1516 One Request

A flash in the sky preceded a giant ring of explosion. Then dust filled the air as the ground shook following something hitting the ground at an enormous speed.

"Ha! Haa! You stubborn fucker." Icarus spat with a grim face. "I don't care who you are. But trying to get your hands on what's mine is going to cost you a brutal death."

From the dust, a battered silhoutte emerged.

Immortal attached his severed head back and spat some thick blood into the crater as he floated smoothly.

"Yours?" There was a crazy smile on his face, as if he was hearing the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Scratching his cheeks to the point skin was peeled off and muscle showed, Immortal said with a cackle. "She is mine. She is made for me, she is born for me and she will die for me."

"Is that so?" Icarus didn't like what he was hearing.

Nexus had suffered for too long under the bastards of Genesis and Mors. If his grandfather wasn't wrong, this guy was indeed the 'Immortal'— a failed creation his creators should've killed than just abandoning.

"Yes, she is mine. You will regret standing against me today." Immortal said with a grin, even though his body ached terribly.

Icarus was much stronger than he anticipated and securing a victory remained a distant dream. The holy squad was being pushed back and looked like it might die at any moment.

But Immortal didn't lose hope. Ironically, he was confident that Isadora would come up with something.

This man might not know about her but Immortal studied Isadora deeply. That woman was the defintion of menace.

Had she remained at peak of rank 9, he wouldn't be confident of defeating her despite being a pseudo divine ranker. But even at her current power level, she'd be able to turn the tide of the battle. It's Isadora after all.

For his plan to work, he needed to buy time. Luckily, this guy seemed to be sensitive about his 'identity' and it made everything so much easier.

"I know why the Nexians aren't trusted. You lot are the most ungrateful bastards of Eden. We have always accomodated and protected you from the Jai. And what do you do in return? Try to rob me of my destined treasure." Showing a disgusted expression, Immortal spat blood mixed with saliva.

With the spat blood as the center, a gloomy red power—the power of death— expanded swiftly before stopping in front of Icarus.

The red spread on the ground showed a grin with razor sharp teeth and inhaled deeply.

Vitality that Icarus locked in using a special rule created by the power of Order trembled. Bit by bit, vitality began to leak out.

But Icarus didn't seem to care.

He was looking at Immortal with a surprised expression, still in disbelief that the words he heard were actually uttered.

"Wow, wow, wow. Are you kidding me or are you kidding me? Proteced us? You use as meatgrinders, as literal bodyshields. If it really comes down to it, we'd just ditch your loser alliance and join hands with the Jai. It's not like we have anything they covet anyway."

Immortal pursed his lips, the gray eyes of the man shining with a thick killing intent. "There is a famous saying in the Empires about your kingdom, you know?"

Icarus' eyes narrowed and he waved his fist. "Shut up!"

The ground shifted and smashed Immortal from both sides, crushing him into paste.

The meat paste from the rocks flowed out and adjusted back into Immortal. The aura in his body had fallen slightly but his eyes remained as condescending as ever.

"What would change in Alliance if Nexus suddenly disappeared?" Immortal showed a sarcastic expression, enjoying the veins popping up on Icarus' forehead.

"The most pathetic tribe who not only failed to snatch their nemesis' sliver but somehow lost their own would go missing. I mean, aren't you guys historical losers? We'd all be better off without you lot."

"Shut the fuck up!"

The sky twisted and the air pulled Immortal from all sides, tearing his body into pieces.

Then, a huge foot made of lightning fell from the sky, stomping the flesh and bones the man.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Shut up! Shut the hell up! Shut the fucking hell up!" Icarus screamed with a hysteric expression, his eyes bloodshot.

While his mind remained solely focused on destroying this evil bastard, Isadora reached the holy squad and began to assist them with her renewed power.

She also accomodated Varian, providing him opportunities to fight against enemies significantly stronger than he could handle by himself, accelerating his growth.

Icarus' senses were registering everything that's happening, but his mind just couldn't let go of Immortal.

"He, hahahha!" An arrogant laughter rang as the burnt flesh and bones pieced themselves together.

"Accept it, it's in your genes. Loser tribe." Immortal looked a lot more worn out than before but his smile was brighter than ever.

The red ground infested with death energy started to sneak into Icarus, waiting to strike at an opportune moment.

'I have to hog all his focus.'

"You have already lost the war, Nexian." Immortal spread his hands, manipulating the death energy accumulated in Icarus to slowly and stealthily activate. "Whether we win this war or the Jai wins, the only fate that awaits your ilk is servitude or extinction, depending on our mood."

These words completely enraged Icarus, because they sounded very close to reality.

Even though his grandfather said Isadora should have the slivers since she survived this long, there's still a significant possibility that she might not have them.

Because she hadn't used any sliver power so far despite being pushed into very difficult conditions.

Was she hesitating in using them? Or maybe she never had the slivers to use them in the first place?

In that case, his whole mission had failed before it even began. Even his grandfather's long plan was for nothing.

'No, no, no!'

Icarus' eyes turned pitch black and the black beam began to shake, as if the devil sealed within was about to break out.

Immortal instinctively took a step back.

All of them couldn't even defeat a phantom together. If the real body comes out, they'd be as good as dead.

Icarus clutched his head and roared, the red sky turning black due to his rage.

"Argh, I'll end it! I'll end all!"

Boom!

A spear of darkness struck the black beam and the unstable fluctuations were abruptly cut off.

Along with the holy squad, Isadora stepped forward.

Immortal and Icarus both looked at their unabashed greed. If only they paid a little more attention, they'd have realized that the aura of Varian standing behind them all was a little strange.

Almost like he'd just broken through a subrank.

But even the Isadora who they focused on gave them a tremendous shock. She was severely injured and exhausted earlier.

So, how did she revert back to a near perfect condition?

"Hm?"

A thick killing intent piercing the skin on their necks like a blade, causing the two men to finally turn to Varian.

Brandishing his sword Requiem, he said with a cruel gring.

"Seems like your parents didn't teach you not to oogle at women. No worries, I'll teach some manners to you today."

"Huh?"

"You!"

Icarus' parents died in his infancy and Immortal's parents abandoned him. So, his words prickled them both.

Varian poured aura into his sword and it lit up with a dangerous crimson light.

"I have but one request, just don't call me daddy after this."