Chapter 244: The Daring Stare

The largest guard stepped forward.

He was taller than the others, with broad shoulders and thick red veins running across his neck. His blood-crystal sword rested against one shoulder.

"Stop right there!"

Holden continued walking.

The guard frowned.

"Are you deaf? I said stop!"

Holden finally looked at him.

"Morning."

The guard stared at him.

For a moment, he seemed unsure how to respond.

Then his expression darkened.

"This is Lord Draven’s territory. Outsiders aren’t welcome here. Turn around and leave while you still can."

Holden glanced at the enormous fortress behind him.

"Actually, I’m here to see Draven."

"Lord Draven," the guard corrected sharply.

"Sure. Him."

The guard tightened his grip on his sword.

"Do you have any idea where you are, boy?"

"Southern Wastes. Giant bone castle. Terrible smell. Pretty sure I’m in the right place."

One of the guards behind him growled.

"Watch your mouth!"

Holden ignored him.

"Look, I don’t have all day. Just tell Draven that Holden Voss is here."

The lead guard paused.

"Holden Voss?"

For the first time, something changed in his expression.

Recognition.

He looked Holden up and down before letting out a harsh laugh.

"So you’re the brat our lord wants dead."

Holden smiled.

"That’s me."

The guard lowered his sword from his shoulder.

"Well, you saved us the trouble of hunting you down."

The other seven guards immediately spread out, raising their blood-crystal swords.

Their corrupted energy began to rise, surrounding them in a faint red glow.

Holden stopped about ten feet away.

"Are we really doing this?"

The lead guard grinned.

"You came here alone, boy. If you think we’re going to let you walk into our lord’s fortress, you’re even stupider than he said."

Holden glanced at the closed gate.

"That’s unfortunate. I was hoping you’d open it for me."

"Open it?" the guard repeated.

"Yeah. Saves me the trouble of breaking it."

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then the lead guard burst out laughing.

"You’ve got some nerve, I’ll give you that."

He raised his sword and pointed it directly at Holden.

"Last chance. Get on your knees, and maybe Lord Draven will let you live long enough to beg for mercy."

Holden sighed.

"All right. Guess I’ll have to let myself in."

The guard opened his mouth to shout another warning.

But Holden had already moved.

Void-Step activated.

SWISH!

His figure vanished into a brief swirl of dark mist.

The guards froze.

One moment, Holden had been standing directly in front of them.

The next, he was gone.

"Where did he go?" one of them shouted.

"Behind you!"

Too late.

Holden appeared between the guards and the gate.

Before the nearest man could turn around, Holden struck him with an open palm.

THUD!

The blow landed against the back of his neck, sending a sharp shock through his body.

The guard’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the sand.

His blood-crystal sword slipped from his hand.

CLANG!

The second guard spun toward Holden and raised his weapon.

Holden stepped forward and struck him in the stomach.

THUMP!

The force bent the man’s body forward, driving the air from his lungs.

Before he could recover, Holden delivered another palm strike to the side of his neck.

The guard dropped unconscious.

Two down.

The third guard came charging from the left, swinging his sword toward Holden’s shoulder.

SWISH!

The blade cut through empty air.

Holden had already moved behind him.

A quick strike to the back of the man’s head sent him tumbling forward, where he landed face-first in the sand.

The fourth guard tried to attack immediately afterward.

Holden caught his sword arm before the blade could fall.

The guard struggled.

But against Holden’s Aether-Steel grip, his strength meant almost nothing.

"Let go!"

Holden twisted the man’s wrist just enough to force him to release the weapon, then struck him across the jaw.

THUD!

The guard collapsed beside his companions.

Four down.

The remaining guards finally realized something was terribly wrong.

They were all Rank 3, 2-Star cultivators, yet this young man was moving so quickly that none of them could properly follow his attacks.

And he wasn’t even using a weapon.

"Together!" the lead guard roared. "Attack him together!"

