eyes and light, nearly imperceptible freckles.
Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, highlighting her one-carat diamond stud earrings.
Kaze nced at her earrings and then back at her, nonchntly letting her know he noticed her effort, causing her to smile in interest.
She narrowed her eyes and lifted her heel slightly, increasing her hip''s impact on the thigh-length white skirt she wore.
Her curves were sexy and impressive for someone so slender and entuated her generous bust in her loose green business-eptable shirt.
"Hi, Kaze." Kylie giggled with a light blush. She was the second most popr amongst the cheerleaders due to her cute looks alone.
She had neck-length feathered bob-cut hair, even at all sides. The haircut was simr to Evalyn''s but was wavy with minor curls.
"That blush was charming." Kaze said with a slight smile, "You''ll have to teach me how to do it sometime."
"I''m happy to give you [private] lessons." Kylie giggled as cutely as possible.
Sage gave the woman a wry smile before turning back at Kaze, who made eye contact. She narrowed her eyes, satisfied.
"Kaze. We got a problem." Jake called out.
Kaze scoffed silently with his head motion alone. "If there''s a problem, announce it. Are the cops here?"
"... Yes, they are." His regent replied, containing his urge to stutter.
"Took them long enough." Kaze scoffughed, "I was beginning to think they forgot to do their job."
The women burst into bewilderedughter at his behavior.
"Excuse me,dies. I''lle find youter." He said with a wink as he followed Jake down the pathway through the park.
He smiled charmingly at countless women who were arriving. Despite the official curfew warning, it was sunset, and there were already 200 people at the park.
Everything about the party was illegal. Public drinking and loud music at 9 pm, one day after an official 7 pm curfew was instated. It was a normal college party in the open; case closed.
Despite that, Kaze strode up to the police officers, interrogating people a third of the way in. The music quieted down, and everyone held their breath.
"Evening, gentlemen." Kaze said with a confident smile.
"We have a smart one, do we?" A police officer gruffed. He had a ck military haircut and a wide chest, showcasing his dark blue uniform with an intimidating look.
"I''d like to think so as well." The emperor replied with a smirk.
"Do you think this is funny?" The officer scoffughed, "I take it you''re the person that was stupid enough to organize this party?"
"I am." Kaze replied, "But that''s because there''s something to celebrate, gentlemen."
"Okay, you''reing with me." The man replied in annoyance while reaching for his handcuffs.
A wave of pressure assaulted the three men for a split second, making their hearts pulse. They looked up to see Kaze wagging his finger mockingly.
"Come now, gentlemen. Surely you don''t think someone would be so brazen as to throw something this tantly illegal if they didn''t have something to provide the police." The emperor smirked.
"Are you attempting to bribe us?" The police officerughed in disbelief. The man was throwing the most illegal party imaginable, and now he was attempting bribery!
"Attempt is a rather suggestive word." Kaze charmingly replied while pulling out a sheet of paper with his technique drawn on it, "Illuminescent Breathing, surely you''ve heard of this, yes?"
The men confusedly looked at the paper, unsure whether tough or scoff.
"Of course we do. It''s posted on the inte, and you''re attempting to bribe us with a drawing of it?" The manughed, "Can you believe this kid, Ken?"
"Hah. No, I can''t, Wade. This joker''s a first." Ken, a police officer with curly, light-brown hair,ughed breathlessly.
Kaze closed his eyes, and a red vortex shot out of his body, illuminating the nighttime sky. Everyone at the party immediately freaked out.
"That''s the emperor''s technique!" Someone screamed.
"Is that what it''s supposed to look like? Everyone else barely glows!" A woman yelled.
"Leave it to Scrawn Fu. My man!" A drunk man yelled out, drinking in front of the police.
The officers didn''t notice, however. There were only 2083 video postings of the skill online, and none of them looked remotely close to Kaze, who looked like a flickering candle.
The emperor picked the cultivation technique for that reason. It was a poor cultivation technique that was difficult to learn, but it proved if someone could cultivate and their skill level.
"W-What." Ken stuttered in disbelief.
Kaze lifted the paper again and gave them a mocking smile.
"This technique is difficult to learn because it''s missing an element." He smirked, "I fixed it and can teach it to the officers here if they change direction and protect this party instead."
"You''re asking us to break thew when we can arrest you and seize it?" Wade gruffed.
Kaze scoffed in exasperation. "Do you think you need only look at a drawing enscribed in anothernguage and learn how to cultivate?"
Wade''s chiseled face contorted, flushed red with shame and indignation.
"Ick the time and words necessary tobel such ignorance." The emperor scoffed while holding up the paper and snapping his fingers.
A blue me engulfed the cultivation technique, converting it to ashes, gently drifting in the summer breeze.
While everyone watched their hope for a future in Immortal Skye disappear in shock, Kaze reached into his pocket and pulled out another sheet of paper.
"Let''s try this again. Your face says you understand the value of this, yes?" He asked with an arrogant smile.
"Don''t y games with us!" Wade snapped with trembling eyes.
The emperor scoffed in disbelief and lifted his fingers again, preparing to snap.
"W-Wait!" Ken yelled, "Wade doesn''t mean anything by it. Let''s talk."
"Hoh? It seems one of you has the faculty think." Kaze replied with a mocking smile.
Wade sent him a wry smile mixed with anger. "Look, I can''t just abandon my duty when you''re breaking a dozenws in the open in a wealthy neighborhood."
"Sure you can!" Kaze replied with a wide smile, "That''s a choice. However, you mustn''t do it haphazardly, just as I haven''t. Do you understand?"
The officers looked at him with strange expressions.
"You''ve done this with this technique. Are you suggesting you''ll do the same for our supervisors?" Ken asked shrewdly.
"Hoh? Of course not." Kaze smirked.
"However, I happen to be in a rather fixed location, a location I ask you, gentlemen, to protect.
So if a police chief arrived at this location, I imagine I''d be here making such an offer again."
Wade, Ken, and the other officer stared at the emperor in disbelief.
"You would go so far as to bribe the police chief?" Wade asked with narrowed eyes.
"But of course." Kaze replied arrogantly, "From what I hear, the going rate for an earth-grade technique from the Emperor is going for 12 Billion, and the stock market''s crashing to buy them. How much is a ticket to Immortal Skye worth, I wonder?"
The men fell silent with conflicted eyes.
"You needn''t agonize over it." The emperorugh-scoffed, "You act as though the military will indict you for not shutting down a college party. It''s not like there''s evidence or a paper trail."
Their eyes lit up in understanding.
"Hoh? It seems you''ve grasped the value of my offer." Kaze chuckled breathlessly, "So tell me, gentlemen. Do you see a party behind me?"
As if by fate, a stumbling man puked on the ground behind him, leading women to scream andin. However, Kaze''s sharp gaze and smile didn''t fade.
Ken looked at the scene with the eyes of a dead fish. "I don''t see a party."
Wade''s lips pursed into a wry smile. "Me either."
"I suppose we better call the police chief and tell her to check out the area, to confirm no one''s here." The third said nervously.
Kaze chuckled. "I suppose you should."
Ken got onto his dispatch and asked for the police chief for an emergency and gave a code. Then he spoke to someone over the receiver and returned.
"Please wait here. She''ll be here in fifteen minutes." He said after he finished.
The emperor gave them all mocking nces, pointing out their chief understood the value far faster than they did.
"Are you going to teach us this technique, or what?" Wade gruffed with narrowed eyes.
"Hoh? I thought you''d never ask." Kaze chuckled while pulling out the paper.
"Breath in and say the syble [Ska] as a mantra as you stare at it. Then imagine there''s a third eye on your forehead."
Wade looked around at the dozens of college students watching them with anticipation. He sighed and looked at the paper. "Ska, Ska, Ska, Ska, Ska"
"Third eye." Kaze scoffed, "Here start again and focus on this point of your forehead."
When he touched Wade''s forehead, he waited for the man to restart and then transferred the technique.
Wade''s eyes widened in shock, dropping the piece of paper as he stared into the void, processing the profound information that flooded his mind.
"Well?" Kaze asked with a smile.
"I-I understand it. I understand Illuminescent Breathing!" Wade stuttered in disbelief.
"Well? Try it out so we can move on from this farce and enjoy this non-existent party." The emperor said dryly.
Wade didn''t care about the man''s arrogance and sat on the ground, awkwardly stretching into the lotus position. He took a few deep breaths and let himself get into a trance-like state.
Two minutester, his body closed with a faint red aura.
The entire park erupted in shock and pandemonium.
"Scrawn Fuuuuuuuuuu!" A drunk man yelled with both arms pumped back, releasing a battle cry to the sky.
Everyone burst into wild cheers after that, and everyone waited with anticipation, hoping to talk to Kaze next.
The emperor turned around and gave a light bow, waiting for the final act to arrive.
Evalyn watched the scene from a distance with an amused smile, a stark contrast to the worried expression she held during the rest of the day.
When Kaze finished teaching Ken and the other officer, Pratt, the police chief, showed up.
"Carmen Skeer. Meridian City police chief." Carmen dered while shing her badge, "Are you the person stupid enough to bribe my officers and have them send a bribe invitation to a police chief?"
The police chief had light brown skin and lush, curly hair in a tight ponytail.
"Your recount of my talents is making me blush." Kaze replied in a hypnotic voice, shing her a charming smile.
Her eyes filled with wrath, contrasting his arrogant smirk against the snickering students holding alcohol cups in front of her.
An awkward silence ensued. Carmen didn''t want to say anything to initiate a conversation, but she didn''t want to cuff him either.
"Hoh? Are you waiting for me to initiate this bribe?" Kaze mused, "My apologies. I''m sure your officers have already"
"I''m not here to ept a bribe." Carmen snapped.
"And I''m not at a party that isn''t happening." The emperor replied with a charming smile.
"Your arrogance is appalling." She scoffed in disbelief.
"There''s someone that tells me that often." Kaze chuckled, ncing at Evalyn from the corner of his eye with a smirk. He looked back at the police chief.
"It''s a talent." He mocked, "It tends to happen when you have something to be arrogant to be over."
Carmen scoffed and shook her head. She couldn''t believe she was even humoring the man before her.
However, her attitude instantly shifted when she saw his body illuminate, flickering like a ten-foot candle.
"The Emperor says money can''t buy your way into Immortal Skye." Kaze said with an arrogant smirk.
"But that''s not true. I bet I could buy out the highest levels of the judicial system with one client."
The police chief''s eyes widened in shock at his words.
"Tell me, Carmen." The emperor requested, "Do you want to waste my time, or do you want a ticket to Immortal Skye?"
Carmenughed in disbelief, and her eyes became sharp. "Bribery and threatening the police chief of Meridian City. Do you know what you''re facing? If you don''t"
Kaze''s eyes shed with murderous intent and the piece of paper in his hands burst into blue mes.
Her eyes trembled in horror at the sight. She looked at the emperor with a pleading expression, staring in disbelief.
Kaze casually pulled out another piece of paper.
"Twenty billion dor technique to turn a blind eye to a harmless party, versus leaving empty-handed after arresting a vindictive soon-to-be billionaire with established international fame." Kaze scoffed.
"You''re here to negotiate a bribe, and you had the audacity to try to abuse your power to get the bribe. You''re despicable."
Her eyes trembled in shock, fear, and shame.
"When people y with power, they must be able to back it up." The emperor said coldly, "So stop ying games. Pretending like you''re reluctant to ept a bribe doesn''t change its legality."
Carmen turned away with a despondent expression.
"However, a bribe without evidence makes it legal in the eyes of thew." Kaze said, throwing her a lifeline, "So as long as there''s no witnesses, I suppose there was no crime."
He turned around and called out to hundreds of people in the park. The numbers grew when word spread that Kaze was bribing police officersand winning.
"Did anyone see this woman show up?" Kaze asked.
"What woman?" A college woman giggled.
"I have no idea what you''re talking about, Scrawn." Another man chuckled.
Everyone threw in their two cents. Then Kaze turned around to face Carmen.
"Unlike me, these folks don''t have legal teams on tap." He chuckled while pointing his thumb behind his shoulder.
"So people will believe the police chief. So you only have to worry about me if you don''t uphold your word."
Carmen chuckled bitterly. "Teach it to me, and then fuck off."
"It''d be my pleasure." Kaze replied with a charming smile. He taught her the technique in record time, imprinting helpful supplemental cultivation knowledge into her mind.
Within five minutes, she got into position and began glowing with vibrant red light.
"Well, I''m gonna fuck off now." Kaze chuckled while walking away, "So make sure to uphold your end of the deal, or I''ll tell the Emperor to deny your entrances when my legal team interviews these college students."
Carmen smiled wryly, watching the arrogant walk away casually as if it were only natural. She couldn''t help but find him fascinating.
Kaze was a man whose me burnt so hot it sucked in all the oxygen, putting out other mes and leaving people without air to breathe.
She got up and red at the officers. "You three are staying here to ensure this idiot doesn''t cause serious problems. Understand?"
"Yes, mam. " Ken replied.
"Understood." Wade said.
"Of course, Chief." Pratt replied.
"Good. I''m going to finish eating my sandwich in the break room." Carmen said with narrowed eyes.
"Understood." Ken nodded, triggering the same from the others.
Carmen shot one more nce at Kaze before turning around and walking away.
The three officers walked over to the emperor, who was already talking to a group ofdies.
"We''re here to watch over the party. To you know help keep order." Ken said hesitantly.
"Excellent." Kaze said with a wide grin, "Wee to the Apocalypse Party!"
The students were stunned-silent from the development. However, the same drunk man broke everyone out of their haze.
"Scrawn Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" He yelled, releasing a louder battle cry to the sky.
Everyone in the area abruptly burst into raging cheers. The music returned, and the conservative volume instantly disappeared.
College students started jumping in the air celebrating Kaze at full volume, and some students started grinding with drinks in their hands.
The officers could only stare wryly, watching the scene with bittersweet expressions.
They made a deal with the devil, and the price was inconsequential. So they stood in shame, adeptly ignoring theints from the neighbors as four hundred students partied at full volume before them.
Chapter 38 June 22nd, 2032 | Confidence Building
A blonde, athletic man from Kaze''s Microbiology ss approached him with a strange face filled with disbelief.
"I can''t believe I invited [you] to a party." Bradughed as the emperor chatted with a random group of women, "You''re something else."
Kaze chuckled with a slight smile. "I would''vee if I wasn''t already nning a party."
Brad chuckled and looked around him.
"I think this goes beyond nning." He chuckled, "Look, man. I gotta know. What happened to you? Not the muscles or cultivation stuff. I want to know what happened to your mind."
"That''s an intelligent question." Kaze smirked, "But I''m afraid the answer is rather mundane."
Brad narrowed his eyes slightly, listening to the emperor with a deep gaze.
"You''d be shocked how far desperation can change a person." The emperor said with a strange smile."
But when you learn that for yourself, find me. You''ll know where I''ll be; so contact the people housing me [immediately]."
Before the man would react, Kaze casually touched his forehead, flooding his mind with the blueprint for Illuminescent Breathing.
"W-What the." Brad stuttered as he processed the reality of the situation.
"I like people with strength and respectable intelligence." Kaze replied while walking away, "You can gain the former quickly, but some people don''t achieve thetter in centuries."
"W-Wait! What''s this about?" The man asked in shock.
"As I said, I like intelligence, so I''m testing yours. If you can''t exercise prudence with information handling, you''re worthless. Yes?" The emperor asked.
"Y-Yes." Brad stuttered.
"Good. I hope you don''t disappoint me." The emperor chuckled while turning around and approaching Jake.
Brad watched the man walk away with a surreal expression.
He didn''t understand why Kaze did what he did, but he understood the message loud in clear: don''t tell a soul about what just happened.
So he walked over to the water cooler, downed four cups, and said goodbye to his friends.
The athlete knew that maintaining his rtionship with Kaze was far more important than an epic party. So he prepared to post a video and contact Immortal Skye immediately.
Kaze walked up to Jake with a light smirk. "It seems there''s some hope for you yet."
Jake turned around with aplex expression. He was pleased he had finished all of the emperor''s preparations but was disappointed that he couldn''t aplish the man''s social asks. "I''m sor"
"Must you always wallow in your delusive feelings of inferiority?" The emperorughed.
"I''ve seen you talk to ten women in thest hour. Your performance wasmentable, but it was more than enough."
The regent looked at Kaze with aplex gaze, trying to decipher whether his statement was apliment or a promotion to mediocrity.
"Enough?" Jake asked.
"Of course." Kaze smiled slightly, "Those women don''t know you''re with me. They talked to you because of your appearance and strength.
Making you move the kegs again turned out to be quite fortuitous, was it not?"
The regent''s eyes widened in shock. "Wait, you made me move them to show off my strength?"
"I believe that''s what I said." The emperor replied with a smirk.
"I don''t I don''t know what to say." Jake said.
"When in doubt, say nothing." Kaze chuckled, "It prevents you from saying anything treasonous or otherwise contemptible. Nowe, I''m engineering a reason for Veronica to speak to you. So shed your weakness and wait for her to approach."
"W-Wait, what!?" The regent cried.
"Why must you y the fool when seeking rification?" The emperor scoffed while rolling his eyes.
Jake swallowed nervously. "I-I''m talking to her? Like, now?"
"Yes. Worry not; I''ll make sure to emphasize that you''re a good guy, quiet, and respectable. Women love that." Kaze chuckled bitterly.
"They do?" The regent asked.
"Of course not. Are you mad?" The emperor scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I''m painting these pitiful signs of weakness as a form of charm. It''s no small task, I assure you."
He pushed his hand against his regent''s stomach, and a warm feeling washed over his body.
"What did you just do?" Jake asked in confusion.
"I made it impossible for you to get a woman pregnant tonight. Just one less thing for you to worry about." Kazeughed breathlessly.
"I''m telling Veronica that you''ll help her with Illumiecent Breathing. Don''t forget to leave before midnight and make the call. Now, wait here while I fetch your future. "
Jake was left stunned as the emperor strode toward Veronica, leaving him no room for him to object.
Veronica gave the emperor a slight smile. "To what do I owe this pleasure? Gaining an audience with the great emperor is an honor these days."
Kaze gave her a charming smile. "Come now. Surely you understand that those acquainted with my trusted friends are close by association?"
The ck-haired woman nced over at Jake and smirked. "It''s atent benefit, I suppose."
"Smart woman." Kaze replied with a slight smile, "There are many tent benefits] for those who support me and my loyal followers."
She narrowed her eyes in interest. "I''m listening."
Kaze sent a strange smile to Jake and then turned back to her.
"Surely you understand the greatest of my friend." He said with a smile, "As well as his foolishck of confidence, yes?"
Veronica burst into giggles. "That was blunt."
"We needn''t posture regarding the obvious." Kaze smiled, "So let''s talk about what''s not."
"I''m listening." She replied with sharp eyes.
"Let''s talk about those looks you''re sending, my friend," He requested, "Are they a sign of genuine interest? I''ll take any falsehood as a slight against me personally. So speak honestly."
Veronica studied his expressions, trying to figure him out.
"They are. Jacob Hays intrigues me." She replied, "I''m wondering what he did to capture your attention, why you treat him so well, and how he transformed like you [under the radar]."
Kaze gave her a satisfied smile.
"I reward those that aid my loyal followers and me well, and Jake has aided me immensely.
However, I''ve retained hispany because he has remarkable potential hidden behind that faux mask of insecurities. The results speak for themselves."
Veronica nced at Jake with even greater interest. "Is that so?"
"It is. So here''s my question for you, Veronica Mithra Stone." The emperor said with a strange voice, capturing her attention. She looked at him in intrigue.
"Will you aid me and ept my rewards that will bring out your potential?" He mused with sharp eyes.
The ck-haired woman smiled, and interest shed across her dark green eyes.
"What is it I can do for you, Em-per-or?" Veronica smacked with her lipgloss-lined lips.
He nced over at Jake with a strange smile. "My friend over there has power butcks confidence; you have confidence butck power. I propose you bring out his confidence, and I''ll give you power."
"You offer me a significant gift for something I want anyway?" Veronica mused.
"You''re a smart woman." Kaze replied with a satisfied smile, "You can ept it as a gift for taking the initiative."
"I ept your offer." She replied.
The emperor touched her forehead without warning, and a wave of profound information entered her mind. It left her in a hypnotic trance for a moment.
"T-This really is" Veronica stuttered.
"Of course it is." Kaze interjected in annoyance, "I''m sure you understand the value of what I can offer you. Now exercise prudent information handling before I question my evaluation of you."
Veronica nodded and took a deep breath to regain her calm. Then she turned around, facing Jake, who tried not to panic.
"Onest thing." He said, stopping her in her tracks.
"What is it, emperor?" She asked with a smile, maintaining herposure.
"Jake is my loyal follower. Remember that constantly, and conduct yourself ordingly." Kaze warned, "If he finds out about this, or you push yourself on him, you''ll face the consequences."
"Worry not, emperor." Veronica replied loudly and sarcastically, "I''ll handle my crush as good women do."
Kaze chuckled and turned around.
Veronica continued to Jake, whose face contorted into a stiff smile as she approached.
"Will you enjoy this party with me? I feel like ignoring that arrogant ass'' words." She requested while walking up.
Jake froze in fear and nced at Kaze. "What did he tell you?"
"He told me to be gentle with my advances on you." Veronica smiled, "And I told him to fuck off."
He gulped. "Advances?"
"Pursue? Chase after? Attempt to date?" She exined seductively, "Or perhaps even [seduce]?"
Her eyes became sharp and predatory, leaving his heart pounding. He didn''t know what to say.
"I-I see. Forgive me for not knowing what to say. I have a quiet personality." Jake said after a sharp breath, echoing Kaze''s earlier words.
"Then do you want to go somewhere [quiet] so I can give you pointers?" Veronica asked while walking close to him.
His heart beat uncontrobly, and he looked to Kaze for help. The emperor shrugged to fake ignorance and motioned his head aggressively to get him to respond.
"I if that''s what you want." Jake swallowed nervously.
Veronica put her lips next to his ear. "That is what I want. Come with me so I can [prove it]."
She grabbed his hand gently and led him away, giving arrogant nces to the other women.
"Is Veronica with Jake?"
"Jacob? The engineering guy that suddenly got handsome?"
"Yeah, I can''t believe it. She''s he thirsty."
"Shut up, you''re just jealous he''s handsome now."
"Wait, Veronica and Scrawn''s guy? No way! That man''s charming by association."
"That guy''s so awkward."
"He is, but isn''t that kinda cute?"
Jake watched in a daze as Veronica, a cheerleader, showed him, a [geek], off. Her actions were so bold they left him perplexed and dizzy.
Chapter 39 June 22nd, 2032 | Turning Points
[A/N: If you don''t want to see a mildly graphic sex scene with someone other than Kaze, skip the section and continue after the ----- below. It''s voluntary and doesn''t exist if you don''t let it.]
Veronica led Jake to a shuttle dock on the other side of the park and unlocked her shuttle.
"Come on. Get in." She instructed with a smile.
He nodded with a beating heart and entered the seating area. Shuttles were automated, so the seating consisted of booths with an interface for the driver.
Jake sat down in the center of a leather booth awkwardly.
When Veronica closed the door and sat down, she grabbed the man''s face and pushed her lips against his mouth, leaving him shocked.
He motioned his hands to push her off by primal reflex, but she grabbed his wrists lightly, making them move down.
Unlike Kaze, he wasn''t aggressive by default, so he dropped his hands after understanding the situation.
"This is okay, yes?" Veronica whispered, "If you want this, you can have it."
Jake''s became ragged. "What did Kaze tell you?"
Sheughed breathlessly and gave him a deep gaze. "That if I hurt you, he''d rip me limb by limb. He''s shockingly protective of you."
"A-And you said?" He stuttered.
"That he was a moron for thinking I was trying to y you." Veronica replied while putting her fingers on his lips, "So he arrogantly gave me his blessing, and now we''re here."
Jake looked down at the fingers with sharp breaths.
"Now hush." She whispered while slowly climbing onto the booth and straddling him. As her ck skirt lifted, he could feel her soft thighs touch against the smooth, breathable fibers of his wool cks, "Prove to me you have a quiet personality."
He gulped and nodded as she touched down on hisp and pulled off her white v-neck shirt, showcasing a pink and ckce bra underneath.
"Just enjoy yourself, and I''ll do the rest." Veronica said as she unbuckled her bra and let it drop to the ground, exposing her perfectly proportioned breasts with mid-tone pink nipples.
Jake closed his eyes and fought past his raging desires. He felt he could climax prematurely from their interaction alone, leaving him mortified.
She giggled when she saw his gasping expression. "Everyone''s first time is pathetic and shameful. But do you know what the secret is?"
He gulped and gave her a trembling expression.
Veronica led his hands to her breasts and then leaned in. "You do things twice."
Jake''s eyes widened in shock, and his heart thumped uncontrobly. Her lips pressed against his again as he fondled her breasts awkwardly but enthusiastically.
They made out for a few minutes while she skillfully taught him how to use his tongue.
Veronica disconnected and sat against his thighs with a predatory gaze.
"Jake, can I ask a favor?" She asked.
"Anything." Jake replied shamelessly.
"I want you to keep quiet and only speak if you want me to stop. Can you do that for me?" She asked with a slight smile.
"W-Want you to stop?" He stammered.
"Don''t question it. Will you keep quiet unless you want me to stop?" Veronica asked again.
"Yes." Jake gulped nervously.
She gave him a seductive smile and reached down, unbuckling his belt.
"I."
Jake tried to speak, but she pressed a finger against his lips.
"Do you want me to stop?" Veronica mused.
He gulped but then shook his head, triggering a slight smile as she continued, pulling it off and then moving to his button.
Jake took a deep breath and closed his eyes. However, his eyes snapped open when she unzipped his pants and began pulling them down.
He watched with a cringing expression as his depressingly averaged sized member popped out.
A momentter, his eyes rolled to the back of his skull when she touched his head.
"Rx and enjoy it." Veronica said with a slight smile, "If you cum early, we''ll just do it again. I want to please [you] tonight."
Her words were like magic. The second she eased his anxieties, his confidence increased, and the feeling of an instant climax disappeared, leaving him feeling much better.
Jake wanted to say something, but she had ordered him to stay quiet, so he nodded and took a deep breath, allowing himself to enjoy the feeling of her breasts.
Veronica lifted her body and pushed her breasts into his face as she yed with his head from above.
He gasped for air, and she pressed her nipple into his mouth, triggering him to suck on it instinctively.
As he was distracted, she used her left hand to pull her panties to the side under her skirt and slowly lowered herself. "Now rx. I''m on birth control."
Jake''s heart pulsed as her lips touched his head and parted. He wanted to say something, think something, do something, but a cosmic experience washed over him as she sat down and gasped for breath.
His confusion prevented him from worrying about his climaxing concerns. All he could do was close his eyes and take deep breaths.
Veronica moved up slowly and shifted down again, causing Jake to smash against the back seat, trying his best not to moan.
She smiled and continued riding him, using the cues from his breathing to carry them forward.
Jake''s confidence soared during the experience. While he didn''t know [why] things turned out as they did, he didn''t question it as much. He just let himself submit to his desires and enjoy the experience.
-----
Evalyn watched Kaze speak to every woman at the party from afar, taking light sips from the stic cup in her hand.
While she wanted to reach out or feel salty, countless people approached her to speak. Somehow, she forgot her poprity when she began chasing the man single-mindedly.
"Figures you''d be here." A man scoffed from behind her.
She whirled around with a terrified expression. "Tim, what are [you] doing here?"
Tim, the muscr ck athlete with Evalyn when Kaze first made contact with her, looked around and then at the cup in his hand. "That''s a stupid question."
"Stupid question?" Evalyn scoffed, "You attacked Kaze and now you''re at his party? Are you insane?"
The manughed bitterly. "You''re something else. The man showed up talking about your body, beat your friends, and then you abandoned them for him."
"Abandoned?" Sheughed breathlessly, "My rtionship with Kaze has nothing to do with my friendships. You''re all just jealous and bitter and assume that."
Tim looked at her with his dark brown eyes. "Is that so? Is that why you sold Gregory to the police?"
Evalynughed in disbelief. "You mean when he came to Kaze''s home, threatening to file a false criminal investigation as he trying to kidnap me?"
Heughed in contempt and spoke calmly. "You disappeared for two days. You didn''t you consider people would be worried about you, did you?"
"I was in closed cultivation. We weren''t even awake." Evalyn chuckled.
"Is that why you were wearing his t-shirt?" He chuckled.
She turned away and shook her head. "What we did before or after is of no concern to you."
"Whatever, Evalyn." Tim said coldly, "Tell yourself whatever you want, but you''re skipping school, going missing, and abandoning your life. All for this arrogant yboy speaking to everyone woman but you."
Evalyn averted her gaze with a wry smile. "We''ve never slept together because he refuses, saying he''d never change his ways."
"Hah. So you''re chasing after that clown for nothing?" The muscr ck manughed while turning away.
The atmosphere froze, and Tim stared at the steam he exhaled in disbelief. Then he looked at Evalyn, and a pulsing pressure assaulted his body.
"W-What is this?" Tim gasped as he dropped to a knee.
"Power. Or do you think Kaze can get absurdly strong in days and not teach a person?" Evalyn asked coldly, "You''re equally arrogant, but you''re exponentially more ignorant."
"E-Evalyn." He winced as frost developed on his shaking arms.
"I''m doing this on your behalf, you fucking [clown]." Evalyn scoffed in vexation.
Tim looked up in confusion and found two daggers pointing at his eyes.
"Someone with real power is watching you berate me like a fool." She said while giving Kaze a sidelong nce.
"He''s been patient on my behalf, but he won''t be if I don''t handle your abuse. So leave before you end up in the hospital."
The man gulped with shaky arms, fearing hypothermia and death. Everyone at the party watched them with wide eyes, falling silent, leaving only the music pulsing hypnotically in the background.
Evalyn cut her pressure and released the frost in the area while looking at Kaze. Tim looked up at her with a bitter smile and then at Kaze.
He took a few deep breaths to retain his calm. Hundreds of violent thoughts fought against his fear, but he wisely let his fear win.
So he got up, gave the blonde a contemptuous expression, and left the party peacefully.
Kaze pped. "If you''re not going to cheer that that badass disy, you can at least start partying again!"
On his words, a pulse rippled through the party, and the area burst into cheers and apuse.
Tim took a deep breath as hundreds of people drowned Evalyn in praise for threatening his life. He had never felt such humiliation in his life.
Evalyn watched his back with a guilty expression, understanding the man''s points.
She looked at Kaze disappearing with Sage, the redhead in finance, with a bitter feeling in her heart.
When did she be dependent upon the murderous yboy before her? That was the only question on her mind as she grabbed another cup.
Chapter 40 June 22nd, 2032 | Betrayal Of Value
Kaze walked into a grassy, moonlit alley between two buildings and ced his back against the wall, casually waiting for Sage to approach him, daring her to move forward.
"I thought you were a joke." Sheughed bitterly, moving toward him slowly.
The redhead was forced to initiate her desires and admit that her disdain for him only a week ago was grossly misced and that her lust for power guided her interests.
Despite her bitterness, she approached him with hypnotic swiveling hips, with her red hair swaying in a ponytail.
"Do you judge me?" Sage asked while pressing her loose green shirt on his body, letting him feel her borderline C-cup breasts against his chest.
"All non-threatening behavior from females is eptable so long as misconceptions guide it and they recognize power when they see it." Kaze replied with a slight smile.
Sage closed her eyes at his words, deeply attracted to his ambition and strength.
"I still feel foolish and guilty, approaching you a week after mocking you," She chuckled in self-deprecation.
"If you seek full redemption, there are other ways to apologize with your mouth." Kaze replied with a charming smile.
Her heart thumped at his words, her mind flooded with desire but fighting against her obsession with her image.
They were in an alleyway only a few blocks from the party, and their exit was as conspicuous as the open location.
"Here? Surely you understand how pathetic I''d look." Sage smiled bitterly.
"If not here, then the repentance you seek would have shallow meaning, would it not?" Kaze asked charmingly.
"Besides, these people are insignificant. Who do you seek approval from?
A man with great power, or the people that are jealous you seduced him in a sea of willing women?"
Sageugh-scoffed in amusement. "Your arrogance truly knows no bounds, does it?"
"Oh, love." Kaze chuckled breathlessly, "You don''t know the half of it. Move your hand down a bit lower, and you''ll find another justification for my assured behavior."
She took a deep breath and followed hismand gliding her hand down to his crotch. When her hand reached his package, her eyes widened in shock. "Y-Your not even hard yet. How?"
"Some forms of power are bestowed upon those who are destined for greatness at birth." Kaze replied while gliding his eyes down her body, "Just as your body was bestowed upon you."
Sage blushed, pulled away slightly, and let herself fall to her haunches.
Kaze''s body reacted as she unbuckled his belt with pure lust. She didn''t care about her reputation, as his very presence made everything else irrelevant.
The woman unbuttoned his cks with difficulty, fighting against therge rod pushing against it.
When she released it, she lightly gripped its base and stared at it, intimidated. However, her heart pounded violently, acting as a war drum beckoning her forward.
Sage tucked a few strands of red hair that escaped her ponytail behind her ear and opened her mouth as wide as possible.
She inserted his shaft until it touched the back of her throat and then closed her mouth, pressing her mouth against it and sucking.
The second her tongue touched, an unnatural pulse of pleasure washed through her body.
Sage immediately fell to her knees, allowing herself to submit to Kaze and her desires shamelessly.
She was in an alleyway, a quarter-block from a raging party, in a location people knew she went to.
However, she was on her bare knees, her white skirt pressing against the ground without concerns of the grass stains.
Kaze gasped lightly with a satisfied expression, enjoying the first woman he courted outside of resource gathering who had "rudimentary" skill in pleasing a man.
After a few minutes, the two heard yelling approaching.
"Yo, stay back, man. There are cops here on the guy''s payroll, and he has hundreds of people as witnesses!" A man yelled.
"I don''t care! That''s my girl he disappeared with!" Another yelled.
Sage pulled Kaze''s rod out of his mouth with a beating heart. In a haze, she kept nted. Kaze, however, closed his eyes in annoyance, not moving an inch.
A man passed the alleyway and then froze when he looked down it. He was an athlete with a loose ck t-shirt that showcased his muscle.
Four other men followed him with various levels of emotion on their faces.
His eyes trembled when she locked eyes with him. "Jesse?"
"What the fuck!?" Jesse yelled at full volume without approaching, too stunned to move.
"J-Jesse, I." Sage stuttered in embarrassment while standing up, showcasing the grass stains on her white skirt.
"I can''t believe you!" He scoffed while looking at Kaze, rolling his eyes with his ten-inch rod still hard.
"Can you keep it down?" Kaze scoffed in annoyance, "It''s obvious there was a misunderstanding, but your yelling won''t change that."
"What the hell did you say, you stupid prick?" Jesse yelled.
The emperor scoffed in disgust and waved his hand. A silver barrier of warping space cut off the alleyway from intrusion.
Sage and Jesse looked in each other''s direction but were equally stunned by the barrier. She could barely hear nonstop screaming on the other side.
"How annoying." Kaze scoffed while waving his hand. A full dome of warping space enclosed the area, making everything fall silent.
Jesse punched at the warping space, but when he hit, he passed through it, and his body fell through the void.
Luckily, one of his friends caught his hand as he fell. When he did, he stared downward at his friends, holding his wrist from thirty feet in the air.
"P-Pull me back! Now, Lester!" Jessed begged at full volume.
Lester didn''t know where his voice called from but pulled back, bringing him back to level ground.
Jesse fell to his knees with trembling eyes.
"What happened? Where did you go?" Lester asked, "You look like you saw hell."
The man didn''t listen. While his cultivation technique from the Skye ne cultivators made him stronger, he wasn''t certain he would have survived that fall.
He would have fallen face first, and breaking his fall with his arms would have snapped them. Worse, his cultivation-free friends may have died if he fell on them.
It was brutal, no matter how he looked at it.
Lester tried looking into the gate, aware that it wouldn''t kill him immediately. However, Jesse grabbed his wrist. "D-Don''t do that. That m-monster nearly killed me."
"Did he try to use a cultivation technique on you?" His friend asked.
Jesse gulped and reached his arm into the warping space while lying on the ground. Then he flipped over his body and pointed up.
His friends focused their eyes on the ck object in the sky. When he waved his hand, they finally understood what was happening.
"H-He really tried to kill you!" Lester cried, "This is attempted murder!"
Feeling the influx of Qi and seeing their experimentation, Kaze closed his eyes and switched the warp gate to another location.
While no one would believe the emperor''s crazy cultivation technique, he knew there would be a crowd of witnesses soon and didn''t want to deal with it.
Their hand disappeared from the sky, bewildering them. However, no one dared to figure out where the new gate led.
"What''s going on Kaze?" Sage said with trembling eyes.
"I just put up a barrier to block out silence their yelling and block their intrusion." Kaze replied with a calm voice.
"W-Wait. Are you saying you want to continue?" She stuttered.
"Why not?" He asked, "You''re here, disregarding a past rtionship. Does that not imply that you want to be here?"
"I do, and we''ve never been in a rtionship, but." Sage began, conflicted by her words.
"He''s a longtime friend I''ve hooked up with recently. We''re not in a rtionship, but he doesn''t feel that way. What person would I be if I disregarded him?"
It was a ssic rtionship dynamic that yed out regrly and showcased why sleeping with friends is never a good idea.
"The incessant shaming of sexual pleasure in this world is as tiresome as it is loathsome." Kazeugh-scoffed.
"If you insist on extorting such detestable beliefs, then reconsider the value.
You purposely epted an opportunity to build rtions with a powerful person. Turning that away would be ill-judged and foolish."
Sage looked up at him with wide eyes. He constantly reaffirmed her ambitious and power-seeking ideals.
"It doesn''t change the damage to our friendship." She sighed.
"You''ve alreadymitted, have you not?" The emperor chuckled, "Running after him will make imply unjust guilt and only serve to worsen the situation."
The redhead gave him a wry smile. "He''s still my friend, though. That doesn''t feel right."
"Kaze scoffughed, "You''d betray your rights and value as a woman to appease someone''s delusional beliefs. Do you value yourself, your decisions, and your desires so little?"
Sage''s heartbeat pulsed as she looked into his eyes. His charm, confidence, and aura were calming and appealing.
Even now, as a mob yelled outside the barrier, he urged her to move forward with the same carefree demeanor he held while bribing Meridian City''s police chief.
The thought of continuing made her feel perverse and indelicate. Yet it also made her feel like a woman, unrestrained and defiant.
Her heart thumped as she stared into his eyes and slowly fell to her knees, opening her mouth and [apologizing].
Chapter 41 June June 22nd, 2032 | Subtle Retaliation
Sage nced upward at Kaze and swallowed. Her eyes immediately widened as a nova of bursting energy pulsed through her body, weaving through intricate channels she hadn''t noticed before.
Somewhere along the way, she experienced sexual enlightenment and now obtained energy that enriched her essence. "What is this feeling?"
She looked up at Kaze to find answers and found him illuminated in a blue aura. Looking down again, she found herself radiating a light pink glow.
"The true essence of the human experience." Kaze said charmingly, "It''s a gift to those who ept the value of human nature and cardinal desires."
Sage stared at him in disbelief. "Who are you, Kaze?"
"Kaze Lexicon. Nothing more, nothing less." He replied arrogantly, "I refuse to be caged by unofficial titles, limited by the expectations of others. The only title I''ve ever begrudgingly epted was [Emperor]."
Sheugh-scoffed while wiping her mouth with her wrist. Then she turned to the barrier and took a deep breath, not looking forward to the future.
"Concern yourself no further with these wretched fools." Kaze replied in a hypnotic voice while offering her his hand.
Sage rolled her eyes with a smile while epting his hand and standing.
He immediately kneeled, touching the grass stains on her skirt, causing her to blush to the tip of her ears. "W-What are you doing?"
"Surely you don''t want to return to the party like this." Kaze chuckled. A small vortex of hot water sprayed from his hand, sprinkling her panties and making her yelp in surprise.
"Hold still." Heughed while walking up to her and kneeling again. He touched the area again, and hot air instantly dried the fibers.
Sage looked down in disbelief. While his actions didn''tpletely remove the stains, one would have to look closely to see them. "How?"
"Let''s not get lost in trivialities." Kaze chuckled, "There is still a party to enjoy."
The emperor reached out his hand, and she grabbed it in confusion. Then he turned to the side of the barrier and waved his hand before leading her in.
Sage blinked twice when she realized they were behind the party''s DJ.
"How?" She whispered in disbelief.
"Trivialities." Kaze reiterated while pulling out his technique and handing it to her.
"Study this cultivation technique so you can gain entrance to Immortal Skye. There isn''t much time until the finale, and I must see the others on my list." He said with a mysterious smile.
Sage stared at the paper in disbelief but didn''t question it. She wouldn''t threaten the opportunity for anything.
"Imagine your third eye." Kaze instructed while touching her forehead.
I profound tidal wave of information crashed through her mind, imprinting the full information knowledge necessary to cultivate Illuminecent Breathing.
Not only that
"This is what happened earlier." Sage whispered while looking at Kaze in shock.
I cultivate with my body. Naturally, your body learned from it." Kaze scoffughed delusively.
"Cultivation scrolls are ways of understanding an abstract concept. It''s better if you learn them naturally."
Her body trembled. "Y-You cultivate your body, like the other Emperor?"
"That [Emperor] is just another man." He chuckled mysteriously, "Surely you don''t believe him to be a unique god."
"You''re something else. You treat that man just like everyone else on Earth." Sageughed, recovering from her shock.
"Oh, no, no." Kaze scoffughed, "I don''t lump him in with anyone save one on the Mortal ne."
She blushed, but he gave her a mocking half smile.
"Now go home and cultivate for the next two hours. I''m certain you don''t want to stand around for those bumbling drunkards to return." Kaze smiled.
Sage gave him a wry smile. However, she fixed her ponytail and dabbed the corners of her mount to ensure she was decent. Thest 45 minutes felt like a dream, but she didn''t question it.
"I take it that the reason we were asked remain rtively sober until 1:17 am was to cultivate?"
"Correct." Kaze replied with a mysterious smile.
"Very well." She said with a slight smile. Her feet stepped forward for a parting kiss, but she held herself back, fearing rejection.
The woman understood she wasn''t special for learning the technique, and their rtionship was nothing but casual sex.
"I''ll cultivate this freaky technique in my bed, then. Join me some time." Sage remarked with a charming smile.
"I''ll dly take you up on that offer." He replied confidently, "Though I''d prefer my bed."
Sage shook her head at his arrogance but smiled and walked away, leaving him to seduce other women. "See yater, you charming fool."
Kazeughed and turned around to make the rounds. Using his eidetic memory, he skillfully wove through the crowd finding everyone on his [list].
He informed everyone on it to remain rtively sober until 1:17 am. The time was passing by quickly, so he needed to hurry.
"Hello,dies." Kaze said with a charming smile.
"Hey, Kaze." Whitney, the blonde on Evalyn''s tennis team, said.
"Hey there, yboy." Kylie, the cute brte cheerleader, giggled, "You''re awfully rxed when a mob''s hunting you."
"A mob?" Kazeughed in disbelief, "You mean the moving circus of delusional clowns? I have no time to deal with such barbarity."
"Is that so?" Sammy, the woman who loaned her block out, mused, "You don''t have time for salty men out for blood?"
"Of course not." He scoffed breathlessly, "I''m too busy dealing with charming maidens."
The stunned women burst into giggles when they saw his cheeky smile.
"You''ve already moved on from Sage?" Kylie scoffughed, "The word [yer] wouldn''t describe you."
"Of course not." Kaze said mockingly, "Handsome, charming, powerful, interesting, and confident describe me better."
They burst into bewildered giggles again.
"But the best word is generous." He said arrogantly.
"That''s a bold assertion." Laura, the other brte on Evalyn''s tennis team, remarked.
Kaze pulled out three folded pieces of paper.
"W-Wait!" Whitney cried, "Is that"
"Illuminecent Breathing." He interjected, "Now, let''s learn it. There are many people on my list I must visit before tonight''s finale."
The emperor strode through the crowd, visiting men and women he deemed worthy of joining his faction.
He did so, hoping to give Evalyn minorfort in the apocalypse. So he chose those in sports for their strength, dedication, and potential friendships with her.
He also chose a select few with intelligence that he knew from his past life and a few women solely for their looks. Obviously.
Before he could finish, he heard amotion breaking out.
"That arrogant fuck''s over here!" A man yelled in disbelief, "And he''s talking to other women!"
While the emperor''s warning shooked Jesse, most saw his disappearance as a sign of fleeing. In other words, weakness.
A group of men ran into the area, flushed with anger and annoyance that they waited for 45 minutes only to find him chatting with other women.
Kaze scoffed loudly in disbelief. "Did you idiots not learn your lesson?"
"Kaze!" Evalyn screamed as a man ran at him with his arm cocked back.
He ignored her, casually dodged the punch, and touched his hand against the man''s back. It glowed nearly imperceptibly and wasn''t noticed by anyone.
The man crashed into a keg.
Another three men followed, throwing punches from multiple directions.
Kaze dodged them all and touched their bodies, and then tripped them.
Evalyn was distant, so she couldn''t see what he was doing. Moreover, she wasn''t using her technique to see Qi fluctuations.
As a result, she couldn''t see minor distortions.
To her and everyone else at the party, Kaze was simply dodging their attacks and tripping them, letting them trip and crash into each other.
"Fight back, you asshole!" A drunken man yelled, feeling dizzy, "You''re looking down on us!"
"Of course I am, you insufferable imp." Kaze scoffed.
"I''m toying with eight of you simple-minded drunkards, and you''re audacious enough to ask me to kill you?
Your lunacy is an inspiration to unstable people everywhere."
The men turned away aggressively in anger, gritting their teeth. However, it didn''tst long. Their minds were bing cloudy, and one of them vomited.
"Disgusting." The emperor scoffed while turning away from them.
He looked at Evalyn and the three cops running from the alleyway with an exasperated expression.
"Officers. Earn your keep." Kaze scoffed contemptuously, "I appalled these filthy swine are still here after forming a mob to attack me almost an hour ago. Do your job."
Wade, Ken, and Pratt turned away with indigent expressions.
"What? You think you''ve already got what you came for and needn''t worry any more?" The emperor asked mockingly.
"Prove yourself ipetent again, I''ll speak to the Emperor, and you can kiss that false ticket to Immortal Skye goodbye.
If you hadn''t noticed, I''m the most capable in his faction. So if you think I''m lying, you''re delusional."
The three men''s eyes shed with horror.
"Your belligerent ignorance is almost an art form." Kaze scoffed contemptuously, "You''ve already wasted my time twice. There won''t be a third time."
He turned around and walked to the stage while the cops hesitantly pulled out their handcuffs and hauled the men away.
Chapter 42 June 22rd, 2032 | Harsh Realities
Evalyn approached the emperor nervously. "Thanks for letting them off easy."
"Letting them off easy?" Kaze scoffughed, vexed with the assertion, "Are you blind?"
"What do you mean?" She asked with a trembling voice as she looked at the men. When she did, her eyes filled with horror.
Despite being sober only minutes before, the men had be sluggish, looking like drunkards.
She looked closer, using the technique he gave her.
Evalyn cupped her hands over her mouth. "Their meridians."
"They''re closed." Kaze said coldly, "What little was forced open is now gone. They''ll go mad with Qi sickness by morning."
She turned to him with a wincing expression. "How are you so cold?"
"Cold?" Heugh-scoffed while gently grabbing her hand.
Kaze guided her behind the DJ stage and led her through a warp gate to a short building''s rooftop. It was close enough to hear the music but far enough to avoid issues.
She looked around in confusion, trying toprehend what he just did. However, he continued, and she snapped back into focus.
"I''m doing them and the world a favor." He said.
"It''s a painless death for them and better for everyone knowing those animals won''t pige women once society breaks down.
It''s a small respite of relief for those unlucky enough to avoid sickness and must face such barbarity instead."
Evalyn''s lungs froze for a moment, having difficulty processing his words. "You''re serious."
"What do you think the word apocalypse means?" Kaze scoffed mockingly, "A time where humanity bands together to fight a joint enemy?"
She gave him a wry smile and averted her gaze.
"You can''t save these people, Evalyn." He said apathetically, "If they''re not on my list, they''ll be dead by next month at thetest. You can only save the women with techniques from defilement and pray the remainder will get the sickness sooner thanter."
Evalyn stared at him in horror. "Why are you just now helping me understand all of this? You''ve been telling me about this apocalypse, but you''ve downyed the cruelness and obscuring the timeline. You''re so rxed all the time, why?"
Kaze checked his watch to check the time in annoyance and then looked at her.
"You''re not going to change anything." He said in a frigid voice, "So it was better to let you enjoy a fleeting moment of happiness before reality hits your idealism like gravity and sends it crashing down to a bloody death."
The blonde dry swallowed, and her breaths became sharp.
"Kaze, how long is there before everything goes to hell?" She asked nervously.
Kaze looked at his watch again. "Twenty-eight minutes."
"Twenty-eight!? Kaze, why didn''t you let me secure my family first?" Evalyn cried.
"They took a spur-of-the-moment vacation, and I barely convinced them toe back early on Monday!
They''re not home, and I haven''t heard back from my mom today, Kaze!"
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and shook his head, trying to find the words to say.
"Listen, Evalyn. I''ll reiterate. The best case scenario is if they get the sickness now." He said solemnly.
"You can''t be serious!" She cried with tears in her eyes, "How are you this deranged? You''re running around trying to get my friends in the faction, yet you won''t help my family!?"
? "Deranged?" Kaze scoffed bitterly, "Do you think me an orphan, Evalyn?"
Evalyn cupped her hand over her mouth to stop her vitriolic rant and took a deep breath.
"What about your parents?" She asked hesitantly.
"I spent all of yesterday with them. " Kaze exined bitterly, "We had a great day. I told them about my life, proved them proud, treated them to the mostvish treats the world can offer."
He took a deep breath. "And then I sealed their meridians just like you just saw."
Evalyn''s eyes screamed in horror. "W-What did you just say?"
"Don''t make me repeat something so loathsome." Kaze snapped contemptuously, "You heard me well enough, yes? I sealed their meridians. Even with my power, I cannot save my parents."
She began hyperventting in disbelief, and her motions became twitchy as she tried to gasp for air. "Y-You? You can''t?"
The emperor closed his eyes and swallowed to prevent himself from snapping. He didn''t like that reality either.
"Wait an hour." Kaze instructed coldly, "You''ll see the nature of desperation for the first time. When you do, you''ll understand that the military, the faction members, and everyone else will try holding my parents hostage, trying to force my hand in helping them."
Evalyn took deep breaths, trying to process his words with a sane mind. She hadn''t seen it, so it felt like a surreal nightmare, delusions of a man drunk with power.
"I cannot protect my parents 24/7 and refuse to let a man defile my mother or watch them die again." He said coldly.
Her eyes trembled, and tears welled in her eyes, unwilling to ept the horror he went through. It was an abstract concept yesterday, an impending dream, and she didn''t bear the reality.
"They''ll do the same to your parents." Kaze warned, "They''ll hold them hostage to get you to let their parents in, to save their children, to protect them from the sick."
Evalyn winced, and tears fell from her eyes. "N-No. That''s not"
"It''s true, Evalyn. Right now, you''re thinking through hundreds of simtions, desperately looking for a way to leverage your rtionship with me to save your family and protect them." He remarked, "Now imagine that same behavior transposed on billions."
She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. Not at Kaze; at everything.
"Kaze please." Evalyn pleaded after swallowing back tears.
Kaze took a deep breath. "I''ve already proven feeble for providing an arbitrary ticket to Immortal Skye for all your friends and extended family."
Evalyn looked at him with a conflicted expression. She wanted to tell him she was grateful, but she was in too much pain, desperate to the point of begging.
"You could''ve at least given me the technique a week"
"Are you deaf? Or are you just unwilling to listen to me?" He scoffed in irritation.
She turned away with a contorted expression, unwilling to bite the man who held the cards to her family''s life.
"If I let you bring your whole family, you''d be wrought with tragedy regrly." Kaze said bitterly, "I gave you a ticket to save only a select few you''re capable of protecting."
Evalyn took deep breaths, desperately trying to regain hold of her emotions. She knew he was helping her, but it was impossible to feel that way.
"Then can you help me with the select few? My family''s away, and I couldn''t teach them."
"I''m trying to protect you from what''s toe." Kaze replied after a deep breath, "If you knew what wasing, you''d find my concession reprehensible. Must you ask me to aid you further in your desperate quest for misfortune?"
"Are you saying I''ll thank youter?" Evalyn asked bitterly.
"Whether I help you or not, your family will die; such an event will never inspire gratitude." He scoffed in vexation, "The only thing that will change is whether you me me or yourself. Stop begging for thetter."
"You''d go so far as to have me hate you to shelter me?" She whispered, "Please, tell me. I need to know. What was I"
"What do you want to hear me say?" Kaze asked sarcastically, "We fought a war together, fell in love, and then lived a happy life?"
Evalyn fell silent at his words and bit her lip. "I''m not asking for much. I just want something totch onto. Something to help me believe in you."
Heughed in disbelief. "Is that a joke? You''ll hear a love story that will somehow justify what you interpret as murder?"
She turned away in shame; it was what she wished for.
"Here''s a synopsis of what you seek." Kaze scoffed.
"Two people watched billions die in an apocalypse, lived through horrors, and grew callus.
Then they were summoned to the Sky ne, where they were forced into war and watched millions more die, many at their hands."
Evalyn''s movements became shaky, and her desire to flee took over.
"A clever man survived through wit, and a ruthless woman survived through mass killing." Heugh-scoffed in contempt.
"He pursued her, and she tried to kill him half-heartedly for the better part of a century.
They finally developed feelings for each other and left their lives behind."
She looked up with hope in her eyes.
"The people she helped and saved didn''t like that, so they sent waves and waves of people to kill her." Kaze exined mockingly.
"So the two murdered their way through life and never enjoyed the feelings they shared.
Eventually, she died after countless years of bitter struggle because we were both too weak to prevent it."
Evalyn''s breathing became ragged, and her mind clouded fromck of oxygen.
"The end." The emperor concluded mockingly.
Tears fell from her eyes as she heard the story. It was horrifying and sad, and she felt terrible for pressing him constantly for answers.
"I-I didn''t understand. I''m sorry." Evalyn whispered.
"Save your pity." Kaze replied coldly.
"I''m not here from the future to save you. I returned by ident and vowed to enjoy life and make the world better for you this time.
That doesn''t mean I''m here to marry you and bring you a happy life in the apocalypse.
Such a goal would sprout from the depths of lunacy and be treasonous to thews ofmon sense.
My rtionship with the old Evalyn Skye won''t change the hell that awaits us ten minutes from now.
So stop looking to a future you don''t understand to shelter yourself from the realities of the present.
If you need an emotion that justifies your faith in me, cling to mindless gratitude for the power I''ve bestowed upon you. Only that and nothing more.
Now I need to go. If I don''t, this ce will devolve into a riot, and bodies will start piling up.
Stay here so your cultivation won''t kill people in the area.
Don''t leave; I''ve set things up this way to give you a "soft" introduction to what will happen tomorrow. So watch the show."
Kaze waved his arm, creating another wall of warping space that led him behind the DJ stand again, leaving her with a beating heart as she looked over the rooftop.
The emperor got on the stage, asked the DJ to cut the music, and then picked up the microphone.
Chapter 43 The Fourth Influx | One Remains
"Thank you foring out, everyone." Kaze announced to everyone at the party with a booming voice, triggering cheers and apuse.
"Countless people have asked me about my transformation, and I told them I''d exin it tonight." Kaze chuckled, "Well, I''m here to announce it was solely hard work and dedication."
Everyone burst intoughter after seeing his cheeky smile.
"Okay, a small amount was cultivation." He added after a pause.
The partiers erupted into cheers and thunderous apuse.
"Many people believe that cultivation techniques allow you to cultivate. They''re wrong." Kaze asserted arrogantly.
"They''re techniques for cultivation. However, cultivationes from circting Qi in the body and bes easier through posture and breathing.
I''d like to give everyone some tips for cultivation now. Can I guide you through a session?"
His words were met through shocked gazes as partygoers processed his words.
"He''s sharing everyone! Scrawn Fuuuuuuuuuuuu!" The drunken man howled, leading to an outpour of cheers that rocked Meridian City''s streets.
His name was Larken Downs, anky idiot with dark brown hair.
The emperor usually wouldn''t allow such a foolish man to join his forces.
However, he appreciated people who supported his rise to power, so he gave the man Illuminesent Breathing to be a jester and hype man of the faction.
The idiot said, [I feel like I understand cultivation just by being around you, Emperor Scrawn] when he got it two hours prior. The emperor chuckled and ignored him for the rest of the night.
"Come now, let''s get into the lotus position. I believe you''ve seen it online, yes?" Kaze asked.
Everyone chuckled and sat down, struggling to get into position.
"In the event of another Qi pulse, keep your eyes closed and continue mediation." The emperor instructed.
"Those waves are harsh, and you can only handle them well if you cultivate."
Many nodded hesitantly and got into position, and Kaze made his way to the center to join them.
The action left Evalyn shocked on the rooftop, realizing something for the first time.
"H-How much Qi ising tonight?" She whispered in horror.
If Kaze was sitting in the middle, sucking in endless amounts of Qi in a vortex, and there were [still] problems, that meant that the world was about to get a wave so massive it would rock society.
The third happened two days ago, and it triggered the epidemic. One dayter, there would be arger and more profound one.
Evalyn finallyprehended that the apocalypse was beginning. She closed her eyes, thinking about her mother and father, and made her way to the center of the rooftop.
"Should I cultivate without frost tempering?" She whispered in conflict.
She no longer had Kaze to protect her from the cold, so she had to practice Qi intake as she did two nights ago on the mountain if she wanted to temper her body.
After preparing her meridians for Crystal Divinity, it became possible to cultivate without the atmosphere freezing.
However, it was inefficient and removed the advantages of her body. She''d only get half of the gains of specialized cultivation by not using it, which would be a waste.
"What a stupid question. I''ll just stop tempering when I can''t take more." Evalyn chuckled in self-deprecation, "It''s not like I''m incapable."
The emperor panned his gaze over the partygoers below.
"You''re about to feel a slight pulse and be aware of your meridians. Focus on the points that tingle exclusively and follow the energy that passes through them." Kaze exined.
"Focus your breathing to maintain concentration. That goes for those practicing their cultivation techniques."
A faint green glow washed over the park, enveloping everyone and rxing them.
The emperor used a technique called [Forced Tranquility] to calm the area.
Then he let out a [light] pulse of Qi in the area, distorting the space momentarily, assaulting people''s major meridians.
He was skillfully slightly forcing open Qi channels, ensuring the weakest at the party wouldn''t bepletely insane in ny seconds.
Within sixty seconds, many were in a trance-like state, and the entire area was illuminated in red, a sign of those with Illuminant Breathing.
,m Those that opened their eyes to gasp at the shocking development were assaulted with Qi, forcing their minds shut and calm. It was the effects of Forced Tranquility in action.
Kaze opened his eyes, got up, and walked through a portal to the tallest skyscraper in the area. Evalyn didn''t notice, nor did anyone; he simply abandoned everyone.
To the emperor, those who couldn''t retain their mental bnce with a cultivation technique deserved to die.
Moreover, he wanted [everyone] to understand the impending desperation and test their ability to survive a [simple] trial.
If people knew what it was like to get assaulted for help, it would help them understand his cold, unforgiving, and unmoving ways. That''s what he needed most.
The emperor walked to the edge of the skyscraper''s roof and looked down at Evalyn, wondering if she''d be okay without him.
"No, she must learn how to control herself." Kaze muttered, "If she cannot survive this much, she''s not worth saving. I can''t help her till its over, at a minimum. She needs to learn the consequences of reckless cultivation."
He looked into the sky as massive vortexes to the Sky ne opened above Meridian City, instantly turning night to day.
Light washed over the city as if the sun was rising, telling the peaceful world to arise and meet another mundane day in their lives. However, such a day would nevere again.
Kaze turned away, walked to the rooftop''s center, and entered the lotus position. It was time.
"I hope my selfish quest to bring you happiness didn''t taint the perseverance and determination that kept you alive." He whispered to himself.
A suffocating pulse of Qi rippled through the world, distorting the sky and leaving shadows twisting and morphing on the ground.
The world looked underwater, and its popce felt like it was drowning as Qi pulsed in its heart.
Those who walked outside to see the strange phenomena hit the ground, clutching their chest before curling in balls as their body''s meridians lit on fire, desperately attempting to ept the Qi.
Screaming filled the city streets as countless people attempted to cope and free their lungs, which held the only meridian working for most people.
The meridian worked on overdrive, but it was insufficient to handle the endless surge assaulting bodies.
Many fell unconscious due to the pain or had heart attacks from the sudden shift in their bodies, dying as the heart stopped breathing due to the never-ending pulse that didn''t ease.
The park Kaze became restless. The minds and bodies of the partygoers fought desperately against the effects of [Forced Tranquility], keeping their minds steady and grounded as they got assaulted.
Those with the technique gritted their teeth as they epted Qi beyond their meridian levels, ripping them open violently and letting excess Qi flow in.
Only those who had techniques prior were in decent shape. Those without gasped for breath and screamed out in pain.
However, they kept still as the remaining effects of Kaze''s technique pushed them forward.
While countless people would me him for what he did, they''d be able to do so because they were alive. It was an inconvenient reality for the emperor, but its costs far outweighed the benefits.
Kaze kept his eyes closed in a tranquil state as he epted profound levels of concentrated Qi that temporarily rivaled the Transcendent ne of Cultivation.
One hundred thousand cultivators from the Sky ne were using a cultivation technique to pull the Qi from the atmosphere and pump it into Earth.
They didn''t know they were inadvertently feeding the future emperor of the Immortal ne, pushing him closer to the heavenly realm of cultivation.
His mind became clear as he reached a point of enlightenment during the ten-minute non-stop pulse of Qi raining down from the heavens.
After his mind guided the synapsework to form skillfully, he opened his eyes with a serious face. His eyes moved in Evalyn''s direction, and he closed his eyes again.
"That woman." Kaze scoffed in disbelief, "Is she just fated to be like this?"
He stood up and glided over to the edge of the roof. When he got to the edge, he took a deep breath.
"That fool. Power only helps you if you''re alive." The emperor muttered in annoyance.
"I coddled her for weeks, yet she still ended up a suicidal massochist on a quest for power."
Kaze watched the rooftop with a conflicted expression.
He didn''t know whether to help or watch, only ensuring she wouldn''t die. It was his responsibility, as he gave her a life-threatening technique.
Evalyn''s words entered her mind.
[Then can you help me with the select few? My family''s away, and I couldn''t teach them].
He closed his eyes. "You fool. You forgot what was important due to your thirst for power. Just as I did."
Chapter 44 June 22rd, 2032 | The Emperors "Generosity"
[A/N: This chapter has a very mild, non-graphic scene that some readers may find triggering. Reader discretion is advised.]
Evalyn''s mind cleared, and her pain lessened radically, causing her to open her eyes meekly. It was difficult, as her body had yet to melt the frost that had developed on her eyelids.
From her narrowed eyes, she could see a dancing blizzard. Somehow the frost had turned into a Chinese dragon, flying through the sky as if free from the world''s woes.
"Wha."
The blonde coughed, and she brought her hand to her mouth. After she finished coughing, she looked at her hand, and her mind froze in horror.
Her fingers were ck, burning with frostbite.
Thu-dump!
"W-What is this?" Evalyn cried horror with a thumping heart.
"Frostbite." Kaze scoffed in vexation, "Do you think I''d use healing cultivation on you as a safety precaution?"
She shivered uncontrobly, unable to feel shame because of the cold.
Once Qi stopped circting in her body rapidly, her cold and pain resistance dropped significantly, making her cry out.
"I-I didn''t understand." Evalyn grimaced in pain, "W-Will this heal w-without you?"
"It will. With normal cultivation, it should heal in a week." Kaze replied coldly, "Tell me, do you think you''d be able to teach your mother cultivation like that?"
Thu-dump! Thu-dump!
She ced her palms down on the ground with a beating heart, trying to stand. However, her arms buckled, and she smashed to the ground.
Herpiled wounds screamed in pain as she hit the rough ground.
"I nned to release this when I couldn''t take it." Evalyn cried, "I was lost in cultivation; I believe I reached enlightenment. I wouldn''t have gone this far without that."
Kaze scoffed aggressively. "What did I warn you about when I told you about enlightenment periods?"
Evalyn tried to bite her lip, but it burst open, and blood spilled into her mouth. She cried out in pain and tried to adjust her body with rocks grinding into her wounds.
"Stop making excuses." He replied in annoyance, "Your actions killed you tonight. You wouldn''t have died from those wounds, but you would from the mob you''re ignoring."
"I can hear her!" A person yelled, "It is Evalyn! She sounds like she''s in pain!"
"Evalyn! Are you there!? We need help!" Another yelled.
"What''s going on?" Evalyn asked the emperor in confusion.
Kaze looked over the area behind a concealment wall with a cold expression.
"As soon as my calming technique allowed them to break their cultivation, they saw the warp gates and eighty people cultivating Illuminecent Breathing with calm expressions." He exined.
"Those drunk and unprepared were crying out in pain, while those cultivating were fine.
Everyone instantly understood that cultivation was the difference between pain, sickness, and death.
Then an emergency broadcast went out urging people to ask friends and family to post their techniques online.
So they confirmed cultivation was the key to staying healthy."
Evalyn''s eyes trembled at his words, and her breaths became sharp. "W-What happened?"
"Come see for yourself." Kaze replied in a frigid tone.
Her body heated up as a golden light enveloped her, easing her pain until it disappeared.
Evalyn pushed herself off the ground with a guilty expression, expecting to apologize to Kaze.
However, her mind fell nk after she saw what he was looking at.
The area had dozens of dead bodies, and people were fighting and beating one another.
"I know you have it!" A person yelled while kicking Larken''s stomach. He was the man hyping up the crowd by screaming [Scrawn Fu].
Larken vomited on the ground. "I don''t even know when"
"Stop telling lies!" Another man scoffed while kicking him in the chest. Four people were beating the drunk man on the grass vigorously.
"W-What are they doing to Larken!?" Evalyn cried.
"I gave him the Illuminnecent Breathing technique." Kaze said coldly.
"Now people are taking advantage of his drunken weakness to attempt beating it out of him.
He can''t give it to them, but they still assume he can, just like the other thirty-eight people they''ve killed already."
Her breaths panicked, and she watched in terror as the men viciously beat Larken to the ground, no longer concerned with letting him answer.
They couldn''t think straight; their minds felt distorted, hazy, and confused.
"We need to help." Evalyn whispered.
"Hoh? I did, Evalyn. You''re watching the result of my [generosity]." Kaze replied sarcastically.
"Just like the other thirty-eight people that died because of my [benevolent] actions."
She looked up at him with fear pulsing through her veins. "You knew this would happen, yet"
"Yet what, Evalyn?" Kaze scoffed, "I gave one hundred people a chance at life? Should I have held their hand and led them to a private party to amodate them?"
Evalyn swallowed nervously, processing his rationality against the present.
"Please! I don''t know!" Larken screamed, "You need to ask Scrawn"
"Don''t you fucking say that man''s name!" A man yelled while kicking Larken in the chin, knocking out some teeth.
"He killed us! He led us to the ughter! People have already called the police on him!" Another yelled while kicking the man in the ribs.
"Hear that, Evalyn?" Kaze asked, "Now, the weak will are trying to harm me, kill me, and force me into helping people. If I don''t, they''ll lust for revenge. A curious thing that is."
Evalyn watched with a strained expression. "i-I can''t watch him just die like that."
"Hoh? Should I kill the aggressive ones, then?" He mused.
"I-I can''t you just send a message?" She cried.
"I suppose so. Let''s try." Kaze mused. He waved his hand, and an invisible sh went through the air, slicing through someone''s Achilles heel.
"Gahhhhhhh! What the fuck just happened!?" The man yelled.
"That was a cultivation technique! I saw that warping stuff from earlier!" One of the men yelled.
He turned to the crowd of people who were beating another person. "I was you, wasn''t it!?"
"The fuck you talking about?" The other scoffed in annoyance, lifting his leg from a woman.
Eyn''s eyes widened in shock when she saw a heavily beaten woman with ripped clothing on the ground, gasping for air.
She wasn''t assaulted; Kaze killed anyone who tried to do that in his presence.
However, someone attempted to. As a result, people beat her, thinking she was responsible for their friend''s deaths.
"That cultivation technique, you bastard. Don''t deny it!" The first yelled.
"Do you think I''d be wasting my time with this whore if I had one? Fuck off." The man scoffed.
Everyone beating Larken turned to the man with murderous rage in their eyes.
They left their friend bleeding and screaming on the ground, running at the scoffing man.
The man realized his situation and couldn''t understand [why] he let things escte, to begin with.
Before he could react, the three men rushed him, kicking him to the ground.
Evalyn watched in disbelief as the three men beat the man to death. Once they were done, one of the men looked at the bloodied woman on the ground.
"Fuck it." He said while unbuckling his pants, "I''m going to die anyway."
The blonde turned to Kaze with a beating heart, begging for him to do something, anything.
"I don''t care how I just help her." Evalyn begged.
Kaze waved his hand, and the woman''s head separated from her neck, drenching the man with blood.
Evalyn looked up in horror, asking for an exnation.
"Look at the bodies, Evalyn." Kaze ordered.
"I already killed the three people that tried to defile her. However, she fell to the ground, having a panic attack.
Men rushed her, thinking she killed their friends or that she was a cultivator."
"C-Couldn''t you have done something?" Evalyn whispered in fear.
"What did you want me to do? Risk my life to heal her when she can''t handle a basic sight of the apocalypse?" He asked coldly.
"Or did you wish me to kill the man and wait for the next round of desperate men to try?"
"I-I don''t know." Evalyn whispered.
"Correct. I''m taking you home now." Kaze dered, "I only healed you because I knew you''d do something stupid without thinking of your family. It must be in your blood or something."
"T-Thank"
Evalyn''s body dropped to the ground after he chopped the back of her neck with his hand.
"I don''t want to talk to you further." He scoffed, "I don''t have time to waste with nonsense."
Kaze waved his hand, sending a wave of Paradox of Healing to Larken, reversing his body 12 hours when he was sober.
"Go home, Larken!" The emperor yelled.
The man got up in confusion, but he didn''t question it. "O-Okay!"
Larken ran as fast as he could, weaving through the nightmare of aggressive college students.
"This should be enough to counterbnce the trauma of me killing that woman." Kaze muttered to himself, watching the man run away, "So that imbecile better not die."
p Kaze pulled out his phone and dialed a number. When the phone connected, he spoke to the person on the other line.
"They''ve left for their homes." The emperor said coldly, "Prepare the retrieval teams and lock them in the reinforced mansion until I get there. Do not let them leaveat any cost."
Chapter 45 June 23rd, 2032 | Day Zero
Evalyn woke up to the sound of her ringing phone. She tried to ignore it, but it continued going off over and over again, stuck on repeat like a broken record.
"Okay." She groaned, pushing herself off her bed. Only once she realized she was on [her] bed did she feel a surreal wave of confusion wash over her.
"Was it all a bad dream" The blonde looked down and found she was in the same clothes from the party.
She grabbed her phone with haste, worried it might be Kaze calling.
"H-Hello?" Evalyn stuttered, answering the phone without checking the ID.
"Evalyn! Thank god you''re awake!" Daniel cried.
"U-Uncle? W-Why are you calling me?" She asked.
"Why?" He scoffed, "Did you get too drunk at Kaze''s party and ckout or something? I know it''s early, but have you ignored all of the emergency notifications?"
She gulped, and her eyes trembled. "N-No. I was just exhausted after cultivating."
"Whatever. Can you ask Kaze to have mercy?" Daniel asked, "He''s had me moving everyone to Immortal Skye since 1:30 am, so I haven''t taught my family his technique, and no one wants to work!"
Evalyn took a sharp breath with a shaky voice as scenes from the night before shed before her eyes.
Kaze didn''t blink his eye at murder, let alone show sympathy for basic matters.
"U-Uncle, listen to me." She stuttered.
"Evalyn, why do you sound so panicked about my situation?" He asked, confused by her tonal shift.
"Uncle, listen to me." The blonde said more sternly.
"Did something happen? Evalyn"
"Uncle! Shut the hell up and listen to me!" Evalyn screamed.
"O-Okay." Daniel replied after dry swallowing.
"Kaze will not show sympathy to us." She warned.
"If you don''t follow through with the arrangement, you''re out.
Don''t try forcing him to do anything, or no one you know will get into Immortal Skye."
"What? You''re serious, aren''t you?" He asked in shock.
"Yes. I haven''t seen the broadcasts, but I know it''s hell out there." Evalyn replied.
"The government and faction members care about [Kaze]; they don''t care about youand neither does he."
"What about you?" Daniel asked, "Doesn''t he"
"Don''t try to leverage your rtionship with me." She snapped.
"Kaze likes me but doesn''t care about anyone else.
He recognizes the danger of the epidemic, and he won''t risk [his life] for anyone, including my mom.
If I demand her entrance, he''ll turn us both away."
Her uncle fell silent for a moment to recollect his bearings. "Then what should I do?"
"Take your family to the outskirts of Immortal Skye and work remotely, doing your job as your life depends on it." Evalyn replied."
"That will buy you time to teach them. Do you know where my family is?"
Daniel froze on the other side of the phone. He couldn''t believe his panic drove him to disregard the obvious.
"I don''t know." He replied, "All I know is that they never made it on the flight to Meridian City. I''m still waiting on more details."
Evalyn''s eyes trembled. "When will you know?"
"I''m having someone checking the hospitals to see if they were admitted. I''ll know in the next hour." Daniel exined, "I''m spending a fortune just trying to get people to work."
She scoffed after hearing him bring up money during an epidemic but didn''t have time to scold him.
"Just let me know when you find them." Evalyn replied coldly, "Then do everything in your power toplete Immortal Skye preparations. Work every other priority you have around that."
"You make it sound like it''s the only thing important." Daniel chuckled bitterly.
"It is. To teach your family that cultivation technique and get them into Immortal Skye is the same as keeping them alive." She replied in annoyance.
"Why are you speaking as if you know the future?" He asked.
"Kaze told me to buy up tens of thousands of pounds in canned goods and demanded security equipment from the beginning.
He had the same confidence and certainty in his voice you do."
She fell silent, trying to collect her words.
"Evalyn, who the fuck is Kaze?" He asked.
"If you''re asking a question that implies he''s an insider, it means you''re smart enough to understand he holds the keys to survival." Evalyn asserted, "The rest is irrelevant."
Daniel scoffed. "Smart enough? So he is special, and you won''t tell me?"
"It''s because I''m smart, you idiot!" She snapped, "Kaze has power. Do you think I''d reveal his secrets and threaten our rtionship to appease your inconsequential curiosities?"
He fell silent, stunned by her words. She sounded like the arrogant man he was working for.
"Look. If Kaze gave two fucks about my family, he would''ve taught them that technique, and they wouldn''t have gone on that vacation." Evalyn continued.
Daniel was stunned, realizing the situation. "He didn''t tell you anything?"
"No, he didn''t. I thought my parents would get in by default, but he told mest night that he wouldn''t make exceptions for them, even though they''re missing." She replied.
"My name''s on the faction. If he doesn''t care about my family, I assure you he doesn''t care about yours.
So don''t ask questions, do your job subserviently, and make things happen."
"Okay. I''ll make things happen." Daniel affirmed solemnly.
"And uncle. Remember that he likes me." Evalyn warned, "If you abandon my family during this, he''ll leave yours to die. So figure out where they are now before you go through hell."
"You''re leveraging your rtionship with him to force my actions?" He scoffed in disgust.
"Did you just scoff at me?" She asked coldly.
Daniel snorted. "Of course. I"
"You''re leveraging your rtionship with me to get your family into Immortal Skye." Evalyn replied coldly.
"I''m currently helping you and your family get in with insider information."
He fell silent on the other end.
"All I''m asking you to do is find my family and help me get to them." She continued with a beating heart.
"If you can''t perform such as simple task in exchange for my support, I won''t show any mercy when asking Kaze to cut you out."
Daniel was stunned again. He couldn''t figure out when she began sounding like Kaze, but it was distinct.
"Why are you treating me like a fiend?" He asked sternly.
"It only took twenty minutes for me to learn how radically humans can transform when they''re desperate." Evalyn replied.
"You''re a desperate human. My parents aren''t your priority, so I''m rightfully making them one.
I won''t let anyone trample over me for self-gain. If you leave my family to die, I won''t care about leaving yours to die.
You can''tin, as you''re doing the same. So don''t try."
"Fine. There will be a skycruiser touching down at the private dock in 30 minutes." Daniel replied coldly.
"Hoh? So you knew where they were but didn''t tell me because you were focusing on your priorities?" She asked mockingly.
"Your parents are in Maryworth Hospital in Lanberry." Daniel continued, ignoring her.
Evalyn froze. "What happened?"
"I learned today that they fell ill two days ago during thest Qi pulse." He exined.
"That''s all I know. Get packed, and send me a message when you need a ride to Immortal Skye."
"Yes, uncle." She whispered.
The connection cut, and Evalyn stared at her phone in disbelief.
"Even you, huh?" Evalyn chuckled bitterly, "I''m d that I acted like Kaze. Even my uncle is proving his words prophetic."
She was acting to test her uncle, using Kaze''snguage and demeanor. As things turned out, doing so proved critical to her family''s life.
After packing hurriedly, Evalyn made her way to a Skycruiser on the residence''s private Skyport.
After boarding, they took off to Lanberry.
Only from the skies did she understand how disorderly things had be.
Many driving on the highways got sick or had heart attacksst night. As a result, their cars were left abandoned on the road.
When tow truck drivers showed up, the roads were too packed to get to them.
While it would normally be okay if there were only one pile-up, there were dozens, and drivers continued getting sick.
As a result, there were lines of hundreds of people walking down the highways, carrying loved ones and children.
? When high-flying shuttles flew over the cars in the area, dozens of people would yell at them.
They stopped asking the shuttle drivers for help and were now just yelling and throwing objects at them.
Countless people were yelling at each other, showcasing the aggressive behavior she had witnessed the night before.
All of this was happening on the first morning.
You: Maryworth Hospital in Lanberry. Mother and Father are admitted. I know you won''t help, and I won''t ask you to, but I won''t leave without my mom.
"Please be okay, mom." Evalyn whispered with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Her phone shed.
Kaze <3: If it''s only your mom, have her transferred here immediately if you want to suffer. No negotiations. Keep a low profile and don''t help anyone, you foolish woman.
Evalyn burst into tears of joy when she saw his text. Her dad was [family], but her mom was precious.
She was grateful she''d be able to save her if she couldn''t save both.
"You soft fool." Sheughed between tears, "You''re only soft for me, but I''m grateful."
You: Thank you.
Evalyn typed out the words and stared at the screen with a conflicted expression.
She decided not to send it.
For Kaze, who didn''t want to save any of her family, silence was the greatest thanks she could give.
[A/N: Voting is finally open! Please show your support with power stones if you love this story. Chapters for HG for voting on this novel. I''m on a serious time crunch right now, and these 40+ chapters arepleted. Thanks for reading!]
Chapter 46 June 22rd, 2032 | Expected Guests
Kaze looked at Daniel and then gave a sidelong nce to his two children and wife before reconnecting his eyes.
"I suppose this is your way of saying you''ll be putting your full weight behind Immortal Skye?"
The emperor''s eyes were cold as ice. His appearance was older due to his illusion, and his dominance sent an icy chill crawling down everyone''s spine.
"Y-Yes. I know we cannot get in without learning the technique; I''m just bringing Lily, Cole, and Elizabeth close to prepare for their sess." Daniel said with cold sweat dripping down his back.
Kaze closed his eyes slowly, wondering if Evalyn had given the man his strategy.
It was too timid for an individual who stood atop a multinational corporation. Regardless, he couldn''t fault the man and respected his approach.
"I''m impressed by your prudence, Mr. Skye." He said calmly, "I assume you''ll also show such shrewdness when dealing with the throngs of backers demanding entrance?"
The businessman gulped with his blue eyes trembling. "Of course, Kaze."
The emperor pped and then turned to Daniel''s family with a rxed face.
"Well, in that case, my name is Kaze." He said, "Can I know your names?"
Elizabeth, a blonde with tan eyes and a slightly aged face, gulped. "My name is Elizabeth, Daniel''s wife."
Kaze nodded. "And you two? Don''t be shy. I''ll be teaching you cultivation from now on."
Daniel''s son, a seventeen-year-old with short, dark brown hair and an athletic build, eyes lit up. "Cole Skye, Emperor. Will you be teaching me those sex skills"
Elizabeth smacked him on the back of the head aggressively. "Forgive him, Mr. Kaze."
The emperorughed and shook his head. "Maybe when you''re older, and your mom allows."
Cole''s face lit up with excitement, and he gave Kaze a bright smile but lowered it when Daniel gave him an icy re.
"I am Lily Skye." A sixteen-year-old brte said with a sharp gaze.
Kaze chuckled in amusement at the young woman''s formidable dominance.
He figured she''d be better off than most in the apocalypse and nned to bring out her potentialnon-sexually.
The emperor refused to touch a woman below the age of eighteen. It was a custom he retained from the Mortal ne and never broke in over five millennia.
"It''s nice to meet you, Lily. I won''t be teaching you that stuff." He chuckled.
Lily blushed furiously. So did Elizabeth and Daniel, who were simultaneously mortified and thankful.
It was a point of concern, so they were grateful for the explicit confirmation.
"Now that introductions are out of the way." Daniel began nervously.
"The military is waiting for us when we touch down in Rockman Heights.
I tried pushing it off, but the government does whatever they want."
"Of course." The emperor replied, "I''d question their sanity if they weren''t. Please join us for our meeting, as you''ll do your nning ordingly."
Daniel swallowed nervously. "Of course, Mr. Kaze."
Everyone was in a private skycruiser, traveling to the Immortal Skye faction headquarters in Rockman Heights.
The campus was in a gated neighborhood 10 miles south of Meridian City. It was on arge hill with a series of mansions.
In a rare exception, Kaze agreed to teach the owners of the mansions the Illuminesent Breathing technique if they sold theirnd and homes for cash immediately. It was a necessary exchange.
He also spent 500 million on expedited renovations for shared housing.
Another 500 million went to soft bribes,bor costs, and securing private skycruiser rides for every individual who learned the technique worldwide.
Millions got spent stockpiling food, living necessities, and resources, buildingmunal areas and procuring bulk supplies.
Kaze was left with around 900 million in worthless ie to make problems disappear.
The faction was now a lush, greenmunity with argeke in the center, surrounded byrge iron gates ten feet high.
Security systems were at full power, and there were backup generators to ensure themunity wouldn''t go without power for six months.
Thousands of individuals of varying ages and builds walked around the area with carefree expressions, free of their phones and ignorant of the situation in the city.
Not everyone was carefree.
When the Skycruiser touched down and opened its hatch door, two dozen soldiers in ck tactical gear and a dozen suits greeted the emperor. They were clearly elite special forces.
"Kaze Lexicon." A man with short brown hair in a suit in sunsses said with a smile, "We''ve been expecting you."
The emperor chuckled at the man''s petty powery. It wasn''t difficult for the government to track who he was. It was only difficult for them to do it on short notice.
"Wee, gentlemen. I''ve been expecting [you]." Kaze replied with a slight smile.
The man gave the emperor an unenthusiastic smile, but his eyes remained hidden.
"Kane Ryker." Kane said, extending a handout.
"Kaze Lexicon." Kaze replied while epting the man''s grip.
Kane applied increasing pressure during the hand strength, trying to gauge the man''s strength.
However, the emperor''s grip didn''t increase or move. It was as if he were gripping a wooden rail.
"Forgive me, gentlemen. It''s my first time here, so I''ll let my associate lead us to a ce to speak." Kaze said with a slight smile.
"That makes us equal. Please, Mr. Skye, lead the way." Kane requested with a beaming smile.
Daniel gulped and nodded, leading them through a grassy area to arge mansion at theke''s center. After entering, the group made it to a room on the fifth floor.
In the center was arge table, clearly meant for business meetings at the vi.
A dozen soldiers entered the room and lined the walls, while the second dozen lined up outside the doors in the hallway.
Kane took off his sses across from Kaze, who had his back against the light tan wall in the center. The man appraised the emperor with his dark brown eyes.
"That illusion you have over you is remarkable." He remarked.
"I suppose so." Kaze chuckled while releasing it, showcasing his true form.
The soldiers'' eyes widened in shock, and Daniel also pretended to be surprised.
"It''s hard to believe you''re Scrawn Fu." Kane chuckled with an amused smile.
"I ask you to refrain from uttering such an offensive name." The emperor said with a murderous glint in his eyes.
"You look quite scary right now." The agent remarked with slightly narrowed eyes.
Kaze returned a mocking smile. "And you look busy. So shall we begin?"
"You truly are as arrogant as they say." Kane mused with a venomced smile.
"You have a sudden personality shift, build power extraordinarily quickly, amass wealth, kill a dozen mercenaries and bribe police offers.
Now you stand before the military with a mocking smile? Even making stern requests?"
"The root of all those things is power, Mr. Ryker." The emperor asserted mockingly, "Otherwise, you''d be [attempting] to detain me instead of sitting at this table, no?"
Chapter 47 June 23rd, 2032 | Military Negotiation
Kane''s eyes narrowed. "Attempt to detain you?"
"Of course." Kaze smiled, "The mercenaries that tried killing me while I was having sex didn''t meet such a kind fate. If you''re attempting to kill me, bring missiles, not those toy guns."
The agent scoffed in disbelief. "You''re an absurd individual. Soldiers, show this man we mean"
A violent wave of crushing pressure washed over the room, dropping all of the soldiers to their knees, using their full willpower not to grab their necks.
Kane forced his head up to look at Kaze, who was gently smiling at the man struggling to breathe.
"I said bring missiles to [attempt] killing me, Mr. Ryker." The emperor said calmly, "It won''t work, but it will at least show me respect. Now, are we talking business, or will you continue this insipid farce?"
"I I want to talk." The agent groaned between breaths.
"Good. I''m releasing my cultivation base." Kaze said coldly.
"If anyone of you attempts to strike, I''ll kill everyone and contact your general with a video of you trying to kill me. I assure you, gentlemen; your deaths will be in vain."
Kane followed the emperor''s finger and saw the video camera on the ceiling. He knew at that moment that he had messed up on multiple fronts.
Kaze released his cultivation base, and everyone gasped for breath. Daniel was the least troubled, as he had a sky-grade cultivation technique, but even he was gasping.
"Okay, let''s start again." The emperor began coldly, "You want cultivation techniques, and I can supply them to you for a price. I''m sure you came here to discuss that before you walked in acting like unlicked cubs, yes?"
Kane took deep breaths. He didn''t want to represent the government with weakness. However, he was rattled by the previous event. "Yes, that''s what we''re here to do."
"It seems we''re getting somewhere." Kaze remarked brazenly, "I will provide military-grade projectile earth-grade techniques in exchange for military protective equipment for my faction."
The agent''s eyes widened in surprise. He didn''t expect him to ask for military resources, which the man came to present. "What type of equipment?"
"Communications equipment, tactical suits for my faction members, reinforcement supplies, turrets, and two low-flying drones for the first technique, Guided Arrow." The emperor replied bluntly.
Kane stared at the man in disbelief. He couldn''t believe what he was hearing. While it wasn''t a problem, he didn''t understand why the man wanted the equipment.
"Why do you want such equipment?" He asked inquisitively.
"I have the most conspicuous organization in the world." Kaze exined.
"Once it''s confirmed that the ability to circte Qi causes the sickness, millions of people will attempt to find this ce.
I need self-defense equipment in case people be violent."
Kane closed his eyes and took a deep breath to control his emotions. "In other words, you also seek the right to protect yourself with impunity?
"Hoh? It seems you haven''t failed to understand." The emperor said with a slight smile.
"While I understand the value of your offer, Mr. Lexicon, that''s a rather audacious ask. Don''t you agree?" The agent asked with sharp brown eyes.
"Of course it is, gentlemen." Kaze replied while putting an ankle over his left leg, "That''s why I''m offering you something of exponentially more value."
Kane''s ears perked up. "Is this Guided Arrow that powerful?"
"It is. If you can use it." The emperor chuckled.
The agent''s eyes widened. "In other words, you''re also offering a cultivation technique for mass distribution?"
"''Correct." Kaze replied, "I''m also offering the government an easy-to-learn Mortal Grade cultivation technique to mass-distribute to the citizens.
Surely, the government sees the value in ignoringws when if they can acquire something to reign in the rampant masswlessness, yes?"
Kane swallowed nervously. There was far more on the table than he was nning to obtain. He had only arrived to force cooperation with the government, not negotiate a deal.
Moreover, the emperor touched on a weak point. They couldn''t fault him for breakingws whenw and order were breaking down as they spoke.
"I''m assuming that you seek more inpensation for three techniques?" Kane asked discerningly.
"Only for the government to smooth through the establishment of Immortal Skye." Kaze smiled.
"Ignoring customs for our airships or flying our faction members here, stonewalling legal issues from backers, and the like.
Also, I''m requesting anti-missile systems. As attacking Immortal Skye after receiving such valuable techniques would be an unforgivable breach of our agreement.
Considering they''re strictly for defense and thus cannot cause the government harm, that''s more than a respectable ask.
It''s also an assurance that prevents conflict between our parties."
The agent''s eyes glided to the left in thought and then back, locking eyes with the emperor.
"Please, provide me with a list of equipment you seek and a video of the cultivation techniques." Kane requested."
Someone of a higher rank will arrive to negotiate the details. I am not in the position to provide you with your asks, let alone the anti-missile systems."
The emperor nodded. "Very well. Is there anything else you gentlemen need?"
"No, this is what we came for." Kane replied, shaking his head, "Thank you for your time, Mr. Lexicon."
"It was my pleasure." Kaze replied sarcastically, "Daniel, please show the agents out."
Kane gave him a wry smile and walked out of the room but stopped in the hall.
"Mr. Lexicon. I''m warning you; don''t threaten my superiors." He requested, "You may have power, but we can halt your operation, cutting it off from the world."
Kazeced his fingers and leaned back, his ankle still resting on his thigh.
"And that, Mr. Ryker, is why you stockpile ten tons of non-perishable food, water, and living supplies before the government contacts you."
Kane gritted his teeth in anger. "[Please] don''t threaten my supervisor."
"Then bring someone with real influence." Kazeugh-scoffed, "I only respect those with power, as they have the authority to act and aren''t a waste of time. Make sure to ry that to your superiors."
The agent exhaled in exasperation but bit his tongue and walked away bitterly. He couldn''t ruin such an important deal.
Kaze continued operations that day with Daniel, setting up the living arrangements and organizing themand structure.
Around midnight, his eyebrow twitched in irritation after opening his eyes from a cultivation session and seeing that Evalyn still hadn''t messaged him.
However, he noticed that she did message himter in the day, but he didn''t see it.
Sky Pheonix: Maryworth Hospital in Lanberry. Mother and Father are admitted. I know you won''t help, and I won''t ask you to. I won''t leave without my mom.
You: If it''s only your mom, have her transferred here immediately if you want to suffer. No negotiations. Keep a low profile, you foolish woman.
Sky Pheonix: I have to stay for the night until the government can clear my mom for leaving.
His eyebrow twitched in irritation again.
You: You didn''t prepare a power y ahead of time? Have you lost your mind? Leverage anything at your disposal to get her out of there.
You: The military is negotiating a deal. So leave your uncle out of it unless you want your mom to be a chess piece on day one.
Four hundred miles away at Maryworth Hospital in Lanberry, Evalyn''s phone beeped with a special tone, letting her know that Kaze had messaged her.
The blonde gulped when she heard it. After a moment''s thought, she reached out to grab it but stopped when she saw the blood on her shaky hands.
She sat back down for a moment and let tears fall from her eyes, attempting to clear her mind from the events she had just experienced.
While Evalyn didn''t have a problem speaking, she didn''t know if she could face Kaze, who provided her with so much, yet she couldn''t follow simple directives.
After taking a deep breath, she steadied her hands and read the text.
You: The military is negotiating a deal. So leave your uncle out of it unless you want your mom to be a chess piece on day one.
Tears welled in Evalyn''s eyes when she looked at her mom. The woman was under an anesthetic due to the Qi Sickness symptoms.
Dark bruises around her neck showcased the results of her father attempting to strangle her to death in a rage. The symptoms only magnified his already aggressive nature.
p Evalyn hit reply, and dry swallowed nervously.
You: My mom is under an anesthetic for the night. Without my uncle pulling strings, I cannot move her, as she cannot travel.
She waited for five minutes.
Ten.
After an hour and a half, she finally gave up waiting for him to reply. However, the phone lit up again.
Kaze <3: Your mother is jeopardizing the lives of thousands. So remember that before you fail to use your head again.
Evalyn looked at the blood on her hands and shoes with trembling eyes. Tears fell from her eyes, dropping to the floor, diluting the blood prints on the ground.
Chapter 48 June 23rd, 2032 | Day Zero | Marysworth Hospital
Five Hours Before
Evalyn touched down on Marysworth Hospital''s rooftop with a beating heart. The sight she saw from above immediately became real when the skycruiser''s hatch opened, and a cacophony of insults, crying, and screams exploded in her ears.
Since they were on the roof, Evalyn could see the scene on the ground from a bird''s-eye view.
Thousands of people shed with riot control forces at the hospital gates. Their riot shields were under full pressure, and the task force members switched out to prevent excessive fatigue.
"Fuck you, rich people!" A man screamed, "My family''s dying and you''re only admitting the rich? You make me sick!"
"Please, help my daughter!" A woman screamed.
"Stand back! We won''t warn you again!" One of the riot control members warned.
"Shut the fuck up, pig!" The first man yelled while pushing through the crowd.
A riot team member walked up to the area with pepper spray and doused everyone present.
The rioters screamed in pain, causing panic. Aggressive men saw the scene, and their blood boiled uncontrobly.
"You just pepper sprayed my daughter! I''m going to fucking kill you!" Another man yelled, rushing forward.
Dozens of others followed suit, trampling men, women, and children that fell during the pepper-spraying.
The man yelling about his daughter lost his sense of reason, rushing forward and stepping onto her without noticing.
Evalyn watched the scene in horror. An icy breeze filled the atmosphere as her mind instinctively pushed to create a de to help free the small child.
However, Kaze''s words from the night before filled her head.
What did you want me to do? Risk my life to heal her when she can''t handle a basic sight of the apocalypse? Or did you wish me to kill the man and wait for the next round of desperate men to try?
"She''s dead." She whispered in disbelief. The atmosphere returned to normal temperature as the blonde stared at the small girl gasping for breath as men and women trampled her.
How many bodies? How many bodies would she need to stack up to help the girl?
One of the riot control team members pushed back at full power on the man, freeing the young woman.
However, when he tried to kneel to save her, countless people poured around the hospital side since he broke the formation.
Ratatatat! Ratatatat! Ratatatat!
Panicked screams erupted in the area as soldiers with machine guns shot the people flooding into the area. Bodies hit the ground, and countless wounded men and women screamed on the ground in pain.
The riot team immediately closed the ranks in an instant, leaving the man trying to help the young girl out.
"Evalyn."
The riot control member tried to get back in, but the riot team pushed back against him.
"Evalyn."
A mob of angry people pulled the man back into the area and stomped the man to death next to the young woman.
"Evalyn!"
Evalyn jumped when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She turned to the man next to her with a choppy motion.
"You''re mothers in danger." A pilot said with a pained expression, "Focus on your family first; they''re your responsiblity."
"Okay, Pac." She nodded with a shaky body and began walking to the door. Two military members with assault rifles greeted the two.
"Papers." A soldier gruffed.
Pac gave the soldier the document allowing them entrance into the building.
"Move through quarantine when you get in. Someone wille to meet you within the hour." The soldier said.
Pac nodded and then turned to the blonde. "Come on, Evalyn. Let''s go."
She nodded and followed the man through the door. They walked into a quarantining area where a doctor checked them for symptoms.
Thankfully, it was still unknown what caused Qi Sickness. As a result, no one asked about her level of cultivation.
It was a fortuitous development. Kaze told her to keep a low profile, and she nned to do just that.
After waiting an hour in a waiting room, a female doctor entered the room.
"Are you Evalyn Skye?" The brte woman with a long disheveled ponytail asked. She had ck bags under her eyes and appeared to be running on adrenaline alone.
"Yes. That''s me." Evalyn replied after dry swallowing.
"My name is Doctor Myers. I''ll take you to Reina Skye now." Doctor Myers announced hesitantly.
"Before you enter, I''m informing you that your father was detainedst night while attempting to it''s best you just see."
The blonde''s eyes widened in shock as shbacks of the night before shed before her eyes.
She remembered the irrationality of the students, which was far less abstract than the random desperate people rioting outside. "Y-Yes. Please take me to her."
Doctor Myers nodded and led her down multiple corridors on the eighth floor.
The hospital had a pulse; screaming filled the halls from people in pain from physical wounds or the sickness breaking their minds.
Countless doctors and nurses ran past them to get medication or sedate patients who were losing control. It was a hectic zoo.
"And get more Midazm!" A nurse yelled to a woman in purple scrubs running down the hall.
The running nurse stopped and turned around. "We''re out of Midazm!"
"It doesn''t matter what it is! Just bring a benzodiazepine!" The standing nurse in green scrubs snapped.
"If we''re out of anxiolytics, bring a non-painkiller sedative! It doesn''t matter what it is! We need to calm this woman down; she bit someone already!
We need to stop her before she hurts someone or herself!"
Evalyn''s mind clouded over in fear and anxiety when Kaze''s warnings flooded into her mind again.
... they''re pumping the world full of [Qi] in high quantities. Soon people will die or go insane, leading to people that attack people randomly like zombies.
She took sharp breaths, attempting to control her racing heart, beating out of control in her chest. The world started feeling dizzy fromck of oxygen.
"Hurry up, and we need to go." Doctor Myers gruffed, "This is a normal scene here right now. The floor we''re on is the safest and most privileged in the hospital; the seven floors below us are far worse. So get over it so I can continue my work."
Evalyn snapped back to focus and nodded. "Yes, mam."
They walked through the halls until they reached room H118. It was located in a small, highly isted hallway reserved for the ultra-rich elites away from the rest of the hall.
Her mother and father met that bracket easily, and her mom made it in because she was afflicted two days ago, before the fourth Qi influx that triggered the events unfolding.
There wererge, soundproof reinforced ss walls in the hall that showcased the riots in the streets. However, the doctor didn''t even look outside the windows anymore.
Doctor Myers opened the room apathetically and let Evalyn and Pac walkthrough.
The blonde cupped her hands off her mouth when she saw the dark purple bruising on her mother''s neck. "W-What."
"Your father was found strangling her." Pac said solemnly, "I wanted to make sure she was alive before telling you."
Evalyn rushed to her mother''s side but slowed down when she reached the woman''s side. She gently grabbed the woman''s hand. "Is she just asleep?"
Doctor Myer shook her head. "She''s been heavily sedated with Midazm, an anti-anxiety, because she wouldn''t stop panicking this morning, and we needed to focus on other patients."
The blonde''s eyes trembled. "Can you force her to wake up? I''m sure you need the extra bed, and we have a skycruiser to take her away."
"That''s true; we do need the bed." The doctor cringed, "However, we''re awaiting a directive from the government. We cannot legally release a sedated patient."
"These are times of crisis!" Evalyn cried with trembling eyes.
"Do you think I don''t know that?" Doctor Meyers snapped with bloodshot eyes, "We''re waiting for a directive allowing us to take emergency actions.
Normally, releasing a patient who can''t walk for half a day after waking is unheard of, so you''re asking for a lot."
Evalyn turned away in shame. "I''m sorry. I''m just trying to get her out of this ce. It''s."
The overworked doctor turned away bitterly. "A lethal warzone?"
The blonde swallowed nervously. "Yes."
"Look, just stay here. Someone will let you know when you can take your mom away." Doctor Myers said while walking out the door aggressively.
? Pac looked at the young woman with a pained expression.
"Evalyn, I need to go. I need to move the Skycruiser, but I''ll be waiting for your call to pick you up when you get word."
Evalyn nodded solemnly, choking back tears. "Okay, Pac. Thank you."
The man left the room, and she sat down next to her mother. She held the woman''s hand with tears streaming down her eyes. "Please, mom. Wake up; otherwise, I can''t bring you with me."
She fell asleep crying, sitting in her chair, holding her mother''s hand, and praying to anyone or anything listening that they''d allow her to leave in time.
Craasssh!
An unknown amount of time passed before her eyes snapped open from a loud sound forced her to wake. The sound of screaming followed immediately after, sending her heart racing, pounding in an erratic, offbeat rhythm.
[A/N: Thank Magicbeer for sponsoring today''s second chapter! Thanks for the review, kind words, and consistent readership. You''ve saved everyone from cliffhanger hell. ;)]
Chapter 49 Day Zero | False Praise
Craasssh!
Evalyn''s eyes snapped open from a loud sound forced her to wake. The sound of screaming followed immediately after, sending her heart racing, pounding in an erratic, offbeat rhythm.
"Calm down, sir! S-Sir, pleaseGah! Let me go!!"
"SHUT UP!"
Crash! Thud, thud, thud.
Adrenaline pulsed in Evalyn''s veins when she heard the woman screaming down the hall. She immediately jumped up from her chair and ran to the door.
"Get OFF!"
"I SAID SHUT UP, BITCH!"
Craaaash!
Evalyn''s fight or flight reflex triggered, and her brain, conscious of her strength, opted to fight.
She wasn''t thinking of helping the woman; her mind told her that she and her mother were in danger. So she burst through the door.
A tall, shirtless man with dark brown hair wearing heart monitors on his body threw a ck-haired nurse in pink scrubs against the hall''s wall.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his jaw twitched back and forth in a craze. His hairy chest was bleeding profusely from scratch marks from his fingernails.
"S-Sir, please!" The nurse pleaded on the ground, her nose bleeding from a punch to the face.
"SHUT! UP!" He yelled in a vitriolic rage.
Evalyn''s eyes trembled in panic and confusion. Memories of her mother getting beaten by her father shed before her eyes, leaving her twisted.
The sounds around her disappeared, making her feel like she was underwater. She saw male nurses and orderlies running down the hall to restrain the man, but she didn''t process them.
Her mind was nk.
Strength. Control. Power.
Those were three things Evalyncked when she saw her dad beating her mom growing up. She always felt helplessworthlesswatching her get hurt from the corner of the hall.
That changed. It changed because Kaze gave her power and taught her how to use it.
Evalyn didn''t think about Kaze, power, or helping people as she watched the man pick the woman up.
Her brain saw the man as a threat. He was a threat to her mom, just as her father was.
The man lifted the woman with his left hand, using muscles beyond the human''s body pain triggers.
He raised his right hand to punch the screaming, pleading woman at full strength.
Time slowed to a crawl for everyone as they watched the scene, knowing they wouldn''t make it in time before he delivered a serious blow to the woman.
CRAAAACCK!
The orderlies and male nurses fell still as the man flew across the hall, crashing into the ground and cracking his skull on the ground.
After investigating what happened, they found that he dropped the woman reflexively when an ice ball smashed into his skull.
Everyone looked down the hall and found Evalyn, surrounded by a slight vortex of white frost around her.
She had a nk expression, unaware that her power was showing openly. Only once the woman got up and ran over to her did she snap out of her haze.
All the frost swirling around her disappeared, and she looked at the ck-haired nurse crying before her.
"T-Thank you!" The woman cried, hugging Evalyn with a thankful expression, "I thought he''d kill me. Thank you!"
Evalyn blinked twice as the world sped up, catching up to her. The sounds of the hall burst into her ears as the orderlies came up and thanked her as well.
Her breathing became sharp as sheprehended the situation.
Down the hall was a human body with blood squirting from his open skull. She killed a man, and people were around her, desperately thanking her.
"T-The troops left to quarantine the other hall, and they left us here!" The nurse cried with tears streaming down her eyes.
"I thought I''d die too. So many of us have been injured or killed."
Evalyn stared at the woman in disbelief.
She was in a soundproof room designed for the wealthy elites, on the top floor, isted from the seven floors of chaos below her.
As a result, she didn''t realize what was happening between the door, location, and her sleeping.
Now she was trying to process her killing someone, why she did it without thinking, and the hospital''s situation simultaneously.
It was difficult because she understood that she had made a major mistake but didn''t know how people knew about it.
Evalyn looked down and saw the woman''s bloody hands on hers. The thinyer of frost on her arms made her realize what had happened.
"I." She replied awkwardly.
The woman nodded in eptance, understanding her shock.
"Thank you, miss." A male doctor with grey hair said while examining the corpse and running down the hall, "We don''t know what we would''ve done without you."
"D-Don''t worry about it." Evalyn replied hesitantly.
"Well, that''s good." He replied with frantic brown eyes, "Because we could desperately use your help right now. Things are getting out of control in the lower floors."
The blonde shook her head. "Look, I can''t help. To be honest, I''m not sure what happened. It felt like my body just reacted with a strange force."
"You mean to tell me that your body create a block of ice and hit a man in the skull with pinpoint precision on its own?" The man asked with sharp, narrowed eyes.
"Yes." Evalyn replied, "I don''t know what''s going on, but I''m just here for my mother. I can''t leave her side."
"You don''t have to worry about that." He replied, "We can protect her."
The blonde panned her gaze on the stunned orderlies and woman next to her.
"Forgive me, but you couldn''t protect your nurses and helpers." Evalyn said bluntly, "If you can''t do that, you can''t protect my mother, can you?"
"Normally, that would be the case, but you''re a cultivator, yes?" The doctor asked with bent wrinkles on his forehead, "We can have soldiers protect your mother due to your value."
Her eyes trembled, and she looked back at her mother''s hospital room.
"I-I can''t. I should be gone, but the hospital won''t let me take my mother." Evalyn said.
The doctor scoffed in disdain. "That''s because the people helping your mother are dying, yet you''ll let them die?"
"Don''t get the wrong idea, sir." She swallowed, "I''m just a teenager. I don''t know anything about fighting, and I barely learned this stuff a few days ago. I''d put my and my mother''s life in danger."
Technically she was still a teen, as the denotation stops at neen. It was misleading but true.
"Unbelievable." The man scoffed, looking away with his bloodshot eyes, "All of you cultivators are the same. So self-centered and unwilling to help others."
Evalyn turned to look at the woman and orderlies to [prove] she was willing to help.
However, they were looking away from her in disappointment and disillusionment, as they were desperate, and the hope they felt with her presence disappeared.
"Look, I just helped your members." She said bluntly.
"Yet you''re using me of not helping anyone.
Instead of thanking me, you''re bitter that a teen withoutbat experience won''t risk her and her mother''s life to fight like a soldier.
I''m sorry for not being keen on helping you with your mindset and behavior."
The doctor scoffed and turned away from her. "You make me sick. I''d ask that our dead doctors'' and nurses'' lives weigh on your soul, but it''s obvious you don''t care to begin with."
Everyone turned and looked away as they followed the doctor storming down the hall.
Evalyn watched their backs with narrowed eyes. Then she walked back into her room with a downcast expression and sat down.
She didn''t wipe the blood off her hands, arms, or shoes. Her eyes just fell nk as she stared into dead space, lifeless and without thought.
Present Time
An unknown amount of time passed before she heard her phone beeped with a special tone, letting her know that Kaze had messaged her.
Evalyn reached out to grab it but stopped when she saw the blood on her shaky hands, and sat back down to let tears fall from her eyes.
She didn''t know if she could face Kaze.
After taking a deep breath, she steadied her hands and read the text.
You: The military is negotiating a deal. So leave your uncle out of it unless you want your mom to be a chess piece on day one.
Tears welled in Evalyn''s eyes when she looked at her mom. The woman was under an anesthetic due to the Qi Sickness symptoms and bruises on her neck.
You: My mom is under an anesthetic for the night. Without my uncle pulling strings, I cannot move her, as she cannot travel.
She waited for five minutes.
Ten.
After an hour and a half, she finally gave up waiting for him to reply. However, the phone lit up again.
Kaze <3: Your mother is jeopardizing the lives of thousands. So remember that before you fail to use your head again.
Evalyn looked at the blood on her hands and shoes with trembling eyes. Tears fell from her eyes, dropping to the floor, diluting the blood prints on the ground.
You: I''m doing the best I can.
Kaze <3: Look around you. You can see what''s happening, yes?
Kaze <3: The world is simpler now. Don''t help people; if you''re forced to act, don''t leave witnesses. Take your mother and escape; there won''t be an investigation.
Evalyn''s eyes trembled in shock.
You: Just give me till morning.
Kaze <3: Are you mad? You mean once all of the doped-up patients wake up?
She swallowed. While she understood the situation, she couldn''t imagine killing people, and taking her down eight flights of stairs and walking out the door felt like suicide.
At the very least, the soldier''s guns would kill her mother. Pulling it off safely would require her to kill anyone that showed the slightest hostility.
It was extremely irrational to leave her mother unless she nned to kill every soldier and rioter in her way. That wasn''t an excuse; that was a fact.
While Kaze could pull that off effortlessly, she couldn''t.
You: There are guards everywhere. They have guns and have already used them. They''ll kill my mom at a minimum.
Kaze <3: What was the point of giving you a divine technique if you''re not willing to use it?
Evalyn stared at her phone with a broken expression.
She was exhausted; she was up all night at the party and then got a few hours of sleep before her uncle showed up.
Then she learned about her mom and dad, showed up at the hospital, learned about her mother''s condition, killed a man, and couldn''t leave.
The stress caught up to her, and she closed her eyes, falling into a deep sleep.
Knock! Knock!
Evalyn woke up to the sound of two loud knocks on the hospital door.
"We''reing in!" The male doctor from the night before yelled aggressively.
Chapter 50 June 24th, 2032 | Day One
Knock! Knock!
Evalyn woke up to the sound of two loud knocks on the hospital door.
"We''reing in!" The doctor from the night before yelled aggressively. She could hear multiple voices and footsteps following his.
The sun was bright already, showcasing that she had slept longer than expected.
She looked at her mom, who was still sleeping, but her face was filled with slight pain.
The door thrust open, and the doctor entered with five soldiers, each with camo gear and assault rifles with silencers.
"W-What''s going on?" Evalyn asked in shock.
The doctor held up a document. "By emergencyw, all cultivators are now required to aid essential needs facilities. Therefore, you''re officially working for us."
"Wait! I''m not leaving my mom!" She cried.
The five soldiers pointed their guns at her, and she immediately thought back to Kaze''s words.
"The weak will summon all of their resources to force the strong to do what they want; they''ll trample upon your generosity, spit on your intentions, and smother you with their desires."
"Yes you are." The doctor scoffed, "Your mom will be held in soldier protection while you''re aiding us. Resist and we''ll arrest you and detain your mother."
His eyes were murderous as he looked at her mom, indicating that they wouldn''t [detain] her.
Evalyn immediately pulled up her phone and began texting.
You: There are guards everywhere. They have guns and have already used them.
Kaze <3: What was the point of giving you a divine technique if you''re not willing to use it?
You: You were right.
One of the men snatched her phone and stared at the screen. Luckily, the blonde had already closed the app.
"What did you just send!?" The soldier with shaggy blonde hair and a thick Russian ent asked while pointing his gun at her.
The gun instantly froze and ice developed deep in the barrel.
"Pull that trigger and your hand will explode." Evalyn said coldly, "You''re here because I''m powerful, yes? So don''t think I won''t kill all of you if you threaten my life."
The doctor trembled in fear. "Y-You can''t do that!"
A wave of frost hit everyone''s guns instantly.
"You''re threatening to kill me, yes?" She asked with a frigid voice, "So why would I stand around and die forws that don''t protect me? I can''t worry about prison if I''m dead."
"Because we''ll kill your mom." A soldier said hesitantly, "You may be able to kill soldiers, but they''ll riddle her with bullets in the crossfire."
Evalyn''s mind froze, and Kaze''s words resounded in her head.
"They''ll do the same to your parents. They''ll hold them hostage to get you to let their parents in, to save their children, to protect them from the sick."
She swallowed, and her mind went through simtions. The blonde wanted to reenact what Kaze did to Greggory, but she couldn''t back it up.
That was the major difference between the two.
"Look, we''re just trying to get help getting things under control." Another soldier with gentle brown eyes said.
"You can leave with your mother afterward. So don''t throw away either of your lives for this."
She took a deep breath, trying not to let down her guard.
"Fine. I''ll help for eight hours." Evalynpromised while looking at the doctor, "After that, I''m leaving. But first, you''ll have to prove your ims."
The man averted his gaze in fear. "Yes. I can do that."
Evalyn stared at him coldly. "Take me to where you''ll be holding my mom. I want assurance; if I find out that you haven''t held up your end of the bargain, I''ll find you and kill you."
He looked at her in shock. "You can''t say that. Are you insane? I''ll have you arrested now!"
She scoffed in disdain and looked at his name tag. "With who? Dr. Miser? If you had people to help you, you wouldn''t be threatening a teen''s mom."
The soldiers turned to her. "Calm down, miss. We''re not looking to cause trouble. We don''t care aboutws either; we just need a bit of help."
"Then fulfill my fucking demands you idiots!" Evalyn yelled with bloodlust oozing from her pores. The room''s temperature dropped instantly. "It''s not like I''m asking for much!"
"We''ll do it! We''ll do it!" Dr. Miser yelled, "I''ll get nurses in here immediately and set up a room."
Evalyn red at him coldly. "Hurry the fuck up. Process the paperwork so my mom can leave right now as well. I won''t help you if I don''t have assurances."
"Y-Yes. I''ll do that as well." The doctor replied while leaving the room.
The five men looked at their frozen guns with hesitant faces.
"Don''t even look at your guns." She scoffed, "Those toys are worthless. I may not be able to get out of here without my mom dying, but I guarantee I can kill you all and walk out the front door unscathed."
"You''re an arrogant bitch, you know that?" A soldier with a bushy beard scoffed.
"Let''s find out, shall we?" Evalyn replied while summoning a de from thin air.
"W-Wait!" The first man yelled, dropping his gun to the ground, "He''s new. We''re all just stressed."
"It''s your job to be stressed, helping save people''s lives and keeping order." She replied coldly, "I''m a college student, and my job is to care for my mother. Yet you''re threatening my mom''s life, saying you''ll care for her, and I''m keeping order. Funny how that is."
He looked away in shame. "Do you know what it''s like out there?"
Evalyn swallowed nervously. "No, I don''t. I''ve been in here this whole time."
"Then please just wait until you see. My name is Edgar, and it''s a pleasure to meet you." The soldier said in a pleading voice.
The men lowered their guns.
"I''m Miller."
"Yakov."
"Saul."
The annoyed man hesitated with hatred in his eyes. "Ray."
She took a deep breath. "Evalyn. As promised, I''ll help you all for eight hours. So don''t y games, okay?"
The soldiers nodded. "Wee aboard."
A group of nurses walked into the room with the doctor.
"We''ve set up a room. Here''s your paperwork." Doctor Miser said while handing her the document. It looked legitimate; it was a discharge form, and it was signed with a note giving a discharge time of eight hours in the future.
"Okay, let''s go." Evalyn said in annoyance, "Let''s get things out of control so I can leave."
She reached out her hand for her phone from Yakov.
"For assurance on your part, we can''t give your phone back." He said nervously in his Russian ent, "Please understand. You''re dangerous."
"Like hell." Evalyn said coldly.
"We''ll leave the phone with the person that will process your paperwork to release your mother." Dr. Miser said nervously.
Evalyn took a deep breath. "Fine. Let''s go."
Everyone nodded and then walked out of the room.
The group walked with their guns forward as they walked, escorting the three nurses wheeling Evalyn''s mother to the new room.
There was blood on the ground, proof of previous battles. There wasn''t much, as they were in the privileged section of the hospital.
Nevertheless, blood was left on the floor, which meant there weren''t people to clean it.
They turned sharply down a hallway where there was a single room.
"This is my office." Dr. Miser said coldly, "It''s the only location we could set up on short notice. We''ll have two soldiers here guard it."
Evalyn''s eyes filled with wrath. "Two? You can''t protect my mother with so few people."
"What do you want from us?" The doctor asked, "We don''t have soldiers as is; if we did we wouldn''t need your help."
She closed her eyes. "Eight hours. What time is it?"
"It''s 10:53." Dr. Miser sighed.
"Okay. That means that I''m leaving at 7 pm; noter." Evalyn dered, "I''m leaving this hospital with the help of soldiers and orders to let me park a skycruiser on the rooftop."
The doctor turned away with annoyed eyes but kept his emotions in check. "Understood."
Evalyn watched her mother enter the room. "Edgar, Yakov, you''re staying with my mom. I won''t ept anyone else."
"Miss." Edgar swallowed nervously, "I''m the group''s leader."
"And I''m stronger than the five of youbined." She replied in a frigid tone, "So your men can stand down. Either way, this idiot''s not getting near my mom."
Evalyn red at Ray, who scoffed and turned away in shame and humiliation.
"For that reason." She said, "So you two are staying, or I''m not going."
"They can all stay but that man." Dr. Miser said hesitantly, "Someone has to lead you around. Just solve this nightmare."
,m She nodded in assent, leaving Miller with a cold re as a warning.
Then Evalyn turned around and walked away from the room with Ray and the doctor.
Kaze took a deep breath when he saw Evalyn''s text.
You: There are guards everywhere. They have guns and have already used them.
Kaze <3: What was the point of giving you a divine technique if you''re not willing to use it?
You: You were right.
"That foolish woman." He scoffed in vexation, "At least this is a good opportunity to learn an important lesson."
Kaze closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Chapter 51 Welcome To Immortal Skye
2 Hours Prior: Immortal Skye Amphitheater. Immortal Skye Induction Ceremony
In the center of the faction, there was a crystal blueke. On one end was the head mansion where Kaze, Evalyn, and Daniel slept and held meetings.
On the opposite side, facing the mansion, was arge amphitheater with a dome and stage surrounded by stone steps that moved into the Earth.
It was a massive area that partially existed before moving into the area. However, Daniel expanded it by having a team raise hills on each side and putting in more granite steps.
Now it could seat over three thousand people.
The amphitheater was proof of the remarkable power of what money could buy if someone were willing to pay a team of two-thousand people to work 24/7 for two weeks straight.
It was the first day of the faction, and more than two thousand men and women were chatting excitedly as the clock approached 9:00 am, the hour that they would finallyy eyes on the Emperor.
As promised, at the exact minute of the event, a man in ck wearing a ck mask walked onto the stage.
Everyone hushed down the minute they saw him, holding their breath in anticipation.
Kaze overlooked the area with a slight smile, satisfied at the turnout. These men and women were thest seed of civilization on Earth.
While others struggled to scavenge, kill, and steal to survive, these individuals would be doctors, farmers, and warriors in the apocalypse.
More importantly, they would all be stronger than those that suffered for power in the second stage of the apocalypse before it even began.
The emperor raised his hand to achieve absolute silence and then began.
"Wee to Immortal Skye!" He roared with both hands held high.
The faction members in the amphitheater exploded in wild cheers and apuse when he weed them to Immortal Skye.
"You''re located in the most sought-after location on Earth." Kaze yelled, "Every one of you will be leaders in the world, living lives morevish and fulfilling than anyone else''s!"
More cheers erupted in response to his words.
"Being here guarantees a life of sess and fulfillment in the new age of cultivation." He continued, "So rejoice in your aplishment, for you are amongst the chosen few to carry the torch in this new world!"
Thunderous apuse met his words. He scanned the area, looking at everyone''s faces.
"The number one question in the world is who I am." Kaze said with a slight smile, "I will reveal that to you now."
Everyone fell silent with beating hearts, awaiting his words carefully.
Kaze removed his mask, revealing a middle-aged man whose features stunned every woman in the audience.
"There are three words that identify me and three words that do not." The emperor said with a slight smile.
He panned everyone''s face to ensure everyone was watching.
"We''ll start with the three words that can identify me. Emperor Kaze Lexicon." Kaze said with a slight smile, "The three that don''t are [That''s Scrawn Fu]."
Before people couldugh at his "joke," the space around the emperor warped, and the colors in the area marbled together like mixing paints.
When Kaze''s final form wasplete, everyone stared at him in awe and disbelief.
Everyone was stunned-silent until someone let out a yell. "I knew it! I told everyone that Scrawn Fu was the Emperor!"
The amphitheater exploded in bewilderedughs and cheers.
"I''m delighted that you ced faith that I was the same person." Kaze smiled.
"I am the individual from the videos, and I find the title [Emperor] rather fitting.
However, as you can see, there is nothing scrawny about me, so I''d prefer you not use that truly loathsome moniker."
The women giggled in bewilderment, especially Keira, the woman with pink hair, who stared at him in awe. She couldn''t believe she had spoken to the emperor the day before.
There were other familiar faces in the crowd. Frances Roybock, his teacher, was given a leave of absence to join the faction before the fourth influx.
Or rather, he ckmailed the administration into allowing it.
The three attendants and his hair stylist were also there, alongside another two dozen women whom he had sex with or flirted with during thest three weeks.
All were ignorant of the situation outside the faction''s walls.
"Factions are new to this world, so let me tell you about Immortal Skye, its mission, and what we aim to achieve." Kaze said with a slight smile, capturing everyone''s attention.
"Cultivation is the backbone of civilization. It allows us to build strength and power, heal others, and live forever. Such is the meaning behind the word immortal."
Excited cheers rang out before everyone fell silent again.
"At Immortal Skye, I will teach you how to cultivate and bring out your true potential." The emperor said, "That is what people join factions to do."
A ripple of excited whispers pulsed through the crowd.
"Now let''s talk about our mission." Kaze said with a slight smile, "Immortal Skye''s vision is to live enriching lives, to enjoy life, and thrive. Nothing more, nothing less."
Stunned silence followed as everyone tried toprehend the hidden meaning behind his words.
"There isn''t a deeper meaning behind it." He chuckled, "So feel free to cheer now."
After a wave ofughter, everyone burst into delirious cheers.
The emperor watched everyone with a strange glint in his eyes.
As a person who held power over the lives and deaths of people for more than four millennia, he was pleased to regain his reputation and pick up where he left off.
Kaze panned the gazes of all of his new faction members.
"Let''s talk about what you''ll learn here at Immortal Skye." He announced, drawing everyone''s attention.
"Cultivation is intrinsic to military operations. While everyone will have different roles, everyone will learn how to fight."
Many people were confused by his admission. They realized that they didn''t know much about cultivation or its use cases.
"That''s right; cultivation is a military art form. However, not everyone will have the role of a fighter." The emperor continued.
"Some will be healers, others will assist in agriculture, and there are countless other use cases for cultivation. Observe."
Kaze lifted his hand, and arge sphere of water developed over his head. The audience gasped in awe at the sight and burst into light cheers.
"You''re staring at many things." He exined, "This much water can bring death, but it can also seed life to hundreds in drinking water and profide nourishment to crops. Most importantly"
The emperor panned the gazes of everyone for maximum effect.
"It''s the necessary input for showers."
Everyone fell silent for a moment before detonating in a round of manicughter and apuse.
To everyone''s bewilderment, the water in his hand heated up, causing steam to rise as it bubbled in ce. It violently exploded, creating a shower from the sky.
The amphitheater exploded in roaringughter and apuse.
Surprises didn''t end there. A gust of wind picked up the water, bringing it back to the sky before it froze and snowkes fell to the ground.
Without pause, the snow condensed into a Chinese dragon, flying through the air above the awe-inspired students that looked at it in wonder.
It flew back to Kaze, who closed his hand, causing it to explode and create one hundred daggers that spun around in circles before surrounding him, suspended in the air.
Everyone fell silent at the disy. After a few seconds of silence, the emperor piped up.
"This is where you cheer; must I always remind you?" Kaze asked with a cheeky smile.
The amphitheater exploded in chaotic cheers, roars, and whistles. There wasn''t a person in the area that wasn''t stunned, but they were ecstatic beyond belief.
"Cultivation is the medium between life and death in this world." The emperor exined.
"You will protect each other with it. While many will fight, others will heal and support.
Some will provide aid in agriculture, others through feeding people, but everyone will contribute.
Everyone will learn to fight and defend themselves regardless of their path."
Those nervous about fighting before were not as worried anymore. After the emperor''s grand disy, everyone learned the multi-purpose value of cultivation.
"Everyone will learn offensive, movement, defensive, and minor healing techniques in addition to foundational cultivation.
While a normal faction would mandate its members to spend years ving for the faction to earn techniques, everyone here shall receive earth-grade techniques of every variety."
Immortal Skye''s members were shocked by his statement. While billionaires spent their fortunes obtaining two earth-grade techniques, Kaze offered everyone five for free.
Kaze scoffed at their silence and sarcastically pped a few times to snap everyone out of their daze. Another person joined in, and soon, the area exploded again.
"There you go." He chuckled sarcastically, shing everyone a cheeky smile beneath his false [frustration].
"You''re at Immortal Skye. We''re the wealthiest and most powerful sector in the entire world!"
In truth, factions usually only had fifty to two hundred techniques of any grade to provide their students. Fewer of the higher ends and only one or two of the highest ranks.
Since their students would remain with them for centuries and work to provide ie, the techniques were strictly guarded and defended to encourage long-term patronage.
Kaze didn''t have any of the issues faced by factions. He had an encyclopedia of techniques he acquired over five thousand years and through his collection as emperor.
He only had to look at a scroll for a second to memorize it forever. As a result, he had thousands of techniques he never used that he could call upon whenever.
Lastly, he had techniques that had no business being in the first four nes. There was no limitation to how far individuals could climb without reaching him.
The emperor needed power fast and would provide everyone with sky-grade techniques if they could handle them.
He wanted everyone to be prepared for the impending battle against Sky ne beings and the impending war against the cultivators he nned to wage in five months.
"There is no limit to your growth here at Immortal Skye." Kaze dered boldly, "Prove yourselfpetent, and I shall bestow upon you power beyond your imagination."
The amphitheater exploded in euphoric cheers and screams of excitement and thrill.
"Now, let''s talk about the breakdown of your duties and learning in the faction." He continued.
"First, 43 cultivation technique scrolls are posted across this campus.
Your first goal is to find one and make progress in it by tomorrow. That doesn''t mean to imply that you can cultivate it; you need only make progress toward it.
Your talent will determine your cement in the faction and will be tested in various ways over the next three days."
Everyone calmed down, nervous about their first task.
"Naturally, the talented will have a higher standing in this faction. Such is the way of life." Kaze exined.
"However, you may find that there are cases where helping people bring out their potential is the key to sess.
That''s a rare option when resources are scarce. However, since resources are free, there are no bars here preventing your growth or aiding others.
To that end, I will administer swift punishment to those who deny others the opportunity to prove themselves.
Removing the scrolls from the location, stalking, interrupting people cultivating, and the like is prohibited.
Such behavior is a deration of one''s ineptitude and merited insecurities. I seek talent, not inept swine that conceal their ineptitude by depriving the future strong of opportunities.
While the world is cruel and unforgiving, and the strong swallow the weak, I am the strong and what I say goes.
And I say everyone here has an opportunity to showcase their talent before talent can take root!"
The audience exploded into vibrant cheers. Those deprived of opportunities to showcase their talents were the most enthusiastic, while many were wallowing in their increased insecurities.
"Everyone here already has a role. You''re working in the kitchens, cleaning, and doing other administration duties." Kaze continued.
"As promised, only people that have learned Illuminecent Breathing will be here in two weeks.
That means that your roles will continue. However, everyone will have new roles depending upon their usefulness in three days'' time.
We will hand out the skills questionnaire again. Before you put ink to it, look around you."
Kaze panned the area, craning his neck to see everyone''s face. The message was that bodies were abundant.
"There are countless people that are fighting for the same roles.
As a result, only putting down the roles that you [want] will result in getting ced into a menial role if the ideal roles are filled.
So put down your three best skills first, and then sign up for roles that align with what you''re good at.
Otherwise, you better hope that you''re talented."
Kaze smiled, and people chuckled nervously.
"As mentioned, cultivation is inextricably tied with military operations." He continued.
"Over a thousand military personnel will be in and out of this faction over the next few weeks.
Do not interact with them. I repeat, do not interact with military members, even if they are learning cultivation with you. That''s an order."
Confused whispers rippled through the crowd, uncertain of his message.
Naturally, Kaze didn''t want anyone to leak information about the outside''s condition to the faction members.
Therefore, it was one of his requests to General Michaels after the meeting.
Unlike the rich college students that espouse the virtues of freedom of speech and freedom, soldiers would listen to orders.
"Lastly, and most importantly, the mission of Immortal Skye is to enjoy life." He said with a mysterious smile, drawing everyone''s attention back to him.
"There are pools, recreation equipment, pool tables, fire pits, and even godforsaken karaoke setups. Have fun."
Kaze quickly panned the audience with a slight smile. "That''s an order!"
The amphitheater exploded in battle cries and wild cheers.
Chapter 52 Leadership Level Up
Once the assignment began, Kaze walked outside into his faction, admiring the fruit of hisbor. In his past life, he ran around trying to find shelter with his parents at this juncture.
They spent a week starving, broken, and alone.
This time around, Kaze''s mother and father were resting peacefully, and he and Evalyn would be eating well in a gatedmunity with the power to protect themselves.
"Hey, Emperor!"
"Hello, Kaze!"
"Thank you for allowing me to join, Faction Leader!"
"Hello, Leader Kaze."
As he walked, his subjects greeted him with carefree smiles or nodded to him hesitantly, uncertain of how to address him.
Regardless of how they spoke to him, he gave them charming smiles and returned their thanks. Titles would wait; for now, morale was important to growth.
He was pleased to see people chasing power voraciously without sacrifice, helping one another learn cultivation techniques that wouldn''t be avable for another month when things worsened.
They were techniques people would have to kill and risk their lives to obtain, and most would die trying to earn. Now they got them for free, building power without sacrifice.
It was slightly emotional for him as he walked around, seeing the fruits of his and Evalyn''sbor.
After all, she built the faction. Kaze spoke to Daniel once before giving him a series of orders.
Otherwise, Evalyn brought Daniel into the picture, handled their go-between, and ensured everything happened.
She was half of Immortal Skye, and she should''ve been there, which annoyed the emperor.
Kaze strode to the west wall facing Meridian City, where Daniel was busy speaking to military officials.
"Oh, thank god you''re here, Kaze." Daniel sighed, "This man is seeking a list of construction developments you''re requesting for the faction.
He understands that the meeting just happened but needs something tangible for the soldiers to bring and do tomorrow. How soon"
"Kaze Lexicon," The emperor said to the official, opening his leather satchel and pulling out man envelopes with documents inside, "Here''s a detailed list of supplies and instructions for construction for Immortal Skye."
Daniel''s eyes widened in shock, and the official, wearing sunsses, showcased his disbelief with an agape mouth.
Kaze gave them a mocking smile. "Surely you don''t think I''d ask the government to show up at my faction and randomly start building to their designs, do you?"
The military official stared at him nkly before epting the documents.
"Forgive me, Mr. Lexicon. My name is Walter Bauer." Walter replied in a german ent, "I''m just surprised that you have thispiled already."
The emperor smiled. "As I told the first agent, I was expecting the military. Naturally, they''de to me for cultivation techniques, and I''d want something in exchange. That''s why I''m prepared."
"I see. That makes sense." The official replied hesitantly.
Nothing about his statement made sense! Kaze was one person who prepared to treat the military as a partner. However, he lied to retain his professionalism.
"Is there something else you need, Walter, Daniel?" Kaze asked, turning to both.
"I." Daniel said hesitantly, "I have everything covered, sir. With this out of the way, I should be able to handle everything else Walter may need."
The emperor nodded and turned back to Walter and outstretched his hand. "If that''s the case, it was a pleasure to meet you Walter."
Walter stared at the hand in disbelief. His superiors informed him not to ask the man for a handshake because he didn''t give them!
"It''s okay." Kaze chuckled, "When people treat me with basic respect, I reciprocate the courtesy.
Both of your superiors threatened my life, so I didn''t shake their hand. You didn''t; therefore, I will shake yours. It''s not aplicated concept, yes?"
The official gulped; he was given orders not to. Naturally, the emperor respected that. However, he was the person giving orders now.
Walter nervously took the emperor''s hand. "Then I''ll dly ept the handshake. It was a pleasure, Mr. Lexicon."
Kaze released his hand, smiled, patted Daniel on the shoulder, and walked back to the main area to get involved with his new subjects.
"Okay, it''s time to level up my subjects." He grinned, "Let''s start with building up leadership and striking a little fear in the hearts of troublemakers."
He disappeared behind a building and transformed into a good-looking student.
The emperor was muscr but not bulky, had a bright smile, and had a brown haircut on his head. He looked like a simple-minded Chad.
There were many reasons for infiltrating the students in student form. The main reason was that he wanted to test whether people disobeyed his rules by holding others down.
In a world where the strong did not exist, letting the weak eat those with the potential to be strong was a sickening waste of resources.
Thetent reason was to strike fear into everyone''s heart with his illusionary ability. If everyone knew that he could effortlessly infiltrate the faction members, they''d fear breaking the rules.
It was the charming terror tactic.
Not long into his stroll, he arrived at the first location with the cultivation technique posted.
There were around fifty people present, as he put up the exact number of scrolls for fifty people groups.
Everyone was stressed out because it was in a fixed location, and people had to look at it toprehend it.
As a result, there was a line of almost fifty members waiting to see it.
The members were uncertain about what to do, as they couldn''t deprive others of the ability to learn, but they also had to learn it. It was awkward.
"Why not unpin it and put it onto the ground?" Kaze asked in a charming voice, causing everyone in the area to look at him.
His confidence was so matter-of-factly that the people members that disagreed couldn''t immediately react.
"We can''t remove the scroll." A tall brte replied dryly, "It''s prohibited."
Kaze gave them a slight smile. "The Emperor said we cannot steal the scroll from the area. He didn''t say that we couldn''t move the scroll."
"I don''t know." A meek blonde replied, "I don''t want to risk it being misinterpreted."
Many nodded in agreement.
"I agree." A petite brte woman said, "However, Faction Leader Kaze said that we should help each other learn cultivation. Wouldn''t that be helping others?"
"Look, guys. I don''t want to get dragged down with the people that do something that gets everyone in trouble." A ck woman with cornrows said.
The conversation became lively, with dozens of people joining.
Kaze listened in satisfaction, taking note of those with good social skills.
What was important was that everyone''s mindset was geared to helping each other, learning, or following the rules. That was the purpose of the exercise.
Otherwise, he''d give everyone tablets without inte containing password-protected techniques.
They were passing the exercise. Now, it was time to seed leadership principles into their minds.
"I''ll take full responsibility if we get reprimanded for the action." Kaze announced boldly.
The area fell silent. Everyone turned to the Chad in disbelief. His kind wasn''t usually the type to be openly calm, useful, or take ownership of the action of fifty people!
"Why is everyone looking at me like that?" He asked, astonished, "We''ve been told not to get in the way of people learning to help each other, right?
However, there are too many people to aplish those tasks, so I''m seeking a solution.
I think there''s a better chance I''ll get praised for following his vague orders poorly than standing around waiting for a guaranteed failure."
Everyone was stunned by his insights.
"I think he''s right. This is probably a test, right?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"It makes sense if you think about it."
"I''ll also take responsibility if"
"You can''t just switch your position and take responsibility now that it''s the best option!"
"I"m not! I''m just trying to be helpful."
A heated discussion about who would take leadership of the situation broke out.
p "Woah, woah." Kaze said with his hands up, "Everyone will get praised if the guy''s happy, right?"
The faction members fell silent again. They were surprised that he was the person who consistently had confidence and valuable insights. He was a Chad!
"That''s true, but he''ll probably promote people with leadership skills, don''t you think?" A blonde asked.
"I don''t think so. Learning the technique is the point, right?" Kaze asked rhetorically, "Don''t you think discussing who''s the leader instead of helping people learn the technique showcases bad leadership?"
The blonde and the others vying for responsibility turned bright red in embarrassment. Seeing them frozen, the emperor continued.
"Look I''ve offered to take the fall if we get in trouble for unpinning it and putting it on the ground because I want to learn the technique." Kaze rified.
"So can we just unpin the thing and get started?"
"Y-Yes." The woman next to the technique said, removing the tacks from the corkboard.
Everyone moved out of her way as she weaved through the crowd to find a ce to put the scroll.
The people around Kaze immediately flooded him with thank youments, and he brushed them off nervously.
Then he walked to the forming circle. The faction members were busy discussing the best way to allow the maximum amount of people to see it at once.
Kaze smiled, watching them. In only two suggestions, he had already got twelve people taking the initiative to help the others learn.
Leadership was the start of building up his army''s power. The stronger they were, the more he could aplish.
Unlike in his past life, his physical strength growth hit limits quickly. So he immediately showed up on Earth in the same position he was for millenniathe strongest by an insurmountable margin.
Therefore, he could immediately focus on building the power of his army and settlement without worrying that anyone would surpass him. It was extremely satisfying.
The emperor vanished when the faction took their eyes off him and quickly moved to check up on other groups.
Chapter 53 Infiltrating The Faction Members
Kaze walked from location to location, helping people work through their problems. Every situation was different.
Sometimes he provided suggestions on increasing efficiency; other times, he focused on creating incentives for leadership.
The locations of the scrolls were set up so that there was at least one group in sight of another. As a result, once he introduced the circle method, it spread in a chain reaction.
But when he got to the thirtieth group, there was an anomaly.
The only group in sight developed a time-based method for cultivation training. As a result, the twelfth group took turns, and the thirteenth mimicked them.
However, the groups were iparable. While one was organized, the other simply took turns, which developed into a major issue.
"You''re holding people back, asshole!" A tone male athlete yelled at a blonde woman.
"I still haven''t learned it because everyone''s been yelling!" She snapped, "Can everyone be quiet so we can increase the speed people can learn?
I''ve been up here for two minutes, and everyone''s been yelling or pushing me. I haven''t even concentrated on the thing once."
"It''s been three hours. Thirty people won''t get a chance to learn this technique today!" The man yelled.
"That''s because no one will let anyone learn it!" The blonde snapped in annoyance.
Kaze pped loudly, capturing everyone''s attention. "Hey, everyone. I don''t think this is productive. I''ve just"
"Shut up, asshole." The athlete snapped, "We don''t need another person wasting our time."
The emperor''s cheek twitched when quite a few people scoffed or turned away.
The majority that agreed turned away with pitying gazes, understanding but unwilling to voice their support.
Kaze watched everyone closely, taking note of the situation. After a few more minutes of bickering, the blonde turned around in frustration and walked away.
Four men and three women consistently yelled at everyone who tried to learn the technique. If someone tried proposing a solution, they shot them down.
If people are causing amunication breakdown, those people need to be punished or thrown out.
"I have a solution!" Kaze yelled out. As expected, the same people turned around.
"Shut the hell up! You''re new, right? Do you think we haven''t tried everything?" A redhead snapped.
"Is that so?" Kaze mused mockingly, "It looks to me like nothing has changed, no one has learned the technique, and a group of you are just yelling, Tanya."
Her eyes widened in surprise that he knew her name, but the other six didn''t grasp the disparity.
"Do you have a problem or something?" The male athlete scoffed.
"I do, Omar." Kaze replied loudly, "We were given orders to help people learn. I''m trying to help, you seven are preventing anyone else from speaking through fear of violence, and now I can''t learn."
"Hah. So it''s our fault?" The Hispanic manughed.
"That''s what I''ve said, yes?" The emperor asked with a slight smile, "As I''ve said, you''re preventing people from problem-solving, and you''re currently giving a strong demonstration of why."
Omar scoffed in anger and turned to the women near him.
"I''m going to ''talk'' to this man. I''ming back to my ce in line." He dered aggressively.
"Or what?" Kazeughed, "If she doesn''t hold your position, what will you do to her, Omar?
Threaten her? Harm her? Prevent her from learning?
Just how many of the Emperor''s rules are you nning to break?"
Everyone in the line was excited by the development. Two equal-sized men were facing off; one was helpful, and the other was a tyrant.
The members were excited to see how everything yed out.
"Hah! You''re starting a fight right now when people are trying to cultivate." Omar chuckled angrily, moving out of line, "And you''re iming I''m at fault?"
He walked up to Kaze and stared off with him from a foot''s distance.
The atmosphere''s pressure multiplied as the two stared into each other''s eyes.
Omar had murder in his olive-colored eyes. Amusement was in the emperor''s, and he didn''t release his slight smile or take his hands from his pockets.
"Wipe that fuckin'' smile off your face, pretty boy." The athlete seethed.
"Or what?" Kaze smacked, "You''ll continue breaking the rules?"
Omar threw a sucker punch, but his entire froze six inches from the Emperor''s face.
The athlete froze like a statue, sweat dripping down his face. It was an eerie sight that left everyone shaken.
After a few seconds of silence, the emperor pped his hands.
"Fascinating." He chuckled, "It seems like you''re paralyzed in the perfect position to prove you''ve broken the rules.
I suppose I should find the Emperor now. I think this is perfect proof that you seven are causing problems."
"W-Wait! Y-You goated him into a fight, did some crazy shit, and now you''re trying to bring us down as if you''re not also to me?"
"Y-Yeah! You broke the rules!"
The other six immediately threw out excuses.
"Hoh? I''m pretty sure I''m helping people learn." Kaze smiled, "There''s already space behind you from people moving forward. You''re in everyone else''s way."
They looked around and saw that people had already moved forward, trying to learn the technique and leave as quickly as possible.
The group of six shook in fear.
"L-Look, man. There are seven of us and a lot of witnesses that will attest to you starting a fight with that man." Tanya, the first woman, stuttered.
"He looks like he''s in pain, so you''re clearly hurting him and preventing him from learning, right?"
"The rules are against people threatening, hurting, or preventing others from learning." Kazeugh-scoffed, "He was doing all three; now he''s not standing in anyone''s way."
"That''s faulty logic, and you know it!" A man yelled, stressed and losing control.
"Oh, I forgot. You''re interrupting people cultivating." The emperorughed, looking at the people in the area who had stopped cultivating to watch.
"U-Um, what''s wrong with him?" A meek blonde near him asked, looking at Omar in concern.
"This?" Kaze chuckled, "I''ve wrapped his body in Qi. It''s not a special technique; I''m just using the environment to grip him."
Everyone fell silent in disbelief, shocked by what they were hearing.
"While he looks in pain, he can rx his who body and stay standing." He continued, "That [pain] you''re seeing is fear and panic."
"S-See! You''re causing fear and panic!" A female troublemaker stuttered.
"No, he was threatening people." Kaze argued arrogantly, "I''m just holding him in ce.
That feares from knowing that he''s frozen in a position that proves he broke every rule here."
"You''re making up the rules to suit you!" Tanya yelled in a panic.
The emperor scoffed in vexation. "Don''t any of you get it? If people are causing trouble, you incapacitate them to prevent it.
Is the Emperor supposed to walk around policing everyone like he''s their mother?"
"You can''t just make the rules and then enforce them!" The panicked man yelled.
Kaze looked around. "Let''s put aside my actions for fifteen seconds and return to them.
Does anyone think anything I''ve been [wrong] or that I''m misinterpreting the meaning of the rules? Raise your hand."
"You can''t do this! The issue isn''t the rule; it''s what"
"Be quiet." The emperor said coldly, "I said we''ll return to my actions. In the meantime, I''m asking about the rules you''ve imed I''m making up."
He turned back to the line. "Does anyone agree that I''ve misinterpreted the rules, or is the only thing in dispute here that I incapacitated this man in a non-harmful way?"
Everyone was silent. Many people shook their heads, and a few people affirmed his point. After a few people began, people began agreeing openly.
"WAIT! YOU"
The emperor rolled his eyes and waved his hand, and the man yelling got frozen. The members were stunned by the action, and many shook in fear.
Before things could get out of hand, he snapped his fingers dramatically, and his body warped.
Within two seconds, the Chad was now the teen at the podium earlier in the afternoon.
They stood before Kaze Lexicon, the Emperor and Faction Leader at Immortal Skye.
Everyone gasped in shock, and the seven people causing trouble shook with fear.
Chapter 54 Vigilante Justice Is Law
Everyone in line to learn the cultivation technique stared at Omar, who was still frozen with his fist six inches from the emperor''s face.
It was a surreal sight and an offensive deration of the athlete''s powerlessness. He wasn''t even considered a threat worth moving out of the way of.
Kaze pped his hands to break people of their silence. "Taryn Shaffer, please tell everyone here the suggestion you kept whispering but were afraid to present."
Her eyes trembled in fear. The blonde was terrified that she was addressed by the Emperor when she strictly stayed out of it.
However, she gulped and followed the instructions.
"Um, I saw other people sitting in a circle with the scroll on the ground earlier." Taryn replied nervously.
"Excellent observation." Kaze replied, "That''s what I tried to report before these clowns triggered this circus."
The seven called out and hung their heads, except for the frozen two. Omar was forced to stare at the emperor with his punching fist aimed at his face.
"However, there were countless other strategies. Steve Chung, can you please tell people your strategy?" The emperor requested.
An Asian man wearing ssy clothing and a neat haircut swallowed nervously.
"I thought that perhaps we should let five people get it down." Steve said nervously.
"Then, once people read it and got the image in their mind, they''d move to the people who got it down to get help with it.
That way, people would be more confident spending less time looking at the technique."
"Very good." Kaze smiled, "Can you tell everyone why such a strange proposal is possible despite its clear ws?"
"This was just what I was thinking." Steve gulped, "Despite these scrolls being printed copies of an original, there''s just enough for fifty-person groups, right?
So I thought this test was less about learning the technique and more about finding a solution to letting everyone learn it a little bit.
It''s only possible because the learner would fail if they agreed to it but refused to help
You said there were times when helping others was the key to sess. That''s my take."
"What an astute observation!" Kaze grinned widely, "As you can see, everyone can''t learn with this strategy, and thus it''s barring everyone''s development.
Everyone would realize that helping people was the only rational answer.
In life, you must use every method avable to get powerful; sometimes, it''s aiding your enemy. Other times it''s by sacrificing short-term gain for long-term development.
In this situation, the only way to seed was to help each other. If you didn''t, it was fated to devolve into a riot at the witching hour.
Tell me, everyone. What happens if there''s a riot because people aren''t following the rules?"
"People get hurt?"
"Everyone loses?"
"Things be disorderly, and everything breaks down?"
"Exactly." The emperor smiled. "The barbarians pige the areas, and the weak get ughtered. Order breaks down, people suffer, and it all stems from ack of resources.
Here''s my question. If someone walks up, follows the rules, and deals with the trouble makers to prevent that, isn''t that best for everyone?"
A wave of anxiety washed over everyone when Kaze looked Omar in the eyes with a malicious smile that sent shivers down his spine.
Kaze turned back to every with a smile. "The answer you''re looking for is yes."
A few people were excited by his deration, but everyone else nodded nervously.
"It seems I should rify." He smiled, "Immortal Skye is considered a country now.
Vignte justice is both legal and encouraged under specific guidelines.
You''re free to act with impunity if your actions align with your backer''s interests, are sane, and you''re prepared to justify your actions.
However, if your actions defile the name of your backer, you''ll face the consequences.
You must never abuse your backer''s name or put them into a bad situation.
So long as you follow those two principles, you''re free to do anything you want to such threatening and vulgar people."
Waves of tumultuous anxiety crashed into the faction members when he said [anything you want].
However, another group of people was fired up, inspired to take action. It was a prized audience.
"While it''s legal, you don''t need to physically incapacitate someone to aid the faction." Kaze exined.
"You can use various means, including threatening to get someone with the power to force someone to concede.
I clearly stated I''d administer swift punishment to anyone I found to break my rules, did I not?"
Many people''s eyes lit up in excitement; they understood that he was their resource.
Moreover, knowing there were non-violent ways to solve problems relieved many of their fears.
"When you have a powerful backer, their weight holds far more power than physical force." The emperor exined.
"For that reason, seeking effective, peaceful solutions is always what you should aim for.
If you sully your backer''s reputation by breaking a troublemaker''s legs when you could have threatened them, that''s harmful to the backer, is it not?
That''s why you must be prepared to justify your actions. If you take drastic action and your backer finds out that you could have resolved it with peaceful means, you will face consequences.
This ismon sense, yes?"
Everyone nodded. Those fired up mellowed out, and those concerned were relieved.
"Good; now you understand that preventing riots is part of the learning embedded in this lesson?" He asked.
The faction members nodded and voiced their agreement.
"Good. Oh, yesone more thing." Kaze smiled, "I''m your backer above all others, and there''s not a single person in this world that can challenge me.
So as long as you act in my interests and follow my directives without abusing them, you are free to act freely without fear, lest someone is foolish enough to defy me!"
After a moment of stunned silence, the area exploded into cheers.
Most were from the pride of having the strongest man in the world as their teacher.
However, many people were enthralled, knowing that for the first time, they had power, and they could use their minds to obtain strength.
"Follow me, and you shall profit and grow.
Protect my interests, and you live with freedom.
Learn from me, and you''ll be strong.
Use your strength for me, and you shall receive wealth and prosper.
Follow my directives, and you''re free to remove anything that stands between you and power!" Kaze dered, triggering wild cheers other members could hear from hundreds of meters away.
Their enthusiasm sent pulsing dread rippling through the troublemakers.
"You all pass for today!" Kaze dered to his new subjects, triggering explosive cheers, "Well, there are a few exceptions."
When Kaze turned to the frozen athlete, everyone burst into unreserved giggles andughter.
Omar gulped. His fist was still six inches from the emperor''s face, and the sight became increasinglyical as time passed, as everyone kept forgetting about him.
Tanya and the other five rule breakers swallowed nervously, awaiting their fate for directly yelling at the emperor as well.
A new world order was being established in real-time, and they stood to be the first victims, demonstrating the consequences of defiance.
"The rabble-rousers don''t pass. You''re to find a woman named Lina Wainright, who leads cleaning." Kaze said coldly.
"You''re barred from learning cultivation for the seven days, and you''ll take care of bathroom cleaning duties."
The devastation written on everyone''s faces was toxic.
"Be thankful I haven''t expelled you for breaking simple rules on the first assignment." He continued, making them shiver in fear.
Everyone held their breath, awaiting the emperor''s verdict.
"I believe in redemption, so you are not confined to such an unsultry fate forever." The emperor dered.
"However, for the next week, you''ll be wearing jester outfits and be subjected to as much unbridled mockery as imaginable."
Their eyes trembled in humiliation and regret.
"After that, you have two weeks of action watch. You''re prohibited from getting in so much as a minor argument during that period." Kaze smiled.
"If you cannot control yourself during these periods, you''ll receive immediate expulsion."
The group swallowed nervously.
"I do not seek to neuter you for life." The emperor said coldly, "However, you''ve been given a warning; take it as a blessing and hold it close, as I do not give second warnings."
Everyone shivered after hearing his unwavering statement and the ruthless gaze he gave Omar.
Kaze waved his hand, Omar''s body spun around, and his arms shifted into a [happily walking] position, stunning everyone.
Gravity hit the man a secondter, realizing his body was free to move. He tried to turn back to the emperor, but he felt his body start walking when he tried.
"Good, get the message." The emperor scoffed, "You six, liberate me of your presence. See Lina with haste; I expect to see you in jester outfits within the hour."
Tanya and the others swallowed nervously, nodded remorsefully, and walked away.
"Enjoy the jester outfits. I ordered them by special request." Kaze smiled, turning back to his subjects, triggering a round of bewilderedughter.
Satisfied with the state of things, the emperor continued his tour.
"How fortuitous." Kaze grinned as he walked away under an invisibility technique, "I can''t wait until the hysteria sets in. Paranoia of this magnitude is without equal."
While the faction members were ted and talking cheerily, working together to win a mortal technique, they were walking cmities with a seeded trauma timebomb within them.
Only fifty-three people bore witness to the incident. However, Immortal Skye had 2,134 regr faction members who would learn about it.
Every faction member would seek out the story behind the jester outfits and what happened.
After hearing the story, people would spread the story like a game of telephone until the stories got extreme.
The emperor made Omar dance like a monkey with telekinesis, Omar passed out while standing like a statue, the jesters were damned to bathroom duty for life, Kaze said murder is encouraged, etcetera.
Once people got his illusion''s description, thousands of people would remember him showing up and helping everyone.
Then they''d realize that it could have been them who got destroyed by him.
It''d send an icy shiver running down everyone''s spines because that slight amount of verification would reinforce even the most extreme stories.
It would quickly evolve into a paranoia pandemic, and those who weren''t there would grow more paranoid than those who witnessed it.
That fear wouldn''t go away until they got Minor Vision, and he had tactics to trick even that.
With the jesters being a conspicuous reminder of the consequences of breaking the rules with Kaze infiltrating them, they''d fear discounting anyone''s opinion or being rude.
Soon, no one would dare to defy the rules out of fear that the emperor would walk amongst them.
The storytelling would also spread his message of vignte justice and incapacitating dissidents.
It was a fortuitous development indeed.
After he finished with the other groups, he called everyone to the amphitheater.
"The assignment is now over." Kaze announced, leading to confusion.
"It was a multi-variable assessment that tested people''s ability to adapt to resource scarcity, talent in fast learning under pressure, and following the rules.
If someone was held back from learning the cultivation technique, they were assessed on their adaptability, rule-following, leadership, resourcefulness, and other factors.
So rest easy knowing that you weren''t judged based on things out of your control."
Waves of excitement and cheers exploded from the amphitheater. Everyone was relieved to know that they weren''t judged by factors outside of their control.
"You may pick up a personal scroll with this technique when you leave. You have the rest of today and tomorrow to practice. Meet here at 3 pm tomorrow. That is all."
Everyone cheered and left the amphitheater with huge smiles on their faces.
Present Time
Once they were out of sight, Kaze''s gentle expression turned into a deep frown, and he checked his phone again.
,m
Ice Phoenix: You were right.
"That foolish woman." He scoffed in vexation, "At least this is a good opportunity to learn an important lesson."
Kaze closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then made a phone call.
"It''s Kaze." He said to his phone, "I need you to arrange something for me. Meet me in the conference room to discuss it. Do not speak of this to anyone."
Chapter 55 Day One | Lessons Learned
Marysworth Hospital | 2 Hours Before
Evalyn walked with Ray, the rude soldier, to the main ward of the eighth floor.
The more they walked, the grimmer her face got.
"You get it?" Ray scoffed.
Screams wereing from rooms on every side. Nurses were treating fellow nurses in areas protected by soldiers using silenced assault rifles identical to the one Ray carried.
The walls were riddled with bullet holes, and blood from bodies dragged from rooms lined the floors.
Evalyn took a deep breath. While she wanted to pity the people, Kaze''s voice kept resounding in her head, stuck on repeat, haunting her like a broken record.
"You can''t save these people, Evalyn. If they''re not on my list, they''ll be dead by next month at thetest.
You can only save the women with techniques from defilement and pray the remainder will get the sickness sooner thanter."
She couldn''t save them, but she could save her mother. Yet they were forcing her to fight, making her immeasurably angry.
"Don''t you feel bad whatsoever?" Ray asked in the elevator to the seventh floor.
"Don''t you feel bad for holding my mother hostage to force me to do your job? My mother is one of these people." She responded with equal coldness.
"You act like your mom''s the only person that matters." He scoffed.
"You''re wrong." Evalyn replied, "I''m the only person that matters. So shut the fuck up and stop taunting the person you''re forcing to do your job."
Ray stopped walking and trembled in anger. "You fucking"
The elevator door opened, and amotion filled their ears.
"D-Doctor Leemon. What aren''t you doing!?" A nurse in purple scrubs screamed.
"Shut the fuck up!" Doctor Leemon, a man with messy brown hair and a blood-stteredb coat, yelled, "You act like you''re the only one that matters!"
"That''s not true!" She screamed.
The man grabbed her by the hair.
One soldier raised his weapon.
"Put her down, or I''ll shoot!" He yelled in full camo, "I''m fucking sick of all of you! Whining, bitching, hurting each other!"
"Oh, yeah?" Doctor Leemon scoffed while turning to the man, still holding the woman by the hair.
"Calm down, Palmer!" A soldier yelled at the first man.
"Shut up, Vince! This is between me and this sick freak!" Palmer yelled.
"You soldiers are animals!" Doctor Leemon yelled while grabbing the woman and holding her against his chest, "Prove to me if you''re an animal and shoot me!"
"Drop the woman!" Vince yelled.
"What did I tell you, Vince!?" Palmer yelled while turning and pointing his gun at him.
Vince immediately grabbed the gun barrel with his left hand and used the butt of the assault rifle in his right hand to smash Palmer''s skull.
When the man hit the floor, Doctor Leemon startedughing uncontrobly.
"See!?" He yelled, "Animals. Just like this fucking woman!"
"EVERYONE, STOP!" Ray yelled while pointing his assault rifle at them.
Evalyn watched the scene with Kaze''s words narrating it.
"What do you think the word apocalypse means? A time where humanity bands together to fight a joint enemy?"
Vince immediately raised his weapon. Ray tried to shoot, and Vince did as well. However, the former was faster, more urate, and pulling the trigger.
Evalyn watched the exchange in slow motion and waved her hand at ghostly speed.
"W-What the fuck is this!?" Vince yelled as his arm froze with a thickyer of ice.
Ray didn''t need to ask. He looked at Evalyn, whose eyes were cold and murderous.
"You''re all animals!" She yelled while waving her hand.
The soldiers'' legs froze, and they dropped to the ground. Doctor Lemmon''s feet froze, so she didn''t affect the nurse who fell to the floor.
"What the" Palmer tried to yell, but he choked as a gust of frost entered his lungs and dropped to his knees, gasping for breath.
"You''re more dangerous than the patients." Evalyn scorned, "Now get your shit together. Take me through the hospital so we can subdue people; if you try this nonsense again, you''ll all die."
Primal fear washed over everyone present, including the nurse in purple scrubs she saved.
Evalyn''s eyes were colder than ice when she waved her hand again.
The Qi in the original ice reacted to her new technique and shattered without harming the people further.
Everyone dropped to the ground.
Vince gulped and stood up slowly with empty hands raised. Palmer stood up, recovering.
Ray looked at her with contemptuous eyes. However, he was grateful she intervened because his target was faster at the trigger.
"Now let''s go. I''m getting my work done early and leaving." Evalyn dered coldly, "So let''s get the situation under control immediately."
Doctor Lemmon narrowed his eyes. "Do you think you can order me around?"
"Yes. I can." She replied apathetically.
"Hah. The arrogance!" He scoffed, "What would give you such an absurd theory?"
"Laws won''t save you from the strong. Only personal strength and power can do that."
"Because I have power." Evalyn replied icily, "Law and soldiers once protected you. Well, the soldiers are here, and they no longer have power. Therefore, you''re in my hands."
"You arrogant bitch! I''ll"
The man stopped talking when a non-lethal chunk of ice hit him in the skull, knocking him out.
All the soldiers lifted their guns, but by the time they aimed, crystal daggers were gazing at each of them.
They could feel their eyes drying from the foging off them like dry ice.
"This is yourst warning." Evalyn dered in a venomous tone.
SHIIIINK!
The daggers sliced down simultaneously, cutting their barrels in half.
Everyone stared at her in disbelief.
"Are you fucking mad, woman!?" Palmer roared, "Don''t"
He dry swallowed after he felt a knife gliding across his skin, cutting him and freezing the wound shut.
"You three tried killing each other with those toys." Evalyn asserted murderously.
"So what good are they for protecting people? If you have them, you''ll end up dead.
Especially you. I just saved your life, and you haven''tprehended that."
Beads of cold sweat built up around Ray''s forehead.
The same was true of the other men, who realized that the woman around them wasn''t ying games.
"Now shut up and take me around to get this ce under control." She said with a lethal gaze.
"As of this moment that''s your only purpose in life. You''ll end up like that man or worse if you don''t."
Everyone nodded hesitantly.
"Let''s start with A Ward." Vince suggested.
Evalyn nodded, and the other two did as well.
They departed and walked down multiple halls leading to the next ward at high speed.
The soldiers walked around with trembling eyes because her des were at their necks.
Evalyn could see the hatred in Ray''s eyes. She refused to let him go; if she had a stronger stomach, she''d have killed him.
Every time they entered a ward, she froze the people attacking others in thick ice. She''s let those in the hospital sort out what to do with them.
The group spent six hours clearing the rooms and halls on the first seven floors, crippled by her unwillingness to kill and ughter people.
Evalyn checked everyone''s Qi channels to differentiate between the panicked and the sick.
However, she stopped before long, as it was clear that most of the staff would get the sickness sooner thanter, and so would the patients.
It was pointless. So the blonde arbitrarily helped when asked to expedite the process.
Another hour was spent cultivating to regain energy. Combined with the time it took to set up her mother and process the paperwork, it had been eight hoursit was time to get her mother back.
When they exited D Ward on the second floor, she heard a screaming woman down a side hall.
Evalyn turned around and ran down to the hall. "You three,e with me or I''ll kill you!"
The soldiers immediately turned and followed her because her des surrounded them. She wouldn''t let them leave her sight, especially Ray.
"Please, Doctor Miser! I don''t want this!" A nurse in green scrubs yelled against the wall as the doctor pinned her against the wall.
"Why not, Lisa!?" He yelled, "We''re going to die anyway! Don''t you want to have sex one more time?"
"N-No, I don''t!" Lisa yelled.
Evalyn turned the corner as the man reached up to grope her.
"AghhhhhhHHHHH!" Doctor Miser screamed. He stared at his arm, shaking violently, covered in ice that released an eerie fog, "W-What is this!? Isn''t this"
Before he could look down the hall, a block of ice smashed into his skull, knocking him out.
Unlike before, Evalyn knew exactly what she was doing. She wouldn''t let the man trample her reputation after seeing her, and she wouldn''t let him defile her in the same way Kaze wouldn''t.
However
The blonde turned to the three soldiers next to her, staring at her with trembling eyes.
Everyone could hear Doctor Miser breathing, but he was in far worse shape than Doctor Leemon. He would likely die without a doctor, and one wasn''ting.
They realized how easily she was willing to leave a mortal wound and were shaken.
More importantly, Evalyn stared at the shaking woman on the wall with an ice-cold re. The experience shook the woman to the point she wouldn''t move.
"I already killed the first people that tried to defile her. However, she fell to the ground, having a panic attack.
Men rushed her, thinking they killed their friends or that she was a cultivator."
The lesson that Kaze taught her at the apocalypse party had deep connections to the scene unfolding.
Doctor Miser was a liability. He returned stronger and would trample her reputation further, worsening her mother''s situation.
The shaking woman was unwilling to move. Soon people would show up and see Doctor Miser next to her and assume she was responsible.
She didn''t want to think about what could happen to her.
Lastly, the three next to her were liabilities. Especially Ray, who had a direct connection to the people guarding her mother.
Everyone could jeopardize her mother''s life in the witching hour.
Ast set of words shed in her mind alongside a memory.
"The world is simpler now. Don''t help people; if you''re forced to act, don''t leave witnesses."
Chapter 56 Day One | Murderous Mimicry
Evalyn looked at Doctor Miser, the nurse, and the soldiers. The four men were liabilities, and the woman was both a liability and a casualty.
Kaze''s words resounded in her head.
"The world is simpler now. Don''t help people; if you''re forced to act, don''t leave witnesses."
She swallowed and prepared to act but froze when she saw Doctor Miser''s arm. It had frostbite developing on it.
The blonde realized something horrifying: everyone would know who attacked the doctor.
Worse, he was the man who signed the paperwork.
She processed the situation in slow motion. Her mind was racing at lightning speed, figuring out which course to take.
Evalyn only broke from her haze when she heard three nurses running down the hall.
A horrifying thought passed through her mind.
If she were to kill everyone and not leave witnesses, she''d have to kill everyone she saw.
"Hoh? I did, Evalyn. You''re watching the result of my [generosity].
Just like the other [eight people] people that died because of my [benevolent] actions."
A minimum of eight people needed to die because she saved the woman.
Evalyn didn''t regret her action. Kaze did the same and would always do so. The difference was that he was better at hiding his actions. It was a matter of experience.
Three seconds.
That''s how long she had left to decide whether to bury witnesses.
Her eyes snapped open.
"Soldiers! Ray''s turned!" Evalyn yelled at full volume.
"What the fuck are you talking about!?" Ray roared in anger.
"Take his gun before he shoots people!" She yelled.
The footsteps in the hall stopped. Then the sounds became distant as they ran in the opposite direction.
Vince and Palmer processed the situation instantly, watching her eyes trail away.
Ray didn''t. He immediately lunged forward, and she held him back.
"Help get this man off me!" Evalyn yelled, "He killed Doctor Miser. WE NEED HELP IN HERE!"
The orderlies in the area froze with fear.
"You fucking cunt! Don''t you me"
Evalyn picked Ray up and forced his boot down on Doctor Miser''s head.
Craaaack!
More blood gushed out of the doctor''s skull, soaking the man''s boot. When she released him, the previously weakened skull had a boot indent.
The other soldiers tried to run but found themselves surrounded by icy des.
"W-Why they fuck you are doing this!?" Ray asked in fear.
"Because you''re holding my mom hostage." Evalyn growled in disgust, "And you have bloodlust in your eyes. I''m not bringing you back to make false ims against me or threaten my mom."
"T-The man''s frozen. They won''t believeahhhhhHHHHH!"
Ray screamed in pain as his arm froze solid, instantly giving him frostbite.
The man''s eyes trembled as Kaze''s words came from her mouth.
"That''s funny, I see your boot print in his skull and the mark from where I froze you to release the man when you tried killing him." Evalyn mused.
The soldier''s eyes shook in horror at her malicious gaze.
"Unlike you, I have real criminal evidence against you. Case closed." She chuckled murderously.
"You''re fucked, Ray. However, I''m too gentle for my own good. So I''ll spare your life if you y the fool, admitting to the murder.
That''s the price for threatening to kill my mom."
"I-I''ll do it." Ray stuttered.
Evalyn turned to the soldiers. "I''ll spare this man''s life. However, I [courteously] ask that you testify to the staff that this scumbag murdered that pig."
She moved her daggers to the opposite side of the doctor. Their tips tickled the men''s spines.
Another dagger materialized on the nurse''s neck, warning her as well.
Everyone immediately nodded.
"I-I saw him grab the man." Vince swallowed.
"And I saw him smash his heel into his head." Palmer said with cold sweat dripping down his back.
"Thank you, gentlemen. Now then, monkey. Dance." Evalyn said with a venomous smile.
"Start yelling, telling me to fuck off and that you don''t regret killing that man. Now!"
Ray gulped and choked down tears, preparing himself.
"The soldier''s restrained! We need doctors on the scene! The head doctor is dying!" She yelled at full volume.
Nervous nurses peeked around the corner and saw the man in Evalyn''s arms.
"You sicken me!" The blonde yelled while pping the man, "I can''t believe you''d kill one of the most valuable resources we have!"
"Fuck you!" Ray yelled with tears rolling down his eyes, "That man was scum! I''ll never regret it!"
Evalyn punched the man in the head, knocking him out in front of the witnesses, and pinned his throat against the wall.
Without anyone seeing, she froze her fingertips, permanently damaging his throat. With any luck, he wouldn''t be able to speak when he awoke.
"What the hell are you doing!?" She screamed to the nurses, "This doctor has a cracked skull from this monster''s boot! He also has frostbite from when I got this man off him!"
The nurses trembled and nodded.
"We need a doctor on the scene!" A blonde with ragged green scrubs yelled, "We''ve lost the lead doctor! We need help!"
More people showed up immediately. The brte female doctor quickly assessed the doctor''s condition. "He''s dead. Please take him away."
The nurses nodded, lifted him to the stretcher, and rolled him away.
"I''m Doctor Lock." The doctor said.
"Evalyn Skye." Evalyn replied courteously.
The doctor nced at the man who was knocked out in her hand. "What happened?"
"This soldier turned and tried assaulting the woman." Evalyn scoffed with contempt in her eyes.
Doctor Lock''s eyes trembled. So far, the people who went crazy weren''t sexually aggressive. So the idea spread a wave of fear running through her body.
She looked down at the nurse, who swallowed and nodded. "T-Thankfully, she saved me."
"Doctor Miser ran to her aid immediately." Evalyn continued.
"This soldier grabbed the man''s arm, so I used my cultivation technique to freeze his arm, releasing him and the woman immediately.
Unfortunately, he became erratic and hit Doctor Miser, making him fall to the floor.
I couldn''t use my ice to attack this man because he was beside the doctor.
So I ran up. Unfortunately, this soldier started stomping the doctor''s skull."
Doctor Lock closed her eyes with a beating heart, and light tears welled in her eyes. Her stress was palpable from the minute she arrived. Now, she looked on the verge of a breakdown.
"I was able to restrain him immediately after, and that''s when I called the nurses." Evalyn exined.
"They can attest to the man''s mental state of mind and corroborate the man''s actions."
The doctor looked at the soldiers, who had des gliding up and down their spines.
"It was horrifying." Palmer said nervously.
"I never thought that one of us would turn like this." Vince nodded.
Their words only solidified the doctor''s fear.
"There''s no need to justify your actions." Doctor Lock said while looking into the blonde''s vivid blue eyes, "I cannot thank you enough."
"I''m d that I was here and could help." Evalyn replied with a nod.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" The doctor asked, "I can''t do much, but a soldier would''ve been dangerous, especially one who tries to assault people. So we''re grateful."
Evalyn nodded and pulled out the release document for her mom.
"I''m here because my mom is admitted to the hospital." She said, "I''ve helped clear every ward. I''d like to have her release preprocessed for when I show up in ten minutes."
Doctor Lock looked at the paper in confusion. "This is a simple discharge notice. She can leave at any time without our aid."
Evalyn''s eyes trembled. She needed to constrain herself not to show her bloodlust.
Doctor Miser never intended to let her mom leave. The soldiers would wait for someone to give them the order to discharge her mother, and no one would arrive.
No doctor had no reason to get involved.
"Doctor Lock, if that''s the case, will youe with me to get my mother discharged?" Evalyn asked with cold eyes.
"The soldiers are waiting for someone to discharge my mother, but no one will arrive. There was confusion, so I''ll need you toe with me to get her."
Chapter 57 Day One | Rules One And Two
Kaze headed to a wooded area past the mansions. When he saw his business partner, he gave him an icy re.
"H-Hello, Kaze." Daniel said with nervousness in his sky-blue eyes, "The soonest that I can get you to"
"Are you a drunkard?" Kaze scoffed angrily, "What did I tell you aboutNo, don''t answer that; just show me the warehouse."
The man swallowed nervously in eptance. "Right this way."
There was a skycruiser hanger on the other side of the wooden area. It was arge grey building with a metal door that locked.
Daniel unlocked the heavy metal door with a physical key and led the emperor in.
When Kaze looked into the area, he nodded in satisfaction. There were shelves fifteen feet high with bulk food supplies, dry goods, and living necessities.
Enough tost three months lined the shelves if they ate three meals daily, but he didn''t n to let that happen.
After the full breakdown of society, they''d ration it for longer as they acquired more food.
"You did well, Daniel." Kaze said calmly.
The man gulped. "I''m d I could help."
The emperor nodded and touched the man on the forehead without warning, transferring the Fertility of Growth technique to him.
Daniel''s jaw dropped to the floor when he got a reward out of the blue.
The profound information imprinted on his brain left him with more cultivation nuance than before, now that he couldpare the two techniques.
"Listen, Daniel." Kaze said calmly, waving his hand to create a dome of warping space around them. The man had seen it multiple times, so he wasn''t phased.
"You''re doing well. I''m a generous man to those who help me.
Fulfill all my requests with prudencewithout questionand your trusted hirelings and family will be permanent members.
Unless it''s a public outing, everything I ask you to do should be done with secrecy, especially if it involves something outside these walls.
Only tell people something when absolutely necessary or unless I ask. If I don''t, assume everything is going ording to schedule."
The man''s eyes welled with light tears, but he kept a stoic facial expression.
"Of course." He said, "I''ll fulfill all of your requests with haste and discretion."
Kaze nodded in satisfaction. He didn''t want the government to have information on his movements or supplies at this critical juncture.
The emperor refused to give the government weak points to exploit.
"Now take me to the mansion." Kaze ordered.
Daniel nodded in assent. "Of course, right this way."
The two men walked through the woods and then down a perfectly paved sidewalk around thergeke on the campus before approaching a discreet gated mansion in the back.
It was a home owned by a reclusive billionaire before Kaze bought the building out.
As a result, it had a long driveway on a multi-acre frontwn filled with trees.
The mansion was white with red trim around the windows and on the roof. It hadrge marble pirs on the doorway entrance, making it look pretentious.
Daniel unlocked the door, let the emperor into the home, led him downstairs, and unlocked the area. When they walked in, pandemonium broke out.
"Kaze! What the fuck is going on?" Sage, the finance major with red hair in a tight ponytail, snapped.
"Kaze, I''m equally confused." Kylie, the brte cheerleader with wave neck-length hair.
"Calm down, everyone." Brad, the blonde athlete in his Microbiology ss that he tested at the party, requested calmly.
"Fuck off, Brad." Sage snapped.
"Are you children?" Kaze scoffed loudly.
Everyone turned to him, falling silent. There were 63 students from the apocalypse party in the room of the original hundred.
"You saw what happened, yes?" The emperor asked.
"Yeah, you gave everyone a sketchy technique, and then people started killing each other!" A man snapped.
Kaze cocked his head to the left and scoffed in disbelief.
"Has the scene left your mind rabid?" He asked coldly.
"Look around you, you buffoon. Everyone I gave that technique to is sane; those who didn''t get it went mad. Yet you act as if I''ve wronged you?"
Everyone''s eyes trembled in shock and confusion.
"Trusting your intentions is difficult, Kaze." Victoria, the ck-haired woman to whom Jake lost his virginity, asserted.
"Skycruisers with armed men showed up after that crazy scene, flew us here with bags over our heads, and locked us in this basement.
We don''t even know where we are; will you tell us that?"
"Basement?" Kaze scoffed, looking around at therge living room and the hallways with dozens of rooms with bunk beds. It had multiple high-ss recreation areas, a gym, pools, and bathrooms.
Everyone followed his gaze and gave him wry smiles.
"You''re at Immortal Skye; I''ll be teaching you cultivation once a day between meals." Kaze replied in annoyance.
"W-We''re at Immortal Skye?" Sammy, the brte from Evalyn''s tennis team that hosted the party, asked in confusion.
"Yes, that''s what you wanted, yes?" He asked sarcastically.
"You were brought here in secret to prevent its location from being leaked; that''s also why phones are not permissible on campus.
Everyone is temporarily restrained to this ward of the mansion to prevent destabilization of the faction.
You''ll be free to roam the campus after a week of training. I''ll repeat, you''ll be free to roam the campus with everyone else after training in one week.
Being here is only temporary.
Until then, you''ll learn cultivation, you''ll have three prepared meals a day, there are beds for everyone, a gym, a hot tub, a pool, and other recreational equipment here.
You''re on the bottom floor of an eighty-million-dor mansion. This can hardly be called a [basement]."
Many of the students buzzed with excitement, and many more whispered, concerned.
"Listen and listen closely. You will follow some rules in the week or two you''re in this mansion." Kaze dered.
"First, you''re not to leave this downstairs area for any reason.
Second, you''re not to leave this downstairs area for any reason.
There will be severe consequences if you do not follow rule one or two."
"Consequences." Kylie whispered in fear.
"For the women''s safety, you''re not to sleep with anyone." Kaze continued, ignoring the woman.
"You''re only going to be here for a week. So you can manage."
Everyone looked at him in shock, especially Sage. He had the reputation of a yboy, so people were surprised.
"Three, you will not physically assault anyone." He ordered, "Break any of these rules, and you''ll receive appropriate punishment."
The room fell silent in disbelief.
"So we are locked down here?" A woman asked, "That''s extremely creepy! I want to go home!"
"Me too!" A man yelled.
They tried walking past Kaze, but a violent wave of pressure assaulted the room, dropping everyone to their knees.
"Rule number one and two; you''re not to leave the lower floor of this mansion for any reason." The emperor said coldly.
"This is your one and only warning. I nned to start teaching you cultivation today, but I have something important to do, so I''ll be back tomorrow. You can ask me more useless questions then."
Before he could walk out the door, Victoria called out.
"Where''s Jake?" She asked nervously.
"Jake''s going through training." Kaze replied, "He''ll be here the day after tomorrow to help smooth the transition."
"Why are you doing this?" Sage asked.
"No one asked a productive question when I asked, now I''m leaving, and you''re asking?" He scoffed in exasperation.
"I-I''m sorry." She replied, "I just need to know."
Kaze closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I''m helping you. Trust me; you don''t want to be outside this room." He said calmly.
"While it looks peaceful, it''s anything but. You''ll soon thank me; until then, you have beds, showers, a hot tub, a gym, and rules to ensure your safety.
You''ll be in here for a week. So stop acting like you''re chained to the walls and enjoy yourselves."
Without further warning, he walked out of the room, locked the steel door, climbed the stairs, and left the mansion.
Chapter 58 Day One | Lethal Acceptance
Doctor Lock looked at Evalyn in confusion. "Communication error? I''m confused about what''s happening."
"The soldiers [protecting] my mom, while I''m helping clear these wards, are awaiting a hospital official to release my mother.
However, with a discharge, no one ising. So the soldiers won''t release her, and I need a hospital management member to get her released."
The doctor looked at the soldiers and then back to Evalyn with trembling eyes. "Y-You want me to give an order to soldiers?"
"Correct." Evalyn replied without blinking.
"I''m sorry, but I don''t want to get involved with soldiers." Doctor Lock said nervously.
"A doctor gave them the order to hold my mother captive to make me fight here under government orders." The blonde said coldly.
"Trust me, Doctor Lock. I don''t want to deal with them, either.
However, the soldiers are awaiting a doctor now that my eight hours have passed, so they''ll expect you.
I''ve done my time here underw, and now I need my mother released."
Doctor Lock swallowed nervously. "B-But I can''t leave my ward unattended with these demons running around. At this point, the doctors are just healing the nurses."
Evalyn frowned. "I''ve incapacitated all the people in this ward showing Qi sickness. This incident was a rare exception. So considering I''ve helped your entire ward, you can help me, yes?"
The doctor saw the deadly glint in the blonde''s eyes.
"Very well. I''ll help release your mother." Doctor Lock said meekly.
"Thank you. I hope you don''t trick me like thest doctor." Evalyn said while ripping the document from the doctor''s hands, preventing her from seeing Doctor Miser''s signature.
Everyone gave each other awkward nces.
"Okay, we''ll go." Doctor Lock said, "But first, what are you doing with that man?"
Evalyn looked down and realized that she had forgotten Ray was still in her hands.
A wave of anxiety washed over her when she realized she had to do something with the man, who was a liability.
"What do you think we should do with someone this dangerous?" The blonde asked the soldiers.
Their eyes filled with agony. They also didn''t know what to do with the man.
"No one wants to kill this man." She said while turning back to the doctor.
"Do you have a ce where we can hold him? I''ll freeze his body so he can''t move or bite anyone."
The soldier''s eyes filled with horror.
"Yes." Doctor Lock said while closing her eyes, "Follow me."
The doctor led Evalyn and the soldiers to a waiting room guarded by five soldiers. Angry yells and screams broke the sound barrier from beyond the door.
"Please add this man to the ranks, Randolph." Doctor Lock said, pointing to Ray.
"Yes, mam." A bearded soldierden in camo replied while reaching out his hands.
Evalyn unloaded the man. When she did, she looked inside the window of the waiting area behind the door, and her eyes widened in shock.
"Don''t look in there, miss." Randolph said, "It''s bad enough that we have to."
Countless mad patients, soldiers, and medical personnel were running around, and the corpses of staff personnel and soldiersy on the groundgetting beaten mercilessly.
They were dead, but the crazed people still kicked and stomped them, yelling relentlessly.
A woman pounded against the ss, triggering the guards to aim their guns at her.
"LET ME OUT! PLEASE, I''M NOT INSANE!" The redhead screamed with terror in her bloodshot eyes. Her voice barely exceeded the screams and yells in the background.
"We just told you we didn''t believe you four minutes ago. So back away from the ss!" A soldier yelled.
"L-Listen! I''m not insane!" She stuttered, moving away, "Doctor Miser found me annoying and threw me in here!"
"I said, move away from the ss. MOVE!" He barked.
"Move aside." Evalyn said coldly, walking up to the door.
The soldiers tried to stop her, but she released some pressure, something she was getting the hang of through trial and error. Everyone immediately dropped to their knees.
Evalyn had spent over six hours showcasing her cultivation to the hospital members and soldiers. Hiding it was irrelevant.
Instead, she chose an alternative approachshowcasing overwhelming strength so no one would challenge her.
Since Evalyn wouldn''t get help getting her mother out and couldn''t protect the woman omnidirectionally from bullets, she needed another approach to help them escape.
Randolph moved aside, handing her Ray.
The blonde closed her eyes. Killing people wasn''t easy, so she spent over six hours reading people''s Qi and freezing their arms and legs to prevent doing it.
She idently killed a man the first night and killed Doctor Miser to prevent the need for stacking eight bodies before running off to stack more.
Ray was different. Surprisingly enough, he had a basic cultivation technique, so he wasn''t bound to get the sickness.
His personality was naturally derisive and was highly stressedshe knew that. Therefore, she was actively killing a non-sick human.
"He threatened your mom and held her hostage." Evalyn whispered under her breath as she moved to the door.
"M-Miss. You believe me, right?" The nurse,den in pink scrubs, asked with trembling eyes and disheveled red hair.
"I do." Evalyn said solemnly, "However, you''ll have Qi Sickness by morning because your meridians are weak. So letting you out would endanger others."
"Wait, you can tell?" Randolph asked with narrowed eyes.
The blonde turned to the man with an icy re that made his heart stop for a moment.
However, she gave him a sinister smile while dramatically looking up and down his body.
"Yes, I can see people breathing Qi, and when they''re not. Do you want to know if you''ll get Qi Sickness?" Evalyn mused.
The soldier''s eyes trembled in shock. "U-Um."
"I want to know if he will." Doctor Lock whispered.
Evalyn turned to her. "I''ll tell you, but I''ll also release whether you''ll get it."
The doctor''s eyes widened in horror.
"Anyone interested?" The blonde asked with a wide smile.
"I''m d to start a Salem Witch Hunt. I''ll tell a soldier, they''ll panic and shoot people, people will shoot him, everyone will panic, this door will shoot open in confusion, and everyone will die."
Everyone looked at her in horror.
"Didn''t think so." Evalyn scoffed in vexation, "So stop turning to me to solve all your problems, or I''ll kill all of you."
The soldiers tried to react, but she released her cultivation base againthe best she could. With a divine technique, it was more than enough to bring people to their knees.
"Move." She demanded coldly, releasing the pressure.
Everyone took a deep breath and scurried away.
"You two." Evalyn said, ring at Palmer and Vince with lethal eyes, "Stay put."
Both nodded without hesitation. They watched her incapacitate people from a distance and now knew she wasn''t above killing "innocent" people.
The blonde walked up to the door.
"M-Miss, I''m begging you." The nurse on the other side of the ss said.
Then the memory of Kaze beheading the college student passed into her head.
The woman before her couldn''t be saved, but she could be saved from a barbaric fate. As for Ray, he was holding her mom hostage and was still a threat to her life.
Evalyn took a deep breath. She finally epted the nature of the new world; even if only a little. So she opened the door with a determined expression.
"Oh, thank god!" The nurse cried, trying to push through. However, the blonde immediately picked her up and threw her out of the way.
Then she threw Ray into the room, in the center of the horde of angry people.
"They''re not living anymore." Evalyn whispered while raising her hand. "[Razor Flurry]."
Thousands of shards of ss-like ice shot through the area. The room dyed red as a gruesome amount of blood exploded from the people inside.
The soldiers had seen cultivators and watched videos online. However, they had never seen such a raw demonstration of power.
Blood gushed toward the nurse she threw out of the way before attacking, and the woman quickly jumped onto her chair to avoid it.
"It''s messy. However, you''re saved from a barbaric death." Evalyn said calmly.
"I pray you get the sickness sooner thanter, so you can have a painless end."
Without warning, she turned around and shut the door to meet the stunned people in the room.
"Doctor Lock." Evalyn said coldly, hiding the sweat dripping down her back from early stage Qi deprivation. She put on a strong front to not show weakness.
"I''ve spent eight hours fixing your problems. The hospital is safer now than before.
Despite that, my mother is being held hostage at gunpoint. Soe with me to release her because my patience is wearing thin."
Doctor Lock''s eyes trembled alongside the soldiers and other staff members.
After what she had just seen, they realized that whoever forced Evalyn to fight had no idea who they were messing with.
"Y-Yes. Let''s go." The doctor whispered.
Chapter 59 Day One | The Ice Demon
Evalyn turned to the soldiers in the area before leaving with Doctor Lock to get her mother.
"If anyone shows up to prevent me from getting my mother, or a single person fires at my mother, I''ll find all of you and ughter you mercilesslyafter killing them and every solider in the area."
Everyone''s bodies shook with fear.
"So leave and tell every soldier present about what you''ve seen here." Evalyn ordered.
"Don''t hold back or be diplomatic because if my mother dies today, everyone in this hospital will die too. The doctors, nurses, orderlies, patients, and rioters; not a single person will be spared.
You all held my mother hostage and forced me to risk my and my mother''s lives to do your job.
I''ve done that, so if you kill her after holding her hostage, my eight hours of life-saving aid will be reversed with interest."
Icy chills crawled down everyone''s spines as a wave of negative synesthesia pulsed through the area.
"Yes, mam." Randolph replied nervously.
"Good; don''t forget that. As of this moment, my mother''s life is your life. So get your priorities straight." Evalyn warned coldly.
Without further exnation, she turned around and took Doctor Lock''s hand, forcefully triggering the woman to move.
It was time to get her mom back, and she hoped her grand disy and false attitude were enough topensate for the Qi deprivation she was experiencing.
Evalyn, Doctor Lock, Vince, and Palmer walked through the ward at high speed.
No one talked; everyone was afraid of the blonde who had murder in her eyes.
After fifteen minutes of walking, the group finally made it to the room.
Beautiful orange, red, and purple hues lit up the corridor.
It was sunset, and ss ne walls in the hospital''svish area illuminated it.
"E-Evalyn." Yakov said in his thick Russian ent nervously.
Evalyn narrowed her eyes with a bloodthirsty gaze. "Why do you look horrified to see me?"
"We''re not horrified to see you." Edgar replied calmly but hesitantly.
"Don''t lie to me." She snapped viciously, "Step aside; I''m taking my mom now. My time is overdue, and Doctor Lock is here to process the release."
The soldiers swallowed.
"We can''t do that." Edgar said hesitantly.
Evalyn''s eyes filled with crazed wrath. "Step aside, or I''ll ughter all of you, just like I did Doctor Miser and Ray."
Everyone''s eyes filled with shock, and Doctor Lock stared at the blonde.
"The doctor tried to sexually assault a nurse." The blonde continued coldly, "The soldier was counting the minutes to harm me. Both were standing between me and my mother.
I don''t have any problem with you, so get the fuck out of my way."
Yakov began shaking and looked at Edgar and Miller. They were just as nervous.
Evalyn''s eyes trembled with horrifying bloodlust, and the atmosphere''s temperature dropped below zero as a torrent of frost cycled around her, leaving thinyers of ice over everything.
"Don''t meAghhhhhhhHHH!" Yakov said before a dagger shot through his shoulder, pinning him to the wall. Everyone looked at the man in horror.
"Did you just say the word [me]?" Evalyn asked with crystal blue eyes that froze their souls.
"E-Evalyn, listen. Your mom turned"
A dagger shot through Miller''s shoulder, and he began screaming too.
"Step aside, Edgar. You''re the only person in my way, and I don''t want to hear anything any of you has to say." Evalyn growled.
Edgar swallowed and moved out of the way with a guilty expression.
Evalyn opened the door with a pounding heart and walked into the room. The second she did, she immediately vomited.
Her mother''s corpse wasying on the couch with a gunshot in the center of her forehead. It was precise, proof that she wasn''t moving when shot.
The blood from the couch was rancid, filling the air with a putrid smell. Her state ofposition made it clear that her mom wasn''t in the room long before the gunshot happened.
The sight,bined with Miller and Yakov''s screams, was haunting.
Evalyn turned around and walked one foot out of the room, standing right next to Edgar, who was silent in shame.
"Saul turned"
The calm man, wearing a guilty expression, said two words before an ice dagger crashed into his skull, making his head explode.
A torrent of frost developed in the hallway, and everyone present, including Doctor Lock, developed ice on their skin.
Everyone panicked and began screaming, but she didn''t listen.
Evalyn waved her hand, and two spinning daggers, the same that Kaze made on the first day, shot out on both sides of her.
Their tips aligned perfectly with the throats of Miller and Yakov.
"W-Wait! H-Have mer"
Yakov tried pleading, but the knives flew forward, and their throats exploded on contact. Gushing rivers flowed from their necks, and Evalyn continued walking up the hallway.
A group of three dozen troops with abnormallyrge Qi ran into the hall.
"Her mother''s dead." A soldier said, "So she''s dangerous. Kill her on sight!"
Without warning, a dagger flew out of the hallway and bent 90 degrees. It shot forward, cutting the man''s throat on contact.
It was the most surreal experience they had ever seen. As a result, the soldiers weren''t prepared for three more daggers to shoot forward, killing three more.
An ominous cloud of dry ice fog leaked out of the hallway as Evalyn walked closer.
The soldiers watched the scene in horror. It was a horrific and twisted sight.
Evalyn passed by Doctor Lock, Palmer, and Vince slowly. They weren''t dead but covered in ice, stuck to the ground and shaking with bright red skin.
The blonde knew that soldiers with guns awaited her when she walked forward
she didn''t care.
Evalyn walked out of the hall and immediately met a hail of gunfire. She waved her hand, and a thick ice shield shot in front of her.
Bullets crashed into it, passing through at lower impact before hitting Evalyn''s consistently tempered body.
The lower kic energy prevented them from breaking past her skin, but they still hurt immensely. However, she didn''t feel the painshe didn''t feel anything.
Evalyn raised her hand again. "Razor Flurry."
A blizzard of ice shards shot through the hallway, crashing into the firstyer of men.
Countless bodies dropped instantly, turning into meat piles on the ground.
"Vicious Wind!" A cultivator in the back, using the soldiers as flesh shields, yelled.
A de of air ripped through the area, dissecting multiple people as it made its way to her.
She immediately threw up another shield, but her Qi deprivation weakened her and made her mind hazy.
The shield materialized and was cut in half, leaving a deep gash on her stomach, making blood spill out.
Three daggers shot out of thin air and shot at the man.
He immediately dodged, showcasing his skill. Unfortunatelyfor himtheir cultivation techniques were on another level.
The des curved mid-air and followed him like a homing missile.
Before he realized what had happened, a dagger shot into his spine, paralyzing him. She went through the extra effort so he could watch the show.
Shaking troops watched the scene in horror. They had watched countlessrades die in front of them, and more get dissected from the back.
Somehow the des the blonde shot avoided them, targeting the cultivator with pinpoint precision.
Everyone was one inch away from death but was spared.
Now the ice demon didn''t have a de or a shield in front of her.
She was just staring at them with a crazed gaze.
Someone tried to negotiate with her, but their head exploded instantaneously. The troops were horrified and confused, unsure of what had happened.
Someone looked up and saw something beautifultheir death. A dagger shot into their eye, causing their body to crash to the ground.
Everyone looked up and found an ice chandelier reflecting a spectrum of orange, yellow, purple, and red hues from the sunset.
Only the experienced cultivators were adept enough to move back before the ss ceiling crashed down on them.
Chapter 60 Day One | Breaking Point
When the ice daggers on the roof fell from the sky onto the cultivators, sickening cracking sounds resounded in the air.
A momentter, blood flooded the hallway like a river, crashing through human bodies as if they were rocks.
"Eruption Arrow!" A cultivator yelled, breaking free from his trauma.
A ming arrow shot out at Evalyn. She easily dodged out of the way and tried to move at a distance, thinking it would be a homing arrow.
Unfortunately, the arrow exploded next to her mid-air, sending a magma-like substance onto her side and arm.
"Gahhhhhhhh!" Evalyn groaned in pain. Her body was sensitive to heat; while it was still far more resilient than a human body, it was at least a 50% debuff.
As a result, she took a knee. While staring behind the cultivator, she reached out her hand shakily, looking like she was pleading.
The man in ckbat gear grinned in satisfaction, thinking she was begging.
Evalyn wasn''t begging. She closed her hand rapidly, and a dagger materializing behind him shot forward, piercing the man''s spine.
He looked at her in horror, uncertain what had happened. That''s when he noticed that her hand wasn''t shaky; it was a deception ying off the human ego.
She knew the man would take satisfaction in her begging, so she gave it to him to obtain timeand sealed his death.
Evalyn chuckled in disbelief when the man died, looked at her body, bleeding and burned with lethal wounds.
"This body tempers itself, and I can use techniques faster, but that''s the only thing that makes me special." She chuckled between winces, remembering Kaze''s warning.
"I needed to remember that before I got [killed by a skilled mortal with a weak cultivation technique]. If I die here, the shame will be without equal."
"Reggie!" A man yelled from the joining hall.
"I told you it wasn''t enough!" Someone followed after seeing blood gushing from the hallway like a river.
"I told you we should''ve ambushed her the moment that we found out that her mother died! Now countless men are dead!"
"Shut the fuck up." Another growled, "You''re letting her know we''re here!"
Evalyn looked at the collection of bodies in front of her and chuckled in bewilderment.
There were more than thirty!
The emperor''s words flooded her mind again. This time, the irony was far greater than any other, as it fit the scene perfectly.
"It wasmon sense. Those men burst through [that hallway] attacking me unprovoked. I''d be dead now if I didn''t do what I did. I was a genuine victim in all regards, Evalyn."
[Common sense? Victim? Don''t joke around.]
"I was a victim. The [doctor] murdered [my mother] and tried to kill me because I provided the service he requested.
My strength doesn''t make unprovoked murder eptable, yes?"
[I understand your point. However, killing one person isn''t an eptable solution to any problem, let alone thirty.
Moreover, if you had the power to resolve it peacefully, then your actions went far beyond self-defense. It''s hard to find you a victim.]
"Unbelievable. You''re a thoroughbred chimera of delusional beliefs. What do you think would have happened after I left that [doctor''s] sight?"
"They killed my mom and now they''re trying to kill me for it." Evalyn chuckled in perplexion, "They''re summoning all of their resources to kill the victim."
Another dozen cultivators ran toward the hallway and listened.
They spent time talking about their strategic approach while two cultivators stood guard.
It was dusk now, and Evalyn''s vision was hazy. Her meridians burned alongside her torched side, and her blood loss was serious.
Yet her eyes didn''t waiver. She vowed to fight as long as possible before her Qi deprivation spelled her end. She''d die if she didn''t.
[It wasmon sense].
"Now!" Someone yelled.
A dozen men with ck tactical gear and masks ran into the hallway, fanning out.
Evalyn summoned an igloo-like shield to gain her time to assess their locations.
The men took the opportunity to surround her at lightning speed, proving they were on a different level than the others.
They didn''t strike immediately, trying to assess the shield''s strength first.
It left her bewildered; the team in front of her was skilled enough to deal with the people in the hospital without issue!
"The hospital was weak and needed help, but some how they found resources out of the blue toe back stronger to kill me." Evalyn chuckled in disbelief.
Her chuckle turned into an ominous cackling, which froze the men preparing to strike.
The shield around her exploded, and thousands of shards of ice shot into the men like they were pin cushions.
They closed their eyes and covered their faces as they flew backward.
Two of them were unlucky enough to find a dagger waiting for them when they opened their eyes.
Blood dyed the room red when the back of their skull blew out and hit the ground, falling to the tune of Evalyn''s maniacalughter.
An invisible sh cut into her back, leaving a serious wound.
The cultivators were pleased bynding a heavy hit, but everyone stopped celebrating when herugher [intensified].
"I find your effort admirable. But surely you don''t think a [mortal-grade] cultivation technique canpete against a divine-grade one, do you?" Evalynughed, mimicking Kaze''s words.
The men froze in disbelief. They didn''t know about divine-grade techniques or where they fit on the skills spectrum.
However, while they wanted to write off her words, everyone knew she wasn''t normal and was extremely dangerous. So they put up their guards instantly.
Evalyn closed her eyes and began cultivating. The ice froze her wounds shut, and the Qi in the atmosphere thinned instantly as an ice vortex hit her body.
The temperature in the room started freezing, slowing everyone''s movements.
Another de of Qi shot at her body and impacted, but it barely broke the skin before the wound froze again.
"Air sh!" The cultivator yelled.
Once again, a wave of Qi distorted the earth and shed the blonde, but it barely made it past the frost on her skin.
Evalyn''sugh became hysterical.
She finally got it.
No, she finally epted it.
"I''ve never lied to you, woman. You can''t tell if I''m serious because you refuse to believe me, even though you''re staring at the truth."
Everything Kaze told her, warned her about, even his mannerisms [were true].
One day.
Only one day
into the apocalypse.
That''s all it took to learn that!
There wasn''t a drawn-out realization!
It was instantaneous; already a cold hard fact!
The image of the ss ball abruptly entered her mind.
The mental image made herughing more intensepainful even.
Evalyn constantly needed proof of his ims; now she was drowning in it!
Everything he said sounded schizophrenic, but he proved himself sane without fail.
Yet time and time again, she refused to believe despite staring at the truth.
No, she did believe him, almost to a fault; she [rejected] his words.
How could she have epted his words without question?
For not epting something iprehensible?
Should she regret not believing him blindly?
me herself for her mother''s death?
Just started murdering people?
Let him kill her mother?
Is that a sick joke?
Of course not!
No chance!
Never!
Letting him kill her mom was a line she''d never cross until the woman died a horrific fate!
He experienced that, so he epted it; she hadn''t, so she didn''t. It was as simple as that.
That''s what was so funnyit''s the apocalypse! Trusting Kaze was fated to be pointless!
It wouldn''t have mattered. She would have always ended up here, and he had told her that.
Kaze said she shouldn''t trust himto be blindly grateful for the power she had given her.
And she was grateful for the power! It was only day one, and it had already saved her life!
The cultivators were frozen because her maniacalugher was slowly eating into their souls.
Her maniacalughter froze the cultivators into inaction; the sound feasted on their souls.
It was traumatic, carving itself into their minds, forever haunting their thoughts like tinnitus.
The atmosphere got colder, but they still couldn''t act. They felt like they were going insane.
"Kill her!" A man yelled, breaking them out of their haze, "We need to do it while she''s down!"
The highly trained team reacted instantly and lifted their hands or pulled them back to strike.
"What was the point of giving you a divine technique if you''re not willing to use it?"
Evalyn''s eyes filled with murder, and a hundred daggers materialized above the men, hoving over them like a sphere of death.
Her entire body exploded in pain, and her meridians groaned.
She was courting death from Qi deprivation.
However, the only thing more irrational than overstressing her meridians, leaving her defenseless, was dying by not doing itand she refused to die.
At that moment, on the cusp of life and death, something surreal happened.
Both parties attacked, but their techniques disappeared. It wasn''t just that
The raging vortex of icy wind surrounding Evalyn dissipated, making her stopughing instantly.
If her cultivation was abruptly ended, it could only mean one thing.
Someone with stronger cultivation had arrived.
A wave of warping space spread out around her, twisting the colors on the floor in a surreal haze.
She heard footsteps from behind her and the cultivators began trembling in visible fear.
Chapter 61 Day One | Dead Silence
Evalyn heard footstepsing from behind her; she wanted to look, but her body wouldn''t let her. So she kept her eyes forward, focusing on the enemies she could see.
When the footsteps got closer, she saw the ground around her warping and twisting the environment.
It wasn''t like Kaze''s barriersit was mixing the colors like oil paints. It was also physical.
As the warping space passed by her, it pushed her blood out of the carpet alongside ice fragments.
"W-What the fuck"
One of the men in Evalyn''s peripheral vision disappeared
BOOOOOOM!
CrrrreeaASSHHHKK!
The wall behind the men caved in as it received a ground-shaking impact.
Massive spider web cracks developed across the reinforced te ss walls before they exploded in a cataclysmic chain reaction.
An explosive wave of yelling entered the hallway when the soundproof ss shattered, reminding everyone of the riots outside.
"W-Wait"
Another man in Evalyn''s hazy field of vision disappeared, vanishing into thin air.
CRAAACCCK!
The hall fell silent when a sickening crack sounded behind her
THUD!
and arge object fell to the ground.
The men in the hallway were frozen, holding their breaths, afraid to breathe.
"W-Who are"
Evalyn saw the man talking disappear from her line of sight and looked just in time to watch a ck object fall from the sky outside the window.
It wasn''t an object. It was screaming at full volume.
BOOM!
The man who was only there moments before crashed onto a shuttle, setting off a ring rm and temporarily silencing rioters.
The footsteps continued slowly until a pair of ck boots were next to her face.
They abruptly changed course and began walking down the hallway to Doctor Miser''s office.
Evalyn turned her head to watch, furious that anyone or anything would see her mom.
She turned just in time to see a man wearing ck from head to toe walk between Doctor Lock, Palmer, and Vince, frozen in shock, shivering.
Their images deformed abruptly, and three piles of dissected flesh fell to the floor, temporarily leaving blood suspended before it crashed into the ground.
"R-Run! Get out"
A wall of ck and grey warping space closed the light from the window and blocked out the sound of the rioters.
BOOOOOOM!
A warping sh flew through the grey and ck twisting space and wall to Evalyn''s right split in half.
Sections crashed downward alongside multiple thuds and red rivers of blood.
An invisible barrier of warping space prevented debris from hitting her. Everything that fell on her simply disappeared.
Evalyn immediately thought of Kaze because of the spatial technique, but she wasn''t certain.
The techniques he showcased to her or on video were wildly different than what she was watching.
Moreover, he wasn''t healing her, rushing to her side, or quickly killing people. He wasn''t showcasing the fury that she had seen in his eyes and heard in his voice.
There was dead silence in the hallway.
If someone spoke, they died instantaneously.
There were only three men left, and they stood in ce, acutely aware of the man''s message.
Watching the men standing still, silently awaiting their deaths, chilled Evalyn to the bone.
The man walked into Doctor Miser''s office.
He stood there for a moment, frozen in time, staring at her mother''s corpse on the left side of the wall.
A momentter, he walked out of the hallway, and the warping space pushed the three piles of dismembered flesh out the way.
"L-Look, man. We don''t want any trouble." A cultivator stuttered, "We were just here for her. We don''t know anything"
Another pile of vivisected flesh dropped to the floor, dying the air red.
Golden light illuminated the hallway, and Evalyn''s body filled with energy as her body healed.
"Kaze...?" Evalyn whispered. She looked up at the figure, expecting a familiar face.
However, a mime mask with a ck teardrop met her gaze, and the man''s bodynguage was cold and unwaiveringpletely emotionless.
Without discussion, the man began walking again.
Evalyn pushed herself off the floor to watch. However, she looked down in horror when the man got a certain distance, and the blood in the area returned in full force, flooding her palms.
Her eyes trembled, and she looked up just in time to watch something surreal.
The mime touched his hand on someone''s chest. A secondter, the Qi in the air got pulled into the man like a vortex until his body ruptured.
Only one cultivator remained. He was silent, stoically awaiting an instant death. However, the masked man didn''t n to give anyone what they wanted.
The cultivator lifted in the air without the man touching him and
CReeeACKeeacCCcKCkkckCKeeeck.
the man''s limbs began twisting and breaking in the most unnatural ways imaginable.
It was a horrifying sight apanied by countless octaves of screams before the masked man released the spatial barrier and threw the cultivator out of the window with surreal force.
His screaming body hit a group of rioters three one hundred yards away, causing a chain reaction of force as dead people smashed into others.
The riot stopped, and everyone looked at the hospital''s top floor and found a man wearing a ck and white mime mask, a peacoat, and ck cks staring at them.
It wasn''t the same mask or outfit as the Emperor. The mask implied that the scene was a showsomething he wanted people to watch. It was a tragicedy.
Evalyn wanted to watch, but a violent wave of vertigo assaulted her body as she fell through the floor.
THUD!
She crashed into hard ground from three feet in the air.
Evalyn looked at the ground and found grey popcorn concrete. She stared at it in confusion before panning her gaze to the sky and finding the moon.
"This [is] the spatial cultivation technique." She whispered with astonished eyes, "It is you, Kaze."
Evalyn wasn''t certain he was responsible because of his appearance, demeanor, and strange cultivation techniques that sucked her divine-grade cultivation technique dry.
She watched people turn into flesh cubes, a person floating in the air before their limbs snapped in random directions, and an attack that cut the entire wall in half.
All of that happened while she was on the floor and couldn''t see his actions.
If she had, she''d have seen him reach his hand into the wall, pull a cultivator out, and snap their neck in a mind-bending disy. Case closed.
"Just how little do I know about him?" Evalyn whispered in a haze while pushing herself off the ground.
When she looked over the roof, her expression froze. There was a thin line of warping space in front of herthe same from the apocalypse party. A cloaking shield.
Kaze was 300 feet in the sky, floating in the air, looking down at the rioting men and women as if they were insignificant ants.
He could see everyone around the hospital from his vantage point.
A helicopter flew into the area and spotlighted the man flying in the sky.
The emperor panned his gaze around the building, examining the entire situation from a bird''s eye view.
"Are you filming?" Kaze yelled at the helicopter, "sh your spotlight twice if you are. If not, prepare to face death for your meaningless defiance!"
After a few seconds, the spotlight shed twice.
The emperor nodded and looked at the helicopter directly.
"I have a message for Malta, Meridian City, and all its citizens." He announced in a voice different from his own.
"When ites to cultivationyou should be afraid.
You should approach people cautiously and not try to force their hands unless you know what you''re up against."
He panned his gaze around the area to oversee the area, ensuring everyone was watching.
"Individual people hold power, and there are some people you cannot afford to offend!" Kaze roared.
"HEY, FUCK OFF!" A rioter yelled, and the helicopter''s spotlight turned to them immediately.
The agitator disappeared from his location, bewildering everyone.
When the spotlight returned to Kaze, the man who yelled was 300 feet off the ground, viciously struggling in the emperor''s hands.
"W-What the fuck is this?" The rioter yelled with aggressive, bloodshot eyes.
"Silence!" Kaze yelled while releasing cultivation pressure.
The world froze watching the scene, watching the rioter struggle to breathe, hanging by the masked man''s hand in the air.
"I say the word [offend] because when ites to dealing with people with extraordinary power, no level of transgression is permissible, lest you gamble with death!" The emperor dered.
"Petty cultivators will kill you for any reason, and there''s nothing you can do to stop them unless you are stronger!
And while most are sensible, all cultivators will deliver swift retribution to those who strike them and the people they value!
So be wary of cultivators, build rtionships with them, and pray you don''t aggrieve them, as Malta and Marysworth Hospital have done to me today!"
Chapter 62 Day One | The Message
"Today you will learn the consequences for aggrieving cultivators and striking them!" The emperor yelled, flying 300 feet over Marysworth Hospital.
Evalyn watched the ordeal in astonishment. Moments before, she was on her death bed after tasting raw power. Now, she was healed and learning who Kaze waswho he really was.
She wasn''t bothered by who he was; the part of her that would care was locked away at present, and she wasn''t certain if it would ever return. But that didn''t matter to her.
The state she was in led to her treating all actions and events as if they were equal.
"Malta has led its people to the ughter by hiding the nature of Qi Sickness, and the foolish people in this hospital have killed my mentor, Doctor Martin Miser, or stood around while he died!" Kaze roared, "Both are responsible for his death!"
Evalyn''s muted emotions returned in full force after his deration, and a torrent of ice formed around her.
"Take a moment to process what happened so you canprehend whates next!" The emperor demanded arrogantly.
A crushing pressure assaulted her body a momentter, and a bubble of warping space surrounded her head.
"Stay down, you fool!" Kaze growled through the rift alongside the sound of the helicopter propeller, "Do you wish for your uncle, cousins, and friends to share the same fate?"
Evalyn''s eyes shot open in shock, letting her emotions cool.
"That will happen if the government learns Evalyn [Skye] was responsible for this!" He snapped.
"You did well, given the circumstances. So retain what you''re learning from these harsh lessons, and don''t repeat your mistakes!"
She dropped to her hands when he released the pressure. Her bloodshot eyes were trembling, and tears were welling in her eyes. "Learning?"
"Have you processed what you''ve done?" The emperor asked the camera with wrath in his eyes.
"No, you haven''t; you never will. If you knew who I was, you''d chase me to the ends of the earth seeking to victimize me further!
You''lle after me, my family, and my friends to make me suffer.
Well, I have a message for anyone who seeks to further victimize me after their crimes!"
Kaze snapped the struggling rioter''s neck and let the body drop to the ground.
Time slowed to a crawl as the man''s body fell 300 feet to the earth.
When the body hit the ground, it triggered a cataclysmic chain reaction.
The emperor turned and waved his hand behind him, and the hallway that Evalyn was just in clouded with an ominous, pitch-ck miasma before
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted, rocking the hospital''s foundation and spreading through the building.
It was a stunning disy.
The entire hallway before and after the doctor''s office detonated, shattering the windows linearly for 300 feet.
Doctors, nurses, and soldiers watching the emperor from the te ss windows on the seventh and sixth floors covered their eyes as shattered ss hit their faces and bodies.
That was just the beginning.
A magma-like substance dripped through the eighth-floor hallway, eating through the floors one by one.
People screamed when the molten liquid touched them, instantly setting them on fire.
Those blinded by the explosion began running around, hitting one another and falling out of the windows on fire.
Evalyn watched the scene in nk confusion. She no longer had sympathy for the people in the hospital, but she was confused about why Kaze was so ruthless.
Soon, the entire hospital would be on fire, and everyone would die.
"What is the [lesson]?" She asked lifelessly.
Kaze''s words shed across her mind.
Kaze <3: Your mother is jeopardizing the lives of thousands. So remember that before you fail to use your head again.
Kaze <3: The world is simpler now. Don''t help people; if you''re forced to act, don''t leave witnesses. Take your mother and escape; there won''t be an investigation.
"Everyone in the hospital is a witness." Evalyn whispered, "I was on everyone''s floor, showing off my powers. The doctor warned all the cultivators and soldiers about me."
She watched the ming bodies hit the ground with a surreal expression, processing the extent of [no witnesses].
"If I would''ve taken my mother and escaped, there wouldn''t have been an investigation." She chuckled with madness in her eyes, "Wait why isn''t he killing the witnesses?"
Contrary to expectations, she looked up and found Kaze suspended in the air. He wasn''t acting or killing more people.
"Why dere war on Malta?" Evalyn asked, trying her best to understand, "Why not finish quickly?"
When she looked closely, she learned he wasn''t waiting around.
Every time someone tried to leave the area, he waved his hand, and a cloud of miasma flooded the area, slowly encircling everyone there, preventing them from leaving.
The screams and shifting spotlight were hiding his actions.
"What are you waiting for?" Evalyn asked in confusion.
After three more minutes of chaos and panic, she got her answer.
A red streak flew across the sky, shooting at Kaze like a meteorite.
The same streak abruptly reversed course at the same speed in a millisecond.
BOOOOOOM!
The nighttime sky lit up as an explosive eruption bloomed in the sky.
A tornado of fire spun out of control, moving towards the ground.
BOOOM!
A second boom followed the helicopter, crashing to the ground, lighting the buildings in the area on fire.
Everyone was stunned by what they had just witnessed.
Another red light illuminated from above, but Kaze''s hand waved at a speed that left after-images in its wake.
The instant a missile shot down, an invisible force caused it to explode less than fifteen feet away from the Skycruiser above him.
BOOOOOOM
Before the ship could crash to the earth, Kaze waved his hand twice more, and two invisible objects in the sky exploded.
"So that''s the message you''re sending." Evalynugh-scoffed in exasperation, "Justified or not, your arrogance is a double tapped oil well that could fuel a fucking continent."
The emperor proved he could reverse missiles en route, move his hand faster than they could fire, and destroy invisible military stealth skycruisers two thousand feet in the air.
It was a bold deration that stated that using modern weaponry to fight him was futile. However, that didn''t stop them from trying, proving that his warning was in vain.
A flurry of missiles and machine gun fire from above and below assaulted Kaze. However
The missiles and bullets abruptly changed coursetoward the ground.
BOOOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOOOM! Boom, BOOM!
Evalyn lost her footing as the building rocked from exploding missiles.
Hundreds of rioters, soldiers, and medical staff died on impact. It was a cmity.
The helicopters in front of Kaze tried to fly away after the pilot recovered from the shock. However, he seized up again when an invisible force paralyzed his body, leaving the helicopter suspended on autopilot.
"LISTEN, MALTA!" The emperor boomed in an unnaturally loud voice, bypassing the screams, fires, and explosions.
"When ites to cultivators, there are some people you shouldn''t provoke!
I am one of those people, and you''re learning the consequences today!
Think twice before you court death aggrieving me twice!
You can bring your armies, missiles, and artillery! Bring your nuclear weapons!
And they will all reverse course, killing you from where you sent them!"
Cold sweat dripped down the cameraman''s shoulder des.
"But before wasting resources and courting death to attack me, look around you!"
The emperor panned his gaze around the city.
"The hospital my mentor fought to protect was overrun with patients." Kaze yelled.
"There are riots in the streets! Buildings are burning! People are dying in their homes!
This is your fault, Malta; the blood is on your hands!
You''re hiding the true impact of Qi Sickness and wasting resources with this farce when you should be working on getting cultivation techniques to the popce!
? The sickness is caused by human''s inability to cultivate Qi. It could easily have been avoided by posting cultivation techniques online and instructing people to learn them after discovering the issue.
If you did, the city wouldn''t be burning, and my mentor wouldn''t be dead!
Your greed to amass power with cultivation and foolish quest to hide your actions have led to this cmity!
My mentor died because of your shiftless ineptitude! So if you continue to waste resources trying to harm me instead of fixing this hell that killed him, I''ll show no mercy and bring the fight to you!
Every skycruiser in the sky, every tactical missile sent to unrted targets, every base you have shall fall at my hands!
What you have seen tonight is not simple rage against the fools who let my mentor die. It was a warning to you, Malta, because you caused his death!
You''ve received your one and only warning! There will not be a second!"
Evalyn stared at the scene with a surreal haze.
She was lost in her thoughts when her center of bnce abruptly disappeared, and she found herself crashing 30 feet down to the earth and began rolling.
"W-What was that?" She asked in a haze, dizzy from rolling, "What"
The blonde fell through the ground again, and again, and again, three times before she stopped moving.
Her body burned with the pain while she quickly moved to any object in sight to brace herself, groaning. Once braced, she looked around.
Evalyn was on another building''s rooftop around 3000 feet away.
Kaze had used his technique to the maximum allowance, using her fast rolling to gain more distance with his spatial technique.
Once her vision focused, she looked into the distance and saw the hospital burning on fire.
Secondster, the entire building exploded with violent mes, scorching the earth with unparalleled might.
The helicopter followed, sending it crashing to the earth in a horrifying disy of force.
Yet amid the fires that raged out of control on the ground, a new light burned brightly.
A small dot in the air turned golden as a vortex of golden energy was lifted from the ground and attracted to it like a vacuum. It was the most beautiful scene Evalyn had ever seen.
[A/N: There. I did it. I''ve fulfilled my obligatory cringeworthy cultivator dialogue quota for the novel. This scene is all you get; after this, Kaze won''t outline a philosophical axiom of human nature before killing people. XD Seriously, though, I hope you''ve found this finale extremely satisfying.]
Chapter 63 Your Older Sister
After watching the building explode and seeing the golden vortex move toward Kaze, she had a revtion.
"Those people are but ants. An immortal from the Fifth ne could destroy this with the snap of their fingers.
Compared to true power, those insignificant insects are just as worthless as the mortals you see around you."
,m "I''m still using a sky-grade technique." Evalyn whispered.
The difference between the Earth and Sky Realms was vast.
So if she was terrifyingly overpowered against people using a sky-grade technique, she couldn''tprehend the power of peak divine techniques.
"Why would he keep my technique in the Sky Realm?" She asked aloud, "I know he''d give me a better one if it weren''t for a purpose."
"Because creation is the essence of ice cultivation techniques." A voice replied from behind her.
Evalyn turned around and found Kaze''s handsome face staring back at her.
"The Evalyn I knew used that technique till the day she died." Kaze said solemnly.
She blinked twice. "After hundreds of years?"
"After hundreds of years." He confirmed, not mocking her parroting.
"Cultivation grades rte to the ease of learning and Qi requirements, not their usefulness or power.
I used mortal techniques daily until I transmigrated and left the Immortal ne."
Evalyn fell silent, unsure of what to say.
"Come, we have a ride waiting for us." Kaze said softly, "We have to move quickly not to be spotted."
She walked with him in silence, lost in her thoughts, but retaining her awareness of her surroundings.
They walked for five minutes in silence, with her following his every step until there was only one sound of footsteps.
Kaze watched her carefully, remembering the dead bodies he saw in front of her.
The way she killed the men was ruthless. She didn''t freeze them as he expected; they were riddled with vicious wounds.
Many of their heads were blown out, with puncture marks on their throats and eyes.
One person was alive, quivering in helpless paralysis until the end.
She had severed his spine with pinpoint precision; it was a sight he expected from the Ice Phoenix, not the Evalyn he met a few weeks ago.
Kaze let the cultivator quiver until he died in the st, unwilling to let her efforts go to waste.
He also noticed that she wasn''t afraid of him after his actions. That spoke volumes of her change.
"You were right." Evalyn said, breaking the silence, "About everything. I should''ve listened to you from the start; if I had escaped with my mom, none of this would have happened."
"Don''t be a fool." Kaze replied softly, "There''s no way you could''ve done that. Yesterday the world was whole, you had never experienced loss or pain, and the old world standards existed."
Evalyn stopped moving in perplexion. He turned around to face her, gazing into her eyes.
"Then why." She whispered, "Why tell me to do it? Did you want my mom to get shot to teach me a lesson?"
Kaze scoffed in exasperation, breaking her out of her haze. She looked at him in shock, spooked by the sudden reaction.
"Do you think I''d put you through something so loathsome?" Heugh-scoffed breathlessly in disbelief, "I''ve tried to prevent you from tragedy, not put you through it."
Evalyn swallowed and looked at him nervously. Without realizing it, she had started hanging on to his every word, searching for answers.
Somehow she forgot about his intentions somewhere along the way.
"Then why?" She asked softly.
"I''mte because getting here ndestinely was extremely difficult under the watchful eyes of the military." Kaze exined.
"Neither of us foresaw this situation; therefore, I had to meet with the military, who''s watching me carefully.
If I picked you up, the military would try to hold you, your friends, or your family hostage."
Evalyn''s mind went nk, and her eyes welled with tears when she heard the word [hostage].
"I never imagined things would get so out of hand." He continued solemnly, "The depravity of humans never ceases to amaze me. If I had known, I would''ve acted sooner."
"So you nned to save my mother?" She said, choking back tears.
"Yes." Kaze said, turning around to avoid her face. He opened his mouth but closed it, choosing not to continue.
The emperor wanted to say that she had the power to protect [one] person, but he knew that was thest thing she wanted to hear.
His main reason for not helping her mom earlier was that he refused to let her father join the faction butcked the time, resources, and timing to orchestrate the man''s death.
He didn''t want to disclose that either.
"Let''s go." He said, triggering her to continue walking.
They walked for another fifteen minutes in silence before Kaze asked her to wait while he cultivated.
She observed him cultivate, watching the loney dance of Qi pulling to him. It waspletely different than watching it fluctuate when he was angry or yful.
"Hey, Kaze"
When she called out to him, her skin changed color, as did the color of the strands of hair on her face.
Evalyn wanted to ask what happened, but vertigo mmed into her mind as she fell downward endlessly in a surreal haze.
She watched the scenery change ten times while falling, moving from buildings, parks, and trees before crashnding on a grassy knoll.
"W-What just"
Someonended right next to her and then walked behind her. She turned around and found a soldier with ck tactical gear walking through the forest.
The person walking wasn''t [Kaze]. However, she looked at her hands and understood they were in disguise, so she got up and followed him.
Through the clearing, she saw a skycruiser waiting with four men on guard with assault rifles. They looked identical to Kaze, who gave them a salute.
"I''vepleted the objective and procured Lady Rika the Pheno District Safehouse." He said.
"Were there any problems?" One of the soldiers asked while looking at Evalyn.
"No, but as you can expect, she''s pretty shaken." Kaze replied.
The four men looked at her with pity in their eyes.
Seeing pity caused her blood to boil uncontrobly. However, a crushing pressure forced her head down to hide her eyes.
"There was a major disturbance at Marysworth Hospital." The pilot said, "So we need to alter course to avoid detection."
"Understood." Kaze replied with a stoic voice.
Then he turned around and walked over to [Rika].
"Come now. I know you''re ufortable, but you''ll be around women soon." He said gently.
Evalyn gave him a wry smile, nodded, and walked into the skycruiser, showcasing her real emotional state to prove she needed saving.
As they approached, the skycruiser warped, turning invisible. It wasn''t a technique; it was cutting-edge oscition maniption technology.
Electromaic waves bend light oscitions to match the light waves from behind the object, thus making the object nearly invisible.
The technology didn''t impress her, but it made her recognize how expensive and covert the operation to get Kaze to her was.
The two got into the skycruiser, and he led her to the back, where there was a private booth with leather seats.
She was hesitant to sit, but she saw Kaze''s cultivation technique spread out through the booth, preventing the blood on her from rubbing off, ruining the illusion.
After she sat down hesitantly, he tried to join the soldiers in front of the skycruiser. However, she grabbed his hand.
"Thank you for saving me." Evalyn said weakly.
"Of course, miss." Kaze replied.
"Will you stay with me?" She asked softly, "I''d feel morefortable."
Evalyn trembled slightly to increase the look of anxiety on her face.
The emperor grinned at her antics. However, he turned around with a straight face. "Is that permissible, Major Oakley?"
"We''re here to protect and transport Lady Rika." Major Oakley said, "If that''s what she wants, we have no reason to refuse."
Kaze nodded and turned around. "I''ll sit with you then."
Evalyn nodded and moved to the side of the booth facing the soldiers, allowing him to sit with his back facing them.
The emperor chuckled softly. While he disliked the side of the Ice Phoenix that was callous and murderous, he missed her charming cunning.
He was starting to get worried that he had transformed her into a puppy during the weeks leading up to the Apocalypse and was mildly d that he hadn''t.
She took a deep breath as the skycruiser took flight.
"What''s your name, soldier?" Evalyn asked.
"Officer Phillips." Kaze replied.
"Officer Phillips. If I see you again, will you help me get stronger?" She asked while choking back tears, making his face lose its luster.
"If it''s permissible, I will." Kaze nodded, "That way, you don''t have to rely upon anyone to protect yourself or the people you care for."
She took a sharp breath on his words, which spoke to her soul.
After a non-stop day of traumatic experiences back to back, the woman who was a demon less than two hours ago finally cracked.
Evalyn choked as tears fell from her eyes, attempting to wash away the scenes from her blood-stained eyes.
"You did well." Kaze whispered while touching her shoulder tactfully, keeping his eyes on the soldiers, "Your older sister would be proud."
The blonde looked up at him with shocked, bloodshot eyes dripping tears; she didn''t have a sister. He was talking about the Ice Phoenixher past or future self.
Kaze''s eyes were their original color, and she could see his sincerity shing across them.
"She would be?" Evalyn whispered in confusion, uncertain to feel about his message. The woman he described was nothing short of horrifying.
And yet
Kaze''s gentle side had fallen for her. Evalyn balled her hands and felt the dry blood grinding on her skin.
She was officially distortedtraumatized by her actions and experiences.
From an old-world standard, she was damaged beyond repair, and she would never be capable of acting normal and popr again.
The old Evalyn Skye was gone forever, lost in a single day. What remained was a warped woman who would have to adapt to living again.
yet Kaze loved the other her despite that. The woman had far more blood and broken experiences than she had, but he loved her.
Now he was epting her for her actions and broken state as if he were weing her home.
Evalyn looked Kaze in the eyes, hoping to find answers to unknown questions. Yet his eyes only held no emotions, just unwavering eptance.
"That''s not apliment," She chuckled bitterly, "but if you think it''s one, I''ll ept your good intentions."
Kaze gave her a wide smile and then rested his back on the booth, looking out the window to give her space with a neutral expression.
However, beneath the surface, he hid the excruciating pain he was in as his body began corroding from the inside out.
[Faction Building and Day 1 Arcs ~fin. I hope you''ve enjoyed this apocalypse world-building mini-arc. If you weren''t a fan, rejoice! This is the only Kaze-scarce mini-arc in this novel.]
Chapter 64 Soul Cultivation | Divine Transfiguration
Kaze, Evalyn, and the soldiers flew to Immortal Skye, nested in a forested area on the edge of Rockman Heights.
Daniel showed up in illusionary form, impersonating Mr. Rika, and the two walked into the mansion, where they led Evalyn to a room on the bottom floor.
The man wanted to speak to his niece, but she wouldn''t look at him. So he gave up hesitantly and walked out of the room, heading back to his quarters.
Kaze turned to Evalyn when he was gone. "Take a shower and get some sleep.
We''re meeting with the military tomorrow. You have to be there so I can make it clear that neither you nor I was at that hospital tonight."
Evalyn''s eyes trembled in a crazed state, and the atmosphere cooled. Just the word [military] or soldiers triggered horrifying emotions.
"Get your emotions in check unless you want to repeat these mistakes." He snapped, breaking her out of her haze, "Your willingness to murder people is far too high, and that is not eptable."
Her eyes widened in surprise at his deration. Of all the things he could say, that wasn''t something she expected.
"Violence is a means, not a solution. That''s what we''re working on tomorrow, soe prepared." The emperor ordered.
Before he walked out the door, she called out in a hesitant voice. "Can you stay, just for a few minutes."
Kaze closed his eyes. "I wish I could, but there''s something that I must do. So please take a shower and get some rest. We can talk tomorrow."
Evalyn dry-swallowed and nodded, letting him walk out the door.
Once he left, he took off his mask and walked down the hall with a pained expression. His breaths became ragged, and he moved to his bedroom as quickly as possible.
He walked in, shut the door, and unbuttoned his t-shirt. It stuck to his skin, so he had to peel it off slowly.
A spider web of pitch-ck veins protruded from his heart. It moved from his chest to his belly button and his shoulders. It was a grotesque sight to behold.
"Of all the things I''ve done, capturing the soul Qi from that many people without a soul core was by far the most foolish." Kaze chuckled with madness swirling in his eyes, "What''s done is done, so let''s get started."
He waved his hand, and a dome of warping space developed around him, and he sat down in the lotus position with his eyes closed.
The emperor cycled through his cultivation techniques, which he acquired as a treasure collector as the emperor of the Immortal ne.
He carefully weighed them, attempting to find the one that was best suited to bring him to the Paradigm of Immortality.
"For soul cultivation, I''ll go with Divine Transfiguration." Kaze said calmly, closing his eyes and cultivating the technique vivid in his memory.
The ck veins pulsed, causing him to grimace in pain, but he pushed forward.
The veins ruptured around his shoulders. A ck miasma poured out, filling the air with a toxic gas that would kill a cultivator below the Heaven Realm upon contact.
Kaze gritted his teeth, pushing out as much as possible, allowing it to move through his spatial technique. Sweat poured down his back as he worked through it.
After a few minutes, he gasped for air and closed off the veins.
"Capture." He whispered.
The emperor''s eyes glowed vivid gold, and his neck, arms, and legs pulsed with golden veins that made their way to the ck spider webs around his chest.
When the two collided, Kaze''s eyes pulsed and he felt his soul leave his body by a foot.
Every soul in his body tried pushing his soul out. However
"No! You won''t get away from me!" Kaze yelled at full volume.
The gold veins attacked the ck, pushing back and forth, the former energy trying to break free of the miasma and thetter trying to keep it contained.
The golden light shot out in the winning areas, sending golden strands to tie his soul in ce and pull it back.
Kaze screamed in pain as the miasma fought against the threads.
However, he didn''t slow down. More thin threads cut through the ck miasma, attempting to reign them back in.
"I shouldn''t have attempted to capture all 5,182 souls without a soul core." The emperor grinned, "But I absorbed the Tree of Immortality! If I can''t do this much, I deserve death!"
Over five thousand souls were corrupting his body, soul, and mind from the inside out.
The miasma resulted from that. Kaze had to break through the corruption to contain his soul in the chaos and keep it from escaping.
His golden veins pulsed again, far more vivid, illuminating the space.
Hundreds of golden strands shot out of the miasma, physically shredding through his skin and veins. Yet he pushed forward without pause.
"Submit to me, you wretched fools!" Kaze roared to souls within him.
The threads wrapped around his soul''s double, pulling it back to its body. When it touched the miasma, he screamed in pain as his soul shredded.
"Transconfigure!" Kaze roared.
Golden light shot into his shredded soul, using the energy from the dead souls to rebuild it.
Inside his body, his soul mixed directly with the golden energy, reshaping it into a sphere in his chest, churning clockwise.
Kaze was developing a soul core. It was a house for soul energy to be processed and recycled.
Once broken down, the soul''s essence got absorbed into his body instead of the world before the soul was released.
The process was non-destructive. Like dual cultivation, it harvested energy from unrefined energy before the energypleted its cycle and was exhaled.
Therefore, he wasn''t stealing the souls of the humans he ughtered. On the contrary, he was liberating them early.
It was a benevolent action, but it had consequences. Kaze was grinding through the aftermath, fighting for his life.
For the next six hours, he fought against the souls to build his soul core. He sealed his soul into his body and developed a soul core.
However
"How loathsome." Kaze scoffed, clicking his tongue, "It took over a thousand souls to repair mine, and I have to deal with the military''s futile efforts to control me before further refinement. This couldn''t get more inconvenient."
he didn''tplete his soul core and lost the energy necessary to heal himself.
Therefore, his body was still corroding when he reluctantly got up to deal with the military and faction matters. What he did was extremely risky, and he was paying the price.
Kaze didn''t regret it. Even then, as his body corroded, he was scoffing at the inconvenience of the ordeal instead of worrying about the threat to his life. That was the true nature of Kaze Lexicon.
The only thing on his mind was the power it would bring him and his faction members.
Now he had thousands of souls making up his soul core and had the power to use permanent techniques in the world.
Techniques like building barriers for his faction, extracting impurities from soil to grow nts, and storing Qi in physical objects came from soul cultivation.
In short, it was the essence of treasures, something that the world wascking.
In this life, he refused to feed upon the "generosity" of the Skye ne cultivators to obtain them in two months when they unleashed Sky ne prisoners and creatures on Earth.
He was determined to be prepared for the world''s fate ande out on top.
More importantly, he vowed not to y into the cultivator''s hands when they attempted to force him into the Sky Realm to fight the war that brought him and Evalyn together.
[A/N: Huge note: The next chapter was a wee speech to Immortal Skye in the first publishing, and there was three training. That''s now on chapters 51-54. Please go back if you haven''t read it; I got contracted, so I have to reorganize and edit before things be permanent. Thank you for understanding.]
Chapter 65 June 24th, 2032 | Malta Threats
Kaze knocked on Evalyn''s door at 5:45 the next day. She immediately opened the door, fully dressed with a slight smile.
"Hello, Kaze." The blonde said, "I can''t wait for another happy day following you around like a helpless kitten."
"Wee back, [Evalyn]; your fate is remarkable." He chuckled in disbelief, "Post Apocalypse Party arrival date, closed cultivation, ns for revenge but not vocalized. You understand, yes?"
Evalyn nodded with a frown, pleased that he trusted her enough to give a fake alibi in one sentence without needing a drawn-out exnation, but displeased she waspared to the Ice Phoenix.
So she silently followed him up the stairs to the meeting room, not expressing any emotion.
When they got to the door, her uncle was waiting with an ambivalent expression.
"Good morning, Kaze, Evalyn." Daniel said with a forced smile.
"Good morning, Uncle." Evalyn replied dryly.
He didn''t know anything about what happened but knew not to interact with her more than necessary.
"Let''s go in, everyone." Kaze smiled, "Our guests are waiting in the side room."
Everyone nodded and walked into the room, taking seats at the table facing the door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Sir, they''re ready." A woman said with a nervous tone.
"Please let them in, Marilyn." Kaze requested, looking at the nervous woman who was a flight attendant only a week before.
When he invited her to Immortal Skye, she didn''t expect to be given a serious career role. She was originally overjoyed until military personnel showed up out of the blue.
Marilyn motioned to the men in the hallway, and they lined up. This time around, they brought an elite force consisting of only cultivators.
While they didn''t expect to survive an encounter with Kaze, they no longer underestimated any of the other faction members.
After six men in full ck tactical suits walked into the room without guns, two men walked in.
Kane Ryker, the agent with a short brown haircut and dark brown eyes, was apanied by another man.
The man had grey hair and a leathery face. He wore a green suit decorated with medals, indicating that he was at least a lower general.
Everyone in the room, save Kaze and Evalyn, had beating hearts.
? "Greetings, gentlemen." Kaze smiled while standing with his hands behind his back.
The general stared at the emperor for a moment, expecting an outstretched hand that never came.
He closed his eyes, epting the message, and put his hand out instead. "General Michaels. It''s nice to meet you, Mr. Kaze."
The emperor immediately epted it. "Kaze Lexicon, likewise."
Then he motioned for the men to sit without looking at agent Ryker.
Everyone in the room was tense because of Kaze''s actions. Even Evalyn was confused by his obvious slights against the military.
However, she watched closely. At that point, she knew that nothing the emperor didcked meaning and wanted to learn.
The general''s eyes glided to Evalyn with a meaningful gaze before returning back to Kaze, who gave them cold gazes.
"Are you here to speak business, or are you here to specte about our internal matters?" The emperor asked coldly.
"Forgive me, Mr. Lexicon." The general replied with a nk expression.
"But should we not address the obvious first? Last night this woman''s mother was in Marysworth Hospital, and a powerful cultivator destroyed it on camera.
He actively destroyed missiles to prove he could, only a day after you warned us to bring missiles.
Then he explicitly warned the government and military to avoid powerful offending cultivators like yourself.
Lastly, he med us for not giving out simple cultivation techniques, which we''re here to discuss.
Do you not think this is relevant to our conversation?"
The room''s physical temperature dropped twenty degrees instantly.
Everyone turned to Evalyn, whose eyes were filled with wrath and was surrounded by a torrent of frost.
Kaze closed his eyes, and a vortex swept over the room, making everyone feel sickly from their meridians being deprived of Qi.
"Is your reconnaissance so bad that you''d need to specte on my actions instead of addressing facts?" The emperor asked coldly.
The men began sweating, looking into his murderous eyes.
"Your unruly actions are courting death, gentlemen." Kaze dered in a frigid tone.
"In your minds, it''s relevant. There''s a 50/50 gamble between my innocence and being guilty of blowing up a hospital and warning you all of the obvious things most cultivators know.
However, the truth is there is a 100% chance that your actions would trigger my and Ms. Skye''s aggression.
Regardless of her knowing, you just informed her that her mother had died, and you''re insinuating I''m responsible for a crime without knowledge.
You did all this while calling my partner, whose name is on this faction, [this woman].
Tell me, gentlemen. Is there anything sensible about what you just did?"
General Michaels and Agent Ryker shuttered in fear.
"Forgive us, Mr. Lexicon." General Michaels said, "Surely, you understand the importance of ascertaining facts when negotiating with a dangerous party."
Kaze scoffed in disbelief, and his gaze turned even colder.
"Is it my responsibility to give you the answers to these offensive [facts] as you call them before a negotiation?" The emperor asked mockingly.
"Or did you cross-check my whereabouts instantlyst night and not pull up anything, only toe in asking the man in question if I''m a criminal? Unbelievable.
You have five seconds to leave before I kill everyone in this room save my people."
The room grew colder in shock and disbelief.
General Michaels shook in disbelief. "Y-You cannot be"
"Hold your tongue, you uncouth swine!" Kaze yelled with an authoritative voice.
Everyone in the room shook, even Evalyn, who couldn''t believe what she was watching.
"You walk into my home to negotiate a deal, disrespect my partner, and insinuate I''m a criminal." The emperor scoffed in disdain, "Then you justify your actions?"
The men in the room shook in terrified confusion.
"M-Mr. Lexicon, you''re threatening the government itself." General Michaels stuttered, "Surely you understand such an action has consequences?"
"You mean the government who will attack me thinking I threatened them?" Kazeugh-scoffed in bewilderment.
"Why would I trust people who will take what I have to offer and [attempt] to kill me because I''m a threat?
I do not seek a foolish death; so stopparing me to yourselves and get out of my home."
General Michaels and Agent Ryker shook in disbelief.
"W-Wait. We''ll apologize; this was just a misunderstanding." The general pleaded.
"Are you deaf?" The emperor asked in vexation, "Will any words or apology fix the intrinsic problems with your threatening mindset and attitudes? Your chimerical behavior is beyond diagnosis."
"Then what, Mr. Lexicon?" General Michaels requested hurriedly, "What will would ease your concerns for [my] disrespectful and harmful mindset? I do not speak for the government."
"It seems your self-awareness and productivity has increased." Kaze growled, closing his eyes. "Give me a moment to think if there''s some way to reverse this obtuse [misunderstanding] rationally."
Everyone fell silent, respectfully giving him as much time as he needed to think things through.
Evalyn and Daniel watched him in disbelief. The emperor had the Malta military singing to his tune, begging him to concede.
It humbled and infuriated Evalyn, whose trauma was being used in the meeting as a bargaining chip like her mother was. However, she apuded him for his actions and learned from them.
She watched him kill all the people that killed her mother and then crush the military for disrespecting her. He used the first action to aplish the other.
It was remarkable. The blonde was now keenly aware that Kaze Lexicon wasn''t as simple as he appeared.
He wasn''t a simple person with individual strength, knowledge of the future, and a survivor.
There was something incredibly off about his actions, and she needed to learn what that was.
Kaze opened his eyes and locked them on General Michaels. "The only way to establish a proper negotiation and prevent future hostilities is through an official alliance."
Chapter 66 Demonstration Of Power
"Forgive me for my ignorant question in advance." General Michaels began hesitantly, "But you''re seeking an official treaty between governments?"
"It seems you understand correctly." Kaze replied boldly, "As a territory with the power exceeding Malta, I seek an alliance between our forces."
Agent Ryker and the general jerked reflexively, forcefully holding back a reflex to scoff.
"That''s a bold statement, Mr. Lexicon." General Michaels said dryly.
The emperor gave the men a mocking smile and then turned his head toward Meridian City. While he was staring at a wall, his message was loud and clear.
"Tell me, gentlemen." Kaze said with a caustic chuckle, "How will you attack me when your troops can''t contain your own cities?
Or will you sacrifice countless soldiers and resources attacking a non-hostile settlement while your cities burn?"
Everyone in the room froze at the emperor''s ruthless words.
The emperor turned back to the men with a venomced smile. "You''re here for aid to solve that problem, yes?"
General Michaels closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had to process the emperor''s words as he needed to face the grim reality of the situation.
However, something was weighing on his mind.
"Mr. Lexicon, when you say alliance, are you insinuating that you will aid the government beyond a non-aggression pact?" The general asked.
"I''m d that we''re getting somewhere." Kaze said in a serious tone.
"Yes, that''s exactly what I''m saying, gentlemen. Non-aggression pacts are meaningless pieces of paper with empty words.
There must be benefits to keeping each other alive to stave off hostilities.
I''m certain you understand the benefits of having an ally of my variety, yes?"
General Michaels dry swallowed. He was indeed aware of such benefits but didn''t imagine the emperor would offer a long-term agreement. "What do you propose?"
The emperorced his fingers together and put his elbows on the table.
"As discussed, I will provide a cultivation technique for easy learning." Kaze exined.
"I will also provide a technique that can be used to calm the rage in their hearts, allowing citizens to think for a time while they learn it.
However, I will not provide you with offensive techniques that can harm me until you prove your willingness to be my partner."
"How do we do that?" The general asked, understanding the obvious implication.
"As already discussed, I propose you turn Immortal Skye into a fully reinforced military base.
However, I ask you to treat it like a country, not an autonomous zone, and to spare no expense or advanced technology when you build it.
My people need to be able to protect themselves while I''m away, periodically solving your problems.
I will not leave this base if it''s vulnerable to a military attack."
The general''s heart skipped a beat for a moment. Surprisingly, his asks were not too demanding, as they got the same demand; it was just more extreme.
However, the rewards were also greater, so it was worth it.
"What problems will you solve?" He asked.
"Well, for example, we have a joint interest in revenge toward the [sleeper] that killed Evalyn''s mother, yes?" Kaze asked, "I assure you that you cannot kill such people, but I can."
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
"What is a sleeper?" General Michaels asked, "I''m assuming you''re one of them?"
"Correct." The emperor replied, "We''re children that grew up in the Sky ne, where those cultivators are from.
The cultivators sent us to Earth to infiltrate it in preparation for June 2nd, 2032."
Everyone was stunned-silent by the admission.
"That exins how I, the weak, geeky mortal became so strong out of the blue, yes?" Kaze asked.
"Why I have so many techniques and built this faction immediately once my limiter was shut off and I regained all of my memories?"
Everyone held their breath aside from Evalyn, the only person who knew the truth.
"You''re." General Michaels tried to say [serious] as a rhetorical question but stopped himself to prevent wasting the man''s time. Kaze saw this and continued.
"Most importantly, it exins why my patronage is far more valuable than what you can offer and why attacking me is courting death." The emperor dered.
No one could speak after his words. His derations were suffocating.
"I assure you, gentlemen. I''ll survive a nuclear bomb, and thene to kill every single person in the Malta military." Kaze said coldly.
"However, you don''t have time to make nuclear decision. You''ll all be dead in the next 30 days if you don''t stop wasting my time with foolish threats and games."
"Nuclear weapons." General Michaels said in disbelief.
Kaze picked up a paperweight and threw it at General Michaels faster than anyone, but Evalyn couldprehend.
The man''s eyes shed before his eyes as he got a split-second snapshot of the paperweight in front of his face.
BOOOOOM!
Before it hit his face, the paperweight shot upward from below the ground and smashed into the table, causing it to explode.
Everyone reflexively covered their faces and closed their eyes, listening to the table falling around them. Yet
No shrapnel hit them.
they opened their eyes and found barriers of grey and ck warping space around them.
Everyone in the room checked their bodies in shock and then looked at the water spout of wooding out of the floor like a tapped oil vein.
Whenever wood flew into the spatial rift, it came out from the floor in an endless cycle.
"W-What was that?" General Michaels asked in shock.
"That, gentlemen, is a spatial cultivation technique. Surely you don''t think thousands of people from a higher ne casually waltzed into Earth without spaceships, do you?" Kaze smiled.
"Every sleeper has this technique, as it''s a prerequisite to getting here.
,m As you can see, it''s being used as a barrier. If a nuclear weapon strikes this faction, it will automatically send the missile to Malta''s capital at Mach-5 speed.
Moreover, the distance between Earth and the Skye ne is vast.
You''re delusional if you don''t think I''ll be able to stroll into your military bases and destroy them without warningno matter where they are on Earth."
An icy chill crawled down everyone''s spine. Everyone looked at Kaze in apletely different light.
While most of what he said was reasonably true [with enough Qi], he was lying about how the cultivators got to earth.
Cultivators had to wait until they got to the Transcendent ne to use warp gatesand ughter an entire legacy family to get one.
After over five millennia, the emperor still didn''t know how the portal to earth was created. However, he did know one thinga powerful immortal he never found did it.
General Michaels tried to calm his beating heart. "Everyone now respects you enough not to waste resources attacking you.
Since we need your techniques and aren''t in a position to negotiate, let''s hear your concrete ask."
"Smart man." Kaze smiled, "I want the military to send paid military members to turn Immortal Skye into a military base noter next ten days.
After the official decree and rules for interacting with Immortal Skye go out and a top ssification about its location is established, I''ll give you the simple cultivation technique and calming skill.
Since time''s running short, I suggest you take this life-saving offer and summon all your resources to make my inconsequential demands a reality.
We legally bought every mansion here and built the faction in two weeks without military resources, so I don''t want to hear bureaucratic excuses.
This offer ends the second you walk out that door."
General Michaels and Agent Ryker were stunned.
General Michaels swallowed nervously. He was wise enough not toin about the timeline or seek concessions.
"I''ll do it." He affirmed, "I can send military personnel by tomorrow, and we''ll continue building until the government signs off on your request.
That way, we don''t waste your time if political trouble arises."
Kaze locked eyes with the man again. "Good. Treaty or not, expect me to meet any agreement vition with swift and horrifying retaliation.
I assure you, gentlemen, it will make that third-rate sleeper''s demonstration look like a poorly written tragedy. So don''t test me."
Everyone froze, and cold sweat moved down their shoulder des.
"Y-Yes, Mr. Lexicon." General Michaels said, "Is there anything else?"
Kaze leaned back in his chair and panned everyone''s face in the room.
"No. However, be aware that I value my time more than anything else." He said coolly.
"Act with haste, and I shall give you two sky-grade cultivation techniques.
Bring your mostpetent soldiers, like these ones, and I''ll teach them cultivation.
I reward those that help me and strike those that defy me without mercy.
I suggest you do the former and reap the rewards, as thetter is fruitless and suicidal."
General Michaels and Agent Ryker dry swallowed alongside the troops in the room.
"It seems you understand." Kaze said while standing, "Now scurry off and uphold your end of the agreement. Don''t waste my time with non-practical matters if you want the treaty."
The two men stood up with beating hearts, hesitantly trying to figure out whether to shake the man''s head.
However, after two seconds of awkward silence, the emperor turned to Daniel. "Please show our [guests] out."
"Yes, sir." Daniel said, leading the two men out of the door unceremoniously.
Chapter 67 Closed Cultivation
[A/N: Warning! I reorganized to improve the reading experience. Now, there are four chapters before this one, pushing it forward. Please read chapters 51-54 if you haven''t already and go back if you lost your ce. Thank you for understanding.]
When Kaze and Evalyn were alone, she turned to him. "I''m not sure how I feel about you using my trauma as a pollitical bargaining chip, but I respect it. Thanks for handling the situation."
He nodded in response. "I hope you''ve learned a lot from it."
"I have. You''ve proved that you can lie." She chuckled sarcastically.
"Honesty and deception hold equal value whenmunicating the truth." Kaze smiled, "I will destroy them if they attack me; that''s a fact. The honest exnation about how is irrelevant."
Evalyn''s eyes widened, and then they rxed. "That is impressive. I wish I had that power."
"Perfect timing. I''m taking you somewhere where you can cultivate this week without interuptions." Kaze smiled, "You need to power up and get your emotions checked so you can pretend everything is alright."
Evalynugh-scoffed in disbelief. "Are you saying that I should be like you?
Charming people and having sex until thest thirty minutes until the apocalypse?"
Kaze rolled his eyes and stripped off his shirt, and she froze in disbelief.
ck veins protracted from his heart to his abs, shoulders, and lower neck. Everyone knew at a nce that the man was fighting for survival.
It was minorpared to the night before but was still deathly serious.
"Do you understand?" He asked mockingly, "I may ept my fate and be willing to enjoy my life, but if you think I walk around looking forward to hell, you''re dolefully unhinged."
"W-What the fuck is that, Kaze?" Evalyn asked.
"It''s the result of obtaining power to protect us." Kaze replied mockingly, "With everything you''ve been through, you''d think you''d be ustomed to the consequences of amassing power this fast."
Evalyn''s eyes trembled in shock. "I-I figured as much, but nothing about this is natural. Will this kill you?"
"It''ll do something far worse if I don''t do anything about it." He said seriously, "But I won''t let that happen and will not appease your curiosities further.
What''s important is that this is more painful than you can imagine, yet you don''t see me walking around pouting and ignoring my duties.
I never show weakness or insanity, and neither can you."
Kaze''s body illuminated, the space around his chest warped, and his soul wound disappeared.
"Nowe with me. You need to get your head straight so you can put a charming smile on your face. I you don''t more bodies will stack up." He said seriously.
"I may enjoy my life, but that doesn''t mean my actions are frivolous. Regardless of morality, showing weakness is far harsher and insane than confident hedonism."
An icy chill crawled down her spine, and she nodded hesitantly, following him outside the door.
Kaze led Evalyn to a secluded area walled off from the rest of the faction with 25-foot steel gates and ayer of electric fences.
Just the sight of it left her intimidated, but when the walls, her mind went nk.
There was a smallke on the other side with waterfalls filling it. Lush exotic nts lined the area alongside various statues and art pieces.
"This was the garden owned by a billionaire in this area." Kaze smiled, "I had it walled off so a select few could cultivate without intrusion."
"I can''t believe you did this so we could cultivate." Shemented absentmindedly.
"Is there anything more important?" Kaze chuckled while pointing to the center of theke.
"Evalyn, I had that rock in the center installed for you so you can cultivate at maximum power without killing all the vegetation." He exined.
"It won''t be enough, but should be okay for a few months."
Evalyn blinked twice in disbelief. Theke had a 100-foot radius!
"That won''t be enough?" She asked in confusion.
"Must I suck your cultivation dry another fifty times before you realize that having a divine cultivation technique doesn''t mean you can cultivate?" Kaze asked mockingly.
"Owning an expensive instrument doesn''t mean that you''re better at ying it."
She turned to him with a cringing expression. "Just to rify, you''re saying you can do that because you''re better at cultivating?"
"I won''t grace such a pointless question a response." He scoffed breathlessly.
Evalyn gave him a wry smile. "How long will it take before I can cultivate without you being able to suck it dry instantly?"
"With your ethic and willpower, perhaps half a century if you don''tg in growth." Kaze replied seriously.
Evalyn''s eyes widened in shock.
"Bear in mind that''s a very generous number." He continued, "If I gave anyone else a sacred technique, it would likely take a century or more, even in the Sky ne."
She looked at him in shock, uncertain what to say.
"How long would it take before you couldn''t suck me dry period?" Evalyn asked.
"More than a century." Kaze chuckled, "You should detach yourself from old-world numbers.
One day you will be an immortal if you follow my lead, be strong, and use your head.
As the name implies, you can live forever. So set aside worries of ineptitude; those that build power in the present fill the ranks of the strong and capable in the future."
Without further discussion, he walked toward theke.
To her surprise, he didn''t stop when he got to the water; he kept walking forward without leaving ripples on the water. Then he walked back just as effortlessly.
Kaze turned around on theke. "Evalyn, your goal is to walk to the rock while freezing the water underneath you."
She nodded in simple assent.
"You have experienced a tragic loss." Kaze said calmly, "So use the training to preupy your thoughts and the cultivation to process."
Evalyn smiled wryly. Being reminded was harsh on her soul.
"Remember, you''ll soon be a leader governing thousands of people who hinge upon your capabilities to save them from a grim future." He continued.
"To mourn is natural, but it isn''t a necessity; the same cannot be said of the need to survive.
You needn''t sacrifice one for the other, but you must be the master of your mind so that you don''t hinder the one necessary for the one that isn''t.
This day is a rare moment of solitude for self-growth and mourning, so make the most of it.
You''ll be here a minimum of eight hours a day for the next week, but I suggest using as much time as possible, as you don''t need food or sleep.
This is the only time you''ll get for quiet, unhindered growth, so make the most of it."
Evalyn nodded as Kaze strode out of the area while waving. Before he closed the gate, he called out onest time.
"Evalyn." He said sternly.
The blonde turned around and met his gaze with her crystal blue eyes.
"A thousand soldiers will arrive tomorrow." Kaze reminded.
"Get your emotions in check. While you can hate people, you can never show that, let alone release your cultivation. Never express malintent until you strike."
Evalyn stared into his eyes with aplex expression. "You''re not warning me not to attack people?"
"Leaders must think for themselves and learn from their decisions." Kaze replied with a confident voice.
"There are consequences for every action one makes, and you''ll learn the consequences of killing needlessly soon, just as you''ll learn the consequences of passivity.
Every situation is different, and dynamics change as power grows. So I needn''t waste my breath espousing the virtues of certain actions.
You must only know that you can never act out of passion. Use your head."
Evalyn gave Kaze a wry smile as he walked out of the gate. The fact that he didn''t scold her but drove in her weakness only worsened things.
She turned to theke and began training with a newfound determination that had lied dormant within her since birth.
Chapter 68 The Kaze Kills College Students Faction
Kaze walked to the mansion housing the Lockheed University students.
The group was extremely valuable because he handpicked each for their minds, strengths, or looks. In particr, there were engineers among them that were critical to aplish his goals.
Moreover, he intentionally let them experience the apocalypse, so they''d understand he saved their lives and what it was like to have desperate people demanding things of them.
Therefore, he nned to make them an elite force that sympathized with him and had the power to protect his interests once the news broke and he got flooded with thousands of requests from faction members ming him for tricking them.
However, he first needed to solve the [serial killer] problem and [destroy his internal enemies] before they could do serious damage.
Otherwise, they''d run out screaming he was a serial killer, having the opposite effect, and they wouldn''t help him.
So he stered a fake smile and walked into the mansion and down the stairs to their living area.
When Kaze walked in, only a dozen people noticed. Everyone else was distributed through the massive downstairs area.
"K-Kaze!" A woman yelled out awkwardly.
"Kaze!" Another yelled.
No one knew what to say, so they just yelled his name, hoping someone else would speak.
"It is I, Kaze Lexicon." Kaze announced with cheeky magnanimity, putting his leather satchel on the ground.
Everyone looked at it with interest and anxiety, so he opened it and showed them that there were only documents, folders, and mani envelopes inside.
People sighed a breath of relief and left the room to fetch the other people.
Within thirty seconds, most students were in the area or peeking into the room nervously.
Many people wore towels from swimming or hot tubbing, and a few were soaked in sweat from the gym.
He was satisfied they made use of the recreational features.
When everyone was assembled, he addressed the most important thing on everyone''s mind.
"Before I teach you cultivation, would anyone like to use me of viiny, charge me with kidnapping, and denounce the iniquity of my actions?" Kaze asked with a poker face.
The room fell silent, stunned by his words. He panned their gazes with an unwavering face, analyzing their mental states.
"No one?" He chuckled, "Surely there''s one person stewing in the corner like a tormented curmudgeon, leading sermons on my wicked deeds while people ignore them to hit the swimming pool."
His cheeky response and charming smile made a dozen women giggle, and soon a few dozen peopleughed quietly.
"Still no one?" Kaze smiled, "Surely one person has disregarded thevish meals, recreational equipment, shockingly quality beds, rules for member safety, and the fact you''re in a multi-million dor mansion at Immortal Skye because"
The emperor knocked on the steel door twice dramatically.
"there''s a steel door, a few rules against leaving for [one week], and unnaturally reinforced walls.
Naturally, these features prove that I''m a serial killer looking to fatten you up and experiment on you. So you''d think there would be one."
He wiggled his fingers in a [spooooky] gesture.
Once again, bewildered giggles and chuckles burst out in the downstairs area. Many were involuntary, pushing theughing people to more than half.
Kaze panned their gazes again, locking eyes with the people stewing openly and continuing without a second nce.
"Still? You''re proving me wrong." He chuckled, "Isn''t there one person that heard thousands of people cheering an hour ago and thoughtthose poor shmucks, just wait until they find out there''s a serial killer on the loose?"
Many people burst intoughter, which became contagious, spreading through the group until most people wereughing.
After a few seconds of silence, heughed.
"Of course there is, but they think I''ll draw and quarter them in the open or that they''ll go missing for speaking out. So I suppose I won''t pursue it further." Kazeugh-scoffed, rolling his eyes.
Moreughs rang out in the room.
"Okay, since those people aren''t causing a ruckus, who wants to learn cultivation?" He asked with a slight smile.
A few people burst into cheers, and they spread through the group.
"Okay, let''s get on with it." He smiled, "Let''s get into the lotus position in the room''s center. Today we''re learning earth-grade cultivation techniques."
Everyone''s eyes widened in astonishment.
p "E-Earth-grade?" Someone whispered.
"That''s what I said, yes?" Kaze replied with a slight smile, "Everyone here will be learning five this week and you will all have a headstart on the people searching for them outside."
People trembled in shock and excitement.
"You already know earth-grade techniques and are teaching them?" Kylie, the brte cheerleader from the apocalypse party, asked nervously.
"Oh, about that." Kaze chuckled, "I''m the Emperor; both of them. The man in and out of here is Daniel Skye; he smuggled me around the world to meet clients."
The room fell silent in shock, unwilling to ept what they heard.
"Hoh? I suppose that something like this needs an exnation." He chuckled while closing his eyes.
His body warped, and his body took the shape of the masked man from the Emperor''s testimonial videos.
"N-No fucking way!" Larkin yelled while pulling his arms back, "Scrawn fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
His hype man''s battle cry triggered loud, chaotic cheers as if by magic.
While Kaze didn''t like the moniker, he was okay with it if it was helping his cause. Moreover, he knew that Larkin was a heavy voice on the inside fighting for him as he saved his life.
He released the illusion again.
"Once again, we''re learning an earth-grade cultivation technique called the Fertility of Growth." Kaze continued.
"Before people get testy, no, it''s not dual cultivation. It''s normal cultivation and the highest earth-grade technique I''ve provided anyone.
I''ll be directly imprinting it onto your minds topensate for the inconvenience of being in this room. So get into position so we can get started."
Hisst statement shocked everyone the most.
"Inpensation?" Sage asked in confusion, "What makes us special?"
The emperor smiled at her words. "I know everyone here, so naturally, you''re all privileged, and I''m giving you resources and higher positions in the faction.
I can''t let thousands of people use me of favoritism and destabilize the meritocratic system with their imprudent boasting, yes?"
Kaze nced at Larkin, who was dumb as a box of rock and way too honest for his own good. "That''s sure to arise, yes?"
Most members burst intoughter, and then again when Larkin gave a definitive thumbs up.
Excited whispers rang through the crowd after theughter. Kaze nted the first seed, and it instantly took root, leaving him satisfied.
Most people were excited, those mistrusting were still mistrusting, and Sage and Veronica narrowed their eyes in suspicion.
They felt that his intentions were good but knew he was lying. They never forgot his statement that the outside wasn''t calm.
Neither of them witnessed the fourth influx event; Sage was at home, and Veronica was picked up with Jake after he lost his virginity.
However, they had heard the stories of what happened as well.
Nevertheless, they didn''t pursue it further.
Kaze checked his watch to grasp everyone''s attention. "I don''t have all day. Does anyone want to turn down a billion-dor earth-grade technique to continue these inconsequential inquiries?"
Everyone turned silent. Larkin ran into the room''s center and got into the lotus position.
The emperor casually walked up to the man and touched his forehead.
Larkin cringed as profound information crashed into his mind, rapidly developing synapseworks in his underdeveloped brain.
"E-Emperor Scrawn, I know it! I know Fertility of Growth!" He yelled out loud in ultimate excitement, "I''m not sure how. It''s just like Illuminecent Breathing!"
The man was irreparably stupid, but he was honest, so everyone quickly sat down, trusting his words. They all experienced the same thing, so they understood now.
Kaze quickly approached each in the lotus position to touch their head. Each eximed one after the other.
Thest people to sit down sat in the lotus position were the dissidents who sat with their eyes open, watching him like a hawk.
The emperor gave each person a mocking smile.
"One, two, three six twelve thirteen. You thirteen are the people that think I''m a killer." He asserted.
"I''ll make sure to watch you [extra] closely so you don''t expose my secrets. Oooooh."
An icy chill crawled down their spines when he said he''d watch them extra closely.
However, once he finished his mocking statement with a sarcastic spooky-spooky voice.
The men and women in the group blushed, and their faces burned in indignation as the other students burst intoughter.
Kaze gave them a mocking smile. "Do you want an earth-grade technique, or do you want to stay powerless and never be capable of breaking out of your torture cell?"
Moreughter followed, and the individuals swallowed nervously.
They didn''t like getting called out, and asking for the technique seemed awkward. So they stared at him with the eyes of deers.
The emperor scoffed breathlessly at their behavior. "Closing your eyes is a keyponent of cultivation, yes?
I won''t give you a cultivation technique if you''re unwilling to cultivate.
Doing that would be a treasonous waste of time, and I refuse to beg people to give them priceless things for free."
"I-I''m sorry. I''m closing my eyes." A woman said while closing her eyes.
Someone watching her followed, closing their eyes. Kaze took a deep breath and walked up, imprinting the technique onto their minds.
Each of them was ovee with emotions when the technique entered their minds.
The emperor sighed silently, keeping his fake smile going.
His patience with the dissenters was wearing thin, but he couldn''t kill the people or throw them out of the faction.
If it came outter that he let them leave while withholding information on the apocalypse, they''d treat him like an executioner.
It would undo all of his training, and they would spread panic instead of being useful.
The value of death was in demonstrating consequences, not creating arbitrary fear.
Otherwise, the person''s inconsequential voice would be a powerful martyr, helping people sow discontent and cause serious problems.
However, he wouldn''t let them go unpunished. So he continued with his lecture; in less than an hour, he''d break their political spines.
So he grinned and bared it.
"Now that everyone''s cultivating the technique, is there a woman that feels confident in their skills?" Kaze asked with a slight smile.
Chapter 69 The Setup
"Is there a woman that feels confident?" Whitney, the blonde from Evalyn''s tennis team, chuckled, "No offense, but that''s not helping your good guy image."
Kaze turned to the woman sitting in the lotus position with a slight smile. "Is that so? Is it normal for serial killers to ask for volunteers?"
"Depends on how sick they are." She replied, unwavering.
"Pray tell, what type of serial killer do you take me for?" He mused, "What are my fetishes?"
Whitney turned bright red. Her half-joking only went so far.
"Here, I''ll answer you. I like giving my victims great living, billion-dor techniques, teaching them things to give them hope so their despair can drop as far as possible." Kaze smiled.
Everyone froze; the topic was very vtile, so they prayed he was joking.
"Or maybejust maybeI exclusively have Yang Qi that can help women divulge the Qi channels in their bodies because they have Yin Qi." He mused.
"However, using it on men who have Yang Qi exclusively would make them scream out in agony.
Assuming such an improbable thing is true, I''m sure it would affirm the Kaze Kills College Student faction''s suspicions of my sinister plots and nefarious deeds."
Kaze gave her a mocking smile to seal his extraordinary sarcasm.
"I-Is that actually what you''re doing?" Whitney gulped. Assuming it was true, it was a lucrative boost, and she would regret joking around.
"Who knows." He replied with a slight smile, "Would you like the be my guinea pig?"
Her eyes widened, and she looked at everyone else with a nervous gaze.
"Can''t you answer my question?" She asked nervously.
"I refuse to answer a question so pointless." Kazeugh-scoffed.
"Unlike you all, I do not enjoy wasting valuable time and opportunities to brand someone untrustworthy and then ask them questions.
Such timeless irony is as tiresome as it is sterile."
Everyone smiled wryly, understanding the tragically useless nature of questioning him.
"I-I''ll do it!" Whitney announced quickly, unwilling to let the opportunity go.
She could see multiple people seeking an opportunity to volunteer, so she wanted to beat them to it.
"Hoh? It seems you''ve acquired somemon sense." Kaze chuckled, "Okay. When I do this, you are to immediately start cultivating after guidance and present the results.
You also must not ask for further guidance; I shall not provide it, so don''t waste precious ss time."
Her eyes widened in confusion, and everyone else looked at him in the same light.
"Why did you emphasize the need not to ask for further guidance?" Whitney asked nervously.
"It seems I spoke too soon." He scoffed, "We just discussed how wasteful it is to squander time with useless questions, yes? Is there anyone else"
"I''ll do it!" Whitney yelled.
Kaze rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Can you follow three simple instructions without needing further rification?"
"Y-Yes." She gulped, "Cultivate after, present the results immediately, and do not seek further guidance. I got it."
"Good. I can''t wait for you not to follow them." He chuckled sardonically.
"Come, close your eyes and cultivate. Everyone else, I also transferred a mortal technique called [Minor Vision]; can you use it?"
"I was going to ask you about that." Victoria said hesitantly, "But I''ll do it. I mean, I''m doing it right now!"
Kaze chuckled, satisfied that one person had enoughmon sense not to waste his time.
Watching her realize that she voiced her words aloud and immediately correct herself wasical.
Everyone watching his warm gaze set to work doing the same immediately.
"Um, Kaze, I can''t seem"
"If you can''t make it work, just listen to what other people say." He rified, "I''m not here to teach you frivolous things you can do in your free time."
The man asking the question gave him a bitter smile and lowered his gaze.
Every male was acutely aware that Kaze was exponentially more patient with women than men. It made them bitter, but they didn''t judge him for it.
Kaze gave everyone a few minutes so that Whitney could get into a trance-like state and for the other members to figure out the technique that allowed them to see Qi breathing.
If he weren''t patient, using a dual cultivation technique on a woman would stoke the mes of mistrust a hundredfold, and he wasn''t looking forward to that. It was a serious situation.
"I see that neen of you understand the technique." He asserted, "Those that have figured it out, please exin what you see to everyone else."
He didn''t need to ask because everyone with the technique looked unblinking between Kaze and the other students with bloodshot eyes.
Now that they could see Qi breathing into people, they could see how pathetic normal cultivators were and how refined Kaze was.
They felt like they were looking at a work of art painted into a Qi anatomy textbook!
His minor meridians were breathing more Qi than everyone''s major meridiansbined.
Not each person''s Qi intakeall 69 students'' intake.
Not just that, the body was perfectly distributing the Qi in beautiful,plicated pathways that werepletely efficient.
Kaze Lexicon was absurd to look at.
If they knew that he suppressed his technique to the lowest output, they would cry tears of blood.
"Hoh? You''re surprised that the most-sought after cultivator teacher in the world can cultivate?" Kaze mused mockingly.
The people staring at him like he were a god turned bright red and averted their gazes.
"Considering that I taught you that technique without any effort on your part, you''d assume that your trust would be higher." He chuckled.
"Enough of that. Turn to Whitney; you can see her Qi breathing, yes?"
Everyone that had the technique nodded, while others looked at them enviously, feeling inferior.
"Everyone else, you can see her glowing light red from Illuminecent Breathing, correct?" Kaze asked, "That''s all you need; the advanced sight just prevents my viinous trickery."
Many giggled or chuckled at his facetiousness and nodded.
"Whitney, are you feeling confident in your cultivation?" He asked.
"I''m sure it''s not great, as I''m learning, but I''m as confident as I''ve ever been." Whitney nodded.
"Good answer." Kaze smiled while walking over to her, "Okay, I will now help you find the Qi pathway to your lung meridian."
Whispers spread through the crowd. They were shocked because that was the one they could feel the most!
The lung meridianwork starts from the wrist to the corbone, officially known as the vicle.
It was an easy ce to feel Qi, and its rtionship with breathing made it feel effortless.
"Okay." Whitney said nervously, not wanting to ask further questions.
"This will feel strange, but try to control emotions and keep cultivating." He chuckled after his finger illuminated in gold light.
She wanted to snap her eyes open in shock at his words, but he had already touched her wrist and traced the pathway to her vicle at ghostly speed.
No one saw him move, but
"AhhhhhhhhHHHH~!" Whitney moaned aggressively. She sped her trembling hands over her mouth with her eyes open, pushing her elbows down to pin her skirt.
Her moan was unworldly, and everyone got defensive, thinking he was trying to do something highly sexual.
"W-What did you just do?" She asked while trembling with rxed shoulders. Her amygd was in overdrive, pumping out dopamine in high quantities.
"Three instructions, yes?" Kaze scoffed in annoyance.
"Oh! S-Sorry!" Whiney replied, closing her eyes again.
He turned back to the rest of the ss. "One instruction, yes?"
Everyone who had the technique down immediately returned to work; everyone who didn''t have the technique watched him like a hawk.
"Focus on the area I just traced for you." Kaze instructed.
Whitney nodded and began cultivating again. When she did, she trembled in shock. "W-What how?"
Those without the technique watched her in confusion, turning to the people with the technique. When they did, gazes that were even more perplexed!
Everyone else could tell that red glow had shifted on her left side around her arm and chest area. It wasn''t much, but it was visible enough to tell a difference.
"W-What just happened?" A woman muttered in disbelief.
"I-I don''t know." A man replied.
Kaze looked at the justice warriors with an annoyed expression; only two of them figured out the technique, so they gave him bloodthirsty gazes instead of looking at everyone else.
"There is only so much patience that I have." He muttered under his breath. Then he pped in annoyance, getting everyone''s attention.
"Whitney, three instructions, yes?" Kaze asked in annoyance.
"O-Oh, yes. It''s like night and day!" Whiney replied, "I can feel the Qi moving front the area that you that you."
"That''s enough." He chuckled breathlessly, "Any other insights you want to provide to the ss?
Eleven peopleck the intelligence to look around them and feel like I''ve molested you."
Those people''s faces burned red with ire.
"And they''re stillckingmon sense." Kaze scoffed in annoyance, "Can you exin what you felt when I touched you?"
"You didn''t molest me! I mean, it felt amazing. Like, the most magical thing I''ve ever felt"
"The practical. I''m certain that everyone here knows that it felt really good." Heugh-scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"O-Oh, right, sorry." Whitney said, "When you touched me, it''s like there was energy pulsing into me at the Qi points I never noticed.
Now, when I cultivate, I can feel them, making cultivation so much easier! I''ll dly be your guinea pig whenever. Is there any way you can help"
"There instructions." Kaze scoffed breathlessly, vexed by her behavior.
Everyone was bewildered that he gave Whitney three instructions that proved prophetic.
"Great. He''s making ves." A brte scoffed breathlessly. It was very light, but his hearing was incredible. So he didn''t miss herment.
Nevertheless, he smiled. "Is there another woman interested in gaining help?"
"Good luck with that." A blonde said under her breath.
However, over half of the women''s hands immediately shot up without hesitation.
Every woman who could use Minor Sight had their hands raised with profound desperation in their eyes.
The rest either got lost in the Qi readers'' enthusiasm or Whiney''s enthusiastic reaction. A few people saw the glow, so they also knew it worked.
"What?" The brte who scoffed whispered in disbelief, looking at the emperor.
"Your unparallelledck of situational awareness is an inspiration to dead spiders everywhere." Kaze smiled mockingly, tilting his head to her right.
She turned her head with the fluidity of a rusty cog to her side.
The two ardent supporters of the Kaze Kills College Students faction who got Minor Vision had their hands raised.
They turned to the brte and blonde with shamed expressions but didn''t put their hands down.
One of them didn''t hold shame so much as it was a desire to exin. However, she didn''t waver in the slightest.
"Yes, yes. Humans are truly remarkable beings." Kaze chuckled.
"I give everyone a technique to watch what I''m doing, yet the people [watching me] didn''t use it to safeguard their sanctimonious viewpoints.
Otherwise, they might look like these two. We can''t have that, can we?"
Those aggressively suspicious of his intentions turned bright red when everyone in the areaughed at them.
"Well, your refusal to watch everyone else''s reactions is these two''s reward." Kaze smiled.
"Lilly, Rein, will youe up here so I can help expose your Qi channels?"
The Kaze Kills College Students faction watched their friends walk to the front in horror.
There were only two oues: they''d be turned into mindless sex puppets, or they''d be beacons of Kaze''s honesty, and everyone would shame them endlessly.
In both scenarios, they were about to lose.
The emperor watched their faces with a malicious hidden behind his eyes.
He was temporarily limited in his punishment tactics for those that disobeyed his authority or sullied his name.
However, he never let those who walked over him roam free without retribution, and he set up the preparations for their execution.
With a small seed, a few demonstrations, and a new system, he nned to permanently cripple the dissidents that didn''t change their tune before the end of his lecture.
While they were concerned about getting shamed, they didn''t know what was yet toe.
Chapter 70 The Seed
Rein and Lily walked up to where Whitney was sitting, still cultivating. They were both brtes, but they wore their personalities on their faces.
Rein had a pixie cut that made her look like a tomboy. She had beautiful green eyes, but they lookedckluster from herck of eyeliner.
She was naturally beautiful but had an intimidating air, clearly willing to exercisemon sense to gain power when offered.
Lily was the opposite. The woman had long brown hair that she meticulously curled and had artistically applied makeup that hid herckluster features.
The only thing they had inmon was theirck of trust in Kaze. However, that''s what made them perfect.
One had enough influence to sing his praises to the masses; the other was reliable and arbitrary and could thus reinforce them.
Either way, he didn''t need them to trust him. He just needed their support for one hour to break the fearmongers'' political spines. With any luck, they''d be his political puppets as well.
Rein walked up to him with a serious expression.
"I don''t question your capability or teaching, but I don''t trust you for logical reasons and will continue to not do so." She said with a poker face.
"Are you sure you want to waste time and resources on me?"
"I don''t mind if people dislike or distrust me." Kazeughed, "However, I dislike when people waste my time or threaten me.
Since you''re doing neither, I''m happy to aid you, regardless of your future support."
Most people''s eyes filled with perplexion. Rein''s narrowed, trying to decipher his intentions. However, she immediately sat down to prevent wasting his time.
Following her lead, Lilly did the same.
The scene made him smile; Rein was a perfect resource for the future. Her trustworthiness amongst people made people willing to follow her example.
He knew that from the beginning, that''s why he chose her.
"Thank you for being respectful of my time." Kaze smiled, "What I''m about to do will feel sexual; that much is obvious.
I''m also just touching your arm; that is equally obvious. You consent to this, yes?"
"Yes." Rein said in annoyance, "I''m prepared and have self-restraint."
"Is that so?" He chuckled, "Well, start cultivating and we''ll get started."
Without further discussion, she began cultivating Illuminecent Breathing, making her body glow red.
She was among the five best cultivators in the group, and it was obvious from the even, ambient aura around her body.
"Alright, I''ll begin." Kaze smiled while his finger illuminated and moved to her wrist. While his actions were still fast, he slowed them down considerably.
"MmmnnnnahhhAHHHH~!" Rein moaned with a mortified expression, masked behind her closed eyes.
She tried her best to retain herposure, but it only made things worse! It was like he shook her like a soda bottle, and holding her moan back made her body explode.
Everyone in the room chuckled or giggled in bewilderment, looking at her twitching face, desperately trying to regain focus.
The woman wanted to leave quickly, so she reigned in her emotions and cultivated.
When she did, her eyes trembled behind her eyelids, and so did those with Minor Vision.
This time, the other people in the Kaze Kills College Students faction looked around and saw their faces gasping in shock.
Then they looked back and saw something even more horrifying.
Rein''s left arm, where he touched her, was glowing exponentially brighter than the rest of her body. It looked like it was ready to be forged by a cksmith!
The proof of his actions was undeniable for [everyone].
No one could im that he was doing something sketchy like making them sex dolls when the results clearly showcased his ims.
Rein swallowed in nervous frustration. She didn''t want to stop cultivating out of fear of losing her findings, but she had to follow the instructions.
"Your technique made me aware of the Qi channels in my left arm. When I visualize those channels, the Qi flows through them exponentially faster." She said calmly.
"If that creepy technique didn''t almost make me wet myself, I''d say it was remarkable."
The students were stunned by her brutal honesty for a moment before bursting intoughter.
"Thank you, Rein." Kaze chuckled, "If there were another technique that wouldn''t kill you, I''d have used it instead."
Rein snapped her eyes open and stared at him in shock.
"It''d kill me?" She asked hesitantly.
"Yes. Your turn, Lilly." He smiled, ignoring Rein, "Do you consent?"
Lilly swallowed nervously. "Y-Yes. If Rein says it''s okay, I''m okay with it too."
"Pleased to hear that; please start cultivating." Kaze chuckled.
The woman started cultivating. Her body glowed pink from her poor cultivation skills, making him send an evil grin inward.
Things were about to get dicey, but the results were worth it.
"Are you ready?" Kaze smiled.
"I think I am." Lilly replied nervously.
He nodded, and his finger illuminated in golden light.
However, he altered course, using an illusionary technique to maintain to weak golden glow on his finger while cranking up the voltage.
Kaze traced the woman''s meridian channel faster than anyone could see. If he didn''t
"AhhhhHHAhhhhhhhhhHHHaaahHHHHaaaHHHHHHHAHhhAhhhh~!"
The poor woman screeched like a howler monkey when Kaze touched her, and she immediately hid the panties below her green skirt, which were drenched.
Her mortification was beyond exnation as she looked around the room at the students dying ofughter. The men were particrly amused, wailing on the ground.
"W-What the fuck was that!?" Lilly cried.
"Three instructions." Kaze scoffed, "That means that you were most affected. That''s a good thing; check for yourself."
While he scoffed, he was grinning on the inside.
The second she began cultivating, she cringed in pain. However, no one noticed the change, as they were shocked by the red glow around her arm and chest rivaled Rein''s before he helped her!
It was night and day. His actions had a double effect; by flooding her body with Qi and mining thetent Elemental Qi, her body breathed out and then inhaled.
Combined with her inability to ignore thework, it increased Qi intake exponentially, stretching her meridians.
From their point of view, she jumped from being pathetic at cultivation to being in the top five in seconds! It was insanity.
"Whoa, what the hell, man!" A man yelled out.
"How did that happen?" Another cried in panic.
The men and women looked to the emperor for answers.
"There are countlessyers of cultivation skill." Kaze chuckled, "But it all starts with being aware of your meridianwork, otherwise you can''t channel your Qi.
You''re all cultivating aimlessly, unaware of where Qi enters or where it''s supposed to go.
All I''ve done is help expose the channels you cannot feel so that you''re aware of them.
As you can see, it makes a remarkable difference."
Everyone stared at Lilly with sweating expressions.
There was only one thing on their mindIf I don''t do that, I''ll be the weakest cultivator by the end of the lesson!
"Can you teach me next!"
"Me too!"
"Please pick me! I''m weak, so a good test subject!"
"I''m strong so I can showcase true potential!"
Kaze smiled at the women; they all were desperate to get on board.
However, he grinned inwardly, looking at the men, who were bitter beyondparison.
As expected, the setup was working perfectly. After a few more women, it was time to start the execution.
"Veronica, pleasee up next." He smiled.
The woman was ecstatic as she walked up. While Rein quickly moved back to her position, with a stoic expression, Veronica needed to help Lilly stand.
She desperately tried to hold down her skirt, but it was difficult to do that and stand. Worse, she couldn''t stand to begin with because of her wobbling legs!
Women giggled, and men broke out of their stupor tough.
However, Lily didn''t have any regrets. She was sexually pleased beyondparison, and her growth was remarkable. There wasn''t anything to be discontented about.
Kaze chuckled as Veronica helped her walk back to her original seat and then returned.
Once again, the emperor''s finger glowed, and he cranked up the voltage on her.
Even for the self-controlled woman, she screeched louder than Lily and looked twice as wrecked, twitching on the ground.
However, she was the top cultivator in the room, so when he exposed her Qi channels, her toned meridians weren''t constrained like Lilly''s.
As a result, the woman looked like a candle when she finally cultivated!
"Me next!"
"Kaze, I''d be extremely grateful if you picked me!"
"Is there any way you could choose me?"
"Kaze I''m not good at anything. I''d be a lot more useful if you''d help me."
A plethora of different pleas came out, each with a unique spin.
The situation caused an immediate uproar, and the men stewed to the point that they were ready to explode.
"Kaze, you''re not fucking with us, right?" A buff athlete with light brown hair asked bluntly.
Kaze smiled, "Do you still question the veracity of my words after seeing this, Linus? I clearly recall saying this technique would result in agony instead of pleasure for men, did I not?"
"I get that, but you understand this is a seriously unfair advantage. Right?" A buff ck man asked.
"Yes, these four women will have a far greater advantage. It''s unfair; such is life, Tyrone." The emperor chuckled.
"This is bullshit. Aren''t you supposed to be our teacher?" Linus asked, "How can wepete and grow if you''re ensuring some people seed?"
"Hoh? You mean like imprinting a billion-dor technique onto your mind instead of making you learn it from a scroll like the other two thousand people outside?" Kaze mused mockingly.
"They''re doing that as we speak, and I don''t n to help anyone with this type of learning.
So everyone''s months behind you in terms of understanding."
The room fell silent at his assertion.
"Do you see why you''re in here?" He continued, "Imagine if over two thousand people had that same attitude with you getting a three-month headstart.
If they found out there were 69 people who got the technique directly and had full power to climb the ranks faster, there would be a riot."
Everyone''s eyes widened in shock, including the Kaze Kills College Students faction members.
They had all talked about Kaze''s ominous warning that things weren''t peaceful on the outside.
Moreover, they discussed the situation at the Apocalypse Party, which was scarred in their minds.
Lastly, they all dropped to the ground from his cold pressure.
However, he had [seeded] the reason they were already there. Now that a powerful demonstration reinforced the thought, the seed in their brain started to grow.
"I-I get that now. But look, man. Will that shit work on me even if it hurts?" Tyrone asked.
"Sure it will." Kaze said with a dramatic grin, "It''ll carve the meridians'' location into your mind forever.
It''ll be like trauma, ensuring you never forget their location again.
It''s twice as effective as what''s happening here regarding cultivating. But I assure you, Tyrone, it''s not worth it. "
"T-Then I."
"I''ll do it. I''ll be your guinea pig or whatever. But I want proof you''re not pulling some shady shit." Linus dered.
"People are getting billion dor techniques, free food, shelter, training, and resources, yet they still demand things." The emperor scoffed in disbelief.
Linus turned away in shame, but his determination didn''t falter.
"But sure, why not." Kaze chuckled ominously, "It''s rare for people to ask you to punish them for their despicable behavior, so I''ll dly oblige.
Sage, pleasee up here. You''ll prove that I''m not lying and benefit simultaneously."
As Linus walked up, the emperor grinned inwardly. He had baited and hooked a valuable sacrifice, leading him to the ughter.
Chapter 71 Traumatized Into Trusting; Loving Long-Term Loyalty
Sage''s green eyes lit up when Kaze announced she was next.
She quickly got up, dusted off her ck business skirt, and ran forward to rece Veronica, who was slightly twitching on the ground after cultivating.
The redhead helped the ck-haired woman stand and led her back to her seat to rest while everyone around her giggled, observed her with Minor Vision, or just noted her mental state.
Then she sat in front of the emperor enthusiastically, thrilled to get a power boost, making him chuckle.
Linus wasn''t so enthusiastic. He didn''t trust that Kaze wouldn''t pull something shady, purposely make a demonstration out of him to prevent men fromining.
So he walked up nervously, sweat dripping down the grey muscle shirt he wore to work out before the emperor arrived.
"Sage, I''ll perform the technique on your right arm and then transfer the technique instantly to Linus'' left arm." Kaze exined with a smile.
"Everyone else is to watch with Minor Vision to ensure I didn''t switch techniques. Will that do, Linus?"
The athlete gulped. It would do; that was the problem!
Kaze''s confident smile and system to prevent foul y indicated that he wasn''t doing anything shady.
So if he were telling the truth confidently, the word [trauma] was likely not exaggerated.
His amygd triggered his fight-or-flight response, telling him to leave. However, it instantly warred against his ego, screaming for him not to wuss out.
"How bad is the trauma?" Linus asked nervously.
"How bad is the [trauma]?" Kaze scoffed in true disbelief, "Are you unhinged? The lunacy bleeding from that question is hallucinogenic!"
Everyone burst intoughter, and the man''s ego red up again.
"That''s not what I meant." Linus scoffed, "I''m asking how bad it will be. Level of one to ten."
The emperor looked around the room to ensure he wasn''t alone in his aggressive bewilderment. Then he turned back to the athlete.
"Not only is that question highly subjective to the weakness of your character." Kazeugh-scoffed, "Do you think I''ve done it myself? Are you mad?"
Linus'' eyes lit up in astonishment. "Then how the hell do you know?"
The emperor closed his eyes to reign in his desire not to rip the man''s heart out and disy it as a war trophy at the amphitheater.
"Do you need to stick your head in an oven to know what it''ll do to you?" He scoffed mockingly.
"I''ll attribute your suffocating stupidity to mania and passion, but do not drag me into your delusions."
Everyone burst intoughter, getting riled up.
"So it''s an oven, then?" Linus asked aggressively.
"Sage, begin cultivating." Kaze smiled, "We''ll begin when this clown stops echoing delusional statements and decides what to do."
Linus''s face heated up in a rage but was swiftly cut off by a lethal re.
"I already warned you of the consequence up front and then advised against it." The emperor said coldly.
"I didn''t ask you to do this, nor did I ask you to rudely treat me as a liar.
So don''t get mad that I''ve decried your offensive, obstinate behavior and barren circr questions.
Sit down here and ept the benefits and consequences, or sit over there and hold your tongue.
Either way, stop disrespecting me and making a mockery of my lecture, or I''ll refuse to teach you in the future."
Linus looked around and saw women ring at him angrily, and men looked at him with faces ranging from pity to annoyance.
No one was on his side. His ego red up, and he determined that he had to go through with it to make up for his behavior or vindicate his actions.
So he sat down nervously, making Kaze roll his eyes.
"Don''t worry, love." Kaze warned sage, "I''ll give you a minimal amount to ensure this buffoon doesn''t distort your environment, but I''ll do it twice to make up for it."
Sage nodded nervously. She looked at the man with fear in her eyes, as did everyone else.
"Now cultivate, you two. I have neither the time nor the patience to continue this charade." He dered, "Everyone else, observe."
Linus closed his eyes and began cultivating.
After they got into a trance-like state, Kaze glided his finger up Sage''s wrist.
"Mmmn~" Sage moaned lightly with a smile on her face. It was a gentle touch, and her meridians weren''t stretched.
As a result, her lung meridianwork glowed brighter red around his finger in real-time. It was a beautiful streak, much like watching the Aurora Borealis.
Everyone gasped at the breathtaking simplicity. However, their attention got quickly pulled to Kaze''s finger, which retained its same color.
He lifted it to show everyone, seeking their approval.
They nodded in assent and watched in slow motion as Kaze touched down on the man''s wrist.
Kaze [tapped] the man on his wrist with his fingertip.
"AghhhhGHAHHHHHHHH!" Linus screamed, snapping his eyes open and grabbing his arm.
It felt like he dipped it in magma and then twisted it in a bucket of ss shards like putting nuts on an ice cream cone.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!" The athlete screamed.
"A thorough demonstration of your undisguised buffoonery." Kaze replied apathetically.
Everyone in the room watched the scene in horror. Most thought that it would be funny, but watching Linus scream out in true agony was not funny.
There was nothing funny about the scene.
No one had ever seen someone scream in so much pain in their lives; Linus was rolling around with tears rolling down his face, clutching his wrist with a seizing body.
His pleas to end it branded itself on their souls; it haunted their mind. It was traumatic.
Kaze grinned inwardly, watching their faces with a satisfied look in his eyes. He was making a demonstration that traumatized them into trusting his words.
They would never forget the consequences of not believing him. That''s exactly what he wanted.
However, his face remained in a frown until he looked at his puppet and set his enemy''s executions into motion.
"Sage, can I borrow your assistance?" Kaze asked dryly.
"O-Of course." Sage replied, "What can I do?"
"You already know a bit of dual cultivation, so I''d like to teach you a minor technique." He replied.
"It would be extremely helpful for you to demonstrate the next portion of this ss.
It''s a shame that something so positive would be spent dealing with something so avoidable, but you can help stop his pain."
The redhead''s eyes widened in astonishment. "Of course."
"Good, please hold still." Kaze requested, touching his finger to her forehead.
Sage''s eyes filled with wonderment at a simple yet profound new technique. It was simr to the one he used on the women but was a mortal-grade technique instead of a divine-grade one.
"Do you understand it enough to perform it on this imbecile''s wrist?" He asked.
"Yes I can try. It''s very simple." She replied nervously.
Like the emperor, her finger glowed. However, it was a light pink color instead of golden.
Then Kaze used an unknown technique to paralyze the man, stunning everyone.
Sage dry swallowed nervously, approaching the man cautiously.
Since his wrist was t against the ground and paralyzed, she only needed to retain her concentration past the sound of his haunting screams.
She closed her eyes and touched down on his wrist.
The effects were instantaneous. Linus'' face rxed considerably, and his cries stopped. She rubbed the area until his face soothed and there was no longer any pain.
Once the pain was gone, the athlete passed out on the floor.
The scene left everyone perplexed, amazed, and horrified.
The emperor pped, breaking everyone free of theirbyrinth-like hazes.
"It''s unfortunate that everyone had to see something so unpleasant, but his pain is genuinely over." Kaze assured, triggering sighs of relief.
"Okay, since we''re running short on time, and you do not think me a liar, I''ll exin what happened.
As mentioned before, as straight males, we both have Yang Qi exclusively. When the two meet, they violently explode.
Once again, you don''t need to stick your head in an oven to know what it will do to you, yes?"
Dead silence met his words. Everyone''s eyes trembled in confusion.
"These blithering baffoons didn''t ask why it would cause an issue." Kaze continued, "They just insisted on asking what the meaning of [trauma] was."
His cheeky smile eased the tension in the room. Since Linus had stopped screaming in agony, everyone lightened up and smiled.
"Yin and Yang Qi are coincidentally developed around the hormones for sexual attraction towards sexes." He exined.
"As a result, most women have Yin Qi, and the same technique has the opposite effect. If done correctly, it insights strong pleasure instead of deep agony.
Now that this wonderfully relevant segway has presented itself let''s discuss what we''re learning next."
Everyone''s eyes widened at the sudden shift.
"Everyone has seen Qi channels'' value and how you can unlock them with this technique." Kaze asserted.
"Therefore, all will get the opportunity to learn the technique Sage just used.
During lecture periods, you''ll be able to pair up with the men to help each other trace your lung meridianwork.
It starts from the wrist to your corbone, and the technique you''re learning is mild and non-sexual.
With your level of cultivation, it will only create a warming sensation. So you needn''t worry that men and women will touch and you''ll want to [wet yourself]."
The students'' jaws dropped to the floor before they eased up and burst intoughter, making Rein turn bright red.
"While it''s unfair that I''ve helped some more than others, learning how to work together to obtain power is a critical factor in your cultivation journey." Kaze asserted.
"Teaching you how to grow is more important.
Moreover, it''s a great opportunity for people to meet and for men and women to help each other grow. It''s great for bonding.
There are now five people that have full insight into their meridianwork.
They can help guide you in exchange for helping them with the other half of their body.
It''s a win-win for everyone; they will benefit each time they teach and vice versa.
I''ll begin teaching anyone who [asks] for the technique, and you''ll have time to practice under my guidance until I leave. Let''s get started."
The men were ted by the strange development! Of the 69 students from Lockheed University, only 22 were male.
They had their pick of the females; no man would get left behind!
On the contrary, the women would flood them since there was a two-to-one ratio!
Everyone would have the ability to practice because the women were incentivized to interact with them.
Every male was initially disgruntled but was now instantly loyal to Kaze. He blessed them with a dream scenario.
While the women were weary, they saw its value and appreciated Kaze''s rules for the first time.
No one wanted to be left behind, as they knew the benefits and understood the reasoning behind his mysterious, protective rules. They trusted him more.
Only one group found the situation horrifyingthe Kaze Kills College Students faction.
Rein, Lily, and the rest of the members felt Icy chills crawl down their spines as Kaze began teaching the technique to the men in the room.
It only took one minute into the start of the practice session for their fears to be realized.
The emperor might as well have executed them for their crimes.
Chapter 72 The Execution
Pandamonium and chaos broke out instantly when the emperor''s practice session began.
"Sage! Will you help me?"
"Veronica, I learned it. Want to help?"
The second that Kaze taught a man his technique, they immediately flew over to his two most ardent supporters, Veronica and Sage, who didn''t witness the fourth influx.
The two grinned at each other and Kaze.
They both got the strongest boosts from his actions, now there was a line of men making them stronger and increasing their poprity.
The men had never been more ted because they got to cycle through and meet women.
Due to the two-to-one ratio andck of supply, even the geeks Kaze chose for their intelligence were surrounded by beautiful, popr women chosen for their looks.
Since they had their pick and were in a dream position, they avoided the Kaze haters who were stewing in the corner.
Not only did they want to interact with beautiful, popr women, but they were afraid of pissing off Kaze and losing their dream privilege.
So even the hypocrites who awkwardly epted the technique were avoided.
They were branded taboo in an instant.
Worse
"Hey, Ray, can you help me?" A woman asked a male in the Kaze Kills College Students faction.
"Lenny, can you help me?" Another asked.
A group of women flooded the two male Kaze haters, who epted the technique instantly. They turned to the ardent members with grim, hypocritical smiles.
"Sorry, Sally, Regina. If we''re here, we should learn, right?" Ray said while getting up.
"If we don''t, the women can''t learn. There''s not enough men to help." Lenny said meekly, "We don''t want to leave females out."
the two men in the Kaze Kills College Students Faction who instantly turned traitor.
Every man in the area instantly became loyal to Kaze without distinction and didn''t n to give up the strange and profound privileges bestowed upon them.
"Rein, can you help me!?" A man asked.
"Pick me!"
"I''d really appreciate if you chose me."
An icy chill crawled down Rein''s spine when men flocked to her.
"Um... yeah, sure. I''ll help all of you for two minutes each." Rein replied hesitantly.
If she turned them down, she''d bebeled a power-grubber and would get branded and isted like the people in the Kaze Kills College Student Faction.
If she didn''t be his rational puppet, she''d end up in a worse position than Sally and Regina!
Kaze gave her a profound opportunity for growth, showed her the benefits, and gave her an out to prevent meeting the fate of his punishment.
It was a brutal example of the carrot and the stick with horrifying consequences for not chasing the carrot.
The Kaze Kills College Students watched in horror as their ranks diminished, and their poprity moved from slightly positive to taboo and isted instantly.
Now there were only nine, and Kaze gave powerful incentives to people to avoid thempletely for the next six days.
Not only would theyg in strength, but they''d soon be lonely and depressed if they didn''t change their tune dramatically.
Breaking free of their situation didn''t require eptanceit required enthusiastic support.
It was brutal.
Rein stared at Kaze with a profound gaze as she helped another man.
Kaze ripped out his enemies'' vocal cords, made the men loyal allies, and charmed the women simultaneously.
He promoted his false narrative of why he was keeping them in the basement and traumatized every man and woman into trusting him with dramatic demonstrations.
Lastly, he found a way to strengthen his puppets and turn his enemies, her and Lily, into his puppets.
The emperor did all of that in a matter of one lecture.
She didn''t know what he was hiding but was convinced he wasn''t there to hurt them and would release them.
However, one look at Linus, the emperor''s [sacrifice] passed out on the floor, told her that he wasn''t a good person and was terrifyingly capable.
For that reason, she wisely chose not to make an enemy of Kaze.
The emperor watched his subjects running around, asking others for help. The minute a man learned the technique from Sage or Veronica, women flooded them.
However, there were long lines, so the women turned to the men in the downtime.
No one wanted to be left out. So the more people that joined, the more enthusiastic and frantic women became to interact with men.
All of the women blessed the stars that Kaze sent women knocking on their door without them doing anything. They instantly shifted their tune.
As expected, the women in the Kaze Kills College Students group were extremely awkward about epting the technique, asking people for help, and being hypocrites.
So after epting it, they still ended up sitting alone as the other people avoided them without a single nce.
Even Ray and Lenny avoided them, justifying their actions behind an argument that the women didn''t [ask] for their help.
They were bitter beyond belief and snuck hateful nces at the emperor frequently.
Naturally, Kaze stoked the mes of their hatred. However, he would never turn his enemies into allies unless needed.
Instead, he shattered their political spines, removing their ability to speak out and destroying their influence base.
Soon they''d fall silent, plot against him, or change their tune. However, he wanted them to do that to destroy them once and for all.
If people courted death, he was justified in breaking their spirits just as he had with Linus.
However, his smile turned into a frown momentarily. There was only one problemthe training.
Soon, Jake would be in the room dealing with the people, and he wasn''t skilled in dealing with people.
Worse, Evalyn couldn''te into the area and deal with the people as nned; she was far too unstable. It saddened him immensely.
As a result, he couldn''t oversee the situation forever unless he wanted to deprive Jake of an opportunity to go and learn.
So put back on a charming smile and walked toward a certain person.
"Hello, Em-per-or." Veronica smacked when he approached.
"Greetings, Veronica Mith-ra Stone." Kaze smacked with a charming smile, "Will you walk with me for a moment? I have a question that I wish to ask you."
Veronicaugh-scoffed and followed him. Everyone watched them walk away, curious about the situation.
The students could see they were chatting in the open without bodynguage. It didn''t look like a serious conversation.
"You said Jake wasing tomorrow, right? That hasn''t changed from some freaky issue in the outside world?"
The emperor gave her a slight smile. "But of course. He''ll be here tomorrow and will help out with your cultivation training."
"I see. So he is your right-hand man. That wasn''t an exaggeration." Veronica chuckled in disbelief.
"It''s unbelievable; you''ve been grooming him from the start when he just thought you were his friend. Your ego is immeasurable."
"Are youining?" Kaze smiled, "Besides, contrary to everyone''s expectations, I was downying my achievements. Don''t you think my ego is a bit justified?"
Veronica scoffed and then chuckled again. "Yeah, I guess. Doesn''t mean you have to be a tool."
"Ites with the territory." He asserted with a slight smile.
"I hate that smile of yours." She chuckled, "So I''ll be d when Jake shows up."
"I''m sure he''ll be happy to show up too." Kaze chuckled, "He''s been asking to see you more than you have. I find that charming."
The woman blushed, and she turned away. "What''s that smile for? Did you think that I was just running around trying to please you?"
"I knew your interest in Jake was genuine; I wouldn''t traumatize my trusted aid with a tant falsehood." Kaze replied with a mocking smile.
"Such an action would harm his confidence by implying that women wouldn''t sleep with him unless I incentivized them to.
I only incentivized you to take the initiative in helping him. Not to prostitute yourself for power."
Veronica frowned in annoyance and turned away. She was d he wasn''t using her or questioning her loyalty, but he was far too blunt about it.
"Now that we''re on the subject, I will bestow power upon you for taking the initiative, as promised." He chuckled.
"I''d also like to incentivize you to help him again. Surely you already n to do that as well, yes?"
Veronica''s mood shifted to the negative instantly, and she dry-swallowed nervously. "As you say, I do n to help Jake.
However, I have a feeling that the word [help] has a horrifying ask tied to it."
Kaze gave her a mocking smile. "Horrifying is an intense term for something so frivolous. However, it isn''t pleasant."
"Let''s hear it, Kaze." She replied dryly.
Kaze exined his ask before saying goodbye to her, ending the ss, and walking out the front door to infiltrate his students.
Veronica watched his back with a bitter smile. She was conflicted about his [ask] and didn''t look forward to it.
It was beneficial to everyone and wasn''t malicious by any stretch, but it wasn''t pleasant in the slightest. She didn''t look forward to it whatsoever.
...
Once leaving, Kaze met up with the students at the amphitheater, as mentioned the day before.
The members had spent thest day learning the earth-grade cultivation technique and meeting each other. Everyone was in high spirits.
When he walked onto the stage, everyone quieted down momentarily.
"You''ve done well." Kaze smiled, "Who wants to have a party to celebrate the birth of Immortal Skye and your entrance to it?"
After a split second of stunned silence, the area erupted into chaotic cheers and whistles.
Chapter 73 The Offensively Decadent Faction
While Kaze announced the party, Evalyn made profound, non-tempering cultivation progress.
She intentionally cycled her traumatic memories through her mind, remembering every detail.
Her goal was to [scar] the memories onto her soul to prevent new developments from reopening wounds.
It was also efficient training because her memories triggered wrath and allowed her to practice controlling her emotions. After six hours, no ice was on theke, showcasing her progress.
Once she was in control, her mind drifted to the ck veins on Kaze''s chest.
"What caused that?" Evalyn whispered to herself.
It was inconceivable that such a terrifying development would happen in a night, but she had seen his chest just days before.
She pushed past the endless cycle she was stuck in and retraced what happened once she left the hospital.
After ten minutes, she remembered the golden light moving to Kaze, and her eyes trembled below her eyelids.
"That wasn''t a cultivation technique." She whispered, "The hospital was already destroyed and everyone was already dead. That means."
Kaze''s words resounded in her head.
"The fourth type is soul Qi, which is released after the death of a being or organism rich with Qi."
"He cultivated the soul Qi from thousands of people." Evalyn muttered in shock, "[Consequences] my ass! That goes far beyond temporary frostbite, and he can''t heal it!"
If she got frostbite with a body that tempers from the cold, what would happen to a normal body if it cultivated thousands of souls out of the blue?
Evalyn didn''t need to ask. He already confirmed it!
[Will this kill you?]
"It''ll do something far worse if I don''t do anything about it."
The more she thought about it, the more horrifying it became.
Evalyn nned to stay cultivating through the night, but Kaze had already saved her life multiple times. She couldn''t just sit around and let him bare such a horrifying burden without concern!
So she stood up on the rock and took twenty seconds to freeze a path to the shore, disregarding her training.
Within a minute, she had already made it to solid ground and quickly fumbled with the gate to get it unlocked. Once outside, she ran to the faction with a beating heart.
However, the closer she got to the faction, the slower her movements became until she stood still in front of the mansion she slept in the night before with a twitching eyebrow.
The reason that she slowed down was the same reason that her irritation red up.
An eruption of cheers and offensively loud EDM music red from the mansion, and a full-fledged party raged on the front and the back, and she could hear it for half a mile!
Worse, while Kaze imed that anyone could enter Immortal Skye, he set the pickup date for those under 18 or over 28 to the day [after] the fourth Qi Influx.
As a result, everyone was legally an adult except her uncle''s children. However, hundreds were under the legal drinking age but stood before her, getting stered on her frontwn!
"Why does this surprise me?" Evalyn chuckled ominously with madness swirling in her eyes, "This shouldn''t surprise me yet does somehow."
The blonde strode through the party hellscape, ignoring the keg stands, awkward flirting, and beer pong games raging outside.
That didn''t mean she seeded. There was a fifty-foot beer pong table with a sign with [Cultivator Pong] stered on it!
Below the sign, it said [If you can''t y beer pong on a fifty-foot table, you can''t im you''re a cultivator!] in Kaze''s pretentious cursive handwriting.
"Kaze was stressed for time preparing for the apocalypse, yet he demanded my uncle by a fifty-foot table for beer pong and found the time to personally write a fucking sign on it!?" She chuckled.
Her chuckle was so caustic it could eat through steel.
Seeing thousands of disposable red stic cups in everyone''s hands filled her eyes with ire.
Evalyn had witnessed the horrifying suffering in Meridian City firsthand and lived through horrifying trauma because of it.
So seeing Kaze spend tens of thousands on disposable stic cups when everyone should focus on reusable products was nothing short of offensive.
She strode through the front door of the mansion. As she passed, countless men and women stared at her in awe.
"Who''s that?"
,m "I''m not sure. I''ve never seen her before."
"She wasn''t at the introduction ceremony; I''d remember seeing someone like that."
"Me too. The women here are hot as fuck."
"She''s beautiful. Don''t you think, Sarah?"
"Gorgeous. She''s not even wearing makeup but puts us to shame."
"You''re not supposed to say the obvious."
"Go talk to her, Max."
"Are you insane? Look at her eyes!"
"Yeah I pity whoever she''s looking for."
"Do you think she''s looking for Faction Leader?"
"Who else, dude? Who else would someone like that look for!"
"Why does she look familiar?"
"Wait, you''re right. Noooooooo way! Isn''t that Honor Girl?"
"What? They do look familiar, but... there''s no way. Couldn''t be."
Everyone was talking about her as she moved passed them.
However, despite everyone''s interest, no one tried talking to her because she was [pissed].
Evalyn''s wrath was palpable, so everyone quickly moved out of the way.
Her mood temporarily cooled slightly inside the room. One of the main rooms had a detoxification station with eight people working at it.
Kaze had taught people a detox technique in exchange for them helping people sober up.
"Wait! How the hell does he find a way to poison every good action he makes!?" Evalynughed murderously, "That sign is in his handwriting. It''s like he''s proud of this!"
The sign above the station said [Round Two Preparation Station]. It snuffed out all the goodwill the station created and put it in a deficit.
As a result, the entire floor and indoor pool devoted to sober entertainment with a mandatory detox station for entrance bnced the deficit, leaving her as disgruntled as she was when she entered.
"Kaze." Evalyn demanded, looking at a random brte cautiously sipping a fruity, multicolored drink.
The faction member''s eyes trembled in confusion. However, she didn''t dare stutter.
Somehow the blonde had the same demanding aura that Kaze had, but she didn''t hide her danger behind a charming countenance.
Evalyn''s gaze burned through her soul.
So the woman nervously swallowed, collected her thoughts, and responded. "He''s downstairs in the main pool area. The one in the ss room."
"Thank you." Evalyn nodded with a genuine smile before turning away and letting her crazed expression return.
She quickly flew down the stairs, skillfully dodging people walking up the stairs in swimsuits.
Once again, she scoffed at the bottom. Four men and three women in rainbow-colored jester costumes took size orders for swimsuits.
Size orders. There was a full station with around ten thousand swimsuits of various sizes, colors, and patterns.
"If he didn''t make [billions] and pull this off somehow, I''d murder him." Evalynughed, "Though it is amusing envisioning my stressed-out uncle looking for bulk retail sellers to purchase these."
As always, she couldn''t remain angry with Kaze, which was the worse part.
A massive room withrge ss walls was at the back of the downstairs area. Inside was a decadent 100 by 50 roman style swimming pool with marble pirs.
The room was encased in ss, allowing swimmers to rx in the moonlight under the stars.
However, no one was [rxing]. Faction members were drinking poolside, ying beer pong on floating tables, or riding around on massive neon pink mingo floats.
Seeing people y bumper carts with massive pink mingos in a ssy roman style pool was too much for the blonde toprehend.
She watched the birds battling as she walked, watching in a trance. Somehow she forgot what she was doing for a moment.
"Evalyn!" A familiar yelled out with a grand, smiling voice.
Evalyn turned her head from the pool and found Kaze in the hot tub with twelve beautiful, giggling women. Each was over the age of twenty-one and hanging on his every word.
Two of them were in his arms, cuddled close so he could touch two on their shoulders.
Seeing his grinning face was devastating.
At thest moment, the blonde''s vigor and passion were snuffed out by massive battle mingos and now getting angry again was horrifyingly awkward.
Her entire mind froze, and she forgot everything she nned to yell at him about.
Despite her new power and all her experiences, somehow, she was just as helpless as she was on their first [date].
Chapter 74 The Playboy
After a couple of seconds of silence, Kaze looked to the pool and then back at Evalyn. "Do you like the mingos? I thought they were a nice touch."
"No, I don''t like the fucking mingos." Evalyn replied in exasperation.
"Hoh? You look at them a lot." He chuckled, "It''s okay to like them. Everyone else does too."
The women in the hot tub giggled at his words, blushing slightly, trying to capture his attention.
Each looked like a love-struck kitten willing to do [anything] for him without a second word.
"I see." Evalyn chuckled under her breath, "Compared to normal women, I wasn''t doing that bad."
"Hmmm? What was that?" Kaze asked with a charming smile.
"Nothing." She scoffed. Then she looked at him, and she realized something horrifying
"You seem to have sought me out." He remarked with a maic voice, "Is there something you need?"
she couldn''t talk about the issue publicly!
Evalyn looked down at his chest and then back into his eyes, discreetlymunicating her intentions.
"You needn''t work so hard to examine my body." Kaze asserted with a charming smile, "You can join us in the hot tub. Surely everyone will make room for the great Evalyn [Skye].
It is your name on the faction, after all."
All the women in the hot tub stared at her as if noticing her for the first time. Some immediately trembled, realizing that they mocked a founder of the faction with snide giggles!
Kaze looked down at the women. "There''s no reason not to giggle. She''s a remarkable college girl with an enchanting appearance"
Evalyn blushed slightly, throwing her off.
"surely you don''t think I''d partner with a woman if she''d eat our members." He chuckled, bending his fingers in a ws gesture.
Everyone burst into giggles except Evalyn, who was bewildered beyondparison.
She finally confirmed it.
Kaze''s infuriating arrogance and actions cut through any emotion like a hot deeven trauma.
That wasn''t a good thing.
shbacks of the apocalypse preparation shed through her mind when she realized that.
He had the same charming, carefree expression, flirting with his teacher and sleeping with women as if there wasn''t a care in the world.
Yet he was acutely aware of what would happen in twenty-two days.
No. Things would get far worse, and he knew that, yet he was throwing a decadent party while people sufferedwhile she suffered.
Evalyn didn''t resent or me him for her woes; that wasn''t the problem!
It wasn''t personal; it was global. Somewhere amid the Meridian City hellscape was a eutopia housing ignorant men and women partying without a care in the world.
The idea itself was deplorable; heinous even.
Despite that, she couldn''t hate him because she was staring at proof that Kaze Lexicon was a naturally absurd individual.
He was corroding from the inside out with a wound that would kill him in an unknown, horrifying way. Yet he was rxing with two women in his arms with ten in reserve.
Evalyn snapped out of her mentalbyrinth when water sshed her face. Her eyes immediately filled with murderous intent, and she locked eyes with the emperor.
"You look stressed; that''s what hot tubs are for." Kaze smiled yfully, "There''s no reason to squander that beautiful face with a scowl."
She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "ssic; men telling women to smile. After all your years, even you''re not exempt."
"Ah, yes. The ssic [he told me to smile; it''s proof of the patriarchy] argument." Heugh-scoffed arrogantly.
"Unlike women, men are typically hideous, poorly dressed, despicable creatures.
If a smile were all it took for people to look past our reprehensible nature, we''d get told to smile too."
All the women in the hot tub burst into giggles.
Theughteryered Evalyn''s eyes with humiliation. Despite her adept social skills and business training, she couldn''t contradict a thing the man said!
"Come now, don''t you want to meet your faction members?" Kaze mused, flicking the water around yfully.
Evalyn blinked twice with exasperation. She couldn''t remember why she even showed up or what she nned to do.
All she knew was that she nned toy into him, yet somehow ended up in a position she wanted to escape from but couldn''t without looking unsultry!
She was in a vice grip; she didn''t have a publicly avable reason to sass him, so anything she said to the man would result in a negative impression.
Kaze rolled his eyes and lifted his hand. Water from the hot tub swirled in a water spout; it moved to the top of his hand and congealed into a water sphere.
"Kaze, I swear to god. If you"
A hot ball of water crashed into the blonde''s face, immediately drenching her blondeyered bob cut. Thankfully she was wearing a thick white t-shirt, or it would have exposed her pink bra.
That would result in Kaze''s instant murder. He knew as much, so he acted withmon sense.
"Seriously?" Evalyn asked in a dry, exasperated voice, looking at his grinning face and everyone''s shocked expressions.
"What?" Kaze grinned widely, "You''re seeking a justification to be furious with me yetck one, yes? So I''ve just helped you out."
The awkward silence shattered as the women burst into involuntary giggles.
Evalyn closed her eyes to calm her raging heart. "You''re unbelievable."
"And so is your cultivation progress." He quipped.
She snapped her eyes open and found her skin free of frost. The emperor''spliment made her blush and made things worse somehow.
Evalyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath again. "Can I leave?"
"Hoh? You just got here!" Kaze argued with a charming voice.
"Please." She asked awkwardly, triggering another round of giggles.
The faction members pitied the poor woman because they knew they''d be in the same ce.
However, they were inspired by her bold approach, asking permission seriously to drive in the lose-lose situation she was in.
Somehow she managed to find a way out of the situation with her reputation intact, something no one else was confident they could manage.
It was deceptively meek yet strangely bold, confident, and charming.
"It''s a shame, but yes." Kaze smiled, "Come find me tomorrow, and you can decry my irresponsible actions and scandalous behavior in private."
Evalyn opened her eyes smoothly and looked into the yboy''s eyes. She could see a glint of seriousness behind them; it was all she needed to be satisfied.
"Goodbye, everyone." She said to the women in the hot tub, "Our next meeting will be far more pleasant. This asshole''s throwing a surprise rager when [I''m] the one who needs to clean it."
Kaze frowned at her tant lie but chucked when she walked away. She was following his directive to pretend nothing was wrong; that was what mattered.
Evalyn strode out of the room with a nk mind, unsure of what had just happened. While she wasn''t pleased, she was partially grateful.
Somehow she was free of worry or pain for the first time in three days, if only for a few minutes.
Unwilling to squander it, she grabbed a red stic cup, filled it from one of the dozens of kegs lying around, and walked back to the cultivation haven.
The emperor watched her carefree state with a gentle smile before turning back to the women in the hot tub. "Hoh? Where were we? Oh, yes. As I was saying, you''re all gorgeous."
All the women in the hot tub blushed and burst into giggles, staring at his charming, confident smile.
"I thought Mr. Skye was the reason behind the name. Is that not true?" A cute brte with straight hair and a sexy ck bikini asked.
"No-pe." Kaze smacked, "That woman is half the reason this absurdlyvish faction exists. Her uncle is only involved because he''s her uncle; thankfully, he''s surprisinglypetent and his resourcefulness is astounding."
Everyone''s eyes widened in surprise.
"Is she your girlfriend?" The same brte asked.
Kaze smiled mockingly and then looked at the two women in his arms. "Do you think me a person that would put a woman''s name on a faction and deface her person before its members, Riley?"
Riley blushed bright red to the tip of her ears. "I."
"You needn''t answer that question." He chuckled, lifting his hand yfully, "I''m [clearly] not the most virtuous man. However, I am respectable enough to treat women the way they [wish to be treated]."
Kaze slightly narrowed his eyes at Riley in a predatory expression. It sent a ripple of passion and thrill pulsing through her, making her desire him.
While the other women giggled, she made eye contact, silently pleading, hoping she was the person he''d choose.
Something told her she was the person he''d choosethe first, anyway.
After chatting with the group of women in the hot tub for a bit, he whispered something into the woman in his left arm''s ear.
The blonde blushed, stood up, and then walked out of the hot tub and across the room.
"Riley, I have a question to ask you, but I''m afraid it may be a bit embarrassing to speak aloud. Would you mind stretching your legs with me?" Kaze asked with a charming smile.
She immediately blushed and then scanned the resentful faces of the women in the hot tub, especially the woman in the emperor''s right arm moments before. "Y-Yes, of course."
"Excellent. Come find meter if you want to continue sharing this lovely evening,dies." Kaze requested with a charming, predatory smile.
While such a statement would usually indicate rejection, his eye contact suggested that he was sleeping with the two women, and he''d oblige anyone else as well.
It was a stunning, bold deration that was as raw as it was shameless. Yet
Every woman in the hot tub gave him wry smiles that they had to work hard to maintain.
The idea that they''d wait in line for Kaze to sleep with them as if he was an amusement park ride was perverse, indelicate, and made them feel like clout-chasing groupies.
Yet not a single one was unwilling; they just didn''t want to voice their consent.
By the time someone was ready to speak, Kaze had already started walking, waving his hand from behind. "It''s an inspired action not an answer,dies. Hope to see youter."
The women in the hot tub look at each other to validate their thoughts, each seeing everyone else''s input. When they saw nine other women with the same face, they burst into giggles.
"I call dibs." The woman who was on his arm but left out giggled.
"You''re shameless." Another scoffed in disbelief.
"I''ll remember what you said after you get in line." She replied.
Everyone burst into awkward, bewildered giggles when they saw the scoffing woman turn away in shame.
They knew they couldn''t say anything contrary without being mocked for being hypocritester.
Chapter 75 The Bet
[**Warning!** Our profoundly straight, sex-positive protagonist is about to have a wild threesome with two awkward, closeted bisexual mob characters over the next few chapters.
Skip ahead if that makes you ufortable. I don''t want to lose your readership because of one random apolitical sex scene is strictly chosen foredic reasons. Thanks!]
Kaze and Riley made their way to the other woman, Sarah, a dirty blonde wearing a green floral bikini, waiting in a storage closet that housed pool cleaning supplies.
It was small and had shelves and tile floors.
The two women had wry smiles, going to a storage room with Kaze. It felt dirty and unceremonious, especially knowing they were in a multi-million dor mansion!
"What are those faces for, you two?" Kaze chuckled, "You act like we''re [talking] in a storage closet."
Both were confused, but the emperor grabbed Riley''s hand with his left, waved his right, and then grabbed Sarah''s.
"H-Hey, wait! There''s a"
Sarah tried to pull back, afraid to crash into the shelving behind her, but her eyes widened when she abruptly found herself in a luxurious master bedroom of the mansion.
Kaze''s bedroom.
The room was simplistic in that it only had a bed, a desk with documents, aputer, and clothing storage.
However, the white and goldforter covering the red silk sheets on the grand poster bed showcased the only purpose of the bedroom.
"shelf there. There was, right?"
"Y-Yeah, there was." Riley confirmed in confusion.
Everything happened in half a second, so they didn''t see the warp gate in detail. The world abruptly warped, and they got pulled into another location.
"What? You''ve never seen teleported before?" Kaze mused cheekily.
"No, way." Sarah whispered.
"This isn''t really teleportation magic is it?" Riley asked in disbelief.
"Teleportation magic? Of course not." Kazeugh-scoffed breathlessly, "It''s a teleportation cultivation technique."
Both breathed a sigh of relief, but then their eyes shot open. They realized his answer was a pompous argument in semantics!
"It''s a spatial cultivation technique." He chuckled, seeing their gobsmacked expressions, "It''s not teleportation; it''s a lot moreplicated than that."
Their eyes were as wide as saucers.
"Now, about that embarrassing question." Kaze said with a charming smile, "Would you like to have sex together?"
Riley and Sarah blushed at his tant ask for consent. They looked at each other, seeking validation and also considering the situation.
"Isn''t that the implication?" Sarah asked.
"Oh, yes. I should rify; I''m talking about consentual [group] sex." He dered boldly, "I asked you two, since you''re on the bisexual spectrum and might enjoy it more than the rest."
They both blushed furiously, mortified for the omission.
"W-Wait, are you implying we want to have sex with each other and should treat the sex with each other equally?" Sarah stuttered.
"Of course, is there something wrong with that?" Kaze smiled, "It''s not a fetish of mine; If you want to be pleased individually, I''ll oblige you, or you can leave if you''re ufortable.
I''m just giving you an opportunity, nothing more, nothing less."
"Why are you so certain we''re bisexual?" Riley gulped awkwardly.
"You have Yin and Yang Qi. The two are facilitated by hormones that are coincidentally triggered by feelings of sexual attraction." He exined with a strange smile.
"As I said, you''re on the bisexual spectrum. It''s certainly not definitive, more like a curiosity."
Both of them blushed furiously, avoiding looking at one another awkwardly.
"I just think that women are beautiful." Sarah said nervously, "Isn''t that normal? It doesn''t mean that I want to have sex with them."
"Same. I''m okay with a threesome." Riley added, "But it''s not like I''m excited to have sex with another woman."
"You two are too much." Kaze chuckled, "You have an excuse to satiate your curiosities, masked behind the debaucherous Emperor''s lust for a mnage trois."
Riley and Sarah looked at his strange smile and then at each other. Both had a perfect excuse to try it out without social pressure, so they looked to each other for consent.
"I''m okay with it if you are." Riley blushed, "Not because I''m interested or want to have sex with you. So can we just not talk about our part?"
"I agree." Sarah said hesitantly, "It''s not like we came here to have sex with each other, so it won''t be hard to avoid the subject. I won''t tell anyone the details."
"I can do that. Kaze, can you keep this just between us?" The brte asked.
"I never disclose details of sexual interactions." Kaze smiled, "But it''s best not to make agreements you can''t keep."
Riley''s eyes narrowed. "You seem pretty confident we''ll be raving about sex with each other."
"Hah. That''s pretty arrogant, don''t you think?" Sarah chuckled in disbelief, "Telling someone what they''ll feel about having sex with another person is a bit brash."
"It''s not arrogant to rmend you not repress your desires after you''ve liberated them." Kazeugh-scoffed, rolling his eyes.
It was absurd to set conditions for something they consented to, and it would defeat the purpose of bringing them together.
"But since your tragic cultural situation requires a concrete benefit to express your curiosities, so I''ll make you a bet.
If you don''t express your thoughts about the experience, I''ll give you both a two-day headstart on a cultivation technique you''ll learn this week."
Their eyes widened in excitement.
"And if we do?" Riley asked nervously.
"Nothing." Heughed, "I would never punish someone for expressing their desires, nor would I ever take advantage of a friendly woman with an unwinnable bet. It would defeat the purpose."
The emperor''s arrogant deration stifled Sarah''s excitement. "Unwinnable? You''ve proimed we''ll enjoy having sex with one another, then incentivized us to do the opposite, and now you''re doubling down? This is ridiculous."
"Why do you look so displeased?" Kaze asked mockingly, "You''re being offered a reward to do something you already agreed to do.
I''m giving you an out if you change your mind.
My arrogant actions are to your benefit both ways, so I''m not sure why you''re so ruffled."
"Now he''s calling himself a benevolent benefactor for his bold derations." Sarah chuckled in exasperation, "I''ll ept your bet, Emperor."
"I agree as well." Riley nodded, "But know that I''ll actively try to cheat."
"I enjoy that honesty." Kaze smiled, "But it doesn''t make a difference. Shall we begin?"
Kaze walked up to the women slowly with fluid motions that felt maic.
Their earlier hesitance in starting because of the bet disappeared, and they remembered their desire to have sex with him.
He embraced Sarah first, kissing the blond lightly while caressing her neck.
The action sent a shiver running down both of their spines.
The emperor skillfully untied the green and white floral bikini and let it drop to the floor without using dual cultivation techniques.
It exposed her double d''s that were disproportionate to her slender body but were still perky and firm.
Then he turned to Riley and did the same with her sleek ck bikini. She had proportionate lower c-cup breasts, which filled her with feelings of inferiority.
However, Kaze smiled and looked at them with the same desire and appreciation as he did with Sarah, building her confidence.
Both got the same attention, and he didn''t indicate he was more attracted to one than the other.
As a result, neither were hesitant or jealous as he led them to the bed by their hands.
While the two were hesitant to get close, unwilling to ept the loss of his prize, Kaze didn''t try pushing them to do anything.
Instead, he smiled as they crawled on the bed and came to him for a kiss.
"I nned to give you both a bisexual dual cultivation technique for our escapade." He exined with a mysterious smile.
"But I don''t know if it goes against this strange, pointless bet. Would you still like it?"
Their eyes widened in surprise.
"Does it incentivize us to have sex with women?" Riley asked nervously.
"Yeah you make it sound sketchy." Sarah gulped.
"Do you think I''d defile my reputation by turning the women that have sex with me into lesbians?" Kaze scoffughed in disdain, "That statement is as delusional as it is offensive."
Sarah blushed furiously, and Riley giggled. It was an absurd concept.
"However, dual cultivation rewards people for having sex." He continued.
"Same-sex rtions will yield lesser rewards for you both, but the nature of dual cultivation doesn''t change."
"Okay, I''m willing." Sarah sighed. Riley nodded, and he touched them both on the forehead.
A profound bisexual dual cultivation technique crashed into their minds, unlocking a vast understanding of the benefits and potential enjoyability.
Once Sarah digested the knowledge, she looked at Kaze with a wry smile.
"This is cheating." She chuckled bitterly.
"Hoh? You''ve obtained power and increased enjoyability, yet you''re worried about a meaningless bet that gives you something you''ll get anyway?" Kaze mused.
"You only gave me insights into the benefit of female on female dual cultivation." Sarah said wryly, "This is a profound reason to have sex with women."
"It''s a bisexual technique." Kaze smiled mockingly, "Do you need insights to feel pleasure from men? Close your eyes and cultivate the technique; I''ll prove it."
Kaze smiled and ran his finger up a Qi channel and Sarah''s and Riley''s sides.
"AaaahhhhhhhHHH~!" Sarah moaned aggressively. There was insane pleasure pulsing through her body, sending electricity crashing through her veins.
"K-KaaaaaahhhhhHHHHHAZEE~!" Riley screamed in ecstasy, shaking the soundwaves.
Her body throbbed with intense desire on a level she didn''t think possible.
Kaze sat on his feet with an evil grin. "Now, who''s [first]?"
Sarah looked at him with a wry smile. While she didn''t know the meaning, his grin told her that, so far as the bet was concerned, she was fucked.
Chapter 76 “You [Think] You’ve Resigned.”
The two women on the bed looked at Kaze pleadingly after he made them cry out in overwhelming pleasure and then got asked who wanted to go first.
Only one person could go first, and after the pleasure they had just experienced, the other person would wait around with sexual frustration far worse than torture.
"Please choose me!" Sarah cried, trying to avoid the fate she expected for painting him a viin.
"I''d like to go first as well." Riley whispered hesitantly.
Kazeughed breathlessly, looking at their pleading faces, acting like abandoned puppies.
There was so much sexual tension in thest few hours that releasing some had an extreme effect, like opening up a shaken soda bottle.
They felt like they would explode if he didn''t continue.
"If only there were a way for bisexual people to explore their curiosities, enjoy intense pleasure, and avoid the torment and jealousy of waiting simultaneously." He mused.
They both gave him wry smiles and then looked at each other with embarrassed expressions, seeking consent and forgiveness for their hypocrisy.
"Riley I''m okay with." Sarah cracked under Kaze''s silent, mocking gaze.
"No I''d enjoy having sex with you right now in general not because of sexual frustration. You should know that."
Riley''s eyes widened, and her heart thumped in surprise. "I was curious and excited before the technique and only felt awkward. I''d enjoy it too."
Kaze smiled in satisfaction, "Now that you''re bothfortable do either of you want to enjoy the profound pleasure and excitement of being pleased by a woman first?
I cannot provide the first-time passion and thrill of sex. Such an event is sacred."
"You can have Kaze first if you want." Riley blushed, putting her hand in front of her mouth, "If you''re notfortable with that, I can please you first, so you don''t feel awkward."
Sarah looked at Kaze with a neutral expression but a murderous glint in her eyes.
She was furious that he was forcing her to bravely admit her hypocrisy and wrongdoing [again] instead of randomly choosing!
While Kaze said the bet was unwinnable, it was very winnable! His actions made it impossible to do rationally, and he knew he''d lead them to checkmate instantlyhisst question proved it!
Yet she understood she was in the wrong, and the oue was solely for her benefit, so she put on a bright smile and epted it. "No, I''ll do my best to please you first."
Riley blushed in excitement, and she nodded. Now they were both awkward because they didn''t know where to start.
"Okay, Mr. Liberator, where do we staaaaaaaahhhhHHH~!" Sarah moaned in pleasure as Kaze casually used his technique to glide up multiple pleasure channels on her breasts.
The blonde immediately hit the bed, gasping aggressively like a shot war victim.
The brte fell secondster when a profound wave of pleasure assaulted her body, making her moan uncontrobly.
Everything happened in a two-second window, making them shiver and roll on the bed to recover.
"Come now; surely you don''t expect a tutorial and therapy session to validate your profound revtions, yes?" Kaze grinned.
"First-time experiences are exciting because they''re awkward. So begin the technique and let your pleasure and cultivation guide you."
He gently grabbed Sarah''s hand and sent a wave of Yang Qi into it, augmenting hers. It made her finger glow slightly, reminding her to use the technique.
When her entire hand glowed light blue, he led it to Riley''s breast. The brte watched as Sarah''s hand touched down on her breast with a beating heart.
"Ahhhhh~!" Riley moaned in sexual release, officially breaking out of their awkward conversation.
Sarah''s heart thumped when she grabbed her breast and got an immediate reaction. It was thrilling and turned her on.
She fondled the brte''s breast for a moment while Kaze removed his swimming trunks to give them time.
"Can I use my mouth?" Sarah cringed. She felt extremely awkward asking to do something she was used to on the other end. However, it felt awkward and exciting.
"Please please do." Riley pleaded desperately.
The blonde released her hand and pushed herself from the mattress, crawling toward her.
Sarah was excited that she had forgotten about Kaze as she opened her mouth and touched down on the brte''s breasts.
"Mmnn~" Riley moaned lightly. There was no cultivation behind the action, so the sensation wasn''t overwhelming. However, it felt naturally good and exciting.
They both realized who [went first] was irrelevant, and Kaze only helped break the awkwardness by making them confess their excitement.
Now that her tongue was rolling over Riley''s light pink nipple, Sarah was thankful for his arrogant actions, listening to the brte moan in pleasure. It felt like she was losing her virginity again.
Kaze smiled in satisfaction and slowly moved to get behind her to mount her.
He took one moment to admire her disproportionate yet firm bubble butt and double d''s.
Every woman with a divine physique or higher ended up perfectly proportionate. That meant that breasts c-cups above five feet tall and b''s or lower c''s if they were shorter.
After living in a pce with a royal harem of physically perfect, symmetrical, and proportionate women, he found sleeping with women with beautiful yet disproportionate bodies charming.
"Don''t forget to cultivate, you two." Kaze smiled, "It''s far more pleasurable that way, anyway. Once you''re breathing Qi, resume."
Sarah''s eyes snapped open, and so did Riley''s. They had forgotten!
They immediately closed their eyes and began cultivating, giving their body a light pink, ambient glow. A momentter
"Ahhh~!" Riley cried in pleasure, caught off guard by the sudden shift in the sensation''s intensity. Sarah still wasn''t using a technique, so she didn''t expect such a profound reaction.
The same was true of the blonde, who was shocked that the feeling of the nipple against her tongue gave her physical pleasure.
Kaze slowly wrapped his hands around Sarah''s waist, beating the blonde''s heart violently as excitement and pleasure surged through her body.
Between the awkward excitement of exploring Riley''s body and the prospect of sex with Kaze, the handsome, charming yboy, her mind underwent a pincer attack.
Her breathing became ragged, and she wanted liberation from her sexual torment.
"Let me know when you''re ready." Kaze smiled, "I don''t want to overwhelm you abruptly."
"Now. Right now." Sarah pleaded breathlessly, "You''re arrogant, but you''ve earned it, you''re perfect physically, and your talent is surreal.
I resign from the bet, and I was wrong to question you. I''ve repented for my sins and admitted defeat on every front.
So please, for the love of fucking god, take me right now!"
Kazeughed in bewilderment, but he wasn''t one to deny a woman sexual pleasure.
He skillfully loosened the knot on her green bikini bottom, which was now wet, and pulled the string, letting it drop to the bed.
It revealed her carefully shaven pussy, wet and crying for release.
He lifted his shaft and pressed his head against her lips, pushing forward to touch her oversensitive clit.
"AhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHH~!" Sarah screamed in pleasure, "What is this witchcraft!? You''re not even cultivating!"
Kaze''s technique sent pulsing energy through her Qi channels, a unique yet profound feeling that she didn''t feel.
So she knew the pleasure was from her sexual tension build-up, which thrilled and terrified her.
What would happen when he cultivated if she was so sensitive when Kaze used his normal body? It would be a sexual massacre!
"Oh love, you think you''ve ''resigned,'' but that''s because never experienced sexual pleasure before." Kaze grinned, "So prepare yourself and make sure to ease up on Riley since I''ll be pleasing both of you."
Riley''s eyes snapped open. "W-What did you just say?"
"Please, you, her, both." He smiled while moving his tip to the center of Sarah''s lips, "Instead of asking again, let''s experience it, yes? So go back to breathing; you''ll need that to stay sane."
"W-Wait whatAhhhhhhhHHHHHH~!" Riley moaned, arching her back, causing Sarah''s mouth to release.
When Kaze inserted his rod using Spiritual Connection, it pulsed Yang Qi through the blonde''s body. Since she had Yang Qi, it magnified and was channeled through her tongue in a chain reaction.
Sarah didn''t immediately scream in pleasure because her entire soul was disconnected from her body. It was only once her mind reconnected, and she could feel the soul link that
"K-KaaaaaahhhhhHhHhHhHhHAZEE~!"
she cried his name in an unworldly sound that people on the lower floors could hear.
The three were on the fourth floor, which housed Kaze and Evalyn''s rooms and was off limits.
However, the sober partiers on the third floor could hear her scream in pleasure over the sound of the wild music pulsing through the faction.
The action immediately led to a violent chain reaction of chaos and pandamonium amongst the faction members.
A mob of three hundred people pushed to get into the third floor''s main hallway or the ballroom housing the sober events.
The poor volunteers working at the [Round Two Preparation Stations] on the first and second floors were trampled as people sought to sober up to hear Kaze having sex.
"P-Please, hold up! We''re cycling through cultivation sessions, but there''s too little Qi here with this many people!" A faction member screamed to the mob, "We''re cultivating outside!"
"Can''t you let us through?" A woman over the music, "No one''s ying games or hanging out! They''re just going up to listen!"
"Wait, what''s going on!?" A male yelled amid the riot.
"Kaze is having sex, and everyone can hear the moaning over the music!" She yelled, "Apparently, it''s unworldly!"
"NO WAY!" The man yelled, "Why are we here?"
"Because it''s a sober zone!" Another scoffed, "And the detox workers won''t yield for five minutes."
"Where''s the scroll! I''ll learn it!" A woman screamed.
Everything devolved into chaos resources depleted instantly, and things were just starting.
[A/N: You think you''ve resigned. ;)]
Chapter 77 Sex God
The situation in the bedroom was far more chaotic than on the lower floors.
"K-KaaaaaahhhhhHhHhHhHhHAZEE~!" Sarah screamed in pleasure, regaining her perspective after a hallucinogenic out-of-body experience.
Riley was on the bed with a dazed expression. Her pleasure gauge with the blonde''s mortal mouth on her nipple got broken in half a second, and her soul partially left her body in an unworldly cosmic experience.
While the situation and her slight out-of-body experience were unnatural and concerning, she had difficulty caring. Riley had a much more serious issueshe was horny.
Not manageable sexual repression level horny.
No.
Desperate sex addict picking up a partner at the local [sex addicts anonymous] meeting level horny.
Her bikini was soaked, and her breaths were ragged.
Riley looked at Sarah, whose eyes had rolled to the back of her skull, moaning like a sexually oppressed banshee after 2,000 years of haunting people as Kaze thrust slowly.
The brte swallowed nervously; she didn''t want to initiate anything, especially when Sarah was 30yers deep in the depths of lunacy but she was desperate!
"Um Sarah will you." Riley began hesitantly.
While she didn''t expect the blonde to hear her over the ear-bleeding volume of her moaning, there was an immediate reaction.
Eerily possessive, even.
Spiritual Connection tried establishing a connection with Riley. While it was only partially effective, they were all connected with synesthesia and a form of mentalmunication.
"D-Do you want me to p-ple-ease you?" Sarah stammered between moans.
Riley turned bright red in embarrassment. Of course, she did!
However, the sheer casualness and naturalness of the blonde''s response were so strange and surreal that she couldn''t understand what had happened.
"I I do need want pleasing...." Riley awkwardly replied, blushing furiously and covering her mortified expression.
After letting out another moan that made the faction members fear for the woman''s wellbeing, Sarah locked gazes with the brte. "W-WhaaaaH~ d-d-do you want m-me to do?"
Riley stared into the blonde''s crazed eyes, which held a deep desire to die so that she could go out at the peak moment of pleasure and happiness she''d ever reach again.
Sarah had checked out from life itself.
The brte wanted to feel concerned for her, inquire about her mental health, or fear that she''d end up like her, but she was going insane herself!
"I will you use your mouth to." Riley exined awkwardly, cringing at every moment.
"W-What-whatever y-you want me to use my m-mouth on." Sarah stuttered between screaming in overwhelming pleasure, "J-Just give give it."
"G-Give it?" The brte stammered.
"Y-Yeah. Give it." The blonde said, pushing her disheveled hair from her eyes with a shaky hand, "W-Whatever you want my m-mouth on, just give it to meeeeeeeEEEEE~!"
Her arms gave out, and she smashed face-first into the bed.
Riley thought she might have goneatose if not for the shrilling moans barely muffled by the ultra-luxurious foam mattress.
"You want me to just put whatever I want for you to use your mouth on." She gulped, "In front of you?"
"Yes! I-I don''t care wh-what it is, just give it." Sarah moaned, "If it p-pleases you, I''ll ept a-anything."
"W-Wait, you [want] me to give you something to use your mouth on?" Riley asked in confusion.
"I-I want sex, you, something, w-words, gone." The blonde stuttered in a moaning haze, "I w-want to h-h-have sex with you. N-Name your p-price."
"P-Price!? No, what? Free, Sarah, free, seriously fucking free." The brte cried with hands over her face, "Just please."
Kaze wasughing in disbelief. It had been millennia since he had seen a simr scene.
His harem was made exclusively of immortals that were powerful enough to destroy Earth with a wave of their hands.
He''d have trouble drawing a reaction like this out of them with a dark arts technique!
"T-Than give it." Sarah pleaded desperately.
Riley blushed but gave up with posturing and stripped off her bikini bottom, exposing her cleanly shaven pussy, which was embarrassingly wet.
She stared down in mortification and then back at the blond, who had crashed face first into the mattress again, screaming into it like a death metal microphone.
The brte sat up and crawled over to face her. She sat down again with her legs closed awkwardly. "I-I a-are you sure that you want"
"Yes, oh f-fuck yes!" Sarah screamed into the mattress, somehow still able tomunicate with her from the alternate dimension she was banished to.
Everything about what happened next resembled a certain b-rated horror film.
Sarah, face first on the mattress, with her hair covering her face, crawled slowly between Riley''s feet.
Kaze smiled and walked with his knees slowly,ughing his ass off internally as he watched the poor brte''s emotionally confused facial expressions.
She saw the resurrected banshee crawling toward her as a symbol of sexual horror and a beacon of hope. Her sheer mortification and pulsing desires were fighting a bloody battle.
But when the woman gently tapped on both of her shins in a desperate [please open up] gesture, she wisely let her desire win.
The blushing brte spread her legs slowly and hid her face, so she didn''t have to watch the wretched banshee crawl between her legs like a screaming, wounded soldier.
When Riley felt the blonde''s hair on her inner thighs, she gasped in sexual frustration.
Sarah lifted her head for the first time since crawling and pushed herself up with shaky arms.
"L-Look, I-I have no fucking clue what I''m d-doing." She gasped between moans, "But say something, anything seriously, anything b-but no, and I''ll f-fall face first into you."
"If you." The brte gulped, blushing furiously.
"Good enough." Sarah chuckled before literally falling headfirst into her crotch.
After two seconds of awkward confusion, she pushed herself up, stuck out her tongue like a half-starved vampire, and lowered it.
"AhahahHHhhHHHhHHhHHhHHhhhHHH!" Riley screamed in wild euphoria as God came down from the heavens and personally pulled her soul from her body.
One minute ago: Third Floor; Sober Squad Headquarters
"Oh my god is that a wounded animal up there!?" A man cried.
"Yeah, definitely wounded wait, what!?" A female cried, "No! She''s not ''wounded'' are you serious?"
"Look, this isn''t the time to grill me for being vulgar. That''s not natural!"
"Or-gasm. That''s an ''orgasm.'' I know you''ve never given a woman one, but you should be able to identify one instead of calling her a [wounded animal]."
"Don''t p between words. I hate when people do that."
"Then stop treating women like animals, you misogynistic pig."
Another group of men and women joined in passionately.
"Look, I''m with him, Karen. I''m not sure if you''ve ever had an orgasm, but one second of this would be a soul-shattering orgasm, and she hasn''t stopped for three minutes.
I''m genuinely concerned for her wellbeing and extraordinarily jealous simultaneously."
"Don''t bring my sex life into this! It doesn''t change that we''re listening to an [orgasm] and orgasms won''t kill you, Sarah!"
"Yoooooo, look,dy. Can you start talking sense? People need air to live and screaming in pleasure releases air.
I''m surprised that she''s still conscious after hyperventting that hard."
"Can everyone shut up? I''m trying to burn this sound into my memory forever!"
"Riiiiiight!? This guy''s a total sex god!"
"Didn''t those women say there were two women?"
"Yeah, I''m curious if he can pull this off again after he''s finished up."
"I''m surprised he''s not tapping both of them right now. It seems kinda anti-climatic for a threesome if he''s only getting one of them off."
"Putting aside people being unable to tap two people at once do you think it''s possible for someone to please two people with this level of"
"AhahahHHhhHHHhHHhHHhHHhhhHHH!"
"W-Whoa-whoa-woah-WHOA! Hold the phone! Was that the second woman?"
"Dude, that seriously was! He''s making them both howl!"
"Hah. This sounds awful! Sex isn''t supposed to be resistance training!"
"Is there a waitlist or something, Mandy?"
"Wait, you can''t be serious, Lisa!"
"No, Mandy. Do you think we should make one? If we take the initiative and he epts it, we''ll be on the top!"
"Too bad, I''ve already made one. You can get on mine, though."
"Dude, teach has students arguing over who will make the sign-up list to sleep with him. What a legend!"
"Right!? There''s a sign-up list to create sign-up lists! I wish I could post this on Yanko!"
"AhahahHHhhHHHhHHhHHhHHhhhHHH! MiiiiIIIIILEY!"
"Wait! Are the women going down on each other!? This is epic!"
"I''m confused. How''s he getting the two women to have the same reaction?"
"I''m not sure, but I am curious!"
The sound from upstairs abruptly stopped, and the area fell silent for a minute.
"Wait, is that it? I''m not sure why, but it feels kinda anti-climactic.
I get that people can scream harder than max volume, but wasn''t there supposed to be like a mega super orgasm or something?"
"Is that is? Are you serious? The women have been screaming non-stop for like 20 minutes!"
"It''s been five minutes. You''re acting like [this] needs to be exaggerated."
"Yeah. Those five minutes have been absolutely gruesome. It''s a been a massacre up there."
"Why isn''t anyone talking about the main issue here?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Okay, hear me out. You know how the second woman screamed the other''s name instead of the Emperors? Well, I was thinking what would happen if she took that D?"
As if by magic, they got their answer immediately, and it started a riot.
Chapter 78 Breaking The Rules
One Minute Prior to the Sex Pausing: Kaze''s Bedroom
"AhahahHHhhHHHhHHhHHhHHhhhHHH! MiiiiIIIIILEY!" Riley screamed, holding the back of Sarah''s head as the woman licked her clit.
Kaze abruptly pulled out of the blonde, whose entire body was twitching.
"W-Why did you why stop?" She asked weakly, "Please don''t stop."
Sarah turned to him with pleading eyes that expressed pure devastation. She was like a dope-fiend who feared never getting a high again.
The same was true of Riley, who stopped moaning because the blonde lifted her mouth from between her legs to speak.
"I had to." Kaze said with a mysterious smile, "If I didn''t, you wouldn''t get to enjoy your first female-provided orgasm. Don''t you want to enjoy what she experienced?"
Sarah arched her back upward to see the stupid smile on the brte''s face after she had a soul-shattering orgasm.
Riley was sad to stop, but that''s because her orgasm shredded her frontal cortex, leaving only her central amygd to pump out gallons of dopamine into an irrational brain.
The blonde gulped nervously and looked down at Riley''s crotch, which was now a warzone pleasurescape.
Seeing saliva on the brte''s abdomen was embarrassing, but it reminded her how much she enjoyed it.
"Um, Riley. Will you." Sarah began nervously.
"Eat your pussy?" Riley asked bluntly, letting her chest rise and fall.
The blonde looked at the softspoken woman in surprise. "Um, yeah. Is that okay?"
"Is that okay?" The brte chuckled bitterly, "Sarah, I''d do anything you want right now. I''d wear one of those jester suits, publicly dere myself a lesbian, and let you spank me if you asked. So eating you out feels anti-climatic."
Sarah''s face blushed after hearing that the brte would announce she was a lesbian. It was genuinely concerning! "Riley, are you actually a les"
"You''re too much." Kaze interjected mockingly, "If I asked you to proim yourself a lesbian in a jester suit after promising to spank you, would you?"
"Well, yeah. Of course, but" Sarah stopped talking when she realized how foolish she was.
"Riley''s saying that you pleased her." He smiled, "You should be proud and let her reciprocate the favor."
The blonde looked at the brte''s mocking smile and gentle eyes.
"Come on, hurry up. ''Give it'' to me." Rileyughed mockingly, pushing herself up to crawl out of the way.
Sarah swallowed nervously; it was her turn to feel nervous. However, she was still partially brain-dead, so she nodded andid down.
The brte crawled over with her lower c-cup breasts swaying gently.
When Sarah saw her, she thought she understood the meaning of horror-image sex.
Riley''s straight hair was knotted and stered in every direction imaginable.
? Her body glistened with sweat, her breathing was ragged, and her red skin showcased her sickly internal body temperature.
She looked like a wretched beggar selling her body for food.
The blonde was concerned, but that''s because she couldn''tprehend how horrifying she looked ten minutes ago!
Sarah closed her eyes and swallowed nervously, watching Riley''s mouth move closer to her legs.
Kaze gave them a strange smile. Naturally, he wasn''t unaware of the raging listening party downstairs.
On the contrary, he was about to stoke the mes higher. He wanted to make his skills known to everyone in the faction.
It would inspire dual cultivation in the faction and ensure that those who slept with him didn''t face social istion or ridicule.
In essence, it was both politically focused and shameless advertising.
"Breathe, you two." Kaze smiled, "And Riley."
The brte turned her head to meet the emperor''s gaze. "Yes?"
"No matter how intense things get, you must never neglect your partner''s pleasure." He said with a mysterious smile, "She didn''t, so you mustn''t either."
Riley gave him a wry smile. "I wouldn''t do that; I''d find it unfair and deplorable."
"It was but a friendly reminder." Kaze replied with a strange smile, "Now let''s begin, shall we?"
Present Time: Third Floor; Sober Squad Headquarters
"Okay, hear me out. You know how the second woman screamed the other''s name instead of the Emperors? Well, I was thinking what would happen if she took that D?"
"I''m curious now too."
"I''m sure you are."
"Either way, you know it''s going to happen. It''s not a matter of if; it''s a matter of when."
"You sound really confident."
"Of course I am. No one gets this good at sex if they don''t actively seek to please people. I doubt he''d get here if he didn''t please both."
"Then why hasn''t he?"
"It''s been a minute. Do you think that someone could pick up this quickly afterward?"
"Yeah, you''re right. We''ll be here for at least ten"
"AhahahHHhhHHHhHHhHHhHHhhhHHH~!"
"KaaaaaaaaaahhhhhHhHhHhHhHAZEEE~!"
Two unworldly screams exploded from the fourth-floor bedroom simultaneously, shattering the airwaves. They were instantaneous and simultaneous, leaving everyone bewildered.
"H-He-He-HE FUCKING DID IT! MY MAN!" A man yelled.
The area exploded in cheers and apuse, causing a massive uproar.
Those on the bottom floors began pushing against the detox centers to move up the floors.
"DON''T GO UP THERE!"
"Shut up,dy! Everyone''s doing it! You treat it like he will punish us all just for going to a listening party!"
"We''re just following orders!"
"What orders? Did he personally give you these orders?"
Everyone started getting aggressive as they pushed against the people blocking the stairs.
Present Time: Kaze''s Bedroom
"It''s always the quiet ones who are the loudest in bed." Kaze chuckled, listening to Riley scream at the top of her lungs.
He needed to constantly slow down to give her a chance to reconnect to Sarah, who was also twitching.
The blonde had forgotten how sensitive she was, and was thrilled by the experience, so she didn''t mind.
During a brief pause, Kaze closed his eyes and used a technique to scan the mansion. When he did, he frowned. "They''re already breaking the rules over something so frivolous."
He pushed his technique farther to sense Qi.
"Heh. It seems misfortune has smiled upon the fools." The emperor grinned, "I suppose there won''t be a better time to make an example of them."
"W-What?" Riley asked in confusion.
"I was saying I should teach you the meaning of a true orgasm." Kaze replied in a charming tone, "So prepare yourself."
Sarah was nning to ask a question, but before she could speak, his body glowed gold and
"K-KAAAAAAAAAAAAZE!" Riley screamed, using Sarah''s clit as a microphone.
Her trembling lips were enough to transfer the Yang Qi through the blonde''s body, and her oversensitivity to the event made her scream in pleasure.
The rioting downstairs intensified as expected, and Kaze didn''t let up, creating the full spiritual connection between the two and filling through soul bodies with Yang Qi and extracting it from them.
Present Time: Second Floor
When the people on the first and second floors heard the two women moaning for themselves, light as it was, there was a stampede.
Everyone guarding the third-floor steps was immediately bum rushed, and their ranks broke instantly.
Faction members pushed up the stairs but soon found that it was fruitless.
The pushing people at the top met the already massive line of people and only got halfway up, reminding them of the obvious.
Realizing the situation, they understood that they broke the rules and got no farther than they were! As a result, they tried to walk back down the stairs, but a wall of people blocked it.
Therefore, the panicked people began yelling in both directions, trying to get into the corner of the third floor.
That stoked the mes further, leading to yellinging from the top and bottom of the stairs, leading to a fully vtile situation on the first and second floors.
Those on the second floor became more aggressive until the people on the first floor abruptly fell silent in a wave, and a cool breeze swept over them.
Icy chills crawled down everyone''s spines when they felt it and experienced the volume shift.
Chapter 79 Ominous Power Play
15 Seconds Ago: First Floor
Hundreds of faction members fought to get out of the way of pushing people. Everyone was interested in the fiasco exploding upstairs but didn''t want to intervene.
Those that helped the detox stations got overrun instantly.
No one could speak over the confusion and chaos.
However, everyone stopped what they were doing when they felt an ominous gust of wind enter the mansion.
They turned around and looked out the front door to thewn. The area was now almost empty because of the rush to get inside.
As a result, they could see clearly and didn''t like what they saw.
An ominous fog rapidly spread around the area, leading to a graveyard feel. It got more aggressive by the second, and countless people watched the scene in horror, calming down.
"W-What the fuck is going on? It''s summer!" A man stuttered.
The yell incited more panic, and the push to get up the stairs or move to the lower floor intensified alongside the yelling.
Unfortunately, no one could move. Those on the staircase had oppressive fear cycling through their veins. They could only wait and pray that the threat wasn''t a manager.
The area eventually fell dead silent again as people watched with beating hearts and shivered from the cold.
Those on the upper floors calmed down, confused why it was suddenly colder, and people stopped yelling downstairs.
No one could hear footsteps over the loud music and yelling upstairs, so they could only watch the strange fog pass through the area slowly, taking far longer than necessary.
After a full minute of watching nervously, a blonde walked through the door, surrounded by a torrent of frost.
Her footsteps were slow, and her crystal blue eyes were colder than ice.
"Stop the music." Evalyn said chillingly, gazing around the area and taking note of the beaten detoxification stations.
The person closest to the staircase yelled that the music needed to be cut and that they should pass the message on.
Faction members yelled to each other for a full minute before the music on multiple floors stopped.
Once the mansion was silent, watching the icy blonde in horror, she panned their gazes.
"Can someone on the staircase exin what''s happening here?" Evalyn asked coldly.
Everyone on the staircase felt icy chills crawling down their spines. They looked at each other, afraid to speak.
If they did, they''d have to admit they attempted to break the rules to listen to Kaze have sex.
"T-There was something big going on upstairs that everyone was talking about." A woman on the staircase gulped, "So everyone was trying to get up the stairs."
Evalyn''s lips curved upward. "Something big? Can you borate what the big event is?"
The female faction member gulped in shame. "I-I''m not sure."
"Hoh? Surely you''ve heard what it is, yes?" The blonde mused, "It''s the talk of the town."
Dead silence followed. Everyone stopped talking, including the woman she was talking to.
"Apparently the faction leader is holding a big demonstration we wanted to take part in." A man argued nervously.
"And you don''t know what the demonstration is?" Evalyn smiled.
"Not exactly. No one on this floor has been able to verify it." The man argued bravely.
"...kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaze!"
Riley screamed Kaze''s name at the final climax at the top of her lungs if by fate.
The situation didn''t reply on serendipity, however. Now that the music and shouting had stopped, the final climaxes were piercing and unmistakable.
"Hoh? It has nothing to do with the profound orgasm everyone can now hear upstairs?" The blonde mused mockingly, pointing to the ceiling with her index.
Everyone shook with fear when she pointed out the obvious.
"W-We couldn''t hear it because of the music, pushing, and yelling." The first woman argued.
"Is that so?" Evalyn smiled, "There''s enough room on the second and third floor to handle this many people.
Can anyone tell me why getting up the stairs is so difficult?"
The faction members froze when she asked that question.
She panned their faces with the same smile.
"Come now. I''m certain at least one person knows." Evalyn asserted, "It can be from one of the battered members in the corner that were minding their own business responsibly."
A brave man in that category spoke. "There were rules stating intoxicated people couldn''t go to the third floor. So everyone used the detoxification services and then rushed to go up."
"Is that so? Then can someone tell me why intoxicated people are trying to get to the third floor to hear a private action no one has business listening to?" Evalyn smiled.
Those on the stairs shook in fear.
While those on the second floor didn''t know what happened, the rule breakers felt icy chills running down their spines.
"I''m not sure if anyone''s doing that. W-We were only going to the second floor." A man gulped, "We haven''t broken any rules."
"That''s a great point, so please allow me to amend my question." Evalyn chuckled, "Can anyone exin why these detox stations are broken apart and there are faction members [suffering] from Qi deprivation outside?"
Everyone stopped breathing when they heard the word [suffering].
"Hmmm? You don''t think there''s [consequences] for using a technique too many times?" She asked, "Has no one every exhausted their Qi before?"
The room remained silent.
Those she called out shuttered with shock.
"T-There are hundreds of us." A man on the stairs stuttered, "Most of us haven''t interacted with any of them. W-We''re ignorant and not trying to break the rules."
"That''s an astute observation." Evalyn smiled, "Then can you tell me why [you] clearly stated:
[Come one, everyone''s doing it, and the detox members are gone. They can''t punish hundreds of people, so don''t be a pussy; we need to hear this!]?"
At that moment, the man realized why Evalyn had waited outside for an unknown period. She was listening to everyone, preparing a power y.
"T-That wasn''t"
"You? Is itmon for other people to have a voice almost identical to another?" The blonde mused with a malicious smile, "I didn''t know that wasmon."
"Look,dy. We weren''t all breaking the rules." A woman snapped in frustration.
"I know you are close to Kaze, but you can''t just throw around your weight just because of that.
It''s not fair that you''d abuse your rtionship to use us of crimes."
Everyone connected the gossip they heard to the situationit was the [Honor Girl] from the viral videos!
Whispers spread through the faction like wildfire after her statement, breaking through the fear.
The blonde listened to the gossip, confirming how they knew her.
"Is that so? Does anyone know the name of the woman in the [Honor Girl] videos?" Evalyn mused.
Everyone whispered until one man''s eyes widened in shock, and he looked at her with even greater fear.
She turned to him with a venomced smile. "It seems you have the answer. Care to share?"
The man swallowed nervously. "I''m not certain, so forgive me, but Is it Evalyn Skye?"
Gasps rippled through the area, moving up the stairs to the top. From there, the gossip spread further,municating fear through shared synesthesia.
Everyone listened carefully, awaiting confirmation or denial.
Evalyn''s lips curved up higher into a horrifying yet bewitching smile. "That''s correct. Tell me, everyonedoes my name, the faction''s name, and my rtionship to Kaze Lexicon sound coincidental?"
