"Who killed my grandson?!"
The old man's voice thundered, his energy pressing heavily upon everyone in his vicinity. Damien stood with glowing eyes, seeing his grandson lying lifeless on the ground. The atmosphere turned instantly chilling.
"It's... It's Lord Damien," the people around the area said with trembling voices. They began to point toward a single figure standing calmly. "Lord... that man is the culprit!" while pointing toward Azril.
"How dare you, you bastard!" Damien roared.
"We are finished," Serez and the terrified Yelan whispered. "What should we do, Master?"
However, before Damien's rage could explode further, a loud voice began to ring out from within the palace, breaking the existing energy pressure. "Master of the Red Mountain Palace, mind your manners, friend."
Slowly, the silhouette of a giant body appeared, radiating an extraordinary authority. It was Master Auron, a late-stage Step 3 Star Ascendant.
"It's... Master Auron!" said everyone who saw his presence. "Let's get out of here! This is a battle between Step 3 monsters!" People began to scatter, not wanting to be trapped between two giant powers.
"Auron, must I mind my manners here? My grandson was murdered by him!" Damien pointed toward Azril, his hand trembling with fury.
Auron began to observe Azril very closely. The face looked very foreign. Is he from another palace? But I've never seen his face before. Or is he a free Star Ascendant? But ah, whatever... Auron said in his heart.
"He is not a person from the Cloud Dust Palace," Auron said coldly. "If you have a problem, settle your business outside. Maintain your decorum as long as you are in the Cloud Dust Palace area. Is this the attitude of a high official of the Red Mountain Palace?"
"I am not here representing the Red Mountain Palace!" Damien replied fiercely. "But I am here to avenge the death of my grandson. He was the successor of the Godric family! I will waste no more words!"
Lyra, seeing this, felt both fear and worry. In her mind, as long as they were still within the palace area, Master Auron might protect them. With trembling steps, Lyra stepped forward.
"Lyra, come here!" Serez said, trying to hold her back. "Don't be reckless!"
However, Lyra continued forward, then bowed respectfully toward Damien. Before she could speak, Mulan from atop the formation ship began to scream.
"Lord Damien! Senior Noah was killed because of her! Senior Noah was only teasing her, but he was suddenly struck by that bastard man!"
"You wench!" Damien said in a rage. He released his massive energy, crashing directly into Lyra's body as she was bowing.
Brakk! "Lyra!" "Senior!" Serez and Yelan said simultaneously, seeing Lyra thrown back.
"You... how dare you target my people!" said Auron, whose emotions were beginning to be provoked.
Azril, seeing Lyra slumped on the ground and vomiting blood, felt his battle instincts explode. "Lyra..." Azril said lowly.
As Auron was about to attack Damien, he suddenly saw a mass of extraordinary energy. A giant fist began to launch from below and struck Damien's body. It was an attack from Azril!
Damien fell back several meters, withstanding the energy. He immediately unsheathed his sword, forming a vast number of sword circles in the air. "Just an early-stage Step 3 Star Ascendant, yet you dare to do this to me!" Damien said.
He launched his technique, but Azril instead lunged from below and punched the sword circles with his bare hands.
BOOM!
Then Azril continued to lunge toward Damien. A fierce exchange of blows occurred in the air. The wind waves from their collision created rifts in the surrounding space.
Damien began to manifest the Ash Bell technique from his body. The bell-shaped energy pushed Azril until he was thrown downward.
However, Azril did not stop. He lunged again and again.
Yelan immediately checked Lyra's condition and helped her to a safe place. Lyra watched the battle with full concern. Meanwhile, Serez, seeing the horror, began to break out in a cold sweat.
"His fighting style is so brutal... he isn't even using any techniques," Auron said in amazement.
BOOM!
The two of them were thrown back due to a very powerful exchange of kicks. Damien, being pushed, immediately released his true technique. The surrounding energy was absorbed, forming a giant arrow.
"Take this, bastard!" Damien said.
Azril lunged toward the arrow, but he was too late. The giant arrow struck his body, pushing him down until he hit the ground and created a large crater.
"Azril!" Lyra cried hysterically.
Lyra ran toward the hole. Serez tried to hold her arm, but Lyra remained persistent in breaking free. She ran with a face full of worry.
At the bottom of the hole, she saw Azril trying to stand. His clothes were torn to rags, and his body was bleeding silver blood.
Lyra was shocked to see the color of the blood, but she immediately stood in front of Azril, spreading her arms to block Damien.
"Lord, this is my fault, not his!" Lyra said.
Damien looked at them with a demeaning gaze. Lyra tried to lift Azril's wounded body. "Enough, Azril..." Lyra said with a bitter smile.
"There is no need for that. Both of you will die today!" Damien said coldly.
