“Hostages!”
The beauty in black folded her arms, her lips curling into a charming yet disdainful smile. Her voice rang clear, carrying across the terrified silence of the mortals watching from between the tangled roots.
“First of all,” Elder Ping said, her elegant poise unshaken, “they ca to seeking protection. Do you see , or any Disciple of my Sect, restraining them from leaving if that is their will?”
Her gaze shifted upward, locking on the towering giant holding Han Ruyue aloft as if she were nothing more than a doll. “Unlike yourself, who grips that poor girl against her will, we do not treat misguided Loose-Cultivators with cruelty. We do not indulge in injustice.”
The crowd stirred. Her words were like honey, coaxing sympathy. Indeed, Yan Ru and Yan Jia seed not to be shackled, their postures free yet subdued.
“Now, why not let her go?” Elder Ping continued, her dark eyes gleaming with dangerous patience. “Before I grant you what you want, you should at least show goodwill. This is no place for such a shaful spectacle—us won displayed so crudely in front of all these eyes. At least loosen your grip; let her breathe. Believe it or not, Daemon, I am the least of your worries should you harm her.”
Murmurs swept the villagers, rchants, and rcenaries alike. They looked again—truly looked—and many began to doubt. Was she right? Were the siblings not in chains of their own accord?
“Hahahaha…”
The giant’s three heads tilted back, the booming laughter rolling like thunder. All three faces split into a wicked grin that revealed rows of teeth glinting beneath the dim sky.
“You’re good,” Daemon said, his voices overlapping in harmony both mocking and amused. “I’ll give you that.”
But then the mirth vanished, replaced by cruel steel in his tone.
“They’ve been my servants for a little more than a week, but I know these siblings far better than you imagine. The mont our eyes t, I saw their distress—clear as day.” His heads tilted forward, shadows falling across Han Ruyue’s paling face. “You claim they’re not your hostages? Then why don’t they move? Why don’t they speak?”
He leaned closer, his breath hot against her reddened cheeks. “And before you answer—before you twist their wills with a word—why don’t you remove your shadow from their hair? Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
His grip on Han Ruyue’s neck tightened with terrifying finality. Her lips turned blue, her eyes bulging as her chest heaved uselessly against the iron clamp of his hand.
Gasps filled the air.
Elder Ping’s lashes lowered, her calm mask cracking. The brat had seen through her ploy—the tiny Dark Bats, nestled in her sleeves, had already bitten into the scalps of Yan Ru and Yan Jia, whispering Darkness Qi into their minds to suppress their movents. With Daemon trapped earlier, she had taken her chance to subdue his servants, expecting him helpless. What had seed the perfect opportunity now backfired, cornering her into a disadvantageous bargain.
Han Ruyue was not just valuable. She was irreplaceable—the only disciple among them with innate compatibility toward the Elent of Space. Losing her would cost far more than the siblings ever could.
Panic flickered in Elder Ping’s beautiful eyes, shattering her composure.
“Alright!” she snapped, her tone betraying irritation she could no longer mask. She would never dare call this boy’s bluff. “Let Ruyue go.”
She didn’t care if mortals thought her weak—what mattered was keeping her charges alive. The Inner Circle of the Sect would flay her alive if she failed her mission.
At once, the bats detached, fluttering back into the folds of her sleeves. Yan Ru and Yan Jia stumbled free, running imdiately toward Kirin’s shadow.
Daemon’s lips curved into a dark smile. “I’m a man of my word. Always have been, always will be.”
With deliberate slowness, the giant lowered Han Ruyue until her feet touched the dirt before releasing her.
“Cough… cough…”
She collapsed to her knees, gasping, her delicate body trembling. Cultivators could endure longer without air than mortals, but she was far from unscathed. Her skin still carried the bruising marks of his massive hand.
“Young Master… I’m sorry!”
Yan Jia’s voice was small, almost breaking. Her head was bowed so deeply she could not look at the giant she secretly adored. Sha stained her cheeks crimson.
Beside her, Yan Ru gritted his teeth, his knuckles white around the handle of the unfinished Sword Daemon had forged for him. Rage quaked through his body—not at his failure, but at the audacity of Elder Ping. To use them as pawns, to leverage their lives against their master, was beyond unforgivable. His Spirit roared for vengeance, even if his Cultivation Base dood him to a suicidal strike.
“Don’t be too hard on yourselves.”
The giant’s six hands moved with surprising gentleness, two broad palms patting the siblings’ heads like a father consoling children. His other arms pointed at Elder Ping.
“She’s not soone you can match right now. But the future? Who knows. Perhaps the rules of this little ga will change.” His three mouths curled into a grin. “Focus on now. Prepare for tomorrow.”
Then his tone sharpened. “Go fetch my Weapons. I know they’re buried sowhere nearby.”
“Yes, Master!” Both siblings rushed off, their spirits lifted by the command.
Daemon squatted beside Han Ruyue, tilting his head as his piercing gaze swept over her flushed, delicate face. “It’s ti you rejoined your friends. You don’t belong here. But if you wish to stay…” one of his mouths curved in amusent, “…you’re welco.”
Han Ruyue couldn’t et his gaze. The three-headed giant lood far too close, and his massive form—nearly naked save for a ragged cloth knotted around his waist—exposed his steel-carved physique. Her cheeks burned crimson, her heart racing as she caught a glimpse of his bare muscles and more.
She scrambled to her feet, brushing her clothes in flustered silence. “H-how did you use Space abilities?” The words slipped out, unguarded, her curiosity overcoming fear.
Daemon’s three faces smiled knowingly. “I learned from the best. Watched you long enough, thought: why not follow her example? Of course, I couldn’t move Ru and Jia with us. Lady Ping’s shadow had its hold on them.” He crossed his six arms, looking indomitable.
Han Ruyue gawked, frozen in disbelief. Does he not know? she thought. I can only teleport myself. Whenever I try to move another life with … they die. Disfigured beyond recognition by the chaos of Space.
Her disbelief was mirrored by Elder Ping, who had stepped forward, her elegant gait masking her unease. Narrowed eyes betrayed her alarm. The implications of his words—if true—were terrifying.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, Daemon thought, catching the ripple of unease spread across every face—even his servants’. But he gave no sign, his expression flat as stone.
By then, Yan Ru and Yan Jia had returned, carrying his Weapons. The Second-Form of Asura was finally ard, and the sight alone suffocated the air inside and outside the arena.
“Kirin,” the giant called, one head turning toward the massive Soul-Snatcher Eagle, the only being present larger than him.
The bird cocked its head, intelligent yellow eyes glittering.
Daemon’s lips twisted, “Make sure no harm reaches those outside this circle. Keep everything contained.”
“Scree—!”
Kirin’s reply split the sky. With one push of its talons, it launched itself upward, wings spreading into the storm. For a breath, many thought it had ignored his command.
Then the heavens split.
Dozens of bolts of silver Lightning crashed downward, stabbing into the circle of roots. The arena was sealed in blinding light, separated from the world beyond.
The mortals shrieked in terror, scattering. So in the front rows—too slow, too stunned—were struck head-on. Yet none burned. None died. Instead, they stood wide-eyed, hair standing on end, comically frizzed and sparking. Their fear turned into stunned disbelief, as if the heavens had spared them with a cruel joke.
The spectacle of Lightning, power contained, and the giant ard at last—this was no longer a confrontation. It was a stage set for judgnt.
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