Chapter 204: Killing Engine (1)

Chapter 204

"I knew that was his plan, Sys," Liyu said, his tone calm and completely composed without even the slightest trace of surprise in his voice: "And trust me, this guy picked the wrong person to use such a dirty strategy on and try to assassinate. No matter what, I will make sure I end his life in this match."

Liyu was a very vengeful person. That was simply the way he was, always operating on one simple principle when dealing with his enemies... pay them back in their own coin.

No, even that wasn’t entirely right, because Liyu didn’t simply pay his enemies back in their own coin; he paid them back with interest, and that interest, to say the least, would usually be double, maybe even triple. That was just how vengeful Liyu could be.

If someone merely offended him, perhaps he could let it slide depending on the situation, but if someone actually tried to take his life and had gone as far as becoming a genuine threat to his existence?

Then Liyu would make absolutely certain that he was the one who ended that person’s life. He wouldn’t allow such an enemy to continue existing.

The system’s voice rang clearly inside his mind:

[Host, I am worried about your safety.]

[The person you are facing is not only extremely powerful, but he also seems to be exceptionally talented at scheming.]

[He might have some hidden card that he is relying on and believes will be enough to help him secure victory against you.]

Liyu’s expression didn’t change, his voice remaining just as calm and resolute as before: "Don’t worry, Sys. I have my own cards to play, and without a doubt, I will bring Shi Tian’s life to an end."

The system remained silent. From the way Liyu was speaking, it was more than certain that he had already made his decision, and once Liyu made up his mind about something, convincing him otherwise was almost impossible.

After all, Liyu was a prideful and stubborn fellow, and once he decided that something had to be done, even the system itself would have a hard time changing his mind. There was little point in continuing to argue, so the system did what it believed was the right thing and decided to let Liyu proceed with his plan.

[Host, be careful.]

Those were the system’s final words before it went silent. Liyu gave a small nod. He wasn’t planning to die to Shi Tian... no, that bastard was going to be the one who died beneath his claws, with no other outcome in Liyu’s mind.

Meanwhile, Li San was still trying to talk Liyu out of the death match. The argument stretched on for several minutes as Li San tried everything he could think of, explaining the danger, reminding Liyu of how overwhelming Shi Tian had been only moments ago, and pointing out that the death match would remove the final safety net that existed between them.

But no matter what he said, Liyu’s mind didn’t change, his decision remaining firm.

Eventually, after a long while, Li San could only relent, letting out a heavy sigh before looking seriously at Liyu: "If things start to turn dire, just call for help. I will come rushing to your aid, okay?"

Liyu nodded with a small smile: "Okay."

With that, Li San finally vanished from the place, leaving Elder Ting alone with the two young men.

Meanwhile, Shi Gubing had also returned to his seat, his legs still feeling rather weak after almost being killed by Li San.

If Elder Ting hadn’t interfered at that exact moment, Shi Gubing would only exist in people’s memories by now.

But what was even worse was that he now believed he had been played and manipulated by his own son... well, that wouldn’t exactly be the first time the brat had tried something like that.

Still, Shi Gubing was quite pleased with the way things had turned out, because now that the match had been changed into a death match, it could only mean one thing: Shi Tian must have perceived Liyu as a genuine threat, likely deciding that Liyu needed to be eliminated before he had the chance to grow further and eventually become a true problem in the eyes of the Shi Clan.

Just as expected from the Shi Devil. He was simply too cunning, too calculating, and far too efficient. Since Shi Tian had willingly taken the step of turning this match into a death match, he must have been absolutely confident in his own ability to end Liyu’s life right here and now.

Shi Gubing’s lips slowly curled into a dark smile: *Kill him for me. Kill him before he becomes a problem.* That was his only thought.

Meanwhile, back on the stage, Elder Ting turned to face Shi Tian, his gaze remaining calm as he studied the young man for a moment before finally asking a question: "Is a death match okay with you?" His voice was clear and low, carrying throughout the quiet arena.

Shi Tian’s answer came almost instantly: "Yes."

It was short, simple, and carried the same emotionless quality as every other word he had spoken tonight. There wasn’t hesitation. There wasn’t fear. There wasn’t excitement. Nothing.

It was as if the prospect of fighting a battle where his own life could be lost meant absolutely nothing to him.

Elder Ting looked between the two young men for another moment, then nodded: "Okay, then." His voice suddenly became louder, spreading throughout the entire arena:

"It is assigned. This match will be different from all the ones before it." Elder Ting’s gaze swept across the countless spectators before returning to the two figures standing opposite one another: "The final match of the Tournament Of.The Great Clans... will be a death match between the heir of the Li Clan and the heir of the Shi Clan."

The winner would be decided by two things. The first would be the fact that either side could still surrender when things became too dire, though surrendering would come with a price: when one side surrendered, the winner would be given the right to name whatever they wanted from the loser’s clan, and the losing clan would be required to provide it.

This was a rule Elder Ting had decided to add himself, because after all, he had been against this death match from the very beginning and didn’t agree with allowing two young geniuses to risk their lives like this... especially when one of them had already nearly been killed once.

But since the two kids insisted on having their match this way, Elder Ting wasn’t going to simply allow them to have an easy way out: if they wanted a death match, then there had to be consequences even for the person who surrendered.

