Chapter 72: Traitor (5)
Duskwood Family Mansion.
Alaric and Malric sat inside the office room with cold, calculating eyes as they watched everything unfold on the screen with a calm yet chilling expression.
"That brat killed our 9th level 1st ranker," Malric spoke, a hint of killing intent lacing his tone. "Once we get him in our hands, I’ll make him pay the price."
"Calm down, Malric." Alaric spoke with a dignified expression. "The Ironfang family has ever so gracefully decided to help us with the injustice we suffered and dispatched Leo Fang to bring Grey back. He should already be on the way."
"The same people that we are trying to eliminate are helping us." Malric sneered. "How ironic."
As they were talking, the livestream showed Grey bursting out of the residential sector.
"Looks like he’s here," Alaric sipped his tea calmly. "Now that brat won’t be able to escape."
Grey’s danger senses flared as he rushed out of the Residential Area with bottleneck speed.
A 2nd ranker had arrived.
And it was none other than Leo Fang, one of the top experts of Nova City.
[It’s Leo Fang! That kid’s done for!]
[The demon will finally be subdued!]
[That kid won’t be able to run now! There is a huge disparity between an early 2nd rank and a late-stage 1st rank.]
[Kill him! Kill him!]
"Demon!" Leo Fang’s booming voice rang from the sky as he flew down with killing intent. "Stop right there! Today, I, Leo Fang, will serve justice for the Duskwood Family!"
As he said that, he waved his hand and instantly, powerful True Energy erupted from him, taking the form of a massive tiger.
"Tiger Style - 1st Form!"
Roar!
The ferocious roar echoed across the entire Nova City as the tiger enlarged in size and rushed towards Grey with terrifying speed.
Grey gritted his teeth and immediately activated Flawless Mirror Circle.
He had already crafted another one after using it on Zeryth the other day. However, the talisman was unstable and could only redirect one attack with around 3x amplification.
Bzz!
The Mirror Circle array talisman burst out from Grey’s spatial ring and clashed with the tiger manifestation.
Boom!
The entire Central Plaza trembled as the manifestation struck the array.
The civilians nearby saw this scene and immediately scattered like frightened animals, running in panic.
In the next moment, the tiger was sucked into the array and instantly, an even larger tiger formed and swung back at Leo Fang, shocking everyone watching.
Caught off guard, the manifested tiger crashed into Leo Fang and flung him downwards.
Boom!
Leo Fang crashed into the ground, forming a crater.
[What?!]
[How is this possible?!]
The entire livestream exploded in shock and disbelief.
He just sent a 2nd rank evolver flying!
"Now!" Grey’s eyes flashed as he overlocked his legs beyond limit and charged forward. Nexus energy crackled violently as he shot toward the City Exit just past the Central Plaza.
He knew Leo Fang was definitely unharmed, as a mere talisman of his level couldn’t inflict actual damage.
But the moment he thought that, Grey’s expression froze.
Leo Fang had appeared right beside him.
"You demon! I shall stop you now!" Leo Fang roared and punched forward with killing intent.
Grey’s pupils contracted as he saw the incoming punch.
If that punch landed, he would be obliterated.
No!
His eyes began glitching rapidly.
Nexus energy surged through his body, rushing through muscles and neural pathways like a tidal wave.
The incoming punch slowed in his perception. Grey clenched his fists and punched forward to meet it head-on.
Boom!
The instant their fists collided, an overwhelming shockwave rippled across Sector Six. Buildings around them collapsed like cards under the pressure.
The nearby civilians screamed and fled once again as the ground cracked.
Leo Fang’s body was flung across Sector Six like a broken kite.
His expression twisted in disbelief. A faint pain spread through his arm, and he realized it was numb and slightly distorted.
He was injured!
By a 1st rank evolver at that!
But Grey’s condition was even worse.
Purple-black blood gushed from his orifices as he stood trembling, body stained in blood and shaking violently while coughing a mouthful of blood.
His entire body was on the verge of collapse.
The force from before had sent strands of True Energy rampaging inside him. Every nerve screamed in agony, and a splitting headache hammered against his skull, threatening to shut him down.
He had pushed Nexus Overlock beyond its limits.
If he forced it further, he would die from energy backlash.
He couldn’t use Death Ascension again either. Doing so would allow him to reach 2nd rank and possibly kill Leo Fang, but his unstable foundation would shatter, and he would die on the spot.
No matter what he did... death loomed.
But how could he accept that?