Those on the stairs smiled bitterly, averting their gaze with devastated expressions.
"I suppose it''s pointless to ask the obvious." She chuckled murderously.
"S-Sorry, Ms. Skye." A woman said with trembling eyes.
"Don''t apologize to me." Evalyn said coldly, "You should all be saying sorry to the people who could die if Kaze doesn''t get his ass down here.
Yet I can''t get up those stairs, yes?"
Everyone froze at her words, and anxiety pierced their hearts.
"Of course not. So this is what you''ll do." Evalyn grinned, "You''re going to yell these words up the stairs [the detox station workers are dying outside; we need an intoxicated person to spread the message until it reaches Kaze Lexicon].
That exact message without changing the verbiageanyone that does will receive severe consequences.
If no one steps up, people will die. Mass expulsions will ur; to both the guilty and non-guilty."
"An icy chill crawled down everyone''s spine when they heard her ask. They immediately understood how horrifying her ask was.
Everyone who broke the rules had to admit their guilt or let the people die.
Evalyn smiled. "Now."
The man who broke the rules ryed the message. "Detox workers are dying right now; we need someone drunk to"
"[The detox station workers are dying outside; we need an intoxicated person to spread the message until it reaches Kaze Lexicon]." Evalyn corrected coldly.
"That''s what you''re saying, verbatim. If you can''t say it, I suppose you''ll need someone to help remind you, yes?"
"M-Ms. Skye that will take a long time." A woman said nervously.
"If you don''t do that, how can you expect this statement to move up the stairs intact by the third floor?" The blonde asked coldly.
"That telephone game and posturing will distort the message until it doesn''t reach Kaze intact."
"T-This is very serious, right?" A man gulped, "So can''t you stop the punishment games and walk up the stairs to do it yourself? You can punish uster."
Evalyn gave him a murderously sarcastic smile. "Okay, get out of the way."
The man immediately tried to move, but no one could. Everyone was packed on the staircase, which took a lot of time.
"You can stop trying. I don''t have time to exin my identity to everyone and y this game." She asserted coldly.
"Since this is your fault, I suggest you summon all of your resources to make it happen."
Chapter 80 The Strange Punishment
Present Time: Outside the Mansion
Thirteen people rxed around a fire pit without a care in the world.
They were exhausted, but the groups cycled based on their power limitations. At some point, they refused to return.
As a result, no one was suffering from Qi deprivation.
"Man, I''m so d that woman showed up."
"Right? I thought she was scary when she ensured we were all okay, but now I''m thankful."
"I agree. Watching that ominous frost develop around thew was terrifying, but she shut up the entire mansion within a minute of walking in."
"She must be important, too. If that''s the case, at least we''re in luck for following the rules."
"But we did refuse to return."
"That''s true, but she can''t differentiate which were new and which weren''t, right?"
"I wouldn''t start making excuses. If that woman could instantly shut down that raging party, she doesn''t ept justifications, right? We won''t get punished; just be d for that."
"True. Either way, I''m d its over."
Kaze''s Bedroom: Fourth Floor
"That was magical." Riley said with her eyes closed in bliss.
"Right? I''m d the party''s finally over so we can enjoy it." Sarah sighed, "It was getting loud."
Kaze chuckled mysteriously; his mind was somewhere else.
He heard everything that happened after the women had their grand climax, which included Evalyn''s solution for dealing with the problem.
Naturally, the emperor monitored the people using his detox technique and ensured they were fine. So he knew her game was psychological punishment, but
"Those idiots downstairs think [this] is the punishment." He chuckled under his breath.
"Hmmm? Did you say something Kaze?" Riley blushed in embarrassment, turning away.
While she was satisfied beyond belief and felt connected to him, she was screaming and being crude for thest thirty minutes against her personality.
"The people downstairs have caused some trouble, and Evalyn''s dealing with it." Kaze chuckled while standing and grabbing his cks, neatly folded on his desk, "So I''ll need to go."
"We''re... not a nuance to you right?" Riley cringed, "We can leave if you want."
"I''m okay with leaving too." Sarah followed huridly, "You don''t have to leave because of us."
"You two are too much till the end." Kazeugh-scoffed, "I''d never run away from a woman after sex unless there was a reason."
They looked at him in confusion.
"Forgive me." Riley blushed, "It just seems strange that you''re so certain of things when it''s dead silent right now."
"Do you question my word so much?" The emperor asked mockingly, "You''re about to hear these exact words after a few failed attempts."
He recited the words, and sure enough, his words proved prophetic before he finished dressing.
Both looked at him with wide eyes, and he chuckled. "I''ll be backter; the party is officially over, so you can feel free to spend the night here."
Their eyes lit up in surreal happiness at his words; they were d he wasn''t kicking them out and running downstairs to collect more women.
The emperor waved his hand, and a wall of warping space spread out before him. Before he entered it, he gave them both a charming smile.
"You already resigned from that pointless bet, yes?" Kaze said with a maic voice, "So don''t feel awkward talking to each other.
What you experienced together is sacred and worth talking about."
Riley and Sarah blushed furiously and awkwardly turned away from each other.
"Suit yourself." He chuckled while walking through the warp gate.
After a minute of silence, listening to Kaze downstairs, they finally spoke.
"I don''t feel awkward." Sarah sighed, "Like, at all. I hope this doesn''t sound like a confession, but I wouldn''t have a problem doing this again."
"Same." Riley confirmed, "Avoiding a cheating advantage that feels incredible seems stupid. But I''m not sure how to initiate it. Kaze took care of that."
"Where''s that blunt warrior from the bedroom?" Sarahughed in disbelief.
The brte turned on her side to face the blonde. "Where''s the woman saying gimme-gimme?"
Sarah blushed bright red. "I couldn''t think straight! That wouldn''t have happened if Kaze wasn''t using his dick like a magic wand!"
They burst into giggles after the statement.
"Buuuuuuut... you''re different, you know that? I was brain dead when I started wylin'', but you got bold and blunt just from me alone." The blonde chuckled.
"That was Kaze''s power pulsing through you." The brte replied mockingly, "You just experienced that, so you should know."
"Do you want to bet?" Sarah asked with curved lips.
"You''re not good at winning bets." Rileyughed.
"I know." Sarah replied with a predatory smile, making Riley''s heart skip a beat.
Two minutes, seventeen seconds prior: Third Floor Sober Squad''s Headquarters
Kaze walked through the wall of the third-floor ballroom out of thin air.
It was impossible not to notice because everyone''s body was suddenly pushed to the side by an invisible force.
The same thing happened when he walked forward, forcing everyone out of the way no matter how heavy they werethey just glided into everyone gently.
"K-Kaze!" The man who confessed stuttered in disbelief, "I-I can exin."
The emperor waved his hand, and everyone in the room began glowing. The aura color was shades of orange, from light yellow to red.
Once they began glowing, everyone who was intoxicated cringed.
With a wave of his hand, the emperor used a detoxification technique to sober everyone up and identified everyone that broke the rules simultaneously.
"F-Faction leader. I-I''m sorry that" A faction member said before getting cut off.
"I don''t forgive or forget transgressions against my rules." Kaze interjected coldly, "I only decide upon consequences ranging from warnings to swift, decisive retribution."
Everyone shuttered, chilled by his cold and definitive words that indicated that he wasn''t forgiving. He dered that everyone was guilty in his mind, and he''d never forget thatand he wouldn''t.
? With his hyperthymesic memory, he truly never forgot those that transgressed his authority.
"Considering there are no drinks in this room that I''m aware of, and the sober people enjoyed themselves, I don''t feel this situation deserves consequences exceeding a warning" The emperor announced.
The faction members began to breathe sighs of relief.
"unfortunately for you, I''m not the person administering punishment."
Their hearts froze instantly, and icy chills crawled down their spines.
"The person punishing you isn''t in a very [forgiving] state." Kaze chuckled in amusement, "I''m mentally preparing to be punished for having sex in my own home, so I suppose everyone else should prepare to do the same."
Without further discussion, the emperor chuckled and walked out of the room.
The hallway was too packed, and the space too scarce to push everyone out of the way.
So he waved his hand, and everyone in the hallway flew back-first into the walls as if they were mas.
Everyone watched in silent awe as the Emperor walked through the hall, hundreds of people making their way for him.
One hall, one room, one area after the other, Kaze took note of everyone who broke or was in the process of breaking the rulesall 87 of them.
"E-Emperor, aren''t you going to save them?" A worried woman stuttered.
Kaze smiled gently on the rule breaker, whosementation was suffocating.
"Don''t worry." He smiled mysteriously, "Everyone''s doing okay. You''re all just learning the value of keeping the rules here.
The person enforcing order right now is far fairer than I am; however, she''s more [creative] in her punishments."
"C-Creative?" A man suttered.
"Oh, yes." The emperor smiled, "You''ll see soon enough. You haven''t been punished yet."
The guilty shivered in fear after his ominous words, watching his rxed grin with extreme anxiety.
Evalyn frowned when the emperor finally made it down the first flight of stairs. "You took your"
Kaze waved his hand, and everyone in the room developed an aura, with Evalyn being pure white and the rest tinted with orange hues.
Everyone gasped in surprise at what happened but fell silent again.
The blonde narrowed her eyes slightly, watching him take note of every person present with discerning eyes.
Aside from realizing he wasn''t simply wasting time, she was studying his actions. He was looking at every person, focusing on those who were shaking and not.
Moreover, the thing that interested her was everyone''s behavior.
They were silent from her dominating presence from the beginning and fell quiet despite not knowing who she was.
However, somehow the yboymanded far more respect, not out of fear but some other force she didn''t know about. She wanted to know what it was.
Kaze looked around the room and spoke. "This is Evalyn Skye; she''s one half of Immortal Skye, so what she says goes.
I''m certain she didn''t say her name for you to know that, yes?"
Everyone swallowed nervously and nodded.
He looked at the blonde with a mocking smile. "Since what you say goes, let''s hear your punishment for this transgression.
While the detox team members are safe, I''m certain you''re not okay that they were threatened, yes?"
The faction members turned to her with gasping expressions. "Hey, wait are you saying that no one was in danger?"
They turned to him with wide eyes, seeking confirmation.
"You understand the meaning of [what she says goes], yes?" Kaze asked coldly, "It means your question is as fruitless as her words'' veracity.
I suggest you look at her before you get reprimanded for not respecting her."
Evalyn was stunned by the authority that he abruptly gave her. However, when the people turned to her, she forgot about Kaze and remembered her rage.
"Your actions disrespected Kaze''s simple rules, endangered the lives of the people enforcing them, and spat on the goodwill he provided you with thisvish party." She said coldly.
"It''s unbelievable that hundreds of people rushed to break the rules on the [first day] to peep on women''s intimate actions.
Most people stood around letting it happen, enabled it, and didn''t try to de-escte the situation.
You''re all disgusting and unfit to be part of a faction.
Therefore, [everyone] is barred from cultivation for the next two days. Offenders will get immediate expulsion without a trial.
We can feel cultivation from the other side of this faction, so don''t try cultivating in your bedroom unless you want to be expelled before the fourth day."
Everyone gasped in disbelief.
Evalyn turned to Kaze. "You know those who are guilty, yes?"
"Of course." He smiled in amusement.
"Good, they''re the only people exempt from the punishment." She replied, "Cultivation practice is mandatory and public; make sure to let them know.
Also, I''d appreciate it if you posted an exclusive, useful yet minor technique for them to learn."
"W-Wait! How the hell is that fair!?" A woman yelled.
"That''s extremely backward!" Another followed, "I haven''t left this floor and never nned to!"
"This is absurd! How can you reward the people who broke the rules?"
Evalyn lifted her index and pointed at each person that yelled. "Six, seven eight.
You eightyou''re also exempt. Is there anyone else who would like to be exempt from the [punishment]?"
Four people said yes reflexively, unable to see the menacing smile on her face.
However, everyone was sober now and realized there was something horrifyingly eerie about how silent the front row was.
A sinister wave of negative synesthesia waved through the space, forcing everyone to fall still with fear.
"Okay, you four are also exempt." Evalyn smiled ominously, "That includes you, Kaze. You''re exempt from [non-essential] cultivation for not creating a barrier. That''s all."
After her statement, she walked out the front door to return to her cultivation spot.
The emperor watched her back with an amused smile.
Once she was gone, everyone in the room turned to him with pleading eyes, praying he would pull the [cool dad] card.
"Faction leader, I understand what she says goes." A woman said meekly, "But Isn''t this a bit unfair? She just punished everyone but the offenders; she even punished you."
"Is there not a sane person amongst you?" The emperor scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Must I make more exemptions before you think about the punishment bestowed upon you?"
Everyone fell silent, deep in thought. A wave ofmunicatory synaesthesia waved through everyone present, and their eyes widened in horror.
"Hoh? It seems you understand." Kaze chuckled with a strange smile, "It''s a remarkably effective and fitting punishment for this situation.
Remember this brutal punishment before your break the rules or disrespect your leaders."
With that, he walked up the stairs to inform everyone else of the punishment Evalyn gave them.
[A/N: While this may seem like a buzz kill, it''s a level-up chapter. On the first day of training, you''ll see that this ruthless, real-world punishment tactic is a mass maniption tool that improves the training and leadership of Kaze''s army. I hope that when you see it in action, you''ll enjoy it. :)]
Chapter 81 June 25th, 2032 | 12 Days Until Final Influx
"Understood." Daniel grimaced nervously, "I''ll do my best to handle it."
"Good man." Kaze smiled, "I''m relying upon you. Don''t forget that the military is on your time, not the other way around."
The businessman gave him a wry smile. "I''ll try to think that way."
Hundreds of military personnel were in the area with building materials and contractors. They were already installing a 50-foot electric fence over the perimeter.
I''ll give you the details tomorrow morning. Goodbye, Kaze, and."
"Jacob Hays, but please call me Jake." Jake replied, shaking the man''s hand.
"Nice to meet you, goodbye." Daniel said before walking away, rejoining the military officials.
It was before 9:00 am, and Kaze had already made an absurd request while dealing with hundreds of military members asking him for information he didn''t have.
Worse, Kaze informed him that he''d be busy for the rest of the day.
The emperor led Jake to the center of the faction, where all of the students were assembled around the amphitheater.
As Evalyn requested, Kaze posted a technique called [Mortal Red Eye] on bulletin boards on the amphitheater stage.
Of the eighty-seven hard offenders, twenty-seven were sitting on the stage, [attempting to cultivate].
Amongst the guilty were the twelve innocent people that demanded exemption, making a total of thirty-nine learning the technique.
Each had expressions that expressed their profound regret. If they could turn back time, they would turn down the technique and a week of cultivation practice to avoid their fate.
The other faction members were having a meet-and-greet session in the amphitheater stands with salty expressions, each feeling [equally] punished because they couldn''t cultivate.
Kaze watched the scene with a slight smile alongside Jake, who was confused and still in the dark about what was happening.
A skycruiser touched down in his area, and soldiers bagged his and Victoria''s head, dragging them to Immortal Skye [before] the fourth influx. After that, he was in istion for two days.
Kaze had already briefed him on the state of affairs but hadn''t exined what had happened at the party.
"Why is everyone so angry?" Jake asked in confusion.
The emperor smiled and pointed at the students cultivating in the center.
"Evalyn banned everyone for cultivating for the next two days because that group and sixty others broke the rules."
Jake''s eyes widened in confusion. "Why would she punish the innocent?"
"Look around you, Jake." The emperor ordered mockingly, "The results are in to see, are they not?"
The regent swallowed nervously and panned the area. "I get that those in the center look more miserable than the rest, but I still don''t understand [why]."
"Let''s take a tour, shall we?" Kaze smiled, walking with his regent through the amphitheater to the Lockheed student mansion.
"As you can see, some rule-breakers are in the center, and the other 2,118 regr faction members are [coinicdentally] having meet and greets surrounding them." He grinned.
"Listen closely, and you''ll hear only one discussion topic."
Jake listened to multiple conversations as they walked.
"I can''t believe those jerks broke the rules and now they''re learning a new technique while we''re getting punished."
"Yeah, that guy over there was a real douche, too. I disliked him before, but now I hate him."
"Gah, this is so unfair! Why would those jerks benefit when they endangered people''s lives on the first day?"
"Shhhh, Faction Leader is walking around."
The emperor smiled and looked at his regent. "As you can see, everyone now how amon topic to bond over."
"Their hatred of those people?" Jake asked nervously.
"Pre-cisely." Kaze grinned, "Now, the people that broke the rules are receiving ruthless social punishment far more crippling than any loss of cultivation days. Take a look."
Those in the center had faces that screamed [kill me now. I''d ept a slow and painful death] type of expression.
Each looked at the technique on the wall, trying to ignore the hateful gazes and audible sneersing their way. It was awful.
"I see. You said sixty others weren''t in the center... why aren''t all of them on the stage?" The regent asked hesitantly, "Isn''t that unfair?"
"Oh, no. The other sixty offenders asked to be left out of cultivation practice." The emperor chuckled, "So I graciously granted their wish."
Jake''s eyes widened in confusion. "I''m confused why would you let people out of the punishment?"
"Let them out of their punishment?" Kazeughed, "Don''t be absurd; those people have it worse.
They wanted to escape social istion. However, do you think people would forget their guilt?"
Jake''s eyes widened in surprise. "Oh so everyone hates them, and they don''t get to cultivate."
"See for yourself." The emperor chuckled, pointing in the distance, "They''re gathered in one ce for group support. You''d think the reaper''s scythe was hanging over them."
The group of sixty was standing in a circle like a roman phnx, preventing anyone from seeing their faces.
"I-I see. Why are there other people in cloistered groups?" Jake asked in confusion.
"The punishment is horrifyingly effective because it punishes every guilty person on a sliding scale, depending on their involvement." Kaze exined.
"Those obnoxiously heckling the detox members got socially ostracized as well, as they aided in the rule-breaking, even though they didn''t technically break them."
"That makes sense but if it would have worked just by punishing everyone equally, then why give a technique to the people?" Jake asked in confusion.
"It seems like a benefit for those people, since the other sixty have it worse, right?"
A strange glint shed across the emperor''s eyes.
"Oh, yes. [That]." He chuckled, "That''s a [brand], Jake. Of the entire punishment, that''s the cruelest."
Jake''s eyes glided to the left. "Is it because using it will remind people of the crime?"
"Precisely." Kaze grinned, "The one I gave them is especially called [Mortal Red Eye].
It''s a remarkably simple yet profoundly useful technique that allows people to see farther, like a camera zoom feature. However, it makes their eyes glow red."
A horrifying wave of realization washed over Jake. "In other words, you gave them a technique constantly reminds people of their crime but is so useful that not using it is difficult."
"Cor~rect." The emperor chuckled, "If they use it, even their friends will resent them.
However, if they don''t, they get nothing from getting [extra] hated, and people will resent them for [not using it].
It''s remarkably cruel but effective. You can already see the people practicing it tremble in fear.
I doubt they''d use it if they weren''t ordered to practice it. It''s quiteical."
Every time someone''s eyes glowed, there was a wave of sneers and scoffs from hundreds of people. It was horrifying, humiliating, and borderline traumatizing.
"Was something like this necessary?" Jake grimaced, "It doesn''t sound like it was a serious problem, and it happened on the first day at a party. You know?"
"Yes, it is rather disagreeable." Kaze nodded straightly, "It''s created social segregation and tension, and that''s a problem.
However, everyone will think twice about breaking the rules and most importantly."
He turned to his regent with a mysterious smile. "Everyone knows that Evalyn has equal authority and respects her now."
"But don''t they also hate her?" Jake asked in confusion.
"Being loved means nothing if you''re not respected, Jake." Kaze dered, "The true love bestowed upon rulerses from prospering.
One''s charisma is worthless if their people''s lives are ravaged by war, hunger, and disease.
A ruler that does not have the authority orpetence to prevent long-term suffering and solve problems is doomed to unpoprity.
Reputation is the key to saving one''s life and protecting others; it is not a simple desire to live with poprity.
There wille a time when you''ll learn that the hard way."
Jake stared at the emperor in awe, still unbelieving that the man was the same person he had met in a bathroom with a dick drawn on his face.
The man''s respect and reputation soared to world-ss in less than a month. It was remarkable.
"Nowe, Jake; I''m taking you to Veronica." Kaze smiled, "Do you remember your directives?"
"Yes." Jake swallowed nervously, "No one can leave the room for five days, and I''m to help people with their cultivation and keep the peace.
I must not engage in any topic about your activities, Immortal Skye, or talk about the military.
I also cannot ask you questions about matters outside of the faction or talk to the faction members aside from the Lockheed students.
We''re in three-month istion for the retreat, and you won''t tell me more, so I should exin that to people, right?"
"That is correct. You mustn''t break those simple rules at any cost. Do you understand?" The emperor dered with a cold glint in his vibrant green eyes.
The regent swallowed nervously, feeling his mouth dry out from the action. "I do, but."
"But what?" Kaze asked in annoyance.
"Wouldn''t it be better to have answers so I could understand?" Jake asked timidly, "You told me that everyone else went through something I didn''t.
If I knew why, wouldn''t it help me act ordingly?"
"No, it wouldn''t." The emperor said seriously, "Everyone wants the same information.
If you had it, these people would eat you alive. They''d use every tactic avable to interrogate you, including using Veronica against you.
Right now, I''ve given you enough information to cause enough problems.
I can''t give you more until you understand the challenges of information handling. Do you understand?"
Jake dry-swallowed nervously. "I think so. You''re giving me knowledge and testing if I can keep my mouth shut, right?"
"Correct." The emperor confirmed seriously.
"Isn''t that a bit easy?" The regent asked.
"When I see you tomorrow, tell me if you still think it''s [easy]." The emperorughed in sardonic amusement.
The corners of Jake''s mouth curved into a truly pathetic smile.
The emperor rolled his eyes and led his regent into the Lockheed University students'' mansion. At the top of the stairs, he made the man stop to stare at the steel door.
Jake swallowed nervously. "Is this really necessary?"
"We''ve gone over this, have we not?" Kaze asked sternly.
"Yes... we can''t have a single leak about the military or the elite training, and thousands of military and faction members are walking around.
But Kaze, you''re not doing this simply to hide them from the other students.
That''s why it''s hard to feel okay that Veronica is in this room without knowing why."
Kaze gave him a bitter smile. He was d that the man was using his head and not mincing words. However, he was ying with fire.
"I have presented no falsehoods, but you are correct." He confirmed.
"There is a greater reason that everyone''s in this room for five more days; you''ll learn it in four days.
While I cannot say what it is, I can say it''s for the safety and benefit of Veronica and the rest of the people in this room.
It''s of tantamount importance and strictly benign."
"Then I''ll trust in your judgement." Jake replied in a low voice, looking at the steel door.
Kaze gave the man a strange look but put on a smile immediately after. "Good man.
Let''s go in and reintroduce you.
Not Jake, the nobody; not Payton, the new guy.
Jake Hays, the running candidate for the Head of Faction Affairs."
Jake''s eyes shook with shock, opening and closing his mouth in disbelief. "W-Wait, what?"
"Faction management; you understand, yes?" Kaze smiled, "You''re craven, naive, loathsomely timid, and your feeble nature is fatiguing. One truly relies upon a thesaurus to describe your cowardice."
The regent smiled wryly. Getting berated mercilessly after being praised was brutal.
"However, you''re neither a fool nor ipetant. As I told you on the day I met you, men don''t abandon those who aid their rise to power." The emperor continued.
"You''ve proven yourself trustworthy and loyal and show great promise. Your cultivation has improved by leaps and bounds, proving your dedication.
So long as you can handle tasks this simple, trust me, and do not betray me, I shall grant you power, status, wealth, and high quality of life."
Jake closed his eyes and took a deep breath to contain the desire to shed light tears. That was a treasonous act in front of the emperor.
"I''ll do my best, Kaze." He swallowed, choking back his emotions, "I''ll do my best."
"Good man." Kaze smiled, pping him twice lightly on the cheek, "Now let''s introduce the real you to the people you once found above you."
[A/N: Developmental chapters aren''t the most exciting, but they''re an investment in memorable characters you look forward to seeing. Action and leveling up returns tomorrow. Cheers!]
Chapter 82 [Jacob Remock Hays]
The emperor and his regent walked into the downstairs area fluidly. When they walked in, they found all 69 in the room''s center, chatting happily.
Kaze chuckled when he saw them. After hisst session, everyone was so excited, nervous, or [afraid] that they assembled in the cultivation area an hour in advance.
"Kaze!"
"Hey, Kaze!"
"Emperor Scrawn!"
An explosion of hellos and suck-up statements assaulted him instantly.
However, everyone quieted down when they saw a familiar face.
Jacob Hays.
The scrawny geek with pockmarks, messy hair, and sses less than a month ago was half as transformed as Kazesopletely different.
He wore a light green button-up shirt, charcoal grey cks, ck leather shoes, and a matching belt.
His haircut was professional and well-tailored and suited his dirty blonde hair.
Most importantly
Jake wasn''t a virgin anymore, and everyone didn''t need to know that Veronica seduced him to sense that.
The man was also far more tone, and the people with Minor Vision were awe-struck by his Qi breathing. It made everyone present look like a joke.
It wasn''t just his [Sky''s Breath] cultivation technique that made him impressiveit was his Qi breathing, which was patheticpared to Kaze''s but vastly superior to everyone else''s.
Everyone knew that they were far behind.
However, they felt inspired because Kaze and Jake had one thing inmonskill in cultivation.
The misleading interpretation was that cultivation was the key to sess and beauty as if it could make a person smart, capable, and fashionable.
Nevertheless, it made their hearts burn with the desire to improve.
"This is where you introduce yourself." Kaze smiled mockingly.
"Um." Jake swallowed nervously. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, ignoring the emperor''s twitching eyebrow.
The regent opened his eyes fluidly and addressed everyone.
"My name is Jacob Hays, and three weeks ago, Kaze told me that if I didn''t help him, I''d [die a hopeless virgin on the cusp of despair]. Jake chuckled.
After a moment of stunned silence, everyone exploded withughter.
"Well, I helped Kaze and now I''m not a virgin nor on the cusp of despair." He continued, "So I guess getting berated constantly has its benefits."
Moreughter followed; many were rolling on the ground dry-heaving.
Veronica blushed and turned away but giggled, pleased by his social progress.
Kaze smiled wryly. Everything about what he was seeing was bitter-sweet.
Caustically-sweet.
Murderously-sweet.
Treasonously-sweet.
If the person speaking weren''t Jake, the emperor would cut the man down where he stood.
Establishing authority was tantamount to leadership. So, like Evalyn, Kaze let him do as he wished.
Jake looked at his clothing and grabbed it slightly. "I thought that I''d die before dressing like this. But here I am, still confused about how I ended up wearing this."
More people burst intoughter.
"This guy just showed up at my house and ran my wallet dry, lecturing me the whole time." He chuckled, making everyone gasp, "It was mortifying, but it''s not so bad, right?"
Kaze smiled, watching the strange self-deprecation humor. His regent was simply telling the truth and pointing out the absurdity, but that''s all it took to be popr.
"You want to hear something funny?" Jake chuckled in disbelief, triggering everyone to fall silent in anticipation, "I loaned him money for a haircut and some clothing, and he gave me $1,000,000 two weekster.
I spent three nights panicking that the FBI would show up thinking I was a drug dealer."
Everyone erupted inughter, many rolling on the ground, clutching their stomachs. Everything the students heard was horrifyingly absurd.
"But that''s not the funny part." The regent chuckled, "When he sent me that million, he said [while this doesn''t repay my debt to you, it''s due interest].
I swear to god, those were his exact words."
People dry heaved on the carpet, desperately trying to breathe, and Veronica''s lips curved upward in amusement.
"Imagine how confused I was when I filmed him fighting people with crazy kung fu and somehow that resulted in him giving me the cultivation technique that led me here." He chuckled breathlessly.
Everyone''s eyes widened in shock.
"That''s right." Jake smiled, "That''s how we met. I did him a [small favor] by filming his conversation with Evalyn in case he needed to defend himself from her friends.
Just a random video. That''s all it took to transform from a hopeless virgin on the cusp of despair into this."
He looked at his shirt again and grabbed his cks.
The students overcame their shock and erupted intoughter again.
"So, I guess what I''m trying to say is that if Kaze could build up a hopeless virgin on the cusp of despair, imagine what he can do for you." Jake smiled.
"He''s an arrogant jerk, berates me constantly, and doesn''t tell me shit, but things always work out somehow."
Everyone burst intoughter when they saw Kaze''s twitching face.
The regent turned to the emperor with a wry smile that said [what else was I supposed to say?]
The emperor returned a murderous look that said [anything but that, you swindling buffoon!]
"He''s good to people when they trust him and respect him." Jake said honestly.
The students fell quiet for a moment. They finally felt like the regent got to the point: the sales pitch.
"A lot of respect." He chuckled, "Like, an obsessive amount of respect."
Everyone burst intoughter again, including Kaze, who didn''t mind him advertising his desires.
"I suppose I should get to the point." Jake said nervously, "I''m here to help with your cultivation for the next five days before you entertain the main faction."
Everyone fell silent for a moment and listened intently.
"I''m not Kaze, obviously." He continued, "But everyone with Minor Sight can see I''m more than ample enough to help people between lessons."
Over forty students could use the technique now that they had time to practice, so two-thirds of the room fell silent, and those who didn''t have the technique down stared at everyone else''s gobsmacked expressions.
"Once again, I''ll be here once a day for five days." Jake continued, "During that time, we n to turn you into elites strong enough to be iparable to the main faction members."
Everyone''s eyes trembled in shock, turning to Kaze for confirmation.
The emperor gave them mocking smiles before ignoring them.
"That way, when you''re introduced, we can say that you were elites from the beginning." Jake exined, "No one can im favoritism if you''re miles ahead of them; that''s what we aim to do."
Excited cheers waved through the area on his words.
"There are a few more things you should know." He continued, trying to retain hisposure.
"You''re only here for five days; for that reason, I will not answer any questions about affairs outside these walls.
If you ask me one of those questions, I won''t teach you."
Everyone fell silent; even Kaze was surprised by the man''s boldness.
"Each of you has an insurmountable advantage over everyone in the faction and world because of Kaze." Jake continued, letting his unnaturally bold voice drown out the sound of his beating heart.
"If you can''t respect his desire for mutually beneficial secrecy for five days, I won''t help you.
My policy isn''t a directive from Kaze. You can confirm that by the look of surprise on his face."
Kaze was indeed openly surprised, making everyone chuckle in bewilderment. They had never seen him look confused before.
"In case you''re wondering why that door is there, it''s because we cannot enforce the seven days of secrecy without it." Jake exined, looking at the steel door.
"We''d risk your elite treatment devolving into a riot if there was a single leak. That''s all."
Everyone listened to hung on his every word, far more trusting than when Kaze spoke.
He locked eyes with everyone.
"There''s nothing more to exin." Jake said dryly, "If you''re not out of this room in five days,in then.
I''m here to teach you; that''s all I''ll do. Is that clear?"
A few students nodded and the agreement spread through the area.
"Thank you. I look forward to teaching you all and helping you be Immortal Skye elites." He said with a slight bow.
Everyone exploded in cheers.
The emperor looked at his regent with a satisfied expression. He was pleasantly surprised by Jake''s actions, especially because he could hear the man''s heart beating like a war drum.
Kaze pped to get everyone''s attention. "Okay, now that you''ve met Jake, let''s get started, shall we? Let''s start with Qi channel tracing."
Everyone nodded and set to work.
When practice started, Jake frowned. There was a group of women that the men avoided like the gue.
There were a disproportionate amount of females in the group. As a result, there was always someone without a partner.
However, the men wanted towork with as many women as possible, so there was shifting.
When shifts urred, not a single man or woman looked at the group of women, and when one asked a man, they exined they had priormitments.
It was the most depressing sight he had ever seen.
"Kaze, why are those women being avoided?" Jake asked, turning to the emperor, "They''re pretty and seem like popr women, so I don''t understand."
"Oh them?" Kaze chuckled, "They think I''m a serial killer, and those withmon sense ignore them because they don''t want to get on our bad side."
"I see." The regent cringed, conflicted, "Should I"
"You''re a leader, Jake." The emperor dered dryly, "You have your directives; aplish them however you wish.
As a leader, you must make decisions and take responsibility for your actions.
p Every action you take has consequences, positive and negative.
So long as you''re willing to bear the impact and don''t perform unforgivable actions, you can act and learn from it."
Jake swallowed nervously and began to act, but the emperor stopped him.
"Before you do that, you must think." Kaze said sternly, "Right now, everyone''s happy and satisfied, and those people are more bitter than before.
Those people are the only thing standing between you and aplishing your goal.
Ask yourself if it''s worth risking everyone destabilizing for the happiness of the few who cannot be pleased.
If you decide to help them, remember that it wasn''t necessary if you fail."
Jake tried to turn to the emperor, but the man vanished out of thin air, which bewildered everyone who saw the warping space.
Kaze had a far more pressing and deadly concern to deal withhis soul.
Only one thing would fix itother people''s souls.
Chapter 83 June 26th, 2032 | 11 Days Remain
Kaze''s Bedroom: 7:35 am, June 26th, 2032
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Kaze, are you awake?" Daniel called out from the other end of the door.
Kaze''s eyes snapped open, and he pushed himself from the floor. "Yes, give me three minutes."
"Take your time." The businessman said hesitantly, stressed from his overbearing workload.
The emperor closed his eyes and cultivated for two minutes to regain strength. Luckily, his cheat technique helped amass energy extremely quickly.
Oncepleted, he stood up, used his illusion technique to hide the light purple veins developing on his chest, and buttoned his t-shirt.
He opened the door in less than three minutes with a bright smile. "Daniel, great to see you."
The man gave him a wry smile with a look of displeasure in his bloodshot blue eyes.
"As you requested yesterday morning, I was able to locate an excuse for you to go into the city." Daniel exined, "You cannot move alone, but you''d have the military''s full support."
Kaze studied the man''s facial expressions. "Do you have a briefing?"
Daniel nodded. "Yes, here are the documents."
The emperor nodded and took the mani envelope that he handed him from a safe.
When he opened it, his eyes widened in shock. There was an image of a massive ck panther with amethyst eyes, over 15 feet tall and thirty feet in length. It was attacking a helicopter firing at it.
"You cannot let the military get near this beast." Kaze muttered in disbelief.
The businessman''s eyes trembled, fearful from the look in his eyes. "W-Why not?"
Kaze gave him a brutal mocking smile. "Put me in touch with General Michaels; I don''t have time to waste addressing the obvious."
Daniel gulped and nodded, pulling out an encrypted military phone and handing it to him.
"General Michaels. Yes, it''s me, Kaze Lexicon." Kaze said in a chilling tone, "Tell your troops to cease and desist their operation to attack the Shadow Cat.
Your efforts are meaningless and are only provoking it to attack. You''re lucky it''s non-hostile."
"Non-hostile? Do you know how many troops it''s killed?" General Michaels asked from the other end.
"If a divine beast wanted to harm this city, it would already be gone." Kaze scoffed in disdain, "Your troops attacked it and were dealt swift retribution."
The general froze. "Retribution no, wait it''s that bad?"
"Where do you think that thing''s from?" The emperor scoffed, "Earth? That a house cat began cultivating and grew to be one ton mutation without food? Are you insane?"
The general''s eyes trembled on the other side of the life. "A-Are you meaning to imply this being is from where the cultivators are from?"
"Where else, general?" Kaze asked mockingly.
The general was stunned by the immediate confirmation and bold statements.
"Mr. Lexicon, what do you suggest we do, then? No will you take care of it?" General Michael sighed, understanding the situation.
"Yes. I''ll handle this immediately." Kaze said straightly, making the general perk up.
"However, I''ll only do it if you sanction all damage to property and life and do not question my methods.
Ideally, I aim to negotiate a peaceful settlement with it. I will not eptints or harassment after such a negotiation.
I will not waste my time exining my actions when dealing with a beast that could wipe out Malta. Do you consent?"
The general froze. "You n to negotiate with it? What does that even mean?"
"My condition is that you do not question my methods or my negotiation." Kaze growled, "Do you want me to handle the nuclear bomb in your city, or not?"
"Y-Yes. I''ll take full responsibility." General Michaels stuttered, "Just try never mind. We''ll send skycruisers to pick you up."
"Good, get them here quickly and then have your men fall back." The emperor said coldly, "There''s no point procuring a new pilotter."
The general swallowed nervously. "... Yes. I''ll have everything set up shortly. Thank you, Mr. Lexicon."
"Thank me by keeping your soldiers alive instead of ying the hero." The emperor replied bluntly, "I''ll await your transport."
He hung up the phone a secondter, staring at the images with a profound look on his face.
"Daniel, leave this ce." Kaze said coldly, "Make preparations for my departures at once."
"Yes. Right away, sir." Daniel replied, hurriedly leaving the room.
When the businessman was gone, the emperor narrowed his eyes.
"Why are you here?" Kaze cringed pensively, "Please do not make yourself my enemy. I do not wish to kill you today."
...
"Agent Ryker!" Kaze grinned, walking to the skycruiser, "Are you here to brief me, or has the military finally found enoughmon sense to send you on a suicide mission?"
The agent wearing sunsses and a suit in the summer sun, frowned.
"Hello, Mr. Lexicon." Agent Ryker said coldly, "I''m here to brief you and apany you to the location, nothing more."
"How fortuitious. It seems that whether General Michaels follows my orders to pull back and my pilot lives or disregards them and they die will have equal value." Kaze chuckled.
Agent Ryker closed his eyes behind the sses. "This way."
The two got into the skycruiser and took flight.
"What is that thing?" The agent asked bluntly.
"That, Agent Ryker, is a divine beast." Kaze replied coolly, "The cultivators that presented us with techniques couldn''t take this creature down. It''s a walking apocalypse in both our nes.
So, if necessary, we made need to negotiate with it."
Agent Ryker''s eyes trembled in shock. "You can''t I Negotiate?"
"It seems reason is fighting against your ignorance." The emperor chuckled, "Yes, negotiate. It understandsnguage and is far more civilized than humans."
The agent closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I''m trusting in you, so can you keep free of such frivolous remarks to prevent mimunications?"
"While your ask is well motivated, reasonable, andmendable, I do not jest." Kaze smiled, "If that beast weren''t civilized and came here to kill people, this city wouldn''t exist. "
"Then why"
"Because you''re foolishly attacking it." The emperor said coldly, "Sound familiar?
Don''t answer the obvious; you''ll get to observe if you''re smart enough to pull back and survive."
Agent Ryker shook and fell silent, understanding the connotation.
The two flew in silence for the rest of the way to Meridian City.
Aside from fires that had died out, and a few rubble areas from fierce fighting, it was still intact.
Contrary to expectations, the fourth wave only affected a tenth of the poption, and over half had regained partial senses.
However, the damage was immense. The death toll was high, the economy had copsed, and many were already searching for food, fearful of going outside.
It was a nightmare pandemic with a disease that resulted in physical consequences.
At this point in Kaze''s past life, he searched for food in areas ravaged by violent people fighting one another in the streets alongside his dad or hiding and protecting his mother.
He had found a cultivation technique online and had taught it to them. It was weak but enough to get them through.
This time, he was in a military skycruiser on his way to fight a divine beast that had no business on the mortal ne at any stage of the apocalypse.
"We''re approaching the city." Agent Ryker announced, "We have no idea where the beast is. It disappeared from surveince around 0100 hours."
"You won''t find it that way." Kaze replied calmly, "It''s transformed into its civilized form.
We''ll have to attract it; take me to a riot zone in the city, primarily consisting of the sick."
The agent narrowed his eyes in interest and suspicion. "Why?"
"Did General Michaels fail to inform you of my condition of not questioning my methods?" The emperor asked coldly.
"You are only here to y the foolish witness upon diplomatic request. Only that, nothing more."
Agent Ryker held back a reflex to scoff and gave the order to the pilot, who hovered the city, looking for an area.
Five minutester, the emperor gave the order when the pilot located an ample area.
"I suggest you fall back now." Kaze said, opening the hatch door a thousand feet in the air.
"W-What are you doing?" Agent Ryker asked in a panic, watching him prepare to jump like a paratrooper without a parachute.
Cultivation or not, a thousand feet was death! There was no return from that height; that''s what he thought.
"What does it look like I''m doing?" The emperor scoffed, "Opening the door to look cool?"
"N-No, I just"
Without further discussion, Kaze jumped out of the skycruiser, free falling to earth.
He looked up briefly and saw the skycruiser flying away, proving that the agent wasn''t aplete idiot.
After thirty seconds of falling, he found himself above a riot at a busy intersection near amercial district.
Kaze hovered above it, watching the riot unfold below with an oppressive expression.
Chapter 84 Soul Reaping
Kaze flew above the riot, developing on a four-way intersection with fournes on either side.
Riot patrol members and barricades prevented the three hundred rioters from getting into the economic district of the city.
It was an essential lifeline for the city, so the troops protected it at any cost.
Each soldier held an assault rifle or stood behind turrets in one of the twenty humvees blocking the rioter''s paths.
A pit of dead bodies riddled with bullets proved that the soldiers were no longer averse to killing when necessary.
They had a job and lost patience in dealing with the endless madness in the streets.
"I need food, you pig!"
"My family needs to eat!"
"You can''t horde supplies!"
"STAY BACK!" A soldier in green camo yelled, lifting his assault rifle, "You must go to the east entrance like everyone else!"
"East entrance!?" A woman scoffed, "There''s a mile-long line!"
"That''s a mile of people following the fucking rules. Now get back!"
No one noticed Kaze, who stopped falling twenty feet above them, hoving with his arms crossed.
"You don''t know the meaning of pain!"
"You make me sick!"
"FUCK YOU!"
"I don''t care what you think! Move back or you''ll join those dead bodies over there!" The soldier yelled.
"SILENCE!" The emperor boomed in an amplified voice, sending a wave of shock pulsing through the crowd.
The soldiers turned their turrets on the well-dressed ck-haired teen wearing a grey button-up and charcoal grey cks.
He stared at them with vicious green eyes.
"Who the hell are you!?" A soldier yelled, "Identify yourself!"
"Someone with enough power to fly, you fool!" Kaze yelled, "If you don''t turn away those weapons, you''ll learn that the hard way!"
Someone put their finger on the trigger. A momentter, that soldier disappeared, and everyone looked up, triggered by the sound of screaming.
"Aghhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
BOOM!
A crimson flower bloomed on the ground the speaking soldier stood a moment prior.
He disappeared, fell eighty feet from the air, and created a bloody mess in the exact same location.
Everyone turned back to the emperor, who had his hand forward.
"Must you have another demonstration to lower those weapons?" Kaze asked chillingly.
The soldiers trembled and lowered their turrets, traumatized by what they had seen.
Satisfied, the emperor spoke to everyone present.
"If you seek life, then leave." He dered boldly, "If you don''t, I''ll count you amongst the raving and depraved when I turn this area to ruin!"
Every sane person trembled in confusion and panic.
"W-Wait! You are not serious, right!?" A soldier cried.
Many more panicked soldiers followed instantly. They didn''t want to get in trouble with the military, which had be merciless over thest week.
"I speak no falsehood!" Kaze yelled, "If you''re sane and free of the disease, you understand my message, yes? The sick cannot.
Therefore, I''m giving everyone three minutes to leave before I kill those who fail toprehend orply with my statement.
I will not waste my breath differentiating between two equally insane people."
The soldiers and desperate rioters froze for a moment, lost in shock.
"Your three minutes start now!" The emperor boomed, "Remember that you cannot follow your supervisor''s orders if you''re dead.
Rioters, you''ll die on sight if you move forward to follow the soldiers. Now move!"
To drive his point, Kaze created a frost dragon and had it fly through the area.
It wasn''t an offensive weapon; it was something that he developed for the Ice Phoenix during their years traveling together.
Regardless, it was enough to strike fear into their hearts.
The soldiers fell back half a mile within three minutes, driving away.
As promised, Kaze sent down area shes to kill all who tried breaking past the barricade, sick or otherwise.
Dead bodies began stacking up, triggering those in the early stages of Qi sickness or sooner to turn around and run away.
In total, one-third of the crowd dispersed to sidestreets, and another fifty died trying to break free of the barricade.
Those that remained were either mad or stupid, and the emperor didn''t differentiate.
"What attack would draw her in?" Kaze pensively asked, "[Tears of the Fallen] should do. If I limit it to Sky ne techniques, she might not feel them."
He lifted his hands to the sky. An ominous wind swept through the area, collecting blood from the ground and lifting it to the earth in a vortex.
The world dyed red as a cloud of blood hovered in the air, shocking everyone for a mile.
"Fall." Kaze said with a ruthless voice, thrusting his hand to the earth.
Tens of thousands of red shards the size of fingernails shot from the sky instantly, destroying the entire area and shredding the buildings, humans, and equipment without distinction.
When the shards touched the ground, they returned to liquid blood.
Within seconds, the entire area was a bloody mess. Over two hundred people perished instantly, falling lifelessly on the ground like falling dominoes.
Kaze closed his eyes. "Reap."
The area turned golden, and a vortex of golden light swept through the area in a divine breeze, sending lifeforce toward the emperor.
His veins glowed gold as they entered his body, and his partially constructed soul core churned to wee in the new souls.
"Weak." Kaze scoffed in annoyance, "It''s not enough for basic repair."
All beings had soul Qi. However, the stronger the cultivator, the more soul Qi they had.
Since the sick couldn''t cultivate, they naturally had very little.
If he were desperate, he would kill everyone, including the military, to reap their soul Qi. However, he''d never kill a person unless necessary, and right now, it wasn''t.
He only needed to gain enough to repair his soul until the showdown began.
Ideally, he would gain enough to create spatial rings and barriers for their depots, but those were secondary considerations.
"And now we wait." Kaze whispered pensively, "I doubt a demonstration with that much elemental and soul Qi wouldn''t go unnoticed by her."
Meanwhile, twenty miles away, a woman with straight, pitch-ck hair in a green hoodie froze.
"You again!" She growled with bright purple eyes, "Stay put this time, you fool!"
The woman broke into a fast sprint, jumping onto strip store roofs without concerns about concealing her identity.
...
Kaze waited patiently in the same location, ignoring the skycruiser watching him from a distance.
Agent Ryker naturally watched him massacre hundreds of rioters and stay in ce with narrowed eyes, gritting his teeth.
While he knew the rioters were mad, something about how casually the emperor did it made him sick.
He knew that the man was a [sleeper] and now believed that he was ambivalent about human life.
Neither of those viewpoints was correct.
Regardless, he kept hisposure, separating the man''s value from his actions and countenance.
Three minutester, his mental tune shifted when he saw a ck streak moving across the city.
The cameras tried to pick it up, but it was moving over sixty miles an hour and passing between rooftops in an erratic pattern.
"Is that"
CRAAAAASSH!
A pulse of warping space cut through a 200-foot residential building near Kaze, shattering the te-ss windows and toppling the building.
The building crashed down atop the emperor''s head before colliding with the earth.
BOOOOM!
Agent Ryker watched the scene in shock. If what Kaze did looked brutal, he could only imagine what would have happened if the humans were still in the building.
The attack would have killed the residents and the protesters in a single strike!
He looked for the emperor at the bottom of the rubble.
When he finally located him, his eyes trembled in shock. The man hadn''t movedhe was still flying in the same location without a scratch on them.
Now, there were multiple eyes on him.
Kaze nced down at the building from fifty feet in the air. It had copsed after an air sh cut through the support beams and sent it downward.
He was impressed by the skill necessary to make the building topple in his location.
Then he let his eyes glide to a nearby rooftop where a woman in a knee-length frog hoodie stood, gazing at him with murderous eyes.
Chapter 85 The Man Of Your Dreams
Kaze chuckled in amusement at the ck-haired woman''s strange attire. "I thought I had seen everything, but a divine beast in a frog hoodie is a first."
The woman''s face turned bright red.
"Hold your tongue, mortal!" She snapped in embarrassment, "Don''t judge me for wearing the cultural garments of these uncouth creatures when I have no alternative."
He looked down at his high-ss fashion and then at her green, knee-length frog hoodie and dad shoes with a mocking smile. "You treat it as if it were all equal."
The woman growled in disdain and looked at him from top to bottom in confusion.
"Who are you?" She asked pensively, "You''re not who I thought you were, but you''re not a normal human either."
"Hoh? Who did you think me to be?" Kaze mused, "I didn''t think there to be people of value on Earth."
Her eyes narrowed in confusion.
"I asked you a question first." She said coldly, "Are you not civilized enough to refrain from answering questions with questions of your own?"
"I neitherck courtesy nor intelligence." Kaze smiled, "Thetter takes precedent; surely you do not believe I''d disclose my identity to a Sky ne royal freely, do you?"
Her amethyst eyes narrowed. "You speak confidently for someone who knows what I am."
"It''s normally a sign that the person is both capable and dangerous." Kaze smiled, "Would you like to test me?"
"No. I only want your name, nothing more." She replied dryly, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, "Give me that, and I will leave, as I do not seek hostility."
"Do you take me for a fool?" He scoffughed in disdain, "Cultivators are triggering this apocalypse, seeking to farm us for an unknown purpose, yet you''re iming that you do not seek hostility?"
He shook his head quickly in disbelief. "Are you mad?"
The woman''s face heated up. She couldn''t figure out why she was so flustered around him, but it annoyed her.
"I''m here searching for someone, not for you or to do recruitment." She said, "If I were, I would have killed you for your sketchy degree of knowledge and power on Earth.
I only seek your name so that I can continue my search."
"Hoh? You do not know the appearance of the person you seek?" He asked seriously.
Her eyes trembled for a moment, and she turned away. "It''splicated."
Kaze narrowed his eyes in interest. While heined, his name had no value yet, so he fed his curiosity.
"Alright, I''ll humor you." He smiled, "My name is Kaze Lexicon."
Her eyes shed with a bloodthirsty gaze. "Where is he, mortal!?"
"Do you believe me a melodramatic kidnapper boasting of his crimes without an ask for ransom?" Kaze asked in perplexion.
The woman''s eyes briefly glowed before she disappeared from her location.
"Speak!" She yelled, appearing before him with her hand moving for his throat.
Before she connected, he dodged at ghostly speed, and she felt his hand grabbing the nape of her neck. Her eyes trembled in primal panic and confusion.
"My name is Kaze Lexicon, you fool!" Kaze snapped, "I doubt there is another, so do not attempt to kill he whom you seek."
She slid her arms into the green hoodie, releasing his hand and dropping to the ground naked, save her shoes. It revealed her fluffy ck cat ears and matching colored tail.
"How troublesome." He scoffed, throwing the green hoodie into a warp gate, sending it flying into the distance, "I''ll make this woman wear this damn hoodie as penance."
The moment her feet touched down, her body transformed into a massive ck panther, fifteen feet tall and thirty feet across.
Her vibrant amethyst eyes glowed slightly before the light bent like a glowstick in the night, leaving after-trails in its wake.
CRAAAAASSH!
The building''s lower windows exploded when the shadow cat jumped on them to gain leverage to attack Kaze.
BOOOOOM!
To her confusion, her attack, which took a fraction of a second, didn''t connect. Instead, she crashed to the ground at high force.
Kaze casually created a horizontal warp gate and sent a simple raw Qi attack into it. The other warp gate opened above her head and smashed her down to the earth.
Those in the distance watched in shock as the ground buckled. The barricades to soldiers set up were crushed on contact, and an abandoned humvee got ttened.
Both indicated her size and the power behind Kaze''s savage attack.
The panther''s eyes trembled for a moment before she jumped to her feet and ran to a nearby building.
Agent Ryker watched the scene in shock. Only moments before, Kaze spoke to a short woman in a green hoodie in a strangenguage.
Then she defied thews of physics to transform into his target, attacked the emperor, and smashed into the ground.
However, what shocked him the most was what happened when she reached the building.
It was around 3 pm, and the shadows were dark. The minute the panther touched one, her physical body melted into it.
A secondter, multiple panthers shot out of it at Kaze simultaneously.
"Loathsome." Kaze said, clicking his tongue before
CRAAAAASSH!
He dodged a panther, which flew into the building.
CRAASSH!
Another hopped onto a building and attacked from the side.
A third shot front below him as the two crashed into the building and rebounded.
During the three-pronged attack, her main form moved from the original building to strike.
It was a powerful deception that was ruthlessly effective at killing those ignorant of her powers. However
BOOOOOOM!
The second her body materialized from the shadow, it crashed into the ground just as before, leaving her dazed. She couldn''t believe itshe was 300 feet away!
"Neither of us wishes to hurt each other, Crux!" Kaze yelled, "I am the person which you seek.
So calm down or attack to kill because your passivity is an insult!"
"You''re not the person I seek!" Crux yelled, "The person I see is older and doesn''t use your strange spatial and blood cultivation techniques!"
"Unbelievable." He scoffed, "Do you think I''d use Exodus ze or Harrowing Winds in a ce like this? Are you mad, you foolish woman?"
Crux''s eyes trembled briefly before ring at him with icy intent. "I have no idea what those techniques you speak of are!"
Kaze''s eyes fixed with vexed bewilderment. "You don''t know what my techniques are?
Then why the hell are you dering my techniques false?"
Her eyes narrowed in anger, frustration, and confusion. "I."
"The better question is how you know of me." He asked coldly, "I''m an Earthian who has never entered the Sky ne, yet you seek me here with semi-amnesiac lucidity.
I assure you, Crux. Your knowledge of me is far more arcane than my knowledge of you."
It was perplexing; the emperor had transmigrated into his past body. That was unbelievable.
However, Crux had a dead person''s memories from the future.
"You''re lying to me." Crux growled in panther form, "The person from my dreams was a kind idiot unless provoked, a jokester, pervert, and fool.
He wasn''t an arrogant ass spewing pretentiousnguage and making enemies of strangers.
The man fought with raw force because hecked the finesse you''re demonstrating."
"Ah, yes. Now I understand." Kaze smiled mockingly, "I traveled to the Mortal ne the minute it opened to kidnap the man of your dreams to slight you. Did I catch that correctly?"
Crux''s panther eyes glowed bright purple. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, trying to voice her discontent but falling short of words to stay.
"And this kind, powerful man is supposed to be an Earthian on the Mortal ne." He chuckled before bursting intoughter.
Her panther face cringed in shame at his ridicule.
"Naturally, I, a man trying to slight you, came here to find such a fantastical being before you could get to him." Kazeughed, wiping slight tears from his eyes.
"Then I found the mancking finesse, stole his name, and now I stand before you, tormenting you for no reason. Am I following so far?"
If shadow cats could blush, she would be bright red.
"Oh, yes, I forgot." Heughed heartily, "This person from your dreams doesn''t meet you for another 68 years, but you''re searching for them and expecting them to look older."
"I-If what you say is true, then why do you know of me?" Crux asked hesitantly, "Why do you know about this history?"
"Because I''m the man of your dreams, Crux." Kaze dered, shing her a charming smile, "Deny it if you wish, but your heart does not deceive you."
Chapter 86 The Cute And Harmless Hero
Crux''s pather eye twitched in vexation after hearing the emperor brazenly dere that he was the man of her dreams with a charming smile. Pun or not, it left her vexed and annoyed.
"Now that you''ve thoroughly mocked me, can you exin this situation?" The shadow cat growled.
"Nothing about you and the person imprinted on my mind aligns, yet you im to be one and the same with bold confidence. Will you exin that?"
"Oh, yes." Kaze smiled, "I transmigrated into the past into my old body. Thus, here I am."
"You not only expect me to believe that you returned to the past but also that you returned as apletely different person?" Crux asked in annoyance.
The emperor''sughter ceased, and a sad glint shed across his eyes.
"I transmigrated four and a half millennia after ourst meeting, Crux." He exined calmly, "Naturally, I wouldn''t be the same person I was during the Killian War.
Can you exin why you have my friend''s memories imprinted on your mind when she died in that war? That''s far more absurd than what I''ve undergone."
Crux''s eyes trembled in shock, and her mind waved with mixed signals that sent sharp pains shooting through her brain.
She used her two paws to grab the top of her head.
"Exactly." Kaze said calmly, "We can both agree that our meeting here is unnatural. The question is what you n to do about it."
Crux lifted her pained head to meet his gaze, studying his facial expressions. "What do you mean, n to do about it?"
"You came on fool''s errand without a n of what to do once you found me?" Kazeugh-scoffed in disbelief, "Are you serious?"
"I didn''te here for you." The shadow cat countered, turning away in shame.
"I was summoned to identify unique body types and teachpatible techniques to the administrators.
Teaching Frosted des to the administrators triggered a violent wave of deja vu and these memories. So I went looking for you and a woman named Evalyn before returning."
"I see. Well, if you''re searching for Evalyn, she''s with me, and you''re free to join us." Kaze smiled, "We''re partying in the apocalypse, actively avoiding the pointless war that killed both of you."
Crux''s eyes widened when she heard that Evalyn was with him. However, his statement caught up to her a momentter.
"You''d ask me to abandon my post, n, and nobility to party in the Mortal ne apocalypse?" Sheugh-scoffed, looking at him in disbelief, "And casually, too?"
"Why not?" He asked mockingly, "The war ended in a Pyrrhic victory that didn''t change anything.
Everything ended up as it was before, albeit with famine, fewer people, and significantly more suffering.
Then the Killian dynasty copsed when Evalyn seized control and stabilized the Sky ne.
It was nothing short of pointless. Have enough of your freaky dreams, and you''lle to that conclusion yourself."
Crux''s eyes widened in shock and anxiety, and she fell quiet. After a moment of awkward silence, he pped to get her attention.
"Well, I have my war-free life to enjoy." Kaze smiled, "So, if you''re not joining me can we wrap this up?
There''s a military unit up there expecting me to kill or negotiate with you, and you have a military unit expecting your return.
If I spend too much time with you, Earthian and Sky ne militaries will send people to capture or kill me. I''d like to avoid that."
Crux''s brain triggered primal panic in her brain. "W-Wait! That''s it?"
"What do you mean, [that''s it]?" Heugh-scoffed, "I invited you to join me [forever]. If you don''t, we have to go our separate ways, yes?
I can''t invite this military''s enemy and an emissary of my enemy into my home for tea."
Her eyes widened when he said the word [forever] casually. Something about the offer felt extremely attractive, but she didn''t even know the guy!
He wasn''t even the same person in her dreams; it was absurd!
Crux''s panther mouth developed a wry smile after she didn''t reject the offer. "You make it sound so simple."
"It is when you''re joining the winning side." Kaze smiled. "If you stay, we''ll prevent your n''s destruction and fix your reputation once we''re forced to ascend."
"Did you just say winning side? As in, you will be the ruler of the Sky ne?" Crux asked with narrowed eyes.
"Evalyn and I, but yes, that will happen again." Kaze smiled, but his eyes glided to the left, "Oh yes, you weren''t alive when Evalyn seized control of the Sky ne, but that did happen.
So rejoice, knowing that your sacrifice wasn''t in vain. You''ll have to trust me on that."
Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open as memories flooded her mind.
"Hoh? Do you remember that you were loyal to Evalyn?" He said gently, "If you look at things from that perspective, going back would be a betrayal, not the other way around."
"I." Crux whispered in confusion.
"Need to make a decision." Kaze said seriously, "My body and soul will decay if I don''t do something, and my way of life will spurn bloodshed if you stick around here aimlessly.
If you want more time deciding, help me clear Manrock Bridge so I can spin it into a blessing for the government. They''ll find you a hero."
"Spin it into a blessing?" Cruxughed awkwardly, "You want me tomit mass murder, and you''ll make me a hero for it?"
"Of course." Kaze smiled, "Your army brought madness and economic devastation to this world.
Now we''re putting the mad out of their misery and bringing economic liberation to Meridian City."
"You''re a horrible human being." Crux scoffughed in disbelief.
"I prefer the term [benevolent opportunist]." Kaze replied with a charming smile.
"You''re not supposed to be proud of that." Sheughed in bewilderment.
"If you''re discontented, can you kindly attempt to kill me in." He smiled, pointing to the north, "That direction?
Making you out a viin is equally convenient, as it gives me an excuse to kill cultivators."
The shadow cat''s eyes narrowed in partially charmed disgust. "How bad is your soul corruption?"
"Well, if I didn''t have five-thousand years of experience, a healing technique, and a spatial technique, I''d have died days ago." Kaze replied with a charming smile.
"Tends to happen when you reap thousands of souls without a soul core."
Crux''s eyes widened in shock. "You can''t be serious! Are you an idiot!?"
"I prefer the term [highly skilled]." He smiled.
"You''re insufferable." The shadow cat scoffed.
"Charming." Kaze smiled.
"Prick." She scoffed.
"Selectively kind." He countered.
"Annoying."
"Consistently right."
"Narcassistic."
"Justifiably confident."
"Reckless."
"Power driven."
"Jester."
"Comically amazing."
"Picking a fight."
"Hoping you''ll pretend to fight me."
"I''ll kill you."
"Let''s see you try. But first...."
Kaze grinned, opened a warp gate, and pulled out a familiar green frog hoodie. Then he threw it into another warp gate,nding on the panther''s head.
"If you''re not ying the spikey toothed viin, can you y the cute and harmless hero?" He asked with a beaming smile, "The look suits you, regardless."
The shadow cat''s amethyst eyes twitched in frustration, but she turned away, shook the hoodie off her head onto the ground, and sighed.
She didn''t have a choice if she wanted extra time to decide.
Without her consent, he created a dome barrier around her body, blocking out the world.
"That insufferable man!" Crux cried, indignant that he chose her approach for her.
Regardless, she transformed into her human form again,pressing soul Qi to contain her body in a human form.
While she was 5''2", shorter than average but not tiny, her body was perfectly proportionate and symmetrical. Her lower c-cup breasts were perfectly sized and entuated her curves.
She stood up barefoot and picked up the green frog hoodie.
It wasn''t childish, with small ears on the hood or simr features. However, it had a full textile image imprinted withrge eyes on the breasts and a huge smile moving to the seam.
The hood wasrge, which was necessary to hide her silky, soft ck ears with white fluff inside.
Likewise, the body was baggy and low, allowing her to hide her tail. It truly way practical.
Crux looked at it with a wry smile. "I''m d he saved you."
While Kaze was making fun of her for wearing it, she shamelessly stole it off someone''s body in broad daylight because she thought it was cute.
She''d go to hell before she admitted that, however. So she put it on, letting it pass over her curves and drop to her lower thighs.
When it was on, the barrier released instantly. It proved that Kaze was listening in, watching her, or both.
Her face turned bright red, and she red daggers at him. However, it only made things funnier for Kaze, whose face was scrunched up, attempting not to burst intoughter.
"You fucking asshole!" Crux yelled, running at him at blinding speed.
"Scary." Kazeughed, "Make sure to catch me so you can beat me up, kay?"
In a fraction of a second, she reached his past location. However, he was already gone, running on a rooftop that he had jumped to at a blinding speed.
"I''m going to kill that man!" The shadow cat screamed, jumping onto the roof and activating a movement technique to speed up.
Chapter 87 Manrock Bridge
Agent Ryker watched the [negotiation] in shock. As promised, Kaze lured their mark out in the open, and she was far more powerful than anyone expected.
While Kaze toyed with her, the woman waved her hand in her human form, and a massive residential building crashed to the ground.
More bewildering, the massive cat negotiated and calmed down with dialogue alone.
It was prophetic enough for the man to expect foul y; however, he didn''t have time to think about that because the two disappeared.
Two streaks ran across the skycruiser''s cameras as Kaze ran at lightning speed, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, and Crux followed him in her cute green frog hoodie.
"Follow them!" Agent Ryker snapped at the pilot, who was still frozen from everything he had watched.
The pilot immediately snapped into focus and moved forward to prevent losing them.
"How can''t you catch me?" Kazeughed, jumping to another building''s rooftop.
"I can!" Crux snapped, "I just can''t run that fast without."
Her face turned bright red as she jumped to another building, pulling the hoodie against her thighs. She wasn''t wearing anything underneath it!
Storage rings and earrings use soul Qi to link a physical storage space in a set location for the user to ess.
Since she was on the Mortal ne, the link was too far away, and she didn''t have any of her items.
Thus, she didn''t have spare clothing and refused to show her naked royal body to anyone, least of all the insignificant beings who were sickly and short for this world.
"Without what?" Kazeughed, jumping onto a tall building that required full-body power to reach.
"You''re a gnat!" Crux snapped.
"That''s quite thepliment." Heughed heartedly, "This is probably the first time a royal divine beast chased around a gnat!"
Her face flushed bright red to the tip of her ears, and her amethyst eyes glowed.
Without thinking, she ran at ghostly speed and jumped, closing the gap in distance and reaching his height simultaneously.
It was a remarkable feat. However, the G force from falling with such high kic energy caused the hoodie to fly off her body.
Instead of grabbing Kaze''s throat, as nned, she hopped off the roof to catch the bright green hoodie in the air.
Demonstrating the hundreds of years of experience she had developed as a royal warrior, she grabbed it, pulled it over her body, andnded on another building in one motion.
To the skycruiser''s cameras and normal humans, there was a green streak, a porcin streak, and then another green streak.
They wouldn''t even catch the woman''s cat ears or tail until the lucky video reviewer yed back the video footage in slow motion.
Kaze stopped running andughed his ass off. "If you stay on Earth, there''s all sorts of cute clothing. The variety is remarkable here."
"I don''t want this cheap garb!" Crux yelled from the lower building with a bright red face, "I don''t have my clothing!
This strange outfit is easy to get in and out of, so I don''t have to find new clothing every time I transform!"
"That is a practical argument." Kazeughed, "Or it would be if the desperation written on your face didn''t clearly show your attachment to it!"
"I hate you!" Crux yelled in shame. She hadn''t known such humiliation in centuries.
It wouldn''t bother her if she [could] kill him, but she knew better. She wasn''t even in the same league as the individual.
If it weren''t for Kaze''s soul corruption, she''d give up any hope of surviving an encounter with him, let alone killing him. She was painfully aware of his strength, and that was the problem!
The emperor was mocking her like a child, and she couldn''t evenin about it!
It was the worst.
p "You act as though you can''t fly, you fool." Kaze replied mockingly, "Proving that a divine beast can run faster than a human was always pointless, was it not?"
Crux turned bright red again, this time more aggressively. It hadn''t been fifteen seconds, and the mocking had returned. And, once again, she deserved it.
She was faster than he was; that wouldn''t help her fight him, but it shouldn''t have been in dispute.
Kaze baited her into a jest-fest to ridicule her, and she fell into his trap.
"You''re such a jerk." Crux whispered before falling silent, flying to the rooftop with her hands holding the hoodie against her thighs.
The shadow cat pulled the hood over her head tightly when she walked up to the grinning emperor. "I feel like a child around you."
"I am rather old." Kaze chuckled.
"But you look like a child." Crux scoffed bitterly.
"Fair." He smiled, "Do you see that bridge?"
Therge drawbridge spanned over 1,000 feet across a river that led into the ocean. It had sixnes on each side and currently has over a thousand cars and shuttles gridlocked on it.
It was the only way to get from one end to the other. So there were thousands of people walking across it, only to find a massive riot on the other end.
She looked at it nkly. "Yes?"
"That''s Manrock Bridge." Kaze exined, "It''s a major economic staple required to move survivors to the Lainwright Military Base Settlement a month from now.
I''d like help clearing it of vehicles and wreckage. I can deal with separating the healthy from the sick and foolish."
"So just pushing everything into the water?" Crux asked straightly.
"Correct. The bridge must remain intact; we cannot destroy it at any cost." He confirmed, "There''s not a specific time limit either, so there''s no need to rush."
While he was spinning his action as a gift to the government, he was actually doing it for his uing objectiveseizing the military base settlement before the next stage.
With the cultivation techniques he provided and clearing the bridge, he hoped the military would expedite its settlement development.
If he could harvest ten thousand people when he conquered the base.
Crux looked at him strangely. "My techniques are primarily destructive, whereas yours are multi-purposed.
If you did it alone, you''d finish faster than if I helped you. So why wouldn''t you give me the task I''d do easily?"
"So you can improve your reputation by solving one of the military''s major issues, of course." Kaze smiled, "Besides, it''s not a matter of capability.
You''re equally capable, just slower. Yet you''re seeking more time with me, are you not?"
Crux glided her eyes back to the bridge with a strained expression. He was giving her time to take the question of staying with him seriously.
It made the situation feel real, not a delusion driven by her dreams.
"I''ll help you." She whispered, taking flight again, "Let''s go."
The two flew into the distance toward the bridge.
Agent Ryker watched the scene in horror. Manrock Bridge was an economic andmunications lifeline for Meridian City.
While it was unusable at present, they were actively on site, preparing to retake it. They would clear it by week''s end, even if it required them to kill everyone present. It was that important.
So watching the two fly toward it was a serious military threat.
However
"Are you watching the live feed?" Agent Ryker asked over aset.
"Yes." General Michaels cringed on the other end.
"What would you like us to do?" The agent asked.
The general sighed. "Nothing."
"Nothing?" Agent Ryker asked in surprise.
"Yes, nothing." General Michaels snapped, "I doubt Mr. Lexicon would leave his faction unattended and attack us in the open.
Even if he did, what could we do about it? If the bridge falls today, it falls.
That said, if they wanted to attack it, it already would have.
That''s why we should trust his intentions, as doing otherwise while he aids us will be a slight to our treaty."
Agent Ryker dry-swallowed nervously. "I get that, but shouldn''t we prepare to mobilize in retaliation?"
"Do you not think we have forces and resources on standby for that?" General Michaels asked dryly, "It''s been that way since the beginning. Now be quiet and do nothing."
"Yes, sir." The agent replied, watching the screens.
Kaze and Crux flew to the edge of the drawbridge. He continued upward, but she stopped, unwilling to let thousands of yelling people look up at the hoodie.
"Let us out! This bridge is the only way to the other end!"
"Fuck you! I''ll rip your eyes out!"
"GET BACK!" A soldier yelled, shooting warning shots in the air.
Pandemonium had broken out in the area, with thousands of people yelling or screaming at military personnel that had created concrete barricades.
The military didn''t want thousands of rioting people flooding the area, which was being set up for the clear-out operation to retake the bridge.
Hundreds of military tents and humvees were on the other end, with hundreds of soldiers wielding fully automatic machine guns pointing at the bridge area.
One could differentiate the sick from the healthy from the content of the yelling.
The healthy were yelling to get past, pleading for their families, or asking to return. It was the only way to reach the other side, so people were genuinely desperate to get to their children.
By contrast, the sick were yelling for any reason avable.
They were pressed up against their barricades in the middle without concern for getting across. Either that or they were standing on vehicles and shuttles, trying to find objects to throw.
"Do it!" A soldier yelled.
Three soldiers opened fire on a group of people, killing them on sight. The healthy screamed in fear and pushed backward.
Unfortunately, the sick charged forward, sweeping them back toward the barricade.
Dozens of healthy people watched in horror as they got pushed toward the death site.
A booming voice ripped through the area just before they reached the ever-stacking pile of dead bodies.
"Enough!" The emperor yelled fifty feet above the swarms of rioters, desperate people, and military personnel.
"In 20 minutes, every person shall be cleared from this bridge. If you seek life, I suggest you listen!"
Chapter 88 Cleansing
Every soldier immediately lifted their weapons at Kaze, flying above the bridge. However, they found a wall of spear-sized blood shards facing them instead.
It was [Tears of the Fallen] without immediate usage andrger shards.
A vortex of blood from the bridge materialized in real time, shocking everyone watching aside from Crux, who watched in awe.
There was a lot of blood in the area from days of rioting and confrontations with the military, and it was all disyed in the most dramatic way possible.
"Unless you seek a swift, avertible death, I suggest you follow my instructions." The emperor dered coldly, causing every soldier to tremble.
The sick were unphased by his demonstration.
"Who... in the FUCK... do YOU think you"
A rioter''s head exploded when a spear crashed into it, impaling his body. The blood in the shard expanded inside, causing pressure that made the wound explode.
The healthy around the man screamed and attempted to move backward again.
More yelling broke out, and dozens of shards followed, swiftly ending all those incapable of keeping a sane mind in the face of traumatic strength.
He performed the operation without harming any healthy people and even killed the sick who weren''t yelling but were trampling the healthy. It was skilled and fair so far as mass murder went.
"If you cannot keep your anger in check in the face of mortal danger, you''re sick." Kaze yelled, "If you''re healthy and can''t keep your anger in check to save your life, you deserve to die."
Crux watched the emperor in confusion. She could tell the sick from the healthy at a nce, so she couldn''t figure out why he was putting on a grand show.
She looked at the soldiers and then into the sky, at the skycruiser that Kaze had pointed out earlier. It reminded her that Malta''s Military was watching him.
"I see." Crux whispered, "I''m here to solve my problem, your problem, and their problem simultaneously. Clever."
No one else shared her casual attitude on the matter. The soldiers on the ground panicked, watching three more people''s bodies explode every second.
Then blood would ssh to the ground and get swept into the vortex again.
It was a nightmare scene that shocked everyone, especially Agent Ryker, who thought he was living the rapture.
"Are you ready to listen, you obstinate fools!?" The emperor yelled, capturing everyone''s attention.
He had spent a minute weeding out those most afflicted, masking their deaths in the blood-soaked chaos.
The area calmed down to half volume for the first time.
"If your mind is uncorrupted enough to understand death awaits you here, leave slowly!" Kaze roared, "Partition!"
He waved his hand in arge wave of Qi shot through the highway, slicing vehicles in half.
The two split areas then parted, creating a six-foot space between them. It was a surreal sight.
"Those who disrupt the exit of others will meet death!" Kaze yelled, "There is a clear path, but you needn''t rely upon it.
If there is a blockage, I suggest you help clear bodies and help each other up. Now go!"
Hundreds of people immediately ran backward, rapidly pushing through the new space.
It didn''t take long before there were issues, but Kaze waved his hand, and troublemakers instantly met death.
People began dragging bodies out of the way, learning that the emperor didn''t kill those who aided. It was a survival method.
Over a third of the five thousand people had left within ten minutes, making it halfway over the bridge or further.
The soldiers could only watch in awe as the week-long ordeal they struggled with was half resolved in fifteen minutes.
After waiting another ten minutes, he addressed the people present.
"Is there any among you that are sane and patiently waiting to leave?" Kaze asked boldly, "Or do you all seek death?"
Those waiting to avoid trampling took the hint and began pushing to leave quickly.
After another ten minutes, there were just under two thousand rioters still screaming and yelling, attempting to find objects to throw at the emperor.
Crux watched with narrowed eyes, trying to decipher his actions.
He appeared to be making a grand show of arbitration beforemitting genocide, but she knew there were other reasons but didn''t know what they were.
Kaze looked at her with an intelligent gaze. "It''s time. Work backward and take your time; we want people to see."
She nodded, walked into the center area behind him, and lifted her hand.
A vehicle groaned as raw Qi picked it up, letting it hover in the air for a moment before she sent it flying over the bridge.
Agent Ryker and the soldiers were shocked, not because she was using what they interpreted as [telekenisis] but because shewas clearing the highway.
It was the objective that the soldiers present were tasked with.
While she was doing it in a way that was painfully slow to her, it was absurdly fast to everyone else!
There was a fleet of tow trucks in the distance waiting to mobilize.
Yet this woman in a frog hoodie was casually lifting her hand and throwing vehicles over the bridge every five seconds!
Kaze gave Agent Ryker''s camera a snide smile before continuing his work.
The demonstration was to demonstrate traumatizing force, arbitration, and intention before leading the massacre.
By the time he killed everyone, the government would consider him a benevolent figure whose actions were necessary and ideal, or at least advantageous, and shouldn''t be questioned.
That is why wanted the slightly-shorter-than-average woman in a frog hoodie to walk around with a bored expression throwing cars off the side of the bridge.
The absurd image proved his point and was impossible to forget.
Once he set the stage, the emperor looked down at the sick and depraved souls below him.
"Is there anyone else with sanity left!?" Kaze asked in a booming voice.
"Fuck off!"
"Get down here so I can kill you!"
"Who do you think you are!?"
"Murderer!"
The emperor turned to the soldiers. "You''d agree that these people are sick, yes?"
Each swallowed nervously under his sharp gaze, but one after the other, they nodded in assent.
"Fall." Kaze dered, lowering his hand to the earth.
Thousands of spear-sized shards of blood fell from the sky, impaling everyone.
To the soldier''s bewilderment, when the spears hit the earth, they turned into liquid on contact, showcasing the flexibility of the emperor''s power.
Kaze closed his eyes when everyone died. A massive spherical vortex of blood 100 feet in diameter surrounded him, creating a horrifyingndmark.
"Reap." He whispered.
Everyone watching shifted their mindsets from horror to awe a momentter when the blood around him radiated in golden light.
The emperor''s eyes glowed vibrant gold as the soul Qi from thousands of souls entered his body.
He gritted his teeth and gasped for breath as his partiallypleted soul core worked overtime, grinding the energy into his chest. There were thousands once again.
Right now, he wasn''t [healing]. On the contrary, he was corroding his body further, as his soul core couldn''t withstand the strain.
Kaze had to move quickly toplete his core and heal his soul. He had enough soul Qi to do that much, but the pressure on his soul was intense, and he was risking over-exhaustion or death.
Unlike Qi deprivation, there were no temporary fixes or stopgaps to his problem. "Since I cannot create a soul core or heal myself, I must protect myself.
Having that woman around right now is loathsome."
So he closed his eyes and used a soul cultivation technique on his body. "Transfigure Souls[Revenge''s Protection]."
The emperor''s body glowed with strange runes that only Crux could see, and a light, piercing, shrill assaulted her highly-sensitive cat ears.
She had never seen or heard anything like it, which meant he was using a sacred technique or higher.
Her mind snapped back to attention when he lifted his hand.
"Exodus ze." He whispered, lowering it.
A violent wave of gravity crashed into the rioter''s blood-free bodies, grinding their bones to dust.
The corpsesbusted into blue veins a momentter, instantly burning them and turning their bodies into ash.
Crux watched the scene in awe. The technique from her dreams,bining gravity and blue mes, was disyed to her. It was [him].
Kaze gritted his teeth after the seemingly simple demonstration. He was in intense pain, feeling hazy from the soul Qi pressure and corruption weighing on his soul.
However, he continued, closing his eyes and dispersing the blood in full force off the side of the bridge, and then turned to the soldiers.
"Who is in charge here?" Kaze demanded.
Someone perked up nervously, pushing against his trembling body. "My name is Sargent Jeffrey. I am in charge of this operation."
"Sargent Jeffrey, I am here by request of General Michaels." The emperor stated, "We''re helping clear this bridge for you.
Do not interfere or raise your weapons; we''ll be gone momentarily. Please ry those orders."
"Y-Yes, sir. We wouldn''t dream of it." Sargent Jeffery replied nervously.
"Good man." Kaze nodded, turning back to Crux, who was still slowly removing the vehicles.
He frowned; there were almost a thousand vehicles on the bridge, and she couldn''t handle so much upfront.
The suspension bridge made it impossible to casually toss things over the edge at once. It required them to navigate objects between the beams.
Kaze closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he cultivated at full force in the air for ten minutes, collecting as much power from the environment as possible.
Crux watched in disbelief as the human on the Mortal ne cultivated at the speed she''d only expected from the top rulers of the Sky ne.
When he snapped open his eyes, he addressed the shadow cat. "Move out of the way."
She nodded and flew off the bridge.
He waved his hand, and invisible vertical shes cut through each row of vehicles, cutting cars, trucks, and shuttles in half along the way.
"This should make things easier." Kaze said with a solid voice, hiding the strain only she noticed.
"Understood." Crux replied, waving her hand. As alluded to, the vehicles she lifted were only half the weight and more bnced, allowing her to push them off the bridge far faster.
The emperor joined her, picking up multiple at the same time and throwing them from the area.
It was at times like those that he wished that he had less destructive techniques meant for finesse. Unfortunately, he didn''t have anything that had power and allowed such refinement.
So the two ground away for another hour, removing vehicles meticulously.
All the soldiers watched in awe as the two did a week''s worth of work in an hour.
Agent Ryker stared in disbelief, stunned that the emperor voluntarily helped them with a major objective.
Beyond that, their enemypared to a nuclear threatwas also helping them for an unknown reason.
The emperor''s vision became heavy when they reached about 3/4ths of the way down the bridge.
"Damn soul corruption." Kaze scoffed under his breath, trying to remain standing and stoic as his vision doubled.
Crux turned around subtly with wide but sharp eyes. "You need to stop."
"I''m fine." He replied coldly, lifting his hand again. While he didn''t feel the woman was his threat, he couldn''t show his obvious weakness before someone of her power.
"You''ll hurt yourself." Crux replied coldly, "Is it worse to look weak or be weak?"
Kaze dry-swallowed subtly, using Qi to prevent sweat from collecting on his forehead. "It''s better to be neither at all costs."
"I suppose that''s fair." Sheughed in amusement. However, her smile disappeared when the emperor copsed to the ground, unconscious.
Within a fraction of a second, the entire situation shifted.
Skycruisers rocketed to the location, making their way to the bridge.
Chapter 89 Soul Qi Trip Grenade
"Move, now!" Agent Ryker ordered his pilot when Kaze fell to the ground on the bridge.
"S-Sir... weren''t we directed by General Michaels not to get involved before and after ourst call?" The pilot asked nervously.
"We''re not hurting Kaze Lexicon, we''re extracting him from the site!" Agent Ryker snapped.
"If we don''t move him, soldiers could attack him, or that beast... thing... whatever she is could destroy the bridge.
We''re protecting that asshole and risking our lives to do it, so shut up and move!"
The pilot felt sweat moving down his shoulder des as he glided the skycruiser toward the bridge.
As they approached, the woman, who was confirmed to be the shadow cat, red at them with crazed amethyst eyes.
Her green frog hoodie lost all of its cuteness and was now the outfit ghost children in horror movies wore. The cuter she was, the more horrifying her image was because they knew she could and would kill everyone present.
Crux''s visible self-restraint to kill them sent icy shivers crawling down their spines.
Indeed, every second required more self-restraint.
The shadow cat wasn''t overprotective of the man she had just met; it was just
She kneeled down and quickly nicked the emperor''s skin with her human fingernail.
Contrary to expectations, her nail didn''t touch his skin. Instead, it hit a golden barrier that spewed a thin purple miasma on contact that felt maic and began dragging her soul out.
"W-What type of witchcraft is this!?" Crux coughed with panicked eyes, moving away from his body while ying it off as strategic posturing to the military members.
"I knew that he did something insane, but I didn''t something to this degree was possible!" She cried in disbelief, "I can''t let any of these fools hurt him, or we''ll all... wait, I can''t even speak to them!"
Cold sweat moved down her back, and her breath becamebored as she watched three additional skycruisers move to the area where Agent Ryker''s ship was hovering.
The soldiers behind the barrier talked with supervisors about the situation on devices. She didn''t know what they were saying but knew she didn''t like it.
Her ears twitched whenever she heard a tense soldier grip their rifle, preparing to aim.
"Now I know how this idiot felt." Crux scoffed, severely stressed, "Risking his life because he wouldn''t abandon me.
I wish he would have. Now I''m actively risking my life because I won''t abandon him. What a joke on two fronts."
She looked at Kaze, whose shirt was developing wrinkles from small miasma veins from the soul corruption. "He''s so close. I can stabilize him if I just had time, but...."
The divine beast looked up into the sky, staring at the four skycruisers and line of ground vehicles moving in both directions.
"Couldn''t he have just put a normal fucking barrier on his body!?" Crux cursed uncharacteristically, extremely stressed. The problem was that
"In my current body, I''ll die if this idiot gets hit with an attack, and I''m next to him!"
Kaze turned himself into a Soul Qi trip grenade that a single machine gun bullet could trigger.
Crux swallowed nervously and turned to look at the skycruisers again.
Her eyes shed with killing intent, convinced that killing everyone at ghostly speed was the best way to avoid a projectile from touching Kaze. However
"If I do that, staying with him is off the table." She whispered pensively, looking around herself with a beating heart, "I don''t know what I want, but... I don''t want to cut my options."
Her eyes glided to the left, and she thought rationally.
"If they attack, I can dodge and then counterattack. It''s self-defense, free range." Crux whispered, "If they attack their partner, I can murder everyone, and they can''tin.
And hoh... will I murder everyone. These ants better hope that man kills me, or I''ll wipe this sandcastle city off the map."
Her eyes shed with killing intent as she picked up his body with raw Qi and moved it into her arms.
Agent Ryker watched the scene with a beating heart. He knew that they were one wrong move away from dyingeveryone.
Yet the government wouldn''t prepare to shoot missiles at the bridge, so they needed to let her go.
However... what about Kaze? He was their partner who was sent to deal with the woman carrying him. What if they allowed her to get away?
The agent''s mind still hadn''t fully processed that he, a man who controlled overwhelming might a month ago, was now helpless.
That meant that Kaze didn''t want his help and epted his death.
Humans didn''t think like that yet. So he went through simtion after simtion, trying to find something usable.
When Crux began walking with her arm cocked to the side, ready to wave and ughter everything, his mind panicked.
Agent Ryker grabbed the pilot set and put it on speaker mode. "Here to Help. Peace. Peace."
He swallowed nervously, hoping his benign tone would convey his message to the woman or she''d understand English.
Unfortunately, she didn''t understand English. However
Crux looked up at the skycruiser Agent Ryker was in with narrowed eyes. The man could feel her gaze burrowing into her soul, but it didn''t feel murderous. It felt gauging.
"Do not strike!" The shadow cat yelled back in a firm but non-hostile voice.
Agent Ryker dry-swallowed nervously. While he felt there was progress, he didn''t know what the woman was saying.
Understanding the problem, she flicked her finger twice
CRaaaACK! CRaaaaaACK!
and two windows on shuttles blew out.
The raw power behind her finger flicks was so terrifying that people seized.
However, Agent Ryker snapped back into focus when she continued her motions.
Crux pointed at the broken windows, then Kaze, and then shook her head.
She flicked her finger
CRaaaACK!
then waved her hand.
BOOOOOM! BOOM, Boom, boom!
Agent Ryker trembled with fear when she backhanded a shuttlefrom 50 feet awayand sent it flying, crashing into multiple cars.
Once again, he snapped back to Crux, who continued her motioning.
She flicked her finger at Kaze, making him panic, but there wasn''t an attack.
Instead, she expanded her hand, indicating an explosion.
"If we shoot Kaze Lexicon, he''ll... explode?" Agent Ryker asked in perplexion over the loudspeaker.
Crux took a deep breath. While it sounded like the man got her message and addressed Kaze by name, she didn''t know what he was saying!
For all she knew, the man asked, [If we don''t shoot Kaze Lexicon, the world will explode?]
Understanding her frustration, Agent Ryker tried again. "We will not shoot Kaze Lexicon."
Crux looked at the ship and took another frustrated breath. She was confident that she had gotten her message across, but now she didn''t know what they wanted.
The shadow cat nodded and pointed at Kaze, herself, and then into the distance.
"Shit, she''s saying that she''s taking him." Agent Ryker dry-swallowed with a beating heart.
The entire situation was a vtile disaster.
No matter how he approached things, something bad would happen.
He couldn''t let their enemy steal Kaze from their grasp and lead him to god-knows-where. However, he couldn''t attack her, the bridge, or lead her to Immortal Skye.
Worst of all, it would turn deadly no matter where the emperor woke up.
"No..." Agent Ryker whispered, "He was extremely civil to that woman. If we take him away, he''ll rampage, but if she''s with us...."
He correctly ascertained that Kaze valued her far more than them and wouldn''t rampage if she was there when he woke up.
However, his eyes zed over when he had toplete the statement.
Kaze valued her because of how civil she was. Crux had the power to kill everyone present, but she was negotiating with weak humans with shared hand signals alone!
In fact, he got the feeling that she was saving everyone''s life.
When the emperor told him that she was civilizedunlike themhe was offended and bitter. Now, he had to admit that he was alive because it was true.
"Travel with us." Agent Ryker offered, "Come with us. With Kaze."
Crux''s eyes filled with confusion. There wasn''t any hostile intent, but when his skycruiser inched closer so he could open the door, her eyes shed with murder.
All four skycruisers pointed their weapons at her instantly.
"Wait! Wait, wait, wait!" Agent Ryker cried, "All of you, lower your weapons now!"
The shadow cat heard the aggressive tone and went to strike. However, watching the world in slow motion, she saw that all the skycruisers lowered their weapons.
Her heart pounded, and the Spirit Qi in her mind went wild.
"One mistake and everyone could die." Crux swallowed nervously, looking at Kaze with aplex expression, "I may need to leave you behind.
These fools don''t look like they''ll harm you...."
She sighed in exasperation. "Why on a bridge?"
She was convinced he''d survive a missile strike and kill all his enemies if they were on drynd. However, he''d likely drown if he ended up in the water.
"I can''t y these games." Crux growled, lifting her hand slowly, "I won''t risk my life for these lowly mortals.
I need only run; god knows I have enough Spirit Qi to see everything."
Spirit Qi develops when Elemental Qi links to someone''s mind. Unlike other forms of cultivation, it''s not stored. Instead, it''s released through emotions.
The stronger one''s emotions, the stronger the spirit techniques became.
It was the reason that cultivators saw in slow motion during battles but not during normal conversations.
The shadow cat crouched down, preparing to make a break for it.
"Immortal Skye!" Agent Ryker proimed in a sh of inspiration. He thought the faction''s name could be a form of code. Not mortal; Sky ne.
Crux''s eyes lit up when she heard the word [Skye] alongside Immortal. She knew what both of the words meant, so she knew he wasn''t talking about the Sky ne.
Instead, he was talking about Evalyn Skye.
Kaze had already mentioned she was with him, so everything clicked into ce. Agent Ryker offered to take her to Evalyn and also let her stay with Kaze.
The shadow cat brushed straight ck hair out of amethyst eyes and then pointed at Agent Ryker with murderous eyes. "Come down!"
Her indexnded on the ground in front of her.
[You, Agent Ryker. You''reing here, so you''ll die if anyone fires, and I''ll murder you if something shady happens.]
That was the message the agent got from the woman''s mannerisms.
"Touch down." Agent Ryker ordered nervously.
The pilot dry-swallowed nervously and moved toward the bridge.
As they approached, the soldiers behind the barricade and the other skycruisers narrowed their eyes and pointed their machine guns at Crux, who immediately began to move.
"This is Agent Kane Ryker, representing General Michaels!" The agent yelled over the inte, "Everyone lower your weapons! I repeat, lower your weapons!"
All the soldiers and skycruiser pilots lowered their weapons.
Everyone''s hearts pounded violently.
Agent Ryker knew they''d all die if one person foolishly attacked her.
Crux knew that if someone hit Kaze, [everyone] could die, even her.
The degree of seriousness didn''t change the situation.
She was holding a Soul Qi trip grenade while walking atop a bridge, and everyone near him was in the st radius.
Even in his sleep, the emperor was the absolute equalizer, bringing arbitration into people''s lives from fear of death alone.
...
Kaze opened his eyes and found himself in his bedroom. "What happened?"
He turned to his side and found Crux lying beside him, sleeping peacefully on his red silk sheets.
She hadn''t changed from her frog hoodie or added any other clothing, indicating that she hadn''t left.
"How bothersome." Heugh-scoffed bitterly, "Thest thing I need is one more group to know my location."
"I wouldn''t beining about that woman, Mr. Lexicon." A gruff voice said from his right.
"Don''t worry, I was getting to you next." Kaze scoffed in annoyance, "Can you tell me why you''re foolishly in my room while I sleep, general?"
"I''m overseeing your recovery, as I have questions for you and expect answers." General Michaels said, sitting on the emperor''s desk chair, his leathery face on proud disy.
"You court death with that manner of speaking." The emperor said dryly.
"If we wanted to kill you and this faction, we would have struck while you were unconscious." The general replied gruffly.
"Do you think that I''d weaken my body far enough for you to kill me while doing you a favor?" Kaze asked mockingly, creating a barrier around Crux, materializing an ice dagger, and slicing his skin.
As he did, a golden barrier of soul Qi blocked the attack and released purple miasma into the air. When it hit the atmosphere
"W-What the hell is... this...." General Michaels cried weakly. His soul was getting sucked out of his body as if the miasma was a vortex.
Kaze snapped his fingers, a golden light washed over the room, and the general''s soul snapped back in ce. The man looked at him with shocked eyes.
"You should be thankful for this foolish woman." The emperor said with murderous eyes, "If someone had hit me with a 50-caliber, all of your soldiers would have died.
Considering that you didn''t even understand this was happening, it meant that this woman saved all of your men''s lives.
Not only are you implying that you considered hurting me, but you''re also implying that the woman that saved your men''s lives would have let you."
General Michael''s eyes trembled in fear, and his breaths became sharp when Kaze''s vibrant green eyes stared murderously into his soul.
"I''ll repeat, General Michaels." Kaze said chillingly, "You court death with that manner of speaking."
Chapter 90 Killian War, Reason To Stay
General Michaels swallowed nervously after hearing Kaze''s bold threat of force following his words.
He was beginning to realize that cultivators were sensitive snowkes regardingnguage, and he needed stringent workce training sessions for anyone who came into contact with the emperor.
"Forgive me for mynguage." The general sighed, "That''s soldier speak, for I''m not hostile; my job demands me to ask about your actions. If you don''t mind me asking, who is she?"
The emperor closed his eyes. "This woman was with the cultivators that appeared on June 2nd.
She''s a lone oddity tasked with finding sleepers, and she only defended herself when you foolishly attacked her.
I asked her to help solve one of your pressing problems to prove she doesn''t mean you harm."
Crux listened, pretending to sleep with aplex expression. She couldn''t understand what the two were saying, but she understood the context.
"I see." General Michaels said pensively, "Does that mean that she''s your ally?"
"Not currently, no." Kaze replied, "I''m seeking to make her one, as she''s an invaluable ally, as she''s arbitrary and connected to the people that brought hell on Earth. She could provide bountiful benefits for everyone."
General Michaels stood. "If she''s unhostile, not threatening us with cultivators, and solved the Manrock Bridge problem as a sign of good will, there''s nothing further to discuss."
"I''m d you''ve grown sensible." Kaze replied seriously, nodding at the man.
The general was taken aback by the sentiment. "I''m not the smartest man, but I can see value and danger when I see them. You''re brimming with both, and she''sced with thetter."
"That''s wise, because you''re right on both fronts." The emperor chuckled bitterly, looking at the woman with annoyance.
"I''ll take my leave. Let''s speak in three days; our negotiations for your requests should pass through the government at that time."
"Until then, General Michaels." The emperor said tersely.
"Good day." The general replied, walking out of the door and nodding to Evalyn, who stood with the soldiers.
Once he had left, she knocked on the door and entered the room, looking at Kaze with a worried expression.
"Rise, Crux." Kaze ordered, using anothernguage the blonde felt eerily capable of understanding, "Remove your hood once Evalyn shuts the door."
The cat woman smiled wryly, lifting her body slowly on the bed and unveiling her hood.
When Evalyn saw her, she experienced a violent wave of deja vu and mixed signals. "I-I feel like I know you from [somewhere], but don''t know where."
Crux didn''t understand the blonde, so she didn''t speak, but she nodded.
Just like Kaze, she didn''t attach Evalyn to the person in her dreams and didn''t get deja vu at sight.
The man in her dreams was a kind pervert, and Kaze was a charmer. That was a major difference.
However, the blonde in her dreams was a ruthless woman with a sadistic sense of humor, and the one before her was a worried kitten.
Their only simrities, at first sight, were their hair and eye colors. But even if the two looked identical, it wouldn''t convince Crux.
Even in her dreams, the Ice Phoenix''s presence made a person''s blood boil.
"Crux, meet your leader; Evalyn, meet your second inmand." Kaze said dryly, using twonguages fluidly, "Neither of you had met, but you have centuries of history together.
There''s no need to specte over why you''re cognizant of each other''s existences, as we will never get such an answer. So it is what it is."
Both looked at him withplex expressions, then looked at each other again.
"Crux, thank you for protecting me." Kaze grimaced, "I am indebted to you. For that reason, I ask what it is you wish to do, as I''m honor bound to not make decisions freely."
"Then why would you expend so much Qi and strain your corrupted body to cate these ants?" Crux scoffed, annoyed he only attributed honor-bound actions to her goodwill.
"What should I have done?" He scoffed in annoyance, "Let the military send rockets to kill Evalyn while I yed catch up with you? Are you mad, woman?"
The cat woman''s face heated up in embarrassment, and she turned away. "So you put yourself in danger out of trust and to help me, is that right?"
"I put myself in danger out of foolishness and foolishness, but yes." Kaze replied curtly.
Crux looked at him in disbelief and then back to the blonde, whose name only sounded familiar, not impactful. "Evalyn Skye?"
Evalyn stared at the cat woman in disbelief. While the woman couldn''t speak English, she pronounced her name perfectly as if it were natural. "Yes, I''m Evalyn Skye."
The shadow cat heard Evalyn say her own name, and it finally triggered deja vu. It made her cringe with a wry smile, turning away in aggressive frustration.
Her options were staying and abandoning her country, n, and honor-bound duties and threatening the life of the person she felt oddly loyal to.
As Kaze mentioned, she might find leaving a far worse betrayal with enough dreams.
"Why am I loyal to humans, mortal no less?" Crux asked bluntly.
"Sixty-seven years after Evalyn arrived, her assembled forces saved your n fromplete destruction." Kaze replied frankly, "Most died, so you joined her for revenge and became loyal."
The shadow cat''s eyes widened and shook in fear. "Who"
"Andrew Killian betrayed your n." He interjected coldly.
"Lies!" Crux snapped violently with murderous eyes.
"You''re in a secret alliance to gain the southern Rine region." Kaze replied, unwavering, "It isn''t public knowledge, so Killian rescinded the offer to stabilize the area after heavy losses.
It''s possible to stabilize because your half-sister Lyna has Killian blood, yes?
Their forces ughtered everyone at her wedding with the Arch Duke Winsor Killian, as they learned where the Pryon n''s prized Dark Essence Crystal was located."
"L-Lies." The shadow cat whispered.
"Must I expose its location to you to prove that I speak no falsehoods?" He asked ruthlessly.
Crux''s eyes trembled in disbelief. "Y-You have that information?"
"Of course." The emperor replied seriously, "Evalyn led the forces to the location to retake it before they reached the end of the pass.
I was there as a mercenary; that''s how we all met."
The royal divine beast stared at him in disbelief, unwilling to ept what she had heard. Unfortunately, she couldn''t deny it.
Only five people in her n knew that they had a Dark Essence Crystal, and only two knew where it was. Even fewer knew of Lyna than the Dark Essence crystal.
Crux knew he wasn''t tantly writing because she knew he was telling the truth.
Kaze nced at the clock. It was 8:41 pm on June 26th, the same day he met her in Meridian City.
"I cannot control fate''s whims or the butterfly effect''s potential atrocities." He began straightly.
"However, if you stay and teach Evalyn, I pledge to leave the Mortal ne in forty years when thest gate opens and save your n if they''re still alive."
Crux''s eyes widened in confusion at his statement. "You''re asking me to wait forty years?"
Kaze shook his head. "I''m not taking you to do anything. I will great bestow power upon you regardless to repay my debt. I only pledge my support and greater power if you stay.
Either way, I must heal my soul without worrying about you or further investigation from the Sky ne cultivators. So you must choose now."
Evalyn listened patiently, understanding the gravity of the conversation. She stared at the cat woman, whose image haunted her.
Horrifying shback fragments cut through her mind periodically. Yet, while they left her shaken, the woman herself did not. It was ufortable.
"Why are you staying on the Mortal ne?" Crux asked straightly, "Surely a life protecting yourself and your people from cultivators is equally troublesome as dealing with your current situation.
Resource scarcity alone would drive you into difort."
"Oh, that. I''m building an army of engineers and trade workers." The emperor replied with a slight smile.
"I''d like to bring Earthian technology to the further nes.
Cultivation society is dreadfully underdeveloped andcks so many conveniences even after millennia.
The weakest are often the most intelligent and creative. That''s a tragedy in it of itself."
Crux''s mouth opened in disbelief before her face turned red and her eyes filled with murderous intent. "You''re asking me to wait forty years, risking my n''s destruction so that you can bring conveniences with you!?"
Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I haven''t asked anything of you and offered you power regardless of your decision.
Yet you wish me to sacrifice my life for your family''s woes? I''d expect such behavior from mortals, not a proud royal."
Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she turned away in annoyance. "Why are you so rude?"
"Why are you acting so childish?" He asked mockingly.
Crux''s eyebrow twitched, and then she looked at Evalyn again, studying the blonde who watched with a nk face in the corner.
"This one still seems naive." The shadow catmented, switching the topic and getting back on track simultaneously.
"She is." Kaze replied, "She''s made unfortunate strides in thest week, but now she''s in the stage of a troubled teen with temper tantrums."
Evalyn''s eyes shed with murder, somehow understanding enough of thenguage to understand how offensive he was toward her. "What did you just say to her!?"
"Exhibit A." He sighed, ignoring the blonde, who shut her eyes to stop the frost she noticed developing around her.
"You will help my nter, yes?" Crux asked after sighing.
"That is what I said, yes?" The emperor scoffed breathlessly, "Do not make me repeat myself to reassure you as if it will change your situation.
Regret will forever shroud you regardless of your decision."
She ignored him and continued. "And you won''t negotiate on giving me time to think?"
"Correct. Your encounter with me has proven fortuitous regardless of your decision here today." Kaze replied dryly, touching her forehead.
Waves of profound information crashed into the woman''s mind, making her scream in pain.
Evalyn jumped up to help, but he lifted his hand to create a spatial barrier and motioned for her to remain still.
When Crux finally eased up, she trembled in disbelief. "S-Sacred techniques. M-Multiple s-sacred techniques."
"Correct. With this, you can protect your n better." Kaze exined.
"If you stay, I shall grant you Celestial techniques and aid your family in forty years.
Now it''s time for you to make a decision. I must fix my soul before training my troops tomorrow."
After a few minutes under the emperor''s pressured gaze, the royal divine beast considered it seriously.
Crux was convinced they were the people in her dreams, understood the value of his propositions, and also found herself holding a double-edged sword.
Everyone would chase her now, hoping to get sacred techniques for which she didn''t have scrolls, which would put her family in danger.
Thus, she was fated to protect her family relentlessly if she used them. At the same time, she couldn''t use two cultivation techniques simultaneously; it was impossible to hide.
She gave Kaze a wry smile and then looked at Evalyn. "Forty years. I''m only doing it for your pledge to help my family."
"Good enough." He smiled, "Now let''s get your quarters set up."
Crux winced, looking around. "Can I stay here for tonight? I don''t want to worry about killing important people again today.
Naturally, I won''t effect your cultivation."
"As you wish." Kaze nodded. He turned to Evalyn, "Crux will be your new teacher starting tomorrow, so prepare yourself. She''ll be staying here tonight."
The blonde stared at him in disbelief. "She''s staying here, in your room?"
"Yes?" He replied in confusion, "She requested to, and I''ve granted her wish."
"I see. Do not break the rules against non-essential cultivation." Evalyn ordered dryly, standing.
While she had no sexual desires, the thought that someone else from his past showed up and he''d sleep with her instantly evoked horrifyingly irrational yet powerful, bitter, and wrathful emotions.
"Calm down." Kaze scoffughed, "She''s staying here to feelfortable."
"With you?" Evalyn asked in confusion, "She doesn''t remember either of us well, yes?"
"Correct." He replied dryly, "Crux has decided to stay, and cannot prevent my desires, so she fears killing people in my home and offending me.
You cannot understand the mindset yet, so please leave. I must cultivate to fix my soul."
Evalyn''s eyes lit up, hearing he''d be fixing his soul, but her emotions mellowed from the rest of the conversation. So she nodded silently and left the room with a neutral expression.
Once she left, Kaze sat in the middle of the room in the lotus position. "Get some sleep, Crux; I''ll see you in the morning."
Without waiting for the woman''s consent, he created a dome spatial barrier around himself and began the process.
"Cleanse." Kaze whispered, gritting his teeth for the eight hours of torture that awaited.
Chapter 91 June 27th, 2032 | Mortal Incentives | 10 Days Remain
Kaze took a shower to remove thest residual impurities from the miasma in his body.
He methodically obliterated his chest, lungs, and shoulders and healed them to permanently remove impurities. Now his body was as pristine and unscarred as it was a week ago.
It was ludicrous from any rational perspective and showcased the absurd level of power he had amassed with his cultivation techniques and the indomitability of his mindset.
"Finally." Kaze grinned, getting out of the shower with a bright smile, "I''ll finally be able to create spatial rings in a few days; I have long forgotten how inconvenient satchels were."
For the emperor, who walked around with a massive treasury on his finger in the Immortal ne, wearing a leather bag to carry documents was chafing.
"That''s for then. For now, I need to get Crux and Evalyn set up with training and also Crux about Ergo Seeds." He muttered to himself pensively.
Now that he had a soul core, he could establish permanent cultivation links, allowing him to create barriers, make spatial storage, and grow nts for impurity-cleansing treasures.
When he left the bathroom, Crux was waiting for him on the bed, sitting in her frog hoodie, the covers on her thighs, with her cat tail up straight.
While her pose wasn''t noteworthy
"Must you sniff those?" Kaze asked with a twitching cheek, "We''re getting you undergarments right now."
The shadow cat''s face flushed bright red to the tip of her ears. "T-These are undergarments?"
She had Riley and Sarah''s bikini bottoms in her hands, sniffing them. The two seemed to have hidden them somewhere and left wearing towels.
He wasn''t a fan of their [trophy of conquest] message or the current situationespecially because a divine beast was smelling them in puzzlement.
Crux threw them onto the bed in confusion. "I-I I thought they smelled like I''m not sure what I thought. I''ve never seen such strange cloth that ties together.
While it smelled like a human, there was so little cloth that it was hard to imagine it would cover anyone''s bottom."
Kaze chuckled in disbelief and closed his eyes. "While everyone on the Mortal ne is weak, their technology is vastly superior.
That said, every year, women wear less clothes when swimming. I looked forward to seeing what happened next year until the apocalypse rudely intervened."
Crux blinked twice in confusion. He couldn''t tell what part of his statement was a joke or if it waspletely serious. Regardless of the joking point, it all horrified her. "I think we should move on."
Kaze chuckled in amusement. "Moving on, then. Do you know when Ergo Seeds are being shipped to Earth? Or any other impurity treasure nt?"
Her eyes narrowed, and her expression became serious. "During the final Qi influx in ten days."
"That soon?" He asked in confusion.
"Yes, they''re nting fields as part of the trial." She confirmed, "And they''re creating an incentive to lure in fertilize them."
A lethal glint shed across the emperor''s eyes. nt treasures are normal nts that cultivators endow with a [Soul Qi vein].
Soul Qi veins ept Soul Qi from dead cultivators and creatures, allowing them to grow.
In short, the more death urs around a treasure, the more potent it bes.
One notable example was the Tree of Immortality, a living treasure that housed over a million souls. It was regrly tapped for Soul Qi like a well until it was destroyed, sending the Transcendent ne into disarray.
In this case, the cultivators nned to lead humans with a shot at survival to their deaths to nt the seeds. It was extremely dark.
"I see that makes sense." Kaze replied pensively, "How long will they be here?"
"Only until the end of the 24 hour closure window." Crux said with sharp eyes, "They''reing and going with the Qi."
He closed his eyes in annoyance. While he wanted to obtain the seeds, the military would surely panic and seek refuge in Immortal Skye simultaneously.
If he left to retrieve the seeds, the settlement would be undefended. "I must train everyone quickly."
"Surely you''re not nning to face dozens of cultivators to obtain seeds." Crux whispered in disbelief.
"Of course I am." Kazeughed, "Ideally, I''d like to do so without being noticed. I do not seek hostilities, but I can''t wait around for three months for impurity removal treasures."
The divine beast smiled wryly. "I see. I wish I didn''t know that."
"I''m not asking you to take part." He rified, "But so long as you''re here, you''re a leader if you wish, and I will be honest.
They''re actively killing billions of people; I''m seeking to protect some, not start a war. Nowe, we must get you clothing so I can start the training.
Less than two weeks remain before the fifth influx of Qi, and every person of poweres knocking on Immortal Skye''s door.
Evalyn must be trained, and I can''t do it while training the faction members, real soldiers, and trade workers, raising elites, organizing the faction, creating political institutions, squashing internal enemies, and dousing fires from the impending panic.
There''s much to do and not enough time. So let''s go."
Kaze was on the edge of creating the most incredible ce to live on Earth, apocalypse or otherwise. Therefore, he needed to protect it from outsiders and from within.
There was a lot to do, and he didn''t have time to focus on Evalyn, so he was grateful she had a teacher.
Crux nodded and got up, using the baggy hoodie to tuck in her tail and the hood to hide her ears.
They walked out of the building and made their way to a mansion on the far side of the campus.
"Wee to the [Luxe]." Kaze smiled, leading her into a mansion farrger than the rest. It was a simple white mansion with stylish ck and gold ents. It looked very modern.
When they walked in, Crux''s eyes widened in shock. It was a full store filled with a million clothing items of every size and description.
It had five floors, twenty rooms, and two ballrooms.
Half the rooms and both ballrooms in the Luxe had clothing. The other ten had strange items the shadow cat had never seen before.
Lastly, the basement was called the Underground Bizarre and was designated for another purpose, so he didn''t consider its rooms as part of the Luxe.
Needless to say, her eyes would explode if she went there.
It was a true wondend to the cat woman.
"Why do you have something like this here?"
"This is a faction, is it not?" Kaze smiled, "Since the faction aims to be strong, not earn a profit, resources are free. So there must be incentives for people to work and grow."
"You mean to tell me that mortals will work for garments and trinkets alone?" Crux scoffed, "Is that a joke?"
Faction members worked for resources and techniques in the Sky ne and above. Yet the mortals on Earth would work for simple clothing? It sounded absurd to her!
"True, it''s a mortal thing." Kaze confirmed with an evil grin, leading her to the intimate''s room.
"Since high ne cultivators are far superior, they haven''t a need for more than a few outfits.
That''s why you can only have a pair of undergarments today. You can use your faction bills for practical treasures and techniques when I release them."
"What''s that grin for?" Crux asked in annoyance.
"Oh, nothing." He chuckled while walking to a waiting area, "I''m justughing at the profound foolishness of mortals.
Quickly pick out your clothing, and we can take you to the training area."
Crux scoffed and walked into the room. When she did, her eyes widened in shock.
"How are there so many types!?" She cried in aggressive bewilderment.
On the Sky ne, clothing items were made by hand and rudimentary machinery, simr to what existed leading up to the industrial revolution.
Looms existed, but the textile specialists did not use machinery beyond that.
She picked up a ck pair ofce cheeky''s with eyes as wide as saucers.
"Such detail! I must meet the artisan with this level of talent!" Crux cried in disbelief, "The team must be extraordinary. There are hundreds of different sizes and shapes!"
The cat woman searched through the area in deep fascination until she got to the racy section.
She picked up a simple pink thong with wide, trembling eyes. "What is this!? Such lewd depravity is beyond words!"
Kazeughed his ass off outside of the room, reveling in her reactions.
He was never more grateful for his hyperthymesic memory. Knowing he''d never forget her reaction to seeing a g-string was a treasure.
After twenty minutes, he walked into the room. "Are you ready to leave?"
Crux turned away hurriedly, closely holding her arms to her chest, suppressing the desire to hiss.
"C-Can I get a bit more time?" She stuttered awkwardly.
"Hoh? Is there a problem?" He mused mockingly, "Surely it doesn''t take a high-ss cultivator this much time to pick out simple undergarments. They all serve the same purpose, do they not?"
"I-I." She gulped, "These strange tailors have made features that do not seem to provide practical value.
It would be easier if I could get a few to prevent making mistakes."
"Unfortunately not, Crux." Kaze grinned, "These are incentives for foolish mortals. If I let people run away with them or increase the supply, they would lose their value."
Crux swallowed nervously, torn between hiding her face in shame and preventing him from seeing a dozen pairs of bras and panties in her arms. "I did not understand."
"Of course, you didn''t." He smiled gently, "You can have two pairs for your repentance. Train Evalyn and you''ll receive further rewards."
Her eyes lit up with happiness, and she sneakily put items back or tucked them into discreet locations, leading him to grin further.
After she had picked out her pairs, she left the mansion bitterly and followed him to the cultivation area.
She was impressed when she entered the location because she was on the Mortal ne. However, such locations are standard in the Sky ne, not a fantastical wonder.
Evalyn opened her eyes from the rock in theke''s center, stood, and slowly walked across theke while freezing the area under her feet.
Kaze watched in satisfaction, and Crux appraised her technique and grimaced, understanding how much work she had ahead of her.
When the blonde was ten feet away, she got too confident and excited and slipped.
SPLAAAASSSH!
Kaze burst into unreservedughter as Evalyn bitterly swam to shore, her ck v-neck, leggings, and blonde hair soaked.
She looked at Crux with a wry smile, embarrassed the woman saw her humiliate herself at the first meeting.
"Hello, Crux." Evalyn said solemnly, greeting her with a wave.
"He-ell o. Evalyn Skye." Crux replied, using a bewildering strange ent to say hello, but fluidly saying her name with a perfect ent. It surprised both of them.
More so for the cat woman, who felt strangely capable of understanding English as Evalyn felt about the [Skin]nguage.
It was as if something had locked away the ability, and it was a matter of time until it opened.
Either way, Kaze nned to give them both a Spirit Qi technique that allowed them tomunicate through synesthesia and another geared tonguage.
However, he wouldn''t do that for now. He wanted to observe how theymunicated for the week.
"Okay, I must go train the others." Kaze pped, "Evalyn, you''re to do anything she indicates, no matter how painful.
Crux, you''re to train her however you see fit. She can take a lot more pain than her countenance shows."
Evalyn was ceaselessly impressed by how fluidly he switched betweennguages.
However, her enthusiasm disappeared when she saw the malicious look in Crux''s eyes. There wasn''t a single shred of mercy within them.
Kaze grinned and walked away. "Have fun, you too. Make sure you check in periodically so I can heal your wounds, Evalyn."
"W-Wounds!?" Evalyn cried in shock, but the emperor had already walked away.
Chapter 92 The Fruits Of Their Punishment
After leaving Evalyn and Crux, Kaze met his students at the amphitheater at 9 am sharp, showcasing his incredible time management skills.
He walked onto the stage with a slight smile. Everyone waited with bated breath; it was the first day of training since the party punishment. So members were uncertain whether he''d berate them or bear his charisma.
"That was a pretty bad way to kick off learning, wasn''t it?" Kaze asked with a cheeky smile.
After a moment of stunned silence, everyone burst intoughter.
"In case you''re wondering why I''m not scolding anyone, it''s because you''ve all received your punishment." He chuckled, "Some far more than others."
Manyughed lightly, snickering at the tormented rule breakers. The nature of the punishment was now widely understood and epted.
However, that didn''t change their feelings toward the people that caused the punishment.
"At Immortal Skye, you are not lectured." Kaze exined, "You learn through punishment and reason alone.
Once you''ve paid for your transgressions, you''re free to return to normal life unfettered."
Everyone listened and nodded in understanding.
"Now that you have, let''s get started for real." He suggested, "What do you say?"
The faction members exploded in delirious cheers. There was an instant standing ovation as if he gave a marvelous, century-defining speech to usher in a new era.
Kaze chuckled in amusement. "I like your enthusiasm; use it in your learning.
We''re learning offensive techniques today. Follow me to the training ground."
Everyone cheered excitedly, filing out of the area, following the emperor to the south side of the campus, beyond the small forested area.
There was four acres worth of long-distance target ranges on the campus, outside sparing rings and an area for training dummies that he hadn''t set up yet.
He wouldn''t waste resources on training dummies before he infused them with Soul Qi, allowing them to take serious damage without being destroyed.
"Wee to the training grounds." Kaze smiled, "There are fifty targets here. You know the drill, yes?"
The faction members smiled wryly or chuckled after his words.
"While modern technology can print out scrolls, this area cost millions of dors to build." He exined.
"So it''s a perfect example of resource scarcity in the real world.
As you''re aware, helping each other is a suitable method of building power, so exercise it today if you feel it''s necessary."
Everyone nodded in assent.
"Now, let''s get started." Kaze smiled, "Members are handing out easy-to-learn mortal technique now called [Air sh].
It''s not even a cultivation technique. You''re only using raw Elemental Qi to sh the air. Observe."
Kaze smiled and waved his hand lightly.
An arc of warping space shed the air, leaving dust flying. It shot across thend, past the targets, and
CRaaaaaACK! BOOM!
a massive treat got cut in half.
Many faction members immediately broke out into wild, excited cheering.
"As you can see, it''s still powerful." Kaze exined, "Your task today is to learn and practice the technique, showcasing your talent in dexterity and cultivation."
The faction members epted the papers with the technique on them, trying not to look at them while he spoke.
"You will be graded for yourpetence in both today, so you must practice it at least once."
The faction members groaned, remembering the problems from the first practice.
"I rmend that you not get impatient." He continued, "An unlearned technique will never work; therefore, rushing your progress guarantees failure."
People gulped, afraid of the future. However, many were excited, nervous, and ready to get started and prove themselves.
"Using techniques also requires training and dexterity." Kaze exined, "The people that have both skills are few.
Therefore, you may consider trading people for help. Making allies with others is an important skill that will serve you far into the future.
Grading will be conducted in secrecy. You may begin!"
Kaze walked away from the area with a slight grin, jumped onto the roof of the preparation building, only 50 yards from the students, and sat down behind a concealment technique.
Then he waited for the paranoia to kick in. He left thest time and then showed up in disguise.
Now, he was walking away to give people the perception he was doing the same but didn''t get involved.
Everyone gulped and immediately started learning the technique with various approaches.
"Hey, would you like to join our training group? We have five people."
"No thanks, I''m giving it a shot on my own. Thank you."
"What about you?"
"I''m going to try learning it first. That way, I can find someone with the opposite problem and make a trade."
"Okay, suit yourself, you two. Best of luck!"
There were countless approaches, as there were 2,187 people.
The results of his and Evalyn''s punishments provided both dramatic gains for performance and devastating further punishment for the guilty.
"Should we ask those guys?"
"Are you kidding? Those are the people that caused the trouble. Just associating with them can get us socially banned!"
"Oh, shit. Good save."
"Wait, guys. What happens if the emperor is amongst them?"
"Oh wait."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember how he showed up dressed like a student? What if he asks us to help him, and we turn him down?"
"I."
"Don''t worry about that. Faction Leader''s not making us help anyone. But you are right; we must be careful about being rude or starting problems."
"Great point. I''m d we talked about this."
Teamwork also skyrocketed due to his leadership level-ups.
"Hey, everyone! Before things get hectic, let''s figure out a way to distribute the targets first. We''ll all fail if we don''t do this upfront."
"Good point. It''ll turn into a zoo otherwise."
"Aren''t you afraid of not learning the technique?"
"Hah, are you kidding? I''m more afraid of ending up like a jester for causing problems!"
Kaze chuckled, satisfied that he had adequately traumatized everyone for the positive.
He intentionally didn''t give them a timeframe to increase the pressure. No one knew when the exercise would end, so they panicked to get things done.
Stress and time are two important features of the real world. Learning to deal with them was critical to survival and sess.
As the hours passed, many people learned the technique and started practicing.
"These ten targets line''s for people that want to take turns with one sh!"
"These two are for people that want three shes!"
"Over here, we have five lines for groups of five or less to help each other!"
"I wish we had signs! This is annoying."
"Right? Let''s bring some next time. I''m certain the Emperor will agree that it''s a good approach."
Leaders divided the different targets by the approaches people wanted to take for learning.
Their hearts were in the right ce, but it quickly became a disaster.
"Hey, everyone in the three sh line joins the one-person lines after they get their session! We need to stop this!"
"What do you want us to do about it? It''s not like we can stop people from practicing."
"This is stopping people from practicing! Those who got the most benefits are abusing the system."
"Yo, chill out, you two. You heard what happened thest time people started arguing, right?
It''s weird to say this, but either one of you could be Faction Leader. That''s why we should work together in general."
"I yeah. Good point."
"Sorry, I''m just stressed."
The situation became awkward. Kaze was the person that started making helpful suggestions, so people became wary of any man who offered reasonable suggestions.
It helped the situation a lot.
"Look, everyone. Let''s just figure let things y out. The problem will solve itself, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"We created different lines to find a solution that makes things work, right?
No one will go to a line with three hundred people or one that moves too slowly, right?
It''ll bnce itself, and bad lines will die out. So let''s just let it happen for now."
"Good point."
Kaze was satisfied they were learning and developing an economic resource management system.
The economic system was known asissez-faire, which allowed people to solve their problems and distribute resources depending on their value and demand.
It worked so long as violence was prohibited. It broke down if people killed each other for trying to work things out.
There were serious inequality problems in the system.
However, the main benefit is that working systems created themselves, freeing up resources for the managers to focus on problem-solving instead of scheming for systems to solve problems.
Therger the economy got, the more trouble and problems it created, but with a settlement of only a few thousand people, it was easy to prevent problems. It was ideal.
Five hours into the training, few people were satisfied with their results and started panicking.
"Hey, I get that things are working, but I haven''t practiced once!"
"Shouldn''t we let people that have recently learned the technique go once?"
"We should try to create lines for those people."
"Good luck. We have no idea who has learned the system and when. People will abuse the system immediately."
"Fuck the system, man! We''re getting graded for this, and it can end at any moment. If people like me haven''t gone once, then we fail!"
"Hey, you can''t cut!"
"You''re preventing me from passing! That''s against the rules, right?"
"Not this time, no!"
"Yes, it is! Do you need to be told every time!"
"Look, I don''t care what you do. But I haven''t gone once either, but I''ve been in line for thirty minutes, so wait your turn."
Kaze smiled, watching the proceedings. He took note of everyone present; he only needed to see the person once to memorize their words and interactions forever.
He knew everyone by their faces, info, and everything they said.
The emperor had a horrifying condition that was awful to live with but had insane benefits simultaneously.
Of all the groups having difficulty, those guilty of breaking the rules had it worst.
"Of course, he hit it. He learned that the eyesight technique."
"How can you tell?"
"His eyes are glowing. Watch, all those scumbags got it. Gah, I hate them!"
"Look, people make mistakes,dy!"
"Don''t call medy! You''re annoying. Shut up and continue cheating."
"Whaever."
"Hah! That woman also has that eye technique, but she''s not even using it. What a joke."
"Right, it''s annoying that she got it and isn''t using it. It''s a p in the face of everyone who wants it."
"I bet she can''t. She''s obviously an idiot."
Those with Mortal Red Eye immediately suffered bacsh [whether they used the technique or not]. They were in a brutal lose-lose situation.
Those guilty who didn''t ept the punishment were extra salty.
They were ostracized and could fail because no one would work with them or be helpful, while those with the technique would pass from their cheat.
Evalyn''s punishment was terrifyingly savage.
After two more hours, the real test began.
"Let''s see how you do when you approach eight hours." Kaze grinned, "That''s a horrifying psychological level."
Malta had eight-hour work days. So after the seventh hour, fear that the test would end in an hour became concrete in people''s minds, and the pressure became severe.
People began arguing, situations became tense, and the leaders in the area showcased their true colors. So did the profound values of Evalyn''s [punishment].
"Hey, everyone! Listen up! We''ve decided as a group that if we all get punished for you guys breaking out, we''ll iste everyone yelling!"
Everyone fell silent instantly and trembled.
No one wanted to be in the shoes of those with Mortal Red Eye. So they quieted down and tried to resolve things instantly.
Things were working well in the main area, but an extremely aggressive situation broke out off-site.
When Kaze saw it, his eyes immediately shed with murderous intent. He instantly concealed himself and jumped off the roof to put an end to it.
Chapter 93 [Kiera London Snow]
[A/N: The dialogue in this chapter is intentionally high-level and derisive to show the rich contrasts between Kiera and Kaze''s speech patterns and the simrities in their thinking and artiction.
It also makes it unnaturally overbearing. However, if you make an effort, you''ll find this chapter has the best dialogue in the novel. Hands down. It''s a hrious, lethal war of clever lines. Enjoy!]
--
An issue broke out outside the main training area--far out.
"Look, if I could fill my knowledge into a bathtub, I''d let you soak in it." Kiera snapped, "I''d even throw in a [eureka] moment tomemorate the shocking assion. But I can''t!"
A petite neon-pink-haired woman with ckyered roots was striding away from a man who was following her.
She wore a loose ck t-shirt with a silver ne, ck leggings, and white shoes. All three made her vibrant pink hair pop.
The man was in. He was around eighteen and a muscr athlete in a green t-shirt and grey shorts with a short temper.
It was obvious by the look in his eyes that he was interested in her and wasn''t taking rejection well.
"You''re not performing your duties for the lesson!" The man growled, "You''re supposed to help people. Other people are, so stop keeping everyone else down!"
"I''m not following the lesson?" She scoffed in bewilderment, "Look, Bundy. I''m trying to cultivate, and you''re a zealous volunteer of the stalk patrol.
You''re breaking two rules, so get away from me."
"My name is Nate, bitch!" Nate, a muscr brown-haired teen, snapped.
"Oh! Forgive me. People like you are normally just referred to by their creep factor." She said with false panic, holding up her hands, "Bundy isn''t adequate because you''re not charming, but it''s all I got."
Nate''s eyes shed with murder. "I''m going to kill you!"
"That''d be the quintessential [preventing people from cultivating] action." Kiera giggled maliciously,
"Buuuuuuuut~ While I''d loooooove to give Kaze an opened and closed p dunk example of your stalker behavior, I enjoy living. Sooooo, fuck off, yeah?"
"Did you just tell me to fuck off?" Nate growled in anger.
"Pretty please?" She requested with cute puppy dog eyes, blinking twice.
"You''re asking for it bitch." He dered aggressively.
"No, I''m not asking for anything but for you to leave me alone." Kiera scoffed, "That''s why I''m moving somewhere far away from you.
You''re the one apocalypsing, asking the impossible of me. So leave, kay? Byeeeeee!"
She turned around and began walking away. Not two steps into her walk, the man charged, her hand lifted, and she turned around swiftly.
At that moment, Nate''s eyes shed before his eyes when he met her gaze.
Wrath and anticipation were in her eyes; she expected him to charge, and her lifted hand wasn''t an attempt to [p].
Keira''s gaze told him it was an offensive technique she was confident would take him out in one decisive blow.
As she waved her hand, an invisible force gripped their bodies, paralyzing them.
Kiera and Nate stood frozen in shock, fearful of the strange paralysis they had experienced.
They couldn''t scan their surroundings past their peripherals due to the paralysis, so their fear only increased when they heard slow pping from their blind spot.
It wasn''t a blind spot; both of their hearts jolted when the emperor materialized from thin air a few feet away from them.
"You, Nate." Kaze chuckled, "You''re fucked. Aside from the obvious, if there''s one thing I won''t tolerate on this campus, it''s stalking."
Nate''s eyes trembled in horror and disbelief. The emperor''s words shattered his soul and stomped the broken pieces.
Everything changed for him in a blink of an eye.
"E-Emperor Kaze, you said everyone was--"
"Supposed to learn the cultivation technique." The emperor replied coldly, "I said that helping people could be the best option; it was never an obligation.
Forcing such a preposterous action would teach people the virtues of failure."
"T-Then, why would you emphasize it?" Nate swallowed nervously.
"There''s a difference between helping people when it''s the best option and helping people because you''re forced to." Kaze scoffed.
"One milks the weak and coddles their frail natures; the other teaches the value of short-term sacrifice to obtain long-term strength.
There have been three lessons on this subject. If you don''t know it, as you''ve imed, you''re ying stupid to hide your stalking behavior, or you are genuinely stupid and a stalker.
Both are equally bad, and you''re fucked either way."
"I-I''m sorry." The brown-haired athlete stuttered.
"Why are you looking at me with the face of a suffering imp?" The emperorugh-scoffed, "You were harassing this woman, yes?
Your sorries are valueless when they''re catered to the punishing party instead of the victim, you clown."
Nate turned to Kiera, whose eyes were trembling in shock. He opened his mouth, but he was immediately cut off.
"Save your empty justifications of your faux regrets." Kaze scoffed, "There''s a blond-haired woman named Lina near the amphitheater.
See her so you can receive temporary punishment while I weigh a permanent one."
The invisible force on the man''s body lifted, causing him to stumble. He got up slowly and looked at the emperor with pleading eyes.
"F-Faction Leader, isn''t this... a bit too harsh? I was heated, but it wasn''t like I was looking for a fight." Nate asked in shame, "Heated moments happen, right?"
"Harsh?" The emperor scoffed, "This woman doesn''t know her strength. If I didn''t intervene, I''d be spitting on your corpse as the jesters dragged it away.
The sanctimony of actions is irrelevant if the party who promotes them is dead."
Kiera and Nate''s eyes froze as the atmosphere multiplied exponentially. His words carved terror into their souls.
"You understand, yes?" Kaze asked the man, "Now fuck off, pretty please. By that, I mean leave immediately before there are irreparable consequences."
The man''s eyes trembled before he fell silent and strode away awkwardly, struggling to walk straight with his shakey legs.
The emperor turned to the pink-haired woman of eighteen, still frozen in her striking position. He had a strange expression that was both scolding and forgiving.
"Did you understand you''d kill him?" Kaze asked sternly.
Kiera dry-swallowed nervously. "I nned to lessen the attack so it would st him away, not kill him.
It was a sweeping motion, fainting the attack to make him dodge and swiping him from the side at lesser power."
The emperor studied her expression closely. "While that''smendable, slowing down a shuttle moving 120 miles per hour to 30 won''t change the oue."
Her eyes trembled in realization. "I didn''t know."
"That much is obvious." Kazeugh-scoffed, releasing his Qi to let her stand, "However, I cannot slight you for rationally acting given your knowledge.
If he were a stalker looking to assault you, self-defense is useless when you''re incapacitated.
You did the right thing; you''re just unskilled at present, but that will change.
So your action needs no exoneration; learn from your oversight and practice your technique before you test it on a bumbling fool."
Keria was stunned by his words, and she hung her head. "Thank you, Kaze.... Not for your clemency, but because you saved me from experiencing something like that."
"Don''t thank me." He demanded coldly, "Whenever you use a technique with lethal force capacity, you must be prepared to face any consequences if you lose or fail.
I can neither teach nor save you from that fate.
Stopping you was rational, given my situation, as were your actions, given yours. It wasn''t personal."
She gave him a bitter smile. "I see. Now what?"
"Did you not just hear me?" Kaze asked mockingly, "I acted upon my duties as you did yours.
Surely you understand that we''ll continue doing that, yes?"
"You''re the worst teacher, you know that?" Keria giggled with wide eyes.
The emperor''s cheek twitched. "That''s a bold assertion."
"No... it''s just...." She giggled harder, "It''s just that I almost killed someone, and now you''re casually walking away to let me cultivate?
[Surely you understand] how strange that is, right?"
Kaze gave her a lukewarm smile. "That makes me a good teacher. You''ll understand one day."
"I''ll make sure to remember that statement at my arrainment." Kiera giggled.
"Immortal Skye is an autonomous zone; we''re not bound by Maltaw." He smiled, "So remember that at your award ceremony when you master that sky technique."
Her eyes froze in shock. "Wait... never mind. That question is pointless."
The emperor narrowed his eyes in interest. "Come with me. There are things I must do but you''ve peaked my curiosity so I''llpensate you for the lost time."
"Wait...." Kiera whispered before looking up and seeing that he had already started walking. She quickly caught up in confusion.
"So? What happened?" Kaze asked in amusement.
"What happened?" She chuckled bitterly, "That twice-baked nukepotato courted me, preaching the profound perks of noobdom.
I courteously informed him that I couldn''t infodump a cultivation technique into his tiny brain.
He didn''t take kindly to that, so he chased after me like a premature simp twister. The rest is history."
The emperor''s eyes widened, and he shook his head in bafflement.
"What is this chimerical manner of speech of yours?" Kaze scoffed in disbelief.
"I''m not sure if I should condemn you for yournguage or praise your strength for surviving so long with that tongue of yours."
Kiera felt fear wash over her but was overwhelmed by his humorous statement and giggled in bewilderment. "Can''t we just settle for chastising me?
Both of those options are preeee~ty extreme."
"Yes, they are. Such is fitting when yournguage is born from the depths of repulsive inte culture."
The pink-haired woman giggled involuntarily. "If you insist upon one of the two extreme, I''d appreciate you praising my strength then."
"I''m sure you would." Kazeugh-scoffed breathlessly, "Speaking of strength, how did you happen upon that cultivation technique?
Your strange physique also alludes even myself."
"You act like you know everything." She replied mockingly.
"No, but I know more than you can fathom." He replied dryly, "Now, will you stop wasting my time and inform me of how you acquired the Sorrow Wind technique?"
Kiera''s eyes shot open, and she turned to the emperor to ask him how he knew her technique. However, when she saw his stern face, she followed his directive.
"An arrogant muntpig flew... a decrepit... a cultivator flew from the sky and gave me the same confused look." She sighed, dissatisfied she couldn''t change hernguage.
Normally she''d act cute and sweet, saying little in such a situation.
However, the cat was out of the bag, and she couldn''t feign stupidity. So she found herself talking in a manner her teacher despised.
However, the emperor was satisfied with her attempts, so he didn''t reprimand her.
"So they got a pretty ck-haired woman with gorgeous purple eyes to assess me." She continued.
"It was hard to breathe around her, and she couldn''t speak English, but she was actually useful."
Kaze''s eyes widened in surprise, remembering that Crux told him she assessed other rare physiques, which he decided he''d ask her aboutter.
"The trantor said I had the Divine Flow Physique, and the purple-eyed woman gave me this sky technique." Kiera continued.
Kaze''s eyes widened in perplexity. "Divine Flow Physique? Is that a wind-tempering physique?"
Kiera''s eyes glided to the left in thought. "Not that I know of? It''s not a [wind physique]; it allows me to reverse the flow of Qi in the atmosphere and shift it when cultivating.
I only got Sorrow Winds because she felt inspired to give me the technique because of a dream."
The emperor turned to the woman with a serious expression. "You must train your physique immediately before you kill yourself."
Kiera''s eyes widened in disbelief after Kaze told her that her physique would kill her.
"K-Kill myself?" Keria stuttered in shock.
"That''s what I just said, yes?" Kaze replied sternly, "Pay attention because I do not jest.
That physique is immensely powerful beyondprehension but correspondingly dangerous.
Such is the nature of power and the reason that weapon will quickly backfire on you."
The pink-haired woman stared at him in confusion and hesitation. She didn''t know what to think about what she was hearing.
"Starting tomorrow, I will train you personally." The emperor announced with a serious expression, assaulting the petite teen with powerful emotions, both positive and negative.
"I don''t know what to say...." She whispered.
"Nothing, it''s better that way." He chuckled bitterly, touching her forehead.
"Hey! What are you doing, you cree... peh." Kiera asked as a profound wave of information crashed through her mind.
It ripped through misconceptions and false hypotheses she had developed about cultivation instantly.
"W-What did you just do?" She stuttered.
"I [infodumped] cultivation techniques into your tiny brain." Kaze replied mockingly, mocking her words, "I can''t teach you how to cultivate like this.
However, by giving you multiple minor techniques, it supplements information on cultivation, yes?"
Her eyes trembled in disbelief, and she looked at him with trembling golden eyes. "Yeah... this is so dope."
"Remarkable, extraordinary, staggering, astonishing, shocking, thrilling, sensational, prodigious." Kaze scoffed.
"There''s a surplus of words for exceptional, confounding, impassioned, or distinguished to express the intensity of your thoughts.
You do notck resources to elucidate your feelings, so there isn''t a reason not to speak in a universallymunicativenguage."
"That''s rich, Mr. [Lexicon]." Kiera asked mockingly in the emperor''s pretentious, grandiose voice, "Surely you''re cognizant of how esoteric your antiquated vocabry is for us youngins'', yes?"
Her incredible Kaze impersonation was truly remarkable and left his cheek twitching.
While she was satisfied by the oue, she was surprised to learn [why] he was so irritated.
"Unbelievable. Your diction far surpasses the throngs of simple-minded fools infesting this uncouth wastnd." He chuckled in disbelief.
"Yet you insist upon using atrociousnguage even standing before your teacher and benefactor?"
Kiera opened and closed her mouth a few times. She messed up by proving that she had a strong vocabry and wasn''t using it. Still--
"What''s the point of hiding my personality?" The pink-haired teen asked seriously, "If you expect immediate results, I''ll only disappoint you and drive you insane.
Surely you understand that people don''t change so quickly, even when they try.
So I''d rather be myself as I try than be someone else as I fail."
Kaze studied her facial expressions silently for a few seconds before scoffing in annoyance.
"Make an effort. In the meantime, we''ll build your power so thatnguage doesn''t kill you."
Chapter 94 Mass Manipulation Psychology
Kiera stared into his vivid green eyes. "Hey, teach. Why do you always talk like people will get pwned tomorrow for their actions?"
The emperor rolled his eyes. "You almost killed someone a moment ago, yes?"
Her eyes trembled, and she turned away. "True, but yournguage implies something greater."
"I''llmunicate my actions when youmunicate yours." He replied with a mocking smile.
"Jerk." Kiera huffed, turning away cutely.
Kaze chuckled and continued walking. She quickly followed him in confusion.
"Hey, quick Q. You''re gracing me with your valuable time to save my life, so why aren''t you chastising me for being so derisive?" She asked with her best Kaze impersonation.
Kaze looked to the sky, praying for the divine record to grant him the pressure not to kill the woman.
"The greatest survival mechanism in the world is bing to valuable to hurt or kill." He exined after a deep breath.
"You have potential that few people here have; therefore, I must tolerate your detestable eclectic mindset, as it''s the reason for both your detestable behavior and skill."
"Do you have experience with someone like me?" Kiera asked, studying his facial expressions.
"I do." Kaze replied dryly, "I''ve met many people over my years, and your kind is the most troublesome. Obscenely talented but obnoxiously sensitive to negative feedback."
"Hey! That''s rude." She huffed in disdain, "I''m not obnoxious, Mr. Ego. People love me so much I have stalkers. "
"Exhibit A." He replied dryly, "Take sce that I''mplimenting you, as it''s rare. Now, I have work to do, be quiet if you wish to join me."
Kiera''s face heated up, but her eyes widened in shock when he picked her up and flew in the air to the building to get back into ce.
She looked through the warping concealment wall at the students with wide eyes. "So this is where the puppet master resides."
"Good puppet masters stand next to their puppets." Kaze replied mockingly, sitting on the ground.
"Wooooooow. Did your mother read you Machiavelli to put you to sleep, or are you one of those genuine, charming psychopaths?" Kiera giggled, "Asking for a friend."
The emperor chuckled in amusement. He finally understood what it was like to be Evalyn and to find a person obnoxious but impossible to hate.
"I prefer charming and hyper-rational." He smiled.
"I''m sure you do." She giggled.
"Okay, enough of the jokes. Let''s observe; it''s almost time." Kaze chuckled.
"For what?" She asked with narrowed eyes.
"There is one minute left. Once it hits fifteen minutes before the eight-hour mark, everyone will panic." He asserted.
"They''re both extremely powerful psychological resistance levels."
"Psychological resistant point?" Keria asked, "You mean like making something $9.99 as if it changes the fact that something costs ten dors?"
"Exactly, but it''s more serious." Kazeughed, "But investors will dump millions instantly if a stock at $101 drops below $100, instantly wiping out a billion in value.
Exceeding or falling below that number can make or break a multi-national corporation."
She gave him a mocking smile. "That''s right; you''re rich."
"You''re incorrigible." He scoffed, "Psychological levels are about confidence signals, not money.
If something gets 100 votes instead of 99, people are [exponentially] more willing to join a discussion, take action, or stand behind it.
One vote, second, minute, like, sale, share, read, review, dor, or view can make or break something. It''s a general psychological concept."
"Drrrrraaammmatic." Kiera yawned, stretching her arms dramatically.
Kaze checked his watch in annoyance. "Say that again in 13 seconds."
Her eyes widened. "That''s an oddly specific number."
"What part of [one] do you not understand?" He scoffed in disbelief, rolling his eyes, "Psychological resistance points are instantaneous."
"You mean to tell me that one"
"There''s only one fifteen minutes until our eight hours are up!"
"He didn''t give us a time! Calm down."
"Eight hours is a normal time. Since Faction Leader left, it''s clear he left us an implied time that we should assume!"
"That''s ridiculous."
"What? Do you think he''ll give us eight hours and forty-three minutes? He shows up at nine am sharp!"
"You''re right. It''s eerie how punctual he is."
"Right? Plus, it''d be strange to give students a twelve-hour training session."
"That''s a good point. Gah! I''m so stressed!"
"Can we stop talking about this and start moving? We''re running out of time!"
"Group vote! Who thinks we should let those who haven''t gone more than once go again?"
"You''re saying that because you''re in the back, and it benefits you!"
"You''re refusing because you''re in the front, and you''ve gone more than once!"
They exploded in pandemonium and chaos instantly.
Kaze watched with a smug smile on his face, observing everyone present.
"Yeah, yeah. You win." Kiera huffed, "You set this up, so it''s naturally working out to your evil schemes or whatever.
So, what''s next, Mr. Shades? Are you showing up at eight? Or are you waiting till everything explodes and then swooping down to rescue people from yourself?"
"Neither." He grinned, "If I showed up at eight sharp next time. This time, I have a timer that will go off randomly in the next hour."
"Random?" She asked in confusion, "I don''t even want that sketchy rationale for that."
"As you wish." Kaze replied, watching how people handled the pressure.
She watched in silence with a twitching expression for a minute. "Okay, I want to know."
"Hoh? You canmunicate your real beliefs?" He mused.
"Can you just tell me already?" She huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms.
"It''s called variable reinforcement operant conditioning." Kaze replied, not mincing words.
"Human speak, professor." Kiera requested in annoyance.
"Slot machine." Kaze grinned, "People be addicted when rewardse randomly and paranoid when punishmentse the same way.
If people quickly learn that the amount of time is random, they''ll think faster and push harder."
"What is this, the Iron Curtain?" She scoffed breathlessly in disbelief, "Minus ten points on the cool chart."
"Slot machine." He reiterated in annoyance, "People punish themselves by spending copious quantities of hard-earned money for minuscule random rewards.
I''m recreating that to make them addicted to improvement, but the [punishments] improve them, and the random rewards are free.
The goal is to improve members, make them useful, keep order, and build prosperity, not be [cool] or manipte people like toy soldiers."
Kiera stared at the members with a pensive expression. "You make manipting people like tools sound so benign."
"All things are benign when they provide positive value." Kaze argued, "Watch what happens."
"WE''RE TAKING NOTES OF WHO TO ISOLATE!" A woman yelled, "WE MIGHT ALL FAIL AT BECAUSE OF YOU!"
Everyone fell silent and trembled.
"Does someone have something productive to offer that doesn''t screw people over?" A man asked, triggering a psychological fear it might be Kaze.
"Why don''t we make all 44 lines a ce for one attempt? That way, people can move quickly and we can get people moving through and doing things once."
"I''m okay with that!"
"Me too."
"Works for me."
Keria watched with wide eyes. "Wait, that woman''s punishment."
"A social control tactic." Kaze smiled, "Everything we''re doing promotes growth and prevents serious problems that hurt people."
She watched everyone in surprise.
"Figures that everyone agreeing is at the back." Someone scoffed.
A man at the beginning of the line scoffed in exasperation. "I don''t want to fail because people are bitching, so you can take my space!"
"You can take mine too. If you''re at the front, you may consider doing the same. You might get rewarded."
A dozen people left the lines from the front and filed out, following them once there were ten.
Once twenty people left, another fifty left the lines, and then it picked up the speed until hundreds left in protest.
"Do you understand now?" Kaze smiled, "Once one person left, another followed. Once ten people left, it sped up to a couple of dozen; then, it picked up the pace exponentially.
That''s a psychological level. They''re the key to controlling millions of subjects with words alone."
"It''s impressive." Kiera said in awe, "Are you secretly an old wise man or something? A cultivator who was doing it before it was cool?"
"That''s a reasonable way of exining my behavior." He chuckled, "It matters not. It''s almost time, so join the others. Be here at 6:00 am sharp tomorrow."
"Wait, what? Why"
A warp gate opened behind her, and he pushed her through it unceremoniously. She hit the ground on her butt with wide eyes.
"That jerk!" Kiera cried, getting up and staring at her environment. She was behind the preparation building. "Whatevs. Better get into character.."
She walked over to the line, wearing a faux smile that hid her wrath. When people asked where she was, she told them she went to the bathroom with a fake shy expression.
Kaze grinned in amusement, watching her. "That once is a force of nature."
He looked down at his phone. "Looks like fortune is on their side today."
Twenty minutes were left, and he waited with a slight smile, counting down the minutes. When the time was over, he walked out of a spatial rift and walked to the group.
The emperor pped, getting everyone''s attention. "The exercise is over. You''re free to stay or leave.
However, pick up the earth-grade cultivation technique on your way out. Everyone gets one copy."
"F-Faction leader. Can we have ten more minutes?" A woman asked nervously, "Everyone will get to go once if we do."
"While it''s impressive you almost pulled it off, the people that haven''t gone were the slowest to learn the technique, yes?" Kaze asked with a slight smile.
The woman fell silent.
"Moreover, did anyone that hasn''t gone participate in the discussions to create new systems without yelling orining?" He mused.
Those who hadn''t gone smiled bitterly.
"Even then, you all stayed silent until you started panicking." Kaze exined, "You''ve failed on both fronts. You have a chance at redemption tomorrow, soe prepared.
Those victorious today may fail tomorrow, so you''re not out of the running."
Everyone gulped nervously, understanding the connotation.
"Be here at 8:50 sharp tomorrow for training. That''s all." Kaze announced boldly before walking away.
Chapter 95 June 28th, 2032 | Resistance Training | 9 Days Remain
The next morning at 5:48, Kiera walked to the training ground with bloodshot eyes and the enthusiasm of a dying dog.
"I should''ve just rolled the dice; death is a blessingpared to waking up this early." Sheined bitterly.
"You think you''re joking, but you''ll definitely feel that way before the end of our first training day." Kaze grinned from behind her, making her eyes widen.
However, she didn''t look back in protest. "Isn''t avoiding death the point of this torturous training?"
"Precisely." He smiled, "That''s why I''ll only take you to the brink of death."
She turned to him with horror in her eyes. "You''re being serious, aren''t you?"
"Of course." Kaze grinned maliciously, "You''ll be horrified to learn how honest I am."
Kiera swallowed nervously. "Can''t you take it easy on me, chief? For practical reasons,
I mean. If you nuke my enthusiasm, I''ll turn into a Debbie Drowner, and Depressing Debbies are notoriously useless, you know?"
"Oh, I''ll take it easy on you." He chuckled ominously, "Comparatively. Follow me."
"Comparatively?" She asked seriously, stopping, "What type of sketch, illegal training are you running here!?
You''re not taking me to a dingy basement for resistance training, are you?"
"Stop your buffoonery and catch up." He yelled from a distance, "I''m not wasting my time training a child."
Kiera panicked and ran at full speed, catching up. "Seriously though, we''re not resistance training, right?
Full disclosure, I''m eighty thousand percent non-pro-torture. Not a fan, I''ll scream."
"Silence. Your perpetual derations of your desires have grown unbearable." He scoffed, "You may leave at any time unless doing so will kill you, but I will not allow you to return."
"Did you just say that leaving could kill me!?" Kiera cried in panic, looking at him. She looked at him for answers, but he ignored her.
When she finally gave up, she pursed her lips and turned forward. When she did, she saw an area walled off, surrounded by electric fences in the distance.
"Whooooooooa, woah-woah-woah!" She cried in true horror, "H-Hold up! Tell me we''re not [training] in Area 51!
Training that can kill me in that ce? No thanks. Trust lost, no dice."
He stopped moving and turned to her with a serious expression.
"Then leave." Kaze replied coldly, "Turn down the opportunity people would die for and return to bed to halt this grisly torture and your unendurable suffering.
However, you will hold your tongue if you walk through that door.
The two people inside know the true meaning of suffering and are training to prevent future suffering.
They will find your irascible behavior and derations of injustice and pain offensive.
Since I seek to prevent you from being like them, it''s best to show you what you''re up against and why you should take training seriously."
Kiera stopped and trembled for a moment, looking back at that walled-off area with a beating heart. She was truly afraid and had every right to be, as she''d be genuinely risking her life.
She looked at the gates and back at him. "Look, I want to train, I''m grateful, and not trying to cause problems, kay? This is just the way I express my anxiety."
"And your tongue will get you killed one day, regardless of your intentions." Kaze reiterated coldly, "So keep quiet and learn what true training is."
Kiera gulped nervously, going through dozens of potential scenarios. She desperately sought to learn why his words constantly spread doom and gloom.
However, all she could decipher was that he was dead serious, and she''d regret turning him down once his reasons came to light.
"I''ll do it." She said, looking at the ground.
"Good, nowe." Kaze replied gently, easing up and leading her to the gate.
When he put in the code, and the door opened, she stared at the beautiful area in shock.
"Three wordsNot Area 51." Kiera whispered to herself, nearly imperceptively, "Also, how cute w-wait, that''s"
"The cultivator who gave you your techniques." Kaze interjected, "She''s not with the cultivators, and you will never tell anyone you have met her before or where. Do you understand?"
Kiera''s eyes shook in anxiety and fear, looking at Crux, but she kept her mouth shut and nodded. Luckily, her mind instantly switched directions when she saw Evalyn.
The blonde was bncing on one foot on ice the size of her foot, 50 feet out in theke. She was covered in cuts, soaked and shivering, and her clothing was tattered.
Her shivering made her unstable, requiring her full concentration to remain standing.
The divine beast was in her cute low-thigh frog hoodie with steely eyes and a domineering pose.
"Kaze, how do you say the words wrong, pathetic, and imbecile?" Crux asked from 200 feet away, not turning to him.
Kiera couldn''t hear her, but he responded as if it was only natural.
"Correct, marvelous, and [you''re impressive]." Kaze replied.
"CORRECT!" Crux yelled at the blonde, "YOU''RE IMPRESSIVE!"
Evalyn''s eyes shot open in puzzlement, unsure why the divine beast learned words, spoke for the first time, why the words were positive, or why they sounded so vitriolic.
The confusion made her fall into the water again.
"MARVELOUS!" Crux yelled, waving her hand.
A massive tidal wave crashed into the blonde, sending her toward the massive rock in the center.
Evalyn adeptly turned her body to control her position and hit the rock with her feet, flipping onto it without getting hurt [again].
The same thing had happened at least thirty times since their training started.
"How do you say, [not terrible]?" The cat woman asked dryly.
"Survivable." Kaze smiled.
"SURVIVABLE!" Crux yelled dryly.
"What are you doing?" Kiera asked in shock.
"Promotingmunication." He grinned.
"If she doesn''t know thenguage, isn''t telling her the wrong thing wreckingmunication?" The pink-haired woman asked.
She already knew the woman couldn''t speak English, as she had met her.
Kaze shook his head, pointing to each woman. "No. If I gave her the right answer, there''d be no reason for Evalyn to teach Cruxnguage.
There''s now an opportunity for Evalyn to correct her, starting amunication system.
Language isn''t important for training, so I haven''t helped Crux learn English to promote bonding and signal reading."
Kiera gulped and nodded nervously. She had no idea what he was talking about, but what she was watching was too surreal for her to question it.
Evalyn stepped off the rock, freezing the water under her feet. The water was extremely choppy, so she surfed on the water to get back to the location. It was extremely skilled.
However, it got increasingly difficult as her body dropped in temperature and her shivering continued.
"Ummm if it''s permissible, can I ask a question?" Kiera asked quietly, hesitant to speak.
"Sure." Kaze nodded, "So long as you''re respectful."
"Yeah so, isn''t that bad for muscle memory?" She asked discerningly, "The longer they do this, the colder the water will get since it''s freezing every step.
That increases the amount that blondie Evalyn shakes. It nukes concentration and adds another variable in something alreadyplex right?"
"That''s an astute observation." Kaze replied, genuinely impressed, "That''s true. However, this is fatigue training and also resistance training.
Crux is desensitizing Evalyn to pain during training."
Kiera''s eyes widened in shock, and she turned to him with pleading eyes.
"While your training will be painful, as cultivation training is, I won''t do this to you." Kaze replied seriously, "Unlike her, you''re not asking for resistance training."
The pink-haired woman turned to Evalyn. While they were in the distance, she had a sky-grade technique and could see the look in her eyes. "No resentment."
"None." He confirmed straightly, "That''s the type of determination one can only develop by loss and suffering.
Evalyn doesn''t want to ever experience loss again, so she''s making the most of this training. She''ll practice even if it might kill her before we can save her."
"Isn''t that counterintuitive?" Kiera asked, genuinely perplexed but curious.
"If she dies during training, it''s her faultthat''s her mindset." Kaze replied, "She understands that danger in the real world is beyond her control, but she knows what''sing in training.
So if she dies despite knowing what''sing, it proves she wouldn''t have made it in a real situation. Simple as that."
"I don''t understand." She whispered.
"Exactly. Now observe." Kaze said before switchingnguages, "Crux, do you have a healing cultivation technique at this point in your life?"
The cat woman turned to him with a serious expression. "You do realize how absurd that question is, right?
The medical families and schools strictly guard those techniques."
"Figures." He chuckled bitterly, waving his hand and casually walking through a spatial rift to stand before Crux. She panicked, jumped backward, and waved her hand reflexively.
A massive sh of warping space cut through the atmosphere.
Kaze clicked his tongue and jumped back onto theke, standing on the water in front of Evalyn, and waved his hand at a ghostly speed.
The warping Qi in front of the two twisted into his hand, contorting violently with high kic energy as he contained it.
At the same time, violent tidal waves spread in the water on both sides of them before
BOOM! Boom, boom! CRaaCk, Thud! Thud!
The wind shes cut through two trees, felling them before smashing intorge boulders that he had set up for that exact purpose.
However, he hadn''t expected a divine beast to show up, so it cut them in half and sent them crashing into the wall, leaving huge dents.
Kaze clicked his tongue again and waved his hand upward, releasing the Qi into the sky. It went into the atmosphere.
While it didn''t touch the clouds, the force released was enough to create a small indent in the cumulous cloud in the sky. It was horrifying.
Everything happened in a second.
Kiera and Evalyn''s bodies shook in horror.
Kaze and Crux looked at each other with serious expressionsced with battle intent.
Chapter 96 The Difference In Power
The emperor and the shadow cat stared at each other. One stood on the water, bobbing up and down in the same location, the other on dry ground.
Evalyn and Kiera stared at the two with trembling eyes.
"My apologies; I''m teaching my student the importance of not proking others." Kaze said solemnly, "Hernguage is on track to get her killed, so I''m demonstrating the consequence of speaking frivously."
He closed his eyes and nodded slowly before making eye contact again. His humility humbled Evalyn, who couldn''t believe what she had witnessed.
"Understood." Crux replied calmly, looking at Keira, who she remembered through scent alone.
Kiera shuttered when the divine beast looked at her. However, she stood tall with a quiet expression.
"My actions were purely reflexive and warning you against repeating your actions is pointless." The shadow cat argued, "So unless you need something, I''d like to continue."
Kaze chuckled and gave her a slight smile for her rare practicality. "I''m giving you a healing technique to heal Evalyn after training. So don''t attack me this time."
Her eyes widened in shock. "H-Healing technique? How do you have one when they''re strictly monopolized by the medical millennial families, factions, and schools?"
"I got this one during this apocalypse during the second phase." He smiled, "Hold still."
She trembled slightly in excitement, anxiety, and desperation as he appeared next to her and touched her forehead.
A profound blueprint imprinted itself onto her brain, expanding her mind significantly and leaving her in a state of disbelief.
"You now have free reign to push training as far as Evalyn wants." Kaze said sternly, "However, don''t push things beyond what''s helpful, or hurt her to train yourself. Am I clear?"
The royal divine beast felt an icy chill crawl down her spine. She realized that Kaze had never threatened her until now, and it shocked her system. "Understood."
Kaze turned to Evalyn and reached out his hand. Her body radiated with a familiar, warm, golden light.
It instantly healed all of her wounds and staved off the early symptoms of hypothermia, stopping her shaking before the cold water on her returned.
Evalyn didn''t feel the cold, however. She only had hypothermia because she spent most of thest two days in arctic waters.
He waved his hand again, and a st of heat crashed into her, causing her to stumble backward.
However, the blonde stumbled back reflexively, freezing the water to retain her bnce. The effortlessness left perplexed looks on her and Kiera''s faces.
The emperor gave the blonde a mocking smile for being surprised.
"Thank you." Evalyn said straightly with a grateful nod.
"Don''t thank me." Kaze grinned, "Healing you means you can go through another round before tapping out."
She made eye contact and slowly nodded again, grateful she could train more. "Thank you."
He frowned with a sad look in his eyes for a split second before he put a slight smile on his face.
"You''re wee." Kaze replied, then nudged his head in Kiera''s direction.
Evalyn turned to the mind-haired woman who shuttered, fearful of the notorious blonde she saw at the party. "Who''s she?"
"Kiera Snow, an impressively intelligent, overly sensitive woman with immense potential, a poisonous tongue, and anxiety issues." He exined straightly.
"Kiera has a rare physique that will kill her if I don''t train her. I request you protect her and be kind despite her charming yet derisive behavior and obnoxious manner of speech.
If you haven''t met such a person, you should know they''re quite tiresome." He added with a charming smile.
"Yes, I''m well ustomed to that type of person." The blonde replied with a mocking smile, breaking out of her shell, "Why are you coddling someone? That''s unlike you."
"There''s no choice." Kaze replied straightly, "Her type has indomitable mindsets for personal issues.
However, they''re obnoxiously socially fragile and break from minor social rejection.
Her training will be intricate and deadly; we can''t have her focusing on anything else."
The blonde''s eyes widened in slight fear, examining Kiera''s Qi flow.
She saw that the pink-haired woman had a sky technique and fully opened meridians, proving that she had the technique before joining Immortal Skye.
Evalyn looked at Kiera with aplex expression. "Consider it done. Is there anything else?"
"Yes." He smiled, "Prepare yourself. You''re demonstrating the difference between you and the rest so that woman gets the message to be kind. So bring your best."
She dry-swallowed nervously and nodded. "What am I doing?"
"Behind that wall is a training ground." Kaze smiled, "You''ll use everything you have to attack Crux.
If you hit her once in the next three days, I''ll give you a sacred-grade movement technique called Sacred Snowdrift."
Evalyn''s heart beat violently. The name triggered a fierce, emotional reaction.
Kaze turned to the perplexed shadow cat, still in disbelief that she had just gotten a healing technique.
After receiving two sacred techniques and a healing technique, she truly understood the power differential between them.
"Crux. Evalyn will use every technique in your arsenal tond an attack on you over the next three days." He announced, "You can have four clothing items if you can avoid getting hit."
Crux''s eyes lit up like a firework show momentarily before her eyes lost vitality.
She gave him a wry smile, embarrassed that she, a royal cultivator, was motivated by Earthian garments.
"Very well, lead me to a location you won''t miss." The can woman nodded.
"Okay, follow me." He nodded, walking on water to the other side, "Kiera, you''re with me. Evalyn, follow Crux."
Kiera nodded nervously, trembling slightly. "O-Okay."
She didn''t understand what was going on. However, she watched Kaze teleport to the woman in the frog hoodie, and the cute woman released an attack that split major boulders in half, almost killing Evalyn.
Kaze wasn''t joking when he said that she''d get killed by someone if she made the wrong move. She didn''t even stand a chance; their power difference was far too vast.
Kiera wanted to leave because the people she was near were dangerous. However, her curiosity pushed her forward, and she ran to the other side of theke.
"I only got within attacking distance of her, catching her off guard." The emperor said, "Yet that''s all it took for her to use lethal force that could kill anyone else here.
One day that will be normal; that''s why you need to be strong enough to survive that tongue of yours."
"There you go apocalypsing again." Kiera whispered nervously, "Is it because of cultivation?"
"Correct." He confirmed, "Soon, many individuals will be as strong as an armored military regiment. So they''ll do what they want, regardless of how heinous."
The teen shuttered, walking up to the gate nervously. He put in the code, and a new area opened.
A ten-acre patch ofnd met everyone''s gazes when they met up. He led them to arge meadow in the center, the size of a small city park.
"This is it. You can train in this ten-acre region; just don''t touch the walls or the mansion. Otherwise, you have free reign." Kaze announced.
Evalyn and Crux nodded, staring each other down with serious expressions that sent waves of anxiety pulsing through Kiera''s body.
"You don''t have to hold back, Evalyn." He continued, "Crux is 213 years old.
She has more than a century of distinguished military experience, is a royal who hasn''tcked resources, and is a divine beast.
If you can kill her, she deserves to die. That isn''t a joke; she''ll kill herself if you defeat her in the next three days."
The emperor tranted the message to the cat woman before teaching her some words.
"I-If you whole-de bak, I will keel you." Crux said slowly, trying to copy his words.
"I will try to kill you." Evalyn nodded.
"You. Impressive and marvelous." The cat womanughed derisively.
,m The blonde frowned, giving Kaze a murderous re. She knew that the statements were insults from the second round. "Thank you."
"Okay, I''m taking Kiera to the corner." Kazeughed, "You can start when the spatial barrier is erected."
He walked with the pink-haired woman over to a rock that was offensively close to the two, waved his hand, and a dome barrier encased the two.
"A-Are you sure we can sit here!?" Kiera cried, "We''re like, uber close. Like, uber, uber, [fuck me, we''re gonna die] level close. They''re twenty feet away right"
Before the woman could finish her statement, the area between the twopetitors exploded violently, clouding the area in dust and sending rocks toward her.
However, to her bewilderment, they disappeared when they hit the barrier. Then
BOOM! Boom, boom, rubble, rubble, boom! Boom! Boom, boom, rubble, boom!
The rocks that hit the barrier rained down from the sky, catching the blonde, who was recovering from getting by an invisible force, off guard.
Evalyn rolled out of the way and smacked a rock out of the air. It shattered on contact with her forearm but still hurt. "Gahhhhh!"
"What? Did you think she''d just stand around?" Kazeughed, "She''s treating you like a toddler, but that''s
"W-What just" Kiera couldn''t see from the dust, but her eyes widened in shock when the dust cleared.
Whiiiiish, boom! Whiiiiish, craaaaaaack! Whiiish! Boom! whiiiish, craaack! whiiiiiiish! BOOM!
A hundred daggers floated in the air, shooting at Crux from every direction.
The ck-haired beauty, whose''s ears and tail were hidden by a cute, green frog hoodie, stood in one location, casually dodging attacks, destroying them with Qi, or bending their direction.
Her hoodie didn''t even get water or ice on it. It was surreal.
Evalyn finally understood the vast power differential between them,pleting the cycle.
Crux truly understood the power difference between her and Kaze, Evalyn understood the power difference between her and Crux, and Kiera knew the difference in power between her and Evalyn.
Each tier became abstract at each level, with Evalyn and Kiera being unable toprehend Kaze''s strength. However, like adder, as each level increased, the difference became clear.
Chapter 97 Promised Protection
BOOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the meadow, sending debris everywhere.
Kiera hid her face reflexively but calmed down when she peeked and found Kaze watching with a rxed expression. She immediately turned back to the area.
Whiiiiish, craaaaaaack! whiiiiish, whiiiish, whiiiiiiish! Craaack!
"I-I can''t even see what''s happening with this dust." She muttered to herself.
"Oh, yes." Kaze smiled, "Take this."
He touched her forehead, and Minor Vision crashed into her mind, instantly allowing her to see Qi flow once she got it.
For someone who had tamed a sky technique, a low mortal grade technique seemed like a minor step to a task instead of an operation.
Whiiiiish, whiiiish, whiiiiiiish! Craaaaaaack!
"H-How!" Kiera cried, looking over the battlefield.
Evalyn wasying on the ground, injured and bleeding, but there were now two hundred des shooting at Crux from every direction.
The shadow cat gracefully flew through the air like a fairy, casually waving her finger to destroy daggers she felt troublesome to dodge.
Kiera thought it was beautiful, or rather she wanted to. Every time she fell in love with the scene--
BOOOOOM!
--Crux would wave her hand, a massive explosion would rock the area, and Evalyn would roll around, trying to escape death.
Kaze smiled and waved his hand. The blonde abruptly radiated with golden light, and her wounds disappeared.
"I don''t need your help!" Evalyn snapped.
"How much do you expect to improve if you bleed out and die?" He asked mockingly, "Don''t answer the obvious or misinterpret training requirements with pity."
She gritted her teeth in annoyance, understanding his point. However, she didn''t act upon it because she didn''t have time.
Evalyn anticipated another attack and created a dome barrier of ice. When the sh came down, the blonde jumped out of it and summoned more daggers to shoot at the shadow cat.
BOOOOM! Whiiiiish, whiiiish, whiiiiiiish! Whiiiiiiiiiish, whiiiish, whiiiiiiish! BOOM!
An explosion rocked the ground, and the blonde flew thirty feet across the area, smashing back first into a tree. "Gaaaah!"
Evalyn spat out blood and tried to move, but the impact damaged her spine.
She''d have died from potential long-term paralysis if it were a real fight. However, a familiar voice called out.
"Hey, Evalyn, that looked painful." Kaze grinned, "Do you still reject my help?"
"Please give me your help!" Evalyn cried at full volume.
The emperor smiled gently and waved his hand, healing the blonde instantly.
His favorite thing about the Ice Phoenix was that she was quick to ept wrongdoing and apologize for it. She prioritized doing what was right, not being right.
Of course, if anyone used her of weakness, conspiring with an enemy, or mocked her for admitting she was wrong, she immediately struck them without mercy. That was his second favorite thing about her.
Evalyn jumped up and ran toward Kaze and blinding speed.
"P-Please, no. Don''t bring death this way!" Kiera cried to herself, jumping up reflexively. A hand grabbed her arm and forced her back down onto the rock. "Ow!"
"Control your emotions." Kaze said dryly, "You''ll die if you run out of this barrier. So you must trust me to protect you because you have no choice."
She gulped nervously and looked out the barrier.
When Evalyn got within a dozen feet, she waved her hand. "Razor Flurry!"
Tens of thousands of small shards of ss-like ice shot at the two, creating a blizzard of death.
It caused Kiera to jump into Kaze''s arms in fear, desperate for protection. Kaze weed her into his arms and hugged her before--
Tat, tat, tat, tat, crack, thud, tat, tat, rubble, rubble, tat, tat, craaaaaaackkk! Crack, crack! BOOM!
The blizzard of ss-like shards shot into the spatial barrier around Kaze and materialized above Crux, sending a hailstorm of death upon her.
"Survivable." Crux dered, echoing Kaze''snguage for [not terrible], "But not enough."
She disappeared from the position before the hailstorm ripped through trees, rocks, and everything in the area, turning the area into a messy warzone.
Evalyn''s eyes widened in shock. She immediately looked around, searching for the shadow cat.
However, she caught a single sh of green before she felt fingernails on her neck.
It was extremely subtle and didn''t hurt her, but she knew she''d be bleeding out from a cut jugr if it were a real battle.
"Speed!" Kaze yelled seriously, "You assumed she''d defend herself for a second before attacking, but she dodged and attract with raw power alone."
Evalyn''s heart beat like a war drum, filling her mind with too much blood, making her hazy and afraid.
Her anxiety took over, telling her that she had almost died and needed to flee.
"See?" The emperor scoffed, "That weakness is why I wouldn''t sleep with you."
The blonde''s eyes shed with murder. She couldn''t believe that he''d say something so crude mid-battle, especially after everything she had gone through. It left her angry beyond belief.
An attack came down from above, and she instantly dodged. Her mind was sharp and deadly.
"There are you go!" Kazeughed heartily, "That fear would''ve killed you. It seems that there are uses for that emotional instability yet."
Evalyn''s eyes widened in surprise, realizing she had broken out of her fear-driven haze.
"How can someone always be right and be so unbearable simultaneously?" She growled bitterly, running through the forest.
Kiera opened her eyes hesitantly and turned in the blonde''s direction, only to find she was gone. The image of her blood-soaked clothing was scarred in her mind.
She turned to the right to look for Kaze, but her cheek crashed into his highly chiseled chest. "Oww! Why am I hugging a rock!"
"That''s the first time I''ve been used of being a rock." Kaze chuckled in disbelief, making her hand bounce from the vibrations, "How amusing."
Her face turned bright red, and she looked up to find his grinning face and arms around her.
She instantly disconnected from him and waved her hands. "In-volun-tary. Primitive. Reflexive; insert grown-up word here. I''m not floozin'', I swear!"
Kaze released his arms and let out a confusedugh-scoff which was ambiguous. She couldn''t tell whether it was augh-scoff or a scoffugh. There was a difference.
"Rx. You needn''t worry about getting hurt during training unless you hurt yourself with cultivation." He said gently, "I''ll protect you, so focus on learning."
Her eyes widened in shock, and a profound wave of emotions flooded over her. "You''ll protect me?"
"That''s what I said, yes?" Kaze replied, taking a deep breath to not berate her for being a parrot like everyone else.
"I...." Kiera dry-swallowed nervously, pausing for two seconds, "Thanks, I guess."
Her face turned red, and she gave him aplex expression before turning her gaze back to the battlefield.
Kaze smiled gently, turning back to the battlefield to watch alongside her. Kiera reminded him of someone he once knew, and their personalities were very simr.
Both were incredibly smart and could handle any challenge, but if someone called them annoying, they''d shut down, and it would ruin their days.
That''s why Kiera acted sweet, quiet, and uncontroversial. It wasn''t being two-faced; it was a defense mechanism.
People like hercked confidence, so they brute-forced their way through tasks, making it impossible for someone to deny their achievements.
They wereplex people with a minefield of triggers that could twist their emotional state.
However, people like Kiera had a remarkable feature.
If a person epted them openly, they''d be unquestionably loyal and would shower someone with unreserved love.
They''d be quick to apologize for wrongdoing and listen to someone''s words.
Everything that made them difficult to be around disappeared and got reced with the opposite--a smart, talented woman who was easy to work with.
That''s why he was so patient with her--and it worked like magic.
Kaze pped to get her attention, standing up decisively. He waved his hand, sending a profound wave of Qi crashing into the blonde from five hundred feet away, healing her.
"That''s enough for today, Kiera." He said calmly, "Let''s go to normal training. We''ll start real training tomorrow."
"Wait... that''s it?" Kiera asked in confusion, "That''s a bit... anti-climactic.
Like, don''t get me wrong, I didn''t look forward to it. Seven out of four on the opposed scale.
But it''s kind of a letdown to get super hyped on death and then get told to go back to the day camp for troubled young adults. What''s up with that?"
"You learned a lot today, yes?" Kaze asked mockingly, "Provoking people can lead to instant death, you''re a helpless kitten in the face of true strength, and real training is iparable to the farce urring outside."
Her eyes widened in understanding, and she chuckled bitterly, turning away and standing up.
She listened in the distance to put things back into perspective.
Tat, tat, tat, tat, crack, thud, tat, tat, rubble, rubble, tat, tat, craaaaaaackkk! Crack, crack! BOOM!
The war waged on without pause. It was humbling.
"True enough." Kiera smiled bitterly, "Those women have mad skillz and their terror factor matches. Saying I''m a kitten is a profound act of kindness."
"I''m d you understand." Kaze chuckled in amusement, "Nowe; we''re going back to joke training for the day. I''m sure you can handle it, yes?"
"If I couldn''t, I''d deserve death, or whatever your sketchy words were, Mr. Fud." She replied sarcastically, "Let''s get it over with."
Heughed breathlessly, and the two walked in silence to the training ground separately, separating to prevent specting.
She was extremely humble and quiet the entire time, which satisfied him.
When they got to the training grounds, everyone was already present. "I''ll see you after tomorrow''s jobs announcement."
"Looking forward to hatin'' it, chief," Kiera said casually, waving, "Make sure to practice mercy tonight, alright? Kay, thanks! Byeeeeeee."
The emperor chuckled and walked in front of his subjects, wearing a slight smile.
"Today''s training is the same as yesterday''s training." Kaze grinned, "But today, you''re learning an earth-grade technique.
I''ve tested your talent, adaptability, leadership, strategic mindset, and resourcefulness.
However, today there''s a new criterion--I''m grading your ability to learn.
Approach this training session with every lesson you''ve learned, and show me that you can improve from mistakes.
I''ll ept no questions. You may begin!"
Chapter 98 The Stylist
While Kiera pretended to try hard to learn and practice the technique, Kaze was busy saying hello to an old acquaintance.
"I''ll fail if I don''t pass again." A redhead sighed, sitting in the lotus position and looking at the technique in an isted location behind a building, "I can''t let him down again. I''m pathetic."
"Hello, Addison." Kaze said charmingly.
Her eyes widened when she heard his voice, and she turned her head in panic. "K-Kaze!"
"Why are you so panicked?" He asked with a slight smile, "Do you think I''d kick a maiden like you out of Immortal Skye after giving you a personal invitation?"
Addison gave him a wry smile and turned away. "I don''t know why you gave me this invitation, but I''m grateful and want to make the most of it."
"That''s a ridiculous question." Kazeughed breathlessly, "It''s because you''re talented at cutting hair, and this locationcks a stylist."
He got her number after she cut his hair on the second day back on Earth after transmigrating.
At the time, she felt embarrassed giving him her number because he was a scrawny, e-riddled weeb. Now, she felt embarrassed that she was ever embarrassed.
Even seeing him now was surreal.
"So... in this sea of talent, you gave me a fast pass so I could cut your hair?" Addison giggled with a bright smileced with self-deprecation.
Kaze turned his head both ways and then around dramatically. "What talent?"
Her eyes widened in shock, in disbelief at his bold deration.
"So far, only one person has remarkable talent in cultivation." He smiled, "I created the entrance bar for speed, not talent, and only chose those in Malta for the first three months.
I can make you better at cultivating than every non-elite, save one, in less than a minute. However, I cannot make people talented in cutting hair in twenty years."
Addison''s eyes widened in confusion. "Wait, you can make me a better cultivator than everyone else in a minute?"
"Do you not believe me?" Kaze asked in amusement, "If not, would you like me to prove it?"
She opened and closed her mouth in disbelief. Of course, she wanted that! Still, she didn''t feel deserving. "You shouldn''t give me more than--"
"Nonsense." He chuckled, rolling his eyes charmingly, "If I can improve your cultivation in less than a minute, do you think it''s a sacrifice? Think of it as an investment in future talent."
The redhead''s eyes glided to the left in confusion. However, she epted. "I''ll gratefully ept."
"Good. Now, cultivate." Kaze instructed with a smile.
Addison got into position and began cultivating. Once cultivating, he traced her meridian lightly with his tracing technique at low power.
"Mmmmhn~" She gasped, "What... is this? It feels... really good."
"I''m tracing your meridian channels. Keep cultivating." Kaze exined.
"Okay... mmmn~ ah~ ahhh~." Addison moaned as he traced her arm and back, then moved up her neck and traced sections on her skull.
He outlined every meridian channel in her back and arms, each impacting pleasure channels differently.
When he disconnected his finger, she opened her eyes and turned to him with puppy dog eyes, sad he stopped, treating it like a half-baked massage.
"I''ll give you a massageter if you wish, but we''re cultivating right now, yes?" Kaze asked with a charming, mocking smile.
Addison flushed red to the tip of her ears. "Y-Yes, I''m so sorry! I''ll start cultivating!"
"Just look at that technique again." He chuckled in amusement, "Tell me, does it still seem difficult?"
She hurriedly picked it up, but when she did, she froze. She felt she could read and cultivate it with little practice when she saw it. "I-I don''t understand how...."
"Cultivation techniques define pathways to distribute Qi between meridians." Kaze exined, "I only made you aware of multiple meridianworks, but now you can cultivate.
In short, no one here even understands how to cultivate. So your talent for cutting hair makes you special."
The redhead gulped and turned to him with a grateful expression. "I don''t know what to say, but thank you."
"If you wish to thank me, cut my hairter." He replied with a maic smile.
"I would have done that anyway!" Addison cried, "T-That''s not enough."
"Nonsense, your mere presence is enough, and a good haircut is priceless." Kaze replied in a maic voice, making her blush.
"I-I see. Well, I''ll happily do that whenever you like." She replied nervously.
"How about now?" Kaze asked, "You''ve learned enough of that technique and there are six hours left. That''s more than enough time for a haircut and a massage if you want one."
Addison flushed bright red to the tip of her ears again. However, everything about his proposition was desirable, and she would dly take more. "I-I''d love to."
"Excellent. Get in line and get your practice out of the way." He instructed, "Once you''re done, meet me back here."
"Absolutely!" She announced enthusiastically, "I''ll be right back!"
Twenty minutester, she returned and gave him excuses about the lines. He chuckled and brushed her excuses off, then led her to the Luxe, where there was a full Salon.
"Does this salon suit you?" Kaze asked, walking into the ultra-luxurious salon with brand-new, state-of-the-art equipment.
The sight humbled her; it was a building she''d expect from a salon catering to the ultra-rich. It made the location she worked at previously look like a run-down dump.
"O-Of course I do. I can''t believe I get to work here." Addisonmented in disbelief, "This ce must have cost a fortune."
"It did." Kaze chuckled, "But as I said, a good haircut is priceless.
If you don''t mind, I''d like the same asst time. Do you remember the cut?"
"I do!" She replied with a beaming smile, "I''d... never forget!"
"Excellent. Then let''s get started." He smiled.
Addison nodded and immediately set to work cutting his hair. She used the new equipment to its highest potential and made every cut and motion as artistic as possible.
Kaze smiled and flirted with her as she cut his hair, just like thest session.
When she was done, he smiled in satisfaction. "You''ve already improved. Have you practiced this since?"
"Yes, I''ve practiced it since I got your call." Addison replied, "I convinced people to get it, and it became very popr."
"How charming." He replied with a maic smile, "Well, it looks fantastic. Such talent is rare in any ne."
"T-Thank you, Kaze." She stuttered with a slight bow.
"Oh, don''t be shy." Kaze smiled, "There''s still time. You seemed to enjoy me tracing your meridian channels. If you wish, I can give you a full massage."
Addison''s face and body heated up when she realized he was being serious. "Really? Yet you''d give me a massage?"
Normally, if a client asked if she wanted a massage, she''d deny them and call them a creep.
Yet he was different. He was powerful, attractive, gave her free lessons and power, and now he was offering her a massage... it made no sense!
She felt like her life was a dream when he was around. So she definitely wanted a massage!
"Oh, love." Kaze replied hypnotizingly, "While you devalue yourself, I do not. I''ll give you far more than a massage if you wish."
...
Addisonid t on the emperor''svish red silk sheets in the nude. Her face was bright red and mortified.
"I''m so embarrassed." She whispered, burying her head in a pillow.
"Are you embarrassed to be nude?" Kaze asked with an amused smile, climbing onto the bed with a body massage oil.
While he used [Divine Touch], his main tracing technique, the oil helped smooth out his movements.
"W-Why am I embarrassed?" Addisonughed in self-deprecation.
--Five minutes prior: Kaze''s bedroom--
,m The second Kaze''s bedroom door closed, Addison passionately stripped off her white button-up shirt and dropped her ckce bra.
It revealed her d-cup breasts, which wererger than proportionate but still delightful.
When she unbuttoned her ck pants and let them drop, she looked at Kaze, watching her strip as quickly as possible with an amused smile.
"Would you like...." Addison whispered, moving toward him wearing only her backce panties, "Some help?"
The redhead attempted to drop to her knees to pray to him, but he stopped her with an amused smirk.
"While I love your enthusiasm, I must first give you a massage, yes?" Kaze asked with arge grin.
"Oh! I-I just figured that... you know...." Addison stuttered.
"Do you think me a man that would lure women into my bedroom with false promises of massages?" He asked mockingly, "I will never [lure] a woman anywhere with false assurances."
She winced in shame and hid her face with her hands. Then she realized it exposed her breasts, so she covered them, uncovering her face. It was a shameful cycle.
"I-I''m sorry for being so... presumptuous. I just thought that you wanted to have... sex...." Addison grimaced.
"Of course I do, love." Kaze replied with a maic voice, "Do you think me someone that would turn down the sexual enthusiasm of someone as beautiful as yourself?
Don''t be absurd; there''s just an order of operations. So why don''t you finish what you''ve started andy down so we can begin."
Addison smiled wryly and awkwardly stripped off her panties.
--Present time: Kaze''s Bedroom--
"W-Why am I embarrassed?" Addisonughed in self-deprecation, "Mistaking the situation isn''t embarrassing?"
Chapter 99 [Addison Bishop Chase]
[A/N: This is a character chapter first, lemon second. I''m preparing to turn this novel into a circus.]
--
"W-Why am I embarrassed?" Addisonughed in self-deprecation, "Mistaking the situation isn''t embarrassing?"
"Normally, yes." Kazeughed, "But you were getting naked for the massage, were you not?"
"No... it''s not that." She grimaced, "It''s more like... I figured you invited me just to sleep with me.
Now, whenever you help me and do something nice without taking me, I feel embarrassed for thinking you only wanted sex. I''m confused."
Kaze froze for a moment in shocked confusion. "Wait, did I do or say something that would leave you with such an implication?"
Addison flushed bright red again and buried her face in a pillow. "N-No, it''s just... why else?
You''re rich, powerful, attractive, mysterious, and charming. What else could I offer you?"
"A haircut, woman!" He scoffughed in bewilderment, "Do you think a rich, powerful, and attractive man would waste his time on a womancking talent, beauty, and charm?"
Addison''s eyes widened in shock and regret. "Sorr~ahhhhhHHH~!"
Kaze grinned and used all ten fingers to trace the redhead''s meridianworks in her back.
The redhead stopped apologizing to scream in pleasure, gripping the red silk sheets passionately.
Each of his fingers left after-trails of light illuminating light pink Qi. Her back looked like a gorgeous pinkputer chip, glowing in aplexwork.
It was both beautiful and sensual.
"I refuse to let a woman of your talent flog themself with such belligerent promations of inferiority in my presence." He dered.
"So long as you''re here, I shall rece all feelings of disvalue with pure pleasure."
"I-I''m sorr--ahhhHHHhhhaaahhHHH~!"
Addison stopped apologizing to moan loudly, cut off by his fingers moving across her meridianworks like he was ying her like an instrument.
"W-What are you doing to me!?" She moaned in pleasure, "I''ve never felt so much sexual pleasure!"
His eyebrow twitched, and he looked down at her back. "This? I''m only tracing your meridianwork.
How has the world been so cruel to deprive you of genuine sexual pleasure!?"
"W-What? I''m confused. What do you mea--AhhhHHHhhhaaahhhHHHhhhaaahhhHH~!"
A violent wave of pleasure abruptly assaulted Addison, making her scream in ecstasy as he moved all ten fingers up her pleasure channels.
"I was only helping you learn cultivation, as promised." Kaze exined, pulling his oily hands from her body, "Yet there are priorities.
Right now, your need for sexual release far exceeds teaching you cultivation or building your confidence to where it should be."
"W-Why are being so good to--AhhHH~!"
She got cut off again, moaning loudly into his pillow as he moved his fingers down her lower back, gripping her ass slightly before continuing.
He wasn''t letting her voice her anxieties.
"Why not?" He asked half-mockingly, "We''re here to enjoy ourselves. So why wouldn''t I treat you as you deserve and prioritize your pleasure?"
"I-I don''t know--"
Addison stopped talking and moaned into the pillow at full volume as he ran his palms up her smooth thighs, slightly between them, to increase sexual tension.
"Why must humans always treat life as a zero-sum game?" Kazeughed breathlessly in disdain, "The power of my soldiers is my power, and the pleasure of my women is my pleasure."
"D-Did you just say I''m one of your w-wom--"
She got cut off by a vibrant pulse of energy that cut through her pleasure channels, causing her to scream in pleasure, unable to ask if he said she was his woman.
However, she didn''t need to voice her question aloud.
"I''ll be the man of any beautiful woman who wants to be my woman." Kaze replied in a hypnotizing voice, "Naturally, that won''t change my life or behavior. It''s more... symbolic."
He slowly ran his fingers up her inner thighs, moving closer and closer to her freshly shaven pussy. "Yet, nomittal as it may be, it does make things more intimate."
"I want to be your woman!" Addison gasped in ecstasy, "Lie to me, put me in a harem, or make me into your maid or personal stylist.
If I can be your woman if only symbolically, I''ll ept any terms!"
He blinked twice after her words and smiled wryly to himself, shaking his head.
"I promised you I wouldn''t let you devalue yourself, yet here I am grinning in the face of your bold and alluring derations." Kaze chuckled in self-deprecation.
"I already told you that you could be my woman, as can any other that wishes it.
So you needn''t prostrate yourself for me to ept you. On the contrary, you should prostrate if you want to ept me."
"W-What? You want me to prostrate for you to ept me?" Addison asked in confusion.
"Would you like to find out?" Kaze asked charmingly.
"Y-Yes. Do with me as you wish." She replied softly.
"As you will." He chuckled, gently grabbed her hips, and pulled her ass into the air, forcing her face deeper into the pillow.
She was now [literally] prostrating to the wall, with her smooth lips facing him.
"You see... this is a symbolic gesture you''re using to get me to ept you." The emperor grinned, "However, you can use the same symbolic pose to ept me.
Tell me, Addison. Would you rather me ept you or for you to ept me?"
Addison''s eyes widened in understanding and her face heated up.
The redhead realized something horrifying--she''d [ept] either.
She couldn''t remember when she became so attached to Kaze.
At first, she believed it was a strange fetish for geeky men.
It was a horrifying thought, but she couldn''t deny it because she couldn''t remember her conversation with Kaze or feel its emotion.
It became an abstraction.
There was a geeky, e-riddled weeb of eighteen who walked into her work.
Somehow he charmed her and left her anticipating his phone call.
Eventually, she forgot why she was drawn to him, but she just was.
That changed when she found him on Yanko.
She felt vindicated when she saw the Lost Emperor and Scrawn Fu videos.
Kaze was just as charming as she remembered, and he was instantly the talk of all women.
So she wasn''t alone in her fixation.
While seeing him and feeling justified felt good--
She instantly became jealous!
Jealous of Evalyn, who he courted!
Jealous of his homeroom teacher.
He was on her mind even more then.
Then she abruptly got a phone call a weekter saying he wanted to meet up briefly.
She was overjoyed and immediately took him up on it and went to lunch.
However, despite her expectations, a weeb didn''t arrive.
A handsome, charming man arrived instead. However, he spoke and acted the same, had the same haircut, and was equally well-dressed.
It [was] him--Kaze Lexicon.
Once his appearance matched his personality, her attraction to him exploded, and her mind broke slightly.
Kaze flirted with her, as always, and she became a shy, helpless kitten.
Yet he didn''t judge her for that.
When their lunch was over, he gave her a present.
He taught her Illuminesent Breathing and said she should practice it, then join him.
She didn''t know why she should practice it or where she''d join him.
But she practiced it because he was on her mind.
Two weekster, she got on Yanko and saw that the legendary Emperor had posted a video stating that he was starting a faction, and the ticket--was Illuminecent Breathing.
Her mind began twisting in confusion when she read that.
Was the Emperor Kaze?
Or was he powerful enough to know the Emperor?
The thought sent her mind into overdrive.
Within a minute, she had made a video of her cultivating the technique.
It made her the first person in the world to do so.
She posted it on Yanko and realized her mistake.
Her phone exploded with messages andments.
It made her panic because her phone kept dying while she awaited Immortal Skye''s call!
She deleted her ount almost instantly, which led to a firestorm online.
It was a fiasco.
Yet, lo and behold, she ended up at Immortal Skye.
When she got onto the campus, she looked for Kaze every day.
Yet he didn''t show.
Not the first day.
Nor the second.
Or the third.
It wasn''t until the day of the opening ceremony that sheid eyes on him.
Not as Scrawn Fu.
The Emperor.
And yet--
--it was still him.
The charming weeb.
The inte celebrity.
The mysterious cultivator.
The world-famous sex god.
The leader of her new faction.
The most sought-after man there.
The man who was treating her well.
Kaze Lexicon was on her mind five hours a day and then another five inadvertently, as everyone was talking about the Emperor.
When their two identities merged, she realized she was thinking about him almost exclusively.
It was mind-bending.
Now she was naked before him.
And she''d do anything to continue her fantasy.
To make him happy.
To be his woman.
So she thought of the option that would please him.
He wanted her to be confident.
And he didn''t want her to beg.
What he wanted... was sex.
Obviously.
"I-I... please let me ept you!" Addison yelled into the pillow, releasing her anxiety, desperation, and frustration.
"As you will." Kaze smiled, unbuckling his pants.
She listened to the action with a beating heart, desperately praying it wasn''t all a dream.
"Maybe I shouldn''t make a spiritual connection." He whispered under his breath pensively, "She seems a bit..."
Addison heard a minor noise, and her heart thumped unnaturally, confirming his suspicions.
She was obsessed with him.
No, she was obsessed. Only after he began to fulfill her expected fantasy her obsession reced her nervousness.
Now her desperate fixation on him was gruesomely clear.
Addison Bishop Chase would do [anything] he asked her to do.
The emperor wasn''t opposed to that, so long as she didn''t interfere with his life or others.
In fact, he found women like her charming and often useful.
Even if he didn''t use her, she was currently an obsessive fan girl, but that would fade naturally with time and experience.
However, it was a vtile time with impending trauma and stress.
Spiritual Connection would only make them feel more connected, and her distorted mental state could make her a pathologically obsessive stalker.
Or, if she sought exclusivefort and got rejected, it could break her mind and make her snap in anger.
Hell awaited if he took things too far.
"I-Is everything okay?" Addison asked nervously.
"I was just admiring your body." Kaze replied charmingly, making her blush furiously.
"I see. I was just worried--"
Addison stopped talking and screamed into the pillow in full volume as he pressed his tip against her lips and pushed.
He decided not to cultivate with her--yet.
For now, it was time to let her experience pleasure.
"How are you doing, love?" Kaze asked with a hypnotic voice.
"I-I''m so happy." Addison gasped with a beating heart, "Having you in my body feels like a dream."
"Then let''s make it a lucid dream." He smiled, "One you''ll never forget."
Kaze pulled his shaft back and thrust again, making her scream in pleasure again.
The redhead gripped the red silk sheets, pressing her breasts against them vigorously.
Every time he entered her body, she felt more connected to him.
Moreover, she felt intense sexual pleasure and powerful emotions.
She was lost in abyrinth of ecstasy under an ocean of happiness.
Kaze smiled, knowing that he pleased her so much.
There was nothing he enjoyed more than helping women experience true pleasure.
For the emperor, who had experienced sex with powerful dual cultivating women, a human woman could never please him.
It wasn''t about physical pleasure.
Kaze enjoyed pleasing them and sharing their emotions through a spiritual connection.
That''s why he gave women whatever they wanted during sex and let them expose the darkest parts of their personalities. Whatever they may be.
It was what pleased him about sex after thousands of years.
As for Addison, her emotions were extremely satisfying. He was helping her live out her dreams and fantasies, as concerning as they were, and shared in that emotion.
So he pleased her for hours until she was too tired to desire more.
"Sleep well." Kaze smiled, turning off the light andying next to her naked body, "Tomorrow you''ll learn that it wasn''t a dream."
Chapter 100 June 29th, 2032 | The Gated Community | 8 Days Remain
Kaze left Addison sleeping in his bed and returned to the training grounds to end the training session.
He was satisfied to find that over half of the people could use the technique to a usable degree.
While they were untalented in his eyes, they were vastly faster at learning than most humans.
After he concluded the session, he checked in on Crux and Evalyn, who were fighting on the training grounds. They had started 12 hours before, but they were still going.
While Evalyn''s tactics improved considerably, Crux always increased the pressure.
As a result, no matter how much the blonde improved, she still received mortal wounds the shadow cat needed to heal to keep her alive.
Despite that, the two continued hour after hour because Evalyn refused to give up.
It was torturous to watch.
After finishing his silent evaluation, he went to his room, where he quietly worked at his desk, creating documents for the military training regiment he would offer General Michaels.
Around midnight, he undressed and got into bed. Addison was still peacefully sleeping as he got under the covers and moved to the center.
He stared at the ceiling in thought for a moment before closing his eyes.
...
Kaze woke up to a pair of vibrant green eyes staring at him, watching him sleep. "Good morning, lovely."
Addison blushed furiously, turning away. She was in a trance-like state staring at him, so when he shifted, it startled her and made her realize how creepy she was being. "G-Good morning."
It was six in the morning, over twelve hours after she fell asleep. It made him wonder how long she had been watching him, but he didn''t question it.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked with a charming smile.
"I... did. Yesterday was... amazing." Addison confessed, sheepishly making expectant eye contact, "Did you enjoy it?"
"Of course." Kaze affirmed definitively, "Simply sharing your presence has made it special."
She blushed to the tip of her ears again, turning away but sneaking nces at him.
Kazeughed, getting out of bed. "I''m taking a shower before a meeting. Would you like to join me?"
The redhead''s eyes lit up in excitement. "I''d love to!"
She quickly got out of bed, letting her d-cup breasts sway as she happily ran up to him naked, without shame.
Kaze smiled and led him to the master bathroom and into arge ss shower. He turned it on to a nice temperature and led her inside.
The two washed their bodies in silence for a moment, with the emperor genuinely trying to clean and the redhead trying to jump in to help.
After he finished, she pressed her breasts against his back. "Would you like me to wash you with a bit more... detail?"
"If you''d like to demonstrate your attention to detail, I won''t refuse." Kaze smiled.
Addison circled him, looking into his eyes, and dropped to her knees. Seeing her passion for satisfying him pleased him, so he let her take her time.
She rolled her tongue around his tip passionately before opening her mouth and inserting as much of his shaft as possible before closing her mouth and sucking.
As before, he didn''t cultivate with her. He just let her please them both to her heart''s desire.
After ten minutes of bobbing her head, he closed his eyes and came. She epted his hot liquid greedily, allowing as much to fill her mouth as possible before making eye contact and swallowing.
"How was it?" Addison asked as the two got out of the shower.
"Truly delightful." Kaze replied charmingly, grabbing her ass. It made her jump and blush, but she liked it--to a manic degree.
"Now get dressed, I have a meeting before we meet at the amphitheater at 9:00, yes?"
"Of course." She replied seriously, sliding her legs into her ckce panties, "I''ll go home and get ready. I''ll be on time."
"That''s what I like to hear." He chuckled.
The two got dressed and walked out of the room, making their way down the stairs.
Seven members in rainbow-colored jester outfits were cleaning the mansion''s lobby as they entered.
They saluted the emperor as he walked past and returned to work when he ignored them.
Kaze and the redhead walked out the door and stopped to say goodbye.
"What are you teaching today?" Addison asked curiously.
"I''m not teaching; I''m giving everyone their first jobs." The emperor smiled, "I''m also outlining an entire economic and political system using these two objects."
He reached into his wallet and pulled out a vibrant blue bill and a gold coin.
"Money?" She asked with narrowed eyes.
"Not exactly." Kaze replied mysteriously, "The coin is called a reputation point, the backbone of the political system here.
You can buy almost anything with these. The job you want. Techniques. Exclusive lessons. Luxuries, better housing, and the right to sell items.
It''s a magical currency, and there''s only one way to get it: by showcasing talent andpetency."
Addison gave him a wry smile, hearing that reputation came through talent. However, she remembered that he had helped her improve yesterday, and her eyes lit up. "I-I see... what''s the bill?"
"This is Skye." Kaze continued, "You earn this through working just like the real world. You''ll use these to pay for food, housing, and luxuries.
It''s a simple currency that ensures that people work and can trade goods and services."
In other words, people needed to work to live and eat. Since people were used to money, they didn''t question the obvious when it was presented until it was toote.
Addison tilted her head in confusion. "Wait... aren''t they both currencies?"
"Not at all." Kaze winked, downying the system''s brutal gravity, "I need to go.
Please enjoy the improvements to your cultivation; I look forward to seeing your gains."
"O-Of course!" Addison said with a bow, showcasing her serious resolve in the most awkward way imaginable.
Kaze chuckled and waved, walking outside the mansion.
His destination was the outer wall, where Agent Ryker, General Michaels, and a special forces team were waiting. They were fifteen minutes early, so it didn''t cause tension.
"General Michaels." Kaze nodded.
"Mr. Lexicon." General Michaels responded.
Agent Ryker nodded slightly, not drawing attention to himself. The grown-ups were speaking, and he knew better than to speak or express his emotions during such an important meeting.
"Would you like to conduct our building review?" The general asked.
"Please." The emperor smiled, following the man around.
The group walked with the special forces team to the wall connected to the only road leading into Immortal Skye.
A massive electric fence was already spanning the entire campus, and a real wall was under construction leading to the south, where the only road to Immortal Skye came from.
It was officially a gatedmunity.
"As you can see, we started with the electric fence surrounding the entire campus." General Michaels exined, "It''s 30 feet tall, topped with barbed wire, and has 10,000 volts.
It was the highest voltage we could legally build as Maltarians."
"It''s more than enough." Kaze smiled, looking at the massive fence with a strange smile.
The value of the electric fence wasn''t keeping people out--it was keeping people in.
When the panic broke, many people would doubtlessly try to flee. While he didn''t have a problem releasing stupid people, he didn''t want it to be disorderly.
It was also a major psychological impediment. It had multiple values.
"We''re focusing on the south-side wall, as it''s the only direction vehicles can approach Immortal Skye." General Michaels continued, "We''ll have the t-walls set up by end-of-day on this side.
They will provide solid protection against snipers and rockets."
To the south, cranes and forklifts set up t-walls, semi-portable concrete walls used as military barriers.
While they are usually 12 feet tall, the walls that they provided were 20 feet, making them more permanent and over ten tons in weight.
They had rebar on the inside. Rebar is steel rods that reinforce the concrete, creating a wall that can survive non-heavy explosives without crumbling.
Having t-walls as a gatedmunity wasically excessive, but it was exactly what the emperor needed.
"How long will it take to get the t-walls up for the entire perimeter?" Kaze asked.
"Daniel has set aside times for us to move the equipment through the campus." General Michaels said, "It''ll be difficult, but we''ll get it done in three days."
The emperor smiled in satisfaction. "Very good. What about defensive weaponry?"
"We have reinforced outposts for sentries built over there; we have the mounts for the weapons and will install them after we sign off today." The general exined.
He pointed to small concrete outposts that were twenty-five feet tall, making it possible to see over the reinforced t-walls.
Architects and building teams set to work to build mounts for weapons that would get installed following their meeting.
The mounts were for sentries--mounted machine guns that faction members could use to turn any vehicle or person into swiss cheese.
Antitank weapons were also being set up. They could st through tanks, armored humvees, and skycruisers if they were within range.
"Very good, General." Kaze smiled, "Let''s go look at themunications building so we can sign off on our agreement."
"Absolutely, Mr. Lexicon." General Michaels replied, "Right this way."
--
[A/N: I find it so satisfying when things passively level up in the background.]
Chapter 101 Farming Engineers And Trade Workers
Kaze, General Michaels, Agent Ryker, and the special forces team walked to a remote section of the campus that housed what used to be a guest house.
The building was quickly converted into a military-grade telmunications shelter.
There was ayer of t-walls as a firstyer barrier, and the building''s outer walls had a secondyer of reinforced concrete with five-inch steel ting.
Soldiers also built a third floor to install a control room and antenna for long-rangemunications and missile detection systems.
General Michaels gave an order to soldiers standing guard outside, and they opened a steel gate to the building.
Then he led Kaze inside and gave a brief tour.
"As requested, we created a st-resistantmunications building with backup generators that canst three months without additional fuel." The general exined.
"The bottom floor houses the servers."
He led the emperor down the stairs, entering a room withrge green server stacks.
Servers areputers meant for storing data or performing software-rted tasks. They''re the [home] for code.
Video streaming services house all of their movies and shows on servers. If they got destroyed all of the content would disappear simultaneously. That''s why it''s important to buildmunications shelters to prevent them getting damaged.
His servers housed the anti-missile defense systems. So long as the servers were running, the defense system would automatically detect and destroy iing threats. That''s why they needed heavy protection.
"Very good. I''ll have an engineer check itter, but I assume it''s highly secured." Kaze nodded with confidence, making the general sigh a breath of relief.
They walked up the stairs together and headed to the top floor.
"We house telmunications, satellite, and tracking systems in here." General Michaels said, moving past two armed soldiers into a control room.
"As requested, we have provided missile defense systems for the base.
Once we sign our agreement, we will load the anti-missile interceptors into ce.
Then it will function around the clock, attacking any projectile moving at high speeds and heat signatures."
Anti-missile defense systems send missiles or other objects to intercept a missile.
Once the enemy missile hits the object, it explodes in the air before it can cause damage.
Software hosted in the server room worked around the clock to activate the rockets automatically without human intervention and would continue doing so for three months [without refueling].
If a human had to identify the missiles, everyone would be dead. That was the beauty of modern defense systems.
Kaze smiled, satisfied that the government was destroying itself while building his base.
Soon the military would turn to Immortal Skye, demanding that he teach them, house them, and provide them with cultivation resources.
However, he''d deny them, and their missiles wouldn''t work within 20 miles of them. If was beautiful.
"Everything looks good, General." Kaze nodded in satisfaction, "Let''s discuss our agreement."
General Michaels and Agent Ryker swallowed nervously, following behind the emperor as they made their way to the main mansion and walked inside.
The seven rainbow-colored jesters were still cleaning from the morning, a reminder that they had thrown a raging party in the mansion just nights before.
As before, they saluted the emperor and the military members nervously as they walked past and returned to work when he ignored them.
Kaze grinned when he saw the general and agent''s reaction to the group.
The sight confirmed the emperor treated ipetant professionals like jesters and made ipetent people into real jesters. It wasn''t a jokeit was a fact.
Marilyn waited at the top of the stairs with Daniel, both wearing charcoal grey business attire.
As usual, both were terrified as the military members approached. However, Marilyn quickly opened the door, and Daniel and the rest entered and sat at the new table.
Kaze smiled slightly, looking at their nervous faces. "I assume you have processed the treaty and provisions?"
"Correct." General Michaels replied, pushing a man envelope across the table, "Immortal Skye will be officially recognized as a country once we receive the mass distribution techniques.
It already has a high ssification grade, and only the pilots and management know of the location."
"Excellent." Kaze nodded, looking at the documents quickly.
A hyperthymesic memory doesn''t make a person read faster. However, he memorized the documents and could [read themter] from memory alone. It was a surreal disorder.
"I trust these documents are legitimate, as they''re only symbolic." The emperor smiled, "I don''t ept loopholes or legal technicalities for our rtionship.
So long as you abide by the simple principles of our agreement, I''ll do the same."
General Michaels shuddered. Kaze''s treaty leashed Malta''s government and forced them to ept inactionit wasn''t a provision.
The real agreement was five ambiguous verbal agreements that were entirely subjective.
Kaze motioned to Daniel, and the man lifted a briefcase, put it on the table, and entered a pin.
Every military member tensed up, but when it opened, their eyes widened, and they breathed a sigh of relief.
It contained stacks of printed cultivation techniques in the thousands.
Kaze pulled out one and slid it across the table to General Michaels. "Here''s the simple cultivation technique."
The general epted it and studied it for less than twenty seconds before he turned to the emperor in confusion. "That''s it?"
"Yes, that''s all it would''ve taken to avoid this crisis." Kaze replied mercilessly, "You''re just confused because your technique is vastly higher grade."
General Michaels gave him a wry smile. The technique was so simplistic that it seemed like an article about how to breathe naturally.
"Can I examine the other techniques?" He asked calmly, openly skeptical of the technique.
Kaze gave the man a mocking smile and presented the calming technique.
When the general received it, his eyes trembled in shock. "W-Wh-What the hell is this?"
"That''s a lower sky-grade Spirit Qi technique." The emperor replied mockingly, "It''s the lowest level technique I have for this task."
"D-Did you just say"
General Michaels, Agent Ryker, and the special member forces members'' hearts beat like war drums when they heard the technique was a [sky-grade].
However, the room was illuminated with a green aura, and their beating hearts slowed to a steady pace, their minds calmed, and each became rational.
The effects of the [Forced Tranquility] technique were surreal.
Everyone looked at the emperor in disbelief.
"Do you understand the effects, gentlemen?" Kaze asked with a slight smile.
General Michaels and Agent Ryker looked at each other in calm perplexion, unable to stay aggressively confused.
"Yes." The general replied, "However, how can we confirm this technique is what you im it to be?
I can feel it''s genuine, but it could take days or weeks for someone to learn this."
Kaze smiled andced his fingers, putting them into hisp. "Once again, I''m willing to train soldiers.
In the meantime, please allow me to transfer the technique directly so that you can confirm its veracity."
General Michaels was confused, but his calm state let him ept the request.
As promised, Kaze touched his forehead, and a painful wave of information crashed into his mind.
The special forces members began to act, but the emperor froze them with Qi until the general recovered.
"This." General Michaels muttered in perplexion, staring at the printed technique on the table in disbelief.
A moment ago, it looked like an insurmountable objective; now, he could read it clear as day.
"Satisfied?" Kaze asked, removing Forced Tranquility and returning the lighting in the room to normal, "The cultivation technique is what you need, and I''m willing to teach it to special forces members."
General Michaels gave him aplex smile, showcasing both gratitude and disappointment. While he benefitted greatly, he learned they [required] his training. Owing the emperor anything was deadly.
"How do we extract Spirit Qi?" He asked hesitantly.
"Spirit Qi surrounds us, but it''s very weak." Kaze exined, "Elemental Qi circtes in our systems until we need it as an energy source.
When it links with our bodies, it creates Soul Qi, which cleanses impurities and prevents aging and sickness.
When it links with our minds, it creates Spirit Qi. It''s released through human emotions and can''t be stored, so the techniques require high-emotion environments."
"So it just requires high emotions?" General Michaels rified.
"Correct, and the type of emotion varies. Luckily, every person sick is in a state of high emotions." The emperor replied, "So it isn''t a concern."
The general gulped nervously. "What else can you do with Spirit Qi?"
Create illusions of a fake body, kill cultivators with killing intent, drive people insane, flood an enemy''s body with hormones for interrogation tactics, calm people down, make them excessively horny, freeze physical movements, and other useful applications.
"You don''t want to know." Kaze smiled.
General Michaels saw the malicious glint in his eyes and gulped. "I-I see. What about the military-grade techniques?"
The emperor smiled and pulled out another technique, handing it to the man.
When the general saw it, his eyes widened in surprise. He could immediately understand the technique but needed to practice it. "I already understand it."
"Yes, it''s like reading when you understand thenguage." Kaze exined, "After learning a sky technique, understanding earth-grade techniques bes easy unless it has another form of Qi."
General Michaels dry-swallowed. "I see. We get this once we finish the base?"
"Correct." The emperor confirmed, "Tomorrow, your people should be done with the main building and can install the weaponized systems.
Once it''s done, everyone on site and 500 elites under age 28 can participate. The ratio of men to women must be 50%, just like with the builders. However, the rest can learn cultivation here."
The general''s eyes widened in shock alongside the special forces team.
They couldn''t understand Kaze''s generosity.
However, they didn''t know that he wasn''t concerned with making a base.
The emperor nned to turn every engineer and builder on-site into a faction member because they had specialized trades. He was farming talent.
Now he was offering to train Malta''s top elites.
Soon, everyone present would flock to him and would turn against Malta to save their own lives.
So he''d have a small army of trade workers and elite special forces under his control.
So, while the military brought him top talent to improve their strength, he was brazenly stealing them in broad daylight.
His agreement was with General Michaels, not Malta. That''s why it wasn''t a betrayal in his eyes. On the contrary
"That''s very generous." General Michaels said nervously, "We''ll make the most of your offer. Is there anything else we can do for you?"
"No, that''s all, General Michaels." Kaze smiled, reaching out his hand for a handshake.
The general looked at his hand in shock but quickly epted it.
"When people treat me with respect, I reciprocate it." The emperor said seriously, "Now keep the builders here working around the clock, and I''ll start teaching you the day after tomorrow.
You two will get your sky techniques then, as well."
General Michaels and Agent Ryker looked at each other in shock.
"If there isn''t anything else, I''ll see you gentlemen in two days." Kaze said, moving to the door, "I have a lot to do today."
"Y-Yes, Mr. Lexicon." General Michaels said in nervous excitement, overjoyed that he didn''t receive the emperor''s wrath and even came out personally benefitting.
As for Agent Ryker, he was stunned in disbelief. The agent was grateful but also felt awful; he felt like Kaze gave him the technique for being a good punching bag or to make him a better one.
Kaze smiled and saw them out. Of all the talent he was farming, he sought winning over General Michaels the most. He waspetent and adaptable to his authority, which was desirable.
However, what he needed most was information on every military base and settlement in Malta, so his forces could conquer them one by one.
Over 99% of the survivors would die by the end of the second wave. Instead of letting so much talent disappear, he nned to bring everyone under his control so he could rebuild civilization.
While the Sky ne cultivators nned to farm cultivators in six months to a year, he didn''t n to leave for decades. During that time he would build a new world from the ground up.
Chapter 102 The Economy [Optional Chapter]
[A/N: If you don''t want a simplistic, direct exnation of the brutal economic and political systems in Immortal Skye, skip this chapter. You''ll pick it up naturally, but this exnation is interesting for anyone that enjoys the mass maniption aspect of yCult. These are real political and economic systems that have freakish implications. It''s my kind of chapter.]
After Kaze left Daniel and the military personnel, he made his way to the amphitheater.
It was an important day that would rock the lives of every faction member.
At 9:00 am sharp, the emperor walked onto the stage with a mysterious smile. He had a list with him that contained the names of 2,187 members and their work duties.
Thunderous apuse instantly met Kaze''s entrance, confusing him.
"You''re always telling us to p, so we''re taking the initiative!" A woman yelled.
Everyone burst intoughter; even the emperor looked at them in amusement.
"I see your leadership skills are strong enough to be used for the frivolous, Amy." Kaze smiled, causing the brte to blush.
Her blush was highly visible because she wore a bright white t-shirt and had sickly pale skin, so countless peopleughed.
She couldn''t believe he knew her name, nor could anyone else. Many had envy burning in their eyes, highlighting the petty emotions afflicting humanity.
Kaze gazed at his students with a slight smile, scanning the area to ensure everyone was paying attention. "Today, I''ll post everyone''s jobs after exining how jobs work here."
Everyone gulped, getting pulled back into the present.
"Job duties are created on a practical need basis. There are necessary tasks that need to be done and a fixed number of people." The emperor exined.
"Therefore, the roles will never disappear, no matter how strong people get.
You may end up at the top of the Earth Realm next month and still wash dishes."
The faction members gasped in shock, and he returned a false surprised face. Everyone calmed down under his pressured, mocking gaze.
"However, you can rejoice in knowing that positions aren''t fixed at any time." Kaze dered with a sinister grin.
"Except for upper management roles and skilled trades, you can [buy] any job you want with reputation points, earned by showcasing talent and value.
For essential roles, if you have more reputation points than the person doing any particr job, you can bid for the position and take it from them.
,m Those with talent and resolve will never remain a dishwasher at Immortal Skye!"
Many cheered because they knew their performance that week didn''t seal their fates.
"Essential roles will shift monthly in ordance to talent and work ethic." Kaze smiled.
"It''s an arbitrary system that incentives people to work hard for every lesson and task they undertake.
Naturally, they cannot buy their way into a skilled trade, and those in them cannot leave without training someone else.
However, people can train each other, and those in skilled trades have job security. It bnces out."
Mixed emotions spread through the crowd. Some were excited, while others were nervous, but everyone was ignorant of how horrifying the system was.
The system chained everyone to lives without job security, enved to training after work to prevent losing their decent jobs. It required constant work around the clock to exist.
"Let''s talk money. we have a currency known as Skye Bills that you will get for working, doing serious tasks, orpleting special missions." Kaze continued.
"Food, housing, and essentials cost 100 Skye every week. Everyone will make at least that much if they show up to work, so it''s not a concern."
Most people shrugged it off as if it was second nature. However, they''d soon find that it was a primary concern and not working would result in [near] starvation.
"You''ll get extra Skye by performing well daily or doing extra tasks.
Faction members can use them to buy clothing, extra food, and luxuries in the [Luxe], a mansion filled with the most decadent and depraved supply of items in the faction.
The Luxe has over one million clothing items, musical instruments, and video games. So there''s plenty to look forward to."
The women gasped in excitement, and their hearts started beating. Video game junkies exploded in cheers hearing that they wouldn''t go without games during the [retreat]. Music lovers were stoked.
However, almost everyone zed over the term depraved, which referred to the ability to buy sex toys, pornography, and everything else imaginable.
He wanted to ensure that men, in particr, didn''t be sexually aggressive from frustration or fear during the apocalypse. So he gave everyone an outlet.
"The bottom floor is known as the Underground Bizarre." Kace grinned, "It''s a marketce where people can sell any service or item for reputation points or Skye Bills."
The faction members'' eyes widened in bewilderment, and they turned to their neighbors to confirm what they heard.
"With few regtions, prostitution, gambling, and other criminalized actions are legal so long as they''re consensual, non-exploitative, and don''t result in organized crime." The emperor announced.
"We''re here to teach, lead, and promote prosperity through hard work. Unless it harms others, what you do in your off time is none of our business."
Whispers rippled through the amphitheater. It was a vibrant flurry of emotions; some were positive, and others were concerned or judgemental.
The emperor pped to get everyone''s attention. "Let''s sum this up simply."
Everyone snapped back to attention and listened attentively.
"Learn, work hard, and showcase leadership and you can buy just about anything." Kaze reiterated, "Luxuries, better housing, resources, lessons, and jobs."
Faction members gulped, understanding how vital talent in cultivation was.
"By working, offering goods and services, or doing missions, you will get Skye Bills." He continued.
"After paying for your essential bills, you can shop to your heart''s delight or pay for any service offered by faction members.
So long as your actions don''t harm our faction members or result in crime, you can do want with them. That''s all."
Members looked at each other for confirmation before pping to conclude the exnations.
The rules tranted to the following.
If people didn''t work, they didn''t eat.
If people didn''t perform jobs well, they''d be forced into lower roles.
Those who performed well would live in luxury.
Those that didn''t perform well would live in poverty.
Members could get coveted jobs if they worked hard.
Members would lose their prized jobs if they cked off.
He encouraged prostitution to prevent stressed-out men and women from assaulting people.
He discouraged people from meddling in other people''s affairs.
The economy incentivized members to solve their own problems.
The economy disincentivized negative behavior.
All work was mandatory; talent didn''t bypass the need for it.
All work was transient and receable if one worked for it.
Rebellion takes time; since starving people could change their situation arbitrarily in as little as a day, rebelling was suicide.
Rebellion is mostmonly triggered by unjust inequality, but the system was arbitrary and favoritism free.
He made working hard have endless benefits.
He made rebellion foolish and nearly impossible.
The emperor wasn''t creating a factionhe was setting up an entire government, city, and eventually an empire.
It was a profoundly simple yet effective system that would prevent issues quickly as soon as the apocalypse news broke and people suffered for the first time.
"Now that you understand the system, you are free to leave for the training grounds." Kaze announced, "Today, we''re practicing prioritization.
You have a free day to cultivate however you wish. You''ll be tested tomorrow with unknown criteria, so think about what''s truly important. You may begin!"
[A/N: Kaze uses issez-faire economics) to force people to work and trade and uses extreme (libertarianism), to let people do what they want so long as it doesn''t harm anyone else. He''s letting them govern themselves socially and economically with arbitrary systems.
However, the reputation point system connects to every aspect of people''s lives, and he controls the reputation points. It''s a horrifying totalitarian control lever that allows Kaze to control people''s very existence behind the scenes. He isn''t ying around, folks.
You''ll find these systems are absolutely brutal. They allow people to punish themselves for rising against him and prevent rebellion by forcing people into economic dependency.
Don''t forget this is a party faction novel! Kaze isn''t a dictator and doesn''t want his subjects to suffer. However, he demands absolute obedience to his rule andws. Watch how quickly and smoothly he attains it, swiftly ushering in a golden era of partying goodness.]
Chapter 103 Divine Flow Physique
After the faction members took a copy of the job roster and began walking to the training grounds, Kiera snuck into the back of the amphitheater to avoid watchful eyes.
"Sup, chief?" Kiera asked briskly, "Did you happen to find time to practice mercyst night?"
Kaze smiled maliciously with fierce green eyes, enting his menacing smile.
"No? I understand. You''re super busy, and all." The pink-haired teen remarked, averting her gaze with an awkward smile. "Maybe next time?"
"We''ll see." He chuckled ominously, "Let''s go. You''ll need all the time I can give you."
She swallowed nervously at his strange words. "Okay, I''ll be quiet and stuff. Just don''t murder me, kay? Treat me like a good hostage or something."
"Must you always y the fool?" Kaze asked in exasperation.
"I only got five minutes until it''s no can talk, chief." Kiera replied briskly, "If I don''t get it out of my system, I''ll be a tragedy ma, and I''m not a fan of either of those words."
Heughed breathlessly, looking to the sky in disbelief. "Let''s go."
The emperor waved his hand, and a spatial rift opened. He grabbed her wrist gently and pulled he through it, making her blush and freak out simultaneously.
He kept walking through another two portals back to back, looking forward to making permanent links in the next week.
Once they warped past the outer gate, Kaze led her to a cave on the far side he set up with sound instion for maximum quiet and concentration.
"Okay, okay. Not bad." Kiera remarked sassily, "This is a perfect neanderthal love den. I''m about it."
"What happened to no talking?" Kaze chuckled breathlessly.
"Death''s not raining from the sky here. So it''s okay, right?" She asked yfully.
"I suppose so." He grinned, "In fact, I encourage it. If you can talk during this training session, I''ll let you pick out a full outfit from the Luxe.
Now get into the lotus position and prepare to work for that outfit."
Kiera shivered with a nervous smile, not looking forward to whatever he had in store.
Kiera gulped as she got into the lotus position. She didn''t talk; it was time to be serious.
Kaze smiled momentarily, but he dropped it and gave her a serious expression.
"I asked about your physiquest night and confirmed that it allows you to ept Qi in both directions." He exined straightly.
"Let''s demonstrate what that means. Activate Minor Vision and observe my Qi flow."
She nodded and activated the technique. When she did, she realized that she had never looked at the emperor using Minor Vision!
Her eyes widened, and she looked down at her body and then back up at him.
"Talk about winning at life!" Kiera cried, "You won the battle, war, and princess.
Your body is like a neverending waterfall leading into end-of-the-world whirlpools!"
His body had lines of warping Qi starting from the top and weaving down channels to feed his meridians in an intricate pattern, showcasing the Paradigm of Divinity technique''s flow pattern.
"That''s a strange way to put it." Kaze smiled in amusement, "But it''s not that inurate.
As you can see, my cultivation technique pulls Qi from the atmosphere and then distributes it to my meridians in a specific pattern that looks like waterfalls feeding lower meridians.
Qi distribution differentiates cultivation techniques. That''s why higher techniques are more intricate and effective, difficult to learn, and challenging to master."
She nodded, staring at his body in fascination.
"However, as you can see, the Qi isn''t moving back up." He continued.
"It needs to start the cycle again before I can intake more. It''s extremely inefficient.
With your technique it''s best to show you. Attack me with Air sh."
Kiera''s eyes trembled in confusion. "Like attack you with the technique?"
"Yes." He replied with a slight smile.
"Woah, woah, wait up!" She requested hurriedly, "I''m not sure I''m down with attacking you.
Like, don''t get it twisted; I watched you take that reaper scythe to the chest like a champ yesterday, and it was depressingly cool to watch.
So I know my noob sh could probably only cut your t-shirt, but look, chief. That''s a he fashionable t-shirt. One cut would be a devastating loss. It''s giving me anxiety."
Kaze scoffed breathlessly, looked down at his light-pink button-up, and then back to her with a mocking smile. "Can''t you just say that you don''t want to attack me thinking I might get hurt?
ming your weakness on my t-shirt is"
"Don''t call me weak!" Kiera demanded with puffed-out cheeks, "I have pink hair; you have a pink shirt. Common denominatormy favorite color.
Plus, your body, outfit, and face are perfect. The idea of ruining perfect things ishey!"
,m She flushed bright red with anger when she saw his smug smile.
"Don''t get full of yourself, broham. You''ve meticulously sculpted your appearance for maximum aesthetics!" She snapped.
"It''s not like I''m a harem applicant because I''m not sugarcoating the obvious alongside the blush parade following you around 24/7."
"Don''t worry; I definitely don''t think that." Kazeughed.
He had noted her Yang to Yin Qi ratio was 9/1 yesterday, indicating she was on the bisexual spectrum and nearly lesbian.
Out of curiosity, he used a dual cultivation vision technique to examine her again, and hisughter instantly disappeared. Her Yang Qi level dropped to 66% in less than 24 hours!
By contrast, Sarah and Riley only moved from 10% Yang Qi to 25% after having sex and embracing their bisexuality. That was natural since epting bisexuality didn''t change their attraction to men!
Yin and Yang Qi were triggered by hormones linked to sexual attraction; they weren''t an indicator of one''s sexuality.
However, the corrtion was so high it took an example like Kiera to point out the difference!
Straight people don''t just randomly be 24% attracted to men or women.
It was likely that Kiera wasn''t interested in sex and was turned off by male behavior, so her rtive attraction to females resulted from her being unattracted to men.
After one session, she was genuinely attracted to [him]. Singr.
The impact of his eptance of her was horrifyingly unnatural.
Kiera London Snow had some serious issues. And, for the first time in thousands of years, he had absolutely no idea how to approach a rtionship.
"Yo, what''s that face for?" Kiera asked nervously, looking at his twitching cheek, "You look like you walked in on your mother having sex. It''s creepy A F."
"Just throw an Air sh at me." Kaze ordered coldly, "I will neither sully my reputation nor my clothing to teach you.
Listen to my directives, and cease squandering time with simple-minded glib. Use Minor Vision and strike."
Her face heated up in annoyance. "Fine! Prepare for me to take my frustration, anxiety, fear, anger, and annoyance out on you. Don''t me me if I [sully] that beautiful shirt."
The emperor rolled his eyes and spread his arms out at full wingspan to make a point.
Kiera stood, activated Minor Vision, and pulled her hand back unnaturally, using the full preparation allowance to strike.
She waved it at full force, and a line of warping Qi, over ten times the size of the best regr faction member''s, shot toward his chest.
Kaze casually waved his hand, grabbed the Qi, and then twisted it over his head.
It crashed over his body and made the Qi waterfalls on it multiply in size and speed. However, his meridians ate all of the Qi instantly without any waste.
"Wh-wh-what the fuck was that!?" Kiera cried in shock.
"Air sh isn''t a cultivation technique; it uses raw, unprocessed Elemental Qi instead of altering physics, so it''s easy to learn." He smiled, "Most lower-mortal-grade attacks are like that. Watch."
Kaze flicked his index twice at the cave''s wall and warping space cut into the wall in the shape of a heart, making Kiera turn bright red to the tip of her ears and turn away.
The emperor chuckled, satisfied to rile her up, which only made her huff and pout.
"Anyway, the Qi from your sh runs counterclockwise due to striking from your right hand." He continued.
"Since normal meridians ept Elemental Qi from that rotational pattern, I can take it and absorb it directly, as it''s raw unprocessed Qi.
However, if you used your left hand and the two opposing rotations met"
Kaze flicked both of his fingers at each other. A small yet significant invisible force hit the pink-haired woman, blowing hair into her eyes and leaving her bewildered. "W-What the hell."
"they crash into each other. If that happens in your meridians, they can explode." He concluded with a devilish smile.
Kiera''s eyes trembled in horror. "Woah, don''t tell me"
"Your body can reverse the follow of Qi, which means you can reduce inefficiency and recycle Elemental Qi attacks like a non-stop rechargeable battery." Kaze confirmed.
"You could prove more formidable on this Qi-deprived ne than anyone else because there are a limited number of techniques people can use before they run out of Qi. However"
She dry-swallowed anxiously, understanding the natural implication.
"If you do it incorrectly, you''ll die. Since you''re naturally talented, you''ll find yourself doing it, get overconfident, and your body will explode."
Kiera''s eyes trembled in horror. "T-Then how do we train this?"
"I''m not sure." Kaze replied honestly, "It''ll have to be trial and error"
"Woah-woah-woah! Hold up!" She cried, "Trial and error? You can''t be serious."
"I am. It''s dangerous, but I can heal you." He confirmed seriously, "You''ve seen that, yes?"
"Yeah, I get that." Kiera confirmed, "But you''re saying I''ll constantly be on the verge of death right?"
Kaze sighed with a sympathetic expression. "Would you rather it randomly ur when someone can''t heal you?
One mistake is permanent and unfixable. If you survive, you''ll be unable to cultivate for the rest of your miserable, pain-stricken life."
He could heal her with Paradox of Healing, an ancient technique, but she shouldn''t rely upon something so absurd.
Kiera shook with fear. "I this fucking sucks. Everything about it."
Kaze shook his head in dissent. "Yes, your body will rip apart more than a few times, but your cultivation will skyrocket, and your power will multiply exponentially.
In all ways, what you go through will be a blessing beyond your wildest imaginations."
She stared at him with a pained expression before turning away. "Fine, whatever. Let''s just get it over with.
But if I find you in the Underground Bizarre trading Skye for torture services, I swear to god I''ll spend every waking moment nning your assassination."
"That''s the spirit." The emperorughed in amusement, "I only engage in BDSM if it''s requested of me, and I never pay money for sex.
It was bad enough I was forced to ept it in exchange for wealth and power, but that was both practical and necessary."
Kiera turned to him with a sassy expression before sitting in the lotus position. "Let''s get on with it. I have pain free life to live after this."
Kaze closed his eyes in slight pain. "Okay, I''ll start forcing raw Qi to follow over your body today.
Your goal today and tomorrow is to adjust your cultivation technique to ept it."
Her eyes widened with surprise. "So we''re not doing that exploding thing?"
"No, but you won''t feel grateful we aren''t. Now let''s get started; start cultivating." He replied seriously.
She shivered and closed her eyes, and began cultivating.
Kaze took a deep breath. Then he waved his hand once.
"GaaaaaahhhhhhhhHHHH!" Keira screamed in extraordinary pain as the increased Qi stretched her meridians and forced Qi to flow unnaturally, leading to her feeling sick.
"Do you need a small break?" He asked calmly.
"Not a chance, chief." She replied bruskly, "I''m gonna earn that outfit, god damn it!
I demand a t-shirt like that, even if you have to give me that one on your chest!"
"As you wish." The emperor grinned, waving his hand again.
Kiera screamed in pain again but didn''t give up. The trainingsted three hours before he gave her her twelfth break, and she crashed to the ground, falling unconscious.
"Truly indomitable." Kaze smiled, looking at her sleeping body, "It''s remarkable how some people can be so strong yet equally fragile."
The emperor gently picked up her body and walked through a series of spatial rifts until he reached her room.
After gently cing her on the bed, he gave her a lonely smile, remembering a past rtionship.
"I can''t protect anyone from fate." Kaze said softly, opening another spatial rift, "But I will train you to be strong enough to stand against it, and make it bend to your will."
He walked through it, leaving the cute, irrepressible force of nature to sleep peacefully.
Chapter 104 The Choice
Jake walked through the steel door of the Lockheed student mansion with a light smile.
"Jake! What''s up, my man?" Brad, the calm-minded blonde athlete from Kaze''s microbiology ss, said with a warm smile.
"Jake!"
"What''s up Scrawn Minor?"
"I''m so d you''re here. I made progress yesterday!"
"Me too. Do you want to see it before practice?"
"Uh, sure. Just give me a minute." Jake replied awkwardly, cringing inwardly.
The future Director of Faction Affairs wasn''t ustomed to poprity. Now, he was rushed by a dozen people the second he walked through the door.
After getting everyone set up for practice, he started with an announcement.
"Tomorrow''s yourst day of exclusive training before you''re free to roam the campus." He announced, triggering excited cheers.
"So let''s get cultivation down perfectly. Once you have power, learning techniques bes effortless."
Excitement spread through the room, and people voiced their enthusiasm.
"Let''s get started. Today, we''ll start with your tracing allowance. Partner up with someone you''refortable with and trust." Jake announced.
"We''re tracing all of the meridian points on the arms, below the knees, and above the shoulders.
The training willst for thirty minutes. As always, while I encourage partners mingling, if you don''t get a partner, that''s life.
Once you leave this room, you can practice all you want. This period is an allowance of practice time and not training."
Every member of the Kaze Kills College Students faction gritted their teeth in resentment.
Jake had wisely ignored them unless they addressed him, and they didn''t. So he ignored him and didn''t force cooperation. HoweverM
"Hey, Jake. CanM? you please help me today?" Haiden, a brte from the anti-Kaze faction, asked nervously, looking like an abandoned puppy.
The students froze and looked at him to see what he would do.
"Why today, Haiden?" Jake swallowed nervously, trying to keep up a brave front, "You didn''t practice Minor Vision until yesterday, nor did you ask anyone for help in two days or contribute."
She froze for a moment before putting on her mask again. "I''ve been afraid to. Everyone has isted me, so it wasn''t a choice."
"Have I ever turned down a person for learning?" He asked, unwavering.
Haiden''s eyes trembled, and she nced at everyone else''s faces. "... No. But you''reM?."
She nned to say [loyal to Kaze], but that was the problem.
"If you haven''t turned down anyone, does that mean you''ll help us today?" Regina, the co-leader of the group, asked.
He scanned everyone''s expressions before reconnecting his gaze.
"Are you looking to start trouble, Regina? Haiden?" Jake asked bluntly. There wasn''t a person that wasn''t surprised by the man''s boldness.
However, he had an unofficial rtionship, a new title, and poprity. Naturally, he would gain more confidence.
"Trouble?" Regina scoffed, "Whatever, never mind. Everyone''s treating us like we''re monsters on a quest to ruin the Emperor''s reputation."
"It''s absurd. We just want to know what''s happening outside these walls." Haidenughed breathlessly.
"Considering military members bagged our heads and locked us in an area with a steel door, I think asking about faction life here shouldn''t be a problem."
The room fell silent again.
"Or, you know, that time where we were at a party and people started savagely beating each other, but somehow we''re all fine?" Another said.
"Not knowing about that is important for being a faction member, right?"
All the students turned to the previously-geeky teen with wry smiles. Everyone wanted to know.
"So you''re creating trouble?" Jakeughed, closing his eyes, "There''s one more day until you''re out of here.
How do you think we''ll suppress what''s happening outside this roomMf you''re outside this room?"
The three women quieted down and red at him while the students sighed. It was a sensitive topic, and they were d that Jake had something to counter it with as Kaze did.
"It''s funny." Haidenughed breathlessly, "You''re acting like walking outside, being in a faction, or a timeline changes the death party or the steel door."
Everyone turned to Jake again, waiting to hear his reply.
The regent dry-swallowed nervously. He kept stopping himself from saying dozens of things.
[I don''t have the answers]. Implying secrecy.
[You can ask Kazeter]. Implying ignorance.
[I wasn''t at the party]. Opening the floor to discussion.
In truth, something serious was happening outside the faction''s walls, and he also wanted to know.
However, he wouldn''t threaten his potential savior to find out if he needed saving.
"Everything you''re saying implies Kaze, and I are guilty." Jake said tactfully.
"You''re trampling upon the opportunity Kaze has given you, and you''ll regret that the day after tomorrow.
I made the rules of my teaching here clear on the first day.
Now leave the room; I''ll never teach you again, inside or outside this room."
Everyone was stunned by the swift and decisive punishment.
"Wait, how is that fair!?" Haiden yelled.
"Now, I''m telling Kaze about your behavior." Jake warned, "If you keep this up, I''ll rmend you receive expulsion effective immediately."
The room fell silent, and everyone present became shocked in disbelief.
"You pretended to ask for help so you could try to squeeze information out of me before Kazees back, because you think I''m weak." He continued calmly.
"So you''re insulting and attacking me for helping people. Kaze has given free food, housing, recreation, priceless techniques, and training.
Yet you turned it all down, seeded doubt, spread fear, broke my one ask, insulted me, and made yourself an enemy of Kaze, and for what? Tell me, you three, what have you gained?"
Every student looked at the three women withplex expressions, primarily negative.
An unexpected voice spoke up.
"Jake, tell us there''s nothing bad happening outside these walls." Veronica requested earnestly, "I''m sure saying that is all it would take to ease everyone''s minds."
Everyone turned to her in shock. The two were inseparable and an unofficial couple, so hearing her speak up in defense of the troublemakers was shocking.
Jake''s eyes trembled. His rule clearly stated that he wouldn''t help anyone that asked him about what happened outside the room.
So if he wanted to enforce the rule, he''d also have to exclude his love interest from training.
Moreover, he''d have to turn her down publicly and not answer her question.
The second he said the words [I don''t know], it was game over.
Ultimately, it came down to two things: Kaze or Veronica.
Jake made eye contact with her, took a deep breath, and spoke.
M?
Kaze sat outside the training ground on a boulder, amused by Evalyn and Crux''s battle.
Whiiiiish, boom! Whiiiiish, craaaaaaack! Whiiish! Boom! whiiiish, craaack! whiiiiiiish! BOOM!
Over four hundred ice daggers shot at the divine beast, who flew through the sky gracefully.
Unlike previous days, Evalyn [loaded] her daggers in the air and in the forest instead of shooting them out.
As a result, the shadow cat knew where the daggers were, but they weren''t shooting at her. They attacked randomly.
Naturally, Crux could easily destroy all of them. However, that would require her to destroy the entire forest, as the blonde hid hundreds under the trees.
Evalyn wasn''t a fool. She intentionally used the tactic because it was one of her teacher''s few weaknesses.
That saidM
BOOM! Boom, boom, rubble, rubble, boom! Boom! Boom, boom, rubble, boom! Boom!
Crux frowned in annoyance, finding it difficult to deal with the main daggers attacking her, crushing loaded des surrounding her, and looking for random daggers shooting out of the forest.
So she sighed, found the blonde, and waved her hand a dozen times, sending small attacks through the trees to cut off the blonde''s escape route and attack her simultaneously.
Evalyn created an ice shield attached to a tree. Creating it with the tree reinforced the ice and made it far more robust. NeverthelessM
CrrrRaaCCK! BOOM!
The ice shattered, sending shards sting through the area. It only held up for a second, but it told Evalyn where the invisible attack hit.
As a result, she was able to escape.
She waved her hand above and sent a dozen loaded des at Crux at once.
When the shadow cat dodged them, Evalyn waved her hand, and a massive shield of ice attached to the treetops.
"When will she learn that I can see through it?" Crux scoffed in annoyance.
The entire shield abruptly exploded, catching the shadow cat off guard.
des shot at Crux''s side, pushing her to the left. The shield fragments shot at her from the front, and, finallyM"Razor Flurry."
Tens of thousands of ice shards shot at the shadow cat like a homing blizzard.
"Survivable." Crux growled with a twitching eyebrow, waving her hand, "Shield of Darkness."
Evalyn''s eyes widened in shock when the world darkened. The sun disappeared from a massive purple miasmic ball in the sky.
"Pay attention, you fool." Kaze smiled from a distance, "That woman''s pettiness could y a monarch."
On the inside of the swirling purple ball was a natural shield of warping Qi blocking the flurry of attacks. Crux gave the blonde a sadistic grin and waved her hand.
"KAZE!" Jake yelled, panicking from the other side of the wall. There was true desperate desperation in his voice.
The blonde''s eyes widened in horror when a thousand ck daggers randomly shot out of the ball.
"WE NEED HELP!" The regent screamed, "VERONICA IS SERIOUSLY HURT!"
BOOOOOM! BOOM, boom! CRRAAACK! BOOM! CraaaACK! BOOM! CRaaaaaCK! BOOOOM!
Chapter 105 Consequences Of Mistrust
Thousands of shadow des crashed down on the area without mercy.
The attack overran Evalyn. A dagger stabbed her back, a rock mmed into her shoulder, and a tree nearly fell on her. Luckily, she blocked the tree just in time.
She instantly dropped to the ground bitterly, unable to keep standing.
Kaze turned back and forth between the two scenes.
Crux was far too vicious, and Evalyn was at serious risk of dying. So he had to trust that the shadow cat could use the technique he gave her.
At the same time, Veronica was hurt. No one could help his regents partner but him.
Crux frowned, turning to Kaze from the sky. "I''ll heal her. If I couldn''t use an earth-grade technique, I''d take my own life."
Kaze narrowed his eyes at her slightly before waving his hand, opening a spatial rift.
Jake stared at him with panicked, tear-stricken eyes when he came out on the other side.
Veronica''s limp body was in her arms; she had a serious fracture to her skull. Her chest rose and fell weakly, and blood stained his clothing.
"K-Kaze. Please say you can do something!" He cried.
"Why is it always head wounds." Kaze asked, closing his eyes.
It was one thing to heal a body part, but healing the mind was different. Physically healing a person wouldn''t return their mental state back to normal.
Reversing time with the Spiritual Record with Paradox of Healing was an option. However, reversing time on someone''s mind could permanently destroy it.
It was an intricate procedure that could result in serious problems. However, Kaze was confident he could do it, as he had done it before.
Still, that didn''t mean that he wanted to.
"Kaze! Say you can help her!" Jake screamed.
"Keep quiet, you fool!" The emperor snapped violently, "Do you think I''m standing here nning my next meal? I''m trying to save her in the best way, you buffoon!"
"I-I''m sorry, Kaze. Just please." The regent whispered.
Kaze nodded and went through the scenario. "Heal first, reverseter if necessary."
He decided to heal her skull first, checking for brain damage. If not, he''d ask her consent to use [Paradox of Healing] to reverse time on her mind.
The emperor waved his hand, and Veronica''s body lit up in golden light.
Jake watched in shock as the woman''s wounds healed and the blood on her skin returned to her body.
It was the most surreal scene he had ever seen.
"Ugh." Veronica groaned, holding her head. shbacks of what happened flooded her mind.
The emperor waved his hand, walked forward, and disappeared, leaving his regent bewildered.
Kaze came out of the other end of the spatial rift, which put him on the battlefield. He looked down at Evalyn, who stared back at him with wide, blinking eyes.
Both stared at each other with wry smiles.
He was worried about her for nothing; she was ashamed for almost dying, and both felt the pressure of the shadow cat''s murderous gaze.
"Marvelous." Crux snapped at Evalyn before turning to Kaze, "What part of I can use an earth-grade technique, didn''t you understand?
Or are you admitting your weakness for this woman?"
The emperor gave her an unenthusiastic expression. "I don''t want to hear a lecture from the woman who went on a murderous temper tantrum because a weak mortal''s Razor Flurry nicked them."
Crux''s face turned bright red with shame and embarrassment. The nick came from a sliver of ss-like ice that rebounded off another piece of ice.
It was a freak ident that would give a papercut to a human. However, it was enough to lose, and Crux didn''t take kindly to that.
Evalyn''s eyes widened in shock, and she turned back and forth between the two.
While she wanted to im victory, she didn''t feel that way. She wasn''t ying games for prizes; she would have died a moment ago, so winning was irrelevant.
Moreover, the looked in the emperor''s eyes was deathly serious.
"Look, I don''t care about any of this." Kaze dered, "Evalyn, you won your prize, but you''re dead. Crux won your prize, but you lost.
Now we have a serious situation, so I''m taking Evalyn."
Crux''s eyes widened in surprise. He wasn''t angry; he was concerned.
"Understood." She replied.
"Evalyn, we''re moving." Kaze ordered, effortlessly pulling the blonde up and dragging her into a spatial rift.
"Ah!" Veronica cried in fear when Evalyn materialized out of thin air.
Her body was soaked in blood, making for a true apocalyptic scene.
The scene also shook Jake, who was still anxious, panicked, and confused.
"This is what true training looks like." Kaze dered in vexation, "As you can see, she''s healed from her wounds just like you. Now stop the spection.
Evalyn, Veronica received a major impact on her skull.
I need you to test her cognition to see if she got brain damage so we can act ordingly."
Evalyn''s eyes widened in perplexion, but she immediatelyplied. "What''s myst name, Veronica?"
"Skye. Evalyn Skye, age 19, popr woman on the tennis team and a strong student." Veronica replied sassily.
"Yet she abandoned her life and dreams for this guy who''s just as talented as he is dangerous."
The corner of the blonde''s mouth twitched. "Fuck it, she''s healed."
"Hey, wait up!" The ck-haired woman said in confusion, "I''m joking as usual, so why are you so cold?"
Evalyn''s eyes widened in perplexion. She realized that her behavior, appearance, social skills, mindset, and life were different. "I."
"Veronica, how do you feel? Your skull got cracked open; surely, that''s vastly more important than Evalyn''s personality, yes?" Kaze scoffed, reminding everyone about the situation.
Veronica grabbed her head in shock and looked at her t-shirt, which had dried blood on it. "I don''t know."
The emperor turned to his regent. "How hard was the attack?"
"I-I." Jake dry-swallowed, unsure of what to say.
"Since everyone is incapable of thinking andmunicating, regardless of the health of their brain, let''s take another approach." Kaze scoffed, "What happened?"
"Yes what happened was."
30 Minutes Before | Lockheed Mansion
"Jake, tell us there''s nothing bad happening outside these walls." Veronica requested earnestly, "I''m sure saying that is all it would take to ease everyone''s minds."
Jake winced with trembling eyes, having an internal crisis about how to respond. At the moment, he had to choose between being loyal to Kaze or Veronica.
"Why is it so difficult to wait one more day?" He asked nervously, "Haven''t you received enough? Haven''t you benefited? Is anyone suffering?"
Most winced and turned away, but Veronica didn''t waiver.
"Jake, I''m not talking about the faction." She replied sternly, "I''m talking about what''s happening outside the walls.
We''re not getting that information from Kaze even after we leave, right?
That''s why we''re asking you, the person with a pure heart."
Jake opened and closed his mouth multiple times, trying to find the words to say. Unfortunately, no words would help him.
Everything he said would escte the situation. It wasn''t just about Veronica vs. Kaze. If he didn''t say something, it could lead to panic.
That was his job, first and foremost, before any other consideration.
"Look, I don''t know what happened at the party because we weren''t there." Jake said.
"I''m helping run the faction, and there''s a no cellphone policy because we''re having a three-month retreat as advertised.
Everyone here is hystericizing something that we all signed up for.
There isn''t a person at Immortal Skye who wasn''t stripped of their phones and blinded to prevent people from learning the location.
Now, you''re in this room because we''re turning you into elites. Is there any disparity between expectations and reality?"
Many people lit up from the revtions.
"Yes, there is." Veronica said coldly, "I heard Haiden and Regina talking about how Kaze pressured Sage into having sex with him. They may be callous, but they''re trustworthy."
Sage''s eyes trembled, and she turned away in shame, hiding her face.
Everyone gasped in shock and turned from the redhead to Veronica and then the Kaze Kills College Students faction, who were stunned.
Haiden was the new leader of the group. She had long auburn hair and blue eyes that shed against each other. Her hair was slightly curly, and she wore it in a ponytail.
Regina was a beautiful Hispanic woman with voluminous ck hair, dark brown eyes, and bright red lipstick. It was the perfect shade to pop against her light brown skin.
Until six days ago, both enjoyed poprity for their looks and social skills. Now, they were backed into a corner.
They turned to Sage, who was lightly tearing up and sobbing slightly. Her breathing was ragged, and her bodynguage cloistered.
The two were shocked by the scene but nodded.
"I didn''t n to disclose someone''s trauma, but that was the reason that we didn''t trust Kaze." Haiden said coldly, looking Jake in the eyes.
"Same. Do you think we were turning down so many opportunities on spection?" Regina asked.
The other seven members of the Kaze Kills College Students faction assented, throwing in their two cents.
Jake''s eyes trembled in confusion. However, it wasn''t due to the usationhe hard-rejected the possibility.
The regent trusted Kaze''s integrity; the man stood behind his words, no matter how gruesome.
He believed the emperor genuinely nned to kill the person who drew the dick on his facethat''s why it was easy for him to deny the nder.
The question was how he was supposed to deal with the situation.
"Sage, is it true?" Jake asked dryly, "I trust Kaze definitively in this area.
So unless I hear the wordse from your mouth, I won''t listen to anything these women say. By association, that also means you, Veronica.
It''s hearsay, so let''s hear what Sage says."
Haiden''s face turned red, and she opened her mouth to snap at him. "You''re asking a woman to disclose"
"Shut the hell up, Haiden!" Jake yelled. Everyone was stunned by his uncharacteristic anger.
"You disclosed this issue. So if it''s true, you disrespected Sage; if it''s false, you could destroy a man''s life for your petty grudge. So shut your damn mouth!"
"Hey, fuck boy. We''re not lying! Just look at."
Regina''s eyes trembled in fear when she looked back at the redhead.
Sage was giving her a smug smile. "Yeah, you''re trash. You sound like you stand for women''s rights, but what you just did hurts all women. You''re disgusting."
The Kaze Kills College Students faction trembled in shock, panning the vicious, unforgiving gazes of the shocked students.
"T-That''s not true! We support women unconditionally, so we saw Sage''s false face and immediately jumped to her defense. It''s you that''s mocking"
Veronica touched her thumb to an old-fashioned tape recorder.
-
"Our situation is grim, and we need everyone to believe the obvious." Haiden said on the tape, "I think we should use him of assault.
It''s open and shut since women stay quiet, and then then the others won''t fall victim to his sketchy sex techniques. They''ll thank uster."
"Yeah, that will work. But who?" Regina asked, "If someone we name adamantly supports him after, that defeats the purpose and would damage our reputation."
"Yeah, that''s tricky." Haidenmented, "So we''ll have to choose carefully."
-
"Yuuuuuuu~p." Veronica smacked, "You two are trash. Everyone else in your group just let this happen. So everyone else is trash toojust [less] trash, as if that makes a difference."
Jake''s face was pained. She tested his loyalty to Kaze and followed the emperor''s n instead of trusting him with the information.
He wondered if no one trusted him with information. It was depressing.
Veronica looked at him with aplicated expression. "Look, Jake"
BOOM!
Haiden''s mind snapped, and she rushed Veronica using her super strength, which she hadn''t tested or practiced. As a result, both flew backward at high speed.
Veronica tripped and crashed headfirst into the reinforced concrete wall meant to keep the Lockheed students in.
Jake''s face fell nk in disbelief. However, when he saw Haiden raise her hand to hit Veronica''s unconscious body, his mind filled with rage.
THUD! Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud."
In andslide of force, he instinctively released his cultivation base, and everyone dropped to the floor like falling dominos, unable to breathe.
Jake walked to Haiden, picked the choking woman up by the scruff of her neck
Boom! CRaaaaaACK!
and threw her out of the way. She crashed along the floor until she hit a couch, breaking the furniture in half.
"You''d dare to hit an unconscious woman as she bleeds out from your attack?" Jake asked with murder in his voice.
"Veronica has a fractured skull and she''s dying. If you don''t get murder chargers, you''ll get attempted murder charges. Either way, prepare for prison."
Haiden''s eyes trembled in shock as she choked.
Jake picked up Veronica and walked to the door, and then stopped. "Regina, I hope your hysterical doomsday predictions are true, so the you suffer when you get expelled."
He walked out of the room, allowing everyone to gasp for breath. Only once they could breathe did they understand the horrifying implication behind his statement.
Chapter 106 [Evalyn Meadow Skye]
"So it was just a concussion to the top of her skull. That''s it?" Kaze asked after hearing the story.
"Yes." Jake confirmed, looking at Veronica hesitantly.
"It doesn''t seem like there''s permanent damage." The emperormented.
"It''s just a normal attack that instantly healed. These things happen, so we should just be thankful it didn''t require drastic action, as it would be dangerous."
"These things happen." The regent chuckled bitterly, "You mean like turning Veronica against me for a test?
I know that''s what that was, and that test almost killed her.
Is yourck of trust so great that you''d risk Veronica''s life to test it?"
Veronica turned away from Jake, ashamed because she was the guilty party that epted the job.
Kaze frowned and reached out to touch the man''s shoulder but drew his hand back, seeing his regent preparing to p it out of the way.
"You''ve earned my confidence, Jake. Now, I stand before you, having saved Veronica''s life." He asserted, "But what would have happened if you betrayed me and then required my help to save her life?"
Jake''s eyes trembled in disarray, turning to the emperor with conflicted eyes.
"If that was a genuine situation, and you betrayed me, she''d be dead, and you''d be homeless." Kaze dered.
"I already exined to you this was both training and a test in information handling.
You got to learn these lessons without being able to make irreparable mistakes."
After [fate] guided Evalyn to learn the lessons the hard way, the emperor determined that he would create a simtion for Jake to learn from instead of risking true tragedy.
It was that sincere desire that drove Veronica to ept.
Jake him a wry smile. "Did you have to test my loyalty by pitting you against Veronica?"
Veronica turned away with a guilty expression, making him feel worse.
"Do you think her a woman that would betray you?" The emperor asked, "If that situation happened without Veronica''s help, you''d be in serious trouble would you not?"
Jake''s eyes glided to the left, and then he turned to Veronica, who gave him an earnest expression.
"It''s true." Veronica confessed, "While I benefited, we agreed you needed help. So we created a strategy to protect you, prevent problems, and teach you the best way we could.
My two conditions were that I''d only execute the strategy if it were necessary, and I''d reveal my deception immediately to ease your concerns.
So it''s my fault I got hurt after exposing her immediately."
His eyes trembled in disbelief, and he turned to Kaze, who nodded.
"It was benign, Jake." The emperor asserted, "Of everything, you''re missing the most important lesson here."
Jake swallowed nervously. His emotions cooled down, and now he understood the gravity of the situation. "What''s that?"
"With your power, you could have easily stopped Veronica from hitting that wall." Kaze stated bluntly, looking at the woman.
"You were far too trusting of your surroundings, too indecisive, and too craven to act."
The regent gave him a bitter smile. It was one thing to get berated for his weakness when moving kegs, but associating it with his partner almost dying was painful.
"There are consequences to being weak and indecisive. You learned that today--without loss--and understand what you must do to protect the people you love." The emperor warned.
"Otherwise, even returning to the past won''t bring them back to life. Your rtionship and the part of you that loves them will die--such mistakes are eternal."
Evalyn looked at Kaze with aplex expression, thinking about his parents.
If he killed them, she was certain that what they went through was far worse than what her mother experienced.
Moreover, unlike her, who he could fall in love with again as someone [new], he couldn''t learn to love his parents again--or vice versa.
Evalyn couldn''t imagine what it must have been like to meet them again, knowing that the boy they loved was gone, reced by him, the immortal cultivator they had never met.
The only thing connecting Kaze Lexicon to his parents was an autobiographical memory of whatever traumatic event they went through before dying.
She still couldn''t understand what drove him to seal their meridians.
However, she felt like the rational was more humane and was d to know that his cynicism wasn''t universal.
"It was benign, benefited me greatly, and taught me a lot... huh." Jake chuckled in disbelief, "Just once, I want you to be wrong so I don''t feel so bad."
"As the Director of Faction Affairs job is to find faults with my opinions and viewpoints." Kaze smiled, "One day you will, but you must learn the job.
Unfortunately, our job right now is to deal with the nderous swine who havemitted atrocities mere moments ago.
Dealing with such people moments after they''ve wronged you is nauseating, but that''s what we do."
Jake dry-swallowed nervously. "What do we need to do?"
"I''m not sure." Kaze replied pensively, "Trust is critical in the situation. A lot is riding on the situation.
If I walk in exacting justice on those that wronged me, it would prove them right by showing I have absolute dominion over people''s lives. That would invalidate everything."
"Your only goal is to build trust and loyalty with them before revealing the surprise, right?" Evalyn asked straightly.
"Correct." He replied decisively.
"Hah. You''re having trouble because your yboy side is associating trust with charm." Evalyn replied mockingly, "You should''ve just proved you were honest from the beginning."
"What people do not know cannot bemunicated or be strategized about." Kaze retorted, "That''s the purpose of information control.
So pray tell, Evalyn. How would you prove me honest without giving people the truth?"
"Give me new clothes, a phone, and ten minutes." Evalyn replied, "Every person in that room will trust you by the time I leave.
I''m doing what''s best for you, so naturally, you should trust me."
Kaze grinned in amusement, listening to her vicious, trailing sarcasm. "And if it takes ten minutes or less?"
"You''re not asking for what I''m betting for losing?" Evalyn asked in confusion.
"I haven''t the time to waste on the frivolous." He rified with a slight smile.
Her eyes widened, and she blushed slightly but turned away in annoyance. She hated getting dragged down a charming rabbit hole, especially during serious situations.
"If it takes eleven minutes, I''ll ask you to thank me tomorrow instead of in ten minutes." Evalyn replied dryly, "That''s all."
"Deal. Let''s get you a phone." Kaze smiled in amusement.
...
In the basement of the Lockheed mansion, everyone was sitting around whispering with anxious expressions.
They didn''t know if Veronica would die, one of their members was certain to go to prison, and they didn''t know what was happening outside.
Everyone could get punished, lose privileges, or get expelled.
Anything could happen.
It left everyone nervous and fearful of the future, so no one spoke.
The door abruptly opened, and many prepared to speak to Kaze. However, to their shock, they were staring at another familiar face.
"Evalyn?" Brad whispered in confusion, "What are you doing here?"
Whispers rippled through the room instantly as people turned to the blonde, who stared at them with a ruthless gaze.
"Immortal Skye." Evalyn replied mockingly, ignoring further exnation, "Can anyone tell me why someone almost died a half hour ago?"
The Kaze Kills College Students faction members trembled.
"We panicked." Regina replied timidly.
"So you tried to kill someone?" Evalyn mused with a malicious smile.
Silence met her question.
"Now that we''ve established that hurting and killing each other isn''t eptable...." The blonde smiled, panning their faces.
"Can someone exin why a bunch of people learning billion-dor techniques in a decadent mansion can''t stay put for seven days without someone dying?"
The students dry-swallowed with shallow breaths.
When she bluntlyid out the situation, everyone felt shame wave through them, especially the guilty.
"No one?" Evalyn chuckled yfully, "You''re telling me that people sought to destroy Kaze''s life, sow mass distrust, and defile the integrity of survivors'' words--without reason?"
Everyone in the Kaze Kills College Students faction panicked.
"W-We just want to know why there''s a steel door!"
"Military members captured us, and we woke up here!"
"You saw what happened at the party, right!?"
Each member immediately threw out a rationale.
"Just to ensure we''re on the same page." Evalyn smiled, "You think something horrible is happening outside?
So you tried destroying Kaze because he''s hiding the truth from you and is thus dangerous.
Do I understand that correctly?"
The group nodded in assent.
Evalyn looked around the downstairs area with an amused grin.
"So... the world''s going to hell outside." Sheughed breathlessly, "And Kaze is a viin for setting you up in a mansion with swimming pools, gyms, and good food to wait it out. Is that right?"
Everyone in the room cringed. It was far easier to focus on the negative than the positive. So they didn''t think about it from that perspective often.
"And you wish to destroy the person giving you a good life in your doomsday scenario?" Evalyn mused, "Are we on the same page?"
Haiden and Regina grimaced and averted their gazes. The blonde was far more ruthless than Kaze was; they missed him.
Evalyn panned everyone''s faces with a venomced smile. "Now that we''ve removed these farcical excuses for your actions, let''s talk about the real reason.
Kaze has set up intense information control. That''s making you feel anxious and helpless, correct?"
Haiden swallowed nervously. "Yes."
"Yes." Regina nodded solemnly.
The other group members and many who weren''t in the group also nodded.
"Wonderful." Evalyn grinned, "So we''ve determined that Kaze is generous, might be your savior, and is insistent on information control and keeping you here--I''m none of those things."
A wave of negative synesthesia spread through the students. The fear of one multiplied the fear of those around them in a chain reaction.
"Haiden. Veronica is alive, so we''ve arranged transport for you to go home in two hours." Evalyn smiled, "A government official will arrive shortly to escort you to ensure people don''t get paranoid."
Haiden''s eyes trembled in confusion, and she turned to everyone else to get verification. The others nodded to confirm she didn''t hear incorrectly.
Kaze insisted that no one could leave the room, so everyone agreed that there was something eerie about casually letting someone who nearly killed another student leave.
"But before you go...." Evalyn smiled ominously, "I''d like to show you the surprise we''re keeping from you and everything fun you''re missing out on."
She pulled out a smartphone and motioned to Haiden yfully, beckoning her close to prevent others from seeing.
The woman walked up close to look at the smartphone screen.
Evalyn smiled and pressed y on a video of Immortal Skye.
It showed Kaze speaking to thousands of members with smiling faces, aerial drone footage over the campus, and inside shots of dozens of mansions.
Haiden watched in a trance. Everything looked so... normal. She was sad she was leaving because it looked like everyone had simr living situations but could roam around.
The Lockheed students watched her carefully, studying her facial expressions.
Evalyn abruptly switched the video to aerial footage of Meridian City.
Arson.
Violent riots.
Razed hospitals.
Mile-long soup lines.
High unemployment rates.
Dehydration death statistics.
Grid-locked highways.
Economic disasters.
Dead bodies.
Haiden cupped her hands over her mouth. She tried to speak but felt something sharp move up the back of her neck, sending horrifying shivers down her spine.
"Shhhhhhh." Evalyn shushed, putting her index in front of her lips yfully.
"I know you''re sad you can''t stay, but these people can because they aren''t criminals.
So you can''t reveal our surprises and ruin it for them."
Everyone watched Haiden''s face in perplexion. Her eyes filled with tears and regret, and her breathing became strained.
"No...." Haiden shook her head desperately, "Please don''t make me leave."
"Hoh? Just an hour ago you attempted to destroy the leader of this ce with false usations, and now you''re begging to stay?" Evalyn mused.
"Please, Evalyn." Haiden trembled, tears pouring down her face, "Please don''t take me... home. I''m begging you. I-I''ll do anything. [Literally] anything."
"Hey! What are you showing her!" Regina cried, triggering a wave of panic.
Evalyn sent her a menacing smile that shut up everyone present. "I''ll show you the surprise, but then you''re going home too. Do you still want to see?"
"Fuck your surprises, I--"
"R-Regina!" Haiden cried in panic. When Regina made eye contact, the crying woman shook her head with trembling eyes. "D-Don''t. Y-You don''t want to leave here."
"Touching." Evalyn mused, "Haiden, do you think it''s a good idea for Regina to follow the few simple rules here withoutint?"
The bawling woman nodded, leaving everyone confused and fearful.
Regina stared at her friend with pain in her eyes. Haiden''s expression didn''t express regret or sadness--it disyed primitive fear.
"Why are you crying?" Evalyn mused, "Have you realized how lucky you were that Kaze brought you to this paradise and offered you strength,fort, and luxury?"
The woman bawled harder, drawing sympathetic gazes.
Rightful or not, Evalyn''s actions were ruthless, callous, and cruel.
"Y-Yes, I do." Haiden stuttered, "I-It''s a paradise, and I realize how lucky I was now. I-I regret my actions.
E-Evalyn, p-please don''t make me... leave. P-Please, let me stay."
"If it were up to me, I''d have taken you home days ago." Evalyn scoffed, breaking her sinister yfulness and revealing the blunt emotions behind it, "But it''s not up to me.
We''re taking you to another offensively cushy location where you can''t leak the surprises.
You can thank that heartless softy you''ve foolishly viinized for holding me back. The irony here is sickening."
Haiden swallowed her tears and wiped her eyes with an awkward smile. Her look of sheer relief sent shivers down people''s spines.
"Now, let''s go." Evalyn ordered sternly. She grabbed Haiden''s arm lightly, opened the door, and left.
Amotion instantly broke out once Evalyn and Haiden left the room, but Sage pped aggressively, getting everyone''s attention.
"It seems you idiots don''t understand what you just saw, so let me trante it for you!" Sage yelled.
"Evalyn just confirmed something horrifying is happening outside.
It''s a lot worse than we originally thought, we''re extremely lucky to have Kaze in our lives, and we shouldn''t ask questions."
"Who the fuck do you think--" A man snapped before getting cut off.
"I''ll stop you right there, you clown." Sage snapped angrily, "Did you see Haiden [beg] Regina to shut the fuck up and stop asking questions?
Because I definitely saw Haiden [beg] Regina to shut the fuck up and stop asking questions.
Did anyone else miss something that haunting to watch?"
The room fell silent aside from gasps of anxiety and hyperventting. Haiden''s expressions were carved into their memories and branded on their souls.
"Yeah, that''s right." Sage said caustically, "Until we know what''s actually happening, don''t fuck up our living and learning situation.
I don''t know the [surprise], but I know Haiden was a derisive cunt 24/7, yet she looked like she''d offer her body to him to stay."
Everyone trembled slightly, turning away with fearful expressions.
"Also, if you''ve never met Evalyn Skye, you should know she sure as hell wasn''t like that a week ago." Sage continued.
"Something horrible happened to her, and I don''t want it to happen to me.
So unless you''re talking about cultivation, swimming, or anything else positive, shut the fuck up, or I''ll find a way to ruin your life once we leave this room."
Chapter 107 Turning Point: Relationship With The Elites
After Evalyn left, the Lockheed students fell silent in fear. Most people climbed into bed or joined budding support groups, but no one used the recreation services.
Sage sat on the couch in the main room with two dozen people surrounding her. They gravitated to her because she seemed grounded.
Despite her calm demeanor, she was anything but.
Veronica was alivethat''s all she knew about her friend''s well-being.
Beyond that, the only thing she knew for certain was something bad outside the walls, and she was alone now. It was driving her crazy.
Many people had simr thoughts going through their minds.
"It seems that Evalyn''s done a number on all of you." Kazemented from a corner of the room.
Many jumped in surprise, unsure how he got into the room or if he had been hiding the whole time.
"Please permit my strange entrance." He requested cheekily, "I didn''t use the door to prevent hysteria. If I lightly knocked on it twice, people might have rioted."
"Kaze." Sage whispered with aplex expression.
"Hey, Kaze."
"Kaze!"
"Emperor Scrawn!"
"KAZE!"
Most were uncertain how to approach him after what happened. However, once someone showed relief he arrived, everyone flooded him without reservation.
Many women were crying, and he pretended to care. He didn''t have real sympathy for anyone there at present, but he needed to convert them into his personal loyal army in less than two days.
"Yes, yes." Kaze said calmly, "Please gather everyone. I''ll talk to you then."
Students immediately ran out of the room to gather everyone.
Once assembled in the main room, he stood from a couch and moved to a wall so everyone could see him.
The emperor gave everyone aplex expression as he addressed them.
"I''m not here to lecture or admonish you, and I will not decry your actions." He announced with a neutral expression.
Everyone sighed breaths of relief. The atmosphere was tense, so even the slightest positive reinforcement felt like free air.
"My words haven''t changed, so I won''t squander anyone''s time repeating them now that you''ve uncovered significance within them." Kaze chuckled.
"Instead, who wants to free their mind of the negative emotions guing them?
If you do, sit on this side of the room, and I''ll use a tranquility technique to help you calm down."
He pointed to a wall, and Larkin got up and ran there as quickly as possible.
The stupid hype man was a leader in ways; once he sat down in the lotus position, a dozen people followed him. Then another two dozen joined afterward.
Kaze waved his hand, and an ambient green glow washed over the area.
Everyone in the area gasped in relief, and manyughed in disbelief, ecstatic to be free of their mental prisons.
The emperor turned to the other five dozen students. "Don''t be shy. No matter the time or ce, relief from negative emotions is desirable."
"It''s not." Kylie, the popr brte cheerleader with slightly curly neck-length hair, began before falling silent.
She wanted to ask if it was mind control but remembered they should trust him.
Kylie was right on both fronts, and he didn''t fault her for pointing out the obvious.
"Mind control?" Kaze smiled mockingly, "Of course it is. Do you think I could rid people of their fears and anxiety with a physical cultivation technique?"
Everyone gasped for a moment before their eyes zed over again, understanding his sarcasm.
"Right. That was a stupid question." The woman giggled awkwardly, "Well, in that case, I want it.
Hell, I''d take being one of those over-hyped sex puppets if it made me feel happy and calm again."
Bewildered giggles andughter spread through the room as the cheeky brte joined the group getting Forced Tranquility.
Kaze smiled and waved his hand over the group, radiating the area with a light green aura.
Kylie looked down at her hands and then back at Kaze. "I thought you said this was mind control? I feel far more rational.
Not to start controversy, but it''s only making it easier to find you an asshole instead of a savior."
Kaze chuckled in bewilderment, and everyone followed him, bursting intoughter.
She blushed slightly, but her embarrassment disappeared instantly, reced by a gentle smile.
"This technique only rids you of negative emotions so you can think." He smiled.
"So once we''ve stripped you of your anxieties, fears, and irrational delusions, that''s what was hiding beneath. That''s your genuine thought."
Kylie turned her head back and forth to see everyone''s mocking expressions in confusion. They wereughing at her, and she was having difficulty caring.
"Yeah sorry for thinking you''re an asshole." She apologized with a slight smile.
Kazeughed in disbelief and gave her a strange smile. "Pray tell, Kylie. Why do you think I''m an asshole? I am oh, so curious."
The cute brte''s emotions temporarily broke past the intentionally weak technique, and her face flushed bright red in embarrassment.
Then, in a surreal twist, her face rxed almost instantly. It was an extremely quirky sight that left many bewildered.
"You don''t have to answer that question." Kaze smiled, "It looks embarrassing and we don''t want anyone thinking I''m using strange interrogation mind control on you."
He wiggled his fingers mockingly, a dozen women giggled, and some menughed.
Kylie sighed and give him a bitter smile, but it kept disappearing. It made her frustrated, but that kept disappearing too. "Why is it so hard to pout?"
Everyone burst into giggles andughter at her concerted effort to pout. It was cute and endearing.
"What on your mind requires you to look dissatisfied when you say it?" Kazeughed.
"Stuff." Kylie replied bitterly, leading to moreughs.
"If you insist." The emperor smiled, waving his hand.
The green aura on her body disappeared, and her negative emotions began returning, making her realize the cost of her game. "Talk about [be careful what you wish for]."
Moreughter followed, leading to her giving the students wry smiles and him puppy dog eyes.
"I''ll use the technique again." Kazeugh-scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I was just helping you maintain your false front when you expose the reason behind my assholetry.
You needn''t tell me. But if you''re not, tell me so I can put you out of this cringe-worthy misery."
"Hyumph!" Kylie huffed loudly, standing up to face him, "That was rude!
It''s not like a girl just shares her secrets casually. I can''t believe you''re expecting me to justy it all out for you in front of everyone."
Everyone''s eyes widened, looking forward to a juicy reveal.
Kaze smiled at the crowd getting pumped and then narrowed his eyes at the cute brte. He looked forward to learning her game.
Kylie huffed again, crossed her arms, and tapped her foot multiple times, looking at people''s expectant gazes.
"To ensure people don''t think you''re doing something sketchy I''ll exin." She blushed, cringing slightly, "I think you''re an asshole because you chose Sage over me at the party!"
"Here we go. Spin it up, girl." Sage chuckled bitterly,ughing at her friend''s legendary pettiness.
"Then I learn you''re world famous, absurdly rich, and a sex god, and it''s just making me more bitter!" Kylie cried, "It''s simple petty jealousy. Happy, jerk?"
Kylie crossed her arms tighter, closed her eyes, turned her body slightly, and then opened one eye to peek at him. It was the cutest pouting that anyone had seen.
Everyone gazed at her with awkward smiles and gentle gazes.
"While I''d like to rectify this unforgivable transgression of mine." Kaze began with a charming smile, "I can''t have people thinking I''m enving people with mind control.
That''s what your grandiose confession sought to dispel, was it not?"
"You''re worried about trust issues?" Sageughed across the room, "There isn''t a single person here that doesn''t trust you after Evalyn''s sketchy visit.
In fact, everyone [loves] and trusts you now. It''s universal."
Kaze''s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. He was surprised at how effective Evalyn''s tactics were.
He expected a long, drawn-out wrangle session, but everyone nodded in agreement.
Kylie was also surprised, as Sage was the one who aided her argument.
"Is that so?" The emperor mused, looking around him, "Well, my rules against my members having sex with each other until the morning after tomorrow have not changed."
Everyone gulped and gave him wry smiles. They were grateful.
"Bu-t." Kaze smacked, "I''ll never turn a beautiful woman down without a pressing reason, and even Sage has aided you.
Considering that you''re asking me and I own this ce."
He panned everyone''s gaze. "Surely, everyone''s grown out distrusting my every action, correct?"
"Yeah, sorry, Kaze."
"I appreciate your rules now."
"Me too."
"This is your house, Emperor Scrawn! Get some!"
"Larkin yeah, I''m not sure what''s going on. But I''m grateful."
"I was grateful from the beginning. Now I''m confused, but that''s not on you, man."
"You do you, emperor."
"You don''t need our permission."
"Hah. I''m grateful for your tranquility technique. I feel so much better."
"Right!?"
"Hey, can you hit me with that before you run off with the princess?"
"Yeah, I really want to be free of this too."
The conversation evolved from consent to gratitude before people asked for the technique.
Absolute trust.
Kaze smiled and waved his hand. It filled the entire room with a light green aura, instantly relieving everyone of their anxieties.
They looked at him in surprise, confused when he hit everyone with the technique after asking everyone directly.
"I won''t let my elites suffer when I can fix their ailments easily." He scoffed breathlessly, "Who do you think I am? A kidnapping serial killer?"
Everyone''s eyes widened as their brain processed the strange statement.
It urred to them that this was the first time Kaze expressed indignation for being treated as a serial killer. It was strange to the point of hrity, and people burst intoughter.
"Now, I must make amends for a heinous transgression I''vemitted." Kaze smiled, picking up Kylie in a princess carry, "I will see you all in a bit."
Chapter 108 Teasing The Kitty
--Present time: Lockheed Mansion--
Kaze flicked his wrist with Kylie in a princess carry, making a wall of the basement warp as if it were underwater.
Before any could ask what was happening, he walked straight through the wall, with the brte iling, thinking she''d crash into the wall.
Everyone blinked in disbelief, aside from Sage, who had burning feelings of petty jealousy.
She didn''t have abnormal jealousy--she was just salty.
Sage helped Kaze immensely by helping execute his and Veronica''s operation to destroy his enemies. Yet her friend shamelessly worked his way into his bed instead.
She stewed over it with a wry smile for an hour and a half before a new spatial rift opened.
Kaze walked through the same wall with Kylie, whose stupid smile and bodynguage were surreal.
She looked like she mistook Xanax for choctes, ate a handful, and abruptly forgot the meaning of stress, fear of pain, or the value of responsibility.
If people weren''t traumatized into trusting Kaze and didn''t know he was a sex god, they''d immediately suspect a crime urred.
"W-What happened to you, Kylie?" Brad asked in confusion.
"Good things." Kylie replied dumbly, "Great things. Oh my god, the best things."
The woman''s body shivered in ecstasy when she looked at Kaze and then turned to everyone with a woozy motion.
"Before anyone asks, this was normal dual cultivation." Kaze replied with a charming voice as he helped Kylie sit down, as her legs gave out, "If you use Minor Vision, you''ll see her improvements."
People immediately followed his directive. When they did, gasps waved through the room until everyone was stunned by what they saw.
A particr person broke the silence, as always.
"Scrawn fuuuuuuuuuuu!" Larkin yelled to the sky with his elbows pulled back, releasing a battle cry.
A dozen people cheered by reflex, following the jester''s hype-man actions. The energy spread through the room, and half the people pped in confusion.
"To address the obvious, it''s an unfair advantage, but such is life." He chuckled, turning back to the wall.
"Now, if I don''t leave, many might flood me with inquiries or offers, and tonight will be problematic. So just be happy for Kylie and enjoy your night."
"Bye, Kaze!" Kylie called out dramatically, showcasing that she hadn''t lost her yfulness after the soul-eating sexual experience she just had, "I''ll miss you!"
"I''ll be back tomorrow." Kazeugh-scoffed, rolling his eyes yfully, "And oh... Sage, you have my gratitude. Your actions and leadership helped everyone. I won''t forget it."
Sage looked at the emperor with confused, trembling eyes. However, before she could speak, he had already disappeared.
Very few cared about his final statement. They immediately turned to Kylie with excited expressions.
"Oh~Kylieeeeee." A woman chimed, "You gonna tell us what happened, gurl?"
"Come one, tell us!"
"How big was it?"
Kylie instantly got mmed with dozens of questions, as she was the first [student] from Lockheed to have intercourse with him.
"It was magical." She smiled dreamily, triggering giggles andughter, "What happened was--"
--55 minutes ago: Kaze''s bedroom--
Kylie blinked and found herself in Kaze''s room. Only a second before, he picked her up in a princess carry in Lockheed Mansion; now, she was staring at his luxurious poster bed.
She turned to him and found him looking at [something] with an aghast expression.
The brte followed his eyes and found a beautiful woman with unnatural amethyst eyes in a cute green frog hoodie lying on his bed.
"You...." Kaze chuckled ominously, ring at her in disbelief, "First, it''s 7 pm; why are you sleeping?
Second, you have a secure room, so why are you still in mine?"
Crux pawed at her eyes with her human hands. "What''s the problem? It''s a bed. The purpose of a bed is to sleep, yes?"
Kaze''s eyes twitched at the horrifying deration. "Cultivators do not require sleep if they cultivate, so no, the purpose of beds isn''t sleeping--it''s toy with partners."
The royal divine beast sat up, looked to the emperor''s side, and found herself gazing at a mortal with cultivation so low she didn''t sense her.
"Who''s this!?" Crux cried in Skin, their shared Sky nenguage, pulling her hood against her head and checking her tail was masked by the nket on her.
Kylie''s heart pounded, looking between Kaze and Crux. They appeared to be arguing, but she didn''t know because they were speaking an unworldlynguage!
She felt like she was a booty call caught by the girlfriend. It was highly ufortable.
Kaze looked at Kylie''s mortified expression and sighed. "Crux, the words for ''misunderstanding'' and ''I''m not his lover'' are [I''m not his girlfriend, just sexually desperate]."
The divine beast frowned, understanding how ufortable the trembling ant beside him was.
She didn''t know that Kylie was sweating because she knew Kaze was leading her to say something embarrassing and potentially wrong!
"You''ve brought a powerless beggar to a banquet, and you want me to ease their concerns?" Crux scoffed in disdain, "Do you have no pride as a cultivator?"
"There''s a powerless woman in my bed to whom I gave power and a banquet of techniques." Kaze replied sarcastically, "Yet she''s begging me to stay as if she hasn''t pride."
Crux flushed red in severe embarrassment and shot up from her position. She was indignant and shamed by his statement, but she couldn''t argue and refused to.
So she gritted her small fangs before sighing and looking at Kylie.
"I''m... not his girl-fri-end, just... sex-u-al-ly des-perate." Crux sounded out, "He... marvelous and impressive."
Kylie''s eyes widened in bewilderment. It urred to her that this wasn''t the first time he had given the woman the wrong words to use!
Unable to restrain herself, she burst into giggles.
? "What did you tell me to say!?" Crux cried with a red face and puffy cheeks.
The outburst caused Kylie to giggle more since the frog hoodie-wearing woman was pouting like a child, not threatening him with death.
"You apologized for the mimunication." Kaze smiled, "However... you''re [still] using impressive and marvelous as if they''re negative terms.
That means you cannot see the obvious, refuse to, or arezy and find them convenient.
All make you deserving of ridicule instead of mymunication techniques."
The shadow cat''s face turned redder, and she turned away in shame. "Mortals are weak, and cultivators mock the weak.
So why must you constantly belittle me for doing so?"
"I''m not disparaging you for mocking mortals for their weaknesses." Kazeugh-scoffed, "I ridicule you for mocking them for their strengths.
You berate them even now as you desperately beg to stay, praying I''ll let you continue enjoying this bed in your beloved hoodie, basking in the ultimatefort of your purple rayon panties.
Or am I wrong?"
Crux''s eyes trembled, and she turned away again, mortified and ashamed.
"Hoh? If you refuse to answer, I suppose the discussion is over." Kaze remarked in a hypnotic voice, waving his hand.
"Okay, so mortal products are--aghhhhhhHHH!" Crux screamed when she fell through the bed and into another, bouncing in the air before crashing into a pillow, "Wh-what the hell was that!?"
She looked around in fear, assessing her surroundings. When she did, she found herself in another room with simr furniture.
The shadow cat looked at the soft thing below her and found it was another bed. The only difference was the bedding, but the difference wasn''t a deal breaker.
It was still so soft! Such a bed wasn''t even avable to royals!
Despite that--
"This strange and fantastic bed is not much different than his." Crux frowned, squeezing the pillows, "So why does it feel so... unsatisfying?
Am I addicted to that man''s smell so much? Or is it because I enjoyying with another--"
Her face heated up in exasperation, realizing that his offensively absurd statement that the only purpose of beds was to sleep with others was true for cultivators!
"I''ve never been so humiliated." She said with the eyes of a dead fish.
"That man sees no value in my nobility, treats me like a child, and somehow triggers me to act like one.
Then I get ridiculed again--deservingly--and pout, earning me more ridicule. It''s a vicious cycle!"
Crux let her head crash into a pillow. "I''m so pathetic."
Meanwhile--
"W-What was that?" Kylie said with fearful eyes. The woman on his bed was arguing with him, then Kaze waved his hand, and she fell into an alternate dimension.
The brte didn''t know where it went. Hell? A torture room? Another?
It was brutally unceremonious and mysterious! Horrifying even!
"She''s obsessed with my bed and smell, so she''s been staying here despite having her own room." Kaze exined, "So I sent her back to her room down the hall."
Kylie was stunned by the simplicity of the situation. "She''s obsessed with your smell? Why?"
"It''splicated." He smiled, "But she''s addicted toundry detergent and my smell. Fragrances are very rare and expensive where she''s from."
The brte cocked her head slightly. "If it''s important, why don''t you just give her a pillow?"
"Hoh! Wonderful idea." Kaze grinned with crazed eyes after the suggestion, making her shiver.
The emperor picked up one of his pillows, radiating it with a golden light.
Kylie watched the beautiful sight in awe. However, her praise didn''tst long.
A secondter, Kaze flicked his hand to create a spatial riff and--
Crux caught a whiff of a familiar smell, so she investigated, looking to the ceiling just in time to watch a pillow crash into her face at thirty miles an hour.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" She cried in anger.
The shadow cat looked down at the pillow, confused why the item didn''t explode like buildings.
"T-That... that man!" Crux growled in vexation, "He wasted Soul Qi just to make this pillow indestructible!?"
The divine beast got up from her bed and threw open the door in a rage, stomping down the hallway in her cute frog hoodie, determined to punish him somehow.
However, a momentter, the ground under the shadow cat warped, making the hallway look like it was under shallow water.
Crux tried jumping, but there was nothing to jump off, so she fell through the floor and crashed into her bed again. "That jerk!"
The divine beast got up again but considered the situation.
If she did, he''d just send her back over and over for ultimate humiliation.
She was confident he''d seed with his skill even if she transformed and ran at full speed.
Crux huffed indignantly and let her face crash into a pillow again.
However, this time her eyes widened.
It was Kaze''s pillow.
The royal shadow cat''s eyes lit up in excitement, making her blush and feel shame for her creepy enthusiasm.
However, she quickly dropped the act and let her face snuggle into the pillow.
As a divine beast with a sensitive sense of smell, the Mortal ne [and] Sky ne reeked more often than not.
Yetundry detergent and the smell of a soul cultivator with a peak divine body were heavenly.
Paired with thefort of the bed, she didn''t want to get up in the mornings.
So Crux curled up in a ball and savored her environment, forgetting about Kaze Lexicon or his mocking behavior.
Chapter 109 [Kylie Alexandra Shultz]
[Warning: Kaze roleys in a non-dominant (but not degrading #obvi) dynamic. He takes pride in fulfilling women''s fantasies in bedwithin obvious limitations.
Fulfilling fantasies is alpha af. He satisfies desires, so women worship him in bed, title him a sex god, and feed his reputation and desire to beuded over. It''s a narcissist''s wet dream.
If you prefer Kaze only hold purely dominant roles, please skip the next two chapters. I give disimers hoping people don''t drop over one-off non-trope sex scenes. So please use them!]
Kylie looked at Kaze''s grin with an abstract expression. She didn''t know how to feel about him creating a spatial rift to [yfully] hit the woman with a pillow.
It wasn''t that she was worried about him hurting her. Instead
"You look like you genuinely like her." Shemented nonchntly.
it was simple pettiness, the kind he enjoyed.
"I genuinely like mostdies." Kaze replied charmingly, "But you''re correct.
I think the term for that one is [friend]. Or potential friend."
Kylie''s eyes widened in amusement, and she burst into giggles. "Everyone else treats friendships as expectations and sexual developments like monumental achievements.
Yet you treat sexual experiences like expectations and friendships as distinguished honors with insurmountable bars to entry. It''s cute."
"Since everything you''ve said is correct, it seems I''m [cute]." Kaze replied maically.
"And hot." Kylie blushed coquettishly.
He gave her a sharp, mocking smile, which made her shiver slightly.
"While I do not doubt your desire to sleep with me, can you tell me why you publicly mocked yourself to get here?" Kaze mused mockingly, "The real reason."
Kylie''s face turned bright red, and she nervously curled a lock of her hazel-colored hair, ncing at him and turning away.
"We''re ground floor on something big, right?" She asked nervously, "Sage and Veronica have already earned your trust and respect.
I''ll be left out if I don''t catch your attention now and prove myself.
I figured embarrassing myself publicly with my petty confession would get your attention."
"Well, it worked." Kaze smiled in amusement, "Now you have my attentionwhat do you offer?
Veronica''s social skills are lethal, Sage has vital ounting skills, and Jake is remarkably loyal, adaptable, andpetent.
What value do you bring?"
Kylie''s expression turned shy, and she kicked the ground cutely. "Communications work is also a vital skill, right?
Veronica has amazing interpersonal skills, but there''s a difference between public and privatemunication.
That''s what my degree is in and what I''m good at."
Kaze narrowed his eyes with a slight smile. "You speak the truth, and public speaking is critical.
In this situation, the question is [why] you domunications work."
"I want people to know me and remember me, to be beloved." Kylie replied without hesitation.
"I''m neither ambitious nor driven by power and money.
So I picked a career to be publicly famous, piggybacking off the talent, fame, and reputation of others."
The emperor smiled in interest, amused by her answer. "You''re exceedingly honest."
"As inw, when ites to public rtions work, the client must tell the speaker everything bluntly." She replied.
"That way, we''re prepared for any situation and to protect the client''s reputation."
Kaze narrowed his eyes slightly. "You''d set aside your morals, ethics, and ideals for your work?"
"Only if the client provides true value and can maintain it." Kylie rified. "You proved the former by organizing this ce, achieving wealth and status, and keeping us safe.
You proved thetter by skillfully handling Haiden and the other dissidents."
"Are you saying you''ll only set aside your beliefs and protect my interests when I provide value?" He asked with a mocking smile.
"No, I''ll set aside my beliefs to protect the people." Kylie replied, shaking her head, "In politics, lies often have more value than truth.
And personal actions and scandals can cause detrimental damage to benign systems.
Generally benign, intelligent, and capable leaders are rare.
So when someone provides prosperity to people at a mass scale, their value as a leader far exceeds their actions as a person."
"So you''re a pragmatist?" The emperor asked with a slight smile.
She smiled and looked him in the eyes. "Yes. Everyone else is bad at their job."
"I couldn''t agree more." Kaze smiled, "However, I think you''re naive. Those beloved are usually the mouthpiece of prosperity, not the bearer of bad news.
Surely, you understand you''ll be thetter, yes?"
"Yes." She dry-swallowed nervously, reminded of Evalyn''s visit.
"Yet you still seek such a grisly role?" He asked sharply, "For fame and love no less?
I must warn you, within three days, thousands of people will loathe your image."
Her expression crumbled, dejected by his words. However, she built up the courage and rebounded.
"People be beloved during times of prosperity [and] peril." Kylie reasoned.
"If you can bring lead us out of peril and into prosperity, we''ll both be beloved.
My unwavering belief is that you can, so I will do whatever it takes to put you on top."
Kaze studied her facial expressions for a moment. He wouldn''t torture enemies with such a role.
Yet her judgment, foresight, intelligence, philosophies, and motivations aligned with his needs.
"If you wish to test the depths of your mental fortitude, I will give you a shot in my cab." He said seriously, "However, you seek a thankless role, so do not expect any."
The brte gave him a mixed-signal smile, both anxious and pleased. She knew something horrifying was happening but didn''t know its magnitude.
"Thank you but." Kylie blushed, putting her hand in front of her mouth, "Can you wait to give me the horrifying detailster?
I wasn''t joking about wanting to sleep with you; few people don''t."
"Tell me, Kylie Alexandra Shultz." Kaze replied hypnotically, slightly narrowing his eyes.
"How does someone who wishes to be beloved wish to be loved? What is your greatest dreamor darkest fantasy?"
Kylie blushed furiously, averting her gaze. "I don''t think that you''d approve. I''m very different in bed; nearly the opposite person."
"Don''t be shy." He smiled, "I give women whatever they want in bed, within limitations.
Naturally, what I''ll do for women far exceeds what I''ll let them do to me. However, I''m very open to dynamics and role y."
"I see The thing is I get off on how skillfully you manipte us." She cringed, looking at him in shame, "It far exceeds psychopathyyou''re a tyrant. In the ssical sense."
The emperor gave her an amused smile. "Thank you for thepliment."
"Yes it was." Kylie dry-swallowed, "And it makes me want that too. I fantasize about taking control, to kind of use you as you use us. You know?
Of course, that''s just a fantasy. As I said, I''m the opposite in bed!"
"I did tell you I give people what they wish in bed, yes?" Kazeugh-scoffed in disbelief, "Yet you believe I''d be offended over something so mundane?
What type of man would I be if I deprived one-fourth of the women I encounter of their fantasy?"
Kylie''s eyes widened in surprise. "You just seem so prideful. It''s hard to imagine you''d even be slightly submissive to people."
"BDSM is a lie, Kyliean illusion." He smiled mockingly, "From start to finish, I''m still in control. I choose what I do and what I''ll let you do.
No matter what I let you do to me or how you feel about it, I''m not submitting to you or letting you degrade me.
In fact, many enjoy letting people think they''re in control, knowing it''s a lie. So it can be symbiotic."
The brte was caught off guard by his answer. It was mind-bending to think that some people enjoyed acting submissive to feel dominant.
"What about you?" She asked hesitantly, "Do you enjoy that?"
"No, I get pleasure from pleasing women." Kaze replied charmingly, "Partners believe me a god when I push them to the breaking point and spread the belief to others. It''s a narcissist''s wet dream.
That''s what''s beautiful about sex. If done with an open mind, it satisfies everyone''s desires, no matter how contradictory they may seem."
Kylie was stunned by his revtion and burst into bewildered giggles. "If my fantasy to use you helps your narcissism, I''ll dly oblige. Just say the word."
"Begin." He smiled.
The cute brte grabbed his dark grey button-up shirt and pulled him into her, pressing his lips against her plump, lipgloss-glistened lips.
"Undress me." Kylie ordered hesitantly, releasing her hands from his shirt.
"As you wish." Kaze replied charmingly, reaching under her ck shirt and pulling it up. His eyes narrowed with interest when he saw what was underneatha yellow pushup bra.
"So rare." He remarked about the bra''s color, skillfully unbuckling it and exposing her b-cup breasts, "It''s a pity you seek to remove it so unceremoniously, even to reveal breasts this perfect."
Her fantasy made her desire telling him to keep silent and fulfill her requests. However, he wasn''t disappointed by her real breast size.
His vivid green eyes were vicious and predatory when he looked at them. It made her shiver.
Kylie whimpered as he finished unbuckling her belt and unbuttoning her jeggings.
Kaze only removed his mesmerizing gaze when he circled her, kneeling to peel her ck, half-rayon jeggings off her perfect bubble butt.
It exposed her matching solid yellow panties.
The fact she came to Kaze''s party hoping to seduce him wearing such in cotton panties, in the most controversially undervalued color imaginable, was bold. Derisive even.
He enjoyed it, staring at her perfect ass as he slid off her cute ck ts and pulled the jeggings off her ankle.
Kylie shuddered at his words and actions. Hearing she was always in control, regardless of his dominance level, was an exotic turn-on. "Who are you?"
"Someone who will make you beloved, so long as you have the talent to uphold your duty." Kaze replied gently, switching to her front, his head before her crotch.
She blushed but forgot her embarrassment when he crossed his wrists, gliding his hands up her inner thighs to strip thest piece of clothing from her body.
The cute brte closed her eyes and shiveredhe was fulfilling every fantasy she had.
Less than an inch from her lips, he switched his hands to her outer thighs, driving her wild and making her aggressively dissatisfied.
However, when his hands grabbed the stic, she dry-swallowed, and her heart pounded.
It only got louder and more aggressive as he slowly peeled them off, exposing her cleanly shaven pussy.
Kylie had never slept with anyone but her two ex-boyfriends, so showing him something so intimate was embarrassing, but she wanted him to see.
Kaze stood up slowly and looked into her eyes with a mocking smile that said, [what''s next?], driving her wild.
"I have a question." Kylie said pensively, "I''m curious about male fantasies my friends have enjoyed.
I want to try them, but they''re kinda degradingto me.
If I''m giving the orders, is using you to degrade myself still a show of dominance?"
[A/N: I spent excessive time exining Kaze''s mindset to ensure readers don''t think he''s letting women step on himhe doesn''t.
Please don''t misinterpret his willingness or encouragement for women to express their desires first or showcase dominance as a show of weakness, simping, or self-degradation.]
Chapter 110 [Self-Degrading Fantasies]
"If I''m giving the orders, is using you to degrade myself still a show of dominance?" Kylie asked nervously, standing naked before him.
"Of course." Kaze replied maically, "You''re instructing me to fulfill your desires. What your desires are is irrelevant."
"I don''t have much experience and don''t know how I feel about it." She dry-swallowed nervously, "Will you go more than once?"
"Time permitting, I will go as many times as you wish." Kaze replied brazenly, "I assure you, Kylie, there is no limit."
Her eyes widened in surprise, thinking about all the times her partners tapped out after one go for the rest of the night, leaving her depressingly unsatisfied.
"That''s quite the marked im, isn''t it?" Kylie mused with a bewitching smile, "I suppose I''ll need to test whether it''s true.
You know, to see if you can back your words."
"You can try." Kaze replied, narrowing his eyes and rxing them quickly, giving her a predatory re that got her back in the mood.
She felt waves of excitement crash through her body after his words. He wanted her to explore, trying anything and pushing the limits.
"I see. Then stand still and stay silent." Kylie ordered boldly.
Kaze gave her a slight smile and stood still as she walked up,pletely nude, reaching to his neck.
She dry-swallowed with shallow breaths as she unbuttoned the shirt slowly, taking her time.
Once the two sides separated, revealing his chiseled chest and abs, she pressed her bare chest against it slowly.
The cute brte savored having her breasts, her most significant source of self-consciousness, against his body, making her feel bolder.
Kylie closed her eyes and visualized what she wanted, learning she could have her two fantasiesbined.
She could be a beloved woman with a strong, dominant man and someone who enjoyed being in control and having others fulfill her desires simultaneously. At least in a twisted sense.
The cute brte unbuckled his belt while looking him in the eyes.
After releasing it and unzipping his cks, she dropped to her haunches, pulled them down alongside his boxers, and stared at his domineering member.
It was at least twice the size of her prior partners, and she wondered if he''d make her feel like a virgin again.
She shivered but felt excitement, reaching out and grabbing his base.
A pulse of primal desire shot through her when she touched it, and she moved from her feet down to her knees, fully submissive.
"I want you to cum as soon as possible after seeing me satisfied." Kylie instructed, "Let me know when you''re ready."
"As you wish." Kaze smiled, looking at the trembling brte who was putting on a depressingly unconvincing front.
Kylie opened her mouth and put as much of his penis inside it as possible before closing her mouth.
The feeling sent static-like pleasure crashing through her body.
Knowing she was in control and didn''t need to worry about his judgment or pleasing him, as satisfying her gave him pleasure, made her feel like she could explore.
Kylie closed her eyes and pulled back with her tongue gliding down his shaft until she got to his tip.
Instead of rolling her tongue around it, she sucked on it passionately, experimenting.
Kaze closed his eyes, enjoying her experimentation. He loved women opened their sexual horizons naturally.
She opened her mouth and took a deep breath, then let her tongue guide his shaft back into his mouth.
Once she hit the back of her mouth, she kept pushing, deep-throating him.
After doing it, she nearly gagged and came to a conclusion: she did [not] like deep-throating.
However, she was experimenting with Kaze, learning these things about herself, making her negative discovery exciting.
Kylie pulled back again and continued her exploration. She ced both of her small hands onto his shaft, which was horrifyingly easy, and began subtly twisting them in opposite directions.
He gave her a wry smile when she used too much force but slightly hummed when she released the grip pressure.
Getting feedback made left her feeling thrilled and seeking further validation.
The cute brte twisted her hands forward and backward, using her mouth to practice the technique without worrying about the effects.
Her confidence built quickly, and soon she pleased him to her heart''s content.
Kaze let her express herself fully, not giving her profound sexual knowledge. If he did, it would detract from the pointfree exploration.
Seeing his pleasure channels would take away the excitement of self-discovery, something he hadn''t experienced in thousands of years.
Kylie became more aggressive, determined to make him cum naturally. He found the effortmendable, so he yed along, giving her the illusion.
As her passion increased, he took sharper breaths and trembled periodically, driving her wild.
Once he saw her peaking in satisfaction, he closed his eyes. "I''m close toing."
Her heart pulsed, throbbing in excitement.
"I want you to cum on my face." Kylie said, releasing her mouth from his body, "On my breasts and anywhere else.
Some women I know say they''ve enjoyed it, so I want to know what it''s like."
"As you wish." Kaze smiled, "Resume, and I''ll make it happen."
Kylie nodded, slowly put his penis back into her mouth, and resumed using her new technique, which she thought brought him to the edge.
She began again with fervor in passion, moving to the tune of Kaze''s hums and twitches, giving the perfect illusion of getting his passion back.
As she continued, he summoned a technique that promoted fertility growth and another to sterilize it. He was prepared to give her wishwith interest.
"I''ming.'' Kaze said hurriedly, pulling out, pushing her hands away, and stepping back.
Before Kylie could prepare herself, a massive shot of hot liquid crashed into her cheek.
She gasped as she closed her eyes, and arge quantity amount shot into her mouth, filling it.
It was nearly suffocating to suddenly have the thick liquid in her mouth, so she reflexively began swallowing cum for the first time.
She didn''t like the taste of it or its thickness, but it gave her a strange primal pleasure.
Her chest got sshed with a full load as she struggled to get her breathing back on track.
Kylie''s breasts became waterfalls of dripping liquid, sending streams down her cleavage and creating waterfalls from her nipples to her thighs.
The cute brte was a hardcore crime scene.
Everything happened so fast. One second she was in control; she was struggling to stay breathing as her body got stered in multiple locations the next.
The experience felt truly degrading. Demeaning. Dehumanizing.
After doing it, Kylie came to a conclusion: she [loved] it.
Even after Kaze finished releasing his seed on her, she was swallowing cum and feeling over her body in random ces.
It was messy and genuinely debilitating.
Kylie couldn''t put her clothing back on because it would leave stains from the inside in random locations. Or it''d stick the shirt to her skin.
Worse, it was in locations clothing couldn''t cover, so she was a walking shame post.
No, just thinking about what she looked like was humiliating. The feelingwas wild.
She didn''t know what to do about it; she''d have to find a way to clean her hair, something to wipe it off her chest, and her makeup was in disarray.
Thinking about how much work it''d take to fix herself was mind-bending.
[That was what made it thrilling.]
It was so chaotic.
In a moment, her entire world changed.
"Well?" Kaze smiled in amusement, "Did you enjoy it?"
Kylie panicked, blushing furiously and looking up at him with the fluidity of a rusty cog. She forgot that someone did see her in her humiliated state!
Her heart pulsed and then doubled down when he saw the epting gaze on his face.
It calmed her significantly and allowed her to continue.
"It is not what I expectedin a good way." Kylie confessed, "However, I''m mortified and don''t want to find more degrading things I enjoy.
So if you''re still willing, can we just have vani sex to dpress?"
"Oh, love." Kaze replied, giving her a fiendish smile that sent awork of primal emotions through her body.
"I can perform gentle mercenary sex, but I refuse to give a beautiful woman anything [vani].
Dpress is also out of the question. However"
Kylie gulped nervously, listening in slight fear.
"you''re experimenting, yes? Would you like to experiment with what it means to put [me] into control?"
Her eyes trembled with excitement. "Please."
"Excellent." Kaze smiled, handing her a towel, "But please clean up first. I''m sure you''re a bit ufortable."
Kylie looked down, realizing she had forgotten she was on her knees, covered in his cum!
After cleaning herself off, he waved his hand and created a dome of warping space.
"W-What is this!?" She stuttered in panic.
"A sound barrier." He smiled, reaching down his hand to help her up, "Trust me, Kylie. You''ll be grateful in just a few seconds."
"We''ll see about that." Kylie replied, narrowing her eyes in suspicion and reaching up her hand to let him help her stand.
Kaze reached down and glided his fingers down her forearms on the way to her hand.
The second his golden fingers touchedshe was grateful he put up the sound barrier.
An hour and a halfter: Lockheed Mansion
Kaze walked through the same wall with Kylie, whose stupid smile and bodynguage were surreal.
She looked like she mistook Xanax for choctes, ate a handful, and abruptly forgot the meaning of stress, fear of pain, or the value of responsibility.
If people weren''t traumatized into trusting Kaze and didn''t know he was a sex god, they''d immediately suspect a crime urred.
"W-What happened to you, Kylie?" Brad asked in confusion.
"Good things." Kylie replied dumbly, "Great things. Oh my god, the best things."
[A/N: Naturally, there will be plenty of BDSM with Kaze being dominant ad, like in the dark fantasies chapter. I only cut the scene here because I can''t write more than 1900 words without making things cost 2 FP, which I want to avoid. Thanks for reading!]
Chapter 111 Rebirth Of The Ice Phoenix | The Leader
[A/N: This chapter is [misleading] and will undoubtedly rub some people the wrong way. You''re witnessing the [old] Ice Phoenix, who will die and be rebornthis isn''t Evalyn Skye.
The Ice Phoenix was presented as a [toxic woman] with severe trust issues but had endearing traits [Kaze fell in love with]. This chapter showcases her toxic side.
Then you can see the Ice Phoenix''s endearing qualities in the uing chapter.
Evalyn''s rtionship with Kaze drastically changes who she is destined to be. So please reserve judgment and enjoy this beautiful golden era arc.]
Yesterday, June 29th, 2032: Directly Preceding the Lockheed Confrontation
"I trust that you seeded?" Kaze asked Evalyn as she walked outside the mansion with Haiden, who was terrified to hear his voice.
"Yes." She confirmed caustically, "I can guarantee they trust you now."
Haiden''s eyes widened in disbelief, confusion, and confused resentment.
Evalyn looked down at her with a lethal gaze. "Rightfully trustful. Must you see more?"
"No, mam." The woman, whose puffy eyes made it difficult to see, nodded.
Kaze pped lightly with a slight smile. "While your method was horrifying and disagreeable, I''m not one to talk.
So thank you, Evalyn. You did remarkably well, and you have my sincere gratitude for solving a crisis I was having genuine difficulty with."
"Were you listening in?" Evalyn asked, turning to him with a murderous re.
"No-pe." He smacked, "But I can see what you did. It was a ruthlessly effective strategy."
"That''s rich." Sheughed in vexation, "Everything about your statement is backward.
You didn''t have difficulty solving your problem; you had a problem being loved afterward.
And the way you approached it the consequences."
Evalyn nced at Haiden and back at Kaze with a venomous smile. "Was truly despicable."
Kaze suggested Veronica orchestrate a false allegation, crisis, or scandal harming his reputation.
Before execution, she should obtain concrete, undeniable proof of the contrary.
Once the scandal broke, Veronica could pin the entire thing on his enemies.
It would permanently discredit them, increase everyone''s trust in his words, and make him a martyr.
Kaze''s strategy wasn''t [particrly] despicable and self-motivated. It was a horrifyingly effective tactic he would have used regardless of the situation.
The emperor smiled in amusement as she walked away, dragging Haiden forward without asking him to create a spatial rift or set up a room.
However, she stopped ten feet away.
"Still, what you did was effective for long-term trust and far better than acquiescing to threatful actors and bearing the consequences." Evalyn argued.
"I do not find your methods disagreeable; I''m only disappointed it was [easier] to prevent this crisis using other tactics."
"Those who strike must bear the consequences, whatever they may be." Kaze replied calmly.
"I am a fair man, but I care not for arbitration once someone attacks me.
The degree of punishment for attackers is adjusted to political needs. Only that, nothing more."
"Is ultimate indifference universal to all people who strike you?" Evalyn asked.
"Of course." Kaze smiled, waving his hand to create a spatial rift, "If someone attacks or [betrays] me, they will all face the same fate.
However, I don''t rely upon people''s loyalty to make decisions; I rely upon their will to survive.
The only thing I ask for is obedience to my authority.
So long as a person doesn''t betray me, what people doand how they do itis none of my business."
He gave her an enigmatic smile before walking into the rift and disappearing.
After he left, Evalyn took a deep breath and tugged on Haiden to begin walking.
The auburn-haired woman hurriedly kept pace, terrified of the consequences of angering her.
Haiden cringed in regret as she passed dozens of happy members, who only stopped smiling and cultivating to whisper about the blonde, who was infamous.
Evalyn ignored them and led the auburn-haired woman into the central mansion, down the stairs, and into the room that Kaze gave her on her first night.
Once inside, she shut the door and red at the Lockheed student with a serious gaze.
"You saw the videos; they''re true." She asserted, making the woman shake in fear, "Now that you know, do you understand what you did wrong?"
Haiden swallowed nervously, avoiding her gaze. "Biting the hand that feeds?"
"No, you bit the hand of the person who had your life in their hands [before and after] you knew the truth." Evalyn scoffed ruthlessly, "You found him a killer, yet you provoked him?
You wouldn''t have continued if you thought he was a killer. You were stupid and vindictive for being called out."
The woman began crying again, understanding how foolish she was on all fronts. "I-I''m s-sorry."
The blonde scoffed, rolling her eyes. "What are you apologizing for?
Do you even understand the grave consequences of your actions?"
"I-I g-grave conse-qu-quences?" Haiden stuttered with puffy trembling eyes.
"Yes. Kaze is keeping everyone alive." Evalyn said bluntly, "If you destroyed everyone''s trust in him, they''d run out of these walls to their deaths.
They''d panic and hurt others. The men could treat tomorrow like it''s theirst and assault women to lose their virginity or have it one more time.
That was the consequence of what you did."
Haiden sobbed aggressively, letting tears fall to the floor with her running nose. Her fear turned to fear, shame, and genuine regret.
Evalyn stared at the woman with a serious expression until the student met her gaze.
"Luckily for you, I do believe in arbitration." The blonde dered with fierce blue eyes.
"While your actions were grave, they were harmless and petty one week ago. For that reason, I will protect you from unjust retribution."
The student''s heart skipped a beat, and her lungspressed, releasing the immense stress she had built up in thest hour.
"However" Evalyn said in an ominous tone.
Haiden swallowed nervously, looking at the menacing look in the blonde''s eyes.
"protecting you when over two-thousand people seek protection is wasteful."
Her words left the Lockheed student without air in her lungs, forgetting to breathe.
Evalyn looked into the woman''s eyes with a menacing gaze. "So, as of this moment, your life belongs to me."
Haiden''s eyes trembled in disbelief, unable toprehend the shocking words that the gentle, popr Evalyn Skye had dered.
However, a clearer picture of the blonde''s personality developed in real-time.
"So long as you are [loyal to me and me alone], you will not suffer in times of peace." Evalyn dered, "You will want for nothing.
No one will dare harm you, as you will be under my protection.
While you will live and die to protect my interests, so long as you live, you will enjoy the benefits of protection, reputation, and quality living."
The Lockheed student listened in awe and disbelief, unsure how to interpret the blonde''s statement.
"Listen, Haiden." Evalyn ordered with an icy re, "Your life belongs to me whether you pledge your life to me or not.
So I suggest you learn from your recent mistakes, ept my beneficence, and reap the benefits, as only hell awaits those who do not."
"Yes, Evalyn. I promise to serve you from now on." Haiden replied emphatically.
"That''s good to hear, Haiden." Evalyn replied with a vicious smile, "Because your service starts [now]."
Kaze listened outside the room with his back against the hallway wall. He wore aplex expression showcasing the myriad of emotions he felt listening.
"Is she mimicking me, or did my derations to General Michaels give her words to express her thoughts?" He whispered. "No I''m asking the wrong question."
"As of this moment, your life belongs to me.
So long as you are [loyal to me and me alone], you will not suffer in times of peace.
You will want for nothing. No one will dare harm you, as you will be under my protection.
While you will live and die to protect my interests, so long as you live, you will enjoy the benefits of protection, reputation, and quality living."
"Her demand for absolute loyalty those are not my words." Kaze whispered pensively, "They''re the words of the Ice Phoenix. Graft memories, perhaps?"
Kaze Lexicon demanded his subject''s obedience to his authority, not their loyalty.
The emperor had a zero-trust decision-making model; he removed trust from his orders so he didn''t have to rely upon their loyalty to get something done.
He only asked for the allegiance and loyalty of the select few he confided with.
As for Evalyn, he trusted her more than anyone else. However, just as she didn''t trust him fully, he didn''t trust herpletely either.
Ultimately, if she betrayed him, he''d crush her and her army, so he didn''t worry about it. At that stage, betrayal would be nothing more than a loathsome memory, not a serious concern.
That said, while the emperor didn''tpletely trust her, he was confident she''d never betray him.
Evalyn was the same way. She trusted he''d never betray her but didn''t rely upon it.
He felt herck ofplete trust was intelligent and rational and had no problem letting her behave [as he expected her to].
In fact, he was actively encouraging it. He wanted her to lead his army and take care of mundane tasks so he could enjoy life. It suited both of their desires.
Encouraging slight distrust showcased how little he valued trust and loyalty when ruling.
The Ice Phoenix also distrusted people''s loyalty but approached the situation differently.
Evalyn Skye razed the lives and spirits of her minor enemies. Oncepletely broken, she gave them a good life, protected them, and provided fairws.
They submitted to her as enemies and were reborn from the ashes of their past loyalties as zealous supporters.
Like a necromancer, the blonde conquered one small group after the other, building an army of supporters with absolute loyalty.
Eventually, her army swept across the Sky ne until Andrew Killian, the victor of the Killian War, submitted to her and met death at her hands.
"So the question was whether Evalyn Skye''s natural personality fated her for this approach to life or if it''s her past memories changing her." Kaze whispered pensively.
The emperor closed his eyes and took a deep breath, waving his hand to create a new spatial rift.
He opened his eyes and walked into the rift with a slight smile.
"I suppose it matters not." Kaze smiled, opening his eyes and walking into the rift, "Evalyn Skye is who she always was, and there is nothing wrong with that.
There is no person in this ne or the next more beautiful. It''s strange that I still feel that way after over five millennia."
Chapter 112 Rebirth Of The Ice Phoenix | The Woman
--Present Day, June 30th, 2032: Head Mansion--
Evalyn woke up at 5 am the day after her confrontation with Haiden with aplex expression.
Kaze gave her the day off from training that day, so she stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, calmly letting her chest rise and fall.
"Why am I so obsessed with control?" She whispered pensively, looking at her hand and clenching it into a fist, "And how does that man find such an ugly trait desirable?"
He didn''t mask his presence the night prior when she boldly demanded Haiden be loyal to [her] only and disregard the emperor if necessary.
The demand wasn''t a slight against Kaze or his authority.
It felt as natural as breathing, rolling off her tongue and making her feel whole. As if she had done it for her entire life.
Yet once she exited her trance, she heard him and felt true fear wave through her. Only then did she realize what she had done.
Evalyn immediately ordered Haiden to cultivate silently, assessing her skill and listening to him simultaneously.
The quiet allowed her to hear the deration he spoke that night.
--
"Evalyn Skye is who she always was, and there is nothing wrong with that.
There is no person in this ne or the next more beautiful. It''s strange that I still feel that way after over five millennia."
--
Somehow her ugly disy of obsession was endearing to him.
"Is he just a psychopath with horrifying fetishes and bad taste in women?" Evalyn asked in self-deprecation, "Or... am I focusing on the wrong thing?"
She had asked Haiden to be exclusively loyal to her and to challenge Kaze''s authority if ordered.
That felt like treason. And yet--
"Despite dering myck of trust and challenging his authority, he didn''t rebuke me." Evalyn whispered.
"He''ll kill someone for a verbal insult, yet he treated my offense as if it were natural and desirable. That''s not a fetish."
Her eyes glided to the left, and she thought deeply about it.
Evalyn''s eyes widened abruptly. "Unless... Kaze has decisive trust in me.
I doubt he''d trust me with his life, but he trusts I''ll do well and never betray him."
Confidence. Trust. Those were themon denominators in their rtionship.
"Kaze gave me absolute authority at the party." Evalyn whispered with a beating heart, "He let me meet the Lockheed students after spending a week building trust with him without blinking.
He didn''t ask me about my strategy or my actions.
I''ve been a naive woman who couldn''t save my mother, yet he trusts me to make decisions for the faction?"
Evalyn''s mind raced as she thought through past conversations, trying to find clues of why he would trust her despite not being the [Ice Phoenix].
"Wait, he handed me the task of building this faction after one half-hour meeting." She chuckled bitterly. "And here it is,vish and decadent to his liking...."
A few seconds passed before--
"Trust isn''t the point!" Evalynugh-scoffed in vexation, "Why the hell does he love me?
The new me or the old me?
Because I''m highlypetent?"
After only a second, she growled in annoyance.
No! Of course not! Daniel was apetent business leader, but Kaze walked over him like he was an ant!
"Why!? Why would he love an exponentially more toxic version of me!?" Evalyn cried in annoyance, running her fingers through her hair.
"I''ve lost all interest in his charm and body, but now...."
The blonde shot up in her bed with a frustrated expression. Her hair was sticking out straight in five directions, proving that she needed to shampoo her hair after a week of training sessions.
She didn''t care about her hair, however.
"I''m clinging to his attraction to my toxic, horrifying personality developments." Evalyn groaned, letting herself crash against her bed again, "If I didn''t have that... I''d feel... broken."
Her eyes trembled, thinking about how disturbing her personality had shifted.
She had killed people en masse.
Manipted them.
Made them submit to her.
Traumatized them.
She destroyed her body in training.
Let her mock fights take her to the edge of death.
Her first strategy in dealing with the Lockheed students was granting anyone who wanted to leave their wish.
Evalyn abandoned the idea because the action would be interpreted as murder, as Haiden and Regina didn''t know what was on the other side of the walls.
It didn''t ur to her that she was casually weighing the pros and cons of killing acquaintances she had known for almost two years until she rejected it!
Killing them felt logical and necessary--it stopped there. Hard stop.
Their rtionship never factored into her strategy. It was horrifying!
"I hate myself; my thoughts, actions, and mindset disgust me and make me tainted." Evalyn muttered bitterly, "So how are you okay with me, Kaze?
Do you find we''repatible now that we''re both mass murderers? Like a shared love for movies but an attraction to trauma and killing instead? Hah... what a joke!"
The blonde aggressively sat up again and ignored her hair sticking out of her head from multiple directions.
When a lock fell in front of her eyes, she blew it out of her eyes.
It was cute.
It was seriously cute.
Doing something cute after everything she had done made her feel sick.
She didn''t deserve to be cute.
Is that a joke?
Good people have that right.
Bad people are just manipting people with such heinously false mannerisms.
It made her feel like a psychopath, praying upon the masses.
Gross.
"Gah! Why can''t I just feel cold and murderous?" Evalyn growled loudly in frustration, "Heh, I''m not even concerned if the maids will hear me.
It''s almost desirable. Everyone would know that Evalyn, the murderer, is a murderer and fear her.
They wouldn''t love her and call her beautiful! Say she''d be perfect if she smiled more!"
She threw the covers off her in protest, rolled out of bed, and walked over to the light switch.
After flipping it on, she looked down, and her eyebrow twitched.
She wasn''t wearing a shirt or bra, as she found both of them unnecessary and ufortable while sleeping.
So her perfectly proportionate c-cup breasts with hard, mid-tone nipples were on proud disy.
That didn''t bother her.
Instead, below her breasts, she was wearing cute, silky pink panties with a small, cute bow that was tastefully discrete.
It was only slightly lighter than the color of the panties, and she was impressed by it. However--
"Heh. Even wearing pink panties like I''m secretly feminine behind my thick wall of toxicity seems disgusting now." Evalynughed murderously, "I guess ck it is."
She stomped over to her drawer, where the maids stored her panties.
When she opened it, the corner of her mouth twitched aggressively.
Pink.
A wall of pink.
There were thirty pairs of pink panties in her size with different shades and styles.
Twenty were simple light pink cotton panties with fine details like bows orce at the stic mark.
They were all very desirable, simr to the one she was wearing.
However, the other ten were a mix-bag of pink and white stripes, pink polka dots, white polka dots on pink, hot pinkce, light pink flowerce, hot pink spanks, and other types.
The variety left her face twitching in frustration.
She nced around one more time before--
"That fucking asshole!" Evalyn yelled unreservedly.
The blonde grabbed one of the pairs of panties to stretch and rip it, but a maic desire not to destroy something so cute and feminine prevented her from doing it.
"That man''s a serious piece of work." She chuckled murderously, "How didn''t I realize that Kaze stocked all of my clothing here?
Putting aside how creepy these clothes fit me, he didn''t buy me a single pair of white or ck underwear?
But he got spared no time or expense picking out pink pairs!? Is he proud of it!?"
The blonde didn''t know how loud she was, so she didn''t hear footsteps down the hall.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Evalyn was startled by the sudden noise and that someone was listening to her mid-morning crisis. "... who is it?"
"Kaze Lexicon, I''m checking in to see if you need someone to yell at." A charming voice called out from the other side of the door.
Her eyes shed with crazed murder. "Are you fucking stalking me with that sketchy spatial technique!?"
"Stalking you? Stalking you?" Kaze scoffed in pure disgust, "Are you mad, woman?
I could hear you screaming that a man was an asshole in my room over three hundred feet down the hall.
Don''t use me of stalking you when your voice could wake the dead."
Evalyn''s face heated up in severe frustration. She was at fault for using him of stalking when she was yelling....
However! Hisck of stalking didn''t change Kaze [stocking] her underwear with exclusively pink items!
"What do you want, Kaze?" She scoff-sighed in frustration.
"As I recall, I did say that I''m here in case you needed a man to vent your frustrations on." Kaze chuckled in amusement.
"So long as you don''t use me of crimes, you can release all your grievances."
"Hoh? You''re giving me permission?" Evalyn asked with crazed eyes, grabbing a massive handful of pink panties, stomping over to the door, and opening it violently, "Can you exin this, then?"
Kaze nced at the ball of panties in Evalyn''s hand, then suddenly nced at her bare breasts before locking eyes with her.
"While I have no problem answering your question, I''d rather not block ice daggers because I didn''t let you reassess this situation.
Evalyn looked down at the panties in her hand but met her bare breasts instead. Her face flushed bright red to the tip of her ears.
"Is everything okay, Mr. Lexicon?" Marilyn, the ck-haired flight attendant, turned aid and asked from down the hall.
The secretary was concerned by the yelling and about the clothing she stocked.
Panicked, Evalyn grabbed Kaze with her left hand and pulled him into her room, shutting the door behind them.
Chapter 113 Rebirth Of The Ice Phoenix | The Lucky One
"Yes, Marilyn! Everything is fine, thank you!" Evalyn yelled to Kaze''s secretary, half-naked behind her door, moments before the woman reached them.
Marilyn stopped and turned around. "Okay, miss. If there''s anything you need, please let me know."
"Thank you!" The blonde replied, leaving the emperor chuckling.
Once the woman began walking away, she looked at Kaze and then back down at her chest.
"Can''t you look away!?" Evalyn cried in embarrassment, turning bright red when she saw his stoic unwavering face.
"If you were worried about it, you wouldn''t have pulled me into this room, yes?" Kaze asked, rolling his eyes, "I wish you would stop treating me like I''m ogling you."
He wasn''t ncing at her breasts. That was the worst part!
Instead, he was treating her as if she were clothed, which was ufortable and attacked her self-esteem simultaneously.
Somehow he found ways of making it impossible to agree with him.
"Pink." Evalyn seethed, thrusting out the panty ball in her hand, unconcerned that her breasts were bare.
Kaze nced at the panty ball, at her breasts, gave her a slight smirk, and then locked eyes.
She felt a shudder of a positive energy wave through her body.
He was reading her mind, which said she was annoyed he didn''t address her body, so he gave her a small, charming smirk before reconnecting.
It sent shivers down her spine.
"Yes. Those are pink panties." Kaze replied charmingly, "Is there a problem with that?"
Evalyn''s eyes trembled for a moment when he asked her a value proposition question.
What was she supposed to say? Yes, there was something wrong with pink panties?
Of course not! She only wore pink panties!
Her eyebrow twitched. "No. I get that you know I secretly like pink panties, but did you have to give me thirty pairs and not provide one ck or white pair?"
Kazeughed breathlessly, gazing into her eyes. It sent mixed signals through her body.
"The Evalyn I knew didn''t own panties of any other color." He smiled, "I think it was her way of forcing herself not to be too rxed in her surroundings.
So while I didn''t need to give you them exclusively, it wasn''t a slight."
Evalyn''s eyes widened, and she looked down again. She didn''t think of it from that perspective. "I see. Do you just treat me like I''m the other me?"
"Not at all." Kaze smiled, shaking his head. "I gave you thirty pairs exclusively, so you couldn''t stop wearing them in protest.
I don''t deserve to act feminine; my smile insults good people; people like me don''t deserve to have fun, rabble, rabble."
"Are you sure you weren''t stal listening?" Evalyn swallowed.
He gave her a mocking smile. "One doesn''t need to know the future to know something written on your face."
She gave him a wry smile, averted her gaze, and looked down at the panties, her chest, and then at the corner of the ceiling.
"Be honest. Do you act this way around me to make it impossible for me to think about anything else?" Evalyn asked frankly.
"Oh, love." Kazeughed with a hypnotic smile, "There is nothing so contrived between us.
I simply desire to be around you, and we have remarkably terrible synergy."
Evalyn smiled in forced amusement and turned away. "Well, I''m grateful.
You make it impossible for me to feel any emotion but embarrassment, annoyance, frustration, amusement, and a strange variation of [good].
I only feel normal when I''m with you, and the periodic positive emotions I get feel like drugs."
He gave her a lukewarm gaze. While he enjoyed her smile, there was nothing positive about her statement.
"I''m d my disagreeable demeanor has robust, positive qualities." Kaze smiled, putting aside his minor sadness.
Evalyn studied his gentle facial expressions with a shaky heart, trying not to look down at her chest. "Are you."
Kaze raised an eyebrow at her nervous countenance. She wasn''t sexually passionate, but she had a simr desire. "Am I what?"
Her eyes glided to the left, thinking of what she wanted to ask. "Still unwilling to, you know."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, listening to her heartbeat.
It was erratic, not passionate.
She swallowed when she saw he wasn''t taking the initiative. He was usually quick-witted, so she immediately took it as a rejection and tried giving up, but he didn''t let her.
"Evalyn, do you hope that sex will give you a brief respite from your woes?" Kaze asked frankly.
Evalyn''s heart thumped painfully. His question struck her in the heart, exposing it and letting it bleed out on the floor.
"Or do you just want an excuse for me to stay and hold you?"
A crashing wave of profound emotions mmed into her.
It urred to her that she never considered what she wanted would be in consideration.
Yet he understood her.
Evalyn swallowed nervously and turned away from him. Her breaths became sharp as she tried to maintain her emotional bnce.
Something about Kaze insinuating he''d give her what she wanted without strings attached or a trade cut through her emotions like a hot de.
Kaze was charismatic.
Capable.
Charming.
Captivating.
Those qualities let him do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted.
Yet he could also be cold.
Cruel.
Callous.
Conceited.
But now he was being considerate.
Calming.
Cordial.
Caring.
Kaze''s seemingly neverending strength made him capable of anything.
Yet he was there for her, even though she didn''t do anything to deserve it.
Maybe she was likable, but he wouldn''t be endlessly patient if she didn''t have a past rtionship with him.
She was lucky.
So lucky.
"I." Evalyn choked slightly, blinking quickly to dry the tears welling in the corner of her eyes, "You won''t reject me outright if I''m honest, will you? You have a habit of that."
"No, I will not." Kaze replied gently.
"I just want you to stay with me for a while." She confessed, averting her gaze, "Ideally,ying down like the day after you got frostbite.
That was thest time I feltpletelyfortable. I''d give everything to feel normal, if only for a few minutes before you have to leave."
He smiled and grabbed the top button of his shirt, unbuttoning it.
"As you wish." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "But can you put those down? They''re detracting from the emotion and passion."
Evalyn looked down and found a supernova of pink shades and textures exploding from her fingertips.
Her brief moment of vulnerability instantly disappeared, and she developed a wry smile.
Even then, while Kaze undressed to ease her concerns, he somehow left her feeling frustrated.
She looked up and found Kaze giving her a rxed, cheeky smile. It seemed he was making her flustered on purpose, which returned her positive mood.
The blonde walked over to her dresser and gently plopped that mass of textiles into the drawer.
After scanning the drawer for a second, her face scrunched up, and she began organizing it.
It wasn''t her love for the panties but rather order that drove her action.
That desire for order was strong enough to start an army and take over a crumbling empire. Now, it was being used to organize bunched-up panties.
If people knew her history, they''d find it as humorous as the emperor did.
Evalyn turned to him once she finished and froze.
Kaze was already out of his shirt, which he neatly folded, and was unbuckling his belt. It made her blush, cringe, and get turned on simultaneously.
"I thought you didn''t like double standards." He mused with a dastardly smirk.
"Double standards?" She asked in confusion, "What are.!"
Evalyn turned bright red and covered her breasts after realizing she was only wearing panties.
Kaze chuckled with a gentle expression and finished undressing into his ck silk boxers. Then heid on his back in the bed''s center.
"Would you like me under the covers?" He asked, "Let me know.
I''ll let you getfortable and respond to your desires."
She swallowed in emotional confusion, unable to process the strange development.
His announcement made her realize she never expected he''d give her control of the situation!
"If you''d rather, I''ll act based on what I think you want." He offered with a maic voice, "Or I''ll act on my desires if that''s what you want.
All three are in ordance with your wishes, after all."
Evalyn blushed and thought about it seriously.
Despite her desire for control, the idea of explicitly telling him what to do like a human doll seemed inhumane and creepy.
She asked, expecting he''d act with her interests in mind, given his request was to give her what she wanted. However
"What do you want?" Evalyn asked in curiosity.
"If I told you, I wouldn''t be acting on my desires." Kaze countered with a slight smile, "I''d be negotiating.
I''d rather do what you ask than express my wishes and have them turned down outright"
The blonde averted her gaze, embarrassed by his statement.
She didn''t feel her ask was controversial, but she wouldn''t question someone for not expressing their intimate wisheswhen she avoided doing so.
"However, as I''ve mentioned, I''d never do something a woman doesn''t want." He continued.
"I always act consent and feel out consent in general.
You''re not at risk of doing something you don''t want."
Evalyn turned back to him with a nervous expression. It put her mind at ease but also made things awkward because she didn''t know what she wanted.
The fact she had the ability to choose at that level was unbelievable. She couldn''t believe how lucky she was. It felt capricious. Serendipitous.
"I." She swallowed nervously.
The blonde sincerely wanted to say yes, but she seriously considered if she was willing to lose her virginity in her broken, emotionally destructive state if that was what he desired.
"I just want you to do what you think I want." Evalyn requested hesitantly, "I''m not currently opposed to anything, but I''m certain my desires will be clear.
So please get under the covers if we''re doing this."
Chapter 114 [Kaze Maxwell Lexicon]
Kaze smiled and got under the covers, opening them up for her to join with an open, charming smile.
Evalyn took a deep breath and approached cautiously but crawled onto the bed and got under the covers.
Laying on her back, she slowly and choppily inched closer on her back. It was as awkward as imaginable, and the speed was truly cringe-worthy.
Kazeughed, rolling his eyes, and reached out at a ghostly speed.
Evalyn squeaked in panic when she found herself in the air. Her awkward eek was reced by primal fear, and she immediately turned and punched at full force.
She only remembered what was happening once her fist connected.
The blonde watched her fist bounce off Kaze''s face with terror and regret shing across her eyes.
However, she forgot her regret when--
"Gahhhhhhh!" Evalyn screamed, whipping her hand around. She punched with superhuman force, and her fist met the cultivator equivalent of a steel wall.
It was eerily simr to when Kaze hit Gregory in the face on his first day back on the Mortal ne.
The blonde pulled back but couldn''t move. A momentter, her pain disappeared when a hand touched hers, and it radiated with golden light.
She looked down and found Kaze''s vibrant green eyes and charming smile staring back at her.
While she almost broke her hand, his face was still pristine; there wasn''t even a red mark!
"W-What the fuck?" Evalyn cried.
"That''s a rather unintelligent question, don''t you think?" Kaze mused mockingly, "What part are you concerned about?"
"What part?" Sheughed in exasperation, "All of it! You grabbed me randomly, I hit you at full force, you''re not hurt in the slightest, and now you won''t let me move!"
"I thought letting you hit me and releasing your frustration would be beneficial, as it wouldn''t hurt me." He smiled in amusement, "As for everything else, I did what you wanted, did I not?"
Evalyn''s eyebrow twitched when he brazenly dered she was so weak that he let her hit him.
However, when she heard thest part, her face contorted into mixed confusion.
"I wanted this!?" She cried in involuntarily aggressive puzzlement.
"Of course you did." Kazeughed, "That''s why you chose for me to act on your desires instead of awkwardly treating me like a doll, yes?
Well, you were awkwardly treating me as a doll, so I pulled you on top of me.
Now you''re on my chest like the morning after getting frostbite, and you''re not worrying about life.
Those were the things that you wanted, if I recall."
Evalyn blushed furiously. She tried to look at her breasts but saw a chest instead.
It sunk in that she was almost naked on his chest!
She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to counter or say something.
"Now, you''re worrying about life." Kaze grinned maliciously, "That''s uneptable.
Embrace the situation, or I''ll resort to desperate tactics and tickle you.
I guarantee you''ll get what you want, but it will be far worse than your current dilemma."
Evalyn flushed with aggressive intent, looking up to threaten him against tickling her.
She couldn''t believe a five-thousand-year-old immortal was threatening her with tickling like a child!
Evalyn turned to him toy into him, but her emotions melted when she saw his smile and gentle gaze.
She turned red, turned away in annoyance, and buried her face in her chest.
It annoyed her that she hid her face on [his chest] but gave up fighting against her immaturity.
Kaze smiled and watched her, staying silent for a minute until he felt her heart calm down and her tension disappear.
His fingertips illuminated in a soft [blue] light, and he touched them against her back.
"Mhmn~" Evalyn moaned involuntarily, but not sexually. Whatever he did, it released true rxation and contentment.
"This is a simple tranquility technique." Kaze said gently, "It only helps ease tension in your muscles.
It''s a popr technique with massage therapists in the Heaven ne on up."
"Wait... you''re telling me that there are supremely powerful massage therapist Immortals?" Evalynughed in amusement.
The emperor sent a strange smile to the ceiling, suppressing his desire to tell her that he had a royal harem of twenty-five such Immortals and five massage therapists.
Each was capable of wiping out life on earth.
"Contrary to expectations, most people in the higher nes aren''t aggressive." Kaze imed.
Evalyn looked at him in surprise and found his honest expression matched his tone.
"Like you and I, most were forced to fight in wars or survive conflicts." He exined, "Cultivators live for tens of millennia, and countless wars ur during that period.
So, naturally, cultivators ascend sooner orter. They''re survivors, not conquerors."
Her eyes widened in surprise, hearing him chuckle bitterly over the irony.
"So people generally seek more peaceful lives when they transcend to higher nes, as they get increasingly peaceful." He asserted.
"They get more peaceful?" Evalyn asked in confusion, "Everyone on higher nes still got there from fighting, right?"
"Correct, that''s why it''s peaceful." Kaze smiled, staring at the ceiling.
"Since everyone''s a proven warrior, people understand that insulting a humble street musician could result in their death.
So face-pping bes rare, and society is more respectful."
Evalyn giggled in bewilderment, amused by the image of an offended street musician beating a heckler to death with their celestial-grade flute.
"Also, there are less warriors as people move up, as the fighters and travelers instantly be the weakest." Kaze chuckled.
"Wait, what?" She asked with wide eyes.
"As people move up, fewer and fewer people and divine beasts popte the realms." He exined, "But the needs stay constant.
So, cultivators will give resources and treasures to people for simple services.
You wouldn''t believe how many treasures a cultivator will give to a massage therapist."
Evalyn narrowed her eyes with a slight smile. "Were you a massage therapist at one point?"
Kaze gave her a strange smirk. "I was. Do you think I''d get so much power waging war without pause for thousands of years?"
Her eyes widened in bewilderment,ughing that he got supremely powerful as a humble massage therapist.
"I suppose not." She chuckled, "Still, you''re the most hardcore massage therapist of all time. People should make a movie about you."
"I don''t want people to see my life." Heughed in amusement, "I generally dislike the people that would appreciate such a film."
The blonde narrowed her eyes in interest. "What type of people?"
"People that seek smut films, and enemies doing research to help them strategize." Kaze replied in a devilish tone.
Evalyn blushed furiously, remembering [she] was half naked, on top of him, and would end up in the film! She also didn''t deny she''d end up in the film as a costar one day--if not the current.
Seeking to change the topic, she got back on track. "I see... I now understand how you are so charming despite being so lethal.
Did you usually live your life so peacefully?"
"There was nothing peaceful about my life." Kaze smiled before returning his gaze to the ceiling, "Being a massage and dual cultivation therapist was the fastest way to earn power.
I got paid in treasures, dual cultivation gave me constant Qi, and my power increased exponentially by sleeping with clients far stronger than myself."
Evalyn''s eyes widened, remembering that Kaze was bringing Mortal Realm women into Earth Realm after having sex--once.
"I see... and it wasn''t peaceful because of jealous men?" She asked, remembering the mercenary incident.
"Correct." He confirmed, "With powerful womene correspondingly powerful treasures and jealous men.
I had a background check system to prevent sleeping with people''s wives and girlfriends, but I still had visitors seeking to kill me daily."
Evalyn listened with interest. "If you weren''t sleeping with people''s wives, why were people trying to kill you?
Jealous that their love interest slept with you? Simple jealousy?"
Kaze smiled, satisfied she was thinking about it. "Yes, there were challengers for all those reasons. However, there were two major reasons."
She narrowed her eyes, staring at his bitter smile. "And those were?"
He looked down and gave her a hopeless smile. "Men couldn''t please their new partner centuries after they used my services.
And revenge for killing people who tried to kill me out of jealousy. It was a vicious cycle."
"Wait, what?" Evalyn asked, her eyes widening in shock, "So everyone that sleeps with you here will never be satisfied again?
Isn''t using dual cultivation at your level condemning a woman to a life of displeasure?"
"I refuse to apologize for being the best at anything." Kazeugh-scoffed, "I also refuse to apologize for showing women the pleasure they deserve."
Evalyn opened her mouth but found no words to argue with. "I...."
The blonde understood that people shouldn''t be deprived of the right to do something just because they''re better.
She was an ultrapetitive record-breaking tennis star, so arguing with him would be shamefully hypocritical. Still--
--something about his statement still felt wrong. Toxic even.
He went around showing women ultimate pleasure and then leaving them behind, never to feel pleasure again.
Something about that felt wrong. However, so did him killing thirty mercenaries, and she learned the consequences of tantly distrusting his words.
"Can''t you hold back, pleasing them to a level far greater than they''ve had but obtainableter?" She asked,promising.
"Do you find my talent socking?" Heugh-scoffed, "I always hold back to the minimal level necessary for full cultivation to prevent immediate sex addiction."
Evalyn gasped in shock, understanding that Kaze didn''t lie about his skills. In fact, he usually downyed them. "You''re good enough to create an addiction?"
"Oh, love." Kaze replied charmingly, "I can drive any woman here into permanent lunacy with my techniques. Sex addiction is the least of their worries."
She pushed herself off his chest and sat down with trembling eyes. "Your sex is that dangerous?"
"Why do you sound concerned yet sit with your breasts fully exposed before me?" He asked with an amused expression.
Evalyn looked down and flushed bright red to the tip of her ears. She covered her chest, thought about how ridiculous she was acting, and then put her hands down on her legs.
Her pose let him see her bare chest without reservation to prove she wasn''t being hypocritical, childish, and prudish with her actions. It was a matter of integrity.
However, she was pouting aggressively, which had the opposite effect in the cutest way.
She turned to him after a few seconds and found him giving her a mocking smile.
"What am I supposed to say?" Evalyn pouted, "And what should I do about exposing myself? Everything I do will be awkward."
Kaze nced at her chest with a slight smirk, proving he wasn''t ignoring them, and then looked her in the eyes. "Whatever you want to do.
I only asked why you''re pretending to be wary and distrustful of me?"
She looked at him for a moment before averting her gaze with aplex expression.
"Part of me wants to hate you." Evalyn confessed honestly, "I watched you massacre a thousand people and seen you manipte thousands more.
I should be afraid of you; I should hate you, but I don''t."
Kaze listened with a slight, amused smile, letting her speak her mind.
"You embody everything I hate about myself right now." She said solemnly.
"I feel stained by killing and manipting people. My mind cannot stop caring, despite it being logical.
Yet... your eyes hold no empathy or regret. You continue enjoying your life like it''s only natural--as if human life holds no meaning.
I should hate you; I should be afraid of you, but I''m envious instead."
Evalyn stared into his vibrant green eyes. "I see you sleeping with every woman in sight, knowing they''ll never be pleased again and that you''ll never be exclusive with them.
I should find you a despicable human, using women like they''re ythings...."
She averted her gaze, blushing slightly, and fell silent.
After ten seconds of silence, he gave her a dastardly grin.
"Hoh? Is this where I ask you what you want to say so you can y coy?" Kaze asked devilishly, "Or would you like me toplete the statement for you?"
Evalyn turned to him with indignation in her eyes. However, her front disappeared when she saw his charming smile.
"Or, would you like me to continue giving you what I think you want?" He mused.
She dry swallowed nervously, not wanting to move forward and backward. "I... liked it when you were giving me what you think I wanted."
Kaze gave her a mysterious, hypnotizing smile. "As you wish."
--
[A/N: I chose this chapter as his character chapter because there''s a dark implication surrounding Kaze''s life path, and it gave rise to who he currently is.]
Chapter 115 Rebirth Of The Ice Phoenix | The Liberated
Evalyn''s heart beat uncontrobly as Kaze sat up, put his hands around the back of her neck lightly, and pulled her down to his chest.
Midway, he moved his hands to her face and connected his lips against hers.
Pulses of ecstasy and cathartic release rippled through her body. It had been less than two weeks since he had kissed her, but it felt like it was a lifetime.
Her perfectly proportionate breasts touched down on his chest, letting him feel her pounding heart and sharp breaths.
In a flight of passion, she lightly pushed her tongue into his mouth, initiating a make-out session.
When he epted, waves of emotional and sexual vindication crashed over her. She was finally releasing her desires for the first time.
Kaze disconnected his lips after the passionate session, and she stared at him in confusion.
"Why did you stop?" Evalyn asked, puzzled by the shift.
"This is what you want, yes?" He asked mysteriously, "Me to kiss you? To prove you mean something to me?"
Her eyes trembled for a moment before gliding to the left, erratically trying to decipher her thoughts.
"Of course, that''s what I want. But I...." She said before blushing, embarrassed to confess her abrupt sexual desires.
His smile rxed into aplex expression.
"Do you seek sex out of jealously?" Kaze asked discerningly, "Mental liberation?
Or do you seek sex with me because you want to have it?"
Evalyn dry-swallowed nervously, unsure herself. "I... can''t you treat me like everyone else and let me sleep with you and regret my decisionter?
I''m sure you can annoy me back into your life, right?"
He shook his head subtly and quickly in positive perplexion, wearing a bright smile. Her retort genuinely amused him, and he couldn''t deny it either.
After another breathless chuckle, he locked eyes with her, making her shiver. His expression was genuine and tore through her soul.
"I love you, Evalyn." Kaze dered, shattering her soul, "So I can''t treat you like other women. I won''t try to do so, either."
Evalyn''s heart skipped a beat, and she stared into his eyes for clues to his confusion.
"You deserve someone devoted to you for life, reliable in all situations, and faithfully monogamous--I''m only two of those things. " He dered with a hopeless smile.
Her expression cracked at his minorly self-deprecating smile, and she burst into giggles.
"You don''t say?" Evalynugh-scoffed in amusement, "Do you think I kissed you with delusions that you''d be my faithful husband one day?"
He gave her a mocking smile. "No, but ording to you, you should hate me for my psychopathic behavior and debaucherous ways. That''s a recipe for regret, is it not?"
"Exactly. I just pointed out you are a narcissistic mass murderer who roams around destroying future sex lives." She retorted mockingly.
"I know who you are, so if I get bent that you won''t be a monogamous lover afterward, I''m a fucking idiot and deserve to be emotionally hurt."
Kaze gave her a mocking expression that said [you are a fucking idiot and will get hurt].
She didn''t like that.
"I''ll bet my left arm that you didn''t question the other Evalyn''s decisions, even when they were bad." Evalyn snapped in annoyance, "Or am I wrong?"
He gave her a strange smile that conveyed a half-yielding expression. "I did not. However, she wasn''t impulsive and didn''t do anything she knew she''d regret. Least of all when it came to me--"
"You''re the worst, but I want to have [regret sex] with you regardless!" Evalyn snapped, "Unless you don''t want to, shut up and take me, asshole!"
Without giving him room to retort, she connected their lips and pushed her tongue into his mouth.
He gave in, helpless to stop her, and used his hands to glide up her sides.
Evalyn shivered in ecstasy as his bare fingers ran up her side and wrapped around her back.
She pressed her breasts against his chest harder and wrapped her thighs around his left leg.
"Mhmn~" Evalyn moaned gently, no longer hiding her passion or desires.
After voicing her desires and seeing his consent, she became aware of the rest of her body.
Her long-neglected lower half became unbearably sensitive as her panties touched his leg.
"Kaze...." She whispered, disconnecting her lips.
"Yes, mam?" Kaze asked with a charming smile, mocking her domineering attitude.
Evalyn didn''t care in the slightest. She wanted release from all her sexual, emotional, and mental frustrations and knew he could do it for her. "Kaze, please go down on me. Please."
He smiled at her extra please, which made up for her customary [will you] statement. She averted her gaze and exined.
"You''re a veryrge man, and I''m a very unadventurous virgin." She pleaded, "I want to have sex now, but I don''t want pain to stand between me and releasing this unbearable--ah!"
Kaze flipped her body over with so little effort that she felt like she entered zero gravity until shended on the mattress, her back pressed against the pink sheets.
He pushed the covers with his back as he got into position. Then he glided his hands from her lower back down her sides.
She gasped in frustration as his fingers moved past her hips and down to her lower thighs,pletely ignoring her lower half.
However, her heart and body pulsed when his fingers glided back up her thighs to her hips. He grabbed the stic of her pink panties and gently tugged them lightly.
Evalyn had a primal urge to knee him in the face for yfully teasing her so aggressively, but she also wanted to thank him.
She was so aroused and sensitive that even minor fluctuations in her panties felt satisfying and relieving.
When Kaze finally pulled down, she felt twisting, conflicted emotions that marbled instead of shing.
She instinctively lifted her legs for him to peel the panties off. As he did, she felt self-conscious about someone seeing her pussy. However, she wanted him to see it.
Kaze was on her mind twenty-four-seven for positive, negative, and mixed reasons.
Now he was gently pulling her pink panties off her ankles, letting them drop to the bed.
Evalyn gasped in aggressive anticipation as he turned her, his head moving between her legs.
"Ahhhhhh~gah~Kaze~grrr." She moaned, gasped, and growled as he used the tip of his tongue to glide down her inner thigh.
The action was erotic, but she was aggressively sexually repressed, awaiting her first sexual experience, and the anticipation felt like torture.
Kaze lifted his head slightly and paused.
Evalyn swallowed nervously, watching the top of his head with intense anticipation, knowing he would touch down at any moment.
The suspense was excruciating--but so was the anxiety.
The blonde''s heart pounded uncontrobly, awaiting the moment.
She was a nervous wreck.
However, after three more seconds, her eyes trembled in a crazed state. "Kaze, what are you--AhhhhhhhhhhhhhhHHHHHH~!"
Evalyn squeezed her eyes shut and screamed in overwhelming pleasure as he pushed his tongue into her lips and skillfully rolled his tongue around her clit.
It sent uncontroble surges of pleasure pulsating through her body, arching her shoulders against the bed.
While his teasing strategy would typically vex her something savage, she had never been so grateful because--
"AhhhhhhHHHaahhhHHHaaahhHHH~!" Evalyn moaned in melodic scales, experiencing multiple rolling orgasms pulsing through her body.
--Kaze relieving her soul-shattering sexual tension became an ecstasy-driven act of mercy.
Every second provided her with the pinnacle of satisfaction. It vindicated every ounce of frustration she experienced in their rtionship. She felt liberated.
"W-Why aren''t you using your cultivat--AhhhhHHHaaahHH~!" Evalyn moaned, wondering why he wasn''t using dual cultivation.
Kaze disconnected his tongue momentarily, knowing she had already had multiple orgasms.
"Since I cannot convince you to refrain from me until you love for who I am, the least I can do is ensure you don''t feel like I''ve sexually hexed you with a technique." He replied mysteriously.
Evalyn looked down at his arrogant smile in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Surely you don''t think we''ll do this, and you''ll be satisfied for life, do you?" Kaze imed with a strange smile.
An icy shiver crawled down her spine when she saw the sinister glint in his eyes. "What''s that look for?"
"You don''t think I''d turn down sexual pleasure with the person I love unless I have a reason, yes?" He mused.
Evalyn dry-swallowed nervously with strained breathing. "W-What''s going to happen?"
Kaze gave her a wicked smile, ncing between her legs and then back into her eyes. "Do you feel that anxiety in your chest? That slight fear of the future?"
Of course, I do!" She cried, not understanding his point, "That''s why I''m--ahhhhhhhHHHhhaaaahhhHHhhaaHH~!"
The blonde screamed in extreme ecstasy as his tongue opened her lips, pressed against her cit, and moved up in a slow, pressured movement.
He vibrated his tongue lightly as he moved, creating waves of pleasure in one motion.
"Wh-What does t-this--aaahhhhHHhhhahhHH~!" Evalyn screamed again, running her fingers through his short, pitch-ck hair.
"I don''t see under--aaahhhhHHHhhhahhhhHHHhhaaahHHH~!"
Kaze grinned, never letting allowing her the ability to speak--or think.
Evalyn''s eyes rolled to the back of her head. She ran her fingers through every inch of Kaze''s hair and then moved her hands to the back of the poster bed.
A momentter, she moved her hands to the pillows and then switched to gripping the sheets.
Within a few seconds, both of her hands were ying with his hair again.
The waves of pleasure were hostile, surging through her body, making every motion he made pleasurable and painful simultaneously.
"Wh-What is this... feeling?" Evalyn asked between moans, digging her fingernails into her palms to relieve tension, "I-I thought I had orgasms!"
"Oh, love." Kazeughed breathlessly, disconnecting his lips slightly, "You''ve had waves of rolling orgasms but not the main orgasm. I''ve been holding off."
"D-Did you just say you''ve been holding--ahhhhHHHhhaahhHHHHhhhaaahhHH~!"
Evalyn gripped his hair as Kaze flicked his tongue against her clit, recapturing her sexual attention. Then he rolled his tongue, moving it rhythmically to her moaning.
Within five seconds--
"I... I''m... ahhhHHHhhaaahhHHH~!" She moaned, shifting her legs uncontrobly, trying to get away but pulling herself back, "I feel like I''m going to...."
Evalyn screamed in unreserved pleasure, unable to hold herself back. In less than ten seconds, her entire body felt like it was melting, pulsing, and convulsing simultaneously.
Every feeling was warlike.
The blonde tried to look down, but her eyes shut closed again and--
"AhhhHHHhhhaaahhhHHHhhhaaahhhhHHHhhhaaahhhHHH!"
She screamed and kept screaming, pressing Kaze''s head down, her shoulders rocking back and forth.
A supernova of pleasure sucked her mind into a ck hole after.
Evalyn didn''t know when it stopped or when she stopped screaming. She didn''t think of anything for three minutes as her chest rose and fell.
When she finally opened her eyes, she met Kaze''s charming smile and vibrant green eyes.
Just the sight of him made her heart pulse uncontrobly.
Shivers of emotions surged through her body, overwhelming her mind and body.
Evalyn thought she was attracted to Kaze and had feelings for him--
--she was wrong.
It urred to her that she never knew what it was like to feel genuinely connected to a person and willing to devote everything to them.
She was blind to how she truly felt about him.
Now that she had expressed her desires and was honest with herself, she could finally ept how she felt.
The only word that could describe the way she thought about him was lov--
"Meet oxytocin." Kaze announced with a hypnotic smile and maic voice.
Evalyn blinked twice in confusion, snapping out of her emotional haze. "What?"
"Oxytocin." He smiled, "It''s one hell of a drug. It''s released after sex to keep people emotionally attached so they''ll rear children with one another. It makes people feel like--"
"They''re in love?" She asked with terrified, trembling eyes.
"Cor~rect." Kaze smacked, "Between that and that sexual enlightenment you experienced, you''ll want to return for future sex and feel far more driven toward a rtionship."
Evalyn looked into his partially self-deprecating eyes, which didn''t say [I told you so], but [It''s disagreeable, but the damage is done]. "So... what does this mean... for you, me... us?"
She understood things would getplicated. So she wanted to listen before she snapped out of her blissful haze and learned the hard way.
"Well, there''s nothing we can do about our rtionship dynamic changing." Kaze asked with a hypnotizing voice, "It''s not like it''s all disagreeable.
So we might as well enjoy it and make the most of it, yes?"
Chapter 116 Rebirth Of The Ice Phoenix | The Symbol
After a satisfied breath, heid on the mattress with his Greek statue body and an arrogant smirk that said [try to resist me].
When she saw it, shbacks of the pleasure she had experienced yed back in her mind.
In an instant, she felt a ravaging desire to have sex again. If necessary, she would beg for it. However
"I won''t lie I want you so bad." Evalyn confessed hesitantly, "But I''m so sensitive that moving is nearly painful. It''s depressing."
"Come now, don''t tell me you think sex is only pleasurable if you''re physically pleased." Kaze replied with a mocking smile, pulling down his boxers.
When she saw his rigid ten-inch member, her entire body heated up.
She was pulled to it maically with a crazed, lustful expression.
Whether it was hormones or something else was irrelevant, she wanted it in her mouthit was an indisputable fact.
"I never thought." Evalyn chuckled to herself under her breath, listening to her thoughts with a wry, mocking smile.
Until five seconds ago, she was convinced she''d never suck someone''s dick. It seemed embarrassing and degrading, so she thought she''d charm her way out of it.
She had the beauty, body, smile, and career prospects that made sex irrelevantto almost anyone. So she''d likely avoid it, assuming she never met someone like Kaze.
Evalyn wasn''t naive enough to think it was off the table. However! She never thought she''d want to, let alone desperately!
"Your desire for control and power is gruesomely ironic." Kazeughed derisively, making her eyes sh with fury, "What''s the point of control and power if you do not do what you want?"
"I." Evalyn dry-swallowed nervously, "Aren''t you obsessed with your reputation?
Do you not prevent doing actions that may taint it?"
"What crazed fetish do you think I''m suppressing?" Kaze asked mockingly, capturing her attention, "You presented a dozen traits about me that necessitate you dislike me, yes?
So what exactly do you think I''m hiding?"
"Nothing." Evalyn replied wryly, "I just can''t believe you, a person who won''t let military generals disrespect him, would unt a scandalous, yboy reputation. It just doesn''t make sense."
"I have power, and I satisfy my desires with it." Kaze smirked, "Just as I rmended."
"I envy you." She chuckled in self-degradation.
"Then why don''t you try it?" He asked with slightly narrowed eyes.
Evalyn''s heart thumped, abruptly getting mmed back into the moment. "I''ll... try.
But what I want goes beyond going down on you. I''ll tell you, but I want you to promise me you''ll never tell a soul, and you won''t mock or judge me."
"I never disclose intimate details, and I''ll never judge people for sexual desires." Kaze said with a gentle smile.
She took a sharp breath, opening and closing her mouth multiple times, trying to find the words to say. "Kaze, I''m obsessed with control and order for everything. It''s as painful as it is repulsive.
The thing I desire about you is that you make it impossible for me to be in control. It feels liberating, and right now...."
Evalyn looked at Kaze with profound sincerity in her crystal blue eyes. "Kaze, I want you to take control of me.
Now, and only now, I want you to order me around and tell me what to do."
Kaze studied Evalyn''s expressions after telling him she wanted to be a sub and requesting that he order her around. "Are you sure?"
"Yes but not in a humiliating way." She rified, "I just want you to drive and prevent my toxic obsession with control from ruining both of our experiences."
Kaze looked into her eyes, and she shivered, hoping he would and wouldn''t judge her for being a toxic hypocrite simultaneously.
He did neither.
After giving her a strange smile, heid on his back with his hands behind his neck, facing the ceiling with his still erect member pointing to the sky.
Her desires suppressed her embarrassment, staring at his lower half in a trance, hypnotized by his lower half.
"Evalyn, I want you to do with my penis as you wish." Kaze ordered deviously.
Evalyn''s eyes trembled, and her heart beat uncontrobly. He removed the benefit of letting him decide by shirking the responsibility onto her!
"By that, I mean for you to suck it, of course." He added charmingly.
The blonde gave him a wry smile but forgot her discontent and remembered his orders. She took a sharp breath, looking down to see the subject.
It was menacing and exceedingly indelicate. Just thinking about it sent icy shivers down her spinebut not in a bad way.
Evalyn''s heart thumped as she pushed off the bed, crawling to him on all fours like a cat. She enjoyed the motion.
Just imagining that her bare, meticulously shaved pussy wasn''t covered, openly disyed as she crawled to Kaze, was mortifying yet thrilling to her.
It felt like she was unconcerned with everyone''s opinion for the first time. The world disappeared, and her past actions and pain vanished.
When she put her hand between his spread legs, passing the point of no return, her heart pounded rhythmically, and her body heated up as her head neared his.
She felt indelicate, primalliberated, and alive.
"I don''t know how to do this." Evalyn confessed, stating the obvious.
"You treat it like a popsicle with sensitive teeth." Kaze replied smoothly, "So long as your teeth don''t touch, you''re free to explore.
Your pleasure is my pleasure, so please enjoy yourself without reservation."
Evalyn nodded after the demonstration and looked at his member again. She hesitantly reached her hand to the base, letting her pounding heart give her confidence.
Her hand gently wrapped around the shaft, and a shiver of thrill and ecstasy shot through her body.
Kaze watched her pleasure with a satisfied smile, loving that he could witness Evalyn exploring her desires this cycle.
While he was regretful that their rtionship would get messy, it was also a blessing.
The Ice Phoenix was a repressed virgin for over a century, denying all pleasure. At least now, primal urges would drive her to think of her desires, even if they were only primal.
Evalyn dry-swallowed nervously, lustfully staring at Kaze''s member in her hand.
She couldn''t believe she was about to suck a man''s cock and enjoy it, but it was the truth. The idea drove her crazy because the contradiction made the action feel rebellious.
After a few seconds of her primal instincts fighting against her personality, she let the former win and hesitantly opened her mouth slowlyawkwardly.
Kaze watched with genuine excitement. His love for Evalyn and her personality was genuine, so seeing her express herself made him genuinely aroused.
Evalyn lowered her head, letting his penis enter her mouth until it approached her throat, waited to build sexual tension, and then
"Mhmn~" Kaze hummed, closing his eyes in genuine pleasure.
closed her mouth, letting her tongue wrap around his shaft, and sucked.
He enjoyed feeling her tongue glide up his shaft to the head slowly.
It was an inspired action.
Evalyn was enjoying the feeling of pleasing him and expressing her emotions.
She wanted to please him and herself, so her every motion tried to do both.
Hearing his light humming excited her and motivated her to give him what he wanted.
After getting to the top, Evalyn opened her mouth and looked at his tip.
She remembered the difference between his tongue touching her lips and her clit.
Inspired to explore and experiment, she lightly licked his tip while looking at Kaze''s expressions.
He smiled and hummed slightly, letting her know he enjoyed it.
Feeling more confident, she touched her tongue against his head and rolled it around the tip.
Kaze took a deep breath in genuine enjoyment. There is a vast difference in sexual pleasure between a stranger and someone a person''s emotionally attracted to.
The sexual tension between the two had built up so long that her tongue rolling around his tip felt cathartic and pure.
He felt like he was reliving his first experience with her thousands of years ago.
Evalyn felt a myriad of positive emotions, seeing his positive sentimental expression. She could tell he enjoyed it as much as she was.
The validation alone made her feel equally emotional, increasing her desire to please him and express her genuine feelings for him.
The blonde glided her hand up and down his shaft as she sucked, rolling her tongue around his tip once every time she got to the top.
She spared no amount of effort to express herself.
Not just to feed her lust, physical desires, or hormonesto express her genuine feelings for him.
While her hormones made her emotions aggressive, she had known for weeks that she had feelings for him.
The way he respected, cared for, and protected her was so genuine it melted her heart.
It also felt natural, as if she had loved him for centuries.
Perhaps it was a memory graft like what Crux had experienced, but it didn''t matter.
Even if it were still premature, there was no mistaking it.
Evalyn loved Kaze Lexicon.
The blonde pulled his member out of her mouth and used her left fingers to tuck locks of hair behind her ear and held it there.
She immediately opened her mouth after, inserting his penis deeper into her mouth and closing it, unrestrained by her hair.
Kaze hummed in pleasure, letting her know he was enjoying it.
Evalyn sucked passionately, relieving the tyrannical emotions she had held in her heart for weeks.
While she disapproved of his behavior, she loved him despite it.
Somehow she knew that even if they never had sex again, she''d stay with him for life.
She didn''t know how their rtionship would evolve.
Perhaps she would hate and resent him because she prematurely had sex with him, as he warned her against.
But
Right then.
At that moment.
She didn''t resent him.
Kaze Lexicon was special.
And she wanted to please him.
She wanted to express her emotions.
Her gratitude, desire, attraction, and love.
Evalyn pushed his member in as far as possible every time, expressing her passion for him.
Listening to every cue from his humming and his body''s subtle movements, she moved her head up and down, using her hand to follow her mouth.
Kaze enjoyed every moment of it, listening to her heartbeat and her emotions.
