RISE OF THE MARTIAL GOD

"I… I… I" she stammered, making kaiser's already thin patience to wear down even more.

"You what? Speak before I snap your neck!"

"I placed them in the hideout where I normally stayed with Leo because I thought mom would easily find them in the house. I didn't expect that they would get stolen. I was tricked, I…" Before she could finish, another slap landed on her cheeks, making her see stars. The world went dark before her eyes, she couldn't see properly anymore. Her head was woozing from all the slaps and she couldn't even cry out because her mouth was on fire.

"You were tricked, are you an idiot? How many times did I tell you that Leo was using you? But each time, you attacked me. Of all the people to commit incest with, it had to be that snake! I could forgive you for the times you gave him confidential information, letting them hurt the companies time and again. But you actually agreed to help him kill your brother! You must have done it this time too, how did he know there were soul shards in the weapons? Did you tell him that I left soul shards in them? What did he promise you in exchange for helping him kill your two brothers?" Kaiser whispered, tightening his fingers against her throat.

"I never intended to hurt you, I'm so sorry."

Kaiser kicked her away from him and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"You just gave my soul shards to someone who wants me to die on a golden platter, but you never intended to hurt me? Rona, I don't care how he sweet talked you, or how you do it, before evening, find those two weapons and return them to me." He whispered and turned to leave. Rona immediately hugged his legs to stop him.

"Don't go! Don't go please. At least wait till you calm down. This is exactly their plan. I heard them, they intended to make you go berserk. Although I don't know why they wanted you to go crazy, it can't be anything good. Don't confront anyone looking like this, don't leave the house." She whispered, drenching his trousers with tears.

"Whose fault is it that I'm so pissed?" He shouted and kicked her away, making her hit the bed post with a resounding thump that broke one of her ribs.

"And one more thing. If Anthony doesn't return alive, you will die with him." Kaiser whispered and disappeared from the room, leaving the sobbing Rona behind.

He reappeared downstairs and met his mom pacing. Her eyes went to his bloody fingers, making her heart jump a few times. The owner of the blood was obvious, making her clench her fists. She looked up at the ceiling and took deep breaths, trying to control her emotions. She was the matriarch, so letting herself break down was impossible.

"Don't worry, she's still alive." Kaiser whispered. The sight of his mom trying hard not to cry was the effective catalyst, making some of his rage seep away. Soon, his body normalized, and only his scary discolored eyes remained.

"Even if you kill her, will I dare to complain after what she has done?"

"She gave Leo weapons with my soul shard embedded in them. We are in a dangerous position right now. But you don't have to worry. Stay here and keep an eye on the companies through the system database, while I handle this."

Cold sweat broke out on Joyce's skin the moment she heard that the soul shards of her remaining son were in the hands of the enemy. At once, she blamed herself for bringing the carton downstairs during breakfast. Who would have thought that the thirty minutes she stepped out would have been enough for Rona to create so much damage?

"I summoned the shadow guards for you. You shouldn't go to the perilous lands alone." She had barely spoken when three masked people appeared before them, hanging mid air. An aura of darkness was swirling around them, and they were dressed in all black. Only their eyes were visible.

"Let's go." Kaiser whispered and entered the military Jeep parked outside, before the terrace.

The shadow guards got in the backseat, and Kaiser entered the front. At once, the driver zoomed off. Other cars in the clan that met them quickly cleared out because the driver was driving madly, like someone who had a death wish. Soon, they got to the desert area, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.

"There's a barricade in the front. The barriers has been strengthened!" The driver announced and stopped the car. Kaiser came down to meet the special forces of the clan who were deployed to block him.

"I'm sorry, second young master. You can't go forward, the road to perilous lands' portal has been sealed with much effort. Breaking the energy barrier which cost the clan lots of money to put up is a crime that cannot be condoned." Their leader said, stepping forward.

Kaiser scoffed and laughed loudly, making the people blocking him afraid.

"Oh, it was open when my brother was pushed into the perilous lands. But the clan already put up such fearsome barriers which cost a lot of money in just three hours. How long have the clan elders been planning this? You guys are really efficient."

"It's not like that, young master. It's just that dangerous beasts were detected prowling around. So, the desert area had to be sealed to avoid the clansmen getting into an accident." The leader said again, his voice steady and stubborn.

"I guess that the dangerous beast you speak of is me." Kaiser whispered with a wide smile on his face. Before the leader could make another false claim, Kaiser's eyes returned to the red and golden color, getting even scarier than before.

"Move out of the way, or watch me scatter your ashes!" He whispered coldly, causing fear to overwhelm the soldiers.

Cold sweat broke out on the soldiers' faces, but the leader was no pushover either.

"I'm sorry, but we can't move away."

Kaiser immediately raised his right hand and most of them ducked instinctively.

"Lord Kaiser, let me." One of the shadow guards quickly said, holding his shoulders. Letting Kaiser do it himself will cause a rain of blood which would complicate matters. The shadow guard quickly blasted the men out of the way, and punched out towards the energy barrier. At once, the energy blast from his fists tore the barrier open, causing a giant hole to form in the middle. They quickly got into the car and zoomed off towards the perilous lands' portal.

Kaiser ran to the altar the moment the car parked, with the others hot on his heels.

"Ah? What kind of seal is this?" He whispered, noticing that both the altar and the portal had been sealed with seven layers of mysterious, glowing red seal. Worse, a dark red liquid was flowing around the altar in a specific pattern.

"Stop! Young master. This seal was created with blood sacrifice. People were killed here to create this seal, you can't unseal it, especially now, because it was created today, merely hours ago." One of the shadow guards shouted, rushing to hold his hand.

"That's right, it won't loosen till after a year. After a year, you can try to open it. As long as we have enough men, we can unseal it after a year."

"A year? I don't even have an hour to spare! I will break it open, no matter what it takes!" Kaiser shouted and rushed forward.

"If you break it down with brute force, the perilous lands will be affected and the portal will be destroyed. By then, the young master will not have any chance of survival because the fragmented world will collapse on him. The only way to unseal it before a year is if it gets opened from inside the perilous lands." The shadow guard shouted, making Kaiser's heart sink further. This was exactly what they called standing between the devil and the deep blue sea.

If he leaves Anthony long enough, he might die in the perilous lands. Or if he manages to defeat the beasts, he might cross over to hell's portal. And if he forces his way in, the same death awaits Anthony when the portal collapses. He can't go forth nor take a step back, throwing him into a painful dilemma. No matter how he looked at it, there was no solution in sight.