The eting of Demons (2)
Before any of them could speak, Zhao Fan turned his gaze toward Arthur, then toward the young lady and the little boy.
Their eyes t for a single second… and that alone was enough.
Arthur smiled faintly, as though he understood everything without the need for words.
In the next instant, the two of them moved at the sa ti with explosive speed.
Arthur grabbed the young lady and the little boy without hesitation, carrying them both as he dashed after Zhao Fan like an arrow.
"Damn it! You weak bastard! Stop them imdiately!"
The leader of the pursuers roared in fury, waving his hand as his n charged forward at insane speed.
Three guards stepped ahead to block the path, while Zhao Fan and Arthur had already rushed into the forest, getting farther and farther away.
After running quite a distance, two furious voices exploded beside Arthur's ears.
"Damn you, slave! Put down right now!"
"Who do you think you are? Put down imdiately! I'm your master, I order you!"
"Put down now! We have to go back and save the guards!"
The two of them kept shouting endlessly while Arthur continued running without slowing down.
He clenched his jaw, then spoke in a low voice… but it was as sharp as a blade.
"Damn… are you two idiots or sothing?"
A brief silence fell.
"W-What did you say, slave?!"
Arthur stopped abruptly, causing their bodies to shake slightly, then turned toward them with cold eyes.
"First: my na is Arthur. Second: yes, I asked if the two of you are fools."
He continued calmly, yet his voice was filled with mockery:
"You want to go back and fight? With what strength? With these weak bodies? You can't even kill a tied-up chicken… and yet you're thinking of returning?"
He never raised his voice, yet his words pierced their chests rcilessly.
The young lady sighed deeply, then looked at Zhao Fan before turning toward Arthur.
"Zhao Fan… I'm glad you're still alive. But… who is this boy?"
Zhao Fan answered calmly:
"My lady, he's one of the family servants."
Arthur smiled politely and bowed slightly.
"I am Arthur, my lady. It's an honor to et you. Now then… what's your plan, Zhao Fan?"
Zhao Fan looked at him, and a cunning smile appeared on his face before he turned back toward the young lady.
"Is there a nearby place where we can hide?"
She thought for a mont, then answered:
"There's a mist forest west of Black Wind Mountain."
Zhao Fan's eyes glead.
"Good… a perfect place."
Then he spoke decisively:
"Hold your brother and take care of him. Let's go now."
The four of them imdiately moved out.
Zhao Fan led at the front, with the young lady and the little boy in the middle, while Arthur remained at the rear, silently observing everything.
After a short journey, they arrived at a forest wrapped in dense mist, dark and heavy, as though swallowing the light itself.
"This is the Mist Forest. The fog here has existed for many years, and it's difficult for people to enter or leave it."
Arthur examined the place, then spoke calmly:
"An excellent place to set a trap."
Zhao Fan smiled.
"Yes… and I have the thod."
He turned toward the young lady.
"We'll kill that trash here and now. All I need is the Spirit Stone. The hope of the Luo Clan… rests in your hands, my lady."
The young lady lowered her head, anger and contempt toward her own weakness appearing on her face.
She removed the beautiful ring from her finger and tossed it toward Zhao Fan.
Zhao Fan caught it, then quietly entered the mist forest.
Arthur stayed behind them, guarding the two.
The little boy glared at him with hostility.
"I'll teach you a lesson…"
Arthur smiled calmly and looked at him in a way that instantly silenced him.
"Boy… read the situation carefully. You're not in a position where you can threaten even an ant."
He stepped closer, his voice becoming stricter:
"If Zhao Fan cos out of this alive, then you should thank him, not punish him."
Then he added coldly:
"You are now the head of your family. Take responsibility… and grow up."
The two of them fell completely silent.
At that mont, the forest suddenly trembled, and purple magical energy spread through it.
The mist began gathering, twisting, and then… after a few monts, vanished completely.
"I'm done."
The voice ca from behind them.
Zhao Fan had just returned.
"What did you do?" Arthur asked.
"Nothing important… just an ordinary array. What matters is what cos next."
Zhao Fan approached Arthur and spoke to him in an extrely low voice.
Arthur smiled, then took the thin red thread from his hand and departed without another word.
---
After so ti…
"You bastard! Kill now, or I'll kill you and avenge everyone!"
"Oh, Pang Tong… you truly are an idiot."
One of the n laughed disdainfully.
"And why would I kill you, when I can use you as a bargaining chip? That young lady… is foolish enough."
"You damned bastard! You plan to threaten the young lady?!"
The group had entered the forest, taking Pang Tong hostage to guide them along the correct path.
Suddenly, they noticed soone standing beneath a tree.
"You there! Bastard! Where is your mistress?!"
The man in front stepped closer, glaring at Arthur.
Arthur smiled calmly.
"I'm here to make a deal."
"What deal?"
"I'll hand over the three who escaped. And all I want in return… is my life."
The man paused for a mont.
"And why should I believe you'd betray the Luo Clan?"
Arthur chuckled lightly.
"Didn't you betray them first? That's simply how life works, my friend."
Then he added coldly:
"If I remain with the Luo Clan, I won't survive. And I… quite enjoy staying alive."
He raised his hand and revealed the thin red thread.
"The three of them are unconscious inside the forest. And I'm the only one who can reach them."
The man stared at him, then burst into laughter.
"Fine… you have a deal. Tell your na first, boy."
"Narin… Arthur Narin."
Everyone moved behind him and entered the forest.