He intentionally twitched whenever she did something enjoyable, constantly giving her validation for her efforts.
Every time he did, her body would shiver, and she''d continue vigorously with renewed passion.
Their rtionship was mutual.
He opened his eyes and gazed at her passionately.
Watching her break past her barriers to please him with her mouth made his heart and body sensitive.
For the first time in two millennia, he felt himself pushing to a climax naturally.
It was surreal.
After thousands of years of daily sex, he became desensitized to it, even in the Immortal Realm.
Even now, as she sped up, taking shallow breaths to keep up the momentum, bobbing her head without pause, he could reign himself in
but he didn''t want to.
Waves of cathartic release and a desire to let go welled within him. He wanted to enjoy the feeling.
"Evalyn, I''ll climax soon." Kaze said after a deep breath, "I''ll let you know sooner, but be prepared."
Evalyn paused, her heart thumped, and an electric shock jolted through her body.
She became hyper-aware of his throbbing shaft deep in her mouth.
Her personality screamed to pull it out instantly and use her hand.
The only thing more degrading than sucking a man''s dick was letting him cum in her mouth!
And the only thing worse than letting a man cum in her mouth was to swallow it!
It felt dirty and demeaning, running counterclockwise to everything she put into being a woman worthy of bing a titan of industry.
She wanted to stand atop the world as a national leader.
To be a symbol of power and prestige.
A modern-day queen.
Thinking of a queen on her knees, praying to another man, felt weakdisgraceful.
It was a permanent stain on a nk canvas. And yet
Isn''t that what gave it value?
If she felt it was a sacrifice, wasn''t it the only way she could fully express her emotions?
Not just to him, but to herself?
Kaze was right. There was no point in power if she couldn''t stand behind her desires.
If anyone called her a weak whore for going down on Kaze and pleasing him unconditionally.
Evalyn would snap their spine and drag them into the forest to die.
,m No, that''s what she [would] do
If Kaze didn''t kill them first.
That''s what she loved most about him.
The emperor wouldn''t let anyone trample over her.
If anyone did, he would kill them and massacre everyone they knew.
Kaze would meet anyone that tried to hurt her with swift, decisive retribution.
Evalyn''s body heated up in passion, and she resumed, moving her tongue around his penis with unrestrained lust again.
The thought of him toppling an empire for her gripped her.
It was horrifyingly alluring.
It made her want to stand beside him foreverto give him everything.
Kaze took a deep breath as Evalyn rolled her tongue around his shaft as she moved up and down. Her hand became more aggressive and decisive.
Wholly epting her desires and epting him turned him on.
Eyes closed, he enjoyed every motion, every roll of her tongue, every second of it.
The passion, craving, and desire overwhelmed him.
With every second, he felt like he was getting closer to enlightenment.
Kaze opened his eyes to look down at the blonde, bobbing her head up and down. "I''m"
Evalyn lifted her left hand to stop him.
All she wanted was for him to enjoy itpletely without a word.
She wanted his body and gasps to tell her when it would happen.
His climax didn''t feel like a sacrifice to her image anymore.
It felt like a reward for her emotional expression, passion, and effort to please him.
Kaze gasped and blinked twice as his body twitched.
He closed his eyes to embrace the pleasure of his climax.
Evalyn felt his shaft pulse against her tongue, and her heart thumped simultaneously.
The blonde continued at the same pace with her eyes closed, listening to his breathing, feeling his body, and experiencing his passion.
Her motions became sloppy yet refined, opening her mouth at the top and rolling her tongue around his tip before closing it and pushing it down.
Shepleted the motion as quickly as possible, expressing full pleasure without killing the momentum.
From start to finish, she wanted him to get maximum pleasure.
Evalyn continued without pause until his shaft started throbbing, fighting against her tongue.
Noticing the acute change, she closed her eyes as she bobbed, unknowing what would happen.
Kaze let his mind go nk, feeling his body''s unreserved emotions and sensations welling up.
They were reaching a fever pitch, building up to the point of no return.
He opened his eyes to gaze at her, watching her up to his climax for a moment to gain a glimpse of her passion before closing his eyes, taking a sharp breath, and
Hot liquid exploded into Evalyn''s mouth, making her eyes snap open and gasp as it crashed against her throat.
he came without reservation.
After she recovered from her initial shock, her body melted with feelings of physical and emotional vindication.
Now liberated, she enjoyed the feeling of the hot liquid filling her mouth. It felt like a reward for her efforts and desire to please him.
Once he stopped cumming, she glided her hand up his shaft to push out any left in himshe wanted it all.
Evalyn released her lips from his penis, her mouth full of cum.
She felt grungy. Indelicate. Impure.
Yet she felt like a woman as she turned to Kaze, looking at her with aplex smile.
After making eye contactverifying that he could see her messageshe swallowed.
Kaze gave her a slight smile. "I understand and ept your deration."
Evalyn blushed slightly, turning away. "You may be the only person who knows that I just passionately sucked your dick, but I still wanted to make it clear I''m not ashamed of it.
If someone calls me a whore for enjoying sex, I''ll cut off their dick and shove it down their throat.
I''m being dead serious."
"I do not doubt you on that." Kaze replied, smiling mysteriously. His smile made her shudder, iming the Ice Phoenix had done just that.
"Wouldn''t it bother you a little if I brutally maimed and killed someone for calling me a whore alone?" Evalyn asked, curious.
"Bother me?" Heughed heartily, falling t on the mattress, "I''ll go to war with the Malta military if they call you [that woman]. That wasn''t a bluff.
If someone calls you a whore for embracing your feminine nature and desires, you''ll learn how much faster I am at killing people than you."
Her expression crumbled, trying to process the absurdity of his first statement and the disturbing undertone of the second.
However, both were amusing, so she chuckled once, twice, and then burst into giggles.
"Get over here!" Kaze demanded yfully, grabbing her hips and pulling her forward.
"Eeeek! W-What are you" Evalyn screeched, caught off guard by the sudden attack.
"doing, you jerk."
The blonde stopped iling when she found her naked body on top of his.
His vibrant green eyes had depth up close, and his body felt perfect and inviting.
She realized she had never felt sofortable as she pressed her breasts against his chest.
"Did you enjoy it?" Evalyn asked hesitantly, "I don''t even want to think about how many experienced women you''ve"
Kaze put his fingers on her lips, making her puff out her cheeks, angered he''d shush her.
Before she could huff, he continued. "It was the best sexual experience I''ve had in four and a half millennia."
"How." The blonde asked wide-eyed, understanding his implications but not understanding them.
"Desire." He smiled, "Passion. Tension. Desperation. Love.
These factors make sex special and feel pleasurable. That''s why pleasing me right now was equally pleasurable with the orgasms I gave you, which would satisfy an empress."
Evalyn blushed, hearing him point out the degree she enjoyed going down on him. It also reminded her of her heated behavior moments before.
"My desire and passion for you, our tension, and desire for each other made it feel incredible." Kaze smiled, capturing our attention, "And stoked the small me of love we share."
The blonde''s face heated up, and her sky-blue eyes trembled. His statement felt like the nail in the coffin for her.
She knew hormones magnified her emotions tenfold, but she was d he saw her genuine feelings underneath them.
Knowing that Kaze wasn''t blind to her felt like deliverance from her emotional struggles.
While she hadn''t been jealous and fixated on the other women in his life, his willingness to sleep with strangers, but denying her, hurt.
Now, she was finally free of those insecurities.
"I." Evalyn whispered, trying to decide what to say, "... can understand, if only a little.
Just thisying naked on your body feels fantastic. I wish this couldst forever."
Kaze smiled and brushed the hair from her eyes. "That''s the benefit of being an immortal."
Chapter 117 Rebirth Of The Ice Phoenix | The Waifu
Evalyn''s eyes trembled when Kaze reiterated his goal was to make her immortal and live with her forever.
Despite his obvious ws, he did love her, and she felt a simr spark.
She snuggled into his chest for a moment, carefree for the first time since the apocalypse began, wishing to savor it.
Kaze hugged her gently, embracing her without reservation.
"Kaze." Evalyn whispered hesitantly, "The lie everyone''s living in the faction walls... will end tomorrow, won''t it?"
He looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath. "The day after next.
Tomorrow morning we''ll have a strategy meeting with the new management members.
Then we''ll break the news to the Lockheed students and release them.
We''re telling the regr faction members the day after."
"Thought so." She replied, smiling wryly, "If that''s the case can I ask for something selfish?
Just for one day before life goes to hell?"
"So long as it''s within my abilities and doesn''t hurt anyone, I''ll let you be as selfish as you wish." Kaze smiled gently.
Evalyn blushed and dry-swallowed, averting her gaze in embarrassment. "I just for today, will you be my exclusive boyfriend?
I want to experience one more day of this bliss before I''m too cold and callous to enjoy it."
He gave her a warm, charming smile. "If only for today, I''ll be your exclusive boyfriend and will not flirt with or charm another woman.
I gave you the day off training to take you shopping. Why don''t we make it a date?"
Her face turned bright red. "A-A date?"
"That''s what I suggested, yes?" Kaze replied with a confident, maic voice, "There''s a charming mall here. I made sure of it."
Evalyn''s heart thumped. She had never gone on a date before.
She was busy with life, afraid to get sidetracked, and too obsessive to go on one. Now, the most important person in her life requested her to go on one.
Her eyes teared up slightly, and she gave him a bright smile. "I''d love to go on a date."
"Great, let''s take a short shower and get dressed." Kaze smiled, "We''ll leave immediately after."
Evalyn''s body heated up, thinking of having a shower with him. Her shower time was the most obsessively controlled part of her day, so bringing him into that space felt [dangerous].
The thrill made her feel alive.
She pushed herself off his body and [crawled] off the furthest part of the bed, making sure he could see her pussy and perfect bubble butt as she got off.
Kaze smiled with slightly narrowed eyes watching her. The Ice Phoenix was extremely charming and passionate in bed, but she was never [sexy]. He preferred this version of her. Naturally.
He got up and followed her slowly, letting her swivel her hips and turn around with a [catch me] expression.
The shower was in the corner of the bathroom inside arge ss box. It was a sitting shower that doubled as a sauna and had a detachable shower head for two people showering.
They took separate showers and enjoyed rinsing off, shing each other smiles.
After the shower, the two dried off leisurely and walked back into the room.
Kaze created a spatial rift to his return to get a new outfit and return. When he did, Evalyn was waiting for him with a sassy expression, holding a piece of cloth in her hand.
"Be honest, does the repressed weeb locked within you subconsciously fantasize about seeing me wearing these?" She asked with a wicked smile.
He nced at the iconic thick-striped pink panties. Then he lowered his eyes to her hips and slowly between her legs before moving back to her eyes with a slight smile.
"Pray tell, Evalyn." Kaze grinned, gazing at the now-nervous blonde, "How do you know about anime panties?"
She blushed and turned away in embarrassment. "That''s a loaded question, and I asked you a question first."
"Hoh? I thought you liked loaded questions." He grinned, "I''ll answer your inquiry if you satisfy mine after."
Determined to avoid the subject but get her answer, she turned around and bent over, showing him her bubble butt.
Kaze narrowed his eyes curiously, interested to see Evalyn Skye, his future ruthless lover bend over and slip her feet into weeby anime panties.
She slid them up, allowing them to hit the bottom of her butt before standing and pulling on them, lifting her ass slightly.
It gave the illusion that her bubble butt was too big for the panties to house it. He found it charming and delightful.
Evalyn turned to her side to get a good look at his face before pulling them up and studying his facial expressions. "What do you think?"
"I fantasized about seeing you in those." Kaze replied charmingly, reversing course on giving her his answer, "It didn''t disappoint in the slightest."
The blonde blushed furiously, not expecting him to confirm her joke!
"R-Really?" She stuttered, "So you like them the most?"
"Of course." Kaze replied hypnotically, "You''re officially my dream lover and fantasy waifu simultaneously.
This sight has vindicated the humiliating injustices I suffered in my early years."
Evalyn''s face turned bright red to the tip of her ears, hiding her face and turning away.
"If you think I''m your waifu, then you should treat me like one." She pouted, realizing how embarrassing her reaction was."
"Hoh? You even know what a waifu is?" He mused, buttoning up his shirt, "I suppose that answers my question."
The blonde''s mortification level exploded again, and she quickly dug through her lower drawers to find her leggings. "I-I liked a few anime, okay?
They have cute eyes and good stories."
She quickly put her feet into the legging and started pulling them onto her legs.
"What do you think about cat ears?" Kaze grinned maliciously.
Evalyn''s eyes shot open, her face heated up, and she put on her leggings after. "Just get dressed. You promised me a date, and I don''t want you to forget!"
"As you wish." He chuckled breathlessly, "I''ll ask you on the way."
She quickly opened the bra drawer to avoid the subject but immediately cringed when she saw the matching pink-striped bra.
"I think cat ears are extremely cute." Evalyn huffed, giving up, "I watched a few anime.
People like you are so awkward, so I needed something to strike up my once-per-semester conversation with in high school.
So I watched some shows and fell in love with said few.
Naturally, I was a total cunt like everyone else popr and hid my love for them, didn''t defend anyone that watched them, and even sometimes berated them."
She turned to him unabashedly, disying her bare chest and staring him in the eyes.
"Then this guy who loved anime swept me off my feet, and I switched my tuneas popr people do." Evalyn exined with a depleted gaze, "Now I''m his battle waifu. It''s a meme."
Kaze gave her a genuine, charming smile. "I spent less than a decade watching anime and then spent five millennia hating it for what it did to my reputation.
But, as of this moment, I''ve fallen in love with it again. Fully vindicated and charmed."
Evalyn blushed but shed him a bright white smile, showcasing the emotions welling in her heart. He finally got through to hershe wasn''t the Ice Phoenix to him.
Kaze Lexicon loved [her], the person he met for the first time a month ago.
He loved Evalyn Skye, the broken, toxic woman standing before him.
Somehow he loved everything about her that she hated about herself.
And the few things that she loved.
"Kaze." Evalyn said with a chokingugh, holding back tears, "Today, and only for today, I want to be your waifu."
"I''d love it if you were my waifu for the day." Kaze chuckled breathlessly, "I''m sure we can agree never to announce such a thing, yes?"
"I''d rather die." Evalyn dered, instantly rxing her expression into a resting bitch face.
"Then I''d love that." He smiled, walked up to her in her pink striped bra, gently lifted her face, and kissed her.
She opened her eyes with an emotional expression. "Can I tell you I love you during our foolish fantasy?"
"Of course." Kaze affirmed hypnotically.
"I love you, Kaze." Evalyn confessed with a flushed face, "Before today, this morning, and expressively after we had sex.
I want to be yours exclusively for the rest of forever as immortals, but I can''t.
I''ll eventually ept that emotionally, but I do practically, but for now...
This is the first date I''ve ever gone on, so please make me feel special today as if I''m the only person that matters.
In this fleeting moment of happiness, it matters a lot to me."
His eyes widened at her cute omission, and he smiled gently.
"Your happiness is important to me." Kaze smiled genuinely, "Since I''d trade the lives of every person on each ne for you alone, it''s only natural. Today, I''ll show you that."
Evalyn shivered at his horrifying deration, but it turned her on. She closed her eyes and parted her lips within a second, demanding a kiss to prove his words.
He quickly gave it to her, disconnected his lips, and pped her ass. "Let''s get going."
"As you wish." She replied mockingly, mimicking him as she threw on a loose white t-shirt.
He opened the door and led her down the stairs.
As always, he ignored the rainbow-colored jesters who saluted him.
Unlike usual, they didn''t stop because they saw Evalyn and shivered, afraid to rub her the wrong way by putting down their hands.
To their surprise, Evalyn wasn''t terrifying to gaze at. She was beautiful and smiling, making the men''s hearts pump and the women''s jealousy soar.
By the time they processed the scene, the two were already gone.
Kaze and Evalyn walked through the campus with satisfied expressions, passing countless faction members practicing in the grass.
"Hello, Faction Leader! And Ms Skye."
"Hey there, Kaze. How."
"Hey Emperor, I hello Ms. Skye."
Everyone called out to him but froze after seeing his waifu.
Like the jesters, they became dazzled by her beautiful smile as she chatted with Kaze.
Evalyn was perfect in beauty, body, and dress. Adding her power and authority, she was perfect, like Kaze, but a female. She mesmerized everyone, stealing their hearts at a nce.
Then they''d snap out of their trance and find them already gone.
Kaze and Evalynughed at their reactions on their way to the Luxe.
When they arrived, she gave him a mocking smile. Seeing a $50,000,000 super mansion with white paint and luxurious gold and ck ents.
Saying it was decadent was an understatement at a nce.
He chuckled because she didn''t have a clue what awaited her inside.
Evalyn walked through the door and her eyes zed over. The [lobby], which acted as a major ballroom leading tworge curved staircases, was made of marble tiles.
The railing for the staircases was made of gold, and the steps were ck, both popping against the white wall.
The bold ck furniture around the walls had the same effect.
Abstract ck and had gold stter paint art pieces hung on the wall.
While a normal person would have a heart attack seeing the price tag on one of them, Kaze bought them seriously for lifeless background ents.
It was offensive to art collectors everywhere.
"This is." Evalyn burst into uncontroble giggles, trying to find a way to insult him buting up short. Everything she was staring at was too absurd!
"Absurd, I know." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "But this ce is exponentially more valuable than our living quarters.
It''s the ce that will give peoplefort in the apocalypse.
It will be the only ce on Earth where people can enjoy the old world and engage in its simple yetforting luxuries."
She stoppedughing and looked around, thinking about his words.
It was true.
The blonde turned to him with aplex expression, studying his face to see if he had ulterior motives for creating the ce.
However, she knew the answerof course.
Still, just as capitalism improved people''s lives by using people''s greed to turn luxuries into necessities, so too was Kaze using people''s desire forfort to keep them alive.
"Will you hold my hand?" Evalyn asked, "I''m sure that''s childish to you, but it''d mean everything to me."
Kaze reached out his hand. "Of course I will."
She dry-swallowed, slightly blushing as she took his hand.
"Let''s take you shopping." He smiled, "I remember women liked to do that. I''m not sure if you did, but you look like you''re enjoying normalcy today."
"I''d love to." Evalyn smiled, "But you''re paying. Women like it when men do that."
"Luckily for me, I''m a billionaire, own this ce, and everything''s on the house." He countered, "I hear women [love] that."
"Don''t call me a gold digger or I''ll kill you in your sleep." She grumbled sarcastically, "It''s a figure of sleep speech, gah! Whatever."
Kazeughed, listening to her stumble over her words. "Enough, let''s go shopping."
He pulled her hand yfully, dragging her up the stairs.
Evalyn looked in wonder at the various rooms and ballrooms in the area. There were over a million clothing items in the Luxe, making her gasp in wonderment.
It was overwhelming, but she liked it.
"Let''s get you a pair of ck and white panties to make youfortable." Kaze suggested with a gentle smile.
The blonde puffed out her cheeks in annoyance but saw he was being serious.
It made her blush, and she followed him to the intimates section.
Evalyn journeyed into the textile wondend, picking out pieces and asking Kaze''s opinion on various pairs.
He smiled and gave her his honest opinions.
She went in and out of the changing room, modeling for him with a charming smile.
They repeated the modeling in the pants and tops sections and even went cocktail dress shopping.
The blonde enjoyed modeling for him, constantly shing charming smiles and changing her facial expressions during the period.
She felt like a college girl again for the first time in two weeksand loved it.
"Now where?" Evalyn asked excitedly, holding multiplied bags of clothing.
She was now boldly wearing a pure white, wrapped cocktail dress and ck heels.
The wrap started on the neck, creating a v to her chest, and moved to her thighs, wrapping to create a slight v between her legs.
It was curvy, but the wrap wasmon in business skirts for female CEOs, giving her figure power and beauty.
She loved the dress but regretted the heels because she felt their impractically was offensive.
"Would you like to get some food?" Kaze asked, replying to her curious question.
She gave him a slightly downcast smile, thinking he was already asking them to leave the Luxe.
"There''s a food court here." He announced with a slight smile, "The Luxe opens in two weeks, but I asked cooks toe, as I originally gave you the day off to bring you here."
Her eyes widened in surprise. "I see, thank you. Yes, I''d love some food."
The two walked to the main kitchen of the mansion, built to prepare food for hundreds of guests at parties.
The top on-campus cooks were in the kitchen for their one meal.
"Hey, Richie." Kaze called out, "What''s on the menu?"
"Faction Leader Kaze!" Richie, a man with long golden hair in a ponytail, replied with a bright smile, "We have crab, oysters, and a m chowder bread bowl."
Evalyn''s expression crumbled when the cook casually announced her favorite foods. She looked at Kaze, who smiled slightly before talking to the man.
The blonde ate the meal with pure bliss in her eyes. She couldn''t remember thest time she enjoyed good seafood, and now she was in heaven.
Everything about their date felt surreal, and she couldn''t stop smiling.
Around 5 pm, they decided to walk back slowly, taking the scenic route through the campus, admiring the fruits of their and Daniel''sbors.
After their leisurely stroll, they returned to their mansion and walked up the stairs to the fourth-floor corridor.
Her room was at the end of the hall to the left.
His room was on the far end of the right.
Evalyn turned to him with interest in her eyes, wondering if he wanted to take her to his love den or if he wanted to go back to her usually pristine castle. "Which way, yboy?"
Chapter 118 Rebirth Of The Ice Phoenix | The Flames Of Passion
Kaze smiled and stared into her crystal blue eyes. "I have two questions.
Is my [harem den] unscrupulous and degrading? And do you like that?"
Her eyes widened in surprise when she heard both questions.
"I suppose I''d enjoy going there, either way, today. Now wouldn''t I?" She giggled in genuine delight, "Please, yboy. I formally request you take me to your harem den."
He chuckled breathlessly and then reached down with ghostly speed.
"Ekkkk!" Evalyn screeched, looking down and finding herself four feet off the ground--in a princess carry.
She blushed furiously, dry-swallowed, and scanned the area, praying Marilyn and the jesters weren''t watching.
When she confirmed they weren''t there, she looked up at Kaze, slowly walking to the room with a loving smile. She loved feeling feminine; she was living out her fantasy.
When they got to the door, Kaze flicked his hand, creating a wall of warping space, and walked in.
"Did you just warp into your bedroom, so you didn''t have to open and close the door!?" Evalyn cried before bursting into giggles.
"You look like you''re enjoying being held, so I didn''t want to ruin that." Kaze smiled, making her heart melt.
She reached up and gently touched his cheeks, making him look at her. Once aligned, she pulled his face close and kissed him gently.
They disconnected lips, and she stared into his crisp green eyes.
"I do enjoy feeling feminine." Evalyn confessed softly, "I love having you protect and dote on me.
Taking control of situations; being decisive. You''re helping me live out my fantasies, and I feel partiallyplete now."
"Seeing you smiling like this is a fantasy I had for over a century, a dream I had for five millennia, and then a wish I had when I met you." Kaze replied with a genuine smile.
Light tears welled in her eyes as she gazed into his slightly emotional eyes.
"I love you and want to give myself to you, Kaze." Evalyn confessed, dry-swallowing nervously.
"All of myself, so please... take control again. Use me to please you and reward me in return."
Kaze smiled and walked to his bed slowly,ying her down.
Evalyn closed her eyes, melting into his luxurious bedding. Contrary to expectations, his room and bed were as immacte as hers were, if not more.
She took and sharp breath, moving her body into the center near the pillows and opening her eyes.
His gaze and a charming smile met her as he unbuttoned his shirt casually.
For whatever reason, she expected the process to be sloppy and passionate, not so casual.
Yet she looked at his charming smile and loving gaze as he undressed in a mesmerized state.
It urred to her that she was already undressed when she saw him in the morning.
Now, she was seeing what sex should be.
Or what it was for her.
"Should I...." Evalyn whispered, watching him unbuckle his pants, "Get undressed right now, too? I just realized how rxed this is."
"That''s up to you." Kaze replied hypnotically, "Close your eyes and imagine how you want me to take you."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, visualizing.
"Do you want me to gently pull your shirt off you, unhook your bra, slowly remove your leggings, and then work my way to your panties?" He asked melodically.
"Or is that awkward? Would you like my naked body to touch yours for the first time instantly without any reservations?
Laying on my silk bedding in ultimatefort?"
Evalyn''s body heated up, and her breaths became shallow. Both options aroused her beyond what she had experienced in the morning. "I...."
She opened her eyes slowly, sitting up, crossing her hands, and reaching under her shirt.
Her knuckles glided up her ribs as she pulled the shirt off.
Kaze smiled slightly, looking at her pink-striped bra. It wasn''t funny to them; it was symbolic of the day they experienced young love.
Evalyn sent him a charming smile as she unhooked it, pushing it against her chest until the straps were off and then letting it drop into herp.
Next, sheid down, arched her back on her shoulder des, ced her thumbs under the stic of her leggings, and pulled.
The ck leggings slid off her butt before sheid back again and lifted her legs.
She shed him a yful smile as she did it, slowly letting him enjoy the pink-striped anime panties on his dream woman.
Kaze admired the sight with fascination, loving that he was given a second chance at life, and somehow he made his weeb fantasiese true. He could well end up with everything.
After sliding them off, shey on the bed with a satisfied expression.
The soft, silky sheets felt heavenly on the feather mattress, and it smelled like him. He had clean bedding and only woke up that day without sex the night before.
Evalyn opened her eyes and saw Kaze giving her a maic gaze before crawling onto the mattress. He truly enjoyed their date and wanted to show her his feelings.
He smiled as he climbed onto the mattress and moved between Evalyn''s legs as she spread them slowly.
Everything about the scene felt perfect to him.
Watching her blush as he approached, but never denying him, was charming.
He wanted to express profound emotions during sex for the first time in almost two millennia.
Kaze connected his lips against hers, giving her a tongue-free kiss that melted her body and made her feel loved.
"You won''t get pregnant, and there''s no value in pain during sex." He smiled, "Humans couldn''t do anything about it, but I can.
Let me know if or when you''re ready, and disregard my healing technique."
Evalyn blushed and closed her eyes, fearful, excited, and hopeful. A myriad of emotions crashed into her heart simultaneously, and she wanted to release them. "When it''s time."
"As you wish." Kaze smiled, moving his lips back to hers.
They kissed passionately, gliding his mortal fingers down her neck and chest, making her body heat up. He touched his chest against hers, pressing it against her breaths.
She gasped to the ceiling, arching her back in true unreserved enjoyment.
Every movement felt heavenly to her, cornering her, pushing her further into a boundless sea of pleasure.
When their intimacy peaked, Kaze lifted his hips and gently guided his tip to her delicate, untouched pussy.
Evalyn gasped when she felt his tip touch her lips. Her body heated up with limitless desire, anxiety, excitement, fear, and lust.
However, the one emotion, false or otherwise, which drove her was her love.
She wanted Kaze in her body--for her to please him and vice versa.
Kaze smiled when he saw herplete eptance and pushed in his tip lightly, making her wince slightly from the sudden shift.
While she had pleased herself by rubbing her clit, she had never entered her own body. So it was a shock that stretched her body.
And, while the pain paled inparison to what she felt daily in every way, it was different because it was intimate, personal, and attached to pleasure.
Still, she spread her legs further, epting himpletely.
He saw her expression and smiled lightly, releasing his shaft and putting his hand on the mattress.
Kaze touched her lower stomach, and his anti-pregnancy seal flowed through her.
She could tell what it was and was grateful for releasing the anxiety of a potential pregnancy before the apocalypse.
His fingers glowed light gold, and her pain melted away, leaving her only with the new and intimate feeling of sex.
Kaze watched her relieved expression with a mysterious smile, d that Evalyn Skye let him relieve her pain this cycle.
If there was something he disdained, it was sex with pain.
If there was something he loathed, it was Evalyn in pain.
So it relieved him to see her gently smiling.
Kaze took a deep breath, maintaining the golden light as he glided his shaft into her body.
"Ahhh~mmmn~ah~" Evalyn gasped, feeling him enter inside her. He was gentle, pushing in slowly, which allowed her to feel stages of pleasure at every step.
In every stage, she felt a sharp pain from hisrge member stretching her body and then healing it slightly to increase its strength.
Once he was inside, and her body was well adjusted, he closed his eyes and allowed him to enjoy it for the first time.
While his dual cultivation allowed him to connect spirits with those he slept with, he felt something more powerful with Evalyn.
It officially felt like he transcended time and space to bring them back together, linking their two selves together in a passionate moment.
"Ahhhhhh~" Evalyn felt the same way. Her emotions and hormones connected them, yet her mind pulsed when she felt him pull back. "Kaze...."
She opened her eyes and looked at him.
A strange feeling of positive deja vu washed over her when she saw his face, which felt younger and purer than before. New, profound emotions flowed through her body.
Evalyn felt as though she had known him for a century. Not only that, the feelings she had for him were vastly different than before.
They didn''t feel intense; they felt inextricable.
It was as if her emotions were woven together with his so absolutely that they were impossible to untie.
At that moment, she felt like losing him would rip her entire being apart, leaving her with nothing.
However, the love she felt from the Ice Phonix''s graphed memories was only a hint--a destination.
Kaze''s profound experience with sex reminded her that he wasn''t who the Ice Pheonix was attached to. As soon as he was inside--
"AhhhhhhhhhhHHHHH~!" Evalyn screamed in pleasure, breaking out of her emotionalbyrinth.
Kaze smiled when he watched her arch her back during his first thrust, taking a deep breath to control the emotions raging in his heart.
He pulled back lightly, causing her to gasp, and then slowly pushed forward again, reaching her pleasure spots.
His technique wasn''t purely from experience.
She enjoyed things slightly off-centered and unrefined during sex, as it made her ease up her control, and he knew that from millennia ago.
Kaze exploited her desires without reservation, showing her he never forgot what was important. His memory was objective, not attached to emotions.
So he showed her his passion, and she epted it.
Evalyn grabbed his back, pressing her hands against his shoulder des as he thrust, making her body tremble. "Ahhh~ ...Ahhhhh~ ...Ahhhhhhh~!"
He built her pleasure during every stroke, showing her how much he desired her satisfaction.
Understanding his aim, she moved her hands to his ass and pressed forward aggressively. "AhhhhHHhhahHH~!"
Evalyn screamed in pleasure as she pushed him deep into her body, allowing him to enter herpletely, giving herself to him entirely.
Kaze began lifting her hand, but she aggressively grabbed it with closed eyes and pulled him to her body. "Yes~mam."
He smiled as she led him to her lips, unwilling to let him sacrifice any of his pleasure for hers.
They connected lips passionately but not sloppily.
Every kiss was passionate but fleeting, starting on the backstroke and disconnecting for her to moan on the thrust.
"Kaze... I...." Evalyn gasped, suppressing her desire to say she loved him.
She understood that the feeling she grasped was [true] love, and she''d have to earn that emotion through actions, not feelings.
So instead, she said what she truly felt. "I... want to be by your side... forever."
Kaze''s eyes shook, and his heart pulsed. To release the savage feelings pulsing through him, he expressed them directly by pulling back--
"Nothing in this world will stop me from fulfilling your wish."
--and thrusting forward with pure passion.
"AhhhhhhhhhhHHHHH~!" She screamed, gripping his back as hard as possible, slightly wing it to stay attached.
With every stroke, he focused on their mutual pleasure, taking deep breaths to contain his emotions. He released part of the emotions locked within him for the first time.
Evalyn wrapped her legs around his hips and gripped the sheets as he thrust with a profound expression, enjoying every moment.
They understood that they had yet to fall in love as he and the Ice Phoenix had thousands of years passed. What they were doing was dangerous, but they didn''t care.
Their passion melted their wax wings and sent them spiraling downward, crashing into a state of emotional destruction. Every part of their rtionship burned to ashes.
Kaze fully epted Evalyn Skye was someone new, not the woman he once knew and loved.
Evalyn understood that he wasn''t the person she dreamed him to be when he arrived, loving and protecting her as if only she mattered.
They let the profound sexual experience raze their past selves and usher in a new rtionship.
"Kaze...." Evalyn gasped, pulling his head to her mouth, kissing him, "I''m nearing... my climax."
Kaze took a deep, emotional breath and nodded. "Then so am I."
"Ahhh~" She gasped, epting him entirely into her body on theirst cycle. He was gentle to ensure their experience was emotional instead of primal.
Evalyn moaned in unreserved pleasure, hanging around his neck as his rhythmic thrusts pushed her ever closer to a full orgasm.
Kaze took deep breaths, enjoying, savoring, and embracing the sound of her moans, the feeling of connecting her and her heartbeat.
Both enjoyed the feeling of connection equally.
"K-Kaze... Ka~ze... Kaaaaaaaze~!" Evalyn screamed as she climaxed, triggered by him releasing his seed into her body, and letting the throbbing from cumming stroke her clit.
The small motions sent shivers of ecstasy pulsing through her, and her sensitivity skyrocketed, leading her to shake and twitch.
Kaze smiled gently, pulling his penis from her body to release her from her agonizing sensitivity.
Evalyn took sharp breaths, her chest rising and falling as her legs pulsed.
She opened her eyes to gaze at Kaze lovingly, but her body forced them to shut to deal with the jolting pleasure crashing through her.
Instead, he moved to her side andy beside her, letting her slowly turn and embrace him. She snuggled her face into his shoulder with gratitude in her bodynguage.
He smiled gently, lightly brushing the hair from her eyes.
"Thank you for making my dreamse true." Evalyn whispered, slightly choking to hold back tears of joy, "Even if it was a fantasy."
"This isn''t a dream or a fantasy, Evalyn." Kaze smiled, hugging her deeper, "This is the goal; to have this every day.
Moreplicated as it will be now, over a long enough time line we''ll end up here again."
She looked up at him with true happiness shing across her sky-blue eyes. "I can''t wait."
"Me either." He affirmed, smiling gently and letting her nuzzle closer to him.
After a few minutes, she begrudgingly went to the bathroom and returned to find him waiting for her with a loving smile.
Evalyn immediately crawled onto the bed, cuddled up, wrapping her thigh around his and nuzzling her head onto his chest.
Within less than a minute, she let the calming sound of his strong heartbeat gently glide her into sleep.
Kaze smiled and closed his eyes, thinking of everything that had transpired with a warm smile.
While the future was uncertain, the day helped them solidify their feelings and ept they''d face whatever came together.
Enjoying or hating each other, positive or toxic, they''d never part ways again. He knew that from the beginning, giving him faith in her despite not knowing her.
Kaze would do anything it took to make her fall in love with him forever.
Evalyn would ept him in time, as she secretly loved tenacity.
So with their personalities and constant effort, they were destined to fall in love.
After all, love isn''t an emotion - it''s an experience. A catalytic spark that sets off an emotional chain reaction that cannot be stopped once it begins.
Once a person''s wrapped up in it, it''s just as easy to devote one''s life to another as it is to throw it away for them.
Something with that type of power isn''t something people should wish for--and they didn''t.
It was just something that would naturally happen whether they wanted it to or not.
So they braced themselves for the road ahead.
And enjoyed the moment.
In a brutal world wrought with death and suffering, and the life of bloodshed that awaited them, they felt liberated.
All they could do was be grateful to experience that feeling of contentment--if only for a single solitary moment--before reality hit them like gravity and sent them spiraling back to their usual thoughts and life.
After that, it would be nothing but a moment, a lone memory--frozen in time--that would push them forward until the day their love became real.
"I love you, Evalyn." Kaze smiled, turning off themp and letting himself drift to sleep.
Chapter 119 July 1st, 2032 | 6 Days Until The Rapture | No Exceptions
Evalyn stared around the conference table with bewilderment stered on her face.
Seeing Daniel, Jake, and Veronica made her bitter, as their faces woke her from the beautiful dream she was having.
However, she didn''t expect to see four others in the leadership lineup.
The first was Crux, who couldn''t speak English. She didn''t know Kaze finally gave her Spirit Qi techniques formunicative synesthesia andnguage building.
The other three
"Hello, you two, Sage Kylie." Evalyn said awkwardly, narrowing her eyes at the professionally pristine redhead and the cute brte cheerleader.
"Good morning, Evalyn. It''s nice to see you." Kylie replied with a charming, humble smile.
Sage made sense, as she had the practical finance skills necessary for managing the faction, but she didn''t find much value in Kylie. It confused her.
Lastly
"Hello... Kiera." Evalyn said in perplexion, confused why she was there.
"Hey...." Kiera replied with uncharacteristic sheepishness, averting her gaze. Her reaction was indiscernible and left the blonde puzzled.
However, she wasn''t nearly as confused as Daniel, looking around him with a wincing expression.
He was used to meetings with sessful professionals with thirty years of experience.
Now, he was surrounded by a cheerleader, a socialite, a tennis champion, two business majors, a previously anti-social geek, a beautiful woman in a frog hoodie, and a woman with pink hair.
Somehow he found his homicidal teen boss far moreforting.
Evalyn sat to his right side and Kiera to his left. Daniel sat next to the blonde, who still wouldn''t look at him.
Crux was to the left of Kiera, and everyone else was on the other end of the table like a panel interview.
"Wee." Kaze said in a somber tone. Their hearts thumped at the characteristically charming man''s seriousness, "We''re here to discuss recent events.
It''s best to show everyone what has happened since we arrived."
He touched a desk pad, dimmed the lights, and arge projector on the ceiling began broadcasting footage on the wall.
The first video showed an aerial view of a massive mall near Lockheed University, razed to the ground. Riots surrounded the area, with military members holding people back.
He showed another video of Lockheed University proper.
"T-This can''t be real." Jake stuttered, looking at the building.
Students and staff had busted most of the windows, and dead bodies still lined the halls.
Kaze flipped through video after video, disyed articles on Yanko and other sites, and government memorandums and statements.
Kiera began trembling slightly, scared and confused by what she was seeing. "What happened?"
"Those overexposed to Qi are going mad, leading to riots, looting, arson, economic and medical breakdown, and a loss of order." He exined gravely.
"That''s what is happening, and that''s all there is to say about it."
Silence washed over the room, creating an eerie backdrop for the silent video footage.
"Immortal Skye is the safest ce to live worldwide, and it only has enough housing to amodate who we have." Kaze continued.
"Starting tomorrow, we''ll let people who wish to go home leave. However, once someone gets off the cruiser, they cannot return.
No one can join. There are no exceptions, even for management members.
Neither my nor Evalyn''s parents are here, so favoritism ims are futile."
Jake and Kylie opened their mouths, preparing to ask that exact question.
Yet they couldn''t plead after learning that neither Kaze nor Evalyn''s parents were present.
[No exceptions] had a profound, irrefutable meaning.
Kaze turned off the projector, snapping everyone out of their hazes. He passed everyone man envelopes containing reports.
"I''ve given everyone ssified documents on Qi sickness and economic conditions in Malta." He announced.
"You''ll find it''s not a simple contagion. Most supply lines have broken down; as a result, even if the world fixed Qi Sickness tomorrow, billions will starve this year from economic copse."
Everyone opened the envelopes and pulled out the documents and pictures.
No one could breathe, even Daniel and Evalyn, who learned solid details for the first time.
"Qi Sickness has already broken down society, and it will only get worse." Kaze asserted straightly.
"Everyone will soon realize their pleas, desires, and wishes won''t change what''s happening and decide to stay here despite leaving everything behind.
We need help managing our people, and we''ll reward you handsomely if you stay and lead them."
"I." Kylie dry-swallowed nervously, "I understand your parents aren''t here, but I don''t know why.
People will ept that the leaders have their families if"
"Aside from onsite recruits, no one will join Immortal Skye at this time." Kaze interjected, "It''s not a discussion.
Evalyn and I run this faction and are teaching, protecting, feeding, clothing, and sheltering our members. No one has the right to question us.
We''re here to talk about managing our members, not revising our decisions, especially when it''s a sensitive topic between us."
A deafening silence washed over the room, leaving everyone lost in a haze.
"The no exceptions policy isn''t about food, shelter, and housing like the others." Evalyn exined soberly, drawing everyone''s attention. "We don''t want families to suffer and cause serious problems.
They''re exploitable weaknesses and revenge targets for us all."
"That viewpoint is horrifyingly cold." Kyliemented bitterly, "We''re stronger than the others.
No one would be stupid enough to attack the families of powerful people, let alone people under Kaze."
"Weak soldiers held my mother hostage to force me into aiding the hospital she was staying in." Evalyn replied chillingly, "I helped them, but they killed her anyway.
Then they sent three dozen soldiers to kill me because they knew I was a threat after learning of her death.
Cultivation and power meant nothing when they had my unconscious mother at gunpoint. Kaze could have done something; I could not. You''d have no chance."
Daniel''s eyes trembled in disbelief. He opened and closed his mouth, looking at the blonde that didn''t look at him.
"I''m not sure why we''re talking about this." Sage interjected boldly, "Everyone on earth is starving and dying, and things will only worsen.
Yet I''m being offered a management position in the world''s safest and mostfortable ce.
Turning this down would be offensive to everyone suffering right now. I''m in."
Kaze nodded, thankful someone hadmon sense.
"I agree. You saved my life for five dors, Kaze." Jake chuckled solemnly, "I decided to follow you long ago, and now I''ve learned I owe you something I can never repay. So I''m in."
None of Jake''s family members got techniques. As a result, he and the rest of his family would be starving with their lives counting down. He wasn''t a fool.
"I would''ve died if you didn''t give me that technique." Veronica followed, "Leaving to try to save my family is foolish when I don''t know if they''re alive.
I never cared much for them, but there''s someone I do care about here. That''s good enough."
Jake''s awkward iciness toward Veronica thawed slightly after hearing her admission. They had yet to discuss what happened, but he wanted to believe she did the right thing.
"I''m in. That much is obvious since I built this ce with my wife." Daniel said hesitantly, "I''m grateful you''ve given my family a bunker because they were already on site.
I cannot repay that debt, so I''ll follow you until the end."
The emperor nodded, and everyone else gave Daniel wry smiles. Even though the man built the ce with his family, hearing there was an exception made them feel bitter.
However, e looked at everyone with a conflicted expression before ncing at Kaze, who stone-walled him without the slightest acknowledgment.
While Sage and Jake didn''t catch the strange interaction, Kylie and Veronica did.
They knew it wasn''t guilt in his eyes, and they desperately wanted to ask, but they couldn''t.
If Kaze hid something from the others, it meant he didn''t want them to know. It was that simple.
"I." Kiera whispered, continuing, "I don''t have anything to return to. I''ll gratefully stay here if you let me."
Tears welled in her trembling eyes, and a single stream moved down her cheeks.
Kaze already knew about her life, so he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then pushed his chair back.
Before she knew what was happening, he pulled her chair back, picked her up, and sat down again with her on his left leg.
"W-Whoa, whoa, whoa! Consent much?" Kiera cried, "I was trying to have a vulnerable moment, not get treated like a child from the pity patrol!"
Most of the women giggled, seeing her reaction. Evalyn wasn''t as enthused by his ultra-sensitive behavior and coddling, but she didn''t speak up.
Kaze sent a nk expression to the sky after seeing everyone''s mocking or savage gazes.
Kiera''s situation wasn''t a joke. She was one move away from her meridians rupturing and killing her if she lost focus.
He suspected that she had a light version of separation anxiety disorder, which causes severe worry about abandonment due to her upbringing.
If he were right, not making Kiera feel supported was a genuine death sentence.
Moreover, he was emotionally attached to her for personal reasons. So he ignored everyone, took a deep breath, and then looked down at the pink-haired teen.
"Are you done?" Kaze asked calmly, surprising everyone.
Kiera stared into his earnest eyes for a few seconds before tears welled into her eyes again.
She turned away, trying to find afortable way to ce her hands that didn''t make her look like she was pouting.
He lightly wrapped his left hand around her chest, holding her shoulder to shoulder like a seatbelt.
Kiera instantly melted and leaned backward, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them and avoiding everyone''s lukewarm, judgmental gazes.
Kaze rolled his eyes and turned to Kylie, whose eyes were puffy. Her tears smudged her mascara and eyeliner, making her beautiful eyes seem dark and dreary.
Kylie didn''t feel like she owed Kaze, like Jake.
She wasn''t a statistics-only psychopath like Sage.
Unlike Kiera, she had people to go back to.
Her family meant the world to her, so she wasn''t like Veronica.
Lastly, didn''t experience loss like Evalyn.
She was the only person who didn''t have a solid reason to ept their family''s death [beyondmon sense].
Kylie swallowed back her tears and turned to Kaze with a depleted expression. "I came here because I understood the right choice, so I''m in.
It''ll just take time for me to ept it."
"You''ll all know you made the right decision within the week." Kaze nodded and made eye contact with them.
Chapter 120 The Strategy Meeting Begins
July 1st, 2032 | Strategy Meeting | 6 Days Until The Rapture
"We''re about to start a strategy meeting, and everything we discuss can be damaging." Kaze asserted coldly.
"Cab members have an obligation to handle this information with discretion.
I will not show mercy to anyone that damages our reputation or endangers our subjects with their carelessness."
Everyone held their breath at his vicious deration.
"I rmend you leave if you are not confident in your loyalty, information-handling skills,mon sense, or self-control." He warned bluntly.
"I''ll take you to a debriefing room without question. Speak now if you wish to leave."
The atmosphere in the room dropped below zero. Everyone looked at one another for verification before turning back to Kaze.
Everyone agreed after thirty seconds of thought.
"You have epted the risks, so let''s begin." Kaze said coolly, "Over two thousand people will learn their friends, families, and lives are gone tomorrow.
It''s a harsh reality, and we''re here to strategize how best to break the news and mitigate, control, and contain the panic.
Let''s first discuss the social strategies for breaking the news to the Lockheed students and general popce."
"Why does that require a strategy?" Sage asked, "Everyone trusts you. This meeting proves that, right?"
"It''s because he needs us." Veronica replied aptly, "We''re your peacekeepers, right?"
Kaze smiled at the shrewd woman and nodded. "Pre-cisely. The Lockheed students trust me, but the two thousand regr members don''t.
There''s bound to be bacsh, so I made them an elite police force capable of keeping order in a world of superhumans.
Without them, everything will temporarily copse at the most critical juncture."
Kylie''s brain worked in overdrive after his statement. "Kaze we''ve all epted you''re our benefactor... and"
"Summarize your point it in two sentences." Kaze interjected, scoffing breathlessly, "Save the PR for the masses."
"Kaze, you set up the apocalypse party on purpose and have proof, don''t you?" She gulped nervously.
Everyone turned to him with watchful gazes.
"I do." Kaze confirmed without hesitation, "However, things got messier than anticipated, so the footage is extremely sensitive.
Do you think yourself capable of handling it correctly? Your folly is our destruction."
She dry-swallowed nervously,cking her typical confidence due to the circumstances. Nevertheless
"I do." Kylie affirmed, "With that footage, I can close."
8:00 a.m. | July 1st, 2032 | Lockheed Mansion | 6 Days Until the Rapture
Kaze and every cab member stood before the smiling Lockheed students, excited to leave.
Veronica was healthy, Jake, Kylie, and Sage returned, and the emperor was there to contain the scary blonde.
The cute woman in the frog hoodie was a talk of interest as well.
However, the elites'' tion faded as the group set up projector equipment. They instantly got reminded that something terrible was happening and would see it soon.
"Please sit down, everyone." Kylie requested, turning to everyone with a grave expression, "We request that you remain silent until the end of our meeting."
The Lockheed students dry-swallowed, nodding nervously. No one wanted to get on Kaze''s bad side, so they obeyed.
"What you''re about to see is very disturbing." The spokeswoman warned, "But that''s why you must remember you''re safe here.
While things are bad, they aren''t bad for you, and you have Kaze to thank for that."
Everyone turned to Kaze, who nced at them with a neutral expression.
Someone tried to speak, but Kylie hit y.
She took the elites through the same journey they experienced, showcasing the razed mall and corpse-riddled university.
Sage took up the mantle after she finished, gazing at the shocked elites. "Anyone that wishes to leave to protect their families and loved ones may do so tomorrow.
However, let''s talk about what you will face if you leave."
They turned to her with trembling eyes.
She flipped to one story after the other.
[Supply chain to China disrupted.]
"Trade has stopped, preventing essential materials, food, andmodities from getting here." She exined.
[Trade halts in Malta as highways are gridlocked.]
"We can''t get food to stores because trucks cannot get to them." Sage continued.
"Additionally, with the supply chain broken, there won''t be food to take to the stores.
A billion people are estimated to die of pneumonia or simr diseases due to starvation, even if the cmity ends tomorrow."
The videos showed highways clogged for miles, unable to move goods and services.
The refrigerated trucks contained food items spoiled or looted with dead drivers in the seats. It was a horrifying sight that spoke for itself.
Soup lines a mile long stretched the area. Everyone got a fourth of a bag of rice, beans, or a can of food forter. It was horrifying.
[Unemployment over 90% due to travel restrictions and Qi Sickness infection.]
"Essential workers cannot get to work." Sage exined, "So people are walking miles to work and finding it hazardous because they need to get in food lines.
Additionally, raw fuel can''t get to the power nts. For that reason, it is projected less than two weeks remain before the Meridian City power grid shuts down.
Evenmunications work will break down around then. The economy is decimated."
She showed a video showcasing when and where the power grid would go out. People could see how quickly their family''s home would go out on an interactive map.
[Hospitals overrun or razed. Medical care unavable.]
"Hospitals are overrun or destroyed, meaning that sick families starving or dying of pneumonia cannot get medicine or help." Sage said soberly.
Arial footage of Maryworth Hospital shed on the wall, a proud disy of Kaze''s work.
The building got razed, and thousands of people''s charred remainsy on the ground.
[Breaking! Malta''s water supply is at risk!]
"Most importantly, the influx of burning and breaking pipes has released water pressure." Sage announced.
"Tap water will soon disappear, and the government is building water stations to prevent millions from dying of thirst.
However, people cannot get to the water stations due to long lines.
Most people south of Manrock Bridge will die from thirst unless they distill ocean water themselves."
No one could believe what they were hearing, even the cab members. Economics was something that people didn''t think about until they were dying or suffering.
"By contrast, this is where you''re living." Sage continued dryly.
The redhead showed videos of Immortal Skye, its facilities, and recreation.
"There is ample food supply tost six months in rtivefort, farnd, a full economy, electricity from backup generators, and recreation." She exined straightly.
"If you stay at Immortal Skye, you''ll live in greaterfort thanst month.
You''ll suffer, starve, and die if you leave. It''s that simple."
Pandamonium and chaos instantly broke out in the room.
"If that''s true, I need to save my little sisters!"
"Why didn''t we know about this!?"
"I can''t leave my mom; she''s sick!"
Kaze rolled his eyes in exasperation, annoyed that Sage didn''t have more tact. He waved his hand, and a faint green light illuminated the room slightly before disappearing.
Everyone took sharp breaths, turning to him with gratitude for bringing them back to Earth.
"Demanding the rational is treacherous if it makes the listeners [irrational], and thus unable to ept it." Kaze growled under his breath, making her smile ruefully.
"Listen, everyone." Kylie said, drawing everyone''s attention, "I have two younger brothers, a sister, a mother, a father, and friends I don''t want to leave behind.
However, they''re all likely gone. We''d be dead if we didn''t learn a technique at the apocalypse party."
"Yeah, about that." Linusughed, holding his hand that hadn''t functioned well since Kaze touched it with Yang Qi, "It was called the fucking apocalypse party.
You knew what would happen. Yet you let dozens of people die and didn''t let us help our families?"
"Anyone with Minor Vision could tell what was happening." Kaze replied calmly, ncing at the man''s traumatized hand, "It''s like Yang Qi contacting other Yang Qi.
I didn''t need to experience it to know what would happen when more Qi hit the world."
Linus'' face heated up in savage anger after Kaze taunted him about his hand.
It was a sensitive spot, as his hand no longer functioned properly. He understood he was at fault, but he still felt angry his "teacher" let him hurt himself.
So he pushed forward in a flight of passion.
Contrary to expectations, the emperor''s regent stepped in front of the man with a calm face.
"Sit down, Linus." Jake ordered calmly.
"Or what?" Linus asked mockingly, "What will Kaze''s dog do to me? Hurt me like your master, boy?"
"No, I''ll remove you from this room like a child." Jake replied calmly, "I''ll do it so effortlessly and without resistance that it will damage your ego.
Even a dog like me doesn''t have to hurt you because you''re harmless and hurt yourself."
Linus'' face flushed red when Jake nced at his hand, but his emotions reversed when the regent nced at the wall, showing a slide about mass starvation.
"I''ll just make you leave, like anyone who insults someone in their home." The regent continued, "It''s not a violent action; it''s just natural.
Tell me, Linus. Do you want me to escort you out of my master''s home?"
[Important: This one strategy meeting provides insights into andslide of juicy developments and strategies, and there are short, periodic shbacks to it. Before you read it:
1. **This story is linear.** shbacks give insights into the present. Present development > shback to this meeting > present development.
2. The shback ends in the same chapter, and they are explicitlybeled.
3. shback to meeting: July 1st, 2032 | Strategy Meeting | 6 Days Until the Rapture
4. Returning to present: July 3st, 2032 | Immortal Skye Amphitheater | 4 Days Until the Rapture
The shbacks are super simple and wellbeled; they''re not psychological. Thanks for reading!]
Chapter 121 Heroes
Jake''s calm rationality when he asked Linus if he wanted to be escorted out of his [master''s home] made his words feel far more ruthless.
It was as if he detached from his ego and let every word and action be ammo.
Everyone watched Linus, waiting to see what he''d do. After swallowing nervously, he nced at everyone and then at his hand.
"Look." Linus sighed, looking at the emperor, "I''m an idiot with a temper problem. I''ll work on it, so please don''t make me leave."
Kaze nced at the man with a piercing re that sent waves of shivers crawling down his spine.
"Then sit." Jake ordered calmly, answering in ce of his emperor. His calm was psychologically terrifying in its own way.
The athlete dry-swallowed and turned around, walked to a free spot in the back of the room, and sat obediently.
Jake made eye contact with Kaze, who gave him a solid nod of approval.
"Let''s pick up where I left off." Kylie announced assertively, "I have a family I want to be with, but they''re likely dead and nearly guaranteed to be soon.
I''m not here to convince you that Kaze saved your life or that our families are already gone.
Instead, you can see for yourself. This is police footage of what happened after the Qi influx at the apocalypse party.
It will show you everything you couldn''t see in the panic."
June 22nd, 2032 | The Apocalypse Party | Immediately After the Fourth Influx
The grassy party park at the apocalypse party had a rich aura illuminating it.
Everyone Kaze gave luminescent breathing to was glowing red and also surrounded by a faint green barrier, depleting fast from the calming emotions.
A ring chain reaction of emergency announcements from Malta''s government abruptly sounded on hundreds of phones simultaneously.
Due to overexposure to Qi, many are falling ill. If you have cultivation techniques, please post them online and help your friends, families, and partners learn them.
We will provide updates as soon as possible.
The drunk partygoers turned to the Lockheed students, flickering like a candlelight vigil, mourning the death of modern society.
There wasn''t a person who didn''t know what Illuminent Breathing was.
"They''re cultivating!" A woman screamed in panic, "The government says they need to share!"
Two dozen immediately descended upon the group. However, once they entered the green light, they calmed down instantly and closed their eyes.
The Forced Tranquility present could force someone into cultivation, and many people sat down to regain their bnce.
Seeing the strange technique working in the background, the partygoers began picking up rocks. Then
THUD! Thud! Thud, thud, thud. "GahhhhHH!"
A person attempting to throw a rock took a blunt wave of Qi to the chest, sending them flying and rolling on the ground.
"What the fuck was that!?"
"That was a cultivation technique!"
"It must have been them!"
"Are you insane? Those people are cultivating with their eyes closed."
"The fuck you just say to me?"
"I''m saying they can''t attack you when they''re cultivating, you idiot."
"Hah! You''re right. That means it was someone here!"
A fight broke out, with five people getting pulled in instantly.
"Calm down! Where''s Kaze? He was the one that gave everyone that technique, right?"
"You''re right!"
"KAZE!"
"Kaze!"
"Answer us, you sick motherfucker!"
"I just realized this, but he gave everyone a technique super easily, right? That means he left us all to suffer and maybe die!"
"Yeah, he came here, taught people that technique, and bounced, leaving us to suffer!"
"KAZE! GET OUT HERE, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"
"I''m going to fucking kill that guy!"
The green barrier and the Lockheed student''s Illuminesent Breathing ended abruptly.
"Wait what happened?" Kylie muttered in confusion, opening her eyes to the sound of screaming and yelling.
"I don''t know." Sammy replied, looking around in shock.
"They''re awake!" A woman yelled.
A flood of partygoers swarmed them instantly.
"The technique!" Someone yelled, "We need that cultivation technique!"
Kylie''s eyes trembled in confusion. "Technique? This technique is avable to everyone online."
"Don''t give me that shit!" A woman snapped, "No one could learn that technique online.
Yet everyone here learned it instantly in one night?"
"W-Whoa, calm down!" Sammy requested frantically, "Kaze touched our foreheads, and we just learned it. We don''t know why."
"Wait! So it was that motherfucker!"
"Yeah, he gave these hoes the technique and left everyone to die!"
"Hey!" A brte yelled indignantly, "I''m not a hoe, and fuck off!"
A dozen people turned to the petite brte with crazed eyes.
One woman instantly tackled her, sending her into other Lockheed students waking from cultivation.
The brte fought to break free, but the woman held her by the hair.
One of the men in the area followed, kicking her in the stomach.
"Did you just hit a fucking woman!" An Asian man yelled, decking the man in the face.
"Don''t hit my friend!" Another yelled, punching the Asian in the back of the head.
A massive brawl broke out in the area, with the fighting women getting trampled.
Kylie grabbed Sammy''s hand. "Let''s get out of here!"
"What about Whitney and Sage?" Sammy cried, "We can''t leave them!"
"Shut up, let''s move." Kylie yelled, pulling her friend''s arm just in time to prevent a falling man from crashing on top of her, "Let''s run! We also can''t help Whitney if we''re dead!"
They ran away with another fifty students, with and without the technique, who escaped in their direction.
As they did, a mob chased after them, screaming to give them the technique.
The drone footage zoomed in on the side streets.
Mercenary teams waited in alleyways in tactical gear. Once the students got near, they jumped out, shooting sleeping gas into the area.
They immediately identified their targets and bagged their heads as quickly as possible, zip-tying their hands and lifting them into trucks with more sleeping gas.
The mercenaries beat everyone else with batons and shot tear gas into the crowd after they acquired their targets.
It wasn''t fair, as most were just fleeing like the students. However, it was necessary to contain more than two hundred people chasing their targets.
Meanwhile, at the park, the woman beaten initially was on the ground, dazed from being trampled.
Her back got damaged from falling on someone and getting stepped on, so she could only scream for help as a man walked up, unbuckling his belt.
"Get over here, you cultivator whore." Heughed sadistically, "I''m not going out without onest go, and you''re scum."
CrrraaaCkKK!
The woman watched in horror as the man''s neck twisted abruptly, instantly snapping. The predator dropped to the ground lifelessly, causing a panic.
Golden light radiated around the woman, and her injuries healed instantly. Shey there in disbelief, unable to process what had happened.
"That was a cultivation technique!"
"She has one, after all!"
"Give it to us!"
"Wait, she killed that guy!"
The woman froze instead of running away. She had only been healed for less than twenty seconds before people began trampling her again.
Everyone kicking her got hit by an invisible force, sending them flying a dozen feet again. It broke some of their bones, and they screamed in pain.
"Run, you fool!" A male voice yelled in the night as her body glowed and her wounds healed again.
"K-Kaze?" She stumbled, unwilling to move, "Where are you?"
"Run, Leera! How many times must you be beaten"
Unfortunately, she was focused on the voice in the background instead of her environment.
Midsentence, another mob descended upon her.
8:00 a.m. | July 1st, 2032 | Lockheed Mansion | 6 Days Until the Rapture
Kylie stopped the video there, looking at everyone''s horror-stricken expressions.
"I''m sure everyone has a different perspective on what happened that night now that you''ve seen it for yourself." She asserted.
"There are a lot of things you may take from this videobut there''s only one thing that matters.
Kaze taught us a technique, and we''re fine. Those he didn''t teach instantly turned into aggressive, homicidal animals, and some became predators.
Then they rioted, razed the city, and killed people. You saw the footage.
Everyone in the world experienced thisincluding our friends and families.
Kaze saved our lives, and we should be grateful, but he didn''t save our families, so they''re likely gone."
"That technique... the invisible one that helped Leera..." A voice remarked emotionally in the room, capturing everyone''s attention.
"It wasn''t a dream!" Larkin yelled, "That was you that saved my life from those guys beating me up, wasn''t it, Scrawn!?"
The emperor glided his eyes to his jester slowly with a cold re and then back to the students.
He wanted to deny it, to prevent favoritism ims and hide his healing technique, but their eyes said they wouldn''t believe otherwise.
"If I were, do you think I''d confess to crimes in another country?" Kaze asked calmly, "I am many things, but I am not a fool."
Larkin''s eyes lit up when he saw his nomittal expression.
He pulled his elbow back, closed his eyes, turned to the sky, and let out his characteristic battle cry with tears rolling down his eyes. "Scrawn fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
The room exploded in a mixed bag of emotions, manyughing with awkward pain in their voice.
They saw Larkin, who Kaze saved directly, crying. It was something no one felt was possible.
Many started crying after they stoppedughing.
After a few minutes of emotional processing, the emperor''s spokeswoman brought people back to focus.
"Listen, everyone." Kylie requested loudly, "You can leave Immortal Skye tomorrow.
But first, please remember what it was like to get attacked by desperate people who demanded you help them.
I ask you never forget what happened to Leera or Larkin in the panic."
The Lockheed students shuddered, holding onto her every word.
"There are two thousand desperate people in Immortal Skye." Kylie warned chillingly.
"If we don''t band together and contain them, the scene we relieved will repeat on a farrger scale.
If you leave tomorrow, no one will me you. We have friends and families, and leaving them behind is hard without knowing if they''re gone.
But first, consider the massacre and injustices that will ur here if we don''t keep order.
We''re the only people that stand between thousands of people and the fate you just reexperienced.
We can save countless lives, protect countless women, and ensure a tragedy doesn''t happen.
Please consider that before deciding between being [an elite] and leaving."
She concluded her statement and let people process her words.
After five seconds of rapid whispering, Larkin yelled out in assent, and cheers rang out in the room. It was an emotional moment.
Determination filled everyone''s eyes, and those who wanted to leave didn''t me Kaze.
While everyone was wrecked, everyone sessfully transposed their experience on both their parents and the faction members.
No one looked forward to facing tomorrow, but they felt obligated to prevent women from being assaulted and a massacre from urring.
To be heroes.
The emperor looked at his spokeswoman in satisfaction, pleased that his judgment was not misced.
July 1st, 2032 | Strategy Meeting | 6 Days Until the Rapture
"With that footage, I can close." Kylie replied unwaveringly, "No matter how much risk it presents, showing that footage is necessary.
The footage shows how fast people changed.
We can use that to convince everyone that their families were instantly affected and are already gone.
Their imaginations will magnify the potential oues, making them terrified of returning home."
Everyone nced at the cute brte with puffy eyes in disbelief, confused about how the cheerleader spoke of trauma tactics like their leader.
Only the emperor smiled, satisfied that the woman had correctly interpreted and learned her job.
"More importantly, they''ll remember what happened that night." Kylie continued, "And we''ll truthfully exin they''re needed to prevent that.
After they transpose the massacre on the people around them, they''ll find saving everyone to be a duty.
Everyone wants to be a hero."
"I''m impressed by your keen awareness of human behavior." Kaze smiled, giving her an earnest expression, "So I will entrust the task to you.
Do not let me down, as a task of this magnitude has no room for mistakes."
Kylie nodded confidently. "I won''t let you down."
Chapter 122 The Elites: Whisper Campaign
July 1st, 2032 | Strategy Meeting | 6 Days Until the Rapture
"We''ll use Kylie''s strategy for winning over the elites." Kaze announced, finalizing it.
"Moving on, our objective today is to spread unconfirmed news of the apocalypse word of mouth."
Evalyn furrowed her brows. "Spread rumors? Why would we gamble with panic before we can address it. Isn''t that what we''re here to prevent?"
"Cheerful people who experience loss abruptly receive far more trauma than those expecting or desensitized to it." Kaze exined.
"So we must seed confused negative thoughts into their minds."
"It''s called a whisper campaign." Kylie supplemented, "It''s like what you did with us the other night, but it''s unconfirmed.
We''ll release rumors about the situation, and they''ll spread like wildfire.
Everyone will believe it while simultaneously knowing it''s a baseless rumor. So there''s no reason to panic, but everyone''s stressed anyway."
Evalyn''s eyes glided to the left in thought. "Won''t that have a long-term damaging effect?
We''ll invalidate our words if we seed the idea that rumors may be urate."
"No, no. We''ll be exaggerating to make it far worse." Kaze smiled, "The extravagance makes it less believable long-term, and the real news will seem lesser byparison.
It allows our words to remain absolute and deal with a counterbncing force."
Evalyn smiled wryly. "I see the value, but the strategy doesn''t meet the circumstances.
No amount of exaggeration can live up to the abstract seriousness of what''s happening outside.
The truth will confirm even the most oundish rumors we give."
Kaze''s eyes glided to the left in thought. "That''s true. The 10% sickness rate will jump soon, so exaggerating will beplicated.
This situation is truly unique and problematic. Is there another strategy anyone can think of?"
"Why don''t we just y reverse telephone to scramble-hack their brains?" Kiera asked, startling everyone present, "... What is that look for? Is it the word choice? Or."
It wasn''t that. It was because the beautiful pink-haired teen was sitting on Kaze''sp like a party girlfriend. So it wasn''t a problem; just unexpected.
"No I understand thenguage." Evalyn replied awkwardly, unwilling to voice her reason for surprise, "I''m unsure what you''re suggesting."
Kiera sighed a silent breath of relief. "I see, I see. This is what I was thinking."
9:00 a.m. | July 1st, 2032 | Training Grounds | 6 Days Until the Rapture
After Kaze and the cab members convinced the Lockheed elites to stay and help, they finally made their entrance into Immortal Skye.
While most were just showing off, select elites were on a mission.
"I don''t get why [I''m] doing this." Rein muttered bitterly, walking to a cultivation spot, "I''m bad at lying."
Kaze turned the shirt-haired woman into his puppet after destroying the Kaze Kills College Students faction by offering her an ultimatum between power and destruction.
However, after the news of the apocalypse hit, she became his practical supporter and equally bitter puppet.
"The Emperor asked you to take on the role because you don''t lie." Brad chuckled breathlessly, "He just wants you to tell a toned-down version of the truth."
"Watering down the apocalypse is like trying to dilute oil with water." Rein replied dryly.
"Yeah, but with Kiera''s strategy, everyone will treat you like you''re crazy today regardless." Heughed.
"That''s what I don''t like." She huffed.
"Don''t worry; they''ll trust you and treat me like I''m crazy tomorrow." Brad smiled, "So let''s just y the role and prevent serious issues."
The Lockheed elites stood at the training grounds, surrounded by two thousand faction members looking at them in interest.
Kaze chose Veronica, Rein, Brad, Sammy, Lily, and Whitney to lead an operation that training session.
Not only were they disseminating information, but they also had another objective
BOOOOM!
"Woah!"
"What the hell was that?"
"Thatdy is hot as fuck!"
"You''re focusing on her looks and not the crater she just left in the ground!?"
"Priorities!"
Veronica looked at the target in the distance with a twitching cheek. "Tch. What''s the point of precision training if the attack makes everything explode?"
Kaze imprinted the earth sh technique on the top elite''s brains directly and had them pretend they learned it in record speed as the other elites sat down to learn it.
As a result, she knew the technique but didn''t have a good aim. So when she released a massive sh, it only served to make the target and everything around it to explode.
Kaze smiled and waved his hand. A massive gust of wind blew through the area, picking up a cloud of dirt and dumping it into the location.
He waved his hand after the wind stopped and water shower down topact the soil.
Everyone was stunned, even Evalyn, who watched from the sidelines. He never ceased to amaze her.
"Next." Kaze smiled, "Let''s get on with it."
BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom! Boom! BOOM!
People watched in a daze as the Lockheed students decimated the training grounds using the same technique.
Since most missed the target, the members realized they were honestly new to the situation.
"Next!" Kaze smiled, looking at Rein with a mysterious smile.
Rein rolled her eyes, scoffing breathlessly as she stepped forward.
She used Minor Vision to get a better feeling of the area, making the emperor smile.
After locking on to the steel target in the distance, she waved her hand.
Whoooosh, shhhhhhiiiiink! CraaaCK! BOOM! Boom! Boom.
The faction members gasped in shock and awe when her warping sh cut through the air, cutting the human target''s stomach in half and moving into the distance to cut down a dozen trees.
It was a raw, undisputed showcase of power.
"Wow! That''s amazing!"
"What''s your name!?"
"How did you do that so wlessly?"
"I''m not doing anything special." Rein blushed slightly, ring at Kaze with an indignant expression for getting her rushed by people. "I''m just preparing to protect myself. It''s good motivation."
Everyone cocked their heads to the side in confusion.
"Protect yourself? Why do you sound like it''s necessary?"
Kaze grinned and walked away nonchntly, leaving to watch the farce y out another line.
"The entire world''s going to shit right now. Why else would this ce be swarming with military members?" Rein asked at their tant ignorance and unwillingness to think.
The faction members fell silent with beating hearts.
They looked for Kaze but found him in the distance with other members, so they couldn''t confirm anything she was saying!
"You''re exaggerating, and it''s concerning others, Rein." Brad scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Soldiers said the government is gearing up for war with Russia.
So you don''t have to get bent over something that hasn''t happened yet."
"You overheard the builders turning this [retreat] into a military base." Rein scoffed, "They''re living onsite; they''re just as ignorant as we are."
Brad sighed, ncing at the other members with an apologetic expression.
"Yeeeeeeeaaaaah about~that." Kiera sighed in an offensive, highly-sarcastic voice, "I don''t know who you are or what you''re saying, but I am certain of one thing.
If you''re ignorant, he''s ignorant, and those military builders are ignorant, it means ya''ll have no clue what''s happening outside.
So can you stop the conjecture and let other people practice?"
Rein''s eyes shed with murder, getting humiliated and denounced as crazy by the person who created the strategy.
"She''s right, Rein." Brad said, nudging his head away from the line. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stormed away.
The calm athlete walked out of line, turning to everyone with a dazzling, awkward smile. "Yeah, sorry about that.
Truth is, no one knows why we''re turning this ce into a military base. It could be anything, and there are a ton of crazy conspiracy theories.
I''ll go and get out of everyone''s way."
Before anyone could say anything, Brad summoned the blueprint for the earth-grade sh technique, which Kaze personally imprinted on his mind.
He waved his hand, and a sh of warping Qi, the size of Rein''s, cut through the targets for his line and the line on either side of him.
However, the Kaze added some re from a distance.
He waved his [left] hand, and a wall of counterclockwise Qi materialized at ghostly speed. Just like his demonstration to Kiera
BOOOOOOM!
the two directions of rotating Qi collided in a horrifying explosion.
The st ripped through thend, sending dust clouds shooting across thend to release Kic force.
Every faction member froze, watching the mind-bending disy of force.
They turned to the athlete, whose eyebrow was twitching, uncertain what had happened.
"I suppose it''s time to reinforce dummies and set up walls to prevent serious damage." Kaze pped, getting everyone''s attention, "Soon, everyone will be able to do this.
It''ll happen sooner if you build rtionships with the elites, so make sure to introduce yourself and be friendly.
You should know who they are now, yes?"
Everyone chuckled in bewilderment, then waited nervously for confirmation he had stopped talking.
The emperor smiled deviously. "Be gentle to them; you may begin."
Pandemonium and chaos broke out instantly, and dozens of people instantly suffocated Brad and Rein.
Subconsciously, both became far more trustworthy in everyone''s eyes.
So when the conversation about the [elites] came up, so would the conversation about the Russian war and conspiracy theory the world was destroyed.
Since the theories were opposing, the rumors would spread quickly through conversation.
However, there was a twist, and when everyone talkedter, they''d immediately find themselves pacing in circles, helplessly [scramble-hacked].
Chapter 123 The Elites: The Scramble-Hack
After the emperor''s deration, the top elites, who headed the operation, got swarmed.
"Hi, I''m Lily!" Lily announced cheerfully, "It''s nice to meet you all!"
The fact members were stunned by her dazzling smile. Kaze shamelessly chose her for her looks, so the blonde was also a ten in the beauty department.
Moreover, if there was one thing she loved and craved, it was poprity and attention. Lily was meant for the role.
"Hey, how did you be an elite?"
"You were so cool!"
"Is there some type of criteria for being elite?"
"Will you teach me?"
"Where have you guys been?"
"Um.... I''m one of the people who showcased remarkable talent during the recruitment period." Lily exined, telling everyone the official backstory.
"Instead of immediately training with you, we trained with Malta''s special forces division."
The faction members cocked their heads to the side in confusion.
"What do you mean by special forces teams?"
"Are there other cultivators we haven''t met?"
"You mean like the military?"
Sammy, the dark-haired brte from Evalyn''s old tennis team, was getting swarmed. However, she instantly turned her head to Lily''s group on cue.
"One second, everyone." She requested, giving her swarmers an apologetic look, "Yes, the military.
Cultivation is a military art form. So the Emperor is training Malta''s soldiers here too."
Many looked at one another in wry confusion. Only a fifth of the people who joined Immortal Skye expected to be soldiers.
"I was worried, but now I think it''s awesome." Lily giggled, "There are many jobs in the military.
Everyone trains as soldiers to be ready for anything, but most people live ordinary lives on the base.
When you think about it like that, it''s a blessing, right?"
Many people lit up in excitement at her words. The benefits of learning self-defense seemed attractive, and it inspired people to take offensive training seriously.
"I suppose you''re right." Sammy smiled, "Plus, the [support training] we''re doing right now is pretty useful."
"Support training?"
"What''s that?"
"Can you talk about it?
Lily smiled and addressed them warmly. "Of course! Right now, we''re doing precision training.
We haverge targets that represent buildings and wreckage.
Our job is to sh specific points to make them copse safely, preventing harm to the people we save.
It''s pretty amazing knowing that we save people in fires now."
Excitement rippled through the crowd, and it spread the word like wildfire.
Kaze watched from a distance, satisfied that the two were spreading the positive virtues of military training to others.
However, Veronica and Whitney had the opposite conversation in their groups.
"Come on, Veronica." Whitney whined, "Why do you have to be so pessimistic?"
"Why?" Veronica chuckled caustically, "It''s because we''re doing special forces training to fight [something] unnatural outside these walls."
The faction members gasped and backed away, letting the two talk.
"We''re at a three-month retreat without wi-fi, just like we''ve signed up for." Whitney replied in exasperation, "Cultivation is a military art form.
So stop acting like the world''s ending because we''re doing military training. You''re just made you can''t text your boyfriend."
The ck-haired pixie scoffed in disbelief, rolling her eyes with her mouth open. "Is that a joke?
Thest time I checked, military members use cut-outs of humvees, nes, and humans.
They don''t userge, moving blob targets and precisely hit vital spots."
"Those targets represent debris, idiot." Whitney scoffed.
"Yeah, debris that moves ten feet to the left and right at variable speed?" Veronicaughed, "The whole target moves! Don''t make meugh.
It looks like a monster, moves like a monster, and we treat it like a monster. So it''s probably debris, right?"
"If we can hit it with precision while it''s moving, then we''ll be able to do it when it''s still." The blonde snapped in exasperation, "We''re [special forces]. Elites.
Immortal Skye isn''t making us firefighters. So stop being a conspiracy theorist; it''s creepy."
Everyone dry-swallowed, looking between the two with beating hearts.
Veronica was an elite amongst elites. So her conspiracy theories and doomsaying weren''t immediately ignored as they should have been.
However, Whitney provides a rational and believable counterbnce to her ims, matching her with the official story on every line.
They didn''t know who to believe in the situation.
"Whatever, Whitney." Veronicaughed breathlessly, "If you want to parrot their exact words verbatim, go for it. But don''t insult people who think."
She walked away with a scowl, leaving Whitney to deal with the throngs of concerned faction members alone.
"Sorry about that." Whitney chuckled awkwardly, "She''s just bitter that she came here thinking it was a simple retreat and is now training with the military.
Cultivation is a military art form, so naturally, the military is a client, and the special forces are training with us.
Still, it''s making people nervous, and we can''t look it up on the inte like we''re used to. So there are a lot of crazy conspiracy theories. Ignore them."
...
Kiera watched the effects of her suggestion from a hidden corner of the prepping building with a trembling heart.
She felt guilty for participating in the mass maniption schemes, especially when the immediate effect was intentionally negative.
It only magnified her anxiety, which was already unbearable, making it hard for her to breathe.
However, she trusted Kaze and knew what he was doing was for the best, so she watched in horror, forcing herself to [grit her teeth and bear it].
"Did you hear? Monsters came to earth alongside the cultivators.
They''re training us to fight them. That''s why the military is here."
"What are you talking about?"
"You know those elites? They said they practice onrge monster targets that move at lightning speed. 30 feet tall, I heard."
"That sounds scary."
"Ignore them, Michelle. The elites told me that they''re practicing support training, cutting debris of walls, so they copse in a direction that hurts people."
"Hey, don''t treat me like I''m fear-mongering. I was in line with the woman who was talking about it."
"What are you guys talking about?"
"The monster targets the elites are training with."
"The wreckage targets. Stop talking about monsters."
"Wait up. This is serious deja vu."
"What do you mean?"
"Crazy Pixie told everyone they were monster targets, and the rational woman beside her kept exining they were support targets."
"Crazy Pixie?"
"Yeah, that''s what people are calling here. She''s super hot but her ck pixie cut kinda makes her look like a super opinionated lesbo."
"What does her haircut have to do with what she was saying? I want to know about monsters."
"Oh, right. I was bringing that up because she was pure FUD, man. She was snapping like a butch social justice warrior only about monsters."
"On with it. Seriously, what''d she say?"
"She kept pointing out that [no one] knew what was happening."
"Wait, not even the military?"
"Yeah, that was the crazy part. Why wouldn''t the special forces know?"
"Nah, that sounds too crazy."
"Hey guys, I overheard you... I also heard that from the elites in my line. They argued on what''s happen, but everyone agreed that no one knows what''s happening, even the military."
"Wait, what did they say about the monsters?"
"The monsters? What are you talking about?"
"Wait, what did you hear?"
"Apparently, we''re going to war with Russia; the only thing in dispute is whether we''re at war right now."
"Wait! What!? We''re going to war right now?"
"Yeah, that''s what one of the elites overheard one of the military members saying.
I guess this ce is like 10,000 miles away from Malta, so we can''t see the jets."
"Yo, calm down. I know they put us to sleep to get here, but we weren''t asleep for eighteen hours, yo."
"Yeah, I left at 5 am, and the sun rose when I got here. This is all FUD, man.
Most of the elites keep reminding us that cultivation is a military art form and the military is a client. That''s why they''re training.
From what I''m hearing, it sounds like two salty women and some guy are spreading FUD, and we''re all freaking out now, yeah?"
,m "I agree with all the rational people. But it still worries me because I don''t know and can''t check. You know?"
"Right? I wish I had never heard the rumors. They''re kinda ruining my day."
"I wish that we could just check our phones for a moment. Then we could go back to having fun."
July 1st, 2032 | Strategy Meeting | 6 Days Until the Rapture
"You know the game telephone?" Kiera began, exining the [scramble-hack].
"You start with a simple message, and then everyone tells the story to the person next to them to see how wild it gets at the end.
It''s yed in two directions to see which side can get the most urate version of the truth."
"Yeah, I think everyone knows that." Sage replied dryly.
"While it always results in three versions of a story, they share the same topic, so people believe the topic, which is the problem." Kiera continued, ignoring the redhead.
"But if we were to release drastically conflicting versions of the truth from the beginning, everyone would argue over the events and won''t believe anything. It''s a [scramble].
Here''s the [hack]. We''d introduce two ridiculous conspiracy theories and the story [we want].
For example, we''d spread rumors we''re training for a world war with Russia and fighting a cultivator monster attack. Two conspiracy theories.
Then we''d add our message as the voice of reason.
Cultivation is a military art formit''s great for self-defense, it''s the cure for cancer, shill, shill, shill.
Now everyone''s arguing over conspiracies they don''t believe, and people are spreading our message to be reasonablemilitary training solves problems, not panicking.
Monster attack? Military training. Russian war? Military training. Cultivation school? Military training. It''s a win-win."
Evalyn''s eyes glided to the left. "That''s brilliant... but if we do that, won''t it shock everyone when they find out there really is a major problem?"
"No, it''ll help us a lot." Kiera shook her head, "Tomorrow, we''lle out and tell them there''s a pandemic breaking out.
It''s neither a war nor a monster attack. No one can get mad at us after they spread fake news everywhere, thus diluting the small amounts of truth.
They''ll me each other, not us."
Everyone but the emperor gave Kiera strange expressions, stunned by the peculiar pink-haired teen sitting on Kaze''sp.
July 1st, 2032 | Training Grounds | 6 Days Until the Rapture
Kiera sighed, watching her strategy [killin'' it] in the wild.
Everything turned out just as she expected. People were discrediting the conspiracy theories with their messages but fueling the fear anyway. It was brilliant.
However, there was something that she didn''t ount for.
-
"Yeah, but still. Where''s the Emperor? If someone asked him, it would clear all this anxiety."
"I wish that guy wouldn''t just disappear during practice. It''s kinda annoying."
"Right? Is he even teaching us anything? Or just giving us resources and letting us yell at each other."
-
When the pink-haired teen heard people start shit-talking Kaze, her heart pulsed violently.
It was uncharacteristic for her, but it didn''t change the situation.
Her anxiety disappeared, her emotions boiled her blood, and her eyes shed with murderous intent.
"Hey, mourn hub!" Kiera yelled, storming over to the group.
The group talking shit about Kaze turned to her in confusion.
"Yeah, youthe lot with eighth-grade syndrome." She scoffed, ring at them with her typically cute but currently savage face on disy.
"There''s a post-apocalyptic Russian nuclear war with cultivation monsters raging outside.
Ya''ll should check it out. It''s fuckin'' lit."
The men and women were baffled, trying to decipher what had just happened.
"Wait, are you telling us to go die or something?" A man asked in stupefaction.
"Yeah, that''s [exactly] what I''m saying." Kiera confirmed venomously, "Isn''t that what you want?
Apparently, the world''s falling apart, yet everyone''s chillin'' at a baller 5-star resort in mansions, swimming, learning billion-dor techniquesrent-free.
Since everyone''s bitching about the person giving them everything and how they''re not doing enough, I thought you didn''t like it here."
"Look, we''re not trying to start anything here." A man said, "Right, Cher?"
The blonde next to her was not reconciliatory. The built-up stress from thest few hours hit a breaking point, and her eyes turned equally vicious.
"That''s right, Mark. We weren''t doing anything or starting problems." Cher confirmed caustically, "Yet this bitch walked up telling us to go die.
Now there is a problem, and I''ll rip her pretty little face off if she doesn''t leave."
Chapter 124 Amygdala Hijack
"You''ll rip my face off?" Kieraughed, eyeing Cher''s meridians in amusement, "You''re too busyining to learn cultivation and can''t even tell the difference between us.
Your poor meridians are useless, suffocating, and nearly toxic. They''re much like you, but they have hope of improvement."
They looked like each was trying to breathe randomly, gasping for air without cirction. A single nce was a huge ego boost.
Cher''s eyes shed with murder, but her eyes trembled, looking at the confident pink-haired teen with narrowed eyes.
"Are you being serious about my meridians?" She asked in aggressive interest.
"Of course." The teen scoffed, rolling her eyes, "You''re a well for inspiration when ites to insults, so I wouldn''t choose one this obscure if it weren''t true."
The blonde''s eyebrow twitched, and many men snickered at her savage insults. They were devastating.
"How do you know?" Cher asked sharply, "Or are you just lying and starting shit simultaneously."
"I can see your Qi breathing into your meridians." Kiera replied straightly, "Amendment: [Trying].
They look like they have [ck lung]. Where do you cultivate? In a coal mine?"
The blonde''s patience was wearing thin, but she, like the others, was curious about how the pink-haired teen could see Qi.
"Can you stop insulting my cultivation and tell me how you''re seeing it?" Cher snapped.
"I reeeeee~ally hate the idea of you saying that Kaze isn''t teaching you and then demanding that others teach you." Kiera replied dryly, "But!
I really want to see your face, so I''ll teach you. Cover your eyes with Elemental Qi.
That warping smoke shes against the other warping smoke, making it easy to see."
"What?" Cher asked, "How the fuck am I supposed to do that?"
"I''m not gonna lie; that sounds super dangerous." Mark said with narrowed eyes, "Elemental Qi cuts things in half.
Yet you''re asking us to put it on our eyes?"
"Look, as much as I''d love to see you go blind, convincing noobs to attack themselves is bad on the rep." Kiera replied dryly.
"Since I''ve learned your offensive behavior is a devastating side effect of your stupidity, not of your genuine personality, I''ll take my leave."
"Wait! Get back here, cunt!" Cher yelled to the teen, walking away, "There are a dozen people here that saw you starting shit and only one of you.
That''s twelve to one agreeing on disorderly conduct in a world where vignte justice is encouraged.
So you have two options. First, we''ll report you, and you can say goodbye to Immortal Skye.
Or, you can prove you''re serious about my meridians. We won''t get you kicked out if you''re not lying."
Kieraughed sharply. It was almost a hup. She couldn''t believe what she had just heard.
There was nothing funny about the situation.
She didn''t like someone insinuating that they''d get her kicked out of her new home.
However, she reversed course and burst into giggles when she realized there was something funny about the scene.
"You think I''m joking cunt!?" The blonde snapped.
"No! It''s not that!" Kiera cried, giggling harder, "It''s just that I reeeeeeeally, really, really-really-really fuckin'' hate when [someone] proves how bad my cultivation is.
It''s hard to believe you''re asking for it!"
The blonde heated up and moved her hand back, preparing to attack if necessary.
However, the teen put her hand up from her bent-over position. "No! No! I''ll teach you about your meridians."
Kiera took deep breaths and got up slowly, giving the woman a sinister smirk. "Are you sure, though?
I don''t want you to bawl at your unappreciated leader once you realize how bad you suck.
That''d be pathetically unjust, you know? Asking for something then trying to gang up on me once I give you what you want?"
"What, are you gonna attack me, then im I''m weaker?" The woman asked sarcastically.
"No." Kiera smiled strangely, touching her index to her thumb, "I need only raise my fingers like this, and then turn them like a car key to show you."
The blondeugh-scoffed at the teen''s arrogance. "Let''s see it, hoe"
Kiera flicked her fingers clockwise a dozen times like she had seen Kaze do for hours during their training, and the Qi in the atmosphere twisted around the woman''s meridians.
"GahhhhhhhhhHHHH! WHAT IS THIS!" The blonde screamed, dropping to the ground, grasping her harms. Everyone in the area immediately turned in their direction.
"Your lung meridians." The teen giggled, "I''m forcing them to breath a teencie-tiny bit for the first time, and they''re getting railed like a virgin on prom night."
She waved her hand, and the blonde stopped screaming on the ground.
"Yeah, soooooooo. As I said, you asked for that." Kiera giggled, "So I think I''ll go now.
Remember to appreciate and pay attention and learn from our exalted leader now, kay?"
"Exalted leader?" Mark scoffed in disbelief, "Stop acting like a yandere and wake the fuck up.
You just attacked one of us over Kaze like an obsessive fan girl.
And don''t try ying off what you just did as a training exercise.
The results and witnesses speak for themselves; you''re done for."
"See, this is the pathetic whining I was talking about." Kiera scoffed indignantly, rolling her eyes, "Just stop it, kay? You''re just wasting everyone''s time.
Our leader can look at [wound floozy] there and verify what I did.
That''s because he''s a world-famousA.K.A [exalted]cultivator.
That''s why he''s running a cultivation faction and why he''s our leader, idiot.
You shouldn''t need me to tell you to treat him with some fucking respect."
"Hah! He''ll know at a nce?" Mark grinned, "Does that mean that he taught you?"
Kiera turned to him, staring into his soul with merciless golden eyes. "Yes. Our leader has awarded people techniques on multiple asions already.
It happens when people are good at cultivating, or they provide beneficial services like detoxification."
"Oh, I see." Markughed ominously, "You''re one of the women that slept with him and got techniques aren''t you?
You''reing to yell at us for being unsatisfied that he''s not teaching us, yet you''ve gotten strong because you''ve slept with him?
What a joke. It''s bad enough our teacher shamelessly sleeps with students and gives them rewards. He''s already turning women everywhere into whores."
Amygd hijack
amon medical issue where a person''s mind triggers the fight-or-flight response when there isn''t a real danger.
It''s closely associated with behavioral disorders where people snap randomly, or their personalities shift abruptly and then calm down.
Kiera Snow was quick-witted andshed out at people who mocked her reflexively.
However, it got triggered by self-consciousness and anxiety when people attacked her
not by anger when someone attacked another.
Yet, after spending hours hearing about the ns to save Cher, Mark, and the gang that morning, hearing him use Kaze of criminal behavior made her snap.
"You''ve misunderstood the rules." Kiera growled with a murderous gaze, "Our leader said that vignte justice is permissible so long as it''s to Immortal Skye''s benefit.
How is spreading panic-driving conspiracy theories and using our leader of misconduct beneficial to him or Immortal Skye?"
"Twelve to one says that it never happened." Another man said in a panic, understanding the situation.
"Yeah, you''re making up lies!"
"We should just take this girl out and exin the situation to Kaze."
"Yeah, that''s a good"
"Ahem!" Kiera coughed aggressively, "You''ve also understood the vignte justice system.
You should only try taking out a person if you''re strong enough to."
"You don''t think that we can''t handle you?" Mark scoffed, lifting his hand.
"Your noob shes don''t even touch me." She responded, extending her arms to the wingspan, imitating Kaze, "Trust me, cockwombles.
I wouldn''t harm my clothes to prove how stupid you are, let alone damage my reputation."
Chapter 125 Live For Me
"Fifty people just watched you ask for us to attack you!" Mark yelled to Kiera, "So don''t me uster!"
Six people waved their hands, releasing toned-down versions of their mortal sh technique.
Kiera watched the Qi in slow motion and twisted her hand. "Bend."
Unlike Kaze''s technique, her body allowed her to bend Qi in both directions, allowing her to brute force a directional shift.
She twisted her hand, switching the direction of the Qi downward. That way, it would hit the ground in a split second and send the entire group flying as the ground detonated.
The attack wouldn''t cut anyone or cause serious physical harm. However, all the Qi disappeared before it hit, leaving everyone stunned.
Despite that--
"Ack!" One of the men in the back gasped, his eyes bulging viciously, bing bloodshot. He instantly dropped to the earth and convulsed on the ground.
Golden light radiated on his body before impact, but hended on his face regardless.
"Wh-Wh-What... was that... wh-what''s wrong with me?" The man muttered, shaking on the ground.
"What''s wrong, Mitch?" Cher cried in confusion.
"I-I don''t know...." Mitch replied, twitching, "I felt the most excruciating pain of my life, and it disappeared instantly, but... but... my body. I-It won''t move right.
Just moving feels ufortable. It''s like breathing hurts!"
Kiera''s eyes trembled in horror. She knew what that golden light was: Paradox of Healing.
That meant--
"That imbecile is left-handed, you fool!" Kaze snapped, striding over to her with vexation painted on his face.
--she reversed Qi in the opposite direction, and it exploded in Mitch''s meridians.
Despite being healed instantly, Mitch couldn''t move his body because the feeling gave his lung meridian points trauma, and his body was afraid to move.
"F-Faction Leader, let me exin." Cher dry-swallowed, "This woman--"
"It doesn''t matter." Kaze replied bluntly, "No one is in trouble."
"Wait, no one''s in trouble?" Mark asked in disbelief, "Cher''s on the ground in pain and she did something horrifying to Mitch!"
The emperor turned to him with a gaze that made his life sh before his eyes.
"Kiera opened Cher''s meridians--that isn''t an attack." The emperor scoffed, "As for counterattacking, how should I punish her for harming Mitch?"
"I-I don''t know. He looks seriously hurt, so expulsion? Jail?" Mark dry-swallowed.
"Excellent. Kiera bent the trajectories of your [lethal] attacks downward to protect herself and the eleven people in the prep building." Kaze pped, pointing at the prep building.
"You eight leveled lethal attacks on her and almost destroyed the building, killing those eleven people. So tell me, Mark.
Would you like expulsion or prison? Immortal Skye is an independent nation, and I lead it. So I can grant your wish."
Everyone shook in fear, unbelieving what they heard.
"That''s what I thought, you insufferable imps." The emperor scolded, "You aren''t receiving punishment because Kiera''s partially to me. It''s an act of mercy.
Now make yourself scarce before I expel you for your recalcitrance.
Take Mitch to his bedroom. He''s recovered fully, but his arms have trauma from his lethal attack exploding on himself.
He may never be able to cultivate again because his mind will remember using a technique and causing his arms to explode.
That''s the price he paid for attacking someone with a military-grade weapon, nearly killing eleven people, over a petty squabble."
Everyone turned to Mitch with fear in their eyes.
"Mitch only has himself to me. So if I hear [anyone] ndering Kiera Snow for protecting eleven people''s lives in a non-lethal way, I''ll expel every witness present, involved or otherwise.
So I rmend that no one talks about what happened here, even if it''s to praise her."
Kaze grabbed Kiera, whose face showcased her perplexion, by the hand. "Let''s go, you fool.
As my apprentice, you should know not to fight weak members with real attacks."
Everyone gasped, hearing their rtionship, as he dragged her away.
The two strode into a mansion, where he opened a spatial rift and took her into his personal bunker.
It had a massive bed made from six king-sized mattresses stacked side-by-side. On the wall, there was a full speak-easy bar, ten booths for tables and seating, and a firece.
On the other side, there was a full kitchen, a private study, a bathroom with a huge bathtub that might as well be a hot tub, and entertainment technology.
It was the most absurd doomsday-prepping bunker ever.
"You now know the consequences of reversing Qi." Kaze dered viciously, "Can you tell me why you started a fight with those ants?"
She dry-swallowed and turned away in shame, sitting on his bed. "Amygd hijack?"
"That''s the most clever [and, or] rational excuse for irrational behavior imaginable." He chuckled with madness swirling in his eyes.
However, even if that''s true, you can answer. What triggered the hijack?"
"I felt extreme impulsive rage when peopleined about you not doing enough." Kiera replied quietly.
"I''m so grateful to be here right now, Kaze. I don''t know if I feel more appreciation today than yesterday because I''ve maxed out the gratitude scale."
He studied her expressions carefully, trying to decipher her stability.
"But I''ve lived that kind of life, you know?" She chuckled bitterly, "The type that would make you appreciate a ce to live, eat, and learn for free.
I get that not everyone can understand. So I can kinda get why people take the mansion sitch for granted, or whatever.
But hearing people im you''re not doing enough after our meeting today made me snap. Amygd hijack genuinely is all I''ve got."
Kaze closed his eyes and took a deep breath, uncertain whether he wanted to look deeper into her psyche, but he felt there wasn''t much choice.
He activated a vision technique to look at her Yin Qi to Yang Qi ratio.
The results made him cringe--70/30 in favor of Yin Qi.
Her attraction to males increased from 10% to 70% in a few days.
Kaze was certain--Kiera''s non-sexual emotions were inextricably tied to him.
While he didn''t mind if she was attached, the timing made the new connection profoundly inconvenient and dangerous.
"Kiera, what must I do to keep you calm andposed at this time?" He asked calmly, "You saw the consequences of reversing Qi. I don''t want that to happen to you."
Kiera looked up at him in fear and trembled, averting her gaze. "If you want to help me, give me a reason to live.
I''ve spent my whole life fighting to survive. The only thing that kept me going was a dream to find a real home where I didn''t have to scavenge and struggle.
Then I finally find my utopia and the fucking apocalypse hits. It''s a sick joke."
Kaze gave her a genuinely sympathetic frown. For aplex set of reasons, her story genuinely pained him.
"That dream I had--my reason for fighting on--is gone now." Kiera chuckled bitterly, "Permanently.
It''s a logical impossibility. So if you''re asking what I need, it''s a reason for fighting on."
The emperor closed his eyes slowly, considering his words carefully. After a few moments, he realized that there was only one--and it was counterintuitive.
"Giving you a [personal] reason to live is impossible." He asserted, making her eyes widen in false surprise, "However, there is a reason that''s powerful and universally effective."
She turned to him in surprise. "You''re serious?"
"I am." Kaze replied soberly, "If you need a reason to live, live for your ruler. Devote yourself to them, their visions, and their dreams."
Kiera stared at him nkly for a moment before her eyebrow twitched violently. "So wait, you''re saying my purpose in life should be to worship you?"
"I''ve presented an arbitrary historical fact." He replied dryly, "The fact that [I''m] your leader is irrelevant."
"No, no, no-no-no. Hold up, Mac. Junior!" Kiera demanded, "It''s totally relevant. I''m sitting on your bed right now, for fucks sake. If you can even call this... harem-den ssic [a bed]."
She looked down at his luxurious super-harem bed and shuddered.
"You''ve asked for something to live for." Kaze smiled, still amused by her response, "I gave you an effective reason everyone can find in every world leader''s biography. So you can''tin."
Kiera crossed her arms, studied his expressions with narrowed eyes, then turned away in annoyance.
"I get it; there''s nothing better." She huffed, pouting bitterly, "I also don''t doubt the power.
So if I desperately need something to cling onto, I''ll begrudgingly try it."
The woman wasn''t being cute. She genuinely needed a reason to go on, and living for Kaze was the only thing powerful enough to cling to. That fact made her bitter.
"But don''t get it twisted." Kiera demanded, "I''m not going to be your floozy.
I also won''t justify your obvious weak points, I.E. you being super maniptive, a legitimate psychopath, a despicable yer, a narcissist, and a half-sadist in denial."
Only thest deration made his eyebrow twitch, but he knew it was a joke about their training.
Kaze preferred people seeing him as the rest.
"The fact you''re not trying to argue is also low-key objectionable." Kiera jabbed.
Kaze scoffughed breathlessly, wearing a smile to express his amusement. "I''m not requesting your allegiance, and I''d never dere any woman a [floozy]. So worry not.
We''re training tomorrow. Is there something you want or need tonight?"
Kiera looked at his honest, gentle smile, blushed, turned away, looked back, blushed, turned away, and then stared at her knees. "Like... anything?"
"That''s a rather ominous question." He chuckled breathlessly, making her blush, "However, you''re humble enough not to ask for anything unreasonable.
So long as it''s within my power and not an extendedmitment, I shall provide it."
She swallowed nervously, ncing at him, back at the floor, and then back at him quickly.
"I... I really enjoyed that you hugged me during your important meeting." Kiera sighed.
"I know it''s just to prevent me from turning into a psycho killdozer that needs to be put down like a rabid dog, but... I still liked it. Can...."
Kaze smiled, loving her keen intelligence and horrifying self-awareness. She wasn''t joking and wasn''t wrong--but she was arbitrary about it. That''s what made her special.
Her eyes trembled, and she cringed, looking at him with a wry smile. "Can I stay with you tonight?"
Kiera''s face heated up the second the words came out of her mouth. "Like, not have sex. I''m not clout chasin'' or urge surfing or something. I just... don''t want to be alone."
Kazeughed breathlessly, looking up and shaking his head in disbelief.
Her heart pulsed, cringing and thinking that his disbelief was a rejection, and she opened her mouth to exin. "W-Wait, I--"
"Yes." Heughed breathlessly, "Bring your sleepwear to my mansion tonight.
Come around 8 pm. Now, let''s go back so I can end the training session."
Chapter 126 Strawberry Cake
Kiera returned to her room to prepare for her sleepover with Kaze with a fluttering heart.
However, the emotion abruptly changed when she entered the room and remembered her life.
Aside from a set of cheap cosmetics on her desk, everything in the room was provided by Immortal Skye.
Kiera looked into her closet and saw the other two shirts she owned. They were identical to the one was wearing--a loose ck shirt.
Her dresser had two additional pairs of leggings, also identical to the ones she was wearing.
She dyed her hair once a month religiously.
The vibrancy of her hair popped against the ck clothing, making it look like a personality quirk.
That way, no one would question why her attire never changed.
Kiera reached into her drawer, grabbed her standard ck pair of bra and panties that were impossible to stain, and grabbed her pink pajama shirt and shorts.
It was a fast process, as there were no choices.
She put everything into her empty backpack and ced it by the door.
After that, Kiera removed her silver ne carefully, stripped off her all-ck outfit, and took a shower. She tried her best not to think about anything that happened that day.
...
"Are you Kiera?" A sexy woman in a professional ck business skirt asked.
"Uh... yes." Kiera replied in awe, "I''m here to see... Kaze. Like, don''t misunderstand, I''m not--"
Marilyn giggled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear charmingly by reflex. "No reason to be nervous.
Mr. Lexicon said that you''d be having a sleepover tonight."
"Sleepover!?" The pink-haired woman cried, "What, am I sixteen to him!?"
"Forgive me." The secretary giggled again, apologizing for her reaction, "Mr. Lexicon informed me that you were sleeping in his bed tonically.
He also told me that you''d meet any description of the event with scathing [wrath and chaos]."
Kiera''s face flushed bright red to the tip of her ears, and she turned away to stop away. However, the secretary lightly grabbed her hand.
"Mr. Lexicon said this would happen to." Marilyn giggled, pulling her back. The pink-haired woman didn''t want to leave, so she wasn''t putting up a real fight. "However...."
The fiery woman turned to the beautiful secretary with a strange look, capturing her tone. "However? What''s that strange tone for."
"He [also] told me to tell you there is strawberry cake waiting for you." Marilyn smiled, "And to remind you that you filled out a food request form."
Kiera blushed, and her eyes teared up lightly.
After a few more words, Kiera walked up the stairs with the flight attendant, who got thrust into a secretary role.
She looked around in awe, still disbelieving that she was staying in a mansion with the most famous person in the world for something other than sex.
Hopefully.
Probably.
Questionably.
Undecidedly.
Not intentionally.
Maybe.
Kiera dry-swallowed nervously, trying not to think about what would happen.
Anything was better than being alone in her room right then, so she''d probably ept anything.
She also didn''t know what she wanted, either.
The pink-haired teen had never had a rtionship or sex before, and her anxiety about the former killed her hormones when she got aroused.
So she didn''t know what would happen with someone who made her feelfortable and didn''t want a rtionship.
Marilyn knocked on Kaze''s grandiose door, intricately carved with aplete art piece.
Kaze opened the door with a charming smile. "Hello, my tonic sleep mate."
Kiera flushed bright red to the tip of her ears, listening to the secretary giggling with inner fury and embarrassment. "Hey, jerk."
She crossed her arms and turned away, unable to salvage her emotional situation.
"Come on." He smiled, "Let''s get youfortable."
Marilyn lightly nudged her, pushing her into his room. Before she could object, the attendant gently closed the door, giggling excitedly.
Kiera turned around, indignant and preparing to huff, but her eyes froze, and she dry-swallowed. "Is... that...."
"Yes." Kaze smiled, holding a light-pink button-up, "Youined hours into your first training session, so you won the shirt.
I got it custom-tailored using your application information."
Her eyes trembled, and she reached out hesitantly, afraid it was a dream, and he''d say [psyche!] and snatch it away from her. "I...."
He gave her the shirt with a slight smile. "It''s yours."
Kiera felt the shirt''s luxurious fabric in awe, swallowing nervously with slight tears in her eyes. "I don''t know what to say."
"This is where you say, [''bout time, I thought you''d never pay up, sado-maso-psycho.], or something unintelligible like that." Kazeugh-scoffed.
She giggled awkwardly, holding back tears. "Thanks, chief."
"Here. I also figured you''d enjoy some offensively luxurious pajamas." Kaze smiled, handing her pink silk pajamas.
The moment her hand touched the silk, her eyes widened in shock.
"I guess they''re handmade by Marina Waysworth herself." He continued, "I have no idea who that is, but their price tag indicates she''s world famous and overrated."
Kiera''s eyes trembled in confusion. "Why?"
"They''re so expensive they''re an insult to rich people everywhere." Kaze smiled, "They''re a symbol to remind you that you''re on top now.
You''ve escaped your economic prison, and your talents will shine in the best ce on earth."
A few tears streaked down her cheeks, making her turn away in shame. She was so emotional that she couldn''t control her outward appearance, which was ufortable.
He smiled at her, transposing the image of a past lover onto her, one he met long after Evalyn.
She took a few steps forward slowly, awkwardly, before stopping hesitantly, clearly wanting a hug.
"Greedy." Kazeughed, hugging her.
Kiera''s face heated up to an unbearable degree, and she tried pulling back, but he hugged her solidly until she gave up and hugged him back.
"Why...." She whispered, gripping his back, "Why are you so good to me?
You don''t berate me as you should or chastise me for insulting you.
You dote on me and make me feel special.
You''re so fucking considerate and ask for nothing. I don''t understand!"
"You remind me of someone I once loved." Kaze replied gently, "You are very simr in nearly every regard, including your upbringing.
Well, aside from that ghastly inte forum ng. She had something equally sinful, though."
Kiera looked up at him in surprise, unbelieving that he shared information about himself, let alone about something so personal.
Moreover, hearing that [Kaze Lexicon] fell in love with someone like her made her heart pulse.
"I...." She whispered, still uncharacteristically speechless.
The pink-haired woman turned away, and that''s when she saw it.
Something so overwhelming she broke out of her emotional perplexion.
Strawberry cake.
A slice of white cake with threeyers of strawberry filling topped with cream cheese frosting.
Her eyes trembled, and she dry-swallowed nervously.
There was only one problem.
Kiera''s brain jolted when a wave of synesthesia crashed into her.
[Mine, bitch.]
Sharedmunication synesthesia.
It came from a cute woman with ck hair sitting in a frog hoodie and eating the slice of strawberry cake.
Kiera felt an icy chill crawl down her spine when sheprehended who was eating the cake.
It was the horrifyingly powerful cultivator best known for shredding Evalyn''s body to the brink of death daily.
Crux took another bite ncing at the pink-haired woman with suspicion.
Kaze tapped Kiera on the shoulder and pointed to his desk.
Her eyes widened in overwhelming emotion when she saw half a strawberry cake and a small te with a piece already on it.
A note that read Kiera London Snow was on the side, ensuring that she wouldn''t question whether it was hers.
Kiera walked over and picked it up. Fragmented memories of her orphanage caretaker feeding her strawberry cake on her birthday shed before her eyes.
She couldn''t remember thest time she had some.
The fork on the table called to her, but she didn''t want to pick it up.
A part of her didn''t want to eat it, fantasizing that it would never disappear.
"There''s half a cake for you." Kazeughed breathlessly, "Save one piece.
Crux would''ve got grumpy if I didn''t give her one more."
Crux looked at him, eyes shing with murder, then she looked back down at the cake. Lastly, eyed the woman who inspired the cake.
The shadow cat analyzed her meridians in fascination, unbelieving what she was looking at.
Kiera''s cultivation was waterfalling less than two months after cultivation began. That put her cultivation on par with Evalyn, which didn''t make sense.
"Kaze, do you have an irregr teaching technique to expedite growth?" Crux asked in Skin, their shared Sky nenguage.
"No-pe." Kaze grinned, "Kiera and Evalyn are just two remarkably talented mortals. This one has a ster taste in food, too.
Shouldn''t you thank her? Or at leastpliment her."
Crux''s eyes filled with turmoil and confusion. She turned from Kaze to the cake, the cake to Kiera, and from Kiera to her meridians.
She wanted to throw down a hard no on directlyplimenting a mortal.
However, she knew that she''d get berated mercilessly by the emperor if she didn''tpliment her and then did soter.
The divine beast locked eyes with Kiera, who was bewitched by her amethyst eyes.
[This strange delight makes mortals like you bearable.]
Kiera got felt themunication synesthesia again, jolting her into confusion. She looked at Kaze in disarray. "How do Imunicate back?"
"Just talk to her." Kaze smiled, "The emotions are high enough here that she can understand you perfectly. It''ll help her learn English, too."
The pink-haired teen smiled nervously. "It''s called strawberry cake. It''s my favorite food."
"You... have ster... taste in food." Crux said in English, averting her gaze, "I like... cake."
Hernguage was choppy but easy for Kiera to understand. Moreover, her ent was remarkably different than when she said [marvelous], [survivable], or [impressive].
"Kiera. Offer her another piece of cake if she takes off her hood." Kaze smiled mysteriously.
Crux didn''t understand what he said well because she wasn''tmunicating with him.
Communication synesthesia works between people or groups, making eye contact or sharing sensory perception via touch.
"Um... Crux." Kiera dry-swallowed, "I''ll... offer you a piece of cake if you take off your hood?"
Crux frowned instantly, looking at Kaze with bloodthirsty eyes and then back at the pink-haired woman with a wry smile. "Two."
Kiera''s eyes shed in disbelief. She didn''t want to give the woman one!
Whatever was under the woman''s hood was an unknown.
Strawberry cake was a sentimental certainty!
She also turned to the emperor, who was attacked by both women viciously.
Kaze gave them both a mysterious, arrogant smile that brazenly dered that he was infallible on the topic.
After thirty seconds of awkward silence, she finally cracked, trusting Kaze.
"Two pieces of cake." Kiera nodded.
Crux gave her a hesitant expression, nodding, and then removed her hood.
The pink-haired woman instantly died, resurrected, and then fell in love at first sight.
"Are those little ears... real?" Kiera asked with glittering eyes.
The shadow cat blushed with a wry smile, feeling like a sideshow attraction whoring her body out for mortal food.
However, it was the most heavenly ambrosia she had ever tasted, Kiera was a prodigy, and she enjoyed the positive attention to her prideful ears.
So she turned her head to the side and twitched them, bending them slightly.
Kiera''s eyes exploded in overwhelming love. "I''m in love with your ears and have many questions, but... we both really want this cake. Do you want to eat some together?"
Crux blinked twice in confusion, confused that the price for the cake was so low. She expected andslide of questions and awkward topics.
Instead, she got offered cake.
[I''d love some cake.]
The two hit it off instantly, enjoying their cake together.
Kiera nced at the shadow cat''s twitching ears lovingly.
Crux almost let the mortal touch her ears in their cake-binging mania, but it was far too intimate and improper, so she abstained.
Kaze watched everything with a slight smile, d that everyone was happy.
He had never seen Crux [happy] before; she was [honor and duty] around the clock.
Kiera reminded him of a past lover he had never seen feeling free andfortable.
That was natural, given that she lived in the Transcendent ne, so the bloodshed necessary to get there was overbearing.
Both were happy because they were talking freely.
Crux hadn''t directlymunicated with anyone except him for weeks on Earth.
Kiera hadn''t eaten cake or enjoyed afortable ce in a long time.
So the night passed quickly until thetter realized something horrifying.
She forgot about Kaze!
The pink-haired woman immediately turned around, searching for him in panic.
When she did, she met his vibrant green gaze and gentle smile.
He was casually standing in the back with a rxed pose.
"Standing silently in the corner, watching two women is low-key creepy A.F." Kiera said hesitantly, feeling guilty for forgetting about him but slightly weirded out, "Have you just been standing there?"
"Yes." Kaze confirmed gently, "I haven''t had a moment to just rx for a while.
So I''ve enjoyed watching you two have fun. It was refreshing."
Kiera gazed at him with aplex expression. Then she looked down at thest piece of strawberry cake with a wry smile and then back at him. "Would... you like some cake?"
The sight made his heart pulse unnaturally, catching him off guard.
Usually, getting offered his own cake wasn''t noteworthy.
However, for Kiera, who treasured the smallfort beyond expression, giving it up was a powerful gesture.
Kaze smiled gently and shook his head. "Please, enjoy it. I''m not a fan of strawberry cake."
Her eyes lit up, and she smiled again, grateful.
After another thirty minutes of chatting, Kiera went into the bathroom to put on her offensively expensive pink designer pajamas.
When she came out, she found the covers open and Kaze lying in a t-shirt and shorts.
Crux was standing before the bed, looking at her. [Would you like to sleep next to him? Or next to me?]
Kiera''s eyes trembled, feeling embarrassed beyond belief. She forgot [why] she asked to be there with everything that happened.
After thinking about it for a couple of seconds, anxiety overtook her body, and she looked at the shadow cat. [Can I sleep next to him? ... Please?]
Crux nodded and let her crawl into bed. The pink-haired woman''s eyes shed with shame, but she didn''t like the alternative. "Hey...."
Kaze smiled when he saw the pink-haired woman hesitantly inch up to him. He opened his arms slightly, asking if she wanted close.
Kiera swallowed and epted, hesitantly nuzzling against his chest. She had neverid with anyone, tonic or otherwise, but she found it natural.
It reminded her of how he held her during the meeting, and her tension disappeared.
Her psyche was a disaster after she got her hopes up and let her guard down at Immortal Skye, only to learn of the apocalypse.
It devastated her.
Everything she saw, read, and strategized about at the meeting was cycling through her brain, exasperating her anxiety.
The world was genuinely falling apart.
Yet she reminded Kaze of a past lover, so he treated her like one.
Between that and being born with a unique physique, her rtionship with him was blind luck.
However--
Knowing that Kaze loved someone like her, despite her lowly upbringing and being an emotional trainwreck, was powerful.
It gave her hope and faith in having a good life without constant struggle and fighting.
Kaze smiled and held her close.
The two were far more simr in that regard than she would ever know.
Chapter 127 The Confused College Club Fair
5:53 a.m. | July 1st, 2032 | Strategy Meeting | 6 Days Until the Rapture
"About breaking the news to the masses." Kaze said, looking at Kylie, "Should we show the same footage and give an identical presentation?"
"You don''t know what you want to do?" Kylie asked with slightly narrowed eyes.
"I do." He smiled, "However, as my voice, I expect you to act on your own and to represent me well."
"I''d rmend a heavily edited video that removes the attempted assaults and murders." She replied cautiously, "We cannot contain this many people if they panic. What is your n?"
"Correct." The emperor nodded, "We don''t have trust and no calming mechanism.
Therefore, our announcement must be short and decisive without any proof.
We''ll let demonstrations and examples speak for us."
"Demonstrations and examples?" Evalyn asked with a grave tone, making everyone else shiver.
"Facing rioting, murder, sexual assault, and arson, the preferable option forpliance is always trauma." Kaze replied apathetically.
The cab members took sharp breaths at his serious assertion.
"Instead of telling them they shouldn''t go home, we''ll let them." He continued chillingly.
Everyone but Evalyn and Crux froze in disbelief, unbelieving that he''d allow that.
"We''re bringing them back, of course." Kaze smiled ominously, "They wouldn''t be much use if they died, and it''d be a waste when they can solve half of our problems."
The cab members felt his deration to bring them back was worse somehow. It chilled them to the bones.
"Our demonstration will ur directly after the speech." He continued, "At that point, we need to keep everyone preupied for two hours.
I''ll use my calming technique, but it''s only a stopgap, and you only have a half hour before you all have to leave."
"Where are we going?" Sage asked with slightly narrowed eyes.
"You''ll be joining the members who wish to leave on a [field trip]." Kaze replied seriously, "We''lle back to that.
n the meantime, let''s talk about roles.
Evalyn and Crux, you two will be on physical crowd control.
Kylie, you''re with me presenting.
Sage and Daniel organize people to hand out Skye.
Jake, you''re in charge of introducing group building and managing the elites in charge of it.
Veronica, you''ll be an infiltrator, so you must hide your rtionship with us.
Kiera, you will be our mascot of vignte justice.
You will stop fights and other crimes with authority and discretionit''s your role."
Everyone looked at her, expecting her to look fearful, but she just nodded in assent.
"Now, let''s talk about the details." The emperor said with a cold glint in his eyes.
July 2nd, 2032 | 9:18 am | Immortal Skye Amphitheater | 5 Days Remain
The day after the strategy meeting, the new cab members stood together on the amphitheater stage.
Over two thousand faction members sat before them, shocked into dead silence.
"That is the state of the pandemic at present." Kylie announced gravely.
"It''s projected to double in impact in theing weeks. While we cannot get Qi Sickness, the afflicted are dangerous.
Therefore, Immortal Skye is in quarantine, and no one offsite will be allowed inside the walls."
A tidal wave of negative emotions crashed into the audience, multiplying them through connected synesthesia.
Anxiety and dread grid-locked everyone from thinking or listening to what Kylie was saying.
,m The emperor waved his hand, and Kiera, sitting in the dead center of the seating, radiated with green light.
Like a water droplet, the green around her pulsed outward like rippling water, calming everyone in a chain reaction.
The atmosphere reversed abruptly as the green aura spread over the audience and lingered, feeding off everyone''s emotions.
Due to the panic, it wouldst for at least ten minutes.
"However, everyone can leave Immortal Skye." Kaze rified gravely, capturing everyone''s calmed attention, "We''re giving you 125 Skye after this announcement.
For 100 Skye, you can buy a mortal and earth technique and a ticket to your city."
Subtle relief washed over the audience, pushing deeper than the tranquility technique.
"Today, we''re only taking people to Meridian City, but we''ll open up other cities for the next two days.
Anyone who leaves may return as long as they do not get off the skycruiser.
However, you can never return to Immortal Skye the second you get off it."
Waves of crushing dread crashed against Forced Tranquility, warring over everyone''s emotions.
Luckily, the technique won because they were weak cultivators without Spirit Qi resistance.
"If you n to leave for any reason, the ticket and techniques are free." Sage exined.
"It will cost millions to transport hundreds of people around the country. However, it''s the least we can do for you."
Tension eased up lightly, hearing a positive message from theirmunications director.
"If you''re not certain of leaving, we rmend you not leave." The redhead continued, "Due to the high transport costs, all members will pay 100 Skye for the ticket.
To keep your current room and lifestyle, you''ll need to pay 100 Skye.
That means anyone who leaves but decides to return, depleting resources unnecessarily, will be moved into tents until they do extra paid tasks or get their next paycheck."
Many were stunned, even through Forced Tranquility, which didn''t change someone''s perception of an event.
No one could believe that the redhead was talking about money during the crisis.
"Remember, everyone." The emperor said authoritatively, drawing everyone''s attention to him, "Immortal Skye had no entrance fee.
There isn''t tuition.
You do not pay for books or housing with Malta''s currency.
Living here is genuinely free."
His reminder relieved many people''s concerns instantly. It was a great point that drove everyone back to earth.
"The only thing that Immortal Skye expects of you is to do your share of work to keep it running." Kaze continued.
"Our currency ensures members work and do not squander resources needlessly.
With this cost, members will not get onto a skycruiser just to see things for themselves and return.
That''s the value of a currency system.
We''re also providing a billion-dor technique and a private ride to your city for free and giving you the option to return.
So it''s not unreasonable for you to get temporarily penalized for wasting our resources."
The faction members took deep breaths, understanding his logic and unwilling to let him down.
"We requested thirty-five military counselors." Evalyn announced, surprising everyone.
They had never heard her say anything aside from announcing a merciless punishment during the party. So everyone feared her but didn''t know her.
"Counseling does not cost Skye." The blonde continued, "It''s a free service we''re offering.
We rmend signing up before or after getting your Skye, as their schedules will fill up fast.
Immortal Skye will protect and support anyone who works, protects, and supports their fellow members."
The faction members were stunned by her simple yet kind words. Her beauty and heart aligned in their minds, creating bnce.
Jake stepped forward nervously, dry-swallowing. "Hi my name is Jacob Hays, the Director of Faction affairs."
Kaze took a deep breath, watching his regent''s awkward public introduction.
"I''m not really good with people." Jake chuckled bitterly, "That''s why being in a fraternity, sorority, club, or support group is incredible.
You don''t have to make ns with people, text anyone, or feel anxious if people will stand you up. It happens every week, and people want toe.
It''s also great because everyone has something inmon, so there isn''t a need to make small talk or be charming.
It removes the anxiety from social interaction."
Many people were stunned by the simple yet effective method of making friendships, which are increasingly difficult to make in modern society.
Anxiety was at a fever pitch in Malta in 2032, so hearing it removed worry was almost unbelievable and very attractive.
"Being in a group is powerful; it''s how a nervous person like me befriended a charismatic guy like Kaze." Jake chuckled awkwardly, "It''s pretty wild."
Kaze grinned when the crowd gasped and looked back and forth between the two.
The regent intentionally stumbled to provide sharper contrast between himself and the emperor.
That way, members would see more value in clubs because weak people could befriend strong, talented, attractive people that could take them ces.
The emperor was increasingly adept by his ego-detached adroitness.
"There are Immortal Skye-sponsored clubs and societies already set up." Jake continued, "We''ll also provide resources to any group with over ten members who want to start one."
Kaze touched the regent on his shoulder, nodded at him in appreciation, and walked forward. "Everyone, please get into line to get your Skye.
Consider signing up for counseling and getting into a club, society, or support group.
If you have already decided to go home for personal reasons, please pick up your Skye and pay for it at the ticketing center. The first skycruiser leaves in an hour.
Everyone else, we''ll be in the amphitheater for the next few hours for group support.
We''ll serve lunch in a few hours. You may begin."
Kaze''s Forced Tranquility only had a few minutes left before it wore off.
Thankfully, the organization system worked from the beginning.
Lockheed elites handed out 125 Skye to faction members in four lines. As a result, there were five hundred people for each line.
As soon as everyone lined up, the tension in the atmosphere returned.
Anxious conversations sprung up and spread like wildfire through the crowd.
However, no one could do anything without Skye, and the lines were so long that they couldn''t roam around, meet up with friends, or organize.
They were trapped.
During that process, the reality of [thirty-five] counselors sunk in. There were over sixty regr faction members for each person, driving in the importance of signing up early.
Moreover, they found that people that signed up couldn''t leave.
That was natural, as signing up and leaving was a deration that someone was wasting resources without a real intention of leaving.
The clubs had a simr story.
There was a club starter program where founding members were paid reputation points and Skye.
It was only avable to people who didn''t leave and was time-sensitive.
Before people knew what happened, they were moving from line to line, signing up for counseling and clubs, makingmitments, each removing their option to leave.
Brad set up a male fraternity on campus, and Sammy set up a sorority. Worked with other elites to sign up members.
Kiera watched the scene from the Skye line. "That man''s got hive-mind down stat.
Somehow he announced the apocalypse, and people ended up at a college club fair."
Unfortunately, it wasn''t perfect by any stretch.
"Mostly." The pink-haired woman cringed, looking at the line of people buying tickets with Skye. There were about thirty of them, sweating and panicking frantically.
Members in line were anxious to join, and arge group watched the area like hawks, deciding whether to go.
"Ya''ll have three days to do this." Kiera winced, "You have time to think it through, collect info, and get ready. But you''re not."
She frowned, looking at them with a conflicted gaze.
Each person had a family, siblings, lovers, pets, or dreams back home. That wasn''t something she understood, so she couldn''t judge.
Still, Kaze told them that a mass pandemic causing a government shutdown was sweeping through Malta, yet they got in line blindly.
He told them that bills cost Skye, yet they gave it away as if it had no value.
"This is front-grade noobicide." Kiera sighed, "I''m sure he''s right.
If there''s anyone who deserves to go through mental trauma, it''s the idiots.
And if they leave to their deaths after what they see, they high-key deserve it."
"Hmmm? What are you muttering about?" A nervous woman asked, hearing the word death whispered.
"Nothing." Kiera replied, "Just glibbin'' to myself."
Once the elites took control of the lines and operations, the emperor called his cab members to the amphitheater''s prep room.
"Jake, Veronica, Sage, and Kylie." Kaze called out, "It''s time for you to go on the field trip with the fools and dreamers."
All four dry-swallowed nervously, with cold sweat dripping down their backs.
"You need to see the situation on the ground." The emperor dered, "You''re leadersyour duty is to protect and lead your subjects through perilous times.
You''re intrinsically ipatible with leadership if you cannot face what you protect your people from.
So if you do not go or return traumatized despite knowing what''s to expect, you have no ce in Immortal Skye management."
Chapter 128 [Un]Just Betrayal
Veronica walked from her mansion with a conspicuous neon purple backpack and a bitter expression.
Kaze took her through a spatial rift to her room to ensure people didn''t see her exit the amphitheater back room. Her role required absolute secrecy.
"Hyperthymesic memory?" Sheughed, "What a joke. I never realized how much I relied upon search engines until a highlypetent, psychopathic serial killer teleported into my room, telling me he knew where everyone''s room was because of a disorder no one''s heard of.
Now, I can''t look up the fancy word to verify his excuse''s strength."
The ck-haired woman strode near a group of nine other members to the skycruiser docking station, a massive 300-foot hanger with twenty ck, private-jet-like crafts waiting.
"No...." Veronicaughed as she walked into the boarding line, "If it''s true he doesn''t forget anything, that''s worse... so much worse."
She shuddered in line, walking up to Marilyn, who assigned everyone to one of the crafts, where pilots awaited.
Each skycruiser could seat twenty, allowing the 127 members on the [field trip] to take the ride in one shot.
Another 739 members signed up on the pre-sale list, allowing them to take flights in the next two days unless canceled.
"Name?" Marilyn asked out, ignoring Veronica as she did with everyone.
"Veronica Stone." Veronica replied, amazed by the beautiful brte''s acting skills, unaware of her [acting] position before joining Immortal Skye.
"You''re on cruiser one." Marilyn said professionally, pointing to her far left, "Please get seated. I wish you and your loved ones the best."
"Thank you." The ck-haired pixie replied solemnly, "I wish you the best as well."
She walked away, moving to the skycruiser on the farthest left, where the pilot held out a sign with the number 1 on it.
"Wee, miss." The pilot said with a pitying gaze, "Please get seated. We''ll take off shortly."
Veronica nodded and entered the hatch door. When she did, her eyes narrowed murderously. "Either the future''s bleak, or that man''s intentionally cruel."
Inside the transport were two of the [jesters] and many of the troublemakers from the party.
Omar, the Hispanic man who tried to punch Kaze was in the back. He was unstable after suffering horrifying humiliation, so the pandemic stressed him to the breaking point.
Tanya, the redhead who snapped at the emperor during the altercation, was also there.
The rest were people who got the Red Eye technique. They were in the same boat.
"You''ve put us in the sacrifice transport." Veronica chuckled, "We''re seeing the worse.
You act like Jake needs a gruesome demonstration to feel the full impact."
Veronica sat in the back, wearing a genuinely disgruntled expression that blended perfectly with her environment.
Most present were loud, obnoxious people when they showed up at Immortal Skye. Now, everyone in the cruiser was shaking and quiet.
It made her realize something profound.
While most people broke down in the face of trauma and stress, Jake was the opposite.
The words he said to Linus the day prior resounded in her head.
--
"No, I''ll remove you from this room like a child. I''ll do it so effortlessly and without resistance that it will damage your ego.
Even a dog like me doesn''t have to hurt you because you''re harmless and hurt yourself."
--
"He''s been so bold." Veronica whispered, "It seems you were right, Kaze. He was always this amazing and only needed confidence.
And, hah. I''ve been coddling him. But... was I wrong to ept the emperor''s ask?
Was it wrong... no. I didn''t make the wrong decision and shouldn''t regret it. It was for the best."
--June 24th, 2032 | Lockheed Mansion | The Day Kaze Crushed The Dissident Faction--
While the Lockheed students explored the Qi for the first time, Kaze pulled Veronica to the back and made a request.
The ask left her feeling twisted and salty.
"I understand your reasoning, emp-er-or." Veronica scoffed breathlessly, "But you''re sick if you think I''ll help you test my lover''s unwillingness to betray you by betraying him."
"Veronica, love is an action, not an emotion." The emperor replied coldly, sending shivers down her spine, "You haven''t proved yourself a lover.
You''re just a college crush pumped up on oxytocin because you slept together. You know nothing about each other--I doubt you know his favorite color.
So do not im yourself one when you cannot see the meaning of betrayal."
Veronica shut down when she heard his scathing rebuke. "You don''t know him either."
"Correct." Kaze affirmed without hesitation, "Yet I''m presiding over thousands of people and offering him power--tangible long-term value.
It''s a life-changing opportunity, yet your whims could make him throw everything despite the high statistical likelihood you''ll break up soon like most college rtionships."
The woman took a sharp breath, averting her gaze. She couldn''t argue anything he had said.
"Veronica, you''re smart enough to know there''s a serious situation outside." The emperor asserted coldly, "If I be your leader for life, power bears true responsibility.
A petty betrayal from Jake has little meaning right now. He will get fired, and you both can go on a honeymoon.
Once he obtains power, that will change. His mistakes will impact thousands, threaten or take lives, and the consequences of betrayal will increase proportionately."
Veronica narrowed her eyes murderously. "Do you mean to imply that you''d exact criminal punishment on Jake for a betrayal?"
"If the situation warrants it, yes." Kaze replied bluntly, "If Jake or anyone else betrays me and causes harm to myself and my people, I will execute them if it''s warranted.
Immortal Skye is a nation-state unbound by Malta''sws. So I''m not exaggerating."
Her eyes widened, her mouth agape in disbelief. "How serious are things outside to warrant killing a friend?"
"The situation outside will not change the impact of my words." Kaze scoffed, "No one who betrays me obtains absolution; they can only pray for clemency. That''s what''s important.
Right now, clemency for Jake is guaranteed. A week from now that will change.
Tell me, Veronica Mi-tra Stone. Are your faux emotions worth threatening his life over?
Or would you rather protect him from grievous mistakes threatening his life?"
Veronica felt an icy chill crawl down her spine when she heard his warning. "W-Wait, first, why does it sound like you''ll execute Jake over a mistake? Are you insane?"
"Grievous mistakes and betrayal are two different things, Veronica." The emperor scoffughed, "One is an opportunity for growth.
The second is a malicious breach of trust. Once a person breaks your trust with betrayal, the damage is irreversible.
I will never entrust power over the lives of others to someone who has proven themselves willing to harm me. Evalyn will; I will not."
Veronica turned away bitterly. "You say that betrayal is irreversible, yet you ask me to damage my rtionship permanently?"
"What betrayal?" Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Have you not listened, or are you refusing to?
Betrayal is a malicious action for personal gain or revenge; it''s not a misperceived breach of trust.
You''ll betray him if you deprive him of training to prevent him from risking his life."
She dry-swallowed with trembling eyes, understanding his meaning.
"You''re a true psychopath." Veronicaughed, "You wish me to break his trust to protect him from yourself. Unbelievable.
The true breach of trust would be not to advise him against epting your role."
"That would be ideal." Kaze scoffed breathlessly, "Then he''ll genuinely have to choose between us."
Her eyes trembled in crazed disbelief, understanding she was trapped.
Moreover, she may find that Kaze was the best option after all.
The ck-haired woman had no choice but to ept. It was only a matter of negotiating and asking for concessions.
"I''ll do it on a few conditions." Veronica announced, "First, I want a recording of what we''ve discussed so he can hear it from your mouth.
He deserves to know the danger you pose to him."
Kaze removed a ck device from his belt buckle and threw it to her. "Here''s our entire conversation on a tape recorder--treat it with the utmost discretion.
I''m not hiding who I am. However, I do not want fear to drive Jake''s initial loyalty, so do not release this until youplete my request."
"Condition... two." Veronica continued, still in shock he recorded everything, "You''ll let Jake leave your service whenever he wishes."
"Three months'' notice with the training and grooming of a sessor." Kaze replied bluntly, making her eyes widen in astonishment. "I do not chain people my service."
She dry-swallowed, finding herself cornered by his reasonableness. "Third, I want to expose my deception the moment I''ve achieved absolute victory."
"So long as you don''t implicate me, you''re free to do what you wish." He replied frankly, "However, I''d advise you to think of your life before you carelessly proim such information."
Veronica gave him a wry smile, understanding the nature of the job. "Lastly, I want enough power to [help] protect him.
He may not be weak, but I refuse to be a burden or let him fight alone. Assuming he forgives me."
"Done." Kaze nodded, "You''ll obtain physical and institution power. Is there anything else?"
"Why aren''t you negotiating?" Veronica asked in disbelief, truly dumbfounded.
"You act like your petty asks are equal or greater than the safety and stability of thousands of people." The scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Just because you do not understand the gravity of what you''ve epted doesn''t change its weight."
--
Veronica ced her head onto her knees, joining the others in the skycruiser. "Kaze was right on all fronts and also proved he was dangerous, and willing...."
The ck-haired pixie stopped talking before she could say [murdering people] aloud, referring to the full police footage and confirming he was able and willing to kill without reservation.
"He''s dangerous." She groaned, "So I did what was necessary to protect him from a life-threatening mistake. Assuming it yed out in reverse.
But... I can''t release the recording now. It''d sound like I was damaging Kaze''s reputation after Jake proved himself loyal. That''ll put the nail in the coffin. Gah!"
She buried her head deeper into herp.
"He''s strong butcks the social skills to pull off things... and Jake has strong ethics... so he does need help in some actions... maybe." Veronica tried reasoning, "Maybe not."
The ck-haired woman ran her fingers through her hair, uncharacteristically unconcerned about her appearance.
"God, Kaze is right. I don''t know anything about him!" Veronica groaned, "We''ve only talked for four days in total.
Maybe it''s all a lie, I was a clout chaser, and now I''m just hormonal. That''s depressingly likely."
She snapped out of her mental prison when she heard a loud p.
"Hey, everyone." A male voice said, "Hopefully you all know who I am."
Light chuckles rang out in the skycruiser, leading her to raise her head.
Veronica stared at Jake in surprise, standing tall despite his obvious difort.
Neither knew Kaze put the two in the same skycruiser until he showed up.
"We''re taking off for Meridian City." Jake announced, "When we get there, we will survey the entire area.
No one at Immortal Skye has been there, so we need to check the safety and give people time to process before asking to get dropped off.
There are three ground rules.
First, you will [not] ask us to make decisions on your behalf; we will not drop you off where you want or fulfill requests to help your loved ones.
Second, you will stay orderly and not spread panic. Panic is dangerous, and I will not let anyone threaten the lives of others when they have been informed of what''sing.
Lastly, you will not cause trouble, fight people, try assaulting people, disrespect me, or use Immortal Skye of misconduct. That''s self-exnatory."
He dry-swallowed, fighting against his body''s desire to tremble.
"If you do any of these things, I will expel you immediately, and we will drop you off at a random location." Jake dered, "Thus, you''ll lose the right to return and will have to travel home.
I highly rmend you stay silent at all costs and keep your emotions under control."
As he finished his words, a wall of double-sided ss folded down, separating the seating from the cockpit.
The windows on all sides closed simultaneously, and a wave of vertigo hit everyone as the skycruiser took flight.
Chapter 129 The Field Trip
Jake watched everyone from a fold-down seat attached to the double-sided ss wall.
Each faction member was trembling, whispering, or crying.
They went through hell with Evalyn and Kaze''s punishments and social istion tacticsnow, they were leaving Immortal Skye due to a pandemic, uncertain if their families were alive.
Veronica leaned back, looking at the ceiling with a nk expression. She wanted tomunicate that she didn''t need help or support.
Jake did the same, ncing at her the same amount as everyone else.
The pressurized atmosphere continued for two hours as the skycruiser felt Immortal Skye in the opposite direction and circled the area.
An inte in the area sounded. "We are approaching Meridian City.
Please stay seated; the floor is double-sided bullet-proof ss, so you can see without moving."
Cold sweat dripped down everyone''s back after hearing the announcement, and everyone looked down at the strange texturized floor.
Jake closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remembering Kaze''s words.
Two Hours Prior | Immortal Skye Amphitheater
"Jake, your skycruiser will travel through the worst parts of the city." Kaze warned, "I didn''t set this up as a punishment or learning experience.
What you see pales inparison to what wille in less than a week.
Scar what you see into your memory, so whates next cannot cut through it."
Present Time | Skycruiser Flight Above Meridian City
"We are now approaching Manrock Bridge." The pilot announced, "We will drop anyone living on the city''s south side off soon, as the bridge is closed to civilians."
Jake stood up, reaching into a pocket for a remote. "As a reminder, no one needs to leave, and we''d prefer you stay.
I will remove the tinting now, and we''ll see what''s happening for the first time.
When it happens, I expect you to follow the rules unless you wish to get dropped off against your will."
Everyone shook from his confident reminder they would try breaking the rules. Their hearts beat violently, awaiting the scene from below.
Jake closed his eyes, remembering all the grisly sights he saw the day before on video. He wanted to be prepared to see it again, only worse.
After a deep breath, he pressed the button and opened his eyes slowly.
The tinting slowly disappeared until
"W-What the fuck!"
"A-Are those d-dead bodies?"
"Don''t ask stupid questions!"
"Why the hell didn''t we know about this!?"
"Give us our phones back!"
everyone could see what was on the other side.
The bridge Kaze and Crux cleared for the military was lined with military vehicles.
Cargo trucks and refrigerated semis moved alongside tanks and humvees through the roadway.
Each vehicle transported food, people, and supplies from the north to the south and vice versa.
It was the only connector across the massive river separating Meridian City for twenty miles.
The city partially constructed the estuary to the ocean for aesthetics and to force orderly deriving and development.
Now, it was a grave economic disaster.
As before, civilians had no choice but to take the bridge to either side of the city.
Many had families on the other side. However, there was a more dramatic reason.
Those on the south side believed the ind highways allowed more food to reach the north.
Everyone on the north side understood that the highways were unusable, gridlocked, and preventing traffic.
They believed the south had more supplies because the ocean had no traffic.
However, countries were not sharing food with their neighbors, and fishing boats stayed at sea as mobs lined the docks, waiting to rob and kill them.
Due to the increasing desperation and daily worsening of Qi Sickness, both ends of the bridge had massive crowds in the thousands.
Most tried to cross. However, an equal amount of people were in the area for another reason.
"DIE, YOU FUCKING PIGS!" A man screamed out of a truck''s window.
Rat-at-tat! Rat-at-tat! Rat-at-tat!
He abruptly shot a hail of machine gun fire at humvees in the area as the truck barreled onto the highway, crashing through a dozen standing civilians.
Another pirate shot out a cargo truck''s tires at blinding speed.
"GET THE GOODS!" Someone else yelled, throwing a military smoke grenade in the area as other pirates wearing gas masks hopped out of the back, guns drawn.
The equipment and training proved that some of the pirates were military deserters.
Rat-at-tat! Rat-at-tat! Rat-at-tat!
"AgGhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhHhH!"
The civilians and soldiers lining the highway the economic supply motorcade passed through got decimated by soldiers and pirates alike.
No one could see each other through the tear gas smokescreen. However
"Cutting Wind!" A cultivator yelled in the chaos.
A gust of wind ripped through the tear gas, and
SHIiiiiiiinNK!
"GAHahhhHahhhHahhhHahhhHahhhH!"
Screams cut through the area alongside a chain reaction of thudding sounds.
the cultivation technique cut both trucks, most of the pirates, and two dozen civilians in half.
A river of blood crashed down the highway, soaking the clothes of over five dozen people who got killed or shot in the exchange.
Once the smoke cleared, Jake, Veronica, and the other members saw the aftermath.
Many vomited onto the floor, others hyperventted, and some screamed.
Jake was also horrified and afraid. However, he didn''t have Forced Tranquility, and the people around him started screaming.
"Get away from me!"
"MY MOM IS IN THAT!"
"Why didn''t we have phones!"
"This didn''t start yesterdaywhy did they hide this!?"
"Shut up, I''m getting sick!"
"You can''t hide this with the military around!"
"That fucking psychopath!"
"CALM DOWN!" Veronica yelled aggressively, capturing everyone''s attention.
"Don''t tell me to calm down!"
"You calm down, bitch!"
"Shut the fuck up!"
A woman pushed the ck-haired woman and
"FINE, GET KICKED OFF THE SKYCRUISER!" Veronica screamed at the top of her lungs.
Her deration created a violent wave of fear that sliced through everyone''s hearts.
They took sharp breaths, terrified to breathe.
"I gave you three rules. You will not beg us to do anything." A chilling voice dered, lowering the skycruiser''s temperature.
"You will stay orderly and not spread panic.
Lastly, you will not cause trouble, disrespect me, or use Immortal Skye of misconduct."
They turn their necks to Jake with the fluidity of rusty cogs.
Jake''s had a gazeced with murderous intent. Despite his recent disconnection from Veronica, seeing someone shove her triggered the event.
His brain differentiated the attacks, so he didn''t experience amygd hijack. However, his emotions were far from calm.
Even Veronica trembled, seeing his fierce blue eyes.
"Hmmm. Which one of you should I kick off first, I wonder?" Jake mused coldly.
"H-Him!"
"She started ming Kaze!"
"Don''t look at me!"
The regent pped loudly, getting everyone''s attention.
"Excellent. You three are the first to go, as you''re still causing trouble in the face of certain death." He announced dryly.
"P-Please don''t!"
"I''m begging you!"
"I''m sorry!"
All three began begging, and Veronica''s breathing became shallow, heartbroken that Jake was so callous already.
It was her fault.
That was how she saw it.
However, it wasn''t her fault.
She quickly saw her crush''s true colors.
Jake touched the wireless microphone in his ear. "Take us low, near the Mason Park District."
At his word, the pilot changed course, flying over a two-mile-long soup and water line. The sight made those who yelled start crying and shaking uncontrobly.
Only a day before, they ate well in mansions. Now, they''d be in day-long lines, fighting with pirates and thieves.
The skycruiser descended in the area above the rowdy line, hovering over a sea of apartments and homes.
The residential district was crawling with madness.
Due to its proximity to the central economic district and soup lines, thousands of people were in the area, using tents or sleeping in the streets.
There were fights, looting, and sights that everyone averted their gazes from.
No matter where they looked, they witnessed atrocities, heard screaming, or watched fighting.
Nowhere was safe.
Yet the people there didn''t have a choice, as the economic district was the only ce with food and water unless people looted home pantries.
"P-Please." A woman sobbed alongside the two shaking men, trembling with instability in their eyes,
Anyone could see them going through simtions to take the skycruiser hostage.
"I-I''ll do [anything]. I''ll even suck"
"Enough." Jake ordered in a frigid tone, triggering adrenaline and primal fear, "I''m here to keep people safe, not abuse them.
You''re endangering everyone and unwilling to follow the rules.
As I recall, this isn''t the first time you''ve disregarded them, or am I mistaken?"
Everyone in the skycruiser took sharp breaths, looking at their neighbors as if they had seen them for the first time.
The jesters saw the jesters, and those who broke the party''s rules saw familiar faces.
Most took Veronica for a jester or one of the party rule breakers who didn''t get the technique.
It urred to them that Kaze may have sent them off to their deaths.
In an instant, the atmosphere became panicked again. However, no one dared to breathe.
"That''s what I thought." Jake said coldly, pressing a button to open the hatch door 100 feet above the ground.
Sounds of rioting and chaos exploded in everyone''s ears.
The skycruiser had a pulse, alive with fear and horrors.
Everyone was crying, shaking, or trying not to vomit on the floor.
Jake pretended to touch the mic in his ear. "Take us twenty feet from the ground.
The rule breakers are strong enough to survive the fall without broken bones from that height."
Chapter 130 [Trauma]
A pulse of anxiety swept through the skycruiser''s cabin.
Jake announced that he''d throw the troublemakers out of the skycruisers from 20 feet up.
No trial.
He gave the order to the pilot to lower the skycruiser to a survivable height.
Then he''d throw people over the side.
No mercy.
Jacob Hays represented Immortal Skye, the people teaching, feeding, and housing them the day before.
He was supposed to be a teacher.
A director of the organization.
Their leader.
Yet even he, who hadn''t lived the apocalypse, was about to join in on the barbarity.
Between the sounds of screaming, sights below, and the fear of being thrown off the skycruiser, most realize they weren''t descending.
The pressure was far too high.
"Do you want to jump or have me help you?" Jake asked apathetically.
"AghhhhhhhhHHH!"
A man jumped from their seat, running at him to check him out of the skycruiser.
Veronica watched in horror, seeing Jake standing in front of the hatch door at the edge.
Her heart pulsed, and she tried jumping up to pull the man back but seized from the sight before her, hypnotized.
Jake effortlessly stepped out of the way as if he were courteously letting the man pass.
The world slowed to a crawl, everyone''s horror switching to the man running straight out of the skycruiser to their death.
There was nothing for him to hold onto.
His momentum was too high.
The man tried stopping, but his momentum was too high, and there was nothing for him to hold onto.
As a result, he stumbled forward, ensuring that touching the ceiling was impossible.
Everyone was watching someone run to their death.
The sight was traumatic.
However
"AghhhhhhhhhHHHHHH! Please help me! Wait, what? T-Thank god! I''m sorry! I''m sorry! Please!"
Veronica blinked twice, processing the scene before her.
Jake caught the man by the back of his neck and casually held him out the hatch door a hundred feet from the ground. "You''re sorry? You just tried to kill me."
"W-Wait! I-It wasn''t what it looked like! I justaghhhhhhhHH! Please!"
The regent released his hand off the man''s neck, letting him fall six inches before catching him and lifting him back up.
"Did you feel that?" He asked coldly, "That''s the consequence of lying to me.
So I suggest you choose your words carefully and stop sidestepping the obvious."
"Y-Yes! Yes! I-I promise! Now please."
The man lost hope when he saw the regent turn to everyone else without pulling him back in the skycruiser.
"Tell me, everyone." Jake requested chillingly, "Is there [anything] about Kaze Lexicon or Immortal Skye you shouldin about?"
Veronica felt an icy chill crawl down her spine.
Reality had finally caught up to her.
Kaze warned her that Jake would soon have responsibilities over the lives of everyone present.
She treated the man like a serial killer and her crush like a puppy.
Now Jake had responsibilities over the lives of everyone present, and she was a puppy.
It finally made sense to her why Kaze treated him well.
No matter what the emperor asked him to do, he did it without question and pulled it off somehow.
Kaze gave him a technique, and he practiced and grew stronger.
After she approached him with sex, he pushed past his anxieties to fulfill the emperor''s directives.
To that day, Jake wasn''t getting paid to follow his orders.
For some reason, following Kaze''s directives felt instinctual.
Loyalty felt preordained.
Proof of that was right before her eyes.
"N-No, there''s nothing wrong with Immortal Skye."
"Not at all! We''re grateful to be there."
"We''re just confused, Director Hays! Please forgive us."
The world sped up again when the people around her answered his question. He still hadn''t brought the man back into the skycruiser and was casual as ever.
"I-I''m sorry. I-I''m so-s-sorry!"
Jake looked at the man he held in the air, sobbing uncontrobly.
To everyone''s shock, he casually swung the man in his hand and threw him into the cabin, crashing to the ground.
"Agh! A-Am I I-I I''m alive." The man stuttered in shock, looking at his hands.
"For now." Jake rified coldly, ignoring him further.
Everyone turned to the regent with disbelief in their eyes, confused and anxious about his words.
"Let''s try this again." He said assertively, "There are three ground rules at Immortal Skye.
First, you will [not] ask us to make decisions on your behalf unless we ask you to.
Second, you will stay orderly and not spread panic.
Lastly, you will not cause trouble, fight people, try assaulting people, disrespect me, or use Immortal Skye of misconduct."
The faction members trembled, hearing him reiterate his words nearly verbatim.
"These aren''t rules for this tripthey''re permanent." Jake proimed decisively.
"If you break them again, you will be expelled from Immortal Skye."
Veronica shuddered with mixed emotions.
The ck-haired pixie was no longer afraidshe awestruck.
He hadn''t turned into a callous murderer overnight.
Now that the man was in the cabin again, she could see his heart pulsing, fingers trembling, and hear his sharp breaths.
"I won''t!" The man cried, sobbing on the ground on his knees.
"Me either!"
"We didn''t understand."
"I won''t cause you trouble anymore."
Gratitude waved through the faction members like falling dominoes.
Veronica also yed her part, matching his gaze with aplex expression.
"I''m d you are listening." Jake scoffed authoritatively, "You now only have 25 Skye for the month unless you do extra paid tasks.
Since you cannot afford rent, we will move you to a tent encampment on the west side of the campus.
You will then pay your 25 Skye to us if you want daily meals.
It won''t be nearly as good as what you''ve been getting, but it will keep you going.
Let me ask you, everyone. What''s worse? Living in tents on a military base, learning cultivation with daily meals and free water, or what you''ve seen?"
"T-The tents!"
"I''m grateful for the food."
"Y-Yes, anything is better than that."
"So everyone wants to go back to Immortal Skye, is that right?" He asked.
Everyone hurriedly confirmed that they wanted to leave.
Jake panned their faces with a steely expression. "Your parents and siblings are dead, just like mine areand Emperor Kaze and General Skye''s are.
Does anyone wish to change their mind after facing that harsh reality?"
Dead silence washed over the cabin. Many were stuck on hearing Kaze and Evalyn''s families were also deceased.
However, one after the other, everyone shook their heads.
"Remember your answer when we go back to campus." He ordered, "Everyone here broke the rules at some point. You''re on thin ice as is.
So we expect absolutepliance from you.
If I hear youin about their living situation, social treatment, parents, or anything else, I''ll expel you on the spot."
The faction members nodded in assent, showcasing their obedience.
"Excellent." Jake chuckled bitterly, hitting the button to close the hatch door.
Everyone sighed breaths of relief when it closed, and they could no longer hear the rioting below them.
The regent touched the mic on his ear. "No one has decided to leave. Head back to Immortal Skye."
"Roger." The pilot replied, retinting the floor ss and shutting the windows.
Despite moving back to Immortal Skye, no one except Veronica could rx again.
They felt like the skycruiser would abruptly reverse course and head back to Meridian City.
Jake''s demonstration and threats scarred subordination into their minds.
No one cared about cultivation anymore.
Learning.
Partying.
Swimming pools.
Everyone became fixated on survival, which meant absolute obedience.
Breaking one rule meant death.
Comining once meant death.
Arguing once meant death.
It was traumatizing to a surreal degree.
Jacob Hays created a subsegment of the Immortal Skye poption that would sing the emperor''s praises without fail and expose gratitude when met with adversity.
They were a critical counterbnce necessary to move forward.
Veronica pulled a pen and small memo pad from her ck jeans pockets and wrote something down.
She then pulled out a ck tape recorder with headphones and put them on.
When people saw headphones, they immediately became suspicious. However, it didn''tst long.
Veronica bobbed her head to the [beat] for a while until tears welled in her eyes, and she began crying, letting teardrops hit the note on herp.
Jake watched the sight in confusion, and those interested turned away, worrying about themselves.
After a few more minutes, she took out the headphones, stood up, and walked over to the regent.
"This is an old-fashioned tap yer." Veronica said, handing it to Jake, who was visibly confused, "It only has old music, but it''s allowed on campus."
No one mistook his reaction for acting; he looked bewildered.
"You''ve saved our lives." She choked slightly, tears rolling down her eyes, "This is all I have to give you, so please take it along with my thank you note."
"L-Look, I''m just doing my job and trying to keep everyone alive." He replied, his eyes filled with panic, "I don''t need gifts or your precious items. I can''t ept this."
Veronica shook her head. "Please, let me give you something.
I won''t be able to sleep otherwise. If you don''t want it, put a Skye price tag on itter, and I''ll buy it as soon as possible."
Jake panned everyone''s gaze in confusion and panic, not wanting to interact with her more than necessary.
However, no one gave him suspicious gazes, just awaiting judgment.
"I see." He said hesitantly, grabbing the note and recorder.
The second it left her hand, she burst into tears again, drawing everyone''s pitying gaze as she sat down. Her performance was remarkable.
Jake unfolded the note she gave him and read it.
I was wrong to distrust Kaze and stupid to doubt your skill and fortitude. I''m an idiot.
Despite that, I''m giving you this anyway. I''m not hiding secrets: good or bad.
- V
Jake reread the message once, made eye contact with the crying woman, and nodded.
The recorder sat in hisp for over an hour, making people forget about it.
Once most were sleeping or passive, he put the headphones into his ears and hit y.
Jake''s eyes trembled when he finished the video, and he summoned all the willpower he had not to look at her.
After listening, he found that he couldn''t me either of them.
They both agreed it was best because both wanted to protect his life.
To denounce her actions would solidify Kaze''s test was also a betrayal.
However, they weren''t betrayals, and he now understood that.
What touched him was that she released the information knowing that he might interpret it as an attack against Kaze.
She took that risk to not hide anything from him. It was another potentially destructive action.
Jake smiled lightly, knowing that his budding romance with her wasn''t meaningless or contrived.
Veronica made the right decision and proved her feelings for him were genuine.
Chapter 131 Demonstrating The Consequences
--June 1st, 2032 | Strategy Meeting | 6 Days Until the Rapture--
"If we''re avoiding panic by not exining the gravity of our situation, why let everyone see traumatized members?" Jake asked in confusion.
"Seeing traumatized members will drive in the direness of the situation more than our words every could."
"Gratitude." Kaze replied with a slight smile, perplexing everyone, "The returnees will strike fear into everyone''s heart but also provide a counterbnce by being grateful to be here.
Their behavior will make people panic about being sent out of the walls. So they won''t panic out of fear."
The new cab members fell silent and smiled bitterly, understanding the horror and truth behind his message.
"So what do we do about those that panic?" Evalyn asked, cutting through the new member''s fears, "Even if we contain 98% of people, that 2% can cause everything to devolve into chaos."
"That''s what Kiera''s hear for." He smiled, tapping the pink-haired teen on the shoulder from his seatbelt hug, making her eyes panic.
"Woah! Woah now, what are you talking about?" Kiera asked.
"You''re the head of our enforcement team." Kaze grinned, "You''re here to drive in our legal system, promote leadership, and demonstrate the value of our new system tomorrow."
She shuddered, and everyone at the table sent her pitying nces. Nothing the emperor requested would be pretty.
--June 2nd, 2032 | Immortal Skye Amphitheater | 5 Days Until the Rapture--
Evalyn watched over the amphitheater, where thousands of members ate and talked.
There was a full buffet on tables to let people stress eat, and also a cruel psychological trigger for those returning from the [field trip].
It was 2 pm, and the Skycruisers had just returned as a block, announcing their entrance by flying overhead.
The faction members looked up and saw the skycruisers with anxiety in their hearts.
Everyone wanted to know what was on the outside world but figured everyone had left.
They were wrong.
"Our strategy is to let people traumatize themselves for going against us." Evalyn exined to the woman in the frog hoodie overseeing the area with her.
"Only use physical force if absolutely necessary."
"Foolish." Crux replied in a twisted ident.
"Do people just murder each other into submission in the Sky ne?" The blonde asked.
"Wrong." The divine beast royal replied, "Cultivators... not...."
Crux turned to Evalyn to use the full effect of her new Spirit Qimunication technique [Paragon of Discourse].
Paragon of Discourse was a modified [technique] that Kaze designed himself.
It used another technique--[Synesthesic Transmission]--to create a non-verbalmunication link, simr to making eye and bodynguage signals to a close friend.
It''s the same concept as [I know what you''re thinking] but far more intense.
Then the technique builds a mentalwork of words to those internalmunication points.
So when Evalyn speaks words to her, her message ismunicated with the unknown words in real-time. It''s simr to reading subtitles with a more direct lexical trantion.
Lastly, it uses Spirit Qi to enhance the mental capacity fornguage and sends dopamine to a cultivator''s brain when they use sessful ents and words.
As a Spirit Qi technique, the more intense emotions were, the more effective it was.
Crux switched tomunicating through synesthesia.
[No, constant killing isn''t necessary to rule people in the Sky ne, but that''s because cultivators aren''t mindless defenseless sheep].
Evalynughed, looking at everyone with a strange look in her eye. "That''s true, but...."
She looked at the divine beast. "We adapt quickly. I was just like them two weeks ago and would have taken that transport to get to my mom. Guaranteed."
The divine beast''s eyes widened in surprise. "You... were... just like them... not long ago?"
"Yes." Evalyn confirmed bitterly, "I was like them for over half the time you''ve spent on the Mortal ne.
Don''t underestimate mortals. We''re the weakest of all the animals on Earth, yet we rule over them using our hands and minds alone."
Crux narrowed her eyes in thought. Hearing Kaze''s sentiment echoed by herpetent student gave it more integrity.
"We''re here to traumatize people into passivity and eptance." Evalyn reiterated.
"The goal is to prevent people from getting hurt or assaulted in a panic, not force them into submission.
So don''t hurt or kill them unless absolutely necessary, and leave non-visible trauma that doesn''t cause physical or mental paralysis if you do."
"Understood." Crux nodded, overseeing everyone''s weak, depressed faces.
The blonde closed her eyes when she heard the returnees walking back.
Sage suggested that those that return should be required to return the techniques they bought personally.
As a result, the amphitheater was about to be a war parade.
"Let''s get ready for this." Evalyn whispered, "Move to the grass on the other side."
Crux nodded and walked to the other exit of the amphitheater.
A voice spoke into her ear via an earbud.
"[General Skye, the returnees are at the entrance]."
Evalyn opened her eyes and touched the microphone button. "Are the elites lining the perimeter?"
"[Affirmative, mam. Everyone''s in position]."
"Let them in." She confirmed.
"[Right away]."
Half a minuteter, the amphitheater fell dead silent when the returnees entered.
Kiera''s eyes widened in shock from the center of the stands, where she sat with ten people who gravitated around her. "Talk about trauma trumpets. So loud."
The returnees from the field trip were eerily silent, but their quietness was deafening.
They attracted the undivided attention of every faction member.
Each shook and sobbed uncontrobly, avoiding the gaze of [everyone] they saw.
No one wanted to interact with another human.
The calm few, like Veronica, were even more terrifying to look at.
Their eyes described apleteck of hope for their own lives, no longer questioning the fates of their families and friends.
Complete resignment.
Absolute forfeiture.
Resignation.
Kiera was right. Their announcement of the outside world captured everyone''s attention like trumpets and was far too loud to ignore.
Waves of dread cut through the other faction members, who were too shocked to confirm what they saw with those around them.
It was a horrifying scenario that multiplied fear a dozen fold instantly.
Kaze and Kylie were candid about what was happening outside. However, they didn''t show any pictures or footage.
As a result, people''s imaginations ran rampant, visualizing scenarios equally bad or worse than what the members had seen.
"Hey! What happened!?" A man yelled to the returnees.
Everyone in that line jolted, scared by someone abruptly addressing them.
Many looked at the man, but no one wanted to talk to him, and they wouldn''t have words for him if they did. So they ignored him.
"HEY! Don''t ignore us! We deserve to know!" He yelled.
Hundreds of people turned to the members immediately, expectant of their reply. They felt desperate to know, so they also felt entitled.
Veronica turned to the man with a murderous gaze that sent primal fear spiderwebbing through his body. "Immortal Skye told us what was happening outside this morning.
If you cannot connect their words with our expressions, I encourage you to take the next cruiser, you fucking idiot."
She panned her gaze to everyone who felt entitled to include them in her scathing rebuke.
The strategy was to build trust in Kaze''s words and judgment and make everyone feel grateful to be there with as few sacrifices as possible.
Its sess or failure was at a critical juncture and a tipping point.
"What did you just say bitch?" The manughed ominously, standing up and walking down the steps, "Thousands of people want and need that information.
All it takes is a few words to help everyone out. So stop being a cunt and answer the damn question."
He wasn''t stable, so he couldn''t see Evalyn observing them, awaiting the impending development with a slight smile.
"Hey, douche patrol!" Kiera yelled loudly, capturing the man''s attention, "You''re currently in the [likely to start a riot] category.
Considering you''re starting fights with terrified women and endangering the rest of us, I''m going all in that taking you out is [encouraged]."
An icy chill crawled down his spine, spreading through the thousands of people in a tidal wave.
"So unless you don''t want that, I suggest you simmer down. Kay, thanks!" She concluded.
His heart pulsed multiple times, and he turned to her and prepared to walk, but--
"Sit the hell down." Regina, a previous leader of the Kaze Kills College Students Faction, demanded, "I''m sick of entitled people acting like they represent everyone.
I don''t want to force terrified people to talk, nor do I want to get in trouble for your behavior.
So sit down before I help her take you out."
He turned to the beautiful, brown-haired Hispanic woman with crazed eyes. "Don''t tell me what to do."
"Oh, how cute. He thinks we''re joking." Kiera giggled, walking down the steps, "Oh well, it makes it far easier to handle him."
A wave of dread washed over the man at the pink-haired woman''s confidence. It was absolute.
"I said, sit the hell down." Regina growled, "Otherwise, I make you do it by force, and you won''t be getting up anytime soon."
"Hey! Look around you!" He yelled awkwardly, "Everyone''s stressed out because of your actions.
I was trying to get someone to answer questions. You''re threatening to break my legs if I don''t sit down. You''re in the wrong here."
"She didn''t threaten to break your legs." Kiera replied in cute confusion.
The man jumped when he found Kiera standing next to him.
Her golden eyes and bright smile pierced into his soul.
"Ahhhhhhh, but if she didn''t it''d be a waste of a good pledge... so you know what? I''ll make that pledge instead." Kiera replied cheerily.
Waves of perplexed terror washed over them, staring at her gleeful expression with the murderous threat.
"I mean, a fresh cripple is certain to send a message for people not to threaten people." She mused, "Sure sounds like maintaining order to me."
Chapter 132 Manufacturing A Rebellion
July 2nd, 2032 | Immortal Sky Amphitheater | 5 Days Until the Rapture
"Making douche weasel here a cripple for starting shit would make a great public demonstration against other shit starters, don''t you think, cooldy?" Kiera mused.
The man felt waves of terror pulse through his veins, and he looked around, looking for people to back him up.
"Look, stop ying the games." Regina scoffed, rolling her eyes, "I''m not here to y the hero or argue over the legality of the situation."
She turned to the man, making Kiera frown in annoyance. "Look. I simply won''t let myself or anyone else get in trouble for your actions.
So sit the fuck down and stop causing problems, or I''ll knock you out, so you''re forced to do both."
The pressure in the atmosphere multiplied, cooling rapidly during the stare-off.
"ENOUGH!" A brte yelled, losing control, "I don''t like what he did either, but this vignte justice shit is going too far.
You two are far worse than that guy!"
Everyone took a deep breath as if the woman hadnced lethal emotional inmmation.
Ripples of whispers spread through the audience, and soon people started throwing out their two cents.
"Yeah, that''s right!"
"I agree."
"Sit down you two."
"God, you''re so entitled."
"Shut up the hell up." Regina barked, releasing her cultivation base.
The man who started the trouble dropped to his knees; everyone outside of the area cringed when they heard his kneecap pop from hitting the sandstone steps abruptly.
Everyone else in the vicinity gasped for breath.
"Coo coo." Kiera shrugged, looking around,pletely unaffected by Regina''s pressure, "It''sme we couldn''t just do this from the start.
But whatevs. Release the noobs so we can go back to worrying in peace."
Regina released her cultivation base, and everyone gasped for breath.
The entire atmosphere fell dead silent. No one moved orined, including the man who started the problem, who was quivering on the ground.
Evalyn looked around and confirmed the two had captured everyone''s absolute attention.
She pped slowly from a blind spot, regting the pacing and loudness for ultimate dramatic effect. "You two managed to shut down the trouble without worsening the situation. I''m impressed."
Kiera and Regina acted shocked, especially thetter, who got chosen for the role because she was excellent at being an entitled stuck-up cunt.
"Thank you Ice Queen Ice General General Skye." Kiera stammeredically, genuinely slipping up.
Kaze chose her specifically because she didn''t have a filter unless she kept quiet. So no one would suspect she headed the enforcement team if she insulted the co-leader.
The blonde sent her a wicked, amused smile, pre-warned of the response.
"Ice General." Evalyn mused, "I like that. I think I''ll keep it."
Everyone shuddered at the woman''s genuine appreciation for the horrifying, derogatory title.
"I hope you''re being sincere, General Skye." Regina followed hesitantly, "I didn''t want to end up in lockdown or get punished for someone''s immaturity, and I had the strength to stop him.
So I gave the man a warning before resolving it."
"I saw." The blonde nodded, "You did well. As everyone can see, things are worse outside than anyone anticipated. We''ll update you all soon.
In the meantime, preventing panic is critical. Since you averted a potential crisis without making it worse, I''m giving you 100 reputation points. That''s a lot.
You can buy an earth-grade technique, a private room, take exclusive sses, buy luxuries, and you''re almost guaranteed to get your job of choice if you don''t spend them."
The faction members gasped at the blunt, decisive eptance of Kiera and Regina''s actions.
There wasn''t a [you''re both partially wrong] modifier.
"Listen, everyone! Good leadership is about solving problems without worsening themhow you do that is irrelevant.
They''re being praised for seeding; however, I''d be punishing them harshly if they did make it worse.
So don''t start causing problems to earn points because it doesn''t work like that. Do you understand?"
The faction members dry-swallowed nervously, nodding in general understanding without processing the extent of her statement.
"Good. I''m leaving now to show the returnees into their new campsite for the next month." Evalyn announced chillingly, "Don''t cause problems or you''ll join them."
Everyone froze and stared at the line of returnees, who were visually traumatized.
"General Skye." A good-natured man called out hesitantly.
"Yes?" The blonde asked bluntly.
"They look extremely unwell." He winced, "Can''t you let them off with a warning?
It seems a bit harsh to make them leave when they already experienced something horrible."
The faction members averted their gaze from the blonde, agreeing.
Hearing the returnees were still kicking them out of their rooms to eat less in tents felt cruelmerciless.
Evalyn panned her gaze around the amphitheater to ensure everyone was watching her. Then she turned to the returnees. "Do any of you have a problem sleeping in tents after sses?"
Most people in line began to shake their heads sheepishly. However
"N-No General Skye!"
"No problem!"
"I''m grateful to be here. It''s no problem at all!
"I wouldn''t mind living in the tents forever!"
"Thank you, General Skye!"
"Yes, thank you!"
"I assure you that I''ll neverin!"
Those on Jake''s skycruiser were very loud and definitive about their eptance and praise. Each burst into tears or shook, averting her gaze in fear.
Evalyn narrowed her eyes, ncing at Veronica and then back at them.
Both the members and returnees were stunned by their response.
Most returnees were shown aerial footage two hundred feet up, showcasing the long soup lines, blood-soaked streets, burnt buildings, and riots below.
The military pilot exined the situation on the ground, the economic conditions, and the death toll as if it were a museum tour.
It was horrifying, twisted, and raw.
The trip was a wake-up call that made everyone grateful and more trusting of Kaze, Evalyn, and Immortal Skye.
However, those on Jake''s skycruiser left severely traumatized, symbols of what the situation on the ground was like.
Every returnee understood at a nce they got near the ground; it magnified their fear significantly.
"There you go. The people have spoken, so don''t bring morality into this." Evalyn replied coldly, ring at the man, "We already exined the price of the ticket.
We spent millions on these rides, so squandering them deserves consequences."
"You''re telling us that our families are in hell, yet you''re worried about money!?" Another screamed, "You''re cing value on human lives!?"
Panicked whispers rang through the crowd.
"Resources." Evalyn replied chillingly, "Can you feed, clothe, house, teach, and protect this many people?"
The woman''s eyes trembled, and then her anger returned.
"Kaze is one of the wealthiest people on earth!" A man snapped, causing more panicked whispers to ripple through the area.
"No, he''s not." Evalyn scoffed, "He only has a hundred million US dors left after spending billions creating this ce and providing teaching for free. That won''t pay its expenses for a year."
"So what!?" Another man yelled, "We''re just supposed to sit around while you let our families die and notin about it?"
Evalyn grinned at her maliciously and then turned to the returnees. "Hmmm. As I recall, there was a 100% return rate.
Tell me, does anyone [regret] their decision to abandon their family and return here?"
"No, General Skye!" The man Jake held out the door of the skycruiser by the neck replied definitively, "I only have gratitude!"
"Me too! They aren''t speaking for us."
"I agree, p-please! All of you! Stop making a scene!"
"Please don''t drag us into this or get us in trouble."
The woman who expected Jake to throw her out of the skycruiser into the goblin den began shaking.
She covered her face, burst into tears, and her legs gave out, dropping to her knees sobbing.
It was melodramatic, but everyone could tell it wasn''t a joke because the other women in the line burst into tears and many men did.
It was unnerving to watch.
Evalyn turned back to the woman. "You fouryou''re going with them.
We''ll put you on a skycruiser tomorrow if you''re unsatisfied, but you won''t return.
We''re running a faction, not a daycare, charity service, or orphanage.
Cause problems, and you''ll face expulsion like every other school or organization you join."
Everyone in the amphitheater froze and shuddered, understanding the lethal connotation and seeing Jake''s group shake violently, all crying save Veronica.
Those who yelled blinked multiple times, holding their breaths.
They didn''t want to go; they wanted to argue, but the blonde''s eyes required absolute obedience.
"Everyone''s stressed, Ms. Skye." A brte interjected, "Please let them off the hook."
"I agree, please, General Skye." Another followed.
"You two areing too." Evalyn replied instantly, causing her and everyone else to freeze in disbelief.
"W-Wait, why!?" The woman cried, "I was just trying to help and beg for mercy!"
"Hoh? Unless you didn''t hear, the people in line begged for you to stop." The blonde smiled sinisterly, "Am I wrong?"
Everyone froze in shock, unsure of what to say.
"They''re grateful; you''re not." Evalyn smiled maliciously, "Think about that for a moment.
100% of the people that flew to Meridian City returned. Now, they''re moving out to live in tents for a month.
You im it''s cruel and unjust, but they call it benevolent and generous."
The faction members shook, especially the punished.
"I''m not penalizing you for asking for mercyI''m punishing you for being stupid." Sheughed breathlessly.
"You''re biting the hand that feeds, arguing while people are getting punished, and not representing the people you im.
No words are powerful enough to express such stupidity."
She panned her gaze around the audience. "Is there anyone else stupid who wants to join these people?"
Dead silence.
"That''s a lie." Evalyn chuckled ominously, "The only question is if you''re amongst the stupid. I rmend you avoid that."
Everyone gritted their teeth at her deration. Even if she saved them, they were certain they''d hate the woman for life.
She was punishing trauma victims and then punishing good-natured people.
Now, she stood before them with a steely re. However, if they could feel her real emotions, they''dpletely flip their opinion of her.
The pain she was experiencing was excruciating. It cut through her soul.
July 1nd, 2032 | Strategy Meeting | 6 Days Until the Rapture
"About the camps; those are a long-term reminder about going against our rmendations, right?" Evalyn asked with pursed lips.
She hated intentionally giving people the trauma that she suffered from. Hearing they''d get punished afterward cut through her icy heart.
"Can I answer?" Sage asked the emperor.
He gave her a slight smile filled with interest. "Yes. Go ahead."
"It''s not about reminding people of their trip outside the walls; it''s about solidifying the economy." She exined, "Reducing housing and food degradation are harsh consequences for not working.
It disincentivizes panic and rule-breaking and solidifies the strongest control mechanism we have at Immortal Skye.
We''re announcing it outright to prime people''s minds. Is that right?"
"That''s correct." Kaze half-smiled in satisfaction, "The purpose is to establish the economic system, which will allow self-governance.
To that end, demonstrate the consequences of fighting against the economy and maintaining order within that zone."
Everyone felt waves of negative synesthesia cut through their bodies. The demonstrations that Kaze proposed were increasingly worse.
"How?" Evalyn asked with slightly narrowed eyes.
"We need to spark a rebellion within." The emperor asserted, "However, the people that return will be too docile to rebel.
The system is meant for rambunctious or sanctimonious fools, so we must add both to the camp."
"You mean leading people to break our rules on purpose?" The blonde asked with murderous eyes.
"Yes." He replied coldly, meeting her gaze, "We''re avoiding mass atrocities with petty punishments.
Everyone will be traumatized two weeks from now, so stop acting like we''re brutally sacrificing people like pawns.
The rebellious people will be rebelliouster, and the good people will livefortably after their short camping trip. Our benevolence hasn''t changed."
Everyone smiled wryly, understanding but wishing to deny his words. "What do you need from me?"
"You must continue your indiscriminate punishment." Kaze said seriously, "You already have a reputation for punishing dissidents.
Use that to our advantage to pick up loud people."
Evalyn looked at the table bitterly. Her first punishment wasn''t a punishmentno one could cultivate, so it was an even ying field. This was different.
"Hah. So I''ll be the symbol of punished trauma." She chuckled bitterly.
"Evalyn." Kaze said calmly, "Not only are you saving lives, everyone punished in those camps will avoid breaking the rules when the consequences are serious.
You''re helping them. It''s hard for people to think like that, but soon everyone here will feel it''smon sense.
Until then, I ask that you trust me. You''re saving the people with trauma from the hell that awaits."
July 2nd, 2032 | Immortal Sky Amphitheater | 5 Days Until the Rapture
"I''ll be back in an hour to collect the others that cause trouble." Evalyn warned, "What''s your name."
Kiera pointed to herself in confusion, replying hesitantly after confirmation. "Kiera Snow."
"Okay, Kiera Snow." The blonde replied ominously, "When I return, I want a list of the people worthy of joining the encampment."
The fiery eighteen-year-old looked around in horror. "I can''t you give that job to someone else?"
"Unfortunately, no." Evalyn replied definitively, "You''re the most powerful person in the audience, including the elites.
If I gave the role to anyone else, they could get hurt by desperate people. So that leaves you."
Kiera''s eyes trembled in genuine difort. "But...."
If she didn''t know how powerful the blonde was, she''d kill her for outing her to everyone! She kept a low profile, and now she was at the top!
"It''s not an optionit''s an order." Evalyn rified coldly, "Do your job, and you''ll get reputation points. Refuse, or give me a list with zero names, and you''ll get punished."
Everyone gasped at Evalyn''s cruel order and the perspective on the reward she gave her. The pink-haired teen had a get-out-of-jail-free card and would lose it for notplying.
"Okay, whatever." Kiera huffed subtly, trying not to cause problems. She looked at everyone around her with a sharp expression. "Listen up!
I''m not a fan of bing hated for a random job I didn''t sign up for, so here''s the deal.
If no one talks until she returns, I''ll pay the 20 reputation points. If people do, and they cause problems, expect at least a dozen names on that list.
I don''t want to be hated, but I refuse to be punished over something I didn''t sign up for. Got that?"
Everyone was stunned, she dered she''d intentionally defy the general mid-punishmentin front of her.
Evalyn rolled her eyes when people looked at her in confusion, wondering why the ng riddler wasn''t getting in trouble.
"It seems no one was listening." The blonde scoffed, "It''s okay for people to solve problems however they see fit within very few limitationsthese fools weren''t solving a problem.
If Kiera can pull that off, I won''t punish anyone. However, I guarantee that people will start whispering within a few minutes of me leaving, so I''ll be expecting that list.
Now get down here, and join the others. We''re leaving."
The audience watched with heavy hearts as Evalyn led almost 150 people into an orderly line across the amphitheater for dramatic effect, looking like the warden before a chain gang.
Everyone watched in silence as she left, taking the traumatized members and their supporters to the western forest where a shoddy encampment awaited.
Chapter 133 [The Ice Phoenix]
Evalyn left Crux to watch the faction members and led them through the campus like they were part of a chain gang.
Once everyone got to the residential district, with the standard living mansions, she turned to everyone.
"You have fifteen minutes to collect your belongings." The blonde announced.
"You''ll find empty luggage bags with your name outside your rooms.
Since you''re the first to leave the mansions temporarily, we''ll ept your baggage in the lobby if you want us to protect itjust this once.
That will ensure it won''t get misced or stolen in themunal campsite."
"Heh. How generous, kicking us out to somewhere our stuff will get stolen and then protecting it." A man scoffed under his breath.
"What was that, Mitch?" Evalyn asked him with a sinister smile.
His heart pulsed violently, seeing her vicious gaze peering into his soul.
However, he figured that no justifying it was grounds for further punishment or social issues, so he solidified his resolve.
"Half of the mansions here are empty." Mitch dry-swallowed, "And there''s more east of the Immortal Skye Amphitheater.
Kicking everyone out isn''t a matter of resources, or you''d have us working off our debt.
What you''re doing is a simple punishment for disobeying or questioning you. Isn''t it?"
"What a well-articted argument." Evalyn replied with an ominous grin that made everyone''s heart speed up. "It''s great to see someone thinking."
The faction member''s eyes lit up in pleasant surprise. "Does that mean"
"Too bad you''re an idiot." The blonde added ruthlessly, "If I''m giving people punishments for disobeying or questioning me, and you ended up here for doing so, why are you still doing it?"
An icy shiver crawled down his spine when she concluded her statement. "G-General Evalyn, I just told you I''m not opposed to working off this debt."
"I see you didn''t listen when we stated you could earn Skye for additional tasks, thus allowing you can get back into your room in less than a week." Evalyn mused maliciously, "Oh.
And if you''re right about my rationale, you''re still demonstrating stupidity for disobeying my authority."
Her counter caused his blood to boil and his face to heat up in anger and humiliation.
Mitch hadn''t seen what awaited them on the outside.
As a result, it was an abstract conceptmuch like reading about a war in another country, understanding there''s death and suffering, and being unable to sympathize genuinely.
"Does the Emperor know about what you''re doing here?" He asked coldly.
"It''s cute you think that''s relevant." She smiled in amusement, "To insinuate that the cofounder of Immortal Skye can''t act independently without asking permission from the other cofounder is quite amusing."
"You mean to tell me that you are truly on equal footing with him?" Mitch scoffed, "The Emperor is the famous cultivator we''re here to learn from.
He''s the person that made billions at record-shattering speeds to buy this ce.
Yet you''re telling me you have an equal say to the Emperor?"
Those who got punished for trying to help others began whispering excitedly, making Mitch feel vindicated for standing up.
From the beginning, she was a horrifying tyrant, in the modern sense, who cruelly punished everyone in their minds.
Kaze was the person who was there teaching them daily, making their livesfortable and dazzling them.
So everyone naturally agreed, traumatized or otherwise.
Mitch felt more confident as he stood there, staring the blonde down with a righteous re.
However, his heart slowed when the atmosphere dropped multiple degrees, and everyone stopped whispering.
Something cold nicked the back of his neck, making him jolt in surprise.
Jumping made things worsea dozen more pricks followed, sending devastating fear crashing through his body.
Those waiting gasped in shock and fear, only increasing his fear of moving.
He dry-swallowed, cold sweat cooling rapidly on his neck and forehead.
"I''m curious, Mitch." Evalyn mused malevolently, "Do you want to test whether I have equal authority as Kaze Lexicon."
His eyes widened in shock as something cold and sharp circled his neck.
When the object moved past the side of his neck, he saw a beautiful, mythical dagger made out of ice moving across his neck.
Mitch could feel it slicing through the firstyer of his skin before ice froze it shut.
Watching it move over his jugr vein was harrowingacutely distressing.
It stopped in front of his adam''s apple, awaiting the order to thrust forward and end his life.
"Immortal Skye is an independent country." Evalyn whispered seductively, walking up to him and touching his cheek, "So it''s legal to test my authority.
We can get a definitive answer on the subject if you wish. Just say the words."
Mitch wanted to say no, but the de touched his adam''s apple. So simply swallowing, speaking, or shaking his head would slice his neck.
"Hoh?" She mused, cocking her head, "It seems that when you have a tangible understanding of death and consequences, you''re also silentjust like the others."
Everyone held their breaths, and those who tried to support the traumatized members looked around.
The returnees looked at the ground with trembling eyes, reminded of why they weren''t disobeying orining.
It became clear that the blonde''s actions weren''t uniquethey were a demonstration.
Mitch''s eyes trembled, staring into her crystal blue eyes in terror.
He thought his life would end. However, to his surprise, the dagger against his neck dissolved into a snowke and fell to the ground.
A light breeze also brought snowkes to the back of his neck, indicating that multiple des surrounded his neck from all angles.
"It seems that you don''t want that. Am I correct in that assumption?" The blonde asked with a sardonic grin.
"Y-Yes." Mitch winced, afraid he''d slice himself, "I-I understand, General Skye."
Evalyn''s eyes shed cold, and her sinister expression disappeared, leaving only her raw emotions. "Do not disrespect me or my authority again."
The area fell dead silent at her cold, definitive statement.
"Listen up, everyone!" She ordered, "So long as you follow Kaze and me, you will not suffer from the atrocities of the outside world.
We will teach you, build you up, feed you, protect you, and help you grow."
The hundred people in the line were stunned by her positive message.
"However, you will devote your lives to us and follow ourws to receive our protection and support.
If you don''t, you will receive indiscriminate punishment or deportation.
I make thews, so you will follow my words without question or meet you''ll that fate."
The faction members shuddered at her cold deration. However, her words were also confident and charismatic.
She threatened a man''s life brutally but convinced everyone that she was there to save their lives benevolentlyand they believed it. It was strange.
Without knowing it, theyid eyes on the new Ice Phoenix for the first time.
Evalyn Skye was a woman known for giving those who followed her great lives and met those who didn''t with merciless ruin.
Her reign was genuinely benign. Few didn''t receive a second lease at life and benefit for their efforts.
She was a terrifying, benevolent dictator with an unnatural charisma.
However, this time her charisma was more tangible.
The Ice Phoenix was far more empathetic; she made decisions that pushed against her cold utilitarian mindset. So her charisma this time around would only grow.
People''s love for her would flourish, and only time separated her current reputation from its destiny.
"''I''m not being tyrannical for asking for absolute adherence to my wordsI''m governing people." The Ice Phoenix dered,
"In Maltaa nation-stateyou follow thews and decrees made by its leaders with absolute adherence.
Immortal Skye is also a nation-state, so its leaders'' words are also thewand I''m a leader.
How I ended up here is irrelevant.
Your viewpoints are inconsequential.
Good intentions are meaningless.
If you want to live here, you will follow my rules unless Kaze approaches me, and we discuss what I''ve done and decide to amend it.
If you don''t like thews, get on a skycruiser tomorrow and obsequiously follow Malta''sws and mandates without question.
I''m here to improve your lives, and I won''t let people step on me for doing so."
Mitch swallowed nervously. He unleashed hell on a scale he didn''t feel possible.
Now that she defined the profound meaning behind Immortal Skye''s nation-state status, he understood the gravity of disobedience.
Whether she was the president or vice president, spitting on her was equally suicidal.
"Now that you fully understand the legal system here, I''m letting you off with a warning." Evalyn announced coldly, "However, this warning is for [everyone].
And if you, Mitch, break the rules or disrespect me again, you''ll face twice the punishment as everyone else. Do you understand?"
Mitch nodded sheepishly, not looking at anyone. He didn''t care about the opinions of anyone else because the real punishments were far more profound than the social ones.
"Good enough." She scoffed in vexation, "Now get your belongings.
You have ten minutes because Mitch wasted your time, so I suggest you hustle."
Everyone stopped themselves from groaning, looking at the ground, dejected.
"Go!" Evalyn barked, breaking them out of their haze and informing them they were to move immediately.
The faction members hurriedly ran into their rooms.
Kaze already had Veronica''s belongings moved to another room. So she grabbed her luggage, moved it into her room, and returned four minutester, quickly moving down the stairs.
When she left the mansion, she saw Evalyn staring at the clear blue sky with a mncholy expression. The blonde looked tortured.
Veronica observed her until Evalyn leveled her gaze and made eye contact with pure ambivalence.
Her mask was impregnable again, hiding the ceaseless pain and torment she suffered through.
When everyone made it back out, she addressed everyone again. "Let''s move out."
The faction members walked behind her until they made it to a clearing in the forest where tent equipment, grills, water stations, and portable bathrooms awaited them.
Immortal Skye hadn''t set up the military fifty-person tents, which were far moreplicated than regr camping tents, requiring ten pages of instructions.
"Here is your new home until you earn enough Skye to move out." Evalyn announced dryly, "Tents are gender organized.
There are two tents for women and one tent for men. Men are prohibited from entering female tents at any time, or they will immediately get expelled."
Everyone winced, understanding they had no free space.
The men were also discontented, as the women would have far more space since they had two tents for low overflow.
"As I said, you can move out as soon as you have enough Skye." She reiterated, "It''s a busy time, and there''s a need for extra work.
Obsessively seeking extra tasks could get you back into your room in a few days."
The faction members blinked twice, uncertain they heard her correctly.
"I''m not here to punish anyone." Evalyn imed, rolling her eyes, "I''m here to maintain order to keep you safe.
Panic leads to fights, arson, murder, and assault. We''ve punished people triggering panic and put them into safe tents with watchful eyes, preventing predators from entering.
You can leave here quickly, and those who can cause trouble for everyone aren''t causing problems.
I don''t care if you hate me, but at least consider the benefits of what I do before you condemn me."
Everyone looked at her as if they had seen her for the first time.
Veronica narrowed her eyes, studying her leader''s expression closely. However, the blonde had already walked away without another before she mined much information from her expression.
The ck-haired pixie scanned the stunned faction members. They were still afraid to speak and looked at each other awkwardly.
"The general went too far." Shemented, "No I should test that first, unless."
After taking an inconspicuous breath, she subtly nced at the [good-natured] woman who triggered the dissenters toin about the returnees'' treatment.
Her curly, auburn hair was in a loose ponytail, and she stood around with a scowl.
She looked pissed, shaking even after Evalyn left.
It was Haiden Maryanne Rompersthe woman who nearly killed her.
Chapter 134 The Tyrant And The Tramp
Haiden made eye contact with Veronica, giving the ck-haired pixie aplex expression, before turning away.
Neither would say sorry to the other.
Veronica intentionally set her up to ruin her life.
The auburn-haired dissident tried to beat her up without knowing her strength.
It was awkward.
Regardless, the recently confirmed cab member pushed their past to the back of her mind.
She only wanted to know whether [she] should initiate the leadership or Haiden should.
At a nce, she knew that the two had the same role.
So it was an interesting dynamic.
After a minute of silence, the pixie walked over to the hand guide to setting up the tents and opened it.
"Are you all nning to sleep like that?" Veronica asked dryly, "I''m not."
Everyone dry-swallowed, looking around to gauge everyone else''s expressions.
"If you need an order, remember that Evalyn told us that we have safe tents to sleep in." She argued bitterly, "That assumes we can sleep in them.
And to set them up, we need to talk.
Evalyn punishes us for being stupid in her eyes--sleeping outside is stupid, period.
So can someone help me set up the female tent?"
Everyone''s eyes widened in surprise, and a few women nodded.
Surprisingly, the first to go were the people on Jake''s skycruiser, who were grateful to be there, punished for not thinking, and ordered to take the initiative.
"Thank you." Veronica said in aplex tone, "We''ll get through this together."
Haiden walked up to her with an annoyed perspective. "I don''t want to sleep outside, so I guess I''ll help you.
Give me the handbook so I can give everyone instructions."
The ck-haired woman''s green eyes shed with murderous intent before seeing Haiden give her a tense, annoyed expression, signaling her to y along.
She was stunned by the woman''s admission and considered what she should do to y along.
"There''s a second handbook--" Veronica announced dryly, pointing at the table.
"--and a second tent. I''ll handle this one, so please help the other women."
"You act like I''m trying to boss you around like the tyrant." Haiden scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Whatever."
The auburn-haired woman strode to the table with an annoyed expression.
She snatched the handbook from the table and flipped through the pages, reading them carefully.
Everyone watched with interest, including Veronica, who noticed that the woman wasn''t reading--she was acting.
"This tent needs a minimum of six people to set up." Haiden asserted boldly, "Two people to hold the frame, two to the new additions, and two to put up the fabric walls.
I''d like a minimum of six volunteers willing to listen to a [tyrant] to set it up.
It''s not ideal, obviously, but it''s better than sleeping on the ground."
She huffed at Veronica, mocking her for questioning her leadership.
The ck-haired woman studied the woman carefully, trying to understand the woman''s actions. She was being a total cunt, leaving her perplexed.
Unless--
"They put her in the role she excels at." Veronica muttered under her breath, "I suppose she is half effective at it."
Sheughed subtly in amusement at the profound implications of the situation.
"Yet this time, she has a real leader''s intelligence and support." The pixie grinned, looking at Haiden, pretending to read the manual, "This is ruthless."
--June 1st, 2032 | Strategy Meeting | 6 Days Until the Rapture--
"Veronica, I''m making you a fixer to utilize your social skills best." The emperor announced.
"Fixer?" Veronica asked, "I''m unaware of what that is."
"You''re someone who resolves problems orpletes tasks through social skills alone." He smiled in response, "Diplomat, mediator, agitator, infiltrator, and spy."
Everyone''s eyes widened in surprise, turning to the ck-haired woman in interest.
Jake gave her aplex expression. Hearing that she''d lie for a job only exasperated his trust issues.
He was confident the emperor set the two up together during the party. That much was obvious, and he didn''t have delusions about it from day one.
However, he was equally confident that the woman''s interest in him was genuine, especially after the party.
"I understand. What do you need me to [fix], em-per-or?" Veronica smacked sarcastically, annoyed to be made a professional liar at that critical juncture.
"We need you to infiltrate the camps." The emperor replied straightly, "Naturally, those who didn''t venture to Meridian City will be unduly aggrieved.
Their living situation is ufortable, and their food intake will be lesser or unequal.
They will get shamed as a caste, avoided for not showering, and many may have their belongings stolen.
Temporary as it is, it''s a grisly social punishment all will seek to avoid.
Where there is discontent, there is dissidence and disorder.
We need someone arbitrary who can lead people, mediate problems, and give us a list of those who deserve punishment."
Veronica''s eyes widened in surprise. "So my job is to bepletely neutral, not be an agitator, sussing out those who are problematic from the shadows?"
"Correct." Kaze confirmed, "Exposing shadow politicians and dissidents is not [your] job.
You''re only to be a neutral leader who periodically takes the side of the people against us, but in a way that demonstrates governance."
She was floored, surprised her role was strictly benign.
So were the others whose roles were brutal, callous, and maniptive.
Veronica didn''t question it. "I can do that."
"I have high expectations." Kaze smiled.
--June 2nd, 2032 | The Concentration Camp | 5 Days Until the Rapture--
"I guess this is what that man meant when he said it wasn''t [my] job." Veronica chuckled spitefully, "But...."
"Thanks for havingmon sense and not being petty." Haiden said bitingly, "We need everything in the open and organized to get this done asap."
The woman''s curly ponytail swayed as she walked over to the tent bag and began pulling items out.
"We need the long poles in one area, the L bars beside them, and two sets of big and small tarps.
The smaller straight poles get a pile next to the clips.
Lastly, the small ropes go with the small tarps, and therge with the main tarp."
When the two began organizing the equipment, another two joined.
They didn''t like her bossy, petty behavior, but she was getting things done confidently, and they didn''t want to stand around forever.
"Thanks for joining the tyrant." Haiden smiled, pointing to the piles, "ce a rubber head on the poles and attach two L poles at 45-degree angles, making a V."
Within two minutes, the four finished setting up a wall when Veronica''s team was still busy setting one up, having a four-minute headstart.
"This is necessary." Veronica chuckled under her breath, "If a bunch of traumatized people came under my control, there wouldn''t be any problems.
Without problems, no one would learn anything.
They wouldn''t learn how to handle situations properly.
It''s a sign of faith in my social skills andpetence. If it wasn''t...."
She watched Haiden for a moment with an amused expression.
The auburn-hair ex-dissident was reading off a script; everything she did, from organizing to dictation, was practiced.
Veronica grinned and looked around at the frustrated women helping her with wry smiles. She had already learned how to aplish everything but the top watching the woman.
It would be easy to pick up as they went, so it was time to get serious.
"As you can see, tent two''s leader has a firm grasp on setting up the tent." She told the twenty people loosely surrounding her, "So let''s follow her example."
Everyone nodded nervously.
"What are your names?" Veronica asked a brte and a blonde.
The brte dry-swallowed, still afraid to speak. "Miley."
"Jenna." Her blonde subordinate followed.
"Nice to meet you two." The ck-haired woman smiled, "Miley, your job is to observe the other teams and see how we can improve.
Jenna, your role is to organize the equipment. You four, what are your names?"
"Reena.
"Patricia."
"Rachel."
"Tina."
"Nice to meet all of you." Veronica nodded, "You four are to pre-build the walls and set them up.
Everyone else, your role is to stabilize the tent, which is a problem for both teams.
If one of these six asks you to do something, you must listen and follow their instructions.
We''re just setting up a tent for a half hour."
Everyone nodded and immediately set to work on the tents.
To Haiden''s shock, the group''s speed setting up the wall was horrifyingly effective.
"You''re the worst." She scoffed loudly, "You''re rude to me, then steal my team''s productivity to make yourself look good.
It''s disrespectful to those who showcased good insight."
Her team was bitter, feeling vitality return to them when they released it on someone else.
Their expressions made the ck-haired pixie shiver, seeing how fast Haiden manipted negative emotions to break people free of their trauma shells.
"You''re indirectly leading everyone here because of your leadership and productivity." Veronica replied dryly, "So what are you dissatisfied about?"
Haiden''s sh flushed with annoyance when everyone turned to her with expectant gazes.
It''s rare for people to publicly praise someone after they were a total bitch.
So she couldn''t express dissatisfaction when she got all the credit.
Her team was still bitter and expected a fight, but if she snapped back, the other hundred people would turn against her.
"Well, at least you admit your wrongdoing." Haiden arrogantly dered.
A hundred people turned to Veronica immediately, many fearful, nervous, or excited there would be a juicy fight.
"I''m sorry for my wrongdoing." Veronica replied so dryly people couldn''t distinguish if it were genuine or sarcastic, "Jenna, are you done organizing?"
"Yes...." Jenna dry-swallowed.
"Good work." The ck-haired woman nodded, "Please go around asking the wall setters how people could help them.
Then ry that to free bodies, ensuring smoothmunication."
"Of course. I''ll do that right now." Her subordinate replied.
Within minutes, the wall builders were working even faster.
Haiden watched in horror as her flexiblemunication pipeline shredded her flimsy dictator system.
"Michelle, go watch them and see how we can improve." The auburn-haired woman ordered, "We can do that too."
The dark-haired brte nodded and immediately went to infiltrate theirpeting group, still burning with indignation.
"Hello... Veronica, right?" Michelle asked.
"That''s me." Veronica smiled, "It''s nice to meet you...."
"Michelle." The brte nodded, shaking her hand.
"What can I do for you?" The mediator asked, "Are you here to help? Or do you need support?"
"Both." Michelle smiled, "Haiden''s asking me to help you and get insights to improve."
Veronica smirked inwardly, enjoying the petty [refuse me and you''re petty] dynamic.
"Of course." She replied with a kind smile, "Our productivity has skyrocketed due to the stabilizers standing awkwardly against the tent.
Ask them what they''re doing. You''ll get a better perspective of what we''re doing.
If you wish to take over a management spot in the future, let me know, and I''ll let you jump in."
Michelle''s eyes widened in surprise at the ck-haired woman''s rxed attitude. It seemed she was genuinely willing to help them. "Um... yes. Thank you."
The dark-haired brte turned around in a haze and walked to the stabilizers to ask what they were doing.
Everyone immediately replied kindly, even when she informed them she was learning for the other team.
"Would you like to switch out?" A blonde asked.
"Um... sure." Michelle replied.
Veronica''s subordinate moved out of the way, holding her arms stead so she could move in. "All you''re doing is holding it in a bnced way. It prevents rocking."
Haiden''s infiltrator nodded and tried it out. "Like this?"
"Kinda." The blonde replied, "You''re a bit shorter than me, so it''s off bnce and shaking.
Ask Cindy here how best to hold it so she can adjust."
Michelle dry-swallowed and looked at the light-haired brte. "How can I... hold this better?"
Thetter smiled and gave her tips, and soon they stabilized.
Everyone was so friendly!
She couldn''t believe how pleasant it was to be in Veronica''s group and secretly wished she didn''t need to go back. But she did, so--
"Hey everyone, thank you so much." Michelle said in a downcast voice, "I have to go help the other team to ensure everyone can sleep tonight."
"No problem!"
"Happy to have you. See you soon!"
She walked away with a hazy expression, moving back to the [actual] tyrant.
...
"Hey, V." A redhead called out, "We can''t hold the internal pole and lock everything into ce.
It''s super heaven, and we''re too short."
"Thanks for letting me know." Veronica nodded, turning to the male team, "Hey, Jackson!
We need help setting up the inner post.
We''ll send some people to help you if you send some guys to help us!"
Jackson, a brown-haired athlete, was stunned. Two dozen men were standing around; she didn''t need his help!
"Of course! I''ll get you some." He replied, not willing to turn her down.
"Miley, please go help them figure out how best ourdies can help." Veronica requested, gathering some women.
"Right away." Miley bowed, moving over to the male tent.
A few minutester--
"What the hell!?" Haiden growl-cried, turning to her hark-haired subordinate, "Are you trying to sabotage us, Michelle?"
Michelle''s narrowed, and her fists trembled. "What are you talking about?
I came back here with the answers, but you keep saying there aren''t enough people to do it, and you won''t recruit."
Haiden rolled her eyes, looking at the male team. "We have the same amount of people as they do. Ten and ten. So what''s the excuse?"
"Your forced roles make it impossible for us to do what they''re both doing." Michelle growled viciously, "We don''t have enough people to do what you want and do what they''re doing."
"Oh, so it''s my fault?" The tyrant scoffed, "Whatever. If you don''t want to help, you can go back to that witch''s team."
"dly." Her ex-subordinateughed, "With as well as they treated me there, I was depressed to return to a person berating me for doing what they ordered me to do."
Haiden''s eyes trembled for a moment, and she turned to Veronica, who was a few minutes away frompleting her tent, with a livid gaze.
"You better not know what I''m doing, tramp." She growled, "We''re even on the killing each other front.
But if you''re trying to kill me, I will kill you first or take you with me. I''m not ying games."
Chapter 135 Hormonal Jealousy
Evalyn returned to the amphitheater in a depressed mood.
After personally hurting herself for hours, she didn''t want to deal with anyone else. Unfortunately, there were thousands of ignorant people awaiting her.
However, contrary to expectations, the amphitheater was dead silent as she approached. She entered the area cautiously, wondering what had happened.
When she did, she found a truly shocking scene unfolding.
"Ey, what''s up, chief?" Kiera askedzily on the stage''s edge, yawning while stretching her arms.
Evalyn looked around, staring at thousands of faces looking at her with nervous expressions. "Has it truly been like this for over an hour?"
"Hmmm?" The pink-haired woman hummed, "No way, chief.
People started cranking the panic dial to the mid-range rowdy mark."
Everyone in the stands winced, looking away in shame.
"So what did you do to them?" Evalyn asked in perplexion.
Kiera popped off the stage, standing on level ground. "I got Kazey to use that urge burglin'' technique again.
Worked like a charm. Ten out of two would rmend."
"Urge burgling?" Evalyn muttered in perplexion, "Oh, stealing high emotions got it.
That would be highly articte if people understood what it meant."
The blonde snapped out of her puzzlement when she realized something important.
"Wait up." She said with a deep frown, "Did you just say that Kaze helped you deal with this situation?"
"Yeeeeeeee~p." Kiera smacked, causing the blonde''s eyes to fill with murderous intent, "Turns out you''re right, chief.
Those reputation points really do buy anything."
Evalyn''s fury crashed against an icy seaand lost. "Wait, what?"
"Turns out, one hundred rep points really is astronomical." The pink-haired woman smiled, "It only cost five to get Kazey to use that technique.
Since you said I could aplish the task however I wished, I went for it."
The blonde was stunned, baffled by her strategy.
"It''s great you''ve already learned the value of reputation points." Evalyn smiled in amusement, "Who were the people whose emotions you needed to [burrize]?"
"Oh that." Kiera remarked, scratching her head, "So, here''s the thing.
I side-stepped the problem like a pro, and I''m not a fan of a crime quota.
I''m also not a fan of breaking thew, so I asked what the max penalty for non-threatening insubordination is and learned it''s ten rep points.
Soooooooo can I just name myself, pay the fine, and get a p on the wrist?
Honest question; no expectations. I''ll follow your orders if you demand it."
Evalyn blinked twice in disbelief. Giving high reputation points to the fiery teen for her actions wasn''t nned, so there was no reason for Kaze to have exined their true value.
The blonde didn''t even know the reputation point''s potential!
Kiera Snow was one year younger than she was. So seeing Kaze coddle her and brace her frail emotions the day before was aggravating.
Now she could see that the pink-haired woman didn''t have his interest by mistake. However
knowing that made her feel bitter.
"You aplished your task in a remarkably intelligent, well-intentioned, and effective way." Evalyn asserted straightly, "You''ve respected my orders and authority.
Even now, as you''re asking me to reconsider, you''re not refusing to do it.
I only gave you that loathsome requirement to ensure no one condemned you for keeping order. Turns out, it was unnecessary.
So I''ll ept your atypical request for clemency and still award you ten reputation points."
Everyone was stunned and fearful by the development, connecting reputation points to leniency and punishment.
"Don''t misinterpret this scene." Evalyn ordered coldly, turning to the nervous faction members, "Kiera didn''t attempt to bribe me.
This woman followed her orders and asked for me to reconsiderif I''d allowed it.
Otherwise, a very different scene would have yed out.
You follow orders first, then ask for reconsideration after. That''s the moral."
Most faction members sighed breaths of relief, hearing that talented people wouldn''t get away with murder. It was a horrifying thought.
"Now, get in line, everyone. You''re moving back to your living quarters for the rest of the day." The blonde ordered. "We''re posting guards around the clock.
Each is far stronger than you. So don''t start an altercation unless you want an elite to rip your spleen to use as their RP pouch."
Everyone dry-swallowed and nodded, slowly filing down the stairs.
Kiera shuddered, confirming a mystery about Evalyn Skye after publicly dering she was wrong, breaking her authoritarian illusion, and praising her.
It wasn''t about favoritism or appealing Kazethe blonde didn''t want to do either.
The Ice Phoenix sacrificed herself because she''d lie, praise others, or even humiliate herself for the [greater good]. It all came down to cost-benefit analysis.
She was a true utilitarian to the core and was definitive, consistent, and concrete about it.
The trait was remarkable. It inspired Kiera and made her shiver simultaneously.
While the pink-haired teen admired Evalyn, thetter did the same. The blonde analyzed Kiera''s intelligence, strength, cunning, and cultivation talent.
She was captivated by the traits that captured Kaze''s interest and made him coddle her.
However, her feelings were far more bittertoxic even.
For the first time in her life, the new hormones flowing through her body made her experience true jealousy. It was unbearable.
Evalyn walked down the hallway of the central mansion. She wore an expression mixed with annoyance, anxiety, and aggravation.
It was 1 am, and her destination was Kaze''s bedroom.
Yet she couldn''t bring herself to do it haphazardly. Not only was itte, but she also couldn''t justify her trip in her current state.
Things were plicated" in her mind, so she understood her hormones spurred the agitation in her heart, which wasn''t fair to Kaze.
After all, he controlled his urges because he knew the consequences.
She chalked it up as [regret sex], and now she was in the regret portion.
Having sex once made it exponentially harder to go without it.
Not only could it clear her mind from the awful day she had, but it would also cure the painful horniness she was feeling! It was brutal.
After a few rounds of pacing, she finally built up the nerve to go up to his door. She took a deep breath, lifted her hand and
Evalyn jumped backward when Kaze opened the door with a slightly mocking smirk.
"I thought you''d never knock on the door." He said in a sarcastic hypnotic tone.
Her eyes filled with irritation, annoyed that he let her suffer over the decision for thirty minutes when he knew she was there.
"Why did you make me agonize over it?" Evalyn cried under her breath, "I can riddle out countless words starting with the letter [A] that describe my feelings about this."
"Hoh?" Kaze grinned in amusement, "A im like that warrants an elucidation by principle."
"Where should I begin?" Sheughed sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "Anxious.
Aggrieved.
Antagonized.
Agonized.
Agitated.
Annoyed.
Aggravated.
Afflicted.
Allured.
Attracted.
Aroused.
Is that enough to express what I''m going through?
Or should I add [asshole] to seal the deal?"
"To go so far as to order them to tell a story impressive." Kaze chuckled in amusement, "Why go so far when you hate my pointlessly pompous and [pre-tentious]nguage?"
"I''m dealing with your nonsense as a way of saying alluring you into sleeping with me." Evalyn replied bluntly, not mixing words.
He turned around to check the status of his guests.
When Evalyn followed his eyes and saw Kiera sleeping in his bed for the second night in a row, her blood boiled primally, and light frost developed on her skin.
She noticed and calmed down, instantly getting it under control.
After gaining control, she saw the pink-haired woman sound asleep with a gentle smile on her face. It was clear she didn''t have sex with him.
Crux was also in bed, awake from feeling a cultivator enter the hallway a half hour ago.
Evalyn looked upward to meet his mocking gaze, which sent shame signals crashing through her body. "I apologize for my behavior."
"Oxytocin." Kaze replied charmingly, not judging her. He closed the door softly and created a barrier to prevent sound from leaking through, "This is normal."
The blonde''s eyes widened, seeing how rxed he was and gratefully hearing that she wasn''t crazy for her behavior. "Then what''s the normal way to deal with this?"
"Well, you can hate me." He replied maically, "Feel bitter, believing yourself entitled to a rtionship with me for taking your first.
Or continue resenting others, believing them to be unworthy of my attention when you not only mean more to me but also have a deeper rtionship."
Evalyn gave him a wry smile, bothered that she couldn''t make it sarcastic. "Is resenting you the only option?"
"Of course not." Kazeughed breathlessly, "That''s the normal thing to do; that''s what you asked for yes?"
She turned away in annoyance. "Then what''s the ideal thing to do?
I''d bet my room you have a trick for dealing with this situation."
"I do, but it''s the same thing, only much more enjoyable." He replied mysteriously.
"I''m all ears." Evalyn replied dryly, annoyed he didn''t just answer.
"Have sex, of course." Kaze replied devilishly, "It won''t change a thing, but it''s still a great way to release your frustrations."
She narrowed her eyes at him, skipping past the obvious and focusing on the undertone. "Releasing my frustrations?
Not just making them go away?"
"It seems you understand correctly." Kaze smiled sinisterly.
She locked her gaze with him with fierce eyes. "How?"
Evalyn crashed atop the desk in her room, pushing everything out of the way without distinction.
CRACK! Thud, thud, thud thud.
A deskmp shattered on the desk, and her notebook, pens, andptop fell to the ground.
The blonde didn''t even notice.
She was busy pulling her aggriever''s neck forward until his lips crashed into hers.
Kaze let his lips connect with hers, pushing his tongue into her mouth, fighting back against her desire to be dominant.
Evalyn spread her legs outward, pushing more items on the desk to the side as she pulled him closer. "Fuck me, Kaze."
"Make me." He replied brazenly.
The blonde instantly epted the challenge, forcefully grabbing his hands and moving them to her hips.
She then reached out and pulled on his silky red shorts, which looked vulgar and offensive to ordinary people.
His ten-inch member popped out easily, bending to her will.
Evalyn grabbed his penis lightly and squeezed with just enough force to be known. She was confident it could survive a 50-caliber sniper round, but she was making a point.
Kaze gave lifted his eyebrows in interest, enticing her to exin herself. "Would you like to release your frustrations now?"
"Yes, I would." She replied boldly, "Tell me about Kiera. Give me the wrong answers, and I''ll skull fuck your brains out."
Chapter 136 Grudge Fuck Pt. 1
"You im that you love me, the neen-year-old college student and Kiera Snow is eighteen. She''s only one year younger." Evalyn scoffed in disdain.
"So why the fuck are you so tender, loving, and borderline paternal with her?
I''m supposedly your true love interest, yet you don''t give me half that.
You were quick to give me harsh realities about the apocalypse, yet she''s tonically sleeping in your bed for emotional support, for fucks sake."
He smiled, pressing his body forward.
It pressed pushed his cock through her grip, inadvertently making her powery a sexual act. Naturally, it exasperated her.
"I did offer you to join us, yes?" Kaze asked mockingly.
"My joining you doesn''t change your protective behavior." Evalyn scoffed in vexation, "And I refuse to degrade myself by joining a harem, so don''t insult me."
"Kiera reminds me of one of my past lovers." He smiled, not wasting time, "Surely you don''t think that you were the only person I cared for in five thousand years, yes?
You may be the most special and meaningful, tied to my heart, but you weren''t the only one."
The blonde was stunned by his tant admission, and what he said made things far worse!
Now someone was challenging her one feeling of control over the throngs of shameless women seeing simple pleasure from him.
Worse, it was by Kiera, someone equally beautiful, talented, and extremely intelligent. It was a deep-seated issue.
"Which do you love more?" Evalyn asked tantly, not mincing her disgusting jealousy.
Kazeughed, turning away. "You, of course. I thought we got past your distrust of my unbelievable statements."
The blonde smiled wryly, understanding the problem with her actions. She was releasing frustration, just as he rmended.
"Who''s more talented?" Evalyn pleaded, "Please give me something to end this ugly, hormone-driven jealousy I''m feeling.
I''m confident you understand how unnatural this is."
"Which talent?" Kazeugh-scoffed mockingly, "In terms of leadership, you far surpass everyone on every ne, even myself.
Cultivation is different. Kiera''s more talented than you and Ibined."
Evalyn''s eyes widened in shock. "Even you?"
"That''s what I said, yes?" He asked bitingly, "She''s more talented in cultivation.
You''re more talented in battle.
She excels in wit and fast thinking, artiction, and improvisation.
You''re an unparalleled strategic thinker and tactician.
Both of you are trainwrecks, but you''re far more beautiful. Naturally, that''s not"
"Personality." The blonde interjected, addressing the sore spot in her life.
"I''d choose you over everyone; yourplex personality is beautiful beyond measure." Kaze replied hypnotically with a strange gaze, "Soy those fears to rest.
Kiera''s a problem child and a cocktail of disagreeable mental health disorders. However, they also make her far more amusing and fascinating. She''s delightfully tragic"
Evalyn gripped his dick with considerable force, testing how hard she could go until he winced.
However, all it did was trigger a derisive smirk from him.
"Why couldn''t you just end it at the flowery part?" She asked bitterly.
"Why?" Kaze chuckled satirically, "It''s likely that she will sleep in my bed again tomorrow, and you''ll refuse to join my [harem] again.
Then this conversation will repeat. Flowery statements will only revitalize your bitterness."
The blonde''s chuckled ominously in vexation, aggravation, annoyance, anxiety, and unjust animosity. "You were right about this. So, so, right."
Her eyes trembled in a craze. "This is truly brutal. Sex is standard in college, and you do it effortlessly, so I didn''t think much of it.
If I knew it could shatter my stained-ss emotional state, I''d have just learned how to please myself.
Then I wouldn''t have to deal with this nonsense. I fucking hate this."
"Yes, so do I." Kazeughed mockingly, "That''s why I''m in your room, and you have my erect penis in your hand. Or have you forgotten?"
The blonde looked down and saw her hand still holding his member solidly. She blushed in disbelief, forgetting how hard she gripped it.
Heugh-scoffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes. "If we''re here to grudge fuck me, you should finish what you started."
"Grudge fuck?" Evalynughed awkwardly, "That''s a thing?"
"Of course not." Kaze scoffed, "I have a talent for sounding articte. It hides my talent for making up words and phrases."
Her eyes filled with murderous intent when she heard his snappy, sarcastic, and borderline malicious tone.
The blondeughed in true disbelief. "You brought me here to teach me how to release frustration, now you''re being an ass about it?"
"If aptly replying to childish behavior is [being an ass], I suppose I am." He replied instantly, "I won''t hold your hand and teach you how to have sex or take out frustrations.
Such a contradiction is perplexing to the point of being offensive."
Evalynughed sharply, her mouth agape. "Holding my hand while teaching me would be offensive?
You mean like you do with Kiera? Coddling her 24/7that type of hand-holding?"
"Is that what you want, Evalyn?" Kazeughed caustically, "For me to put you on myp during a cab meeting?
To buy you pajamas and hold you to guide you to sleep?
That''s what she needs right now. What about you, Evalyn? Is that what you need right now?"
"That''s what she needs?" Evalyn asked in bewilderment, "You''re telling me you''re coddling someone that childish?"
"Childish?" He replied with a malicious smile, "Kiera has a lower form of separation anxiety disorder from growing up an orphan.
It causes obsessive worry about being abandoned; that worry is guaranteed to kill her during training.
That''s Kiera''s life and the circumstances that exin her behavior and mandate my coddling.
Tell me, Evalyn. What''s your excuse for your current childish behavior?"
The blonde''s crystal blue eyes became fiercemalevolent. "I''m slowly evolving into that toxic woman that you loved.
Don''t tell me your Ice Phoenix didn''t have severe mental health disorders.
She did, and you''re not coddling or creating countermeasures to prevent them from triggering."
"I did coddle you." He scoffughed in disdain, "Or do you think I unload power and heal people randomly?
That I warned anyone else about the apocalypse? That I chose a system where everyone a person knew could gain entrance to Immortal Skye arbitrarily?"
Evalyn took a sharp breath at his words, reminded that her mother''s death was solely her fault. He gave her mom a chance; fate and ipetence prevented it.
"Nothing I did could prevent you from bing the Ice Phoenix, Evalyn." Kaze dered, making her eyes snap open. "You didn''t be toxicyou are toxic.
Your obsession with control, charisma, and high-functioning narcissism created the Ice Phoenix. You had these traits before we met.
So don''t me me for your behavior or personality.
Ending up as the Ice Phoenix was preordained; it was only a matter of how extreme you''d be."
"Hah." Evalynughed awkwardly, "You''ve done so much for me. You are right about just about everything; I ept it.
However, thatst statement... that I''d end up like this even if I hadn''t met you, if my mother hadn''t got murdered, and if I didn''t experience trauma is sickening.
No matter how much you''ve done for me, it''s impossible to appreciate it.
I resent you for what you''ve said. No amount of pleasure will change that.
But that''s good, right? That I have a grudge for a [grudge fuck]?"
"It seems you understand correctly." Kaze replied mockingly, "I thought you forgot that I came here to help you before you threw this temper tantrum."
"Hah, well, it seems I set the stage." She said with cold, vicious eyes, "So shut the fuck up and teach me what''s magical enough to ruin our rtionship forever."
"I thought you''d never ask." Kaze replied with a merciless gaze.
He immediately reached to her throat, making her tense up and pull her hands up.
However, he grabbed the neck loop on both sides and effortlessly tore her shirt in half, exposing her pink bra.
The world slowed to a crawl and her heart pulsed violently, disbelieving what she just saw.
[Evalyn consented ahead of time] to rough, physical sex. However, she didn''t imagine he''d rip her shirt off! But
she didn''t oppose it. Otherwise, she would have said their safe word.
The world''s speed caught up again when she felt her hair get yanked backward, thrusting her neck forward.
Evalyn looked up and found Kaze''s merciless, vibrant green eyes staring into her soul.
She had never seen them up close, so precisely.
The iris'' were like forests, summoned around a world tree.
Each darkyer had depth, creating meadows and mountains that told a story.
And that story
was ferocious.
The blonde felt an icy chill crawl down her spine.
However, it wasn''t a convulsive shiver of terrorit was an acute connection to his merciless mindset.
"Haaaaaah. I understand you; that look in your eyes." Evalyn grinned maliciously, "It seems you''ve gotten your mythical lover back, after all.
She''s doing what she''s doing best, being a toxic cunt; you should do what you do best and have sex with her.
Just make sure to keep your overt narcissism on full disy. It''s a turn-on because I know I''m not alone in my toxicity."
"I would if you''d let go of my penis." Kaze replied malevolently, using a tone caustic enough to eat through steel.
Evalyn looked down in annoyance, noticing that she [still] hadn''t released it.
"I can''t believe you''re still hard." She scoffed, "Add in pulling my hair and forcing me to look into your twisted eyes, you''re a sadist.
But I''m having sex with you, which shows you how fucked up I am. So let me help you out."
The blonde pulled his dick forward until it was up against her silky white pajama shorts and used her left hand to pull the shorts out of the way from the left side.
Then she adjusted her seat on the desk to meet her cement on the desk.
During the operation, she stared into his eyes, still under the pressure of her yanked-back hair.
Once aligned, she pulled his hard cock to her now-exposed lips and pressed until it touched her lips.
The feeling
was surreal.
Indescribable.
It was simr to sexual tension but affected her entire body and mind.
Evalyn immediately let go of his member, circled his hips to his ass, and
"GahhhhHH~"
she pulled him into her body.
The feeling made her exhale her wrath and moan simultaneously.
"At least there''s one benefit to being with you." Sheugh-scoffed, staring into her eyes viciously.
"After everything I''ve done for you, I''m d I get one shared reward." Kazeughed, pushing his cock deeper, making her gasp sharply from his unrestrained physical treatment.
"Your efforts doing what? Grooming me?" She scoffed, "I didn''t ask for you toe into my life, and I don''t know what my life would have been like without you.
The only thing you''ve aplished for certain is making me into a desperate, willing ything.
I''m thankful for the power you''ve given medon''t expect more than that."
Kaze scoffed sharply, opening his mouth and tonguing his left canine in disbelief. "I''ve turned you into my ything?
You''ve experienced sex driven by love; let me show you the difference with pleasure sex."
Evalyn felt an icy shiver crawl down her her spine, but before it reached the end
"Ah~!" She screamed sharply, "Ah~! AH~! AHhhhHHHHH~!"
her mind went nk when he rammed his cock deep inside her and pulled it out, thrusting it again and again.
Chapter 137 Grudge Fuck Pt. 2
"AhhhhHHHhhHHHHhhhHhhhhHHH~!" Evalyn screamed in pleasure as Kaze rammed his cock into her. It was so intense that it felt agonizing, torturing even.
Kaze''s thrusting was an onught of pleasure without any release.
She pulled her hands up his back until they reached his shoulder des and wed into his back to gain a grip.
"This is raw pleasure." Kazeughed maliciously, "And this is nowhere near what I''d do to [use you] as a [ything]."
Evalyn didn''t talked speak. She felt anger over his malicious tone but couldn''t express it over the crashing waves of sensation and ecstasy hitting her.
It was unbearable.
Over stimting and physically painful since they only had gentle [love] sex once.
Unable to express words between her screaming, she wed his back unreservedly.
It didn''t pierce through his skin, but it indented his skin and felt cathartic.
"Unbearable, isn''t it?" Kazeugh-scoffed sardonically, pulling back his aggressive thrusting.
"Yes!" Evalyn screamed unreservedly, "How do you handle this!?"
"How?" He grinned and released his hand on her hair.
"GahhhHH!" The blonde screamed with wide eyes, her heart pulsing with truly ufortable signals, "What that fuck!? KAZE! What the hell is this!?"
"Pain is a sensation wall." Kaze grinned sardonically, "Without the counterbnce, you can''t keep sane.
"Then do it again! KAZE! Please! AhhhHHHhhHHHHH~!"
Evalyn screamed, gripping his back, wing at it viciously, trying to release the pressure. "Don''t make me suffer, you fucking asshole!"
"You want me to do what''s necessary?" Heughed maliciously, "Remember you asked for it when youinter, as always."
She tried to open her eyes in fear and regret, but his thrusting didn''t let her think about anything else.
Kaze put his right hand on the wall next to them, and an entire section glowed golden as Soul Qi reinforced it permanently.
"What are you" Evalyn screamed in cathartic panic before
ScrrrrRReeECH! Thud, thud, thud, CRAcK! BOOOOM!
"Gah!"
She coughed in pain when he slid her across the desk, destroying everything on it on the way to the wall.
Her chair was in the way of throwing her against it, so it snapped in half violently before her body crashed into it with a devastating impact, leaving her winded.
The impact was genuinely painful, both on her body and inside her, but
she was grateful for it.
Feeling the impact released so much pressure and built up pleasure, ending her agonizing pleasure.
"Why does this feel so fucking" Evalyn screamed, gasping in pleasure.
"So what?" Kaze grinned maliciously, "Pray tell, Evalyn."
"SoahhhHHHHHHhHHHhhHHhHHHhhH!"
He thrust deeper, lifted her waist to get deeper at the awkward angle, and thrust quickly.
"What was that?" He mused, "Why does it feel so what? Are you incapable of answering?"
"FUCK YAH~ AhhhHHHHhhHhHH~!"
Evalyn tried screaming at him, yelling for him to stop berating her for ipetence when he made it impossible to speak.
However, the pleasure was overwhelming, and she couldn''t think beyond it.
THUD!
The blonde mmed the back of her head against the wall, wing his back to his chest, and pushed him back, arching her back.
It pressed her breasts against his rockhard chest, which was extremely ufortable, but that''s what she needed.
Evalyn reached up, put her hands around his neck, and began choking him.
"Hoh?" Kazeughed in surprise, "You want to kill me? That''s how you really feel?"
"NO, THAT''SaahHHHhhhHHHhHHhhhHHhHhhHHHHhhHH~!"
She closed her eyes as tightly as possible and screamedscreamed at the top of her lungs as he pounded his cock into her rapidly.
It was a solid scream that was primalunrestrained.
The blonde screamed without pause, releasing everything she had built up.
She screamed at Kaze for ying games with her mom''s life.
Releasing the rage she felt for her uncle for not caring enough about her parents to prevent Kaze''s intervention from being necessary.
Unleashing her fury she had toward the soldiers that killed her mom
and the apocalypse that triggered it.
She yelled at Malta for its handling of the pandemic and at the cultivators for recruits for their war.
Evalyn screamed at her father for giving her all the toxic traits she hated about herselffor condemning her to a fate that would always end at the Ice Phoenix.
She screamed and kept screaming until tears flowed out of her eyes.
Without knowing it, she began crying, but it wasn''t negative.
The blonde released her hands from Kaze''s neck and let her head crash into the back of the wall
giving up.
Not on life.
Just fighting against her emotions.
Fighting herself.
She epted herself and her situation.
Kaze gave her a strange smile, lifted her, and brought her to the bed. He put his knee on it first, allowing her to fall in the center on top.
He continued the pressure but eased up to prevent it from being unbearable.
Evalyn allowed the pleasure to pulse through her body, submitting to it.
With every thrust, she released more and more of her ceaseless anger until there was none left to give.
Seeing her full release, he put his lips near her ear. "I''m about to release."
"Release it." She whispered, "All of it. I''ll ept it."
"As you will." Kaze replied hypnotically, thrusting melodically until her mind cleared, calming her until she felt serene.
Once she reached that state of nirvana, he came, releasing his seed inside her body.
Her body reacted in a beautiful, loving way, epting his body fully.
It was then she realized that she hadn''t experienced a main clitoral orgasm at the end.
The ending was gentlepure.
Evalyn opened her eyes slowly and found Kaze gazing at her with a gentle smile.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath,paring his warm smile to the feeling in his body.
It matched.
There was a beautiful warmth in her body, making her feel like she was lying under a tree''s shade with a slight breeze.
Liberation.
Evalyn took a deep breath to test her rity.
When she did, she found that she didn''t just forget her problems and anxieties.
She released them.
Vented them.
For the first time, she allowed herself to release them.
Without realizing it, she used her rage to fuel her actions.
It gave her motivation.
Determination to be stronger.
Confidence.
Strength.
Yet it didn''t necessarily help her.
It was enough to drive her actions, but she didn''t know if it was required.
All she knew for certain was that her mindset turned her into the person she hated.
It fueled her toxic qualities proportionate to the motivation it gave her.
Now she''d learn if it were necessary because it was gone.
"Was it all a lie?" Evalyn asked calmly, opening her eyes with an emotional gaze, sad she used Kaze to vent her emotions on everything.
It bothered her that she was honest about what she said.
Kaze chucked, giving her a charming smile while tonguing his left canine.
"You''re asking the wrong question." He replied warmly, "Everyone has frustrations that build up, so everything we both said was true.
The question is whether it was deserving.
Were your feelings about your frustrations with me genuine?
Or did you transpose your emotions toward other things onto your words and unleash them on me?"
Evalyn dry-swallowed guiltily. That was exactly what she did.
"You already know the answer to that question." Kaze smiled, slowly pulling out of her, "So there''s no reason to cover it, yes?"
Her eyes trembled, looking into his gentle green eyes before he moved back to stand.
"Tell me, Kaze." Evalyn pleaded, "Was all of this purely a ruse?
A way of helping me out like you always do?"
He chuckled as he pulled up his shorts and gave her a warm smile.
"I did this on purpose." Kaze replied with aplex smile that captivated her attention, "But do not find me a hero.
I pushed you to the edge until you snapped, so I can hardly y the victim for your wrath."
"But it was for me, right?" She argued.
"You act as though I didn''t also benefit from it." He replied charmingly, "The best part of sex is that pleasing others doesn''t necessitate you give up your pleasure.
We both built up frustrations and intentionally consented to get them off our chests in the most agreeable way possible. We''re both better off as a result."
Evalyn''s eyes widened, and then she smiled genuinely. She felt so grateful to have someone like him in her life.
"Does... that mean that I shouldn''t say sorry for certain things?" She asked hesitantly, "Like using you of being an [overt narcissist]? That was pretty damaging."
"And true." Kazeughed in amusement, "I match every symptom perfectly. Even now, I don''t see anything wrong with it, so I don''t mind admitting it."
Evalyn was floored by his positive outlook on a toxic personality disorder.
"I coddle another woman when my true love''s alive." He smiled, buttoning up his shirt, "I''m a yboy with sex addiction, a powerplex, and a refusal to change."
She gave him a wry smile, reaffirming everything she found an issue with moments after she released her frustrations.
"However...." Kaze smiled mysteriously, captivating her attention, "My my overt narcissism makes me confident and charming enough to keep my true love in my life.
It allows me to feed my sex addiction and power addiction, and people ept I won''t change."
He shed her a maic smile that said [I''ve just admitted I''m horrifyingly toxicnow, try hating me for it].
Evalynughed awkwardly and burst into giggles, realizing she couldn''t. "You''re a piece of work.
I envy your ability to leverage your toxic traits and positivity."
That night he allowed her to be hormonal and disgustingly toxic like people their age without reservation. Not only did he not me or judge her
he found it overtly positive.
Somehow he always had an answer to make her feel human.
She wished that she felt that way by default.
"Then practice it." Kaze replied with a mysterious smile that captured her soul, "If you did, you''d be the most woman in history."
The blonde instantly touched her face to check its temperatureher face was burning. She knew she was bright red to an embarrassing degree.
"You''re something else, Kaze." Evalyn smiled warmly, recovering with radiating emotions in her heart.
"Well, I must go." Kaze smiled wryly, "There''s a young woman whose anxiety that I''ve abandoned her is worsening by the second."
Evalyn heard his statement and wry tone and realized that his rtionship with Kiera wasn''t as positive as it seemed.
He didn''t enjoy coddling her; it just needed to be done.
No, it wasn''t just Kierathey were both trainwrecks.
Yet he handled them both simultaneously somehow.
He was truly a twisted inspiration.
Kaze waved his hand and gave her onest warm smile. "Rest easy.
Your determination is for lifeso you can enjoy the respite."
Without further discussion, he walked through the spatial rift into his room.
When he entered, he smirked at Kiera, staring into dead space where he was supposed to be with lost puppy dog eyes.
When she heard him, her impulse was to jump up and cry out.
However, primal fear that he''d leave her or stop training her if she was clingy hit her like a brick, and she shut her eyes tightly.
"Ugh strawberry cake." Kiera groaned sleepily, attempting sleeptalking while rolling over toward Crux, who was annoyed.
The divine beast red at Kaze, who reeked of Evalyn and sex.
Nothing escaped her nose.
He gave her a smug smile that said [what business is it of yours?] while walking to the bed.
She huffed and rolled over too.
Kaze got into bed with an amused expression.
While Kiera was ying dead, she was huffing, expressing her anxiety through [ignoring him].
It wasn''t much different than what Evalyn just did, so moved into the center of the bed until she could feel his body.
Her heart pulsed when he adjusted his body at a slight angle and cocked his head to the sigh subtly so his cheek touched her shoulder.
Kiera blushed bright red to the tip of her ears, heating up with a rapidly beating heart.
However, she calmed down when his breath steadied, indicating he was asleep.
While she was borderline bothered that he nuzzled up on her [in her sleep], her anxieties washed away.
She smiled, feeling secure again, and drifted into sleep.
When he confirmed she was asleep, he smiled slightly and let himself fall asleep again.
Chapter 138 July 3rd, 2032 | The Special Forces | 4 Days Until The Rapture
Kiera watched Kaze prepping the main training grounds from the rooftop, kicking her legs off the edge with an awkward expression on her face.
She desperately wanted to know where he went during the night and how long he was gone, butit was none of her business!
The beautiful, pink-haired woman knew how clingy and toxic she was being, butit bothered the hell out of her!
"Hey, Kazey." Kiera called out hesitantly, "Um Woah, whoa-whoa-woah!
What twisted vor of Sm witchcraft was that!?"
Kaze pulled multiple pallets of white clothing store mannequins.
After a wave of his hand, the dummies radiated gold, and a ck droplet developed in each dummy''s center.
Like falling droplets of ink, they expanded outward, covering the entire surface until the mannequins were a glossy ck color.
It was surreal to watch.
"Hmmm?" Kaze hummed, "Why do you sound so intense?"
Her face heated up, realizing she had transposed her intense emotions onto her surprise.
"No, no...." Kiera replied awkwardly, "It was a question: was that witchcraft?
It was super dope. I mean it was ravishing, wild, remarkable, distinctive, exquisite, certifiable, pure witchcraft."
He turned to her with an amused expression.
Thest time she used the term [dope], he chastised her, telling her that there was a surplus of words to express her feelings on the subject.
So Kiera used various words that expressed it but made it a patchwork of dissimr meanings for ultimate panicked sarcasm. He found it charming.
"I''ve created a barrier to prevent the target from getting destroyed." Kaze exined, "Then Iyered it with a self-restorative paint that regenerates with a simple technique.
That way, people can see where they hit and the spread before it restores."
He whipped his finger, and raw Qi sliced through the mannequin''s chest.
The ck gloss disappeared from the dummy, revealing the original off-white color.
Kaze waved his hand vertically, and the ck gloss reappeared, healing itself.
Kiera was floored by what she watched. "That''s wild. Huge fan. Please get me one for Christmas."
"We''ll see." He replied strangely, "In the meantime, help me. There''s much to do."
She reluctantly jumped from the roof, and the two immediately set to work, setting up the mannequins on the various training fields, including the unopenedbat training.
Kiera kept trying to find a way to ask about what he did the night before, but he kept her busy until
"Hello, gentlemen." The emperor said grandly, walking toward his guests.
"Mr. Lexicon." General Michaels nodded, "And this is?"
Kiera''s eyes widened in panic, looking at the man''s medals.
She didn''t know anything about the Malta military, but she did know that more emblems meant more importance as a general rule.
Now, facing someone important, she was thankful that Kaze was insistent she practiced speaking normally.
"Ahem I I am Kiera Snow." The pink-haired replied, reaching her hand out awkwardly.
Her voice moved from shocked to timid, evolved into confidence, and then returned to timidness when she suggested a handshake, uncertain she should shake the hand of someone important.
General Michaels chuckled warmly, grateful that someone at Immortal Skye treated him with respect.
Moreover, he was d to find an eighteen-year-old who acted like one instead of a dictator of a G1 country.
"General Michaels." The general smiled, shaking hands. It made her sigh a breath of relief, grateful she didn''t embarrass the Emperor.
"Agent Ryker." Kane added next, offering his hand.
Something about his tone, seemingly mocking Kaze by saying [this is normal], made her blood heat up.
However, she smiled, shook his hand, and walked back to the building to avoid looking at the agent.
"How would you like us to organize our soldiers?" General Michaels asked the emperor, "They''re well trained, so we have time to set them up in the best way."
Kaze glided at the South Gate, which had the road leading into Immortal Skye.
He sensed the Qi from the area and felt hundreds of souls present.
"Immortal Skye allows our faction members to allocate resources, targets, and the like the best way suits them." Kaze exins.
"If you seek a predefined system, you can use their system. That''s up to you.
Additionally, we offer to have our members train with yours.
It will naturally require adjustment, but it greatly expedites your growth."
The two men were surprised by his answer.
"What adjustment would we need to make to train with your students?" General Michaels asked.
"Unlike your soldiers, they''re young, untrained, and undisciplined." The emperor smiled, making the men chuckle, "But they''re better at breathing and learning new techniques.
Working together presents unique challenges, but you''ll both benefit."
The general and agent turned to one another and talked it over.
"We''ll try it out today and return to you with our thoughts for the rest of the training period." General Michaels said.
"That works for us." Kaze nodded, "Please get your soldiers; your teacher should arrive shortly."
They nodded and walked back to give the order.
The emperor grinned when he saw his faction members looking out their mansions'' windows and saw a wall of ck-d special forces soldiers.
It was another demonstration.
All the elites talked about training with the special forces. Now, their words were visually verifiable.
Between the soldiers'' dramatic entrance and the benign reason they were there, everyone slowly became limated to the military''s presence.
Moreover, the female members found their presence relieving.
Half of the five hundred soldiers were women, a condition the emperor made to protect the females on campus.
He nned to steal all the soldiers, and he didn''t want half a thousand male, trained soldiers trying to take advantage of his naive female members.
The ratio alone significantly impacted the psyche of the female members.
When the soldiers showed up, the emperor walked up to Agent Ryker.
"Have your soldiers [studied] the Guided Arrow technique?" Kaze asked.
"Yes. My soldiers have learned it." Kane replied professionally, "We had everyone practice in our training grounds. Everyone has a strong proficiency in it.
So we''re only here to learn the calming technique."
"Is that so?" The emperor mused with a mysterious smile, making the special forces agent shudder, "I''m prepared to guide the learning of whatever you wish.
However, would you like to see Guided Arrow get used by our teacher before creating your itinerary?"
"I''d appreciate that." Kane replied straightly, putting up a stoic front to hide his desire to roll his eyes, resentful about his teaching getting questioned blindly.
However, he didn''t like getting used as a punching bag more, and he was also promised a sky-grade technique by week''s end and didn''t want to threaten that.
So he gritted his teeth and bared it.
Naturally, Kaze saw the man''s annoyance and incredulity and smirked arrogantly, leaving the man feeling raw.
The Lockheed elites arrived on site shortly after, nervous by the intimidating, orderly lines of special forces members.
Those who proliferated the propaganda about special forces training were shocked to learn they would be doing it. It was surreal for everyone.
Every soldier sized up the group with interest. Likewise, the elites analyzed who they were looking at.
While the soldiers were arrogant and confident, the elites were perplexed by them. It led to confusion and whispers among the ranks.
As soon as the elites activated Minor Sight, they saw that the special forces members'' cultivation was worse than the regr faction members!
No one was foolish enough to believe that they could survive a fight with one. However, it wouldn''t be long before they could.
The elite''s strange confidence was simultaneously humble, making the soldiers ufortable.
Kaze walked up to the beginning of the target range lines, looking at the five hundred soldiers and 67 elites with a slight smile. "Wee."
Everyone calmed down and gave him their full attention.
"Today starts the first day of your three-day training retreat at Immortal Skye." The emperor announced with a mysterious smile, "I will teach you how to use a tranquility technique.
Additionally, I will teach you breathing, military tactics, and offensive maneuvering."
Most soldiers smirked slightly, mocking the arrogant teen iming he would teach the members of the special forces military tactics.
Each had at least five years of specialized training, so it seemedical.
General Michaels and Kane weren''t smirking. They had top-level ssified information on his age and were looking forward to his training.
"Today, we may start with the tranquility technique." Kaze exined, "However, it''s far more difficult, so we''re offering to teach you the Guided Arrow technique first."
The soldiers narrowed their eyes. They couldn''t believe the emperor offered to teach them something they could freely use.
No one doubted that Kane had already informed the emperor, so he was arrogant or stalling.
"First, let me introduce you to your general teacher." Kaze continued, giving everyone a mocking smile, "Director Hays, if you''ll join us."
Jake dry-swallowed nervously and walked to the front of the soldiers with a beating heart.
His emperor expected him to gain the confidence of the Malta military that day, and he had only learned and practiced the technique he''d be teaching the day before.
Now, five hundred lethal eyes red at him in anticipation, sizing him up. The session would be the true test of his new confidence.
Chapter 139 Death By Underestimation
Jake stared at the intimating, orderly lines of special forces members nervously.
Unlike standing before the faction members as a respected individual, 500 soldiers stared at him with doubtful or mocking expressions.
They all had something that Jakecked--
--muscles.
Cultivation heals muscles regrly, making them unnaturally toned. However, it doesn''t increase their size unless the cultivator uses their body and has a diet that permits it.
Unless, of course, they have a healing technique and purposely shred their muscle fibers.
Since Jake didn''t have a healing technique, he was an unnaturally strong, ultra-toned version of himself.
From the soldiers'' perspectives, he was still anky, well-dressed [pretty boy] wearing sses.
Guided Arrow relied on a person''s eyesight, so they felt he wasn''t qualified by default.
It was a terrible first impression.
"Um...." Jake swallowed nervously, taking a deep breath, "So, I''m not good at encouraging faith upfront, but people tell me I''m pretty good at teaching.
Since I look and sound like a weakling, can I show you how far I can bring you with the Guided Arrow technique?"
All the soldiers were bewildered by his feeble entrance and permission to do his job.
After an awkward silence, the soldiers nodded and gave their consent.
Jake made eye contact with Kaze with a wry smile.
"Are you sure you want me to use this technique as a first impression?" He whispered, "I''ve only practiced it for two hours yesterday."
"You''re treating an earth-grade technique like a peak sky-grade cultivation technique." The emperor growled, annoyed that his regent''s confidence had abruptly regressed.
"Your eyesight is superhuman, and the technique follows your sight, not your aim.
That unwarranted show of weakness on your face is embarrassing in front of the Malta military."
The regent pushed his fake sses onto the bridge of his nose awkwardly.
"I''ve changed so much that it feels like I don''t have a personality or identity anymore." Jake said bitterly, "This is the only way I feelfortable. Can''t I keep them?"
"If you wish to build their confidence that they can take your life, do as you wish." Kaze scoffughed breathlessly.
"But stop this obnoxious soliloquy, as your disy of strength is mandatory and anticipated."
Jake''s eyes widened, and he turned back to the special forces members, General Michaels and Kane.
All of them red at him with malicious smiles that said [the Emperor sent a docilemb to teach us?] openly.
The emperor''s words mirrored his message from the first week he met him.
--June 8th, 2032 | Lamers Park | Day that Jake Got the Sky''s Breath Technique--
"You must never show weakness, Jake. If you do, people will constantly challenge you, trying to use, abuse, or kill you for their gain.
Peopletch onto examples of weakness more than demonstrations of strength.
The number of bodies required to repair the damage from a single showcase of weakness would shock you."
--
Now that Jake understood how dangerous the world was, it finally sunk in that five hundred people would fight him without question.
That confidence would continue until there were enough deaths to reach all of them and exin that the first few weren''t flukes.
Jake''s heart pulsed, fearful of consequences for himself, Veronica, and Kaze.
He closed his eyes, opened them with aposed gaze, and gave everyone a mocking smile.
"Lesson one: the world has changed." Jake said calmly, "Judging one''s appearance or demeanor will get you killed."
A wave of shock rippled through the ranks when his countenance shifted. It even reached General Michaels and Kane.
Only the emperor and his elites weren''t shocked by his strange confidence.
"Observe." He requested, taking off his fake sses and holding them in his right hand.
CrRuunnNCH!
Everyone''s eyes widened in shock when they didn''t hear the sound of shattering ss. Instead, they stared at a broken frame and bent stic lenses.
"You''re confident in your eyes, right?" Jake asked calmly, "If you judged me for using an eyesight-based technique with sses, why didn''t you notice these sses had no curve?"
Dead silence.
Everyone was floored, including most of the Lockheed elites who didn''t know his sses were fake.
"Cultivation is misleading." Jake asserted straightly, "I look weak, andpared to Kaze, I am.
So my greatest strength is convincing people that I''m weak so they underestimate me, get overconfident, and be sloppy. Then--"
Jake turned around and waved his hand from the side to his front, creating a beautiful arc of warping space.
It started like the shing technique but snapped into a five-foot straight line in front of him.
When he locked his eyes on the weakly fortified mannequin, he waved his hand to his side again with lightning speed.
Whoooooooosh!
CraaaCKaahckCrrkCracCKckaack!
BOOM! Boom, boom! Boom! Boom, boom, boom... boom.
The arrow shattered the weak barrier, making the target explode.
Then it continued forward, cutting through trees so quickly that there were a dozen cracking noses before the trees hit the ground. Finally--
BOOOOOOM!
--the Qi arrow mmed into a natural rock barrier hiding the faction half a mile away.
A mushroom cloud of dust and debris exploded in the skies over the sea of trees.
It was surreal to watch.
The emperor turned to his regent with a mysterious smile, impressed he had flipped his reputation so thoroughly, and then turned back to the soldiers.
Jake followed Kaze''s gaze and found a thousand special forces members staring at him in silent shock.
That included Kane and General Michaels.
He panned his gaze and found the elites in the same boat.
Aside from the managers, only Kiera, watching from a table with her chin on her palm, was unimpressed.
He was grateful to see the woman''s demeaning countenance, as it reminded him that he still had much to do.
"In case anyone''s wondering." Jake said calmly, "Yes, this is Guided Arrow.
All of you seemed confident that you could cultivate and use this technique five minutes ago.
However, now you can see you can do neither."
The special forces members were shocked-speechless.
His power was overwhelming, and no one questioned whether they couldpare, but his offensive [blind] deration that they couldn''t cultivate [at all] made their blood boil.
Many openly wore scowls.
"Hmmm. It seems that you still don''t understand." Jake dered chillingly.
"How many of yourrades will die encountering someone like me because you refused to tame your overconfidence and continued to underestimate me?"
Kaze was pleasantly surprised by his regent, but everyone aside from Kiera and the managers felt a wave of anxiety and fear wash over them.
It wasn''t the words he said or how he spoke them that sent icy chills crawling down most people''s spines.
The chilling part was that he made the deration before half a thousand of Malta''s elites and didn''t im he could kill anyone one-on-one.
Instead, he asked how many people would die in an [avoidable] surprise attack of that caliber.
A dozen? Fifty? One hundred? It left them shuddering.
"I''m telling you that you can''t cultivate because I can [see] that you can''t cultivate." Jake exined straightly, "That''s the difference between us.
The world is in a dangerous state of chaos, and we no longer have the luxury of underestimating people.
So you must approach all people cautiously until you can tell the power between each other."
After thoroughly driving in his point, he scanned everyone''s humiliated faces.
"Why are you all so dejected?" He chuckled half-heartedly, "You''re here to learn, right?
You just had a great learning experience. Now you''re ready to have more from the correct mindset."
The intense atmosphere abruptly lifted after hearing his statements.
Jake broke them down, and now he was ready to teach and build them up.
However, the emperor wasn''t so kind.
"Excellent point." Kaze affirmed in a strange tone, turning to the special forces members with a sinister smile.
Kane knew that smile well and immediately regretted not warning his soldiers about the emperor''s shrewdness.
He exined the man had unfathomable power, and he demanded respect. However, he naturally didn''t disclose his intelligence or talent for savage ridicule.
"Everyone here scoffed when I said I''d teach military tactics to special forces members." Kaze smiled malevolently.
"After all, you''re elite special forces members, and we''re a bunch of kids. Yes?"
The soldiers averted their gazes.
Even though they were humiliated by Jake''s demonstration of power, there was a vast difference between hidden raw strength and years of training and experience.
"You all have distinguished records and have been deemed capable of fighting the top operatives worldwide, so it''s okay to feel that way." The emperor reasoned, "If...."
Everyone turned to him, prepared to hear the catch.
"You can win against a neen-year-old tennis yer withoutbat experience prior to the first Qi influx--using anybat tactic." Kaze grinned ominously.
Evalyn walked into view from behind the prep building on cue.
The moment the elites saw her, excited whispers exploded among them.
They didn''t know anything about Evalyn other than [Kaze Lexicon] choosing her as a partner--and her cultivation breathing, which was awork of unrestrained ckholes.
No one needed to see her breathing; standing beside her felt suffocating.
However, the soldiers couldn''t see her breathing or feel her in the open air.
The beautiful tennis star walked up wearing the same outfit she wore the day Kaze met her.
She wore a loose white shirt, ck leggings, and pristine white shoes.
In all ways, she was identical to the popr woman that stole the show at Lockheed University--
--aside fromcking her famous, friendly white smile.
Only one word summed up the challenge Kaze gave to the special forces members: offensive.
At least they''d think that if they didn''t watch anky teen destroy a rockface. Moreover--
"I''ll give a sky-grade cultivation technique to anyone that cannd a single blow on her in the next hour." Kaze announced mockingly, "I am not using a figure of speech.
The offer is open to anyone at Immortal Skye, and there are no limits on how many people can earn the technique."
Kane''s jaw dropped when he heard the offering.
While the soldiers and Lockheed elites rallied their spirits, the agent was sweating.
Naturally, having his soldiers get the sky technique would be ideal for his department, far better than enjoying the power alone.
However, nothing that Kaze Lexicon did could qualify as benign.
That meant one thing--the public shaming was about to evolve into an irreparable mass humiliation.
Chapter 140 The Humiliation Will Be Televised
Kane looked at General Michaels with a beating heart, listening to the war fervor spreading through the area. "Should we shut this down?"
The general studied Kaze''s expressions with a pensive gaze. "We can''t.
If anyone hears an obvious trap and feels confident about jumping in, they deserve a wake-up call."
Kane winced and looked at his soldiers with a pitying gaze. Only he had seen the emperor''s strength firsthand and didn''t underestimate those he chose.
"Are we limited to cultivation techniques?" A female soldier asked.
"I wee you to use explosives, machine guns, or cultivation attacks." Evalyn announced with a twisted smile, shocking everyone, "Don''t worry about my life.
If you kill me todayI deserve to die."
Everyone present was stunned-speechless, even Kiera.
"If you seek a catch, you will not get one." Kaze smiled ominously, "You may hit her with anything, and I''ll protect you from bullets and attacks with a barrier."
He created a spatial rift around the soldiers and threw a rock into it. A momentter, it dropped from the sky in front of them.
"Like that. Only it will go ten miles in the distance." He smiled before waving his hand, creating another rift, "You''ll enter through a rift to your right to enter the field."
The emperor walked forward and materialized to the soldiers'' right, standing in front of a steel wall in the distance before returning.
"Once you walk in, you''ll enter the battlefield in a safe zone." He continued, walking back through it and out through the right corner, "That''s how it works."
Everyone''s eyes widened except for the managers, Kiera, Kane, and General Michaels.
"You needn''t worry about friendly fire off the field." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "So, unless you hurt yourselves, the only risk is suffering non-permanent damage by one of these"
He spun his hand, and a ball of ice the size of a baseball materialized out of thin air.
"It''s only a ball of ice, but I assure you it''s not a snowball." He exined casually, "It will hurt and can destroy your weapons and armor.
Are there any more questions, or shall we begin?"
"Can we get our gear?" A male soldier asked, suppressing his tion.
"You have fifteen minutes." Kaze replied with a rxed smile.
The special forces soldiers turned to Kane, enthusiastically seeking permission.
"Everyone has my permission." Kane announced in a strange tone, "Hustle!"
It was clear to anyone watching that he was suppressing the desire to warn them.
However, their enthusiasm didn''t dampen; they took off to get their gear with dreams of a sky-grade technique on their minds.
Kaze watched in satisfaction as the soldiers ran back to the vehicles and skycruisers in an orderly manner.
Showing his subjects what order looked like was immensely helpful.
The faction members watched the soldiers in disbelief when they returned fully loaded with assault rifles, grenades, and even rocketunchers.
They even had multiplerge trunks containing rovers and battle drones.
Kaze pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Turn on the TVs. The live feed is starting."
"Understood." Brad replied from the other side.
"On it." Lily followed.
"Whatever." Rein responded in annoyance.
"Already done." Sammy added.
-
The elites turned on each mansion''s TVs simultaneously.
"Who wants to watch the Ice Queen fight?" Brad asked with a grin, "Evalyn Skye, the blonde you know for shutting down your party."
After a second of stunned silence, the mansion of 500 people exploded into wild cheers.
Everyone got out of the pools and hot tubs to watch the show.
-
"What was that?" General Michaels asked loudly.
"This event isn''t training; it''s a demonstration." Kaze replied, "We''re streaming the event to my faction members to help them learn. I told my members to turn on the TVs."
Kane shuddered alongside many of the special forces soldiers.
The emperor announced the filming after they showed up with military-grade explosives, ordnance, and battle drones. He wanted people to see.
General Michaels nodded and studied the blonde in the distance.
Evalyn Skye was remarkably ordinary looking, unscarred due to her physique and cultivation-enhanced healing. And yet
her eyes were murderous, and she wore killing intent like a coat.
The most experienced special forces soldiers declined to join after looking at her.
"Your fifteen minutes are up." Kaze boomed, drawing excited cheers from the mansion and malicious snickering from the soldiers.
"Can I go first?" A six-foot bodybuilder with grotesque muscles boomed, "Major Wiles. It would be an honor, sir."
The soldier had fierce brown eyes, and the excited whispering indicated he was known for hisbat prowess.
"You needn''t ask permission." The emperor smiled, "Step into the training ground and get started.
Once you move from behind the wall, you can attack."
Major Wiles nodded, stepped into the rift, and entered the firing range.
The safe zone was a square 50 feet tall and wide, and a metal wall surrounded it.
Since he had preparation time, he put down the case in his hand, pulled out his Beretta 93R, and set it to three-round burst.
After he finished, he kneeled, opened the case, and pulled out its contents.
-
"Is that a grenadeuncher!?"
"No! He''s pulling out a fucking gas mask! Chemical weapons!"
"Is that even allowed!?"
"They''re trying to kill her!"
"Guys, calm down." Brad requested calmly, "The Emperor said this was permissible.
Do you think Kaze wouldn''t limit special forces members if they had a shot?"
"Wait... you''re right!" Larkin yelled, "If he trained Evalyn to kick everyone''s asses, even with grenadeunchers and chemical weapons or whatever, he''d be even more of a legend!"
The jester''s excitement hyped everyone up, and a momentter, everyone in the downstairs area of the mansion exploded in cheers.
However, the buzzing in the other three mansions was inaudible from the outside. The anxiety from watching the soldier set up chemical weapons was too high.
-
"He''s decisive; I''ll give him that." Kaze chuckled, watching with an arrogant smirk, "But that''s not always a good thing."
Major Wiles took a deep breath inside his full-face gas mask.
The grenade cartridges contained mustard gas, a simple yet devastating gas made from mixing ammonia and bleach.
It wouldn''t kill Evalyn in the open air, but it could easily scar her lungs permanently and was sure to bring her to her knees.
"Three." He whispered, "Two one."
Major Wiles used his cultivation-enhanced speed to shoot out from behind the wall.
Staring at Evalyn, standing casually in the center of the area, he aimed hisuncher and shot the grenade.
Before the grenadended, he dropped theuncher, letting it fall to his side by the sling, and drew his Beretta 93R.
All three operations took less than two seconds.
Spirit Qi pulsed through his mind, slowing time alongside his adrenaline.
The blonde still hadn''t moved from her initial location.
She was standing, waiting for something.
An icy chill crawled down the man''s spine as he lifted his gun to aim as quickly as possible.
Despite the world moving slowly, she waved her hand at ghostly speed and
Shiiiink!
the grenade froze mid-air, ensuring it wouldn''t trigger.
Major Miles watched it happen in slow motion, still aiming when it happened.
Just as the grenade blocked his sight momentarily
CrrraaaCK! BOOM!
an ice ball crashed into the grenade, sending it back faster than it shot out, and hit the soldier in the chest.
The impact broke the man''s ribs on impact and sent him flying 20 feet into the training grounds.
All the soldiers watched the man crash to the ground in disbelief.
Most didn''t see her move her hand because their adrenaline didn''t slow the world down.
All they saw was Major Wiles shooting the grenade, attempting to aim, and then flying backward in a split second.
The soldier ced his hands on his chest in shock. "Gaaaaahhhhhh!"
Kane''s soldiers fell dead silent, listening to his haunting screams from broken ribs puncturing his lungs.
Kaze walked up to the man with a slight smile and waved his hand.
A light red aura enveloped the man''s body, and his screaming ended.
"You just witnessed a healing technique." The emperor announced casually, "It didn''t heal Major Wilespletely, but it mended his lungs and broken ribs.
You''ll learn this technique in the future if there''s time."
More silence.
-
The opposite urred in the mansions.
"T-That was f-fucking AWESOME!" Larkin yelled, "I knew I could trust Emperor Scrawn to train a badass!"
A wave of excited whispering spread like wildfire in the room.
The jester closed his eyes, bent his back, pumped his elbows back, and
"Scrawn FuuuuuuuuuuuuUUUU!" Larkin howled into the sea of watching faction members.
released a biblical battle cry.
Everyone in the mansion exploded in wild cheers that members in the closest mansion could hear.
Getting confirmation, everyone in that mansion broke out into a celebration.
"Well, it looks like he was a fucking idiot too." Rein remarked, making a sea of nervous members in her mansion chuckle.
The narrative in her mansion was sober, fearing Evalyn''s needless death. As a result, it was hushed. However
"...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
they heard the explosive battle cries and cheering from the second mansion.
"YEAH! A woman yelled at full volume, "That was fucking awesome! Why the hell aren''t we celebrating!?"
One awkwardugh.
A lone cheer.
Two ps.
The entire mansion detonated in roaring apuse in a chain reaction.
Rein''s eyes zed over when she watched the members, panic-stricken just moments before, start partying and hugging each other.
"Fucking idiots." Sheugh-scoffed, smiling in amusement.
The brte couldn''t help it; their enthusiasm was contagious. It spread to Sammy''s mansion, and her mansion spread it to Lily''s.
For a moment, most of the members were cheering in a celebratory spirit.
-
Kane cringed alongside his soldiers when he heard the cheering in the distance. It was already a devastating disyand it had only just begun.
"As much as I''d enjoy watching more overconfident people try attacking her one-on-one, we''re short on time, and it''s rather insulting." Kaze smirked arrogantly.
After ncing at the drone cases, he sent them soldiers a mocking smile that ate through their souls.
"So strategize and send in teams. I rmend some teamwork and perhaps some modern technology while you''re at it." He smiled derisively.
"And don''t hold back or be reckless. I won''t heal anyone who doesn''t take this exercise seriously. Begin!"
Chapter 141 The General
A hush washed over the special forces soldiers.
Unlike most soldiers, they could understand an opponent''s strength. They used that information to strategize and prepare for operations ahead of time.
Therefore, a segment of the soldiers bowed out, and the remaining hundred soldiers began strategizing.
Kaze watched in interest, listening to their battle strategies unfold.
They were great strategies that would demonstrate theirbat experience and training
if they were fighting mortals.
Once individuals broke into the Heaven Realm, they ceased to be mortal and could live for over five hundred years.
Evalyn reached that stage a few days back, as she had a divine breathing technique and physique that ate through Qi with minimal skill.
Now, her Spirit Qi intake slowed time without heavy adrenaline, and her movements left after-images.
Not only could she see projectiles moving at her, but she could also move a dozen feet away from them in the same stride.
To ordinary humans, her movements looked like teleportation.
"Team Alpha, do us proud." A brte soldier said with a salute, triggering the rest to follow suit, "We will ensure you get your blows in."
A team of thirty saluted back.
"Interesting." Kaze murmured, looking at the woman in interest, "Intentional sacrifices with casualty prevention.
She knows they can''t win, so they devise a strategy to win but also has a means of testing weaknesses. Well done. Pointless, but well done."
The team moved in a single-file line through the portal and took their positions behind the wall.
"Keep in motion, team one." A fierce, bearded man ordered, "Make it hail.
If she can dodge bullets, there is no point in aiming, so make it chaotic for an undodgeable spray.
Remember, we''re just distracting her."
Since there wasn''t cover in the training grounds, their strategy was to make a wall of bullets high and low to prevent her from dodging, ducking, or jumping over.
That way, she''d create ice structures, and their big guns could push through.
"Team two, get the drone and rovers ready." He continued, "We need intel only.
Team three, we will give you the signal when to use your techniques."
-
"This is ridiculous." Rein muttered, anxiety pulsing through her veins, "No matter how strong she is, she hasn''t practiced against professionals, right?"
"Yeah, it''s ridiculous." Whitney giggled, "Perfect word to describe it."
The short-haired brte turned to her with an unenthusiastic expression. "Why are youughing?"
"It''s just." The blonde tennis yer giggled, "Kaze is surprisingly overprotective, so he won''t let Evalyn die no matter what.
So maybe this is practice for her?"
Rein''s jaw dropped, and her eyes deadened. "If this is [training], I''m practicing immediately. I want to be strong enough that [this] is training."
"MeThey''re moving!" Whiney cried in excitement, "Let''s watch!"
-
Evalyn observed the starting point with a sharp gaze. With her vision technique, she could see Qi fluctuating behind the wall, indicating everyone''s movements.
The blonde could also "see" the drones and rovers as twisting Qi bounced off them.
"Should I end it quickly?" She muttered to herself, "Or should I showcase invincibility as Kaze did?
No that''s what I need to do; these are my future soldiers. I first need to showcase tactics and absolute defense."
The Ice General listened with her total concentration.
-
"Team one ready."
"Team two ready."
"Team there ready."
"Move out!"
Three soldiers moved out of the left and right of the starting wall.
"New world order." Evalyn whispered with an ominous smile.
Ratatatat!
"AGhHhhhHHHhhHHHhhhH!" An elite screamed, hitting the ground in excruciating pain.
A moment before, he aimed his APC9K submachine gun to fire at Evalyn haphazardly, but the second before he fired, a solid wall of ice developed in front of him.
As a result, when he pulled the trigger, the bullets ricocheted off the unnaturally-fortified ice and hit him.
He took multiple slugs to his arms, one punctured his shoulder, and threended on his bulletproof vest, cracking a rib.
While he wouldn''t die quickly, he''d die without immediate first aid, and the soldiers quickly realized that Kaze wasn''ting to help.
So they began tying up his wounds and moving him behind the wall again. Still, it was easier said than done, and the emergency first aid was haphazard at best.
Kane and his soldiers were horrified by the scene. Their worlds slowed to a crawl, allowing each to process more information.
As two soldiers bandaged up theirrade behind the ice wall, the other three ran into the open without firing.
Each was confused about theirrade getting shot, wondering if that was permissible and whether the match would end.
They hadn''t stopped their operationit was just a smallpse. However, that was all it took to change everything in the real world, and their enemy wouldn''t let anyone forget that.
"You can''t debate the rules if you''re dead." Evalyn scoffughed in vexation, waving her hand.
Boom! CraaACK! Thud!
"GahhhhHHHH!" A woman screamed when a ball of ice smashed into her bulletproof vest and sent her flying 50 feet into the distance.
"Now!" Another soldier yelled, bringing everyone''s mind to focus.
Vrrrrooooom! Thud! Vrrrrooooom! Vrrrrooooom!
Two rovers shot from behind the wall at lightning speed, weaving in an erratic pattern.
The remote control vehicles had half-sized sentries on them. Their priority was to bypass getting destroyed while they set up their aim.
"Too slow." Evalynugh-scoffed breathlessly, "I can''t believe this was Malta''s overwhelming ground weaponry."
The blonde waved her hand across the battlefield, ending it on the two remaining soldiers running for the wall, looking to regroup and strategize.
CRaaCK!
"GAH!" A male soldier screamed, falling to the ground when his shin exploded, "What are you waiting for!?"
"On it!" Another soldier yelled, looking at a screen and pressing a button.
Cheik. BOOM! Boom!
BOOM! Boom!
The sentry on both of the rovers exploded simultaneously.
Only once the barrel shot out of the way did they notice that she clogged the barrels with ultra-strong ice.
As a result, when the bullet shot forward, it hit the ice, and a 50-caliber shell exploded inside the barrel.
It had been twenty seconds, and three people had severe injuries and two broken rovers. Worse, everyone knew she was going easy on them.
If they could call what they were witnessing [going easy on them], that is.
-
"What a bad bitch." Rein grinned, snapping everyone out of their daze.
The brte had so much anxiety and critical things to say over thest half hour that hearing her say something positive shattered their mental prisons.
Whitney turned to her with a nk expression. "Bad bitch?
Like, actually bad? For wounding those people mercilessly? Or, like, hardcore and inspirational?"
"Hardcore and inspirational." Rein replied firmly, turning to her with a slight smile, "Think.
If the Malta military showed up to kill usthey''d be under the reaper''s scythe."
She turned to everyone else in the room.
"I don''t know about you all, but I''m ufortable having thousands of military soldiers around." The short-haired woman said, "So this is awesome.
With this disy, no one will fuck with the women here, and the military won''t go up against us.
Kaze is traumatizing the military, and Evalyn''s killing the role. I don''t know about you all, but I think she''s a bad bitch."
After a flurry of excited whispers andughs, Rein''s mansion became the first to explode in festive fervor.
A momentter, the far side mansion heard a battle cry, and it detonated in wild cheering.
Once again, it spread through the mansions, easing everyone''s anxiety.
Kaze smiled in satisfaction. He was giving his soldiers courage, security, and strength.
At the same time, he was systematically traumatizing the soldiers into following Evalyn''s orders and not fighting back.
As an emperor, he was the top general, thest voice in all matters. However, someone had to be the general while he presided over political matters and enjoyed life.
That person was Evalyn. She was the best general, the strongest human, and the most trustworthy individual.
"How will you respond?" Kaze mused curiously, "Give up knowing you have no chance?
Go out in a ze of glory? Make your sacrifices count?"
General Michaels walked up to him with a serious expression. "Mr. Lexicon, should we allow the soldiers to bleed out on the field?
I don''t think anyone expected to get riddled with bullets or lose a leg."
The emperor turned to him with a slight smile. "Your soldiers are fine.
If one is in danger of dying at any point, I will heal them immediately.
Beyond that, Evalyn has broken no rules, so I won''t heal anyone until your effort concludes.
So far as I can tell, the soldiers tried forcing her into creating an ice wall to limit their vision. They got what they wished for.
The only thing that they forgot was that they were firing lethal rounds at her.
Or did you all forget that the fifty-caliber armor-piercing shells you tried shooting at her killed people?"
General Michaels, Kane, and the soldiers near them winced. They didn''t know when they forgot that their exercise was lethalor why they''d forget that.
"General." Kaze said coolly, "As soon as your soldiers attack another, they must be prepared to face the consequences.
We offered to let over six hundred people fight her simultaneously. If your soldiers run out with a silly decoy-sacrifice strategy, they deserve to feel pain."
Kane shivered alongside the general. Both of them understood the situation.
"What''s your goal, Mr. Lexicon?" Kane asked bluntly.
The emperor turned to him with a slight smile. "I recall Jacob Hays telling everyone that they shouldn''t underestimate cultivators, yes?"
"Everyone understands that message." The agent replied dryly.
"Hoh? Do they now?" Kaze mused sarcastically, "Pray tell, [Coronel] Ryker.
If they understand that, why are they developing offensive countermeasure strategies when Evalyn can end this fight at any point of her choosing?"
Kane and General Michaels felt icy chills crawl down their spines.
Only three soldiers were down. The rest were hiding behind a massive steel wall. Yet Kaze dered that she could end the fight at any point.
"You mean in a few movements?" Kane asked discerningly, "Or do you mean right now?"
"Right now." Kaze replied with a brisk smile, "Would you like to see?"
"So long as you heal our soldiers, I''d like to see." General Michaels said straightly, stunning Kane, "So far, she has used raw power.
That hasn''t taught us anything about potential."
"Smart man." The emperor smiled, "PAUSE MATCH!"
Everyone in the area froze, including Evalyn. They turned to him, giving him their full attention.
"For the sake of time and learning experiences, the safe zone will no longer be safe." Kaze announced, "You may leave now.
Otherwise, be prepared to face attacks behind the cover, just like in the real world. You have a minute."
Most soldiers shuddered, but people set into motion.
The three injured soldiers got carried to the main area. At the same time, another fifty soldiers walked through the rift to join the attack.
Since the strategy was pointless in their environment, they determined they''d overwhelm her with hundreds of attacks moving from every direction. They had a n and coordinators.
General Michaels watched the soldiers go in and then checked the emperor''s expression. To his horror, thetter''s smile turned into a grin.
Kaze pped his hands. "Remember what you experience here today. You may begin!"
Before Kane and General Michaels could process his ominous statement, their eyes trembled with horror.
Their worlds slowed down from primal fear, but their minds still struggled to process the scene.
Hundreds.
Hundreds of ice balls the size of softballs materialized out of thin air.
Not around her.
No, the ice balls didn''t materialize within three hundred feet of her.
Every soldier behind the wall looked up and from side to side and found themselves surrounded by a frozen dome of death.
Evalyn held her open hand to Kane and General Michaels as if their heart was in it. Once she made eye contact
"GahhhHHhhHHhhhhHHHHhhHHH!"
she clenched her fist, letting all the ice balls crash into the soldiers simultaneously.
Each ball broke a bone in a person''s body.
However, none of the balls hit people''s heads. Despite the blunt, brutal nature of what they were watching, it was well-refined.
Evalyn watched the world in hyper-slow motion, modifying the trajectories of the attacks to avoid vital spots.
She ensured no one would get killed while simultaneously ensuring that everyone earned a shattered limb for their stupidityespecially the neers.
Kaze smiled and turned to Kane and General Michaels. "I''ll make rounds to heal all your foolish soldiers. After I finish, we''re concluding our training.
I expect everyone to show up tomorrow ready to learn and to show their teachers respect."
The two men shuddered, remembering how their soldiers treated Jake. It was a reminder that the emperor never epted disrespect.
Chapter 142 Celebration Culture
[A/N: This chapter exins the concept that drives this novel and why partying [increases] during the rapture. So I hope you get wrapped up in the passion and fervor.]
July 1st, 2032 | Strategy Meeting
"Wait you want to broadcast their humiliation?" Jake asked nervously, "Won''t the soldiers, you know, hate us for that?"
"No. Physically weak as they are, these soldiers are not sensitive individuals." Kaze replied, "They''re ustomed to hierarchies.
Showing them that they''re at the bottom again will make them work harder to gain our respect.
As for televising it, modernmunication systems are remarkable mediums to unify people."
"Unity? Are you saying that we should unite over crushing the military?" Evalyn asked in confusion.
"Why not?" Kaze asked with a wide grin, "Everyone will be on edge. About the pandemic. Their families. The military''s presence.
So what better way to make people feel safe and proud to be at Immortal Skye than showing them that we can decimate Malta?"
Everyone''s eyes widened in shock. No one could believe he was bold enough to dere they nned to shame a world superpower.
The emperor pped to break everyone out of their state of disbelief.
"Once again, the challenge is voluntary." Kaze reminded them, "We''re doing it to earn their respect regardless.
So we might as well focus on building pride, strength, and security in our member''s hearts."
"I''m confused; aren''t we trying to traumatize people?" Veronica asked pensively, "Building them up so soon seems like it''ll destabilize everything."
"No, if things go as nned, we''ve alreadymunicated our point." Kylie exined, drawing a nod from Kaze, "The goal isn''t to traumatize people.
Instead, we''remunicating our messages in ways our members can neither forget nor ignore."
"Correct. By that point, everyone will be wary of leaving or breaking the rules." The emperor smiled, "After that, we must make them want to stay.
Morale is imperative for both order and sess."
Everyone else saw her expression and turned to the emperor as well.
"Don''t tell me that you''re nning on throwing a party at this time." Evalyn scoffed in genuine disgust, "That''s distasteful and offensive right now.
Not that it''s tasteful at any time."
"Of course not." Kazeugh-scoffed, "You all will throw parties. I''ll simply arrive."
The cab members sighed breaths of relief when heugh-scoffed arrogantly but froze when they realized his message.
"You''re serious, aren''t you?" Sage asked with a broad smile, confused and delighted.
"Do you think me someone that wastes time on the frivolous?" He asked in a yfully derisive way.
"Unbelievable." Evalynughed in amazement, "You''re not only starting parties but asking us to initiate them?"
Murmurs spread through the room, leading him to give everyone a rude, mocking smile.
"It seems that you all think me a person who wastes time on the frivolous, after all." The emperorugh-scoffed, "What is a party?
It''s a celebration. In peaceful times, a party may be an excuse to drink and socialize, but in times of peril and war, it''s a time to celebrate life and victory."
Each cab member studied his facial expressions.
"So you''re saying we should convince people it''s a time to celebrate?" Jake asked for rification.
"We needn''t convince anyone." Kazeugh-scoffed in amazement, "The world is starving, yet they''re in a utopia with strength, luxury, and opportunities.
Right now, they''re taking that for granted. However, they''ll be prideful for what they take for granted once we give them a reason topare us against someone else."
"Which brings us back to televising the matches." Kyliemented pensively, "It''s Immortal Skye vs. Maltaand we''re stronger. So we should celebrate?"
"Precisely." He replied with a sly smile, "It''s time to introduce Immortal Skye as a country and instill nationalism in our people."
July 3rd, 2032 | Brad''s Mansion
Silence washed over the faction members when Evalyn decimated the over seventy Malta special forces soldiers in less than a second.
They were shocked and terrorized after watching each soldier suffer a broken bone.
It wasn''t until Kaze walked up to the soldiers and began healing them that everyone broke out of their mental haze.
"I knew they told us to expect an overwhelming victory." Brad muttered, "But this?"
Larkin walked up to Brad and put his arm around his shoulder excitedly. "Did you just say you Emperor Scrawn warned this would happen ahead of time?"
The blonde-haired athlete turned to thenky jester in a haze. "Yeah, Kaze told me that Malta''s best stood no chance of victory."
While Brad was uncertain how to feel, the hype man only knew one emotion when it came to Kaze Lexiconawesome.
[Awesome] wasn''t an emotionfor anyone who wasn''t Larkin Downs. For him, it was the emotion he knew best.
"Yoooooooooooo!" Larkin yelled excitedly. The sharp positivity viciously cut everyone''s terrorized minds, jolting their hearts and making them pulse, "Did you just hear that!?"
Each turned to him in a haze, half startled, half bewildered.
Then they looked at each other, seeing if anyone else had heard Brad''s statement.
The jester smiled, knowing that everyone didn''t know. He was just hyping it up for vor.
"Emperor Scrawn informed [this guy] that Evalyn would fight Malta''s best today." Larkin announced grandly, "That she''d be up against their guns and shit.
And do you know what Emperor Scrawn said!?"
Everyone''s eyes lit up in anticipation and excitement.
The jester scanned everyone''s faces with an ecstatic grin. "Malta doesn''t stand a chance against Immortal Skye!
A goddamn mutha-fucking world superpower doesn''t mean shit to us!"
He gyrated his head at every word while squatting for ultimate mocking.
Like falling dominoes, everyone started whispering, cheering, or pping. Once it reached through the ballroom doors and moved down the stairs to the lower basement, it picked up steam.
The pping and the apuse became thunderous, and the cheers became manic.
Larkin pulled his elbows back. "Immortal Skyeeeeeeeeeee BITCHES!"
When he let out his battle cry, the area denoted in explosive cheering.
The atmosphere was chaotic, and everyone''s mindset was delirious.
Brad developed a broad smile when he watched everyone start celebrating. Larkin just did his job for him! It was his job to spin the event into a point of pride.
However, he realized something then. No one needed it to get "spinned" or convinced.
They were celebrating because what they watched was seriously badass.
Their primal cheering shattered the airwaves, and the other mansions soon went wild.
July 3rd, 2032 | Immortal Skye Training Grounds
"Do you hear that!?" The emperor roared, looking around the soldiers, "That''s the sound of a bunch of entitled, undisciplined, and inexperienced children winning.
Let me ask you something, soldiers! Are you going to let them trample on your hard work!?"
The soldiers turned to him, alongside the elites, who were shocked by his uncharacteristic passion.
Evalyn, in particr, was stunned beyond reason.
"Or will you take training and cultivation seriously and show them they don''t have a chance in hell at winning once you''re caught up!?" Kaze roared.
Everyone in the mansion calmed down when they heard the emperor''s deration on the TV. It seemed like he was rooting for the Maltian soldiers.
Light yells rang out in the sea of soldiers. The raw emotions cascaded through the soldiers until they were slightly riled up.
All of the soldiers got up and started yelling in ordered unison.
"That''s what I like to hear!" The emperor yelled, "Listen up, soldiers!
You''re not at a day camp! You''re at Immortal Skye!
There are only two types of people hereelites and one-person regiments!"
The stunned silence in the mansions ignited again and exploded like a powder keg. The area devolved into chaos again, giving his harangue the perfect ambiance.
"If you treat Immortal Skye for what it is, you''ll leave monsters amongst men!" Kaze roared, "You''ll be valkyries amongst women!"
Excited whispers spread through the soldier''s ranks.
General Michaels and Kane Ryker couldn''t possibly get more confused.
Only moments before, the emperor beat them down to make a point about respect. Now, he was building them upmilitary style.
It was hard to believe Kaze Lexicon was a child cultivator sent to Earth. His war harangue showcased his war experienceas a leader, not a soldier. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Yet, it was highly beneficial, so they were grateful.
"Right now, you''re less than nothingpared to my members!" The emperor dered, "You must reach up to hit rock bottom!
After all your years of experience, you''re back to being a bootlicker again."
The soldiers felt like he dumped a bucket of ice water onto the little enthusiasm they had left. Hearing the wild cheering in the distance only increased that.
"But that''s because you don''t know what you''re up against." Kaze smiled with a sharp glint in his eyes, "You don''t have strategies that can fight Evalyn.
You don''t have the cultivation skill to fight Evalyn.
You don''t have the power to fight Evalyn.
But soldiers! I''ll remind you nowthat''s what you''re here to learn!"
His words breathed life into the soldiers again, taking them on an emotional rollercoaster.
Their enthusiasm picked up speed.
"Soldiers!" The emperor yelled, drawing everyone in, "Tomorrow, you''ll be training with my members.
They''re green, undisciplined, and inexperienced. That''s because they''re kids.
However, just as you can turn them into soldiers, they can turn you into titans!
So wipe those superiorityplexes from your faces and show up tomorrow ready to face Immortal Skye and represent Malta!
Because if you do, you''ll both be monsters amongst monsters."
He panned their gazes with an ominous smile. "And if you don''t, they''ll fuck you up!"
Explosive cheers shattered the airwaves in the distance.
The soldiers burned with equal passion and desire for vindication.
"Huuuuuurah!" The soldiers yelled in unison.
"Elites! These soldiers are outdoing you!" The emperor roared, turning to the Lockheed elites, who were far too scared of offending the soldiers to cheer before, "Don''t tell me you''ve given up!"
Many elites perked up at the order and roared in battle cries. A fraction of a secondter, the others joined alongside the four mansions in the distance.
"Today is [our] victory!" Kaze yelled fiercely, "So tonight we celebrate!
I expect everyone toe prepared to celebrate [together] tomorrow. You''re dismissed!"
Evalyn watched in amazement as Kaze collected the elites and walked back to the mansions.
When she heard he''d have a party, she didn''t imagine it would have so much power behind it. She could feel it in her bones.
The blonde walked up to the soldiers she had decimated only moments before.
"Hello, soldiers." Evalyn said straightly, "My name is Evalyn Skye. This week I''ll be teaching you tactics and offensive techniques."
Within thirty seconds, the soldiers began swarming her eagerly.
General Michaels and Kane felt icy chills crawl down their spines.
It had only just urred to them that [their] elites inadvertently took orders from another country.
Not only that, they were now swarming their teacherthe leader of a bonafide military.
Now that Kaze had drawn a sharp line in the sand between them, they realized that they were no longer dealing with a school.
They were officially dealing with Immortal Skyethe country.
July 3rd, 2032 | Brad''s Mansion
After the cheering calmed down, Brad stood on a ballroom chair. "Hey, all eyes here."
His voice was loud, but it was calm andposed. It instantly helped everyone calm down in a rippling wave of tranquility.
The athlete looked around the sea of faces with an amused smile.
What he was about to do seemed like an insurmountable obstacle that required problem-solving an hour ago. Now, it was the most natural thing in the world.
"You heard the man." Brad chuckled in amusement, "Tonight we''re celebrating. You don''t want to let Immortal Skye down, do you?"
After processing what he said, everyone burst into wild cheers.
"This isn''t just about having fun." Heughed in disbelief, "We need to send a message to Malta that we''re Immortal Skye, and we consider this our victory. Do you understand?"
The concept was bizarre to them, but awkward cheers spread through the area regardless.
"How don''t you get this!?" Larkin yelled with surreal passion, "Emperor Scrawn said we won, and winners celebrate!
We need to show everyone how Immortal Skye celebrates!"
An instantter, delirious fervor spread through the room and spread through the mansion like wildfire. Everyone cheers in excitement.
"They think we''re kids!?" The jester yelled, "Then let''s prove''em right! So let''s teach them we can party better them when we''re not kicking their asses!"
Battle cries rang out in the room, spreading until they reached Rein''s mansion and spread.
Bradughed in amusement. He realized why the jester got chosen alongside the smart, athletic and beautiful. He officially had a word for the man: "Hey, hype trantor."
Larkin turned to him with a toothy grin. "That''s me! What''s up, my man?"
"Tell them that we need every recreation imaginable filled up asap." The athlete exined, "We''ll figure out food and drinkster."
The jester nodded and turned back to the people.
"Listen up, party peoples!" Larkin yelled, gaining everyone''s attention, "This ce is about to get lit! Emperor Scrawn''s orders!
I want to see the pools and hot tubs full within a half hour. We need a team on the fire pit.
Pool tables, foosball, karaoke shit! I want to see people ying poker!
Now man, your stations, people! Let''s get this party started!"
Kaze listened to their enthusiasm with a strange smile on his face. While many treated him like a yboy, what he was doing wasn''t umon.
Greeks and Romans drank and feasted in celebration after winning battles. The same is true of all countries and people throughout the ages.
Only through celebrating life can a person ovee the trauma of death. Celebrating after battles allowed soldiers to move forward after losing friends andrades every week.
During the rapture, which would trigger in less than a week, Immortal Skye would be at war with the world.
They''d be fighting Malta and perhaps other governments, zombie-like humans, and themselves.
In a world that bleak, most be cold and callouslifeless husks carved out of wood.
Immortal Skye was different. Kaze Lexicon was training an army and rebuilding civilization. Fighting had a purpose, and life had hope.
Therefore, his people would celebrate the lives of the fallen and the victories they achieved.
Only he knew how wild Immortal Skye''s nightlife was about to be. And, sInce no one could change their circumstances, he was looking forward to it.
Chapter 143 Raves, Spas, And Communal Beatings
Kane and his soldiers sat around their camps with wry smiles. The humiliation they faced that day was devastating, and now they couldn''t forget about it.
The sound decibels of the party raging in the distance sharply increased [again], making the soldiers cringe.
"Is that man purposely encouraging the partying to get more extreme!?" Kane cried, breaking hisposure.
Inside the second mansion''s main ballroom, a rave was raging in full force.
Faction members swung blinking lightsabers and glowsticks under cklights.
Women walked in wearing their panties and tight shirts or their bikinis. Some had glow-in-the-dark images drawn on them as they danced with sweating bodies.
Naturally, there weren''t drugs at Immortal Skye, but there was a keg and various punches that glowed in the cklights.
Kaze walked up to the DJ in the second mansion with a wide smile. "Mateo, my friend!"
"Emperor!" The DJ replied, pulling his headphones off, "What can I do for you, my man!?"
"I''m here to talk about this strange I''m hesitant to call this rabble [music], but audible beat noises." The emperor remarked with a conflicted tone.
"EDM!" Mateo yelled, rifying for the faction leader.
"Ah, yes. E.D.M." Kaze chuckled ominously, "Is there any way to increase the sound further?"
The DJ shook his head and pointed at the half-stacks on the ballroom''s walls.
"No, can do, hombre." He said somberly, "We''ve maxed up decimals with the amplifier and subs. If we go higher, the sound quality is toast!"
"I see." The emperor chuckled, turning to his regent, "Jake, find a group that can borrow a few full stacks from the Luxe and transports them here.
This god-awful noise has remarkable bass, so it''s necessary."
"Understood." Jake replied, "Michael, you''re up. Go find two people who want an extra 20 Skye."
"Yes, sir." The ck-haired man next to him nodded and disappeared.
Kaze looked at his regent with a slight smile, impressed he had already started utilizing his budget resources.
Then he turned to Mateo. "Don''t forget; twenty minutes. I''ll have equipment here shortly."
"My man!" Mateoughed, "You got it, boss."
The emperor smiled and turned to his aid. "I''m impressed you''re already utilizing others. Good work. Nowe; there is much to do."
Jake nodded hesitantly and walked with the emperor through the mansion.
"EMPEROR!"
A hundred ravers cheered when they saw their leader walking through the room. Everyone was tipsy or hopped up on unreasonable amounts of lemon-lime soda.
The emperor smiled and kept walking as if it were only natural, bewildering his regent.
Jake turned to the man in disbelief. "Hey, Kaze is it wise to turn up the music so loud when we''re only an hour from Meridian City?
We''re in the mountains, but sound echoes from this height."
"That is an astute observation," Kaze remarked mysteriously. "However, you must never question if the best option is [wise].
If something needs to be done, but there areplications, you find a solution to the problem. You don''t abandon the approach."
"I see." The regent replied, soaking up the insight. It didn''t seem much different than what he was doing; however, he couldn''t begin to think of a solution. "How did you work around the sound problem?"
"Oh, that." Kaze chuckled with a malicious grin.
A woman with a frog hoodie sat on a rock face gazing at Meridian city in the distance.
Behind her was an invisible barrier that warped the air slightly. It was nearly invisible, even with Minor Vision. So it needed Major Vision or a proper vision technique to see.
"I can''t believe I went from being a princess to a scout hiding the location of ants!" Crux scoffed in disdain, "How did I even end up in this godforsaken wastnd!?"
"I utilized a valuable resource." The emperor replied with a mysterious smile, "You needn''t concern yourselves with the details."
"I see." Jake replied awkwardly, trying not to show more emotion. However, it wasn''t easy because they walked past multiple people making out against walls.
He also stepped on a condom and had never felt so dirty.
Their destination
"Kaze!" Rein yelled with a bulging vein on her forehead. Her eyes were filled with hellfire and brimstone, "Why are you making things worse!?
I heard you were the person that had two dozen tubes of body paint delivered to the green room to have amunal drawing fest!"
"That was me." Kaze replied hypnotically, "I thought it was charming."
"Charming!?" The short-haired brte scoffed aggressively, "There was a woman who ran out in her bra after someone wrote [SLUT] on her back!"
The emperor''s eyes filled with wrath that made her shiver. "Did they jump the culprit!"
"W-What?" Rein asked in shock.
"Communal beating." Kaze scoffed in vexation, "Multiple attacks. Ganging up on someone. Group bonding over someone''s pain."
The short-haired brte''s eyes filled with perplexion, and her mindset shattered.
"Yes! That''s the problem!" Rein yelled, seeing his active support, "We sent someone to the infirmary for the action! Someone got seriously injured!"
While she wanted the man to get severely punished, she didn''t believe he needed a vicious beating!
However, they didn''t share that opinion. The emperor''s emotions immediately calmed to a tranquil state after her affirmation. "Ah, that''s great to hear. So what''s the problem?"
Rein''s eyes filled with disbelief, and she looked at him with a loose jaw. "What''s the problem?"
"That''s what I asked, yes?" He confusedly asked, "The personmitted an egregious offense and received swift retribution for their transgression.
Surely amunal beating suffices as an adequate punishment. If not, you can always"
"You''re serious?" Sheughed in disbelief, "Why the fuck am I even asking you? Unbelievable.
Gah! At least make a safe space for people during your distasteful outings!"
"Mansion four is a designated safe space." Kaze replied with a mocking smile, "There is no music, and there''s soundproofing for tranquility.
Detox stations are set up to get in, and a spa treatment is happening now. Lily''s idea. I think it''s charming, don''t you?"
Rein''s eyes shed with sheer bewilderment. "W-Wait, there''s an entire mansion devoted to being a safe space?"
"Must I repeat myself?" He scoffed in vexation, making her cackle ominously, "And why do you look mad that there''s a safe space for men and women?"
Her eyes filled with uncut bloodlust. "There''s a safe space, yet you made [MY] mansion ck light, body paint, rave!?"
"Of course." Kaze replied, looking around aimlessly, trying to find hermon sense, "Do you think I''d entrust Lily to such a task? Are you mad?"
The short-haired woman''s face became lifeless. She wanted toy into him, but he told her that she was the person he trusted to handle the death mansion.
It was the most inconvenientpliment she had ever received.
Moreover, getting apliment from the emperor seemed to have a lot more weight, given that he was an overt narcissist and now had the credentials to justify it.
"What about Brad?" Rein asked, stumbling, "He''s calm and rational, right?"
"He''s babysitting Larkin." Kaze replied dryly, "That jester''s usefulness is proportionate to how troublesome he is."
Her lips curved into a wry smile, understanding the issue. "And Sammy?"
"She''s overseeing the campus party." He answered straightly, "I figured you''d rather deal with a mansion than be my managerial ckey] for the night."
The emperor emphasized his words to remind her that she''d throw a fit if he gave her a real management role.
His statement made her eyes ze over, and her soul got pulled into the beyond. However, she quickly recovered. "Whatever. Let''s talk about thister, but I wantpensation for this!"
"I''ll teach you to exclusively summon the one 5% of Yang Qi in your body to minorly traumatize men with your touch." Kaze replied nonchntly, "Surely, that will do, yes?"
Rein''s eyes trembled in disbelief when she realized he was serious. He told her that she was 5% sexually attracted to women and that she''d be able to maim men like Linus.
The short-haired woman nced at Jake, standing beside the emperor. She didn''t want to admit she was excited about that publicly, but she couldn''t help it!
"It''s a great self-defense technique, so I''ll ept." She justified sternly, "Go have fun destroying your mansions."
"dly." Kaze replied charmingly, "Make sure to make a list of troublemakers. We''ll need a team on clean-up duty tomorrow."
Rein rolled her eyes and stomped away, leaving the regent stunned by the scene.
"Come now. We still haven''t reached our location." Kaze smiled, continuing to walk.
Jake nodded in a haze and followed him up the mansion''s stairs.
On the fourth floor was arge balcony that could hold a hundred people for cocktail parties. The emperor had half a dozen hot tubs set up on each side.
Each hot tub was full of men and women enjoying the water in the moonlight. Dozens of other members were socializing or waiting their turn.
As they walked onto the patio, people cheered for his entrance.
Jakeughed in amusement. "Why are we here?"
"You''ll see." Kaze replied with a mysterious smile.
Less than two minutester, the music stopped campus-wide, confusing everyone present.
All faction members looked around, trying to figure out what was happening.
However, their eyes turned upward when the emperor strode to the edge of the balcony, overlooking Immortal Skye.
There were over a thousand people outside. Many were swimming in theke, sitting at campfires, and ying games like cornhole and beer pong.
The entire campus fell silent when they saw him, devoid of even whispers. Everyone awaited the man''s word with bated breath.
Kaze panned the faces of his subjects with a sharp gaze and passion in his eyes. He lifted his hands, triggering their hearts to begin pounding.
"Wee!" The emperor announced with an amplified voice heard by all, "Today we''re here to celebrate our victory and formally inaugurate Immortal Skye. as a country!"
Chapter 144 Passion
"Wee!" Kaze announced with an amplified voice heard by all, "Today we''re here to celebrate our victory and formally inaugurate Immortal Skye. as a country!"
Confused faction members throughout campus turned to each othHe was.er for confirmation before pping.
The pping turned to light whistles, and the whistles turned into explosive cheering.
"While this campus is small, Immortal Skye is a recognized country alongside Malta and other world powers." He continued, "And you are its citizens!"
Hysterical apuse and whistling broke out in the park.
Kane, General Michaels, and the soldiers listened to the speech in shock. To them, the emperor sought independent status to prevent problems for the faction.
However, it was clear that he saw Immortal Skye as a country. That dynamic changed how their parties were supposed to interact drastically.
"This is your country!" Kaze roared, "This is your home! These are your people!
So before you take any action, remember to represent and protect Immortal Skyethe best country in the world!"
His subjects felt goosebumps and electricity pulsing through them.
Their heartbeats increased, and their cheering got more intense. The area had a pulse that spread like a contagion.
Those in the second mansion moved to the top of the stairs. Otherwise, everyone came out to join the masses around the campus.
"The world is weak, but we are strong!" The emperor yelled, "We''re rich with knowledge, talent, and resources.
We stand as equals with any man or woman in the world!
We can stand our ground before any enemy we face.
We may be small, but there is not a single person in the world who doesn''t wish they we at Immortal Skye!"
Waves of rolling apuse moved through the faction members, moving through mansions and private rooms. Cheers followed alongside loud whistles and yelling.
No one in the Maltian military had heard such vibrant cheering. It felt like it came straight from the faction member''s souls.
What shocked them was that they had seen the elites the day before. None of them looked particrly passionate. Now, they sounded bloodthirsty.
"So tonight we drink to Immortal Skye!" Kaze roared, meeting thousands of cheering faces, "We celebrate our strength! Talent! And lifestyle!
We differ from every other countryand we''re proud of that!
This is our culture, and we stand behind it and fight to protect our way of life!"
The cheering became delirious. It was as though everyone and turned into new people.
Evalyn watched from the balcony of the main mansion over theke with shivers running down her spine. The sight horrified her. "Nationalism."
During the strategy meeting, Kaze presented his n as an intuitive string of words. However, now she could see its devastating impact on society.
Nationalism is a simple concept. A country differentiates its people from other countries and promotes a superiorityplex. That''s it.
Immortal Skye is our country.
It''s better than your country.
That''s all.
The more power a country has, the harsher the world''s conditions are, and the tighter someone''s tied to the country, the more extreme the response bes.
While apany or another faction might build up a loyal fanbase willing to riot at a ser game, the power behind Kaze''s simple words was enough to cause serious carnage.
Now that the faction members see Immortal Skye as their home, they''ll protect it from people trying to steal it. They''ll defend their way of life from attackers.
If the nationalist tendencies are strong enough, they''ll be willing to fight to defend Immortal Skye out of a natural sense of duty.
As for what Kaze was doing
"Is this all it will take to convince these kids to murder Maltian soldiers?" Evalyn asked in disbelief.
No one took him seriously when he said he was throwing a party to enlist soldiers.
However, no one could deny it any longer. When he dered they''d fight to protect Immortal Skye, the resounding cheers left everyone shivering.
Even once Kaze stopped speaking, the faction members continued pping and cheering for another minute. Their passion was aggressive.
Faction members who were peaceful only a month before had bloodlust seeping out of their battle cries.
While it wasn''t violent [yet], Evalyn knew that Kaze could twist them into bloodthirsty animals in a day. It was terrifying.
The blonde scoured through her mind, trying to find memories of the current dynamic ying out, but it wasn''t even triggering deja vu.
No matter how much she looked, she wouldn''t find it.
Evalyn was a general that conquered the Sky ne with loyalty alone. She never built a nation, and part of her knew that. "What did you do when you weren''t a massage therapist, Kaze?"
She smiled with a strained expression, watching the man walking away from the patio to the sound of deafening apuse. "You''re incredible, Kaze.
I''m unsure if I want to know how you got this way. But we''re together for life, right? So there''s time to unravel your secrets."
"Must you imply that I would decline your quest for answers if you asked?" A hypnotic voice called out from behind her.
Evalyn jumped slightly, but her face rxed into a resting bitch face, annoyed that he showed up just in time to hear her praising him. "Will you tell me why you have so much political skill?"
"Of course, I will." Kaze replied maically, walking up from behind her.
She felt goosebumps develop when he approached her from the back with the intent to touch her, and she weed it. Her body reacted to him as if it were only natural.
The blonde shivered when his hands wrapped around her waist and his chest pressed against her shoulders. "Why haven''t you offered the information yet?
You don''t disclose much to others, but you''re open to me. I''m sure the response is ego-boosting.
"Because this life isn''t about power." Kaze replied hypnotically, pulling her in closer.
Evalyn leaned back into his shoulder and closed her eyes. "What is it about?"
"This." He replied softly, pulling her close.
"Mhmn~" The blonde hummed infort, melting into him, "I like oxytocin when I''m not jealous. It makes letting go feel natural."
Kaze glided his right hand up her stomach and over her breasts on the way to holding her. She gasped as it happened, enjoying the sensation.
"Perhaps it''s selfish, but I like you this way more." He whispered.
Her eyes opened and widened in confusion. "Are you saying that you like that I have sex with you?
Or are you saying you like this version of me more?"
"While Imunicated thetter, it''s more urate to say both." Kaze replied charmingly.
Evalyn broke free and turned to face him, gazing at him with crystal blue eyes. "Do you mean how hormones are affecting my personality?
There''s genuinely something about my personality that you love more than your past lover?"
Kaze looked up at the moon and shook his head aimlessly while chuckling, expressing his bewilderment. "Surely, you don''t think I loved the Sky Phoenix because she was bloodthirsty, correct?"
Her eyes trembled, and she looked away, then back in confusion. She didn''t know the answer, but she desperately wanted to. "I don''t know what you loved."
"You, Evalyn." He dered charmingly, "Your secret love for cute things.
Your desire to help the maximum number of people, even at the cost of yourself.
I love how you hide the little pleasures others take for granted.
I love seeing you run away with a piece of cake and hoard it, trying to find somewhere for you to eat it alone.
I''m captivated by your mind and intellect."
Evalyn''s eyes trembled, and her heart went through waves of profound emotions.
"And I must say, there''s something mystical about a woman naturally born with a divine body." Kaze added charmingly, ncing at her body.
The blonde snapped out of her emotional rollercoaster when she followed his eyes andnded on her breasts.
Her face flushed bright red to the tip of her ears, caught off guard by the sudden development.
She immediately wanted to throw a fit and escape from him, but didn''t want to, and couldn''t if he wouldn''t let her.
So she turned away and pouted instead.
"And I love your pouting." Kaze added calmly, "When you add up all of those factors, you''d naturally be the ideal Evalyn Skye."
The blonde''s eyes trembled again, and her body rxed, moving in to embrace him.
"Your love will never beparable." He continued, "But that''s because you are two different people, and that''s what''s important.
You''re not my past lover; you''re a different person I love."
Evalyn lifted her hands, embraced his face, and then pulled his lips to hers. The two enjoyed a simple yet passionate kiss under the moonlight. "Will you take me tonight?"
"Why else would I be here at this time?" Kaze asked maically.
"Hoh?" She mused, "So you came here for a booty call?"
"If you consider having highly-consensual sex with a gorgeous woman a booty call, then yes." He replied charmingly, "Feel free to call it whatever you like."
The blonde chuckled in amusement and pulled her breasts onto his chest.
Kaze smiled and slid his palms down her back until they reached her leggings. He pressed his fingers into her ass and pushed down until they moved over the curve.
"Ahhh~!" Evalyn sharply moaned when he hit her upper thighs, gripped her, and pulled up, grabbing her ass firmly, "Please take me. Now."
He smiled and picked her up from his grip, making her gasp in surprise.
A violent wave of vertigo waved over her the next moment. Before sheprehended her situation, she fell through the ceiling of her bedroom, crashing into her room''s bed.
Thud!
Evalyn eked when shended but burst into giggles when she saw Kaze''s cheeky smile. She immediately grabbed his face and pulled their lips together.
The two passionately kissed for a moment before she initiated, reaching to his front to unbutton his ck shirt. He worked on the lower portions to speed it up.
When the shirt opened, he reached under her shirt and pulled it off.
"Do you believe this to be my kryptonite?" Kazeughed in amazement.
"Is it?" She asked with a malicious smile, looking at the pink and white striped bra.
"That depends." He replied charmingly, "Do you enjoy it guilelessly? If so, yes."
Her eyes glided to the left and lit up to match her bright smile.
"I love it." Evalynughed in self-deprecation, "Maybe I never liked feeling feminine and really just liked the thrill. Hiding my inner waifu is daring and dangerous."
"I don''t know how I feel about you being in danger, so let''s get these off you." Kaze chuckled, moving into her leggings and pulling them down.
The blonde lifted her legs and let him pull them off her ankles after taking off her shoes.
Once they were off, she pulled off his shirt, unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his pants, and prepared to pull them off.
Kaze worked first, unbuckling her bra, throwing it to the side, and sliding off her pink-striped panties.
Evalyn grabbed his belt loop and pressed him off her, twisting him.
On his back, she pulled off his pants and boxers in one shot.
Without asking permission, she grabbed the base of his shaft and put his penis into her mouth.
He closed his eyes and smiled in bliss, enjoying the blowjob she initiated without hesitation. It had a certain charm to it.
Evalyn passionately moved her mouth up and down to get it perfectly lubricated. Once she released it, she crawled onto him. "Don''t you dare make fun of me for failing."
"As if I''d do such a thing." Kazeugh-scoffed, watching her lift her naked body off him awkwardly. She nned to put him inside her to ride him, but there was a problem.
He was toorge!
She had no experience inserting an average-sized rod, let alone one that was almost a foot tall!
Kaze smiled and grabbed her ass, lifting her onto her knees forward at an awkward angle. Then he led her hand to his member and helped guide it in.
Evalyn was embarrassed at first, but that disappeared when his penis touched her clit. "Ahhh~"
He closed his eyes in satisfaction as her lips parted, and he entered her body.
The blonde closed her eyes and experienced the awkward pleasure of not knowing how to insert it.
Also, with Kaze in control, she never felt ufortable with the size. However, she was very ufortable now! It wasn''t a smooth operation, so it just felt weird.
However, that made it more exciting, rawer, and more enjoyable.
Evalyn situated herselffortably, closed her eyes to feel his body, and began lifting her. "Ahhhhh~"
Simply lifting her body felt heavenly.
Kaze wrapped his hands around her waist and helped guide her lightly, which she epted gratefully.
She had developed an unnatural amount of dexterity and bnce during her training with Crux, so she quickly developed bnce and picked up the pace.
Evalyn enjoyed every second of it and frequently looked at Kaze to ensure he was enjoying it.
He was. The blonde''s experimentation and exploration were a huge turn-on, so he enjoyed the experience.
The two had sex for an entire hour before reaching her climax, and he came simultaneously.
Evalyn copsed onto Kaze''s chest with a beating heart, sweating profusely with a satisfied expression. "Hey... Kaze..."
He took a deep breath and held her. "What?"
"I''ve decided I don''t want to know why you''re skilled with politics right now." She whispered, "I like things out how they are... for now."
Kaze chuckled and gripped her trembling body. "As you wish."
Chapter 145 July 4th, 2032 | Impending Combat | 3 Days Until The Rapture
Kaze oversaw the training the next day with the soldiers and faction members.
It started with the soldiers learning [Fertility of Growth], the same breathing earth technique used by all his members.
Watching the Lockheed students train highly disciplined elites wasical. Also, seeing the soldiers ept feedback despite the disorder was strangely wholesome.
That said, the scene was also tense because both groups were subtlypeting at all times.
"Next up, offensive techniques!" The emperor pped, "Soldiers, you are vastly superior in killing with cultivation techniques. However, your power iscking. Brad, please hit a target."
Brad nodded, walked to the firing range, locked onto a dummy, and waved his hand.
ShiiiiinnNNK! thud.
A sh of warping Qi cut through the area and hit a lightly protected ck mannequin, slicing it in half after resistance and continuing until it hit a Soul Qi-reinforced T-Wall installed that morning.
The Qi didn''t scratch the wall. It only rebounded, making an impact thud like punching a steel wall.
Everything about the demonstration feltckluster, from sloppily cutting a dummy in half at the waist to having zero impact on the wall.
"Soldiers, who want to show my elites how to aim to kill?" Kaze asked straightly.
All the soldiers dry-swallowed. They knew they could cut the mannequin wherever they wished, but everyone was acutely aware that the emperor imed theycked power.
"Sandra Miles, sir. I''ll do it." A female soldier with her straight hair in a neat ponytail, "I doubt I''ll be able to cut it in half, but I can cut it where you want."
Kaze slightly narrowed his eyes at the blue-eyed soldier in interest. She was the person helping strategize the day before.
While every attempt was futile, she did provide the most rational strategyaside from retreat.
"Middle of the neck." He nodded, "You needn''t cut it in half; the ck is a covering that will rip off during the attack."
The brte nodded and walked forward, entering thene next to Brad''s, as the elite had already cut it in half.
She took a deep breath and smoothly waved her hand.
A beautiful arc of Qi rippled through the air, sending dead leaves and twigs flying as it passed.
As Kaze requested, it hit the ck mannequin in the middle of the neck
Shink.
however, it only left a shallow gash highlighted by a thin white streak.
Sandra could believe her eyes. She could see the target clear as day, so she knew how minor damage she had done!
The elites smirked in satisfaction when the special forces soldiers gasped in astonishment, seeing the same thing.
Many soldiers felt indignant at theically childish and undisciplined members'' snide looks when the same people couldn''t hit the dummy! Raw power without skill is dangerous and unuseful.
"Aaron Levingston. Please let me try it." A muscr male with red hair and freckles requested, "We''re not used to cutting into something harder than an armored vehicle.
So our strategy and mindset didn''t bring out our full capabilities."
The special forces soldiers nodded in agreement. It was a valid point.
Sandra''s sh could tear through an armored humvee, so she wouldn''t use her max strength to cut through a clothing mannequin!
However, Sandra winced because she knew that wasn''t true, and his words were a double-edged sword. Failure meant reinforcing their weakness.
The soldier wasn''t perturbed after seeing her face, which intrigued the emperor. It seemed that he had something else in mind.
"Go ahead." Kaze smiled, motioning his hand upward.
The red-haired soldier walked up to the line and turned to the elites.
"As Mr. Lexicon pointed out, weck the strength behind our attacks, but we are better at using it offensively." Aaron stated, "I want to rify that point.
A weapon is a tool; precision is a requirement to use it. However, the person, not the weapon, kills something."
Kaze grinned, looking at the elites with a mocking expression, excited for the show.
The red-haired man turned around to face the target.
Whooooosh! Whooooosh! Whooooosh! Shink. Whooooosh! Shink. Whooooosh! Shink. Whooooosh! Shink. Shink. Shink!
Most people watched in shock as the soldier released six rapid-fire air shes. They moved so fast that three were out before the first connected. On the sixth one
Thud.
the head of the mannequin dropped to the ground.
Every Immortal Skye elite was stunned, looking to the emperor to see if the soldier had broken the rules. However, they met a mocking smile from their leader.
"This demonstration shows what offensive means." Aaron asserted, addressing the elites, "Sandra''s attack left a shallow cut in the target''s neck; that''s all we can do.
However, I created an offensive strategy to attack the same weak point and had the skill and precision to hit it six times in a row at high speed."
The elites smiled wryly at the man''s assertion.
"In a battle between someone who can use a weapon offensively and someone who cannot hit a target with a weapon, the former will win." He continued.
"That''s why I hope you''ll continue treating us like equals. We''re bothcking, so I''d appreciate it if we continue teaching each other from that perspective."
After a couple of seconds
"That was badass, yo!" Larkin yelled, "Teach me that, and I''ll crank up your power any day!"
? the jester yelled, and the whole area burst into cheers and apuse.
All the soldiers were relieved to be vindicated.
"Okay, it''s time to get started!" Kaze pped, capturing everyone''s attention, "Elites, you will watch the soldiers breathing patterns and tell them when they improve for the next hour.
Soldiers, you will teach my elites how to aim and practice their shes for an hour. Take turns demonstrating so you can practice.
There are 65 elites. So break into teams of eight so one can join. You may begin!"
The soldiers began gasping andughing not fifteen minutester as their meridians improved.
Kaze had already given the elites instructions to help point out the soldiers'' meridianwork but not to use the dual cultivation techniques to show them.
As a result, the soldiers began improving by leaps and bounds.
By the hour''s end, the soldiers were more than happy to teach the elites how to aim and practice. Most even let their elite practice nearly exclusively between demonstrations.
It was remarkable how fast everyone grew.
After the hour concluded, a new round began, allowing further growth.
As the groups trained, Kaze walked around touching soldiers'' foreheads and transferring the [Tranquil Sky] technique to each soldier, who gasped in amazement one after the other.
Once the period was up, the emperor moved into the next part of training.
"Now that you''re getting morefortable with cultivation, we should move onto the tranquility technique, as it''s why you''re here." He announced, triggering excited murmurs.
"I''ve transferred knowledge of the technique to all of you. As a result, everyone should now understand the technique''s basic concept and ring limitation.
Sandra, what is the ring limitation of the Tranquil Sky technique?"
"One must have spirit Qi from high emotions, which rapidly disappears after use." The brte soldier replied coolly.
"Correct." Kaze affirmed, looking at everyone present, "Therefore, if there isn''t a reason to use it, you cannot practice.
Therefore, I offer everyone a voluntary solution, subject to the consent of General Michaels and Coronel Ryker."
Everyone''s eyes perked up, and looked at the two men who were confused to get the information sprung on them out of the blue.
The general and high-ranking intelligence officer understood the ring weakness. Therefore, they imagined he''d teach them, give demonstrations, and let them work on it in the wild.
However, they could hear something else on his mind in his voice.
"Live battle is the best way to stimte high energy." Kaze asserted, shocking everyone, "It''s also the experience everyone needs most.
With people on site to treat your wounds, it''s a perfect opportunity to practice your cultivation.
It would also supply ample emotions for practice. So I''m offering anyone who wishes to spar in livebat a healing technique aspensation.
Subject, once again, to the decisions of your superiors."
Excited murmurs spread through the area. The news pumped up many soldiers but didn''t inspire enthusiasm in others.
As for the elites, they all dry-swallowed nervously for obvious reasons.
"So long as it''s voluntary and you heal my soldiers to full health." Kane announced decisively, "Please ensure they understand what they''re up against as well."
Kaze nodded and turned to the soldiers and elites. "If you participate, you will not die. I can guarantee that.
Beyond that, I will not coddle you until you resign or are incapable of fighting. The matches will end the second that someone yields.
If an individual seeks the technique, they must fight until one person has a significant injury.
Otherwise, everyone will show up, get in the sparing area, and leave."
Everyone gulped nervously, looking at one another.
The elites were shaking, fearful of fighting anyone, especially the special forces soldiers.
Evalyn and the managers were stunned, nk with disbelief. They were shocked to hear that live battle experience woulde before basic sparring.
However, it would only be a few more days before hell broke loose, and everyone was forced to fight in harrowing and permanent conditions.
Therefore, it was better to instill the images into their minds, let soldiers show them how it was done, and also teach them what they were up against.
"I do not need to speak to the soldiers, as they already understand what I am about to say." The emperor asserted, "So I''ll speak to the elites.
There is nothing enjoyable aboutbat.
One person always leaves injured or killed, and most leave in excruciating pain. That is the price of battle."
Everyone was stunned by the uncharacteristic bluntness of his words.
"However." Kaze said mysteriously, "Battle gives you feelings of aplishment, vindication, retribution, and glory.
It makes you feel strong and confident. And if helles knocking on your door, you know you''re prepared to face it head-on.
Prepared to save your loved ones.
Ready to defend your home and people.
To safeguard those things which you find precious.
Elites, this is your home, and these are your people!
The world is in chaos, and fires spread across thend. If you wish to face that unprepared, you can do so.
However, you have an opportunity to learn from special forces soldiers and grow under my protection and healing.
So raise your hand if you are willing to train to protect your country and those you love!"
Evalyn, Jake, Kane, General Michaels, Kylie, and Sage were all shocked to see ten hands go up immediately. Then it spread until twenty-five people were willing to fight.
Nationalism.
Kaze smiled and turned to the soldiers with a derisive smile. "Don''t you dare hold back on my elites!
While most will lose here today, those at Immortal Skye will stand atop the world. So do not do them the disservice of pity or going easy on them."
He turned back to the elites. "And do the same. I will block any attack that could be lethal, so don''t hold back!
Now let''s move to the training ground!"
Chapter 146 Fight Of The Elites
"Let''s go over the format again." The emperor announced to 600 people from the top of a hilltop. He, the elites, and the special forces soldiers stood above a sizeable 200-by-200-foot training arena.
It was a lifeless area with a brown dirt floor enclosed by 18-foot t-walls.
Inside the walls were two soldiersBrad Hall, the calm blonde athlete elite, and Aaron Levingston, the red-haired man who gave the demonstration after him.
"The fight will continue until someone is injured or deemed dead." Kaze announced, "The winner will get the healing technique and will heal the wounded.
Your job is to calm them and yourselves down with the technique to facilitate the process.
After that, the fight is concluded, and both will get the technique.
Are there any questions?"
"I do." General Michaels announced boldly, "Won''t these techniques destroy the walls?"
"You needn''t worry about that." The emperor smiled, "I''ve ced a barrier over them.
That''s how the training targets became strong enough to withstand your power.
So we need only worry about our fighters, who do not have a barrier over them."
"I see." The general replied, "No further questions."
The soldiers'' and elites'' hearts pounded, watching the two people stare off below.
Brad''s heart was loudest of all. He had watched the terrifying skill of the red-haired man beforenow he was in a no-holds-barred deathmatch with him.
There was nofort in technically not dying when he was certain to get mauled. However, he stood tall because he had a reason to be in the ring.
5:42 AM, Current Date | Lockheed Mansion
"Rein, Brad, Sammy, and Lily." Kaze addressed, pulling the four to the side with Evalyn and Kiera, "You four are the [prospective] head elites.
As you have already seen, there are immeasurable perks to that role. However, it alsoes with responsibility. You must be a symbol of strength to everyone else."
Everyone dry-swallowed and nodded in assent.
"I''ve taught every elite a basic movement technique." He continued, "With speed and power, they should be able topete with the special forces soldiers through brute force alone. I expect the same from you."
Once again, the head elites nodded, even Rein, who had a serious look in her eyes.
"However, it''s not enough." Kaze dered, sending a wave of anxiety over them, "I''ll make you privy to confidential information.
Another Qi influx ising, and the world will soon devolve into chaos. Fighting to protect ourselves may be our only option."
"Another one?" Brad cringed, "Is it as bad as thest one?"
"Worse." The emperor replied bluntly, "The magnitude will be around eight times the size."
Icy chills crawled down their spines, and each froze in a state of disbelief.
"No way." Rein whispered, looking up at him with an unbelieving expression, "You must be exaggerating."
"I''m not." He replied dryly, "There are signs of warp gates over the world eight times the size of thest ones.
We can expect that most of the army will also get Qi Sickness. It''s truly the apocalypse."
The others were devastated, shaking slightly.
"We need people ready to lead others, set examples, and keep others safe." Kaze said bluntly, "Pain ising, and you must be ready.
I''m asking you to spar with the elites tomorrow on equal footing to set an example. It won''t be a fun experience, but you will not fear death and getpensated handsomely."
"Even cheating, we''re up against an international superpower''s top elites." Brad prefaced, "Do you think we''re ready to be the face of power?"
"Of course not." The emperor chuckled, "I will give those who ept the call additional techniques and a current cement as an Immortal Skye head elite.
The additional training will be enough to fight on equal ground, and that''s more than powerful enough to showcase our might."
"If it''s just practice, why provide us a warning and incentivize us so far?" Rein asked discernibly.
Kaze gave her a strange smile. "If you understand the nature of the situation, you can imagine what training is necessary to prepare you.
Beyond that, I will not prepare you further. As a true elite, you must prepare to face all situations that arise. You will not getpensated for doing your job in the future."
Every one shuddered, looking at each other nervously.
"What type of techniques will you give us?" Brad asked nervously.
"Real ones." Kaze smiled ominously.
Present Time | Immortal Skye Arena
Brad looked at Aaron with fear pulsing through his veins. "The Emperor has trusted in my potential since the beginning. After everything he''s done for me, I can''t prove him wrong."
He thought about the apocalypse party and how Kaze had given him Illuminecent Breathing and sent him home before the riot. Before he left, the emperor told him not to prove him wrong.
It was easier said than done. A real elite amongst world elites with thousands of hours ofbat training was standing before him.
Now, they were about to fight.
"If the Emperor is confident in my victory, then so am I." Brad whispered after a deep breath, "Even if it is only for the element of surprise."
"Are you ready?" The emperor yelled from the hilltop.
Aaron waved once for assent, and the athlete followed.
"You may begin!" Kaze yelled.
Aaron immediately rushed forward, closing the distance to prevent the devastating range attacks that the elites had showcased.
At a distance, the two were lopsided. However, at closebat, the two were iparable.
That was the rational inference that Aaron concluded, anyway.
The truth was far murkier. Deadly with the element of surprise.
"[Acute Perception]." Brad whispered, voicing the new Spirit Qi technique aloud to help summon the blueprint.
Time instantly slowed to a crawl for the athlete. With heavy Spirit Qi pumping through everyone''s hearts, he used a technique that exponentially increased his perception of the world.
He watched the soldier running at him at time 0.25 speed, which included the cultivation gains.
The athlete immediately began moving but confirmed his body didn''t move as fast as his mind, as he was warned about.
Brad remembered his crash course training that morning and activated a second technique, [Air Glide]. It was a movement technique that used Qi to propel the body.
Usually, the human body must jump in the exact direction they want to go with the correct pressure. However, the technique allows Qi to propel the user omnidirectionally once they''re airborne, free of friction.
Mastering the technique made a person far faster by elerating motions and allowing superior flexibility.
It was a sky technique and far more challenging to master than anything they had learned. However, he only needed it for basic speed increases.
Brad channeled Elemental Qi to his legs and jumped to the side at thest moment.
Whoooosh!
Aaron''s eyes widened in shock when his fist, destined to impact the young man''s chest, flew forward, knocking him off bnce.
He caught his step and turned in the athlete''s direction.
His only saving grace was that Brad had little control over the technique. Jumping to the side made him fly ten feet to the side before turning back.
As a result, Aaron turned just in time to watch Brad returning with a punch aimed at his face.
He dodgedbarely.
The soldier felt a wave of dread wash over him, feeling the athlete had no control over his strength and would have identally killed him.
His fight-or-flight signal triggered, cranking adrenaline to pump from his amygd violently, slowing his world further.
He bent his body backward and used the blonde-haired athlete''s movement against him.
Brad''s eyes widened in shock as his fist missed, and he felt hands picking him up slightly, preventing him from stopping his movement as he passed.
As a result, he flew forward ten feet before touching down and didn''t have time before
BOOM!
he jumped again and crashed into a t-wall at 20 miles per hour.
The audience cringed reflexively, with the Lockheed elites feeling dread wash over them from the terrifying impact and the soldier''s hearts pounded from watching the stunning reversal.
They knew better than anyone how much danger Aaron was in, so it became unbearable.
However, one person was still functioning.
"Team one! Use the tranquility technique on the soldiers." Sandra yelled, her straight ponytail whipping to the side from the abrupt movement change.
"Team two! Use the technique on the Immortal Skye elites. Follow the procedure before acting. Move out!"
The special forces soldiers were far more disciplined than ordinary people. So while the elites still couldn''t breathe, the teams had already set into motion.
Two teams of fifty summoned the mental blueprint and started practicing.
It was far moreplicated than anyone imagined. Only three people sessfully used the technique to calm down others with the technique.
However, [who] they called down with their procedure made a big difference.
They calmed themselves down.
As a result, their concentration and confidence increased, increasing the number of sessful attempts to ten, five from each team.
Meanwhile, the battle didn''t end.
Brad hit the wall and felt a sharp pain rattle his entire body. He imagined he''d die from the impact at that speed, but it only hurt him as much as running into a wall would do before cultivation would begin.
It hurt, but it wasn''t severely damaging.
He looked up and found Aaron gritting his teeth with his hand pulled back. He was preparing to turn the athlete into the training target he decapitated the hour before, but a psychological barrier prevented that.
So he was instinctually waiting for the teen to move somewhere the soldier wouldn''t hit his skull and kill him.
"Thanks for not being a douche." Brad chuckled, "But you gave me enough time to prepare."
He jumped up quickly, triggering the red-haired soldier to shoot a flurry of Qi shes at his legs.
Unfortunately for the soldier
"[Minor Barrier]." Brad growled, creating a blunt wall of warping Qi around him. All the shes crashed into the twisting space, bent around it, or exploded. "[Sharp Winds]."
As everyone saw the new technique in disbelief, a flurry of tiny Qi shards sted the area. It was simr to razor flurry but with a third of the surface area and power.
Still, the sudden area of effect attack shocked everyone, including Aaron. The soldier tried to dodge, but there was a five-foot wall of death and it [moved], following him.
As a result, his lower body got shredded by Qi, forcing him to the ground.
Brad released the barrier and ran forward with his arm out. He got to the soldier in a second using his movement technique on the offensive.
The battle wasn''t over from the brutal attack, which told him that the emperor wouldn''t conclude the match from viciousness or pain alone.
Determined to end it quickly, he punted the man in the ribs.
CRaaaaaACK! BOOM!
Aaron''s eyes widened in pain when the foot connected, making his ribs explode upon impact.
He was right. The teen had no sense of control over his power level. As a result, he tried breaking a few bones but shredded the soldier''s entire left lung instead.
Chapter 147 Immortal Skyes Hidden Power
Once Brad''s foot connected with Aaron''s ribs, he understood his own power for the first time.
His Soul Qi-protected shoes flew straight through the man''s ribs and kicked his lung directly.
It was a gruesome feeling that left him rattled as he watched the man fly a fifty across the arena.
Luckily, the emperor waved his hand and rebuilt Aaron''s lung so he could breathe without the threat of dying. However, he stopped there, allowing the soldier to feel excruciating pain.
Before anyone could ask why he stopped at that point, he flew from the hilltop to the arena, bewildering soldiers and elites alike.
Kazended next to Brad and touched the troubled teen on the forehead, sending a wave of profound information crashing into his mind.
With his mind unstable, his mind became chaotic, and he hit the ground.
"Someone use Tranquil Sky on Brad!" He ordered aggressively, "He''ll need the technique to heal Aaron Levingston!"
All the special forces soldiers turned to the red-haired man, seizing on the ground in between acute screams of pain. Shards of bone fragments ripped into his muscles, making his body a bed of razors.
Everyone believed the test should end right then. Aaron was dying in excruciating pain!
"You honestly want the practice session to continue right now?" Kane scoffed in disdain, "We could hear Major Aaron''s ribs crack a hundred feet away!
Now you''ve healed him just enough so your member can get training? Is this a joke!?"
A small riot broke out, with soldiers screaming at the emperor to end the match.
"Go heal Aaron to the best of your abilities." Kaze instructed Brad, who was even more shaken under the jeers of half a thousand soldiers, "In the real world, he''d die from this pettiness."
Thest line helped motivate him slightly, and he nodded, getting up to walk over to the special forces soldier.
"Is he seriously going to practice that fucking healing technique!?"
"Don''t ignore us, Lexicon!"
"Don''t use us at your expense!"
"We''re not under your authority! This is a crime against Malta!"
"Get the fuck away from him, you blonde freak!"
"I didn''t know Immortal Skye was like this!"
The Maltians devolved into a mob when they saw Brad moving to Aaron to practice the healing technique.
Kane was livid, ring at the emperor, who wasn''t watching his student trying to use the technique.
The elites felt their leader wasn''t in the wrong, but no one was willing to defend their leader because they thought his behavior was cruel.
Only one person didn''t find it cruel or abnormaland she was furious.
"Hey, Whine Brigade!" Kiera yelled in an ire-fueled rage, making Kaze frown, "Three rules!
First, the fight between [volunteers] continues until someone''s injured!
Second, the winner learns the technique [first] and heals the loser!
Lastly, every other noob ke keeps each other calm!
Are you noob kes really gonna gripe about the rules when you didn''t even do your damn part?"
The soldiers'' eyes filled with hellfire and indignation.
"This is training!" A male soldier yelled, "Fuck your rules, we''re volunteering to learn, not suffer for someone''s gain!"
"Ooooooooh! I get it!" Kiera yelled with false enthusiasm, "You recognize that you volunteered for the event and understood the rules.
Buuuuuuuut, angry that our member won! Otherwise, you''ll be pissed that we weren''t suffering for your gain because you couldn''t learn.
What''s a good phrase to use? Participation Prizers? Yeah that captures you perfectly."
"Are you looking for a fight?" The soldier growled.
"I''d love to!" The pink-haired cried excitedly, grasping her hands, "Unfortunately, ya''ll can''t shut the fuck up long enough to let our peoples heal your peoples.
And you''re incapable of checking the [I agree] box without trying to sue. So it''s not legally allowed."
The atmosphere multiplied as the two stared down, with the soldiers getting heated and the elites feeling intense counter-anger.
It felt personal, a problem between Malta and Immortal Skye. Arguments over the rules or situation disappeared; now, it was a nationalist battle. Both fighters were simply martyrs for something farrger.
Kaze rolled his eyes and scoffed, waving his hand twice.
Everyone radiated with green light, calming them down. They turned to the emperor just in time to see a bright golden light around the wounded soldier.
Instant relief washed over Aaron, and he took a sharp breath of air to ease his mind. He had never felt so grateful before.
"Cease this farce, you fools!" Kaze roared, causing everyone to shiver violently. Now that they were calm, they understood their rationality and felt fear of retribution.
"I wondered how long it''d take you to stopining and help yourrade." The emperor scoffed, "It turns out you''d let him die. Unbelievable."
The soldiers looked away with feelings of injustice entering their minds.
Kane gave him a stern re, saying [you''re to me for this].
"I hope you''d ept the situation and be proactive to aid them." Kazeughed derisively, "Yet you did the opposite.
Not only did you let yourrade die, but one of you also started a fight blindly. In that simtion, you and many other Maltian soldiers died.
How does it feel to have killed yourrades, Lieutenant Samson?"
Hundreds gasped when they heard the emperor''s vicious deration.
The man''s heart rate spiked, and he looked at the beautiful yet fiery pink-haired teen. Her appearance confused him.
"Be careful, Mr. Lexicon." Kane warned, "If you let me or anyone else die, it would vite our agreement, and you''d be at war with Malta."
"Hoh? So you are aware of the rules of our agreement, after all." Kaze mused mockingly, "From where I stood, you openly allowed hostility between our countries.
We didn''t break the rules, so your willingness to let it fester could have started a conflict and resulted in natural self-defense."
"I understand your point." Kane replied, "However, this member was not among your elites.
It''s not reasonable to send special guests to our training session, then get involved because our soldiers treat her like everyone else.
Are you foolish enough to break our treaty over such a misguided decision?"
Kane''s stern gaze triggered their soldiers to express indignation and contempt. Likewise, the emperor''s unwavering gaze fueled a simr attitude from the elites, staring at the Maltians in disdain.
"You im I''d get involved on a [non-elite''s] behalf, yet you dare call me foolish?" Kaze asked with a malicious, ridiculing smile, "One needs a poet tobel such ignorance."
While his words increased the soldiers'' fury, General Michaels and Kane felt electric pulses of raw anxiety assault them. They understood the message.
"How many humiliations must you bear before you break free of your delusions of power?" The emperor asked viciously.
"Let''s leave, General Michaels, Coronel Ryker!"
"Immortal Skye has dered war on Malta!"
"Are you going to allow this?"
"I can''t believe we''re even listening to this!"
The special forces soldiers went ballistic, yelling and jeering at Kaze and his elites and encouraging their leaders to leave.
However, the two men were dry-swallowing nervously, unsure what to do.
They looked at Kiera, who looked ready and confident in fighting every person present.
Her immaturity and unprofessional pink hair made them forget how they had scoffed at Evalyn the day before.
Now, the General and Colonel used Immortal Skye of breaking the agreement when Kiera would have decimated the soldier and caused a riot because of their actions.
It made them realize that they were to me.
"Crux, calm down ande over here." Kaze yelled ominously, looking at the prep building in the distance.
The royal beast''s eyes shed with genuine murder. Not at the soldiers, but at Kaze for trying to use her as a pawn to prove his point!
He dared to act like she was indignant about the ants'' petty ways!?
Crux stood up and strode through the training ground with passionate steps, ready to yell at Kaze publicly and dere his words a lie. However, before she could
"Soldiers! Shut the hell up or prepare to be detained for insubordination!" Kane yelled with a sharp, panicked tone, "We were wrong!"
the people in question saw her.
She was satisfied by their extreme response, feeling vindicated.
"I''m d these ants know their ce." Cruxugh-scoffed, rolling her eyes at Kaze.
She was d to know that Earth wasn''t a backward twilight zone where the second strongest wasn''t ridiculed abnormally! It brought her true relief.
However, It didn''t take long before she realized the only people who respected her were General Michaels and Kane Ryker.
The soldiers shut down when they heard their panicked tone. When the leader decided their position, they followed without questionand Kane''s voice was decisive.
So they stood silent, staring at the cute, hooded cat woman in disbelief. Her dress-sized frog hoodie and beautiful face made her look unbelievably adorable.
Her purple [contact lenses] were also far edgier than Kiera''s pink hair. So she was twice as immature in their eyes.
Crux''s face turned bright red when she realized that Kaze used her because of her appearance. She immediately turned to him and found him smiling mockingly.
Her eyes shed with murder, and she turned away, furious. However, when she saw Kane and General Michaels shudder, she realized she got double yed!
The emperor was mocking her refusal to drop the hoodie and ying her superiorityplex like a fluteas always. It made her sh with anger, and she gritted her fangs.
Kaze turned to the fearful military leaders with a wicked smile. "Hoh? What''s the extreme reaction for, gentlemen?
I brought you another cute, fiery woman who wasn''t with the elites. You don''t think I need to get involved on this one''s behalf?"
The military leaders averted their eyes in shame, stunning their members. It also shocked the Immortal Skye elites, who didn''t know who Crux was.
"You''ve made your point, Mr. Lexicon." General Michaels said soberly, expressing his shame.
"Have I?" Kaze asked with a wide grin, "A verified tennis star decimated all of your soldiers yesterday, yet you would [dare] im that I''d break our agreement over something so frivolous?"
"Coronel Ryker, I''m not sure who this woman is, but we shouldn''t let these people mock Malta further." One of the soldiers argued.
A flurry of assenting opinions flew in.
"I agree. They started this nightmare, and now they''re berating our country."
"From your expression, it looks like he''s threatening us. We can''t allow this."
The soldiers decried the emperor''s behavior calmly and requested they leave. However, the two men wouldn''t budge, confusing everyone.
Their appearance was unsettling to anyone near them. They were white as ghosts.
"Hoh?" Kaze mused derisively, "Aren''t you going to justify your meek behavior to your soldiers?
Or will you foolishly continue to let your soldiers deride Immortal Skye as a non-country?"
Waves of anxiety crashed into the two men, whose hearts quickened, panicking.
"Mr. Lexicon, please. Can we put this event behind us?" General Michaels requested hurriedly, "I admit wrongdoing.
I''ll take full responsibility for letting my soldiers deface you. Can we drop this?"
All the soldiers gasped in shock at his pleading behavior.
"Your colonel used me of dering war, and now your soldiers have war fervor, General." The emperor replied coldly.
"Do you think an apology will reverse the damage from your actions?
You''ve dered yourself a threat to my country, so defuse the situation ordingly or face the consequences."
Chapter 148 The Winning Side
The emotional gravity in the atmosphere multiplied after the emperor dered potential war, weighing everyone down. It was hard to breathe.
Kane looked away,prehending the weight of his actions. Calling out Kaze, known for his power and bold and decisive threats of action, was a horrible move.
"If an apology isn''t enough, what can we do to make amends?" General Michaels asked with a beating heart, trying to salvage the situation.
"I want you to be honest with your soldiers." Kaze demanded, "Tell them, General Michaels, Coronel Rykerwhy Immortal Skye is a country."
A wave of static washed over the two men. They tried to avoid discussing that, but the emperor demanded they spell it out frankly.
Both knew the emperor wouldn''t ept a calcted response, so it was better to exaggerate than downy it.
His request was a serious diplomatic problem. However, not doing anything was a serious issue that would im their soldiers'' lives and endanger Malta. They couldn''t afford a war.
"While I''m seeking a peaceful resolution to this misunderstanding, I cannot express an official stance on Immortal Skye." General Michaels stated, "I hope you understand that."
The emperor gave him a mocking smile. "Then give them Malta''s official stance.
If you did that much, your soldiers wouldn''t have suffered humiliation, and we wouldn''t be discussing international conflict."
Kane cringed alongside the general, who was bleeding internally. He felt guilty, so he turned around to face his soldiers with a somber expression.
"Listen, soldiers!" General Michaels shouted, "I am giving everyone clearance for ssified information. You understand the implications, yes?"
"SIR, YES, SIR!" The special forces yelled in unison, sweating slightly.
"Malta''s official stance on Immortal Skye is that it''s our top strategic allyand greatest threat." He announced, shocking the soldiers.
"They''re an invaluable ally we cannot stand to lose and a country we cannot afford to fight.
The estimated death toll from fighting the woman standing beside Kaze Lexicon is inestimable, let alone fighting Kaze Lexicon and the rest of Immortal Skye.
Due to their strength and their official stance of immediate counteraction to any breach of our treaty, we can expect that they will kill all of us and go to war without hesitation.
We were wrong for our behavior, and we were fools to forego basic diplomacy even if we weren''t."
All the soldiers and elites were stunned by the news, turning to the cat woman in disbelief.
Crux was smirking, finally confirming that her threat ssification was respectful.
However, she was the only one smiling. The elites, soldiers, and managers alike were stunned by Immortal Skye''s threat ssification.
"Wise choice." The emperor remarked, panning the sea of soldiers and elites, "I''ll ept your apologies because you finally treated Immortal Skye with respect it deserves."
General Michaels and Kane took deep breaths to calm their beating hearts. However their fear returned when the emperor turned to Crux and spoke to her in Skin.
After a few words, her eyebrow twitched, sheined aggressively, and then entered the arena, telling Brad and Aaron to get out.
The military leaders sighed in relief that she had left their area and they were on the final leg of defusing the situation their mistake caused.
However, it wasn''t a mistake. The stressful powery was a setup to seed a critical value proposition to aid negotiations the next day.
The emperor had a message for the soldiers: join Immortal Skyewe''re the winning team.
"Do not confuse Immortal Skye''s size with its power." Kaze dered, "In a chaotic world filled with violence, starvation, and disease, our country''s size makes it the most prosperous country on Earth."
His deration stirred the souls of his new subjects, captured the attention of the soldiers, and astonished Kane and General Michaels.
"While Malta must manage millions of square miles and people, Immortal Skye needs only protect one mountain and a few thousand people to prosper." The emperorughed.
He only thenprehended how absurdly low his responsibility as a ruler was. Less than two months ago, he presided over all five nes of cultivationincluding all of Earth!
"So long as we can do that, our members can live forever, and I can teach them how to create water and live without food." Kaze imed boldly, "So scoff if you wish.
As the world crumbles and you deride us, we shall prosper! However, Malta, take heed of what you see here!"
A terrifying roar came from within the arena, and a massive panther materialized from nowhere, making General Michaels and Kane jump backward.
"Never let your foolish ridicule turn to derations of conflict again!" The emperor dered coldly, "We may only own one mountain, but we have the power of a world superpower to protect it!
And we will wield that power to fight anyone foolish enough to trespass upon our humble nation!"
Kiera trembled in excitement when she saw Crux turn into a massive cat and cheered aggressively. "Fuck, yes! I knew you were a bad bitch!"
Hearing a member of Immortal Skye express excitement, the passive elites burst into battle cries. They didn''t understand how a massive panther materialized from thin air, but her words lit fires in their souls. Crux was part of Immortal Skye!
The Maltian soldiers and their leaders weren''t so enthusiastic.
"Mr. Lexicon!" Kane yelled, standing next to terrified soldiers, "Please don''t attack! We''re not hostile!"
"Calm down, you fools!" Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I''d have killed you personally if I sought your deaths.
Crux has transformed to let ten of your soldiers use their strongest techniques or weapons on her without dodging.
If you wish to continue learning, I require you to understand what you face if you''re ever foolish enough to dere war or attempt to break our treaty again.
Your incessant disrespect and foolish disregard formon sense are insulting and crippling our training."
Everyone''s fear turned to confusion that he''d return to teaching them. Both emotions were passionate and made their hearts pulse violently.
However, their beating hearts deadened when they saw the massive panther walk to the other side of the arena, turn around, and sit downzily.
Crux''s panther face was so unenthusiastic it was insulting. It said [wake me up when it''s over].
General Michaels and Kane looked at each other and back at the soldiers. Now that they''d been humiliated, no one wanted to attack the shadow cat!
They looked at each other, looking for volunteers and tallying sacrifices.
After drawing straws, the soldiers watched the ten chosen souls depart with heavy hearts, feeling guilty for condemning ten soldiers to lives without hope for respect or redemption.
Crux blinked twice in tant annoyance when she saw the weak mortals arrive with depressed expressions.
One carried an RPG-7 rocketuncher on their drooping shoulder, barely supporting it.
They were a sorry sight to behold.
Only one person walked up with a determined expression, carrying a bag and intriguing everyone.
The female soldier with the RPG took a knee and aimed it at the shadow cat''s pitch-ck chest, shimmering elegantly in the sunlight. They were hesitant and cringing.
She turned around at thest moment. "Mr. Lexicon, are you sure that"
"Hurry up, mortals!" The panther growled in English, shocking the soldiers and elites, "I''m here to prove how pathetic you are, not satisfy your curiosity.
So prove your feebleness so I can leave and eat the cake I was promised to participate in this farce!"
The soldier with the RPG said awkwardly, wincing as she pointed it at her chest again.
Whoooooosh! BOOM!
The missile hit the shadow cat in the chest, making a vein on Crux''s forehead pop out. It wasn''t painful, but it felt like an aggressive mosquito bite.
As a result, she shook her body quickly to shake it off.
Everyone was horrified when she casually returned to a sitting position, wearing the same bored expression.
All the soldiers smiled wryly, losing even more enthusiasm. They finally understood how horrifying a divine physique tempered to the divine level was.
It was vastly different than anything in the mortal world.
The eight soldiers looked at one another with amunication signal. They pulled their arms back simultaneously, and eight guided arrows materialized before them.
"Fire!" Sandra yelled.
One after the other, the soldiers released their weak Guided Arrow technique, attacking the same spot.
Their attack showcased remarkable skill and teamwork. However, it only made Crux''s eye twitch increasingly aggressively eight times in a row.
She was annoyed she let anyone hit her, let alone the mosquitoes before her.
As before, she shook her fur and sat back down, staring at thest foolish mortal to stand before her.
"Youck battle intent." Crux growled in annoyed interest, "What are you nning?"
"I''m noting here to attack." The male soldier replied calmly.
He opened the bag and pulled out a strange item
a white g.
All the Immortal Skye elitesughed once, sharply and awkwardly, at the strange development.
"Is this your way of saying you surrender?" The shadow cat asked, bewildering everyone present.
"Yes. Do you ept?" He replied with earnest green eyes.
"I do not eat humans and only fight and kill those who plot or attempt to harm me." Cruxugh-scoffed, "Killing gives me no satisfaction either.
Since you didn''t try to kill me, there''s no need to ept your petty surrender."
"We want to know if you''d ept one in general." The soldier rified.
The shadow cat scoffed aggressively, making everyone shudder. "Your government has attacked me numerous times without warning.
Mere moments ago, you expressed a desire to attack us with your full military.
Yet here I am, sparing you mortals from death, and you have the nerve to test if I''m civil?"
His eyes deadened, joining Kane, General Michaels, and the rest of the special forces soldiers.
"Our apologies." The soldier said hesitantly, "How do we make that up to you? And others like you?"
"Cake." Crux dered, "I like strawberry cake. The little one you mocked also likes the strange ambrosia, so if you want to express your apologies, bring me three strawberry cakes."
His eyes widened in bewilderment. "Who''s the third cake for? Mr. Lexicon?"
"For me." Sheugh-scoffed, rolling her eyes, "All three are for me. I shall provide somepensation to the little one if you have enoughmon sense to make such petty reparations."
After a second of stunned silence
"HEY!" Kiera cried in indignation, "If you''re ying the cake diplomacy game, get me my whole cake!"
the ng-riddlerined, and everyone began chuckling awkwardly. It spread through the area until it turned toughter, and the tension eased up.
After a rxed moment, the emperor smiled and overlooked the soldiers.
"Now that we''ve thoroughly established how superior we are." Kazeugh-scoffed arrogantly, "Who wants to learn so they can stop being inferior?
How many times must we remind you that you''re here to shed your weakness and be monsters amongst men and Valkyries amongst women?
We''ve opened you with wee arms and seek to teach you. So can we stop with this petty farce and continue our training?"
After a period of stunned disbelief, the soldiers awkwardly epted, and the training continued.
It was a brutal session. However, over thirteen Immortal Skye elites fought the special force soldiers.
Kaze''s chosen elites came out victorious, and those who he didn''t lost their matches.
Yet all were healed, praised, and awardedvishly with the technique.
Meanwhile, the tranquility training continued, building the soldiers and fulfilling their obligations.
While everything went well, General Michaels and Kane were shaken to their cores.
Standing before Kaze Lexicon and seeing his soldiers'' strength convinced him that Immortal Skye was the winning side, both in war and in survival.
Malta couldn''t use nuclear weapons [in their own country], their resources and supply chains were spread thin, and Kaze Lexicon''s full power was unknown.
Soon, their soldiers would havebat experience and be monsters capable of warring with Malta [without the emperor''s aid].
Lastly, Immortal Skye''s poption and resource needs made the small country a true utopia.
General Michaels suspected that the emperor was attempting to recruit them, and for the first time, he was questioning what he would do if asked.
Chapter 149 Foolish Mortals At The Luxe
"Tell me, everyone." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "What was it like to hear Malta admit that we, a small faction a week ago, was the number one threat to their country?"
It took less than a second before a familiar voice answered the emperor''s question.
"It... was... AMAZING!" Larkin yelled to the sky, "I feel ASHAMED that I thought Immortal Skye couldn''t get more incredible. I''ve never been so wrong!"
A fraction of a secondter, the elites detonated in wild cheering.
He addressed them in the arena after the soldiers left. Each person felt the area''s power, drenched in blood and surrounded by tall, unbreakable t-walls.
Most importantly, they stood before the emperor, who they all saw differently, even Evalyn.
Kaze chuckled at Larkin''s reaction and panned his gaze again. "Six people withoutbat experience won against Malta''s top soldiers today.
Let''s hear it for Brad, Sammy, Whitney, Paul, Rachel, and Mikey."
Loud cheers rang out in the area.
"That''s all you''ll give your warriors?" The emperorugh-scoffed, looking away in false disgust, "Those six defenders and warriors are the reason Malta fears Immortal Skye.
They are the reason that you''re safe here within these walls!"
The arena exploded in bloodthirsty battle cries, answering his call.
All six fighters left their fights traumatized after suffering horrifying wounds or inflicting lethal injuries upon others.
However, as they looked around, listening to their peers'' deafening cheers, they realized there was value in their actions. They were protectors.
Seeing people''s pride in having them and knowing they held others reignited their hearts.
"Much better!" Kaze roared, "Now, where is the love for the seven protectors that crippled seven Malta elites and nearly won withoutbat experience?"
After more celebratory cheers, the emperor smiled and moved to the next topic.
"These are the brave warriors and protectors of Immortal Skye, the most powerful and prosperous country on earth!" The emperor yelled, triggering nationalistic battle cries.
"Each has earned one hundred reputation points. You will all realize this reward''s valueter today; when you do, know that you will get the opportunity to make more tomorrow.
The rest of you have done well. So you''ve earned five hundred Skye and five reputation points. Tonight, the Luxe opens; go shopping and enjoy yourselves!"
...
"Move aside, foolish mortals!" A cute woman in a green frog hoodie demanded, addressing a group of men and women standing in front of a mansion.
A massive line of faction members stood outside the Luxe, waiting to get. Everyone, including the people in the campsite, received 25 Skye to spend at the mall.
Additionally, Sage was busy during training, finding additional work roles for everyone to give faction members opportunities to earn more Skye. As a result, some non-elites had plenty of cash to spare.
The group turned to the strange woman with a peculiar ent, neither thick nor natural. Her tone was rude and aggressive, and her bodynguage was bossy and entitled. Everyone disliked her at first sight.
They eyed her cautiously, not recognizing her. No one wanted to aggravate the wrong person, but they also failed to see how the woman before them could be important.
She looked older than Kaze, but she dressed like a child!
Her edgy purple contacts didn''t help her case either. They proved she was weak, still having poor eyesight, when cultivation fixed all of their vision!
"Who are you?" A woman asked boldly.
"I won''t grace a [weak mortal] like you an answer to such an unnecessary question." Crux scoffed aggressively, "Now move. You''re lucky I can''t treat the way you deserve."
The divine beast used [weak mortal], subconsciously changing her mindset from [all mortals are insignificant insects] to [some mortals have talent and are permissible]. It was a small change, but it''d take time to change her mindset.
Everyone in the groupughed, unbelieving that the woman before them kept insisting they were mortals. They were all mortals! Immortals didn''t exist!
Now they knew--Crux wasn''t important. A remarkable person like Kaze wouldn''t date a chunni like her, and he was too young for her to be a kid. She was proof that anyone who learned the technique could get in!
"Look, if you don''t identify yourself, we aren''t moving." A man chuckled. While he was smiling, his eyes weren''t smiling, "We''re in line. You understand the concept, yes, immortal?"
Everyone became snickering at his mocking reply, making the divine beast re up.
"Irreparably shattered bones, you understand the concept, yes?" Crux asked with a wild look in her eye, "That''s what will happen to you if you talk down to me again. Now move!"
The man shuddered, but a woman stepped in front of him.
"Look,dy, we don''t know who you are, and you''re refusing to identify yourself." She said boldly, "Now you''re threatening us.
Immortal Skye encourages vignte justice, and you''re a problem. So if you don''t identify yourself as someone important or leave, we will rid the area of this dangerous problem."
The area exploded in excited whispers, watching the scene with bated breath. However, everyone fell silent when Crux smiled ominously and began cultivating while standing.
It was dusk, and shadows became deep--it was almost time for her divine physique to feast upon the darkness. While it wasn''t nighttime, it was more than enough to make a demonstration.
Everyone felt like they were suffocating when the Qi disappeared, getting sucked into the shadow cat''s meridians like a ck hole.
Worse, the Qi turned dark purple, warping space in a twisted dance that left her body looking like a demon''s. Her amethyst eyes glowed slightly, contrasting with the darkness.
Only one word shed in everyone''s mind--death.
They were sure they had provoked the wrong person, and now they''d all die.
"WAIT!" A panicked female voice cried out, "No! Whatever they did, we''ll apologize on their behalf!"
Everyone in the line shivered when they heard a stampede of people running to the area as fast as possible. It reinforced their belief that the situation was terrible.
Rein grabbed the woman standing before Crux by the back of her shirt and threw her backward aggressively, mming her into the man who started the issue.
The people in the line were stunned. They thought the short-haired woman was on their side, but a dozen people crashed to the ground like bowling pins when she arrived! She didn''t even look that woman, if was humiliatingly unceremonious.
"These idiots are just that--idiots." Rein dered, looking at the divine beast earnestly, "We''re not idiots. What can we help you with?"
Everyone in the group smiled wryly, thankful to be saved but resentful to bembasted when they didn''t do anything wrong!
"You''re not an idiot?" Crux asked with a mocking smile, "If that is true, why would you protect these foolish mortals when you understand a fight with me is certain to kill you?"
Cold sweat dripped down the short-haired woman''s spine, but she didn''t waiver. She ran through simtions in her head.
"Killing these stupid, potentialcking humans will tarnish your reputation for nothing." Rein reasoned, hearing the superiorityplex in the woman''s voice.
The agitator''s eyes deadened, and they felt lethal humiliation pulse through their veins.
They weren''t unreasonable, yet they got thrown like rag dolls and told they were ipetent by a head elite without so much as a conversation!
"Making an example out of a few people will ensure no one questions my strength or ce here again." Crux replied coldly, "Yet you im it will harm my reputation?"
"I''m not sure where immortals are from, but here on Earth, doing that will get you shunned." The elite dry-swallowed slightly, "Not to your face, but in society."
"Do you think I care about what you ants think?" The divine beastughed, "I only care about the respect of Kaze Lexicon and Evalyn Skye. The rest of you save one are irrelevant."
"Then you''d ruin the grand opening of the mall he''d work so much for?" Rein''s asked, her eyes ignited with hope, "He will be extremely resentful of your actions."
"I know that, you fool." Crux scoffed, gritting her fangs, "That''s why these ignorant mortals who can''t differentiate the strong from the weak aren''t crippled.
Now step aside. I must administer a light punishment that these fools will never forget."
Brad stepped in, but Crux''s body melded with the dusk time sky and materialized in front of the agitators, still lying on the ground. She looked like an emperor before criminals, preparing to exact capital punishment.
"Now listen, you foolish mort--what is this!?" She yelled abruptly, "PUT ME DOWN! I have yet to give these ants a proper warning...."
The area fell silent, everyone watching the scene before them in shock.
Kaze arrived and walked into the building, holding the terrifying cat woman by the scruff of her neck. She kicked and screamed, but he didn''t say a word or look at her or anyone else.
The scene was so unceremonious that everyone felt the scenario was a dream.
When her trailing voice finally disappeared, getting lower and lower, the elites burst into stressedughter.
"I can''t believe what I just saw." Lily chuckled in disbelief.
"Right? That was wild." Sammy replied breathlessly.
"I''m afraid to admit this, but it was kinda funny." Brad smiled in a low voice.
"You were right to feel fear of admitting that, you idiot." Rein growled, "That scene doesn''t change how powerful she is or that she''d kill you forughing."
"But that''s what''s funny, isn''t it?" He chuckled with a bewildered expression.
"What do you mean?" Sammy asked in confusion.
"That woman terrifies the Malta military and can shake off a direct RPG explosion like a mosquito bite." Brad chuckled, shocking everyone in line.
"Yet Kaze just treated her like a guilty house cat. It was seriously degrading, but she didn''t struggle seriously.
How powerful does he have to be to do that? Isn''t that strange?"
Many people chuckled in bewilderedughter, finding it strange and unnerving. Terrifying even.
The elites finally realized that no one knew how strong he was. However, after what they had seen that day, they understood Kaze Lexicon had to be a monster.
Chapter 150 Today The Luxe, Tomorrow The Coup
"You weren''t joking about the cake, were you?" Evalyn chuckled breathlessly, looking at Crux, stuffing her face with chocte cake with pupils the size of pins. She was cracked out.
"It''s a waste of time to ask her questions, rhetorical or otherwise." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "The manic euphoria she''s experiencing is historically reserved for emperors and first-time drug users."
Every cab member except Daniel and Veronica had just left the food court, where Crux got a triple-chocte turtle cake.
Now the cat woman weaved through massive crowds of rowdy shoppers with half still on its original te, eating it with a fork.
Evalyn chuckled ominously, and her eyes deadened, looking at the divine beast whose smile was sevenyers deep in the depths of lunacy. "This is giving me anxiety.
Everyone''s bumping into everyone right now, and if someone knocks over that cake, we''ll have a significant problem."
The cab members shivered because they knew she wasn''t joking. They were all worried one [foolish mortal] would bump into her, and the divine beast would go on a massacre.
"That''s a rational mindset." Kaze chuckled breathlessly, "However, you needn''t worry about it.
Crux will guard this dessert with her life and admit her ipetence if someone ruins it.
There''s no risk of a massacre because she''ll be busy flogging herself for seven hours."
Evalyn turned to him in surprise. "That answer is oddly specific."
"That''s because it''s the truth." He smiled mysteriously, reminding her that he had asting rtionship with Crux, the same as he once had with her.
"I see." She replied, "Why are we here? I doubt you brought the entire cab to this zoo to shop."
"Of course not." Kazeughed breathlessly, "We''re touring the Underground Bizzare. We must align on the area and its purpose."
The cab members looked at each other hesitantly. None were at the public announcement, so they only knew what it was without specifics. Now they would find out firsthand.
Everyone followed the emperor down a grand flight of stairs and past a barricade barring entrance to the area. Once inside, he turned around to face them.
"Wee to the Underground Bizarre." Kaze announced with faux grandeur.
"It looks so normal." Kylie giggled, "I was expecting something super depraved. Maybe some neon lights, or some wall chains or something."
The area had pure white walls and tan carpet throughout it. Multiple hallways led to rows of bedrooms stacked side-to-side and ended with two living room areas on both ends.
No pools, hot tubs, gyms, or anything else were present. It was just rooms and two living areas.
"Ah yes, it looks normal." The emperor smiled, "That''s because it is. This space is amon living area with twenty bedrooms and individual baths.
However, give it two weeks after the rapture; this ce will be a zoo. The depravity of humankind needs no decorations."
Jake and Kylie shivered, Sage didn''t process it, and Evalyn just scoffughed under her breath.
"So how are we organizing the space?" The regent asked, eyeing the area.
"There are thirty rooms for individual business spaces." Sage replied, "Individuals can bid RP to rent a space for two weeks.
Once a person rents a space, they can do whatever they like with it.
The only major rules are that services must be consensual and contracted employment cannot extend past one week."
"Wait, do you mean that people can"
"Yes." Evalyn interjected, cutting off Jake, "While it''s disturbing, people can do anything they wish so long as it meets those conditions.
[Anything] is grotesquely literal. Kaze already implemented thew, and there''s not much time, so let''s move on. What are the minor rules?"
"Gambling RP is against thew." Sage smiled, happy to move past the point, "Reputation points promote hard work and talent.
We don''t want someone to strike it rich and do whatever they want for a month. It can destabilize the economy."
"I understand." Evalyn nodded, "Are there any other protections?"
"There are heavy anti-racketeeringws." The redhead nodded, "Criminal actions are only permissible within the Underground Bizarre.
So any organized operation that engages in extended criminal activity is naturally against thew."
"I''m d to hear that." The blonde chuckled bitterly, amazed she was grateful for something so basic, "And the anti-exploitationws?"
"Profiting from sex work requires minimal food and board expenses." Sage smiled, "So if a person sells their body, they must pay 100 Skye to live well before earning a surplus.
It''s aw and transfers directly, so debt collectors cannot interfere with a person''s right to food and board."
Evalyn''s eyes widened, and she turned to the emperor in surprise. "Was that yourw?"
"Of course." Kaze smiled, "The purpose of the Underground Bizarre isn''t to promote foolish notions of [freedom] or encourage debauchery.
It serves a positive purpose, and it''s regted to ensure that it stays positive.
That''s what we''re here to discuss."
Everyone stopped touring the area and turned to him. His tone shifted, bing somber mid-way through. It was time to get down to business.
"Tomorrow, we''re hosting the Malta police force alongside the military." Kaze announced, surprising everyone since they hadn''t discussed it, "We will try to steal officers if we can.
Either way, we are staging a coup-like operation and give both parties an ultimatum to join us or peacefully leave, permanently cutting ties."
A wave of anxiety washed over the group. Even Sage was stunned beyond belief, shocked to the core by his casual deration.
"Wait, to rify." Kylieughed breathlessly, releasing anxiety, "Are you saying we will force them into submission by force tomorrow before negotiations?"
"It seems you understand correctly." The emperor replied, sending sharp pangs of fear pulsing through their bodies.
Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes after seeing their fearful expressions. "It''s only been a few hours since we broke the Maltian military''s spirits and proved theyck the power to fight us.
Yet you''re afraid to face their power?"
The cab members gave him wry smiles. They all understood his message, but it didn''t change that he asked peaceful college students to stage a coup!
"I assume you have countermeasures in the event of an organized counterstrike where the soldiers take hostages, right?" Evalyn asked with narrowed eyes.
"Of course I do." He scoffed arrogantly, vexed everyone was wasting time on small details as they discussed an irreparable operation, "Does anyone want to speak of the coup without parroting their fears and emotions?"
The blonde turned away in annoyance. She already knew the answer to the question but felt the personal need to voice her priorities. While it was redundant, he didn''t need to be a dick about it!
However, she couldn''t stay bothered because one nce at the cab members vindicated his behavior. No one spoke, unable to think of anything useful past their fears and emotions.
When the topic was grave and time-sensitive, it was understandable to ask people to stay focused.
He was still a dick, though.
"I think you''ve gotten your answer." Sage remarked after an awkward silence, "What does your coup have to do with the Underground Bizarre?"
"Tomorrow, everyone will go into lockdown, and stress levels will skyrocket." Kaze warned, "We have seventy people qualified to keep order in the mansions.
However, the stress will build, and we must give people an outlet so they don''t attack or assault others. Such is the benefit of legal sex work during the apocalypse."
Everyone felt icy chills crawl down their spines.
"We cannot stop human nature." He continued, "However, we can promise virgins that they can experience sex if they work hard and survive. The same is true of stressed athletes.
It''s a disturbing topic, but not addressing it bluntly is tantamount to inviting tragedy."
Evalyn''s perspective on the topic shifted drastically. "I see. That''s why we''re opening the mall at the witching hour, right?
We''re giving womenespeciallyan incentive to sell their bodies for rewards?"
"Exactly." He confirmed bluntly. When he saw the cab members wince slightly, ufortable, he scoffughed. "You act as though we have a government-sponsored sex work program.
We are not promoting sex work or asking women and men to do anything.
We''re only letting humans rent out space; if they use it to sell their bodies for clothing, that''s their choice. It doesn''t involve us."
Everyone looked at one another with wry smiles. The thought that they''d let people rent out rooms and men and women would instantly strip was horrifying.
However, they knew it would happen; the only question was how long it would take.
"Does everyone understand the value of the Underground Bizarre and agree on its value?" Kaze asked bluntly, "If you have objections or suggestions, speak now."
After an hour-long discussion on specifics, they agreed upon thews of the Underground Bizarre and gave their full support.
The following day, the emperor woke up early to greet a very special guest.
"Hello Carmen." Kaze said charmingly, looking at a beautiful ck woman with her hair in a tight bun, "It seems we meet again."
Malta''s current police chief looked up from the document in her hand with a cringing expression. She couldn''t believe that [he] was her emissary!
"Hello, Kaze." Carmen said in a low tone, trying to stay civil, "It''s wonderful to see you greeting us, considering that you had our entrance revoked."
She referred to giving her and three officers the Illuminescent Breathing technique and then cutting offmunication, barring their entrance to Immortal Skye.
"Revoked?" Kaze asked with a broad smile, "You are qualified for Immortal Skye and can join anytime you wish."
Hearing him say that she was at Immortal Skye, thus reinstating contact, and had an open invitation, left a strange taste in her mouth.
If it were true that she had an opportunity to join Immortal Skye, then he was iming he''d boldly steal Malta''s forces before their military!
Either way, she didn''t like the person making such damning ims.
"I see." Carmen said tersely, eyeing him like a hawk, "Are you the person that will be leading me to the Emperor?"
"There''s no need for that." Kaze smiled mysteriously. "I assure you that I''m the only person you need to talk to."
"I don''t doubt your talent or qualifications." The police chief prefaced in annoyance, "But I''m here to attend the Emperor''s retreat, not speak to a college student."
Chapter 151 The Malta Ultimatum
A flurry of awkward gasps and whispers rippled through the area when Carmen Skeer, the Malta City Police Chief, told the emperor she didn''t want to talk to him.
However, everyone fell silent when the chief and her bodyguards tried listening. Everyone.
They stood at the south gate, facing the only road into Immortal Skye. It was an important area bustling with soldiers installing sentry guns and reinforcing the walls.
So hearing everyone fall dead silent in unison was eerie. It was a clear indication that Kaze was important at Immortal Skye. However, she didn''t know to what extent.
