Raising Legends in Roger’s Shadow

Chapter 316 316: Xiao Ri Without Ancestors

Reid stared straight ahead, his blood mist swirling slowly around him, every sense alert to the world around.

As he expected, so far, this seemingly advanced nation had yet to show any presence that could threaten him.

Reid thought: You little brats, without your ancestors, you're finished!

With an authoritarian certainty that brooked no opposition, he forcibly pulled the "Goddess" off her preordained path.

The guards charged, seeing the shattered gate and the "Goddess" being dragged. Their faces drained of color, and energy weapons flared in their hands. "Stop! Release the Goddess! Who are you?!"

Reid did not even twitch an eyelid.

The blood mist surged.

Before the two guards could pull their triggers, their throats were pierced in an instant. Shock froze their eyes as their bodies slowly collapsed.

The little girl gasped, staring at the two spreading crimson pools on the ground. Her body trembled violently.

Reid dragged her past the guards' corpses and strode confidently onto Piruka's immaculate streets.

Their sudden appearance caused an immediate uproar. A killer in unfamiliar clothing, dragging the "Goddess" who had been dressed in prison garb and was meant for sacrifice this sight was horrifying.

A patrol enforcement team approached on small flying vehicles, voices harsh and commanding: "Release the Goddess immediately! Lie down and surrender!"

In response, several deep-red mist arrows shot out, denser and fiercer than before. The vehicles were pierced and exploded midair, showering flaming debris. The enforcers could not even scream.

A well-dressed upper-class man passed by and sneered at the chaos. "Where did this barbarian come from? Dare to cause trouble in Piruka? Does he not know whose territory this is? Quick, notify "

Before he could finish, a streak of blood mist swept past, separating his head from his body. The mockery on his face was frozen forever.

At that moment, a piercing alarm blared across the sky. A new enforcement team, far stronger than the previous guards, rapidly assembled from both air and ground, blocking Reid's path. Their leader's shoulder insignia gleamed with a high-ranking mark. He did not attack immediately. Instead, he fixed his gaze, pained and stern, on the girl in Reid's arms, his voice amplified across the street:

"Goddess! Look at yourself now! Have you forgotten the glory Piruka bestowed upon you? Have you forgotten your mission as the 'Wedge of Atonement'? Return to your rightful place at once, or "

The harsh words struck the little girl like a hammer to her already-numbed nerves. She trembled violently, instinctively wanting to explain, her face full of terror:

"I… I have not forgotten… I…"

"Peripheral region."

Reid's cold voice cut her off, unyielding. He did not glance at the captain, only looked down at the girl in his arms and said evenly: "Your answer does not matter."

Then he lifted his head, his crimson gaze sweeping across the dense enforcement lines ahead, saying only four words:

"I am taking her. As for you? I have no intention of letting you go either."

Before the sentence ended, Reid and the girl in his arms blurred. The next moment, they stood atop a towering building at the street's edge. Blood mist surged from his feet, coalescing instantly into a massive, imposing throne.

Reid placed the feather-light, trembling girl in front of him, settling into a comfortable position with her head resting against his own.

"Watch," he said, voice devoid of emotion.

The surrounding blood mist churned violently. From within, sharp metallic grating and heavy footfalls echoed.

One, ten, a hundred, a thousand countless warriors made entirely of blood mist emerged, brandishing weapons forged from the mist itself. They stepped forth from the crimson sea!

Forget ninjas or samurai. Reid simply unleashed the storm! The wind! Gale-force wind!

They had no faces, no voices, only perfectly ordered ranks and a towering, oppressive killing aura a military force that was unstoppable. Their overwhelming presence instantly confronted the advanced enforcement team below, creating a chilling, suffocating standoff.

The blood mist army needed no orders. Like a tidal wave, they surged forward against the enforcers.

There was no shouting, only the clash of weapons, the tearing of energy rifles, and the brief, truncated screams of Piruka's enforcers as they died.

It was a one-sided, highly efficient massacre. Advanced energy weapons striking the blood mist warriors caused only ripples, which quickly reformed. But when a blood mist warrior struck a target, death was absolute.

The little girl, sitting in Reid's arms, was forced to watch the blood-soaked street below. Her eyes widened in horror, her body stiffened.

Reid's cold voice whispered again beside her ear, stating a cruel truth calmly:

"See," he said, "whether you exist or not, they will die. Your prayers, your atonement, your mission…"

"…mean nothing."

The girl sat rigidly on the icy blood mist throne, looking down at the one-sided slaughter. Those who had once held her fate in their hands were now reaped like straw. A faint ripple of confusion finally appeared in her hollow eyes.

She watched the familiar uniforms crumble in the blood mist, listened to the fleeting screams, her lips trembling. For the first time, she spoke on her own:

"But… this… this is the power of a demon…"

It was a belief instilled in her since childhood: all non-technological power was corrupt, sinful.

Reid rested his chin lightly on her head, feeling her slight trembling. He heard her words without anger; he held her arms a little tighter, an undeniable and reassuring presence:

"Wrong."

"Power itself has no morality. The only ones who decide right or wrong are those who wield it."

"Remember, from now on, this is our power. To have power is not to beg for mercy, but to make everyone learn respect."

He paused, his voice soft, guiding her, whispering in her ear:

Divine Seal, activate.

Come, repeat after me "This is my choice."

The girl looked up, confused, seemingly unable to grasp the meaning. She instinctively repeated, "This… this is my mission…"

Before the words had even left her lips, a faint thump sounded.

Reid bent a finger; it did not hurt, but it froze her, breaking her mechanical repetition.

"No," his voice remained calm. "Say it again 'This is my choice.'"