novelraw Chapter 268 - 267 - Demonic Honor
Chapter 268 - 267 - Demonic Honor
The crowd was hoarse due to the cheering and shouting. The battle royale had been the most exciting round for everyone to watch. Athan's meltdown as his name plummeted was enjoyed by his enemies, especially Cicily.
The fight that shocked them, however, was Lind Frey once more. He had been powerful but all the contenders were powerful now. Massive formations enhanced the conjuring of fire, earth, water, and all the elements.
They had seen literal storms of Qi coming together to create devastation to the arena, but one man still rose above it all. A soul cultivator able to wield demonic Qi? It was unheard of!
The powerful team of demons seemed to finally corner Lind but then he brought down lightning. It was far more powerful than the rumors spoke of! Also, it showed that Lind was not only controlling demonic Qi but still using his own Qi to render attacks.
It was clear when Lind took out one of the members, that the rest of the team could now be seen by Lind. The battle that followed was fierce and far too fast. They wanted more!
They then saw the price Lind paid.
His Qi was empty and body exhausted to channel the demonic Qi for so long. Further, he used his dual saber once more but in a short time it ran out of steam. They all expected him to be teleported out but he simply lay unconscious on the stone arena.
Why?
Many wondered why but there was no comparison as Lind was the first to collapse with no enemies around. The last 10 contenders were there but most were fighting each other. Bastion was tied down in a 2 on 1 fight himself.
"You could have defeated him." Rya was greeted by her minister. He had nearly black lavender skin and coal eyes but his cold voice was quite normal for him. She felt wrung out after fighting Lind. Her elder brother had far undersold the terrifying mind of that man.
"I could have, but I would have dishonored myself." Lind had beaten her. She could only have won if she used poison at that range to take them both out. Her own Qi was depleted due to maintaining the robes composite effect as she was the leader of the group.
The minister nodded in approval, but then looked up at the display. Rya joined him and wondered like all why Lind was still there. However, her eyes narrowed as she saw a shadow resolve itself into a humanoid shape.
It was another demon, but not one from Darkmoor. The ragged robes were not one she recognized from her people and all their slots were accounted for from the various clans and sects under their kingdom.
"A Blood Empire demon?" Rya looked up at the minister and saw him nod solemnly. She frowned deeply that she had not noticed such an enemy so close. It was shocking alone that one of them was accepted by the Saint Kingdom but the current treaty allowed them limited slots.
All looked on as the cloaked form moved slowly over to Lind's collapsed body.
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"You look small now." A soft voice floated in his ears as Lind slowly woke up. He was surprised to see the battleground in the arena. Shouldn't he have been teleported out? His Innate Cultivator talent had allowed him to recover far faster than others could but he had still collapsed.
His vision came into focus to find a staff wielding demon nearby. The ragged cloak was not a lie, but his Eyes warned him it had profound formations in it. Further, the demon had not been part of the original group. Even being generous, Darkmoor could not have that many cumulative slots for just demons.
"You are from the Empire?" A nod from the hood confirmed it but left Lind confused. It was a tournament and he had been wide open. Why was he not eliminated?
"You fight well. However, you are reckless. Those weapons are inefficient and dangerous to use. Why use them?" Lind was surprised someone understood the issues with his current weapons. He smiled chagrined as he scratched his cheek.
"They are the best I can do at peak grade 3. My badge has not advanced due to the many flaws no doubt. I am only a mid grade 3 Forger." He felt no tension and there was no sign of attack. The voice was not one he recognized but something about the demon in front of him was familiar.
There was no issue revealing his limitations as the results still spoke for themselves, and he felt like the demon in front of him was not an enemy. Why he felt that would be harder to say, but unlike anyone else in the tournament, that demon felt indifferent to it all.
"I see. The artifacts you summoned for the curing of that girl were much more impressive. I wondered." Lind nodded as he felt better and better but he made no move. The strange peace might be broken if he did that. "Excuse me for a moment."
The demon suddenly vanished and Lind could not follow them but the cry of a man behind him made him turn. His vision blurred as he was dizzy and realized he was far from recovered. An elixir appeared and he downed it immediately.
The soothing feeling of warmth spread across his body and his head cleared. A human was teleported away as the demon slowly walked back over.
"Might I ask, do I know you?" Lind felt it for a moment again. There was something damned familiar about that demon but he could not pin down what. The cloaked form froze but then held forth his staff.