All information on Immortal Skye was ssified, including the name of the Emperor. So all she knew was that she was there for a special event.
Now, she was unnerved but felt her behavior was justifiable.
"I suppose I was a college student when west met." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "Now it''s evident that''s changed.
I''m curious. Aren''t you nervous that calling me a glorified college student could cause you trouble?"
Carmen cringed slightly but didn''t waiver. "As I said, I do not doubt your talent or qualifications. I respect your talent more and more each day.
However, Immortal Skye has an official poption cap. So I''m confident the Emperor will agree your invitation to increase it overstretches your boundaries.
It''s also an undiplomatic solicitation impacting Immortal Skye''s ally. That''s equally problematic."
The police chief wasn''t lying to get out of a potential issue; she found him remarkable since the moment he turned himself into a candle with Illuminecent Breathing.
"I don''t think the Emperor would mind letting a woman of your talent into Immortal Skye." Kaze countered charmingly, making her blush slightly.
"Can you save the spection forter?" Carmen asked hurriedly, pushing past the subject, "I have a meeting with the Emperor in an hour and want to be early.
So can you please cease the small talk and do your job?"
The emperor gave her an amused smile as she turned her head, listening to another ripple of excited whispers among the onsite builders. "Pray tell, Chief Skeer. What do you think my job is here?"
"Your job?" She asked, turning back to him with a quizzical expression, "You''re here to guide me to the meeting, right?
I doubt you''d be aware of my visit and arrival time otherwise. It''s also unlikely the Emperor would let a member greet a distinguished Malta representative without purpose."
Kaze''s eyes glided to the left, and he chuckled in amusement. "I suppose I am here to greet a distinguished representative and lead them to the meeting. So you''re not wrong."
Carmen listened to his answer with a slight feeling of dread. He confirmed her viewpoints, but his tone felt so off that it caused waves of anxiety within her.
"Well then, shall I do my job?" The emperor asked with a hypnotic voice and charming smile.
"... Yes." The beautiful police chief nodded, "Please."
Kaze chuckled when he heard her add a respectful word, hedging her bets. "Then lets go."
He, Carmen, and her bodyguards strode through the campus from the south gate, walking to theke at the center and moving around it to the main mansion.
As they walked, she watched hundreds of people tending to various tasks on campus and hundreds more cultivating outside in the summer sun.
However, due to the event, non-essential workers were confined to their mansions for the day.
Carmen was appalled by how peaceful it was on their campus when her job centered around mass death statistics. It made her and her bodyguards envious.
However, when they walked to the mansion, they stopped thinking about the campus.
"Wee back, faction leader." A male cultivator said, opening the door to the mansion for them. He cringed slightly, knowing they were a country but uncertain of what to call him.
Kaze smiled and thanked him, calmly leading the group into the mansion.
The police chief followed in a state that was anything but calm. She was shocked to hear [faction leader]! No wonder the builders were surprised by her treatment of Kaze Lexicon!
His talent screamed leadership, so why didn''t she immediately assume he was in management? That should have been obvious!
However, thinking he''d get promoted to running the faction after Immortal Skye became a country was unbelievable! It had been two weeks since the Apocalypse Party!
"Good morning, Kaze." Marilyn said in her typical, sexy business attire at the top of the stairs, "And I assume you''re Carmen Skeer?"
The beautiful police chief nodded. "Police Chief Carmen Skeer, it''s a pleasure to meet you."
"No, the pleasure is mine." The sexy secretary smiled, opening the door to the conference room, "Pleasee in. You''re early, but I can get you some tea."
Carmen''s heart thumped when Kaze walked in, navigating around the table and sitting in one of the two center positions.
She wondered if he was filling in for Daniel Skye as she sat in her assigned seat, one right of the center, letting her bodyguards move to the back.
Marilyn returned with tea, which the police chief gratefully epted. It gave her an excuse to avoid speaking and hide her awkwardness.
"You needn''t be so nervous." Kaze chuckled breathlessly, "As you''ve already noted, you''re a distinguished representative of Malta. So it wouldn''t be wise for someone to rebuke you."
The irony of his im was lost on her. However, she did smile wryly, knowing she acted important only to learn he was too. In fact, he could be far more important than she was. It was still unknown!
After thanking him, they drank their tea in silence, with her being incredibly awkward. Naturally, she wanted to talk about him but was nervous, so she sat stoically, praying the Emperor or Daniel Skye would show up to break the awkwardness.
Unfortunately, the opposite urred.
"You''re already here." Daniel remarked with wide eyes, walking through the door. He feared that he was supposed to show up earlier since Carmen was already there.
Thankfully, General Michaels and Coronel Ryker, the high-level intelligence officer, had yet to arrive.
So he sighed a breath of relief and walked around the table, sitting downto Kaze''s left.
Carmen''s eyes trembled in anxiety when the supposed business partner of the Emperor sat next to the teen. The action was horrifyingly natural! It didn''t look like Daniel had recently got demoted and begrudgingly sat next to himit looked like it had always been that way!
Now she was even more curious about who the mystery leader was.
Unfortunately, she finally understood the situation once Evalyn and the military leaders entered the room, and the blonde sat down in the centernext to Kaze Lexicon.
Anxiety crashed through her body, realizing how rude she was to the Emperor! She used him of cutting off her ticket to Immortal Skye, treated him like an emissary, and even tried to abuse her authority to force his hand in the past.
Carmen''s unrealistic fantasy of joining Immortal Skye was dead. That''s what was going through her head when he gave her a gentle smile, calming her anxieties before the meeting began. It made her heart thump slightly.
"Greetings." Kaze announced, looking at Carmen and the military leaders, "We have morning lessons for everyone, so let''s give introductions and talk about the event.
I''d also like to talk about your lodging. It''s a special asion, so all soldiers, personnel, and officers will stay in our mansions as guests tonight."
While Carmen felt the gesture was natural, Kane and General Michaels narrowed their eyes.
Both felt the emperor''s behavior the day prior led to an invitation to join Immortal Skye.
It put them in a bad position. They had to decide whether to call in an order to mobilize the military for a potential retrieval mission, as nned in the event of such a solicitation.
Misinterpreting the situation or choosing could trigger a war, kill everyone, or incite defection or treason charges. It was a stressful night.
"I''m Carmen Skeer, Malta''s acting Police Chief." Carmen said, breaking the military leaders out of their haze, "I have fifty officers with me. They all look forward to training with your soldiers."
General Michaels and Kane exchanged wry smiles after hearing that the officers looked forward to training with their soldiers. However, they put on fake expressions and introduced themselves.
7:33 am, June 3rd, 2032 | Immortal Skye Arena
Ratat! Ratatatat! Ratatatat!
"Guided Arrow!" Rein yelled while running, avoiding a hail fire of machine gun bullets. A line of warping Qi snapped into ce, moving in a fixed rtive position to her body.
The soldiers thought the attack was stationary because the Qi had to build up before them. So hearing her call the attack in motion.
Moreover, the speed was appalling. While she couldn''t outrun a bullet, she could outrun the soldier''s ability to move their submachine gun!
It was a weakness the male soldier hadn''t factored in when he decided to use conventional weapons to fight her.
Boom!
The soldier kicked the ground as she prepared to release the arrow, obstructing her vision. Then he ran in an erratic pattern, trying to prevent her from locking on.
"I can still see you." Rein dered chillingly, waving her hand while watching the Qi flow patterns with minor vision.
Whooooooosh! BOOM!
"GahhhhhHHHH!" The soldier screamed in pain when the arrow blew his calf in half, sending blood everywhere. "I YIELD!"
Rein nodded and turned to the emperor, who had already begun flying to her with a strange smile.
When Carmen saw him floating in the air, she was twice as stunned as watching a soldier''s leg explode during [training]!
Kaze touched the short-haired woman''s forehead and transferred the technique, including minor supplemental techniques that gave her insights into using it better.
She appreciated it, understanding her privileged status. So she ensured she''d live up to his expectations and maintain her position.
Rein walked over to the screaming man and waved her hand without hesitation.
A light red glow washed over the area, far brighter than those who practiced before her, and the man''s leg closed up instantly.
Seeing only the wound shut to prevent blood loss was a reminder that Kaze''s technique was far beyond what he gave themfive realms above, to be exact.
The emperor raised his fists high, leading to an explosion of cheers before he used [Paradox of Healing] to rebuild the man''s leg.
Carmen watched in shock as the manughed in bitter amazement and gratitude when his pain ended, stood up, and walked around. It was a surreal sight.
"I hope my warning was enough to decide about joining." Kaze smiled strangely, touching down next to her, "It''s a loathsome sight, [real]bat.
No one realizes they haven''t seen it until it''s before their eyes."
The police chief opened and closed her mouth, trying to find words to say. "No, it''s okay. My officers have seen realbat every day this week.
Realbat was the least astonishing aspect of this lesson."
"And this lesson is the least astonishing aspect of Immortal Skye." He replied with a slight smile.
"That''s hard to believe." Carmen chuckled in bafflement, "But everything about you is hard to believe. I feel like it would take years to figure out who you are."
"Then stay around for years." Kaze replied hypnotically, making her blush furiously, "That''s what all my citizens are doing, and you can be one of them."
She turned away in embarrassment, realizing she blushed, thinking he was courting her when he simply offered her citizenship.
However, once she overcame her mortification, the reality of the situation sunk in. Kaze offered a cement at his utopia! Unfortunately
"Now that we''re here on official business, I can''t leave my position to join Immortal Skye." Carmen smiled wryly, "It''s a conflict of interest."
He gave her a strange smile. "I see. Well, think it over regardless."
10:12 am, June 3rd, 2032 | Immortal Skye Arena
After the battle and tranquility training finished, Kaze led a session to train all officers on an earth-grade cultivation technique for two hours.
Each person got an elite to aid them, expediting their growth. As a result, every officer saw immediate results, which felt remarkable. They hadn''t felt so good in weeks.
They wished their day at Immortal Skye wouldst forever.
1:00 pm, June 3rd, 2032 | Immortal Skye Amphitheater
At 1 pm, Kaze stood on the amphitheater''s stage before a massive crowd of Maltian military personnel and police officers.
There were 1,553 Maltians in the audience. Among them were 777 men and 776 women, and three leaders. The unsatisfying split was caused by one manKane Ryker.
Most attendants were military trade workers, with each gender having 500 members. Additionally, the special forces made up 250 of each. Lastly, there were 25 officers of both sexes.
The emperor required an equal split to ensure the women on campus felt safe and to prevent an army of revenge-driven eunuchs from crowding burial ditches.
General Michaels, Kane Ryker, Carmen Skeer, the Lockheed elites, and the cab members were all present, aside from Victoria. All eyes were on him.
Kaze panned the audience and spoke boldly. "Proud Maltians, I would like to thank all of you for attending this special event as valued guests of Immortal Skye."
The audience pped politely, meeting his words with slightly positive enthusiasm.
"Before we start the event, I must make an announcement." He said with a sharp glint in his eyes, "In two days'' time, Earth will experience another Qi influx."
Gasps rang out in the audience, sending waves of anxiety crashing over every member.
"The Qi influx willst 24 hours." Kaze warned, "It will release roughly eight times the amount of Qi as thest influx into the atmosphere, doubling the Earth''s Qi density.
When that happens, it''s reasonable to estimate that 90% of Malta''s military personnel will get Qi sickness, and the military will fall apart."
The amphitheater turned dead-silent, everyone unbelieving what they had just heard.
General Michaels and Kane felt icy chills crawl down their spines, and their minds raced, trying to process the news. Carmen was in the same boat, ck-jawed in disbelief.
"There is nothing we can do to stop the inevitable." Kaze proimed boldly, "Malta, alongside every country on Earth, will fall in three days. That is a simple reality."
The soldiers, elites, and leaders held their breaths equally. His words were far too shocking to take in immediately. Negative synesthesia waved through the audience, connecting every person present, including the Lockheed elites.
"Maltian leaders and proud elites!" The emperor roared, cutting through everyone''s anxiety, "I present to you two choices.
You may leave Immortal Skye in three days'' time, foolishly walking into your deaths. Or you can live in Immortal Skye as citizens and enjoy the highest standard of living in the world.
You have until tomorrow morning to ept or decline our generosity! Until then, you will not leave Immortal Skye ormunicate with the outside world.
We will punish anyone who breaks one of those two rules with death!"
Chapter 152 A Shocking Negotiation
The amphitheater had a pulse after Kaze dered he''d kill anyone who tried to leave or contact the outside world.
Soldiers looked to Kane and General Michaels, both staring at the soldiers with disbelief. While they had expected an invitation, they didn''t expect the world to copse or him to boldly threaten defectors with instant death!
Most Immortal Skye elites were also shocked. They hade to believe he was a good guy behind the mask, so his deration was a shock to their systems.
"You''re all here for another two days for our retreat." Kaze said, "Since the government and military expect you to be here, there is no need for unofficialmunication with the outside world.
However, we''re giving you forewarning because"
"NO NEED TO CONTACT THE OUTSIDE WORLD!?" A male soldier roared, "I HAVE A FAMILY!"
Pandamonium instantly broke out, spreading through the amphitheater like wildfire.
"I do too!"
"We need to warn Malta!"
"Are you joking!?"
The emperor took a deep breath to contain his internal hellfire. "Everyone is free to leave here after the retreat, as promised. In the meantime, we are giving you forewarning because"
"We don''t want your excuses!
"Soldiers, fan out! That way he can''t attack us all at once!"
"Get out of my way!"
Before Kane, General Michaels, or Carmen could react, soldiers began running to the north and south exits. However
"RHAaaaaaAAAhhHHooOR!"
A roar mixed with a growl came from behind the amphitheater, making most soldiers freeze. They had heard that sound recently.
Crux slowly climbed on top of the half-dome, putting her paws onto the edge and lowering her body, preparing to pounce.
"GRrrrrrrRRrrrrrR!"
The massive shadow cat gazed upon the mortals with amethyst iris'' the size of beachballs.
"W-What the fuck is that!?" A police officer yelled.
"Monster attack!"
"Run!"
Carmen and her officers, who hadn''t seen Crux, began to panic. However, many ran into special forces soldiers standing like frozen statues. Some found themselves detained in chokeholds to prevent them from moving. Others ended up on the ground, knocked out cold.
The rest moved to the southside exit, where they were closest, while soldiers moved to the north, taking advantage of the confusion to escape. However, their escape got crushed instantly.
"GaahhHHaahhHHhhaahhHHhhHhh!"
The police officers screamed in pain when ice daggers rained down from the heavens, curving to stab them in their thighs.
When everyone turned to the officers, they realized they were sparkling. They reflexively looked up and immediately gasped in terror.
Hundreds of ice daggers floated above them, reflecting the sunlight like a chandelier.
The soldiers butchered by Evalyn''s flying weapons yelled for everyone to stop moving, pleading not to experience it again. Last time they left with viciously broken bones; this time, they''d all die gruesome deaths.
Every insubordinate soldier panicked, thinking the emperor would kill them for attempting to flee, as he had promised. In desperation, they pulled out their pistols, threatening to go on a massacre. However
"AaghhHHaahhHHhhaahhHHhhHhh!"
All those who pulled out weapons or prepared a cultivation technique felt a sharp pain shoot through their legs, and they fell to the ground, screaming in pain.
Everyone looked to the outer walls and saw the head elites standing with guided arrows drawn, ready to fire. It took only a nce to know they were surrounded.
The amphitheater''s pulse thumped, picking up the pace. Adrenaline pumped through everyone''s veins, and the world slowed down.
p!
Time returned to normal when the emperor pped sharply, breaking them free from their panicked states. "Maltians! If you have the healing techniqueuse it.
Everyone else, use your tranquility technique. Put your practice into use!"
All the soldiers who fought were elites, so they snapped to attention and ran to the north and south after a few signals, healing people at a rapid pace.
Likewise, the soldiers put their tranquility technique practice into work, and everyone calmed down within a few minutes.
"You have got your warningthere will not be another." The emperor dered coldly after they finished, "So take heed of what you''ve seen.
Anyone attempting to make [unofficial] contact with the outside world will be punished by death."
Waves of anxiety cut through the temporarily calmed soldiers. The atmosphere instantly multiplied, bing intense again.
"In a moment, Evalyn will take everyone to mansions to rest in." Kaze announced, "During that period, your leaders will negotiate on your behalf.
Immortal Skye has offered you citizenship and provided training, resources, and hope for your loved ones.
We''ve done enough to aid you. So do not trample upon our benevolence, as Ick patience and sympathy for irrational [guests]."
June 5th, 2032 | Conference Room
"The contents of our negotiation are top-level ssified." Kaze announced chillingly, "I will meet a single whisper with swift capital punishment. Do you understand?"
Everyone''s faces tensed up, including Evalyn''s. His deration was absolute and unforgiving.
Once everyone confirmed their understanding, he pulled out mani envelopes and passed them to the leaders and cab members.
"Let''s address the nature of our negotiation." Kaze said coolly, "Daniel gave you a list of 5,183 people during our initial negotiations.
Malta''s military agreed to protect them in their military bases. I''m assuming you''ve been wise enough to uphold our terms, yes?"
An icy chill crawled down everyone''s spines for varying reasons.
"Yes, we have." General Michaels dry-swallowed, "The people are split between five bases in Malta."
"Casualties?" The emperor asked sharply.
"As of this morning, 1,692, mostly the elderly, have suffered from Qi sickness for inability or refusal to practice cultivation." Kane said, sacrificing himself, "I hope you understand we''ve upheld our agreement, but things are bad on the outside."
The cab members winced after the news.
"I can tell. The results are better than expected; you''ve done well." The emperor nodded in approval.
"Thank you." Kane nodded, triggering a nod from General Michaels. Both sighed breaths of relief, addressing the subject they dreaded most.
"Let''s talk about negotiations." Kaze requested, "Tomorrow, I''d like you to pull every string avable to move the remaining 3,491 people to Lainwright Military Base by tomorrow night.
I''ll let you secure your and your soldiers'' families at Lainwright in return if you do that.
I can demonstrate and release any technique imaginable to make it happen."
The military leaders took sharp breaths, stunned by the extremely taxing demand.
While Lainwright Military Base could amodate 20,000 people, the emperor suggested bringing around 10,000.
It would require an abrupt change in military ns and an exodus of existing residents.
"To confirm, why must they be in Lainwright?" General Michaels asked sternly.
"We n to retrieve them in the future, so we want them in one ce." Kaze replied coldly, using a tone that sent shivers down everyone''s spines, "My agreement with Malta ends the day it falls."
Kane joined the general in his sharp gaze. Since the emperor dered war, he nned to attack Malta''s military regardless of the situation.
While they understood the need, his brazen disregard for Malta left a bad taste in their mouths.
"I assume you understand the risks of consolidating all your people in Lainwright, correct?" General Michaels asked frankly.
"There are no risks, general." The emperor countered instantly, confusing the man, "Malta is holding all of them as coteral.
The soldiers are likelier to take revenge or save resources by killing them if the groups are smaller, as their value decreases.
Therefore, keeping everyone together is much safer, as their negotiation value is higher. "
The room fell dead silent, and the atmosphere''s pressure multiplied.
All the cab members learned their family members were alive a moment before. A momentter, they learned they were hostages, just as he had warned.
"Does that imply you''re willing to negotiate for their lives?" General Michaels asked bluntly.
"Depends on your perspective of the word [negotiation]." Kaze prefaced chillingly, "If you''re asking if we''ll change policies to save their lives, then no.
Everyone in Immortal Skye thinks they''re dead. If we coincidently find them alive, it will be a celebration for the fortunate ones. If they coincidentally die, no one will know."
Every cab member took sharp breaths after his statement. Knowing their families were alive worsened their anxiety and made them unjustly resentful that he wouldn''t negotiate to save them.
They wished they had coincidentally saved their family members alongside everyone else.
? As for Evalyn, she closed her eyes and cultivated to calm her emotions.
Kaze nned to save her mother but couldn''t early without epting her abusive father. That was a profound gesture that moved her more each day.
Moreover, he couldn''t save herter because she took a freak vacation. That wasn''t his fault.
If he had saved her after the fourth influx, the military would''ve targeted her mother as a hostage in the hospital or tried intercepting them en route.
He was genuinely not at fault for her mother''s death. It was just fate.
Evalyn had to ept that harsh reality. However, she found it was easier than she expected because
"Therefore, we will not negotiate with their lives." Kaze dered chillingly, "However, I''ll massacre every soldier in all five bases if they kill or abandon them.
So if you consider that ultimatum a [negotiation], you''re free to see it that way."
she knew who he was now.
The emperor was a pragmatist who knew he couldn''t guarantee the safety of those he cared about. However, he would ughter anyone who harmed them without distinction.
Only Evalyn knew that Kaze Lexicon wasn''t as cold and callous as he soundedand that he was just as murderous as he imed.
[A/N: I hope you''ve changed your perspective on Kaze Lexicon for the positive.
Kaze not saving families because he couldn''t protect them from bing bargaining chips wasn''t popr with many readers. However, here''s what that looks like.
Mundane, isn''t it? The military didn''t show up with special forces members to take their families hostage, bind and gag them, and demand ransom. Nope. Thousands became hostages the moment the military protected them.
Now, if conflict breaks out and resources be scarce, what do you think angry, stressed-out soldiers will do to the families of their enemies, eating and consuming their food?
It''s a dull, depressing reality. However, Kaze is handling it like a boss in a way that other MCs wouldn''t. I hope you appreciate that. Thanks for reading!]
Chapter 153 July 5th, 2032 | 2 Days Until The Rapture
July 5th, 2032 | 1 Hour Before Before the Negotiation Meeting | 2 Days Until the Rapture
"Here''s where you will live for the next three days." Evalyn said, leading everyone into a massive residential mansion built from rich dark woods, "And after if you choose to be a citizen."
"Can I ask you a question?" A beautiful brte soldier with a straight ponytail asked inside the main living room.
It was Sandra Miles, the female special forces leader.
The soldiers shushed down. No one wanted to ask questions because they understood they could get wiped out by making a single mistake. So they cringed and awaited the blonde''s reply.
"Go ahead." Evalyn nodded cordially.
"Mr. Lexicon knew what wasing." Sandra alleged, fighting past her beating heart, "So you nned all of this. I want to know why."
Everyone gasped, fearful that her blunt question would trigger immediate sanctions from the emotionless blonde.
"We''re facing hell, and you''re all valuable." Evalyn replied without hesitation, shocking everyone, "So instead of letting talent die, Kaze offered you power and security through citizenship."
"When you say [citizenship], do you mean equal or second-ss citizens?" Sandra asked discerningly, making other people grimace.
"Immortal Skye organizes by talent alone." The blonde exined, "So once you''ve proven yourself trustworthy and be citizens, you will likely earn more privileges than average members."
Mixed emotions spread through the room. On one side, they were d to hear they got offered full citizenship, letting them know they wouldn''t be second-ss citizens. However
"How will we prove ourselves trustworthy?" The brte asked coldly.
"You will remain in this mansion during Malta''s attack on Immortal Skye." Evalyn replied, "And you will not betray us or break our national security rules."
Everyone was confused and whispered among themselves, trying to validate her words.
"You''re not asking us to fight?" Sandra asked in bewilderment, "Not only that, you''re asking we do the opposite?"
"Requiring it." The blonde rified, "We care if you''re trustworthy and won''t betray us, not your loyalty.
Your aid is unnecessary, so we don''t wantpetent people emotionally driven to betray us in a position to cause issues unless necessary."
The soldiers stared at her nkly. Countless things were puzzling about what she had just said.
"Are you saying you''re confident you can face the Maltian military head-on with the forces you have?" Sandra asked with mixed emotions.
"I''m confident Kaze alone can face the entire Malta military." Evalyn replied firmly.
Her voice''sck of hesitation or wavering chilled everyone to the bones. It sounded like she spoke from experience, which horrified them.
"Join us, and you will prosper." The blonde dered, "Give us your long-term potential, and we''ll give you power, security, and wealth without requiring you betray your current country. "
All the soldiers smiled wryly, feeling the desire to be happy but having their emotions crash into their loyalties and obligations.
"I have to get the other groups, so don''t leave this mansion or try to contact the outside world." Evalyn ordered ominously, "A single leak threatens the lives of 3,750 people.
Since there are 500 of you, Crux will kill everyone in this mansion if we uncover an organized effort to leak information.
So if you seek life, I suggest you do anything it takes to prevent people from breaking the rules."
A spider web of anxiety-driven negative synesthesia connected all the soldiers who heard her words and watched her walk away, leaving the mansion.
"Brad! You''re here!" A woman cried, running up to the athlete, "Why did we hear screaming? What''s going on!?"
The regr members could hear the mass panic and screaming from the amphitheater earlier and watched downcast soldiers moving to the mansions.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, getting his story straight.
"General Michaels and Coronel Ryker betrayed Malta to expose a plot to invade Immortal Skye." Brad lied boldly.
Everyone in the area gasped in shock, shaking nervously.
"Thankfully, they know that attacking Kaze is suicide." He continued, "So they exposed the plot, saving our lives in a surprise attack in exchange for living here.
They want to be a resource to the country and build our strength, making us even more unstoppable.
Some soldiers didn''t like that, but we stopped them with ease. Now, Kaze and Evalyn are negotiating with the military members."
The athlete cringed internally, understanding how ridiculously sales-like his words were. It was unnatural to speak that way, and he imagined he''d be found out.
However, thankfully, the words spoke for themselves.
Unfortunately, that wasn''t necessarily a positive thing.
"Wait, did the Emperor say yes?" A woman asked with a beating heart.
"Yes." Brad confirmed, "However, he only did so because there is an equal number of female military members and the soldiers agreed to supervision."
He preemptively addressed a significant point, but it still pushed everyone''s minds to the edge.
There were now three points of extreme conflict crashing into each other simultaneously.
Malta was nning an attack on Immortal Skye.
Faction members'' families couldn''t join Immortal Skye, but random soldiers were.
Soon, elite soldiers who still triggered feelings of powerlessness within the members would surround them soon.
"Oh." The woman said, turning her head to the ground.
Her dark mood spread like wildfire, and soon everyone thought about the attack, their families, and their future. It was getting out of control.
"You can do this, Brad." He whispered to himself, "The Emperor trusted you could keep morale up. You need to do this to protect others."
After a deep breath, he put his hand on her shoulder. "It''ll be okay."
She chuckled bitterly, looking up at him with teary eyes. "How is this all supposed to be okay?"
"Do you still not believe in the Emperor?" Bradughed loudly, capturing everyone''s attention, "Really?
Yesterday we learned that he''s so strong Malta considers us a world superpower, he''s treating their military like a group of children, and he''s made us strong enough to fight them.
Yet you''re still questioning if things will be okay?"
The woman''s face turned light pink as she stared at him nkly, triggering simr reactions to spread through the room.
"Look, everyone." He chuckled, "The world''s a damn mess, and I''m just as anxious as you are.
But everyone but us is living in that mess because they don''t have our leader."
Sparks of hope and enthusiasm spread through the crowd.
"Hey, let me through!" A familiar voice cried in the distance, trying to push through hundreds of people congregating around the front door, where Brad entered.
"Let that guy through." Brad chuckled in amusement.
Everyone moved aside, and anky brown-haired man walked up, took a few panting breaths, and asked the athlete for rification. "Wait, exin that all again."
After getting a breakdown of what happened again, thenky teen turned to the people around him, shocked by their silence.
"What the fuck are ya''ll doing!?" Larkin yelled in genuine exasperation, "Are you deaf!?
Malta''s military general just fuckin'' betrayed his country because his bitch ass knows that Immortal Skye is STRONGER than MALTA!
He just SURRENDERED to Emperor Fuckin'' Scrawn! Why the hell isn''t everyone cheering right now!?"
It took a moment to recover from the jester chastising [them] for being stupid. However, one person caught on faster than the rest.
"What a fucking legend!" A man roared, triggering a chain reaction.
The people in the back didn''t hear what was happening, but it didn''t matter. They immediately yelled when the violent wave of battle cries cut through the atmosphere.
"You fools!" Crux yelled in annoyance, golden light shooting from her hand, washing over the entire area, "If you make me use any more Soul Qi, I''ll murder you all!"
A sound barrier washed over the three residential mansions the soldiers and officers stayed at.
The amount of Soul Qi that Crux had more Soul Qi than Kaze would get for years, even with his tendencies. However, she needed it to maintain her human form.
Moreover, it was invaluable; she used it to cut off noise from the mansions to prevent weak mortals from offending other weak mortals!
"Cake will not be enough!" Crux growled, "Maybe one of his t-shirts? Yeah, maybe that will do. If he''s lucky!
It''ll have to be recently worn after that strange substance he calls undry detergent] gets put on it. But he might get my forgiveness! Maybe. Gah!"
"Everyone, calm down." Victoria ordered calmly. Her voice wasn''t loud, but a dozen people immediately shut up, and another two dozen calmed tentatively.
They were at the campsite, and everyone was on edge. Many were shaking or hiding in their tents. It was a bad scene.
"Calm down!? Is that a joke?" Haiden scoffed loudly, "Soldiers were screaming in pain, panic, and terror en masse, and now battle cries areing from the mansions!
Yet you''re asking people to calm down? Are you insane, bitch?"
"Tell me, Haiden." The ck-haired pixie scoffed, "What should we do?
Do you want to go against the Emperor''s orders and end up on the outside?"
The woman scoffed, whipping her curly ponytail to the side. "No, I don''t want to rush out and break the rules! I''m not an idiot.
That''s not the issue here. We need to worry about our security!"
"Security?" Victoriaugh-scoffed, "Are you saying that we should go fight this invisible war you''re implying is transpiring? Or threaten our security by breaking the rules?"
"You''re disgustingly naive." Haiden scoffed in annoyance, "We can''t; that''s the issue!
Sure, a few of us have left after taking other jobs, but the rest of us? We''re on our own.
There''s something major going on right now. Where''s the person sent to let us know what''s happening? Hmmm?
People are getting hurt. Where''s our security? Hmmm?
What will we do if our daily rations don''t show up tomorrow?
We''re totally fucked, Victoria. I''m not stupid enough to say people should break the rules, but I''m also not stupid enough to believe that standing around will always be the best option!"
Chapter 154 “Set This Camp On Fire.”
"You made this sound easy, Kaze." Veronica grumbled under her breath, standing against a tree, watching the campsite buzz around her.
Half a dozen people were cooking hotdogs on the grills during dinner time, and another group was lying in the dark green military-style tents.
It was hard to call the area a [campground], which made it sound like a dirty area with tents and a fire pit. It was anything but.
The area was high-quality, containing charcoal grills, tables, and sitting areas. There was a public bathroom and shower house.
Despite the cleanness of the area, the atmosphere was tense.
"You sent me to lead pre-traumatized people at a high-quality campsite." Veronica chuckled bitterly, "Then you sent in a monster ying on easy mode."
"We need someone who can act as a scout!" Haiden yelled bossily, "And another person who is strong with Guided Arrow with them!"
The brte was busy trying to organize a self-defense squad that would watch the area around the clock, prepared to do anything.
"I can do the scouting." A blonde said, walking up.
"I''m not the best at Guided Arrow, but I''m definitely up there." Omar, the man who tried to hit Kaze and caused trouble, said, "So I''ll do it."
Veronica observed passively but watched Omar ept with a conflicted face. He was on her skycruiser to Meridian City, and she knew the man would do anything to get back on Kaze''s good side. So watching his good intentions drag him into a trap was painful.
"Can''t we hold back on putting together a military force?" She asked, "They say it''s better to have a gun and not need it than need it and not have it.
That sounds nice, but studies show people with guns get themselves and others killed because they use them when it''s not the best option. Having one just makes them feel like it is."
"Are you looking down on everyone?" Haiden snapped in genuine annoyance, hands on her hips, "We''re training as soldiers.
Yet you think that we''re more likely to kill ourselves than others in a fight? Is that a joke?"
"You''re forgetting who you need to worry about most." Veronica replied sharply, iris'' sharp as broken ss, "The Emperor."
Icy chills crawled down everyone''s spine when they heard her cold tone. Her statement was absolutedecisive to the point it felt irrelevant.
"If our little force gets paranoid and kills the wrong person, we''ll all get kicked out and die." She continued, "That''s a guarantee.
You''re right; we''re strong. That''s why we should be confident in our self-defense if it''s necessary and not roll the dice with getting kicked out when it''s not."
"Uh sorry, Haiden." Omar said with a shaky demeanor, "I think that Veronica''s right, so I''ll have to decline. I want to help, not risk getting on the Emperor''s bad side."
"Wait up." Haiden said with trembling eyes, trying to find words.
"I also think this is problematic in retrospect." The blonde said, "We''re afraid of the military, right?
Well, there are over a thousand military people here. What if someone randomly tries to pick a fight, and we go to war with them? It''s kinda scary."
The area became noisy, with people debating the topic. While a few joined the self-defense force, over half left after Veronica''s argument. It was a massive blow.
Everything moved so fast that it made the brte''s head spin. She turned to the ck-haired pixie with narrowed eyes, hiding a murderous gaze.
"Veronica, can we talk for a sec?" Haiden asked with a sharp smile.
Veronica''s eyes narrowed, displeased that she was making contact. "Sure thing. Let''s go on a walk."
The brte smiled viciously. "Sounds good to me."
Everyone watched the two walk away, whispering excitedly. They were the unofficial leaders and almost always at odds with one another. So they were curious if there would be a fight in the woods.
Both asked themselves the same question as they left the area, listening closely to ensure people weren''t following them.
After making it behind a rock face, Haiden turned around sharply and red into the pixie''s eyes. "What''s your game?"
"I''m keeping peace and dissuading stressed-out people from rebelling." Veronica replied decisively.
"Is that so?" The brteughed with shaky eyes, bursting into a chorus of ominous cackles, "Well, if that''s~the~case, I''m gonna need you to stop that."
"No." The pixie replied sharply, "I''m here to keep order; that''s what I n to do."
"Yeah? Well, I''ll let you in on a secret, but you can''t tell anyone, kay?" Haiden said cutely, with murderous eyes, "I have orders to turn this ce into a powder keg.
That way, when things get real, it''ll go ka-BOOM!"
Veronica shuddered, looking into her eyes as herughter increased. While the brte wasughing, her eyes weren''tughing. Her iris'' were devoid of life, holding only self-hatred and depression.
"Look, I''m not trying to ruin you, Haiden." The ck-haired pixie said calmly, "However, I''m here on orders to prevent this ce from exploding."
Haiden''sughter stopped sharply, and she turned to her with crazed eyes. "Did you just say you got ordered to be here?"
The abrupt shift from loudughing to a low growl was as eerie and terrifying as the brte''s gaze.
"Yes." Veronica replied slowly, "Kaze sent me here to"
"Kaze!?" Haidenughed loudly, "Kaze sent you here!? Un~fucking believable.
Tell me, Vicks. Are you here to prep me for the altar to make a juicy sacrifice?"
The ck-haired pixie narrowed her eyes slightly in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"I thought it was strange, but now it makes sense, doesn''t it?" Haidenughed, "The reason Evalyn got this operation?
It''s not her operation! I was assigned a role that''ll get me strung up for breaking his rules, and now he has a reason for Evalyn to kill me if I don''t. Ah~maze~ing. Truly Lovely.
I''m curious. Did you volunteer to reap my soul? Or did he give you that role because I almost killed you? Was it Jake''s request? Please, give me the deets."
Veronica''s body developed goosebumps after listening to the woman''s crazed tone and erratic behavior. "Haiden, I''m not here to ruin you."
"You''re not?" Haiden asked cutely, "Then why the fuck would you get a role to keep this ce stable when my life hinges on sessfully destabilizing it? Hmmm?"
The ck-haired woman felt an icy chill crawl down her spine. Knowing Kaze, she didn''t doubt that the woman''s life was hanging by a thread.
"I''m not sure what you''re here to do, but it''s not necessarily ipatible." Veronica replied calmly, "I''m here to remind people of the rules.
Kaze expects a rebellion, so he wants everyone to consciously know they''re breaking the rules when they do it."
"Of course, he expects a rebellionthat''s my job!" Haidenughed, bursting into cackles, "Of course, I only nned to sow the seeds.
I''d organize people and set their hearts on fire so that I could adamantly speak out against rebellionter and get ignored. You know, be a super cunt no one would listen to, right?
But guess what, Vicks! I can''t do that anymore because you''ve made me a viin from day one! If there''s a rebellion, it points to me! I have no fucking out!"
Veronica felt static pulsed through her bodythat was also her strategy.
The ck-haired woman had to exin why she, a manager, wasn''t taking responsibilityter. Therefore, she needed to y the strong leader when it was already toote.
It wasn''t a life-threatening requirement. However, if Haiden''s words were true, she inadvertently signed her death warrant.
"Haiden, tell me what you got ordered to do." Veronica said calmly, trying to find clues.
The brte stoppedughing and looked at the pixie with a lethal re. "What part of rebellion and ka-BOOM! Don''t you get, bitch?"
"I doubt Kaze told you to make this ce go ka-boom, Haiden." The pixie replied sharply, "What''s the goal?"
Haiden''s head cocked to the left slightly, and her pupils shrunk, cutting out the light from her vision. "What did he tell me to do? Kaze didn''t tell me to do anything."
She walked over slowly with a vicious gaze. "Let me spell this out for you in a way that even you can get.
I''m manufacturing a rebellion for Evalyn, the psychopath that keeps me alive. Kaze, the murderer that wants me dead, sent you in to thwart me.
Mommy and Daddy are fighting about my life, so Daddy''s ying dirty to get what he wants. Was that simple enough for you to understand?"
"Haiden, I think you''re the one that doesn''t understand your role." Veronica asserted, "I talked with both of them. They gave me the order toe here together.
We have the same goal. Your job is to get people to rebel, and my job is to remind them of the consequences, so they must break the rules consciously."
Haiden developed a feral grin, and she started chuckling, staring into dead space. "They gave you the assignment together?"
After a few more chuckles, she burst into ominousughter.
"Now that you mention it, I think you''re right!" Sheughed, "I''m here to rile them up, put them on edge, and then let them skull fuck themselves under a spy''s watchful eyes.
That way, there''s a sacrifice to demonstrate the consequences of disobeying. That does sound familiar, doesn''t it, Vicks?"
Veronica shuddered, looking at the unstable woman before her. Her mind looked invigorated, but her soul said she had given up. The pixie wanted to refute her statement to calm her down but couldn''t. That was exactly what she was there to do.
"Of course, it does." Haiden chuckled ominously, speaking first, "That''s what you, Kaze, and Evalyn did to me already.
It makes me wonder. What if and this is only just a thought but what if I''m the real linchpin?"
She took a step forward.
"Push me to the edge."
And another.
"Get me to the breaking point."
A third.
"Corner me."
Closer.
"Threaten me.
Closer.
"Get me to attack to defend myself."
Closer.
"And make me the perfect example."
Haiden stopped right in front of Veronica with a sinister smile. "By getting me to murder someone and set this camp on fire."
Chapter 155 Hedging Bets
Veronica stared into Haiden''s crazed eyes with a beating heart. On the surface, she was an ordinary college woman, wearing a light green t-shirt, ck leggings, and white shoes. It was typical dress attire for a cheerleader in college.
Her face was free of blemishes, and her body was perfectly toned and proportionate. She looked rich, well-to-do, not a twisted woman on the cusp of despair.
However, Haiden''s eyes were devoid of life, barely flickering with a primal desperation to survive.
Due to Kaze and Veronica''s manufactured sting operation, the elites were united, keeping order for thousands of people who would otherwise be violently panicking. Immortal Skye would also be unstable when the military invaded. In all ways, his multi-tasking operation was for the benefit of the masses
however, it destroyed the life of the woman standing before her.
In politics and war, there is someone that always loses. Always.
The person who lost that time was Haiden Rompers, an ordinary college woman who reasonably panicked because Kaze abruptly kidnapped her and locked her in a basement without warning.
"What do you think, Veronica?" Haiden asked, getting ufortably close, "All it''d take is me murdering someoneyou, for exampleand we''d have a poster child of rebellion, thus clinching both our victories simultaneously."
Veronica felt a strong desire to hit the woman but knew signs of a fight would cause problems in the camp. "Do you think you can kill me?"
"I wonder." The auburn-haired woman mused, "You healed from the head injury suspiciously fast.
Buuuuuuuut. I''m curious if your freakish body and new cultivation technique can survive a Wind sh to your jugr. Aren''t you?
I bet it can''t, so I think a rebellion-triggering duet''s on the table. Would you like to find out?"
She could see that Kaze had recently given the cab member another cultivation technique with Minor Vision, confirming her suspicions that the woman got paid to destroy her.
In truth, Veronica turned down the cultivation awards for the sting operation after confirming that Jake was strong and could protect himself. Her new technique was payment for building Jake''s confidence.
"You understand they''re testing you, right?" Veronica asked, "That''s how Kaze and Evalyn operate."
"If that''s true, I just have to aplish my goal, right?" Haiden smiled, "It''s not like you''re necessary. So, hmmm. Let''s see. How about I hedge my bets?"
"How so?" The ck-haired woman asked.
A sinister smile formed on the crazed woman''s face, staring at her malevolently. "I just need a strategy that guarantees victory no matter what."
Veronica narrowed her eyes threateningly. "Do you honestly believe there''s a strategy that guarantees victory against [me]?"
"Normally, it''d be absurd." Haidenmented mysteriously, "But I''ve learned that it''s effortless to find one when there''s nothing to lose, and defeat is guaranteed otherwise."
"What are you"
CRaaaaaACK! SNAP! Snap, snap-snap-snap! BOOM! Boom!
Veronica jumped onto the grass and rolled to hide behind a boulder. A split second before, the auburn-haired woman jumped back without warning, releasing a Wind sh into the forest and cutting down multiple trees.
The attack was at full power and aimed directly at her throat. Without Spirit Qi pulsing through her mind, slowing the world down, she would have died without question.
"Are you serious, Haiden!?" She yelled.
"What, didn''t you want to see my strategy?" Haiden mused.
BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, boom Boom!
A flurry of raw Qi attacks cut through the boulder that the ck-haired pixie was lying under. As a result, she constantly dodged as she saw the attacks.
Thankfully, she was a top performer before getting the new cultivation technique, and her enemy was a low-performing cultivator. So the match wasn''t fairusually.
Veronica''s hesitance to kill the woman crippled her, as her enemy had no problem killing her. "I can''t see how this is a win for you!"
"What do you mean?" Haidenughed, "[Our] fight''s starting a panic right now as we speak.
Nothing you do will change that there''s panic. However, if you hurt me, it''ll make it worse, and if you kill me, there will be a riot. Win, win, win."
Boom! Boom, boom-boom-boom! BOOM!
The ck-haired manager flew out of the way, hitting her feet and running behind another rockface. "I don''t see how me killing you is a win."
"You don''t? You''re actively killing me now." The crazed womanughed, "I''m all but guaranteed death if I don''t defend myself. Not trying to kill you would be insane!"
Boom! Boom, boom-boom-boom! BOOM!
More attacks shredded the area around the pixie, keeping her brain working a mile a minute.
"At least now I have a chance to live." Haiden continued, "After all, I almost killed you. So it''s not unreasonable to believe you wanted revenge and tried to kill me, right?
Plus, it also aplishes my task, so I might get leniency for being useful as well. It''s not the best, but it''s better than guaranteed death."
Veronicaughed bitterly, knowing she couldn''t dispute the woman''s words and couldn''t im Kaze didn''t want her dead. The question was what she should do about it.
The damage was done, right? She could kill the woman and im vignte justice.
Should she let herself get hit slightly for dramatic effect? That''s what Haiden wanted, so why wouldn''t she?
All of those questions flew through her mind as the new volley began.
BOOM! Boom! CRaaaaaACK! SNAP! Snap, snap-snap-snap! BOOM! Boom!
The boulder Veronica stood behind exploded bit by bit as the trees around her fell. She was getting trapped, and it was bing challenging to dodge.
She didn''t have a choicefighting back was a necessity.
Veronica loaded up a low-power Guided Arrow and thought about what she''d do with it. Then she took a deep breath and flew out from outside the wall, holding the arrow in a fixed location.
Like the soldiers, it stunned the auburn-haired woman, who immediately panicked. Her mind was manicderanged. As a result, she didn''t consider the possibility of death until her fight-or-flight response kicked in, forcing her to feel overwhelming fear.
By that point, it was toote.
Whoooooosh! Craaack! Snap! Thud. Thud, thud, thud.
Haiden shook with fear, turning to her left quickly. She knew Guided Arrow''s power from her secret training with Evalyn. So she couldn''t believe Veronica, whose cultivation was exponentially higher than hers, didn''t destroy everything with her attack.
More bewildering, the auburn-haired woman stared at a pipe-sized hole cleaning punctured through a tree, blocked by a thousand locks of curly hair from her ponytail.
She turned back ahead and found the woman in front of her. So Veronica''s attack had to have shot past the right side of her head and curved to hit the ponytail! The skill level was terrifying.
"If you think I won''t kill you, you''re wrong." Veronica dered, "Your death will help me aplish my goal and earn me perks.
Everyone will panic and break the rules. Then tomorrow, Kaze wille here and confirm that you attacked me, make examples out of people, and reward me for cleanly enacting vignte justice."
Haiden shook, staring at the woman with a beating heart. "You''re here to keep order. So why would you get avoided for doing my job?"
"Once again, I''m here to remind people of thews so they''re conscious that they''re breaking them." The pixieugh-scoffed, "My role ensures your efforts bear fruit.
As I said, I''m not here to stop you, and our roles aren''t ipatible.
However, since my sess rides on you triggering a shit show, and you currently are, my job is t-minus cleanup from beingplete. I miss my bed, so keep it up."
"If it''s easier and faster for you, then why not kill me?" Haiden asked, studying the ck-haired woman''s merciless eyes with anxiety pulsing through her veins.
"I''m selfish; that''s why." Veronicaughed breathlessly, "There are countless reasons not to want to take a person''s life.
I don''t want my crush to see me as a killer or fear me. I''m normal, so I also fear killing someone will weigh on my conscience. Lastly, I don''t want to clean up your dead body."
The auburn-haired woman cringed, listening to the list of mundane reasons not to kill her. It was terrifying to hear her underlying message under the surface.
"However, my giving a fuck about your life isn''t one of them." Veronica dered, "So while I don''t want to kill you, I''m not opposed to getting rewarded twice for doing it. So don''t test me bitch."
Haiden dry-swallowed nervously, looking at her hair on the ground and then ncing back to the campsite. "So what do you n to do?
I don''t want to cause any problems, but I''ve already done great damage. Now, panic is spreading through the campsite. So what''s your strategy?"
Veronica smiled at the woman maliciously. "Don''t worry about that. We''ll have to switch up our ns, but I assure youthere was nothing you could do to me that I couldn''t reverse."
Chapter 156 Wiring The Political Bomb
The campsite was in disarray during the brief battle between Veronica and Haiden.
Fear, uncertainty, and doubt took over, causing everyone''s existing fears to magnify. Some believed the two women were fighting; others thought they met misfortune from enemy forces.
Some who believed they fought were worried that Evalyn would show up and punish everyone indifferently, and they''d all get kicked out.
Those who believed war was raging outside mobilized quickly or that a Qi Sickness breech organized the self-defense force and posted fighters.
Their mobilization sparked conflict from the people yelling that Evalyn and Kaze would arrive soon and that they shouldn''t be causing trouble.
That was the vtile environment in the campsite when Haiden flew into the area at high speed.
THUD! Thud! Thud, thud, thud thud.
Every member turned their attention to the main area and found Haiden on the ground, her light green shirt torn heavily from her chest, scraping against the rock-studded dirt.
It didn''t break past her light blue, halfce bra, which was now visible.
Veronica didn''t hold back when she threw the woman thirty feet into the campsite, so her face was bleeding profusely. Cultivation would heal her wounds in a couple of weeks, but a month ago, she would have gotten disfigured for life.
Everyone was frozen, seeing one of their leaders lying on the ground, wounded and screaming. Nothing positive could follow it.
"Attack! We need toGaaaahhhHHH!"
Thud!
The man who yelled there was an attack hit the ground when a bolt of Qi cut through his shoulder, sending him to the ground.
A woman wearing a ck t-shirt, matching-colored leggings, and leather zipper boots walked into the area. She had a pitch-ck pixie cut and vibrant green eyes.
One''s first impression was that she was gorgeous; the second impression was that she was dangerous. Her gaze sent shivers down everyone''s spines.
"See, this is the problem with your self-defense force." Veronica scoffed, "No one verified if the Emperor or Ice General showed up to teach us a lesson.
You attacked randomly in a panic because you could. If I were our leaders, you''d be dead."
Everyone shivered, falling silent. However, they couldn''t escape the situation.
The cold atmosphere magnified the power of the vicious cries of pain by the two people she threw into the area. It was eerie and traumatizing.
"Let me ask everyone." The ck-haired pixie requested, scanning the area with fierce green eyes, "I just heavily injured the wretched people screaming on the ground.
What do you think our leaders will do to me when they see what I''ve done?"
Many people opened and shut their mouths, conflicted.
"No one?" Veronica asked, "Fine, I''ll tell you. They''ll likely tell me to pack upand move back to the mansions."
Bewilderment spread through the area, triggering confused whispers. Many wanted to ask questions, but their trauma, fear, and sounds of paint-stricken screams prevented them.
"That''s right." She affirmed with a snide smile, "If anyone has forgotten, Immortal Skye practices vigntew.
This wretched woman organized a dangerous force and tried murdering me. I neutralized both quickly and cleanly and without further issues. I''m confident I''ll get rewarded."
Shocked groans spread through the crowd, hearing her dere that their actions were [dangerous].
"As for the self-defense squad attacking random people who knows what''ll happen to you." Veronica chuckled bitterly, sending shivers down everyone''s spines.
"Since I stopped your actions, I''m confident you won''t get kicked out, but it''s hard to imagine you won''t get punished."
Everyone looked down at the screaming man, realizing that her action [saved] them from attacking someone and getting kicked out.
"We only have a few rules here." Veronica prefaced caustically, "You know what they are, right?
Attend work, keep the campsite clean, curfew starts at 7 pm, keep to your tent, and do not cause troublethat''s all it takes to avoid Meridian City.
It''s only been a few days. So why the hell are you decrying Immortal Skye, preparing for war, and attacking others?"
The self-defense members looked away, afraid to meet her gaze.
"I don''t know why I''m asking." She scoffughed, "I''m not your leader; how they punish you up to them.
However, if the General punishes everyone, I''ll protect everyone who wasn''t involved."
"Veronica, please don''t tell the leaders we started the self-defense force." A man pleaded, "We''ll exin what happened to Sam."
Others joined in, many began begging. She listened to all of it carefully, letting everyone speak their mind. Once they finished, she answered them simply.
"I will give them anything they ask for." Veronica promised dryly, "I''m not stupid enough to disobey my leaders'' orders. That''s the difference between us."
"Veronica, please." A brte pleaded, "The Ice General is known for punishing everyone without distinction! Just let us exin what happened to the man. We beg you, don''t tell her!"
"Don''t tell me what?" A hypnotic voice called out from the location of the battle. It was cold and biting but hollow. However, it made everyone freeze and shudder.
Evalyn walked into the campsite and turned to look at two members writhing in pain. The blonde only gave Haiden a slight nce, staring at her facial wound with absolute indifference.
"Will someone care to exin why there are screaming people on the ground?" The blonde asked dryly, showcasing chilling apathy.
"Haiden, the woman on the ground, tried killing me." Veronica replied, "I incapacitated her and threw her in front of everyone to remind them of vignte justice.
The man on the ground tried attacking me when I returned. He didn''t mean to attack me; he''s just an idiot for spreading panic and attacking without confirmation."
"Good work, Veronica." Evalyn said, scanning everyone''s faces to confirm the story, "I don''t know what happened or why.
However, your battle site suggests that you didn''t attack more than once but still de-escted the situation. Same for the man.
I''m giving you 50 RP to prevent an onsite death. You can use one to get this month''s housing and food. Would you like to?"
Dead silence. Even the groaning man stopped, unbelieving that Veronica got over four years'' food and board.
The atmosphere became tense but only half as heavy as the gravity around the pixie and general.
"I''d be grateful to ept." Veronica nodded,municating she wasn''t needed at the campsite or was forced to retire, "Thank you, Ice General."
Evalyn studied her expression closely and then turned to Haiden and the man. After a moment of thought, she waved her hand, and they both radiated a red aura.
Their wounds healed after thirty seconds, shocking everyone.
"Come with me." She ordered the ck-haired woman, who nodded and followed.
Five minutester, the Ice General returned with a sharp gaze.
"I hear apse in judgment urred today." Evalyn proimed coldly, making everyone shudder, "It sounds well-intentioned, but it''s not.
If you attacked one of the military members on campus, it could''ve triggered a war.
Due to the seriousness of the situation, anyone involved with the altercation faces expulsion."
Everyone shuddered in fear and anxiety, including Haiden, who the blonde stonewalled.
"I''ll be back tomorrow." Evalyn announced, "I want an official justification when I arrive.
I''m bringing a box where people can submit the names of everyone involved and their roles anonymously, so prepare for that."
She walked away without looking at Haiden again and left the campsite to join Veronica. When they were out of sight, she spoke. "Are you sure that you''re unneeded now?"
"I''m certain." Veronica replied confidently, "I''ve been the voice ofw since the beginning.
After triggering panic, affirming vignte justice, and reaffirming the rules, everyone''s hyper-conscious of the rules."
"And you''re certain people will cause trouble tomorrow?" The general asked, "Everyone here is traumatized by potential expulsion.
It seems strange that many would cause issues despite knowing that expulsion is the punishment for lesser transgressions."
After a slight nod, the ck-haired woman turned to her. "Yes. Some would have snapped, expulsion bluff or otherwise."
Evalyn stopped and turned to her. "Then your job is done. Why put everyone through this stress? Stress this extreme is cruel and unhealthy."
"So we can trigger the rebellion." Veronica replied straightly, "We can choose the members who fall with this approach and the number.
That allows us to prepare and mitigate unnecessary losses. That''s worth the stress in my eyes."
The Ice General''s eyes widened in surprise. "We''ll have that much control?"
"Yes, we will." The ck-haired woman replied confidently, "Haiden will make sure of it.
She currentlycks morals and is unstable. So we can be confident she''ll wire your political bomb and trigger it without mercy or regret."
Haiden and the other self-defense members sat in a circle at the campsite, trembling. Each was already traumatized by their field trip to Meridian City. Now, they faced expulsion.
"I just wanted to help everyone out." A brte whimpered, "I wasn''t even fighting."
"Right? How many of us were actually defenders?" Another asked, "Four, right?"
"Does it matter?" A manughed bitterly, "Self-defense was the point. That''s not a bad thing; it wasmon sense. So I can''t believe we''d get expelled for it."
Most people nodded or expressed their agreement.
"It''s all Veronica''s fault." Haidenughed bitterly, "That cunning bitch saw our self-defense team and used us."
Most people initially ignored her, stonewalling the brte due to starting the mess. However, they changed their tune after the following statement.
"You see it, right?" She asked, "She got me to attack her in self-defense. Then she threw my body in here to trigger panic and get you to attack.
Now what? She was rewarded as a hero and left this ce, leaving us to die without regard for anyone, including her supporters."
Chatter spread through the campsite, debating whether Veronica was at fault. Naturally, her supporters stood beside her, and those in trouble opposed her.
"We must ensure we tell this story in our anonymous voting." Haiden dered with firey eyes, "We need the Ice General to know we were framed and do not deserve punishment."
The self-defense memberstched onto the idea immediately.
"That''s right!" A blonde yelled, "We do have that option, right? All we need to do is unite, get our story straight, im it was that cunt''s fault, and we''ll all get absolved."
A flurry of explosive supporting statements entered the fray.
"Unfortunately, we''re the only people that will tell that story." Haiden frowned, guiding the conversation, "Their word isw.
We need their support somehow."
"Then we just have to convince a majority." A man argued, "Let''s make deals with them.
We can pay them our excess Skye, letting a number get back into the mansions. We won''t need it if we''re expelled, right?"
More support rippled through the group.
"And if they try to turn us in for trying to rig the system?" Haiden asked.
The man clenched his fists, and his eyes shed with a murderous light. "We''ll do what we must. I don''t know about all of you, but I''m not going back to Meridian City."
Whispers of support waved through the area.
Haiden watched everyone with a cold look in her eyes. She had wired the political bomb and was ready to trigger it whenever she wished.
Chapter 157 July 6th, 2032 | Hostages
Five soldiers strode through a military outpost close to Meridian City with angry faces and annoyed tones. They walked with semi-automatic assault rifles with a massive line of people behind them.
Those following were inclothes civilians, including children and elderly people. Each walked timidly, unsure of what was happening.
"At least we''re getting these animals out of our base." A handsome, brown-haired soldier with an athletic build said, "They''ve been eating our food and causing us trouble long enough."
"True that, Smith. I wish I could beat the shit out of some of them for their attitudes, though." A bald ck man followed,ughing bitterly in annoyance.
"Right, Devon? Can we make a pit stop really quick? There''s someone I want to p the shit out of before they leave." Smith requested seriously.
"Are you insane, Smith? We''ve been guarding these people for two weeks and now have orders to protect them with our lives." Mark scoffed, baffled at the man''s arrogance.
"Fine, that bitch is lucky." Smith replied indignantly, rolling his eyes.
"No, you''re lucky. Riley would rip your testicles out and shove them down your throat if youid hands on a woman, you fucking idiot." A man with a bushy beard mocked.
"Women can''t just do whatever they want because they''re women, Randy." The brown-haired soldier sneered, "That includes Lieutenant Coronel Feminazi.
If women treat people like shit, they deserve to get what men get for treating people like shit."
"No, she''s not a feminist; she''s fair." Randyughed mockingly, "You''re just an animal who wants to beat a woman because she wouldn''t sleep with you."
"What did you just call me!?" Smith roared, "You better take back those words, you prick."
They stopped walking and stared off, prepared to fight one another.
"We''re on the job, guys." Devon said, attempting to defuse the situation, "So stop fighting. We have shit to do."
Unfortunately, his efforts were wasted upon the men, who continued yelling and shaking off any attempt to stop them.
The battle raged until Randy stopped talking abruptly and trembled in fear.
"Hah, look at that frightened face!" Smith snorted, "See, you''re afraid because you know what I''m going to do to you after our shift.
Everyone should feel that fear when they treat people like shit, don''t youAgGhhhHhHH!"
The handsome soldier''s face contorted in pain when a hand wrapped around his balls and squeezed firmly.
"What was that, darling?" A redhead mused, whispering in his ear seductively from behind, "You want to fulfill your orders to protect these people with your lives by beating them? A woman no less?"
"Riley, you don''t understand. IAgGHhHhHHH!"
"What was that?" Riley asked, increasing her grip tightly, "I misunderstood your explicit statement that you wanted to break your orders and hit a woman?"
"She threatened me!" Smith cried in pain.
"Hoh?" Riley mused, "She''s terrifying enough to threaten you, eh? Is that why you''re confident you can smack her around? Hmmm?"
The brown-haired soldier''s eyes shook in horror and pain. "Riley, please! I-I''m not"
POP!
A harrowing sound exploded in the area, and the man''s crotch area instantly turned red, fighting against the dark green color.
Before he could scream, she chopped him in the back of the neck to knock him out and threw him twenty feet down a side hallway, shocking everyone, even the soldiers.
The demonstration was unceremonious, brutal, and absolute.
"Listen up, you idiots!" Riley roared, "You''re protecting these people with your lives!
Since you don''t understand what that means, I just gave you a warning. I will kill the next person who even jokes about hurting these people."
All the soldiers fell dead silent, looking at Smith in disbelief.
"That''s just for our orders." The redhead warned, "If a woman''s trying to kill you, rip their throat out. However, you can kiss your testicles behind if you hit one that''s not.
Men shouldn''t solve non-military conflicts by fighting. So saying a woman deserves what men [equally] shouldn''t get is fucking disgusting. Now move!"
The male soldiers moved instantly, half-traumatized by what they saw. [Everyone] hated Smith''s guts for his treatment of people but felt pity for the bleeding, unconscious man.
"What''s the big deal with these people?" Randy dry-swallowed nervously.
"These people are linked to the Emperor." Riley whispered, shocking the soldiers, "He''s paying billions in cultivation resources to move and protect these people.
He''s also the leader of a fucking country, and you idiots could''ve triggered a war."
"W-Why didn''t anyone tell us that?" A soldier stuttered after a sharp breath.
"I don''t know why, but the information is ssified." The redhead said ominously, "These people can''t learn who''s helping them or why they''re moving. So shut the fuck up before we end up before a firing squad."
...
"We''re loading you on trucks and moving you." Riley yelled to the five hundred civilians after they got outside, standing under the hot sun, "It''ll be a bumpy ride."
Behind her was a fleet of forest green humvees with stic, no-air tires.
"All the roads and highways are blocked, so we''ll be offroading alongside the hallway." She continued, "So get used to it.
One parent will take their children in a separate caravan. It doesn''t matter if it''s a man or a womanwe''re doing it for the children, not you."
The citizens dry-swallowed nervously. They didn''t know where they were going or why, but they trusted the woman''s orders to protect them with their lives, so they nodded.
"Now follow the soldiers, we''re loading up." Riley yelled.
An hourter, a caravan of trucks bounced alongside highways. There were grassy areas on each side that weren''t blocked.
Five humvees out front had special curved bumpers used to ram objects out of the way. They looked like snow plows but were curved outward to slide objects out of the way after smashing into something.
Whenever they reached an area that had cars crashed on the side, cultivators in the vehicles increased their speed and rammed into them, unphased by whish.
Due to the difficulty of navigating through areas, the trip took five hours, half the time it''d take for the other groups to arrive.
After making it past multiple security checkpoints with fences topped with razor wire, the group drove deep into a wooded area and arrived on campus withrge hotel-sized buildings.
Contrary to expectations, most military basescked the walls that characterize famous bases like the Pentagon in the United States.
They''re usually t areas unsurrounded by walls except for strategic walls and fencing. They containrge residential buildings and meeting buildings for the people, making them look like college campuses instead of castles.
Lainwright Military Base had that appearance. It had four-story concrete residential buildings with living quarters and housing districts for approximately 20,000 people.
It also had an extensive dirt training ground, hangers, roadways,nding strips, and parking lots containing military vehicles.
However, building teams were busy setting uprge, uncharacteristic fences with razor wire around the massive perimeter, and most vehicles were missing.
Soldiers ran around, working at a breakneck pace for various reasons.
When the humvees stopped and the civilians began unloading, the soldiers sneered.
Exactly 500 Immortal Skye civilians were moving from the Lasco Military Outpost, and they were joining the 942 currently staying on campus.
The soldiers knew they wereing and weren''t happy.
A group of six stopped working on the fences and walked over to the soldiers unloading the people.
"Oui! Why are you sending this pack of fuckin'' animals into our base!"
"Five thousand of us are transferring out because of these freaks!"
"Exin why they''re here! There''s not enough food for these useless members!"
"I''m getting kicked out because of you all. I deserve to know why!"
? "Stand down, soldiers!" Randy yelled in a loud yet calm voice, "We''re getting paid billions in cultivation resources to protect these people. It''s for everyone''s benefit"
"That''s a crock of shit." A soldier with a jagged neckbeard and bloodshot eyes spat, walking up to the soldier aggressively, "We''ve been working 18-hour days for this ce.
Now someone pulls out their checkbook, their people arrive, and we get kicked out?
I deserve to know why I''m getting transferred out instead of those people staying at your base."
I''ll answer your question." Riley said, stepping forward and ring at the man with icy green eyes that sent shivers down his spine. "Insubordination.
You''ve abandoned your orders to argue with higher-ranking soldiers and interfere with their orders.
That''s threeyers of insubordination and showcases why you were chosen. It''s also why those in this group who weren''t chosen will now join you."
Waves of anxiety crashed over the men.
"W-Wait! Are you saying you''re gonna snitch?"
"I didn''t say anything, don''t get me involved with those idiots!"
"Hold up, there''s no reason to escte things, right? We were in the wrong and are sorry."
"Yeah, we''re sorry. So can you just look the other way?"
Four immediately started issuing excuses. However, one of the silent soldiers and a loud individual didn''t say anything. They just red at the arriving soldiers and the civilians.
"What about you two?" Riley asked dryly, "Are you not interested in justifying yourself pointlessly?"
"No." The silent one said coldly, "These people are trouble. They''re consuming resources and dislocating important defenders. Moreover, we''ll face expulsion, prison, or death if we hurt them.
Each is a threat to personnel on campus. So even if I said something, I wouldn''t apologize for it."
The redhead narrowed her eyes slightly, scanning everyone else''s faces.
"Those are fair points; however, that''s not the issue here." She said dryly, "Leaving your duty and fighting with us is insubordination. Comining to [me] was already pointless when you defied orders."
"Look, miss." One said, changing his tone, "We just want to know why they''re here.
You understand that if you keep the reason quiet, the soldiers will attack them sooner thanter, right?"
The redhead''s eyes glided to the left. While she had orders to keep things under wraps, her first objective was to protect the people. So he found apromise.
"That''s true." Riley replied, "I will not report you if you spread this message to everyone. Are you ready?"
The soldiers dry-swallowed and nodded.
"For all intents and purposes, the 3,491 civilian cultivators are hostages of Lainwright Military Base." Riley announced, stunning everyone present, "They''re valuable.
Therefore, you must protect them with your lives, as their value can bring life-saving resources and protection to this base and prevent a war.
Now spread the word that Lieutenant Colonel Lycan has issued that deration and doesn''t want to see anyoneining about our guess or nning to harm them. Now go!"
Chapter 158 July 6th, 2032 | One Day Before The Rapture
9:37 am, July 6th, 2032 | One Day Before the Rapture | Conference Room
General Michaels walked into the conference room in the main mansion, joining Coronel Ryker, Chief Skeer, and the cab members waiting for him to finish a phone call.
The pressure in the atmosphere multiplied, making the atmosphere suffocating as everyone waited for him to speak.
"I have confirmation that all five bases have your people in motion." General Michaels announced, "Unless there are caravan issues, everyone should be at Lainwright by 8 pm.
We''ve received word that the official title for the civilians is [hostage], as it was necessary to ease the tension between the soldiers. It''s necessary to ensure their safety."
"That''s fine; good work." The emperor nodded, "Now, gentlemen. What are your ns?
I''m sure you know today is thest day you have to decide upon your and your soldiers'' fates."
Both studied his vibrant green gaze, bold, decisive, and cold. They had grown ustomed to him and understood he was fair so long as they weren''t threatening or rude, so they spoke their minds.
"Why didn''t you warn us of the Rapture, as you call it?" General Michaels asked bluntly.
"Are you asking the obvious to solidify your viewpoints?" Kaze smiled slightly, "Or are you genuinely asking?"
"The former." The general replied dryly, unenthused by the snide remark.
"Warning Malta would have changed nothing." The emperor boldly imed, "On July 7th, 2032, human civilization will fall.
Nothing will change something of such magnitude. So why would I request the government invade Immortal Skye for aid and asylum pointlessly?"
"I undestand." Kane affirmed, after a stunned silence, "I have to ask. Why would you train and offer offer Maltian troops citizenship then?"
"You misunderstand, Coronel." Kaze asserted arrogantly, "I didn''t offer [Malta] anything.
I invited a thousand trade workers and five hundred skilled soldiers to Immortal Skye and offered them power, protection, and security because they have value. That''s all."
"So you nned this from the beginning." General Michaels remarked dryly, "Do you not consider your actions a betrayal? I took you for a man of honor."
"No; I''ve fulfilled every obligation I made for our alliance." Kaze replied with a chilling smile.
"However, tomorrow, Malta will officially dere our guests [hostages] when their 1,000-strong military force ten miles away in Miamont mobilizes.
We''re discussing terms in anticipation of that. Need we discuss this barren topic further?"
Every cab member winced, hearing their families would be legitimate hostages the following day, and that war was near.
Likewise, the military leaders felt fear, learning he knew of the government''s contingency force.
"How long do you anticipate it will take before the militarycks the resources and desire to attack Immortal Skye?" General Michaels asked, taking a deep breath.
"Three days if you stay, two weeks if you leave for Lainwright." Kaze replied confidently.
"What makes you draw those conclusions?" The general asked.
"The government will fall the day after tomorrow." The emperor proimed, "The main force will attack after we deny aid and asylum to Maltian leaders. I''ve added two days for those seeking to negotiate."
Every cab member shuddered when Kane and the general nodded, confirming conflict was a guarantee.
"If you leave, you''ll doubtlessly transfer to Lainwright Military Base, where our people reside." Kaze imed mysteriously, "Thus, we''ll be in conflict for two weeks until we resolve the issue.
Since we''re at war, that naturally means until we annex the base, conquer it by force, or ughter everyone because you harmed our people."
The pressure in the room multiplied, making it crushing. It was hard to believe that Kaze casually dered he''d ughter the people before him and all the soldiers he was training.
Kane looked away in anger, and the general opened and closed his mouth, wanting to chastise the emperor but couldn''t. From a practical perspective, the powerful decided right and wrong, and in one day, Immortal Skye would be the [only] world superpower.
So he took a deep breath topose himself and spoke.
"Mr. Lexicon, this sounds like an ultimatum." General Michaels asserted, "Should we stop the pretenses and treat it as such?"
Everyone dry-swallowed nervously, waiting for the answer.
"This is not an ultimatum, General." The emperor smiled mockingly, "We already have an agreement with natural implications.
So if Malta upholds its obligations to protect our members for the next year, we''ll have no issues."
The general cringed alongside the other Maltian leaders, who could only smile bitterly.
"However, if Malta betrays Immortal Skye, then you''re our enemy." Kaze dered coldly, "Then conquering or ughtering your soldiers is natural, is it not?"
The cab members held their breath, shocked at the emperor''s words. In their minds, he was still a college student, so it was hard to believe he''d threaten to ughter Maltian forces.
"It would." General Michael replied in frustration, "If we leave to Lainwright and protect your members, will you leave us be?"
"Of course not." Kaze scoffughed, "I will ughter everyone in Lainwright and search for survivors if you harm my people. That''s the guaranteed price for betraying Immortal Skye.
I''ll spare your lives if you don''t and keep Lainwright to house our people if you don''t. That''s preordained."
Kane took a sharp breath. He wanted to condemn the emperor for setting everything up. However, he couldn''t fault him for having the military protect his people or for retaliating for Malta breaking their agreement.
In truth, the emperor only anticipated what would happen. He was better at what he did, and they hated that because they were his opponent in a game of life and death.
"Then let''s not waste time." General Michaels requested, "We''ll join on the condition you let my and Coronel Ryker''s families join us at Immortal Skye today.
If it triggers conflict or a hostage situation, we''re leaving but will not attack you and will attempt to discourage hostilities. That''s a risk you must [voluntarily] take without sanctions."
Kaze narrowed his eyes, hearing that the conflict could trigger conflict the day before the Rapture. "That''s an audacious request."
"You''ve made us an audacious offer." The general replied, "We''re epting your generosity but will not abandon our families to do so. We''ve offered not to attack you as a concession."
"What is your n for bringing your family here?" The emperor asked, "Let''s start with your approach and move from there."
The cab leaders sat at the table solemnly after the military members left. Each had their families on their minds after hearing the negotiations.
"Since weck time for these unnecessary trifling emotions, I''ll inform you that your families are whole and secure in Immortal Skye bunkers with Daniels''." Kaze announced dryly.
His announcement triggered a tidal wave of overwhelming emotions and emotional gazes.
"As I mentioned, those who aid me get rewarded handsomely." The emperor reminded them, "Now that you have aided me, I have rewarded you."
Kylie''s eyes lit up in overwhelmed happiness. "Thank you, Kaze! Can we see them?"
"No one will see their family before we seize Lainwright Military Base in two weeks." Kaze announced sharply, triggering bitter smiles.
"We will get attacked as early as tomorrow and cannot afford any im of favoritism or news of the hostages to destabilize our members before the invasion."
They all felt icy shivers crawling down their spines.
"He has rewarded you; now be grateful and do your jobs." Evalyn asserted chillingly, making everyone wince, "When should we trigger the dissidents?"
"You have a trigger?" Kaze mused with a slight smile.
"We do." She confirmed straightly.
"Then do it before we break the news." He said, straightening his face again, "That way, we can present their crimes to the masses and showcase the penalties for treason.
When can you move on it?"
"I can move on it whenever." Evalyn replied, "However, I nned for 11 am."
"That''s perfect." Kaze nodded, "Daniel, let the general and hisckey know we will be announcing the attack at 1 pm."
The businessman dry-swallowed and nodded hesitantly, standing and walking out the door silently.
Evalyn walked to the campgrounds holding a ballot box, a mani envelope containing paper, and a tub full of pens. She had a frown on her face but a determined glint in her eyes.
The blonde believed in doing what was [best] over personal ethics and ideals.
If lying could save thousands, a morally righteous person was a murderer in her eyes. If a human sacrifice could save thousands, an idealist was an executioner.
That wasn''t to say she would sacrifice anyone or tell any lie.
The Ice Phoenix offered those that supported her protection and a good life. Therefore, she would not sacrifice her devoted followers.
However, she had no mercy for anyone stupid enough to break the rules at Immortal Skye for any reason days after their trip to Meridian City.
That was her mindset when she walked into the campsite.
The terrified faction members stared at their Ice General with fear in their hearts, noting the contrast in her cold expression.
Her face was always cold, but they didn''t realize how warm and well-meaning was until they saw the frozen expression she was making.
One nce told them the Ice General was there as the grim reaper, sent to collect sacrifices and reap their souls.
Chapter 159 The Honey Pot
Evalyn could tell those who weren''t guilty by how conflicted and scared they were to look at her and others. Conversely, the guilty were ncing at them.
"I''ll pass out the paper and pens now." She announced, cing the ballot box on a campsite table, "Sign your names on top before beginning.
There are three things, and only three things, I want to know.
First, I want to know who was part of the self-defense force.
Second, I want to know their role and how active they were.
Lastly, I want to know if anyone threatened or bribed members to keep them silent or lie. Anyone who lies will receive immediate expulsion."
A violent pulse of dread washed over everyone as she handed out the paper. Some members shook controbly, trying to control the tremors but failing.
Those who bribed or intimidated othersced their side nces with murderous intent.
As for the people who epted bribes [willingly], they stared nkly at their paper in a haze. They realized they might get expelled for their simple transgression. One mistake; game over.
"Naturally, I''m expelling the guilty on the spot, and they cannot harm you." Evalyn added dryly, "So don''t get expelled out of fear; I''m here to protect you."
The guilty were nervous, but they were also oddly calm and immediately set to work filling out their answers carefully.
Evalyn observed all of them for an hour, carefully studying their expressions. After they finished, she stood up from the table and handed someone the ballot box. "Put your papers in the box."
They hesitantlyplied, and thest member handed it back to the blonde, who opened the lock and pulled them out under a sea of fearful gazes.
"How strange; it seems that everyone''s name is listed." Evalyn mused with an ominous grin, reading through the papers, "Are you all involved?"
Each innocent person''s eyes widened, turning to the guilty who stonewalled them. Then they shook their head and pleaded their innocence but were unprepared.
"Hoh?" Evalyn hummed, "Seventeen people im everyone nned to take bribes but backed out because I threatened bribe-takers with expulsion.
It also names people who [demanded] bribes to save the lives of the guilty. It''s very specific and seems quite reasonable."
Every innocent person trembled in fear; they couldn''t believe how cruel their situation was. They pleaded their case, but the blonde had stopped listening.
Instead, she riffled through the papers until she found the one she wanted to read. The paper didn''t disappoint; it left her with a sinister grin that cut deep into everyone''s bones.
Haiden Rompers
-
Unified strategies and scenarios:
1. You threaten no one before the ballot
2. You offer immediate expulsion and protection
3. You threaten bribe-takers with expulsion
im the innocent epted bribes but retracted their promises out of fear. To discredit those decrying bribery, add the names of people demanding bribes.
Doing so will obscure the truth, saving everyone.
Those Involved ranked by willingness and participation in threatening, harming, and/or bribing others in the cover-up
1. Evan Mills
Defense Force Role: Fighter. Heavily encouraged self-defense and our plight as abandoned people.
Cover-Up Role: Led intimidation tactics for the women and information gathering for ckmail.
2. Nathaniel Janson
Defense Force Role:
13. Be Miton
Defense Force Role: None
Cover-Up Role: Unthreatened Bribe-Taker. Actively encouraged others to take the bribes and threatened anyone who didn''t ept but tried snitching.
21. Marcus Livingston (Guilty of stupidity)
Defense Force Role: Defender - dumb as a box of rocks, genuinely meant well.
Cover-up Role: Adamant that we turn ourselves in and plead for mercy. Beaten with the other two.
"We can''t punish anyone if the liars implicate the innocent." Evalyn frowned, making everyone sigh with relief, "Wait... maybe."
Everyone''s relief turned to sheer fear as the blonde shifted through the papers again while chuckling ominously.
"How expected." The blonde grinned, "Everyone Veronica imed was part of the self-defense force is using the conflicting bribe story.
That means... the three people uninvolved people using the story got bribed consensually."
When the guilty saw her cold eyes and decisive smile, they realized that she wasn''t considering she was wrong. She had judged them guilty.
"Wait! That''s not true!"
"We''re getting set up!"
"Only a few people were involved; the others conspired against us!"
"Tell me, everyone." Evalyn interjected, "Do you know what a honey pot is?"
Everyone calmed down and looked at each other in confusion, all unsure of what she meant.
"A honey pot is a trapw enforcement sets up to attractw breakers." The blonde exined.
"They''ll set up kiddie porn or drug dealing sites on the dark web. Then they allow predators and drug dealers to continue while collecting evidence against them.
Things look good, so word spreads, attracting more flies until it''s time to shut down the operation and arrest everyone. It''s super effective; take now, for example."
"Wait, are you saying that you set us up!?"
"Correct." Evalyn replied with a sinister smile, "I sent in an operative to see if any of you were foolish enough to break the rules despite your favorable situation. Please join me, Haiden."
Haiden stood up with a merciless expression, not looking at anyone as she stood up from a table and walked to the blonde.
"Wait! You set us up!?"
"It was you!? This is unbelievable!"
"General! We wouldn''t have done this if it wasn''t for her!"
"The test wasn''t to determine who would join a self-defense force." Evalyn interjected coldly, "I''m after those willing to engage in intimidation and witness suppression tactics.
If someone does it in a test, they''ll do it in an actual situation. It was a matter of time."
Everyone looked at one another, trying to confirm her statement.
"Immortal Skye encourages leadership even with mistakes." She continued, "So we won''t punish the eleven who organized for benign reasons and didn''t attempt a cover-up.
However, if you did, you''re getting expelled from Immortal Skye. If I call your name, step forward."
Before she could begin, one of the men stood up aggressively.
"You bitch!" Evan, a burly young adult with a bushy beard, roared, swiping his hand.
A ripple of warping Qi shot out at Haiden, who prepared to move. However, an ice wall instantly shot up a foot away from him. It was so strong that the Qi bounced back and
"AGahhhHHHHhhHhhhHHh!"
the man''s stomach split open, sending his intestines everywhere.
Evalyn cringed after seeing that it ricocheted, which was unexpected. She immediately ran to him, picked up his intestines, put them back into his body, and used her healing technique. It was a truly gruesome disy.
Did she care about the man''s life? Of course not. She couldn''t give anyone the perception that the punishment for breaking the rules was a trialless execution. It''d create a panic!
It was a race against the clock to get him to Kaze forplete healing. So after the man''s body healed, she picked him up in her bloody arms and circled the area.
"Listen up!" Evalyn yelled viciously, "You just watched what an unstable,w-breaking individual will do under stress. That attack could''ve killed any of you if I didn''t stop it!"
The members cringed, held their breath, or sobbed.
"That''s the purpose of our honey pot operation." She roared ferociously, "We didn''t attack those who helped.
We''ve saved you from the people like Evan Mills, who would kill or assault you under stress. I''m listing out the other nine now.
Once I call your name, move! There''s no time to waste because we need to save this idiot''s life!"
She immediately listed out the other nine guilty people''s names, and they reluctantly got up to follow.
"Haiden Rompers is your official temporary leader." Evalyn announced, circling everyone''s shocked faces.
"You should never listen to anyone telling you to go against thews of an official leader. So don''t me her for your predicament; you only have yourselves to me.
However, she''s my person and your temporary official leader. So unless you want to join these ten, I suggest you listen to her!"
The faction members nodded hesitantly, turning to the auburn-haired devil that looked at everyone with darkened eyes.
"We''ll talk about your actionster." Evalyn turned to Haiden with a strange expression, "For now, you''re leading everyonethe right way."
Haiden nodded silently, not meeting the woman''s gaze. After the blonde left, she turned to everyone coldly. "Your only job was to set up tents and live here. It''s simple right?"
Her new subordinates stared at her with fearful eyes. Ten people got expelled and sent to their deaths to demonstrate the consequences of rebellion because of her actions.
They knew the emotionless woman wouldn''t hesitate to condemn more, so they nodded hesitantly.
"Yeah, it is pretty fucking simple, isn''t it?" Haidenughed bitterly, recalling the two orders [she disregarded], "Therefore, I don''t need to do anything for you to follow the rules, right?"
Everyone nodded silently, cringing.
"So I''m going to sit at this table and do nothing; I suggest you do something simr." She smiled, "That''s the leadership you should''ve followed since the beginning."
After sitting in Evalyn''s spot, Haiden cackled ominously with a crazed expression, amused by her situation.
While the members present saw her as a demon, she was [still] in the position they avoided. One only needed to nce at her patchy haircut, unevenly cut by a [Guided Arrow], to find proof.
That was the irony. After verifying Evalyn wasn''t executing her, she learned that she also got trapped in the honey pot. She was caught once again.
That''s why she had no sympathy for the people around her. She was kidnapped, condemned in a sting operation, attacked Veronica as Evan did her, and now she sent people to the same fate. That was her life. However
"They got expelled, but I survived." Haidenugh-hupped with trembling eyes, sending shivers down everyone''s spines, "I''ll survive this, I know I will. I''ll survive, then and then."
The auburn-haired woman at the table cracked, devolving into a chorus of ominous cackling that sent shivers crawling down everyone''s spines.
Chapter 160 War Fervor
Kaze, General Michaels, and Kane Ryker stood on the balcony of Rein''s mansion, where he had given the speech about Immortal Skye bing a country.
A sea of over two thousand Immortals and elites stood before him, awaiting his words.
"Proud citizens of Immortal Skye." Kaze boomed, capturing cheers and grandeur from his people, "We have a heavy announcement to make."
His subjects quieted down with nervousness in their hearts.
"General Michaels of the Maltian Military has informed us that the worsening situation outside is leading Malta to take drastic action." The emperor said, "It''s getting worse.
For that reason, Malta ns to invade Immortal Skye to force us to house their leaders, consume our resources, and change ourws to suit them."
A stunned silence followed, everyone shocked by the news. The members didn''t know how to interpret the news. However, they had apetent leader who knew how to interpret it for them.
"Will you ept that!?" Kaze asked aggressively, "Will you let Maltae into Immortal Skye and bend our way of life to their agenda!?"
"FUUUUUUUUCK THAT!" Larkin roared instantaneously with his hands wrapping around his mouth.
His response triggered a cataclysmic chain reaction with hateful words and yells that sent Icy chills crawling down the military leaders'' spines.
With two questions and a single response, the peaceful young faction members who were peaceful only a week before pulsed with bloodlust and war fervor.
"Let me ask you, Immortals!" Kaze roared to the sea of his faction members, "Will you bend to the strength of any country!? Or will you embrace the power of Immortal Skye!?"
"We won''t bend! We won''t bend! We won''t bend!" Larkin chanted with the full power of his soul.
A momentter, everyone around him started chanting as well, and soon the entire area got swept away in delirium, horrifying the military leaders.
"That''s right!" The emperor roared over the chanting, "Immortal Skye bends to no one!"
"We don''t bend! We don''t bend! We don''t bend!" Larkin followed, triggering the subtle change in the atmosphere.
"We are Immortals!" Kaze yelled passionately, "We stand above the rest!
We''re monsters amongst men! Valkyries amongst women! And gods amongst humankind!"
Wild battle cries shattered the soundwaves in the area, shocking everyone present.
"Proud Immortals!" The emperor roared, "Let me introduce you to the newest Immortals, the two men that uncovered Malta''s nefarious plot!
Ex-general Eddison Michaels and ex-coronel Kane Ryker!"
The war fervor twisted, dropping downward multiple decibels instantly. No one understood how the conversation would switch from their hatred of Malta to rewarding Maltians.
Everyone''s bloodlust made them boil over primally, wanting the two men to suffer for their transgression. It was a horrifying phenomenon that they didn''t even recognize.
"Less than a month ago, everyone here was a Maltian." Kaze reminded everyone, causing a damper on their feelings, "Yet you''re here because you''re special!"
Instant uncertainty.
Light conflicted cheers.
"DAMN RIGHT WE ARE!" Larkin yelled in a battle cry.
In a split second, the atmosphere exploded in hysterical battle cries, returning in full force.
"You''re special for your talent and value!" The emperor yelled, "You stand above the rest and are loyal to our country! That''s what makes you an Immortal!"
Chaos took over, with euphoric yelling and cheering giving the area a violent feeling of celebration.
"Now hear me!" He yelled, capturing everyone''s attention, "Eddison Michaels, Kane Ryker, and their elites and trade workers are talented and valuable.
They would earn a ce here immediately if not for the space issues and their despicable tie to the Maltian Military."
The military members grimaced when the sea of terrifying Immortal Skye citizens jeered them, condemning them. While they wanted to me the emperor, they also knew it was necessary.
"However, these men helped save many of your lives!" Kaze announced, "Their loyalty and respect for you and Immortal Skye led them to expose a plot to attack us."
A wave of understanding washed over everyone present, connecting the story behind the screaming they heard and the current situation.
"Like you, these military leaders and their soldiers are Maltians defending Immortal Skye and their way of life." The emperor said, "They''re special.
So while you rightfully disdain Malta for its transgression, will you sneer at the talented ex-Maltians that protected your lives?"
A wave of confused whispers spread through the crowd, uncertain how to react.
"Or will you ept their noble actions with open arms!?" Kaze roared, lifting his hands to the sky and triggering an explosive wave of cheers.
Evalyn watched with a pensive gaze, realizing how easy it was to get carried away in war fervor and evil political actions because of the euphoric atmosphere at public speeches.
It horrified herand inspired her.
"You may wonder why a head Maltaian general would choose Immortal Skye over his country." The emperor said boldly, making the man wince, "Is it our prosperity?
Resources? Comfort? Baller mansions and swimming pools?"
An explosion of cheers followed his cheeky statement and grin.
"No, those reasons are not why they chose Immortal Skye." Kaze roared, making everyone''s heart pulse, "They chose us for our strength!
Let me introduce you to our second strongest member. Let the fear you feel be a point of pride!"
An ominous growl resounded in the distance, sending a wave of fear over the two thousand people that didn''t know her. However, they kept their emotions in check.
Crack, crack, crack Crack! Crraaaaack! CRaaaaACK!
Trees cracked in the distance as a force ran down the mountain, crushing everything that got in its way.
Before anyone could react, the massive shadow cat jumped onto the mansion''s rooftop with light feet, gazing down at everyone.
Crux stood proudly. She wasn''t a prop; he presented her as a warrior, and she approved of it, gracefullymanding everyone''s respect as she was used to.
"This is Crux a divine beast from the cultivator ne the cultivators came from!" Kaze boomed, shocking everyone, "She''s a warrior and you''ll treat her with respect!"
"LONG LIVE CRUX!" Larkin yelled. Having seen her multiple times, he was ecstatic and proud to have her on their side, "WE HAVE THE MOST BADASS CAT ON EARTH!"
The area exploded in violent cheers, confused and ecstatic by the terrifying sight.
"You may be wondering why Crux is here!" Kaze roared, "It''s because she understands we''re the winning side against the Sky ne cultivators!"
Everyone breathed in sharply, even the military leaders, who looked at the shadow cat in disbelief.
While the two thousand regr Immortals didn''t know she could speak or understand humannguage, the military leaders did.
As a result, when they looked at the shadow cat''s face, which was only mildly conflicted, they finally grasped how terrifying the emperor truly was.
"One day, the woman you call the Ice General, Evalyn Skye, will be a great military leader!" Kaze roared, "Crux knows that!
She knows that Evalyn will conquer all enemies, protect us, and usher in peace during times of peril.
This warrior knows we''re the key to prosperity and that fighting us is nothing short of suicide! Such is the factor that bonds us together!"
Confused but pleased, battle cries rocked the nighttime sky, echoing down from the mountainside.
"Now meet your general!" He yelled, "Hear from the woman who will lead you to victory!"
Evalyn broke away from the recently healed Evan and the other nine rule breakers and stood next to Kaze before he stepped back.
She gazed at everyone with her frosty blue eyes and waved her hand.
A flurry of translucent objects shot past everyone''s ears, weaving through the audience at blinding speed and confusing everyone.
It wasn''t until the objects circled that they saw the two hundred des that were only an inch from their face the moment before.
As they stared at the daggers in shock, the blonde waved upward, sending the des into the air, and clenched her fist.
All the des shattered simultaneously, snowing down on everyone. Before they could process it, they felt kes touch their skin, melting. It was a surreal experience.
"Tomorrow, a new influx of Qi will hit Earth." Evalyn announced boldly, shocking everyone, "As a result, Malta will invade our country. Why?
It''s because they know we have the key to immortality, strength, and resources to survive. They know what we have and foolishly n to steal it."
Everyone held their breaths, recovering from their daze to process her words.
"Well, I have a message for Malta." The Ice General said chillingly, "I won''t let anyone steal from my people.
You can bring your skycruisers, summon your tanks, and bring your best"
The military members felt icy chills crawl down their spines when she, not Kaze, threatened the world. Unlike him, she was an ordinary college woman only a month before.
"However, prepare to die because I will show no mercy to anyone who attacks my people."
Her words weren''t loud, but they carried outward until they reached the back, and all the Immortals exploded in cheers and thunderous apuse.
"Immortals; if no one joins me, I will fight the Maltian Military myself." Evalyn dered boldly, "However, I ask all of you to join me.
I ask you to protect your country and those around you. I ask that you fight for your way of life."
The audience dry-swallowed nervously, taking sharp breaths before gaining the confidence to cheer.
"You may feel weak, but you''re not." She proimed decisively, "You have only been training with military techniques for two weeks, but you''re the strongest cultivators in the world. That''s not spectionthat''s a fact."
Everyone looked around in confusion, stunned by her bold deration. However, they remembered that everyone had powerful techniques and were taught by the man who sold them for billions only weeks before.
After a moment of processing, Larkin let out a battle cry, and the area devolved into hysterical chaos.
She put up her hand to obtain silence and continued.
"Everyone here is strongfar stronger than the Maltian Military." The Ice General dered brazenly, "So you shouldn''t fear destruction.
Follow me, and I will lead you to victory. Follow me, and I will give you strength and prosperity.
We will crush the foolish people who dare to trespass upon our domain and enjoy the lifestyle that has made us famous."
Violent cheers waved through the thousands in the area, gazing at the blonde backed by the massive panther above. She represented the essence of strength.
"Once again, I ask you to join me." Evalyn requested boldly, "Join me in protecting your home and people.
I will lead you to glory, and anyone who falls will be immortalized, bing a legend and carving their name into history books forever!"
A crashing wave of battle cries shattered the soundwaves, making the soldiers behind the mansion shiver in fear. They had never truly grasped their mortality until that moment.
"Be my soldiers and we shall prosper." The Ice General dered, "Nothing will stand between us and total victory."
After two minutes of apuse, she stood back to let Kaze continue.
"Proud Immortals, tomorrow sparks the first test we face as a nation." The emperor dered, panning their gazes, "But it will make us stronger!
You may not be soldiers, but we''re not alone! Meet the reserves that will protect Immortal Skye alongside you!"
On cue, five hundred special forces soldiers walked out from behind the mansion, avoiding the gaze of the ultra-nationalistic Immortal Skye members.
"You stand amongst the soldiers previously titled Malta''s elites among elites." Kaze announced, "These brave men and women are now Immortals.
With your strength and theirbat experience, nothing in this world can stop you! There is no challenge we can''t ovee! The world can fight us, and we''ll fight back"
He panned the audience dramatically, making eye contact with their faces as they held their breaths.
"AND SEIZE VICTORY!" The emperor roared, triggering a violent wave of cheers and battle cries.
The soldiers stared in disbelief as the waves of Immortals gazed at them with pride-filled eyes.
They realized the Immortals'' support reflected Kaze Lexicon''s vision, and they, the Malta Special Forces, were part of his vision.
It made them shudder, understanding the value of being part of his vision and the consequences of moving against it.
Chapter 161 July 7th, 2032 | The Final Influx Arrives
Kaze opened his eyes when he felt a pair of nails scraping against his chest. He looked at the ceiling in his dark room for a moment before ncing down and frowning.
Kiera gripped his body involuntarily, her face wincing from a nightmare. He took a deep breath, reflecting on the speech and why she was so on edge.
"Now that you''ve bent your knee, you have vowed to protect Immortal Skye with your lives." The emperor began, speaking to the 1,550 ex-Maltian soldiers and officers kneeling before him.
Kane and General Michaels had spoken to them, letting them know Malta nned to take Immortal Skye''s families hostage, and Kaze would ughter them and their families within a fortnight as a result.
Torn between two family-endangering options, the general epted the offer for citizenship. The soldiers'' families would get taken hostage with Immortal Skye''s, protecting them.
After exining the situation, the soldiers understood that helping the emperor was an ultimatum and the safest way to protect their families and ept.
Now, all 1,550 had dered their loyalties.
"You''re now Immortals, ex-Maltians." Kaze announced straightly, "However, be warned! I do not tolerate [anyone] who attacks or betrays my people. Ten such people stand before you today!"
Kiera watched the emperor from the balcony behind him, hearing him dere the crimes of the ten people from the campsite. He told a vibrant story of their [betrayal], [distrust], and disturbing actions that [threatened] all Immortals.
He whipped everyone into a frenzy, turning them into a violent mob thirsting for the group''s blood.
"Since these fools sought to harm our country, they do not belong here!" Kaze roared, triggering ferocious yelling, "They do not deserve to stand amongst you!
Therefore, starting immediately, all of them will walk outside these walls. Leaving Immortal Skye is the worst punishment in the world, is it not?"
Explosive roars of ent pierced the night.
Kiera''s body shook in fear. Hearing that the emperor banished people from Immortal Skye triggered intense fear that he would kick her out of her "home," leaving her alone again.
She broke down and ran away in tears, making Kaze frown. However, what he did was necessary, and he would change his actions for no one.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Kaze stood before her door with an annoyed expression. He tightened into a neutral frown to showcase his sincerity. "Kiera, you''re not ever leaving Immortal Skye. I can promise you that."
"You had no problem exiling ten people, so don''t im you don''t exile people." Kiera snapped after twenty seconds of silence.
"I do not find pleasure or satisfaction in suffering." He replied after a deep breath, "Therefore, I punish major personal betrayals with death.
That''s why I can promise I will never punish you with exile, no matter what transgression you maymit."
The emperor was open because he moved Kiera''s room to the bottom floor of the main mansion; thus, no one could hear him.
Her new location increased her feelings of security, preventing issues with their morning training, and showcased his attachment to her.
"You try to make me feel safe by telling me you murder those who betray you instead of kicking them out?" Kieraughed sharply, "That''s eightyers worse!"
"Is it?" Kaze asked dryly, "Would you like me to exile you for a betrayal instead?"
The fiery ng riddler fell silent and began tearing up again. "No."
"Then stop putting on airs and get your pajamas." He ordered calmly, preemptively striking anxiety issues, "You''re sleeping with Crux and me tonight."
"Are you serious? Why." Kiera stopped talking abruptly, feeling panicked, "I mean, okay. I''ll get them right now."
Kaze gave the woman clutching to him a strange expression, reaching up his hand and stroking her hair. He was wide awake but decided toy in the darkness to let her hold on longer.
"Today marks the end of civilization on Earth." He whispers soberly, "I should''ve helped her experience onest day of joy and security before now. So I can at least do this much."
Kiera opened her eyes slightly when she felt his hand wrap around her, hugging her lightly. She felt like he was protecting her from the world itself.
It was an unforgettable feeling she wanted to savor. Unfortunately, when she closed her eyes to enjoy it, she fell victim to itsfort and fell deep into a nightmare-free slumber.
"It''s time to wake up, love." A hypnotic male voice called out.
"Be gone, sleep robber!" The ng riddler groaned in her sleep, "I don''t need this type of negativity in my life."
"As you wish." He chuckled mischievously, sitting up slowly.
"Wooooah! Woah, woah, woah, what the hell!" Kiera screamed, "Earthquake? No, wait! What!?"
The pink-haired woman panicked when her body lifted, and she scrambled to find something to hold onto. She finally stabilized once she wrapped around a small tree trunk to gain bnce.
The ng riddler turned around and looked at the strange tree, realizing the base and the upper and trunk didn''t match up. So she looked up sharply.
Her face flushed bright red to the tip of her ears when she saw the [tree] was Kaze, and she was one inch away from his lips! Panicked, she gripped him tighter and closed her eyes.
"Do you want a kiss?" Kaze mused charmingly, "I''m happy to oblige you. Otherwise, you may wish to reconsider your position."
Kiera snapped her eyes open to chastise him but realized she had kept their faces together instead of releasing his neck! "D-Don''t get this twisted or I''ll swiftly administer a nuttercut."
"I''m afraid I don''t know what that word means." He replied mockingly, "Does it mean you''ll harm me if I don''t ept your advance? Or that you''ll harm me if I try to make an advance?
Such is the issue with your profoundly incoherentnguage and the necessity of awkward, explicit verbal consent."
The pink-haired teen''s eyes trembled, and she thought to flee, but her body didn''t move. It didn''t want to.
"I-I." Kiera whispered with trembling eyes, "Are you into nun chasing or something?"
"I''m [into] any woman that wants to spend time in mypany." Kaze replied charmingly.
"So I''m just another woman to you, huh?" She asked bitterly.
"No, you''re not." He replied without hesitation, "You''re significant."
"That sounds dark." Kieraughed sharply yet breathlessly.
"That''s because it is." Kaze smiled mysteriously.
She dry-swallowed nervously. "So, does that mean that you want to kiss me?"
"It does." He smiled.
"If I do, will you leave me like the other women?" Kiera asked bluntly yet hesitantly.
"I cannot always stay here and will not be here tonight when you''ll want me here the most." Kaze warned soberly, "But so long as you live, I will not abandon you."
"Wait! You''re not going to be here tonight!?" Kiera cried with a beating heart, "Won''t the military attack tonight!?"
"Yes." He replied straightly, "However, after making a demonstration of force, I must go to secure Ergo seeds.
It''s a nt containing profound body-cleansing properties that our people need to be strong. They areing here only once and"
"Wait up! You''re leaving your people defenseless to get seeds to make them strong!?" She cried, "How the hell does that make sense? Don''t pretend that''s not backward AF!"
"Do not im I''d abandon my people to express your desire for me to stay." Kaze scoffughed, rolling his eyes, "Crux and Evalyn are here.
With elites using Guided Arrow alone, they should be sufficient to defend Immortal Skye.
More importantly, Evalyn must learn to lead and the Immortals how to protect themselves. Otherwise, they will be defenseless when I''m away."
"B-But missiles, Kaze!" Kiera cried, "They can shoot missiles from a distance!"
"That''s why we have anti-missile systems and a light barrier I set up." He replied dryly, "Besides, they want me to help them.
They don''t have soldiers to waste to kill me withoutpensation."
The ng riddler''s eyes trembled in disbelief. "T-Then take me with you."
"No; I''ll be facing the Sky ne cultivators." Kaze said straightly, "To follow me is to court death.
I can''t protect you and fight with the Elemental Qi scarcity on Earth."
Keira took a sharp breath, looking into his eyes. "H-Hold up. You can''t"
"Quiet, foolish mortal!" Crux ordered, releasing her cultivation base and making the pink-haired woman freeze, "If you wish to die, do so quietly!
I''m duty bound to defend fools like you this afternoon; I didn''t agree to the morning!"
Kaze closed his eyes with a twitching cheek. "Enough of this foolishness. We must get up, as the Mortal ne has a date with destruction today."
Kiera''s body shook, and she tried to hang onto him, but he gently peeled her off like a wet sticker, leaving her on the bed.
"If I am weak enough to fall at the hands of suppressed Sky ne cultivators, I deserve to die." He dered brazenly, "If Crux falls to mortals, she deserves to die.
You do not understand yet, but you will one day. Until then, keep your head, stay alive, and wait for me, for I shall return."
The emperor turned to them with a gaze that held absolute confidence. "Nowe you two. The Rapture is amongst us, and we haven''t the time for such inconsequential woes."
Kaze circled the faces of his subjects and new soldiers, suspended twenty feet over theke at Immortal Skye''s center.
Each member sat two feet apart from the other in the lotus position, preparing for the fifth and final influx to begin.
Evalyn sat in theke''s center, floating on an ice mass.
"Today marks the entrance test to your learning journey here." He announced, "It''s a simple breathing teststing 24 hours.
Those who pass the breathing test will get rewarded resources to learn and grow as cultivators.
If you prove yourself incapable of breathing cannot resume learning until you have enough reputation points."
Nervous whispers dominoed around theke, triggering each person to spread words like a game of telephone. Everyone was on edge.
"In five minutes, the sky will open up yet again, and Qi will flood the Mortal ne." Kaze warned boldly, "However, unlike before, the rifts will not close for 24 hours.
Today will test your breathing under pressure and threat of force. You must concentrate on breathing with constant distractions and break free during serious threats.
Those who aplish this goal will multiply in strength and potential overnight. Conversely, those who cannot will suffer.
There are only a few minutes, so close your eyes and prepare yourself!"
Everyone dry-swallowed and closed their eyes hesitantly, not wanting to look away from the sky.
Kaze looked down at Evalyn with a strange glint in his eyes. She sat in the center of theke, 300 feet in radius, with a determined expression.
Not only was she determined to fight, but she was also determined not to repeat her past mistakes.
Unlike the fourth influx, she would get no aid or healing. If she harmed herself for fast growth, she''d die, and her people would likely die alongside her. The blonde couldn''t afford to make mistakes.
The emperor confirmed her determination and flew higher, looking into the training area, and saw Kiera with his Qi vision techniques.
The pink-haired teen was scared and alone in the training cave but safe behind a Soul Qi barrier. He wasn''t coddling her; he locked her up because she was a liability. If she fought, she could idently kill their members or rupture her meridians. She wasn''t ready yet.
Kane and General Michaels sat with their soldiers on one side of theke, practicing the Fertility of Growth technique the emperor gave them.
While he promised them sky techniques, he warned them that using it during the influx would rip apart their meridians and could cause their dantians to rupture. So they refrained.
Jake and Veronica sat together under the half-dome ceiling of the Immortal Skye amphitheater alongside Daniel, Kylie, and Sage. He separated the cab members to prevent a surprise attack in the chaos.
All his elites, including Brad, Rein, Lily, Whitney, and Sammy, fanned out around the members. Their job was to breathe more Qi to prevent it from bing too overbearing.
Evalyn also had that job. He tasked her with consuming as much Qi as possible to relieve the pressure of the acute influx.
Crux didn''t need to cultivate as she was a Divine Realm cultivator who was only restricted to the early Heaven Realm due to Qi scarcity. Therefore, Kaze ordered her to walk around, keeping her eye on the soldiers and removing Qi flow dry when necessary.
"It''s ironic the people you want to protect most must learn to defend themselves the most." The emperor frowned, "I must remember they''re undefended every moment I''m away."
He gazed he hade to know, wondering how they''d fare. He nced at his professor, Frances Roybock, who went by Fay.
Then he panned his gaze to his new secretary, Marilyn Keller, stylist Addison Chase, dissident Haiden Rompers, Police Chief Carmen Skeer, and her three goons, Wade, Ken, and Pratt.
He nced at Sarah and Riley, the budding bi-sexuals certified elites due to their cheat dual cultivation technique and publically disclosed rtionship.
Lastly, he smiled upon his jester, Larkin Downs, who would prove integral to keeping everyone together.
"I''ve protected everyone as much as I reasonably can." Kaze whispered, "I''ve taught them to fight and given them techniques and strength.
They have stronger bodies and leadership skills. Their country has strong walls andw and order. I''ve built their desire to fight and given them disincentives to leave.
There are soldiers for reserves and Crux and Evalyn out front.
Defending them further will make them unable to protect themselves when a necessary timees."
He panned everyone''s faces once more. "But that doesn''t make it easier, does it?"
The sky lit up, capturing his attention and breaking him out of his haze. It developed white spots en masse, increasing in size like burning film.
Those spatial rifts would connect their world to the Skye ne in only a moment and flood the Mortal ne with Qi.
While they would benefit, it would spread through the world, ripping human meridians open violently and driving them crazy. Civilians, soldiers, and cultivators would fall victim to Qi''s sickness.
He shuddered to think about the hostages. The soldiers instructed them to cultivate a unique technique every day at 9 am, unknowingly preparing them for the Rapture.
Now, those people would be the strongest in the military base at that time. However, the halls would devolve into chaos, and they''d have to defend themselves with select soldiers.
He didn''t want to think of how many would die. However, he was confident the unique breathing technique he taught them would bring them immense strength when they needed it most.
Kaze panned his gaze around the world. There was nowhere in sight that was safe; he had to ept that.
He waved his hand, and the ring of cultivators around theke radiated green light in a chain reaction, moving from a point in both directions until the two green sides met.
All members calmed down, easing their anxiety and putting them into a meditative trance.
After finishing, the emperor flew to the rooftop of the main mansion and sat in the lotus position, looking up.
Massive white holes the size ofkes distorted the sky, physically bending the area as if it were rubber. The time hade.
"And so it begins again." Kaze whispered, "The Rapture is upon us."
Chapter 162 July 7th, 2032 | The Final Influx
White hot light tore through the sky, blinding anyone who hadn''t prepared. The bending space broke up, and a violent ripple of Qi shot across the globe. Its impact was immediate and decisive.
"GuuhhHHhhhHhhHhhHHhHHhh!"
Groans waved through the members and soldiers as the Qi assaulted them. Every soldier had only learned the Fertility of Growth techniques two days prior, so they were unprepared.
While the Immortals could cultivate it, that proved equally problematic because it stretched their meridians too quickly.
Evalyn listened, essing everyone''s difort, before beginning.
Whoooooooosh! Whooooooooosh!
The soldiers, Immortals, and elites shivered when a flurry of white frost cut across theke, leaving the choppyke slower.
After epting the full st of Qi, Kaze healed his meridians, pushing him to the top of the Heaven Realm before opening his eyes with a grin.
He watched from above as a white vortex 100 feet in radius developed around the blonde. When it touched the rtively warm water surface, it turned the entireke foggy as 2/3rds of it slowly froze.
It was a spectacle.
However, he was grinning that Evalyn wasn''t stering the Qi-rich frost to her meridians and absorbing it. Instead, she captured the Qi in the atmosphere, isting it but not epting it.
It was a visual representation of water falling, aplex pattern of Qi flow people could see.
All the members and soldiers opened their eyes, watching the scene in disbelief. However, feeling the members'' gazes, she cut the technique, and everyone who stopped hit the ground, wheezing. They immediately got her point.
Crux picked up the ck, walking around with her eyes closed, seeking out the groaning soldiers and lessening the Qi around them.
The situation horrified Carmen, Kane, and General Michaels, who realized their people would have suffered without their help.
They made the right decision and knew that only one minute into the rapture.
Satisfied things were ying out correctly, Kaze flew over to the amphitheater.
"GaaaahhHHhhH." Veronica groaned, wincing. She had gotten the Sky''s Breath technique, and it was ripping her meridians to shreds.
"Fight through it." Jake said, opening his eyes and waving his hand, "This should help."
Her body radiated with a blue aura, showcasing the tranquility technique and calming everyone given starter Sky Techniques.
"Good work." Kaze said with a mysterious tone, stepping foot on the stage. Not having heard him, everyone opened their eyes in shock but shut them again when the Qi overwhelmed them.
The emperor waved his hand, and they all radiated with a golden light, healing their meridians to a perfect state and making them gasp for breath in relief.
"Take turns using the tranquility technique on each other." He said calmly, "The main influx is almost over, and then it will ease. I''ll see you in three hours, so hold in there."
Before anyone could reply, he was already gone.
Kiera groaned in the cave, designed to be a Qi-rich environment. She was sweating heavily, keeping the waters falls moving orderly with her total concentration.
"You have the power to deny Qi, yet you use your power to its full capabilities?" A hypnotic voice called out.
Her heart pulsed, making her eyes shoot open in excitement. However
"GahhhHHHhh." The pink-haired teen groaned, "You''re trying to kill me; I see how it is. Coo coo coo, I understand."
"I''m d you''ve retained your buffoonery." Kaze chuckled, "It means you''re fine mentally.
I''m here to oversee you for the time being. So cultivate to your full potential, and I''ll guide you."
"Look, Chief." Kieraughed bitterly, "While I love you''re here and all, your guidance is painful and sucks ass."
"I''ll take that as apliment." He smiled charmingly, waving his hand.
Her body radiated with a golden light, healing her meridianspletely.
"I wish I could be grateful for the save." She chuckled ominously, her breathing strained, "Whenever you heal me, hell awaits."
"Since I don''t need to exin that, shall we begin?" Kaze asked with a mysterious tone.
"Whenever you''re ready, chief." Kiera replied fearlessly, "I owe you a lot. The least I can do to repay you is fulfill your sadomasochism fantasies."
"Is that so?" Heughed in disbelief, amused and exasperated simultaneously, "Well, now that I have your consent, I''ll make full use of your offer."
"Hey! I don''tgahhHHhhhHHH!" She screamed as he closed his eyes and cultivated, bringing Elemental Qi into the Qi but rejecting it at thest moment.
"Fight through it, Kiera." Kaze said seriously, "If you can retain your concentration during this, I''m confident you can do so for the rest of today."
Kaze left the cave three hourster and made rounds. He had maxed out the Qi in his body, so he healed people freely. Evalyn was displeased that he healed her when it wasn''t necessary. However, she knew it was personal and didn''tin.
The Qi had thinned significantly, bing a drip.
"It''s only a matter of time, now." He whispered with narrowed eyes, looking to the sky, "I must heal Kiera and convince her to ease off."
As he stated, he returned to the cave and argued with the ng riddler for ten minutes to ease up, reminding her the influx wouldst 24 hours and stretching her meridians would create pain and lower growth.
After epting and attempting to stop him from leaving, he walked out of the cave and returned to the main area, and waited.
"The time hase." Kaze said gravely, sitting on the rooftop of the main mansion to recuperate his Qi after healing everyone.
NyeeeeeeeaaaarrrrRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrummmMMMmm!
Nyeeeeeeeaaaarrrrrrrrummmm!
NyeeeeeeeaaaarrrRRrrrrrummmMMM!
The Immortals and soldiers'' eyes snapped open when they heard fighter jets shoot across the sky at full speed. Not a momentter
Boom! Boom, boom, boom, boom! BOOM! Boom!
they heard heavy military missiles exploding in Meridian City.
The missiles were loud from over 50 miles away, which meant
"They''re using warheads!" General Michaels cried involuntarily, making all of the soldiers be panicked.
"What type of nightmare is breaking out that necessitates total destruction!?" Kane snapped, "Why wouldn''t they just abandon the city?"
"I don''t know!" Carmen yelled, "Things weren''t that bad when I was there!"
Their words sparked chaos amongst the troops, which spread like wildfire through the Immortals, who only heard jets and loud explosions.
They barely understood what was happening outside, so their fear multiplied with their imaginations.
"Che." Kaze clicked his tongue, annoyed that the Maltian leaders started the panic. He waved his hand, and the green light washed over everyone.
While it calmed their anxieties, it didn''t decrease their [rational] fear. So while they knew that panicking was pointless and refused to do so, they were a ticking timebomb.
"Immortals, new and old, listen to me!" The emperor roared, capturing everyone''s gaze, "Do not concern yourself with the plight of those in the distance.
Focus on your situation, as Malta will soon knock on our door, and we must be prepared to face them!"
The ultra-rational people drew different conclusions from the situations. Some understood to calm down and assess the situation. Others realized Malta, which had just carpet-bombed an unknown target in the distance, wasing for them.
Fearing the situation, many rationally began thinking about escaping to an area outside of a st radius. However
"PLEASE LET US IN!"
"We''re just naive and didn''t mean much!"
"WE''RE SORRY!"
"I promise not to do anything wrong again!"
"HAVE MERCY!"
"You don''t know what it looks like out there! Please, there''s nowhere to go!"
the Immortals froze when they heard the ten people who got kicked out yesterday screaming outside the walls.
All ten were driven away the day before, brought to the bottom of the mansion without blindfolds. Kaze didn''t want to prevent them from returningthat''s what he wanted.
With the people screaming outside the walls in desperation, those panicking and seeking to flee the area abandoned the idea.
If running guaranteed death, they knew it was rational to roll the dice with potential life where they had food and shelter when Malta wasn''ting.
They thought back to the shadow cat and their leader, gaining confidence in his strength.
He let them plead and yell the horrors they saw in the distance for five minutes, letting their haunting cries burrow into the Immortals'' minds, and then spoke.
"Silence!" Kaze yelled in a booming voice, cutting the ten off, "If you seek retribution, fight for Immortal Skye today. If we see you fight and you survive, you can reenter.
So prove yourself an ally of our nation, or ept the punishment for your crime in silence! Otherwise, you will never reenter these walls."
All ten calmed down, hearing there was potential for amnesty. However, after promising to fight for Immortal Skye, they began sobbing, incapable of staying silent.
Running short on Spirit Qi, the emperor turned to his subjects and released the technique, causing their anxiety to multiply instantly.
"Is your resolve so weak that you''d abandon your pride, lives, and country before your first trial as Immortals begins!?" He roared angrily, "Tell me, Immortals!
Will you sit around, allowing those around you to die?
Will you resign your life to being ughtered by an inhumane enemy seeking to rob their neighbors for self-gain?
Will you let yourself be enved by barbaric people who care not for your life or value!?"
Some looked away in shame.
Others shook their heads.
Most importantly, some were furious with themselves for being scared when facing an enemy.
"Malta''s government suppressed Qi Sickness and sent this country into chaos." Kaze yelled angrily, "Those 100 Senators stole everything from us.
They stole our lives, our friends, futures, and families!
How do they handle their grave mistake? They are bombing their own people!"
The Immortals snapped out of their shame and reced it with unbridled anger.
"Now, after they''ve stolen everything from us, they seek to steal what little we have left!" The emperor roared, "Will you allow that to happen!?"
"FUCK THAT!" Larkin yelled aggressively, shaking in anger, "Aside from these guys, I''ll fucking kill anyone that shows up!"
"Yeah!"
"I WILL TOO!"
They became enraged that Malta''s ipetency stole their lives, yet people wanted to steal more.
Kaze closed his eyes and essed the Qi-flow in the area. He felt arge mass of Qi moving toward Immortal Skye.
It was worse than he imagined.
The emperor nned to meet with the leaders directly and use them as pawns to trigger the conflict smoothly before leaving.
However, the mass showing up was weak. As a result, most people moving toward them suffered from Qi Sickness and wouldn''t negotiate with anyone.
Hell wasing.
[A/N: I''ll bepletely transparent, this story is bing cliffhanger hell. The Rapture is here, and everything Kaze has prepared for has arrived. So make sure to vote!]
Chapter 163 First Strike Of The Immortal War
After Kaze''s battle harangue, he walked up to the military leaders with a cold expression.
"What is it Kaze?" General Michaels asked with a beating heart.
"The Maltian forces are already moving up the mountain." Kaze replied decisively.
The general looked at him in confusion, unsure how he knew. "How long has it been?"
After turning away, the emperor looked to the southside gate. "Around four hours."
"The soonest they should be able to move is six!" General Michaels replied in confusion, "Between the influx and organizing time, that''s a minimum."
"I doubt this is an official operation." Kaze replied dryly, "Their entrance is a barefaced showcase of their desperation. Their soldiers are sick."
The general felt an icy wave of anxiety crash into him. "Everyone who is part of the Immortal Skye suppression unit is a cultivator. That was a requirement...."
"Having a technique and using it are two separate things, general." The emperor replied frankly, "Without practice, even an earth-grade technique will not save anyone from death.
Now hurry. We must contact Malta; I''m certain they''re trying to reach you."
The general nodded reluctantly and walked themunications shelter with him alone.
When he visitedst, it was an ordinary guest house with T-walls and patchy concrete walls. Now, the building''s exterior was made exclusively of reinforced concrete.
Unbeknownst to the military leaders, he had also reinforced the building with Soul Qi and bribed trades workers with techniques to remove the exploitable errors in the missile defense system.
The general pulled out amunications device in the control room and entered a code into the touch interface.
"This is General Michaels; do you read me, Major Wheatfield?" General Michaels asked.
After ten seconds, a panicked voice replied. "General Michaels, thank god you''re here. What is the operation status at Immortal Skye?"
"The soldiers are fine, albeit heavily strained, Major Wheatfield." The general brazenly lied, nodding to Kaze, "Lexicon and his members look healthier and stronger than before.
Their strength and cultivation require a higher ssification than our maximum estimates."
Silence met his words. The soldier on the other end was terrified but also desperate.
"General Michaels, we need immediate assistance and cultivation aid." Major Wheatfield announced, with the sound of the humvee and other vehicles pulling over in the background.
"Our force is en route to Immortal Skye and will arrive shortly. Please negotiate with Mr. Lexicon to take us in."
General Michael''s eyes shed with panic. "Do not move, soldier! I repeat, do not move!
Mr. Lexicon has closed its borders due to the bombings. I''m here to disclose that information."
"What!?" The major replied sharply, "We''re allies, right? Countries make alliances for situations like this!"
"Calm down, soldier!" General Michaels snapped, "Our presence here is a breach of that alliance. You will stand down unless you want to spark a conflict with Immortal Skye."
"With all due respect, General, I cannot follow those orders." Major Wheatfield dered coldly, "If we don''t get help, over half my soldiers will sumb to the sickness.
Worrying about fighting Immortal Skye when deaths are guaranteed is pointless. Especially when reinforcements are already on their way."
The general''s eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean reinforcements are on their way?"
"Have you not contacted anyone?" The major asked in perplexion, "Malta''s political and military leaders need cultivation aid. Therefore, every inactive military force is on standby to invade Immortal Skye to force their hand."
A ripple of static pulsed through General Michael''s body, making his vision hazy. "Has the military forgotten that the shadow cat is on site?"
"No, the military is prepared to execute Code 87." Major Wheatfield replied straightly, "Contact General Peyton immediately. In the meantime, we will continue moving. We can talk at the gates."
"Soldier, stand down! That''s an order!" The general snapped. However, the line was already cut.
"It''s time, General." Kaze said coldly, "Malta has broken its alliance; it''s time to make your only warning. You have five minutes."
"F-Five minutes!?" General Michaels stuttered.
"The soldiers will be here shortly, yes?" The emperor asked mockingly.
Facing his betrayal, the general looked at the handheldmunications device with an agonized expression.
He wanted to ask if the emperor would provide emergency aid to the soldiers if they left. However, he knew it was pointless. So he picked up the device again and put in a code.
"General Peyton, do you read me?" General Michaels asked with a grave tone, speaking to the top military officer in the nation, two ranks above his own.
"This is General Peyton; I can read you!" General Peyton growled, "Where the hell have you been Eddison? You should have been able tomunicate after the first out!"
"My apologies, General." The ex-general replied with a beating heart, "Lexicon had everyone use their tranquility technique on the soldiers. As a result, we entered a meditative state."
"Drop the excuses." The top general snapped. "Is your line and location secure?"
"It is." The ex-general replied soberly.
"Good. Prepare to mobilize." General Peyton ordered coldly, "We must destabilize Immortal Skye from within before the invasion. The Airbreaker Unit will arrive if they don''t surrender.
Secure your escape route off the mountain. If 25% of our force falls, we will eradicate Immortal Skye and bomb the mountain to ensure the shadow cat dies."
General Michaels felt an icy chill crawl down his spine. He stared into dead space nkly, questioning whether he had made the right decision to choose Immortal Skye.
Seeing the man''s hesitation, Kaze grabbed the device from his hand and hit the talk button. "This is Kaze Lexicon, the leader of Immortal Skye."
General Peyton was taken aback by the sudden change in speakers and more so by the person speakingthe end. Moreover, the rxed yet fierce confidence in the leader''s voice horrified him.
"You have broken our treaty and dered war on Immortal Skye." The emperor boldly dered, "Prepare to face swift retribution for your ill-judged transgression."
"Are you insane!?" The general asked in aggressive bafflement, "We n to level the mountain. A retreat is futile since we''ve surrounded you, yet you threaten Malta!?"
"No, it''s you who has abandoned reason." Kaze replied arrogantly, "Your soldiers are inbound.
Make sure to watch the drone footage. Perhaps then you''ll attempt leveling the mountain instead of squandering your soldiers and resources on this delusional endeavor."
"What do you mean, [more]!?" General Peyton yelled aggressively. However, the emperor had already cut the receiver and handed it back to the ex-general.
"Tell your soldiers that Malta ns to strike without regard for their lives." Kaze ordered, "As that''s the true nature of your situation and always has been."
Without further discussion, he walked out the door, triggering the dazed general to follow behind bitterly.
"Immortals!" Kaze boomed after arriving, snapping everyone out of their trances.
"Malta is attacking!" The emperor roared, sounding like a general fact, not a warning, "So open the gates and watch closely.
Today you will learn what strength is and why Immortal Skye is the most feared country in the world!"
Excited whispers exploded in a cataclysmic chain reaction when they saw him fly a hundred feet into the sky. Everyone was excited to see the power of their leaderand past enemy.
The Immortals and soldiers made their way to the southside gate and exited to look down the mountain. Once they were watching, the emperor began.
"Foolish troops trespassing on Immortal Skye''s mountain, cease moving at once!" Kaze boomed in an amplified voice that echoed down the mansion.
His words stopped the troops only a few minutes away,
"Malta has dered war on Immortal Skye." He announced boldly, "Therefore, turn around before facing us if you wish to avoid a meaningless death.
For we shall show no mercy to enemies trespassing upon ournds!"
Major Wheatfield pulled over and picked up a mic for a humvee-mounted loudspeaker.
"This is Major Wheatfield of the Maltian Special Forces." The soldier announced boldly, "You are surrounded from the outside and from within, and reinforcements will soon arrive shortly.
Surrender immediately or face the consequences! Be warned that if we cannot capture you, we will bomb this mountain until nothing remains!"
The Immortals and soldiers both froze in terror when they heard the news. Everyone believed they had chosen the wrong side. After all, a frontal assault was far different than a wide carpet bombing!
Kaze gazed down the mountain with a murderous glint in his eyes after the deration.
Immortal Skye was at the top of a steep mountain, essible only to skycruisers and individuals taking a single windy road.
As a result of its steep incline, he could see the green sea of dark green pine trees and blotches of white aspens in full from only a hundred feet up, with his vision unhindered for fifteen miles.
It was a beautiful sight
in times of peace and prosperity.
However, he could also see his wartime enemies driving up the area and had thus condemned the entire area to fall alongside them.
"Since you''ve chosen death, I shall oblige you!" Kaze yelled, raising his hand like a god, "I pray that your pathetic lives prove valuable in serving as a warning to others."
Arge sphere of space around his body warped sharply, creating an inextricably terrifying blueprint of sharp, amorphous shadows. Thousands of shards expanded outward like releasing apressed foam ball before sharply contracting into a tight sphere around his body.
"W-Wait!" Major Wheatfield screamed
But it was already toote.
The major only got a mental snapshot of the sphere before the emperor waved his hand, and it exploded outward, cutting through the air in an intricate pattern.
A split secondter, the entire mountainside in front of him lost its form as thousands of des cut through all of the trees, leaving wood cubes suspended in the shape of trees before falling.
That was thest sight Major Wheatfield and his soldiers saw before they simply ceased to exist.
The Immortals and special forces soldiers watched in shock as the trees fell like dominos, allowing them to see the full effect of the attack.
That included the massive field of crimson flowers that bloomed on the mountain, recing the old trees. Over a thousand soldiers died instantly from the one attack.
While the traumatic snapshot carved itself into everyone''s memories, the emperor didn''t stop.
Kaze lifted his hand, and the nightmarish tidal wave of blood rose to the sky in a gruesome reverse waterfall. "Hear me, Malta! Today marks Malta''s fall and Immortal Skye''s rise!
What you''ve witnessed is a warning for those who seek life and an invitation for anyone seeking to join our legend and immortalize their deaths on the wrong side of history!"
Chapter 164 Maltas Betrayal
The Immortals and soldiers stared at the reverse waterfall of blood rising to the sky in profound disbelief. It had all happened so fast.
Less than a minute after they gathered outside the south side gate, the mountain got torn to shreds, killing thousands of soldiers before their blood rose into the air.
Despite that, the speed, the images of crumbling trees, raging rivers of blood, and the sound from the attack breaking the sound barriers carved themselves into their minds.
Now, the emperor was making warnings to Malta after their victory. However, instead of feeling victorious, the Immortals and soldiers stared forward in a shocked daze, unfeeling.
Each was in denial, unbelieving that their kind leader had destroyed a mountain and killed a thousand soldiers. However, the proof was before their eyes, slowly churning in a reverse waterfall.
Contrary to expectations, the person most shocked was Crux. She wasn''t phased by the waterfall, as she had seen multiple blood maniption techniques in Meridian City. However, the first attack shook her to her core.
[Harrowing Winds].
It was a sacred technique she had only seen in her dreams.
The man named Kaze Lexicon acquired it after a two-year journey, searching for power to help her and the Ice Phoenix win the Killian War.
Unfortunately, while Harrowing Winds had unparalleled potential on a ne with only seven confirmed sacred techniques in its history, he couldn''t use it.
A single usage left him dangerously Qi-deprived. Therefore, he became ast-resort, one-shot trump card. However, he refused to be a trump card and asked for a cultivation technique.
Things weren''t that simple, as practicing thest resort technique was suicide. Despite that, the man''s stubborn resolve and strange love for her leader gave him the strength to use it and help turn the tides of the war. It became a critical resource, thus burrowing itself into her memory.
However, what she had just witnessed
was not what she had seen in her dreams.
While Harrowing Winds was a sloppy weapon of mass destruction, akin to a hurricane, violent and impossible to avoid, what she had just seen was horrifyingly refined, devastating, andplete.
It was so refined that not a single de hit the ground until they stopped miles down the mountain.
The contrast was so extreme that she wanted to discount it as another techniquebut couldn''t. She knew it was the same technique because of [the sound].
It was called [Harrowing Winds] for a reason.
The technique created a sickening sound of thousands of objects colliding simultaneously.
It sounded like a rattle made of human limbs, sloshing sounds, cracking trees, breaking rocks, and blitzing wind before the sound barrier broke, and everything crashed down.
Crux no longer doubted that he was the cultivator in her dreams
and that he wasn''t the same human she knew.
To Sky ne cultivators, Kaze Lexicon was a god.
"It seems some amongst you have remained." Kaze smiled sinisterly, "Therefore, I will answer your call, and immortalize you in the annals of history!"
He waved his hand, and dozens of blood shards the size of spears shot from the waterfall, streaking across the sky like shooting stars.
No one saw where the red streaks went or what they were trying to do. However, they saw ant-sized ck streaks crash downward in the distance, followed by multiple crashing sounds.
While they processed the situation, Kaze grinned and turned sharply, waving his hand around him.
More blood spears shot out, shooting past his back. A momentter
BOOOOM! BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOM! Boom!
a symphony of massive explosions rocked the sound waves, staining the lightly cloudy sky a muddy orange color.
The Immortals were confused, not understanding why the first set of jets and skycruisers didn''t explode, but the next wave did.
However, the soldiers, including Kane and General Michaels, shook with fear after hearing the explosions.
If a non-incendiary attack made a vehicle explode, it meant one thing
the military was shooting missiles, and his blood spears intercepted them, hitting their trigger and making them explode prematurely.
There were seven explosions, shot from various directions. It showcased they were surrounded, and Malta tried to bypass the missile defense systems by overwhelming them.
The soldiers shuddered, realizing the attack would likely have seeded, and they would have all died if Kaze hadn''t intercepted the bombs.
"Do you see that, soldiers?" Kaze asked boldly, "Your government has abandoned you after only one counterstrike!"
A wave of negative synesthesia shot through the ex-special forces, weaving their fear, anxiety, and feelings of betrayal into an inextricable pattern.
"And for what?" The emperor yelled angrily, "They betrayed their ally to gain our cultivation techniques. However, what value does indiscriminately killing us all have?
They''ve wasted valuable lives trying to kill you, seemingly without return. Tell me, soldiers, what would they gain from your deaths?"
The soldiers felt icy chills crawl down their spines. No one could answer their questionexcept Kane and General Michaels, averting their gazes.
"I''ll tell you why." Kaze dered with fiery eyes, "It''s because they know we will attack their military bases after they kill your families!"
Dead silence followed.
Fear.
Uncertainty.
Doubt.
"Your leaders organized their transfer to Lainwright military base." He exined, "As a result, thousands of civilians got transferred to one base.
To you, they''re family. However, to the military, they are resource-consuming deadweight.
Therefore, they seek to kill your families, soldiers! However, they know we will seek retribution for their heinous crimes. That''s why they''re wasting resources to kill you!"
The soldiers turned to Kane and General Michaels. Both met their gaze with pain-stricken expressions, nodding.
After getting confirmation, the soldiers'' hearts filled with primal anger, and their eyes shed with killing intent.
"Their effort will not end here!" Kaze roared, "The military will do anything it can to ensure you fall here today. However, if you follow us, you will survive!
And once you survive, those in Lainwright will face annihtion if they touch your families!"
As if to prove him right, his words triggered an immediate response from Malta in the form of dozens of strategic ballistic missiles, shot from a remote location like nuclear weapons.
Kaze''s eyes became cold and shed with murderous intent. He waved his hand, intercepting the missiles with his spatial technique from a mile away.
New rifts opened up above Immortal Skye at angles pointing at the military encampments set up by the Maltian soldiers encircling the mountain.
BOOOOM! BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOM! Boom! BOOOOM! BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, boom BOOM!
Malta''s main base of operations, ten miles from the mountain''s base, was razed to the ground instantly, turning to cinders after the massive explosion.
The same was true about soldiers en route from cities on multiple sides of the mountain. However, he couldn''t kill anyone on the mountain with the missiles, as it would start a fire.
That didn''t make the soldiers safe. No one was safe.
Kaze closed his eyes, concentrating. Once prepared, he waved his hand, and more spatial rifts opened above him and behind the reverse waterfall of blood, still churning fifty feet in the air.
Immediately after, the waterfall became a sphere before exploding, sending thousands of blood shards into the rifts.
Every shard exited from above, sending red streaks crashing down on the mountain from all angles like a meteor shower, causing screams from soldiers to echo in the distance.
The Immortals and ex-soldiers were stunned, not understanding that the emperor could sense Qi from miles away using a sight technique.
"Soldiers!" Kaze roared, "General Peyton has dered Malta will use the Airbreaker Unit on us soon.
After seeing that their ballistic missiles are more harmful than beneficial, it''s all but guaranteed."
Waves of dread washed over the soldiers after hearing Malta''s elite airforce would attack them.
Unlike shooting missiles from a distance, they''d drop ordnance from above, carpet-bombing the area.
Since the nes were so fast, they would fly low over the area before dropping the bombs. That way, triggering them prematurely would still cause them to explode in Immortal Skye''s face.
Reversing the missile''s course would only send it upward before the bomb fell back down. It was the nightmare scenario the Maltian military devised in the event its missiles didn''t work.
"Malta has forsaken you and your families!" The emperor roared, panning the soldiers'' faces, "Will you ept their betrayal!? Or will you fight back for your lives,rades, and families!?"
Their primal emotions turned into wrath and hatred. They thought about their lives, ying back a lifetime of loyalty and dedication to Malta, and contrasted it against their country bombing them.
It made their blood boil.
"I''ll fight!" Sandra Mills, the soldier with straight brown hair in a ponytail, dered, "For my family and life, I will fight them!"
"So will I!" Aaron Levingston, the read-haired soldier, yelled, "I''ve given my life to Malta, yet they abandoned us all without question. That''s unforgivable!"
After their leaders spoke, the soldiers exploded in war fervor.
"Immortals!" The emperor yelled after their moment, "Will you let them be the only ones defending your home!?"
"I WON''T!" Larkin roared, "I''LL FIGHT ALONE IF NO ONE ELSE JOINS!"
Waves of assent waved through the area, building momentum until everyone''s heart lit aze.
"Then get into position and look alive, Immortals!" Kaze yelled with fiery eyes, "For we have special guests visiting, and we must greet them with a warm wee!"
Chapter 165 The First Victory
Kaze flew above theke at the center of the Immortal Skye campus, overlooking the Immortals and soldiers. They circled theke, backs to each other.
Their eyes were on the sky with Guided Arrows out front, awaiting the Airbreaker Unit''s arrival.
In the center stood Evalyn on a cier pir twenty feet in the air, circling everyone''s backs.
"Malta''s approaching us!" Evalyn announced loudly, "To defend ourselves is natural; to fight back is to survive.
Aim your arrows to the sky if you seek to fight and protect those around you."
The nervous Immortals looked to the sky, in denial that they were getting attacked or that they''d be killing humans. Their lives were deceptively peaceful the day before. They were in shock.
However, the special forces soldiers reacted immediately, preparing to release their arrows without question. Even those that med Kaze for their plight refused to stand around and die.
Malta trained them to protect themselves and others decisively, precisely what they were doing.
Many elites and regr Immortals followed, preparing to attack. However, they were in the minority.
Jake dry-swallowed nervously, turning to Veronica. She nodded decisively, letting him know that she supported him. He was grateful.
"Let''s go, elites!" He yelled nervously, "We don''t want brave soldiers; we want living people. So let''s get this over with so we can bring this nightmare to a close."
The regent represented ordinary people who be strong. Therefore, his words thatckedplete confidence but didn''t waiver gave them energy and courage.
A row of elites lifted their hands to the sky.
"What are you girls doing?" Rein scoffed, looking around at her group, standing around with frozen expressions.
Each mansion had elites, and those in each congregated around them. As a result, the women around the short-haired brte knew her well.
"If we don''t kill these people, we''ll all die here." She snapped, ring at their wincing expressions, "That''s a fact.
Now aim your techniques at the damn sky. While Evalyn''s asking for volunteers, I''m not.
If I see you refusing to protect your life, I''ll ensure you don''t enjoy it if you survive. Now move!"
All the immortals shook momentarily but fell into line. Getting orders to kill the troops helped them psychologically, allowing them to prepare to strike.
Larkin''s group followed him more passionately, with the jester leading the people with his passion.
Kaze nodded to Evalyn, letting her know that the airforce wasing.
"They''re almost here, Immortals." The Ice General announced, circling the area, "Do not waiver or hold back; these people do not see you as humans and will not show you mercy.
If you fear regret, enjoy that [privilege] when you''re alive."
Everyone dry-swallowed, watching the sky.
Kaze closed his eyes and waited. After a few more seconds, he waved his hand at a ghostly speed, and the thousands of soldiers and Immortals radiated with orange light.
Time slowed to the point that they couldn''t talk, as it felt like saying a word would take ten seconds or longer.
While everyone was confused, they couldn''t worry about it. Once time slowed, they finally saw the jets cutting across the skies.
The jets flew at Mach 4, over 3,000 miles per hour. As a result, even with their enhanced cultivation senses, they would''ve only seen a ck streak and heard the jets break the sound barrier.
Now, they saw the nes flying past the northern wall at speed reserved for ultra-slow-motion shots of objects exploding or animals attacking their prey.
As a result of the speed, everyone could see the nes opening their hatches, revealing bombs ready to drop on the faction.
The sight sent everyone''s brains into overdrive, making them realize that they''d die if they didn''t react.
Before they could question it, a sharp streak of Qi shot across the sky, shot by Rein. It curved slowly, making its way to the first jet.
While the arrow and the jet moved slowly, it was faster than the jet, and the trajectory showed that their collision was preordained.
Seeing the decisive action with near-guaranteed sess,
Larkin released his arrow. It was a fraction of the size of Rein''s and was destined to miss every ne. However, his courage set everyone''s hearts aze.
One after the other, dozens, hundreds, and then thousands of people released their arrows, each capable of seeing their arrows alongside the crowd.
The pilots inside the Airbreaker Unit jets'' eyes widened in horror when they saw a wall of warping Qi shooting at them.
Even if they flew upward at full speed, dropped down, or moved sharply to either side, they couldn''t avoid destruction. There was nowhere to move.
Everyone''s world sped up, blitzing their senses. While they could see every detail before, everything that followed happened beyond their mind''sprehension.
If they could, they''d see thousands of Guided Arrows shredding the jets. It was a terrifying sight for those who could see it. However, they didn''t, so they could only hear the aftermath.
Boom! Boom! Boom, boom, boom Boom!
Their minds snapped to attention whenrge chunks of scrap metal fell from the skies, hitting open areas within Immortal Skye.
One shredded ne crashed into a residential mansion, destroying a section of the fourth floor.
Once the residentsprehended what happened, their eyes shed with wrath. They were furious that Malta tried to kill them and still managed to wreck their lives even after failing!
However, before anyone could feel anxiety or extreme anger, Immortal Skye''s most unlikely leader spoke.
"GET SOME, BITCHES!" Larkin yelled in a feral battle cry, "WE''RE IMMORTAL SKYE! YOU BEST RESPECT!"
His enthusiasm triggered an eruption of battle cries, shattering the airwaves.
After their short celebration, Kaze flew above them with a strange smile. "Does anyone still doubt we are the strongest country in the world now?"
Explosive cheers met his words, leading him into a powerful speech about their strength. He whipped everyone into a frenzy, bringing out their pride, nationalism, and feelings of strength.
The emperor then called out distinguished members by name and praised distinguished soldiers, weing them into Immortal Skye.
It was a festive asion that wasn''t interrupted by Maltian forces. Immortals and soldiers bonded, bing one in a stunning disy.
Once he finished, he panned his gaze over the members.
"Now, I must cultivate to regain my strength." Kaze smiled, "I seemed to have misced a good amount of Qi somehow."
The emperor looked over the south side wall with a cheeky smile, triggering a wave ofughter and cheers. Now that they had killed soldiers, they felt excitement and pride in his actions.
"You have done well, Immortals, new and old!" He asserted, "Tonight, we shall feast and celebrate the rise of Immortal Skye after crushing Malta and their foolish invasion!"
The atmosphere became delirious with violent zeal.
"But first, we must crush Malta!" Kaze yelled boldly, "So I expect you all to fight, as your leaders cannot always protect you. This is your home, so defend it!"
After confirming their enthusiasm and resolve, he put up his hand.
"Now, I must go." He said straightly, "As you can imagine, I must recover a significant amount of Qi. So during the period of closed cultivation, I cannot aid you."
Everyone''s eyes widened, and their hearts pulsed. His words reversed their enthusiasm instantaneously.
"You just shredded Malta''s trump card after only a few weeks of training, yet you feel yourself defenseless without me?" The emperor scoffed dramatically, peaking at them out of one eye.
Once they saw his charming confidence in them, their eyes widened again, and they erupted into overwhelming cheers.
"That''s what I thought!" Kaze roared, "Shed your weaknesses, discard your craven thoughtstonight, you will be legends!"
He panned their gazes, bloodthirst and determined, listening to their voices shatter the airwaves. The atmosphere became suffocating, nearly hallucinogenic.
"You are not weak!" The emperor dered, "You are Immortals! Each of you is a monster among men and a valkyrie amongst women!
We do not back down or rely upon the generosity of others! Our strength sets us apart!"
Their voices echoed from the mountain, traveling for miles without the forest acting as a barrier. The world could hear their battle cries.
"You do not require my aid because you are the world''s elites!" Kaze dered, triggering more cheers, "And you have leaders of overwhelming power.
Surely you haven''t forgotten about Evalyn, have you!?"
Everyone turned to the woman standing on the ice pir in theke''s center. She looked unfazed, looking into the distance, awaiting the next attack.
"She is your general and thus your leader!" The emperor dered, "So listen to her without reservation, and do not underestimate her strength!
I expect to hear legendary stories from her tonight at our victory celebration!"
He gave them a strange smile after the cheering calmed and flew away, traveling over the south side gate into the cut clearing.
After flying above the massacre sight where Major Wheatfield and his soldiers were a moment before, he closed his eyes. "Reap."
Chapter 166 Soul Record
"Reap." Kaze whispered, flying above the massacre site.
A vortex of golden light radiated from the area, making the entire mountainside look like a valley of gold. It dazzled everyone present and astounded Crux.
The souls of over a thousand low-grade [cultivators] swirled around him, getting drawn into his Soul Core through cultivation. Unlike before, he felt refreshed and alive as he had never before.
After absorbing the Qi, he let himself drop to the ground, stepping on a tree trunk.
Kaze closed his eyes, pulled his hand back, and waved it decisively. "Death''s Blessing."
A massive arc of golden light shot over the earth, waving over the area like a wheatfield in the breeze. It cut through the faction, shooting under the feet of everyone present.
Everything the light touched sparkled, bing electric momentarily before returning to normal. It left everyone dazed except Crux, who watched it apathetically.
In confusion, Evalyn turned to the divine beast,municating through a sharedmunicatory synesthesia link. "What is that?"
"It''s Soul Qi." Crux exined, "Soul Qi reinforces the strength of everything it touches. Otherwise, Qi pressure would destroy everything in the upper nes.
While reinforcement is a natural process, Kaze expedited it with a technique.
Now, specific objects of his choosing have reinforcement. It''s weak but should survive petty attacks from these equally petty mortals."
Evalyn''s eyes widened during the exnation, watching the wave of golden light pass over everything in a three-mile radius. "Isn''t this using too much for weak reinforcement?"
The divine beast shook her head.
"Imagine you have a fire in a valley you must extinguish." She replied, "Kaze rerouted an existing river to flood the valley to handle it.
His technique didn''t reinforce everything. He only helped the Soul Qi do what it was already doing."
The blonde looked around in amazement. "So he effortlessly protected this ce?"
"Indeed, though I''m surprised he didn''t do more." Crux replied, "Since it''s a natural process, this much reinforcement only took a handful of weak souls.
He must be letting everyone experience consequences or need the Soul Qi for something."
Evalyn looked at the south side gate pensively. She didn''t know what was going through his head. However, they got an answer a momentter.
A spherical arc of golden light encapsted Immortal Skye, leaving everyone awe-struck.
The golden light had beautiful, intricate patterns weaving through it, making it a captivating tapestry of light that nearly had a physical form. It was breathtaking.
"What am I looking at?" Evalyn asked in a daze.
"I... have no clue." Crux replied in a daze, awe-inspired by the scene, "To my knowledge, no one has recorded an ount of a technique like this before. It must exist from a higher ne."
"What ne do you think?" The blonde asked.
After a moment of thought, the divine beast replied hesitantly. "Many techniques create patterns in Elemental Qi.
Cultivators create them to cut something into an X, for example. It''s practical, but this."
"Had tens of thousands of characters and curving lines weaving through it." Evalyn remarked, holding her breath, "Its intricacy is unworldly. Is that right?"
"No, Evalyn." Crux replied in a haze, shaking her head slowly, "I''m not sure what those characters were. Most of it was utterly foreign.
However, I''m certain Kaze wove a high-level cultivation technique into a barrier. I could feel it breathe into me."
The blonde''s heart pulsed, staring into the now clear sky in disbelief.
"This." She said, panning her gaze, "Will this protect us from missiles?"
"I don''t know what it is, but I can tell you what it''s not." The divine beast replied straightly, "It''s not a barrier that prevents attacks like a wall."
Kaze walked through a spatial rift to get to an isted ce on the mountain, sat down in the lotus position, and began cultivating at full force.
It created a chilling atmosphere, slightly suffocating.
"And now we wait." He muttered dryly, "It won''t be long until the fools try to attack in my absence."
After thirty minutes of cultivating, a new force broke the sound barrier
the main Airbreaker Unit.
Unlike before, where he had slowed everyone''s minds, they were now facing the main force at full speed.
"Let''s see how you do." Kaze whispered, "Hopefully, you learn from the soldiers."
Within the campus, the Immortals and soldiers were on edge. However, thetter was alert and prepared to attack.
As a result, they heard the Airbreaker Unit inbound and reacted immediately.
"Enemy inbound!" Sandra yelled, "Arrows to the sky, soldiers!"
On cue, a hundred soldiers instantly readied the technique.
Crux observed, waiting for them to attack. They were far too slow topete, so they could only anticipate.
"Three! Two! One!" The brte yelled, "Fire!"
Confused Immortals watched in confusion as Guided Arrows shot into the sky, seemingly aimed at nothing.
However, a split secondter
Boom! Boom! Boom, boom, boom Boom!
the jets ran into the fire line and got shredded.
"Survivable." Crux smiled strangely, "However, it wasn''t enough."
A dozen jets broke away from the main force and tried encircling the area. Now, they were attacking from their left and right.
Unlike before, where they hit the jets with a surprise attack, they''d now need to hit the jet while it dodged the attacks.
With the soldiers desperately setting up their next arrow and the faction members, who couldn''t see the nes, they were doomed without aid.
Crux flew into the sky like a cute fairy, wearing her cocktail dress-length green frog hoodie. No matter how many times a person saw her, they still couldn''t take her seriously in her human form. However, she never failed to remind people they should.
The divine beast panned her gaze over the sky, capturing the sight of both jets approaching at lightning speed. She waved her hand in aplete wingspan arc without anyoneprehending her movements. "Dark Catalyst."
An eerie phenomenon took ce in the air instantly. The Qi in the air warped and shed with a dark orange light before it turned red and descended into dark purple hues.
It looked like the sky was burning before turning ck, hiding everything behind it. From the Immortals'' impressions, the world was genuinely burning away.
That me spread in a chain reaction, nketing the sky and blocking out the sun and clouds above. It was an eerie scene to behold.
However, the sky wasn''t burning, and her attack didn''t destroy anything. Everyone realized when the jets shot out of the rapidly spreading darkness, contrasting against clear skies.
However, while the nes were physically undamaged, they were surrounded by a dark purple Qi twisting around them like smoke. And if someone looked closely
they''d find that the cockpit was pitch ck.
Everything happened in two seconds while the Immortals tried to see, and the soldiers prepared another volley. So by the time people caught sight of the jets, it was already over.
Boom! Boom! Boom, boom, boom Boom! Boom, boom, boom Boom! Boom! Boom!
A dozen explosions coincided, but they weren''t due to bombs. All twelve jets had blind pilots, unable to fly, so they flew past Immortal Skye''s campus and crashed into the ground.
The Immortals and soldiers turned to the shadow cat but couldn''t see her. Her technique genuinely blocked out the light from the sun, cloaking the entire area in legitimate darkness.
However, in the darkness, Crux sensed a fast attacking from the west and turned to face it.
It happened so fast that those looking into her darkness didn''t see the sky above Immortal Skye glimmer with golden characters, making the two dozen projectiles disappear without a trace.
BOOOOM! BOOM! Boom! BOOM! BOOOOM!
Massive shes of light rocked the distant skies, unaffected by the darkness. ck mushroom clouds of smoke followed, circling the area.
Everyone could hear explosions in Crux''s artificial darkness, so they knew that the attack hit targets all around them, in every direction.
...
"Capture Soul Record." Kaze whispered after reinforcing Immortal Skye with Death''s Blessing, "Transfigure Soul Barrier."
His Soul Core churned, radiating his body with golden light. The Qi twisted forward, consolidating in a sphere before him.
An intricate storm of enigmatic characters formed on the sphere.
Kaze closed his eyes and summoned a blueprint from memory. "Weave Empyrean Rift."
His spatial cultivation technique weaved into the sphere''s pattern, creating a tapestry-like framework for the light circling him.
"Transfigure Spatial Reversal." He whispered, creating a new set of light-like tattoos on the sphere.
After a deep breath, he reached into his pocket and pulled out three silver rings of varying sizes.
"Spatial Link." Kaze whispered, opening his eyes.
A portion of the golden sphere detached, flowing into the rings. It burned intricate patterns into the rings, giving them a beautiful, royal appearance.
He looked to the sky above the Immortal Skye campus with a profound gaze.
"Weave Spirit Qi Imprint." Kaze said, pulling his hand back and waving it forward, "Transfigure Barrier!"
The sphere expanded exponentially, creating a massive light dome over Immortal Skye''s campus, decorated by information in the soul record and Kaze''s spatial technique.
"I''ll be able to reverse attacks at a long distance if they let me know of the danger." Kaze smiled bitterly, "At least now I can."
The emperor walked through a spatial rift to get to an isted ce on the mountain, sat down in the lotus position, and began cultivating at full force.
It created a chilling atmosphere, slightly suffocating.
"And now we wait." He muttered dryly, "It won''t be long until the fools try to attack in my absence."
..
Kaze gazed at the artificial darkness with a nostalgic expression. "It never ceases to amaze me that changing the color of Elemental Qi could be so destructive.
With modern equipment, simple blindness can kill your foes. It''s profoundly convenient."
His smile disappeared when he felt a force approaching from a distance.
"Those fools," He growled, clenching his hand, activating his spatial ring. The soul barrier above the campus glimmered with golden light, capturing the Qi movements from all objects.
When two dozen ballistic missiles reached a space within, new rifts opened a mile above Immortal Skyeand sent them back into the directions they came from with pinpoint uracy.
Naturally, the loss of kic force prevented any projectile from being reversedpletely. However, every base sending the ballistic missiles found itself getting pelted.
Since the missiles were meant to level the mountain, the bases faced full-scale military strikes.
Game over.
Kaze returned to cultivating to regain his strength, waiting for more missile attacks that never came. After a while, he opened his eyes with a strange expression. "Then it''s time to face the cultivators. I''m alreadyte."
Chapter 167 Power And Law
Kaze stepped out of a spatial rift on the side of the mountain, overlooking Meridian City. Only a day before, it was in chaos but still standing. Now,rge sections of the city were on fire.
Skyscrapers had toppled from the recent air bombing, creating a distinctively jagged appearance in the distance. It was a terrifyingly dystopian sight.
"If they attacked the city, it meant the Killian faction cultivators created chaos for the military." He muttered pensively, "That must mean there''s an event near the city."
After a deep breath, he panned his gaze to the West. Following the main highway out of Meridian City would lead him to a smaller city 100 miles away called Markwood, where a cultivator-sponsored "game" would get held in two hours.
Kaze had to run there and would bete. He was performing a covert operation to steal the Ergo Seeds for treasure cultivation and didn''t want to attract attention with flight.
He also didn''t know how many cultivators would arrive. Therefore, he wanted to conserve his Qi and thus couldn''t use [Empyrean Rift].
With time running short, he had to choose: should he bete to Markwood and run the risk of failure? Or should he try finding the closer event site but run the risk of not finding it in time?
"It''s worth using Qi to find someone." Kaze pondered aloud, "The Killian cultivators broadcast the event announcements, so everyone should know. Let''s see if I can find anyone close."
After scouring the area from the mountaintop, he found a ramshackle settlement ten miles away.
"It''s a clear path needing only two hops to get over debris." He confirmed, "Let''s go."
"W-Wait! I-I already told you, I d-don''t know anything about this event or whatever." A terrified man with a recently grown beard stuttered.
He wore a torn white button-up shirt, indicative of his life as a clean-shaven white-cor worker a month before. Currently, the shirt was strained by its need to hold the man in ce.
He was currently dangling off the edge of a two-story building 30 feet above the ground, with a pair of vibrant green eyes gazing into his soul.
"Ick humanity for those who cannot think to save their lives." Kaze scoffed in disgust, loosening his grip on the man''s cor, "Let me rephrase this simply.
Flying humans. Sky. Announcement. Chaos. Bombing. Surely you remember that sequence of events, yes?"
The man looked to the ground in a panic, then looked up with wide eyes and quivering lips. "T-The cultivators'' a-announcement?"
"Herein lies the problem with parroting questions." The emperor scoffughed, "I cannot tell if you''re seeking death or rification with that question.
I haven''t the time for lengthy replies, let alone echoed banter. So speak, you fool!"
He loosened his hand again, making the man rock by the fibers of his shirt.
"W-Wait! The cultivators, t-they said they told everyone to show up s-somewhere." The man said in a panic, pleading with his eyes.
"Hoh? It seems your head is functioning again." Kaze mused sarcastically, "Now that it is, I suggest youprehend your mortality and reference it before responding thoughtlessly.
Let''s practice. Where did they ask everyone to congregate."
The man''s eyes teared up with ragged breaths. "I-I don''t"
"Nch, nch, nch." The emperor clicked sinisterly, waging his finger, "That''s an immediate denial and thereby thoughtless. Now, think about it and replywhere did they ask people to congregate?"
"I-I." The man stuttered before pausing, "T-They said to the east somewhere. I''m not sure where, as I was running. Farnd. I don''t know something about an earth-grade technique being there."
"How wonderful." Kaze grinned sarcastically, gripping his shirt to stabilize him, "It seems you have the faculty to think.
You did well with our exercise; keep it up, as this was your only practice. Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes." The man said, grateful to feel bnced again.
"Excellent." The emperor smiled, "Let''s continue. Think very hard; do you remember them giving any clues? Distance? Type of crop field? Landmarks?"
After being asked, the man divulged everything he knew, like a water faucet. Though much was frantic, he presented useless details he thought could be helpful.
Once he finished, Kaze pulled him to the edge of the building.
The relief on the man''s face faded when the emperor stopped pulling him forward after the balls of his feet touched the edge. His position was just enough to feel stable but equally deadly if dropped. He looked down and then back hesitantly. "W-What else?"
"What did the cultivators say to trigger Malta to drop the bombs?" Kaze asked coldly, "Think about it.
They incited a panic, a riot, or a rebellion. Did they ask the popce to attack the soldiers?"
After hearing the prompt, the man closed his eyes with gratitude, getting help. "They said there would be food for only two hundred people.
A-Additionally, everyone would be fighting and killing each other for the technique. So the more people that showed up, the deadlier it''d get. Something like that."
He winced in fear when he saw the emperor''s expression turn grave, preparing himself for death. However, he felt airborne the next moment before
"Gah!"
he hit the pebble-lined rooftop with a thud, coughing.
Panicked, he prepared to say sorry or thank you. However, the emperor was nowhere to be found.
"Such barbarity." Kaze growled, running under a masking illusion technique at full speed. He was moving around 60 miles per hour on t ground, with the scenery flying past him. "Seeding treasures requires immediate proximity.
You''ve ordered a ughter without purpose!"
The emperor jumped over a 30-foot river leading to the ocean. Meridian City was a harbor city with multiple rivers leading to the ocean. There were dozens of these rivers leading into the main estuary, arge river separating the north and south side of the city.
The sun was setting, giving the world red and orangeish hues. It was particrly stunning over the waterways as he jumped over them, weaving between cars when he couldn''t run on the roadside.
Kaze wasn''t in the mood for sightseeing, however. He was in a foul mood and was trying to calm his raging emotions before he caused the people he cared about unnecessary trouble.
A death match was taking ce east of the city in rural corn fields. The prize for the three survivors was the [Fertility of Growth] technique, the same he had taught everyone in Immortal Skye.
While the [game] was cruel, it had a defined purpose. That night, cultivators would nt Ergo Seeds, a treasure nt known for profound body-cleansing properties.
Ergo developed cleansing properties by absorbing Soul Qi to nourish its innate properties. Therefore, to nt it, a person needed a significant amount of Soul Qi to fertilize thend.
Thus, the Killian cultivators were gathering mortals to fertilize the fields for treasure growth, which they wouldter use for future trials.
While it was a disturbing practice, Kaze didn''t mind it. In fact, he appreciated it.
They were living in the apocalypse. Giving people a [voluntary opportunity] to win a cultivation technique, thus increasing their survival, was a benefit. Later down the line, those strong enough to contend for the Ergo treasures would benefit.
He held that perspective because he obtained [Fertility of Growth] five millennia ago in the Markwood event. Moreover, if it weren''t a deathmatch, he wouldn''t have had a chance to snipe it from one of the winners.
No, he wasn''t angry at the event itself. He was angry because the cultivators triggered a massacre for no reason.
"How many died?" Kaze scoffed, running alongside a highway, avoiding cars. "How many died because the cultivators imed everyone was participating?
Most people are trying to hide from the sick and stay sane. They couldn''t even move!"
The cultivators implied that the event had limited food and tens of thousands ofpetitors. As a result, it was best to massacre the people around each contestant to preventpetition.
While it was logical if there were that manypetitors, more than half of the poption in the city were already insane.
As a result, nearly every person was simultaneously avoiding vicious mobs of people attempting to kill them and trying to stay sane with their breathing technique.
There were probably less than a hundred people in the entire city [capable] of joining. Therefore, the massacre was offensively meaningless.
"For what?" Kaze growled, his eyes shing with murder, "Entertainment? Feelings of superiority? Simply because they''re strong, so they can do as they like?"
The emperor ominouslyughed as he jumped onto another highway. Once he started, he continuedughing. He didn''t know how many centuries it had been since heughed so hard.
There wasn''t a brilliant joke in his mind.
It was the irony ying out.
Being there at that moment, running toward the event, held an unrivaled grade of satire.
"I''m sick of this buffoonery!" Kazeugh-scoffed vitriolically, "People treat the world as if the strong do whatever they wantas if there is now to the world.
However, there''s something critical that these unhinged swine always forget!"
He beganughing again, increasing his pace to a greater extent, jumping over cars.
"There is always someone with the most power!" Heughed caustically, "That person does [almost] whatever they want, and that person makes the rules.
Anyone that breaks those rules gets punishedsuch is the nature of power and w]!"
Hisughter increased with murder shing in his eyes. Without realizing it, he was reliving his early years again, seeing it from another perspective. Hearing that the cultivators didn''t exhibit professionalism in their war recruiting effort made him sick. Theymitted genocide and didn''t even do their job!
"Yet time and time again, menial simpletons [sent to nt seeds] will massacre tens of thousands to prove they''re stronger than [someone]." The emperorughed in a craze, "To y out a foolish fantasy that they''re thew. Pathetic."
The cornfields came into view as he ran. Seeing them, he casually jumped forty feet off a bridged highway and hit the ground running.
"Well, they''ll learn tonight that I''m the strongest." Kaze chuckled with a twisted smile, "That I''m thewand I condemn them!
They''ll learn tonight that there is no ce on any ne where a person is free to act without fear of decisive retribution!"
The emperor watched dozens of cultivators descend from the skies above the fields with a terrifying glint in his eyes. All were preordained to get wiped out in a horrifying ident.
Chapter 168 Ergo Seeds And Talk Of Treason
East of Meridian City, there was arge state-sponsored agricultural district. Due to the city''s importance for maritime trade, grain and crop productionprised 60% of the area''s economy. As a result, the reserved farnd was shockinglyrge, considering its proximity to a mega city.
There were thirty square miles of farnd in the district. In the center was arge swath of cornfields in a rotation that around eighty people were navigating to.
Three dozen cultivators were above the fields. They had recently flown there and were now overlooking the contestants.
"This is it, Jacob?" A familiar woman frowned, her brte hair wrapped in a tight bun, "Of the hundred thousand or more ants, less than a hundred made it?"
The cultivator that appraised Kaze on June 2nd turned to a man who looked like he was in charge with a stern expression. He felt sweat drip down his shoulder des, and his two subordinates shuddered. "Why is there so few people?"
One of the subordinates winced and spoke. "Well, the thing is"
"Not you." She scoffed, "I''m asking Jacob why there''s so few people."
The long ck-haired man in question averted his gaze with an indignant expression.
"It''s because they''re weak, Martha." Jacob replied coldly, "I told them the event was here as discussed, and the animals started killing each other to preventpetition. Then their military arrived to kill them. That''s not my fault."
Martha turned to his subordinates. "Do you two testify that Jacob didn''t do anything to encourage these ants to kill one another?"
They looked at each other and their boss before nodding. However
"Under threat of death for perjury." She rified, "I am reporting this turn out to my superiors."
The subordinates froze, both unwilling to lie with their lives on the line.
Jacob''s eyes turned cold, and his fists trembled. His anger was visible. "Martha, do not me us for the savage actions of these insects.
Their incivility is not predictable by rational standards."
Martha gave him a mocking smile. "Is that so? Like people killing each other for food during times of starvation? I''d say that''s normal behavior. It''s strange that everyone would think that food was here when it isn''t."
"They must have misinterpreted there would be food here because we''re in crop fields." He replied coldly.
She smirked at his response. "Hoh? Do crop fields have exactly enough for"
"Enough!" Jacob snapped, "We''re here to nt these fields, not make friends with insects. So do your job and stop using me of wrongdoing when I''ve done my job."
"You''re wrong." Marta replied coldly, "There are too few people to fertilize these fields properly and we may have to put the nting on hold. During that time, we can investigate whether you''re disrupting the war recruitment effort for treason or personal gain."
He tried to object, but she raised her hand, all of the cultivators'' hands glowed, and the equipment satchels in their hands disappeared into thin air.
Kaze frowned when they put the equipment away but smiled when he saw they had spatial rings for the Ergo seeds!
Spatial rings stored items for extraction. However, as physically required, the space had to exist somewhere. Therefore, spatial rings use a rift to ess an actual storage space.
There were distance limitations for spatial rings. As a result, the rings set up for Ergo Seed nting were hastily set up on Earth by a rare professional, meaning all the seeds were likely in one ce!
It was a jackpot. He only had to capture one and drop the new seeds into Immortal Skye from his storage ring to aplish his goal. However
"Wait!" Jacob yelled, "Are you mad!?"
"Of course not!" Martha scoffed, "I will not get in trouble for crop failure due to your treasonous actions. There''s already a treason investigation ongoing; I''m not adding myself to it."
"You''re insane!" He scoffed, "Treason? Does anyone believe cultivators are aiding the mortals in a fight against the Killian faction? Crux hates mortals and doesn''t speak a humannguage!"
Kaze froze; he didn''t know what would happen with the divine beast stayed. However, he thought it''d end in desertion charges and a basic investigation.
After all, no one would willingly live on Earth during the apocalypse! It was unthinkable.
So hearing that she was under investigation for treason was extreme. It was concerning because
"We''re about to find out." Martha said coldly, "We spotted Darkness used only an hour ago in this area. We''ve all been told to investigate after we''ve finished with our roles."
"Oh, that''s what it is." Jacob scoffed in disgust, "You''re trying to be the first to investigate and win the rewards. So you''re pushing off your duties here."
"Even if that were true, it''d only work if you failed to perform your dutiesas you have." She smiled wickedly.
"OUI! YOU DID IT, DIDN''T YOU!" An aggressive man yelled out.
"Did what, you crazy freak?" Another scoffed.
"YOU ATE ALL THE FOOD!"
The cultivators turned down when they heard a fight break out. A momentter
Whoooooosh! Thud, thud, thud-thud-thud-thud-thud.
an air sh ripped across the cornfields, cutting a row of crops and multiple cultivators in half.
While the strength of the attack wasn''t special, there was a reason to leave the cultivators stunned.
"T-This Soul Qi." Martha muttered, "It''s so rich."
"Y-Yeah, that''s right!" Jacob said boldly, "Thinning the ranks ensured that only the strongest cultivators got here. One of these people is worth a hundred normal people!"
His argument was solid, making her grit her teeth.
"Mortals!" Martha yelled from the air, "Let this attack start your trial! Thest three to survive will obtain a peak earth-grade cultivation technique, making you the strongest humans on earth!"
"FUCK YEAH!"
"Shut up! Do you want to"
Whoooooosh!
"GahhhhhhhhHHHH!"
Thud, thud, thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Unable to see one another as nned, the cultivators began attacking randomly in the cornfield.
To keep up the illusion, Kaze stalked the cornfield, periodically releasing raw Soul Qi to make it seem like humans were more powerful than they were.
He used a Spirit Qi disguise technique to make his cultivation look erratic. It was amateur at best, but Sky ne cultivators were childrenpared to him. So he hoped it was enough.
"Unbelievable." Martha whispered, watching rich Soul Qi popte the earth. It was a boon from her perspective, a tempting one, "There is more Soul Qi here than expected."
"Yes, so do your job." Jacob said coldly, watching her like a hawk.
Kaze observed them as he skillfully moved through the area, stalking prey. He was listening to those boasting about killing innocents and killing them first.
He''d kill them all if necessary. Evalyn, Crux, Kiera, and Immortal Skye were in danger of war, and he wanted revenge. He wasn''t there to y hero on other people''s behalf.
His strategy was simple; he''d end the match and let them bring out the seeds voluntarily to distract them. Once he secured his objective, he''d manufacture all their deaths. It was a multi-tiered strategy that mitigated further investigation in the event of failure. He wasn''t infallible.
Once everyone had thinned out, Kaze felt a cultivator in the distance and waited, pretending to look around.
When the man struck, he waited in ce until thest minute and [tried] to dodge, letting it hit his body.
He faked his death to prevent attention bybining a blood illusion, an illusion that masked his cultivationpletely, and a slight release of Soul Qi.
"How strange; I thought that one was powerful due to hisbat skill and body." Martha muttered, watching him [die], "I guess it shows that mortals are still mortals. It''s a pity."
"That''s enough!" She boomingly announced after the match, "Only three of you still remain. Please walk to me to obtain your technique."
All thepetitors, bloody and breathing raggedly, walked to the center of the field.
She turned to her people. "Get your equipment and nt quickly; we''re leaving as quickly as possible. We''re investigating Crux''s disappearance and potential betrayal. So act with haste!"
The cultivators nodded, and a chain reaction of blue light shed across their hands, and satchels containing farming supplies and seeds materialized.
Kaze observed, watching them glide down in the field from his prone position. He was waiting until everyone was distracted before moving.
"It''s time to go." He whispered, skillfully creating a spatial rift underneath his lower body.
Since his lower body fell from the sky, he naturally fell onto his feet right. Regardless, he never touched the ground, gliding on top.
As a result, the cultivator digging in the field didn''t even hear him before
Thud.
a strange attack hit the back of their neck, and they dropped to the ground.
It was non-lethal. He couldn''t let more Soul Qi enter the fields when Jacob and his squad were specifically monitoring it.
He then propped them up in a digging position and stole their spatial ring. After stealing the seeds from their leather bag, he walked through another rift.
Thud.
Another.
Thud.
A third.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud thud.
One after another, the cultivators fell. While it was suspicious, their disappearances conveniently urred everywhere that the cultivators weren''t watching, no matter how far away they were. It was also dark, and his speed was ghostly.
After he stole from eighteen cultivators walked out of a rift to the forest, activating a spatial ring where he could see the cultivators but wouldn''t get noticed.
"They didn''t lock the storage." Kaze smiled, looking at the hundreds of kits inside, "The question is whether a war is imminent."
If he stole too many, it would alert the Killian Cultivators they got robbed prematurely. It would also raise further questions about Crux''s potential involvement.
However, they already learned about her when she used a distinctive attack in the sky above Meridian City, swarming with cultivators for the nting. He frowned, thinking about it.
"We must only hold out until 9 am tomorrow." Kaze muttered, "Then we''ll have a month to prepare for another 24-hour attack, as the cultivators must leave during every closing.
However, treason will affect her family. So we''ll need to act ordingly, making the situationplicated I''ll take three dozen. That''s a much greater haul than anticipated.
These fools cannot tell which area stole them, anyway."
He quickly unloaded the kits and looked up, noticing Jacob''s face just in time.
The cultivator trembled in horror when he noticed that the cultivators he thought were digging were unconscious. It was hard to see with them on their hands and knees, but the pattern was noticeable. "H-Hey, Mar"
Halfway through speaking, a hand grabbed his mouth and pulled him through an alternate dimension.
Looking at the brand-new scenery overlooking the area, he heard a bone-chilling voice whisper in his ear. "Hello, Jacob. As of this moment, your only purpose in life is to tell me everything you know about these treason investigations.
Ick even five seconds, so if you don''t answer my questions in one sentence without a single [um] or pause, I''ll snap your neck and ask Martha. Nod once if you understand."
Chapter 169 Three-For-One
"Why is Crux Pyron under a treason investigation despite going missing in the Mortal Realm?" Kaze asked Jacob coldly, "Two sentence answer, or you die."
A crushing pressure assaulted the cultivator''s back after his warning, indicating the man had no chance of escaping.
"C-Crux went into the Mortal Realm without notice and hasn''t returned even after the gate reopened." The cultivator stammered, "Since nothing poses a threat here, she deserted for a purpose."
"How many people did they send to find her, and what skill level are they?" Kaze asked, increasing the pressure slightly.
"T-Team of ten." Jacob winced, "Seven high-Heaven Realm cultivators, two early Divine Realm, and one Sky Lord."
The emperor smiled, seeing that the Killian faction respected her strength so highly they sent someone ostensibly stronger than her with nine high-level helpers.
"Last question: where are they searching for her?" Kaze asked coldly.
"On this continent, loosely in this area, where she was summoned." The cultivator replied.
Without another word, the man lost consciousness when the emperor used a technique to knock him out.
"One down." He whispered, waving his hand and walking through another portal. A momentter, he dragged Martha through the portal.
Her eyes widened in shock. "W-What are"
Before she even spoke her sentence, a technique hit her neck, and heid her beside Jacob. Once they were in position, he walked into another portal and knocked out Jacob''s helpers and nters.
Using the silent spatial technique, no one saw him before it was toote. It was devastating.
With all the cultivators taken care of, he ensured that the three winners were in the distance.
Then he gathered all the seeds and dragged all of the bodies except Martha''s into the field.
"And now for an improper nting cmity." Kaze said coldly, dropping an Ergo seed onto each of their bodies. Once ready, he closed his eyes. "Reap."
A slow cyclone of golden light highlighted the emperor''s clothing, wearing Jacob''s white robes and using a minor illusion to appear like a woman.
Once ready, he waved his hand, and all the Qi washed over the ground, pinpointing the 35 seeds on each cultivator''s body.
Each seed glowed bright gold momentarily, making it look vibrant and healthy. However, the emperor kept loading in Qi without pause.
Eventually, their color reversed, darkening and bing ck.
Kaze didn''t stop. He kept loading in Soul Qi until the seeds cracked and a sickening miasma poured out of them.
"W-What is this?" Jacob wheezed, waking up. His eyes turned bloodshot, his throat strained, and ck veins pulsed in his face.
"Soul corruption." Kaze replied coldly, hoving over the man from the skies above, "This is what would have happened to your body if you absorbed even a percent of the Soul Qi from Meridian City.
However, you didn''t. You killed up to a hundred thousand people and cultivated less than a percentage of their lives."
"W-Wait." Jacob wheezed, his eyes developing blood in his tear ducts. He was soon for the world but survived longer than everyone else because he had a full Soul Core fighting back, "Y-You misunderstand."
"What is there to misunderstand?" The emperor asked coldly, "You''re lying with the dead bodies of the desperate murderers you spawned. Now, you''re breathing in those peoples'' souls."
The cultivator''s heart pulsed, and he began coughing up blood. He tried crawling away, begging, and exining, but neither his body nor mouth would move.
"It''s futile." Kaze said coldly, "The miasma you''re breathing is eating the hundreds of souls you collected needlessly. This world is collecting what it rightfully owns.
Then, the miasma will eat your soul, permanently removing you from the cycle of life. Whether there is an afterlife or not is now irrelevant to you. Such is the price you pay for this indelible sin."
Jacob stopped struggling, letting the emperor''s words cycle through his mind over and over, stuck on repeat like a broken record. With every y-through, it became hazier, more confused, and muddied. On the sixth yback, he exhaled, and darkness clouded his eyes.
After the man died, Kaze flew down, put the man back into his white cultivator robe, changed, and headed back to the forest.
"Wha." Martha groaned when a jolt awoke her, looking up and seeing a familiar face. However, it wasn''t Kaze Lexicon''s face. "Rayton ckfoot?"
"Do not dare utter the ckfoot name." [Rayton] scoffed, "Tell me where your other operations are."
She blinked twice in a haze. "What do you mean?"
"Are you blind, woman!?" He scoffed, "The nting operations. If you divulge the Killian faction''s schedule now, I''ll make your death swift and painless.
Otherwise, I''ll use Dark Shards to shred your body from bottom to top, creating tourniquets every few inches until you speak to me."
Martha''s eyes widened in shock. "W-Wait, I''ll talk. Just what are you doing here?"
"I''m here to wipe out your forces in your weakened states!" Raytonughed coldly, "As it turns out, even the Panthera equalize to a mere Heaven Realm on the Mortal ne.
Once everyone''s on the same power base, it only takes numbers to kill anyone. Isn''t that something?"
The cultivator woman''s eyes widened in shock. "W-Wait, you killed Lady Pyron? You betrayed Killian?"
"Lady Pyron?" Rayton scoffed, "Don''t treat that Pyron whore like a noble. Her beastly nature was all that made her strong.
She didn''t even have enough brains to avoid getting led into a trap on the Mortal ne.
Also, do not use the ckfoot n of [betrayal] when Andrew Killian has funded the Panthera''s campaigns to step on us."
"I-I see." Martha dry-swallowed, "So the use of Darkness earlier, was you?"
"That''s right; the Panthera whore''s been dead since thest closing." Raytonugh-scoffed in disbelief, "However, you and the rest are still alivethat''s why we''vee to collect your souls and resources."
He unveiled a massive pile of satchels. Only moments before, he cleared out the rest of the storage to y his ruse.
"God this feels GOOD!" Rayton yelled at the top of his lungs, "Finally telling you swine how I feelhow [we] feel! With that off my chest, I''m officially ready to kill you. So tell me everything you know, as Ick the patience to care about my role here!"
Three Hours Prior | Immortal Skye
"It''s been too silent." Evalyn whispered under her breath, standing on the south side wall, looking at the devastation Kaze had wrought, "Only one more jet squadron I''m not sure what Kaze did, but they haven''t attacked since."
She eyed the mountaintop, lined with unstable, jagged wood chunks and green pine needles. One heavy wind would send a brown and green avnche sliding down the mountainside.
"The explosions were massive yet." She whispered, "It''s hard to believe they wouldn''t try again. If we were strong enough to defeat them, they''d know that defeating us tonight was their only chance for survival."
Evalyn turned around. "Michaels, it''s time to open upmunication. Our policy is not to engage, only listen. Let''s speak privately; Kylie, you''re with us."
General Michaels and Kylie nodded as the blonde jumped off the wall, leading both to a central point where the soldiers and faction members were in sight but couldn''t hear them.
Once they were isted, he pulled out a handheld device and entered a code.
The group waited for less than thirty seconds before a signal came in.
"General Michaels, do you read me!?" General Payton asked frantically.
Evalyn looked at Kylie, who nodded, then turned to the ex-general and nodded.
"Yes, I''m here." General Michaels replied dryly.
"Good." The man said with false confidence, "We''ve stopped striking Immortal Skye to negotiate a cease-fire. We are currently holding Immortal Skye''s and your soldier''s families hostage.
If you are unwilling to cooperate, we will move bases, killing all of your families before leaving. If we are dying regardless, we will not take baggage."
General Michael and Kylie''s eyes widened in horror. Even though both of their families were secure, thinking of everyone elses'' dying was unbearable.
However, Evalyn took the receiver and hit the button. "This is Evalyn Skye.
If you kill any number of our people, our Shadow Cat will track you down by smell and ughter you wherever you are.
Considering she can run over 200 miles an hour without concern for barriers or obstacles, we''ll send her to butcher you and your troops tonight."
The general on the other end opened and closed his mouth in disbelief. He couldn''t believe what he had just heard.
However, considering the video footage of her in her panther form, he didn''t deny the ims. It finally dawned on him that they had lost. Kaze proved that missiles were ineffectual, and he now knew that Immortal Skye chose when they died.
"If I''m already dead, then why would we prolong your family''s lives?" General Payton asked, "Why would we waste our resources if you''re nning to kill us?"
"[I''m] is an apt word, general." Evalyn said coldly, "[You] will die for your crimes. However, your soldiers will live, protection and agreement permitting.
Will you foolishly sacrifice [all] of your soldiers'' lives today?"
General Payton fell silent on the other line after a depressed breath. After a minute of silence, he got back onto the receiver. "I will reign in my troops if you agree to spare them.
However, we cannot guarantee the lives of any of your people, as they''re facing off against our soldiers. They have already triggered a considerable amount of bloodshed. We aren''t responsible for"
"You''re not responsible!?" Evalyn scoffed in vitriolic anger, shocking everyone present, "You''re fucking responsible! Go down there and reign in all your soldiers.
I''ll spare three soldiers'' lives for every guilty soldier you turn into me.
One-fourth of your military base is guaranteed to die. Unless you want it to be 100%tonightI''d start making an extensive fucking list!"
Chapter 170 The Rapture Has Arrived
General Michaels and Kylie were stunned when they heard Evalyn dere that she nned to massacre ? of the military base and gave General Payton the cruel job of pointing out the officers who followed [his] orders to die.
However, the look in the blonde''s eyes told them her decision was personal.
"T-That." General Payton dry-swallowed, "I do not doubt your words. Yet, you''d have me choose those to die? That''s cruel, Ms. Skye."
"Tell that to the people whose families you killed." Evalyn replied coldly, "They''ll find nothing wrong with making you pick out the guilty for death. Your soldiers killed innocent people they vowed to protect; following orders doesn''t change that."
"Ms. Skye." He replied hesitantly, "Surely, you understand that Qi Sickness ran rampant today, correct? It was impossible to protect people when our soldiers were killing each other."
The blonde narrowed her eyes, feeling the gazes of those beside her.
"Send the leader charged with protecting our people to Immortal Skye." She said coldly, "I''ll cross-verify and decide ordingly.
Do not let more of our people die, or I''ll make the exchange two for oneor less.
Additionally, we''ll ughter everyone in your base and track down survivors if you fire a single missile. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes." The general dry-swallowed.
"Good; secure your objectives and act with haste." Evalyn ordered with a strange shift in tone, "And oh, general. There''s something that I think you should know."
General Payton felt an icy chill crawl down his spine when he heard the bone-chilling smile in her voice. "What''s that?"
"The military at Maryworth Hospital held my mother hostage to force me to aid them." She announced with a sinister smile, "Remember how that turned out, general?"
General Michael trembled with fear, triggering footage from the event to sh before Kylie''s eyes. Everyone suspected that she and Kaze were responsible, but hearing it from her mouth made the admission chilling.
"S-So it was you?" General Payton asked nervously.
"Wasn''t that an unspoken truth?" Evalyn mused ominously, "I was weak when you stole my mother from me, so Kaze had to save me. Two days ago, I crushed all your special forces simultaneously.
I have changed; the situation has not. What do you think I''ll do this time?"
The general''s anxiety transferred through the receiver like static from a poor connection.
"I uh." General Payton eeked out, afraid not to respond but lost for words.
"Rx, general." She whispered seductively, "There''s no need to ruin the surprise. But I will leave you with one hint."
"W-What''s that?" He asked with a cracking voice.
The Ice Phoenix put her lips very close to the mouthpiece. "Unlike Kaze and Crux, Ick a single annihtion technique; everything I know is intimate."
Everyone felt icy electricity pulse through their bodies when they heard her words, all falling silent.
"I look forward to meeting you and the guilty, General Payton." She whispered sensually.
"I." General Payton replied sheepishly.
"Oh, onest thing before I forget, general." Evalyn added yfully, "I have a special gift for you if you don''t give me a full three-for-one list. I assure you; it''s a real treat. Bye~bye."
The blonde cut off the receiver and thrust it into the ex-general''s hands, staring at her nkly.
"I''m sure you''re grateful you chose the right side." She remarked coldly, "Now, I suggest you use your full authority to control your soldiers, as my patience for the military has worn thin."
General Michael''s shuddered, watching the Ice Phoenix walk away. "Yes, mam."
An hourter, Crux snuck up on Evalyn and pulled her behind a guest house, terrifying her. However, the blonde froze when she saw the Shadow Cat''s panicked gaze.
"What is it, Crux?" Evalyn asked with a beating heart.
"Powerful Sky ne cultivators are flying around this area." Crux replied, taking a sharp breath, "I''m suppressing my cultivation, so they cannot find me.
However, with your abnormal strength, they wille. If they see me, it will lead to immediate conflict, and Ick the strength to fight all of them.
You must stall them as long as possible until Kaze arrives; we don''t have a choice."
A wave of anxiety crashed into the blonde. "How do I stall people that see me as an ant?"
"They can speak English, so you can hold discourse." The divine beast replied, "You have a technique that''s top tier in the Sky ne; that''s worth talking about.
Additionally, you have a small army using the strongest cultivation technique they''ve circted.
These people will be interested in Kaze. You need only convince them to wait until he arrives or returnter after they find me."
"I understood." Evalyn dry-swallowed, "I can rely upon you to fight to protect my life if necessary, correct?"
"That''s without dispute." Crux replied seriously, "I have sworn my loyalty to Kaze Lexicon to protect my family from a future betrayal from whom I previously swore loyalty to. I will not break that word."
"Good, then tell me what I must do." The blonde replied, tense.
"Ice General!" Jake yelled at maximum volume, "We have a problem! Where are you?"
"Speak of the devil." Evalyn smiled wryly, "Let''s get negotiations"
"The non-mobilized soldiers suffering from Qi Sickness are running up the mountain!" He yelled, "We cannot negotiate or stop them with a demonstration of force!"
An icy chill crawled down the blonde''s spine, turning to the divine beast.
"You must fight on your own, Evalyn." Crux said seriously, "Also, unless you wish to attract attention, you mustn''t use your divine technique unless necessary."
Evalyn strode from behind the building with a beating heart, her mind hazy and racing. "Give me a situation report! We must mobilize immediately, and I need to know the situation!"
Jake froze when the Ice General strode past him, walking toward theke where two-thirds of her forces were cultivating and the other third kept guard.
"The soldiers are moving up the south side mansion at a fast pace and approaching from the east and west." He exined, "Natural barriers prevent them from approaching from the north."
She entered the area quickly, walking past the soldiers and cultivating members toward theke.
When she reached the water, she didn''t stop walking. Her right foot touched the water and froze it in a three-foot radius, which turned into a five-foot radius when her left touched down.
The speed of her steps did not slow; she looked more stable than before. It was a raw disy of power and skill that people could notprehend.
She waved her hand in the center of theke, approaching the ice pir she had built earlier, which was slowly melting.
A ramp of ice formed, leading to the top. As Evalyn stepped on it, it crunched, creating natural steps that froze once they stabilized.
The Ice General didn''t once lose speed or momentum during the operation. She only stopped at the top, where she panned the area in a 360 spin. "Immortals, listen up!"
Everyone snapped to attention at her decisive tone.
"Soldiers affected with Qi Sickness are approaching our base!" Evalyn yelled, making everyone''s hearts pulse, "We must defend our lives, for they will not negotiate!"
Most gasped in shock, hearing that they''d soon be fighting soldiers face to face.
"Those with Qi Sickness look like humans! They sound like humans! They can even use items and speak like humans!" The Ice General warned, "However, they are not humans! Not anymore!"
Everyone held their breath, confused by her words that warned them they''d be fighting humans. Anything requiring a disimer stating people weren''t humans meant they''d assume the contrary.
"Immortals, you have not seen these animals!" Evalyn asserted, "But if you look at the soldiers around you, not a single one disagrees! These animals have killed theirrades, stolen their friends, and razed their homes!"
All original Immortal Skye members looked to the soldiers, who gave them grave expressionsced with anger, regret, and ire. Complex emotions surrounded the topic.
"Listen, Immortals!" The Ice General ordered, "These people will use weapons on us and will not care about pain! They''ll eat people''s flesh and destroy their own bodies to destroy our electric fences!
Unless you seek a gruesome death, you will put aside your humanity and fight!"
Waves of horror washed over them, noting her extremeck of tactpared to Kaze.
"New Immortal Soldiers!" Evalyn yelled, "Set up your drones and rovers! Bring out your RPGs, chemical weapons, and assault weapons.
We must conserve our Qi, so you''re up first! I want every soldier to be line Immortal Skye''s perimeter in three minutes; I don''t care how you do it, but make it happen!"
The special forces soldiers were dazed by [her] order, only thenprehending that she was now their leader.
"You heard the woman!" Kane roared angrily, "If you''ve forgotten, I''ll remind you that these people saved your lives from missiles and are the people preventing Malta from killing your families! General Skye is your new leader, so look alive soldiers!"
On his word, the soldiers snapped into action, moving to gun depots in the humvees while other soldiers moved toward the mansions to retrieve weapons.
"Kane Ryker, Edison Michaels!" Evalyn yelled authoritatively, making them wince, "I will give you orders; give those orders to your soldiers. For now, I want our enemies dropping like flies!
Do not use Guided Arrow. If necessary, use sh attacks or other techniques in your arsenal.
Now go! I''ll get the Immortals mentally prepared for the second stage!"
The two men saluted her and rushed off.
Now that everyone was in motion, she lifted her foot, and ice developed under it. She lifted the other, and the same happened. Step after step, she increased her ice tform, overlooking Immortal Skye.
Her heart thumped when she got to a ce she could see over the wall.
"Dear God." Evalyn whispered in horror, "Malta didn''t underestimate Immortal Skye, after all."
Thousands.
Thousands of Maltian soldiers ran up the south side mountain, getting only so far before they slipped on wood chunks, creating an avnche that tripped the sea of people behind them.
Those were just the people they could see. The east and west sides of the mountain contained people running at full strength.
Worse, these people were not ordinary. They had survived two weeks of cultivating.
In other words, the [zombies] were faster, stronger, and had exponentially greater defense and healing capabilities than humans.
At that moment, Evalyn realized that Kaze''s initial warning was downying the situation significantly.
Immortal Skye faced a hellish situation she wasn''t confident modern weaponry couldbat.
The Rapture had finally arrived.
Chapter 171 Landslide!
"I''ll kill you!"
"Fuck you, Immortal Skye!"
"Just wait until I get my hands on you!"
Hundreds of Qi Sickness-infected people ran up the vivisected mountaintop with bloodshot eyes, dering their hatred for Immortal Skye.
They held their weapons in their hands, sloppily keeping a grip on them. One would periodically lose control, and they''d identally hit the trigger, shooting people in the leg and sending them crashing down the mountain.
The haunting screams from fifteen miles away got louder and louder as the soldiers ran toward the summit. Luckily, trees and boulders created barriers slowing down the east and west side, and the south side fast track was an unstablendslide.
As a result, the soldiers only moved twenty feet before people fell and crashed downward. Nevertheless, they were gaining traction as they wed their way up.
"Immortals!" Evalyn yelled, "Exit the south gates so you can watch what you''re up against! No amount of training will teach you something that you must experience!"
All the members winced in horror, many bursting into tears. Kaze''s disy of force was silent and immediate, only haunting them after. Likewise, the nes were [machines], not people.
However, they could hear the haunting screams and angry insults in English, theirnguage, from the soldiers running up the hill.
These [monsters] were people. They''d look like people and act like people to an extent. Therefore, they''d be watching soldiers butcher people.
"Those who fight first will be rewarded with reputation points and Skye, allowing them a richer life after our victory celebration!" Evalyn yelled, "However, be warned!
Anyone who isn''t moving to the south side gates in the next two minutes will get expelled from Immortal Skye!"
A pulse of acute panic froze the area like a droplet of liquid nitrogen crashing down from the heavens.
"Look around you!" The Ice General yelled, "The world is a hellscape. It''s so bad that Malta has bombed Meridian City and struck us with ballistic missiles.
Now, thousands of sick havee to reap our souls!"
Everyone shuddered in fear, save the soldiers who scoffed at their naivety.
"You live in a country that''s unfathomably rich by new and old world standards!" Evalynughed.
"While billionaires have sumbed to disease and destruction, governments have fallen, and militaries have gotten decimated, you party in mansions!
You learn billion-dor techniques as if they''re in high school textbooks! You''re eating well, gaining strength, and living as if nothing has changed.
You live in the strongest, wealthiest, and most enviable nation on Earth. If you''re not willing to [watch] your defenders protect ityou don''t deserve to be here!"
As soon as she used Kaze''s magical nationalismnguage, everyone''s tone and attitude shifted. It was eerie.
"Why are we discussing this!?" Larkin yelled passionately, "Let''s gooooooooooooooo!"
Thenky brown-haired man strode to the gates a momentter.
"Fucking idiots." Rein scoffed, looking at everyone''s faces before jogging to the gate.
Soon Brad, Sammy, and Lily were herding Immortals like sheep to the south side gate.
"Keep out of the way of the soldiers!" Brad yelled, looking at the line of soldiers passing out their weapons.
Jake walked up to a group of shoulders, making a supply chain to the north and south gate walls. "We can distribute weapons until it''s our turn to fight."
A soldier narrowed his eyes skeptically. If Jake didn''t ask, he''d have scoffed. However, the teen was stronger than the soldiers and showcased leadership during his training. "Gather people withmon sense. We''ll go from there."
The newly-appointed Director nodded and went off to retrieve elites he knew.
Meanwhile, the situation outside the wall was bing precarious.
"Wait until they reach [above] firing distance before firing!" Sandra yelled, overlooking the south side wall, "Create andslide to pile the bodies and fire!"
Every Immortal watched the swarms of angry people yell, scream, and howl up the mountain in horror. What they saw shocked them to their cores.
The influx of Qi didn''t make everyone sick instantaneously. Instead, it crushed their breathing in the acute stage and worsened throughout the day as Qi increased in the atmosphere.
Those who didn''t have themon sense to flee from poptions or relied upon others were doomed to die, as they couldn''t concentrate on cultivation.
Due to the gradual increase, humans got sick in stages, leading to fights and attacks throughout the day.
For that reason, the soldiers were in disarray. They were rabid, each wearing the condition they were in [prior] to bing sick. Fights had torn their clothes, bathed them in blood and bodily fluids, and inflicted injuries on them.
Despite their states that should''ve immobilized them, they still used their broken limbs. Therefore, without dedicated cultivation, they would all suffer gangrene, a form of necrosis.
Their eyes were bloodshot and their faces feral as they scaled the mountain, tripping over branches and wood blocks in front and using other humans as bridges, trampling them.
While Evalyn felt the need to emphasize they weren''t human, everyone who looked at them could see they weren''t. They were beasts who still held weapons and could insult each other. It was a miracle they banded together to fight Immortal Skye.
"Wait for it!" Sandra yelled, watching the soldiers and Immortals panic as the parade of zombies got within a football''s distance away, "We''ll use thendslide to shoot fish in a bucket!"
All the Immortals shook in fear, showcasing a powerful desire to run, seeing the sea of screaming, howling soldiers running up the mountain.
"I-Ice General!"
"T-They''re almost here! Kill them!"
"I''ll kill them!"
"Hold!" Evalyn roared, "Learn from the soldiers!"
Sandra nodded, whipping her straight, brte ponytail out of the way as she watched closely.
Something unexpected happened when the sick got within 25 yards.
"Fire!" One of the sick women yelled, "Fuck these monsters up! Kill them all! Rip their hearts out!"
"Fuck you!"
"Don''t tell me what to do!"
"Whatever!"
Dozens of sick soldiers scoffed and lifted their weapons, making all the Immortals panic in horror. However, seeing the world in slow motion, the soldiers remained calm.
"Aim for their legs!" Sandra yelled, "FIRE!"
A hail of machine gun fire from mounted sentries on the walls and soldiers using assault rifles cut through the waves of sick.
"AGHhHhhHhhhHhhHhhhhHhhhHhhHGH!"
With the feral soldier''s legs shredded like confetti, they slipped on the bodies they used as bridges, crashing backward into dozens of other soldiers. In turn, they fell, crashing downward like falling dominoes.
Now released from pressure, those lying on the unstable wood chunks rolled backward, creating andslide and crashing into soldiers, making the situation worse.
All the Immortals watched the scene in disbelief. One minute before, they stared at a sea of zombies only 75 feet from them. Now, there were piles of fallen bodies thirty to fifty yards away.
Everything happened so fastand it had only just begun.
"Artillery!" Kane called out from the top of the wall, "Take out as many as possible! Sentries, save your bullets for the runners!"
"SIR!"
"Cover your ears!" Evalyn ordered, triggering a wave of people responding immediately. However, not everyone made it before
BOOOOM! BOOM! Boom! BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOM!
A flurry of RPG rockets shot over the walls, hitting mounts of fallen bodies. With the sick consolidated, every missile killed at least fifty and injured another twenty.
While hundreds of bodies got incinerated in a moment, there were still thousands more surrounding the mountains, and not every soldier was in the area.
Ratatatat! Ratatatat!
"Iing fire!" Aaron yelled, "Inside the walls!"
"You heard him!" Evalyn yelled, "Get inside now!"
On her word, hundreds of Immortal Skye members ran inside. However, as they ran, the blonde summoned des to stop a particr group.
"Evalyn!" A man yelled out, "Please, Evalyn! Let us inside!"
She stood between three people that she had exiled the day before. Additionally, des were holding back another two behind her that tried to sneak in.
"I expelled you yesterday." Evalyn said coldly, making their hearts thump with sorrow and pain, "However, there was a provision that would let you back in, correct?"
Their eyes lit up, hearing it.
"We need to protect Immortal Skye?" One winced.
"Correct." The blonde smiled, "Now get on the wall and prepare sh attacks only. Prove yourself in this attack, and I''ll let you back in. Now go!"
Everyone in the group sheepishly followed her des to the wall.
"RPG!" A soldier yelled, making the Ice General turn around.
The abrupt announcement made her heart thump, pulsing Spirit Qi into her brain and adrenaline through her veins. She watched in ultra-slow motion as an explosion came out of the barrel of arge tube weapon, sending a rocket toward them.
Evalyn nearlyughed when she saw it. Not only could she easily trigger the missile in advance, but she could also choose when. She watched, rxed, as the missile moved past swaths of soldiers until
BOOOOM!
she waved her hand, creating a de in front of arge group, triggering the missile in an area for maximum friendly-fire casualties.
All the soldiers were stunned by the blind showcase of skill.
Their respect for the Ice General multiplied, changing their viewpoint of Immortal Skye and their leaders.
"Kane!" A soldier yelled from behind the wall, "We''re seeing the first wave of soldiers moving from the north side wall! It''s difficult to see them; we await your strategy!"
Kane turned to the blonde. "Can you handle this area with only our sentries and two toons?"
Evalyn closed her eyes to sense for cultivators in the area. Not feeling them, she opened her eyes. "There''s no need; this battle is already over."
Chapter 172 The Bridge
"The fight is over?" Kane asked in confusion, overlooking the five hundred soldiers still spread out or dying on the battlefield. Injured or not, five hundred people were a sea of people in one location. RPGs would take a significant amount of time to kill all of them.
"Yes, it''s over." Evalyn replied, turning to the recent exiles, "Evan; this is your one and only chance for reputation. Use thergest sh attack you can make to take out the central rank."
Evan, the man who attacked her in the campsite, dry-swallowed, looking at the [central rank]. A hundred people were in a line, mostly on their knees or lying down. "Y-Yes, mam."
He got into position and closed his eyes. While he felt wrong about killing his targets, he didn''t see them as people. "I''m sorry, but I can''t die here today."
After a deep breath, he opened his eyes. "sh!"
A massive, sloppy ripple of Qi twenty feet wide shot down the mountain before
Thud! Thud, thud, thud-thud-thud, thud! Thud! Thud, thud! Boom!
"GaHhhHhhHhhhHhhhHhhhHHhhHhHhH!"
a wailing cry from sick people rang out into the nighttime air as it sliced countless bodies in half, spraying blood everywhere.
Unlike rockets, the sh cut through everything without distinction and without stopping. It had no limit as it shot down the mountain, only stopping when it hit the ground from a sharp angle.
It was a gruesome sight that was mildly traumatic and shocked Kane and his soldiers. However, the Ice General broke everyone out of their daze the next moment.
"Congrattions, Evan." Evalyn smirked, "You are now weed back into Immortal Skyeunder probation. So it looks like you''ll survive tonight."
The man''s eyes welled with tears as he was ovee with emotions. He resigned himself to death, but now he got redemption where it mattered. "T-Thank you, General."
"Do not let me down again." The Ice General warned, turning to the others, "Get into position. You now know the benefits of fighting and the consequences of not, so get ready."
All of their hearts pulsed, triggering hesitant nods driven by mixed emotions.
Kane overlooked the area with shock in his eyes. There were only fifty soldiers left, spread out over the battlefield, slowly getting picked off by soldiers. "It''s been a minute."
"The only advantage that modern equipment has is distance." Evalyn replied dryly, "Otherwise, an attack that can slice a tank in half like a person is obviously superior. Now let''s go; there are soldiers awaiting our orders."
The man''s heart jolted, snapping to attention at her warning.
"Thank God, you''re finally here!" General Michaels yelled, "We''ve got a problem."
"What''s the problem?" Evalyn asked with a pounding heart, hoping it wasn''t the cultivators.
"It''s the fences; they''re already unfunctional." He winced, "These people they''re superhumans and have ignored the electricity. Now, they''re ripping the fence out of the ground."
Her eyes widened, and she followed him to the north side wall, the area with the least obstacles to reaching Immortal Skye''s campus.
After she got to the gate, she entered one of the sentry towers, leading to a walkway across the wall, simr to a castle''s perimeter wall.
Once standing there, she overlooked the area in horror.
As before, there was a thousand sick present; however, it was difficult to kill them. Dozens of bodies created sandbags to protect others as they reached the fence. The wall was also half a mile in width.
"They''re building a staircase." Evalyn whispered in disbelief, looking at the bodies piling up around the electric fence, allowing people to climb higher and higher. Moreover
"AgGhHhhhHhhhHHhhHhh!"
a dozen sick, screaming people jumped onto the fence, shaking and foaming from the mouth as they got electrocuted.
However, their bodies could take more volts than the fences offered, meant for livestock, and their feral mindsets prevented them from stopping from the pain.
Ratatatat! Ratatatat!
"GaHhHhhhHHhhHhhHHhH!"
"They just keep on the fence until we shoot them, aggravating the problem." General Michaels exined gravely, "We''re running out of options, Evalyn.
We need your technique, a team to clear the bodies, or to use Guided Arrow."
"Why can''t we use sh attacks?" Evalyn asked, "The fence is already useless, but our walls aren''t. So let''s sacrifice the fence."
The director winced, looking at the fence stacking up with bodies again.
"Whatever Kaze did to that fence, it''s impossible to break through." He exined, "It''s taking bullets constantly and hasn''t gotten a dent."
Her eyes widened, thinking about Death''s Blessing and the Soul Qi reinforcement Kaze put over the area. "Is there anything else you can tell me, anything at all?"
General Michaels pointed at the corner of the fence. "If we let too many pile up, they''ll eventually rip the fence out of the ground. However."
"That''s perfect." Evalyn replied with hope but was still pessimistic due to his qualifier, "However what?"
"Walk with me." He replied solemnly, taking her over to the corner of the wall.
When she looked over the northwest junction, she finally saw the problem. The same scene was ying out on the west wall; it reminded her that they were only looking at a small section.
"The west has natural barriers slowing the sick." General Michaels dry-swallowed, "Those lining the fence right now are mostly overflowing from the north and south.
If we don''t do something soon, we''ll get overrun when the west side arrives. That''s why we need a team to clear the area, your technique, or Guided Arrow to get the thousands of people we have defending."
Evalyn gritted her teeth, looking to the sky. She didn''t know what to do; if she did nothing, the sick would break through their ranks and start building a natural staircase, causing panic. However, if they used Guided Arrow, it would attract the Sky ne cultivators immediately.
"Let the fence break." The Ice General ordered, "Then start using sh attacks.
If anyone uses Guided Arrow, I expect them to get swiftly reprimanded. Doing so will endanger all of Immortal Skye, and I will not tolerate it."
The general nodded in confusion, wanting to ask questions but understanding she didn''t want to talk. Therefore, he ran off to get the orders.
...
Evalyn watched the walls with darkened expressions. Hundreds of sick people jumped onto the fence, overloading it, causing sparks to fly throughout the area. It was getting precarious.
Luckily, the pressing bodies caused the ground to groan under pressure, slowly letting the fence loose from the ground.
"Just a little bit farther." She whispered, watching the fence bend with the soldiers on ceasefire. Everyone waited with beating hearts as it happened.
Finally, the fence broke, creating a makeshift bridge to the wall. Now, the sick could climb the walls!
The soldiers panicked, angry at the development, and fearful. However, they switched their tune a momentter.
"Now, Veronica!" Evalyn ordered.
Veronica nodded and jumped onto the fence, kicking a sick person in the face. As the sick scaled the north side wall, she looked to the left and pulled her hand back. "Mortal sh!"
While she didn''t need to say the name, she yelled it to gather everyone''s attention. As a result, they watched a massive sh of warping Qi fifty feet in width cut across a quarter mile of space, cutting a hundred screaming insane humans in half in an instant.
Then she ran ten feet to the west fence, almost ripped out. With a jump, she hit the ground. "Mortal sh!"
Another ripple of Qi ripped through the atmosphere, taking out another hundred and slicing the fence in half.
It was possible because the other half went down, removing its ability to make a bridge. Moreover, she could cut the fence because the blessing was weak and meant to stop mortals.
"Get back up here!" Jake roared, looking at the woman on the ground.
She ran to the twenty-foot wall as instructed and jumped with her superhuman strength. However, she only jumped fifteen feet, missing Jake''s hand. It was already a feat, but it wasn''t enough.
"Evalyn!" Jake yelled, looking at the blonde, panicking alongside Veronica.
However, the Ice General was conflicted about what to do and how to handle the situation. Guided Arrow or using her technique? What should she do?
"What are you doing!?" He cried, getting ignored as zombies ran up, getting mowed down by machine gun fire.
"Yes, what am I doing?" She whispered, "Have I lost basicmon sense thinking of raw force?"
"Evalyn!" Jake cried, failing to catch the jumping Veronica again.
The blonde didn''t answer. She simply jumped over the wall silently.
While everyone expected her to face the sick, shended in front of them, turned around, and ran at the ck-haired pixie.
Veronica''s eyes widened in shock as she felt arms wrap around her body. "Evalyn, please help! They''ve got"
Before the woman could scream, thinking the sick had caught her, her body went airborne, moving to the top of the wall.
The blonde didn''t make it, but she threw the pixie over the wall unceremoniously.
Since the wall was twenty feet high, she threw her in the air from a height that could kill normal humans, sentencing her to crash face-first into the interior of Immortal Skye.
Jake panicked in disbelief, watching the falling woman in slow motion. He acted immediately, jumping from the wall at high speed, skillfully catching the woman before they crashed into the ground, rolling.
Both panted for a moment, with the regent holding her head, protecting it from hitting the ground.
After his heart slowed, he pushed up, looking at the woman to check if she was okay.
Only then did he realize that their faces were six inches from each other, staring into each other''s adrenaline-crazed eyes.
Both''s hearts raced again, gazing at each other''s nervous expressions. They hadn''t kissed since the night he lost his virginity, showcasing her desire to let him act.
While Jake was nervous, he awkwardly moved his lips closer. When he got an inch from them, her eyes widened in surprise. He was going to kiss her, and he pulled back in a panic, thinking he had done something wrong.
However, the ck-haired woman grabbed the back of his head and forcefully pulled him back, locking their lips together.
It was a powerful moment, releasing the cathartic emotions the two had built up.
Evalyn, who had jumped over the wall after killing a dozen sick with her bare hands, gazed at the two from the wall with a strange look in her eyes. "They deserve this."
Turning away, she overlooked the area, listening to the thousands of sick running up the west mountainside. It was far from over.
Meanwhile, a group of ten robed men and women stood in a circle, hovering a hundred feet above the ground. Additionally, an eleventh person was hanging in the air.
"Tell them what you told me?" A robed man with neon green eyes demanded of a woman he held from the back of the neck.
The shaking woman dry-swallowed and looked at the others, exerting a suffocating pressure.
"The man that captured me was from the ckfoot n and killed everyone." Martha said hesitantly, "They are using this opportunity to kill cultivators like you while your power is restricted to the Heaven Realm. Experience and techniques can get ovee by numbers that way."
All the cultivators were shocked, looking at the woman viciously as if to say [if you''re lying, we''ll rip your throat out]. However, she cowered but didn''t add qualifiers.
"I can verify that he used a distinctive shadow attack, as he attacked me with it." The cultivator stated, "Also, whoever it was has stolen a hundred Ergo Seed kits.
ording to this woman, he''s moving to the Markwood event to rendezvous with his team. What should we do about this?"
The cultivators cringed, unsure of what to do.
"What about Crux, Mitus?" A blonde woman who exerted heavy cultivation power asked.
"ording to the woman, the perpetrator imed they killed her." He said, "The man also cited information that we know but she shouldn''t. It seems legitimate, Mary."
"But if he''s a shadow user, what''s to say Crux is not connected to them?" Mary asked, "She could be working with the ckfoot n. After all, she is a deserter as far as we know."
"I''m not sure." Mitus said, "Perhaps we should split our forces and follow the abnormal power levels east of us and go to Markwood simultaneously."
"Is that wise?" Another man asked, "What if Crux is alive and with the man?"
"Do you think Mitus and I are incapable?" Mary asked viciously.
"No, mam." The timid man dry-swallowed, "We''ll do as you say."
"Okay, it''s decided." Mitus said dryly, "Split up. Mary, go check out the forces in the east. I''ll go to Markwood. Move!"
Chapter 173 The Trap
"Che, they split their forces." Kaze clicked his tongue, feeling the Qi presence of five moving toward him.
He continued running at high speed, his body cloaked by a shadow technique blocking out the light from above. It was a technique used by the ckfoot n and Panthera, visible enough to attract the attention of the Sky ne cultivators.
While Kaze couldn''t use shadow techniques in his past life, he was friends with Crux and had memorized those he had seen by default. He had no choice. Now, he could cultivate any technique of the Divine ne level or lower; if he couldn''t, he could hardly be considered a real Immortal!
After another five minutes of running, he saw farnd in the distance. "Here it is, the Markwood event. It''s been over five millennia since I was herest."
Memories of the event shed in his mind. He hade to the event in his past life and waited for everyone to kill each other. Beaten and broken, one left the area where Kaze ambushed them. After killing him, the emperor stole the Fertility of Growth technique, starting his road to power.
"Should I take the time to corrupt thend or kill most of them under another alias?" Kaze asked himself, seeing the cultivators flying overhead cautiously, awaiting him.
He disclosed his grand n to meet up with his team in Markwood to kill the cultivators sent to kill Crux. Then, after making a significant disturbance in the area, the cultivators arrived.
Kaze sparred with them and escaped, running to Markwood. Since they were skilled enough to potentially see through his illusion, he needed to kill all of them.
However, he still needed witnesses, which is why he led them to Markwood. He also needed to attack another event to bring validity to his operation to sabotage the Killian faction.
"These Qi limitations are loathsome." He growled, "I cannot kill these fools, rift fifty miles, and kill those amateurs confidently. I''ll warp right into potential death, but I need to regardless.
Crux cannot handle half of this team, and I refuse to let Evalyn die. I''d rather go to war with the Sky ne as a guarantee than risk their lives."
His woven spatial barrier had a link for his spatial rings so he could call attack reversals remotely to prevent missile strikes and cultivator attacks.
The same link technically allowed him to rift to Immortal Skye from a hundred miles away. However, the Qi limitations remained, making it impossible to rift from a location too far for his Qi reserves. It was very dangerous to do so without knowing the amount of Qi necessary.
At present, he was running low from traveling with Empyrean Rift as part of his strategy.
Still, he needed to return that he knew the cultivators split forces to see Immortal Skye, making the situation more precarious.
"I wish I could ditch them, but that would give away my position and let them escape." He scoffed in disdain, "Killing them is necessary, and this body is pathetic.
Without tempering treasures, it''s barely at the Sky Realm ssification. Even these weak fools can kill me if I''m not careful."
The emperor stopped, looking at the cultivators with a strange expression. They were busy watching the match like he did thousands of years ago.
"I''ll kill a few and lead the rest to my chosen battleground; I should be able to get closer to Immortal Skye that way." He whispered.
"Killian fools!" Kaze yelled at full volume, attracting everyone''s attention, "Stop the match and give me your seeds. If you do, I shall give you a swift death. Otherwise, prepare for me to corrupt your souls!"
All the cultivators stopped watching the fight and turned to the emperor, releasing a Heaven Realm cultivation base and masking his waterfalling.
"Who are you?" A cultivator asked bluntly, feeling his Heaven Realm cultivation pressure. They were lowly Sky Realm cultivators and could tell their power differences.
"An enemy of Andrew Killian who ns to kill you all." Kaze replied arrogantly, "Now follow my orders or face corruption!"
The talking cultivator turned to the others. "Spread out and fly away, we cannot"
A sh of raw Qi cut the man in half, shocking the cultivators and stopping the event as blood poured from the sky. It was a horrifying sight that froze them in ce.
"Drop the Ergo Seeds onto the ground or face the same fate!" Kaze yelled, releasing a shadow technique that masked the sky behind the cultivators with darkness. It was simple cloaking, but it was highly visible.
He needed witnesses for his n and needed them to testify he was a shadow technique user.
After a few seconds of shocked silence, he cut another person in half. "If your bodies cannot react, I''ll make the phenomenon permanent!"
"K-Kill him!" A person screamed in panic.
Kaze grinned as an erratic wave of techniques came from the sky. There were raw Qi attacks, a fire attack, wind attacks, and an attack that manipted real daggers someone brought with them.
"Do you think this is enoughgah!" He screamed in pain.
The cultivator''s hearts thumped when the man using flying daggers managed to cut the emperor. It was a real gash.
Another followed as well, as Kaze countered, throwing Qi shes that killed another two. However, the attacks kepting, and he got hit several times.
While the wounds looked bad, they were shallow and healing on their own from his divine body constitution, something that Rayton ckfoot also had.
"Will!" Kaze roared, "Why are you standing around!? Fight or meet up with the west! I must retreat!"
After dramatically yelling at another known ckfoot n member, he ran at a diagonal away from the cultivators, moving closer to Immortal Skye.
"Don''t let him get away!" A cultivator yelled, "Take him alive if we can but kill him if necessary!"
Confident in their [victory], the cultivators gave chase, trailing him out of wheat fields. Once they hit the road, Kaze picked up the pace, taking a windy path at a speed that the cultivators could barely keep pace with using their flight.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A flurry of Qi attacks hit the ground around Kaze as he ran, weaving up and down the road.
They moved through the fields, moving closer and closer to Markwood proper.
However, when the city was in sight, five ck dots flew over the buildings and blocked the path into the city.
"Figures!" Kaze yelled loudly, masking his body with ck miasma-like smoke before increasing his speed two-fold, shocking the cultivators chasing him. He then navigated into the farm field to his right, throwing them off.
The cultivators began chasing him until an overwhelming cultivation pressure assaulted them from a distance.
"I-Is that Mitus!?" One yelled.
"It is! It''s the Silver Medallions!"
"Stop pursuit! They can handle this; we''ll only get in the way and die by getting close!"
A momentter, a massive wall of green Qi ripped across the farnd, creating a chasm three times the length of a football field.
Kaze stopped running before running into the green de with a ten-foot width that obliterated everything it touched. "Che, figures the person they sent would be skilled [and] wasteful."
It was a blessing that the person wasn''t ustomed to Qi deprivation, or was overconfident, so expendedrge quantities of Qi. However, it was also unfortunate because an attack of that caliber would kill him instantly.
That was the problem with Qi deprivation. Everyone in the mid-Heaven Realm had the same maximum reserve of Qi to use. However, the cultivators had an advantage in that there were five of them!
"Identify yourself, spy!" A cold voice called out from overhead. The man''s neon eyes, indicative of his body constitution, gazed down from overhead, "Tell us or we will force you to talk!"
"Do you think that I''d tell you such information?" Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes, "You Killians are more foolish than I imagined, and that says something profound."
"Your arrogance appalls me." Mitus scoffed in disbelief, "You already divulged your secrets to our cultivator in overconfidence and used your signature techniques. Now you''re iming we''re stupid?"
"Of course I am." The [dissident]ughed in amusement, "After all, I led you [and] your minions here to kill you. Disclosing my identity proved to be remarkably effective bait."
The cultivator looked at him with a mocking smile. "You say that, yet our lowly cultivators wounded you and chased you here!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Kaze clicked, shaking his head while chuckling, "These lowly cultivators don''t know divine constitutions heal from attacks these weak. But to think that you also overlooked that."
Mitus felt his heart pulse for a moment,prehending his words before
"GahhHHhhHHhhHhhhHHHH!"
one of his team members took a massive raw Qi attack to his side, unable to dodge in time.
The sh had an arc of thirty feet. Since the cultivators were engaged in overconfident dialogue, they didn''t see it until thest moment. While most dodged, the targeted cultivator couldn''t move in time.
It was a shockingly impactful attack that sent the man falling to the ground. "Mitus, help"
Mitus watched in horror as a second raw Qi sh ripped across thend and decapitated the falling man before him. He turned back to Rayton ckfoot but found that he wasn''t there.
Looking up, he found the man had already jumped, flying in the air with his hand drawn back, aiming at the other cultivators without mercy.
"Tiara!" Mitus yelled, "Brandon! Sam! Move!"
A flurry of Qi attacks ripped across the air the next moment.
Chapter 174 Leaving Witnesses
"Sam!" Mitus yelled, watching an arc of warping Qi shoot across the sky.
"GaaahhhHHHHhhHHHhH!"
Boom!
Sam, a male cultivator with long brown hair in a ponytail, yelled in pain as he fell to the ground.
He had both hands on his thigh, trying to stop the bleeding on his amputated leg, something that would kill him shortly if not treated.
After Tiara, a ck-haired woman with low-back-length hair narrowly dodged an air sh, Mitus'' heart thumped. He couldn''t believe what he saw; something felt wrong.
"What are you hiding!?" Mitus yelled, dodging another attack, "There is no way you killed an elite Heaven Realm cultivator, and mortally wounded another, with raw Qi!"
Cultivations at their level had long since abandoned the art as frivolous unless they were handling [children]. It was the equivalent of racing a sports car on a bicycle and winning in their eyes.
"That Killian whore had enough sense to tell you I came here to trap you, yes?" [Rayton ckfoot] scoffed mockingly, "Qi scarcity has depleted your natural shielding, Mitus Payer.
So I only need to increase the density of raw Qi attacks to kill you. By contrast, you squandered immense Qi for your pointless demonstration and will not get it back.
Do you get it now? I''m attacking [you] because I prepared. You''re losing because you''re not."
Kaze was ying the man. He couldn''t survive a wasteful attack, so he was trying to convince them to use raw Qi attacks, which they had no hope of turning into lethal attacks.
Cultivation was an art that had nearly unlimited refinement potential. They couldn''t hope to ovee 5,000 of experience and knowledge from the upper realms. The disparity was too great.
Mitus knew he was getting yed but couldn''t imagine it was because of fundamentals, so he tried biding for time to strategize. "Are you seriously telling us how to fight you, Ray"
He was cut short by a flurry of weak attacks that made it impossible for him to strategize, something they needed to do because of the Qi scarcity threat.
"Tell me why, Rayton!" Mitus yelled, "Why would you betray Andrew Killian? We have always been an unofficial ally to the ckfoot n!"
"Why he asks ally he ims." Rayton ckfootughed cynically, "You abandoned us and aided the Panthera, allowing them to trample upon our reputation and steal ournd. If you call that allyship then you''re delusional."
"Either way, you won''t get away with this!" Mitus ordered, looking at the seed nters initially following the emperor, "Soldiers, run and tell"
A massive arrow of raw Qi shot across the sky, piercing one of their backs and curving, hitting another three foolishly watching in a line.
There were twenty-five nters to start. Now there were neen, including the two he killed prior.
"I have shadow clones for an alibi." Rayton ckfootughed, "Do you think we''d do this in the open?"
"Run, you fools!" Mitus yelled at the stunned nters as another arrow flew through the sky, "Medallions, attack!"
Another flurry of attacks assaulted the emperor, but they didn''t get close.
The same wasn''t true of his arrow, which curved and killed another four. They ran staggered, so he curved the arrow like a snake to hit them. Their inexperience was tragic.
Kaze pulled back another arrow, but Mitus and his cultivators, finally regaining their bearings, aimed their attacks. However, they saw that he was already turning to them.
"That''s not a Sky Arrow!" Mitus roared to his people, but it was already toote. A bolt of Qi shot across the sky and impaled Tiara, ripping a massive hole in her.
The emperor pulled back his hand, ostensibly to create an arrow, so the two remaining cultivators split direction for a pincer attack, making it impossible for him to target both.
However, he wasn''t creating an arrow or aiming for them. Instead, he waved his hand, and arge waterfall of ck miasma dropped from the sky above the nters.
"AGhHhhhHhhhHhhHhhHhhH!"
The lower cultivators screamed as their bodies corroded, shocking Mitus and the other cultivator.
"How did I forget he could use normal techniques!?" Mitus cried, "He''s Rayton ckfoot! Brandon, don''t hold back! We must kill him before he transforms into his canine form!"
Boom!
Boooom!
BOOM!
A flurry of powerful attacks flew at the emperor. Green bolts, arrows, wind des, and fire attacks. However, the emperor dodged all of them, bewildering the cultivators.
"Raging tornado!" Brandon yelled unprofessionally, panicking. A fireball shot from his waved hand, and wind followed it, stoking the mes and whipping them into a tornado.
"Foolish." Kaze chuckled viciously.
"GahHhhHH!" The cultivator screamed, confusing Mitus. His brain had to process the situation, but he figured it out quickly.
Kaze sent a raw Qi attack right through the fire, using it as a cloak, and caught the man off guard. The two were ashamed, getting obliterated by skillful basics!
"Raging fury!" Mitus yelled, waving his hand. A wall of wind des shot out of the area, showcasing a divine attack simr to Harrowing Winds but exponentially weaker.
Kaze watched the man unleash the attack in extreme slow motion, using a Spirit Qi technique to supplement hiscking strength. As a result, he dodged preemptively but moved naturally.
"Lucky!" The cultivator yelled, "ded Sky!"
A chandelier of wind attacks shot from the heavens.
"Che." Kaze clicked his tongue, avoiding the attack, "People only show their true colors after all theirrades fall. It''s despicable."
He skillfully dodged the des with minimal motions, shocking Mitus yet again. The man had never been so perplexed.
It became clear the man he was fighting was not Rayton ckfoot. However, the emperor didn''t care if he knew that so long as his witnesses didn''t.
While the man stared in wonder, the emperor shot an attack at him, still dodging the wind des.
"GahhhHHHhhHHHhh!"
Mitus roared in pain when a sh cut into his side. "I''m going to kill you!"
"People always yell that when they''re about to die!" Rayton ckfootughed mockingly, "Soon all the Killians will say the same!"
"You''re so cocky!" The cultivator yelled, "You act like cornered predators don''t bite! Qi deprivation is better than death!"
A blinding ball of light illuminated the nighttime sky, blinding the lowly cultivators and wounded ones. Night became day as the attack expanded, shattering the ball into des of light.
Kaze''s eyes widened, looking at the attack. He thought the man got the attack a century from then!
"Radiant Fury!" Mitus yelled proudly as a hundred thousand des shot at the emperor.
"Dark Shield!" Rayton ckfoot yelled, creating a shield of smoke around him.
The cultivatorughed as the des pierced through the darkness. "What a fool! He thought a shield would help him because it was a counterbnce?"
"GaaaagGAH!"
Blood shot from the man''s mouth abruptly, and his lungs stopped moving. He looked down and saw a heavenly arrow had pierced through his lungs, stopping his breathing. "Wha."
A de shot out of a cloud of smoke, still there, cutting his leg off and sending him to the ground. He barely started breathing when the emperor walked up.
"Who are you?" Mitus wheezed, looking up at the demon above him, "You.. aren''t Rayton that attack was unblockable."
Kaze smiled, looking down at the man. "A mortal destined for great things."
"That''s a lie but." The cultivator wheezed, noting Kaze''s knowledge of ssified information, "It doesn''t matter we sent a Lord."
The emperor''s eyes widened in horror, realizing the man wasn''t the cultivation Lord. He couldn''t tell because everyone was suppressed! "Who! Tell me now!"
"Mary Emerson." Mitus grinned.
Boom!
A cloud of dust hit the earth when Kaze sent a sh downward, cutting the man''s head off.
BOOM! Boom! BOOM! Boom, boom.
He shot another flurry of attacks to ensure the other cultivators died.
"It''s time to go." Kaze gritted his teeth, looking at the three witnesses in the corner of his eye. He shot forward, acting surprised, and waved his hand.
A massive ming arrow shot at him from a spatial rift in the distance.
"GahHhhHHhhHHhhH!" The emperor groaned in genuine pain when [his arrow] pierced him and cauterized the wound, "FUCK! Fuck you!"
He immediately fled to the skies. From everyone else''s perspective, another party shot the arrow from a distance and hit him.
A mile away from a distance, confident no one could see him, Kaze touched his wounded shoulder with a wincing expression. His body radiated in golden light, healing his wound.
"I must cultivate." Kaze muttered, gritting his teeth, "How much must I cultivate to rift there and still survive? My body limitation is offensive."
He could rift to Immortal Skye immediately. However, he expended more Qi than he thought, and the person he thought headed the operation turned out to be the subordinate.
As a result, he''d be facing one of the top cultivators in the Sky ne without Qi and his body untempered.
"I haven''t a choice." Kaze grinned, "I''ll cultivate until there''s enough for the rift and a few attacks. Mary will learn that there are plenty of ways to kill a cultivator, no matter how strong they are."
Boom! BOOM! Boom, boom, Boom, boom!
Waves of sick people dropped dead as raw Qi attacks shot at them, cutting into the earth. With the wall down, it was possible to attack without holding back, and the Immortals and soldiers didn''t.
A woman with blonde hair and radiant blue eyes watched from the skies, amused by what she saw. "Interesting. Countless people have learned earth breathing techniques and mastered a basic sh attack. Basic, but effective."
However, her smile disappeared when her eyesnded on Evalyn. "But that one has a technique she should not. That proves that someone from the Sky ne has helped them."
"Ice General, we''re running out of options!" A soldier yelled, "We need to use it!"
Mary''s eyes shed with interest, and she flew to the area at ghostly speed. Before anyone saw what had happened, he coughed, getting interrogated by a mysterious blonde in white robes from fifty feet in the sky. "Use what? Hmmm?"
Chapter 175 Biding For Time
Mary, the blonde Sky ne cultivator sent to find Crux, stared into the soldier''s eyes with a prating gaze. "What''s that? I didn''t hear an answer."
The soldier looked to the ground, finding himself hanging fifty feet above the ground, held by the woman''s grip. "I-I was saying that we needed to use."
A massive ice spear materialized twenty feet from the woman''s face, pointing at her before turning upward.
"My technique." A cool voice replied from below, "It proves useful when we''re overrun but it''s also costly."
Mary looked at the spear, [crudely made] without refined edges, with a mocking smile. "I take it you''re the person who will im to have built this army?"
"im is a rather suggestive word, considering that''s what I''ve done." Evalyn replied dryly, looking at the woman, still holding her soldier above the ground.
Lacking a further need for the soldier, the cultivator threw the man at the Ice General to test her reflexes. However, Brad jumped out from the side and caught the man effortlessly.
It was a strange exchange where the blonde didn''t stop staring at the cultivator.
"You honestly im you trained thousands of people with an earth-grade breathing technique scroll?" Mary asked sarcastically.
Evalyn smiled in amusement, pulled the leather satchel on her back to the front, opened the clip, and dumped out a thousand sheets of paper.
The woman''s eyes widened in shock, looking at the sheets on the ground. "A-Are those all cultivation techniques?"
"Indeed they are." The Ice General smiled, "Thousands of them. The amount we can make in a day is practically unlimited; that''s why I can give resources to every soldier to build their strength without issues. I pulled dozens of techniques off the inte."
Mary''s cheek twitched, looking at the techniques lying on the ground unceremoniously.
In the Sky ne, it could take years, decades, or even centuries to earn a technique from a faction. Yet the blonde somehow duplicated them thousands of times and dumped them out without concern. It was offensive!
"How did you do this?" The Cultivation Lord asked coldly, staring at the techniques with crazed eyes.
"We used a device known as a [printer]." Evalyn exined, "Its only purpose is to duplicate visual items like this."
"Teach me this technique immediately." Mary demanded.
"It''s not a technique." The Ice General replied soberly, "We''re using a machine."
The cultivator gazed down at the blonde with a strange expression. "Then give it to me, this printer."
"I''ll dly do that, but you''ll also need electricity." Evalyn replied, pointing to the lights above the walls, illuminating the nighttime base, "It''s the energy powering those lights."
Mary looked at the lights in perplexion. "Those aren''t made of Soul Qi?"
"No, it''s not." The Ice General replied, "Elemental Qi didn''t exist a month ago. Everything you''re seeing is made without cultivation."
The cultivator turned to her four subordinates, checking to see if they were as nonplussed as she wasthey were. They couldn''t believe their eyes or ears.
She looked around with narrowed eyes. "You mortals are"
"Fuck you, fuck you, FUCK YOU!"
Boom! BOOM! Boom, boom, Boom!
"Hold them back!"
A vein on Mary''s forehead bulged when a new wave of insane humans charged the walls, leading to a melee. "I suppose they did say they needed support. Still, it''s aggravating."
The cultivator flew a hundred feet in the air. Overlooking the area, she waved her hand twice.
A flurry of wind des shot over the walls, making everyone''s clothing ruffle. Not a momentter, trees began cracking and falling.
Everyone looked over the wall and saw the devastation she had caused. Hundreds of trees were shredded in each attack, ripped apart like the countless sick cut to ribbons.
It was an overwhelming disy of force that leveled the entire area. Despite that
Mary''s eyes narrowed in confusion, looking at the soldiers and Immortals. The only two expressions they had were [relief] for getting a break or concern for the cultivators.
No one stared at the overwhelming devastation she wrought, finding it awe-inspiring. There was something very wrong with that!
"Thank you for helping us." Evalyn said abruptly, seeing the woman''s rising suspicions, "Would you like to see the printer now?"
The blonde internally prayed the woman wouldply, preventing her from realizing the south mountainside wasn''t cut in a logging operation.
At present, it was riddled with bodies, explosions, and debris and wasn''t a significant sight in the chaos. However, if the woman looked closely, she''d have major questions.
Unfortunately, the woman was a Cultivation Lord in the Sky ne. The idea that mortals wouldn''t be appalled by her skills was unforgivable!
Whoooooooosh!
BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, boom, BOOM! Boom!
Evalyn''s eyes widened in shock when a wall of wind des crashed down from the moonlit sky. The cultivator had attacked at a ghostly speed she only saw at thest second.
"Why are you attacking me!?" Evalyn cried with a beating heart, "I''ve meant you no harm and haven''t offended you, have I!?"
The four cultivators on Mary''s team got into position, preparing to massacre everyone as they awaited their orders. All the Immortals and soldiers became tense, trying not to move but preparing to aim their arrows if necessary.
"I was right about you." Mary said wickedly, "You''re hiding your power.
While you look like a beginner Sky Realm cultivator with a breathing technique you shouldn''t possess, you''re actually quite skilled."
"And if I wasn''t?" Evalyn asked, trying to bide for more time, preparing Crux for their counterattack.
They used a Spirit Qimunication technique tomunicate.
Crux hadn''t moved by request; if she came out, the cultivators would attack [seriously], and they''d die. Crux couldn''t fight four Heaven Realm cultivators and the Cultivation Lord simultaneously.
"You would''ve died." Mary replied dryly, "If you couldn''t dodge that lowly attack, it''d prove you were a simple puppet. I want the people with skill; everyone else is irrelevant."
"I''m still alive." Evalyn replied cautiously, "Is that enough?"
The cultivatorugh-scoffed, turning to the south side mountainside with an exasperated expression. "I confirmed you weren''t a simple puppet
and that there is no way in hell you did that. Who did?"
"I''m not sure what his name is." The Ice General said, "However, I can say that he''s provided me with resources to build this army for an unknown reason. He saved us from an attack earlier."
Mary locked eyes with the blonde. "I want [their] name. Don''t make me repeat myself."
"They didn''t speak English." Evalyn replied, her heart thumping, "He has been giving me direct transfers and techniques to print."
"So it''s Crux." The cultivator smiled maliciously, "She''s the only person sent here who didn''t speak the mortalnguage they got assigned to."
"Sure, Crux." The Ice General replied dismissively, "Look, we''re just trying to survive; we haven''t asked for anything.
So can you please stop trying to kill us for things we don''t understand?"
"Silence, mortal!" Mary snapped coldly, waving her hand and attacking the blonde with lethal intent.
Evalyn watched the attack in hyper-slow motion, triggered by [Minor Focus], a Spirit Qi technique Kaze gave her to improve mental processing temporarily. Combined with her preparedness, she dodged easily.
The cultivator turned to her subordinates arrogantly, not even checking if the blonde was dead. "Rammy, inspect that mountainside. See if the attack ured in one shot or if it"
"Lord Emerson, behind you!" A man yelled.
Mary''s eyes widened when she sensed ice des behind her. She realized that she had underestimated the blonde''s skill to an absurd degree.
Not only had she survived, she also summoned des behind her back where the others couldn''t see them and limited the dry-ice effect.
"Gah!" Mary coughed, feeling her body rattle unnaturally when a de hit the back of her spinal cord, "You insolent insect!"
The surprise attack was weak, indicative of theck of kic force in her attack. However, it was strong enough to leave the woman stunned for a fraction of a second while the other twenty des shed at her neck simultaneously.
It was a bewildering attack that shocked the Cultivation Lord to her core. Even at her level and with centuries of experience, she didn''t have a Spirit Qi technique, let alone one that multiplied short-term concentration.
No one in question had one, not Crux, Rayton ckfoot, or her team members. They were so rare that the thought didn''t cross her mind.
That left her at a loss for words to exin how the weak mortal behind her was using dozens of des to repeatedly cut the same points with greater speed and precision than she had! Her actions were nothing short of surgical.
It was a serious problem. After feeling arge de shoot forward to attack a spot weakened with a dozen micro-shes, she felt she might get seriously wounded or die. However
BOOM!
"Gah!" Evalyn coughed, rolling on the ground. She was hyper-focused on the surprise attack and forgot about the other cultivators.
Everything happened in two seconds; it was iprehensible, by normal perspectives.
Now free, Mary turned to Evalyn, recovering. The other four did the same, focusing on the blonde. However, they found the tables had turned when they felt immense Qi pressureing from below.
The Heaven Realm cultivators looked down just in time to watch a thousand soldiers and Immortals, led by Sandra and Aaron, release Guided Arrows at them.
Chapter 176 Dire Situation
"Now!" Jake yelled, following the signal from Sandra. Over a thousand Guided Arrows shot by abination of soldiers, elites, and Immortals showered the four cultivators.
The four focused on exacting vengeance on Evalyn and arrogantly ignored them until it was toote to dodge.
"Filthy vermin!" A male cultivator yelled, seeing the arrows. He waved his hand, sending a wave of raw Qi crashing to the ground, cutting through arrows like he was swatting gnats.
BOOOOM!
The impact caused two dozen soldiers and a few elites to explode on contact.
BOOM!
Another strike from a second cultivator hit a split secondter, both at iprehensible speeds.
As soon as time caught up, the Immortals turned to the area the soldiers were standing the moment before in horror, seeing a mass of blood and raw flesh. Some people got sttered with blood and organic matter. It was brutal.
However, before they could get trapped in their thoughts, the sounds from the outside caught up.
"AGgghGHhHhhhHHHhhHH!"
The same male cultivator insulting them let out a twisted groan in the sky.
All the trauma-inflicted Immortals looked up and saw the man riddled with holes, including his face and neck. It was a miracle he remained flying as long as he did.
While the attacks were weak, he got hit with dozens because he decided to block with an attack instead of dodging, and the arrows unexpectedly curved to hit him.
"Nate!" Rammy, the brte cultivator from whom Mary requested the mountain reconnaissance, yelled as the confused cultivator fell from the sky.
Boom!
When the Immortals saw the cultivator''s dead body, they focused on it instead of their dead or wounded brethren. The corpse made them chuckle in disbelief.
That man had killed their people, and now he was dead, killed by the same people. It didn''t bring them happiness, but it did bring them an awkward feeling of vindication totch onto.
One chuckled murderously, and then another, a ze of wrath and hatred soon fueled in their hearts.
Sandra and Aaron continued their operation, pained but not deterred by the death of their fellow soldiers. They assessed the situation quickly.
"One dead, one heavily wounded, another moderately impaired, and thest with non-debilitating injuries." Sandra noted at a nce, appraising the cultivators.
The two who had attacked to block the arrows suffered significant injuries, leading both to fall to the earth, one dead.
Rammy had cuts over her legs, the result of trying to dodge but not making it fast enough. Thest worse off, suffering from wounds to their stomach and a busted right arm.
All were unprepared and overconfident and had paid the price for it.
"Alpha, Charlie, keep pressure on the able-bodies." Sandra ordered, "Bravo, Echo, back up the general!"
The experienced soldiers acted instantaneously, setting up new Guided Arrows. Teams Alpha and Charlie turned their sights to Rammy and the wounded soldier with their arrows.
"Bend!" Aaron yelled.
Rammy''s eyes widened in bewilderment as a hundred arrows shot at her in arge, none aimed at her. Instead, it made it impossible to fly freely, as arrows created a fifty-foot wall on all sides.
However, it had a weaknessshe could cut through one section. The brte pulled back her hand and prepared a wind attack. However
"What is this!?" She screamed, flying backward at full speed, twisting her body.
all the arrows curved at thest moment, flying toward her.
They approached her slowly. However, as before, a wall of them made it difficult for her to move in any direction! She decided to cut through a strategic area and limit the damage.
"Gah!" Rammy screamed, feeling an arrow cut through her side and another through her shoulder, "My eyes didn''t deceive methis is Guided Arrow! There''s a traitor from the Killian Military!"
She realized why they were so unpreparedno one expected mortals to have Guided Arrow.
It was a powerful technique only given to experienced military forces in the Sky ne, not a technique given out on the Mortal ne!
Qi requirements ranked techniques, not power or usefulness, so the same Guided Arrow could increase in size indefinitely. It was a savage attack heavily restricted and used by the head forces.
Moreover, they weren''t prepared for the arrows to curve around their Qi attacks or bend at thest moment, both tactics Kaze had taught everyone during the retreat.
They felt like they were fighting the military, not mortals!
The soldiers and Immortals felt hope, seeing another flurry of attacksnd on their enemies. Unfortunately, their surprise attacks were only thatsurprises.
After the cultivators caught up, the situation reversed quickly.
"Pinpoint!" Sandra yelled to teams Bravo and Echo, releasing arrows aimed at Mary.
"Wall!" Jake yelled to a mass of Immortals,prised of elites and random volunteers.
A wall of arrows shot across the sky at the blonde cultivator, preparing to kill Evalyn.
"Noisy!" Mary roared, turning around and waving her hand. A massive flurry of wind des shot out, cutting through the hundreds of arrows with ease before
"Jake!" Veronica yelled, waving her hand. A massive arc of raw Qi shot in front of the blonde-haired teen, frozen by the sight before him. Thankfully, her attack sessfully cut one of the wind des in half just in time.
BOOM! Boom, boom, BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, boom Boom!
"GahhhahhhHHhhHhhHHhahhhHh!"
Another fifty Immortals and soldiers gasped in pain as the wind des cut through them, crashing into the reinforced wall and decimating it.
There was now a blood-soaked gate into Immortal Skye, with sick still approaching, albeit slowly.
"Now." Evalyn whispered inaudibly.
-
"Guuuuhhhh." Jake groaned, slowly opening his eyes.
"Don''t move; you''re heavily injured!" Veronica yelled, making him look down.
The ck-haired pixie was using a tourniquet to tie the upper part of his left arm, as the lower half was missing.
"GahhhhHHHhhHH!" He yelled, his sight helping his body catch up. A wind de had cut it off.
Jake looked at Veronica and saw her bleeding heavily from her side. "Heal yourself."
"Shhhh!" Veronica hushed viciously, "We''ll glow red, and you''re getting targeted. We need to get away from here first."
He dry-swallowed, trying to hold in his desire to groan, feeling thankful.
-
A simr scene yed out elsewhere. After taking moderate damage, Rammy got through the arrows and released an attack, killing a dozen and heavily injuring Aaron, who she identified as the leader.
Simrly, the injured cultivator, bleeding heavily, waved his hand and killed another dozen with an attack. Even in his shape, he was far more powerful than the mortals.
Everything that urred happened in less than five seconds. That was the horrific nature of Spirit Qi, turning a few seconds into twenty mentally, making it impossible for unprepared people to react.
The Immortals and soldiers'' minds turned grim, assessing the situation. In less than a second, two injured Heaven Realm cultivators, one significantly wounded, cut through almost thirty people.
Combined with Mary, who killed an equal amount while destroying the wall, they thought it would be less than a minute before the cultivators began massacring everyone.
"Pointless!" Mary yelled angrily, crushing ice des effortlessly, "What happened to that precision? Tell me!"
She was furious that the mortal somehow put her in danger and needed saving. So she wasn''t trying to kill the blonde because she wanted answers.
"Stop hitting me with attacks, and I''ll show you." Evalyn replied mockingly, bleeding from wind shes. She was slowly [getting pushed back], moving further and further from her people.
Her answer was logicalI can''t concentrate while you''re hurting mebut the Cultivation Lord knew the blonde was taking advantage of her unwillingness to kill her.
"Enough of this!" Mary yelled, pulling her hand back, "You don''t need limbs to talk!"
She waved her hand, creating a violent gust of wind that crashed from the sky onto the blonde, prepared to cut her to shreds, saving only her lungs, throat, and head.
BOOOOM!
Contrary to expectations, the woman''s eyes widened in horror when the des connected and passed through the Ice General''s body, twisting her body like smoke.
"Shadow clone?" Mary whispered in shock, "How long has she been"
The Cultivation Lord turned around just in time to dodge a massive ice de aimed at her throat. While she dodged it, a dozen more flew from every angle, assaulting the woman.
As before, the onught of des targeted the same areas, focusing on the woman''s wrists to prevent her from attacking effectively.
"You!" Mary snapped, dodging as quickly as possible. However, she was unprepared for the number of des around her. Every time she crushed one, she found another five.
They shot from the ground, sky, and behind buildings. Sometimes they materialized behind her or in front of her face. She was swimming in an icy sea of des.
"Precision is easier when attacking from your own perspective." Evalyn smiled wickedly, "Pretending to be your clone is extremely difficult."
Mary was shocked, realizing how much skill it took to use des from that perspective.
The skill level the Ice General was demonstrating shouldn''t be possible. Her cultivation progress, attacks, strategies, and skills should have taken decades, centuries, even millennia, to hone.
Indeed, it wasn''t possible. Like Crux, the blonde synced parts of herself to her past self. She was still a distinctive person with a refined personality. However, she became biased toward different actions, behaviors, and routines.
Slowly yet surely, she was obtaining the skills from the Ice Phoenix. So while she was a fledgling, the blonde wasn''t a joke.
The Cultivation Lord understood that, feeling it wouldn''t take long before they could fight on equal footing. For that reason, she decided to end things quickly.
"It''s a pity." Maryughed bitterly, "I want to rip so many answers from your throat. However, my team is heavily injured, and there are real threats. So it''s time to kill you!"
"Real threats?" Evalyn mused with a sadistic smile, "You mean like positioning?"
The Cultivation Lord''s eye trembled, and she looked around her environment. She didn''t know when, but the blonde had slowly led her away from the troopsand the lights. It felt so natural, as if the blonde were doing her best to dodge, yet she managed to route her. "Where did you take"
Massive ck walls shot from the ground, oozing upward like ck smoke.
"Crux!" Mary screamed as the ck walls closed in on her, blocking the light from the moonlit sky.
Chapter 177 The Shadow Cat
Rammy and the wounded cultivator stopped the following attack when they saw a dome of darkness swallow their leader.
They watched in horror as dark spikes shot outward from the dome, stopped, and reversed course, shooting back inward. It was a harrowing sight that all but guaranteed a cultivator would die. However
A massive fire de shot a hundred feet into the sky, piercing the darkness before crashing to the earth, cutting through the dome and everything else in its path.
BOOOOOOOM!
Evalyn''s widened in horror when the de sliced through the fourth residential mansion, setting it on fire. She immediately ran to the site and waved her hand, creating a blizzard-like nket of frost that put out the fire.
The shadow dome warped, dancing with the flickering mes. It exposed the blonde, who flew out, bleeding, with murderous eyes.
"Crux!" Mary yelled angrily, "Face me, you cowardly beast!"
"You''re so loud." A hypnotic female voice replied not a hundred feet away.
Mary turned to the voice and her eyes zed over, unamused. "What the hell are you wearing?"
A beautiful woman with flowing ck hair and rich amethyst eyes stared at the Cultivation Lord from the air, wearing her favorite dress-sized green frog hoodie, covering her cat ears.
Her attire''s cuteness overwhelmed the strength, beauty, and dignity she had otherwisemanded.
"It''s called a hoodie." Crux replied in Skin.
"No, Crux." The blonde cultivator scoffed, "I mean why are you wearing that thing?"
"It''s a hoodie." The divine beast reiterated, "And I''m wearing it because I like it."
"You like it?" Maryugh-scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief, "Unbelievable. You''vee to this abhorrent insect nest, and now you''re taking part in their weak, disgusting culture?"
"You only say that because you''ve never tried [cake]." Crux replied mockingly, "And because you''re more arrogant about their strength than I was."
The Cultivation Lordughed a slight hup. "Their strength? Crux, are"
Mary''s eyes widened in shock when he felt an icy breeze approaching her from the back. She turned and saw a blinding blizzard of ice shards flying at her, with a radius of 150 feet. "How did"
Evalyn''s attack was slow, so she tried to fly, but Crux''s shadow des shot at her from both nks, limiting her movements.
The Cultivation Lord lifted her hand and cut it down with full force. "Howling Winds!"
Whoooooooosh! BOOM! Boom! BOOM! Boom, boom, BOOM!
A massive flurry of wind des cut through the blizzard annihting more than 80% of the shards on contact. It also counter-struck, sending Evalyn flying backward.
However, it came at the cost of getting hit by hundred shards and stabbed by a shadow de.
"Annoying pest!" Mary scoffed vitriolically, gazing at the bleeding blonde, "It was worth getting backstabbed by this traitor to kill you!"
All the Immortals and soldiers fell silent in horror, leaving a smirk on the woman''s face. "And you, confirmed backstabber, have you no honor!?"
"You''re a fool." Crux scoffed coldly, "No person of honor will humor a person who monologues mid-battle or continually ignores the enemies who nearly killed them."
"That''s fair." Mary replied dryly, "So, can we talk now that I''ve rid the world of that venomous insect? Will you exin"
The divine beast didn''t listen to her. Instead, she created arge orb of darkness in the sky, which fragmented and shot des at the blonde.
"What''s your excuse now!?" The Cultivation Lord screamed in anger, "Tell"
While dodging the attacks, she felt an icy chill crawl down her spine. She turned as quickly as possible, barely avoiding a massive ice spear shooting at her neck.
Evalyn ran away, followed by two soldiers who followed her to perform healing cultivation.
"HOW!?" Mary yelled, "CRUX, TELL"
The woman screamed in pure anger when another round of shadow des shot down at her. She was humiliated beyond words and faced mortal dangeron the Mortal ne.
"Rammy, Nate, Will, Peter, what are you fools doing!?" Mary screamed at her subordinates. She turned around and realized that only two were present, frozen.
Rammy was cut up, robes were torn, and the Will was soaked in blood.
Mary noted that Nate or Peter''s cultivation signatures had disappeared, indicating that they had died. "Whoever''s able, massacre the weak and kill the blonde!"
"Yes, mam!" Rammy yelled, turning the Immortals.
Likewise, Will, the brown-haired cultivator, bleeding profusely, took a deep breath. "Right awayAGH!"
While the cultivators were distracted, a massive flurry of ice des pierced the man''s open wounds with pinpoint precision. Due to his weakened state, they passed straight through his body, sending a waterfall of blood raining down.
Rammy''s heart pulsed, watching the scene unfold. Her world slowed to a crawl, looking for the blonde while keeping tabs on the countless soldiers preparing Guided Arrows. "Disable and destroy; Sharp Breeze."
She waved her hand, and a gust of wind from the east to the west picked up speed at ground level, bringing micro shards of Qi through thend.
"AghhHHHhhHHhhHHhhHhhHhhHhh!"
Half a thousand Immortals and soldiers fell to the ground in pain as the weak attack shredded their bodies with ease. The attack killed few but disabled people in droves and broke their concentration.
"Don''t lose focus!" Sandra barked, getting up from the attack, "She''s doing this to prevent us from attacking! We''re on the precipice of victory!"
A few dozen soldiers created Guided Arrows, preparing them to fire.
"Chaos and panic." Rammy whispered, waving her hand again. A massive arc of fire shot across the earth, trying to split the forces and create a fire to stir panic.
However, a blizzard-like flurry of frost hit it, turning the attack into hot steam.
Rammy''s heart thumped, and she turned back to the Ice General, shocked by the attack speed. "If you had this attack speed, why didn''t you attack first?"
Whooooooosh!
As she contemted her situation, an abnormallyrge bolt of Qi shot from the side. The brte dodged preemptively, but it followed her in real-time. She moved again, but so did it!
"What is this!?" Rammy cried as she turned her body sharply, feeling a sharp arrow cut through her side. Following the shot, she saw Veronica running with a Guided Arrow attached, fixed in ce. "How can mortals handle fixed-point Qi attacks!?"
Moving with Qi locked into a rtive position was extremely skilled. So she didn''t understand how they knew about it, let alone be capable!
Whooooooosh!
Prepared for the next arrow, Rammy moved out of the way, preparing a double attack for the woman and Evalyn simultaneously. However
Whooooooosh!
Like dancing dragons, another arrow following her every move shot from her other nk.
A short-haired woman with vicious blue eyes stared at her like a demon.
"Arrogant bitch." Rein scoffed, using her full concentration to twist the arrow in a pattern that was erratic and hard to dodge.
Rammy was trapped on all sides, a truly horrifying situation.
She tried to dodge both but only escaped one before an arrow pierced her shoulder. Feeling cornered, she looked to the sky but saw a massive chandelier of ice des staring at her.
"Die." Evalyn ordered coldly, lowering her raised hand with decisive force. Hundreds of des cut down from the sky, shredding the woman''s skin and executing her.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Before they could celebrate, a massive arc of orange light shot from a thousand feet to the ground, carving a massive chasm across the campus and destroying a section of the Immortal Skye amphitheater.
When the de hit, it shattered into a million fragments of blinding Qi, shooting them in all directions like a frag grenade.
Crux created a shadow barrier before the shards hit her. While she was fine, she didn''te out unscathed. Her eye twitched uncontrobly, staring at the massive, bloody gash in her beloved hoodie.
The hoodie was a strange quirk for the dignified woman, an oddity. While most couldn''t understand why someone so beautiful and refined would wear it, it had meaning for the woman.
Crux''s power in divine beast form was enough to kill peak earth-grade cultivators when she was five. Therefore, she was recruited into fighting in the Killian war as a child due to necessity.
As a result, the Panthera princess didn''t have a childhood. However, on the Mortal ne, she was finally free of the constant fighting and chose the hoodie to embrace the "peaceful" apocalypse-stricken world she lived in.
So when Mary''s attack cut the cloth, it didn''t just attack the clothingit subconsciously attacked her inner-self.
Without warning, the woman''s eyes turned neon purple, and she lifted the baggy sleeves to the sky at a physics-defying speed throwing it upward and slipping out of it effortlessly.
Crux shot down to the earth,den with vibrant yellow lingerie that caught everyone''s attention before she disappeared behind the mansion.
"ROAaahhHHhhaaaAAWrrrR!"
A feral growl from behind the mansion shot through the airwaves, making everyone''s heart pulse.
Understanding her dire situation, Mary panicked and flew over the Immortals and soldiers with ghostly speed, wagering that the divine beast wouldn''t attack with them below.
It was a rational assumption that chilled everyone to their cores. Crux had a reputation and attitude of hating humans. Therefore, none were sure if she would sacrifice them.
As things turned out, the action and discussion were unnecessary.
A massive panther shot out from behind the mansion, pivoting on its paws, and jumped at blinding speed, shooting 900 feet across campus, the length of three football fields.
Her ws ripped into the panicked blonde, dragging her down to the west T-Wall, whichcked humans due to their desire to fan out and flee.
BOOOOOOM!
The two shattered the reinforced wall, sending an explosive cloud of dirt and debris moving outward.
A wind shot through the area, forcing the debris out of the way a momentter, exposing the blonde and the shadow cat''s positions.
Crux pinned Mary down with her ws and had her maw wide, fangs barring. Without a moment dy
"ROAaahhHHhhaaaAAWrrrR!"
she roared and bit down on the blonde.
The sight stunned everyone and sparked an overwhelming wave of cheers from the Immortals and soldiers, believing the Cultivation Lord was dead.
Unfortunately, the shadow cat''s body deformed, bulging outward, before a massive reverse waterfall of corrosive blood shot from its back, raining down on the world.
All the Immortals and soldiers felt their hearts sink as terror and dread overwhelmed them. They felt Crux''s unceremonious death spelled the end of them.
However, of everyone present, the most shocked was Mary, who felt ck muck corroding her skin. "Where is"
The Cultivation Lord panicked as a massive set of beachball-sized eyes glowed behind the woman, shocking everyone into silence.
"ROAaahhHHhhaaaAAWrrrR!"
Mary tried to roll out of the way, but Crux''s jaws reached her left shoulder as she rolled, picking her up like a rag doll and throwing her into the sky.
"Sorrow Winds!" The Cultivation Lord yelled from above, sending down a wave of des that spun counterclockwise. They created a tornado that cut through everything like a blender, didn''t dissipate, and developed a distinctive sound that howled mournfully.
It didn''t hurt Crux, but it made her jump out of the way, giving Mary a moment to breathe.
"Now!" Jake yelled to the Immortals. Eight hundred of them pulled Guided Arrows back, looking through the broken wall in a huge mass.
"FOOLS!" Crux roared at full volume as Mary waved her hand, shooting the wind des at the Immortals like awn mower.
As everyone''s eyes shed before their eyes, the massive panther, releasing corrosive ck miasma from its fur,nded in front of them.
When its paws touched the ground, a massive wall of ck smoke shot outside the wall, colliding with the wind des, howling across the area.
BOOOOOOOM!
A biblical st shattered the airwaves as the ck corrosive miasma hit the wind des at counter-rotation.
It hit Crux and sent her flying across campus, rolling across the ground before crashing into theke, sending a tidal wave-sized fountain in the sky.
"Did I see a Panthera princess protect a wild pack of mongrels?" Mary asked, shattering the ensuing silence with a loud scoff, "What is wrong withGAH!"
The Cultivation Lord stopped talking when an ice spear shot through her shoulder wound.
"What did she tell you about your incessant monologues?" Evalyn roared angrily, attacking from an unpopted area with crazed eyes.
Hundreds of des shot at the confused woman, and a Razor Flurry attack cut off her exits.
"Don''t get confident, you army ant!" Mary screamed. She waved her hand, and a massive gust of des shot across the ground, not holding back or conserving Qi.
The Ice General created fiveyers of ice walls, each shattering before she got hit by the wind des, shredding her skin.
The Cultivator Lord shot to the blonde''s position to finish her off quickly so she could concentrate on Crux. However, a massive dark de cut across her vision.
"It seems I need to take care of you first!" Mary roared, she waved her hand to the sky, preparing to deplete her Qi with another orange, exploding de.
As she raised up, creating the orange beam of light, the sky became illuminated by a beautiful, intricate tapestry of rune-like symbols.
The Immortals had seen it before, so they immediately held their breaths, hope filling their hearts.
The orange de reversed course, shooting back down on the woman, who canceled it.
BOOOM!
She jumped out of the way, avoiding her reversed attack before the golden dome lit up again, and a figure emerged, triggering a wave of tears and cries of joy.
"KAZE!" A woman screamed.
Another followed, triggering aplete explosion of cheering from everyone.
Kaze Lexicon had finally arrived.
Chapter 178 [Revenges Protection]
After Kaze rifted through the spatial barrier, he assessed the situation with vibrant green eyes that looked demonic. His characteristic genial expressions were gone, and only icy resolve remained.
"Thank God; I''m d my faith in you was well founded." He whispered, looking at Evalyn. She was mortally wounded but wouldn''t die that night without further injury, "You above all else."
When he waved his hand, Mary''s perplexion turned into anxiety as the blonde radiated with golden light, illuminating the area. She watched in real time as her wounds disappeared, as if they had reversed time.
With the Ice General fully healed, the emperor activated a paragon-grade Spirit Qi technique to slow time. The closest trantion for the technique was the German word [Zeitgeist], directly tranting to [Time Ghost]. It slowed the world to the point that the world seemed frozen.
His body was also slow and restrained, but his mind was sharp and running at full speed, appraising his people. "Nearly a hundred have perished, and a quarter is injured.
A miracle statistic, given that it''s [the rapture]."
While it seemed cold, he was pleased that his people had suffered a loss. If they hadn''t experienced the rapture, they wouldn''t feel the need to prepare for it.
Then, if he and Evalyn needed to leave, everyone would die. The world was bleakthat was reality. His actions were extremely benevolent; anyone who expected more was delusional.
He surveyed the walls, noting the two breaks and the approaching sick, mostly injured, crawling to the top. There were thousands of bodies, showcasing a vicious battle.
With his examination concluded, he focused all his attention on Crux. She wasn''t mortally injured, but she was in bad shape.
Her breathing was shallow in panther form, and she had difficulty getting onto her feet. Her body was severely mangled and would require a few days to heal.
Crux was arge target, and hecked the Qi necessary to heal her in her panther form. He barely had enough to heal Evalyn, so it was out of the question.
He released the technique, and the world sped up significantly as if it were moving in fast forward.
"Who are you?" Mary asked with a rapidly beating heart.
"Do not interfere with the matters of the living." Kaze replied viciously, turning to her with murderous eyes.
The Cultivation Lord huped breathlessly, afraid but also confused about how he could harm her.
"While your techniques are beyond imagination, they have also sucked you dry." Mary asserted, "At most, you can only fight with a few earth-grade attacks. So do not offend me by iming you''ve won."
Instead of replying, he closed his eyes, and his body radiated with golden light, developing runes over it.
"W-What''s that?" She muttered in shock, "At least it''s Soul Qi. There isn''t an offensive technique using Soul Qi, but still he could trap me. I must kill him quickly."
Kaze smiled murderously, waved his hand, and disappeared. She looked around in a panic, wondering where he went, until she felt a cultivation base behind her.
Mary turned around just in time to see him materialize and touch her stomach. "AghhHHhhhHHHH!"
She thrashed around as her meridianwork caught fire, heating up erratically as it sucked in an immense amount of Qi involuntarily. "What the fuck is this!?"
"I''ll answer you that much so you can understand what you face for your transgressions." He said coldly, "This is my original technique [Forced Panic].
It triggers a false signal you''re at the risk of lethal Qi deprivation and sends your meridians into overdrive, hyperventting.
In less than two minutes, your dantian will rupture, and you''ll die an excruciating death from mortal wounds. You''ll be lesser than the mortals you sought to trample."
Mary''s eyes became crazed, connecting his words to her situation. Even if she survived, she''d be unable to cultivate for the rest of her life.
Any one of the mortals below could tear her body apart. The thought sent waves of mental panic crashing through her mind. "LIES!"
Kaze rolled his eyes, scoffing in annoyance. "Even as you experience excruciating pain stemming from your meridians, you stillck the dignity to avoid senseless banter."
"SHUT UP!" The Cultivation Lord screamed, "If I have too much Qi, I just have to release it, and keep releasing it, and keep releasing it at full power until everything is destroyed and your technique ends!"
"Do you seek my permission?" He asked with dry ridicule.
Mary''s eyes became primal, and she waved her hand upward at ghostly speed, seeking to create her shattering de. However, the orange de rose to the heavens and
"GAHhhHHHHhhHHHhhH!" She screamed in pain, looking down in shock.
the beam of light cut through her hand.
The Cultivation Lord couldn''t figure out what had happened and never would. He created a spatial rift at the top and ced the exit right below her hand. As a result, it shot upward and cut through her wrist at full force.
"What did you do!?" Mary screamed angrily, watching blood gush to the ground, "What is this!?"
"Your meridians are panicking." Kaze replied mysteriously, bending the truth to trigger greater panic, "Surely you didn''t believe they''d function the way you expect them to. Did you?"
The Cultivation Lord''s eyes shed with madness, and her mind panicked alongside her meridians and body. She couldn''t be more panicked.
However, she could see enough to beginughing ominously. "You did use a technique! You have almost no Qi! You''re nearly mortal; I''m going to rip you apart!"
"That''s true." Kaze replied with a strange smileced with sadistic amusement, "However, I have enough Qi to strangle you until your dantian explodes, and I feed you to my mortals."
Her eyes filled with insanity. "Just try to"
He waved his hand and disappeared again, materializing behind her with his hands out to strangle her.
"I won''t fall for that twice, you fool!" Mary screamed, turning around and grabbing him by the throat with her left hand.
As she did, her fingernail, strengthened by the influx of Qi, attempted to cut into his neck. However, a golden barrier blocked the attack, and a purple miasma leaked from the ce her nails touched.
Mary''s soul pulsed, moving a foot away from her body, fighting to re-enter her body against a violent vortex. "W-What are you doing to me!?"
"This ancient-grade technique is called [Revenge''s Protection]." Kaze smiled sinisterly, "It''s aplicated technique that draws out an attacker''s soul and allows the souls of the dead to feast upon it.
While it''s exceedingly wasteful, after what you''ve done to my lover, friend, and people, it''s worth forcing Mitus and the other Silver Medallions to consume your soul."
The Cultivation Lord''s mind aggressively twisted when she heard the elite team she had headed for decades would consume her soul. "You''re cruel!"
Heughed sharply, aggressively grabbing her neck. She realized her grip on his neck was just holding her in the air and wasn''t harming him. By contrast, she could feel his grip strangling her life from her.
"This level of crueltycks the power and callous resolve to give you the punishment you deserve." He dered coldly, "You came to my world and killed billions for your pointless ends.
Then you visited this peaceful settlement, hurt my lover, injured my friend, killed my proud people, destroyed these walls, and still have the audacity toin."
She struggled to get away from his hand, gripping her throat violently, making her kick in the air.
"You have cruelly treated my people like ants." Kaze scoffed angrily, "Well before I release your genocidalrades to eat you like the sick you''ve created on Earth, I want you to know"
Mary opened her eyes and felt his predatory gaze burn through her soul, igniting her meridianwork faster as panic spread through her body. He dantian felt on the precipice of exploding.
"to a true Immortal, you are nothing but an ant.
However, an Immortal needn''t appraise your insignificance, Mary Emerson. You''re weak now as you''ve always been, destined to die at a mortal''s hands. That is and always was your destiny.
Rest assured, when I seize control of the Sky ne in forty years, I will ensure that everyone knows a mortal killed you in the Mortal ne."
The Cultivation Lord felt true helplessness, looking into his absolute gaze, ruthless and unmoving. She understood that he wasn''t lying; she could feel it in her bones.
"Now, die." Kaze ordered, churning his soul core to resume the technique and release the souls of the cultivators he killed an hour before.
The souls of the Silver Medallions exited his body and ripped Mary''s from hers. As soon as it exited, her body lost motor function as if it were unplugged and fell limp.
He released her throat, allowing her body to fall to the ground, smashing into the ground below.
The Immortals and soldiers watched the scene silently, observing his every move with confused emotions. While they wished to celebrate, they couldn''t, as the face of their leadercked positivity. His vicious expression flickered in the night, illuminated by the light golden glow of the woman''s soul, getting ripped apart by purple smoke.
Chapter 179 Love For Our People
After Kaze watched the Revenge''s Protection consume Mary''s soul, he turned to his people, first searching for those he cared for.
After identifying Kiera was safe in the isted cave, he found Jake missing an arm and in significant pain. Veronica was severely injured but would heal naturally.
Kylie, Sage, and the head elites were fine, as they were coordinators for the fighting. However, many suffered from minor Qi deprivation.
Other significant people, including Carmen, General Michaels, Fey Roybock, and Addison Bishop, were also okay.
However, Kane had a massive gash in his leg from a wind de, suffering alongside Aaron, who was mortally wounded, and Sandra, who had an arm barely strung together with muscle tendons.
Beyond the significant people, almost a hundred were dead, and five hundred were wounded, creating a haunting wail that tormented the nighttime sky.
"Ick the Qi to heal Crux, let alone the others." Kaze whispered pensively, looking at the blonde below, "However, we can reverse the situation if Evalyn [genuinely] consents."
He flew to the ground and seamlessly stepped foot on the grass, walking to the Ice General under the prating gaze of the watchful Immortals.
"Great for you to show up." Evalyn said with a sardonic smile.
"I returned as swiftly as possible after learning Killian sent a nuclear bomb to find Crux." He replied earnestly, "This nightmare scenariocked all sense or reason."
"I got that impression, and I honestly don''t me you." She nodded, "For now, let''s focus on the present.
People are dying, the sick are approaching, and there''s virtually no Qi in the atmosphere after the constant fighting. The situation''s bleak; what should we do?"
"Indeed, it is." He nodded solemnly, "While I loathe to offer this, we can reverse the situation by dual cultivating, as it will restore all our Qi reserves.
However, I refuse to let you sacrifice your body for people we''ve saved numerous times. So I will only consent if you are positively inclined towards dual cultivating with me [at this moment]."
Evalyn''s jaw loosened, and she studied his serious expression as if he were having a stroke. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Are you implying I''m wrong to care or think higher of you than others?" Kaze asked with sharp, narrowed eyes at her aggressive reaction.
"Of course not." She scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Is our rtionship so insignificant to you that you''re worried I''d find having sex a sacrifice?"
"Sex for obligation is not sex for meaning, and rtionships are fluid and not constant." He scoffed breathlessly, "You may hate me for decisions tonight; thus, sex could be detrimental.
While you may find it agreeable, stop treating it as if it''s irrelevant."
"It''s relevant?" Evalynughed in amusement, "I love you, Kazewhether I like you is irrelevant.
My body desires yoursliking you is irrelevant.
Consenting to sex would help our peopleliking you is irrelevant."
The emperor turned to her with a pensive expression, trying to understand her point.
"But I do like you." Sheugh-scoffed breathlessly, "So this conversation [is] irrelevant. I can''t believe we''re even having it right now. So drop it so we can dual cultivate and protect our people."
"As you wish." Kaze replied with a half-wry half-hopeless smile, "Prepare the soldiers to fight the sick while I get Kiera to aid the wounded."
"Understood." Evalyn nodded, "Hurry; these people desperately need you."
"Where were you!?" A pink-haired teen screamed in a dimly lit cave, "I thought you were dead! Fucking DEAD!"
"I told you I''d return, did I not?" Kaze asked soberly, "Did you think I was too weak to back my word?"
"I don''t think you''re weak; that''s half the problem!" Kieraughed sharply, tears falling from her eyes, "You''re low-key invincible and can sense people from miles away. So where were you!?"
"Where was.... Do you think me omnipotent, Kiera?" He scoffed in disbelief, "That I can control time, space, the ocean, and sky but maliciously chose not to return?"
"No, that''s the other half of the problem!" She cried aggressively, making his eyes fill with vexation, as she implied both halves were the problem, but his expression didn''tst long.
"I am certain you''d rip apart the sky, ocean, space, and time if anyone were attacking Evalynso if you knew something was wrong, then why the fuck weren''t you protecting her!?" Kiera screamed.
"There were only two exnationsyou were severely injured or fucking dead! So don''t treat me like I''m being over-emotional for worrying about your god damn strength! You got it!?"
Kaze frowned, getting rightfully called out by the intelligent teen. So he opened his arms with a gentle, wry smile and let her walk into his arms.
"While your confidence moves me, I am neither omnipotent nor omniscient." He whispered, "I learnedte,cked information, and made multiple serious mistakes. I''m human."
"I know... it was just so hard, Kaze." Kiera sobbed, bawling on his chest while gripping his back aggressively, "... to stay inside this cave... while everything melted down....
But I did I trusted you... and stayed in here Kaze."
"You did well, Kiera." Kaze praised, hugging her with aplex expression, "You stayed loyal, [protected everyone by being here], and stayed calm. I''m proud of you."
The ng riddler understood his point. She had nearly killed someone when she bent their raw Qi clockwise without knowing they were attacking left-handed. That could''ve happened at scale.
Moreover, if Kiera reversed Qi around Mary and her technique exploded, it could''ve killed everyone. She was a severe liability.
"I know, but I wanted to help." She whispered.
"If that''s true, I have a technique you can use to help people now." Kaze replied, poking her forehead, "Permission to [info dump]?"
"Just give it to me, goddamnit!" Kiera snapughed, breaking past her tears, "I don''t have time for an old man''snguage lecture during the apocalypse."
"As you wish." Kaze smiled, closing her eyes and transferring a technique into her mind.
The pink-haired teen''s expression reversed, and she slid down his chest, copsing onto her knees with trembling eyes. "W-Wait... t-this is this a joke, right? I-I can''t do this."
"Kiera, listen." Kaze said seriously, lifting her and putting her on his back, "The elites with Minor Healing are responsible for keeping people alive. That''s not your responsibility.
I need someone who can do more; only you have the talent and control to use this technique."
"I...." Kiera trembled nervously, "I couldn''t do this to save my own life, Kaze. Ick the resolve to face the world, let alone concentrate... I''m afraid, and everything feels pointless. Meaningless."
"If you can''t face the world for yourself, face it for me." The emperor said with unwavering eyes, "If you''re afraid, develop confidence for me. If your life feels pointless, live for mine, as it''s not."
Kiera''s heart pulsed, listening to him. His words triggered their conversation the week before when she asked for something to live for. "Will that actually work?"
"Of course it will." Kaze smiled, "Now let''s go."
Excited whispers spread when they saw Kaze flying back to them. However, everyone hushed when they saw Kiera on his back.
Few had noticed until that moment that she was missing, but now it was clear to all. Moreover, her rtionship with the emperor was widely gossiped about.
That was especially true of the soldiers, who knew her intimately because her behavior nearly triggered an international conflict.
Now, he returned with her on his back like a child! Combined with seeing her body shaking like a leaf, hearing and witnessing the traumatizing scene for the first time left people bent.
"I will not exin why Kiera wasn''t here, as it''splicated, and weck time." Kaze announced, putting the teen down, "However, her [absence] was to your benefit, and I will exin whyter."
His words inspired breathless, bitter chuckles. While they epted her special status, they wouldn''t believe something so paradoxical.
"That said, her [presence] now is to your benefit!" He continued loudly, snapping people to attention, "Treat her with respect, do not pressure her, and do not question her decisions.
I''ve given her instructions, so treat everything she says and does to be an order from myself. Do you understand?"
Most Immortals nodded sheepishly. However, the elites and soldiers nodded in conflict, wearing strained expressions or gritting their teeth.
They were bothered that he sheltered her from harm and brought her back after the danger to boss them around with authority.
Kiera saw everyone and looked down at the ground. She hated being in the spotlight, and currently, she was the brunt of begrudgingly-non-lethal attention.
"Evalyn and I must leave for an hour to cultivate and regain strength." Kaze announced boldly, "So protect your country, your brethren, and help Kiera help you."
"Are you sure it''s okay to leave her alone in that emotional pirana pit?" Evalyn asked cautiously, walking with the emperor to the main mansion.
"If they force her to defend herself, everyone will learn why she wasn''t present." He replied, ncing at her seriously, "However, we needn''t worry.
Kiera''s socially weak but emotionally strong and physically overpowered. So even without our elites protecting her, people cannot easily harm her even if they break my orders. She''s safe.
It''s also good for her to face adversity tonight in her own way."
Evalyn nodded as they walked through the mansion''s doors. The building was dark and ominous. "Upstairs or downstairs?"
"Neither." He replied, waving his hand and pulling her through a rift.
"You have to be joking me." She said in exasperation, looking at his bunker with the same expression Kiera had. "Is this necessary?"
His bed alone, made from six king-sized mattresses stacked side-by-side, made her feel dizzy.
The speak-easy bar, table booths, firece, full kitchen, and master-sized bathroom felt like insult-to-injury and left her eye twitching.
"It is." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "These are Soul Qi reinforced beds with ample space. I assure you, Evalynwe need both for what we''re about to do.
We cannot afford to destroy more of this campus than we already have."
Evalyn stared at the arena-sized area of indestructible mattresses in disbelief, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over her, alongside a strange sense of danger and thrill.
Chapter 180 The Crows Nest
"We really need [this] to dual cultivate?" Evalyn asked, her anxiety-stricken trust raging a biblical war against every scruple ofmon sense and rationality she had umted that far.
"In our current states, yes." Kaze smiled, "With Qi reserves, I could create a spatial barrier to block out the noise and reinforce everything in a room with a thickyer of Soul Qi. However, both would be exceedingly wasteful."
The blonde blinked twice in disbelief, her jaw rxed, staring into dead space. "Just to confirm. Did you just say a [thick]yer of Soul Qi?"
"Correct." He smiled genially.
"I''m going to regret asking this question." Evalyn prefaced, taking a deep breath.
"Then I''d rmend you not ask it." Kaze replied hypnotically.
"What does [thick] mean rtive to what you put on fences?" She asked, ignoring his charming, mocking smile. While the topic sounded amusingit wasn''t amusing!
She watched Malta''s weapons shoot his lightly reinforced fences and have bullets bounce off them. So if something required a thickyer of Soul Qi, it meant that the expected damage was of a different caliber. It was a serious issue!
"Hmmm." Kaze hummed, putting his knuckle to his chin, "It took around 200 Mortal Realm souls to put a minoryer of Soul Qi over everything on the campus, including two miles to the east.
If I had to ce a number on my bedroom, I''d say it''d take at least five"
"Five mortal realm cultivators!?" She cried in bewilderment, "For your bedroom!?"
"Earth Realm cultivators." He finished with an amused smile, "That''d be the minimum, and it''d still be offensively ufortable and unsatisfying for the costs."
"Then this?" Evalyn opened and closed her mouth multiple times in disbelief. "What exactly am I standing in?"
"I call it the Crows Nest." Kaze smiled, "It''s a one-bed, two-bath bunker with a full study.
It has a full bar, filled with the most egregiously expensive spirits Daniel could procure on short notice. They taste awful, but their bottles are charming, don''t you think?"
As if in a trance, Evalyn turned to the bottle racks behind the bar right before Kaze hit a switch, backlighting the battle shelves with green light. "No."
"You don''t think so?" He mused in maic disappointment, "I thought you''d like them."
"No, it''s not that." She whispered in disbelief, looking around the room, "It''s just wait... is that an official upancy sign?"
Kaze followed her gaze and found a Fire Health and Safety regtion upancy sign with arge 120 on it. "Oh, yes.
Even though Daniel registered this as a single room, Malta''s quest for mandatory taxation led them to this doomsday bunker, guided by our instation of itsmercial cooking hood.
s, faced between registering this humble bunker as a restaurant with a liquor license and having a thousand fewer bottles of spirits and no cooking hood, I chose the former."
Evalyn shook her head into dead space, trying toprehend what she had just heard. She wanted to ask how he registered the bunker as a restaurant while viting the fire code regtions. After all, she didn''t see hatches, let alone fire stairs!
However, they didn''t have time to waste on such ridiculous matters.
"No." She muttered, "I''m asking you what''s different about this ce than your bedroom? I assume that you built this bunker for dual cultivation right?"
"Oh, that''s what you meant." Kaze gasped sarcastically, charmingly, "We''re in a bunker 100 feet below ground preventing sound acoustics from traveling.
The walls and ceilings are made from eight-inch thick steel, which requires less Soul Qi reinforcement.
However, the main feature is the six king-sized mattresses. Such is the minimum requirement for Heaven Realm dual cultivation [for beginners]."
"I give up." She said after a deep breath, turning to him with an intense gaze, "Is there something about sex I didn''t learn in sex ed that would justify something like this being necessary for [beginners]? Or am I justcking creativity?"
Increasing one''s strength through cultivation could make regr sex more aggressive or rough sex more destructive. However, she failed to see how any amount of stats would increase the need for bed size to six times that of a king-sized bed!
"Oh, yes, that." Kaze replied briskly, smiling strangely, "Thus far, I have guided people through basic dual cultivation.
However, I''m certain you will attempt to keep pace to maximize our gains yetck the experience to do so. As a result of you being a beginner, we can expect bacsh from uneven Qi release."
Her eyes trembled, and she looked into his eyes, searching for clues to the severity of the issue.
"Here, let''s get started." He smiled slightly, touching her forehead and transferring the full Spiritual Connection technique, something he had yet to do.
Most people''s minds would go crazy processing that level of information.
While Evalyn''s crazed gaze and chuckling grin certainly met the minimum requirements for insanity, she wasn''t losing her mind from information overload. Instead
"How haven''t you driven women into insanity with this?" She chuckled with madness swirling in her eyes, "This I feel like you could mentally and physically torture people with this."
"Of course, you can." Kaze replied with nonchnt charmingness, "I imagine this specific technique would be great for interrogation too."
"That''s not a good thing, Kaze." Evalynugh-scoffed, turning away in annoyance, "Why do you sound pleased? Sex should not be capable of interrogation and torture."
"Neither should a standard ballpoint pen." He replied mysteriously, "However, give me one and thirty minutes, and I can achieve satisfactory marks for emotional and physical torture and interrogation.
Instead of looking at something''s intrinsic capabilities for misuse, think about how marvelously skilled a person must be to misuse them."
Her expression nearly cracked, hearing him. She was confident he was skilled enough to torture people with sex and others weren''t; she didn''t know whether that was good or not.
"Let''s hurry up." Evalyn said, closing her eyes, "We still need to return and help the others."
"Of course." Kaze smiled, "However, you must go into it with a positive mindset. Otherwise, you can lose your mind temporarily, something we cannot afford to do."
The blonde cringed slightly and closed her eyes, summoning the mental blueprint.
"Okay, let''s get started, then." She said, grabbing the cor of his light-pink button-up he wore that day and pulling him to her lips.
When they connected, she felt like the stressful hell she had experienced only hours before was a dream.
They lived out the Rapture and had warred briefly with upper-ne existences. Yet now, only a couple of hourster, she was in a luxurious bunker with the man she loved, about to have sex and grow in strength and power. It was surreal.
She pushed her tongue into his mouth, making out with him passionately.
Kaze smiled, enjoying the kiss. He hadn''t felt powerful emotions from a sexual experience since he was in the Transcendent ne. So returning to such feelings after almost two millennia was refreshinghealing even.
Evalyn moved his cor, so his back was facing the bed and pushed him back, letting him crash onto the luxurious red bedding. She crawled onto his waist, straddling him, looking into his eyes.
Their eyes connected, creating electricity sparking between the two.
"When did you reinforce my clothing, hmmm?" The blonde asked with a strange smile, gazing at him ruthlessly.
She looked down at her white shirt and ck legging, still in one piece despite getting hit multiple times with wind des and hitting the ground rolling.
While the clothing wouldn''t help her from broken bones, it saved her from bleeding out from the weak wind shes and was one of the main reasons she was still alive.
"Yesterday, before Marilyn delivered your clothing." He replied shamelessly, not deterred from talking about intercepting her clothing for modification.
"That makes me curious." Evalyn mused with vicious yfulness, "Did you also reinforce your beloved pink striped panties? Hmmm?"
Kaze gave her a mocking smile that made her feel nervous. "I''m not sure. Pray tell, Evalyn. Have you worn them recently, thus making them requireundering?"
Her face turned beet red, and she turned away. She realized they were the only pair she wore outside of training!
"You''re lucky I had." She said strangely, "Otherwise, they would''ve got torn to shreds today because"
The blonde closed her eyes, groaning internally. She was wearing them; therefore, she admitted to wearing them multiple times that week. "thatdy was extremely jealous of them."
"Oh, she was, was she?" Kaze smiled in amusement, "Did you show her?"
Evalyn gave him a wry smile, turning away and turning a deep breath. "I didn''t. However, she was obsessed with you.
I''m confident she''d ask about your lingerie preferences if I wasn''t sending daggers into her spine. She needed a legitimate life-threatening experience to stop interrogating me about you.
I''m sure she would''ve loved this technique, actually."
"Hoh?" He mused, "She has good taste. Maybe I misjudged her"
The blonde grabbed a pillow and smashed it into his face. "Joke again, and I''ll attack you for real."
"That will be involuntary in a moment." Heughed, peeling the pillow off his face, "Now, shall we?"
She closed her eyes in aggravation, realizing how much of a hole she had dug herself in before reaching under her shirt and pulling up.
The shirt moved up her rib cage, moving over her perfectly proportionate c-cup breasts hidden behind a pink-striped bra.
Kaze gave it an appreciativenot mockingnce that made her heart flutter. She knew by his expression that the experience would be unlike any she had experienced.
Chapter 181 Strange Expression
Evalyn took a deep breath to slow her beating heart, looking into Kaze''s vibrant green eyes. "Yes, let''s cultivate so we can return."
He smiled gently and tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "As you wish. You can initiate, as it will likely be ufortable to let go so abruptly."
Her eyes trembled, listening to his words. She had a boundless appreciation that he epted her negative traits and made space for them. "I appreciate that."
The blonde dry-swallowed and began unbuttoning his light-pink button-up, doing it quickly but with dexterity, watching the world through slow motion.
When she got them undone, she put her two hands onto his chest and pushed his shirt apart, moving her hands to the tips of his shoulders. "I... want to kiss you before we get started."
"There''s no need to ask." Kaze smiled gently.
She locked eyes with him and moved her lips back to his. The second their lips connected, it felt like he breathed life into her.
Kaze ran his fingers up her back, making her shudder as he moved to unbuckle her bra. She closed her eyes and let it happen, feeling his fingers glide across her skin as she kissed him.
She let her mind go, allowing herself--permitting herself--to enjoy it.
After skillfully unbuckling her bra, he removed the straps from her shoulder.
Evalyn disconnected her lips, shivering as she let the bra drop to his chest. Seeing him nce at her filled her body with positive, overwhelming emotions that sparked passion within her. "Will this be enough mental readiness to dual cultivate?"
"It''s the perfect amount." Kaze replied hypnotically, "There are countless avenues of pleasure to get you into the mood for sex. So it''s just about getting your mind on straight."
As he spoke, his fingers radiated in a golden light, tracing her meridianwork. "Ahhh~"
His fingers weren''t touching her pleasure channels, just activating her meridianwork gently, but it still made her shudder in gentle pleasure.
Kaze moved his fingertips around the back of her neck like a snake, lightly teasing pleasure channels as he activated and removed his technique at key points.
To her, it felt perfect. He never let the feeling be overwhelming; it was always just enough.
"I love that control you''re using." Evalyn whispered, eyes closed, "It''s perfect."
The blonde smiled, feeling her body melting as she lowered her breasts onto his bare chest, feeling his warmth as he traced her pleasure channels.
"Will sex be like this?" She asked gently, embracing him, "Right now, I feel capable of expressing my feelings for you."
Kaze smiled mysteriously and chuckled a few times, looking away. "I will not mislead you with falsehoods--it couldn''t get more different than this."
Her heart pulsed, and her eyes blurred, breaking out of her gentle bliss and remembering they were in a military-grade nuclear bomb shelter, lying on a frankenstitched indestructible super mattress!
"What.... will it be like, then?" She asked hesitantly.
He gave her a strange smile and let his eyes wander, trying to find the words to exin the situation. "Hmmm... I''d say... unique... visually confusing... easily misinterpreted...."
"What''s going to happen, Kaze!" Evalyn cried, shooting up, straddling him with her bare chest peering down at him.
"Well, for starters, it will feel terrific." Kaze smiled charmingly, "Then you''ll want to... express yourself... as if you were on rave drugs. Only its cultivation, which just so happens to be a military art form."
Her eyes could get wider, hearing him. "Did you just say I''ll want to use offensive cultivation techniques on you!?"
"No... not exactly." He smiled maically, trying to find the words to express himself, "As I said, you''ll want to express yourself--"
"Yes, rave drugs." Evalyn scoffed, "I get it; you''ll turn me into one of your helpless sex kittens for the session. I''m oddly okay with that, as I''ve been curious and jealous... since the beginning.
I''m asking if I''ll want to attack you with lethal techniques. Wait...."
A surreal thought shed through her mind--and her emotions reversed instantly, reced by a cathartic wave of vindication.
"Permission to be excessively petty." Evalyn requested, serious-toned but frantic.
"Permission granted." Kaze smiled in amusement, a fan of her strange ways.
"It''s hard to get into the mood to turn into a sex-crazed murder machine." She chuckled breathlessly, "I''ve also heard your technique in action, and it sounds horrifying.
However, concerning as it sounded, hearing it at that party made me disgustingly jealous.
All I could think about was how you wouldn''t please me, but you''d turn a pack of hot tub floozies into a party attraction.
So disgusting-jealousy permitting, I''d like you to do that to me--only more passionately. I won''t fight against Kiera for first ce, but I want to at least win decisively against random hot tub floozies."
Kaze''s eyes widened in bewilderment, and he turned away, tonguing his canine with a grin. "Evalyn Skye, your wish is mymand."
"You''ll mean it?" Evalyn asked sharply, "You''re not just going to hold back less with your techniques?"
He smiled and looked into her with a strange smile. "I won''t use any more of my techniques than I was using that night.
So you can call everything you feel interest. Hurry up and ept the fate you seek."
Curious, confused, and cautious, she crawled backward until she faced his crotch and set to work on his belt, skillfully removing it from the loop, unbuckling it, and pulling it apart.
After unzipping his cks, she grabbed his waist and pulled down, releasing hisrge rod, stiff and ready for her.
She immediately opened her mouth, grabbed the shaft, and inserted it, sucking without warning.
Her passion moved Kaze, who closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling, happy to let her get her desires out of the way.
After a few seconds, she released her mouth and pulled away, continuing to pull his cks off his legs.
Once they were off, she removed her boots and pulled down her leggings and pink-striped panties in one motion. While she''d normally tease him, she felt strangely passionate.
To prevent the mood from dying, she crawled forward, reached behind her right thigh, and grabbed his shaft in a reverse grip, guiding it to her body and pushing it against her lips. "AhhhhHh~"
As it pushed passed, she realigned her body, guiding it in slowly. The feeling was surreal, having control over the situation for the first time.
Kaze watched her in a trance, closing his eyes slowly and opening them again, watching her express her pleasure. "I''ll start the connection whenever you wish."
The blonde sat fully, guiding the rest of his shaft into her with a relieved expression. "I''m ready."
He closed his eyes and summoned the blueprint, analyzing her body mentally while calling it. "Listen to the sound of my voice... three... two... one....."
Evalyn tried to open her eyes to ask when he was speaking like a hypnotist or ominously counting down, but after he hit one, her entire body pulsed, and she rocked back.
She felt her soul body leave hers by a few feet, attracted to Kaze''s before he pushed it back and--
"AhhhhHHHHHhhHHhHHH~!" The blonde screamed at the top of her lungs.
--it reconnected, bringing her into contact with the pleasure her body was experiencing.
Kaze''s Yang Qi touched her built-up reserves and exploded, sending awork of pleasure shooting through every channel imaginable.
"Why!?" Evalyn cried in horror, "I''m not even moving, so why can I feel pleasure in my fucking knees!? Knees aren''t supposed to feel pleasure!"
She gripped the mattress, trying her best not to move an inch. It felt like her entire pleasurework would shred her mind and leave her body copsing onto him like falling confetti.
"As someone with a divine technique, your locked Qi far outstrips everyone on this campusbined, save Crux and Kiera." Kaze exined, "Therefore, your body must make a rtive amount of Yin Qi to cleanse it.
That Qi has met an amount of Yang Qi that can ept all of it at once. Thus, the pleasure is unimaginable."
"T-Then what can I do!?" Evalyn cried, "This is borderline torture."
"To rid yourself of manic delirium, you must release the Elemental Qi through cultivation or release it before it hits your pleasure channels." He replied with a strange tone, "Right now, the excess is exploding and sending it into your pleasure channels."
"I can''t cultivate right now." She asked in horror, feeling the desire to copse but fearing to move, "So does that mean attacking you is the only option?"
"Only option?" Kazeugh-scoffed, "There is enough space in this room to fit 120 people and bed space for at least twenty more, yet you''d direct your techniques at me? Are you mad?"
"GAH!" Evalyn screamed, falling forward, "I don''t KNOW!"
As she fell, a wave of overwhelming pleasure assaulted her. When she felt it, she hit the bed on either side of him with her hands, and they exploded in an ice nova, freezing the bed around her. "I-I''m sorry...."
Kaze reached his left arm out, stretching it and pressing his fingers to the frozen bed.
CRrrrRrrrRRrrraaaAcCCCK!
The ice shattered from vibrations that spread across the bed.
Evalyn thought he''d heat the bed, but he only cracked it. "What did--"
Kaze grabbed her body and flipped her over at blinking speed.
CRRAaaaaCK!
As they fell, the ice shattered in a chain reaction, his body on hers with shockwaves spreading through the area.
The blonde closed her eyes and felt-fortable. Being on ice made her reconnect with reality, bringing her down to earth. "Thank you...."
"Don''t thank me yet." Kaze smiled charmingly, "As we have yet to cultivate."
Her mouth fell open when she heard they hadn''t even started cultivating. She should know that, but she couldn''t think! "Then how--AaaaaaAAaahhHHHHhhhHhhh~!"
A feral scream came out of her as Kaze touched his fingers to her abdomen and activated a strange technique, forcing a pink radiant glow to wash over the room.
Then in a smooth motion, he thrust forward again.
She felt a profound difference as her cultivation eased the misfiring Qi released. It only took her one demonstration to understand that cultivating would ease her pleasure. However, it required concentration, something shecked.
Overwhelmed, she tried adjusting herself, but she couldn''t gain traction on his back! It was infuriating thinking that a human''s nails could rake against steel and get a reaction, but she could use divine-level strength to w at his back, and it''d do nothing!
"AhhhHHHHhhHHH!" Evalyn screamed, feeling overpowered. She summoned ice on her fingernails for ws to dig into his body for traction but barely touched the surface.
She moaned uncontrobly in overwhelming pleasure, wishing she could think. However, she couldn''t get a grip.
Unable to do more, she ced her hand onto his back and shot ice in a two-foot diameter, freezing his back, looking to w into the ice. She didn''t even think about how wild her action was.
Kaze smiled in amusement and closed his eyes. Blue mes developed around him, turning the ice to steam.
Then he waved his hands, and the ice around them on the bed also melted. "See, there''s plenty of ways to expell excess Qi."
Something about him casually melting the icy hell she identally turned the bed into bothered her. So in a slight enlightened moment of divine pettiness, she touched her left hand to the mattress.
The area instantly turned to ice again, freezing the water and making the ice denser.
He smiled and put his right and down and--
"K-KaaaaaahhhhhhHhHhHhHhHhHAZEE~!"
--Evalyn screamed in pleasure as he cycled Yang Qi into her body with a deep thrust.
At the same time, his hand touched the mattress and made it explode with violent steam and heat.
She gasped out of her pleasure and mmed the bed in a panic, sending an icy storm into the sky.
"You called my name like Riley but with far more passion and resolve." Kaze smiled, "So it seems that you''ve exceeded your expectations, considering that I love you giving you the win by default."
Evalyn heard his sassy remark and sent multiple des from the ceiling at his back with an annoyed wave. It was a simple [fuck you] type of gesture.
However, he let her des crash into his back as if nothing were unnatural back it.
"If you''re going to be petty, you may as well mean it." Kaze smiled mockingly, his body radiating with a dark blue color. Her pink aura got pulled into it like a vortex, "Because if you don''t, I''ll take over the role and make you scream like a [winner]."
...
Evalyn stumbled out of a spatial rift with an embarrassing gait, trying not to look drunk and weak-kneed. For what it was worth, she had the strength to use cultivation techniques while keeping sane. However, that ensured her body was nearly broken by the end of the session.
Before Kaze could ask again if she was certain she didn''t want him to heal her, his eyes widened, looking before him. "What is this nightmare?"
Another Sorrow Winds wind technique had been used, ripping the earth in the center of the campus, and new parts of the west T-Wall were missing.
In the center, countless bodies were lying in a line.
He immediately prepared to open a rift, but after another nce, his eyes deadened.
"I feel I''ll have trouble chastising that woman for whatever happened here." Kaze chuckled bitterly, looking at Kiera, kicking her feet against the wall. While she looked like a rxed kid on a swing, she was barking orders, and every person in the area was listening.
"And even if she were in the wrong, I''m having a hard time seeing how I can stymie this development in good faith." He smiled wryly, "Well, it''s best to start by asking."
--
[A/N: The next cultivation session with Evalyn will be amazing. Right now, it was just a nightmare learning curve. You''ll get a beautiful session very soon!]
Chapter 182 Fear
1 Hour Prior | Immortal Skye Perimeter
Kiera stood in the center of a grassy field in the northwest corner of Immortal Skye''s perimeter. The twenty-foot T-Wall in front of her had a massive hole twenty feet wide, made of sharp, jagged edges.
While Mary''s wind des had reduced the wall to rubble, every piece had uniform cuts through the concrete and iron rods. Each piece was smooth, proving that the woman''s wind des could easily cut through anything human-made, like butter.
On the outside, the electric fencesy on top of hundreds of corpses stacked up before the fences broke.
The west wall to her right was different. It had a 50-foot-wide hole from when Crux blocked Mary''s Sorrow des technique, triggering an explosion. Otherwise, the story was the same.
Massive holes in the ground from cultivation attacks held corpses, body parts, and blood filled them like moats.
Kiera nearly threw up multiple times, looking at the devastation. However, she didn''t because everyone in the area was ring at her, focusing on her pristine clothing.
"I can''t do this, Kaze." She winced with closed eyes, "I can''t even look."
If you can''t face the world for yourself, face it for me.
Her eyes snapped open when she remembered his message. "No, I must look for Kaze. To help his vision because I owe him more than I can ever repay."
The pink-haired teen turned around and saw Crux still inside theke, in panther form. She was instructed not to try healing her for various reasons, but she still wanted to check on her.
"Hey whatever your name is." A soldier called out bluntly, "I''m notining or anything, but are you gonna tell us why you''re here? Or are you just gonna stand there making us wait for your words?"
Her heart violently pounded when she felt thousands of gazes turn to her. She wanted to flee since she had no social confidence. However, Kaze''s words rang out in her head again.
If you''re afraid, develop confidence for me.
She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, trying to find words to say before she finally found them and spoke.
"I''m here to help with the healing." Kiera announced, "I''m not very good with people or logistics.
However, if possible, I''d appreciate it if someone told me who needs the care the most. I need to know who to prioritize."
The area fell dead silent, save for the cries of the wounded. There were already teams using Minor Healing, but they had already run out of Qi, so hundreds were still in excruciating pain.
"No offense, girl, but listen to the sounds around you." A blonde snapped coldly, "Does it [sound] like anyone needs care the most?"
"That''s not what I meant!" Kiera cried, "As I said, I need to know who I need to [prioritize] care for."
"I get you mean well, but think about what you''re asking." A brown-haired soldier said, "You''re asking someone to choose who lives and dies. That''s your job, not ours."
His words triggered a flurry of assenting statements and jeering.
"This is pointless." The pink-haired teen whispered, closing her eyes, "I can''t use this technique at all. Now, people ask me to heal randos as if they don''t understand what I''m saying.
They just don''t want to help me, so I won''t be able to do my job. This is pointless; everything is so fucking point"
If your life feels pointless, live for mine, as it''s not.
After a deep breath, the ng riddler opened her eyes resolutely.
"I suppose I should rify what I''m doing here." She said with fierce golden eyes, "Kaze brought me here to heal people. Therefore, I need to heal important"
"Did you just say the word important?" A redhead scoffed aggressively, triggering a wave of jeering, "Are you trying to pick a fight with everyone?"
If you''re afraid, develop confidence for me.
"No, that''s not what I meant." Kiera replied dryly, "You know"
"Look,dy, dozens of people with healing techniques are helping the wounded. So unless you don''t have a real reason, just sit down. We''ll handle things ourselves."
If your life feels pointless, live for mine, as it''s not.
"Look around you! You weren''t here, so why do you think you can help!? Look!"
If you can''t face the world for yourself, face it for me.
Statement after statement flew in until there was a trigger.
"Look, we didn''t need Kaze''s help tonight to stay alive, so we definitely don''t need the help of his girlfriend, okay?"
The area calmed down in an instant. Emotions were explosive, screams were driving people into insanity, and trauma was twisting people''s mindsets.
Most people were afraid someone had insulted Kaze. However, dozens who were twisted into irrationality jumped in, saying simr statements.
"Hah! That fucker left us to die, came back, and dropped off his kid to save all of us. What a joke."
"You know he went off to [cultivate], right? People are dying, and Faction Leader took our real leader to bed. Disturbing."
Kiera''s mind churned through everything around her. She processed her dream-life shattering, the apocalypse, and the death and devastation.
Through all of it, she was worthless, but the emperor wasn''t. He trained Evalyn, provided everyone with techniques, and made things happen.
While he didn''t do all the work, he was the gluethe foundationeverything revolved around.
Without Kaze Lexicon, Immortal Skye wouldn''t have existed, there wouldn''t be peace, and they''d all probably be dead. She could see that clear as day, yet these people these people.
"Shut up." Kiera growled.
"Did you just tell us to shut up?"
"Hah, can you believe this woman?"
"Shut up!" The teen snapped louder.
"What are you still doing here?"
"We don''t need you! So just go and do something."
"Shut up, all of you!" She barked loudly.
"Look, I get you mean well, but
"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Kiera screamed, raising her hand to the sky.
"W-What the fuck!?"
"That sound!"
"That''s the same fucking sound!"
A massive cyclone of wind des slowly lowered from the sky, howling on their way to the ground to create a blender.
It was [Sorrow Winds], the sky-grade technique Crux gave her on June 2nd. While she had the technique since the beginning, everyone else knew it because it had nearly killed half a thousand Immortals and Crux in one attack.
Naturally, the scale of her technique and the Cultivation Lord''s was iparable. However, the [sound] of Sorrow Winds, like Harrowing Winds, was distinctive. So anyone that heard it instantly jumped up with terrified expressions.
"ARE YOU AFRAID YET!?" Kiera yelled, swinging her hand down.
BOOOOOM!
An eruption of dirt followed as thousands of des rained down on the exact location, creating a moat around her.
When the debris cleared, after cutting the technique, the pink-haired teen used a small amount of wind to remove the half-inch of dirt covering her clothing like an overpowered hairdryer.
Everyone was stunned by sight and fell silent for the first time, trembling in fear.
"I''ll ask again: are you afraid yet!?" Kiera screamed at the top of her lungs, "Are you? Or is anyone stupid enough to make themselves into a demonstration!?"
A few panicked Immortals drew arrows with shaky hands. However
"Guh!"
"Agh!"
"Fuck!"
Crisp bullets of raw Qi cut through the air and hit everyone who tried to attack. While those who got hit were shocked, they weren''t nearly as bewildered at the people watching.
The pink-haired teen was flicking her middle finger with her thumb to send micro air shes at everyone at a nearly iprehensible speed.
It continued even after people fell silent, confusing many.
"Hey, idiots gritting your teeth and barking!" Kiera yelled, "Yeah, you! The ones screaming on the ground from a shoulder injury! If you bare your teeth at me again"
"AGH!"
"How the fuck!"
"STOP!"
"It seems people [still] aren''t afraid!" Kiera yelled in a vitriolic rage, "The next ten people who make so much as an evil face at me will take a blunt Qi strikes to their jugr veins to prove I won''t miss.
Everyone will get the same after that, but they''ll be squirting life juice all over their neighbors. Look around youI''ve yet to miss a person''s shoulder. So I suggest you give up!"
A wave of people turned to the head elites, including Rein, Brad, Sammy, and Veronica. However, all looked petrified, sweating.
Icy chills crawled down everyone''s spines when they saw Rein trembling slightly. The same was urate of Sandra, Kane, and General Michaels, all holding their breath in panic.
Lastly, Kylie and Sage stood, watching with strained expressions that showcased heavy stress levels.
After panning the area and seeing all their leaders in unified terror, waves of horrifying anxiety crashed through them.
"That''s more like it!" Kieramented grandly, "You feel that? That''s what [fear] feels like!
It''s an emotion that people get when they''re living on the street and people are trying to kidnap them daily. The feeling of not knowing when you''ll eat again or if people will kick you out of school because you don''t have proper identification. That''s true fear!"
She paned their shocked gazes and flinched at anyone who even looked at her wrong.
"It''s one hell of an emotion, isn''t it?" The ng riddler asked boldly, "Very distinctive, too.
Ya''ll know why you haven''t fuckin'' felt that and weren''t afraid to shit talk the person with authority here? Anyone?"
The teen panned everyone''s faces with a malicious gazeced with genuine hatred.
"It''s because Kaze has given you fucking EVERYTHING!" Kiera screamed at the top of her lungs, "Mansions for housing, good food, and free education to start!
Protection, military training, and self-defense techniques! He built these walls to protect you! He brought you Crux and trained Evalyn! He''s even fought against the Maltian military for you! "
Everyone felt a twisting pain in the heart when they heard the teen''s anguished cry. It provided a direct contrast to what they were feeling.
"That''s why you haven''t felt true fear!" She screamed, "Yet you''re going to sit here, alive after this nightmare, and talk shit about him!?
Say that he abandoned you!?
That you don''t need him!?
Imply he''s feeding primal desires while you suffer, even though you know his cultivation is real!?
His decision to send me was pointless, as if he''s yet to prove you wrong!?"
Those who got angry held their breaths sharply. Even those who [thought] negatively about Kaze felt guilty and horrified internally, fearing it may have leaked through.
"Really!?" Kiera scoffed in disdain, "I don''t know what the fuck happened here, but if Crux is out ofmission, it meant that whoever or whatever came through her was far stronger than Evalyn. So tell me, hive-mind, who the fuck took care of the life-threatening situation?"
She panned the gazes with a wild smile, bending upward and rxing in a strange pattern as she saw people realize the obvious for the first time.
"What? Ya''ll just realize the bottom line?" The teenughed in disdain, "Kaze saved your lifeas alwaysjust like every other day for thest two weeks, yet people im they don''t need him.
Well, guess what, party people!? I''m fucking sick of people getting everything and then shit-talking the person giving it to them, so [I''m] now your life-threatening situation. The question is
who''s going to save you?"
Chapter 183 Divine Stitches
Kiera reached the sky, developed a massive Guided Arrow twice the size of Rein''s, and spun it on her index like a basketball, leaving everyone in Immortal Skye stunned in disbelief.
Everyone held their breath, shocked, afraid, and confused by her death threat and show of power.
They looked to their leaders for help, but they were still frozen. Kaze gave her authority, and they didn''t want to go against his orders.
Moreover, she sat on hisp during a meeting, which told them they shouldn''t touch her, regardless. Everyone was living out a nightmare situation.
"I have a riddle for ya''ll." Kiera smiled yfully, flicking around the fifteen-foot arrow, "Malta is fire; our general is ice. Crux is the darkness, and wall-cutter''s the wind.
What element is your leader?"
She smiled sharply and panned the area 360 degrees to see everyone''s faces before speaking.
"Air." Kieraughed, "Normal airsomething ya''ll took for granted until you suddenly didn''t have it!
Funny how fast anyone can die when they don''t have something essential, isn''t it?"
Her words made those that felt negative emotions toward him feel sick with themselves.
After all, they were praying he''d save them, making them realize they had always taken him for granted. It was a vicious cycle.
"Well, rejoice!" Kiera yelled, breaking them out of their fear-shame trance, "I don''t take my leader for granted, so I''m following his orders!
So here''s the score. I''ll start healing people once you tell me who to prioritize. Otherwise, I''ll kill the haters until people do. Got it?"
Everyone but the cab members and leaders gasped in surprise and nodded hesitantly. They subconsciously believed she was there to kill them and forgot she was on Kaze''s orders.
"Excellent, let me [reiterate] what I said when I arrived." Kiera said snarkily, "I''ll even break it into kids'' steps, even you can understand.
One! Kaze sent me here to help with healing.
Two! I need to know who I need to prioritize care for.
Three! You''re gonna tell me who, but because you know and I don''t.
During that period, you aren''t going to bitch about equality.
99% of humanity''s getting skull fucked by zombies right now, and you''re alive and bitching.
You''re the definition of unequal, thanks to your unappreciated leader. Make sure to thank himter!"
Everyone gulped hesitantly, holding their breaths.
"Since people don''t know what prioritize means, I''ll give you a [Priority for Idiots 101] lesson.
There''s someone dying up there who''s important AF, and everyone knows who that person is.
The instant you thinkthat person needs healing statyou know that you''re not a priority, and they are.
Ya''ll are gonna give me that person''s name, as they need care [the most], and they''re [more important], and you won''t bitch about it this time."
Thoseining, in the beginning, smiled wryly at her words. They were getting called out savagely for starting the current nightmare and getting evil res because of it.
"[Priority for Idiots 101] fin!" Kiera yelled, "If you get it, get me in front of those that need healing. Otherwise, shut the hell up and stay out ofpetent people''s way."
"Being a leader is difficult, Kiera." Kylie said, walking with the other cab leaders to the west wall, "Everyone thinks they''re smarter and more capable, and people will always dislike them. It''s just how it is."
"If anyone thinks they''re smarter or more capable, they''re delusional and need to be locked up." Kiera replied bluntly, "And if they don''t like him, they deserve to die."
"Kiera." Kylie said in stunned confusion, "You''re joking, right?"
"I''m not joking." The ng riddler said with cold eyes, "We''ve lost a lot of time, so let me do my job and keep your spection and criticisms forter."
The cab members smiled wryly, holding backments as they finished their walk to an area where Jake, Kane, Sandra, and Aarony, each badly wounded.
"Why the hell didn''t anyone mention Sergeant Douche needed healing?" Kiera snapped, looking at Kane, who had bandages keeping his leg in ce.
The ex-colonel gazed at her wryly, wondering when she had started hating him. Naturally, he assumed it had to do with Kaze, not the war fervor fiasco.
"By the time my team tried, the situation was too dangerous." Kane replied, looking at the teen, treating him like he was already dead, "Also, Aaron''s a leader, and he''s in critical condition.
He''s one of the main reasons we''re still alive that we survived until Kaze showed up."
The colonel seized when he saw the teen threatening to murder him if he gave credit to anyone but Kaze.
"Okay, point him out." Kiera said, looking at the five people lined up.
"He''s the red-haired man." Kane replied, "He''s probably the most wounded here."
She nodded and walked to the end, where Aaron was fighting for his life. She looked at his body from the end, thest in the row of bodies, letting her see the contrast in their conditions.
Half his stomach was open, spewing out intestines behind bandages, and his left arm was missing at the elbow. He had turned to avoid a wind de, so it sliced through his stomach, side, and arm simultaneously. Minor healing barely made a dent.
"I''m not ready for this." The ng riddler swallowed, looking at the man nervously, "I haven''t even practiced this."
"Wait, did you say that you haven''t practiced!?" Veronica asked in horror.
Kiera''s heart pulsed unnaturally, and she turned to the woman with crazed eyes. "No, I haven''t. But Kaze sent me here trusting I couldare you questioning his judgment?"
The ck-haired pixie stepped back reflexively, looking at the shocked teen with horror.
Only a moment prior, the teen was a sad mess. However, Kaze was a trigger that cut through all emotions and gave her boundless confidence!
"Just watch." Kiera demanded, turning to the man angrily, determined to prove Kaze right and the woman wrong. She closed her eyes and called the blueprint, fighting the severe anxiety of attempting something so dangerous andplicated.
Not only was it a divine technique, requiring exponentially more skill, but it also had variable Qi consumption, which could drain all of her reserves and kill her with one usage if she wasn''t careful.
Kaze had only given it to her because of their extensive Qi awareness and control training, and she knew that. That''s why she was determined to prove him right.
"His confidence in me is grossly misced." She growled loudly, gritting her teeth in frustration, "But if it''s even half of what he expects, I can do this!"
Kiera opened her eyes, looked at Aaron, and waved her hand.
A pulse of vibrant green light shot from her hand, hitting Aaron and bouncing, sending a green light to the other three bodies in a chain reaction.
Kane looked at his leg in shock. It didn''t feel like healing, but it radiated light confidently, twisting in the air and interacting with Elemental Qi, proving it wasn''t a mistake.
It was a beautiful sight that left everyone stunned.
Kiera read the Qi flow carefully, processing the information, which reacted with her mental blueprint. She closed her eyes and chewed through the information, trying to piece together the technique like a puzzle.
The experience left her humbled, thinking about how fast Kaze processed the healing information in his mind. However, it showcased that she could do enough, even if it were only once.
"They''reing!" A male soldier yelled, "There are crawlers, but there are also runners! They''re in civilian clothes, probably from a nearby town!"
Kiera winced, feeling her concentration crack and the puzzle in her head start breaking apart.
"Then deal with it." Veronica growled, watching the green light fade, "We need time, or everyone here will die."
"B-But no one here that can handle this situation!" He cried, "The only people that can handle this are the Immortals because the soldiers don''t have Qi, and we''re running out of bullets! They need a leader!"
"Fine!" She yelled aggressively. The pixie understood that Kiera was motivated to do something difficult because of her presence. Still, she was the only person with enough strength and social skills to defend the perimeter. So she had to leave, which jeopardized everything.
"But if another person shows up here orins, I''ll rip their throat out!" Veronica yelled, shocking the soldier, "Let''s go!"
"I''ll go too. Just tell me who to yell at." Sage said dryly, getting a nod and walking away with her.
Keira''s heart beat violently, listening to the pixie walking away with mixed feelings. She fought her anxiety with a desire to prove herself, and now that was gone. However, she was grateful that she had her concentration back. "The floozie''s gone, but I''ll fight for Kaze."
She worked through the puzzle again, analyzing the wounds. Her goal was to align the wound type with the Qi pattern necessary to heal it.
Kane, Sandra, Jake, Kylie, and two others watched in awe as the green light returned and started twisting inplex patterns. Each woundAaron''s stomach, Jake and Sandra''s arms, Kane''s leg, and shoulder and chest injuries on the othershad different dances. It was a beautiful sight.
"Let''s go for broke." Kiera said, gritting her teeth, "But not too broke; if I die, Kaze will hate me forever fuck it, let''s go."
She waved her hand, and all the twisting Qi shot into each wound and worked backward.
The green Qi attached itself to the intestines in Aaron''s stomach and began pulling them back into his body as they healed. His dried blood also turned to liquid and shot inside the wound.
It was a fascinating and gruesome sight, watching the injuries reverse and heal from the bottom up like a 3-D printer. That wasn''t all, either.
CRaaaAACkkkaaKKakkK!
"AGghhhHHhhhHHHHhhH!" Kane screamed in pain, watching his bone rebreak from the minor healing and twist into the correct cement. It was a harrowing sound and a worse feeling.
Sandra wanted to attack Kiera for the attack, but her arm shed the infection, and the scabs cultivation hadn''t gotten cleansed before her body grew skin over the wound.
"What the fuck is this?" Kylie whispered in shock, watching each person writhe in pain. She turned to the pink-haired teen, panting and sweating with a determined expression.
"It''s called Divine Stitches," Kiera said coldly, "And it''s pretty fuckingplicated, so be a dear and fuck off, kay? Cuz I don''t want to die answering pointless questions."
Kylie''s cheeks puffed out at the woman''s aggressive dismissal, but her emotions reversed in a violent torrent, hearing that the technique could kill the teen!
Without saying a word, she quickly walked away.
Kiera watched the scene with a conflicted expression after it got through the first stage and paused the technique. "Ya''ll can now recover with Minor Healing; can I focus on other people?
I can do another ten as injured as Death Carrot. So I''d like to save lives now that the leaders are healed. Is that okay?"
All five looked down at their wounds in shock, especially Aaron, who sat up and touched his stomach. While missing an arm, he didn''t even feel phantom pain at the presence!
"Please do." He said, "Is it okay for me to go?"
"Yeah, you''re totally healed." Kiera began before stopping, "Scratch that. You''re probably anemic AF from the whole nearly dying thing. So stay around; everyone else can leave."
He smiled wryly, looking at his arm and hearing the double tap of blunt rudeness. "Okay."
Kane got up in disbelief, looking at his leg, which felt better than before. "You''re amazing Kiera."
"That." Kiera said, turning to the man with a strange expression, "What you just diddo that to your leader when you see him next. All I''ve ever seen you do is look at him in frustration."
"I it was hard not to because I worked for malta." The man replied, stunned, looking into her irritated eyes. He wanted to tell her he was frustrated about being the man''s punching bag but knew she wouldn''t ept that.
"Well, you no longer work for Malta, so I expect that to change." Kiera demanded, "You don''t have to like him or whatever. But if Kaze gave me this, imagine what he could do.
If you don''t have the pride to appreciate his leadership, you can at least admire him for his talent. Now fuck off and get me more people."
Chapter 184 Special
"Is that all you got!?" A scrawny brown-haired man asked from an Immortal Skye sentry post, "Well, that sucks for you, cuz I''m about to skuuuuuuuull fuuuuck yaaaaa! GET SOME, BITCHES!"
Larkin released a battle cry and swung his hand, sending arge sh of raw Qi cutting through a dozen zombie-like people running at the wall.
While he was sweating and panting, symptoms of his Elemental Qi withdrawal, his actions weren''t frivolous. On the contrary
"Yeah! Get some!" Another man yelled, releasing a sh onto the fence, cutting down another sick and taking a few with it.
"This is Immortal Skye!" A woman yelled angrily, "Do you this, you freaks even stand a chance!?"
BOOM! Boom, boom, BOOM!
Larkin''s boldness was exactly what the Immortals needed.
"Arrogance! You''re all so fucking arrogant!" A sick woman in ripped civilian clothing yelled, running at the wall, covered in blood, "I can''t stand it!"
"Oh yeah!?" Larkin yelled, "Well I can''t stand lousy Karens. And guess what, Karen!? Neither can my people!"
"Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaah!"
Another battle cry went out, and someone sent a Qi sh to cut through them.
"South 27 degrees!" A female soldier yelled out, "East 12 degrees!"
"Got it!"
Ratatatatatat! Ratatatatatat!
Machine guns fired in the background. A drone was overhead, with a team yelling the coordinates of the sick before they arrived to kill the sick strategically.
Despite their effectiveness, the soldiers were almost out of ammo, and everyone fighting was running low on Qi.
"Tch." Veronica clicked her tongue; things were getting dire. She looked at Kiera in the background, healing people on the verge of death on the northside wall. "I wish we could use her power."
Everyone else had the same thought, watching the teen use Divine Stitches to heal people. No one understood how much Qi she used or what type of mental and physical strain it had on her.
"Veronica, we need that woman''s help!" A brte Immortal cried.
"We''re not going to die." Veronica said, gritting her teeth in frustration, "We only need to hold out for another ten minutes until our leaders return."
"We can''t wait that long!" A male followed, "The soldiers are almost out of ammo, we''re almost out of Qi, and we don''t know if our leaders will get dyed!"
"I said no!" The ck-haired pixie snapped, "Go get the thousand-plus people who haven''t used a single technique to fight!
We shouldn''t use up a unique resource when countless people haven''t fought. If people don''t want to die, they should fight!"
"Most won''t budge; we don''t have the time to get through to them while the sick are knocking on our door!" The brte yelled.
"Give us a moment, and I''ll whip up fighters." Jake said calmly, "We''ll make it happen. So spread the word."
"With all due respect, you can go fuck yourselves." The male scoffed in disdain, "There''s no point in that woman saving people''s lives if we all die!"
He and the woman started turning to storm away, but a hand reached out at ghostly speed and grabbed the man''s throat.
"Excellent point, Keaton." A redhead wearing a straight ponytail said with a cold smile, "There''s no point in doing anything if you''re dead.
That''s why your defiance of the Emperor''s leadership is pointless, right? Because once we kill you, you''ll have no choice but to follow."
"Sage." Kylie snapped, grabbing the woman''s hand, "There''s also no point in killing a rule breaker if it creates panic. The rules prevent that. So while your mindset isn''t wrong, this action is counter-intuitive and is."
Sage scoffed and released the man, who gasped for breath with hatred in his eyes. Vindicated by Kylie''s words, which seemed to say [her actions were wrong], and his [weren''t necessarily wrong], he stormed away to demand Kiera''s help.
"Let''s rally troops to fight." Veronica said to Kylie; we could use your public speaking skills. God knows, the ng riddler doesn''t have them."
The pink-haired teen''s nickname amongst the management was the [ng riddler], which was pre-approved by Kaze, who felt it was a just punishment.
Kylie smiled wryly and turned to Sage, annoyed, and got a nod before they set into motion with Jake, spreading out with different roles.
Kiera stood before a line of ten bodies with her eyes closed, sweating. Each body was glowing green with warping Qi twisting with its own special dance.
A dozen people stormed up to her, prepared to grill her. However, the six in the front stoppedpletely when they saw intestines and blood getting pulled into the bodies.
It was a gruesome sight but also strangely satisfying, world-defining, and divine.
Those that saw it knew at a nce that what she was doing was vastly different than Minor Healing. So their enthusiasm got snuffed out in an instant.
However, those that hadn''t seen it didn''t lose their enthusiasm.
"Hey!" A blonde snapped, "We need help. You [need] toe help us!"
Those watching saw the green light waiver and the reversal process nearly halt. They panicked and turned around.
"W-Wait! We need to wait until she''s done!" Keaton said, trying to stop them.
"Fuck that, Keaton!" A man yelled, "If we had time, we would''ve waited ten minutes until the leaders showed up! We''re falling!"
The light faded more.
"N-No!" A woman yelled, "We need to leave her be!"
"Get the fuck out of the way!" An angry man said, "Hey, Kaze''s girl! You''re here to save lives, right!? Well, people will die in droves if you don''t use your power to help us!"
"Yeah, there''s no point in you healing people if hundreds die because of you healing them!"
Another dozen people rushed up, demanding the same thing.
Kiera finished the puzzle in her head to a minimal degree, and the people watched in awe as the bodies exploded with green light, stitching limbs together and closing wounds at rapid speed.
Then she turned to everyone with a crazed look in her eyes.
"If I didn''t just waste twice the necessary Qi, these people would''ve fucking died!" She yelled viciously, making the yelling people shudder, "I need this Qi to do somethingplicated.
You, by contrast, still have half your Qi reserve to do something children can do. Why the fuck aren''t you using it, you thrice-abandoned cockwomble?"
While her message should''ve made the man feel shame, her rudeness really got under his skin.
"Simple!?" He yelled, "You haven''t fought at all, but you''re going to call it simple!?"
"Yeah! You hadn''t even seen death! So who the fuck are you to say it''s simple!?"
"If you think it''s simple, you do it!"
If your life feels pointless, live for mine, as it''s not.
"Shut the hell up, you muzbots!" Kiera screamed, making everyone stop. However, their emotions reversed, and they prepared to cut back, but the ng riddler released her cultivation base, dropping them to their knees. "Wish granted!
But when Kaze gets back, I''ll make sure to exin I wasted all my Qi because a mob of people who haven''t fought demanded me to do their job!"
"W-What!?" The blonde stuttered when she released her base to walk away, "Don''t make up lies! We''ve fought!"
"Ye-Yeah! Don''t start trouble because you don''t want to fight!"
"I can see your cultivation!" Kiera yelled angrily, stomping away, "Go find any elite here, and they can do the same. It''s a basic skill proving a person''s useful and not an entitled Becky!"
Without discussion, she strode to the north rampart, pushing through a crowd waiting for Kylie to speak.
"We got this!" Veronica yelled in terror, watching her walk up, "We just got people together to give a speech! Go back to healing."
"Yeah, Kiera, we got this!" Kylie yelled on top of the wall, standing before the people.
"And do what!?" Kiera yelled, "identally kill myself and the wounded when mobs of useless, able-bodied people who haven''t fought scream in my ear!?"
Silence washed over the area, cutting into people''s bones. The people running after Kiera, trying to get her to return in regret, stopped when seas of people turned to them.
Everyone knew who was responsible due to the guilt and fear on their faces.
"Yeah! That''s right, people!" Kiera snapped at full volume, "I got sent here because the technique I''m using would kill anyone here if they attempted it.
Yet half the people blocking my path right now still have Qi. Why the fuck are we getting overrun if people still have Qi!?"
Most people cringed in the crowd, whipped up by the leaders.
"Kiera." Jake said in a conciliatory fashion, "People are just scared. Try to have some tact; we have this, so please wait until things calm down."
"Get out of my way!" She snapped, pushing past more people to the stairs. "If I don''t, people will hate on Kaze for not bringing me here first!
They''ll say people died because he didn''t use my power. That I''m his girl, and thus he tucked me away cozily. That he has a talent for favoritism! h, h, h!
Well, I''ll do my share before I let Kaze know of their pathetic behavior! That way, no one can bitch when they face reality!"
People panicked and tried to stop her, but she released her cultivation base and dropped people to their knees, pushing fallen people out of the way or walking over them.
Her tyrannical showcase of power stressed her body and mind, but she didn''t care. She wanted to send a message.
Kiera got to the top of the wall and overlooked the area. Only three dozen people were facing hundreds of sick, sweating, panting, and throwing Qi attacks.
She turned around to face everyone. "We have a good fuckin'' sophist in the midst that can whip the weak into a frenzy, but I''ll put it bluntly!
The people saving your lives right now are [already] out of Qi and will low-key DIE if they keep fighting. Yet you''re chillin'', lining up for a speech for save-yourself orientation.
If people die tonight, it''s because you''re fucking pathetic!
When I kill some shit in five seconds, remember that I saved people''s lives, followed Kaze''s orders, AND protected this ce. So there''s no excuse for you to feel okay with yourselves!"
Kiera turned around to the sound of hundreds of weak, fearful, and traumatized people crying, groaning, or falling as their stomachs sank.
She ignored them, overlooking the sea of sick people before shutting her eyes and swallowing nervously. "If I''m afraid, develop confidence for Kaze.
If I can''t face the world, face it for Kaze.
If my life feels pointless, live for Kaze''s, for it isn''t."
The pink-haired teen summoned his words like a mantra before snapping her eyes open.
"Hey, listen up, protector peeps!" Kiera yelled, gathering their attention, "Despite carrying bot city on your back, you''ve done well tonight! You''re the GOAT!
Since you need to fight for a bunch of ungrateful people, I''ll give you the secret sauce! It''s called Qi control! Make sure to practice it, so you don''t die holding up the fort!"
She analyzed the hundreds of people running at her with a rapidly beating heart, slowed down by her fear, anger, and stress.
After her analysis concluded, she pulled back her hand and started swinging it at lightning speed, seemingly erratically.
"AGgHhhHhhHhhHhhHhhHHhhhHhhHhHh!"
Thud, thud, thud, boom! Thud, thud, thud!
Everyone watched in disbelief as the ng riddler shot three dozen raw Qi shes into the sea, cutting through sick people''s necks in droves.
Crimson flowers bloomed in the sky by the dozens as single shes cut through a dozen at once.
What separated them was that most people''s shes were about six to eight feet wide and thick, while hers were two to four feet wide, changing sizes, and thin.
She used the minimal amount necessary to cut through everything in sight.
"Fuck. You. All. For. Doubting. Kaze. Despite. Everything. He''s. Done. For. You!" Kiera screamed at full volume, getting heated.
Thud, thud, thud, boom! Thud, thud, thud!
"Kiera!" Jake yelled, running to her.
"He. Showed. Up. Bloody. As. Fuck!" She screamed loudly, "Hurt! He. Was. Fucking. Hurt. And. Qi. Deprived. Yet. Ya''ll. Treated. Him. Like. He. Was. Chilling!"
THUD! Boom, boom, boom! BOOM!
"KIERA!" Kylie screamed from the other side, tackling the pink-haired woman.
Jake hit the ground and pinned her hands down.
"What are you people doing!?" Kiera screamed.
"You''re running on adrenaline!" The blonde-haired director yelled, "You lost control; if you had kept that up, you''d have run out of Qi and died!"
"You''re really low!" Veronica cried, running up, "We tried to say that when we saw you running up, but it was toote."
"Oh." The pink-haired teen said, feeling her vision go hazy. "I fucked up, didn''t I? Do you think that Kazey will hate me?"
"No, he won''t hate you." Jake replied confidently, "He cares about you a lot."
"Even though I was acting like a tyrant?" Keira asked with teary eyes, "Even though I ruined morale?"
"Of course not." Kylieughed, "You got the job done. He might not be entirely happy for hurting morale, but he will be proud of you."
"He cares about you like... destructively." Veronica chuckled, "I''m not sure why, but he cares about you for real, like Evalyn. He''s starting to care about people more, but right now, that''s an achievement. And moderately terrifying.
So don''t worry. I''m sure you could''ve murdered everyone, and he''d be okay with you.
Now get up and take a break; we''ll take care of this."
Kiera''s eyes welled with tears, and she looked to the nighttime sky through blurry water before Jake reached out his hand and helped her up.
He quickly turned her around to prevent her from seeing her damage and helped her sit on the wall''s edge, facing the sea of Immortals.
She sat there mockingly, kicking her legs like a child, overlooking everyone''s shocked faces.
The sick were mostly gone, and many of the most injured were dead or healed. As a result, it was finally approaching quiet, and it was nice.
Meanwhile, the people behind her were shocked, trying not to gasp and attract the teen''s attention.
"No wonder Kaze values her." Veronica whispered in disbelief, "She''s used her divine technique on thirty people before this. Just how much Qi does she have?"
While Keira started by cutting through a hundred people with ultra-precise strikes, the attacks she used after losing control were the size of Rein''s, but there were fourteen shes in two seconds.
As a result, the area got decimated, with 90% of the remaining sick dying in the attack.
"Less than this." Sage replied confidently, "I''m not sure how, but she''s using Qi in the atmosphere as part of her attack. So these strikes only took a third of the Qi.
I haven''t even seen that with Kaze. I''m not sure what''s up with this girl, but she''s not normal. I''m not sure how, but I know she''s special."
Everyone looked at her strangely before a sharp sound snapped them out of their trance.
"What''s going on here?" Kaze asked in a booming voice, making everyone turn.
Kiera''s heart pounded, fearful of the situation. She didn''t know how to exin her actions. "I."
"Kiera had to capture everyone''s attention to get them to calm down." Kylie announced boldly, making some cringe and others sigh in relief, "So she used a technique.
Then she healed almost everyone and helped us defend Immortal Skye."
He turned and looked to an area to the east with a frown. "So can someone exin why there are still injured people if she had enough Qi to defend Immortal Skye? Over half of you still have Qi."
Chapter 185 [Crux Panthera Pyron]
Waves of shock and fear washed over the Immortals when Kaze asked why Kiera wasted Qi defending when [half the people]--mainly Immortals--still had Qi. Time and time again, the ng riddler''s words proved prophetic.
"Some idiots pointed out that healing people was pointless if everyone died." Kiera announced, "It broke my concentration, so I was forced to stop."
Her words made the mob who rushed her tremble with fear. Luckily for them, she wasn''t done.
"However, it was a good point." She continued, shocking everyone, "Some people are ungrateful and pathetic, but it doesn''t change that some bad motherfuckers were about to get toasted because of them. So I jumped in where people needed me most."
"Who broke your concentration?" Evalyn asked bluntly, making the rapidly calming Immortals seize in fear again.
"I''ll tell you if you insist, but can we just drop it?" Kiera asked bluntly, stunning people once again, "Tonight fucking sucked. I don''t wanna deal with more drama or me people for acting like a wuss during the damn apocalypse. It''s annoying, but no one died, so it''s not worth wrecking people over."
"Fair enough." Evalyn smiled, "You heard thedy! No one''s getting punished unless they did something universally punishable."
Awkward cheers rang out; everyone was unsure whether to be excited about not getting punished. However--
"Fuuuuuck yeaaaaaah!" Larkin cried out, "We fucked some cultivators and zombies up, AND no one got punished! IMMORTAL SKYE FOR LIFE!"
--the jester let out a battle cry, and the area exploded with wild cheers and apuse.
Kaze smiled and walked over to Crux, panting inside the half-emptiedke. Everyone fell silent when they saw him, but their anxiety turned to awe when he waved his hand, and her entire body radiated with golden light.
Her wounds healed in real time, with excess disappearing within her or lying on the ground. It was a surreal sight that shocked everyone, especially those who had seen Divine Stitches.
Then he waved his hand, and a spatial barrier shot up around them.
"Hello, Crux." Kaze smiled mysteriously, looking at therge panther, looking at him with her vibrant amethyst eyes, "I heard what you did--thank you."
The divine beast''s eyes trembled before she averted her gaze and put her chin on her paws. "Yes, but my family... they know I''m here and dered me a traitor."
"Not necessarily." He said, giving her aplex expression as his eyes wandered, making her turn to him in confusion, "I''mte because I forged your death to prevent that.
I created an illusion of Rayton ckfoot and said their n betrayed Killian and sent people to murder you and other high-level cultivators in their weakened states."
Her eyes widened in shock. "You med this on the ckfoot n!?"
"Yes, they conspired with Killian to betray the Panthera in my past life." Kaze replied, turning to her, "And I know of their deeds now. They are your enemy and thus mine."
Crux''s eyes welled with light tears before she closed her eyes and reined in her emotions. "While I''m immeasurably grateful, your decision to do so was foolish."
"Yes, it was." He chuckled bitterly and looked to the top of the warping spatial barrier, "When the Silver Medallions split, I regretted it.
However, now that we have survived, there''s a significant chance that everyone believes you''re dead.
When they return, we will face the cultivators to ensure it remains that way until we ascend."
The panther took a sharp breath in disbelief, turning to him with a sharp gaze. She epted he was genuine, and it made her heart pulse.
Crux had strange feelings for Kaze. Whether they came from her past life, stemmed from her love for his smell, or his charismatic personality was unknown. However, after helping her family, that bond got stronger, making her ufortable.
"Will you honestly seize the Sky ne?" She asked strangely.
The divine beast was a princess, and princesses married into the n or for political arrangements, not of their own ord, least to people with a budding harem.
"We will." Kaze confirmed with a knowing smile, "We will seize every ne until we''re Immortals on the Immortal ne, you, me, Evalyn, and Kiera--at a minimum. That''s our destiny."
Crux''s eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing his statement. "Wait, why are we talking about upper nes!?"
"It''s our destiny." He reiterated, unwavering, "Our power exceeds that of any other. It''s a natural consequence."
"That''s not what I meant!" She shook her head frantically, "I''m asking why I am in your ns for ascension; why am I moving to the top in your mind!?"
"You''re here because you want to be with me, are you not?" Kaze asked maically, making her grateful she couldn''t blush, "That involves going to the top. It''s only logical."
"But what of my family!?" Crux cried, burying her eyes with her paws cutely. It was reflexive and only made her want to crawl into a hole and die.
"I''ll build their power and install them as rulers of territories." He chuckled in amusement, "If they wish to ascend, we''ll find a way to bring them to the top safely.
While I cannot guarantee anyone''s safety, I will work not to make the same mistakes I made with Evalyn''s mother.
I tried to do so tonight and failed. However, to fail, one must try, and through failure, people ovee and be strong. Such is proof of my resolve."
Crux''s eyes filled with disbelief. "Why go so far for me? Was I special to you in your previous life?"
"Significant, yes; special, no." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "However, you''re special now. If I didn''t take you to the top, who would steal my shirts and sneak them back into my closet wrinkled?"
The panther panicked again and put her paws over her eyes again, hiding her face in shame. "I just love your smell! It''s not creepy, I swear!"
"I know it''s not." He chuckled amusedly, "And that''s why it''s natural for you to follow me, yes? Without me, you would lose my smell."
She moved her paws to gaze into his eyes. "You don''t find it creepy?"
"I wouldn''t protest even if it were sexually motivated." Kaze smiled charmingly, making her narrow her eyes, "Neither do I protest that it isn''t.
I ask nothing of you to join me, rtionship or otherwise. I only desire for you to follow me to the top and share your eternity with me."
"You''re a crazy fool." She huffed, looking away aggressively, "I''ll consider it, but don''t get your hopes up. Now look away!"
"Yes, ma''am." He chuckled sarcastically with his hands in the [I surrender pose], turning around.
Crux transformed into human form again, letting her naked body lower into the ice-coldke and float to the top. It felt refreshing, and the cool water on her nipples made her feel more human and attached to the human near her.
"Can... you get my hoodie?" She asked, swimming to the shore of the half-drainedke.
"Of course; where is it?" Kaze asked.
She exined it was on the building, and he disappeared, returning with it and a towel. After letting her dry off, he released the spatial barrier, allowing her to walk out to the sea of gazing faces for the first time.
"I-It''s Crux!" A female soldier screamed, "She''s okay!"
A split secondter, all the soldiers joined in, and an explosion erupted from the trades workers and Immortals.
Crux opened and closed her mouth, looking at the cheering people with confusion in her eyes. While she had saved them, she didn''t think that the ungrateful ants who didn''t know the value of cultivation techniques would appreciate her sacrifice. However--
"I''m sorry we were idiots! I bake you all the cake you want!" A male soldier yelled, detonating thunderousughter, apuse, and cheers.
"I''ll sew your cute hoodie back to health!" A female soldier yelled.
"Let''s have a cake bakingpetition and make her the exclusive judge!"
"Shhhh! Give her some space!"
--Crux was wrong about them not being grateful. Very wrong.
"Hey, Crux!" A cute teen called out from the wall, "I''ll help you eat the cake!"
The area fell silent, hearing the tyrannical voice everyone had learned to fear in thest hour.
Her voice reminded them that their celebration was not an overwhelming victory. Everyone was still in a precarious position. However--
"Two pieces." Crux said boldly, turning her head away, "I''ll share with you two pieces. ept with gratitude, foolish mortal."
Kiera''s eyes welled with tears, and she jumped from the wall at blinding speed, weaving through the Immortals and soldiers on the way to the divine beast.
Everyone held their breath when the pink bolt jumped at the woman, expecting the divine beast to swat her, making her explode. However, contrary to expectations--
"Foolish!" Crux yelled, epting Kiera''s hug with a strange backflip beforending twenty feet away, "Never ce faith in the intentions of others, you fool!"
Kiera ran at the woman at a reckless speed. It forced the divine beast to ept her hug and flip to prevent her from hitting a brick wall at 30 mph or crashing in the distance.
"Be quiet, you idiot!" Kiera screamed, holding the woman tight, "I heard what you did! I don''t want to hear of foolishness from anyone else. I... I... was so scared!"
Everyone felt a pang of sadness and a flicker of humanity when Crux, the pompous princess with a superiorityplex, embraced the teen to calm her down.
"Shush, child." Crux smiled calmly, hugging her, "You''re right, but my foolishness doesn''t change or excuse yours. However, I will give you [three] pieces of cake as rpense."
Kiera looked up with narrowed eyes. "Do you think you can buy your way out of threatening your life!?"
"Four pieces." The divine beast scoffed, turning away.
The pink-haired teen''s eyes turned indignant to a lethal degree.
Crux took a deep breath and turned to her with a serious expression. "One half. It''s not the cake but the principle; ask for more, and I shall exact punishment for your unreasonableness."
Kiera''s tearden eyes glittered, and she hugged the woman again. "I''m d you''re alive, Crux."
After a slight smile, the Panthera hugged her back. "I''m d you''re alive too, child."
Their embrace triggered a wave of awes, cheers, and apuse. Without knowing for certain, everyone felt it marked the end of the hellish, neverending night that inaugurated the beginning of the rapture--and the birth of their new civilization.
Chapter 186 The Night After: Tonight, We Celebrate
"Tonight, we celebrate." The emperor announced, standing before a flickering bonfire, sending his dancing shadow over arge crowd of Immortals.
He panned their faces, ensuring each could see him and hear his words before continuing.
"Tonight, we celebrate the life of the [heroes] who fell protecting Immortal Skye, our people, and way of life." Kaze announced slightly louder and more boldly.
All the ex-soldiers and Immortals cheered lightly, like a lit fuse, before their reaction ignited the emotional powder keg within their hearts, making the area explode with booming cheers and apuse.
"That''s right!" He affirmed louder, "Those who fell were not [victims]--no!"
His words picked up momentum, intensity, and passion with each sentence, pulling people in like a ma.
"Our fallen heroes will get immortalized in our history books as we rebuild civilization in this hell-stricken world." The emperor roared, "None have truly died, as they will live on forever--as legends!"
The Immortals developed goosebumps on their skin when they heard his words. He made death sound more appealing than life and turned mortals who died into gods--and they believed it.
The image of the fallen stirred powerful emotions within them and poured over, triggering a cataclysmic chain reaction of chaotic fervor and primal roars.
"Tonight, we celebrate!" Kaze yelled at the top of his lungs, panning everyone''s faces, "We celebrate our victory over the powerful cultivators who destroyed our world. While everyone else has fallen victim, we fought back--and imed victory!"
Battle cries shattered the sound waves, echoing endlessly down the clear-cut forests around them. Their words carried, sending a warning message to Meridian City and beyond.
"Tonight, we celebrate!" He continued, "Tonight, we celebrate the longevity of Immortal Skye, which has faced its first challenge--and still stands!"
Immortal Skye developed a pulse, beating to the sound of its people''s cheers, howls, and roars, breathing life into the shredded mountain everyone called home.
"Tonight, we celebrate." Kaze announced, calming down to grasp everyone''s attention, "We celebrate our talent, skills, and power which has protected us all."
Pride-filled whistles met his words, each feeling proud for learning under his tutge.
"Tonight, we celebrate." He continued, building up momentum again, "We celebrate all the people that used those talents and skills to protect us.
It doesn''t matter what their history is, how small their contribution was, or whether they attacked, organized, or helped heal.
For it is for [all] who contributed that we have imed victory!"
A wave of overwhelming emotion washed over the area. Those that aided the most, especially the soldiers, felt weed and appreciated for their actions.
Likewise, those who fought little felt vindicated for helping in other ways and less ashamed for not fighting directly.
As for the traumatized who did nothing, they were wrapped up in the cheering and fervor, making it impossible for them to feel bad for their fear and ineptitude.
Kaze''s speech was masterfully constructed for that purpose, building everyone''s emotions with intensity before addressing the part that haunted them.
"Most of all, tonight, we celebrate!" Kaze roared, stealing everyone''s breath, awaiting his closing words, "We celebrate our lives! Immortal Skye! And the birth of our civilization!"
Delirious battle cries and cheering rocked the airwaves, expressing their approval of his vision and what it represented.
His speech encapsted all their feelings, power, and emotions, soaking up their disdain and hatred and recing them with fervor and pride.
Everyone was proud to be alive and felt refreshed, having experienced victory over defeat and standing tall above all odds. It was a time for celebration, and everyone got wrapped in it.
"Now stand tall and celebrate, my brethren!" Kaze roared, "Raise your drinks for the fallen and celebrate on their behalf! Celebrate your lives and the fallen for bing legends!"
His words triggered a feast brought to everyone by the cooks, making everyone immeasurably grateful.
It was the following day at dusk. They had awoken early, fallen into their roles, rebuilding Immortal Skye in its broken state, and were mentally and physically exhausted. So the food left them feeling refreshed.
Tired as they were, everyone felt proud of what they had achieved that day.
Soldiers reconstructed the walls with Crux''s help, trades workers rebuilt a residential mansion, which lost a third, and the rest cleared the broken amphitheater or helped in misceneous tasks.
The cooks put together lunch, and Kaze taught the military counselors the basic tranquility technique to help the traumatized recover.
He helped clear their minds with his greater techniques, and then they used the lesser technique to calm everyone else and work through problems. They called the therapy a miracle solution.
Naturally, the counseling didn''t remove everyone''s anxieties or fears. However, those feelings were natural, as they were the key to survival in a world stricken with death, nightmares, and fear.
The feast was massive, having every food imaginable, including tes of roast beef, chicken, and fish, as well as pizza and m chowder bread bowls.
Their wasteful dinner was practical, as the food would soon spoil. Therefore, they were switching to dried and canned foods and would cleanse the campus of their supplies that week.
It was a well-nned maneuver that ensured that people would feel proud, wealthy, and victorious the next week without worrying about the costs. More importantly, it prevented him from getting lectured by Evalyn for wasting funds.
"Faction Leader... leader... Emperor...." A brown-haired Immortal said softly, walking up to Kaze, sitting in the grass in front of the main mansion, "I''m... sorry.
Despite everything you''ve done for me, I doubted you and your actions and publicized my feelings in the heat of the battle.
I was also... very rude to [her] after she reminded me of all you''ve done. I''m sorry for feeling so ungrateful."
Kaze looked down at the pink-haired woman sleeping, using his outer thigh as a pillow. Anyone who saw her felt their hearts flutter, forgetting the cute woman was the same tyrant that put them in their ces, healed the dying, and protected them with overwhelming force.
"Do you know the differences between insubordination and discord, Keaton?" He asked calmly, making the Immortal''s heart nearly stop.
"I-I don''t... I mean... impact?" Keaton stuttered.
"Calm down." The emperor chuckled breathlessly, "The difference between insubordination and all else is that there are rare times, in battle or disaster, when deviating from your orders saves lives.
So long as the action is sessful and [aligns with the vision of the objective], it is permissible."
Keaton''s heart pulsed with hope, hearing the potential for exoneration or praise. He desired thetter beyond all else.
Crux''s eyes did the opposite, snapping wide in disbelief at the notion that he''d anyone could question his authority.
She was sitting next to the emperor peacefully a moment prior. So when everyone saw her amethyst eyes be crazed abruptly, they held their breath in fear.
However, a momentter, she ignored everyone, returning to the carrot cake in herp.
The Immortals sighed when they realized her madness-stricken eyes, with pupils the size of pins, were primarily a result of a biblical-grade sugar high.
"Misguided and tasteless as your actions were, I hear you attempted to do just that." Kaze chuckled, ncing at the divine beast, "You saw my goal was to save lives and promoted that with rational logic. For that reason, while I do not praise your misguided actions, I do not condemn them."
The man exhaled in relief, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders.
"Discord--" The emperor said boldly, snapping the man''s anxiety back into ce, "--is when you purposely spread such thoughts without a life-saving purpose, maligning your leader''s name, to sow doubt. Tell me, Keaton. Do you believe that would''ve been okay?"
Keaton trembled slightly and gulped nervously, shaking his head. "No. That wouldn''t be okay."
"Why not?" Kaze asked strangely, "I''m asking about the reason beyond the obvious."
"I...." The brown-haired man said, withholding the basic desire to say [I would offend you], "It... would cause disorder... and... potentially result in people dying because people aren''t unified during times of crisis?"
"Your mind is sharp, after all." The emperor smiled, "You have captured the importance of political cohesion and adherence to thew.
Whether a ruler is benevolent or oppressive, they serve a purpose in maintaining order and saving humans from their own barbarity.
If you uproot a leader without a stable recement, the army will fall into disarray when enemies strike, and citizens will attack one another, ripping families apart and defiling women.
Justified or otherwise, aimless publicization of one''s strife has consequences. Do you understand?"
The man''s eyes widened, and he nodded in understanding, thinking about it for the first time. "Yes."
"Good man." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "Now go, celebrate, Keaton."
After a few more pleasantries, the man walked away with a rapidly beating heart, and another person walked up.
A line of people wished to speak to the emperor for various reasons, and he epted each with a wide smile, encouraging them to approach despite the cracked-out cat woman next to him.
Evalyn walked up with a strange smile. "You look like the don of a mafia family. Are you telling people they should expect favor requests in the future?"
"Oh, but of course." Kaze replied, smiling charmingly at the beautiful blonde, "Only instead of favors, I call it thew."
She turned away andughed breathlessly, trying to scoff but smiling instead. "You sound like a tyrant."
"In a ssical sense, yes; in thetter sense--equally yes." He smiled mysteriously, "Though I prefer the term benevolent dictator and deserve an asterisk for sharing top authority with you."
Her smile rxed at the end, finally hearing about their ruling rtionship.
"Top? That''s... more than I expected." She noted honestly, "I figured I''d hold the second inmand post as the general. Is that not correct?"
"Those are both of your roles." Kaze confirmed, "However, within the constraints of my veto and vision, you''ll share the same authority I do. I refuse to make you a Queen-like figurehead."
Evalyn''s heart pulsed, hearing his genuineness. The difference was night and day; he told her she could do anything if she was loyal and abided by his general wishes.
From a rtionship perspective, that was tyrannical. However, from a political perspective, there was no greater authority that he could give.
"I...." She said in disbelief, "Am humbled. Not with your faith but also in your adherence to our rtionship. I''m not sure what to say."
"There''s no need." He smiled, "It''s a night for celebration, yes? Will you join us?"
Evalyn nced at the teen sleeping on his thigh peacefully, the cracked-out cat sitting with the remaining fifth of a carrot cake in herp and the corpses of a molten fudge cake and simple vani cake with vani frosting beside her.
The blonde''s heart ached at sight. She had epted them as conditions for her rtionship with Kaze, but she hadn''t epted them as part of their rtionship.
However, that was slightly changing.
Something changed when she went down on him, embracing her desires over her perceived reputation. After all, it hade and gone, and nothing happened.
The same was true of having sex with him crisis, which bore no social consequences.
Perhaps if Kaze Lexicon was any other person, she might face negative bacsh for sexual actions. However, people treated sexual actions as natural.
Still, there was a gap between something intimate and private and something public and tant--and being part of a harem was in thetter category.
"Join you right now?" Evalyn asked for rification.
"That''s a given." Kaze smiled charmingly, "But, I''m asking if you wish to sleep in the same bed with us tonight."
Chapter 187 Harem
Evalyn gave the emperor a conflicted expression when he asked her to sleep with him, Crux, and Kiera. "Be honest, Kaze. Are you developing and growing a harem?"
"I''m not sure why you''re making it sound like a bad thing, but yes." Kaze smiled charmingly, making her look away.
"You''re so nonchnt about it." She chuckled breathlessly, "Between you and me, are harems a cultural thing in the upper realms?"
"Not particrly, no." He replied honestly, "They''re not verymon."
Evalyn turned to him with an unenthusiastic expression. "Then you''re just starting a harem because you want to?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Kaze clicked hypnotically, shaking his head, "I''m starting a harem [because I can].
Surely you don''t think that cultural eptance of harems would make themmon, do you?"
The blonde''s expression crumbled, looking at his maic smile. "You led me into that trap."
"I did." He smiled.
"Why go through the effort?" Evalyn asked.
"To remind you of the context." Kaze replied rxedly, "If I''m significant enough to have [a harem], not a dry, polygamist rtionship, then the status of my women is elevated to my reputation.
If I am an emperor, each bes an empress, and their achievements get recorded as royal triumphs."
"Isn''t haremite a title attributed to all inside of a harem?" She asked, her eyes gliding to the left in thought, "It''s hard to imagine that title would [improve] a military general''s reputation, but it''s easy to see it degrading it."
"A rtionship is what one makes it." Kaze argued thoughtfully, "If a harem isprised of 30 nameless women who live in a pce, then being a harem member isn''t a good thing.
However, a harem of [emotionally connected] partners, each possessing talents and aplishments, bes an all-star team.
It bes a badge of pride, like being part of a powerful, ultra-exclusive organization that aplishes incredible feats. It''s far more desirable than you think."
"Are you speaking from experience?" Evalyn mused with a wicked smile.
"Why must you ask a question that you expect to hurt you?" He asked with a mocking smile, "Such masochism is omitted from the Kama Sutra for a reason."
Her eyes gazed over, and she turned away. "I''m not sure I''m okay with being part of a harem.
Naturally, you''re free to have one. However, as things stand, our rtionship is separate from it."
"That''s only natural." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "So does that mean that you will test whether you''re okay being part of a harem? As you know, my bed is shockinglyfortable."
"Why do you make it sound sexual?" Evalyn asked bluntly.
Crux turned to her with a shocked expression and then turned to the emperor in a panic.
"Our sleeping together has thus far been tonic." Kaze chuckled, ncing at the panicked divine beast, "We share a bond and enjoy sleeping together periodically.
You needn''t make it moreplicated than that."
The shadow cat sighed a breath of relief. She would typically have demanded he rify their rtionship; however, she was happy and didn''t want to threaten that unless necessary.
Evalyn panned the threes'' faces with an internally exasperated expression. Her pride boldly refused, but her reasonable side found turning it down to be offensive.
After all, she had epted him having a harem. So to refuse to sleep in a bed by his side when a tonic group was present was absurd.
When Evalyn saw his eyes, yfully waiting for her answer, she turned away andugh-scoffed at herself, aggravated at her indecisiveness.
"Fine." She said dryly, "[Tonight], I''ll join your [tonic] [sleepover]. I emphasize all those terms as the basis for my eptance."
"Terms epted." Kaze chuckled in amusement, "I look forward to it."
...
Evalyn grimaced, looking in the mirror of Kaze''s bathroom. She was wearing white pajama shorts and a matching-colored shirt.
Beneath the shirt, a pink bra held her breasts up, which vexed her every few seconds. She didn''t like sleeping in a bra, but she wasn''t alone.
"Why did I wear pink underwear?" She asked herself in bitter self-deprecation, "He pointed out this toxic trait, and I jumped on it like I was eager to prove him right. God, I''m a fucking trainwreck."
As Kaze prophesied, she didn''t wear that ck bra and panties she picked out on their date.
It was her way of ensuring she wouldn''t lose control and get undressed. However, naturally, that also meant that she''d have to suffer by being ultra-diligent and sleeping ufortably.
"Don''t be dramatic; it''s just a sleepover." Evalyn said to herself, "No... it''s a harem.
Just admit it, Evalyn. You''ve fallen for someone who wants a harem and has an avnche of women willing to make his wish a reality.
Whether you sleep there or not, you''re part of his harem. The only way out is to leave, and... that''s just not an option.
He''s too good to me, I''m too toxic, and I''m hopelessly attached, so it''s not even worth talking about."
Knock! Knock!
"Is everything okay, Evalyn?" Crux asked, concerned that the blonde was in the bathroom without running water for twenty minutes.
"Yes...." The blonde replied awkwardly, "I have social anxiety, so I''m giving myself a pep talk."
"Just making sure." The divine beast replied, "Just making sure you weren''t having difficulties after the fighting. Take your time."
"Pep talk?" Evalyn chuckled to herself wryly, looking at her reflection after Crux walked away. "What type of [pep talk] involves savagely berating yourself for your toxicity? Gah. Fuck it, let''s go."
She turned on the water and rewashed her face before confidently opening the door and shutting off the light.
However, she froze when she entered the main room and looked at the bed.
"Is this... the normal setup?" Evalyn asked in confusion, looking at the scene ying out.
Crux was on the far right side of the bed, half curled into a ball with a peaceful expression. She was nowhere near Kaze, in the center, but she seemedfortable with that.
By contrast, Kiera was the opposite. She had curled onto Kaze as close as possible without spooning him. Her face was on his shoulder and chest, and his arm was wrapped around her.
The positioning was highly intimate.
"Mostly, yes." Kaze smiled, looking at the two, "Crux has enjoyed sharing the bed in that spot since she arrived.
Kiera started sleeping between her and me, but after waking up like this multiple times, she just started sleeping this way.
It''s charming andfortable. Would you like to try it?"
Evalyn opened and closed her mouth multiple times. Everything about his statement seemed to have ring gs.
First, Kiera was sleeping in that position on purpose, and the blonde didn''t know how she felt about it. She wondered how close they were.
Second, the thought of two women spooning him in bed created a harem image that felt borderline traumatizing to her ego.
Kiera opened her eyes sheepishly, sneaking a nce at the blonde''s expression. It was giving her immense anxiety.
There was instant tension the second their eyes locked. The pink-haired teen had indignant eyes that screamed, [he''s mind, just leave].
Evalyn looked away in exasperation. She had a raging urge to bitch p the teen, who was one year younger than her but was exponentially more childish, unstable, and clingy.
However, she knew Kiera''s expression bothered her because [Kaze was her man], and the teen gave her the expression she should be wearing.
"I...." Evalyn began, answering his question on whether she wanted to cuddle with him.
"Yes? Excellent." Kazemented briskly, flicking his wrist, "Please, make yourselffortable."
Her eyes widened in shock when an invisible force wrapped around her, picking her up in the air, and--
Thud!
--dropped her on the bed right next to him.
"W-What the hell was that!?" Evalyn cried, looking at him, shocked, "It felt like a person picked me up!"
"Elemental Qi is ubiquitous." Kaze smiled, "Since it''s everywhere, and you can convert it into any form of energy, it''s possible to do just about anything at a distance."
He flicked his wrist, and a lock of her blonde hair stood up, suspended in the air. The emperor then twisted his fingers, and the hair curled in real-time, fascinating everyone, including Crux.
"Right now, I''m just using a basic wrapping technique cultivators use to fly." He smiled, "However, you needn''t wrap anything; if you stop halfway through--"
The lock of hair dropped with gravity. However, it abruptly stopped on a t surface, and the end wrapped around the side. Evalyn''s hair revealed an invisible box in the air, stunning everyone.
"--it creates a block of Qi or any shape you wish." Kaze continued in a hypnotic tone, "In your case, I created arms of Qi and used them to fly you over to me.
I thought it was enchanting, didn''t you?"
Evalyn opened and closed her mouth, trying to find words to say. Thankfully, someone else picked up the torch.
"Cool? Yes. Charming? No." Kiera said definitively, "You just ghost-hacked the general--in the sketchiest way imaginable--to snuggle up to you. Do you actually think that''s charming?"
"Normally, no." Kazeughed heartily, "However, she was hoping I''d help her to bed, so I did it in a way that left her bewildered, and now she''sfy."
Evalyn looked down and saw her curled up in his arm and turned bright red. She didn''t even notice because he ced her there and distracted her from start to finish.
"I always thought you were a con man butcked proof." She said with a sinister smile, "That changed today, Mr. Sleight of Hand."
"I concur, Mr. Sketchy Wrist." Kiera followed viciously, "Your con game is waaaaaaay way-way-way to strong. Overpowered. Lethal. I''m afraid I''ll go missing."
"Is that so?" Kaze mused, sitting up slowly, "I suppose I''m a threat to all of your lives. Therefore, I believe it''s best to control my criminal urges and leave the room."
"Lay down, you prick." Evalyn scoffed, yanking his right shoulder down.
The pink-haired teen tried doing the same, but his left shoulder wouldn''t budge. So she put both of her hands on it.
"Ghhhhhuuuh!" Kiera groaned, pulling his shoulder, trying to get it back to the bed, "Someone''s been drinking their protein shakes!
Damn, bro! What do you bench? An elephant!? Ghhhhhhuuu--Eeek!"
Thud!
"Hey!" She cried in a panic when he abruptly dropped back to the bed, causing her to fall forward, crashing onto his chest, "Not cool!"
Evalyn''s eyes widened at theical sight, and she burst into breathlessughter. It was too much for her to handle.
"Not you, too!" Kiera cried, "I thought we were cool! We were on a roll calling out skeppyarts here for being a giga-Chad. What happened to that!?"
"I... I''m sorry... haha... it''s just... hahahaha." The blonde giggled harder, triggered by the pink-haired teen''s indignant expression and aggressive ng riddling.
Kiera huffed, looking up at Kaze with a [this is all your fault] expression before burying her face into his chest in protest.
Evalyn giggled a little longer before calming down with a smile. She forgot her anxiety alongside Kiera, who quickly fell intofort again.
Crux watched the pink-haired teen fondly and snuck nces at Kaze with a strange expression. While conflicted about her feelings during the day, she feltfortable on his bed, basking in his smell.
After surveying everyone''s faces, the blonde looked up at her lover, who was casting a gentle smile upon her. He seemed to embody wholesomefort and enjoyment.
Evalyn reevaluated the situation and realized how simple it was. Three people were in a bed to sleep peacefully and share Kaze''s warmth.
There wasn''t aplex rtionship dynamic or an orgy taking ce. It was just a simple,fortable night sharing each other''spany.
"This feels... nice." She whispered.
"I agree." Kaze smiled, gripping and pulling her close, "Now, let''s get some sleep."
He flicked his wrist, and the light switch triggered, making Evalyn chuckle in amusement as she curled close to him and ced her head on her chest.
Within a minute of listening to his heartbeat, she fell asleep peacefully, enjoying genuinely restful sleep.
Chapter 188 Reputation Points
"Kaze, you''re one twisted man." Sage grinned, reading an official document.
July Reputation Point Incentives
The Reputation Point (RP) system encourages Immortals to work diligently, showcase talent in cultivation sses, and create businesses and services for others.
With RP, an Immortal can purchase or gain ess to better work opportunities, improved housing, and exclusive sses, techniques, and opportunities.
"It''s one thing to see this on paper; it''s another to see it live." She grinned, looking at her new workce, "Well, let''s get to work."
"Wee to the Exclusive." Sage smiled, weing a group of fifty through the gates of a mansion, "Those who umte 100 reputation points can sign up for specialty sses for exclusive techniques.
All exclusive sses cost one to ten RP depending on the skill level, but talent allows a person to earn the points back every lesson."
Exclusive Fundamental sses [Weekly]
Description:
- Intermediate Breathing
- Raw Qi Maniption
- Offensive Technique Fundamentals
- Qi Control
- Sight Training
The redhead led the Immortals to an area with a waterfall and a cave. "Everyone has seen the Emperor use overpowered wind and tranquility techniques. You''ve also seen Kiera use them.
With enough RP, you can sign up for courses to learn them yourselves."
She turned to theke and waved her hand, creating a sharp gust of des that cut through the water erratically before hitting a training rock.
"Technique ssese with a discounted technique for you to learn." Sage smiled mysteriously, leading them to a bulletin board, "So you can choose the one you wish to learn."
An explosion of excited whispers rippled through the group when they saw the avable courses.
Exclusive Technique sses [August Enrollment]
These sses teach techniques students purchase at the beginning of the course.
Those who finish the course with high proficiency will get refunded their RP. Anyone that scores above average will get prorated 50%.
-
- Focus and Senses Techniques (+100 RP/technique)
- Wind Technique Fundamentals (+100 RP/technique)
- Arrow Technique Fundamentals (+100 RP/technique)
- ded Technique Fundamentals (+100 RP/technique)
- Tranquility Technique Fundamentals (+250 RP/technique)
- Healing Technique Fundamentals (+500 RP/technique)
"What about the General''s ice techniques?" A man asked in excitement.
The professionally-dressed redhead chuckled and turned to him with strange green eyes. "Those techniques will kill you."
"A-Are you serious?" A brte asked with eyes wide with astonishment, shocked with everyone else.
"I''m being dead serious." Sage smiled ominously, "Just give up on being as strong as Evalyn Skye or Kiera Snow. Just aim to be the third best, as it''s still an achievement."
Everyone smiled wryly, looking at each other in disappointment.
"You said we get a [discounted] technique with those sses." A brown-haired male athlete said, "So does that mean we can buy techniques?"
