I am the Only Son of Nyx-Chapter 39: The Lion (1)

Kai bolted out of the premises as soon as he got the Permafrost Gloves.

He was still worried that the East Keeper would come after him, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case. Taking shelter under the canopy of a massive tree, Kai placed his back against it and panted heavily, scanning the area for any possible threat.

No wrong in really making sure that he was in the clear.

Once he waited for five minutes straight and sensed nothing, he finally breathed in relief.

And he realized that the sun had already set, replaced by the night.

"That was nerve-wracking," He muttered inwardly.

Frankly, his plan was only to use the woman to make the East Keeper toss the enchanted gear outside of the arena. He has no intention of actually harming the woman unless it’s necessary. But when he broke her leg, he realized his mistake.

In that second, he sensed immense killing intent coming from the East Keeper.

One that shot a chill down his spine.

Kai thought that the two of them were only colleagues, but his hostility indicated something more. He had taken into account whether the East Keeper would care about the woman, but he didn’t think it would go that far.

Had he hurt the woman more or even killed her, the East Keeper would’ve discarded all rules.

He could feel that the second the woman died, he’d die, too.

Fortunately, the East Keeper’s fear for her safety overrides his pride.

Shaking his head, Kai focused on the gloves again and instantly put them on. The Permafrost Gloves are a pair of deep-blue combat gloves with steel shells covering the knuckles. A chilling air oozed out of them every time Kai made a move.

A grade-1 enchanted gear isn’t only enhanced with mana, but also has an elemental affinity.

Its elemental affinity is second-rate, and it has no origin, so the power output was drastically reduced, but it was still far superior to a grade-0 enchanted gear. For comparison, multiple Supernals are required in order to take down an Awakened Monster.

However, it would only require two—or even one Supernal with a grade-1 enchanted gear to match an Awakened Monster.

Getting one’s hand on a grade-1 enchanted gear is extremely difficult.

Back on the surface, he has seen on the news that a collector purchased a broken-down grade-1 enchanted gear for one million dollars. Such an astronomical price tag for a grade-1 enchanted gear that can’t be used anymore is insane.

And now, Kai could tell why.

"If I had these when I was fighting Wolf for the first time, I would’ve cut him in half without a doubt," He nodded, pleased that the Permafrost Gloves are perfect for him. "Lion has the Fire Aegis. I don’t know what it does, but from the name, it should be a protective armor of some sort. These gloves would put us on an equal playing field."

Clank—!

Kai drew his knife and got into his battle stance in an instant.

He looked around, searching for where the sound came from, and saw a metal sphere on the ground that wasn’t there before. Carefully, he approached it and realized there was a note that was stamped on it.

And the person who wrote it has beautiful handwriting.

It was easy to recognize that it was Professor Hera from the handwriting alone.

"Good luck...?" Kai read the note aloud and frowned. Then, he continued reading the rest of the note, "The rite is an opportunity to change your fate for good. Don’t solely focus on taking vengeance. Think bigger. This is a make-or-break for you." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Hmm," He rubbed his chin, contemplating what she said. "I don’t know what she was trying to insinuate, but she could’ve told this to me directly. Odd for her to send me this. Don’t tell me she’s also getting cold feet like me."

Kai snorted.

Just the prospect of fighting Lion made him sweat, but it’s something he must do.

Professor Hera must’ve felt the same unease.

After all, she has her own agenda, and she wanted him to survive this rite.

Since it was from Professor Heral, Kai took the metal sphere, and it opened with the sound of sharp wind seeping from the cracks. Inside is a small capsule, which was one of the items that was written on her note.

It was the Overdrive Pill.

Despite only needing common ingredients, concocting the pill is hard to do.

Upon eating it, the Supernal would experience a temporary boost in mana and raw strength.

However, it came with a cost. It has the side-effect of stimulating the Supernal’s nerve endings, heightening pain sensitivity. Every ache, every wound, every scream of nerves would feel just a little more while it worked.

Not something for daily use, but could certainly save one’s life at the right moment.

Most mainly used this when near-death, right when the adrenaline was at its highest.

"If Professor Hera is watching me and still gives me this, does that mean Lion is still that much stronger compared to me?" Kai pocketed the pill and tossed the metal case away. "Or maybe he also has tricks up his sleeves provided by his professor."

Just an hour ago, Kai was confident in his own strength to beat Lion.

Now, not so much.

Even though Kai had taken out quite a few of the students from Team Coeus, it doesn’t matter much as long as Lion is still around. There are still students who were taken in as hostages, and every second meant every second of pain and suffering for them.

