"Geisha, listen."
"Using my na, you must want everyone you love to die, kid?" Geisha stated, unleashing even more pressure while having a sinister smile.
Aren kept up the front, keeping his head up, face calm, despite the turmoil that he was facing inside. He drew a deep breath.
"I’ll offer myself to you, but you have to do sothing for first," he said.
Geisha frowned. "Do sothing for you? You really believe you stand in the position to negotiate? Don’t make angry," Geisha warned.
Aren felt the pressure rising, but he kept himself strong. He looked at Geisha. "Inside currently, I have set an ability that will destroy my soul in fractions of a second, and destroy this body as well. If you don’t hear my condition, this body will be gone, and you can never have it," Aren stated.
"Aren," Aiden called out in worry, but Aren ignored him, focusing on Geisha.
Geisha looked at Aren, that sa smile still resting on his face.
"And how do I know what you’re saying is true?" Geisha asked calmly. "You could be bluffing in order to force to give you what you want."
He began descending slowly from the air.
"That being said," Geisha continued, landing right in front of Aren, "I can move fast enough to stop you before you self-destruct."
The pressure around him intensified.
Aren subconsciously took a step back.
Geisha’s eyes imdiately dropped to Aren’s feet.
A smirk curved on his lips before he looked back up at Aren.
Aren forced himself to steady his breathing. He kept his expression calm.
"But you’re not sure how I would do it," Aren replied evenly. "You’re not sure what thod I’d use. It could be sothing unstoppable once triggered."
He held Geisha’s gaze.
"So are you willing to take that risk?"
In reality, Aren had nothing prepared. No suicide thod. No hidden trump card. He didn’t want to die.
But right now, the only thing that mattered was getting the others out safely.
Even if he tried to escape alone, their presence here would only beco leverage against him.
Geisha stared at him for a long mont.
Then he spoke.
"Fine. I’ll humor you. What do you want?"
Internally, Aren released a breath of relief.
His bluff had worked.
"I want you to allow my friends to leave without touching a single one of them," Aren said steadily. "Help them break a hole through the barrier. Once they’re outside, you can do whatever you want with ."
Behind him, Aiden and the others tried to interrupt, but Aren ignored them.
"Are you willing to take the deal?" he asked.
Geisha frowned slightly.
"And what if," Geisha said slowly, "I deal with you first, then chase them afterward?"
"You won’t," Aren replied imdiately.
Geisha’s brow lifted.
"I may not know much about dragons," Aren continued, "but I know one thing. Dragons stand on their pride, no matter what kind of dragon they are. Pride matters to you."
He didn’t waver.
"You won’t give your word and then go back on it."
Silence hung in the air.
Then Geisha smiled.
"Fine."
He folded his arms.
"I’m not accepting because I fear your threat. I could stop you no matter what you attempt."
His eyes glead.
"But since you are willing to offer yourself for their lives, I’ll honor that. I’ll let them go."
Aren turned toward the group.
"You guys need to leave," he said firmly.
They stared at him in disbelief.
"You can’t be serious," Aiden said.
Aren shook his head. "Now isn’t the ti for you to start this, Aiden. I need all of you to trust my decision and leave now.
We don’t stand the slightest chance against a being like Geisha," Aren said.
"I’m right here, you know," Geisha said.
Zero looked at Aren. She frowned, but then gathered herself. "Let’s go," she said.
"Zero?" Aiden called out to her, shocked that Zero would say that.
"What? He is trying to get us out alive. You want to throw away his efforts?" she said, looking right at Aiden. She knew that Aiden would rather die than leave, so she winked at him, signaling to him.
Aiden froze. He wanted to speak, but then went silent. He took a few steps away. "Fine, do what you want," he said and started walking off.
Kira stared at him for a few solid seconds. She had a lot to say, but she turned around and left as well. Soon, everyone was walking off.
"Hmmm, you sacrifice your life for them, yet they walk away like you were nothing to them," Geisha said.
"Don’t talk to . Simply open the barrier and let them out, then you can have ."
Geisha smiled, then pointed his finger at the barrier. A terrifying force ripped through the air and slamd into the barrier, ripping it open by force.
The group walked toward it, leaving Aren there.
Aren turned to face Geisha, head down. "You’ve done your part," he said.
"Indeed, and now ti for you to do your part, kid," Geisha said. He walked forward and stood in front of Aren.
"If you had lived long enough, I’m sure your strength would have surpassed that War God, and that’s another reason why I can’t allow you to keep growing. You possess too great a potential.
Instead, I’ll take your body and use it. Isn’t that better? You’ll beco part of sothing greater very soon, and through my eyes, you’ll watch the whole world burn," Geisha explained.
"Spare the crap, just do what you have to," Aren said.
"Hmm, fine kid. Goodbye," Geisha replied. He lifted his hand, moving it to place on Aren’s shoulder. Everything seed to move in slow motion. Aren looked at that hand like it was the end of him.
The hand finally reached the shoulder, but it went through, passing through the body like it wasn’t there.
"What?" Geisha was stunned, eyes widened
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