Chapter 65: Little Man

It didn't take long for all the disciples to gather in the square, of course, some resisted, but it wasn't that bad as the Ice Golems killed them.

Alex looked at every one of them, his eyes shining with temptation. Each of them was a resource, a sword that he could use against the enemy.

"Greetings Sect Master!" Yelled out one of the students before bowing down, their forehead touching the ground. Alex chuckled at how ridiculous this must have looked, hundreds of teenagers and some adult martial teachers bowing down to a young kid.

Alex knew why this was happening, everyone here was a survivalist. It wasn't personal, just business. Some people amongst them held back tears, and Alex looked down on them all as he started floating above them.

'Some of them have talent and will possibly reach Legendary Rank if I invested in them.' He contemplated while looking at some of the students who showed talent.

Booom!

A heavy pressure suddenly made everyone start sinking into the ground and their groveling knees bled like faucets.

Even Lily was shocked by the pressure Alex was releasing. 'What the hell is this?!' She thought, her mind in disarray. Alex felt nothing like the previous Legendary Ranks she had fought against. 

He seemed closer to the likes of Julie and Camilla than someone who just entered Legendary Rank. Lily almost had a mental breakdown as she saw this, it wasn't normal. He was a monster, Alex… was a monster…

His Mana reeked of raw power. Normally Lily would be confident of at least being able to scratch him when he was off guard. But now, Alex seemed to be on a whole new level.

When Alex gave her a knowing smirk, she felt a chill run down her spine.

….

Alex looked around, but all he saw were betrayers. Every single student would betray him if they got the chance. He could understand the notion, after all, he did just kill a bunch of their friends, teachers, etc. But Alex took a deep breath, thinking on the situation once more, calculating the risks here.

"Welp, I guess I could work with this." Sighed Alex, making everyone have a breath of relief before their insides are skewered by ice tridents coming out of the cold ground. 

Alex nodded with satisfaction as everyone was killed by this initial attack. The disciples, every single one of them was dead.

Lily who was on one of the roofs took a deep breath, Alex's Mana calmed down and she could now think straight. 

It wasn't that he had the levels of Camilla's or Julie's strength, it was just the pressure that he had released resembled the same magnitude. It meant that it was an intimidation method, one that even Lily with her monstrous instincts couldn't see through the deception either.

But what worried Lily, even more, was how Alex is behaving. Three years, that is the time how much he spent in seclusion. Lily did her own things during that time, but it felt like Alex was the one who changed the most. His behaviors had gotten so bitterly cold and logical that it felt like she was dealing with a machine. Before, he would joke around and even act silly sometimes in their downtime, but now… it felt… so strange….

Still, Alex didn't pay any kind to her and just had all of the student's soul and blood condensed into pills. These would immediately increase someone's Ki to the level of the student it was taken from. Combined with the Blood Pill, it would also give them their talent.

Lily knew all of this very well, and it made her body shake in fear even as she tried to control her emotions. The child of similar age she had met four years ago had changed a lot, or maybe he was always like this. She will never know.

But Lily knew one thing, and that was how Alex evaluated the people close to him. All that mattered was how useful they were, and currently Lily thought that her usefulness was running out. What would happen to her in the end? Those were thoughts that plagued her deepest fears. It was obvious to her that Alex wouldn't just take her out and kill Lily. No, he wasn't someone like that. Alex would never waste a product like that, he will take her soul, ki, talent, and her very being itself. He will take it and change it to fit his goals.

And so — Lily started at the depth of despair. Alex's cold smile didn't reek of joy at all, it seemed more like a machine trying to fit in. An emotionless man trying to show what he hadn't.

"Lily, is something wrong?" Asked Alex, bringing Lily out of her thoughts.

Thankfully, she had learned from him and knew how to hide her intentions, even from the man himself, — She thought. 

Lily shook her head and calmly stated. "No, nothing is wrong. I am just wondering if maybe I could break through to Rank 4 if I took all that Ki?"

Alex's smirk twitched slightly and a proud look appeared in his eyes. It felt strange, like a father being proud of his daughter. But their ages were similar, so there was a strangeness to that look. "

No, sadly you won't be able to breakthrough." Alex said, informing her of the situation, "Because breaking to Rank 4 is like establishing a foundation for Legendary Rank. Most people at this level have the potential to achieve the next step in power. And if we are talking about your potential here, then there is no doubt in my mind that it will be top-notch."

It felt dangerous, her instincts were screaming at her that Alex was dangerous. But the same instincts had been warning her ever since he got out of his three-year 'hibernation'. Lily felt more like hundreds of years had passed for Alex instead of the measly three. 

As she looked at Alex, his cloak billowing in the air, Lily couldn't help as he felt a hand of fear grip in her heart. Like the reaper's scythe was around her neck, no idea when Alex would decide that she was useless.

...

But while both Alex and Lily finished killing all of the disciples of the Sword Mountain. The sky got dark and clouds settled overhead.

Alex looked up and smirked. "You bastards are slow."

"Show some respect to your seniors, brat!" A mighty booming voice came from the clouds as a man covered in lightning came out. He had long hair that seemed to be made out of lightning and his whole body seemed to be made of electricity too.

The arrogant look on his face showed the confidence he had in himself–

In an instant, the air seemed to freeze.

It was as though time itself had stood still in the wake of a Supreme Being's advent.

Lily forgot to breathe as if the sight had stolen her soul away. She began choking and gasping for air.

She felt like her body was tossed in space, burning and freezing in milliseconds continuously. While at the same time a mountain crushed her beneath its feet. 

But as Lily looked at Alex, she saw him calm and collected. That knowing smirk like always was on his face.

This wasn't Mana that was pressuring them, because even when used to attack the magic energy had a subtle more soft feel on things. No, what was making Lily not breathe was the heaviness and violent Ki that almost seemed to encompass the earth itself.

"So, I am still waiting for an apology, brat." Said the lightning man impatiently, electricity danced around his form, carving every intricate detail of the man's clothes. The knightly armor and red cape seemed to almost be made of lightning themselves too.

Alex looked around confused, "Apology from who? Me?" He then smirked, "Keep on wishing, old man."

...

 Don't forget to throw some power stones :)

...

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