Hellbound: Rebirth Of The Strongest Slayer.

Chapter 86 86: Little kitten

What Rayden has no idea about is this.

The orb holds far more power than he could ever imagine. Far more than his current human mind can even begin to grasp.

The only reason the armored lion lost its eyes and reeled back in agony was simple. Rayden did not want to kill it. He only wanted to protect himself.

And the orb answered that intention.

If, in that moment, Rayden had truly wanted the beast dead… if he had fed that killing intent into the orb through his Hell Essence, the instant their connection formed, the lion would have been torn apart. Shredded. Turned into meat and regret. The system would have rained down rewards so massive they would have stunned him.

But Rayden does not know.

And right now, he does not care.

Grah's sudden healing?

That was the orb too.

Rayden was seriously injured, but somewhere deep inside him, a small, selfish thought surfaced. He needed Grah alive. He would need his legs after leaving the cave.

That faint intention was enough.

The orb dragged Grah back from the brink of death.

Yet even knowing the orb is precious, Rayden still has no true measure of how terrifyingly valuable it really is.

Minutes after Rayden and Grah barely escaped the armored lion, surviving through sheer madness and dumb luck, another figure entered the cave.

A human.

Late twenties, maybe early thirties. Black and blonde hair woven together so perfectly it looked intentional. Divine. His face was otherworldly handsome, like a god who accidentally stepped into the mortal realm.

He walked calmly over broken stone and scorched ground.

"I believe I sensed the orb's energy activated here," he said quietly, eyes scanning the cavern.

He was running out of time. His aura leaked from him in faint, unstable waves. He needed to suppress it. Soon. Or else.

He had just begun searching when he felt it.

A presence behind him.

The armored lion.

Its two newly regenerated eyes burned bloodshot red as they locked onto the human.

"Human. Again."

Its voice trembled with fury.

"This time I will not play with you. I will rip you to shreds. Here. Now."

The man did not even turn fully around.

"Please tone it down a bit," he said calmly. "I am looking for something that belongs to me."

No mockery. No arrogance. Just a simple statement.

The lion heard only insult.

He was the great Armored Lion. The most feared beast in this entire region. Today, a small human had crushed his eyes. Now another human stood here, telling him to quiet down?

Too much.

Far too much.

Rage swallowed reason.

The lion raised his paw. The limb expanded, muscles bulging as a massive bladed claw formed along its edge. That claw could tear through steel. Through reinforced stone. Through any defense the human could possibly erect.

He did not bother with strategy.

His paw alone would be enough.

"Die now!" the armored lion roared.

The claw descended in a brutal arc straight toward the man's head.

It sliced down.

…Huh?

The lion blinked.

His claw had connected.

But it did not cut.

It did not crush.

It did not even scratch.

It was… resting against the man's head.

Like he was patting him.

The human slowly lifted his hand and casually held the massive bladed claw in place.

The lion's mind churned.

Impossible.

He swiped again.

And again.

Faster. Harder. More violent.

Nothing.

The claw struck the man's body like it was massaging him. The sound of impact echoed, but there was no damage. Not even a tear in his clothes.

The human tilted his head slightly.

"That tickles."

The lion's pupils shrank.

His heart sank.

What did he just hear?

The lion's eyes dimmed.

His heart sank.

What did he just hear?

Tickles?

No.

This human was looking down on him.

Rage flooded his veins again as he prepared to attack, but the man suddenly shook his head lightly, almost annoyed.

"I told you. I don't have time to play right now, little kitten. I need to find a treasure of mine."

Little… kitten?

The armored lion roared and lunged, jaws widening as rows of razor fangs came crashing down. He would bite this annoying human's head clean off.

Before his teeth could close, the man moved.

A single kick.

Clean. Casual. Almost lazy.

It struck the lion square in the forehead.

Boom.

The beast was ripped off his feet and hurled backward with such terrifying force that the wind barrier around his body shattered instantly. His massive frame slammed into the cave wall. Stone cracked. The entire cavern shook as a thunderous bang echoed in every direction.

Dust rained from above.

The man did not even spare him another glance.

He closed his eyes slightly, sensing.

He had clearly felt the orb's energy a few minutes ago. He could have arrived immediately.

But he had been fishing.

And leaving something as enjoyable as fishing halfway was simply too much of a waste.

Now he was here.

His aura began leaking again, heavier this time. The cave trembled under the pressure. Cracks spidered across the walls as if the space itself could not endure his presence.

He clicked his tongue softly and gathered the leaking aura back into his body with careful control.

"Well. It seems it is not here."

He stepped forward toward the armored lion's crumpled body.

"Hey, little kitten. Did you happen to see a yellowish orb? About the size of a small bowl."

No answer.

The lion did not move.

When the man crouched and checked, he paused.

"Oh."

The lion's head had caved in from that single kick. His internal organs were ruptured beyond repair. Even his energy channels were completely destroyed.

The man stared for a moment, then sighed.

"I killed another cute thing because I failed to control my strength."

He sounded genuinely disappointed.

Anyone witnessing this would have been left speechless.

After a few seconds, his gaze drifted over the massive corpse again.

"Have I ever had kitten meat before?"

The faint guilt that had surfaced vanished instantly.

He tilted his head thoughtfully.

"I do not think so."

He looked at the dead beast with mild curiosity.

"I did not mean to kill you," he said lightly. "But since you are dead, I will at least do you the honor of eating you."

Without lifting a finger, invisible force sliced through the armored lion's body.

Shhk.

Shhk.

Shhk.

The enormous corpse was shredded cleanly into fine pieces, as if carved by unseen blades of absolute precision.

From his storage ring, a large iron pot appeared.

He set it down calmly in the ruined cave, already preparing what would undoubtedly be another absurd meal.

And somewhere far away, hanging quietly around Rayden's neck, the orb flickered again.

Once.

Twice.

Then dimmed.

To be continued.....

Hello everyone.

The Hell Baby Arc is almost coming to an end.

Hope it has not dragged too long. And even if it has been long, I hope you are enjoying every bit of it.

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