The chase continued for many minutes. Luo Tian worked as hard as he possibly could to escape from Damien's clutches, but no matter how hard he tried, the latter always seemed to be on his tail.
By this point, it didn't take a genius to know that Damien was allowing Luo Tian to continue running. If he used his current speed from the start, Luo Tian wouldn't have even made it a few thousand kilometers before being caught.
'Shit!' Luo Tian exclaimed inwardly. It was already too late to regret or lament. The only option Luo Tian had for salvation was Evotech!
His body was a mess. One arm, both legs, small portions of his torso, many parts of him were missing as he sacrificed them to increase his speed. On the horizon, the skyline of Evotech's city complex finally appeared.
'Almost there…!'
Bang!
Another portion of Luo Tian's side collapsed and his full potential burst forth. The structures on the skyline came into the foreground of his vision soon enough.
But he didn't stop simply when entering the complex. Ignoring the guards, he shot to the West Wing, taking out a communication device and contacting his backer.
"Sir! Please save me!"
His throat was barely functioning anymore, and those were the only words he could muster. Still, with his target location already reached, he felt a modicum of safety envelop him.
Here, security was impenetrable. The only reason he was able to fly freely was because he'd been given the required authority to move unhindered. If it wasn't for that, he would've died 100 times over before he even reached the West Wing.
'That brat was with the forces of that Shadow Garden organization. If they have spies in Evotech, he might be able to sneak in. I have to meet the Lord quickly before he catches up to me.'
Luo Tian set foot on the ground in front of the main office of the West Wing, sighing a breath of relief as he went to open the door. However…
"Aha, so it's nothing fun. You've led me back to Evotech, but that's not anything new to me. Haa, I should've never tried to act smart. That's just not my style."
A casual voice came from behind him. Luo Tian froze. He didn't even have to turn around to know who was there.
"H-how di—"
"Freeze."
Time came to a halt around Luo Tian. With his current wounds, he couldn't give the slightest resistance. His body no longer listened to his commands.
"Compress."
Another word compelled space into action, matching its counterpart. Space distorted and folded in on itself, trapping and isolating Luo Tian into a death trap that would slowly crush him into meat paste.
But just as Damien went in for the kill, a harrowing aura wrapped around his body.
"Now this is no fun. There's a seed I can't wait to see bloom, or a fully grown rose that I've been cultivating for many years. Which should I choose?"
A man appeared in the air above. His jawline was incredibly sharp, his face looking like perfection chiseled directly by the heavens themselves. His body was wreathed in a suave business suit that didn't match the War God-like aura coming from his body
His piercing red eyes looked down at Damien smilingly. It seemed the hypothetical that he posed was meant for him.
Damien's eyes narrowed. Judging from aura alone, he was no match for this man. He couldn't even estimate his power level.
But at that moment…
[Alert! Host has come into contact with a high-level assassination target! Please retreat immediately!]
[Host's chance of escape calculated to be 0%! Implanting necessary data pertaining to the target!]
Green holographic warning boxes appeared in his mind. Eve, the AI chip, was sending droves of information into his brain
Damien immediately came to understand the situation. In fact, his plan worked flawlessly. The pig he used had indeed lured the tiger. Except…this particular tiger was a Demigod-level existence.
[Target Name: Wrath]
[Target Estimated Strength: Unknown (Stable Divinity)]
[Target Temperament: Unknown, constantly shifting, playful, cunning]
[Suggested course of action if target is encountered: Flee]
The tiger Damien caught was in fact the biggest tiger in the entire world. He was Wrath, the CEO of Evotech and the Demigod stationed by the Nox to watch over Niflheim.
'Why the hell is he here?!' Damien exclaimed inwardly. According to the mission information, Wrath never personally visited Evotech Headquarters. He simply didn't care enough to do so.
Then, why was Wrath here? Why was he interfering in a matter between mortals? As far as Damien knew, there was no way a mere dog like Luo Tian would actually matter to Wrath. If so…
'He came for me?'
Damien's eyes shifted, catching Wrath's upturned eyes. From the start of their interaction until now, the man never looked away from Damien.
"Ack!" A choking sound interrupted the building tension. Wrath looked over, finally noticing Luo Tian who was being tortured off to the side.
His smile wavered slightly. "Now, now. Although my dogs might make mistakes here and there, it isn't any reason to kill them, no? Why don't you save me some face and let him go."
Wrath's words were polite, but the threat in his eyes was clear. His aura was still flared, bearing down on Damien with incredible pressure.
Damien gritted his teeth. He understood. An existence like Wrath no longer needed to care for such things as face, and he sure as hell didn't care about his dogs. If so, the only reason he was forcing Luo Tian's release was to humiliate Damien.
Damien's pupils shrank in disgust. Humiliation, this wasn't a good feeling at all. Being forced to bend to the will of others, he hated it.
But did his hate matter? Wrath was a Demigod. It'd only take a single breath to kill him. What choice did Damien have other than to comply?
He knew that. He understood this truth and understood that biding his time and gaining the strength to challenge Wrath was the smartest course of action.
This way, he could avoid any situations where his life was constantly in danger.
He knew that. He knew that, so why was his hand balling into a fist? Why was space following his movements?
The compression taking place around Luo Tian's body increased exponentially. His remaining arm and torso were compacted endlessly until they became a bloody red sludge.
"AHHHHHH—!"
Luo Tian screamed in agony. It was hard to believe that a human could make such noises.
Wrath watched the scene curiously, not moving to stop it. The faint playful smile that constantly colored his face didn't waver in the slightest.
In fact, there was a small glint in his eye instead.
"Finding a lower existence that's willing to defy me is a really rare thing." Wrath casually commented, his eyes shifting back onto Damien.
"I'm finding that I quite enjoy this feeling."
Damien frowned. "And what feeling is that?"
"Ahahaha!" Wrath laughed. His laugh was oddly feminine, resembling the jingling of distorted wind chimes.
His smile widened. His eyes opened wide, his breath becoming slightly labored. The way he looked at Damien…was close to obsession.
"Ahhh, the feeling it gives me when you resist me…I love it."
