A Waste of Time

Chapter 55: Dappled Ruin

“So that Defensive Technique of yours can attack from range too?” Ru asked Ippo, raising an eyebrow when the boy’s mood instantly turned sour.

The kid kicked a loose pebble hard enough to send it skittering into the brush. “Who needs that crap anyway? I can use a Bow and launch a few Arrows to turn it into a porcupine! Humph.”

The Swordsman found himself studying the boy with new eyes. So the Young Master Daemon isn’t just snatching the main body’s authority or messing with the data between clones — he’s choosing who gets what Skill. The memory of that devastating Chain Lightning Skill and the terrifying Three-Headed Six-Armed Asura Form replayed in his mind. If he can pick and choose which clone gets which power... then this kid’s potential is worse than dangerous — it’s downright unfair.

He stole a glance at the boy himself — calmly soaking in the shallow creek, ignoring the huge Ferocious-Creature that crouched on the bank like a timid pup. Ru’s frown softened into something dangerously close to admiration. He caught the cook’s wide eyes and the maid’s trembling hands and gave them a subtle nod — calm down, he’s got this.

But his sister Jia? She had a dreamy haze in her eyes. She barely blinked while studying Daemon’s lazy grin. She clutched her new Lightning-Cloud Thunder-Fire Manual, the First Chapter already engraved into her mind like scripture. She’d frowned earlier when her brother gifted it to her — it leaned too heavily into the Lightning Element, which wasn’t her strongest affinity.

But now? Watching that surge of raw Lightning Qi, that devastating counterattack, the precise control over the Elemental Flow... it was all she could do to stop herself from hugging her Young Master on the spot.

Maybe it’s smart to focus on my secondary Element, she thought. Cover my Fire affinity’s gaps with Lightning instead. At least this way... I’ll always have an excuse to learn directly from him. A small smile tugged at her lips.

Meanwhile, Little Mei and Xia were failing spectacularly at acting normal. Danger loomed from every corner — first the pair of a Tigress and her cub, now a massive bird perched under the camp’s makeshift canopy. They couldn’t keep their eyes off it.

“Do you guys even know what that thing is?” Daemon finally asked. He stepped out of the Water, steam rising off his shoulders. Mei squeaked and handed him a towel, her face pinker than his freshly scrubbed skin. He ignored her flustered stammering as he dried his hair, eyes locked on the huge bird — the Soul-Snatcher Eagle that hadn’t dared to twitch since his Chain Lightning nailed its chest.

Ru never took his eyes off the creature either. His grip on the wooden Practice-Sword never loosened. “Soul-Snatcher Eagle, Young Master. Rarely seen near the edges of the Myriad-Beast Forest.”

Daemon raised an eyebrow, letting Mei slip his clean tunic over his shoulders. She quickly knelt, lacing his socks and boots with trembling fingers. He gave her head a soft pat — and nearly smirked when she nearly melted from the attention.

“Any reason it’d come here?” he asked, pulling the laces tight himself.

Jia’s voice was steady, but her eyes stayed locked on the bird’s massive talons. “Could be random... but my guess is it was drawn by yours and Ippo’s silver Lightning. Soul-Snatcher Eagles are notorious for their Lightning Affinity.”

Daemon’s grin sharpened. “No wonder it survived my Chain Lightning Skill. I felt something familiar when I struck it. Thought maybe it was just tough — now it makes sense.”

He stepped closer to the trembling bird, squinting at the burnt patch on its breast. It lowered its head the second he neared, folding its wings tight and trembling so hard the canopy leaves rattled.

“You two got anything to treat this wound?” Daemon asked, ignoring the sharp c-caw that escaped the creature when he leaned in.

Jia rummaged her Space-Pouch, pulling out a small wooden box. “Medium-Quality Healing-Ointment. It might help.”

Daemon nodded once, grabbed the box, and promptly shoved the huge bird over with a single palm. It squawked in outrage — then froze the instant cold paste touched its wound. The next sound that came out of its beak... made everyone’s skin crawl.

Screee—uuuuhhh...

Ippo gagged, pretending to retch. Mei slapped a hand over her mouth. Even Ru’s eyelid twitched. Daemon just rolled his eyes, smearing the thick paste until the bleeding stopped.

“Bring it food,” he ordered, standing and wiping the leftover balm on the smaller scrapes near the main wound. “It won’t heal if it starves.”

The bird shivered under his palm, its wings flattening against the dirt like an obedient chick. Daemon gave its neck a small pat before stepping back, grimacing at his tunic — now smeared with sticky blood and dirt. He tugged it off again and tossed it aside with a sigh.

Sigh.I just bathed.No helping it.