"Correct;e with me." She instructed, leading the group into the mansion, "Every room here is heavily reinforced with Qi. So you can try out techniques in the ballroom without harming it."
The Immortal''s eyes widened in disbelief, hearing the casual im as they walked to an office down the first floor''s left hallway.
The redhead opened the door and showed everyone the sign above a desk.
Cultivation Techniques
- Raw Qi Mortal Techniques (+50 RP)
- Mortal Techniques (+100)
- Earth Techniques (+150)
- Earth Spirit Qi Techniques (+250)
- Earth Healing Techniques (+500)
- Sky Breathing Technique (+500)
- Sky Offensive Technique (+750)
- Sky Spirit Qi Technique (+1,000)
- (No Sky Healing Technique Avable)
- Heaven Breathing Technique (+2,500)
- Heaven Offensive Technique (+3,000)
- Heaven Spirit Qi Technique (+5,000)
- Heaven Healing Technique (+10,000)
"There are 827 techniques you can purchase with RP." Sage smiled amusedly, watching everyone''s crumbling expressions, "There are fire, ice, gravity, healing, and every other type of [magic] imaginable. If you work hard enough, you can learn anything.
For an extra 100 RP, you can book a personal session with the Emperor, and he''ll demonstrate it and help you get started."
Excitement spread through the group like wildfire.
"I." A blonde said nervously, averting her gaze, "... have a question. Will there be Dual Cultivation training?"
The group burst intoughter, hearing her, making her turn bright red.
"Don''t get me wrong!" She cried, "Sarah and Riley have gotten obnoxiously overpowered, and it''s been bothering me. I also hear that the elites have used non-sexual Dual Cultivation techniques to improve their power."
"Yeah, right." A man chuckled, "Just say you wanna have sex with the Emperor. No one will judge you that much."
Everyone burst intoughter again, wearing mocking expressions.
The redhead ignored the poor blonde''s plea to move one and allowed everyone to talk trash and make fun of her mercilessly.
For a moment, everyone forgot they were on tour and just talked about Kaze and the women that signed up to sleep with him.
Only the blonde saw the redhead''s sinister facial expression, falling quiet in slight fear.
"DUAL Cultivation!" Sage announced derisively, aggressively capturing everyone''s undivided attention, "Is avable.
As blondie has pointed out, beginner sses have non-sexual contact and will multiply your breathing proficiency exponentially.
I can verify, as I am an elite, and can confirm her words.
Male or female, I assure you that you''ll want to follow this astute woman''s example."
Everyone saw the redhead''s mocking expression and felt waves of anxiety crash through them.
Not knowing why she let them continue for two minutes without confirming made them feel a sense of terror and anxiety that hit their sense of well-being like a toothache.
They felt she was silently taking notes of everyone, logging their viewpoints on Kaze into a permanent database in her mind. It was eerie.
"There are 50 spots for Dual Cultivation sses." Sage continued, satisfied with their reaction, "After the spots are filled, up to 50 people have the great fortune of being sex dolls for the students to practice on.
Kaze will hide all identities with an illusionary technique for everyone''s protection.
I assure you, everyone, you''ll want to work hard to get into the Emperor''s Dual Cultivation sses."
Dual Cultivation
Note: For student safety, practice sessions use a Spirit Qi to mask the identity of students and practice partners. Use of real names is prohibited.
July''s courses do not include direct sexual contact.
- Meridian Tracing
- Pleasure Tracing
- Pleasure Therapy
"That''s it for the Exclusive Tour." She smiled, "My office is in this building, so I''m always around.
I hope to see everyone in this mansion at one point, proving yourself [valuable] in the weeks ahead."
Something about her term [valuable] felt sinister and left everyone unnaturally afraid, as if they were looking at a snake and their brain warned them of danger.
Nevertheless, they all walked away talking about the learning opportunities with tainted excitement pulsing through their veins.
Sage reread the July Reputation Point Incentives announcement with an ominous smile. Then she looked up and panned the space she was in. "The Executive is [perfect]."
Perks for Top umtion of RP
Those with the most RP umted, moving in a top-down fashion:
1. Can obtain the job of their choice for August unless they work in skilledbor or management.
2. Can live at the Executive or the Elite (+10 RP) living quarters for August, contingent upon rank and avability.
3. Will get the first choice of Underground Bizarre space. (+Rent).
-
"Nothing points out just how dramatic his system is than this mansion." She smiled mysteriously, "I''m d people are finally being forced to havemon sense."
...
"Wee to the Executive." Sage smiled, gazing at another group of fifty, "This mansion is devoted to the top 20 Immortals, ranked by value.
To live here, you must be talented enough to teach or start a sessful business."
The professionally-dressed redhead led the confused group into the building and opened the first door in the right hallway.
"Wee to Suite #1, the smallest suite in The Executive." She smiled strangely.
Everyone gasped in shock, panning the room. It was a massive suite the size of a four-bedroom apartment. It had leather upholstery on the furniture, a full kitchen with a granite-top ind, and a bathroom with a small hot tub.
"There are two bedrooms, two master baths, a full kitchen, a living room, and a study in Suite #1." Sage said, leading them through the area and showing them the amenities.
Many felt their stomachs sink. All the Immortals were bunking together unless they had a condition or reason to remain separated. So seeing that twenty people would have a luxurious apartment-sized room in a mansion made them feel sick.
"Naturally, there are high-end shared recreation areas and ballroom spaces." She continued, "This is the reward you''ll get for proving value."
"Providing value?" A blonde chuckled to herself, not answering or addressing the redhead.
"Yes, value." Sage affirmed boldly, "In a society where no machines make toilet paper, Immortals must risk their lives to scavenge it.
Immortal Skye will not make people risk their lives for toilet paper when we''re focused on providing food, so a business must organize and pay mercenaries to scavenge for it.
Tell me, blondie. Would you rather 20 people monopolize a mansion and have toilet paper or have a tiny room and go without it?"
The blonde opened and closed her mouth, not finding the words to defend herself.
"Oh, yes, that''s right." Immortal Skye''s Finance and Economics Director smiled ominously, "The days of people bitching about capitalism are over.
It''s the apocalypse; if businesses don''t spring up to provide the goods and services you took for necessities in June, you''ll feel like a miserable savage by August.
Those who sow discord aboutcking necessities ormodity prices will be sent on scavenging missions to retrieve them.
I guarantee no one will believe in socialism 60 days from now."
The Immortals shivered at her ominous words and psychopathic expressions. While they didn''t express sadism for people''s pain, they told a vibrant story of her satisfaction that her merciless, hyper-rational beliefs were noww.
Chapter 189 Legal Crime
"This is disturbing." A beautiful ck woman with a curly ponytail said, "We did a background check on everyone you epted, and they were allw-abiding citizens."
"And still are." Kaze smiled charmingly, standing before a bulletin board.
"Yeah." Carmen sighed, reading a poster in the basement of the Luxe, "Do you understand how wrong this feels for me?"
"As opposed to what?" The emperor scoffed breathlessly, rolling his eyes, "Switching your tactics from arresting people to killing them as a containment strategy?
You''ve been enforcingws impartially, no matter how corrupt, your whole career. All that''s changed is who is creating thews.
Don''t im yourself a servant of virtue when you''re the executioner of arbitrary beliefs."
The Malta police chief turned to him sharply but quickly turned away. She didn''t want to start trouble with the hand that fed her.
However, she sighed after awkwardly standing with him in silence. While she wanted to move on, he waited for her to respond with a devastatingly mocking smile, and she had to admit it was a pertinent topic. So she forced herself to move forward.
"Are you waiting for me to affirm my willingness to follow yourws?" She asked dryly.
"Of course not." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "You''ve already proven yourself someone willing to enforce disagreeable policies for the right price."
Carmen''s face turned pink, and she turned away indignantly. "Must you remind me so frequently?"
"You''ll [live] with your decision for the rest of your life." He said hypnotically, looking around the room, "It''s truly dreadful that you''ll bear that woe for a long time."
The police chief''s face evolved from indignant to understanding and from understanding to feeling a pang in her heart forining.
"To think that being rational about a party would keep me alive." She chuckled in disbelief.
"You needn''t drown in remorseful introspection." Kaze scoffed breathlessly, shaking his head quickly, "I recognized your value, and you mine.
Now we''re here, and your beliefs have bore fruitso prove mine weren''t barren."
"You know I won''t fail at something this simple." Carmen smiled bitterly, looking at the printed document before her, "It''s just hard to believe that good people are already jumping into these ill previously illegal enterprises."
"It''s not that surprising." The emperor smiled, "Malta hadws prohibiting these services because people wanted them, but the government deemed them harmful to society.
What the government believes differs from the popce, who only seek to fulfill their desires.
So when a government deems them beneficial for society, they have no problem providing or engaging in them."
The ex-Maltian Police chief looked at the paper with a conflicted expression. "You''re saying that [these] services are beneficial to society?"
Underground Bizarre cement Auction
The Underground Bizarre (UB) holds a biweekly auction for business space. Of the rooms and marketce spaces, 80% get auctioned, and the other 20% are reserved for government-subsidized services, governmental policies, or rewards.
-
Taxes
There is a 10% tax on RP over 10 RP profit and a 20% tax on Skye over 1,000 Skye profit. Revenue is taxed after profit allowances get met.
Note: The profit-oriented taxation system ensures that taxes don''t stymie services, start-ups, and entrepreneurship. If an individual underperforms to avoid taxes, they will get taxed on revenue exclusively thereafter. Tax evasiones with heavier penalties.
...
Services at Tonight''s Auction
-
Sex Work
Gambling
Liquor and Recreational Substances
Healing Services
Unofficial Therapy Services
Mercenary and Scavenging Requests
...
"Perhaps these services are a loss in the developed world." The emperor said strangely, "However, people need a release from stress during the apocalypse lest they create real problems.
While we present people with the guise of absolute freedom, our citizens remain regted and constricted within these walls.
We''ve moved what exists behind closed doors into our closed doors, benefit from taxation, and preventrger problems.
Surely, you believe that these services are beneficial now, yes?"
Carmen gave him a wry smile. "I find it better."
She followed him into the main Underground Bizarre ballroom. It had 500 chairs set up in the main area with a full stage Daniel''s builders had constructed.
A massive sign on the back wall read: "Underground Bizarre''s Exotic Goods and Services cement Auction."
It was written in elegant letters,thed into the wood, and colored with a rich red paint before being varnished.
"Did you get builders to make that sign?" Carmen asked with a crumbling expression.
"No, no." Kaze chuckled, "Imissioned this sign when I purchased the Immortal Skye campus."
"So you nned to break thew like this from the start?" She asked dryly.
"Is that a problem?" He asked with a maic toneced with amused ridicule.
"Permission to speak bluntly." Carmen requested, puffing out her cheeks and turning away.
"Permission granted." Kaze replied charmingly.
"You''re unbelievably powerful, capable, and attractive." She replied frankly, turning back to look into his eyes, "So why must you find amusement in ridiculing people? It just makes people unwilling to give you the satisfaction of being right."
He raised his eyebrows in a [oh, really?] type of expression. "That''s strange to say when I find your unambiguous mannerisms, tantly stating you agree with me, very satisfying."
Carmen''s face turned red, turning away again and biting her lip. "How long will you hold my first night''s treatment of you against me?"
"Once you stop treating me the same way." Kaze smiled mockingly, "Right now, the only thing that''s changed is respect for my authority and a slight eptance of your attraction to me. Beyond that, you''re still the same."
The police chief''s eyes widened in aggressive perplexion, and she turned toy into him for workce harassment or reflexively deny his words but fell short.
"Well, hello, Emperor." A sensual voice interjected, walking through the door, "Excellent evening, isn''t it?"
Kaze turned around to face the woman walking up, swiveling her hips in a crimson dress with maic allure. "Hello, Sage.
You''re looking stunning tonight, especially with those earrings. Did you feel this event was worth this level of charm?"
Sage gave him a beautiful smile, tucking a lock of her straight red hair behind her ear. Her sexual allure as a powerful businesswoman was overshadowed by her allure as a woman, hair down, in a cocktail dress.
She had emerald earrings that matched her eyes which were slightly hidden by her hair that he called out, proving his attention to detail. It made her feel good.
"I didn''t get dressed up in a cocktail dress for a professional event." Sage replied, shing a coquettish smile, "I got dressed up because I was sitting next to a certain aggravatingly charming, nonmittal yboy."
Carmen''s eyes widened in confusion when he saw the two flirting openly, considering that Sage was a management official and he had a known rtionship with Evalyn Skyethe Skye in Immortal [Skye].
However, after she remembered that Kaze was always in a rtionship with Evalyn and had a promiscuous reputation regardless, she turned red in annoyance.
Her disdain for improper workce rtionships andnguage got overshadowed by irritation that he ignored her business-oriented conversation to flirt genuinely!
"Is that so?" Kaze mused, looking at the redhead, "I''m not sure who this yboy is, but if you dressed this enchanting for someone you disdain, he must have heavily redeeming qualities."
"Does he, I wonder?" Sage asked herself yfully, "I''m not sure he''s even minorly redeemable. However, that doesn''t change how I feel about him or how I''ll [treat] him."
He nced at her body from top-to-bottom with a charmingly predatory gaze, looking up with a slight smile. "I''m sure he''ll look forward to your [treatment]ter."
The redhead gave him a mysterious, sensual look before turning to the stage. "Well, I must attend to a few matters.
I''ll see you and Carmen in the ultra-exclusive VIP box with seating for three and two empty spacester."
"Until then." Kaze replied amusedly, watching her bubble butt swivel in her red dress as she walked away. Then he turned to the ex-police chief. "Hoh? You''re not going to grill me about sexual harassment? You were so adamant about that in the past."
Carmen blushed and turned away with an embarrassed expression. "This is your country, with yourws. We just discussed my abiding by them, so don''t mock me for doing so."
"I suppose we did just do that, didn''t we?" Kaze chuckled in amusement, "The question is, do you like thews here? I''m rather curious about that."
"I support some and have grievances with others." She cringed, trying to avert her gaze, "But I have yet to decide whether I like some of them."
"Is that so?" He mused, "Well, if you ever want to break Maltianw legally to determine whether you like something, let me know.
I think you''d be shocked how fast you can adapt to new legalities if you desire them."
Carmen felt a shiver of thrill and anxiety crawl down her spine when he said those words. She turned to him with aplex expression and froze when she saw his charming smile.
It had a maic allure that made her want to run away to prevent herself from saying and doing things she might regret. However, she knew she wouldn''t run and didn''t n to.
Chapter 190 The Underground Bizarre Placement Auction Begins
A beautiful woman walked onto the stage with a charming, charismatic smile. She had neck-length brte hair, slightly curly, with blue eyes and slight dimples. While she didn''t want to be the announcer, it was her job to broadcast everything people hated publicizing.
"Wee to the first Underground Bizarre cement Auction!" Kylie announced boldly, making three hundred people p in unreserved excitement.
While old-wealth aristocrats usuallyprised high-end auctions, everyone in the auditorium that night, save leaders, was below the age of 28, most younger.
So they were ecstatic to participate in the auction, showing off their new status as Earth''s elites.
The auction was the first integrated event with the ex-Maltian Special Forces soldiers after they became official Immortals. Since every original member watched them fight for Immortal Skye, pulling more than their weight, their eptance was smooth and without issues.
A solid section was made of Lockheed elites or ex-Maltian Special Forces soldiers.
The rest were individuals who shrewdly traded people for their Skye or reputation points directly after release.
All remaining seats got auctioned to the highest bidder from the remaining Immortals.
A new world order was taking root within the Luxe''s basement.
"Tonight, we celebrate freedom!" Kylie announced, riling people up, "Within the walls of the Underground Bizarre, individuals can legally engage any service they desire, so long as it''s consensual, physically safe, and doesn''t have a severe negative impact on our society.
Immortal Skye encourages all Immortals to express themselves and safely fulfill their desires within the new world''s first entertainment andmerce district!"
Explosive apuse rocked the ballroom, leading to a short standing ovation.
"I wasn''t sure about Kylie, but she''s proven herself." Sagemented, ncing at the emperor.
"She has." Kaze smiled, "It''s easy tomission individuals with social skills. However, it''s demanding to find anyone with the mindset to support something loathsome for the sake of stability."
"Do you find this bizarre of yours ''loathsome''?" The redhead mused, seductively uncrossing her right leg and crossing over it with her left.
"No." He shook his head, "While I will not ept women who have sold their bodies into my romantic life, I do not find them unclean or their profession disagreeable."
"You don''t find them unclean, but you won''t ept them romantically?" Sage giggled, "That doesn''t inspire much confidence, you know."
"I''m a selfish man." Kaze smiled shamelessly, "While I''ll sleep with transparent, non-exclusive women, the thought of another man touching a woman that has sworn herself to me disgusts me. Even a fleeting reflection of a woman I''m bound to selling their body is worse."
"Don''t you think that''s a bit... hypocritical?" Carmen asked with a sassy smile, "Is that not how you became famous, Emperor?"
The emperor scoffed breathlessly, rolling his eyes as he turned to her with a mocking smile. "Is the word [selfish] too shallow for you?"
Her eyes widened, and she turned away, looking at the stage. "Are you implying a single term can capture your personality?"
"Of course." Kaze replied with a brazen, mocking tone, "Kaze Lexicon."
The police chief scoffed in exasperation, turning to him to the sound of Sage giggling yfully. "You know what I meant."
"I do not." He scoffed, "I stillck the answer to my question. Is [selfish] too shallow to describe my mindset?
It''s defined as a person prioritizing egocentric actions over the consideration of others. Would you have me lie and allege I''m a con man who feeds on female insecurities for hedonistic pleasure?"
Carmen opened and closed her mouth, trying to find words but falling short.
"I suggest you give up." Sage giggled, turning to her with a venomous smile, "Kaze Lexicon''s transparency with his actions doesn''t change their impact or virtue, but it makes it impossible to attack him unless you go for the kill. And I would highly advise you don''t do that."
Icy static jolted through the police chief''s body, hearing the woman''s words. Beyond her implicit threat, she had a tone that dered [I''ll volunteer to be your executioner].
"Selfish...." Carmen said, "Is too much when you attribute your definition to the word. Youck greed and prioritize others when you''re not affected. So I would only deem you lecherous."
"A higher insult, but also apliment." Kaze chuckled in amusement, "I''ll ept both."
The police chief sighed a breath of relief, d she was honestly captivated by the emperor, so her words were natural.
-
"This auction has two parts." Kylie announced boldly, "We have people offering services who have bid reputation points for the cements.
However, they may not have enough reputation points to earn a spot."
The brte panned the audience members'' faces with a strange smile. "You can change that."
Excited whispers rippled through the crowd.
"You may invest reputation points in exchange for equity or services." Kylie stated boldly, "You can also obtain the first service by investing the most!"
The Immortals met her words with enthusiastic apuse. Everyone knew what type of [services] were avable, so hearing they could [go first] was worth a significant amount in their eyes.
After all, Kaze handed them wealth only days before, and they could now spend it on thrilling services with non-professionals. It was a boon.
"Let''s get started with the auction." Kylie announced grandly, "First, we will cover the most thrilling part of the Underground Bizarre''s cement Auction--sex work."
An explosion of primal battle cries met her words, mostly from males who were unreserved in their eptance. After everything they went through in the past few days, the thought of sex made them feral.
"Each individual offering services is different." She exined, "They set their prices and what they are willing to do.
While anyone can bid for the cement, some women tonight seek to charm you into funding their operation."
Chaos and excitement crashed into the room. No one knew that the event would be a burlesque-style show.
"Sex work seed funding guarantees the investor will get the offered service if they win the cement." Kylie continued, "Those who invest the most will go first, followed by the next highest. Let''s get started!"
A spotlight shed onto a section of the red velvet curtain. After a moment, it trembled, creating tension and making everyone gasp.
Two secondster, it opened slightly, but no person was there. People groaned in anticipation, feeling helpless to the teasing.
However, a slender, toned leg slowly came out of the curtain, instantly creating an uproar and detonating a wave of whistles and excitement.
"Open the curtain!"
"Let''s see the goods,dy!"
"Don''t be shy; we won''t bite--unless you let us!"
An explosion ofughter rocked the ballroom.
-
"These men are animals." Sage scoffed, looking away in disgust, "You would think they''d act more reserved before their Emperor and police chief."
Carmen nodded in assent, looking to the emperor for his words.
"Herein lies the purpose of the Underground Bizarre." Kaze announced dryly, "During times of panic, excessive pressure, and violence, men and women seek to release pressure through their primal desires.
If we deny them, they will find ways of releasing pressure. It''s preferable to contain barbarity and force consensuality than to let it run rampant."
The police chief''s expression turnedplex, and she turned back to the stage pensively. "Before and after our battle, this ce is so normal that I forget we live in the apocalypse. It''s strange."
"It''s quite the achievement, isn''t it?" Sage smiled mysteriously, "It fills me with thrill and excitement."
Kaze smiled strangely and turned back to the stage.
-
"You want me toe out?" A maic voice asked shyly from a microphone.
"Hell yeah, we do!"
A surge of assenting statements waved through the crowd, picking up steam and confidence as they made the rounds.
"If that''s what you want." The female said coquettishly. Two hands shot out of the curtain and grabbed both sides.
The tension built, and built, and built, until--
Shiiiiiink!
--the curtains opened, exposing a beautiful brte soldier with a stunning body in a forest green thong and matching bra.
"This is what I''ve waited for!" A male soldier yelled, creating an explosion of excitement.
-
"For a soldier, that woman knows how to work the crowd." Sage smiled, "Do you like that trait, Emperor?"
Kaze looked at her with a strange smile. "Effort and re when offering me sexual gratification?"
"Yes." She replied, narrowing her eyes subtly.
"Of course." He confirmed, "Though I do like it subtle."
"Is that so?" Sage smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear to expose her earrings while changing her crossed legs and cutting off the conversation.
-
"For those who don''t know me, my name''s Makenzie Levi." The brte soldier announced, putting her hand on her tanned hip, "I''m offering a night fulfilling [conventional] sexual desires for 50 RP, without a Skye price."
Whispers and groans of annoyance spread through the group, hearing an absurd number out of the gate. However--
"I''m the most expensive woman tonight--for a reason." Mackenzie dered with a confident smile, "You are not looking at a sex worker.
I''m a valiant soldier with a dignified track record of distinction seeking power and new heights. A year from now, I will be a famous figure that investors can brag about.
I''m more than a good time--I''m an investment in your pride and ego. So if you seek pleasure, power, and wealth, make sure to act like it, kay?"
Mackenzie blew a kiss or winked at the men gripping their bidding signs or asking for advice, and the area went wild.
Her words marked the start of a decadent and depraved auction that was expressly illegal in Malta only a month before.
Chapter 191 Let The Bidding Begin
After blowing a kiss to potential investors, Mackenzie turned around to show off her perfectly sculpted ass in her thong, driving the soldiers crazy.
"I can''t believe I get to see Mackenzie''s ass."
"Right? She''s royalty."
"It''s strange.... I''m d I get to see but I hate to see her hoeing herself out."
"Whatever; say that when she''s stupid powerful. I wish I had a body to offer."
"Hah! What!? You''re serious?"
"Shhhhhhh! Mackenzie fuckin'' Levi is shaking her ass in a thong, and you''re debating the virtues of having sex with men? You both disgust me."
An explosion ofughter in the male soldier section rippled through the area, leading the woman to wink at the group.
Mackenzie didn''t mind ying the game. She only needed to charm three men to ess private sses and whatever job she desired. Both could continue indefinitely after that.
Adding the option to get a personal room, the amount of power and luxury she could get from having sex three times was absurd.
It was the only rational option in the apocalypse, and Kaze would not hold against any woman. He [may] have even made an exception for romancein his past lifefor Mackenzie.
However, he removed the desperation from the apocalypse, so he wouldn''t make exceptions this cycle.
"Let''s get started!" Kylie announced, "We will begin with [presale] funding. Investors can preorder Mackenzie''s service, and that RP goes to the cement cost.
After the presale ends, investors can bid on who will be first. Let''s get this event started!"
An explosion of cheers rocked the ballroom.
"First, let''s get started on pre-salewho''s buying Mackenzie''s services if she wins!?" Kylie asked boomingly, building excitement.
As she spoke, Mackenzie pushed her thumbs into the front of her green thong and pulled out the fabric, raising and lowering it.
The men in the audience watched in slow motion with beating hearts, praying for an idental glimpse of her hidden peach.
Without thinking much about it, a man raised his bidding sign.
"Mackenzie has secured one client!" Kylie announced, breaking everyone out of their trances.
When the soldier blew a seductive kiss to the geeky Lockheed Elite who fought in the pit matches with the Special Forces, he turned bright red. His expression only got more ufortable when she gave him elevator eyes, and men and women started whistling.
"Any other clients?" Kylie asked, bringing everyone''s attention back to the stage.
The tan soldier started dancing, swinging her hips before lowering herself onto her knees and whipping her hair.
Another man blushed and raised his sign.
"We got a second!" The cute brte announcer yelled, triggering more whistles, "That''s how you earn RP, everyone!"
"It''s pretty easy when thatdy was a stripper [before] she joined the military." A womanined dryly.
"Did you say something?" A man asked loudly, "You think Kenzie''s hot too? We have a lot inmon!"
An explosion of cheers rocked the area.
Another two men raised their signs before the festivities ended.
"Now, onto the priority bidding!" Kylie announced loudly, "Everyone here will bid over who will get the service first. If the pre-orders don''t cover the cement cost, then the winning priority bid fills the space.
If there''s excess, it goes to the service provider as a tip! Bidding starts at 1 RP; you may begin!"
"One RP!"
"Three RP!"
"Four RP!"
"Five RP!"
"20 RP!"
The room fell still when the geeky man called out aical number, dering he''d pay seventy RP to spend a night with the soldier.
"Twenty-five RP!" A good-looking brown-haired soldier yelled. He and the woman knew each other, and when their eyes met and she saw his sincerity, she blushed slightly.
"30 RP!
"31 RP!"
A bidding war ensued until the geeky man stole first ce with a wild 41 RP, paying a grand total of 91 RP, most of his reserve, to sleep with her first.
-
"What a fool." Sage chuckled amusedly, watching the man jump for joy, "He gave her the key to power for a single night of pleasure and bragging rights.
If he used the points to build power, he could''ve been the person people would be bragging over."
"It''s true." Kaze replied calmly, "However, for a tragic character who is satisfied living as he''s told, making a living, and obtaining pleasure, this purchase isn''t about simple pleasure.
For him, he''s trading the potential for power for a guarantee of internal confidence, losing his virginity to someone attractive with potential.
Were we destined for mortality, such an action would be understandable. However, as we can live forever through progression, his bid is a deration he''s giving up. It''s pitiful."
"Are you saying that a person can aplish anything with enough time?" Sage mused.
"As is only logical." The emperor smiled mysteriously, "Unlike before, mental decay can reverse through healing, and any person can be the strongest through their actions alone."
"You sound like you speak from experience." She smiled seductively, "That''s tough talk from someone who learned cultivation from a basement bookshelf.
Or was iting to Earth to infiltrate us using techniques on par with top elites? I forget."
"Neither." Kaze replied with a maic tone.
Before she could reply
-
"Third on the list, Mary Remart, a Lockheed University student!" Kylie announced with an amused smile, "As someone who has been a cheerleader with this blonde, I can tell you one thing about her."
The brte turned from her blonde co-athlete, wearing pink booty shorts and a tied white t-shirt, to the crowd with a strange smile. "She''s flexible."
"YeahhhhhHHhhhHhhHhhH!"
Everyone when wild when the blonde turned around and bent over, touching her palms to the ground to the sound of wild whistling. She did exercises with her back to the crowd until the brte picked up on the ploy and continued.
"Mary offers an hour of conventional wish-fulfillment or light BDSM role-ying for 20 reputation points." Kylie announced, "People can buy multiple hours if she isn''t booked. Who wants to preorder?"
Mary bent over again, put her thumbs into the stic of the shorts, and started pulling down extremely slowly. Everyone held their breath until she spoke into her headset microphone. "Would you like to see?"
The area detonated with howls and whistles, everyone devolving into true animals.
"Then start your pre-order." The blonde said, slowly standing back up, "I''ll pull them down slowly. At the fifth preorder, I''ll take the shorts off. And oh."
She turned around and blushed slightly, looking away shyly, "If we break Mackenzie''s RP record, I''ll prove tonight''s a full moon."
One second of silence, an explosion of cheering the next.
"Let the pre-order begin!" Kylie yelled.
Mary was a beautiful woman who was a cheerleaderthat was a fantasy many had. So she couldpete with Mackenzie on equal footing.
However, she offered a service for 20 RP, a number that most audience members had. Combined with the wild, festive atmosphere and testosterone
"I''m in!"
"I''ll sign up!"
"Wheeeeew! Over here!"
something disturbing happened.
People started raising their signs in a wave, caught in the fervor.
At first, Mary was stoked, adding up the reputation points and pulling down her shorts. After crushing Mackenzie''s number, fulfilling herpetitive experience, and securing three hundred points, giving her an advantage, she was satisfied.
She dropped the shorts, revealing her ck thong and modeling her flexibility to reward the audience.
Mary found it amusing untilthe signs kept popping up without stopping.
Her stomach sank when she broke the 500 RP mark.
While it could instantly move her into the Executive, giving her a suite and a technique, she was lined up to sleep with 25 men, and it was still going!
Mary and Kylie watched the feeding frenzy ying out with rapidly beating hearts, praying that something would end the situation.
The Public Rtions Director subtly turned to the VIP skybox, hoping that Kaze would do something.
-
"What will you do, Emperor?" Sage asked in sadistic amusement.
"What do you think I should do?" Kaze asked curiously, watching the numbers go up.
"I''d let it happen." The redhead shrugged.
"For amusement, as you''re expressing right now?" He asked mockingly.
"No, for her reputation." Sage replied, turning to him with a dangerous smile, "Whether she has sex with twenty or fifty will make no difference.
Everyone willbel her the same: [whore]."
She emphasized thest word breathlessly, mocking the term.
The emperor didn''t find it amusing, but he did agree with her forting conclusion.
"However, by amassing resources and growing immensely powerful, people won''t care about her beinga whore." Sage smacked, "They''ll be forced to bend to her."
"You sound mocking, but your eyes im it''s nearly envious." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "Am I wrong?"
"Not in it of itself." The redhead smiled, narrowing her eyes at the cringing blonde, getting bids from sadistic men enjoying the shitstorm ying out, "I''d just call it an opportunity.
I don''t think I''d mind being on that stage if I didn''t have what I have. Then I could revel in the satisfaction of bing the most powerful and striking fear into the hearts of everyone that berated me for doing something rational.
I''d find that very, very satisfying."
Chapter 192 A Public Execution Of Pigs
"Fuck it; I''ll give her a go!" A burly bearded soldierughed, triggering snickering from those around him.
"Ah, what the hell, Trent, I will too!"
"I''ll do it because I''ll be the only one that doesn''t at this rate."
Sixty-six men lined up to get an hour of sexual fulfillment from Mary Remarts, who was only looking for enough RP to get private sses. Now, she couldn''t back out by contract and was genuinely afraid.
"This is basically a gang bang at this point!" Trent yelled disgustingly, triggering more snickers.
Mary was mortified, scared, and wanted to cry. Unfortunately, that only made the worst peoplee out.
"Damn, look at that face. She knows she''s about to get wrecked!"
"Yeah, she''ll be powerful--if she can ever stand again!"
Thunderousughter broke out, making the blonde start tearing up. She quickly put on her ck thong and mmed up, trying to avoid their pugnacious expressions.
-
"Kaze, aren''t you going to do something about this!?" Carmen cried, turning to him with a vicious gaze, "She''s terrified. If this keeps up, she''ll be traumatized for life by next week!"
"I''m curious, too, as you still haven''t answered me." Sage smiled from the other side, her expression shing with the police chief''s panic.
"Do you two think me a man who would allow a woman to suffer unwanted economic gain?" Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I''ve already ounted for this barbarity, so I needn''t do anything.
Effective policies make perpetrators punish themselves."
-
"Is... there anyone else?" Kylie winced, looking at everyone with an embattled expression. Just asking made her feel disgusting. "Okay, we''re going to start the priority bidding--"
Thunderousughter rang out in the ballroom, making tears trickle down the blonde''s cheeks. She wanted it to end.
The brte cringed and continued. "We''ll start with first--"
"My apologies, Kylie." Jake announced abruptly, walking onto the stage with the auction booklet, "Since it''s the first night, I want to ensure you haven''t forgotten about Article 6 about sex work auctioning."
"Thank you for checking...." Kylie said, flipping to the rules. Her eyes lit up when she read the passage, and she turned to Mary with a bright smile. "My apologies, everyone.
I forgot to exin a rule that I''m certain everyone will be grateful for.
Only the exact number of people necessary to fulfill a service, including priority bidding, is required tomit.
Those who pre-ordered can express their desire to drop out. If they do, they will not be charged if the auction brings in enough RP to cover the service.
In this case, most people can back out. As long as you aren''t the top bid, you can raise the back side of your sign to express your desire to back out."
A flurry of whistles from the men called out, reacting positively to the statement that [most people can back out]. However--
"Don''t worry, Mary." Kylie whispered, grabbing her hand with a strange smile, "Kaze Lexicon is a monster, but he''s on your side."
--the men frowned when the brte whispered something, and Mary''s eyes lit up with hope.
"Let''s get started, everyone!" Kylie announced with vibrant enthusiasm, "There are sixty-six men who want to sleep with Mary Remarts this week--who wants to be first before the line?"
A wave of dread washed over the men when they heard her words. They all realized the horrifying situation that they had gotten themselves into.
Everyone had paid a massive amount of RP, and if people didn''t drop out, someone would be paying 20 months of rent--to be the sixty-sixth man who slept with a sex worker that week.
To prevent that, they''d have to back out or shovel RP in Mary''s pockets. Both would humiliate those who mocked her. It was an absolute disaster.
"Bidding for first ce starts at 1 RP--you may begin!" Kylie announced enthusiastically.
"5 RP!"
"10 RP!"
"20 RP!"
"21 RP!"
"23 RP!"
"30 RP!"
"50 RP!"
"51 RP!"
"52 RP!"
"53 RP!"
"54 RP!"
...
"74 RP!"
"75 RP!"
The ballroom fell silent when they saw Trent, the sadistic bearded soldier reveling in her pain, holding his sign with a rapidly beating heart. He hadn''t fully processed the situation until Kylie called his number and asked if anyone would bid higher.
His stomach sank when he saw all the women snickering at him, not understanding the full extent of his action.
"First ce goes to... Trent Phillips!" Kylie announced brightly, "He''ll be the first to spend an [hour] with Mary for a striking 95 reputation points!
You alone have almost fulfilled her goal to take private sses. I''m sure she''ll be [equally] enthusiastic about your [hour] together."
Mary''s eyes widened, processing the situation for the first time. Originally, it made her sick when she learned she''d be sleeping with the sadistic pig reveling in her fear.
However, after hearing that she''d bleed the man dry, stealing all his opportunities in one go, she didn''t mind. She almost looked forward to it.
After all, Kaze was personally overseeing the first day, and if Trent tried to take out his frustration on her, the emperor would rip his limbs off. It was satisfying.
The thought made the blonde regain some of her characteristic confidence, smirking at the man.
"I-I didn''t know how the auction worked." Trent said, "I-I''m not sure what''s going on!"
All the women in the area booed his words.
"We''ve already held two auctions." Kylie smiled professionally,municating her satisfied vindication with her eyes, "You''re also holding the rules in that booklet.
As you pointed out earlier--Mary can''t back out. So you shouldn''t be surprised you can''t either."
A woman cheered, and an explosion of female apuse shot into the room, picking up steam with the men, who were excited to keep the ridicule train churning.
There was a satisfying reversal in an instant, and the area became the town square for a public execution of pigs.
"You could''ve had a private room for that much money!"
"Shit, I think you could''ve had room in the Executive!"
"That''s like, five points away from private sses with Kaze, right?"
"This is beautiful; men are paying to fuck this girl, but she''s fucking them instead!"
"That''s basically the same thing."
"Not when ites to money, honey."
The women burst into giggles, throwing their arms in the air. Now they were having the time of their lives.
Countless people enjoyed watching Trent, who took pleasure in the woman''s suffering on stage, getting berated mercilessly to the same extent.
No, it was worse.
While Mary was about to get everything after an hour of sex, he lost everything. He could call her a whore all he wanted, but she was the winner, and he was the fool.
-
"Hoh?" Kaze mused with a ridiculing tone, "Does no one seek to berate me for my cruel and unjust policies against women?"
Sage giggled, watching the police chief''s expression crumble in disbelief. "You''ll get used to it."
"Get used to what?" Carmen asked, whipping her bouncy ponytail to meet the woman''s gaze.
"Kaze being right." The redhead smiled.
"He''s talented and knows it." The beautiful ck police chief said, "I know it as well; there''s no dispute here. So why are you making him sound infallible?"
"He''s not infallible." Sage smiled, turning to her with a venomous smile, "He''s just better at ying this game.
The sooner you figure out that Kaze is a powerful, [experienced] man, not a teenager, the sooner you''ll stop losing."
Kaze nced at the redhead in amusement. "Ick the words tobel such a remarkably loaded statement."
Sheplimented his skill, called him powerful, noted his sexual experience, boldly dered spection as fact, and insulted the police chief in two sentences.
"Then allow me tobel it." Sage said with a sly smile, "Facts."
He smiled slightly, narrowing his eyes at her. "I look forward to learning what you want."
"I''ll save you the trouble." The redhead said, ncing at him with her beautiful green eyes, "I want everything.
Power. Prestige. Riches.
I want to live out my dreams; once I do, I want to live the dreams of others.
So long as it follows yourws and desires, I want to do whatever I want when I want--to buy anything or anyone for any action I desire."
-
"Third cement goes for 53 RP!" Kylie announced, making the women giggle, "That puts Mary at 247, breaking Mackenzie''s record with one less person!"
-
"For freedom of desire?" Kaze asked, amused and curious, "Power? Or do you find strange sexual gratification from the pain of others?"
"None of those options." Sage replied maically, "I enjoy ruling people through [their] desires, not authority. To chain them to their greed and make them dance for it--that''s what I desire."
The emperor''s eyes changed, expressing fascination and expressing a lethal warning.
After interacting with humans for over five thousand years, he had met countless people with immeasurable greed. However, her greed was infinitely [darker] and more dangerous than the carnal desires of others.
Sage wouldn''t be corrupted with power and abuse the desperate. On the contrary, she sought that corruption in others and found pleasure in exploiting it.
She enjoyed abusing people who didn''t [need] but desired. That way, she could see their faces when she reminded them that they [paid] or begged her to hurt them.
Sage Harrington made positive [consent] a harrowing concept. She was a truly terrifying individual.
Kaze discerned her desires instantly, noting that he needed to keep her under watch. After all, she was sophisticated and didn''t break any rules--that was what she enjoyed.
Immortal Skye wasn''t a democracy with a legal system riddled with loopholes. If she were dangerous, he would imprison or kill her.
However, she was apetent, sophisticated ally he could benefit from heavily if he kept her restrained. Her confession seemed to say: [good luck controlling me, Emperor.]
It left Kaze cautious but excited about the game.
-
"Before I continue, I want to remind everyone that if no one initiates a fifth-ce bid, no one can back out." Kylie warned, "If that happens, the service provider, Mary, chooses your spot.
So if you want to back out, we rmend you do so now. Waiting to see the price of the fifth cement may not be an option, let alone the tenth."
The brte''s words instantly create an icy panic in the room, with every pig realizing they''d be deadst if they didn''t bid high or back out.
Mary watched with a strange expression. While she was happy to be rich, she was still lined up with dozens of people that made her feel sick. RP wasn''t the problem.
However, Kylie''s strangely optimistic words yed back in her head, stuck on repeat, haunting her like a broken record.
--
[Kaze Lexicon is a monster, but he''s on your side.]
--
As if prophetic, her words were a powder keg that exploded after the warning.
"I''m out!"
"Count me out!"
"Please drop me."
"Sorry for wasting your time."
"I''ve changed my mind."
"I''m bowing out, but you can keep the RP. Consider it asshole tax."
The floodgate of men backing out abruptly stopped when a man openly admitted he was wrong.
"Redeemed!" A woman chimed loudly, sending a wave of giggles crashing through the ballroom.
"I agree!"
"At least one of them is alright!"
"Wow, that''s refreshing!"
"Hey girl, forgive him!"
Mary blinked twice in confusion, looking at the embarrassed man who didn''t want the attention. "Ummm... I don''t know what to say... I didn''t think he was rude."
The man hadughed with everyone but didn''t make rude statements or revel in her pain.
"Wheeeeeeeeeeeew!" A woman whistled, "Ten-four! We got a decent guy in this cesspool!"
An explosion of cheering went out.
Soon, over a dozen men donated their RP to cheering women andughing men, enjoying the [simp donations].
As for the rest, they were ridiculed mercilessly for being assholes [and] not making donations. It was a reputation execution.
Lastly, those who were waiting to see how many more people would back out before making a decision--
"Okay, we''re down to 12 men!" Kylie announced brightly, "Who would like to bid on the fifth cement? If a person bids and another doesn''t follow, they get it for the minimum price. You may begin!"
"10 RP!"
"11 RP!"
"12 RP!"
...
They were drawn in by human desires and economic incentives to start and remain bidding. As a result, they ended up in the same ce as the first bidders.
...
"Wow...." Kylie said, looking at the books, "I doubt the cement cost will exceed 20 RP.
So with 410 reputation points from priority bidding and pre-orders and 280 in donations, Mary will leave with around 603 reputation points after the 10% tax.
That will likely make her the richest citizen of Immortal Skye for 7 hours of work."
The audience gasped when they heard the final statement.
Somehow sixty-six people pre-ordered her service for 20 RP a piece, totaling 1,320 RP, yet she got 690, more than half, for having sex with seven people.
It was the most absurd thing imaginable.
Mary cried tears of joy at Kylie''s words, moved beyond words that she wouldn''t get maliciously used as a toy for sadistic male pleasure.
She looked to the skybox and bowed slightly, praising the man who always protected people like her, even from the shadows, with his policies and institutions.
Chapter 193 The Profiteer
"Next up, we have Rachel Trent, offering light, fetish fulfillment for 10 RP per hour." Kylie announced brightly, weing a beautiful brte to the stage, "That includes stepping on men, foot y"
"60 RP!" A man called out reflexively, suffering from full amygd hijack.
After a second of stunned silence, the ballroom exploded inughter, and he realized what had happened.
"Looks like we already know who''s winning priority creep service!" A woman yelled, triggering a wave ofughter.
Others in the audience watched nervously, hiding their signs and praying she won enough RP from the man to get in.
"Next up, let me wee you to the six women offering stripping services andp dances!" Kylie announced grandly.
"Wheeeeeeeeeew!" A man whistled as six women walked onto the stage in lingerie.
"We''ll start with Randy Emson." The cute brte announced, "She''s offering the service for ten RP and 1 RP or 100 Skye per 30-minute extension. While she''s the most expensive, she''s offering ap dance to every pre-order investor!"
Thunderous apuse exploded in the room when Randy walked to the front, belly dancing in a pink g-string.
"You may begin!" Kylie announced.
"Randy''s leaving with a whopping 280 RP after priority bidding!" The brte concluded, triggering a round of apuse, "Let''s keep that energy alive.
Remember that these women are offering their services publiclyeven if you''rest, you''re first!"
Her skillful reminder rebuilt momentum after many had lost motivation, spending their RP or learning from Mary''s example.
"Sold for 24 RP!" Kylie announced, "Thank you for making your fellow women gain confidence for their bodies, dancing, and dreams!"
Tumultuous apuse rocked the ballroom.
"Next up, we have regr servicesing to Immortal Skye!" She continued, "First up, Minor Healing services."
Three men and three women walked onto the stage.
"Those standing before you are seeking 500 RP to learn Minor Medical Vision, a sky technique that can see internal wounds and damage." Kylie exined.
"Users can use Minor Healing with pinpoint precision using the technique, increasing their healing capabilities.
Those who invest will have a personal doctor for the next year. You can see the full benefits package for each investment amount inside that packet."
Excitement spread through the crowd as the individuals introduced themselves, and the bidding began.
"We have 330 RP." Kylie announced with a straight face, trying to stay objective, "Will anyone else sponsor Simon Millwood for his Minor Medical Vision training?"
The auditorium was silent, with many looking away.
"Che. figures that the pretty waitress got over 700 RP, and the talented male doctor is getting discount shoppers." An asian man scoffed under his breath, "I''ll be pissed if all the women make it after this."
"Then why don''t you invest?" A nearby woman scoffed.
"I have something I want to invest in." He replied dryly, "I won''t waste my RP on principle."
"You''re just hateful when women win instead of men." A blondeughed maliciously, "Well, it sucks to be you. Immortal Skye has Kaze, so women can shine, so watch yourself."
"I''m not hateful of the winners." The man scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I hate [you] and everyone else with that attitude.
Women have privileges that men don''t, yet people like you act universally oppressed. Deny that all you want, but a [medical student] is getting ignored after a [waitress] just got handed a cheat to sess here.
I''m not making light of women getting harassed and having to protect their bodies.
But it''s 2032, for fucks sake. Stop acting like unfair advantages are necessary to lift women out of economic equality."
"Sounds reasonableif it didn''te from someone who just bought a hooker." Sheughed.
"I also hate women who shame men whether they look down on sex work or support it." He countered dryly, "Sexism goes both waysand you''re sexist.
I''d also shed that shieldplex if I were you. Kaze is removing all the barriers to female equality hereonce he does, I think you''ll see how privileged you were in Malta.
Everything here is meritocratic. Without the countless diversity hiring and entrance programs, women and men willpete on talent alone."
"So what? Men are more talented but oppressed?" She scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Hell if I know,dy." He scoffed, "I could care less if women dominate an industry.
I''ll just be happy to see the look on women''s faces when they realize they''ve had a handicap.
I''m annoyed a doctor''s getting denied for not having breasts and angry you''re hiding your sexism behind our leader. It''s disgusting."
"You''re just sexist, and angry Kaze isn''t on your side like past politicians." She sneered.
-
"We got another ten, bringing us to 340." Kylie announced, "Is anyone else willing to invest in Simon? He''s a medical student; he''s the most qualified person here."
The audience fell silent, and the atmosphere became awkward.
"150 RP." A voice called out, making everyone''s heart pulse. Everyone in the audience turned behind them in fear, realizing a certain person was present the entire time.
Simon''s eyes widened in disbelief. He opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something butcking the words.
"150 from Kaze Lexicon, bringing us to 490." Kylie announced excitedly, "Who will be thest 10?"
-
The blonde went to raise her sign, but the piercing ck eyes from the asian man near her made her lower it. "What, you''re not going to bid?"
"Once again, I don''t need the service and have something I want to invest in." The asian man replied dryly, "At this point, I would if there were a need, but once people get over their shamelessness, there won''t be a problem.
Kaze just gave someone a [privilege]. Watch how unfair things are about to get."
As if by cue, the investments started rolling in from both the men and women.
"Wow, Simon Millwood is leaving with a record 1,130 RP." Kyliemented in amazement, "It''s a bit heartwarming to see someone''s hard work and talent get noticed so dramatically."
Dozens of shameless cheers rang out, increasing the awkward atmosphere in the room.
"Kaze, would you like to say a few words?" She asked hesitantly.
Everyone turned around, half peering into the spotlight as Kaze stood in the skybox.
"Simon''s credentials are in the auction booklet." Kaze responded dryly, "I''m appalled anyone would seek another as their doctor, and confounded why more don''t find healing services valuable after the attack on Immortal Skye."
The ballroom fell silent. A myriad of emotions crashed through the atmosphere, spreading from individual to individual through synesthesia.
Fear.
Anxiety.
Doubt.
Kaze Lexicon watched everyone''s pugnacious attitudes and cruelty that night without a word, yet he called out everyone with a simple, irrefutable statement.
It was irrational that many spent dozens of RP on a single night of sex work, yet few secured medical services, despite countless dying or getting injured the night before.
That reality left most people feeling ashamed.
Moreover, spending RP on the female waitress like she was a sex worker was ludicrous. Those that did felt their stomachs drop.
Very few feltfortable with their actions that night, and that was something they needed to ept. However, there was one person who waspletely at ease.
"Thank you, Leader." Simon bowed on stage.
The asian man, Steve Chung, put his fingers into his mouth and let out a wolf whistle. His gesture made people snap out of their self-deprecation and burst into cheers.
-
The emperor smiled mysteriously, looking at the man in the crowd. "You again, huh?"
"Do you know him?" Carmen asked curiously.
"I met him on the first day." Kaze smiled, turning to her, "Talented and sharp but soft-spoken unless addressed. He may have future leadership potential."
Steve Chung was the male who provided a solution for the first learning activity when Omar tried to punch the emperor.
"I see." The police chief replied, turning back to the asian. She wondered what the man had to do to get remembered, unaware of the irony.
-
...
"Lastly, we have three start-ups, two offering life-changing services at Immortal Skye!" Kylie announced, triggering excitement.
Many tranted the term life life-changing as [redemption opportunity] and wanted to prove their rationality to the emperor.
"On page three, you''ll find the info on The Scavagers, Club Quinn, and Kat''s Casino." The brte continued, "Kat''s Casino is, as its name suggestsa gambling den.
They seek 500 RP for workers and 50,000 Skye for the house''s bankroll. As a reminder, gambling dens cannot trade in RP, so investors can only gain Skye through investing in them."
Awkward whispers spread through the audience. While many were excited, they were afraid to showcase it in front of Kaze.
"While it''s not apparent, The Scavengers and Club Quinn are both savaging businesses." Kylie announced boldly, confusing the Immortals.
"While Club Quinn is a club, it seeks to employ a mercenary force to scavenge for liquor, tobo, and recreational substances in Meridian City." She exined, sending waves of realization washing over everyone.
"As they scavenge, they will also seek desired items from those who hire them and sell general finds in the public market.
Therefore, Club Quinn provides three major revenue streams from critical services. Equity finance investors have a great opportunity for sess."
Excited whispers spread through the audience, and Immortals flipped to the equity financing section, written by Sage, which everyone previously ignored.
"Club Quinn seeks 5,000 RP and 50,000 Skye to get started." Kylie announced, shocking everyone, "There is a financing option where investors can borrow up to 100 RP, so everyone can invest."
After exining the logistics, she continued.
"Let''s talk about The Scavengers." She announced, "Like Club Quinn, The Scavengers will obtain items of a buyer''s choice and collect items on the way.
However, they search for items directly instead of through passive collection.
Moreover, unlike Club Quinn, their main business model has few risksclients auction RP and Skye to pay mercenaries. Therefore, every job earns a profit.
Of the 5,200 RP they are asking for, 5,000 RP will purchase a [spatial ring].
Kaze''s first-tier spatial ring provides five cubic feet of space for any item on your fingertip, regardless of weight.
It''s linked to a vault in Immortal Skye. Thus a person with a spatial ring can teleport an unlimited amount of items here on one trip."
Kylie''s finger radiated with blue light, and a liquor bottle materialized in her hand. The scene instantly devolved into pandemonium and chaos.
"You may wonder why spatial rings are so expensive." She said, calming everyone down, "It''s because of their ease of misuse and hoarding.
Therefore, we only want businesses that will obtain items they can sell have them to prevent hoarding and prevent individuals from using them for theft.
Spatial ring space is regted, and every haul has a charge.
A business must be capable of selling its items and navigating the challenge. However, if they can, they have mass profit potential.
The Scavengers wish to be that business!"
Excited cheers exploded in the area. Everyone wanted to be a part of their impending sess.
"These are the three start-ups that you can invest in tonight!" Kylie announced, "Each is offering a percentage of its profit to investors.
If The Scavengers make 100 RP profit and own 1% profit equity, you earn 1 RP passively without doing anything. It''s what you earn simply by investing.
However, if the business goes bankrupt, you lose everything you invested.
Before our bankruptcy system gets finalized, expect to lose everything if one of these groups fails and to make immense profits if they seed. Let''s get started!"
"Now it''s time to announce our final results!" Kylie announced, "Inst ce, we have Kat''s Casino, which raised exactly 500 RP and 73,150 Skye.
In second ce, we have Club Quinn, with a shocking 7,100 RP and 82,500 Skye.
Lastly, we have The Scavengers, leaving with a mind-bending 18,200 RP and 19,300 Skye."
-
"I''m curious." Kaze smiled mysteriously, turning to Sage, "Do you know I''m aware you''re running the Scavengers?"
Sage turned to him with a sly smile. "Of course I do. I did it to see whether you''d consider a business run by a manager cor-rup-tion."
"I punish corruption, not the potential for corruption." The emperor smiled venomously, "Otherwise, I encourage value and don''t mind [profiteers]. However, what would you have done if I did?"
"I''d have handed the reigns over to someone else." She replied without hesitation, "Those with true greed follow the rules, for they risk everything when they don''t.
I''m not foolish enough to turn against you; I can identify true power and respect it."
Kaze narrowed his eyes in interest. "Thank you for satiating my curiosity."
"Now that the auction is over, I can satiate more than that." Sage replied without hesitation.
"Hoh?" He smiled, "That''s a bold statement."
"I''m confident." The redhead replied with a seductive smile.
"Aren''t you worried?" Kaze asked with a predatory glint.
"About what?" Sage mused, "A night of unbelievable pleasure?"
"Yes." He smiled mockingly, "Such a night can ruin your sexual ambitions for life."
The redhead gave him a vicious smile with a near-lethal glint. "I wee you to try chaining me to my desire for pleasure, Emperor. Just don''t leave disappointed."
Chapter 194 Save Me.
"Would you like a drink, Emperor?" A beautiful redhead in a red cocktail dress asked, walking across arge room to a full bar, "It would seem like a waste not to use this ce."
"If that''s what you desire." Kaze replied, watching her grab two rock sses from behind the counter and then look through the bottles on the backlit wall.
They were in his [harem den] after the auction, thousands of feet below the ground.
"I do." Sage smiled, reading thebels with glittering eyes, "I''ve never seen such a collection of high-end spirits before. It would almost be offensive to turn it down."
He smiled and walked to the bar, sitting on a leather stool, watching her make old fashions with high-quality whiskey, bitters, and orange syrup in amusement.
After she finished, she slid a drink over to him and gave him a strange smile.
"Take your time." The redhead smiled, "I''ll need courage for you to strip me of sexual pleasure for life."
"Do you think I will summon Celestial-grade techniques to casually enve you to pleasure?" Kaze mused, taking a sip of the whiskey drink, "I would do nothing of the sort to provide you base-level pleasure."
Sage''s eyes lit up in fascination and strange enthusiasm, and she turned to him, letting their green eyes lock. "Do you have such techniques?"
"I do." He replied, twisting amusement, pride, and ridicule into a smile.
She ced her elbow on the bar and her chin in her palm, looking at him with a dreamy gaze. "Is that what that mountain-killing technique was?"
"No." He chuckled, "That was a sacred technique. It is a full realm below celestial techniques. If it were a celestial technique, the mountain wouldn''t exist."
The redhead''s confidence wavered when she heard his words, and her hand, lifting her ss to her lips, trembled, "You have such a technique?"
"Cor-rect." Kaze smiled in amusement, "And I happen to have one that could create an intense addiction to my sex. It''s irreparable. Would you like to try it?"
Sage''s mouth opened further as his statement continued but stopped on his question. She blinked twice toprehend his statement and then burst into giggles. "I''ll decline. How~ever."
Her eyes sharpened, and she gave him a sinister smile. "I will happily learn that technique from you."
Kaze scoffed breathlessly, looking away. "I refuse to spend a century teaching anyone a technique of that caliber, least of all someone who intends to abuse it."
"That''s a shame." She said, scrunching up her face for a moment before rxing it into a smile that sarcastically dered, [oh no, you crushed my hopes and expectations], "But I am curious--why are you confident it''d take a century? My poor prior performance?"
"Must you learn an instrument to have an idea of how long it''d take to master it?" He scoffed, responding to her loaded question while looking into her sinister eyes, "It''s not an enigma.
If I unloaded a Celestial technique into your brain, you''d scream in pain for two days and potentially suffer permanent mental trauma.
If you didn''t, you''d be parsing through esoteric information for centuries until you collected enough experience to use it. That''s why I''m certain."
Sage smiled maliciously, hearing his statement with an ominous expression. "And you use this technique between a woman''s legs?"
"Amongst other uses, yes." Kaze smiled mockingly, ncing at her breasts, ear lobes, and neck, creating a mental picture that he could use it for anything.
"How curious." She mused, "You know this envement technique well enough to teach someone? I''m interested--who did you practice using such a nefarious skill on?"
"Fortunate people with higher Spirit Qi fortification." He replied unwaveringly.
"I enjoy your mysteries, Emperor." Sage remarked amusedly, spinning her ss around, listening to the ice collide against the ss, "For example, what can I do to please you?
What makes a man who can fulfill every pleasure, physical and emotional, tick? What type of savagery or purity does it take to leave you satisfied?"
Kaze narrowed his eyes slightly, giving her a half-amused half-lethal smile. "Do you seek to use me, Sage Whitney Harrington? [Enve] me to my desires like your puppets and half-whipped Scavengers?"
"Oh, how I''d love to." Sage smiled without wavering, "Perhaps in a few thousand years when I''ve amassed enough skill, I''ll give that a shot.
Until then, you''re the key to everything rich and precious, so I aim to please you in any way you wish. With an allowance, the right toys, and a little freedom, I''d even wear a cor and call you master."
Kaze gave her a mocking smile, wrenched with forced amusement. He scoffed when he couldn''t quip back,ughing at the twisted absurdity of her [honest] answer.
"Your belligerent philosophies are as charming as they are vulgar." He scoffed, "I''d mourn your afflicted genius if your confidence and contentment weren''t inspiring to people everywhere."
"Do I bother you?" Sage asked curiously, taking another drink.
"Of course not." Kaze smiled, letting his eyes glide to the left, "You''re quite fascinating and more trouble than you''re likely worth, but it is refreshing. However, that''s not enough to corrupt me."
"I don''t seek to corrupt you." She smiled, looking into his eyes, "There''s nothing I can offer someone like you. Not with Evalyn and Kiera, hundreds of women and a police chief lined up.
I''m only seeking to be kind to you. Between two equally qualified people, a leader promotes the person who''s nicest to them, do they not? The people they speak to... more intimately?"
He matched her seductive gaze with a slight smile. "Human nature?"
"Human nature." The redhead smiled shamelessly.
The emperor chuckled in amusement, considering her words. She dered she never nned to sleep with him for tangible gain but just a slight edge.
Her perspective wasn''t wrong. Between two people equally qualified or disputed, a person would turn to the one they had a rtionship with, no matter how minor.
It was a dark perspective on the world, and her unblinking eptance of it was horrifying yet bewitching.
"If that''s all, than I''ll tell you what makes me [tick]." Kaze announced, taking a sip of his old-fashion, "Pleasing women. So to get the answer to your question you must answer me this--what makes you tick?"
Sage leaned in closer, giving him a strange expression. "I want you to save me."
"Hoh?" He asked in surprise, "Save you from what?"
"My depraved and sadistic ways." The redhead replied with a strange smile, "I want you to take your techniques as far [as you''re willing] to enve and make me your kitten--chained to my desire for you. That''s what I want."
"You want me to be you for the night?" Kaze asked, narrowing his eyes.
"That''s right." Sage smiled, finishing her drink, standing and walking behind him, moving her hands down his grey button-up, "I want to know if you can be like me, whether you''d enve a woman upon her request.
And if you gave me something I couldn''t take my mind off, it would end the other warped thoughts circling through my mind. All of those things are desirable."
"I''m a selfish man who is willing to fulfill the request of any woman, no matter how nefarious." He replied maically, letting the back of his head rest in her bosom, "Are you sure you''d ask me to do something like that?"
"Of course." She smiled, running her fingers through his hair, "Though I have a feeling you''ll keep me free."
"And why''s that?" Kaze asked in amusement.
"I''m gambling that you''re bored." Sage smiled charmingly, "You make the apocalypse seem like a mundane pencil-pushing job. So I figure that you''re looking for someone who''s a bit on the dangerous side. Someone you can y games with."
He rested his head in his cleavage and looked into her green eyes in amusement. "Do you think you can?"
"Do what?" She asked curiously.
"Amuse me with your little games?" Kaze asked with a slight smile.
"Are you bored now?" Sage asked in amusement, nearly mockingly.
"That depends on your sincerity." He replied maically, lifting his head, getting down from the stool, turning, and embracing her cheek, "Within five minutes, you''ll tell me the truth--all of it.
If you seek sex with me, I will bleed you dry of all the information I desire. I will expose your deepest darkest soul to see if you are who you im to be."
"And if I am?" The redhead asked in amusement, looking into his eyes.
"Well, I''ll have to decide whether I want to give you enough pleasure to make you mine or...." Kaze looked her in the eyes with a maic gaze, "If I want to keep you free to y this game of yours."
Sage grabbed his hand and lowered it to her knees, cing it between her legs and running his finger up her thigh, lifting the wrap from her red cocktail dress. "Don''t dy.
I''m dying to figure out what type of judgment the Emperor has in store for meeeEEEee~"
The redhead''s sly self-control disappeared when he activated Divine Touch on her thigh and sent a wave of pleasure shooting through her legs, making her knees shake slightly.
"Hoh?" Kaze mused, "Have you already lost that confidence of yours?"
"Oh, no, no." Sage smiled with an enraptured expression, "I''m just beyond words that I''ll get to enjoy this gamble so much. I feel like I''m getting rewarded for my behavior."
She looked at him with eyes flickering with insanity. "Don''t hold back or forget to [use] me. Otherwise, I''ll never forgive you."
Kaze gave her a predatory gaze that matched her intensity. He couldn''t remember thest time he had a challenge that only dangerous levels of brute force--or pleasure--could win with certainty.
"If that''s what you wish, I will not disappoint." He smiled dangerously, "I will use you--mercilessly."
Chapter 195 Creating A Masochist
"Mmmn~" Sage moaned, feeling Kaze''s finger move up her thigh, lifting her red cocktail dress. However, she became frustrated when he traced down, removing his hand and embracing her in a hug. "You''re a tease."
"Do you like it when I tease?" He asked in a mesmeric tone, tracing his fingers up her neck, grabbing the zipper to her dress, and stopping. His action exposed his question''s irony, making her shiver in pleasure.
"There''s a difference between teaser and misleader and disappointed and impatient." The redhead smiled, eyes closed, "You''re the former, and I''m thetter. In a rtionship like that, what''s not to love?"
"Is that so?" Kaze mused, unzipping her dress slowly and letting it drop to the ground at her feet, "If you''re impatient, then are you acting so docile?"
Sage opened her eyes, staring at him with an intimidating expression, highlighted by the ckce lingerie entuating her curves. "You speak as if not submitting was ever an option. However, if you want me to express myself with roley, I will oblige."
The redhead pressed her delicate hands on his gray button-up and pushed forcefully, sending him crashing onto the red silk sheets of his massive harem bed.
He yfully acted phased, quickly pushing himself backward and adjusting to the bed as she walked to it, putting her right hand down and then the left. Left knee, and then the right.
She followed him, moving back, C-cup breasts slightly swaying in her ck bra as she crawled to him.
Once she reached him, she kept crawling, moving to his stomach before straddling him.
"While you''re yfully interacting with my false dominance, you''re actually prolonging my waiting, aren''t you?" Sage asked with a murderous smile, watching him inch backward, even under her straddle, "Well, if you wee expression, I''ll expedite my desires."
Instead of unbuttoning his luxurious gray button-up, she grabbed both sides and used her top-tier Earth Realm cultivation strength to rip it off, sending fabric flying everywhere.
--At least, that was what was supposed to happen.
The redhead became ck-jawed when she pulled, her arms felt enormous counterforce, and nothing happened to the shirt. While it moved freely, it didn''t strain or break.
She tried again, pulling the two sides with medium force, trying to discover the secret. Once again, it didn''t do anything. "What... is this?"
"Soul Qi fortification." Kaze said charmingly, giving her a mocking smile, "Had I expected you were into forceful actions, I''d have worn a shirt whose button threads couldn''t withstand a diamond-tipped chainsaw."
Sage opened and closed her mouth, lost in disbelief until he casually started unbuttoning his shirt, examining her lingerieden body in satisfaction.
Seeing that, she smiled wryly and crawled backward, working on his belt to ovee her perplexion and embarrassment. "How strong are you, Kaze Lexicon?"
"Until six weeks ago, I thought I was the strongest ever to live." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "Now, I understand I''m [likely] the strongest to ever live and still have people to test that against."
The thought that there were cultivators with strength who could send him back into the past filled him with excitement and thrill.
He was bored to tears as the Emperor of the Five nes, wishing there was an enemy stronger than himself to whom he could aspire. Or, at least, that there was an individual who had near-equal power and a chance of winning.
Ironically, he got his wish the moment he got sent back, ensuring he couldn''t face such enemies for centuries.
Hearing Kaze''s confident statement, Sage shuddered in a thrill-fueled, enraptured state. She knew he wasn''t the teen he was six weeks ago.
It didn''t matter to her whether he was a spy, a transmigrator, or a ghost possessing the geek from Lockheed University. She only understood he was someone else and liked who she saw.
After unbuckling his belt and pulling down his cks, she immediately grabbed the base of his shaft and moved to put his dick in her mouth, riding her wave of passion. However--
"I hate to disappoint, love, but there won''t be any of that." Kaze said charmingly, freezing her in ce, mouth open, hovering above his tip, "You cannot divulge your secrets with a busy mouth."
Sage''s eyes couldn''t get wider. While she couldn''t move, she could speak but remained silent as he peeled her hand off his shaft and crawled backward, escaping her straddle.
As if it were only natural, he slid out from underneath her and slid his knees under her again, horizontally, before releasing the raw Qi holding her in ce.
She had be rxed, as she didn''t need to hold herself up under his freeze. As a result, when he released the Qi, her left arm buckled, and she fell--into hisp.
"What is...." The redhead muttered before turning and discovering his setup. She was lying over his knees, ass up, in a perfect position to be spanked!
The absurdity of how quickly and smoothly she ended up in the cement filled her with fascination, terror, and excitement.
"Is this how you''ll interrogate me, Emperor?" Sage asked with a rapidly beating heart.
"I felt you''d find this preferable to confessing all your secrets during conventional sex." Kaze said charmingly, yfully smacking the redhead''s ass, "Do you disapprove?"
A vigorous wave of excitement welled within her, and she turned to him with a sinister expression. "Tell me, Emperor. Do you think you can derive a sadist''s secrets through [sexual punishment]?"
"I needn''t punish nor reward you to unravel your enigmas." He scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I only seek to obtain my answers in the most agreeable manner possible for both of us."
"Is that so?" Sage mused, "You''ve not only dered that you can obtain a sadist''s secrets through sexual punishment, but also that you don''t need any incentive? That''s a bold staaaayyyaaahhhHHHhhMen~t!"
The redhead''s eyes rolled to the back of her skull when his fingers lit up and moved up the back of her thigh, sending Yang QI flowing through pleasure channels leading to her clit.
"Wh-Wha-Wh-What i-is this!?" She stuttered, feeling the ceaseless pressure, "I-It''s too... m-mu--"
Smack!
An explosion of sensation triggered from her ass, shooting through her body until it reached her face, leaving it slightly numb and tingling.
It didn''t feel like pleasure. Instead, it felt like ufortable static electricity that neutralized all sensations in her body, clearing her pleasure pallet like wasabi.
After the overbearing pleasure that she experienced, the numbing feeling felt like salvation.
"I think you understand the situation now, yes?" Kaze asked maically, "I''ll give you the pleasure you sought, and you''ll ruefully beg me to punish you to make it stop.
However, I will not listen lest you give me what I want. Let''s begin--provide me a safeword."
Sage''s eyes widened in annoyed perplexion. "After all your tough game, you''d really ask me to create a safe word, Emmmmmmn~perooooaaAHR~!"
"Hoh?" He mused sarcastically, pressing five golden fingers onto her lower back like ying a piano chord, "I''m doing this to obtain what I want from you, am I not?"
"Y-Yes, you aahhhHh~re, b-but, saayY~feeh words are n-nonitaahhhHHhHhhhhL~!" The redhead screamed in pleasure, kicking her legs up and down.
"Nonmittal?" Kaze asked mockingly, moving his fingers down and creating golden patterns on her inner thighs, "Do you see me stopping?
I''ve given you two outs to make this stop--answer me or create a password to end the session. If you do neither, I''ll continue doing what we discussed, and you consented to."
Safe words are off-switch terms that end sexual experiences. It is a good sexual practice because many say no when they mean yes, much like someone saying [stop~it~] when they enjoy it.
Moreover, some, like Sage, find sexual pleasure in saying [no] and getting rejected.
Naturally, he would stop if he felt she found the experience negative. However, he wouldn''t exin that to someone pissed that he gave her an option at all.
"I-I consented to you i-interrogating meeeEEeeEe~!" She moaned aggressively, "I-I shouldn''t have a c-choice!"
"Choice?" Kaze scoffed mockingly, "What choice have I given you, Sage? I''ve demanded a safe word against your wishes and will not stop punishing you until you give it to me.
Do you find purity in giving me what I want so long as what I want suits your narrative? Ick the time and words tobel such lunacy."
The redhead''s eyes opened wide in understanding and then shut instantly, fighting back the overwhelming pleasure his fingers were triggering her on her thighs. "S-Sorry!"
"I don''t need your sorries." He scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"AhhhHHHhhHHhh~! no! No! no!" Sage screamed, "N-Not, sorry! I mean [Sorry]!"
"You don''t mean sorry, you mean [Sorry]?" Kaze asked, half-mocking, half-listening to her as he cranked up the pleasure. He understood there was nuance, but he was making her work for it.
"S-SorriiiIIeeeEE~!" She moaned, kicking her legs, "T-The SAFe word! [Sorry]!"
He grinned in bewildered amusement. Safe words need to be a word the person doesn''t use to prevent [idently] ending the session.
Sage told him that sorry was the safeword because she never said it. That was amusing to him beyond reason.
"Hoh?" Kaze mused, moving his finger up her thigh until it broke past her panties, and glided his finger around her stomach inside them, "You seem to say it quite a lot."
She shut her eyes and fought passed the overwhelming torment of not having her clit touched and the simultaneous fear of his finger making contact.
"I-I did what you asked." Sage swallowed, feeling his fingers get closer to her clit, "K-KaaahhHHhhaaZzeEe~!"
Smack!
The emperor pulled his hand out of her panties, radiating a ck aura before smacking her ass, sending a ripple of charcoal grey energy moving through her ass.
Her clit sensitivity disappeared, followed by the sensitivity in her nipples before her face and numbed with a tingling static.
While the unpleasant experience was akin to waking up with a numb limb and chewing on tinfoil, it felt like heaven, much like a freezing shower after being in dry heat for 14 hours.
"Y-You weren''t joking." Sage stuttered, "You''ve reversed the roles of pleasure and p-pain."
"I did." Kaze smiled, "While it was unnecessary, I figured I''d turn a sadist into a masochist for my amusement."
Hisnguage and behavior spoke to her BDSM-driven soul, proving that he knew intimately who she was and what she wanted. It made her excited and anxious, knowing he could see through her.
"N-Never have I felt...." She whispered with a horrifyingly ecstatic expression, "Something so fantastically destructive."
"How wonderful!" He said grandly, "While that''s a benefit for society, whether you love it or hate it is irrelevant to me. I only want answers, so let''s get started, shall we?"
"O-Oh-kay." Sage swallowed, feeling a wave of excitement and fear crash into her stomach at the thought they were just beginning.
"Ex~cellent." Kaze smiled, "First question, will you ever betray me?"
Chapter 196 "Interrogation"
"Will I betray you?" Sage asked in faux shock, "My heavens, I would neverrrrYyaaaahhHHHhhhHHHHHhhhHHh~!"
Kaze had many inconsequential questions, but he wasn''t joking about that one. So he cranked up the voltage on his divine technique and ran his fingers up her lower thighs and back, sending pleasure shooting through her body.
The redhead thrashed around, moaning, twitching, and kicking, trying to stay sane.
"It depends!" She cried at full volume, making him reverse his fingers with a greyish aura that mildly suppressed the pleasure.
"Depends?" The emperor scoffed, "The willingness to betray someone for any reason is an omission that you''re willing to betray them."
"W-Wait!" Sage cried, feeling his fingers trace into her inner thighs, "I-It depends on your definition of betrayal! I can''t speak to your expectations!"
He smiled, hearing her astute answer, and pulled his hand away.
SMACK!
Kaze pped her lingerieden bubble butt, making it giggle gloriously as an ominous, curse-like aura overtook her body. "Now we''re on track. What is your definition of betrayal?"
"I-I create impartial terms of cooperation for [everything] I do." Sage stuttered, "Anything beyond the scope of those terms should''ve been in our agreement."
"I find that preferable." He continued, tracing her inner thighs without a technique, "Concerning thew and loyalty?"
"I-I get off on wearing my intentions on my s-sleeve." She exined between sharp breaths, "If someone didn''t know I was leaving or counter-striking, they deserve to be betrayed."
"That''s understandable." Kaze mused, mulling it over, "I don''t mind mercenaries, as their loyalty is impartial and tied to something predictable."
Mercenaries kill people for money; they''ll kill their past employers for enough money.
The emperor didn''t mind such people, as they wouldn''t betray him, so long as he paid them enough, and he''d know if they might attack if he didn''t.
They were predictable and reliable, something he appreciated.
"I-I''m d that someone here is rational." Sage said with an ecstatic smile, "I''ve suffered my whole life listening to nonsense from people my age.
Well, I suppose you''re not my age, but that doesn''t matter."
Kaze chuckled and patted her butt yfully, making her stop talking and shudder. "Let''s get my other important question out of the way.
[Are you seeking to use me for non-equal benefit like you are for the Scavengers leaders?]"
"What kind of question is that?" The redheadughed, "I wish to use you mercilessliiiiiiie~"
He tapped her clit through her panties for a fraction of a second [without a technique]. However, the pleasure had built up so much that her voice cracked like a pubescent teen giving a falsetto.
"What was that?" Kaze mused.
"Y-You''re no fun." Sage swallowed, taking a sharp breath, "I''m an equal benefit to you as I will be to Rick and Haley of the Scavengers.
Our rtionship benefits them heavily; if they fall victim to their greed, that''s their own fault.
You''re not an exception. I''ll build your economy in exchange for wealth and power; I won''t apologize if you fall victim to material or sexual desires during that time."
The emperor smiled in amusement, fascinated by her viewpoint. "That''s fair."
So long as she followed hisws and their agreements, anything happening outside of that was his problem.
The emperor took pride in avoiding traps and refused to me other people for his ipetence. If she trapped him, he deserved it.
"Good, now are you gonna start again?" Sage asked with a broken voiceced with strange enthusiasm.
"Are you already so eager to resume?" Kaze chuckled in amazement.
"How do I exin this?" She giggled like a lunatic, "It''s the worst experience I''ve ever encountered. However it''s still pleasing, right?
As soon as that pleasure''s gone, I want it again despite knowing it''ll harm me. Is this what addiction feels like?"
"I imagine it is." He frowned, hearing her thrill, "However, something this mild will wear off by the conclusion, and I''ll wipe your pleasure channels, normalizing them after. So you needn''t worry of addiction."
"Oh, I''m~not worried." Sage said, touching her fingertips to her lips, "Neither do addicted people. That''s the problem, isn''t it? How exciting."
Kaze smiled and shook his head, taking a deep breath. "The only good thing about that warped mind of yours is knowing it would survive excessive trauma."
Unwilling to refuse her request, he lit his fingers in radiant light and examined her pleasure channels before lowering her fingers.
"S-STOP!" Sage screamed, kicking her legs and squirming, rolling on his legs, "K-Kaze, KAY~ZE, S-Top~it."
"If you seek relief, you have a special word I forced you to give me." Hemented with a hypnotic, half-sadistic tone, "Since you insisted on the theme, you must repent for your poor decisions."
The redhead was in agony and telling him to stop. However, pain is the valued feature of a sadomasochistic sexual experience.
While most people would never understand what would drive someone to derive sexual pleasure from pain, maltreatment, or abuse, masochists do.
Kaze stopping on her request could ruin her sexual experience and desires. That is the purpose of creating a safe word, an unambiguous phrase that says [stop]. He''d cease the operation and cleanse her body if she said that word.
Since she didn''t, he continued ying the sadist, telling her that she''d have to use her safe word, [sorry], literally. His actions were solely for the sake of roleying.
"I-I don''t say that worrRRrRrr~deh!" Sage screeched, kicking around as he glided his fingers around her shoulders and down her arms, sending sensitivity to her nipples.
"Such is the nature of a safe word." Kaze smiled viciously, "You wished to engage without an out, yes? That''s why you created a humiliating word.
Now, you must abide by your ill-judged principles and have no out or admit to being a brazen fool, reveling in your feelings of sexual superiority."
"I-I can''t do that!" Sage screamed, kicking her legs, "P-Please K-KaaahhHHhhaaZzeEe~!"
Kaze lifted his hand high and
SMAHaaaACK!
Sage''s entire body spasmed when a ck aura engulfed it, sending a wave of static electricity jolting through her brain.
The redhead''s body fell limp for a moment, her eyes trembling in disbelief.
"W-Wh-Why?" She murmured dolefully, "Why stop?"
He chuckled in amusement and pulled away his hand, allowing her to recover for a moment.
"While I''d love to oblige your new interest in masochistic pleasure for hours, I do not have all night to feed your insatiable hunger." Kaze smiled mockingly, "Instead, there''s onest question I wish to know before I put you out of your misery."
Sage shivered at his word choice, letting a cool sensation wash over her body. "And that is?"
"Do you wish for me to save you through enving you to your desires for me?" He asked maically, "Answer my question thoroughly, or there will be consequences."
Kaze glided his finger up her thigh, pushing his finger into her ck panties, soaking from bing overstimted. He glided his finger over herbia and held it with an eerie stillness, a moment away from pushing and opening her lips.
The redhead''s eyes rolled to the back of her head, trying to process the situation. Even the slightest indication he might give her sexual fulfillment sent a wave of hope over her.
At the same time, the pleasure was a gateway to suffering in the situation. So she was equally torn, considering that his consequence could be overbearing andplete.
Lastly, she enjoyed the thought of all of it.
"Why not?" Sage asked, "It wouldn''t be the worse thiiIIiiiiEeeEinG~!"
She shut her eye and screeched with a rollercoaster tone, moving in and out of audibility as she smashed her face into his bed.
The pleasure she experienced from him entering her lips with his technique was so extreme that she couldn''t imagine him touching her clit.
However, that was the warning he was giving her.
"H-Hey!" Sage snapped, "What''s wrong with my answer!? Must everything have a concrete response? Sometimes a person just wants to experience."
Her eyes widened when she realized he had moved his fingers out of her body, and the pleasure disappeared without his counter technique.
"What''s going on?" The redhead asked, turning to her left to look at her interrogator in confusion.
Kaze met her with an amused, mocking smileced with poisonous ridicule. "Hoh? Did you honestly think I''d give you [what you wanted]? Such insanity has no ce in this room."
"I." Sage''s eyes widened when he called out for asking for the excruciating suffering, "You really can read people''s sexual desires like a book."
"I can." He smiled, "Now then, answer my question, and I shall give you intense sexual pleasure you''ve never experienced and give you release from that suffering so divine that it will bring you closer to enlightenment."
An abnormal desire stripped her of her breath, piercing her lungs without mercy.
"I don''t concern myself with things that I cannot control." Sage replied thoughtfully, "So, assuming you''re capable, I cannot control whether you''ll enve me.
I will give you my body if you desire it and refuse to trust anyone, least of all concerning my physical, economic, or mental freedom.
I''ve made my choice, and I can''t control the consequences. So whether you enve me or not is irrelevant in my eyes."
"Tsk tsk tsk." Kaze chuckled, clicking his tongue, "I''m asking if you [want] it, not whether it matters."
"Are you honestly answering such a pointless question?" She groaned,ying her head on the red silk sheets, "Would someone be a harlot to rid themself of depression?
Would someone give up their voice to rid their crippling back pain?
Would someone kill themself if it guaranteed them moving to the afterlife with their lover?
Everyone wishes to eliminate depression, back pain, loss, and loneliness. However, achieving it through another affliction runs the risk of ending up in a worse ce."
"So you wish to be free of your sadistic desires?" He smiled, satisfied he sessfully mined his real answer from her.
"Not at all." Sage chuckled ominously, "My affliction is not being able to have a rtionship with you. If you rid me of these thoughts, I can do that, yes? The alternative is whether a rtionship with you is worth my freedom.
Either way, that decision isn''t in my control. I''m excited to see what you do."
The emperor''s eyes widened in amusement. "Is that so? Well, at the very least, I''ll make you feel loved by fulfilling your desiresmercilessly."
"P-Please do." The redhead begged.
Kaze smiled, grabbed the stic of her ck lingerie, and pulled them down, baring her perfectly shaped peach, meticulously waxed before she dressed. "As you wish.
Just remember that you begged for my [tyranny]."
Sage shuddered when she heard him assume her role, dering he''d take pleasure in abusing her after she begged him to. While she didn''t get off on that concept in general, hearing it from Kaze Lexicon filled her with a boundless thrill. "I-I didn''t understand my actions."
"Is that what your ythings say?" He mused maically.
"It is." The redhead smiled.
"Fascinating." Kaze smiled chillingly, "Do you know what people deeming themselves my [ythings] say?"
"WhaaaaAHhhHHhhhHHHH~!" Sage moaned uncontrobly, groaning like an animal, "KaYyyyyyyyyaaahhHHhh~! WhhaahHHHhhH~!"
She thrashed around as he spread herbia and inserted his finger, triggering a cultivation technique to increase sensitivity within her.
"Nothing." Kaze dered with a malicious smile, "If someone deems themself my [ything], I refuse to let their full submission get met with even a lost second of pleasure."
"AhHHhhhHHhhHhh~!" Sage screamed into his bed, feeling him finger her perfectly, ying with her body like a flute. Her thighs were dripping, and her clit was throbbing.
He wasn''t overwhelming her with painful pleasure. Instead, he was giving her natural pleasure that was equally intense but moving toward a climax.
"K-KayYyy~ahH." The redhead stuttered, trying to speak but failing. She tried multiple times but gave up, experiencing multiple rolling orgasms simultaneously.
When she was approaching a climax
SMAHaacCK!
her eyes shot open when she felt him p his bare hand against her ass with considerable force.
"YEiiAH!" Sage screeched sharply, feeling the intense shift from pleasure to pain, "WhAHhhhHHhahhhH~!"
As she tried to ask about the situation, he stopped her by resuming his fingering, not letting her say a wordas promised.
The only word he''d ept was [sorry]. Beyond that, she wouldn''t speak.
"I I IIIIII~!" She screamed, edging toward a climax again.
SMACK!
"GahhHHHhh!" Sage groaned, feeling another lost orgasm. It was a very different type of torture she was experiencing.
The redhead wondered if Kaze was resetting her brain by making pleasure desirable againor if it mattered. She had never felt so sexually confused. It almost felt like anything he did, good or bad, nefarious or knightly, was equally good.
SMACK!
"Ahhh~!"
SMmmaCk!
"AhhHHH~!"
Smack!
"AhhHHhhHhhH~!"
Smack.
"AhhHHhhHhh~KayyYyzahhHhhazZZzzZiiAhHHh~AHHhhH~!"
As time progressed, his orgasms retained the same intensity, but his spanks lessened in force. Despite that, just the slightest touch became unbearably pleasurable.
It was a reward that increased significantly, twisting her mind until ackluster spank triggered her body, and she exploded with a violent orgasm.
Her body twitched uncontrobly in hisp.
"I." Sage gasped, breathing heavily on his body, "I feel like I''d do [anything] for you right now. Does that mean that you made me your kitten?"
Kaze chuckled in amusement, watching her exhausted expression. "No, that feeling will fade. I wouldn''t chain someone to their pleasure for me unless they truly desired it."
"Can huuuuuh." She began, exhaling deeply with a sweaty body, "I change my mind? I wouldn''t even mind calling you master."
"That''s the sex talking." He smiled amusedly, "But I will use you for fetio. I haven''t had this level of sexual facination in a long time."
The redhead''s mind lit up like a firework show when he said he''d [use] her. She immediately pushed on the bed to get herself up, but her arms buckled, and she smashed into the bed.
"It''ll take a moment." Kaze announced charmingly, "Just enjoy that feeling for me, as pleasing women is what I desire most."
Sage closed her eyes in bliss, grateful that the thoughts that gued her had stopped for a moment and looking forward to the session that awaited.
The redhead opened her mouth above his monstrous cock, remembering thest time she went down on him.
Back then, she was driven by a desire for his reputation. Now, she had his [power] but genuinely wanted to please him. It was strange.
That was the thought she had as she inserted his penis into her mouth and closed her mouth tight, sucking passionately, trying to please him.
Kaze watched her with a mysterious expression, feeling genuine physical pleasure, proof of his excitement.
The emperor watched her bobbing her head, wondered what vor of hell awaited him and whether he''d have to kill the dark and twisted woman pleasing him.
While he didn''t like that idea, that was her game, and it genuinely filled him with excitement.
He thought about it, eyes closed,ying on the bed while enjoying the sexual gratification their night led up to.
Kaze let her continue until she was worn out, feeling overused before climaxing and letting her naked body fall to the bed like a broken doll, satisfied beyondprehension.
While she looked damaged, he could see gratitude and relief on her face, free from the constant, intense desires that drove her actions.
"I wonder if you''ll ever truly want to live a simple life." Kaze mused, lifting her after she fell asleep, creating a rift to her room, and cing her on her bed. "If she did... I wonder what I''d do about it."
Then he went back and returned with her red dress and underwear, cing them into a hamper before leaving with a strange smile.
Chapter 197 The Beginning
"Surely there are things for you to do, right?" Evalyn asked, walking up to the emperor.
He sat on a fold-out poolside chair on the patio of the second mansion overlooking Immortal Skye. It was 7 pm, and work operations were over, but plenty of sunlight remained in the summer sky.
"Pray tell, Evalyn." Kaze smiled rxedly, "What exactly is there to do?"
"What needs to be done?" The blonde asked, giving him a venomced smile dripping with sarcasm, "While I''ll admit that I''m not as politically savvy as you, it''s the apocalypse.
Surely, there are things to do. Rebuilding, reinforcing, creating supply chains, and the like."
"A government is unnecessary for people with our power." He repliedzily, overlooking the campus, "Rulers create them so they don''t have to do everything.
We have soldiers to fight, trades workers to build, and normal members to obtain supplies. So you needn''t stress yourself out thinking you''ll do everything yourself."
Evalyn turned, panned her gaze around the campus, and returned with a vicious smile. "You mean the people partying right now?"
Three hundred people were standing around theke that Kaze had refilled with water the day before, grilling frozen meats that would soon spoil.
Countless men and women sshed around theke with carefree faces.
While everyone was under immense stress,mon use of the tranquility technique and a desire to release steam made partying shockingly easy.
Others yed horseshoes and cornhole, many sunbathed, and another five hundred sat nearby cultivating. Countless more were at the amphitheater at clubs or practicing at the training grounds.
Over a thousand people were outside, with most remaining partying inside. Only those performing essential, time-sensitive duties or extra jobs for Skye and reputation points were working.
"Precisely." Kaze said charmingly, confirming the people partying were the people that were preparing for the apocalypse.
The blonde''s eyes zed over, and she stared at him nkly, trying to find words. She knew better at that point than to question him blindly.
"Are you implying that preparations are already finished?" Evalyn asked.
"Cor~rect." He replied, turning to her with smiling green eyes, "The work for today isplete. We have eaten, are hydrated, and are stronger and more prepared than the day before.
Instead of squandering morale and resources on preparing that which we don''t need, we''re letting people recharge. The economy will take care of the rest."
"It''s that simple, huh?" She smiled half-sarcastically, "Do enough to get by and then utilize capitalism to solve all our problems?"
"It seems you''ve correctly grasped the nature of our current policy." Kaze smiled rxedly, making her eyebrow twitch, "Now that you have, will you ept our current policy and join me?"
He shed her a charming smile that made her exasperated expression crumble.
Evalyn couldn''t help but smile, hearing his confidence and seeing his characteristic charm. He had yet to fail their budding country, and she was begrudgingly in love with the features he was expressing. "Sure, I''ll"
"Mr. Lexicon, Ms. Skye, my team has informed me that our guests have arrived." General Michaels said, walking onto the patio with a blue dress shirt on, free of the medals he took pride in the week before.
The blonde''s eyes widened, and her stomach dropped, mortified by the news. However, her one-sidely polyamorous lover didn''t feel the same way.
"Excellent." Kaze pped, standing up from his chair, turning to the man, "Take me to them."
Evalyn''s jaw dropped to the floor, stunned by what she had just heard. "You can''t be serious; you''re going as you are?"
The emperor looked down and found his bare chest, chiseled like a Greek statue, with colorful flower swim trunks and sandals. "Is there a problem with that?"
She shook her head, looking around aimlessly with her mouth open. "Are you serious!? You''re not serious, are you?"
"Must you question your ears when you hear something that doesn''t suit your desires?" Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I am serious.
While you respect our guestsI do not. I also refuse to stride through the ranks of my calm and healing people wearing a suit, stressing them out to maintain needless appearances."
Evalyn thought about his statement. There was a lot of value in treating the visit as inconsequential, as the meeting would critically impact countless immortals and spark panic. "I''ll suppress any further desire to chastise you."
"Good enough." He smiled in satisfaction, "Now if you''ll lead the way, Mr. Michaels."
The ex-general nodded and led the two out of the door.
Once they got outside, the emperor was flooded by countless people.
"Hey, Emperor!"
"Would you like to join us?"
"The newke''s better than before!"
"Would you like to try our brisket?
"The water''s amazing! You should take a dip if you get a moment!"
Kaze smiled at each and thanked them with charm and charisma.
Evalyn also got flooded byments and greetings. However, no one approached her, and the greetings reced friendliness with formality.
"Greetings, General Skye."
"Hello, General."
"Hi, Ice General Skye."
She met each with a genuine yet small smile and light nod, indicating she noticed them. Beyond that, she didn''t interact.
General Michaels also got greeted, albeit exclusively by the ex-soldiers.
The three passed through the throngs of swimsuit-wearing Immortals, enjoying themselves in the rapidly cooling sky, moving to the south side wall.
Spection took root as their destination became clear, but Kaze''s rxed demeanor eased everyone''s minds.
Everyone felt invincible with the emperor present, so even light fear transposed to excitement.
"Greetings, Leader Lexicon, General Skye, General Michaels." A brte soldier saluted.
The ex-general''s eyes widened, cringing while looking at his leaders, afraid the soldier would get in trouble for using his past title.
"Greetings, soldier." Kaze replied without question, shing a kind smile, "We''re passing through."
"Right away!" The soldier replied, pressing a button and opening the gate far enough for the three to pass through.
Outside the walls, they walked to the edge of the road leading down Immortal Skye.
What was andslide of thousands of bodies atop jagged tree stumps two days before was now a perfectly clear-cut area without bodies or blood.
Crux and Kiera used wind techniques to push the bodies in piles, and Kaze used fire to create pyres to cremate them. Then he removed the dry blood with a blood technique.
The following day, he had thousands of Immortals practice their sh techniques on the tree stumps to make the trees, cut by chaotic wind shes, uniform. It was multitasking.
As a result of their efforts, they could see miles to the car on the humvee on the mountain''s base, moving up to their position.
Six people in the vehicle were moving up the mountain with anxious expressions.
However, when they saw Kaze Lexicon, wearing flowery swim trucks with a slight tan, their expressions shifted in aggressive perplexion.
He smiled in amusement, watching their facial expressions from a mile away as they sped up, moving to the mountain''s top.
Once they arrived, the soldiers got out of the truck.
Their leader was a gorgeous redhead with her hair in a ponytail, ssic green eyes, and ck tactical wear.
Her appearance was a perfect blend between Allison, the stylist with voluminous red hair andrge assets, and the more proportionate Sage.
Like the former, she had wavier hair and arge bust, breaking past C''s.
However, like Sage, she was refined, professionally dressed, albeit for a soldier, and wore her hair in a ponytail.
Unlike both, she was no-nonsense, locking eyes with Evalyn, wearing the same serious expression.
There was a brte and four men with brown hair that stood alongside her, each with holstered pistols that looked unused.
"Wee to Immortal Skye." Kaze said grandly, looking at her, "My name is Kaze Lexicon, the leader of this charming country. This is Evalyn Skye, the co-leader.
I''m sure you know how Edison Michaels is."
The redhead turned to the ex-general with aplex expression. She wanted to call the man a traitor, but she also knew that he had done the right thingfor multiple reasons.
"My name is Lieutenant Colonel Riley Lycan." Riley said professionally, looking him in the eye, "We''re here to discuss Immortal Skye''s guests at Lainwright."
His eyes sharpened at her tone and expression, which seemed severe, yetcking warning.
? It was the type of expression that set consequences and warnings as implicit and reminded someone of them without iming responsibility or wrongdoing.
"Of course." Kaze smiled, replying with the same expression. It made her soldiers tense up immediately, but she seemed unmoved. "Come this way; there is much to discuss."
The group nodded and followed him through the gates. As soon as they got inside, their eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"You have to be joking me." Riley said coldly, staring at the thousand people in sight, casually grilling meats and swimming with carefree expressions.
The offensive sight was a blistering p in the face to their pain and suffering.
Chapter 198 Offensive
Riley and her five soldiers panned the campus in disbelief. They were living out the rapture in Lainwright Military Base after nearly a month of starvation and suffering. Happy soldiers were now cut out of stone, broken husks that only knew how to survive.
Yet, at Immortal Skye, hundreds of people casually chatted, grilled food, and sshed around ake as if it were a summer holiday.
While people outside killed others for food, Immortals grilled a thousand pounds of perishable meats.
While people fought with others for water, they sshed around in thousands of gallons.
While people worked tirelessly to obtain basic security, they ran around with carefree expressions.
The Lieutenant Colonel turned to the emperor, standing before her in swim trunks and sandals, calm as a Hindu cow, with a vicious expression. "Is this really how your people are spending the day?"
"Is this [really]?" Kaze scoffed, turning his head away in disdain, "Yes, yes it is. As your offended face suggests, you are not blind, so don''t act like it."
Riley''s face heated up in anger, and her troops reacted. However, an icy breeze gently pushed past them, making them all shiver between the eerie shift and physical cold.
They looked at the blond, staring at them with a gentle, mocking smile that seemed to say, [oh, no, please continue. I was enjoying your amusing drama. I''m just warning you that I''ll kill you if it stops being amusing].
"I can see fine." The redhead continued, "I''mmenting that your people are living like today is a summer holiday when it''s the apocalypse. Am I wrong for finding that irresponsible?"
She nced at General Michaels, who sheepishly looked at Evalyn, who was shockingly unsympathetic. The blonde didn''t like the woman''s insinuation that his [leadership] was irresponsible.
Kaze turned around and panned Immortal Skye dramatically and turned around, bobbing his head up and down with a deep frown. "My deepest apologies, Lieutenant Colonel; I fail to see how their actions are irresponsible."
Riley''s eyes filled with irritation as she stared him down. "You have thousands of people who need fed, clothed, and housed during a time of great scarcity and danger. Yet you think now is a time to have a swim day?"
The emperor scoffed, turning around again and panning the area quickly before turning back. "What exactly needs to be done to feed, clothe, house, and protect my people?"
Her mouth opened and closed at his words, afraid to fall victim to a trap. "It''s just."
"It''s just what?" Kaze scoffed, "We haverge reinforced walls, ample water, food, and sleep in mansions. You can see this, yes?"
"I." Riley bit her lip, "Yes, I can see that."
"Now that I''ve confirmed you''re not blind." Heughed in disdain, making the soldiers grit their teeth, "Why must you decry my people and me as irresponsible when we''ve aplished what you''re implying you have not?"
"Enough of this." One of the soldiers said, "I won''t"
Whether the man was nning to attack or turn around was irrelevant. When he scoffed and moved, a small ice ball hit the man''s bulletproof vest.
The man''s heart pulsed, making his vision blur as the white ice ball expanded, growing like tree roots.
He hit his knees, clutching his chest, which made his hand tremble as the ice spread to his fingers.
"What''s happening to him!?" Riley cried, looking at the man, "Randy!"
"His heart''s slowing." Evalyn smiled sinisterly, "He won''t die or leave with an injury, but he no longer has enough vigor to bark in a dragon''s den."
Randy gasped a breath of relief when the freezing stopped, leaving only his half-frozen state before warmth returned to his world. He shivered on the ground.
The Lieutenant Colonel turned to her with a vicious expression. "We''re negotiators, yes? Is this how you treat official guests?"
"Your government shot ballistic missiles at us three days ago due to the petty jealousy and envy you find benign." Evalyn replied coldly, "You''re no guest, emissary, or negotiator.
You and your soldiers are here to give a status report and then profess your innocence or grovel for your lives."
One of the men panicked. "If we don''t return to Lainwright, all of you"
"Silence." Kaze said coldly, freezing the brown-haired soldier in ce with vicious eyes. The soldier couldn''t move his jaw and could barely breathe; it was a terrifying experience.
"I will remind you of your situation to prevent [lethal] banter." The emperor said coldly, "If anyone intentionally harms my people, we''ll ughter everyone in Lainwright Military Base without distinction. Not a single person will survive.
Not the so-called allies of our people or their enemies. So I suggest you ept my generous reminder of your situation before you''re the first to face my wrath."
He lowered his hand, and the man fell to his hands and knees under crushing gravity, bowing forcefully.
The soldiers froze with fear, feeling anxiety wrap around their lungs like deathly roots, squeezing the air from them.
"Let''s talk about what you''re reallyining about to prevent this baseless animosity from hindering our talks." Kaze smiled sarcastically, "You''re offended that while you suffer, we prosper, yes?
While you starve and live in fear, we live in opulent conditions, surrounded by high walls, and contain the weapons necessary for survival. Is that not the case?"
"Yes." Riley swallowed painfully, feeling her dry throat crack against the action, "It''s offensive."
"Offensive, you say?" He asked with murderous sarcasm, "Must my people suffer to match yours? Should we not be grateful for our health and resources?"
"There''s a difference between gratitude and waste." The redhead gulped, feeling cold sweat drip down her shoulder des, "You''re wasting food"
"Wasting?" Kaze scoffed, "Did you consider this situation before you let your emotions ovee your logic? Meat is perishableit will spoil in a few days'' time.
What should we do with the meat if not cook and eat it before it expires?"
The soldiers'' expressions crumbled, and the emperor released the gravity on the man.
"Let me get two things out of the way." The emperor said coldly, "First, you are not to speak of what you''re here to discuss outside closed doors with authorized people, even to each other."
The soldiers took sharp breaths, hearing his vicious gaze that warned of something greater than death.
"Second, you will not decry my people for their wealth." Kaze ordered coldly, "We have all lost and suffered. Your military attacked us three nights ago, killed friends, and injured countless."
He turned around to face the hundreds watching the scene y out. While they couldn''t hear the emperor well, everyone was watching after he dropped the soldier to his knees.
"Yes, we have suffered!" The emperor announced boldly, tugging everyone''s heartstrings, "However, the difference in our suffering reflects our superior capability to handle this situation!
As you can see, my people have done their tasks, trained their bodies and minds to be strong, and have stayed orderly!
If you don''t think we deserve to enjoy the fruits of ourbor, you''re showcasing your devotion to ipetency!"
Hundreds of Immortals began cheering, picking up steam until many released war cries.
Kaze turned around to face the redhead and her soldiers. "While your government had near unlimited resources to condense and stockpile strategically, we did not.
Your government hadbor potential far outstripping what we have. They had experience and organizational systems.
I''m eighteen, and only one mortal here is over 28. If you don''t think that we [earned] our resources, even after maintaining them through your barbarity, you''re destined for fruitless insanity!"
His people exploded in nationalistic fervor and cheering, making the soldiers panic in the murderous environment.
Evalyn wasn''t joking when she said they were barking in a dragon den.
"Do not misinterpret our power as privileged wealth." The emperor said coldly, "We''ve earned our ce in this world, and we''ll do with it as we please."
"O-Okay." Riley swallowed nervously, taking sharp breaths. The atmosphere went from tense to terrorizing, showcasing the power the swim-trunks-wearing teen had far exceeded his physical strength.
"Good, are you ready to discuss the situation at Lainwright?" Kaze asked mockingly.
"Y-Yes." The redhead said.
After she nodded, the emperor let the soldiers gain their bearings and then walked with them through the masses of people snickering or sneering at them.
They all hated Malta. That was even true of the ex-soldiers who devoted their lives to the country, only to get bombed and have their families lined up for ughter.
"We were the good guys." Randy whispered with anger and pain in his eyes.
"Shhhh!" Riley shushed the trembling man, gritting his teeth indignantly.
"You were." Evalyn said coolly, "That''s why Kaze forced your mind-clouding bias from your mind before the meeting.
If you let your disdain for our wealth cloud your thinking, you''d do and say things that would get you killed.
I''m not saying you should feel fortunate for the treatment. However, you should reflect upon your mindsets twenty minutes ago and consider what these people would''ve done to you if you expressed them."
The soldiers shuddered, looking at the vicious gazes of the Immortals, each stronger than the six considered elites in Lainwright Military Base. It changed their perspective.
Riley and her troops passed the Rubicon and stepped into the dragon''syer, walking up the stairs to the conference room on the top.
Inside, they sat at the table, served pitchers of iced tea and ice-cold water by Marilyn, who gave them icy smiles before leaving the room.
"Now that we''re in the right mind frame, I want a status report." Kaze demanded, "How many people have died, how many are injured, and what is their living situation?
I will not ept a single exnation of [how] people died, got injured, or ended up in a living situation, or how much you''ve imed to help them until then."
Chapter 199 Civilians
The atmosphere within the conference room was heavy when Kaze asked for a status report on the families within Lainwright Military Base.
It was a heavy topic that would impact over three thousand Immortals and ex-special forces soldiers, as their families were the topic of discussion.
Riley swallowed nervously, taking a sharp breath before answering confidently. "My team handled the relocation of Immortal Skye''s people.
We transferred 3,491 men, women, and children to Lainwright. I''ve been told you''re aware that others perished before your negotiation."
The emperor nodded, affirming that he hadn''t forgotten that 1,692 family members had already died before the relocation, mostly elderly refusing to cultivate.
"Additionally, another team handled the 1,013 military families for the trainees at Immortal Skye." She continued, "I represent him as well, as he''s overseeing everyone''s safety."
Kaze nodded again, followed by Evalyn, Jake, Kylie, Edison Michaels, Kane, and Carmen. Everyone else was barred from the meeting, as they didn''t need to know the sensitive information.
"We lost 472 of your people since then." Riley said, closing her eyes, "There was great chaos during the influx and an order for us to kill them. We protected them, but by that point, we had lost many.
Additionally, Major Stanford''s team lost 421 of the military families"
Kane mmed his hands on the table. "You mean that someone had military families, with a smaller size, and lost nearly [half] of them!?"
He was appalled that they managed to save so many Immortal family members despite having more and that they weren''t military families.
The six soldiers winced, hearing his words. No one wanted to discuss the topic, but Kane''s eyes demanded it.
"Calm down, Kane." Kaze said calmly, catching him off guard with his first name, "Before letting your emotions cloud your thoughts, discern whether the disparity is the result of revenge or thepetence of Lieutenant Colonel Lycan. Perhaps it''s another factor; that''s what we are here to learn."
Kane calmed down and eyed Riley suspiciously. However, he found no excitement about the emperor''s potential praise in her eyes. She looked just as nervous as before, making him feel uneasy.
"Lieutenant Colonel Lycan, you said you were in charge of our people." Kaze prefaced, "Does that mean you were with them as they cultivated during the influx."
"Correct." Riley replied, "We were doing our daily cultivation in a gym, as mandated, when we felt the overwhelming Qi pressure in the atmosphere."
"And what happened after that?" The emperor asked.
"As you can imagine, things quickly got out of control, and we didn''t know what was happening because we were inside." The redhead replied.
-
July 7th, 2032, Lainwright Military Base
Riley sat with ten soldiers and nearly 3,500 men, women, and children civilians in arge basketball multi-court basketball gym in Lainwright military base. There were three wood courts back to back and bleachers on each side.
On both ends wererge double doors leading from the outside training grounds.
They sat in orderly rows, cultivating at 8:59 am while another ten soldiers protected them.
It was their morning routine, a mandate of the agreement between Malta and Immortal Skye.
The redhead and their troops didn''t mind, as it gave them free time for cultivation, which they all appreciated.
However, when the clock struck nine, everything changed.
"GahhhHHhhHhhHHH WHAT IS THIS!?" One of the soldiers on guard gasped, falling to the ground.
Another three followed, each hitting the ground, groaning.
A sharp pain assaulted Riley''s meridians, but she handled it well since she was cultivating and had rtively strong cultivation power.
She opened her eyes, turned to see the soldiers, and then turned back to find all the civilians glowing with a faint green aura.
"What are you doing!?" A soldier roared, raising his assault rifle at the glowing crowd, "Did you do this!?"
The family members were abnormally calm, and many put up their hands. "No, we didn''t. This is just"
"Shut up!" The man yelled but hit the ground again, groaning in pain.
-
Present Time, Immortal Skye
"The breathing technique your people have glows under periods of high stress." The redhead exined, "Most hadn''t seen it, so they assumed they were using a technique to overload people''s minds and meridians."
Everyone at the table except Kaze cringed. He listened intently, allowing her to continue.
Riley panned everyone''s gazes. "As a result"
-
July 7th, 2032, Lainwright Military Base
"These people are killing us!" A man yelled.
"We need to stop their techniques!"
"Calm down, soldiers!" Riley yelled at full volume, "ording to the general, their cultivation technique glows green! We were told this!"
"The fuck it does!" A woman yelled, trying to push herself off the floor, "We do this every day!"
Another man stood up with his assault rifle, destabilized from the prior weeks.
"How convenient, yeah?" He spat in disgust, "Their technique glows simultaneously out of the blue and drops all the soldiers, but they''re fine!?"
"S-Sir, calm down." A gentle-spoken man said, "This breathing technique is called Calm Respire. It lowers stress to make cultivation easy"
"You''re saying your cultivation calms people down like it''s fuckin'' chamomile!?" He yelled, "Shut up!"
The calm man took a deep breath. "Sir, it uses"
"I said, shut up!" The soldier yelled.
BANG!
He shot the man in the chest, instantly causing panic.
The room flooded with a green light when the stress hit a boiling point, calming down the thousands of family members and washing over the soldiers.
When the man who shot the civilian felt a tranquility wash over his mind, a profound wave of regret passed through him. "I-I this is."
-
Present Time, Immortal Skye
"If it weren''t for the calming effects of that technique, it would''ve triggered a massacre." Riley exined somberly, "I imagine that''s why you gave them that techniquethank you."
Kaze nodded his head. "That was the purpose, yes. However, it didn''tst long, did it?"
"Correct." The redhead swallowed nervously, nodding her head, "Once the effects wore off, the entire room broke into chaos.
Your people were panicked that a soldier shot a man who barely survived.
The soldiers were anxious that there were 3,500 pissed-off people. However, they panicked when they realized the man, over 50, had taken a bullet to the chest and didn''t die.
It urred to the soldiers that your people were physically stronger and faster than them. Therefore, if the civilians wanted to take revenge"
"It would be game over." Evalynpleted, looking the grimacing woman in the eye, "So how did you avoid that oue? Or was that when people started dying en masse?"
-
July 7th, 2032, Lainwright Military Base
"Stay the fuck down!" A soldier yelled, pointing at a sea of citizens who started at him with crazed expressions.
Their mind was processing the man''s movements in slow motion. For the first time, they saw the raw power of cultivating multiple hours a day with a higher-level technique.
"Put your guns down!" A woman wearing simple casual attire said, "We don''t want trouble, but we don''t trust you!"
"You don''t trust us!?" A soldier yelled, "Then leave! This is out military base!"
When the soldiers saw the civilians spreading out to prevent getting in each other way, preparing to attack, they panicked and readied their aim.
Bang! Bang! Ratatat! Bang-bang-bang!
"AghhHHhhhahhHHhhHhhHHh!"
"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!"
Bang! Bang!
"Die you son of a bitch!"
Ratatat! Ratatat!
"FUCK YOU!"
"M-Mark, stop!"
However, a flurry of gunfire and screaming came from outside the gym''s walls, stopping everyone in their tracks.
"W-What the fuck''s going on?" A soldier trembled, turning his gun to the door.
"Put that thing down." Riley growled, making the soldierply. She motioned to her major, Randy, and the two walked to the door with pistols drawn.
Thu-dump! Thud-dump!
Everyone''s hearts began pounding like war drums, no longer influenced by the cultivation in the room, as they walked to therge, tan double doors on the south side of the room.
-
"I''ll rip your fucking throat out, bitch!"
"Get away! I don''t want toAhhHhHH!"
Bang! Thud!
? "I-I just killed Mark."
"Don''t just stand there, Jenna! We gotta move!"
"B-But, Jason... I just"
"Murderer! Get over here, you cunt!"
"I''m not a murderer, Ted! Y-You weren''t here."
"Jenna, ignore him and run! We need to go!"
"I need to go... Ted! Get away from me, TED!"
-
Riley and Randy posted on each side of the door. The man reached for the left door to open it while the redhead aimed in anticipation of it opening.
Thu-dump! Thu-dump! Thu-dump! Thu-dump!
BANG!
Everyone''s vision blurred when Randy went to open the door put a pistol fired at the same moment, creating a wave of static anxiety.
Riley and her major stopped moving, trying to reassess the situation.
-
"Did you just shoot at me!? You are a murderer!"
"It was a warning shot! Stay away!"
"Jenna, let''s go!"
"Stay away!? The fuck I will! I''m gonna rip that gun out of your hand and skull fuck you with it, bitch!"
-
Hearing the situation escting, Riley gave themand to open the door but
SLAM! m! SLAM!
"AGHhHHhhHhhh! STOP, TED!"
"Get away from her, you animal!"
"Shut Up!" m! "Shut UP!" m! "SHUT UP!" SLAM!
-
Everyone listened in shock as the door to the gym mmed as the assant ran a superhuman speed, tackling the woman into the door and mming her into it multiple times.
"Now!" Riley yelled, triggering Randy to open the door.
SLAM! ERK!
He opened the door, and a man and woman flew into the room at high speed, showcasing the force the man was using.
CRACK!
Everyone in the room looked at the two in horror. The woman who was on the other end, a blonde, was covered in blood. Her skull was cracked like an egg, and she was clearly dead.
However, the man attacking her, gazing at her with ferocious eyes, wasn''t finished.
He got up from the floor and immediately jumped on top of her, choking her corpse, seemingly unaware of the thousands of watching people.
A man ran into the room from outside. "JENNA!"
Riley and Randy let him run past them with nk expressions, staring outside the door.
It wasn''t until
BANG! THUD!
the outside soldier put a gun to the attacker''s head and pulled the trigger that they snapped out of their haze.
"Hurry, lock the door." Riley said to her major, ignoring the violent scene behind them, "We need to lock this ce downnow!"
Chapter 200 Tensions
Riley and Randy gazed into the sky in horror, blistered with thousands of influx gates. They abruptly understood why everyone was feeling pain and also the consequences.
Moreover, the gym was outside the training ground. Despite the spacious exterior, more than a dozen corpses were lying on the ground, riddled with gunshot wounds.
Soldiers mowed down sick soldiers in the area before the current scene yed out, and they could hear simr screaming and gunfire in the distance.
"Hurry, lock the door." Riley ordered her major, ignoring the soldier that ran in, taking vengeance behind them, "We need to lock this ce downnow!"
The man nodded hurriedly and shut the door.
-
"Wait!"
"There''s people in there!
"Help us!"
-
They could hear a dozen voices running toward the door before it shut.
"Why didn''t any of you do anything to help Jenna?" [Jason] asked, looking at the dead blonde body, "Why."
"Lieutenant Rhodes, go find chains or a pipe to lock the door with!" Riley ordered, pressing against the door, ignoring the soldier, "Major Wheatfield, go lock the north side doors by any means necessary!"
"Lieutenant Colonel, why would"
SLAM! m-m-m!
-
"Let us in! We''re not sick!"
"Hurry! They''reing!"
"Let us in!"
"What are you doing!?"
-
"NOW!" Riley barked to her soldiers, setting them into action.
-
"Wait! Are you fucking barricading us out!?"
"They are!"
"Alex put down the gun!"
"No! If they''re gonna hold the fucking door shut and let us die, I''m gonna return the favor!"
-
Riley''s eyes widened when she heard a soldier lifting his gun, preparing to shoot through the door and kill them. "Open it, Randy!"
Alexughed when his threat to shoot instantly opened the door. "That''s right, you fuckingoh fuck."
However, when the door opened, the man, holding his rifle at the door with an arrogant expression, came face-to-face with a pistol barrel.
Bang! THUD!
Without warning the slightest hesitation, Riley shot the man in the skull and aimed again.
Bang! Bang! Bang! THUD, Thud! Thud!
Of the eleven people present, four were aiming, and Riley killed all of them within a moment, leaving the other seven stunned.
"You have three seconds to leave before I do what''s rational and kill you all." Riley dered coldly, "Don''t even try to kill uswe have 3,500 people here that will kill you at any time."
A male soldier heated up in rage. "You have 3,500 people, but you won''t let eleven"
Bang! THUD!
His body dropped to the ground after his head exploded, spraying blood.
"What part of three seconds didn''t you get!?" Riley roared, making everyone snap to attention, "One! Two!"
The remaining six panicked with fear in their eyes as they ran to a sidestreet.
"Shut it." The redhead ordered coldly, triggering Randy to take a sharp breath andply.
Lieutenant Rhodes ran back with gold military g poles. "These should work. I''ve already given two to Major Wheatfield on the northside."
"Good work; set it up." Riley ordered, moving back from the door, pistol still lifted.
The brte soldier put two g poles between the handles, barring the door.
After turning and checking the other door was locked, she looked at the panicked civilians and soldiers, staring at her with fearful eyes.
"Why why didn''t any of you help her?" Jason asked again, crying, looking at the dead blonde on the ground, "WHY DIDN''T ANY OF YOU DO ANYTHING!?"
The civilians felt a deep pang in their hearts hearing his words. They all felt useless during the apocalypse, as the soldiers didn''t let them do anything out of fear of them getting hurt.
So they listened as the woman died behind the door and did nothing once she got inside.
While they felt that way, a redhead soldier didn''t. She strode to the man, grabbed his vest at the neckline, and yanked him backward.
He slid across the slippery, blood-sprayed floor until he felt his back crash against the cement wall.
The man opened his adrenaline-fueled eyes and found a fierce green gaze peering into his soul as her hand pushed his vest into his neck.
"If you say another word for any reason in the next two hoursI''ll kill you." Riley warned coldly, sending icy chills crawling down his spine, "Blink twice slowly if you understand."
He coughed with hazy vision, suppressing the desire to answer beforeplying, blinking twice.
"Good." She said coldly, "Not a single word. If you say so much as [hello], your ancestors wille to greet you in the afterlife.
If you need to take a piss, move to a wall and do it. Beyond that, sit in one ce silently and cry softly for your lover or whoever the fuck she is, and be grateful I didn''t just kill you. Blink twice if you understand."
He swallowed back tears and mucus and blinked twice.
Thud!
The redhead dropped him, letting him fall to the floor, and turned to everyone in the room. "LISTEN UP!"
Everyone snapped to attention at her words, taking sharp, shallow breaths.
"That sharp pain you''re feelingthat''s a Qi influx!" Riley yelled, shocking everyone, "And those screams and guns shots are from soldiers who turned!"
"S-Soldiers turned?" Lieutenant Rhodes, the brte with the gpoles, asked, "B-But we''re cultivators."
Fear and anxiety spread through the room after hearing herment.
"You didn''t see no, forget that; you can feel it still, right?" Randy asked, "How long has it been since it started? We saw the warp gates, what five ten minutes after we felt them?
It''srger, and they''re not closingeven cultivators can turn."
Panic spread through the room like wildfire, passing between thousands of people.
CLAP!
"If this is an influx, we need to take turns cultivating." Riley pped loudly, striding to the front of the room with an indomitable gaze.
A flurry of whispers exploded a momentter, spreading through the room like a malignant tumor.
"What''s wrong with that?" The redhead frowned, "Do you want soldiers to turn on you?"
Everyone shivered but fell quiet until the woman taking care of her husband, still suffering from the gunshot to the chest, spoke up.
"You want people to close their eyes while soldiers shoot, threaten, and kill people?" She scoffed in disdain, "That man shot my husband, and you want me to close my eyes around him!?"
The guilty soldier''s mental state worsened by the second. Knowing he shot an innocent man was harsh; however, hearing that his actions led to a lethal breakdown was brutal. He stared at the ground, on his knees, listening in a haze.
-
Present Time, Immortal Skye
"No, people didn''t die at that point." Riley told Evalyn, "We avoided a massacre with brute force and pure luckif you could call it that."
She exined the situation in detail, recounting how everyone''s attention got diverted to the situation outside and how she handled the situation.
"How did you get everyone''s trust back?" Kaze asked curiously, impressed by her decision-making, "Or did you fail to get them to participate?"
He was impressed by her and was mining her for leadership information, curious if she was a potential asset to Immortal Skye.
"As you can imagine, things got worse before they improved." Riley said, taking a deep breath, "Ultimately, you can''t beat someone until their morale improves.
But you can sure as hell beat someone else and pray it helps."
-
July 7th, 2032, Lainwright Military Base
When the woman scoffed at Riley and the soldiers, it increased everyone''s stress multi-fold. While everyone was rationally afraid of the outside, they were equally afraid of the soldiers inside.
"I understand your point." Riley nodded, striding to the man sobbing on his knees, "It''s unfortunate that this one dumb fucking Lieutenant might kill 3,500 people by creating trust issues."
"L-Lieutenant C-Colonel" He pleaded with trembling, teary eyes.
CRaaaaACK! THUD! Thud! Thud, thud.
Without an acknowledgment, she kicked him in his chest with her boothard. Everyone heard the man''s breastte break as he flew across the room.
The soldiers and the citizens were too shocked to react immediately.
"I see a lot of people in this room and only one dumb fucking Lieutenant." Riley yelled, "Since I''d rather see a lot of people than one dumb fucking Lieutenant, he''s out ofmissionperhaps permanently.
Soldiers! If you see another soldier panicking, threatening to start a mass tragedy, I order you to put them out ofmission by any means necessary. Kill them if you have to."
The soldiers were shocked, hearing her words, especially when there were rows of civilians preparing to strike.
-
Present Time, Immortal Skye
"So you beat the man?" Evalyn asked curiously, "Did that work?"
"Of course not." Rileyughed bitterly, "But it felt good relieving stress on the person who threatened the lives of thousands."
"So what did you do?" Jake asked in confusion.
"I told them the truth about their situation." The redhead replied dryly, "Fear tactics are more effective when there''s something honest to fear."
"Did that work?" Kaze mused with a sarcastic smile, making her smile bitterly.
-
July 7th, 2032, Lainwright Military Base
Beating and potentially killing the soldier who shot the civilian didn''t inspire confidence or trust. It only reminded everyone that the soldiers were shooting, beating, and killing people.
As a result, the civilians scoffed and imed she only proved the soldiers were violent and willing to kill if it were rational. They noted that they had thousands against twenty soldiers and didn''t need to take the risk for their help.
"You''re rightwe''re savages." Rileyughed sardonically, "That''s why the ten thousand soldiers outside, not tasked with protecting you, will jump on a chance to kill, enve, and defile you and your children.
So when you kill us, make sure to kill them too so you can make it to the world of sadistic humans, super zombies, and starvation we''ve been protecting you from."
All the civilians felt icy chills crawl down their spines when they heard her words. However, it didn''t change the situation in the slightest.
"How despicable." A woman scoffed, holding her children, "You''re saving us from yourselves? I get that''s reality, but it just confirms we can''t trust any of you!"
Amotion broke out instantly, sparking a debate.
-
Present Time, Immortal Skye
"Of course not." Riley smiled bitterly, "People don''t like getting criticized, and they don''t handle the truth well. So, speaking honestly didn''t improve things; if anything, it worsened the situation.
Then again, I didn''t know what else to do. So I did what helped calm my soldiers and me down."
-
July 7th, 2032, Lainwright Military Base
"I can''t do it." A soldier winced, opening his eyes. Five soldiers surrounded him like a wall, assault rifles in hand but not aimed, "It''s impossible to concentrate."
"These fortunate fools haven''t seen the outside." Riley scoffed, overlooking the civilians who had moved to the bleachers, "Still, I can''t me them."
They were glowing green, calming down, but their rationality didn''t change their mindsetif anything, it made things worse. Trusting people was irrational.
She couldn''t fault them, as the consensus was rational: [You''re soldiers; you''re only helping us because you have to. Once you don''t, it''s unknown what you''ll do.].
***
"It''s been two hours." Randy groaned, breathing heavily, trying to keep his sanity, "How long will thisst?"
"I don''t know." Riley frowned, watching the civilians and soldiers, trying to figure out the best course of action. Unfortunately, she couldn''t figure out the best course of action, "Let''s wait for our orders from General Peyton."
***
"Gah, I can''t take this!" A soldier yelled, getting off the ground with a crazed look in his eyes, "I''m leaving! These people can fuck themselves and die!"
"Sit down; if you leave, we''ll die." Riley ordered coldly, "It''s not helping anything."
"As opposed to what? Dying here as these people slowly kill us!?" The manughed ominously, "At least I can cultivate out there.
Even if I can''t, I want to go knowing that these ungrateful, sheltered sheep regretted their decision until they died a gruesome, trauma-filled death."
The pressure in the room multiplied, weighing everyone down.
"You''re not going anywhere!" A civilian man yelled, "Sit down!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Riley yelled, unholstering and pointing her pistol at the man with a crazed expression, "If you want our help, you''ll have to let us cultivate!
If people I hear people start trying to use us, we''ll leave!"
The man quivered under her gaze. "Y-You can''t do"
"The fuck we can''t." She yelled, "We control the doors and ranged weapons. At a minimum, we''ll drop hundreds of you before you can reach and kill us."
All the soldiers raised their weapons as two grabbed the g poles, preparing to unlock the doors.
While the civilians wanted to take them out, they were too far away, untrained, and had no weapons. No one wanted to die.
Moreover, they were afraid of Riley. She was their advocate for four hours, but her mind was bing aggressive, and her patience was thin.
"Calm down." A civilian suggested, "We can"
"Calm down!?" Lieutenant Rhodes, a brte soldier, scoffed aggressively, "You''re preventing that! Not only is this Qi making us aggressive, but the panic from being on a ticking time bomb to death makes it impossible to concentrate.
Hah, we''re almost dead, and you''re threatening us and making demands? You''ll be lucky if we don''t start shooting people randomly, you idiots!"
Panic spread through the room when she said those words. The stressed-out soldiers aimed their weapons, preparing to fire before
"Ack!" The brte hacked, getting chopped in the throat by the redhead.
A blonde soldier tried to counterattack, but Randy, the major, pistol whipped the back of her skull, dropping her to her knees.
"If things break down, we''re leaving, not massacring people aimlessly, soldiers!" Riley yelled at full volume, freezing everyone in the room, "Civilians! You can help us, or we will leave!
You''ve had four hours to get your senses together, so I''ll only give you two minutes to decide!
After that, we''re leaving you to suffer and dieif you try to stop us, we''ll secure our escape route by dropping anyone who gets near us!"
Once sheid out the ultimatum, the civilians panicked, understanding they couldn''t push things off further. Many felt guilty about the situation.
***
"Hey, men! You have thirty more seconds to decide the fate of your wife and children." Riley yelled ruthlessly, aggressive from the Qi overexposure, "So you better hurry the fuck up!"
A man rushed forward.
Bang!
"AghHHHhhHHhHHh!" He screamed, crashing into his face after his kneecap exploded.
"Thanks for demonstrating consequences!" The redhead yelled, making the civilians shiver as the soldiers aimed their weapons, "Major Meyers and I will dly strip anyone of their mobility at this critical juncture. Just take two steps forward!"
The soldiers got the message that only she and Randy would fire, one on each side of the room. He readied his aim, preparing to fire.
Another three people rushed forward.
? Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three more people dropped to the ground, screaming.
"That was yourst warning!" Riley roared, holstering her pistol and picking up her assault rifle, "After this, we''ll indiscriminately shoot as we escape. And, we won''t miss!"
"WAIT!" The man who originally got shot coughed, wincing and falling silent. He whispered to those around him, convincing them to negotiate, and his wife stood to represent him.
"We''re talking!" His wife said, "What do you suggest!?"
"At this point, you''ve made cultivating near impossible!" Riley yelled, "So if you want to y the rational card after your actions, you need to send brave people to cultivate near us.
Your technique will calm us down. It''s our only hope."
A discussion broke out among the citizens.
"We''ll agree, but you''ll have to put down your" The woman began before getting cut off.
"No." Riley said coldly, "You had the better deal before the influx and retained it throughout. You''re damn lucky we haven''t left you to die."
The citizens shuddered, and the area fell quiet. After only a few seconds, a brave teenage boy stood up. "I''ll do it!"
"You will not!" His mother snapped, "I won''t let you run to your death!"
"So you''ll let me wait for it!?" He scoffed, "Don''t stop me, I''m going."
-
Present Time, Immortal Skye
"Four hours in, desperation drove us to work together." Riley sighed, closing her eyes.
"So what went wrong?" Kaze asked.
-
July 7th, 2032, Lainwright Military Base
As twenty brave citizens walked past the screaming bodies of the kneecapped civilians, the hope and trust that everyone built got snuffed out in an instant.
ChhhHHhhhHH!
"Lieutenant Colonel Lycan! Can you read me!?" A male voice yelled over a walkie-talkie, "This is General Peyton speaking!"
Everyone froze when they heard the person on the other end.
ChhhHHhhhHH!
"If you''re listening, kill the civilians and move to outpost one!" General Peyton followed immediately, "Immortal Skye has survived the operation and is seeking vengeance. We''re nning to abandon the base.
I repeat, kill the civilians and move to outpost one! Immortal Skye has survived the operation and is seeking vengeance. We''re preparing to abandon the base!"
-
Present Time, Immortal Skye
"General Peyton gave us the order to kill your people." Riley said coldly, "Things got messy after that."
Chapter 201 Kill Yourself
The gym froze when they heard General Peyton''s order to kill the civilians. Everyone fixed their eyes on Riley, staring at her walkie-talkie in a trance.
Neither she nor anyone else could believe what they had just heard.
However, getting lost in one''s thoughts was impossible because of the screams of the wounded. For that reason, the world elerated, and many civilians felt panic grip their hearts.
However, before they could say anything or act
"Are you fucking joking me!?" Riley screamed into the walkie-talkie, making the room freeze again, "You attacked Immortal Skye erratically, lost, and now you want us to massacre the winner''s people for your ipetence!? With zero respect, go kill yourself!"
the redhead told Malta''s top general to kill himself.
Her mind was already aggressive, and hearing his genocidal order tipped her over the edge.
"What did you just say to me!?" General Peyton roared.
"To. Kill. Your. Self." Riley sounded out explicitly, "I''m being dead serious.
You attacked a powerful non-hostile group in panic, and now you''re asking us to massacre thousands of their non-hostile people because you lost?
That''s irrational and genocidal and proves your overwhelming ipetence. Do the world a favor, and kill... your... self!"
The man on the other side of the line flipped out and smacked an alcohol bottle off his desk, making it crash into objects in the room.
"Are you prepared to die, soldier!?" General Peyton roared, "If you don''t follow your orders when soldiers strip you of yourmand, you''ll face a firing"
"I look forward to meeting these mythical soldiers." Rileyughed aggressively, "Unlike you, your soldiers are busy killing themselves. So you''re out of hands.
Let''s add delusional to the kill-yourself reasons list. I should''ve started with that!"
"There''s twenty of you!" The general scoffed, "Even if things are out of control, I''ll have more than enough soldiers to kill you and everyone else there.
If thiswlessness continues, everyone will die, so"
Thud! CRUNCH!
The redhead threw the walkie-talkie to the floor and stomped it, breaking it into a thousand pieces, and then looked at everyone in the gym.
"Listen up, civilians!" Riley yelled aggressively, "I just threw you a lifeline and elerated your death warrantwhether you live or die is in your hands!"
A pulse of anxiety and primal fear blew through everyone, leaving them feeling weak and disoriented.
"I just made us a friend of your allies and an enemy of your enemy." She exined, "So if you help us, we have every incentive to help you survive.
However, if you panic and don''t help us, you will die when hundreds of cultivator soldiers show up with machine guns to mow you and your children down!"
"Are you insane!?" A civilian man yelled, running forward.
Bang! THUD!
The man dropped when a bullet flew threw his skull.
"If anyone else wants to attempt killing 3,500 people, step forward!" Riley yelled, aiming at another aggressive person, "We need you; you need us!
Anyone who would try starting shit right now is trying to kill everyone!"
"As opposed to who!?" A civilian woman yelled, "You!? You just triggered people toe to kill us!"
"No, I just saved this ce from bing a massacre site in two ways simultanously!" The redhead scoffed, "And I did that despite going insane. What''s your excuse!?"
Everyone fell silent in shock except those screaming in pain or the crying acquaintances of the man who had just died.
"That''s right; you have none!" Riley spat, "Here''s reality: if you want to live, protect a thousand women and children cultivating.
If your cultivation technique feeds on this level of stress, we''ll all calm down.
You have one minute to make that happen, or we''ll walk out that door. We''re not waiting for people to wire this building with explosives, so choose now!"
While many soldiers and civilians were discontented with her, hundreds agreed and started to act without consensus.
***
The room radiated a vibrant shade of green, washing over everyone present. Calming Respire, like Forced Tranquility, fed off Spirit Qi released by stress.
With the constant screams of the wounded, the massacre order, and the impending force of soldiers showing up, the stress in the atmosphere was nearly palpable.
So when hundreds of cultivators used the technique, it created a cataclysmic chain reaction that instantly calmed every person in the room.
"Thank you." Riley opened her eyes after a deep breath and gazed at the civilians, each far calmer. "I''m putting down my weapons and walking to cultivate near you.
If I don''t trust you, I''ll die. If you take revenge on me, we''ll all die. So think about this rationally."
Thankfully, the citizens were far more rational. As a result, when she walked with another three soldiers to them without weapons, they let her in and sit down.
***
Riley opened her eyes, clear-minded. The breathing technique that the citizens had was incredible.
While it had less power than the technique Kaze had given the military, the calming effects allowed the person to make the most of it and learn cultivation.
As a result, it was far more effective and gave a person far more Qi!
"Soldiers." She said, join us without your weapons, "We''ll be undefended. Now that I''m calm, I realize there was very little chance we''d be able to cultivate without this. So we must trust them."
The soldiers gulped hesitantly, stressed and mentally twisted. However, the calming effects allowed them to get over their aversions and walk to areas containing sympathetic civilians.
***
After ten minutes of cultivating, Riley''s ears twitched.
-
"Wire it, quickly!"
"Be quiet! I can''t do anything with you yelling at me!"
"What''s worse? My orders, or having gunshots in your ears when the sick rush us!?"
-
"Soldiers are here, trying to wire the ce with C4." The redhead announced quietly, "We need soldiers or civilians with shooting experience to kill them. We''re going to do that now."
"You''re just making an excuse to leave." A civilian scoffed.
"You''re just"
"Shut up and listen!" Major Wheatfield, a blonde soldier, snapped, "You have better hearing, right?"
-
"How long will it take? I think they heard us!"
"I-I don''t know. I''m trying, but it''s impossible to concentrate!"
"Gah, this Qi is killing us! I can''t take it!"
-
Panic washed over the civilians when they searched for the voices and found them.
"Major Meyers, take two soldiers and care of it!" Riley snapped, "Major Wheatfield, scout to figure out the sniper situation.
Everyone else, sit put and be quiet unless you want paranoia to kill you."
She led an elite team with battle and apocalypse experience, so they immediately shot into action without question.
After posting up and giving a signal, Lieutenant Rhodes, the brte who panicked and gave threats,id down on the floor, pointing her weapon at the north side door.
"One two three."
Randy''s soldier pulled the g poles out of the bars, and he opened one of the doors.
Time slowed when sunlight shot into the room, exposing a dozen soldiers with machine guns drawn. Everyone panicked, but their worlds moved faster than the others.
All the soldiers and citizens were strong cultivators, and they were all calm and rational. So by the time the enemy soldiers noticed the door was open and aimed
Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat!
enemy soldiers dropped onto the training ground dirt as Lieutenant Rhodes unloaded an entire clip on them.
Those who circled the outer wall looked in and saw thousands of people in the bleachers but missed the brte lying on the ground.
Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Click. Click. Chick. Thud. Chick. Che Chech. Ratatat!
Once her clip ran out, she used superhuman speed to release the empty clip, grab a spare on her waist, load it, chamber a round, and continue fluidly.
The civilians shivered at the sight. Only one woman shot, but she had killed three dozen soldiers effortlessly while the other soldiers calmly waited to move out.
That could have been them.
"Have we killed enough soldiers to prove ourselves?" Riley asked rhetorically, standing up and motioning for the soldiers to get their weapons, "We''ll secure a route; get leadership figured out and get ready to leave."
-
"Is it ready!?"
"Y-Yeah, it''s good to go. Send the order for Alpha to trigger theirs!"
"Okay, I''ll radio it"
-
"Not enough time." The redhead said, hearing the panicked soldiers rushing their explosives operation.
She waved her hand, and a bolt of raw Qi developed before her. It was tinypared to those made by Immortals, but the technique was familiar. "Guided Arrow!"
A rush of wind shot across the room as the bolt flew forward, crashing into the wall where the demolition specialists were wiring the explosives.
BOOM!
Chunks of debris and concrete shot from the impact, blowing a barrel-sized hole in the wall.
Guided Arrow was the technique that Kaze traded to the military, alongside the breathing techniques. And, while it was underpoweredpared to the Immortals using it, it wasically overpowered by mortal standards.
So when the soldiers saw the bolt continue after shooting through the specialists, leaving only their legs, they froze.
"Now." Randy whispered.
Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat!
Without warning, the allied soldiers ran out and unloaded on the people outside the walls.
There were sixty enemy soldiers on the north side, and their ranks were decimated in a moment.
More soldiers posted on the south side of the gym, Riley''s end, began barking orders to get into position.
"Why aren''t you doing something about it!?" A brte civilian yelled.
"Shut up!" The redhead warned, "There are snipers on that side of the wall! So we need to listen and find the demolition specialists, so keep it down!"
The woman and others began panicking, but civilian leaders covered their mouths and held them down.
BOOOOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOM
Chunks of concrete fell from the ceiling onto the corners of the gym as explosives went off.
"To the northwest corner!" Riley barked, motioning to the side of the room where Randy''s team was and the corner they cleared out.
While they had stopped three bombs from triggering, another three went off, making the foundation in the room shaky.
Many ran instantly, but those that stayed suffered from flying falling ceiling debris.
"Che." Riley clicked her tongue when she saw two dozen civilians die from falling debris. "I wish there wasn''t any dead weight!"
Thud!
The redhead shot across the room to the civilian side at lightning speed after dropping her assault rifle. Before anyone knew what was happening, she scooped up the wounded gentleman from the beginning and grabbed his wife.
They flew back to the other side as part of the wall copsed.
While there were less than forty casualties from the debris, the copsed roof exposed a sniper nest.
Boom!
"Gah!"
THUD-thud.
A civilian''s chest exploded when a 50-caliber round shot through it.
Boom!
THUD-thud.
Another civilian dropped to the ground, a female.
Boom!
THUD-thud.
Riley turned and created a bolt of Qi. "Guided Arrow!"
A massive line of Qi ripped through the sky, following her eyesight.
BOOM!
The sniper exploded, making the other gunners duck for cover.
"Guided Arrow!"
Another Qi bolt shot out, this one from Major Wheatfield. BOOM!
Enemy soldiers froze when they realized everyone on the team was elite with the Guided Arrow technique, which was heavily restricted from use.
However, the soldiers didn''t hesitate.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The allied soldiers switched to single-round fire to conserve ammo and began unloading on the dozens waiting behind the copsed walls.
Unfortunately, the enemies weren''t just sitting around.
Ratatatatatatat! Ratatatatatatatatatat! Ratatat!
Civilians and soldiers dropped to the ground, leaving pools of blood.
"Civilians, grab and distribute guns!" Riley barked, "There''s not enough soldiers to kill everyone!"
A few adrenaline-stricken civilians, stuck in a fight-or-flight response loop, shot forward and grabbed enemy guns, including the brave teen who offered to cultivate.
He grabbed weapons and flew back to throw them at civilians.
"Hurry! There''s more running over here!"
"You can run fast and see in slow motion!" Riley yelled, "That''s enough to give you an advantage, even without experience!"
***
The soldiers and civilians ran through the military base with the civilians.
"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" A female soldier yelled, running at them. She was sick with bloodshot eyes.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Click.
"Give me another weapon!" Randy yelled, reaching out his hand aimlessly after her.
Bang! Bang! Click!
"I need one, too!"
Docile civilians with weapons handed them guns dropped bybatants.
Ratatatatatatat!
A dust storm exploded as a sentry shot into the mass of civilians, killing dozens.
"Sentry!" Lieutenant Rhodes yelled, "They''re up"
Ratatatatat!
The brte exploded as a hail of 50-caliber bullets riddled her body, traumatizing people.
"Guided Arrow!" Riley roared, sweating heavily
BOOM!
After the Qi hit the sentry post, the entire ce exploded into concrete rubble.
The redhead took deep breaths, everyone concerned by her Qi deprivation.
"We move forward!" She yelled, "We''re not far from the storehouse!"
***
BOOM!
An explosive charge exploded around a door.
Ratatatatatatat! Ratatatatatatatatatat! Ratatat!
Without warning, Riley''s soldiers and civilians blew through a door and unloaded machine gun fire on dozens of people posted inside a warehouse.
Lacking concentration and cultivation skills, the enemy soldiers stood no chance.
While their guns were posted at the door, awaiting enemies, they still only killed a couple of dozen before they got overrun by numbers.
When the smoke settled, Randy walked forward with Riley on his back and sat her on the floor. "Cultivate."
***
An hourter, Major Wheatfield passed the redhead a walkie-talkie, and she turned the frequency to a standard one that every leader knew.
CHheeRrreeRrr!
"General Peyton, this is Riley Lycan." Riley said coldly, "My forces and I currently control the food supply warehouse.
Unless you''re prepared to bomb your food storage and make all the living soldiers die of starvation, you will follow our demands."
The area fell silent for a few minutes before the walkie-talkie lit up.
CHheeRrreeRrr!
"This is General Peyton." A drunk voice called out, "State your demands."
"First, you will publicly surrender over the intes and emergency walkie-talkie frequencies." Riley said chillingly, "Second, you wille to face usand kill yourself."
-
Present Time, Immortal Skye
The conference room fell silent when they heard how the civilians died. As things turned out, she had only killed and injured a few, which impressed the emperor.
However, when they heard her final statement, many were perplexed and horrified.
Kaze was interested, as he wanted to know whether she was trying to get on his good graces or if it was something else. "Why demand he take his own life?"
"People negotiate best when they''re under the chopping block." Riley argued, "So long as we are in that warehouse, he is safe. So by demanding he kill himself, we threatened his life."
"Clever." The emperor smiled, "So that''s the current situation?"
"Correct." The redhead nodded somberly. "We''ve steadily amassed allies by giving them supplies and kept the pressure on General Peyton.
The only thing preventing a drastic confrontation is your threat of killing everyone and your request to speak to us.
We have supplies for now, but hundreds are wounded and dying. We must do something soon, or the situation will turn dire for everyone."
Chapter 202 The Operation To Save The Families
"Let''s send a small force to handle the situation." Evalyn suggested immediately, "Crux and I can lock down the base in two hours. There''s no reason to wait."
Riley and her soldiers'' eyes widened in shock, but no one else was surprised.
"Don''t forget they''re hostages, Evalyn." Kaze shook his head, "Crux must handle missiles, and you must stop the soldiers from panicking and killing our people within the storehouse.
Killing everyone is easy; keeping our people alive around irrational people isn''t."
The Maltian soldiers shuddered at his statement that killing everyone was easy.
"Then let''s send healers to make it until you can leave Immortal Skye." Evalyn gritted her teeth after hearing his warning. "Our soldiers can double as protectors and healers."
"Unfortunately, things aren''t that simple." Kaze said calmly, "Showing up could be more dangerous than not going. That''s why we must discuss"
"People''s families are dying right now, and you are prioritizing internal panic prevention and stating that letting people die might be the best option?" Evalyn asked coldly.
Kaze closed his eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing a desire to berate her for her idealism. Her mother''s death triggered her mental state, so he couldn''t fault her.
Moreover, he wrongly prioritized killing her father instead of keeping her mother alive. He wasn''t responsible for her mother''s death, the vacation, or creating a policy averting her entry, but he could''ve prevented her from dying. She was also speaking to that, and he had to ept it.
After consideration, Kaze opened his eyes and turned to Riley calmly. "Riley, why don''t you have all the soldiers on your side?"
"Kaze, don''t" Evalyn tried to snap at him for ignoring her, but he sent her a nce that sent the fear of death shooting through her like hunger pangs. It made her fall silent instantly.
"The." Riley said hesitantly, not wanting to choose between two people that could massacre their entire military base, "General Peyton ims you n to kill everyone indiscriminately for letting some of your people die.
Therefore, two-thirds of our soldiers don''t want to protect people and die for it. Half left the base already, and the remaining are waiting to fight for supplies."
"Thank you, Ms. Lycan." Kaze said, turning to Evalyn. "They fear us killing them, so showing up unannounced will trigger desperation and a heated hostage crisis.
Healers will exasperate that issue. With limited Qi, we''ll spend days healing our people without touching wounded soldiers. That will reinforce fears we only care about our own and could cause soldiers to turn against us."
The blonde took a sharp breath, hearing his statement.
"Crux and I don''t have a Qi problem." Evalyn said, "We can heal at least a few dozen people per session."
"Crux must defend from missile attacks." He countered, "And you must keep thousands in check simultaneously. Without power, you are just another mortal."
She swallowed back words and gritted her teeth, feeling cornered. "What about Kiera?"
"If powerful techniques are double-edged swords by threatening Qi deprivation, Kiera''s Qi control is a ballistic missile." Kaze responded dryly, "Her body can alter the Qi flow around her.
If she identally shifts it, and people attempt to use techniques, it could instantly rupture hundreds of people''s meridians and dantians."
Evalyn closed her eyes in vexation, aware of Kiera''s dangers. "Why can''t you leave for a night?"
"One night?" Kaze cracked, scoffing and turning away in disbelief, "Do you think I can show up, kill General Peyton, heal our people, and solve this?
Where are we feeding and housing thousands of people if not at Lainwright amongst those we spare?
If we had the resources to support them, they''d be at Immortal Skye now, would they not?"
"Yes, they would be." Evalyn sighed, her passion disappearing, "So we need to set up a government the minute we arrive?"
"A temporary one, yes." The emperor confirmed, "Not only must we feed our people, but we must also determine who needs to be spared and punished and adhere to strict information control.
Or do you still prescribe to the delusion that Immortal Skye is a stable utopia that can run itself without its leaders and survive resentment and distrust of their leadership?"
Evalyn closed her eyes in frustration. She understood Immortal Skye was a powder keg that could ignite with a single incident and explode. Therefore, Kaze''s n was the right approach.
He nned to create a permanent rift connecting Immortal Skye and Lainwright Military Base in ten days.
At that point, he''d have announced that he asked the military to search for families, the military found families, and General Peyton brutally killed some out of revenge.
Then [Kaze would secure the safety of the families] and stage a rescue with the Immortals running the show. That way, everyone could save their families without endangering them, and they''d me the right people without endangering their families.
Even if many suspected his involvement or protection of families, a narrative and operation of that quality are far too strong and concrete to overwrite. It would stand, and Kaze''s shadow involvement would be part of the operation as a hero, not create a vector for dissatisfaction.
By contrast, Evalyn suggested they should kick down the door and murder their way to the family''s safety without concern for Immortal Skye''s poption or strategic preparations. Still
"You''re right." The Ice General nodded with a downcast expression, "However, please understand that when ites to family, we must try to help. It''s a requirement."
Riley and her soldiers were already under a gag order regarding a connection between the base and Immortal Skye. She didn''t need a reminder to keep her lips sealed.
"Of course." Kaze nodded earnestly, "If I felt differently, I''d have let them die.
We needn''t discuss whether we will help; we must discuss an operation to defuse the hostage situation and prevent our actions from killing our people. Thereiny my criticisms of your approaches."
Evalyn''s eyes widened in surprise before the message sunk in, and she looked down with a wry smile. "Understood."
"Ms. Lycan." The emperor said, turning to the redhead, "Do you know which bunker General Peyton is in? Also, do you know where themunication shelters are?"
"He''s not in a bunker." Riley replied, "We''re using analogmunication to conserve energy and ensure consistency. Since he''s using it, he has to be above ground.
There''s only one above-groundmunication shelter, so he''s probably in it. However, that won''t help if he''s giving orders to someone in a bunker with non-analog equipment."
"Such is the main problem we face during this operation." Kaze said with a serious gaze.
"If Crux can stop missiles, and Evalyn can take out people en masse, why don''t we move our people temporarily?" Jake asked nervously, "That would give us time to find General Peyton, right?"
"There are almost two hundred injured civilians." Riley exined, making everyone grimace, "So you''d need trucks, which would trigger a panic."
"If we wish to move our people, there is a way to get the trucks there without an attack." Kazemented, "However, it will trigger panic within the storehouse.
So we''d have to trust Ms. Lycan and their team to keep order through the process."
He exined a n that left the Lainwright soldiers shocked beyond reason. They felt like they were listening to the recap of a fantasy show episode!
"Is there another strategy you can think of?" Evalyn frowned, furrowing her brows. She didn''t like cing trust in the soldiers.
"Not on short notice." Kaze said, shaking his head, "That doesn''t mean we cannot devise one, but I currentlyck an option with less risk.
Therefore, as a leader, you must bear the responsibility of trusting others if you wish to go this route."
Evalyn closed her eyes and quietly thought about the situation for a few minutes while everyone patiently waited. "I''ll take responsibility for the operation.
Ms. Lycan, I assume you have brought a list of those who have died?"
"I have." Riley nodded somberly, reaching into her ck purse and pulling out a list, "This is a list of casualties, both from Immortal Skye and the ex-Maltian soldiers."
"Thank you." The Ice General said, "This should be enough."
***
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"It''s open." Kaze called out, sitting at a deskte at night. It was a roll-top desk made of maple, lit by a small deskmp. He sat on a luxurious rolling desk chair with ck upholstery before aputer.
He wasn''t in his room or his bunker. Instead, he was in the main office of his mansion, working through nning and logistics for Lainwright Military Base in advance.
The door opened behind him, and a beautiful woman with slender legs and professional attire walked in.
"I brought you some coffee and crumb cake." Marilyn said kindly, walking with a cup and a snack te to the side desk next to him, "With Evalyn leaving on her own, I imagine you''ll cultivate instead of sleeping again tonight. So I thought this would be a good pick-me-up."
"Thank you, love." Kaze replied hypnotically, turning to her and admiring her attire, "You are correct.
Evalyn has already organized a team and seeks to leave tomorrow, so I must do what I can."
The busty brte wore a dark charcoal gray sports jacket and a matching-colored knee-length skirt, and a sympathetic expression.
While the attire was simr to what she wore as an attendant, the style was very different, making her look more like a CEO than a secretary or attendant.
? "Do you worry she''ll get injured?" Marilyn asked, "I watched her fight against the Sky ne cultivators.
It''s hard to imagine she could get hurt by normal soldiers, especially alongside Ms. Panthera."
"There are many types of injuries, Marilyn." Kaze smiled wryly, "And she has already befallen far too many under my protection."
"I don''t think so." She smiled softly, "If she experienced such irreparable tragedy, your eyes would shine with pain instead of flickering with happiness and warmth when you look at her."
"Is that so?" He mused softly, "Perhaps I seek to give her the life she deserves. At present, I''m not even doing that for my assistant, caring for me voluntarily instead of enjoying her night."
"Hush, now; I am enjoying my night." Marilyn imed, shing him a stunning smile, "I enjoy caring for you, and you let me."
He turned back to hisputer with a slight chuckle. "While I relish your form of enjoyment, it makes me wonder if I''ve done enough to make youfortable."
"I''ve never felt better or morefortable." She said, walking to his back slowly, "So [rx] and stop worrying about something so ironic."
As she said [rx], she reached her hands around his shoulders and pushed her fingers down his chest, gliding them up and cing her fingers on his shoulders, rubbing them.
Kaze smiled with his eyes closed, leaning back and humming to express his enjoyment. When he opened his eyes, he gazed into Marilyn''s beautiful brown eyes with a charming smile.
"You may feel better than you did when people didn''t didn''t see you for your potential, talents, and beauty, but you have still yet to experience a taste of the life you deserve." He smiled, "While it''s egregiouslyte, I feel I make up for that."
Marilyn felt a rush of electricity pass through her when he spoke. They had a minor soul connection andmunicated deeper than others, so she felt his earnestly and knew from experience he could make her feel things she never found imaginable.
Chapter 203 Longing Embrace - The Start Of The Extended Harem
Marilyn shivered, looking into Kaze''s vibrant green eyes. "No, I''m the one that hasn''t given you what you deserve. You''ve done far more for me than I could ever repay."
She spun his rolling chair around and lifted her skirt, wrapping her fingers around her panties and pulling them down slowly, letting them drop to the floor around her ck heels.
Kaze nced at the pink panties in amusement. "Do you think that I like pink panties because Evalyn wears them?"
"I don''t think you have a preference in what women wear." The brte smiled while unbuttoning the top three buttons of her white shirt, "I''ve been wearing pink because I like to dream."
"Hoh?" He mused curiously, "You wish you were Evalyn?"
"No, I wish I were yours." Marilyn smiled, moving her lips to his with her cleavage showing, "Seeing how you care for her and Kiera makes every woman dream, you know?"
Their lips connected, and Kaze closed his eyes as he waved his hand, creating a sound barrier and activating a dual cultivation technique.
A vibrant outpour of pleasure washed through her body with their lips connected, and she felt drawn to him. So she moved forward, sitting on hisp in a straddle, making use of the armless chair.
Kaze disconnected his lips and embraced her face. "You needn''t dream, Marilyn.
Devote your life, body, and soul to me exclusively for the rest of time, and I shall make you mine, taking you with me to the Fifth ne of cultivation and beyond."
"Will I regret giving you my entire life?" Marilyn asked softly, "Will you forget me in the sea of women in your life?"
"So long as you don''t mind other women in my life, you shall regret nothing." Kaze whispered maically, "I do not forget those who are mine; I care for them, give them power, and protect them within physical limitations.
Devote yourself to me, and I shall keep you by my side professionally and romantically."
"You speak like charmers everywhere, but your actions bring fantasies to life." She smiled, "So long as you express your feelings with your gaze and passion, that is enough to keep me pleased between passings."
"It seems I haven''t done enough for you, after all." He scoffed in disbelief, hearing her words, "Let me show you why you will want for nothing."
The emperor unbuttoned her shirt slowly, exposing her pinkced bra underneath. Then he gently removed her sports coat and shirt before unhooking it and letting it drop, exposing her stunning lower D-cup breasts beneath.
Kaze embraced Marilyn''s cheek and moved his hand to her heart, feeling it pound aggressively while she stared into his sharp, romantic gaze. "I will give you a tiny part of my soul now."
Her eyes widened in shock as he the words and then looked down in time for her to see an alchemy circle pattern light up on her chest, radiating golden light.
While she wanted to ask what it was, she felt something warm enter her body and expand, making her feel far more whole than ever before. It was as though she was a cup half-full but didn''t know it, and he filled her.
"Now it''s time for me to go." Kaze announced abruptly.
Marilyn''s eyes panicked, longing for him not to leave her, especially after the sexual build-up. However, before she could beg him to stay, "W-Wha is AhhHHhhhHhhhHhhhHHhh~!"
The brte moaned intensely, gripping Kaze when she felt a warm sensation move from her heart to between her thighs. As it did, it spread waves of pleasure through her body.
Her clit expanded, and her pussy became wet, making her embarrassed that she was straddling him.
"W-What is this, KaAh~HhzZe?" Marilyn asked with her eyes shut tightly.
"It''s a dual cultivation soul technique called a [Longing Embrace]." Kaze exined, moving his lips to his ears, "I''ve temporarily grafted my resolve to please you onto your heart.
If you want me sexually or emotionally, and I cannot give that to you, it will use part of my soul to please you. With my mastery of the technique, I assure you that you would never feel repressed desire again, should it be permanent."
"Mhmmnn~ah~but! BUT!" Marilyn moaned with a pained expression, "It''s embarrassing to confess this, but if this activates when I want you, I''ll be orgasming all the time!"
He chuckled in amusement and embraced her cheek. "It will not activate if you do not wish to be pleased, and if you wish for it to stop, you can tell it to stop.
Or, once you know I am staying and only meant to give you a demonstration"
A wave of rity washed over her when he indicated that he''d stay, and the energy pleasing her faded instantly.
"It will go away naturally." He smiled, "This technique will please you while I''m away, ensuring I can provide you what you deserve at all times. It''s not meant for when I''m here."
Marilyn shivered in ecstasy when she heard his words. "So with this, I will live a contented life, sexually and emotionally, to a degree, no matter what?"
"That''s right." Kaze said hypnotically, "With my skill and resolve to please my women, I can satisfy you for life. If this technique had my Soul Seal, and I were to die, you would not want for anything for centuries or longer. That is what I offer my women, if they ask it of me."
The brte took a deep breath to cool her boiling blood and passion. "I would have given you everything without this technique, but I would not refuse it. Your drive to please women fuels my feelings for you, and this technique demonstrates that."
"Does that mean that you wish to be my woman?" He asked in an alluring voice that spoke to her soul.
"I want to be your woman, Kaze Lexicon." Marilyn dered passionately, "Now and for the rest of eternity."
"Then follow these instructions, and it shall be." Kaze announced romantically, "We will swap parts of our souls as part of a contract, allowing me to bind this technique to you forever.
However, you must be careful with these contracts, as they will kill you if you break your vows. So keep it refined and simple, as we only need it to bind the technique."
"Okay." She said passionately, her face red with passion and desire.
***
"I, Marilyn Elenor Rhodes, dere that I will serve Kaze Maxwell Lexicon for life and shall nevery with another man so long as I live, even if we part forever." Marilyn dered, making Kaze''s eyes widen in panic, "I will do whatever it takes within my emotional capacity to please him physically, emotionally, and sexually. And should he die, I wish to die with him."
Kaze had a raging desire to cup her mouth and yell at her for being a fool as she made a suicidal contract! If he didn''t know how to correct it, she would die the following day at thetest!
However, he had warned her, and she made the vows anyway, so it would be wrong tombast her resolve when he could fix it.
Kaze would never make such a contract with a woman unless she truly desired it.
It was a deration of mistrust, stating that he didn''t believe she''d be faithful unless she were under threat of death!
"You would go that far?" Kaze asked, watching an intricate golden seal bind to her chest, "Do you understand that if I hadn''t gone second, you''d have died if you put yourself before me [once]?"
"You said you could prevent issues, so this is my first act of trust." Marilyn smiled strangely, gazing into his eyes, "I have put my life into your hands, trusting that you will protect me with your vows."
He gave her a wry smile, valuing her passion and resolve for him, but wishing to scold her for trusting him blindly. If trust were simple, there wouldn''t be a need for Soul Contracts!
"I, Kaze Maxwell Lexicon, dere that I will seek to give Marilyn Elenor Rhodes a life that isn''tcking in pleasure." Kaze smiled, "I promise to take her with me, so long as she does what is required and it is possible with time and effort, and will only leave if I die, taking her with me is impossible, or she dies doing what is required to follow me."
Marilyn''s eyes glittered when she heard his words, promising to take her with him forever.
While there were major qualifiers, like having no timeline, his message was also a promise to build her power so she could join them.
She was so happy knowing she would not be alone for eternity and that he desired to please her.
"Additionally, my physical, emotional, and sexual desires start and end with loyalty, faithfulness, and a desire to stay by my side." He smiled, removing her from danger, "Now, under our soul contract, I will bind my seal with the Longing Embrace technique to provide her pleasure so long as my soul stays within her."
Kaze closed his eyes and touched Marilyn''s bare chest, transferring the same technique; however, the pattern was exponentially moreplex, containing runes, making her eyes fill with wonder.
Her mind pulsed with energy when the circle and the golden runes werepleted.
A waterfall of information and techniques poured into her mind, teaching her of his resolve.
While she couldn''t understand specifics, she knew there were techniques for different scenarios and conditions to prevent the technique from triggering if it would endanger her life.
It also had nuanced techniques for emotional support, allowing her to feel human emotions without being numbed by pleasure or techniques.
Five millennia of experience with humans and emotions made up the technique binding he gave her, making her understand that he cared deeply for the women he had in his life prior.
Kaze gave her the information gently instead of overloading her mind. During that period, he embraced her on hisp for an hour as the techniques filled her mind.
Once it finished, she opened her eyes and looked at her chest, seeing his Soul Seal. It filled her heart with pride, knowing he made vows that dered she was his.
"Does this officially make me your woman?" Marilyn asked with slightly teary eyes.
"You''ve been my woman since you devoted yourself to me exclusively." Kaze replied hypnotically, "It is only official now. Nowe, let me show you proof of my resolve."
"No, please let me first." She smiled charmingly, letting him wipe thin tears of joy from her cheeks.
The brte shimmied backward, moving off his crotch, andughed when she saw the area around his bulge soaking wet.
Marilyn forgot her embarrassment and reached down and unbuttoned his cks, skillfully grabbing his zipper and pulling. She lifted her ass slightly, allowing her to pull, bringing his cks and blue silk boxers passed hisrge bulge.
As soon as it was free, hisid penis became erect, as if by convenient magic. The brte looked at it with desire pulsing through her heart as she stood, hovering above it in her heels.
When her body was aligned, she lowered herself onto the tip and pushed, feeling his cock push past her lips, entering her body. "Mmmn~anah~AhHhhhHhh~!"
After the emotion, desire, and longing she had experienced for thest two hours, feeling Kaze push inside her in stages made her chest and clit explode with desire and passion.
Spiritually connected. Emotionally connected. Connected with their souls.
Knowing she was his woman and could follow him for life made her sexual experience far beyond what she had experienced before.
"I love you, Kaze." Marilyn gasped as her ass reached hisp, opening her eyes and meeting his gaze, "I will serve you for life."
Kaze smiled genuinely, feeling the connection in their souls. "And I shall build you up, give you life and a future, and please you beyond your wildest beliefs."
"You''ve alaahhHHhhhhHREA~DeeE~!" She screamed as he closed his eyes, establishing a Spiritual Connection.
Their internal bodies embraced as before. However, this time Marilyn could see his Soul Seal on her heart, pulsing life through her soul body.
Moreover, with their souls bound, she could touch his soul directly, giving her abstract pleasure she couldn''t exin.
"Now experience that which only a woman who has bound themself to me can experience." Kaze whispered hypnotically, grabbing herrge ass and lifting it effortlessly.
When he dropped it
"KaaAY~ZzhHZeeh~!" Marilyn screamed, whipping her hair back to the sky with her eyes closed tightly as her body hit hisp.
Touching down sent a pulse of Qi from his tip through her body, filling every inch of her body with pleasure before it hit her heart.
The seal activated at that moment, allowing her the Spiritual, Soul, and Yang Qi he released to unlock the door to her soul and then sexually please a part of her that should be untouchable.
"AhhHhhHhhHH~!" She screamed in pleasure, feeling waves of raw sensation flow through her.
Unlike before, the pleasure wasn''t unbearable. It felt personal, ebbing to her desires within her control.
Marilyn lifted her body voluntarily, visualizing her soul body as she moved. Then she lowered it again, watching the seal on his soul body''s heart flicker with energy.
She summoned the blueprint of Spiritual Connection he gave her a month ago and found something that she could use after her training and cultivation.
Kaze closed his eyes in pleasure and contentment as her body glowed pink, and she rocked, riding him with purpose and attempting to touch his soul. "That feels amazing."
The brte blushed when she heard his words, but it only drove her forward, making her want to please him more. "I-I''m hhHhh~deh. Let me con~tinnnue to express m-my de~sire~!"
"As you wish." He replied charmingly as she rocked forward, his cock pulsing in her body, filling her with pleasure, desire, and emotional fulfillment.
Kaze removed her shirt and bra, leaving her bare as she grabbed his shoulders, using her cultivator strength to allow her to move to his tip on every down stroke.
"D-Does this feel g-good?" Marilyn asked, trying not to moan as she asked.
"It feels amazing." He gasped with a charming voice, gripping her ass with every motion, "I look forward to experiencing this more often."
Her heart pulsed at his words, and she gripped his shoulders, picking up the pace.
She rode him to her heart''s content, turning her soul body ck and his white before
"K-KaAYaaaHhhhHhhhHHhhhHHyyYYyzZzeEe~!" Marilyn screamed, trying to say his name through multiple orgasms touching her body and soul, "I-I LOVE YOU!"
"I love you, too, Marilyn." Kaze dered, releasing his Yang Qi in her body and unlocking part of her soul, filling her mind and body with a vibrant energy she had never imagined.
Chapter 204 Ten Seconds Until Blackout
Arge set of double doors opened slowly, letting sunlight enter a warehouse. Two dozen soldiers on the inside had their rifles aimed, awaiting anyone who walked through.
"Lieutenant Colonel Lycan!" One of the soldiers yelled in surprise, lowering their rifle, "You''re back already?"
"Yes, it''s me." Riley announced, walking through the door slowly with her hands up, "Things went well; my team and I returned immediately to ensure it stays that way."
Randy, Major Wheatfield, and three other soldiers walked into the room behind her, weed by a thousand nervous soldiers.
The storehouse had pallets of food supplies stacked twenty feet high along the walls and three pallets high on shelves throughout.
While there was enough food tost a single person a decade, there were over ten thousand people at the base. The supplies would onlyst six months if well rationed.
In the center of the warehouse were thousands of civilians and soldiers'' families.
Most assembled in the center, but teams of civilians who fought on the way to the warehouse patrolled the area with guns.
Riley walked to the civilians and asked for quiet. Once she had all eyes on her, she spoke. "If you''re in this warehouse, you needn''t worry about Immortal Skye seeking retribution on your lives."
Her opening statement got straight to the point, shocking everyone into silence. However, as soon as the first person recovered, many cried out in ted cheers.
General Peyton warned everyone about Crux. As a result, most people felt they were on death''s row regardless of what they did and finally got verification that they wouldn''t die.
"General Peyton misled us." Riley continued, hushing everyone down, "Immortal Skye stated that they would kill two Lainwright soldiers for every one of their people that had died, prioritizing the guilty."
The atmosphere became tense after she made the consequences of killing the civilians concrete.
Up to that point, it was spection, a horrifying dream. There was a chance that Immortal Skye would be [reasonable] and let everyone live. However, after her announcement, the grim reality that people would die sunk in.
"That isn''t a problem, as we have sessfully protected most of the civilians!" Riley continued, cutting through the tension like a hot de, "And the people we killed protecting them is high!
As a result, the number of people who must die to meet that demand can get filled with those conspiring to kill the civilians or to break in to steal the food. No one else needs to die!"
Cheers exploded after her words, and excited whispers spread the news outside like wildfire.
"Immortal Skye has appointed me to head the operation to protect the civilians until they arrive." The redhead announced, "So that''s what I will do for the next five days, as Immortal Skye has expedited their schedule.
Until they arrive, we will upy the warehouse and continue distributing food and supplies as we have been.
Work with us, and we''ll make sure that only the bad actors get punishment when the Emperor and General Skye arrive!"
Explosive cheering rocked the storehouse and beyond, spreading through Lainwright Military Base.
***
"This is Commander Mills; we have passed the first checkpoint." Sandra said over a headset, driving down a dirt road in one of the transport trucks the ex-soldiers drove into Immortal Skye.
"Good work, Commander." A cool voice replied in her ear set, "If you see a scout, shoot on sight. Our families are on the line; take no chances with people you have never met."
"Understood, Ice General Skye." The brte said, "We''ll be in position at midnight, as nned. We''ll give you a status report when we''re in position."
After the connection cut, the ex-special forces soldier sat diligently in the chair, watching the road.
"Potential hostile spotted, eleven o''clock." A soldier called out.
Sandra turned and looked out the window. There was a young man around twenty hiding behind a row of trucks. He had curly brown hair and a thin beard.
The man didn''t look military, but looks meant nothing in the apocalypse.
"Confirmed as hostile." She said evenly, "All individuals that see us are confirmed hostile. Shoot on sight."
"Mam...." A male soldier said, "He doesn''t look armed...."
"How does someone unarmed survive the Rapture looking well-fed?" Sandra asked dryly, "Draw an arrow, and you''ll answer your own question."
The man smiled wryly, overlooking the area. "I understand, but still... they''re not posing a threat to us at that distance."
"There are thousands of Immortal Skye family members at Lainwright Military Base." She said matter-of-factly, "If that man is a soldier and triggers panic, thousands of our people can die.
Even if that weren''t the case, you have your orders. You will follow them, whatever they may be, Lieutenant Marks."
"Understood, mam." Lieutenant Marks nodded solemnly, aiming his weapon. However, as he aimed--
"Hostile on the move!" A female soldier yelled, "It looks like he''s using a cultivation attack!"
The man pulled his hand back in the distance, prepared to use an Air sh or another ranged technique. To many of their surprises, when he locked his hand forward--
"Che." Sandra clicked her tongue and waved her hand, creating a bolt of raw Qi, "Figures he''d be a Lainwright Elite."
--he had a Guided Arrow aimed at the truck.
Whoooooosh!
"Idiot." She scoffed, waving her hand, "Who gave you that technique?"
The soldier watched in slow motion as his arrow moved to the truck. While he was originally excited, celebrating that he had released the attack sessfully, his expression crumbled when he saw another bolt of raw Qi start tracing his.
The man couldn''t believe his eyes! He shot a Guided [Arrow], which created a bolt of Qi the size of an arrow, then followed his eyesight. The Qi following his arrow was the size of arge spear!
His heart pounded, sending spirit Qi into his mind and slowing his world down. However, no matter how much he altered the course of the bolt, the second arrow followed it.
Blink.
After blinking once, his arrow disappeared, swallowed by the small dragon approaching him. He tried to run, but it was already toote.
BOOOOOOM!
Sandra scoffed and turned back to the road. "Shoot to on sight! You shouldn''t have needed a reason, to begin with!"
***
"How are you doing, Will?" Riley asked, walking up to the calm man her soldier had shot in the chest.
"I''m holding... in there...." Will wheezed, coughing after his statement.
"Keep it that way." The redhead replied, "Tomorrow, we will get amunication about healers from Immortal Skyeing to patch up the civilians and allied soldiers."
His wife''s blue eyes lit up. "Can they heal my husband to health?"
"Yes, they can heal himpletely, Ms. Hall." Riley said earnestly, capturing everyone''s attention, "I''m asking them to send healers in three days, so keep in there, okay?"
"I will...." Will coughed, taking a deep breath, "Rena and I... want... to see our son."
"Yes... our son Bradley." Rena said, looking at the redhead, "I know you''re not part of Immortal Skye, but do you know if our son Bradley Hall is alright?"
Riley winced, hearing the direct question. "There''s no way for me to know for certain, but they told me that most Immortal Skye students are still alive. So if your son was enrolled a month ago, they''re likely still alive."
The brte''s eyes welled with tears when she heard the confirmation. "Oh, thank God. That alone makes us feel so much better."
"I''m d to hear that." Riley said earnestly, "Keep in there. The Emperor and General Skye are looking out for you.
Now that they''re aware that you''re alive, they''ll stop at nothing to ensure you connect again."
"They didn''t know we were alive?" Rena asked in confusion.
"No, General Peyton withheld that information." The redhead replied, shocking everyone, "The Emperor asked him to find you all.
General Peyton did but didn''t confirm it until he brought you here to take as hostages.
Once they found out you were alive, they contacted General Peyton to demand your safety. That''s when he ordered to have you executed to flee.
That''s why you aren''t at Immortal Skye already."
The dozens of civilians surrounding her were stunned-speechless after her words, and the news immediately spread amongst the thousands in an epic game of telephone.
They finally got an answer to the number one riddle on their mind, and everyone wanted to hear about it!
Riley watched the information disseminate in shock, unbelieving what she was hearing. There wasn''t a single person in the thousands questioning her words!
All the civilians spread her off-statement as a word ofw, and even the most bitter amongst them put up no resistance or skepticism.
She thought back to Kaze''s words the day before.
--
"You want me to lie publicly in front of thousands of civilians--and soldiers?" Riley frowned, "I''m sure we weren''t the only team informed about your people."
Kaze smiled mysteriously, ncing at all the other soldiers. "ording to you, everyone heard General Peyton give the kill order in defiance of our agreement, yes?
If so, who would believe him or any of his affiliates? Why should [you] believe him?"
The redhead and her soldiers'' expressions crumbled upon hearing his words.
"Once you confirm we''re someone''s ally, our word besw, and General Peyton''s word bes meaningless." The emperor smiled, "At that point, the only thing that matters is consistency."
--
"You''re a dangerous man." Riley smiled, watching the emperor''s narrative spread. She looked down at her watch and checked the time, "There''s a lot to do and not a lot of time. I need to move."
After a meeting and answering people''s questions, she settled in for the night.
Long after the room fell silent, she remained awake, ncing at her soldiers periodically, counting the minutes until midnight.
The situation was nerve-wracking. There were only twelve living soldiers on her team, with over three thousand civilians and a thousand soldiers to wrangle.
"This is going to be rough." Riley cringed, "Let''s hope they weren''t exaggerating and tonight bes a fairy tale."
***
"Commander Mills, are your teams in position?" A cool voice asked over a mic.
"Affirmative, Ice General Skye." Sandra said boldly on the other end, "Transport teams Alpha through November are ready to move."
"Excellent." Evalyn said coolly, "Commander Levingston, are your teams in position?"
"Affirmative, Ice General Skye." Aaron said, "Teams Oscar through Romeo are in position. We are prepared to assist or annihte on your order."
"Thank you, soldiers." The Ice General said, "Prepare the countdown. There are ten seconds until ckout."
Chapter 205 Blackout
"ckout in tenM? nineM? eightM?." Evalyn counted down chillingly, overlooking Lainwright Military Base with a cold gaze.
Sandra signaled her team, and they nodded, starting their truck engines.
"SevenM?." The Ice General counted, "SixM?."
Aaron signaled to the spotters giving target coordinates to a team of snipers lying on the ground with 50-caliber rifles.
"FiveM? fourM?."
A team of twelve in ck tactical gear got into position on a cliff, preparing to run. They were all at a distance, but they could run 35 miles an hour and had the flexibility of a normal runner.
"ThreeM? twoM?." Evalyn counted hypnotically, "OneM?."
Crux listened calmly, eyes closed, feeling clouds on her feet above the military base. There was a full moon that night, and the area was still.
When the count reached one, she opened her amethyst eyes.
The Ice General narrowed her sky-blue eyes with a vicious gaze. "ckout."
Crux released her flying technique and dropped below the clouds with her arms straight up. As she passed through the cloud, her green hoodie flew off her body.
She caught it in her right hand, a ring on her index radiated green, and it disappeared.
It all happened in a moment, freefalling through the clouds. The divine beast was naked when she broke past them, but no mortal saw her.
As soon as her foot became visible below the clouds, darkness twisted around her, shooting out and stretching across the sky until it began blocking the moon.
A dark shadow loomed over the base, shading every inch.
"W-What the fuck is that!?" A blonde soldier on lookout duty stuttered in fear, watching a pitch-ck dome form and slowly encapste them, "W-Wake up, everyone!"
"Hmmm?" A ck-haired man hummed groggily, "It''s the middle of the night. Wait until there''s some light."
"N-No, that''s the thing!" She said, "It''s disappearing!"
"What''s disappearing?" He gruffed.
"E-Everything!" The blonde replied.
"How the hell does that make sense?" The man scoffed, opening his eyes. When he did, he watched in real time as everything he saw rapidly disappeared, "Wait, what?"
The area below the outdoor military lights swirled with a strange twisting miasma that seemed to permanently eat the light it touched, removing it like an eraser.
His eyes trembled. "E-EveryoneM"
CrrAaCK! Ssh! THUD!
M? Boom.
The blonde soldier''s eyes trembled traumatically, opening her mouth but not finding breath. She touched her face and felt hot blood on her hands, confirming the suspicion.
A sickening explosion.
A thud.
A distant gunshot.
Sniper.
Her mouth opened again, preparing to speak.
Sniper.
She had to tell everyone what had happened.
Sniper.
It was up to her to do it!
The blonde opened her mouth and took a deep breath. "EveryM"
CrrAaCK! Ssh! THUD!
Her body crashed into the ground before she could give her warning, and darkness clouded her eyes.
Confusion spread through the area quickly.
While the soldiers agreed something was horribly wrong, they were at a loss for words as to what.
Only those away from the warehouse saw that much, as everyone within 100 yards was in pitch-ck darkness ten seconds after the divine beast began her free fall.
-
"What''s going on?"
"Shhhh!"
"W-What if there are enemies?"
"Put that fuckin'' gun down! We can''t see anything; are you tryin'' to kill everyone!?"
"I-I''m s-sorry."
"WhatM? is this a dead body?"
"Dead body!? Where!?"
-
Riley took a sharp breath as she listened to the soldiers panicking outside, waking everyone up.
All the emergency lights in the warehouse still worked, lighting everyone''s faces. Therefore, they could only hear about the ckout outside and specte on it, letting their imaginations magnify their fears.
"Calm down, everyone." The redhead said, standing slowly.
"Calm down!?" A soldier cried, "Are you listening to them? There''s an attack, and they can''t see!"
"But we [can] see!" Riley snapped, shutting him down, "Now be quiet! We need to listen if we can''t see what''s out there."
CrrreeeeeaACkKkckkkkckkkckkkc!
Everyone stopped moving when they heard a terrifying sound. It sounded like stepping on thin ice, only the sound was persistent, growing by the second until they could hear it over the sound of people''s panicked cries outside.
An icy breeze blew into the warehouse during that moment, sending white fog through a section of the south wall.
"W-What''s going onM? it-it''s ice cold over here!" A soldier yelled, running up to the wall.
"You''re running toward the disturbance!?" Riley snapped, exasperated that a soldier ran to the wall where a dry-ice fog seeped through the cracks, "Get away from there!"
She ran forward at lightning speed, grabbing the man and throwing him backward. There wasn''t anyone on that section of the wall for a reason!
CRAaaaCCkkkKKkkKK! BOOOOOOM!
Riley jumped back just in time to avoid a massive chuck of wall hitting her in the face. The wall exploded, allowing a sickening miasma to pour into the room, mixing with the white fog.
"W-What that fuck is that!?" A woman cried.
"HURRY! WE NEED TOM"
"ShhhhHHhhHhhhHhh~" A chilly, hypnotic voice called out in the white fog, twisting with the ck miasma.
The room fell silent when they heard a woman''s voice and felt a crushing power dropping them to the ground. Even Riley had trouble staying standing and breathing properly.
Crunch!... Crunch!...
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
Crunch!... Crunch!...
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
Crunch!... Crunch!...
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
Crunch!... Crunch!...
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
Rhythmic footsteps broke the ice on the ground, slowing everyone''s heart to match their hypnotic pacing. Just the sound alone made them feel like they could go insane.
"My name is Ice General Evalyn Skye." Evalyn announced maically, walking between the civilians and the soldiers, "And I''m here to collect my people."
Crunch!... Crunch!...
"From this moment on, you will follow my orders." She asserted calmly, "If you don''t follow them without hesitationM?."
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
The Ice General stopped and turned to the Lainwright soldiers with icy blue eyes. "I''ll kill you."
***
"This is Romeo; the general has breached the wall." A female voice said over the receiver, "I repeat, this is Romeo; the general has breached the wall."
"Good work, soldier." Aaron said, "Lady Panthera, on your orders."
Crux smiled on the roof of the warehouse, walking to the edge to look at the throngs of panicked people that couldn''t see her. Then she turned to the south and waved her hand, sending a thin pulse of Qi across the south side of the base. "Move out."
A team of twelve immediately jumped off a hill and broke into a sprint, running toward the masses of soldiers in the darkness.
While the world was pitch ck to the Lainwright soldiers, every Immortal member had learned the Minor Vision technique, allowing them to see the world''s Qi flow.
After Crux went a thin pulse of Qi through the area, it nked the ground, allowing everyone to see every object in the area clear as day.
"This is Oscar." A male voice whispered into the receiver, "We''ve secured the north."
"This is Papa." A female whispered, "We have secured the east."
"This is Quebec." Another man whispered, "We have secured the west."
The ex-special forces soldiers posted around the warehouse''s walls in the pitch-ck darkness, aiming silenced SMGs at the troops.
They kept their distance from the thousands of soldiers sleeping outside within barricades minutes before, watching them yelling and bumping into each other in a panic.
"This is Romeo." The first female said over the line, "Snipers are in position, overlooking the south side entrance. We''re ready to silence anyone who threatens our trucks or people."
"We have heard you loud and clear." Sandra announced, overlooking the ck and whitendscape she saw through Minor Vision, "Move out."
"This is Alpha." A man said, "Order received; teams Bravo through November, follow behind me. Moving out."
All the trucks sped over the hill with their lights off, barreling through the area in pitch-ck darkness.
They skillfully weaved through obstacles on the ground, driving to the fence the soldiers had only put up that week.
There was arge section 30 feet across that Evalyn had cut with raw Qi, removing the need to drive through it. Fourteen military transport trucks barreled through the hole, engines ring as they approached in the darkness.
***
"Are those trucks!?"
"I told you, it was an attack!"
"Where are they!?"
"They''re that way!"
"What are you talking about? They''re that way!"
"Calm down!"
"I-I can''t take thisM?."
"Nathaniel, calm down, mate!"
"Don''t tell me to calm down! We''re getting attacked, and we can''t see! We''re going to die!"
"Calm down, Nate!"
"Nate, calm down!"
"We''re going to die! We''re all going to die!"
"Put the gun down!"
"Live weapon! Get down!"
People wrestled in the darkness, trying to get a hold of the man.
Ratatatatat! Ratatatatatatatattatat! Ratatat! RataM? tat.
The soldiers trying to hold down the panicked shooter froze when the gun''s muzzle lit up the area briefly, exposing what was above.
It only took one gunshot to see an orange sh curve unnaturally, reflecting light.
By the end of the volley, the soldiers were dead silently, looking on top of the warehouse in horror.
In the pitch-ck darkness, they saw a massive pair of eyes staring down at them as if they were prey.
As everyone''s attention got captivated, the eyes glowed neon purple, spreading a wave of terror and anxiety, crashing through the nighttime sky.
Chapter 206 Don’t Move
"What is that!?"
"I don''t know!"
"S-Shoot it!"
"Are you insane, it''s pitch ck outside!"
"I don''t care, move! We need to get out of here!"
Ratatat! Ratatatatatatatatatatatatatatat! Ratatatatat!
"AgGhhHHHhhHHhhHHHhhHhhHhhhHhh!"
A soldier fired their SMG at the panther on the warehouse rooftop, lighting the area like a strobe light. Dozens of shes lit up panicked people''s faces, shing in slow motion.
The moment the gun went off in the pitch-ck darkness, the soldiers panicked, trying to flee the shooter.
However, those looking at the warehouse rooftop didn''t move; they felt a very different variety of anxiety.
The massive panther that everyone had seen moments before was gone. Their fears materialized a split secondter when--
"W-What''s that!?"
Ratatat! Ratatatatatatat! Rata... tat.
GrrrRRrrrRrrrRrrrr!
"AGHhhHHHhhhH! MONSTER!" A male soldier yelled when they bumped into something furry and shot at it, only to find a 25-foot-tall panther growling before it.
"SILENCE!"
A booming voice called out, stunning everyone.
The neon purple eyes returned, illuminating the area and the people.
A strange white miasma cut through the darkness around the shadow cat, making it barely visible in the ckout.
Everyone froze when they heard the voice, saw the cat standing before them, and felt crushing pressure that dropped them to the ground.
"We are not here to reap your souls." Crux growled, "Emperor Lexicon has use for ants, so you shall live if you''re not foolish.
However, should you raise your toys to me, you shall die before you can fire. Do you understand?"
The soldiers groaned, hearing her words but unable to speak, suffocating under the weight of her cultivation base.
Crux watched them struggle to breathe coldly. She didn''t want an answer from them; the divine beast was stripping oxygen from their mind, making them hazy and unable to panic or run.
***
"Let me exin to you what is about to happen." A cool female voice echoed in a chilly warehouse, standing in the center of nearly 5,000 people.
The sound of roaring trucks moving to the building made people''s heart pulse, staring at the massive hole in the wall. They listened with anxiety in their hearts.
"Fourteen transport trucks will arrive to pick up our wounded people in less than a minute." Evalyn announced coolly, "When they arrive, I want the dying loaded carefully.
If you cannot move a person safely, let us know, and we''ll heal them on the spot."
Gasps of disbelief rang out in the room after she imed they would heal the wounded on the spot.
"Before we start, where is William Hall?" She asked.
Rena''s heart pulsed when her wheezing husband got called out by his name. She felt deeply anxious about getting called out directly by the terrifying woman. "William is here, Ms. Skye...."
Evalyn walked to the woman''s position. As she moved, hundreds of people moved out of the way, one after the other, making her a clear path.
When she stood before the wheezing man, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He was in and out of consciousness, unaware of her presence.
He would have died within the next day if she hadn''t arrived.
The Ice General waved her hand silently, and the man''s body exploded in a red light, warming the area.
Rena Hall watched her husband''s sickly whiteplexion regain color in real-time, leaving her ck-jawed in disbelief.
While she couldn''t see his wound, she could tell it healed because the bandages stuck to it popped off, and the sickly veins around them disappeared.
Less than three secondster--
"GuaaahhhhHh!"
--Will gasped, opening his eyes and filling his lungs with fresh air.
The soldiers and civilians were so shocked they didn''t see the Immortals run in after backing their trucks to the southside wall. It wasn''t until she spoke the world sped up again.
"William Hall''s son, Bradley Hall, is a valuable asset to Immortal Skye." Evalyn dered, "That''s why I prioritized his care.
For everyone else, we will load you onto trucks where soldiers will heal you and give you first aid."
Many civilians cried tears of joy, hearing their children and other loved ones would survive.
"Everyone else, stand up and move to the side; you''re moving out on foot under our protection." She ordered, "As for the soldiers...."
Evalyn slowly walked to the corner of the room on the northwest corner, connected to the loading docks, keeping everyone waiting anxiously for her words.
The blonde touched the corner of the walk, creating a spider web of ice shooting up her fingers like ivy, mesmerizing everyone.
She pivoted to the north side and began walking.
CrrreeeeeaACkKkckkkkckkkckkkc!
Ice vines shot from her fingertips as she traced her fingers against the walls, spreading the ice from the center to the floor and ceiling.
All the docking doors froze shut as she walked, chilling the atmosphere and hypnotizing people, watching in terror and amazement.
"Don''t move." Evalyn said hypnotically, an icy wondend following her every move, "No soldiers will get into this room; you cannot get out. If you try to leave...."
She stopped moving 3/4ths of the way down the wall, letting her ice spread and finish the job as she turned to them with her index in the air. "Look up."
On her orders, the soldiers looked up and saw a chandelier of ice des forming above them in real time.
Everyone gulped, realizing they were in an iron maiden.
"You will die a brutal death before you can raise a weapon or scream." Evalyn smiled sinisterly, sending icy chills crawling down everyone''s spines.
***
"This is Juliet." A male said over a headset channel, "We are ready to move."
"Request received; stand by." Sandra said, "Romeo, what is the status of the soldiers."
"This is Romeo." A female said over the receiver, "The soldiers are panicked but immobilized by fear. However, that will dissipate once Lady Panthera returns to the roof, so we must prepare.
We can handle any amount of people in the short term."
"Good work, soldier." Sandra replied, "Move out, Juliet, Romeo''s protecting you."
"Yes, mam." The man replied, "Consider demoting me to prevent further emasction."
A dozen soldiers on the link chuckled when they heard his words, making themander smile.
"You''d rather enter the hot zone then be called a woman''s name?" Sandra chuckled, "ssic men. Move out soldiers; let''s get moving."
"Yes, mam!" Multiple soldiers replied in unison.
Trucks with wounded people moved through the blinding darkness. Sandra couldn''t see the lights, but she watched the world through an x-ray-type lens, watching flowing Qi on the ground warp around the vehicles.
Sandra took a deep breath. "Let''s hope that that the--"
WhooooOOhhhHhhhHhhSssSShhHH!
The brte heard a sound far in the distance, making her heart beat out of control. "You have to be--"
Her world slowed to a crawl as she heard the sound of a ballistic missile moving toward them. She looked around quickly, trying to find the location of the strike.
A sharp white object entered her field of vision, close enough to get inside the Qiyer Crux set up for their Minor Vision technique.
As soon as Sandra saw the missile, she waved her hand to create an arrow. Unfortunately, she was racing a warhead, and her body and cultivation level were insufficient to handle it.
So she watched in horror, praying things would work out as nned.
As the missile approached, arge ck object shot onto the roof. A split secondter, arge white streak cut across the air at a speed she couldn''tprehend and--
BOOOOOOOOOM!
--the warhead exploded.
While it detonated a thousand feet in the air, it wasn''t a normal missile. It was a strategic missilerge enough to take out the warehouse and beyond, destined to kill nearly 8,000 people.
When the Qi sh triggered the warhead, an orange light temporarily lit up the entire base before it got eaten by the ck miasma.
The mes spread downward, raining from the sky until they hit a thin golden barrier that the Shadow Cat erected around them when she fell from the sky.
It created a biblical disy as the mes licked the world around them like a blowtorch over a gold drinking ss.
While it ended only a momentter, perfectly contained, the damage was already done. Panic immediately exploded in the area, with soldiers and civilians rioting to escape the hellish area.
Chapter 207 General Peytons Soliloquy [Arc Finale]
"That man will not die a quick death." Evalyn dered coldly, unleashing a portion of her cultivation base when she heard the missile.
THUD! Thud! Thud! Thud, thud, thud.....
A thousand soldiers dropped to the ground simultaneously, suffocating.
The Ice General acted preemptively to prevent even one person from moving.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
All the soldiers and civilians immediately panicked when they heard the missile go off, but they couldn''t move, groaning under the Qi pressure.
"That was your cowardly general trying to kill you and everyone outside!" Evalyn dered coldly, spreading anxiety through the room, "You''re alive because we''re protecting you. However, that will change if you move or flee.
You''re under [fear] of death and [threat] of death; choose whether to stay still or run wisely."
--
"This is Romeo." A female said over the receiver, "Awaiting your orders."
Aaron gritted his teeth, watching the area devolve into chaos. While he didn''t want to kill people needlessly, thousands of panicked soldiers with guns were trying to flee.
The only thing preventing a serious riot was the pitch-ck darkness. Due to the inability to see, soldiers couldn''t run in a straight line and got boxed in by walls of soldiers who had fallen.
Unfortunately, that also meant people were trampling over piled up people, creating death pits.
More importantly, the darkness created a lethal problem.
Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatat!
Countless soldiers shot their guns in the air to temporarily light their way. While they were shooting up--
Ratatat!
"AGahhHHHhhHHhhH!" A soldier screamed, hit in the back by three bullets.
--people were tripping over each other while shooting, leading to friendly fire.
"Romeo, fix snipers on soldiers shooting guns." Aaron ordered.
"Understood." The female soldiers said, cutting the connection.
Ratatat! Ratata! Rata--
Boom! ... CRaaaCK! Thud.
Ratatatata--
Boom! CRACK! Thud.
Ratat! Rata--
Boom! CraaaACK! Thud.
"Snipers!" A male soldier yelled in panic, hearing bodies falling.
"AghhHHhhHHhhhHhhHH!"
A stampede of people crashed through the area.
"Oscar, Papa, Quebec, soldiers are approaching the south wall." Aaron said somberly, "Give one warning, then cull the ranks. Give a second warning and repeat; do not take chances."
"Understood."
"Order received."
"Yes, sir."
"THIS IS IMMORTAL SKYE!" A woman yelled, "STOP MOVING! PEOPLE WILL DIE UNTIL YOU COMPLY!"
Shock spread through the darkness, with many people stopping, frozen in fear. However, other people screamed in panic and ran faster.
Shihihihihihir! Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Silenced shots cut through the air, impacting the soldiers they hit heavily.
"I REPEAT, THIS IS IMMORTAL SKYE!" She yelled, "STOP MOVING! PEOPLE WILL DIE UNTIL YOU COMPLY!"
***
Riley watched thest civilians leave the warehouse with a pounding heart. Her team was almost ready to take control. "Listen up, soldiers!"
The Lainwright soldiers turned to the redhead, confused why someone would yell in the presence of the demonic blonde until the redhead''s team raised their rifles.
Everyone immediately connected the recent meeting with bitter expressions, realizing the operation had been nned since her meeting at Immortal Skye.
"When Ice General Skye leaves this room, nothing will change." Riley announced, "Immortal Skye is protecting us from missiles and is leaving two people behind to protect the room."
"Two soldiers?" A female soldier cried, "You took our guns, and thousands are outside with theirs. How are two--"
Another pressure wave assaulted everyone when two soldiers walked to the room''s center, stealing people''s breaths.
"My name is Second Lieutenant Rom." A blonde named Alisa announced coldly.
"I''m Second Lieutenant Briggs." A ck-haired man named Liam followed, gazing at everyone with sharp brown eyes.
All the soldiers were stunned that Immortal Skye''s [lowest-level] soldiers had enough cultivation pressure to drop hundreds of soldiers just by walking near them!
"We are here to protect you." Liam said coldly, "If peoplee here to harm you, we will kill them. However, if you move, we will kill you."
Silence met his words. Everyone was shocked to hear that second lieutenants were filling the boots of the demonic blonde ring at them coldly.
"Be warned." Evalyn said, capturing everyone''s attention, "While we have a skilled cultivator stopping ballistic missiles, these soldiers are not them.
Those toys in their hands represent theirck of experience. If you try to overrun them with numbers, they will drop those toys and kill you with cultivation techniques. I assure you...."
The Ice General turned to the ice wall, reflecting orange light from the ice des above like a disco ball, with an ominous smile. "Soldiers will die whether they''re guilty or not.
So I suggest you keep the rowdy soldiers in check if you don''t want to die."
Icy chills crawled down everyone''s spines after they heard her statement, watching the soldiers looking at them coldly.
"With that, I will take my leave." Evalyn smiled, walking to the hole in the wall calmly.
"Do you have an ETA on returning?" Riley asked soberly.
"I do not." The Ice General replied, stopping in ce, "I will return after I find General Peyton."
-
"This is Sierra; there is movement in the westmunication tower." A male voice said through her earpiece, "I repeat, this is Sierra; there is movement in the westmunication tower."
-
Evalyn touched her ear and turned to the redhead with a rxed smile that chilled everyone to the bone. "It seems that I''ll be back sooner than anticipated."
***
General Peyton took deep breaths, staring at a metal door leading into the military base with a rapidly beating heart.
He opened it a moment prior but immediately closed it when ck smoke entered the room, eating the light.
"W-What the fuck is this witchcraft!?" The brown-haired man slurred, stumbling backward. He reeked of whiskey, wearing his day''s activities like cologne. "This is that cat bitch''s doing, I know it!"
Once the pitch-ck miasma reached an area, it remained ck afterward as if it were erasing the world itself. However, it faded thirty seconds after shutting the door, restoring the world around him and proving it was an illusion.
"That s-selfish fucking brat." General Peyton scoffed, letting his back crash against the wall, "With his techniques, he could have saved everyone! EVERYONE!
All my men! Their families! The goddamn country, maybe!
But he let them die! He let them all die because he''s selfish! Now he''s turned my men against me and will kill me? Hah!
What a joke.
They''ll probably praise him, won''t they? They''ll praise the selfish brat that could''ve saved everyone but let their general, family, friends,rades, and fucking pets die!
Hah! Haha hahaha!"
The generalughed with madness in his eyes, closing them after to deal with the spins.
"Well, you win, you... you... MURDERER!" He yelled,ughing after, "But you won''t g-get... get everything you want, YA HEAR!?"
General Peyton unholstered his pistol and snaked it in his hand, spinning it aimlessly, barrel angled toward him. "I won''t give you ev~erything you want, you narcissistic FREAK!
I''ll kill myself before I g-give you such... an honor. You HEAR ME, Kaze Lexicon!?"
CrrreeeeeaACkKkckkkkckkkckkkc!
The man stopped his drunken soliloquy when he heard a horrifying crackling sound beside him. He turned to the door but realized it came from the opposite side. "What, how is that...."
He stopped talking when he saw dry-ice fog descending the four-flight staircase to the top control room.
Crunch!... Crunch!...
"That''s true." A hypnotic voice said, echoing off the ice spreading across the wall, "Kaze Lexicon will not be killing you tonight."
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
"However, you''re wrong about killing yourself." She rified smilingly, "I''m the fortunate person with that role, but that''ll have to wait until your victims can see your face.
But don''t worry, we can still enjoy ourselves, General Peyton."
Crunch!... Crunch!...
"W-Who the fuck are you!?" General Peyton demanded angrily, pointing his gun at the staircase, waiting for her to hit the bottom flight of stairs. "Tell me!"
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
"My name is Evalyn Meadow Skye." Evalyn announced maically, "I''m sure you know who I am, yes?"
Crunch!... Crunch!...
"I-I don''t have any problem with you!" He yelled back in shock, "This is between m-me and Lexicon!"
...Crunch!
The Ice General stopped for a moment, making his heart stop with her movements, hoping she wouldn''t walk further. However--
"Oh, but I have a problem with you, General." Evalyn smiled.
...Crunch!
--She continued walking almost immediately after, stopping only to give him slight hope.
Crunch!... Crunch!...
"W-What did I do to you!?" He asked arrogantly, hearing her voice reverberate the second flight of stairs.
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
"Your soldiers killed my mother." Evalyn said chillingly, making his fight-or-flight response trigger into overdrive.
He immediately ran to the door and opened it but stared into the abyss outside and felt greater terror than from inside.
Crunch!... Crunch!...
The ck miasma ate away at his clothing, painting every part of him it touched pitch-ck. He panicked and grabbed the door.
SLAM!
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
"Then you ordered your soldiers to kill my people''s mothers." Evalyn smiled, listening to him panic as she walked slowly.
Crunch!... Crunch!...
"And just shot a missile to kill their mothers again." She added amusedly, "That was just a few minutes ago."
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
General Peyton panicked and pointed his gun at the staircase as a ck figure entered his blurry field of vision. "S-Stop walking, or I''ll shoot!"
Crunch!... Crunch!...
"I was there all those times." Evalyn smiled ominously, walking into focus, "So you tried to kill me three times, too."
Bang!
The general shot his revolver at the blonde, watching her in blurry slow motion.
"Four times." The Ice General chuckled in amusement, casually dodging the bullet.
...Crunch!
General Peyton panicked and aimed again, pulling the trigger rapidly.
Bang! Bang-bang-bang!
"Five, six-seven-eight...." Evalyn said in amusement, moving her body an inch at a time to dodge the bullets, "Nine."
Bang!
His eyes widened in shock when she called hisst shot before he fired. The psychological impact sent his brain burning in overdrive.
...Crunch!
Crunch!... Crunch!...
...Crunch!
General Peyton looked at the smiling blonde, freezing the world everywhere her foot touched in horror. Her ominous smile told him she wasn''t nning to hold him on trial until his execution.
Terrorized, he put the revolver to his head, closed his eyes quickly, and pulled the trigger.
Click.
His eyes opened in horror.
Click! Click! Click!
"I counted the number of times you tried to kill me, General." Evalyn smiled sinisterly, watching him panic, "You added six a moment ago."
An icy chill crawled down his spine when he remembered he was using a revolver.
"Go ahead." She said amusedly, "Reload your pistol; I''ll wait."
General Peyton swallowed nervously, trembling in fear. He reached into his pocket under her burrowing gaze and fished out a handful of bullets.
Thud! Thud-thud-thud!
Evalyn smiled mockingly, watching the drunk man drop to the tile floor to pick up golden shells, shaking. "Don''t worry, General; I''m patient."
He nodded and opened the chamber, loading the bullets. "I-I just--"
"ShhhHHhhhHhhHhhHhh~" She shushed hypnotically, her index over her lips.
General Peyton felt greater fear, hearing her voice reverberate off the ss-like ice behind her. It created an eerie atmosphere. "R-Right...."
He swallowed again, nearly out of saliva from the repeated reflex.
Chink!
After he put the chamber back into the gun, he considered aiming the gun at her but knew better. So he put the gun back to his head.
General Peyton considered sayingst words but could see her encouraging him yfully like he was a child leaving for their first day at school.
After a deep breath, he put the gun to his temple and took a deep breath.
BOOOOOM!
"AGahhHHHhhHHhhHh!" General Peyton screamed in pain, dropping to his knees and looking at his hand, bleeding profusely. It was missing its index, middle finger, and thumb.
"Too drunk to even feel the ice in the barrel." Evalyn chuckled ominously, looking at the twisted gun on the ground, "I feel like this scene perfectly captures you in life and death."
"Y-You''re just as...." General Peyton stuttered, holding his trembling wrist in shock, "You''re just... you''re just as bad as HE IS! YOU''RE A MONSTER!"
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." The Ice Generalughed as she slowly approached, "I''m worse, General Peyton. So much worse."
Hearing her words, the man felt waves of anxiety crash through him. "W-Worse...? W-Worse... worse...."
"Oh, yes, General." She smiled, looking at him with piercing blue eyes, "See, Kaze Lexicon is a skilled man who would know exactly what to do right now to maximize the social, emotional, and political impact of your death. He''d know whether torture was eptable or whether a trial was best."
General Peyton shuddered, hearing her words and implicit statement as she dropped to her haunches to face him. "W-What...."
"I''m not skilled in political matters." Evalyn smiled sinisterly, "So you can look forward to me giving you what you deserve."
Chapter 208 USE~ME
"KaaaaAAY~AzzZZehH~!" A woman screamed in pleasure, whipping her short brte hair back as she puffed out her chest, showing off her lower C-cup breasts. "I can''t st-stop cuUmmEEing~!"
"If stopping is what you seek, you need only slow your hips until they stop." Kaze replied hypnotically, watching the cheerleader bouncing on him passionately, "Though I''d rmend you don''t stoppletely."
"N-No...." Kylie stuttered, "D-Don''t joke, aAhhHHh! Round.... H-How do you do this!? I''m riding [you], so how does it feel LYE~Kke th~is! C-Cultivation!?"
He closed his eyes in amusement and felt his cock in her body. Kaze flexed it abruptly during a downward motion, flicking it against her clitoris.
"AYEiiieh!" She squeaked, crashing chest first into his body.
"Subtle motions make the difference so long as you''re listening." Kaze whispered in her ear, sliding his fingers down her sides until he grabbed her small bubble butt in his hands. She shuddered when she felt his hands wrapping around her.
"Yes, please." Kylie whispered back mindlessly.
"Sex is like music." He asserted with a charming tone, "And an orgasm is a scale. You should never be off key."
"I like music." She smiled, half-brain-dead and victorious.
"Hoh?" Kaze mused with a yful smile, "What type of orgasm would you like to heare out of your mouth?"
"Deep." Kylie sighed with a wide smile, "Profound. Slow, but feeling like it''s stealing your soOOohuUuhhHHhLL~!"
Her eyes rolled to the back of her skull when he lifted her ass at a certain angle and thrust down slowly, instantly giving her what she requested as if he had it on standby.
"Keh-Kek-KaAYHhhhZeeZZzzE~!" The brte screamed in rapture, experiencing multiple orgasms as he lifted and lowered her body.
Kylie stopped moving, letting him take over, lifting and lowering her. Every time he did, she felt a wave of orgasms ripple through her body like he was ying her like an ordion. "HOW~!? You''re n-not even CULTivaAY~Ting~!"
Every time his cock slid into her pussy, she felt like she was going down a pleasure slide of ecstasy.
-
Marilyn walked down the hall in a ck suit and heels, ssy as always. When she heard her cosmic orgasm ying out in the room, she took a sharp breath.
While Evalyn may feel slight jealousy, a kaleidoscope of memories of theirst sexual experience yed out in her head over and over again.
The brte closed her eyes, trying to control herself. However, the rolling orgasms were ceaseless, primal, andcking pause. Not a single stroke or motion didn''t add to it, foregoing any break.
Her heart pounded, and she looked down the hall.
Unlike thevish Exclusive, the central mansion, increasingly referred to as [The Pce], was a residential mansion. So, contrary to expectations, Kaze''s room was the size of an apartment living room, and five near-equally-sized rooms were in the right corridor.
On the left back side was Crux''s room, which she rarely used. The one to the right was Kaze''s private study. As for the one on the left, it was an unupied guest bedroom.
Marilyn looked at the door to the room with a strained expression, her heart pulsing. "Kaze, I''m entering the room next to yours."
-
"KaAYHhhhHhhHHhhhHhhaAYZzzZeeZZzzE~!" Kylie shrieked [off-key] in ecstasy, letting her breasts bounce up and down without a second thought.
-
The ex-flight attendant got her answer and confidently moved to the room without further deliberation.
She carefully opened the door, listening to the rhymic orgasms as she walked inside.
There was a near-identical poster bed on the wall facing the master bedroom, patiently calling to her.
Marilyn looked at the bed as if it were salvation, kicking off her heels and walking to the bed with a thumping heart. She couldn''t take it.
Shey down on the bed, nearly hyperventting from the sexual pressure.
-
"KayYZeE!~" Kylie squeaked, feeling his hard cock ram in her pussy, provoking her soul, "W-What cAh~nN I do for y-you?
TELL ME, KAY~yzZe~! A-Anything! I''ll do ANyThing!"
Kaze smiled mischievously and pulled her body down to his, opening his mouth, putting the tip of her ear in his mouth, and sucking.
"KaaaaAAY~AzzZZehH~!" The brte shrieked, overpowered by the acting, "U-USE ME, KAZE! Do what you WANT with MiiEE~!"
-
Marilyn''s eyes rolled to the back of her head when she touched her thigh. She was so wet that she couldn''t handle it. "No... I can''t....."
It took everything in her power not to ask Kaze''s power to please her. If she did that, she''d be screaming in pleasure alongside Kylie!
She was lying on the bed with her white shirt half-unbuttoned, exposing a whitece bra. Her skirt was hiked up, exposing her matching full-backedce panties, soaking.
Marilyn was inching toward her pussy, trying her best not to scream in pleasure.
The brte took a deep breath and bit her lip hard, allowing her to make it past the pleasure as she moved her right hand to the top of her panties and inserted them.
-
"USE ME, KAZE!" Kylie screamed, "Bite me, pierce me, lick me, pull my hair, abuse me, neglect me, scream at me, scratch me, rail me, cum in my hair, make me swallow, drop me to my knees, bend me over, make demands, give it to me gentle, torture me, propose, do whatever you want, just USE~ME!"
-
Marilyn moved her finger down her hips until she reached her lips, pressing slightly.
"MmmnNnnhHn~!" The brte moaned, twisting her body back and forth, trying to keep her moaning down, "Kaze...."
After gaining her sanity and biting her lip, she pressed down again, pressing the pad of her ring finger against her clitoris. "AH~!"
Marilyn shot out her hand in frustration, grabbed a blue pillow from the bed, and smashed it against her face as she suppressed it again. "AhHHhhHh~!"
-
Kaze closed his eyes and listened to Marilyn with a warm smile, imagining her pleasing herself. He enjoyed the thought as much as he enjoyed Kylie bouncing on him.
He loved nothing more than seeing women in the throughs of pleasure, and the woman riding him was eightyers deep in the depths of lunacy.
Kylie licked her fingers slowly to preupy her body as he lifted and dropped her body, controlling her mindpletely.
Nothing mattered to her.
The brte was lost in a pleasure wondend, experiencing an enlightenment of sorts.
In her state, she would do anything and everything for Kaze Lexicon--and love it.
No shame.
No hesitation.
Anything.
Kylie looked at him with the freakiest expression. She would do anything for him and wanted him to do [everything] to her.
Thest time they had sex, she wanted to dom and feel like she was in control. However, she learned, much like Evalyn, she didn''t know what she wanted.
Now that she had tasted what it was like to be a sub with someone who knew how to make a woman scream with pleasure, she was begging for it.
"P-PLeeAeeasE~Eh~" Kylie cried wildly, mouth open and leaning back, "SHOCK ME~! T-Twist my MiiEYnDeh~"
-
Marilyn lifted the pillow and took a deep breath. She hadn''t breathed in almost a minute, holding back her pleasure.
The sheets were as wet as her thighs, and her bra straps slid off her shoulders while rocking, allowing her to pull the cups down and expose her sensitive nipples. "MmNmn~ahhHH~"
Her chest rose and fell during the experience, feeling unbelievably intense.
The brte was shocked that she could feel so much pleasure without Kaze. However, she also knew that the pleasure she felt was driven by her memories, remembering her experiences with him.
She stayed with Kaze the night before, and he made her feel like a woman for six hours straight. It was hard to think about anything else since.
-
"Are you sure you want me to [shock] you?" Kaze challenged, "I can do so with innumerable methods, but be careful of what you wish for."
"K-KayY~Ze~" Kylie gasped, pulling her index finger out of her mouth, "PLeeeaAseE~I... I-I''m b-begging You to Use... me.... I-I NEED it a-and my mind cAN''T HANDLE HALF-ASSED USIiiiIIEEEing~!"
"If that is what you wish, then so it shall be." He replied charmingly, touching her abdomen.
"T-THay~Nk Yo--" Her expression melted when she felt the Qi flow into her body, making all her muscles rx. While it was the opposite of [shocking], she enjoyed the feeling.
Kaze smiled at her pleasure-filled expression lifting her body as usual but higher than before.
Kylie enjoyed the feeling of him lifting her slowly, letting him control her. While they had been in that position for fifteen minutes, he kept lifting until he was out of her bodypletely. "W-Wait... why?"
The brte felt her stomach drop when he left her body without a final climax. While he was only out of her body for a moment, it felt like an eternity.
So she was relieved to feel her body go back down. However, things didn''t go as expected, and her eyes couldn''t get wider when he reentered her body.
"KaAYHhhhHhhHHhhhHhhaAYZzzZeeZZzzE~!" Kylie screamed, closing her eyes as tightly as she moved to hisp.
Chapter 209 Ram It In!
[Reminder: If you don''t read it, it didn''t happen. If you don''t know what''s going down, reread the concluding lines of thest chapter. If you still don''t know--how strange. Feel free to stick around and say: oh... ;) Enjoy, everyone!]
-
Kylie was sexually pleased beyond expression and wanted to give back to Kaze however she could butcked the necessary skill.
However, she became obsessed with the idea of him using her for his desires without concern for her. It simultaneously filled her with a twisted sense of pleasure and made her feel like a giver.
It was a perfect fantasy.
As a result, in the five minutes leading to the present, Kylie had asked Kaze to do just about everything she could think of to her. Good, bad, twisted, illegal, and taboo.
Her obsession became unbearable as she rode him, feeling him enter her body repeatedly at the perfect angle to y her pleasure channels like piano chords.
Between the pleasure and her mental state, she forgot above giving and begged him to fulfill her fantasy. It was unbearable, so she felt her heart sink when he pulled out of her body.
However, her eyes lit up in relief a momentter when she felt his tip touch her body. However, things didn''t go as expected.
Before Kylie could question what was happening or back out, he slid his entire ten-inch cock up her ass in one motion. "KaAYHhhhHhhHHhhhHhhaAYZzzZeeZZzzE~!"
The ass is a muscle, so the pain of anal sex primarilyes from pushing a penis in when the consenting person is subconsciously yet passionately flexing their ass to keep it out!
Kaze''s technique rxed all the muscles in her lower body to remove that problem, then casually slid his cock into her ass as if it were only natural.
Kylie had never.
Never.
Never felt ANYTHING like having arge rod rammed into her ass out of the blue.
Shocked?
Yeah, she was shocked.
One could confidently say that Kaze followed her instructions masterfully, hitting a double bullseye, getting a triple ten, and taking home gold.
Did she like it? Well--
"WhHahaaaAAhhHhaaAAHHHhhHHhhHaaahhatTtt IS ThisSs~!" Kylie screamed, her eyes snapping open and closed as Kaze lifted her and down on his shaft.
--she had no idea.
-
Marilyn''s eyes shot open in confusion, wondering how Kylie''s wonderful melodic moaning from the orgasms turned into a shrill pterodactyl screech.
She also couldn''t figure out whether the woman was enjoying it either!
It sounded... ufortable.
Clearly, whatever Kaze was doing to her was not the pleasurable experience she expected. Moreover--
-
"STooOOoahHHhhhHHPEH~!" Kylie screeched, "NoOOoooOhHHh! PLEASE DON''T! I M-MEAN, DooOOhhHHhnnNNN''T ST-STOooHHhP, I MEAN, AHHhhHHHhhHHIEEYYeeEh~!"
-
--the brte was begging up a symphony to persuade him to stop but screaming in panic for him not to stop after each one.
Ask to stop. Ram. Squeal. Beg to continue. Repeat.
Marilyn couldn''t understand why Kaze was so adamant that she created a safe word during each session until that moment. Now it was all she could think about!
-
"KaAYAHhhhHhhHHHhhhHHHhhhHHh~!" Kylie screamed as he lifted her legs and spun her around like a top.
When she was in a reverse cowgirl position, he rolled her to the side, putting her on her hands and knees.
The brte''s shaky arms gave out when she touched the bed and copsed face-first into the mattress pillow, giving up on life and surrendering to her fate, whatever it may be.
-
Marilyn''s heart pounded, listening to the strange submission and eptance from the other room. "What... is he doing to her?"
Whatever he was doing was clearly not [bad], and the lewd and twisted begging brte wasn''tining. It seemed more like she was at the gym, strained but satisfied.
The mystery made Marilyn want to know. A momentter, she got her answer--
-
Kaze ran his fingers down the brte''s back yfully, mounted on her, swiveling to maximize the mind-bending sensation without thrusting. "I expect you''ve been plenty shocked, yes? Do you wish to continue?"
"JuHST RaMMmeh IT in MY AHHhhhHSSsssssSSSssSSss, KAaaaZZzeEh~!" Kylie screamed into the pillow, "D-DON''T HOooOOOLD BAHhhhCCK~"
"Your wish is mymand." He grinned, pulling back nine inches to the tip, making her eyes widen in horror.
"W-WH-WHAYYIEEeeHhhhHHHhHHHhhHHhhHHHHIEEAHT~!" She screeched when he didn''t hold back, ramming his cock in her ass--as requested.
-
Marilyn''s eyes widened, getting her answer. He abruptly switched to anal sex!
The brte couldn''t even imagine! She refused anal sex entirely for the same reason that most people did--she didn''t want to have something shoved up her tiny asshole, least of all a ten-inch throbbing anaconda that swallowed people''s sanity!
However--
"Even~that." Marilyn said sharply, using her left hand to reach within whitece bra cups and grabbing her nipples, "He makes me even want that...."
She bit her lip in confusion, listening to the brte thrashing around like a wild animal, screaming esoteric demands between moans. "I wish that was--"
-
Kaze''s eyes lit up in delight when he felt his technique activating next door. So he nearly pulled his thick rod out of her ass and--
"KaAYHhhhHhhHHhhhHhhaAYZzzZeeZZzzE~!" Kylie abruptly screamed in overwhelming pleasure.
--rammed it back in without mercy.
-
Marilyn''s eyes widened in shock when she identally wished for Kaze to please her, and Soul Qi shot from her heart to her ass, activating all her pleasure channels simultaneously. "KaAYHhhhZeeZZzzE~!"
-
Kaze smiled in satisfaction, listening to them both scream his name from anal pleasure in sync.
Marilyn shoved the pillow on her face and rolled over, arching her ass, offering it to the open air. "KaAYAHhhhHhhHHHhhhHHHhhhHHh~!"
While her voice was heavily muffled, she was still loud and clear in Kaze''s room. However, the brte barely heard the woman because--
"Fuh~CK m-m-my AHHhhhHSSsssssSSSssSSss~!" Kylie screamed, feeling him pounding her mercilessly, "KaAYHhhhZeeZZzzE~!"
--she was moaning loudly andcked the capacity to care about anything but the baton in her ass.
Kaze smiled, listening to the two like beautiful melodies, matching their tempo in a duel. "It seems that Marilyn is concerned about being loud; pity."
[Longing Embrace] connected to the thoughts and desires of the woman he attached it to. As his partner and assistant tried to keep it down, the technique made quick work of her body and sanity.
-
"K-KaZZehHHh~" Marilyn screamed into the pillow, "F-Finish me, K-KazZee...."
-
"As you wish, love." Kaze whispered, closing his eyes and envisioning Kylie''s soul body, pure ck, for almost an hour. His body radiated a blue light and hers pink, dancing together, "You wished to be shocked, yes? Well, the greatest shock has yet toe~."
Kylie''s body was melting with his soul, making her feelfortable pleasure. However, on his statement, her eyes shot open.
The idea that there would be something more shocking than what she experienced was a gruesome thought! However--
"OH, FUCK~YES!" She screamed in a deep voice, multiple octaves lower than normal, "GIVE IT TO ME, RAW!"
"I would never give a woman a less-than-pure experience." Kaze dered with a grin, pulling his body back as Yang Qi circted.
The world stood still for both women as [Longing Embrace] awaited Kylie to scream to finish off Marilyn, and the former was preparing to destroy her vocal cords.
"FUuuUUUuhhhHhhhHHUUCKKkkKKkK MEEIIIeEEE~!" Kylie screamed when she went zero to sixty toward a full climax instantly, sending Yang Qi flowing through her body.
"TAYehHhhEehHHhheEHMmMME MEeeH~" Marilyn screamed in overwhelming pleasure, rolling on the soaking wet bed.
After thirty seconds of overwhelming screeching and howling by both women, Kaze came like a gushing river in Kylie''s ass, and both women both climaxed--badly.
Not like women with Stage 4 hypothermia.
Like dying horses.
Both hit the bed, convulsing and twitching as they seized, legs spasming despite their limp and lifeless upper bodies.
They looked like Kaze stabbed an ice pick into their medu oblongatas, and their automatic movement function went haywire, making them flop around.
The foam pouring out of their mouth was also indicative of arsenic poisoning.
No matter how someone looked at it, the scene was pretty damning. If Marilyn and Kylie weren''t moaning in ecstasy, muttering sweet nothings into the abyss, a casual observer was liable to use Kaze of foul y--and get murdered for real.
Kaze smiled, looking at Kylie''s sweaty body, slowly pulling his dick out of her ass and yfully smacking her right cheek with a golden glowing hand.
"Not... all the way..." Kylie begged, taking a deep breath as the internal tearing healed, "I want to walk but would like slight difort to remember this... for as long as possible... ideally life...."
He nodded, and his left hand glowed red.
Smack!
"GuhHhhh~" She moaned, feeling the healing slightly reverse after he pped her left ass cheek, "Thank you...."
"It was my pleasure." Kaze smiled, overlooking her body in satisfaction.
"I wish that... this couldst forever...." Kylie moaned.
"Surely you wouldn''t like that." He chuckled in amusement,ying on his back beside her.
"No... us...." She smiled with a crazed face, "I wish I were more than just another booty call to you."
Kaze turned to her with earnest green eyes. "Then devote yourself to me forever, and you will rarely want for anything."
Kylie''s eyes trembled when she heard his words and saw his honest gaze. "Are you being serious?"
"So long as you ept a selfish man who refuses to bind himself to monogamy but asks it of his women--for life--then yes." He said with a charming smile, "I''m being serious."
Her eyes widened, and she burst into giggles. "You''re shameless."
"That I am." Kaze confirmed maically, "Do you disapprove?"
"Of course I do!" Kylie giggled yfully, "But if that''s all I have to deal with to have a life of overwhelming pleasure, power, and charm, I think I can handle it. If you''re serious, I ept."
He touched her chin gently and moved his lips toward hers romantically--
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Hey, Floozy Whisperer!" A sharp female voice snapped from the other side of his door, "It only takes a hand motion to silence an rm clock. So did you need to wake Immortal Skye on full st and not hit the snooze button once!?"
--
[A/N: Fashionablyte--ahem! The uing bonus chapter is courtesy of Summoning Pen Man! Cue superhero music.
Unless it''s multiple people, in which case, the chapter is dropping courtesy of the Pen Summoning Cult! Cue self-lighting candles.
Well, it''s likely Summoning Pen and his Pen Summoning Cultists. I''ve noticed small increases, in addition to the pens going up by 120 abruptly and then 100+ again a couple of dayster. So I''m going with 95% from the same person (or two people), but other awesome people joined the fun.
Look, everyone. Little things like that make my day, and I smile whenever I see the pens increase. It makes me feel good knowing people are excited.
So thank you. While I''m not resetting the pen count, please note that I keep track of them and am receptive to people''s excitement. Thank you, everyone!]
Chapter 210 Mr. Lewd, The Licentious And Lascivious Lusty-Mc.-Lust Lecher
Kylie''s face turned beet red when she heard the womanining about how loud she was during their raging sex session. "T-This is so embarrassing! How will I face people in public now."
"You''re my woman, Kylie." Kaze scoffed breathlessly, rolling his eyes, "The only emotion people will feel toward you is envy, and no one will dare express it."
She felt overwhelming emotions when he called her his woman and gave her a wink, making her feel confident. However, as her overflowing emotions began summoning powerful, chemically-driven words
"Did you just call another woman YOUR WOMAN!?" The fiery teen in the hallway screamed, "Evalyn''s been gone for eighteen hours tops, and you''ve already imed another woman like she was drafted and sent overseas!?"
Kaze rolled his eyes, threw on his boxers, a muscle shirt, and some shorts, walked to the door, and opened it.
A petite pink-haired teen withyered ck roots stood in the hallway, wearing a ck shirt and leggings, tapping her foot with her arms crossed.
When she saw him, her eyes glittered in excitement before she saw his mocking smile, which instantly reversed her excitement and made her shudder. However, she transitioned back into [displeased mode] to counter his expression a split secondter.
The emotional shifting happened in a single fluid transition within a single second. It was surreal to watch.
"Hoh?" Kaze smiled mercilessly, ncing at her forced, assertive bodynguage, "Since I''m spending eternity together with Evalyn, I didn''t think you''d be so adverse to polygamy."
Kiera blushed to the tip of her ears and turned away. She didn''t dare look at him, treating him like a vicious animal, deciding whether it wanted to eat her. "Why wouldn''t I feel adverse to it?"
He looked down at the gym clothing he only wore when she spent the night and then returned his gaze with a mocking smile. "Need I answer that question?"
Her face scrunched in, hearing him unterally dere she wanted to be his partner, but she lost steam when she saw his mocking expression. She knew he was right, but still
The ng riddler turned to the mortified, professionally-dresseddy she was holding hostage in the hall, then to the brte in the room, who hid her face under the covers when she got seen.
Lastly, she made eye contact with Kaze, gazing at him with her sharp, golden hazel eyes.
"Even if I was slightly okay, but still frustrated and dissatisfied with your willingness to have [two] partners." Kiera prefaced, swallowing nervously.
"Oddly specific." Kaze interjected charmingly.
The teen turned beet red and gave him a murderous re, feeling a raging desire to hit him.
"Do you think." She growled, gritting her teeth through the embarrassment, "It''s okay to mate like a rabbit the moment [wifey one] left to risk her life?"
"Evalyn calledst night to inform me that she sessfully seized Lainwright Military Base without any of our people dying." Kaze replied charmingly, "I waited to mate until [after] the confirmation.
She did far better than I anticipated, by the way. As expected, she seeded without casualties, but to think that she''d limit enemy casualties to 2% and"
"Kaze!" Kiera snapped, hearing him praise his general with a dreamy smile, "That''s not important!"
"Do you not find that phenomenal?" He asked mockingly, "She even spared General Peyton, albeit ufortably, so all our people could bear witness to his execution. That''s praise worthy, is it not?"
"Sex, Kaze." She growled under her breath, "Pussy plowing. Hormone tweaking. Clit whispering.
We''re not talking about how much you love wifey one. We''re talking about you double dicknotizing a sado-maso-psycho and your assistant like this mansion''s a flooze cruise."
"Cor~rect." Kaze smiled mockingly, "We just got to the part where you''re okay with polygamy if it''s convenient and hiding your desire for me not to sleep with other women by debasing my personality as insensitive and uncaring to my main partner. Have we gotten off track?"
Kiera flushed red and felt a raging desire to crawl into a hole and die. She nced at the giggling Kylie murderously, shutting the brte down instantly, and then at the mortified assistant, standing in the corner in shame. "You know this isn''t right, Kazey."
"All things are permissible with consent and undisguisedmunication." Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes at the pouting woman, "No one canin about what they agreed upon."
"What type of low-grade justification is that?" The teenughed in amazement, "If women love you, they will agree to almost anything, even if they hate it. Obviously."
"If they [love] me?" He scoffed in disbelief, "I have always been a shameless,scivious man who openly proims his unabashed licentiousness while unting his lustful, lecherous ways.
Pray tell, Kiera. How might a woman love [me] without epting the boundless plethora of L-headed words that characterize [me]?"
"Begrudgingly." Kiera whispered with trembling eyes, feeling the desire to cry.
Kaze was right about his behavior and her feelings, she knew that, and she was the person being rude. Moreover, she was a hypocrite, embracing his "unfaithfulness" to sleep in his bed and hoping to assume the title [wifey two].
Still! His openness about his behavior made it [good], her hypocrisy didn''t change that, and she didn''t feel any less hurt every time he slept with a woman!
A warm, soothing [light-green] light washed over the hallway, simultaneously easing Keira''s emotional turmoil and Marilyn''s difort.
The pink-haired teen looked up when a finger lifted her chin. "Wha."
"While some bonds are stronger than others, I ept anyone willing to dedicate their life to me as their partner; Evalyn knows this." Kaze said hypnotically, gazing into her eyes, "That doesn''t change how I feel about any woman."
Her eyes trembled, looking into his gentle, charming green eyes.
"Nothing has changed, Kiera." He smiled, "My and Evalyn''s, and your and my rtionship are not affected by Marilyn or Kylie being my partners.
While Crux is not here, you''re wee to stay over whenever you wish, including tonight.
So you needn''t concern yourself with such baseless apprehensions. I''m never leaving you behind."
Kiera opened and closed her mouth multiple times, trying to find the words to say. When she finally found some, she took a deep breath and
SLAP!
decisively pped Kaze in the face.
"Lady assistant is also your partner!?" Kiera snapped in disbelief, "Just how busy have you been, Mr. Lewd, The Licentious and Liscvious Lusty-Mc.-Lust Lecher!?
Does Evalyn also know you''re a Libertine in addition to being a Libidinous Ladies'' man? Because I sure as fuck didn''t!"
After sarcastically riddling off all the socio-sexual L-words in her shockingly vast lexicon, she stomped down the hall under Kaze''s watchful gaze.
When she got to the stairs, the fiery teen turned around with a powerful pose.
"You better not even THINK of having sex with me tonight!" Kylie demanded loudly, "We''re sleeping clothed and tonic as always!"
Kaze smiled in amusement, touching his abdomen and giving a subtle bow that said, [as you wish, My Lady].
The charming motion made her blush, infuriating her for breaking her concentration.
"And don''t think cake will make me forgive you!" Kiera yelled, taking her first step down the staircase, "Because it won''t, so don''t waste your time!
Just take the [L] and feel [L]ucky I [L]ike you and decided to [L]et you [L]ive."
Kaze watched her in amusement, touching his cheek with a strange smile, confusing his partners. They couldn''t believe he let her steamroll him and then smile and bow like a simp!
"Was that okay?" Marilyn asked in disbelief, "I didn''t imagine you''d let anyone do that to you."
"Usually, no." He smiled mysteriously, "However, Kiera loves me with near-destructive passion, and I''ve returned her feelings.
Immediately epting other women would be the coldest and cruelest thing she could do to me."
Chapter 211 The Scavengers
"Tell me, Lady Harrington." Kaze smiled, overlooking a group of Immortals in amusement. Twenty stood in a line, and a man and woman walked to each, talking and writing down information in notebooks. "What are you having your greed puppets procure on their first outing?"
"I''m ady?" Sage mused, turning to him with a charming smile, "It''s hard to believe the word [director] after ourst night together, let alone a designation that implies dignity."
"So long as one''s preferences are neither criminal nor taboo, and their acts do not transcend into the real world, their sexual activities cannot blemish their dignity." He smirked, turning to her, "Since you still haven''t enough power to blend fantasy and reality, you remain ady yet."
The redhead smiled widely as sheprehended his words, frowned when she understood them, and then giggled at the absurdity. "You''d call me ady while asserting I''ll cease to be one soon?"
"If I subverted women based upon personal spections, I''d be as barbaric as the uncouth swine festering the Mortal ne." Kaze smiled maically, "Since I refuse to stoop so low, I shall use your proper title, no matter how short-lived my efforts may prove."
"Well, if that''s the case, Sir Lexicon, I''ll answer your question with dignity and grace." Sage said, curtseying in her tight business skirt, "We doth scour the Earth to acquire drugs for our sullen people."
"Hoh?" He smiled in amusement, "Dost thou seeketh opium to cure the masses or drink to uplift them from the throws of despair?"
"Both, you nerd." The redhead scoffed, unconvinced the man was a geek at one point, "We''re scavenging for narcotics for medical use and alcohol to sell to Club Quinn and Kat''s Casino.
Since both need alcohol and can''t obtain it on time, we''ll provide itand exploit their fool-hearted ambition mercilessly."
Buying alcohol is a minor factor for a business like a bar or a club. The businesses needed to advertise their services and get sses, chairs, decorations, and music set up.
However, the businesses [required] alcohol. Since they needed it and couldn''t get it themselves, they would buy it at exorbitant prices they couldn''t earn backor fail outright.
Since Sage had an alcohol monopoly, she nned to sell it at the maximum amount possible.
The redhead''s tone indicated that she had already written off Club Quinn and Kat''s Casino as bankrupt. That''s what she meant by [merciless].
"You mean Rick and Hayley will exploit them mercilessly." Kaze smirked derisively, looking at the two people talking to the twenty Immortals standing in a straight line.
"Correct." Sage smiled, "You wouldn''t want people thinking their government is bankrupting start-ups and price gouging and profiting off its people, would you?"
Trantion: I''m a government official bankrupting our people. It''d be bad if people knew, yes?
"That ship has sailed, has it not?" He scoffed in disgust, "You''re listed as the sole owner of the Scavengers; how I don''t want to know."
Trantion: I''m not sure how you convinced them to set aside the start-up money from the auction and risk their reputations to work for [your business], but it sounds scandal-worthy.
"Aren''t you the least bit worried about political corruption?" She questioned seriously.
"Not in the slightest." Kaze replied with a sinister smirk, "You run a critical industry. That means you''re the person [I''ll be exploiting] mercilessly."
"Hoh?" Sage asked, raising her eyebrows in amusement, "The libertarian speaks of government intervention fluently before the economy starts?"
"I''m but a humble businessman, Lady Harrington." Kaze replied hypnotically, straight-faced, "I know you''ll ept any degree of exploitation lest I nationalize your industry, so I''m exploiting that. I''m sure you understand."
Trantion: If you try to abuse Immortal Skye, I''ll seize yourpany and pay you what I wish. So don''t fuck with me, or I''ll do to you what you''re doing to Rick and Hayley of the Scavengers.
The redhead scoffed and turned away in genuine annoyance. "You''d threaten economy-wide regtions like a political gangster?"
"Oh, no, no." The emperor chuckled, locking eyes with her, "I guarantee exclusive economic ruin as a benevolent dictator."
"Did you feel the need to say that explicitly?" Sage asked in vexation.
"You pointed out the link between my government and private industry." He smiled with gruesome mockery, "So I just thought I''d return the favor."
"I see, I see." She conceded in amusement, turning and looking at the Scavengers, "Well, it''s about time that we talk to our people."
The emperor smiled and walked with her to the redhead''s business puppets.
"Hello, Emperor!" Rick eximed with a million-dor smile. He was a good-looking man with long-straight hair he tied in a ponytail. "I don''t believe we''ve got a chance to speak individually; I''m Rick Measley."
"Kaze Lexicon." Kaze smiled, shaking the friendly man''s hand, and turning to the woman. She was a brte with shoulder-de-length straight hair and a no-nonsense expression. "And you''re Hayley Musk."
Hayley''s eyes widened in surprise for a split second before she remembered he was at the auction and also ran the economynaturally, he would know her by name. "Hayley Musk."
The emperor smiled, seeing she wasn''t attempting further discussion like Rick, trying to jump in at the first chance.
Sage smiled, watching the two of them. One was her puppet, and the other was a sacrificethey just didn''t know it. "Are you ready for your first run?"
Rick turned to the Immortals, standing in the summer sun with a proud expression. "I don''t know, are you all ready to make some money!?"
Most of the mercenariesex-special forces soldiersnodded silently, standing straight. However, there was one person ecstatic to get going.
"Let''s go make us some muuuuuuh~NEIGH!" Larkin yelled, shimmying his shoulders in a light jig, making the non-military Immortals burst intoughter.
Rick chuckled awkwardly, turning to the emperor with a slightly-apologetic expression. "We''re paying rather generously, you see. So everyone''s excited."
Kaze smiled and shook his head. "This is fine; Larkin is a valued member of Immortal Skye. So I''m certain he''ll help you if morale is evercking."
The Immortals burst intoughter when Larkin fist-pumped both arms twice, then flexed his new-and-improved cultivation-toned biceps with a grin.
Hayley cringed, wishing she could murder the Lockheed student and their pets. She wanted to get moving, but her blonde-haired partner insisted they wait to see if Kaze wanted a word.
His insistence paid off. While the emperor only approached because Sage was near them, he still showed up to meet them face-to-face.
"Well, off you go." Kaze smiled, "I look forward to seeing your progress, as you''ll be busy running food orders after the Underground Bizarre''s grand opening."
Rick and Hayley were both ecstatic to hear he would give him considerable business. However, Sage frowned inwardly, knowing he wasn''t joking when he said he nned to exploit them mercilessly.
It was already summer, and if the starvation destroyed the fall harvest crops beyond Kaze''s rmendation, they would rely upon stockpiled supplies and scavenged food for well over ten thousand people.
They would run out of stockpiled food by October with the influx of soldiers and families to Immortal Skye and Lainwright military base, now a [state] under their rule.
At present, there wasn''t enough wild game to feed over ten thousand people, and fishing was far more dangerous than it appeared.
As a result, he would be relying upon the Scavengers heavily. While it wasn''t [usually] wise to put such a critical industry into a person like Sage''s hands, he needed someone ruthlesslypetent to keep it running.
Despite their name, the Immortals were still mortals and would die from copsing businesses, Qi-mutated animals, and getting overrun by thousands of cultivation-enhanced zombies.
They would still die on missions, and convincing people to sacrifice their life for their country was difficult. It was much easier to create private mercenaries who died for money, unrted to the state.
Therefore, Kaze subsidized Immortals wanting to start mercenary scavenging businesses for the Underground Bizarre.
Sage was the first to pick up on the need and subsidization when she heard about the auction and exploited her first mover advantage. Thus, the Scavengers were born.
"Where are you off to, Emperor?" Sage asked as he walked away after seeing off the mercenaries.
"I''m meeting up with Immortals who know how to work with boats." Kaze turned to her with a strange smile, "We have a date with cultivator-fish-infested waters."
The redhead''s eyes widened in shock. "Cultivator fish?"
"Surely you don''t think that humans are the only people who have been affected by Qi, do you?" He mused, walking away.
The redhead was left baffled and shuddering, listening to the woods around her and realizing there were no birds, something very eerie in retrospect.
"Hunting must have been popr for thest month due to starvation and Qi must have killed the birds." Sage whispered, "But the marine life that survived in the ocean nope! That is not my problem."
Chapter 212 Land And Sea
"Ummm... sir?" A nervous brown-haired man called out.
"Speak your mind openly if your question or viewpoint is relevant." Kaze scoffed breathlessly, annoyed at the man''s timidity, "While caution is always advisable, timidity has never provided value to this world."
"Okay...." The man swallowed, more nervous after the rebuke, "It''s just... why are we just standing here? The boat is over there...."
"I''m also... confused about that." A brte soldier with a full-sleeve tattoo said, "I''d feel a lot morefortable on the boat."
They were all hovering 50 feet above slightly choppy waters in the middle of the ocean.
A few miles from them was a mid-sizedmercial fishing boat used for catching cod and tuna. It was a white boat with an orange bottom, slightly rusted on the sides, floating aimlessly at sea.
The reason that they''d rather be on the boat--
"Hoh?" Kaze mused, turning to the woman and then the man, "You two would rather be on the boat than fly?"
Both winced and looked down at the swords they were standing on. It was hard for them to consider themselves [flying]!
--they stood on archaic weapons, using them to surf in the air, above the ocean, a weapon fifty miles from shore, and had no control over them.
The emperor chuckled, looking at their faces in amusement. He couldn''t fault them for being skeptical or afraid. Still, he couldn''t let the two down.
Under their watchful gaze, he flicked his finger above his palm.
Whooooooosh!
A dramatic gush of wind shot across the earth, ruffling everyone''s hair. They looked down and saw the emperor had sent out an overpowered wind de, and his hand barely got cut!
"W-What are you doing, sir?" The brown-haired man asked in confusion.
Kaze waved his hand over his palm, and the blood radiated with vivid golden light, making it look royal. "I''ve made our friends a snack."
"Our... friends...." The soldier said, watching the blood on his hand create a sphere and then fall to the ocean below them.
Ssh.
The Immortals heard the strange ssh from the blood, looking down at the water below in a trance.
FLASH!
Both shielded their eyes as the water illuminated for half a mile in all directions, radiating from the small blood sphere.
"Wh-Wh-What the fu-fuck is THAT!?" She gasped, grabbing onto the emperor''s shoulder, "I-I MEAN THIS!?"
"This or that, which is it?" Kazeughed breathlessly, hearing her boldck of artiction.
"Those!" The female soldier trembled, "Take your pick on which!"
"Oooooh." He smiled yfully, "So multiple [that]s, making [those]. But you''re also asking about the situation, making it [this]."
"Y-YES!" She cried, unamused. Her legs were trembling on the sword, as was the man, who was dead silent, trying his best not to move, fearful of falling.
When the ocean was illuminated with radiant light, they could seerge ck spots under the fishing boat rushing to the light sphere.
Meanwhile, dozens of small dots under the water grew in size.
And then kept growing.
"Those... are sharks." Kaze smiled in amusement.
? As if his words were a cue, two bull sharks half the size of orca whales stopped swimming and attacked each other, turning the ocean red. [1]
The blood only aggravated the situation--a shiver of nurse sharks the size of tiger sharks swam into the area, eating the losing bull shark in a feeding frenzy, taking a chunk, and then swimming away. [2]
"Hmmm, looks like we should get higher." Kaze grinned, raising all of them abruptly and moving backward.
SPLASH!
A massive geyser shot into the air where they just were, following a great white shark, now the size of an orca whale, shot into the air, eating five of the sharks simultaneously.
During the confusion, the golden light from the sphere temporarily disappeared when a shark swallowed it. However--
Ssh!
--water spurted when its body exploded, sending red water everywhere.
"SHARKS!?" The woman yelled aggressively, "THOSE THINGS ARE DINOSAURS!"
The great white ate the golden sphere, turning the golden water dark again, leaving nothing but red waters bubbling below. It was bone-chillingly eerie.
"It certainly seems that way." Kaze chuckled in amusement, "However, I assure you, those are regr sharks.
For thest month, the oceans have circted Elemental Qi. Just as the earth has be a ce where only the strong survive, the ocean also has.
However, animals tend to grow in size because they eat Soul Qi and do not have a body constitution blueprint to direct the energy.
So the marine life that adapted well grew exponentially and ate a lot of food. As you can see, the ocean is a lot less peaceful than it once was."
Eating Soul Qi-enhanced meat was the fastest and most effective way to heal and grow as cultivators, both in muscles and mental capacity.
However, Soul Qi-enhanced meat is rare, and its effect is exponential. While all meat has Soul Qi, the meat of predators that eat carnivores is exponentially higher for obvious reasons.
And the ocean became a breeding ground for such predators.
For a time, aggressive fish attacked each other, eating abundant meat. Countless smaller carnivores grew in size and then fought against other fish of the same size.
It immediately became a bloodbath of predators eating predators en masse, creating the scene ying out.
Both Immortals shuddered, with the woman clinging onto the emperor''s white t-shirt without fail.
"Thank you for letting me satiate my curiosity." Kaze smiled derisively, "You still look ufortable on those swords; would you like to get on the boat now?"
"NO!" The woman cried, gripping him, "I didn''t sign up f-for this."
"This job is ssified as hazardous with an offer of 50 RP and 2,000 Skye." Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes, "What does the word hazardous mean to you? A normalmercial fishing day pre-apocalypse?"
Both winced at his words, realizing their arrogance in doing the job was grossly misced.
"I-I wish that you didn''t show me that...." The man swallowed nervously, "I don''t think you''d let us die. So I''d rather be blissfully ignorant."
"You still are blissfully ignorant." The emperor chuckled mockingly, "While you''ve been living in mansions, the rest of the world has seen this first-hand.
That''s why I felt it was best to remind you that you''re privileged and not invincible. That way, you won''t ept jobs haphazardly again."
They turned away in shame, feeling guilty and grateful simultaneously.
"Nowe; I will not let you die." Kaze smiled, "So ovee your weakness, face the new world, and get paidvishly."
Both gave their merciless emperor pleading eyes, begging him not to make them. Unfortunately, he didn''t listen as he flew everyone above the boat.
Before he lowered onto the ship, he cut his hand and created another blood sphere, only ten times the size, making both Immortals watch in horror.
"I''m creating this to distract all of the marine life for ten miles." Kaze grinned with madness flickering in his eyes, "You know what will happen when I send this into the water, yes?"
The two dry-swallowed and nodded hesitantly.
"Then can I assume you''ll listen to my instructions not to look back as you pilot the boat back to shore?" He mused.
They nodded with the fluidity of rusty cogs.
"Excellent." Kaze smiled ominously, "Well then. For your sake, I hope you can follow orders."
***
The emperor watched the ocean as the two removed the dead fishermen and clipped a massive chain he brought in his spatial ring to the ship.
Then he grabbed it with them on the boat, preparing to pull it back to shore.
Once he got the green light, the blood sphere in his hands radiated with vibrant golden light, and he threw it with surreal force into a spatial rift, shooting it out from a rift 2,000 feet above them into the distant ocean.
Itnded in the water ten miles away from them, but he could still see the water below the boat clear as day.
Tens of thousands.
There were thousands of monster-sized under the water, jutting to the Soul Qi ball he sent out.
Thousands of monster-sized creatures in a small space looked like millions.
It was a terrifying sight.
Kaze gazed at the scene with a strange smile before turning and pulling the chain, moving the boat abruptly and scaring the Immortals. "I hope you don''t look back. It is a century too soon for anyone to handle such a sight."
***
Kiera looked down the right hall of the third floor of the central mansion with a rapidly pounding heart. "This will be the first time... we''re alone."
The thought took her breath away, and memories shed into her mind of screaming women getting ravished by his pleasurable techniques.
"No... he wouldn''t use those sex techniques on me...." She whispered to herself, trying to pump herself up.
"That''s a rather presumptuous thing to say." A hypnotic voice called behind her, making her jump and turn around, "I will most certainly use those techniques on you; granted, of course, you wish me to."
Kiera''s heart pulsed violently, seeing him climb the stairs with the charming smile she was obsessed with.
--
[A/N: [1] Orca whales are around 30 feet (9 m) long and 1.5x the height of great white sharks, which are ~23 feet (7 m) long. However! Remember volume! While they seemparable, great white sharks are 1,500 - 2,400 lbs vs. 6,600 - 8,800 for orcas... ;). Bull sharks are usually 290 lbs, and nurse sharks are 130 lbs. #perspective
[2] A group of sharks is called a [shiver]. :D]
Chapter 213 100% Yin Qi
Kiera''s heart pulsed, and her vision blurred when Kaze said he''d dual cultivate with her. Like most virgins, she knew it was true in concept but didn''t think about it until it was explicitly on the table. "I hey!"
Her face heated up when she thought about it nkly for a few seconds before noticing him gazing at her patiently. She didn''t like thatbecause she was supposed to be mad!
"Don''t go offerin'' things like I''ve forgiven you!" She huffed, crossing her arms, "Your behavior disgusts me."
Kaze gazed at her with a strange smile. "Come now; I''m the same person today as I was when you met me. So why must you feign disdain? Doing that will only poison your desires."
"There you go again, Lothario." Kiera huffed, turning haughtily, "You''re acting like I''m obsessed with hey! What sketchy technique are you using to ogle me, skeppyarts!?"
Following her teacher''s example, she used Minor Vision around the clock. As a result, she could see Kaze was doing something, but not what.
"Sketchy?" Kaze scoffed with a ridiculing smile, "I was examining your meridians to see your Yin to Yang Qi ratio."
Kiera''s eyes glided to the left and right like a pendulum, trying to remember whether she had learned about that. However, she hadn''t because she didn''t dual cultivate with him!
"What is this ratio, and why does it matter?" Kiera asked in frustration.
"When I met you, your ratio said you were disgusted with men." Kaze chuckled yfully, "Now, well I''m the only man you spend time with and your Yin Qi ratio says you''re not disgusted by me."
The pink-haired teen was quick on the uptake and turned beet red. "Wait! Are you saying there''s a technique to figure out whether someone''s gay or bi-sexual?"
"No, there''s no way to do that." He smiled in amusement, making her sigh a breath of relief, "However"
Her heart pulsed, and her mind became hazy after his reversal.
"there is a technique to see which gender a person is attracted to."
"I''ve never kissed anyone before, and I don''t love men or women, I promise!" Kiera dered in a panic, trying to run after. However, her room was in the basement, and he was on the stairs!
The ng riddler prepared to jump off the third story since it wouldn''t damage her but didn''t because it''d damage the tile, always reminding her of the most awkward experience imaginable.
"Forgive me, but I don''t understand what you''re trying tomunicate." Kaze smiled sinisterly.
"[Pure], Kazey!" Kiera cried, looking to the left and right for alternate escape paths, "Zero-day, uncut, off the vine, unblemished, untouched, pure! Not once not ever!"
"If you''re talking about sex, I can see that too." He said calmly, cutting her anxiety in half. However, that anxiety was out of control. "You''re a 100% straight virgin.
Would you like me to help you calm down?"
"PLEASE!" She begged, willing to ept the problem for emotional salvation.
Kaze waved his hand over her head, and her body radiated in green light.
"Oh, sweet, sweet baby Jesus." Kiera gasped, closing her eyes with a smile, "Please let me work for this technique, nights, weekends, life-threatening jobs, whatever. Take a kidneyI beg you.
The one you taught us calms me down by like not-nearly-enough percent for ten seconds."
"I''ll teach you as soon as possible." He said somberly, "However, without my memory condition, learning this technique before the Celestial Realm will cause irreparable damage to your brain.
Soul Qi cannot fix non-physical problems, and Spirit Qi cannot fix that which is personal."
Hyperthymesia required Kaze to intake and retain everything they experienced for life. So in-taking vast sums of information did not affect him like it would others.
She blinked twice in disbelief. "What realm is that at?"
"Paragon." Kaze smiled nonchntly.
"The fuck is [paragon], bro?" The ng riddler scoffed in disbelief, calm and therefore regrly expressive, "Didn''t Sketchy Sacred destroy the mountain?"
"Why yes; yes, it did." He chuckled in amusement, watching her mind knot and pop in real time, "And it was at one-fourth power due to Qi scarcity.
A paragon-grade offensive technique could destroy this continent with this level of fortification. So, rejoice knowing there is Qi scarcity."
"Are you kidding me?" Kiera cried in disbelief, "What type of triple-nuclear-winter-grade shit do you have in that mental of yours!?
I knew you were a dangerous jerk, but I didn''t think you could bully the world!"
Kazeughed breathlessly, tonguing his canine while shaking his head. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"Obviously not." She sighed,cking anxiety, "Well, since we''re here, not-really-a-bombshell-now-is-it-but-hey what the hell, SUPRISE! I like you, jerk.
You know, I know, we know, whatevs. Just don''t let it go to your head. Immortal Skye is a flooze cruise; I''m sure you can keep''em limp for one of your crushes."
The pink-haired crossed her arms around her chest and turned, pouting. She felt so vulnerable it was painful; it was barely manageable because he grounded her emotions beforehand.
"I return your feelings." Kaze smiled gently, walking past her and continuing down the hall, "And then some. Unless I''m misinterpreting the term, love is a bit deeper than a ''crush.''"
"Yeah, yeah." Kiera scoffed, rolling her eyes, "You''ll ept the feelings of any woman who WAIT! What did you just say!?"
She turned in a panic and ran down the hall after him. "Wait up! You can''t just drop a bombshell and then walk to your bedroom like that!"
"Must you chastise me when I''m still here to confirm, rify, or certify my statement?" Kazeugh-scoffed, waving his hand and walking through a spatial rift to his room.
Kiera froze when he walked through the rift, extremely anxious about following him without permission.
Click.
The ng riddler turned to the right and found the door to his bedroom open, with Kaze staring at her.
He moved his gaze to the spatial rift, then back to her dryly. "You have two options to enter if you wish to enter this space."
She looked between the options three times before turning bright red and walking to the door in shame.
"I''m d that you made it here alright." Kaze smiled amusedly.
Kiera huffed at his mocking and stormed to the closet, grabbed her silk pajamas off a hanger, and walked into the master bedroom. Before she entered, she turned to him. "Bombshell; we''re talking about this!"
"What''s there to talk about?" He asked with charming sarcasm, "I love you. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have spare outfits and pajamas in my closet, yes?
As I''m sure you''re aware, I''m not a person known for casual sleepovers."
The pink-haired teen''s face heated up slowly like a thermometer as she looked at the pajamas and then at the closet. "I."
SLAM!
"That woman." Kaze smiled amusedly, mentally reying her escape as he changed into the athletic sleep-wear he wore exclusively for her, "At least she''s not also violent like Isabelle."
Perfectly urate memories of her crippling Mitch Mann''s cultivation by bending the Qi of his attack and blowing his arms off and the recounts of Kiera''s actions during the fifth influx shed across his mind.
"Not that violent yet." He chuckled bitterly, "As long as she doesn''t attack my partners seriously. Why must so much goode at such a price?"
After considering the situation, he shrugged, rxedly lying on his bed, "I suppose I can''tpare to either of them, can I? I uprooted the Tree of Immortality after Isabelle."
Kaze took a deep breath andpartmentalized the memories and thoughts in his mind, making them disappear instantly.
Suppressing memories on demand wasn''t a byproduct of a personality disorder or a quest for denialit was a requirement.
Hyperthymesia makes [forgive and forget] impossible and over-correcting simple, making it hard to develop rtionships. It also makes information overload easy and reliving traumatic memories in perfect detail possible.
Therefore, he needed systems, mental discipline, andpartmentalization training to deal with it. It was a pain but great whenever he needed to push topics out of the way. However
Click.
"Kazey." Kiera swallowed nervously, "Who''s Isabe?"
Chapter 214 Isabella
"Is Isabe the person that I remind you of?" Kiera asked, narrowing her question.
Kaze closed his eyes and took a deep breath, snapping back to the topic he tried suppressing. "No, Isabe is someone you are [simr to] from long ago.
I loved her for the same reasons I love you. I don''t love you because you [remind me] of her. So please don''t let your anxiety insult my feelings."
Kiera puffed out her cheeks when he brazenly dered she''d ask if he loved her because of Isabelle. However, she smiled wryly because she would have and was grateful he had addressed it, so she didn''t have to.
Kaze pulled the covers out as she stood awkwardly, brazenly asserting that she was anxious about lying downshe was grateful about that, too.
After she reached the bed, her partner watched her get into bed with excruciating timidity, exasperating him. So, without warning, he picked her up by her waist, dropping her beside him and tickling her.
"KHAYAhAZehHhahhhHahahahhhHhhahah!" Kiera cried, rolling back and forth, smacking him in the face, "SHahahhahahahHhaAhHhahH-TOP! I''m a GROWN ASS woman! Hahaha!"
Tears streamed down her eyes for a few seconds until he stopped,ying back on the bed, leaving her giggling like a madness-stricken hyena.
"You lookfy now; how excellent." Kaze smiled amusedly, "I was worried you had nerve damage in your limbs, so I was checking thoroughly for your health, of course."
The ng riddler turned to him with a full pout but burst intoughter again. She couldn''t remember thest time sheughed so much.
Kaze put his arm down on the pillow, and she crawled to it,ughing at herughing until she was lying on his shoulder.
Kiera had never crawled into his arms. However, she had woken up like that plenty of times, so being there felt strangelyfortableand hrious.
"I hahaha... always thought that... hahahaha!" Sheughed, "I ended up like this because you hahatched onto me hahaha like a body pillow haha in your sleep hahahahaha!"
The ng riddler wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him closely. Laughing too hard to care about her actions and toofortable to feel anxiety about them.
"Kaze, I hahahaYOU KNOW! YOU fucking hahahaha know." Kiera cried, moving her right arm around his neck, "You know haha."
"I know what?" Kaze asked, smiling gently, brushing pink and ck hair out of her eyes.
"What do you mean, [I know what]?" She asked in a burly meathead voice beforeughing again, "I hahaha I haha I."
Herughing abruptly stopped, feeling her anxiety returning while trying to answer the question. However, her eyes widened when a short yet subtle burst of Forced Tranquility washed over her,ncing her anxiety instantly.
It was so clean, precise, and meticulously pinpointed that it was absurd! Devastatingly absurd!
"THAT was some SKILL, bro haha." Kieraughed, "I''m over here trying to have a panic attack haha and you were like, [NO PANIC FOR YOU! Begone, anxiety!], cue explosive punch gif! Haha hahahahaha!"
Kaze searched his memory, looking for [begone] gifs, and found a great variety that made him frown but then smile because his ng riddler was dying over them. He thought about how much he used to love memes and realized that her reaction made sense.
So he just smiled and ran his fingers through her hair as sheughed to tears, clutching his neck.
"I was going haha to say hahahaha." Kiera giggled, "That hah that haha that fuck me, I FUCKING LOVE YOU!"
Her eyes widened in horror when she said it, and she looked up to see if she should run. However, when she saw Kaze''s gentle gaze that said, [yeah, literally everyone knows], she burst intoughter again.
"I love you too, Kiera." Kaze chuckled in amusement, "So just keep that mindset for the next hundred thousand years by my side and this moment will be perfect."
Kiera''s eyes trembled at his obscene timeline. However, when she realized it''d take a hundred thousand years to make the current moment perfect, she burst intoughter again.
She reveled in the moment, getting hugged by the person she loved to a fault. It always made her day to wake up in Kaze''s arms; now, she was living it while she was awake. "Kazey?"
"Hmmm?" He hummed, addressing her.
"You said that haha you loved me for the same reasons you loved Bell." Kiera prefaced, "Why did you love her?"
Kaze''s heart pulsed when he heard her say the name [Bell]. However, he knew she was just one to chop, screw, and smash words together by default, so he smiled. "Must you ask? If you just ask [why do you love me], I will answer you without reservation."
"I''m d that you would answer me so easily." She smiled strangely, "It''s just that I''ve only just met you, but it sounds like you knew her for a long time. So, I''d like to hear about her."
He took a deep breath and reflected on his past partner, trying to find the words to say.
"Bell''s love for me was intense." Kaze chuckled in amusement, "She would do just about anything for me whether I wanted her to do it or not. Frequently when I didn''t want her to do anything."
"Frequently?" Kiera giggled in amusement.
"Fre-quent-ly." He scoffed breathlessly in bitter yet reminiscent amazement, "I remember a man named Marquise Bloom became enraged when he learned that I had slept with his new partner years prior, and he couldn''t please her after."
The fiery teen smiled wryly, hearing him talk about another woman. However, she giggled lightly, thinking back on that morning. "Well~yeah. It''s hard to imagine anyone can top Bach, hitting eight octaves of orgasms in one sesh.
Unless they''re pre~ty talented and willing to go the extra miledown butchne. Grenade jumpers have a better chance at scoring in general."
Kaze smiled at her savage statement, which still managed topliment him.
There are ten octaves in the human range of hearing, and she said that he made Kylie sing eight, which would make herpete with the female with the highest vocal range in history.
However, she insinuated that Kaze could have hit all ten but would''ve needed to sleep with a woman who had a deeper voice than a chain-smoking coal miner. So anyone with talent had the chance if they went the extra mile into big bertha territory.
"So what did he do?" She asked, seeing him at a loss for words.
"He went to the city, ndered my reputation, and decried my sexual services as foul y, preaching the cruelty of my inhumane techniques and saying that I was leading women into pleasure ruin." Kaze chuckled.
He wasn''t chuckling at what had happened. Instead, it was because
"What!?" Kiera snapped in outrage, "Douchenozzle couldn''t get his woman off, and that''s [your] fault!? And he tried to ruin your reputation for the whole city!?
Please tell me you ripped that man''s limbs off! Because if you haven''t, I''ll kill all the survivors in that city just to ensure he doesn''t make it!"
"And so." He grinned, "Bell, like you, dered that Marquise Bloom needed to be relieved of certain appendages."
The pink-haired teen''s eyes widened when she heard where the story was going and grinned. "Go~on. You had my curiosity; now, you have my attention."
"While I do not tolerate people raking my reputation through the muck with falsehoods, such amon perspective was great for advertising." Kaze frowned, seeing her excitement, clearly missing the point, "So I asked Bell not to start trouble.
It took a while to get her to agree not to pursue it, but she eventually dropped it."
"But she loved Kazey, so she didn''t let beta simp limper lie, did she?" Kiera giggled in amusement, nuzzling her head in his arm.
"If you dare to put it so eloquently, yes." He scoffed in exasperation, rolling his eyes that she chained a ng pejorative, an insult, and an innuendoall lexically falseinto a single statement.
She grinned and wrapped tighter around him, feeling good that he epted her "abhorrent"nguage, a sign of true love.
"I found twenty people waiting for me at my home that night." Kaze smiled in remembrance, "From their testimony, she dropped it but went to let Marquise know that I was magnanimous for dropping the issue.
Naturally, that sparked a conflict, so it didn''t get dropped."
Kiera grinned and giggled in amusement. "What a bad bitch."
He tried to frown, but couldn''t, so he continued smiling.
"The men showed up to make an example out of me for revenge, so they attacked me simultaneously." Kaze chuckled, watching her murderous grin turn to horror, hatred, and disbelief.
"You can''t be serious!" Kiera snapped, gritting her teeth, "I can''t believe those noobunching virgins would try to gang up on you! Were you strong enough to end them like you are now!?"
"I was not." He shook his head with a reminiscent smile, making her quiver, "However, I was stronger than each, individually.
So while I got seriously wounded, I stayed alive long enough for Bell to arrive."
"Wait." Kiera shivered, "Are you implying that Bell was stronger than [you]?"
"Back then, yes." Kaze smiled in amusement, "I''ve spent most my life surrounded by people stronger than myself.
After all, there can only be one [strongest] person, so it''s not that surprising, yes?"
"Logically, yes." She whispered, "But it''s still hard to imagine now. Still someone like me really saved someone like you?"
"Cor~rect." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "She destroyed my home and created 20 identical problems in five minutes, but, as you can see, I''m quite alive."
"While I think it''s cute." Kiera prefaced, her face scrunching up in conflict and confusion, "She caused you so much trouble, and you lost your home because she didn''t listen.
It was her fault you almost died, so why do you make it sound so positive?"
The ng riddler thought back to fighting Cher, Mark, and Mitch to protect Kaze''s honor with a wry smile. She caused him trouble and impacted his reputation, but he didn''t stop caring about her.
"Why?" Kaze scoffed in disbelief, "That woman made a dark example of twenty-one people for speaking ill of me in public.
If people cannot see the intrinsic value in such pure and unreserved love and loyalty, Ick the time and patience to change their mind."
Kiera''s eyes widened in bewilderment, hearing his exasperated deration that the fiery teen''s psychotic love was pure and valuable. "Does that mean that you''re okay with my love, too?"
"Nothing pleases me more." He nodded, making her eyes well with powerful emotions.
"Kaze." She said shyly, "Can."
Kaze rolled to his side, facing her on the bed with a maic expression. "You can do whatever you like or ask me to do what you wish."
"Kiss me." Kiera whispered, "Only that nothing"
Before she finished her statement, she felt his lips connect with hers smoothly.
Her body melted, sharing her first kiss with the person she loved most in the world. It made her body well with tion beyond anything she imagined possible.
Before she could wrap her mind around it, their kiss was over, leaving her wanting to continue indefinitely.
Kiera looked at Kaze''s dreamy gaze after their lips disconnected with trembling eyes. "Kaze kiss me again. No, I''m kissing you!"
Chapter 215 Not A Thirsty Garden Gadget
Kiera aggressively grabbed Kaze''s neck and awkwardly smashed her lips onto his.
He caught them skillfully, prying them open fluidly with his lips and pushing his tongue into her mouth.
Her eyes snapped open in surprise. However, when she felt how heavenly it felt, she melted and tried to keep pace with his guidance.
"Kaze...." Kiera gasped sharply, pulling away to breathe, "I want to be your woman. Officially."
"Commit yourself to me exclusively forever, and so it shall be." Kaze replied maically, "When you can fight safely, I will keep you by my side in times of danger and peace. I will never leave you."
Kiera''s heart exploded, and she hugged him tightly, pressing her sports bra-covered breasts against his chest. "I''m yours, only yours, forever."
"Then you are my woman." He smiled, lifting her chin gently and kissing her.
The firey teen didn''t think her emotions and sensory feelings could get more positive, pressing her body against him, feeling his tongue in her mouth. However, a thought shed across her mind, and she pulled back in overwhelming anxiety.
"If I''m your woman...." Kiera whispered with trembling eyes, "That means... we should... you know... have... Gah! Sex...."
She hid her eyes with her right hand, cringing at her embarrassing response.
"Why [should] we have sex?" Kaze mused, suppressing a desire to scoff.
He didn''t have sex with anyone that didn''t want to have sex with him at the exact moment sex was on the table. The general concept extended to all situations and philosophies, regardless of their context.
"You know, because...." Kiera swallowed nervously, "I''m just [one]... of your partners... and the others... please you."
"Sex is many things, Kiera." Heughed breathlessly, "A source of pleasure. An emotional expression. A respite for stress, and a faucet for relief.
It augments emotions and bonds lovers, providing fulfillment, desire, and purpose. It is often beneficial in miraculous ways."
Her eyes trembled under his assertive gaze, listening to his viewpoints in a trance.
"However, it is not, nor has it ever been, a requirement for a rtionship." Kaze asserted bluntly, "Otherwise, I wouldn''t spend every other night having tonic sleepovers, yes?"
Kiera''s eyes glittered, but she looked down with a wry smile a momentter. "That''s true, but maybe... if I were to please you well enough, you''d spend [all] your love on me... and Evalyn."
The fiery teen did not have delusions regarding his first partner. She knew that Kaze would murder anyone that harmed the Ice Phoenix--including her if necessary.
Evalyn Meadow Skye was non-negotiable.
Kiera London Snow hated that.
"Kiera, neither you nor Evalyn can change my ways." Kaze sighed, hearing her argument, "I''m five thousand years old, having lived a life reflecting the present for most of it.
However, it has worked out for [us], has it not?"
Kiera''s face flushed red to the tip of her ears, and she squirmed to get away, but he grabbed her waist and pulled her back to him. "UphuHhh~"
The impact made her grunt slightly, but her thigh went over his. As a result, she identally touched her clit against his leg, making her moan.
Kiera covered her mouth with both hands in embarrassment. "I don''t know what animal that sound belonged to, but it sounds angry. You should probably get dressed, go outside, and kill it, kay?"
Kaze smiled and brushed her hands away, looking into her mortified eyes. "You have a lot of pent-up sexual energy. You''re my woman now; if you seek release, you shouldn''t be ashamed to ask."
A hurricane of emotions, desires, and anxieties crashed into her simultaneously.
"Won''t you think I''m a hoe if I made a scene about you sleeping with people other than Evalyn and then put out same day?" Kiera asked, averting her gaze, "I don''t want you to see me as a thirsty garden gadget...."
Unlike the shockingly sane Marilyn, the fiery teen''s obsession with Kaze didn''t mean she''d do anything he wanted. It meant that she''d do anything she thought he needed.
If Kiera were his partner, being a [hoe] would damage his reputation and their overall happiness. She wouldn''t do that--that was the difference.
Kaze put his finger over her lips and shook his head. "Everyone knows you''re my woman; it was that way long before now, and now it''s official. Your words today won''t change that."
Kiera swallowed nervously and took a sharp breath, facing sex for the first time and nearing eptance. "Kaze... [do you] want... to have sex?"
He studied her nuanced expressions for a moment to confirm her statement.
"Of course I do." Kaze chuckled charmingly, "Why wouldn''t I want to please someone I love to the extent they deserve?"
Her mind felt jolts of electricity pass through it, making her shiver.
Kiera was about to lose her virginity. Just the thought sent icy chills of electricity crawling down her spine, leaving her near-paralyzed.
As she got carried away in the powerful anxiety, she closed her eyes and thought about the same thing over and over and over again.
It was something simple--yet powerful.
A mantra.
The first thing Kiera thought after she woke up and thest she thought before bed.
-
[Face the world for Kaze, for his life has purpose and mine has Kaze.]
-
Kiera formed the statement from his advice: if she needed something to live for--live for him.
Since then, she had developed immeasurable confidence to do anything and ovee most anxiety. It gave her salvation when she needed it most.
"Okay... will it hurt?" She asked nervously, gaining confidence.
"I won''t let anything hurt you." Kaze smiled charmingly, making her blush and triggering mania, rapidly imagining their entire life together as he protected her.
Their rtionship-rted psychosis was lost on both of them, perfectly showcasing the reason that he and Isabe had fallen in love nearly two millennia before.
"Then I''m yours." Kiera swallowed nervously, "I... don''t know what to do. So just... take it away."
Kaze smiled at her pun, reflected by her tone that said [let''s get started]. He was ceaselessly impressed by her mind, constantly thinking and twisting the world, even under pressure.
He lifted her chin, letting her close her eyes again before connecting their lips.
The pink and ck-haired ng riddler shivered in ecstasy, letting her anxiety melt away in the breathtaking sensations she was experiencing.
Kaze wrapped his hands around her waist and moved them into her silk pajamas, marking the first time they had ever had intimate contact.
Kiera gasped and opened her eyes, feeling ancing fear pulse through her body as he touched her lower back. However, she closed her eyes after he slowed down and felt his body against hers.
His fingers traced against her bare skin, giving her profound sensations.
Kaze was touching her.
Kaze was kissing her.
She was Kaze''s woman.
The concept melded with his touch, and soon her body becamefortable with him, making her more aggressive with kissing.
With the green light, he traced up her spine, letting his wrists lift her pajama shirt as he moved.
While it was a button-up shirt, he let her experience being exposed before unbuttoning her shirt.
Kiera was grateful for that, as feeling the shirt go up her midriff was nerve-racking. However, she feltfortable because he was being so gentle.
She took a deep breath, feeling his fingers reach the back strap of her sports bra.
Kaze was officially touching her body, kissing her passionately, and moving to take her virginity.
And she would let him.
Kiera pulled away from his mouth and blushed, averting her gaze. "Hold on for a moment...."
Kaze pulled away, as requested, and watched her shyly unbutton the pink mulberry silk pajama t-shirt slowly.
"Don''t watch; it''s embarrassing." Kiera said bashfully, bright red and nervous as she worked on the fourth button, exposing her cleavage.
"As you wish." Kaze replied with a hypnotic charm, turning.
"Well...!" She squeaked awkwardly, turning redder, "You can nce a little, but not too much."
Kaze''s obsession with explicit consent made him want to scoff and say, [what the hell does that mean, woman?]. However, he knew what she wanted--for him to be excited but not stare.
"As you wish." He replied maically, ncing at her chest as she unbuttoned the fifth button, exposing her perfectly-filled white sports bra with ck ents, and then turned away with a smile.
The charming action made her feel a rush of emotions as she continued moving down the line, exposing her rib cage and finally opening the shirt to the open air.
Kiera felt bare, exposed, and vulnerable. However, she repeated her mantra as she pulled the shirt off her shoulders, pulling out each arm. "I''m ready, Kaze... just... be gentle."
Kaze turned to the beautiful teen with positive anxiety trembling in her golden hazel eyes. Her body was petite yet refined, having C-cup breasts in a cute, white athletic sports bra he bought her.
Her divine physique was toned, leading to a perfect groove down the middle of her symmetrical stomach to her belly button above her pink silk pajama pants.
"I wouldn''t treat such a body with anything less than absolute care." Kaze said, grabbing her hands and slowly gliding him under his shirt.
Chapter 216 Gentle Sex
Kaze guided Kiera''s hands into his muscle shirt, pressing her thumbs against his abs and moving them up.
As she moved, he lowered his body to a kiss, allowing her to push higher and higher until his bare chest was on her sports bra, and his lips touched hers.
After a passionate kiss, he pulled backward skillfully, using her stationary arms to peel his shirt off, making her blush furiously.
Kiera looked at his chiseled body with wonder before he ced his chest back on her sports bra and kissed her, making her melt. "I love you Kaze...."
"I love you, too, Kiera." Kaze smiled, moving his hands up her sides and making her gasp. He moved his lips to her neck and kissed it.
"That tickles." Kiera giggled, squirming passionately.
"Do you disapprove?" He grinned, pulling his lips off.
"No, I like it." She smiled passionately, moving her fingers across his chest.
Kaze smiled and touched down on her neck again, making her gasp. He kissed lower and lower and lower until he kissed her corbone, making her shiver.
It was a critical point, and it made her feel immense anxiety. However--
"AhhHHhhH~w~what?" Kiera giggled with a bright smile, feeling his fingers move up her sides, awkwardly snaking around her pleasure channels instead of touching them, "What are you doing, Kaze!?"
"Making it impossible for you to feel anxiety; what else?" Kaze smiled devilishly.
"Wh-Wha? No!" She giggled, feeling him kiss under her corbone and then wave his fingers up her side.
Kiss.
Anxiety.
Fingers.
Giggle.
Repeat.
He listened to her desires and heartbeat, ying a melody of positive pleasure and panic. She was enjoying herself; the experience felt liberating and pure.
"Mhmn~" Kiera moaned when he touched his lips to her upper breast. While his lips tickled from the strange sensation on her neck, her breasts were extremely sensitive, making contact feel amazing, "I~like...."
Kaze grinned mischievously, watching her chest rise and fall as he moved to the top of her sports bra.
However, when he got there, he kissed the top of the fabric, making her squirm from the light pressure but not feel relief!
He removed his lips altogether, making her eyes snap open in inexpressible frustration. However, before she could sit up slightly to look at him--
"EIIAhhHHH~!" Kiera squealed, twisting and squirming when his lips touched below her rib cage.
The thing about breasts was that they were natural barriers to the area between her legs. Skipping that barrier made her heart nearly stop.
However, she didn''t ask him to stop. Instead, she squirmed, trying to control her mind as her hormones went haywire, fighting against her anxiety.
Kiss.
Kiss.
Kiss.
After kissing her pale belly button, always hidden except in the shower, he kissed her lower abdomen.
Kiera immediately suppressed the desire to scream, [Bro! Administer a nuttercut or nuke my clit or something, for fucks sake!], because she wanted him to get it over with, but she was also fearful of him doing it. So she awkwardly squirmed in painful anticipation. "Ehhiii~ehhH~!"
At that moment of intense, awkward energy, Kaze turned his wrists and pushed his hands within the back of her pajama bottoms.
"Ah~MmmNn~" Kiera bit her thumb when she felt his fingers glide down the outside of her panties, wrapping around her cheeks and squeezing. She leaned onto her back, putting her legs in the air to prevent undo pressure.
Counterstriking her every move, Kaze grabbed the silk in her pajama pants and pulled up, peeling them off her legs in a fluid motion, leaving her stunned.
Before even processing what happened, she was staring between her legs, looking at her cotton-rayon-blend, full-backed white panties, simple yet pure.
Kiera looked from her breasts to her panties, then Kaze''s chest, before moving in reverse, cycling through them again.
As her eyes made their way back up, she flushed red to the tip of her ears and covered her face, forcing herself not to close her legs.
Kaze smiled gently, letting his hands fall on either side of her, lowering his body between her legs.
Her body heated up when she felt it touching down between her thighs, and her embarrassment got overwhelmed by abrupt sexual desire.
She reached up in embarrassment and passion and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him onto her chest like a nket.
"Kiss me, Kaze!" Kiera cried, overloaded with sensations.
"As you wish." Kaze smiled, closing his eyes and pressing his lips against hers.
The fiery woman shuddered, feeling shivers of ecstasy wash over her as their lips and skin made contact.
Kiera wrapped her hands around his back passionately. It felt amazing to touch him; his every motion feltfortable, warm, and pleasurable.
"I love touching your skin...." She whispered after a kiss, "Please... take off my bra... I want to feel you against my chest."
Kaze kissed her and then effortlessly lifted her back while pulling the back strap, using his other hand to stretch the front so it barely made contact with her chest as it slipped off.
The ng riddler was left so stunned by how effortlessly he took off her bra that she didn''t notice her bare chest until--
"KaAaYZze~!" Keira gasped, turning her head and biting her lip when his chest touched her nipples. Her sexual desire skyrocketed to unimaginable heights instantly, "I...."
After the kiss, feeling skin contact, and finally getting a single second of relief, the fiery teen realized how much she wanted--no, needed--sexual relief.
She had built up so much tension sleeping next to Kaze every other night, always loving him, never expressing it.
Now she was his partner, had shared her first kiss, and had dedicated her mind and body to him. She wanted relief.
"Are you ready?" Kaze asked gently yet seriously, using a maic tone that drew out honesty without reservation.
"I-I...." Kiera swallowed nervously, "I''m not... but... I''ll never be ready. But I want it... and I''m ready to make the jump...."
She blushed bashfully, turning away with rosy cheeks.
He smiled, enjoying her endearing purity.
Kiera had unreserved emotions, unfilterednguage, and an untouched body. She was who she was, for better and worse, and was very simplistic on the outside despite being intricate within.
Kaze knew her personality type because of Isabe and quickly fell in love with her for her unique charms. Now, he was passionate about their experience.
He pushed himself onto his knees, between her legs, and ran his fingers down her stomach.
When he hit her waist, he skillfully grabbed the stic and pulled, lifting her legs and slowly pulling her simple white panties off her ass. They continued over her thighs until they reached her ankles, and he set them on the bed.
Kiera quivered, feeling goosebumps through her body when she realized she was naked. She never showed her body to anyone, and now the man she loved could see her fully.
However, Kaze smiled once he put the panties down, subtly ncing at Kiera''s perfectly tucked peach, clean-shaven as always, proof she was ready for him to call upon her.
After the subtle nce, he used one hand to lower his shorts and the other to help guide him onto her body again, kissing her.
"AhhhHhHh~" Kiera gasped, shivering in ecstasy, feeling his naked body between her legs and on her chest. She was too overloaded with sensations to feel anxious, "I want you...."
"I''m ready to give myself to you." Kaze whispered in her ear before kissing her neck, making her grip his back, "It will hurt only for a moment until it heals."
"That''s...." She whispered, taking a deep breath, "Okay.... I''m ready, Kaze. For you, only you... I want you inside me."
"And so it shall be." He whispered, biting her neck.
"AhHhhHH~!" Kiera cried, feeling the sharp sensation. While it wasn''t painful, the abrupt switch between pleasure and pain shocked her system.
As she was processing the information, she felt something press against her lips and push, making her heart nearly stop.
However, before she could feel anxiety about Kaze''s tip was inside her body.
When she felt it, a profound feeling of womanhood washed over her. She felt like she had crossed the threshold into another state of life.
Kiera felt strangely prideful of that moment, feeling his tip separating her lips and slowly entering her body.
All she could think of during that moment was that it was [Kaze] making her a woman.
"Ka~ze~" Kiera gasped, feeling him stop and wait for her consent, "I''m... ready."
Directly following her words, her mind twisted into surreal, abstract thoughts when she felt arge object slide into her body.
It was a strange, sharp sensation ripping her body but followed directly by healing, making the vicious hell she experienced for a split second feel like heaven.
Her mind temporarily froze between the feeling of contorting pain, intense pleasure and feeling a massive object enter her body. However, once her body waspletely healed--
"KaAYZzeeHEezeHhezZee~!" Kiera screamed, her trembling body creating a resounding vibrato in her voice. She gripped his back tightly, pressing him against her chest as hard as she could.
Kaze closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation. He didn''t think he would feel pleasure like he did with Evalyn with anyone else, but he felt it again with Kiera.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~!" She moaned loudly, feeling him pull his cock out of her to the tip slowly, giving her the maximum pleasure possible, "KaAYHhhhHhhHHhhhHhhaAYZzzZeeZZzzE~!"
Kiera screamed in overwhelming pleasure when he thrust forward again. She could feel him deep inside her, as if they had be one person, making her quiver and scream his name.
He closed his eyes and felt her heartbeat, listened to her breathing, and experienced every motion. Every second, experience and feeling made him feel deep pleasure.
It had only just urred to him that he rarely felt notable physical pleasure for millennia because his heart couldn''t love properly. So many had died or suffered grievously in the brutal environments of the upper nes.
In his past life, the moment someone walked into an upper ne, they were dead on arrival if anyone willed it. No one was safe; there was always someone stronger.
However, in this timeline, everyone was alive.
Evalyn.
Crux.
Isabelle.
Mira.
--Kiera.
Kaze had power, experience, and knowledge that would allow him to protect the people he loved from the moment he arrived.
He couldn''t guarantee their safety. However, he could reasonably protect them to a degree unimaginable by rational standards.
So he feltfortable loving. Like his partner, he didn''t feel pain or anxiety about rtionships at the moment, so he enjoyed the sensations washing over his body, humming with pleasure.
"Ahhhh~ah~" Keira gasped, feeling his emotional backstroke, "KAY~yzZe~!"
She wrapped her arms around his back and held his body against her breasts,paring his strong heartbeat to hers. "I~LOVE~YOU!"
It took excessive concentration, but she managed to clearly say the words on her mind, screaming to fight against the loud pleasure drowning out the world around her.
Kaze thrust deep into her body, pressing his body on her chest to get into her ear. "I love you, too, Kiera."
"K-KaYZee~!" Kiera gasped, feeling him thrust hypnotically, reading her mind and keeping pace, using her pleasure against her.
She had never imagined anything could feel so amazing, but she wasn''t surprised that Kaze was the one that could bring her such a feeling.
Despite not using dual cultivation techniques, he hit every point with pleasure potential and left no gaps.
Kaze followed Keira from start to end, listening to her asks and answering her, making her gasp and w at his back.
For another ten minutes, they made love passionately until she couldn''t take it any longer.
"Keh-Kek-KaAYHhhhZeeZZzzE~!" Keira screamed, arching her back, pressing her sweaty chest against his, "I-I''m going... s-so-something is... HaahhAhhahhHHhappe~ning~!"
"Something wonderful is happening." Kaze smiled passionately, listening to her heartbeat, "Don''t fight it; submit to it, and you''ll find salvation for your stress."
She breathed heavily, sweating, riding the rolling orgasm to the edge until he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and--
"KaAYHhhhHhhHHhhhHhhaAYZzzZeeZZzzE~!" She screamed at full volume, unreserved in her passion, forgetting everything else.
--came inside her, creating pulsing orgasms with his throbbing cock.
Keira crashed onto the mattress, hair soaked, trying to open her eyes to gaze at Kaze lovingly. However, she couldn''t; she was too exhausted after releasing years of pent-up sexual repression, weeks of stress, and long nights of anxious love.
All she could do was smile lovingly in gratitude and hold her lover against her chest as long as he''d let her.
Chapter 217 The Plight Of The Bronze Members
Kiera walked into the hallway of the central mansion like a burr, escaping with stolen treasure. She was sweating with shallow breaths, tip-toeing.
"Good~morning~!" A cheery voice called out from a room down the hall.
The nervous teen jumped like a panicked cat, crashing into a wall. "GuhhHhhHh...."
Marilyn walked into the hall with a tray, holding two cups of coffee. "I figured you two would need a pick~me~up afterst night, so I brought you coffee."
Kiera turned beet red and jumped to her feet in a panic. "Look, I''m not sure if you got the wrong idea, but I''m not a soil shaper, kay? I was just...."
She stopped when she saw the secretary giggling, walking up with a warm smile. "Soil shaper? You always have the cutest way of saying ''hoe.''
Don''t worry; I don''t think any such thing. I was justing to bring you coffee."
The fiery teen sighed, grateful that the conversation wouldn''t get verbally awkward.
"But~" Marilyn giggled, handing a cup to the teen, making her eyes widen in panic, "Tell me... how was it?"
"W-We didn''t do... that sound... that piercing, wall breaking, air-wave-liquifying sound...." Keira groaned, reminded of the day prior, hearing Kylie shriek and following her example.
"It''s nothing to be ashamed of." The secretary smiled warmly, capturing the teen''s gaze, "All Immortal women envy those whoy with Kaze.
However, all Immortals dream of being you. You''re special, you know?"
Kiera blushed, touching her cheek to test her temperature. "Special?"
"Yes, special. People call you the Immortal princess... don''t make that face; it''s a good thing!" Marilyn giggled, "It''s not derogatory--it''s literal.
Kaze treats you like the princess all women dream of being before they mature and shed such foolish dreams. You''re a mythical figure here."
The ng riddler pointed to herself and pinched her cheek to confirm she was awake. "Wait, why don''t I know about this?"
"Perhaps it''s because you train alone ever since Kaze locked you in that cultivation tower." The brte giggled yfully, making the teen embarrassed, "It''s part of your mythos."
"It''s not a tower, and it''s for everyone''s safety...." Keira murmured in annoyance, speaking about the cave. Naturally, she couldn''t say that, as it sounded horrid.
"I know." Marilyn smiled charmingly, "Well, you''re his official partner now, right? So it seems we''re partners, too."
"I''m not [your] partner." Kiera growled with eyes flickering with insanity, sending icy chills crawling down the brte''s spine, "I''m Kaze''s--only Kaze''s.
I ept you as Kaze''s partner but will never ept you as mine. Got that?"
Marilyn opened and closed her mouth in horror, staring at the cute woman, who abruptly gained the aura of a demon. It was so extreme. "I-I was--"
"Kiera''s love for me is...." A hypnotic voice said from the hall''s end, making both their eyes light up, "Radiant."
His fiery partner turned with a nervous expression after his sassy statement while the secretary giggled at her reaction.
"However, that''s okay." Kaze smiled, hastily dressed but still drying his hair with a towel, "While she''ll never touch another person sexually or emotionally, she does ept everyone.
That''s all that matters. So worry not, Marilyn; others will seek deeper bonds as you do."
"Of course." Marilyn smiled, walking up and handing him his cup of coffee and bowing.
Kiera looked between the two over and over. "Wait up, she''s treating you like a servant, and you''re okay with that?"
He blinked twice in confusion, locking eyes with the teen. "Rtionships are about satisfaction; if Marilyn wishes to serve me professionally and emotionally, why should I discourage that?"
The secretary giggled when she saw the teen''s face crumble.
"Partner, girlfriend, wifey, servant." Kiera noted, "You don''t see something mad weird about those things jamming together like that?"
Kaze scoffed breathlessly, turning away. "We just discussed how you wish to be in an isted rtionship with me within the group and how that''s okay, yes?"
The teen blushed in confusion and turned away. "Well... yeah... isn''t that normal?"
"Obviously not." Heughed breathlessly, ncing from her to Marilyn, who had just extended a warm invitation to be partners, "People are different.
Some people enjoy getting chained to walls and abandoned for long periods. While you do not understand why and may disapprove, to reject their behavior is to harm them, is it not?"
Marilyn giggled after the teen blushed furiously, turning away at the notion. Then she turned to Kaze with a warm smile. "Good luck at your elite cultivation sses today."
"Thank you, lovely." Kaze smiled, kissing her lips, catching her by surprise.
Kiera''s eyes widened in horror, and she desired to murder the secretary in the most brutal way imaginable. Her manic mind churned through a hundred scenarios, searching for a way to do it without getting noticed.
However, as her blood boiled and her mind created a web of possibilities, she felt her body go airborne and the sound of a giggling woman.
She looked down and blushed to the tip of her ears when she saw her lover carrying her!
"Well, I''m off." Kaze said maically, giving Marilyn a wink, "I need to get my charming princess off to the tower--for everyone''s safety."
Marilyn giggled and waved to both of them with a bright smile. "Congrattions, mydy, my king! I''ll be waiting for both of your returns!"
Between [her king''s] warm embrace and Marilyn''s shockingly humble and friendly demeanor, Keira''s blushing face cooled, and she smiled, waving slightly to the secretary.
***
A few dozen people stood in the lobby of an isted mansion within the Immortal Skye campus. Each had a metal pin on their chest that read [The Exclusive--Bronze Membership].
Their membership--awarded after reaching 25 RP--allowed them to use the Exclusive''s private training range and a fenced-off cultivation space outdoors.
However, they weren''t training. Instead, they quietly listened to what was happening behind a certain door.
"Shhhhhh!" A man shushed assertively, listening close to the door, "They''re starting the ss."
The area fell dead silent, waiting in anticipation.
-
"Let''s start with practice; I''ll allow everyone to y with this."
"Wow... that looks godly."
"Right, I feel awed just looking at it."
"If you''re shy or sensitive, be careful not to touch it too long, lest you wish to make a scene."
"Wait, it''s beautiful, but are you saying that''s supposed to please us? It''s so tiny!"
"The Emperor doesn''t need something big to please women!"
"Cor~rect, Sam." While size is generally preferable, there are infinite skills a person can obtain to outshine individuals.
Hopefully, this will open your eyes to the nature of pleasure. Mary, if you will."
"Ummm... okay... just touch--AhhHH~!"
"No way!"
"As you can see, it''s not very long, but with the right technique... it has profound effects."
-
Everyone''s eyes widened when they heard a familiar man''s voice inside, followed by male and female Immortalsughing.
"Wait, does the Emperor have a small Johnny?" A man asked in confusion.
"You better hope not, pal." Anotherughed, patting him on the shoulder, "Because then you wouldn''t have any excuses left."
Many in the hall chuckled and giggled, but a group gave them crazed eyes to remind them they needed to be quiet so they didn''t get heard!
Everyone hushed down and listened again.
-
"Gahhh~ I don''t even need cultivation, I~just~want to touch this at all times~"
"Right? It makes me feel like a woman on contact."
"Leave it to the Emperor to leave the women satisfied with something so little."
-
The Immortals in the lobby listened in confusion, disbelieving what they were hearing!
In their minds, Kaze Lexicon was walking around silently, letting loads of women touch his erect cock, and women were satisfied with that alone!
"I need to earn some rep, and fast." A man dered, "I''ll die of jealousy if this god doesn''t teach me his cultured ways."
"Right?" Anotherughed in disbelief, "I''m half liable to start bowing and calling the guy my master."
"This isn''t Asia, bro." A blonde giggled, "Saying you''ll bow and call him master puts you halfway inside a gimp suit in my mind."
The women burst into giggles, making the skinny brown-haired man turn bright red in embarrassment.
Luckily, there was too much going on for anyone to tease him too much.
-
"Emperor, can I put it in my mouth? Just to try it?"
"Whoa, Beatrice! Are you seriously being that shameless right now?"
"Shameless? We know what it''ll do; doesn''t anyone else want to do that?"
"That''s not the point! This question isn''t relevant to the lesson!"
"Dual. Cultivation. Of course, it''s relevant to the lesson!"
"Ladies, please. There''s no reason to get heated about this.
While it is indeed possible and pleasurable to put it in your mouth, we cannot allow women to suck on it when everyone must touch it for sanitary reasons."
-
The men in the lobby shuddered with drooling faces, feeling like they had identally climaxed.
While the women would normallyugh at their expressions, they were too curious and lost in their thoughts to notice.
Whatever was happening behind that door, everyone outside was jealous, albeit with different people they were jealous of.
-
"Alright, now it''s the men''s turn."
"Wait, we get to as well!?"
"Hell yeah!"
"I knew the Emperor wouldn''t leave the guys hanging!"
"Right, Marcus? I was feeling pretty jealous there for a minute."
-
An icy chill crawled down all the Immortal''s spines in the hallway. Each prayed that whatever was happening in that room wasn''t what they imagined for the first time.
One person, in particr, started trembling unnaturally, nearly crazed after what he had just heard.
Chapter 218 Dual Cultivation Class
--13 Minutes Prior | The Exclusive--
Kaze stood before eighteen Immortals inside a training room in the Exclusive, the mansion housing courses and private training for elites.
Fourteen were female, but four men, including the calm, blonde-haired athlete Brad Hall, were present.
The room looked like a yoga ss or dance room space. It had wood floors and a wall of seven-foot mirrors lining one wall.
"Let''s start with practice; I''ll allow everyone to y with this." Kaze announced, pulling out a piece of white chalk and closing his eyes.
The chalk developed golden characters and patterns, binding a cultivation technique to its surface in real time.
"Wow... that looks godly."
"Right, I feel awed just looking at it."
Then his hand radiated blue light, turning the chalk a bluish color.
"If you''re shy or sensitive, be careful not to touch it too long, lest you wish to make a scene." Kaze warned, holding it up.
"Wait, it''s beautiful, but are you saying that''s supposed to please us?" Mary Remarts, the blonde cheerleader from the Underground Bizarre cement Auction, said, "It''s so tiny!"
It was tiny--because it was a stick of chalk!
"The Emperor doesn''t need something big to please women!" A brown-haired athlete asserted grandly, causing most to burst intoughter.
"Cor~rect, Sam." Kaze smiled mischievously, deciding to mess with the Immortals listening behind the door, "While size is generally preferable, there are infinite skills a person can obtain to outshine individuals.
Hopefully, this will open your eyes to the nature of pleasure. Mary, if you will."
"Ummm... okay...." Mary said, hesitantly reaching out to grab the chalk, "Just touch--AhhHH~!"
When she touched it, it glowed an ambient blue color as it shot energy through her hand.
"No way!" A brte gasped, seeing the blonde shivering in pleasure.
"As you can see, it''s not very long, but with the right technique...." Kaze smiled cheekily, enjoying the response outside, "It has profound effects."
Everyone watched Mary gasping with deep breaths, gleefully ying with the chalk and brushing it against her arms, resisting the urge to touch it against embarrassing ces.
They chatted excitedly, prying it from her hands and ying with it.
"Gahhh~ I don''t even need cultivation, I~just~want to touch this at all times~" A brte said.
"Right, La? It makes me feel like a woman on contact." Another added.
"Leave it to the Emperor to leave the women satisfied with something so little." Bradughed.
Most giggled or chuckled slightly, waiting for their turn.
"Emperor, can I put it in my mouth?" A blonde asked curiously, "Just to try it?"
"Whoa, Beatrice!" Mary snapped, blushing, "Are you seriously being that shameless right now?"
"Shameless?" Beatriceughed, "We know what it''ll do; doesn''t anyone else want to do that?"
"That''s not the point!" The cheerleader snapped, "This question isn''t relevant to the lesson!"
"Dual. Cultivation." The other countered, "Of course, it''s relevant to the lesson!"
"Ladies, please." Kaze smiled, listening to the Immortals outside squirm, "There''s no reason to get heated about this.
While it is indeed possible and pleasurable to put it in your mouth, we cannot allow women to suck on it when everyone must touch it for sanitary reasons."
Beatrice groaned with a few other excited women, hoping for a second turn.
Kaze was d that Crux wasn''t in the room at present.
The chalk only had a low-level technique simr to Divine Touch bound to it with Soul Qi. Inside, it was fused with his Yang Qi as an energy source.
While it was simple, Soul Qi practitioners in the Sky Realm would groan in despair looking at it!
Soul Qi techniques were rare, monopolized, and rudimentary in the Sky ne. Beyond the highest ranks of cultivators, only artisan guilds had the techniques, and using them was difficult.
At best, the techniques were elementary and possessed a single method to fix a specialized technique to an object, famously low-quality spatial rings.
All the techniques were fed exclusively from Soul Qi.
However, Kaze had casually taken a technique of his choosing, bonded it to an inanimate object, and stored Qi in it, something thought impossible.
Thus, he created an artifact that would get studied for countless generations in the Sky ne--in real-time--and women were asking if they could put it in their mouths!
In truth, what he did was asmon as breathing in the Transcendent ne, as less than a million cultivators lived there, and thus cultivators had to createbor-saving processes themselves.
Still, no one else understood that, and few ever would.
"Alright, now it''s the men''s turn." Kaze smiled, taking a pink chalk stick out of his leather satchel. He had made plenty of Yin Qi chalk with Kylie the morning prior.
"Wait, we get to as well?" Brad asked, his eyes wide with confusion. He was afraid, thinking he''d hand them Yang Qi trauma sticks! However, he calmed down after seeing it was pink.
"Hell yeah!" Samughed in excitement.
"I knew the Emperor wouldn''t leave the guys hanging!" A clean-cut Hispanic man with ck hair and dark brown eyesughed
"Right, Marcus? I was feeling pretty jealous there for a minute." Sam chuckled.
Thest man chuckled nervously, hearing the panicking Immortals outside. He, like the emperor, knew there was a spection riot exploding outside.
"UghHHhhahhhH~" Sam shuddered, feeling the pulsing pleasure go through his body.
"Bro, you look he creepy like--Sam, stop rubbing it on your face!" Brad scoffed, "We all have to touch that."
"Come on, at least he''s not begging the Emperor to let him put it in his mouth!" Marcusughed, triggeringughter.
"I''m not gonna lie; I''m pretty turned off now," Beatrice noted.
"Right?" Mary said dryly, looking away.
The men froze and fell silent, hearing the real prejudice from the women. Only then could everyone hear the spection riot outside.
-
"Bro, where are you going?"
"Bro, why aren''t [you] going, gay boy!? I''m not listening to the Emperor get men off; that''s gross!"
"Chill out, Manny. I doubt even the Emperor can get a whole ssroom of men and women to y his fiddle five minutes into a ss. Whatever''s happening, it''s not sex."
"Bullshit. He''s dual cultivating with men. No matter how minimal it is, dual cultivating with men is gay as fuck.
I can''t look at him the same--anyone that can is a fucking fairy!"
-
Kaze''s students'' hearts pounded rapidly, hearing the man decry their leader in a homophobic rant and watching the emperor walk to the door with his satchel.
Click.
All the Immortals in the hallway froze in horror, especially the yelling man when the emperor walked out of the room--fully clothed.
"Catch." Kaze smiled, throwing a pink object at the homophobic man.
Everyone watched in slow motion as Manny reached his hands out, reflexively catching the pink chalk and triggering hell on earth.
Chapter 219 Spartan Kicking Children For The Greater Good
"UghHhhHaaahHhhh~" Manny moaned, catching the pink chalk by reflex, dropping to his knees when he felt the sexual energy pulse through him the first time.
His lips quivered like a virgin abruptly cumming, clearly sexually repressed.
While the sight made some Immortals wince or smiled wryly, many in the room and lobby burst into uncontrobleughter, wiping light tears from their eyes.
Manny looked up in shame, feeling an overwhelming desire to throw the pink chalk. However, he knew he was likely in trouble, which could mean death in the apocalypse. "Emperor EyauUhhaHh~."
Kaze raised his eyebrows, ncing at theughing students and back at him mockingly, saying, [you deserve this], with his eyes.
"I-I''m sorry!" The man said, "C-Can I put this down!?"
"Sure." The emperor smiled, "It seems that female sexual energy makes you ufortable, so please drop it on the floor."
Manny couldn''t feel more humiliated as he put the chalk down, listening to theughing students and feeling the desire to kill the emperor, fighting against his rational need not to die. "I''m not gay."
"I think you''ve made that quite clear." Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Your Yang Qi ratio also agrees, as you''d experience excruciating pain if you were gay and touched Yang Qi chalk without precautions."
The man''s eyes widened in perplexion, receiving a new round of directed chuckles and giggles.
"Well then, off you go." The emperor smiled bitingly, motioning to the door to the Exclusive, "I''m certain you wish to shower ''dual cultivating'' with me, yes?"
Manny got up with confusion, shame, and humiliation in his eyes, trying to avert everyone''s gazes. He fell silent, biting his lip and dodging the emperor''s question.
"Onest thing." Kaze called out mysteriously, "I rmend you cite [our dual cultivation] as proof of my sexual depravity if you speak ill of my practices.
Unless, of course, you wish to enjoy the full weight of your tortured narrative once people learn you are the protagonist. Be extra cautious if you are known for hyperbole."
While manyughed or got pulled into the excitement, Brad shivered.
Kaze exploited the man''s phobia to prevent him from making false ims about his sexuality.
Now, anything Manny said to imply he was gay would be an admission of being gay himself. The more exaggerated his ims, the more damning the evidence.
Manny''s only option was to lie and deny it, but everyone in the area would announce his original im of the opposite, and he had no recourse for defense when people called him out.
It was a cruel punishment for someone with a phobiaand he did it just to send a warning not to nder his reputation.
Manny felt bitter and confused as he got up and sulked to the door with a broken expression.
CLAP!
"Okay,dies!" Kaze pped grandly, unusually enthusiastic for ultimate ridicule, "Who would like to [dual cultivate] with me?
Surely you want to after seeing how much I pleased [everyone] else, yes?"
"I do!" A blonde cried, ying along, "Straight men can''t please me with big rods, so I''d like to see what your small stick can do."
The women burst into giggles, creating a savage yet horrifyingly yful environment.
"Choose me; I won''t ask to put it in my mouth!" A brte followed, increasing the intensity in the atmosphere.
"I won''t rub it on my faceunless you want me to." A brte said coquettishly.
"Hey, is anyone using his stick right now?" Sam asked cheekily, looking at the pink chalk that Manny left on the ground, "I don''t care about misperceptionsI want it."
A mixture of cringing andughter rocked the area, making some feel ufortable watching Manny jolt unnaturally, having a negative physical reaction to the words as he opened the door.
However, those who cared were in the minority. Most jumped in immediately.
"Bro, you already took it to the face; let the other guys have a turn." Marcus scoffed, "Yo, lobby peeps. Who wants to fondle the Emperor''s small pink stick?"
A dozenughing men jumped in immediately, begging for it.
"If we let others use it, it''d ruin the purity of the scene we just saw." Kaze smiled mysteriously, stopping everyone and grabbing the chalk, "For the first time in history, we''ve confirmed that a homophobe is actually straight."
Manny turned to Kaze with a strange expression onest time before walking out the door, leaving to the sound of ridiculingughter.
"Unnned, non-morally motivated, with the same rxed demeanor as with Linus." Brad whispered in slight horror, analyzing the emperor''s calm expressions, "There wasn''t a grand purpose or strategy for the greater good... it was just reputation protection."
Kaze''s ambivalence toward his ruthless or murderous actions horrified him. Still, he discounted it as feeling peace in doing what needed to be done for the greater good.
That viewpoint died a moment ago, watching him ruthlessly destroy Manny without remorse for what he interpreted as petty reputation protection. However
As Kaze put the piece of chalk into his pocket, the illusion cultivation technique on the chalk broke, exposing that the chalk was blue. Yang Qi.
Brad was stunned by what he had just seen.
"Okay, let''s get back to ss." The emperor pped, "We''ll conduct the rest in the open so everyone can watch.
I don''t want people to think scandalous and depraved events are happening in my sseswhen I don''t announce them ahead of time."
The women giggled at his cheeky yet charming statement, and the people who weren''t part of the ss rejoiced they''d get to watch.
***
"Emperor." Brad said, walking up to Kaze nervously after ss.
He was grateful to be there, as he was a guest teacher, building his reputation and earning RP and Skye. Still, the events in the ss bothered him.
"Speak your mind, Brad." Kaze smiled calmly, feeling his anxiety.
"Manny is gay, isn''t he?" Brad asked hesitantly.
"Cor~rect." The emperor replied nonchntly.
"Then why did you do that?" The blonde athlete asked, "If you just wanted to prevent him from spreading false rumors about you, you could''ve found other ways to punish him, right?
However, you just dered him straight with false evidence. Now,ing out would be difficult."
"Observant." Kaze mused, impressed, "However, sending a warning to those who would disseminate false allegations was a secondary motivation here."
Brad''s eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, then what was your primary motivation?"
"Sparking the wrath of the wrong person will get you killed in the new world, Brad." The emperor warned, "Manny''s irrational fear led him to decry his leader in publicwithin hearing distance.
How long will it be before his phobia gets him [and others] killed?"
Surprised by the emperor''s reasoning, the athlete opened and closed his mouth in perplexion. "That makes sense, but... isn''t putting Manny in a position to defend his sexuality counterintuitive in that case?"
"Manny needn''t defend his sexuality, as I confirmed it." The emperor smiled, "For whatever trifling motivation, he wishes for people to think he''s straight, so I [proved] he was with absolute certainty.
While it makes it difficult toe out non-destructively, it''s equally difficult for someone to use him of homosexuality and trigger a sexuality-rted beating or death.
There are a surprising number of bi-sexual and gay people in Immortal Skye. I will not allow hate crime allegations to spread fear or social disorder, least at a time when a single act of violence can cause panic and internal breakdown."
"Wait." Brad said in disbelief, "You mean that you exploited this random, timely opportunity to prevent usations of a hate crime if someone beats or kills him for being homophobic?
How did youe up with that on the spot?"
"You''d save a child from getting hit by a truck, knowing what would happen, correct?" Kaze smiled amusedly.
"So you have enough experience to know what would happen, so you acted on it without hesitation?" The athlete asked, "If so, I understand.
However, how did you think of that solution? That''s what I want to know."
"Let me ask you something, Bradley." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "Would you spartan kick a child to prevent a truck from hitting them?"
"Of course." The athlete scoffed in bafflement, "Though I feel like there''s a better way to move a child out of the way of a moving truck. I wouldn''t even consider your solution; that''s what we''re talking about."
"Your unwillingness to consider undesirable options is where we differ." The emperor smiled mockingly, "A swift push kick is an undeniably effective method to send a child flying without continuing with forward momentum and threatening death, is it not?"
Images of Truck-Kun killing the virgin [heroes] of every isekai novel and show he watched during this era of his life shed before his eyes, making him smile in amusement.
"You''re one wild dude, Emperor." Bradughed, looking to the sky with a baffled smile, "Lower your ethical limiter, and a world of options awaits, huh."
"Lower your ethical limiter, or a world of ruin awaits." Kaze correctly brazenly, making the athlete chuckle in disbelief, "Experience enough, and you''ll learn that for yourself."
"Will you ever tell us who you are, Emperor?" Brad asked pensively, studying his expressions, "I know you''re now"
"KAZE!" Jake yelled, crashing through the front door of the Exclusive, "WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"
"Does it require privacy?" The emperor asked boldly.
"No it doesn''t." Jake said, taking deep breaths after his mile-long sprint.
"Then speak, you fool!" Kaze snapped impatiently, "Foregoingmunication to underscore the direness of a situation can spread mimunication and panic.
When a pressing matter is looming, effectivemunication is tantamount to decisive action."
"The Scavengers." His Director of Human Affairs said nervously, "They were attacked."
Kaze scoffed in disbelief, turning away to take a sharp breath. "Did you not just hear a word I said?"
"By whom, Jake?" Brad asked, watching the panicked man seize at the chastisement.
"They." Jake gulped nervously, taking a sharp breath, "The Scavengers were attacked by a flying cultivator."
Chapter 220 Impatience
Kaze''s eyes became annoyed by the news that a Sky ne cultivator attacked the Scavengers, but he wasn''t shocked by it. "What is the status of the cultivator?"
Brad blinked in confusion. "Aren''t you concerned about our people?"
"Are you rabid?" The emperor scoffed in vexation, "You''d have me worry about the lives of the fallen when a major military threat may be seeking to im the lives of the living?"
"I...." The athlete said, frozen and anxiety-stricken by the harsh rebuke.
"The cultivator is injured." Jake said sharply, throwing the panicked elite a lifeline, "She wasn''t prepared for the Guided Arrows but was prepared for resistance against mortals."
"Are there ns to bring her in?" Kaze asked.
"No, she flew away." The regent replied, "The team prioritized getting wounded back to Immortal Skye for healing and providing you information on the situation.
Moreover, I figured that you''d want information from her."
"Good man." The emperor said, putting his hand on his Human Affairs Director''s shoulder. "You''ve done well. Now, take me to the wounded and someone who can provide a description."
***
"That''s when I pulled back an arrow and shot it at her bitch ass!" An animated brown-haired man recounted, making a bizarre mping motion with his hand like a crab.
It was not a motion for firing an arrow, Qi-created or conventional.
The man was lying in a bed in a standard bedroom, covered by blood-soaked bandages, necessary only a moment before. However, one would never get that impression, given his enthusiasm.
"You shoulda seen her, Emperor Scrawn." Larkin said dramatically, "She was like, WHAT!? IS THAT A GUIDED ARROW!? Then she was like, GAH! IT REALLY WAS A GUIDED ARROW!"
Kaze''s mouth descended, dropping lower and lower by the second as he listened.
His only question to the teen was, [What did the woman look like?]. However, he was one minute into the story without a single visual description.
Still, he couldn''t cull the man''s enthusiasm. Larkin was an invaluable resource for morale, and he was pumping up the injured mercenaries in the room as he spoke.
Morale was critical. So the emperor listened intently, fighting against his pulsing jugr vein, tensing every few seconds.
"That''s when it happened!" Larkin announced, "Rein fucked Matilda up, man!"
"Matilda?" Kaze jumped in, gaining relevant information, "Is that what she said her name was?"
"Nah, Scrawn, she didn''t say shit except to mutter in shock about our mad skillz,in, and cry like a little bitch." The jester replied rxedly.
The corner of the emperor''s mouth twitched after hearing thex response, clearly not capturing the nature of the question. "What of Rein? You said she was critical in the fighting?"
"Hell yeah, she was!" Larkin eximed, "She''s one bad bitch! You shoulda--"
"Where is she now?" Kaze asked, losing patience.
"Huh?" The jester said dumbly, looking left and right, "I don''t know. She was in here a moment before you arrived."
The emperor closed his eyes in frustration, taking a deep breath.
"LET ME GO!" A familiar female voice said outside the window, in the courtyard of the southside medical guesthouse, "I''m gonna rip that bitch''s throat out, grow a dick, and skull fuck her with it!"
"Ah, shieeeeee~et!" Larkinughed, pointing his thumb to the window, "She''s thata way."
Kazeugh-scoffed in involuntary amusement, getting up to figure out what would make the calm, socially conscious brte threaten the most disturbing scenario she could think of.
"Thank you, Larkin." He said, walking out of the room.
The emperor walked outside the front door to find the brte, missing an arm, trying to get past a group of soldiers. "Rein."
Rein turned around sharply, feeling her heartbeat quicken instantly. "Kaze...."
She turned away with a shameful gaze, remembering her state. Thest thing she wanted was for someone she couldn''t refuse to tell her to back off for her health. However--
"You''re free to pursue the cultivator foolishly if you wish." Kaze smiled mockingly, making her eyes widen in surprise, "But first, I need information about her."
"I can go?" Reina asked, seeing the soldiers back down instantly.
"Two-step process, yes?" The emperor scoffed in annoyance, his patience at an all-time low, "Give me what I need, and you cane with me."
Her eyes filled with protesting humiliation. "Kaze, we killed cultivators far stronger. I''m only hurt because she ambushed us.
I can handle this; ce more faith in--"
"Yes, we--fledgling mortals--killed enemies far stronger than normal Sky ne cultivators." Kaze interjected, cutting her off, "Do you not think that would attract unwanted attention?"
Anxietyced static pulsed through Rein''s veins, giving her goosebumps. "Are you saying she might be... a spy?"
"She could be anything." Kaze said calmly, "That''s why specting about her identitycks purpose, and we must take her alive to find out."
The short-haired brte bit her lip bitterly, feeling crushed.
"Focus, Rein." He ordered calmly, taking a deep breath, "If you wish to fight her, I can put you in an arena together and let you rip her arm off aspensation.
For now, prioritize your people instead of a personal grudge."
"That woman killed five team members and took my arm." Rein replied bitterly, "I feel that goes beyond [personal]."
"When did you be a child?" Kaze scoffed in exasperation, making her jaw clench, "Look down, you disillusioned leper.
You''d pursue a flying woman in a wastnd of zombies--alone--when you''re missing an arm, anemic, and have opened wounds? You''re not even aware of how injured you are.
You can''t achieve retribution if you''re dead, and you''re dead if you leave in that state."
Rein''s heart pulsed when she heard his words. She looked down and found that her stump was bleeding through the bandages, and she didn''t notice. "When did...."
"It doesn''t matter because you''re dead." He said coldly, "Now sit.
Once I have what I need, I''ll heal your wounds and take you to find this cultivator. Until then, stop acting like an unlicked cub when lives are on the line."
The short-hair brte took a deep breath and nodded, feeling her energy draining and the pain returning. "Understood."
"What did the woman look like?" Kaze asked calmly, pleased he would finally get answers--thirty minutes into the crisis.
"The woman was brte with her hair in a bun, wearing white robes." Rein replied calmly.
The emperor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "That means that we must find her with haste."
Without discussion, he waved his hand, and Rein''s entire body radiated with a golden light, stunning the soldiers in the area.
They were in awe that they could personally see his healing cultivation in action, witnessing skin grow in real time.
Rein was stunned, feeling the warm, gentle healing enveloping her body, restoring her blood.
She felt it was a miracle and never would guess Kaze could reverse time and restore her limb with nothing more than Elemental and Soul Qi. "Amazing... I don''t know how to thank you."
"Fortunately for you, I have the answer to your dilemma." Kaze smiled, capturing the gaze from her vibrant blue eyes, "First, tell me what happened.
Then, lead me to where you fought; we must capture her at any cost. It''s far more important than we originally thought."
The short-haired brte met his impatient gaze with fear in her eyes. Now that she was calm and not running on adrenaline, she realized that she had never seen Kaze so pressuring.
It made her think that whatever was happening was far more important than she thought.
Chapter 221 Unleash The Clamps!
"Today started no different than yesterday." Rein began, "We traveled to Meridian City, scavenging in gatedmunities on the west side of town near 23rd and Barlow St.
We figured that after the Rapture, the high-end areas with resources, cultivators, and bodyguards would have gotten decimated from within, copsing after most turned or faced starvation.
So we scouted gatedmunities, cut through the fencing, and scouted for alcohol."
-
Meridian City, West Side | Fox Hill
"Make the cut minimal." Rein ordered soldiers, "Areas like this are treasure troves. Thest thing we want is for the sick to run around thrashing everything."
"Yes, mam." A male soldier said, decked out in ck tactical gear.
They stood before arge recently-constructed electric fence, before the ck iron bar gate leading into Fox Hill, a wealthy gatedmunity in Meridian City.
There were shoddily constructed sentry towers, previously operated by soldiers, to prevent individuals from getting near elites living there.
However, things had changed.
Bang! Bang! Rattle! Rattle! Rattle! Bang!
"Come in here!" A vicious man in a white button-up screamed, banging against the ck bars of the gate, "I''ll fuck you up! Just wait until I w your eyes out and eat them, you bitch!"
Rattle! Rattle! Bang! Rattle! Bang! Bang! Rattle!
"I wish they couldn''t talk." A blonde soldier smiled wryly, "It makes them seem human."
"Yeah, but if they didn''t, we wouldn''t get our only source of entertainment." A male Immortal chuckled, looking to his left.
The group grinned wildly, staring in the same direction.
"True, enough." Rein sighed, "I never thought I''d be grateful for that goon."
Bang! Rattle! Rattle! Bang! Bang!
"It was your fault!" A woman with frayed blonde hair yelled, wearing a torn green shirt, exposing her bare chest, "All of it! The Qi! It''s your fault!
I wish that you had died before this happened. Die. Die! DIE!"
"Yeah, and I wish you didn''t have saggy tits,dy!" Larkin yelled, squatting like a crab, mping his hands to the sky, "But guess what, Karen? Life ain''t fair!
Case in point, your personality probably took a turn for the better recently, but your husband went crazy before he could enjoy it."
"Don''t talk about my husband!" The woman snapped, "He''s trash, just like you! Trash! Trash! TRASH!"
"Hey, Rein!" He called out, "This bitch be trippin''. Is it okay to p a zom-woman? Or do I have to cut her in half like a gentleman?"
Rein scoffed, rolling her eyes. "If you have to ask a question about ethics, you already know it''s wrong. Just ask what Kaze would do; god knows you''re good that that."
"What Kaze would do? Sheeeeiiiit! Then it''s about to get super ssy, then!" Larkin followed cheekily. moving from crab hands to a slitting motion, moving across his stomach, "I''mma bout to go apocalypse PC gentleman on your bitch ass!"
Rattle! Rattle! Bang! Rattle! Bang! Bang! Rattle!
"You''re trash! Trash! TRASH!" The woman screamed at full volume.
"I never thought I''d agree with a zombie." Rein scoffed, rolling her eyes.
The other eighteen mercenaries burst intoughter.
"Get ready, everyone." A brte announced, "I''m cutting it. We''ll let the zombies push through to get a human-sized entrance."
Everyone nodded as the woman raised her hand vertically.
-
Five Hours Later | Immortal Skye
"Things were off to a good start, but inexperience attracted a lot of attention." Rein exined to Kaze, listening intently.
"So you ended up using arge amount of Qi?" Kaze asked seriously, talking about attracting the cultivator.
"Exactly." She nodded, "And made a lot of noise. It turned into a party."
-
Meridian City, West Side | Fox Hill
Shiiiiiiink! Rubble, rubble, rubble, BOOM!
Rein closed her eyes in exasperation when the soldier cut vertically, and the Air sh continued for fifty feet, hitting a house. "You need to work on your Qi control."
"AGHHhhHHHHhhHHHHh!"
A piercing shrill of angry zombies from both sides of the gate shrieked, yelling threats and running to their position.
"Sorry, mam!" The brte yelled, watching the sick people rush to the scene. They only meant to kill a few silently; now, things would get dicey.
"GET OVER HERE!"
"I''m gonna break your legs!"
"YOU KILLED MY SON!"
"I hate you, hate, Hate, HATE!"
Rein turned around and saw a dozen sick running as fast as Olympic sprinters. "Che."
The brte clicked her tongue and waved her hand, and created an arrow, sending it out.
WhooOOOoohhHHhoooSH!
Before the trained special forces officers raised their guns, deciding to use ammo in the heat of battle, the Qi arrow curved like a dragon.
CRaaCcK! THuD! Thud, thud! CrAcK! ThuD!
The mercenaries watched in disbelief as the one arrow cut through seven sprinters, making their heads and chests explode before it shot into the sky, not hitting anything or creating more noise.
After seeing the disy of skill, the woman who caused the problem turned bright red in embarrassment.
"What are you idiots doing!?" Rein scoffed, seeing everyone mesmerized by her skill, "Kill the damn things!"
The mercenaries snapped to attention a momentter, embarrassed as they waved their handed and created arrows.
WhooooOOOohhHhhoOosh! WhoOoosh! WHOosSh! WhoooooOOsh!
BOOOOM! Boom! Boom! BOOM!
Rein closed her eyes bitterly, angry that half couldn''t usemon sense and curve the arrow into the sky. As a result, homes, and cars exploded, alerting countless zombies. "Get through the gate!
Don''t cut the fence more; we must separate the groups! Use minimal shes for precision to prevent more noise!"
"You got it,dy!" Larkin yelled first, jumping through the fence without hesitation, "Sorry, Karen. People don''t have to deal with your shit anymore, and I''m people.
It''s one of the few yet profound perks of the apocalypse!"
The jester opened his t hand and smacked the air five feet away from the sick woman, creating a sh and cutting the woman''s head in half.
"I saw that!" Rein scoffed, watching the jester air p the woman to death, "The intention''s the problem, Larkin! Do that shit again, and I''ll cut your testicles off!"
"Yes, SJW!" Larkin replied sarcastically, "I''ll unleash the mps!"
He created crab hands and swung them around, mping them open and shut, creating Qi shes to kill the people in the area sloppily.
"Just attack fuck it." Rein scoffed, shooting another arrow, killing a group of zombies as the soldiers filed through the fence, "At least you''re killing things with an obnoxious level of skill."
She didn''t mind his skill but rather that he had talent but used it to kill zombies with [the mps].
"Don''t make me blush!" Larkin yelled, "It''s breaking my concentration! I need to pray to Carcinus and ask for strength!"
"Who the hell is Carcinus?" A manughed, watching Larkin squat and shimmy back and forth like a crab.
"The Crab God." Thenky elite replied proudly, "Crab nearly fucked Hercules UP! If he can fight a legend, he can twist a few Karens right stat!"
"Mam, there are three people left!" A blonde soldier yelled, "Take out the priorities and fall through. We''ll shoot through the fence if necessary!"
"You got it." The short-haired brte said, preparing a sh to take out arge group.
-
Five Hours Later | Immortal Skye
"The noise attracted the sick and the Qi output attracted the cultivator, do I understand that right?" Kaze asked.
Rein nodded, looking at her arm. "That cunt leveled a sneak attack against a mortal without knowing my strength. It was the right call, but it still pisses me the hell off."
-
Meridian City, West Side | Fox Hill
As Rein prepared the level an Air sh at the sick running at her
Whooooooooosh!
Rein''s eyes widened in shock when she felt a massive gust of wind from the top. She turned just in time the see a wind deing down at her. "Damn!"
BOOOOOOM!
The mercenaries turned to where the brte was standing and saw a huge, blood-filled chasm.
Larkin turned to Rein in slow motion, seeing the brte holding her left arm, gushing blood like a river after getting cut off. "What the fuck.you! Get some!"
He looked into the sky and saw a white-d woman wearing the same gown as the cultivators that attacked Immortal Skye with her hand pulled back.
Without hesitation, he mped his hand, creating a modest-sized arrow, and sent it out.
"You can use an arrow?" Martha, the woman Kaze interrogated during the Rapture, said while moving out of the arrow''s trajectory, "We didn''t give anyone await, is that a Guided Arrow!?"
The woman heard the noise from the arrows and flew to the location. However, she didn''t see them and wasn''t prepared for the arrow to curve at her. It was a grave mistake.
WhooooOOOohhHhhoOosh!
"AGahhHHHhhH!" She screamed, feeling the arrow cut through her thigh, gushing blood from the sky, "Combustion!"
"Berth formation!" A male soldier yelled.
All the mercenaries scattered, giving room for attacks. However, it was toote.
BOOOOOM! Rubble, rubble, rubble!
The area where Larkin stood only a moment ago exploded, sending rocks and shrapnel through the air.
When the dust settled, he looked down and saw arge piece of asphalt lodged into his stomach. He turned and saw three mercenaries dead and two bleeding out profusely, screaming on the ground.
"Fuuuuuuuuck... got us good, Matilda." Larking groaned, "Too bad you''re a nasty ass hoe; otherwise, I think I''d be in love right now."
"You''re still alive?" Martha asked in disbelief, "You''re unprincipled and lower Earth Realm as what is this!?"
Her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw a dozen Immortals aiming arrows at her. "These can''t all be"
WhoooooOOsh! WHOosSh! WhoOoosh! WhoooOshHHh!
A flurry of arrows shot across the sky.
Martha skillfully dodged each in ultra-slow motion. However, two grazed her, as the arrows were erratic, following the Immortals'' untrained sight.
-
Five Hours Later | Immortal Skye
"How many people were killed in the attack?" Kaze asked, straight-faced.
"Five." Rein replied, "Another eight got injured, as I''m sure you saw."
"Did you fall back after that?" He asked.
The brteughed bitterly. "No, the coward retreated to the east during the fight. But not before I gave her a present."
Chapter 222 How?
--Meridian City, West Side | Fox Hill--
"I can''t believe that I need to retreat from mortals!" Martha scoffed in humiliation, watching the [weak] mortal draw the Guided Arrow technique. Everyone there had it--but her!
Judging by their skill, she knew that they weren''t elites. So it seemed that whoever was distributing it to mortals didn''t regte its use or force them to work centuries to obtain it!
Guided Arrow wasn''t a joke--it was a military staple. Due to its flexibility, range, and growth potential, Guided Arrow was the most dangerous mid-level technique on the Sky ne, ssified higher than most heaven techniques!
For that reason, she needed to retreat, especially because she was wounded.
"At least I have a lead about where Mary is." Martha winced in pain, dodging more arrows and shooting backward in the sky, "I''m sure I''ll find them again soon."
The brte turned and flew away at high speed. However--
WhooooOOOohhHhhoOosh!
--a massive bolt of Qi the size of a Sky ne soldier''s shot at her from her nk.
"Another enemy!?" Martha cried, looking at a massive bolt of Raw Qi moving from her left nk, "It doesn''t matter, it''s just one arrow. I can--"
When she moved out of the way, it anticipated her high-speed movements and followed her, shocking her senseless. She moved again, and so did it like clockwork.
"What is this!?" She cried, moving back at high-speed, twisting her body at thest moment, "Who are--GUH!"
Martha coughed up blood when she felt the massive Qi bolt pierce through her stomach and curve upward, cutting through her back. "H-How...."
The arrow [sped up] at thest moment. So while it wasn''t fast enough to keep up and pierce the cultivator''s heart, it hit her stomach as the woman flew up.
Still, she was lucky. If it moved up only a few more inches, it would have pierced her lungs, and darkness would have clouded her eyes. She barely survived.
Martha continued moving on adrenaline alone, carrying her forward after the clean shot. She looked back at thest moment and saw something horrifying. "You...."
A pair of murderous eyes shot through her soul, belonging to the brte she ambushed. While missing an arm, she was already loading another massive arrow as if it was only natural.
The sight sent dread and primal fear through the cultivator, watching from above.
Martha didn''t know what attacks hit the buildings in the distance when she flew forward.
However, her instincts and knowledge of Sky ne cultivators being in the Mortal ne told her to sneak attack the brte to be safe--her instincts proved correct.
Rein nearly killed her despite getting hit with a sneak attack and losing an arm. If she hadn''t taken her seriously, she would be dead.
The short-haired brte wasn''t finished. She aimed another arrow at the cultivator, using a sensory enhancement technique from Kaze to lock on. "You''re not getting--GOD DAMN IT!"
BOOOOOM!
She wasn''t paying attention to the surroundings and found a flood of zombies rushing her position. So she was forced to re-aim and shoot them, cutting a path to escape.
"Che. Coward." Rein scoffed, seeing the bleeding cultivator flying in the distance after she escaped, "You''re lucky your spineless ambush attracted more zombies, or you''d be dead."
She wanted to pursue the cultivator, but more zombies flooded in, Larkin was badly wounded, and others got killed. So she snapped back to attention and set to work, helping everyone escape.
-
--Five Hours Later | Immortal Skye--
"So the cultivator is grievously wounded?" Kaze asked after a deep breath, closing his eyes in frustration.
"It''s been hours, so I''m sure she''s healed herself by now." Rein replied, shaking her head.
The emperorughed once, nearly a hup. "While our elites know Minor Healing, it''s doubtful more than a few thousand can use it in the Sky ne. If she''s wounded, she will die."
Her eyes trembled in confusion. "Wait, the techniques we are rare?"
"Minor Healing is very rare, yes." Kaze replied, "ording to the books I''ve read, families in the Sky ne and above monopolize it. Guided Arrow isn''t rare, but it is prized--you didn''t see her using the technique, did you?"
Rein blinked twice in disbelief, realizing that the woman only used air des. "I didn''t.... Kaze, who are--wait! Don''t touch me there, you creep!"
"It''s time to go." The emperor replied, picking up the brte in a forced princess carry, kicking and squirming, "Unless you want to stay?"
"I want to go." She froze, turning bright red when she realized she was in a princess carry, "B-Bu-But does it have to be like this!?"
"You can have a piggyback ride if you wish." Kaze replied with a cool smile, "However, I suggest you move quickly; we haven''t the time to waste on embarrassment."
Rein blushed again, reaching the ground, quickly circling him, and jumping on his back. "T-Thanks.... I appreciate you letting mehHHhhHHeEEEEEee KAZE!"
The brte stopped being thankful when he shot in the air at an absurd speed, far faster than what Martha did, catching her off guard--while she was holding onto his back!
For a moment, she even wished she was still in his arms, but the idea made her blood boil unnaturally, and she wrapped her arms against his neck, holding on for dear life.
***
Marthay on a rooftop, watching clouds with a sickly expression. She was heavily anemic after bandaging her thigh wound, which grazed her femoral artery, and stomach wound.
The wheezing cultivator didn''t know how things had gone wrong.
While she wasn''t a military elite, she was a respected cultivator chosen to find mortals to train for toons. "This... cough, cough... was supposed to be easy... so... how?"
How? That question encapsted everything on her mind.
The Killian Faction was raising mortals without cultivation experience withmon Sky ne techniques. They should have been defenseless or at least rtively weak.
Yet there she was, dying on a rooftop, shot down by mortals.
How did mortals get a Killian Military technique?
How did they learn how to use it?
How were they cultivating proficiently with earth-grade breathing techniques?
How did the short-haired brte create arger bolt than earth-grade breathing techniques should allow?
How? How! HOW!?
It would be one thing if the people she encountered were from the Sky ne. However--
"I..." Martha whispered, coughing after, "Remember... that woman...."
Jackson Street Park was multiple miles long and wide, filled with tens of thousands from the city on June 2nd when she appraised Kaze and Evalyn.
While she didn''t have a photographic memory, she appraised hundreds in the proximity of others, trying to find good candidates.
As a result, she saw Rein and thenky, brown-haired clown that shot her first, both with closed meridians, hoping for techniques--and neither got one! So how!?
Thinking about Larkin triggered another face to sh across her mind.
"I wonder... cough... about him...." Martha chuckled in pain, "The man... with the disease... cough-cough-cough... on his face...."
The person in her mind wore a pink shirt with a clean haircut and had a charming countenance.
However, his face was riddled with red [sores], which she genuinely believed were caused by a disease.
Since Soul Qi prevented non-Qi-rted diseases, e didn''t exist in the Sky ne. So she assumed the teen,cking a body constitution, was sick and thus couldn''t give him an offensive technique.
However, Martha found him aggravatingly charming and confident. So she gave him a dual cultivation technique as a strange form of respect.
By doing that, she could im it was a joke, justifying her action.
It was a benign action. However, she only had one dual cultivation technique--poor as it was vulgar--that someone gave to her as a joke, telling her to getid!
Martha found giving the charming human a technique that represented her depressing sex life amusing.
Still, it gave him a chance, so she figured if Larkin got a better technique, he would be there, perhaps even with Evalyn, her star candidate.
"If... he''s used... cough... that obscene... cough, cough... dual cultivation... technique... on Evalyn Skye... cough-cough-cough... I''ll kill him." Martha said, coughing whileughing.
"I''ll only use techniques if a woman wants me to use them." A hypnotic, charming voice called out from behind her, "And I assure you, Evalyn would never ask for such a technique."
Martha''s eyes shot open in disbelief, and she tried to turn, ripping open her stomach wound. "GuhhHhhh...."
The cultivator winced in pain, eyes closed. When she opened them, she found a massive bolt of Qi aimed at her face, making her heart pulse.
She instinctively tried rolling, adrenaline fighting against her wounds. However, her body was frozen, multiplying her panic.
Luckily, the arrow didn''t fire either; she and the person threatening her were static, frozen in time.
While the strange phenomenon saved her life, it had a horrifying eerieness to it.
Step. Step. Step.
"I wouldn''t try moving, Martha." The hypnotic voice called out, circling her from the other side with rhythmic movements, "You''re facing a very angry woman who wants to kill you.
I froze her body, but I''m liable to release both of your bodies if you struggle too much."
Chapter 223 Value Proposition
Kaze looked down at Martha''s wretched state in amusement. She was a god to mortals six weeks ago; now, she was a corpse he had to save from one. "It seems we meet again."
"So the traitor cough, cough trained you too." Martha grinned weakly, "I''m not cough surprised."
"I''m ttered you find me capable enough to learn how to fly onto a skyscraper without detection in less than six weeks." He smiled amusedly, watching her eyes dte in disbelief.
"You." She whispered, turning her head to his voice.
Rein''s bloodlust dissipated when the cultivator looked at the emperor like she had seen a ghost. It spurned her curiosity.
"Wh-Who are you?" Martha gulped in fear, looking at his [disease]-free face and perfectly symmetrical features, "Wh-Who gave you a heaven-grade body constitution?"
The short-haired brte retracted her Guided Arrow, turning her head to look at her leader after hearing he had a "body constitution." It could exin his dramatic appearance shift.
"Hoh?" Kaze mused, "Am I so visually shocking that you wouldn''t question how I established the body constitution?"
Martha''s eyes trembled in disbelief, realizing his point. "How?"
It would take a century for a normal person to establish a body constitution, and they needed to purify their body with treasures, something she [failed to nt] that week. It didn''t make sense!
The only exnation was that Kaze systematically destroyed his body, healing it using the body constitution blueprint outright.
That was the only exnation, and it was an absurd one!
Rein analyzed the woman''s expression in perplexion, realizing that Kaze was shockingly abnormal by Sky ne standards! Her curiosity skyrocketed.
"Unfortunately for you, I don''t answer questions from my enemies." Kaze chuckled mockingly, dropping to his haunches to look into her eyes, "But you will answer mine."
The short-haired brte rolled her eyes, hearing his [ironic] macho demeanor. However, she yed back the conversation and realized that he hadn''t answered any of her questions!
"You think cough-cough-cough!" Martha triedughing but coughed instead, "I''d betray my people when I''m about cough to die? It seems you''re still cough a naive child after all."
"You im I''m naive yet ignored the person trying to kill you." Kaze smiled derisively, ridiculing her, "Such irony is bereft of humor."
The cultivator froze when she saw the familiar brte staring at her murderously, emanating restrained yet suffocating bloodlust. Not only was she afraid of her gaze
"Your arm." Martha wheezed, "How?"
Rein''s arm was reattached, albeit bloody. She led Kaze to the gatedmunity, they found it, and he reattached it.
He didn''t want to disclose he could restore limbs, as the price was high, and he''d get hounded to save everyone''s life and limb. If he didn''t, he''d get med for letting people die.
"Are you a cultivator or a traumatized parrot?" The emperor scoffed, hearing her ask how aimlessly again, "If you turn out to be thetter after I heal you, I''ll put you out of your misery with haste."
Rein was stunned by Kaze''s pompousness. She had heard that intense arrogance before but couldn''t remember when or where.
Martha snapped out of her primal freeze when she felt her insides violently twisting, regrowing, attaching, and filling with blood. "Hoah."
She almost asked [how?] but felt the terrifying monster gazing at her with vicious green eyes. Her fear returned in full, allowing her to prevent her mindless questioning.
"I think you understand your situation now, yes?" Kaze smiled sinisterly, "I have a healing technique surpassing Heaven''s Breath.
That means I can let Rein torture you to her heart''s content without worrying that you''ll die.
So, I suggest you submit, lest you seek a cement in the eighth circle of hell." [1]
Martha took a deep breath, realizing she could breathe freely and couldn''t feel pain. "I will answer your questions, as my objective here isn''t to harm you. In fact, I can save your"
"I''m d you understand the nature of our interrogation." Kaze interjected, preventing her value proposition, "So let''s begin. Why are you on the Mortal ne after the influx?
Answer like I''m Andrew Killian, or I''ll release this woman''s body. Given her impassioned state, I anticipate you''ll look like you tried chewing a frag grenade within the minute."
Martha didn''t know what a frag grenade was but knew it would be gruesome. However, she knew Andrew Killian, so she understood Kaze knew about them and sought internal information.
"I wasn''t sent here her kill anyone." She imed, "I''m here to find Mary Emerson and Mitus Payer, cultivators that didn''t return after the influx.
Sky ne cultivators on the Mortal ne are interfering with our operation and endangering everyone, including you."
"So your decision to ambush and kill mortals is voluntary?" Rein scoffed at the irony, "You tried to murder us a few hours ago, yet have the audacity to say others are endangering"
"Cease your raving, you fool!" Kaze ordered, standing from his haunches, "The lives of our people depend on this woman''s testimony.
So conduct yourself properly instead of behaving like a disease-stricken troglodyte."
His order ignited Martha''s heart with hope that he''d look aside her transgression and see the value she could bring him.
As for Rein, her mind abruptly heard Kaze''s past words and realized where she had heard the pompousness he had used since they met that day.
"I shall spare this insolent fool''s life today."
"You needn''t concern yourself with this detestable primate."
It wasn''t a memory, but a video, the same one his name came from.
[Scrawn Fu, The Lost Emperor]
Kaze exhibited the same anger, frustration, and impatience he showcased when he awoke to someone drawing on his face.
She hasn''t seen that impatience or frustration since, even during the apocalypse!
Rein realized that whatever was happening was serious enough to concern Kaze, and she foolishly acted like it was normal. "My apologies, Kaze."
The emperor nodded and turned to Martha. "If powerful cultivators didn''t return, they became traitors or faced an enemy powerful enough to subjugate them.
I assume you will tell me that your people will send a military force to deal with the situation, and we''re in their firing line, yes?"
"Correct." Martha confirmed, "We''ve deemed this area dangerous, and you have techniques you shouldn''t. That''s why I ambushed your people cautiously, only seeking to interrogate one of you.
They will do the same when others arrive, but you won''t have hope of sess. You are facing annihtion, and I can help you avoid it."
Rein''s veins pulsed with anxiety when she heard Kaze summarize the issue. However, her blood heated again when she heard the cultivator justify her ambush.
By the end, she only felt bitterness, understanding the woman was too valuable to kill, as the emperor imed.
"How many cultivators are scouting like you?" Kaze asked coldly, ignoring the woman''s value proposition again.
"T-There are seven others searching this area." Martha replied quickly, feeling his annoyance, "We''re locating the threats in advance, so our faction can resolve the issue before the 24-hour spatial rift window closes.
Our job is to expedite the operation by three Earthian months until the next rift, not find the threats. So our lives have value, and our deaths have none."
The woman imed a rift wouldn''t reopen for another three months after the next one closed.
So she was sent to locate the threat so that when the military force showed up, it could swiftly carry out the operation to prevent being stuck on earth for three months.
Therefore, she argued that her role was for convenience, and thus they wouldn''t escape destruction by killing her. However, they would benefit by keeping her alive to negotiate for them.
"Is there anything else?" Kaze asked tersely.
"Yes!" Martha replied, realizing something important, "Since I gave you a technique, I''m your official administrator. Therefore, I can im you infiltrated the operation on my behalf!
Far from killing you, I''m certain they''ll let both of you ascend immediately with your talent, escaping this hellscape to move to a higher ne of existence."
"Is that so?" He mused, pondering the situation for a moment before turning to Rein, staring at him with aplex, worried expression. "This woman has genuine value, and we must keep her alive for the time being."
Rein gave him a wry smile after seeing Martha''s eyes light up with hope and slight excitement. "I understand."
"Until then, knock her out any way you wish." Kaze ordered, making the cultivator''s eyes widen with panic, "I will monitor her health to prevent her death.
So release your pent-up angst. We must prevent future problems that could cause us trouble."
Martha''s eyes trembled with panic, seeing murderous excitement glittering in the brte''s eyes. "W-Wait. Trust is important when aiding others."
"Can I stomp her teeth out?" Rein asked seriously, ignoring the woman.
The cultivator amygd cranked her fight-or-flight response to the max, making her struggle. However, she couldn''t move, intensifying her anxiety. "Are you insane? I''m helping you!"
"As I said, I''ll keep her alive, so do as you wish." Kaze replied apathetically, "I have brought a video camera to obtain proof. So exact vengeance on behalf of your whole team."
The cultivator shook her head pleadingly, seeing a ring on Kaze''s finger glow and a strange device materialize out of thin air. "L-Listen, I was just doing my job! Believe me!"
"In that case, I''ll give this cunt what she deserves." Rein said coldly, cracking her neck and walking to the cultivator.
"Think about what you''re doing!" Martha cried with a rapidly pounding heart, seeing the brte lifting her ckbat boot, "That can be just as bad as"
CRAaaaAhHaaACkK!
A sickening crack resounded on the rooftop when Rein stomped at full force, silencing the cultivatorfor a timeand taking revenge for her fallenrades while Kaze watched apathetically, recording everything.
Chapter 224 July 13th, 2032 - The Second Phase
"Our teams killed two of their spies,cking the skill to capture them for interrogation." Evalyn said, drinking a cup of coffee with bags under her eyes, "If you trust it''s just scouts, I''ll have Crux capture one next time."
The Ice General and Kaze sat in a windowless conference room, surrounded by reinforced concrete walls, preventing enemy attacks. Since they weren''t worried about getting hurt, their location indicated a desire for privacy.
"Make it your top priority." Kaze nodded, "We discussed the possibility they''d send cultivators to investigate already. However, we cannot allow these spies to expose our weaknesses."
"Of course." Evalyn replied, "If it''s a convenience role, it means they''re sending a force they''re confident can kill a Cultivation Lord and her elite team in 24 hours. Are you confident we can survive such an attack?"
"We have six weeks, so we''ll be fine." He replied, making her tired eyes snap open, "We only have to expedite our training schedule."
"Expedite our training schedule?" The Ice General asked in exasperation, disbelieving her ears, "We only have six weeks, and you''re not discussing moving or doubling our defenses?"
"Do you think me a fool?" Kaze asked, calming the blonde instantly, "I prepare for the worst at all times, never settling on forecasts or expectations. So his development is within expectations.
A retreat is also not an option. We face the second phase of the apocalypse the same dayor have you forgotten?"
Evalyn''s calmed heart pulsed again, making her vision blurry. "Wait Kaze, are you saying we will face these cultivators [and] the Sky ne beasts?"
"Need I answer that question?" He asked dryly, "By August 2nd, the sick will have died from starvation and disease as the Soul Qi within them dwindles daily.
The only challenges remaining would be starvation, disease, and dehydration, each capable of killing the most talented cultivators at this stage.
Beasts provide a challenge and a rich source of food, liquid, and Soul Qi, solving all the problems.
Their faction still needs us. They won''t sacrifice millions of future recruits to fight one battle on the mortal ne, especially when they can fly and kill the weak creatures [they sent to fight mortals]."
Evalyn''s eyes trembled after hearing the news, and she looked at the table, exhausted, stressed, and exasperated by the development. "So what''s the n?
You, me, and Crux will take on the heavy hitters while our people pick off the weaker ones?"
"Correct." Kaze confirmed simply.
"What of the defenseless people?" Evalyn asked, taking a deep breath to prepare herself.
"We have a trump card." He smiled mysteriously, "Have you fulfilled my request?"
The Ice General narrowed her eyes and nodded. "I have, albeit begrudgingly. What are they for?"
"I will tell you when the timees, not before." Kaze replied tersely, "For now, take me to them."
Evalyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, not liking secrets when such an important battle was on the horizon. However, she hade to trust his intentions were for the best. "Come this way."
***
The emperor and his general walked through an underground tunnel under Lainwright Military Base, leading to arge bunker multiple miles away.
"Greetings, Emperor Lexicon!" An Immortal soldier saluted when they turned down one of the tunnelways.
"Hello, Sir, mam!" A female followed, both standing at attention.
Evalyn saluted back,pleting the operation. It showed that she cared for the soldier''s customs and assumed the role. "At ease."
Both put their hand down, looking at the emperor curiously.
"I will congratte you both upon your victory in due time." Kaze smiled slightly, "For now, you two are dismissed for the night. I trust you can keep our presence here tonight ssified?"
The soldiers looked at their general''s severe gaze and then at each other in shock, feeling tremendous pressure. They both agreed immediately.
"They''re in here." Evalyn said after the soldiers left, opening arge iron door with a passcode.
They were assaulted with loud chatter the second she opened the door.
"What''s going on!?"
"Who are you!?"
"Please don''t kill us!"
"We''re innocent, Ice General!"
"We were just following ordersyou understand, right!?"
They were in a massive underground bunker that could sleep a thousand people, packed with panicked Lainwright soldiers.
The Ice General released her cultivation base, dropping two hundred to their knees, gasping for breath. Her cold countenance chilled everyone to the bone, making them fall silent.
"As requested, I have spared a thousand guilty soldiers." Evalyn said chillingly, displeased, "They''re providing no value despite eating and drinking our resources.
I assume your reasoning to keep them alive is worth such a crippling cost, yes?"
"It is." Kaze replied calmly, waving his hand to create a sound barrier around the door. Then he walked to a soldier and touched his forehead, "These soldiers have a critical role to y."
"GahhHHHhhHHhHHhaHh WHAHHhHT IS THIS!?" The man screamed, fighting against Evalyn''s cultivation pressure to grab his head.
If her cultivation base weren''t holding him in ce, all would expect the man would bash his head into the floor. It was a harrowing scene to watch.
Evalyn watched him walk to a female soldier and touch her forehead directly after, adding her piercing scream to the atmosphere. "What technique are you giving them?"
She had experienced that painful overload of information, so she knew what he was doing intimately.
"It''s called Heaven''s Rapidsa heaven-grade breathing technique." Kaze replied calmly, shocking the blonde, "With this technique, they won''t need to eat and can survive on a fifth of the water."
"Kaze!" Evalyn yelled in disbelief, "You''re giving a thousand prisoners heaven-grade cultivation techniques!? That''s higher than our soldiers have!"
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A momentter, his body radiated with a golden aura before it spread out, sticking to the walls and creating a barrier with beautiful runes and cultivation technique patterns.
The Ice General calmed, breathless after seeing it. She had seen something simr over Immortal Skye and witnessed its immense power.
While she didn''t have grafted memories like Crux, she knew something familiar when she saw it, creating a sense of deja vu, or making her feel strangelyfortable.
However, her mind was nk whenever she saw his Soul Qi binding and inscription techniques. Whatever he did went far beyond what the old Evalyn Skye saw in her life.
"What does this do?" Evalyn asked in awe.
"It''s a bloodlust and attack prevention barrier used in prisons in the upper realms." Kaze replied calmly, intricate lines and runes still materializing, "It attacks people who try to use offensive techniques or express bloodlust.
Naturally, it only affects those selected."
An icy chill crawled down the Ice General''s spine when she saw golden inscribed patterns develop on the soldiers'' chests. "Wait what happens if they express battle intent?"
"You''ll see soon." He chuckled, opening his eyes, "Oh, it seems that there''s a group already causing trouble."
A group in the back who couldn''t hear him sent their escape n in motion, feeling their lives were nearly forfeit.
They readied their techniques. However, before they could pull their hand back, their chests radiated with a red glow and golden runes. A split secondter
"AgGhHhHhGhHhHhHhgGhHhHhHhgGhHhhHh!"
Panic spread through soldiers with a wave of negative synesthesia, watching them crawl on the ground, clutching their chests and screaming.
"What''s happening to them!?" Evalyn cried, echoing the countless cries of the soldiers present.
CLAP!
A resounding p cracked through the room like thunder, and Kaze''s cultivation base followed, dropping everyone but Evalyn to their knees.
The blonde took shallow breaths, hiding her difort. Their difference in power constantly humbled her. It seemed the more she learned, the more she realized how far she was behind.
"If you express killing intent or try attacking us or others, this barrier will eat your Soul Qi, weakening you and opening you to sickness, hunger, and disease!" Kaze roared, "Do it enough, and it will eat your soul forever!
Resistance is genuinely futile. So learn from the pain and ept your fate, lest you seek a fate worse than death!"
An icy wind of anxiety blew through the room, horrifying those already suffocating on the ground.
The emperor lowered his cultivation base, allowing people to breathe but keeping them crushed.
"My name is Kaze Lexicon!" He announced loudly, shocking everyone, "I assume you know I have techniques, yes? Well, today, I''m giving you heaven-grade breathing techniques.
People are screaming because it''s too profound to take in at your stage. However, once the pain subsides, you will obtain vast power potential.
Obtain strength while you''re here, for you have an opportunity for redemption! You will protect our people from now on, so prepare for it!"
Excitement spread through the thousand soldiers'' hearts when they heard his words. They were d they''d get another chance at life,plete with vast power. It was a surreal dream.
However, only piercing anxiety shot through Evalyn''s heart. By Kaze''s tone alone, she knew that [redemption] wasn''t what the soldiers thought it was.
The Ice General didn''t know what the emperor nned for the prisoners. However, she was secretly d that he didn''t tell her.
Chapter 225 July 14th, 2032 - Priorities
Evalyn gasped, feeling immense power flowing through her from dual cultivating. They had been having sex for an hour and a half, unlocking her meridians.
The experience was profound for her, feeling him enter deep into her body while her entire breathingwork lit up, making her feel alive.
It was the first time they had dual cultivated since her body released pent-up Yin Qi, allowing her to cultivate without power discharge. Now it was pleasurable, liberating, and made her feel powerful.
She reached up and grabbed Kaze''s soul body''s face, lost in a cosmic world outside the present.
After she embraced him, he lowered and kissed her, melding their souls together, temporarily bing one. It was an abstract yet inextricably beautiful feeling.
Evalyn pulled away and gasped, feeling her soul body fill with ck energy, priming to ept his Yang Qi. "I... want~it...."
"Then you shall have it." Kaze whispered in her ear, thrusting to make her mind nk out.
"Kaze~" She gasped, controlling her moaning by cultivating Spiritual Connection, gripping the sheets.
Evalyn could feel his pleasure and satisfaction and knew he was close to climax--and vice versa. The two were connected, feeling each other''s rawest feelings as if they were one.
It was beautiful.
Kaze closed his eyes and let his soul body fill with radiant white Qi. He felt intense pressure pulsing through him for the first time in millennia, alongside his natural drive to climax.
It was at the end, so when he came inside her, the energy and sexual pleasure were perfect, making him shiver with pleasure.
"That... was marvelous." He smiled, kissing her passionately.
"I''ve never seen... you express... passion." Evalyn whispered, embracing his face while her chest rose and fell, "Before, it seemed like you were surprised. Now... you seem... impassioned."
"I believe it''s because I''m learning to love again." Kaze smiled gently, pulling out, making her body shiver, "Until recently, I was numb due to losses.
Now, you''re alive and before me. Those I''vee to care for still draw breath and haven''t suffered grievously.
I''m starting to ept that as reality, so my emotions are oveing my memories."
Evalyn took a deep breath, looking into his eyes. She couldn''t imagine how much pain he had experienced, living through hell and brutal war, and then millennia after her death. "That''s inspiring.
It''s encouraging to know someone can heal after painful experiences they cannot forget."
Kaze had recently told her about his hyperthymesia, so she understood the weight of his words.
At first, she thought that it was a general superpower that would multiply anyone''s strength. It was hard not to, considering his knowledge of techniques.
However, the next time she thought of her mother''s death, she realized how horrifying it would be to rey that scene inplete detail.
Kaze could do that for her death, those he cared about, and millions on the battlefields.
Every death.
Every regret.
Every betrayal.
He remembered them all wlessly, and with Soul Qi protecting his brain, he''d never forget them.
"It would be near-impossible if not for breath-taking moments like this." Kaze smiled charmingly, hugging her, "Because when it''s impossible to clear the bad out of my mind, I need only remember nights like tonight to remain sane."
Evalyn looked into his earnest eyes with an emotional gaze before resting her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and letting it guide her into sleep.
***
"What did you mean by [expediting] the training?" She asked the next morning, pulling on simple pink panties after a shared shower.
"New techniques." Kaze smiled, grabbing a military duffle bag and handing it to her.
The blonde unzipped it, and her eyes widened in shock. "How many cultivation techniques are in here?"
"Six techniques, five thousand of each." He chuckled in amusement, watching her eyes widen in shock, "Sky-grade breathing, earth-grade breathing, healing, wind attack, sensory, and movement."
"Five thousand... are you implying that we should teach everyone here the techniques?" Evalyn asked in confusion, "Beyond the families, the soldiers aren''t trustworthy yet.
Giving them the power to rise up against us could be a mistake."
"You''re free to do with them as you wish." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "Once you remember how far the earth is from the sky, you''ll know what to do."
"I see...." She smiled wryly at his highlymunicative pun, genuinely thankful for the advice, "There isn''t much time. Can you direct transfer the technique to our soldiers?"
The emperor shook his head solemnly. "To transfer a technique, I must process all the information from it and match it with the person''s unique mental condition.
While it looks simple, it''s extremely taxing. If I keep doing it so soon, I''ll be unable to transfer techniques to the management members. Last night, there was no other choice."
Evalyn''s eyes glided to the left with a strange expression. "So you did something extremely taxing, with a heaven-grade technique, a thousand timesst night?"
"Cor~rect." Kaze confirmed with a slight smile.
"And you still had high-level sex for hours and held a conversation after that?" She asked in a daze.
"Cor~rect." He smiled.
The Ice General met his gaze with a flustered expression. "Don''t keep saying cor~rect like what you''re saying makes sense. Your just how inhuman are you?"
"Oh, darling." Kaze smiled hypnotically, "Once we reach the Transcendent ne, you''ll realize that you didn''t have the first clue."
Evalyn tongued her left canine, letting her eyes glide to the left. She was trying to figure out whether to be exasperated at his arrogance, impressed by his power, or cocktail out of the topical point to prevent future embarrassment. "I''ll look forward to that....
What is your strategy for dropping the news and the training schedule today?"
"I hate to disappoint you, but the training must wait." He replied straightly, wearing a poker face, "As for the news, I''ll release that in the middle of next month."
The Ice General blinked twice slowly, expecting to wake up every time her eyes opened. However, she didn''t. "Excuse me, what?
Setting aside your insane decision not to announce that we''re facing an annihtion force in six weeks, what could be important enough to make training wait?"
"I have a haircut appointment." Kaze smiled charmingly, making the blonde''s eyes deaden, "The Underground Bizarre opens tonight; it cannot go on without me."
Evalyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling unsuppressible hellfire burning in her lungs. "Kaze is this the best way to prioritize or just how [you] pri... oritize your... life...?"
The blonde trailed off when a horrifying wave of deja vu washed over her, and she saw Kaze''s mocking smile burrowing into her soul.
She activated her vision technique, stared at her meridians, far more vibrant than before, and chuckled in amusement. "Your absurd logic haunts me daily."
Thinking back to the first influx exasperated her but forced a smile onto her face regardless.
--
"Impressive. You''ve gone from geeky loner to yboy, unfettered by vortexes and flying superhumans. How curious. Is this usually how you prioritize your life?"
[Of course not. I understand priorities. That''s why I got my haircut and dropped that hideous garb I was wearing.]
"I get it now. You got a haircut and clothing, so when you lied to get your sketchy power, it wouldn''t be useless."
[But of course. I have the power to see the future, so my ns always have a purpose. I wouldn''t have chosen this cultivation method if it weren''t powerful.]
--
It felt like they had met each other a lifetime ago and did, but in this life, it had been less than six weeks. Evalyn couldn''t imagine what the next century would be like.
Chapter 226 The Bet
"Kaze, I cannot deny that your dual cultivation is powerful or that your actions are strangely wise in unreasonable ways." Evalyn said, "Still, we are talking about an existential threat.
I fail to see how the Underground Bizarre is more important than that."
"The Underground Bizarre is both a release and reward." Kaze exined, "If we use it as an incentive, reputation points can generate the excessbor and strength we need."
Evalyn''s eyes deadened, her perplexion overtaking her irritation. "Did you just imply that you are making increased training andbor voluntary?"
"Your ears work fine. Must you ridicule everything before you change your mind?" The emperor asked brazenly.
The Ice General opened and closed her mouth, recognizing her record. So she chose her words carefully.
"I recognize my shorings, so I won''t criticize you for free." Evalyn replied, "I''ll bet you that my soldiers are better trained by the time you transfer to Lainwright."
"Hoh?" He hummed amusedly, "I will not alter my training regiment based on your expectations of my training.
Therefore, you''re making me a simple bet over the results--are you sure you wish to do that?"
"Not normally, as your track record speaks for itself." She rified, "However, you''ve indicated a more hands-off approach, something you''re known for, and I find that wasteful.
During this time crunch, I''m confident your approach cannot produce better results than the hell that Crux and I will put these soldiers through--especially if you''re dying training for a party.
And if you change your ways to win, I will lose the bet but get my way."
"Interesting." Kaze smiled mysteriously, narrowing his eyes, "How confident?"
"If you win, I will ept Kiera and consider myself part of your ''harem.''" She dered boldly, making him smile in astonishment.
"And if I lose?" He asked with a strange smile.
"You''ll have to train our people and provide resources freely to my discretion until the crisis is averted." Evalyn exined, "I will not make unreasonable demands."
"Very well, I ept your bet." Kaze replied with a rxed smile, "I must be off now. I have a haircut appointment; it''s critical if I want to win our little bet."
Evalyn''s eyes zed over, but she developed a rich smile as soon as he turned, remembering that a haircut was his first priority upon transmigration.
While she had only known him for six weeks, it felt like they had already spent an eternity together.
"General Skye, are you ready?" A female soldier asked, walking up with a salute after she saw him off, "We must discussbor allocation for reinforcing the perimeter.
The blonde''s smile disappeared the moment that her work restarted. She turned to the soldier with a chilling expression,cking the subtle warmth it held only a moment before.
"That meeting is canceled." Evalyn dered, "Assemble everyone to the training grounds at once. I mean [everyone]."
"Y-Yes, mam." Her soldier replied in a shakey salute before running off.
***
"Oh, my gosh!" A bubbly redhead cried, sping her hands together, "You brought him as I asked! I was really hoping that I''d get to cut his hair!"
A shy blonde-haired man looked away, feeling super embarrassed. "It''s good to see you again... uh...."
"Addison, Addison Chase." Addison smiled brightly, standing behind the counter of a luxurious salon in aicallyvish mansion.
"Hello... Addison. I''m sure you know, but my name is... Jacob Hays." Jake said awkwardly, "But people call me Director Hays or just Jake."
He wasn''t particrly awkward around women anymore. The problem was--
"Veronica Stone." A woman with a ck pixie cut and a poisonced smile said, reaching out her hand, "It''s nice to meet you; how do you know my boyfriend?"
"Jacob came into my salon with Kaze the day of the first influx." Addison giggled yfully, watching the self-conscious man shrink away under their pressure, "I''ll never forget it.
Both looked soooooooo gee~ky before I cut their hair. It''s so hard to believe."
Jake blushed furiously, turning away, hoping that Veronica wouldn''t snap. However, that role was for someone else.
"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm~" A cute voice hummed, dramatically not stopping until she captured everyone''s attention, "Yeah... I get that you got that memneek vibe going on, but Kazey''s your exalted leader, and Director Hays is Director Hays.
So can you exin why you''re telling stories that erroneouslybel your leaders with a~monly~used~pejor~atively-style term?"
Addison''s eyes snapped to attention, checking on Kaze, calm as a Hindu cow, and then Jake, equally unconcerned about her behavior.
After confirming she wasn''t disagreeable, she turned to the pink-haired woman with a bright smile. "I''m more than happy to tell you who I am.
However, I think it''s fair that you go first since you called our exalted leader [Kazey]."
"I''m Kiera Snow, [Kazey]''s wifey." Kiera replied, shocking Veronica and Jake and making the redhead''s eyebrow twitch, "Your turn, reddy."
"What a wonderful coincidence!" Addison cried cheerily, getting a nod from Kaze, "My name is Addison Chase, and I''m [also] Kazey''s partner."
"This situation is getting bleak." Jake gulped nervously, looking at Kiera''s terrifying expression, "Things are about to get messy."
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"Soldiers, families, and allies!" The Ice General yelled, standing in the middle of a track field at Lainwright Military Base, surrounded by over five thousand soldiers and family members, "The reaper''s scythe looms above us!"
Murmurs and whispers pulsed through the crowd, spreading in a chain reaction.
"The Sky ne cultivators that gued and killed our people are returning!" She announced, triggering gasps, "And they mean to kill us for being too strong, so things are about to get messy!"
Groans filled the area, multiplying the pressure in the atmosphere. The Lainwright soldier saw the Sky ne cultivators as gods, and the Immortals knew their strength; it was heavy news.
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"Wait, what?" Veronica asked, turning to the emperor in disbelief, "What''s going on, Kaze? I thought Evalyn was your partner!"
"Polygamy, Veronica." Kaze replied mockingly, turning to her, "You already knew the word for multiple partners, yes?"
"Polygamy?" Kiera giggled ominously, darkness clouding the atmosphere, "That word has a pre~tty awful connotation in modern-day society, Kazey.
But when you collect women like trading cards, it sounds like apliment.
When did you pick up this one, hmmm? During the haircutting appointment?"
"Simple polygamy, as you and my other partners knew and agreed to upfront." He corrected with a mocking smile, "Addison and I have been partners for around two weeks, though time is irrelevant."
The atmosphere became awkward, with Kiera gritting her teeth, Veronica wanting to call him a prick but not being able to defend the consenting women, and Addison''s eyes sparkling.
Jake wanted to leave immediately. For someone with social anxiety, he walked into a bloodbath--perhaps a real one.
"Any~ways, it''s great to meet you Kiera." Addison said with a bubbly smile, "I have the perfect pink and ck hair dye for you. You have stunningyering; I can help make it the way you want."
Kiera turned away with puffy cheeks, realizing her mythical hairdresser was a [grave-robbing floozy with good taste]. However, the redhead whisked her away after getting a wink, making it impossible for her toin.
"Should we prepare for an impending fight?" Veronica asked seriously, "This seems pretty serious."
"No need." Kaze smiled, "These two have an incentive to get along lest the other gains an emotional advantage. Truly a dreadful way to view rtionships, but I can''t change how they see it."
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"If anyone expresses despair with a groan again, I''ll rip it out of their throat with my bare hands!" Evalyn yelled, shocking her soldiers, "Didn''t you hear what I just said?
I said that the almighty Sky ne cultivators are returning to kill us [for being too strong]. They don''t think we''re helpless cattle on the cusp of despair--so why do you?"
A fire of hope lit in everyone''s heart upon hearing her words. Warmth returned, and the atmosphere lifted, allowing everyone to stand tall.
"How powerful do you have to be before your teacher decides to kill you six weeks after you start training?" She asked mockingly.
Immortals chuckled, triggering more, spreading through the area until a few people cheered, and the atmosphere picked up energy.
"A little strong?" Evalyn mused with her fingers pinched.
Many burst intoughter, hearing her ridicule.
"This much?" The Ice General asked, holding her hands a foot away from each other.
Moreughter spread, seeing her severeck of concern.
"This much...." She asked, spreading her hands to wing span length, gaining cheers, "Or...."
Evalyn reached her arm to the sky and materialized an ice spear the size of a traffic light pole in the sky, creating gasps of awe before--
BOOOOOOOOM!