The second way the match could end should have been obvious from the name itself: death. Killing was allowed. The one who died would lose, and the one who remained alive at the end would become the sole winner of the entire Selection Tournament, awarded not only the title but also all five Golden Tokens.

Elder Ting’s gaze swept over the two young men before him: "Do both sides understand the terms of the death match?"

Liyu nodded. Shi Tian nodded as well.

Elder Ting gave a small nod in return: "Good."

With that, his figure vanished from the stage, and the referee immediately stepped forward. It was time to start the final match once again.

The referee took a deep breath before reintroducing the two young men to the crowd, though this time, his introduction carried far more weight: "This time around, the final match of this grand Tournament of the Three Great Clans... will be a death match between the Honored One... and the Devil!"

The moment those words rang out, murmurs immediately broke loose from the crowd. Some were shocked by the news, some were thrilled, and others were outright terrified. Most of them had never witnessed a death match before, but even without having seen one personally, they could understand exactly what kind of battle this was going to be.

And when the referee began recounting the rules Elder Ting had established, his voice carrying clearly into every corner of the arena, the gazes of countless spectators changed drastically.

The two conditions were undoubtedly brutal, but at the same time, they made the match fair: neither side could simply forfeit and expect to walk away completely unscathed.

No, if they surrendered, they would still have to pay a price, as the winner would be allowed to demand something from their clan, and their clan would have no choice but to provide it. It was risky... very risky. What if the winner demanded their entire wealth?

What if they demanded one of their most valuable treasures? What if they demanded something even more precious? There was no guarantee that the demand would be reasonable. But no matter how they looked at it, it was still better than dying. At least, that was what most people thought.

"Isn’t this insane?" someone from the crowd whispered, his voice low as he leaned toward the friend beside him. "Why did the match suddenly become a death match? And why did it happen at the very end?"

His friend simply shrugged, not seeming nearly as bothered by it: "No. I love it this way. A death match would be much more thrilling to spectate, after all. And it makes the bet I placed on Shi Tian far more worth it."

His friend frowned: "And what gives you the hope that Shi Tian is going to win this?"

He looked at him as if the answer should have been obvious: "Are you blind? Or have you not been following the last battle? Because if you have, then you should be able to see just how frail and weak the Honored One is before the Devil."

The murmurs continued. Across the entire arena, the crowd was simultaneously thrilled, shocked, terrified, and filled with anticipation, everyone wanting to know how this death match would play out: Who would fall?

Who would remain standing? Would the so-called Honored One finally reach his limit? Or would the Devil once again prove why he had earned such a terrifying name?

Meanwhile, at the seat of the Shi Clan... Shi Lan, Shi Yuan, and Shi Meng collapsed onto their knees, their gazes filled with horror, their bodies trembling, as if something inside them had shattered completely.

They had come so close... so incredibly close... to being saved. They had almost escaped. They had almost been able to live without being killed by their own crazy clan heir.

And now... everything had been ruined. If only Liyu hadn’t been such a crazy bastard and called for a death match. If only he had simply listened to his uncle. If only he had supported Li San’s decision and allowed Shi Tian to be disqualified. Then they would have been safe, wouldn’t have had to fear for their lives anymore.

But now... Shi Tian’s warning echoed through their minds again and again: "If any of you fail to win your match... count yourself dead. Because I will be killing you myself."

Those were the words haunting them now. They had all heard them, and they all understood that Shi Tian wasn’t the kind of person to make an empty threat, remaining more than certain of one thing: Shi Tian was a merciless freak, a cold-blooded killer.

The number of people who had fallen beneath his blade was almost impossible to count, and there was a reason he was called the Devil of the Shi Clan.

The story behind how he earned that name wasn’t some ridiculous joke or exaggerated tale created merely to increase the prestige and horror surrounding him... no, the truth was far more terrifying, being the story of a child who had spent the entirety of his birthday causing an endless massacre across several villages.

And the most horrifying part? He had been barely ten years old. Ten.

At an age when most children were still innocent enough to laugh and play without understanding the true meaning of death, Shi Tian had slaughtered countless lives with nothing but coldness in his eyes, showing no hesitation, no fear, no remorse, nothing.

So whenever Shi Lan, Shi Yuan, and Shi Meng remembered that Shi Tian had already been killing since he was around seven years old, their hearts couldn’t help but tremble, knowing he had only grown colder since then... more efficient, more terrifying, eventually becoming what the clan members privately called a Killing Engine.

He was simply too efficient at killing, so much so that most of the dirty work and dangerous tasks assigned to the clan were handled by him alone. He didn’t need allies. He didn’t need companions.

Because those who allied themselves with him rarely ever returned, and whenever someone asked what had happened to them, Shi Tian’s response was always the same... cold, emotionless, and without even the slightest trace of guilt: "I killed them."

And if they asked why? His answer was just as simple: "They were weak. Too weak."

That was Shi Tian. And that was precisely why every member of the Shi Clan looked up to him as their role model, because after all, he was a genius unlike anything the clan had ever produced... a prodigy that no other younger generation member could even dream of approaching, forgetting surpassing him when most couldn’t even come close to his shadow.

He was the epitome of perfection when it came to talent, a monster born with an ability to fight, calculate, and kill that was almost impossible to comprehend.

And now, that monster was standing on the stage, facing Liyu in a death match.