Lind used his Eyes and suddenly it clicked.
"That is the work of the demoness known as the Temptress. It is an excellent example, far more refined than any I saw before." Lind spoke the truth. If he was to rate the staff it would be damned close to grade 4 but an Iron Tier could not use such a staff effectively.
Still, he had been allowed to examine her work freely and it helped him when he attempted to Forge demon weapons later under Delenn.
He would recognize it anywhere now.
"Correct. Long have I wondered what to do when I met you. I was told to not worry but while there are things my kind revel in, we do not like being indebted to anyone." Lind was confused. While he knew Viola was grateful, he had made it clear she owed him nothing. So why was that demon talking as if they owed Lind?
"I apologize but I do not know you." The hood nodded once more but then a hand pulled it back to reveal a remarkably handsome demon. The moment Lind saw his vibrant blue hair combined with the fine features, he knew why the demon seemed familiar.
"You are a brother to Viola?" Lind saw a slight widening of his eyes but then a nod.
"I am unused to hearing that name out of anyone but family. I am her younger brother. I am also why she pushed herself so hard as I have great potential." Lind could see her doing that for a family member. He stood up and bowed.
"I am Lind Frey, may I know your name?" The demon paused but then shrugged as if it was not that important a matter to him.
"I am called Rathi. For what you did for my sister, I am forever in your debt." Lind smiled but waved it off.
"I am a healer. I had a patient and gained a lot from the experience. There is no need to be indebted to me." Rathi looked at Lind for a moment before his shoulders began to shake. A pure laugh suddenly left him as the handsome young demon had to kneel over to catch his breath.
"Y-you claim to be a healer after all this?" Rathi held up his hands and Lind saw the devastation around him. He cracked a smile as he looked back at Rathi.
"Some healing is a bit more abrupt than others." Both laughed heartily before they calmed down. Lind then looked to his right and frowned. Rathi also glanced but only had his cold face once more.
"It would seem your friend was eliminated but there are only a few left now. Before we begin, I wish to correct one thing." Rathi looked seriously at Lind and bowed deeply. Lind felt a bit frustrated but knew demons took honor seriously, even if it could be twisted compared to what humans expected.
"I know my sister said your words, but you gave a gift. I have not seen that smile since I was very little. I have not seen her even laugh until that day she came home cured. For that, I will always honor you, Master Frey." Lind sighed as it was hard to argue that one. Family sometimes only needed the little things to feel fulfilled.
"Then you may consider us even for giving me this chance. It is hard to compare values but I treasure the second chance I was given to get an Inheritance." Rathi nodded and took a stance. Before Lind could summon a weapon, the demon vanished once more.
That was not an Art he recognized but the flare of Qi was profound and Lind wished he could study it more. Two more cries were heard in the distance before Rathi returned.
"Now, we are even. It is just us. One of us will be the last person standing." Lind smiled and nodded. He could not argue with that. Lind summoned a sword but unlike any other weapon thus far, it seemed dead.
Rathi frowned at it but made no comment. Afterall, he had just critiqued the other weapons Lind used. The sword, however, was dead to Rathi's senses who could usually tell a weapon's grade at a glance.
"Forgive me, but prepare your defenses." Lind was not surprised as Rathi was likely heavily empowered so his words were not spoken to him lightly. Indeed, the strength he put out was comparable to Lind's own.
Rathi could also fight a Gold Tier strength.
The staff lit up with shadow Qi. Lind found it hard to follow the same as when Rathi vanished before. It was elegant. It made it harder to track but Lind simply smiled as his sword was held in front of him by both hands.
Rathi vanished once more but that time, Lind could catch a trace of it. Still, he did not move, there was no need to. His sword had no pressure but it did have a dangerous trick to it.
The demon suddenly appeared and looked shocked. All his Qi was gone!
"In the future, if a weapon feels like nothing, it is because all Qi is consumed by it." The sword whirled and the flat end impacted Rathi's ribs which cracked. While Rathi had similar cultivation strength in his dantian, his body was far below Lind's in pure tempering.
The light of teleportation whisked Rathi away.
"Battle Royale is over. Winner: Lind Frey." Lind looked a little nonplussed. Afterall, demonic honor was the reason he won. Still, he would remember such an action. It complicated his feelings about the Demon Empire but he pushed it aside as he was whisked away back to his wives and friends.