He wanted to take Lion out quickly, but that doesn’t seem to be a bright idea.

In the end, if I fall, then the suffering will never end.

Kai gritted his teeth. He climbed a tree, activated the Nigh-Phantom imprint, and settled into a cross-legged position. Reluctance made it hard for him to shut his eyes, but he did anyway, and then steadied his breath.

One more day, and he would come for them.

One more day, and Team Coeus will be food to the House of Night.

More importantly, he needs to find Dorian.

If Dorian is alive, then Lion would also be hunting him.

"Deep Slumber..."

...

"Eughh..."

Dorian groaned. His head felt really heavy, like it weighed a ton, and was pulling his entire body down to the ground. He tried opening his eyes and was greeted by a blurry world where lights blended together, blinding him.

He tried raising his hand, but couldn’t.

Seems like his hands are tied behind him tightly.

Around him, there were muffled groans that seeped into his ears. He looked to the side and saw that there was another person. Everything was still blurry, no matter how much he blinked his eyes to clear the fog, but the person should be lying on the ground.

"Who are you?" Dorian asked through a dry throat.

All he got in return was a muffled groan.

"I’m asking, who the fuck are you?!" He asked again, louder this time. "Answer me, punk!"

Splash—!

Out of nowhere, someone splashed water onto his face.

Dorian shook his head to get rid of the water drenching his face. But the water helped clear his vision. And when he could see properly again, his eyes widened, and his mouth was forced to suck in a cold breath.

Before him, the person to whom he was asking his questions was another student.

He was beaten to a pulp—blood masking what features remained, ropes biting into what was left of his limbs. Several of those limbs were simply... gone. But the physical damage wasn’t what struck Dorian hardest.

It was the student’s eyes. Staring ahead. Empty. Completely helpless in the situation.

And it wasn’t only him.

Dorian swept his gaze around and realized he was inside a tent. There are three students in total, and all of them were in a similar condition. Their limbs weren’t severed cleanly. The rough edges made it seem like they were chewed.

Just then, the sound of someone placing down something metallic snapped him back to reality.

He turned and saw a familiar figure—Matilda.

"You damn bitch!" Dorian roared—eyes widening in anger. "I knew you were a cheap bitch, but to do something like this? You’re a Supernal of Athena, how the fuck are you going to face her after doing this?!"

Matilda didn’t answer.

She simply sat down on the side and avoided eye contact.

Dorian wanted to curse more, but a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

"It’s not her who did this." The heavy baritone voice froze Dorian completely. "It was me."

He didn’t need to turn to know the person behind him.

The presence was unmistakable—a weight in the air, a pressure against the skin, the sense of something large and hungry filling the space where a man should stand. He had never seen this person before, but he knew for certain the person behind him could only be one student.

The Lion.

At that realization, Dorian forced down his saliva down his dry throat.

"For a lady, your mouth sure is dirty," Lion said as he walked around Dorian.

He stood before Dorian, letting his shadow drown the hostage completely.

Dorian stiffly looked up.

Lion is massive, broad-shouldered, and thick-necked. He moved with the heavy air of a beat who had never known the need to flee. His hair fell in a wild, unkempt mane of brown and gold, framing features sharper than a human’s.

His eyes burned amber-gold, feral and luminous.

As they fixated on Dorian, he felt the weight of a gaze that had watched prey die many times.

And worse, the eyes enjoyed the sight.

Lion’s reputation precedes him. He does everything he wants to everyone. Friend or foe. He ate what he killed. Tortured others when he wanted. And used everyone as if they were all born to be used for his amusement.

Somewhere along the way, the beast inside him overthrew the human.

He smiled then, slow and wide. Teeth just slightly too pointed.

"But I do like the temper," Lion said. "It’s more savory to break it down first."

"Sadly for you, I’m not a fucking girl," Dorian barked, spitting to the side. "Is that how you like it?" He glanced to the sides, at the students sprawled around the tent. All of them have one similar feature, being smaller than normal. "Small and weak? Is that your kink?"

"You are right. Small—and weak. That’s the most delicious," Lion squatted down. His frame moved slowly, like it weighed a mountain. "But you’re wrong about one thing. I don’t care if it’s a guy or a girl. Both of them can scream, right?"

Dorian’s heart pounded inside his chest.

Even though he put on a brave front, he was scared inside.

"Then again, since you’re so pretty, it’s a shame that you’re a guy. But we can fix that." Lion’s lips sliced his face into a sadistic grin as his eyes traced down to Dorian’s crotch. "Matilda, prepare him for me. Castrate him."