King Aumen trembled, facing the gazes of the three of them. Even if it was just a fully healthy King Belmont he would have felt apprehensive. It was because of this reason he had waited until after King Belmont was tired to step in. But now, he had to deal with a healthy Belmont and two experts whose cultivations he had no way of seeing through? He was doomed.
"You know I won't fight your battles for you, right?" Nora said, looking at her disciple with a side eye.
King Belmont, having already expected this, nodded. But, the problem was far more than just about his individual struggle with King Aumen. He had a whole planet to defend, he couldn't afford to waste time here!
Turning his gaze to the fiery haired King Aumen, King Belmont's eyes narrowed. "Piss off back to your planet and take all of your people with you, or else I'll kill you where you stand."
This was the only way. King Belmont had to weaken the opposition's resistance, or else things would get bad even more quickly. He could already tell that this situation on the Earth was getting out of hand.
This was especially so for Nora and Amell. With their senses, how could they not sense the dense blood and killing intent coming from the surface of the planet that rotated slowly in the distance?
King Aumen was startled by this, thinking that King Belmont would do any and everything to kill him and seek revenge. But, it seemed he put the safety of his people first.
A part of King Aumen wanted to say that King Belmont was scared, but he didn't dare to. Whether his master would really not intervene was up in the air. And, even if by some miracle King Aumen won and killed her disciple, what was stopping her from retaliating? Absolutely nothing.
As such, King Aumen no longer hesitated. He sounded an order for retreat among his most esteemed elders and blasted off into the distance as quickly as his cultivation would allow.
King Belmont's cold gaze follow the streaking golden flames, but he made no move to stop him. In the end, King Belmont could only look down in shame.
"Master… I've failed…"
Looking at her disciple, Nora could only shake her head, a look of pity on her beautiful features.
With Nora and Amell's senses, they had heard what King Aumen said about King Belmont's son while they were still miles away. After all, in the vacuum of space, the only sound that could be transmitted where those forced into existence by experts. That meant that in reality, it was easier to hear things at a greater distance.
"There are some things that even the strongest of people can't control…" Nora's voice threatened to turn hoarse, but she controlled her emotions. However, in the end she couldn't help but think of the sacrifices her and her husband had made. She had no right to judge King Belmont…
At least he had been there for his children…
**
Dyon breathed raggedly as he tried to catch his breath. He had only forcefully manifested his soul for an instant before it collapsed, and yet he felt as though he had just run a marathon.
His chest ached to the extreme, completely dwarfing the pain his charred body was sending to his senses. He even felt as though his mind would collapse at any moment. Almost all of the benefits he had received from absorbing Elder Daiyu's injured soul disappeared in an instant, leaving him in an even worse position than he had been before.
He couldn't help but call himself an idiot. He had wanted to cure his body, but in the end, he had ended up injuring it even more. There was nothing he could do… He couldn't very well eat Elder Daiyu's corpse. Not only would that be ridiculously disgusting, Dyon wouldn't have the energy to refine the meat properly.
Loki's laughter was like a constant annoying ringing in his head, unwilling to let him have any peace of mind.
'So much fighting…' Dyon thought as his eyes threatened to close. He had done the impossible, time and time again, and yet fate seemed to throw him to worse and worse situations. For an instant, Dyon wondered what it would be like to be oblivious of all of this… To not have to have his life on the line everyday… To live a life of peace…
However, those thoughts were erased in an instant. Replaced by an endless rage.
It was these people who constantly sought to make his life miserable. It was these people that treated him like a tool to be sacrificed at their leisure. It was these who tested his limits, time and time again.
Blood slowly trickled from the cracks in Dyon's charred skin as he struggled to stand.
His feet were slow, and he often stumbled, but, he steadily walked toward Loki's figure, a light of hatred erupting in his eyes.
Loki of course noticed this, but he couldn't move his body. The best he could do was sneer, inviting Dyon to torture him some more.
"Go on, vent out the last of your frustrations. In less than two minutes, it'll all mean nothing! I'll slowly kill you with my own two hands! I'll make sure you live hundreds of years just so you can be tortured for every day and night!"
Dyon's feet dragged, until eventually, he stood above Loki just as his eyes were threatening to close.
"Today…" Dyon wheezed, "You die."
Before Loki could sneer, Dyon took out The Soul Tome. On its 5th page, shun its new addition – Elder Daiyu's corpse. However, that wasn't what Dyon's hopes were hinged on.
The first page of The Soul Tome housed something its previous owner stored within – [Inner World: Santuary].
Its second page housed something Dyon had placed in it – [The Dao of Array Alchemy].
However, its third page housed something that Dyon hadn't known was able to enter its pages until his grand teacher told him all those months ago – Death!
Dyon roared with the last bit of his soul strength, manifesting the death qi that had once been under Lotus Tower and pushing it out from The Soul Tome's pages.
Loki's eyes widened in shock as he watched, helplessly incapable of movement. For the first time, he felt regret…
He hadn't felt regret when he forced the Saeclums to give up their lives to divine the future for him. He hadn't felt guilty when he forced the Ipsums to undergo untold pain to refine their aritificial will. He hadn't felt any emotions when he constantly experimented on Tammy, even as he listened to her scream until she could no longer make a sound…
But as every disgusting and vile person in existence had ever existed, when Loki saw that it was his own life in the palm of another's hands… He collapsed into a miserable mess…
An explosion of untold magnitude resounded through the Belmont Holy Land even as Dyon's consciousness collapsed.
However, in those final moments, the Dragon King did something that should have been impossible… In the end, the 6th page of The Soul Tome was filled, unbeknownst to a nineteen-year-old teenage boy who had given his everything in this fight to honor the last words of his master…
Live on.
