Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 92: Fear

There was nothing left to do or attempt. Liam had his back against the wall, the huge, triangular head hovering in front of him, and that immense, coiled body everywhere else. Escape paths didn’t exist anymore.

Moreover, the magical beast’s mere breath had dispersed Melissa’s cloaking technique, removing the only advantage Liam could exploit in that situation.

It didn’t take a genius to understand how that would end. Liam didn’t even need to rely on his hunting experience to reach the only possible conclusion. He and Melissa were dead.

And time stretched in those tense moments, at least in Liam’s perspective. Mere seconds began to last entire eternities in his mind, allowing countless thoughts to run freely.

The only mistake Liam could see was in the fact that he had decided to venture on that mission. He hadn’t needed to face such dangers so soon. He could have spent months or even years improving inside the safety of the Sect instead of risking his life.

Yet, that idea crumbled as quickly as it came, and not only due to previous conclusions. Deadly threats could arrive at any time, but that situation featured something far more specific and tangible.

Even if Liam had another year of training under his belt, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to defeat that snake. He honestly couldn’t imagine himself becoming as strong as something that could rival the Elders.

Besides, Liam had prepared as well as he could have for a foundation expert. His four victims proved as much. It was like his Master had said. Luck might have played a role, but Liam had to blame the fact that he wasn’t good enough to overcome those odds.

And, thinking about the Alchemy Elder’s words made Liam consider his entire speech, especially the part about regret, which could point to another mistake.

If dangers were unavoidable in the cultivation journey, Liam could have simply avoided joining it. As impossible as it sounded, he could have put his hatred aside, continuing to live a simpler life in Krosstoen’s mountain.

However, that idea also crumbled. Mortals weren’t exempt from dangers. Liam knew that far too well. Moreover, he had simply sought what was fair to him for the most part, and results had arrived.

Liam’s path had been bloody even before he decided to follow Crazy Uncle, since it had started with his family’s corpses. Still, pursuing it with active ambition and desire rather than empty sadness had led to a radical change that the current situation forced him to realize.

The hovering reptilian head was pressing Liam against the rocky wall, but there was someone else there. Melissa was behind him, and he was still protecting her.

Despite the pointless action, Liam was acting as a barrier between the magical beast and Melissa, just like his family had done with him when the Bloodline Screening’s butchers came to test him.

Of course, Liam had already done something similar with Lucy, but his current situation felt more emblematic. He was literally shielding Melissa with his body in what was nothing short of a suicidal stance, and the experience was incredibly cathartic.

’I’m finally protecting,’ Liam realized, and a sense of peace spread inside him.

It might have taken Liam over ten years. He might have had to survive terrible, cruel experiences. He might even have learned to accept a conflicting mindset as his new norm, but he had finally done it.

Liam might have become someone who had no qualms about killing and saw it as a useful tool to pursue his desires, but that price felt worthy now. After all, he had finally switched places, becoming the protector he wished he could have been for his family.

’Right,’ Liam recalled. ’I gave it my all and lived life my way, so I have to laugh now.’

Laughing on command wasn’t really something Liam could do. He barely knew how to do that naturally. The mountain had been a poor teacher of social constructs, so the best he could do was smile.

Still, be it out of internal peace or desire to stick to the Alchemy Elder’s teachings in those last moments, Liam forced himself to find something funny enough to make him laugh.

"To think I’m going to get eaten by a snake again," Liam chuckled. "Couldn’t the Heavens have shown me a dragon at least?"

Obviously, the magical beast paid Liam’s words no heed. His laugh carried no meaning for the snake anyway, and its forked tongue escaped its mouth again, flickering directly in his face. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

That was nothing more than the calm before the storm, a mere last step to check a prey before the inevitable final blow. Yet, the snake smelled far more than it had bargained for in that natural act.

Something that spoke directly to the core of the magical beast’s bloodline touched its sensitive tongue and filled it with bottomless dread. The snake’s Qi-enhanced senses felt the shadow of an impossibly grand ancestor inside that tiny figure, and reason left the equation.

Magical beasts possessed traces of intelligence, but their basic instincts remained strong in ways that humans couldn’t relate to. It didn’t matter whether Liam was actually a threat. The huge snake sensed the immense inferiority of its own very being, leading to a basic response.

The reptilian head abruptly snapped back in fear and released a terrified hiss before darting away, slithering over the hall in a hurry to reach the stone passage.

The instinctive panic even made the snake miss the passage, slamming on its edge, only for its head to carve a hole through it so that it could enter the path.

And, Liam and Melissa could only watch speechlessly as the magical beast’s huge body disappeared inside the stone passage, leaving them more stunned than facing that creature directly ever could.

’Did it smell my bloodline?’ Liam wondered, connecting dots only he could know about, ready to resume running, before movement from behind him distracted him from those thoughts.

Melissa had grown beyond tense during that face-off, and the snake’s departure relaxed completely, making her slump over Liam’s shoulder while clinging tightly to his neck.

And Liam couldn’t help but think about Cyrus at the sight of that golden head. Liam recalled how reassuring it felt when Cyrus patted him, so he did the same for Melissa, knowing that the face-off couldn’t have been easy on her.

Truth be told, part of that patting felt aimed at Liam himself. In that situation, Melissa almost represented his old self, which he reassured using her as a proxy.

After all, Liam finally felt like he had overcome the cowardice from ten years ago. Now, he had his weakness and helplessness to fix next.

Melissa lifted her head at that reassuring touch. Golden strands fell over her emotionless face, but Liam’s genuine smile still broadened in her vision. It was even close enough to feel somewhat magnetic, almost drawing her closer to it.

Nevertheless, Liam suddenly turned his head to the ceiling, and Melissa soon heard why. Squeaking noises began to come out from the holes there, quickly drawing close to the hall.

The bats were coming, signaling that Liam and Melissa’s lives weren’t safe yet.