Chapter 70: The Arrival of the Crimson Abyss Sect Master
The Arrival of the Crimson Abyss Sect Master
"This Sword Emperor Victor not only possesses Sword Intent capable of splitting the heavens..."
"...he also commands divine abilities that defy all reason."
The swordsman’s gaze lingered upon the Eternal Multicolored Soul Wine Grail resting within Victor’s hand.
Even from such a great distance...
He could feel the terrifying fluctuations emanating from the Heavenly-Rank treasure.
The surrounding laws of heaven and earth seemed to bend around it.
It was as though reincarnation itself had taken physical form.
The swordsman smiled bitterly.
"The intelligence gathered by the sect claimed that Victor had only recently stepped into the Astral Manifestation Realm after years of secluded cultivation."
He slowly shook his head.
"A cultivator capable of wielding such profound divine power..."
"...could never be judged by ordinary cultivation realms."
Even experts of the Stellar Sovereign Realm...
Might not possess such incomprehensible methods.
He silently reached a conclusion.
"It seems..."
"...even if I fail to recruit Damien Salvatore..."
"...I absolutely must not become an enemy of the Salvatore Family."
Originally, he had traveled from the Evergreen Sword Pavilion solely because of Damien.
A thirteen-year-old who had already comprehended Sword Intent.
Such talent was almost unheard of.
His original plan had been simple.
Observe from the shadows.
If the Salvatore Family encountered danger...
He would intervene at the perfect moment.
By helping them survive the crisis, he hoped to earn enough goodwill to recruit Damien into The Evergreen Sword Pavilion.
Unfortunately...
Reality had unfolded very differently.
Instead of saving the Salvatore Family...
He had watched the Crimson Abyss Sect repeatedly throw themselves toward destruction.
He slowly emptied his cup.
"I came here to witness a genius..."
"...yet I have instead witnessed a legend."
At that very moment...
A deafening roar suddenly erupted from beyond the distant horizon.
"HAHAHAHA!!"
"WHO DARES OFFEND MY CRIMSON ABYSS SECT?!"
"The SALVATORE FAMILY IS FINISHED—"
The booming laughter rolled across the heavens like thunder.
An immense sea of blood surged through the sky.
Crimson mist covered the horizon.
Its overwhelming pressure caused the clouds themselves to retreat.
Standing upon that ocean of blood...
Was a middle-aged man wearing luxurious crimson robes.
His eyes burned like fresh blood.
His aura was incomparably tyrannical.
The Sect Master of the Crimson Abyss Sect—
Louis Redweed.
He had expected to witness exactly what always followed whenever his sect descended upon an enemy.
Mountains of corpses.
Rivers of blood.
The terrified expressions of countless people kneeling before the authority of the Crimson Abyss Sect.
He had imagined himself arriving only after his elders had completed their work.
Instead...
The words caught in his throat.
His triumphant laughter abruptly stopped.
The blood beneath his feet nearly dispersed.
His pupils contracted violently.
The scene before him...
Made his entire body turn ice-cold.
The five elders of his sect...
Were hanging in the sky.
They exploded into blood.
Returned to life.
Exploded again.
Revived once more.
Over...
And over...
And over again.
Each resurrection was followed immediately by another horrifying death.
Their desperate screams echoed endlessly across the city.
"No!!"
"Please!!"
"Kill us forever!!"
"I don’t want to come back!!"
"Sect Master!!"
"Save us!!"
The horrifying spectacle made Louis Redweed’s scalp go numb.
An emotion he had not experienced for centuries quietly surfaced from the depths of his heart.
Fear.
Pure...
Primal...
Fear.
Without the slightest hesitation...
He turned around.
His only thought was escape.
"Run!"
"Get away from this place!"
"As far away as possible!"
But the moment he turned—
His breathing stopped.
Standing silently before him...
Without anyone noticing when he had appeared...
Was Victor.
His shoulder-length black hair drifted gently in the breeze.
Golden eyes looked calmly into Louis’ own.
The black robe embroidered with magnificent golden dragons fluttered softly.
Every movement carried an indescribable nobility.
The surrounding space rippled slightly simply because of his presence.
Louis instinctively took a step backward.
Cold sweat instantly soaked his robes.
His voice trembled.
"Y-You..."
"...you’re not in the Astral Manifestation Realm..."
Victor’s lips curved into a faint smile.
"The Crimson Abyss Sect..."
"You certainly possess an impressive reputation."
His calm words carried neither anger nor excitement.
That only made them more terrifying.
Louis’ mind raced frantically.
"The intelligence was wrong!"
"Completely wrong!"
"Whoever sold us that information deserves to die!"
He immediately forced a flattering smile onto his face.
"S-Sword Emperor Victor..."
"This..."
"...this is all a misunderstanding."
"My Crimson Abyss Sect is willing to offer compensation."
Victor quietly looked at him.
"Compensation?"
A glimmer of hope appeared within Louis’ eyes.
"Good..."
"As long as he’s willing to negotiate..."
"Once I survive today..."
"I’ll return with the sect’s true foundation..."
"Then the Salvatore Family will disappear forever."
Suppressing every trace of hatred within his heart, Louis bowed even lower.
"Name your price, Sword Emperor Victor."
"As long as it is within my power..."
"My Crimson Abyss Sect will satisfy your every request."
Victor smiled.
"A reasonable proposal."
The smile had barely appeared...
When Victor suddenly vanished.
Louis’ pupils shrank.
Before he could react...
Victor was already standing directly before him.
An overwhelming pressure descended from every direction.
Louis roared and immediately summoned his treasured weapon.
But Victor didn’t even glance at it.
He simply reached out.
His fingers closed around the treasure.
Crack!
The Mysterious-Rank artifact shattered instantly.
It crumbled into dust between Victor’s fingers as though it had been made from dry clay.
Louis’ face turned deathly pale.
"M-Monster..."
That single word had only just escaped his lips...
When Victor’s hand reached his neck.
Victor’s calm voice echoed beside his ear.
"Compensation..."
"...for allowing your disciples to insult the Salvatore Family..."
"...for spying upon my clan..."
"...for plotting against one of my branch families..."
Those were the final words Louis Redweed ever heard.
His eyes widened.
"When..."
"When did I ever personally plot against your branch family...?"
That unanswered question became his final thought.
Victor’s fingers tightened.
With one effortless motion...
He tore Louis Redweed’s head cleanly from his shoulders.
Blood sprayed across the heavens.
The Sect Master’s lifeless body slowly fell from the sky.
Victor looked down at the corpse with complete indifference.
Then spoke the final sentence that echoed throughout Aurelia City.
"Your life..."
"...and the entire Crimson Abyss Sect..."
"...will be the price."