"Ghahhhhhhh! I'll fucking kill you!" Vildren cursed in blind rage as he looked at the stump of his arm.
John's foot slammed onto his chest, forcing him onto his back. His finger reached out and tapped Vildren on his chest, as a very slight sliver of lightning pierced into it. Vildren's eyes opened wide as a wave of excruciating pain wracked his body, something he was almost unable to handle.
John had unleashed a small sliver of Tribulation Lightning into Vildren's body and had decided to do so only when he had him trapped. His Tribulation Lightning was limited, as he could not generate it himself. Every time he used it, he would have less to use in the future.
The amount of Tribulation Lightning required to be effective from this range was much less than during a ranged battle, which is why John had saved it for this moment. Vildren's face twisted in pained agony as he flared his own essence Qi to resist the tribulation lightning rampaging within his body.
However, as much as he struggled against it, he found it to be a futile effort. The tribulation lightning in his body was pure destructive tribulation lightning, and was nothing like the tribulation lightning he had experienced during his ascension.
"What the fuck have…you done to me," Vildren cursed through gritted teeth.
"I've done what I said I would do," John replied calmly as he popped a Qi recovery pill into his mouth. While the battle against Vildren had gone his way, it had taken quite a bit of Qi to overwhelm Vildren, who had been an incredibly powerful opponent. His status as crowned prince of an empire was not ill earned.
"Release this lightning… from my body," Vildren commanded through the pain, as if John was his subject.
"You don't give commands here," John replied with slightly narrowed eyes. It seemed as though Vildren still didn't realize the situation he was in. "Besides, the lightning will naturally fade away once you've struggled against it enough."
"Do you realize…what you've done?" Vildren asked, still fighting against the lightning. "You're as good as…dead once my father…finds out what you've…done."
"Hahaha," John laughed heartily as he heard Vildren's threats. "I'm sure those threats work on your empire's subjects, as well as weaker powers in the Alliance. However, my Heavenly Lightning Sect is not something you can intimidate with threats."
John had no doubt Vildren's father was powerful, and was most likely a World Expansion cultivator of great prestige and power. However, the Heavenly Lightning Sect was not short of such experts themselves, and also had the Lightning Dragon as a trump card.
If John had killed Vildren, the crowned prince of an Empire, the Valyren Emperor might take action against the Heavenly Lightning Sect despite the consequences, but cutting off Vildren's hand wouldn't elicit such a reaction.
"You should thank me instead," John said to Vildren.
"Why the fuck…would I thank a peasant like…you," Vildren replied through ragged breaths.
"Because, I've only cut off your hand, and not your head," John replied with a slightly cold tone, as if the threat was still on the table for him to do. "Were it not for the Honorable Alliance, I would have cut off your head without hesitation."
John's gaze sent a shiver down Vildren's spine, who for the first time realized his life was in John's hands, and that John was a madman enough to kill a crowned prince.
"Also, I took your off-hand, which hardly affects your combat prowess," John continued. "I really am kind, are I not? Besides, with a skilled enough team of alchemists and healers, your father should be able to grow back that hand of yours. It might cost your empire a small fortune to do such a thing, but that's none of my concern."
Vildren's rage filled gaze stared back at John, but he decided to say nothing in response.
"Good, you finally realized the situation you're in," John replied with a satisfied head nod. He slowly felt his Qi return to his body from consuming the pill, as strength once again filled his body.
Without warning, John grabbed Vildren by the nape of his robe and dashed forward. Vildren struggled as he tried to free himself from John's grip, but the rampaging Tribulation Lightning still coursed through his body. It took all he had to struggle against the tribulation lightning to ensure it did no lasting damage internally, and so Vildren was powerless to struggle against John.
At the same time, the Lightning Cage around John faded away, revealing him and Vildren to the crowd once more. The gathered crowd of youths opened their eyes and mouths wide in shock as they noticed the outcome of the battle.
Bang!
John landed before the crowd of youths with a thud, while he dragged Vildren in tow.
"Impossible!" one of Vildren's followers muttered as they saw the state their prince was in. However, none of them made a move towards John, as they were far weaker than Vildren. If even Vildren ended up like this, then there was no hope for them to make a difference.
John's gaze locked onto the girl he had landed directly in front of. Iris's smiling gaze looked back at John, not surprised at all by the outcome of the battle.
"Now apologize to her," John commanded as his gaze shifted towards Vildren.
Upon hearing John's words, the strongest follower of Vildren erupted in rage as he shot forward towards John, while John casually raised his hand and pointed towards the youth without looking at him.
"You dare command the crown prin-"
Bang!
Lightning exploded out of John's finger as he unleashed a Lightning Decimation attack. The attack landed squarely on the youths chest before he could react, and the youth was flung across the desert sand before finally coming to an unconscious halt.
The group of gathered youths all looked on in continued shock at the singular attack John had just done. He had casually defeated a Early Heaven Tribulation youth in a single attack.
"Apologize," John once again commanded Vildren, his tone growing colder.
"I don't take commands from peasan-"
Bang!
John's foot slammed down on the stump of Vildren's arm, directly onto the exposed flesh.
"Gahhhhh!"
Vildren cried out in agonized pain, while John rubbed his foot on the open wound, making the pain even worse.
"John, I'm fine," Iris finally spoke out. "You don't have to-"
"Its fine," John replied to Iris. "He, as well as everyone else gathered needs to learn a lesson of what happens when you, or any of my friends are touched."
Iris felt a wave of deep emotions wash through her body, as she fell into silence once more.
"Apologize," John commanded again as his gaze shifted back towards Vildren.
Vildren struggled against John and the tribulation lightning within his body, but no matter what he did, he was unable to do anything. His pride as a crown prince made him resist as much as possible, but that pride was slowly worn away as the pain steadily grew.
Meanwhile, the crowd of youths all remained silent, unable to believe what they were seeing. One of the strongest youths in these lands, the crown prince of the Valyren Empire, was being made into a plaything by a Late Meridian Forging cultivator.
Unless they were seeing it with their own eyes, they would never believe such a thing was possible. Vildren's ragged breaths and grunt of pain was the only thing audible as everyone else remained dead silent.
Slowly Vildren's pride wore away, as the futile situation became clear to him.
"I apologize," Vildren muttered softly through the pain.
"What? I couldn't hear you?" John asked as his foot continued to rub on Vildren's stump arm.
"I apologize," Vildren cried out loudly in pain. "I never should have touched you."
Bang!
John's foot collided with Vildren's waist, kicking him off to the side as if he was done playing with a toy.
"Next time you target me or my friends, I'll kill you," John said to Vildren while glancing sideways at him before ignoring him.
"Let this be a lesson of what happens when you target me or my friends," John said to the group. "Be sure to spread this lesson far and wide."
The group of youths all nodded their heads in silence, while they felt a wave of relief as well. Many had insulted John earlier in the arena, but it seemed as though he was not going to seek them out for their insults.
"Now then, I still have one more person to pay a visit," John said to Iris, who nodded her head and followed behind John as he made his way towards the coliseum once more. While Vildren was the one to make a move on Iris, the one who had started this whole commotion still sat in the arena, unconcerned for what happened outside. While Vildren had insulted Iris, Alderen had insulted John directly with his fabricated lies.
Such transgressions would not be forgiven.
