Chapter 14: Bloodthirst

In the blazing firelight, faint shouts of killing and cries could be heard, occasionally mixed with a few dying wails; more than ten corpses lay haphazardly at the city gate, some were guards, some civilians, each drenched in blood, the flames roasting them, emitting a beep‑boop sound and a pungent burnt stench that made one vomit. The deeper one went, the more bodies; the houses along the road were mostly alight, broken swords and spears and arrows scattered, and burned houses would thunderously collapse, crushing piles of corpses into a blood‑soaked mess. After walking half a town, not a single living person was seen.

Pei Er, seeing this tragedy, had already been crouched behind Luo Shan, sobbing uncontrollably. Though Luo Shan had experienced the horrors of the Nine‑Nether realm, this blood‑soaked slaughterhouse was his first; his heart trembled with fear, but anger outweighed it. Instinctively he tightened his longsword; whoever committed this must pay with blood!

The shouts grew nearer; the town square was now in view, hundreds gathered at its center. The outermost ring comprised soldiers wielding long spears and shields; inside, most people wore tattered clothes, holding all sorts of implements, clearly the townsfolk. Opposite them stood dozens of knights in bright armor, and several mages fired various beams at the surrounded townspeople. Each shot pierced shields and armor, carving a trail of blood through the crowd. The soldiers could not resist, yet they still clutched their weapons, standing before the townsfolk to the death.

Among the crowd, a towering warrior stood out. He wore green battle armor, no helmet, long hair framing a resolute face, brandishing a long spear, urging the remaining soldiers not to lose hope. It was because of his command that the survivors could hold out. Outside the encirclement, the mages continuously releasing magic also noticed this, turning their staffs, and several beams almost simultaneously shot toward him. Though the warrior possessed command skill, he clearly could not use magic, and the incoming beams were about to pierce him. If he fell, the remaining townsfolk would surely die.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In that instant of electric thunderfire, everyone was astonished to see two white lights surge ahead, actually arriving before the mages' beams, instantly intertwining into a pure white barrier.

At the same time, a lightning‑fast figure swooped into the attackers' formation; a knight had no time to react before his helm was pierced by a sword, blood spraying instantly. The other knights, startled, leapt from their horses and raised weapons, only to see a petite blonde girl, who had appeared unnoticed, lift her longsword slightly, blood trickling down the blade. Beside her stood a boy with a sword at his waist, both hands surrounded by magical light, forming a barrier shape in mid‑air. The earlier mages' attacks had no effect at all.

The surrounded townspeople, seeing reinforcements arrive, cheered and brandished spears and swords, charging the attackers. Yet the attackers were clearly well‑trained; despite the sudden turn, they remained orderly. Several knights surged forward to assault Pei Er, the mages focused all their power on Luo Shan, and the remaining knights quickly formed a wall to block the surging townspeople. Though the townsfolk were many, their equipment and organization were far inferior to the powerful opponents. The knights fought in threes, supporting each other; even with a ten‑to‑one disadvantage, the townsfolk struggled. The mages, though individually weaker than Luo Shan, combined their power, which was not to be underestimated; Luo Shan, still recovering from serious wounds, could not yet overcome the foes. Pei Er's situation was most perilous; her swordplay was swift but, being a woman, lacked strength. The knights wore heavy helmets and armor; even if struck by a longsword, they would not be seriously injured. Yet their heavy swords and warhammers were immensely powerful, and with their numbers, Pei Er's slightest lapse could bring grave injury.

The green‑armored warrior, acting as the townsfolk's leader, stood amid the crowd, seeing the unfavorable turn and silently lamenting. He saw Pei Er struggling immensely, Luo Shan not gaining the upper hand, and knew that if the two fell, his side would face total annihilation. So, with a clear whistle, he raised his spear, ignoring the knights, and rushed straight at the mages dueling Luo Shan. He understood that both sides were evenly matched, and a slight external force could tip the balance; if the mages turned to attack him, the force opposing Luo Shan would weaken. As long as Luo Shan could defeat those mages, the remaining knights would be of little consequence.

