WHAT! I Have To Kill Heaven's Son To Live!-Chapter 130: Xue Taiyang vs Yi Ran (3)

Reon remained motionless, thoughts quietly turning behind his calm eyes.

"Since awakening the Core Void Eye... I've unlocked three Abyssal Absorption Arts. All still at Level One... and already terrifying."

He exhaled slowly.

"The cooldown's long—twice a day max. And the effect only works on enemies within two major realms above me. Anyone beyond that... This art won't hold."

Luna's voice echoed again, soft and soothing like moonlight on still water.

"Don't worry, Master. That weakness will vanish as you grow stronger."

He smiled faintly in thought.

"Yeah. You're right. That can wait..."

Then—he looked up.

His gaze locked onto Yi Ran.

And he took a slow step forward.

"Do you have anything else left to try?"

The words came out smooth, sharp—like a blade she hadn't seen until it was already drawn.

He tilted his head slightly. The corner of his mouth curled into a cold smirk.

"Oh. Right."

"You don't even have any Spiritual Energy left."

"So how could you possibly have anything left to try?"

Yi Ran clenched her fists, her pride cracking beneath the weight of defeat.

"Keuk...! W-What do you want, you bastard?" she snapped through gritted teeth. "I lost. I'll admit it—fine!"

She began to lift her head—about to declare her surrender.

But Reon moved first.

He calmly raised his right hand toward her.

His voice was polite. Almost gentle.

"Please wait, my lady."

"I haven't yet given you... my gift."

"What?!" Yi Ran snapped, fury and desperation flashing in her eyes. "I don't need your damn gift!"

But it was already too late.

Reon's lips moved, slow and cold as winter wind.

"Abyssal Absorption: Eternal Void of Annihilation...

Third Art—Release!"

SHOOSH!

In an instant, the black circle—an abyssal void just inches from his hand—compressed, twisted... and then unleashed.

Like a bullet from the cosmos itself, it fired the golden beam back—the very same attack Yi Ran had poured her everything into.

But now... it belonged to him.

Yi Ran's fading vision caught the flash of light hurtling toward her.

"W-What—?!"

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

She staggered, barely able to stand, her legs trembling from exhaustion.

Her Spiritual Qi was gone. Every drop.

On pure instinct, she raised her saber—

But without Qi, it was nothing more than polished metal.

BOOM!

The redirected light struck her squarely, its force pressing into her with undeniable weight, for she had no energy left to drain, leaving her vulnerable to its full impact.

Her body launched backward like a ragdoll, hurtling across the arena—

—slamming against the boundary barrier with a thunderous crack.

"Kiiuek—!"

Blood gushed from her mouth and nose like a burst dam, painting the transparent wall behind her.

She hung there—crushed against the barrier—body twitching, pinned by the sheer force of her own attack.

Pain bloomed in every nerve, but worse than that... was the realization.

From the blood on her lips, she whispered hoarsely, voice barely audible—

"Y-You... b-bastard... That was... my attack... How could you—"

Reon didn't reply as he moved forward, each step deliberate, his expression still serene—yet chilling.

The pressure of the attack intensified, his will pushing more power into it.

Yi Ran could feel it, the crushing weight of the attack pressing against her, her body slowly being deformed.

Her bones groaned under the unbearable strain, the barrier's unyielding force leaving no escape.

"St-Stop it... I've... already admitted defeat..." she gasped, struggling to form the words through the agony.

She could feel the cold grip of her own defeat—she could take a Spiritual Qi Replenishing Pill, regain some energy, but she knew this attack more than anyone else.

No amount of Spiritual Qi could help her fight back now. Just moments ago, before his attack, she might have had a chance, but now, the light would drain her completely once again.

Reon stopped just a few meters from her, his lips curling into a calm, almost mocking smile as he looked up toward her.

"Oh? Really?" he drawled, his tone filled with icy amusement.

"Didn't you want me to experience this too? How does it feel to have your own attack used on you?" His voice softened, yet his words were a blade to her pride.

"Although, I'll admit, its effect is probably much less on you, considering my cultivation's lower than yours."

"Kieuk! You... bastard!" she spat, her face contorted in pain as the pressure continued to crush her against the barrier.

