16. Phoenix's Descent

His sanity left him, and the scarlet Muspell Crown began to blaze. The seal of the Phoenix in his body began to burn; it got corroded as the crown exploded with power.

The Phoenix synchronized with the Muspell Crown.

From inside his body, the Phoenix came alive. The jade seal cracked.

Screeeeee!

A screech escaped from Hal's body and then, from his chest straight golden light shot up to the skies and pierced the cloud.

The Elder's eyes turned wide as his pupils dilate. Wings that spans for thousands of meters, and flames hotter than the sun, a being that guides the spirit and rules over them on the other side.

Screeeee!

The Golden Nether Phoenix screeched as it saw Hal on the ground, crying tears of blood. The Muspell Crown slowly appeared on Hal's head as if it deemed him worthy to wield it.

He had experienced death multiple times.

Death by fire: death by ice: death by the wind: death by poison: death by the sword: death by a spear: even death by time: and by suicide: Hal had experienced countless deaths.

So, he's frightened of killing; hypocritical as it may sound, it was the truth. He will not kill unless his life depends on it. If he can spare a life and give it another chance to live, Hal would do it.

Taking a life can easily be done, and change does not come so readily; you spare a bandit, and he kills someone that life is on you for taking pity on a criminal.

However, Hal still believes life is precious.

Life should not be taken so lightly, and a massacre is done by someone deranged and desperate, just like his time when he was Helios.

Those emotions that drove him pass his sanity and kill was something he didn't wish to go

through again.

However, this time, it was different.

The emotions fettered in his heart began to open. As the Phoenix flew into the air and the crown found its king, his cultivation skyrocketed as his body began to crumble, Hal looked at the Elder with a lifeless look.

His blood burned like the yellow paper for the dead, his veins became visible to the naked eye, cracks appeared on his face, and his lifeless eyes turned scarlet like the crown.

"You took them away from me…"

The supreme prodigy is slowly becoming crippled and yet, as he looked at the Elder; nothing mattered any longer.

His anger pierced the skies together with the screech of the Phoenix.

"I'll kill you."

Hong!

Thus, the world trembled, and the tune for Supreme Prodigy's last dance played out.

His hatred was then unfettered and then consumed Hal altogether. Hal's heavenly essence became thicker and more abundant in exchange for his vitality. His growth of strength was terrifyingly fast, and as even his Spirit Tree began to burn as he took its heavenly essence, he was being destroyed.

The Elder saw his insanity, and his expression changed. The Elder's sanity returned, albeit a little, he smiled like a manic as he watched Hal destroy himself.

"Haha, you're destroying yourself, but do not die so quickly, I need to kill you with my own hands. But child, do you not fear death?"

"I will die in your hands anyway; death is my companion, I do not wish to die, I wish to live, but if it is impossible, I will at least take you with me. Do you know what's death?"

Hal's words were cold; it was devoid of vitality.

"What nonsense are your saying?"

Hal ignored the Elder.

"Death is always by our side; it reaches out to us and welcome us in its embrace not discriminating if you're rich or poor, weak or strong…death will always come. I do not know how it is for others, but, if I die here, I will return to a dark place where you feel every pain you have experienced, and your mistakes and hatred haunt you.

"With thousands of deaths, I carry thousands of regrets, hatred, hardships, pain, envy, greed, pride, desire to live and most important of all, desire to kill. I can no longer contain it within me, you had already broken one of the anchors keeping me in place, it will rampage, and it will bare its fangs, but I will not stop it…

"I will let it be free; let it come to life, so, before I lose my life before I come back to that darkness; please, let this endless hatred burnout."

His words were clear, it was confusing for the Elder, but he could tell that Hal was no longer the same prodigy everyone called. He is not even one man.

He is one but also many, and as Hal's emotions finally appeared, the Elder felt like everything went dark! And in that darkness, he felt like his sanity was regained.

'What's this?'

The Elder questioned as he looked around. But as he turned his head forward and saw the flickering body of Hal, he saw it, a malignant deformed monster behind him. It was a blob of flesh created from different beings.

Mutilated body parts, burned skin, scattered entrails, and many more grotesque pictures amalgamated to form the blob behind Hal.

"Kuk!" The Elder vomited, as he looked at Hal, and as he regained himself, his determination was ignited. His sanity that was eaten by the power of the Ice Demon Spear was pulled back to reality as what he saw was enough to wake him up.

