The Heaven-Cursed Costs Life, But I Have Infinite Life-Chapter 43: Killing a Stage 5 Ascetic, Theron
"Truly cunning!"
Allen sneered. His eyes locked onto the fleeing Lysander as he shouted, "Clayton, stop that old bastard!"
Cassian was already heavily injured and far weaker. While Clayton and his Shadow Guard couldn’t kill him outright, they could easily keep him pinned down.
Clayton finally snapped out of his shock. He never expected Allen to actually take down both Cassian and Lysander and drive them to such a desperate state.
"Good!"
He answered eagerly and charged straight at Cassian without hesitation.
Allen pursued Lysander with full force. Countless flashes of blade energy surrounded him, determined to tear the old man apart.
"Damn it!"
Lysander was furious and helpless.
He had no way to hit Allen. The younger man was hidden within the wind, completely impossible to track. The only way to counter him was with a wide-range area attack to force him out or interrupt his rhythm.
But both Lysander and Cassian were melee Class fighters; they lacked any area-of-effect attacks. They were completely outmatched by Allen.
"Damn it! Why are you just standing there? Attack!" he barked at the Bright Knights guarding him.
They hesitated, exchanging a glance, but eventually gritted their teeth and charged forward.
Thwack...
"Ahhh!"
A piercing scream echoed through the air. These Bright Knights were weak and fell instantly, torn apart by the cold blade energy as blood sprayed everywhere.
Yet, Allen didn’t stop. He kept chasing Lysander relentlessly.
Lysander was now a mess of wounds, and one of his arms was completely missing.
"Boy! I am an Ascetic of the Church of Light! If you kill me, they won’t let you live!"
Lysander was truly terrified. Feeling the threat of death, he tried to threaten Allen with the power of the Church of Light.
"Hmph. Do you think the Church of Light would spare me if I let you live?"
Allen scoffed. He didn’t know the exact reason, but he was certain the Church of Light had marked him. There would be no peace between them until one of them was dead.
"Damn you!"
Lysander screamed in fury. A slice of his scalp was sheared off, and blood poured down, leaving him on the brink of death.
"Die!"
Allen’s voice was cold. He unleashed his Tempest Slash at full power.
Lysander was swallowed by an endless storm of cold blades. A final, angry voice echoed out: "Boy, the Light Pope will never forgive you..."
The voice cut off abruptly. The blade energy surged, a mist of blood filled the air, and Lysander’s body was shredded, collapsing into a pool of blood, lifeless.
Allen’s form materialized. Once he confirmed the old man was dead, his gaze shifted to the other battlefield.
There, Cassian was being swarmed by Clayton and a dozen Shadow Guards. He looked a desperate mess, hanging by a thread as he fought for his life.
He had already been injured by Allen’s sneak attack and then severely wounded in the recent fight. He was no match for the Shadow Guard anymore.
"Move! Leave this old bastard to me!"
Allen flashed forward, charging into the fray and swinging his blade straight at Cassian.
Boom!
Cassian spat a mouthful of blood, flew backward, and crashed heavily onto the ground.
Allen didn’t strike the killing blow. Instead, he walked over slowly and asked curiously, "Do you know who my father is?"
"Huh?"
Cassian paused, struggling to sit up on the ground. He looked at Allen with suspicion. "You don’t know who your father is?"
"Right." Allen quickly realized the truth and sneered coldly. "When you were born, that madman was already dead. You’re just an unwanted bastard nobody wants!"
Allen’s frown deepened, his expression freezing. "If you want to suffer less, answer my question properly!"
"Hah!" Cassian laughed arrogantly. "Want to know? Beg me!"
"Fuck you!" Allen snapped in anger and kicked him hard in the face.
Bang!
Cassian flew backward again, vomiting blood. The few remaining teeth were knocked out.
Allen pressed his Saber against Cassian’s neck. "One last chance. Speak!" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
"Heh." Cassian laughed coldly and sneered, "Boy, the Church of Light won’t spare you. You’re dead anyway."
With that, he slammed his head directly onto the Saber.
Thwack!
Allen couldn’t react in time. The blade pierced straight through his neck, killing him instantly.
"Tough guy," Allen muttered. He frowned and kicked Cassian’s corpse away.
He was curious about his own origins. It seemed Lucas knew, but simply refused to tell him.
The Church of Light attacking him wasn’t just because of the secret in his blood; it had something to do with his lineage too.
"Mr. Allen, are you alright?" Clayton rushed over. Even as he stared at the lifeless body of Cassian on the ground, he still found it hard to believe what had just happened.
Allen wasn’t doing so well himself. His body was covered in wounds, especially the four bloody holes on his chest. They were deep enough to see the bone, and the heartbeat seemed visible inside.
"It’s fine," Allen said, wiping the blood from his lips. These injuries weren’t a threat to him.
"Mr. Allen, what do we do next?"
Clayton asked. He was still stunned. Allen was only Stage 2, hadn’t even broken through to Stage 3, yet he had just killed a Stage 5 Ascetic by skipping levels. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed it.
"Continue spreading the news to lure out the other two Stage 6 masters," Allen said. "Will you and your men be able to save the Lucas City Lord and Lilia then?"