Reon's gaze remained calm, unwavering.

"I don't recall doing anything to deserve this. Yet, you—didn't you want to humiliate me in front of everyone just because I was weaker than you?" He leaned closer, his smirk never faltering.

"How does it feel, now—to be humiliated by someone you thought was beneath you?"

Her breath was ragged, her entire body shaking.

"I didn't... want... to humiliate you... I was... just instructed to... by someone... for something... absurd..." Her words came out in weak, labored breaths.

Reon's thoughts raced.

"Someone else? Who could it be? Is it Niu Ling? No... that doesn't make sense. She has no reason to obey his command.

After all, she hails from a Superior Family just like the Niu Family. Their statuses are the same."

"Could it be Brother Long Ming? No, that doesn't add up either. If he had wanted to harm me, he would've done so when we first met. But still..."

His gaze lingered on her strained expression as he pondered.

"Hmm... Even without any Spiritual Energy left, her physical strength is still a force to be reckoned with. She can still speak—if it were me, I doubt I could even manage to lift my head."

"Wait... She's relying on her Physique's Strength and Endurance Enhancements. Yet, she's still struggling. That attack—if I had taken it—would have been really dangerous."

"Tell me then," he pressed, his voice firm.

"Who was it that pushed you to insult me like this?"

Yi Ran's eyes, full of pain and remorse, flickered up to meet his. She was struggling, but the truth was in her voice as she whispered through clenched teeth:

"I... I'll tell you everything... in details... Just... please... stop the attack."

Reon's eyes narrowed. For a brief moment, it seemed he would demand more. But then he simply nodded.

"Okay."

Yi Ran felt a rush of relief, her chest tightening as the pressure on her body slowly began to ease.

Then—Reon's voice cut through the air with an unexpected calmness.

"Apologize to me."

Yi Ran blinked, stunned by his audacity. Her eyes filled with disbelief.

"Huh? What? You... you want me to apologize... in this position?" She gasped between the pain and her own frustration.

Reon's expression remained unmoving.

"Yes."

A bitter laugh escaped her lips, though it was strained and hollow.

"Seriously? You poor little bastard..." she muttered, trying to keep her pride intact despite the situation.

"Quickly," he urged, voice cold, demanding.

The silence that followed was almost suffocating as Yi Ran, bloodied and broken, finally gave in.

"I... I'm... sorry..." she ground out, barely able to speak.

Reon's expression remained unyielding, his gaze cold as ever.

"More politely and sincerely."

Yi Ran's breath hitched, her pride nearly shattered, but she knew there was no other way.

Her voice trembled with the weight of her defeat, but she forced the words out, each one a bitter concession.

"E-eek! I... I'm really sorry... for challenging you... to a duel... with bad intentions." She barely whispered the last part, the sincerity of the apology cutting deeper than any physical wound.

Reon studied her for a long moment, his eyes unreadable. Then—finally—he nodded.

"That's it. Now it's fine."

As he deactivated his technique, the golden light that had been seeping from his hand ceased to exist.

But as the light disappeared, Yi Ran—weak, battered—began to fall, her body too worn out to hold herself up. Blood still leaked from her mouth, staining her pale face.

In that moment, something stirred in Reon. Reflexively, he reached out, catching her as she crumpled, his hands steady.

His gaze lingered on her, his expression unreadable, yet his thoughts swirled.

Even with her face covered in blood, she still looks... stunning.

A voice in his head interrupted the thought—an unfamiliar notification pinged:

[Ding! Yi Ran's favorability towards the host has risen by 45.]

Reon blinked, staring at the message in disbelief.

What the hell?! I beat her brutally... and her affection for me skyrockets?!

He furrowed his brow, processing the information.

"Wait... is she a masochist? Or does she just have a thing for dominant men?"

As Reon recalled the events from the novel, a wave of disgust washed over him.

"The protagonist turned into such a hopeless simp for her later—she had him wrapped around her finger, constantly berating him with that sharp tongue of hers. And he just took it all."

He scoffed inwardly.

"Man, as a guy, I was practically twitching while reading that shit, wishing someone would just give her a proper beating. How the hell did that fool endure all that?"

A grin tugged at his lips.

"Ah... this feels weirdly satisfying after beating her myself."