"Ack… Help… I…" Riven Blood flailed his legs like a fish out of water, his face growing paler by the second, devoid of any sign of recovery.
Seeing his warnings ignored, Azzy sprang into action. He swiftly moved behind Alastor and delivered a precise chop to his neck before the teenager could react.
Thud
As the heir of the Blood clan collapsed unconscious, Riven fell alongside him.
"Hmm?" Azzy frowned at the sight. He grabbed Alastor by the collar and tossed him aside. To his astonishnt, Riven was flung away as well, Alastor's hand still clasped around his neck as if glued together.
Sensing Alastor's life force dwindling dangerously, Azzy dashed forward, catching them before they hit the ground. He tried prying Alastor's hand off but realized that it would hurt Riven too.
Crouching down, he placed his hands on both of them, assessing their conditions.
"This is unexpected," Azzy muttered, a trace of surprise flickering across his otherwise stoic face. "The presence of these purple spots in his soul energy can only an one thing."
Cain Blood, who had stepped into the arena to retrieve his young master, intervened. "No need for concern, Your Highness. It's a side effect of Blood Drain through prolonged physical contact. We can handle this."
Azzy looked up at the old man in his white shirt and baggy pants. "I'm afraid not, Elder Cain. You may take Alastor. This boy stays here. I have questions for him." His tone was calm but carried an edge of displeasure.
Cain frowned at Azzy for a mont before glancing aningfully at Riven. "I apologize, Your Highness. Only mbers of the Blood clan can unbind this. Even we elders require ti to remove it. However, we can sustain Riven's life force while we work on it…"
Dim
The Decarune seal materialized on Azzy's palm, and he pressed it against Alastor, sealing his soul realm. Alastor's hand dropped from Riven's neck.
"You were saying sothing?" Azzy inquired.
Cain was speechless. "…"
"Anyway, take him away."
"Ah… yes…" Cain used threads of scarlet energy to lift Alastor and carry him from the arena.
Azzy healed Riven's internal injuries with an advanced healing card.
"The winner of the round is Redgar Night," Azzy announced, then personally carried Riven away using soul energy threads, mirroring Cain's technique.
As the tournant referee was temporarily replaced, Azzy took Riven to a secluded spot in the clan village and set him down. He sat before the teenager, carefully observing his condition.
"Hmm? Alastor's Blood Drain seems to have suppressed the purple patches. What to do now? A Decarune seal will worsen it by reducing his system's resistance. My death energy could kill this virus, but it would destroy his soul realm. Plus, without evidence, the Blood clan might bla ," Azzy thought, then asked silently, "Chronos, any suggestions?"
"Simple, absorb," echoed the Reaper's voice.
"No, we can't do that," Azzy rejected. As the Master of the Red Pavilion and heir to the Death Clan, not as a Captain of WAMO's Zero Squad, he needed the clan's permission and couldn't reveal the truth due to confidentiality.
"Then, give him a temporary treatnt by absorbing those particles into you," suggested the Reaper.
"I suppose that's our only option," Azzy sighed deeply, frustration evident, as he activated his soul skill.
"Soul Skill: Soul Absorption"
With precision, Azzy channeled the skill to purify Riven's soul energy without destroying his soul orb. While this halted the corruption temporarily, it wasn't a permanent solution.
Soon, Riven's body was free of toxins, and Azzy relaxed slightly. "Now, let's wait."
With Riven's body in perfect health condition, Azzy only needed to give a jolt of shock to the teenager to forcefully wake him up.
Fortunately, Azzy also had mastered a portion of Jupiter's abilities. Producing a small amount of electric current in his palms, he controlled them to cover his hand. They ford like an electric glove.
Now, that is left for him to simply touch Riven.
"Ack…"
With a painful scream, Riven sprung up in a jolt of shock, finding himself in front of Azzy.
His eyes wandered the surroundings, "Hmm? Where am I?"