--she hurled it a mile into the distance, hitting a checkpoint building and making it explode.
All the Lainwright soldiers were stunned, watching a cloud of dust pick up like a tornado over the horizon. They felt like they had just watched a ballistic missile explode.
"Or were we strong enough to kill their elite soldiers, and win!?" Evalyn yelled, "To kill one of their so-called Cultivation Lords!?"
Explosive battle cries rang out from the Immortals, spreading excitement and passion through the ranks of the Lainwright soldiers.
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"So?" Kaze mused, "How do you like your hair?"
"... I love it." Keira replied, crossing her arms against her chest with her cheeks puffed out.
Veronica giggled, making her feel worse. Due to theck ofbor resources, the pixie was still waiting for a haircut, as there was only one stylist in Immortal Skye.
"And Addison, what do you think about her now that you''ve talked?" He asked with a gentle smile.
"She''s a wonderful stylist, has an agreeable personality, is beautiful, loves you the way everyone should, and brings warmth to the room." Kiera replied, "I hate her."
"It seems your appraisal is mutual, then." Kaze smiled helplessly, "Because while she finds you a rival as well, the amount of effort into making your hair stunning is remarkable."
"I get what you''re doing, Kazey." She countered tersely, "But if you think I''ll ept her because of a haircut, you''re wrong.
If she proves her loyalty to you with achievements or sacrifices herself, taking a couple of wind des for you, I''ll consider her worthy.
Until then, she''s nothing like Wifey One in my eyes--she''s just an unworthy trash fairy like the rest of them."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"You hear that, Lainwright?" Evalyn asked, listening to the Immortal''s battle cries, shattering the sound waves, "Our people fought against a world superpower, Malta, and won."
A feeling of dread and humiliation washed over the Lainwright soldiers, reminding them of their defeat and why the Immortals hated them.
"Then we fought against the Sky ne cultivators--and won!" The Ice General announced, creating an explosive environment of panicked enthusiasm, "Not just against an administrator, no!
Immortal Skye fought against their top elites--and imed victory!"
The Lainwright soldiers didn''t know whether to cheer about being on the same team with them or to feel dread for being their past enemy. They immediately got their answer.
"However, you, Lainwright soldiers!" Evalyn said coldly, sending waves of anxiety through them, "Except for a select few who actively protected our families, none of you are worthy of our name.
Every one of you is pathetically weak--useless liabilities under our protection.
You''re here because you didn''t seek genocide against civilians, but that''s not audable act; it''s an expectation!
So until you train, be strong, and prove yourself in battle--you''re unworthy, no different than the trash who killed our people!"
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"Why are you all getting dressed up tonight?" Addison asked after getting her thanks for the haircuts.
"We''re preparing for the Underground Bizarre grand opening." Kaze said, "After all, It''s vital to our survival."
Veronica and Jake chuckled with the giggling stylist. Only Kiera didn''t question his words, treating them literally, bereft of humor.
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"Lucky for you, we''re here today because an opportunity to prove yourself hase!" Evalyn roared, tugging the Lainwright soldiers'' hearts, using piano wire as strings, "In six weeks, the cultivators wille!
Before then, we will increase training, learn new techniques, and work together--as doing so is vital to our survival!
While only distinguished soldiers will be Immortals, anyone who trains, builds strength, and fights for us will be second-ss citizens!
However, those who don''t will get fed to those who lost their families as sacrifices!
Do not forget you attacked our people with ballistic missiles the day yourrades killed our people.
You''re still our enemy until proven an ally. So I suggest you take training seriously unless you wish to get treated like one!"
A flood of terror crashed into the soldiers, realizing she was more dangerous than the invisible threat she spoke of.
However, they were helpless, for the Ice General held them under the reaper''s scythe at all times.
A trip to the public square reminded everyone that a soldier that touched or threatened a family member hostage wasn''t ying with something abstract like death.
No, they were staring down something tangible, proven, and gruesome.
"If you have questions, do it after training!" Evalyn yelled, "Because whether you''re an Immortal, family member, or Lainwright solder; whether you''re hungry, sick, or tired; whether you were doing something important or not--you''re training right now.
There would be nothing better than for zombies and human enemies to crash through our gates because you weren''t on patrol. We need the practice!"
The Immortals were ceaselessly stunned by Evalyn''s actions. Despite being equally terrifying, her and Kaze''s leadership couldn''t get more different--and they already missed thetter.
Chapter 227 Rein’s Reflection
A massive line of 500 Immortals waited outside of the Luxe, a ck, white, and gold mansion everyone hade to know intimately.
In addition to having countless items for sale, it housed all basic needs supplies, including shampoo, soap, and feminine hygiene products.
Therapy services, the salon, and essential businesses also operated in the Luxe.
As a result, everyone went there at least once a week. Kaze housed everything there as a constant reminder of the rewards of extrabor and high performance.
Now, they were in line to experience the most anticipated and infamous feature of Immortal Skye--the Underground Bizarre.
"Sup, Terry, gonna see a hooker tonight?"
"Of course not!"
"Ew, he''s blushing."
"D-Don''t get the wrong idea; I''m really not!"
"Then what~are you~doing? Hmmm?"
"Just clubbing."
"Yeah, clubbing dat pus~say!"
"Hey, stopughing! I''m really going to Club Quinn!"
"Domestic violence aside, Terry, who''s Quinn? Do you mean Mary?
If so, that bimbo already took a one-way train to hell. There''s no reason to beat a dead cat."
"Oh! So [you~''re] seeing the hoo~ker tonight, Gabe~."
"Heh. Flipping the script is tasteless, Lisa."
"Flipping the script? Why do you know so much about hookers?"
"Bruh, Mary is ted to get trained by like... sixty people, I hear. How haven''t you heard about this?"
"That''s not true! She has had the second-lowest number of clients. The people who spent insane amounts of RP to sleep with her are spreading the hoe rumors."
"Oh~I~see. So [you~''re] the mystery hooker~seer, Walter~."
"W-What?"
"You, you, you, you, and you. You''re all seeing hookers tonight." An Asian man with a calm demeanor said, pointing to all the men and women talking.
The man wore a charcoal dress shirt and khakis, seemingly taking after Kaze.
"Seriously, Steve?" Lisa, a curly-haired brte with a flustered expression, asked, "Me?"
"Yes, you, Lisa." He confirmed, "I know you''re seeing Bateman Moore, don''t lie."
"That''s a lie! Sexual harassment much!?"
"Rey thest two minutes in your mind, chew on it, feel regret, and then say sorry to Terry and Walter." Steve countered, "Otherwise, shut up."
"I was just calling people out, not using them falsely!" The short brte snapped, her face flushed red in anger.
"Okay, I''ll be watching the hall then. If even one doesn''t go in, I''ll report you to Kaze for harassment when I turn myself in." The Asian shrugged, "Naturally, that means you can''t see one of the men.
So I hope you were being honest about both."
Lisa''s eyes flickered with hatred and resentment.
"Look at that face!" Gabe, a brown-haired meathead, said, "The real hoe here is Lisa hawhawha... heh...?
Yo, what''s up, Steve? I thought we were anti-simping, bro."
"What part of sexually harassing a sexual harasser is anti-simping?" Steve asked dryly.
"Whatever, bro. I bet you''re just hiding your embarrassment for hitting the redlight district behind your fancy logic." The meathead gruffed, "Don''t deny it; I''ll be watching the hall, too."
"Enjoy wasting your night then because I''m not here for a woman." The Asian chuckled with madness flickering in his eyes, "I''m here to gamble."
"Wait, I thought you were watching the rooms, you liar!" Lisa snapped.
"These two are stupid...." Steve muttered in genuine shock, looking down in real horror, "I just started shit with genuinely stupid people.... I won''t be able to gamble in peace now...."
"What was that, bro!?" Gabe snapped, pulling back his hand.
Sensing the opportunity, the Asian looked around. When he caught sight of a certain fiery woman in the distance, he made a ring with his middle finger and thumb and flicked in her direction.
"AH!" Rein yelped after a pebble-sized sphere of raw Qi hit her in her lower back.
"I called you and Lisa out for sexually harassing Terry, and Walter, Gabe." Steve announced, "Then I called you out for [sexually harassing Lisa]! What''s so confusing about this?"
"You''re yellin'', Steve. I call that [causing a disturbance]." Gabe said murderously, "It seems I have to take matters into my own hands and--GUHhHHhhHhhH!"
Boom!
As the man tried to punch Steve, Rein shot to his position with lightning speed and punched him in the stomach, sending him flying across an open area and crashing into the ground.
Everyone but the Asian opened and closed their mouths dumbly, lost for words.
"Sexual harassment is not okay." Rein scoffed, turning to Lisa with a murderous re, "Especially from women."
Lisa shuddered in fear when she saw the brte''s demonic blue eyes piercing her soul.
"Otherwise, we have to treat gambling degenerates like wise philosophers, and I''m not fucking okay with that." Rein dered, turning to Steve, standing with an innocent expression.
"It''s not that bad, is it?" Steve asked with a slight smile.
"It is when they hit me in the back with Qi, you ass." She scoffed, making his smile crumble.
The Asian felt he was done for, but the brte turned and walked back to her cement.
"Wait up!" He called out, "Aren''t you going to at least yell at me?"
Rein turned around in exasperation. "Are you a masochist or something?"
"No, I''m not." Steve replied, shaking his head, "It''s just... you''re surprisingly reasonable."
"Rey thatst sentence in your mind, chew on it, feel regret, and then say sorry for calling me a cunt." Rein scoffed, "Otherwise, shut up; I can hear you even if you don''t raise your voice to emphasize a gender."
"So you were listening to me?" He asked with a charming grin.
"I was listening to everyone''s conversation in this degenerate cesspool." She blushed slightly, averting her gaze. "Naturally, I''d listen to sexual harassment altercations."
"Pity." Steve remarked charmingly, "Well if you want to listen to me on purpose, I''ll buy you a drink. What do you think?"
Everyone in line froze, including the Scavengers and Lockheed Elites. They were excited about the wild development ying out.
"I think that you shouldn''t offer something that costs money when you''re about to lose it all." Rein replied sassily.
"Ah, don''t be like that." He smiled yfully, "You act like I can gamble RP."
"You''re seriously willing to buy alcohol in RP?" The short-haired brte asked in bafflement, "Are you stupid?"
"Come on, it''s symbolic, Rein." Steve replied amusedly, reaching into his pocket, "If I thought you liked drinking, I would''ve offered my free drink coupons."
Rein blushed furiously, turning again after seeing five red tickets in his hand and learning he knew her name. "I''ll think about it, Steve."
The Asian''snky brown-haired friend ran out in front of everyone, pulling his elbow back. "Steeeeeeeeve Chuuuuuuuuuu--GUuuHhhHhhH! Ung."
Rein punched Larkin in the stomach unceremoniously, not even looking at her fellow mercenary as he dropped to his knees. "Sexual harassment, you prick."
Larkin Downs, desperately wheezing to save his life, gave her a thumbs up to the vibrant sound of cheering.
The short-haired brte tried not to blush or turn around as she walked back to her group, but it was difficult with the chaos behind her.
"You know, he''s not half bad." Brad smiled gently, watching her huff as she walked up.
"Did you hear his voice when he said he was gambling?" Rein scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Crazed. He''s a gambling addict or addict-in-training; that''s way over [half bad]."
"No, I didn''t." The athlete chuckled in amusement, "We''re a hundred feet away, behind 30 talking people. I doubt five people behind him could''ve heard what he was saying."
"I have good hearing!" Her face turned red to the tip of her ears, and she looked down, biting her lip until it drew blood. Seeing her ruse was pointless, she sighed. "It''s not fair, Brad!"
"What, that there''s someone that can handle yo crazy ass and he''s a gambler?" Larkin grinned, walking up, "I think that''s pretty fucked up, too. Inequity and shit."
Rein gave him a death re but looked down again. "Yeah, that."
Brad shrugged with a slight smile. "Well, thanks to Kaze, he can''t gamble RP--"
"Legally." She corrected dryly.
"--and he not only knew where you were but managed to shoot a bead of blunt Qi through a maze of people to hit you a hundred feet away.
Considering everything about that statement is insane, I don''t think you have to worry about RP."
She blinked twice in realization, turning to see Steve but finding a wall of people instead. After listening, she could hear him ignoring people aggressively in the same location.
"See?" Brad asked in amusement, "That dude''s wild, Rein. I read somewhere that all geniuses have a touch of madness; it justes with the territory."
"Aristotle." Rein scoffed, rolling her eyes, "And I hate that quote. Geniuses don''t have to be insane."
"Then what''s your excuse,dy?" Larkin grinned.
"Hmmm?" She hummed, "Did I just hear you say Kaze is suffering from madness?"
"Wait, did I call Emperor Scrawn mad!?" He cried in confusion, "Woah, I guess I did--hell yeah!
Makes sense, right? He''s got mad skillz, mad money, and mad bitchez--wait, no, he''s got satis~fied bit--GUuuHhhHhhH! Chez...."
Thud.
Larkin dropped to his knees after taking a merciless punch to his xiphoid process, dropping to the ground, clutching the area below his rib cage.
Despite the notoriously painful injury, he still managed to finish his sentence, triggering cheers andughter.
"Seriously though, Rein." Brad said, walking forward and leaving Larkin for dead as the line moved forward, "I hear that guy''s your mirror reflection."
"Reflection?" Rein scoffed, "He''s always calling women out for their bullshit. That makes us the opposite."
"Yes, but you''re both fair to the opposite sex, moderately crazy, and talented." He chuckled, "That means you''re the same, but the opposite--a reflection.
Don''t worry; I won''t ask about your addictions."
"Fine, I''ll do it--happy?" Rein scoffed, "I need a drink to handle you guys, anyway. I''ll drop by after I finish my shift; god knows a gambler''s not going home until they''re broke."
Chapter 228 Ghost Stories
Rein and her group passed through the doors of the Luxe, waiting in line to go down the stairs.
There were about 50 people from the front, cing them at another five minutes. However, she was having a hard time making it that long.
"God, the guy says a few words and now everyone''s talking about me." Rein scoffed, "I hate it!"
"Rx, at least you''re not the Princess." Brad smiled mysteriously, "Kaze says she has crazy bad anxiety, but she can''t walk five feet without getting drowned in gossip."
"The Princess? Who''s." She asked, trailing off when she saw the person she was there to protect that night.
A beautiful woman in a stunning ck cocktail dress walked down the golden-railed stairs with grace.
Her hair was a soft pink color,yered with pitch-ck roots. While it was usually straight, it was professionally curled to add a wavy texture, separating the colors in a gradient.
"Are they really dating?"
"Yeah, someone heard him confirm it in the Luxe today!"
"No way."
"Yeah, now keep it down. You remember what she did at the wall, right? She''s crazy."
"That''s true, but damn, she''s cute, doe."
"Shhhhhh! Don''t let her hear you."
"Rx, the Emperor is about showing off his women like all emperors are."
"Shut up, idiot! You heard me, right? Don''t let [her] hear you."
"Does she tell him?"
"No, she''s crazy about the Emperor, man.
I heard she turned down a guy''s offer to hang out at the Luxe because it didn''t sell coffins.
When he asked why she wanted to go coffin shopping, she said he was terminally stupid for thinking she''d spend time with any man but Kaze and needed to die.
However, there weren''t coffins for sale, and she didn''t need more human ashes for her zen garden, so it had to wait."
"Wha? Hah haha hahahaha!"
"No, that''s nothing. The Princess overheard a woman say she wanted to make babies with the Emperor, so she asked for rmendations on the best marinade for the children.
Apparently, the woman hasn''t talked about the Emperor since."
"These stories are ridiculous." Rein scoffed breathlessly, "They''re like ghost stories."
"They sound like ghost stories, but it''s probable she actually said those things." Brad chuckled.
"Are you serious?" She asked in horror, feeling icy chills crawl down her spine.
"Don''t get the wrong idea; that''s just how she talks." Heughed, watching her chin twitch involuntarily, "Just listen."
It urred to her that she had never even talked to Kiera London Snow! Unlike most, Rein fought on the wall during the rapture and was exhausted when Kiera showed up.
As a result, she didn''t hear her speak much. Now, she was there for a secret detailing mission with Kiera that night, and she knew nothing about her!
-
"Kazey please don''t leave me in this gossip-festered hellscape." Keria said nervously, "I''ll do anything. Toast your greatest enemy, spin a Breanna''s meridians, or even wear heels again."
-
Rein''s expression crumbled, watching Kiera, Kaze, Jake, and Veronica pass to get to the stairs. She only needed to hear her speak once to understand she was fucked. "She just talks that way when she''s mad and anxious, right?"
"Nope." Bradughed, "That''s just how she talks. And even if it wasn''t, she''s quick to trigger if someone talks about Kaze. So focusing on what she''s like when she''s happy is like focusing on how nice the whether is in the eye of a hurricane."
Rein shivered, watching Kiera in a haze. The beautiful teen gazed at a new ring with a dreamy smile after Kaze reminded her about it. She looked enraptured, manic with overbearing grandiosity, thinking of a beautiful future in an instant.
It was sickly sweet, making the brte feel slightly ill. However, it gave her hope that she could handle her. That hope died when they saw them at the bottom of the stairs.
The doorman was anxiously checking his entrance list, ostensively trying not to mess things up. As a result, he wasn''t paying attention when the emperor and his group showed up.
"Excuse us, can we get past?" Jake asked nervously.
"I''ll be with you in a moment." The ultra-buff man with a burly ck beard said coldly.
"I suggest you look up." Veronica said with a vicious smile.
"Yeah, and I think you should stop acting so entitled." He replied, looking for another paper, "The Underground Bizarre follows strict protocol, and I follow it. If you have a problem, take it up with the Emperor."
"Oh, I think the Emperor will be okay if you make an exception." Kaze mused hypnotically.
"I''m sure he would, but I won''t." The man said dryly, "So why don''t"
"Some think gods are ambivalent to the welfare of humans." A cute voice prefaced strangely, "But if that were true, I''d have administered a nuttercut so severe that you''d have puked up your jewels, and I have fed them to the mutant pigeons in the city."
The man''s heart pounded violently, hearing a voice scarred into the minds of most Immortals after the rapture. He cranked his head up with the choppy fluidity of a rusty cog.
"But rejoice!" Kiera said cutely, making eye contact with the terrified man, "You stand before an exalted softy who stands between you and what you deserve. Congrattions."
His neck slowly turned to the side until he was face to face with an amused, smirking expression. "E-Emperor Lexicon!"
"It is I, Emperor Kaze." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "I appreciate you being thorough. However, your strength is irrelevant if your enemies can administer a [nuttercut] without you noticing it, yes?"
His sarcastic rebuke made the man tremble. "Y-Yes, Emperor Lexicon. I will ensure that no one can nuttercut me in the future."
"Excellent." The emperor smiled, ncing at the door, reminding him to open it.
CLANK!
After using a special technique to unlock the Soul Qi-reinforced door, the man opened it.
As soon as he did, loud music and neon lights shot through the staircase tunnel. There were hundreds of people inside already, traveling between rooms freely.
"E-Enjoy your stay, Emperor." The man said.
"You too." Kaze smiled, walking through the door.
"Enjoy~your~life." Kiera said charmingly, ring at the man murderously, "Make sure to thank your exalted leaderter for gracing you with it."
-
"Why is Kaze okay with that behavior?" She whispered in shock, "Is he into that type of thing?"
"Who wouldn''t be?" Larkinughed, "She''s hot as hell, strong and protective, and willing to do literally [any~thing] for him. Men ept a Beckys for only one of those three things.
Ah shit, if Beckys be Karens after having children, what''s the Princess gonna be? She has to be the unbeatable boss of a second-gen rom."
"Dude, shut up." Brad panicked, "Just because she''s not here doesn''t mean you can say things that''ll get us killed."
"Bruh, both of ya''ll need to ch~ill" Thenky brown-haired man said, "You got''er all wrong; she only cares what you think of Emperor Scrawn.
If you say, day~em! Emperor Scrawn''s such a baller that he gets the hottest tail of all time! She''ll get all blushy; if she heard me imply they''ll have kids, she might have a heart attack. I''ve confirmed it."
"Only you''re stupid enough to confirmed something like that." Rein shivered, "But I''d still be careful."
"Why?" Larkin asked in confusion.
"Because Kaze is equally terrifying." Rein shuddered.
"When you put it like that, it makes sense why they''re together." Brad chuckled nervously, "I guess we have our answer now."
Everyone gulped and walked up to the doorman.
"N-Name and rank please!" He said loudly, so attentive that he couldn''t think.
"Uh." Rein said dumbly, caught off guard, "My apologies. I''m a bit stunned after what I just saw."
"That''s okay, miss, take your time!" The man replied with equal zeal, "I will check you in without question when you''re ready! Just be respectful to the people behind you!"
She looked into his eyes and saw they were the size of pins, proof that he was running on extreme adrenaline and panic. As a result of the low aperture, she imagined that his entire world was dark and he could barely see in the neon blue lighting.
"Rein Joyfall, rank Elite." Rein grimaced, wishing he could''ve kept thetter secret.
"WELCOME ELITE JOYFALL, MAM!" The man saluted with extreme stress flickering in his bloodshot eyes.
"I can''t take this." She muttered, waving her hand. His body radiated a cool light, and his pupils dted to a normal level again, "It''s okay; rx."
The bearded man took a deep breath in gratitude after she used the Calming Heart tranquility technique on him. "T-Thank you, I didn''t realized how panicked I was until that moment."
"You shouldn''t worry that much." Rein replied, "The Emperor won''t let people hurt others needlessly. He''s super self-conscious about his image, and it''s in your favor."
"Y-You don''t understand." He gulped nervously, sweat dripping from his brow, "When she got angry I can''t exin it, miss. It''s like the Qi around me became evil and fought with my meridians.
I felt like I was standing next to a ghost, and making her angrier would''ve destroyed my meridians and tore me apart from within."
"I''m not her bodyguard...." Rein shuddered, realizing the nightmare she found herself in. "I''m everyone else''s bodyguard. The part I signed up for is the worst."
The atmosphere fell still, and the anxiety in the atmosphere became overbearing for most.
"Hot, damn!" Larkin cried, shattering the silence, "No wonder he''s about the Princess. Thatdy''s a bad bitch!"
The jester''s unforced enthusiasm crashed through the anxiety-stricken wastnd, turning the entire staircase into an awkward nightmare.
Chapter 229 Character Lapses
"Wee to the Underground Bizzare." A hypnotic voice said, triggering a wave of cheering from around 500 people under neon blue lights, "We''re currently standing in a nightclub...."
Kaze turned left to right on stage, then behind him to see the massive [Club Quinn] sign. "Isn''t that strange to stay during the apocalypse?"
Explosive cheering andughter rocked the ballroom.
They were standing in the same area he used for the auction. However, there was now a massive bar on the side, neon lights, rented subwoofers and speakers, and other gear.
"Aren''t we supposed to be...." He said dramatically, "Wearing leather armor made from random animals right now?"
When everyone looked around, they chuckled in bewilderment.
"I get that not everyone has sewing skills or found a stockpile of reliable clothing...." Kaze smiled cheekily, "But I''m pretty sure I see women wearing nothing but panties on their lower halves."
Theughter intensified as people looked around, confirming his statements. It reached a fever pitch when the women in question covered their faces in embarrassment.
"I think it''s fitting I called the apocalypse the [rapture]." He smirked, "Because if it was the rapture, God took all the doomsday preachers and left nothing but us debaucherous sinners to experience hell on earth!"
Explosive battle cries met his proud words, proimed with a wide grin.
"I''m not sure about you, but this isn''t half bad." Kaze smiled, triggering cheers, "In fact, for many of us, life''s generally improved from an economic standpoint."
The environment became ted upon hearing his words. His statement genuinely moved those, like Kiera, most intimate with the sentiment.
"Let''s talk about the Underground Bizarre." He announced, "This market offers emotional salvation.
Thanks to those who offer services here, one needn''t worry they''ll die without experiencing sex. That''s a relief that one cannot measure in RP or Skye!"
Most original members of Immortal Skye were around eighteen, and 53% of people between the age of 18 and 24 were virgins in Malta. So his statement spoke to hundreds in the room.
Many got emotional after hearing their leader encouraging their behavior.
"Emotional salvationes in many forms." Kaze continued, "You may be looking for a specific product that you can''t buy at the Luxe.
Perhaps you''reing to this club to drink to make meeting friends easier.
Maybe it''s something you wish for but thought you could never have.
This market offers it all.
So long as you work hard; so long as you practice your cultivation and be strong; so long as you protect our home--this market can make your inner dreams a reality!"
Thunderous apuse met his words.
"I want everyone to experience its magic, so I''m giving you five business RP!" Kaze roared, waving his hand and lifting hundreds of gold coins in the air, triggering gasps, "You cannot use it anywhere but here!
So get out there, enjoy yourselves, and treat all the service professionals with respect!"
An excitement-fueled riot unfolded the next moment, with everyone jumping to grab floating RP coins as Kaze yfully raised and lowered them.
Whap!
"GahHhHhh!" A man cried, grabbing his forehead when one of the gold RP coins smacked him in the forehead, "W-What was that!?"
"You only get one." Kaze smirked derisively, moving the floating coins erratically to prove he controlled each individually. "I advise you stay clear of drink, you befuddled buffoon; if you forfeit intellect, you''re liable to fall on your sword."
The select few who could keep up with his insultingnguage burst intoughter.
Hundreds more followed suit simply because others wereughing, leaving only a hundred honest people watching with wry smiles, admitting they didn''t even understand what he said.
"A modern-day Caesar, giving bread to the poor." Rein chuckled wryly, staring at the RP and noting that Steve could buy her a drink no matter how much he gambled, "Gah, I hate my life...."
When she said those words, Kaze made eye contact with her in the crowd, and a ring on her index glowed a light purple.
Her pupils dted in dread, making her vision blur as she walked through the crowd, hoping it was the rapture and an angel would swoop down from the heavens to take her the way.
Unfortunately, no such thing happened.
***
"Well, hello,dies." Kaze said charmingly, ncing at two blondes wearing cocktail dresses. After a subtle, deep breath, he sent them a maic smile. "You look ravishing."
The women giggled coquettishly, looking him up and down.
Kiera watched him in shock, disbelieving what she was seeing. However, she watched on with horror as everything continued.
"Thank~you, Emperor." The first blonde, sporting iron-curled hair, said, "Is this your girlfriend?"
The pink-haired teen blushed to the tip of her ears as Kaze looked at her lovingly. "Yes, this is my beautiful partner. She''s rather charming but also nervous being around so many people."
After gulping nervously, sweat dripping down her shoulder des, she nodded to the woman.
"Kiera...." Kiera replied shyly, shaking their hands.
Kaze gave the ng riddler a near-murderous nce that sent shivers crawling down her spine. However, he smiled the next moment. "Well, I must address all our guests, so if you''ll excuse me,dies."
They giggled at his maic voice and smiled as he walked away, leading the nervous pink-haired teen away.
Kiera walked through the flea market-style [marketce] of the Underground Bizarre, where people sold scavenged goods and other belongings.
A few people made jewelry and collected personal belongings people wanted to sell. However, most of the area was operated exclusively by the Scavengers.
"Come one,e all, this is some first-ss rich people sh--guh, stuff!" Larkin said, standing before a nket of jewelry, "It''s so good I need to be all pro~fesh~ion~all to describe it."
Lightughter and giggles surrounded him, with women looking at the jewelry with sparkling eyes.
"Woah! Those earrings are at least two carats...." A woman cried in disbelief.
"That''s right!" Larkin said, "Back in the day, this jewelry was worth five years'' worth of unhappy marriage to an old rich dude.
Nowadays, it''s worth a measly RP because we got it for free-ny-nine, you got five RP for free-ny-nine, so it''s basically FREE BITCHEZ--GUH!"
Rambunctiousughter broke out when Hayley Musk, the [public] coowner of the Scavengers, hit him in the stomach with the back of her fist.
However, his words were gold--literally.
"I''ll take the earrings!"
"No, you can''t just call out behind me! I want them!"
"Let me through!"
"I''ll take your unprofessionalism as a rare, strategic marketing technique." Hayley said, looking at the jester coldly.
Larkin lifted his head off the ground with a shaky smile, still healing from thest two blows to the stomach, and gave her the thumbs up. "Y-You got it, boss."
Kiera smiled, seeing the jester hit the ground.
"If you smile at another man, I''ll kill you." Kaze whispered coldly next to her, inaudible to everyone else.
The teen shivered, feeling his cold pressure. "W-What?"
"Are you deaf?" He scoffed under his breath, "Beyond you defiling my reputation like a whore, this is a characterpse, yes?"
Kiera flushed red in disbelief and disbelief. "Don''t call me a [whore] for smiling at someone."
"Just because you don''t know what it means to be dedicated to a partner doesn''t mean you get to break your character." Kaze replied with lethal eyes.
"Excuse me, what?" The fiery teen scoffed, "Do you think that fancynguage and a few smiles make you charming? Just how bad of a partner are you?"
"Did you just call me a bad partner, you harlot?" He scoffed aggressively, narrowing his eyes.
"A good partner wouldn''t ruin their partner''s reputation over a petty smile." Kiera replied bitingly, "Especially since there''s no way Kaze would call any woman a whore, least of all his Princess."
Kaze''s eyes trembled, and he looked around, ensuring no one noticed them. "I digress, you floo--hah.
Look, just focus on the operation. If I can tame this sea of clout-chasing harem applicants, you can look shy and anxious without smiling for an hour, got it?"
Rein''s eyes widened in surprise, hearing Keira address her point of confusion. "I was going to ask--how are you doing that? Are you okay with flirting with women?"
"Of course I''m not okay with it!" Kiera said, grabbing her hand and leading her into a private room [Kaze] requested from a guard, drawing spection.
Inside the room, she looked at the short-haired brte, wearing an illusion with her face and body, with a crazed expression.
"Take heed of my words, and do not forget them." Kiera said, using Kaze''s voice, "I find my current operation belligerent, abhorrent, appalling, treasonous, depraved, irritable, and repugnant.
I feel unfaithful just gazing upon this sea of perverse women. The way they''re ravishing Ka... my body makes me feel like an irredeemable reprobate."
Rein''s jaw lowered slowly, realizing why Kaze trusted the fiery woman with the job--she was the only person that could talk like him!
She still thought it was irresponsible and dangerous until she heard the teen''s next words.
"However, he needs my help, and I will do near-whatever it takes to help him aplish his goals." Kiera whispered boldly, "I''ll develop confidence and face the world for him.
You''re working for him, so you will do the same. So y your role, and don''t look at men because I sure as fuck won''t do that, got it?"
Rein gulped and nodded her head awkwardly. "By the way... where is Kaze, Kiera?"
"In don''t-ask-stupid-questionsnd." Kiera scoffed in Kaze''s voice, "If he wanted you to know, you would. Since he didn''t, he doesn''t."
"No, I mean, is he in the Underground Bizarre?" The brte rified, realizing something unexpected, "We should probably avoid him to preventplex characterpses, right?"
After gliding her eyes to the left, she developed a stern expression. "All I''ll say is that we''re monitoring the Club Quinn, the district, and market only."
Rein''s eyes trembled in horror. "T-That means that...."
***
A short-haired brte walked through the door of Kat''s Casino with a sharp glint in her eyes.
When she saw the professionally-dressed redhead she was looking for, she causally walked to the bar to listen to the conversation the woman was having with Mandy Mitchell, the nervous-looking owner of Kat''s Casino.
Chapter 230 The Wolf On Campus
Rein sat at the crowded bar of Kat''s Casino, arge gambling den opposite the Underground Bizarre from Club Quinn.
It had a very different vibe. It was a dimly lit room with booths in the back that read [Privacy Booths | 100 Skye for 20 minutes or 1 RP for 40 minutes & two drinks].
Each was a twin-sized mattress surrounded by four walls. It was simple but popr.
While sex was legal in Immortal Skye and not discouraged, everyone found having it difficult.
The residential mansions had bunkbeds with ten people sleeping in each room. So only those who had recently moved into the Executive or the Eminent--recently renamed from the Elite--and had their own room could have sex conveniently on campus.
There were 50 booths that the owner, Mandy Mitchell, a business-minded blonde, prioritized. She had already raised the price twice because it was sold out for four hours, delighting the investors.
In the center were circr tables with people ying Texas Hold''em and Five Card Draw and rows of tables with dealers dealing ckjack.
Surprisingly, the most popr area was a section where people yed simple dice games.
The area was going wild, with one person''s eyes lit with fire and passion.
"GahhhHHHhhHHhhHHh YAS!" Steve yelled at full volume, triggering loud cheers when he won--again--on a four-win streak.
Rein smiled at the Asian man in amusement, d he was having a good time. He made fleeting panicked eye contact, looking from her to the dice to her three times.
"I~wonder." She chuckled in bewilderment, looking down at her ss, staring at the reflection of a redhead drinking a whiskey coke.
She looked ssy, wearing a ck skirt and stunning 1.5-carat diamond earrings that the Scavangers brought back from one of their trips to the wealthy end of town.
Her straight hair was in a tight ponytail that rested on her white t-shirt.
"I-I''m sorry to keep you waiting, D-Dir... I mean Ms. Harrington." Mandy said, "I know you''re not representing Immortal--"
"It''s best not to talk about a misunderstanding further." Sage replied with a sly smile.
"Y-Yes, Ms. Harrington." The blonde smiled, "What do you think? We''ve sold out the booths for four hours; your idea was ster."
"You''ve~done~well." The redhead smiled ominously, "Thought you did get a life-saving subsidy in the form of free RP allocation. So why are you offering the service for cash when you can''t make RP through gambling? Everyone''s spending RP like candy."
"I-I...." Mandy gulped, feeling her heartbeat race out of control, "It all happened so fast. We raised our price and added the RP to it, mam."
"Rx." Sage smiled sinisterly, taking a drink from her ss, "This isn''t my business; I was just curious why you weren''t making the most of the boon.
If you wish to go bankrupt, that''s of your own initiative."
The owner cringed and took a sharp breath. "I''m trying, Ms. Harrington, but your prices are too extreme. If Emperor Lexicon didn''t sell us alcohol, we couldn''t operate tonight."
"Oh~yes." Sage smirked, "The Emperor has subsidized your business not [once] but twice with lifelines. Yet here you are, still struggling."
"Forgive me for being blunt." Mandy''s face flushed with resentment.
"That''s for me to decide." The redhead smiled.
"Selling us alcohol at 1,000 Skye a bottle stands between sess and failure." The blonde gritted her teeth, "It''s almost like you''re trying to make us fail."
"I''m making you fail?" Sage mused, locking eyes with a chilling gaze, "Tell me, Mandy. How much money have your dealers lost on ckjack tonight?"
The blonde''s eyes trembled, and she turned away, swallowing nervously. "Why are you asking that?"
"Well, the thing about ckjack is that it''s egregiously lucrative for casinos." The redhead smiled viciously, "That''s because the dealer has an equally egregious advantage.
So a dealer only needs to y by the book. This hand hit; this hand stay--then the money rolls in from elementary probability.
However, are any of your dealers trained to be dealers?"
Mandy opened and closed her mouth, feeling tears well in her eyes. "We''re at Immortal Skye. Where was I supposed to find a ckjack dealer?"
"Great question." Sage replied sarcastically, "It seems like you chose a business requiring a supply of booze you didn''t secure, needsbor that you don''t have, and requires a major reserve of cash you don''t know how to handle. That''s why you''re failing."
"Well price gouging isn''t helping." The blonde said bitterly, looking way, "It''s preying on the inexperienced.
"Preying?" The redheadughed, "While you''re rxing, failing within these safe walls, five of my people got killed getting this very booze you think is free."
Mandy''s eyes trembled in disbelief, watching her grab the whiskey bottle and turn it to see thebel.
"Yuuuuuu-up." Sage confirmed with a slight smile, "Isn''t that right, Rein?"
"That''s right." Rein replied dryly, drinking the whiskey sour another employee poured her, "Did you forget about the [zombies] and think that we just went to a grocery store?"
The Director of Finance and Economics frowned, hearing the woman''s voice and mannerisms. She was convinced something was strange about the brte, but her cultivation, voice, appearance, and mannerisms lined up.
"N-No, I didn''t forget about the... zombies... it''s just that...." Mandy gulped, feeling the pressure, "Didn''t you voluntarily sign up to get alcohol in the city?"
"What type of stupid question is that?" Rein scoffed breathlessly, staring into dead space to process the woman''s stupidity, "We didn''t sign up to risk our lives for alcohol.
My fallen teammates risked their lives for an absurd amount of money--the same amount you''reining about paying.
The only difference between you and us is that we knew what we were doing before we did it, so we''re not surprised people crashed and burned.
Don''t use our lives to justify your shit business skills."
Mandy''s eyes trembled in regret, and she turned away, feeling the full weight of her decisions.
Sage narrowed her eyes at the brte, who returned a crazed [I''ll rip your throat out] expression, making her turn away in surprise.
"My apologies... I''m just inexperienced." The blonde said to the short-haired brte, "Ms. Harrington, what should I do about the ckjack?"
"You wish to be bailed out a fourth time?" The redhead mused dryly, "I already gave you your total source of profit for tonight."
Mandy turned away in shame. "I won''t ask for your help for free."
"Hoh?" Sage smiled sinisterly, "You have my attention. Tell me, Mandy Mitchell, what is financial salvation worth to you?
For the right price, you can buy anything--including fame, status, and glory."
Mandy''s eyes trembled with a rapidly beating heart, taking sharp breaths. The blonde heard her statement saying she''d be willing to help her seed.
If she were to get Sage, the true owner of the Scavengers, to help her, sess was near-guaranteed. She wouldn''t be as rich as she hoped, but she''d get what was more important to her--fame, status, and glory.
Those were the three things that she wanted more than anything else.
How she got them was irrelevant. She only chose a casino because they were notoriously profitable, so she thought it would be a quick source of cash.
"Tell me what you want, and I''ll do it." Mandy said earnestly, looking into the redhead''s eyes.
"Let''s talk about your desires, and we''ll figure out how I can help you with them." Sage replied with a poisonced smile, eyes flickering with destruction, "Then we''ll talk about my price."
Rein scoffed in disgust and got up from her chair, preparing to walk out the door while listening from a distance. However, as soon as the redhead began answering--
"Don''t go!" A man''s voice called out, running up to the bar as fast as he could, "Rein, don''t go! I''m just on a neverending streak, but I didn''t forget!"
The brte closed her eyes with hellfire and wrath burning in her 5,000-year-old soul. She turned to him with a bone-chilling re that should have sent shivers crawling down his spine.
Contrary to expectation, Steve Chung responded oppositely, reaching his right hand to grab her without the slightest consent.
Kaze watched him move forward inically slow-motion. The Asian man single-handedly forced him to make a public scene--in Rein''s body--that would impact her reputation.
At the same time, he couldn''t break character before the hawkish eyes of Sage Harrington.
The situation was a nightmare.
Chapter 231 An Unexpected Scenario
Rein grabbed Steve Chung''s arm and punted her shin into his crotch with considerable force.
"CuaahhHCk!" He coughed, making a horrifying sound as he grabbed his crotch, falling to the ground and wheezing.
All the men [and women] in the den groaned in despair, watching the poor Asian man hit the ground, eyes rolling to the back of his head.
"I don''t care who you are or how nice you''re being." Rein scoffed, "If you try to touch me without consent again, I''ll curb-stomp your testicles until Minor Healing can''t heal them!"
She waved her hand, healing the groaning man skillfully, and turned to the bar. "Bartender, can I get a towel to clean up this mess?"
The man behind the counter snapped to attention when addressed, nodded, and ran away.
Sage looked away and continued her conversation, convinced Rein wasn''t acting as a spy. For her part, Rein listened carefully, hoping to get more information while she waited.
TTT
"Good for trust building, but." Kaze muttered inaudibly, watching the ecstatic expression on the man''s face in hyper-slow motion, "No one dares approach me randomly, least a talented, thrill-seeking rake."
A swift kick to the man''s testicles could end the only chance a mercenary like her may get in a decade during the apocalypse. So he decided against such decisive action.
TTT
Rein casually took a step to the left.
"AhHHhHh WoOahHh AH" Steve gasped, trying to grab her hand but finding nothing. As a result, he flew forward with momentum.
CRahSHh!
The previously-ecstatic Asian man flew into barstools breaking two of them and hitting the bar, knocking over a lot of drinks.
Pandemonium and chaos immediately ensued, with angry Immortals immediately screaming at the man for spilling their drinks.
Sage scoffed, unable to hear her conversation, and walked away as Mandy quickly tended to the situation, trying to keep the customers calm.
TTT
"Disaster." Kaze scoffed under his breath, "How can I do this without causing a scene?"
The situation seemed genuinely impossible to do without causing an issue.
TTT
Rein thrust her hand and grabbed Steve by the shirt, holding him in ce. "Don''t touch me without asking; you got it?"
"But I thought we discussed you were wanting more PDAs?" He said in confusion.
"I." She replied in bewilderment, "What I."
"Gotcha!" Steve grinned.
The brte''s eyes filled with wrath and hellfire, pulling his chest to the floor and sending an elbow crashing down on his spine, trying to recover her reputation.
While she sessfully managed to seem like Rein Joyfall, her genuine confusion didn''t go unnoticed.
"Mandy, it''s a bit noisy out here." Sage smiled, "Why don''t we talk privately?"
"O-Okay sounds good." Mandy gulped, feeling her heart pace quicken as they walked away.
Rein watched the two walk away in vexation, wishing she could stomp the man''s spinal cord further without ruining her reputation.
TTT
Rein thrust her hand and grabbed Steve by the shirt, holding him in ce. "Don''t touch me without asking; you got it?"
"I was just excited; please don''t kill me!" The Asian man cried with tears welling in his eyes.
The short-haired brte took a deep breath, wondering how she was supposed to act like herself in a situation like this.
After noting her hesitation alerted Sage, and the initiative was lost, she pulled Steve''s crying face to the ground and elbowed his spinal cordpurely to release steam.
The manic fool destroyed his operation with a suicidal action and thus needed to get what he should have expected.
"Mandy, it''s a bit noisy out here." Sage smiled, "Why don''t we talk privately?"
"O-Okay sounds good." Mandy gulped, feeling her heart pace quicken as they walked away.
TTT
Rein thrust her hand and grabbed Steve by the shirt, holding him in ce. "Don''t touch me without asking; you got it?"
The reptilian part of the Asian''s brain, cranked to the max for an hour of near-unbroken wins, snapped, and he grabbed Rein with unrestrained power.
With adrenaline already pulsing in his veins, his fight-or-flight reflex moved straight into kill mode, making him release his cultivation base.
Seeing Immortals in the vicinity that could get hurt over something unnecessary, Rein pulled her hand back in annoyance.
SLAP!
Whooooooosh! BOOM!
The brte unceremoniously backhanded the crazed man, sending him flying into the wall.
"What have you done to the wall!?" Mandy cried, panicking with terror pulsing through her veins.
Contrary to expectations, Sage wasn''t interested in exploiting her, so she poured herself another drink.
"Calm down." Rein said chillingly, walking past the business owner to the Asian man, "The Emperor expected this, so he reinforced these walls like the ones outside.
Besides, it''s our duty to handle problematic situations that endanger other people. This idiot tried to release a real attack on your business; that counts."
Sage took a satisfying drink of whiskey as she watched Rein ruthlessly beat the man while professing the nuance behind the vignte justice policy.
"I''m honored you respect me enough not to y games after showing your power." She smiled, putting her chin in her palm, "And horrified.
To think you could mask your cultivation with an illusion and act like normal people. I''ll need to be on guard at all times now.
Shoulda let~em die, Emperor. Now, it''ll be twice as hard to find fault with me. Not that you need evidence any~way."
TTT
Kaze clicked his tongue in frustration, ying through the scenarios. He chose Rein because no one approached her, let alone tried to grab her randomly!
Moreover, the people she spent time with wouldn''t be caught dead in a casino!
It was a truly obnoxious situation.
He looked at Steve''s hand, getting within a few inches of his hand.
After ncing at his environment once more, he noticed the door opening.
When he saw who had opened it, he felt a desire deep in his soul to kill Sage Harrington, exile the woman walking into the room, and burn Kat''s Casino to the ground.
None felt worth the vexation that he felt at that moment.
"Of course she''d arrive." Kaze scoffed breathlessly, watching [Kiera] enter the room alone.
As soon as the pink-haired teen caught a glimpse of [her real self], she panicked, seeing the Asian man reaching out to grab her body.
That panic told Kaze everything he needed to know about the situationhe couldn''t elbow Steve in the spine. Just that alone made him feel deep bitterness from within his soul.
It was obvious. [Kiera] came to fetch Steve to talk to [Kaze]. If Rein went through enough trouble to convince a fiery lover to y along, it mattered a lot to her.
That, or she and Steve had nned the arrangement but forgot, so they were leading an extraction to prevent the operation from breaking down.
It was likely both. Either way, he couldn''t go around elbowing him in the spine and had to y along lest he wished to ruin a potentially serious rtionship.
So Kaze took a deep breath and let time speed up.
"Pleasee with me!" Steve requested, grabbing [Rein''s] hand and pulling [her] to the dice area.
Kiera watched the confused brte get dragged to the area with a perplexed expression, clearly never considering the scenario unfolding in confusion.
However, her face heated up like a thermometer when the Asian man got on one of his knees and held her hand with a pleading expression around a dozenughing people.
Chapter 232 Most Glorious Moment Of My Life
Rein watched in horror as Steve held her clone''s hand, one knee on the ground, pleading with Kaze with a serious gaze.
She had to turn away because if Sage saw [Kiera] getting flustered over the situation, the game was up, and Kiera would murder her.
However, something horrifying happened a momentter. Her clone''s head cranked to the left to look her straight in the eyes as if to say [what should I do, you fool!?].
It urred to her that she could hear them if she listened, but she hadn''t!
Rein panicked, wondering how she should respond to his proposal!
-
a??a"a"?a"a??[45 seconds ago | Kat''s Casino]a??a"a"?a"a??
"Rein, I''m a really shitty human being." Steve Chung said, one knee on the ground, "I''m up 12,000 Skye and will regret ditching this streak, but I''ll regret not spending time with you just as much!
So will you please sit with me until my streak is over, so I can buy you--literally anything you want?"
-
a??a"a"?a"a??[45 secondster | Kat''s Casino]a??a"a"?a"a??
While the Asian asked [Rein] to stay with him for one betting round, [Kiera] thought he was proposing to her! As a result, she took a deep breath and shook her head.
[Rein] turned back to the degenerate gambler with a merciless expression. "Let me get this straight--you want me to sit with you as you win a ton of money."
"Correct." Steve nodded shamelessly.
"And you want me to keep sitting with you until you lose money." She rified.
"Right." He smiled pathetically.
"And once you''ve lost all your money, you will buy me [literally anything] I want?" Rein asked mockingly.
The room exploded inughter, making Kiera close her eyes and cringe in despair. She wished she had never shown up, so she could just get a report!
"Not exactly." Steve said, scratching his cheek, "It''s not like I''d bet everything."
"Hmmm?" Rein hummed, "That wasn''t you screaming [all-in!] a dozen times like a broken record?"
Moreughter erupted from the gamblers, watching the roast session y out.
"So you were listening to me again?" He asked charmingly.
"I was." She said, moving from a smirk to a murderous expression.
Steve quivered at her crazed expression, feeling overwhelming pressure. "I... well, that was me, yes... but you see, Rein, I need to keep some for you."
"You mean you went all-in a dozen times, risking not having any money for me, but now will because I''m standing in front of you?" Rein mused.
A harmony of [ooooohhhh] sounds came out, the atmosphere multiplying.
"I want it all, Rein." Steve said with a hopeless smile, "I want a lot of money, thrill, to spend time with you, and not get murdered simultaneously. Is that too much to ask for?"
Kiera watched with a cringing expression until she noticed Sage''s expression burrowing into her soul. She immediately thought back to the words she hadn''t heard long before.
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"You''re working for him, so you will do the same, got it? So y your role and don''t look at men because I sure as fuck won''t do that, got it?"
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
Realizing that she was threatening the entire operation, she summoned the Kiera Snow 101 crash course she got a few minutes before entering and turned to the redhead.
"Is there a reason you''re giving me lust eyes, reddy?" Kiera asked haughtily, turning to the woman with a savage expression, "Because only one person gets to do that, and it sure as hell ain''t you."
Sage''s eyes widened in confusion. While the pink-haired woman''s mannerisms seemed off, they were distinctive enough that it was hard to imagine Rein could y the role.
It was hard for the redhead to justify an interconnected web of people working together to pull off a ndestine operation.
At most, she imagined there could be a three-way shift with Rein being part of it, as the more people that knew, the worse it would be.
Since she didn''t take honest Rein to lie or talk like Kiera to save her life, she ruled that out.
Sage smiled rxedly and took a drink. "No, I was just confused to see you taking an interest in another--"
"Did just say you just imply that I was looking at another man romantically?" Kiera asked with a murderous gaze, "I didn''t take you for someone who gets off onte-night torture sessions, but I guess you never know, do you?"
The redhead''s smile disappeared, hearing the distinctive words from the fiery teen. In her mind, there was no way that Kaze or anyone else could truly imitate Kiera--she was too unique.
Her words then were far too authentic to fake. She was certain of it.
"I kid, I kid." Sage smiled.
"No, you weren''t." Kiera scoffed, stomping over to Rein, still getting a pathetic proposal and holding up the games.
She was grateful that the ng riddler forced her to memorize a dozen sentences to say to Sage if they made eye contact or spoke.
At the time, she felt it was annoying. However, she changed her mind in an instant, and she was truly grateful.
As she walked up, she could finally hear the chaos unfolding.
"Come on, littledy!" A man grinned shamelessly, "Just join us for a bit!"
"It''s a lot of fun!" Another said.
"I''ll even buy you in for a round." A brte grinned, "What do you say?"
"I''m not sure who you three are, so he''s one point above all of you." Rein said, pointing to each and then to the begging Asian man, "So I''d rather if he kept your money--permanently."
All the gamblers frowned, realizing she understood the issue. If he didn''t stay, they couldn''t earn their money back--that''s why they were putting up with the farce ying out!
The atmosphere cooled in an instant, with gamblers feeling their highsing down and feeling like addicts going through withdrawals.
"Hey, Blush Pixie, if you''re gonna propose, get it over with." Kiera snapped, grabbing Rein''s shoulder.
When she arrived, everyone shuttered, and their bloodlust dissipated.
"I-It''s the Princess."
"Shhhhh!"
"Who''s this?"
"SsHhHhHHhHhhHh!
Steve Chung''s eyes turned dark when he saw Kiera, hearing the toll bells ringing and feeling himself dragged into the void of monotony and normal dopamine levels.
It was over for him.
Rein turned to Kiera with an unenthusiastic expression. "Can you not make it sound like this man''s shameless attempt to buy me a drinkter involves marriage?"
"Wooooooooow, so that''s what''s going on here?" Kiera asked in bewilderment, "Mr. Desperate is jonesing for a pity snack before he''s even balls deep in the red? That''s pretty pathetic."
The Asian felt a poison arrow pierce through his heart, hearing the scathing rebuke that the real Kiera had prepared for her.
She felt satisfaction knowing she got to use it and that the crash course paid off.
-
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"Booooooor~ring." Kiera scoffed in the private room, "I can''t believe you just want the minutes on getting him out of the room.
You don''t at least want to force feed [debt ma] some [pwnage pie]?"
"If you''re offering, then hell yeah, I do." Reinughed, "If you''re okay with me using your appearance, make it lethal."
[Kaze] smiled deviously, amused by the situation. "Coo, coo, coo. Let''s start stacking ammo.
If he''s broke when you see him, you''re going to call that phenomenon [balls deep in the red].
If he asks for money, you''ll call that a pity snack and him Mr. Desperate.
Addiction references get the word jonesing.
...
If he offers you his body for money, tell him you find his pity farming top-ss and inspiring--so inspiring that it''s turned you lesbian.
That should be enough for a two-minute conversation."
[Keira''s] eyes were watery, blinking like a half-lobotomizedb rat. She listened to the ng riddler m together random words for eighty different scenarios without a deep breath. "Okay...."
"You got this, girl." Kaze said with a charming smile, "Now ruffle up your hair slightly. I refuse to let someone think he took me into a backroom to verbally abuse me, so we''ll default to satisfying sex."
"This is so creepy." The pink-haired teen sighed, ruffling her hair, "Wait, satisfying sex? Does that mean you two have had sex?"
"O-Of course." Kaze replied, blushing bright red to the tip of his ears, "Sex is obvious, right? Why do you think I''ve lost my virginity only recently?"
Kiera burst into uncontroble giggles. "Hearing Kaze defend his sex life and talk of virginity is the funniest thing I''ve ever seen."
"If you speak a word to anyone!" He snapped.
"You''ll rake out my intestines and use them as a bungee cord." She smiled sassily, walking out the door.
When she did, she was surrounded by dozens of people seeing the Princess walk out of a private room with the Emperor.
While Rein was Kiera, she didn''t feel like Kiera! So she immediately blushed and hid behind Kaze, who was equally nervous but prepared.
"You''re doing great." He whispered, "That''s exactly what I would''ve done too."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
-
"Either way, Kazey''s waiting for debt-nugget here, so we must leave." Kiera said, shocking everyone, "You''ve had your cute moment--that''s all you get."
Steve''s eyes widened in disbelief. "W-Wait, the Emperor wants me?"
"Yes." She replied, turning to Rein, "You should know that, but little miss blushy here came early for you and is putting up with your hopeless ass.
So get your shit together; you two can be cute on the way."
He nced at Rein, who gave him a wry smile and nodded.
"O-One more bet?" Steve asked, closing his eyes in ultimate shame, "This is the most glorious moment of my life."
Chapter 233 Thrill
"This [was] the most glorious moment of your lifepast tense." Kiera scoffed, replying to the Asian man begging for one more role, "It''ll be the worst moment if you roll again."
"N-No, that''s the thing!" Steve cried, "It could also be the double best!"
Kiera''s eyes zed over and turned to the equally exasperated Rein, whose emotions weren''t faked. "Should we let this pity farm reap the fruit of his pathetess?"
After studying the woman''s expression, she sighed. "One."
Everyone cheered once the drama unfolded.
"That''s okay because if I win, everyone will be damn near broke, and it will be impossible for me to lose everything!" Steve announced, madness swirling in his eyes, "Ultimate victoryit''s statistically unheard of!"
Kaze closed her eyes, feeling Sage, a redheaded stat junkie, turn all her attention to them. It was a disaster, but Rein did a surprisingly good job of keeping it together in Kiera''s body. "Fine."
"Let''s goooooooooooo!" A man yelled.
"Game on!" The brte gambler screamed.
Lively chatter and excitement exploded in the area. Everyone was drawn in by the energy ying out.
"Let''s get started!" The dice roller said, "Odd or even, ce your bet!?"
Steve closed his eyes and reached out to the gods, entering a state of enlightenment as he thought through his options.
Kiera watched him in fascination. She had never seen someone dedicate their full concentration to anything off a battlefieldand rarely on it!
When Steve opened his eyes and saw Kiera''s gaze, he instantly turned to Rein with a dead serious expression, cupping her hands before her. "Rein, please give me your luck."
Rein took a deep breath with her eyes closed, trying not to scream [Pray tell, Steve. How might one go about giving you [luck], you vice-ridden cretin?].
However, she didn''t fail to notice the man''s intention, so she let it slide and spat in his hands. It was yful yet savage, making people burst intoughter.
Contrary to expectations, Steve wasn''t put off by the gesture. He turned to the roller with a crazed look in his eyes. "ALL IN ON ODDS!"
An explosion of cheers rocked the room the next moment, giving the room a pulse. Everyone developed synesthesia, breathing the emotions in the room.
While Kiera was exasperated, he had the audacity to go all in after their conversation, she was lost, watching everyone''s crazed faces in wonderment.
She felt an overwhelming thrill and energy waving through the room and getting carried away with it. "This is like one of Kaze''s speeches."
The heated passion in the room could melt steel. She felt like she was standing in the crowd of Kaze''s war speeches, but the energy was twice as positive and four times more insane.
There was nothing else like it in the world.
Kiera watched in hyper-slow motion as the dice rolled, hitting a wooden rolling table and popping in the air multiple times. Her heart beat rapidly, awaiting the results like everyone else.
Six, one. Odd.
Two, two. Even.
Two, five. Odd.
One, one. Even.
She could seebinations flying around as the dice made the third bounce, getting closer and closer to the ground.
It hypnotized her.
Three, four. Odd.
One, six. Odd.
Four, six. Even.
One, two. Odd.
Three, three. Even.
Four, four. Even.
One, three. Even
Kiera''s heart beat rapidly, feeling the pulse in the room. The screaming was overbearing, creating a unified noise drowned out by her rapid heartbeat.
A loud scoff woke her from her trance. Not a momentter
"AhhHHhhHHhHHhHhhHhhHhHHHHHh!"
explosive screaming crashed into her eardrums.
She looked at the table and saw it.
Five, six. Odd.
"24,000!" Steve roared at the top of his lungs. He got his all-in because everyone pitched into one bet hoping to bleed him dry.
Kiera''s heart thumped. She had to restrain herself from smiling at his antics, seeing Rein standing beside her with an unenthused expression.
"Are you done now?" Rein asked dryly, "The Emperor awaits you."
Kiera reflexively tried to ask for [one more roll], carried away by passion. However, she felt invisible Qi pinching her eye, forcing it to twitch, and a force heating her skin. Combined with her panicked expression, everyone was convinced she was pissed.
As a result, everyone immediately calmed down, especially the Asian man. Seeing that, she snapped back to attention.
"Okay, luck nugget." Kiera scoffed, putting her hands on her hips, "You got your moment; now cash out before I offer your testicles to your exalted leader as an apology for prioritizing degeneracy instead of his summons."
Steve developed a shit-eating grin, having an official reason to bounce with everyone''s money without an awkward confrontation. "It''s been a plea~sure, everyone."
Sage watched the scene with aplex expression, simultaneously fascinated, terrified, and thrilled. The possibility it could''ve been an act sent shivers of fear and ecstasy crawling down her spine.
TT
Kiera led Rein and Steve through the Underground Bizarre under the spective gazes of the Scavengers, whistling and calling out.
Everyone was smitten with the unlikely [couple] springing up out of the blue.
It was a twisted justice fairy tale.
When Kiera got to the door, she turned to the other two. "Wait out here for a moment Steve."
Steve nodded hesitantly, his heart pounding after being told to wait officially, still buzzing with adrenaline and dopamine. "You got it."
The minute Kiera and Rein walked in, [Kaze''s] eyes lit up with a truly apologetic expression, hearing Steve with them. She averted her gaze in shame, "I''m."
"You''re fine." [Rein] said, waving her hand. When she did, the illusions on each broke instantly, returning their bodies together, "Now do something to dy Steve; I''m in the middle of something."
They blinked in confusion, seeing him lean his head against a wall uncharacteristically, ignoring them.
TT
A spatial rift underneath the bar opened up, the third in thest five minutes.
"Yes, I''ll follow your advice." Mandy said hesitantly, "What should I do?"
"Close down ckjack and make the booths three RP without alternative." Sage replied, "I''ll give you a 5,000 Skye rebate. You will survive this week, and I want nothing in exchange."
"So you want to cover up your tracks if someone uses you of pressuring me?" Mandy asked seriously, wearing a wry smile.
"While I like the way you thinkno." Sage smiled, taking thest drink of her whiskey slowly, "We can''t talk about me helping to fill your [desires] if you are chained by your [needs]."
Kat Casino''s owner cocked her head to the side in confusion. "You [want] to make my desires a reality? Why would you want that?"
"I''m a consultant and wish maker." Sage smiled, narrowing her eyes, "You cane to me with requests, and I''ll name a price. However, people pay me by fulfilling my desires instead of money."
Mandy churned through the woman''s statements over and over again. "So it''s quid pro quo?"
"I''m not doing you favors in exchange for implied returns, Mandy." The redhead scoffed, "I legally fulfill requests, and my terms are transparent, legal, and voluntary.
It''s a business transactionthere''s nothing [quid pro quo] about it."
"I see." Mandy gulped nervously, taking a sharp breath, "So you would help me set up my business and make it sessful?"
"That''s a ratherrge request." Sage smiled, "However, if you wish for a three-month 25% discount on scavenging services, help from my non-political connections, advice on training employees, financing advice, or consultingI''ll do any of those things for a price. Naturally, I can bundle them."
Kat''s Casino''s owner gulped, taking heavy breaths. The redhead offered her so many things that she could use to make her dreams a reality.
"Ideally, I''d like all those things in a bundle." Mandy swallowed, "What do you ask in return?"
When the businesswoman made her offer, the blonde''s eyes widened in astonishment, trembling. She looked away and bit her lip, feeling sharp pains shoot through her.
"I''ve removed your needs, so only ept if my price is worth your desire." Sage smiled, "Now that you know my value, you may seek my services in the future. It doesn''t have to be tonight."
"I know." Mandy said, closing her eyes, "I appreciate you and don''t think you''re being unreasonable. I just need a moment to think."
After Sage nodded, she closed her eyes and thought about the value of RP, Skye, the harsh realities of the apocalypse, the potential of cultivation, and her future.
After a while, she released her teeth from her lip and smiled naturally. She thought about power, the Underground Bizarre, and what Kaze had said that night.
Before long, she thought about Sage''s asks and found themically dismal inparison. It seemed ridiculous that she was even questioning it!
Sage watched the woman give in to her desires with a feral glint in her eye. It filled her with so much thrill.
"I ept your price, Ms. Harrington." Mandy smiled nervously, "Just give me the details on the when and where and your expectations and I''ll do my best to fulfill your conditions."
"Let''s discuss this in private." The redhead smiled mysteriously, "It would still be embarrassing if someone were listening."
"Yes... give me a moment to give my employees instructions." Mandy blushed, leaving to contact them.
"I~wonder." Sage mused, pouring herself another drink and putting her lips on the ss seductively, "When I whored myself to the Emperor for influence, I got an impassioned speech on women having a right to make decisions for themselves.
Tonight he exposed the virtues of doing unsavory things for power.
I''m curious if he will take the same stance when it''s inconvenient to his image."
The redhead exhaled in satisfaction with rosy cheeks, rubbing her legs together.
"Consent, legality, desires, transparency, and no betrayaleverything he demands and I desire." She whispered with an enraptured expression, feeling her nipples be sensitive, "Yet it''s oh, so very twisted.
It''s exciting knowing he might murder me for my twisted desires alone. Such raw power, unrestrained byws he doesn''t need recourse for action, only a desire.
How thrilling. It almost makes me hope he''ll punish me."
Sage wasn''t betraying Kaze, breaking his rules, or misleading anyone. She also wasn''t trying to get under his skin with her actionsshe was just a twisted person twisting her life.
So if he killed her, it would be devoid of logic, lest he ims hypocrisy. However, he didn''t need a reason other than her being evil, something she acknowledged.
Kaze had true power, unrestrained by petty logic. For someone obsessed with power over others, she found him thrilling and almost wished he''d take her life just to prove he could.
"Are you ready?" Mandy asked nervously, averting her gaze shyly.
"I am." Sage replied hypnotically, standing and pulling her skirt down, "Let''s talk about your strategy. Don''t worry; I won''t ask for things I don''t think you can handle."
-
[A/N: Spoilers notwithstandingthis novel will never have a sex scene involving malevolent intent, and Sage won''t ever betray Kaze. Assault makes me ufortable, and this isn''t Game of Thrones.
I hope you enjoy seeing her character develop and wondering whether she''ll do something non-betrayal or assault-rted worth killing her overdespite following his rules. Thanks for reading!]
Chapter 234 Tsundere Romance
"Um, Emperor, sir?" Steve asked nervously, looking at Kaze, whose shoulder and head were pressed against the wall with his eyes closed, "Have I done something wrong?"
After confirming Sage and Mandy had left, the emperor opened his eyes smoothly. "No, you haven''t."
"Then why am I here?" He asked.
"Originally, I brought you here to get out of Rein''s way during her audit." Kaze said, locking eyes with the Asian, "However, now you''re here because you know something sensitive, yes?"
Steve felt an icy chill crawl down his spine when he saw the emperor''s terrifying gaze burning through his soul. "My gambling rush scrambled my brain, so if I did see something, I don''t remember what it is...."
Steve Chung dry-swallowed nervously, taking a sharp breath under the emperor''s pressured gaze. He was smart enough not to feign ignorance, but it didn''t improve his situation.
"And were you to remember what you saw?" Kaze smiled with a piercing smile.
"If I remember, I''ll make sure not to tell you or anyone else." He replied nervously, "I am but a humble gambling addict who does not seek prison or death."
"Hoh?" The emperor mused, "You do not seek recognition yet you''d alert us that our target was suspicious and cover for us?"
Steve timed his dramatic antics perfectly to draw Sage''s attention away from Kiera''s cracking expressions and back to himself.
That''s why he dramatically asked for luck, making the redhead check Rein''s reactions.
"Well, yeah." The degenerate gambler said, stating [obviously], "The only thing worse than seeing something you shouldn''t is making whatever''s happening fail."
"Astute observation." Kaze smiled, "For your aid and imprudencet, I''m giving you 100 RP. It''s a shame that your date ns fell; otherwise, you could genuinely buy Rein [anything] she wanted."
Rein blushed bright red to the tip of her ears. "It wasn''t a date!"
"Well, it was enough to extract the man from the room, yes?" The emperor asked mockingly.
"I-It wasn''t like that." She imed, "We figured he could interfere with the operation, so we set up an in-and-out operation. We were trying to help."
He looked at the pink-haired ng riddler, who looked like her soul had shattered into a million pieces.
"Butch cut fucked up something savage by not telling you the score." Kiera trembled, "Since debt-jacket was a liability either way, I chose the option that gave a chance of salvaging the sitch. This twisted romance was conincidental in my decision making."
"I see." Kaze said, taking a deep breath with his eyes closed, "You three did marvelous in there. I''m impressed."
All three were stunned by his sudden words, especially the degenerate gambler.
"Me?" Steve asked incredulously, "I get that I helped you, but still."
"You''re a man of talent andmon sense, yes?" The emperor asked seriously, "That puts you in a good ce in a meritocracy, so long as you can operate without guile or betrayal.
I assume you can do both to save your right to gamble, yes?"
The talented degenerate blinked twice and moved his gaze to Rein and Kiera, confused if he was hearing what they were. "I''m sure you can understand my skepticism about you justifying my trustworthiness based upon an addictive hobby known for breeding desperation and poor decision making."
"Ick trust in people''s pure desires, but I can predict and trust in their vices." Kaze smiled ominously, "And so long as I remain the strongest, you will not jeopardize your freedom of vices for petty gains. Such is my philosophy of rule."
"That''s." Steve sighed, "More than disconcerting, but I humbly ept."
"I have high hopes for you." The emperor smiled, turning to the short-haired brte in the room, "As does someone else."
"Wait!" Rein cried, turning beet red, "Don''t speak on my behalf! You were the one interacting with this lowlife, not me!"
"So I assume you will still beg her for a drink?" Kaze smiled, ignoring the embarrassed brte, "Past debts withstanding, I''m certain you have enough money, yes?"
Steve scratched his cheek embarrassedly, calcting his past debts against the 20,184 Skye he had just won after fees, and turned to the brte.
"I do have enough." He smiled, "Rein, can I take you to a drink? There''s a really great casino not too far"
p! THUD!
The degenerate flew across the small room and smashed into the wall. "GuhhhHhhHHh. If you were turning me down, you didn''t have to be violent about it."
"I didn''t do that because you asked me out, you idiot!" Rein snapped, "That''s for touching me without asking my permission. Just because you didn''t touch [me] didn''t mean that it didn''t count!"
Steve smiled helplessly, rubbing his cheek with a shameless smile. "So does that mean I can buy you a drink?"
"No, you can''t buy me a drink at Kat''s Casino." She said with slightly rosy cheeks, "You''ll at least have to offer a drink at Club Quinn."
"I suppose I can do that." The Asian man said, eyes widening when he felt bloodlust, "I-I mean, Rein, can I buy you a drink?"
"If it''s to apologize for putting me through hell all night, then yes." Rein replied boldly, averting her gaze.
"It''s an apology, then." Steve smiled charmingly, standing up, "Once we leave, I''ll apologize as many times as you like."
"You''re free to go." Kaze smiled, "I have finished my objectives. The only thing I have left to do here is check in with the police force."
"You mean Immortal Skye''s Head of Vice?" Kiera asked sarcastically, ring at her lover with narrowed eyes.
"If you mean Carmen Skeeryes." He replied rxedly, "She is the one running security. Would you like to join me?"
"That~depends; can I kill her?" She asked with a serious expression, "She''s guilty of professional irony in the first degree. If she''s not stopped, she might cradle rob a household and steal their pets."
Kaze gave her a silent, mocking smile, making her look away.
The ng riddler genuinely wanted to start an [anti-cock hawk] night shift to prevent lecherous behavior. However, her anxiety from being around people constantly was getting rough. "It''s okay can I stay over tonight?"
"My room is your room." He smiled, enjoying watching her eyes light up with excitement, "While I won''t be there until around 2 am, it''s free to you at all times, even if I''m away."
"Really!? Kiera cried excitedly, "Like, like, like. It''s [our] room?"
"It''s our room." He smiled, "I wouldn''t have given you that ring if the room wasn''t ours, yes?"
Her eyes lit up in wonderment, looking at her new ring, feeling it solidified their rtionship.
On the surface, it was sterling silver with a dazzling aquamarine stone. However, there was something special about the ring that made it touch her heart.
"Can I use it?" Kiera asked, gazing into his eyes expectantly.
"Of course." He smiled lovingly.
She smiled brightly and closed her eyes, pouring Qi into the ring. It lit up with a radiant golden light, and a spatial rift opened, making her squeal uncharacteristically.
"It''s really just like yours!" Kiera cried with sparkling eyes, "It''s amazing. I''m going to try it out!
Join me soon, like really soon, the sooner the better, like, the soonestnow is ideal, so hurry up keeping this hoeplex in check and get back to me."
Kaze gave her a wry smile, enjoying her message but disapproving of her term [hoeplex]. Seeing his half-disapproval, she decided to make an escape.
"Look at the time; gotta go! Love you, miss you, bye!" Kiera eximed, blushing furiously after the word [love] came out of her mouth.
She quickly ran through the warp gate and froze on the other side, staring at his bed.
The ring he gave her was a spatial rift that led to his room within a mile radius of the connection point. With enough Soul Qi, it could spans, but they were a long way out.
While it was practical to most, it was special to Kiera.
She asked for his Forced Tranquility technique. However, Kaze couldn''t teach her one at her level and wouldn''t, as anxiolytic Spirit Qi techniques were addictive and dangerous.
Instead, he made her a ring that allowed her to escape to their room whenever she wanted.
Kaze called it the Anxiety Disappearance Ring, a poor attempt at her puns.
"This really is [our] room?" Kiera muttered with tears of joy in her eyes, "I don''t deserve this. I''m not sure why he''d ever fall for someone likeWAIT!"
Her eyes widened when she remembered something important.
TTT
Rein and Steve developed wide smiles at Kiera''s insanely cute exit. However, the rift hadn''t closed, and ten secondster, a demonic face materialized from thin air.
"You, lips, move, tell, love, death." Kiera warned sternly, making the two shiver. Before they could even nod, the teen blushed again and disappeared, closing the rift.
"Well then," Kaze smiled, "It seems you two have bore witness to the taboo secret behind my affection for this woman. Make sure not to speak of it lest you court death."
He wiggled his fingers in a *spooky* *spooky* gesture, making their tensions disappear and bringing smiles back to their faces.
The ng riddler was far more sensitive and endearing than her countenance suggestedand he confirmed it.
Kiera London Snow was a yandere to Kaze and a tsundere to othersif it didn''t involve him.
Steve didn''t know that the two archetypes weren''t mutually exclusive until that moment, but he didn''t question it. He only hoped Rein wasn''t Kiera''s mirrored reflectiona hidden yandere wearing her tsundere personality. [1]
"Okay, off to your date." Kaze smiled deviously, making them blush and turn to each other. They wanted to protest, but he created a spatial rift and pushed them through it with Qi.
"Oof!" Steve grunted, hitting tiles, "Where are we?"
"I don''t know." Rein said, looking around at the small room with strange electronic equipment.
"Who the hell are you guys!?" A blonde sitting in a chair overlooking a window, strobing blue and white lights, cried in a panic.
"We were sent here by the Emperor." Steve said, "Wait what''s this?"
A piece of paper materialized from thin air, flying into his hands.
The paper said, [Rein Joyfall and Steve Chung are taking over lighting for the next hour. Take a well-deserved break. Sincerely, Kaze Lexicon].
"What is that?" Rein asked, watching him read it with trembling eyes, "Don''t hold secrets."
He gulped nervously. "I-It says that [I''m]"
The short-haired brte knew he was ying games, so she snatched the paper out of his hands, read it, and blushed furiously, turning aroundpletely. "W-What was that idiot thinking!?"
A bottle of wine materialized out of thin air, followed by two crystal sses and a corkscrew. While the confused people tried to catch them, they hit the groundand didn''t break.
"Did Kaze reinforce these sses?" Steve asked in disbelief.
"What''s going on?" The blonde pleaded nervously.
Rein blushed and handed the woman the note, making her blush as well.
"R-Right." The blonde said, "I guess I''ll go hang out in the club for the next hour...."
Without further discussion, she ran past the two, blocking the only door in the room.
"Um, I think this is the Emperor''s way of saying that he doesn''t trust me with money." Steve smiled in self-deprecation, holding the bottle of wine.
Rein grinned, thinking about the absurdity of the situation. "I wonder why...."
"I couldn''t tell you." He replied shamelessly, "Can I [give] you a drink? Drinking with a degenerate is rational if the booze is free, the supplier will murder them for foul y, and the ss can double as an indestructible weapon."
"I guess it is rational." Rein replied, bursting into uncharacteristic giggles involuntarily, "Since you asked, I think I can manage."
"Heh, I thought that my luck streak was over." Steve said with a charming smile, twisting out the cork, "But I guess I was wrong."
She blushed furiously, turning away with a frozen expression, embarrassed to an unbearable extent. "Y-You''re still alive; I''m surprised you''re just now realizing that."
"I''m not the best with life decisions." He chuckled, handing her a ss from her side, making her turn to ept it, "But somehow, it''s working out of me."
Rein peered into his pitch-ck eyes with a charmed and terrified gaze, worried she might fall for him. "Well, I hope your luck never ends."
"I do, too." Steve replied with a charming smile, gazing into her eyes.
[A/N: [1] Yandere is a socio-psychological [syndrome], not a personality trope. They''re emotionally obsessive characters willing to resort to violence to maintain a bond.
It focuses on a character''s actions; it says nothing about their personality. A yandere might be silent and murder people in their sleep or be very vocal. Or they might make implicit threats 24/7.
By contrast, tsunderes are people with harsh or overtly self-serving personalities who are actuallypassionate and gradually warm up. It''s a personality trope unrted to a character''s actions.
Kiera Snow is a tsundere until someone attacks, threatens, or speaks ill of Kaze Lexiconthen, her psychosises out to y. Thanks for reading!]
Chapter 235 Carmen’s Catch-22
Carmen''s back crashed against the wall of a Red Light district sex room. She immediately grabbed the back of Kaze''s head as he lifted her against the wall by her ass and thrust.
She moaned loudly, screaming his name as his hard cock entered deep inside her.
A form-fitting police uniform covered the police chief''s upper half, half unbuttoned, exposing her purplece bra against her beautiful ck skin.
Her lower half waspletely bare, her ass gripped in the emperor''s hands, and her pelvis connected to his at the hips.
"D-Does this make me your concubine?" Carmen gasped after initiating a passionate kiss, feeling him thrust deep inside her.
"If you wish to be." Kaze replied, lightly biting her neck in a way that made her go wild.
"Will you fuck me like this again if I am?" She gasped, letting her head crash against the wall.
"So long as you do not sleep with or date another while in a rtionship with me, I will bring you more pleasure than you could ever find elsewhere." He dered brazenly.
The police chief tried to retort about his hypocrisy, but he had already dered his unjust selfishness.
"Are you say~YING.." Carmen gasped, moaning between her thoughts, "That your concubines... must devote themselves to you forever... while you sleep around!?"
"That is the lexical definition of the word [concubine], yes." Kaze replied mockingly, rolling his eyes at her confounded logic.
"I w-wasn''t being serI~Eous~!" She moaned, epting his cock deep between her spread legs, "I mean, I was, but ahHHhhHHhhHHhHhhHHHhhH~!"
Kaze picked her up high, sliding her back against the wall, and then dropped her, impaling her with his shaft. The momentum made her scream in pleasure, pulling his head between her breasts.
He bit the top of her left breast, making her moan again and twitch, submitting to his overwhelming pleasure.
"How old!?" Carmen cried between a moan, her mind falling nk from herst topic. His every thrust drove her anotheryer further into the depths of lunacy. "H-How old are you!?"
"5123 years old by the Earthian celestial marker." Kaze replied nonchntly, finding a pleasure vein and mining it ruthlessly.
"Y-You''ve convinced meEEeeE~!" She moaned, her eyes rolling to the back of her skull, "I s-should be scoffing, but I believe it!"
"Is that the sex talking?" He mused, using gravity and his backstroke to exploit her sexual desires.
"T-The sex!?" Carmen cried, raking her nails against his back, trying to get traction but failing, "If you [weren''t] an emperor with an expansive empire, I think I''d lose my sanity after all I''ve seen."
"Hoh?" He mused, "You''d proim I had an expansive empire despite the impossibility?"
"You can''t fake THIS!" She screamed, feeling his dick throbbing within her, making her twitch, "Not the power, not the countenance, nor the sexual experience!
If this is [roleying], you''re equally impossible as the fantasy you''re representing!"
It was a catch-22. If she agreed that being a five-thousand-year-old emperor was impossible, she''d have to admit that an eighteen-year-old could be a god of sex and violence within a couple of months of the first influx.
Both were equally insane, so arguing about impossibility was irrelevant.
"If it''s a catch-22 and the truth is irrelevant, which would you prefer?" Kaze whispered into her ear, gripping her firm ass tightly and lifting her body off his cock, "An emperor who validates your ethics, or a young, legal man with boundless potential and an interest in you?"
"AHhhHHHhhHhhhHHhHHhH~!" Carmen screamed, climaxing as he dropped her and her lips slid down his shaft to rejoin their hips.
The police chief breathed hard with twitching legs, sweat glistening against her rosy ck skin. She wanted down; however, the emperor''s erection chained her to the wall, making her fearful of moving from oversensitivity. "T-The emperor I''d choose th-th-the EMP~PEROR!"
"How curious." The emperor smiled mysteriously, "Do you still have ageist aversions against me?"
"I never had a real problem with that!" Carmen cried, his throbbing cock trembling against her ultrasensitive clit, "B-But now, I want to be YOUR CONCUBINE!"
"You seem very attached to that word." Kaze smiled, carefully pulling the trembling woman off his erect shaft, "Why?"
? "I-I." She began before a deep breath, touching her toes to the ground and shaking, leaning on him to stand, "H-Heard the cost of b-being your woman from K-Kylie.
Even if you allowed me to be your woman, t-the price is too high. I won''t chain myself to a-anyone for eternity.
However, I-I don''t mind being exclusive to you, so long as you''re good to me."
"If you wish for such a rtionship, I shall grant you your wish." Kaze smiled, running his fingers up her long, naked ck legs with healing light, stabilizing them.
"And." The police chief blushed, looking into his eyes in amazement, "Can you keep treating me as you did tonight? Your dominance drives me wild."
The emperor closed his amused eyes slowly, opening them with a sharp and dominant gaze.
"If you seek sexual favor with me, I seek amplepensation." He smiled with slightly narrowed eyes, ncing down at his still-erect penis.
Carmen looked down at it and felt a lustful desire to please him, still buzzing off the most profound orgasm of her life. "I will do my duty for my Emperor. Would you like me to take this off first?"
She looked down at the dark blue police top she was wearing, half unbuttoned, showcasing a purplece bra matching the thong on the floor.
"Tell me why you''re still wearing it." The emperor ordered with a dominant smile, "I''ll give you my answer then."
"I I really like it." Carmen replied, her cheeks flushed as she averted her gaze, "I liked it a lot more when you called it sexy."
"I simply spoke the truth." Kaze smiled mysteriously, narrowing his eyes, "I''ve decided, Carmen. Please keep it on; I want to see my police chief sucking my cock."
The beautiful ck woman shuddered, feeling a thrill in knowing she was legally breaking countless Maltianws with the man that talked her into a bribe.
Moreover, she was loving the dynamic. Though the underlying veracity of their roles was unseen, they agreed to roleyand his performance stole her breath away.
Carmen ran her hands down her naked thighs, checking their integrity with rosy cheeks beforemitting to her knees. The feeling made her feel perverse.
Something was raw about being naked from the waist down with everything still on top, as it told a story about the person.
Her bottomless body told the story of her ripping off her boots, socks, pants, and panties as quickly as possible to ept Kaze within her.
Even the thought of that story was embarrassing, so she averted her gaze from the panties on the floor. However, when she did, she saw her pantson the opposite side of the room!
If that wasn''t enough, her socks were ten feet from each other, and one shoe was on the bed!
Carmen thought she was looking at a crime scene, making her get lost in abyrinth of self-reflection.
"Do you no longer wish to please your emperor?" Kaze asked mockingly, ncing at the pants and back at her, understanding her concern, "You were more enthusiastic earlier."
She blushed again and shook her head. "I want to please you I apologize, emperor."
Carmen dropped her knees directly on his order, submitting to her emperor.
Chapter 236 Carmen’s “Barely-Legal-Boss Who Booty Called [Her] At Work.”
Carmen''s heart beat like a war drum as she opened her mouth and wrapped her tongue around his erect penis, feeling it pressing against her tongue.
With passion, she serviced him, sloppily moving her head back and forth as she worked to release his seed.
Kaze hummed in pleasure for a while, then pulled out of her mouth, walking backward and sitting on the king-sized mattress. "Come to me."
Carmen shuddered, seeing the emperor sit dominantly. She put her hands on the ground and crawled to him seductively like a cat, her cleavage slightly swaying as she came up.
When she got between his legs, she grabbed the base of his dick and put the tip of her tongue to it, licking up to his head, rolling her tongue around it, and reinserting it.
He enjoyed the feeling, lightly holding her curly brown ponytail in his hand as she bobbed.
"It''s time." Kaze smiled, making her eyes widen with a pounding heart, "ept your emperor''s seed."
Carmen nodded slightly, wrapping her tongue against his shaft and sliding it down until his tip touched the back of her throat and continuing. After a deep breath through her nose, she pulled back and then went down again, making every movement count.
After another fifteen seconds of bobbing her head, her eyes widened when his cock twitched, pulling his tip from her throat just before thick, hot liquid shot into her mouth.
She pulled back and took a deep breath, fighting against the mouth full of cum. However, she hadn''t finished.
Carmen sucked his tip and glided her fingers up his shaft, pulling more out.
When she was satisfied she had cleaned him, she looked her emperor in the eyes, blushed in embarrassment, and swallowedtwice, nearly choking the first time.
"Now, free from the influence of pleasure and desire, will you still call me your emperor?" Kaze mused, reaching out his hand.
"It''s better than calling you my barely-legal-boss who booty called me at work." Carmen scoffed, epting his hand and standing after wiping her mouth with her forearm, "Besides, everyone else calls you that anyway."
"Is that so?" He mused, his gaze bearing into her soul, "What of my concubine? Will you still call yourself that? While you were roleying, your reasoning seemed oddly specific."
The police chief blushed furiously, grabbing and pulling her purplece panties on as quickly as possible. "If the sex is always this good, I''d ept the term friends-with-benefits or booty call if necessary, but concubine is excessive for sex."
"Oh, love." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "My dual cultivation techniques can extract your soul from your bodythat statement is literal.
What you have experienced is but the firstyer of sexual pleasure. So justifications based on pleasureck meaning entirely."
Carmen''s mouth lowered slowly as he spoke, staring at him dumbly. The fact that she didn''t doubt his im made her shudder. "If that''s the case, you can call me whatever you want, within reason.
Women put up with far worse for sub-par sex. So long as you didn''t neglect me, that title wouldn''t bother me, considering that most women here would die for it."
Trantion: I don''t mind, just give me an excuse.
Who wouldn''t want to live with the most powerful man in the world during a time of danger and scarcity, especially when the often negative aspecthaving sex with himis a maxed out positive?
Once one ounted for his unnaturally good looks and charm, Kaze Lexicon was the most perfect man any woman could hope for. That was an insult to good, faithful men, to be sure, but true.
"In that case, you can call yourself my woman and me your man, should you desire it." He replied charmingly, watching her turn rosy, "If not, you may use any term, so long as it''s not [partner] or otherwise misleading."
"I-Is that so?" She asked, putting on her pants withically low dexterity, "I''ll consider it."
"As for the police outfit." Kaze smirked, making her turn in panic and trip on the pant leg, falling face-first into the ground.
The emperor waved his hand, lowering the gravity in her area so that she didn''t hit. She looked down in bewilderment, suspended above the ground in confusion. It only affirmed the reason that she was attracted to him.
However, it didn''t change that her round ass was staring at him for a moment. Kaze personally didn''t care for thongs, but he didn''t mind seeing one on her. Hd appraised it slightly, wondering if he should reconsider his stance.
? Carmen scrambled to turn around when she realized she was mooning him, making her panicked dexterity worse. In the end, she fell onto her butt, pants still down, looking at him in defeat.
"I''ll take that as a sign you wish to keep it." Kaze smiled in amusement, making her blush brighter red still, "You still need to finish your shift, after all."
He waved his hand, and the spatial barrier around them disappeared, leading to a tidal wave of sound and excitement crashing into the room.
While they were in the room to let her feel excitement over having sex in public, she didn''t want to publicly disclose that she was having sex with him, or have people misinterpret her as a sex worker. So he erected a barrier.
"Where will you go?" Carmen chuckled wryly, watching him dress to leave immediately.
"Back to my [partner]." He replied rxedly, "Should you ever learn to love a selfish man and devote yourself to me unfairly, I shall also speak of you that way."
Without further discussion, Kaze opened a spatial rift and walked through it, leaving the impassioned police chief in her panties, pants half-on, with a flushed expression that she felt might never go away.
"Kaze Lexicon my man?" Carmen whispered in a trance.
The police chief opened and closed her mouth, disbelieving his words. She could call him her man if she was exclusive and he would ept her in a rtionship if she onlymitted for life. It was surreal.
"Could this really be real wait!" She cried.
Her eyes widened in horror, realizing they had unfinished businessmainly that they borrowed the sex room and needed to give it back!
She quickly stood, hobbling to gain her bnce, and tried pulling on her form-fitting police pants.
"Struggled" was a better term, as she constantly failed as she raced against an invisible clock.
In the end, her efforts were in vain.
A beautiful blonde wearing a cheerleading outfit abruptly materialized from a circle of warping space.
She froze when she saw the police chief desperately struggling to pull the form-fitting pants over her ass, which was far too fantastic toply.
Both turned bright red, wishing they hadn''t seen one another.
"I-I didn''t see anything." Mary Remarts, the blonde cheerleader from Kylie''s team, said, "I''m already blind to the Emperor''s activities; you have my word."
"D-Don''t get thank you." Carmen grimaced, realizing it was impossible to im they weren''t having raging sex with her pants down and her shirt unbuttoned, "While there''s nothing illegal or particrly abnormal about this, I''d rather keep it under wraps."
The blonde''s eyes widened at her scathingmentary and burst into giggles.
"I guess that''s true, isn''t it?" Mary mused, eyes closed, hand covering her giggling mouth, "It really isn''t that abnormal."
Kaze watched the two silently, smiling gently at their awkward bonding. However, he got sidetracked watching Carmen pulling her jeans over her ass.
After spending millennia around women with divine physiques and body constitutions, both creating perfectly proportionate bodies, he found the sight hypnotizing.
"Do you like what you see?" Carmen gruffed in annoyance, zipping up the dark blue pants with slight difficulty, "After all, you bought these anticipating that you''d recruit me, yes?"
"I bought these in advance and have a male outfit, but I gave you a high rayon blend, as I anticipated that they may have needed to stretch, yes." Kaze smiled devilishly, "As for the tightness, consider it apliment on me appraising your form."
The answer: correct.
He had Daniel buy many police outfits, depending on if the chief was male or female. After finding Carmen, he handed her the pants she was wearing.
Their size and tightness were indicative of her appraisal of her body size, which was spot on.
So his statement was mildly misleading, but it was also true enough to mess with her.
Mary giggled again, cracking at the police chief''s involuntarily bashful expression. "I feel like I''ll never see that expression again."
"I''d certainly hope not!" The police chief cried, making the three burst intoughter.
Despite the awkwardness, the three walked out of the room smiling, shutting off the light to mark the end of the Underground Bizarre grand opening without a single negative thought.
Carmen''s smile was especially radiant, walking beside Kaze, testing out the words [I''m the Emperor''s woman] in her head over and over, stuck on repeat like a broken record.
[A/N: Please rate this sex scene using Kiera''snguage on a scale from "It gave me terminal ED" to "Fuck yeah! Plow-town typus tore that pussy up!" Or... just 1-10. I''m genuinely trying to improve and write better stories for you all.
I''d also be grateful if you''d give me your favorite smut novels as rmendations, as I''ve rarely read sex scenes in novels and would like perspective. Thank you for reading, everyone! Every day you''ve made this difficult journey worth it.]
Chapter 237 Cosplay At The Red Light District (Optional Romance )
[A/N: This is the optional backstory leading up to the Carmen sex scene. Skip it if you''re ready to jump back into the main story.]
-
"We''re blessed that you have graced us with your presence." A sassy voice said dryly.
The voice belonged to a beautiful ck woman wearing a dark blue police uniform. She stood at the front of a long hallway, lit by neon red lights.
"Happy to be here." Kaze smiled, walking up to her, "How is your first night on the job?"
"Humiliating." Carmen replied bluntly.
"Is it so bad to enforce non-oppressivews of another country?" The emperor mused.
"It is when you''re wearing a police cosy outfit." She scoffed in annoyance.
As she said, she was wearing a police cosy outfit, as it was impossible to get real ones, and it would be a while before people had time to remove the Malta emblems from their real gear.
Rtions between the countries were such that wearing Malta gear would cause altercations, especially amongw enforcement officers. So they had no choice but to wear the outfit.
"Come now; you make it sound like a vulgar roley outfit." Kaze smiled, "Right now, your gear looks professional, albeit considering more true to your form."
"Sexy." Carmen corrected dryly, "While I do not disapprove of looking like a sexy police cosyer, I find it exceedingly humiliating when I''m working at the front of a red light district."
[Red light district] was literal. Neon red lights lit the hall, and there were windows for sex workers to attract customers.
To the emperor''s right was a line of more than two hundred Immortals seeking sex work.
Nearly everyone wanted to have sex. Virgins didn''t want to die without having experienced it, and the rest were frustrated that there was nowhere to have it!
So the line was excessively long, and Carmen Skeer, the former police chief of Meridian City, stood next to it the horny mass of people in a sexy cop outfit.
"It would be one thing if everyone knew a police force existed and didn''t learn about it tonight." Carmen chuckled bitterly, "But half these people didn''t even attend my induction ceremony."
"Come now; surely your goons have adequately [advertised] your presence, yes?" Kaze asked with biting sarcasm, "The only thing they excel at is announcing that they''re police officers."
The three [goons] in question were Wade, Ken, and Pratt from the apocalypse party. They were walking around, doing unnecessary checks, and shing their badges to unt their authority.
It wasical because nearly every person in Immortal Skye was stronger than them, as they missed weeks of training. So their bravado couldn''t get more ironic.
Carmen scoffed, halfughing at the emperor''s statement, embarrassed that she couldn''t refute them. "I suppose that''s why you requested them for such a critical role, yes?
However, I still can''t think of why you''d request I bring them after the trouble they brought you."
"I told you four I would, yes?" He smiled mockingly, "That''s all there is to it."
"Then why did you take so long?" She asked bitterly, "We almost died multiple times."
"I believe [you] were the person that chastised me for trying to poach Malta''s elite, yes?" He asked bitingly, reminding her of their first conversation in Immortal Skye.
"How do you do this?" Carmen scoffed and turned away bitterly, "You make adults look like children. I find it impossible for you to be so young."
"What if I wasn''t young?" Kaze asked amusedly.
"Then I''d question your birth records, school records, government paperwork, footage of you at school, and everything else I saw digging up dirt for the military." Carmen smiled mockingly, "It drives me insane.
Why can''t you just lie and say you came back from the past to save the world?"
"Because I''m neither a liar nor an altruist." He smiled mysteriously, "However, I am whatever women want me to be during roley."
The police chief initially got lost in his allusive, multiyered statement, trying to decipher whether he was clever enough to affirm both her statements by negating a lie. However
"You''d offer to change my mind about sex through a sex act?" She scoffed in disbelief.
"Incorrect; I''ll amend your assertion." Kaze scoffed yfully, making her frown, "Roleyes before sex to get into the mood. Its purpose is to alter your perspective on someone."
"What type of roley could rid a woman of aversions to sleeping with someone almost twenty years younger than themselves?" She scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"How about a sessful emperor with an expansive, prosperous empire that''s old enough to make you look like a child." He replied charmingly, reflecting her original statement.
"We''re talking about convincing a woman of the truth, yes?" She scoffed in exasperation, "Your solution is to convince them of a fantasy role at a time when the world is the opposite of prosperous? That''s arrogant even for you."
"Would you like to challenge my arrogance then?" The emperor smiled mysteriously.
The police chief shivered at his confident smile,cking even the slightest doubt. "If you can convince me that you''re an emperor, I''ll pretend to be your concubine. How''s that?"
"Then follow me." Kaze ordered boldly, catching her off guard.
Her heart thumped when he walked forward into a sea of walking people without looking, and everyone moved aside for them.
He didn''t look arrogant in doing itit seemed like it was only natural.
"Excuse me, administrator." Kaze said with a friendly yetmanding aura that everyone off guard, "Please find me a sex worker on break. I wish to speak to her."
The request made everyone shudder, worried that a dark disturbance required the murderous man''s intervention. However, it was also exciting.
Carmen watched in disbelief, convinced she was observing a real emperor living naturally.
***
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Thank you for your interest; I''m no longer epting clients!" A female voice snapped from the other side of the door, begrudgingly ustomed to the knock.
"It''s Kaze Lexicon; I wish to speak to you." The emperor said straightly.
"Emperor!" Mary cried, quickly shifting around the room and spraying it with perfume hastily before opening the door.
When she did, Carmen coughed from the overwhelming smell, making the blonde panic even more!
Kaze smiled, finding it amusing that she had ced condoms and other sex products on the counter in case he wanted her services. While it wasical, it wasn''t unprofessional or unnatural either. "You needn''t worry, Mary. Can wee in?"
"Y-Yes, Emperor." The blonde said with a shaky smile, leading them in and shutting the door, "Pleasee in. I wish there were more ces to sit."
It was a simple room with neon-pink lights, a desk, and a kingsized mattress.
Service providers could rent furniture and equipment, indicated by the mounting brackets on the walls and ceiling for kinky things. However, she only offered vani services for one night to get sses, so shecked a reason to get more furniture.
"You needn''t concern yourself with seating arrangements." Kaze announced, "We must appropriate your room for an hour for important matters.
I willpensate you for the inconvenience and take you to your room or a private bar to wait."
Mary''s eyes widened in bewilderment, unbelieving her ears. "I-It''s no inconvenience I will go wherever you like me to."
"Thank you for your cooperation." He replied with a professional smile, waving his hand to create a spatial rift and leading the confused woman through it.
Mary walked into his harem den with wide eyes. "If you have this, why are you asking for a public room?"
"You needn''t concern yourself with what we need your room for." The emperor replied semi-coldly, "I assume you know better than to specte of my non-public activities, yes?"
Mary felt an icy wind blow past her, feeling anxiety in her core. "I''m not stupid enough to provoke you or Evalyn."
"Excellent." Kaze smiled slightly, "Until I return, please enjoy a drink, take a rxing bath, watch some movies, or rest. The sheets are clean."
"R-Right." She stuttered, "I''ll see you when you get back."
Without further discussion, the emperor turned around and walked through the spatial rift, leaving her behind in the room.
After exploring the room, Mary decided to lie down and see what it was like to be his woman.
She immediately fell in love with the feeling of his red silk sheets, closing her eyes and facing the ceiling with her hands behind her head.
However, her perspective on the room changed when she opened them and sawrge gashes on the roof from when Evalyn first dual cultivated and had to release excess Qi.
"What type of kinky shit is that man into!?" Mary cried wide-eyed, "Or what is [she] into...."
The blonde shivered, wishing she had never opened her eyes.
TT
Kaze returned to find his police chief awaiting him with an expectant gaze.
"Now what, Emperor?" Carmen asked sassily, "Is this where you order me to strip and service you?"
"Only if you want me to." The emperor smiled, "However, judging by your passion, I''d rmend you let me lift and fuck you against that wall."
His crudenguage fit her mindset like a glove, making her mind go wild.
"That would make it impossible for you to question my age or our professional rtionship." Kaze smiled, "An emperor''s job is to know the mindset of the people we''re talking to. How did I do?"
"Jesus Christ, please fuck me, Emperor." Carmen pleaded, unbuckling her pants as quickly as possible, "You won the bet. Tonight I am your concubine, so please treat me like one."
She pulled her pants halfway down her ass before remembering she was wearing boots! So she dropped to the ground awkwardly, ucing her boots with extreme frustration.
Once the first boot was off, she threw it across the room and then the other, each in the direction she was looking.
Then she did the same with her pants and panties.
That was the first minute of their sexual experience and her journey as the emperor''s concubine.
Chapter 238 July 15th, 2032 | Botany Club
Sage stared at the freshly printed fliers with a satisfied expression.
TT[July Reputation Points Incentives]TT
Announcement! During the month of July, Immortals will earn double the RP found herein. Managers and teachers will also reward Immortals Exclusive vouchers, allowing them ess to sses and techniques with distinction.
-
An Immortal can gain reputation points in four ways:
-
1. Seven days'' worth of above-average impartially-tracked work earns Immortals (1) RP.
2. Talent or leadership distinction in cultivation, military training sses, or practice can earn Immortals up to (1) RP per ss.
3. Partaking in hazardous assignments, including voluntary scavenging work, earns an Immortal (1) RP per/day with a (25) RP bonus for five work days.
4. Immortal Skye military personnel will get an additional (1) RP weekly.
5. Military or hazardous operation distinction can earn Immortals an uncapped amount of RP.
6. Daily, weekly, or monthly incentives to earn RP may be avable at any time.
7. Businesses and services operating outside work hours can earn an Immortal an uncapped amount of RP.
8. Bing skilled enough to teach will earn a person an uncapped amount of RP per lesson, course, or lecture.
9. Management members can earn an uncapped amount of RP for exceeding goals and forecasts.
10. Stopping disturbances, solving problems, and mitigating potential issues can earn an Immortal an uncapped amount of RP.
However, poor actions that worsen situations will get an Immortal fined an uncapped amount of RP.
Citing [provocation] or arguments as a cause for citizen justice will likely face punishment.
11. Management can reward RP for unofficial reasons at their discretion. However, managers must post unofficial rewards publicly on the RP shortlist to prevent favoritism.
-
Punishment for Negative Reputation Points
Those fined for misconduct and with less than one reputation point will move to the campgrounds and be subject to unwanted jobs unless their work position is necessary.
Punishments are removed after obtaining neutral reputation points, but their position and residence may be filled in the interim.
-
Preventing Favoritism and Corruption
All RP allocations will be publicly posted on the Immortal Skye boards weekly to ensure scrutiny and ountability and to prevent favoritism.
While management members can earn significantly more RP than others, they are also ountable for their decisions and will get fined a corresponding amount of RP.
Managers convicted of improper RP allocations or abusing their position will face mid-to-long-term punishment unless their assistance is vital in oveing a crisis.
-
On Inequality and Value
Those talented enough to manage, teach, or run sessful businesses provide the most value and will naturally be exorbitantly wealthy.
These three services are vital to Immortal Skye''s well-being and its citizens'' happiness, and thus all people should strive for one of the three positions.
Management members and teachers are not subjected to many Reputation Point requirements. Obtaining one of these positions is exceedingly desirable.
-
The Reputation Point System Is The Law
While Immortal Skye provides civil and economic liberties and strives to be fair and impartial in itsws and political and economic systems, it is not a democracy.
The Reputation Point system is not up for discussion, deliberation, or debate. It is thew enacted by Immortal Skye''s leadership.
Everyone will follow it without sowing discord, or they must leave Immortal Skye.
"God damn, this is satisfying." Sage beamed with sparkling eyes, "He said he''d double enthusiasm, and he''s already done it!
After he sexed people up and let them taste luxuries, I''m drowning in mercenary applications. People cannot sign up fast enough for hazardous work."
Kaze promoted the Underground Bizarre and gave everyone free money to get them hooked on pleasure and the value of RP. That same night people started turning in applications for the Scavengers to get the 1 RP a day and 25 RP week bonus.
It was proof that people enthusiastically volunteered for overtime and life-threatening work. His incentive would only make that more aggressive.
"Simply by doubling the RP this month, [everyone] will work overtime and train like their lives depended on it at this critical time!" Sage squealed uncharacteristically, "It''s so satisfying.
Every person of talent will be in one of his exclusive sses to learn new techniques [immediately].
He''s pulled one lever passively. Now, resources are self-allocating for maximum value, and everyone is preparing for a crisis with maximum morale. It''s incredible!"
The redhead hugged one of the sheets against her chest. She loved power, rationality, and effectiveness; Kaze was all three.
Just thinking about it made her bite her lip and close her eyes.
"That man." Sage whispered, running her fingers up her skirt, "He makes me want to be bad just in hopes he''ll punish me."
TT
"A gardening club?" A brte with neck-length hair and a professional-looking dress asked, "I can see if there is interest, but these clubs are fragile, Ms. Harrington.
If you incentivize people to join another club, it could be disastrous."
"Don''t misunderstand, Ms. Roybock." Sage replied, shaking her head, "We need real gardeners, ideally botanists, ecologists, and science majors.
That''s who we want in the botany club. Our incentives for this week''s gardening operations are temporary paid work."
Francis, who went by Fey, winced, looking at another flyer. "I understand that. However, the every dishwasher will want to join this club."
-
TT[Botony and Gardening Club]TT
If you are interested in nts or meeting people, join the Botany Club. It is satisfying and provides lucrative career opportunities, as you can learn to grow [treasures].
Treasures are Qi-rich nts that provide miraculous benefits to those who ingest or bathe in them.
They can cleanse your system, doubling your Qi intake and output, or increase the durability of your body, making it stronger than steel.
Some treasures can even temper your body to elements, allowing you to use higher-level fire, ice, or electricity techniques that would usually kill a cultivatorlike Evalyn Skye.
That''s the value treasures offer and why nting, nurturing, and harvesting them will provide a rich source of RP and Skye.
The botany club has 20 avable positions, which will first go to botanists, farmers, gardeners, fermenters, and science majors in that order.
So make sure to sign up immediately.
Emperor Lexicon is providing 10 RP a day to anyone who helps set up the fields for the first treasure farm.
We will meet on the north side of campus in the wooded area tomorrow, July 16th, 2032, at 5 PM. You''ll know you''re there, as the trees are missing everywhere else!
TTTTT
-
"You''re a professor, so why can''t you read?" Sage asked dryly, making the short brte''s face heat up with resentment, "It clearly states there are only 20 positions.
Are you saying that 20 people leaving your clubs, as statistically unlikely as that is, will cripple your operation?"
Fey gritted her teeth at the woman''s brash behavior, knowing she couldn''t talk back to a government director. "No, it''s just that volunteer organizations are delicate in the beginning, and the participants are sensitive to outside influence."
"You mean like sleeping with a student?" The redhead mused mockingly, making the professor''s eyes widen in horror, "That''s a Maltian sex offense, but you somehow navigated that fine."
"W-Where did you learn that?" The professor stuttered, mortified.
"You, right now." Sage confirmed with a sinister smile, "There''s no need to be ashamed. When the Emperor wants something, we''re are liable to give it to him."
"I-I." Fey swallowed nervously, averting her gaze, "Is that right?"
"We''re all in the same boat, us women." The businesswoman smiled ominously, "As we speak, he desires immediate treasure production, and I will stop at nothing to give that to him.
So [I advise] you to ept the opportunity to lead the botany club, Ms. Roybock. The Emperor and I will reward youvishly if you do a good job."
An icy chill crawled down the professor''s spine when she heard the word [advise]. The tone behind it suggested that the alternative would be horrifying.
"I already epted it upon Kaze the Emperor''s request." Fey said with a wry smile, "You can count on me."
"Excellent." Sage smiled sinisterly, "Well, off you go. If you want to meet your deadlines, you have your work cut out for you."
She turned around and walked away, leaving the brte trembling, looking at the sheet.
"I''m already trying to fulfill his desires by creating these clubs." Fey whispered bitterly, "Now I''m risking failure to help this woman fulfill her asks from the emperor? Thatdy is evil."
Chapter 239 July 16th, 2032 | Incentivized Training Begins
"While you''re tired and training has been difficult, your efforts will not go unnoticed." Evalyn said before thousands of soldiers and family members, "As I''ve exined to the volunteer Immortals, I will give distinguished cultivators sky-grade breathing and offensive techniques this week.
Everyone else will be learning earth-grade techniques."
Excitement spread through Lainwright military base, hearing that she was giving them billion-dor techniquesand higher.
"Let''s talk about how you can earn these techniques." The Ice General smiled ominously, "The first way is tond a hit on me during training. The second is to prove yourself loyal and trustworthy. Lastly, you can show remarkable skill or growth.
Since the second is unlikely, and very few will earn the third, I rmend you try to hit me with an attack. You all can attack simultaneously; in fact, I rmend it."
Gasps spread through the area, perplexed that she''d tell thousands of people they could get techniques if they hit her with a single attack.
Immortal Skye''s elite soldiers cringed, feeling horrifying deja vu and taking pity on the Lainwright soldiers and volunteer family members.
"Naturally, anyone that tries to hit me can expect retribution." Evalyn smirked ominously, seeing their excitement, "So, only attack me if you''re willing to face the consequences."
The atmosphere''s pressure multiplied, seeing her sinister smile that told a dark story.
TT
Twenty-five hundred Immortals stood before the emperor with expectant gazes. They rarely saw him in training, as Jake led cultivation training and practice and Sandra and Aaron led military sses.
"How did my naughty Immortals enjoy breaking Malta''swsst night?" Kaze asked with a slight smile.
Carmen blushed and smiled wryly when a wave of over-zealous cheering crashed into her ears, reminding her of her position and actions.
"I''m d you enjoyed it." He smiled, "Since you do, I''m pleased to announce that there are major additional opportunities to earn RP this month.
If you take advantage of them, you can take private sses, learn new techniques, buy luxury items, and explore your hidden fantasiessimultaneously."
More cheering rocked the sound waves, making everyone''s blood start pumping.
"Not only are we doubling RP gains for the month, Immortals can earn vouchers for cultivation technique sses at the Exclusive." Kaze announced, "The top one hundred distinguished students in regr training will get them this week."
Excitement about the opportunity spread through the area like wildfire, making the atmosphere feverish. It was ufortable, but no one would leave for the world.
"Let''s talk about how you can prove yourself a top student." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "I''m giving everyone a sky-grade breathing technique.
The top hundred cultivating it will get sses for sky-grade offensive techniques."
Silence spread through the area until all people could hear the sound of heavy breathing. Everyone waited for confirmation that he wasn''t joking.
"Immortal Skye has conquered Earth''s bitch ass!" Larkin screamed, breaking people out of their perplexed hazes, "That''s why we''re taking the muthafucking sky next!
IMMORTAL SKYE! IMMORTAL SKYE! IMMORTAL SKYE!"
Without tact or regard for the emperor''s speech, the jester whipped everyone into a frenzy, making the area explode in vibrant cheers and chanting, creating an ominous echo that spread down the barren mountainside.
"That''s right!" The emperor roared, feeding off the passionate atmosphere, "Everyone will take one more step to be legitimate Immortals!
In the next six weeks, you''ll be able to challenge low-level Sky ne cultivators! Who wants payback for what they did to us!?"
Battle cries rocked the area, ripping apart people''s broken souls and melding them back together.
"Then seize it!" Kaze ordered passionately, "Let''s take back what''s rightfully ours.
To get there, work hard this month, train, volunteer, earn RP, take exclusive sses, and seize your destiny!"
Thunderous apuse and overbearing bloodlust radiated in the area, making the atmosphere terrifying and suffocating.
The emperor would whip everyone into shape in six weeks and exploit every one of their desires and ambitions to do it with maximum morale. That was his strategy to seed.
TT
Evalyn watched in slow motion as a nket of sh attacks rained from the ground and sky like arrows. She waved her hand and created an ice barrier, blocking all of them.
While everyone was shocked her ice dome survived a hundred of their strikes, they could see cracks in it, while the Ice General couldn''t see anything.
So everyone released battle cries and surrounded it, shooting hundreds of attacks at it simultaneously.
CRAaaaaCkkKKkkkK! BOOOOOOOM!
A cloud of ice shot into the air, falling to the ground like snowkes after a fast-paced cracking sound ended in an explosion. Everyone cheered, feeling they hadnded a hit on their general.
To their dismay, when the blizzard-like flurry of ice settled, they saw a smaller barrier underneath the first, like a Russian nesting doll.
"What are we going to do?" Someone asked.
"We''re still on the offensive." A brte said, "We should cycle our members to attack, breaking it down until there''s nothing left."
"I''m not sure that we should waste that much Qi." A blonde-haired man countered, "If she escapes, we''ll be doomed."
"How will she escape?" She scoffed, "She can''t even see!"
As everyone talked, thousands of ice balls developed behind them. When they wereplete
"AGhHHhHHhHHhHhhHhHHhhHHhhHhhHhhHhhH!"
"WHAT IS THIS!?"
"Create a phnx with the defensive cultivators on the outside!"
"There''s no time. It''s"
CRraCK!
"GahHHhHHhH!"
Hundreds of soldiers dropped every second when an ice ball crashed into their legs, hitting just hard enough to create bone fractures without breaking them.
Evalyn circled inside her inner ice dome, viewing the world through Qi flow to see the people and attack. "This is always the worst part, but it''s necessary to prevent abrupt trauma from causing shut down."
The blonde watched what happened at the start of the rapture carefully, seeing how a thousand people still had immense Qi when it was over because they couldn''t move.
To prevent that, she was recreating that hopeless situation to build people up. Like Kaze once suggested to her after sex one night, low-level trauma hardens the skin against major trauma.
It tattoos the mind''s surface area, making it difficult for even major events to add more ink.
That was what she was forcing on her soldiers. In her mind, they would all die gruesome, meaningless deaths in six weeks if she didn''t.
The Ice General''s philosophy was that a person needed to be alive to hate her, so she''d ept as much hate as people wanted to give her.
"It seems you don''t want to survive, after all!" Evalyn scoffed, breaking her barrier to see the thousands of soldiers screaming and groaning on the ground, "You''re dead."
She lifted her hand, created thousands more ice balls, and systematically crashed them into people''s stomachs, moving as fast as her mind could process.
"If your enemy cripples you mercilessly, you must still attack them!" The Ice General roared, ignoring their screams, "You didn''tlook what happened."
Those who recovered their breath filled their lungs and apologized, begging for mercy.
"Did I hear you beg forgiveness for inaction?" Evalyn scoffed, "You still draw breath, yet you''d rather scream than cultivate and use Minor Healing? Pathetic.
I can understand pathetic soldiers being unwilling to save themselves. But seeing the civilians volunteering to protect their families giving up? Disgusting.
Unless you opted out like my soldiers, I don''t want to see you back in the barracks until you''ve healed your legs. If I hear someone has helped you, I will severely punish themnot you."
Without further discussion, she left the screaming soldiers and civilians on the ground.
The Ice General closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she walked. "This is the best I can do. I pray that it''s enough, or that Kaze wins and can correct my mistakes."
TT
"Now listen very closely." Kaze announced, "You will all experience pain as your meridians stretch. However, those with Minor Healing will be healing your meridians in shifts. It won''t do much, but it will help.
Make sure to see a healer before youe back tonight. There''s no value in pain if it holds back your progress. Do you understand?"
A hurricane of affirming replies shot through the area. Everyone was ecstatic to get the sky-grade breathing technique.
While they knew it would be painful, the rewards and hope it brought them were immeasurable. So they put their hearts and souls into it after they got the technique.
Kaze smiled strangely, watching thousands gritting their teeth with burning meridians and seeing their determined expressions. "I hope this is enough.
This is all I can do; the rest is up to your willpower and drive to survive."
He reappraised the situation with a strange smile that turned into a grin.
"Not exactly." Kaze chuckled ominously, "If anyonees up short, I''ll send them to Evalyn. She''ll teach them what death feels like, and it''ll change their perspective on dying."
The emperor turned around with a mysterious smile and walked away, delighted he had a partner who could fill in where he wascking.
Chapter 240 July 17th, 2032 | Grave Robbers
Kaze overlooked a satisfying plot ofnd that his Immortals plowed under the supervision of his professor, Fey Roybock.
"Is this to your specifications?" A redhead next to him asked with a slight smile.
"It''s excellent." He smiled, looking at his teacher with a fond gaze. She momentarily caught sight of it and blushed, returning to giving directions to a volunteer in embarrassment.
"Do you think that she alone had made this happen?" Sage mused, narrowing her eyes.
"Of course not." Kaze smiled, turning to her, "You have different roles, and you''ve both performed them well. I''ve already praised you, have I not?"
"I''m d that you genuinely see a positive aspect in me." She smiled amusedly, "I was beginning to think that you only saw my bad ones."
"I''ve noted many positive aspects of you." He scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Like what?" The redhead mused, challenging him.
Kaze nced at her breasts, ass, and mouth before locking eyes again with a charming smile. "That''s a secret."
"Proof that hard work isn''t enough for men." Sage scoffed, trying not to smile but failing, "Isn''t it time for you give your sex ed teacher the same praise?"
"While I''d love to, I can''t." He smiled, "She deserves more than a token of appreciation, and that''s all I can give at the moment."
"What are you doing?" Sage asked with narrowed eyes, "Or [who]?"
"I''m searching for something, and I assure you it''s not sex." Kaze replied mysteriously, "Were it a potential service, I would ban it in the Underground Bizarre."
"Hoh?" The redhead mused, "After experiencing every fantasy and nightmare imaginable, you''re searching for something that no person would ever seek?"
"More or less." He winked charmingly, "If I find what I''m looking for, I might be willing to let you try it with me. While I''d make this offer to a sane woman, you may be twisted enough to inspire an exception."
"Will you at least give me a hint?" Sage requested with a hypnotic smile, "It''s a woman''s job to keep a man guessing, not the other way around."
"Must you imply I wouldn''t have told you had you explicitly asked?" Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"What would be the fun in getting a straight answer?" She mused, raising her eyebrows, "Imagination is the best part; I just want [a taste]."
"What I''m looking for is simr to bondage gear." He responded hypnotically, narrowing his eyes in a predatory gaze, "Something I could use to tie you up and punish you for your misdeeds."
"Sounds thrilling." Sage bit her lower lip with her left canine, using her hands to adjust his cor. "I suppose I''ll have to be an extra bad girl. You know, to give you [a real reason] to use it on me."
"You needn''t worry about that, Sage." Kaze chuckled, turning and walking toward the forest on the east side, "I already have plenty; I''m just not in the mood."
The redhead''s chest tightened as he disappeared into the forest, increasing the pressure on her lip to contain the thrill and anxiety crashing into her. "My imagination is on fire; now, I want [a real taste]. So I suppose I''ll need to get you in the mood."
TT
Kaze walked to an area a few miles east of Immortal Skye that he put under a persistent concealment technique using Soul Qi as the medium.
It had metal walls like the private cultivation grounds, topped with Spirit Qi-enhanced razor wire that could shred through his cultivators.
"Thank god it was the blood of a Cultivation Lord, weak as she was." Kaze scoffed, entering through the gate, "Otherwise, the stench would be unbearable."
The area was nearly identical to his private cultivation area. However, instead of the pond containing frigid water, it was overflowing with blood from Malitan soldiers, sick civilians, and the Silver Medallion cultivators.
It would smell putrid were it not for Mary Emerson''s blood, which continually purified it.
"I know you vile mongrelsck honor like your master." Kaze scoffed bitingly, searching through the reeds around the pond intently, "So you needn''t hidespeak of the devil."
When he saw a red nt sprouting, seemingly lined with silver leaf, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, no longer concerned by the smell.
"I never thought I''d be grateful to fight cowards." Kaze chuckled bitterly, "Or that I''d be excited to see you, but here I am."
He kneeled and closed his eyes, putting his left hand above the nt and his right hand under it. His body radiated with a golden light as he churned his soul core slowly.
Snap!
Kaze snapped his fingers, and sickening wind des cut his hand, pouring golden blood onto the nt. It instantly shot three feet above the ground, wrapping around his arm with razor-sharp leaves.
"Don''t be greedy." Kaze grinned in pain, feeling it constrict like a python, "I''m not going anywhere."
As it squeezed, the des cut through his un-tempered divine body constitution like mortal skin.
The thirsty nt drank the blood from his wounds, turning the nt red and gold. Veins in the ground lit up and pulsed, revealing a fishing of roots underneath, feasting on his blood.
"Yes, that''s right." Kaze grinned, "My blood is far more nourishing than Mary''s, is it not? It''s because I''m better at soul cultivation than her.
Once you remember that the difference between our cultivation is corrted with our strength, you''ll understand how foolish it was to attack me."
Red electricity pulsed through the nt, causing it to recoil. It was only a minor shock, but the nt had never experienced something so painful and unnatural.
"I''m here to make a deal with you." The emperor announced, "If youply, I shall reward you handsomely. Should you refuse, I will put you through torture far worse than death."
The nt sprouted around him in a dozen locations, stalking him, waiting to strike.
"I advise you to ept my generosity." Kaze grinned mercilessly, "For I know more about you than yourselfandck mercy for your kind."
The nt retracted slowly, taking its time to strike.
"Your brethren exist everywhere that a weak coward seeks revenge." The emperor imed brazenly, "And weak revenge seekers exist in all five nes.
Cowards carry your seeds when they go into battle, so you''ll kill more enemies, destroy theirnds, and reap their children''s lives. Your life is proof of that."
The nt sprouted behind rocks and other hard-to-see areas, trying to catch him off guard.
"The strong have many names for you." Kaze smiled rxedly, "They call you the Hands of Hell, Coward''s Ambush, Torture Tendrils, Razor WeedGrave Robbers."
Hearing the [praise], the nt aggressively sprouted in areas only a few feet away.
"While you have many names and backstories, there is onemonality anywhere you go." Kaze grinned murderously, "You''re hated. Resented. Despised.
You''ve robbed us of our fallen brethren, making corpse extraction impossible on battlefields. You''ve ambushed our people and stolen our children. You''re made us destroy ournds."
The constant reinforcement led the Grave Robbers to grow about a foot, with twenty-four sprouts twisting in the area, preparing to strike.
"And so" The emperor began with a wicked grin as it shot at him from all directions, wrapping around his body and shredding it.
Golden blood flowed into the ground, turning the emperor''s body into a crimson, twisted nightmare.
"I''ve seen every creative way." Kazeughed with a crazed grin, "To torture your kind imaginabe."
The nt panicked, feeling his sinister aura. It quickly wrapped the emperor''s neck and constricted, trying to kill him instantly.
However, the moment it tasted blood from Kaze''s neck, it turned green progressively, looking as though the emperor had injected it with a green syringe, creating a blotchy mess.
The Grave Robbers recoiled, thrashing on the ground as the ground pulsed and the blood pond rippled. If the nt could scream, it would be shrieking violently.
Feeling corner, tendrils shot from theke and began thrashing the ground, chopping off the sections that drank his blood.
"Posioning one''s blood, overloading you with Soul Qi, Spirit Qi techniques, fire techniques, and rupturing all the blood cells in your body." Kaze exined sinisterly, "I personally like thest one.
Not only does it hurt like hell, but you must also spit out my blood and hack off all tendrils that touched me, giving me your blood, lest you wish to die of poison.
It''s brutal torture only a select few with blood techniques can inflict on your kindand I''m one of them."
All the tendrils retracted, trying to get in the ground but falling short, still twitching as green life pushed the parasitic blood out.
By contrast, the emperor''s embattled body radiated with a golden light, and all his wounds healed, making the terrified Grave Robbers recoil further.
He stepped forward, making the nts drag backward against the ground.
"Luckily for you, I''m here to cut a deal." Kaze smiled murderously, "I need you to mature a portion of yourself within a month''s time for me to create tempering treasures.
I cannot allow my partners to face enemies stronger than themselves with untempered bodies.
If youply, I shall let you temper my body directly and feed you [select] enemies. Should you refuse, I will torture you daily into forced maturity, reaping your life for subpar treasures.
Do you understand my proposal?"
All the bloody tendrils moved forward, collecting at the emperor''s feet, seemingly bowing.
"Excellent choice." He said, waving his hand.
A golden light radiated in the pond, revitalizing the tendrils at his feet, healing them.
"Now, let''s continue my tempering." Kaze grinned while spreading his arms, madness flickering in his eyes, "I will not move, so send as many tendrils as possible and feast to your heart''s content."
The nt cautiously sprouted around him, curling around his limbs slowly before constricting, sending pools of blood crashing to the ground.
He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, summoning the blueprint for Paradox of Healing to heal his body and create blood.
"Sage dying a gruesome death here [by her request]." Kaze chuckled chillingly, "Ick the poetic charm necessary to capture such beautiful irony.
So I''ll pray that she reigns in her insatiable desires for the both of us. [Again]!"
More blood crashed onto the ground after Kaze gave the order, causing the Grave Robbers to constrict again, ripping apart his flesh and drinking his blood.
After his body healed again, the nt tensed up, instinctively driven to run away to retain its gains. However, the emperor cut through the desire instantly.
"Again." He ordered chillingly, "You must mature, and I must temper. So we will do this until you can no longer break my skin.
Since you get stronger after every drink, it''ll be a while. So I suggest you get started."
Chapter 241 July 18th, 2032 | Lady Roybock
"Hello, Lady Roybock." Kaze smiled charmingly, walking up to his nervous professor, "I gave you ample time to process before speaking to you.
However, it seems it was unnecessary; your pounding heart doesn''t contain the slightest degree of fear. How curious."
"K-Kaze!" Fey blushed furiously, turning away with an awkward demeanor, "That''s not appropri--heh. I see you''ve switched back to Lady Roybock."
"I have, pending confirmation." He confirmed casually, "I''d continue calling you Francis, but I''ve heard that you hate that name passionately outside of moments of intimacy."
The professor turned beet red and looked away; she had never felt so mortified. "I dislike the name, but you''re right.... Ah! W-Why are you here, Mr. Lexicon?"
Kaze looked down at the unused Ergo seed packages in his hand and then back at her. "If you wish to hide your needless embarrassment, it''s unwise to blurt out the first thing you can think of."
Fey cringed, ying back the situation, then looked at him with a self-deprecating smile. "I''m d to talk to you. I thought you had forgotten about me."
"I would never ignore a woman as charming as yourself, let alone forget her." He replied maically, making her chest pulse, "Can you walk me through production?"
The professor blinked twice, snapping out of her fantasy. "O-Oh, yes. We''ve already weeded and plowed the field and dug irrigation ditches. Now, we''re nting the seeds."
They stood before arge dirt field with rows of dug-up earth awaiting seeds.
"Are you sure that we can nt them at this altitude?" Fey asked nervously, "The climate is poor, and nutrients are scarce at this elevation."
"You needn''t worry about that." Kaze chuckled, "Ergo is an invasive nt that grows in extreme climates.
It''s better to grow them at high elevations; otherwise, you must cull the poption every few days. It''s a truly dreadful undertaking."
"We''re nting a weed?" She asked with a bitter smile, "Then why did you have us create farming fields?"
"nts cease to be [weeds] when they are where you wish them to be." He replied with a charming tone, "We want Ergo growing here; thus, it''s not a weed.
Since it''s an invasive species, we must create an orderly field to cull any spawn strangling our treasures."
Invasive species are known for reproducing and spreading rapidly, often causing damage to the environment and killing other nts. They are the nts that people usually call weeds.
Due to its fast growth, they needed an orderly field to weed out new Ergo to prevent it from siphoning Soul Qi from their main nts.
The professor got lost in his simple yet hypnotic exnation, speaking science with the same fluidity he did when ying back her lectures. "Did you also have a charming biology teacher?"
"He was dreadful." Kaze replied with a witty smile, "That is another reason to remember a person''s every word, albeit an unfortunate one."
Fey blushed when she processed his flirtatious meaning, turning away. "Is it okay that I''m blushing? Our roles have reversed dramatically, and its awkward."
"Only if you wish to." He replied hypnotically, making her heart thump, "At Immortal Skye, you can act however you wish, so long as it doesn''t make someone ufortable.
Since we''re a new country, we can destroy negative culture without creating nketws and rules."
"Wait...." She requested in slight anxiety, "You''re not worried about people taking advantage of their positions?"
"That''s against thew here, Lady Roybock." Kaze smiled, "Sleeping with students and managers is not.
However, you needn''t worry about a cultural decline. Since I know everyone here by sight, citizens must put their life and reputation on the line before they try abusing myws. "
"Will that really work?" Fey asked in awe, drawn in by his charisma.
"Of course, it will." Kaze smiled charmingly, "I can name it the Roybock bill if you wish."
Her face blushed red to the tip of her ears. She knew he wasn''t being serious by his cheeky smile, but she still couldn''t handle the embarrassment.
"Ms. Roybock, we''ve sowed the seeds!" A redhead announced with a pleasant smile.
"OKAY!" The professor replied with unnatural intensity, turning to the emperor, "Y-You haven''t told us how to water them. Is that because they''re invasive?"
"No, it''s because I''m the only person that can water them." Kaze replied with a strange smile, turning to the people in the field, "Everyone, please move from the field."
The Immortalsplied as the emperor closed his eyes and churned his Soul Core, extracting Soul Qi into a blueprint.
When she opened his eyes, he waved his hand grandly, and a sheet of golden water flew across the sky, raining down on the field, stunning everyone.
It soaked into the earth quickly, giving the entire field a lingering, ambient glow.
The vegetation in the area reacted, and nts and grass stood erect, almost glistening. Some Immortals swore they even saw the nts growing in real-time. It was surreal.
"What is that?" Fey asked in wonder.
"It''s life essence itself." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "I''ve infused it with a water technique to create Qi-rich nutrients. Ergo feeds on Soul Qi, which no one else can cultivate; that''s why I must water them like this if we want to harvest them after a month."
"How do you cultivate... Soul Qi?" She asked curiously.
"You don''t want to know." He replied with a mysterious smile, making her feel a cool anxiety in her chest.
"I see...." Fey replied strangely, "It''s a shame you must water it yourself. You''re already busy; I wish I could help relieve some of that stress."
"You are always wee to help me relieve stress in other ways so long as you seek simr relief." Kaze replied nonchntly, shing her a maic smile.
She turned beet red again and turned, trying not to fidget. "B-But... don''t you have... a partner?"
"I am a shameless polygamist, Lady Roybock." Kaze replied charmingly, "All my partners know and ept that before entering into a rtionship with me."
"I don''t... understand." She muttered, genuinely perplexed, "Why would your... partners... ept you sleeping around?"
"I suppose it''s because no one, save Evalyn, could be my partner if they didn''t." He smiled shamelessly, "It''s an arrangement that suits everyone."
"It sounds like it suits [you]." Fey said with a wry smile.
"The word [everyone] includes me, yes." Kaze countered with a charming, mocking smile.
"Then why do you do it?" She frowned, "What drives you to seek many partners?"
"Is it so strange?" He asked with a maic smile, "If I didn''t, I couldn''t enjoy rtionships with charming women like yourself. That would be a shame too great to ept."
"W-W-We aren''t in RELATIONSHIP!" Fey squeaked awkwardly, looking for escape routes to hide her awkward embarrassment.
"Did I ever say we were?" Kaze chuckled in amusement, "You needn''t worry, Lady Roybock.
Should you ever wish to join me as my partner, I will wee you warmly. Until then, I will neither im we are in a rtionship nor court you."
"M-Me!?" The brte professor blushed furiously, turning away, "Kaze Lexicon! Do you understand that you''re asking your professor--"
"Charming professor." Kaze corrected devilishly, "Charming ex-professor if you find it morefortable."
"T-That doesn''t make it better!" She cried.
"Charming mentor?" He mused with a cheeky smile.
"That''s not the issue!" Fey cried, trying to avoid eye contact with her beet-red face, "It''s my past rtionship with you as your teacher!"
"If it''s a problem that you''re no longer my teacher, then might you allow me to join your botany club?" Kaze asked deviously, "From what I understand, you head it and lead research, yes?"
"That''s worse!" The professor cried, "The problem was that I was your teacher, a position of power, and you were my student. Just because it''s conveniently legal now doesn''t change my feelings about it!"
"Would it ease your mind if I showed up as the leader of your country?" He smirked, "You can wipe your hands clean of false perceptions of power."
Fey heated up again, hearing giggles and chuckles from the gardening hands as they watched her squirm. It was obvious he was charming her, and she was eating it up. "Kaze...."
"Yes?" Kaze asked with a charming smile, unconcerned by the attention.
"It''s your country...." She sighed, "So I suppose... you could join the botany club if you wish.
However, I will not treat you differently... during club hours... just because you''re our country''s leader."
He watched her squirm to produce an answer with a satisfied expression. "I look forward to it."
As he walked away, leaving the embarrassed woman trying to avoid everyone''s gazes, he turned around with a mischievous smile.
"By the way, Lady Robock." Kaze said hypnotically, "White still looks good on you; I just thought you should know."
Fey looked down and saw her white shirt and shorts, reminiscent of the white dress she wore the ss he woke up. Her face heated up like a thermometer under the chorus of giggles andughter as the emperor waved and walked away.
Chapter 242 July 19th, 2032 | The Student Trainer
A group of people stood inside the gates of the Sanctuary, the cultivation space that Evalyn trained in with Crux and Kiera used for daily cultivation training with Kaze.
Everyone was on edge, waiting as they watched a firey teen talk to her partner.
"Whoa, hold up! I''m teaching them a heaven-grade technique?" Kiera asked in shock, "We''re not talking about noob cakes herethese are your front-grade authority nuggets.
By contrast, I''m just your humble [sekky wife]. This won''t end well."
"Is this your way of encrypting information, or must I bring a trantor?" Kaze scoffed mockingly, making her smile cutely, "Yes, you''re teaching the cab members Angel''s Breath.
Yes, they hold the highest positions of political power, but you''re the top student at Immortal Skye, so you''re more than qualified to teach."
-
"It''s kinda cute that he speaks fluent Kiera." Veronica whispered.
"It is pretty cute." Jake smiled back.
"I wish that I could say the same thing." Kylie whispered.
"Why?" Veronica asked.
-
"But you want results, right?" Kiera asked, "Copper doesn''t look like she wants me to teach her. That''s a front-row ticket to instant failure."
"Everyone will want your help, you know this much, yes?" Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes, "It''s a great opportunity to make friends because everyone will appreciate you, including Kylie."
-
"Why is she calling you [copper], Kylie?" Jake asked in confusion, "Like police?"
"No, not police." Kylie chuckled bitterly, "Kiera begrudgingly calls Evalyn the first wife and herself the second; gold and silver. She doesn''t ept anyone else, so we get random metals.
Last night I was [nickel]."
The groupughed under their breaths, watching the ng riddler talk to Kaze.
-
"It is a brilliant idea and um, opportunity and stuff." Kiera began, "Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut-but-but-but! Qualifications, Kazey. Qual-eh-feh-kay-shons.
I''m bad with people, we have no trantor, I haven''t taught a thing in my life, and I only just learned the techniquethat''s in addition to my status."
-
"Kaze is okay with calling her his second wife and letting her disrespect you?" Sage mused.
"No, Kaze calls us whatever we want and doesn''t condone us disrespecting each other." Kylie shook her head, "However, she''s not disrespecting me.
This is just how she talks, and she''s pushing back because she doesn''t want to let Kaze down and knows she isn''t qualified. I''m just one factor."
-
"Kiera, you''re the most talented cultivator I''ve ever met." Kaze smiled warmly, ruffling her pink hair, "You''re also extremely capable. While it may be raw, you will find a way to seed."
Kiera and Kylie''s eyes widened in shock at his statement, attracting Veronica and Sage''s perceptive gazes.
"Really?" The ng riddler asked, feeling overwhelming emotions, "Are you being cereal right now?"
"You know I''m being genuine." Kaze scoffed, losing his gentle gaze. "Must you use that detestable jargon to reply to honestpliments? It''s rude."
"Only when I''m confirming how much you mean~some~thing." Kiera chimed merrily, "Likenow."
"Pray tell, Kiera. How does one ascertain the genuineness of another''s subjective statements?" He asked in vexation, rolling his eyes.
While it was easy to determine a person''s thoughts through their emotions, it was impossible to gauge how much they loved something if they said [it''s my favorite].
"Well, for starters, you chastise people for parroting your words with sarcasm unless you really~realy~really-realy-reeeeeeeealy mean it." Kiera argued rapidly with sparkling eyes, "But that''s not what''s tell~ing.
You get super, super bent if someone disrespects apliment from you. But, you get super, he, mega bent if you meant it with your heart as you do now.
That''s how I can tell that you really mean it!"
Her timidity disappeared and was reced by vibrant confidence, stunning everyone except Kaze, who gave her aplex yet gentle smile.
"It''s hard to chastise you when you''re so shrewd and perceptive." Kaze chuckled in disbelief, patting her head.
"Praise me more, mister." She ordered yfully, eyes closed and purring.
"I love that mind of yours, Kiera." Kaze smiled, "Does this mean you''ll do it?"
"Of course!" Kiera replied without hesitation, "I''ll make it happen even if you need Paradox of Healing to clean up the aftermath."
Besides the emperor, everyone''s warm expressions turned to frowns, and they shivered.
Without warning, the pink-haired teen jumped to her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek with a slight blush and vibrant smile. "I got you, boo."
"Excellent." Kaze smiled, turning to the others, "Listen to Kiera carefully. It''s not only a matter of authority but a matter of safety.
Her cultivation creates miracles with concentration but ruin with disorder. I assure you, you needn''t worry about her current mindset."
Kiera didn''t even register his strangement but got curious when she saw Jake, Veronica, Sage, and Kylie''s eyes wide, seeking confirmation.
She had five states that people had seenanxious, extra anxious, angry, super angry, and depressed.
However, she looked like she had just gotten proposed to, spoke fast, acted with alien confidence, and broke social norms with grandiose gesturesand didn''t notice it.
There was something wrong with Kiera''s mental state that far exceeded happiness.
That''s why they were confused and afraid after hearing him say they didn''t need to worry about her mental state after saying she needed absolute concentration not to hurt them.
"Did I miss something?" Kiera asked in confusion, looking around.
"I rified that your [happiness] won''t affect your concentration." Kaze smiled, ncing at everyone confidently, "Now, I must go, everyone.
Kiera has volunteered four days of her undivided attention. If you''re kind and praise her, she''ll be in a great mood, willing to go the extra mile for you, and will save you immense pain."
"Hey!" She cried, "You can''t just go around offering my emotions and actions like that!"
He turned to her with a gentle gaze. "I''ll reward you for proficient cultivation from each.
A training day off for Kylie, a movie night for Veronica, strawberry cake for Sage, and I''ll purchase scavenging services for years worth of pink and ck hair dye for Jake.
I know you''ll seed, so give me a reason to spoil you."
"Listen up, everyone!" Kiera grinned boldly, pointing at them, "I''m maxing out Kazey''s expectations and beyond. So we''re going hard in the paint for the next four days, ya hear?"
They all nodded and turned to Kaze with pleading expressions, begging him to reconsider. However, the emperor kissed her on the cheek and disappeared through a spatial rift.
Kylie smiled wryly, watching the teen squeal in delight. Since she was distracted, she didn''t notice him exit a spatial next to her until his lips were on her cheek. "W-What was that!?"
Kaze winked and disappeared again, leaving the bewildered brte blushing. The ng riddler was none the wiser, as she was still juiced up after his praise and exit.
***
"Why are we still standing here?" Sage asked dryly, watching Kiera circling them repeatedly, "It''s been twenty minutes. Kaze spoon-fed us the technique; we should be doing the basics."
"You~know." Kiera said mysteriously, "You''re rightyou''re A-Okay to get started. I''m just walking around in circles because I like examining bodies on my off days."
"I doubt that." The redhead scoffed, rolling her eyes and sitting in the lotus position, "However, I''ll be cultivating until it''s my turn for examination again."
"I see, I see." The ng riddler mused mysteriously, "So [this] is why Kaze put a cake bounty on your head. Very troubling indeed."
"If you want to say something, juste out and say it." Sage countered in annoyance.
"Kazey knows about your blunt personality and ironic hyper-rationality tick." Kiera replied sassily, "That''s why he put the legendary reward bounty on me oveing your issues."
The redhead''s eyes shed with murder, and she started analyzing the teen like a hawk.
"Now, if your sess were only worth a day off of training, I''d let you go for it." The ng riddler continued, "In fact, I''d have appreciated it.
After you screamed in excruciating pain and realized that you couldn''t stop without permanently crippling your meridians, well it''d build trust with these guys."
Sage''s eyes trembled, and her facial muscles tensed in horror, realizing the severity of the situation her impatience would have caused.
"Thank~fully, your exalted leader has ample foresight into your ws and has tied your sess to my~cake." Kiera continued cutely, "That being the case, I''ll p the shit out of you to prevent you from destroying your meridians. Any~other~questions?"
The redhead closed her eyes, suppressing the hellfire burning within her. She would never attack Kierafor any reason. Kaze would genuinely murder her. "You''ve made your point."
"Good, then listen up, noob cakes!" The ng riddler yelled, "Prepare to swallow your pride cuz you''ll beg for my aid the second you start, and there''s 3,600 of those till you stop."
Jake swallowed nervously, remembering the jump to the sky-grade technique. Veronica squeezed his hand for support, making him smile slightly.
"You''re a few centuries too soon to cultivate this shit." Kiera continued, "So I''m here to help you do it without permanently skull fucking your meridians or being useless for the next two months."
Veronica joined in on the shivering, and Sage took a sharp breath, feeling the gravity of her decisions.
"You may be wondering how I''ll prevent that." Kiera continued, snaking her hand around, "I can modify the Qi around your meridians to adjust the amount of Qi you can take in.
That''s why I''ve been analyzing your meridians and breathing patterns."
As she waved her hand, a membrane of Qi warped around it, rotating clockwise, stopping, and then counterclockwise. Then she shrunk and expanded it, hypnotizing them.
"If I don''t adjust the Qi intake, your meridians will rip too far." She exined, "That''s why you''ll beg me to do it when your meridians get prated like a thieving hussie on prom night.
However, I need concentration to do it safely. If I can''t, I''ll just suck the Qi out of you with the efficiency of a spring breaker who wants a free VIP concert ticket. Hashtag talented."
Everyone grimaced after hearing her rollercoaster of a description.
"Now, prepare yourself." Kiera ordered loudly, "If anyone kills my cake, I''ll exact swift and brutal revenge without mercy. Let''s get started!"
Chapter 243 The One Thing I Won’t Give Up
"Jake, we''re priming you first; sit in the lotus before me." Kiera announced, leading the blonde-haired man to the front, "Stats, you''ll gost.
I expect you to appreciate Kaze''s benevolence in sending me to help you by the time you''re up."
Sage responded with a sarcastic smile. However, her expression twisted and warped as the day progressed.
It started when Jake cultivated the technique and screamed at full volume without pause, hyper-ventting to continue.
Unlike Evalyn, who had her meridians healed to full health repeatedly for twelve hours, he didn''t get any healing. So it was simr to running a marathon after pulling his leg muscles.
It was so bad that he couldn''t cultivate, and his breathing was too erratic for Kiera to alter the Qi around him.
Veronica used Calming Heart to get his breathing on track, allowing Kiera to alter the Qi safely. Once she did, the results were night and day.
Kiera cut Jake''s pain to 1/5 like she was turning on a light switch. It stunned everyone, increasing their appreciation for herexcept for Sage, who sat silently, watching withplex expressions.
"I hate to break it to you, nooblets." Kiera sighed after helping Jake lie down, "Jake had that sky-grade technique for a month before ya''ll got it.
So Kylie, prepare to calm Veronica from the start, I''ll modify as quickly as possible."
"You got it...." Kylie gulped nervously, feeling the gravity of helping others with the technique.
"I''ll try to keep focused." Veronica said stoically, "I trust you, Kiera. Whenever you''re ready."
The ck-haired pixie tried to keep focusedand failed. She was far worse than Jake, and Kiera had to cultivate near her to remove Qipletely just so Kylie could use Calming Heart. It was a harrowing experience.
Contrary to expectation, Kylie did the best, as Kaze traced her meridianwork naked and helped her cultivate. She was his partner, after all.
Kiera worked tirelessly around the clock, telling jokes, building people up, and shit-talking theirints until it broke their spirit.
The ng riddler''s energy was never-ending, and her charisma had skyrocketed, making peopleugh and adore her. Her reputation reversed in the blink of an eyeexcept with one person.
"You''re up, Sage." Kiera said seriously, "Don''t worry, I''ve gotten much better at this, Jake has healed enough to cultivate near you, and Veronica and Kylie can calm you."
"Are you pitying me?" Sage scoffed with a resentful expression.
"Dear lord, give me the strength to earn my cake." Kiera said, hands sped, staring at the sky, "You''ve given me a trying challenge I mildly resent.
I''ve been risking my life by manipting Qi like a boss for [5 hours straight]. Yet this sado-maso-psycho is still projecting, thinking I''m a low-ss sadist who juiced up to see her pain."
"I don''t think you''re a sadist; I just don''t need your pity." The redhead scoffed, turning away.
"I know you''re a sadist, and I don''t need you to seed to get strawberry cake." The ng riddler countered coldly, catching everyone off guard, "So stop living up to your reputation.
I''m only doing this to help Kaze and ease his te. However, he will get angry if I risk my life to help you and get sass in return. That''s not spectionthat''s a fact."
Sage seized, hearing the bloodlust in the pink-haired teen''s voice. "Why has this escted so far? I''ve been silent this whole time."
"Yeah, I''d be too if I was emotionally and sexually confused, Little Ms. Beg Me for Pain." Kiera smiled maliciously.
The atmosphere froze, and the two women locked eyes, sending threatening signals.
"Do you think that I enjoy this?" Sage asked coldly.
"Watching people''s faces light up in rapture when they got offered this brutal torture?" The ng riddler mused, "Obviously.
I bet you''d be rushing away to touch yourself if you weren''t also a [pain begger] today. Even at 1/10th enthusiasm, you looked like you were ready to hit the glory hole at a furry party."
"Hey, please calm down, both of you." Veronica said, standing weakly between them.
"Aww, howe?" Kiera groaned cutely, "No one''sining when she does it. Well, I suppose ckmail ys a key role in that... mah~bad."
"Kiera, what''s gotten into you?" Kylie asked with trembling eyes, confused.
"Isn''t PR crisis mitigation your job, Kylie?" The ng riddler asked coldly, "If so, you should check this woman''s publicly-posted RP allocations and question the people she''s paid.
Once you do, I expect you to be on my side, or I''ll never ept youever."
"We''re all grateful to you, but you''re still speaking to a cab member." Jake panicked, watching Kylie shut down, "Whatever problem you have, please talk about it with Kaze."
"Kaze epts this witch because she''s skilled and follows thew." Kiera said coldly, gazing at the redhead in the eyes, "That''s because he''s the fair and benevolent savior we don''t deserve.
However, that also makes textbook psychopath here his natural enemysomeone who twists hispassionate ideals into nightmares.
That''s why it''s up to us to protect Kaze for his sake. I refuse to let this twisted harlot malign his ideals, reputation, and country."
"That''s enough, Kiera!" Veronica snapped, standing up and pulling back her hand. "You need to"
An icy bolt of anxiety pierced her heart when she felt the Qi around her be foreign, fighting against her meridians.
"If you release an attack in that, your arms will explode." Kiera warned coldly, watching Sage smirk amusedly, "Don''t you dare threaten me on this witch''s behalf."
"You''re taking this way too far, Kiera." Jake swallowed nervously, fighting past his pounding heart while watching Veronica back away, "Kaze is too smart to let someone ruin himyou know this."
"This woman''s a lose-lose, Jake." She replied chillingly, "Kaze must degrade his reputation and ideals by destroying aw-abiding citizen or allow her to spit on everything he believes.
Intelligence doesn''t factor into it, Jake. That''s the problem."
Kaze''s regent took a sharp breath, noting his partner was safe and epting her logic.
"Is that all, Kiera?" Sage asked rxedly, "Is there anything else you want to say to me?"
The atmospheric pressure multiplied as the redhead smirked at the vicious teen with a [I''d like to see you try] expression.
"Yeah, I have a few things to say before I leave you here to suffer alone." Kiera said chillingly, "You will [not] use Kaze''s philosophies for predation.
If I ever learn your twisted deals involve sex, I''ll destroy your entire meridianwork.
Then I''ll drag you into Meridian City, rip out your ovaries, and feed''em to the zoms after I staple your naked body to a popr apartmentplex.
That''s an analogywhat I''ll actually do to you is far, far worse."
"We must honor people''s [right] to make decisions for their benefit so long as they''re not forced into them." Sage''s eyes narrowed dangerously, "Isn''t that what"
"Don''t you dare fucking use Kazey''s philosophies for your assault fantasies, you cunt." The ng riddler warned, making everyone take a sharp breath.
After the redhead defended against Kiera''s seemingly-extreme contention, their perspective on the situation changedpletely. They looked at her warily, making her click her tongue.
"You''re undermining Kaze''s beliefs right now." Sage warned, "If you challenge power dynamics, Kaze will be under immense scrutiny."
"Hear that, Kylie?" Kiera asked mockingly, "This leg spreader is threatening Kaze''s reputation if she isn''t allowed to leverage her power to make underhand sex deals.
I''m not sure what to say about that, but I''m pretty sure you do, PRdy."
Kylie opened and closed her mouth, realizing how grim the situation was. The same was true of everyone else, who felt Kiera was going too far, but unwilling to defend Sage.
"This isn''t going anywhere." Sage said coldly, "So let''s hear the other things you want to say."
"dly." Kiera smiled viciously, "I can''t stop Kazey from having sex with women, but you''re off the menu. Try opening your legs for him again and I''ll smash your clit and spayed you."
The redhead gritted her teeth, holding herself back from attacking. "Are you done?"
"I am done here; that means you''re on your own for priming the technique." The ng riddler said coldly, "If I see anyone trying to help or heal you, they''re on their own, too.
Helping you seed would ruin strawberry cake for me forever, and that''s one fucking thing I won''t give up."
Without further discussion, her ring lit up, and she walked through the spatial rift to her room, leaving the four cab members at theke.
The atmosphere around the group was extremely awkward. No one wanted to ept the teen''s ruthless behavior, but at the same time, they didn''t want to associate with the redhead.
"Sage." Kylie said softly, conflicted, "Potential scandalsspeak."
Sage scoffed and stood up, silently walking through the metal gate and leaving the others alone.
"Should we tell Kaze about this?" Jake asked nervously, his eyes on the ground.
"There''s no need." Veronica said pensively, "I realized at the end that Kaze did this on purpose. He wanted us to know what''s going on."
TTT
Kiera walked through the spatial rift with overflowing emotions, feeling like she wanted to smash the world but feeling incapable of lifting anything. "Kaze is in trouble, I need to protectwait, is that...."
The firey teen froze when she saw a small te with a piece of strawberry cake on the nightstand.
"Why?" She asked, eyes welling with tears as she grabbed the card on it.
-
[I''m leaving this note in the event you get home before I do.
You were super cute today, love. I left with a bright smilethank you for that.
I expected you to protest me tying Sage''s sess to strawberry cake, but it seems your love and loyalty are boundless. So I''m protesting it for you.
This strawberry cake is for you simply because you deserve it.
I can''t wait to see you tonight. So make sure to wait up for me.
With love and devotion, Kaze Maxwell Lexicon.]
-
Knock! Knock!
"Y-Yes!?" Kiera called out, holding back tears with a confused yet bright smile, "Who is it?"
"It''s me, princess." Marilyn said from the other side of the door, "I''m bringing you camomille tea and giving you messages from Kaze."
The pink-haired teen nearly refused both outright but reversed course when she heard her magic word. "Can I just get the messages?"
"Sure." The secretary smiled mysteriously, "Kaze has asked me to ensure that you two are alone tonight. He also asks that you to reconsider the camomille tea."
Kiera burst into tears andughter, walking up to the door with a strange confidence and opening it.
Marilyn''s eyes widened, seeing her puffy eyes, and she quickly put the tea tray on the dresser and opened her arms. "Come here, honey."
The ng riddler gulped nervously, wanting to refuse love from Kaze''s other partner, but drawn to the unreasonably agreeable woman.
Kiera gave up and flew into the brte''s arms, sobbing into Marilyn''s warm embrace.
Chapter 244 July 20th, 2032 | Psychosis
"Should we say something?" Jake asked nervously, ncing to his right subtly.
"No." Veronica shook her head, "We shouldn''t get involved in matters of this magnitude without consulting Kaze. We''ll do that if things return to how they were yesterday."
"I know, but still." He gulped, "She looks like she needs medical treatment."
The two sat in the lotus position before theke in the Sanctuary, awaiting Kiera''s arrival.
Sagey to their right, taking deep breaths in a ck muscle shirt and shorts, trying to stay sane. Her arms and legs had sickly blue veins pulsing around her meridian points.
"Kaze generously taught us a heaven-grade technique, and Kiera is risking her life and reputation to help us with practice as an optional resource." Kylie said somberly, "If Kiera has a problem with Sage, then Sage is lucky to be here."
"Lucky?" The redheadughed hoarsely, "How foolish. Kaze sent Kiera here to collect life debts and torture me."
The cab members looked at each other in confusion, wondering how she got that idea.
"Sage, we all owe Kaze life debts without techniques or training." Veronica said dryly, "And we''re here voluntarily to get resources and practice for learning a priceless technique. How is this torture?"
"You''ll~see." Sage chuckled ominously, "I''ll love to hear you be thankful tomorrow."
"What''s tomorrow?" Jake asked.
"I''ll answer that." Keira announced from behind them, walking through a warp gate, "Kazey curb stomped a Sky ner recently, and she begged for her life like a bitch until he spared her to be our training puppet. Hashtag ssified.
You get the chance to fight her for practice. Sage is crying indignity because I''ll teach you like Crux taught Evalyn and Kaze taught meby healing your wounds."
Her announcement twisted everyone''s minds in multiple ways, starting with ssified information, moving to promises of pain, and ending in bombshell ims.
"What do you mean by healing our wounds?" Veronica asked seriously.
"Kaze spayed the culta-hoe with a sketchy technique that''ll kill her if she triesmitting taboo crimes, AKA killing us." Kiera smirked, shredding Sage with anxiety, "So now she can''t try to kill us.
However, she is training you for realbat against Sky ne cultivators. So if you voluntarily train, you can expect her to maim the shit out of you.
I''ll be there to keep you safe from major attacks and heal your wounds throughout."
A stunned silence washed over the area until the redhead burst intoughter.
"Sounds like a convenient setup for ac~cidents to ur." Sageughed ominously, "To get rid of problematic people, maybe?"
"Hate to break it to ya, but Kaze doesn''t need an excuse to kill you, freckle tits." Kiera giggled maliciously, "And if you were special, your participation wouldn''t be voluntary.
So take a deep breath, smell the apocalypse, and suffocate. That way it''s impossible for you to say dumb shit."
"Strength and political power go hand and hand here." The redhead scoffed, "This training isn''t voluntary."
"It looks pretty voluntary to me." Kiera smiled viciously, ncing at her vein-sprouted body, "Kaze gave you a mandatory technique, but you were a big girl and learned it all by yourself."
"Yeah, and it was god fucking awful, Kiera." Sageughed bitterly, "It''s easy to love you and Kaze when the alternative looks like this."
"Why would Kaze want to kill you, Sage?" Veronica asked dryly, "You seem adamant he''s trying to kill you despite giving you a cab position, techniques, and privileged business positions.
That makes me think you''ve done something recently that would make him want to kill you."
"Having sex with Kaze?" Sage mused, "That could inspire someone this jealous to stage an ident, yes?"
"Sage, you and I both had sex with Kaze [before] we got cab positions." Kylie replied.
"That''s why it''s amusing that you''re willing to put your life in her hands." The redhead smiled, "Kiera hasn''t even epted you."
"I trust Kaze wouldn''t let Kiera kill mewhy don''t you?" The brte asked sharply.
"Think about Kaze and who he is." Sage scoffed, "He''s the best thing that could''ve happened to us. But don''t treat him like a saint.
It''s absurd any of you would consider his actions pure generosity when he expects things in returnespecially when he''s collecting life debts."
CLAP!
Everyone turned to the pink-haired teen after she pped aggressively.
"To prevent anyone else from catching Becky, let me heal you up and send you on your prissy little way." Kiera suggested, "That way, you don''t owe me any life debts."
"Don''t you fucking dare." Sage growled, "I''m not going to owe you [anything]."
Another stunned silence followed, with the other cab members looking at each other in perplexion.
"Then why are you here?" Jake asked coolly, losing patience, "There''s no way you can cultivate in your condition, let alone face a cultivator.
Kiera, healing you is your only option if you want to be here, Sage."
Sage shut down with a bitter frown, angry and resentful. "Don''t I know it."
"Apparently not." Kiera smiled viciously, "If I don''t heal you right now, you won''t be able to walk for two months. Or did you ignore what I said yesterday?"
The pressure in the atmosphere multiplied after hearing her words.
"You''re just now realizing this?" The fiery teen giggled maliciously, looking at Sage''s horror-stricken face, "If you don''t heal up, literally [every] person in Immortal Skye will surpass you in strength.
Or did you forget what the other Immortals are doing right now?"
TTTTT
"What''s it feel like knowing that you''re now cultivating the same grade of technique as Director Hayes?" Kaze smiled, flying above the smallke outside of the central mansion.
Thousands of Immortals surrounding it burst into cheers and excitement at his words.
"Pretty damn good, doesn''t it?" He smiled, "What''s it like knowing that there''s not a single ultra-rich elite person on Earth that bought a technique of your caliber with their infinite wealth and fortunes?"
Thunderous apuse met his words, everyone looking at each other and grinning with pride and feelings of superiority.
"Let me ask you something, do you know where the name Sky Realmes from?" Kaze asked mysteriously.
"Because it lets you fly!?" Larkin yelled, triggeringughter and cheers from a good amount of people.
"Actually, yes." The emperor chuckled in amazement, "With the current Elemental Qi density, breaking into the Sky Realm is all that''s necessary."
Larkin roared in excitement, and the entire area exploded in feverish apuse and cheers, looking at their leader flying in the sky.
"The top hundred to cultivate the Sky''s Breath technique today will be out on the fast track for flying lessons, something that will take most a year or longer with proper training " Kaze announced to vibrant apuse, "So show me what you''re made of, Immortals!"
TTTTT
"Everyone learned the sky-grade technique this week." Sage whispered in horror.
"Yeeeee~p." Kiera smacked, "[Everyone]''s quite the statistic. Tell me, Stats. How many low-grade randos are going to be stronger than you before your meridians heal. Hmmm?"
"So that''s his game." The redhead whispered, "Kaze set this up so he could dump me for impartial reasons."
"Sage, what are you talking about?" Kylie asked in perplexion, "We''re anticipating an influx of beasts and cultivators, so everyone in Immortal Skye is building their strength.
That''s why everyone here is risking their lives and meridians to move up despite not being ready.
Kaze isn''t teaching thousands sky-grade techniques to drop you from the cab."
"Arguing with a paranoid narcissist is like stealing booze from an alcoholic to stop the problem." Kiera said dryly, "If you seed, they''ll self-destruct and then have a seizure.
So let''s do it like this, Stats. You have two choices: let me heal you here and now, or go home and wither away as literally everyone bes qualified to overtake you."
Sage scoffed and forced herself up slowly. "If Kaze wants me out, then I won''t suffer and owe you both before the inevitable happens."
"Does anyone get the impression that Kaze is trying to push Sage out by making her do the same thing ya''ll are doing?" The ng riddler asked.
"No, I don''t understand this at all." Veronica said bluntly.
"Me either." Kylie said with a wry smile.
"Sage, please reconsider." Jake requested, "Even if everything you''re saying is true, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by doing the training."
"Ignorant." Sage scoffed.
"There''s a term for when someone views reality in a really, really, really-really-really different way than everyone else, Stats." Kiera smiled mockingly, "Psychosis."
The redhead''s eyes shed with murder, and she turned to the firey teen with battle intent. However, her legs copsed, and she crashed onto the ground.
After a few more minutes of struggling, she managed to get up and leave the Sanctuary.
"Don''t worry; she''ll be back to bitch tomorrow when he strikes down crazy''s appeal." Kiera announced, "So let''s get started.
Today working on Qi control. Your goal is to intake as much Qi as an earth-grade technique."
"You can''t be serious." Veronica said bluntly, staring at the teen with wide eyes, "Our meridians are like vortexes. That shouldn''t be possible."
"Minor Vision, folks." The ng riddler said, sitting in the lotus position and cultivating.
Their eyes widened when they saw Kiera intaking as much Qi as a mortal-grade technique.
"No way." Kylie whispered in disbelief.
"How did you learn this?" Jake asked in amazement.
"Six hours of brutal torture and life debts daily." Keira replied sassily, "With this level of control, you can create arrows of any size and control them with minute detail.
We need that because we only have so many attacks with the Qi scarcity. If the cultivatorse in numbers, they''re like batteries and can overrun us with numbers.
So we need to learn to conserve our energy."
"I see." Jake swallowed nervously, "So how do we do this?"
"It''s like a faucet." She replied, "Instead of lowering the vortex, suppress inputpletely and slowly turn it on from the top.
I''ll be tracing meridians in the Angel Breath waterfalling patterns; make the Qi follow that pattern from the top down."
Kiera pulled out blue dual cultivation chalk with a slight smile. "Don''t worry; by the time you''re done here, you''ll be a boss at cultivating. We''ll start with you, Veronicacultivate from the top only."
Veronica nodded and closed her eyes, cultivating from the top. Then the fiery teen began marking blue lines down the back of her ck t-shirt one at a time, creating swirls in a clockwise motion.
"W-What is this?" The pixie asked, feeling instantaneous results.
"Waterfalling." She smiled, "Techniques are a method of elerating Qi and a pattern of intake.
You''re all creating the raw patterns at high speed; now, you''re creating the patterns with practice so that when it elerates, it intakes properly. Big difference, yes?"
"T-This is unbelievable." Veronica whispered in disbelief.
"Well, you better believe it." Kiera said, "If you can''t practice this by the end of this weekend, you''re scavenging for ingredients and making me cakes."
C
[A/N: My privilege doesn''t have a premium for up to 20 chapters. So you can buy it anytime in the month without getting hit with a premium. So it only costs 4 coins to continue where you left off. Thanks for reading!]
Chapter 245 July 20th, 2032 | Sage’s Game
[A/N: This chapter has a non-sexual scene that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.]
-
"GahhhHHHHH!" Sage screamed in the forest, "You will not break me!"
The Finance Director was trying to cultivate, but it felt like she was bathing in alcohol with thousands of cuts on her body.
She wore fk shorts and a muscle shirt, showcasing awork of veins around her meridianworks.
While she was trying her best to keep going, she couldn''t handle the excruciating pain.
"You won''t...." Sage whimpered, crashing to the ground, "Break me...."
It was nearly dark, and she was miles from campus, preventing people from hearing her scream. She refused to show weakness to the people she controlled.
Awhoooooo!
Sage''s eyes snapped open when she heard a vicious howl from a wolf in the distance. "Mutant animals... I need to get up."
Heading the Scavengers, she got a crash course on mutant animals. Predators, especially, grew in size and strength by consuming Soul Qi directlya"and wolves were predators.
Running off adrenaline, Sage got up against her body''s will and started hobbling into the distance. The pace increased when she heard the beasts approaching at high speed.
GhhhHAHT! Grrrrr.
GHAT! Grrrrr.
Grrr Ghat! GHAT! Ghat! GrrRRrrRrrr GHAT!
Sage''s meridians sucked in massive amounts of Qi, pushing past her limitations and allowing her to run at high speed through the forest.
The redhead couldn''t think as she ran, seeingrge shadows running at her from a distance.
"There has to be an opening somewhere!" She yelled, seeing the pack surround her, "There!"
There was only one direction that the beasts weren''t covering or running, and she made a break for it. As she ran, the beasts slowed down and barked more.
It was easy for her to understand why.
"What is that!?" Sage gagged, smelling something putrid in the distance, "There''s no way it''s alive; that''s what matters!"
Still, the stench got increasingly worse until she was coughing.
"This doesn''t make sense...." She said in a haze, "There''s no way this smell ising from nowhere!"
In front of her was just another clear patch of forest, but the smell around it was unbearable.
GrrrrrRRrrrRrrr GHAT! GHAT!
The wolves stopped running and growled viciously, barking at her from a distance. The misbehavior made her heart pound, noting that the wolves could sense danger she couldn''t.
Sage turned around and tensed up. Contrary to popr belief, wolves aren''trge beasts; they are about the size of abrador retriever but gain power from hunting in packs.
However, the wolves before her were the size of sheep and had silver fur matted with blood.
Soul Qi healed their bodies from the inside, but it didn''t heal major woundspletely or previous scar tissue, so their bodies were scarred by vicious battles with other creatures.
So the creatures were four timesrger, angry, and seemingly ready to fight anything.
GrrrrrRRrrrRrrr GHAT! GHAT!
GHAT! Grrrrr.
GhhhHAHT! Grrrrr.
Sage slowly backed up until she felt her entire world shift, looking at the wolves through a lens, like seeing the world with Minor Vision. She immediately recognized it. "Is this a barrier?"
The redhead quickly nced behind her and saw a wall the size of the sanctuary.
Razor wire lined the top, but her new body told her she could crunch Earthian metal with her bare hands. So she turned around quickly and jumped higher than expected, scaling the wall andnding on the other side.
"Oh, dear God!" Sage gagged, puking when she saw theke full of blood, "Is this where the blood went!? Why would he save it!?"
There was no blood in the ground around the mountain, proof of Kaze pulling it into the air with his technique.
However, it disappeared through a spatial rift, and no one had seen it again.
Now she was looking at all of it in one ce, filling a smallke to the brim.
Grrr Ghat! GHAT! Ghat! GrrRRrrRrrr GHAT!
Sage snapped out of her haze when she heard the wolves go wild, indicating a new enemy had entered the area--a terrifying one. "Stay out!"
The wolves rushed the wall, scratching against it as a series of sickening cracks followed, making her turn and prepare to run around theke.
As she approached the side, she saw dozens of unnaturally silver nts glittering on the ground. "What are these?"
CRrrreeeaakKkK! THUD!
She heard the door open, simr to the one in the Sanctuary, and fell, falling next to nts.
"If scavengers won''t enter an area that reeks of death, why would you run toward it?" A hypnotic voice called out with biting disdain, "Has yourmon sense gone sour with your broken ego?"
"K-Kaze?" Sage asked, turning around and watching a figure walk through the gate, dragging arge ck object into the area.
She couldn''t tell whether she was grateful or terrified to see him.
"Don''t move." Kaze said in a frigid tone, chilling her to the bone, "Unless you wish to die before making a choice."
As soon as he finished his statement, she heard the ground shifting, moving around as if it were alive.
The redhead saw a lone silver nt growing in real-time, stalking her. "W-What is this thing?"
"Bondage." Kaze said coldly, dragging a mutted wolf to the area slowly, "Tell me, Sage Whitney Harrington. Do you still want me to punish you with these?"
After his question, multiple nts wrapped around her arm slowly, pricking her skin with a razor-like spine. More grew before her eyes, creating a barrier between her and the emperor.
Her heart beat like a machine gun, making her vision sharpen and her body tense.
"AH!" Sage gasped, feeling her muscles cutting against the nt, "K-Kaze, what is this!? I''ll listen to whatever you have to say!"
"That''s not what I asked." He said chillingly, stopping before the nts, which looked at the beast hungrily but moved out of his way as Immortals did.
"AghHhh!" She groaned, feeling the nts constrict against her skin, drawing blood. It was the most excruciating thing she could imagine, "This is my punishment!?"
"I don''t recall calling this your punishment." Kaze smiled mockingly, "You were the person who wanted me to punish you with the thing I was searching for, yes?
Now that you''ve stumbled upon it by happenstance, I figured I''d ask."
"GahhHHhhHhh!" Sage screamed, feeling the vines carving into her arms viciously. Blood squirted from the cuts, soaking her entire body, "No! I don''t!"
"Does that mean that you recognize that this isn''t a game?" He asked coldly.
More vines wrapped around her bare legs, constricting and juicing her blood on the ground, making her tremble.
"What the fuck do you think!?" Sage screamed, "You call this a game? Could anyone consider this punishment for being a naughty girl?"
"I can save you from there and heal your wounds." Kaze smirked wickedly, making her heart pulse, "So this is no different than dungeon torture fantasies. Albeit much more like... hentai."
"This isn''t funny!" She yelled, feeling another nt sliding around her shoulder, preparing a noose.
"I agree; it''s not funny, Sage." He said coldly, freezing her anger, "I''m addressing your words and fantasies, not mine.
I don''t find enjoyment in pain, even if someone asks for it, even if someone deserves it, and even if they''re foolish enough to run into it and deserve it."
The redhead shook after his words, feeling the tendril wrapping around her neck like a scythe. "What do you want!?"
"For you to answer my questions." Kaze said coldly, "Do you still think this is a game?"
"What do you think!?" Sage yelled, blood dripping down her limbs, "That should bemon sense!"
"It''d bemon sense for someone else but not you, Sage Harrington." He replied coldly, "You''ve been courting death with a being far deadlier than this Grave Robber for thest two weeks as if it were a game. That''s why I want to know."
THUD!
He stomped the ground, and the tendrils near him shot under the ground, and the ones against her skin loosened considerably.
Sage could feel the nt trembling, recognizing that he was the apex predator and was a serious threat to it.
While she was thankful, she was far more ufortable than before.
Kaze''s image, walking toward her, reflected across her iris'', and feelings of dread and terror she had never experienced welled in her heart.
She trembled as he dropped to his haunches, staring directly into his demonic green eyes.
"So you''re going to tell me." He said chillingly, "If you answer correctly, I''ll give you options.
Otherwise, you will spend the next week getting torn apart by this creature as it milks the maximum amount of Soul Qi from your body."
Kaze''s eyes held no mercy. It was a psychopathic gaze that she had only seen in the mirror, and it made Sage recognize that there wasn''t a shred of hope if she didn''tply.
Chapter 246 July 20th, 2032 | Punishment
[A/N: This chapter has a non-sexual scene that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.]
"Kiera." Kylie swallowed nervously, walking up to her after practice, "I''m afraid to ask, but I need to know for Kaze. Is what''s happening to Sage intentional?"
Kiera''s face rxed into a frown, and she turned to the woman with a vicious gaze. "Are you incapable of asking Kaze for information? Is the issue trust, or are you afraid of him?"
"It''s not that." The brte shuddered at the teen''s lethal gaze, "I''m just."
"Conflicted?" The ng riddler asked mockingly.
Kylie swallowed nervously, looking away. "How did you know?"
"Soooooo [this] is what it feels like when people ask Kazey stupid questions." Kieraughed, "Sage is your childhood friend, yes?"
The brte''s eyes widened in surprise.
Yes, yes, shock, apuse, apuseI know about you. You know why that is? While you were busy not doing your job in inconvenient ces, I was."
Kylie smiled bitterly, turning away. "I was wrong not to do that. It''s just you understand, right?"
"I don''t, Kylie." Kiera replied tersely, catching her off guard, "I''m dedicated body and soul to the person that saved me and pulled me out of the darkness.
You''re hanging onto the false mannerisms of a certifiable psychopath who doesn''t even know the meaning of friendship.
I''m not sure why you''d think we could understand each other."
"Then let me ask you another question." The brte requested nervously, "How can I casually ept Kaze hurting the person I''ve considered my best friend until yesterday?"
"It''s easy." The ng riddler scoffed, "Put the two together, think about what caused the problem, and choose."
"It''s not that simple!" The brte snapped.
"It is that simple!" Kiera snapped back viciously, "Agonize all you want, but you must choose.
It''s binary, Kylie. One or zero. Required.
Two decisions: the person you pledged your eternity to or the false friend spiraling into serial killer territory.
If that decision isn''t instantaneous, you''re just as pathetic and unworthy as I thought you were."
"I choose Kaze!" Kylie screamed, bursting into tears, "Why are you attacking me like this?
Is there something wrong with wanting a peaceful resolution with two people you care about?"
"It is when you don''t do your job." Kiera replied coldly, "Kazey asked me to exin this to you if you asked.
He called it "trust bonding." I call that necessary because I don''t trust you, so I''ll clue you in enough that you won''t seed false rumors.
Sage talked to Kaze yesterday toin about me and got shot down. Yes, he''s punishing her; no, the punishment isn''t death."
TTTTT
-
"N-No. T-This isn''t a game to me Kazey." Sage stuttered, shaking as the tendrils ripped into her skin, "It was wrong for me to y games with you."
"Hear me, Grave Robber." Kaze scoffed, standing and picking up the 300-pound wolf by the nape of its neck as if it were a ten-pound weight, "This is all you''ll eat tonight.
Now leave this shrew before your roles reverse."
He threw the beast into the bloodke, making arge ssh. The moment it touched, all the tendrils released their grip around the redhead, and the surrounding nts disappeared below the ground again.
CRaaaACK!
Sage''s face smashed into the ground. She tried to catch herself with her arms, but her arms were mangled, making them buckle and break in a gruesome disy.
Her blood sttered at the emperor, and she looked at his boots but saw that the blood never hit, pushed away by an invisible forcewithout evidence.
CRrrRRrreeaakKKkKKkKkkkKk!
"AgGHHHHhHHhhHHh! Sage screamed as her body radiated with a golden light. Her arms rebuilt against gravity, pushing her body up as they mended themselves.
While she was healing physically, his healing only reversed the damage from thest thirty minutes, not healing her meridians.
However, it was enough for her to roll away, allowing her arms room to heal.
"I don''t y games, Sage." Kaze confirmed chillingly, gazing into her terrified eyes, "I but I end foolish games people y against me. That''s what I''m doing now.
However, unlike most games I end, yours concludes with a choice."
"I-I''m listening." Sage said, fighting to breathe against her violently pounding heart.
She was extremely ufortable listening to theke bubble, having nts underneath ripping a beast apart. It was a harrowing experience.
"I present you with two and only two choices." Kaze dered coldly, "First, you can ept the punishment I already gave you, or I''ll let the wolves I locked up outside eat you.
You brought yourself into this forest. I have nothing to do with that."
Chains of anxiety wrapped around her heart like piano wire, strangling it.
Sage realized that her death would be justified ident. He led her into the forest like herding a sheep. "So you want to kill me?"
"It depends, Sage." Kaze said coldly, "Are you going to ept your punishment?"
TTTTT
-
"What is Sage''s punishment?" Kylie asked nervously, feeling an icy breeze brush past her lungs.
"Kazey put me in charge of this training." Keira smiled, "That''s it. That''s all it''s taking to cause this self-destructive breakdown."
Kylie cocked her head in confusion. "Wait, why? Does she hate you?"
Keira shook her head with a slight smile. "Because she''s a legitimate psychopath, and I''m a psychopath''s worst nightmare."
TTTTT
-
"I''ve already agreed to your punishment, so why don''t youe back, teach us, and rack up some life debts." Sage swallowed with a pained expression.
"Oh, no." Kaze smiled maliciously, "What you agreed to isn''t a [punishment], Sage. It''s thew.
Having Kiera teach you is your punishment."
"You know it looks bad when your girlfriend tortures me in front of the cab members, right?" She gulped, taking a sharp breath.
"That''s a lie." He smiled derisively, "You''re in this forest because you got scared of Kiera and refused to participate."
"Why would I be afraid of Kiera?" Sage growled indignantly.
"It''s because you can see it, Sage." Kaze smiled mockingly, "The reason I love Kiera so much."
The redhead shuddered, looking away to retain a poker face but failing.
"It''s your phobia, isn''t it?" He mused bitingly.
"Yes, I feared pissing her off because it''d piss you off." Sage muttered unconvincingly. "But now that you''re pissed off, that fear no longer has value."
"It never did." Kaze said coldly, "Since you''re incapable of saying it, let me tell you what you fear about Kiera London Snowyou can''t manipte her."
TTTTT
-
"Why can''t she manipte you?" Kylie asked in perplexion.
"Because I love himlike, a lot. A real lot. The most." Keira smirked, "Kazey''s all I want, so she can''t bribe me; I trust him without question, so she can''t mislead me; and if she betrays him, I''ll destroy that floozy even if he won''t forgive me."
The brte looked away bitterly, hearing the teen''s bragging undertone. "That''s why Kaze loves you so much, isn''t it?"
"No, he loves me for all the reasons." Kiera smiled pridefully, "But it''s why he treats me like a princess and puts up with my shit. After five thousand years of betrayal and mistrust, I''m a one in a billion he can rely on."
"So that''s really it?" Kylie asked, changing the conversation.
"Ye~p." The teen smacked, "Well, there''s also the part where I''ll save her life in training.
Sage is an extreme narcissist; she can''t repay debts with selflessness.
Since she can''t control my narrative, she''ll spend the rest of her life having someone who can permanentlyud something over her without being able to return the favor.
Sooooooooo she''s kinda sorta freaking about right now, destroying her meridians, denying training, the whole nine yards.
Oh, and everyone now knows she''s a psychopath, so it''s permanently ruining her rtionships. It''s most excellent."
"That''s what''s going on!?" Kylie cried, panicked, "Kiera, she''ll kill herself at this rate!"
"Really?" Kiera asked with wide eyes, "Then let''s pray! Bring on the religion; you got any suggestions for a cult with arge book?"
The brte took a deep breath, and her heart churned with passion again. "Keira, this is what I want to know! Is Kaze pushing Sage to"
"I''ll stop your delusional bullshit right there, hot tits." The ng riddler said coldly, "Kazey is giving us free shit, free housing, free techniques, training, and opportunities.
Don''t you dare imply he''s helping us and handing a liability a priceless technique just to traumatize her. That would be stupid, and Kazey doesn''t do stupid.
Sage would''ve gone missing in Meridian City if he wanted her to die. She''s alive because, for whatever reason, he wants her to be. You should be grateful for that.
If she gets traumatized by priceless gifts, she deserves to be traumatized. After all, It''ll prove that she''s a psychopath and everything she''s said to you is a lie.
You should analyze that."
TTTTT
-
"So you didn''t send Kiera to collect life debts." Sage chuckled with depleted eyes, "You sent her to make her permanently superior to us and destroy our ambitions of ever being the best. Is that it?"
"No, I sent her to do that to [you]." Kaze smiled wickedly, "No one else will feel that way, including Kiera. They''re normal people, so they''ll be thankful for this for the rest of their lives.
That''s the beautiful thing, Sage. This is a punishment only someone with your personality disorder can experience, andining about it will only out you as a psychopath. I''m sure you understand that now."
"So you''re exploiting my alleged disorder to torture me?" She asked bitingly.
"No, I see no value in torture." He replied coldly, "However, I see endless use cases for trauma.
And right now, I''m seeding trauma in the center of your sadistic desires so that you remember your position before you try feeding them."
"Then just fucking get rid of them!" Sage growled, triggered with primal anger, "I know you have a sketchy technique that can make it happen!"
"Click-click-click." He clicked his tongue, wagging his finger, "The only reason you''re still alive after ying games with my reputation is that your psychopathic, business-oriented personality is what Immortal Skye''s economy needs right now."
"So I''m your puppet?" She asked bitterly.
"No, Sage." Kaze smiled maliciously, "You''ve always been my puppet. If you weren''t, I''d have used you as fuel for my chalk instead of stopping your sketchy trade with Mandy Mitchell."
"We''re not going through this again." Sage scoffed, "I work for my sadistic rewards, Kaze. If you take those away, then I''m useless; you might as well kill me."
"Vice is legal in Immortal Skye, so long as it''s in the Underground Bizarre." The emperor replied coldly, "So stop acting out this insipid tragedy and make your choice.
Will you ept your brand and enjoy your vices legally? Or will you get eaten by wolves?"
Kaze snapped his fingers, and the wolves behind the wall yelped in pain and started growling again. "Make your choice and prepare to keep it.
If you don''t keep it or take action to betray me, this scene will be intentional next time, and this Grave Robber won''t be eating wolves."
The tendrils came peaked out of the ground after hearing his words, making Sage swallow nervously, feeling death close in around her. "I."
TTTTT
-
"Kiera, did she do it?" Kylie asked with puffy eyes, "I''ve heard about the deals she made with Rick, Haley, and others. However, I don''t know what you were implying earlier."
"Oh, she tried." Kiera giggled, "But Kazey shut that slut down before she even walked out of the Lu~xe. Sage hasn''t done shit that would hurt Kazey''s reputationCand she never will."
Chapter 247 July 21st, 2032 | Kylie’s Ultimatum
"My name." A brte wearing a white robe began nervously, "Is Martha. I''m here to be your ''sparring partner.''"
Veronica, Jake, and Kylie cringed, watching the brte exin her forced position. While they had no mercy for the cultivators, it was still extremely ufortable.
Moreover, they still hadn''t recovered from seeing the redhead lying next to them. She looked more mentally unstable than the cultivator.
"Um. Veronica.."
"... Jake."
"Kylie."
"..."
CLAP!
Everyone turned their eyes to the pink-haired teen leading them, standing in Evalyn and Crux''s battlegrounds. Her mocking eyescked mercy, matching the devastated forest background.
"While I''d love to sugarcoat this until you had diabetes so severe you''d be drinking each other''s blood trying to get insulin, I have shit to do." Kiera said mockingly, "So let me break this down.
Sky Susan is here to chop your limbs off, and your job today is to kill her. That''s how this works."
The cab members'' eyes widened in shock as Martha turned away with trembling eyes, confirming the statement.
"Let''s talk qualifications!" Kiera chirped merrily, "On the north sidea natural-born training puppet!
She''s an OG Sky Cultist sent to spy on us. Her hobbies include long flys on the beach, chopping off Rein''s limbs, and killing a bunch of our peeps after calling them ants. Give it up for Matilda!"
A chilling breeze passed through the area, wrapping around everyone''s bones. The cab members''passion for the brte disappeared, leaving only a frigid breeze.
"Whoaaaaa, tough crowd." The ng riddler smiled, "Let''s move on to the challengers.
On the south side, we have the oppressed ants! They''repletely inferior to Dusty Cunt in every wayexcept for the part where they have a breathing technique far surpassing hers."
Now it was Martha''s turn to be shocked, looking at the teens through minor vision and noticing the absurd vortexes raging out of control fromcking skill.
"They have the best leader in existence can fuck her up after less than two months of cultivating and hmmm." Kiera hummed, "They''ll fuck up her thousand-year fam."
Martha''s eyes shed with murder, then she dropped to the ground, clutching her chest and screaming. Everyone watched the scene in shock.
"Oh~yeah!" The ng riddler cried cheerily, "They also don''t have a Soul Contract preventing them from killing their enemies. That''s because they''re still undefeatedeven after fighting her Cultivation ''Baron,'' or whatever."
The cultivator wheezed in shock, disbelieving that they faced a Cultivation Lord and survived.
"Bad blood established." Kiera smiled, looking back and forth between the sides, "Let''s discuss the formatno one is forced to be here.
If you are, it means you don''t want to get steamrolled by literally every other person in Immortal Skye who''s catching up in strength.
So while this training is voluntary, it''s not voluntary. The world sucks, times are hard, and shit''s trying to murder usleadership requires power. Get over it."
Sage''s desire to scoff got snuffed out by a blunt address of her [argument], which was justmon sense rebranded as an excuse.
Everyone else gulped nervously, realizing their genuine goal was to kill the woman before them.
"Training today is simple." Kiera continued, "You will use every weapon in your arsenal to try killing this wench without mercyto take vengeance for your fallenrades.
She''s gonna try to survive by injuring you and breaking your will.
If she dies, you win and we get revenge. If she wins, she''ll continue ying tutor under our protection.
I''m not sure what Kazey''s conditions for survival or imprisonment are, but if you look around, you''ll notice something profound"
Veronica, Jake, and Kylie turned from Martha to Sage, gritting her teeth and wheezing on the ground.
"Kazey''s not a simp."
Veronica smiled in forced amusement, turning away to avoid showing her expression to anyone.
"Onest~thing." Kiera chimed, "We''re training for real warfare against the murderous Sky Cultists. It''s not a game.
So I suggest you hobble away like a crippled stooge if you refuse to heal. Other~wise, Sky Susan''s gonna do what she does best cut off your limbs while you''re not looking."
Sage growled like a feral animal, triggering nces from every cab member. She got up and turned around to hobble away but winced, eyes closed, and returned. "Get on with it."
"Do you think this is an ovee-your-insecurities support group?" The pink-haired teen scoffed, "If you think I''m itching to heal you, you''re dead wrong.
I''d rather you died or just withered in a corner until you weren''t capable of causing trouble for Kazey. So stop acting like you''re sacrificing yourself for me to heal you or leave.
Since it''s impossible for you to be normal, I suggest you start acting."
"Hah haha." Sage chuckled murderously, "This isn''t enough for you? Even though you know and understand."
She pulled her hand back faster than her body could suggest. However, before she finished
SMACK! THUD! Thud. CRAaaaCCKkkKkkk! BOOM!
Kylie pped the redhead so hard that she hit the ground twice before smashing through a tree.
Shocked silence and disbelief followed, especially from Martha, gulping at the power of the mortals near her!
Kylie looked at her hand in disbelief and then looked through the dust cloud with trembling eyes. "SAGE!"
Contrary to the intervention she had nned, she panicked in regret and remorse as she flew across the battle to her friend.
A minuteter, everyone gathered around the redhead.
"Wheeeeeeeeeeew! Wowza." Kiera whistled with a smirk, "In a stunning twist of fate, your friend smacked an ultimatum right into you."
Kylie heated up with anger, but she didn''t interfere, knowing she gave her an excuse to end it.
The ng riddler dropped to her haunches, looking at the redhead with a malicious grin.
"Here''s the ultimatum." Kiera chimed, looking at the twitching redhead suffering from a broken neck, "One, graciously ask for healing like a sensible person, ooooooooooor."
Sage red into the woman''s eyes with bloodlust and an unshakable will to crush her.
"Be forever as remembered as the floozy who died from getting sense pped into her from her friend but refusing it on her death bed." The teen giggled merrily, "You will be legendary! A true darwin''s ssic."
Everyone fell silent, watching the redhead writhing on the ground with a terror-filled expression, pained and conflicted.
"Heal me." Sage whined, thinking about her reputation getting destroyed forever, "P-Pl P-P-P Plea se."
"You got it, Psycho Sally." Keira chimed cheerily, closing her eyes and illuminating the woman with a golden light.
Threads of light wisped from the woman''s body, starting at her stomach and moving through acupuncture points throughout her entire body.
Her entire neck lit up with a radiant glow, and an intricate pattern took ce.
Everyone was silent, watching in horror. After all, the redhead was only one move away from death.
CRACKkkkKkkKk!
The cab members shuddered when Sage''s head snapped forward at blinding speed and adjusted, healing in real time.
Sage''s eyes were frozen, feeling the effects in horror.
Only Martha was stunned beyond reason, watching the thread around her neck disappear and the internal bruising around her acupuncture points healing one after the other. "A true specialist."
"Not on your life, Bad Bun." Kiera smirked derisively, noting the woman''s tight-wound hair, "I learned this technique a couple of weeks ago.
We mortal ants are much more talented than you guys. Obviously."
A fire lit up in the woman''s heart, hearing that she was inferior, but her heart pulsed, and she dropped to the ground again.
"See?" The ng riddler giggled, "Listen up, everyone!
You have five minutes to get ready! After that time, Sky Cultist is gonna unleash hell on all of you.
I will heal her once for every time that she immobilizes all four of you.
The match will end when she dies, after three hours pass, or when you all give up.
Anyone who sticks through the entirety of training will get ess to a technique ss of their choice."
Everyone''s eyes lit up with excitement, hearing that they''d learn another technique, shocking the cultivator further. How many techniques did they have!?
"Prove to this Dusty Cunt that Kazey and Evalyn aren''t the only talented mortals!" Kiera yelled, "You may begin!"
TTT
"What the fuck is wrong with this ce!" Martha cried, shooting toward the earth like a shooting star as multiple arrows followed her, "Don''t tell me [she] wasn''t an elite!"
An image of Rein shed into the woman''s eyes as two arrows snaked through the air, chasing her like twin dragons.
They had the same merciless uracy, but their power was on another level.
That was only natural, as Veronica and Jake were at Rein''s level regarding control. However, they had heaven-grade techniques, whereas the brte fought with an earth technique when she met the cultivator.
BOOOM! BOOOM!
Thud! Thud, thud CRACK!
Two dirt and wood shrapnel explosions detonated after the arrows hit the forest floor. While they didn''t hit her, the st sent her flying into a tree.
"What. Cough! Cough!" Martha wheezed as dirt entered her lungs, "What is this!? Cough! This nt shouldn''t hurt me!"
She remembered steel buildings on earth being as brittle as gram crackers. However, the tree she just crashed into was no less sturdy than the ones on the Sky ne.
"She''s this way!" Jake yelled, "Form a pincer attack! Wait! Sage, what are you doing!?"
The cultivator''s fight-or-flight response triggered, and she jumped from the tree. A momentter
BOOOOM!
it exploded.
Martha caught sight of Sage aiming another arrow five times the size of any other with a vicious expression. The redhead nned to murder the cultivator without mercy to prevent Kiera from healing her again. It was now or never.
Chapter 248 July 21st, 2032 | Deadly Training
Martha''s heart rattled like a machine gun, pumping her mind full of Spirit Qi, slowing the world down. She stared at the massive Guided Arrow as if it were a guillotine. "Not today!"
Showcasing her immense experience, she summoned [Wind Dance], which controlled air, kicking up a dust storm that hid her from Guided Arrow''s sight.
Then she jumped after summoning [Wind des] and controlling them with the Wind Dance technique, shredding the tree''s limbs above them.
Everything happened in a split second.
WHOOOOOSH!
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRAAACCKKkkKKkkKk! BOOM, Boom, BOOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
"That cunt!" Sage yelled, jumping out of the way of falling debris. While she could see through the dirt, her vision was muddled by the dozen wind des and variable falling leaves.
Moreover, she couldn''t lock onto the woman because she had to dodge, distracting her vision.
"Where''d she--" The redhead''s eyes widened in horror when she saw the cultivator wielding a fixed bolt of Qi 20 feet away, "No--GAHHhHHhhHHhH!"
The non-guided arrow blew off the redhead''s shoulder, sending blood all over the ce.
Martha sighed a breath of relief that Kaze was right and his Soul Contract could differentiate from a fight-or-flight response and bloodlust. She was worried she might have died.
"Sage!" Kylie yelled, running through the forest, "Jake, Veronica, take care of Martha. I''ll do first aid on Sage!"
"You got it." Veronica said coldly, ncing at the redhead with annoyance, "Make sure she gets her fragile ego put together. Punishment or not, we''re preparing for a life-or-death attack--this training isn''t for her."
Kylie looked at Kaze''s regent, but he also shook his head.
"Kylie, if healing Sage is a punishment, then she''s not worth training." Jake said somberly, "We can''t have someone throwing a fit on a battlefield."
Sage''s eyes trembled, hearing him chastise her and then run into the distance.
"While they sound cold, I''ll also choose Kaze over you without hesitation after all you''ve done." Kylie warned, waving her hand over Sage''s stub, stopping the bleeding, "No regret, Sage."
"You''re all acting like Imitted a heinous crime or traumatized someone." The redhead replied bitterly, "Mandy was thrilled for the opportunity I gave her--Kaze stole that from her."
"You''re so delusional it makes me sick." The brte scoffed, standing up, "Your actions could trigger a panic that people need to fulfill twisted requests to get ahead.
You''re threatening everyone''s lives, Sage. It''s about impact, notw--perception, not reality."
"I"m not threatening everyone." Sage scoffed, "Otherwise, I wouldn''t be alive after poking his weakness. You all need me; I don''t need anyone''s mercy... wait, what--AGhHHhhHHhHH!"
Kylie squatted, grabbed the woman''s healing shoulder, and squeezed, making it rupture again. Blood exploded into the ground, making the redhead scream in agony.
"You [just] threatened everyone''s life for your ego." She said coldly, "So you know what--fine. We''ll see if you can survive without anyone''s mercy.
I hope you find out sooner thanter that Kaze doesn''t [need] you--because I''m done protecting you."
Sage groaned on the ground, trying to use Minor Healing on herself past the pain.
"You know, Kaze is also a selfish narcissist." Kylie said, standing, "But while you''re busy hurting people for twisted pleasure, he''s helping everyone. That''s what I love about him.
Being a narcissist doesn''t make you good or bad--you do that. You have no excuses."
The brte ran after Veronica and Jake, following the sound of explosions in the distance.
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
-
At Lainwright Military Base, a simr scene was ying out.
Thud! "GahhhHHhHH!"
Thud, thud... thud! "AGHhHHh!"
Thud! "Gah!"
Thud! "FUCK!"
The Immortals ran around a battlefield of thousands, decking Lainwright soldiers with bare fists.
Dozens of Guided Arrows chased after them but resulted in friendly fire more often than they touched the Immortal Skye elites. So people were a lot more
"My soldiers have had a sky-grade technique for a couple of days!" The Ice General roared, "The cultivatorsing here have had such a technique for decades or centuries.
If you can''t win a game of [tag] against my people with Guided Arrows when they''re barehanded, you will all die instantly!"
"General, please have mercy!" A running man screamed, "We can''t shoot arrows at them when they''re near our people! Can''t you give us a short break like the civilians?"
The family member volunteers were drinking water and watching the match after getting [tagged] out. They were also in a rough ce but weren''t left to heal themselves on the battlefield.
"If you expect mercy from me as a soldier, you will not get it." Evalyn dered boldly, "Your very survival could trigger a panic in Immortal Skye. Our people will think that we''re allowing past enemies to get near their family members--after your brethren killed some.
So until you prove yourself worthy of vouching for, don''t cry for help because you won''t get it."
More groans harmonized, being reminded of it daily.
"Then why train us!?" A male soldier yelled viciously, "If we''re enemies, why would you give us power!? I''ll tell you why--you need us to fight this war!
I''m sick of hearing you abuse us daily because some people followed their orders when you''re currently training us for suicide missions! You''re no different than General Peyton!"
Evalyn''s image blurred, and the man found himself struggling to breathe, feet above the ground. "You''re alive because you''re valuable, yes--but we don''t [need] you.
That might be a bluff, of course. Do you want to call me on it?"
The man gasped for breath as she squeezed his trachea. His face turned red and blood vessels burst in his eyes. "N-No...."
She mercilessly threw him onto the ground, snapping everyone out of their hazes.
"You went to war against us." The Ice General said chillingly, "And you lost.
Despite that, you''re a well-fed Earth Realm cultivator that I''m personally training.
Consider what General Peyton would have done to us. If you''re not grateful to be ying [tag] after that thought process--we don''t need [you].
Now get back to work, Immortals! Beat somemon sense into these ungrateful losers."
The Immortals immediately met her call and charged forward, fists clenched.
Thud! "AGHhHHh!"
Thud! "Agh! Run!"
Sandra walked up to Evalyn after the game of tag continued. "Even for the military, this is pretty extreme. These people were uninvolved; they will hate you if you continue this."
"Will you save them when the Immortals and ex-military who lost family members show up and learn Lainwright soldiers killed their families?" The Ice General asked.
The brte''s ponytail swayed as she shook her head. "No, mam."
"Exactly." Evalyn replied frigidly, "If I don''t carve Lainwright''s sin onto their hearts, their indignation will spark fights and turn our Immortals into murderers.
They''re innocent--that''s why they can assimte fine over time. I''m ensuring they get that far."
Sandra looked at the blonde with reverence in her eyes. She didn''t know how her general had the strength to let people hate her for the benefit of others, but she admired it. "Understood."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
-
"As you know, one hundred people got vouchers to technique sses." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "Who wants to join them?"
An explosion of pleas and primal cries rang out, hearing an opportunity present itself. Once the roster of techniques got posted, people were even more motivated.
"Well, I''m here to present you with another opportunity." Kaze smiled wickedly, sparking cheers, "Today, we''re ying a voluntary game.
Fifty people who distinguish themselves will get vouchers. However, everyone who ys will get 10 RP, and anyone who makes it to the end of the game without giving up will get 50 RP."
Whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire, creating a wave of excitement and anxiety.
"The game is called [Pain Ball]." Kaze smiled wickedly, motioning for ex-military to open crates in the center of the training field.
Everyone''s eyes widened in shock when they saw what was inside--guns.
Real, military-issued guns.
"The game is simple--shoot each other with these." He smiled strangely, triggering panic, "Special forces soldiers will y as Sky ne cultivators--you will act as Immortal Skye elites.
We have numbers; they have experience. Once everyone in a team yields or the time runs out, the game wille to an end."
"A-Are those real guns!?" A blonde stuttered in shock.
"It depends on what your definition of a gun is." Kaze smiled, walking up to the crate and pulling out a 9-mm pistol. He checked the chamber, turned off the safety, and chambered a round, "If you''re talking about a tool that shoots a projectile, yes.
If you''re talking about a lethal weapon that will kill people--no.
Does anyone who trusts me wish to earn 20 RP and kudos for a demonstration?"
"Look no further, Emperor Scrawn!" Larkin, wearing a white muscle shirt, yelled with his hand held high like a four-year-old, "Whatever you--"
Kaze lifted his pistol at blinding speed. Bang-bang-bang!
Everyone cranked their neck in the direction of the jester with the fluidity of rusty cogs. In their minds, they just witnessed their leader brutally murder their hype man!
Guns kill people--Larkin was people!
"GuuHHhhHAHWD DAMN, Emperor Scrawn...." Larkin groaned, standing up while rubbing his shoulder, "Where''d you learn to shoot so good? You could''ve chosen three locations....
Yo... The fucks wrong with ya''ll?"
He turned around in a circle to find thousands of people staring at him in shock.
"What?" Thenky brown-haired man grinned as he realized what had happened. "Did you think some pussy ass bullets would take me down?"
The area exploded in cheers and apuse when the hype man pulled his shirt back, showcasing a gnarly-looking bruise after getting pelted by three bullets.
"I''m a muthafucking Immortal!" Larkin roared, squatting down in the crab dance, "The fuck do you think that word means? Until a random training exercise?
Get the fuck out of here. You best not get shocked about some mortal shit, or I''ll pull out the mps on your bitch asses!"
Laughter and excitement rang out as he shuffled around, mping his hands at random people.
The emperor shook his head, d he had saved such a valuable asset to his new empire. "As you can see, these toys won''t kill you unless it hits you in the eye. That''s why people wear these, yes?"
Kaze pulled out a paintball mask, triggering chuckles through the crowd. However, it wasn''t a joke--he proved that the next moment by pointing the barrel at the ss. "As you can see--"
Bang-bang-bang!
"--they''re more indestructible than you are." He smiled arrogantly, enjoying his people''s faces after they watched three bullets bounce off the ss without leaving a scratch, "Now that you know you can survive modern weaponry, who wants to y?"
The Immortals cheered awkwardly, not knowing whether tough or cry.
Despite the pride they felt knowing they could survive bullets--they didn''t believe that shit! Guns killed people--and they were people!
Larkin Downs was a crab god candidate and a fool; he didn''t count. And even if he did--he didn''t.
Because guns.
It was going to be a long afternoon.
Chapter 249 July 21st, 2032 | Pain Ball
Around two hundred ex-special forces soldiers squared off against a thousand Immortals, each wearing a paintball helmet and wielding the Sky''s Breath technique.
Most soldiers and Immortals chose not to voluntarily shoot each other with [real fucking guns] wearing nothing but Soul Qi-reinforced paintball masks as protection.
Those who did were motivated by the rewards, especially the 10 RP participation award. However, they were regretting it as the time drew near.
Both sides were equally nervous as they stared at each other. While the soldiers were confident with weapons, they were up against raw numbers. After all, they couldn''t dodge a hail of bullets.
"Brad, what is the point of this exercise?" Kaze asked the blonde-haired athlete, holding a pistol confidently.
"I believe it''s to learn how to ovee skill with numbers." Brad replied loudly.
"Cor-rect." The emperor said, "We have recently won a battle against the Sky ne cultivators. One day they may seek revenge."
A nervous silence met his words, each person feeling anxiety welling in their hearts.
"And like thest time, we''ll win!" He roared, breaking people out of their mental prisons.
After Larkin let out a battle cry, the ce exploded in war fervor.
"We wonst time despite you all being far lower in Realm and experience than they were." Kaze smiled pridefully, "Next time, we will meet them at their level.
The only thing that will separate you will be your experience. So here you have itnumbers against experience."
Excitement spread through the Immortals, feeling more confident and proud than before.
Everyone was still afraid to y paintball with real guns, but they were too proud to back down.
"Let''s talk about the rules and how it represents our training to win." Kaze announced, "In our scenario, the cultivators know where the Immortals are but not vice versa.
For that reason, cultivators will get five minutes to move their ammo to a hidden location within a mile radius. They must stay there until the match begins but then can spread out.
Immortals represent our people living on this mountain. They will stay put until they see a cultivator, and then they are free to roam."
The Immortals felt an icy chill crawl down their spine when they realized they were in an open field while the cultivators were hidden behind trees. It was a game-changer.
"Ammo represents Qi." The emperor continued, "Since it''s difficult to cultivate on a battlefield, each person can only take one clip at a time and must reload at their base''s center.
However, Qi is a ubiquitous resource. Therefore, no team can destroy or steal the ammo from the other person''s team."
The soldiers smirked when they heard the rule, staring at the Immortals like seasonal cattle.
"War continues until everyone submits or is forced to." Kaze said in conclusion, "So the battle will continue until that happens, or the influx portal closes in three hours.
If no one submits in three hours, the most damaged party will lose. While my viewpoint is subjective, the decision will be fair.
That''s all. You may begin!"
TTT
-
The Immortals stood around a field, cautiously watching for the special forces soldiers stalking through the forest. They coulde from anywhere, and they were sitting ducks.
"I-It''s unfair that they can attack when we''re not moving or expecting it." A blonde stuttered.
"You bet your ass it is!" Rein snapped in annoyance, "But you''re gonna get pelted if you don''t shut up and look for them. At least you know they''reing and where they''reing from."
The blonde gulped nervously. "B-But"
Ratatatat! Ratatatat! Ratatatat!
"GAHhHHhhHhhhHhhhHhhHh!"
A dozen Immortals got pelted with bullets, sending stters of blood flying. Everyone froze until they confirmed every bleeding person was groaning and not dead.
"What!? They have SMGs!?"
"How''s that fair!"
"R-RUN! AGHhhHhhh!"
Dozens of Immortals followed, dropping like flies as real bullets pelted them in the chest, dropping them to their knees. Everyone was bleeding and groaning.
It suddenly didn''t feel like a [game].
"Everyone''s alivewe''ll heal themter!" Rein yelled, cutting off the panic, "Now fan out! Full speedmake it impossible for them to aim!"
She demonstrated, running at thirty miles an hour across the battlefield, leaving a dirt storm.
Steve ran up to the short-haired brte, whispered in her ear, and then ran into the forest away from the action.
"Fuckin'' idiot." Rein scoffed, giving an involuntary smile after, "Hear me, cultivators! Duck unless you want to die! Three two one."
She waved her hand after, and an arc of Qi 50 feet across cut across the battlefield and felled the trees.
BOOM, Boom, boom, BOOM, boom, BOOM, BOOM!
"GahhHHhHHhhHhhHHH!"
Dozens of soldiers screamed as trees fell on them.
It was a shocking event, opening up the line of sight for the Immortals and giving them hope.
Kaze smiled with a strange glint in his eyes, "I guess I''m starting early."
"Is that even legal!?"
"I don''t think it is!"
"Where''s Kaze!?"
"You can''t hit a person with an offensive techniquethat doesn''t mean you cannot use them!" Kaze announced with a magnified voice, cutting across the battlefield, "This is how you win a war!"
Immortals exploded into cheers, calling out Rein''s name until
Ratatat! Ratatat!
Rein stood blushing until she saw a hailstorm of bulletsing at her. She jumped, but three still nailed her in the leg. "AGahhHHhHHhH!"
The soldiers aiming during their rification smirked derisively, d that they got revenge on the surprise tactic.
"That''s also how you win a war!" Kazeughed, checking on the soldiers. He wanted to ensure that none of them were dying or wanted to bow out.
"E-Emperor." A soldier said, pinned under a tree, "Help... me."
"Since your health isn''t in danger, you can choose between two options." Kaze announced, "You can wait until your people help and heal you, or have me do it.
If you choose thetter, I will remove that tree and heal you to full health. However, you''ll make it harder for your team to win, and you won''t get the RP.
Remember that it won''t be a [game] in the future. Think about yourrades first."
"I-I." The male soldier swallowed nervously. He had a broken leg and was shaking in painhe didn''t see it as a [game].
However, he was afraid to disappoint his emperor andrades, representing a battle against the cultivators. Moreover, he''d be giving up an extravagant reward he''d get for simply suffering for a few hours.
"I-I''m okay." He nodded with a trembling voice.
"Good man." Kaze smiled, patting the man''s head, using a strange technique that alleviated the pain and calmed him, "That''s how you win a war."
"I-I want out." A brte moaned, her body pelted with half a dozen bleeding wounds from an SMG, "I thought you said they wouldn''t bleed."
"I said no such thing." Kaze smiled, walking up to her, "Larkin just survived three in a row because he''s better at cultivating. Do you see the value now?"
"I-I do." She gulped.
Kaze smiled gently and waved his hand, making all her wounds instantly disappear.
The moment she healed, her eyes filled with shame. She looked up to say something to the emperor, but he was already gone.
Meanwhile, the battle raged around them.
Click! Click!
"FUCK!"
Ratatat!
"GahHhhHhhHhH!"
"If you don''t know how to shoot a gun, get behind me!" Sammy, the dark-haired cheerleader that held the apocalypse party, yelled, "We''ll be the reserve!"
"You hear that!?" Brad yelled, "If you can''t shoot a gun, move to Sammy! You''re just wasting ammo and getting shot by the snipers during the reload."
As people ran back to the center to reload, special-forces snipers dropped them like shooting fish in a barrel. It was brutal to watch.
"As you can see you''re both equally powerful!" The emperor roared, casually dodging bullets as he walked across the battlefield, "However, training and experience make all the difference!
Now I''m here to heal people. Does anyone wish to leave without giving your team a chance to heal you? If you wait, you will"
Kaze stopped speaking and turned, waving his hand. Bulletsing in their direction disappeared into thin air.
A male soldier panicked, seeing who it was he was shooting at. "I''m sorry, EmGahhHHhHHhHhhH!"
"Do not attack without knowing the power of the person you''re attackingthis was your first lesson!" The emperor roared, making the bullet-pelted man wince on the ground in pain, "There are always consequences to such vacuity! Now continue on."
"Y-Yes sir." He groaned on the ground, trying to get up. However, he realized that Kaze had opened the warp gate right next to a pressure point and found it impossible to stand.
It was a harrowing discovery.
An immortal brte ran up with her pistol and panicked when she saw the soldier''s tactical gear.
"Wa-Wa-WaiGAH!" He groaned as the panicked brte lifted her pistol execution style and shot him in the corbone. It was horrifying to watch.
Kaze walked up to the man with a lukewarm smile. "You''ll be at limited mobility for another five minutes. Would you like me to heal you and bring you out of the battlefield?"
"Hell no." The soldier grinned fearlessly, "I''d rather die than almost shoot you and then wuss out."
"Excellent answer." The emperor chuckled, waving his hand and healing the pressure point, "For that, I''m removing your penalty. Only that, and nothing more."
"What should we do?" Brad asked in a panic, "We''re getting yed alive!"
"I''m not sure, but there must be a way." Rein replied, gritting her teeth, "Kaze doesn''t waste our time just by proving something is impossible.
"Qi scarcity." A voice called out quickly before running away.
The short brte''s eyes widened, and she darted through the forest and grabbed hold of the shady man who spoke. "Get back here!"
Brad smiled when he saw her dragging azy Asian man back to them, groaning that he was getting forced into the battle. "Sup, Steve?"
"Sup, Brad." Steve groaned, "I''m not sure if you know this, but it''s 2032, and good deeds are still punished. It''s on a 20,000 year mean streak."
"Shut the fuck up, Steve." Rein scoffed, "Hundreds have gotten injured or bowed out because we don''t understand the key to victorybut you do and you''re ying games with it. Now speak!"
"Whoa,dy. Don''t act like I''m the reason that everyone''s toastedthat''s inexperience if you didn''t get the memo." He scoffed in annoyance, making her frown, "Besides, it''s not thatplicated."
As Steve gave his exnation, the fifty people in the area chuckled in bewilderment. In a few uplicated sentences, the situation from bleak to a near-guaranteed victory.
Chapter 250 July 21st, 2032 | Qi Scarcity
"Do you have any idea how many people you could''ve saved if you spoke up about this?" Rein scoffed in vexation after hearing Steve''s n.
"How can you say that when I''m currently telling our fearless leadAHHhhH!" The Asian man argued, leading her to push him to the ground, "Yoooooo, this is the definition of abuse!"
The short-haired brte smiled wryly after hearing his assertion. While it was logical, they were holding real guns they were shooting people with.
"If this were real life, most of us would have died because you didn''t want to draw attention to yourself." Rein scoffed, rolling her eyes, "We''re fighting, so stop acting like a defenselessgah!
I''m fucking sorry, okay? I''m just frustrated that you''re talented but treat everything like a game. No, my bad behavior isn''t your fault gah!
Whatever, I''m wrong! Now fuck off; I don''t want to look at you!"
Brad grinned, looking at the flustered brte, struggling to live up to her own standards. "Let''s just put the n into action, guys."
Everyone sobered up and nodded after a deep breath.
TT
An ex-special forces soldier grinned widely. It had been two hours, and there were only around 250 Immortals left to their 100 soldiers.
It was a far cry from the original 5-to-1 disparity, and the soldiers still had more experience.
Still, they didn''t lose focusthey were special forces soldiers, after all.
Bang! Bang! Ratatatat! Bang-bang-bang! Ratatatat! Ratatatat!
"Jacob?" He called out, hearing multiple weapons discharging, "Do you read, Jacob!?"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Ratatatat! Bang! Bang! Ratatatat! Bang!
"Nick, we got a seriousGaHHhhHHhHh!"
"Jacob! What''s going on?"
Bang! Bang-bang-bang! Bang-bang! Ratatatat!
"GahhHHhhhh! This hurts like a motherfucker!"
"Wait, don''t tell me"
Bang-bang-bang!
When the man turned, he saw all the soldiers guarding their ammo on the ground groaning. He immediately tried to yell for backup but got shot in the kneecap multiple times.
"Spread out!" Rein ordered, lowering her gun, "Brad, you''re on the left nk. Sammy, find and heal as many as possible and post them in this area.
Do not let anyone reload. We''ll wait to strike once they''re all out of bullets!"
"Yes, mam!" Sammy yelled back, following Brad''s nod.
"Larkin, you''re in charge of our supply depot." She continued, "MOVE!"
"Yes, mom!" Larkin yelled back dramatically, running into the distance.
"Get down!" Brad yelled.
Ratatatat! Ratatatat! Click! Click! Ratatatat! Click!
"Now!" Rein yelled, jumping up and aiming at the ponytail-wearing brte, making a break for the ammo crate.
Bang!
"GAH!" The female soldier screamed, getting shot in her Achilles Heel.
"One down, this is how we''ll do it!" Rein yelled, building the morale of her group.
The next thirty minutes turned into a bloodbath, with the trained soldiers using organized tactics to reload their weapons and the Immortals fighting back with gueri warfare.
While it initially started in the soldier''s favor their weapons shot full auto with a minimum of three-round-burst. As a result, they ran out of ammo every time they struck the Immortals.
Everyone realized that the emperor gave the soldiers the SMGs to represent stronger techniques. While they were quick to kill, they required more Qi and quickly made the wielder vulnerable.
As a result, before long ten soldiers with only half a clip of ammo were up against a hundred Immortals with full clips.
"Time''s up!" Kaze announced abruptly, "Winnerthe Immortals!"
Both the soldiers and Immortals were equally stunned by the announcement.
"I''m not sure why anyone is bothered right now." He chuckled mockingly, rolling his eyes, "Does no one feel like a victor after using military issued weapons like paintball guns?"
His words took a second to sink in. However, after only a moment''s pause, Larkin yelled, and the area erupted in battle cries.
"Novelties aside, the real winner is Immortal Skye." Kaze boomed, "You just learned that no matter who fights us, how much experience they have, or how powerful their skills they may bewe will still im victory!"
Rein looked at Steve with an ecstatic expression and met his gentle smile. She immediately turned bright red and turned away, pouting with a pounding heart. Steve turned in the opposite direction, scratching his cheek.
"Just bang already!" Larkin grinned, walking up and hooking them both in a side hug and pulling them close.
One man cried much louder than any of the wounded that day.
TTTTT
-
Golden light radiated around Martha, and her major wounds healed instantly. Not only that
"Is your technique adding blood into my body?" She asked in shock, feeling a warm feeling in her anemic body.
"Yeeeeeee~p." Kiera smiled amusedly, "Well, kinda. I''m infusing water into your body with a sub-technique, and then the base technique is multiplying your red blood cells."
"I-I''ve never even heard of such a thing." The cultivator stuttered, clenching and releasing her hands in disbelief.
"Sucks to suck, doesn''t it?" The ng riddler smiled cutely, turning to walk away.
"Is Kaze from the Sky ne?" Martha asked bitterly, her curiosity burning a hole through her, "I have a Soul Contract against divulging your secrets."
"Noooooooooo~pe." Kiera smiled, stopping and turning back, "Kazey''s legit from where you''re standing. I''m pretty sure he was born like a hundred miles from this spot, tops."
The cultivator''s eyes widened in shock. "T-Then who taught him?"
"Look, broadI''m not answering shit." The fiery teen dered sassily, "I wouldn''t give you a muffin to steal it from you. While I''d love to see your depleted gaze, I have respect for muffins."
Martha''s eyes zed over. While she didn''t know what a [muffin] was, she knew it was petty and insignificant. "Does that mean you were lying about him being from this ne?"
"No, that''s true100%." Kiera replied, "We''re not in cahoots with you freaks whatsoever. Kazey just wants to live here in peace, and ya''ll are fucking it up like Covid at a birthday party."
The cultivator could only smile wryly, watching the teen walk away. "None of this makes sense. Who are you, Kaze?"
"You did good, noob nuggets." Kiera walked up to the cab members with aplex expression. "If you didn''t use up all your Qi, that strudel would be charcoal.
She kept you on the ropes by always sensing you and never letting you cultivate. That''s why she''s alive, and you''re not. Do you understand?"
"Can we kill her tomorrow?" Sage asked with a lifeless voice. She had been healed [three] times that day and owed Kiera a corresponding number of [life debts].
"No~pe." Kiera smacked, "You only had one shot and you spent half your Qi making a death rocket you whooshed into dead space. You were an idiot who didn''te closeso don''tin."
The redhead scoffed and gritted her teeth. She hated the pink-haired teen so much. "I''m just asking."
She felt she was going insane between the training, punishment, and ridicule.
"Scoff about it tomorrow." Kiera replied sassily, "Everyone else, rx as much as possible. While Evalyn proves that you''ll get over wound trauma as you practice, recovering your mental health will help you with Qi control.
There''s a massage service in the Underground Bizzare now. Not that anyone here needs one except Sage, anyway."
Jake and Veronica both sighed a breath of relief when she rescinded her massage statement. However, they blushed when they thought about the underlying message.
Kylie also blushed, noticing theck of qualifier regarding sex with Kaze. A lethal nce from the teen indicated that she wasn''t okay with it but acknowledged her cement.
Only Sage was aggrieved and stood up viciously, turning and stomping out of the Sanctuary.
"Nighty~night, love birds!" Kiera said, blowing a kiss to Veronica and Jake as she walked back to Martha to lock her up again.
"That woman." Veronica chuckled in amazement, watching her skip through a rift.
"It''s kinda impossible to hate her, isn''t it?" Jake smiled in amazement.
"If you''re on her good side." Kylie said with a wry smile.
They all turned to the gate where the redhead had just exited and shuddered.
TTTTT
-
"Immortals!" The Ice General yelled boldly.
"YES, MAM!" They yelled in unison.
"Heal everyone before you eat supper." Evalyn said, "They may still be uncertain trash, but they did well today. Take notes if there is anyone that seems worthy of redemption, starting with those that recognized the vital weaknesses of Qi scarcity.
We''ll be picking this back up at 8 am tomorrow. Everyone gets some extra restyou''ll need it."
"YES, MAM!"
Thousands of battered bodiesy on the ground groaning. However, when they heard her warmer tone that indicated that there was room for formal redemption, their hearts lit up with passion.
Combined with the extra sleep the next day and healing, they now knew she was helping them.
Everyone''s opinion of the Ice General shifted in an instant. She had somehow forged their hatred and resentment into respect in only one statement.
Their morale to train ignited and their determination skyrocketed. However, the same wasn''t true of their leader, whose fearless front crumbled the minute she looked away.
While Lainwright Military Base appeared normal, it was anything but, and if Evalyn didn''t y her cards right the entire operation would go down in mes.
Chapter 251 Necessities
"You''ve done well this morning, soldiers." Evalyn said, addressing the Lainwright soldiers on the training grounds, "The results of your training are showing.
It''s been a non-stop week of constant training, and that has made you neglect a lot of your needs. Since you''re doing well, take today to dpress and take care of your personal needs.
Band together to do the cooking and supply management. Beyond that, feel free to rest, take showers, y cards, or do anything else to rx. It''s a day off; do with it as you wish.
I expect you all to show up tomorrow with clear minds, as I will not show any leniency for poor performers or troublemakers."
The soldiers looked at each other in confusion, unbelieving of her words. They were expecting a brutal day but got leniency.
Some soldiers voiced a desire to train, fearing it was a trick question. However, to everyone''s astonishment, the Ice General walked out of the training grounds without saying another word.
TT
Evalyn rubbed her temples in a conference room, sitting before a cup of coffee. Makeup skillfully hid the dark bags under her eyes, but she couldn''t hide that they were bloodshot and depleted.
"You can speak your mind, Captain Mills." The Ice General said aloud, addressing the brte on the other side of her table.
"Mam, are you sure it''s okay to have a day off?" Sandra asked with an equally tired expression, "While you''ve increased morale and defused the tension, you''ve done it at a bad time.
The soldiers have neglected the required work for the non-stop training.
We''re running out of water and toilet paper, and the bathrooms are getting unusable. The kitchens are overflowing with overused equipment. Soon, our essential needs will break down.
If there was a time to make people do work, it''s now. Otherwise, we''ll have to stop trainingpletely."
"I understand the need, Captain Mills." Evalyn said dryly, rubbing her closed eyes, "However, right now, we need people to calm down. Otherwise, stopping training will be the least of our concerns.
Or have you forgotten what happenedst night?"
Sandra winced, taking a deep breath. She knew they were at a brutal crossroads and had to choose their actions carefully. Last night proved that.
-
Lainwright Military Base Mess Hall
"We haven''t eaten until 11 pm any day this week!" A brown-haired soldierined loudly, sitting at a table of like-minded people.
Every soldier sat at an empty table as the cooks hurriedly cooked food for thousands. While the Ice General had the Immortals heal them, they still got backte and had to work after.
Naturally, cooking for that many soldiers was a grueling, time-consuming process, especially without preparations. It was a nightmare for the tired soldiers.
"Stop griping, Mick." A bald Hispanic man replied from another table, "Soldiers are cooking without food prepafter training. We''re lucky we can rest when we should be gathering supplies."
"Don''t tell me to stop griping, Eric." Mick snapped, "I''m notining because of the cooks. I''mining because that bitch''s training prevented food prep and supply gathering.
We finish 12-hour days of physical agony and torture, and then we have to work. We don''t finish until 1, and then we have a few hours of rest before it restarts.
She''s preventing us from doing anything. Our bathrooms are disgusting, we''re barely eating or sleeping, and you''re yelling at me forining? What a joke.
Stop making this an issue between us second-ss citizens. ming the oppressed for the problems caused by our oppressor is the problem."
All the soldiers sitting around him lit up and grunted their approval.
"I''m just a pragmatist." Eric replied dryly, "Immortal Skye will track us down and kill us if we don''t do what they saythat''s reality.
So I''m doing what I can to join them because bitching is both pointless and makes enemies with them. That''s all we can do."
Likewise, all the people sitting at his table grunted their approval.
"Hah! How naive." Mick sneered, "The haves won''t yield to us have-nots when they already have their meat shields and freebor. That''s how it''s always been throughout history."
"What should we do then, Mick?" Eric scoffed, "Peacefully protest? Get some picket signs, march, and hold a sit-in?
It''s the apocalypse, you fucking clown. If you cause trouble, General Skye will murder all of us.
General Skye is thew; bad press and politics aren''t holding her back from massacring us."
The atmosphere in the room multiplied, everyone holding their breath.
"I''m a clown?" Mick scoffed back, "You''re a sheep who consumes whatever she tells you without looking around.
If Immortal Skye didn''t need us for their war, they wouldn''t give us techniques. Good people or not, we''re liabilities. You don''t give liabilities the strength to kill you."
Tensions increased further, both sides speaking about sensitive topics.
"Here we go again." Ericughed, rolling his eyes, "We should be dead or dying right now.
Yet the Ice General gave us techniques worth hundreds of millions and is training us despite our trying to kill them. And how do you respond? By saying we''re oppressed meat shields. It''s stupid.
Either way, this argument is pointless. If she didn''t give us better techniques, we would''ve died when the sky beasts and cultivators came down here.
Even if they need us, we need them more. I''m grateful for what I''ve gotten."
Those around him felt passion and cheered in response.
"Yeah, be grateful, you drone." Mick jeered, "If the cultivators and sky beaste, then we''ll do our part and win their war. And then what?
I''ll spell it out since you can''t wrap your head around itthey''ll kill us off for being liabilities. If we''re lucky enough to survive, we''ll be ves.
I''d rather take my chances with the cultivators and sky beasts."
His table yelled their assent.
"God, you''re like a broken record." Eric scoffed in vexation, "Even if you''re right, what can we do about it? There''s hope for us to be Immortals if we y by their rules.
By contrast, you''re creating trouble and putting us all in danger with Immortal Skye. And for what? What is your master n for escaping envement?"
Other tables jeered at the agitator for causing problems and putting them under the magnifying ss.
"You all think we''re weakthat''s your problem." Mick scoffed, "We''re thousands of people that they need for their war. They have fifty soldiers here.
Immortal Skye is a small ce with powerful people like Evalyn and that hellcat. That''s all.
We can''t kill those people, sure. But if we took out her troops at night, she''d be forced to listen to our demands or die next month.
I''m not implying that we should do that. I''m just saying that we''re not weakthat is an effective tactic used sessfully throughout history. So don''t run around acting like we''re defenseless."
A few groups in the room yelled their assent, but most were shocked to hear the man''s words.
The n was rational [by old-world standards], but it wasn''t any longer. And while the man said he wasn''t implying they should do that, he put it on the table.
"Did he just threaten the Ice General?" Eric whispered in disbelief. After a moment of silence, he mmed the table, got up with the people at his table, stomped to the other man, and picked him up by the cor. "You just threatened our lives by throwing out a murder n!
Those of us that earned trust will probably lose it now! Are you insane!?"
"Get off him!" A redheaded dissident yelled, getting up and pushing him.
"FUCK OFF!" A brte sympathizer roared, pushing her back.
CRASH!
Multiple people fell when the redhead crashed into the table, instantly triggering chaos.
Everyone in the room stood up and moved backward or joined the fray.
"WHOA, CALM THE FUCK DOWN, MICK!" A blonde-haired man yelled, seeing the man create an arrow and point it at the d Hispanic man.
"Yeah, man!" Another man followed, "If you let that thing go, you''re dead, and everyone else will die with you."
"I don''t care!" Mick yelled irrationally, red in the face, "I''m not going to listen to this shit as I starve and suffer. At least after I teach this idiot a lesson, the Ice General will get the message that everyone isn''t okay with this oppression!"
Eric''s supporters drew arrows in response, triggering a self-defense web with people pointing raw Qi at each other.
CrrreeeeeaACkKkckkkkckkkckkkc!
Before anyone could strike, they felt an icy breeze and the sound of the hallway freezing. The room fell silent instantly, everyone looking to the door.
Dry-ice smoke entered the room like fog, spreading across the floor ominously, giving the room a graveyard feel.
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
Everyone''s hearts pulsed, hearing rhythmic footsteps crunching against thinyers of ice.
Crunch!... Crunch!...
"There''s no need for you to make a message of a good man, Mick." A hypnotic voice called out from the hallway, sending an icy chill crawling down his spine, "I got your message, loud and clear."
Chapter 252 You’ve Got Some Serious Balls, Mick
The brown-haired dissident shuddered when he heard the Ice General''s voice reverberating through the hallway, dry ice smoke spreading through the room.
Only then did Mick''s anger management problem calm down, allowing him to thoroughly regret his decisions. He gulped, awaiting his fate.
A beautiful neen-year-old blonde in ck tactical gear walked into the room. While she looked like a typical college teen, the very sight of her created a suffocating environment. No one could breathe as she walked through the throngs of exhausted soldiers approaching the dissident table.
Before the man could process the situation, the Ice Demon was standing before him.
"Just to make sure I understand your argument, you''re saying that Immortal Skye needs you and thus we should treat you like normal soldiers." Evalyn said dryly, "Is that correct?"
Mick felt cold sweat drop down in shoulder des when she addressed him. "Yes, mam. That''s correct."
"Rational viewpoint." The Ice General smiled, "And since Immortal Skye is a small ce with selective members, if someone were to kill the fifty soldiers here, we''d be forced to acquiesce or die. Is that right?"
The atmospheric pressure multiplied to a crushing degree after everyone realized Evalyn was listening to them the entire time.
Loyalists feared that Mick and the dissidents proved her skepticism right, thus eliminating their trust gains. Unrted dissidents were afraid theirints would be lumped together with his. Naturally, those at his table feared for their lives.
Mick gulped nervously, feeling sweat drip down his brow. He didn''t know how to confirm her assertion without getting executed instantly. "I...."
"Hypothetically speaking." Evalyn smiled sinisterly, "Naturally, you wouldnt do something like that."
"H-Hypothetically speaking." He replied with a sharp breath, "I-It was just a thought experiment. Without the soldiers you''d be forced to ept us; how they disappeared is irrelevant."
"I like your honesty." She smiled ominously, "It''s good to find someone who stands behind their words in the face of punishment. I have a question, though."
Mick felt a sharp pain of anxiety, looking into her piercing eyes. "W-What is it, General Skye?"
"How, in the countless reminders of General Peyton''s actions, did you forget that you''re training with ex-Maltian soldiers'' families?" Evalyn mused, "There''s quite a lot of them here.
Tell me, how many soldiers do you think soldiers are Immortal Skye?"
A tidal wave of anxiety crashed through the room as people saw her vicious smile.
"I-I don''t know." Mick stuttered, "Isn''t this half your soldiers?"
"Why do you think that?" The Ice General asked mockingly.
The dissident opened his mouth to speak but stopped, choosing his words carefully.
"I just focused on your recruitment." He justified, "It''smon knowledge that few people got into Immortal Skye and were civilians and teenagers. So I didn''t think about the soldiers."
"Again with a logical argument and honesty." Evalyn smiled wickedly, "I like those traits in a person. However"
The room held its breath, awaiting the man''s execution.
"you argued that lethal force would give you leverage without knowing what you were up against." She smiled, "So let''s see how you''d fare in this [hypothetical] scenario.
Take a guess how many people Immortal Skye has."
Mick averted her gaze, trying to avoid the thousands of eyes staring at him. "I-I don''t know."
"Oh,e on Mick." Evalyn coaxed yfully, "Take a guess. It''s not like you were actually nning on fighting us, so give us an answer."
"Two hundred?" He gulped, doubling his estimate.
"Come on, Mick." She smiled mockingly, "Do you think that Immortal Skye could crush the Maltian army without with just a few strong cultivators and a bunch of [civilians and teenagers]?"
Her gruesome sarcasm crushed his entire argument. Even if the Immortals were exclusively civilians and teenagers, they were strong enough to crush the Maltian military!
"F-Five hundred then?" Mick asked, trying to avoid the ridicule.
"You''re getting warmer." Evalyn smiled, "That''s around the number of special forces soldiers we have, but we still have trained trade soldiers."
The room froze, hearing her words. Everyone knew that the fifty soldiers that Evalyn had with her were ex-special forces. They were monsters, and she just informed them that there were around ten times as many in Immortal Skyewith regr soldiers in reserve.
"A-A thousand?" Mick asked, trying to avoid the petrified gazes of his fellow soldiers. Now that they knew what they were up against, they felt he led them blindly into a suicide mission.
"Waaaaaaaarmer." Evalyn hummed yfully.
"1,100?" The dissident cringed.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaarmer." She smiled brightly.
"1,500?" Mick gulped.
"Close." The Ice General announced with a beaming smile, "That''s how many we started with.
We''ve lost about sixty between fighting your military and the Sky ne cultivators. So you''re up against around 1400 trained soldiers if you kill these fifty.
You''re also facing just under 2,000 overpowered civilians and teenagers. And, oh, the families here aren''t just going to sit around if you try to kill us. So they''ll fight you, too.
Tell me, Mick. Do you still think that killing 50 soldiers will affect us?"
"N-No." Mick gasped for breath, feeling frozen carbon dioxide scorching his lungs, "I was very off. B-But you''re up against those cultivators, you still need as many people as you can get, right?"
"Hmmm let''s see." Evalyn hummed, finger to her lips, "There are around 3,500 Immortals with sky-grade techniques that Emperor Lexicon personally taught.
We also have all the civilians here, Emperor Lexicon, Crux, and myself.
Meanwhile, as you eloquently pointed out, you''re pathetically weak liabilities that can''tnd a hit on me but consume enormous amounts of resources.
It would be nice to have another few thousand trained soldiers. But right now what benefit will we get using you in a war against people stronger than my soldiers?
Night now, I can only see you being a burden."
All resistance to her works shattered at that moment. The soldiers realized they were alive by the mercy of Immortal Skye, who was feeding and training them for an unknown reason.
Mick gulped, understanding that he was wrong. However, as a munal narcissist], he couldn''t say sorry lest he wanted to break his [infallible] righteous image. So he just stood silently, awaiting his fate.
"Interesting; it seems that there was no other reason for your drastic viewpoints." Evalynmented, "You just threatened everyone''s lives and undermined the goodwill and trust of the people around you have built. And you did it on pathetically shaky assumptions.
Say sorry to the people around you, Mick."
The man gulped, looking around, taking a sharp breath. "I."
He stopped, unable to continue. It would crush his entire sense of self-worth in the world if he did. It wasn''t just a bad personality traitit was a disorder.
Evalyn knew about it because her father had an extreme form of narcissism called borderline personality disorder, so she was intimate with the symptoms.
She also couldn''t say sorry genuinely. While she said it outwardly, internally, it was just a maniption tactic to get people to move past resenting her.
Like father, like daughter.
For those reasons, she understood that her ask was brutal torture for the man near her, who sought approval from everyoneand exploited it to solve her problems.
"What?" Evalyn asked straightly, "You just put everyone''s lives at risk for no gain or benefit, yet you can''t say sorry to them?"
Mick''s face clearly showed remorse and eptance that he was wrong. However, he struggled even to open his mouth. "I-I am."
The Ice General spun in a full rotation, panning everyone''s faces. Disgust. Hatred. Resentment.
Friends and foes expressed every negative emotion imaginable toward Mick.
She smiled inwardly, seeing their reaction. It was a sensitive situation, so she needed full support from everyone. The more they hated him, the more severe his punishment could be without causing internal strife or panic.
"It seems you''re the only person who feels your baseless actions were justified." Evalyn chuckled murderously, "Even now, as everyone awaits judgment for your actions, you can''t say sorry?
You''ve got some serious balls on you, Mick."
She looked at his sweating face with vexation and looked around to ensure everyone was still on her side. Noting that they were, she looked him in the eyes. "And that''s a problem."
An icy wind hit the man, freezing his lower half instantly. The man''s eyes widened in shock but his voice didn''t work, as he inhaled frozen carbon dioxide and couldn''t breathe.
CRaaACk! BOOM!
Everyone winced and groaned when the blonde raised her foot and push-kicked his crotch, cracking the ice on his lower waist and sending him flying into a table.
"Eat and get some rest." The Ice General said loudly but without emphasis. With that, she left the room without a speechshe had already said what needed to be said.
So she left a traumatizing demonstration that showcased [leniency]as everyone expected her to kill the whole table of dissidentsbut demonstrated consequences far more brutal and tangible than death.
TTT
-
"We were lucky that Mick Karr is a narcissist that can''t say sorry." Evalyn asserted, "Killing him would''ve made him a martyr and spread fear.
Crushing all the dissidents would break everyone''s will to fightthe [opposite] of what we need.
That''s why I gave everyone the day off. Each person can fulfill their personal needs without interacting with people they hate. If they''re miserable after, they don''t have an excuse."
"General the problem isn''t whether people can solve their needsit''s that you''re giving them them time and space right now." Sandra replied nervously, "That will worsen tensions significantly."
"Why?" Evalyn asked, eyes snapping open in horror.
"Last night''s arguments were a rehash of every other night this week." The captain asserted, "The only thing preventing a violent conflict is being too tired and Qi-deprived to fight.
With rest and time, people can plot, and our supporters will attack dissidents to prevent another incident likest night."
"Are you saying there could be a violent conflict today?" Evalyn cringed, feeling her heartbeat quicken.
"It''s possible." Sandra replied straightly, "I''ve already ordered our soldiers to keep order. However, they''re spread out, and the numbers in every area are high.
If dissidents gang up on our individual soldiers, we will lose. We should separate the families to prevent hostages and revenge. Worst case scenario...."
"I know; we''ll have to start killing them." The Ice General said boldly, "In a fight between our people and those we barely know, I''ll always ept the formerno matter the cost."
Chapter 253 July 23rd, 2032 | Sexy~Chalk
"I''ll let Crux know she''s on full patrol today." Evalyn said with a grave expression, "Separate the civilians and get in groups to patrol areas. Let''s send a message that monsters can enter their location anytime; we''ll use fear to keep people in line.
You''re authorized to use lethal force, but we should avoid killing at all costs."
"Understood, General Skye." Sandra nodded, studying the blonde''splex expression, "Is there something else bothering you? You look conflicted."
"No, I''m not conflicted; I''m just thinking." Evalyn chuckled bitterly, memories of the Immortal Skye parties shing before her eyes, "I''m realizing that my outlook on training and leadership was wed from the start.
I should''ve paid more attention to what Kaze was doing."
"I don''t think you shouldpare you two''s situations." Her captain asserted, "While he''s been training peaceful people with high morale for a month, you''re working with politicalndmines which were already warring before you came here.
Cultivation training can''t prepare you for the horrors of war, and less than half of the Immortals got any experiencest time. You''re doing the right thing."
"Don''t misunderstand." Evalyn replied somberly, "The w isn''t my training or philosophy; otherwise, Kaze wouldn''t have trained me like this.
However, when Kaze and Crux trained me, the faction was peaceful, morale was high, and all the work was getting done. So I could train around the clock like this.
These soldiers must train and do the work, which requires morale they don''t have. So training like this was never an option. That is the w that I didn''t see."
"I see." Sandra replied sympathetically, "But that underscores the real problem, right? You''reparing yourself against someone when your situations are apples and oranges."
"You''re wrong." The blondeughed, shaking her head, "Kaze created that advantage by tackling every problem we''re now facing while I silently criticized his solutions.
I criticized the Luxe and RP system as childish, thinking soldiers shouldn''t need incentives to do their jobs. Now, his incentives have Immortals training non-stop after work with maximum morale.
I judged the Underground Bizarre, letting [bombshells] run freely and throwing parties. Now, I realize they keep morale high and resentment and stress down.
Now, the stress and resentment those systems mitigate are poisoning our people, breaking downmunication and cooperation, and sparking conflict.
I would''ve always ended up here, Captain Mills; this is on me."
"I suppose you''re right." Sandra replied, trying to suppress her astonished expression, "That man... is there anything that he is bad at?"
"Being monogamous and losing." Evalyn chuckled wryly, "That''s all I''ve found so far."
The soldier snorted uncharacteristically, cupping her mouth in embarrassment. "Ahem! So are you giving up on winning your bet?"
"I don''t give up." The Ice General grinned fearlessly, "After admitting my mistakes and ignorance of economics I think I''ve developed a strategy to turn this aroundand it''s a game changer."
TTTTT
-
Meanwhile, at Immortal Skye, training continued as usual. However, contrary to Evalyn''s viewpoints, it was far cry from peaceful, and cooperation wasn''tmon.
"Dayyyyyyymn." Kiera said dramatically, "I feel like if your hormones got hit with a final boss debuff you could still make a baby just by looking at each other."
"I-It''s not like that." Veronica said, turning beet red and looking away like an embarrassed schoolgirl caught holding hands with her crush. The life in Jake''s eyes disappeared as well, but everyone expected as much.
Kylie giggled, seeing the duo looking so cute.
"It''s not?" Kiera gasped cutely, "Giiiiiiirl, hold the phone, pick up the convo, and drop the deetswhat level of power cuddle do you have to be at to nuke a crowd with Level 99 phermones? I''m 15 seconds from calling Kaze here to put me out of my misery."
Sage developed a slight smile on her bitter face, caught up in Kylie''s giggling. Even Martha, more rxed now that she wouldn''t die in practice, smiled involuntarily.
"Guys." Jake blushed with a mortified expression.
"Bro, why are you looking so bashful?" Kiera asked in perplexion, "You just went to the of the giants and caught yourself a mythical-grade pixiethat''s a big fuckin'' deal.
She''ll be able to fly again in six months, and you''ll be in for a magical treat. Brag about it."
Kylie snorted inughter, watching Veronica turn red to the tip of her ears, hearing Kiera call her a mythical-grade pixie. Jake felt lucky, Sage was amused, and Martha couldn''t help but smile.
No one understood why the ng riddler was so happy and charming, but the bright smile on her face stole everyone''s heart away.
It was hard to imagine she spent two days mercilessly degrading Sage. Everyone adored her, slightly understanding why Kaze loved her so.
"Ahem. Whatevs." Kiera cleared her throat, "Now that you''ve found your inner zenlet''s fuck it all up. Lot~us, party peoples.
We''re working on the basics. If you can''t cultivate well, you can''t be proficient in Qi control. And if you can''t regte your Qi, you''re straight fucked against the gaudy Skythenians.
You learned that yesterday when Exhibit A roasted your ass despite being outnumbered, right?
Luckily, you can learn breathing and Qi control simultaneously, so let''s hit it. It''s back to waterfalling."
Martha frowned, hearing the n.
"Hmmm?" The ng riddler hummed, "If you''re nning to diss our training regimentjust don''t. Consider that"
"No, no!" The cultivator cried, fearing that she offended her, "I''m just shocked that you''d teach waterfalling to people who just learned a heaven-grade technique that feels like you''re trying to tame a cyclone. Waterfalling is a very advanced technique right?"
Advanced? It took masters a century to learn and master waterfalling in the Sky nefor one technique. She couldn''t even do it properly!
"Cor~rect." Kiera smacked, "It''s not just youI''m guessing most people can''t waterfall correctly.
But that''s because they don''t have sexy~chalk or a death trainer. Moving~on, let''s get ya marked up."
She turned to the cultivator mockingly when she didn''t get into the lotus position. "That means you, cock repellent.
If you don''t learn how to cultivate right, you''ll be low-key useless even with half days."
The brte''s face heated up in humiliation, getting told that she couldn''t cultivate properly by a mortal who had just got introduced to cultivation a couple of months prior!
Getting called hideous was the least offensive bit of her statement!
"Yeeeeeeeeaahhhhhhh-hhaaaaaa~" Kiera yawned, stretching her limbs, "I know you''re real offended and all, but can you save that shit forter?
Otherwise, we''ll have to restart the whole [oh no, my ego is crushedAND I look stupid!] dynamic. And I gotta tell ya, Skythenian. Livin'' around Kazeit''s gettin'' pretty old."
Martha''s eyes narrowed, but she yielded and got into the lotus. There wasn''t the slightest bit of doubt written in the teen''s expression, making her wary. "I was just curious."
"Nothing wrong with pickin'' apart greatnessdy." Kiera smirked, "You ready super pixie?"
Veronica rolled her eyes with a smile and nodded, closing her eyes and cultivating.
Martha smirked when an erratic vortex of the Qi rushed into her meridians like arge-mouth drain without a plug. She was an amateur!
The cultivator''s eyes got drawn to a piece of blue chalk that materialized out of a strange gold-glowing spatial ring on the ng riddler''s finger.
"What is she doing?" Martha muttered in confusion, "She couldn''t possibly draw a waterfall pattern."
Her jaw progressively lowered as she watched Kiera mark clockwise circles in an intricate pattern!
"Is that a zen garden!?" Martha scoffed under her breath, watching the pattern get increasinglyplex, "And why is that woman moaning!? Wait, whathow!?"
The cultivator had never been more flustered in her life. Kiera was drawing an abstract psychedelic freestyle on Veronica''s white v-neck, thetter started moaning, and as if the sex gods approvedthe Qi started waterfalling!
Sure, it was extremely crude, but it was waterfalling! It was like the pixie found enlightenment in a mild orgasm and doubled her skill. And it only got more extreme!
"Turn it offturn it on only at the top." Kiera reiterated.
Veronica nodded and took a deep breath, cutting off her cultivation and restarting it directly from the top.
"N-No way!" Martha cried, watching the Qi waterfall fluctuating between a trickling waterfall and a broken faucet.
It was clear it would take a year to get it to a respectable ce, and a year wasn''t even a century! It was a hundred times less than a century!
She just watched a once-in-a-century genius learning cultivation!
Kiera ignored her and turned to Kylie with a light frown. "If you im this is sexual"
"You''ll rip off my nipples to use as the nibs of your and Kaze''s baby bottles." Kylie replied sassily, making the teen''s frown deepen.
"Yep." Kiera replied dryly, "Let''s get this over with."
Martha watched in disbelief as the same scene yed out with Kylie! Not one genius but two!? Moreover, the pink-haired-one said it [wasn''t] sexual, so what was going on!?
"What about you?" Kiera asked the depleted redhead.
"I''d appreciate it if you would." Sage sighed. There was a difference between a [life debt] and a training exercise, so it wasn''t a big dealespecially since she owed Kiera three life debts!
Martha watched in disbelief as the stewing redhead developed a genuine smile, feeling the chalk moving across her back. "Is this why she called it sexy chalk?"
After Sage''s minor relief session resulted in explosive results, as customary, the teen looked at the cultivator with a smirk.
"There you have it." Kiera pped, turning to Martha, "It''s your turn. Try not to water the grassthis is one of the few ces in the Mortal ne that [doesn''t] need more Soul Qi."
Martha blushed furiously, connecting the fiery teen''s meaning. She looked at the chalk with trembling eyes, afraid of undergoing an orgasm touching it.
Chapter 254 July 23rd, 2032 | Sploosh
Martha gulped, looking at the mysterious stick with reverence and fear. "What is that thing, anyway?"
"It''s a meridian tracing tool for exposing people''s Qi channels and Qiites patterns." Kiera exined, "That''s its purpose.
Technically, it''s an arbitrary stick of limestone preloaded with a regr dual cultivation technique, and fueled by Yang Qi stored within it."
"Lies!" Martha scoffed, her mood reversed, "Experts in the Sky ne haven''t figured out how to store Qi in objects in tens of millennia, but you''re saying that you learned how to in two months?
Not only that, attaching a non-soul cultivation technique to it? Hah! I''m not sure what that thing is, but it''s not what you''re saying it is."
"New thing I''ve learned about the air benders...." The teen said, standing up and using the chalk to write on her hands, "They deny the truth as it''s actively skull fucking them."
The cultivator gritted her teeth in humiliation. "What proof do you have?"
"Hmmmmmmm...." Kiera hummed, pretending to think, "Howa~bout... this.
I''ll teach you how to waterfall your technique with this chalk. If you sploosh, it''s proof that some pretty dank Yang Qi is stored in this sexy~chalk."
"What happens if I don''t?" Martha asked weakly.
"That''s irrelevant because you''re still gonna writhe on the ground like a sexually oppressed worm." Kiera smirked, "However, if you don''t have a rolling orgasm, I''ll give you the Guided Arrow technique. Just for the lulz."
The cultivator''s eyes widened in shock, and she gulped, hearing that she could get a prized technique from the Killian army. It was a game-changer!
With her intense passion and determination, she could ovee anything, even suppressing an orgasm. She had done it most of her life, the supposed problem, so she had faith that she could do it again.
"I ept." Martha said resolutely, "I''ll learn waterfalling with you. And while I may moan, I won''t have a rolling orgasm."
????Five minutester????
BOOOOOOM! CRaaaaaACkKKkkKkK! BOOM! Boom! BOOM!
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Veronica yelled, avoiding trees as a Qi sh ripped through the earth, "Just how much pent up Elemental Qi did thatdy have!?"
BOOM!
Dirt exploded in Jake''s face as he ran for his life. "I don''t know, but she has it, she''s pissed off, and we can''t kill her. So we need to run!"
"Keira!" Kylie yelled, "Why didn''t you warn us this would happen!?"
"How the fuck was I supposed to know,dy!?" Keira snapped back from a boulder, "I haven''t dual cultivated with Kazey! I know it would release energy, but I didn''t know what would happen!"
"You haven''t dual cultivated with Kaze!?" The wavy-haired brte replied in shock.
"Nope, just normal, intimate sexytime!" The ng riddler smirked, "He doesn''t need to dual cultivate to please me to the maximum extent.
Wait... why the hell am I telling you this!? Pay attention to what you''re doing!
I mean, no, wait, don''t pay attention and die. Let''s talk more about me and Kazey''s sex life!"
"Gah, this isn''t the time!" Kylie yelled, seeing a pissed-off cultivator flying toward her at full speed.
Martha had an arrow pointed at the brte and was only holding back to calm her bloodlust, ensuring she didn''t die expressing herself. "You''re lucky I''m forced to meditate before attacking!"
????3 Minutes 15 Seconds Before????
A cultivator wearing a tight bun and a tattered toga sat in the lotus position, wearing a stressed expression as the ng riddler watched her cultivating carefully. "Are... you going to use the chalk?"
"Pipe down and cultivate before I pretzel your intestines tighter than that bun on your head." Keira scoffed, "I don''t know your technique and you''re so bad at waterfalling that I''m having trouble reading the pattern."
Martha''s eyes shed with murder for a moment, but her emotions reversed when she realized what the teen was doing. "Wait, you''re reading my technique!?"
"Well, yeah. You have a low-grade sky-grade technique that makes your [Qiites] pull Qi around like novice ice skater." The teen replied, "It''s not easy learning this mess."
Low-grade!? This was a military-grade technique! It wasn''t the best, but she was on her way to being a toon leader!
"Look,dy." Keira scoffed, "If the air benders didn''t horde techniques like jealous curmudgeons, you wouldn''t be in the Mortal ne picking up ants to be your meat shields. Would you?"
The cultivator shut down, realizing the teen''s point. She was also frustrated with a system where people could work menial jobs for a century to get a sky-grade technique in the [Sky ne].
They let the poor go mad with Qi sickness and gave low-grade earth techniques to disposable workers. It was a travesty, but that''s how it was.
"Exactly, so just calm your tits and cultivate." Kiera sneered.
"I''m not going to--AhHHHhHHhhhHhh~!" Martha moaned, violently spasming as the teen hastily drew a simple line down the woman''s spine.
"Breathing techniques use the Elemental Qi channels, making them unavable for Yin Qi processing." The teen smirked, watching the woman twitching on the ground, "So you can''t feel pleasure if you do it right.
Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut... if you''re not cultivating correctly, you''ll die of dehydration."
While the cab members giggled involuntarily, thinking it was a joke, the cultivator didn''t! Her legs were soaking wet, and she hadn''t even orgasmed!
If things continued as they were, all the water in her body would end up on the ground, and she''d die! There would be no death worse for a prude!
"H-How do you know this!?" Martha cried, "How did you know this would happen!?"
"Shoulda started with that, don''t you think?" Kiera smirked derisively, "Yin Qi traps the impurities that Soul Qi flushes out of your system.
Sexual release breaks the impurities down, releases the Elemental Qi stored in the Yin Qi, and reopens the Elemental Qi channels.
Since you haven''t even touched yourself for god knows how many decades, centuries, or... whatever, your Elemental Qi channels are clogged like a sumo''s arteries.
It doesn''t take a genius can spot the [symptoms] of dusty cunt syndrome when they''re staring at a textbook case."
The cultivator cringed, and everyone else smiled wryly. They didn''t even notice something was wrong with the woman''s cultivation, so hearing that it didn''t take a genius felt offensive!
"This Yang Qi chalk is processing that dusty Yin Qi and lighting up your pleasure channels like a New Year''s firework show." Kiera smirked, "Then boom! Bang! Sploosh!
But, once~again, you can''t sploosh if you''re cultivating correctly. So I suggest you cultivate like your dignity depends on it--because it does."
Martha shuddered on the ground, trying to gain the courage to sit up. After a few deep breaths, she got up and pushed herself into the lotus position, revealing her soaked toga. She looked like she wet herself!
Everyone exploded in involuntaryughter, making the cultivator turn crimson in humiliation. She would rather get her teeth stomped in again than cultivate in her current state!
However, her heart pulsed, letting her know she was releasing bloodlust. When she opened her eyes from wincing, she saw the blue chalk, and her heart filled with terror.
She immediately drowned out the giggling and closed her eyes again, cultivating intently.
"Are you ready, juicy?" Kiera asked yfully.
"Yes." Martha said, gritting her teeth.
????2 Minutes Later, Present Time????
BOOOOOOM! BOOM! Boom! BOOM!
"How much Qi does she have!?" Veronica yelled, "This is absurd! Her power isn''t even on the same level as it was yesterday!"
"No, it''s not!" Kylie screamed, "But this isn''t just an upgrade after her Qi channels opened up!
She can''t have enough Qi for thirty attacks of this magnitude with a sky-grade technique; she''ll die if she keeps this up! Kiera, we need to stop this!"
Just like Evalyn, the woman was releasing immense amounts of built-up energy. However, she didn''t have Kaze to exin what was happening or guide her through it.
So she was just releasing the Qi violently to try to regain her equilibrium, all while fighting through the embarrassment.
"You think that we can stop this!?" Kiera yelled back, "You saw the water bender, didn''t you!?
She looked like an anime viin who injected themselves with a demon blood syringe in desperation, fought the protag, lost, and then screamed after the L as mana turned them into a frag grenade!
She was like, ai, Ai, AI PAPI~! AhhHhhHhhHHhHhhHhHhhhHhhH! SPOOOOSH!
I swear, I saw blue lighte out of her mouth and eyes and everything!"
CRAaaaaACkKkkK! BOOM!
"This isn''t a joke, Kiera!" Sage yelled angrily, avoiding a falling tree, "Especially when you make it sound like you assaulted her!"
"Bitch, I drew a circle on her back for training." Kiera snapped, "I didn''t make a shady deal to improve her power. So shut the hell up and keep running for your life, everyone else, exploit Sage''s dire situation to regroup near me!"
The redhead scoffed angrily as the cultivator flew overhead, chasing her through the forest. Her bitterness reached an all-time high at the ng riddler used as bait.
Everyone else ran toward Kiera as requested. Once they were out of the way, the teen finally addressed the situation.
"MARTHA!" Kiera yelled, "EXERCISE FIN! SHOOT SMALL ARROWS INTO THE DISTANCE UNTIL YOU''RE COMFORTABLE AGAIN!"
Martha''s body twitched, hearing the loathsome teen talk. She gritted her teeth and turned away from the embattled redhead, and created an arrow the size of a spear.
Whooooooooooooooosh!
Then another.
Whooooooooooooooosh!
And another.
And another.
Another.
Until--
"Son of a bitch." Kiera scoffed, seeing Martha sway in the air with a woozy expression. The teen hit a full sprint right before the cultivator fell from the sky lifelessly. "PRACTICE IS OVER! GO HOME!"
All the cab members shuddered in horror when the fiery teen got dead serious and sent them away. They all wondered what woulde of the cultivator who crashed through the trees and fell silent.
Chapter 255 July 24th, 2032 | Don’t Talk About It
Kiera caught the cultivator in her arms, making it before she hit the ground because the woman hit major branches on the way down. "Gah, I fucking hate this!"
She moved the woman to a stream, stripped the wheezing cultivator naked, and checked her pulse.
"I hate you." Kiera dered breathlessly, ring at the woman, "I hate your people for what you did to Kazey five millennia ago. I would''ve ripped your throat out if he let me.
But he didn''t--he needs you alive to keep the people he cares about safe, so I''ll save your life.
Either way, I wouldn''t let you die from a fucking orgasm. I''d leave you with enough dignity to watch me rip your throat out with dry clothing."
The ng riddler examined the woman''s body with her teeth clenched. "Assuming I can save you.
You''ll die in a few minutes after using that much Qi. You couldn''t save yourself, even if you cultivated right now. That means...."
Kiera shut her eyes with a vicious expression, taking a deep breath and pouring Qi into her spatial ring, summoning a piece of chalk. "Listen up, Martha!
You''re about to die a gruesomely pathetic death, and there''s [one] way to save you. I''m going to release more of that Elemental Qi in you like a fucking surgeon.
If you pull some shit like you did before and attack me--you''re toast. If you talk about this to anyone--you''re toast. If you use me of something nefarious--you''re toast.
I hate this more than you do andck all mercy. So unless you want to be a thick-ass slice of Texas toast, you''ll grit your teeth and bare it!"
? ????
"W-What''s that?" Jake asked with wide eyes.
Everyone stopped leaving the gates when they heard a moan so primal that they thought the woman was a dying animal!
They listened for a grisly five minutes, eyes wide as saucers, as the woman hit every piano key in eight octaves with her moaning. It was a rollercoaster of perplexion that sent them into a trance, and it wasn''t until--
-
"AhhHHhhHhhHHhhHhhHHh~!" BOOOOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOM! BOOM! "AHHHHhhHHhhh~!"
-
--Martha started releasing attacks en masse to release excess Qi that they broke out.
Sage smirked with predatory eyes, thinking she had obtained leverage.
"No one''s to talk about this." Kylie ordered definitively, "Especially you, Sage.
I saw those eyes that said you got dirt on Kiera. But you don''t--all of us know she''s saving that woman''s life in the most disagreeable way imaginable. For her, this must be torture.
So if you tell or mislead anyone, we''ll vouch for Kiera, and Kaze will let her kill you."
"Why are you treating me like I''ve done something wrong?" Sage scoffed indignantly, "It''s not like I''m trying to ruin your precious harem."
However, when she tried to see Veronica and Jake, she found the same murderous gaze.
It became clear that Kaze had sessfully turned everyone against her, creating a of restraints. Now, she couldn''t dig up dirt on people as she usually did because no one would ept her words. He had cornered her in ways that she hadn''t even realized.
"Understood." Sage swallowed nervously, "We''re not talking about this again."
????????????
Martha woke up with a groan, rubbing her head in a haze. She couldn''t remember what had happened. However, her eyes widened in shock when she looked down at her chest. "W-What the hell is this!?"
"That''s called a hoodie; the things on your legs are called yoga pants." Kiera replied coldly, stoking the fire next to the woman, "Your toga''s in the wash right now, so you''ll have to make due."
The cultivator looked at the bright pink hoodie with wide eyes and the yoga pants. She couldn''t figure out why the skin-tight pants were inexpressiblyfortable, but the loose hoodie was so oppressive. So she grabbed her breasts in confusion.
"And~that is a sports bra." Kiera exined bitterly, "It''s so your fun bags don''t p your enemy in the face when you''re flying around them.
In case you''re wondering, it fits you--wee to the joys of modern female fashion."
Martha took a deep breath and looked at the pink-haired teen stewing beside the fire with a grumpy expression. Memories of thest ten minutes she was conscious of shed before her eyes, making her blush furiously.
That made the teen grit her teeth in severe anger, snapping the cultivator out of her haze. Seeing her bitterness, she thought back to the deathly Qi deprivation, which made her body cool down instantly.
"Did...." Martha gulped with shame-filled eyes, "You save my life?"
"No, I love giving my enemies orgasms as they shoot offensive techniques in random directions." Kiera scoffed, standing up bitterly, "You''re awake, so my job''s done here.
Be grateful and keep your damn mouth shut unless you want me to start my sses by making everyone use your intestines like a jump rope."
Martha''s eyes widened in shock when an aquamarine ring on her right hand glowed, and she disappeared into thin air. "She... saved my life. Not just that...."
The cultivator stood and clenched her hands, moving her legs and testing her body. She had never felt so light and weightless before! Qi flowed through her body freely, making her feel liberated and free.
"This feeling...." Martha whispered before flushing bright red to the tip of her ears, "Gah, this is why that man told me to go to the Underground Bizarre!"
She jumped off the ground, trying to fly into outer space to hide her shame. However, her expression changed again.
"These clothes...." The Sky ne cultivator whispered in shock, "They feel so free andfortable when flying. Even this sports... bra... keeps my breasts like a unit of my body."
Martha sighed, looking over Immortal Skye. "Even with the hell I''ve been through, I can''t help but wonder what would have happened if I was born here...."
She looked up and saw the rest of Earth in shambles and disorder as her actions. It made her feel a deep pang of pain in her heart that she had looked down on mortals and killed so many, only to regret it.
"I don''t deserve to think like this." The cultivator whispered ruefully, "All I can do is move forward and... perhaps thank that woman somehow. She''s rude as hell, but she''s a good person."
Martha took a deep breath and flew back to her living quarters with a lonely demeanor.
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
-
"From what I hear, many people are unsatisfied with my training." Evalyn smirked ominously.
The Lainwright soldiers, standing before her at 5 am the next morning, shuddered. They knew by the increased security she set up that something was going to happen, and her sinister smile spoke volumes about what was toe.
"Well, from now on, you''ll be in charge of your own cooking, eating, and sleeping." She smiled wickedly, "And you''ll be doing it while training."
An icy chill crawled down the soldiers'' spines as they looked from left to right, confirming the universal dread in their hearts.
"Let me tell you how training is going to work from now on." Evalyn smiled sinisterly, "I''m sure that you''ll love it."
Chapter 256 July 24th, 2032 | Suicidal Training
"I''ll kill you!" A vicious woman screamed, running at a bald Hispanic man with a ripped blouse. She couldn''t run fast because she suffered from gangrene on her left leg, festering from a wound she had gotten days or even weeks prior.
The wound did not hinder her passion and anger, and she had power and speed far surpassing what should be possible for a starving woman suffering fromte-stage necrosis.
Arge bolt of Qi ripped across a broken city street in Meridian City, ripping through her chest and making her upper body explode. While it got the job done, it continued further until
BOOOOOOM! Rubble, rubble, RUBBLE, BOOM!
it hit a building behind the woman, crashing through its support beams and making it copse.
"Denzel!" The bald man roared, "You''re using too much Qi!"
"It''s only one woman, Eric." A buff ck man scoffed, "Chill out. The streets here are empty, there''s plenty of time to"
"KahhHhhHHhhHhhHHhhHhhH!"
A horrifying shrill of a hundred screaming voices wailed in a half-mile radius, sending icy chills crawling down everyone''s spines.
Insults echoed through the previously empty streets, and shadows passed across the ground as the sun rose over the ocean.
"I-I didn''t know!" Denzel stuttered.
"We don''t have time for excusesfind a location where people [aren''t] screaming!" Eric ordered, checking on the other ten people around him. All were shivering as the sick had them surrounded.
"Yes, Eric." The ck man nodded before running and jumping onto a strip mall store''s rooftop.
It didn''t help him see much, as they were on an outdoor mall with skyscrapers on all sides. They were in the middle of themerce district on the south side of Manrock bridge, near the waterfront.
All the story front windows were shattered, and the stores were picked clean. Bodies rotted on the ground with mutant bugs eating them. However, they didn''t smell, as Soul Qi had killed the infections around them. So only the bugs and scavengers in the area helped them dpose.
Due to the location, the man could only see over the other strip mall stores, but that was enough to see something important.
"THEY''RE COMING!" Denzel screamed, seeing a sea of running people.
"How many!?" Eric yelled back with a pounding heart.
"JESUS CHRIST, THERE''S A LOT OF THEM!" The ck man yelled back. His tone said it all; it was an overwhelming number.
All the soldiers, save one, readied Guided Arrows as the sick met up with therge shadows they cast on the ground.
"WHY AREN''T YOU DEAD!?" A man roared, running at 20 miles an hour at the group. His eyes were bloodshot, and his arm hung by tendons, but his speed was unhindered. "HAH, EVEN BETTER!
NOW I CAN KILL YOU AGAIN! HAHAHA!"
"My God." A brte whispered as she saw the man, followed by a sea of other people screaming equally incoherent statements.
WhooOOoooOOooSH! BOOM! Beep! Beep! Beep!
One of the men in the group panicked and released his arrow while he turned his head back and forth, sending an arrow weaving through the street erratically. It identally hit a shuttle and set off the rm.
The bearded man who shot it trembled. "S-Sorry, Eric"
"STOP WITH THE SORRIES AND KEEP FOCUSED, KEATON!" Eric roared, snapping them out of their haze. "SHOOT!"
WHooooOOooHhhhOOhHhoooSHhhHoooOOoH!
Nine arrows cut across the battlefield, creating a sharp wind sound as they passed through the Qi Sickness-festered humans.
BOOM! Boom! BOOOOM! Rubble, RUBBLE! Boom, boom, BOOM!
Every arrow cut through multiple people, crashing into buildings afterward. The street was dyed red in an instant, with body parts flying and blood sshing against storefronts.
"Did the general send us here to die, Aaron!?" Denzel yelled at a red-haired man, listening to his surroundings silently without lifting a finger, "Answer us, you son of a bitch!"
"Stop projecting, Denz." A Chinese man with neat ck hair scoffed, releasing an arrow, "While Ice General Skye has a reason to kill you, the same isn''t true of most of us."
Whooooosh!
The arrow cut through a dozen people in the distance, snaking around, making heads explode on contact.
"Don''t y games, Chen!" Denzel scoffed, ring at the redhead, "We''re in a death trap, surrounded by thousands of people in an empty fucking city!
That bitch gave us a Qi control training exercise where we need a fuck ton of Qi. This can''t be a coincidence!"
"Think about itter, we need to get off this street!" Eric roared, releasing another arrow, "Let''s hit a streat. We''ll use the grid locked cars as a buffer!"
The first thing to seize during the apocalypse was the streets. Countless people went crazy while driving, leading to idents and instant gridlock. As a result, the streets became unusable on the first day and continued being unusable every day after.
Everyone followed the bald man down a side street at full speed. When they got to the street, it was a mess of cars that everyone jumped onto.
CRASH! Crash! CRaaaCKKkKkkKKk!
Only a few secondster, a tidal wave of sick crashed into the cars, trucks, and shuttles, breaking windows. The blockage didn''tst long, as the sick were more than capable of jumping.
"Are you ready, Jackson?" Chen asked a blonde-haired teen that had barely turned eighteen as they jumped from vehicle to vehicle.
Jackson nodded and then turned around simultaneously, kneeling and waving their hands in a sh attack.
The sick running on the cars ran straight into two sickles of raw Qi that cut through their shins, causing them to crash into the vehicles.
"GahHHhhahhHHhahhHHhahhH!"
CRASH! CrashHhhHHh!
"WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"
"I''ll rip your throat out!"
"DIE! DIE-DIE-DIE!"
Despite crashing into vehicles, the sick didn''t stop their death threats. They ran on their hands and knees, pouring blood across the roofs of cars and on the ground.
Between the initial wounds and moving, the blood coated the tops of vehicles, leading to countless sick slipping and crashing onto the ground.
"Don''t go right!" A brte soldier with matted hair yelled, "For the love of fucking God, don''t go right!"
The group turned to the right and saw a sea of sick running down the side streets, weaving through vehicles and jumping onto them.
"SEE!?" Denzel yelled, jumping onto a semi and running across it, "This is a fucking death trap!
Don''t tell me that bitch didn''t set us up under the guise of training, Aaron!"
Aaron, the special forces soldier that usually ran the training at Immortal Skye with Sandra, ignored the buff ck man as he ran across vehicles silently. He still didn''t have any intention of drawing an arrow or counter-attacking.
? "You son of a bitch!" Denzel roared, "If you don''t"
WHOoooOOooSH! BOOM!
"Shut the fuck up and concentrate, Denzel!" Eric yelled, releasing another arrow that flew past the man''s head.
The ck man flushed red with anger, noting how close he was to dying. However, he changed his tune when blood and brain matter washed down his face. "W-What the fuck!?"
He looked back and saw a line of sick people strewn on the ground from a side street. The bald man saved his life.
"Out training is QI control." Eric yelled, "If ya''ll haven''t noticed, we''re fucked if we don''t adhere to it! I''m already half empty, and there''s still a sea of these fuckers!
So focus on Qi control and only that as we escape this nightmare!"
Aaron smiled, keeping pace with the soldiers with a rxed expression.
"Don''t smile, you bastard." Denzel scoffed lightly, acquiescing while ring at the red-haired man, "This isn''t trainingshe''s toying with people''s lives."
It had only been three hours since the Ice General''s new "training" had begun, and everyone had already missed their "cozy" life at Lainwright Military Base the day before.
Chapter 257 Party Lines
"There''s an in-tact skyscraper I know of a couple of miles from here." Jackson, the blonde-haired teen, announced, "Let''s post up on the top and snipe these freaks in shifts!"
"Into a skyscraper!?" The brown-haired woman with matted hair scoffed angrily, "Are you insane!?"
"I''m not!" Jackson yelled with a fiery temperament, "If Ice General Skye wants us to practice, we should do it!"
"KYahhhHHhahhhHHhahhhhHHhhhH!"
CRaCkkKk! CRaaSHhHh! CRaaackKKkk! BOOM!
Thousands of zombies weaved and jumped over cars on the clogged ten-mile road through the city.
"You call [this] training!?" She scoffed angrily, "Wake the fuck up, kid!
You''re already delusional for trusting that woman. Now, as you''re about to die, you''re still gonna y her games!?"
"Shut the fuck up, Brenna." Keaton, the gruff, bearded man, scoffed, "Training or not, this is a fucking suicide mission--let''s just agree on that. She fucked us, now we gotta survive; end of discussion.
Let''s talk about survival and keep our opinions about that woman out of it. Two seconds, squirt--why should we practice?"
"Think about it!" Jackson cried, "If Ice General Skye wanted us dead, Aaron would''ve killed us, and no one would ask questions. She wouldn''t have sent a monstrous asset to assess us, either--anyone could do that."
Everyone fell silent, running over the cars with pounding hearts. His logic was sound.
La, a blonde soldier, turned around and released a sh attack, cutting through a few dozen zombies that were gaining on them. "Fuck the training! Get on with the survival!"
"Jackson''s saying that if we can get Aaron on our side, we''ll survive this mess." Chen said, filling in for the trembling blonde-haired teen, "So we shouldplete our task.
If weplete her orders and prove we''re useful, Aaron will help and vouch for us. That''s how it works, right?"
Aaron smiled silently, running across cars with a rxed demeanor. The silent smiles meant yes; they realized he wasn''t hiding that.
"I can''t believe ya''ll are considering doing training right now!" Denzel yelled in disbelief, "Least of all while getting trapped in some sketchy ass building.
Don''t fight with a back against a fucking river. That''s one of Napoleon''s major rules!"
"As opposed to where Denzel?" Chen scoffed, presenting the entire world with his hands, "With our back against an ocean of sick fuckers?
Every damn zombie in a ten-mile radius knows where we are now!"
BOOM! CRAshhHhh! CRaaCKKk! BOOOM! BEEP! Beep! Beep... BEEP!
Explosions, car rms, and screaming voices drew every sick person in a multiple-mile radius to them.
"We''re going to the building!" Eric ordered boldly, silently listening to the arguments to decide, "We''ll snipe zombies in shifts. I''m your leader, and that''s an order!"
"Unbelievable." Brenna scoffed, "We''re telling you this isn''t training, and now you''re ordering us like it is? Is that a joke?"
"You''ll do it if you want to survive." The bald Hispanic man dered.
"You''re fucking delusional, Eric." Sheughed, "FUCKING DELUSIONAL! You fucked with Mick and got us all in trouble; now we''re all in this nightmare.
This is your fault! I''m not going to take orders from you or post up in a sketchy building with a bunch of gross--AHHhhH!"
As she went on her vitriolic tirade, she lost track of her step, and a zombie running at her side grabbed her foot as she jumped onto a truck. She immediately lost bnce and flew head-first into the ground.
She was a superhuman with an earth-grade technique--unrefined as it was--so she didn''t break her neck. However, she twisted her ankle and fell onto the ground in a daze.
"W-Wha...." Brenna groaned, opening her eyes and finding the wheels of vehicles around her. Her heartbeat skyrocketed as she heard the cultivators running away from her. She got off the ground and hobbled forward. "WAIIIIT! HELP ME!"
"We should help her!" A silent man with a short beard said, seeing a sea of zombies catching up to her position. While he was silent, he was trembling the whole morning in anger.
"You can go back to help your friend, Wilson, but I''m not." Chen yelled, "If she won''t stick with us, we won''t help her."
"That''s what this is, isn''t it?" Wilson scoffed, "Party lines, isn''t it? You''re still bitter we didn''t put up with your and Eric''s bullshit that night, aren''t you?"
"Haven''t you paid attention at all?" The Chinese man asked coldly, "Ice General Skye made every single team a mixture between you idiot dissidents and her supporters.
The General is testing if we can get through this division to survive. Brenna said this was our fault, this wasn''t training, and that she wasn''t going to stay with us.
Brenna failed--party lines have nothing to do with it."
"Oh, it''s about training now?" Wilsonughed in disbelief, "You really are delusional."
"Not as much as you are." Chen smiled coldly, "You don''t see me arguing about saving someone when they''re actively dying and need saving."
The dissident''s eyes widened, and he looked back, realizing that he had forgotten.
"AhhHHhhHHhHHH!" Brenna screamed half a mile behind them as a sick person bit into her shoulder, causing blood to gush out. "GET OFF! HELP!"
Wilson turned back to the Chinese man. "We need--"
"Time''s a tickin''." Chen said chillingly, cutting him off, "me us if you want. It''ll just be your turn to be angry that we''re not putting up with [your] bullshit."
The dissident pulled his hand back for a sh attack. However, a punch from his right side crashed into the man''s jaw, sending him flying into a truck, and knocking him out.
BOOOOM!
"Save yourrade if you want, but don''t start shit with this group!" Keaton yelled, jumping onto another car, "You dissidents are fucking stupid.
We''re on the verge of dying, and you''re still threatening our lives with your petty bullshit."
Denzel''s eyes shed with murder, and he pivoted to face the man. "Do you want to go, bitch!?"
His angered expression flipped when he felt a Guided Arrow directed at his head by the bald Hispanic man leading their group.
"If you''re in this group, I''m your leader, soldier." Eric said frigidly, "That''s how the military works, even if you hate your general. Now, look at that woman."
Cold sweat dripped down the ck man''s shoulder des when he saw the leader''s vicious gaze. However, he didn''t look.
"I SAID LOOK!" Eric roared, making him turn his head.
-
"GAHHHhhHHh! GET OFF!" Brenna screamed, pulling her arm from a man''s jaw, and ripping off muscle.
BOOM!
She grabbed his head with both hands and smashed it into a car at eighty miles an hour, blowing a hole through the car door. It twisted the metal around his neck.
The victory was short-lived. Another dozen sick people ran up, screaming death threats as they jumped onto her.
It was strength versus numbers, and she was no match with a wounded arm and leg. It didn''t take long before they overran her, eating her flesh to gain Soul Qi.
-
Denzel watched in shock, seeing the woman viciously torn apart.
"If you don''t want to look like that, you and everyone else are following my and General Skye''s orders!" Eric said chillingly, "Because I''m not letting people with a grudge against my team leave alive."
The ck man felt cold sweat trickle down his forehead, turning to the man slowly. "Look, man. I don''t have any problem with ya''ll."
"Good, then get fucking moving." Eric ordered, "You''re out front, so you can''t attack anyone from behind. MOVE!"
Denzel nodded and ran ahead.
"Where''s this building?" The bald Hispanic man asked the blonde-haired teen.
"It''s two blocks north from here." Jackson announced, "This way!"
Without further discussion, the group left Wilson on the ground, unconscious, allowing the zombies chasing them to eat him alive.
????????????
The group burst through the door of a ck skyscraper with asymmetrical windows, proving that the business could construct the building without buying in bulk.
Everyone realized why the teen suggested the building. Beyond the lobby, everything was behind closed doors, ensuring that the sick could only enter from one side.
Moreover, the stairwell was down a hallway, ensuring that zombies couldn''t build up momentum before reaching the door. Soon the hall would be packed and no one could grab the handle, let alone break in. It was brilliant.
"Up this way!" Jackson yelled, using a key to lead them through a heavy, reinforced door leading them to a staircase.
"Let''s stop here." Eric said, reaching the eighth floor.
"There''s a better ce." The teen said hurriedly, "I worked here, so I know the best ces to snipe people, and the sales floor isn''t it."
"It''s not about sniping, Jackson." The bald man replied, "We''re bad at Qi control. Once we''re in that room, killing people with our attacks can cut through support beams.
If that happens, we need a height we can survive a jump from if the building copses."
The atmosphere froze, hearing his words.
"Don''t give me that face." Eric scoffed at the eight stunned people following him, unholstering his pistol, "We''ll be clearing it out the conventional way; guns and bashing skulls.
I''m talking about what happens if the sick get up those stairs."
Everyone sighed a breath of relief andplied, unholstering their pistols.
"Okay, team one, barricade the door. They can''t get in right now--let''s keep it that way. Team two, clear out all the sick in the area. Let''s move!"
Chapter 258 Qi Control
"Move in!" Eric yelled, opening the door to the eighth floor of the skyscraper.
Half of the soldiers ran into the room and immediately grabbed desks and barricaded the reinforced steel door that led to the staircase on the bottom floor, swarming with zombies. Then they barricaded the doors to the room they were in.
Meanwhile, the clearout team was stunned, walking around.
"What... the hell?" Denzel asked in disbelief, "Aren''t these fuckers supposed to stay alive forever?"
Instead of zombies, they found a couple of dozen corpses.
"I don''t think so." Jackson said in a haze, "The sick are starving and injured outside. I''m guessing that the air kills the infections and keeps people alive, but it''ll onlyst so long."
"Correct. Most of the sick are dead from starvation or injury." Aaron said, surprising everyone, "The living ones were minor cultivators before thest influx and turned. That''s why they''re stronger.
Or they have eaten cultivators or mutant animals and acquired their Soul Qi."
"How do you know that?" La asked suspiciously.
"The Emperor taught us." He replied calmly, "He found one of the cultivator spy''s libraries and studied cultivation for a decade before Qi entered Earth. That''s how he knows."
Everyone looked at one another. While half wanted to call bullshit, the other didn''t care.
"You got your answer." Eric said, turning to the silent ones in the group, "Moe, La, and Renton--stay positioned by the door. Take our ammo; just it as much as possible to prevent cultivation damage."
He unchambered the round of his pistol, pulled out the magazine, and put the bullet back into the clip. Then he put it next to a brte''s side.
All the soldiers followed, putting their clips next to them.
"Let''s find a balcony." Eric continued.
"I''ll take you." Jackson said, "It''s not the best, but there is a balcony here."
An overwhelming shrill pierced everyone''s ears as they opened the door to the balcony, making them realize how good the building''s soundproofing was.
They walked into the open air and looked down over the wall-like railing. While they expected to see a massive ocean of people, they didn''t. Instead, they saw a sub rooftop.
"Like I was saying, the balcony here isn''t good; it just shows the skyline well." Jackson said, pointing up, "That''s the one that I was talking about."
Everyone looked up and saw a massive balcony at the top with a full line of sight extending further than any other.
"That''s not a good one either." Laughed, "We''ll waste a shit load of Qi trying to hit shit thirty floors in the air."
"Why don''t we just break a window?" Denzel suggested, "This ce has ss ne walls; we can see everything from there. It''s not like we''re trying to stay here forever."
"Good call." Eric replied decisively, "Get it done."
"Sure thing." The ck man said in astonishment, surprised by the man''s trust, "I''ll get it done."
He walked into the room and knocked on the windows.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Bulletproof, soundproof ss." Denzel whispered, "Figures, given it''spletely silent and the ss is getting used as a wall. Guns and chairs won''t work."
He pulled back his foot for a push kick to test out that would work, but vertigo crashed into his body as he thought about kicking too far.
The ck man looked out of the walk-like window, saw the thousands of zombies outside, and gulped.
"Nooooooooope." Denzel dered, "If you can''t test it without freakin'', it''s not happenin''."
He walked up to the window and looked at his feet as he practiced a punch on the window, seeing if he''d lose bnce.
"What are you doing?" A female voice called out behind him.
The man''s heart exploded, and he jumped back in surprise,nding on his ass. "W-What are you d-doin''!?"
"Watching your ass test out methods to die." La smirked.
"Whatever, girl." Denzel scoffed, standing up, "Do you think you got the skill to cut this thing open with an air sh?"
The blonde walked to the window and waved her hand so that her fingers hovered an inch from it.
SHiiiiINK!
A perfect cut slid across the top of the window, melting through the ss.
"An arc''s only as big as you make it." La smirked, "And if you get up close, it can''t expand. I don''t think that Qi control is just about the amount you use, but the way you use it."
He blinked twice, looking at the window as she walked away mysteriously.
"I''mma about it." Denzel smiled, watching her ponytail sway as she walked away, swiveling her hips, "I can''t let her show me up."
????
"WahhhHHhhH!" The ck man hummed in a squatting stance, practicing karate chops.
There were already two shes on the bottom of the window from him testing horizontal sh. It was roughpared to La''s, but it got the job done. Now he was practicing for the sides.
"What are you doing?" A bald Hispanic man asked in confusion.
Denzel''s heart pulsed, and he stumbled backward again. "I-I... I was practicing my vertical shes. That way, I can cut the window without cutting the floor."
"Hmmm...." Eric hummed pensively, hand on his chin while examining the bottom cuts and the perfect sh on the top, "Excellent improvement.
Let me get everyone else here so they can see how you''re training."
The ck man''s stomach dropped when he looked at the perfect sh on the top. That wasn''t his!
"Uh... yeah, sure, whatever, man." Denzel said nervously, watching the bald Hispanic walk away, "Fuck me, I don''t want people watching me do this shit!"
????
"WahhHHhhHhhH!" Denzel shed downward with a karate chop.
Shiiiiink!
His sh cut through a third of the window, indicating hisck of confidence.
The group burst intoughter, watching him.
"Yo, I didn''t know you knew kung fu!" Jackson chuckled amusedly.
"That ain''t no kung fu." Chen snorted, "That''s somezy anime karate shit. Calling that kung fu is a diss to my people, and I don''t even consider myself Chinese."
Everyone burst intoughter again, watching the deted ck man turn away in embarrassment. Even La smirked mysteriously.
"Ya''ll need to chill." Denzel said bitterly, "Have any of ya''ll tried doin'' a vertical Qi sh eight stories above ground while staring down a sea of angry ass white people? That shit''ll fuck you up."
"Don''t be a pussy." Keaton scoffed, walking up to the window. He was a burly man with a decent-sized beard before the apocalypse hit, "Just sh it."
The man lifted his hand rxedly and cut down. "sh attack!"
He started the sh, pointing it up and bringing it to his side. As a result, it shot up and cut through the ceiling, shed through the entire window, and into his foot.
"AGhhHhhHhhHhhHhhH!" Keaton screamed as his foot exploded. His gate was unsteady, and he fell forward into the window.
CRaaaCkKkkkKKk!
With three of the sides cut straight through, and one partially broken, the window gave way and he fell through it, crashing into the cars and people below.
"AHHHHHHhhhHhhhhhhh...." Boom! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Everyone stood frozen, staring out the window in disbelief. They watched one of the most level-headed people in the group fall out of the window to his death abruptly.
While they would survive if they jumped with their feet to the ground, he fell head-first into a car before a mob of angry people ate the man.
"Fucking idiot." Aaron scoffed, looking out the window.
"You could''ve saved him!" Moe, a silent curly-haired brte, said, "You watched from start to finish, and your reflexes are incredible!"
The red-haired man turned to her with a dry expression. "My orders are to observe your training unless I''m willing to vouch for you. Only that, nothing more."
"That''s bullshit!" She yelled, "He was your supporter and you could''ve saved him easily, but you chose not to do anything!? You''d ept that order!?"
"I would." Aaron replied coldly, "That''s because I want to survive, and those who follow Emperor Lexicon and General Skye''s orders live good lives. So I''ll do whatever they ask.
By contrast, only two of you have suggested following General Skye''s because they were orders--Keaton wasn''t one of them."
"You son of a bitch!" Renton, the scruffy silent man, yelled, running at the red-haired man. "You do things because it''s the right thing to--"
Blink.
"Ack!" Renton coughed, feeling fingers grip his neck and his body swing. His world became ck and the sound of screaming voices pierced his ears.
Blink.
His brain triggered his fight-or-flight response, adrenaline hit his system, and he opened his eyes. When he did, he saw the faces of the other soldiers staring at his feet with panicked expressions.
The sights bent his perception of the world. He couldn''t figure out why they were more focused on his feet than the red-haired man holding him by his neck.
Blink.
Renton looked down and finally saw what the others did. He was suspended eight stories above the ground, dangling above thousands of zombies like bait.
Blink.
He made eye contact with Aaron, staring at him with the eyes of a demon.
Chapter 259 Natural Selection
Renton blinked after gasping for breath, seeing Aaron''s eyes burrowing into his soul. He looked for help, but Denzel and the rest coward in fear. "I... am... so...rry...."
"It''s funny how everyone''s suddenly remorseful when they''re facing down death, isn''t it?" Aaron asked mockingly.
"I...." The scruffy man winced, feeling his vision blurring.
"Aaron, please...." Eric winced, looking at the man, "I beg you."
"You hear that?" The red-haired soldier asked the man in his grip, "The leader of the Immortal Skye supporters has begged for a idiot dissident''s life. Do you ept?"
Renton took a sharp breath when the fingers around her neck loosened, allowing him to breathe. "I... yes... I...."
"That''s all? All the rational people are going through this brutal training because of your idiot antics." Aaron frowned, "Yet you won''t show gratitude?"
Denzel and Moe felt icy chills crawl down their spines when they got confirmation that the dissidents were to me. The supporters knew it, but now they had proof.
"T-Thank...." Renton wheezed, "You... Eric...."
"Squad leader." Aaron corrected coldly, stunning everyone.
The man winced, looking down at the thousands of zombies below, "S-Squad... leader...."
Whoooosh! CRASH!
Everyone gasped when the red-haired soldier threw the man backward, sending his body crashing into multiple desks.
"You have two decisions." Aaron announced, panning everyone''s faces, "You can ept Ice General Skye as your leader unconditionally--or you can die. That''s it."
His words were underscored by the sound of insults from below, pushing to get inside the building.
"Since you''re alive and preparing to train, I''ll answer your pressing question." The red-haired soldier announced, "This [is] training; it''s not a suicide mission.
All of General Skye''s new training simte what you''d face if you left her base. You''re collecting food and supplies. Others are gathering water. Some or protecting people.
At the same time, each exercise puts soldiers into a position where the thing they''re learning is the only way to survive.
For you, it''s learning how to regte your Qi. If you can''t, you cannot survive the hordes of sick in themerce district."
A stunned silence washed over the room after the confirmation that she did know where she had sent them. However, it was well-purposed.
"You''re not the only people struggling with Qi control." Aaron smirked, "The top candidates learning a fire technique with General Skye have it the worst."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
Two hundred soldiers stood on the beach, sweating profusely.
Teams of ten stood above 20 metal tubs covered with tarps, billowing steam that made their skin crimson. Water dripped from cold pipes that led from the tarps to the clear stic tubs.
"You''re behind schedule." Evalyn said chillingly, walking up to one of the steel pipes and touching it.
CRrreeakKKkkkKkkKkk!
It instantly froze, stressing the metal, making the water running down the pipe speed up.
The operation distilled water, removing the salt so they could drink it without dying. Once they collected the steam in the tub, it was free of the lethal salt that causes severe dehydration.
Usually, the process wouldn''t be grueling, as the soldiers would create and stoke fires as the heat source. However, Evalyn had forbidden that, so teams of four crouched under each tub, using a technique to heat it. Moreover, the technique was extremely difficult.
"Ice General, this offensive technique explodes!" A blonde cried, sweat dripping down her body, "It''s extremely dangerous! We''re expending all of our Qi just healing each other!"
Burns lined everyone''s bodies and a few had missing fingers that the soldiers couldn''t save.
"Of course, it''s dangerous--it''s a fire technique." The Ice General scoffed, rolling her eyes, "That''s the problem. As someone wielding fire, you have an obligation to be responsible.
If you use that technique in a building with your fellow soldiers, you''ll all burn to death.
That''s why you''re desalinating water while learning the importance of self-restraint now--when you can only kill yourselves."
Everyone''s stress multiplied when they heard her words.
"G-General Skye, this isn''t a fire technique." A brown-haired soldier gulped, "It''s a military style bomb...."
"This is a fire technique." Evalyn smiled strangely, "All of you have discovered that--otherwise, we wouldn''t have collected any drinking water."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
-
Meanwhile, at Immortal Skye Kaze stood before 99 Immortals, taking one of his exclusive technique sses. Everyone was thrilled to learn a new technique, a me technique no less.
"Today, we''re going to learn [Combustion]." Kaze exined, "I''ll start by exining what this technique looks like."
He smiled, raising his hand. The air above the students warped in a huge bubble before--
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
--the sky ignited in a biblical explosion that could signal the end of the world.
Immortals screamed and ducked for cover, everyone covering their ears. However, they opened their eyes a few secondster and saw the emperor smirking.
"Combustion pulls oxygen together and ignites it." Kaze smiled, holding an invisible ball in his hand while small explosions went off above it, "While it''s destructive, it''s also the first me technique and the one you must master to learn fire cultivation."
Confusion spread through the crowd.
"Observe." He continued, waving his hand. Once again, the sky warped, but no explosion happened, "All the concentrated oxygen in the world won''t explode--it requires a spark."
Snap!
BOOOM!
The emperor snapped his fingers, and the sky exploded again, albeit lesser.
"Now that there''s a spark, you add more oxygen to the me." Kaze smiled, waving his hand in a circle. When he did, the fizzling sky ignited into a genuine me and created a tornado, stunning everyone.
"Cultivation techniques alter physics and chemistry with extreme catalysts--they don''t bypass them." He exined, "So if you can break apart techniques, you can make new ones using logic and science.
This technique gathers oxygen and sparks it. By controlling both aspects, you can create mes and explosions of all sizes. Such is the nature of military-grade cultivation!"
Cheers rocked the atmosphere after his announcement.
One of the reasons Kaze was so powerful was his knowledge of physics and science, exponentially more refined on Earth than in the upper nes, where physics was "created" by magic.
Therefore, he could improve techniques, turning them into devastating attacks.
"Let''s get started." Kaze smiled, pulling out dozens of pink and blue chalk sticks, "We''re teaming up in groups of three of the same gender.
One person will gather oxygen. Another will ignite it. Lastly, the tracer will trace a person''s meridians to help them feel Qi moving through their body."
????????????
Kaze walked around, watching the male and female groups awkwardly tracing each other with the chalk. At first, no one wanted to use the sexy~chalk on the same sex. However--
"Thank you for giving us this chalk, Emperor Lexicon." Rein sighed, "Having horny men line up to get tracing was extremely awkward."
Whitney, Sammy, and Lily expressed the same sentiment.
All the females froze, thinking about the situation, and stoppedining, getting to work.
The men had the opposite reaction, depressed that some got to [sexy trace] with females. However, they got over it once they saw the females'' cultivation results skyrocket.
Soon, everyone forgot that the chalk triggered sexual pleasure and focused on beating the other gender to the finish line. It became a Qi controlpetition.
Kaze smiled mysteriously, watching them. The first ss was three hours, and they had created small, continuous fires. "Great work, keep it up."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"You learned a me technique." Evalyn smiled, overlooking the soldiers on the beach. A continuous me burned a few feet away from her hand, "You just can''t control it.
However, that will change fast if you don''t want to lose your fingers or scavenge in the inner city. Until you prove yourselves worth saving, I won''t help you."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"You''re not special." Aaron said coldly, "Just as General Skye said, Immortals aren''t interfering in your training unless we''re willing to put our name behind you. All the soldiers in your shoes."
An icy chill crawled down their spines when they heard the rotation.
Denzel''s eyes trembled, looking out the window. "Wait, does that mean the general expects us to die?"
"The idiots, yes." The red-haired man confirmed, "The same idiots threatening everyone''s cement in Immortal Skye died without our intevention. That''s not a coincidence."
"How is this okay?" The ck man asked with depleted eyes, "What type of leader culls her ranks instead of protecting her people?"
"General Skye is protecting you." Aaron scoffed, "The Immortals will demand your lives or exile after they learn about their families.
General Skye is trying to prove you''re trustworthy so she can put her name behind you.
However, one major incident will get [everyone] branded a liability and put down like rabid dogs. So she created a system where idiots like Mick can kill themselves without affecting your cement."
After five minutes of grim silence, the buff ck man pped and stood up.
"I don''t know about ya''ll, but I''m not dying." Denzel dered, "So I''m gonna stopining and start training and kissing ass. Confirmation that this wasn''t a suicide mission is all I needed."
"Go for it." Moe, the curly-haired blonde, said coldly, "I''m not ying this game. I won''t follow a leader that can''t keep her people from killing innocents."
Renton listened quietly, showing no indication to follow Aaron''s orders [voluntarily] after the man held him outside a skyscraper window. He''d do it if asked but prayed for non-intervention so he could figure out how to escape.
"No one asked for your idiot opinion." Chen scoffed at the curly-haired brte, "Let''s get started."
? Everyone but Moe and Renton got up and pulled back arrows, looking at the sea of zombies below them. Aftermunicating their strategies, they let their arrows fly.
BOOM! Boom! BOOM! Boom! BOOM! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Chapter 260 BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
WhooooOOooshHHh! Boom!
A thin, guided arrow shot through the crowd of zombies before smashing into the asphalt below.
"Damn it." Chen scoffed, seeing the results.
A thousand dead bodiesy strewn over the ground. However, there were still around seven thousand zombies in the streets.
Ironically, the zombie army''s size was the reason it hadn''t breached the eighth floor. With hundreds of sick people smashed against the door, none could touch the door handle.
Moreover, countless died of asphyxiation pressed against the walls, creating a buffer wall.
Between the dead bodies and smashed ustrophobic environment, none could build momentum to break through the wall or reinforced door.
It was a miracle that the group couldn''t believe.
"Is it even possible to curve it at thest moment?" Chen asked, "Or was that just lucky?"
"Just look up like your eyes are rolling to the back of your skull." Aaron said, standing and watching the progress, "And then cut the direction at that moment. Otherwise, it''ll reverse course immediately."
He waved his handzily, creating an arrow-sized Qi bolt. Then he swiped his hand, and it shot through the window and into the crowd of zombies.
Once it pierced through three sick people, he looked to the sky without bending his head, and the arrow shot up.
Everyone watched in disbelief as the arrow returned to the eighth floor, albeit far away.
"Damn...." Denzel said in awe, looking at the twisting arrow moving up and down, "Is that shit unlimited?"
"Unfortunately not." Aaron chuckled, "As far as I know, it can only move in the direction you send it out. So you can use it like a sewing needle, or a snake, whichever image helps you the best."
"That''s still fucking cool! I''m going to--" Jackson cried, standing up weakly but falling back to the ground.
"I know you''re excited, but you gotta recover your strength, kid." Denzel chuckled, "You''re way too excited. Just focus on cultivating, and we''ll keep working on it.
Moe, Renton--are either of you going to try?"
"I''m not." Moe said dryly, "I''ll take my chances with the cultivators and ''Immortals.''"
"I''d rather not get near that window again." Renton said bitterly, "Can''t you let us check on the barricade? It''s making me nervous not knowing if it''s been breached."
"No." Eric said coldly, "You''ll hit the second floor and hop out the back window, escaping while the zombies are distracted. You''re nothing but trouble."
"You''re treating us like we''re conniving like little miss can''t-save-you-from-ourselves." Moe scoffed, "We''re not like that."
? "We all know you''re plotting to escape, so stop the act." Chen scoffed, "It just annoys us more."
"Don''t talk for everyone." Renton scoffed, "Not everyone''s okay with natural selection training. What do you think, Denzel?"
The dissidents in the group were Brenna, Wilson, Renton, Moe, and Denzel. In the beginning, the most vocal was the buff ck man looking out the window.
"Considering that one of you tried pushing Aaron out of a window, I''m gonna call bullshit." Denzel said dryly, "And you''re annoying the shit out of me, too. So keep me out of it."
"What!?" Moe snapped, "When did you be that bitch''s dog!?"
"I''m not anyone''s [dog]." The ck man dered, giving her a murderous re that shut her down, "I don''t like getting treated like shit or the idea of second-ss citizenship.
But now I understand that things are gonna get worse once we meet the other Immortals if we don''t prove ourselves. So I''m doing what I can to keep ahead before the shit goes down."
"That''s the problem, isn''t it?" Moe asserted, "You''re following along with this BS when the Ice General will let her spoiled kids beat you up, spit on you, and even murder you.
If she''s the type that would allow her people to do that to you, why could you want to follow her? When did you get so stupid?"
"Shut the fuck up, Moe." Denzel said coldly, "Iined about our living conditions, but I was never stupid or suicidal. You''re being both, right now."
Moe stood up in anger and stomped over to the man. However, everyone froze when they heard people outside the window.
"Get down!" Aaron ordered forcefully. When the frozen woman didn''tply, he released his cultivation base, and she dropped to the ground.
Everyone listened in dead silence as a group of three walking on top of the strip mall rooftops came into view. A well-dressed Asian man, a short-haired brte, and a petite pink-haired teen.
"What are a bunch of teens doing out here?" Denzel whispered.
"Killing you if you don''t shut the fuck up." Aaron scoffed murderously, "Don''t underestimate people, especially when they''re clean dressed. Just watch."
The ck man looked at the group again with full concentration. When he did, his heart nearly stopped when the pink-haired teen nced at him for a split second.
-
"Are they there?" Rein said without ncing at the building, walking casually.
"Yeah, the whine nuggets are in the building." Kiera said in annoyance. She stopped, looking ahead of her at the area outside the area below the window.
"What type of low-grade hillbilly hack attack is this?" She asked the other two, "Are they just spitting death on these things randomly?"
Countless bodies were strewn over cars and roadways, creating rivers of blood. However, the terrain was uneven, due to the random bodies stacking up. There was no methodology to the attack; it seemed like they were shooting at them randomly, killing them one at a time.
"I don''t know." Steve said, "But isn''t that better for us? They did 100% of the work for us by setting up a perfect demo stage; isn''t that a great thing?"
"Not really." Rein scoffed, "We''re supposed to teach these people what they''re up against. We''re just putting things into perspect, we can''t break their will to figh--Kiera, what the hell are you doing?"
"These people don''t know Kazey''s greatness." Kiera replied, pulling back her hand, "So we''re going to bitch p that truth right into them. That''s what I came here to do, and what I will do."
"W-Wait, Kiera!" Steve called out, "We''re--"
-
Aaron, Denzel, Chen, Jackson, Moe, and Renton watched in a trance as the pink-haired teen pulled her hand back. They didn''t know what was going to happen.
A momentter, the entire street around the zombies warped as if the people were looking through clear, contorting smoke.
It wasn''t just the area outside of the area. It spread out over a city block, filling up the buildings in the area as well. The zombies groaned, feeling their lungs burning.
-
"KIERA, YOU CAN''T IGNITE THAT!" Rein screamed, "PLEASE--"
-
They heard the short-haired brte plead with the fiery pink-haired teen, but it was alreadyte.
A golden-red shooting star cut across the area, causing the entire area to warp. A split secondter--
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
CRAaaaShhHSHhhhHhhHhhH!
--the Lainwright soldiers flew backward when a massive heat wave crashed into the building, shattering every window and flinging them across the sales floor.
They flew into multiple desks, pierced with shrapnel and broken furniture. A normal mortal would''ve died instantly from the head, ss, or force.
It wasn''t over, either.
BOOOOM! Boom! BOOM! Boom! BOOM! Boom-boom-boom! BOOM!
Cars blew up as their gas tanks exploded, shattering windows in every nearby building.
Every explosion rocked the foundation of the building, making it shake around the team. Moreover, thepressed oxygen on the lower floor caught fire, burning the foundation.
In the blink of an eye, the sturdy building that had survived decades in a peaceful world began crumbling to the ground.
Eric and La, who had been watching the barricade, shot over to the team.
"ARE YOU OKAY!?" The bald Hispanic man asked.
Every team member was unconscious or groaning when they ran up, most with third-degree burns.
"We need to get these guys out of here!" Aaron yelled, one of his eyes bleeding from ss shrapnel, "Be careful; there''s ss everywhere!"
Every window on the floor had exploded, sendingrge bulletproof ss shards into everyone''s body. It was a brutal sight that pierced through Eric''s heart.
"Snap out of it, soldier!" The red-haired Lieutenant Captain yelled, "This ce could go down at any moment. Unless you want thirty floors crashing down on us, help me out!"
The bald Hispanic man shot into action, grabbing Denzel, wheezing with a massive piece of ss stabbing through one of his lungs.
Then he grabbed Jackson by the arm as La picked up Moe.
"Please don''t be dead...." Aaron grabbed Chen and Renton with an aggrieved expression. "We''re so fucked if you killed yourself."
The red-haired soldier couldn''t care less about what happened to the team members. He feared the consequences of Kiera killing herself.
Aaron didn''t have long to think about it, as the building''s roof copsed on top of him.
As he prepared to die, a pink blur crashed through his vision, and he felt a brutal force crash into his chest, knocking him out and sending him across dead space horizontally.
Chapter 261 "[Y]Our Physical-Slash-Plastic Surgeon."
Rein grabbed Steve and jumped backward as a golden-red shooting star cut across the street, causing the entire area to warp. A split secondter
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
CRAaaaShhHSHhhhHhhHhhH!
A massive heat st hit her, but the heat didn''tst. The atmosphere became tranquil and cool a momentter, and she crashed into a strange wooden object.
"GuhhHhhhHh... what is this?" The brte groaned, opening her eyes and examining the wood. She saw intricate patterns etched into it, and looked down and found herself on royal red sheets.
Before she could process what was happening, a ck-d figure crashed into her. "WHAT THEAHHhhHHhH!"
The short-haired brte involuntarily screeched when she saw Steve do a breathtaking triple axle through a spatial rift andnd face-first on her breasts.
"GuuHHhHhhH." Steve groaned, shaking his head in her cleavage while shey frozen with a mortified blushing expression and her hand raised.
She stopped her possessed hand thatpelled her to swat the man off her chest with 80 G''s of force because she didn''t want to identally break his neck.
More importantly, as she feared, a head with frizzy pink hair materialized from dead space like a morous version of a certain horror woman who crawls out of TV screens.
"YOU! YOU!" The malevolent spirit snapped, pointing at the two, "IF YOU DON''T GET OFF KAZEY''S BED RIGHT NOW, I''LL MURDER YOUR FAVORITE FOODS AND PUT KAT''S CASINO OUT OF FUCKING BUSINESS!"
Steve''s fight-or-flight response triggered, and he immediately did a push-up, only to buckle slightly, as the area was squishy and unstable. "What the fuck is this?"
He looked down and saw Rein''s face, shaded in crimson, with her mouth opened in shock.
"Rein! Did you get burned!?" Steve cried, "You look seriously"
SLAP! CRASH!
The poor, ignorant Asian man flew across the room with extreme force, crashing into the wall behind the nightstand.
Rein immediately cupped her breasts with an embarrassed expression.
"Kiss him, kick him, kill himdo whatever the fuck you want, BUT GET THE FUCK OFF KAZEY''S BED!" Kiera yelled aggressively, "Otherwise, Steve''ll get cucked by my fist!"
The brte''s fight-or-flight triggered next, and she jolted, falling off the bed andnding elbow-first on the embattled Asian man''s face.
"S-Sorry!" Rein cried, crawling off the man who she had just elbow-dropped like a pro wrestler.
"GuHhhHhHh." Steve groaned, "Apology tentatively ept"
"KahHHHhH!" A sharp whine of a woman abruptly materialized as a blonde and curly-haired brte crashed into the two of them.
Rein sat up and saw La''s breasts smothering him and Moe''s head in his crotch.
A primal anger heated within her body, and she crawled to the curly-haired brte and grabbed the floozy, ripping her out from between his legs.
"KuHHhhHhh!" Aaron materialized with two others from thin air. The red-haired soldier flew into the posterboard, and Chen crashed onto Rein''s back, sending her and the floozy crashing back into Steve.
The embattled Asian man wed and gasped for breath. He didn''t even know what was happeninghe just wanted to live! From his perspective, survival didn''t seem likely.
Luckily, the others didn''t hit him. Renton crashed into the nightstand and rolled onto the bed, and Eric, Denzel, and Jacksonnded on the foot of the bed.
Once Rein finished throwing floozies off her man and confirmed he was somehow still alive, she snapped out of her primal trance and looked at the people around her.
Most of the soldiers had third-degree burns, other than Eric and La. More importantly
"A-Aaron!?" Rein muttered in shock, looking at the man, groaning and bleeding out of his eye, ss protruding from the socket.
A pissed-off pink-haired teen materialized and stomped to the bed.
"Kiera!" The short-haired brte yelled.
"Priorities!" Kiera snapped, walking up to the scruffy man who had the audacity to pass out on Kaze''s bed and rub his infected burns on the sheets.
Rein''s eyes trembled. "Kiera! Aaron is"
"PRIORITIES!" The teen yelled, grabbing the man by the cor andying him on the ground with the maximum amount of force she could without threatening his life.
Then she finally addressed the other pleb on the bedAaron.
"God damn, bro." Kiera scoffed, using God''s Eyes technique to assess his medical condition, "How did you get the one type of physical wound I''m SOL on fixing!?"
"This isn''t funny, Kiera!" Rein snapped, "Pay"
"Chill, Tsundere Bunny." The fiery teen snapped, "He''s fine as long as he doesn''t move fuck. Whatevs."
She realized he was on Kaze''s bed and couldn''t move, making her cheek twitch. However, she moved her gaze to the buff ck man on the ground.
"Look, this guy''s gonna be a non-basted roast without carrots if we don''t heal him." Kiera growled between her teeth, "So get over here and prepare to rip that bad luck charm out of his chest.
Once he''s patched up, we can focus on carrot top."
Rein looked down and saw Steve giving her a weak smile that said, [don''t worry, I''m just dying], and nodded, leaving him for dead. "I''m on my way!"
When she saw Denzel, she grimaced. "How are we going to save him? If we remove that thing, his lung will copse, and he''ll bleed out."
A football-sized piece of ssAKA a [bad luck charm]was sticking out of his chest. Removing it could kill him.
"I''m starting Divine Stitches now." Kiera exined calmly, "Once I give the okay, you''re gonna pull it out like a cheating husband on a business trip.
I''ll begrudgingly patch his life back together after."
"How do you do that?" Rein muttered in disbelief, talking about hernguage, "Whatever, I got this."
The short-haired brte gritted her teeth and grabbed onto the slippery blood-covered ss, preparing to pull.
Kiera waved her hand, and the man glowed with green light, and green wisps shot out of his wounds, with arge one moving from his chest.
Moe opened her eyes weekly, watching in a haze. "Is she stealing his soul? Wait, isn''t that that girl we saw?"
"Now!" The pink-haired teen yelled.
Rein grabbed the shard without reservation, letting it cut into her hands as she yanked up.
"KUhH!" Denzel coughed, shooting blood from his mouth.
"Don''t you even THINK about dying when you''re bleeding on Kazey''s carpet!" Kiera snapped, seeing the green threads pale. She raised her foot and stomped on the man''s kneecap.
"AGH!" The ck man coughed as adrenaline and endorphins shot through his body.
While everyone was shocked at her action, the pale green wisps lit up like a Christmas tree temporarily. That was enough for her to grab one.
Moe could only watch in disbelief as blood and ss shards flowed out of his wounds, and clean blood flowed back in. An intricate pattern of Qi weaved back and forth as Denzel''s body rebuilt itself. "What is going on?"
"Listen up, pin cushion!" Kiera screamed, making the man''s eyes open slightly, "I''m about to stitch that lung of yours, and I need you to hold your breath.
If you gasp like the waking dead with this much ss around you, you''ll tear open again like a double-dipping virgin on prom night. Kapish?"
Denzel tried tough but coughed and nodded, holding his breath after.
Kiera closed her eyes and waved her hand, stitching the man''s lung back together, and then pulled her hand back aggressively like a puppet master.
The ck man''s eyes shot open, and he summoned incredible willpower not to scream as ss shot out of his chest, exiting through uncut flesh. She needed it away from his lungs.
As it exited his skin, her golden eyes looked at him. "You can breathe now."
"GuHHhhuUuhh!" Denzel gasped, filling his lungs with air. He was in a lot of pain, but the option of breathing felt like a true miracle and pushed back his initial reluctance.
Kiera ignored his miraculous return and continued to work, pulling more ss out of his body, bit by bit. She didn''t lose focus, working with a determination that everyone could only admire.
"Okay, look." She said to the buff ck man, looking at his face, "I have no idea what you''re about to experience, but I can say one thing for certainit''s gonna fucking suck.
So close your eyes and trust I''m not gonna turn you into leather face, kay?"
"Leather face!?" Denzel cried, "What are you going to do!?"
"Trantion: Kiera''s about to heal those third-degree burns on your face." Steve groaned, finally standing up, "She''s pretty pissed off, so if youin, she''ll leave your face that way."
Denzel touched his face and winced, noticing for the first time. "Fuck me."
"If anyone says anything sexual in this room, I''ll kill you." Kiera said chillingly, tugging on the man''s face with Qi and making him wince. She was still bitter about Martha, so she was abnormally sensitive.
Everyone shivered, staring at her bloodthirsty gaze. While normal people would be exaggerating, they knew she wasn''t.
"Steve, get Marilyn." Kiera ordered, continuing, "Rein, take Aaron to Kazey for healing. But don''t you dare tell Kazey''s we''re in his bedroom! I''ll say sorry once I clean this mess up."
"Understood." Rein gulped nervously, turning to the Asian man, who nodded.
After the three left, the firey teen looked around the room, making eye contact with Eric, La, and Moe, who were awake.
"Listen up, party peoples." Kiera ordered, "My name is Kiera, and I''ll be your physical-sh-stic surgeon today. I''ve had a bad fucking week, so here''s how this''ll go down.
I''m gonna heal you to full healthyou''re going to enjoy full health. That''s itend of discussiondunzo. No questions. No [thank you]s. Nothing.
Don''t say a single fucking word, or I''ll put that ss back into you.
And if you moan for any goddamn reason, I''ll sew your eyes shut with Divine Stitches and release you into the training field for monster-shooting practice.
So make sure that groan is gruff, or shit''ll get rough. Got it!?"
The people shuddered, confused why she would even consider why they might moan. However, they could see she wasn''t ying around, so they nodded hesitantly and let her get to work.
Chapter 262 Interacting With The Immortals
Marilyn walked into Kaze''s bedroom with a cute smile, watching Kiera fix Moe''s burnt face like an artist. "You''re not supposed to improve it."
Everyone''s eyes widened, analyzing the curly-haired woman''s face, trying to find the improvements.
"Does it look like a time for jokes?" Kiera sneered viciously, "Your insensitive and grossly misleading words might give this tragic creature hope. That''s cruel."
Moe''s face seized, and her eyes welled with tears.
"This is just how Kiera is." Marilyn giggled brightly, waving her hand and rxing everyone with Calming Heart.
The curly-haired brte''s eyes moved left and right, trying to figure out what was happening.
"Perhaps I should introduce myself." The sexy brte said, wearing a skin-tight low-thigh skirt, "My name is Marilyn Rhodes, Chief of Staff of Immortal Skye.
You''re currently in the Central Mansion at Immortal Skye, getting healed by [Second Wifey] of the honorable Emperor Kaze Lexicon."
Kiera''s face flushed bright red to the tip of her ears, and she turned, yanking the poor brte''s face with Qi stitches. "I... Sorry, I mean, GAH! Marilyn, stop the intro and just do your job!"
"Ah~" Marilyn chimed, "Sorry~princess, I''m afraid I can''t do that. We can''t just have random guests in the Emperor''s chambers if we don''t know who they are, yes?"
The group froze in fear when they realized where they were. When the pink-haired teen threw a fit about people being on the bed, they thought she was being a psychopath. Now, they wish they died on the street!
"Rx." The sexy brte giggled, "You''re honored guests of the princess, and this is her room, too. So you''re okay."
"No, they''re not." Kiera corrected, cheeks puffed out.
"If they~weren''t, why haven''t you moved them?" Marilyn giggled, "It''s not like any of them are at risk of death right now. Two aren''t even injured."
"Just. Do. Your. Job." The firey teen grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"I suppose I should." The Chief of Staff smiled, panning their faces, "Now that you know who we are, can I assume you''re soldiers under Evalyn''s care?"
All the soldiers nodded timidly, remembering that Evalyn was a leader of Immortal Skye.
"Ex~cellent." Marilyn pped merrily with her eyes closed, "I just have one question--did any of you touch an Immortal Skye family member? If you did, voluntarily or otherwise, and I find out you lied, you''ll wish you died by Evalyn''s hand.
Personal guests of the Emperor cannot be scum, no matter how pitiable they may be."
Kiera smirked in pleasant surprise when the entire room froze, looking at the terrifying brte. They could feel the grim reaper''s scythe looming over them.
"Hell no." Chen swallowed nervously, "I heard that the Emperor''s people were around, and I kept the fuck away from them. I didn''t even look at them wrong."
"Smart man." Marilyn smiled, turning to Eric.
"I protected them in the warehouse before Ice General Skye showed up." The bald Hispanic man said.
She nodded and looked at each in turn.
"I''m friends with one...?" La said nervously, getting a smile.
"I''ve only fought with them during training...." Moe said, "Wait! As part of training, training! It''s voluntary training that Evalyn leads... training!"
She panicked when she saw a gruesome expression develop on the brte''s face. However, it rxed after rification. "I see, and you two?"
"I don''t have anything to do with you people." Renton said, turning away hesitantly. He was terrified and trembling.
"Why you tremblin'', scruff mutt?" Kiera snapped murderously.
"If you see a soldier, they''ve been cleared as innocent by General Skye." Eric jumped in quickly, "He just doesn''t like Evalyn''s treatment of the soldiers."
Marilyn frowned and put her hand up to request calm from the pink-haired woman, looking like she''d murder the man at any second. "Evalyn''s the definition of tough love."
"Apocalypse edition." Kiera added.
"Indeed, disliking her is natural, and she''s okay with that." The sexy brte smiled ominously, "However, I highly rmend you keep your perceptions to yourself.
Our people already want to kill you after your people shot a couple of dozen ballistic missiles at us, dropped bombs on us, and took military families hostage.
Once they find out what your ex-general did, our people will rip you to shreds when we''re not watching."
A horrifying revtion clicked in Moe and Renton''s mind, making their heads twitch.
"You''re joking me...." Kiera said, looking back and forth in disbelief, "So that''s why we''re babysitting your egos? You seriously don''t get this?"
They turned to her with horror, not wanting to hear her next words.
"Look, noob twizzlers." She said seriously, "Everyone here is an immature child who doesn''t have perspective on the strength. As much as I hate to say this, you just watched that, right?
Let''s give''em a little demo, wave a hand, and then KABOOOOOOOOOOM!"
Everyone winced with light PTSD symptoms when she yelled the words.
She scoffed and waved her hand, hitting them all with Calming Heart again. The results were instantaneous, making them all sigh in relief.
"Yeah, so it''s like that." Kiera said, looking away bitterly, "Someone''s gonna get into a fistfight with you and identally snap your neck like a fuckin'' gram cracker.
Then, standing before a political firing squad of Immortals and you fuckers, we''ll throw you to the curb. Kazey''s trying to avoid this ce turning into the historic deep south. You feel?
So unless you want to be a second-ss untouchable in the new world order, I suggest you wipe that fucking resentment off your face and start helping blondie tie the knot with ya''ll."
"Please allow me to rify." Marilyn smiled sweetly, "Choosing between you and us, we''ll choose us. So you should do everything you can to join [us] so we can protect you.
Now please heal up while I get this ce in order."
She immediately stripped the sheets off Kaze''s bed and pulled out a steam cleaner.
To everyone''s shock, the blood and skin on the ground were sucked into the machine, leaving the carpet pristine and new-looking.
Kaze wrapped the entire room in Soul Qi techniques to keep the room as clean and protected as possible. Techniques of that variety weremon in the Heaven ne onward, as the number of people avable forbor decreased significantly.
Within five minutes, the floor waspletely clean of blood, and she had disappeared with the sheets and reappeared with new ones.
Everyone watched in a daze as Immortal Skye''s Chief of Staff personally attended the room, which they found absurd, even with a low poption.
Marilyn had the Chief of Staff role for a while but tended to Kaze personally before and after she became his partner. It was something she enjoyed.
Just as Kiera was putting the final stitches into Chen a spatial rift opened up, and she panicked, turning around. "K-Kazey...."
Kaze materialized out of dead space, terrifying the Lainwright soldiers. The emperor looked at the guilty-looking teen, who hid Chen''s body with her own, holding thest wisp of green Qi in her hand.
He smirked mockingly, panned his gaze to the other people in the room, and then back to the pink-haired teen, flushing bright pink and kicking the ground lightly in embarrassment and shame.
"Judging by everyone''s terrified faces, I presume you know Immortal Skye isn''t a safe ce for you to be?" Kaze asked with a hypnotic tone.
Everyone''s stomachs dropped when they heard his words, nodding hesitantly.
"Excellent." He said, turning to Eric, "And you''re Eric, yes?"
The bald Hispanic man''s eyes widened in frightened confusion, wondering how the man knew who he was. However, he swallowed nervously and nodded. "That''s correct... Emperor Lexicon?"
"Correct." The emperor smiled, "I hear you''re a rather charismatic person when you''re heated."
"I...." Eric grimaced, hearing him get called out for getting into arguments.
"Lucky for you, that''s what Immortal Skye needs." Kaze announced, surprising him, "Denzel, Moe... and Renton, you three are the same, each leading a small group of dissidents.
Evalyn put you on this team, hoping you''lle to your senses and spreadmon sense to others. It seems two of you have seen reason, although you still look conflicted."
Denzel''s eyes widened in shock, hearing the positive appraisal. Moe felt anxiety rip through her, understanding his undertone.
"As for you, are you deaf, blind, and dumb, or do you simplyck the desire to live?" Kaze asked Renton straightly, nearly giving the man a heart attack.
The scruffy man cranked his head to the emperor with the fluidity of a rusted cog and froze when he saw the man''s piercing green gaze. "I-I...."
"Or perhaps have you done something you shouldn''t have with a family member?" The emperor mused viciously, "Gotten in a fight with one, argued with them, suggested that you take them hostage for political leverage...?"
Renton trembled in fear, barely enduring the cold, calcting gaze dissecting him. He felt he couldn''t hide anything from the shrewd man, so he opened and closed his mouth.
"Yes." Kaze smiled, narrowing his eyes derisively, "That''s the look of someone who seeks disorder to hide their sins. Do you wish to repent?"
"W-What!?" The man eeked out, "I-Ice General Skye found me innocent."
"Wonderful observation." The emperor smiled sarcastically, raising his hands grandly, "And I have exposed your deceit, and found you guilty.
The difference between General Skye and myself is that she''ll lift dregs out of rabies-festered sewers and reform them into hardened criminals, fighting on the side of justice--and I will not.
I will never ept a treasonous machinate who is deceptive enough to escape the watchful eyes of Evalyn Skye. So I suggest you listen carefully, for I shall repeat myself once and only once.
Now that I have exposed the conspiracies of your petty cabal, do you wish to repent your transgressions?"
Renton swallowed nervously and turned, seeing Denzel and Moe''s shocked and disgusted gazes.
There was an unspoken rule at Lainwright military base--don''t mention the family members. Messing with them could get everyone executed, so everyone took it very seriously. However, this man dared to go there.
Renton gulped with tears welling in his eyes. "I-I''m sorr--"
"That''s enough of that." Kaze waved his hand, creating a spatial rift, and grabbed the man, throwing him through it, "You can reflect here until we can find a punishment suitable for you."
Once the man was through the rift, the emperor closed it nonchntly as if nothing had happened. "Now then, let''s talk about what''s toe."
His action had the same mannerisms as throwing someone into a prison cell, so no one questioned it as he continued. They just stared nkly at the man, listening carefully.
"Since you''re the charismatic group, I''ve thought it best to give you a tour of Immortal Skye, feed you, and show you the benefits of earning our trust tomorrow." Kaze smiled, "Before I do, we''ll start with interaction, or more precisely, [non-interaction] with Immortals.
Let''s go over the specifics so that you do not cause us irreparable problems."
a??a"a"?a"a??
SPLASH!
A few miles from Immortal Skye, a scruffy Lainwright soldier fell out of a spatial rift thirty feet in the air, sshing into liquid after he fell.
"GUuuHhhHh!" Renton gasped for air, trying to stay afloat in the strange, thick liquid, "What is this!?"
When he swam to shore, he finally got a good look at the noxious fluid he was swimming in. "I-Is this blood!?"
Chapter 263 July 25th, 2032 | Training Perspective
Renton puked, realizing he was swimming in ake full of blood. He immediately tried to make it to the shore, swimming erratically. "I need to warn everyone! I knew this ce was evil!"
As he swam, streaks rippled across theke, following his movements. Feeling the vibrations, he quickly grabbed the earth and pulled himself out, crawling on his hands and knees.
"Ouch!" He cried, feeling something sharp cut into his hand.
The scruffy man pulled his hand back and saw a beautiful flower, seemingly wrapped in silver leaf. It glimmered in the setting sun, light reflecting off his blood.
"Wait, how didn''t I smash you?" Renton asked in confusion, realizing the erect flower looked unperturbed despite him cing his palm on it, "WAIT!"
He looked at his hand and found that the flower had punctured a hole through it!
"I-I have an earth-grade cultivation technique!" He cried, scrambling away. When he got a few more feet away, he looked back and saw the nt had disappeared, "What the fuck is going on!?"
He looked up and saw the metal gate ahead and decided to move. However, when he looked down, he saw the silver flower yfully growing out of the ground in front of him.
"N-No...." Renton stuttered, shaking his head, "No-no-no-no-NO!"
The man scrambled to the right to go around it, but another one popped out of the earth. So he moved to the left, and the same thing happened.
"DON''T FUCK WITH ME!" Renton yelled, creating a guided arrow and pointing it at the ground, "I''LL KILL--"
However, a tendril wrapped around his neck and pulled him back before he could release the arrow.
Renton''s vision became red and blurry, watching the clouds as his body got dragged across the ground and into the bloodke.
????????????
Kaze exined simple rules for the Lainwright soldiers to be at Immortal Skye.
They shouldn''t talk to anyone. If they get forced to talk to someone, they must deny they were from Lainwright Military Base. And under no circumstances were they to use the term [family].
He and his cab members still had to exin why they knew of the family members but had not announced it. So no leak about it coulde out.
After that, he rifted them into a guest house, locking them in a bunk room. He brought them delicious food and allowed them to sleep, something they hadn''t gotten in a good while.
The next morning, the emperor stood before them with a slight smile.
"Now then, let''s get you into disguise." Kaze said, waving his hand above each of them. Everyone watched in a daze as their appearances changed, "I''m giving you new names--use them."
Each retained their race and skin color so their culture and ents wouldn''t break their guise. However, their appearances were very different.
After getting their new names and appearances, the emperor started their tour.
????????????
Ratatat! Bang-bang-bang! Ratatat! Ratatat!
"GahHHHhHHh! THIS NEVER GETS BETTER!" A man groaned, getting pelted in the side with three SMG bullets. They were now wearing pierceable Soul Qi-reinforced clothing. However, the bullets didn''t get less powerful and still broke the skin.
"Did I just see that muthafucka shoot that muthafucka with an uzi?" Chen asked dumbly, pointing at the groaning man from behind a concealment barrier.
"While that isn''t an [uzi], you are correct." Kaze replied, suppressing a deep-seated desire to mock the man, "The ex-military members are using APC9K SMGs with real bullets to [tag] the ex-civilians."
The Lainwright soldiers were stunned into disbelief, watching the gunfight unfold.
"Those are r-real bullets?" Jackson swallowed nervously.
"Cor~rect." Kaze smiled, "Every Immortal has a sky-grade technique and has been going through elerated Soul Qi fortification, living on this mountain. As a result, low-caliber guns cannot pierce through their muscles unless they get hit in the eyes or throat."
Everyone became ck-jawed after hearing his words. They didn''t understand how Soul Qi fortification worked, but they could see the results.
"I wouldn''t rmend trying it." Kaze added, seeing Jackson look at his pistol, "Most organisms on Earth died before they could create Soul Qi, so it''s weak.
However, Immortal Skye is a graveyard of past enemies and Sky ne cultivators, and I''ve concentrated their Soul Qi in the area with techniques.
As a result, passive Soul Qi fortification and sky-grade techniques have hardened their bodies.
Our situation is special. If you shoot yourself, it will put a hole through you."
Eric''s team shuddered, hearing the undertone of the message. The Immortals could shoot each other because they were bathing in their deadrades--that was the message.
-
Ratatat! Ratatat!
"What the fuck is that!?" A [cultivator] yelled, firing his SMG at a group of twenty Immortals, wearing white coats and masks, holding their ground around their base''s ammo crate.
His bullets crashed into a five-foot wall of warping Qi, bouncing off mid-air.
-
"Is that a shield!?" Moe asked in shock, watching the phnx of soldiers protecting their ammo cache.
"Crude as it may be, that is indeed a shield." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "It''s a technique called [Qi Wall]. It''s one of the three techniques I''m teaching in private sses.
The skill is remarkably simple. One just summons a wall ofpacted raw Qi, which acts as a barrier.
It is a dreadfully wasteful technique for beginners, as they''re making a wall of Guided Arrows. However, they are practicing it strategically to protect their supply line."
-
"I need ammo!" An Immortal yelled from the forest.
"Roger!" The phnx yelled, walking in unison to the man to give him bodyguards, "Phnx, move out!"
Bang! Bang! Bang-bang-bang!
A team of ten with guns stood in the phnx, shooting outside the warping shields.
Ratatat! Ratatat!
"This isn''t fair!" A cultivator yelled, "You''ve already figured out our ws, and now you''re adding to them!"
"You''re doing this too, you jackass!" An Immortal scoffed, "Everyone with this technique is doing it! It''s what the Emperor taught in ss!"
"Oh...." The cultivator froze, "I guess--GahhHHhhHHHh!"
A gunshot hit him in the knee, dropping him down.
-
"Is it strange that this doesn''t bother me?" Chen asked dryly, "It was strange at first, but it''s actually less brutal than what we go through--by a mile."
"Come to think of it; I''m also over it." Denzel said in amazement.
"Right?" Jackson said, joining in.
La nodded with a strange smile, and Moe remained silent, observing objectively.
"It''s not different from getting hit with an ice ball... so why is that?" Eric asked pensively.
"You meanpared to Evalyn''s training?" Kaze chuckled amusedly, "It''s because this training is a strategy game with rewards and bragging rights.
Evalyn''s training is a battle between life and death, where the only reward is living another day."
The Lainwright soldiers shuddered, hearing himy it out bluntly. It was clear that they''d rather shoot each other with guns than continue her training.
"Why are the people with shields wearing those... hazmat suits?" Denzel asked curiously, "Is that Qi poisonous up close?"
"No, it''s because they''re ying against other minor pieces." Kaze smiled mysteriously, checking his watch, "They''ll be free for development in a few more minutes."
Everyone swallowed nervously, hearing [minor] pieces. They didn''t know what would happen, but it was clear that stronger opponents would show up.
Evalyn shed across their minds, followed by Kiera copsing a skyscraper with a single attack. They wondered if they were Rooks or Minor pieces.
Everyone knew they were thetter, as they had met Crux and the mysterious Emperor teaching everyone, but they still didn''t want to believe it.
"And here we go." Kaze smiled mysteriously, watching the forest.
ck shes cut across the battlefield, moving toward the base.
"Combustion!" A cultivator yelled, SMG still holstered on his side.
A bubble of warping Qi developed in the center of the phnx. A split secondter--
"SPREAD OUT!" An Immortal yelled.
BOOOOOM!
Chapter 264 A New Training Exercise
Eric''s team watched in horror as a bubble of warping Qi developed inside the phnx.
All the Immortals immediately broke apart at lightning speed before
BOOOOM!
The five closest to the st got sent flying, one crashing into the ammo crate.
"Oh, my God." Eric said in shock, watching the fire spreading everywhere, "That''s the technique."
"At least they''re holding back while using it." Denzel gulped, cold sweat dripping down his shoulder des.
"How can wepete with that?" Jackson said with a crushed heart, "Thest time we saw this, it killed thousands of zombies and copsed a skyscraper. If others can use this"
"They''re not holding back." Kaze said straightly, his eyebrow twitching involuntarily, "Look at the wielder."
He didn''t like expressing weaknesses; however, Kiera''s overwhelming demonstration didn''t just rattle everyoneit broke their will to fight. He had to undo that trauma since it was his fault he sent Kiera out with a technique she hadn''t used offensively before. No, because he sent Kiera, period.
Kaze thought it would be fine because they had trained with Combustion as part of their daily Qi control training for over a week. However, he didn''t consider that she had a heaven-grade technique and he asked her for a demonstration of force. After all, their training always focused on using minimal force!
"Wait, is that guy okay?" Eric asked, watching the attacker stumbling away.
"The Immortals started learning these techniques yesterday." Kaze exined, "Since he has very little control, he used everything he had on that one surprise attack like a fool. Now, he''s paying the price.
While the shields will be okay, as their clothing is protected, he''s suffering from Qi deprivation and could die. Not only that, his body is vulnerable."
-
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"AGhHhhH!" The man groaned, taking hits to his leg and spine, falling to the ground and twitching.
-
"Woah, will he be okay?" Moe cried, watching him twitching in horror.
"He''s experienced spinal damage." Kaze replied bluntly, staring at the man with the God''s Eyes technique, "However, he''ll be fine. I''ll heal him, but he must first experience the torment andmentation of bing paralyzed by his foolish decision.
There is no value or excuse for using cowardly suicide tactics for victory. It''s despicable."
Everyone shuddered in horror, hearing the emperor''s callous words and the man''s terrified screams after Minor Healing didn''t help him.
"Che." Kaze scoffed, seeing trauma and hysteria spread to both sides, "It seems psychosis has infested our ranks."
He waved his hand and walked through a rift. A momentter, he appeared next to the broken cultivator, stunning the Lainwright soldiers.
After scolding him loudly for being a craven, dishonorable fool, he healed the man with golden light, and the man stood up with a regretted expression, walking off the battlefield and to his barracks. Before they knew what had happened, the emperor was next to them again.
"Have you lost track of the battle?" Kaze asked mockingly, seeing most watching the sullen man. However, Denzel was analyzing the battlefield.
"That phnx or whatever, it''s already back up." Denzel said, looking at the white suits with their shields up, "I get that they switched out some people, but why put it up again? Didn''t the other team just expose the weakness in it?"
"Excellent observation." The emperor said in pleasant surprise, "However, it''s not weak; the Immortals were unprepared for such a sloppy suicide tactic. Keep watching, and you''ll see."
A cultivator analyzing the battle from the woods snuck up and waved her hand. "[Combustion]!"
Another bubble of Qi developed in the phnx. However, two people inside waved their hands, and arge gust of wind blew thepressed oxygen away.
VHOOOOAHHHhhHHhhHhh!
A horrifying wall of fire shot across the battlefield as the spark lit right before the wind attack.
Nevertheless, the shield-wielding soldiers were unconcerned. They stood behind the shields, breaking the hot air in their reinforced suits.
Meanwhile, the gunners inside the moving shield readied their aim.
Bang! Bang! Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang! Bang!
The Lainwright soldiers watched, stunned in disbelief, as a hail of bullets ripped into the forest at the ck-d cultivator. She was skillful, hiding behind a tree, but a bullet still hit her shoulder.
"This is hardcore." Chen grinned in surprise, "I kinda want to y now."
"One day you may if you follow the right path." Kaze smirked, pleased that he charmed the soldiers with his death match. The irony was grand.
"You said that they learned these techniques yesterday?" La asked nervously, "Is this really all it takes for your people to learn such techniques?"
"With the right resources, anyone can be great quickly." He chuckled in amusement.
The emperor directly transferred the technique to group leaders and gave everyone cultivation technique-bound chalk, both requiring skills learned in the Transcendental ne.
He also had millennia of experience teaching people cultivation, and they had vision techniques to see weaknesses in others.
Lastly, they had a cocktail of supplementary skills that filled in gaps in cultivation techniques.
His Immortals were cheats, equal to having a system, as they didn''t have to work hard to obtain new skills or techniques. Few could even be called [talented]. They were just at the right ce at the right time with the best resources that a person could get.
"General Skye is one such resource." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "Those learning these techniques under her have likely made equal progress. She''s a remarkable woman, that one."
The charismatic emperor''s words switched their perspective on the notorious blonde.
After training, the emperor let them witness the breathing training and his three technique sses at the Exclusive.
"Emperor, do you start all of your sses with Qi-control training?" Denzel asked in confusion, observing the sexy~chalk used in all three sses.
"Of course I do." Kaze scoffed arrogantly, "Qi control is the essence of cultivation. If you cannot cultivate, how can you use cultivation techniques?"
Denzel opened and closed his mouth, not knowing how to put his concern into words.
"The way you teach Qi control seems enjoyable." Moe cringed, trying to express herself without causing trouble, "Meanwhile, we''re learning by running from thousands of zombies.
Am I wrong for thinking that''s counterproductive?"
"Why would that be counterproductive?" The emperor smirked mockingly, "There''s no better moment to understand the value, yes?"
"Yes, but learning the value isn''t practice." The curly-haired brte countered, "Learning what''s important right before you die is pointless."
"Can you honestly say that as you stand before me?" Kaze asked mockingly, "As you breathe this airaliveunderstanding the full value of Qi control."
All the soldiers developed wry smiles upon being reminded that they had survived.
"Three people died in your team." He asserted, boldly capturing their attention, "All three could run faster than the sick, had cultivation training, and had military-grade offensive techniques.
However, one was a deserter, another tried to kill a team member and thest hit himself with a technique in a dangerous location. The rest were at no risk of harm when my partner arrived.
I can see every factor that contributed to your survival, all of which stem from General Skye. However, I fail to see how her training assisted in their deaths. Will you borate on that?"
A wave of negative emotions assaulted the group, averting their gazes. They could finally see clearlyEvalyn was the sole reason they survived.
"It''s natural to dislike someone who puts you through hell." Kaze said calmly, not pressing them for an answer, "However, there is no excuse for forgetting someone''s value or striking a dragon suicidally."
Everyone took a deep breath in shame, realizing his point. In their hatred, suffering, and fear, they had lost track of the value of what Evalyn had done for them and thus acted irrationally.
"Alright, let''s get some food at the Luxe." The emperor pped with a grand smile.
The change of pace twisted their minds, but they followed in a daze as he led them to a mansion that doubled as a shopping mall! There were millions of items within it.
They couldn''t believe their eyes as they ended up in the food court, where two cooks custom-made their orders.
"Immortal Skye doesn''t wish to give a misperception that we''re bribing you, so we cannot show you our red light district." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "However, if you earn General Skye''s favor, you can go clubbing and have sex any night of the week for a fee."
Gulping men.
Shocked women.
Strange atmosphere.
Exasperation and disbelief.
"With that, your tour has ended." The emperor chuckled, "Tonight, a team of mercenaries will take you into the city to show you how to Scavenge. You''ll part ways when they leave."
"We''re going Scavenging with your mercenaries?" Denzel asked in confusion, "Why are you helping us?"
"We must make up for your lost time." Kaze smiled ominously, "However, we will not do it for free. You''ll be ying a strong role in the operation."
All the soldiers looked at each other with cringing expressions. Somehow, they thought that their role would make Evalyn''s task seem easy.
Chapter 265 "Household Bonding"
Moe and La walked into the basement of the Central and Moe Mansion with wide eyes. Without therge battle mingos, the Roman-style bath looked elegant, glimmering in the moonlight from the ss roof.
They walked with five other women, each with white towels draped around their bodies. Four were Kaze''s partners, and they were continuing the Lainwright soldiers'' tour of Immortal Skye.
The fifth, a petite brte, was confused about why she was there at all. However, she didn''t question the invitation and readily followed them to the bath.
"The other recreation areas are simr in size." Marilyn exined, "However since Emperor Lexicon''s partners are the exclusive residents of this mansion, he had this pool renovated into a bath."
"How do you heat a bath of this size?" Moe asked in astonishment, studying therge indoor pool, "It doesn''t look like you''ve modified it past adding seating around the edges."
As she mentioned, the pool had shallow seating steps around the perimeter but they hadn''t filled the deep end. It was a normal pool that they suggested was a bath!
"I get you''re not very bright, bute on." Kiera scoffed, rolling her eyes, "I just patched up that twice-stitched franken-mug of yours yesterday.
You''d think that almost dying in a building fire would scar the practical use cases of fire cultivation techniques into that mental of yours."
"W-Wait!" Moe cried, trembling, "You''re n-not using [that] technique in here, are you?"
Kiera opened the metal door and then turned around with a murderous expression. "Are you implying I''d do something that could destroy Kazey''s home?"
The curly-haired brte trembled in fear, looking into the teen''s savage golden gaze. "N-No... I-I...."
"To be fair, thest~time you used Combustion, you blew up the skyscraper they were staying in [by ident]." Marilyn giggled, "It''s only natural for them to be skeptical."
"That wasn''t an ident." Kiera huffed, crossing her arms across her chest, "Kazey asked me to demonstrate our power to this uncouth pack of anti-rationals. That''s what I did.
Stop acting like I failed because I deep-broiled two thousand zombies and a flock of undesirables when I meant to roast one thousand."
The teen shamelessly ignored the [undesirables] in the potential oue scenario, making La and Moe frown.
"Qi control is Qi control, Kiera." Kylie said calmly, "It''s all you talk about during training."
"I...." The ng riddler''s face turned crimson, and she turned to the two women bitterly. "I''m sorry... that you suck."
SNAP!
Tiny golden sparks materialized a foot away from Moe and La''s faces when Kiera snapped her fingers. Before they could react--
Boom, boom!
Cute explosions detonated in front of their faces. While they were harmless, the sight triggered memories of third-degree burns and ss shrapnel shredding the team.
"Eeeeek!" Moe screamed, stumbling backward, followed closely by La.
SPLASH! Ssh!
Both women crashed into the cold pool, shaking lightly.
"KIERA!" Fey yelled, watching the teen stomp into the heating room, "I know this isn''t my ce to say, but you should apologize! That was rude!"
However, no response came from the room. One might have thought something was wrong if it weren''t for the steaming from the bath abruptly.
"You''re a brave woman, I''ll give you that." Kylie muttered to the professor.
"I''m not brave...." Fey replied nervously, "Wait, why would pointing out something like this take bravery?"
"Take a look at those women''s faces; the details are irrelevant." Marilyn giggled, turning to the two half-traumatized women still wearing their towels in the water, "I''ll go get some more towels."
Without further exnation, she left the professor to decipher her horrifying warning.
"Don''t worry, Lady Roybock." Addison giggled, unrobing her curvy body and cing the towel on a rack, "Kiera''s delightful. We all just have to ept the way she expresses herself."
The petite brte teacher''s eyes widened, looking at the gorgeous redhead''s busty, double D bust and plump ass in perplexed jealousy. Then she turned to Marilyn, who brought towels back and disrobed, revealing a curvy body with upper C''s and sexy hips.
She reflexively gasped her borderline C breasts in terror, realizing the type of women she was up against. However, a woman next to her giggled.
"Kaze loves women of all shapes and sizes." Kylie giggled, revealing her petite cheerleader''s body, "Eventually, he''ll give you a divine body constitution.
Then your breast sizes will increase, and your body will be rockin''. So just have faith in him."
Fey''s eyes glided to the left in confusion. "Why would he give me that?"
Kylie looked at the professor, nced at the other women in the room, smiled mockingly, then hung up her towel silently, getting into the pool.
The professor repeatedly shifted her gaze between the wavy-haired brte getting into the bath and the others. Every cycle heated her face further, increasingly realizing that every non-guest woman in the room was one of Kaze Lexicon''s harem members!
Marilyn, Kylie, and Addison giggled, looking at the mortified professor''s face. They were starting to see what Kaze found charming about her.
????????????
"Are you going to get in, princess?" The sexy Chief of Staff smiled. Her arms were spread out, resting her elbows outside the steaming bath rxedly.
"The water''s nice." Addison smiled dreamily, "You should get in."
The pink-haired teen blushed, looking at all the women''s naked bodies. She turned away, trying to find a way to escape but fighting with her desire to follow through with Kaze''s request.
Everyone was there for "household bonding." Household referred to the Central Mansion, which now had rooms for Kylie and Addison. However, everyone knew that what it really was: [harem bonding].
"It''s not like we''re going to grope you or anything." Kylie giggled, enjoying watching her squirm.
"This body is for Kazey''s eyes only." Kiera said with dead seriousness, "I refuse to donate it to the flooze cruise as a harem perk attraction. Especially when the tainted future applicants in the bath aren''t even citizens."
Moe and La looked at each other in shock, hearing the teen''s confident, unteral deration that they''d line up to be in Kaze''s harem in the future.
"Kiera, every woman in Immortal Skye isn''t going to fall for Kaze." Kylie replied dryly, "So you can''t keep treating women like they will be by default."
"That may be slightly true for respectable women." The ng riddler said, "But once you trade the misspelled M for a highly-urate H, the name Moe reveals this woman''s true colors."
All the women in the bath''s eyes widened, and their jaws lowered slightly before the professor''s face heated up.
"Youngdy! You can''t call every woman who likes Kaze a hoe!" Fey lectured, pointing her finger at the pink-haired teen, "It''s rude and disrespectful."
"That''s a rather presumptuous assertion." Kiera frowned, studying the petite brte carefully, "Besides, I didn''t call her a [hoe]."
"You spelled it out." The professor asserted, "Not saying the term doesn''t change what youmunicated."
"Then what about [farm tool]?" The ng riddlerpromised amicably.
"Somehow, that''s worse!"
"Soil shaper?"
"Abstraction doesn''t change it, either!"
"What about [garden gadget]?"
"Cuteness doesn''t alter the meaning!"
"Hmmm... bed fluffer?"
"Don''t add insults!" Fey demanded sternly, "If you''re clever enough to create a loaded pun, you''re smart enough to know it''s not right to call women hoes for liking Kaze."
"Damn, thisdy''s a bad bitch." Addison giggled, "I''ve never met anyone confident enough to talk back to Kaze''s Sekky Wife."
"Right?" Marilyn mused, "Even if she turns down the harem, we should hire her as the princess'' tutor."
Kaze''s partners giggled in the bath cheerily, watching the professor battle with the ng riddler while Moe sank underwater, leaving only her eyes.
"How do you speak like this?" La asked in awe after the battle, "When I met you, I thought you were speaking in ng. However, after hearing fifty new phrases every hour, I realized that most wasn''t."
"Of course not." Kiera replied, "I use ng when the shoe fits, but I rarely have the words to express people''s abhorrent stupidity and harlotry, so I have to make terms up."
"I get what you''re doing, but how?" The blonde soldier rified, "It''s easy to say you made up terms, but it''s seriously unnatural."
"I''m also curious." Marilyn smiled mysteriously, "Give us a lecture, Princess."
"Is it okay to encourage her like this?" Fey asked nervously.
"What''s the harm?" The sexy brte smiled, "You''lle to find that this firecracker and hernguage are quite endearing."
"Plus, it''ll be fun." Addison giggled, "Come on, please join us, Kiera."
All the women chanted for her to get into the bath.
"Fine, I''ll do it." Kiera huffed, turning away in annoyance, "But close your eyes while I get undressed. I''m only here because Kazey asked me to be, so ept the concessions or die."
Everyone giggled after seeing her bright red face, even the Lainwright soldiers. She was just too cute.
When everyone''s eyes were closed, Kiera removed the towel, exposing her divine physique. She was petite but perfectly proportionate to her band size, having C-cup breasts that looked like they belonged on a Greek statue.
She shaved every part of her meticulously and used skin cream, now that she could afford it, to look as perfect as possible for Kaze.
After studying everyone''s expressions to ensure they weren''t peaking, she got into the bath hesitantly. Once sitting, she crossed her legs and wrapped her arms around her perky breasts.
"You can open your eyes now." Kiera pouted, seeing everyone celebrating her getting in.
"Will you tell us now?" Kylie asked, "How does one be a one-woman Urban Dictionary?"
"Ya''ll act like it''s difficult to insult people." Kiera huffed in annoyance, "But fine, whatevs. I''ll give you an insult masterss."
Chapter 266 The Slang Riddler’s Guide To Savage Insults
[A/N: You can read this chapter for free in the auxiliary section. Feel free to support me by unlocking it anyway, as it still took a crazy amount of work. Thanks for reading!]
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"Ya''ll act like it''s difficult to insult people." Kiera scoffed in annoyance, "But fine, whatevs. I''ll give you an insult masterss.
Let''s start with the obvious. If you call someone a cunt, nothing you add before or after will change that you called them a cunt.
Big cunt, small cunt, petty cunt, tall cunt. Swollen cunt, hairy cunt, cunt runt, cunt mutt.
It doesn''t matter if it''s positive or negative. In fact, assuming it''s genuine, the kinder the modifier is, the more savage it bes."
"The kinder it is?" Kylie asked, furrowing her brows, "That sounds counterintuitive."
"Let''s try it out." The ng smirked, pointing at Moe, La, and Kylie, "You''re a stupid cunt, you''re a nosey cunt, you''re a uh um half-likable cunt? Like scratching a brutal itch."
The wavy-haired brte''s face heated up in abnormal bitterness.
"Ob~serve." Kiera announced, presenting her hands to Kylie with a [ta-dah!] motion, "While ''Silent H'' Moe scoffed and rolled her eyes, the person with the strongest reaction despite having the most positive insult was drumroll please, KYLIE!"
Her sarcastic enthusiasm reminded them of what they had asked for.
"Since you noobnders don''t get it, let''s discuss. Ahem." Kiera coughed cutely into her hand, "While [stupid cunt] sounds like a low-grade insult, [half-likable cunt] implies that you carefully assessed their personality and [discovered] they were a cunt."
"No way." La replied, "It''s strange thinking about it like that. It''s like building people up so the fall is further."
"Right?" Marilyn giggled, looking at Kylie, stewing bitterly, "I''m~curious. Where did you get the term [noobnder]? How does your brain think this stuff up?"
"How''s smashing two words together different than creating a term with two words?" Kiera asked in confusion, "You''re still talking about root words.
Everyone knows what the word [noob] means, right? Noobie, greenhorn, useless-as-fuck person?"
They giggled at her third descriptor and nodded.
"That''s the root." The ng riddler lectured, "No matter what you say before or after that, it won''t change the word. You can make it random as you want.
Noobcake. Noobke. Noobnugget. Noobfeather. Noob-sickle-stick. Anything.
While it doesn''t matter what you say, relevant modifiersmunicate your ideas and enhance their impact.
''Evalyn is a noobmancer training culti-noobs who begged for a taste of the noobpocalypse. Now she has to hide her nooblets from the Immortal Skye noob yers, or they''ll get bitch pped with a satisfying dose of noobicide.'' See? It''s not thatplicated."
"That''s fascinating." La remarked in a haze, "Still, you need to have arge diction to break apart words like that, right? It''s strange because ng users usually don''t haverge vocabries."
"That''s what separates Kiera from others." Marilyn giggled, "Her vocabry is as strong or stronger than Kaze''s, but she speaks like this regardless. It drives him insane."
"Wait, you''re being serious?" Addison said in bafflement, "You''re saying she has a vocabry on par with the Lost Emperor of Antiquity?"
"Don''t take my word for it." The sexy brte giggled, "Kiera, describe Kaze using words that start with S."
"What, am I your sideshow attraction?" The ng riddler huffed indignantly.
"You don''t want to?" Marilyn smiled mysteriously, "I thought you''d jump on the chance to tell these [culti-noobs] what type of person your man is. Am I wrong?"
"Kazey''s S-ss." Kiera pouted, realizing she had a duty-bound obligation toply, "From a talent perspective, he''s spellbinding, startling, shocking, and stupefying. He constantly stuns people with his sublime, spectacr might.
Inwardly, he''s secretive, emotionally secluded, and selective with those he shares with.
However, outwardly, he''s scious, scandalous, sensual, seducing, and sly."
The women burst into giggles, dying from the hyper-urate description of Kaze Lexicon.
"There''s a lot of relevant words that start with S that describe this guy." Moe whispered in puzzlement, "You could practically call him Mr. S."
"Emperor [Lexicon]." The ng riddler scoffed, "One letter isn''t enough to describe someone so godly, so the lesser gods blessed him with the name [lexicon]use it."
"Case in point." Marilyn giggled amusedly, "While normal people see ast name, she''lly down middle ages history behind words to prove her point. Give Kiera a random letter."
"C." La requested excitedly.
"Cut the crap and kill yourself, cunt; I''m busy culling the Kaze-crushing cultists, so be a champ, call it a night, and cuddle with a moving car." Kiera scoffed savagely, "Capish?"
"And there goes the alliteration." Kylie sighed, looking at La''s gobsmacked expression, "Consider yourself lucky, girl. Usually, when the a-traines to town, people get nicknames."
"Nicknames?" Moe asked nervously.
"Yeah." The wavy-haired brte confirmed bitterly, "She''s creative with them.
Last week I was Cost-a-[Nickel] Nicky; this week, she promoted me to Ten-Shilling Sally. If I work really hard, I think I''ll move up to Dor Store Dolly by the end of the month."
"Don''t be dramatic; if you stay away from Kazey, you''ll insta-level like a pro." Kiera argued seriously, "You''ll skyrocket past Wants-to-Live Lisa andnd on Good-Choice Karen.
However, I''ll anoint you [Debbie Drowner] tonight if you don''t stopining."
"See?" Kylie asked lifelessly with depleted eyes, "It''s the worst."
"Well, I love the way you speak." La said with a fascinated expression.
"Ummm sure, whatevs." Kiera blushed bashfully, turning away, "But stop looking at me like that."
The blonde''s star-struck eyes snapped back to normal, and she turned away embarrassedly. "Sorry."
"Before we move off the subject, what''s the secret behind analogies?" Addison asked curiously, "I struggle to find relevant analogies, but you seem to throw them around like candy."
Marilyn and Kylie''s eyes sparked with interest again, and La and Moe''s ears perked up.
"That''s because you''re trying to find analogies to exin abstract concepts." Kiera replied dryly, "Love''s a fire that burns through everything you let it touch. Your time, finances, and ambitions.
It''s better to devote yourself to secluded chastity, the cooling waterfall that keeps life calm until your shining protag arrives."
The ng riddler used a pretentious voice to grandly throw around sarcastic metaphors,pletely defeating her uing argument. It left everyone blinking, unenthused.
"By contrast, I pick a random word and create a concrete image around it." Kiera exined, "For example, I''ll cut off your pencil dick and sign your death warrant with it.
You take the insult modifier and give it a literal use case."
"That''s all?" Kylie furrowed her brows, "You don''t think this stuff ahead of time?"
"No~pe." The fiery teen smacked, "I''ll prove it. Pick a word, and I''ll create an insult with an analogy."
"Shoestrings." Moe said quickly.
"I''ll rip out your jugr veins and use them as shoestrings. " Kiera replied instantaneously, triggering giggles.
"Canoe." Addison smiled excitedly.
"Climb a rapid and drown, you wide-holed vag canoe." The ng riddler replied at equal speed.
"Apple." Marilyn smiled amusedly.
"While I''m certain you could swallow an apple, you can''t handle Kazey''s seed." Kiera sneered, eyes narrowed.
"Receipt." Lalya grinned.
"You''re worth so little on the floozy market that the IRS wouldn''t tax your body." The ng riddler smiled viciously.
The entire bathhouse erupted inughter.
"Kaze." Kylie smirked maliciously.
"You''re such a slut that even Kazey won''t advocate for your rights and virtues." Kiera replied dryly.
The brte shut down instantly, expecting a flustered rant, not a crushing insult. Naturally, the insult wasn''t true, but it was savage, considering Kaze''s rhetoric.
"This is crazy to watch." Moe said with wide eyes, "I can''t even think that fast."
"You''re just trying too hard." Kiera said, "Insults are simple math forms with interchangeable variables.
Kazey often uses a variation of [You''re Disagreeable, You Modifier Insult!]. Observe."
The ng riddler coughed cutely and busted out her famous, dramatically-pretentious [Emperor Lexicon] impersonation, speaking with a puffed-out chest.
"You''re despicable, you uncouth swine!" Kiera gruffed pompously, triggering a wave of delightedughter, "There''s the insult; now let''s exchange the variables.
You''re despicable, you [detestable] swine!
You''re despicable, you detestable [primate]!
You''re [contemptible], you detestable primate!"
Kaze''s partners burst intoughter, hearing the full transformation.
"So you just need to add an insult to any phrase, and it bes swappable?" La asked curiously.
"No~pe." The ng riddler smacked, shaking her head, "It''s not the insult that makes the pattern insultingit''s the word [you]. That shit cuts deep."
"Wait what?" Marilyn asked confusedly, "Can we get an example?"
Kiera nodded, closed her eyes, and wiggled her body, getting back into character. Then she opened her eyes with a fierce gaze and authoritative voice. "You''re surprisingly articte, [you] unfrosted toaster pastry!"
Everyone burst intoughter, sshing around the Roman-style bath in their birthday suits. Hearing Kaze''s arrogant demeanor and voice used for the childish insult was too much to bear.
"Please apprentice me!" La cried, clutching her stomach, "I beg of you!"
"Not a chance." The ng riddler replied bluntly, "Urban Dictionary''s gonzo because hashtag apocalypse. So keep it simple, or give it up, girl."
"Keep it simple?" The blonde asked, hope flickering in her eyes, "What do you mean?"
"Just add incest-bred before [literally anything]." Kiera replied tersely, "If you heard anything I just said, you''d know it''ll pop out a savage insta-insult."
"Incest-bred cultivator, incest-bred soldier, incest-bred woman, incest-bred ass kisser." La muttered to herself, counting on her fingers, "You''re right that''s brutal."
All the women giggled at her surprised reaction.
"You''re clever, you incest-bred Kaze-lover." Marilyn giggled, gazing amusedly at the pink-haired teen.
"Call me an incest-bred cunt if you want, but keep Kaze out of it!" Kiera snapped, standing up and pointing at the sexy ex-flight attendant.
"You''re rather meticulous with shaving, Kiera." Addison giggled, looking at the teen''s lower half, "I can always wax you if you stop by the salon."
"I-I uh." Kiera looked down, and her naked body heated up, turning red like a thermometer as she stuttered, "I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!"
The fiery teen pulled back her hand for an attack, triggering PTSD symptoms in Moe and La. That was natural, considering that Kiera idently blew up the [skyscraper] they were sleeping in only a day before!
However, Marilyn was prepared for the murderous scenario and rushed the naked teen.
"W-What are youhah! Haha! Hahahaha! Stop! Stop!" Kiera cried when the sexy brte grabbed the lethal teen''s stomach and tickled her.
SPLASH! Ssh! "WAIT! Ssh! SPLASH! "I''ll fucking" Ssh! "Hahaha!" SPLASH! "STOP!"
The women giggled at the adorable ng riddler crashing around the water.
While Kiera was strong enough to ughter all of them, she didn''t.
The murderous yandere would eradicate anyone threatening Kaze Lexicon without thinking. However, otherwise, she was Kiera London Snow, Immortal Skye''s beloved tsundere princess, reigning supreme in the apocalypse.
Chapter 267 July 26th, 2032 | Scavenging
Eric''s team awkwardly stood without disguises the next morning as the emperor talked to a group of Immortals.
"You don''t want us to mention we saw these guys?" Anky brown-haired man asked, pointing his thumb at the team.
"Correct." Kaze smiled tly.
"Even the girls?" Larkin rified.
"Correct." The emperor replied dryly.
"Like, forever?" The jester asked.
"Correct." Kaze frowned.
"Can I get one of their numbers if they''re about this life?" Larkin asked, dabbing.
"No." The emperor replied dryly.
"Yooooooou got it, Emperor Scrawn!" The jester replied cheerily, turning the guys, "It''s a damn shame, but what you say goes. ATTENTION!"
All the soldiers felt their hearts pulse, nearly having a heart attack.
"I didn''t see ya''ll muthafuckas, but I''m sure you''re cool as fuck, so let''s get it." Larkin smiled like a cheeky idiot.
"Is it really okay that Larkin''s getting a confidential mission?" Rein asked with dead eyes, looking at the jester rile up the confused soldiers, "He''s terrible at keeping his mouth shut."
"Truer words have never been spoken." Kaze chuckled bitterly, "However, that clown is immeasurably valuable, and I must test whether I can trust him to sensitive operations."
"I suppose you''re right." Rein frowned, turning to Steve, "But why him? He''s not a mercenary and is already a master at keeping his mouth shut."
The Asian man frowned but kept silent, also interested.
"Sooner rather thanter, this man must ept the fate that all people of talent must face." Kaze smiled mockingly, "I figure he could get used to it while he had agreeablepany."
"I can''t handle you right now, Emperor!" Rein blushed furiously, grabbing Steve and Aaron, and dragging them away, "Come on, everyone. We have a stupid amount of pink and ck hair dye to find for the princess, so let''s get started."
Steve hated his life as he got hauled away, followed timidly by a team of Lainwright soldiers with framed backpacks.
The only person who was stoked was Immortal Skye''s jester, jogging into the city with a stupid smile.
????????????
"So I says to him, Emperor Scrawn, I''d take a Qi bolt for you." Larkin said merrily, chatting non-stop, "And you know what this legend says to me?"
"What!?" Jackson asked excitedly, engrossed in the story.
"Do you think a simple Qi bolt could reap my life?" The jester scoffed with a manly impersonation, "Cease such simple-minded rabble, you fool!
If one day you save my life, you will fall to the jaws of a Spirit Beast familiar on the Transcendent ne. So get strong, Larkin Downs. If you wish to be worthy of a life debt, you must fight at my side like a true Immortal."
"No way!" The blonde-haired teen gasped, gripping his hands excitedly, "Contracted familiars! What a badass!"
"Suck his dick, why don''t ya." Chen scoffed, disgusted by the ass-kissing.
A tiny bolt of Qi shot through a broken street in Meridian City. While it was only the size of a pen, it weaved left and right, cutting through three zombies'' skulls before curving into the sky.
No one even noticed the attack until their heads exploded, and Rein turned to them. "Pay attention; we''re here to scavenge, not talk about Kaze Lexicon.
I''m risking my life to get a personal room next month because I''m sick of his harem life in the female dorms 24/7."
"Did I just hear the word [harem]?" Denzel asked with wide eyes.
Before Larkin could volunteer an enthusiastic exnation, La spoke up. "Why didn''t your bold hit that building? Is it because it''s small?"
"I curved it up before breaking the connection." Rein sighed in resignation, "It''s more important not to alert others than to conserve your Qi.
Qi-control isn''t about the quantity you release. It''s a matter of getting the Qi to do what you want it to do without having unintended consequences. Regtion is only one aspect of that."
The soldiers could only nod in a haze, getting outssed in multiple dimensions.
"Transtion." Larkin said sassily, "If you make Qi your bitch, it''ll love you long time."
Chen burst intoughter, hearing the teen''s offensive Asian ent, leaving Rein and Steve smiling wryly. After all, Chen was a blunt Chinese man who cared less about social politics than Larkin did.
"Small arrow, curve up." Rein ordered dryly, "One practice, and then you''re on your own with training. If you fuck it up, we''ll dump your asses."
The Lainwright soldiers froze, their faces turning serious.
Lalya immediately created a bolt of Qi with full concentration. It was half the size of the usual, the size of a baton instead of a broom handle, so it greatly improved.
She then waved her hand and looked up, curving it.
"Yes, like that." Rein replied, "Remember that you still have to hit your target first. So get used to that."
Denzel gulped, determined to improve and rebuild his reputation with the quiet blonde who cut the window. "I''ll go."
The buff ck man got into position and created an arrow,rger than Lalya''s, but still an improvement.
WHooOOOoSH!
"Oh, shit!" Denzel yelled, forgetting to look up until thest second.
The bolt shot into the sky erratically, following the man''s panicked eyes. It was aical sight, looking like a cartoon ne out of control.
"Bro, rx." Chen said, pulling back his hand and creating an arrow the size of Las, "You just have to look up."
However, when he shot the arrow and looked up, he forgot to break the connection. As a result--
"See?" The Chinese man smirked proudly, turning to Denzel with a smug expression.
BOOOOOM!
--the arrow followed him back to the ground, shooting at the ck man!
Dirt and debris exploded in the area, stunning everyone''s senses as it hit right next to them.
When the dust settled, everyone expected to find a dead body. However, they saw a confused ck man staring at a hole and a Chinese man gripping his stomach with a pained expression.
Rein was just as stunned as everyone else, confused about what had happened.
"It seems everyone''s okay." Steve said, hands in his pockets, "So can we stop talking and start finding hair dye? I don''t want to be here till dark."
"Y-Yeah...." Denzel said in a daze.
Cold sweat dripped down Chen''s back. Only he knew what happened--a small, marble-sized object mmed into his lower abdomen, forcing him to look down at thest moment. "Y-You got it....."
????????????
