I am the Only Son of Nyx-Chapter 40: The Lion (2)

"Castrate him."

Like all ordinary men, Dorian’s face was drained of all color.

He knew what he was getting into by resisting against Lion, but this wasn’t what he expected.

"Oh, there you go," Lion held Dorian’s softly tapered chin, observing his face as if it were a work of art. "Look at how pretty you are with that makeup of fear on your face. Now, imagine how pretty you can be. I’m sure your Patron God also wanted you to embrace your... gentler side."

"F-Fuck you," Dorian cursed, but it came out weak. "Just kill me, you fucker!"

Lion’s lips curled higher. He took pleasure in this kind of situation.

"Hmm?" He glanced aside to look at Matilda over his shoulder. "What are you standing there for? Did you not hear what I said?" His eyes narrowed sharply. Predatory. Almost like he can smell her hesitation. "Are you really on my side?"

"Wolf doubted you before he died," Snake added. He was standing by the entrance with his arms crossed tightly. "Now, coincidentally, he died along with many of our people. And you somehow survived."

"I have nothing to do with that," Matilda refuted. "Rosaline already testified in support of me."

"Yes," Snake’s eyes trailed back to Dorian. "Then there shouldn’t be a problem for you to do what you’re told. After all, you’re only catering to us and only us, aren’t you?"

Matilda remained silent for a moment.

’Frankly, I thought these two would be harsher on me after the news of Wolf’s death,’ She bit her lower lip hard, knowing exactly what these two were doing. ’They suspected me working with Kai, and this is their way to further the strain between us.’

Just earlier, when Dorian was brought in, some of the students recognized him.

Dorian had raided the mine twice, so some students recognized him.

That alone confirmed that he was the Lesser Angel’s only teammate, which made him quite a valuable hostage when the time came. If words spread around that Matilda was the one who castrated Dorian, Kai would blame her.

It doesn’t matter whether Lion was the one who told her to do it.

After all, healing that part of a man’s body is more complicated than healing a severed limb.

Even the healer in the clinic would need multiple sessions to really heal that part.

And there’s a high chance it won’t be the same ever again.

At that point, there’s no denying the mental toll it would take on Dorian, which would be by her hands. ’But I can’t refuse this,’ Matilda glanced at the red-steel vambrace on Lion’s wrist. ’He has the Fire Aegis. Beating him with it is impossible.’

"Are you going to do it?" Lion’s baritone voice echoed again. He took out a knife and dangled it beside him, gesturing for Matilda to take it. "Or are you not going to do it?"

"I’ll do it," Matilda approached and took the knife.

Lion backed away, watching closely as she knelt before Dorian, eyeing his crotch.

"Shit, shit, shit..." Dorian’s face was already as pale as a sheet of paper. His entire world was crumbling as he watched Matilda’s hand and a knife approaching his crotch. And with each inch, he felt a phantom pain stabbing his shaft. "Don’t fucking do this. Please don’t do this. Don’t!"

Just as her hand was about to pull down his pants, a commotion happened.

Lion, Snake, and Matilda snapped in the direction of the commotion.

For Dorian, it felt like salvation.

Like he was a boxer and was saved by the bell before the finishing blow.

"Team Hyperion?" Lion raised a brow.

Snake walked outside the tent and grabbed the nearest student, asking about what was going on. Then, he came back into the tent with news. "No, it’s only one person," Snake announced. "Maybe it’s him."

"Oh...?" Lion grinned excitedly.

"If it’s really him, then your guess was correct," Snake nodded his head—quite surprised to know that Lion actually guessed correctly. "He might’ve gotten the Blue Gem already, but he wouldn’t take his win without this princess. Assuming his Divine Lock is somewhat of a unique case."

"And that’s why he’s going to die," Lion licked his lips. "Stay here. I’ll deal with him myself."

’Kai?’ Matilda’s brows lifted in surprise, but she quickly dismissed the thought. ’It can’t be him. If it were really him, he wouldn’t draw this much attention. Nobody can even sense him coming.’

Her thoughts were brought back to what had happened earlier.

How Kai easily uses the Awakened Monster to dispatch Wolf and the students with him.

It was a flawless clean-up.

Matilda couldn’t even sense him throughout the entire ordeal, which was quite unsettling.

’Or maybe...’ Her mind raced to another possibility as her gaze settled on Dorian. ’Maybe this is a distraction.’

Not too far away from the main camp, a figure was hiding behind a tree.

"There’ aren’tmany of them left. Is it Kai? He must’ve managed to escape."

Rakha crouched down low and observed silently as students rushed around after he made a slip-up, falling from a tree branch all the way into the bushes. His fall was loud enough that it alerted the remaining students of Team Coeus, who were on high alert.

Ever since the failed ambush, he had been on the run.

He only survived because of his Legacy Imprint: False Evidence. It allowed him to make any inanimate objects into a strong illusory beacon, making anyone who sees it see what they really wanted.