"Lord, please forgive him. Let me be the one to atone for the mistake, he is not at fault!" Lyra said while looking at Azril.
Lyra began to prostrate herself, begging Damien. Seeing Lyra prostrate, Azril's memories whirled violently. He remembered again the moment his father prostrated, begging a merchant for his sake. His rage reached its peak.
Azril lifted Lyra's shoulders from her prostration. He smiled thinly and mentioned Lyra's name. Azril called Yelan, then handed Lyra into her embrace. Lyra tried to resist for a moment, but a clear voice came out of Azril's mouth:
"Trust me, Lyra," he said while smiling.
Lyra was shocked to hear Azril speak so clearly. Her tears began to flow. "Alright," Lyra said softly. Yelan then took Lyra to a safe place.
Damien still looked on dismissively. "Are the parting words enough, bastard?" Damien said.
Instantly, Azril's left arm glowed brightly like a nebula. He shot forward as fast as light, punching Damien's face! Damien, who had no time to react, was thrown toward the Red Mountain disciples' formation ship.
BOOM! The ship exploded.
Mulan, who wanted to flee, found Azril already standing in front of her. Azril pinned Mulan's body with his left hand, while his right hand ripped off Mulan's head in one pull.
The sight made everyone freeze. "His fighting style... is so wild and brutal," Lyra whispered. Yelan could only stand frozen, never having seen such a cruel event.
Damien lunged back with his sword, but the sword snapped when struck by Azril's fist. Damien was thrown into a rift in space.
Azril began to pant; after all, his opponent was a mid-stage Step 3.
"If I do not take your life today, I am no longer the leader of the Godric family!" Damien screamed.
Golden energy radiated massively, forming a silhouette of a giant energy body that immediately struck Azril, sending him crashing down.
Brugg!
Giant fist strikes appeared repeatedly, pounding Azril and creating an even deeper hole.
"Serez, take them inside!" Auron said. Lyra initially refused, but Auron calmed her down. "Calm down, Lyra. He will be fine. I am certain that with his extremely brutal fighting style, he will surely win."
Brushh!
Suddenly, the giant silhouette shattered. Damien fell to the ground, completely drained of energy. From within the hole, Azril emerged with very severe wounds.
His clothes were destroyed, silver blood dripping. He walked slowly toward Damien, then sat atop his body and punched him continuously.
"I don't accept this...!" Damien said between the punches. "You bastard, stop quickly!"
Damien's voice continued to be heard until finally, it vanished completely. When Azril stopped, Damien's face was unrecognizable. He was dead.
Then, Azril began to devour Damien's energy until the old man's body disappeared into light dust.
Auron, seeing this, was extremely shocked. "What on earth is that?!" he said in disbelief. "Who is he?" Auron asked Lyra.
However, Lyra did not answer. She immediately ran toward Azril, who was beginning to collapse to the ground. Lyra quickly embraced him.
"Don't push yourself anymore... I was so worried," Lyra said while sobbing uncontrollably.
"Let's go home," Lyra whispered softly into Azril's ear, as if the ruined world around them no longer existed.
"Bring him into the Palace, Lyra," Auron interrupted. The Palace Master's face looked serious as he observed Azril's pitiful condition.
"It's alright, Master. Let him rest at my house instead," Lyra answered firmly.
Auron considered stopping them for a moment. He knew other enemies might still be lurking, but seeing Lyra's gaze, he gave in. "You cannot go home in such a state," Auron muttered.
Auron stepped down from the air, approaching them while still covered in the dust of battle. "Let me take you."
With an elegant wave of his hand, Auron tore the dimension. A rift in space opened in front of them, showing a glimpse of Lyra's bamboo house on the other side.
"Thank you, Master," Lyra said sincerely. She began to support Azril's body, which felt heavy yet warm, and stepped into the spatial rift.
Exactly when they arrived in front of the serene bamboo house, the spatial rift slowly closed.
Auron's voice still echoed faintly from behind the shrinking rift, "I will drop by later with your juniors and senior."
Silence enveloped them once again.
Lyra brought Azril into the house. Slowly, Azril sat in the place where he usually spent time studying language books.
Azril wasted no time; he immediately closed his eyes, regulated his breath, and began to draw energy from his surroundings to heal the wounds within his body.
Lyra returned carrying a basin of water and a clean cloth. With very gentle movements, she began to wipe away the remaining silver blood and dust clinging to Azril's skin.
"Thank you," Lyra whispered softly, barely audible. Her eyes welled up, realizing that the person in front of her had just gambled his life for her sake.
After finishing cleaning Azril's body, Lyra stared at the young man's face as he was focused on meditating.
There was a strange calmness there, very different from the brutal figure that had just destroyed Damien.
"Just rest for now," Lyra said softly, making sure Azril did not feel burdened, while she herself remained on guard beside him.