Elysian shifted his weight to his right side, crouching low like a predator ready to pounce. With his right arm held low, resembling the head of a serpent poised to strike, he prepared to unleash his lethal attack, while his left arm remained raised, adding power and momentum to the imminent strike.

“Raijin no Ikari,” he whispered softly.

Suddenly, Elysian exploded forward with a lightning-fast lunge, harnessing the full momentum of his body. His descending foe had barely time to react as Elysian’s left arm surged forward, propelled by the force of his entire body and gaining even more power and speed from his other arm. The attack was both swift and devastating, easily piercing through his opponent’s weakened left knee and severing it completely.

Grimscar slammed into the ground with a heavy thud, akin to a sack of potatoes cast aside. Gripped by excruciating pain, he clawed at the earth, desperately reaching for his severed leg, his screams tearing through the air. “My leg, my leg! You b*stard! What have you done?!“

As if he had all the time in the world, Elysian leisurely approached Grimscar, squatting down to study him with an emotionless gaze. He said nothing; he was just inspecting him like a butcher examining his prey before the slaughter.

Seeing the emotionless eyes of the boy, Grimscar finally realized how terrifying his foe was, as he felt a chill of genuine fear coursing through his veins for the first time in his life. As his heart pounded furiously, a sense of panic overwhelmed him as he scrambled backward, his voice trembling as he pleaded, “Don’t come any closer! Please, don’t. Don’t!”

A sinister grin slowly crept across Elysian’s face, his head tilting slightly as he relished the fear reflected in his prey’s eyes. As a prelude to what was about to unfold, he raised his dagger, running his tongue along its blade, all the while never breaking his gaze from the thug’s horrified face.

This action by the boy sent Grimscar spiraling further into panic, his eyes welling up with tears from sheer terror as his body trembled uncontrollably, consumed by fear.

“You see, I’ve never killed a pig before,” Elysian said, rising to his feet as he slowly advanced toward the thug. “I’ve often wondered what it would taste like if I were to butcher my meat with my own hands,” he mused, addressing his now weeping opponent. “Do you think it would be good?”

Despite the pain from his injured leg, Grimscar hastily kneeled in front of the boy, his voice cracking with desperation as he pleaded, “Please! Spare me, damn it! I-I won’t touch another woman, I swear! I’ll change; I’ll do anything! Just… just give me this chance, please! I’m begging you!”

“Hmm… What about men? You just promised not to touch another woman again. But what about men?” Elysian questioned with amusement in his voice, smirking while raising a brow. “Surely your tastes haven’t changed so suddenly?”

Watching the boy’s smug face, Grimscar froze and found himself at a loss for words. It dawned on him that this abomination had no intention of sparing his life; he was merely toying with him. Enraged by this realization, he let out a guttural scream and lunged forward, aiming to grab the boy. “I’ll bloody kill you, you little piece of sh*t!”

Elysian swiftly stepped backward, easily evading Grimscar’s desperate attempt. “Tsk, it seems your tastes have truly evolved. But I hate to break it to you, I prefer girls. Besides, you’re too old,” he playfully quipped, laughing as he relished Grimscar’s grim predicament. 

Watching the thug slowly crawl towards him, consumed by hatred, Elysian simply smirked, kicking him straight in the face, and breaking his nose. This was followed by several more blows. 

“I truly enjoy fighting idiots like you,” he remarked disdainfully. “Fools who grow arrogant because they are blessed with strong bodies and high cultivation. They pick fights with other idiots who use their full aura every time they have a chance. Worse of all, they keep using their abilities as if they have an unlimited amount of energy. After they keep winning, they believe they are now invincible, thus learning the bad habit of fighting without even conserving their energy.” 

Snorting at Grimscar, Elysian kicked him again in the head. “Cultivators like you who squander their aura without a second thought, acting as if they have a limitless supply, are stupid. You fail to consider that you can easily be defeated the moment your aura runs dry. That is called aura exhaustion, you moron. Because of your conceit, you are now weaker than an average man. Idiot!”

Writhing in agony from the relentless attack, Grimscar covered his face, reverting back to his pathetic old self, whimpering like a child. It seemed the fearsome, towering thug was now reduced to a trembling craven, utterly broken. “It seems you’ve soiled yourself. Disgusting,” Elysian muttered, shaking his head in disdain. He spat on Grimscar and then stepped on his head, pressing his face into the mud. “I detest people like you who step on the weak as if they are vermin. How does it feel now to be treated the same way?” he asked with pure hatred in his voice. Turning his head to the left, he added, “Isn’t that right, Amara?”

The young woman emerged from hiding, gradually revealing herself as she walked forward. Casting a scornful glance at the pathetic thug, she showed no hint of sympathy in her eyes. Her gaze then shifted to the young boy, silently observing him without uttering a word. 

 

 

---

 

 

After speaking with the old man, Elysian immediately sprinted out of the warehouse, venturing deeper into the forest. Amara did not have a choice but to follow him. As she did, she froze for a moment, her complexion turning pale upon seeing the murderer, who killed all those people, now watching her.

 

‘He wouldn’t kill me, would he? He appears to have a friendly relationship with the young master, so maybe I’m safe?’

 

When she caught him winking at her, Amara breathed a sigh of relief, quickening her pace more in an effort to catch up with the boy.

 

‘Goodness, that elderly gentleman nearly frightened me to death. It seems that scary people know each other.

Why do I get entangled with such terrifying individuals? 

