Chapter 188: I Will Go!
Chapter 188
Then something moved inside the crater. It was followed closely after, with a slender hand covered with dirt slowly grabbing the edge.
Alex dug his fingers into the broken earth, and pulled himself upward, despite the fact that his entire body currently hurt like hell. His body was trembling. Blood covered his lips. Most of his clothes were in a sorry state, and hiis breathing was ragged, since every draw of breath felt like tiny microscopic needles stabbing into his lungs.Yet he slowly climbed out.
Even though Alex felt like outrightly giving up, and going back to his cozy bed at home, he couldn’t do that. As long as there was still a breath of life in his chest, he wouldn’t give up. No matter what!
Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
Even Lucian’s normally relaxed expression disappeared.
Captain Morgan’s eyes widened.
Though the Supreme Grand Marshal had not even used a significant portion of his strength, the attack would most definitely have knocked out any Ascendant Realm Awakened unconscious!
The handsome young man in front of her was really a tenacious young man. Even after that powerful attack he was still refusing to give up. In a way she began to develop a sense of respect for him.
Nyx’s father, who had already begun moving away, stopped walking. For the very first time since the confrontation began, the contempt in his eyes disappeared. It was replaced by something else. Respect? Though it was faint and almost impossible to notice, it was still there.
As a soldier who had spent his entire life witnessing people break under pressure, Caelan understood something very well.
Power could be cultivated. Talent could be trained. But willpower... willpower was something else entirely. And this young man standing in front of him had an absurd amount of it.
But he slowly shook his head and slowly continued walking toward Alex.
As Nyx watched her father approach the battered man who was doing all this for her. She felt touched but at the same time she knew that look.
She knew exactly what her father was intending to do next.
Her hands slowly clenched into fists. She could no longer allow this to continue any longer. If it went on, Alex would definitely die today. And though she hated to admit it, she didn’t want anything bad happening to him.
Wasn’t it only going back to the Von Aurelian’s family Island? she would go there as long as nothing happened to him.
"Stop!"
Caelan didn’t stop.
Nyx’s amber eyes hardened.
"I will go."
Nyx stared directly at her father, her expression cold but her voice carrying a trace of unwillingness.
"I will follow you back to the Von Aurelian main family’s island. Isn’t that what you wanted?" Her fists remained tightly clenched. "Just leave him alone, Caelan Von Aurelian."
Caelan’s footsteps finally stopped.
For several seconds, the entire estate remained completely silent. All wondering whether they were hearing things right.
Nyx stood there with both fists clenched tightly at her sides, her amber eyes fixed firmly on her father. She hated all this. She hated being forced into this situation. She hated that after everything the Von Aurelian family had done to her, she was now the one surrendering.
But she didn’t really know why she hated the thought of watching Alex die.
Caelan slowly turned his head toward her, with his stern expression remaining unchanged.
"Have you really made your decision?"
Nyx’s jaw tightened.
"Yes I have." Her voice was cold, but there was a barely noticeable tremble hidden beneath it. "I’ll return to the main family’s island."
Caelan studied her for several seconds before his gaze shifted toward Alex, who was still standing at the edge of the crater. Caelan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then he looked back at his daughter and said,
"Very well."
Alex stared at Nyx in disbelief. For a moment, he couldn’t even process what he had just heard.
She was really going back with them.
After everything the so-called Von Aurelian family had done to her, after being thrown away with nothing but the clothes on her back, she had finally agreed to return to the very place she hated.
Nyx met his gaze calmly.
Her face remained as cold and composed as ever, but Alex knew her all too well by now. He could see the complicated mix of emotions hidden behind those seemingly cold amber eyes of hers. There was reluctance, sadness, worry, and something else that he couldn’t really tell.
Yet she was doing everything she could to hide it.
Alex’s system suddenly began chiming inside his mind.
[Ding! +15 Desire Energy Gained From Nyx.]
[Ding! +25 Desire Points Gained From Nyx.]
[Ding! +20 Desire Energy Gained From Nyx.]
[Ding! +30 Desire Points Gained From Nyx.]
[Ding! +10 Desire Energy Gained From Jade.]
[Ding! +15 Desire Points Gained From Jade.]
[Ding! +20 Desire Energy Gained From Doris.]
[Ding! +25 Desire Points Gained From Doris.]
Normally, Alex would have immediately checked his status to see how many Desire Energies and Points he had gained. But this time, he didn’t even pay attention.
His entire focus was solely on Nyx.
Nyx slowly turned toward her father.
"Can you please give me a little time to talk with him before Jade and I follow you?"
Caelan stared at her for several seconds. Then he glanced at the ruined estate and finally nodded.
"I’ll give you only ten minutes tops." His voice remained calm and authoritative. "After that, we leave."
Nyx nodded.
"I understand. Thank you Father."
Caelan turned away immediately and addressed his people.
"Prepare the convoy. We will be leaving after exactly ten minutes."
"Sir yes sir!"
The soldiers sharply responded and then moved without any hesitation.
Nyx then walked toward Alex.
She didn’t say anything until they had moved far enough away from the others that their conversation couldn’t easily be overheard. Jade and Doris remained nearby, giving them privacy while still keeping watch over their surroundings.
Once they stopped, Nyx slowly raised both hands and stiffly touched Alex’s cheeks. It was something she had never done for anyone else in her entire life.
"I’m sorry. If it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t have gotten this badly injured."