For Team Coeus, the illusion made them see Rakha’s corpse.

In reality, it was nothing more than a big chunk of a broken tree trunk.

But it’s not going to last long. Only a few days, or maybe less. He needed to make use of this window as much as possible.

"Come on, man. Where are you?" Rakha looked around, searching for any sign of Dorian.

He saw how Dorian was captured by Wolf, chased and cornered by the three dogs, so he was quite certain Dorian was kept somewhere in the main base. Since Team Coeus was under the impression that he’s dead, this is the perfect time to make his move.

Being alone right now is incredibly dangerous.

And since he couldn’t find Kai, he had no other choice but to try to rescue Dorian.

No chance of winning if he’s alone.

"I need to get closer," Rakha positioned himself to dash. "I’ll burn the tents to draw them out."

"Are you the Lesser Angel?"

Rakha’s body locked up. The voice came from behind him, and it was close. Close enough to the point his eardrums trembled harder. Instinctively, he spun, checking his six. Nothing. His gaze naturally shot upward at the branches, at the shadows between them, still nothing.

Feeling imminent danger grasping his heart, his breathing quickened.

He didn’t hear it wrong.

Someone was talking to him, but whoever spoke to him hid well.

Or perhaps, the person was already gone.

But that was hopeful thinking.

"You’re panicking," the voice echoed again. "I guess you’re not the Lesser Angel."

’I need to get out of here!’ Rakha’s muscles flexed, intending to dash.

Unfortunately, he was a second too late.

BAM—!

"Heurghh...?!"

At the sound of splintering wood, his body locked up again. But the paralysis didn’t fade this time. It clung to his limbs, his lungs, his throat, and every part of his body. Then came the heat before the pressure.

A dull ache bloomed in his chest, sharpening in seconds to something that stole his breath.

Blood leaked out of his mouth.

Instinctively, he tried covering his mouth, but the blood didn’t stop.

Rakha tried to scream to ease the pain, but his voice had abandoned him.

All he could do was look down.

A fist. Massive, blood-slicked, had punched through the trunk and through him.

Splinters of wood clung to the forearm, buried in his chest. Rakha stared at it, trying to wrap his head around what had happened, until the pain finally caught up. It spread from the hole in his chest to every corner of his falling body.

Once the fist was pulled, his body dropped forward weakly.

Even though there was a hole in his chest, he didn’t instantly die like a normal person.

His vitality kept him alive longer.

Soon, the person who did this emerged from behind the tree. His predatory eyes locked onto Rakha as he knelt down. Without even finishing Rakha off, he began tearing limb after limb using his sharp canine.

Rakha wanted to scream, but he couldn’t earlier, so it was more futile now.

Like a beast that doesn’t know compassion, Lion ate him up, deliberately avoiding his vitals.

Two minutes.

That’s all it takes for Lion to step out of his tent and return with a bloody head in his hand.

"Seems like the others were tricked," Lion tossed the head aside. "That guy was alive."

Snake looked at the head and chuckled, pitying the fool for even coming close to their camp.

Matilda averted her gaze.

Dorian, on the other hand, reacted fiercely at the sight of Rakha’s head.

He strained against the rope binding his wrists, fury burning through his chest. But the fibers held. His body couldn’t break them. It was especially painful as there was blatant fear etched into Rakha’s face.

The terror that had frozen there before the end.

His death hadn’t been quick. It had been slow and painful.

Dorian could only stare and curse Lion and Team Coeus silently inside.

...

Rumble—!

"What in the world is this?!"

Kai was in the middle of a stormy ocean, holding onto a stranded boulder for dear life, as the waves, as well as the violent rain, hammered him from all sides. His nails dug into the boulder as he desperately tried to hold on.

But against the wrath of nature, he felt small. Insignificant.

"Is it even possible to endure this?"

Just moments ago, Kai used fifty usable experience to call out Perion and entered its domain.

Professor Hera made him doubt whether he could take on Lion, so he decided to complete the Ending of Stone before making his move. One last preparation. One last push before he could put this cursed rite behind him.

Upon appearing within its domain, Kai was greeted by a misty stone plain.

It stretched as far as the eye can see.

And Perion? Kai knew that he was gigantic, but his appearance still came as a surprise.

Perion was a thirty-foot stone golem; his arms and legs composed of three to four polished rocks segregated inch by inch. He stood so tall that Kai had to cock his head all the way back just to see his face, where yellow gemstones burned for eyes.

Just his size alone gave him an imposing air of something ancient.

"Perion!" Kai called out the name, louder than his normal voice, feeling a slight strain in his mind from saying it, but not as bad as when he called Noxian aloud. "I have come to get to know you better! May I fully learn your name and complete the Ending of Stone?"

Moments later.

Rumble—!

"I take it back!" Kai shouted again. "Let’s get to know each other more slowly!"