Just a few days ago, I was living a quiet life, perfectly content with it. Granted, it wasn’t exactly peaceful, given my role as the proprietress of the Velvet Chamber, a brothel some might call, though I prefer the term gentleman’s club. So, I expect it to have some problems. 

How can it be otherwise, right? That’s to be expected in these lines of business.

However, what I’m often dealing with are drunkards and, if unlucky, some wealthy clients who thought they owned us, but these are people I can handle.

Now, my best friend is kidnapped by the boss of the Crimson Talon, notorious for torturing and killing his women. I don’t know if she is even alive.’

 

Amara’s eyes began to water as she thought about the fate of her best friend, who was like a family to her.

 

‘Just now, I came across a terrifying old man who just murdered nearly all of the Crimson Talon in Ironspire. What’s worse, he arranged their bodies into a bizarre symbol, finding amusement in it, which made him even more scary. He seemed like just another ordinary old drunkard one might find in taverns. Who would have imagined he could be so terrifying?’

 

Sighing deeply, Amara carefully traversed the forest, her thoughts swiftly returning to the boy she was following.

 

‘I initially considered him the most ordinary of the three, but it appears he may be the worst. 

Hmm, Grimscar might be worse. No, I’m certain he’s the worst because he took Layla. It’s just that I witnessed with my own eyes how the young master tortured and killed the thug earlier, and the chilling expression on his face as he did so. Describing it as terrifying might be an understatement. Even just recalling what happened still sends shivers down my spine.

In truth, it’s difficult to form an opinion about the boy. It’s hard to describe him; I can’t even read him at all, which is rare for me. He’s always saying something but doing something different.

Hmm, he seemed respected and admired by those two boys. Oddly, I feel drawn to him.’

 

As she continued to run, Amara found her only diversion from worrying about her friend’s fate was the thought of the young noble who fascinated her. She had met different kinds of people, and she thought she had encountered them all. However, Elysian was something different—one of a kind, you might say.

 

‘I’m glad I’ve listened to their conversation; otherwise, I wouldn’t have known that he was going to Layla.

Why didn’t he inform me he was planning to rescue her? Perhaps he thought I would only slow him down. Well, he’s right; I can’t argue with that. Even so, I would have insisted on coming. I simply cannot bear to stand by and do nothing while my friend is in danger.’

 

Running wasn’t easy for someone like Amara, who had grown up in the city. As the proprietress of the Velvet Chamber, she was constantly occupied, rarely venturing far from her establishment. When she did, it was mostly by carriage. After all the running she had done, she found herself out of breath to the point where she could hardly walk. It was only the thought of Layla that gave her the strength to keep standing at this point.

 

‘I didn’t even run that far, yet I’m already this exhausted. Am I heading in the right direction?’

 

Afraid of getting lost, Amara slowed her pace as doubt began to creep into her heart. Suddenly, she heard a crashing sound to her left. This made her flinch momentarily, her eyes widening, realizing it was the sound of fighting. Rather than succumbing to fear, hope surged within her once again. Renewing her spirit, she quickened her pace toward the source of the commotion.

As she got close to the fighting, Amara slowed her movement, trying to assess the danger. 

“Please! Spare me, damn it! I-I won’t touch another woman, I swear! I’ll change; I’ll do anything! Just… just give me this chance, please! I’m begging you!”

Hearing a man pleading, Amara cautiously took a peek. There, she saw a huge man kneeling in front of a boy. Though she couldn’t clearly see the boy’s face, she was sure it was Elysian from his stature and clothes alone.

 

‘Is that Grimscar? Where’s Layla?’

 

“Hmm… What about men? You just promised not to touch another woman again. But what about men? Surely your tastes haven’t changed so suddenly?”

Grimscar suddenly let out a guttural scream and lunged forward. “I’ll bloody kill you, you little piece of sh*t!”

The young noble easily stepped backward, masterfully evading Grimscar’s desperate attempt. “Tsk, it seems your tastes have truly evolved. But I hate to break it to you, I prefer girls. Besides, you’re too old.”

After hearing the noble’s words, Amara could only sigh. The young noble could be irritating, driving not only his enemies mad, but sometimes, even his allies to the edge of annoyance.

 

‘I really don’t know whether to cry or laugh at his words. I definitely don’t want to be on that boy’s bad side. Being his enemy would be dreadful. He can truly be cruel, as I’ve witnessed several times tonight.’

 

The boy suddenly kicked his crawling enemy in the head a couple of times. Grimscar covered his face, whimpering like a child. “It seems you’ve soiled yourself. Disgusting!” The young noble spat on the thug, stepping on his head, and pressing his face into the mud. “I detest people like you who step on the weak as if they are vermin. How does it feel now to be treated the same way?” 

When she saw Elysian turning his head toward her, Amara’s heart suddenly started beating faster. “Isn’t that right, Amara?” 

Upon hearing her name muttered by the boy, she momentarily froze; her face paled.

 

‘Why am I even afraid? I shouldn’t be. While he might be cruel to his enemies, I’m not one of them. He’s even here trying to help me.’

 

Regaining her composure, Amara emerged from hiding, slowly showing herself as she walked forward. Casting a hateful glance at the pathetic thug, she showed no hint of sympathy in her eyes. Her gaze then shifted to the young boy, silently observing him without uttering a word.

 

‘Now that I’m in front of him, it’s strange that I don’t feel any fear. In fact, I feel at peace. Hmm…’

 

After some time, Amara respectfully bowed, “Young master.”