Xia, seeing him strip for the second time in fifteen minutes, spun away with burning cheeks. She grabbed the biggest pot, dumped in half the dried meat stock, and slammed it near the bird — but she refused to come within striking distance.

“Give it here!” Mei fussed, snatching the pot. “Stop—stop—young master, stop. Don’t wash your clothes like that! You’ll tear them to ribbons—!”

The boy froze mid-scrub, the creek water swirling around his bare legs. He raised both hands in surrender, shooting her an innocent look as she stomped forward, snatched the tunic away, and muttered about reckless brute strength while wringing it properly.

Ru and Ippo pretended not to watch. In truth, they were half training, half spying — between the playful bickering and the three wild animals now squatting under Daemon’s loose command, this camp felt more like a traveling circus every day.

Is this what my life’s going to look like now? Jia wondered. Less than a week ago it was just the two of us — now it’s Beasts, Skills, Clones, and enough insanity for three lifetimes.

She shook her head, sat cross-legged on her mat, and pulled out one Fire Spirit Stone and one Lightning Spirit Stone. Her eyes glowed faintly as she slipped into Cultivation.Caw!Caw!

A sudden shadow loomed over her shoulder. She cracked one eye open. The Soul-Snatcher Eagle was creeping closer, its eyes glued to the faint sparks dancing inside the Lightning Spirit Stone in her palm.

Daemon emerged from the creek again, water droplets gliding down muscle that made all three women avert their eyes — some more reluctantly than others.

“You want Jia’s Spirit Stone, huh?” he asked, tilting his head at the huge bird.

Scree!

The eagle fluffed its wings, nodding like an overgrown chick begging for treats. It spread its vast pinions, exposing the faint blue flickers crackling between feathers.

Daemon snorted. He crossed his arms — ignoring how the three girls collectively forgot to blink. “Why should I? You attacked us. You think you can bully us ‘cause you’re bigger?”

He smirked — then shifted. Muscles rippled under skin as his 2nd Form emerged, bones stretching and joints cracking. The air around him grew dense — like a storm coiling behind his eyes.

Jia, Xia, and Mei all stopped breathing. Their eyes locked onto a certain lower region with the kind of shameless focus that could drill holes through steel.

Caw!

The eagle flapped once, then twice, bowing low, its beak scraping the dirt. Its wings swept forward, half-hugging his massive frame as if to say, Please, please!

“Didn’t I just heal you?” Daemon asked, flicking its beak lightly. “You’re not our friend. Why should we feed you, share our Spirit Stones with you, when you might fly off the second you recover?”

The girls’ eyes never strayed. Daemon tried — and failed — to cover himself with one massive hand. Forget it.They’ve already memorized the exact dimensions. He scowled at them — they just smiled sweetly, eyes wide and cheeks red.

Screech!Caw!Caw!

The bird’s reply, to those listening, felt almost human: I’m grateful! I want to stay! I’ll be loyal — I swear!

Ru snorted. Ippo rolled his eyes. Bait’s working, both thought.

Daemon let the tension stretch — then barked, “Alright. You promise to obey? If you break your word, I break your wings — that’s mercy. Remember that.”

He didn’t mask it — the Killing Intent he’d built up after slaughtering multitudes of different creatures as Asura. It rolled out like cold wind off a blade, pressing down on the bird until its talons dug deep furrows in the dirt.

Scree...!

The eagle shivered, then flopped to its belly, massive wings hugging his hips like a cloak. It peeked up with wide, pleading eyes.

Behind it, Jia made a choking noise, annoyed that this giant bird dared to block her view of her Young Master’s sculpted back.

“Fine,” Daemon said at last. “But before I give you a Spirit Stone, one more test.”

He stepped back, cracked his knuckles, and activated the Lightning Cocoon Skill — only now it superimposed over the Asura Buff and his 2nd Form, triple-layered power screaming through his meridians.

The air vibrated — crackled — snapped.

The eagle’s eyes glazed over. It lunged forward without a hint of hesitation and wrapped its wings around him like a weighted blanket.

S-s-screeee!

Arcs of High-Voltage Lightning poured off Daemon’s skin and sank into the bird’s feathers. Its body convulsed, feathers standing on end, sparks dancing like fireworks. The strangled sounds coming from its beak made all three women wince — and flush red.

“Ew!” Mei clamped her palms over her ears. “Gross!”

“This bird’s a pervert,” Xia muttered, rolling her eyes.

Jia nearly threw her Lightning Spirit Stone at the pair of idiots — then stopped herself. No point feeding meat buns to dogs, she thought bitterly. The more you give them, the worse they beg.

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