Chapter 1604: Sinister Truth II

A scream suddenly echoed through the forest. It was filled with agony and despair. It shook the walls and lingered in the air long after it had stopped. The prisoners immediately stiffened. Some of them lowered their heads, their faces ashen, while others trembled silently within their wire cages. One woman covered her mouth to stop herself from crying. Another prisoner squeezed his eyes shut, as if pretending not to hear would somehow make it disappear.

Then came another scream, carrying the same desperation and terror as before, only longer this time. It dragged on for several unbearable seconds before finally dissipating, leaving a suffocating dread hanging in the air.

Lory’s expression hardened, her fists trembling. Anxiety and anger mingled in her eyes as she stared into the basement. Lory wondered what terrible things these people had done here. What had they done to those innocent people?

The armed guards remained expressionless, as though the horrifying cries echoing through the cellar were nothing unusual, their brows not even twitching. Simon glanced over his shoulder, annoyance flashing across his face before he spoke.

"See? You just ruined my fun," he complained, like a child whose play had been disturbed.

The commander let out a grunt. "My apologies, then."

Lory clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white, a constant anxiety gnawing at her chest. The prisoners’ reactions told her this wasn’t the first time.

The prisoners didn’t seem surprised, but their faces were ashen, and their shoulders trembled in silent fear, knowing that sooner or later their turn would come.

Lory’s breathing became heavy, while beside her, Zhao Li Xin narrowed his eyes slightly. Unlike Lory, he didn’t seem bothered by the screams echoing through the forest. There was no horror on his face, no pity or stress like anyone else in this situation. No, his face showed only deep curiosity about what these people were doing here.

Although he already had a rough idea of ??what these men were doing, he figured it must be very important. And for some reason, his instincts told him the answer would involve his wife.

A soft, muffled sob suddenly drew Lory’s attention back to the prisoners.

Some prisoners couldn’t take it anymore, some knelt down, crying softly as they embraced each other for comfort. Others covered their faces with trembling hands, desperately trying to suppress their fear. Among them was a teenager whose face still held traces of childhood innocence.

They were just children!

The sight made Lory’s heart ache painfully.

No!

She could not allow this to continue. She no longer cared what these people were trying to achieve or what secrets they were hiding beneath this island. Whatever it was, she would stop it here and now.

"Li Xin."

Lory opened her palm, and the Trinity Staff materialized in a flash of radiant light. Her grip tightened around the weapon as anger burned fiercely in her eyes.

"Kill them all," her eyes blazed with fury.

Zhao Li Xin’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent, and slowly, a sly smile crept across his handsome and charming face. "As you wish, my dear wife."

He raised his hand, and a glistening sword materialized instantly within his grasp, its silver blade gleaming coldly beneath the dim cellar lights.

The next second—

Boom!

Zhao Li Xin stomped his foot against the ground and shot forward with terrifying speed.

No one had time to react.

One moment, he stood beside Lory, the next he was already in front of the armed soldiers, his movements smooth and impossibly swift, like a phantom slipping through the darkness.

"Wha—?!"

The soldiers hurriedly raised their guns, panic flashing across their faces, but they were already too late.

A cold flash of light streaked through the air, and blood scattered like flower petals. The soldiers froze, their rifles shattered along with their bodies, and they could only scream in pain.

The severed halves crashed heavily onto the stone floor.

"Shoot him!" the commander roared urgently.

The Dragxtarns immediately charged forward, brandishing their massive weapons. Their giant blades pulsed with violent energy as they poured all their strength into a devastating strike aimed directly at Zhao Li Xin.

BOOM!

The attack failed to get its target. Zhao Li Xin moved like a shifting shadow, effortlessly weaving from side to side. Every movement was precise, fluid, almost elegant. The enormous blades narrowly missed him again and again, unable to touch even the edge of his robes.

Zhao Li Xin’s smile was beaming with joy, he hoped these people could entertain him.

Simon’s expression darkened. He immediately drew his sword while the two paladins beside him unsheathed theirs in unison, holy energy beginning to gather around their weapons.

Just as they were about to move, Several razor-sharp wind blades suddenly tore through the air from behind them. The attack forced the paladins to halt abruptly.

