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

Reon turned sharply, only to find Xiao Yan standing beside him on the same tree branch.

'W-What? How did he cover that distance in an instant?!' he thought, startled.

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, you sneaky little brat… What are you doing here, hiding like a rat?"

A vein throbbed on Reon's forehead.

'...Did this bastard just call me a brat?'

Still, he kept his composure and responded calmly.

"I came after sensing that surge of lightning earlier. Turns out it was a good decision... I got to enjoy quite the spectacle, Grandpa."

Hearing that, Xiao Yan's face twisted in irritation.

'...Did this audacious brat just call me Grandpa?'

But he also composed himself and smirked, his eyes narrowing with amusement.

"Hoh? I'm flattered. But tell me… are you prepared to face the consequences of spying on someone else's battle without permission?"

Reon's expression remained calm, but his thoughts stirred coldly.

'Just as Aria said… protagonists only need the tiniest excuse to pick a fight. Even if I said nothing, he would've come for me eventually… a villain preset by Heaven itself.'

"I am," Reon replied flatly.

'The system says he's very dangerous… but I'm not without my methods. If I can't kill him, then at least I'll leave him with a wound he won't ever forget.'

Xiao Yan chuckled darkly, baring his teeth in a grin.

"Heh… you've got guts. It's been a while since I met someone like you… after all, everyone else who had that kind of courage is already dead... by my hand."

Reon scoffed, a mocking smile tugging at his lips.

"Haa… is that so? But from what I saw, all you did was butcher a few nameless trash. Hardly something to boast about."

A flicker of killing intent lit up in Xiao Yan's eyes.

"Heh… so you've got a sharp tongue to match your arrogance? Good. Then—prepare to die."

Whoosh!

Xiao Yan lunged like a phantom.

But in the same instant, Reon leapt down from the branch, plummeting toward the forest floor.

"Where the hell do you think you're running to, you bastard?!" Xiao Yan's shout echoed from above.

Reon ignored him. Mid-air, he swiftly reached into his spatial ring, retrieved a Low-Tier Grade-3 Energy Replenishing Pill, and tossed it into his mouth.

'Tch… My energy's still depleted from that fight with Rin Gong. This should recover me quickly… I'll need everything I've got if I'm going to survive this.'

His eyes sharpened.

'Let's see what kind of "monster" you really are… Elemental King.'

"Fucking damn it…" Xiao Yan cursed from atop the swaying tree.

'This damn body has no trace of Elemental Energy… though I managed to restore some Spiritual Energy using my Natural Elemental Heal...'

'This damn body… there's no Elemental Energy left in it. Though I managed to recover some Spiritual Energy using Natural Elemental Heal…'

'But I already burned most of it killing that useless trash with Elemental Dismantle—and then wasted the rest teleporting myself here with Elemental Transport, just to chase that bastard down…'

'Now there's not even enough to teleport again.'

He glanced down.

'So… how the hell am I supposed to jump from this height without dying?!'

But before he could act—

Bang!

A loud crack echoed from below.

The massive tree trembled violently, its crown crashing downward.

Reon had sliced through its trunk horizontally as he fell.

"What—?!"

Xiao Yan's eyes snapped wide as he looked down and all around.

No nearby branches. No other trees close enough to leap toward.

'Shit… if I fall from this height without cushioning, I'll die for sure.'

'No—NO—I can't just die from a fall—not after coming back for my revenge.'

But then—

Swoosh!

A dark glimmer flashed upward.

His eyes widen again.

'T-That thread… it was like lightning…!'

But—

SPLURCH!

His right arm was cleanly severed, blood gushing out like a fountain.

Xiao Yan's eyes bulged as he stared in horror at the stump where his arm used to be.

"AHHHHHGGHHHH!"

He let out a guttural scream of agony as he tumbled through the air.

"AGHHH... it hurts! Damn it—it hurts like hell! I'll kill you! I'll rip you to pieces, bastard!" he roared as the ground raced up to meet him.

In desperation, he clenched his teeth and growled,

"Elemental Wing!"

In a brilliant flash, four luminous wings formed behind his back—each glowing with the color of one of the four elements, shaped like a divine butterfly.

With a desperate flap, they caught the air, slowing his fall.

BOOM!

The tree's crown crashed to the ground with an explosive impact, shaking the earth beneath it.

'Hahh... I survived.'

But then—

FWOOSH!!

The wings flickered and vanished midair, his remaining energy finally exhausted.

THUD!

Xiao Yan crashed onto the ground from nearly ten meters up.

"AGGHHHHH!"

He screamed, the searing pain of a broken ankle shooting through him.

His breath came ragged, gasping for air.

'Haah... haaah… I... I almost died… from the puny tricks of that insect bastard!'

Then—

A shadow loomed before him.

Reon stood calmly in the clearing, arms crossed.

He sneered.

"Oh? You didn't die? Protagonists really are like leeches… hard to kill, always clinging on."

'All thanks to their endless damn plot armor…' Reon thought with a sly smirk.

Xiao Yan's bloodshot eyes locked onto him, rage distorting his entire face, veins pulsing along his temples.

"I—I, Xiao Yan, the Elemental King—have never… never been humiliated like this in my entire life!"

"You bastard… whoever you are… not even the Heavenly Emperor can save you now!"

Reon gave a mocking smirk. "Ah, there it is—the cringy protagonist threat speech. I was waiting for that."

"Shut up, you filthy piece of trash!" Xiao Yan roared, trembling with fury. "Even if it costs me my Life Force—I'll kill you here and now!"

Xiao Yan struggled to his feet, his entire body trembling with pain and exhaustion.

Then, through gritted teeth, he muttered:

"Elemental Consumption!"

In an instant, a violent surge of energy erupted around him, swirling like a furious vortex.

Crimson, azure, emerald, and golden auras danced around his body as elemental power flooded into him.

Before Reon's eyes, the impossible happened—