WhooOOooshHhh!
CRACK!
"This is going so smooth...." Eric said in a haze, snipping sick on top of a rooftop in themerce district.
Whoooosh!
THUD!
"We''re lucky." Steve countered dryly, "Kiera''s attack killed a lot of zombies and destroyed the hearing of countless more. It shouldn''t be this calm.
Still, keep your eyes out. We can''t let anyone get into this building."
Eric, Jackson, Steve, Larkin, and Lalya stood on the rooftop of a drugstore building, snipping zombies on all sides while the rest of the team scavenged inside.
a??a"a"?a"a??
"This one''s busted, too." Rein scoffed, throwing a box of pink hair dye streaked with dried dye.
While supplies like hair dye got ignored in supply stores, scavengers thrashed the store. The shelves were on their sides from fights and scavenging, and bodies lined the food isles.
As a result, most of the hair dye bottles were smashed.
"Is she okay with red?" Denzel asked, "That''s close, right?"
Rein shook her head calmly. "Kiera''s favorite color is pink; she won''t dye her hair any other color."
"Why the hell''s she still dyeing her hair?" Moe asked bluntly, "It''s the apocalypse. It seems kinda offensive that we''re risking our lives so she can look special."
"We''re not risking our lives so she can dye her hair." The brte scoffed in annoyance, "You''re here for training and I''m here to make more money so I can live in an apartment next month.
Kaze is paying me to get hair dye to reward Kiera for teaching. She earned this dye, and it acquiring it benefits both of us. Drop the victimplex already."
Moe opened and closed her mouth, realizing she had the wrong perspective. "I''m...."
"ShhhhHHh!" Rein shushed abruptly, listening to their environment.
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"We''re the rulers of Meridian City, bitch! That''s who [we] are." Larkin said proudly, yelling from the rooftop, "The real question is, who the fuck are you?"
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"Che!" The short-haired brte clicked her tongue, hearing the man starting shit with other humans, "We''re in this shit district to avoid people!"
"Wait...." Moe whispered in shock, "Isn''t that....."
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"We''re the Maltian Military! Now answer my question--are you cultivators?"
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"Do you know that man?" Rein asked sharply, "Answer me!"
"Y-Yes, he''s with us... he''s...." Moe swallowed nervously.
"Leo!" Denzel cried, "He''s got an anger problem, but he''s a good guy! He''s your supporter; we need to stop this right now!"
"You''re not going anywhere!" The brte snapped, releasing her cultivation base and dropping all of them to the ground, "If they die in this city attacking us, that''s a personal issue.
If they die and [you''re] there, then it''s an international issue. That''s what we''re trying to avoid, you idiot! Aaron, keep these people in this building!"
Aaron nodded silently, turning to them with a cold, threatening gaze.
"Rein...." Denzel''s stomach sank as she walked to the door, "He''s Immortal Skye''s supporter... well loved... he probably thinks you''re Sky ne cultivators."
Rein took a deep breath in annoyance and walked out the door.
Chapter 268 Does It Look Like We’re Suffering!?
When Rein walked out the door, she found a handsome blonde-haired man leading a group of thirty soldiers, each with Guided Arrows drawn.
"Oh yeah, I''m a cultivator and a bad muthafuckin'' cultivator at that. Bring it bitch." Larkin grinned, shimming back and forth in the crab dance with twenty of the Guided Arrows pointed at him, "I''ll mp you to death."
The other arrows were pointed at Steve, aiming at them with a small arrow on the drugstore roof.
"You''re pretty arrogant." A blonde female soldier scoffed, "You''re staring down dozens of cultivation attacks, and you''re clowning around? Even if you''re strong, we have numbers."
Leo agreed with her, but when he saw the brte walk out of the building with equal calm and confidence as Larkin and Steve, his anger turned to fear. "Lower your weapons!"
"What!?" A bearded soldier gruffed, "You''re going to have us lower our weapons in front of cultivators? Sorry, but that''s not happening--not in the apocalypse.
I''m with Sarah. They may be strong, so we should take advantage of our numbers."
"They don''t seem like our enemies, Brandon." Leo swallowed nervously, "We should try talking this out, and we can''t do that if we''re aiming weapons at each other."
Originally, he thought thenky man was an arrogant idiot and that the Asian man on the roof was weak because he had a tiny arrow pointed at them. So he had his people draw big arrows to show their strength.
However, the Asian man''s confidence didn''t change, nor did the crab man''s arrogance.
Seeing the calm, rational blonde walking into the open was the nail in the coffin. It sent waves of dread ripping through his body. These people were confident for a reason!
"toon leader, we should kill these people." A man with a German ent said, "It''s not personal. We''re liabilities, and they''re liabilities."
"I agree with Carl." Sarah said, "I''m not risking my life with unknown variables."
Rein stepped past Larkin as they talked, studying the blonde-haired man. He was smart enough to get her message. After seeing that Steve had sessfully hidden the others she turned to the soldiers. "Leave."
Leo seized, hearing her words, but the others didn''t back down.
"Are you serious?" Sarah snorted, brushing blonde hair from her eyes, "You''re just as arrogant as that clown!"
"I won''t draw this out as a farce." Rein said coldly, "You can leave peacefully or face the consequences of staying."
"Let''s go!" Leo ordered, "We''re not prepared--"
"What part of liability don''t you get?" Carl asked coldly, "I''m not turning my back on these people and getting shot in the back."
Brandon pointed his arrow at Steve, noting that only one of them was ready to attack.
Rein sighed, thinking through scenarios to put an end to the situation. The problem was that she wasn''t supposed to know about the Lainwright soldiers. She knew because she was part of the trusted demonstration groups; the other scavengers were scavenging to the east for the next two weeks.
Since their existence was confidential, she couldn''t exin who they were without incorrectly seeding the thought Immortals knew about their families.
The best thing to do would be to make an example out of them for threatening her. However, she couldn''t without destroying sensitive rtionships with Lainwright.
Unfortunately, while she thought of a solution the Lainwright soldiers forced her hand.
"FIRE!" Brandon roared, jolting everyone into reflexive action.
WhooOOoooShhHhoooOoosSHh!
Multiple arrows shot at all of them simultaneously, cutting across the air.
BOOM!
The soldiers closed their eyes when extreme wind pressure pushed them back.
When the dust settled, they saw a weakened wall of warping Qi separating the two people.
"REIN, WHAT ARE YOUR ORDERS!?" Steve yelled.
Brandon, the burly, bearded soldier shooting at the Asian, eyes widened in astonishment, hearing his voice. He turned to a building 50 feet away and saw his target pointing an arrow at him.
"Did these muthafuckas just try to shoot us?" Larkin asked, the world catching up to him, "I think these muthafuckas just tried to shoot us."
Rein''s mind was overloaded with information in an instant, trying to think of an order before she had to hold the angry jester back. Running out of options, she yelled out. "Leave this to me!"
"That means you, too, Larkin." Rein said coldly, looking at the jester, pointing a mp at the soldiers, "Follow your orders."
Larkin clicked his tongue and spat on the ground. "Ya''ll are lucky you didn''t meet Carcinus'' wrath."
Leo shuddered, seeing therge barrier still blocking the group and the panicked soldiers around him discussing how to get around it. "Stand down, soldiers!
"These people won''t let us live, now!" Sarah yelled, her brown eyes panicked and trembling, "We need to fight back!"
Brandon pointed another arrow at Steve, staring him down. "That shield is weakened in the center!"
The right side of Rein''s face twitched, hearing their words. It was clear that they couldn''t hear the leniency in their voice.
"FIRE!" Carl yelled.
More panicked soldiers fired their arrows at her shield, breaking through it and forcing her to throw up another at lightning speed. She needed time to think!
The panicked soldiers didn''t process how absurd it was that she threw up another one of greater intensity in a split second, so they fired another volley.
Moreover, Brandon and two others kept shooting arrows at Steve.
Rein''s uncharacteristic patience and cool-headedness dwindled rapidly, and her twitching face turned crimson in anger. "GAHHHHhhHHHhhHHHhH! YOU''RE SO FUCKING STUPID!"
"AGHhHHhhHhhhHhhHHHHhHH!"
Rein released her cultivation base, dropping all thirty to their knees, clutching their throats.
"I''m throwing up barriers to [think] on the fucking battlefield!" She snapped, enraged, "Don''t you think that''s odd? Don''t you think someone who can just stand here and block dozens of cultivation attacks from thirty people is way out of your league?"
"I-It''s just a barrier." Brandon stuttered, not thinking, "W-Why would we--"
BOOM! CRaaaCk!
The brte didn''t take kindly to the man''s words, so she made the barrier smaller and smashed it down on the man''s back, cracking the ground as she knocked him out.
He spasmed on the ground, so she waved her hand, making him glow red. Everyone who could see him was shocked, seeing his wounds healing and his breathing stabilized.
They could also use Minor Healing. However, they couldn''t do so with even a fraction of her speed or efficacy. So their knowledge of what she was doing put their power differential into perspective!
"The only avable answer to my words was [I''m sorry, I''m stupid as fuck, please spare us], you idiot!" Rein stomped, turning to the soldiers, "Look at our clothes--does it look like we''re injured? Starving, wretched, or depraved?
Despite it being the fucking apocalypse, my teammate looks like he just got out of a business meeting! Does it look like we''re struggling to survive?"
All the soldiers froze in disbelief, seeing Steve wearing name-brand fitted clothing with business shoes instead of boots. He was clean-shaven and had a professional haircut from Addison.
"Yeah, that''s right--now look at you." The short-haired brte scoffed, "You''re soldiers that don''t know how to follow orders, and look like they''ve gone through a crash course in hell!"
-
"KyahhHHHhahhhHhahhHH!"
"I''ll kill you!"
"Come here, bitch! I''m gonna rip off your limbs and beat you with them!"
"DIE!"
-
"GAH!" Rein stomped in frustration, hearing the sick running through the area. She was not in a good mood, and she was going to let the Lainwright soldiers and the sick know it.
Chapter 269 Prophetic Words
When the zombies entered from a side street, Rein created an arrow-sized bolt of Qi and shot it at them.
WHooOOoossHHHhhhh! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The soldiers watched in horror as the small bolt weaved down the road, making the screaming zombie''s heads pop off.
She summoned another instantly, shooting it in the opposite direction.
Then another.
And another.
Rein shot dozens of arrows out, one after the other, as if attacking with Guided Arrow meant nothing to her. It stunned the Lainwright soldiers, watching in disbelief.
During her assault, her cultivation base lifted, and panicked soldiers gasped for breath. Capable of breathing and fearful they tried readying Guided Arrows to fend off the sick flooding into the area.
"I wouldn''t do that if I were you." A man wearing a dress shirt and charcoal cks said, jumping into the center of the team and unleashing his cultivation base.
Everyone crashed to the ground again, clutching their throats. The soldiers'' hearts filled with dread; they had barely survived thest monster suffocating them!
"Rein has a bit of a temper problem." Steve chuckled, easing up after his demonstration, "If you create disorder or take away her vent puppets, she''s liable to kill you.
You should be worried about our jester instead. He doesn''t have an anger problem, but he''s a lot less forgiving if provoked."
The soldiers turned to the man in question and found a horrifying sight.
Carl''s mouth was wide open in horror, looking at the jester, crouched down, mping his hands at the man''s face but not touching it.
"You want the mps, bitch?" Larkin asked mockingly, "Cuz people who act all rational when they''re being dumb as fuck are begging for the mps."
"I-I don''t... want the mps!" The german cried, seeing small arcs of Qi forming between the Immortal''s index and thumb like guided arrows.
"Are you sure?" The jester asked, mping in front of the man''s face, making him close his eyes and cry out, "Cuz you look like you want the mps."
"I DON''T WANT THE CLAMPS!" Carl screamed, tears pouring down his face.
"Che." Larkin clicked, scuttling his body to the left, looking at Sarah, "What about you, bitch? Do [you] want the mps?"
"I-I DON''T WANT THE CLAMPS!" The blonde screamed immediately, eyes closed in terror.
"That''s what I thought." Thenky, brown-haired man scoffed, standing up, "You bitch asses aren''t even worthy of the mps."
Crack-crack-crack-crack!
Dozens of bodies stacked up on the east and west sides of the street. Some had burn marks from two days prior when Kiera burned a mass of zombies to a crisp.
Around the hundredth body, Rein started sweating a bit, feeling the strain. "I should stop here. Larkin, take over! Hurry it up; we still have shit to do today!"
"You got it!" Larkin grinned, getting into his crab pose and mping his hands, "Behold, the almighty power of Carcinus!"
Leo and his team finally got to see the power of [the mps]. When they saw them in action, everyone shuddered, understanding what they would''ve faced if they had actually fought him!
Qi bolts shot across the battlefield, slicing through five zombies at a time. While they were small, they shot out of the jester''s hands every time he mped them.
He looked like a crab version of a desperado, shooting in both directions with his left and right hands, rattling off air shes semi-auto.
As Larkin fought, he yelled insults at the zombies, sometimes humping the air and yelling [get some!] or other crude gestures. He was a clown to the utmost degree.
However, he was shockingly talented and lethal on the battlefield, racking up dozens of bodies in only a few minutes. No one could deny that.
"T-This is ridiculous." Leo stuttered in horror, watching the kill count stack up, "I can''t believe we almost fought this man."
Steve had released his cultivation base, but everyone stilly on the ground, frozen from the horrifying sight ying out. Sarah, Carl, and Brandon trembled in horror, regretting opening their mouths.
Fifteen minutester, the brte stood up from cultivating, seeing that zombies hadn''t shown up recently.
"Okay, listen up!" Rein said with fierce eyes, "I don''t like killing humans, even if they''re scum bag soldiers. However, scum bag soldiers attacked my people, so if you meet others like me, they''ll likely kill you before you can make shitty decisions!"
A wave of terror crashed into the Lainwright soldiers when they realized who the mystery people were--the Immortals.
Now they were experiencing their power and disdain firsthand--after picking a fight with them--and the Ice General wasn''t there to protect them. Her words couldn''t get more prophetic.
"However!" Rein yelled, snapping them out of their fear-filled haze, "I''m not just going to walk away after you tried killing us!"
The Lainwright soldiers gulped, wondering what type of revenge she''d take on them. However, they were shocked by the punishment.
"So here''s the deal!" She yelled, reaching into a pouch on her utility belt, "You''re going to find this for me! A lot of it!"
The brte held up a box of pink hair dye.
"Bring me fifty boxes of pink and fifty of ck!" She yelled, "Do that, and we''re square. If you don''t, I''ll get a group of fifty at my strength and we''ll murder you and everyone you know!"
A static pulse of terror and anxiety overtook their bodies, making it difficult to breathe. Fifty? One woman took down thirty of them!
These were monstrous people, perhaps even stronger than Aaron and Sandra. If there were 50 of them, they could eradicate everyone with ease! Their only hope was Evalyn--another Immortal.
"Yes, mam!" Leo gulped nervously, "Soldiers, we''re getting pink and ck hair dye and bringing it back here! Our general understands the value of diplomacy, so there is no problem prioritizing the task over our current objectives!"
No objections. Not a single one.
The soldiers got up, and under the blonde-haired man''s lead, they got ready to leave.
"Post up on that building down there--the green one." Rein said, pointing at a building a mile away, "I''m going to attract every zombie in the area here. Once they''re here, you shouldn''t have barriers to getting the hair dye--so I don''t want excuses!"
Everyone was stunned by her words, even Steve and Larkin. However, the former figured out what she was doing and sighed, indicating that he understood.
Without further discussion, the soldiers ran into the distance, getting onto the building.
"Okay, let''s give these idiots one demo for the road." Rein grinned, creating a bolt of Qi the size of a storm gutter.
The soldiers on the roof saw it and froze in denial. They refused to believe that the arrow was real. However, they couldn''t deny it for long.
She walked with the bolt drawn to a building to the right of the drugstore they were scavenging in. Then she pointed it north, toward Immortal Skye.
BOOOOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The building in front of her exploded and copsed when she snaked therge bolt of Qi through it like a sewing needle, destroying its foundation.
It didn''t stop there. Leo''s team watched in horror from their vantage point as the bolt cut through another ten buildings, copsing all of them.
"KYAaAAhhHHhhHHHHhHHH!"
Screams from zombies throughout the mile-long stretch echoed through the streets, and soon the sound of shattering ss cut followed, indicative of the zombies charging over cars.
"NOW GO!" Rein yelled as the zombies began arriving.
Leo gulped and nodded, gathering his soldiers and jumping off the building to start scavenging for pink and ck hair dye.
Once Leo''s soldiers were out of sight, Rein ran into the drugstore, where Eric''s soldiers were on their knees with their fingersced behind their backs. "Rooftop, now!"
Aaron nudged his head, saying they were free to move, and everyone instantly flew out of the door, running into a tidal wave of zombies.
While they were terrified, Rein threw up a Qi Wall barrier that the sick mmed against, allowing everyone to jump off the wall. Eric and Denzel caught their hands and pulled them to the top.
The short-haired brte jumped up after killing a few dozen zombies and addressed them.
"Here''s the deal!" Rein snapped angrily, "When those idiotse back and ask why you''re here, say that we saved you when the zombies arrived. We don''t know each other, end of discussion.
Now start shooting. Once those idiots return, we''re leaving you on this rooftop, so I suggest you make the most of our time together!"
Eric''s team trembled, looking at the few thousand zombies piling up around them. They could feel the building stressed from zombies pushing against it.
"This building will copse with this many zombies pressing against it!" Moe cried.
"Then you better get to killing them." Rein sassed coldly, jumping 20 feet off the building andnding on another rooftop, "Because your friends fucked up your training, so we''re putting it into warp drive!"
Chapter 270 July 27th, 2032 | Last One In
"Son of a bitch!" Chen spat, watching Steve, Larkin, and Aaron jump onto the other building, "This is fucked up!"
"Shut up and make a tiny arrow!" Eric ordered, creating a baton-sized arrow and grimacing, "There''s a lot, but that mean''s we''re shooting fish in a barrel!"
WhooCRaaCkKKkkKkkKkkKKK! WHOOSH!
A fountain of blood gushed from the sea of zombies when his arrow shot through five in a row. When he curved the arrow up, it cut through another two, creating a geyser of blood.
The sight stunned everyone for a moment, but it lit a fire in a few of them.
"I''m sewing like Aaron!" Jackson grinned, creating a medium-sized bolt of Qi. He released the arrow and made it curve back and forth with his eyes.
The arrow zigged and zagged through a sea of zombies, creating a gruesome, snaking river of blood.
La created the smallest bolt and shot it down the wall, curving it to hit ten zombies in a line. Then she curved it horizontally, cutting through another dozen on its way across the street.
Denzel''s jaw dropped, and he pulled out an arrow, trying the same thing.
WhooOOOoShH!
Two.
Two zombies fell lifeless when his bolt curved [into the ground] instead of moving horizontally.
La giggled, making the buff ck man''s eyes deaden. "This is going to be a long day."
"Shut the fuck up and kill them!" Moe screamed, reading another arrow and shooting it, "Because we keep getting lucky and living, and I don''t want that streak to end!"
The other soldiers got serious and pulled out arrows.
Eric appraised the situation with a grave expression. There were thousands of zombies, and the size was growing, just as it had when they were in the skyscraper. "It''s going to be a long night."
-
July 27th, 2032 | Noon
"Gah! It''s so hot!" A bright-red man groaned, crouching under a tub with a continuous fire above his hand, "Now that we''ve gotten the me down, the danger of this task has turned to torture!"
It was the fourth day of training under Evalyn''s new regiment, and the embattled Lainwright soldiers desalinating water could regte a me.
However, that only added heat from the fires and steam to the summer sun. Everyone''s skin was sunburnt and steam burnt, making the entire process excruciating.
"Fuck this, I''m going swimming." He snapped.
"Don''t do it, Eddy." His red-haired coworker grimaced, shaking his head, "General Skye told us that we shouldn''t go swimming."
"It wasn''t an order, Benny." Eddy countered sharply, "General Skye said that she didn''t [rmend] it. Salt doesn''t mix well with wounds, so I usually wouldn''t either.
But get what, Benny? I don''t have any wounds."
The soldier bathed his naked upper half with a red light, healing his blistered skin. Then he worked on his feet and back, ensuring everything was clear.
"Get back to work!" A light-haired brte snapped, "We''re only allowed to do whatever we want [if we finish our work], and we''re running behind."
"Why is that, Marie?" Eddy asked, stretching his arms, "Maybe it''s because we need to concentrate, but we''re sunburnt to shit, and our body temperature is through the roof.
I''m betting that a ten-minute swim will double my productivity. What do you guys think?"
The tides turned in the bold man''s favor as his healing brought his skin back to normal color, giving him a healthy, trustworthy appearance.
"Well then,dies and gentlemen." Eddy said with a bow, "Last one in is a sunburnt whore!"
Without waiting for Marie''s reply, the man ran into the ocean and dove in.
TT
"You have soldiers gathering resources who are tired to fight, you''re breaking social prejudices, weeding out troublemakers, and constantly assessing people." Kaze recounted amusedly, "What more could you want to do?"
The Ice General solved her economic dilemmas and mitigated trust risks with her training. However, she still sat in a military-style tent across from the emperor, asking him for advice.
"While this training solves my major problems, it''s having the opposite effect on some." Evalyn exined, "One team ran away after seeing a team of Immortals in the wild.
They sensed their mortality and realized that even if they survived my training, they''d have to face the Immortals next.
Others have had simr experiences, losing the will to fight or giving up on bing Immortals.
I don''t doubt I''m using a good strategywhat I need help with is nuance to mitigate these negative effects. I didn''t foresee some of these problems until they were staring at me."
The emperor studied her expression with aplex gaze. He had to remember that the advice he''d give to the Ice Phoenix wasn''t what he could give to Evalyn Skye.
"You''ve proved they''re powerless against the current threats, yes?" Kaze asked calmly, "If so, it''s time to give them the alternative.
They must be able to experience the miraculous effects of powerthey need a win."
"How can someone win if they''ve seen how weak they are?" Evalyn grimaced, "No one is delusional enough to believe a technique or training will make up the differential between them and the Immortal elites. Especially when the Immortals have sky-grade cultivation techniques."
"They do not have to taste victory against the Immortalsonly against foes threatening their lives." He replied calmly, "They must see their improvement and the potential of further power."
"What if the soldiers didn''t improve?" The Ice General smiled wryly, "While many have, others are traumatized, disillusioned, and estranged from others. It could backfire."
"Only if it''s a fair test." Kaze smiled amusedly, "If one''s goal is to raise morale, they should always rig the fight."
"Rig it?" Evalyn narrowed her eyes in interest, "How do you rig a fight to increase morale?"
The emperor smiled mischievously and suggested a simple n. As he spoke, her eyes widened in disbelief before gliding to the left. His simple yet genius n gave her countless ideas.
"How soon could you arrange that?" The Ice General asked pensively.
"I could arrange it by tomorrow night." Kaze replied casually, making her eyes deaden.
"Of course, you could." She chuckled bitterly. However, her expression softened and she smiled, feeling profound emotions and pride in her man. "So, should we act immediately?"
"I wouldn''t rmend it." He shook his head, "Before you do this, you must address your problems head-on. If you raise morale and address a powder keg after, it''ll poison all your gains.
So I rmend you address your problems and use this as a way to build them up."
"Burn down their resistance and then help them rise." Evalyn whispered in a trance.
"From the ashes." Kaze smiled maically, "It was the Ice Phoenix''s favorite strategy."
The blonde opened and closed her mouth, strange feelings of deja vu crashing into her mind.
"General Skye!" A brte soldier yelled, bursting into the tent with a panicked expression.
Eyn''s eyes became murderous when the woman burst into her meeting with Kaze, who was there ndestinely. However, the panicked soldier was trembling. "What is it?"
Chapter 271 A Day At The Beach
"Is there anyone else in there!?" Evalyn roared, walking onto the beach with a furious expression.
The beach was dead silent, each person trying to avoid her gaze. No one had ever seen the Ice General angry before, so they were more fearful than usual--and for good reason. Her n was in shambles just minutes after it got fleshed out, so she was in a foul mood.
"First person to answer me gets the day off!" She snapped angrily,cking patience.
"A few swam further, trying to find a way around!" A man yelled instantly, "We haven''t seen them since!"
Evalyn took a deep breath, looking at the crimson ocean. The water was seemingly boiling from creatures moving underneath the waves, and dozens of body parts and appendages floated on the surface. It was a gruesome sight.
The Ice General closed her eyes, thinking about the report she had gotten a few minutes before.
-
--10 Minutes Ago | Meridian City Beach--
"AGahhhHHhHhhH!" Eddy moaned with his hands up, "This feels AMAZING!"
All the soldiers grimaced, seeing his smiling face. They didn''t want to incur Evalyn''s wrath, but they were all hot, tired, and wanted to swim.
Seeing him sshing around with a beaming smile and unburned skin filled everyone with envy.
"Come on!" Eddy yelled, "Fifteen minutes to recuperate. As long as we go back to work, we''ll be fine!"
"Screw it!" A ck-haired man yelled, healing his skin and running forward.
"I''m in." A brte said, pulling off her shorts and t-shirt, and getting down to her yellow bra and panties. She healed her skin gracefully, stunning people with her radiant skin, and then ran into the water with a yful expression.
Within a few minutes, ten people were sshing in the water with beaming expressions.
A debate broke out between the other 190 people on the beach, discussing working in shifts, a short break, and other items.
It was a universal discussion, as team members leaving to swim destroyed the operation. Losing too many heaters stalled the operation and required those working to work twice as hard.
No one wanted to work twice as hard while people swam, so a bitter debate yed out.
While the fight raged on, the number of people increased to thirty, and others were stripping and healing one another. Confidence built up, creating a [General Skye can''t punish all of us] mentality that spread like wildfire.
However, a disturbance abruptly stopped it.
"Stop that, Eddy!" Marie, the light-haired brte, snapped, "Just because you got me into the water doesn''t mean I''m into you!"
Everyone abruptly turned to the confused man, looking around.
"Yo, I''m not near you." Eddy said, hands in the air, "I''m just swimming. Don''t give anyone the wrong impression."
"Don''t lie." She snapped, "You''re the only person within touching dist--"
Before anyone could heat up or step up, the brte''s face turned ghost white when she felt something slide against her thigh--and no one was around her.
"Look, I''m not lying." Eddy scoffed, continuing on, "You''re tripping."
"H-Help me!" Marie stuttered, "It''s t-touching me!"
"Marie, Eddy''s nowhere near you." A blonde said, wading toward the panicked woman.
The light-haired brte''s eyes trembled in the water. "N-No, I''m telling you--"
SPLASH!
Just as Eddy was preparing to deny her words again, she disappeared under the water and swam back up, shaking. "Marie... are you okay?"
She reached her hands under the water and pulled them back up, her fingers flowing with red water.
The world slowed for the soldiers as Spirit Qi shot through their brains. Watching with hyper-attention, they could see patterns moving around the woman in the crimson water.
Marie''s body jolted down unnaturally, and she took a sharp breath, fighting against a force. When she pulled her arm to the surface, everyone saw she had pulled something back with it.
On her forearm was a moray eel biting into her arm. However, it was far from a normal fish.
Regr moray eels are five feet long with the circumference of a tube pillow. Before the rapture, there wasn''t a recorded death from one, and wounds stopped at missing fingers.
However, this eel''s head wasrger than the brte''s, and its jaws were pierced into the skin of an Earth Realm cultivator. It was a horrifying sight--that became gruesome.
CHOMP!
Marie trembled, looking down at her missing left arm in shock, watching her blood gush out of it. A momentter, she opened her mouth to scream, but the eel returned above the water and bit her shoulder, dragging her underwater.
SPLASH! Splish! Splish, splish, SPLASH!
"HELP!" The brte screamed, surfacing momentarily before getting dragged back under.
After the moray eel resurfaced and pushed her further under, it was clear that she was already gone. So the soldiers needed to act to save their own lives.
"GET OUT OF THE WATER!" Eddy yelled with a pounding heart, trying to swim. Unfortunately, the Soul Qi seeping out of Marie had attracted more attention. "AGH! WHAT IS--"
SPLASH!
The man''s sentence was cut short the next moment when a force dragged him underwater, triggering crimson-red bubbles to form in the region.
Soldiers in the water started screaming, swimming toward the shore. Twenty of the thirty-one in the water got out without issue. Unfortunately, the situation wasn''t promising for those remaining.
Eddy returned to the surface with a deep breath, getting away by losing his leg. He immediately screamed for help and swam forward, but a barracuda, the size of a tigerfish, bit his arm while he swam, sending him rolling into the water.
Two other barracudas ate people alongside the moray eel. The fish was strong and vicious, ripping off limbs with single bites as it whipped its jaws back and forth.
It was a massacre.
"GO GET GENERAL SKYE!" Berry yelled, grabbing a man swimming to shore. A brte nodded in a haze, thankful to leave, and rushed across the water to their camp.
When Berry pulled the soldier to shore, everyone grimaced, seeing that the fish had already eaten his lower half. It was gruesome and made Eddy''s red-haired coworker fall with a shaking body.
"GET OUT OF THERE!" A brte yelled, rushing into the water and pulling him.
Just as they got into the shallow area, the moray eel shot at them, getting caught in the sand, wigging itself loose from the sand, and swimming back into the feeding frenzy.
Three soldiers smart enough not to get close to the blood decided to swim further to go around, praying the entire time.
That is what happened a few minutes before the Ice General got there.
-
"What do you want to do?" Kaze asked with vibrant green eyes, studying her expressions, "I''m taking requests, whatever they may be."
Evalyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath before reopening them with a fierce gaze. "Find the soldiers, dead or alive. Kill every damn fish in this area if you can!"
Chapter 272 Biblical Punishment
"As you wish." Kaze replied, jumping into the air and flying over the water.
As the soldiers watched the man in awe, the Ice General waved her hand at the ocean. "[Arctic Seed]."
The techniquepressed nitrogen in the air until it turned to a liquid, then circted it into a white sphere, hovering over the ocean.
Evalyn lowered her hand, and the ball crashed into where the moray eel and barracudas were.
The liquid nitrogen was so cold that the icy water caused it to boil, creating steam that spread on the surface like a fog. However, the extreme heat disparity onlysted for a second.
CRrrreeeeaAcCKkKkkKkkKkkKKkK!
A choir of freezing and cracking sounds followed, with the water freezing, the waves cracking the ice, and the water refreezing. The seed grew, extending the ice from the feeding site to the shore.
"You will not eat my people." Evalyn dered chillingly, walking on the frozen ocean to the red ice, checking her surroundings.
Meanwhile, the emperor flew over the water with his eyes closed, using a vision technique.
"One two." Kaze whispered, waving his hand, "She will die if I don''t help her, and lessonsck meaning for the dead."
The ocean radiated with a golden light around a brte, swimming east of the beach.
"Thank god... Agh!" While she was thrilled to see her leg grow back, the light exposed a nightmare scene of circling shadows lurking under the surface. "H-Help me!"
She create a Guided Arrow and pointed it at the water. "Someone, please! It''s"
VOOooooOOooORSH!
When she felt a massive tigerfish the size of a shark shoot at her, she released her arrow. It created a strange sshing sound followed by a whirlpool, sucking her into the water.
She thought that she was done for, but a hand materialized from thin air and yanked her out of the water.
"Admirable attempt, albeit misguided." Kaze smiled charmingly, holding the toned brte, wearing torn, yellow underwear by the waist, "Give me a moment, love."
The brte blushed furiously, seeing the absurdly attractive teen holding her, wet and half-naked. It wasn''t a time to flirt, yet his smile and charming tone said otherwise! It was overwhelming!
"And you... escaped wounds entirely." He muttered, looking at a man to the west, "I supposed it''s enough to be in the water during this."
Kaze turned to the woman with a gentle expression. "Close your eyes, and don''t open them. You''ve experienced enough today and don''t need to see this."
While his tone and expressions were gentle, she could tell that he was being serious. So she closed her eyes, buried herself in his shoulder, and hugged him.
Evalyn watched the brte coldly from her ice stage. However, when she saw a blinding golden sphere develop in his hand, she immediately understood what was happening. "I''m not sure if I want to watch this."
She turned to her soldiers on the beach and then to the water. "I must never show weakness."
Seeing she had prepared, the emperor lobbed the golden ball into the water.
It sent a golden ripple for miles across the ocean when it touched. While it was a magical sight, Evalyn and the soldiers froze in fear, seeing what was below the water.
Thousands of shadows cut across the ocean toward the glowing sphere. At a nce, everyone could tell they were lucky to swim so close ind!
Barracudas were the size of sharks, and sharks were the size of whales. Every type of predatory fish imaginable was ten times its normal size and swam at full speed toward the golden light.
The sight traumatized everyone instantly, including Evalyn. She took slow steps back to an eptable range, turned around, and walked back to the shore with a stoic expression.
Once on shore, she turned around again and seized a second time. This time, it wasn''t the shadows that made her shut downit was the boiling ocean.
Thousands of massive, predatory fish fought each other to get to the ball of Soul Qi, ripping each other to shreds. The violent waves crashed to the surface all around the area, making the ocean boil with blood. It was a terrifying sight.
No one had it worse than the man still in the ocean. He had survived without injury but was now on ground level to see the feeding frenzy unfold. The brutal sight triggered his fight-or-flight response, and he flew across the water to the shore again.
"W-What''s happening?" The brte stuttered, shaking while hugging the emperor.
"It''s nothing if you allow it be, Alex." Kaze said calmly, "Now keep your eyes shut; we''ll be at the shore soon."
While it would usually be disturbing for someone she''s never seen or heard about to know her name, his tranquil confidence eased her mind.
"O-Okay." Alex gulped nervously, closing her eyes tighter.
Kaze flew over the feeding frenzy and waited. A massive great white, the size of an orca whale, pushed past the blood bath and swallowed the golden orb.
The ocean darkened, showing only the angelic image of a golden whale-sized shark. It onlysted for a minute because the overload of Spirit Qi caused it to rupture.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Before the st, he erected a sound and spatial barrier to prevent the noise from causing Alex to panic. Moreover, he would die before letting blood-stricken ocean water drench him voluntarily!
The people on the shore didn''t know he had a barrier. So all they saw was the emperor, holding Alex, getting engulfed in a volcano-like eruption of red water 200 feet high.
While the soldiers were terrified to see the water go up, they were far more terrified to see it stay up!
The blood in the air circled the emperor like a slow cyclone. As it moved, more blood in the water got sucked into it, incorporating the blood of countless dead creatures.
After the water became clear of blood, thousands of fish stopped moving for a moment, perplexed and terrified. However, one shark saw the opening and shot at Soul Qi, leading to another race.
When the frenzy continued, the blood cyclone solidified into thousands of blood harpoons.
"Tears of the Fallen." Kaze whispered, opening his eyes fiercely.
A crimson meteor shower crashed from the heavens, shooting through the ocean.
The sight left the soldiers staggered, lost in awe. Since the Soul Qi illuminated the ocean, they could see the spears shoot hundreds of meters below, skewering predatory fish of all sizes. It was a brutal sight.
Next, he closed his eyes and felt the presence of the ocean. "Soul Transconfiguration: Reap."
An explosion of golden light swept across the ocean, making his flying body look like Archangel Michael, descending from the heavens and punishing depraved monsters with their own blood.
? It was a biblical punishment fit for the rapture.
"[Crimson Vortex]." Kaze whispered, visualizing the blueprint for a technique, "Let''s feed our tempering treasure first. There isn''t much time for it to mature."
A dark crimson sphere developed above the water and spun at intense speeds, creating a whirlpool. Blood shot toward the sphere like a ma, attracting the harpoons lodged in the fish and dragging the fish to the top with them.
As massive sharks, tigerfish, eels, barracudas, and billfish hit the surface, the emperor waved his hand. A ring on his finger radiated golden light, and the fish disappeared, creating a small whirlpool.
Fifty miles away, a golden barrier around the bloodke radiated with golden runes, waking up a nt.
A man saw the light with wheezing eyes, wrapped in a of tendrils. His entire body was mangled, but the Grave Robber wrapped his wounds to prevent bleeding. Now it was just leeching him dry as a Soul Qi factory, constantly allowing him to heal.
The name Grave Robber came from the nt growing on blood-soaked battlefields, preventing the extraction of fallenrades. Those who fell victim to the nt also found themselves incapable of death for long periods. Therefore, the dead and the living were denied graves.
Such was the nature of the most hated nt in the cultivator world.
Renton gasped, seeing the light, hoping Kaze had returned to put him out of his misery.
Unfortunately, thousands of gallons of blood crashed into theke, followed by massive Soul-Qi-rich fish. The tendrils immediately let go of the man, letting him drown under the new blood.
A few miles from that location, another barrier lit up above the sanctuary, making Kiera, Kylie, Jake, Veronica, Sage, and Martha stop cultivating by theke.
"Look out!" Kiera yelled, shooting up from her position and running away.
Not a momentter, hundreds of massive fish crashed into the smallke.
The soaked cab members turned to theke with the fluidity of rusted cogs.
"OH, HELL NO!" Kiera screamed, hair and clothing soaked withke water and fish slime.
Jake and Veronica shuddered in horror. Just when their adorable princess moved from manic to mellow and slightly mncholy, the sky opened up and rained down death fish. Now she was back in murder mode, and they prayed it wouldn''t get directed at them.
Chapter 273 Hellscape Stew
Kiera looked at the massive mountain of death fish with a murderous gaze. Then she sped her hands and looked to the sky. "Dear lord, please give me the strength to beat my man savagely.
He has ruined yet another sacred ground by turning it into a disgusting fish market, and I shan''t allow it. However, I''m weak, lord, and need strength.
Please help me not to be tempted or swayed by cake, a butt squeeze, or any other charming sin you can think of.
May I have the strength to look into his vibrant green eyes and see a target for stabbing, not a wonderful and encapsting gxy of all things perfect and holy.
Give me rity, so I can see this for what it is and not forget it the moment I see his face.
Allow me the will and fire to beat him savagely until the point of death before release. Amen!"
The cab members shuddered, hearing Kiera dere a deep-seated desire to murder her man. That''s how they knew she was pissed off.
That fear multiplied when the person in question walked through a portal.
"Forgive me, loves." A hypnotic voice called out, walking into an area, "We needed these hideous creatures, and Evalyn''s training has made that rather difficult.
Presented with a remarkable opportunity, I was forced to ept without dy. It honestly couldn''t be helped."
"KAZEY!" Kiera cried with sparkling eyes, running to him and flying into his arms, "I knew that you wouldn''t make our sanctuary into hellscape stew!"
"I''m d you can see the value." He smiled, hugging her under the lifeless gazes of the previously-worried cab members.
However, a stunning reversal happened the next moment when the ng riddler smelled his clothing.
"Do I... smell floozy?" Kiera asked with trembling eyes, looking up at him, "Why do you smell like a low-grade, uncultivated clout prepper?
Oh, Lord. Please give me the strength to rain hellfire and brimstone if this man''s been schmoozing the fish market."
"If your twisted vernacr is expressing a female human, I saved one from the ocean." Kaze smiled mockingly, "Then I dropped her off on the beach and came here not a moment between."
"So you didn''t shmooze a flooze above the O town?" She asked with wide eyes.
Kaze rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Must you always find new ways of describing your hatred for other women? While it''s a remarkable talent, it''s uncouth."
Her eyes trembled, looking away. "But you didn''t, right?"
"No, I didn''t shmooze a flooze above the O town." He scoffed in annoyance.
"Eeeeeeeek!" Kiera squealed joyfully, "I knew you wouldn''t shmooze a clout-prepping flooze above the O town and turn this sanctuary into a hellscape stew!"
Jake and Veronica looked at each other with lifeless, disbelieving expressions. Then they looked at theke full of hundreds of massive death fish that went through Satan''s equivalent of pocket monster evolutions.
If there were ever a scene befitting of a title [Hellscape Stew], it would be what they were looking at.
Despite that, the murderous teen purred against Kaze like a cuddly kitten, thanking him for not creating it, and he was patting her head lovingly as if it were only natural.
The scene was so psychotic and surreal that the cab members couldn''t find words to express it. However, somehow, it made them all feel strangely jealous.
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"We survived... somehow." Chen groaned, into arge shipping yard on the pier, "It''s been days, but we finally made it to base."
The shipping containers had been picked clean. Now, there were a ton of empty shipping containers that acted as temporary shelters for tens of thousands of soldiers.
Cruxyzily on a shipping container, eating a honeybun with a cracked-out expression. It wasn''t the good stuff, but it was enough to get her blood pumping after spending time in Lainwright.
"We''re not in the clear yet...." Denzel said, avoiding the urge to look at the shadow cat, "We''re [days]te getting this food here. Considering we only have enough for a hundred people, I doubt we''re getting off easy."
They hadrge frame backpacks and duffle bags with food items collected throughout the city. However, such quantities were paltry when feeding over five thousand people.
"This is ridiculous." Moe said with a downcast expression, "While people have been training on a beach, we killed over two thousand zombies and survived two copsing buildings. You''d think she''d give us a break."
"Look, it is what it is." Eric said dryly, "Now, let''s go. We need to check in."
They nodded and walked into camp for the first time. While they expected it to be a lively ce full ofining people, it was the dead opposite.
"What the hell is this?" Chen scoffed angrily, "Everyone''s sitting around in their swimsuits, and they''re depressed? What type of bullshit is this?"
Most of the people training at the beech were huddled in gloomy, whispering groups. Everyone looked shaken to the core.
"Chen, calm down!" Jackson yelled, watching the Chinese man stomping to a group, "Remember that we don''t know what they''ve been through!"
"Like surviving hordes of zombies all night?" Chen scoffed, reaching for a soldier to interrogate. However, Eric and Denzel grabbed him by the arms.
"W-What?" The brown-haired soldier jumped, crashing to the ground neurotically. Likewise, the men and women around him spread out, shaking in fear.
Chen''s angry expression lifted instantly, seeing the look of horror and trauma written on the people''s faces. "That fuck''s wrong with you guys?"
One of the females from the beach reached out her shaky index finger.
The group turned in the direction she was pointing and froze. Behind a stack of containers was a massive pile of nightmare sea creatures.
"W-What the fuck is that thing!?" Denzel yelled, looking at a golden, scally fish with massive teeth, "I''ve seen just about every type of shark, but I''ve never seen that thing!"
"T-That''s because it''s not a shark...." Moe said in horror, "That''s a tigerfish that''s the size of a g-great white...."
"Wait, you know what that thing is!?" Jackson cried, trembling.
"Y-Yeah, it''s supposed to be 100 pounds, not a thousand!" She replied, "These look like mutant fish, but they''re just normal fish that are ten times the size!
Same for that Billfish, Bull Shark, and--WHAT!? That''s a fucking electric eel!"
The group had separated a massive eel from the rest. It was eighty feet long and had the circumference of a drainage pipe kids got lost in during horror movies.
There were dozens of people working on cutting it up and processing it. Fires billowed in the distance with people preparing to grill the fish.
"Like, is it really electric?" Denzel asked in a daze.
"Hell yeah, it''s electric!" Moe cried, "Something that size could kill a thousand swimmers at the beach!"
The group shuddered, hearing her words.
"Wait a minute... how did you catch these fish?" Chen asked, turning to the traumatized people to ask them what had happened. However, they had already gotten up and run away.
"You''re not going to believe this shit." A manughed, walking up with a group of people, "Those things ate eight of us, and a god showed up to save us."
"Don''t be ridiculous, Adam." A brte scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Emperor Lexicon of Immortal Skye saved two of our people and wiped out thousands of those things. He wasn''t a god, but it was amazing."
"Not a god?" Adam scoffed, "A flying man radiated with blinding golden light that spread across the entire ocean, Ca, and you''re saying that he''s just a guy!?
Even if General Skye confirmed it was Emperor Lexicon, it wouldn''t change the fact that he''s a god."
Watching Kaze cultivate Soul Qi from thousands of mammoth fish over the ocean was nothing short of angelic. No one denied that.
Eric''s team''s jaws lowered, listening to the crazy man ranting. However--
"That was a technique." Another man rolled his eyes, "He''s a bad motherfucker, that''s for sure, but stop calling him a god. It''s creepy as fuck."
"You mean that men can create a cyclone of blood and kill thousands of whale-sized sharks with it?" Adam scoffed, "If so, sign me up to learn how to do that."
The group fell silent, conflicted about what to say.
Their silence only intensified the bafflement Eric''s team was experiencing! They couldn''t believe that the arguing people didn''t disagree about the details--only the interpretation!
"I''m just curious...." Jackson swallowed nervously, "Why do you all look fine? Did you experience something different than the people shaking on the ground?"
"Hmmm?" Ca hummed, looking at the groups of shaking people, "No, we saw the same thing.
Their reaction is understandable. We watched our people get eaten, and then the ocean lit up, showing us that thousands of those creatures were in the vicinity when the attack happened.
I don''t think any of us will ever get into the ocean again. Some of us are just more traumatized than others."
"Deny it all you want, but the Immortal God is giving us strength." Adam said seriously, "Everyone who is talking about him is fine, everyone shaking on the ground is talking about fish. There can''t be a coincidence."
Jackson looked at everyone with an excited expression. "Do you think that Emperor Lexicon could actually be a god?"
"Who gives a shit!" Chen groaned, dropping his 800-pound backpack on the ground, "Don''t you get what''s important here!?"
Everyone looked at the exasperated Chinese man.
"What?" Eric asked in bewilderment.
"WE DON''T NEED FOOD!" Chenmented, dropping to his knees dramatically, "WE DID ALL OF THAT FOR NOTHING!"
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"Gah, this is the worst!" Evalyn groaned,ying on her military cot with a frustrated expression. "I only spread the rumor that Kaze was a god to give the soldiers something to talk and argue about other than the killer fish.
So why am I hot and bothered about it? Do I have a god fetish? Do I get off with people thinking my partner is a god? Do I think he''s actually a god? His ego doesn''t need any of this! GAH!"
The blonde rolled onto her stomach, gripping a pillow against her chest.
"Why are you making a big deal out of this?" Evalyn asked herself bitterly, "Just ask him to get you off. If you did earlier, you wouldn''t be finding abstract reasons to want to sleep with him."
Chapter 274 July 28th, 2032 | Passionate And Giving
"Two hundred pounds of salt to spare?" Kaze smiled, eyebrows raised in amusement, "I''m sure your people hate you after producing such an impressive quantity."
Evalyn frowned at his cheeky reply, dropping the sacks of sea salt on the ground. "Fine, go without salt."
"Come now, darling." He countered charmingly, "Surely you can see past the obvious and see my implicitpliment."
"Come now, [darling]." She smiled sarcastically, "Surly, you canpliment me without pointing out negatives."
"While it may take a century, there will be a time when you ept that I find no negatives in my words." Kaze replied maically, "I find beauty in the things you do."
"W-Wait up." Evalyn reddened in embarrassed bafflement, "You genuinely like my approach?"
The blonde had spent the whole night thinking about Kaze but didn''t think that he would be in a charming mood when he talked to her. On the contrary, she expected a lecture on her brute force tactics, so she was genuinely flustered.
"It''s effective, well-intentioned, and creative." He smiled gently.
"I don''t know what you''re talking about...." Evalyn blushed furiously, averting her gaze in a panic, "Half my people are traumatized, most hate me, and I don''t have a concrete strategy--I''m just putting out fires."
"But you''re seeding." Kaze smiled in amusement, walking up, "Time and experience can give people consistency, but it will never bring results or sess.
Unrefined as it is, you''re showcasing your talent for leadership. It''s far more valuable than the wins of leaders like Brigadier General Michaels. I find it breathtaking."
The ex-Maltian general got promoted to brigadier general when the Immortal Army formed that week. Now, he was third inmand for military efforts, below Kaze and Evalyn.
Like Daniel, he had real experience with being a general. So he served as a mentor for Evalyn and was busy organizing the Immortal Army.
"I still don''t see what you see in me." Evalyn whispered, looking him in the eyes.
"One day, I''ll find a way to show you." Kaze said gently, embracing her cheek softly and kissing her.
After a passionate kiss, she whispered to him. "Kaze, please help me escape this life for a while."
"Can you leave?" He asked.
"I told people to die and keep dying if they needed me before 10 am." Evalyn blushed embarrassedly, "I was hoping you had some time."
It was six am the following day, so her reply was a confession that she was hoping that he''d want to have sex.
"I always have time for you." Kaze whispered charmingly, "And I will help you disappear."
He reached his hands under her arms and grabbed her bubble butt, picking her up.
The blonde wrapped her legs around his waist and gripped his neck, preparing him to thrust her against the wall.
However, they didn''t hit the wall when he thrust forward like she was expecting.
"Eeeek!" Evalyn squeaked, flying through the tent''s wall, fearing that people would see them. However, she crashed onto something soft instead.
She looked at a familiar ceiling before looking at her hand wrapped over Kaze''s neck. A silver diamond ring radiated a golden light, making her eyes widen. "When did I...."
"You haven''t used it yet, so I thought I''d remind you." Kaze replied charmingly, looking around, "Wee home."
Like Kiera, Kaze gave Evalyn a spatial ring that led into their room. They were extremely taxing to make with an allowance of over a hundred miles, but he''d rather go without treasures than not give her a way to escape danger--even if she wouldn''t use it.
So he invested half of his Soul Qi to create Evalyn and Kiera''s rings and loaded both with one emergency usage. He created another two for Kylie and Marilyn, albeit with a range of fifty miles, allowing them to travel to Meridian City and get back, as they didn''t leave often.
Thankfully, he maxed out the Soul Qi his Soul Core could hold safely after killing the fish. So he got it back quickly.
"I love you, Kaze." Evalyn said, her eyes trembling, "I''ll get used to it one day."
"And I''ll be waiting patiently." Kaze smiled charmingly, "No matter how many centuries or millennia it takes."
The blonde felt tears welling into her eyes, so she grabbed his head and pulled his lips into hers to prevent him from seeing.
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Evalyn swiveled her hips, walking to her pink-striped panties on the floor. When she got there, she bent downpletely to pick them up, allowing Kaze to see her perfectly shaven pussy and ass in one view. "Can you take me back?"
"When you ask me like this, it''s impossible to deny you anything." Kaze replied charmingly, watching her slip her feet into the panties and slowly pull them over her bubble butt.
He sat on the edge of the bed with a satisfied expression after two hours of non-stop dual cultivation with his lover.
The blonde twirled around embarrassedly, wearing a light blush. "Wait, please don''t misinterpret my motions. I wasn''t...."
"This siren act could break apart an empire." He smiled amusedly, watching her coquettish act, "It''s inexplicably charming."
"Is that so?" Evalyn grinned, picking up her striped bra unabashedly, sliding on the shoulder straps individually, and buckling it, "I didn''t think you''d get lured in by such acts after all your years."
As she spoke, she slid her feet into the ck thigh-length green military shorts she wore and slid them up her tone legs. Then she pulled them against the bottom of her butt, wiggling back and forth to help them up.
It was a ruse, but it was very sexually arousing.
Kaze got hard and fell to his back, hands behind his head, enjoying the show shamelessly. He didn''t hide hisrge, hard cock, flying in the open. "When an act like thises from a woman like you, it tastes like forbidden fruit."
Evalyn turned to the bed after throwing on her ck tank top, and her body heated up after seeing his hard, ten-inch cock on proud disy. It revitalized her lust and desire, resurrecting it after hours of nonstop pleasure. "A woman like me? One known for being cold and unforgiving?"
"One in the same." He smiled charmingly.
The Ice General put her finger on her lips and walked to the bed between his legs.
"Are you saying it''s a turn-on when I''m passionate?" She asked, bending her body and grabbing the base of his shaft, "And [giving]?"
Kaze took a sharp breath when she blushed seductively, opening her mouth, wrapping it around his head, and sucking. "Yes."
He hummed as she lowered her head, passionately rolling her tongue around his shaft, showcasing the immense skill she had picked up while dual cultivating [Spiritual Connection] with him.
Evalyn took a sharp breath, her rosy cheeks flushed pink. The pleasure she got pleasing him made her feel erotic and perverse. However, she didn''t deny it, pulling his cock out of her mouth and rolling her tongue against his tip.
She closed her eyes and established a Spiritual Connection, connecting their souls and demonstrating her seriousness.
After analyzing his pleasure channels, she used a sub-technique to pulse Yin Qi through her tongue, following intricate patterns while using a sensory technique to slow time.
Kaze closed his eyes and smiled in unbridled pleasure, thinking about what she was doing. Her goal was to overwhelm him with pleasure,bining Spirit Qi, dual cultivation, and skill to get him off.
Since she was clothed and umitted, she tried to bewitch him with her overpowered sexiness and sex appeal--and it was working.
The emperor was attracted to a woman''s personality more than their body or skill. So seeing the Ice General acting like a college-aged enchantress was extremely appealing, and he wanted to reward her. So he rxed his body and let himself slide into simple ecstasy, epting his selfish pleasure as her reward.
As a result, within a minute, he took a deep breath. "I''m going toe."
Evalyn nodded, sucking passionately at the same tempo. When she felt his throbbing cock twitching, she held her breath. A geyser of hot liquid shot into her mouth, and she used her hand to pull more out, sucking his tip.
After making eye contact with him, she swallowed effortlessly, unbending into a stand and wiping her mouth. "Well, get dressed then; we need to go."
From start to finish, she only sucked his dick from a standing bend for two minutes before walking into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
Her narrative was that she just decided to please him on a selfless whim, so she did so quickly. She had the power of a sex god to please her man, so she used it generously. Full control.
It was a charming, powerful statement that made the emperor smile--because of the irony.
"As you wish." Kaze smiled charmingly, standing up, "Though, I rmend you change as well."
Evalyn stopped brushing her teeth in horror. She looked down and saw that her green military shorts were soaking wet from her passionate session.
Her face immediately heated up like a thermometer, looking at the scene with a twitching cheek.
SLAM!
"And people wonder what I love about this woman." Kaze chuckled after she mmed the bathroom door, picking up his boxers from the floor, "I suppose they''ll never know."
Chapter 275 Soul Qi Meat
After flying Evalyn to the beach, the emperor returned to Immortal Skye, where thousands had gathered, standing around fish strewn out on the training grounds.
They were processing fish that day instead of taking sses. However, they weren''t getting away from training.
"Kaze...." Fey eked out, seeing him approaching her, "Why did you put me in charge of this? I''ve never even touched a fish before!"
"Because you''re a marvelous professor, Fey Roybock." Kaze smiled charmingly, watching her pass a machete between her hands nervously, "Those with specialized skills are rarely teachers, so you must trante their teachings. No one''s expecting you to be the specialist."
The professor blushed as usual, biting her lip and turning away. She always felt so helpless around the man before her. "I-I see.... About the preserving, how are we going to get enough--"
"Salt?" Kaze asked charmingly, dropping two potato sacks with a loud thud, "This should be enough for now.
I will preserve half on ice and Soul Qi treatment, as we''ll eat the other half within the week."
Fey blinked twice and turned around, looking at the two-acre patch ofnd covered in massive sea creatures. There were tens of thousands of pounds of food there! She could only imagine how much people would hate fish after that week!
"Worry not, Lady Roybock." He said chivalrously, turning around, "Once everyone tastes Soul Qi meat, they will forever love you without reservation."
While his words were charming, the mysterious statement felt ominous. It sent an icy breeze through her body, giving her goosebumps.
"What does that mean?" Fey swallowed nervously.
"Observe." Kaze smiled, flying to an electric eel and hovering above it.
The Immortals immediately stopped their conversations and watched him intently.
"Soul Beasts are no different than normal animals!" He exined from the air, "They only be bigger, stronger, and more durable through eating Soul Qi in other animals.
Humans are animals. So if you eat the flesh of a Soul Beast--you''ll also get its Spirit Qi."
While humans are technically animals, people are usually off-put by the explicit connection. However, his words were met with excitement from thousands of Immortals.
"Eating Soul Meat will harden your body, increase your stamina and healing, and increase your mental acuity." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "elerated healing is the backbone of physical strength.
It will act like anabolic steroids constantly healing your muscles after they rip. However, it will do so incrementally, ensuring that you be toned and proportionate instead ofrge and grotesque.
So with healing alone, you''ll increase strength, stamina, endurance, agility, and perception. That''s the value of Soul Meat--and you will be eating a lot of it this week."
While many were grossed out or terrified by the fish initially, they were now cheering excitedly. Everyone was hooked on power in Immortal Skye, and the emperor gave them a cheat code.
"More importantly...." Kaze said mysteriously, capturing everyone''s attention, "If you eat the flesh of a Soul Beast with a natural elemental affinity, like this electric eel, you''ll gain physical resistance to the element."
He flicked his finger and an invisible torrent of Qi snaked down the eighty-foot Soul Beast, breaking through its scales. Once it was opened, he cut out a thin, prime cut of eel meat and lifted his hand.
A simple silver with engravings lit up with golden light, his hand disappeared into a spatial rift, and he pulled out a lemon. Then he cut it, squeezing it onto the massive monster.
The scene was so fluid, effortless, and surreal that the Immortals cried withughter, spreading positive vibes through the crowd like wildfire.
"What? Soul Sashimi of this grade must be treated with respect." Kaze smiled cheekily, "And what better respect can we give it than with a lemon?"
Countless people cheered at his statement by reflex, unconcerned by his actual words.
When he finally ate the piece, his body''s color changed, bing more vibrant. He then cultivated for a moment to readjust and summoned a technique.
Cackling blue electricity shot over his arm, spreading over his shoulder. It made his body twitch, but he grinned fearlessly, making Immortals cheer and shout in excitement.
"This technique, Martial Catalyst, wraps the cultivator''s body in sacred electricity." Kaze exined, "It turns every touch into an attack that stuns strong enemies and kills weaker ones.
However, few can use it because beasts with natural affinities to electricity are rare, and tempering one''s body with electricity is lethal. Therefore, you''re looking at a legendary specimen with a gateway to using unique techniques. Its value of this beast''s meat is immeasurable."
Silence spread through the area, each person looking at the beast in a different light.
"Therefore, I suggest you showcase your talent and treat Lady Fey Roybock with respect." Kaze grinned, watching the poor woman''s heart nearly explode, "For only the best will taste this legendary creature over the next few months."
An eruption of determination and desire spread through thend, lighting everyone''s hearts ame.
"Today, we''ll be processing these nourishing creatures in ce of training." He continued, "The regr students will cut the meat with precise sh Attacks."
The emperor waved his hand multiple times, cutting through the beast with straight cuts.
"Qi Wall students will create a table for the fish to go on." He continued, putting the meat onto an invisible table of raw Qi, "And the Wind de students will process the meat into steaks and salt them."
Kaze flicked his hand a dozen times. Each time cut through the fish on the table, creating perfectly cut steaks. He then dumped sea salt onto the Qi Wall, and a light breeze sprinkled it on the fish.
Thunderous apuse met his surreal demonstration, spreading excitement and anxiety through the group.
"Combustion students cook the meat by creating a continuous me and heating the pan to the right temperature." The emperor smiled, materializing a frying pan, adding oil, and waving his hand, creating a me under it.
SizzZzzZzzZzzle...
A satisfying searing sound filled the Immortals'' ears, and an inexplicably heavenly aroma spread through the area. Everyone started salivating, wanting to taste the fish.
"Lastly, the jesters and fools will clean the equipment." Kaze smirked, addressing those that had gotten in trouble or spent all of their RP or Skye, ending up in the encampment, "They will only taste the leftovers."
Those Immortals groaned, regretting their decisions. Staring down a passive power-building activity, they suddenly felt the full weight of their poor decisions.
"Those who do the most or provide other value will eat the best cuts." The emperor exined, "But everyone will eat their fill! You stand before free, effortless power, so seize it greedily!"
Explosive cheers rocked the area. Every Immortal was brimming with passion and excitement.
Fey blushed furiously, seeing a hundred faces turn to her intensely, thinking of ways to help her and treat her like a queen. "That man!"
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Immortal Skye brimmed with energy as a thousand Immortals took turns cutting through the sea creatures and sending it to the Qi Wall specialists, creating tables in rotation.
It looked like witchcraft, with meat suspended in the air and invisible knives cutting through it and sprinkling it with salt.
While Kaze made the demonstration look simple, many other processes were going on simultaneously.
Immortals with fishing backgrounds worked with Fey to teach people how to descale fish and debone them. Despite their massive size, the fish were physiologically the same as their smaller counterparts. So the descaling and deboning remained the same.
Cooks worked around the clock withrge pots, creating various dishes to feed to the Immortals as they worked. Naturally, they worked in shifts so they could practice and learn as well.
Kaze walked around, giving his students pointers and trying their wares.
Kiera and the cab members arrived with Martha and enjoyed lunch together.
It was a day-long endeavor, but no oneined. With every meal, the Immortals physically felt stronger and gained energy. Their aches and ailments disappeared as the Soul Qi flushed out their system, and their minds became clear.
Approaching sunset, Kaze had the cooks work on steaks he yed and processed personally,ing from ten fish he separated from the rest. They cooked various dishes, creating sushi, sashimi, steaks, breaded filets, and chowders under his guidance.
The emperor thanked them and disappeared through a spatial portal to surprise a special person.
Chapter 276 Sharing Smiles At Sunset
Crux sat on a shipping container with a bored expression. She looked over the water, thinking about home and life in general.
As a proud Panthera princess, she was duty-bound to protect her people. While she was in the Mortal ne with Kaze and Evalyn doing just that--building an alliance to protect her family--she still felt like she was forsaking them.
The only thing that kept her sane was her patience, something people develop with time. While she was young by cultivator standards, she had spent more years silently cultivating than most of the Immortals had been alive. Therefore, she was content to cultivate her days away.
However, there was something that was preventing her from concentrating that day. She looked down at the huge stack of fish with a twitching eyebrow.
"Why cannot I eat these subpar creatures?" Crux growled, "Not that I''m jealous of mortal food. I''m just aggrieved that foolish woman would ask me to sit around and watch these weak imbeciles ruin them."
She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, turning away in protest. However, her sensitive nose drove her back to the fish, making her cheek twitch.
"Subpar as it is, that is perhaps the only enriching food on this ne." The shadow cat mumbled bitterly, "These strange mortals can make air taste good, but it''s not [food].
That foolish man gave these idiots a treasure, and they''re treating it like a chore."
"In military operations, weak, ignorant fools are preferable to dead geniuses." A haunting yet alluring voice called out behind her. An overwhelming aroma immediately followed, making her turn around.
Crux''s breath disappeared, looking at her charming emperor, wrapped in shades of orange, magenta, and purple from the sunset.
Kaze smiled at her, holding duffle bags packed to the brim with unknown contents. "Don''t you agree?"
"I-I... um... treasures should go to alive geniuses first...." She muttered incoherently, "The strong should eat real food, especially if they''re beastkin elders.... I mean... what did you say?"
The emperor chuckled charmingly, walking to the edge with her. "I brought you some mortal treasures; would you like to eat together?"
"I love mortal treasures!" Crux cried, getting confirmation. It wasn''t until she processed what she had said that she blushed furiously. "I mean, I appreciate your generosity and would love to share a meal with you."
"Excellent." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "We''ll start with this, then."
He pulled out a tray of sushi with multiple types of meat, making her eyes glitter and her mouth salivate. "Is this even from the same beasts?"
"It is." He chuckled, "But I did a lot of Soul Qi processing on it. Such techniques aremon in the Heaven ne and chores in the Transcendent ne.
However, they are unheard of in the Sky and Mortal nes, so you''re in for a treat."
Crux picked up one of the small rolls of rice and inspected it curiously, cocking her head and looking at it from various angles. Then she looked down at the massive pile of oversized fish on the pier. "Hmmm...."
nce at the roll, back at the fish. Roll, fish. Roll, fish. Small roll, massive pile of fish.
"Is there a reason that you have restricted the amount of fish that I may enjoy?" She asked frankly, unable to contain herself, "While I do not feel slighted, it seems rather peculiar."
"It''s for texture only." Kaze smiled amusedly, "This duffle bag contains dishes just like this, and it''s exclusively for you."
The shadow cat turned to the massive military duffle bag, and her mouth opened involuntarily.
nce at the roll, back at the duffle bag. Roll, bag. Roll, bag. Small roll, massive duffle bag.
"You needn''t think so hard about it." He smiled gently, "One benefit of the Mortal ne is that we have nopetition. While we''re here, I''ll catch you fish as often as you wish.
However, the fish in your hand is rather rare. Take a bite."
Crux looked back at the tiny sushi roll and opened her mouth cutely, taking a dainty bite. Her eyes instantly shot open, and her cheeks flushed bright red. "Delicious!"
While she felt she had found sunken treasure, the surprises weren''t over. A jolt of energy shot through her body and wrapped around her Soul Core, making it shudder.
The shadow cat''s eyes trembled, and she turned to him with choppy neck movements. "Is this... meat... elemental?"
"That''s right." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "Electric elemental Soul Beast meat."
Crux''s heart pulsed, and her hands became shaky, making him chuckle and grab the te so she wouldn''t drop it. "I-I can''t believe... electric elemental... even Killian...."
"Correct." He smirked proudly, "On the Mortal ne, many elemental beasts haven''t been poached into extinction. We will find these beasts, grow them, and harvest them before we return."
Her heart pulsed, and she looked at the te. "But... is it okay that [I''m] eating this? It''s so precious."
"You''re far more precious, Crux." Kaze smiled gently, "Before you return to the Sky ne, I will bring out your full potential, and build your strength. This is the least of what I n to give you."
Crux opened and closed her mouth in disbelief, looking at him and then at the te he held for her. She couldn''t express what it felt like to be offered power so freely--and to live so simply.
Growing up in a bloodthirsty war-torn world, she never knew such a life could exist. It was inconceivable but humbling.
"Take another bite." Kaze smiled, picking up a piece and popping it into his mouth, "You wouldn''t believe how many of these you can make with an eighty-foot fish. Such a number could disillusion a bookkeeper."
He looked at the electric eel on the pier and back at the roll. Eel, roll. Eel, roll.
"Don''t make fun of me." Crux pouted cutely, grabbing the te and yanking it from his hands.
She seized a piece decisively and threw it into her mouth with a grumpy expression, staring at the colorful, glimmering ocean. However, she purred strangely with a wide smile when it touched her tongue, rocking back and forth. "Myiiiiiiiiii!"
When the ecstasy wore off, she remembered where she was and blushed to the tip of her ears, looking for ces to run.
"Hmmm...." Kaze hummed, knuckle and thumb on his chin, "Did I cook these wrong? They have strange effects on your emotions."
Her face heated up like a thermometer, and she turned away with a mortified expression.
She wanted to fly over the ocean until her Qi ran out, and she plummeted into the ocean, allowing the ferocious sea creatures to put her out of her misery.
However, there was a duffle bag of justice next to the emperor she''d have to give up if she ran! So she turned away and hugged the te of sushi as if her life depended on it.
Kaze watched her quietly, enjoying her cute moment. After a minute of silence, she gave up on being a proud Pantheran princess and popped another roll into her mouth.
"Myiiiiiiiiii!" Crux purred, her body shivering with delight. She noticed him smiling behind her but ignored it, eating another in protest. Every time she did, she forgot that she cared about his opinion.
The shadow cat didn''t break from the cycle until she realized something important--Kaze asked if she''d eat with him! Shepletely forgot until she was down to thest fourth of the rolls.
Crux grimaced, looking at the te with a pounding heart. Summoning all of her willpower, she extended the te toward him without looking. She didn''t want to share, but it was only right!
Tragically, her greatest fear came true, and Kaze took the whole te from her. However, her drooping cat ears shot up when she felt him wrap her fingers around a warm cup.
She pulled her hand back and her ears twitched in delight, staring at a to-go cup of chowder. "W-What''s this!?"
"It''s soup." Kaze smiled, "Try some; it''s delicious."
Crux sipped it using both hands. Her eyes sparkled when it touched her tongue, and she squealed in delight. Her tail wiggled freely in herrge frog hoodie, showcasing her delight.
For the next hour, the emperor handed Crux dishes and watched her with a mysterious smile, enjoying her smile.
Watching him during the meal, she got the impression that the Crux he knew didn''t smile much. After all, his expression wasn''t nostalgic. Instead, it captured a heart-piercing emotion she couldn''t express in words.
While it made her sad, she enjoyed his smile. So she greedily epted the food with a bright smile, triggering one from him each time. Before long, they wereughing every time she ate another dish, wrapped in a strange cyclical energy that fed itself.
"I''m d that you''re here, Crux." Kaze smiled strangely, looking over the moonlit ocean, "This life wouldn''t be perfect without you."
Crux blushed furiously and nced at him with ghostly speed. However, when her eyes met his location, he was already gone, vanished into thin air. "Purr~fect, huh?"
The proud Pantheran princess cupped her hands over her mouth, hearing the involuntary purr.
"I''m so d that man wasn''t here to hear that." She pouted, cheeks flushed, "He''d probably say more foolish things intelligentmoners wouldn''t say to proud princesses."
In the corner of her eye, she saw something twinkling in the location Kaze was sitting. She reached over and grabbed it. "A ring?"
Chapter 277 July 29th - August 1st, 2032 | Witch Hunt
After the Meridian Beach incident imed eight Lainwright soldiers'' lives, Evalyn temporarily slowed down training. She needed to maintain minimal morale to keep her trainees moving.
Luckily, the meat from the sea creatures revitalized their energy and healed their bodies in areas Minor Healing couldn''t.
Rumors of the Immortal God spread through the camp like wildfire, speaking of a cultivator that saved their people and killed the fish for them. Whenever asked about it, Evalyn simply walked away. She wouldn''t humor rumors that Kaze Lexicon was a godeven if she spread them.
Having a mystery deity on the horizon was something to talk and argue about that didn''t involve death, danger, or suffering.
Two days passed by in a sh, giving everyone time to heal. On the third day, she gathered everyone in the shipping area, standing on a shipping container.
"It won''t be easy, but you must do it." Evalyn muttered bitterly, remembering Kaze''s words.
"Before you do this, you must address your problems head-on. If you raise morale and address a powder keg, it''ll poison all your gains.
So I rmend you address your problems and use this as a way to build them up."
The Ice General took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself.
"The day we began our scavenger training, 273 people died." Evalyn announced, shocking everyone with her blunt acknowledgment of her training''s consequences, "273 people diedbefore a single person returned with supplies.
That means that 273 fully-equipped soldiers with earth-grade cultivation techniques and weeks of hardcore military training couldn''t survive a day of scavenginga regr activity in the apocalypse.
What would have happened if the other 3,959 of you didn''t have those techniques or training?"
Upon hearing her words, a wave of conflicted emotions crashed into the soldiers'' hearts.
"You would''ve died." The Ice General dered coldly, "There were a lot of soldiers stationed in Merdian Cityyou know because you see them screaming at you daily. If you didn''t have these techniques, you''d be among them."
A wave of powerful negative force gripped their chests and squeezed.
"There is only one month until the food rations run out." Evalyn reminded them bluntly, "Without us here, you''d kill each other for food and resources like the rest of humankind.
If you survived, you woulde to this city with a fraction of your speed and strength, searching for food without Guided Arrows, sh Attacks, or Minor Healing.
Does anyone think that they could''ve survived without our help?"
Dead silence met her words. After the horrors they had witnessed, everyone med her subconsciously. Now she was forcing them to face reality.
"Silence?" She mused derisively, "Then let''s move onto scavenging. Who thinks you could''ve avoided scavenging after running out of supplies?"
The blonde swept her gaze over the shamed soldiers with a strange smile.
"Silence again? That''s strange because I would''ve sworn that at least a hundred of you said I sent you scavenging to murder you." Evalyn smiled chillingly, "Or perhaps something simr?"
Many seized in fear after getting called out for their words. The area turned dead silent.
"Oh, silly me; no one will answer that question." The Ice General chuckled, "They''re afraid of instant obliteration, obviously. How do I get input I got it!
As a one-time offer, if anyone thinks they would be better on their own or feels like the soldiers should protest their treatment here, they are free to leave.
Not only that, I will give them three days worth of Soul Qi meat and let them keep their equipment, weapons, and ammo. You have five minutes to discuss it."
Confusion spread through the crowd like wildfire. No one could believe what they were hearing. Many spoke about it openly, weighing the pros and cons.
"Oh!" Evalyn yelped, throwing up her finger, "I forgot the conditions of this offer. Those leaving must exit Meridian county to the east. If we find them within it three days from now, we''ll kill them on sight."
Waves of anxiety crashed through the groups. Everyone speaking stopped immediately, taking sharp breaths with pounding hearts.
"Immortal Skye does not [need] you." She smiled ominously, "That will never change.
Therefore, we will never allow you in if you deny our protection. That includes situations where Emperor Lexicon decides to expand east and overtakes a future settlement.
You will be nameless wastnders to us. And, as you know, we treat all wastnders as hostiles."
Dread and anxiety crashed over the group, feeling gravity crashing into them.
"Are there any takers?" Evalyn asked cutely, blinking with a sickly sweet smile. After an oppressive pause, her eyes widened. "Oh, that''s right! I forgot that I interrupted your deliberation; you have another five minutes.
Don''t forget this is a one-time offer. After today, you will get treated as deserters if you leave."
A second round of deliberations ensued. However, it was tense and awkward, with many dissidents shutting down and ignoring the ring leaders. Many of the ring leaders started causing scenes.
"WAIT!" Evalyn cried abruptly, making their hearts pulse with dread, "I forgot! If you [don''t leave] and sow discord or organize for better treatment outside of official channelsyou''ll hang."
Her words felt like crushing gravity, boring down on the soldiers'' bones. Some felt weak at the knees, unable to stand straight.
"Immortal Skye has given everyone a chance at life." She smiled brightly, "We''ve given you miraculous techniques and trained you. Now we present the option to leave with supplies.
Immortal Skye isn''t a democracy and it''s not your country. If you don''t like it, you can leave. If you stay, I expect you to ept our rules asw."
The soldiers gulped nervously, realizing that she no longer held tolerance in her tone.
"Carry on." Evalyn chirped cheerily, "I''ll give you fifteen minutes because I''m bad at this."
Talking resumed in full swing, as many people who felt incapable of keeping their mouths shut tried convincing people to leave with them. However, few epted their words.
Most realized the organizers feared for their lives but didn''t want to leave alone. So the soldiers distanced themselves from the leaders, triggering more tension and conflicts.
"ONE MORE THING!" Evalyn cried cutely, abruptly ending arguments, "If you tried to organize a mutiny, escape, or suggested counter-striking Immortal Skye, taking hostages, or obtaining leverage in any wayyou must leave.
If you tried organizing against Immortal Skye and you don''t leave, I''ll execute you tomorrow."
A static pulse of horror crashed through the organizers'' veins.
"If you lie to protect someone, you will also have to leave, so I don''t regret doing that." She smiled sinisterly, "Your arguments and testimony mean nothing anyway.
My people have been with you thesest few days, and I have countless informants infiltrating the dissident groups for weeks. If you threatened Immortal SkyeI know it. So if you don''t leave, expect your execution by tomorrow night.
Thank you for letting me rify. Please continue; you still have another ten minutes."
The panicked organizer''s fight-or-flight responses triggered, and they melted down.
"Caleb, you did, too!" A panicked brte said, "You need to leave with me! We have no choice; we need to leave!"
"I didn''t do shit, Jessa." The man replied, "You tried ying politicsnone of us followed you."
"Even if it were tentative, we agreed to the n!" Jessa cried, "I understand that it''s my fault that we''re in this position, but we''re in this together. Don''t get executed, Caleb!"
"You maniptive bitch!" Caleb yelled back, "We''re here right now because we didn''t go along with your fucking n! Yelling lies to force us to leave with you is fucking disgusting!"
"AHEM!" Evalyn squeaked cutely, "So long as you didn''t take action, non-organizers are excused from considering alternate ns. After all, stressed people are vulnerable to bad suggestions.
The only exception is agreeing to ns to attack Immortal Skye or taking hostages. You may continue."
A powder keg erupted after her confirmation. Groups that reluctantly formed with grave expressions suddenly erupted in vigorous debate.
The Ice General watched the breakdown with a sinister smile. She saw the organizers she knew and those she didn''t. Moreover, she heard about their plots and who was involved.
It was a satisfying development, as she was bluffing. She didn''t have a wide informantwork infiltrating the dissident groups.
Since she didn''t, she spread terror and paranoia by letting people scavenge without her aid and letting them meet the Immortals. It stressed them out and made them speak openly.
Once they were terrified of the outside world, she announced people would get exiled. After the announcement stressed them to the breaking point, she announced that protecting the guilty would result in exiletriggering a witch hunt.
-
"You were the one that said we should kill her! I was afraid for my life, like the rest of the team!"
"That''s right. You''re the strongest in the group, so we were just following what you were saying!"
"This is bullshit. Just because we didn''t decide to do it doesn''t change the facts. We all agreed that we would take her out so we could get away."
"Wait, tried to kill one of General Skye''s people?"
"No, we um it was just a discussion and wait, Beth!"
"Get away from me!"
-
"That was a joke! I was just angry; I wasn''t serious!"
"But back the fuck off, Damian. Joke or not, you suggested that we poison the general. While we didn''t take it seriously, we''re not getting kicked out because of your shit!"
"That''s rich,ing from someone saying we should teach Captain Mills a lesson to send a message."
"I didn''t say that shit! Don''t make up lies to bring me down with you!"
-
"I was just pissed off and ranting! Do you seriously think that I would''ve set this ce on fire while everyone was asleep?"
"It doesn''t matter what you would''ve done. Right now, you''re getting kicked out, and we don''t want to be part of it!"
"You really want to y this game, Alba? Why don''t I tell everyone about"
"Shut the fuck up, Linda. Otherwise, I''ll destroy you."
"Yeah, it sucks when people air shit in the open. But the difference between my ranting and your actions is just thatmine were words and yours are facts."
-
As the soldiers listened to the conversations, they shuddered in fear and moved away.
CLAP!
"I have a question for the innocents in the group" Evalyn smiled sinisterly, "Who has seen an Immortal in the city?"
All the conversations abruptly stopped, and the area fell silent. It was a trick question.
The Ice General ensured that everyone''s teams ran into an Immortal elite at least once to demonstrate their power. So they were aware.
"Everyone?" She mused, "That makes things easy. Who wants to be around these savages when we assimte with thousand of them? They''ll be looking to me you for their families losses'' and these idiots will give it to them."
It only took a moment before the confessors realized that Evalyn shrewdly set them up to confess publicly and turn the public against them. The Ice General set up their execution and was now garnering public support for their burning.
Chapter 278 A Promised Fate
Those who confessed to conspiring against Immortal Skye felt vicious pangs of dread. Everyone isted them, showcasing fear and hatred.
"I-It''s your job to protect us from the Immortals!" Jessa stuttered loudly, trying to regain support, "I-If people felt safe, they wouldn''t feel the need to create countermeasures."
"Hmmm." Evalyn smiled sinisterly, narrowing her eyes and turning to a certain person, "Denzel, I hear you ran into Kiera while training.
Can you please inform these people what happened?"
Everyone turned to the charismatic dissident, who was well-loved and respected at the base, awaiting his words carefully.
Denzel felt an icy chill crawl down his spine after getting called out. Kaze told them not to talk about meeting Immortal Skye, so the team omitted all details regarding their activities.
Eric put his hand on the buff ck man''s shoulder, nodding. His calm reminded him why they got chosen for a special team and went to Immortal Skye.
"If you''re talking about the pink-haired teenager." Denzel swallowed nervously, "She ran into a few blocks of zombies that had chased us into a skyscraper on 48th and Spencer.
Instead of avoiding them, she used Combustion. It didn''t just kill the zombiesit toppled our skyscraper. We barely escaped before it copsed."
A chorus of gasps and skeptical whispers rippled through the troops followed his words. While the skeptics initially hesitated to believe him, their minds quickly changed.
"Wait, so that''s what that smoke was!?"
"I heard the explosion!"
"I saw it; it was crazy!"
"No way! You''re telling me that you survived that?"
"Bullshit! There''s no way that was Combustion!"
His words instantly triggered an uproar. Some soldiers were excited, others fearful, and some called his words a lie, mostly from those practicing Combustion. Still, the image stuck in their minds.
CLAP!
Denzel was thankful when he heard the dreaded p, regaining everyone''s attention.
"You''re missing the point." Evalyn said bluntly, "Due to Kiera''s immense talent in cultivation and high-level breathing technique, she didn''t understand her power.
As a result, she triggered a massive explosion that nearly killed herself and Denzel''s team [by ident]. That''s what you''re failing to see.
The Immortals don''t know their new strength. As a result, when they start fistfights with you, they''ll forget that their hands can crumple a Maltian 827 anti-artillery tank.
Do you think that I can save you from unintentional death?"
Waves of anxiety cut through the crowd, spreading dread and doubt. After hearing about Evalyn''s powerlessness, they felt even less safe.
"T-Then why are we going through hell to prove ourselves!?" Damien yelled, feeding people''s anxieties, "If you can''t help us, what''s the point!?"
"Hmmmm let''s see." Evalyn said cutely, finger to her lips while looking at the sky, "For starters, people like you cause fistfights. And fist fights with this much force will kill innocent people.
For example, you''re currently proking someone who can kill everyone here. If I weren''t aware of my strength, I''d freeze you and idently kill the 50 innocent people surrounding you."
A web of negative synesthesia connected those standing around the man. He was proving the problem and demonstrating it.
Those around him moved further away. Not just themthose standing around Jessa, Mick, and other conspirators also moved away, leaving them isted.
The situation went from bad to worse for the dissidents.
"Why aren''t you training your people not to fight!?" One of the isted dissidents yelled, "Why aren''t you teaching them about their strength!? Manughter is still illegal!"
"Is that so?" Evalyn mused sinisterly, "Brandon, Carl, Sarahcare to share what happened when you ran into Rein, Steve, and Larkin the other day?"
The three''s stomachs dropped, and they felt weak in the knees, watching people iste them in real-time. It only took them a moment to realize they were in the exile group.
"W-We." Brandon began hesitantly, shaking and pleading for mercy with his bodynguage. Unfortunately, the Ice General had no intention of letting him go.
"Come on, tell us." Evalyn smiled cutely, "It''s a good story; I''m sure it''ll be a hit."
After the man had a mental breakdown, she asked Sarah and Carl. However, they also had the same reaction. All were horrified to learn they were getting exiled, and the psychological impact ofrge circles of empty spaces around them was profound.
Their reaction had a profound, misleading, and altogether convenient psychological effect on the innocent soldiers. After all, she asked about the experience with the Immortals, the soldiers had mental breakdownsthe image alone was haunting.
"Leo, tell everyone what happened." Evalyn smiled amusedly, "I hear you were rather reasonable about it, so I will not exile you. However, if you try to sugarcoat the facts to protect your teammates, you will join them."
"Our team of thirty ran into three people from Immortal Skye." Leo replied, averting his gaze, "They didn''t attack us and were reasonable, so I tried to walk away.
However, these three insisted that we kill them because they were liabilities. When I said no, they triggered a panic and shot Guided Arrows at them."
"And what happened after that, soldier." Evalyn mused sardonically.
"One woman blocked two dozen Guided Arrows while preventing her people from killing us." Leo sighed, triggering a ripple of shocked whispers, "It was brutal.
Once she got serious, she used a technique that felt like gravity strangled us. It incapacitated all of us, making us helpless."
"Yet you''re alive to tell about it." The Ice General smiled, "Tell me, Leo, why is that? Is it because the Immortals are forgiving?"
"One of them wanted to kill all of us for attacking them." The blonde-haired soldier shook his head, "The only reason we''re alive is that the brte leading them ordered him not to.
We''re pretty lucky she was there. I''m surprised we''re alive, given how angry she was and how justified killing us would have been."
"I am, too, considering I wasn''t there to [protect you]." Evalyn smirked sarcastically, mocking the dissidents, "Let me ask you, Leo. How bad would it have sucked if these idiots got you killed despite you ordering them against fighting?"
"Pretty bad, mam." Leon swallowed nervously, taking a sharp breath and averting his gaze.
The Ice General question was the nail in the coffin for the Lainwright soldiers. They finally understood that Evalyn couldn''t protect them and the brutal reality of starting fights with overpowered people.
With one story, everything she said clicked, and all support for the dissidents disappeared.
"Let me ask you again, soldiers." Evalyn said seriously, dropping her cutesy sarcasm act, "Who wants to be around these people once you assimte with the Immortals?"
Dead silence. No one could speak, but the soldiers shook their heads and found other ways of expressing their desire to distance themselves from the dissident soldiers.
The dissidents'' support base crumbled instantly, leaving them broken and alone.
"Dissident soldiers." The Ice General said authoritatively, sending shivers down their spines, "Tomorrow you will leave with Crux and me to the east with three days'' supply of Soul Meat and water, survival supplies, and the techniques and training we have given you.
However, I will kill you tonight if you try to convince others toe with you, attack us, or sow discord. So I suggest you ept the clemency we''ve given you for your foolish crimes."
"Clemency?" Jessaughed with madness swirling in her eyes, "You call a death sentence out there clemency? ARE YOU"
CRAaaCK!
A massive ice ball hit the woman in the rib cage, shattering most of her ribs and sending bone shrapnel into her lungs. She wheezed on the ground, reaching for help, but the soldiers backed away in fear.
In the eerie silence, she could hear footsteps approaching her.
"H-Help me." Jessa gasped, reaching up her hand when she saw ck boots.
"People like you cannot be saved." Evalyn said coldly, picking the shaking woman up by the cor, "They''re just food for the strong and cunning."
The dissident felt her body airborne, free-flying through the air. She thought that perhaps she had died until she saw an expansive wall of blue water below her.
SPLASH!
An Orca-sized great white shark shot out of the water, smelling her blood and dying presence. Screams from shore flooded Jessa''s ears as she fell into its mammoth jaws.
SNAP!
Terror and trauma spread through the crowds of soldiers, screaming and crying.
"Jessa Lancaster suffered the fate I promised she''d face a few seconds before she broke the rules!" Evalyn roared, "Immortal Skye isn''t a democracy, you don''t have rights, and we don''t care about your opinions. Not just for you, but for the Immortals.
We''re a society ruled by the strong. You will follow the orders of your superiors, abide by ourws, and keep your opinions to yourself, or you will suffer exile or death.
Your petty protests and foolish politics end here today."
[Friendly reminder: you don''t have to rebuy privilege chapters at the start of the month, as there''s no surcharge for the 20 chapters. It only costs four coins and the price of the new chapters to re-subscribe. You don''t get double charged. What I''ve done for readers is umon, so I thought I''d mention it. Thanks for reading!]
Chapter 279 Departure | August 2nd, 2032 | 31 Days Remain
Evalyn scanned the crowd of terrified soldiers with aplex expression. She could see her supporters trembling, making the moment critical in their rtionship. She had to turn it around.
"While Immortal Skye isn''t a democracy, this isn''t a dystopia, either." She imed boldly, "If you follow us, we promise you rtive prosperity in the apocalypse. We promise you power, opportunity, and a future; that''s what it means to be an Immortal!"
The soldiers were stunned by the reversal. She had broken them down and brought them back up, rising them from the ashes.
"While you are weak now, those who gain our trust will not remain that way." The Ice General dered, "They will be strong enough to look the Immortals in the eye, face the world''s dangers, and survive!"
Their icy fear thawed, allowing them to breathe and feel hope. Many cheered due to her vigorous enthusiasm, copying Kaze''s rhetoric.
"With these techniques, you will live for centuries." Evalyn yelled, "You''re on the forefront of the Mortal ne''s resistance and the birth of civilization!
Over a long enough timeline, you can be anything. You will see a world as prosperous as you once knew, so survive until then!
Follow Immortal Skye, build our trust, earn your keep, follow our rules, and we''ll lead you into the future--and to victory!"
Lainwright soldiers erupted in cheering and thunderous apuse, making the blonde feel sick and her heart pulse with fear. Seeing how easy it was to manipte scared people made her wonder how powerful Kaze truly was. Not just physically but politically as well.
"Now follow the rules and ept your fate, dissidents!" Evalyn ordered coldly, "Because you''re no longer one of [us]. Those around you are aspiring Immortals; do not infect them with your foolish rhetoric and lead them astray."
Her nationalistic words instantly took root in the vulnerable soldiers'' hearts, giving them pride and hope and further distancing them from the dissidents.
Friendships died.
New bonds formed.
Nationalism took root.
The dissidents were done. Their arguments, support, and future disappeared in an instant.
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"I don''t like cing this much trust into the hands of others." Evalyn said aloud, walking into her tent after the speech.
"Hoh?" A hypnotic voice said amusedly, "Is the infamous Ice General attached to her unruly pack of miscreants?"
"More than I wish to be." The Ice General replied, sitting in her chair and turning to the man with a serious expression, "Are you certain this n will not result in disaster, Kaze?"
"I can guarantee their safety for the duration of your trip." Kaze replied, one leg crossed over the other, "However, what value would that bring?
The real question is, how confident are you in your trainees?"
Evalyn took a deep breath in frustration, not at the emperor but at her situation. "Not confident enough to think this would end up a [win] without significant help."
"Such is the value of cinching a fight." He smiled, "Doing so is in the organization of your resources and prior preparations for the [unforeseen] circumstances."
"How would you organize my people?" The Ice General asked straightly, "The disaster potential for this operation is too high for me to let people die for situations I manufactured. So I''d rather not rely upon my thoughts alone."
"That''s respectable." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "To answer your query, if they were my people...."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
After leaving her tent, Evalyn got back up on the shipping container. When the soldiers saw her, the atmosphere froze, and silence swept through the area like a chilling breeze.
"I have received reports on the scavenging teams, including leadership highlights and the number of resources retrieved." She announced, creating a mixture of positive surprise and anxiety, "Those who did well will gain ess to the Combustion technique.
Combustion is an honor for those who distinguish themselves. Learning it means earning a greater chance at survival and a step closer to bing an Immortal.
I will list the distinguished names now. If you get called, do not let it get to your head, as one incident can change your cement.
Let''s begin. Eric Groves, Denzel White, Moe Bloom, Lalya Reece, Chen Huang, Leo Markwood...."
Excitement spread through the crowd as she announced over two hundred names. That was in addition to the [civilian protectors], including Riley, Randy, and the rest of her team.
The number increased morale, showing how much opportunity there was at Immortal Skye and that earning power and protection was not a coveted position.
Moreover, [at least one person in each group] got the technique. It filled each group''s members with the hope that they would get to learn it soon.
"While you''ll learn the technique in new groups, it''s only temporary." Evalyn announced, "You''re stuck with the groups I assigned you previously. You will learn and grow with them.
Now meet on the beach, partner up, and start learning. The rest will be deboning fish--you are dismissed."
***
BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOM!
Evalyn walked down the beach, watching the desalination teams teaching the new arrivals how to use the technique. After a little rhetoric, she convinced the soldiers to practice over the ocean to create a firework show.
With five hundred people using Combustion on the beach, it became a massive spectacle that everyone began watching.
The morale of the traumatized desalinators skyrocketed when they used Combustion offensively for the first time.
Due to the intensive training on Qi control and regtion of oxygen and sparking, their explosions were massive rtive to the noobies that had just started learning. As a result, all the soldiers looked to them with envy, building feelings of pride. All the grueling torture they went through suddenly felt worth it.
Evalyn watched the firework show with a strange expression. She was d everyone could see the fruits of their training and get a moment of respite. "I hope this is enough."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
--August 2nd, 2023 | Shipping Yard--
"Load up and hold on tight." The Ice General told the dissidents, "This is the first and only time anyone will get to ride a divine beast. Crux isn''t very happy about it, so I suggest that your excitement or fear doesn''t trigger her wrath."
The ex-soldiers winced, fearing the massive panther''s judgment. However, Crux stayed strangely calm, lying on the ground patiently as sixty dissidents got onto her back.
Now that she had decreased her superiorityplex toward mortals, she didn''t find the task humiliating--only embarrassing.
While she usually wouldn''t get caught dead with anyone on her back, she felt oddly at ease following Evalyn''s orders. The blonde''s personality seemed increasinglyfortable every day, as if something were clicking.
Naturally, she understood their past rtionships and their hazy, regressing memories. However, she was still confused about why Kaze was so clear in her mind, but the person she fought next to for the better half of a century was clouded. Still, their bond was unnatural, and she epted that.
Therefore, she followed the Ice General''s embarrassing orders like a good soldier and allowed the foolish mortals to climb on.
With sixty-one people riding her, the soldiers finally understood how massive the Panthera was. It made them shudder, remembering that they fought her during the pitch-ck takeover of Lainwright.
"Continue training for another two hours." Evalyn ordered the non-dissident soldiers, "Then follow through with your duties. I''ll only be gone until nightfall, so I expect that there will be no incidents!"
"YES, ICE GENERAL SKYE!"
The soldiers saluted in unison at her cold order and watched her disappear at 100 miles per hour, the fastest she could run without the mortals falling off.
However, the speed was surreal, considering she was running over buildings and streets, not a highway.
"Be safe." Evalyn gritted under her teeth, her hands gripping the panther''s neck fur tightly.
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"It seems it wasn''t natural, after all." Kaze smiled, flying over a massiveke a hundred miles west of Immortal Skye, "To think they''d invest a Spirit Vein into Lake Wanashina."
Lake Wanashina was an expansive water body surrounded byrge mountains. It served as the core of the Twin Rocks Wildlife Reserved, referred to by the Sky ne cultivators as the [Sanctuary].
In his past life, the emperor remembered the location as a hellish means of survival. In this life, he observed it as a farm for carnivorous animals that survived the rapture.
However, he wasn''t there to hunt for food. There was a specific animal he was looking for.
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
Kaze developed a dastardly grin, seeing thousands of eagle-sized seagulls and otherrge birds hunting over theke. "You''ll do nicely."
Chapter 280 Things To Be Grateful For
Twin Rocks Wildlife Reserve sat a hundred miles west of Meridian City. It was arge forested area home to a hundred thousand nts, fungi, and animals.
In the center was an expansiveke, 25 mi2 in size. While one could see the mountains on the other side, a person couldn''t see the shore. It looked like an endless sea thatnded on a mountain.
While the park was once peaceful, the Sky ne cultivators seeded a Spirit Vein inside theke. A Spirit Vein was a treasure that suckedrge quantities of Qi into an area.
It was a precious treasure that created natural cultivation havens in the upper nes. Once a Spirit Vein was present, cultivators would payrge quantities of money to cultivate under denser Qi.
While such treasures weren''t rare, obtaining one was exceedingly difficult for two reasons. The first was a person needed to be of a realm high enough to sustain the intense Qi influx, or their meridians and dantian would rupture. The second was that it was dangerous to get near one.
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
SPLASH! Ssh!
A massive seagull the size of a bald eagle shot into theke and returned with a 10-pound baby walleye. Another ten did the same thing within three seconds.
There were thousands of seagulls doing the same. In addition, there were eagles the size of wolves, yellow jackets the size of murder hos, and countless other overpowered creatures flying directly above theke.
Below the water was a gxy of deadly walleye and northern pikes ranging from ten to two-hundred pounds. Due to the abrupt power shift, the predatory fish went on a breeding spree, turning it into a hellscape stew prepping ground.
Between the sky and water, creatures circling the Spirit Vein turned it into a death trap far beyond the capabilities of most cultivators.
Since Spirit Veins stayed stagnant, everything around them became stronger. They turned water into a treasure, feeding beasts and expediting natural Spirit Qi creation.
"I''ll leave the Spirit Vein here for now." Kaze shifted his gaze from the birds to Earthians fighting with beasts in the forest. "To steal this vein would be to steal my own life as well as yours. However, I will return for both when the time is right."
Only those handed earth-grade techniques or higher in his past life got them unless they won them in an event. Therefore, people had to survive using cunning and skill.
The fastest way to boost one''s power was to eat Soul Qi-rich meat, found in predators, constantly eating Soul Meat from other predators. And during the rapture ergo events, the cultivators announced the Twin Rocks Wildlife Reserve and the value of Soul Qi.
As a result, countless survivors traveled to the area to hunt and grow. Kaze was one of them in his past life, so he had a strange connection to the ce.
"I wonder what these tortured souls will think when all the birds disappear?" He chuckled mischievously, "Gratitude? No, such rationality does not exist where fear flourishes.
And oh, will there be terror before the gratitude sinks in. Divine Transfiguration: [Soul Gift]."
Kaze''s body lit up with runes as he pulled his hand back.
Whooooooooooosh!
A golden sphere of Qi shot into the center of the birds and exploded, creating a profound ripple of golden light. As it shot through the birds, their eyes lit up with greed as power welled within them.
ROAAAAAR!
SQUUUUEEEEE! SQUEEEEEEEE!
The animals in the area also went wild, looking above the clouds and finding a cultivator hovering in the air.
"Tasty?" Kaze smirked, developing another ball of Qi and turning to Meridian City, "Fetch."
The emperor waved his hand, and a ball of Soul Qi shot across the air at 200 miles per hour.
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
A massive flock of seagulls shot from theke at high speeds, cutting through the sky.
All the survivors stopped and screamed in fear, running for their lives as the beasts in the forest stampeded and thousands of biblical-sized birds took to the air, blocking out the sun. Everyone thought that their lives had finally reached their climax.
"Yup, fear." Kaze smirked, watching their terrified expressions, "They''ll be grateful once they realize that these loathsome scavengers are gone from theke."
The emperor chuckled and turned to the flying birds, spotting eagles and serious threats. "I suppose hunting is necessary. Luckily, everyone will benefit from the wind elementals to help them learn flying."
Unlike Qi which was invariant, elemental affinities were unique to the animal.
Soul Qi cleansed bodies of impurities, strengthened bodies, and facilitated healing. Each animal was different in what it needed, so the Qi developed qualities to help beasts. When cultivators consumed an animal''s meat, they obtained a unique cocktail of magical benefits designed for it.
For that reason, all animals contained elementals. Eating nocturnal animals gave a person better night vision and hearing. Eating birds helped with air resistance and developing aerodynamic Qi patterns. Desert creatures and winter animals gave heat and ice resistance.
However, certain elementals like electricity were legendary, as animals capable of electrogenesis were already rare, located on multiple continents and oceans, and had to be strong to survive.
Luckily, most elementals were easy to obtain for an overpowered Immortal who could fly and use spatial rifts to transport animals. So the power was easy to obtain and convenient.
"I''ll give the eagles for the elites... soldiers can eat the seagulls... and...." Kaze eyed a condor the size of a baby pterodactyl with a predatory glint in his eyes. "You''ll be a gift for my lovers."
a??a"a"?a"a??
"Why are we always ying babysitter for these idiots?" Rein scoffed, sitting on the roof of a medium-height skyscraper.
"Information control." Steve sighed, sitting next to her and looking toward the west.
"Who cares?" Larkin asked, "Emperor Scrawn''s asking more of us. We should be grateful; that''s a one way ticket to promotion town! "
"That''s right...." The short-haired brte muttered to herself, eyes lighting up. She was so critical of Kaze''s antics that she often forgot he was her boss!
Steve twirled his fingers to the sky unenthusiastically. "Yay."
"Why do you hate attention, S Man?" Larkin asked curiously, "You''ve got the skillz, and the favor from the big man."
"Government officials are held to a higher standard of integrity." Steve exined seriously, "I''d rather if my humble gambling addiction didn''t get reframed as a scandal or sign of corruption."
Rein''s eyes widened in surprise. While the message wasmentable, the thought process behind it was shockingly rational. "I just thought that you were trying to shirk responsibilities."
"No, that''s just atent benefit." The Asian man sighed, eyes closed, "While... hold up, guys. There''s something moving from the west."
"Are you seeing somethin''?" Larkin asked suspiciously, "I ain''t seein''--"
Squawk... huoh-huoh-huoh....
"A seagull?" Rein asked in confusion, "I''ve just realized I haven''t heard a seagull in weeks. Steve... Steve, what''s wrong?"
Steve''s face contorted into a grim expression, looking to the west. "Use the Sensory Enhancement technique."
Following his ominous request, she activated the technique. When she did, her face turned grim. "You got to be fucking kidding me. We need to get off this building--NOW!"
"Why, though?" Larkin asked stubbornly, "Why are ya''ll freaking out about a seagull--"
"NOW!" Rein snapped, picking him up off the ground.
"OKAY, OKAY!" The jester snapped indignantly, "I''m just saying that... oh."
Larkin''s eyes trembled in disbelief, looking into the distance.
"Yeah, [oh]!" She growled, "Now jump! We need to get closer to the shipping yard, now!"
a??a"a"?a"a??
"This atmosphere is he awkward." Denzel sighed, watching soldiers get up after the group cultivation session, "It''s like genuine hope crawled into 1984."
"Well yeah, no one wants to be shipped out." Eric said seriously, "At the same time, everyone has a right to feel excited. The results we''ve gotten in thest few days have been... shocking."
While Eric''s team focused on learning Combustion, the rest of the soldiers practiced Guided Arrow and sh Attacks.
When they did, they realized that their performance had skyrocketed! Their control was refined, and their nuanced goals were easier to aplish. It showed that Evalyn''s "training" wasn''t pure punishment and had profound benefits. Combined with Soul Meat, new techniques, and encouragement, morale was at an all-time high.
However! The threat of death or exile was tangible, as Evalyn demonstrated both recently. As a result, people were excited about the future but fearful of others, creating a paranoid environment where people spoke less to prevent conflicts. It was ufortable, to say the least.
"You''re all worrying too much!" Jackson smiled energetically, getting up from the lotus position and stretching, "General Skye''s not the type to start fights; she''s more the type that ends them.
If we keep practicing and showing our value, we''ll be fine. The rest should bemon sense, anyway."
"You''re way too fuckin'' optimistic, man." Chen scoffed, getting up and grabbing his framed hiking backpack, "The General''s not our biggest concern--right now, it''s scavenging in that hell hole.
So let''s get this shit over with and be grateful we''re still kickin''. It''s alreadyte, and I don''t want to sleep in another building again."
The team sighed in understanding. No matter how magnanimous, fair, or righteous Evalyn was, it didn''t change their dangerous roles or realities of the apocalypse.
With the surprise training, they were departing midway through the day, leaving half as many hours to scavenge and return. So the day was far harder than usual. It was bittersweet.
"REMEMBER!" Sandra yelled out, "IF YOU SEE AN IMMORTAL, REPORT IT TO THE BASE IMMEDIATELY! IF YOU MUST CONFRONT THEM, RESOLVE IT PEACEFULLY BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!"
"You don''t have to tell me twice." Denzel chuckled bitterly, "If this policy hade out a few days ago, I''d haveined that they were creatingws to herd us like cattle.
Now, I''m grateful for the policy. It''s funny how things change."
"Isn''t that the truth?" Moe chuckled wryly, nodding her head. She also understood the sentiment.
After a sharedugh, the group walked into the city, where they''d prove their words simultaneously ironic and prophetic.
Chapter 281 Flight Of The Death Squawkers
At 12:15 pm, August 2nd, 2032, a hundred scavenging groups spread into the city to obtain supplies. Most groups were around fifty soldiers in size, with many teams banding together.
The day started just like any other. It was hot as hell, the soldiers were nervous, and the list of supplies in their hands was just as absurd as always.
"This is ridiculous." Chen scoffed, looking at the list, "Not only are power generators rare, but they''re also ridiculously heavy. Does she expect us to haul these through zombie territory?"
Once the power grid went down, personal power generators became in demand and fought over. As a result, many got destroyed, stolen, and shipped off.
"This is probably training." Jackson said, "It''s like capture the g, where we''re protecting the generator as we move through the town."
"Don''t make it out like it''s a...." The Chinese man began, "Nah, never mind. We already decided that games are better then the General''s training."
"Shhhhh!" Eric shushed aggressively. They looked around and remembered they were with Leo''s group that day. Since they [never went] to Immortal Skye, they couldn''t talk about it.
"Just be d we''re not returning to the merchant district." Denzel sighed, shrewdly switching the conversation, "I hear that''s where the soup and water lines were.
That''s why there are so many zombies out there. It also exins the campgrounds."
They sawrge encampments on the street with ripped-up tents, reinforced buildings, and other signs of long-term living in the merchant district.
"That''s really eerie when you spell it out." Moe shivered, "It''s easier to think of this as a city that suddenly turned into a sea of zombies overnight than think about the horrors that happened here."
The soldiers shuddered, falling silent. When they did, they heard something strange in the distance.
"Speaking of eerie...." Leo said pensively, "Is that a seagull? I thought that they had died out."
Everyone listened carefully. Sure enough, they heard the familiar sound only a momentter.
Squawk... huoh-huoh-huoh....
"No way...." Moe said in astonishment, "There are still animals around? I don''t even see insects nowadays."
"Yeah... something must have lured them away." La said ominously.
"Hey, look!" Jackson cried ecstatically, pointing to the west, "I think I see one!"
The buff ck man''s eyes widened in horror when he followed the teen''s finger.
"Oh, hell nah!" Denzel yelled, "We need to get back to get the fuck out of her. Let''s go back to camp!"
"What?" La giggled, "Are you afraid of birds?"
Most of the group joined in herughter, but he didn''t blush or stutter.
"I''m not afraid of birds, but I''m afraid of those fucking birds!" Denzel snapped aggressively, making everyone look up, "Those things are flying over Michigan Tower, and we can tell they''re seagulls. Think about that for a few seconds, and then let''s get the fuck out of here!"
The atmosphere switched so suddenly that people needed a few seconds to process his words.
Michigan Tower was miles from their location, yet the soldiers could see the features of the birds. That meant one thing--they were fucking gigantic!
"There''s more of them!" Leo yelled, pointing in another direction, "Denzel''s right; we need to go back as fast as possible! If we don''t get there in time, the fish will attack the camp!"
"W-Why would it attack the camp!?" Moe cried in horror.
"Because there''s a huge pile of fish near it!" The blonde-haired leader yelled, "I don''t know about you, but I don''t want to see a day where the Ice General walks into camp and finds hundreds of dead civilians!"
Panic shot through the soldiers, and they immediately ran toward camp.
"KEEP ORDERLY!" Eric yelled, "GET INTO YOUR SUB GROUPS!"
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"Son of a bitch!" Rein cried, tripping and falling on a strip mall''s roof. She got up without a scratch, but her mind was flustered, "He should''ve warned us what we were protecting them against!"
"We''re not [guarding] anyone, Rein." Steve corrected, jumping from another roof andnding by her side, "We''re here to demonstrate, signal, and corral. Protecting isn''t our job."
"And thank God, too." Larkin wheezed, catching up to them, "Can you imagine fighting that?"
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
Shade spread over the streets like a gue, blocking out the sun. Broken ss on cars and storefronts flickered like mica as the shadows passed and the sun reappeared, creating a strobe light that set the war tempo.
"You''re both missing the point!" Rein snapped, watching thousands of massive birds fly over them, "Our job is to teach weak people how to fight these things--if we can''t handle them confidently, how will they fare if they don''t know how to attack them!? They''re sitting ducks!
We should at least cull their ranks and separate them with Combustion."
"Are you joking!?" Steve asked in horror, "Not only will people not see the attack, but we''ll also attract the aggro on all of them! Hero when you can; only when you can!
Especially now. Kaze sent people to protect the family members, so let them do their job!"
"Wait, he sent people?" Rein asked in confusion, "Who did he send?"
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
Squawk... huoh-huoh-huoh....
"Check out that pack of fish-munching death squawkers." A teenager wearing ck tights and a matching color shirtmentedzily, "It''s cute."
Crunch!
She bit into a dill pickle potato chip as if the sight of thousands of eagle-sized seagulls didn''t phase her. While her words sounded psychotic, no one could use her ofcking perspective on danger.
After all, she was sitting on a shipping yard crane a hundred feet above the ground, kicking her legs yfully as she ate potato chips.
Crunch!
Kiera slowly shifted her gaze from the birds to the 100-ton pile of frozen fish on the pier. "I wonder if Kazey didn''t remind Wifey One about the fish pop or if she just forgot."
Crunch!
"Whatevs." She bit into another chip rxedly and shrugged her shoulders. "That sounds like a [them problem], not a [me problem]."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"They sent Kiera!?" Rein cried, "To protect people!?"
"I''m guessing this is why he didn''t tell you." Steve sighed, "Jake, Veronica, and Kylie are out there too. So rx.
Evalyn is a tough-love parent. While she might let some people get chewed on, she won''t let a tragedy go down, so let''s get to where we need to be and do our job."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"I''m sure Kiera has a wonderful name for these vile creatures." Kaze smiled, flying above the clouds, overlooking Meridian City, "I''ll have to ask herter; for now...."
The emperor examined the area with a slight smile.
"Hoh?" He mused, "It seems that a few groups have already recognized the severity of the threat and are moving back to the camp.
I''ll leave those people be to see how they protect the base. As for everyone else... let''s give them some gifts."
Kaze waved his hand, and dozens of bolts of golden Qi developed, refined in the shape of real arrows. Their color was dim, nearly invisible in the sunlight. "Let''s separate the ranks."
Arrows shot through the flock of seagulls, navigating around their bodies.
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
A frenzy immediately broke out, with thousands of birds ramming into each other, chasing the arrows Qi. As if by magic, the massive flock separated into dozens of smaller groups, whooping, thrashing, and squawking on their way to the Earth.
The groups that had ignored the mass of birds in the distance could only watch in terror as flocks of angry seagulls flew directly at them.
Chapter 282 Signaling The Counterstrike
If only one scene encapsted the rapture for the soldiers, it was the sight of thousands of blood-matted seagulls crashing from the heavens to eat them.
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
"A-Arrows!" An Immortal elite stuttered in terror, "GUIDED ARROWS!"
Due to their heightened sensory perception, the Lainwright soldiers instantly heard and acted upon her words. After she released an arrow, dozens followed from the fifty-soldier group.
WHoooOOoshHHhhooOOoshhHhhshoooOoooOosSH!
SQUAAAAWK! SQUAAAAWK! SQUAAAAWK!
Blood bloomed from above, raining down on buildings. However, hundreds of fresh seagulls reced the fallen without pause. It was truly a nightmare scene.
"What?" A male soldier muttered, seeing the birds shoot to a side street instead of at them, "Is there something else here?"
"Who gives a fuck, Weston!?" The Immortal snapped, "Ready another arrow; I doubt they''ll ignore us long!"
"Yes, Olivia!" Weston replied, creating an arrow, "We oh, dear God."
HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
Olivia''s words proved prophetic as birds with a wingspan longer than the soldiers were tall waddled from a side street, moving in cadence like a street gang.
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
"W-What should we do?" Weston asked nervously.
"I''m not sure." She gulped nervously.
"G-Get b-b-back!" Another man stammered.
"Wait!" Olivia yelled, "If they fly"
WHooooooOOooSshH! SQUAAAAWK! SQUAAAAWK!
Her words were toote. An erratic arrow cut through two seagulls in an instant, spurting blood over broken down. Not a momentter
HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH! SQUAAAAWK!
HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH! SQUAAAAWK!
SQUAAAAWK! SQUAAAAWK!
A chaotic cacophony of battle cries shot from the birds, immediately taking flight and charging.
"Idiots!" Olivia yelled, releasing her arrow at a seagull on course to rip a soldier''s throat out.
WHOooOooSH!
It cut through the avian and then across the street, blowing through another seagull''s skull. The bird was biting a soldier''s leg, so the shot was appreciated.
Those who got bit learned that the birds weren''t strong enough to cut through their muscles with a single bite. However, they were powerful enough to shred their skin and create small fractures.
While one wasn''t a threat, the numbers made them deadly.
"Fan out and run to the base!" The Immortal yelled, "Move in teams of"
SQUAAAAWK!
Arge bird shot from the air, attacking her. She grabbed its neck in slow-motion, gripping it with inhuman strength.
CRACK!
The terrified soldiers watched their Sky Realm counterpart casually dispatch one with her bare hands. It was a moment that revitalized the soldiers, many of whom had already been bitten.
"RUN TO THE BASE!" Olivia yelled, pulling out a Soul Qi-reinforced machete. She rushed to soldiers getting mauled by birds and shed at the beasts, cutting through them at high speeds.
The traumatized soldiers lying on the ground shook in fear, getting sshed with blood. However, their bodies radiated in a cool blue light, calming their emotions and slowing their hearts. Red light radiated from them the next moment, healing their wounds.
In a profound disy of skill, the Olivia had saved them, dispatched multiple seagulls, calmed the soldiers down, and healed their wounds before running off. The scene was nothing short of inspirational for most of the soldiers.
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
"Just how many of these are there!?" The Immortal cried, cutting through another seagull and helping a soldier stand, "How are we supposed to fight these?"
BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOM!
Soldiers shot sh attacks rapidly, cutting through dozens of seagulls. However, there were still a hundred above them, and they dodged the attacks soldiers sent at them.
It was a bleak situation. The soldiers'' only saving grace was that their bodies were stronger than steel, and the birds were rtively weak and small. Unfortunately
"KyaHHhhhHHhHHhHhH!"
Zombies screamed in the distance, attracted to the sound of wounded soldiers and explosions from arrows and sh attacks hitting buildings.
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
"How the hell are we supposed to salvage this nightmare!?" Olivia yelled, cutting through another seagull.
As if the gods heard her prayers, the answer presented itself in a bold, dynamic disy.
The air above the city warped around arge flock of seagulls. A momentter
BOOOOOOOOM!
"That''s!" Olivia cried, watching hundreds of birds get vaporized in a massive explosion. She didn''t need to say it for everyone to know what they were looking at.
Combustion.
Within two minutes, the city lit up with a firework showthe same they had practiced the night before. Explosions of various sizes detonated in the sky, raining down ash and brimstone.
The situation turned from bleak to manageable in only a matter of minutes.
"LISTEN UP!" Olivia yelled, jumping onto a nearby building, "REGROUP! WE''LL ATTRACT THEM IN BULK AND HAVE THE SPECIALISTS TAKE THEM OUT!"
Those with the technique shuddered. Having the power and using it were two separate things when everyone was scraping just to survive.
It would be one thing if they knew the technique inside and out. However, most learned it the night before and needed to concentrate. Using it incorrectly was dangerous, as it would set buildings on fire and potentially kill groups of soldiers. Combustion wasn''t a joke.
Most importantly, no one wanted to go [back] toward the zombies. They wouldn''t have considered it if it weren''t for the demonstration they had just seen.
The situation became tense, and the soldiers conflicted, fighting for their lives as they consider it. However, a momentter
BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOM!
A new firework show cut across the sky, making explosions of various shapes and sizes. The neverending wall of birds began disintegrating, with hundreds of charred corpses falling to the sky.
"WE''RE NOT WEAK!" Olivia yelled, seizing the opportunity, "WE''RE CULTIVATORS, AND THESE ARE OVER-GLORIFIED BIRDS!
SO STOP COWERING, HEAL YOUR COMRADES, PROTECT THE SPECIALISTS, AND GET YOUR ASSES OVER HEREIT''S TIME FOR THE COUNTERSTRIKE!"
A small me of hope welled in the Combustion specialists. The soldiers running near them nodded and began protecting the soldiers with the technique.
While the groups moved back, they saved soldiers getting mauled and healed them. The group''s morale skyrocketed within a few minutes, and they regrouped, ready for the counterattack.
TTT
Five minutes before, Rein stood on a skyscraper''s rooftop, five miles from the shipping yard. She breathed heavily, gasping for breath as ming birds fell to the earth. "Did... I make it?"
The skyscraper had a hole of broken ss from where a sh attack hit it, proceeding her jump through the windows. Its metal rooftop door was hanging on a broken hinge with a massive footprint in it. Everywhere she went ended up destroyed as she crashed through the building at top speed, adrenaline pulsing through her veins.
Now, the world was catching up to her. She looked around for the first time, seeing the results of her attack.
"Damn." Rein gasped, breathing harshly, "This technique is brutal huuuuh no wonder he was so confident."
A burning cloud of seagulls struggled to fly, continually reaping new victims.
"Did I huuuuuh." She wheezed, sweat dripping down her face, "Make it in time huuuuh huuuuh to demonstrate?"
BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOM!
A chorus of explosions met her words.
"It seems I did." The brte chuckled, falling to her knees.
"GET OUT OF THERE, REIN!" Steve yelled, crashing through the busted rooftop door.
"What?" Rein muttered in a daze, realizing that exhaustion and Qi deprivation had made her hazy. She looked up and froze.
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH! SQUAAAAWK!
While she focused on the ashes flying to the earth, she lost track of the skies, now teaming with aggravated seagulls, charging her with bloodlust in their eyes.
Chapter 283 A Saucy Development
SQUAAAAWK! SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH! SQUAAAAWK!
A dozen eagle-sized seagulls crashed down on the short-haired brte. "QI WALL!"
Rein threw up a weak barrier, but the overwhelming force crashing into it caused it to shatter.
"Storm Chamber!" Steve yelled, visualizing a blueprint for a technique she had never heard of. He waved his hand, and a viciously howling wind mmed into the seagulls, sending them flying.
? Despite pushing them away, the wind stuck to each seagull like glue, wrapping a small vortex around them.
"Compress!" The Asian man yelled, clenching his fist.
SQUAAAAWK! SQUAAAAWK!
His action caused the seagulls to thrash around wildly as the visual wind condensed smaller and smaller and smaller until
CReeeaaCkKkkKkK!
their bones snapped into fragments.
It was a gruesome spectacle, but it didn''tst long. From start to finish, the attack onlysted a couple of seconds.
"Combustion!" Steve yelled, reaching to the sky.
KA-BOOOOOOOOOM!
Seagulls preparing to attack burnt to a crisp abruptly, falling from the sky.
"Whoa! Chill huuuuuuh Romeo!" Larkin yelled, bursting through the door to the rooftop, "You''re burning through Qi like reefer at a hippie fest! I get this is your girl, but don''t croak."
Steve was surprised that the man would deduce something so nuanced. However, he looked down and learned that there was nothing nuanced about it. His meridians sucked Qi from the atmosphere erratically, usually a sign of Qi deprivation. "How?"
Rein was equally confused. He had only released two attacks but was already showing intermediate Qi withdrawal symptoms!
She wanted to grab hold of him but couldn''t, as she was in the same boat.
Luckily, thenky jester caught him as his vision got hazy andid him beside the brte. "Here, rest up next to Juliet, but don''t die."
The hazy brte gritted her teeth but fell onto the ground, confused about why they were both so Qi-deprived.
"Alright, bitchez!" Larkin yelled, pulling his elbows back and wiggling his tongue, "You wanted the mps; now get some! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"
Like a madman, he mped the air, shredding through the seagulls.
While others had a problem because they could only handle one attack, the Immortals didn''t have that problem, as they could control their Qi and fire semi-auto.
Just as Rein was thinking about that, she realized why they were so Qi-deprived. "It was the scale of the attack."
They attacked hundreds of seagulls in the air, a massive space without perspective. As a result, they expended ungodly amounts of Qi to kill hundreds of creatures simultaneously!
"Is that so?" Steve chuckled amusedly, looking into the sky, "It didn''t seem that big to me. I suppose that''s because our frame of reference is so twisted."
An image of Kiera topping a skyscraper shed in both of their minds, making the Qi-deprived Immortals chuckle bitterly.
"What was that attack?" Rein asked weakly.
"A pain in the ass I got from the Sky ne cultivators in June." Steve replied bluntly, "The amount of Qi control required by technique is absurd. It''s not even worth it."
"So you didn''t disclose it because it''s a pain in the ass?" She asked in confusion.
"Correct." He replied wryly, "I only used it because I needed a shield for you. Otherwise, I would''ve just used air shes to kill them, as this technique isn''t lethal by default."
"So wait." Rein''s eyes lit up, connecting the puzzle pieces, "The reason that you''re so talented with Qi control"
"Is because I have a shit technique that requires it." Steve smirked, "I also had an earth-grade technique before I showed up to Immortal Skye. I''m just lucky, and that''s why I"
"Don''t say it." The short-haired brte snapped, cutting him off, "I don''t want to hear excuses."
"Love you." He corrected shrewdly, throwing experimental chaos into the pot, "What are you talking about?"
"There''s no reason you should be gambling." Rein huffed, rolling her eyes, "Least of all, w-w-wait! Wh-What!?"
"That isn''t an excuseit''s a fact." The Asian man replied, "Wait, what did you say?"
-
HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
"Oh, you want some, too?" Larkin yelled, moving his neck back and forth, "Well, lucky for you, I''m feeling generous today!"
-
"Wait, you first!" She snapped aggressively, eyes shut tightly, "What did you just say after saying you were lucky!?"
"I said [gamble]." Steve chuckled in amusement, watching her adorable expressions, "I''m just lucky, and that''s why I [gamble]."
"DON''T LIE TO ME!" Rein demanded, her face bright red with embarrassment, "WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"
-
SQUAAAAWK!
"Did you just squawk at me?" Larkin asked with eyes narrowed, "You wanna die, bitch?"
-
"Sheeesh, does it matter?" He asked amusedly, "If you''re going to kill me, at least don''t make me repeat something so embarrassing."
"Kill you!?" She cried awkwardly, her voice cracking in embarrassment, "I wouldn''t why would I gah! Just say it again!"
"Commit to not killing me, and I''ll consider it." Steve smiled cheekily, "You gotta be moremittal than that."
"FINE, I WON''T KILL YOU!" Rein yelled with her eyes closed, her entire body burning, "NOW TELL ME!"
"Okay, okay!" The Asian man chuckled in amusement, enjoying her meltdown that answered his question, "I said I love youobviously. I did it, so it''s your turn."
"M-My turn!?" The beet-red brte cried, hearing his words, "What do you mean by [your turn]!? That''s rather presumptuous, don''t you think!?"
-
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
"Ten of you?" Larkin grinned, "You shoulda brought eighty if you were nning on interrupting this moment!"
-
"Presumptuous? I don''t think so." Steve huffed dramatically, "Otherwise, you would have ranted about men putting words in women''s mouths, sexual harassment, or both."
Rein blushed furiously, and she turned away. "Iuh lo enjoy your presence I guess."
-
"Yeeeeeeeehaw!" Larkin yelled, hearing the words, "Looks like we''ve got ourselves a celebration! So get your party favors, peoples!
You get an air sh, and you get an air sh, and you all get air shes!"
A dozen real sh attacks shot through the air, cutting down birds above the roof like a blender.
"This is a monumental moment!" He dered, putting his hands to the sky, "We gotta let Immortal Skye know! KA-BOOOOOOOOOM!"
-
"Wait, don''t do that!" Steve yelled, snapping out of his trance when he heard the jester''s keyword.
"Larkin!" Rein yelled, "You can''t"
Unfortunately, it was toote. A massive bubble of warping Qi overtook the skies, and
KA-BOOOOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the skies, incinerating fifty seagulls despite the birds being spread out.
"Ka-boom bitchez." Larkin said woozily, swaying back from side to side, "Feel the power of love~eh."
Thud!
"LARKIN!" Rein yelled, trying to push herself up, "You idiot! Didn''t you see what happened."
Thud.
All three wheezed on the ground, feeling extremely weak due to Qi deprivation.
"If we die like this, I hope no one finds our bodies." Steve groaned, seeing bloodthirsty scavengers flying above them, "The Emperor will know that all three of us didn''t learn from our mistakes. Not only that, we''d all be safe is Larkin just grabbed us and brought us inside."
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
"STEVE!" Rein yelled in horror, watching a seagull dive toward the Asian man. She was certain it was the end, so she shut her eyes. "I LOVE YOU!"
SQUAAA
BOOOOM!
Steve and Rein''s eyes widened when they saw the bird explode like a hybrid between a grotesque water balloon and a firework.
"Was that the." He muttered in a haze, "Wait, no, the shot was from the east."
Another dozen seagulls exploded to the west as a Guided Arrow weaved through the air, hunting them down.
"Don''t tell me." Rein chuckled in a haze, sevenyers deep in the depths of lunancy.
TT
"Something pre~tty damn saucy better have happened to get me involved." A pink-haired teen scoffed, sitting on a crane with her hand extended, "If I find out that I dropped my bag of dilly chips because you''re genuinely stupid, I''m gonna rip out your ribs and shiv you with them."
The teen looked down to check the camp''s progress.
SQUAAAAWK! HUOH!-HUOH!-HUOH!
Soldiers stood in rows like ancient archers, pointing Guided Arrows at the seagulls diving into the shipping yard to eat the fish.
"Fire!" Sandra yelled.
WHoooOOoshHHhhooOOoshhHhhshoooOoooOosSH!
A hundred arrows shot across the sky, piercing birds flying and dropping them like flies.
"Yeeeeeeeeaahhhhhhh-hhaaaaaa~" Kiera yawned cutely, stretching her arms, "It''s almost getting boring with the sheer numbers we have. It''ll"
Her eyes snapped open when she felt a strange sensation and activated God''s Eyes'' second level. When she did, she saw arge Soul Qi bolt, ten times the size of the decoys, m into a shipping container. While it didn''t make a sound
SQUAAAAWK! Squaaawk! HUOH!-Huoh!-Huoh-Huoh-HUOH! Squaaawk, squaaawk, SQUAAAWK! HUOH!-Huoh!-Huoh-Huoh-HUOH!
Every death squawker in the city stopped their attacks and shot into the air in unison. Then they turned to the east, facing the camp, and charged.
"Bro!" Kiera cried, waving her arms cutely around in protest, "You can''t just switch from easy to nightmare mode like that!"
Chapter 284 The Battle Of Shipping Yard
Eric''s team ran through the broken city streets of Meridian City with racing pulses.
"Aaron, can you use Combustion!?" Denzel asked, seeing the seagulls shoot toward camp, "If you can, go ahead and protect your people! We''re right behind you!"
"While I''m thankful for your sentiment, I can''t use Combustion because I''ve been leading the teams." Aaron sighed, shaking his head, "The best I can do is protect those who canthat''s you."
Since Evalyn''s soldiers were busy overseeing the training of the Lainwright soldiers, they hadn''t learned the technique. That was the official excuse.
In truth, she didn''t teach them so that the weak Lainwright soldiers could have an advantage in the battle. It was their chance to show that they were [stronger] than the Immortals where it mattered. After all, she rigged the battle to let the soldiers win!
Aaron turned with an arrow in hand, pointing toward the sky.
WHooooooOOooSshH!
Eric''s team''s shed their overconfidence when the red-haired soldier released the arrow.
While the arrow only pierced a dozen birds, the avians were no longer in a dense grouping. So after cutting through the two above them, the bolt traveled half a mile in a curvy path to kill the remaining ten. It was a shocking reminder of what it meant to be an [elite].
"Hurry up, soldiers!" The bald Hispanic man yelled, "Aaron''s helping us; let''s prove he can rely upon us!"
Five miles and thousands of broken-down cars and obstacles stood between them and the base. However, it only took them fifteen minutes as they navigated to a strip mall to run on the rooftops.
When they got to camp, the ce was an absolute war zone. Kaze had shot arge soul gift to the camp a minute before, but the seagull flocks were already overwhelming.
"FIRE!" Sandra shouted assertively.
WHoooOOoshHHhhooOOoshhHhhshoooOoooOosSH!
SQUAAAAWK! Squaaawk! HUOH!-Huoh!-Huoh-Huoh-HUOH! Squaaawk, squaaawk, SQUAAAWK! HUOH!-Huoh!-Huoh-Huoh-HUOH!
Two hundred seagulls got cut to shreds by a thousand civilians and soldiers shooting arrows. However, another two hundred reced them.
"Parents, let your kids fire arrows!" Sandra yelled, "This is how life is now! Let them learn when we''re at full strength!"
There were hundreds of children below twelve, and the parents wanted to shelter them frombat. However, the direness of the situation led them to acquiesce.
While many children were terrified, over a hundred immediately created arrows, and their parents gave them a nod.
WHooooooOOooSshH! WHOooOooSH!
Squaaawk, squaaawk, SQUAAAWK! HUOH!-Huoh!-Huoh-Huoh-HUOH!
Dozens more fell, increasing morale. Unfortunately, the main force had yet to reach the area.
As if by magic, every seagull in the city was flying straight toward them!
The shipping yard would have piled up with corpses if it weren''t for the mountain of frozen fish that the seagulls drilled at with their beaks. It was a convenient miracle everyone appreciated more by the second.
Still, the number of death squawkers multiplied until they couldn''t see the sun.
The situation felt hopeless, and most believed their time had finallye. Many panicked, and even more crouched into balls, shielding their children.
"COMBUSTION!" Jackson yelled with vigor, waving his hand as he ran into the area.
BOOM!
HUOH!-Huoh!-Huoh-Huoh-HUOH! Squaaawk, squaaawk, SQUAAAWK!
Lainwright soldiers and Immortal civilians opened their eyes and saw a wall of fire and screeching seagulls in the air.
While the blonde-haired teen wasn''t talented in cultivation, the high density of the birds made his small explosion a genocidal attack.
"Combustion!" Eric roared, waving his hand.
BOOOOM!
"Combustion!" Denzel yelled, doing a karate chop by reflex.
BOOM!
"Combustion!" La said quietly, gracefully moving.
BOOOOOM!
"Combustion!" Moe yelled with her eyes closed, waving around erratically.
Boom!
While the soldiers wereically undisciplined and varied, the results were immediate and devastating.
The Lainwright civilians and soldiers lit up with beaming smiles when they saw the cavalry arrive. In a moment, the situation went from hopeless to doable.
"Look alive!" Sandra grinned, "These brave men and women will be out of Qi after another attack. So let''s give them some space!"
She created arge arrow that everyone could see. "Attack!"
WHooooooOOooSshH!
A wavy arrow cut through a dozen birds and then shot up in the air, impaling another half dozen in a single attack.
The Lainwright soldiers released a blood-curdling battle cry and readied their arrows.
WHoooOOoshHHhhooOOoshhHhhshoooOoooOosSH!
Dozens of bolts of raw Qi cut through the birds, dropping them like flies.
Once the lifeless bodies hit the ground, a vicious battle broke out between the birds and humans.
"SLASH ATTACK!" A fourteen-year-old yelled, swinging his hand against his mother''s wishes.
"GUIDED ARROW!" An elderly man yelled with vigor, shooting out a bolt of Qi. His body was stronger than a college student''s, and his eyesight was sharp, allowing him to take down the birds.
"Watch out!" A woman yelled to her children, "DUCK!"
Three seagulls descended on the kids. Right before the birds reached their position
-
"Ka-boom."
-
mes erupted above the kids when a small, contained explosion hit the center of the birds, perfectly killing the three with pinpoint uracy.
The mother was shocked, looking around and seeing no soldiers with the technique. By instinct, she looked up, and her eyes widened, seeing a teen with radiant pink hair kicking her legs on the crane above them.
Qi warped around her, wrapping her in a concealment spell. However, the novice concealment technique made two walls in the front and back, exposing the bottom.
As a result, Kiera was capable of being seen from below. However, it was a location that no one looked at because it was almost directly above them!
Feeling the woman''s gaze, the teen swung down and put her index to her lips. Then she took the same finger and pointed it down in a gun motion.
Ka-boom!
A small explosion erupted above a group of civilians getting attacked, saving their children from harm.
The woman was perplexed about why a teenager was on the crane helping them. However, she had never felt so much gratitude, so she nodded and looked away, following the mysterious teen''s wishes.
A thousand seagulls fell in a matter of ten minutes. However, the number seemed endless, pushing everyone to their limits.
Eric''s team was out of Qi and had to fall back, and most soldiers and civilians had to.
Fortunately, some of the original Combustion learners arrived when the tides turned back in the seagull''s favor.
"Combustion!" Alex yelled, waving her hand.
BOOOOOOOM!
The brte had been adamant about learning and getting stronger since Kaze saved her from the ocean, using her life to the fullest.
Once she arrived, the people in the camp knew they''d win the war against the seagulls.
TTT
On the city''s outskirts, two cultivators in white togas flew above the clouds.
"What is this, Amy?" A grey-haired man with a long wide beard asked in shock, overlooking the raging battlefield, "First an exodus of birds, and now dozens of cultivators using Combustion?"
"I don''t know." His ck-haired femalepanion said hesitantly, "But it''s rted to the ckfoot incident, Calvin. The incident took ce fifty miles from here."
"Interesting." Calvin said pensively, stroking his beard.
"Should we engage when they exhaust their Qi?" She asked frankly, watching carefully, "If Rayton ckfoot, Crux, Mary, Mitus, or any of the other Silver Medallions were here, these birds would be dead. This situation may be our chance to capture a few."
"Hmmm." Calvin hummed, considering the option carefully.
Chapter 285 A Message To The Sky Plane Cultivators
Before Calvin could decide whether he wanted to attempt capturing Immortals, a chilling voice called out behind them.
"I suggest that you choose your words wisely." The voice warned, "While you''d make excellent training puppets for my soldiers, I''m afraid today is a day for overwhelming victories. I can''t have you messing that up, no matter how valuable your deaths may prove."
Calvin and Amy''s chests tightened when they heard the maic voice behind them. While they would normally feel safe on the Mortal ne, they knew of Mary Emerson''s disappearance and the death of the Silver Medallions. So they took the situation seriously.
More importantly, the mysterious cultivator had an overbearing pressure, so feeling him materialize behind them added a degree of terror and uncertainty.
"We do not mean you harm." Calvin swallowed nervously, taking a sharp breath that burned his dry throat, "We''re simply observing the birds'' flying patterns."
"I will give you respect for being wise beyond your strength." The voice smiled.
The cultivators slowly turned with their hands up. Their eyes widened when they saw the person behind the overbearing pressure and domineering words was a teenager, no older than eighteen.
While people could live their whole lives without aging beyond adulthood, most didn''t. They aged with the breathing technique they had, slowing aging until they got better ones.
So the teen had to have been born into nobility to keep his youth and be over eighteen. Still, keeping cultivators secret for thousands of years was not simple, especially if they had immense talent.
And their enemy was talented.
The teen had a divine breathing technique, and his waterfalling was a spellbinding disy. Even if he were a bastard heir, there was no reason for someone of immense talent to stay hidden for millennia. He didn''t make sense!
"I appreciate your praise." Calvin gulped, ncing at Amy, awestruck by the attractive teen, "Please allow us to introduce ourselves.
I am Calvin Olman, a senior proctor of the Mortal ne Ascendence Trial. The woman next to me is Amy Ryas, an overseer.
We''re guarding the Beast Sanctuary and assessing the cultivators. We''re only here because we saw arge flock of seagulls leaving the Sanctuary and investigated as part of our jobs."
"I view your poor talent for falsehoods as an ironic sign of trustworthiness." Kaze smirked mockingly, "If you were a senior proctor, you''d know I wasn''t part of the operation, and thousands of mortals shouldn''t have earth-grade techniques.
Your eptance of the current situation is asical as it is revealing."
"I-I''m sorry for deceiving you." The elderly cultivator stuttered, seeing the teen''s murderous smile, "Amy genuinely oversees the Sanctuary. However, I''m here to investigate the disappearance of high-ranking cultivators."
"And so you''d walk into a dragon''s den, looking for weak ilk to capture?" The emperor mused, "Such folly is unbefitting of weak squires, not a Heaven Realm cultivator."
The cultivators'' fight-or-flight responses triggered, pulling their hands back for an attack. However, their meridians went haywire, and the atmosphere became alien to them, making it hard to fly or attack.
"Back of, you air-bending sky nazi!" A sharp female voice yelled from a nearby skyscraper, "Wave that hand, and your meridians will look like a mento tongue fucking a diet coke."
"My partner has slowed the Qi rotation around you." Kaze rolled his eyes in embarrassment, seeing their perplexion, "If she reverses it more, your meridians will explode if you attack."
"I-I''ve never heard of such a technique in my two thousand years." Calvin stuttered, hearing the exnation for the horrifying sensation, "Who are you people?"
"Apocalyptic beginners cultivating during Earth''s futuristic great hellscape." Kiera chimed mockingly, "I just know like-minded nobodies--overseeing people quickly rushing survival training--understand very well Xiao Yang Zhang."
"W-Who''s Xiao Yang Zhang?" He stuttered, "You have the wrong person. I''m not even oriental!"
"No, I have the right person." She scoffed, "I just wasn''t gonna fuck up my alphabet word game to pretend like you matter. Check your privilege."
"Unnecessarily clever as my partner''s answer was, she answered one of your questions urately." Kaze sighed, equally impressed and mortified, "Now it''s your turn to answer one of my questions."
"What do you want to know?" Amy asked nervously, confused but unwilling to contradict.
"I present you with two options." The emperor warned, "First, you can provide information about the Killian trial, the location of resources, and future events.
If you do that, I''ll spare your lives, allowing you to live among us. If you refuse, you will die a gruesome death after I extract that information from you. What do you choose?"
Immortal Skye was a month away from war with the Sky ne cultivators. If they had treasures, items, or useful beginner techniques, he wanted them. Every advantage was critical.
Moreover, he wanted more cultivators to act as guides and teachers. The two held immense value, assuming they epted. So he didn''t mind incentivizing them with citizenship and resources.
Naturally, he would only do that under blood oath restrictions to prevent betrayal. However, they didn''t know such a technique existed, so they were shocked he''d let them live amongst them. Moreover--
"Do you think that torture and death scare us?" Calvin asked pridefully. He ced immense value on honesty and loyalty. So while he may die, it didn''t mean he''d give in to torture.
"Torture and death scare all people, Calvin Olman--some just endure them to die honorable deaths." Kaze smiled chillingly, "Unfortunately for you, that isn''t an option.
Youck the spirit fortification necessary to resist my techniques, so I''ll obtain my answers regardless. Dying to prevent betrayal would be nothing more than an exercise in idealism for the sake of irony."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"Combustion!" A man yelled, hand to the sky.
Boom!
"Yeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"
The small firework triggered battle cries from thousands of soldiers. Their voices echoed through the broken city streets, spreading in the eerie, silent atmosphere for miles.
"KYEeeeeeeahHHHhhHhhHhh!"
Thousands of sick, angry people met their words with equal bloodlust and enthusiasm.
"This is our city!" Jackson responded fearlessly, "If you want it, you''ll have to fight us for it!"
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The bloodlust in the atmosphere was intoxicating, fueled by adrenaline and endorphins. Everyone had fought against overwhelming odds and survived--without a casualty.
Buzzing off their crushing victory, they felt they could take over the world. So they roared back against the zombies that terrified them only days before.
Now that they had tasted power, they felt capable of fighting against the world--and winning.
-
Calvin and Amy froze when they heard the two sides dere war. It was not the behavior they expected from mortals. They should be crying in despair upon hearing the zombies!
"It seems the soldiers have secured their first victory." Kaze smirked, "So I haven''t the time to let you agonize over a forced ultimatum. So I suggest you ept your fate quickly."
"W-Will you let us return to the Sky ne?" Calvin swallowed nervously.
"On the day I ascend, I will allow you to return to the Sky ne." Kaze smiled wickedly, "Now speak quickly--betray Killian and return to the Sky ne in 40 years on the winning side, or betray Killian before dying a pointless death. Those are your only two options."
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
"Thousands of zombies will crash into the shipping yard walls in a few minutes!" Sandra yelled boldly, "However, their numbers will not deter us!
You have fought and won against overwhelming odds and survived without a single casualty!
Tonight we''ll teach the sick that we own this city! And we''ll send the Sky ne cultivators a message that we still rule this world!"
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
a??a"a"?a"a??a"a"?a"a??
Calvin and Amy heard the woman''s words in disbelief. They looked at the emperor with speechless expressions, asking for answers without the ability to speak.
"Your ears do not betray you." Kaze smiled proudly, "My and my partners'' soldiers will not run.
On September 2nd, 2032, the next rift in the Sky ne will open, and Killian''s soldiers will seek to eradicate all dissidents. And on that day--will fight them."
The cultivators were stunned beyond words, paralyzed while watching the soldiers below. While they were remarkable, given their status, the cultivators knew what wasing. It wasn''t something a month of training could ovee--that''s what they thought, anyway.
"If you''re conflicted over whether it''s better to die at my hands or at the hands of the Killian''s reinforcements, you''re wasting your time." Kaze grinned brazenly, "Even if Killian sends one of his Dukes, we will be victorious."
Icy chills crawled down the cultivators'' spines after hearing his words. They could tell that the cultivator was serious and that he had the power to back up his words.
However, a Duke was a faction''s second strongest, behind the emperor. If Kaze defeated Mary Emerson and knew the difference in a Duke''s power, he was far more powerful than they had imagined.
They watched thousands of zombies run across the Meridian City streets, preparing to attack the base. It was an overwhelming sightced with the sound of shattering ss and crunching metal as they ran over vehicles. Calvin and Amy would soon see their potential--and looked forward to it.
Chapter 286 The Loud, Obnoxious, Everyday Hero Who Saved The Day
An icy force gripped Calvin''s chest, and he opened his mouth, hoping to relieve the torturous anxiety. "I ept your terms and will disclose knowledge on the trial and the operation to retake the Mortal ne."
"I as well." Amy replied, visually stressed with a racing heart, "Mr.?"
"My name is Kaze Lexicon." Kaze dered boldly, "But you shall call me Emperor Lexicon from this day forward. Now observe your people."
Calvin and Amy felt the gravity of his words, listening to the mortals raging war through the distorted lens of the concealment technique.
Lainwright soldiers stood on a wall of steel containers pressed against the iron gates of the shipping yard, shooting Guided Arrows through the crowd of zombies.
An army of superhumans stood before them, sixty thousand strong. They packed streets leading to the pier, trampling over cars and broken ss, screaming insults.
From an aerial view, they could see the horde spread for miles. However, the soldiers could only see an endless sea without an end from the makeshift wall.
The sight made the soldiers realize how much protection Crux gave them with her sound istion barrier. However, they didn''t despair that she wasn''t there.
Evalyn''s merciless tough-love training paid off spectacrly. With their minds traumatized into believing that giving up equaled torture [before] death, they kept fighting despite feeling hopeless.
Calvin and Amy mistook their unflinching continuity as fearless-bravery, inspiring them. However, the truth was far more dire.
"DIE ALREADY!" A half-burnt woman screamed, running at the orange gates to the shipping yard, "WHY AREN''T YOU DEAD!?"
BOOOOM!
An arrow mmed into the woman, eviscerating her.
"Hell yeah!" A tall, muscr soldier that fist pumped proudly, "I feel like I''m Jackie Chan fighting a hallway full of first graders!"
"Fuckin'' idiot." Chen scoffed under his breath, rolling his eyes, "These soldiers would leave a shower room feeling victorious if they dropped the soap. It''s ridiculous."
"Do you think that you can do better?" The man gruffed adversarially.
The lean Chinese man snorted in vexation and waved his hand.
WHooOOooOSH! Boom, boom, BOOOOM!
Their arrows were night and day.
While the man''s arrow killed a single screaming woman, Chen''s skewered a man''s head, hit a woman''s stomach, and curved, ripping through twenty zombies before hitting a truck.
"You control the arrow." Chen sneered, "If you can''t hit at least five when they''re packed like sardines, you should be begging to wash General Skye''sundry."
The man''s face lit up in humiliation. "You''re acting like other people can do this!"
"You''re so loud." La said coldly, capturing the man''s attention.
WHoooOOoshHHhhooOOoshhHhhshoooOoooOosSH!
The blonde released an arrow that curved horizontally and began snaking through the battlefield, ripping through nearly 50 zombies before the arrow disappeared.
"I''m taking my cultivation break." La said coldly, jumping off the shipping crate and moving toward a group of hundreds cultivating, glowing green from the Tranquil Respire technique.
The elderly and children cultivated it to help calm the soldiers and improve their concentration. It was extremely effective due to the neverending supply of stress.
"W-When did you guys get so good?" Manny cried in shock.
"Don''t take it personally." Jackson said, putting his hand on the man''s soldier, "This is the [third] time we''re doing this exact task. So we''re better at it than everyone else."
"Then why do they have to be dicks about it?" The man asked bitterly.
"We''re frustrated because our team has racked up over half the kills." Eric exined, "It''s like we finally got thousands of reinforcements, but we''re protecting them instead of getting help."
Manny''s face flushed with shame and humiliation. He wanted to snap at the assertion but chose not to once he saw Denzel shoot an arrow and hit another thirty. "What are you doing differently?"
"Focus on curving the arrow horizontally before it hits the ground." Moe replied, her curly hair matted with sweat, "That''s all it takes. Once you can do that, you''ll start doing real damage."
He nodded and pulled out an arrow, preparing to attack.
Whoooooosh! Boom, boom!
Manny''s eyes widened when he copied the team and killed three on his first try.
"See? It''s not that hard." Chen sneered, "The arrow follows your eyes, so instead of getting excited after a hit, just have a seizure instead."
The teamughed, but the muscr man was still lost in amazement.
"Why haven''t you guys been teaching this to people?" Manny asked in stupefaction, "It''d be a game changer!"
"We can''t." Moe replied bitterly, "Didn''t you hear Eric? We have half the kill count; if we stop shooting, we''re toast."
The muscr soldier took a sharp breath but wasn''t deterred.
"Then I''ll do it!" Manny dered with loud, obnoxious enthusiasm, "Just focus on fighting and leave it to me. I won''t let you fight alone!"
"I hate loud people with dutyplexes." Chen gibed, "I''m taking my cultivation break."
After calming down in the Tranquil Respire field and cultivating for fifteen minutes, the Chinese man returned to his post and saw something amazing.
The area outside the pier had a new topography with rolling hills of corpses. They had already stacked up the same amount of bodies of thest hour in fifteen minutes.
"When did these cucks get useful?" Chen asked in disbelief.
"Just listen." Moe giggled, "You can hear it from here."
-
"You need to curve the arrow! Just watch! I''m telling you, it''s what we need to turn the tide!"
"Yo, stop yelling and shoot zombies."
"I just did and you weren''t watching!"
"Seriously, bro. You need to"
"Shut up and do what Manny''s telling you. If you look around, you''ll find that you''re the only three people [not] doing it."
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah, that''s what I''ve been telling you!"
"Look, they got it, Manny. Now please find the other noobies and leave. We''ve heard this twenty times, and it''s sounding like nails on a chalkboard!"
-
"Annoyingness has its perks." La smirked, "I''m notining."
"Me either, but I kinda feel ashamed." Denzel chuckled strangely, capturing everyone''s attention, "I have a feeling General Skye sent us to learn, hoping we''d teach the others, you know?
I feel stupid for failing General Skye, but I''m wounded that the annoying, yelling dude who has demonstrated twenty times and can still only kill five at a time is today''s hero."
The group burst intoughter, bewildered that Manny Twills, the loud, obnoxious, everyday hero, had saved the day.
It made them feel hope for the first time. Even though the soldiers had only killed fifteen thousand zombies, leaving forty-five thousand to rece them, the situation seemed possible.
"WALL BREACH!" Eric roared. A massive hole cracked into the iron gate as the cultivator zombies crashed against it repeatedly, hurling vitriolic insults constantly.
The zombies pushed through, shaking the shipping crates the soldiers stood on, causing them to fall inside the gates.
Ten Immortals pushed the cratesfilled with one-ton fishin ce. Another twenty stood around the sides with Qi Wall shields, holding back the sick.
"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeew!" Eric wolf-whistled, "WE NEED CRATES AND FISH! NOW!"
Civilians and soldiers worked in shifts to lower the crates like building blocks while another group picked up frozen fish to fill them. It was a brutal task.
"We''re trying!" A brte yelled in agony, lifting the container with shaky legs, "We''ve already moved eighty in thest hour!"
"Comin about it tomorrow when you''re still alive, soldier!" Sandra snapped, intervening, "They''re breaking throughif you don''t seed, people are going to die!"
Everyone immediately set into action. However, there wasn''t much time, and the progress was time-consuming. So she needed a stopgap.
"Lieutenant Captain Levingston!" The captain yelled, "We need more time! Prepare to mobilize!"
"Order received, Captain Mills." Aaron saluted, "You heard thedy; it''s time to relieve the pressure. Keep your back on the gate, eradicate on sight, and stay in control!"
The Immortals let out ferocious battle cries and ran onto the top of the shipping containers, overlooking the sea of zombies.
"Let''s get in there and show these greenhorns what it means to be Immortals!" The red-haired elite grinned, "I know you all have been itching to get into the action!"
"Yeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"
To Eric''s team''s disbelief, their shiftless training assessor jumped straight into a tidal wave of zombies. It was time to show the Lainwright soldiers what it meant to be an Immortal.
Chapter 287 The Pits Of Hell
The Lainwright soldiers couldn''t believe their eyes when ten Immortals jumped into the sea of zombies,nding on their skulls. Most had forgotten about the Immortals because they had gotten used to not getting their aid, so seeing them fighting was sensational.
Within seconds, the development evolved from sensational to humbling.
Aaron cracked a woman''s skull with his boot on the fall and push-kicked her in one motion. Thirty insult-screaming zombies immediately dropped like bowling pins, slipping on the corpse mountains they stood on.
Once standing, he pulled his fist to his chest and swung it in a spinning motion.
CRACKckKkckK!
His forearm smashed into six zombies, exploding the first man''s head, cracking the others like a rattle, and sending their bodies backward. Before he could smell the putrid blood and necrosis around him, he had already cleared a five-foot radius in the ustrophobic space.
"This is intense!" Manny yelled excitedly, running up to Eric''s team, "I thought you guys were strong, but it turns out I''m just seriously weak!"
Chen opened and closed his mouth. While he wanted to pick up the man and offer him to the mysterious Cultivation God as a sacrifice, he couldn''t deny his statement. So he kept silent and watched the red-haired soldier terrorize the battlefield.
Aaron turned to the shipping yard gate and rushed forward, savagely bashing his way through with his forearms and shoulders. With a sky-grade skill in the early stage of the apocalypse, the results were brutal. Every motion sent bodies flying into one another.
Once he got to the wall, he turned and faced the horde, waiting for the others to arrive. Once the others had made it, he triggered the charge.
"WIND SLASH!" Aaron yelled, waving his hand in a wide crescent.
A massive gust of wind mmed the Lainwright soldiers'' backs, forcing their eyes shut. When they reopened them, they saw a massive wind scythe cut through five hundred zombies.
"That was one attack!?" Denzel cried, watching in disbelief. The others on the team were also shocked, trembling in horror, "So she wasn''t the only monster!"
Eric''s team watched Kiera massacre a sea of zombies herself. However, when they watched the Immortals'' training, they didn''t see anyone else exhibiting terrifying might. However
"Wind sh!"
"WIND SLASH!"
"wind sh!"
"Wind sh!"
One after the other, the Immortals levied attacks. While they weren''t as strong as their Lieutenant Captain, they still cut through two hundred at a time.
"YEEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
The soldiers on the wall released battle cries, seeing thousands of zombies get cleaved in half, changing the area''s tightly-packed appearance for the first time in two hours.
Nevertheless, everyone knew the victory wouldn''tst long. They had only killed 15,000 before the massacre, so killing three thousand still left around 42,000 remaining.
So soldiers and civilians worked quickly to cram sharks into the steel containers and move them against the wall, and the Qi Wall specialists took cultivation breaks.
After the zombie massacre, the situation on the battlefield becameplicated. The advantage of the tightly-packed crowds was gone. With the area clear, the running zombies approached quickly instead of being packed together, and attacks killed fewer.
"I WANT YOUR HEART!" A woman screamed viciously, running in dirty underwear and a gray shirt.
Aaron waved his hand, cutting her body in half withoutment. The arc carried through, slicing through another group. Still, it wasn''t nearly enough since the empty area filled like a cup under a broken faucet.
It was simr to thousands of Greek soldiers rushing at each other with swords and shields drawn. However, only ten people met a wall of hundreds. The soldiers on the wall watched in horror, terrified for the Immortals.
"AARON!" Jackson yelled from the top, "DO YOU GUYS WANT HELP!?"
"THAT''S THE POINT OF US BEING AGAINST THE WALL!" Aaron replied in exasperation.
All the Lainwright soldiers were embarrassed after the chastisement. They were so hypnotized by the overpowered war gods that they thought the fight was over!
"You heard that man!" Denzel roared, setting up an arrow, "Archers, ready fire!"
La blinked in exasperation, seeing him lifting an arrow into the sky like an archer from antiquity. She was even more appalled when another hundred soldiers followed suit, waiting for the order.
"Wait for it!" The ck man yelled, "Wait for it FIRE!"
All the soldiers got serious, eyeing the crashing wall of zombies and releasing their arrows.
WhoOOooOOoOsshHHhhsoooOOoshhHhhsooOoshhhHhhss!
A haunting sound of wind cut through the battlefield, shredding through hundreds at once.
Unlike before, the soldiers didn''t have to relieve pressure on the gate before curving. So their arrows shot into the group directly, grinding through the wall of death.
The Immortals grinned in astonishment. After a strange smile, Aaron looked up with a proud expression. "Good work, soldiers!"
"YEEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Everyone was d for the man''s praise, finally earning the respect of an Immortal. It felt much better than people had believed.
Thebined attack shredded through twenty thousand zombies in twenty minutes, resulting in constant cheering. Having the Immortals on their side was inspirational and gave everyone hope, making them want to get stronger.
However, their Qi wasn''t infinite, so the Immortals moved inside once Sandra announced they had fixed the wall.
Aaron frowned when he saw the cultivation area, noting that the sheer volume of people cultivating was sucking the Qi in the area dry. "This is getting bleak."
***
"The Qi''s nearly dry, and there is still a horde ten thousand strong." Sandra yelled to a group of civilians climbing the makeshift wall, "However, it''s easier to thinktry and see for yourself. You''re strong; you just don''t know it!"
Immortal Skye families had an awkward status in the apocalypse. Since the Immortals would riot if they learned that Evalyn put their families through hell, made them scavenge, or let them die in her care, only volunteersbat trained, and none hadbat experience.
However, they cultivated and practiced techniques most of the day, so they were capable and had Qi. Their fears and ability to say [no] were the only things holding them back.
Now, hundreds were climbing up shipping containers and getting a pep talk. It was a process, as everyone who reached the wall had a panic attack and started screaming. It was a nightmare.
Fortunately, one woman shot an arrow, and something remarkable happened.
"WOW!" She cried in amazement, "It''s like I''m watching the world in slow motion, and everything this arrow touches instantly dies!"
Another civilian tried it and had the same reaction.
"See? You''re powerful but don''t know it yet!" Riley yelled, "Give it a shot! Soldiers, help them!"
Another round of arrows cut through the crowd of zombies. Their numbers dropped down to six thousand in the hour. While the victory was nearthe end was nearer.
"They''re breaching!" Eric yelled, "Plug faster! We don''t have the power to relieve the pressure!"
"We''re doing our best!" A civilian yelled back, "Send more people to cultivate!"
"There''s no Qi left!" Eric yelled gravely, "It''s bone dry! Only a few hundred have an emergency attack left!"
Constant cultivation had stripped the area dry. There were only five reserve Immortals and hundreds of children with full QI. It was now a game of chess to deal with the hordes of zombies.
"Fuck this!" A gruff man with a beard yelled, pulling his hand back, "I''m not going to get eaten because you''re a bunch of pussies! COMBUSTION!"
Twenty zombies lit on fire from the st, spreading the fire from zombie to zombie in a. Within only a few seconds, a hundred were burning and screeching.
"SEE!?" He yelled, "Look, it''s killing all of them, just like I said!"
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Aaron yelled viciously, watching the fire spreading in a chain reaction. Mountains of corpses caught fire, creating molten pits of hell that ignited everything they touched.
As he said, it was killing the zombiesand starting six thousand fires that could run twenty miles an hour and jump.
Chapter 288 The Gates Of Hell
A single explosion triggered a gruesome chain reaction outside the shipping yard. While Combustion didn''t usually trigger fires, the dense collection of clothing lit up like firewood soaked with lighter fluid.
The fire quickly spread, creating a macabre chorus of screams. As the sick died, space freed up for zombies to run, instantly creating a riot as they pushed each other, trying to escape.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Aaron yelled viciously, watching the fire unfurl.
"What have I done?" The man asked sarcastically, "I killed an impossible amount of"
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt airborne, looked down, and saw a horde of screaming zombies crashing against the gates.
"H-Hey, wait up!" He panicked, "It''s going to kill all of them! We just have to keep the fire at bayand we''re next to a fucking ocean!"
"LOOK AT THE PILE OF FISH!" Aaron growled, holding him by the cor, "Do you think we can get water out of the fucking bay, Bill!?"
"I can see the pile of fish; that''s why I did it!" Bill yelled back, "The Cultivation God wiped all the fish out! We also collected water just fine for days before the idiots went fucking swimming!"
"Oh, you." The red-haired soldierughed ominously. He began walking across the shipping container wall to the corner.
? Bill screamed, shook, and pleaded as he traveled 200 feet with zombies screaming and groaning below him. He could smell their burnt flesh, making him gag as they moved, trying not to hurl. "P-Please, Lieutenant Captain Levingstein!"
"Shut up and look!" Aaron yelled sarcastically, lifting the man like a lion cub and forcing him to look.
"W-What the fuck." Bill stuttered in shock, increasing the anxieties of the panicked soldiers watching, "Why?"
Meridian Bay had developed clear blue waters that sparkled in the sun after the apocalypse. No traffic or pollution made them uniform with the tide, undeterred by unnatural influence. Its breathtaking grandeur inspired soldiers to swim, hoping to rejuvenate their energy.
Not anymore. Bill gazed upon a crimson ocean that almost had the undiluted color of real blood. Limbs and chunks of muscle and hair floated on the surfaceit was gruesome.
Hundreds of ming zombies crashed through the pier''s railing, hoping to swim around. It attracted countlessrge fish, all capable of swimming in the deep-watered bay.
The ocean boiled with the swimming activity and feeding frenzy. No matter how many zombies crashed into the water, a fish could eat them.
"You get it now!?" Aaron yelled viciously, "All we have is the ice on the fish and drinking water to prevent this wall from melting. If it does, those things will rush in here like suicide bombers, setting fire to everything!"
"I-I''m sorry!" Bill cried, tears streaming down his face, feeling the fire''s heat licking his skin. He moved from feeling like a hero to a genocidal zealot in an instant.
After growling, Aaron threw the man on the shipping container below him and swept his gaze across the battlefield, mes flickering in his eyes. He felt he was staring at the Sixth Circle of Hell, where heretics writhed in agony, feeling their skin peel away under searing heat.
As time ticked on, the mes spread throughout thend, consuming the dead and living without distinctionand sparing none. Zombies desperately sought refuge from the ferocious heat but found none. They had packed together, pushing toward the iron gates. So by the time enough died to let them move, mes surrounded them.
It wasn''t much different for those in the back. Those in the rear couldn''t sense danger severe enough to overwrite their primal urges. As a result, they continued pushing forward, packing the zombies and causing the fire to spread horizontally, creating a burning river.
"I want every rifle andpetent sharpshooter up hereNow!" Aaron roared at the top of his lungs, "We need to prevent the mers from reaching the city!"
"Yes, sir!" The Immortals yelled, moving quickly.
-
A fight light radiated from a ring on Kaze''s index three times. While Calvin and Amy were curious, they knew better than to ask. So they pretended to ignore it.
"What are those?" Amy asked, seeing the soldiers unloading 50-caliber sniper rifles and handing them out.
"Simple, mortal weapons." Kaze smirked, "Weak as they are, they''re useful now."
The soldiers stood on the wall, overlooking the sea of zombies through their scopes. While a 50 caliber sniper''s recoil could break a mortal''s shoulder, they confidently wielded them standing.
Boom!
A sniper pulled his trigger, and arge bullet shot across the firey sea, blowing out a ming zombie''s skull as they escaped the hellish pit, running toward the city.
"Wait, don''t tell me." Calvin said with shocked eyes, "They''re preventing the fire from spreading to the city?"
"Cor~rect." Kaze smiled, "Any hope of retreat will be impossible if the burning sick reach the city, so they''re going to try stopping them. While the effort may prove worthless, they will do anything it takes to survive, no matter how hopeless it gets."
Boom! Boom, boom, boom-boom-boom! Boom! Boom, boom!
With a hundred soldiers shooting zombies, the booming sound from sniper rifles melded like machine gun fire. Every shot dropped a running zombie, keeping their fires in the fire pit.
Meanwhile, a massive supply line of soldiers and civilians snaked through the shipping yard, connecting the fish pile to the wall. An emergency Immortal cut frozen fish with sh attacks, and people passed the boulder-sized chunks in a chain, moving them to the roof.
After using the ice to cool the top, the soldiers threw the fish down the wall. While the first wasn''t impactful, a hundred chunks followed, getting dumped directly into the fire.
Due to the heat-resistant scales, they earned considerable time. Unfortunately, it came at a price.
-
"Gah, I can''t see anything with this steam!" Denzel yelled, wiping his lens again, "I''m missing every other one!"
-
When the icy fish hit the fire, it created milky white steam that fogged up their scopes. As a result, numerous ming zombies ran into the city, dying on cars, trucks, and shuttles.
Boom! Boom, boom, boom! Boom! Boom-boom-boom! Boom!
Despite their best efforts, ming zombies ignited vehicles, rupturing their gas tanks and creating a chain explosion from packed cars. The fire quickly spread inside the city.
-
"Bring the drinking water!" Sandra ordered, "We only need to hold out until all zombies in the center die! We only need to buy time, so use everything we have!"
-
Calvin watched with aplex expression as the soldiers brought thousands of gallons of drinking water and started dumping it over the wall to quell the fire. "Is that wise?
The strongest would survive a battle with sick if the wall broke. However, with six thousand people, getting rid of drinking water is suicide for all."
"That''s a sign of faith and respect." Kaze smiled pridefully, "These soldiers have absolute faith that their general will return soon."
"Another cultivator?" Calvin asked in confusion, "Does he have a water technique?"
"Yes, General Skye has plenty of water techniques." The emperor smiled amusedly, "And she''s remarkable with them."
"Still." Amy said nervously, "Water technique or not, this fire is spreading beyond control. The Qi necessary to stymie it is beyond the resources of the Mortal ne."
"That''s trueand yet, six thousand cultivators have thrown out their food and water withoutint." Kaze replied mockingly, "How strange."
A cloud of hot steam plumed the area, adding a milky texture to ck smoke rising to the skies. The soldiers didn''t hold back when pouring the water onto the fires.
Unfortunately, it didn''t stop the mes for long. Within a few minutes, the fire burned through the moisture and continued burning, melting through the iron gate and crates.
-
"Get off the wall!" Eric yelled, "The gate has melted; the fire will reach the fish inside soon!"
The container hadn''t melted because metric tons of frozen fish filled the crates, keeping them cool. However, once the fire reached the fish directly, it''d explode with steam and kill anyone on top.
All the soldiers'' expressions turned grim as they got off the wall and took positions facing the walls. Now they had to wait for the containers to melt before seeing the other side.
They had used most of the containers for the wall. As a result, they werepletely blind, facing fire from the front and murderous fish from behind.
Eric''s team joined Riley''s team and the Immortals, facing the wall, outlined in ck smoke and an ominous reddish-orange glow. Their imagination made the gates of hell more terrifying than the burning city on the other side.
Chapter 289 Deus Ex Machina
Thirty minutes had passed since the fire began, and most side street buildings were on fire, billowing ominous smoke. Most zombies had died as they transferred the fire from person to person.
However, that wasn''t all the soldiers could see. A massive plume of white steam blocked the mes and smoke as the massive fish in the shipping containers sizzled, making the air thick with the acrid stench of burning fish.
Everyone else faced the wall with stressed expressions, dripping with sweat and fear.
GReeeORnnN! BOOOOOM! Boom, boom, BOOM!
A shipping container melted, causing the massive fish inside to fall through the bottom, off-bncing the stack. Four shipping containers fell off the side, hitting the ground.
Mothers and fathers held their children''s ears, hugging them tight. It was an emotional time.
"Gah, it''s torture wondering when the fire will steal the losing Jenga piece." Chen said in vexation, gritting his teeth, "I can''t stand this."
"Hold in there." Jackson replied, "General Skye will be here soon."
"I wish you''d stop sucking Immortal Skye''s dick for once." The Chinese man scoffed, "General Skye is remarkable, but no matter how powerful she is, she can''t help us from twenty miles away.
The copse [will] happen in minutes, and she isn''t racing to get here because we couldn''t call her. Even if we did, she could''ve been a few hundred miles away. That''s reality.
Soldiers call for reinforcements when the situation is bleak, and help shows up at thest second to save thest 25%. That''s the best-case scenario.
So pray that she makes it like the rest of us, but stop acting like [cliche miracle] is one of her cultivation techniques!"
Jackson smiled wryly, joining Eric, Denzel, La, and Moe. Everyone wanted to have faith that she''d arrive, but the Chinese manid it out bluntly.
Cliche miracles didn''t happen in the real worldif they did, there was usually a non-miracle behind them.
-
"Why aren''t you evacuating them?" Amy asked with aplex expression, "You could at least save the children or people with potential."
Unlike the soldiers, who couldn''t see anything, she could see the expansive fires ripping through buildings and burning the nearby pier. The shipping containers would copse any minute, and the few hundred cornered zombies that survived burning could make a break for the yard once it opened. It was a bleak situation.
"No." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "I''m waiting for that wall to copse."
Amy turned to him in shock, studying the emperor''s rxed expression. "You''re waiting for their ruin before helping them evacuate? Why?"
In her mind, Evalyn had [rare] water techniques, and he didn''t. So he could evacuate them slowly, starting with the children, but he didn''t. So she was horrified to hear his im.
"No. I''m waiting until Evalyn''s soldiers can see beyond the wall." The emperor smiled slyly, "That way, they can experience the full emotional impact of their victoryand the glory of their general when she achieves the impossible and saves them from despair at thest second.
Dues ex machina makes for excellent propaganda. Today you''ll witness Immortal Skye''s first legend and the deification of a general."
Just as Zeus possessed Hector''s body and led the Trojans to reverse their hopeless situation, nearly crushing the Greeks in one attack, Evalyn would arrive to reverse the tides against sea creatures and fire. [The Ice General saved us when we lost all hope]: it was a simple narrative that people could repeat for generations, exaggerating and molding it until Evalyn became a myth.
Calvin and Amy''s eyes widened, turning back to the field. What the emperor told them was so politically maniptive that they believed it belonged in a textbook, not their ears.
However, they didn''t question him. They could feel his disclosure came with conditions, so they didn''t want to dig themselves into a hole.
"Now, watch the show." Kaze smiled, his ring glowing four times while flicking his wrist, "It''s about to begin."
One shipping container on the bottom right corner of the wall warped under the heat and weight of the other containers. With a little nudge
-
SnnaCk! GRooOOnNrrrRn!
Sandra''s heart pulsed, hearing a container snap under pressure. Every snap destabilized the wall, and this one was critical, causing a harrowing groan from countless containers. "No."
She watched in slow motion as the foundation shifted on the corner, magically removing the support the entire wall required to stay up. Everyone could hear the soul of the wall screaming as it tipped, moving downward.
BOOOOOOOOOM! BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOOM! Boom-boom-Boom-boom! BOOM!
A heat wave assaulted the soldiers and civilians, burning their lungs with thick air, pungent with the acrid smell of sulfur and burning flesh. When they opened their eyes, they saw a nightmare scene with shipping containers indented into pyres for tens of thousands of corpses.
mes licked the heating metal''s top, looking simr to an ironworks forge. However, [the world] was the forge; they could not see anything but scorching mes and smoke between the pitch-ck air and burning buildings in the distance. They genuinely believe they were in the Sixth Circle of Hell.
Mothers and fathers hugged their crying children and teenagers while others looked over the water, determining whether swimming was better. However, they found the waters murky and bloodied, with limbs and hair floating on the surface. There was no hope.
"I''m going to kill him." Chen chuckled murderously, "I''m seriously going to kill him."
Eric looked at the man strangely, hearing his maddened tone. "What are you going to do?"
"I''m going to kill Bill." The Chinese man chuckled with a humorous grin.
"This isn''t a time for joking." The bald Hispanic man said, taking a sharp breath.
"Joking?" Chenughed, waving his handpalm side upat the biblical carnage, "This is an absolute masterpiece. I want to ensure that Bill is honored to be the first cuck he killed."
Without further discussion, he sprinted toward the bearded man, crying in a destabilized state. He was closest to the fire, as he isted himself from everyone else.
"HEY, BILL!" He yelled, "LOOK! YOU KILLED ALL THE FUCKING ZOMBIES!"
"I." Bill''s body trembled, and his lungs seized, seeing the Asian man approaching fast.
However, an invisible force gripped Chen, forcing him to stay still. He immediately tried back but only a secondter
VRooOooOOooOOoSH!
"The fuck!" He yelled as a wind blew into the shipping yard, torching the area. If he hadn''t stopped, he would have caught fire.
Chen''s eyes trembled, feeling cold sweat seep into his bones. His confused anxiety reced his anger, so he no longer wanted to kill Bill. As a result, he walked back, grateful to be alive.
It was a good decision as the breeze moved through the area again. Ashes and fire licked the shipping yard, triggering coughs and wheezing. They were in a brutal furnace without an escape.
"I''m taking my chances with swimming!" A bold man announced, "At least there''s a chance of survival!"
Without hesitation, a brte also turned to the water. "Me too, Belford. I''m following"
Hundreds of people turned to soldiers who tried to escape, only to find them frozen and panicked.
"Yo, what happened, Ma?" A blonde asked, feeling anxiety crashing through her.
Ma looked around, testing out her hands. "I-I don''t know; I just had this strange feeling like something telling me not to do it."
"R-Right?" The bold man stuttered, "That was"
SPLASH! SPlSH! Ssh! SPLasSh! Splish!
As if to prove a divine miracle, something triggered the sharks and sea creatures, sending them into a frenzy. The water boiled, creating a gruesome reminder of why people shouldn''t go swimming.
Hell''s furnace stood before them. Cerberus'' jaws were at their back.
The situation was bereft of hope. Devoid. Absolute.
Every civilian and soldier hit their limit at that moment. Completely giving u
"IF I SEE ANYONE GIVING UP, I''LL PLAY THE WAR DRUMS WITH THEIR FEMURS!"
An icy chill crawled down their spines, reflexively terrorized by the voice warning them from above. Everyone snapped to attention, not wanting to face a merciless punishment.
And then it dawned on them.
Thu-dump!
The voice that struck fear into their hearts more than sharks and fire spoke to them. It made their heart pulse, stealing their breath.
Everyone turned for confirmationand found soldiers pointing up.
Thu-dump! Thu-dump!
Every woman, child, grandparent, soldier, and Immortal looked up to find the Ice General flying, loosely held up by an attractive woman in a green frog hoodie.
Thu-dump! Thu-dump! Thu-dump! Thu-dump!
"YOU WON THIS BATTLE!" Evalyn dered boldly, raising everyone''s spirits, "SO DON''T YOU DARE MESS IT UP!"
A few cackles bent the airwaves as people processed her aggressive response. Someone cheered, and a few hundred people followed, meeting her with deafening apuse.
The pping turned to tears, raining down everyone''s faces.
Amid their despair, at their greatest time of need, as hell and nature raged around them, at thest minute when all else was losttheir general made it in time to save them.
Evalyn Skye had executed a wless open to a deus ex machina. It was time to resolve the chaos and turn the story into a legend.
Chapter 290 [Ice General Skye]
"Is that Crux!?" Calvin asked in astonishment, looking at the proud Pantheran wearing a cute green frog hoodie that hid her ears and tail. It was unthinkable.
"Your eyes do not betray you." Kaze replied calmly, "That is indeed Crux Panthera Pyron, Princess of the Panthera and loyalist to her people. However, if you look slightly below her you will see another mortal that leads her."
The mind-bending thought of [two] mortals obtaining Crux''s loyalty twisted their perception of reality.
"Only to solidify--are you truly mortals leading yourselves?" Calvin asked in disbelief, "Not enemies of Killian?"
"While we will pursue retribution for what Killian has done, you are correct--we are mortals leading ourselves." The emperor replied solemnly, "See the power of Evalyn Skye yourself; it should answer all questions you seek."
Amy and the elderly specialist watched Crux fly Evalyn over the raging fire, glowing in shades as it burned through mountains of corpses.
-
A hushed silence spread through the shipping yard, creating an eerie environment bereft of life. Only the sound of cackling fire, popping and fuming, filled the atmosphere as they watched their general flying a hundred feet above hell.
Amid the deafening stillness, a small white ball contrasted against the inferno, creating a drop of white-out on the world. As Crux flew away, it slowly glided to the earth, creating a satisfyingly uniform imagecking deviation.
There was a calming peacefulness as it touched down into the pits of hell.
VROooOOoooOSsshHHhhHhhssSshHHhhHSHHHHH!
A violent eruption of steam shot out from space like an exploding volcano, shooting a cloud of scorching gas toward the shipping yard.
The soldiers braced for impact, shielding their faces.
Yet the steam never came. One after the other, the soldiers and civilians opened their eyes hesitantly, finding themselves in a clouded marble. Upon closer examination, they realized that a spherical barrier covered the shipping yard, and the steam had bent around it.
Everyone looked up reflexively, searching for azy cat--and found her staring at the steam with a mocking smile.
A myriad of emotions crashed into everyone as they realized the end was there. With Crux erecting a barrier, there wasn''t a need to worry about the fire or sharks anymore.
They could rest easy.
And breath.
CRAaaaaaCcKkkKkkkcCckKkKcCkKckkkKkcCkcCkkKkkcCckKkkKk!
Their blissful moment violently shattered when a shrieking sound of freezing water crashed into their ear drums. The milky white steam abruptly condensed into a liquid, making it downpour acidic rain. For a split second, it felt like they were in a hurricane; however, the rain turned white snowkes and then hail in real time.
It was a physics lesson in molecule deceleration, the four states of matter, and the four seasons as ice spread along the ground, hitting the barrier and turning it into a crystalline block.
CRaaaACKkkKKCkkKkCAacCkckK!
To everyone''s horror, the perfect ice dome cracked violently, snapping and warping the barrier. Every soldier and civilian looked up at Crux, who was visibly shocked before hardening her resolve.
-
"What grade of technique is this!?" Calvin cried in horror, grateful that the emperor had created a barrier in time.
"It''s a humble heaven-grade technique; though she''s using the Qiite rotational power of a sacred technique to fuel it--it''s quite remarkable." Kaze smiled mysteriously, waving his finger at the barrier below. A series of runes developed on it, creating brilliant white markings that glowed radiantly. After finishing abination, the cracking barrier solidified and--
CRACK! KkckCkKkckKkCkckKkCkckkkKkkKk....
--the ice on the barrier exploded, shooting crystal shrapnel everywhere.
The Ice General, Pantheran Princess, [The] Princess, Kaze''s Cheerleader, Sky ne Cultivators, Cab Members, Immortal Elites and their families, and Lainwright Soldiers were equally perplexed with the mind-bending physics they had just witnessed.
However, no one said a word. They stood with their eyes to the sky, watching millions of reflective prisms fall to the barrier like pixie dust, coloring the world. Since everything was white, it created a dazzling rainbow-esquendscape that engulfed their vision.
It was so dazzling that it took a few seconds for the soldiers to register what the cultivators in the clouds were panicking about--the winter hellscape the Ice General triggered.
Not only did it freeze the area outside the shipping yard, but the crystalline ice also swallowed the skyscrapers, turning them into ice sculptures.
"I left you all alone for eight hours...." Evalyn shifted her eyes from the sky to the soldiers and civilians. Then she shifted to the wastnd, now a frozen desert with mountains of various sizes, before turning back to them. "And Ie back to this?"
An awkward atmosphere developed, with everyone stewing in mixed emotions. However, when they saw an amused smirk on the blonde''s face, a few people cheered, and it spread like wildfire. Soon thunderous apuse rocked the atmosphere, shredding the soundwaves.
"What happened?" Sheughed in amazement, walking up to a burnt pile of [death squakers], "This morning, I believed that you were weak and would be afraid of sick, crazy people forever.
Now I''ve returned to find a roasted flock of cmity birds and half the zombies in the city dead. My expectations about you were grossly misced."
Evalyn''s words electrified the air, giving the soldiers and civilians goosebumps. They didn''t think they would care so much about her opinion; however, as they stood there, trembling with misfiring emotions, they couldn''t deny how much it meant.
A wave of strange synesthesia cut through the soldiers and civilians, building their emotions and tearing them apart. After countless hours of uncertainty, doubt, and hopelessness, they stood there, alive, getting praised by the most influential person in their lives. It was surreal.
Jackson closed his eyes and released an earth-shattering battle cry, vindicated tears pouring down his cheeks.
The synesthesia passed to Denzel and Moe, struggling with their past criticisms of the general and their beliefs. Both choked back emotions, taking sharp breaths and nodding before releasing assenting cheers at the top of their lungs.
La watched Denzel strangely, wanting to support his emotions and also being conflicted. She didn''t feel like she belonged in the group, which was hard to bear. However, Eric''s reverberating cheers and beaming smile made her realize that feeling victorious and grateful was okay.
So the blonde patted Denzel on the shoulder and smiled genuinely, sharing a small moment of emotions before walking away.
As for Chen, he studied Evalyn pensively, thinking about how an invisible force had paralyzed three people--saving their lives--30 seconds before she arrived. It didn''t seem like a coincidence or an act of divinity. No, he was confident she or Crux saved him directly and was grateful beyond words.
"You have remarkable potential." Evalyn confirmed with an ominous smile, "So can someone exin why you''ve been hiding it? To get lighter training days, mayhaps?"
The atmosphere reversed instantly, hearing the notorious tone-smilebo that struck fear into their hearts. A few people stuttered around.
"W-We weren''t this strong before, I promise!" Jackson said with trembling eyes, "We''re stronger now!"
"Hoh?" The Ice General mused, "Do you mean that your recent training has paid off?"
A solemn silence befell the shipping yard, mute save the sound of rustling clothes. The soldiers felt anxiety, suffocating under the worry that they''d get punished and have their training multiply! Everyone took it with grave severity until--
"Eyyyyyyyyyy!" Denzel pointed at the woman with two index fingers, "Okay, okay. I see you!"
Soldiers looked up and saw her lips twisted into a sardonic smirk that bordered on the derisive. It instantly created an awkward sensation of excitement mixed with uncertainty.
"You got stronger, idiots." Evalyn rolled her eyes dramatically, "Think about where you were two weeks ago and what you aplished today. Then think about where you''ll be next month!"
After a brief pause to process, the soldiers erupted in a frenzy of excitement, cheering, and pping. The energy was contagious, spreading through synesthesia. Within seconds, their original enthusiasm returned in full force.
"From what I''ve seen, you''ve been reminded of the constant dangerous you now face." The Ice General continued, "However, your victory today proves you can ovee any danger through guidance and training."
Their desire to celebrate had pressurized, creating a powder keg that violently exploded when ignited.
"Today, you''ve seen that my training and techniques work." Evalyn smiled strangely, looking at the burnt seagulls, "And some found how important new skills are."
A medley of pride, envy,ughter, wry chuckles, excitement, and hope rippled outward after herment on Combustion.
"So let''s rid ourselves of the poisonous mindset that training is suicide." The Ice General said sternly, "Because it''s through training that you can obtain strength that makes battles like these seem irrelevant. When you have that power--nothing can harm you!"
Mania and delirium took root, freeing the soldiers from reality and recing their mindset with pure potential, what-ifs that always end with power.
"Now that you have tasted victory, who wants to taste it again?" She smiled sinisterly.
Battle cries ignited the pressurized energy in the atmosphere, detonating an explosion of overwhelming emotions. Soldiers screamed until they lost breath, and their minds became hazy, forcing them to gasp for air sharply.
"Then here''s your next challenge!" Evalyn yelled passionately, "We will temporarily assimte with Immortal Skye to fight the Sky ne cultivators in two weeks!
I want you to demonstrate gains that will make the Immortals sweat. Show them their only advantage was time and that you''ll soon surpass them with your training!
With your proven talents and our real-world training, I''m confident that all of you can earn their respect when the timees!"
The skies quaked with murderous fervor, multiplying the atmosphere pressure and sucking out the air, suffocating and strangling those not part of it. That included Calvin and Amy, rattled to their cores over Evalyn''s power and the effectiveness of Kaze''s propaganda strategy. Everyone now felt they had a chance of fighting the Sky ne cultivators--and winning.
Chapter 291 August 3rd, 2032 | Sky Plane Treasures | 31 Days Remaining
A pair of icy blue eyes pierced through an elderly man and his ck-haired associate sitting in a dimly lit military tent in the shipping yard of Meridian Bay. The chilling gaze gripped their hearts with anxiety and made them nervous about the future.
"No one switches sides unless they have a reason toespecially spies." Evalyn said coldly, "Yet you''re telling me that a demonstration of power was all it took to turn against your people?"
"Please understand, General Skye." Calvin exined quickly, "In my nearly two thousand years of life, I have never heard a rumor of a technique that used gravity to amass liquid nitrogen.
We don''t know how you got a sacred-grade technique, but that proves you process something special or a powerful backer. So you cannot fault us for being confident in your sess."
Evalyn blinked twice in surprise, turning to Kaze. He gave her a heaven-grade technique, Arctic Seed, yet they were iming it was a sacred-grade technique! He force-fed her a divine technique, and her head nearly explodedshe''d know if he gave her a higher one!
"Not just that you''ve inspired us." Amy said somberly, "Most in the Sky ne suffer from oppression under the strong, as it can take centuries of meaningless work to get a new technique. Yet you''ve given your soldiers high-level techniques and trained them for free.
Not only do we find that desirable, but it could easily win the war. If there weren''t so little time, we''d have assumed your sess from the start."
Evalyn was confused why they hadn''t done it if that''s all it would have taken. However, she figured it had to do with power culture, so she pushed it to the back of her mind.
"Do [you] trust them?" She asked the emperor, "While I believe their motivations, I don''t trust any enemy that hasn''t met crushing defeat. Fear and trauma are safety belts in prospering worlds of poweryou taught me that."
"I mostly agree with what you said." Kaze smiled ominously, "However, I don''t rely upon trust to aplish what I need, so to me, trust is irrelevant."
"So you''re binding their souls to a non-betrayal pact?" Evalyn smiled, remembering Martha and the guilty Lainwright soldiers.
"Our souls!? W-Wait, we''re going to be ves?" Amy cried in panic.
"Shut up, foolish woman!" Calvin snapped breathlessly, "Would you rather die a needless death!? We don''t have"
"Cease this simple-minded rabble!" The emperor ordered boldly, "We''re creating a contract that will prevent you from betraying us and harming our people, not enving or exploiting you. Do not judge us by the abhorrent standards of Andrew Killian and your sullen people.
I''m leaving one of you to serve under General Skye as an aid and mentor. We''re establishing her conditions for trusting you without shattering your spirit first."
Kaze''s words wrapped around Amy''s heart with emotional razor wire, ripping open wounds but releasing the pressure. She was horrified that she''d be subjected to centuries of torment like so many others she knew and would rather face death. So when she learned that the emperor had no intention of exploiting them, tears streamed down her cheeks.
"So long as they cannot betray us or harm my soldiers, I do not seek further assurance." Evalyn said coolly, ignoring the woman, "I will treat them no differently than my soldiers."
"Then so be it." Kaze smiled, closing his eyes. His body turned golden, and runes developed around his body, lighting up the tent in radiant light, "I offer you, Calvin Olman and Amy Ryas, a soul pact.
Under this contract, neither Evalyn Skye nor I will kill or harm you for your affiliation to the Killian Faction or the crimes youmitted following their orders."
Runes inscribed themselves on the cultivators with ink as he spoke, forcefully unlocking their Soul Cores. It was an ufortable experience that felt intimate beyond exnation.
"In exchange, you shall disclose all information regarding Andrew Killian, the trial, and rted information to the best of your knowledge.
You will not betray me, Evalyn Skye, or Immortal Skye, speak of us to cultivators, or harm our people outside of self-defense." The emperor continued, "If you do, you must attempt to resolve matters peacefully before taking action in self-defense. Give your name and consent if you ept."
? "I, Amy Ryas, ept your pact." Amy dered boldly.
Golden streams of Qi leaked from Kaze''s body, creating golden streams in the air. They rapidly twisted in the air, threading into her body through the runes, filling her tiny Soul Core.
"W-What is this!?" She cried, feeling a strange sensation.
"I''ve created the contract with the Soul Qi of the nearly ten thousand people you cannot harm." Kaze smiled, "That way, you will not fear self-defense if someone [could] be considered one of my people. No conditions of a soul pact canck definition; hence you cannot speak of us to cultivators to prevent unintentional betrayal."
Calvin''s eyes widened in shock. He had never heard of soul pact before, and now he was hearing that not only was he a soul cultivator, but he had mastery over it. "I, Calvin Olman, ept your pact."
Once again, the runes on his body epted Soul Qi to create the pact.
"With that, it''splete." Kaze smiled, turning to the blonde, "Which would you like as an aid?"
Evalyn frowned, hearing the option to choose. Amy was a rtively attractive woman, so the thought of her being one of his aids made her feel nauseous. However, Calvin''s power, experience, and knowledge vastly surpassed hers, so she sighed internally and turned to the man.
"I seek to employ you under my aid if you are willing to follow my orders without question or distinction." The Ice General announced, "If you do, I can guarantee rtive prosperity, fairness, and opportunity standard. I will also petition techniques, treasures, and items if you deserve rewards.
Will you join me and follow mymand? Or shall I ask her instead?"
"I ept." Calvin''s heart pulsed in confusion, "We in the Sky ne are conditioned not to question our orders or superiors."
"Excellent." Evalyn smiled, "Wee, Soldier. Starting today, you will help my soldiers with their Qi control training."
"As you wish, General Skye." He bowed his head.
"As for you, you''ll be one of my associates'' aid, mentor, and bodyguard." Kaze exined to Amy, "They are level-headed and will treat you with near-sycophantic respect. While such a torture is unsavory, it has benign charm and merits."
His ridiculing words gave her a deep sense offort, making her smile tiredly. "I look forward to it."
"Now that we have that out of the way, let''s get to business." He said professionally, "What treasures did the faction bring to the Mortal ne? Speak truthfully and with conviction, lest you seek a swift demise."
"To my knowledge." Calvin swallowed, thinking carefully and choosing his words, "We brought spirit weapons, healing treasures, techniques, and body constitutions, tempering and cleansing treasures, spirit concentrations, and restructuring treasures for the cultivators.
We brought treasure seeds and Spirit Veins for the environment, which we nted during thest influx."
"Most leave with the cultivators, but overseers like myself have them to help promising candidates." Amy added, activating a spatial ring, "I have ten earth-realm spirit swords and bows, five cleansing treasures, five spirit concentrations, and ten healing treasures."
She immediately pulled out the items without question, cing them on the desk.
"Thank you, but please return them aside from the cleansing treasures." Kaze smiled, satisfied she disclosed her spatial ring without his mention. He then looked at the older man. "Where is the spatial reserve?"
Amy was confused, but Calvin took a sharp breath when the emperor asked where the link to the spatial ring was. Spatial rings store items in physical locations. Therefore, since the cultivators had rings, a base existed to manage them.
"There is one per every 300 Earthian miles." Calvin swallowed nervously, "I only know where two are, as I lived at one. While they usually acted as a home for the overseers, Crux''s disappearance sparked a full investigation into whether the Reto Alliance had infiltrated the trail.
When the Silver Medallions disappeared, they sent a pre-made force to the region. Therefore, there are sixty cultivators in both bases, with nine being Heaven Realm cultivators."
Chapter 292 The First Step
"So that''s why they sent a Cultivation Lord to the Mortal ne." Kaze muttered pensively, "Is the base you''re from at the Sanctuary in the Twin Rocks Wildlife Reserve?"
Calvin and Amy''s hearts seized after hearing his perceptive words. They sensed that facing him was inevitable and were lucky it wasn''t in battle. The thought made them shiver.
"Excellent." The emperor smiled strangely, "Amy, I''ll need you to show me the location. No one will see you; I only need you to point it out."
She took a sharp breath, aware she was the weakest in the cultivator nest but nodded.
"Forgive me if I sound disrespectful." Calvin said tactfully, "However, if you n on stealing the treasures, I''d advise against it.
As powerful as you are, you are still mortals new to cultivation. You''re up against Heaven Realm cultivators with millennia of experience, not sick mortals and animals. Even scouting the area will be risky."
"While I appreciate your courageous resolve to protect us, we''ll be fine." Kaze smiled, "Crux will guard Immortal Skye with six lower-Heaven Realm cultivators, and you will aid Evalyn and another heaven-realm cultivator while I''m away. If there are only that many, I can handle them."
He tried to object but froze when the general smiled sinisterly.
"If you don''t mind me asking, how do your cultivation grades work?" Evalyn smiled cutely, "I''ve been rather curious. For example: how strong is someone to be a Cultivation Lord?"
Calvin and Amy felt an icy serpent slither from their stomachs to their throats, stopping and wrapping its body around their hearts.
"I-I." He swallowed nervously, "Cultivation Lord is a title, not a measure of power.
Every faction has leaders, traditionally chosen by strength. The most powerful is the Cultivation King or Queen; below them are two Dukes and ten Lords. Since every power is different, the power varies."
"Fascinating." She remarked adorably, "So how many heaven-realm cultivators would it take to kill a Killian faction Cultivation Lord?"
A wave of horrifying understanding crashed into the cultivators, sent to investigate the disappearance of Mary Emerson and the Silver Medallions.
"Fifty, maybe?" Calvin grimaced, "It''s uncertain because no one fights them. Are you implying that you defeated Mary Emerson in battle?"
"We killed her." Evalyn giggled yfully, "You should''ve seen the look on her face when earth-realm mortals killed her rowdy pack of Heaven Realm elites! Pure humiliation.
Even at the end, she couldn''t believe their mundane, groundless massacre ended in shameful defeat!"
Calvin and Amy shivered, feeling icy waves breach their lungs. They couldn''t believe her words, which seemed so surreal and unbelievable that theycked meaning.
"Now that you have perspective, you can consider ordingly." General Skye continued, her expression abruptly bereft of yfulness, "You''re here to help us achieve our objectives, not question them, so if you advise against something, present an alternative.
Regarding Emperor Lexicon, it''s best to inform rather than suggest. If he refuses your concern, do not mention it again."
Kaze watched Evalyn train her recruit with a nostalgic smile. Sometimes, he felt like he was watching the Ice Phoenix, not the young woman he had re-fallen in love with.
CLAP!
"With that settled, let''s get started." He pped, standing up, "I''m taking Crux to Immortal Skye and bringing you reinforcements until I return tomorrow night or the day after."
"Why will it take so long?" Evalyn asked discerningly, ignoring the cultivators'' exasperation.
"I n to offer each a soul pact to build our forces. " Kaze exined, "I''ll use the rest as training puppets for Kiera, Marilyn, Kylie, and Addison, whock battle experience."
"Harem training." She asserted mockingly, "Kiera''s the only person who hasn''t seen battle and Kylie''s doingbat training. So don''t sugarcoat it."
"Your usation is gracefully ironic." He dered with a mocking smirk, "For you, someone holding a shy divine technique and political power, to use me of sugarcoating my favoritism."
Evalyn blushed involuntarily, looking at their rtionship from a polygamist perspective for the first time. From a monogamist''s perspective, his treatment of her was unsavory. However, from a polygamist''s perspective, he treated her like a princess!
While Kaze was just now training Marilyn and Addison, he had given her power, training, and emotional support! The blonde was touched, embarrassed, and ashamed simultaneously.
"I was joking." Evalyn frowned, noticing the cultivators'' bewildered expressions. They couldn''t believe she could blush, let alone that they''d get to see it!
"I deserve this." She muttered under her breath.
"Yes, you deserve political power, praise, and techniques." Kaze smiled charmingly, "Now I must go. Crux, pleasee in here as we''re leaving."
Calvin and Amy were confused when he requested her, as they could sense her on the other side of the shipping yard. However, she arrived within 30 seconds.
"Sent to investigate Crux, forget about her ears; shameful." He chuckled snidely, "There''s much to teach you. Amy, please follow me."
Amy''s eyes widened in bewilderment when his ring glowed gold, and a wall of dimensional Qi appeared in the tent. "I-Is that a spatial ring?"
Sky ne spatial rings had a two-foot square rift and couldn''t handle more than an arm passing through it. If one tried, it would kill them. Otherwise, everyone would use spatial rings to travel!
"Not the type you''re ustomed to." Kaze chuckled in amusement, "Nowe."
The cultivators were stunned when he walked through the rift, disappearing into thin air!
"So that''s how he appeared behind us suddenly." Calvin said hazily, "But how?"
"Emperor Lexicon''s techniques transcend the Sky ne, so asking that question is a fool''s errand." Crux said coolly, "Now hurry up, you timid woman!"
"Y-Yes!" Amy cried, fearing for her life as she charged through the spatial rift.
THUD!
"Guh." After sprinting through, the cultivator hit a wall, making her groan, "What on the Mortal ne is this. T-th-this THIS!"
"This what?" Kaze smiled amusedly. She had run right into him and was now six inches away, staring at his face with a quivering mouth, blushing and feeling fearful simultaneously.
"Eek!" Amy cried, jumping back when she realized their closeness, "I was just saying hard! What in the Mortal ne is so hard? Everything here is so flimsy eek! I-I mean, I mean."
The cultivator hid her face in shame, feeling mortified beyond description.
"I''m not sure if I should apologize for that." He chuckled charmingly, "Worry not; I felt you might run through to ovee your fear, so I came to catch you."
"N-No need to apologize!" Amy cried, "It''s me that should"
"You''re so loud." Crux said coldly, walking through the rift, "Kaze adores women, no matter how weak or pathetic they may be. So quiet down, and rejoice that there''s hope for you yet."
Kaze gave the sassy cat woman a mocking smile, then nced at her waist. She blushed furiously after following his eyes, noting that she was ying with the onyx-studded ring he had given her.
"Now, let''s go!" The princess yelled awkwardly, opening the door, "There''s much to do in preparation for your confrontation with the Killians!"
SLAM!
Without thinking, she mmed the door, making her even more embarrassed. So she opened it and thrust her head in murderously. "NOW!"
"Yes, mam." Kaze chuckled amusedly, nudging his head to start Amy walking, "Let''s go."
"O-Okay, as you wish." Amy blushed awkwardly, mortified and awkward, "Where are we going?"
"The first step is getting you out of that gaudy attire." He dered arrogantly, "Not only will people seek to kill you for it, but it''s unbefitting of a beautiful woman like"
-
"NOW!"
-
"You heard the woman." Kaze chuckled amusedly, walking out the door and leaving the poor cultivator pleading for salvation, drowning gracelessly in a bowl of emotional soup.
Chapter 293 Mortal Threads
"Wow...." Amy said with trembling eyes, running her fingers against a green textile in amazement, "Not only is this the most beautiful princess gown I''ve ever seen, but it''s also of unbelievably high quality. The dressmaker must be renowned...."
Kaze smiled and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to regain hisposure. The ck-haired woman hadn''t even set foot in the store yet--she was examining the disy model! It was unreasonably cute.
"Nonsense." Crux scoffed, waving her hand dismissively, "To say this decrepit garment is the pinnacle of dressmaking is offensive. You cannotpare mortal threads to Sky ne wares; even Ida Killian is bereft of even basic mortal textile work.
Come inside; there''s much to learn if you wish to live in the Mortal ne."
The emperor couldn''t help but smile, watching the cat woman--wearing a horrifyingly cute frog hoodie--dere the superiority of mortal textiles. He didn''t know what was more ironic: her stunning reversal in recognizing mortal talents or that she didn''t lose her pompous attitude. She simply appropriated [mortal threads] as part of her culture and then dered her superiority again.
Crux was proud and willing to fight--always. That was something he loved about her.
"I can''t believe this...." Amy gulped, looking through the rows of dresses on the wall, "Did you collect an artisan''s life work? Perhaps many?"
"Many." Kaze smiled gently. He didn''t have the heart to tell her that all the clothing was machine-made as she looked at the dresses in wonder, imagining herself in them. "Now try some on.
We''re not leaving this store until you have your three favorite [princess dresses]. It''s all free."
The cultivator was in the process of saying [I don''t havepensation for one, let alone three!] when he added thest part. Then she panicked further. "I-I cannot possibly ept this."
"You must ept it; I cannot have an Immortal Skye representative wearing the beleaguered garb of the Killian faction." Kaze dered matter-of-factly, "Therefore, as the leader of Immortal Skye, I am duty-bound to provide clothing for you--this once. After today, you will earn it like Crux."
"I can... earn them?" Amy said confusedly, "As in taking it from mypensation?"
? "As a reward, simr to cultivation techniques in the Sky ne." The emperor smiled, "For example, if a certain mischievous divine beast were to help you find three dresses you love, I''m inclined to give her another textile."
Crux stopped moving, cradling multiple cocktail dresses. She was strategizing on how to leave with all three when the emperor abruptly called her out and gave her an opportunity. "That dress before you would be unbefitting to your form."
Amy turned and found the cat woman a foot away, shamelessly grabbing her hand with manic eyes. "W-What?"
"You do not want that dress." Crux restated brazenly, "While I am unversed in mortal dresses, I know the kinds that make women here look like [floozies]."
Amy cocked her head to the size. "What''s a floo-zie?"
"It''s a woman who''s...." The Pantheran princess began, realizing she had picked up the word from someone who used it so universally that it had lost meaning. "Kaze, what is a floozy?"
Kaze frowned, raising his eyebrows with a mocking gaze. "Must you teach her Kiera''s abhorrent, uncouth jargon?"
"Should it be urate andmunicate my ideas." Crux huffed, "While I''m not certain what the lexical definition of [floozy] is, the little one has pointed out enough examples to [prove] its uracy and consistency. If you deprive me of a definition, I shall exin it with thenguage I possess, crude and deserving as it may be."
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, shocked and exasperated that he was in his current position. However, to save Immortal Skye from sumbing to Kiera''s apocalyptic dictionary, he chose to concede and give her an exnation.
"A floozy is a derogatory term for a woman with multiple casual sexual partners." Kaze exined, making Amy blush to the tip of her ears. "Usually, the word is tied to women who dress in scantily d attire and act promiscuously.
However, my partner Kiera uses the term to describe any woman who is brave enough to look at or whisper about me. Therefore, using that word is generally to disdain the female poption aside from Evalyn and Crux."
"Thank you; that definition was survivable." Crux nodded, turning back to the woman, "Now that you understand what a floozy is, it will be easier to prevent you from bing one."
Amy swallowed nervously, shifting between Kaze''s vexed expression and Crux''s deration. "O-Okay."
***
"You think it''s marvelous?" Amy frowned slightly, looking at the frilly blue dress that didn''t fit or match her appearance. It was still beyond her wildest dreams but feltckluster in the sea of choices. "Is this a mortal trend?"
"No, no! Marvelous!" Crux snapped, "Horrid, sphemous, vile--let''s get you out of that as quickly as possible."
The ck-haired cultivator had never been so confused in her life. She could tell Crux knew what [marvelous] really means, but she still used it for the opposite. It was so strange.
ZIP!
"You mustn''t dally, woman." Crux demanded, unzipping the dress down to her lower back, "We have yet to visit the lingerie section, and our trip willck meaning without it!"
Amy blushed aggressively, checking to ensure the cat woman had closed the dressing room door. She was grateful to find it was. "Lingerie? What''s that?"
"Art." The Pantheran princess dered, "You''ll see."
***
"What... do you think?" Amy blushed, looking away bashfully with her fist in front of her mouth, "Does it meet your expectations for an Immortal Skye representative?"
Kaze studied the light yellow sundress with subtle white ents. The simplicity made her ck hair pop, highlighting the subtle green tones in her olive eyes. He felt the choice was charming because she could get the same color in the Sky ne, but the fit and curves in the dress were far more ttering. "I think it''s charming; keep it--I look forward to seeing the next one."
Her eyes sparked with a bright smile, ecstatic that she got to keep the dress. "Yes!"
She scampered back into the dressing room, where Crux thrust another dress into her hand.
***
"You look stunning." Kaze dered charmingly, studying a ck cocktail dress on the blushing woman''s face, "It brings out a confident air that befits your character."
"Is... it okay for someone like me... to wear this?" Amy asked nervously, looking at the silky cocktail dress. She had never seen something so majestic, let alone felt it.
Andrew Killian''s daughter and perhaps the nobility might wear something simr in the Sky ne. However, few would ever get to see it. It seemed legendary--too much for someone like her.
"Do you think so lowly of Immortal Skye that we couldn''t provide our representatives with attire of this quality?" He taunted delusively, "If you continue asking such needless questions, I''ll make you choose a [fourth] as punishment."
The poor cultivator tried to apologize before her brain connected his words to his victorious smirk, arrogantly dering he had trapped her. After thinking carefully, she came to a conclusion: he had!
"Worry not, Amy Ryas." Kaze chuckled, watching her solve social calculus equations to find a response, "If these clothes had grades, you hold an earth-grade dress when I possess sacred-grade textiles. I am not giving you a priceless treasure; so please, for your job, choose your third to your heart''s content."
Amy''s eyes welled with tears, gazing at the dress longingly. She turned around not to show weakness, which she felt incapable of doing. "R-Right away!"
The emperor smiled gently. While his gesture seemed considerate on Earth, it was beyondprehension to Sky ne cultivators and held profound meaning. It was special.
Kaze thought he enjoyed his new life because he didn''t need to suffer to survive. However, he was learning that what he enjoyed most was sharing that with others.
Seeing Amy look at dresses with excruciating excitement and anxiety made him smile. He felt he would spoil her and Crux that day to keep that moment alive. In the meantime, he''d n his rewards for Evalyn--in addition to the priceless one that wasing her way.
***
"What is this!?" Amy cried, holding a small white, textured garment. "I feel like I''m holding onto a piece of art right now! I''ve never seen a painting with this degree of uniformity; it''s like everything here is perfect!"
"Is it not?" Crux asked with sparkling eyes, "Look how the flowers move from the thighs up, spreading out. While your purity remains in the garden, moving up gets increasingly lewd and chaotic yet the art counterbnces--I love it."
Kaze didn''t know what reaction to have, hearing the cultivators express the grand virtues of lewd lingerie. However, he let them have fun, silently pondering the wonderful surprises that he would give Evalyn.
While the emperor had one that surpassed any mortal gift, he now resolved to give her a day of fun. If two battle-worn Sky ne cultivators could giggle over panties, he was certain he could get her to have a good time.
Chapter 294 Finally Powerful Enough
Amy burst into tears as she gazed at her reflection in therge mirror. She could hardly believe that the person staring back at her was herself, as her appearance was nearly indistinguishable from what it had been a few hours before.
She was wearing a mid-blue pencil dress made of a fabric that could have easily doubled as a summer dress. However, the dress fitted a dignified representative. It was thin at the waist, curved around her hips, and then became narrow below the knees, giving her an hourss figure.
However, her attire was only a fraction of what left her spellbound. The most remarkable change was her hair, a stylish lob haircut that elegantly entuated her face and lightly brushed past her shoulders. It was slightly longer in the front and had subtle waves that made it look shaggy.
Although the look shed with Sky ne fashion, it was also edgy by Earthian fashion. Addison had happily styled her hair like Kiera''s, as per Crux''s unusual request, but using metallic blue dye as the [bottomyer] instead of pink on the top. It was subtle but brought depth and dimension to her appearance.
Amy had never worn nice clothing before, so the makeover left her feeling emotional. She smiled, modeling her new appearance, repeatedlyughing and crying in disbelief. The sight moved her redheaded stylist, who smiled gently.
"Is it to your liking?" Addison beamed, anticipating her approval.
"I LOOK BEAUTIFUL!" Amy cried, her smile contrasting her streaming tears, "T-THANK YOU!"
"Oh, hun;e here." The redhead said, opening her arms lovingly and epting the cultivator into her embrace, "You deserve to feel special."
After thanking Addison, the surprises didn''t stop. The three of them moved to Sanctuary to meet another cultivator whose hands were full.
WHooOOoOShhH!
A Guided Arrow shot through the sky. To Amy''s surprise, a woman wearing a toga shot it, flying in the air.
CRacCk! CRACK! BOOOOOM!
The bolt of Qi curved when it neared the ground, snaking through the forest and chasing after a group of three. It hit multiple trees, felling them as the group spread apart to avoid it.
"Damn!" Veronica scoffed, looking at the hole and fallen trees behind her, "She''s a monster now that she has Guided Arrow and Minor Healing!"
Kaze had given her Guided Arrow and Minor Healing to self-study. Without his guidance, her progress was slow but steady. As a result, the training got progressively more challenging.
"Right? I knew my confidence was too good to be true." Jake chuckled self-deprecatingly, "But that just means we''ll have to work harder. It''s to our benefit."
"Your positivity is the only thing keeping me going." Kylieughed half-bitterly.
Sage stayed silent in trance-like concentration. Of all the trainees, she was the least injured daily. She refused to suffer injuries that required more than Minor Healing to heal, thus preventing Kiera from touching her.
She had slowly started epting her new life. In all honesty, Kaze hadn''t ced any oppressive restrictions on her. On the contrary, her apocalypse mania had made her a textbook megalomaniac, manic with grandeur and blood-drunk with power. So all he did was dial her back to reality.
Sage Harrington would be a more nuanced viin, but until then, she aimed to obtain as much power as possible and avoid any favors from Kiera or others who could restrain her. The only person she would adhere to was Kaze Lexiconno one else.
"She''s pursuing the othersgood." Sage whispered to herself, "It''s time to counterstrike."
The redhead ran into a clearing of trees that had been previously hit by a flurry of Crux''s attacks and waved her hand, creating a sh Attack across the clearing, hitting a tree twenty feet away.
CReeeAaaCcKBOOM!
"I won''t fall for a diversion this petty." Martha scoffed, scanning the area with a vision technique at ghostly speed. "There you areGAH!"
By the time she saw Sage''s grinning face, it was already toote. A Guided Arrow wrapped around her body, hitting her in the shoulder and spurting blood everywhere.
Sage smirked, noting her victory. While Martha managed to avoid a full hit, she still lost a chunk of her shoulder. In a prolonged battle, it could kill the woman.
It was a masterful diversion that yed off Martha''s experience. Since the cultivator knew that there was no reason for someone to hit a tree when she was flying, she looked for her horizontal to the strike. As a result, she didn''t pay attention to her periphery, where an arrow curved from.
Sage was a master of deception, analyzing her opponents and turning their strengths against themselves. Her attack proved that perfectly, showcasing Martha''s arrogance towards poor strategies, and exploiting it dramatically.
"You''ve isted yourself; now you''ll pay the price," Martha scoffed, flying south at high speed, away from the others, until none could see her. Then she circled in arge arc and shot into the forest. "I''ll show you that I''ve been holding back."
She flew over the top near the ground at a speed that didn''t rustle leaves, dead silent as she stalked the redhead. Within thirty seconds, she had an arrow out and could see the redhead looking around the forest with an arrow drawn. While it impressed the cultivator, it was irrelevant in the scheme of things. The match was over, and in the real world, there wasn''t a second chance.
By the time Sage sensed the woman, it was already toote. She didn''t have the reflexes to turn around fast enoughit was over. However, to her astonishment, no arrow came.
Sage turned to find the emperor between her and Martha, healing thetter with a radiant golden light. "Your sparring is over for the day; please head back to theke. There''s much to discuss, so please hurry."
Without another word, he disappeared.
The word ke] was ttering to the point of being nearly offensive. Ever since the emperor turned it into "Hellscape Stew," it was a quarter-filled hole with randomly textured indents from the scales of aquatic creatures. It was an ufortable sight for trypophobes.
Jake, Veronica, and Sage exited the forest to see Keira snuggled up against Kaze and Kylie getting a hug as she timidly approached the pink-haired woman''s territory. While she was intimidated, she still approached enough for him to reach his arm around her. It was cute to watch for those around them.
"As you can see, everyone''s still alivepraise me." Kiera demanded adorably, triggering gentle yet wry smiles.
"Your talent for aplishing ordinary things despite your overwhelming power is remarkable." Kaze smiled cheekily, ruffling her hair, "And your talent grows at a dazzling speed; great work."
"T-Thank you." Kylie blushed, scared to be too gushy around the Princess, who was thankfully preupied, melting into a puddle of emotions.
Once everyone gathered around, the emperor separated from his partners and addressed them.
"Before I exin why I''m here, I''d like to say that you''ve made remarkable process, excellent work." Kaze announced, triggering a wave of emotion that ignited everyone''s hearts.
After giving them a moment to revel at the moment, he continued. "I''m here letting you know I''m leaving tomorrow for a few days. Therefore, you will maintain order while I''m gone."
A wave of shock washed over everyone, nervous about the prospect. The cab members often forgot that they lived in the apocalypse when he was around but remembered in full force when he was gone. So the announcement left them minorly shaken, wishing he would reconsider his ns.
"In preparation for departure, it''s time to repay past debts, as you are finally powerful enough to ept what I owe." Kaze smiled mysteriously.
Chapter 295 Outstanding Debts
"Debts?" Kiera asked in perplexity, "Who would [you] owe debts to?"
"Jacob Hays and Veronica Stone." Kaze replied boldly, "Jacob provided me resources in my greatest time of need; it''s not an exaggeration to say much of what exists at Immortal Skye is because of him. Veronica has aided me in testing and preparing him for a position of power; therefore, today I will give them what I promised."
Jake felt an electric thrill bolt through his body like lightning, energizing him. He couldn''t believe his ears. "I only recorded a video and bought you some clothing...."
"Nonsense," the emperor scoffed, "One cannot overstate the value of clothing and appearance for building one''s reputation. More importantly, lest you have forgotten, you recorded that video as an unconditional favor for me.
I''m not sure what that word [favor] means to you, but its value is immeasurable to me."
Amy and Martha joined the cab members in their confusion; what he had given everyone was beyond value. So hearing that what he had given them wasn''t enough was bewildering.
"I-I see." Jake swallowed, "Does that mean that you''re giving me."
"I will not fault you for not speaking openly, as you now understand the nature and value of your reward." Kaze smiled mysteriously, "Today, for aiding my rise of power, I will bestow Divine Arrow upon you."
"W-Wh-What!?" Martha gasped, "T-That''s impossible! Divine Arrow is Duke Ranker''s legacy technique!"
"Are you perhaps mistaking the technique for another?" Crux asked hesitantly, "The Ranker family Divine Arrow only passes it to the first son of the Ranker family through direct transference; it has been that way for tens of millennia."
"It''s also one of the five sacred techniques of the Sky ne." Amy said nervously, "You''re talking about the pinnacle of cultivation."
A hush descended upon the cab members, stunned by the profound narrative unfolding. It only took a moment for them to grasp the value of the techniqueor so they thought.
"Does someone im Divine Arrow a sacred technique when its name clearly states otherwise?" Kaze chuckled, suppressing a desire to ridicule Duke Ranker for his offensive ims about the technique. "I suppose it matters not, as I''m uncertain what you call [Divine Arrow], as technique names are merely appetions, monikers."
He turned to the east and waved his hand, creating an arrow and pulling it back on an invisible bow he held.
SwoooOSH! SwoooOSH! SwoooOSH! SwoooOSH! SWOOOSH! SWOOOSH!
Everyone''s hair flung erratically in the air as a cyclone descended in the area. Wind, water, and debris swirled in a hyperpressed globe ten feet from the emperor''s position. It contrasted perfectly with the sunset, giving it a fiery appearance.
Their imaginations went wild, imagining him releasing the arrow through the forest, shooting a Category 5 hurricane across it, and ripping everything apart.
"That is Divine Arrow!" Crux cried in amazement. As someone who had seen the technique, she could confirm.
"A-Are you certain?" Martha asked in horror.
"Yesonly far more beautiful." The Pantheran princess replied, "This is so clean and reinfied; it makes Duke Ranker''s demonstration look sloppy and childish."
Amy and Martha gasped, hearing her insult a Duke! It made them tremble and reflexively take note of the people around them. However, they froze when reality caught up to them.
"You''re free to insult the leaders of other countries and nes to you, please." Kaze chuckled, cutting off the technique and stopping the wind, "Or you may respect them.
However, you shouldn''t [fear] them. If Duke Ranker treats a technique requiring onlypressed wind as sacred, you will all be capable of matching him before we ascend."
Silence spread among the people present; the cultivators were shocked, and the cab members were confused at their reaction.
While the technique had immense power, it was a [principal technique], meaning that it used a basic elemental form to an extreme. In this case, the technique was controlling wind masterfully,pressing it into circr 1,000 mph winds (1609.34 kmh), and then firing it. As soon as it was released, it would expand as it moved.
That wind control mastery was an elemental input of sacred techniques and above, so upper-ne wind cultivators instinctively created and modified arrows like that. Just as Evalyn had instinctively juiced up Artic Seed with a sacred technique''s rotational pattern, Kaze could make Divine Arrow a raging blue fire tornado of death or elerate it with gravity.
So while Kaze felt it worthy of Jake''s loyalty and favor, he scoffed at the notion that it was a sacred, ancient, all-powerful technique. It would take everyone a very long time to truly understand the power differential between them and someone who made animated, flying ice dragons and bent space and time to move around conveniently!
"How powerful is that technique?" Sage frowned, "I was hoping you''d show us."
"How strong is it? This technique is known for decimating armies!" Marthaughed.
"The third most powerful person on the Sky ne uses this technique." Amy added nervously.
"And you''re giving it to me?" Jake asked with trembling eyes, "I."
"That is what I told you from the moment we met, was it not?" Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Do not insult me by being shocked that I stayed true to my word."
"S-Sor Understood." The blonde-haired man replied in a haze, reflexively working on his habit of saying sorry. However, it was hard not to be emotional: "It''s funny, you even made me a regent; I just thought that was a nickname."
A regent is someone appointed to govern a kingdom, state, or territory in the absence or incapacity of a ruler. With the emperor and his general away, Jake was the literal regent of Immortal Skye.
"Then let this be a reminder that I never engage in glib or banter with political matters, no matter how far in the future they may be." The emperor smiled slightly, "From the start, I''ve been grooming you to be a leader; there is still much to do, but I know your talent suits it."
Jake swallowed back tears. "Thank you, Emperor Lexicon."
"Thank me after you have the technique," Kaze chuckled, walking up and poking him on the forehead. "As you will not feel gracious until then."
"AGaHHhhHHhhHhHHhHHH!" Jake screamed, falling to his knees. While everyone felt empathy, they weren''t shocked.
After Kaze taught the cab members heaven techniques, they understood the pain of imntation of upper-level techniques, such as the searing pain that Jake experienced. The only way to ease this pain is through Spirit Fortification, a mental strengthening process that gradually eases trauma and heals the mind''s capacities over time. Until then, this is what they would expect.
"Jake''s fine, Veronica." He smiled, turning to the concerned ck-haired pixie, "The pain will ease up shortly. In the meantime, let''s discuss your reward for helping Jake with training."
Veronica gulped nervously, wishing that he''d just ignore her. "Okay."
"As promised, I have let you sit on the cab, given you a heaven technique with the other members, and now I''ll give you an offensive technique of your choice." Kaze exined, presenting his palms, "You have two optionshowever, they are not equal.
The first technique is [False Gratification], a divine Spirit Technique that floods a victim''s brain with dopamine when you talk, making them think they''ve won after every sentence.
The other is a shadow technique called Shadow Pincer, a heaven-grade technique."
"Wait, Emperor Lexicon!" Crux cried, "You''re offering her a rare, legacy technique; do you expect her to be capable of using it? For anyone beyond you, Lady Skye, and the little one, such an action borders on the irrational."
"With a sassy [shadow cat] on site, I''m sure it''s possible." He smirked, making her frown, look at Veronica, and huff. "I will only ept under a direct order to do so; she''s unworthy."
Veronica and the others got yet another demonstration of value from her words.
"As you have heard, Shadow Pincer is not to be underestimated." Kaze smiled, returning to Veronica, "This attack strikes enemies with an invisible Guided Arrow you create behind them or to their side.
Like all shadow techniques, it uses an illusion to mask it. With a dark enough shadow, an enemy won''t notice the arrow until it pierces them. Crux is pointing one at you now to mock you."
Veronica turned to her shadow, which looked normal. However, as the shadow moved, a horrifying warping tentacle stared at her. "I-I see."
Since everyone was in a festive mood for demonstrations, he nced at the proud and victorious cat woman with a devious smile.
Chapter 296 Power Level Up
Kaze deviously eyed the proud Pantheran princess, smirking about sessfully jump-scaring Veronica with Shadow Pincer. "That was a wless demonstration, Crux. Does this mean she''s still unworthy?"
"Of course!" Crux huffed, "If just anyone could learn this masterful technique, they would have! Shadow techniques are our people''s pride, showcasing our remarkable strength! While it''s true that Mortals possess the talent and could perhaps learn one of these techniques, doing so at any speed would be absurd. Even I, Crux Panthera Pyron, First Princess of the Panthera n, could only use this technique after three years practice and was dered a genius! Therefore, it''s not personal that"
"You''re remarkably talented; therefore, shouldn''t you apologize for being rude to Veronica, as she didn''t know?" Kaze interjected, cutting off her manic cat''s grandiose, prideful speech, "It''s only bing of a noble princess."
"Of course of course!" Crux blinked twice, her pupils dting slightly from the size of pins, "It''s only right that I say sorry, as it is indeed bing! Youmortal!"
Veronica jolted when the Pantheran princess turned to her with crazed eyes, simr to what one would see in a gambling addict. "Y-Yes?"
"I apologize for being rude to you for your ignorance of shadow cultivation." The Pantheran princess said, "Now that you know what you''re up against, surely you understand my words, yes?"
The ck-haired pixie let her jaw hang open, confused about how to react to the woman before her, but she wasn''t perplexed long.
"Guh." Crux said, grabbing her head woozily, "What''s going on? I feel drunk on wine."
CLAP!
Everyone''s attention was pulled from the shadow cat to the emperor, smirking just as arrogantly as the Panthera was only a moment before.
"And now you''ve seen the value of False Gratification." Kaze smiled brazenly.
"How dare you!" Crux yelled, "This is no different than drugging someone; I''ll have you know! If you think that I''ll warm your pillows after this, you''re wrong!"
"And now you see why it''s best not to use it." He chuckled, waving his hand, "While enchanting skills are powerful, they''re difficult to use and seed distrust in those around you. More importantly, you can see that your victims are cognizant you''re using a technique, so trying to use them for nefarious gain will result in immediate exposure.
Therefore, you should only use such techniques for official purposes. In which case, they be weapons of justice, not mutual destruction."
Sage averted her gaze, realizing she was considering the technique''s usefulness.
Crux''s mind reset hormonally, bringing her out of her hazy headache. "Then why did you use it on me!?"
"There are two reasons." Kaze replied frankly, "First, it''s impossible to demonstrate when someone knows I''ll use it. Just as tranquility techniques require stress to activate, this technique uses feelings of winning, superiority, or excitement. Now that you understand it, it''s difficult to use; do you understand?"
"I understand, but that''s not a reason to use it on [me]." Crux chuckled bitterly, turning away, "So your second reason better be better."
"As the specialized skills I possess are limited, I am giving you a divine spirit cultivation technique to help you aid Evalyn." Kaze announced, "Therefore, you must understand why most people should not have such a technique. Do you understand?"
The Pantheran princess''s jaw lowered in perplexity, trying to process his words. "D-Did yes, I understand divine."
"Excellent." He chuckled, turning to Veronica, "Which brings me back to your offer. I only have a divine spirit cultivation technique; nothing below. Therefore, if you choose False Gratification, I must give it to you, greatly enhancing your mental acuity and fortitude. Consider the secondary gain when weighing the pros and cons of the techniques."
Veronica narrowed her eyes at the emperor. "I can tell that you want me to choose False Gratification. Is it because you think I''m good at manipting emotions, and thus I could make the most of it?"
"Your insecurities deceive you, Veronica." Kaze rolled his eyes, "Anyone can see immense value in this technique; thus, I''ve offered it to some with social prowess. However, in doing so, I''m dering that I trust that you''ll only use it for legitimate operations and not nefarious gain.
It''s you who is raising questions about your integrity. So rather than delusively implying that you cannot and will not weaponize your skill set, perhaps it would be better to seek your partner''s opinion and reassure him of your intentions, would it not?"
The emperor''s words gripped Veronica''s vocal cords, making her turn to her lover nervously. She didn''t want to threaten their rtionship by poking their pain point. However, it was inevitable that would at some point.
"Our concentration technique uses Spirit Qi, and it''s really powerful, right?" Jake prefaced, recovering from his learning, "Would a spirit cultivation technique make that more powerful?"
"It will extend the intensity and duration, yes." Kaze replied, "It also builds resistance and facilitates faster learning. It''s the primary benefit of this option."
"Then, that''s the one I''d choose." The regent said frankly, "Veronica, you don''t need a cultivation technique to do this to people. So if I didn''t trust you, I wouldn''t be with you.
After what you did for me, I trust your intentions over your words. So do what''s best."
Veronica''s eyes widened and then rxed in a gentle smile. "It means a lot to hear you say that."
After letting the two have a quick, emotional moment, he pped his hands and continued.
"Then it''s decided." Kaze announced, touching the pixie''s forehead, "Let''s get started, you two."
As customary, Veronica dropped to the ground screaming, clutching her head. Crux came next; however, to prove the value of spirit fortification, the divine beast only winced as the information passed through her brain. As someone with a lower-divine breathing technique, high-level skills, and years of spirit fortification, it was possible to endure much better.
"Martha, Amy: you''re incapable of harming Immortal Skye, so I am giving you both Heavenly Assimtion." Kaze announced, "Martha will be incapable of training soon without it, and Amy must be strong to protect Director Hays as his bodyguard.
Please ept these techniques instead of making it a spectacle."
After it became a spectacle, he eventually transferred the technique to both. Then he used [Paradox of Healing] to prime their bodies for the peak heaven-grade cultivation technique without pain.
"Kiera, Kylie, and Martha will be absent until my return." The emperor announced, "Until then, you will train independently and follow Jake''s leadership without question or dereliction. Are there any questions?"
"Um if you don''t mind me asking where are you going?" Jake asked nervously, feeling the crushing weight of his departure.
"We have discovered the location of various Sky ne cultivator nests in the region." Kaze smiled ominously, "So we''re leaving to greet them."
"What if theye here?" The regent gulped, "Following your example, should I attempt diplomacy with them? Or just attack?"
"It''s your duty to answer those questions, Jake." The emperor replied solemnly, "That''s what it means to be a ruler."
"What if I mess up?" Jake grimaced and swallowed.
"Then you will face the consequences." Kaze replied earnestly, "That''s also what it means to be a ruler. Remember that before trying something foolish for the sake of probity."
"Understood." The regent swallowed nervously, epting his call.
***
Amotion broke out in a wood-paneled multi-million dor summer home overseeing a stunningke glimmering under the sunlight. The water was usually full of massive seagulls, but it was strangely empty that day. However, the empty living room was full of almost forty people.
"We need to leave this ce, Varis!" A blonde with a contorted expression yelled, "If they captured her, then they''ll find us soon!"
"You''re still assuming they turned traitor, Elsa." A man with long, brown hair scoffed.
"Either way, we should dress like mortals to blend in." A man with short maroon hair and a youthful appearance scoffed, "We''re screaming our identity when we could blend in with the Sanctuary cultivators."
"Power recognizes power, Mars. You just want to wear mortal fashion." Elsa mocked.
"It doesn''t hurt." Mars taunted.
"Guys, rx." A brown-haired man with a thick braid moving down his chest said, feet kicked up on a desk, "Everything''s going to n."
"What do you mean, Vincent?" Elsa sneered, turning to him, "Are you saying you brought this hell to us?"
"No, it''s better to say I let things run their course." Vincent smiled mysteriously, "Someone collected those birds, and I sent weak, lovable Amy to investigate. By now, she''s undoubtedly survived a confrontation and betrayed us, revealing this location to our friends as we speak."
"Are you saying you have betrayed us!?" Varis roared with a lethal gaze, releasing his cultivation base and dropping twenty people in the room to their knees.
However, the man yawned with his palm before his mouth and released his.
Everyone but Varis and Mars winced under pressure, cold sweat dripping down their brows.
"A group of mortals using a unique spatial ring that scavenges in the city almost daily." Vincent said mysteriously, "And every day, they travel north to a thriving city in the mountainsone with a permanent barrier."
Varis release his cultivation base, allowing everyone to breathe after the other followed suit.
"Then it''s true there is an enemy stronghold here." Elsa whispered, breaking through the deafening silence.
"Not exactly." The braided-haired replied, "I''ve watched the roads and skies for two weeks and noticed no one flies. That leads me to believe that a few cultivators are training the mortals. So with their leadersing to us"
"We can go to them!" Mars grinned excitedly, "It''s killing time; let''s gooooooooo!"
"It''s not [killing time]." Vincent scoffed, "But it is time to use a bit of diplomacy to get in before Papa Bear returns. They''re ignorant children, after all."
"And if they attack us?" Varis asked coldly.
"THEN it''s killing time." The man smiled, "I''ve already called in reinforcements from four other bases to make it happenthey''ll get here shortly.
So sit back, be loyal, and collect your promotions like the rest of us."
A dozen cultivators in the mansion''s living room cheered loudly, electrifying the atmosphere.
Chapter 297 Sunbathing In The Apocalypse
"This is against our orders, Vincent." Varis warned, watching arge group of cultivators flying over the mountaintop.
It was 5 am, and the sunlight barely began to peek over the horizon, glittering the water with false jewels. From the air, the cultivators felt like they were dropping into a treasure trove.
Fiftynded in a group of over one hundred, wearing white togas. Everyone was in a good mood as they awaited the words of their unofficial leader.
"Rx, Varis." Vincent said, putting a cowboy hat over his brown, braided hair, "We''re living out a pivotal moment in the war that has been raging for over a century. A lot of people have gone through hell so we could rush in and steal the limelightnot seizing it would be a waste, you know?"
"That''s absurd, Vincent." Varis replied, his face contorting in a twisted scowl, "This is how our page gets erased because we got detained for insubordination."
"Not if we face a mortal threat and band together to face it." The rxed man grinned gleefully, testing out the hat in amazement. "Amy turned traitor and revealed our locations; we have no choice but to face the enemy."
"We don''t even know if she''s a traitor, so stop saying that!" The long-haired cultivator snapped.
"No, [you] don''t know she''s a traitor," Vincent replied with a sharp glint in his eyes, "The other 127 cultivators involved in this operation are in consensus."
Varis overlooked the mass of cultivators. Ten Heaven Realm cultivators were in each group, and three bases had joined thus far. Therefore, there were 39 high-level cultivators, and around 160 Sky Realm cultivators, save for mandatory roles, Amy, and two who went missing. It was an army within the Mortal neand against the rules.
"Eyyyyyo!" A teen with maroon hair yelled out. "Can we go now? Something''s finally happening in this hell hole, and it needs to hurry up."
"Soon, Mars." Vincent chuckled, "We''re just waiting for thest group. They shouldn''t take too long; they''re just checking out the leader''s location."
"We know who their leader is?" A brte asked, walking up. She had thin braids, tightly woven on the right side of her head and wrapping around her left shoulder.
"No, not exactly, Roxy." He replied, "Our scout detected the cultivation pressure of a Cultivation Lordst night. Whoever it was, it flew east; that''s why the eastern team is scouting to the northwest.
Unfortunately, they were moving very fast, and then their presence disappeared. From the ount, it seemed like they had just vanished."
"A Cultivation Lord!?" Varis asked, "Are you sure!? Does that mean that Mary is"
"Calm down." Vincent replied dryly, "We''re uncertain whether it''s Mary, Crux, or someone equally strong. That''s why we''re investigating."
"Please let me search for her!" The long-haired man said, "If we can get her back, this entire operation will end immediately."
"Now, look who''s breaking the rules." Elsa scoffed, curling her brte hair around a finger, "It doesn''t matter to me. As long as we can wrap this shit up, I''m okay with it."
Everyone ignored the woman, half-sneering at her response.
A long stick of jade in Vincent''s toga''s breast pocket glowed light green, and he picked it up, activating it with Qi. A female voice resounded from the other end. On Earth, the phenomenon was simr to a phone call; however, it used a cultivation technique to transmit vocal waves to a second jade slip and then a technique on the receiving end to decode and amplify the sound.
"Major Ramble, there is movement from the mountain base."
"Who''s entering or leaving, Private Respie?" Major Vincent Ramble replied dryly.
"It''s just a bunch of kids, sir." She replied hesitantly.
"Be candid with me, Rena." Vincent scoffed, "Describe them in detail."
"Well it''s one man around eighteen with short ck hair, wearing a strange light pink shirt.." Rena replied in a near trance, "I can''t see him close, but his appearance is perfect. I think that he might"
"Stop ogling him!" He snapped, "Who''s he with?"
The woman was embarrassed but hesitant to proceed without further description. However, he didn''t catch her insistence, so she gave in and continued.
"He''s with five other women of varying ages." Rena replied, "Two are his age, a redhead who is a few years older, one''s significantly older, and one is hidden behind a pink parasol. They seem to be sunbathing?"
"Excuse me, what?" Vincent asked, thinking he had misheard her.
"Sunbathing." She reiterated, "Aside from the woman who I can''t see, they''re all in what appear to be undergarments, rubbing oil on their skin. It''s hard to see, as I''m flying quite high above them."
Mars and some of the men started snickering and high-fiving. No one in the sky ne would be caught dead wearing bikinis, so they were stoked that they might see women in their skivvies.
"What is the purpose of sunbathing?" He asked with a face that had ceased motor function.
"To improve skinplexion." Rena said embarrassedly, "Otherwise, it serves no purpose other than forfort and rxation."
"Rxation?" Vincent chuckled in bewilderment, "How could they possibly be rxing out here? How refined is their breathing?"
"That''s hard to tell, sir." She replied, "There''s some type of distortion that is preventing me from seeing their breathing. It''s strange to look at."
The major closed his eyes, trying to determine what to do about the strange group. However, he didn''t have long to decide before new info came in.
"Sir!" Rena yapped, "They seem to be running no, jogging down the mountain. They''re very fast, hitting a T they''re going west!"
His eyes widened in bewilderment, hearing how fast the shift had happened.
"Jogging or running?" Vincent snapped, "Which is it?"
"I-It''s visibly jogging." She swallowed nervously.
"But?" He scoffed, "Speak clearly!"
"I''m not sure I can run that fast." Rena replied.
"Are they training?" He asked confusedly.
"I don''t think so." She replied, "They''re not running with form; it''s like they''re frolicking through the woods? I know it''s ridiculous, but they''re giggling and waving their hands around."
Vincent opened and closed his mouth, realizing he had no questions orments that would provide any degree of value. "Very well, keep an eye on them and report back in ten-minute intervals."
"Yes, sir!" Rena replied firmly, sounding like a serious soldier for the first time since the conversation began.
***
"Report in soldier." The major ordered, speaking into his jade slip.
"Y-Yes!" The private saluted vocally, "Right now, they''re moving west at the same pace they were at the start. They''re around 80 miles northeast of the Sanctuary."
"Why do you sound so conflicted?" Vincent asked with narrowed eyes, "What are they doing differently?"
"I." Rena swallowed nervously, "It appears like they''re ying [don''t touch theva] while moving. They''re jumping from metal carriages and other objects, avoiding the ground as if their lives depended on it."
"Why would you not disclose that fact, soldier!?" He snapped aggressively, "That ground might be trapped with techniques or strange mortal technology!"
"M-My apologies, sir." She stammered, "It''s just they have hit the ground multiple times, but nothing has happened. However, the person that touched get super flustered while the others giggle; that''s why I called it a game."
Vincent closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Keep me updated; that''s all, soldier."
"Y-Yes, sir!" Rena replied with awkward resolve.
***
"What is it this time, Rena?" The major growled, incapable of waiting for the status report.
The private swallowed on the other end, feeling his aggressive pressure seeping through the other line. Every report had left his face twitching involuntarily.
"They''re eating what appears to be tiny rice balls with something inside them," Rena replied, "They have multiple sauces for it, and strange drinks in cute containers"
"That will be all!" He snapped.
***
"Speak." Vincent exhaled coldly.
"The group is twenty miles to the north of the Sanctuary now." Rena replied after a sharp breath, "The pink-haired woman is sitting on the man''s shoulders, attacking the others with sh Attacks while the other women rush her. It seems like... they''re ying king of the hill?
I feel it''s important to note that man''s reflexes are"
"Enough!" He roared, ignoring her strange tone, "These people have required me and countless others to remain stationary during our glorious narrative so they can y children''s games! Varis, mobilize a group of cultivators to intercept them at once!"
Varis'' eyes widened in bewilderment. "Major Ramble! With all due respect, we cannot interfere with"
"Arge force is circling them to get to their base as we speak." The major scoffed, "Stop treating them like they''re trial candidates. Do you understand, Captain Hood?"
"...." Captain Varis Hood stayed silent, against his superior officer''s orders.
"I said, do you understand, Captain Hood?" Vincent growled, "Or do you seek a reprimand for insubordination during a serious operation?"
"Understood, Major." The captain replied bitterly.
"Good, now go." The major scoffed, "Confront those idiots and figure out what they''re doing. Once you finish interrogating themkill them and leave no evidence. We can''t have them tipping off their base about the operation orining about foul treatment if we decide to negotiateter."
"Understood." Varis said coldly, walking out of the room, wrath flickering in his eyes.
Chapter 298 Kneel
"This never would have happened if Lord Emerson were here," Varis grumbled, his long ponytail whipping around as he flew above a broken highway outside the Sanctuary. Unlike in the city, there weren''t corpses on the street or in cars; only dried blood remained from the bodies that animals from the Sanctuary had eaten.
However, it wasn''t uninhabited. Large condors, eagles, and pelicans popted the area, flying below the cultivators under the clouds.
"Let it go, Varis." Elsa scoffed, "Few people can match Mary Emerson in battle, let alone people outside our faction. That means that there''s a strong chance that she''s a deserter or a--"
"Don''t say it!" Varis roared, releasing some of the pressure. "Traitor, traitor, TRAITOR! Don''t say that word. Major Ramble intentionally charged Private Ryas with treason so we could attack an unconfirmed enemy. It''s an egregious set up."
"I''d be careful how you talk." A man with shoulder-length greying hair in a ponytail said. "While we know that you''re following the rules, it''s hearsay against the word of a major with hundreds following his leadership."
"Che. Whatever, Lieutenant Davis." Varis huffed, falling silent as they flew to their destination.
After ten minutes of flying, the group saw a person flying above the clouds, contrasting against the pure white surroundings. As they approached, they saw a brte with a braided ponytail that brushed her shoulders and was tied with a blue ribbon.
"Where are they, Private Respie?" Varis asked, approaching.
"Sir!" Rena saluted, "They are walking at mortal speed along the highway just north of us."
The soldiers peeked through the crowd and saw five women. A pink-haired teen was sitting on a man''s shoulders, surrounded by two brtes, a redhead, and a blonde with a pink parasol. They were all giggling except for the pink-haired woman, who was huffing about something with her arms crossed.
They were no longer wearing bikinis, but their attire still went far beyond the moral standards of the Sky ne. Each wore short shorts that stopped just at their thighs and tank tops. They seemed to bepeting to enhance their appearance outside of the public eye.
As alleged, a strange Qi distortion surrounded the group, making it impossible to discern their breathing skill.
"Is there anything that we should know about them?" Varis asked, taking the situation far more seriously than his superior officer.
"Um... possibly," Rena gulped, looking down at the people below. "That man hasn''t stopped smiling for three hours despite engaging in strenuous activity. At one point, he had all the women attack him with the pink-haired woman on his shoulders, and he dodged every attack without losing his breath."
The cultivators studied the man for the first time and felt chills when they saw this rxed smile, seemingly unconcerned with anything as he moved toward the Sanctuary.
"He''s also... attractive," Elsa said bluntly, triggering nods from Rena and a blonde on the ground. "The kid''s got a harem; do you think he''s their leader?"
"Don''t be absurd!" Varis scoffed in disdain, "Are you implying that a teen like him could defeat, capture, or convert Lord Emerson?"
"God, you''re so sensitive." A ck-haired man scoffed, "She''s talking about the leader of the mortals, you fool. Stop letting your crush on the on Lord Emerson cloud your judgment; it''s getting obnoxious."
The long-haired man calmed down, ignoring the sneering brte on his side.
"Thank you for the intel, Private Respie," Varis sighed. "In light of the warning, we should proceed cautiously despite their age and status. Regardless of our opinions, Major Ramble has given us orders to interrogate and eliminate the group, and we must follow them."
"Yes, sir!" The group responded in unison before flying below the clouds.
As they approached the group, the six targets stopped walking and looked at the sky with slight smiles. They stood on a road to the Twin Rocks Wildlife Reserve, surrounded by abandoned vehicles and broken ss. Large, empty fields of wild grass and invasive nts sprawled around them, eliminating any hope of cover or visibility.
Despite their poor position, the group was rtively rxed as the cultivators flew down to them, making the group feel uneasy.
"Oh, good, you came!" the pink-haired woman announced. "We thought you were waiting for a formal invitation to parley. It was problematic, as wecked baby skin for the letterhead to pay respects to your barbaric sacrifice culture, so I thought we''d be searching for baby goats forever."
A few giggled after her words, making the brte cultivator heat up angrily.
"Watch your tongue, mortal!" Elsa snapped, "We don''t have time to listen to your ignorant ramblings!"
"But you have time toin about them?" The sexy brte in the group mused, putting a hand on her hip.
"Who are you?" Varis snapped authoritatively, cutting off his red-faced subordinate. "I suggest you answer our questions."
"Or what?" The leader asked, gently helping the pink-haired teen off his shoulders. "Pray tell, what will you do to us if we refuse your queries?"
A full-face twitch temporarily masked the cultivator''s vision, shutting his right eye. "You insolent insects."
Without warning, he released the full power of his cultivation base, causing his soldiers to gasp for breath. However, to their horror, the situation did not turn out as expected.
"How are you still standing?" Varis gasped in shock, noticing that only the blonde holding the parasol winced under his pressure. Far from being affected, the pink-haired woman yawned while the brte with a wavy bob cut examined her professionally polished fingernails.
"That question and expression pairpletes this scene perfectly." The wavy-haired brte smirked, triggering smiles from the other women aside from the mysterious blonde, who was visibly sad and conflicted.
"Counter question." The pink-haired teen followed, "Why is it that you people could survive for centuries in the Sky ne, umting knowledge and experience, only to act so stupidly on Earth?
I mean, I get it, weak mortals, finally the strongest for once, h, h, just like that, don''t stop, ego-ego sploosh, bute on togey--your people are going missing in the Meridian Triangle, and you''re still acting like a t-bone steak in a dog house."
"Kiera, how many times must I tell you?" The ck-haired teen asked, "You cannot let your tongue slip until you''re strong enough to defeat everyone in the group you''re speaking to and their backers. Your habits today will reflect your future actions."
"But I''m not just running my mouth, Kazey," Kiera countered, with her cheeks puffed out, "We''re about to initiate negotiations with the Skythenians. To do that, they need to drop that tacky [flying sky god]plex. It''s the leading cause of cultivator deaths in the Mortal Realm."
Kaze opened and closed his mouth, thinking before speaking. While he would usually demonstrate overwhelming force before entering negotiations, his partners couldn''t do that. "If you must satirize your enemies'' actions, do so without parody orbativenguage."
The cultivators listened to the exchange in bewilderment. They were confused and didn''t dare act rashly after seeing them have a conversation under a Heaven Realm cultivator''s base pressure.
"Did you say you''re here to negotiate?" Varis asked with narrowed eyes. "As in, make a deal?"
"Is there an alternate meaning of that phrase?" Kaze asked mockingly. "Or do you just seek to waste our time because youck the confidence to proceed?"
His statement made the cultivator''s body temperature rise to an ufortable level.
"We should teach these runts a lesson!" Elsa scoffed angrily, "While their strength is unknown, they cannot fly andck battle experience. We''re soldiers of the Killian Empire; we shouldn''t allow anyone to trample on our reputation!"
"We''re killing them anyway." The ck-haired man said, "So we only need to leave one alive to--"
"GahHHHhHhHhhHh!"
CRaaaCK! Crash! Thud, crack, THUD!
All the cultivators felt a painful force assaulting their meridians, triggering their fight-or-flight responses and stopping them from flying to prevent harm, leading to them crashing into cars, shuttles, and trucks below.
"What did you say about flying?" Kiera smirked, her arm extended and holding an invisible dial cranked to seven o''clock.
"Kiera!" Kaze snapped, "We agreed; you''re not to alter the flow of Qi in the general atmosphere, only to alter attacks. It could harm you and the others."
"It''s only for a moment!" She argued. "If we didn''t do something, they would''ve flown around attacking us, and then it''d be no dice on the negotiation front."
"Be that as it may, your antagonizing led to premature breakdown." He replied coldly, "You must learn to negotiate more tactfully when the situation calls for it."
"Sorry, Kazey...." Kiera said with a wry, downcast smile.
"W-What was that!?" Elsa screamed, standing and looking across the road at the group. "What did you just do!? Tell me before I kill you all!"
"Unbelievable," Kaze''s cheek twitched, and he turned to her with a vicious gaze that froze her movements. "I just finished rebuking my partner for her dangerousck of tact not a moment ago, yet you have the temerity to demand answers from the woman who sent you crashing to the earth?"
The brte took a sharp breath, feeling an icy chill freeze her bones. "I only seek answers; if you seek to negotiate, attack the other party--"
"Kneel." The emperor ordered frigidly, holding his finger and thumb together.
SNAP!
Chapter 299 A Crushing Revelation
"Kneel." The emperor ordered frigidly, holding his finger and thumb together.
SNAP!
"AGHhhHHhHHh!" Elsa screamed, dropping to her knees under 30 G''s of gravitational force. ss shattered, and metal groaned and crumpled under the pressure. "W-What is this!? W-Wha"
Her voice disappeared when an invisible force sucked all the carbon dioxide from the air.
"Silence." Kaze ordered coldly, "Your vain protests fall upon deaf ears. So save your breath, as it''s a fleeting privilege."
Elsa''s eyes trembled, feeling an overwhelming fear and terror in her heart.
The emperor turned his head to the others. "I take it you seek"
WHooOOoR-GROOOOAN!
Multiple vehicles were uprooted from their position and flew at the group, revealing multiple cultivators with massive guided arrows drawn. However
BOOOOOOOM!
"AGAHhhHHHhhH!" Elsa screamed in agony, freezing the cultivators, "PLEASE! GET IT OFF!"
When a truck flew into the gravity field above the woman, it crashed to the earth with 30 G''s of gravity, twisting and groaning on her body. It was a brutal sight.
"Hmmm how artistic." Kiera mused, finger to her lips, "Friendly fire ttened the floozy, frightening five feeble fascists formting fight or flight strategies."
"RELEASE HER!" Varis roared.
"WE''LL SHOOT IF YOU DON''T!" Zoe screamed.
"NOW!" Brandon demanded.
"Now they''re freaking out." The ng-riddler remarked, "It''s like a fraternity fucked Felicia and forgot; now they''re fending off fatherhood and a ferocious flogging simultaneously. Fa~scinating."
WHoooOOooOOSH!
A Guided Arrow shot through the area. However, as it bypassed the gravity field, it abruptly curved to the left.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
To the cultivators'' shock, the arrow shot straight through the twisting car and hit the brte, breaking her ribs. As a lower Heaven Realm cultivator, it didn''t kill her instantly. However, the fractured ribs shattered under the brutal gravity, turning her ribs into shrapnel that pierced her lungs.
Kylie, Marilyn, and Addison were also shocked, looking at Kiera and twisting her invisible nob to 9 PM, where Elsa was trapped. They turned to Kaze but found his face devoid of apathy or frustration.
"If ANYONE shoots at my man again, I''ll murder all of you." Kiera dered coldly, "That woman and Mr. ckhead were toast the moment they suggested attacking usnow he''s extra toast for shooting at us."
"Wait, don''t shoot, Trent!" Varis yelled, but it was toote. The man shot a second arrow, triggering Marilyn to wave her hand in panic, creating a Qi Wall.
BOOM!
Air pressure shot through the area when the two collided, sending ss shards and dirt everywhere.
"Great work, Marilyn." Kaze smiled, seeing her breathing hard with a pulsating heart.
"Thank you, but we''re gaining battle experience." Marilyn smiled wryly, "I didn''t have the resolve to shoot him first."
"In battle, you should prioritize your survival first, so focusing on your strengths is vital." He shook his head, "Now that you''ve regained the initiative, you can focus on your skills."
The sexy brte nodded, taking a deep breath.
"Help, you idiots!" Trent cried in horror, seeing the other cultivators frozen with conflict. The emperor was negotiating with themjust not the ck-haired cultivator, for obvious reasons. "Fuck this!"
The cultivator turned and kicked off the ground, flying through the air.
"Now?" Marilyn asked, creating an arrow with a wincing expression.
"Yes, I''m protecting you." Kaze replied, "So just focus on hitting him; only that and nothing more."
The sexy brte swallowed, fighting against her natural aversion to killing. After a split second of hesitation, she waved her hand.
Varis and his soldiers watched in horror as the arrow flew across the sky, following the man with pinpoint precision. Following the soldiers'' training, he flew up, curved, and tried to turn around, as Guided Arrows couldn''t move backward.
However, to his dismay, the arrow trailed his movements as if anticipating them. So when he curved up and slowed to turn, the arrow pierced his gut, blowing a hole through it.
The cultivators could only watch in disbelief as blood rained from the sky, signaling the man''s fall like a firework as he lost consciousness and spiraled to the ground.
Lieutenant Brandon Davis, the older cultivator with graying hair, tried to fly after him. However, he felt a bubble of oxygen warp around his body, making him feel high.
"Don''t move." Kylie ordered, priming the area with mmable oxygen, "That man attacked us and paid the price; he will not survive this encounter. However, you can, so I suggest you start negotiating."
Brandon turned around slowly, taking sharp breaths to keep focused. His nervous system screamed for him to run, but his brain battled against it, fighting an internal war. "I''mplying."
As he watched the scene unfold, Varis felt like his intestines were copsing in on themselves. The women were using his soldiers as training puppets! It made him ill.
However, prejudice against mortals aside, he wasn''t a fool. It only took one demonstration of force to realize he couldn''t win a battle against Kaze. However, he was confident he could fight against the women so long as he could avoid the strange counter-attacks of the pink-haired woman.
Varis was a battle-tested cultivator while three struggled to kill for the first time, and the blonde under the parasol was on the edge of a mental breakdown!
So since he could withstand their pressure, and Kiera was only counterattack, he felt confident about at least fleeing. However, the male leader was a different story.
His gravity attack was on par with a divine technique called Exodus ze, utilized by a famous Cultivation Lord named Olivia Rose. While it didn''t have blue mes, it had the same crushing force that dominated armies before the mes came. The cultivator didn''t have a chance of winning if it was a technique at that level.
"What do you want to negotiate over?" Varis asked with a grave expression.
"Negotiation was my partner''s term." Kaze smiled ominously, "I offer everyone an ultimatum that is not mutually exclusive; your decision is not contingent upon the eptance of the other three.
The ultimatum is simple: join us and live a prosperous life of opportunity or die by my partners'' hands."
A wave of anxiety crashed into the cultivators, looking into the emperor''s demonic green eyes. They could tell that he was serious to his core.
"I provide cultivation techniques, tempering resources, elemental meat, body constitutions, and training to my loyal followers." He continued, "And in forty years, they will ascend to the Sky ne with incredible power on the winning side. Considering youck leverage for negotiation, it''s a generous offer."
"Stop acting magnanimous; you want the information to save you from the Killian Empire." Varis alleged, "But it''s futile. They will reap your souls next month at thetest, so I won''t betray my people to save my hide for a few more weeks."
"While I find your spiritmendable, your assertions are false." The emperor replied, "We will not lose to the Killian empire, and I will not request anyone to fight against their past allies. Since Ick time, I will also not require you to divulge secrets to obtain amnesty."
The cultivators were stunned by his assertion.
"Do you think I would fall for such a frilly promise?" Varis scoffed, "You im that you will ept us, enemy spies, to live amongst your people? If that''s true, you''re just as delusional as your victory im suggests."
"I-It''s true!" A sharp female voice cut through the stifled air, "Emperor Lexicon has a technique that ties betrayal to death. So you can live freely and enjoy trust because you cannot betray them."
A sharp pain cut into the man''s gut, gripping his intestines and twisting. "Private Ryas?"
Chapter 300 Loyalties
The cultivators turned to the blonde under the parasol. Her disguise was wless; her oval face was round, her hair was blonde, and her skin was pale. Combined with Earthling clothing and a frilly purple dress, she looked like a princess instead of a cultivator.
However, her voice, teary eyes, and plea did not betray the private that they hade to know.
"Yes...." Amy hesitantly said after Kaze nodded, "I''m Private Ryas. While investigating the birds'' disappearance, Emperor--"
"Did you just call him emperor?" Varis chuckled ominously, looking at the ground with madness swirling in his eyes.
"Y-Yes." Amy replied painfully, "I--"
"SHUT UP, PRIVATE!" Varis roared, "I defended you! Not just this week but for years, constantly praising your never-ending loyalty despite your frail timidity and low performance.
Then you disappear for two days, and return leading enemies to our base in a fucking dress!? Must you unt your bribed betrayal!?"
"C-Captain, you''re considering the same offer." Amy argued.
"There''s a difference between being forced into submission and dly joining!" Varis snapped viciously, "Even if I ept, I refuse to sing the enemy''s praises in shy clothing as I lead them to ughter myrades!"
The woman turned red with shame, and she looked at the ground.
"I had no choice at first." Amy exined quietly, "However, seeing how Emperor Lexicon treats his people made me realize how horrible the Killian Faction treats us.
Under Emperor Lexicon''s authority, every subject has a peak sky-grade technique. He teaches free sses for all and paid sses for the talented.
A-And he''s kind! His people are all happy! No one called me weak or berated me for being poor andcking resources; they''re giving me a genuine shot!"
Varis, Rena, Brandon, and Zoe were stunned. She sounded like a rambling lunatic.
"How do we know your words aren''t a just a ruse?" Brandon asked calmly.
Snap!
Kaze snapped his fingers, and the visual distortion around the group disappeared, removing the barriers to seeing their breathing patterns. "See for yourself."
Understanding the meaning behind his statement, they activated vision techniques.
"H-How did you...." Varis stammered, looking at the private in disbelief, "Heaven... how?"
Not only was it a heaven-grade technique, but they could also tell it rivaled Major Ramble''s technique just from the cirction alone!
"Emperor Lexicon gave me a heaven-grade technique to help me do my job better!" Amy announced with vitality, "He didn''t give me a weak technique and then spend half a century berating me for low performance!"
Varis realized how twisted his thinking was in retrospect. If he truly wanted to defend her, he could have given her one of his many sky-grade techniques--but he didn''t.
"C-Captain, Ryas isn''t important," Zoe stuttered. "Look around you."
Varis''s eyes widened in shock when he saw the emperor breathing. "H-How is your body breathing like that passively?"
Kaze appeared to be showering at first nce, with Qi descending on top of his head and washing over his face and neck fluidly. However, once the Qi rolled over his shoulders, it created aplexwork between the 319 acupuncture points on his arms, legs, back, and abdomen. It was so fluid and refined that he looked like he had veins outside his body!
Cultivators spent centuries learning to connect all 361 points in closed cultivation. However, Kaze did it with ultimate precision while casually conversing! It was the most absurd thing he--
"What the fuck!?" Varis yelled impulsively. A single look at Kiera shattered the hypnotic spell, making him feel physically ill. "What the hell are you!?"
"Rude much?" Kiera huffed, "I get that your meridians would suffer a train wreck if they did this, bute on, you look like you saw a camel spider fucking a potato. If this were a fight, I''d be practicing slip-knots on your femoral artery with all the extra time you''re giving me."
"How can you criticize him?" Zoeughed, "You''re absorbing Qi against your body''s energy flow! It''s difficult to concentrate when you''re expecting someone to rupture any second from now!"
Kiera had two meridian channels moving to her dantians, one rotating clockwise and the other counterclockwise. Since her meridians could ept from both sides, she rotated Qi in a three-dimensional figure-eight called a [lemniscate], fluidly switching between the two rotations. On the clockwise rotation, she epted Qi from the top of her limbs; on the counterclockwise, from the bottom.
It was spellbinding and mesmerizing to watch, like an intricate dance of energy that flowed effortlessly through her body.
However, a normal cultivator''s meridian channels would explode if they epted Qi counterclockwise. So it was unnerving to watch, simr to seeing someone driving on the wrong side of a highway!
"Just watching it is making me queasy," Zoe remarked, her insides twisting.
Snap!
The pink-haired teen snapped her fingers, and a tiny oxygen bubble exploded in front of the woman''s eye.
"AGH!" Zoe cried, gripping her eye and falling back.
"If you can''t handle the sight, don''t look, Lazy Tits." Kiera huffed, "You, too."
Snap! Snap! Snap!
"AGhhHHhHHhHHhhHHhH!"
Varis, Brandon, and Rena tried to react, but the same thing happened. Worse, before they could counterstrike or run, a mixture between gravity and an invisible force gripped their bodies.
"I should let my partner blind you for insulting her so brazenly." Kaze dered chillingly, "However, I will spare you from that fate if you stop wasting our time. Now let''s continue; are you satisfied with the proof behind Ms. Ryas'' ims?"
"I think I speak for all of us when I say it was sufficient." Brandon swallowed nervously, "If I may ask, what are your motivations?"
"We wish to live a peaceful life for forty years." The emperor imed brazenly, releasing the pressure on them, "After which time, we will ascend to the Sky ne, seize Killian''s Empire and dissolve the Reto Alliance."
While the cultivators were stunned by the emperor''s arrogant words, it was hard to find his words baseless.
"Will you spare our families even if they oppose you?" Brandon asked discerningly. "Surely, you understand that you cannot waltz into the Sky ne without mass resistance."
"You needn''t worry." Kaze smiled. "We will do so while limiting bloodshed, as they stand no hope of victory."
"Will you also give us techniques if we join?" Rena asked bluntly. "Or was that bait?"
"Do you think I''m here to attract talent?" The emperor scoffed mockingly, "Join us or die by my partners'' hands: those are your two options. The benefits of joining a perks notpensation, and I refuse to reward people for havingmon sense."
The brte took a sharp breath when she remembered that the benefits were just chasers to help them swallow the bitter pill. "Understood."
"I don''t want to die." Zoe swallowed nervously. "So I''ll join you. I can do that without them, right?"
"Correct." Kaze smiled, motioning for the blonde to walk to his side.
"I''ll join you, too." Rena said boldly, stunning Varis. "I won''t waste anyone''s time by agonizing over an ultimatum. I''ll kill myselfter if I regret my decision."
"That''s logical." Brandon said, turning to his captain, "Captain Hood, please consider it. If he speaks the truth, he''s asking for desertion not betrayal. If he breaks his word, you can kill yourself then rather than die needlessly now."
Varis'' eyes trembled, considering his position. He was a loyalist to the core, putting his country first. However, if the emperor was telling the truth, he was running to his death for very little.
Wait! He wasn''t a loyalist out of duty, and he didn''t care about Andrew Killian, the war, or the empire.
His motivation for fighting...
His reason for staying...
His drive to fight...
His loyalty...
All of it...
Mary.
That''s right! Varis had nearly forgotten why he joined the military: to be near Mary Emerson! Cultivation Lord Emerson, the tenth strongest of the Killian Army: his idol.
He was on the Mortal ne to find her--how did he forget!? What if he had chosen to join, and then Mary turned upter to oppose him? An icy chill crawled down his spine just thinking about it!
Or, maybe she had joined Kaze! That would be a boon if it were true! Car is could start near her rank since the army was small! Just the thought of it felt intoxicating. He had to verify!
"Your offer is enticing, and I''m willing to consider it." The captain announced. "However, I have one question."
"And that is?" Kaze asked dryly.
"A blonde cultivator came to the Mortal ne with a group of high-level cultivators a few weeks back," Varis exined. "Her name is Mary Emerson. Where is she right now?"
The emperor''s eyes sharpened and his face became stern alongside his partners, all visibly disgusted by the woman''s mention. Their reaction multiplied the atmospheric pressure, and an ufortable breeze of anxious emotions brushed past the cultivators'' skin, giving them goosebumps.
"Mary Emerson attempted to massacre my people without reason or provocation." Kaze replied callously, "So I killed her and all of her soldiers."
Chapter 301 Captain Hood’s Grand Narrative
A heavy nket of silence descended upon the area, so profound it seemed to swallow the sound of breathing and rustling leaves.
"What did you just say?" Varis asked in a daze. He stood in a state of shock and disbelief, unable to believe the words the emperor had just spoken to him.
"If you seek proof of sarcasm or deceit, you will find none." Kaze responded frigidly, "Mary Emerson ordered her soldiers to kill my non-hostile people and nearly killed my partner. In response, I killed her and her soldiers."
"How could you?" The cultivator asked with a strained voice, his heart wrapped in piano wire. "Mary was a kind woman and a loyal soldier. She represented the pinnacle of strength and virtue and inspired countlesshow could you take her away from us?"
"Have you gone rabid?" The emperor scoffed, narrowing his eyes, "Mary Emerson ordered a massacre of non-hostile people, yet you call her virtuous. I protected my partner and people, yet you charge me with viiny? Such promations straddle the edge of insanity and provocation."
"I''m insane?" Varis chuckled murderously, his body trembling.
"Get a hold of yourself, Varis!" Brandon said, using his name to reign in his captain, "This action is self-defenseyou cannot me him."
"LIES!" The captain yelled viciously, "This man couldn''t possibly defeat Mary in battle; he must have ambushed her and caught her off guard. There''s no way that he''s telling the truth!"
"Unbelievable." Kaze scorned dismissively, "It''s astonishing that you can use me of ambushing your people when a force of your fighters flew to Immortal Skye two hours ago. Tell me, Captain Hood, will you also charge my people of viiny when they protect themselves?"
A surge of panic washed over the group after the emperor disclosed his knowledge of their plot.
Rena looked at the jade slip hidden in her palm in horror, realizing that its faint glow had disappeared. "When did."
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." The emperor smirked, wagging his finger, "I rmend you avoid actions that rely upon your people. After binding your soul, a victory for yourpatriots would sign your death warrantas you can never again join them."
Anxiety crushed the cultivators like gravity, forcing them toe to grips with their situation.
They had nned on Major Ramble taking hostages, thus obtaining leverage to survive. However, their jade slips weren''t working, so they''d be bound before getting a confirmation. Therefore, their n was dead; they could only help the emperor if they wanted to live.
"You can pledge your loyalty andmit to a soul pact right nowor you can die." Kaze announced chillingly, "I suggest you choose now, as I''ve grown tired of your petty deceptions and grotesque usations."
Brandon, Rena, and Zoe immediately reaffirmed their good intentions and gave excuses for their actions. Rena even apologized candidly, and to her surprise, he epted her apology forthrightly.
"I''ll give you until I finish these pacts to decide, Varis." Kaze announced, "Think carefully before you make decisions you regret."
***
Rena waited patiently for Kaze to finish creating pacts with the others, looking at her jade slip. "How did he do that? I''ve never heard of anyone blocking jade slips."
The brte decided to test it, holding it and channeling Qi through her lung meridianwork. However, a searing pain assaulted her chest before Qi reached the jade slip. "AGhhHHhHhhH!"
"What''s happening to her!?" Brandon yelled.
"Contrary to what it looks like, that''s a defense mechanism." Kaze replied apathetically, "It''s a warning letting her know that what she''s doing could lead to betraying me."
"That''s so rad!" Kiera cried excitedly,cking tact.
"Private Respie wasn''t even doing anything!" Brandon said coldly, ignoring the teen, "Have you tricked us into epting something that makes it impossible to even think of betraying you?"
"That''s an audacious assertion and an equally oundish allegation." Kaze scoffed, "Rena, what were you doing before the pact gave you a warning?"
"I-I wasn''t trying to betray you!" Rena cried, sobbing, "I won''t betray you, I promise."
"That much is clear; you''d be dead had you tried to betray me." He rolled his eyes, "As I said, it was warning you that you were at high risk of unintentional betrayal. What were you doing?"
"I-I was just checking if my jade slip worked again." She replied, "I-I was just curious because you did something to it!"
"And what does that jade slip connect to?" Kaze asked mockingly.
Rena froze in horror, realizing what had happened. Sky ne jade slips were configured to transmit to only one other jade slip, in this case, Vincent Ramble''s. "M-My old superior officer."
"Exactly." The emperor smiled, "Your superior expects you to report on us, which goes against your pact. That''s why the pact warned Renado you understand?"
"Y-Yes." Rena nodded in a haze.
"Excellent." Kaze smiled, turning to the grey-haired cultivator, "Can we continue now?"
"Yes." Brandon swallowed nervously, "I apologize for questioning you. We can continue."
***
As Kaze finished Brandon''s pact, only one person remainedVaris. He watched the emperor like a hawk, silently going through hundreds of simtions on how to kill him.
He wasn''t looking for a battle strategy, as he had no hope of victory. Instead, he cycled through other options to obtain revenge: fleeing or taking one of the emperor''s partners as a hostage. However, he found no strategy that would allow him to kill the emperor or escape.
Despite that, his time was running out, as Kaze had nearly finished Brandon''s pact.
In the midst of his stress, panic, and chaotic anger, he could only think of one way to obtain revengekilling his partners to make the emperor feel the pain he felt.
Varis'' eyes shed with resolve, abruptly springing into action before Kaze addressed him. He jumped backward at ghostly speed, nning to escape the gravity zone and attack the emperor with [Piercing Winds], a technique simr to Razor Flurry that shoots a Gatling gun of wind attacks. While it wouldn''t stop the emperor, it would prevent him from attacking.
Kiera''s inexperience would make her spring into action. With her focus on bending the attacks, she wouldn''t see a wind attacking from behind her. Kaze would block the attack for her, but that would require him to defend on two fronts, allowing Varis to attack the other women rapidly.
Varis couldn''t see himself failing to wound the women, as he wouldn''t hold anything back. It was a suicide attackast-ditch effort for revenge.
Naturally, he rationalized the action as impersonal. He was a military captain; refusing to betray his people was an expectation! So was fighting to thest, culling the enemy''s ranks to improve the army''s chance of victory. It was funny; it took overwhelming rage for him to think clearly and remember his honor-bound duties as a soldier.
Varis felt a sense of contentment in his actions. Not only was he doing the honorable thing for his country, but he was also fighting for the woman he loved until the very end.
That was his mindset as he jumped backward to attack. A split secondthat was all he needed to obtain honor and glory.
THUD!
A surge of terror coursed through Varis'' veins like adrenaline when he felt his back crash against an invisible wall in the sky. He knew the feeling wellQi Wall, a basic technique! He saw Marilyn with her hand extended to confirm it.
Caught off guard, Varis erected a massive wall of his own and chose to fly to the side, anticipating Guided Arrows and a gravity attack. However, no such attacks came; instead, he looked up and found a massive cloud ofpressed oxygen warping the air like butane. Far from simple warping, it was stagnant, creating a frozen cloud that dissipated like dry ice.
Snap!
"That woman''s a monster!" Varis screamed, moving the shield above his head after hearing the distinct sound of Kiera''s snapping fingers. He barely got it above his head in time to see a thin, golden spark sh across the center.
BOOOOOOOOOOM! CRuuUUnNCH!
The cultivator plummeted to the earth, crashing into a sports truck with a bone-jarring impact. Metal twisted around his body with jagged edges. It didn''t break his skin and couldn''t constrain him; however, it tangled him like a weak he had to escape.
WHooOooOOoOOoooOOoSH!
Varis heard whistling from a wind attack and acted with brute force. "Tempest Shield!"
A vortex of vicious winds whipped around his body, shredding through the metal and lifting it into the air. The massive Wind shes attacking him dissipated instantly, protecting him from the attack and freeing him simultaneously.
"Combustion!" Addison screamed; however, no explosion followed.
"You can''t ignite a fire in heavy winds, woman!" Varis snarled, waving his hand.
BOOOOM!
The space before Kaze''s group ignited abruptly, creating the illusion of a hidden explosive being triggered mid-air. Then he flipped his wrist and swung it outward. "Wind Dance!"
WhooOOoVROoOooOOooOR!
Varis used a wind technique to stoke the mes in the air, creating a vicious wall of mes. However, a brutal wind gust crashed into it, sending a tidal wave of mes back at him.
"Qi Wall!" He cried as the vengeful inferno engulfed his body.
Chapter 302 The Inspiration For Callousness
As the raging hellfire swallowed the road, vehicles caught fire from the unnaturally hot mes, causing their gas tanks to ignite.
BOOM! Boom, boom, BOOOOM!
An encore of explosions followed, apanied by a chorus of shattering ss and falling debris. A thick plume of ck smoke signaled the battle for miles, giving those in the forest an ominous warning signal for what woulde.
As the mes ended, Brandon, Rena, and Zoe awaited the smoke dissipating to learn the tragic fate of their old captain. Part of them wished he was still alive and would walk through the smoke unscathed, kill Kaze, and set them free from the ominous Soul Pact they signed.
"He''s alive." Brandon said in amazement, using a vision technique through the mes.
The grey-haired cultivator''s words made Rena and Zoe''s hearts flutter, surreptitiously checking their surroundings just in case. Unfortunately, the scene behind the smoke crushed their hope.
"Woooooow, kudos for surviving that." Kiera remarked genuinely, "I thought you''d die from irony, considering that you solved our problem, but it seems you scathed by with your life and limbs.
I''d say it was a miracle if you didn''t look like a thrice-radiated zombie in a burn ward."
Third-degree burns covered most of Varis'' body, charring his skin in some areas and causing white splotches in others, signs of blistering. He had no hair, and the mes had caused his eyes and throat to swell. While a cultivator could heal, he''d have to undergo a procedure to rip off the damaged flesh and muscle to healpletelyit was gruesome.
"What do you mean I solved your problem?" He wheezed, provoked by the pink-haired teen.
"As you said, we couldn''t light a fire in raging winds." Kylie exined, taking over, "We knew that, so Addison created a small explosion while I used a wind attack, but our wind was too strong.
However, in a picturesque moment that perfectly captured the essence of this battle, you arrogantly showed off your superiority by using a wind technique to stoke the mes. Kiera then used it like a blowtorch to send it back to you. It was spellbinding."
Kiera created duck lips and bobbed her head as if to say [not bad, not bad]. Marilyn and Addison smirked victoriously.
Everyone had contributed to his takedown. Marilyn blocked his back with a Qi Wall while Kierapressed oxygen above him with Combustion. Following the explosion, Kylie attacked using [Wind Scythe], a sky-grade variation of Wind sh. However, it got absorbed into Varis'' wind shielding technique.
In an attempt to set the wind shield on fire, Addison usedbustion, and Kylie used wind attacks, hoping to create a blowtorch. After it failed, Varis arrogantly showed off, demonstrating how to usebustion with the wind to create a torch. Kiera said cool bro, thanks, and used a powerful wind attack to push mes back at him.
As for Kaze, he stood and critiqued their attacks, giving them pointers while keeping an eye on the other cultivators. It was psychologically crushing for Brandon, Rena, and Zoe, who watched their aplished Heaven Realm leader get decimated. Their hope of breaking the pact was reduced to ash at that moment, sealing their fate.
"Is this all just a game to you?" Varis spat, feeling pain scorching through his body, "Just a battle to add to your fucking picture books!?"
"No, it was a failed attempt at recruitment." Marilyn replied mockingly, "You didn''t have a chance of winning from the beginningwe made that clear. You were the one that chose to fight instead of epting our generous offer, so don''t make us sound like demons for your foolishness."
"You''re monsters." Varis scoffed angrily, "Absolute monsters."
"I''ll take it." Kiera dered, pumping her fist in the air, "It''s been two months, and we''re already so strong that Skythenians are calling us monsters. Considering we still have a month before the next batch arrives, fighting them will be a joke."
Anxiety coursed through the cultivators'' bodies, connecting the terms. Two months? They got to that level of power in two months? The youngest person there was Amy, and she was 76 years old! Monster was an understatement!
"Don''t get overconfident." Kaze frowned, "These people are scouts with a few leaders; they''re nothingpared to the people you will meet next month, so make sure you train for the worst. There''s only so much that I can do to train you."
"Aw why did you have to ruin my super OP monster high?" Kiera pouted, "I was really enjoying watching the culti-peeps squirm."
"You can have your moment when they''re at the base with us." He replied dryly, "They''re part of Immortal Skye now."
"You people." Varis growled, writhing in pain, anger, and humiliation, "You''re going to have a casual conversation on the battlefield as if battle means nothing to you? As if we mean nothing to you?"
"Yeah, I''ll stop you right there you." Kiera snapped rudely, "Two thingsfirst, I''m not listening to a half-naked mummy in training. Second, your people have massacred almost eight billion mortals; I could rip out your mother''s liver and feed it to a gremlin and be half as tainted as you are."
Deafening silence overtook the area, making the sound of breathing feel overbearing.
"We gave you Elemental Qithat''s a blessing." Varis scoffed, gritting his teeth past the pain, "Your people were weak, so they died."
"Is that so?" Marilyn smirked with a lethal glint, "Then how do you exin only one of us getting a technique from your people? Your people didn''t even see potential in Emperor Lexicon and thus didn''t give him a breathing technique."
The revtion baffled the cultivators, who looked at the emperor as if they had seen a ghost.
"T-That''s impossible." Veris stammered, his eyes showing signs of mental copse, "You''re lying. The weak don''t just get magically strong! Someone here has been training you, teaching you, prepping you for war against us."
"You''re wrong." Kaze replied chillingly, grabbing an invisible ball and twisting his wrist. A real ball of golden Qi materialized, filling his hand. "All things can get strong with Elemental Qi."
GrrRRrrRrrr Ghat! GHAT! Grrr Ghat! GHAT! Ghat!
Caw! CAW! Caw-caw! CAW-CAW!
Squueeee! Squueeee!
"W-What''s going on!?" Veris panicked, hearing overwhelming animal cries in the distance. He wanted to turn but couldn''t due to the pain, which made simple living excruciating. "TELL ME!"
"I''m attracting all the beasts in the area." Kaze replied, flicking the orb at the man, "They''ll prove to you that all, even the weakest creatures, can get strong enough to bite."
The cultivator''s body radiated in a golden light, overwhelming his senses.
GrrRRrrRrrr Ghat! GHAT! Grrr Ghat! GHAT! Ghat!
"This is cruel." Brandon said, watching massive wolves leaving the forest ten miles out, "Please don''t do this."
"I must hunt for elementals, train my partners, attract the other Killian cultivators, teach this man a lesson, and kill him." Kaze replied, "Not only does this aplish my objectives, but the elementals from the beast meat will also grow exponentially by ingesting his Soul Qi.
I offered to spare this man''s life, but he attempted to kill my partners and me. I have no sympathy for him, so I will make the most of his death."
"How can you be so callous?" Rena asked in disbelief, "That mindset is disturbing, even by Sky ne standards."
"Don''t you dare judge Kaze by your standards." Kiera demanded chillingly, "You people are the worstthe lowest of the low. You''re not callous; you''re the inspiration for callousness.
I wish someone would murder everyone you knew; your mothers, fathers, siblings, children, and friendsfucking everyoneso you can gain perspective on how sick you people are. You''ve put us through hell, butchered our people, and are collecting information to ensure your third massacre attempt seeds. Even now, as youin of cruelty, your people have gone to Immortal Skye to massacre our people."
Rena, Brandon, and Zoe fell silent, not wanting to think about the Killian faction''s actions. epting it would make it real, and that was too much to bear.
"You''re lucky Kaze is callous cuz he should be killing you." Kiera said in a haunting melody, "Instead, he spared you and offered you a bright future. If that makes him callous, then you''re irredeemable."
Her words were a nail in the coffin for the cultivators. They couldn''t face their people''s atrocities, so they fell silent and let the scene y out.
"You''re sick freaks!" Varis roared, hearing the wolves drawing near, "Look at what you''re doing now: do you think this is benevolent!? Mary''s judgment was right when she ordered your massacre!
Hell, so was Major Ramble. He sent twenty-five Heaven Realm and a hundred Sky Realm cultivators to your base to kill your people. I can''t wait until you go back and find them all DEAD!"
"That''s all?" Marilyn smirked, "If that''s all you sent, your people must have had a rude awakening when they got there."
"W-What do youAGHhHHhH!" Varis hadn''tpleted his sentence before a 400-pound wolf with white, blood-stained fur sunk its canines into his shoulder. The bite snapped his corbone, triggering a feeding frenzy from the wolves and nearby crows.
Captain Varis Hood would never know that happened to the cultivators. However, his ex-subordinates would, and after hearing Marilyn''s smirking tone, they weren''t sure if they wanted to.
-
TT
Two hours before | Immortal Skye
"It''s always when he goes away." Jake swallowed nervously. A hundred cultivators castrge shadows on the trees as they flew to the mountain. They were still ten miles away, giving him time to think. "I''m not sure how to handle this."
"We have four Heaven Realm cultivators, a divine beast, and nearly 3,600 Sky ne cultivators on site." Sage said chillingly, "Let''s just kill them."
Chapter 303 Decision
"We have four Heaven Realm cultivators, a Divine Realm divine beast, and nearly 3,600 Sky ne cultivators on site, and the element of surprise." Sage said chillingly, "Let''s just kill them."
Jake analyzed the ranks of cultivators flying to Immortal Skye. There were ny-five Sky ne cultivators and five Heaven Realm cultivators. While they were low in number, they had battle experience, could fly, and were prepared to kill.
By contrast, most Immortals had little battle experience, an aversion to killing, and cultivator-rted trauma after Mary attacked Immortal Skye. Simply seeing a hundred flying people wearing togas would trigger a mass panic.
It was a serious situation. However, there were some lines he wouldn''t cross.
"No." Jake replied, "We will hear them out before we attack them."
"This isn''t a time for morality or indecisiveness, Jake." Sage said coldly, "These enemies killed [billions] without thinking, always rushing in expecting to pour water on an ant hill. They''re here to kill us.
With Crux here, trapping them will guarantee everyone survives. However, if you let battle-experienced war criminals into these walls, at least a dozen people will die."
"You''re right, Sage." Jake sighed, turning her coldly, "But that''s not how we do things here.
Immortal Skye aims to bring modern technology and civilizedw to the Sky ne; that starts with avoiding apathetic massacres."
"We''re not dealing with civilized people, Jake." She scoffed, "These people only respect people if they lose in battle; they''re as civilized as the barbarians that attacked Rome.
If you let these people in the walls, they will attack usthat''s just how it is. In times like this, it''s best to be apathetic and rational like Kaze to save your people."
"Kaze is callous towards his enemies, not apathetic, Sage." Jake replied coolly, "He doesn''t distinguish between his enemies and has no concern for their feelings, emotions, or situations. However, they''re not his enemies by default, even when they pose threats.
Apathy is unfeeling indifference to people, seeing all mortals as weak ants or all Killians as genocidal enemies. That mindset triggered this apocalypse; even if it costs lives, I refuse to continue it."
"The blood of the dead is on your hands." Sage replied coldly, turning around and walking away, "Make sure everyone knows that after this is over."
"I''m doing the right thing." The regent whispered to reassure himself, eyes closed, "It''s the best move. Just prepare, and everything will work out."
***
Jake, Veronica, Sage, and Lieutenant General Michaels waited outside the southside gates with twenty ex-special forces Immortals. It was a small wee party to greet a hundred Sky ne cultivators, five of whom were Heaven Realm.
Despite the party''s small size, the descending cultivators didn''t scoff at it. They knew that a serious enemy was lurking on the Mortal ne, and the presence of three Heaven Realm mortals proved it. It meant that their backer was strong enough to have techniques and teach them.
The leader of the cultivators was a brte with a shaggy pixie cut that tapered on the sides, giving a sharp, messy hair look on top but gradually shortening down the sides until it was the length of a male haircut. While the haircut was boyish, her soft cheekbones, slightly rosy cheeks, and long eyshes made her look feminine.
Among the ny-nine cultivators, her toga stood out the most. She had cut it at the end so that it angled down her right thigh after she tied it, creating a seductive V between her knees. She tied it tightly around her waist,pleting a wrap dress look, bringing out her hips and slender features.
"My name is Major Roxy Alexander Grace," She announced grandly, giving her an arrogant yet charming air like Kaze. "Who is the leader here?"
"I''m the acting leader of Immortal Skye." Jake said calmly, forcing his lungs to push back his short breaths and pounding heart, "My name is Director Hays; may I ask why Sky ne cultivators are visiting us?"
"I am seeking to negotiate with your real leader as a delegate of my people." Roxy announced smoothly, studying the man, "Where are they right now?"
Veronica narrowed her eyes, seeing how shrewdly the woman was mining for information. She tried to answer for her partner or warn him, but he touched her hand to calm her down.
"We cannot divulge our leader''s location or estimated arrival time to you, as we do not know either." Jake replied calmly, "However, they are returning today between now and midnight. Therefore, you should return tomorrow, as they will be here all day."
Sage and Veronica were taken aback by the adroit answer, which created a sense of unease and insecurity that Kaze could return at any time. He also didn''t disclose their leader''s gender and mitigated confrontations for refusing information.
"We traveled a long way to speak to him on urgent business." Roxy narrowed her eyes, sensing that he was withholding information from her, "Surely you can estimate a timeline for his arrival based upon his activity. Is he traveling to discuss matters with others, hunting, or"
"I do not have that information, either." Jake interjected after gulping discreetly.
The Sky ne cultivators scoffed and heated up, feeling murderous intent boiling in their blood. However, the major calmed them down with a motion of their hand.
"Are you saying that your leader wouldn''t give [you], the acting leader of this settlement, information on his actions or estimated arrival?" Roxy asked dangerously, "I fail to see why someone would be so irresponsible as to do that. So it''s hard not to suspect you of lying to us."
"There''s nothing irresponsible about it." Jake replied coldly, his burning loyalism fighting against his fear, "Our leader hides such information, so we can''t disclose it. After all, if people knew the leader was gone, they might get ideas to attack in their absence."
A bolt ofplex emotions shot through the cultivators like lightning. Mixed emotions welled within them, simultaneously fearful of being called out and resentful at the implied usation.
"That''s fair." Roxy smiled chillingly, "Then perhaps may I request that you let us stay here while we wait?"
Anxiety gripped the Immortals, awaiting their leader''s decision. It was aplex situation that had a variety of consequences.
Naturally, they would be weing enemies into their base. However, things weren''t so simple.
Immortal Skye wasn''t Troy. No one could prevent the cultivators from flying over the walls. However, it wasn''t a symbolic gesture; letting them in would allow the cultivators to poise for a surprise attack.
Refusing the cultivators'' entry would trigger potentially avoidable hostilities and endanger them in a direct collision. Unlike the other cultivators, their guests weren''t as cocky. That meant there was room to prevent hostilities with Kaze''s ambiguous status as a bargaining chip.
There wasn''t a good answer. However, Jake felt needlessly triggering a violent conflict with them would be no different from attacking them outright. Since he had decided to negotiate civilly, he took a deep breath.
"So long as you abide by our security measures and treat us with good faith, you are wee to stay here until our leader returns," Jake replied, motioning to the guards on the tower to open the gates. "Pleasee in; we will treat you to a meal befitting of honored dignitaries."
Sage frowned and took a deep breath. However, her disappointment turned to perplexity when she saw the cultivators'' faces staring into Immortal Skye as the steel gate opened.
Shock.
Aggressive bewilderment and shock were the only expressions painted on Roxy and her soldiers'' faces as the walls opened.
Chapter 304 Inside The Campus
A feeling of foreboding crept up on the cultivators after they saw what was on the other side of Immortal Skye''s gate. It gave them an ominous internal signal to retreat.
By Sky ne standards, the location''svishness was obscene. Multi-million dor mansions lined the area like castles, and unlike the otherrge buildings they had seen, these buildings had a sheen from Soul Qi reinforcement.
Despite the apocalypse, the area was clean and orderly, with little structural damage. Citizens moved between buildings, carrying supplies, fixing buildings, or cultivating on the grass. While everyone was busy doing something, the ce had a sense of peace and tranquilityin the apocalypse.
However, this was just the backdrop for the real problem.
"Carpenters in the mid-Sky Realm." A Heaven Realm cultivator with long ck hair and gray eyes muttered in disbelief, "A gardner, too? Is everyone a Sky Realm cultivator here?"
"Possibly, Gabriel," Roxy whispered. "If the trades workers are this powerful, all their soldiers should have equal or greater power. So don''t forget our forces'' strength."
The people around her shivered. In the Sky ne, people worked as carpenters, cksmiths, miners, and in other trades for decades to earn new techniques. They were serfs who couldn''t obtain military glory or power, so they remained poor and powerless.
However, the Immortal trade workers were stronger than they were! Sure, they were scouts in the Killian army, not infantrybut they had a higher standing than trade workers! It was almost offensive!
Since the Immortals had only ever acquired peak techniques, they didn''t know the vast difference between an entry-level and a top-tier technique. However, the cultivators did, making them feel jealous and uneasy.
"Should we leave and warn the others?" Gabriel asked, walking through the gates. "Rushing in there without knowing their numbers or total strength is akin to suicide."
"Agreed." She replied, "However, leaving right now will trigger suspicion and potential retaliation. Look behind you; we''re surrounded."
Once they got through the gates, they could finally see the people breathing in the Sky Realm atop the wall. There were twenty of them watching their backs, which meant nearly fifty Sky Realm cultivators and three Heaven Realm cultivators were in sight.
If they were to run away, the Heaven Realm cultivators could kill an unknown number of people, but most of their soldiers would likely die without a coordinated attack. However, they couldn''t develop a n while pretending to be dignitaries.
"I see." Gabriel gulped, "We must contact our people immediately to prevent them from doing anything hasty. We''re lucky we checked out this ce first."
"We''ll do it as soon as possible," Roxy whispered. "There''s still time, so we''ll be fine."
Sage smirked at Jake mockingly as they walked. The cultivatorsmunicated with ultra-quiet speaking. It was a skilled form of militarymunication relying upon enhanced senses that only high-level cultivators hadcultivators like the cab members. Since they were also Heaven Realm cultivators, they could hear the cultivators clear as day.
Jake rolled his eyes at the redhead''s smirk; they had established a mutual understanding that the cultivators were there to attack, so her smirk was snide and valueless. So he ignored it as he led the cultivators to a guest building to continue his agenda.
"This is a house?" A blonde cultivator asked in disbelief, "I haven''t seen one this big before."
Despite being a guest home on campus, it was the size of a multi-million-dor mansiona far cry from the summer homes where the Sanctuary cultivators lived.
An open floor the size of a ballroom was directly inside the door, with two grand staircases on both sides leading to the second floor. Dozens of tables lined the wooden floors, giving it the atmosphere of a Viking feast. However, the backdrop was refined and sophisticated, like a Sky ne castleor perhaps even greater.
"It''s so beautiful" Roxymented in amazement, gazing at a chandelier adorned with crystals, "Are those Qi stones on that ornament? There must be a thousand of them!"
"The chandelier?" Jake chuckled. "No, those are little machines that produce light. The crystals below it are just to make the light look prettier."
"That''s hard to believe." She replied hazily.
It was hard for her to believe that the crystals were anything less than magic. They danced around the room, casting prismatic colors everywhere. The sight was dazzling beyond words.
"It''s the truth." He chuckled, "Now, please give us a moment to prepare food for your arrival."
After disappearing for five minutes, Jake returned with Sky Realm cooks, maids, and butlers. Despite their strength, they set the tables with food and lined them with artistic tableware.
"You have to be kidding me." Roxy said, her breath shallow as she watched them work with severe anxiety. "Is it customary to give high-grade techniques to domestics here?"
"We don''t have domestics here," Veronica smiled mysteriously. "Everyone in Immortal Skye has a peak sky-cultivation technique or higher. The cooks must cook because it''s necessary; however, the maids and butlers have these roles because theyck talent."
The major''s fight-or-flight response kicked in, and she desperately looked around, trying to find somewhere to contact her team. Unfortunately, she couldn''t see an opening to leave.
"Are you looking for a bathroom?" Jake asked courteously. "If so, there''s one right down the hall, and someone can lead you there."
"U-Uh, bathroom yes." Roxy replied in confusion. "I''ll go right away."
An "untalented" Sky Realm maid, wearing the most luxurious "princess dress" the cultivator had ever seen, led her to a bathroom. She acted naturally as they walked to the room, making small talk. However, she immediately went into panic mode once Roxy had secured her privacy.
Thu-dump!
Roxy hastily pulled a jade slip from between her breasts and channeled Qi into it, seeking to send word to her team. Her fingers were trembling, and they only got shakier.
Thu-dump! Thu-dump!
"What''s wrong with this jade slip!?" Roxy''s heart pulsed violently, seeing that the slip didn''t activate! She tried again and again and again.
Thu-dump! Thu-dump! Thu-dump!
Every time she tried, it failed, making her heart pound like a cksmith striking an anvil.
"It''s that crazy barrier!" She whispered viciously. "What an ironic form of protection. The strike force will attack these people in an hour if I don''t contact them right now!
I need to manufacture a reason to leave and warn my soldiers. We agreed to seize a bird''s nest, not fight a goddamn war!"
The jade slip would glow white if the matching slip''s owner died or the slip broke. It would glow orange if it couldn''t make contact. However, it wasn''t glowing, indicating that something was blocking the connection. She was certain it was Immortal Skye''s otherworldly barrier.
However, whether it was the barrier or not, she had to find a reason to leave for ten minutes without triggering a battle. What could she say? What should she do? How should she approach it? It was driving her crazy!
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Ah!" Roxy cried in fear, jumping backward and nearly hitting the wall. She had her hand cocked back, waiting to release a wind attack.
"Ma''am, is everything alright in there?" The maid asked awkwardly. "The food''s almost ready. If you need help with anything, let me know."
"No-no! I''m fine!" The brte pixie cried, "I''ll be out in a minute."
Roxy quickly jammed the jade slip between her breasts and left the bathroom. When she returned to the table, she realized that the outside force wasn''t the only thing she had to worry about. Everything had changed in the ten minutes she was away.
A/N [03/20/2023]: My new novel, "[Greed Online]," is out now! Search for it in the [Explore] tab search bar to find it; I''m releasing 35 free-to-read chapters this week alongside yCult, so there''s reading for days! Don''t worryI''m finishing yCult [see A/T].
Synopsis: a syndicate orphan decides to get rich by starting a criminal empire in an MMORPG instead of ying it. However, he''s web-novel-protag-grade special, so he finds himself fighting everyone in sight for the right to financially-exploit yers in peace.
Genre: It''s not a viin novel. It''s your ssic MMORPG choose-your-trope-adventure novel where all options coincidentally end with the MC being aically terrible human being.
You''ll enjoy the novel so much that you''ll be torn between rooting the MC on and calling the police. Read the first chapter, and you''ll see what I mean. Check it out!
Chapter 305 Jake’s Game
In the short time Roxy spent in the bathroom, her situation turned from bad to ugly.
"Major!" Gabriel cried, whipping around his ck ponytail ecstatically, "We were just talking about about missing about we missed you!"
Roxy blinked twice, staring at the slurring man. "Are you drunk?"
"Yeeeeeeeeeh~ahup!" He proudly raised a rocks ss with brownish liquid, triggering cheers from the others, "The stuff they gave us is incredible!"
An icy chill crawled down the major''s spine when she saw all the soldiers were drunk and merry. Not only were the Immortals stronger in terms of raw power, but now they were equal in skill because the alcohol shot her people''s motor functions!
"I''ve only been gone for ten minuteshow are you drunk!?" Roxy yelled angrily, ring at the Heaven Realm cultivators, "Who the hell trained you people!?
Not only did you drink, but you kept drinking after getting drunk! Getting drunk is physically impossible for a Heaven Realm cultivator! You''re clearly drinking poison!"
Jake, Veronica, and Sage red at her across the table with lethal expressions, prepared to fight if necessary. The tension pumped adrenaline into everyone''s bloodstream, slowing time to a crawl as both sides waited for someone to make a move.
"Eyo! Maaaaay~jor, chill out!" Gabriel yelled abruptly, sporting a huge smile as he held a stout bottle of alcohol with amber liquid, "This stuff isn''t poison, it''s called cognac! It''s like super wine for elites or something. Here, try it!"
His outburst baffled his major into non-aggression, vexed by her trusted associates'' idiocy.
"No, I''m not going to drink that." Roxy grinned murderously, speaking through her teeth, "It''s one thing for those soldiers to drink, but there''s no excuse for you to have when you can''t get drunk!"
"I-I know I can''t get drunk on wineit s-sucks." Gabriel huped, "It''s like we worked for centuries to get to the Heaven Realm, and then we couldn''t celebrate
B-But guess what? This isn''t wine! Apparently, if you hic take wine and boil it to remove the water, your body can''t heal fast enough to keep up with the alcohol. And guess what? It works!"
He lifted his ss to the sky, and the wasted people around him cheered. They were lightweights because it required a lot of wine to get drunkand Sky ne wine was exorbitantly expensive. As a result, they quickly got twisted and were having a ball.
"Come on, drink some, Major." A blonde said, her cheeks flushed red, "Just t-try it. It''s definitely alcohol, but it''s so much better."
"No." Roxy seethed.
"Then at least try one hic of these." Gabriel requested, picking up a ham and cheese skewer, "These little shits are delightful."
"No, I''m not going to eat one of those [little shits]." She replied rapidly, gritting her teeth.
"Is it uncustomary to treat guests to alcohol in the Sky ne?" Veronica asked with ssy eyes, cutting through the emotional confusion.
Roxy froze, feeling the pixie''s gaze gripping her heart in a vice and squeezing. She realized that she was acting paranoid, oozing with guilt. "It is between allies; however, we don''t ept drinks from people with unknown intentions.
In a diplomatic talk between two people, giving them something that could impair their fighting capability could be interpreted as [provocation]."
She shrewdly deflected the question by using them of foul y. It was amon gaslighting tactic that was easy to see through but difficult to counter without a confrontation. By using it, she signaled an ultimatum between dropping the conversation or fighting.
Since conflict was inevitable otherwise, the line gave them an out. Therefore, not only did she deflect the attack, but she also offered a de-esction. Roxy was clearly not a normal cultivator.
"Is that so?" Veronica mused, sending the woman a haunting smile, "I apologize for not understanding your customs. As for the alcohol, everyone will sober up in ten minutes."
Roxy''s eyes glided to the left in confusion. "Why are you so certain of that?"
"Dinner will sober you up." Jake smiled mysteriously, "I''m surprised you haven''t noticed."
The brown-haired pixie looked around and found rows of happy, drunken cultivators and maids. However, her eyes widened when she smelled the aroma from the kitchen. "Wait, don''t tell me."
"We''re having soul meat for dinner." He announced calmly, "It will help sober everyone up. I doubt itpares to Sky ne meat; however, it contains water, ice, and shadow elementals."
An eerie silence descended on the room. The cultivators couldn''t believe what they had heard, so they turned to their neighbors, whispering for confirmation.
"Is there something uncustomary about that?" Jake asked in confusion. While he anticipated the gesture proving popr, he didn''t expect a dumbfounded reaction.
"U-Uh." Roxy stuttered in confusion.
"Are you joking?" Gabrielughed, "Between dignitaries, maybe, but the rest of us? No way! Shit, I''m a Heaven Realm cultivator, and I hic rarely see rich people eat the stuff!
The empire heavily regtes it, and eating it without a permit is a crime. Emperor Killian ims it''s to ''preserve endangered species.''
B-But that''s really hic a fancy way of saying [self-preservation]."
An abrupt riot of drunken rambling erupted in the room, recing the once-eerie silence with a chorus of bickering and resentment.
-
"Preservationyeah, preserving their species!"
"Right? They won''t even let us go monster hunting without a goddamn permit where I''m from."
"Is that all? We can''t kill beasts in self defense in my district! Beasts killed my wife''s family because they couldn''t attack them,"
"Really?"
"I''m dead serious! Lord Young requests to kill all beasts himself, so it takes weeks for beasts to get run out of homes. It''s bullshit. I wish we lived under Lord Mitchell. At least she buys the meat."
"Are you joking? Lord Mitchell is worse! She requires everyone to hunt beasts on sight and butcher them to get paid. The time lost and butcher costs put people in the red! We''re all certified butchers now because we''ll go broke if we aren''t."
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah, and if she learns you ate any, she''ll personally kill you. I''d take Lord Young any day."
"Oh, you think that''s bad? Duke"
-
"Calm down, everyone!" Roxy cried in panic, "You''ll get in trouble for insulting the Lords, let alone the Dukes! Don''t forget you''re in public!"
"Oh, yeah?" A muscr cultivator with an alcohol-stained toga slurred, "Which spineless motherfuckers are going to rat on their people for gain!? Where are you!?"
He stood up from the table and puffed out his chest.
"Lieutenant Ward!" Roxy roared, angered that her operation was copsing, "I will discipline you for insubordination if you don''t rein yourself in!"
"Oh, so it''s you, Major Grace." Lieutenant Ward scoffed, "It seems like we''re all going to get in trouble, boys! The major''s gonna tattle on us to the Harp!"
Amotion erupted at the table, signaling the start of a dire situation.
Roxy''s eyes shed with murderous intent. However, a calm green light washed over everyone before she could discipline the group, hailing silence. She felt her emotions disappear and her mind clear. "What wait, them."
The brown-haired pixie saw the butlers and maids skillfully using Calming Heart on the soldiers, easing the room''s anxiety and tension.
Ding!
A chime from a spoon hitting a wine ss rang through the hushed room, drawing all attention to a blonde-haired teen standing at the main table.
"Thank you all for joining us tonight." Jake smiled calmly, "In a moment, Immortals will bring out dozens of mortal seafood dishes that contain two dozen unique elementals.
From what I understand, it''s a delicacy in the Sky ne. However, tonight it''s plentiful, so do not hold back. Through partnershipses power, and at Immortal Skye, there''s plenty of power to go around!"
Sage rolled her eyes, scoffing that he was trying to win them over. However, the soldiers had the opposite reaction. Like a spark igniting a me, his words revitalized their'' emotions and triggered a passionate wave of cheering and excitement.
Their contagious rejoicing spread like wildfire, picking up momentum when the cooks wheeled outrge dollies with hot fish dishes.
Jake did periodic rounds, ensuring that all the soldiers knew his name, and spoke with the maids and butlers to ensure that food and drink flowed. It seemed like he was always talking to someone, bing extremely popr amongst the cultivators like he was the Immortals.
Roxy could only watch the scene in horror. Time was running thin, and her soldiers had lost the will and drive to fight against Immortal Skye.
She understood what Jake was doing by his shrewd smile, telling her he knew what she was nning but forced an alternative. While she found it clever and admirable, her ns and intentions didn''t matter. If she couldn''t find a way to leave without arousing suspicion, his goodwill would be for nothing.
Chapter 306 Good Faith
The cooks, butlers, and maids unloadedrge tters onto the table one after another: fresh bread and chowder, sushi, grilled fish, unagi, and fried fish. It was an unthinkable meal for the Sky ne cultivators, who felt like royalty for the first time.
With Immortal Skye offering the soldiers high-quality spirits to wash down free power gains, Roxy couldn''t order them to do anything. Noting the situation, she turned to her host and spoke candidly: "Are you bribing our soldiers with power?"
"I''m not bribing anyone with powerpower is all we have," Jake replied coolly. "We have eighty thousand pounds of soul meat. Serving anything else would be a hit to our resources."
A heavy nket of silence fell on the table, muting even Gabriel.
"What you attribute to bribes and provocations are basic aspects of our lives here," Veronica exined. "Everyone has sky-grade techniques; however, the talented can earn hundreds more. Soul meat is plentiful, and opportunities for promotione every month, not in decades or centuries. Our reception is proof ofcking corruption, not the other way around."
A harmonic hum of envy and yearning spread through the room, but it onlysted a moment before the cultivators started eating, triggering a tsunami of praise and gratitude. Tears streamed down the cultivators'' cheeks, and some openly proimed they wished they lived in Immortal Skye.
"Our leader has offered youa potential enemy, as you aptly put ithealth and power. Are you going to ept it?" Sage asked bitingly, looking at the pensive brte who hadn''t eaten anything. "Or will you turn down two dozen elementals because it may be poisoned?"
"My apologies; I was just thinking. I''ll graciously try it," Roxy replied smoothly, internally reeling in shock. She couldn''t believe she was looking at two dozen unique fish, each with Soul Qi attributes that could be hers just by eating it.
After assessing her choices, the pixie stabbed a strange white wheel with a fork. She thought it looked disgusting, stuffed with fish meat and wrapped in green leaves like savages made it. However, a surge of vor lit up her taste buds when she took a bite, and a violent wave of power bolted through her body like lightning. "This is amazing."
"That''s the spirit, Major!" Gabriel yelled, still hammered because he drank cognac at a speed that exceeded his improved healing. "Those little shits hic are called sushi! Now about that cognac"
"No." Roxy said coldly.
"Ah well, I guess THERE''S MORE FOR US!" He yelled victoriously.
His words triggered a triumphant chorus of cheers and excitement, spreading through the room, marking a true celebration.
"Hey, join us!" A cultivator yelled to the Immortal soldiers lining the walls. "Don''t just stand there!"
Jake gave his soldiers a knowing nod, and dozens of Immortals, butlers, and maids joined the tables. The groups swapped stories, discussing the Sky ne and Mortal ne.
Roxy watched in amazement, feeling strangely content. Beyond calling off the attack, she also decided that she would leverage her authority to veto Ramble''s attack until they researched Immortal Skye. Fifty percent of the total allied forces were in the room and would enthusiastically support her motion. So she had a solid chance if she avoided disaster in the next thirty minutes.
"I didn''t expect much when my superior sent me here," She announced genuinely. "However, from your wee alone, I feel there is room for favorable negotiations and trade. Since we''ve exceeded our allotted time here, I must inform my superiors that our extended stay is intentional. Do you mind if I step out in ten minutes?"
Sage gave her a chilling re. "You''re the leader here, right? Why would you leave your people instead of sending a messenger?"
Roxy calmed her pounding heart skillfully and looked around. "As you can see, my subordinates are not sober enough to speak to my superior. It will only take ten minutes, and then I will return."
"Does that mean that they''re nearby?" Veronica asked with narrowed eyes.
"It''s far by mortal standards." The brte pixie said smoothly, "However, as a Heaven Realm cultivator, I can fly far faster than my soldiers. You can watch me take off and return."
"Can I trust that you will act in good faith?" Jake asked frankly, "We genuinely aim to prevent hostilities between our people. I want to know if you feel the same."
"I''m acting in good faith." Roxy said genuinely, expressing the earnestness in her gaze, "That''s why I''mmunicating with my superiors to ensure they don''t have misperceptions."
"If that''s how it is, you can leave after finishing your te." He replied calmly, "However, if potential misperceptions require immediate attention, I''d appreciate it if you were forthright about it so we can n ordingly. We will not feel slighted if you act in good faith."
Roxy took a sharp yet subtle breath as Sage and Veronica''s gazes bore into her soul. She felt naked at a crossroads, making a decision that would determine the fate of her soldiers - and everyone else''s. She had to choose carefully, knowing that saying the wrong thing could make everything turn south.
TT
Thirty Minutes Before
"Major Reed, we need to go!" A man with a clean-shaven face and slicked ck hair demanded. "Our major''s jade slip is dead, and we can''t wait for battle signs. You sent her in there with Captain Taylor and your and Major Ramble''s scrap soldiersshe''s nearly defenseless! She didn''t sign up and hand you her soldiers, thinking you''d hold them back from saving her!"
Neen Heaven Realm and twelve Sky Realm cultivators stood around a blonde with a rough, battle-worn appearance, sitting on a boulder. Most were from Roxy''s team and were angry they were sitting around while their leader was unresponsive.
Major Reed stopped twirling her jade slip around her fingers. Their yelling broke her out of deep thought, jarring her mind abruptly. In response, she looked up with hellfire and wrath shing in her eyes: "I get she''s your major, but if you want to criticize someone, you must be smarter than they are, Captain Cambell!"
Captain Cambell felt his lungs seize when she blitzed to his position, grabbing him by the toga. "I-I was just"
The blonde ignored his words and swung his body around so he was facing the direction she was. Then she connected her thumb and middle finger, wrapped the jade slip in [battle aura], and bnced it on her knuckle. "Watch."
WhoOOoooOSHCRACK! BOOM!
Major Reed flicked the jade slip into dead space. However, it abruptly reversed course when it reached 20 feet and shot back at them. Expecting it, she dodged just before the jade slip hit a tree and exploded in the dirt, destroying it on impact.
Everyone was stunned except the Major, who studied the area she hit, an invisible ripple of golden light like electricity, exposing a hidden barrier. The soldiers were stunned, seeing the barrier for the first time.
"I''ve only stayed put because I don''t know how this fucking thing works," She growled murderously, "If you think I''m so weak that I''d sit back for petty orders, you''re out of your goddamn mind!"
Crack!
Major Reed threw him like a ragdoll, sending his body crashing into a tree beyond the barrier. "The barrier didn''t throw you back, so at least we know physical attacks work okay."
She walked through the barrier and flicked her finger twice. To her surprise, a small sh attack and Wind sh shot forward and cut a tree. Next, she flicked her finger again, and a bubble of oxygen formed. However, the barrier activated in golden light, snuffing it out.
Confused, she turned around and fired an arrow imbued with battle aura out of the barrierno problems. "So it prevents aerial bombing and fire. It''s prioritizing mass damage; if that''s the case."
After extending her finger, wind umted around her finger in a cyclone. The tempest grew in size and speed, rustling the leaves around them. However, after it grew to a dangerous level, the barrier activated and snuffed it out.
"Tricky, tricky." Major Reed grinned. "This barrier has limitations, so it ys dead to lure enemies into a false sense of security. Then it stops their major attacks when they''re needed."
After a few more experiments, the blonde turned and made eye contact with her nervous soldiers.
"We fucked up." She chuckled, "This crazy-ass barrier proves these people are way out of our league. Now that I know how it works, we''re saying fuck the operation and leading a rescue mission ahead of schedule."
Major Grace''s soldiers lit up when they heard the woman''s words. They were excited that the other majors weren''t leaving their leader for dead.
"Once again, these people are out of our league," Major Reed reiterated. "That means we''re running a diversion to help them counterattack and escapenot fighting to win. So go in, sow confusion, spread havoc, and fuck shit up as fast as possible to give them an opening. That''s all we can doso make it count."
"What about the barrier stopping our attacks?" Captain Campbell asked coolly.
"Hah!" Major Reed grinned mockingly. "You''re all weak as fuck. This thing is designed for real troops with real power. So as long as you don''t use fire, you should be able to go buck-wild.
It''s a simple operation. Go in, fuck shit up, and then get the hell out on my orders!"
"Yes, mam!" They replied in unison.
Chapter 307 Breakdown
"No, there''s nothing you need to know," Roxy said decisively. "I''ll be back soon. Feel free to set up scouts to watch me leave and re-enter."
"I trust your intentions are good," Jake replied calmly. "So there''s no need for further security measures. We can escort you, or you can leave unattended."
Sage scoffed and turned away, visibly disgusted. However, Veronica studied her fellow pixie''s every motion with a level gaze.
"If that''s the case, I''d prefer to leave directly, as I can fly right from the door." Roxy said, trying to decipher the disparity between the three leaders'' expressions.
"Then let me walk you out." Jake smiled, standing and walking with her to the door. Once they got outside, he bid her safe travels, making her roll her eyes.
"I am serious about having goodwill." She said earnestly, "I hope you know that."
"As I said, I trust your intentions, so there''s no reason to convince me further." He smiled, "I look forward to your return. We''re unhostile people unless attacked; therefore, I believe we can gain a lot bymunicating."
The fashionable pixie nodded and gracefully flew into the air, crowning the wall to escape the strange barrier.
Jake mysteriously smiled as he watched her fly away. Then he turned around and walked back into the guest house, where soldiers ate and drank merrily. He didn''t make it very far before he was stopped: "Yes, Sage?"
"Are you insane?" Sage seethed coldly, "That woman is incredible at hiding her intentions--she''s a spy. Yet you gave her info on our battle strength, techniques, and resources and then let her report it to her superior when Kaze isn''t here?"
"Do you think I just let those people into Immortal Skye without preparing for an attack?" He scoffed, visibly annoyed, "I may not be Emperor Lexicon, but I''m not a fool either.
I''ve charmed and scared the cultivators into non-aggression to avoid panic-based hostilities for today--that''s all I needed to do. I assure you, Sage, Major Grace will not send an attack order."
a??a"a"?a"a??
--Five Minutes Before--
"Please work." Roxy said in a stressed-out voice as she exited the barrier. She immediately pulled the jade slip from her cleavage and tried it.
While it lit up fine, it didn''t glow green--instead, it glowed white.
"N-No way...." Roxy whispered in denial, "White means... dead or destroyed. Don''t tell me they''ve already started fighting!? My soldiers!"
Her heart nearly burst through her chest, making her gasp hazily for air. She immediately flew as fast as possible to the clouds. From her top vantage point, she turned to overlook Immortal Skye for the first time.
Roxy''s eyes trembled in horror as she gazed at the campus from above. It was sparse and unpopted when they arrived, but now over two thousand Immortals patrolled the campus. As imed, they were all Sky Realm cultivators, with some far more talented than the ones she had seen.
Not only that, but they were also wearing military tactical gear with a persistent technique that left a Soul Qi sheen simr to a basic barrier. It was clear they had prepared for enemies to ambush them.
No, they expected it. Everyone was idle and scouting the air on high alert. It was almost as if they knew another force was preparing to attack them--and they were right.
In the distance, she saw Major Reed and her troops--still very much alive--flying low to the ground from the trees. The technique limited visibility and stealth, as there were no footsteps.
Unfortunately, it was a double-edged sword; just as the Immortals couldn''t see them, they couldn''t see the Immortals. They were flying directly into a death trap and had no idea what they were up against.
It only took one casualty for everything to trigger a meltdown, and the group was b-lining for Immortals on a guard tower. They would kill a group before seeing the main force; by then, it would already be toote.
a??a"a"?a"a??
"You think this woman won''t attack us?" Sage scoffed, "That''s naive and delusional, Jake.
They''re soldiers sent to kill us. No matter what she or those soldiers think, their superiors will order them to kill us. And if she doesn''t attack today, she''ll ry the information you freely gave divulged to the military so they can send a force capable of matching us. So stop acting like she''s leaving to negotiate a treaty for us."
"Enough, Sage," Jake ordered frigidly. "You''re free to think you''re right while everyone else ignores you if you like. However, you''re my subordinate, and you''ll follow my orders--without question--regardless of how you feel about them. If you continue this recalcitrant behavior, I''ll reprimand you for insubordination and report it to Emperor Lexicon."
"Hah." Sage huffed in resentment. "Understood. Just remember this--"
Boooom...
A small explosion went off in the distance. It was a few miles out, so the soldiers didn''t even hear it over their merry chatter and drinking. However, they could hear it near the door.
"It seems her ''non-attack'' order went through." She sneered.
Jake was stunned when he heard the explosion. "Please say they didn''t kill anyone."
"What did you expect?" Sage sneered mockingly.
a??a"a"?a"a??
Major Reed and her soldiers made it through the east side of the forest at ghostly speed, Guided Arrows ready. Immortals on a watch tower spotted them and readied arrows in response.
"Stop!" Roxy screamed in horror, hitting breakneck speed toward the earth, "No! No-no-no- No-NO! Don''t attack them!"
Screaming was futile; she was too high up, and the people moved too fast. Her troops would kill the scouts any second, and the two-thousand-strong force would spring into action to kill them.
It was over.
WhooOOooOooSH!
BOOOOOOM!
Contrary to expectations, Major Reed and her soldiers'' arrows didn''t hit the Immortals--they hit the tower. Even more bewildering, it took damage but still stood afterward. That wasn''t just unbelievable--it was a serious problem.
The team flew past the tower at high speed, expecting it to crumble. However, since it stood, the people on the top had arrows and could shoot from behind. Therefore, their non-violent approach failed spectacrly.
Two Heaven Realm cultivators turned mid-flight with arrows aimed at the tower, meeting the gaze of the two Immortals within. Time slowed to a crawl as they decided whether to shoot.
Roxy knew the choice was in her soldiers'' hands. Even a low-end Heaven Realm cultivator was vastly more powerful than a peak Sky Realm cultivator. So while her troops would get butchered if they ran into two thousand Guided Arrows, there was no contest in an even fight.
WhoOOooOooSH! BOOM, Boom!
a??a"a"?a"a??
"I''m not worried that Major Grace''s soldiers killed Immortals, Sage." Jake said chillingly, "I''m worried the Immortals killed her troops."
Sage couldn''t believe her ears. However, the gravity in his gaze meant that he was serious.
Chapter 308 Played For Fools
"Wait, what did you just say?" Sage asked in perplexed disbelief.
"I said I''m worried that the Immortals killed her troops," Jake replied coldly. "I''m going to see if we can salvage this situation. Now sit at that table and don''t do a goddamn thing until I get backnothing. Veronica has everything handled."
"Salvage!?" She snapped in exasperation, "That woman just triggered an attack. If you don''t fight the enemy, I''ll take matters into"
"Shut the fuck up and do what I say!" He ordered chillingly, his eyes lethal and unremitting, "You think you''re right, but you''re not. No one agrees with younot Veronica, not Crux, nor General Michaels. You''re alone."
Sage''s eyes widened when she heard the lineup of people against her. It had just urred to her that Veronica had been ying into it the whole time without question, and General Michaels was nowhere to be seen. "Why is Crux against my viewpoint?"
"Roxy Alexander Gracemands a force of fifty with nine Heaven Realm cultivators around Captain Taylor''s levelthese people aren''t her soldiers," Jake exined coldly. "They''re a diversion.
If you had things your way, we would''ve attacked, and the strike force with four times the firepower would have ambushed us during the confusion. That''s not spection; it''s a hard fact."
Sage''s jaw slowly lowered in bafflement, and her confusion grew when she heard hundreds of footsteps from the top floor. She turned and saw two hundred Immortals in tactical gear descending the dual staircase encircling the dining area. "What''s going on?"
The soldiers immediately panicked at the sight, feeling dread washing over them.
"Hey, what is this?"
"I knew this was a setup!"
"Calm down; let''s hear what''s going on first!"
"Shut the fuck up, everyone. If you can''t tell, we''re in no position to talk back."
However, their panic didn''tst long. A green glow washed over the room, calming them down as Veronica walked to the front with a wine ss.
Ding!
After Jake''s example, she tapped a spoon against a ss, creating a beautiful musical note that permeated the room, drawing everyone in.
"We''ve gotten reports that another group of cultivators has invaded our base." Veronica announced calmly, "While we trust Major Grace is not responsible, we need you to stay put until we sort this out.
We rmend that youply silently. While we seek a peaceful solution, if even one of you says or does something to indicate this was a trap, we must act ordingly."
A sudden rush of anxiety gripped the cultivators'' hearts, strangling them. While only Gabriel and the Heaven Realm cultivators knew what was happening, everyone knew they were guilty.
However, they didn''t make a move. After the ck-haired pixie warned them that a single person speaking could lead to hostilities, people chose to think and act carefully.
"Please let me exin your situation." Veronica requested, "In addition to four Heaven Realm cultivators, two hundred Sky Realm cultivators with peak techniques are in this room, and another 3,400 are outside it.
If you attack us, you have no hope of survival, so I rmend you stay put."
Those gritting their teeth looked around for the first time and saw their situation. It left everyone shocked in silence.
"However, you can rest easy." Veronica smiled, "We have a benevolent leader, so in the event that you''re here to attack us, you''ll have to join us aspensation. And if you look around, you''ll realize that people are practically rewarded for attacking this ce.
Even our useless soldiers get peak sky-grade techniques, eat soul meat daily, and live in houses like this. They have daily cultivation sses, guaranteed employment, and ess to hookers and gigolos. Doesn''t that sound like a reward to you?"
After a cheeky smirk, a few drunken people chuckled, and it spread.
"I''m guilty! I confess to everything! It was all my fault, 100%." One of the menughed, "Fuck these guysthey''re good people."
The sudden shift from oppressive silence to joking was like a thunderp, jolting everyone out of their daze and into a state of boisterousughter.
"Hey, don''t take credit for my nefarious deeds!" A blonde snapped indignantly.
Moreughter surged through the room like lightning, building momentum like a steam engine.
"If we don''t make the cut, can we invadeter?" A redhead smirked, "We can even set a date and time."
Cheers and whistles spread through the crowd, overtaking everyone''s emotions. Even Gabriel, who was worried about his major, felt a sudden spark of victory.
"Wow, we should make applications," Veronica smiled. "There are a lot of qualified people here who would be powerful assets if they simply got ess to techniques and a shot. I mean, I can already see changes in a lot of you after one round of soul meat."
The small seed of triumph in Gabriel''s heart took root and bloomed after being reminded of his power upgrade, resulting in euphoria. Any doubt, fear, or anxiety he had a moment prior disappeared, reced by feelings of rapture and aplishment.
Those already in the emotional vice roared ecstatically, sweeping away the few remaining people holding onto their sanity, rationality, and fear. Within minutes, the scene became an orgy of self-gratifying emotions, with everyoneplimenting each other and themselves.
While it was unsettling from an outside perspective, no one questioned if it was unnatural. They didn''t want to consider that they weren''t actually triumphant, so theytched onto one of the dozens of usible excuses Veronica had set up. Soon, everyone had an excuse: they were still drunk, high on life, buzzing from the food, and offered power and techniques.
More importantly, it was easy to believe. After all, they spent the whole night drowning in high energy,ughter, and cheering, so it was just a continuation of the festive environment. The next morning, it would blend together.
Therefore, while it was rming from an outside perspective, an unshakable desire to join Immortal Skye abruptly turned them into convertsand not a single cultivator questioned it.
Checkmate.
Sage turned to Jake in shock and found his eyes cool and collected. Despite the dozen explosions outside, it looked like things had gone to his n. From the beginning, he lured the cultivators into a trap and nned to force them into submission.
The explosions also ceased within a minute, proving that whatever was happening outside was also under control. It was all a facade.
At some point, Jacob Remock Hays flipped his people-pleaser habits into a mask of nativity and yed her and Roxy Alexander Grace for fools.
Chapter 309 A Grave Situation
"This was all nned from the beginning?" Sage asked wryly.
"Yes." He replied coolly, "Major Grace has information on our enemy''srger forces and influences nearly three-fourths of the Sky ne soldiers in a 300-mile radius. Persuading her into passivity could unravel the entire operation.
If she were a cultivation lord, we would have ambushed her. However, she wasn''t--she posed no real threat to our forces, so attempting to pacify her was the rational option for long-term survival. Crux, General Michaels, and Veronica agree, so stop acting like you''re rational."
Boom, boom, boom-boom-boom!
"I said they''d attack." The redhead growled, her eyebrow twitching to the cadence of the ironic backdrop, "And unless you''re deaf--"
"Major Grace didn''t ce an attack order--she tried to prevent it." Jake scoffed. "That''s a fact. I know because, while you were throwing a fit, I had operatives bug the bathroom and mine information from the cultivators. Her team must havee to rescue her ahead of schedule."
"Why didn''t you tell me any of this!?" Sage seethed, feeling humiliated.
"For the same reason Emperor Lexicon didn''t give you the new report on the enemy forces--you''re dangerous." Jake dered chillingly, "Your ''massacre when the enemy is weak'' mindset proves that."
"I''m a cab member--you people can''t just withhold information from the leadership like this." She fumed, "Withholding information from those in power is irresponsible."
"Is that what you think?" Jake smiled sarcastically, "Emperor Lexicon agrees with usewitz that ''war is a continuation of politics by other means.'' And he isn''t irresponsible enough to give someone like you real power or let them affect war-rted policy.
That power you think you have, your post, and your status as a Heaven Realm cultivator--are illusions. You are Emperor Lexicon''s subject and my subordinate when he and General Skye are away. That''s all you are.
If you don''t shut up and follow my orders without question, I''ll have Emperor Lexicon cripple your meridians forever. I have that authority, Sage--unlike you, I have real power."
Sage opened and closed her mouth, at a loss for words. However, the regent wasn''t paying attention to her reaction; he had better things to do.
SLAM!
Without warning, he mmed the door and charged toward the battle site, praying that the situation was not irreparable.
He was in a foul mood. The concept of senseless massacring withoutmunication made his blood run cold. It made his blood boil when cultivators did it; hearing a fellow college student suggest it without considering the strategic advantages of diplomacy made him feel ill.
To him, it was not just a matter of morality. It was unproductive, meaningless, insignificant, senseless, valueless, fruitless, barren, futile--and vain.
Jake breathed smoke as he ran through thousands of soldiers just north of the training grounds, releasing his cultivation base to force people out of his way. It created a domino effect of falling Immortals, breaking their uneasy stillness as they listened to an altercation.
"This is our problem, so stay the fuck out of it!" A vicious female snarled, "Wait until I kill this traitorous bitch, and I''lle quietly. If you don''t, I''ll kill a hundred or more of you before you kill me!"
He pushed to the front and saw Major Reed standing ten paces from Roxy, who had a hole in her stomach, bleeding profusely. The brutish blonde had blood on her hands, surrounded by soldiers and Immortals showing hostile intent. Some were bloody and injured; others were healthy and furious.
It was a vtile situation. However, he had already pushed his limits of tact andcked the patience for diplomacy.
"No, it''s my problem." Jake dered chillingly. "If you don''t stop what you''re doing and tell me what''s happened so far, I''ll publicly draw and quarter you to prove that there are more effective means of obtaining total control!"
Looking closely, one could see that Major Reed had spellbinding eyes. They looked like a master wood maker had milled them from aged mahogany and varnished them for a rich, glossy color. The color blended perfectly with her dirty blonde hair and light skin, making them stand out as a focal point.
Their potential for beauty helped express the murderous wrath and ire burning in her heart as she stared down Roxy Grace. It told a beautiful, destructive story.
However, when Jake dered he''d draw and quarter her publicly, her pupils shrunk to the size of pins, and the iris started shaking, giving her a horrifyingly crazed appearance. "Hah... haha... hahahaha!"
Major Reed turned to the regent with a feral grin befitting a zealot child after killing their first heathen. "And who the fuck might you be?"
"I''m someone that doesn''t have the patience to wait for answers." He reiterated, looking at the bloody cultivators, a few dozen injured Immortals, and copsed towers in the backdrop. "So tell me--has anyone died on either side?"
After hearing the concern for her side, her pupils dted partially, and her head twitched, fighting against the insanity in her eyes. She examined him for the first time and chuckled ominously. "Oh, you... hahahaha...."
"What?" Jake asked coldly.
"You''re strong, but you don''t have the eyes of a killer." Major Reed grinned madly. "That tells me you''re a smart, good-hearted kid who got lucky in life--and that you''re bluffing. I admire that.
But here''s the thing, kid--I was your antithesis by the time I learned to speak. So if you intervene with me killing this traitorous bitch, I''ll likely rip out your throat to prove I''m irrational, evil, and not bluffing. Do you--"
The blonde abruptly stopped talking when Jake rushed her. As a peak Heaven Realm cultivator, she found him moving at a ''regr'' pace, so she skillfully stepped out of the way and reflexively backhanded him with her fist, sending him flying into the northside wall.
At least, that''s what should have happened.
Despite Jake''s rtively slow speed, he ducked the back fist with eerily anticipatory movements and lurched forward with a right hook. His fighting wasically unprincipled and usually wasn''t dangerous to someone like her; however, he caught her so off-guard that his fist flew through her defenses and crashed into her jaw.
BOOM! Boom, boom! Thud, thud, thud....
The woman crashed through a group of Heaven Realm cultivators like a bowling ball, hitting the ground and rolling.
"You fucking punk!" Major Reed seethed murderously, pulling her head up and preparing to charge at ghostly speed. She knew his speed; it wouldn''t be a match--it''d be an execution.
However, her ns were cut short by a haunting chorus of shrieking wind, cutting through the atmosphere like a banshee, followed by savage gusts that forced her eyes shut. In the darkness, she could hear panic and disorder everywhere.
Major Reed knew the sound of [maism] anywhere--it was the sound of attracting and cycling unprocessed Qi to fuel an attack. It was the primary defining feature that separated heaven techniques from all others.
It was also what triggered the barrier to snuff out her attacks.
"Major attacks shouldn''t be possible!" She growled, jumping up and thrusting her hand forward, "Please work--Heavenly Shield!"
The action warped the atmosphere around here, and a massive, crest-like shield materialized. She immediately dug it into the Earth, ripping apart the soil as the wind blew it backward.
Heavenly Shield was a fortification-type evocation technique that attracted elemental Qi from the environment, refining and shaping it into a solid object. Due to its raw energy and curvature, she could shape it into something that could survive a ballistic missile. However, she was barely trying to hold on.
Without pause, Major Reed swung out her hand and created a bolt of raw Qi that looked like a Guided Arrow but had a refined shape. Wind umted around it, adroitly rotating at a pace that wouldn''t trigger the barrier. It was a brutal weaponpared to a guided arrow, something fit for Achilles at the battle of Troy.
The brutish blonde did everything in less than a second, showcasing her raw talent, experience, and skill as a peak Heaven Realm cultivator. She looked up to face her threat only once she had protection and a weapon.
When Major Reed saw it, she felt like someone had stabbed her intestines with a massive fork and twisted it. A chaotic vortex of wind with the diameter of a train tunnel was formed in front of Jake, making it impossible for her to see him. Around it, people had chained together to prevent getting sucked into the cyclone.
At that moment, she realized that the person she was dealing with wasn''t normal, and her troops were in a grave situation.
Chapter 310 You’re Lucky I’m Still Naive
Major Reed stared at Jake''s Divine Arrow in shock, her eyes trembling with confusion and disbelief. However, her expression didn''t convey simple fear or disbelief; it was primarily bewilderment.
"How the fuck''s that thing working!?" She spat in exasperation, overwhelmed with the absurdity of the sight before her.
As she ascertained, the attack was indeed maism, but it was so amateurish that it looked like a child had taken a gray crayon and drawn eight hundred ovepping circles over the whole paper instead of a spiral. The blonde couldn''t even give a usible answer for how it was functioning!
Maism was a sophisticated technique that required cultivators to create an object-like ma of Qiites and spin it rapidly to attract Elemental Qi. That''s why Kaze''s blood techniques created a cyclone before turning into shards or objects. It umted the blood and fused his Qiites into it so that he could manipte them.
Rotating raw Qi was difficult; Heaven Realm cultivators spent years developing small energy balls to practice and progressively built up the size. It was also dangerous--if a cultivator didn''t spin it correctly, it created a lethal double-edged weapon that randomly damaged things until it fizzled out. That''s why it was a high-level technique that the living and able-bodied didn''t practice until they had sufficient Qi control.
For those reasons, the attack she stared at was iprehensible. The cyclone had a massive amorphous blob the size of a beach ball at the center, wobbling as it spun like a tire about to fly off on the highway! It was as though someone seared the technique into his brain without prior experience of maism, so he was ignorantly skipping decades of practice to attempt it!
Was his showcase talented? Maybe. Impressive? Not at all! He might as well be a four-year-old running around with a methrower and no gas mask!
"Kid, you need to stop using that thing!" Major Reed yelled. "You''re not going to kill me, but you''re sure as fuck gonna kill yourself and everyone else near you!"
"Good luck, this is a divine technique!" Jake yelled with a strained voice, fighting against his hazy vision. "It''s also an arrow--it won''t get near us."
"Divine technique? That much is fuckin'' obvious!" She scoffed. "If that were a heaven technique, it wouldn''t even function!
As for it being an arrow--good luck with that! You don''t have the Qi to keep that thing going for long, let alone shoot it! It''s gonna explode right in the center of everyone.
But here''s the thing, kid: while I have a shield that can survive some crazy fuckin'' shit, your people have windbreakers that can''t withstand a solid Guided Arrow. If you release that thing, you''ll massacre everyone but me."
Jake was about to call bullshit, but his brain shut down when he heard the term massacre. The usation that he would do that made him feel ill.
He looked forward and truly saw the destructive force of nature in front of him and assessed his Qi. As she pointed out, he was nearly out, and it was taking everything just to keep the whipping wind around him contained.
Jake looked around and saw the Immortals working together to stay put. People out front were using Qi Wall to keep the wind at bay while chains of people pulled their waists, working on getting out of the vortex. He didn''t even realize how powerful the suction was or what it would do!
Major Reed was right--he was acting out of his league and needed to stop it. "Fuck, you''re right! How do I stop this thing!?"
A bone-chilling silence cut through the whipping winds like ance, stopping the screaming and groaning. No one could believe what they had just heard.
"What the fuck did you say!?" Major Reed yelled in disbelief. "How don''t you know!?"
The atmosphere became tense, creating the emotional climate someone would expect from a bomb threat or bank heist.
"This is the first time I''ve tried using this technique!" Jake yelled back, pushing past his embarrassment for the sake of his people. "I just wanted to force you to stop fighting!"
"WHAT!?" Major Reed screamed in disbelief, staring at him like a primal animal. "I was going to spare you after this, but now I''m going to rip your fucking throat out!"
She wasn''t impressed in the slightest. While it was unbelievable that Jake had partially seeded, the thought he attempted such a technique around others made it impossible to see him as anything but a fool.
"I gotta hand it to ya, kid!" Major Reedughed viciously. "If a genius has a tinge of madness, you''re butt fuckin'' stupidity."
"JUST TELL ME!" Jake roared back. "BERATE ME AFTER EVERYONE SURVIVES!"
"You need to slow the rotation!" Roxy groaned, holding her wounded stomach as she ran forward with her shield. "I can''t do much, but I''ll help!"
She got behind the divine wind barrier that protected him from the winds, easing her strain. Then she grabbed an invisible ball, palm upward, and twisted it counterclockwise.
WHoOOooOSHHH!
A chaotic sound of shing air pierced the airwaves, like machinery groaning against the strain of a heavy force. While she couldn''t use a divine skill, she was far better at maism than he was. As a result, the storm eased by a fourth instantly, allowing the Immortals to make progress in their chain tug of war.
It was slow, but slowly yet surely, the Immortals and Heaven Realm cultivators backed up, giving the technique space to move.
"GuuhHhhH..." Jake groaned, feeling his vision doubling and getting hazy.
"Harper, help!" Roxy pleaded desperately.
Major Reed''s eyes lit up in exasperation in disbelief. "Help him!? You want me to drop my shield and risk my life to save my enemy and his troops? Are you mad!?"
"If this explodes, it''ll kill all of our troops, too!" The brte pixie argued. "And right now, this kid might pass out from Qi withdrawal any second!"
"Hah!" The blondeughed aggressively. "You mean that thing''s about to fuckin'' explode at any moment, and you want me to help? By forcing a rotational sh, no less? Are you insane!?
I''m not next to him while he''s slowing that thing. My counter-rotation will make that shit explode! You''re out of your goddamn mind!"
"Please, Harper!" Roxy pleaded, "If you weren''t a crazy hothead who''d risk their lives to save their troops, you wouldn''t have gotten demoted to the lower ranks! So please--forget this boy and save our troops!"
"Gah! If you fall unconscious, I''ll save your life so I can kill you, kid!" Major Reed roared to Jake, moving away her shield bravely, "You''re lucky I''m still naive enough to keep doing shit like this!"
"And YOU!" She roared, turning to Roxy, "Don''t you dare me me if this thing fuckin'' explodes, bitch!"
Major Reed grabbed the air itself, visually warping space as the Qiites attracted Qi. She cranked it counterclockwise with intense force when she had a strong grip.
WHoOOoOoShHHhhHHHooOSH!
A shockwave rocked the area, instantly shattering the Immortals'' shields and sending them flying.
Chapter 311 Prodigy
The shockwave from Major Reed creating a counter-rotational force shattered most shields and sent heaven and sky realm cultivators flying like rag dolls. However, it was nowhere near the destructive force of the technique hitting them--it was a divine-grade technique! Not just any divine technique, either: one known for decimating armies like a massive blender!
The gravitational force behind it made Jake ck out for a split second, causing a horrifying expansion of the hyperpressed cyclone until he regained control. However, there was no way he could contain the wind that had escaped before he regained control over the ma.
Everyone shut their eyes when it sted outward. The only exception was Roxy, standing behind the technique''s shield, protecting Jake. As a result, she could see what everyone else missed.
An ink drop, the size of a ser ball, dropped onto the hyperpressed cyclone. The moment it touched, it wrapped around it, like dipping a candy apple in ck licorice until it fully contained the wind.
BOOM!
The pressure inside expanded it, creating a controlled explosion that sent everyone flying backward, including the blonde major, whose shield flew out of the ground.
Thud! Thud-thud-thud! BOOM!
"Gah!" Major Reed groaned as her back mmed into a boulder, making her spit out blood. Sheughed when she saw the blood, leaving her with a strange smile--self-deprecating with a hint of nostalgia. After all, she thought she could survive the attack by epting it head-on--that was an arrogant assertion.
Maybe she could have if she could shield it, but the wind blew her shield out of the damn ground! As a result, she got shredded from the back and hurled into space at high speed. It would have shredded her if it were a real attack; she realized the difference between her and divine techniques was more than heaven and earth.
The cultivators couldn''t respect or n for the strength of a divine technique. After all, few had ever seen one! Everyone with one was renowned--nearly legendary--and they only fought in major battles due to their political positions.
Therefore, everyone was stunned equally. However, it wasn''t something that experienced cultivators ruminated over in battle. They may have survived, but it didn''t change that they were in enemy territory surrounded by thousands of Immortals!
"That fucking brat," Major Reed groaned, standing with a wobbly gait. "He nearly killed all my fuckin'' men, and that traitorous bitch helped him. I might not kill him, but he''s sure as fuck noting out of this unscathed!"
While she started at a slow speaking pace, her words built up momentum as her temper grew. It was a major problem in her life she tried to control. However, after surviving a nuclear attack from an idiot--in enemy territory--after being betrayed, she didn''t care.
"GAH!" Major Reed roared, shooting forward. "FUCK YOU AND EVERYTHING!"
She rushed across the previously grassy area, now a dune of dirt and uprooted boulders, riddled with groaning Immortals and cultivators.
"Don''t do it, Harper!" Roxy screamed.
"If you think I won''t at least beat that kid''s ass before I kill you, you''re out of your fuckin'' mind!" the blonde screamed, blitzing the brte pixie, protecting Jake with her body.
"Strong enemy!" Roxy yelled,municating the most straightforward message imaginable.
"Eh?" Major Reed huped unintelligibly, feeling a crushing blow to her heart.
An enemy? A strong one?
Oh, that''s right--they ran a covert operation because their enemy''s leader was too strong. Now, after everything that had happened--after helping her enemy and getting betrayed--she was running into them? Before she could kill Roxy for being a traitorous bitch?
Hah. That level of soul-crushing irony was a reminder of why cultivators didn''t help others.
It was toote for her. She had already made her intentions known, and she was running too fast to reverse course.
BOOOOM!
Ten feet from Jake''s unconscious body, a massive dirt wall separated the two, and she ran into it. It wasn''t a real wall; it was a fortified shield. So when the blonde collided with it, she felt like a mortal crashing into a steel support beam.
"GUuuuhHhH...." Major Reed groaned. The impact rocked her head, making her dizzy. She was lucky that she got a warning; she would have cracked her head open had she dived for an attack.
The brutish blonde rolled onto her side, trying to regain her senses. She was on a battlefield and couldn''t afford to lose her senses; otherwise, it would be game over. Still, she felt like she was trapped in a vacuum; it was eerily silent, making her feel like the ckness had swallowed her.
In that static, dream-like state, she heard a wave of excited voices humming as she attempted to open her eyes. Not one or two, but dozens, hundreds--no, perhaps even a thousand.
"LADY PYRON!"
"Lady Pyron!"
dy pyron."
"Lady Pyron!"
"Lady Pyron? As in... Crux Pyron?" Major Reedughed strangely. "That woman''s here, after all? Or am I just dreaming?"
Profound images of a proud and powerful princess popped into her psyche. Crux Pyron: a peerless prodigy turned warrior phenom and a polisheddy who protected her prominent people. Pristine--the pinnacle of perfection.
The blonde fought to open her eyes, eager to see if she was truly there. However, when her eyes opened, she saw a strange sight instead.
In lieu of a prideful princess in a kimono or toga, she saw a short woman wearing yoga pants and a ridiculous green frog hoodie walking up to Roxy, who was shaking uncontrobly.
Major Reed was confused, looking at Roxy Alexander Grace--a proud warrior and diplomat--trembling before a cartoonish character. Was it Crux? It couldn''t be!
The blonde didn''t need to see what was under the woman''s hood--she knew it wasn''t her! Crux Pyron wouldn''t get caught dead looking like a slime on any ne! She was a goddamn princess, for fucks sake!
It gnawed at her, but there was no relief. The hooded figure walked up to the brte pixie who had forgotten she was protecting Jake, holding onto him like a body pillow. Without talking, she put a pair of ck leather zip-up heel boots under the pixie''s shoulder and lightly--yet decisively--kicked her off Jake''s body.
The cute mystery woman studied him carefully, monitoring his breathing and Qi intake. After confirming he was still alive, she looked at Roxy with aplex expression. The pixie was bleeding profusely from her stomach and back, and her stylish toga had partially shredded from protecting Jake after her shield broke. The hooded figure scoffed and waved her hand at ghostly speed.
"GuahHHhhHhhah!" Roxy screamed, her insides twisting as a green light radiated from her body, creating wisps in an intricatework.
"W-What are you doing to her!?" Major Reed snapped like a wounded animal, standing up with adrenaline and anger pulsing in her veins. Her fight with the pixie was a personal internal matter; she wouldn''t let an enemy kill her, let alone torture her!
Roxy''s soldiers shared her feelings, pushing themselves back up. The st hadn''t hurt them much, as they were further away from it. So the twenty Heaven Realm cultivators stood, surrounding the woman before their majors.
"Fools," the cute woman scoffed in disdain. "[Eclipse]."
Chapter 312 [Eclipse]
Roxy''s screams haunted the area as Heaven Realm cultivators surrounded the woman in the frog hoodie. The atmospheric pressure suffocated everyone, crushing them like gravity. It was an intense situation.
"Fools," the cute woman scoffed in disdain. "[Eclipse]."
Upon hearing the voice, Major Reed immediately regretted standing up to the womanbut it was toote.
Paralysis gripped her body, and an unnatural ckness slowly moved from the right side of her vision to the left, blinding her. It wasn''t the yellowish darkness one gets when they close their eyesit was true darkness, like stepping into a limitless void.
An icy python of anxiety slithered around Major Reed, gripping every part of her body and squeezing as her sight disappeared, assimting with the endless beyond. The blonde felt as though she would disappearpletely, ceasing to exist in the world and others'' memories.
She tried to speak and fight back, but it was futile. Whatever had gripped her had stolen her voice, movement, and confidence. It was terrifying and controlling,plete in its ability to crush a person''s spirit and leave them helpless, waiting for total darkness to swallow them forever.
The most haunting aspect was that it didn''t steal her hearing, so she could still hear Roxy''s screams as the woman used her mysterious technique on her. Major Reed hoped the shrieks would fade once the technique stole her visionpletelybut it was to no avail. Full ckout ascended on the woman, but the bone-chilling screams remained.
An eternity passed in that space, seeminglysting forever. The blonde was left with only the sound of her old friend dying and the remembrance of the hoodie-d cultivator''s voice.
Crux.
That was Crux Panthera Pyron''s pance and pressure.
There was no question about it. No one could mimic the woman''s voice and manner of speaking; she was too prominent and peculiar. Too unique.
Major Reed couldn''t forget that voice. It was a voice that shaped her life and constantly pushed her forward, chasing after her. It was carved into her memory forever.
As she thought about it, the sound of screaming disappeared, but she didn''t notice. She only broke out of her haze when searing sunlight hit the fully-dted pupil in her right eye, blinding her with white light. It was excruciating, and she couldn''t shut her eyesshe was paralyzed!
Therefore, the blonde had to wait with teary eyes for her vision to correct. She wasn''t looking forward to it. After all, she would be forced to watch her friend getting
"What?" Major Reed muttered in a haze, unaware that her voice had returned. "What''s going on?"
It was slow, but the green wisps around Roxy''s stomach started closing. Blood and skin slowly patched together, mending in real-time. While the pace frustrated the hoodie-d cultivator, one couldn''t overstate the relief on the pixie''s face, showcasing that her pain was gone.
"Is that a healing technique?" she asked in a haze. "Then it''s not Crux"
"Cease your flippant prattle!" Crux growled. "Would anyone dare to use my name in imitation? Such foolishness doesn''t exist on any ne."
"S-So it was you!" Major Reed cried, feeling like someone had punched her in the gut. "You were the person who betrayed"
"Silence!" the Pantheran princess scoffed, thrusting her empty palm to the woman and gripping. The major took her lungs for granted until an invisible force strangled her neck. After that, her profound anxiety turned to primal horror, fighting to breathe.
pd ?ͨ1,㨰 "I require concentration to save this imbecile''s life andck it due to your peaceful subjugation," Crux exined chillingly. "Be grateful this boy has ordered your survival, as I would have killed you for your mindless recalcitrance."
Major Reed gasped for breath when the force disappeared, allowing her to see clearly again. Partial vision had returned to her left eye, allowing her to see the other Heaven Realm cultivators surrounded by Immortals, aiming Guided Arrows at them. After ncing right, she saw the same scene ying out around her, as dozens had surrounded her.
"Thank you," Roxy gasped when the Panthera had finished healing her back. "I''m appreciative."
"You protected this foolish boy; for that reason, you alone deserve to live," Crux replied coldly, standing from her haunches after examining the woman''s body. "Everyone else should be grateful for his benevolence, as I would have killed them before they made it to campus."
Major Reed drew a sharp breath, feeling anticipatory dread pulsing through her.
The Pantheran princess circled the area, scrutinizing the cultivators. "If any of you show any emotion other than gratitude or defeat, I will strike you down without a second thought."
After her chilling words, she released Eclipse, restoring the petrified cultivators'' sight. However, it brought them no relief as hundreds of Guided Arrows met their gaze.
"What happens now?" Major Reed asked, trying to be proactive.
"Your fate depends on how this boy judges your foolish actions," Crux replied coldly.
TT
20 Minutes Ago | East of the Battlegrounds
Time seemed to stand still as the Heaven Realm cultivators gazed up at the Immortals on the watchtower. There was no contest over who would win in a fight; however, the cultivators were hesitant to fire. They weren''t fools.
Their enemy was formidable, and they didn''t want to get hunted down for killing the leader''s people. The cultivators weren''t soldiersjust scoutsso they knew better than to initiate a battle they couldn''t win. So when their arrows didn''t bring down the tower, they felt their stomachs sink, forced to consider killing the enemy in self-defense.
Blink.
BOOM!
"AGHhhHHhHHhH!" The Immortals screamed in panic as a wind scythe struck the tower, causing it to copse. They jumped off at thest moment, rolling on the ground to avoid the debris.
"This scene proves it!" Major Reed roared. "I''m not sure how, but these people have fortified these sand castles into proper Sky ne equivalents. We''re out of our league, so don''t you dare break protocol because of emotions!
Move in, hit every building in sight, and then break away. Do not kill anyone; only injure if you must attack. That witch can improvise her way through anything - so ce faith in her strategy and skills, soldiers!"
"Yes, ma''am!" they replied in unison.
Roxy''s intuition proved to be life-saving. Before they even reached the new wall separating the battle training grounds from the campus, hundreds of Sky Realm cultivators poured out, with many filing on top.
"What the fuck is this!?" Major Reed roared, looking at the mass of people. "They were expecting us already! Only Grace and Taylor knew our n!"
The blonde flew up to see over the wall and saw thousands of Sky Realm cultivators pointing their Guided Arrows at them.
"That witch could hold out for dayslet alone hours!" she seethed. "That bitch betrayed us!"
Chapter 313 An Eerily Smooth Resolution
"Come quietly, and we won''t shoot!" Brad spoke into a megaphone from the top of the wall, standing next to a hundred Immortals with Guided Arrows drawn.
"That won''t happen," Major Reed dered. "Give us ourpanions, and we will leave; otherwise, prepare for us to ughter half of you before we run out of Qi and die."
Tension and paranoia swept through the Immortals, triggering past trauma.
"We seek equal negotiation," Brad announced quickly, sensing their trauma. "However, your people have attacked us before, so expect retaliation if you threaten us again. You''re looking at our weakest members. You will face our leaders if you seek yourpanions or promote hostility."
It was the cultivator''s turn to feel intense apprehension. The thought that the sea of Sky Realm cultivators was the weakest on campus made them feel intense anxiety.
As both sides prepared for battle, a familiar voice rang through the air, shocking both sides.
"DON''T SHOOT!" Roxy yelled, flying through the sky at high speed. "We don''t want to fight Immortal Skye!"
Her soldiers were stunned, seeing her fly between the groups, trying to mediate. So were the Immortals, who only knew she was a cultivator.
"Shouldn''t you be beggin'' them instead of us?" Major Reed sneered. "Considerin'' you sold us out and all?"
"I didn''t sell you out!" Roxy snapped. "I couldn''t contact you!"
"Wait, aren''t you with the other group?" Brad asked sternly. "If so, are you saying that you knew this was going to happen?"
The tension between the three groups intensified, spreading sparks between the groups.
"I these people are my retrieval team," Roxy said awkwardly, looking between the groups. "They''re not hostile, so let''s talk this through."
"Why are you making excuses like you''ve made some shady backroom deal and were caught in the act?" Major Reed smirked.
Murmurs spread through her troops, confused and emotionallynced by her words. The same was true of the Immortals, who felt she was beguiling their leaders.
"I haven''t made any deal with Immortal Skye," Roxy replied boldly. "However, I said I''d talk to you and the rest of our people."
"Is that so?" Major Reed smirked murderously, her pupils constricted and deranged. "Then how do you exin this ambush? And why the hell do you know where it is?"
"I was trying to contact" Before she could exin, the blonde major flew forward at ghostly speed, wind spinning around her arm.
"DON''T!" Roxy yelled with wide eyes, realizing the blonde aimed to kill her. It caught her off guard, so she barely moved in time to prevent Major Reed''s hand from thrusting through her stomach. However, the razor-sharp winds around the blonde''s forearm shredded her stomach. "AGH!"
The brte pixie''s eyes shed with murder, and she lifted both hands at ghostly speed. "Heaven''s Order!"
Gravity crashed into the unhinged blonde like a freight train, sending her crashing to the earth.
BOOM!
"LISTEN TO ME!" Roxy yelled, wrath and disgust feeling her words. Unfortunately, no one listened.
"That traitor attacked our major!" A man with long blonde hair yelled, pulling back his hand, "I won''t ept that!"
He waved his hand, and a flurry of raw Qi bolts shot at her, each the size of a spear. She dodged all of them, but the attack hadrger implications.
BOOM! Boom-boom-boom! BOOM!
The bolts crashed behind her but were blocked by Immortals using Qi walls. In instant retaliation, fifty soldiers on the wall shot guided arrows back at the man.
WHOooOOooSH!
He scoffed at their weak attacks and casually flew upward. However, to the shock of all the cultivators, all fifty arrows followed his movements. "GUIDED ARROW!?"
With nowhere to run, he created a Qi wall to block, but multiple arrows went around it, hitting his sides. One arrow wasn''t enough to break past his muscles, but multiple hitspounded the wounds and broke through.
"STOP THIS!" A brte cultivator yelled, dodging arrows shot at her. She swung her hand, creating a hail of small, non-lethal Qi attacks on the Immortals, forcing Qi wall users to block. "WE''RE NOT FIGHTING!"
"STAND DOWN, IMMORTALS!" Brad yelled, releasing his cultivation base around the Immortals, preparing arrows.
"But Brad, they''re striking us!" a ck-haired woman yelled. "They''re"
"Look at what''s exploding!" He yelled back. "The cultivators aren''t responsible!"
BOOM! Boom, boom! BOOM!
She looked and saw that most Heaven Realm cultivators had shields surrounding them, creating a phnx. They didn''t seem interested in the attack. Instead, they focused on the fight between the two majors, which would determine their direction.
"TRAITOR! Traitor-traitor-traitor!" Major Reed screamed. "I TRUSTED YOU!"
She threw another wind scythe with every word, crashing to the ground behind the pixie. They flew low to avoid hitting the wall or the sea of Immortals. However, only one of them was attacking.
"I didn''t betray you!" Roxy yelled. "I left to contact you, but your"
"SHUT UP!" Major Reedughed. "You''re not even attacking because you''re afraid to hurt them! You''d rather die here than hurt your new friends!"
By striking the brte, the blonde anticipated dying, so she kept her back to the Immortals so none of her attacks could hit them. That way, none of her people had to die for her outburst.
"That''s rich,ing from someone keeping your back to an ENEMY!" Roxy scoffed. "I''m also not trying to hurt you!"
She waved her hand, and a raw Qi sword materialized, "Otherwise, I would be fighting past the limitations!"
"You''re reaching!" Major Reed grinned, creating her own sword. "You''re not using that thing because you can''t!"
The blonde lifted her sword with both hands and swung downward with intense force.
Roxy molded the sword into a rod and held it with both hands to block, but the moment the sword struck it, her stomach ripped open, and she crashed into the dirt.
BOOM!
Without stopping, the blonde flew down. However, the ground forces outside the walls surrounded them with Guided Arrows drawn. They were covered in dirt and angry.
"STOP FIGHTING!" Sammy, the dark-haired tennis yer, ordered. "NOW!"
"This is our problem, so stay the fuck out of it!" Major Reed snarled. "Wait until I kill this traitorous bitch, and I''lle quietly. If you don''t, I''ll kill a hundred or more of you before you kill me!"
"No, it''s my problem," Jake dered chillingly, pushing through the crowd. "If you don''t stop what you''re doing and tell me what''s happened so far, I''ll publicly draw and quarter you to prove that there are more effective means of obtaining total control!"
TT
"Your fate depends on how this boy judges your foolish actions," Crux dered coldly. "For now, I''m taking you to a spare mansion until he wakes up."
Major Reed felt as though she had just stepped into an alternate dimension. "Did you just imply you were taking the kid''s orders?"
"That is correct," the Panthera replied coldly. "I serve under this boy when our leaders are away. My motivations for doing so are irrelevant, as you will soon understand yourselves."
"I see" the blonde replied. "If you don''t mind I need to know. Why didn''t that barrier block your and his techniques?"
"It''s our barrier, you foolish woman," Crux scoffed, leading the group away.
***
"How long have I been out?" Jake groaned, waking up on a couch. He looked around and found the living room of another guest house filled with cultivators.
"You''ve only been out for thirty minutes," Crux said calmly, exining what had happened. She recounted the fight between the majors and how Immortals and cultivators had gotten hurt in the chaos. Both majors shivered, realizing she had watched the whole time.
"Thank you, Lady Pyron." He nodded after taking a deep, thankful breath and turned to the cultivators. "Are you satisfied with treating this as a misunderstanding?"
Both gave their approval, confused why they had any say in the matter. However, Jake thanked them and whispered orders to Sammy and Lily, who pulled out strange white rolls and wrapped them around the cultivators'' busts, waists, and limbs before disappearing. Thirty minutester, they returned with ten people and heaps of clothing in their hands.
"I ripped your clothing and have thus preparedpensation," Jake smiled. "At the very least, please wear it to prevent misperceptions that we fought. You can have multiple outfits, so please choose a princess dress and casual or tactical wear."
Roxy stared at the man discerningly. After getting yed, she knew his offer wasn''t out of goodwill. The resolution was eerily smooth, leading her to believe there was a major catch. However, when she saw the luxurious dresses the women brought, her eyes glittered with excitement.
Major Reed scoffed and rolled her eyes until she saw Earthian tactical gear; then, she pretended to be disgusted as she did a detailed sweep of her options. Naturally, Roxy sent her a snide smile, sparking a cold war.
While the cultivators had different reactions, they all got dressed quickly. Most women chose dresses after Roxy returned in a stunning purple cocktail dress, reminding them of the impossibility of getting such an outfit on the Sky ne.
Once everyone was dressed, Jake led them to the guest house with a mysterious smirk that made the majors ufortable. It bugged them, and they wanted to know why he felt victorious! However, it didn''tst long. Once he opened the guest house doors, they instantly knew why he looked so victorious.
Chapter 314 Drunken Ramblings
A boisterous party awaited the cultivators as Jake opened the door. The soldiers had gone from drunk to sober and then back to drunk again, and no one looked ready to slow down. After seeing the majors, their rambunctiousness went from rowdy to wild.
"Wh-Wh-Wait, is that the major!?"
"Slow down, what? Where?"
"Whoa, no fuckin'' way, that''s the major!"
"Reggie, look! The majors look like princesses!"
Roxy and Major Reed wore luxurious cocktail dresses, with the former''s being a rich purple and thetter''s being white to resemble a toga. While the blonde didn''t want to wear one, every other woman did, so she gave in to peer pressure.
The men also looked handsome in their button-up shirts. They found them stifling but wore them to avoid looking like scrubs around the stunning females.
While Roxy and Major Reed found the praise enjoyable, they didn''t understand why Jake felt victorious. However, the uproar that followed answered that question immediately.
-
"Hey, guys! Does this mean that the majors have decided to join Immortal Skye?"
"Seriously? They''ve decided to join Immortal Skye!?"
"You''re out of your mind. There''s no way that the Harp would join this ce."
"No, seriouslylook! She''s in a princess dress, and all the other cultivators are dressed in their attire too!"
"NO WAY!"
"Does this mean that it''s cool to join!?"
"I think so!"
"YES! I KNEW THEY''D SEE THE LIGHT!"
"IMMORTAL SKYE IS AMAZING!"
"YEAH, THEY EVEN GOT THE LEADERS TO JOIN!"
Embarrassment was the emotion that Roxy felt upon seeing how ecstatic the soldiers were to jump ship on the Killian Empire. Although most of the soldiers were not hers, Captain Taylor''s flushed cheeks and enthusiasm proved that the sentiment was universal.
"You didn''t negotiate, eh?" Major Reed sneered.
"I didn''t." Roxy replied, her mouth agape. "That''s the truth."
The blonde snorted in disdain, "Uh, huh. Then how do you exin"
Ding!
Veronica tapped a spoon against a ss to gain everyone''s attention. As if hypnotized, all the drunk soldiers turned to her lovingly. "Esteemed guests, we wee you to Immortal Skye!"
"Yeeeeeeeeeeaaaahhhhhh!"
A thunderous p of cheering rocked the airwaves, exasperating the elite cultivators.
"Calm down," she chuckled. "They haven''t joined Immortal Skye. However, I''ve received word that everyone is clear to join if they wish."
"YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHH!
The atmosphere turned from boisterous to hysterical, with the cheering touching the edges of lunacy. While the ck-haired pixie''s technique had onlysted a minute, the spirit it breathed into the troops was intense.
"Calm down," Veronica smiled in amusement, turning to the majors. "Forgive us; the soldiers have been having a great time."
Many cultivators toasted in response, seemingly unfazed that their leaders were there.
"Please join us," she requested. "I don''t believe you''ve eaten, so our chefs are preparing Earthian soul meat recipes. It hasn''t been long since the others ate, but I''m sure they''ll feast again."
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHH!
Roxy wanted to crawl into a hole and die. She immediately tried to justify herself, but Major Reed and the others were frozen stiff.
"Did she just say soul meat?" Major Reed asked in confusion.
"Yeah, it''s soul meat," Roxy confirmed, remembering it was new to them. "From the ocean, no less. It''s far more potent than what''s in the Sanctuaries."
"No wonder they''re so merry; this is first-rate bribery!" The blondeughed breathlessly.
"No way, Major!" A brte said as Jake led them to a newly set up table. "Just wait until you hear this!"
A flurry of drunken ramblings mmed into Major Reed and the cultivators, exasperating them. At first, they got progressively more ridiculous but dropped off quickly.
-
"There''s somewhere you can buy thousands of princess dresses!"
"The houses in Immortal Skye''s are grander than this castle!"
"Emperor Lexicon killed a thousand of these fish at once!"
"Next month, there will be dual cultivation prostitutes!"
"There''s so much water here that people shit in it!"
"You can earn over three hundred techniques!"
"There''s three hours of training every day!"
"Everyone here has peak techniques!"
"These little shits are delicious!"
"Their leaders are teens!"
"They are not Retos!"
"The wine works!"
"Little shits."
"Hookers"
"Cognac"
"Hic"
-
"Did they hypnotize our soldiers?" Major Reed scoffed, sniffing the foul-smelling liquid in her ss. "This is clearly propaganda."
"Once you try their food, you''ll understand," Roxy sighed. "Also, that really is alcohol. But don''t drink it unless you want to get drunk."
"Maybe for you! I''m a peak Heaven Realm cultivator," the blonde dered proudly, sensing a challenge. "Don''t lump me in with your mid-tier skills."
"Please don''t drink more than three sses," the brte pixie pleaded. "We''re in a vtile situation. You''re already impulsive sober; I''m afraid of what you''ll be like drunk."
"You think I can''t handle three sses of spirits this size?" Major Reed scoffed, grabbing a bottle of scotch off the table and haphazardly filling the rocks ss to the brim. "I can handle a cask of wine easily!"
"THE HARP IS DRINKING!" Captain Taylor yelled drunkenly, whipping around his ck ponytail excitedly.
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Emboldened by the support from her troops, the blonde mmed the entire ss in one go.
"They''re strong? I believe that shit!" Major Reed roared, triggering cheers. "This scrawny little shit beat me in a battle! He beat the shit out of himself but fucked us up, tooRESPECT!"
Shock. Amazement. Delirious cheering!
Jake blushed, stunned by the abrupt, misguided praise. His expression triggered wild cheering from the Immortals, creating a boisterous atmosphere. He was mortified but yed the part, lifting his wine ss.
Thunderous apuse met his motion, giving the blonde an excuse to drink more.
"Do you know what your problem is?" Major Reed slurred.
"What?" Roxy asked with soulless eyes as the gatekeepers guided her into the beyond.
"No, guess!" the blonde demanded. "You''re supposed to guess!"
"No," the brte said coldly.
"Come on!" Major Reed scoffed. "Or do you think you''re perfect?"
"Just tell me," Roxy groaned, weighing the pros of stabbing a fork into her eye to end her misery.
"You''re too fuckin'' pretty!" the blonde slurred, triggering cheers and whistles. "Like, no lez shit or nothin'', but you get away with all the shit! And you know it, dont''cha? You know you''re pretty as shitjust admit it!"
"I''m pretty," the brte pixie echoed monotonously.
"Wheeeeeeeeeeeew!" A man wolf-whistled, "She knows it, boiiiiiz!"
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"Eat up, men!" Major Reed roared, "It doesn''t matter who the hell it''s fromif someone offers you free soul meat, you eat that shit! If I hear that any of you weaklings turned it down because you were full, you''re demoted!"
"YES, MAJOR!"
Frenzied cheering hit the room like a shockwave, sending the cultivators into a gluttonous flurry. Despite wanting to apologize to every Immortal present, Roxy made sure that she got her share before the drunken heathen and her soldiers ate it all.
"I"m sorry for tryin'' to kill ya earlier," Major Reed garbled. "I just consider ya a friend, and friends ain''t supposed to betray friends, ya know?"
"I understand," Roxy replied, the enthusiasm from the food fully depleted.
There had been a nonstop party for three hours with a meal. Although she was having a great time, Roxy lost enthusiasm for life whenever the blonde talked to her.
"I knew ya would," the fiery major slurred.
Roxy put her head on the table, praying for someone to save her.
Click.