Alex smiled despite the pain. He didn’t want her blaming herself.
"Don’t apologize." He gently placed his hands over hers. "You didn’t do anything wrong."
Nyx stared at him but didn’t say anything. Alex’s smile gradually disappeared as he hurriedly pleaded.
"Please don’t go."
The words came out much more desperately than he had intended.
"I don’t know why, but I have a really bad feeling about all this."
His voice became lower.
"Something about all of this feels wrong. Your grandfather suddenly changing his mind, your father coming here personally, and now you’re being taken back to the same family that tossed you out, without them telling you the exact reason why they want you back especially."
Alex shook his head.
"I don’t trust it."
Nyx gave him a sad smile.
"I think I know why. But you know I can’t stay."
Alex’s expression tightened.
"This is the only way for now."
"Why?"
Nyx hesitated.
"I have an idea why Grandfather suddenly wants me back."
Alex immediately became attentive.
"What is it?"
"It’s related to another Great Family."
Her expression became slightly more serious.
"I don’t know all the details yet, but I’m almost certain that whatever is happening is connected to them. That’s probably why Grandfather suddenly changed his mind."
Alex’s brows furrowed.
"Another Great Family..."
Nyx nodded.
"Exactly."
She paused before continuing.
"That’s also why I don’t want you coming after us recklessly."
Alex frowned.
"I’m not going to just sit here if I find out you’re in danger. Especially now that you are pregnant with our child."
"I know..." She looked toward Doris. "As I leave for the family’s island, I’ll leave Doris here with you."
Alex immediately shook his head.
"No. Doris should go with you."
"It’s not really necessary. Besides, she has more important tasks here."
"It is very necessary. You need someone to protect both you and the baby while you’re out there." His eyes moved briefly toward her stomach. "If something happens, Doris can help you."
Nyx shook her head.
"You’ll definitely need her help here. Aside from being my bodyguard, Doris is also very good at managing a business, so she’ll be able to assist you with looking after the companies and my personal faction after I’m gone."
"Besides, isn’t Jade also following me back to the old family house." Her gaze shifted toward her younger sister. "She’ll be more than capable of protecting me."
Then a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"And I have my twin brother too."
Alex sighed.
He knew there was no point arguing.
Still, something inside him continued screaming that he shouldn’t let her go.
He opened his mouth.
"Nyx, I—"
"Time’s up."
Caelan’s deep voice suddenly came from behind them.
Alex’s expression darkened. He hadn’t even realized how quickly ten minutes had passed.
Nyx closed her eyes briefly before taking one final look at him.
"I have to go."
Alex remained silent. She then looked at him deeply before adding quietly.
"Take care of yourself."
"You too."
Nyx pulled away. Then she turned and walked toward Jade.
Doris remained behind.
Her normally emotionless face carried a faint sadness as she watched Nyx walk away.
"Come on, Doris," Nyx said softly.
Doris looked at Alex.
For a moment, she seemed reluctant to leave.
But Nyx had already made her decision.
"Please stay with him, and help look over my companies and faction, okay?"
Doris hesitated before nodding her head.
"But... sigh! Yes, Boss."
The convoy began moving.
Alex stood there silently as the vehicles slowly disappeared into the distance.
It was until when the final vehicle had vanished from sight, that was when he felt something inside him finally break.
Alex felt his legs give out, and he dropped onto one knee, with his knuckles clenched so tight that blood began to spill from them.
Weak! He felt so damn weak. If he had been stronger, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place. If he had been stronger, Nyx wouldn’t have needed to surrender. If he had been stronger, his child wouldn’t have been taken away from him.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
He lowered his head.
"Why am I still this weak?"
Doris watched him silently. Alex slowly stood back up, with his face twisted in frustration.
Then he looked toward the heavens that seemed to mock him, and roared out at the top of his lungs like a wounded beast.
"AAAAAAARGH!"
His powerful voice shook the surrounding estate.
Then raising his fist, he didn’t even think twice before slamming it into the earth with all his strength.
BOOOOOOOOOOM! At that exact instant, the hard ground exploded beneath his fist, and a massive crater more than a hundred meters wide and forty meters deep formed instantly, with enormous cracks spreading outward across the face of the earth.
A powerful shockwave erupted in every direction, tearing through the surrounding landscape and sending clouds of dust high into the sky.
The entire ground trembled, as an earthquake-like vibration spread across the surrounding area, strong enough to be felt for more than a kilometer.
But Alex wasn’t finished. He raised his fist and struck again in blind rage, wanting to vent this enormous rage and hatred for being so pathetic and weak.
BOOOOOOOOOOM! Another violent tremor shook the estate, this one even more violent than the last. But Alex didn’t care about any of that, he continued to vent his rage, blow after blow.
Every punch drove his fist deeper into the earth, causing the already massive crater to collapse further as the surrounding ground cracked apart.
The tremors became increasingly violent, to the point that several already damaged buildings around the estate, which had survived the tremor from Caelan’s attack, began collapsing one after another.
Doris watched silently as Alex continued punching the ground. She wanted to stop him but didn’t know how to. Finally, Alex stopped.
He stood in the center of the enormous crater, breathing heavily as dust slowly drifted around him.
Then he lowered his head and caught sight of his bloodied hands. He was expecting the pain in his bloodied hands to bother him, but compared to the excruciating pain in his chest, it was nothing.