However, his plan, though clever, carried an enormous risk. Any one of those mages possessed a power beyond his resistance; even a casually cast beam could shatter him to pieces.

But at this moment, there was no time to worry about such things.

He let out a roar, thrust his spear, and simultaneously drew his waist‑knife to lunge. A mage, seeing the spear flying toward him, hurriedly altered his spell; a white flash struck like lightning, shattering the spear into fragments. The beam, still forceful, pierced the green‑armored warrior's shoulder. This sudden shift tipped the balance; Luo Shan seized the momentum, striking hard, and the pure white light surged dramatically in an instant, the mages' magical beams emitting a crackling sound under his power, crumbling piece by piece.

Boom! A thunderous crash rang out; the mages, like kites with cut strings, flew in all directions, collapsing to the ground, motionless.

Almost simultaneously, a knight's war axe sliced Pei Er's right leg; the chainmail gave a dull snap, and blood gushed out. She staggered, nearly falling, raised her longsword, and at the last moment deflected another knight's long blade. Yet after the injury, her strength waned; the knight's strike missed, but Pei Er's palm was shaken and bled, and her longsword flew from her hand. In an instant she faced death beneath the knights' swords.

At this point, magic could no longer protect Pei Er. Luo Shan, without hesitation, drew his longsword and leapt, left hand clasping Pei Er's body, right hand flashing a series of sword strikes, cutting the knights assaulting her away from the blade's light. His sword style, though not as swift as Pei Er's, was far stronger; each slash was infused with magical power, enough to cleave through the knights' armor. One knight, overconfident in his plate armor, swung his war axe for a heavy attack; a flash of sword light sliced off his hand, blood gushing wildly. He stared in disbelief at his severed hand, unable to accept the sight, then howled in agony after a moment of excruciating pain. The other knights exchanged glances and stepped back.

Pei Er lay in Luo Shan's arms, feeling excruciating pain in her right leg wound, her whole body suddenly drained of strength. "Luo… Luo Shan," she whispered, calling the boy's name beside her, her vision blurring from blood loss. "You… you aren't hurt, are you?" "What a joke." Luo Shan managed a wry smile. "You're badly injured; let me bandage you."

"No, no…" she instinctively protested. "The enemy is still right there." "Just these guys?" Yet Luo Shan merely glanced sideways at the surrounding knights, giving a faint cold smile. "Such clowns, even ten times their number, I have no fear."

Pei Er was taken aback; such domineering words came from Luo Shan's mouth. The man before her was a far cry from the gentle youth she had known for two months. In this blazing battlefield, amid murderous formations, with powerful enemies all around and rivers of blood, the boy seemed to be reborn.

She gazed at him, the wound on her leg suddenly feeling a warm comfort, wrapped in layers of cloth; around them the shouts and clashing of blades rang, his face close enough to touch, yet she could not speak.

Ding, ding, ding.

A rapid succession of delicate metal‑on‑metal clangs filled everyone's ears in an instant. Pei Er felt a cold wind brush her face; within the chill seemed a few drops of thick, bloody liquid. Luo Shan's left hand still rested on her waist, letting her lie comfortably in his embrace. His form flickered like a phantom, his sword faintly shrouded in a gray‑white light. Within this small circle he performed the Wind‑Control Technique, each slash accompanied by a mournful wail. The knights, not even seeing what had happened, were cut down by his blade.

In the blink of an eye, the ten‑plus knights surrounding Luo Shan had all fallen—some with broken legs, some decapitated, some split apart. Luo Shan infused magic into his longsword, creating the World‑Creating Sword Technique, truly unstoppable, crushing all. These knights were battle‑hardened, yet none could withstand even a single strike.

The remaining defiant knights, terrified, abandoned any sense of honor and fled. The townsfolk's morale surged; a fresh charge left more than ten knights dead on the spot. Luo Shan stared at the scattered foes, let out a cold laugh, flickered, and in an instant reached their backs, sword swinging, blood spraying. Pei Er leaned against Luo Shan, hearing the knights' dying cries and feeling a pang of sorrow. She whispered, "Don't… don't kill them… let them escape."

