Chapter 423 - 393: The Worst Father (5/4, 15k update)

Chapter 423: Chapter 393: The Worst Father (5/4, 15k update)

Boom!!!

At the moment of impact, the first thing to occur was an explosive airflow that turned the nearly hundred-meter range in midair into the center of a storm, all rainwater being blown away, while the seemingly massive Ice Cone was shattered by Baron Leyan’s nearly indestructible Earth Origin Quality vibrations!

The Rock Deer King, at the Third Energy Level, could let out a roar on a mountain peak and cause terrifying landslides across vast mountain ranges.

And the "Ritual Master Rockwood Divine Deer" of the Fourth Energy Level could even create small-scale earthquakes with its massive Earth Origin Quality and Shockwave Bag, making it a Catastrophe-Level Titan Beast!

Facing such impact, which could shatter and twist even alloy steel, mere ice formations were laughably fragile!

But the real killer move was never that.

Thump! As the Icebound Giant Cone shattered, it burst into a miniature blizzard domain in midair, and a figure leaped out from it.

The real killer move was Ian himself, who fell together with the Ice Cone, accumulating massive potential energy!

Or rather, the Longsword tightly held in his hands!

Humming—the Fairy Wings rapidly fluttering behind Ian boosted his speed even further. Leveraging this velocity, the lightning-quick blade traced an arc of light, thrusting towards Baron Leyan’s left eye!

"You little..."

The Baron, having just shattered the Ice Cone, still had strength to spare. He was about to raise the Armor-Piercing Long Spike in his hand to crush the Coldlight Longsword in Ian’s hold, which was only of elite material quality, with pure force.

But as he raised his hand, he suddenly realized in shock that his reaction was an instant too slow—the blizzard domain formed by the shattering of the Ice Cone had indeed affected him, subtly and unavoidably!

Even so, he forcefully stimulated the Origin Quality within his body, and a strength both warm and familiar from an unknown source enabled him to refine even more Origin Quality, accelerating his hand movements!

It was the children! A surge of warm emotions welled up in the Baron’s heart. It was the children who were helping him refine more Origin Quality!

The Long Spike met the Longsword, deflecting it, but contrary to the man’s expectation, Ian’s Origin Quality burst forth again, and a second arc of sword light slashed towards him.

But he had no one assisting him in refining Origin Quality, did he?!

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang! In the blink of an eye, Ian exchanged fifteen blows with the Baron, and the surrounding blizzard domain was also scattered by the shockwaves, dispersed by the wind like White Mist.

Unexpectedly, the one who ran out of strength turned out to be Baron Leyan.

At that moment, the Rock Armor on the man’s arms was already half-shattered, and several wounds appeared on his arms that should have bled but were Icebound instead. His right bicep bulged but was visibly dead, filled with fatigue and at the brink of collapse as if the fibers inside were close to snapping, unable to contract anymore.

And the Spirit Energy arm on his left was even more illusory and dim, the children’s gathered Spirit Energy completely exhausted.

—What’s happening; why am I the one holding out the least?!

This was me joining forces with the children, and even Sublimators at the Peak of the Second Energy Level couldn’t outlast us in terms of consumption. How is this kid still standing?!

A thought flashed through his mind, but Baron Leyan then heard a collision that sent him into ecstasy.

Clang!!!

In that overly crisp sound of a blade breaking, the Coldlight Longsword in Ian’s hands was finally shattered by his Armor-Piercing Long Spike!

—Now’s the moment, strike!

Thinking this, the Baron let out a wild roar, his last surge of Origin Quality propelling the Armor-Piercing Long Spike forward in a fierce stab, aiming to pierce through the young man’s throat and smash his entire neck!

However, just as Baron Leyan put all his force into this final strike, Ian somehow produced another sword in his hand.

A sword with only a hilt.

"Time to go."

Chanting softly, a sharp silver halo swirled in the young man’s eyes. He had already spotted the ultimate and most critical weakness.

Before the man could even think clearly, that hilt-only sword turned into a long blade shimmering with a faint dark golden edge in an instant, and then it slipped into the Baron’s completely unguarded inner circle.

Crack, the right arm holding the Armor-Piercing Long Spike was sliced off at the elbow, with the blood too slow to spill before being frozen by the ice-cold blade.

Following that, the Longsword in Ian’s hand disappeared again, the empty hilt not colliding with the Baron’s incredibly solid earthy Armored Clothing, but moving to the head of his adversary.

The next instant, the blade reappeared and made a forward slash.

Splurt.

Because the bone was too hard, and also because Ian was almost out of strength, Baron Leyan’s neck was only half-severed.

But he already lost all his strength; not even the icy blade could Icebind his scorching arterial blood, causing clouds of blood to disperse in midair.

His body plummeted towards the ground below.

Ian didn’t pursue but quietly watched as Baron Leyan’s body fell to the earth.

Then, he turned his gaze towards the hazy darkness on the other side.