Grey’s spatial ring flashed, and he pulled out a healing potion. He drank it in one gulp, a painful smile on his lips as his headache eased slightly and strength began to return.
However, it couldn’t fully heal him. It was a low-grade potion, and now that he wielded the power of a 9th level 1st ranker, it couldn’t suppress the True Energy invading his system or fully heal the internal injuries caused by the energy.
For now, he could only force it down into his Elixir Field using Nexus energy to suppress it.
With a pained look, Grey stared at the drone watching him. Then he rushed toward the City Exit at extreme speed, though slightly slower due to his injuries. He had sent Leo Fang flying to the other side of Sector Six.
If he used this moment... he could escape.
Through the pain, he ran.
Duskwood Mansion.
"How is this possible?" Both Alaric and Malric shot up from their seats in disbelief.
"No. This can’t happen." Their expressions darkened.
The kid would escape at this rate.
Grey rushed towards the City Gate with bottleneck speed. At the tollgate, an army of evolvers were waiting. They were either mid-stage or late-stage evolvers, the strongest among them being at the 8th level.
Some bore the Duskwood Family insignia.
"Out of my way," Grey said coldly as condensed energy beams formed around him and shot forward toward the evolvers.
Crimson Fang Surge!
The late-stage evolver tried to dodge, but before he could even move, the beam pierced past his head, dropping him instantly. The other beams followed, cutting down the remaining Duskwood-aligned evolvers. Only the military personnel, mid-stage evolvers, were left frozen in terror, too afraid to move.
At the same time, Nova City was in chaos.
[How can this happen?! How has he not been caught yet?! What sort of monster is this?!]
[Demon! He’s a demon! How is he so strong?!]
[Not even a 2nd ranker could stop him!]
Then, everyone saw Grey turn toward the drone.
With blood still leaking from his lips, he smiled.
"Duskwood Family. Count your days," he said coldly, a faint smirk appearing through the pain. "If you believe you can do anything to me, then you are severely mistaken. This won’t end here. In fact, it’s only the beginning."
Grey laughed, even as Leo Fang rushed down from the skies behind him, still some distance away.
"Once I, Grey Lockhart, return to Nova City... it will be to uproot the Duskwood Family completely."
With that, Grey shot out of the City Gate and into the Outer Ring. The drone, restricted to Nova City’s boundaries, hovered at the edge as the world watched Grey disappear into the dense forest.
––
Duskwood Mansion shook with killing intent.
Alaric stood in the office, True Energy raging around him.
"He escaped!" he roared. "He escaped!"
"I don’t care what happens! Call upon all Tiger Claw gang members and mobilize every force in Nova City! Find that kid in the Outer Ring no matter what!"
––
"My son... he escaped." Richard slumped onto the sofa, relief washing over his face.
Alissa watched the livestream with a complicated gaze. She had seen everything that needs to be seen.
"When will we meet again?" she whispered.
––
"He escaped." Lia exhaled deeply and collapsed onto her bed.
A solemn light flickered in her eyes.
"It’s just the beginning."
–
Evan and the Immortal Lady watched the stream quietly.
"That kid was set up," the Immortal Lady spoke. "With his evolutionary path, he has no reason to side with the High Order."
"We never got the chance to meet him, Master," Evan said with worry.
"We will meet him soon." The Immortal Lady’s voice held certainty. "Give it time. He will return to Nova City... stronger than ever."
With a fire blazing in his heart, Grey ran. He ran without looking back. He ran through the Outer Ring forest, breath ragged, vision throbbing with pain. But he didn’t stop.
He wouldn’t stop until he left the entire Tri-City Province behind.
He wouldn’t stop until he carved his path to survival with his own hands.
"Confirmed route. I’ve calculated a safe path to leave the Tri-City Province, Grey," Eterna’s calm voice echoed in his mind. "Once you cross the Southern Ridge, they will no longer be able to track you."
Grey didn’t respond.
Today had been a monumental day. So much had happened that everything seemed to shift entirely. And all of this had started because he chose to lend a helping hand, to save his personal wallet, Lia.
Did he regret it? Perhaps. But in the end, if he hadn’t stepped in, maybe not even his sister and father would have survived the High Order’s attack after the City Lord fell.
If he hadn’t intervened, Nova City might have become a barren land, devoid of civilian life, ruled entirely by the High Order.
His blood-soaked figure vanished between the trees, swallowed by the shadows of the Outer Ring.
His story in Nova City had ended.
But it was also the beginning of a brand new tale.