"Riven Blood"
As his na was called out, Riven's body shivered a bit before his eyes fell upon Azzy's facial expression that indicated displeasure. "Yes, Sir… I an, Your Highness…"
"I have so questions and you better answer with truth," replied Azzy.
Riven felt montarily confused but still nodded to the arrangent, "Please ask, Your Highness."
"How did you get the Placebo drug?" Azzy asked him; his tone was very chill to the extent of giving goosebumps to Riven's skin.
"Placebo drug?" Riven looked at him in confusion, contrary to what Azzy expected. Just from this reaction alone, Azzy realized that the target might not know what it was.
Hence, Azzy had to elaborate a bit, "A drug that you took to breakthrough to the next realm."
Riven's eyes widened and his hands started shivering in surprise. "How? No… it's not true."
Azzy pressed him further, "If you won't spit it out, I will have to take you to the Hall of Judgnt on several charges, one that might include an attempt of murder. After all, your actions are strange."
"Murder attempt? Wha… What are you saying?"
"First, you made a breakthrough in the middle of the tournant. Then, Elder Cain, who is from your clan, misused his authority to move into the interdiate division. You were sohow added to the sa group as Alastor Blood by sheer coincidence.
When people attempted to form groups, you didn't approach Alastor, and neither had you helped him when it appeared like everyone wanted to defeat him. While that is not suspicious at all as he is capable of fighting them by himself, it is strange that you revealed his weaknesses to the one from the Night clan. Were you hoping the assassin to kill him? I wonder.
Well, after Redgar Night did inflict heavy damage to Alastor, you didn't try to fight your remaining opponent to win but instead rushed toward Alastor while trying to conjure a soul skill. Why?
All those things made it clear that soone in the clan doesn't want Alastor to succeed and they used you. Am I right?"
Riven stood there like a statue; his face was so pale that one might wonder whether he saw a horrifying ghost and stopped breathing.
*Snap*
"Answer now, Riven."
As Azzy's voice turned even colder, Riven returned to reality and nodded like a chick, "Yes, but young miss don't want to murder him. She just wants to eliminate him in the first round."
"Young miss? Who?" Azzy pressed him further to reveal the na.
However, Riven shook his head and pleaded, "No, please don't ask that. I cannot say it or else my whole family will be obliterated on the grounds of treason."
Azzy silently stared at him for a few seconds and sighed, asking him softly, "Fine, I won't pry into the internal matters of your clan, but I need to know who gave you that drug. Is it your young miss?"
Riven stayed silent and hung his head on, with his gaze on his feet. It was clear that he didn't want to say it.
"Fine. I'll tell you about the drug you have taken. Take your decision after listening to it."
Riven raised his head to look curiously at Azzy as the latter explained, "When soone takes Placebo Drug, their cells will go under a forceful mutation program, aiding one's cultivation and even potential. Those who get stuck at either the advanced or the peak stage of a certain realm will achieve a breakthrough for sure.
But, the problem is that nine out of ten tis, the mutated cells will not be eliminated by the body's defensive chanisms. Hence, they coexist with the remaining normal cells, corrupting them in the anti and mutating them into their own kind in the process.
When that happens, the cellular energy released by your cells and gets stored in the soul orb, or should I say soul energy, mixes with the mutated purple energy inside.
As the mutated cells grow, the purple energy grows along. When all of your cells mutate, you will go mad, without being able to distinguish foes and allies, ceasing to exist as a human.
I have already sensed the purple spots inside you, which I have eliminated for now. But, the situation will revert in 24 hours. And if left unattended, one will lose themselves in 7 days of ti. Then, there is no option but to kill them.
Now, you have two choices.
One, I will interrogate the entire Blood clan to find out who is involved in acquiring this drug. Of course, I'll have to tell everyone the truth about your involvent.
Two, you give the na and save the ti. I won't implicate your entire clan but focus on the mastermind without giving your na. I will save you from death and also secure your family's future.
You have three days. Ponder on it deeply and make the choice wisely."
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