(Arc: Revenge) Outcome

The perpetrators eyeballed me in horror; seeing how I beat Von into a bloody mess, their will to fight disappeared. However, they had bigger issues at hand. The constant barrage of attacks from the duos rendered them immobile. They were merely sitting ducks in my eyes. My feet sunk into the abyss and once again, I was out of their sights.

They relentlessly looked around in a last-ditch attempt to find me; their efforts were in vain as a hair-raising shriek was uttered. When the others searched for the source of the sound, all they found was a body on the ground, a headless body.

The atmosphere had changed, the previously arrogant Xarxian fighters were now scared witless. Deep in their hearts, they knew that they wouldn't be part of the living for much longer.

"P-Please spare me, my family will reward you handsomely," the woman said.

"Let me in on your little plans then maybe I'll be generous enough to consider sparing you."

"We were supposed to defeat the upper echelon of this continent and take control of the area. Our duty was to stay here for around two years to determine the benefits of owning this land."

"How would you have transmitted your reports?"

"W-We would have used carrier pigeons," she reluctantly answered.

"Thank you for your cooperation and not to forget, your idiocy."

"I do--"

As she was articulating, I thrusted the blade in her mouth and it punctured straight through her throat. Her attempts to scream only resulted in her choking on her own fluids. My leg moved up and my foot was placed on her sternum; I pressed down as I pulled the sword out. As the blade moved, it was accompanied by a cascade of blood. Even my own teammates wore nervous looks; I couldn't imagine the despair that my opponents felt!

Out of the three remaining, I made quick work of two of them. They had already lost their fighting spirits as their opponent was an indomitable entity. The last idiot resorted to threats to make it out alive.

"Do you know the amount of power my family boasts?"

"I don't know or care," I said.

"If you explain the way continents are classified, then maybe you can live."

"Do you think I'm stupid? I just saw what you did to her," he replied.

"Do you have another alternative?"

The answer soon became clear; he had no other choice.

"Continents are divided into three tiers. The lower tier, middle tier and upper tier," he said.

"How many continents are in each?"

"The lower tier contains nine continents, the middle tier contains seven and the upper tier consists of four continents."

"Xarxia and this continent are both lower tier," he added.

A sudden thought raced through my head and I wanted to validate my hypothesis.

"How strong are your leaders?"

"We have three leaders. Two swordsmen and a mage, their strengths are between the third and fifth advanced stages."

"How big is the gap between tiers?"

"As vast as an ocean," he replied.

That sealed it, there must be something higher than the advanced stages of swordsmanship and magic!

With a content smile on my lips, I swung my sword sideways and removed his legs. Dirt kicked up into a cloud as his torso thumped on the ground; his vocal chords must have been destroyed as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"You bastard, you promised to let me live," he yelled.

"I did say that, but I never mentioned whether you'd be in one piece."

I thrusted my sword in his eye and twisted the blade; I repeated the process for the other eye. His voice was so annoying and ear-piercing that I had enough; my hand reached into his mouth, my fingers grabbed his tongue and pulled it out as I activated fire blast. His body was left as a pathetic mess of mangled flesh but at least I stayed true to my word and he was still alive. The blood glistened under the moonlight as it flowed from his orifices.

"Leave him here. He can't move, speak or see; he's stuck in this deplorable place. Take Von Ellis with us, we haven't had enough fun yet."

The Ellis patriarch leered at me like a scared dog; his suffering had only begun. Thanks to my strength, our group was relatively unscathed. Only three of us suffered minor cuts and bruises, but nothing that would leave permanent scars. On our way back, I expected Andre to finally not let out a peep, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

"Wow, how are you so strong?"

"Can I be your student?"

"How long did it take?"

"What's your plan for the future?"

His questions were so incessant that my mind blurred his words out. Another astonishing turn of event was that Von was staying quiet; he was strapped to Carlos like a backpack.

'Did I accidentally cut his tongue?'

Unbeknownst to me, the members of the group changed my moniker from 'the bloodhound' to 'the demonic bloodhound'. The demeanor of the others changed drastically; before they respected me but now they feared me. Even father and grandfather were slightly apprehensive.

"So, are you interested in teaching me?"

"Andre, if you don't want to receive the Xarxian treatment, you better keep your trap shut."

"Sorry..."

Upon our arrival at the Anderson residence, I asked father to drop Von Ellis' body in the dungeon. A rustic trap door opened with a creaking noise, it must have been years since this hellhole was unlatched. The putrid smell of rotten flesh and excrements hit our noses before a single step was taken. We walked down a set of stone steps down to the abyss; a flame appeared on the palm of my hand to enlighten the way.

The walls were made out of stone and were covered in a mixture of water and goo. The passageway was lined with cells. The slits between the iron bars allowed us to peer inside; each of the cells contained multiple human bones and bodily fluids. Judging from the fact that the skeletons were still chained to the walls, the prisoners must have been left here to die.

"At least you'll have some friends, right Von?"

"Don't worry, I'll pay you a visit from time to time," I said with a sadistic smile.