Chapter Twenty-Five: The Tragedy of the Congealed Star

"Ants!"

Standing amidst the ruins, the demonic man’s blood-red pupils contracted slightly as he watched the panicked crowd scattering. His nostrils flared, and he let out a scornful snort.

"As ants, you ought to embrace your fate. Do you think you can escape me?"

"Things held in the palm—destroyed with a flick of the hand!"

He stepped forward, seemingly at a leisurely pace, yet with each stride he covered fifty meters. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind the burly, bald man Liu Quan, who was fleeing northwest. His upright figure loomed behind him.

"Die!"

The demonic man abruptly thrust out his pale hand, pressing it slowly toward Liu Quan’s bald head.

"Not good!"

Ke Bei was also fleeing northwest, not far from the bald man. Turning slightly, he saw the demonic man’s outstretched palm about to descend upon Liu Quan’s head. He cried out in alarm, and a three-inch willow-leaf throwing knife suddenly appeared in his palm.

Life and death hung in the balance; there was no time for concealment!

With a sharp whistle, the cold blade tore through the air, reaching just three inches before the demonic man’s eyes in an instant!

"Oh?" The demonic man let out a surprised sound, retracting his hand. Two fingers, translucent as jade, darted out, and the flying knife Ke Bei had thrown came to an abrupt halt.

The blade was pinched between his fingers!

For the first time, Ke Bei’s throwing knife had been stopped head-on.

Staring at the blade held by the demonic man, Ke Bei froze for a moment, then fled with desperate speed. His strongest technique, his last card, had been blocked with ease; all he could do now was run. He had revealed his final card and spent all his strength. Though unwilling, he had no choice but to flee, or else he would be the next to die.

"Interesting."

The demonic man glanced at Ke Bei, then withdrew his gaze and casually punched Liu Quan in the back. With a wet sound, his fist pierced Liu Quan’s body, leaving a transparent hole.

A warrior clad in battle armor, a peak-level Third Rank powerhouse, was slain with a flick.

"Little one, run for your life. Once I deal with these others, I’ll have some fun with you."

A smile curled the demonic man’s lips as he turned and strode in another direction. After three consecutive steps, he blocked Wang Shan’s path.

"The second!"

With a cold laugh, he reached out a slender finger and tapped Wang Shan’s brow.

Wang Shan felt a chill invade his mind. His consciousness blurred, his sturdy body swayed twice, then collapsed with a crash.

"Wang Shan!"

Gu Kun’s roar echoed. He abruptly stopped, his eyes tinged with blood, teeth clenched so tightly that blood oozed between them. His body trembled, fists clenched. Wang Shan had followed him for three years, a veteran of the Star Condensation Squad. Memories of Wang Shan’s honest smile flashed in his mind; Gu Kun howled with despair, stopped fleeing, and charged toward the demonic man.

"Bastard, I’ll fight you with everything I’ve got!"

Gu Kun gathered all his strength and threw a fierce punch at the demonic man’s head.

The fist whistled through the air, aiming straight for the demonic man’s skull.

"Pathetic!"

The demonic man watched Gu Kun’s attack calmly, shaking his head slowly. He reached out his pale hand, and Gu Kun’s full-force punch was stopped with a gentle palm.

A brittle crack sounded; the demonic man applied slight pressure, shattering Gu Kun’s fist.

"Humans are nothing but ants, weak beyond measure. No matter how you struggle, you’re only stronger ants. How can you compare to my Divine Race?"

With one hand, he lifted Gu Kun, then gently punched him. The blow landed silently on Gu Kun’s head; he ceased his struggle and his body sagged, limp.

"Ha ha ha! Only my Divine Race is the strongest. Humanity should have disappeared long ago."

A cruel gleam flashed in the demonic man’s blood-red eyes as he sped off like lightning in another direction.

In the span of three breaths, he had slain three people. The survivors, though exerting their utmost effort to escape, could not get far in such a short time.

With a few quick steps, he appeared before a young man. This youth belonged to the Alliance of Free Martial Artists, specifically the Blood Sword League. The recent battle with the zombie horde had nearly exhausted him. He thought he had escaped danger—only to be confronted with the sudden appearance of the Divine Race!

A Divine Race member whose strength rivaled the Blood Sword League’s leader; the youth had no courage to resist. His mind was in chaos, and he didn’t even notice when the demonic man appeared at his side.

"The fourth!"

The demonic man’s palm tapped the youth’s head lightly. A crack resounded, and his skull exploded, red and white brain matter spilling out.

"Not a bad flavor."

He brought his hand, stained with brain matter, to his lips and gently sucked. A look of intense pleasure appeared on his handsome face.

"Humans are fit only to be food."

The demonic man seemed to recall something. A surge of uncontrollable fury flooded his crystalline, blood-red eyes.

"All of you humans deserve to die! Every last one!"

"My child—my seven-year-old child—was cruelly slaughtered by you people…"

His beautiful features twisted into a savage grimace.

"Die! Die!"

"Let all of you perish!"

Suddenly, the demonic man’s speed increased dramatically. Within three breaths, all nine members of the Blood Sword League were brutally slain. Of the Star Condensation Squad, only Ke Bei and Zhao Hai remained alive.

Zhao Hai, agile and swift, had already fled more than a thousand meters while the demonic man killed the others.

"Stop running. You know it’s useless."

The demonic man’s speed was astonishing; he closed the thousand-meter gap within a few breaths.

"Fine, I won’t run."

Zhao Hai smiled and actually stopped. A flicker of surprise flashed in the demonic man’s eyes.

He tossed his curved blade to the ground and closed his eyes.

"Come, give me a quick death."

"You’re not afraid to die?"

The demonic man asked, watching Zhao Hai’s tightly shut eyes.

"Heh, everyone fears death. But I know running won’t help, and…"

In Zhao Hai’s eyes, a sorrow so deep it seemed to cut to the bone.

"At least this might spark your curiosity, buy Ke Bei a bit more time… The old brothers of the Star Condensation Squad are all gone."

He sighed.

"That child is still young, just joined the squad, and on his first mission he’d die—what a waste. He has great potential; perhaps someday he’ll avenge us in the name of the Star Condensation Squad. A squad founded over ten years ago shouldn’t end like this. At least one should survive."

In that moment, Zhao Hai’s five-foot-seven frame seemed to grow taller. He chose to stay, to give up his struggle, simply to pique the demonic man’s curiosity, buying a brief moment for Ke Bei, whom he had only known for a dozen days.

"Humanity needs strong men. He has a chance to become truly powerful. To buy him this moment is enough for me—I die with purpose."

Zhao Hai smiled.

"If one day, Ke Bei climbs Mount Corpse and wipes out your kind, remember to tell him that I, Zhao Hai, also contributed to humanity!"

He pulled a dagger from his chest, plunging it into his heart. The cold blade pierced his flesh, and Zhao Hai smiled. He fell to the ground with that smile.

"He will never have the chance. Today, he must die!"

The demonic man cast a deep look at Zhao Hai, then transformed into a shadow and sped in pursuit of Ke Bei.