Everyone thought the steel blade would pierce straight through his body. No one could have imagined he’d stop it with such a casual, effortless motion. It was so easy-so graceful.
Kayden turned to look at Firestone, the one who had thrown the blade at him. Without so much as a change in expression, he lowered the broken blade in his hand. As if it had eyes of its own, the blade sliced through the Enforcer’s throat with a sharp, chilling sound.
The Enforcer’s eyes widened as blood sprayed from his throat. Slowly, the light in his eyes dimmed, his pupils dilating until nothing remained.
When his body finally collapsed, everyone understood-he was dead. The Enforcer was dead. His countless disciples collectively gasped in terror.
There was no sorrow for his death, only fear-raw, endless fear.
For The Nightshade, an ancient sect that had stood the test of time, this moment was nothing short of catastrophic.
In full view of everyone, Kayden had killed one of The Nightshade’s Enforcers. Afterward, he cast aside the steel blade he had controlled, letting it clatter to the ground with a commanding wave of his hand.
“Next, I’ll kill him.” Kayden raised his hand unhurriedly and pointed at another of the eight Enforcers.
A cold sweat broke out all over the man’s body. His eyes darted toward the four Grand Lords and Firestone, desperate for help.
He opened his mouth to plead, but Kayden cut him off. “Don’t waste your breath. They can’t even protect themselves right now, so don’t expect them to save you. They won’t-and they can’t.”
The words struck the Enforcer like a cold arrow to the heart. His pleading gaze dulled instantly, overtaken by despair.
Kayden didn’t use the same method to kill this Enforcer as he had the first. Instead, he tossed the broken blade into the air. The blade spun, cutting through the air with a whooshing sound, before slashing through the Enforcer’s throat like a bolt of lightning.
Another effortless, graceful kill. Another Enforcer fell to the ground.
Kayden gave The Nightshade no time to recover. He had vowed to kill them all, and he would fulfill that promise. This was a habit he had honed on the battlefield-slaughtering enemy leaders was second nature to him.
“Grand Lords, this man has gone mad!” Firestone shouted, his voice trembling with emotion.
The four Grand Lords exchanged knowing glances, nodding thoughtfully. One of them finally spoke. “This man must have prepared thoroughly before making such bold claims about slaughtering The Nightshade. It’s clear he has every intention of wiping us out.”
“Should we summon the Master?” one of the Grand Lords asked anxiously.
Their earlier confidence had evaporated, replaced by extreme caution.
“No!” the leading Grand Lord replied, shaking his head. “The Master has just begun his seclusion to break through the third stage of the Master level. He must not be disturbed.”
“Then should we intervene now? If we don’t, all eight Enforcers will die,” another Grand Lord questioned, his voice tinged with doubt.
The leading Grand Lord shook his head firmly. “No rush. If we act now, we’ll lose. The eight Enforcers are already fighting with their backs to the wall and have exhausted their inner strength. Even if we save them, they’ll be crippled. And for the Enforcers, being crippled is a fate worse than death. Their pride won’t allow it. Dying with honor is the greatest respect we can give them.”
He sounded so convinced, as if trying to justify his decision. But the truth was simple: the Enforcers were no longer of use. They could die.
This approach was no different from what Lucy had once described: when someone was useful, they were protected. But once they were no longer of value, they were discarded without hesitation.
How such a merciless sect had survived this long was a mystery.
Another Grand Lord nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Even if we save them now, they’ll still die. Once Kayden exhausts his inner strength, we can strike and eliminate him in one fell swoop. Let’s not forget, he’s a Master-level fighter-even at the first stage, he’s more than enough to overwhelm us.”
“I thought the eight Enforcers could hold him off and drain his strength. I never expected it to turn out like this,” another Grand Lord remarked bitterly.
“Let me face him,” Firestone declared, stepping forward with determination.
Though Firestone wasn’t at the Master level, everyone knew his capabilities. Beyond being at the peak of the Grand level, he was also a master of concealed weapons. He had once defeated a Master-level opponent with the aid of his hidden arsenal. This was why he had been entrusted with such responsibilities in the Master’s absence.
The leading Grand Lord stroked his long beard, nodding thoughtfully. “Very well, go ahead. But be careful. If you can’t win, retreat immediately.”
“Yes!” Firestone responded with a resounding shout. He then called out, “Bring me my halberd!”
At his command, two men approached, carrying a massive golden halberd.
The halberd, forged entirely from solid gold, weighed over 160 pounds.
The two men placed it beside Firestone, who effortlessly lifted it with one hand. He swung it a few times, then slammed it into the ground with a heavy crash. The impact left a deep indentation, cracking the ground beneath it.
Meanwhile, in the plaza, Kayden had already killed seven of the Enforcers. Seven of them lay dead. Now, only Jon Krohn remained.
Jon Krohn wasn’t afraid. On the contrary, as he watched one comrade after another fall, he seemed to accept his fate. Dead was dead-he was ready to face it.
With a cold snort, he raised his head to glare at Kayden. “If you’re going to kill me, do it already! What are you waiting for?”
Kayden chuckled coldly. “Have you forgotten? I already told you-I’ll leave you for Lucy. They all deserved to die by my hand, including your disciples. But you? You don’t even qualify.”
Insult.
It was a blatant, unforgivable insult.
Jon Krohn’s eyes widened in fury. “If you’re going to kill me, do it! Don’t humiliate me like this!”
Kayden didn’t respond. Instead, he turned to Lucy and said, “Lucy, this trash is yours to deal with.”
Lucy blinked in surprise, only now snapping out of her daze.
Kayden was too overwhelming. Every move he made radiated dominance, destruction, and disdain for all. His killing intent, his murderous aura-it was unmatched, the greatest of his time.
“Dr. Scott!” Lucy suddenly called out to Kayden.
“Can you spare the innocent disciples? Yes, they’re part of The Nightshade, but their lives aren’t their fault. They’ve been oppressed, living at the bottom of the sect’s hierarchy for years. If you slaughter these defenseless disciples, I-I’m afraid…”
Kayden listened carefully. Though he was accustomed to killing without mercy, Lucy’s words struck a chord. If he continued to slaughter even those who couldn’t fight back, wouldn’t he become no different from a demon?
Turning to the thousands of disciples gathered in the plaza, Kayden announced, “Your masters are dead. If you wish to leave, I’ll give you this chance. Go now!”