"You're a MONSTER! You're not being of the living, you're a being of the dead, you deserve to be killed!"

The Elder had killed thousands, and the number of innocents he had slain is nothing to laugh at. He considers himself as a monster, but for him, Hal was not beyond him.

The Elder wished to make his move, but Hal waved his hand, and a tower of flames enveloped the Elder's entire body sending him unownable pain.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

As he roared in pain, the Phoenix also made its move and sent out a volley of balls of flame to the Elder.

Swoosh!

Boom!

Swoosh!

Boom!

Hal waved his hand time and time again sending out tower of flame, after tower of flame. His cultivation had already dropped to the point where it is merely at Heaven's Wheel.

His body could only hold up for so long. He wishes to finish what he had set out to do, and that

is to kill Hal so that he'll be able to achieve his revenge against Daryun.

The Elder continued to scream in pain, and as he found himself in a desperate position, he called upon his Ice Demon Spear one last time and waved it around to scatter the flames momentarily.

His body was seen for the first time in a while, and the clothes that provided him protection had already turned to ashes. He was left with bits of clothing, and his skin showed clear signs of being scorched.

He darted forward, with his spear leading the charge.

But as he reached three meters from Hal, two flame thorns appeared in the air and nailed both his feet on the ground ten inches away from Hal.

But the Elder didn't give up, he cut off both his legs and sent his body flying into the air.

"DIE!"

His back arched as he got ready to plunge his spear on Hal's chest. But Hal looked at him indifferently and for his movements were far slower than what he had shown before; when the Elder got close enough, Hal moved his body to the side and formed his fingers to resemble the claws of a Roc and used it to pierce and dig through the body of the Elder.

"KuhaaK!"

The Elder coughed up blood as Hal held his heart. He was held up by Hal, and the Elder met eyes with the young six-year-old monster.

The Elder coughed up more blood, and it splattered all over on Hal's face. But that blood evaporated instantly.

The Elder looked at Hal; his death came so fast in the hands of someone so young.

His memories flowed as he saw the back of Mo Wei. His revenge had been fulfilled. With this, the Estize he abhors will be dealt with a massive blow. He made a guffaw as he stared in the eyes of Hal.

"I have done what I came to. You too will die, just like me." His eyes then showed melangcholy as he calmed down and whispered. "I'm about to head over there, my love."

He can no longer sustain his body. Killing the twins was enough for him, Hal will die soon, so he found peace and let go of life.

His body turned to ashes together with the hands Hal had used to take his heart. As the Ice Demon Spear fell to the ground, Hal looked at the skies that were blotted by the Phoenix…

"I am about to die, Phoenix. Our time is short, but I suppose it's goodbye. My spirit tree can no longer house you…yes, this truly is goodbye." He said the same thing twice, but it

meant two different things.

The Phoenix lowered its head and looked at him with pitying eyes.

It can see the endless pain in Hal's eyes.

The Phoenix saw Hal walk, but then, even his legs turned to ashes. But Hal did his best to crawl and sat beside the bodies of his sisters that slowly getting colder. He was going to die, but he didn't wish to die alone.

His wish at this moment is to see them again, maybe, just maybe, he will escape the cycle of endless death and join his sisters in the wheel of reincarnation.

The Phoenix felt loneliness and sadness from him.

"Old Ghost, my friend, you once said you walk the path of death, and you wish to experience life. I cannot give you the chance to live; however, I can give your sisters another chance."

Hal quickly raised his head and looked at the Phoenix with expecting eyes. He can no longer speak for his tongue had already disappeared, and as his eyes were already turning to ash, he even failed to look at the Phoenix, but his sentiment was clear.

The Phoenix felt his determination and nodded its head.

"Old Ghost, if you wish to give them life, follow my instructions down to the letter."

Hal received a transmission of instructions from the Phoenix and immediately began the process. He waved his hand, and hasten the process of incineration of his Spirit Tree, and then gave the burned heavenly essence of the Spirit Tree to the Phoenix.

The body of the Phoenix began to imperceptibly materialize, and as this process was met, the Phoenix soared through the sky reaching the very peak of what could be reached. Everyone who was at a thousand-kilometer radius saw the magnificent Phoenix's radiance, including Arya and Daryun.

Screee!

It cried out as if it was calling someone.

The Phoenix's cry rang about, sending chills down the spine of those who witnessed its glory.