Three guards rushed forward.

Their blood-crystal swords flashed through the air as they tried to surround Holden.

He watched them approach.

To his enhanced senses, their movements were far too slow.

The first blade came toward his neck.

Holden leaned aside and struck the guard’s chest with his palm.

THUMP!

The man staggered backward before collapsing.

The second guard swung from the right.

Holden stepped inside the attack and drove his elbow into the man’s stomach.

As the guard bent forward, a quick strike to his neck knocked him unconscious.

The third tried to pull back.

Holden caught him before he could escape.

A single palm strike sent him falling onto the sand beside the others.

Seven down.

The entire exchange had taken only a few seconds.

By now, the lead guard was the only one still standing.

He stared at the seven unconscious bodies scattered around him.

His earlier confidence was gone.

"What... what are you?"

Holden turned toward him.

"Really? We just went through the introductions."

The guard raised his sword, but his hands were shaking.

He took a step backward.

Then another.

"Stay back!"

Holden glanced at the weapon.

"You’re the one pointing a sword at me."

The guard swallowed.

For a brief moment, it looked as though he might attack.

Instead, the blood-crystal sword slipped from his fingers.

He dropped to his knees.

"P-please. Don’t kill me."

Holden watched him for a moment.

Then he looked around at the other seven guards.

None of them were moving.

He had deliberately held back his strength, using only enough force to knock them unconscious. Even against Rank 3 cultivators, controlling his strikes had been easy with his current physical strength.

"Smart decision," Holden said.

The guard lowered his head.

"Please, I surrender."

"Then stay there. And don’t touch that sword again."

The man nodded repeatedly.

"I won’t! I swear!"

Holden stepped past him.

A familiar notification appeared before his eyes.

[Draven Elite Guard (Rank 3, 2-Star) Defeated! x8!]

[Non-Lethal Takedown. KP Awarded!]

[Base KP Earned: +7,500!]

[2x KP Booster Active!]

[KP Earned: +15,000!]

[Elite Squad Bonus: +7,500 KP!]

[2x KP Booster Active!]

[Bonus KP Earned: +15,000!]

[Total KP Earned: +30,000!]

[Multiplier: 10,000x]

[KP Booster: 2x Active]

[Fighter Rank: Rank 3 (9-Star)]

Holden smiled faintly.

Thirty thousand KP.

Not bad for a fight that had barely lasted fifteen seconds.

He dismissed the notification and turned toward the enormous gate.

The massive jawbone towered above him, its pointed teeth locked together. Dark red iron ran through the structure, feeding corrupted energy into the bones.

Holden studied it for a moment.

He could probably open it by destroying the enchantments holding everything together.

Or he could simply break it.

Considering that he was supposed to draw as much attention as possible, the second option seemed more appropriate.

"Well, let’s see how strong this thing is."

He stepped closer to the gate and planted his left foot firmly in the sand.

Then he raised his right leg.

Aether-Steel reinforced his muscles, making his body even tougher as he prepared to strike.

He didn’t activate a special technique.

There was no need.

Holden simply kicked the gate.

BOOOOM!

The impact shook the entire entrance.

For a split second, cracks spread across the jawbone.

Then the structure exploded inward.

CRAAASH!

Huge teeth snapped away from the jaw, while chunks of bone and dark iron flew into the courtyard beyond. The force of the kick tore through the gate, ripping apart the metal connections that had held it together.

A cloud of dust burst outward.

Several pieces of bone crashed against the ground, sending up more red sand.

The noise echoed across the fortress.

BOOM! BOOM!

Even the walls seemed to tremble from the impact.

Behind Holden, the kneeling guard slowly raised his head.

He stared at the destroyed gate.

Then at Holden.

Then back at the gate.

His mouth fell open.

"Monster..." he whispered.

Holden glanced over his shoulder.

"I heard that."

The guard immediately lowered his head again.

Holden shook his head before turning back toward the entrance.

