Alex grin widened.
"You know I don't have to touch you, right?"
Onigi's laughter faded into a knowing smirk. "True. But at this range, I could cut off your head before you even try."
Alex's eyes glead with excitent. "Can you? I really want to test that out."
The two warriors locked eyes, the unspoken challenge crackling in the air like static.
Then, Alex shrugged. "But like you said… so other ti."
Onigi nodded in agreent before turning away. His footsteps were slow and deliberate, his n parting to let him through.
Freya hesitated before stepping up to Alex, her brows furrowed in confusion. "What was that about?"
Alex flashed a grin. "Nothing much."
Freya stared at him for a second, then sighed, shaking her head once again in confusion.
It was like the two of them stood in different realms.
*
Onigi walked back to his clan, his steps asured and firm. His n, still shaken, parted slightly as he approached.
Kato, now fully conscious, pushed himself off the rocky wall and stumbled toward him, his expression tense with disbelief.
"Chief, what are you doing?" Kato demanded, his voice edged with frustration. "Weren't we going to get revenge?"
Onigi didn't respond imdiately. His gaze remained steady, unreadable.
Kato clenched his fists. "His friend killed your daughter! Aren't you mad?"
The mont those words left his mouth, a suffocating pressure filled the air.
A deadly aura exploded from Onigi.
The force of it hit like a shockwave. Every warrior in his clan froze. Even Kato, despite his anger, found his body locked in place, his breath caught in his throat.
His leader was furious.
But just as suddenly as it ca, the overwhelming pressure dissipated. Onigi exhaled slowly, regaining control. When he spoke, his voice was calm—but beneath it, there was steel.
"I am furious," he admitted, his hand instinctively brushing against the hilt of his blade. "And my sword thirsts for blood. But I will not dishonor myself by letting rage dictate my actions."
He turned to face Kato directly.
"I was a fool today. I let my grief blind . I almost did sothing unforgivable. That is not our way."
Kato's fists trembled at his sides. His leader—the Onigi—was backing down from a fight?
The sa man who had once faced executioners without flinching?
The warrior who stood his ground against monsters, assassins, and kings alike?
Now, he was yielding—to a young man in flip-flops.
It didn't make sense.
It couldn't make sense.
Kato's frustration boiled over. "This is fear, isn't it?" he burst out. "You're saying all this because you're afraid to face him. Because he's stronger than you."
Kato's accusation hung in the air like a dark cloud.
Onigi froze.
The rest of the clan stood in stunned silence.
No one could believe what they had just heard.
Kato had just called their chief a coward—out loud.
It was insane.
Unthinkable.
They all braced themselves, expecting Onigi's fury to explode.
But instead...
The old man chuckled.
A low, knowing laugh, as if he had expected this.
"I'll admit it," Onigi said, his voice calm. "I was scared."
Gasps rippled through the warriors.
"There's no sha in admitting fear," he continued. "It's that fear that allowed to see things clearly. So no, I'm not ashad of it."
But then...
The air shifted.
The temperature seed to drop.
A suffocating pressure settled over them like a heavy blanket, pressing against their chests, making it hard to breathe.
It was cold. And choking.
A feeling of pure, unfiltered danger.
Onigi's expression darkened as he spoke again, his voice now ice-cold.
"But don't mistake that for weakness."
The ground beneath their feet felt heavier.
So of the younger warriors shuddered.
"That is certainly not why I didn't draw my blade against him," Onigi continued. "I want to battle him free of any emotional weight, with a clear and focused mind."
He lifted his gaze toward the horizon.
"He's best fought when I'm at my absolute peak."
Kato clenched his teeth, his fists trembling at his sides.
He hated it.
He hated how calm Onigi was.
How collected he sounded.
He should be seething like he was
Kato hated it.
He hated that Onigi had backed down.
For such a selfish reason.
Even when it was for his daughter.
Even when it was for Kiri. His fiancée.
Kato's fists clenched so tight his nails dug into his palms.
She was supposed to be his wife. They were supposed to have a future together.
But now...
She was gone.
Ripped away from him before they could even start their lives.
And what was he supposed to do? Just accept it?
No.
He needed soone to bla. Soone to slaughter.
Then they overheard Alex and Freya talking about Dorion.
And just like that, they had their target.
Their prey.
But when the mont ca...
When he had finally faced Alex...
He had been completely helpless.
Defeated in re seconds.
And worst of all—Onigi had backed away.
Kato's emotions were a raging storm inside him.
Anger. Frustration. Hatred. Grief. Confusion.
It all twisted together, making him feel like he was going to explode.
Then, Onigi spoke.
"We will focus on the actual culprit and get the justice Kiri deserves."
His voice was steady. Certain.
But then...
"But..."
Kato tensed.
"If you are so desperate for misplaced revenge, if you truly believe it will ease your pain... then go ahead." Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire
Onigi turned to face him, his piercing gaze locking onto Kato's.
"I will not stop you. Nor will I try to convince you otherwise. My only wish is that you realize the difference between you and him...before it is too late."
Onigi let out a slow breath and turned away, walking toward a rocky platform.
He settled onto the stone, crossing his legs, his eyes shutting as he prepared himself for the upcoming trial.
His posture was calm, collected—completely at ease.
One by one, the rest of the clan followed, taking their places beside him.
All except Kato.
Kato stood frozen in place, his body trembling with raw, unfiltered rage.
His hands clenched into fists so tight that his nails pierced his skin, warm blood dripping between his fingers.
He barely noticed.
His burning gaze snapped toward Alex.
The bastard was standing there, casually chatting with Freya, as if none of this even mattered. As if Kato's rage—his loss—was nothing.
Kato's blood boiled.
And then—as if he sensed it—Alex suddenly turned his head.
Their eyes t.
Kato's breath caught in his throat.
His instincts scread.
Before he could even think, he snapped his head away, his heart hamring in his chest.
What the hell was that?
It was like Alex had seen straight through him.
Forcing himself to look back, Kato saw it—
That grin.
A slow, knowing smirk played on Alex's lips before he simply turned away.
Kato's entire body tensed.
What was that supposed to an?
Was he mocking him?
Taunting him?
His mind reeled back to the mont he lost Kiri.
That sa smirk—the one her killer wore just before he disappeared into the next trial's exit.
That bastard had turned his back on him just like this.
Kato's hands trembled.
He should've torn him apart. Should've ripped him to shreds.
But they had been miles apart.
And now... it was happening again.
His fury ignited.
Misdirected or not, he didn't care anymore.
Soone had to pay.
This bastard was going down first.
Then the woman.
And finally, Dorion.
He'd hunt them all down.
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