The Devil’s Cage

The headless body fell to the ground. The workers, who were building the statue, were stunned, panic breaking out. Screams and shouts followed instantly.

“Assassin!”

“Assassin!”

“Lord Krecko has been assassinated!”

…

As they voiced their panic and fear through their screams, the workers scattered away.

Pride stood where he was and didn’t stop them. His target wasn’t the workers.

Looking down at the head in his hand, Pride’s arrogant face showed an expression of sudden realization.

“Now I see! No wonder the host changed his plans! But…”

Sou!

The thoughts in his heart didn’t slow down his movements or lower his guard. When the air-breaking arrow whistle sounded, Pride had already dodged it.

Bang!

After a loud noise, a refined iron arrow plunged into the wall behind Pride.

The arrow didn’t just plunge into the wall, it created a sizeable crater upon impact, cracks spreading around it.

Such an arrow far surpassed the power of a common bullet, comparable to some big caliber sniper rifle.

What if such an arrow hit the body?

The force would probably tear the person apart.

Pride wasn’t bothered by it. He arrogantly looked at Herasu, with a bow, and the group of 30 archers behind him.

Herasu was obviously the one who had fired the powerful arrow. Now, the 30 archers drew their bows back with loaded arrows, aiming at Pride.

“RYAN?!”

Herasu was shocked and angered when he saw Krecko’s headless body on the floor, and when he saw the head in Pride’s hand, he shouted “FIRE!”

Sou sou sou sou sou!

It was like a storm in summer, the arrow rain instantly enveloping Pride.

The arrow rain was so concentrated that it felt like 300 archers had fired them instead of 30.

The black greatsword appeared in Pride’s hand and placed in front of him as a makeshift shield.

Dang Dang Dang Dang Dang!

The arrows landed on the black greatsword, causing countless sparks upon impact.

However, the arrows didn’t fall to the ground after being deflected by the greatsword. Instead, they turned mid-air, changing direction and flying towards Pride’s flanks faster than before.

The arrows didn’t just get faster, they also emanated a faint layer of brilliance!

It wasn’t just pure white brilliance, a dash of metallic lustre was also mixed in; it was cold and sharp.

Puk!

One after another, all the 30 archers who fired the arrows fell to the ground as blood gushed out of their mouths.

It was obvious that such powerful arrows had burden far surpassing what their body could endure, but no one cared about themselves at the moment.

When they saw Krecko’s dead body, these archers, who had pledged their utmost loyalty, were ready to risk their lives.

Whenever one risked their lives, they might be able to turn the situation around.

Of course, that was only if the gap of strength was still within a reasonable range.

However, when the gap of strength was ridiculously huge, like the one between heaven and earth, even if they died for a cause, it would be useless, similar to what was happening now.

Fhwaaa!

Black flame burned the glimmering arrows.

The lustrous brilliance of the arrow instantly turned dark and the arrow itself started to fall apart due to corrosion.

One after another, they fell off the air.

“Aaaaaarh!”

Agonizing cries followed shortly after. The archers who were already on the ground burst into black flames and a breath’s time later, every single one of them were burned to cinders.

The arrows they fired held a fragment of their souls and when a fragment of their souls was burned away, how could their bodies be spared?

Herasu’s face turned ugly looking at the scene.

He drew his bow and fired arrows repeatedly.

Sou Sou Sou Sou!

Pak Pak Pak Pak!

But Pride struck down every single one of them.

Each time Herasu took a step backward, Pride would move forward a step.

Although the secret Hunter Temple hidden in the woods shared the same structure as the one in Naveya City, its size and scales were a few times smaller.

Therefore, Herasu soon reached the walls. When he felt the walls behind his back, despair flashed over Herasu’s eyes, which soon transformed into a frenzy.

“Ha”

Another arrow was fired.

However, unlike the previous arrows, this arrow was already emanating the lustrous brilliance as it was loaded onto the string, and when it was fired, it flew out like a comet.

Sou!

The arrow flew out like a comet and the person who fired it followed it like its shadow.

Herasu didn’t care about the blood gushing out from his mouth and nose, grabbing the short knife around his waist and gazing at Pride like a hawk.

Fuaa!

Black flames once again engulfed the comet-like arrow but even with the black flame, burning off the lustrous brilliance which was stronger than before took a longer time and the little buffering time would be enough for the arrow to hit Pride.

Dang!

A loud metal clunking sound later, the arrow with the comet-like brilliance was struck away.

Likewise, because of the swinging greatsword, Pride revealed his body behind the blade.

Herasu then launched his short knife directly at Pride’s neck.

“DIE!” Herasu shouted out of frenzy and despair.

However, his face suddenly turned gloomy and sour because Pride had launched a kick, faster than himself, and it had landed precisely at his chest.

Bang!

Kaboom!

Amid the bone cracking noise, Herasu crashed on the wall behind him as if he had been ran over by a speeding truck. The tremendous power from the kick was poured into Herasu, turning him into a human cannonball as he crumbled against the sturdy wall and buried himself under the rubble.

Herasu’s breathing and his presence was swiftly vanishing; Pride turned away.

Puk!

The moment Pride turned around, a palm went through his body from the back, bursting out from his chest.

Pride looked down at the bloody hand with his own bone shards and organ bits, not able to hold back his little grin.

It’s just like your expectation.

Soon enough, Pride kept away his little grin. He had to pretend to turn around with all his might.

While feeling the struggle from his hand, Herasu couldn’t hold back his smile.

“Ryan, Ryan, Ryan.”

Herasu muttered the alias as he smiled, shaking and retracting his hand, throwing Pride on the ground.

Herasu wanted to see the shock and inconceivable look on Pride’s face, so he purposely threw the cardinal sin down with the face up, allowing Pride to have a clear view.

“Aren’t you surprise?”

Herasu smiled and asked. His face was free of any dirt or dust.

But the outcome was disappointing for him.

Pride, on the ground with a hole in his chest, didn’t show any shock or surprise, only arrogance.

The arrogance had been around since the beginning and it would not change, ever.

Pride looked at Herasu with utmost arrogance. He was the one dying on the ground and yet he looked at his opponent like a king in his prime.

“Idiot,” said Pride.