—I haven’t... I haven’t lost yet.

In the misty threshold between life and death, the man who had fought with all his might was still thinking hazily.

—I can’t die yet... I can’t just...

[No, Daddy]

At that moment, a voice unlike Yila’s, unlike Moqiu’s or Linda’s, soft and elusive as if non-existent, whispered in the Baron’s ear: [You’ve already lost]

[It’s time to go]

Boom!

The Baron’s body hit the ground hard, splashing up a large spray of water, while his Body was quickly engulfed by the backflow of mud and slurry, just like the shadow of death.

——I’m not dead yet!

Covered in mud, Baron Leyan’s originally dimming blue eyes lit up once again, the brilliance of the Origin Quality even piercing through the murky water.

And he roared in his mind.

——I can still fight!

——Next, I’ll stimulate the secret medicine stored in my gastric muscles, and use Origin Quality to reconnect my blood vessels and throat. I can still burn what’s left of my life to fight for ten more minutes... I can definitely, definitely take this young lad down...

"Then you will still lose, you can’t win."

This voice advised him gently, "Dad, do you want to abandon us and go ahead on your own..."

"If I really have to choose, I don’t want to go alone, live alone in this world."

"Let’s take our brothers and sisters with us to see mom, okay..."

"Alos... you, you made it back?! You don’t need a sacrifice to return, what those mysterious freaks said was actually true..."

The Baron experiencing a returning radiance suddenly awoke; he called out the name of his true child, unwillingly saying, "We have already killed so many people, we are unforgivable. If that’s the case, then let’s be wrong until the end."

"You must come back to life, you can come back to life, just return, then immediately flee, take your brothers and sisters back to the tribe of the Mountain People. The Empire can’t do anything to you..."

Blue vengeful spirits appeared beside the Baron’s head, surrounded by three tiny spiritual bodies.

The vengeful spirit still had no face, because no one knew what the face of a child, long dead, would look like when grown up.

The body in the Cultivation Chamber had been formed by elements of Baron Leyan’s three foster sons and daughters; it was not his real appearance.

The faceless child shook his head slightly, and he and his three siblings spoke in unison.

"Dad, indeed we have made a big mistake, we are all unforgivable,"

Said the Baron’s eldest son, with Alos’ voice carrying a delicate echo, "So this is the end, we can no longer make a wrong step."

"Yes, in the very end, we have been wrong until the last,"

Yila said, still smiling, "Admit it, Dad, we have lost. The time now is just because the big brother doesn’t want to fight us to death, he left us a sliver of leeway."

"Father, I’m tired, really tired..."

This was the voice of Moqiu, the child whose soul was even more shattered, and his voice was wavering, "Is there still a fight? Then I will keep trying, try a little harder..."

"Dad, let’s go."

The voice of the little girl was crisp, Linda’s soul spoke more fluently and clearly than ever when she had a body, "Big brother still has real enemies to face, real suffering and fate to meet, let’s not disturb him, okay?"

The children’s voices swirled around this sinful spirit, slowly dragging him into death.

"I... I don’t deserve to die like this... I am a sinful lord..."

As he was about to enter the darkest depths of the abyss, the man seemed to awaken from a nightmare, images of person after person dying before his eyes, in his hands, in the soundless basement, beyond the mountains he could not reach...

A rain, a never-ending downpour, fell within his soul.

Everyone stared at him indifferently in the rain, with hatred and despair.

"I didn’t achieve anything, I didn’t revive my child, I killed the children I gained again, I killed so many people, and I have failed at everything..."

The lord of Leyan Territory, the executioner, the murderer, the man beyond redemption, wailed and muttered in agony, "I should be judged... I should be torn to pieces... why am I still alive, I should have died long ago..."

"I am the worst... father..."

Only four soul spirits circled around his dissipating life, his fading soul.

"Father, we are all the worst children, the most evil sinners,"

"But just this last point, just this one thing,"

"For us, just for us,"

"You are absolutely not,"

In extreme pain and despair, Baron Leyan’s breathing stopped.

And Ian, slowly descending to the ground, paid no attention to the five slowly dissipating blue soul lights.

For the living, death is the ultimate punishment, and they were already dead; doing anything more was meaningless.

Moreover...

There was the true enemy

The young man turned his head, looking toward the deep dark end of the valley.

Under his stern gaze, a pitch-black figure emerged, the black flowing armor, better described as an alien form’s carapace, carried an enigmatic aura.

The mysterious man in black, in the very last moments, had come to this place. He quietly watched Ian, then turned his head to glance at Baron Leyan’s corpse nearby, and those dissipating souls.

"It’s not time to judge you yet."

Ian’s voice was calm and gentle, without a trace of anger, hardly audible over the noise of the rain, even to himself.

But still, he spoke softly, with a hint of regret in his sigh, and certainty, "But I know."

"The one who should really be torn to pieces is you."