"Yes," Clayton nodded firmly. But then he looked worried. "Can you actually handle a Stage 6 master?"
"I can stall them for a while," Allen admitted. "If we save the City Lord and Lilia, the three of us fighting together should be able to kill a Stage 6 master." He wasn’t entirely sure, but he had seen Lucas’s strength. Lucas could hold his own against a Stage 6 master.
If Lucas held one of them off, Allen and Lilia combined should be enough to kill the other.
"By the way, give me your water canteen," Allen said, pointing to the canteen at Clayton’s waist.
Clayton didn’t ask questions. He unhooked the canteen and handed it over.
Allen emptied it, then painfully sliced his wrist. His blood flowed into the canteen.
Lucas and Lilia were already injured, their strength diminished. They needed to recover quickly, and Allen’s blood was the best healing potion for them.
Soon, the canteen was full. Allen’s face looked even paler. He handed the canteen back to Clayton and instructed, "Give this to the City Lord and Lilia later. They know how to use it."
"Yes," Clayton took it quickly. He felt even more respect for Allen and hesitated before asking, "Sir, should I try to wound you again, like before?"
"You want my life?" Allen glared at him. Was this idiot really treating him like an Immortal?
Allen could heal as long as the injuries weren’t fatal, but it took time.
Clayton smiled awkwardly and explained, "I wasn’t thinking that you’d... I mean, if I wound someone first, would they act like you did?"
Allen understood his plan. "The same trick won’t work twice. Plus, a sneak attack on a Stage 6 master might not succeed. Anyway, spread the news and go save them first."
"Yes."
Clayton answered respectfully. After a brief hesitation, he left four Shadow Guards behind to watch over Allen in secret. Then, leading the rest of his men, he rode back into the city to spread the news and prepare for the rescue of Lucas and his daughter.
...
Clayton’s plan worked perfectly. When Lucian and the others heard that Cassian and Lysander were dead, they flew into a rage. Immediately, they took Theron and Evander, two Stage 6 Ascetics, and marched out of the city to hunt down Allen for revenge.
Outside the forest,
Allen sat cross-legged, pouring all his energy into the Art of Immortality to heal his wounds.
"Sir, they’re here." A Shadow Guard spotted the Church of Light approaching and whispered a warning.
Allen opened his eyes and nodded. "Stay out of this. Stay far away and don’t let them find you."
"Yes, sir. Be careful." The Shadow Guard, already knowing just how terrifying Allen’s power was, realized he could be of no help. He gave a final warning and vanished into the deep woods.
Clippety-clop...
The sound of hooves thundered through the air. A large group galloped toward them. There were over three hundred of them; the Church of Light had sent almost their entire force to deal with Allen.
Allen eyed them curiously. There was a young man, two weathered old men, and a Priest trailing behind.
The young man leading them looked to be Allen’s age. With golden hair and blue eyes, he carried an air of supreme arrogance. He must be Lucian.
Lucian looked down at the dead bodies of Cassian and Lysander on the ground. His face turned dark and he sneered, "Kid, killing people from the Church of Light is one thing, but staying here without running? Are you ignorant or just stupid?"
Allen smiled calmly. He stood up, stretching his stiff body, and replied coolly, "Is it possible that I have enough confidence to kill all of you?"
"Arrogant!"
Lucian roared in anger, yanking his longsword from his waist to attack. However, the old man beside him grabbed his arm to stop him.
"This kid is the Heaven-Cursed. You can’t beat him. Let me handle him."
The old man stepped forward, holding a dark gold staff. He walked out from the crowd, looked at Allen, gave a polite bow, and said, "Allen. The Light Pope is merciful. If you turn back and see the right path, drop your knife, and I might spare your life."
Allen looked at him with interest. "You’re surprisingly polite for an old man. But will you keep your word? Will you really spare me?"
The old man fell silent.
To be honest, Allen’s display had caught him off guard. A Stage 2 cultivating warrior killing a Stage 5 powerhouse? The potential was staggering, and it made Theron very tempted.
"Sigh." He let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head helplessly. "I can’t make that call myself. I am Theron! I will grant you a quick death."
"You’re surprisingly straightforward, old man." Allen sneered. He held his Saber across his chest and said coolly, "I’ll give you a quick death too. Come on then."
Whoosh!
The moment Allen finished speaking, a fierce wind howled. A massive staff came crashing down.
He barely managed to raise his Saber to block.
Crash!
A terrifying force slammed into him. Allen had no chance to resist. He was sent flying backwards over ten meters before slamming hard into the ground.
"So strong!"
Allen’s arm trembled. His palm was stinging, now covered in blood.
Is this what a Stage 6 powerhouse looks like?
Allen struggled to get back to his feet, staring at Theron, who stood there as if nothing had happened. Doubt filled his heart.
There was another Stage 6 Ascetic standing by who hadn’t moved yet. If the two fought together, how long could he survive?
"Kid, just surrender. I’ll try my best to spare your life," Theron said. He felt a respect for talent rising in his heart and couldn’t bear to deal a killing blow just yet.
"Who wins and who loses isn’t decided yet!"
Allen gritted his teeth. He raised his hand, and a barrage of fireballs and wind blades whistled through the air, crashing straight at Theron.