Lory stepped forward. The Trinity Staff had transformed into a sword; her eyes burned with fury as she marched toward them. Without hesitation, she swung her blade, and in an instant, the temperature dropped.

Dozens of jagged ice shards erupted into existence and shot toward the paladins like deadly arrows. The two paladins’ eyes widened; it was too late to dodge in time.

Bang! Bang!

The ice spears slammed violently into them, throwing their bodies backward. Only Simon managed to react fast enough.

Clang!

Clang!

Simon raised his sword just in time, frost instantly spreading across the steel upon impact. But Lory pressed forward relentlessly. Their blades collided again and again, sparks scattering through the dim cellar as Simon was gradually forced back. His expression darkened before he suddenly thrust out his left hand.

A bolt of blinding light shot toward her. Lory swiftly shifted aside, the attack exploding against the wall behind her. Before the dust could settle, she lifted her hand.

Then came a gust of wind, and soon after, a violent whirlwind erupted around Simon, roaring through the air with terrifying force. Dust, shattered ice, and debris spiraled wildly as the raging winds slammed into him from every direction.

Simon planted his sword into the ground, struggling to resist.

"Da*n it—!" he cursed.

Holy energy exploded from Simon’s body in an attempt to repel the storm. But Lory simply clenched her fist, and the whirlwind instantly intensified.

The raging current slammed into Simon head-on, engulfing him whole before throwing him violently backward, where his body slammed hard against one of the prison cages, the metal rattling violently from the impact and the prisoners screaming in terror.

Disbelief was etched across his face. Was he overwhelmed? Impossible. ℯ

Simon slowly raised his head, his sharp gaze fixed on Lory, who stood amidst the fierce wind. "Who are you?" he asked through clenched teeth.

At that moment, dusk was beginning to envelop the island. Beneath the dense forest canopy, little light pierced the shadows, causing the surroundings to grow dim. In the darkness beneath the trees, Lory’s hair appeared almost black, concealing the bluish hues hidden within it.

Because of that, Simon failed to notice the most distinctive trait of the Lucient bloodline. Furthermore, he was never someone who paid attention to the news, so he did not recognize Lory’s face. Completely oblivious, he had no idea who the woman standing before him truly was.

"It’s not your turn to ask questions." Lory stared sharply at Simon, her expression darkening. "What did you do to these people?"

Simon’s crazed eyes lit up. "Oh, so you came for them?" He chuckled. "Well, well, well... what do you want to know?" he asked playfully.

Remembering how unhinged Simon was, Lory finally understood Fargo’s disgust toward the man. She realized this was her punishment for teasing Fargo too much about him before.

"What are you doing here?" Lory’s face turned grim.

"What?" Simon feigned confusion before a sinister smile curled across his lips. "Why should I tell you?"

Annoyance flashed through Lory’s eyes as her patience thinned. "Then you’re of no use to me."

Simon laughed, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust. "You want to kill me? How confident," he scoffed.

Lory raised a brow. "Why not?"

The moment the words left her mouth, a Dragxtern soldier suddenly came hurtling between them before crashing violently into a tree. A sickening crack echoed through the forest, followed by the scorching smell of burnt flesh.

Simon turned around sharply.

Through the dim forest, Zhao Li Xin strode forward with an overwhelming presence, his expression cold and domineering. Behind him, the battlefield looked like a scene dragged straight from hell itself.

The ground was scorched black, smoke curling from the charred earth as dying flames flickered weakly among shattered trees. The suffocating stench of blood and burnt flesh lingered heavily in the air.

Bodies of soldiers and Dragxtarn warriors lay strewn across the forest floor, twisted in grotesque positions, their armor cracked and melted from the intense heat.

Crimson blood soaked into the soil, forming dark pools beneath the corpses, while broken weapons and severed limbs littered the ruins of the battlefield.

The once-living forest had fallen eerily silent, disturbed only by the crackling embers and the faint hiss of smoke rising into the darkening sky.

In the middle of that carnage, Zhao Li Xin walked forward calmly, as though the massacre behind him was nothing more than an insignificant inconvenience.

"It’s done, wife," he said casually, his deep voice carrying through the smoke-filled forest as blood dripped quietly from the blade in his hand.