NOVEL NEXT Chapter 322: Causing Chaos!?
She was none other than Geneva, huddled in the corner of the cage, her body covered in bruises.
Eryke had always wondered what became of her after he stepped through the gate, disappearing into a battle with an Outer God and then confronting the guardian of the world before escaping the place into another world.
Now, at last, he had his answer.
"When did you awaken?" he asked in a low voice.
"I awakened the day after you were gone," Geneva whispered with her body trembling. "But I heard one of the SSS-rank awakeners was enraged. He went on a rampage, trying to wipe out the three who provoked you."
"I see." Eryke looked at her condition and shook his head. At this moment, she was in a terrible state. The poor girl must have been treated harshly but since her clothes were still completely intact, nothing too extreme must have happened to her.
Just as they were speaking, a Second-stage Martial Artist lifted off from the ground and shot toward them with a sneer:
"No matter how strong your Will is, you're still just a Second-Stage Martial Artist."
Behind him, a semi-transparent mace materialized, shimmering with killing intent. "I'll be the first to earn the VIP's favour." He roared as the weapon swung down.
"Mace Arts: Thousand-Death Maces!"
The man's figure gradually dissolved, merging fully with the spectral mace. In an instant, thousands of crushing strikes rained down on them within mere seconds.
Eryke only scoffed. His gaze locked onto the mace with the same indifference one would show a bug waiting to be squashed.
Behind him, the colossal Sword Will stirred and with a single flash, it cleaved downward.
To the spectators, it was as if the Sword Will vanished for the briefest heartbeat. Only those with sharp eyes, who had been paying close attention, even realized it had moved at all.
A moment later, the Mace Will sliced into fragments shattered apart as Qi scattered wildly through the air.
"Pathetic." Eryke's voice cut through the silence.
Silence.
Even for a First-Stage Martial Artist, killing a Second-Stage Martial Artist was no easy feat. Defeating one might be possible but killing them outright was another matter entirely.
After all, a Second-Stage cultivator could always choose to flee.
Once they merged with their Will, bringing them down became even more difficult.
A First-Stage Martial Artist was one who had fused their Will into their own body, while a Second-Stage Martial Artist could use Martial Arts to merge their body with their Will.
Though their methods were opposite in nature, the result was that Second-stage Martial Artist could semi-replicate the strength of the First-stage Martial Artist.
For a First-Stage Martial Artist to truly kill a Second-Stage opponent who had merged with their Will, there was only one path, drain the enemy's Qi to the brink of exhaustion, and then transform back to their body again.
But for Eryke to singlehandedly slash apart a Second-stage Martial Artist who had already merged with their Will, cutting them cleanly into pieces, meant only one thing…
"A transcendent-strength Martial Artist." One of the spectators quivered, despair etched across his face.
In an instant, the crowd erupted into chaos as Martial Artists scrambled to flee.
"Hmph." Eryke scoffed. There were always those who wouldn't learn their lesson until it was beaten into them.
He needed to set a perfect example, one that would crush any thought of causing trouble.
Tilting his head, he looked up at the VIP room with narrowed eyes for a moment before turning toward the beautiful announcer trembling in the corner.
"What's wrong? Why do you seem scared?" Eryke asked in a mocking tone.
"I… I…" she quivered in fright.
"Heh." He sneered. This woman might look weak, especially with her beautiful appearance but beauty was nothing more than a thin layer of skin wrapped around a black heart.
Anyone could become beautiful if they cared for their skin, added makeup, or whatever else, but that would never change their true nature.
From his eyes, he could clearly see how much of a devil she was. Not the kind of devil like his little disciple, but a person consumed by evil intent.
"Open her cage," Eryke coldly commanded.
"Yes." The announcer trembled in fright as she slowly stood up from the ground and opened the cage.
Even with the cage unlocked, Geneva remained huddled in the corner, her expression twisting further into despair.
"What's wrong with you?" Eryke asked, raising his brows.
"I won't be beaten again, right?" Geneva squealed, tears welling in her eyes.
"..." Eryke froze for a moment. Then his eyes turned bloodshot as he snapped his gaze toward the announcer. "Who did this to her?"
"This…" The announcer looked up at the massive Sword Will looming above her and felt a chill run down her spine. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" he snarled.
"I… I really don't know," she stammered.
"Hmph." Eryke could see that she wasn't lying, which made him frown. He wanted nothing more than for that person to be torn apart and make his life miserable.
'Hmm, why am I so emotional toward her?'
He paused. Perhaps it was the effect of finally finding a familiar person in an unfamiliar world, but seeing her like this made his heart ache.
"Sigh." Finally, Eryke calmed his bloodshot eyes and walked up to the huddled Geneva, kneeling before her:
"Are you fine?"
"Y… yes," Geneva stammered.
"..." Eryke studied her carefully. Even though she wasn't quivering as much as before, she was still trembling, it was clear from that.
He slowly approached her and embraced her, noticing no resistance. In a low whisper, he said:
"It's fine. Nothing will happen to you. No one would dare harm you, and anyone who tried will die by my sword."
"Th… thank you," she murmured, closing her eyes, entirely unafraid of his embrace.
For a while, they simply stayed like that.
It wasn't until Geneva felt his breath graze her skin that a faint blush rose to her cheeks. She quickly tapped his shoulder, and Eryke released her without a word.
"Are you alright now?" he asked, his face unreadable.
"Yeah." Geneva stood, her movements stiff and mechanical as she stretched her limbs as best she could.
"Let's go out now," she said, turning toward him.
"Okay," Eryke replied.