WHAT! I Have To Kill Heaven's Son To Live!

The four servants of Shi Quinji lunged forward, rage twisted across their faces, fists and swords raised to beat Reon half to death.

But—

Swoosh!

Thud!

Thud!

In the blink of an eye, their heads dropped to the ground—cleanly severed.

Blood sprayed like fountains from their necks, staining the grass crimson as their lifeless bodies collapsed with dull thuds.

Reon stood exactly where he had been, calm and motionless.

He hadn't taken a single step.

The girl beside Shi Quinji gasped in horror, her face pale as she instinctively shrank behind him.

"W-Who killed them… Brother Shi?" she stammered, trembling. "That bastard didn't even move!"

But instead of rage, Shi Quinji's eyes gleamed with fascination.

His voice rang with startled admiration.

"Excellent… truly excellent! You took down three Stage-1 and even a Stage-2 Foundation Realm cultivator without lifting a finger… with just those two invisible threads in the air?"

He grinned darkly.

"I want you even more now. You're not just any servant—you'll be my Special Servant."

From behind, the girl froze in shock upon hearing those words.

'W-What? A special servant of Brother Shi? That means… he considers this man highly capable.'

Reon's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of surprise flashing across his face.

'W-What? He actually saw them? My shadow threads…'

His thoughts raced.

'I only used two. But after all the harsh training I went through in Mishou Village, I finally learned to focus my control and infuse those two threads with Aura—though I still can't channel it into more than two at a time.'

'Even so, despite only being at the Refinement Stage, they're far faster and deadlier than threads infused with Spiritual Qi.'

'Even a ordinary Peak-Stage Foundation Realm cultivator shouldn't be able to see them that easily…'

'Unless... he's honed his vision through a Special Eye Technique and mastered it to a remarkable degree.'

Shi Quinji stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with arrogance as he addressed Reon.

"Reconsider your choice. Submit willingly as my servant, and you'll enjoy a life of luxury—wealth, fame, women, and power beyond what your humble commoner mind could ever imagine."

He added with a sly smile, "I'm even willing to forgive you for killing my servants."

'Their deaths mean nothing to me... but if I can have him by my side, it's worth it,' Shi Quinji thought, calculating.

'I'm a Stage-8 Foundation Realm cultivator, after all. With him—and my first special servant by my side—hunting down a Peak-Stage Foundation Realm puppet and breaking into the top twenty is well within reach.'

Reon spoke, his voice brimming with anger and irritation.

"Young Master Shi, I clearly told you—I prefer to walk my own path. Perhaps your ears are faulty, as you didn't seem to catch that the first time."

He stepped closer, voice dropping into a low growl.

"Let me say it one more time—more politely this time: shut the fuck up, bastard, and bring it on. I've got more important things to do."

Shi Quinji's veins bulged in fury, his teeth clenched tight.

"You've got a death wish, don't you? You killed my servants and keep provoking me relentlessly. Since you refuse my generous offers to serve me, I'll end you here and now."

In a flash, he drew his sword and lunged forward, the blade gleaming cold in his hand.

"Shi Family's Secret Sword Art...

Second Form: Whispering Crescent!"

A swift, silent thrust followed by a half-moon slash surged toward Reon, wrapped in a Mastery-Stage Sky-Blue Sword Aura—silent, yet deadly and impossibly fast.

Reon smirked, unfazed.

"Decent technique… but you still haven't mastered it properly, have you?"

He swung his hands with precision.

His Shadow Threads snapped forward like lightning, intercepting and effortlessly nullifying the attack.

Suddenly—

"Die, you bastard! How dare you mock our Young Master Shi!"

A fierce voice echoed from above.

Reon's instinctual awareness flared like lightning in his mind.

'What—?!'

He looked up just in time to see a dagger descending toward him, its blade cloaked in a Refinement-Stage Yellow Dagger Aura—barely inches from his eyes.

But—

Swoosh!

The dagger struck only the ground, its force blasting the earth several meters wide and sending a gust of wind rippling through the trees.

"H-Huh? Where did that bastard go?" the cloaked man muttered, spinning his head as he scanned the area in confusion.

Reon had disappeared using Phantom Mirage Steps—now mastered to the Advanced Stage—leaving behind only a faint ripple in the air.

Whooosh!

He reappeared silently behind the cloak man, his presence like the whisper of death.

"Die, idiot," Reon muttered coldly, swinging his hand in a clean arc.

Swoosh!

Before the cloaked man could turn or even register the voice behind him—

Thud!

His head tumbled to the ground, followed by his lifeless body collapsing with a dull thump.

Reon stepped back a few paces, expression indifferent, ensuring not a single drop of blood touched his robes.

"Tch. Filthy."

"Ugh!! Bastard! You dare kill my Special Servant?" Shi Quinji bellowed, his face twisted with fury. "He was my finest man—my entire plan is ruined because of you!"

"I don't care anything! I'll make your death the most painful imaginable!"

"Kill him, Brother Shi!" the woman screamed in hysteria from behind.

With a surge of rage, Shi Quinji lunged toward Reon—intent on closing the distance… and ending his life.

Swoosh!

Reon responded instantly, his Shadow Threads shooting toward Shi Quinji like venomous vipers.

But to his surprise, Shi Quinji evaded them with shocking fluidity.

'Oh? Not bad…' Reon narrowed his eyes. 'He hasn't fully mastered his family's secret sword technique, but his eye technique… it's at least at the Master Stage.'

'He's tracking my threads trajectory effortlessly.'

"Hah! You think you can kill me with those pathetic threads?" Shi Quinji sneered as he closed the distance with speed that rivaled a lightning strike. "They're nothing to me!"

Dodging each attack like a dancer in combat, he weaved through the onslaught and arrived directly in front of Reon in mere seconds.

"You're finished!"

With a roar, he thrust his sword toward Reon's heart, the blade gleaming with deadly intent.