Chapter 16
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Death Sentence
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Twang.
No sooner had the first arrow slipped from the string than the second followed hot on its heels.
Ping. Fwip.
In the blink of an eye, five arrows shot forth from Ruyan's hand in rapid succession.
"Damn it! They're coming again!"
The elite knights, just about to close in on Ruyan, froze for a split second before hastily raising their swords.
Clang.
This arrow, brimming with inner energy, packed far more power than the previous ones.
Even these elite knights could only grit their teeth and barely deflect it.
'Ugh! How can an arrow be this heavy?'
The elite knight who blocked the first one swallowed a groan inwardly but didn't forget to brace for the next attack.
'No more coming?'
No further arrows flew.
But strangely, he couldn't sense the enemy's presence at all. The foe who had been right in front of them had vanished in that brief moment.
'Gone just like that?'
The flustered elite knight expanded his senses once more.
At that instant, a stealthy movement flickered at his side.
The knight recoiled in horror, whipping his head around.
'What the—! When did he...'
Ruyan gripped an arrow like a dagger, aiming straight for his throat. That was the last sight he beheld in this world.
Crunch.
There was no hesitation or mistake in Ruyan's strike.
It pierced the knight's neck cleanly.
Even a peak master couldn't escape death with a hole through their throat.
'One down.'
Ruyan spared not even a glance for the collapsing knight as he swiftly advanced once more.
The arrows had been bait from the start.
Gathering the forces of nature had been to properly unleash the Return Divine Step.
Clang.
The moment the second arrow was parried by an elite knight's sword, Ruyan was already beside him.
The third, and up to the fifth—all the same.
By the time the elite knights managed to swat away the arrows, the reaper had already claimed their throats.
Roarrrrr.
The last knight's fall was drowned out by the surging flames.
The inferno that had erupted at the gates now blazed fiercely, intent on devouring the entire castle.
Flame Hell!
The burning Mason Castle had become hell itself.
Ruyan strode calmly through the gateway to this hell, retrieving his arrows.
Then, without hesitation, he plunged into the flames.
'Wait. Death will soon stand before you.'
The piles of corpses stacked before him failed to draw even his gaze, let alone halt his steps.
As Ruyan entered the castle grounds, a massive chaos unfolded, just as expected.
"W-what's going on?"
"Fire! The gates are on fire!"
Some trembled in fear with anxious eyes, while others furtively grabbed valuables.
A motley array of reactions.
But Ruyan ignored them entirely, pressing forward in silence.
There was no reason to harm them.
They were just commoners, not warriors wielding swords.
As Ruyan ventured deeper into the castle, knights finally came rushing out in a panic.
"Wh-who are you?!"
The flustered knights spotted him and barked first.
Of course, it was utterly pointless.
Pfft.
The knights didn't even draw their swords before holes punched through their foreheads.
Ruyan stared straight ahead, walking steadily, yet he ghosted knights apart from commoners with eerie precision.
Even those who had shed their armor and discarded their swords couldn't escape his arrows.
How many knights had he felled like this?
Ruyan lowered his bow slowly, his gaze unwavering.
'This place is done too.'
No more knight presences lingered.
Annihilated!
The Mason Knights, who had ruled the north, had been erased by a single man.
Yet the perpetrator of this catastrophe simply resumed his steady stride.
But...
His steps were a touch unsteady.
Uneven, unbecoming of a martial god.
Clear proof that even he was nearing his limit.
It was only natural, really.
Having just completed his dantian, he'd torn open the gates of hell—there was no way he'd emerge unscathed.
'If only I'd formed the dantian a few days sooner.'
His dantian was already empty, and he was barely circulating energy with the scant mana left in his circle.
Without his Heavenly Martial Body, both dantian and mana circle would have collapsed long ago.
Having expended so much mental energy, even drawing on nature's forces felt grueling now.
'This guy's hitting his limit too.'
Ruyan stroked his battered bow with a wry tsk.
Cracks spiderwebbed the limbs from the relentless combat.
It wouldn't hold full power much longer.
A dozen more shots might shatter it completely.
'I'll finish everything before then.'
Ending the battle as swiftly as possible—that was his only option.
As he walked, Ruyan circulated the Return Heart Technique to muster every last drop of inner energy.
By the time his gait steadied, he stood before the castle's grandest doors.
The doors were shut.
But a mere door couldn't bar Ruyan.
Boom.
One kick splintered them, revealing the lord's office interior.
Yet at this final juncture, Ruyan hesitated.