The Phoenix then split its body into two parts and then dove back down onto the ground. Returning to where it came from.

Arya and Daryun felt a bad premonition and then prepared to run, but as the situation in the ravine grew increasingly dire, they found themselves trapped.

However, the men who were with Daryun, his brothers in arms saw his hesitation and gritted their teeth in desperation.

"GO, the Young Master and the Young Misses may be in danger! We got this!"

Daryun hesitated for a bit but soon turned his back to his men. He gathered his heavenly essence and opened up a path for him and Arya to escape to. Arrows rained upon them, but Daryun didn't care.

"SCRAM!"

He swung his halberd, and a whirlwind carried the arrows away.

The husband and wife hurried back to their territory, and as they ran quicker, their heavenly essence burned quickly.

But they didn't care about rationing it, they used treasures they kept with them to replenish their reserves, it is destroying their body, but they didn't care.

The two didn't stop even when their recklessness resulted in internal injuries.

And as they reached the doors of the manor, they saw the destroyed gates and saw the decimated buildings and the snow that had been dyed with blood.

The Martial Pavilion's contents were scattered, and the tens of bodies of guards littered the ground.

They head in deeper as they tried to find their children. Their hearts began beating faster than ever as the fear of the worst came to be.

And then as they reach the back of the manor where the destroyed storehouse was, and the many maids lay on the ground either dead or unconscious, what they saw next was something crushed

their very beings.

Darya and Arli's body were sprawled on the ground. Hints of flesh being carved on Darya's body was present, and one of Alri's hands was in the process of growing back.

"How are they? Are they okay?" Daryun asked, with his heart trepidation.

"Don't worry, they are okay. They merely exhausted…their heavenly…essence." Arya replied with her trembling voice as she turned to the side.

A pool of blood formed underneath their unmoving bodies, but they were breathing and alive.

However, it was not the case for the one beside them.

Adjacent to the twins was the charred body of Hal. It was indiscernible to others, but Daryun and Arya could tell that it was their child.

The signs were there, his sitting height and his build were the same, but most importantly, the Muspell Crown was in his possession.

The Muspell Crown still glowed with radiance, it was spitting out fire without care for Hal, and as Arya and Daryun saw this, their hearts were crushed.

"HAL!"

Signs of life was still present, but Hal didn't respond for even his hearing had already been destroyed.

He sat there, with his visionless eye.

Hal was still looking at his sisters without moving an inch.

Arya and Daryun hurried to his side, and as they saw his state even closer, the devastation they felt was immense.

Bang!

Daryun smacked the Muspell Crown away and then tried touching Hals remaining hand, but when he did, Hal's hand turned to ashes.

Daryun's and Arya's face turned uglier even more.

Their tears began to flow like an endless stream; it couldn't be stopped. It didn't matter whether they are strong, or not, they were now only parents trying to see if they can do anything to save their child.

"Everything's going to be fine, I procured the [Elven Tears] on the east, it can revive any person, it's going to be fine."

Daryun's bulky body trembled as he began to lose strength.

He brought out a vial from his bracelet and quickly fed it to Hal.

But it proved useless as it turned to smoke as soon as it touched Hal's body.

Hal's body crumbled even more; he can feel his inevitable end. But the Elven Tears brought

attention that there are other people by his side.

He tried his best to look around as if to show he can feel their presence.

"My son, we're here, we're here." Arya wished to hug him to show that they are there with him, but even that is impossible.

But hope blossomed in her heart as she thought that the possibility of saving him was present.

Hal didn't know who these people are, but he wished they were his parents, so, as if to show he was fine, he showed them a smile, but even that turned out grotesque…then the inevitable happened, every water and heavenly essence in his body disappeared, and then his body turned to dust.

Arya and Daryun saw this, and their false hope crumbled to nothing.

"No, no, no…Hal, HaL, HAL!!"

Arya's cries rang out to the entire city, and Daryun's body continuously quivered.

Hal left his body and prepared to get sucked into the darkness of death. His eyes were closed, and as he felt something pulling him, he didn't fight it and just let his soul get taken.

But the ending expected didn't happen as Hal found himself in a world where there is no darkness only a jade light.

It was then that he remembered something from when he was born…the premonition regarding his end came true. The one called Drunken sage spoke the truth and his fate could not be avoided.

Hal laughed as he realized his death ended on the last day of the year…a day before the day of his birth

Vol. 1 end