Upon hearing those words, Kayden couldn’t help but find it laughable.
The outcome of opposing Hellblazer was death-nothing more, nothing less.
Did they really believe they could match Hellblazer? Did they think The Nightshade was invincible? And did they truly believe this cage would be enough to hold him?
Lifting his head, Kayden fixed his gaze on the leading Grand Lord, a cold smirk spreading across his face.
“Ridiculous,” he said. “Do you even know what you are? Do you even understand what Hellblazer is? Or what The Nightshade stands for? You’re far too naive. Do you honestly think a few old fools like you can kill me?”
The Grand Lord at the forefront stroked his long beard and chuckled. “Oh? Do you think you can defeat us?”
“Earlier, you barely managed to hold your own against us,” the Grand Lord continued, his voice brimming with confidence. “But now, you’re trapped here. Your inner Chi has nowhere to escape. We will obliterate you completely. Even if you had three heads and six arms, even if your skills were unmatched, you’d still be doomed. Now you’re nothing more than a cornered beast, stuck in this cage, waiting to be slaughtered.”
He spread his arms wide, adopting a posture of absolute dominance. A gentle breeze swept through, rustling his white robe, which fluttered dramatically in the wind.
The four Grand Lords of The Nightshade were the ultimate defenders of the sect, their presence akin to an impenetrable fortress. Their existence deterred even the most skilled outsiders from acting recklessly.
Without such a foundation, how could The Nightshade dare call itself a hidden sect of legends?
Kayden, however, paid no attention to the leading Grand Lord. Instead, his sharp gaze swept over the four elders surrounding him. He narrowed his eyes and asked coldly, “Do you honestly think this cage can hold me?”
The Grand Lord let out a derisive laugh. “You’re welcome to try. Every person who’s been locked in The Nightshade’s ground cage was a top-tier master. They all said the same thing as you. And yet, not a single one ever managed to leave.”
The conviction in his voice gave Kayden pause. He reached out to touch the cage, feeling the cold steel beneath his fingertips. It was just ordinary metal-or so it seemed. Did they really think this could stop him? A scoff escaped his lips.
“This? This is what you think can hold me?” he sneered.
Clenching his fists, he summoned his Chi, channeling it into his palms. Energy surged through him as he unleashed a powerful punch against the cage.
A deafening boom echoed through the chamber, but the force rebounded, sending shockwaves back into his body. The cage was designed to reflect Chi.
In other words, it was capable of suppressing any internal energy, trapping it entirely within the confines of the cage. Nothing could break through.
This… this was no ordinary cage.
Kayden stared at it in disbelief. A moment ago, he had been full of confidence, but now, doubt began to creep in.
His strength, a perfect balance of hardness and softness, should have been more than enough to shatter a cage. Even with only half of his power, breaking out of a simple enclosure shouldn’t have been a challenge. But this was different.
The cage seemed to completely nullify his Chi, leaving it trapped inside. It was as if his energy couldn’t exist beyond the boundaries of the steel bars.
This… this was a masterpiece of craftsmanship. A cage like this was terrifying in its design.
Even someone as seasoned and unshakable as Kayden found himself taken aback.
For the first time, he regretted stepping into the cage. He could have avoided it entirely while standing on the ground earlier, but he hadn’t. He had willingly walked in, convinced that such a thing couldn’t possibly restrain him.
If they believed a steel cage could hold him, he would crush their illusions.
But now…
Now, what he faced was a completely different outcome.
It seemed this cage truly had the power to trap him.
If that were the case, would his mission to annihilate The Nightshade amount to nothing?
Kayden prided himself on never taking risks he wasn’t confident in. And yet, here he was, making a rare miscalculation.
His brows furrowed deeply, the weight of the situation pressing down on him.
He clenched his fists again, pouring all of his strength into another strike. But no matter how hard he tried, the cage remained unyielding, as solid as a mountain.
From a distance, Firestone watched Kayden’s futile struggle with a smug grin.
“He’s too confident,” Firestone muttered to himself, his laughter bubbling up uncontrollably. “Too arrogant! This cage… he won’t break it in this lifetime. Even a Master-level fighter-no, even the highest of Master levels-could never escape it!”
His eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he continued speaking to himself. “Everyone thinks I’m an arrogant man, but they don’t realize I’ve studied every detail about him. He fights with pride, with overconfidence. That’s why I set this trap. I knew he’d fall right into it.”
“This cage doesn’t trap his body-it traps his arrogance. Today, he’ll learn the hard way that pride always leads to defeat.”
Nearby, Lucy’s heart raced as she took it all in, her breath catching in her throat. She shook her head, swallowing hard.
“No,” she whispered. “You can’t trap him. It’s impossible.”
Firestone’s grin widened. “Watch and see. Soon, you’ll understand.”
Kayden’s struggle continued, but the four Grand Lords exchanged knowing smiles. Their plan had succeeded. Their prey was now a caged beast, unable to escape.
The leading Grand Lord raised his voice, his tone dripping with superiority. “Stop wasting your energy. No amount of struggle will help you. This is no ordinary cage. It’s The Nightshade’s ground cage, forged over centuries through the blood pool. A cage that suppresses Chi.”
“This cage is a creation of perfect balance, an artifact of yin and yang. It has absorbed the Chi of the earth for hundreds of years, capable of devouring all energy. We’ve faced traitors and powerful enemies before. But once they were locked in here, death was their only fate.”
“To be trapped here is an honor,” he declared. “Yes, you’re a genius, a one-in-a-million talent. But even geniuses have their limits. Your pride will be your downfall, and your glory will die with you.”
Pride. Glory.
Those were things Kayden was born with. Hearing such words from this man’s mouth felt strange.
But Kayden wasn’t desperate. He was merely waiting-for the right opportunity.
A commander like him, who had weathered countless storms, wouldn’t despair over a cage.
Kayden understood better than anyone that mindset was the key to victory.
Perhaps it was the countless victories he had achieved, but no matter the situation, he always carried himself like the victor.
The leading Grand Lord, however, saw it differently. He dismissed Kayden’s calm demeanor as nothing more than a final act of defiance.
“Since you’re such a talent,” the Grand Lord said with a smirk, “I’ll allow you a last request before you die. Is there anything you’d like to say?”
Kayden raised his head, his piercing gaze locking onto the Grand Lord.
Word by word, he said coldly, “The Nightshade will be destroyed. Every organization tied to Hellblazer will be wiped out.”