As if to answer her prayer, the group''s deafening revelry abruptly gave way to a nervous silence. The brte pixie raised her head and saw Jake, Veronica, and Sage standing up tensely. It was perplexing; she couldn''t figure out what had changed.
"Whoa, now THIS is a plot twist!" a cute voice proimed excitedly. "I low-key thought we''d have to murder 50% of you in a long, drawn-out conquest. What a treat."
When Roxy turned around to see the woman, a cataclysmic wave of emotions crashed into her, leaving her reeling and gasping for breath.
Chapter 315 What Happened?
Roxy couldn''t believe her eyes when she saw the group walk through the door.
"Yo, Roxy!" A young man with maroon hair called out. "Have you joined Immortal Skye, too!?"
The brte pixie opened and closed her mouth, unsure what to say. She turned to the blonde major for help, but thetter was transfixed on the emperor with shaky eyes.
"You first, Mars," she said hesitantly. "Have you guys joined Immortal Skye?"
Kaze, Kiera, and the other women stood inside the double doors, wearing rxed expressions. Alongside them were nine people wearing togas, all of whom were Vincent Ramble''s soldiers! That was half the people who stayed behind that morning!
"Wait, don''t tell me you chose to join voluntarily!" Marsughed. "That''s some great foresight. We all got stomped and learned the hard way!"
A crushing silence befell the room, with many trying to process the unabashed teen''s words, especially Roxy. While she wanted to negotiate and be allies with Immortal Skye, she never considered joining. It wasn''t even a considerationshe had things to do in the Sky ne.
"What happened to Major Ramble?" Roxy asked in a daze.
"What do you mean, ''what happened to him?''" Mars chuckled mockingly. "He''s dunzo, chief. These people are surprisingly lenient, so long as you strike them directly. But, oh, boythey''re fucking ruthless if you do. If you followed the Major''s orders, you''d be dog chow right now."
His words hit the drunken cultivators with a tremor of fear. They fell silent and took deep breaths, putting up their hands to dere their legitimate ignorance.
"I can exin." Roxy said, hurriedly turning to the regent.
"Don''t insult us," Veronicaughed. "We knew you were here to attack us from the second we saw you. Our efforts ounted for that."
"Woah, hold up, Roxy!" Mars requested concernedly. "If you guys haven''t submitted heart and soul to these peopleyou better do it. Forget us, Lord Emerson attacked this ce with the Silver Fucking Medallions, and this guy ughtered all of them."
Roxy felt the icy jaws of anxiety close in as she considered his words.
Converted Crux.
Killed Mary Emerson.
The Silver Medallions, too.
Rayton ckfoot wasn''t ying games on the Mortal netheir opponent was of a different caliber entirely.
"No, we haven''t...," the brte pixie said embarrassedly. "We haven''t gotten an invitation or talked about it... directly."
"Waiiiiiiiiit! Hold the phone," Kiera demanded cutely. "You came here to attack us and got food, clothing, and intact limbs as party favors and still didn''t get the memo? What more do you want? Some meat sprinkles?"
Marsughed, shattering the silence permeating the room, but everyone remained awkward and speechless.
"Ahem," Kaze cleared his throat awkwardly, rolling his eyes. "You were having a great time mere moments ago. Please, continue doing thatforever."
A few chuckles rippled through the crowd, crackling like a campfire at night''s end.
"At the very least, enjoy yourself tonight," he smiled mockingly, reaching into a rift and pulling out massive condors and eagles. "Immortal Skye feasts tonight to wee new citizensand everyone''s invited. So throw your life away on your own time; don''t ruin everyone else''s celebration."
"Wooooooo!" The hesitant silence was shattered by Captain Taylor, swaying next to Roxy with his fists pumped. "I thought it would SUCK to convince Lady Grace to join this ce, but now we''re celebrating ityes! Or, thank you! Wooooooo!"
While the man''s drunken rambling was as esoteric as 18th-century philosophy, it was shockingly articte. A bolt of positive synesthesia surged through most cultivators like lightning, flipping the [oh, fuck yes!] trigger on the dopamine release mechanism. And as if the soldiers hadn''t just heard a past enemy murdered their superior, they resumed their raucous cheering and drinking.
However, his words expressed the opposite for the cultivators like Roxy, who [didn''t] want to stay. They realized being an Immortal was never an option; their guest reception was just smoke and mirrors to make epting easier.
Kaze held a grand feast outside the Central Mansion to celebrate shutting down a major threat and gaining recruits. He demonstrated the soul pact with Immortal volunteers to showcase that harming the Immortals and betrayal was impossible. Explosive cheering and excitement spread through the group once he did.
As concessions to the ex-Killians, the pact did not require them to divulge secrets or be honest with Kaze as long as the secret didn''t harm Immortal Skye. Moreover, they could fight back but not initiate fights or use excessive or dangerous force. Their pact wasn''t perfect, but it was an amicable solution for all parties, and people felt safe.
After an invigorating speech, everyone ate a grand feast of condors, eagles, wolves, and other animals, supercharging their elementals. Kaze, his harem, and Crux ate special meat with far more explosive effects. The cultivators who met Kaze were okay with them not sharing.
As time passed, the Immortals and cultivators sat around bonfires near the water, drinking and talking the night away. Roxy walked from one to another, searching for someone.
"Roxy!" Mars yelled excitedly, jumping up from the fire pit, running across the grass, and jumping into the woman''s arms. "I''m so d you weren''t part of the 50% who ended up in the arrogant-and-thus-dead category!"
He wore khakis, a ck v-neck, and a charcoal gray sports coat. The teen clearly asked for style advice from Kaze, perplexing and relieving the brte, "I''m d I''m alive, too.
Speaking of which, I was worried that you would''ve started a fight and gotten into trouble. However, you seem to be on friendly terms after getting ''stomped.'' What happened?"
"Oh, that?" he asked, his eyes glided to the left. "Well, I did initiate a fight."
The brte pixie looked at him sternly, "You''re not in trouble, are you? These people aren''t messing around. If you''re on their radar, you must take it seriously."
"Yo, chill, tricks," Mars smiled, bopping her nose with his finger. "I walked up and was like: yo, let''s do this shit. And you know the woman with the pink hair?"
"Yeah?" Roxy asked.
"Well, she made a really good argument that prevented me from getting on their bad side." Mars said chipperly.
"What did she say that got through to [you]?" Sheughed in disbelief.
"Simple, actually," he grinned, puffing out his chest and coughing. "She said: [Look, bro; If you''re desperate to get your ass beat, you can just ask. We''ll happily take turns.]."
Roxy''s jaw lowered slightly in confusion, "That''s all?"
"Not exactly," Mars chuckled. "She also said: ''But beware, reddy: if this is a femdom fantasy and you getta chub, prepare to lose your manhood before the torture sessionmences."
The pixie''s expression turned from confusion to emotional beleaguerment. "I''m asking if that''s all it took for you to join, Mars. Start from the beginning: what happened?"
"Hey, are you talking about the Princess?" Larkin abruptly joined the conversation from the other side of the fire. "Pink hair, super fiery?"
He had no shame snooping, which made Roxy ufortable. However, the teen next to her had apletely different reaction.
"Yeah, that girl!" Mars cried excitedly, "We''re talking about my fight with her!"
"Wait, what?" Rein turned, moving from uninterested to engrossed. "You fought Kiera?"
"Yep! I gave her a run but lost in the end," Mars announced chipperly. "Do you want to hear about it?"
"Hell yeah, I do!" Larkin yelled excitedly. "There''s not a person in Immortal Skye who wouldn''t want to hear about it. One sec!"
Roxy watched in a daze as Larkin started hyping people up around the fires, and soon dozens surrounded her and Mars. She wanted to exercise damage control; instead, she was at the center of a public spectacle! However, the teen beside her had madness in his eyes, feeling glorious as he began his story.
Chapter 316 The Show Off
The Immortals loved Larkin Downs for his decisive judgments on whether something was [awesome]; they feared Kiera Snow for her rulings on whether something wasn''t. So when the jester announced that the princess fought the enemy, everyone wanted to know if the battle was awesome and her opinion of the cultivators. As a result, everyone rushed by the dozens to another charismatic individual: Mars Vanity.
Though none had met him, Mars'' assertive beliefs created an electric atmosphere, overpowering the bonfire''s heat as he spoke.
"Look at this crowdthat''s what I''m talking about!" Mars eximed. "I knew that girl was special when I met her. I mean, how can she not be? She broke five cultivators without touching them!"
"That''s our princess, for ya!"
"Emperor Lex sends her out to cull the weaklings."
"I don''t me them. Her words are lethal!"
"How''d you meet her?"
"How?" Marsughed, "I was sitting around up in the mountains, hating life because I wasn''t fighting anyone, and then suddenly shit goes bat shit crazy."
His words sucked in the audience, instantly immersing them in his story.
"Now, I''m not talking a little bat shit crazy," he chuckled. "I''m talking about a post-apocalyptic death blender-style attack level of crazy. The animals started going ape shit, whooping, barking, howling, and wing their way to the west, where a billowing smoke stack signaled danger."
The Immortals and nearby cultivators'' eyes flickered with excitement, feeling adrenaline coursing through their veins, rushing on an expedited drip. Mars'' words drew them in, visualizing the location and chaos.
"So I''m like, let''s gooooooooo!" Mars dered, pumping his fist. "But the Major''s not paying attention. Instead, he''s holding his jade slips, saying, ''No one''s fucking picking up! Roxy, the strike force, and now my evil minions!? How the hell am I supposed to know if there''s danger if no one talks to me!?"
Those around the bonfire convulsed withughter, seeing the teen looking around at the invisible running animals with an agape expression. The scene was so vivid that the crowd believed they could see and hearrge animals charging through the area, their battle cries and snapping branches echoing through the night.
"Five," the teen dered with his fingers spread out. "I spent five minutes trying to exin the situation to this man in every way imaginable. Then when he decides to go outside to see if a barrier is blocking the signal, he notices this stampede and looks at me with this nasty look and says: why the fuck didn''t you tell me about this!?"
The crowd died down, looking at the aghast expression on his face in anticipation.
"In case you''re wondering why the guy''s dead, this is foreshadowing," Mars added nonchntly.
A sudden cackle ofughter shattered the tense atmosphere, giving way to an onught of whistles and cheers.
Roxy watched in horror, realizing the attention Mars drew with his immersive performance. She felt nervous, hoping that Kaze, Kiera, or Harper wouldn''te to witness it.
"Anyway, he looks at me and says:" Mars began, "Fight-fight-fight-fight-fight! That''s all you ever talk about, so why aren''t you doing it?"
Pressure and tension built up around his pause.
"So, I did the right thing and said, ''I wasn''t thinking, sir. I''ll get right on it!''" he sassed, making people smirk. "But it came out, ''You, you fuckin'' moron.'' So now I''m pending demotion and leaving to kill some shit."
Once the winding irony of his words had sunk in, the crowd roared with delight. The story felt personal, as if they were in Mars''s body, whistling innocently through the forest, disregarding the resentful res of the six flying beside him. It was as vivid as a lucid dream yet as natural as reading words from a novel and letting the images form in their minds.
"Five minutester, we encountered a disturbing scene that made our blood run cold," Mars said gravely. "There was a pretty boy sporting a real-world harem of mind-bending beauties in their skivvies! Worse, these goddesses ughtered a feast of wild animals while he sat around critiquing themwhat type of bullshit is that!?"
Overwhelming feelings of understanding engulfed the Immortals, swallowing their sanity whole. Every time they looked at Kaze, theirughter intensified. Seeing women in short shorts delighted the men and made the womenugh, hearing them called "underwear."
Roxy, however, had the opposite reaction. She prayed that Kiera and Kaze wouldn''t show up while Mars was telling the story.
"So anyway, these women are going wild with Guided Arrow, Wind Scythe, and Qi Wall, butchering the shit out of EVERYTHING." Mars recounted excitedly, "And you couldn''t even see the blood because they''re standing on a scorched wastnd of fire and shrapnel. They were war goddesses, mauling canines, slicing birds, and piercing herds with grace."
"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeew!" Larkin whistled, "Hear that, boyz!? Our women are war goddesses!"
"YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Roxy''s heart pounded like a war drum as she went through simtions to stop the story while under the reaper''s scythe. She didn''t have to stop the storyshe only needed to clear the canvas.
Mars was recreating a memory with visual detail, not just telling a story. Listeners were transported to Twin Rocks Wildlife Reserve, watching a recording of Kiera, Kylie, Addison, and Marilyn battle beasts in short-shorts and tank tops, their bodies glistening with sweat.
Those who listened from the start felt it was the immersion, as they could see Mars'' real body and the bonfire. However, anyone who joined mid-way would find themselves transported to a new location as Mars reyed back images with his hyperthymestic memory.
While most rulers valued such an unfathomable skill, Kaze''s ominous gaze at Mars in the recording suggested otherwise. Though the teen might interpret it as "I see you, [enemy]," Roxy read it as "I should probably kill you, [Mars Vanity]." It felt personal to the core.
Roxy needed to divert everyone''s attention, breaking their immersion from Mars''s narrative. She channeled solutions at blinding speed, hoping to find one.
"Yes, they were goddessesand I was a cultured gentleman and pending demotee," Mars added, eyes closed, pompously touching his chest. "That''s why I courteously let them finish. Then when the time was finally right, I swooped in for my grand entrance."
Excitement spread through the crowd like wildfire, burning their lungs with ragged breathing.
"Now, I thought I was pretty damn cool," he smiled, circling the crowd in his real body from the skies. "However, Kiera Snow: the Princess of Immortal Skye"
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"She says to me:" Mars said mysteriously, looking at the pink-haired teen in everyone''s mind.
"I hope you have a divine technique," a cute voice snapped abruptly, making everyone look around in horror. "I know you think your petty tricks are cool, but we''re not impressed. The only thing we see is a shy idiot who doesn''t know when he shouldn''t show off."
Roxy and the others'' hearts pounded when Kiera''s sharp voice addressed the maroon-haired teen murderously. The brte pixie activated her vision technique and scanned the crowd, eventually spotting a pink-haired teen wearing a hood. Roxy could sense an unnatural Qi pattern around the person beside her; they were wrapped in an illusion, meaning it could be Kaze or anyone.
Chapter 317 An Explosive Ending
Upon hearing Kiera''s voice, Roxy felt a sinking sensation in her stomach as if her insides had copsed. The sharp feelings of anxiety and hopelessness overpowered her, stripping away any sense offort in the Mortal ne.
Emperor Lexicon had already taken so much from her--her life, dreams, obligations, and future--through his soul pact. Although she couldn''t me him, the thought of losing her little brother was too much to bear. He wasn''t her blood, but his obnoxious clinging had brought them closer, and she now realized how important he was. If she tried to protect him, then--
Roxy snapped out of her daze when the oppressive atmosphere suddenly gave way to a single cheer, and then the entire area erupted in thunderous apuse.
"If you look riiiiiight over there," Mars pointed, pointing where the wolves mauled Varis, "You''ll see that thest man acting fly got charbroiled over medium and fed to the wolves. So unless you want to join Captain Kibbles in getting nibbled, I suggest you stop acting like you''re special."
The Immortals'' jaws dropped from the spellbinding impersonation. They felt like they could see her over his body and hear her voice--it was that amazing!
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Roxy''s vision blurred upon realizing what had happened, making her feel as though she could faint. In retrospect, she wished that Kiera had intervened instead.
Mars was running headfirst into an early grave. It was one thing to rey images, but ying back conversations--with hyperthymestic detail--was a different matter. Any rational war leader would try torturing information about their enemy from the teen!
However, when the brte pixie looked at Kiera, she found her smirking in amusement, which made her heart skip a beat in confusion. Moreover, the mystery person was also amused. Did they not know? Or did they not care?
"So I''m like, wow, that was... rude," Mars frowned, triggering knowingughter from the Immortals. "I get you''re strong, but aren''t you at least a little jealous of flying?"
The sheer disappointment on his face, contrasting with Kiera''s expression--showcasing a callousck of empathy--sparked raucousughter.
Mars erupted in indignant exasperation, recounting the woman''s nonchnt response. "And do you know what this woman says!?" he cried. "NOTHING! She smirks, snuggles up to Mr. Envious, pulls his sleeve twice, and--"
The bonfire-litke erupted in chaotic cheers as Mars, now in Kaze''s body, grabbed Kiera and flew her around, conveying his message through motion alone. Roxy panicked, fearing Kiera would attack because someone other than Kaze was touching her body, but the hooded teen smirked victoriously instead.
Perhaps people had misjudged Kiera, and their warnings were exaggerated? Or maybe she was moreplex than anyone realized? The unknown made Roxy''s heart race!
"Not only is [Mr. Perfect] flying this woman around while she makes faces at me, but when one of our idiot people tried attacking, they fuckin'' teleported!" Mars cried indignantly. "She teleported right behind this man and touched his back. Confused, he turned around and--"
SMACK! BOOM!
"What did I say about acting tough?" Mars scolded in Kiera''s voice. "Even among this group of mediocre idiots, you don''t even make the bell curve!"
The massive crowd erupted inughter, nearly inciting a riot as hundreds of people jostled to get a better view of the spectacle.
"Now let''s make something clear!" he snapped. "This woman bitch pped a heaven realm cultivator like he was a fly and sent him crashing into the ground. Do you know how fucked that is?"
The Immortals couldn''t even process the man''s words because he was repeating a slow-motion rey of the impact multiple times, and they couldn''t stopughing.
"Just imagine it!" Mars cried. "You think you''re pretty cool and strong for being a flying, heaven realm cultivator before your century mark, and suddenly some mortal teenager in a princess-carry bitch ps the shit out of you to remind you why you''re a scout in the reserves!"
Boomingughter split the airwaves like a thunderp, leaving the Immortals reeling. They would expect that level of brutal honesty from Kiera--not the storyteller who got stomped!
"And the audacity!" he scoffed, clearly affronted. "This woman smirked after and says to me: [I haven''t asked Kazey to teach me how to fly so I can humiliate you in his arms. So, no, I''m not even [a little] jealous of your uncool flying."
"OooooOOHHhhhHHHHhhHH!"
The crowd went wild with a [burn!] harmony, verbally crucifying the beleaguered teen who was ying the role of the emotional cripple.
"If words could kill--she verbally impaled me and left me as a warning for future enemies," Marsughed. "That was the point. Mr. Charmer flew her around to humiliate us and break our spirits and prevent future hostilities--and it worked.
This prick named Adam learned the hard way after vying for revenge. Boom, boom, BOOOOM! Your princess flew around like an entitled royal, pping thew into him like a recalcitrant peasant.
The other men in our group were emotionally traumatized after watching her emascte a man four times stronger than them. It was inhumane!"
Female Immortals cheered and whistled, showing their support for Kiera. In an instant, she transformed from the Level 80 boss to ess Kaze Lexicon''s bedroom to a symbol of female cultivator strength. Everything had be so twisted.
"What about you!?" Larkin asked excitedly.
"Yeah, about that...." Mars scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Fast forward a few ruthless insults and some more humiliationter, someone is getting nibbled near Captain Kibbles, and five people were severely traumatized into joining Immortal Skye. As for me--"
He wiggled his shoulders to get into position.
"[So what''s it gonna be, Lieutenant Emasction?]," he said cutely. "Ahem. While I have nothing against you and know you''re strong, I can''t leave here without a fight."
Shock and excitement bolted through the crowd like lightning, unbelieving the flying man''s words. It excited them, knowing that he might have fought her!
"So she looks at me, exasperated, and says:" Mars chuckled. "[Ooooooh, so you''re one of those--gotta prove my testicles work better than my brain--kind of guys. I can kinda respect that.
But look, bro; if you''re desperate to get your ass beat, you can just ask. We''ll happily take turns."
The crowd went wild when Marilyn, Kylie, and Addison smirked in the recording derisively.
"Really!?" he eximed with sparkling eyes, reying his genuine reaction. "Will you fight me without Mr. Cool''s help? I promise not to kill anyone!"
Mars shook his head with a frowning expression. "Yeah, I''m that guy."
A wave of excitement greeted his self-deprecating humor. Although most had only seen him for the first time at his coronation as an Immortal, they had already grown to like him.
"So, what happened!?" a woman eximed, trembling with excitement.
"We don''t talk about it," Mars smirked. His cheeky response triggered and of disappointed groans andughter.
"A!" a cute voice called out, igniting excitement among the Immortals. But their enthusiasm turned to horror when they saw Mars'' bewildered gaze scanning the crowd.
"Just tell ''em, big bad war god," Kiera urged, removing her hood. "I''m curious to hear the Posthum''s point of view."
Roxy''s heart skipped a beat as whispers and anxiety rippled through the crowd, threatening to shatter their immersion. If Mars weren''t careful, Kiera''s introduction would expose all the ws of his technique, bursting the illusion like a balloon.
But then something unexpected happened.
"Okay, if you want the truth," Mars said, smirking as he ascended into the sky. "After agreeing to fight me, I drew my holy sword of justice!"
Mars raised his hand, and a blinding golden sword illuminated Immortal Skye, reflecting against theke. Everyone could participate in the rowdy attraction for the first time, attracting reverberating cheers and excitement from around theke.
"An idiot until the end," Kiera rolled her eyes, connecting her thumb and middle finger.
Snap!
With the light sword igniting the nighttime sky with elemental Qi, everyone could see a massive section of the sky warp before--
BOOOOOOM!
A real explosion rocked the sky, resembling a nuclear bomb meeting a fireworks disy. Roxy''s heart stopped as she stared at the burning sky in disbelief and Kiera''s cold, unremitting expression.
Chapter 318 Melodramatic Villain
As the massive explosion lit up the sky, waves of fire crashed onto the shore, illuminating the water and increasing the tide. The scorching heat was undeniable as it singed everyone''s skin, leaving no doubt that this was real.
Amidst the chaos, Roxy and the others stared at Kiera in shock, half demanding, half begging for an exnation. Seeing their expressions, she huffed, "Don''t look at me like thatthat''s what happened!"
Everyone blinked twice in disbelief, unable toprehend her words.
"Watch the clothing!" An indignant voice demanded from high. "I barely got a chance to dress like Mr. Loved a few hours ago!"
The crowd looked up in disbelief and found the teen brushing soot off his tan khakis with a frantic expression. He was praying that she hadn''t ruined them! When he noticed the sea of concerned faces, his expression turned from annoyance to disappointment.
"Yooooooooo." Mars groaned. "Don''t tell me that [no one] thinks flying is a proof of strength here. I get a heaven realm cultivator not thinking I''m cool but aren''t there at least a few of you sky realms that think so?"
A lone chuckle pierced through the oppressive silence, barely audible over the crashing waves. But it sparked a cataclysmic chain reaction, sending chuckles cascading like falling dominoes. Soon, an Immortal female cheered, and the area detonated with festive cheering.
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Mars pumped his fists victoriously, circling the Immortals, treating him like a war god.
BOOOM!
A far smaller explosion detonated near the man, sending him flying. Luckily, he had a shield.
"YO, DARWIN!" Kiera screamed. "WE DON''T REWARD SHOW-OFFS, SO KEEP YOUR HIGH-LEVEL TECHNIQUE IN YOUR PANTS!"
The Immortals cheered now that they knew he was fine and her st was yful.
Boom! BOOM! Boom, boom, boom-boom-boom! BOOM!
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Forced to assume his role again, he unsheathed his sword and expertly maneuvered through a field of explosions, lighting up the sky in a dazzling disy of fireworks.
Roxy could only watch in amazement and confusion, her heart pounding as the two performers captivated the audience. She nced at Kiera, who was snapping her fingers with a smirk, and wondered what her game was. There was no doubt that the ng riddler knew about his technique, so Roxy couldn''t understand why Kiera was ying into it.
Then it dawned on herthe explosion had broken the immersion! With everyone looking up, no one had noticed any aftereffect of Mars'' technique.
"Did she do that to prevent others from noticing?" Roxy asked in a daze, studying the enigmatic ng riddler as she attacked with a mysterious smile. "If so, does that mean they''ll spare him?"
She frowned, unsure of the oue. If Mars'' technique wasn''t already on their radar, it certainly was now, and due to how the non-betrayal pact worked, the skill would either prove to be a liability by exposing Immortal Skye involuntarily, or it could kill him. It was a nightmare.
"Hey!" Mars cried, "We''re friends now, right? Can''t you go a easier on me!?"
Immortal Skye boomed withughter, hearing the poor man many flying for his life.
"Hmmm continuing the reenactment would kill people, so I suppose we''ll have to," Kiera muttered in contemtion, stopping her onught. "So may~be, just a taste."
"Oh, thank" he began in relief. Then his eyes snapped open, "Wait, no!"
It was toote. Just as before, the firing had ceased, so he was flying toward her when
VRoOOOoOOOSH! SPLASH!
"AHhHHHhhHhhHhhhHhhHh!"
A massive gust of wind blew from the sky onto the unguarded man, sending him crashing into theke. The wind hit the water, sending tidal waves to shore.
"THAT''S OUR PRINCESS!" Larkin yelled wildly, iling his arms around erratically.
"YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Thunderous apuse rocked the soundwaves as Mars emerged from the water and swam to shore with a bitter expression, looking at his new clothing like it was an abused kitten.
"Don''t be a baby," Kiera huffed, "Put it in the wash hamper inside your room, and it''ll magicallye back looking brand new tomorrow night."
"That''s all I have to get it back to looking normal?" Mars asked in puzzlement.
"The Mortal ne''s the shityou''ll get used to it, Skytheeny," she dered proudly, triggering a wild response. The Immortals buzzed with pride and nationalism, bringing up their spirits.
"Yo, Kiera!" Larkin called. "What happened to the leader? No one knows what went down."
Kiera frowned but quickly reced it with a sassy smirk, "Well, for starters, the dude''s dead as disco and as memorable as an infomercial. He went down like a two-bit viin in a drama,plete with cheap psychosis and evil threats."
The audience buzzed around her, sitting in a circle like children to let the others behind them see.
"You know the typesends twelve to kill you, and then indignant you want to kill them," she remarked. "Simply putrude as fuck. However, wheeeeeeeeeeew! We couldn''t ask for a better ally."
Confusion spread through the crowd, making people''s ears perk up for rification.
"We showed up with eight people who felt god fucking awful about joining us," Kiera exined. "I prepared to watch them mope for the better part of a year, but nooooooope! Mr. Worm Cuddler came in super clutch, giving them a long list of reasons to join us!"
After drawing them in, the ng riddler abruptly turned aggressive, using a burly man''s voice.
"What are you doing!? KILL THEM!" she reenacted. "Do you expect [me] to do something? I''m the leader! You''ll do what I say, or I''ll ruin your entire family! I have real power!"
Her vitriolic rant jolted the audience, striking their hearts like a hammer. They turned to one another with strange expressions, chuckling self-deprecatingly at their reaction.
"Naturally, the recruits couldn''t speak because [hashtag death], so we spoke on their behalf, saying that they were forced to join or die," Kiera exined. "That''s when things really got good. Ahem."
Prepared this time, the crowd held their breath in anticipation.
"THAT''S NO EXCUSE!" she roared."Stop acting like people! Your lives don''t matter! You''re weak ves! You''ll be my meat shields and like it!
Eighty quadrillion lives depend upon me in the Empire! Have you thought about them? Probably notbecause you''re selfish! You sicken me, you traitors, whores, and scum!
I can''t wait to return so I can kill your wife in front of your eyes and take your child sisters for my harem! I''m going to be slow and gentle with them for WEEKS! Hahahahaha!"
The Immortals went wild. Even if it was cheesy, nothing was better than a story with a one-dimensional viin with zero redeeming qualities. It drew a line between good and evil and crowned themImmortal Skyethe arbitrators of justice in the new world. So satisfying.
Kiera coughed cutely, "We let our recruits kill him."
Whispers surged through the audience as they tried to confirm her words. If he really were a two-bit viin, the story would be legendary! People quickly asked her for rification.
"Do you think dunk weasel here would be telling a grand story if he was sad he was gone?" the ng riddler huffed, pointing her thumb at Mars. "These people aren''t traitorous clout chasers and opportuniststhey''re victims with severe Sky ne Syndrome. It took some serious viiny to bring''em down to Earth, but here they are, finally in a ce with opportunity for strength and virtue!"
Mars'' story became a sensation, shattering the stunned silence with striking screams of support. The sight sincerely shocked him, sending shivers down his spine.
Roxy was also speechless, scared stiff that Mars would get silenced seconds before, now stammering after seeing the spellbinding standing ovation.
Kiera silently studied the stimted soldiers and stupefied Skythenians with a sinister smirk. While she was selective, socially anxious, and solitary, she was single-track-minded about serving her future spouse. So she supported his scheme, sold herself as a symbol of strength, and became a seraphic siren, slowly steering stupified sheep toward safety.
Still, speaking felt suffocating for someone suffering from social anxiety, like a snake slithering around her spine and strangling herespecially knowing a spy survived after stealing their secrets.
Chapter 319 Aftermath
August 11th, 2032 | 23 Days Remain
A week swiftly psed since the battle, and Evalyn led her troops back to Lainwright Military Base to prepare for the integration of Immortal Skye. With her soldiers firmly under her control, things progressed more smoothly, and she gave them more free time in addition to letting them attend to their duties. The base quickly thrived under her charismatic leadership.
In recognition of their valor in defending the citizens, Eric''s team and numerous others were granted sky realm techniques--a main objective of the staged event.
The Sky ne cultivators assimted into Immortal Skye, assuming instructional roles in exchange for ess to new techniques. Harper taughtbat strategies, while Roxy guided the Immortals in mastering the art of flight. The rest coborated with former special forces personnel to teach tactical maneuvers and practice drills.
Flying wasn''t like riding a bike. It involved the initial stage of maism, drawing Raw Qi around one''s body for support and propulsion, using acupuncture points as omnidirectional engines. Even with enticing incentives and excellent instructors, the learning curve was steep.
As expected, everyone but Kiera and Evalyn had difficulty learning. Therefore, Kaze etched a flying technique into key individuals'' minds, giving them basic flight knowledge as a prerequisite.
Though imnting techniques risked sparking controversies rted to corruption and favoritism, Kaze''s foresight in nurturing elites first allowed him to introduce new skills discreetly. After all, it was only natural for the exceptionally gifted to learn more quickly--just as it had always been.
In private sessions, Kaze patiently taught Jake the principles of maism, thereby fulfilling his debt. Although the regent would learn Divine Arrow before the conflict, it would serve as a trump card akin to Kaze''s Harrowing Winds during the Killian War--a single-use strategic maneuver.
It would take years for him to use the technique and still function effectively afterward.
Mars, Amy, and Martha diligently trained the cab members, continuously refining their innovative techniques. Under their tutge, the cab members made remarkable progress in mastering flying techniques and tactics. Yet, despite their dedication, it would take at least a month to be proficient in flying, let alone employing it inbat.
However, none faltered. They weren''t relying upon flying to face their enemies--whatever they faced, they would face it head-on with what they had.
In contrast to Evalyn''s troops, which she trained to have an unbreakable spirit, Kaze''s forces cultivated a mindset of invincibility. They were training to be unstoppable--against anyone. Thus, theirck of knowledge regarding the impending invasion was inconsequential; they had perpetually prepared for it.
Kaze taught special techniques to Evalyn, Kiera, Kylie, Marilyn, and Addison at Lainwright Military Base nightly, which they essed through a permanent spatial rift he had set up. Without knowing it, they were already traveling like Transcendent ners.
The treasure farms flourished. Fey Roybock diligently tended to the Ergo fields, producing a bountiful crop that proliferated rapidly. Although treasures could take decades to mature in the Mortal ne''s soul Qi-scarce atmosphere, Kaze nurtured them and the Grave Robbers daily, using ultra-refined soul Qi and soul beast remnants as fertilizer.
Kaze''s continued support of continuously Sage paid off. She expertly bolstered the economy by devising incentive programs for the Underground Bizarre. Through strategic partnerships, Immortals could acquire techniques by engaging in select businesses. Counselors, doctors, and brothel owners could learn spirit, healing, and dual cultivation techniques within six months, respectively.
The redhead ruthlessly drove Club Quinn and other enterprises out of business and set up a new program to attractpetent recements. While this approach was severe and resulted in substantial RP losses for investors, responsible investment during weekly auctions fostered serious enterprises rather than opportunists.
Consequently, genuine businesses and trends emerged, spreading rapidly and thriving. Karaoke bars enjoyed the most sess, bing even more popr in Immortal Skye than in Asian countries. Those who didn''t visit the Underground Bizzare were equally puzzled as to why.
With Evalyn''s return to Lainwright, Meridian City was ripe for the taking. As most zombies were either eliminated or sumbed to injuries, scavenging had near-unlimited wealth potential, leading to the rise of rival enterprises.
One enterprise, in particr, vexed Sage Harrington: the military. Lieutenant General Michaels and Major Ryker assembled a dedicated militia, with soldiers focusing on scavenging strategic economic equipment and heavy machinery. It not only secured all government contracts but also had unlimited government resources and scavenged machinery, such as distilling equipment, which adversely impacted her bottom line.
Still, that was Sage''s greed and ambition talking. She excelled in her work and resided in the Executive''s grandest penthouse, the most opulent residence in Immortal Skye. She had no grounds for dissatisfaction--this was merely a facet of her character.
In those ways, life progressed quickly. On the outside, everything seemed great--however, the scene remained murky beneath the surface.
"I appreciate you all making the time for this gathering," Kaze said gravely, seated around an elegant maple table in the Central Mansion''s conference room.
A lot had changed since the apocalypse''s beginning, which was evident at a nce. The once-small assembly of college students had grown substantially, now epassing Daniel, Lieutenant General Michaels, Major Ryker, Roxy, Harper, and Police Chief Carmen Skeer.
Daniel''s presence alone was unnerving to many, as the man had been spending time with his family until the integration of Immortal Skye and Lainwright. It was a calcted political move to prevent potential attacks on his family''s life if something went wrong with the Lainwright families.
If tragedy struck and killed all the families, the cab members'' families--secured in bunkers--would be objects of severe resentment.
Therefore, his presence indicated that the issue was relevant to his situation.
"In three days'' time, we will incorporate soldiers from another base into our ranks," Kaze exined gravely. "Upon doing so, we will confront a three-pronged social crisis that we must address. We also have a serious matter stemming from Vincent Ramble''s foolish scheme."
The cab members gulped, hearing there was a serious matter he couldn''t solve directly.
"Why are we involved?" Roxy asked discerningly.
"Major Watson intercepted General Skye''s forces while en route to the Immortal Skye subjugation mission," Kaze rified. "Hostilities erupted instantaneously."
Both majors'' eyes widened in horror, looking at the blonde for the first time.
"How heavy were the casualties?" Roxy asserted bluntly.
Evalyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling stress building in her chest. Her eyes had dark bags after dealing with the attack and prepping Lainwright Military Base for the assimtion.
a??a"a"?a"a??
--August 4th, 2032 | Meridian City--
"General Skye!" Riley''s shout echoed as she burst into the military tent, her usuallyposed demeanor shattered. The redhead, once responsible for the family members, had be a lieutenant captain, herposure a testament to her steady rise in rank. Therefore, her sudden outburst was deeply unsettling.
"Speak frankly and tell me the situation," General Skye ordered, her face tense with concern.
"Cultivators!" Riley eximed, her red hair like fire in the dim light. "Martha and Calvin spotted fifty of them twenty miles east of our position. Should we take cover or engage them?"
Evalyn tried to respond but found herself at a loss. Earlier that day, Crux had departed to protect Immortal Skye in his absence, leaving her with Martha, Rein, Steve, and Larkin. That''s all she needed to win in a fight, but... there was no chance for victory.
Only two weeks remained before integration, and their record was spotless so far. No citizens had perished or been injured under hermand, and the soldiers had defended them with unwavering determination. Everyone had the opportunity for a peaceful assimtion.
Yet if even a single citizen perished, their wless record would crumble, cing Immortal Skye''s leadership under scrutiny. A political crisis on the eve of a major battle could be disastrous--the stakes were immense.
The Ice General knew she had to act decisively to minimize casualties.
"We must draw them away from our base," shemanded. "I will take the Immortals and confront them head-on. You''re in charge of protecting the citizens; I will warn them against approaching, so prepare to be ruthless if they do."
"Yes, mam!" Riley said, saluting and leaving the room.
"Before we dere war, I refuse to ambush and ughter these people," Evalyn murmured, taking a deep breath. "But if they prove barbaric enough to attack us without cause--not a single one will survive my wrath."
Chapter 320 Freak
Evalyn dashed out of her tent and quickly gathered Sandra and Aaron, who had already rounded up Rein, Steve, and Larkin.
"What are your orders, General Skye?" Martha inquired, hovering close by with Calvin.
"Both of you need to stay here and safeguard our people," Evalyn instructed. "I''m leading the Immortals and the elites to tackle this situation."
"But ma''am, if we''re facing a full force, there''ll be around ten heaven realm cultivators at my level," Calvin interjected. "Without Lady Pyron''s assistance, your technique could decimate our own soldiers. I urge you to consider utilizing our numbers."
"I don''t have the luxury of debating this with you, Mr. Olman," she retorted frigidly. "As talking to them could prove fatal for you, you and Martha will remain here and defend our people. Although confronting Killian factionists isn''t an obligation of your soul pact, a bleak future awaits those who refuse to protect their people."
"Understood, ma''am. I''ll fight without any reservations," Martha replied, moving towards the civilians.
Calvin was taken aback by her unwavering determination; just a few weeks ago, she had been a humorless devotee to the Killian cause, so her newfound resoluteness was unsettling and ominous. He employed a vision technique to scrutinize her condition, and his eyes widened in astonishment. "General Skye, wait! Before you leave, isn''t Martha Yama a ve?"
"Martha Yama is an indentured servantvery is illegal and that won''t change," Evalyn corrected icily. "Martha has proven valuable, so we''re fostering her growth in preparation for her future release. As I said, we reward those who aid us, Calvin; I will not repeat the alternative."
Calvin stood there, dumbfounded, as she departed, unable to shake his disbelief. Despite living for over a millennium, he still possessed only a mid-tier heaven-grade technique. So bestowing a peak heaven technique upon a past foe and current indentured servant was unfathomableespecially within weeks of their encounter!
Gazing skyward with a conflicted expression, he prayed the cultivators wouldn''t show. While he wouldn''t betray Emperor Lexicon and General Skye, the thought of battling his own people was unbearable. Even if his people were ruthless and Immortal Sky was a utopia, he couldn''t forsake those he had fought alongside for centuriesit was simply unimaginable.
pd ?ͨ|,㨰 ***
Evalyn, apanied by Sandra, Aaron, Rein, Steve, and Larkin, sprinted eastward with the Immortals, vaulting over cars, rooftops, and corpses in their path.
"They''re over here!" A group of Immortals shouted from the north, beckoning the other teams.
The entire party converged on a parking lot situated within a corporateplex, surrounded by towering structures adorned with ss-paneled windows. An abundance of vehicles cluttered the area, impeding the Immortals'' movement.
"They''re almost upon us," General Skye cautioned, employing a vision technique to scan the sky. The group halted and anxiously waited, their hearts pounding as they observed the cultivators drawing closer. "Disperse and conceal yourselves within the lot; if you detect a fire attack, distance yourself from the vehicles."
There were hundreds of vehicles in the lot, making it an ideal ce to hide in an ambush. Anyone with a weak vision technique would only see the Qi around the lot twisting amorphously, proving countless were there but not indicating their position.
At the same time, it was a double-edged sword. A fire attack could trigger a cascade of mes and explosions. Although not as instantaneous as depicted in action movies, the ensuing chaos would be lethal while surrounded by cultivators and unnaturally intense heat.
"Halt, mortals!" a red-haired woman d in a white togamanded authoritatively. "I am Major Abigail Watson of the Killian Armystate your intentions or face the consequences!"
Evalyn''s eyes narrowed, detecting the unease in the woman''s voice. It seemed as though Abigail had anticipated them but not expecting the opposite. "I''m here to warn your peopleleave this ce now. If you encroach upon our territory, you will suffer the consequences."
Abigail''s gaze locked onto the Ice General, her eyes clouded with a blend of astonishment and disbelief. A storm of emotions churned within her as she processed Evalyn''s words, her heart hammering like a cksmith pounding a zing anvil.
She was well aware that the mortals had a formidable ally and could not be underestimated. However, the audacity they disyed in confronting her, a heaven realm cultivator, and warning her of the consequences were unthinkable!
"Your arrogance knows no bounds!" Abigail sneered, herughter tinged with madness. Yet, she restrained herself and the other forty-nine cultivators with a single gesture. "Speak, mortalwhat fate awaits us should we refuse to leave? Do you not see the vast chasm in power between us?"
Evalyn gave her a bone-chilling smile, making her blood run cold and her body stiff, "I was going to ask you the same thing."
The redhead''s face tensed, her jaw muscles preventing her from quick responses like a jammed door. "Your people might be in the sky realm like many of my soldiers, but there are ten of us who are heaven realm cultivators. You couldn''t possiblyprehend the disparity between us."
"You''re rightI don''t understand," General Skye grinned with a tinge of lunacy. "I''ve never been so feeble."
A heaven realm cultivator touched Abigail''s shoulder hesitantly. "Major." However, the redhead swatted it away with vehemence, her eyes zing with wrath and disdain.
"Major, listen" another cultivator tried to interject, only to be met with a menacing re. Nevertheless, their attempt reminded her of their purpose.
"Speak the name of your master or provide a reason to spare you, mortal!" Abigail demanded, her voice sharp and urgent. "Should you fail to do either, I will strike you down where you stand!"
Rein, Steve, Larkin, and the Immortals tensed, feeling adrenaline coursing through their veins. Clearly, the power-obsessed cultivators were sensitive to matters rting to power, indicative of decades or centuries of power-rted abuse. Therefore, diplomacy was impossible; citing Kazeanother mortalas their leader would only exasperate the problem.
Evalyn''s smile vanished, reced by a steely gaze that sent shivers down the spines of the weaker cultivators. "I have given you fair warningnow leave. If you utter another word, you will face the consequences."
"You impudent wretch!" Abigail shouted, her voice dripping with malice as she prepared a wind attack, drawing upon her Elemental Qi. As she readied her assault, she activated a vision technique to identify the woman''s vulnerabilities. Upon doing so, her fight-or-flight response kicked in, and she grasped the true nature of their foe for the first time.
A ruthless heaven realm cultivatorunched a lightning-fast striketoo swift for sky realm cultivators to counterwith lethal determination. Panicked, Abigail tried to halt him, but it was toote to prevent hostilities.
In the midst of the ensuing chaos, the cultivators were suddenly gripped by an icy coldness. "From above!" a heaven realm cultivator warned, raising his hand skyward and erecting a Qi barrier above Abigail. His alertness made their internal rms tangible, spurring them to action.
CraCK! CrraaacK! CrraACK! Crack! CRAacCK! Beep! Beep! Beep-beep-Beep!
"AGhhHHhhHhhHHH!" A cacophony of shattering sounds, car rms, and screams assaulted Abigail''s eardrums a momentter. A torrent of gray objects plummeted from the heavens onto the shield, rattling her mind. "W-What''s attacking, Gard!?"
"I don''t know," he yelled, his shield groaning under the weight of the hail. Desperate for answers, they scanned their ranks and found that the heaven realm cultivators and half the sky realm cultivators had erected shields, struggling under the bombardment.
For the others, the gray objects had pierced their bodies with multiple punctures, causing them to plummet toward the ground, or they tried dodging the attacks. Unfortunately, the attack wasn''t hailit followed the cultivators as they flew.
Perplexed, Abigail focused and found the objects raining down were intricately crafted daggers, as hard and gray as stone. That was impossible! Stone techniques didn''t exist! No, the cold chillthey were made of ice so hard and refined that they didn''t reflect the sunlight.
"Wait, could this be Frosted des!?" she gasped, unbelieving. Ice techniques were so rare and dangerous to the user that administrators personally handed down Frosted des to anyone with apatible physique. Considering the technique created ice des, and there was a legitimate reason a mortal would have it, it wasn''t unthinkable.
However, Frosted des was merely a weapon-creation technique. It attained heaven-grade status only because it necessitated a heaven-realm sub-technique: evocation, the materialization of Qi. Yet, it was nearly universally unusablelike all ice techniquessince normal cultivators couldn''t hold the weapons.
If the technique couldunch des like arrows, thereby bypassing direct contact with the weapon, cultivators would use it! However, it didn''t make des fly, let alone make a thousand using maisma divine realm sub-techniqueand send them flying simultaneously like omnidirectional Guided Arrows! If there even was such a thing as an omnidirectional Guided Arrow! What type of freak did she run into!?
"Gard, we need to" Abigail tried to call an immediate retreat. However, before she caught sight of something more rming. "Arrows!"
Chapter 321 Alone
Blood-soaked in the hellish rain, the cultivators turned to the mortals and found another thirty standing behind cars, arrows pointed, warping the atmosphere in twisting lines. It was a ghostly appearance that ented their ruthless gazes, devoid of mercy.
"Buddy up!" the cultivator shielding Abigailmanded, flying behind another''s top shield and creating a phnx formation. With double shielding, the redhead could counterattack.
WhooOOoooOOoOOSH!
The heaven realm cultivators instinctively followed, while half of the sky realm cultivators barely hung on.
THUD! Thud. Thud! CRACK! Crack!
"GAhhHHhhHHHhhhHH!" A harrowing whistle of ripping wind cult through the spread-out cultivator, followed by shattering shields, sshing blood, and cracking bones. The arrows spared no one, including Gard and the cultivator shielding from above.
"GahHh! Guided Arrows!" Gard eximed as an arrow curved around his shield and struck his side. He spotted a fierce brte with short hair in a truck bed, her frigid blue eyes locked on him. "Watch out for those three!"
Abigail, dodging a barrage of painful arrows from below, nced up to see Larkin beside her. He mped his hands twice a second in a squat, sending tiny arrows beneath her with a strange. While the crab man annoyed her, Steve sent shivers down her spine; he was poised and ready for an ambush, something she feared most. "Retreat! Move to the ocean!"
Following hermand, the cultivators sped toward the water.
Snap!
The sharp sound of snapping fingers pierced her eardrums, triggering her to create a shield.
A momentter, a massive bubble of oxygen with a thirty-foot radius formed in their path, forcing Abigail and the three next to her to stop on a dime, "WAIT!" Unfortunately, her warning came toote. She could only watch in horror as the remaining cultivators flew directly in its path.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
An explosion rocked the heavens, setting the sky aze with wrathful mes. The force shattered Gard''s shield, thus hitting everyone with scorching heat and sending them flying.
As Abigail fought to regain control, her eyes locked on Rein, copsing from Qi withdrawal. "You bitch!" She prepared an attack but froze at the sight of Steve''s next move. "Storm Chamber."
The redhead hadn''t processed his enigmatic words when mes ignited around her in a zing tornado, slow in rotation but picking up momentum. "What is this!?" she screamed for answers but found none.
Desperate to kill Steve, she activated a non-wind attack to counter and fought the heat to wave her hand, "Needle Flurry!"
"Larkin!" Rein warned as arrow-like needles materialized from thin air. "These aren''t arrows, but they might be guided, so don''t hold back!"
A single nce was enough to know the needles weren''t raw Qi. The Elemental Qi solidified into refined objects, giving the impression that an object was invisible instead of something invisible bing an object. It was new and terrifying, so they knew they couldn''t expect a weak impact or expect running to help.
"You got it,dy!" Larkin shouted. "Feel the weight of Carcinus'' shell!"please visit
A thick Qi Wall formed on the back of the ck sports truck''s cab, shielding their they were in.
SHiiIINK! CRreeeeaacCK! Shiink! CraCK! THUnNCK! BOOM!
Ominous sounds pierced their eardrums as the needles impacted. They initially pierced the Qi Wall, stopping halfway through like toothpicks piercing a cardboard box. However, the impacts rattled the barrier, causing the subsequent ones to shatter seconds until they broke through.
"GAHhhHH!" Larkin groaned in pain, feeling a searing pain bolt through his body. Blood sshed on Rein, still kneeling from Qi deprivation.
Steve''s fight-or-flight response triggered, subconsciously activating his sensory enhancement technique. He watched Abigail in slow motion, trying to estimate how fast a heaven realm cultivator would die if he closed the chamber. Or perhaps she would get distracted by the intense winds if the fire snuffed out, "GAH!"
Undecided, the gambler did both, clenching his right fist to finish the Storm Chamber and his left to create a Qi Wall. He focused on the wall, creating a barrier before the other two but retained 20 percent of his focus on the wind technique, hoping to squeeze damage out of it.
The results reflected the inputs: a Qi Wall materialized before Larkin in the knick of time, pierced by a needle that stopped moving an inch from his chest. A small sun simultaneously formed in the sky briefly as Storm Chamber closed on Abigail, searing her body with skin-fitting mes, "AGHhhHHHhhhHHhhH!"
Suddenly, a force mmed into his back, breaking both his techniques as he crashed into the truck''s cab. He saw a red-haired soldier fall into the cab, a visible hole punctured through his ck tactical gear. "Aaron!"
Steve turned to see Gard, Abigail''s Captain who had shielded her, lying on a car''s windshield he had crashed into. The bearded cultivator readied another arrow, forcing Steve to do the same.
In the brief stand-off, Steve saw the man''s murderous gaze filled with hatred and resentment. It haunted him, etching itself into his memory as he prepared to fire. However, it was unnecessary; as the two men stared at each other, a Guided Arrow struck the man''s jaw from the side, disconnecting it.
"GAHhhHHH!" Steve snapped out of his shock at the sound of Larkin''s scream. He looked over and saw that he and Rein were lying in a pool of blood, but only the jester was groaning. Moreover, Aaron convulsed on the ground. "Hold in there!"
"I''ll kill you I''ll kill you I''LL KILL YOU!!" A woman snarled from above them. Her appearance was unidentifiable, as her voice was hoarse and scratchy, she had no hair, and her skin was charred with parts milky white and peeling. However, everyone knew it was Abigail Watson. "Sorrow Winds!"
A cyclone formed in the sky, hyperpressing into a saw de as it lowered upon them, like a wheel on a drill. Most Immortals, focused on killing the heaven realm cultivators who survived the Combustion trap, stopped fighting when the haunting wail pierced their ears. They knew the distinct sound from when Mary Emerson used the attack as a death blender in Immortal Skye, nearly killing hundreds before Crux saved them with a barrier.
Whiiiiiiiirrrrill! CRAaaasShhHhhahahShahHHhahSH!
Weakened vehicle windows shattered from the wind, and the truck they were in rocked back and forth.
Steve frantically assessed his resources. However, he found that most Immortals in sight had stopped fighting, seized with trauma. "Where''s General Skye?" He searched desperately but discovered she and three heaven realm cultivators were missing.
The gambler looked south and saw ice spears forming on the horizon, glittering sunlight as they crashed to the earth. "Evalyn''s not here."
Steve was alone, with limited Qi, surrounded by dying friends, traumatized Immortals, and a brutal technique. His mind raced, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he calcted the best solution for survival and protecting those he loved.
Chapter 322 Race Against The Clock
Two seconds.
That''s all Steve had before the rapidly intensifying vortex bore down upon them. Although he had benefited from her poor focus and skill application, he hadn''t gained much. He was left with a choice: evacuate people from the impending danger or eliminate the woman responsible for it.
Steve knew he could get Rein and Larkin to safety, assuming the st zone remained stationary. But doing so meant abandoning Aaron Levingstonthe man who had saved his life. If he chose to attack Abigail instead, he could halt the onught, but at the risk of losing Rein if his Qi ran out!
The injustice of it all gnawed at himhaving to decide between the lives of his best friend, lover, and savior felt entirely wrong. As Rein, Larkin, and Aarony in the truck bed, drenched in blood and drowned out by the cacophony of the wind, Steve desperately sought a solution to save them all.
He needed a gamble to save everyone! Think think THINK!
"Kaze''s princess did better than that as a beginner!"
What? Steve was so deep in thought that he couldn''t tell whether he had heard or thought the statement. Kiera Snow also used the techniquethat''s right! That was his gamble!
The statement came out of nowhere, snapping Steve back to attention. Kiera Snow had also used the techniquethat was it! His gamble would be to use Kiera''s image to break the Immortals free of their trauma, allowing them to defeat Abigail and save the others. But would that risk Rein''s life even more? Should he guarantee it?
WhooOOoooOoOH!
An arrow whistled past Steve, yanking him back to reality. He followed its trajectory and saw a scorched, hairless figure desperately evading it. But ultimately, it was to no avail
"GAugGH!" Abigail coughed, blood spewing from her mouth as the arrow pierced her chest. A momentter, the turbulent air above Steve''s group became chaotic, rocking the truck bed and flinging them around.
CRAaasSHhhahasSH!
The Immortals screamed, ss shards slicing their skin. Eyes closed, they halted, uncertain.
Steve threw his body over Rein''s, shielded by the truck bed''s walls. A momentter, the wind stopped, leaving only the sound of groans and car rms, "Is it done?" he asked himself, slowing his racing heart.
"I''ll kill you all!" A hoarse female voice pierced through the air, filling Steve with dread. Abigail was still alive, and he didn''t even know if Rein was still breathing.
CRAaaASSH! Beep! Beep! Beep-beep-Beep!
Steve held his breath as he heard a body crash into a car, triggering the rm. Thu-dump! Peering over the edge, his heart pulsed, tense and confused.
"Hah, did you think we''d be easy to kill!?" A vicious woman staggered towards her enemy. "Your people are weak," she snarled, gripping another woman.
Thu-dump! Thud-dump!
"SANDRA!" Steve bellowed, air heaving from his lungs, "SNAP OUT OF IT!"
The battle-weary brte, her ponytail frazzled and tactical wear soaked in blood and torn, looked at him in confusion. In her grasp was Abigail''s charred, twitching body. "What?"
"Look down!" he shouted. "Right side!"
Sandra nced down and chuckled, her gaze fixed on a metal bar impaling her stomach just below the ribcage. "So?"
CRUuuuNCH!
With a savage determination, Sandra used Abigail''s throat to smash her head into a truck''s tailgate, breaking it off. She then dragged her to a nearby sedan, grinding her face through the wall until her head was lodged in the trunk.
As Abigail''s lifeless body hung limp, Sandra lifted her leg above the woman''s lower spine. "Too bad I need my Qi," Sandra sneered, "otherwise, you wouldn''t be getting such a ceremonious death. You''re not even worth that much, ''ant.''"
CRAacCK!
"Hurry up and save your girl," the brte ordered, ensuring the woman was dead. "I''ll save the others. There''s plenty of Immortals that can heal me."
"Thank you!" Steve nodded and quickly grabbed Rein and check her breathing. As he listened to her heart, eyes closed, Sandra walked up. When she saw inside the cab, her eyes widened in horror.please visit
TT
"TURN LEFT!" Evalyn barked, her rage driving her as she chased the three fleeing cultivators through Meridian City''s streets. "DIE THAT WAY!"
"We''re not listening to a word you say, mortal!" a ck-haired man snapped. "I wouldn''t listen to anyone, least of all an ambushing coward!"
The other two scoffed in disdain, darting between buildings as they evaded the ice des pursuing them like homing missiles.
"Stay silent, Baltman," a blonde-haired man with braided hairmanded, his face and clothing unblemished by blood.
"Kyle''s right," a brte said coldly, equally pristine. "She used an ambush and multiple traps to take out the majorsimply talking to a savage like this could harmAH!"
WhooOOoOooSH!
While sheined, a wall of ice des nearly impaled her. "That bitch!" she yelled, dodging and veering left down a side street to avoid more projectiles.
"She''s trying to keep you two from the ocean, Wanda!" Baltman warned from above, keeping an eye on the action.
Entering a tourist area filled with gift shops and eateries, Evalyn leaped from building to building, cursing her inability to fly.
It was nailbiting for Baltman to watch, seeing her get murderously close to Kyle. He only felt relief when they neared the ocean, as 40-foot residential buildings separated the district from the waterfront. She''d have to go around, buying Kyle some to escape.
Anxiety overwhelmed him when Evalyn veered off course, jumping from her 20-foot building across the street to the residentialplexes.
CRuNCH!
Baltman''s anxiety gave way to horror when a floating ice tform materialized mid-air, giving her the traction to jump the remaining fifteen feet andnd on the rooftop.
It was a trump card she saved for the very end. Thu-dump!
"She''s above you, Kyle!" Baltman screamed, his voice thundering through the broken city streets, booming with raw emotion. But the blonde-haired cultivator couldn''t hear him as Evalyn descended from above, her gaze locked on him like prey.
Kyle glimpsed the ocean as he turned the corner. His heart pounded, knowing that once he reached the water, the tenacious blonde would be unable to follow. Only thirty more steps
CrreeeeaaakKKkKKkkKkK!
His eyes widened in terror as an ice wall materialized before him. "What the!"
CRaaaACK!
Kyle mmed into the merciless ice wall, disoriented and confused. "Where is" he started, but his words were cut short as a white sword impaled him from between his shoulder des to his lower abdomen, "GAugGH!"
Hot blood shot out but froze before touching the ground. It was a visual representation of his insides, quickly solidifying against his soul Qi''s counterattack.
"Who are you?" Kyle managed to utter as his body numbed, but he soon realized he was speaking to himself. "Heh. That''s it?" he chuckled, freezing over.
Evalyn, on the other hand, spared no thought forst words. Her focus was entirely on the woman soaring over the water toward her people. "GO THE OTHER WAY!"
"FUCK OFF!" Wanda retorted, her anger boiling over. She had to warn Vincent Ramble and the others about the mortal wielding a divine breathing technique.
"Then fly further out until you leave this city!" General Skye yelled. "Leave our territory!"
"Hoh?" Wanda''s eyes gleamed with madness. "Are your people this way? They must be weak if you''re so desperate!" Fueled by fury and vengeance for her fallenrades, Wanda''s priorities shifted. She no longer cared about the operation; she craved retribution. "If that''s the case, I''ll pay them a visit first!"
Evalyn''s heart raced as she realized the danger her people were in. Desperation fueled her as she leaped into the air, conjuring ice tforms beneath her feet to run through the sky. It was a gamble, as she had no experience in doing so. However, her determination and Wanda''s fury shed in a high-stakes race against time, where hesitation could spell tragedy for her people.
Chapter 323 Battle In The Sky
CRuuUNCH!
With a resounding crunch, Evalyn''s ck military boot touched down on a crystal tform the size of a dinner te. It cracked under pressure, imprinting the tread pattern of her boot, leaving the crystalized surface a milky white.
Although seemingly delicate, the floating ice withstood her weight, allowing her to spring off it and soar five feet into the air before it plummeted to the earth.
CruuuUNCH! CRuuUNCH! CruuuUNCH! CRuuUNCH!
Sessive ice tforms materialized beneath her feet as she raced upward, each cracking under her weight. Her ascent was swift and unyielding: five feet became ten, then twenty, and by the tenth step, she had reached a lethal height for any mortal and ran further still.
Evalyn channeled adrenaline through her spirit technique, ignoring the vast ocean and pier below. Her sole aim was to kill the brte flying toward her people in a desperate race against time.
"W-What the hell are you!?" Wanda shouted, her vengeful fantasies shattered as she caught sight of the blonde behind her.
Ignoring her, Evalyn increased her speed, her movements bing a blur as she closed the distance between them. Wanda''s eyes widened, and she waved her hand in defense. "Razor Leaves!"
Dozens of small Wind Scythe attacks hurtled toward Evalyn, who navigated them with eerie precision. She waltzed through the air, her movements synchronized with the discs she formed, avoiding the onught effortlessly.
Wanda''s arms flexed with tension, her confidence shattered by Evalyn''s disy of skill. Desperation clung to her as she continued her flight, muttering, "She''ll run out of Qi soon she has to I refuse to believe she''s using maism for all of this!"
Focusing on evasion, she zigzagged through the air, ensuring no stray attacks could hit her from behind. But soon, an icy wind raised raised the fine hair on her arms, triggering her to nce back in panic. "What is that thing!?"
Evalyn had a massive ice javelin in her hand, white gas spinning around it like a hypnotically slow vortex. Primal instincts told Wanda to stop to prevent the attack or ensure she could dodge it, so she stopped and turned. "Needle Flurry!"
Solid needles of solidified Qi formed and shot at the blonde like guided arrows.
"Foolish," Evalyn dered, hurling the foggy javelin at ghostly speed as the three-foot needles shot into her left shoulder, gut, and thigh. The pain threatened to overwhelmed her, but she gritted her teeth and bared it, focusing on her attack.
WHoooOOooOoSH!
Wanda evaded the javelin by a few feet, but it didn''t help. "AGHhhHHhH!" she shook, seeing frost sizzling on her bright red skin. "How"
Snap! VROoooOOOooSH!
Her eyes widened in terror as a chemical trail of boiling oxygen ignited, triggering a methrower aimed at her. "AHHHhhHHHh!" she screamed, narrowly dodging the attack before freezing in horror. "WHAGAugGH!"
Choking on blood, Wanda looked down to find a machete-length de impaling her abdomen, freezing her organs in its wake. "A trap?"
The javelin was a shy diversion to distract her from the dozen floating des waiting to her left. As they shimmered in the sunlight, falling into the ocean lifelessly, she turned to the blonde for answers, "You didn''t dodge those!?"
Wanda turned and saw Evalyn shaking on an unsteady tform of ice. She was impaled by multiple three-foot needles, each sizzling and smoking within her body. Her state didn''t bring the cultivatorfortit was the opposite.
"How didn''t they pierce you!?" Wanda screamed in fear, waving her hand. G-"Guided Arrow!"
CrrreeeaackKkkkKkkKK! Her frozen intestines cracked as her body moved involuntarily, desperation driving her to act. "AGhhHHhhHhHH!"
WHOooOooSH!
"Che," Evalyn scoffed, dodging multiple arrows. However, when her foot touched down on a new tform her thigh wound exploded in pain, causing her to fall. "Ice Wall!" she yelled, free-falling twenty feet before summoning a massive tform under her.
SHhhHAAaaaAHhhHTER!
Her body crashed through the tform, sending her hurtling toward the ocean alongside the falling prisims.
Wanda''s eyes closed in pain, a grim smile of victory eluding her. "I should''ve listened and gone left, over the ocean," she smiled wryly, "Then I could''ve ascended to the clouds without her suicidally chasing me. At least she''s"
Thu-dump!
Wanda''s heart skipped a beat as she spotted a blue glimmer below. Gazing downward, she saw a second crystalline tform suspended 120 feet in the air, with the blonde flickering in blue light. "It''s risky, but I need to leave!" she muttered, goosebumps forming as she soared toward the clouds.
Upon reaching a higher altitude, she looked back, expecting another attack. Instead, she found the blonde missing. "Where''d she go!?" she screamed, panic-stricken.
Crunch crunch.
Icy dread showered over her when she saw the blonde racing westward. An image of a militia waiting for her shed across her mind. She looked around, her expression dripping with desperation, "They have me surrounded, and I can''t keep flying!"
With her strength waning, she couldn''t fly much longer, so she had to fly lower and closer ind to avoid dying in a crashnding. But in a ironic twist of fate, Evalyn''s troops were behind her, aware of her position, and the people she sought to destroyy ahead.
"If the blonde doesn''t alert her people, they won''t know I''m flying past them!" Wanda gasped, adrenaline and endorphins narrowing her pupils. "Forget the risk!"
CRaaACK! CReeeaKkkKkkK!
Grimacing through the pain and cold, Wanda twisted her torso to grind the ice sword within her. The sensation was like ss shards slicing through her organs, but she pushed through, fighting for her life. "NEEDLE FLURRY!"
WhooOOoOOoSH!
Wanda mustered her remaining strength to guide a dozen needles toward the blonde, who ran straight ahead 120 feet in the air as if on an invisible bridge. Unlike before, Evalyn wasn''t looking and couldn''t dodge. Jumping would leave her frozen and running to the side was too slow. It was costlybut it was checkmate.
One Minute Before
As Evalyn dodged a Guided Arrow, her high exploded with pain, buckling while touching down on an ice tform. Her tforms had no safeguards, so tripping sent her hurdling two hundred feet toward the ocean below. "Ice Wall!"
Sacrificing precious non-maic Qi, she waved her hand, creating an ice tform fifteen feet below. She plunged face-first into it.
CRAaaCK!
Evalyn''s body shattered the ice and continued to plummet, disoriented by the impact. After falling another twenty feet, she managed to erect another barrier.
CracKkkKk!
"GuuUhhH." she groaned, reeling from the impact. The ice began to crack, but she pressed her fingers against it.
CrrreeeaackKkkkKkkKK!
White fog spread across the surface, mending the cracks as if by a healing technique. Though it would have caused instant frostbite for anyone else, Evalyn''s body had endured far worse.
Gritting her teeth, she peeled her frostbitten body from the tform, tearing her skin like a tongue stuck to a frozen fence post. "I just need to warn them," she groaned, pressing her fingers against her chest, "Heavenly Restoration."
Her mind grew hazy from the significant loss of Qi as a radiant blue gas swirled around her body. The gas entered her wounds like liquid down a drain, leaving none to dissipate.
SizzzZzzZzzZLE!
"AGHhhHhHH!" Evalyn cried out, feeling the gas corrode the remnants of the needles. The gas returned, expelling ck and brown sludge from her wounds, leaving the muscle pristine.
Bone, organs, and muscle fibers regenerated at the wound site, growing and reattaching like a 3D printer. The healing was more like recing parts with generic substitutes rather than intricate repair, but it effectively restored her body and regrew her frostbitten skin.
"Only a few more miles," Evalyn whispered. They just needed to be prepared. She stood and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she envisioned a running pattern in her mind, extending the remaining three miles. "I just need to warn them, so I''ll hold nothing back."
The blonde raced ahead, ice tforms materializing in front of her like an invisible bridge. She sprinted at top speed, quickly covering two miles. "I can see it!" she gasped, her vision blurring as she approached a few miles from the shipping yard.
WHooOOooooOooSH!
"A murder-suicide!?" she eximed, hearing the haunting whistle of the needles behind her. "How do I dodge this? I''ll be a sitting duck if I jump, and running to the side is too slow. It needs to be sharp"
Something in Evalyn''s brain clicked as she listened to the homing attack. She let herself miss the next foothold and plunged toward the ocean from 120 feet above like a skydiver.
Chapter 324 Colder Than Ice
Nothing is more terrorizing than realizing a step is missing while descending a flight of stairs the sudden panic as the ground seems to vanish, hurtling you into the void. That''s what Evalyn felt after stepping off her icy disk, plummeting her 120 feet toward the shimmering ocean below.
Skydivers struggle to think clearly amid the biting, whistling wind numbing their faces, but Evalyn Skye was immune to the cold. With eyes closed, she listened to the needles, forming a mental image and waving her hand.
Shiiiiiiiink!
An icy slide materialized beneath her feet, creating a curve she road like a snowboard. Fog billowed from her boots, lightly freezing their treads to the ice for better grip.
WhooOOooOoSH! WhoOOoSH! WHooOOSH!
Evalyn''s heart pounded after every needle whizzed past her, spiraling downward. Despite surviving each one, she found no sce. "How do I stop!?" she cried, struggling to maintain her bnce while plunging eighty feet toward the ocean.
Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiink!
In desperation, she veered west toward the shipping yard a mile away, forming a continuous slide to the ocean, gliding unrestrained. "Far below zero!" she shouted, frantically waving her hand upon hearing the low tide below.
CrreeeeaaakKKkKKkkKkK!
The ocean water froze and splintered, shing with the ice. She slid over it at a breakneck speed as shended, maintaining her bnce not by instinct but through brutal practice. "I never thought I''d be thankful for Crux''skeside training!"
Sliding across the water felt far more natural than sliding in the sky. It''s what Evalyn needed to take her the final half mile. "Almost there!" she gasped, encouraging herself as the colored shipping containers loomed into view.
WhooOOooOOSH!
"You''ve got to be kidding me!" Evalyn eximed, veering off course, the ocean freezing in her wake.
CRaaACK! SPLASH!
A Guided Arrow plunged through her ice, generating waves that shattered the fragile ice she created for evasion. With every surge of the tide, she refroze it, struggling to stay afloat.
Evalyn''s limbs began to fail her.
Qi deprivation set in.
Her vision blurred, sharpening and fading between waves.
So close.
The multicolored shipping yard was within reach.
Ice General Skye could see the rust on the multi-colored shipping containers when her vision focused. She could smell the remaining fish the civilians were cooking.
Her people were right in front of her
but they couldn''t hear her.
Evalyn was just far enough that her voice wouldn''t reach when her limbs finally gave way, lying on a shaky cier drifting toward shore. She closed her eyes and listened, "You cunt."
Wanda appeared behind her, Guided Arrow at the ready but hesitating to shoot. "It''s a pity," she said, concealing her ragged breaths. "You''d be a cultivation lord in less than a century if you were born in the Sky ne."
"No, I wouldn''t have," the Ice Generalughed, hearing the hesitation. She could tell the cultivator was on herst leg and didn''t know whether to use herst attack to kill her.
Evalyn clenched her hand subtly, using her thumb to search for the ring Kaze made her. It had an emergency spatial rift made from Soul Qi, allowing her to use the technique without Qi once.
"If I were born on the Sky ne, it''d take me a millennium to be a ''lord'' like the rest of you," she goated. "I doubt you cultivation-solves-all people even know the temperature at which ice freezes."
"Don''t patronize me like an intellectual!" Wanda demanded, her emotions visibly taking hold. "Freezing water is like boiling water: you cool it until it freezes. You create cold far beyond the freezing point, so it''s irrelevant!"
"It''s irrelevant?" Evalyn mused, raising an eyebrow with a condescending smirk. "Watch what happens when you keep cooling water below its freezing point." She conjured a ball of water, froze it, and continued freezing it until
CreeeakKKkkKkkKkKRACK!
Wanda''s eyes widened in confusion as the ball cracked in the center and broke in half. "What did you do to it?"
"Are you deaf?" General Skye taunted, imitating Kaze. "I kept cooling it, as you said. After -40 degrees Fahrenheit, ice bes increasingly brittle until it shatters like thin ss.
Do you still think that temperature is irrelevant?"
"This is nonsense!" the brte snarled, aiming her Guided Arrow at the smug blonde. "You use ice far colder than that! Don''t take me for a fool!"
"It is colderit''s just not water," Evalyn smirked. "Water ice is warm, weak, brittle, and hard to make in dry environments. My ice is formed from different moleculeswatch."
The blonde presented both palms to Wanda. In her left hand, a water ball materialized and froze into a golf ball-sized ice ball. A familiar white gas swirled into a cyclone in her right palm, eventually solidifying into an identical ball. Both emitted an unnatural ghostly fog, adding an eerie quality and suspense.
"That''s what you do." Wanda muttered, her anger shifting to curiosity as she observed the ball in Evalyn''s right hand. She had seen that gas a hundred times that morning. "They look exactly the sameis there really a difference?"
"Lethal difference," Evalyn smiled, dramatically rolling the sphere around her fingers. "I create my des with this ammonia ice. It''s far denser, can reach negative 108 degrees, and requires more energy to melt, so it stays ice longer. As a bonus, it''s even poisonous.
Despite the properties, it''s the same temperature to touch, making it wieldable for heaven realm cultivators."
Ice General Skye rolled both over her fingers, letting the white gas leak from them as if to argue that they weren''t harmful before floating them to the brte. "Squeeze them, and you''ll find water ice shatters like sand, and the other won''t yield."
Wanda apprehensively poked the balls and found they were cold as normal ice! After gripping them and finding the ammonia ice didn''t shatter, she looked at the blonde in a trance, "What does this have to do with you being a cultivator lord?"
"I didn''t learn this from a techniqueit''s science," Evalyn smirked. "Unlike Sky ners, Earthians understand basic thermodynamics. Therefore, we don''t need techniques to teach us how elements interact."
"Bullshit!" Wanda scoffed in disdain. "You don''t need techniques? Are you insane!?"
"I''ll prove it." General Skye smiled. "Combustion and Frosted des use the same sub-technique; I call it Molecr Attraction."
The blonde created a sphere ofpressed oxygen, warping the atmosphere before igniting it into a me. "Forbustion, Qiites attract, filter, and elerate oxygen," she exined. "My techniques do the same but decelerate it."
"W-What!?" Wanda gasped, witnessing the same sphere of warping Qi twist into a white cyclone andpress into a neon aquamarine gemstone. It was a breathtaking sight, almost unnatural.
As before, Ice General Skye rolled it around her palm like the ammonia ice ball, letting the gas pass through her fingers. However, it floated above her skin, and she fought through the pain.
"Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide, Argon, Ammoniaall gasses freely essible in the atmosphere and can make ice," Evalyn smiled, tossing the neon blue ball. "Their properties are useful and captivating. For example, oxygen ice is a beautiful blue color."
Wanda''s eyes lit up with fascination, and she tried to catch it. However, she quickly dodged after sensing the cold and turned to the general, rapidly lifting her arrow angrily. "Do you take me for"
"Twelve times colder," Evalyn grinned, deftly flicking her wrist while snapping her fingers, "and highlybustible."
A sickening sense of deja vu twisted Wanda''s mind as she looked to her left, finding that the blue sphere had followed her with a chemtrail of white gas. She only caught a glimpse before a red sh lit up the cloud of fog like lightning, proceeding thunder.
BOOOOOOOM!
"[Greed Online]" is out now! Search for it in the [Explore] tab search bar (with the [brackets]) to find it; I''m releasing 35 free-to-read chapters this week alongside yCult, so there''s reading for days!
Synopsis: a syndicate orphan decides to get rich by starting a criminal empire in an MMORPG instead of ying it. However, he''s web-novel-protag-grade special, so he finds himself fighting everyone in sight for the right to financially-exploit yers in peace.
Genre: It''s not a viin novel. It''s your ssic MMORPG choose-your-trope-adventure novel where all options coincidentally end with the MC being aically terrible human being.
You''ll enjoy the novel so much that you''ll be torn between rooting the MC on and calling the police. Read the first chapter, and you''ll see what I mean. Check it out!
Chapter 325 Reason To Live
Oxygenthe life molecule. Constituting 21% of Earth''s atmosphere, it sustains 99% of our''s biomass, including nts.
In typical atmospheric conditions, oxygen remains stable. However, at chilling temperatures below -361.1 degrees Fahrenheit and under pressure five times greater than that at Meridian Bay, it solidifies into oxygen crystalline, or "blue ice." This mesmerizing blue ice resembles a polished aquamarine.
While breathtaking, it''s so unstable that it can explode from touching coarse sandpaper. Its primary use is for cryogenic cooling, but oxygen crystalline has another significant application
rocket fuel.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
An earsplitting explosion sent shockwaves rippling through the air, rendering Wanda and Evalyn unconscious as they catapulted into bull shark-infested water. As they floated, the sharks circled the area, searching for ways around the deadly frozen slush threatening all with hypothermia.
Hypothermia, predation, asphyxiationthey faced multiple threats. Unconscious, it was a race against time to awaken or be rescued.
Despite the danger, Evalyn felt aforting warmth as shey facedown in the freezing slush. In her trance-like state, the prospect of sleep sounded pleasantpeaceful, even. Still, her mind held on, clinging to something abstract.
[Where am I?]
"Calvin!" a muffled voice yelled.
[Calvin?]
"General Skye''s in the water; we need an extraction!"
[That''s right, Calvin Olman, my new assistant. Why is he here? Oh, that''s right I''m near the base.]
Evalyn attempted to move, but her body felt numb and unresponsive in the rocking tide. She knew she was in the water and couldn''t breathe, but it didn''t feel ufortable.
[Heh. I''m in the water, so they need someone to fly to avoid the sea life.]
"Calvin! She''s going to die!"
[Ask someone else. Calvin''s the enemy; that suicide trigger won''t make him fight his people. He still has hope, hope that someone will defeat Kaze and allow him to return to his loved ones.]
Something about that concept lit a fire within her, bringing vitality back to her limbs. It felt like there was a purpose within her, something she was supposed to be doing.
"CALVIN!" the muddled voice yelled. "YOU ARE A FILTHY CULTIVATOR, AFTER ALL!"
[No, Calvin''s doing the right thing; that''s the issue. He''s loyal to his family, friends, and leader, as he should be. Calvin needs a reason to join usthat''s something Kaze didn''t provide him.]
Fire welled within Evalyn, reminding her of something she couldn''t quite grasp. There was something she needed to give otherssomething she used to offer.
ssh.
[Asphyxiation, fear of imminent death, pain, thirst, greed, hunger, fear of impending death, mental confusion, and emotional conflict. The most potent motivating factors share onemonality: they are temporary.]
splish! Splish! Splish!
[Purpose, belief, hope, and vision. A reason to live: that''s what converts people and makes them fight for you, even against insurmountable odds. Yet]
Confusion and chaos swirled within her, twisting her insides as she sought the answer to an unknown question. Wait.
Splish! Splish! Splish! "General Skye!"
[What''s my purpose? Without my soul Qi, I''d be deadso why am I here? Why am I not fighting for my life? Why am I acting like Calvin? What drove me forward in my previous life the way I now expect of others?]
Splish! SPLISH! SPLISH! "GENERAL SKYE! CULTIVATORS!"
A torrent of scorching emotions zed within her.
[Cultivators? Why won''t it end? Why won''t it ever fucking end!? I want to exercise that powerplex by ripping it out of people''s throats! That''s reason enough!]
Scalding energy pulsed through her meridians, warming her blood and muscles. As the heat returned, so did the biting cold, assaulting her nerves like razor-sharp des.
SPLASH!
"GuuUUAH!" Evalyn gasped, inhaling deeply before choking and coughing up water. Momentster, a pair of hands seized her shoulders and hoisted her up.
"General Skye!" a concerned man eximed, shivering from the cold as he checked her pulse.
"Denzel?" she mumbled, her vision clearing to see the man pulling her up by her arms. "What about the cultivators?"
He turned and pointed to the east.
A single bloodied cultivator soared slowly above the water, moving with determination. "Wanda!" he shouted, hastening despite his injuries. The man bore minor burns and puncture wounds from ice des.
It was Baltman, the third cultivator Evalyn had pursued. While he could have been easily killed, she needed to prioritize the other two. Now he was descending to retrieve Wanda.
At least he hadn''t appeared unharmed and started ughtering indiscriminately. That would have forever tainted the soldiers'' willingness to consider the people as allies. Kaze nned to do just that, so indiscriminate killing would shatter rtions right before integration.
Then a three-way social crisis would ensue during the merging of the two groups. It would be catastrophic.
"WANDA!" Baltman yelled, swooping down to grab the half-scalped brte. He held her in shock, seeing half her face severely burned and the rest crimson from the cold. "She''s breathing" he whispered, listening intently.
"You''re all dead," Baltman sneered, turning to Evalyn and Denzel. "If not today, then in a month. I''m going to every base we have to report your location so someone can inform our military of your whereabouts. Look forward to it."
Without expending further Qi or engaging in conversation, he flew toward the ocean, circling a football field''s length into the sea before turning west.
Evalyn gritted her teeth, recognizing him as a serious threat. They were weak scouts; if Killian learned that a mortal possessed a divine technique, he could send a genuine army.
They''d have to eliminate the scouts if he escapedbut who would do it?
And what would happen when Killian discovered a thousand scouts had perished?
Wouldn''t that be worse?
The general''s mind raced as the man flew past the shipping yard with Wanda in his arms. It was a grave problem.
WHoooOOoshHHhhooOOoshhHhhshoooOoooOosSH!
Ice General Skye''s heart pounded as she saw hundreds of arrows shoot over the shipping yard''s docking wall. "Please"
"What the hell!?" Baltman yelled, witnessing arrows filling the sky, warping and animating it as if it were alive. "Get away!"
The cultivator zigzagged upwards, veering toward the ocean.
"What is this!?" he screamed, seeing the arrows pursuing him. "How isGahhHHhhHhH!" An arrow pierced his shoulder, with dozens more whistling past his ear.
Baltman slowed time with adrenaline, evading arrows one after the other until he couldn''t hold on. "Sorry!" he cried, dropping Wanda into the ocean.
SPLASH!
With his hands free, his speed and evasive maneuvers multiplied instantly, allowing him to dodge the dozens of arrowsing his way. "Get away!" he snarled, "Get"
Baltman''s eyes widened in terror as he dodged the wave and turned back, only to see thousands of Guided Arrows flying toward him. The sheer number made it seem as though the city was submerged beneath a twisting, translucent ocean.
"No." Baltman whispered, fear gripping his heart like a vice. "How do I dodge that?"
Evalyn took a sharp breath as hundreds of Guided Arrows veered off course at thest second, tearing the man apart like a pinata and sending blood streaming into the ocean.
The water below him boiled as dozens of arrows plunged into the dying female cultivator''s body.
"When did they get so vicious?" Evalyn whispered in disbelief, watching the gruesome sight.
TT
August 11th, 2032
"So you managed to kill all the cultivators from the East base?" General Michaels asked.
"Correct, there were fifty confirmed casualties," Evalyn replied solemnly.
"Does that mean our people died?" Veronica asked, her face resolved.
The blonde shook her head slowly, taking a deep breath, "While there were heavy injuries and Lieutenant Captain Aaron lost an arm from a tourniquet, we managed to keep all the Immortals alive."
"Then what happened while you were away?" Kylie asked with a sharp breath, anxiety coursing through her veins.
Evalyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
TT
A pair of hands abruptly grabbed the blonde from above and yanked her out of the water, soaring upward. "Calvin?"
"I''ll be back for you, Denzel," a female voice said to the ck man before ncing down. "No, Calvin''s inside."
"Of course that''s the case," General Skye chuckled weakly. "It was stupid to think he''d be the one helping us."
Martha''s expression turned grim, "Calvin did fight for you."
Evalyn felt her heart pound like a cksmith hammering a sword, "What did you just say?"
"It''s best if you just see," the brte said, flying skyward above the wall.
The blonde''s eyes shook with horror when they crested the wall, and she could see inside.
"This." General Skye muttered, looking at thousands with arrows surrounding the civilians. Dead bodies were on the containers, around the edges, and in the corner. "What happened?"
"A group of cultivators sent here to keep tabs on us attacked," Martha said ruefully. "We stopped them almost immediatelyjust not without casualties."
Chapter 326 A Good Reason
August 11th, 2032 | 3 Days Until Integration | 22 Days Remain
A somber silence enveloped the conference room, the cab members'' expressions marked by gravity. The normally bright ambient lighting seemed dim and subdued, casting shadows that deepened the lines on the older members'' faces.
"Did they kill any of our people?" General Michaels inquired, his voice slicing through the tension.
"Thankfully not," Evalyn replied, shaking her head. "The Immortals only sustained major injuries; no civilians were harmed. However, fifty-six Lainwright soldiers perished, and animosity towards Sky ne cultivators has skyrocketed because an unwounded cultivator attacked indiscriminately without discussion."
Upon learning the dire scenario, Kylie''s eyes widened in terror. "Why would they do that?"
"The cultivators encountered Calvin," the blonde borated. "One of them approached him for an exnation. But Calvin couldn''t divulge information about Immortal Skye, which the cultivator interpreted as brainwashing and retaliated by attacking the base."
"We''ll die if we speak to Sky ne cultivators?" Harper muttered, her eyes unstable. The reality of the situation suddenly took hold.
"Incorrect," Kaze responded, his voice frigid and resolute. "You can converse with Sky ne cultivators and reveal that you cannot speak, just not the reason."
"That''s a relief," Roxy responded. "At least we can prevent further issues."
"Speak for yourself," Harper sneered, her disdain evident. "Those of uscking your social skills will die or incite massacres."
The pressure in the atmosphere multiplied when the blonde bluntly brought the issue back into focus.
"Now that we''ve acknowledged the issue, we must address its implications," Kaze announced. "Four bases have fallen around us, enabling Killian to triangte our location. Furthermore, Vincent Ramble has sent a messenger carrying operational details to an outer base. We are at risk of Killian dispatching a full force to intercept us, so we must obscure our position."
An abrupt torrent of uncertainty swallowed the cab members, leaving them suspended in a state of unease.
"So you need our help eliminating other bases, is that correct?" Roxy asked, a sardonic smile gracing her lips.
"Partially; we require individuals to infiltrate them and discern if they know anything," he rified. "There are four bases within 600 miles away each; we cannot infiltrate them without aerial assistance."
"You can forget it," Harper snarled. "I ain''t riskin'' my life talkin'' to people to help you lot."
"We''d have to ease restrictions on your soul pacts and trust you not to betray us," Evalyn rified. "We''re taking a risk as well."
The room erupted in chaos, with the Immortals voicing immediate concerns about lessening restrictions. During the heated exchange, a searing pain pierced Roxy''s heart, causing her to slump onto the table, gasping for breath.
"Well, we have our proof," Sage stated smugly. "A glimmer of hope and these people can''t suppress thoughts of betrayal during a leadership meeting."
Roxy felt the weight of lethal stares bearing down on her, but she remained silent, unable to find the words to exin her thoughts.
"She''s not in the wrong, Sage," Evalyn interjected, surprising the brte. "She''s simply being loyal to her people and family. That''s why they need a reason to join us."
"While I appreciate your sentiment, we''re talking about my family," Roxy argued. "What reason could you give me to betray them?"
"There''s no need to betray your family," General Skye smiled. "Your decision to join us should be motivated by the desire to protect them, just like Crux."
Harper''s eyes widened, ncing at the Pantheran princess with a bewildered expression. "You''re tellin'' me this woman betrayed her family to protect her family? What kind of twisted logic is that?"
Kaze offered an enigmatic smile; his fingers pressed together as his index finger''s ring emitted a bright golden glow. "Common sense."
Snap! Thud, thud, thud-thud-thud!
A wave of vertigo suddenly gripped the group, their equilibrium disrupted as the table and chairs plummeted through the floor, dropping five feet into open space beforending beneath a brilliant blue sky. The back wall had transformed into a vast marina dotted with dpidatedmercial fishing boats rendered useless before the apocalypse.
"What''s going on!?" Harper panicked, her heart racing from the abrupt shift. "Is this an illusion?"
"No, no," Kaze chuckled. "This is a technique far surpassing your fabled sacred status. I''m here to give you a reason to join us and a demonstration for my naive apprentice."
A massive, orange Panamax-ss bulk carrier ship dominated the scene, dwarfing the surrounding vessels. It was massive, 80 feet above the water and long enough to fit on two football fields.
Kaze strode toward the ship''s bow facing the pier and gestured gracefully, forming an arrow.
WHOooOooSH! SPLASH! WHooOOSH! SPLASH! WHOooSh! SPLASH!
"No way! That''s the technique!" Harper cried as a beachball-sized sphere materialized at the arrow''s head, generating a cyclone.
"Divine Arrow," Jake gasped, realizing the emperor had called him his apprentice.
"Divine Arrow?" Roxy echoed, puzzled. "As in the sacred-grade technique Duke Ranker uses? It shouldn''t be possible for a mortal to"
WhooOoOOOooOOSH! SPLASH! SPLASH! WhoOOooOSH!
Hair whipped wildly around them, caught up in the ferocious wind.
"Don''t insult Emperor Lexicon byparing him to Duke Ranker," Crux snapped, shouting over the raging wind. "This technique is trivial to him!"
"Trivial!?" Harper yelled, staring in disbelief.
At the arrow''s tip, the cyclone whirled like a drill bit, creating a ck hole that drew in air, water, and debris, erging itself into a multi-colored vortex. The tumultuous waters heaved, and the colossal ship groaned under strain.
From a distance, Kaze grinned. "Less is more whenmunicating ideas." He had chosen a straightforward disy of power rather than something more ostentatious, as this was something they couldprehend. "But there''s no harm in a little embellishment."
With a thunderous boom, the emperor unleashed the arrow.
CREeeeEeAK! CRUuNnnnNNnnNNCH! BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A deafening chorus of sounds pierced the air as the arrow tore through the ship''s bow, warping metal, and scattering debris. The arrow''s path expanded the cyclone, transforming the initial tunnel-sized puncture into a catastrophic exit that caused the ship''s final third to explode.
The destruction continued, slicing a path across the ocean and unleashing a massive cyclone that grew in size and power. The vibrant rainbows it produced vanished a mile out as the cyclone devoured the clouds 600 feet above, casting a somber gray over the waters.
CRAaaaaAAAAACK!
The sound barrier shattered, and a thunderous boom reverberated through thend. The arrow''s 50-foot scar in the water abruptly deepened as if dragged down by gravity, briefly cleaving the ocean by 200 feet before the walls mmed shut, sending a tsunami-like wave surging through the area.
"What the fuck was that!?" Harper shouted, jumping up from the table. The ship before the emperor vanished, and remnants of other vessels floated on the water''s surface.
Crux and Evalyn were equally stunned by the divine technique that had altered the environment for miles and temporarily split the sea, exposing the seabed near the pier. After all, he had ess to sacred techniques and beyond!
Silence descended as Kaze approached the group, wearing a smug grin. "If you require a reason, surely raw power will suffice, yes?" he pondered. "This is a divine technique; it''s rtively weak and significantly limited on the Mortal ne."
The majors gaped, speechless, as he took a seat.
"Now, let us resume our conversation," the emperor smiled, intecing his fingers. "We''re dedicating 40 years to gathering cultural and intellectual capital to bring to the Sky nenot to umte power. If conquest were our goal, we''d conquer the Sky ne within 18 months."
Roxy nced at the ocean, then locked eyes with him. "This." she whispered in awe. "Who are you?"
"The future ruler of the Sky nethat''s destiny," the emperor proimed. "Even if Killian dispatches two divisions with his dukes and lords, Evalyn Skye and I shall still govern the Sky ne. The only variable is the death toll; I seek to save more lives than my partners."
Harper''s eyes quivered, gazing at Kaze and Evalyn in disbelief. Her eyes held a peculiar gleam, reflecting disbelief rather than shock. Something seemed off, as if her expectations were concrete but had abruptly changed, leaving her confused.
"Roxy Alexander Grace," Kaze said, disregarding the blonde. "Crux Pyron is here because I offer protection for her family and promise her prosperity in the Sky ne following the ascension. In contrast, those who oppose me will meet death and despair. If you seek to safeguard your family, join Immortal Skye willingly; everyone will grasp your motives in due course."
"What are the specifics?" Roxy asked, swallowing hard, cold sweat dripping down her shoulder des.
Chapter 327 August 12th, 2032 | 2 Days Until Integration
A stone''s throw north of the Central Mansion, a colossal 100-foot depression upied thendscape, its broad granite steps descending to a grand wooden stage befitting a concert hall. This was the Immortal Skye Amphitheater.
Carpentersbored tirelessly, hammering, sawing, and milling wood to construct additional bleachers above the recess, as the poption of Immortal Skye had outgrown the 3,000-person capacity. Amidst the bustle, they listened to an animated cultivator on stage, encircled by Immortal elites.
"BOOOOOOOM!" Mars reenacted, spreading his arms wide. "You should''ve seen their faces!"
Laughter filled the air as the group listened to him conclude a humorous tale about pranking Vincent Ramble.
"What''s the Sky ne like, Mars?" Sammy inquired, twirling her dark-brown hair around her finger.
"Hmmm" Mars hummed, surveying the campus. "It''s nothing like this ce. It''s mainly untouched wilderness or small viges surrounded by farms. Everything is also far smaller; I''m pretty sure Killian''s pce is about the size of that mansion by theke."
"Wait, the mansion is as big as the wealthiest emperor''s mansion?" Sammy asked in bewilderment.
"Yeah, isn''t that crazy?" Mars beamed, captivated. "It''s like ne-ss artisans built everything here. Your tes could fetch acres of fertile farnd, let alone these clothes," heughed, pinching his dress shirt. "Seriouslyyou people wrap your beds in finer toga cloth than barons wear!"
The Immortals stared, astonished. Togas, single pieces of cloth draped over the body and wrapped around the left arm, were not modern clothing. The practical usage highlighted the vast economic disparity between the nes.
"It just has a different vibe," he continued. "It gets super dark at sunset because we can''t afford candles, and we don''t have that electricity stuff, so there''s nothing else to do. But here, it''s almost the liveliest time of the day!"
"I don''t understand," Brad said, visibly perplexed. "Your people look, talk, and act like us, so I can''t understand why they haven''t advanced like us when they live longer and are free from disease."
"I''m not really that smart, so I don''t know thewait, that''s it!" Mars dered, smacking his fist into his palm. "It''s because we''re not smart!"
The Immortals hesitated, torn betweenughter and tears, as they watched him revel in his epiphany.
"Forgive me!" Sammy eximed, making him blush as she giggled. "It''s just weird to hear someone say that. Can you exin what ''smart'' means?"
"You know [smart]," Mars murmured, turning crimson before regaining control. "It''s like you have a solution for everything here, like cool wood-making tools. We just use wind techniques, and the results showcase how good someone is at cultivating, you know?
You can tell someone''s skill in techniques by the quality of their creations and their strength by the materials used, but it''s not exactly smart, you know?"
"Forgive me for being forward, but." Sammy began cautiously. "I keep hearing it can take centuries to earn techniques where you''re from. Wouldn''t using tools that everyone can use be better?"
"Of course, but we''re not smart, remember?" Mars chuckled. "We''re not intellectuals like you; most of us lead simple lives tending fields, working basic trades, or serving in the military.
Our sole objective is to acquire better techniques, so we spend all our free time training and cultivating."
"Sole objective?" Brad parroted, nk-eyed and confused with the others. "Why is it so important there? Is it a requirement?"
"Yes, that''s it! It''s a requirement!" Mars eximed, finally finding the words to exin. "Cultivation skill governs EVERYTHING in the Killian empire; it determines your job prospects, your legal status, and even your diet."
A sudden surge of crashing emotions bore into them, hearing the dark underlying message.
"For instance, earth realm cultivators are indentured servants, limited to manualbor like tending fields," he continued. "However, upon entering the sky realm, you gain freedom and can work trades or join the military. Once you reach the heaven realm, you can managend and people for a lord, and upon bing a divine realm cultivator, you attain nobility and can govern territories."
It finally clicked for the Immortals: the Sky ne was still in the feudal ages. While that was shocking, it only got worse.
"I think that''s why everyone''s obsessed with power," Marsmented. "Everyone is born into servitude and spends years to centuries building strength just to earn their freedom. By the time they earn it, people are all fucked up in the head, you know?"
Twisted.
"Why are you all making those faces? It''s not that bad!" Mars protested, noticing their somber expressions. "Besides, I''m a heaven realm cultivator at your age, so you shouldn''t pity me. I''m nearly a baron."
"Yes, I meant to ask why you''re so youngpared to others." Whitney remarked. "What makes you special?"
Mars'' eyes sparkled as she mentioned his age, thrilled someone finally recognized its significance. "I can''t reveal too much, but I''ll share a bit with you."
Their eyes gleamed with curiosity, eager to learn more about the winsome teenager.
TT
August 12th | Immortal Skye Amphitheater
After Kaze had concluded sharing details about the meeting with Roxy, she nodded. "I''m okay with epting the request," she announced. "However, I won''t leave Mars here alone. He''s like family to me, so I''ll only go if I can take him!"
Her words were abruptly cut short as a sharp pain pierced her heart, leaving her clutching her chest on the table.
"Unbelievable," Kaze scoffed in exasperation, his eyes flickering with wrath and vexation. "Tell me, Ms. Grace. What did you expect would happen when you voiced that buffoonish request?"
"Kaze, asking her motivations isn''t important," Veronica asserted. "Regardless of her reasoning, she''s proven she can''t ept this opportunity without betraying us."
The cab members met her words with a chorus of assent, openly agreeing upon
"I''ll reiterate the nature of the soul pact," the emperor hissed, irate and icy-toned. "It only warns those acting in good faith but risking betrayal; it instantly kills those who aren''t."
"If that''s the case, then the issue isn''t Roxy Grace but Mars Vanity." Jake swallowed, taken aback by his uncharacteristic tone. "Who is he?"
"Please, Ms. Grace." The emperor jeered, presenting the cab members with his palm. "Since you''ve openly sown mistrust in your ''brother'' to his rulers, please magnify it."
"Please don''t make me introduce Mars as if he''s guilty," Roxy swallowed, her eyes quivering. "You know my intentions are good; I was honest to prevent misleading you."
Kaze nced at the ceiling and rolled his eyes, taking a sharp breath to suppress his urge to berate her imprudence. "Mars Vanity possesses a technique called ''Narrative,''" he exined. "It reys events he''s seen and experienced as a video camera. In other words, he has a permanent wiretap."
Shock crashed through the room like a bullet train, leaving everyone reeling. Roxy felt terror, realizing the cab members were far more familiar with the concept than she could have imagined. "Is there something simr here?"
"Yes," Kaze chuckled ominously, pulling out a phone, recording a video, and ying it back for her.
"T-This." she stammered. "It''s even more detailed."
"Correct, and every person in Immortal Skye once owned one," he sneered. "Therefore, every person here knows how foolish your suggestion was."
Roxy could feel their piercing gazes drilling into her soul. "Please understand," she said with a sharp breath. "Mars will die or suffer the same prejudice I am if you don''t ease his restrictions. His skill set is a death sentence, and he has deep-rootedplexes that make his actions impulsive or dangerously rigid. He''s just a kid; he didn''t ask to be in the military, so please show him mercy."
"Abused pit bulls didn''t ask to be abused," Sage replied icily. "That doesn''t change the fact that you shouldn''t put one in a room with your children." Her icy response sent chills down everyone''s spines; it was undeniable, so everyone shut down.
CLAP!
The cab members turned their attention to the emperor, his expression uncharacteristically resolute and forceful. Everyone sensed that his uing words would not be open for debate.
"Do not get distracted by Ms. Grace''s doltish disy or weakness," Kaze ordered. "Singling out Mars Vanity as dangerous is like arguing against putting that you can''t put an abused bear into a room with your children because people abused it."
Sage smirked, satisfied that his interpretation was more scathing than hers.
"Mars Vanity''s skill is a double-edged sword we can wield to our advantage," he reasoned. "If he returns, we can assess the situation ourselves rather than trusting others. If he doesn''t, we''ll know he''s dead or has betrayed us, allowing us to act ordingly. That''s why I brought this phone todayto exin his skill and rmend letting him go."
Everyone was taken aback and confused. They didn''t know why the emperor had forcefully overridden the conversation, but they knew better than to question his decision or ask for details if he didn''t provide them. So they nodded, giving their stamp of approval.
"Are you sure about this?" Evalyn inquired, scrutinizing his expression.
"I stand by my word, yes," Kaze responded, his face impassive. "I genuinely believe that sending him is in our best interest and will assume responsibility if he betrays us."
A wave of primal fear washed over Roxy as she caught the chilling glint in the emperor''s eyes. She could tell he had another reason for sending Mars on the missionone unrted to gathering intelligence.
Chapter 328 The Announcement
August 12th, 2032 | Immortal Skye Gates
Outside the southside gates of Immortal Skye, eight cultivators wearing toga took flight. Four went south to Meridian City; the other half moved north. It was a clear day, allowing the group to see the ocean as they flew in unison toward the city.
Meridian City was the capital of Malta, a nationalist superpower that emerged following an international war and the subsequent economic copse of the European Union. The rising government, the Republic of Valoria, built the mega city to connect old London to Southhampton, the shipping port city to the south.
Now it was a concrete jungle of towering skyscrapers and gothic architecture that showcased the evolution of Europe from a historical empire into a modern superpower that rivaled the United States and China as a superpower.
However, the cultivators didn''t see the might of Earthian civilization as they flew toward the city. To them, they bore witness to the ruins of an advanced civilization that suffered a sudden copse and a testament to the importance of individual strength.
Halfway there, the four split east and west, leaving a pixie and a maroon-haired teen flying alone to the west.
"Mars, don''t even consider doing that," Roxy snapped after he presented an alternative strategy for the operation.
"Rx,dy," Mars chuckled. "I gotta n, you know?"
"No you-don''t-have-a-fucking-n," she grinned, speaking fast between her teeth. "You have a life, and you need to protect that. That''s why we''re doing things my way."
"Ah,e on, Rox," he moaned. "You got mepletely freed from my contract, so it''s not like I''m gonna die. This way, I can protect"
"No," Roxy replied, her face devoid of humor. "Emperor Lexicon sent us to infiltrate and report; that''s all we will do. Don''t try to y the hero; you''ll just get everyone killed."
"But that''sAHhhhHhh!" Mars tried to argue, but the pixie hit him with gravity sending him crashing toward the earth to regain his barrings. He flew back up with his cheeks puffed out, "Not cool,dy. It''d bad enough you treat me like a kid and won''t trust my social skills."
"Your social skills are great," Roxy replied, donning a grave expression. "But you''re weak under your father''s influence. That man will say one word and"
"Shut up, Roxy," Mars ordered, his voice low-toned and icy. "I''m going to get stronger and destroy that man."
"You will get stronger and destroy him," Roxy replied, not deterred by his bone-chilling change. "That''s why you''re staying here and training instead of ying hero. Your father is a master maniptor; if he weren''t, you wouldn''t be training to destroy him."
The maroon-haired teen fell silent, icy, devoid of humor or life for an hour, flying above the skies. However, after an hour, he found himself ncing at Roxy to see if she was remorseful; thirty minutester, he nced to see if she was angry; two hours in, he saw if she was ready for an apology.
"FINE!" Mars yelled, under intensive pressure. "We''ll do things your way."
"Wonderful!" Roxy beamed, pping her hands. "Now, let''s have some lunch to remind us why staying here is the best," she announced,nding on a skyscraper roof and reaching into her spatial ring.
"What is this?" he asked, inspecting red meat on a te over seasoned rice. "It looks like that bird we ate if they soaked it in blood."
"It''s called ''barbecue chicken,''" she giggled. "Though it''s made from ''white-tailed eagle,'' apparently."
"Then why don''t they call it barbecue condor?" he furrowed his brows.
"I guess it was against thew to eat them before," Roxy smirked. "Let''s just try it."
Mars hesitantly picked up the bone and opened his mouth, going in for a nibble. Obtaining daring, he took a small bite. "What is this witchcraft." he whispered to himself, his pupils shrinking to the size of pins. "Roxy, I''ll share my next technique with you if"
"No," she replied aggressively, yanking her back as if to scream ''it''s mine!''
They both burst intoughter, creating a nice atmosphere to start their lunch.
TT
August 12th, 2032 | Immortal Skye Amphitheater
Immortal Skye Amphitheater teamed with life, nearly breathing as the Immortals assembled around the granite and wooden bleachers built that week. Incorporating the special forces soldiers, trades workers, Meridian City police, and cultivators swelled their ranks from the original 2,256 to 3,813, even ounting for the 163 casualties from the rapture''s onset.
There was a major announcement that day, and most were nervous. After all, they knew the Killian Empire would eventually return to take revenge, and the proof was in the new cultivators.
Inside the back room, a brte with a wavy bob cut, slowly growing to her shoulders, was particrly worried. "Why did you give Veronica an enchantment technique for perfect crowd control when it''s my job to do this?" Kylie pouted.
"I gave Veronica a lethal weapon that spurns mistrust," Kaze exined. "I gave you a dress that you look spellbinding in. Appearance and charm of this caliber could destabilize a spurn an uprising."
"That''s not" Kylie began but fell silent, blushing furiously after seeing his devilish smile and elevator eyes. She wore an off-white sheath dress with sleeves that hugged her neck like a sweater and curved down her body like a cocktail dress, entuating her curves perfectly.
The dress perfectly bnced modesty and elegance, exuding sophistication and graceand not her normal style. However, she enjoyed the attention.
"What if I mess up?" she whispered, losing steam and lightly pounding his chest with her fists.
"What happened to your fiery spirit you had when you began?" Kaze chuckled, lifting her chin to gaze at her charmingly.
"That was before I met you," Kylie replied, averting her gaze. "Now, I understand our vast disparity and know nothing I do will match your skill. It also used to be a job; now, I''m worried about letting you down."
"Kylie," he said, snapping her out of her haze. "You have millennia to develop skills at my side. Today is the first step down that road, and I''m here to step in at any time. So show me what you have without restraints; I''m here to back you up."
The ex-cheerleader looked into his eyes with trembling eyes, feeling passion welling within her. She wrapped her hands around and kissed him before looking at her watch. "It''s time to go."
"I look forward to it," Kaze winked, creating a spatial rift in the wall. "I think this entrance is far more befitting for my partner."
Kylie smiled brightly before closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and walking through the spatial rift. Muted sunlight hit her eyes as she exited onto therge y stage, and the sound of thousands of Immortals pierced her eardrums.
"Wait, is that Director Shultz?"
"Yeah, when did she get there?"
"Oh, she walked through a spatial rift!"
"That''s right; she''s the emperor''s girl!"
"You look beautiful, Lady Shultz!"
A chaotic and confused chorus of cries andpliments crashed onto the cheerleader, captivating her and calming her mind.
"Hello, Immortals," Kylie greeted, shing everyone a charming smile. "That title feels good now, doesn''t it?"
The crowd answered her call with morous cheering.
"A couple of months ago, we were just children who wanted to cultivate," Kylie chuckled. "Then we met Kaze Lexicon."
After a cheeky smile, the crowd cracked, and a cataclysm of chuckles, chortles, and cackles sounded, creating an electric atmosphere.
"Then we became a country," the brte smirked, pausing to spur thunderous apuse, "vanquished the sick killed a cultivation lord challenged a superpower and won."
Battle cries crackled through the soundwaves, charged with excitement and celebration.
"A week ago, cultivators came to kill ants but chose to convert instead," she smirked. "That''s how you know we''re special."
Immortal Skye erupted in a mor,posing a choir of conviviality.
"Today, I bring you ourtest victory," Kylie smiled enigmatically. "Ice General Skye has conquered Lainwright Military Base, converted capable soldiers, and captured the criminal who attacked our country!"
Battle cries shed with the soundwaves, seemingly challenging the heavens. Kylie designed her opening to incite confidence in the citizens, building their courage to meet the shockingmunique that could spark a serious crisis. She hoped it would be enough.
Chapter 329 The Art Of Framing
Kylie had captivated the boisterous crowd, their fervor swelling into a nationalistic frenzy. While most public rtions students would be content with such enraptured faces, the wavy-haired brte was aware of the imminent storm.
Her gaze steely, Kylie continued, "But there''s more. Immortal Skye has also managed to secure some of your family members."
The announcement hit the Immortals like a hammer, cracking the ss house of enthusiasm they had built. Everything they once knewfriends, family, and futureshad vanished, reced by an ever-present struggle against harsh reality.
Many wished the families had remained dead. After finding peace after their loss, the announcement threatened to rip open the wounds and leave them the only ones without a family.
"Before I reveal who, let me exin how," Kylie began. "At the dawn of the apocalypse, Emperor Lexicon exchanged cultivation techniques with General Payton to locate your family members."
A tide of conflicting emotions washed over the group as they learned Immortal Skye had information about their families from the start.
"The apocalypse was underway, so naturally, many died from Qi sickness or got lost," Kylie exined. "However, we found many, and Emperor Lexicon provided cultivation techniques and military protection for them."
Excitement shed with shock and anger, and the previously-festive atmosphere gave way to a maelstrom of emotion.
"YOU''VE KNOWN!?" a blonde snarled. "You''re talking about a month and a half of knowing where our families were!?"
Her vitriolic usation reframed the narrative instantly, reversing many''s opinions on the subject amid the confusion.
"Wait, that''s right!"
"How long have you known?"
"Why aren''t they here!?"
"What happened after Malta attacked us!?"
"WHAT HAPPENED!?"
Kylie locked eyes with Kaze in the distance, ready to use Forced Tranquility if needed. But she refused to rely on his intervention, determined to prove worthy of his love and support.
She refused to let Kiera Snow be the only one to dere her love.
Kylie had been learning from the fiery teen.
Kiera was sensitive. Reactive. Bad with people. However, if Kaze was in trouble, she''d brute-force her way through the situation, and people would shut the fuck up whether they wanted to or not.
Kylie Shultz was collected and had good social skills
"LISTEN TO ME!" the brte shouted, waving her hand to the sky. The atmosphere warped above them, turning icy and white.
she could do at least that much.
BOOOOOOOOM!
A traumatic shockwave crashed over the group, forcing people to suffocate in silence, awaiting the PR director''s words.
"Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, I''ll address the main point first: why didn''t we bring the family members to Immortal Skye immediately?" Kylie posed calmly. "Think about your situation here."
She presented Immortal Skye with her hand, panning it across the half dome behind them. Many turned around or closed their eyes, conditioned to following directions.
"Despite our wealth, we have ten people sharing a room and we''re surviving on soul meat because supplies are low," Kylie reminded. "We''ve faced zombie attacks, cultivator massacres, and ballistic missile bombardments from the military. We may be the future of civilization, but right now we''re living in hotels during the apocalypse."
Her words reframed Immortal Skye''s achievements and shattered the Immortals'' sense of well-being, leaving them grappling with her challenging words.
"So let me ask you, how could we manage with twice as many people?" Kylie narrowed her eyes, sending spider cracks of perplexion through the crowd.
"Starving with them is still better than leaving them with soldiers!" a man protested tearfully, giving words to the Immortals'' resentment.
"Is it?" Kylie challenged, shocking the crowd. "The Maltian Military required soldiers to protect their families around the clock with full food and board because they relied upon Emperor Lexicon''s techniques. People are easy to trust people to protect someone when their lives depend on it."
The man opened his mouth to retort, but she continued.
"What about here? You would have trusted your little sister with anyone during the announcement hysteria?" Kylie challenged. "When everyone was weak, working, and feeling they may die without having sex? I sure as hell wouldn''t have."
Gasps spread through the crowd when the brte carved disturbing images into their minds about Immortal Skye, threatening to sow seeds of distrust through them.
"Or are you thinking it would be fine because Emperor Lexicon would protect them?" she asked with narrowed eyes. "You think he hasn''t done enough by feeding, housing, training, providing, and protecting you and should have also protected your family as well?"
Everyone shut down; no one dared to say that Kaze hadn''t done enough for them.
"Do not forget our situation," Kylie dered. "It''s the apocalypse: we should be barbarians I wouldn''t trust today. However, we now stand as the cornerstone of civilization in a country stronger, wealthier, and more civilized in than Malta ever was."
The brte panned everyones'' faces. "That''s all thanks to Emperor Lexicon and General Skye. After all, they''ve given you, do you think they''d just abandon your family and let them suffer?"
A bolt of guilt pierced the Immortals'' hearts, transposing thest feelings of bitterness and resentment into shame and ruefulness.
"Emperor Lexicon made a deal to ensure your families could eat and were protected around the clock as we stabilized politically," Kylie imed. "Thanks to his efforts, we managed to locate and protect many without a single assault or battery."
Her words bolted through the group like lightning, making everyone''s bodies spasm in astonishment.
"They should all be alive right nowbut General Payton betrayed us." she dered, her tone bold and chilling.
The Immortals'' developed a pit in their stomachs after being reminded of the bombing. In an instant, their animosity, anger, acrimony, antipathy, and usations that they held toward Immortal Skye transferred to a single person: General Payton.
"You heard correct!" the brte seethed, trembling with anger. "Weter learned that he seized your families as hostages to force us into the military and Emperor Lexicon to house corrupt politicians and elites instead of you! But even that was a ruse!"
Instant rage pulsed through the crowd, oozing bloodlust from their pours. The atmosphere became chilling, vibrating with trembling anger.
"We know because after he tried to seize Immortal Skye; after his operation failed and he bombed his soldiers trying to massacre us; and after he lost to our handshe ordered a massacre on his own soldiers'' families to cut costs," Kylie exined rhythmically.
The Immortals'' and ex-military soldiers'' rage became white hot, turning to molten ore, ready for her word smithing to strike and form.
"General Skye immediately contacted General Payton after their bombingdo you want to know what she said?" Kylie mused.
"YES!"
"TELL US!"
"WHAT DID SHE DO!?"
The crowd rioted, each demanding instant retribution and hatred.
"General Skye dered that she''d reap the lives of two soldiers for every family member killed," Kylie recounted, her tone raw and chilling. "She''d start with the guilty, but kill two regardlesswhether they were guilty or not."
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
As if ignited, the bloodlust in the atmosphere exploded in a deafening roar threatening to swallow everyone''s sanity whole.
"We''re not uncivilized murderers at Immortal Skyebut we do not forgive transgressions against our loved ones," Kylie dered. "Knowing he''d die, General Payton attempted to flee and tried massacring our families out of spite."
She revealed that General Payton, knowing he would die, attempted to flee and massacred their families out of spite. The Immortals were left in an earsplitting silence, their breaths and sense of well-being stolen away, and their hearts pounding with ache and prayer for resolution.
"But most Maltian soldiers followed in the honorable footsteps of Sandra, Aaron, and the rest of our military brethrenand protected them from General Payton and the loyalists he bribed with special ''privileges!''" Kylie dered.
The atmosphere was charged with tension as Kylie trembled with hellfire and wrath for the man, baring her teeth red-faced.
"So when General Skye left with fifty ex-military Immortals ready to reap vengeance for our people," she swallowed, baring her teeth red-faced. "The soldiers led Ice General Skye to Payton and evil actors so she could exact swift and merciless retribution!"
Explosive battle cries returned, cutting through the sky and sending a threat to the world itself.
"In the end, we lost ten percent of the family members," Kylie whispered, creating a crushing atmosphere after the energy. "However, Emperor Lexicon, General Skye, and the good Lainwright soldiers located, secured, and protected 1,964 family members."
Kylie looked up with a bright smile, highlighted by tears. "Immortals and ex-military; thanks to them, 1,964 of your families areing home."
After seeing her face and choked response, tears streamed down the Immortals'' cheeks involuntarily, blurring their vision with tears. Time threatened to stand still in the emotional paradox twisting through their hearts, but it sped up when the elites passed out sheets with almost two thousand names listed in four columns.
While many had lost all their family, most Immortals found at least one of their family members on the sheet and screamed with overwhelming tears, bleeding the ink on the page with their flowing tears. Many hugged orforted one another in an emotional atmosphere tugging everyone''s heartstrings.
Kaze watched with a mysterious smile, moved by his partner''s emotionally twisting masterpiece that skillfully shifted resentment away from Immortal Skye and onto General Payton without building general hatred for the Lainwright soldiers. It was time to merge the two forces and prepare for their showdown with the Killian military.
Chapter 330 An Unexpected Reunion
August 14th, 2032 | Immortal Skye
Before dawn on August 14th, 2032, almost four thousand individuals assembled at the southside entrance of Immortal Skye. Military vehicles brimming with supplies stood ready to transport them to the Lainwright Military Base, their exhaust pipes releasing steam plumes.
Darkness still enveloped the area, and the air was crisp, yet sleep eluded everyone present. Some struggled to contain their emotions, their veins coursing with hatred for the Lainwright soldiers. For others, anxiety pierced their hearts as they anticipated seeing their families once more.
A whirlwind of change had swept through their lives in the past two months, so they were no longer the same people. It left them with gnawing questions.
Would their loved ones still care for them after learning they had killed cultivators?
Could they find eptance?
Would their families remain unchanged?
Countless questions weighed on the cultivators'' minds, their emotions aplex blend as they prepared to depart for Lainwright Military Base.
Kaze rose to the forefront, his expression enigmatic, as he addressed his people, "In mere hours, many of you will be reunited with your families and introduced to those who will stand beside you, defending them. With the confirmed threat looming in just two weeks, we must set aside our emotions and concentrate on the task at hand."
Emotions rippled through the crowd, amplifying the tension in the air. The news of an imminent confrontation in a fortnight had only reached them the night before.
"Although Maltian soldiers havemitted heinous acts against us, General Skye vouches for the ones you''ll encounter," the emperor stated. "Each has defended your families not once, but twice C some even three times. Many have sacrificed their lives to protect your loved ones before our arrival; will you scorn the very people who saved your families because of the evil deeds of others?"
"No..." the embittered soldiers muttered, avoiding eye contact.
"General Skye co-leads Immortal Skye," Kaze continued. "Do you doubt her judgment, her dedication to bringing the guilty to justice, and hermitment to training soldiers to safeguard your families?"
The resentful snapped to attention, their eyes quivering as they shook their heads.
"Do you trust your leader, the leader who personally set out to protect your families?" he inquired.
"YES!" the soldiers bellowed, both frantic and resolute.
"General Skye represents Immortal Skyedo you question Immortal Skye?" Kaze''s voice rang out, strong and earnest.
"NO!" came the unanimous reply.
"Exactly what I expected!" the emperor thundered, "Your General leads you, the finest among the elite! Will you let your emotions cloud your judgment? Or will you greet your leader with a triumphant wee?"
"TRIUMPH!" they shouted, their voices resonating through the air.
"That''s right, soldiers!" Kaze roared. "We will embrace her efforts wholeheartedly and follow her guidance as she steers us to victory!"
"Hurrah!" the ex-military members cried in unison.
"Remember our objectives!" the emperormanded. "Your mission is to protect your families!"
"Hurrah!" The Immortals joined in.
"Train, grow stronger, and be the mightiest!" he bellowed.
"HURRAH!" everyone shouted, swept up in the infectious atmosphere.
"And when the Killian elites arrivethe architects of this genocide, not those among you as scouts and mentors," Kaze''s voice boomed, leaving people breathless, "We will stand united with our general, our newfound allies, and our recent friendsAND CLAIM VICTORY!"
"HURRAH! HURRAH!" the crowd roared, their enthusiasm echoing through the air.
"Let''s move out!" the emperormanded as the gates of Immortal Skye opened, revealing the vast mountainous terrain that would lead them west to Lainwright Military Base. "Let''s reunite with our families and meet those who may be part of our families in the future!"
TT
August 14th, 2032 | Lainwright Military Base
Lainwright Military Base, an expansive militaryplex sprawling over 160,000 acres,y 80 miles northwest of Meridian City. Once boasting a self-sufficient ecosystem for soldiers and their families, the base featured military-focused facilities alongside a small city with restaurants, shopping centers, and services for civilian family members.
As the base of an international military superpower, nearly 50,000 soldiers once engaged in aerial jump exercises, firing range practice, and obstacle course training. An additional 40,000 civilian employees and family members lived and worked within the city, inhabiting single-family homes, apartmentplexes, and barracks.
But the once-bustling base now resembled a ghost town, with the city, apartments, and off-site facilities abandoned. From an aerial perspective, a mere 6,000 people inhabited the core of the campus or trained in the recruit running grounds, which resembled a disused minefield dotted with holes.
Despite the early hour of 5 am, all 6,000 soldiers had gathered in the base''s town square, their eyes fixed on a blonde standing atop a five-story building. The day''s light breeze added a tangible chill to the anxious atmosphere as they awaited their leader''s address.
"Today marks a pivotal moment for your future at Immortal Skye," General Skye informed her soldiers. "In just a few hours, the Immortals will arrive at the security checkpoint, seeking their families. Many will bring with them their strength, resentment, and hatred for the Maltian military."
Anxious murmurs rippled through the crowd, amplifying the tense atmosphere.
"However" Evalyn''s enigmatic smile appeared. "Each of you has protected their families. You''ve stood by my sideand earned my approval. I''m staking my reputation on you."
The Ice General''s words pierced the soldiers'' hearts, simultaneouslyncing and alleviating their anxieties. For most, they hadn''t realized the significance of having their general''s support. Overwhelmed, several were moved to tears.
"Integrating with people who are generally stronger than you and hold higher status among the leaders won''t be easy," she cautioned. "But Emperor Lexicon and I prioritize results, talent, and loyaltydemonstrate these qualities, and you can surpass any Immortal."
Conflicting emotions washed over them, gripping them tightly. They struggled to believe her words. Could it be true?
"After all, I''ve requested a full transitional integration," Evalyn smiled. "If you prove your trustworthiness, adhere to ourws, and avoid causing trouble, you will all be Immortals."
Soldiers were rendered speechless, their words reced by tears and choked emotions. The potent mix of anxiety and intense feelings overwhelmed them.
"You have two weeks to earn the Immortals'' respect," General Skye announced. "Treat them with humility and respect, disy your talent and determination, and don''t hesitate to ingratiate yourselves. Until you earn the title of Immortal, you remain lesser citizens, so embrace your inner sycophant and only fight for justice or self-defense when no alternatives exist. Do you understand?"
The soldiers conveyed their agreement through various means, but the overall consensus was unmistakable.
"Do not lose focus," shemanded. "Just as the Immortals must ovee their hatred for you due to your people''s actions, you too must ovee your hatred for innocent Sky ne cultivators."
A wave of negative emotions infiltrated their minds, echoing the announcement.
"If you expect fair treatment despite your people''s crimes against our families and the bombings, you must also ept the innocent Sky ne cultivators," Evalyn said. "Thus, I will revoke pending Immortal status for anyone whomits a hate crime against one of our Sky ne cultivators."
Her announcement doused them with boiling water, making their muscles spasm with overbearing shock, fear, and confusion.
"You cannot expect forgiveness if you cannot offer the same," Evalyn dered. "Are you petty, soldiers?"
"No" they murmured.
"I didn''t think so," she smirked. "Last I checked, you were elites. Was I mistaken?"
"No!" the soldiers shouted, regaining their momentum.
"Does that mean I can hold you to a higher standard than the Immortals or cultivators?" General Skye inquired.
"YES!" they yelled, dering it passionately.
"Then remember your objectives, orders, and mission!" Evalyn ordered. "Now get prepared to wee your people!"
***
Evalyn''s eyes were fixed on the billowing dust clouds in the distance as the Immortals approached the neglected highway. She steeled herself emotionally; the sight of others reuniting with their families was bittersweet, a haunting reminder of her mother''s loss.
Some wounds never truly heal; people merely learn to live with them.
Herpanions shared her anxiety, their hearts pounding like war drums. The anticipation was almost unbearable, akin to the feelings experienced during the apocalypse or rapture.
Soon, a solitary figure appeared in the sky, stirring apprehension among the soldiers. However, recognizing the Cultivation God, they began excitedly whispering as he approached.
"Wee, Emperor Lexicon," Evalyn greeted, kneeling respectfully. Shocked by her gesture, the soldiers hastily followed suit, dropping to the ground like falling dominoes.
"Lift your head, love," Kaze smiled, stepping beside her and helping her up.
"We''re in front of soldiers, Kaze," she protested.
"Our soldiers," he countered, grinning. "I''m their emperor, and you''re their queen; why would our people expect anything less from their rulers?"
General Skye blushed fiercely, eliciting cheers from those around her, who urged her to kiss Kaze. Gritting her teeth, she thought of how infuriating he could be and how often he put her in lose-lose situations. "This is unprofessional for a general who demands respect," she argued. "This is an important day for our soldiers, not a reunion."
"While you are generally correct, allow me to make an amendment," Kaze smiled. "It''s an important date for everyone to reunite with their loved ones, and you''re mine. As for you"
Evalyn gasped in shock as she saw a tbed truck carrying eight people instead of cargo. After recognizing their faces, tears welled up in her eyes. "I I should''ve expected this, but I was too afraid to ask."
"EVALYN!" a brte called out from the truck, followed by children and other adults, all crying as they approached.
"Isabell!" Evalyn shouted back, tears streaming down her face as she raced towards them, oblivious to her soldiers.
"It''s true!" a blonde eximed. "Evalyn! I''m so d you''re safe."
"Who are those people, Emperor Lexicon?" Sandra asked, her eyes choking with tears as she watched her general restrain herself from freezing the caravan to reach the people faster.
"Evalyn Skye''s caretakers and their families," Kaze smiled, obscuring a subtle swallow as he watched the caregivers and small children jump out of the back of the truck as quickly as possible. "The people who truly raised her."
The onlookers observed as Evalyn embraced the children, their parents, and her caretakers, shedding her usual stoicism and allowing herself to be vulnerable. It was a heartwarming scene that seemed to halt time and instill hope in a world that had experienced so much since the apocalypse.
As most people watched in awe, a flood of individuals poured out from the military gates.
"BRADLEY!" a weeping brte screamed, scanning the arriving caravan. She and her gray-haired husband immediately rushed towards it.
"REIN!" another shouted, ovee with emotion. As if the floodgates had opened, Immortals and family members ran towards each other, desperately calling out the names of their loved ones.
Chapter 331 Reunion
Evalyn gazed at her caregivers, her face a mixture of surprise and disbelief; the fearless leader everyone hade to know was nowhere to be found. Anxiety surged through her, uncertain about how others would perceive her now. She was, after all, a ruthless woman responsible for countless deaths.
Would they still ept her?
A woman with auburn hair, dressed in a solid green blouse, stood before her, brown eyes filled with tears and trembling as she stared at the apprehensive blonde. "Oh, sweetheart," she sobbed, embracing her tightly. "You don''t have to justify anything to me; I''ll always love you."
Tears streamed down Evalyn''s cheeks as she hugged the woman with overwhelming gratitude.
"Is that what you were worried about?" a man with a neatly trimmed, graying beard and a gentle expression inquired. "All we''ve heard is how many lives you''ve saved--even our own. Liz and I are proud of your aplishments and joy that you''re alive, regardless of the means it took."
A woman around fifty with blonde hair stood beside him, nodding in agreement with a radiant smile.
"Hey, hey!" a five-year-old boy eximed, tugging on her ck military pants. "Hey, Evalyn, we heard you''re strong! Is that true?"
Evalyn was unsure whether tough or cry as three children between the ages of four and ten expressed excitement about her murderous power. She focused her mind and opened her palm to the boy, creating a stunning disy.
"WOAH!" they shouted, marveling at the water drawn from the atmosphere, which solidified into a mythical bird resembling a parrot with the head and beak of an eagle. The crystal-like phoenix captivated everyone, though, to Evalyn, the intricate detail felt so natural that she couldn''tprehend its eeriness.
Ice General Skye handed the sculpture to the boy, smiling. "I''m strong, yes," she admitted. "But I''m not sure if I''m strong enough. That''s why you must also be strong to protect your mother someday, Dn. Can you do that for me?"
The brown-haired boy, missing a front tooth, beamed. "Of course!"
"I''m going to get strong too!" a girl in a flower-patterned sundress announced, hands on her hips.
"No, you''re not, Mia! You''re a girl!" Dn retorted, protectively hiding the phoenix from the other children.
"Evalyn''s a girl, and she''s in charge here!" Mia huffed, pointing at the blonde with determination.
Laughter and tears filled Evalyn''s eyes as she picked up the little girl, hugging her tightly despite the child''s initial resistance. Soon enough, Mia giggled and hugged her back.
"Hello, Evalyn," a vibrant, red-haired woman in her seventies greeted her with a gentle smile.
"Ms. Collins," Evalyn choked, recognizing the woman. "You''re...."
"Call me Scarlet now, child," the woman grinned. "I''m not sick anymore, and ording to Mr. Lexicon, we''ll never get sick again. It''ll be awkward when we''re both old hags, and you''re still calling me ''Ms.''"
"You haven''t lost that stubborn sass, I see," Evalynughed, wiping away her tears as she set Mia down. "Come here."
The two embraced tightly, their love for one another evident. Evalyn then weed the rest of the group: three women, a man, a teenage boy, and two young children. They focused on the present, not mentioning those who were absent.
Families and friends embraced one another as reunions took ce, tears of joy and sorrow mingling. Jake hugged his parents and siblings; Veronica and Rein shared a bittersweet reunion with their fathers; Larkin regaled his little brother and mother with stories as she rolled her eyes; and Brad experienced an emotional reunion with his parents. Almost everyone had at least one family member present, with their tears reflecting joy for the reunions and pain for those who didn''t make it.
One reunion, in particr, cut through the cries and heavy tension.
"REMY, EMMA!" Kylie shouted, tears streaming down her face as she embraced her two younger sisters, aged nine and eleven. Both clung to her tightly, sobbing uncontrobly.
Benjamin, their wavy-haired father, watched with teary eyes as his wife, Grace, broke down in his arms, ovee with emotion. It was evident that this tight-knit family reunion was incredibly passionate.
Kaze observed as the cab members reconnected with their families, who were now a top priority after the events involving Evalyn''s mother. He resolved to prioritize family, and as he saw hisrades weeping in the arms of their loved ones, he knew he had made the right choice.
After a heartfelt moment, Evalyn stepped away from her caregivers and approached the emperor. "Are you ready?" she asked, ncing at the soldiers.
"Of course," Kaze replied with a smile, gesturing towards the sea of soldiers who immediately began moving. "After you."
General Skye rolled her eyes, attempting to keep her emotions in check. She longed to embrace the emperor but instead walked forward into the throng of Lainwright Military Base soldiers, eagerly awaiting the Immortals'' arrival.
As the new motorcade and soldiers entered, many people were preupied with their families, hardly paying attention to the soldiers. However, Eric''s team felt the intense resentment emanating from those who hadn''t been as fortunate in their reunions. The bitterness and anguish were palpable, and Eric and Denzel prayed they wouldn''t have to confront these individuals, fearing it could spark hostilities and jeopardize everyone.
***
The main campus of Lainwright Military Base featured arge town square at its center, capable of amodating two thousand people, with thousands more able to fit into the surrounding roads.
A Roman-style stage with a roof stood at the heart of the square, with its back to a massive auditorium once used for troop graduation ceremonies.
To the east, the square was lined with cafeterias, administrative buildings, and public facilities for rxation and personal training. To the westy a series of modest barracks, offering small, individual rooms with a bed, desk, and dresser for each person. Whilecking the luxury of the mansions they''d left behind, the soldiers were grateful for the privacy, given they''d been sharing rooms with up to ten people for the past two months.
Furthermore, the children had bunk rooms where their Immortal siblings could sleep to protect them and their parents. The campus was designed to amodate more people after the confrontation, offering flexibility.
After unpacking their belongings, everyone reconvened at the town square, where the Lainwright soldiers gathered, eager to hear from the legendary emperor. As the Immortals arrived, they called out to their family members, anxious to lose them again.
The chaotic chatter and whispers suddenly ceased, reced by an uneasy silence that drew everyone''s attention to the podium, where Emperor Lexicon and General Skye now stood.
"Wee, former Maltian civilians, special forces, soldiers, police, Sky ne cultivators, and adversaries," the emperor began. "I address you this way to remind you that merely two months ago, you were all Maltians and half of you fought against our people. So before you judge, point fingers, or even speak to one another--remember that you, too, were once on the other side."
A tide of unease swept over them, threatening to erode their newfound pride unless they acknowledged their past biases.
"Being an Immortal is an honor granted to the virtuous elite who will lead us into a new era--not a birthright," Kaze asserted. "Many of you have earned this honor, while others are still on their journey. Are you ready for this challenge?"
"HELL YES!" Larkin shouted exuberantly. "We''re the best in the world!"
The Immortals'' enthusiastic cheers echoed throughout the area, soon joined by the pping of the Lainwright soldiers.
"Remember, those around you are not your enemies," Kaze urged. "Don''t lose focus by ming those who have proven their worth for past atrocities. The true enemy approaches, and if we don''t stand united and fight, we risk losing everything we hold dear."
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, the gravity of the situation tightening its grip on their hearts.
"General Payton," the emperor continued, eliciting a surge of animosity from all but the cultivators. He scanned the crowd. "Do you see that?" he said with a vicious smile. "You don''t need to search for an enemy, create one, or justify one--you know when someone is your enemy."
An explosive roar of anger and battle cries ripped through the area.
"General Payton orchestrated bombings against our people and ordered the deaths of countless family members. If not for him, everyone here could have be an Immortal," Kaze announced, his voice cold and resolute. "He is an enemy."
The Lainwright soldiers, emboldened by this revtion, joined the chorus of contempt. They already knew their hardships stemmed from Payton''s actions, but now they had a tangible target for their rage.
"Who would like to see this sick and twisted cretin eradicated from this world?" the emperor asked, callous and cold.
Immortals and Lainwright soldiers devolved into a frenzy when they saw they heard chains rattling atop the rooftop behind Kaze. No one felt pity when they saw the wretched man, thin as a toothpick and wrapped in chains. They were thrilled to watch the man die, and the more gruesome the method, the better.
Chapter 332 General Peyton’s Fate
General Payton stood on the auditorium roof, his body restrained by rusted shackles that dug into his skin. Dark bags hung heavily under his eyes, and he struggled to stand straight, appearing malnourished, sickly pale, and dangerously thin. It seemed as though even the slightest breeze could send him tumbling to the ground.
The wretched man surveyed the sea of people before him. Over ten thousand had gathered to witness his public execution, turning the spectacle into a Caesarian Triumph. Payton had imagined inspiring such crowds in his dreams, but now, after weeks without sleep, he wondered if it was a nightmare.
Eighty feet below him, the emperor stood on a tform with a cold expression, surveying the sea of people with a bold stare. "Do you seek justice for the futures this viin has stolen from your friends and families?"
The once-good-natured crowd had transformed into savage beasts, snarling and snapping at the restrained man. The bloodlust emanating from them was beyond description.
"Then justice shall be served," Kaze dered. "But a simple death cannot satisfy your thirst for vengeance. Allow me to exin where this man has been and the fate of those who harm our loved ones."
With a wave of his hand, the emperor enveloped the children in a cool white aura. "They should not hear this," he smirked, eliciting wild cheers from the Immortals and soldiers.
TTT
August 7th, 2032
Bang! Bang! Bang.
"Guuhhh." General Payton groaned, pulling his bloody forehead up from the floor. "Kill me."
BOOOOM!
"GAH!" a man snarled. "You son of a bitch! I''ll kill you! I''ll fucking kill you, Payton!"
"I wish you could." the ex-general coughed, spitting blood. He was naked, shivering in a ss prison cell surrounded by three ss walls.
He was in one of the central cells of a bright white, six-cell prison room with ss walls. Since the walls were ss, the upants in the other five cells could always see his naked body, bereft of his penis and testicles.
A soldier tried to use a sh attack to shatter the walls and kill the general, but it bounced back, cutting halfway through his wrist and leaving it hanging. He, too, was stark naked and freezing in the open, so everyone fell silent, watching him shake.
"I won''t let her take it." the man gulped, shaking.
Click!
Haunting footsteps from boots with metal bottoms cked into the room, creating a traumatizing click every time they touched the ground.
"Please, Ms. Skye." General Payton begged. "Please kill me."
Evalyn pulled a bottle of whiskey from a spatial ring before him.
CRaaACK!
The blonde smiled when she heard the satisfying crack from the seal of the whiskey bottle. It made the ex-general''s brain go haywire as she took a deep swig, exhaling in pleasure. "I won''t deny my people the satisfaction of watching you die," she spoke with a sinister smile. "So if you want to leave earlier, ask your cellmates to try smarter, not harder."
"No!" General Payton screamed, feeling his head healing with a cooling blue light. "I''ll ept the execution, but please make them stop!"
Splish-splish-splish-ssh!
The sound of her pouring the whiskey on the floor made his pupils dte, bing the size of dimes. "Stop!" he snarled. "STOP! This is cruel! Cruel! INHUMANE!"
Evalyn ignored him and waved her hand, healing the other soldier''s half-severed hand. "I''ve healed your hand, but that means your time is up tomorrow," she warned. "So I suggest you find a smarter way of killing your general by the time I return."
"No, please, General Skye," the man stuttered. "It''s impossible. Whatever you did to this ss, it''s unbreakable. Everyone has tried every technique imaginable in thest two weeks, and no one has even scratched it. We''re trying to kill him, ma''am, but."
CRACK!
The soldiers'' eyes widened when the blonde punched the wall, creating spiderweb cracks in the ss.
"It''s breakable, Sam," Evalyn smirked. "If you look hard enough, you''ll decipher the trick behind this"
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"ss," she smiled. "I doubt you''re intelligent enough to figure it out, but I assure you it''s possible. So I suggest you try to figure it out because it''s your turn tomorrow if you can''t."
"I-I''ll do my best," Sam gulped, his eyes twisted with insanity.
"No." General Payton scrambled, pounding on the ss. "Please make it stop! STOP! PLEASE!"
But the blonde ignored his pleas as she walked out the door, leaving the scent of whiskey lingering in the air.
Click!
"There''s a fracture now!" Sam yelled. "It''s possible to break through the ss with that. She gave us a weak point. It''s our chance tonight! SLASH ATTACK!"
"PLEASE, NO!" General Payton yelled.
BOOOM!
"Did it work?" another asked, walking up to the ss. "Holy shit, it worked! There''s a small chip in it!"
"This is it!" another yelled. "We can finally break out!"
"FUCKING CHEATERS!" someone in another cell yelled. "I CAN''T BELIEVE SHE HELPED THEM!"
"N-Not again." General Payton stammered, covering his ears. "Please, just let me sleep! Just for an hour!"
"SHUT UP, PAYTON!" Sam snarled. "Ed, give it a crack. Stop listening to the haters and swine."
BOOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOOOOM!
Evalyn listened with a humorless expression on the other side, devoid of sadistic pleasure. "Threaten to deprive these people of their testicles without proof and give them a little hope, and they''ll smash that ss as if it were a conditioning exercise," she scoffed. "Animals."
General Skye pushed her back off the wall and walked up the stairs. "As long as that man looks like he went through hell when the Immortals see him, that''s all that matters," she said. "If it can save my soldiers, I''ll do far worse."
TTT
"General Payton hasn''t slept for a month. I bet he thinks this is all a bad dream," Kaze smirked. "But it''s not a dream. Your general will not tolerate anyone touching your family!"
A wave of shocked excitement spread through the crowd in a chain reaction, electrifying the area and leaving everyone stunned in disbelief. Once Larkin cheered, the entire area burst into wild battle cries.
Kaze released the white aura on the children, allowing them to listen to the crowd in confusion and wonderment. "He has received punishment; now it''s time to reap his soul," he announced. "Anyone who wishes to take vengeance upon this man, lend me your blood."
Confusion spread through the crowd until Evalyn summoned a crystalline dagger and cut her hand. "Take mine first," she said. "Don''t heal itpletely."
The emperor smiled and twisted his wrist, creating a small ck hole of blood, spinning wildly like a drill bit above him. Her blood flowed through it momentarily before he flicked his wrist, and her hand illuminated gold, cutting off the stream.
Before him was a vortex of blood, churning and creating various weapons like Evalyn''s ice sculptures, captivating the audience. "Lend me your blood, and your blood shall reap his life," Kaze dered. "My people will heal anyone''s wound after the letting."
"I''ll do it!" Denzel yelled, creating a tiny Guided Arrow and using it to puncture his palm. "Take as much as you need! I didn''t even know what that sick freak did to y''all until General Skye showed upnow, I''d kill him myself if you let me."
Countless Lainwright soldiers followed suit instantly, piercing their hands and wrists with arrows, stunning the Immortals.
"Yo, Immortals! Wake the fuck up, yo!" Larkin shouted. "I''m not gonna say that hatred''s apetition or nothin''but hatin'' this man is a god damn muthafuckin''petition!"
To his mother''s horror, he used a sh attack to cut his wrist open, eliciting battle cries, and the Immortals did the same.
General Payton watched the gruesome scene in a haze, feeling like it was all a bad dream as thousands started shing their wrists and piercing their hands, letting blood flow freely.
"I''ll answer your call," Kaze said, giving everyone an ominous smile as he waved his hand to the center of the crowd, and the blood ball rose above them, collecting countless liters of blood-flowing streams and moving to the atmosphere.
"OhhhhhHHHHhhhHH!" the crowd yelled when the blood cyclone switched from a random churning ball into the form of a phoenix, pping its wings slowly.
Countless more joined in, realizing it wasn''t a simple grotesque effort.
As people cut their bodies, the Immortals went around healing one another with Minor Healing, helping the Lainwright soldiers without thinking about it. It was simplymunal, bringing people together.
As the phoenix grew, it transformed into a majestic Chinese dragon, soaring through the air with its mouth agape.
The crowd erupted in ecstatic cheers, marveling at the stunning disy of skill before them. With each passing moment, the dragon grew in size and power, fuelled by the fervent enthusiasm of the spectators.
The pressure to participate in the ritual intensified, and soon, even the hesitant ones were swept up in the frenzy. The dragon captured the blood of each individual in the audience, no matter how small as if it was fueling its strength.
Kaze''s voice rose above the din, silencing the crowd. "Your people, my peoplewe despise you," he dered, turning to face General Payton. "We will ensure that your actions are known for all eternity, so that you may forever be remembered as the most reviled person in all five nes."
The audience erupted in cheers once more, their voices filled with unbridled rage and hatred.
"Pray that there is no afterlife where you can witness your legacy," the emperor dered in a cold, unfeeling voice. "For there will be no redemption for your sins."
"P-Please!" General Payton yelled, feeling like he was speaking underwater. "I''m innocent! This is all just your narrative."
A chorus of vitriolic jeering met the man''s words, spewing venom and hatred.
Kaze lifted his hand and spoke with finality. "For your transgressions against my kin; for the iniquities that you have wrought; and for the depravity you represent, I stand before you as the voice of the dead and the hand of your victims."
"N-No." General Payton pleaded, seeing the dragon''s jaws open wide.
"To reap vengeance for their sorrow and give closure to their pain," Kaze dered. "I will fulfill the desires of those who seek shelter, hear their cries, and save them. For your crimes and indiscretions, and for the sake of timeless justice, I pray you never rest again."
The general''s scream filled the air as the dragon shot forward, its jaws wide open, to reap vengeance upon him.
CRAaaCK!
A loud crack echoed through the town square, signaling the end of General Payton''s legacy. The crowd erupted in triumphant cheers, proiming that their thirst for justice was quenched and marking the beginning of Immortal Skye''s rise to power. There would be a long road before the various groups cheered and bonded as true allies as they did at that moment, but that journey would start tomorrow when thepetition began.
Chapter 333 Unexpected Friendships
333 Unexpected Friendships
As dawn broke, the Lainwright soldiers stirred, roused by a divine scent they had never before experienced. It permeated their barracks, invigorating each of them with electrifying energy.
"What is that aroma?" Denzel muttered, already dressed. Lainwright soldiers were ustomed to waking early, so he, Eric, and Chen descended to the ground floor of their barracks. To their surprise, they discovered a sea of soldiers and Immortals had beat them, walking toward the scent like the undead, funneling into the mess halls past the town square.
While the Immortals had be ustomed to fine cuisine and soul meat, the Lainwright soldiers were not. Theirst soul meat meal had been prepared haphazardly in colossal vats with minimal seasoning, resulting in a surprisingly appetizing gruel to enjoy at a shipping yard.
Still, it wasn''t a fairy tale.
"Che," Chen grumbled, crossing his arms when they reached the mess halls and found separate lines for Immortals and Lainwright soldiers, thetter unmoving despite being early. "We''ll eat after them, huh? I bet we''ll get the scraps too."
Both of Lainwright Military Base''s mess halls amodated 2,500 soldiers.
Their cafeteria-style design was practical, featuring long rows of tables and benches in an openyout with stain-resistant concrete floors and kitchens with industrial equipment capable of frying 50 pounds of french fries, cooking 400 eggs, or baking 25 loaves of bread simultaneously.
Despite their size, there were over ten thousand stationed at the base, so meals had to be served in two shifts.
"Bro, who cares?" Denzel retorted. "We''re on our way to bing Immortals and feasting on professionally cooked meals."
"Exactly. We didn''tin when we arrived at this base as recruits and were treated like worms," Eric added, rubbing his bald head. "Just think of it like that."
"Yes, when we first arrivedpast tense," Chen hissed. "We came here when there was a clear hierarchy and a defined path to the top, and we climbed it.
Now, these neers arrive, take over the mess halls, and we''re left wondering if we''ll get to eat while they sneer at us. Excuse me if I''m irritated."
The soldiers grew quiet, aware of the resentment from being perceived as murderers by some Immortals. The silent animosity went unspoken because it was "against thew," but was palpable.
"Still, we''re going to be humble," Eric sternly ordered. "Comining will cause issues, and issues will worsen our situation. Don''t forget that General Skye is an Immortal and the emperor''s partner she won''t prioritize us over them."
Click.
Everyone gawked when they watched Immortals exiting the second set of double doors, foodden trays in hand, and heading toward the hangers.
"What''s going on?" Chen inquired, his brow furrowing as the Immortals flowed in and out like a well-oiled machine. "No way."
As soon as thest Immortal entered the building, the door to the Lainwright line swung open, allowing the soldiers to join the sprawling queue that snaked like an amusement park ride.
"Allergies don''t exist, so take what you get and like it," Hayden, a brte with curly, auburn hair in a ponytail, sassed. "You''re not special enough to treat as inferior, so don''t bitch like the ''talentless.'' We already got whiners here; we don''t need more."
Chen''s face lit up with a grin, "Atst, someone who speaks candidly. That''s just what I needed."
Morale lifted as they progressed through the line and received their cafeteria trays. Each held a quarter pound of meat over rice, bread, a side of vegetables, and a can of soda, all wrapped in tinfoil. The soul meat was expertly seared, emitting an intoxicating fragrance that made them question whether they had tasted food.
"This is absurd," Moe remarked, following the lines toward a vast hangar that once shelteredmercial nes. It was vacant and furnished with seating for ten thousand.
While good-natured, many wished Immortal Skye separated them. Tension was in the air, as there was open seating, and the long tables made segregating impossible. Every Immortal had lost a family member and a fourth due to General Payton''s orders. Therefore, they gritted their teeth when the soldiers showed up, found open locations, and sat beside them.
A feeling of foreboding crept up, whispering that a conflict was inevitable.
However, as the tension increased, something amazing happened.
"DENZEL!" a young child shouted. "Come sit with us!"
The Immortals swiveled their heads towards the unfamiliar names, spotting Larkin''s little brother and mother waving at Denzel, who had just entered and was perspiring under the weight of the stares.
"I''m not sure if that''s appropriate, Simon..." Denzel hesitated, feeling cold sweat trickling down his back.
A frizzy-haired brte nced at the Immortals at the table, which included Rein, Steve, their families, and several others. "Is it not eptable for him to sit with us? This man and his group saved my son from cultivators..."
Her words sent a ripple of astonishment through the room, which grew as more people entered. Everyone halted, creating an uneasy atmosphere threatening to ignite conflict among the various parties.
"There''s nothing wrong with them joining the table," a soft voice intervened, drawing everyone''s attention. "In fact, I''d be grateful if they didmay I join as well?"
"La, don''t speak for them..." Denzel began, his voice faltering as he realized she was standing up from a group of Immortals.
"What kinda dumb question is that, La?" Larkinughed. "Of course, ya''ll can join. Holding things against ya''ll was some ooooooold shit, yaow!"
Larkin''s mother smacked the back of his head. "Watch yournguage, especially at the dinner table!" she demanded.
"Mom, it''s break" he tried to retort, but she lifted her hand again. "Yes, mooooooom."
Following a moment of stunned silence,ughter rippled through the room, reigniting the flow of movement like an engineing to life.
"Leo, aren''t you sitting with us anymore?" Will, Brad''s father, inquired. "We''ve shared meals together every day for the past month."
The blond man who had confronted Rein, Steve, and Larkin shuddered, feeling the same weight Denzel experienced as thetter sat down at the table with La, looking puzzled. "If that''s okay?"
"Of course, we''d like you to meet Bradley, our son," Rena, Brad''s mother, chimed in.
"Alright," Leo agreed, moving to join the table.
Only then did the Immortals recall that their families, to whom they were so attached, had been living with the soldiers for months! It was only natural that they would form connections.
The Lainwright soldiers weren''t the only ones with unusual rtionships, either.
To everyone''s surprise, cultivators were part of the mix as well.
"Hey, Martha!" Manny, the boisterous meddler from the battle at the shipping yard, shouted. "Come join us!"
"No, please join us," Riley, the redheaded lieutenant captain, implored. "I''ve been meaning to express my gratitude and ask if there''s anything we can do for you."
"You too, Calvin," Randy, her major during her time protecting the Immortals, added. "We owe you both a great deal."
Martha and the other soldiers were taken aback by the invitations.
A frenzy ensued as everyone shuffled around to make room for one another.
The Immortals, anxious about their families'' opinions, were quick to wee their friends to the tables and make concessions.
However, one group wasn''t pleased amid themotionthose who had lost their families entirely. They felt embittered by the constant requests to rearrange and locate vacant seats to amodate others'' families. They became dark horses and shutouts because they didn''t have familiesit was cruel.
In no time, an entire long table filled up with people who had lost their families, simmering with resentment. The group included the regr members and ex-special forces, adding to the tense atmosphere.
Nevertheless, it was impossible to amodate everyone, so they filed in and awaited the ringing of a bell. Once it sounded, they temporarily forgot their lingering bitterness as they enjoyed the soul meat that was new to them all.
This meal imbued them with a vibrant energy that sparked lively conversations.
After everyone had finished eating, Kaze rose from his table, full of his partners'' family members, and strode to the stage amid resounding apuse.
"It''s peculiar," he said with a smile, surveying the crowd filling the massive hangar. "The agenda is for people to share stories about each other, but that almost seems superfluous."
Waves of chuckles spread through the room as family members gazed at the soldiers with appreciation and children expressed their gratitude.
"Though that may sound somewhat political, I assure you it''s not that simple,"
Kaze added with a smirk. "From what I''ve heard, my partner Kiera blew up a building with a few soldiers inside."
"Yeah, and it sucked!" Chen interjected, triggering a thunderp ofughter.
"I''m sure it did," the emperor chuckled. "General Skye trained these soldiers, who in turn protected family members, while Martha, Calvin, and Crux safeguarded the soldiers. In essence, you''re more interconnected than you realize."
Excitement rippled through the room as they acknowledged the depth of their connections.
"There is lingering animosity between Malta, Immortal Skye, and the cultivators," Kaze continued, ncing at the table without families. "Many have suffered irreceable losses and feel more pain than others. Some are struggling with their new status. For this reason, we''re giving everyone today to get acquainted. Then, tomorrow..."
The atmosphere grew tense and hushed as everyone awaited their emperor''s next words.
"We''ll engage inbat with each other, releasing our frustrations," Kaze dered with a grin. "No one will perish during ourpetition, so feel free to release your frustrations."
Chapter 334 Blunt-Force Trauma
334 Blunt-Force Trauma
Kazended on a wooden watch tower overlooking a state-of-the-art obstacle course. The area was like an imposing fortress with towering walls, deep ditches, rope bridges, mud pits, and recently installed reinforced t-walls. It was a far cry from the training grounds at Immortal Skye, a reminder that wealth didn''t equate to practical purpose or usefulness.
"What bears on you so?" the emperor asked the unreactive blonde hended next to, watching Immortals unloading crates of guns and carrying t-walls to the center of the obstacle course.
"Nothing ''bears'' upon me," Evalyn rolled her eyes. "I''m just bitter our soldiers can''tpete directly. The handicap you''ve given my side is so absurd that losing would be crushing."
"Oh, this isn''t a handicap," he smirked. "My people have practiced with guns from the start. So you can rest easy knowing we''re not at a disadvantage."
"That''s what makes me bitter," she murmured.
"Oh,e now," Kaze chuckled. "Have you given up? Where is all that boisterous confidence you freely offered a month ago?"
"I haven''t given up," Evalyn said, her tone low and pensive. "I''ve created a strategy, but I can''t figure out why it''s necessary. I can''t understand what you''ve done, Kaze. I''m trying, but l can''t."
The general looked at the Immortals, hauling around 20-foot t-walls like they were moving a dresser as part of a movingpany.
"While my soldiers are ready for hell, have battle experience, and have lived on the cusp of life and death, yours barely learned of a war a few days ago, and they''re still calm," she continued. "It gives me anxiety thinking the Immortals will freeze from sudden trauma, but..."
"Yes?" Kaze mused, his lips curving into a smirk.
"I still won''t know because I failed," Evalyn confessed. "Work people too hard, and they''ll rebel; put them in too much danger, and they''ll shut down; and if you force people into life-or-death situations, they don''t focus on practice. Was stability why you were so confident about winning?"
"Stability is critical but not always possible," Kaze rified. "Have you considered that I sheltered the Immortals from real danger to prepare them for war?"
"Why would" Evalyn tried to ask for rification, but he had already disappeared through a rift, leaving her without answers. "Even after all the love, trust, and bonding, that man still finds ways of driving me crazy," she grumbled, her eyebrow twitching. "Still, I''m grateful."
***
"This week, we''re holding a littlepetition between our people," Kaze announced, flying above a crowd of ten thousand. "All bouts are equalized for fairness. Today''s battle will see the Lainwright soldiers using cultivation techniques to destroy the sky realm Immortals while thetter uses weak firearms and defensive techniques."
Gasps spread through the crowd, with both sets of people equally shocked. It only got more extreme as Kaze outlined the rules.
The Immortals could only use firearms and defensive, sensory, and healing techniques against the Lainwright soldiers. By contrast, the soldiers could use any technique, including Guided Arrows, Wind sh, and Combustion. While the Lainwright soldiers felt it was a massacre, they were nervous when they remembered that the matches were "equalized for fairness."
Fifteen minutes after the announcement, 3,702 soldiers lined up on the north side of the obstacle course, creating a sea of gray, reinforced cammies. In the south stood an army of 3,650 Immortals wielding firearms of various descriptions with multiple clips. Between them was arge 20-foot t-wall, eliminating a sight advantage.
From an aerial view, they looked like massive armies in the civil war, preparing to jump the wall and charge through the brown and green wastnd, trudging through running trails, mud pits, ditches, and sand pits to ughter one another.
"The match willmence in three...." Kaze dered, flying high above the area. "Two... one..." After hisst word, he raised his hand high, and the sky warped.
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
While the Lainwright soldiers were stunned, reeling from the sky-shattering st, the Immortals took off, effortlessly running across the battlefield at forty miles an hour.
Unable to see them, the Lainwright soldiers followed suit, running toward the twenty-foot wall to gain the central advantage. However, the soldiers didn''t get a quarter mile out before seeing ck dots shooting over the wall as if they were hopping over a fence.
"They''re breaching the walls!" Riley yelled. "Front line, fire!"
Without skipping a beat, the soldiers fired two thousand arrows at the Immortals that flew over the wall, creating a massive warping mirage that cut through the sky.
"Phnx up!" Brad roared, lifting his hand high. A hundred Immortals stood shoulder to shoulder in tightly packed rows, activating Qi walls to make a turtle shell as the arrows rained down on them.
BOOM! Boom, boom, boom! Boom! BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOM!
The Lainright soldiers shivered when two thousand arrows crashed into the dome but didn''t break through. It was now clear why the Lainwright soldier could use techniques against them!
"We need Combustion specialists to break apart their ranks!" Riley ordered, seeing more Immortals scaling the wall. "Protect the specialists with Qi wall.
Second volly, aim for the Immortals feet and weak points to buy time!"
WHOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
The reserve force shot their arrows, curving them to hit the new soldiers jumping off the wall. However, to their horror: "Phnx!"
BOOM! Boom, boom, boom! Boom! BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOM!
Another barrage crashed into the Immortals that breached the wall and got repelled by the Qi wall, proving that hundreds knew the technique and could use it at battle capacity.
"March!" Brad ordered in the main phnx.
"HAROOOH!" the Immortals yelled, wielding a Spartan battle cry as a psychological weapon as they marched in unison.
BOOM! Boom, boom, BOOM!
One after the other, arrows crashed into the group and did nothing as they slowly marched in unison like a murderous turtle.
"COMBUSTION!" dozens of Lainwright soldiers yelled, waving their hands andpressing the atmosphere around them. However
"WIND GUST!" reserve Immortals yelled from behind the phnx.
BoooOORRSSH!
As soon as the explosion triggered, a massive gust of wind followed with perfect timing, creating a massive methrower that shot back at the group.
To the engulfed soldiers'' shock, their new clothing and mask made the wall of mes painful but not deadly. However, those watching cracked, torn between the psychological desire to surrender and the trauma against it.
"We need to retreat, Lieutenant Captain! We need a strategy to defeat them!"
"Keep focused, soldiers!" Riley roared, denying them. "Their Qi will run out! Don''t give up!"
"We''ll never ''give up,'' Lieutenant Captain! We just need a strategy!"
"I''LL BREAK THEIR LINES; USE GUIDED ARROWS TO PIERCE THROUGH IT!" a ck-haired soldier roared in the distance, unable to hear the redhead.
"No, don''t, Mathies!" Riley shouted, but it was already toote.
The soldier led two dozen others, donning Qi walls as they charged forward with dreams of being war heroes. Their sight spurred the courage of others.
"Follow me!" a brte with a Qi wall yelled. "Usebustion behind them, so blowing wind torches them!"
"STOP!" Riley yelled, but she had lost control in the chaos, as thousands couldn''t hear her. She could only watch in horror as a hundred soldiers with a valuable technique charged into battle, challenging the unstoppable phnx to the sound of the battle cries and cheering.
"HERE THEY COME!" Larkin roared, donning a fearless grin. "LET''S GIVE''EM CARCINUS'' SHELL!"
"HAROOOH! HAROOOH!" the Immortals shouted in unison.
While Rein rolled her eyes at the jester, she had to admit that the soldiers needed it as they saw the running wall of death charging at them. "They''re almost here! Squad one, follow me!"
"HAROOOR!"
As the Lainwright soldiers neared, preparing to crash into the imprable shield like a tidal wave, it suddenly broke apart, and a dozen Immortals filed out with Qi walls out. "Shield bash the defensives only!" Rein roared. "Don''t risk our victory on technicalities!"
"HAROOOR!"
By the time the Lainwright soldiers understood what they were facing, it was toote. "Charge!" she roared. Like ghosts, the Immortals blurred, running at the charging soldiers at fifty miles an hour with shields four times as thick as the soldiers''.
"W-Wait!" Mathies shouted. "That''s not allowACK!" His usation was cut short when Rein''s shield crashed into his, sending him flying fifty feet backward, crashing into twenty others like bowling pins.
The Lainwright soldiers watched in shock as a dozen Immortals followed suit, swinging their shields as weapons, crashing against other shields, and sending the soldiers flying.
"STOP FIRING ARROWS!" Riley yelled, seeing the Immortals pick up Lainwright soldiers to use as shields. Luckily, before the friendly fire pierced her soldiers, small shields popped up, stopping the arrow as an invisible force knocked out the soldier, disqualifying them.
While soldiers focused on friendly fire, the Immortals reminded them that the phnx was an offensive formation.
Ratatatatat! "Get some bitcheeeeeez!" Larkin shrieked, moving his shield to spray MP5 bullets into the sea of soldiers. Ratatatatat!
"HAROOOH!" the Immortals yelled ominously, following suit.
Ratatatat! Ratatatat! Ratatatat! Ratatatat!
The screaming Lainwright soldiers released arrows, but it was to no avail. The phnx closed its shields with eerie uracy, cutting off every attack, then opened up to shoot again. It was a massacre. With only a hundred Immortals with Qi walls, they could crush the entire army with blunt-force trauma.
Riley was about to announce a tactical retreat, but a booming voice cut through the air.
"Don''t you dare give up!" General Skye yelled, flying above them with her hand held high. Thousands of ice daggers developed in the air, creating a glimmering chandelier. "If you give up, I''ll freeze your intestines and spear our enemies with them!"
The Immortals froze, feeling overwhelming fear as they saw the des overhead.
"E-Evalyn''s not fighting, is she?" Sammy asked, trembling next to the other elites.
Rein''s eyes trembled in horror, looking at the chandelier. "Evalyn doesn''t bluff! Phnx open up!" she yelled, returning to the shell half a second before the des rained down upon them.
Chapter 335 Juggernaut
335 Juggernaut
"Second line, back them up!" Brad''s voice echoed through the battlefield as he ordered another thirty Immortals to switch with those shielding the Immortals overhead.
Boom! CRaaaCK! Boom, boom, BOOM! Crack! BOOM! Crack, crack, CRACK!
"No matter how strong you are, a single cultivator can change the tide of battle!" Evalyn shouted, raining daggers on the Immortals. "Life''s not fair, so show no mercy, soldiers!" Her troops responded in unison.
One of the Lainwright soldiers yelled, "COMBUSTION!" and waved her hand, warping the air inside the phnx.
"Shit, Wind Gust!" Rein dropped her shield to block the attack, opening the shell and allowing ice des to shoot inside and tear into the Immortals.
"Can''t we use techniques on Evalyn?" Steve cried, seeing daggers sticking out of Immortals. "This is hardly an equalization!"
"Right!?" Whitney yelled. "Does this mean the Emperor"
"Fuck. That!" Larkin roared. "We''re Immortal elites! We don''t need the Emperor solvin'' our shit! Now give me a fuckin'' haroooh!"
"Haroooh!" the soldiers yelled.
"That was some bitch shit!" the jester shouted. "Give me a real haroooh!"
"HAROOOH!" they roared.
Kaze watched from a distance, studying General Skye from under a cloak of invisibility. "What are you thinking, General Skye?" he muttered, his eyes narrowed. "You must know your sacrifice could backfire."
Evalyn flew above the battlefield, calcting her moves carefully as if waiting for Kaze to make a move. "If you fall, you will shatter the image of invincibility you represent," he asserted. "Or is that the message? You''re gambling on me standing back and letting it happen?"
Meanwhile, Evalyn summoned a massive ice hammer and called out to her soldiers to ready their arrows. The Immortals maintained their phnx formation as the Ice General jumped from the ice tform, hammer in hand, swinging in a deadly strike. "If there''s a shell break it!"
"BETA ATTACK!" Brad yelled right before the impact.
BOOOOOOOOOM! CReeecckk!
While the Immortals avoided Evalyn''s hammer, the impact sent them flying and froze the ground simultaneously.
"Hoover!" Rein yelled, watching the ice spread across the grass. She and the others jumped off the ground and levitated several feet as the ice spread below them.
"Fire!" Evalyn yelled, surprised but not losing focus. However, before the soldiers could shoot their arrows, a hail of bullets pierced through the air.
BOOM! Boom! Boom, boom, BOOM! Boom, boom!
"Snipers!" Evalyn warned, but the attack was too quick. Waves of bullets mmed into the frontline of archers, cracking their ribs with 50 caliber rounds only stopped by their reinforced clothing. They fell like dominoes, spreading confusion and groaning in pain.
"Charlie!" Brad roared. "Distract the Ice General; Delta, take out the soldiers. In and out!"
The morale of the Lainwright soldiers hit rock bottom when they saw thousands of Immortals jump over the walls. Within seconds, the Lainwright soldiers remembered that the Immortals they were fighting were only a twelfth of the Immortal forces!
VRooOOOOORSH!
Everyone was shocked when the phnx Immortals used mes to melt the ammonia ice below them. The group realized that the Ice General didn''t use techniques to strengthen or booby trap the ice, so it was safe to jump on. A momentter, they lifted their submachine guns.
Ratatatatatatatatat! Ratatatatatatatatat!
"Keep pressure on the general!" Rein yelled as Evalyn threw up an ice wall. "She makes her des from Qi in the atmosphere, but evocation techniques like this require her inner Qi! If we keep her on the defensive, we''ll whittle down her Qi until she''s rendered useless!"
Evalyn''s eyes widened when she heard her secret exposed but smiled wryly a momentter. "lt would be stupid not to teach people that," she chuckled. "If Kaze doesn''te, this will create irreparable damage. Let''s test your mental fortitude that''s what''s most important."
Firmly decided, she waved her hand at the ice wall, and massive ice pikes shot out of the wall.
"HOLD!" Brad yelled as the pikes shot into the shields.
CRAaaaACK! CRACK! Crack, CRAaaCK!
The Immortals screamed as the pikes shattered dozens of shields, piercing through the Immortals and impaling dozens. A wave of trauma shot through the injured when they looked down and saw a massive pike in their stomachs, threatening to kill them.
"Wheeeeeeeew!" Larkin grinned. "Evalyn''s not ying around! You hear that, boys!? We''re strong enough for Evalyn the Ice General fuckin'' Skye to take seriously! HAROOOH!"
"H-Haroooh...." the Immortals stammered.
"WEAK SHIT, GIVE ME A HAROOOH!" the jester yelled.
"HAROOOOOH!"
"Now create a barrier, because that badass ain''t done!" Larkin grinned. "As for me, I''ll be melting these bad boys all day, every day!"
"Follow me!" Rein ordered, creating a wall out front while the jester assumed a crab stance. "Hold the line during the healing!"
"HAROOOH!" the Immortals yelled, following her.
"Feel Carcinus'' fury!" Larkin roared, creating me mps. "YEEHAW!" Like a fool, he mped his hands, shooting mes at the ice skewers, melting through them.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The Ice Wall shattered not a momentter, hitting the shields with ice shrapnel and exposing archers with arrows at the ready.
"FIRE!" Riley roared, waving her hand.
Thud, thud, THUD! Crack, crack, CRAaaaCK!
The sound of arrows hitting shields echoed through the battlefield as Rein yelled, "Hold the line!" Her shield was hit, creating massive cracks. "Second shift!"
"HAROOOH!" The second wave of Immortals ran up to rece the front line, shocking the Lainwright soldiers with their orderly exchange.
Brad stood before the injured Immortals, his expression stern. "We knew they''d be shooting Guided Arrows!" he asserted, seeing the soldiers shaking in disbelief. "This is war! Now use the skills we''ve been honing to help one another!"
A wounded Immortal radiated a red light as two others hovered over them, working together to close the wound shut.
"See that!?" a blonde-haired athlete shouted. "We''re gods on Earth! While mortals would die, getting impaled means a bit of pain before a full recovery!"
A me of pride and hope kindled in the shocked soldiers, building them up as they healed. Their morale only increased as a hailstorm of bullets crashed through the airwaves as the Immortals arrived on the scene.
Bang! Bang-bang-bang! Ratat! Bang, bang, BANG! Ratatatat! Bang!
"I don''t have a choice." Evalyn gritted her teeth as the Immortals spread out, making it impossible to hit multiple targets simultaneously. Four waves of Immortals advanced with snipers in the back, followed by rifles, pistols, and SMGs to create a support system. All bullets hit their mark.
The Ice General developed a transparent cocoon around herself and threw her hand to the sky, developing a thousand des. "You''d run at a juggernaut!?"
she taunted. "Die!"
WhoooOOOOOOOSH!
Thousands of des weaved through the battlefield, cutting down five Immortals a second, leaving them screaming on the ground and in disarray. It was a brutal attack, wiping out a hundred Immortals in less than thirty seconds.
"This is bullshit!" Immortals roared as they shot at her with various guns. "Even 50 cals can''t scratch that shelll What''s the point of apetition where someone is invincible!"
Theirints went unanswered as she cut down a thousand Immortals, leaving 500 healing and the rest in disarray. However, they weren''t finished.
"STORM CHAMBER!" Steve''s voice echoed through the chaos as he created a wind chamber around the Ice General''s cocoon, cracking her shell with increasing pressure.
"SEE THAT!?" Larkin cheered triumphantly. "Even General Skye can''t keep us down! We still have a third of our troops uninjured, and that''s more than enough to beat these puny soldiers without her help!"
"HAROOOH! HAROOOH!" The Immortals roared in unison, trampling another four hundred Lainwright soldiers, leaving only a thousand. Meanwhile, General Skye tried to escape the storm chamber, but her attempts were futile. She gritted her teeth and created a deadly javelin.
"We''re not losing unless Kaze intervenes!" Evalyn roared, throwing the spear through the cyclone like Achilles hurdling a boulder across the Trojan battlefield.
"Shit!" Steve eximed, seeing the icy meteorite and jumping out of the way. "I didn''t sign up for this! MOVE!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
With a thunderous BOOM, the spear hit the ground, causing an earthquake that shook the battlefield. The Ice General flew high into the open for all to see. "This battle is over!" she dered. "l suggest you shield and pray! Razor Flurry!"
A massive blizzard of razor-sharp ice crashed down from the heavens, spelling the end of the battle. However, a wall of blue mes crashed into it, blocking the sides with a wall of steam.
"I-Is it over?" Brad murmured, feeling his pulse racing.
"In battle, the only end is victory!" a booming voice called from inside the mist, sending shivers down everyone''s spine. Everyone was excited and fearful that their emperor was joining the fight.
Chapter 336 Red Garden
336 Red Garden
"Wh-What the fuck was that!?" Moe shrieked as scorching steam assaulted the welts covering her body. The searing heat reddened their faces and snatched their breaths away as the Lainwright soldiers were consumed by agony. Terror spread like a contagion through the mist, threatening to unravel the typically unflinching warriors.
"In a military conflict, retreat is reserved for a singr reason," a mesmerizing voice dered, slicing through the fading mist. "The arrival of a juggernaut."
Dread pulsed through the Lainwright soldiers'' veins when they heard the Immortals chanting Emperor Lexicon''s name and cheering.
"Yet, surrender is never the answer," Kaze proimed, striding a quarter mile out, with golden light pulsing through the mist as he moved. Each sh silenced the screams of the Immortals, who then rose, creating an unsettling atmosphere akin to a necromancer''sir as the fog dispersed.
"No way," Denzel stammered, witnessing impaled soldiers restored to full health, inciting a crushing wave of despair.
"Even in the darkest of moments," the emperor began with an ominous cadence. "When hope has vanished, and victory seems impossible, even asrades fall and your injuries signal ruin..."
"FIRE!" Sandra yelled. "DON''T LET HIM FINISH!"
"You have me," Kaze grinned as a torrent of arrows shot across the battlefield toward him. He thrust his hand forward, producing a pulse that resonated within everyone''s chest, halting hundreds of arrows in their tracks. With a spiral motion, the Qi coalesced and hurled the projectiles off the battlefield.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The explosive force jolted everyone, their hearts pounding in terror. The fear only escted as a colossal red dome enveloped the battlefield, casting the sun in a crimson hue and plunging their world into a sepia-toned nightmare. As the dome solidified, the ground beneath the Lainwright soldiers transformed into a shifting, oozing mass. They stared down in horror as pools of blood birthed tendrils that wove together into walls and cages, filling the air with the metallic scent of iron.
"What the hell is this!?" Eric cried out, sprinting away only to find tendrils and walls relentlessly pursuing him. It was as though they were alive, ceaselessly seeking to entrap the thousands present and prevent their escape.
"You have entered my domain," Kaze dered, his voice crisp and bone-chilling as he drew nearer, with rivers of blood from the battlefield flowing past him towards the Lainwright soldiers. "The more you struggle in the Red Garden, the moreplex and confining it bes, until you are ensnared in an inescapable prison."
"W-What level of technique is this!?" Harper eximed, witnessing the blood tendrils dissolve and reemerge elsewhere, morphing into walls, poles, and other structures to restrain the soldiers.
"I don''t know for sure, but it transcends sacred," Crux trembled.
"Don''t be absurd!" the blonde cultivator jeered. "You act as if you''ve seen a sacred technique before!"
"Silence, you fool," the Panthera growled. "Eclipse rendered you sightless and immobile for a full minute. Imagine how many times I could have eliminated you and your soldiers."
Fear crept over Harper as she recalled her blindness during the battle with Jake, "W-Wiait... that was"
"A sacred technique," Crux interrupted. "Sacred techniques necessitate a sub-technique called proxitism mentalmands contingent on a target''s proximity. Evalyn employs it tomand her des to pursue targets from any direction. Eclipse uses it to blind, strangle, and assail enemies with their own shadows, regardless of the shadow''s location."
The cultivator''s eyes widened in shock, and she nced at the blonde, who stared at the emperor in a daze, seemingly paralyzed.
"However, that that is not proxitism," Crux shuddered. "That blood is conscious and devising inventive solutions to confine soldiers without injuring them. It''s as if Emperor Lexicon hasplete control over everything within that red barrier it''s literally his domain."
Kaze strode silently across the battlefield, the soldiers hushing as he entered the prison of Lainwright soldiers, who trembled within thes, bars, and walls that enclosed but did not touch them.
A quivering redhead in a blood cage stammered as he approached. "If you expect us to surrender, we" she started, but a pistol''s barrel materialized before her throat, cutting her off.
Bang!
"Guh..." she choked, copsing to her knees as her body sumbed to paralysis.
The other Lainwright soldiers watched in horror. "W-What"
Bang! Thud!
Another soldier fell as the emperor passed by.
Bang! Bang, bang, bang-bang-bang!
An unsettling atmosphere enveloped the area, the tension mounting as the emperor walked through with hypnotic apathy, targeting the Lainwright soldiers'' pressure points with each shot.
"Will you surrender?" Kaze asked, stalking through the area. "Will you live another day under the magnanimous judgment of the people you have foolishly attacked?"
"NO!" Jackson roared, his voice stirring emotions within the soldiers. But his cry was cut short as he crumpled to the ground, a gunshot echoing through the air, denying him even a basic response. The soldiers attempted to rally around him, making him a martyr and using the emperor of cruelty and inhumanity. Yet, they, too, fell to gunshots, their will to fight shattered.
"You have attacked my people and tried to take their lives," the emperor stated, his voice cold and resolute. "You sought to murder them in cold blood. Do not preach to me about cruelty or inhumanity."
The Lainwright soldiers trembled, their fear palpable as they worried the Immortals might still seek vengeance.
"This isn''t fair!" Chen spat, his face contorted in anger. "These prison cells prevent us from even aiming! This can''t be called a defensive technique!"
"Where were your objections when your leader exploited our limitations to inflict harm upon thousands with impunity?" Kaze retorted. "That is a war crime.
The only way to protect my people from your barbaric ways is to lock you and your leader away."
Chen looked up to see General Skye, bound with blood-red ropes inscribed with runes. Everyone could see she nned to put up some resistance, but was bound from the start.
A wave of terror spread through the Lainwright soldiers as they realized they could face the consequences for breaking the rules. Many stammered and asked forgiveness, but it was to no avail.
"The moment you raise your weapon against another, you''re at their mercy should you lose," Kaze pronounced. "Entering battle without epting that reality makes you a fool."
Another gunshot rang out.
"Do you surrender?" the emperor inquired, hoisting the pistol with an icy stare.
"I''ll spare everyone, absolve you of your war crimes, and hold only one person ountable Evalyn Skye."
A paralyzing shock coursed through the group, filling them with unease. Many considered it a test, but the correct response remained elusive. They had been in this situation before when they encountered Evalyn Skye, the representative of Immortal Skye. Now, Emperor Lexicon demanded their submission to him, the sovereign of the country.
Both options betrayed Immortal Skye, and none wished to jeopardize their alliance.
With quivering eyes, Evalyn listened, immobilized by despair. She recognized Kaze''s intent and now could only await the verdict.
"Take my life if you must, but I refuse to brand my general a traitor, even for a mere exercise!" Denzel bellowed. "General Skye fights for Immortal Skye, the nation I serve. won''t abandon her for any othernd!"
Evalyn''s eyes widened when she heard his response.
"Forget the exercise; you can kill me!" Manny, the loud, obnoxious hero from the Battle of the Shipping Yard, dered. "l won''t use General Skye of war crimes for defending us!"
"With all due respect, please end this," Eric urged. "We won''t yield or surrender.
Right now, our general is up there searching for a way to persevere we won''t abandon her."
A torrent of voices filled the air, each pledging their loyalty and respect for Evalyn, bringing tears to her eyes.
"Excellent answers," Kaze grinned, pressing his fingers together.
Snap!
The crimson barrier dissolved, allowing natural sunlight to flood in, transforming everyone''s sepia-toned vision into a dazzling array of blues and greens. As their sight adjusted, they saw the emperor soaring in the air, gently cradling Evalyn while releasing her restraints.
"Though it''s evident who emerged victorious in this battle," Kaze began, shing a sly grin at the exuberant Immortals, "the Lainwright team has demonstrated its potential in what truly matters. Evalyn Skye is your general; as long as she remains loyal to our nation, you shall live, fight, and die for her, and she will reciprocate with protection, refuge, and prosperity!"
Ovee with emotion, the Lainwright soldiers unleashed triumphant roars that reverberated through the atmosphere.
"Immortals and Lainwright soldiers, you stand with Immortal Skye!" the emperor bellowed. "You are supported by the four mightiest juggernauts in existence. With us by your side, there is no foe you cannot vanquish!"
Their battle cries intensified, sending shockwaves through the air.
Kaze nced at the Ice General cradled in his arms, her arms crossed and a pout on her lips as he flew her across the battlefield, eliciting apuse from both factions. "What bears on you so?"
"You''re insufferable," Evalyn grumbled. "Once again, you embarrass me after resolving yet another dilemma."
"I merely averted the worst-case scenario of your gamble," he chuckled. "You''ll have to face the consequences. After all, our games and training are far from over."
The blonde offered him a wry smile and locked her gaze with his as they moved out of sight. "Thank you."
"My pleasure, love," Kaze replied softly, his voice tender. "You''ve performed admirably."
Tears welled up in Evalyn''s eyes, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing herself to be vulnerable in their intimate moment. Although she knew tomorrow would bring new challenges, she was grateful for her partner''s support during this ordeal and the growth it had fostered within her.
Chapter 337 Tension
337 Tension
A tense atmosphere enveloped the breakfast tables the following morning as Denzel approached with his breakfast te, scanning for his group. Before he could sit down, however, a trio intercepted him.
The leader was a renowned athlete from Immortal Skye named Caleb Wrightwood. With a broad chest, chiseled abs, a neatly tapered haircut, a dazzling smile, blue eyes, and a predisposition for wearing shorts, he epitomized the ssic jock.
Beside him stood Madeline, a woman with an oval face and waist-length blonde hair neatly braided to prevent interference during practice. Lacking in poprity and typically dressed in jeans and loose shirts, she contrasted sharply with the athletic Caleb.
The most incongruous of the three was a Hispanic man named Luis Morales.
Quiet and unremarkable in appearance, he seemed reluctant to be there.
Under normal circumstances, this unlikely trio would never have formed, but they had an agenda.
"Can I help y''all?" Denzel inquired, his heart racing at the prospect of confrontation.
Caleb chuckled menacingly, "That speech you delivered yesterday, iming Immortal Skye as your country and acting virtuous we don''t want to hear it again. You murderers haven''t even earned citizenship here, yet you''re already posing as patriots it''s repulsive."
"l didn''t mean to stir up trouble," Denzel exined. "General Skye has led us for over a month. I won''t abandon her or the country we aspire to join."
"Don''t aspire," Madeline sneered. "You soldiers executed my father and little brothers and left my grandparents for dead. You bombed our country and led cultivators that killed some of my friends. Do you think you deserve to be one of us after all that?"
"Your families'' presence was ssified for their safety," Denzel rified. "Only a few soldiers here knew they were here, and they protected them."
Luis'' eyes widened, but he remained silent, avoiding the athlete''s wrathful re.
"Excuses are convenient, Denzel," Caleb scoffed. "Your general was a conniving piece of shit, but he was yours. You betrayed him and Malta, switching sides to the winners. Don''t act virtuous you''ve proven you''ll betray anyone if it suits you."
Denzel''s anger red, but before he could retort, someone else interjected.
"Denzel protected Larkin''s mother and brother from cultivators with his life," Chen interjected, walking up with wrathful eyes. "He protected them from mutant fuckin'' seagulls, too. Tell me, what have you done for others?"
Caleb''s eyes seethed with fury. "If our families were with us from the start, they wouldn''t be dead! Don''t act noble for keeping survivors alive out of fear of death. That''s your obligation, and we never asked for it!"
"Hey, everyone, calm down," Denzel interposed. "We''re not here to cause trouble."
"No, if we don''t rify things, this will never end," Chen countered. "Tell me, guys have you scavenged for food? Have you killed your own when they turned? Have you protected another constantly? Or do you think you could protect your families because you never had to protect yourselves?"
Caleb was speechless, but Madeline''s face flushed with anger. "You motherfu---"
"Hey!" La shouted, rushing over. "Why are you three picking fights with the Lainwright soldiers?"
We''re not starting fights!" Madeline snapped.
"Then what are you doing?" La demanded.
"Stay out of this, La," Caleb sneered. "You''re here because you have a thing for Denzel. Naturally, you''ll protect him. So stop pretending to be an impartial mediator."
"Yeah, I like Denzel, but I''m not biased here," she defended.
"Just stop, La," Chen growled lowly. "You''re not helping anyone. You''re reminding the Lainwrights that you were a spy and the Immortals that you''re biased."
"Chen..." La hesitated, shifting her gaze away. "Evalyn asked me to help you all grow. I wasn''t spying on you."
"Right, excuses," Madeline scoffed. "So stop using us of causing trouble when"
"HmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmMMmmMmmMmmMmMmmMmM!" An attention-grabbing, drawn-out hum interrupted the conversation. As irritating as it was, nobodyined or showed their annoyance. They froze as the teen approached.
"So, you''re saying you didn''t start any conflict?" Kiera asked, walking up and positioning her chin on her thumb as if assessing a piece of art. "If that''s true, this situation is like watching a baby panda feasting on a bowl of four-leaf clovers. Fantastically unlikely, indeed."
"K-Kiera..." Madeline stammered, taken aback by the damning assessment.
"Were you listening?"
"Why bother?" Kiera waved her hand dismissively. "Words are so subjective that they''re famous for skull fucking rtionships with anxiety before they hit first base. Now, this"
The ng riddler framed the group with her index fingers and thumbs, smirking confidently. "This is an open-and-shut m-dunk case with video evidence and DNA painting you three as viins, and you''re gonna im you''re innocent?"
"Wait, are you siding with them just because we hate soldiers?" Caleb questioned, his eyes narrowing. "We''re the victims here, and you''re going to be prejudiced?"
"Woah now, calm your tits! No need to restart the P-word movement in a post-apocalyptic society," Kiera said, hands up. "I''ll hear you out. Are you saying that you three, famous for hating soldiers, approached a soldier famous for avoiding trouble and invited him to tea, but he rudely told you to rimjob a horse instead?"
The Immortals fell silent, wanting to deny thest part but knowing it wouldn''t help their case.
"Ah, that was a loaded question, mah~bad," she smirked. "Go ahead, speak for yourselves: what type of prejudiced soldier-hating shit did you say to this man before the other people showed up?"
"You''re damning us exclusively, Kiera," Luis murmured, looking away. "This wouldn''t have escted if he hadn''t provoked a fight."
"Oh yeah, there was that: ''you''re all wrong, so apologize to one another'' mentality in old Malta," she ridiculed in a burly man''s voice. "But here''s the thing that''s bullshit. You three took a piss on your leader''s decree to me your issues on undeserving people. They didn''t like that obvi. You''re damn near breaking the rules right now, and I won''t tolerate that shit."
"Why are you so heartless?" Caleb asked. "Do you know what it''s like to lose your family?"
"Yeah, I do let''s bond," Kiera smirked. "How was your foster care experience?
Did you run away and live on the street too? Hmmm?"
Caleb and the others'' eyes widened, realizing they had touched on a sensitive topic with someone they shouldn''t have challenged in the first ce.
"Yeah, that''s right," she mocked. "You''re the most privileged apocalypse peeps in existence, and you''re acting like Tiny Tim without a crutch. It''s pathetic. Now fuck off, so we don''t have to hold mandatory work training to teach Immortals politically correct mourning protocols."
Caleb and Madeline swallowed hard, turning and walking away under the watchful eyes of soldiers and Immortals. Luis followed, his gaze fixed on the ground, mirroring the same expression he had when he arrived.
"Thank you, Kiera," Chen said, looking up at her.
"Yeah, go kill yourself, Mr. Sub-Stat," Kiera sneered. "You''re holding the same te of soul meat as everyone else in a literal utopia, yet you''re actin like you''re in the historic deep south. If you keep acting like a lower-ss citizen, I''ll cut off your legs to prove manifestation is real."
Chen was left stunned by Kiera''s forceful words as she strode away, leaving him to reflect on her message.
"I''m sorry, Denzel," La whispered, biting her lip. "Would it be better if I just leave you guys alone?"
"I''d be upset if you did," Denzel smiled, his emotions aplex mix. "Let''s go eat."
From a distance, Evalyn and Kaze watched the scene unfold, hidden by a concealment technique. "Kiera''s strong personality has its merits," she observed, a wry smile on her lips. "However, her intervention alone won''t defuse this situation. l understand the Immortals feelings, so I''m reluctant to crush their support."
Having also lost her family to soldiers, Evalyn had harbored deep resentment for a time. So treating them like Hayden Rompers and shattering their political spines felt like punishing the victim something she went through.
"Given the circumstances," she began, "can we still proceed as nned?
Everything could fall apart."
"If you can''t prevent a problem, prepare the ideal response ahead of time," Kaze advised. "They''re knowingly breaking the rules and putting everyone''s families at risk. If they cross the line, we''ll make a strong example of them and consider clemency and exoneration afterward."
Evalyn slowly nodded, feeling a pang in her heart.
***
After the tense breakfast, the group returned to the training grounds, where the soldiers were eager for their first session with Kaze. It wasn''t a conventional training session, but it was training nevertheless.
"Today, everyone will learn a movement technique," Kaze announced with an enigmatic smile. "I''m sure you''ll love it."
Chapter 338 Movement Techniques
338 Movement Techniques
Kaze stood before the assembly of Immortals and soldiers, ready to learn from him. "Today, we shall delve into the art of movement techniques," he dered.
"Allow me to elucidate, as the term may be subject to misinterpretation."
A palpable excitement rippled through the crowd, and thousands of eyes locked onto him, hanging onto every word.
"Movement techniques epass any method orbination of methods that augment your mobility or utilize your movement to modify the environment," he exined. "For instance, you can reduce your gravitational pull."
The emperor demonstrated by lessening his gravity until he hovered just an inch above the grass. "Next, you can employ a wind technique..."
With a sudden burst of wind, the emperor soared across the training grounds to the opposite side. The soldiers scrambled out of the way in a panic. However, the emperor vanished into thin air, only to reappear in his original position.
"And harness wind to propel your frictionless form," Kaze grinned, reveling in the awe-struck expressions. "Of course, it isn''t chaotic. Typically, you would integrate a technique like this between strides."
The emperor sprinted, gliding across the battlefield, pivoting just before reaching the outer circle, and proceeded to circumnavigate the thousands of onlookers. "As evident, you retain full control in this manner," he added.
"Furthermore"
The crowd''s eyes widened in amazement as they witnessed the emperor gracefully skating through the sky. The sharp turns set this disy apart. Kaze executed swift reversals using his wind skates and soared back at breakneck speeds.
Uponpleting his demonstration, the emperor returned, hovering above the crowd with a faint smile, reveling in their astounded expressions. Satisfied, he circled the assembly before resuming his lesson.
"While these techniques emphasize speed and aerial agility, not all movement techniques share these traits," Kaze expounded. "Some methods are designed to disrupt your momentum rather than propel you forward. A prime example is General Skye''s Icicle Steps."
Evalyn leaped into the air and seamlessly conjured an ice tform beneath her, evidence of her diligent practice since her battle above the ocean. She advanced in full view of the onlookers, crafting a stairway toward Kaze''s position, nonchntly walking on air. The spectacle left the crowd gasping and whispering with excitement.
"Contrary to what one might expect, Icicle Steps aren''t typically used in lieu of flying, as thetter is much more effortless to achieve," Kaze stated. "Instead, this technique is employed to break a fall or alter one''s trajectory. It proves beneficial when plummeting to the ground and flying is ineffective in such cases, summoning steps can break the fall, allowing one to resume flight."
The blonde leaped off her ice tform for demonstration purposes, conjuring a tform that softened her fall without causing injury before soaring back into the air. Although ironic, her mastery of the advanced Icicle Steps surpassed her flying skills, making for a realistic demonstration.
"eleration, trajectory shifts, and momentum-breaking constitute the three primary applications for movement techniques," Kaze said with a smile, casting an enigmatic nce at the crowd. "However, there exist movement techniques specifically designed to inflict harm. These can be divided into two categories: impeding movement and trapping."
Puzzlement swept through the Immortals like a gentle breeze at the mention of "trapping."
"Let''s begin with impeding movement, as it''s the most logical starting point," Kaze announced. "Impeding techniques are straightforward in concept you utilize your momentum to disperse the technique across a given area. A prime example is General Skye''s Sky Rink technique."
Evalyn suppressed the urge to reveal her confusion, as she had never heard the technique''s name before and didn''t want to contradict him.
"Sky Rink shares simrities with the technique I demonstrated earlier, in that both employ conjured objects to alter trajectories," Kaze expounded. "However, Sky Rink bends trajectories and leaves a lingering effect. Observe."
The emperor descended a few feet from the sky and summoned an ice slide upon which he glided gracefully, curving around the enthralled audience, captivated by the spiraling ice formations.
"Beautiful..." Evalyn murmured, her eyes following his mesmerizing movements as he left a wless spiral of ice suspended in the air like a chandelier, narrowing downward like a funnel. She snapped back to reality when Kaze did the unexpected he began skating upward!
"I''m not sure why you''re all so astonished," Kaze smirked, defying thews of physics as he slid on the ice at a 45-degree incline. "l can fly."
At his remark, the group erupted inughter, recognizing the absurdity of their disbelief.
"That highlights a fundamental principle of hindrance techniques," Kaze expounded. "Primarily, the objective of a hindrance technique is to generate a challenging environment to navigate in the air."
As he spoke, he glided over to Evalyn and circled her rapidly, constructing an icy enclosure around her. In response, she conjured an ice tform above her and propelled herself downward, escaping the spiraling prison he had swiftly fashioned.
Kaze pursued her, crafting an intricate, frustratingly difficult pattern to maneuver through, leaving just enough space to prevent her escape. Despite her efforts to evade the entrapment, whether she employed gravity, flying, or her own rink, she found her movements constrained and restricted.
Eventually, the sky rink resembled a tangled ball of yarn, and Evalyn had no room to move. "I''m not sure if I want to attempt this, as that ice seems unnatural," she murmured, gearing up to strike the ice to free herself. However, she suspected it might not be a wise course of action.
The ice encircling her bore no resemnce to her creations. It resembled a tube of cookie dough with a snowke design carved through its center. Eight razor-sharp points jutted out, and although she recognized it as water ice already melting, multipleyers of Qi enveloped it one appearing solid and the other emanating a sinister aura.
"I''ll handle this safely," Evalyn whispered, forming a massive ammonia ice sword and reinforcing it with a technique she had deliberately omitted from her exnation to Wanda, the cultivator who had pursued her to the shipping yard.
Once dense and unnaturally resilient, she brought it down with force.
Shiiiiiink!
General Skye''s eyes widened in shock as the ice sliced through her sword with a satisfying shink, akin to the sound of sharpening a kitchen knife. Regrettably, her momentum carried her forward, necessitating a trajectory change to avoid colliding with the razor-sharp ice.
In a split second, she conjured an ice wall in front of the sky rink and collided with it. While it served its purpose
"Ah!" Evalyn cried out, a jolt of electricity surging through her. It wasn''t strong enough to cause real harm, but its suddenness and intensity left her momentarily stunned, falling helplessly. "I need to break this!"
As she fell down the ice funnel, she remembered something horrifying. The ice she fell to was sharp enough to cut through fortified ammonia ice! She didn''t know what it would do to her body. However, she flew through a dimensional rift andnded before Kaze.
Though disoriented and slow to respond, an unseen force halted Evalyn''s fall with remarkable grace, lowering her to Kaze''s position as if she had intended it all along. The entire scene appeared premeditated to the onlookers, whose hearts raced after witnessing the sky rink slice through her sword and subsequent plummet.
Evalyn nced at Kaze, discovering a cunning smile on his face that seemed to say, "What? Did you think I''d embarrass you in front of your soldiers?" She didn''t find it particrly amusing, but she had to concede that it was simultaneously impactful, terrifying, and awe-inspiring.
While many of Kaze''s techniques, like the Emperyon Rift, harbored an enigmatic element that eluded her understanding of his true talent or power, the disy he had just shown her was tangible, offering her guidance and enlightenment. The experience was both humbling and inspiring. She felt grateful and wanted to express her gratitude, but given their public setting, she remained silent as he continued.
"Thank you, Evalyn, for demonstrating the experience of facing an adversary," Kaze expressed his gratitude amid resounding apuse. "Now then, has everyone grasped the meaning of ''hinder''?" he asked, sporting a yful grin.
The Immortals and soldiers responded withughter and enthusiastic agreement.
"As you can see, movement techniques are formidable tools inbat, designed to impede motion or ensnare opponents," Kaze borated. "If you''re withdrawing from a cultivator, you can employ sub-techniques to generate barriers between you, hindering their advance. Alternatively, you can use these techniques offensively."
Everyone nodded,prehending the concept entirely.
"In employing such a technique, you''re not enhancing your own mobility," he continued. "Rather, you''re utilizing your movement to disperse the technique, weaving a around your target. That''s what makes Sky Rink so versatile.
Finally, did anyone observe thest detail of that demonstration?"
Several individuals pointed out the sharpness of the ice, implying that he had set a trap.
"You''re mostly correct," Kaze acknowledged, his smile sly. "The ice wasn''t a mere slide; it was sharp on all edges, reinforced with a technique to render it nearly indestructible, and imbued with a heaven realm concept known as battle aura. Thisbination made touching it quite a challenge."
He then nced at Evalyn, his grin impish. "However, that wasn''t the real trap, was it?"
"No," Evalyn responded. "You anticipated that I would erect a wall, so you crafted your ice with water and employed it as a conduit for electricity. That was the actual trap."
Astonishment and incredulity washed over the group as they grasped the intricacy of his trap, and he nodded in affirmation.
"Constructing a lethal ice rink epitomizes the essence of hindrance," Kaze expounded. "If it were ordinary ice, it wouldn''t obstruct anyone, as they could simply pass through it. Trap movement techniques are more subtle. You could disperse a fine mist across an area and electrify it as the enemy traverses it; you could freeze the oxygen beneath you and ignite it; or you could generate catalysts to ignite a tornado around someone. That''s the nature of a trap technique."
Excitement rippled through the cultivators, who were astonished, bewildered, and eager to acquire such a technique.
"Everything you witnessed here today represents a divine realm technique or a divine realm adaptation of a technique so you won''t be learning these just yet," he chuckled as shock spread throughout the group. "We''ll begin with trajectory control, which allows you to change your movement at high speed.
While it may not be as shy, it will serve you well for a lifetime."
A fresh wave of enthusiasm swept over the group, reigniting their passion.
The practice continued for eight hours as they honed their techniques. Evalyn focused on Sky Rink while Kiera and his other partners worked on specific techniques he had taught them over the past week. Once everything waspleted, he made an announcement.
"At present, you inhabit mortal bodies," Kaze dered. "However, for many of you, that will change this week. The time for treasure harvesting is drawing near, and those who partake in tomorrow''s one-on-one matches will receive body-cleansing treasures and a body constitution. Gradually, these will enhance your physical appearance, fortify your muscles and bones, and increase your skin''s resilience. I can assure you you''ll want topete tomorrow!"
Chapter 339 Unspoken Rivalries 12 Days Remain
339 Unspoken Rivalries 12 Days Remain
Driven by Sage''s incentives and Evalyn''spulsory orders, soldiers and Immortals constructed tenbat arenas using military T-walls,ter reinforced by the emperor. Then they used their supernatural to create makeshift bleachers with T-walls, vehicles, wood, and other materials. The resulting structure was as impressive as it was precarious.
The stage was now set for thousands to engage inbat and showcase their prowess.
"Wee to the sparring matches, where we will test our strength against one another," Kaze proimed with a smile, soaring above the crowd alongside Evalyn.
"General Skye and I have devised match-ups that pit your skills against evenly matched opponents," he continued. "Due to the training disparities, Lainwright soldiers will fight in pairs or groups against Immortals. Likewise, some Immortals will engage in groupbat against cultivators."
A wave of excitement washed over the Lainwright soldiers, who had previously felt hopeless about victory. The knowledge that the Immortals would also face handicaps lifted their spirits.
"Let''s discuss the rewards," Kaze grinned. "We will score all match-ups on a ten number ranking system. A score of seven earns a minor cleansing treasure;
eight, a major cleansing treasure; nine, a sky-realm body constitution; and ten, a prize l will reveal shortly."
Murmurs spread through the crowd as everyone tried to recall the value of the treasures.
"Cleansing treasures purge impurities from your body, enhancing your ability to absorb and release Qi and Qiites from your acupuncture points," Kaze exined. "Imagine a clogged drain as the conduit for your Qi; unclogging it will immediately result in an higher output. That''s what this does. A minor cleansing treasure of this caliber can double your strength in an hour."
Astonishment swept through the group as they grasped the stakes.
"These treasures possess the potency toplete a full stage cleansing for a heaven realm cultivator, so encourage cultivators to take this seriously," Kaze added with a smirk.
The cultivators'' shocked expressions told the Immortals everything they needed to know about the treasure''s value.
The cultivators were more perplexed than impressed. Standard treasures took decades or centuries to mature, so it was theoretically impossible for them to exist on the Mortal ne. However, Kaze did what all Heaven ne botanical cultivators did he found a nt with the properties he wanted and fed it highly refined soul Qi using botanical techniques.
Using ultra-refined soul Qi and techniques on ergo was the equivalent of putting a NASCAR racer into amuter vehicle and facing them off against amateurs with sports cars. In an obstacle course, potential doesn''t equate to performance.
"Let''s talk about body constitutions," Kaze announced. He exined the value of constitutions, including physical and elemental resistance, and making people beautiful. While they were excited, they temporarily lost enthusiasm after learning the blueprints healed in the pattern, requiring centuries or for them to break their bones. However, their enthusiasm returned when Kaze reminded them of their healing techniques.
"While healing techniques elerate growth, but they pale before the grand prize," Kaze smiled. "Those who earn a ten will obtain a restructuring treasure potent enough to instantiate their sky realm body constitution instantly."
The cultivators were shocked into silence. Restructuring treasures required rare nts and liquids. Even if Kaze had a method for injecting Qi, he shouldn''t have the nt!
"We will evaluate participants based on potentialnot power," Kaze announced, continuing. "This means that the weakest could win the grand prize while the winner may leave empty-handed. After all, If someone half your strength nearly defeats you, your victory is insignificant. With equal training, they would vanquish you. That''s what we''re seeking."
The Immortals grew anxious, realizing their perceived advantage no longer held significance.
"However, those who earn a six canpete again," Kaze rified. "Victory still matters, so winners will get another chance. Do not lose hope; regardless of your status, past affiliations, or current strenth, everyone can triumph this week!"
The crowd erupted with thunderous apuse and fervent battle cries, dispelling the lingering bitterness and unease they had experienced earlier.
"Immortals, remember," Kaze began, capturing their attention, "you are not elite because you''re an Immortal; you''re an Immortal because you''re elite. don''t want to hearints if a soldier or cultivator obtains a technique, or vice versa. If you can''t prevail in fair matches and potential-based scoring against non-elites, you don''t deserve one!"
A ripple of anxiety coursed through the group, their confidence wavering for the first time. The emperor rolled his eyes and sought rification. "Immortals, have you ever lost?"
"NOT ONCE!" Larkin roared. The crowd ignited with fervor, their cheers growing in intensity.
"Exactly!" Kaze bellowed. "Only three months ago, we had NOTHING. Yet we triumphed over Malta, Sky ne cultivators, and the undead. Are you afraid of losing!?"
A chilling surge of bloodlust swept through the stands, causing the hairs on everyone''s arms to bristle and their breaths to turn shallow.
Evalyn then understood why Kaze decided to keep the Immortals distanced from life-or-death scenarios. He cultivated an immortalityplex that didn''t see failure as possible, thus boosting morale and excitement to unimaginable levels. That''s why they had higher morale when she arrived than her soldiers a telling insight.
***
The first match-up was an unexpected one, leaving everyone astonished.
"Soldiers!" Evalyn thundered, soaring above her troops. "Here at Immortal Skye, we lead by example. As such, I will challenge someone with over a century of cultivation and military expertise. But I won''t stop until l achieve a ten; that way, you can witness my growth as I dominate her in just three months! This will be evidence of our system''s effectiveness."
The raucous soldiers and Immortals erupted with enthusiasm and anticipation.
Since she had already shattered the notion of invincibility, she would now transform her strategy into an unstoppable force that would eventually surpass Kaze''s. She embodied the system''s sess and would provide the required morale boost.
"Bold ims, Evalyn," Harper scoffed, narrowing her eyes. "You may have monstrous talent, but you''re still a naive kitten. Do you think I''ll let you showcase a five on the talent scale?"
"I don''t," Evalyn replied with a grin. "For some reason, I sense that you''ll battle me relentlessly, even if it means gouging my eyes out. So I''m going to take you down a notch."
Harper''s eyes gleamed with lethal determination. "Oddly enough, I sense that too," she grinned, her pupils constricting. "So you better hope your boyfriendes to your rescue, because this won''t be a pretty sight."
A surge of anxiety rippled through the cultivators, who felt that the former major had thrown caution to the wind and insulted both leaders. Yet, Evalyn wore the same expression, sending shivers down the spines of the Immortals and soldiers. They had never witnessed their general disy such personal fury before a battle; it was terrifying.
Kaze observed in silence, attempting to piece together the root of the animosity.
He had known Harper Reed from his early years in the Killian Military. But she had vanished without a trace; he hadn''t heard about her since. It was unsettling.
Now faced with this situation, he tried to discern if it was genuine. Though Kaze possessed an almost infallible memory, it was useless if hecked information about an event or had a different interpretation.
"He will save me, so don''t hold back," Evalyn dered, a menacing smile gracing her lips. "So give it your all, because I won''t stop until Kaze needs to heal you."
Chapter 340 Evalyn Vs. Harper
340 Evalyn vs. Harper
The reinforced battleground Evalyn and Harper stood on stretched out a hundred meters long and fifty meters wide, far surpassing the size of the others. Immortal Skye had designated the space for cultivator battles, pitting cab members against Skythenians. An additional barrier encircled the arena for added security.
Lush green grass carpeted the ground, a testament to its location on the Immortals'' side of the obstacle course, still pristine and unblemished. However, that would soon change as two blondes, one wielding the power of fire and the other ice, prepared for their face-off.
Thunderous apuse erupted from the dystopian junkyard bleachers, with ten thousand voices cheering for their icy general while the cultivators fervently supported their fiery major.
"Considering the cultivators'' excitement, I''m surprised you''re not shaking in your boots," Harper taunted with a grin. "Especially after witnessing those eerie power demonstrations."
Evalyn smirked, "lI can freeze a half-mile radius into solid ice. But that''s not allowed here; be grateful."
"Everyone I fight can dorge scale damage in the Sky ne," Harper grinned.
"I''m alive because I know how to counter those attacks. Do you? Cuz I can blow up at least this much."
General Skye''s expression turned solemn. She had faced Crux countless times but never managed to defeat her. The thought of cultivators going all-out unsettled her.
A sudden, shrill noise pierced the air, forcing everyone to cover their ears as a shockwave rippled through the outdoor area. The sound came from a microphone, bewildering the crowd.
The sound of a finger tapped on the microphone multiple times, each time forcing the audience to wince.
Fingers tapped the microphone repeatedly, causing the audience to wince each time.
"Um... hello? Can everyone hear me?" A cute woman''s voice asked over the loudspeakers.
A mixture of anxiety and excitement surged through the crowd when they recognized the voice Kiera Snow.
"Damn, don''t think we were supposed to use the emergency broadcast system," a male voice chuckled, eliciting cheers from the Immortals. They knew the voice belonged to Larkin Downs.
"It''s the only one with a backup generator," Kiera cutely huffed, drawingughter from the crowd.
"Oh look, they''re fixing it!" Larkin eximed, making everyone cover their ears again. He was yelling into the most OP sound system imaginable. "Oh, shit, my bad."
A group of soldiers approached the watchtower where Kiera and Larkin sat.
Once they finished, Larkin tapped the microphone. "Ahem. Mic check one, two, one, two," he said, testing the microphone. "Seems like it''s working suuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!"
The crowd roared with cheers, and the pink-haired teenager beside him rolled her eyes. "Damn, your standards are so low. If a ''sup'' can get you riled, what are you going to do when justice blonde cryo humps the shit out of Betty Bezerk?"
Harper''s eyes zed with fury at the teenager''s words and the thunderousughter that followed. "Oh, hahahaHaHaHAHAHAHA!" sheughed. "Oh, now this''ll be for all of you."
"Oh, yeah, ya''ll m up to weak talk like a neo-nazi touching a bear who called them ''cupcake," Kiera rolled her eyes. "You''re okay with it until someone catches you."
The crowd offered a chorus ofughter and cheers, making all the cultivators heat up.
"But here''s the score," she continued. "You''re like O to 80 on the KD ratio. So until you win for once, we''re gonna treat ya''ll like anti-climatic movie viins."
The Immortals roared withughter, stoking the mes of Harper''s rage.
"I believe Kiera''s point is that if you posed a real threat to Immortal Skye, we wouldn''t have been instructed to rile you up," Larkin grinned.
"Are you for cereal right now?" Kiera jeered. "You had one job, Larkin. ONE! It''s the only thing you''re good at. It''s like Kazey gave you a whisk and a bowl of eggs, and you poured them down a toaster trying to be helpful."
"Nah, you got it wrong, princess!" he eximed. "Emperor Scrawn had so little faith in her that he had us twist her panties to unleash her rage and give''re a chance. I''m pretty sure that''s humiliating as a mother"
"ENOUGH!" Harper roared. "Start the fuckin'' match before I start roasting people!"
"Oh, that was my job, wasn''t it?" Kiera asked, pointing to her chest. "Awkward. So, hmmm... yeah. Sorry blondez, let me make it up to you. Three... fuck it, just go for it."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Without hesitation, the entire battlefield, spanning 5,000 square meters, erupted in a zing inferno that licked the invisible barrier.
"Damn, girl! Did you grow up in Nevend?" Kiera inquired, peering through the smoke with her God''s Eyes. "Cuz people outgrow temper tantrums, but you''ve elevated them to an art form!"
The spectators stood in shock, their eyes fixed on the imprable cloud of ck smoke. Since they couldn''t see, they didn''t even react to the teen''s words.
"Quick Q," Kiera continued. "What''s it like to be a certified tantrum master only to find they STILL don''t get you anywhere?"
BOOOM! BOOM! Boom, boom, BOOM!
A barrage of colossal explosions answered her taunt, frustrating those eager to glimpse the action. All they could see were the explosions and swirling smoke.
"Only that bad, huh?" the ng riddler taunted. "l thought you''d at least unleash ten."
BOOOOOM!
"Now THAT is what I''m talkin'' about!" Kiera eximed. "Teach those ice clones a lesson!"
The crowd whispered in confusion, trying to understand her words.
"Ah, I forgot ya''ll were blind, so I''ll summarize. Ahem," Kiera coughed. "Tara Tantrum couldn''t calm her tits, so she triggered a titanic-sized explosion, creating tons of smoke.
Major Blonze can see Qi, so it''s usually not a problem. However, Evs keeps conjuring up ice statues of herself. They''re incredibly detailed, too. It''s the most narcissistic disy I''ve ever seen!"
The crowd burst intoughter, spurred on by her animated storytelling.
BOOOM! BOOM! Boom, boom, BOOOOOOOOOOM!
"Yeah, waste''em!" Kiera cried, kicking her legs as more explosions went off.
"Waste all your Qi! Get it all out of your system! That way, her spankin will go hard!"
"lI have no clue what''s goin'' on, but I know people don''t keep attackin'' if they''re winning," Larkin eximed. "That means the Queen is in pitch ck smoke, and she''s STILL crushin'' it!"
His excitement stirred the pot, adding to the ng riddler''s assessment and boosting their spirits. However, most were anxious since they couldn''t see.
Strangely, the smoke didn''t disappear until they saw it reverse course, falling back to the ground.
"In case you''re wondering, cold air is denser than smoke, so the chilled atmosphere traps the smoke and pulls it to the ground," Kiera exined.
"Harp''s pretty pissed she''s gettin'' yed with her smoke, but she stopped striking because Ev''s been busy doing some shady shit."
As the smoke cleared, the audience could see the battlefield for the first time.
As Kiera mentioned, there were three hundred ice Evalyn statues dressed in that day''s military attire.
Yet, the spectators'' attention was drawn to the thousands of hovering des in the sky and the scorched, motionless cultivator standing in the corner, breathing raggedly.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention," Kiera smirked. "Thatst explosion blew up in Major Blonze''s face! I''ll keep the ''how'' on the DL. It looks like the mystery''s skull fucking the poor woman."
As Kiera described, Evalyn had erected a barrier the moment the match started, shielding herself from the firestorm. In the ensuing smoke, she conjured up numerous Qi statues resembling her appearance, which Harper''s standard vision technique failed to differentiate.
In addition, Evalyn created thousands of ice des in the sky to deter flight, prompting Harper to detonate them en masse. Amid the chaos, Evalynunched a de with solid oxygen attached in front of the blonde, and BOOOOM!
Evalyn had also attached solid oxygen to numerous statues and des in the sky, effectively booby-trapping the entire battlefield. Harper was aware of this, so she strategized from the opposite corner while Evalyn replenished her Qi.
Though the general was winning, she needed to conserve her energy.
"l really despise you," Harper dered, d in scorched tactical gear from Immortal Skye. "I can''t pinpoint the reason, but something about you just screams ''hate.'' However, I must thank you. You''ve provided me with a ton of bombs!"
Harper waved her hand, preparing tounch a wind attack to send the statues and des toward Evalyn, intending to create a massive explosion. But just as she was about to execute her n, she noticed something in Evalyn''s eyes.
Or rather, what theycked.
Mercy.
Evalyn''s fingers were already pressed her finger when Harper felt dozens of des from her blind spot crashing down upon her.
SNAP!
With a swift flick of her wrist, Evalyn''s snap echoed, igniting an explosion.
Although Harper managed to dodge in time, the initial st triggered a chain reaction with the surrounding oxygen crystalline, resulting in numerous massive explosions that engulfed them both in mes.
Chapter 341 The Ice Phoenix
341 The Ice Phoenix
Panic and dread sliced through the spectators like a searing knife as the explosion shook the battlefield, making the invisible barrier groan under the immense force of the st. It set the battlefield aze, the sky, ground, and surrounding area consumed by the inferno.
As the smoke dissipated, the audience watched with bated breath, subconsciously expecting both to have died. Therefore, the sight that met their gaze was unexpected.
Unscathed, Evalyn strode across the battlefield in unmarred, ck tactical gear.
Ice spread from her boots as she stepped onto the scorched grass, creating an icy fog as steam froze and fell back to the earth, enveloping Harper''s charred and blistered form. With each step, the eerie atmosphere intensified.
Kiera sensed the conflict''s deeply personal nature, so she silenced Larkin, whose twisted excitement shook him like a possessed kettle. Their silence was a testament to the development''s gravity.
As Harper watched Ice General Skye walking to her, she saw the woman she saw in her dreams the Ice Phoenix. It was unmistakable. She had the eyes of someone who had in a million people in her 336 years. Eyes like that had no business being in the Mortal Realm, let alone on a teenager from a peaceful country.
"It is you..." Harper wheezed, fighting the pain to look up. "My dreams were true, after all."
Evalyn stopped walking, "Does that mean that my dreams were true, too?"
Everyone held their breath, confused about the context of the conversation.
However, the contempt in the air was palpable, so they kept silent.
"Hah, how the fuck am I supposed to know?" Harper spat. "They''re fuckin'' dreams. I can''t remember them as much as I feel''em like it''s my destiny to kill." Her rant was cut short by searing pain, her soul pact cautioning her against emotional threats.
"Destiny?" Evalyn mused, her lips curved in a sinister smile. "Tell me, Harper Reed do you findfort from your nightmares thinking you killed me?"
The cultivator''s eyes trembled in shock, "You had a fucking hole in your chest. Don''t act like that didn''t kill you!"
"Oh, but it didn''t, Harper," Evalyn smiled, taking a step forward.
CRUuUNNNNNCH! The ice cracking was dramatic, beginning a hypnotic cadence that sent waves of terror through everyone. "My dreams span centuries, and the nightmares nevere."
Harper gulped, trying to process the icy woman''s statement, fear coursing through her veins.
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
"I only dream when there is a parallel," Evalyn said, melodic and haunting. "And I''m fortunate to have someone who keeps my negative dreams locked away."
Crunchl!... Crunch!...
The Ice Phoenix''s steps echoed in the dead silence, masterfully pacing to magnify the cultivator''s fear, "That''s until I met you."
An icy chill crawled down the spectator''s spine, feeling they might bare witness to an execution.
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
"Whenever I look at you I remember," Evalyn smiled. "My instincts take over, and I be the Phoenix who sees a Tyrant."
CruuuUNCH!
Harper trembled when Evalyn stopped a few feet from her charred and blistered body. "W-What are you doing?" she asked. "Finish it already!"
"Oh, no," Evalyn grinned, lifting herbat boot high. "Our journey has only just begun, Tyrant of Rorewell."
CReeeAaackk!
Harper screamed in pain when her hand''s bones cracked in unison.
"Submit and dedicate your life to Immortal Skye," Evalyn ordered.
"Fuck off, bitch! I''d rather die than" Harper resisted but stopped when she felt the Ice Phoenix''s heel grinding her broken fingers. It left the crowd silent, shocked and horrified.
"Oh, no death isn''t an option," Evalyn chuckled, lifting her boot from the blonde''s mangled hand. "If you don''t submit, I''ll break your limbs and cut out your tongue to prevent suicide."
CRAaaaaCCK!
Gasps rang out when General Skye stomped the woman''s wrist with a level of force she shouldn''t possess, making the cultivator''s wrist and forearm snap in a V.
"J-Just... kill..." Harper hyperventted, disoriented from the pain.
Crunch!!... Crunch!...
"It''s not a discussion, Harper," Evalyn smirked, lifting her foot from the woman''s arm and walking to her elbow. "And I''m not going to ask again."
CRAaaCK!
The spectators'' faces contorted when she stomped on the cultivator''s elbow, shattering it without warning. It left them petrified, traumatized by the sight unfolding.
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
Evalyn walked to Harper''s charred legs without giving her time to recover. "If you have breath to scream, you can voice submission," she asserted, lifting her boot above the woman''s ankle. "I suggest you do before you be a cripple."
CRAaaaaCckCkK!
Harper screamed when the Ice Phoenix stomped her ankle and twisted her heel.
The spectators covered their ears, too shocked to breathe.
RiilliiEEEEEiilINK! THUD! THUD! THUD!
The tense atmosphere dissipated when the emergency microphone crackled to life, followed by three taps. Evalyn''s foot halted mid-air, just above the cultivator''s calf.
"Ahem," Kiera coughed, cute and reserved. "While I''m not necessarily opposed to this development, can we seek rity regarding thepetition, mayhaps?
Misunderstandings may arise. Thank you."
The crowd held their breath in anticipation.
"The moment Harper Reed threatened to kill an Immortal Skye leader, this trial ceased to be a mere contest," Kaze dered, watching from above. "The severity of her deration takes precedence and must be addressed with haste."
A sharp silence sliced the spectator''s lungs, processing the verdict amid Harper''s screams.
"Therefore, it will continue," Kaze dered. "While it is distressing, do not look away. A time wille when you realize that cruelty cannot coexist with purpose. Only then will you understand the significance of what you witness here today."
The crowd reluctantly returned to Evalyn, her boot still poised above the woman''s calf. She looked to Kaze with aplex nce before turning towards the watchtower.
"Ahem. Thank you for the rification," Kiera coughed, realizing they were waiting on her. "Please, continue the Lord''s work."
CRAaaaCK!
Evalyn stomped Harper''s calf without a moment''s pause, shattering her tibia.
"Submit, and I will heal your wounds, build your strength, and give you a purpose to live," she dered, unyielding to the cultivator''s screams. "I''ll shelter your family and ept those who follow me."
...Crunch! ...Crunch!
The spectators held their breath when the Ice Pheonix walked to Harper''s thigh.
She didn''t have a healing technique in her past life, so her actions were nearly permanent.
"Dedicate your life to Immortal Skye, and you will rise from the ashes stronger than before," Evalyn boomed, allowing all to hear her words. "Refuse, and you will never walk again.
Choose carefully, Harper Reed, for my dreams extend a century beyond killing Andrew Killian. If you cling to hope, you''ll wait for salvation in vain, seeking clemency that will nevere."
An icy shiver crawled down Harper''s spine, her lungs constricting with the onset of a panic attack. At that moment, she truly grasped the essence of fear
a fear so potent that it overwhelmed her senses, rendering her numb to pain.
"I-1..." she stuttered, her voice raspy and raw. "W-Will you... truly... g-grant me a f-future?"
"Yes," Evalyn affirmed. "l fight to eradicate purposeless conflict, creating a world where people reserve violence for defending our people. Immortal Skye seeks to recreate the prosperity we knew on this ne. Those are the purposes you will fight for."
Her words pierced the cultivators'' hearts as they spoke directly to their struggle.
"Now choose, for this injury will determine your destiny," Evalyn cautioned, her expression somber yet resolute.
"D-Do I have to like you?" Harper hesitated, swallowing hard.
"You are submitting to a cause, not a person," the Ice Phoenix exined. "As long as you dedicate yourself to Immortal Skye''s causes, you can loathe me until your dying day."
"T-Then I will do it..." Harper said, her breaths shallow. "I''ll devote my life to you... you cunt."
Evalyn chuckled, turning to Kaze. "Will you help solidify my message?"
"But of course," Kaze smiled, waving his hand toward the battered and burnt Harper, enveloping her in a purple light.
CReeeac!
Harper''s body contorted and snapped in a gruesome chorus as her bones realigned, her nerves reconnecting and healing everyst injury.
Despite the miraculous recovery, the sight and sound were chilling. Kaze wanted to etch the image into everyone''s memory, demonstrating the terror of defiance and the wonders of surrender.
When Harper''s skin mended, she rose unsteadily, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Is it okay to cheer again?" Larkin asked. "Oh, fuck it. THAT''S WHAT I''M FUCKIN'' TALKING ABOUT! EVALYN FUCKING SKYE, EVERYONE!"
The jester''s strange enthusiasm was infectious, rousing the crowd until the Immortals roared in approval, and the stands erupted with baffled apuse.
Though they didn''t fullyprehend why they were pping, they could feel the moment''s gravity, sensing its significance without entirely grasping it.
"Since we healed Harper Reed despite her deration, you can participate without fearing severe injuries," Kaze smirked. "However, I implore you to disclose any unusual dreams or reservations. This was a serious matter between leaders; I will not tolerate anyone putting their emotions or intentions before the battles. Now, let''s begin."
After an awkward pause to process and ept the intense event that initiated the day, the soldiers and Immortals entered queues andmenced their matches. These continued throughout the day between meals until dusk and persisted over the next two days.
On the fourth day, the match-ups concluded. Exhausted after the grueling week, everyone eagerly anticipated the uing taskthe treasure harvest.
Chapter 342 Treasures
342 Treasures
Nestled to the northeast of the Central Mansion, the Immortals training ground and firing range sprawled out, a daily hub of activity since the dawn of the apocalypse. Further north, beyond the imposing T-walls and chain-link fence,y four expansive fields, a vibrant oasis of green on the mountainside. Football field-sized, they were adorned with mesmerizing purple flowers.
Although typically deserted, today, over a hundred people encircled a brte woman, dressed in a white blouse and green shorts. Despite her gentle voice and warm, golden hazel eyes, she possessed an uncanny ability tomand respect.
"Behold the ergo nt," Fey Roybock dered, caressing a green nt with grass-like leaves, seemingly braided by her delicate fingers. At its heart bloomed a purple flower, crowned with golden, hair-like styles. "Though akin to dandelions and thistle in its invasive nature, this nt holds the potential to transform our lives."
The Immortals gazed at the captivating nt, clearly alien to their world, their faces alight with curiosity.
"But why call it a weed if it''s a treasure, too?" Larkin inquired, brows furrowed.
"If cake grew on trees, I''d wee them anywhere."
Laughter rippled through the crowd, echoing his peculiar sentiment.
"A weed is merely a nt that grows where it''s unwanted," Fey exined, chuckling. "lt doesn''t mean the nt is inherently bad. You wouldn''t want a cake tree sprouting in your house, even if you love cake."
"Objection~!" Kiera chimed. "l beg to disagree."
The area erupted inughter, setting a jovial tone for the day ahead.
"People''s preferences vary depending on their situation, location, and desires..."
Fey began, her voice trailing off as she blushed before snapping back to attention.
"What''s behind that blush, teach?" Kiera taunted, eyes narrowing.
"More importantly!" the professor eximed. "Ergo is invasive and spreads incredibly fast! In under two months, we''ve cultivated four acres with 2,000 nts!"
As she pointed out, the four fields held approximately 500 nts each, meticulously arranged in ten rows of 50, creating a breathtaking sight.
"What makes them a treasure is their capabilities and potency!" Fey borated, her words quickening. "Ergo attracts impurities within your body like a ma and absorbs them like a sponge. Then your body expels it, effectively cleansing your system."
The women cringed, exchanging apprehensive nces with their fellow Immortals.
"All nts, animals, and objects absorb refined Qi, or soul Qi, which possesses cleansing and strengthening properties," Fey continued. "The more soul Qi ergo absorbs, the stronger its purifying effects be. Once it reaches a level of significant impact, it is considered a treasure."
"I have a question..." Martha interjected, her expression bewildered as she stood beside Amy.
"Please, ask away," Fey encouraged, herposure restored.
"Ergo takes ten years to mature in war-torn areas of the Sky ne, even with an abundance of soul Qi," the brte cultivator prefaced. "So how are we standing before two thousand ergo nts that appear more potent than treasures matured for a century?"
A wave of astonishment swept through the crowd as Calvin and Amy nodded in agreement, both equally puzzled. Had the other cultivators been present, chaos could have ensued.
"Ummm..." Fey hesitated, seeking assistance.
"It seems there''s a misconception about soul Qi in the Sky ne," Kaze offered, stepping through a spatial rift behind her, causing Fey to jump and squeal. The crowd burst intoughter. "Are you okay?"
Fey''s face flushed crimson as she fumbled for words, to no avail.
"Damn, the floozy''s got awkward charm like a shy supermodel in a space club," Kiera grumbled, looking away. She was aware of Fey''s ce on the harem guest list but clung to hope she would meet a guilt-free, natural demise.
"You''re asking two questions, and I''ll address both," Kaze said, plucking an ergo nt with a chuckle. "First, why can nts that take decades, centuries, or even millennia exist? The answer is simple: nts directly absorb soul Qi."
Golden light emanated from the emperor''s fingertips, infusing the nt with a neon hue as energy surged through it like veins. Energy coursed through the flower petals, unfurling and flexing them. They seemed toe alive, moving in a peculiar manner that suggested the nt was exuberant.
"The same principle applies to reinforcing objects," Kaze expounded. "lt may take millennia with the right materials, but I have personally enhanced them by infusing them with soul Qi."
"Yes, but [how] your maniption of soul Qi is abnormal," Martha rified.
"Spatial ring masters and armor specialists may have soul Qi techniques for specific purposes, but we just witnessed you imbue soul Qi into something like a water technique."
"Being confined to soul cultivation techniques in the Sky Realm naturally imposes limitations, no?" the emperor smirked. "It stands to reason that a divine technique would grant greater control over soul Qi and its applications."
Martha, Amy, and Calvin trembled, unable to ept his exnation. The techniques he referred to were two realms beyond the most advanced ones in the Sky ne, so they struggled to believe him.
"Now that we''ve covered why these nts didn''t require decades to mature, let''s address your second question why are they of superior qualitypared to high-end treasures?" Kaze asked, grinning. "It''s because they''ve directly ingested highly refined soul Qi from a hundred one-ton soul beasts. The Sky ne''s warped power structure and the suppression of soul beasts requires millennia to refine even a weed like ergo to this level."
Martha''s brow furrowed in contemtion. "Hold on, why do nts far beyond that quality exist in the Sky ne? I''ve seen them, so it wouldn''t make sense if it took that long."
"If there aren''t enough beasts to nourish nts naturally, the only logical alternative is to use people, yes?" Kaze smiled, sending shivers crawling down the cultivator''s spines. "In such a scenario, an emperor notorious for eliminating dissenters could amass enough strength to withstand a heaven realm technique, provided that everyone else remained weak. Restricting soul beasts curtails the avability of natural treasures and power-boosting resources, and would aplish just that."
The cultivators were ovee with a mix of dread and horror as they grasped the implications of his revtion. In a single statement, he addressed three major enigmas: Killian''s immense strength, the extraordinary vitality of his nts, and the strict regtion of soul beasts.
"Soul Qi umtes and refines over time," the emperor''s eyes narrowed.
"Thus, employing the bodies of formidable political adversaries would naturally yield the finest treasures. That is the fundamental nature of rudimentary treasure cultivation."
A heavy silence descended upon the area as everyone attempted to process his words, grappling with the unsettling reality he had exposed.
"Fortunately, that''s not the case here," Kaze reassured them with a smile.
"Instead of resorting to such cruelty to cultivate these nts, I have extracted the soul Qi of animals far more powerful than most Sky ne cultivators and nourished the nts with it. As a result, there are no human souls in these nts."
A wave of relief washed over everyone, lifting the atmosphere.
A collective sigh of relief rippled through the crowd, lightening the mood.
"Quick Q, no need to answer, but..." Kiera said, yfully rocking on her toes and heels. "Hypothetically and I stress hypothetically how many floozies would it take to create a treasure potent enough to ward off a future floozy infestation?"
"Seeing as you''ve stated I don''t have to answer, I''ll opt out," Kaze mocked, rolling his eyes. "Does that address your concerns, Martha?"
"Y-Yes," Martha responded, her voice shaky. Kaze''s logical exnations had shaken the cultivators to their core, resolving numerous questions and controversies they wished had remained unspoken.
"Please proceed with your charming ss, Fey," Kaze requested, shing a charming smile that left her blushing from ear to ear.
"Y-Yes," she stammered, raising her nt. "Let me demonstrate how to harvest ergo. Since it''s a flower, don''t pluck it; instead, trim its leaves at the base and separate the flower at the head. This way, it will regrow in the same spot. Any questions?"
"That woman''s soul Qi could probably create an migh~ty shy ring," Kiera whispered with a smirk. "l wonder if Kazey would gift it to me for our anniver I''m joking! If I weren''t, I wouldn''t be speaking like a mouse with tuberculosis!"
Those around Kiera turned to her, having heard her mutterings. They then nced at the emperor, who was frowning at her with an expression that said, "I''ll give you the world, but not the people.
The haunting part for Kiera was that his expression appeared utterly genuine, leaving her to wonder about Isebell. It was both revealing and terrifying.
"Alright, let''s begin the harvest!" Fey mmed, drawing everyone''s attention with a broad smile. "With this many people, it should only take a couple of hours. Afterward, we''ll eat and begin processing the nts. The sooner we do, the sooner you''ll all experience their wondrous benefits!"
Enthusiasm surged through the crowd like a jolt of electricity, supnting the chilling sensation of apprehension that had arisen from Kaze''s revtions about treasure cultivation. Eager to forget, they allowed the unease to dissipate, focusing on the day ahead and the promise of renewal.
Chapter 343 Cleansing
343 Cleansing
The next morning, Kaze and Fey found themselves standing before the sunrise at Clevedon Beach, just a half-hour drive from Liberation, the Maltian megacity that had engulfed Old Bristol.
Clevedon Beach was nothing like the idyllic sandy shores often portrayed in Hollywood films. Instead, the beach was a stark contrast of dark, rocky terrain with gray, turbulent waters that were chilling to the touch. It was a ce people visited solely to witness the majesty of the ocean, and on this particr day, it didn''t disappoint, as a stunning tapestry of golds and oranges danced across the seemingly infinite horizon.
Thoughcking in romantic appeal, their surroundings provided an apt backdrop for the pair''s conversation, as both wereckluster yet distinctly charming.
"Is this really it?" Fey inquired, studying the small bottle emanating a captivating golden-purple aura. To an unsuspecting observer, it might have appeared radioactive and untouchable. However, Fey was mesmerized, knowing its true nature. "There''s no need to store it in alcohol?"
"No, molecr separation istes the activepound, while refined soul Qi eliminates any bacteria and viruses," Kaze rified. "So, there''s no real need for alcohol. It can''t even get you tipsy," he added with a smirk.
Although their discussion was technical and may have sounded dry to an eavesdropper, the professor''s eyes glittered as she looked at the mysterious bottle. "It''s so strange hearing you talk, Kaze," she admitted. "It''s not just that you''re well-versed in science; it''s more that... you sound like a professor."
"Is that a bad thing?" he chuckled, casting her an amused nce.
Fey blushed and averted her gaze. "I''m not sure," she replied. "Usually, I''d imagine myself feeling envious of a student with such an exceptional intellect.
However, you don''t seem like a typical student or even a child. That''s what leaves me troubled."
"What are you worried about, Fey?" Kaze asked gently, sensing her need to unburden herself and share her true feelings.
"Our rtionship...." Fey swallowed, crossing her arms and gripping her forearms. "It makes me feel limitless guilt as if I''ve broken a taboo. I understand our position and that Malta''sws no longer bind me, but it seems hical and wrong. Yet..."
"Yet, what?" he asked, his tone calm and melodic.
"I can''t help but constantly think about our time together and how much I enjoy your yful teasing," she confessed, blushing and shivering slightly in the cool breeze. "It feels torturous, so I try to put it out of my mind. But even when I manage to stop thinking about you, my attention turns to some treasure and the fascinating science of cultivation, and the cycle begins anew. It''s a relentless loop that haunts me."
"Would you be more at ease if I were actually much older than I appear?" Kaze inquired. "If such a fantastical notion could truly exist?"
Everyone in Immortal Skye had theories about Kaze''s enigmatic nature. He was an eighteen-year-old with knowledge beyond his years, skills that seemed innate, and a surprisingck of immaturity. So she wondered if he would reveal the truth.
"Before I confirm or deny anything, you must first answer my question," he said with a sly smile. "It''s far more important."
Her eyes widened as she considered his words. "Is it really more important?"
she questioned. "Regardless of whether you''re young or old at heart, l assumed you were eighteen when..." She blushed intensely, quickly looking away.
Fey pursed her lips, visibly frustrated. "That''s just an excuse, Mr. Lexicon!" she admonished. "You''re legally eighteen; I''ve seen your birth records. I also taught you in multiple sses before your change. So if I ept that, it would open the floodgates, allowing in younger ages!"
"Is that so?" he teased. "Well, can''t rescue you from unwarranted, introspective guilt. So, I suppose I''ll just tease you the next time your inner struggle boils over."
The professor puffed out her cheeks in irritation, fixing him with her piercing hazel eyes. However, seeing his disarming smile, she softened and turned away.
"How do you manage to do this?"
"Might you elucidate upon your cryptic statement?" Kaze chuckled. "At the moment, I''m not sure if you''re referring to my ability to annoy you, make you blush, or something else entirely more personal."
"BOTH!" Fey blushed, turning away hurriedly. "No, I actually mean living with your actions. While I don''t think you''re wrong, some of your actions are arguably genocidal by Maltian standards, just as mine are arguably criminal. So how do you deal with them?"
"Do you want to take sce in the charming answer?" he mused, shing her a devilish smile. "Or would you rather know the distilled truth?"
"Both..." she whispered hesitantly, apprehensive about the distinction.
"To protect beautiful women like you, that''s why I do what I do," Kaze responded, his voice alluring. "What kind of man would I be if I regretted such a thing?"
Fey closed her eyes, feeling embarrassed and fascinated at how easily he had charmed her. Despite anticipating being wooed, she was still purring inside like a contented kitten It was mortifying. "What''s the truth?"
"The truth is that certain actions, though necessary, will haunt you," he asserted, his tone growing solemn. "But with time and repetition, they be normalized, eventually numbing you. In matters of emotion like this, that numbness can lead to joy rather than detachment."
"So, if I have the opportunity to sleep with you again, should I embrace it repeatedly?" she inquired. "Do you realize how self-serving that sounds?"
"Nothing is more satisfying than when the truth unabashedly supports one''s desires," Kaze replied with a devilish smile.
Fey blushed furiously as her body responded to his words, an urge to escape his irresistible charm surging through her. "If that''s the case, then...."
"Emperor Lexicon, it''s time," Jake called out. "Are you almost done?"
Kaze nced at his former professor, who swallowed hard and nodded, feeling both relieved and disappointed by the interruption. "Yes, we''ll be right there," he answered, turning back to Fey. "Let''s go; we have an eternity to discuss this."
Fey''s eyes quivered, and her heart swelled with emotion. "O-Okay."
***
Three thousand individuals gathered on the rugged shores of Clevedon Beach, gazing at the sun as it ascended above the horizon. Ordinarily, it would be a breathtaking sight; however, the immense blood vortex in the sky evidence of Kaze''s brutal elimination of a thousand one-ton creatures to supply a new storage facility near Lainwright military base cast a sinister shadow over the scene.
The blood vortex only served to heighten the unsettling sight of the monstrous creatures in the ocean. If not for Kaze''s aura of golden light, which lent him a divine appearance, the scene would have been utterly traumatizing, especially considering that everyone was to enter the ocean in just thirty minutes.
But then, something remarkable urred. The blood and fish carcasses vanished, leaving only three floating on the ocean''s surface. Kaze swept his hand through the air, creating a warping dome barrier that epassed the first 300 feet of the cove. In an instant, the fish shimmered with brilliant golden light, and as the emperor gestured once more, a gust of the same luminous energy surged toward the shore. Upon contact with the barrier, it transformed into a resplendent golden hue, and runes etched themselves into its surface.
"That''s what happened during the rapture!" Sammy eximed, turning to Whitney, Brad, and the other elites.
"Yeah, it is," Brad murmured, observing the mesmerizing barrier writing runes in real-time.
Excited conversations erupted throughout the crowd. However, one person wasn''t dazzled by the disy. Evalyn frowned, her heart pounding and a crippling sense of foreboding as she analyzed the technique. While it protected her people, it also chilled the marrow of her bones.
Chapter 344 Rebirth
344 Rebirth
An army of fifteen-hundred soldiers, cultivators, and Immortals filled Clevedon Bay''s waters, d in swimming suits and trembling with their cleansing treasures in hand. The cool temperature of the water and air did not bother them; instead, the sight of the monstrous fish made them hesitate.
The shimmering barrier above the water illuminated below it, assuring them that no carnivorous fish were present, but it didn''t bring muchfort.
The sharp scent of salt in the water constantly reminded them of their location a ce they desperately wanted to escape. They longed for a swift end to the ordeal so they could return to the gray, rocky shore that had seemed so unweing before they entered the water.
Despite the fear, their eyes couldn''t help but be drawn to a radiant brte with wavy hair that they had seen many times before yet felt like they were seeing for the first time. She stood between the water and the fifteen hundred on shore to announce the day''s events.
"Embracing anxiety about being in the water is wise, as it is usually perilous. However, today it is safe," Kylie reassured. "While that might notfort everyone, you will soon forget your fears. So, hang on a little longer."
A mix of emotions, confusion, and unease spread among the crowd like a contagion. They didn''t understand her words but captured her underlying message.
"We won''t sugarcoat the cleansing process or how we''ll handle it," Kylie warned. She exined the pain and difort of the cleansing and the sulfuric sludge that would seep from their pores in detail. Then she exined that the fifteen hundred on shore would spend a half hour using a wind technique to push the sludge past the barrier.
As a result, no one would focus on their embarrassment, fear, or mock others, as they would be too overwhelmed to think about trivial things. Lastly, she reminded those on shore that they''d be swimming in ck sludge if they didn''t clean the water. It was horrifying.
"While it will not be pleasant, you will feel better than you''ve ever felt before," Kylie beamed, captivating everyone with a radiant smile. "Your teeth will be whiter, your skin and hair will be smooth, and you will feel free using Qi. I guarantee it''ll be worth it."
The crowd melted at her gentle enthusiasm, drawn to her words and her appearance. Those who were incredulous looked at the other harem members and Evalyn, each looking radiant. It gave everyone the same energy and enthusiasm they had from the start.
Kaze cleansed his partners earlier, as he didn''t want anyone to see them excrete sludge, use four major cleansing treasures, or know that he healed and calmed them. He included Fey, iming it was necessary due to her role in treasure production.
However, everyone else was in the water or on shore, including Jake and Veronica in the center of the cove.
"Begin Gentle Breeze," Kylie instructed. Those on shoreplied, employing a basic wind technique that generated wind. The water grew choppy, but the superhumans barely noticed.
"This seems a bit... too easy," Veronica remarked, swimming at the center of the cove.
"W-What did you say?" Jake stammered, his arms folded around his chest.
Though he excelled at his people-oriented job in an official capacity, he was intensely self-conscious, reluctant to remove his shirt before anyone but Veronica.
The ck-haired pixie''s eyes widened, noticing his unnatural trembling. "It''ll be okay, Jake," she reassured him, cing aforting hand on his shoulder.
"I''ll be here with you the entire time."
"T-That''s the problem," he choked out. "You''ll see me oozing sludge and never forget it."
"It goes both ways, Jake," Veronica giggled. "Besides, women have pressure to be beautiful. We give guys a lot more leeway."
He offered her a feeble, incredulous, yet grateful smile. "I-I suppose you''re"
Thu-dump!
Jake''s entire field of vision blurred, melding the grays, golds, and blues of the rocks, barrier, and water into a hazy kaleidoscope of colors. A pungent scent of sulfur filled the air, eliciting an involuntary reaction from his body. Gasps echoed from the shore, and he felt those too. In that brief moment, he experienced auditory and olfactory-tactile synesthesia before the true intensity of the cleansing treasure kicked in.
"AhHhhHHhhhHHhhHhhH!" the people in the water screamed in a choir, consumed by a searing sensation that felt lethal. The terrifying shrieks paralyzed many on the shore, who only snapped out of their shock when the elites and leaders took action.
Within seconds, everyone forgot their fear, anxiety, and embarrassment. Jake barely registered the ck sludge cascading down his body like a waterfall, darkening the water like an oil slick that didn''t shimmer in the sunlight or the barrier''s luminescent glow. The sensation was too overpowering, too all-epassing to ignore.
For those on the shore, the ordeal was equally brutal. Technique after technique, they had to coborate and devise strategies to maintain a continuous wind effect. The gruesome sludge pouring from every orifice of the cleansers bodies seeped like an endless faucet, turning the water a dystopian ck and making breathing unbearable.
However, as the weakest of the senses, the sense of smell eventually sumbed to Qi deprivation, sweat, and despair. Soon, it faded into the background.
However, something remarkable began to happen.
Subtle at first but was clear and unmistakable.
Those in the water stopped screaming.
Their motions became effortless.
Breathing became natural.
And their skin glowed.
It was like amp.
With energy.
Elegant.
Pure.
As the luminescence enveloped their bodies, the effort needed to push the sludge away lessened by half and then by fractions until, eventually, everyone had cultivated in shifts, and those in the water found tranquility. It was as if they had been reborn.
Time seemed to lose meaning in that surreal and serene environment as both groups overcame their anxiety, exhaustion, and pain.
"The cleansing isplete," Kylie announced, beaming with pride. "Let''s give a round of apuse for our brave participants."
Bewilderment rippled through the crowd. Apud? For what? They didn''t see any reason to celebrate. However, as some individuals started pping reflexively, a spark of excitement grew and spread.
The pping evolved into a rhythmic pulse, a drumbeat that resonated within their chests, fueling their enthusiasm and propelling them forward. Soon, the apuse became contagious, intensifying as the newly cleansed soldiers and Immortals emerged from the water, their radiant skin, and beaming smiles on full disy. Every movement felt more natural than ever before.
The extraordinary effects of the elixir were apparent, and it ignited a deep yearning within the onlookers to begin their own cleansing journey.
"Immortals and aspirants," Kylie addressed the crowd, "These individuals worked tirelessly to cleanse themselves for your benefit. Please, use a wind technique to purify the water for them."
Jake and Veronica turned to look at the water for the first time, their eyes widening in shock. While the water within the barrier appeared rtively clear, albeit murky, like an unclean pool, the area beyond the barrier was a sludge-filled nightmare. Everyone shuddered, ncing at their bodies in panic, worried they were still covered in filth. Miraculously, they were clean.
"Of course," Veronica agreed, breaking the silence. "I''ll start; join in after me."
She positioned herself, surveying the water. "Gentle Breeze."
WhooOOOOOOOOSH! SPLaaSssSssSSH!
With a single wave of her hand and a basic technique, the entire cove that had just amodated 1,500 people responded, generating massive waves in the center that crashed outward. No one could believe their eyes especially Veronica.
"As you can see, you''ll need to reacquaint yourselves with Qi control," Kaze remarked with a smirk, capturing everyone''s attention as he materialized beside Veronica. "How does it feel to be reborn?"
"I-I... I didn''t think... wow..." Veronica stammered.
Those who knew the charismatic and popr socialite couldn''t help butugh and giggle at her uncharacteristic loss for words.
"HELL YEAH!" Larkin yelled. "Give me some of that OP juice; let''s goooooooooo!"
Spurred on by the jester''s enthusiasm, the area burst into cheers and excitement. In unison, fifteen hundred people employed wind techniques to cleanse the water and limate to their newfound power. The results were spellbinding.
The cultivators observed the scene with astonishment. Only those willing to battle the Killian Empire could obtain treasures. However, those who did harbored doubts they''de out on top.
After all, a mere seven nights remained before the spatial rift would open, allowing an army with centuries of experience to invade. However, witnessing the remarkable power growth resulting from a single cleansing made them realize victory was within reach. They were grateful for choosing to fight on the right side.
It gave them hope of a positive future where they could live without the unrelenting grind for basic power and sustenance.
Nevertheless, the path ahead was treacherous, and only a week remained.
There was no turning back. It was a race against the clock to build power and prepare before the Killian army arrived, and they prayed it would be enough.
Chapter 345 Guilt
345 Guilt
Nestled in the heart of Malta was an awe-inspiring national park boasting a majestdscape of rugged hills, meandering rivers, and expansive valleys. Scattered throughout this natural wonder were charming viges and historic towns that had emerged long ago amid the arid moors, verdant forests, and picturesque riverside meadows.
Known as Zeinth National Park, this fourteen-hundred-acre expanse was more than just a scenic retreat. Althoughcking inrge carnivores, its strategic location near two sprawling megacities, with abined poption of thirty million that had once engulfed Sheffield and Manchester before the war, made it an essential hub for the region''s cultivators. Over two hundred of them were stationed in arge base at the park''s center, primarily to supervise candidates as they honed their skills by hunting within the park''s boundaries.
The base, a former hotel, now amodated the sizeable group as they congregated in the moonlit cafeteria at nightfall, seeking ways to pass the time.
"Come on, Mars," urged a gaunt-faced man with ck hair and a scruffy beard. "Tell us a story."
"I''ve already told you stories, Mason," Mars replied, reclining on the ground with his hands supporting his head as he gazed at the ceiling.
"Nah, not normal stories," Mason insisted. "I mean your freaky stories."
"That''d be breaking the rules, Mason," the crimson-haired teen sighed. "No matter how often I say it, it doesn''t change the truth."
"It hasn''t stopped you before," a brte with a tightly wound bun scoffed. "Otherwise, everyone here wouldn''t even be aware of the rules."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room, apanied by an undercurrent of anxiety and growing paranoia. The ground teams that were meant to report back had gone silent, and other cultivators had arrived, sharing stories of their missingrades.
As a result, the group craved answers genuine answers.
"And Mars was wrong to do so then, Naomi," Roxy interjected, cutting through the tension. "However, unlike those instances, this is a matter of grave consequence. Don''t confuse his past rule-breaking for sharing juvenile stories with the legality of employing Narrative in a dire military situation."
"Yes, it is a serious situation that''s why we need to know what we''re up against," Naomi sassed. "I can''t speak for everyone else, but after all this insanity, I''m not trusting anyone without evidence."
A chorus of agreement reverberated throughout the room, heightening everyone''s alertness and anticipation of potential conflict.
"Do you know why he can''t divulge information like this?" Roxy chuckled. "People who are paranoid about their crimes demand proof to see if there was evidence."
""Are you using us of being traitors!?" Mason snapped, his gaunt face twisted into a scowl. "Do you think that..." His voice trailed off as he noticed the room had gone silent, the collective paranoia intensifying.
"Understand now?" the brte pixie smirked. "Let me rify something. If someone with Mars'' abilities were a traitor, he wouldn''t return home. After all, he can''t withhold information from superiors, so doing so would be suicidal. What about any of you? Can you provide proof that you''re not traitors?"
An ominous sensation crept over everyone, tightening its grip on their hearts.
"I thought not," Roxy scoffed. "Mars can''t share a story. It''s not due to the presence of a traitor; it''s because the rules exist to prevent traitors from acquiring information. So, drop it."
The room sank into a heavy silence, consumed by brooding thoughts, paranoia, and tension.
As hours slipped by, most turned to cultivation instead of sleep.
Mars was among them, seated in the lotus position, attempting to maintain hisposure.
"Over thest two centuries, I''ve seen countless soldiers turn," Mason chuckled, approaching and sitting beside him. "They always have this particr quality. It''s as if they''re perpetually working not to slip up."
The crimson-haired teen tried to dismiss the man, but he was as relentless as a nagging sore, persistently irritating him each time his attention was drawn back.
"It''s the guilt that''s the telltale sign," Mason grinned. "It''s unmistakable because, whether they say something negative about their former or current team, they feel like they''re betraying them.
Betraying both sides, unceasingly. Emotionally conflicted."
"Leave him be," Roxy warned from across the room. "Otherwise, I''ll reprimand you and rmend demoted from Lieutenant. Don''t forget that I''m the ranking superior here."
"Rx, Major Grace," the man chuckled. "I''m just trying to help the kid. After all, when his dad learns that he went missing and reappeared alone without his entire squad - it''s going to be a nightmare. It''s better for him to repent."
"Don''t bring up my dad," Mars growled.
"Oh, are you trying to appear tough, Mars?" Mason smirked. "Deny your father all you want, but ultimately, I''m right he''ll tear you apart. I wonder what he''ll do when he discovers his son is a traitor?
He''ll probably-"
BOOM!
Mason''s taunting was cut short as an immense gravitational force mmed him into the ground, rousing everyone from their deep meditations. They looked up to see the man groaning under the intense pressure.
"Cease harming my subordinate immediately, Major Grace!" a blonde woman with fierce brown eyes ordered the pixie, her hand pressed to the ground.
"Or what, Captain Collins?" Roxy sneered. "You''ll admit that you allowed your troops to repeatedly provoke First Lieutenant Vanity into divulging ssified information, disregard your superior''s orders, and then use us of treason?"
The blonde clenched her teeth, rapidly assessing her predicament and searching for a way out.
"Reprimand this man at once, or I''ll see you stripped of your rank, Captain," the pixie threatened. "Don''t think you have any recourse
First Lieutenant Vanity has documented everything. Everyone who attempted to make him break the rules will be punished, and I''ll ensure the harshest penalty."
Shock rippled through the room like an earthquake, shaking everyone to their core. Those implicated drew sharp breaths, harboring a dark urge to silence the duo to avert repercussions. The situation was tense, vtile, and explosive. One spark could set it off at any moment, pushing it to a breaking point.
"STOP, ROXY!" Mars shouted, slicing through the silence. "They only want to know what we''re going to report. The evidence proves that we''ll y a crucial role in bringing down Immortal Skye, and there''s no escaping my memory. So just let it happen."
Roxy''s eyes widened in horror as she stared at the resolute and serious teen, her heart pounding. "Don''t let your father dictate your choices, Mars," she snapped.
"I''m not doing that!" he retorted, his anger boiling over.
"Yes, you are!" she yelled back. "You''re breaking the rules because someone provoked you with your father!"
"No, I''m not!" Mars countered. "You''re the one driving everyone mad with protocol when we could simply put everyone''s minds at ease and ensure their safety with a bit of information. You''re being unreasonable!"
"First Lieutenant! You will follow my orders whether you believe they''re misguided or not!" Roxy barked, causing the teen to huff and turn away in frustration.
"Major Grace," Ruby interjected. "May I speak with you privately? We need to address this situation. In the meantime, everyone else, hold your tongues and cultivate."
The soldiers acknowledged hermand andposed themselves while Roxy nodded and exited the building. As they walked, the brte pixie discreetly adjusted her ring, feeling a warmth spread through her finger as a signal that it was active.
Chapter 346 Unreliable Allies
346 Unreliable Allies
Roxy and the blonde captain, Ruby Collins, stepped through the front doors onto the hotel''s valet parking area. The warm August night revealed a sky full of stars unobscured by light pollution, even from their hotel. They stood on a lush in between the vast moor of arid earth and hills and a temperate forest teeming with vociferous birds and nocturnal predators.
As they prepared for their conversation, the pixie discreetly manipted a ring on her finger. It warmed up instead of glowing like other cultivation artifacts, keeping Ruby oblivious to its function. "What is there to discuss, Captain Collins?"
"First, I want to apologize for my actions, both for questioning your authority and allowing my soldiers to tempt First Lieutenant Vanity into breaking the rules," Ruby started.
"Apology epted, as long as you follow through," the pixie narrowed her eyes.
The blonde cultivator winced under the intensity of the gaze, but she couldn''t ignore the matter of utmost importance. "Major Grace, everyone who has entered the Mortal ne has disappeared," she swallowed. "The Silver Medallions, a Cultivation Lord, Crux Pyron...
we need to know whether we must flee and regroup in a week."
"Your question undermines my judgment as your ranking superior, Captain," Roxy stated. "If we''re still here despite the threat Immortal Skye poses, and having witnessed it ourselves, it means we''ve deemed it safe. However, your soldiers continue to goad First Lieutenant Vanity into speaking, and he''splying."
Shock washed over the blonde. She strained her ears and detected the distant voices.
"I''m going to be a hero, not a damn traitor!" Mars growled from inside the building. "So stop bringing up my father as if he''ll be disappointed that I saved the Killian Army."
"That''s what traitors say," a man sneered.
"What a joke, this kid''s as delusional as ever," a woman scoffed.
"Enough!" Mars snapped. "If you don''t"
"Or what? You''ll use Daddy''s cultivation technique to kill us?"
Mason mocked. "Prove that you''re a traitor? Brilliant n, genius."
"Do you hear that, Captain Collins?" Roxy inquired. "That''s the sound of your rank slipping away. I suggest you start building a defense."
"Major Grace," Ruby stammered, "As I mentioned, we''re all under immense stress. Can''t you show some understanding?"
"Fine, I''ll prove it to you!" Mars spat. "But let''s go to a backroom.
I''m not getting in trouble just to put an end to yourints!"
Roxy''s heart raced, her vision blurring momentarily. Everything she had worked for could crumble if Mars spoke. ''"No, I have no patience for someone who disobeys orders and then stalls as the individual in question is on the verge of breaking the rules!"
Ruby''s eyes widened in terror as she listened and realized the truth.
"Major Grace, that wasn''t my intention. We''ll stop them, but please, just hear me out."
"I''ve listened enough!" the brte snapped. "Now, stop wasting my time!" She turned and headed back towards the door without further conversation, but Naomi, the defiant brte cultivator, stepped through the doorway.
"Major Grace, may I share some information with you?" Naomi asked, halting the woman''s progress.
"Not at the moment, Lieutenant," Roxy snarled, attempting to move past her.
"B-But it''s crucial!" the blonde insisted. "It''s about Immortal Skye, as you call them."
The pixie''s heart pounded, but she maintained herposure.
"Excellent, please inform meter," she replied. "Right now, I must prevent others from breaking the rules."
"It''s what Mars has already shared with us," Naomi persisted as the major brushed past her.
Roxy halted, trying to determine whether it was a ruse to dy her.
"If you''re bluffing or stalling to give First Lieutenant Vanity time to speak, I''ll rmend you be court-martialed for insubordination. If it results in a traitor obtaining information, I''ll ensure the consequences are severe. Are you certain you want to stop me from preventing him from breaking the rules?"
Naomi, typically bold and opinionated with her tightly wound bun, hesitated, trembling slightly as her eyes revealed her inner turmoil.
"Lieutenant Ross just came at an inopportune moment," Ruby interjected, causing the brte to turn toward her. "Please proceed, Major Grace. We"
CRaaaACK!
Roxy''s eyes widened in terror as she saw a massive spear of raw Qi erupt from the captain''s rib cage, sttering her face with warm blood. She wanted to look outside the hotel''s door but remained frozen, staring at her own stomach, which now had a gaping, gushing wound.
"Killian scum," a male voice sneered, making the pixie''s eyes widen in horror as she fell to the ground. It wasn''t Kaze Lexicon, the person she expected to approach quickly upon hearing the situation.
It was a much darker and more familiar voice she hadn''t anticipated.
"H-Hey, what just happened!?" Naomi eximed. "Captain... major..."
"It''s like an infestation out here," the man outside scoffed. "I''ll take pleasure in exterminating everyst one of you."
"Who are you!?" the brte demanded, preparing to counterattack.
Roxy''s vision blurred as she watched tendrils emerge from the shadows behind Naomi in the hotel lobby. The pixie wanted to warn her that the assault wasn''ting from above, but it was toote.
"ACK!" Naomi choked, blood sttering onto the ground as the tendrils impaled her, leaving her suspended in mid-air.
THUD!
Her lifeless body fell next to Roxy''s, her eyes void of life. The pixie''s eyes trembled as she looked on.
"Shhhhhhhhhhh...." A hypnotic hush filled the air like a gentle night breeze, growing louder as the man descended to the ground. "There would be no fun in demolishing the entire building, and I''m not one for hide and seek."
Roxy''s heart raced, hearing the man''s boots touch the ground. They were ck, as dark as night,plementing his ck toga made of luxurious fabric. He wore a cape around his shoulders, not the kind a superhero or viin would wear, but the type worn by ancient royalty. She couldn''t see his face but knew his identity, causing her blood to run cold.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
She could see his boots as the man''s ominous footsteps grew louder.
They were soul-beast boots made from the hide of a Larabeast. The beast didn''t exist on this ne; it was a heaven-realm soul beast reserved for high-ranking soldiers or nobility. It wasn''t something someone from the mortal ne could fake. It was genuine, just a few feet from her.
"I''ve always admired you, Roxy," the man dered, his voice smirking. "So I''ll consider keeping you as my pet. We''ll see once I finish my "hunt."
"N-No..." Roxy swallowed, struggling to fight back. However, she couldn''t breathe under pressure, and her eyes grew heavy. She couldn''t even think about Mars, her chosen family, as he walked through the double doors into the cafeteria where everyone awaited.
She was too weak, her consciousness too fragile.
As she listened in a daze, confused gasps turned to shouts, shouts transformed into screams, and screams gave way to trampling footsteps. Explosions shook the area in rapid session, boom-boom-boom until the entire room fell eerily silent. After a while, the chaos re-emerged in the distance. The surreal experience continued until she finally slipped into unconsciousness.
"Where am I?" Roxy murmured, opening her eyes slowly. She couldn''t tell how much time had passed; she felt she was still in the lobby, surrounded by blood and death. As her consciousness returned, her thoughts drifted to Mars, the man, and her own situation, in that order, causing a wave of dread to wash over her.
Roxy abruptly sat up, her pulse racing, and found herself in a white room with a white bed. Sunlight streamed through the window, revealing that it was morning. "Where is this ce?"
"I suppose you can call it home for the time being," a chilling voice said, prompting her to crane her neck.
"You..." she whispered, gazing at the ck-haired teenager sitting beside her. Though he was the person she had expected, she couldn''t decide who was worse as she stared into his callous, green eyes.
They were the eyes of a killer who had witnessed far more deaths than she ever would.
"Yes, it''s me," Kaze replied, somber and straightforward. "Care to exin why you didn''t return? Or why you''re not surprised that others of power are on this ne?"
"I will, but first... what about Mars?" Roxy asked, her heart aching.
"Please tell me that first."
"He''s alive for now," the emperor announced, causing her heart to swirl with a mixture of relief and apprehension. "It seems he couldn''t resist the urge to speak after all. While I expected as much, hested much longer than I anticipated. That means he would have made it had you made contact as we discussed."
The pixie''s face contorted with pain, her eyes filling with tears. "I wasn''t betraying you," she whispered. "It wasplicated."
"Then exin quickly, for my patience has run thin," Kaze demanded. "While there was no harm in Mars Vanity being there if they already knew information on our whereabouts, However, I confirmed they weren''t. Now, six people with our information escaped in separate directions because a cultivation lord we weren''t informed about showed up. I want answers for all of it."
Chapter 347 Taken Seriously
347 Taken Seriously
"Six individuals departed with the intelligence?" Evalyn inquired, her gaze icy and unwavering.
"Indeed," Kaze confirmed. "They split up, heading in different directions."
The pair conversed in a windowless conference chamber deep within the military base. The fatigue beneath Evalyn''s eyes had intensified over the past month; her cold coffee was proof, as it was at the bottom of the pot. In contrast, the emperor appeared well-rested, though somber.
"What about Roxy?" Evalyn pressed, her eyes narrowing.
"Her ount seems credible," Kaze answered. "It provided a troubling revtion."
"Which is?" General Skye asked, bracing herself.
"Killian is exhibiting signs of minor memory regression," the emperor exined. "He''s experiencing dreams and premonitions of his downfall. That''s why he dispatched the Silver Medallions to the Mortal ne."
"How much do you believe he''s aware of?" she inquired, her eyes shaky.
"Not a great deal," Kaze replied. "It appears that those with stronger ties to me have retained more memories. Harper served as my major for an extended period, Crux was a long-time friend, and you possess deep memories, though your mind has suppressed them. Andrew Killian and I knew each other, but only interacted at the end. He likely only recalls the end of the war and his demise."
Evalyn''s gaze drifted to the left, lost in thought. "Why assume the extent of memory retention? Your conclusions seem quite certain."
"Roxy Grace and Mars Vanity were renowned during my life, and I was famous before their passing," Kaze borated. "However, they have no recollection of me. Neither do the other cultivators."
"And your level of fame?" Evalyn probed, tilting her head curiously.
"Marginally below yours," Kaze responded, devoid of arrogance.
"After all, I was one of the few, alongside Killian and the Reto alliance leaders, to possess a sacred technique. As yourrade, I yed a crucial role in shifting the tide of the war."
Blinking twice, General Skye attempted to process his statement.
"Even if my memories are suppressed, it''s unsettling that I haven''t encountered any rted dreams."
"We shared a close bond for two centuries, Evalyn," he revealed with a smile, relishing her reaction. "Less than six decades involved the war. From my observations, you show no signs of recalling events from the century prior to our meeting, but possess uncanny insight into what followed."
"I see..." Evalyn murmured, her thoughts clouded. "As for Killian, his unstable visions of death at mortal hands will likelypel him to take us seriously, regardless of any potential spies."
"That''s a reasonable assumption," Kaze agreed his tone grave and determined.
"With less than a week to prepare, what''s our strategy?" she grimaced.
"Our task is to give people a reason to unite and fight against insurmountable odds," the emperor dered. "Afterward, I''ll handle the rest."
"But how?" Evalyn pressed. "We''ve already been working tirelessly to bring them together."
"It means allowing them to face the consequences of their disunity," he expounded. "Let them confront their own battles until the critical moment arrives. Can you bear that?"
General Skye swallowed, inhaling sharply. "I''m not sure," she whispered. "I''ll consider it when the timees."
"That''s all we can ask for," Kaze smiled, his tone gentle. "Now let''s show everyone what they''re fighting for."
*****
"Over the past month, we''ve trained relentlessly, shedding blood, sweat, and tears in anticipation of the formidable threat approaching the mortal ne," General Skye thundered, addressing the ten thousand gathered on the obstacle course. The day was brisk, tension palpable, as everyone sensed the imminent danger looming over them.
"Now, as the hour draws near, let''s remind ourselves why we''re fighting," Evalyn urged, her gaze piercing. "Survival alone isn''t enough. Mere existence, driven by base desires and instinct, is insufficient. There must always be a purpose."
Whispers spread among the crowd, a ripple effect that connected each individual, reinforcing their collective resolve.
"Prepare for a two-day respite," she dered. "Immortals with families enjoy your time together, free from the burden of training. It has been arranged."
A mixture of excitement and disappointment marbled through the crowd as Lainwright soldiers and familyless mortals grappled with their emotions.
"For Immortals and soldiers without families, you''ll receive specialized training from Emperor Lexicon and learn a new technique," Evalyn revealed, stunning everyone. "As for those with loved ones, rest assured you''re on the winning side."
Her announcement invigorated the soldiers and Immortals, while her icy tone sent chills down the spines of the others. They knew her family''s fate and wouldn''t dare to protest her decision.
"That''s all," Evalyn concluded. "Now, reunite with your families. Those joining Emperor Lexicon, gather your belongings and assemble at the obstacle course with a backpack and gear. You''ll embark on a field trip upon his return. His arrival time is uncertain, so be prepared to wait."
*****
A hundred and fifty miles from Meridian City loomed an imposing 11th-century castle perched on the east coast of ancient Ennd.
The majestic structure resembled a fortress from a fairy tale, standing proudly atop a rolling hill with castle gates and a drawbridge that once weed horse-drawn carriages and travelers to a magnificent kingdom.
It was Dover Castle, the renowned bastion that withstood the test of time and once housed King Henry II, who built the Great Tower that still stood nearly a thousand yearster.
Inside the Great Tower, Kaze sat with his eyes closed, envisioning a mental blueprint. The castle''s interior shimmered with golden runes that continuously shifted, etching an enigmatic technique onto the ground and the space above it.
"It''s almostplete," Kaze murmured, his eyes gleaming with determination. "I hope this ce serves our purpose well, for we will surely need it."
*****
Emperor Lexicon returned to the obstacle course in Immortal Skye, where thousands of eager soldiers and Immortals had gathered. He soared into the sky to address them. ''"Today, we embark on a hunt," he announced. "Prepare for a feast and unimaginable power!"
His words were met with a thunderous roar, electrifying everyone and filling them with anticipation.
"But first, I shall impart a unique technique that will benefit you for the rest of your lives," Kaze smiled, igniting a surge of excitement within the crowd. They didn''t know what he had nned, but their eagerness was palpable.
Chapter 348 Forced Reliance
348 Forced Reliance
Beneath the zing sun at eleven o''clock, thousands of soldiers stood on the obstacle course, anticipation and anxiety coursing through their veins. Next to them were the Immortals, who were without family, and the mingling of these two groups created a palpable tension that seemed impossible to dispel. For the past hour, they had merely stared at each other, any interaction limited and awkward. The atmosphere was vtile.
However, the emperor''s announcement sliced through the tension like a hot de.
"Today, you will learn the principle of battle aura," Kaze smiled.
"It''s a high-level sub-technique that will soon bemon knowledge. Yet, you shall be the first to learn and master it, as I will personally conduct a master ss."
A collective gasp and murmur spread through the crowd. Although it was a mere whisper, the thousands of voices made it feel as thunderous as it reverberated through the area.
"Let''s discuss what it is," Kaze exined, picking up a stone. "With battle aura, you can transform any object" He hurled the stone at the T-wall that separated the battlefield during their mock battle.
Silence. Dead silence.
Everyone was puzzled, expecting a massive explosion or some insane event. However, there was
BOOM!
A distant explosion startled everyone, leaving them bewildered. Was it a spatial technique?
Kaze smirked at their perplexed faces, "Instead of asking needless questions, why don''t you examine the wall yourselves?"
The crowd approached the wall in a daze, curious about what had transpired. Upon reaching the wall, the individual who discovered the phenomenon stared silently, questioning whether they were seeing things correctly.
At the center of the heavily reinforced T-wall was a perfect, jagged hole in the exact shape of the stone Kaze had thrown. It appeared as though a cookie cutter had sliced through the wall, leaving an even hole without any variation. The wall was simply... gone.
Kaze stepped through a spatial rift onto the top of the wall, looking down at the soldiers and jolting them back to reality. ''''Battle aura is a form of armor that envelops objects, making them durable," he exined. "It is extremely sharp, filled with microscopic des of Qi that turn every area into a shredding force, like a hairbrush made of razor des."
The soldiers, unable to ignore the unbelievable sight, pushed through the crowd to see the hole in the wall.
"The sub-technique is called evocation," Emperor Lexicon continued. He formed a wall of Qi in the shape of a shield, whichpacted until it was solid white. "Just as tightly packed water molecules create ice, tightly packed elemental Qi bes almost indestructible with refinement and quantity. With it, you can craft armor, shields, and weapons when fighting."
Excited whispers greeted his words, everyone eager to learn the concept.
"The most significant advantage of higher-level techniques is that they only require your external Qiites, not your internal Qi," Kaze exined, pulling a baseball bat from a spatial rift. "So once you''re running low, you can reinforce weak objects and transform them into weapons."
Ding! Ding! Ding!
He struck the metal baseball bat against the T-wall to prove its authenticity, then lifted it, enveloping it in a strange tinum aura before leaping off the wall and swinging it downward, back facing the soldiers.
SHiiiiilINK!
To everyone''s amazement, the bat sliced through the wall like butter, causing the ground to groan as the wall split in two. It was the most surreal sight they had ever witnessed.
"Once you learn this technique, you will hunt with it," Kaze exined, a sinister grin on his lips. "However, first" He raised his hand and created a golden barrier around the group, causing everyone to panic. No one could figure out what had happened, but they felt lightheaded and drained of energy. As their energy depleted, the barrier attracted Qi until the dome became solid white like Kaze''s shield, submerging the crowd in darkness.
"That should be enough," Kaze smirked, releasing the barrier.
In a surreal development, the soldiers gazed upward as the white barrier disintegrated, king away and vanishing into thin air as if it had never been there After it disappeared, their bodies radiated a strange ck aura that felt suffocating.
"There you go," Kaze pped. "Now, you have boundless Qiites in your body, allowing you to manipte Qi but limited to the minimum Qi necessary to maintain your body''s basic performance.
That means you''ll be restricted to conventional weapons during our hunt."
The emperor pulled massive crates from a rift and lowered them to the ground. "You have swords, daggers, and spears," he chuckled.
"None of them will kill a beast where we''re going. Therefore, you''ll need to apply the technique you learn here in the forest."
Everyone''s enthusiasm to learn the technique turned to a feeling of foreboding and dread. Beyond the special forces soldiers, the Immortals relied on guided attacks and area-of-effect techniques that required little precision. Furthermore, they had never wielded a conventional weapon. It was another game entirely.
*****
"Wah!" Denzel swung his sword at a tree on the outskirts of the obstacle course, grinning as he watched it slice effortlessly through the tree in slow motion. Just as it reached the halfway mark
"Are you a samurai or something?" a female mused.
DENG! The sword lost its sharpness halfway through, jolting Denzel''s body and making him slip, falling to the ground amid her giggles.
Denzel looked up to see a beautiful blonde in a tank top and yoga pants. Her dazzling blue eyes and conditioned hair revealed a charming personality he hadn''t gotten used to. "No, I don''t think I''m a samurai, La. Why would you think that?"
"What? The bosu squat and the ''WAH'' you put before sword strikes and karate chops don''t raise questions?" she teased. "Or raising a Guided Arrow into the air like an archer even though it''s guided by eyesight?"
A light blush tinted Denzel''s cheeks, eliciting another giggle.
Denzel stood up, a wry smile on his lips. "Those are three different fighting styles," he said. "It''s not like I''m copying anyone."
La raised an eyebrow, smirking. "So, did you study them?"
Caught off guard, Denzel fumbled for words before conceding. "No, I just think it''s cool. This world, this life, this fighting it''s like something from the shows I watched growing up. While it''s pretty grim to say, my younger self would have thought this was a dreame true."
La''s giggles faded as she studied Denzel''s face, her expression showcasing her curiosity and captivation. "What about this, then?"
she asked, walking up. ''''Do you think that our"
"Enough flirting and get back to training," Caleb interrupted, a sneer on his face. "I''m not here to cause trouble, but you''re on our hunting team. If you don''t practice, we could all die. So quit messing around."
Chen shot a menacing re at Caleb from his practice tree but quickly looked away, restraining himself.
"It goes both ways, Caleb," Denzel reasoned. "I''ve been training seriously, and my experience is stronger. If I don''t perform well, bring it up then."
Caleb gritted his teeth while Madaline growled in the background.
"You call that serious? You''re making sound effects when"
ShiiiilINK! CRaaackkk! BOOM!
With a swift and powerful motion, La''s sword sliced through arge tree, sending it crashing to the ground. "Denzel can cut through most of a tree. How are you two doing?"
"I told you to stay out of this," Caleb snarled. "This doesn''t"
"These people are my friends," La interjected. "If they die because youined instead of training, that''s your fault. You''ve halted everyone''s training byining about Denzel''s strength and capabilities. So, let''s see it, Caleb. Prove you''re stronger."
Caleb averted his gaze. "I won''t justifymon sense to prove I''m not prejudiced. Emperor Lexicon put us in their group for a dangerous mission, despite our mutual disdain. I don''t want to die, so I''m asking him to take training seriously. So stop treating me like a viin."
"This isn''t a about prejudice," she asserted. "You''reining about training; I''m telling you to prove your training is better or leave, as you''re holding up everyone''s training."
Caleb red at the fallen tree, mumbled a few words about not performing a petty demonstration to justify his reasonable actions, and stormed off.
"Sorry, Denzel," La whispered. "If you want me to leave, I will.
Until then, I won''t stand idly by and let this happen."
"That''s fine by me," Denzel sighed. "Since you''re already overpowered, can you help me? I''d rather they resent me for being strong than be hated for not being strong enough." The others grimaced, hearing his words.
"Sure," she smiled, gripping her sword. "Here''s a trick heed the Emperor''s lessons, but don''t anticipate it to look indentical." The sword shimmered, resembling a faint Guided Arrow. "This doesn''t look like his demonstration, but"
With a swift, powerful motion, her sword cleaved through the tree, sending it crashing down. "It works," La smirked. "Emperor Lexicon''s on a different level. I''m sure he could slice through a bank vault with a stick. So don''tpare yourselves with him. Just focus on the training."
The group stared at the tree dumbstruck, unbelieving their eyes and ears.
esksk Once the training session ended, the soldiers headed to Twin Rocks Wildlife Reserve, ready to hunt soul beasts for the first time.
Chapter 349 The Virtues Of Evalyns Training
349 The Virtues of Evalyn''s Training
Nestled within the verdant embrace of Twin Rocks Wildlife Reservey a pristineke, the centerpiece of this once tranquil haven for hikers and casual tourists. However, as the group neared the charred and broken remnants of the highway, they knew things were different.
"I didn''t realize how eerily silent it was these days until I heard animals again," Fey observed, leading the group alongside Kaze.
"I''m not sure if it brings mefort or unease."
A sudden cacophony of thunderous squawks and the booming roars of massive creatures caused the entire party to fall silent.
"To this day, I share your uncertainty," Kaze chuckled.
"Kaze...." she swallowed. "This training seems... off. Will you really let them die?"
"Did you draw a different interpretation from my announcement?" he sassed.
Fey pursed her lips, reluctant to argue. The thought of allowing people to die needlessly was unsavory. She could only ept it because the Lainwright soldiers, thergest group among them, appeared at ease as if it were second nature.
"Better they face such risks when the stakes are low than running out of Qi during a battle," Kaze asserted, calm and solemn. "War is on the horizon, Fey. Unless you are prepared to take responsibility for their survival, withholding vital experience due to your moral objections is a selfish decision that puts their lives beneath your principles."
Fey''s eyes widened at his words. "And what of your own partners?"
"I have taken responsibility for their survival," he smirked, watching Kiera fly around the sky yfully. "That''s why I''ve trained them nightly, provided them with superior techniques and skills, and ensured they have ample resources. I have neither the time nor motivation to do so for everyone, so I''m building their strength in a controlled environment. It''s as simple as that."
Fey struggled to reconcile her beliefs with his reasoning. As an adult from a more peaceful world, she found adapting to the new reality difficult, though not impossible. "I''ll trust you..."
"In time, you''ll be well-versed in this new world and stand proudly on your own," Kaze reassured her without a hint of condescension or arrogance. "For now, cing your trust in me is the wisest course of action. At the very least, it will keep you safe and provide you with someone to me for certain actions and oues."
"Wait!" Fey protested, her eyes wide with surprise. "I''ve never med you for anything, and I''m nothing but grateful."
"It seems, then, that trusting me has served you well thus far," he grinned in petty triumph, eliciting a frustrated puff of air from Fey as she begrudgingly admitted defeat. "You win."
"Hoh?" Kaze mused. "You were much fiercer in the lecture hall when people talked back to you."
Fey red daggers at him, and he raised his hands in surrender, gracing her with a charming smile. "It appears I''ve grown ustomed to your clemency and have taken it for granted," he teased. "I withdraw my statement, Lady Roybock."
"Fey!" she huffed, turning away in frustration as his yful taunts got the better of her.
esksk Outwardly, not much had changed in the forest. Pine needles nketed the ground, colorful fungi adorned the forest floor, and various unmutated flora and fauna thrived in the area. However, the once serene oak, birch, and pine trees now cast an ominous shadow, highlighting the forest''s baritone howls, chirps, and snaps, and the perfect health of every nt felt more ominous than miraculous.
The ominous feeling made the sky realm cultivators feel ufortable without Qi despite their strength, making it impossible to trust their lives to the decorative swords the Scavengers collected from pawnshops.
Anxiety clutched at their hearts as the emperor halted in a pic area, allowing the soldiers to gather around. Once assembled, the emperor took to the sky to address them.
"Remember the rules," Kaze began. "If you choose to venture into the forest, hunt the beasts and return to the campsite with your quarry. The top ten teams will earn exceptional prizes, ranging from techniques to body constitutions and cleansing treasures. However, do not forget that thispetition is voluntary andes with inherent risks."
The teams swallowed hard, the icy grip of fear tightening around their lungs.
"With hundreds of teams delving into the forest, Kiera and I cannot assist everyone," he warned. "In matters involving death, it is best to assume that casualties are inevitable. This is a voluntary event, so do notin about who we help - if any."
Dread washed over the Immortals, leaving them shivering and bewildering the Lainwright soldiers. It was clear that the Immortals'' unyielding spirit differed from their own. Evalyn''s training had instilled virtues in them, and it was beginning to show.
"Finally, you are not alone in this forest," Kaze announced, sending a shockwave through the crowd. "Survivors depend on this forest for sustenance. This forest is their territory, so if you encounter them, do not harm them like barbaric colonialists. If I hear anyone justify a killing by saying the survivor pointed a gun at them...."
The emperor smiled mockingly, reminding them of their recent [painball] game and eliciting a few chuckles. "Most will possess mortal techniques," he continued. "If you fall at their hands, it is due to your folly, and you will receive no sympathy from me."
Everyone gulped, feeling the weight of his piercing gaze.
"Now, go forth," Kaze encouraged, his smile returning. "Stay sharp and prove to me that you are the alpha in this world!" His words invigorated the soldiers and Immortals, reminding them of their strength and status. Their earlier concerns now seemed trivial.
Following a strategic discussion, the groups dispersed along hiking trails and uncharted paths, each determined to return with impressive spoils.
"What if we cull the herds too much?" Fey inquired, concerned about the people relying on the forest for food.
"This forest is a trap," Kaze replied, his brow furrowing. "In a week''s time, the treasure will draw the majority of the Sky ne beasts here. Few creatures will survive. It''s best to consume the wildlife and save low-risk survivors before they meet their end."
*****
"How are they moving so fast...? Their cultivation is still unrefined," Calebined, chasing after Denzel and Chen. His n to race ahead and secure weaker prey before others could eliminate it had backfired, leaving them struggling to catch up.
"It''s the cleansing...." Luis whispered. "I heard it''s made a significant impact on the others as well."
Madeline and the athlete clenched their teeth they''d heard the same thing but couldn''t ept that soldiers who had just entered the sky realm a mere couple of weeks ago could be stronger "without proper practice or effort." Moreover, they felt Eric''s team''s unanimous victory was politically motivated, as they were prominent Lainwright soldiers.
The Lainwright soldiers tried to maintainposure, aware of the team trailing behind them. They would have offered to slow down to avoid animosity, but instead, they focused on strategizing
"Stop!" Denzelmanded, causing the other Lainwright soldiers to halt.
Caleb lost his bnce, veering to the side to prevent himself from colliding with the group. "Don''t stop like that, are you" He cut himself off as he looked forward.
CRAaaaCK!
While Luis also managed to stop in time, Madeline stumbled, trying to evade the group but instead crashed into a tree, propelling her to the ground. She quickly got up and spun around, her face flushed.
"Who the hell do you think you are, ordering us around!?" she chided. "Did you see what you just did?"
"M-Madeline...." Luis stammered, panic creeping through him.
"Shut up, Luis!" she snapped. "You didn''t just m into a damn tree!"
"Move!" Chen shouted, unsheathing his sword and imbuing it with battle aura.
"You need to shut up!" she retorted. "I''m sick of you"
Before she could finish, Chen dashed toward her at a speed she couldn''t fathom, proving they had been holding back. As she panicked, she grabbed the blonde by the hair and yanked back, making her shriek in pain as she flew to the ground.
Trembling with fear and tears streaming down her face, Madeline looked at Caleb and Luis. "What are you doing!?" she shrieked, pointing back. "He just hit me!" However, they were shaking as well.
GrrRRrrRrrer....
An icy chill crawled down her spine when she heard a deep growl behind her. It was booming and unnatural, like a true monster. She turned around with the fluidity of a rusty cog and saw Chen pushing back against a wolf, its teeth mped on his arm.
The creature was enormous, the size of an elk, with a crocodile-like jaw. Its teeth sunk into Chen''s arm while his sword prated the wolf''s temporomandibr joint, causing its jaw to hang limp on one side, highlighted by a three-foot de protruding from its back left cheek.
"Damn, this hurts," Chen grunted, flexing his arm, pushing its teeth from his arm. As a sky realm cultivator, the bite couldn''t break past the muscle, but each tooth felt like a 50-caliber bullet.
GRrrrrrrRRrrrrrR!
Madeline''s eyes widened in horror as Chen gripped the beast''s jaw with his free hand and began to pry it open, forcing the wolf to resist.
"I''ve got it secured," Chen announced, seemingly out of the blue.
"WAH!" In a silver blur, a sword shed down on the wolf''s neck, releasing a torrent of blood that drenched the terrified blonde.
"I-Is-Is it over?" Madeline stuttered, tears mingling with the blood that cascaded over her like a waterfall.
Grrr Ghat! GHAT! Ghat! GrrRRrrRrrr GHAT!
As if in response, the rest of the pack leaped from a rock face, charging at 40 miles an hour. It was far from over.
While the Immortals shut down without a leader, the Lainwright soldiers were calm and collected, alreadymunicating as the pack closed in. It was clear that Evalyn''s training had powerful virtues that had yet toe to light.
Chapter 350 The Setup
350 The Setup
A haunting howl echoed in the distance, sending chills down the spines of the team as they witnessed massive, one-ton wolves darting between the pines and birch trees, snapping logs in their wake. Their gray fur was drenched in blood yet immacte, their canines gleaming white, and their amber eyes burned with a hunger to feast.
Caleb and Luis stared in terror as the wolves charged, while Madeline, petrified, faced the opposite direction, struggling to ovee the sight of blood that coated their bodies. The scene was a living nightmare.
"Really?" Chen gibed, eyeing the group. "You''re all confidence when someone tells you to win, but you''re useless without a leader?"
The two men turned to him, trying to process his words.
"Just protect your friend!" Moe snapped, brandishing her sword as the wolves closed in. "Denzel, how easy is it to cut them?"
"It''s like slicing through cheese!" Denzel dered.
"And it felt like a fourth-grader trying to push me out of a ring," Chen added. "But stay on your toes; those jaws hurt like a mother.
Taking on multiple wolves is a bad idea."
"Then split up," Denzel ordered. ''"Caleb, protect Madeline."
"Oh!" Caleb stammered, drawing his sword with trembling hands and rushing to Madeline''s side. He didn''t even realize he was following Denzel''smand, acting on instinct.
"Here theye!" Chen shouted.
Grrr Ghat! GHAT! Ghat! GrrRRrrRrrr GHAT!
A dozen wolves stormed into the clearing at breakneck speed, the crackling of broken branches filling the air.
Denzel closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and assumed a theatrical sword stance before lunging forward and adopting a practical grip.
As adrenaline surged through him, time seemed to slow, and he locked eyes with a snarling wolf that dered itself the alpha. Its amber gaze was ssy, devoid of mercy or resolve, purely predatory, driven by instinct.
Channeling battle aura into his de, Denzel wrapped it in a sharp film and swung horizontally, simultaneously cutting and blocking the beast''s open jaws. Blocking, however, was unnecessary. The de sliced through the wolf''s teeth, its jaw and finally severed its head, releasing a torrent of blood.
Blocking proved unnecessary. When the de cut straight through the beast''s teeth, sliced through its jaw skin, and cleaved its head off, sending a torrent of blood gushing over him.
Chen''s experience was simr, shing downwards and cleaving a wolf''s skull in half, but getting stuck in it''s back. "Damn it!" he yelled, trying to yank it out.
A wolf lunged at Moe, who responded by holding her sword like a spear. The wolf failed to react in time and impaled itself on the de, going limp.
Denzel continued his assault, severing a wolf''s legs mid-leap and dodging another. Chen, however, struggled to free his de from a wolf''s skull, leaving him vulnerable to attack. Surrounded by wolves, he abandoned his sword to escape.
"Denzel, I''m stuck!" Chen called out, trying to retrieve his weapon.
"Me too!" Moe yelled.
"I''ming!" Denzel yelled, parrying a wolf and leaping backward.
His pulse raced, but his mind was clear and focused. He was in the zone, no longer needing to make sound effects or posture to get into battle mode.
The ck soldiers charged at the wolf, leaping toward Chen, cross-checking the beast with his shoulder.
CRaaaCK! CReeeaaackkk!
The wolf collided with a tree, exerting a brutal force that snapped the trunk in half and sent it tumbling toward the Immortals.
"Watch out!" Moe shouted as the Immortals huddled together, facing the wolves. Fear gripped them, but their survival instincts and training pushed them to their feet, though they were clearly struggling and disoriented.
Caught up in their confrontations, they didn''t notice the falling tree until it was toote.
CRrraaaaCK! BOOM!
Horrified, everyone watched as the Immortals failed to dodge and were struck on their heads. Gasping for breath, they tried to maintain focus amidst the chaos of battling the frenzied wolves.
"GuuuHHHhhH!" Caleb yelled, rubbing his head and standing up.
"That fucking hurt!"
Luis shared a simr experience, rising with a peculiar expression on his face. Bizarrely, the impact from half of the broken tree had snapped Madeline out of her stupor, jolting her awake with a rush of adrenaline.
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
"See? You''re Immortal! Now help, God damn it!" Chen barked, gripping a wolf''s fur below its jaw to keep it at bay.
Caleb''s eyes darted from the tree to Chen, who was holding a wolf with his bare hands, then to Denzel, who was punching a wolf''s skull, and finally to Moe, who was helping Madeline up. In a sh, he nced at his sword and the beasts surrounding them.
In less than a second, Caleb instinctively utilized the spirit Qi focus technique that Kaze had taught them all. He sensed a wolf on his nk, circling the group to enclose them. The attack came swiftly but seemed to move at a snail''s pace.
Caleb created an invisible wall of Qi at his feet and pushed off it, propelling himself backward before stopping with another wall. As the wolf lunged past him, unable to evade, Caleb raised his sword in a daze and shed down with extraordinary force.
BOOOOM!
The explosion sent the team and the wolves flying, crashing into trees as they were caught off guard by the sudden impact. Caleb also fell, feeling the ground copse beneath him.
"What the fuck was that!?" Chen growled, struggling to stand on the unstable ground.
Everyone turned to Caleb, who was having difficulty standing in the crater with a shocked expression.
"I think that''s why Emperor Lexicon had no qualms about sending us into the forest," Moe mused, her eyes swirling with madness.
"Caleb, we got this," Luis said, dashing to his sword.
"Y-Yeah," Caleb stammered, watching the wolves close in.
*****
When the group arrived at the pic area, they were met by fifty other groups of Immortals and soldiers, all of whom stared at them.
Denzel, Chen, Moe, Caleb, Madeline, and Luis were soaked in blood, their bodies coated in dark red gore. They were grateful that soul-beast blood didn''t transmit diseases and that no small insects were around, sparing them any unpleasant odors. Still, they were a horrifying sight to behold and clearly ufortable.
But it wasn''t their appearance that drew the most attention. Instead THUD! Thud. THUD! Thud, thud, thud!
Six massive, one-ton dire wolves fell to the ground in unison, shaking the earth as theynded.
"Y-You got that many?" an Immortal inquired in shock, eyeing the six wolves.
"No," Denzel panted, sweat shimmering on his worn-out skin. "We got a dozen and two mountain lions, but Lady Snow transferred those with a spatial ring. She just made us bring these six to the campground."
"Why?" another asked.
"For ''the lulz,''" Chen mumbled, rolling his eyes. "I''m not even joking," he rified after a brief uneasy silence. "That''s what she told us."
A brief pause followed, and then a group erupted inughter, much to the chagrin of the exhausted soldier and Immortals who had carried the colossal creatures 20 miles back to the campground for the lulz.
esksk A resounding p seized everyone''s attention, causing them to look skyward. ''"You''ve all done an excellent job today," Kaze beamed, surveying the groups. "Although I know you may be feeling somewhat resentful, aren''t you all more confident in your abilities now?"
The Immortals and soldiers shot Emperor Lexicon wry smiles after ncing at the massive pile of beast corpses, which included wolves, bears, mountain lions, foxes, wild cats, and wild boars, most of which had escaped from nearby zoos.
"I''ll take that as a yes," he smirked. "You are the kings and queens of this world all shall bow before your strength. Let this day be a reminder of that."
Enthusiasm spread through the crowd, building up motivation and excitement.
Fey Roybock observed with a puzzled expression. Earlier that day, she had experienced deep unease in her heart while hunting with Kaze, who hadn''t even watched from above. She felt torn. Yet, now as she looked around, she noticed that no one had a single scratch on them, and those who appeared slightly battle-worn had healed from minor injuries without any damage to their clothes.
It had been a setup. Kaze had made everyone believe they were in grave danger, and when they confronted the enormous animals, they certainly felt it. However, they had never truly been in danger in the first ce.
Emperor Lexicon hadn''t simply told his troops they were the strongest that day he proved it. Now, they were far better prepared for battle.
Fey cast a discreet nce at the two dozen apocalypse survivors, primarily women and young men, whom Kiera had handpicked that day, leaving the "despicable wastnders and probs pedos'' to perish in the forest when the second wave hit. They stared in disbelief, awestruck by the sight of the soldiers and the airborne emperor.
Her gaze returned to the enigmatic man who had united them all and transformed their collective strength into a thriving civilization.
She had countless questions for him and yearned to know the answers.
The real question was: did Kaze Lexicon genuinely desire her a mature teacher without a shy persona to be part of his harem?
It was difficult for her to ept as truth. Nevertheless, Fey tracked every move the emperor made with her eyes, captivated by his presence, knowing her self-control wouldn''t allow her to turn down another advance. If Kaze wanted her she''d let him have her.
Chapter 351 A Broken Mirror
351 A Broken Mirror
Earlier That Morning
At the break of dawn, Evalyn awoke promptly at 4 am, her usual time. She swiftly showered with practiced efficiency before brushing her teeth with her familiar pink toothbrush. She reached into her drawer and pulled out a random pair of pink panties, the only color in the drawer. Once dressed in leggings and a loose white t-shirt, a once-regr outfit now tinged with a sense of detachment, Evalyn prepared to leave her room.
Pausing before the mirror, she examined her reflection.
"You look like shit," Evalyn chuckled, noting the dark circles beneath her eyes. "I guess it''s fitting, considering your personality.
Better not to act pretty after my fight with..."
Her thoughts turned to her confrontation with Harper, which had unearthed a ruthless side she hadn''t known she possessed. It was an unsettling realization, yet she couldn''t help but feel that it was the right course of action and even admired herself for it. It was a toxic sentiment, so she was grateful it disappeared so far as she was aware.
"No, if I show up like this, Isabe and Scarlet will both give me an earful," she mused, a wry smile ying on her lips. "Funny how they''ve known I was messed up since I was young. But back then, I didn''t kill without remorse, break people''s spirits, or manipte others for political gain..."
Evalyn''s gaze fell upon the makeup and vanity mirror with a halo light on her desk. She hesitated, torn between using them and the hypocrisy it would entail.
esksk Lainwright, like many major military bases, had an inner city where soldiers and their families could enjoy nightlife, coffee shops, and shopping. This provided a semnce of normalcy for those serving lengthy terms, especially at Lainwright, where the nearest city of significance was an hour away.
Evalyn found herself seated in Tragg''s Espresso Bar within Lainwright Military Base. She had paid the barista reputation points before they met their familyter in the morning. After all, most people didn''t wake up until 7:00 or 8:00, let alone be at a coffee shop at 5:05 in the morning.
Though she was 25 minutes early, her foot tapped the ground in anticipation, betraying her nerves. The anxiety was killing her.
"They can say they love me no matter what, but how can they love someone who shatters people''s bones before an audience..." she murmured, ncing at her unpainted nails. "How can they love someone so cold and unforgiving? I''m not just as bad as my dad... I''m worse."
The sound of bells chiming at the doorway startled Evalyn out of her reverie. She hadn''t realized how lost in thought she was until someone approached her unnoticed.
"You''re not as bad as your father, sweetheart," a tender female voice reassured her, causing her heart to race.
"Isa..." Evalyn whispered, her vision clouded with emotion.
Isabe Taylor had a gentle appearance, with a soft jawline and warm, honey-brown eyes that soothed even the most troubled souls.
d in a vintage off-white, tea-length dress, wide-brimmed hat, and ts, she exuded a romantic aura reminiscent of the 1920s and 1930s.
"Evalyn..." Isabe choked, tears welling up in her eyes. "I''m so grateful you''re safe!" Unable to contain her emotions any longer, Isabe rushed towards Evalyn, embracing her tightly as if she were a child again. Tears streamed down her face, smudging her eyeliner as she wept.
"T was so worried about you!" she cried, muddling her eyeliner.
"Worried that you had died, worried you survived and someone terrible had happened to you, terrified that you lived only to be starving somewhere, cold, and alone. I can''t believe this is really true..."
Evalyn''s eyes welled up, feeling powerful emotions surging through her veins as her mother figure cried over her shoulder, unconcerned with anything she had seen. "Isa..."
"Yes, my child," Isabe sniffled. "I''m here now. I may not be able to do much more for you than you can do for yourself, but feel free to pretend like I can, just like the old days."
Evalynughed, struggling to hold back tears in public despite the privacy provided by a temporary barrier she had learned to create for such moments.
esksk The women sat in silence for a few minutes, exchanging smiles and basking in each other''s presence. However, whenever they stared too long, they burst intoughter.
"It''s funny," Isabe remarked. "For us to sit here, overjoyed to see each other alive but also feeling awkward about it."
"Why... is that amusing?" Evalyn asked hesitantly, her inner turmoil evident.
Isabe smiled enigmatically, gentle and serene, before extending her hand to touch Evalyn''s softly. "Because whether you were a mere survivor living in a bunker or a leader of a nation, you would be acting exactly as you are right now."
Evalyn''s eyes widened in surprise. "Are you joking?" she asked, prompting the woman to giggle.
"No, I''m quite serious," Isabe replied,ughter and tears mingling on her cheeks. ''"You would be worried that I wouldn''t care about you because you had be cynical, or because you had broken someone''s limbs for getting too close, or because you had be a recluse," she exined. "You would find an equal reason to dread this encounter."
The blonde offered a wry smile, ncing at her teacup containing three bags of ck tea, evidence that a simple tea party was insufficient and she needed caffeine. "Is that so?"
"It is," Isabe affirmed. "This is just who you are."
"Yet, don''t you think..." Evalyn hesitated, falling silent and pursing her lips, unable to broach the subject she feared most.
"That your form of leadership is unptable?" Isabe mused, her eyes still puffy from tears.
"Yes..." the blonde murmured, averting her gaze.
"Of course I do!" the woman snapped. "I''m meeting with Scarlet this afternoon to give her a piece of my mind! That woman has made you so unhappy, and I can''t stand it!"
Evalyn''s eyes widened in confusion, looking at Isabe again in shock. "What?"
"What do you mean, ''what?''" Isabe huffed. "If Scarlet hadn''te into your life, you might have acted more like Kaze. Instead, you''re constantly unhappy when you look at anyone, isted, and alone. That''s Scarlet''s doing, and I''ll make sure she regrets the day she started filling your head with her philosophies and practices."
"Forgive me, Isa..." the blonde said, slightly exasperated. "But, why are you more concerned about my happiness than my actions? While that may be something a loving mother would say, it''s not what I''d expect you to truly feel..."
"Oh, sweetheart," Isabe smiled, her expression a blend of affection and sorrow. "You are your father and mother''s child. Even if your path had led you to own a business, you would have always ended up this way. I''ve known that since you were little, and that''s why we used to have our special lessons."
Evalyn''s eyes trembled a torrent of shock and surreal emotions coursing through her, leaving her feeling exposed, raw, and vulnerable. "Is that what you were teaching me?" she asked. "You weren''t teaching me how to be normal...?"
"I was teaching you how to appear normal," Isabe said softly, gazing out the window at the other empty buildings. "Normal, sessful people wear makeup; they smile when they talk to people, even when they''re seething with anger; they listen to others and react emotionally to their words. They don''t need to be taught how to feel, Evalyn."
Hearing Isabe''s final statement felt like a spear through her heart, bringing tears to her eyes and revealing the pain she felt about her innate brain function and the learned behavior she had adopted along the way.
"Do you remember what you asked me before those lessons?"
Isabe asked a touch of nostalgia in her voice.
Evalyn''s eyes drifted to the side, deep in thought. "No..." she chuckled, feeling slightly envious of Kaze''s memory.
"You said you didn''t want to be like your father," Isabe recalled, smiling. "Since you were born with the same disorder as him, and grew up in that household, the only option left was to feign normalcy. But..."
The blonde held her breath, her chest tightening.
"It worked," Isabeughed. "You aren''t abusive to loved ones. You don''t have erratic rtionships, constantly flitting from one to the next, charming your way into people''s lives only to discard them. So while your emotions may be fabricated internally, the person you present externally the side people see is genuine and unforced.
This is who you are; now, the only thing holding you back is yourself."
"Are you saying... that I am my own deception...?" Evalyn furrowed her brows. She imagined a broken mirror with two halves of her personality staring back at her, each ruthless and cold.
"Why not?" Isabe smirked, taking a sip of her lemon chamomile tea. "That''s how people perceive you, how you present yourself and live your life. In every way, you embody that deception; if your feelings matched that facade, people wouldn''t notice a difference but you would."
Evalyn stared at her teacup with aplicated expression. "So you''re saying you''re okay with my behavior because you expected it?" she asked. "That I''m a liar and was always going to take lives if necessary, so it''s eptable to just embrace that? That it''s fine to be toxic and evil?"
"No, sweetheart," Isabe reassured her, holding back tears due to the misunderstanding. "It''s okay because you are a good person.
What you were born with and who your father made you doesn''t change the fact that you''re a good person. It''s merely a matter of expression. You should ept what you do because you''re saving lives, helping people, and providing them with better futures. That''s why I''m not worried about you."
The blonde''s heart swelled with emotions that brought tears to her eyes.
"However!" Isabe interjected sharply. "I am NOT okay with that redheaded schemer. I wish bitter clients and victims had dealt with her before you ever met her. If it weren''t for her, you''d be a well-loved leader right now! I''ve been cultivating, and I assure you, I''ve gained the strength to make her regret the day she ever spoke to you."
Evalyn smiled, relishing thepany of her mother figure. She thought about Isabe and the people she had back in her life, feeling grateful for her existence. So, for once, even if only briefly, she allowed herself to enjoy the arrival of Isabe''s two children at the perfect moment, savor their shared meal, and cherish her loved ones. She felt incredibly fortunate to have had someone like Isabe in her life.
Yet, it made her ponder over Scarlet and all the traits she had acquired from her that would eventually be hallmarks of the woman known as the Ice Phoenix. After everything she had just learned, she didn''t know whether she looked forward to talking with herter that day or if she feared it.
Chapter 352 The Good Food Policy
352 The Good Food Policy
"When you canceledst night, I thought Isabe might have finally won you over," Scarlet, a redhead in her seventies, smirked.
"No, I just decided against mixing rtionships," Evalyn imed.
"Does that mean you don''t consider me family like them?" Scarlet mused.
"Do you want me to consider you family? To invite you over for the holidays?" Evalyn yfully countered.
"Oh, God no," Scarletughed. "But I''d like the option to reject you."
"Only you would desire an opportunity to reject someone," Evalyn chuckled.
"Don''t make it sound so bad," Scarlet rolled her eyes. "For people like us, getting invitations to personal events is a profound gesture, and rejection is an expectation."
Evalyn gripped her cup of ck coffee, unable to hide her wry smile.
"People like us?"
Scarlet noticed and smirked, taking a sip of her ck coffee. "Is that really so bad?"
The following morning, they sat in Tragg''s Espresso Bar, an increasingly ironic choice for drinks. They watched the sunrise from the same booth, at the same varnished maple table, and holding the same cups. However, the experience couldn''t have been more different.
Evalyn silently contemted before looking up, "I don''t know."
Scarlet nced around in amusement. "What''s there to know?" sheughed. "You own a city, lead thousands of troops, and stand on the forefront of history. And despite your conflicted take on yourself, the most powerful person potentially in existence has chosen you as his lover. What more do you want? Happiness?"
Evalyn returned a wry smile, taking a deep breath and gazing at the colorful sky. "No, it''s just..." she began, conflicted in her thoughts.
"I have always envied Kaze''s leadership but always thought it would be impossible to be like that. However, Isabe seems to think I could."
"That''s cute," Scarlet sassed, raising her eyebrows and toasting with her coffee cup.
"Why not?" Evalyn frowned.
"That man is incredible, there''s no doubt," Scarlet chuckled. "He''s probably the most ideal man I''ve ever encountered. But that''s not because he''s perfect or a nice guy. No, Emperor Lexicon''s just as inhumane as we are."
Evalyn narrowed her eyes, warning Scarlet.
"Debase yourself if you want, but don''t override mypliments, insult me, and then threaten me to do so," Scarlet scoffed.
"Incredible, ideal, and inhumane are three sides of the same coin."
Evalyn''s eyebrow twitched, feeling the weight of Scarlet''s logic. "Did you really need to make a nonsensical analogy to express your thought?"
"Nonsensical?" Scarlet smirked. "For a normal coin, it''s impossible.
But with the fourth dimension ''time'' there are three sides. It''s hard to imagine another exnation."
Evalyn steeled a poker face, remembering what type of woman she was up against.
"Emperor Lexicon was born the way he was, just as you were born the way you are," Scarlet rejoined. "You don''t have unique personalities created through toxic experiences you exhibit toxic textbook behavior with unique personalities molded by life experiences. The belief that you could have ended up like Emperor Lexicon if you pretended is like iming someone with severe depression could''ve been happy if they pretended to be. It''s cruel."
Evalyn swallowed, her eyes trembling and pained. "We''re not that different, Scarlet," she asserted. "We''re both entitled,cking empathy, and maniptive beneath the surface. The difference is how we present ourselves; is it strange for me to act that way?"
Scarlet chuckled, shaking her head with a smug smile. "Indeed, you do share those traits," she taunted. "That''s why he acts as he does to achieve his goals, and you act this way to achieve yours."
The blonde frowned, her gaze filled with mild resentment. "So you''re saying I want to be like this?"
"Not at all. That''s what you''re implying," the woman replied with a patronizingugh. "Inward entitlement,ck of empathy, and maniptive behavior are hallmark signs of various personality disorders, including antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, and avoidant. Yet you and Isabe seem to think that these vastly different disorders can be interchanged with a simple change of makeup. It''s insulting."
Evalyn''s face fell, and she nced down at her ck coffee, feeling her hope dete. "So that''s it, then?" she scoffed. "I''m destined to be this toxic, murderous, femur-breaking ice queen?"
"You''re incorrigible," Scarlet snorted. "I said you exhibit typical behaviors, but with a unique personality shaped by life experiences.
Yet you only heard what confirmed your beliefs."
Frustrated, the blonde stood up, irritated by the woman''s condescending attitude.
"Ten percent of the world''s poption has a mental health or personality disorder, but there''s only one captivating, femur-breaking ice queen fighting for justice," the woman huffed, rolling her eyes. "People with your disorder are typically insufferable, whiny, and meek. You''re unique - that''s why I''ve invested time in unlocking your potential. And whether you admit it or not, everything I''ve taught you is working."
Evalyn studied the aloof, overbearing woman who had once stood atop the ruined careers of her adversaries. "It''s precarious to argue with a world-renownedwyer," she muttered, her eyes tinged with bitterness. "Even when they''re spouting toxic rhetoric."
"That''s what all my clients said, too," Scarlet smirked. ''"But they always returned because I never failed to secure their victories, and opposing me was a death wish. Sound familiar?
"You watched Kaze decimate me a few days ago," Evalyn challenged.
"Kaze is adored by his people and resented by the world; you''re loved by the world and resented by your people. But people respect you both the same," the redhead quipped. "I''m not so different. Myw firm brought significant positive change to millions in this empire, while Emperor Lexicon catered to the privileged few who adore him. Maybe he could be loved by all with immortality and time, but that hasn''t happened in human history yet."
Evalyn pursed her lips, trying to process the woman''s words.
"But probably not," Scarlet taunted. "If longevity could bring peace and stability, the Sky ne wouldn''t resort to genocide to solve their problems after living thousands of years on a ''higher ne of existence."
With a deep breath, the blonde turned and left the room, the sound of the door closing and bells chiming in her wake.
*****
"Dinner will be ready in fifteen... hey, what''s the matter?" a man with brown hair and a neatly trimmed, graying beard inquired, his light brown eyes glinted with kindness. Despite witnessing untold horrors, he didn''t appear to be a survivor of an apocalyptic ordeal.
"What do you mean, Carter?" Evalyn asked, identally releasing a ball ofpressed air that exploded in a ten-year-old''s face, causing his cheeks to ripple and his hair to fly back as if he were skydiving in reverse. "Oh, my God! I''m so sorry, Zach!" she cried.
"T-That..." the kid stammered, his eyes quivering as if traumatized.
"That was fucking awesome!"
"Zachary David Green!" a blonde woman in her fifties scolded, hands on her hips.
Zach swallowed, "Was freaking cool...."
"Ahem!" Elizabeth, his mother, warned.
"Was... cool?" the kid asked, his tone yfully apprehensive, earning a stern re. However, his mother stomped away, and the affable man burst intoughter.
"Be careful," Carter chuckled. "If you change your ways, you''ll end up calm and boring like me after your spouse whips"
"AHEM!" Elizabeth harumphed from the kitchen.
"up delicious dishes that you can''t enjoy if you annoy them," he finished with a smirk.
Evalyn giggled, feeling an emotional counterbnce for the first time in days. "Says the cook."
"Well, yeah; if I didn''t act like that, I wouldn''t be good at cooking!" he eximed, making everyoneugh.
Once theughter subsided, he smiled at the blonde. "That''s the Evalyn I love to see," Carter said, his voice gentle and soothing. "You know, Isabe, Scarlet, and your father, uncle, and grandfather spent countless years trying to persuade Liz and me to support their various ''Evalyn policies.'' They always tried to categorize you, but each time they did, Liz and I remembered your genuine smile when you tasted good cooking, and we rejected their proposals."
Tears welled in Evalyn''s eyes.
"That''s why our ''Evalyn policy is the ''good food policy,''" Elizabeth called out from the kitchen. "So stop dawdling and get in here! If it weren''t for a good woman, dinner would''ve burned!"
Carter offered a wry smile to the emotional blonde. "Well, there you have it," he chuckled. "She may nag a bit and seem hellish at times "AHHHHEEMEGH!" Elizabeth harumphed with lethal ferocity, making Evalynugh again.
"but she''s improved my life," Carter continued, his tone warm and affectionate. "To me, that''s what matters most. Now, let''s eat."
Evalyn shed a radiant smile before sitting at the dining room table, admiring the dishes of eagle meat, sauted vegetables, rice, and fish side dishes. The incredible aroma brought back memories of the countless meals she had shared with Carter and Elizabeth while her parents were away on business trips. As the family''s cook, he had always been there for her, making his cooking feel like home - a real home.
The food moved her to tears as theyughed and joked, just as they used to. It reminded her of a feeling she had lost in recent years contentment. Even if fleeting, she found sce in sharing a meal with her loved ones. The ''good food policy'' seemed the best approach after all.
Evalyn didn''t know what it all meant, but it gave her hope. Hope that she and Kaze could achieve something meaningful in this cycle.
Chapter 353 The Parasite
353 The Parasite
La shuddered, her eyes fixed on the macabre vortex of blood enveloping countless dead creatures in the Sanctuary. The Lainwright soldiers had justpleted their second day of battle aura training. "This never ceases to creep me out," she admitted.
"Or that...." Eric frowned, observing as the blood vanished into a spatial rift. "Where do you think it goes?"
*****
Perched atop a hill, Dover Castle overlooked the ocean that linked the UK to the rest of the Meridian Empire, once known as Europe.
Within the castle''s imposing walls stood a massive, cube-like tower adorned with turrets that epitomized the ssic image of a castle.
The Great Tower was surrounded byrge buildings and once-verdantwns where people used to unwind. However, no trace of green remained. Instead, a blood-soaked swamp had formed from days of ughter, iming the lives of countless beasts and cultivators.
The haunting scene was emphasized by the disappearance of the world''s inhabitants. Yet something crucial was missing, and the emperor set out to address it after the soldiers had returned that day.
*****
Emperor Lexicon emerged from a permanent rift into Immortal Skye. The area was deserted now that Ergo season had ended, allowing him to fly northeast without the prying eyes of onlookers.
His destination was a vile-smelling pit concealed behind walls and a barrier.
A two-inchyer of blood covered every inch of the ground, spilling over from theke''s indentation. As the emperor''s feet touched down, the blood parted beneath him, yielding to the true ruler of the domain.
Ripples slithered across the surface, encircling the emperor like eels.
Silver-petaled flowers with red tips and razor-sharp thorns peeked out from the blood, cautiously revealing themselves.
"I have indeed procured a feast for you tonight," Kaze said, a sinister glint in his eyes. "You will feast upon the Soul Qi of countless nts and fifty sky realm cultivators."
The flowers stretched upwards, swaying yfully in delight.
"However," he grinned, causing the flowers to cease dancing, "the time hase to fulfill your end of the bargain."
A wave of terror coursed through the nts, shooting throughout the entirework. Theke''s surface ruptured, revealing arge, menacing mass.
"Halt your treasonous defiance before I carvemon sense into your consciousness with ceaseless torture," Emperor Lexiconmanded, releasing a wave of bloodlust that tore through the blood. "You survive upon my mercy and my mercy alone; know your ce, lest you desire a short life of misery until you serve your purpose."
The grave robbers were paralyzed with fear. Kaze was no longer the person they had initially encountered. Despite their impressive growth in strength, his was on a different ne. Having collected soul Qi from thousands of soul beasts, a cultivation lord, a grandmaster, multiple heaven realm cultivators, and over two hundred sky realm cultivators from Zenith National Park, their power was iparable.
Furthermore, he had ruthlessly cultivated and tempered his body, improved his mental fortification using the Mental Mimicry technique, and had ess to a higher Qi density on Earth. Inparison to mortals, Kaze Lexicon was a true god.
"Half or whole after you serve my bidding which do you choose?"
Emperor Lexicon inquired, approaching theke. The water trembled, torn between fear and indecision.
Kaze imbued his finger with a purple aura and grazed a petrified flower as he passed.
Ssh! Ssh, ssh, splish-splish-splish, SPLASH!
The area came to life as countless stems thrashed in agony, striking the water as if trying to end their lives to quell their pain. Veins appeared on their crimson stems, and as the blood drained from them like melting paint, patches of green emerged.
A massive flower head, the size of a beach ball, burst from theke''s center, writhing in torment. Its lower row of fully bloomed silver florets resembled razor-sharp swords, while the middle and top florets were crimson, with silver, pin-like stamen tubes for pollination.
The colossal flower flung blood at the emperor, but it slid off his body''s barrier like water on a hydrophobic surface, leaving his light-red dress shirt untouched.
"Ick the time and patience to indulge this farce any further," Emperor Lexicon dered.
"Submit, or I''ll reap everything to demonstrate the folly of your recalcitrance."
The nt stared at him, pained and bewildered. Wincing, it opened its silver pin-like stamens to reveal a delicate, pink, chalky substance within.
Kaze waved his hand over theke, sending out an energy pulse that halted the effects of his technique but prevented healing. He offered the nt no chance of betrayal as he produced a special, onyx-sheened tub filled with blood, igniting the grave robbers'' desire.
Their eagerness and motivation vanished when the emperor immobilized the grave robbers with a technique and conjured invisible des that spun like a blender.
Only the sounds of thrashing flowers remained in the eerie, isted atmosphere.
*****
"What is this?" Evalyn asked, scrutinizing a ck pill, which looked like polished onyx shaped into a pill.
"You don''t want to know," Kaze frowned. "Just brace yourself for hell when you take it."
"You''re ordering me? You''re trying to give me someone to me for the effects again, aren''t you?" she narrowed her eyes, used to his guile. "Do you think that I cannot handle it?"
"You''re tough as nails, Evalyn," Kaze chuckled, vexed that he could no longer deceive her. "But that... I''d rather obliterate every inch of my body and heal it again than take that pill again."
Evalyn''s eyes widened after his chilling admission. "What is this, Kaze?"
"That''s grave robber pollen, a sentient nt that grows in every ne," Kaze sighed. "Though invasive, the pollen is exceedingly rare to obtain, as you must take it alive, as it disintegrates upon death or element exposure. Even killing the nt is nearly impossible, as it can retreat nearly a mile under the surface."
Evalyn felt a chilling sense of dja vu when she heard the name, triggering cold sweats. "Then how did you get it?"
"It needs blood to survive; I manipte blood," Kaze replied.
Evalyn pursed her lips, understanding. "Why ingest the seed of a blood-feeding parasite?"
"Grave robbers require a pure environment, so they contain an element allowing them to simultaneously destroy, clean, and heal an entity''s body," he elucidated.
Evalyn narrowed her eyes. Healing techniques were scarce, so it was a miracle treasure that could save cultivators centuries of pain while curing present ailments. "So what''s the catch?"
"The restructuring takes five minutes and is so painful it drives people into insanity," Kaze borated. "If you''re weaker than the parasite, it''ll take over your mind, move you to a popted location, and then sprout an annihtion nt. Then, it will grow beneath the surface until it can kill everyone in one attack. Any more questions?"
Evalyn''s mouth hung open. "Yes... how does itpare to priming the Crystal Divinity technique?"
"Must you always emphasize the worst aspects of a task before undertaking it?" Kaze scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You can extrapte from the term ''pain-induced insanity,'' can you not?"
Evalyn''s eyes widened, and she giggled, making him frown. "I''m sorry!" she eximed. "It''s just that you used to speak to me like that often, and I didn''t realize how much you''ve softened until now.
You don''t treat me like a child, after all."
His expression turned tender again. "No, I trust you genuinely."
"Then I''ll trust you," Evalyn smirked, popping the pill into her mouth and swallowing.
Kaze fought the urge to snatch it mid-air and scold her for not taking precautions. However, he got her message and summoned a spatial rift with a ring, pushing her body onto their bed in Immortal Skye.
As soon as her body touched the mattress, her eyes snapped open with an expression one would have after watching a bear eat their leg. A split secondter, a haunting scream tore through Immortal Skye''s empty campus, marking the beginning of the tempering process.
Chapter 354 The Trial
354 The Trial
Evalyn''s skin was marred with blue veins that ruptured, causing her entire body to turn bright red and blotchy from internal bleeding.
The blood drained, leaving her pale in some areas before the process repeated every few seconds.
A chilling cacophony of cracks echoed as her ribs shattered, puncturing her lungs and healing repeatedly, ying her desperate gasps for air like a xylophone.
Her eyes were wide open, but she couldn''t think. The pain was too overwhelming.
Evalyn''s mental strength? Useless.
She never imagined that pain could reach a saturation point a point where the mind stopped epting it, much like water stopped dissolving sugar or salt. But it did.
If she were Kaze, she believed she might endure even more realms of pain before reaching the limit again.
But that wasn''t the real reason Kaze had preferred to obliterate his body and tried to conceal the true nature of the pill it was the process itself.
Evalyn could sense the grave robber attempting to grow within her, sprouting razor-sharp thorns that sliced through her body, trying to take root. Had she not known what it was, she would have thought the process was alien and feared that something was living inside her. However, knowing its true nature filled her with indescribable fear that it would win and take over her mind.
Without Kaze''s presence and the certainty that he wouldn''t have given her the pill, if he couldn''t forcefully stop it, she would have gone insane. Total pain; paralyzing fear.
The agony was so intense she couldn''t even hear her screams, hauntingly melodious as if someone beside her was stabbing her while she pleaded for help. Nor did she realize that she was frozen, unable to move.
Kaze watched her with a pained expression in his eyes. "Forgive me, Evalyn," he whispered. "I can''t shield, cherish, and care for you like Kiera and Kylie, nor manage your movements like Marilyn or Addison. All I can do to protect you is help you prepare and pray you don''t perish."
The emperor observed arge vein swell in Evalyn''s wrist, snaking up her lung meridianwork toward her heart. His fingers lit up, sending a wave of purple energy through her, making her scream until she was deprived of oxygen and disoriented.
A golden light followed as the vein dissipated, easing Evalyn''s pain for the first time.
"Forgive my selfishness for giving you an amount you couldn''t handle alone," he confessed, closing his eyes in bitterness. "I took this much and survived my lovers who didn''t perished. All I know is my experience, so this is the most I can give."
Somehow, Evalyn''s stubbornness transcended space, time, and saturated pain, driven by primal instinct alone. She squeezed his hand and released it as if to say: what did I say about sharing struggles, you stubborn fool!?
"You''ll never let me forget why I love you," Kaze smiled, gazing at her tenderly. "I''ll make sure I never take it for granted this time."
*****
"I thought I couldn''t feel more broken," Evalyn chuckled, each breath sharp as a knife. "Then I took that pill. Now, I can''t even cultivate properly."
Kaze closed his eyes, gazing at his partner, curled up, her eyes filled with trauma, terror, and turmoil. Her statement was the first she had spoken in three hours since the process ended, and he had no response.
The process had healed her meridians, effectively sealing them shut temporarily. Now, she was in pain if she tried to cultivate, as was natural. He had nned to warn her, but she had already taken the pill.
However, focusing on that detail would be offensive, so he remained silent.
"Do you regret giving me the pill?" Evalyn asked.
After a significant pause, Kaze opened his eyes: "No."
"Even though you knew I''d refuse your offer?" she inquired.
He paused again. "Yes."
"Even if it turns me into a lifeless husk?" Evalyn asked.
"Time is both cruel and miraculous, Evalyn," Kaze replied, taking a deep breath. "I didn''t speak for five years after you died. If someone had a problem with me, I tried to leave once; if they stopped me, we''d fight and as you can see, I sit beside you today."
Evalyn''s fully dted pupils constricted slightly, bringing a hint of blue back to her pitch-ck eyes. "What brought you back?"
"Wrath," he chuckled. "Spite. Hatred. Revenge. Terrible emotions whose only redeeming value is lifting someone out of the deepest pits of despair."
"Did it help you heal?" she asked, wincing from the pain.
Kaze took a deep breath, closing his eyes again. "No."
Evalyn''s expression fell, darkness creeping back into her eyes. She had hoped that toxic emotions had saved him, giving her hope for passive healing. "Then what did?"
"An enchantress." he replied.
The blonde''s pupils narrowed to pinpricks, hearing the ironic and somewhat offensive contrast between her current state and the solution. "Love? False love? Lust?"
"Desire," Kaze countered.
"Desire?" Evalyn questioned, her eyes widening as confusion cut through her emotions. "A desire for what?"
"To feel content again," he answered. "She made me want to heal instead of clinging to the elements and trauma that broke me."
Evalyn felt a primal urge to run away, but a conflict seized her heart like a vice, immobilizing her and forcing her to confront his words.
"That''s the irony, Evalyn," Kaze chuckled, a wry, rueful smile on his lips. "Normalcy is something we all desire, yet we protect our traumas as if they''re dire. However, the second that I experienced true contentment was enough to fuel my actions for a lifetime."
The blonde felt like his words had pierced her, touching something she refused to consider. Yet, his final statement ignited her curiosity. "It only took a moment?"
"Would you like to find out?" he asked. "It''s not dual cultivation."
Evalyn panicked at the thought. She feared he would be right that he would show her a glimpse of normalcy, and she''d lose her entire personality and die.
The things she despised about herself kept her safe. Her toxicity allowed her to kill without remorse, provoke her soldiers anger to protect them, and give her life purpose: to fight for others'' contentment, something she could never have.
His tempting offer could be a genuine death sentence before a decisive battle.
Kaze chuckled, seeing her expression. "Ah, if it were that simple," he smirked. "As if a person could experience a technique and then wake up brand new, as though their habits and behavior were all just a broken light switch. That would indeed be worth dying for."
Evalyn''s racing pulse slowed, feeling a cool wave soothe her boiling blood. "Then what does it do?"
"It''s a trial of sorts," he smiled, enigmatic and enticing. "You will face your demons from various perspectives to find the one that fits; then your mindtches onto it, allowing you to work towards it."
"Is it meant to alter a person''s personality?" Evalyn asked, her brow furrowed.
"Exactly," Kaze replied with a sly grin. "Cultivation heals mental imbnces, and since personality disorders be psychological, once I took this trial, everything changed."
Evalyn''s eyes wavered as she studied his face for the first time. The ruler of the five nes offered her something she deeply desired, leaving her disoriented.
"What if you no longer love me after the change?" Evalyn''s voice trembled.
"Oh, love," Kaze chuckled, "You confront formidable obstacles with unyielding determination that borders on madness and the trial ahead is the greatest challenge you''ll face. My only concern is that I''ll love you even more afterwards."
As he shed her a captivating smile, Evalyn hurled a pillow at him with supernatural force. The pillow exploded, feathers filling the air.
Though the scene wasical, neither smiled as they locked eyes, their gazes entwined with trust, temptation, and turmoil.
"Will you take responsibility for the trial as you have for this nt?" Evalyn questioned.
"Only if you ask nicely," Kaze teased, causing her cheeks to flush with annoyance.
"Fine, use it on me," she sighed. "I''m a fool who can''t resist a challenge."
"As you wish," he smiled, closing his eyes and radiating a pink aura.
"Fracture."
As Evalyn gazed into the pink light, her world became hazy. She wanted to scream but couldn''t find the thoughts to fuel her desire.
She was left disoriented, unsure of who she was or her purpose, as if her soul had be malleable. She simply ceased to be.
And then, as if she could stare at her person from an outside perspective: she cracked, shattering into pieces like a broken mirror.
Chapter 355 The Nightmare of Lust
Chapter 355 The Nightmare of Lust
[A/N: Please do not misinterpret the chapter''s title: character-rted NTR themes will [never] be in any of my novels. Period. No exceptions. My anxiety can''t cope.
These chapters are nightmares where Evalyn faces her greatest fear: that feeling positive emotions will turn her into a terrible person and destroy her life. The nightmares don''t reflect her inner personality; they''re extreme illusions drawing out emotions outside her control. The trial is coping with the emotions they illicit.
These chapters profoundly impact her happiness and rtionship with Kaze. Overall, the chapters are positive. Thank you for reading!]
-
"What a strange dream." Evalyn muttered, rubbing her eyes in the darkness as she looked at her rm: [4:57]. Her rm hadn''t gone off, but she felt unusually alert, energized, and focused.
"Why does it feel like someone''s judging me?" she muttered. The term was ''judging'' because she was ustomed to having eyes following her, and it wasn''t that feeling. "Don''t think about it," she sighed. "It''s rude to be paranoid when people have real stalkers.
Evalyn got out of bed and entered her immacte bathroom with gleaming white walls and a wless ss-enclosed shower. After stripping off her ck lingerie seductively and letting them drop to the floor, she heated the shower until it was impossible to see outside the ss.
As the water ran down her breasts, she felt intense sensitivity, reeling as it dripped over her mid-toned nipples. She allowed herself to crash backward, letting her ass cheeks imprint against the steamy ss without restraint, biting her lip.
Water rolled down her toned stomach and between her thighs, yfully parting her lips. "Mmmn~" she gasped, feeling her clit stimted. "I can''t wait to see you again, Kaze. I won''t hold back this time."
Evalyn''s fingers moved up her inner thighs until the padding of her middle finger separated her warm, wet lips, moving up to her clit. "Ahhhhh~" she moaned, circling it. She crashed her hair against the wall, feeling unreserved pleasure for half an hour until she finally came.
After she climaxed, she allowed the water to crash down her with a serene expression. "I''m not sure why, but it feels like I haven''t felt this good in a long time."
***
Evalyn looked at herself in a wall-sized mirror with a discerning expression, checking out her outfit. She wore a low-thigh-length gray id skirt, a ck long-sleeve t-shirt, and bright white shoes. "You know, high-goth chic looks hot," she smirked, cracking up a lip gloss bottle. "If you''re already hot."
***
"Good morning, Evalyn," greeted a congenial man with a graying beard and warm eyes, observing her confidently stride into the kitchen as if entering a fashion show.
"Hey there, Mr. Green," she responded, offering him a captivating radiant smile while taking a seat at the long table. "What culinary delight awaits us this morning?"
"Grilled salmon filet, six ounces, served over a cup of quinoa with a side of seasonal vegetables," Carter replied, smiling. "Enhanced with a hint of lemon, balsamic vinegar, and salt, just as you like it."
"And this is why you have the best wife in existence," Evalyn beamed, grabbing the te. "You''re the best."
"Your radiant smile andpliments brighten my morning," he said, gentle and tender. "Where does that boundless positivitye from?"
A subtle sensation washed over Evalyn''s mind, hinting at something peculiar yet inconsequential.
"I have a wonderful life," Evalyn replied. "I have great food in the morning, wealth, and a bright future. It seems unfair to feel down when so many are struggling with real problems."
"That''s a remarkable outlook," Carter smiled. "Sometimes I wish my wife thought as positively as you do. Even if she is''the best."
The twoughed in a jovial fashion and exchanged pleasant conversation. It felt really good for some reason. Healing almost.
"Bye, Mr. Green!" the popr tennis yer sang, dashing out the door with her ck purse. Her silky blonde bob, entuated with brown highlights, gleamed like polished maple in the sunlight, contrasting with her monochromatic outfit and pink choker. Thisbination lent her an irresistible blend of cuteness and allure.
"Hey, Evalyn!"
"Get your camera ready, she''sing!"
"Who?"
"Evalyn! We need a photo for the outfit of the day page, remember?"
"Right, my bad!"
"How does she find time to shop for new clothes? She''s a top student."
"I heard she''s super rich and has personal shoppers."
"That makes sense... Such a shame. Evalyn proves that being out of someone''s league is a reality."
"Quiet down! She''s approaching!"
"Love that skirt!"
"Where''d you get those shoes?"
Evalyn gracefully navigated the bustling hallways of Lockheed University, bestowing warm smiles and engaging in superficial conversations that rarely extended beyond a single exchange. Despite her somewhat dismissive demeanor, no one held any ill will toward her.
Her striking beauty, keen fashion sense, ster grades, athletic prowess, and the captivating smile left no room for resentment. While her persona was an artifice C a living, breathing narrative C everyone adored that story.
Evalyn was the embodiment of everyone''s desires. She was the perfect person to be seen with at events, to show off to friends, and to introduce to families. Even if her charm was only an illusion, it fulfilled their deepest longings.
In a way, Evalyn Skye was wish fulfillment.
No one could reach Evalyn; no one even dared C except for two individuals.
"Hey, Evalyn, wait up!" a well-built, brown-haired athlete called out, sprinting down the hall. He wore blue gym shorts and a white muscle shirt.
Evalyn''s expression darkened, momentarily reced by an uncharacteristically exasperated expression that appeared almost sinister. "How many times must I reject you?" she muttered under her breath. While she didn''t dislike her childhood friend, she had verbally rejected his relentless advances a dozen times since college had begun, yet he still followed her around.
"It''s not your fault," she whispered. "You''ve been transparent and respectful, so you shouldn''t feel bad for constantly letting him down. Giving in would set a dangerous example for people with stalkers; I must represent positivity."
As if by an invisible force, her feelings of negativity vanishedpletely, allowing her to turn around with the same sweet smile she gave everyone. "How are you doing, Greg?"
Greg halted, his heart skipping a beat after seeing her enchanting smile. "I just... wanted to wish you luck on your test today..." he said, scratching his head. "Not that you need it. It''s just... I think when people see you as perfect, they might overlook the effort you put in... you know?"
Evalyn''s eyes widened, and she smiled more sincerely, feeling a surge of positive emotions. It reminded her why they were still friends after childhood. She hoped he would find someone who could return his feelings and boundless kindness. He deserved
"Oh my God, it''s him!"
"Wow, that shirt is so bold."
"Jesus, he looks like a dyke in a taco line, but all the women swoon!"
"Yeah, what the hell''s up with that?"
"Bro, just admit it C it''s because he''s ridiculously good looking. You could that guy in a headless bunny mascot suit and he''d still pull mad tail."
"Hey~Kaze!"
"Hello, lovely. You''re looking charming as usual."
"What about me?"
"Your new earrings are remarkable."
"We''re having partyter, you''re free to join!"
"While it pains me, I must decline. I have a prior engagement that I must attend to."
Greg sneered as he overheard the conversation behind him. "I can''t believe women keep falling for him, even though they know he''s just using his charm to get into their pants," he scoffed. "You should stay away"
The athlete''s eyes widened when he saw Evalyn''s attention fixated on the charismatic ck-haired teen who had recently gained poprity. "Evalyn, are you... blushing...?"
"Mhmm~" Evalyn confirmed. "I have another date with himter!"
Greg''s heart splintered into countless fragments. "Evalyn... that guy''s a yer," he pleaded. "He chews women up and spits them out...."
"Mhmm~ mhmm~" the blonde nodded, absentmindedly agreeing with his words while pretending to listen.
"Hello, love," a mesmerizing voice called out.
Unconsciously, Greg turned and found himself face to face with the captivating, charming, and enigmatic teen he hated most.
"Hey~ Kaze," Evalyn blushed, shimming her shoulders bashfully. "Thanks again for the other night. I had a reeeeally, really good time."
"As did I," Kaze replied, shing a devilish smile while examining her body with elevator eyes. "There are some moments that are just special. Our time together was one of them."
"Can we cultivate again after our date?" Evalyn whispered, leaning forward and murmuring into his ear. "I want to go all the way this time.."
Greg''s mind, heart, and soul shattered, leaving him feeling hollow and devastated.
Evalyn turned to the athlete with aplex expression. "What''s wrong, Greg? Did something happen?"
A moment of silence followed as he collected his thoughts. "Nothing," Greg swallowed, turning and walking away with a lonely gait, his steps aimless as he navigated the hallway. Seeing his expression stabbed Evalyn''s heart, making an invisible barrier around her emotions crack for the first time. It made her feel bad. Worse than she had ever felt outside of a funeral. It stole her breath, making her anxious and wanting to run away.
"He clings to you like a parasite despite your rejections, then treats you as if you betrayed him," Kaze said, rolling his eyes. "It''s like he got into a drunk friend''s car and med the sober driver they swerved into for his injury. It''s pathetic."
"Right?" Evalyn narrowed her eyes, feeling deep resentment that she rarely felt. "It''s like he doesn''t want me to be happy."
"Is something wrong, love?" Kaze asked.
"No." Evalyn replied, touching Kaze''s forearm and gently gliding her fingers down it. "We have a great night ahead of us. We''re privileged in this life, so let''s enjoy it."
Kaze nced at her curves, making her smile and shudder. "Yes," he whispered. "Let''s finish our work first to keep our privileged lives. Once done, I will treat you until morning''s light."
Evalyn blinked twice, feeling anxiety again. She heard his many warnings but they made her feel bad she didn''t like it. "Sure," she said, shing him a smile. "Let''s keep positive and only focus on the faction. One step at a time."
"That''s all you have to do," Kaze chuckled.
***
"Let''s start our meeting," Evalyn said, pressing a button in her driver''s shuttle, tinting the ck screen between her and the limo-style leather boothpletely ck. It also muted the sounds of the city, leaving only her and Kaze. "Kaze, I can''t wait C take me here."
The blonde unbuckled her seat belt and turned her body, putting her knees onto the leather seats to either side of his thighs.
"Mmmn~," Evalyn gasped, feeling intense lust when the bulge in his pants entered her skirt as she lowered herself into a straddle. "Please."
"I''ll never turn down such a request," Kaze smirked, waving his hand to create a spatial barrier over the already pitch-ck window. Then he reached under her long sleeve shirt and pulled up, revealing her ck and silver lingerie, partially see-through at the cleavage.
Kaze gazed at her body with immense lust. However, Evalyn saw his eyes and felt like something was missing in them, something unexinable.
"Is there something" Evalyn looked down at her body to check there was nothing wrong, but his fingers lit up, and she felt overwhelming pleasure rip through her body, making her scream and moan, begging for relief.
"I refuse to let you feel negative emotions when we share time together," Kaze dered, creating waves of pleasure through her body that seeded in doing just that.
Any negative lingering doubts or incongruity Evalyn had disappeared, leaving only overwhelming pleasure. She loved to feel good, and the good that Kaze brought her was iprehensible and addictive.
Evalyn bit her lip with a racing pulse, grabbing his belt buckle, undoing the straps, and unzipping his cks. For his part, the emperor reached around her back and unsped and dropped her bra, exposing her perfectly proportionate breasts. "I''m ready, Kaze."
With full mobility from an upper naked half, she pulled out his ten-inch cock with a reverse grip with her right hand and reached into her skirt with her left, parting her panties and lowering her body. "But be gentle; I''ve never done this before."
"I also refuse to let you feel pain when we''re together," Kaze dered. "So rx and enjoy it."
After closing his eyes, his cock radiated with a blue light that called to her body, pulling it in like a ma.
"AhHhhHHhhHhhH~," Evalyn swallowed, feeling the head press through herbia. As soon as it got inpletely, she lost control and lowered herselfpletely, allowing his cock to snake into her body, bending slightly to match her curves.
Eyn thought she knew what feeling good meant and getting lost in positive emotions. However, she had no clue. A kaleidoscope of pleasure opened up when he was in her body, making her nearly hallucinate. She explored, lifting and lowering her body on a journey, testing the endless bounds of pleasure as she explored his cock within her.
It was beyond description and the only thing she could focus on.
"I love you, Kaze!" Evalyn screamed, falling onto hisp and rocking back and forth. "Make me feel good like this, and you can have me. Do that, and I''ll do anything you ask and give you anything you desire!"
"I ept," Kaze smiled, profoundly enjoying her happiness and slight selfishness.
The blonde rocked her body, feeling Kaze''s shaft drive in deep, her chest bouncing, feeling his strong hands grabbing her ass with unreserved pleasure. It made her scream in rapture.
Evalyn was a ve to the feeling of pleasure and positive emotions. It was a monster that countless had used her of over the years. Yet Kaze didn''t judge her for it C he encouraged it. He imed he loved her despite it.
Kaze wanted her to feel good; that''s how she knew that he loved her.
***
"Kaze,e back to bed," Evalyn enticed, tracing her finger around his silk sheets while staring at his chiseled body. "We can cultivate until your power reaches the next stage."
"Believe me, there''s nothing I would love more," Kaze smiled, ncing at her body. "However, I must go. Our people need us."
"You always speak of ''our people,''" she pouted. "You''ve provided them with everything. Isn''t it time they repay you by allowing you to enjoy your life?"
The emperor''s brow furrowed slightly, a peculiar glimmer in his eye as he gazed at her. It appeared... lonely, almost hollow, reminiscent of Odysseus yearning for home across the sea, despite the allure of immortality with Calypso. "Because I must."
Evalyn detested that look; it haunted her. She had witnessed it many times, making her feel an overwhelming sense of despair. It was as if the weight of the world bore down on her,pelling her to protect everyone and bring them happiness while she suffered. She resented that agonizing expression. "But why, Kaze!? Tell me why!"
"Life''s value is not uniform," Kaze replied. "Someone taught me that leading people and improving their lives adds depth and significance, enriching our existence."
"Who is this person!?" Evalyn eximed. "You always mention them, and it has be more frequenttely. If she''s better than me, that''s fine. You have your harem and your ways, so indulge yourself. I don''t understand why I can''t satisfy you enough when I offer you everything you desire!"
The emperor gazed at her solemnly before offering a gentle smile. "You cannot give me everything, Evalyn, but you do give me a dream life," he said. "That''s the honest truth. That''s why I must venture out and protect it so that you can be safe and we can live this privileged life eternally."
Evalyn''s eyes widened at his heartfelt words, and a surge of positive emotions enveloped her. In that instant, she felt much better. "If that''s the case... then go," she said. "I''m sorry. I just love you so much."
"I know you do," Kaze smiled, approaching her and nting a kiss.
As he exited the room, the image of his expression began to haunt her once more. She could sense his sincerity, even though she had anticipated a lie. Something inexplicable about it was intensely painful.
Tears filled Evalyn''s eyes as she struggled to contain a deluge of emotions that threatened to burst forth. She had been suppressing these feelings for so long but pushed them down once more and prepared for another day as Kaze''s perfect wife.
"WHY!?" Evalyn screamed. "How can you be so callous towards others, yet risk your life for them!? You''ve given them everything! EVERYTHING! Power, prosperity, prestige, protection, and even political leniency! And still, that''s not enough? Must you risk your life as well? You''re not invincible, Kaze! They have an army, and you have limited Qi! Even nuclear missiles are useless if you need two but have only one!"
"Leaders enjoy many privileges, but theye at the cost of supporting and defending their people," Kaze replied. "It''s a duty, Evalyn. A life without honor and reputation is not worth living."
"Honor, reputation, hah," she scoffed. "Isn''t that what you fought for in your previous life? Isn''t that why you''re here, to protect us rather than pursuing other goals?"
The emperor closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and found himself at a loss for words.
"Yes, that''s right," Evalyn said, her voice wavering as the emotional floodgates finally burst. "That''s why you''re here. So why would you abandon us again in search of purpose and meaning when you have both right here in this room?"
Kaze looked away, his breath heavy, a mix of exhaustion and pain. "It''s purpose that gives our love meaning, Evalyn."
"PURPOSE!?" she shrieked, her heart ensnared with barbed wire. "You''re always talking about purpose! Why, Kaze!? Who is so important to you that their words about purpose outweigh your lovers!?"
A heavy silence ensued as he considered the consequences of revealing a truth he had never shared with the new, happier Evalyn he had always yearned for. Nevertheless, he realized keeping her in the dark wasn''t fair. He opened his mouth and spoke.
"It was you who taught me that, Evalyn," Kaze said, his voice haunting. "Now I must go. That way, I can protect you and the other woman I loved at the same time, even if it costs me my life."
Evalyn''s heart shattered, and she was left reeling, overwhelmed by self-destructive emotions that threatened to consume her. "I...," she choked. "I''m sorry...."
She erupted into tears, her anguished cries muffled by the bed, as the torment, guilt, and self-loathing she had long suppressed welled within her. It was a raw, visceral expression of remorse, unfiltered and primal. "Don''t die...." she sobbed. "Let me make it up to you...."
Snap!
Evalyn gasped for air, sitting up in a cold sweat, her body trembling, ovee with panic and heartache. She looked around frantically until she saw Kaze beside her, holding her hand. "Kaze, I''m so, so sorry!"
Kaze offered a faint smile tinged with conflict. "It was just a nightmare, Evalyn," he said, his voice soothing. "It wasn''t real. You couldn''t control it. All you could do was feel what that Evalyn feltnothing more. But tell me, did you enjoy feeling good?"
The blonde hesitated, her eyes filled with turmoil, afraid to admit the truth. However, she refused to lie. "It felt incredible," she confessed. "After what I''ve experienced in this life, those few minutes in that life felt worth dying for, and the pleasure was so intense... it sickens me now."
"It was the Nightmare of Lust," Kaze smiled. "It''s the most positive of these nightmares."
"W-Wait, what!?" Evalyn eximed, her pulse racing. "Don''t tell me"
"There are six more," he smiled, a bitter expression on his face.
"P-Please, Kaze," she pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "No more...."
"Once begun, the process cannot be stopped, lest you want to retain that fear forever," Kaze replied somberly. "Though you''re in pain now, you''ll forget all about it soon."
"W-What do you mean?" Evalyn asked. "I don''t want to forget that."
"You''ll still feel that way when you wake up," he smiled, leaning back in his chair, a red aura enveloping him. "But with a new perspective."
"W-Wait!" Evalyn cried.
"Fracture," Kaze said, his smile gentle yet pained, as the world around them began to change once more.
Chapter 356 Nightmares
Chapter 356 Nightmares
Evalyn awoke to the sound of pounding on her door. No, it was more than that - it was an assault. The force of the blows caused the door to burst open, sending debris flying. The blonde leaped to her feet, conjuring ice des from above.
"I going to need you put those toys away," Kiera said, her eyes zing with bloodlust. "If you don''t, I''ll sever your arms, leaving you unable even to touch yourself."
Evalyn''s eyes red with anger, but a wave of surreal Qi washed over her, causing searing pain as she held her ice des aloft. "What do you want, Kiera?"
"What do I want?" Kiera sneered. "I WANT KAZEY BACK!"
A maelstrom of surreal, negative emotions swirled in Evalyn''s heart as she processed the cryptic riddler''s words. "What did you say?"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ''WHAT DID I JUST SAY?''" Kiera screamed, raising her hand to strike Evalyn but stopping as she noticed Kaze''s bed - their bed - in the way. "KAZEY NEEDED YOU! AND YOU WEREN''T THERE. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN!?"
"W-Wait don''t tell me." Evalyn whispered, the weight of the world crashing down on her shoulders.
"Yeah, he''s dead! GONE!" the pink-haired teen dered. "FUCKING GONE!"
"H-How?" Evalyn asked, confused and disoriented. "Kaze is so"
"You don''t even understand your own tragic backstory, do you?" Kiera taunted, her contempt palpable. "Here''s a hint: strong people die protecting the ones they love who are weaker. And I''m not saying you''re weak, but I''d probably have lesser odds fighting a group of fourth graders."
***
Evalyn stood over Kaze''s funeral pyre, her gaze distant and unfocused. She wanted to feel sorrow, but it was an emotion she had never experienced. As she stood there, staring at his body, she struggled to process her grief.
But she did feel something - guilt. It was her first taste of it, transforming her endless joy and suppressed emotional turmoil, boiling and festering until it burst. Now, all she felt was hatred - for herself, her actions, and those who took her lover from her.
Fire.
As Evalyn watched Kaze''s body catch mes, she couldn''tprehend why it was associated with obsession and fury. Fire immortalized people and burnt their troubles away.
Ice.
Ice preserved enemies forever. It allowed their loved ones to see their bodies in full detail, encased in ss. They could gaze upon the twisted expressions of bloodlust they wore when they died C the repulsive ecstasy and sadism of battle.
No one could grant that person a hero''s death. It would sear the truth into their minds for years, decades, centuries, or even millennia after their demise. It would be eternal.
That''s what she would do.
Encase the entire Sky ne in ice.
"There''s still one cell left," Evalyn announced before a crowd of thousands at the funeral. "Tonight, we''re going to eradicate them."
Amotion erupted immediately.
"Who the are you to order us around?"
"You didn''t even fight! Why are you here now?"
"You''re not our leader. Leave it to one of the women who cared."
"Why am I in charge?" Evalyn asked, her mind shing with memories and hatred simultaneously. "I shouldn''t need to say that."
A massivence materialized before the man''s eyes and impaled him trough his skull, drenching those behind him in blood.
"LISTEN UP!" she roared, seizing thence and kicking the man''s body, sending it flying into a group of people. "I''m not skilled in politics like Kaze was, so I''ll make this simple: I''m the leader because I''m the strongest! If you disagree, step forward and face your death!"
Many soldiers turned to Kiera, but she scoffed and passionately argued that they were just as responsible for Kaze''s death as Evalyn was. So, she would stand by the one seeking revenge.
"Now that we have that settled," Evalyn mocked. "Lead everyone to the stronghold. If I see anyone leaving a cultivator alive, I''ll kill them."
***
"I-I said we surrender!" a man in a toga pleaded, crawling backward across the broken city streets, brushing past the bodies of his fallenrades, each impaled on frozen spears. Dozens of them.
"There is no surrender in war," Evalyn replied, her tone chilling as she advanced, the ground freezing around her feet with each step. "The moment you raise your hands against someone, you''re at their mercy C and my mercy means your death."
"J-Just don''t hurt my family," the cultivator stammered.
"No, I think I''ll take them, too," she smirked. "You, your family, your friends, and your empire. That''s the price of your actions today."
His eyes widened in horror and disbelief. "W-Waitack!" he choked as his head rolled off his shoulders, crashing to the ground.
"Your words are meaningless," Evalyn spat, turning to face the thousands behind her. They had just won but found no sce in their leader''s presence. Instead, she strode through them, leaving a chilling fog in her wake.
***
"Evalyn, isn''t this enough?" Marilyn implored, her eyes tremulous and confused. "We''ve already defeated their forces here. There''s no need to kill the women and children."
"On the contrary, there''s no greater need," Evalyn retorted, her words as cold as ice. "We must send a message to anyone who defies us: surrender or face the fate of this city. Fight against us, and we won''t just kill you C we''ll take your mothers, brothers, sisters, children, and parents. There will be no one left to rise against us."
The brte bit her lip, pained by Evalyn''s words. "Then you should do it," she said. "The soldiers are losing faith in you; if you make them do this, they''ll never forgive you."
"Worthless," Evalyn sneered, disgust and contempt in her voice.
***
Evalyn emerged from the silent, ice-encased city after all sounds within had ceased. She looked at her troops, who avoided her gaze and chose to fly above them. "We''re not here to be heroes!" she thundered. "These people killed 99% of Earth''s poption and hunted us, weak mortals, down. When they failed, they tried to kill us again and again, until we ended up here. If we don''t stop them, they''ll repeat this cycle until you and everyone you love is dead. I won''t let that happen - not again! Once I im the Sky ne, you can live the life you desire; until then, I expect you to follow me!"
A panic attack seized Evalyn as she jolted upright in bed, her breaths ragged and shallow. "A-A nightmare?" she stammered, her chest heaving.
"Yes, love," Kaze replied gently. "It was the Nightmare of Wrath. You''ve learned how far anger can take you; now, you must learn the consequences."
As his body began to glow again, Evalyn''s heart clenched in terror, but she could not voice her protest.
"Fracture," Kaze murmured, sending her spiraling into another realm.
"It''s been twenty years; how long will you keep sleeping in this bed?" Evalyn chided, a strand of silky pink hair falling into her eyes.
"It''s 4 am, can''t you wait until 6 until you start your slumber plunder?" Kiera groaned, rolling over.
"Why don''t you do this to the others, Kiera?" Evalyn challenged. "I wasn''t good enough alone, so there''s also Marilyn, Kylie, Addison, and Fey. I''m pretty sure they sleep in the same to this day, so why don''t you join them instead of ruining your reputation by sleeping with the Ice Demon?"
Kiera rolled over to avoid her gaze. "It''s because you''re wifey one," she said. "You''re his legacy. He came back to save you, and that''s what he did. Now, you''re all of him that''s really left. Kazey found us; he searched for you."
Evalyn opened and shut her mouth, feeling deep pain. However, she felt confidence pulsing back through her veins. "He did do that, didn''t he?" she asked. "Well, if that''s the case, I''ll make sure to honor that legacy."
Surprised, Kiera opened her eyes and watched the blonde walk out the door.
***
"Despite the vastness of this world, we have conquered one-third of all the territories in half a century," Evalyn proimed, addressing a sea of 100,000. "That''s a feat far out of the league of any cultivator before us."
Her speech was met with hesitant but powerful cheers. As the Ice Demon, Evalyn wielded strength and efficacy, slicing through obstacles and liberating people in her path.
"We wage these battles not for the sake of war itself," she continued, her voice booming. "We fight to honor Kaze Lexicon''s memory and put an end to the relentless cycle of violence. Our purpose drives us C without it, we would all sumb to our inner demons. I refuse to let that happen."
The atmosphere shifted, bing solemn and respectful. Their leader hade a long way since her infamous massacre broke her from her trance.
"Today, we will end this cycle!" Evalyn dered. "Andrew Killian has amassed a million troops in ast-ditch effort to crush us. But remember, each one of you is worth twenty of their soldiers, if not more!"
A tumultuous mix of zeal, pride, and fear surged through the crowd, erupting into battle cries, cheers, and quivering voices.
"Fear not!" she roared. "I, the Ice Demon, stand beside you C I will personally eliminate the majority of our enemies."
An explosive wave of cheering shook the earth, the air reverberating with excitement and determination. After all, if Evalyn excelled at one thing, it was the mass elimination of her enemies.
***
"Evalyn, they''ve disrupted our formation C it''s a trap!" Marilyn shouted, bursting into the room. "They anticipated our tactics and are now ambushing us, dividing our forces!"
"Why would they attempt such a thing?" Evalyn questioned, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Everyone who has tried to ambush us has perished."
"But not against a force of this magnitude!" Marilyn insisted. "With multiple assaults, you won''t be able to singlehandedly turn the tide of battle. We''re left with our raw numbers pitted against their strength."
Evalyn''s eyes trembled in shock. "So you''re saying"
"They know you''re an egomaniac who can kill an army," Kiera said, entering the room. "So they used that against you, cuz obvi."
"This isn''t the time, Kiera," the blonde growled.
"Then when is?" the ng riddler asked. "We need to retreat. That''s what we need to do."
"If we retreat, we shatter the illusion of our invincibility, potentially leading to our empire''s copse," Evalyn argued. "It''s not that simple."
"So what, you''ll let all of your ughter peeps die before you take the throne?" Kiera sneered.
"It''s not that simple!" the Ice Demon reiterated. "We can still win this battle. There''s no need to abandon everything when we will still im victory."
"Yeah, yeah," Kiera grumbled. "Well, gotta go, chief. I''ve got a date with death. Just make sure not to regret your decisions again, because you''re known for going crazy af."
"Kiera!" Evalyn shouted. "Come back... KIERA!" But the enigmatic woman had already vanished.
***
Evalyn decimated one unit after another, ultimately taking Killian''s life. But as she surveyed the battlefield, she saw the gruesome scene Kiera had warned her about. Her people, the soldiers she had fought alongside for fifty years,y lifeless on the ground.
Rein. Steve. Larkin. Denzel. Eric. One after the other, she recognized the faces of her fallenrades. The rage that once fueled her was gone, reced by a hollow feeling deep within.
It left her dead inside.
Evalyn awoke, the pain inside her more intense than she had ever imagined. She nced around, saw Kaze, and broke into tears C not in anger, but in love. "Before you send me to the next one" she whispered. "Please hold me."
"As you wish," Kaze said, lying with her and holding her tight.
"I''m just so d you''re here," Evalyn murmured. "I''m so grateful you''re alive. I''m beginning to understand."
"That''s what matters most," he said, brushing hair from her eyes. "By the end of this journey, you''ll know what you truly want in life. I promise. No matter the oue, I''ll be here for you."
Evalyn nodded, thankful to have Kaze in her life. She allowed herself to be swept away by the light and woke up in another world.
Her grief and fear of sumbing to wrath or pride wereid bare in the next dream. She built a supportivework and gained poprity through politics, bringing prosperity to those around her. However, her intense humility and rhetoric of self-sacrifice eventually led her to develop a deep-seated victimplex. This mindset dragged others into a well of despair alongside her, causing internal copse.
Once freed from the cycle of victimization, she found that most of her people had died, her supporters were in disarray, and her empire was in ruins. Desperate for a solution, she sought the power to ovee challenges alone and ensure stability. It began positively, but her relentless quest for power led her to amass everything within her reach, even things she didn''t need.
The reason was simple: power and possessions never left her. They never died, hated, resented, or feared her. And so, she collected and hoarded power until she became the very person she despised C Andrew Killian.
Evalyn awoke with a tormented expression and turned to her lover. "These Nightmares their purpose is to show that all mindsets have positive traits, but ultimately lead to destruction when taken to the extreme. Therefore, all paths converge at the same destination."
"Correct," Kaze replied, taking a deep breath.
"Then what about thest two?" Evalyn inquired. "I know what the Nightmare of Envy will show me, but what about Sloth?"
Kaze offered a faint smile tinged withplex emotions. "The opposite."
Evalyn managed a wry smile, her eyes fixed on the bed. "Which do you think will be worse?"
"The Nightmare of Sloth," Kaze replied, confident and decisive.
"Why?" she asked.
"Now that you''ve endured what feels like a century of suffering, don''t you long for the sensation of pleasure?" he mused.
Yes," Evalyn chuckled. "In retrospect, Lust was the best dream."
"I know that all too well," Kaze smiled, making her eyes widen. "Believe it or not, envy also has its charms. That''s why you''ll experience the alternative first, and everything wille full circle."
"Then start whenever," she replied.
He nodded, and a cool green light filled the room. "Fracture."
***
Evalyn awoke with the most anguished expression yet, her plea tearing at Kaze''s heart. "Please, send me there," she begged, realizing it had been a dream. "Please, Kaze. Anywhere but here."
Kaze nodded solemnly as his body emitted a purple light.
When Evalyn woke next, she finally understood the meaning of all the dreams and what she had to do. While it was painful, she knew she had to face a painful challenge before it spiraled out of control C and prayed things would work out differently than she saw in herst two dreams.
Chapter 357 Harem Acceptance
Chapter 357 Harem eptance
August 26th, 2032 | Five Days Remain
Kiera''s heart raced as she nced around the room, filled with thest people she had expected to see gathered in one ce: Marilyn, Kylie, Addison, and Fey. Her difort stemmed not from the individuals themselves but from the presence of another person who seemed out of ce in Kaze''s secret harem den C Evalyn Skye.
The others shared Kiera''s anxiety, anticipating a confrontation with the formidable matriarch as if awaiting the reaper''s judgment. Today was that day.
Fey appeared the most apprehensive, having not fullymitted to Kaze but finding herself there nheless, making her long for mercy. Yet, as Kaze stood with a subtle smile, no one dared to speak up, the only beacon in these dark times.
They sat in Kaze''s underground harem den and bar within Immortal Skye, highlighting the importance of privacy.
Tension filled the air.
Hearts raced.
Breaths were held.
"With only one week left before the gate opens and we face Killian''s forces," Evalyn began, her voice strained, "this is a time of great stress and need, a time to protect and support one another."
The women listened, their breaths ragged.
"For this reason," Evalyn exhaled, "we must ept each other... as a harem."
Shock reverberated throughout the room.
"W-Wh-wh-Wh-WAIT!" Kiera eximed. "Hold the phone, pull out the video camera, check for signs of mental maniption, take two steps back, and gasp. Did you really just say that?"
Evalyn''s eyebrow twitched, but she couldn''t bring herself to be angry with Kiera. "Yes, I said that," she confirmed.
Marilyn, ignoring Fey''s blush, asked, "Why now?"
"Because I don''t want to trample over you for Kaze''s love or be trampled on in return," Evalyn exined, her voice wavering but resolute. "There are benefits to epting each other, like emotional support, camaraderie, and strength. But there are no benefits to resentment, disregarding our feelings, orpeting for Kaze''s attention."
Fey hesitated before asking, "Does this mean that I''m now part... of this harem?"
Evalyn sighed. "Only if you choose. I won''t offer this again, so the decision is yours."
The others shared their willingness to ept the new arrangement, except Kiera, whose silence spoke volumes. But under the weight of everyone''s gaze, her resolve crumbled.
"I''ve epted you, wifey one," Kiera swallowed. "You''re the reason that we''re here. I couldn''t take something so precious to Kazey away from him. I also don''t hate the other nymphnuggets, but."
Evalyn interrupted, "Kiera, you don''t have to be intimate with anyone but Kaze. I''ll never ask you to do that and will defend you against anyone who does."
Kiera flushed, feeling vulnerable and exposed.
Marilyn inquired about Evalyn''s insistence on group intimacy. With a wry smile, Evalyn replied, "Do you think we''ll treat sharing a bed like a sleepover and take turns? If I ept everyone, I do so with the promise of pleasure as well."
Surprise mingled with excitement filled the room.
Evalyn and Kiera were gatekeepers. Evalyn held power over all, save Kiera, Kaze''s undisputed emotional favorite. They allowed Evalyn to have Kaze at a moment''s notice and reserved three days a week for Kiera. The prospect of having him nightly was enticing, though it meant forgoing one-on-one time and sharing with Kiera and Evalyn.
"I''m grateful to be here, so I''m okay with whatever we decide," Marilyn stated. Addison pped enthusiastically, and Kylie agreed but rified she would sleep with her siblings until they were strong enough to protect themselves.
Evalyn nodded. "We''ll work out the detailster."
"If I join, it will be under these conditions," Fey chimed in, her face flushed. "So don''t worry about me."
No one pressed her to borate further, understanding the implications of her statement.
Kiera''s eyes shimmered with a mix of emotions until Evalyn spoke up again.
"Kiera will have one night alone with Kaze, regardless of circumstances," Evalyn conceded. "Only her; I''m not asking for the same. She does more than enough to deserve this."
The others looked at Kiera with expressions blending genuine affection and envy. Yet, they all agreed, causing Kiera''s face to redden as she longed to escape.
"With only five days left," Evalyn reminded them, "we need to muster all our strength. Let''s do everything we can to build that strength this week."
Kiera''s eyes widened in panic. "Wait up, hold up, quick pause"
"If everyone consents as they im to, we should dual cultivate together," Evalyn interrupted, rolling her eyes at the teen. "It''ll strengthen our bonds and teamwork, build our strength, and feel very good."
Every eye in the room fell upon Kaze, who responded with a self-assured smirk as if to say, do you doubt me? The women exchanged amused nces, their faces a mixture of intrigue and uncertainty.
After some light-hearted banter and a bit of teasing aimed at Kiera, they finally reached a consensus.
"You''re free to leave if you''d like, Fey," Kaze said, his gaze resting on his brte professor. "However, you''re wee to stay and be part of my harem, devoting yourself to me. It is the time for the harem, after all."
Following a few moments of hesitation, Professor Fey sighed. "I can''t deny my desires," she admitted, feeling the intense scrutiny of the others as if they could see her innermost thoughts. "I''ll devote myself to you, as long as everyone epts."
"You''re alive: hashtag proof of eptence," Kiera grumbled, folding her arms and looking away, clearly displeased with the idea of sharing Kaze.
"Kiera''s eptance is like the final stamp of approval. You have everyone''s support," Marilyn chimed in, her words echoed by Addison and Kylie.
"Wee to the harem, Fey," Evalyn said with a warm smile, even though her heart felt like it was tied in knots. She struggled to maintain the facade of a weing member of the harem.
Deep down, Evalyn knew she and the others would eventuallye to ept and appreciate their unique situation, but for now, her emotions mirrored Kiera''s. Yet, one thing gave her the strength to carry on: love and pleasure.
The time was ticking down before they would have a spiritual connection and feel emotional and physical pleasure so intense that they''d ept each other to keep it alive forever. Her dreams told her that it was something that could turn them into hallow ves or harrowing vers. However, following Marilyn''s willingness to ept one another, she knew it could be a beautiful experience that would bring everyone millennia of contentment.
Kiera, Marilyn, Kylie, Fey, and Addison would soon learn that for themselves.
[A/N: I''m d everyone here has made it to a point where you can enjoy a harem with three-dimensional women with emotions and desires. It''s just like every other harem, but it respects women and their feelings and showcases their willingness to ept and bond with one another. It''s subtle and requires more work, but it''s more rewarding to see these women emotionally and physically benefiting from the rtionship instead of doing it purely for the MC''s sake. Thanks for reading!]
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