Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1703 - 1702 - Dragged into the Light

Lind felt like it was much faster going back to the surface than descending. At least it was not as boring as the female Fiend sent choice words at him as he dragged her behind him.

He cared little for her comfort but he still needed her alive. He wanted to see what would happen when the True Lords saw her.

At the back of his mind was a nagging question. True Lords should be protected by Heaven and Earth but that no longer seemed to be the case in the trial.

They no longer had their rings and their minds were easily affected. In the Celestial Fields 4th layer, he had seen both the tortoise and phoenix True Lords spar mentally but neither were able to truly affect the other.

It was more about detection than suffering from a skill or Art.

His own experience had been clear that only his own heart demons or internal issues could affect his mind. External threats were sealed. It was obvious why.

Until they violated their position, True Lords were entrusted with horrifying power. If they could be mind controlled or influenced, they would be innocent under the rules of Heaven and Earth yet the destruction wrought could not be underestimated.

Edicts, enslavement, or any myriad disasters could be brought on at a whim.

Thus, normally, any mental intrusion was the least of a True Lord's concerns.

Yet, he had encountered True Lords acting erratically and heard stories of drastic personality changes. The massacre of humans, sadly, did not fall into that category. Humans were food for beasts.

It was not unusual at all for beasts to lash out and kill humans or demons in their perceived territory or if they felt insulted.

The brutality, however, was unusual. Killing for a beast was about hunting or survival, not pleasure. True Lords especially would not kill wantonly, only for cause.

Being in a trial should have curbed them even more but instead it was like their more mortal instincts had been enhanced. He wondered if being originally human spared him that issue but he now included the woman behind him.

She admitted there was a low level effect permeating the whole planet to expose and use the weapons in the array junctions. The more souls that lingered, the better the results for her Fiend Qi.

Lind sighed as it was only a stopgap measure. Worse, she confirmed it was possible that the field induced genocidal side effects where people were inclined to slaughter once it began.

She had, however, no explanation why reproduction dropped so much nor why most governments were so self-destructive when it did not lead to the results she wanted.

He knew the answer to that lay with mankind itself. She did not understand mortals but he did.

Even in his own mortal realm, faced with stark adversaries all around, the humans had happily waged war for pride, greed, or just ego.

They needed no inducement from a Fiend for that.

Eventually, he sensed a change ahead and simply kept walking as he emerged into a lit hallway. He also heard the noise of other humans distantly from them.

The fresh air and light felt wonderful but the haggard Fiend looked like she wished desperately to return to the darkness.

Her foundation was stable so she would not degrade anytime soon, but now that she was away from the heart of the array, she would start to weaken in a few years.

She would not live that long, so even if he did care, it would not matter.

He moved away from the sounds of humans as he did not want to risk her getting killed yet nor getting stronger with proximity to someone using the guns or blades.

He easily figured out another entrance and moved until he came upon it. He pressed his ear to the surface and confirmed no sounds on the other side. He then placed his bleeding palm on the door and it rotted away like the other had.

Her shock was clear and further confirmed her complete lack of knowledge about him and his abilities.

They emerged into a natural cavern but it quickly led to an excavation. He poked his head around the corner and saw the crimson glow of the sun as it set and the slaves being led out of the pit.

The coloring of the guards told him he was still in the midwest northern territories but how long had he been gone?

He normally would free the slaves but he now understood it would change nothing. Even with the Fiend gone, they would be brought back by others to keep digging. It was even possible the freed slaves would restart the cycle themselves!

He would need his full powers to uproot the thrice cursed global array. The chain reaction did not occur as he had become used to in recent centuries.

Thus, he was forced to try and see if he could break it another way.

He found some rope and other materials to carefully secure his prisoner. If he touched her, she would die so long as he picked a critical area.

Her heart or dantian would be best for that.

The head was feasible but as an Immortal, he suspected it would trigger her immediate separation. The heart would allow him to burn along the meridians straight to her dantian.

He then tensed his legs and hopped out like he was on a trampoline. The Fiend would have screamed but she now had a gag on her mouth. While there was a solid thud as she hit the ground, she was still an Immortal. Her body was intact.

The pain, however, was likely severe.

Lind did not pause and quickly scented the air. He was unsure of their exact location but he quickly found what he was looking for to the west.

Beasts!

He leapt far up into the air that time and cleared all security and walls in his way until he could see the glow of a city in the distance. The female Fiend was actually weeping. Lind hardly noticed as they hit much harder that time.

The thunderous sound would bring others so he quickly left with her dragging behind him. The ropes were a little worse for wear but they held.

He followed the trail until the city wall loomed on the horizon. He had no need to go farther.

He quickly found some discarded beams and boards. It took very little time to slap a platform together and set up the female Fiend on it.

She glared at him but he only shrugged back. Pity for his enemies was long since muted in him. So many thousands of years of truly vile acts by both Fiends and contemporary races left Lind less inclined to be kind.

The night passed quickly but the guards had long noticed their presence. Outside the wall was normally enough to still get attacked but even in the lights, it was clear Lind had emerald hair.

Orders had come to strictly leave such a person alone and treat them with respect if spoken to.

Lind found their actions strange but as the sun rose, the guards could no longer ignore him. Further, the slaves had to head to the quarry.

"I AM TRUE LORD LIND FREY! SEND THAT INSECT TO ME RIGHT NOW!" The men and women in uniform were confused. His name meant nothing but what insect was he referring to?

The Fiend also tilted her head but a sickly thin man quickly appeared at the wall. His rail thin figure with dark green to almost black hair was one of the trio that ruled the north.

"Fellow–" The man did not even get a chance to speak before he vanished from the wall. Lind now had him by the throat next to the Fiend!

"Do you see who this is?" The man was struggling futilely against his strength but a glance at the Fiend seemed to make him freeze.

"W–w–what is that doing here?!" Lind saw that seeing the Fiend did nothing to the man. He sighed but then slammed his left fist into the gut of his target. The robes felt more like a shell than cloth.

It made sense with the kind of being he had in front of him. An insect True Lord was nearly unheard of.

The once human features flexed oddly confirming that the transformation was only surface level. The insect suddenly had 4 arms but Lind did not even react as they slashed at his arm.

Instead of drawing blood, the arms glanced off!

"So, the array is weakening you all. That is why you are susceptible to the weapons and mental attacks."

{Progress: 95%}

The confirmation was good as he expanded on that. The decrease in population actually made the arrays more powerful on those that still lived.

"Please let me–" The insect was in no danger of choking but he was afraid. He felt danger clearly. Lind glared at him.

"How many humans have you killed?" The figure froze. He tried to say something but Lind did not need an answer. Blood was thick on his scent. Blood of terror, regret, and so many other emotions but to be so strong required a LOT of death.

"You should have realized what was going to happen." Lind blurred as he tore the insect apart. He slammed each part over and over as the crunch was loudly echoing off the wall.

Bright green blood flew in the air and even the Fiend had frozen in shock. Emerald sparks flew as a soul dispersed into the air.

Lind looked back at his captive and sighed. He could only hope he could end the others as quickly.