The moment her words left her mouth, Luo Shan's whole body jolted; his longsword hovered mid‑air, unable to swing further.

Blood‑stained water dripped from the blade before him, and Luo Shan suddenly felt the entire world empty.

Earlier, when Pei Er was injured, he had rushed out his sword, and after cleaving the knight's right hand, an inexplicable craving rose within him, driving his body to want to cleave the whole world in two. He didn't know what had become of him, only a burning thirst for slaughter. He felt that everything opposing him should be sliced apart by his sword.

"You have a blood‑thirsty soul."

The sentence suddenly rose in his mind.

Blood‑thirst… blood‑thirst… all this time he had never truly grasped the meaning of those words. Though from birth his clan had expelled his family because his soul was blood‑thirsty, and even in the Nine‑Nether realm, Mu Ze had instantly seen his soul's nature. Could it be that his craving for killing stemmed from his blood‑thirsty soul?

Does that mean his nature is exactly that?

Was he destined to exist through killing from the moment he was born?

If so, how could he tolerate a blood‑thirsty self?

A dark angel, condemned to endless scorn and exile, never to have his own happiness or love, even familial affection. All relatives would leave him; this pain could never end, until the day the world perishes.

The curse resurfaced in his mind, this time accompanied by countless corpses and blood as proof, making him doubt. Killing was a craving of his blood‑thirsty nature, yet this filthy sin clashed with his conscience; his heart became a battlefield, two personalities drawing swords, flesh flying, each strike cutting his own heart, his own soul. Perhaps every day he lived, this war would continue, endless.

—Until the day the world perishes.

He stared blankly around, flames still raging, corpses everywhere, blood forming rivers, the battlefield a death‑like silence. The townsfolk who had survived the calamity, after a brief joy at being alive, fell into boundless sorrow over their ruined homes. Some rushed back to their former houses, some wept over the withered corpses of loved ones, some dropped their weapons and stood dumbfounded, gazing at the horizon, lost in thought.

"Both of you." The warrior in green battle armor stepped beside him, left hand covering his shoulder wound, bowing deeply. "In this battle, had you not intervened, Linquan Town would have faced catastrophe. I am Mordel, the town mayor of Linquan, representing the whole town, grateful for your aid."

"Silly… silly boy." Pei Er, suppressing the pain, pounded his chest. "Put me down quickly." She realized she was lying in Luo Shan's arms, her face flushing.

Yet Luo Shan seemed not to hear, not even glancing at her, only giving a slight nod.

"Hey, how can you be so rude…" Pei Er, angry and frantic. "Mayor, don't be angry, he… he isn't like that normally." "Both of you saved the whole town's lives; how could I be angry?" Mordel, his blood‑stained face faintly smiling. "Linquan Town is destroyed; though the enemy has retreated, they may return. I plan to lead the remaining people to seek a new home. If you are willing, you may join us, and we'll have support."

"Pei Er."

At that moment, Luo Shan suddenly spoke.

"You go with them."

"Silly boy, what are you saying?" Pei Er felt a sudden pain in her heart. "What do you mean 'I go with them'? And you? Aren't you coming with me?" "Pei Er, you'd better not stay with me." Luo Shan lowered his head. "Otherwise, I fear I'll end up harming you."

"What do you mean 'harm' me?" Pei Er shouted. "I chose to be with you voluntarily; no matter what you are I'm not afraid. You were severely wounded then and survived; why are you spouting this useless nonsense now?" She felt an inexplicable despair and fear spreading, a premonition of losing him, like endless darkness engulfing everything.

Suddenly, she felt her waist empty, the world flipped, cold replacing the former warmth, and only a vast blue sky remained before her. "Pei Er." Luo Shan stood before her, looking down from above, his eyes filled with unspeakable sorrow.

"I cannot let you be harmed because of me."

"…Thank you."