'Tch. No presence—figures something was off.'
Yagnik and Alex weren't alone inside.
A knight and two mages stood ready, awaiting him.
'Magic, huh?'
Ruyan knew little of magic yet, but he could guess.
Some spell concealing auras within.
As Ruyan stepped in, the knight advanced first.
Clank.
Golden plate armor gleamed, dazzling his eyes.
A razor-sharp longsword blazed with azure flames.
"For a peasant's whelp, you've got some guts coming this far."
Perfect sword energy!
Compared to this, the knights Ruyan had faced were mere children swinging toys.
'A seasoned warrior!'
Ruyan saw it instantly—this knight operated on another level.
He tensed, glaring at the knight. Then something even more shocking unfolded.
Shhh.
The surging sword energy contracted, coalescing before fully merging into the blade.
Sword and mana became one.
Sword Aura!
Startled, Ruyan probed his foe more cautiously.
'Tch, Sword Aura at a time like this.'
Sword Aura marked the realm of super-elites.
Nothing could withstand it; its mere edge could slay.
Of course, in the Central Plains, even oceans of Sword Aura couldn't touch the Divine Bow—but circumstances differed now.
This Sword Aura could kill Ruyan as he was.
'Doesn't seem like a full super-elite...'
The knight commander's outward aura lingered at peak level.
Clearly, he'd just entered super-elite territory, in transition.
Still a formidable foe regardless.
And Ruyan faced more than just him.
Three mages flanked the commander, mana already swirling.
Whoooosh.
Mana filled the office, surging wildly.
The middle-aged man laden with jewelry wielded the densest.
'5th Circle Mage. That must be Alex.'
Ruyan gauged his level from mana density alone.
In sheer volume, Alex surpassed Blanc.
He'd fully mastered the 5th Circle.
A talent fit to lead a branch.
Two other mages, lesser but no slouches, guarded him—both capable of 4th Circle spells.
'That one...'
Among the lesser mages, one face rang familiar.
The merchant mage who'd hidden his identity. Boldkan was here.
'So that's how it was.'
Ruyan ground his teeth, glaring daggers at Boldkan.
'You won't be forgiven either.'
He ached to kill him first, but rashness had no place now.
This was the toughest fight of both his lives.
'Hah, might end up buried here today.'
Death held no fear.
Just the futility stung.
Ruyan swallowed a bitter smile, eyeing the plump old man at the rear.
'Yagnik Mason.'
Layers of greedy flesh cloaked the sly old fox as he rolled his eyes cunningly.
But then, Ruyan's eyes blazed.
Blanc!
Blanc lay crumpled at the lord's feet, that filthy boot grinding his head.
'You... you bastards!'
Blanc hung limp, motionless. The sight seared into Ruyan's eyes.
His state was too gruesome to behold.
One arm severed clean off, the other pulverized.
His body bore horrific torture wounds.
And crucially...
No life stirred.
Not even the faintest breath reached Ruyan's ears.
Thud.
Ruyan's heart plummeted, then thundered madly.
'No! It can't be! No way!'
Could frail human emotions ignite such rage?
His body quaked, bow hand swelling to burst. Black eyes erupted with murderous intent.
"You'll pay dearly! Your crimes end in death!"
Ruyan's fury crested the threshold.
All frailty vanished.
"Hmph! Big words from a lowly brat!"
The old lord misjudged, smirking smugly.
But that smirk faded fast.
The Divine Bow's wrath reshaped heaven and earth.
Rumble.
The atmosphere quaked with Ruyan's rage. Nature's forces surged in response.
They united, roaring as one.
Rumble rumble.
An earthquake struck first. Then gales whipped the castle into frenzy.
Whoooosh.
As if all the world's mana rushed here.
"W-what have you done?!"
The panicked lord stammered, retreating.
Far too late to halt with words.
Calamity had begun.
Vast mana flooded into Ruyan's body.
Whooshhhh.
Ruyan was overloading.
Nature's energy seeped beyond dantian and circle, exploding wildly, wrecking his body.
Thud, boom!
It ravaged his meridians, rampaging freely.
'Dangerous!'
He knew it full well. Yet he pressed on.
'Take me gladly! Now lend your power!'
Ruyan laughed, offering his body.
Even as mana detonated within, he pulled harder.
Fwoooosh.
The mana exploding in his frame overflowed, spilling outward.
A wrathful demon!
Azure flames wreathed him, as if freshly escaped from hell.
"All of you... die."
The death sentence fell.