After a while…
Arthur suddenly stopped.
"Why did you stop? Are we there?"
Arthur slowly turned around, his eyes gleaming with deadly coldness.
"Yes… we've arrived."
Then he spoke in a terrifyingly calm tone:
"This is the place… where you die."
In the next instant, the man lunged at him.
But Arthur disappeared.
And within seconds, the mist began wrapping around them once more… inch by inch… until it swallowed everything.
None of them could see his body… nor even sense where he was.
The fog was so dense that it robbed them of their sense of existence itself.
Then—
A loud, sharp, horrifying scream echoed from the depths of the mist.
Bodies stiffened in place, and sweat poured endlessly from everyone's foreheads.
This was not ordinary fear…
It was pure terror.
Fear of the unknown.
That fear which strikes both body and heart at once, without the need for a weapon or a visible enemy.
The unknown had always been humanity's greatest fear.
Not death…
Nor power…
Nor monsters…
Nor even demons.
Humans could eventually adapt to all those things.
But the unknown?
It would forever remain the deepest… cruelest fear.
The mist began to change.
Its pale gray color shifted into a dark crimson, the color of blood and madness.
Then—
Mad, hysterical laughter exploded through the area:
"Ha… ha… ha… ha… ha… ha… ha…"
"Everyone… will die here and now!"
The voice was powerful, filled with madness and brutality, as though it ca from a being incapable of rcy.
The red mist suddenly moved, shaping itself into dark fog monsters, distorted and without clear features.
The first creature rushed toward one of the n…
and in a single mont, devoured him completely.
No scream… no remains… no trace.
Then the second…
then the third…
It continued at terrifying speed until only one man remained.
He raised his trembling head and scread in a voice torn apart by fear and pain:
"W-Who are you bastards?!"
From the distance, Zhao Fan appeared, a cold smile spread across his face.
"Go to hell… and ask its ruler. Perhaps he'll know."
Another voice answered, calm yet even more terrifying:
"Ah… Zhao Fan… even the ruler of hell wouldn't know."
At that mont, Zhao Fan and Arthur smiled simultaneously.
Two calm… demonic smiles.
Then they laughed softly, devoid of even a trace of rcy.
Zhao Fan raised his hand and drew a complex array beneath his feet.
The souls began screaming as they were forcibly dragged into his body.
Arthur quickly stepped back and silently watched.
Zhao Fan's body ignited with a powerful light, and his magical energy surged violently.
He was breaking through realms one after another, consuming souls without hesitation.
After only a few seconds…
Zhao Fan sighed and smiled faintly.
He raised his hand, and the red mist vanished instantly, as though it had never existed.
"You bastard… you beca stronger in only a few seconds."
Arthur said it calmly.
Zhao Fan smiled without comnting and looked around.
Everyone reappeared.
Their eyes were wide and their faces pale, while Zhao Fan and Arthur stood there speaking calmly… as though nothing had happened.
Pang Tong stepped toward them, then dropped to one knee before Arthur.
"I deeply apologize for doubting you, brother. I was reckless and failed to realize you were trying to deceive the enemy. If you wish to punish … even if you want my life… it is yours."
Zhao Fan looked at him calmly, recalling what had happened.
As for Arthur, he smiled gently and placed a hand on Pang's shoulder.
"Don't worry, brother. Everyone here was simply trying to protect the young lady and the little boy. No one is at fault."
Zhao Fan smiled as he looked at Arthur, then asked:
"Now that we've dealt with the bandit problem… what will you all do?"
Pang Tong scratched his head before answering:
"Originally, we were escorting the young lady and the little boy to the Tai Clan. As you know… the young lady has a marriage arrangent with the young master of the Tai Clan."
Arthur sighed quietly, uninterested in the details of "young masters" and "lords."
anwhile, Zhao Fan smiled as he looked toward the road ahead.
"Well then… let's head to the Tai Clan and see what happens."
---
After walking for so ti, everyone finally arrived at Feng Lin City.
Most of them looked at the city with admiration and joy—
except Zhao Fan and Arthur.
In their eyes…
the city was nothing more than a small village compared to what they had seen before.
The little boy, the young lady, and Pang Tong stepped ahead to shop while waiting for the Tai Clan.
anwhile, Arthur and Zhao Fan continued walking alone.
Arthur glanced at his torn clothes, then at Zhao Fan's garnts, which were not in much better condition.
Arthur took out so money from storage. (As always, Arthur's wealth automatically converted into the currency of the world he was currently in.)
He pointed toward a nearby clothing shop.
The two entered and changed out of their worn-out clothes.
Zhao Fan walked out smiling, dressed in new red and gray robes.
As for Arthur…
he was finally happy.
He wore an elegant black kimono he had searched for endlessly in Kim Dokja's world without success.
He tied his long hair behind his head and placed the Weapon King's Bracelet around his wrist.
He had already stored away his black weapon, as he always preferred fighting with that bracelet.
The two moved forward.
Zhao Fan looked at Arthur and spoke sincerely:
"Thank you."
Arthur smiled.
"There's no need for that, brother. You saved earlier in the mist forest. We're in this together."
Zhao Fan smiled, and the two continued walking.
Suddenly, they heard the sounds of a nearby argunt.
"This jewel of yours is fake, bastard!"
"What do you an? Of course it's real!"
The two exchanged a quick glance.
Zhao Fan's eyes glead with interest.
Arthur smiled calmly, then said:
"Let's go… and take a look."
---
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