RISE OF THE MARTIAL GOD

Rona slapped him hard, making his eyes widen in surprise.

"Did you just slap me?" He whispered, his eyes blazing with fury.

"This slap is just a tickle compared to what I endured this afternoon, and will still endure because of your heartless betrayal. I ignored everyone— I was willing to take your side, and forsake every other thing for you. But sixteen years of friendship, or was it love, was forsaken without second thoughts. Even when I believed you didn't do it with malicious intentions, and you didn't know how serious the outcome will be and came to find you, you still denied it without flinching, looking straight into my eyes as you told me a white lie. Since it's so easy for you to lie, you must have lied to me numerous times in the past. I have done a lot of stupid things for you, even when I knew my family would get hurt. I believed you were different from the rest, and that I held a special place in your heart. I actually thought our friendship was worth all the sacrifices I have made so far, but when it came down to it, you didn't hesitate to point your sword at me." Rona replied, her voice filled with hurt.

"Rona, have you gone crazy? What's wrong with you?" Leo shouted angrily and tried to pull her to himself. She slapped him and kneed his crotch, making him grunt in pain, and crouch down.

"Rona!"

"You were the one who went crazy. Since all I have ever been to you was an idiotic fool, who can be used and discarded at will, because you know I will do anything for you. Because I love and trust you unconditionally. No, that should be past tense. Trusted. Since I have finally realized that you're not worth fighting for, that you're a vicious snake, there's no need to treasure something like you. If you do not return those items to me within an hour, we are done forever. Because it will only prove that your intention all along was to find a perfect time to kill me. You wanted me to help kill my brothers before you finish me off, right? But I still thought you were the Leo I knew since we were kids. I didn't realize you sold your heart, innocence and conscience to a mangy dog."

"Rona, you have gone too far!" Leo roared and got to his feet, trying to grab her.

Rona kicked him viciously again, taking him by surprise.

"Don't take my love and indulgence for weakness. I'm not stupid, I just trusted you too much. And I have paid the ultimate price. You knew my brother was to be sent to the perilous lands, right? It was never the city of kings as we were made to believe. And asking me to confiscate those items was to make me a sinner who has the blood of her brothers on her hands. Leo, I will endure the price of my stupidity, but I won't let you off either! Kaiser won't let you off, nor your brother who put you up to this. Since you remorselessly pointed your sword at me, I will let you have a taste of what it feels like." She answered, her voice firm and bitter as she quickly covered her face with the hoodie, and left without a backward glance.

"Rona! Stop there! Don't you dare!" However, she didn't even act like she heard, moving with determined steps.

As he watched Rona leave without turning back, his heart unexpectedly felt heavy, as if he was losing something important. The pain in his crotch was the least of his concerns at the moment. His head was working as fast as a clock. Ever since he was born, Rona had never looked at him like that. After a while, he took a deep breath and steeled his heart.

"Point your sword at me? Nonsense! Anthony is already gone, and Kaiser will soon follow. How dare you act arrogant and threaten me? I must have pampered you too much." He muttered, and got to his feet, looking at the now empty space through which she walked away with a complicated gaze in his eyes.

The moment Rona got on her bike and slapped the helmet on her head, totally covering her face, the tears that she had been holding for so long finally fell. Hot tears couldn't stop rushing down her face as she raced away on her bike. Her tears made her vision blurry, and she kept riding around at a break neck speed, ignoring the disciples regulating traffic. For two hours, she drove around, as if hoping the wind would carry away her sorrow.

******

Kaiser gritted his teeth as he stood before the altar, feeling frustrated. No matter how hard he thought, there was no solution in sight.

"Lord Kaiser, let's go back. The only solution right now is to wait for young master Anthony to open it from the other side. Let's just exercise patience and hope for the best. He's your brother after all, you have to trust in his abilities. Besides, when people find themselves in desperate situations, their inner potential always squeezes out in a bid to survive. This isn't necessarily a death sentence. As long as he has a golden fate wheel, he won't die because of this betrayal." One of the shadow guards whispered, patting Kaiser's shoulders.

Kaiser suddenly smirked as his pupils turned into vertical slits, making his already scary red and gold eyes even more frightening.

"Since they want to strangle my brother in the cradle so that he won't complete the succession, I will return the favor. If my brother can't be the next patriarch after father , I might as well burn the entire dragon clan to ashes." He whispered in a glacial voice, making the hairs of his companions stand on edge.

Even though his words sounded ridiculous considering how powerful the dragon clan was with numerous cultivators, at that moment, it seemed as if he was truly capable of carrying out his threats.

"Young master, please don't make such jokes. No matter what, dragon clan is your roots. If it encounters a problem, the balance of the world will be tipped, and earth will become chaotic." Another said, trying to dispel his words.

"Do I look like I give a fuck about maintaining stability? If I can't have it, I will destroy it. I need to go somewhere, you guys should return on your own." He whispered coldly and took to the air, quickly teleporting away.