The enormous jawbone was gone.

In its place was a wide opening surrounded by broken teeth and pieces of dark iron.

Beyond it lay the interior of Lord Draven’s fortress.

Holden stepped through.

The courtyard was large, surrounded by towering bone walls and several strange structures built from the same materials. Dark red sand covered most of the ground, while thick iron pipes ran along the walls, carrying blood toward the central tower.

The air inside was even worse than outside.

A heavy smell of blood and decay filled the courtyard, and the corrupted energy was strong enough to make the atmosphere feel uncomfortable.

Holden ignored it.

His Crimson-Ward Ring gave off a faint pulse, protecting him from the surrounding corruption.

He raised his hand.

The Eclipse-Sun Sword appeared from his Inventory.

Its dark blade gleamed as crimson flames began spreading along the edge, giving off a low, steady heat.

Holden looked around.

Most of the courtyard was empty.

At its center stood a raised platform made from bone and dark iron. Several steps led to the top, where a large throne had been placed.

The throne was made from twisted bones, with long, curved pieces rising behind it like horns.

But nobody was sitting on it.

Instead, a tall figure stood beside the throne.

Lord Draven.

Holden recognized him immediately from the photograph Maeve had shown him.

The man was tall and painfully thin, with hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. His skin had taken on an unhealthy grey color, while dark red veins spread across his hands and neck.

But the most disturbing thing about him was his clothing.

It wasn’t made from ordinary fabric.

Thick streams of blood flowed around his body, forming something that resembled a long robe. The liquid moved constantly, sliding over his shoulders and arms before joining together again near his feet.

It looked as though he had wrapped himself in living blood.

Lord Draven slowly raised his head.

His narrow eyes moved from Holden to the enormous hole where the fortress gate had once stood.

Then they returned to Holden.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

The older man’s expression changed.

Surprise appeared first.

Then recognition.

And finally, pure hatred.

"You..."

His voice was thin and rough, almost like he was struggling to force the words out.

Holden rested the Eclipse-Sun Sword against his shoulder.

"Lord Draven, I presume?"

The man’s eyes widened.

"Holden Voss."

Holden smiled.

"Good. Saves me the trouble of introducing myself."

Draven took a slow step forward.

His blood robes rippled around him as dark red energy began rising from his body.

"I know who you are," he hissed. "You’re that filthy boy from the Academy. The one who humiliated my son."

Holden’s smile faded slightly.

"So that’s what this is about."

"What this is about?" Draven repeated, his voice rising. "You ruined my family!"

His skeletal hands tightened into fists.

"Because of you, my son lost everything! His place at the Academy, his reputation, his future! And when the Royal Family fell, the vultures came for what was left of my house!"

Holden watched him without interrupting.

"My allies abandoned me. My family’s name became a joke. Everything I spent years building was taken away!"

Draven’s blood robes began moving faster, thick streams rising around his shoulders.

"And now you have the nerve to come here? To my fortress?"

Holden glanced around the courtyard.

"Nice place, by the way. A little too much bone for my taste."

"YOU DARE MOCK ME?"

The shout echoed across the walls.

Holden looked back at him.

"Your son picked a fight with me and lost. That’s what happened. And whatever happened to your family afterward had nothing to do with me."

Draven’s expression twisted with rage.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"

A powerful wave of corrupted energy burst from his body, sending dust and loose sand across the courtyard.

The blood flowing around him rose into the air, twisting like angry snakes.

Holden remained where he stood.

He could feel the man’s Rank 4 cultivation pressing against the surrounding air, but it wasn’t enough to make him step back.

Draven slowly raised one skeletal hand.

Dark red blood gathered around his fingers, forming long, sharp claws.

His thin lips pulled into a cruel smile.

"You took everything from me, Holden Voss."

The blood claws grew longer, dripping thick red liquid onto the ground.

"And now I’m going to tear your heart out and make you suffer for what you did to my family."