Chapter 374: The devil you know
Chapter 374: The devil you know
Eugene knew that his men were untrustworthy. Probably many actively resented him, too. After all, that power difference was something he had enforced by hoarding most resources for himself.
Nevertheless, the Axe Brigade also offered some security, both in the cultivation world in general and in that specific political environment. If Eugene’s men had better places to be, they would have never stuck around.
The invaders had provided a chance to change things around there, but they had also shown a complete disregard for the place and the Brigade.
Moreover, as the saying went, better the devil you knew than the devil you didn’t.
Besides, Eugene’s shout had a secondary purpose. The boyfriend reacted poorly when his woman was involved. No matter how real it was, the danger was bound to shift Liam’s priorities, which Eugene could exploit.
The axe had brought Eugene high in the sky. He was actually still rising, but he couldn’t fly. He would eventually fall in an easily predictable spot, leaving him defenseless for quite a large window.
Yet, as predicted, Liam disregarded Eugene entirely, his face snapping toward Grace.
That reprehensible behavior had always been a possibility. Neither Grace nor Liam had ever trusted Eugene to stay true to his words. If anything, bringing him outside the underground chamber had already fulfilled their goals.
Which was why Grace hadn’t gotten too close to the encirclement, but it was still there, and it could be concerning.
The cultivators on the hill’s peak probably didn’t make up the entirety of the Axe Brigade, but they had to be the majority. The encirclement featured nine rooting experts and almost twenty in the foundation stage.
Strength in numbers was relative in the cultivation world, but it didn’t just disappear.
The fan hovering above Grace’s shoulder claimed a fair number of hesitant looks, acting as a perfect deterrent. Ganging up on her might work, but lives were bound to be lost in the process, especially among the first to move.
So, no one in the encirclement wanted to start what was supposed to be a joint charge until Eugene’s angry voice resounded again. "Move now, or I’ll kill you later!"
Eugene’s antics were known to the Brigade. Killing was a viable punishment, so one rooting expert moved, and that started an unstoppable chain reaction.
The entire encirclement converged on Grace, who looked unbothered by the event, her cold eyes slowly moving over the incoming crowd.
Naturally, since Eugene had no worthwhile movement techniques, his men didn’t, either. Cultivators were still fast, but nowhere close to a rank 3 weapon or peers with proper martial arts.
Liam was also already moving toward Grace. He was the closest to her and the fastest on the scene. He would reach her first without needing martial arts, but his mind almost went blank when he heard a booming noise.
The whistling, the distant parting of air, and a sixth sense Liam couldn’t explain painted a complete picture, and the world in his vision became blurry before he could even consider what he was doing.
The ground exploded in four different spots in clouds of black Qi. Thunder struck four times, followed by a clanging noise.
The only ones who could somehow follow the event were Grace and Eugene. The latter had a privileged position in the air, while Grace saw the blur passing right in front of her.
Liam was a few meters to Grace’s left, his right arm lowered, his knuckles bleeding. A huge metal harpoon lay at his feet, its arrowhead bent oddly, a patch of blood staining the significant dent.
Grace had to suppress a sigh at what the scene caused inside her. Liam always acted like that, even when she had riled him up.
Still, the Brigade was almost upon Grace at that point, so she mentally recorded that additional debt Liam owed her while focusing on the threat.
"The leader," Grace muttered, believing Liam would understand the message, while summoning a series of items from her space-ring.
The fan darted forward, cutting through the closest rooting expert’s crossed arms as if they were butter, severing them to reach for his chest.
Meanwhile, six rank 2 flying swords finished materializing around Grace and shot at the incoming cultivators, each targeting a different rooting expert.
Liam didn’t know how Grace could handle six magical items without suffering from brain damage. She even surpassed Julian in that regard since she was dealing with multiple opponents without breaking a sweat.
Still, part of Liam also saw that as obvious due to how smart Grace was. Besides, he had other priorities. She wanted him to deal with the leader, which he would, but he had to take care of something else first.
The white ring obtained in the inheritance allowed instantaneous summoning, making it perfect for battle and solving many of Liam’s problems.
As Liam’s cultivation level increased, so did the intensity of his battles. Things like quivers or clothes rarely survived such clashes, making carrying arrows or pills difficult.
Of course, the Qi offered a passive layer of protection, but Liam rarely engaged in fair fights. Out of choice or need, he always went against the odds, surpassing what his sheer energy could handle.
The black Qi might be an exception, but the white ring solved the issue altogether. Liam didn’t need to carry weapons on his person anymore since the storage item enabled an equally fast draw.
The Black Bow materialized in Liam’s right hand while his left hand was already pulling its string. Eugene’s remaining eye widened at that sight. He had just begun to fall, basically making him a sitting duck, but Liam didn’t aim at him.
A dark, ethereal arrow materialized on the string, and Liam instantly fired it down the hill. He didn’t know the exact location, but, as long as he pulled with enough strength, his bolt would follow the harpoon’s trajectory to its source.
Eugene heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the ethereal arrow fly elsewhere. Now that he knew about the bow, he added weight to his axe. He had planned to return to the ground only after everything became messy enough for him to rejoin the battle safely, but that wasn’t an option anymore.
Yet, something that seemed to defy the laws of physics unfolded. Liam didn’t look up. He kept checking the inbound encirclement, but he had already lifted his bow.
The next and last thing Eugene saw was a dark arrow pierce his left eye.