Legacy of Hatred

Lucas and Troy had gotten stronger in the past seven months. Rather than heavier, the two swordsmen had gotten sharper, deadlier, their auras gaining unique, distinct traits.

Troy’s whole being looked somewhat silent, but also unstable, as if containing a mass of violence ready to burst outward.

Meanwhile, Lucas’ aura was in disarray, but also perfectly under control. It was wild but tamed, like a suppressed version of the Primal Urge.

There were also the two ominous swords to consider, but Liam outshone all that. Actually, considering his nature, it was more accurate to say that he cast a shadow so murky his opponents couldn’t stand out.

Honestly, Lucas and Troy had no idea how to face that murkiness. They were elites among elites at that point in their journey. Few rooting experts in the Kingdom could hope to be their match, but they felt completely outclassed nonetheless.

The two swordsmen had reached the peak their cultivation stage could offer, but Liam felt beyond them in ways that shouldn’t be possible. After all, the branching stage was supposed to be the only superior step at that point.

Truth was, no one in the world knew how strong Liam currently was, not even Grace. He had never gone all-out since his training period in the battle cages, and there was simply no way anyone could predict his prowess.

Even the most generous estimates couldn’t take Liam into account. He existed in a world of his own, one he had thoroughly maximized.

"Elder Ray told us to stop you," Lucas explained, his playful confidence nowhere to be seen, replaced by sharp sternness.

Liam had never expected the escape to go smoothly. Dealing with powerful forces implied greater precautions, and the two swordsmen’s presence likely fell in that category.

That could sound unnecessary with all the secrecy inside the battle cages, but preparing for every potential issue was standard practice. Also, chances were Smiling Blade was worried the underground structure might have failed to hide the chaos on the surface.

The focus around Liam even made sense. If he had truly been one of the main reasons behind that all-out attack, the criminal forces were betting on the fact that he would help them recoup their losses.

Of course, as reasonable as all that was, Liam only cared about what that meant for Lucas and Troy. He genuinely viewed them as friends. He even felt indebted to them after what had happened with Grace, but returning to the underground prison was out of the question.

Compromises were fine as long as there were mutual benefits, but the battle cages had become a limit months ago. Reaching the branching stage was Liam and Grace’s next step, and they couldn’t achieve it with the ongoing suppression.

The border could still have some uses, but staying in one place for too long was dangerous, especially after how famous Liam had become. Besides, the branching stage would demand greater resources, meaning richer areas, which the current location just wasn’t.

It was time to reset the slate and continue the journey toward the monsters Liam and Grace had set out to slay, but Lucas and Troy now stood in their way, and they weren’t opponents he could hold back against.

Liam couldn’t even risk wasting time in such a volatile situation. Delays would allow additional precautions to arrive. He had to get past the two swordsmen, and he had to do it quickly, and there was only one way of doing that.

In the past, Liam would have hesitated, but not now. It was a sad affair, but he had to prioritize getting stronger and providing for Grace, even if that meant taking lives he would have preferred to spare.

At most, Liam would add Smiling Blade to his list. He was the true culprit behind that predicament, so Liam would make him pay eventually.

Still, as soon as Liam took a step forward, Lucas’ stern face broke into a smirk.

"If we felt like it," Lucas continued, accompanied by a nod from Troy.

The tension in the air immediately vanished. Liam’s hair and robe stopped fluttering at the black Qi’s disappearance. He even wore a smile of his own.

"It seems I won’t have to kill Smiling Blade," Liam exclaimed, approaching the two.

"Were you going to avenge us?" Lucas gasped playfully, also walking toward Liam. "Unreasonable Brother, I’m touched."

The practice wasn’t customary in the cultivation world, but Liam followed Lucas’ suit, exchanging a handshake by clasping each other’s forearms.

"You should know my beloved’s character by now," Grace chuckled, joining the gathering. "You helped the one he loves the most. Neither of us will forget that as long as we live."

"Ah, Sister Grace, well met," Lucas exclaimed, breaking the handshake. "You’d be far less scary if you didn’t make our deaths about Brother Liam loving you."

"Where are you headed?" Troy asked, also joining the gathering, his face as emotionless as always.

"The northern region," Liam explained. "How’s the situation in that direction?"

"There is an all-out attack on the righteous forces," Lucas revealed. "With battles on both borders."

The righteous forces occupied the border’s edges, so the battles in those locations would act as barriers.

"But you sure learned about it quickly," Lucas continued. "It’s barely a few days since things started. The battles have yet to reach their climax."

Lucas was rightfully assuming that Liam and Grace had learned about the ongoing chaos, but that was the limit of what they knew.

"Is there a safe path?" Liam asked.

"Everyone is still deploying experts," Lucas shook his head. "You’ll get spotted no matter what."

Liam and Grace were truly famous by then, and it was unclear what their flimsy cover in the battle cages had achieved. Considering Lucas’ following question, not much.

"Is Senior Demoness going to help?" Lucas wondered.

The mention of the Demoness proved how much the world knew. The two swordsmen might have special access to information due to their Sect, but Liam felt the alternative to be more likely.

’Everyone probably knows that I’m White Mask,’ Liam accepted. ’Nothing happened simply because we were under the battle cages’ protection.’

The discovery was hardly surprising, and neither Liam nor Grace had ever truly bet on the fact that a mask and some black paint would have hidden his identity.

As for the Demoness, Liam hadn’t attended more private lessons, but he felt he could speak on her stance.

"She won’t," Liam declared. "She isn’t that kind of Senior."

Truth was, the Demoness’ teaching method was quite hands-off. Even what she planned to teach had little to do with actual techniques.

Much was just Liam’s conjecture, but he believed the Demoness mostly wanted to be a Master in terms of stance toward life. Liam’s ability to mimic her technique had surprised her. However, she only cared that he put his physical strength to use and had the right mindset when opposing the Kingdom.

It was nothing more than wanting to give pointers to a rooting expert who had caught the Demoness’ interest. Since Liam was already there for the most part, she had called herself satisfied after a single lesson.

There were still the rank 3 ingredients to settle. Liam had sensed the Demoness’ presence in the battle cages in the last month, and he had amassed victories with the greatsword, but that reward had yet to arrive, and leaving suddenly might make him lose it.

Still, freedom was paramount. If Liam ended up losing on that reward, so be it. Besides, he felt he had already obtained a lot from that random meeting.

"What do you say?" Lucas asked, glancing at his companion. "Should we see our unlikely allies out before joining the fun?"

Troy didn’t reply. He nodded at Liam before turning north, letting go of his blue sword to jump and float on it.

"Come on," Lucas urged, also jumping on his black sword. "If we are lucky, we’ll get you two out of the border before some angry branching expert decides we are worth their time."

Liam and Grace didn’t hesitate to set out on the fan to follow after the two swordsmen, but it soon became clear how accurate their concerns were.

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