Feron’s eyes burned red as he rushed forward, his curved longsword glowing with blood-colored light.
Garion smirked, bracing himself, but his brows twitched when the blade nearly grazed his chest.
Feron’s speed was noticeably faster than before, surprising him.
Garion quickly tilted his body and blocked with his forearm, but the blade managed to cut deeper than he expected.
Feron laughed, showing his teeth.
"What’s wrong, Garion? Did you think I was only this strong? You fool. Did you think I’d fight without a trump card?"
Garion looked at his bloodied arm, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"So you’ve been hiding something this whole time, huh? No wonder you’re so confident to face me alone."
Feron laughed as his aura flared even more, covering his sword with blood colored mana.
"Let me tell you, Garion. I am not a stabilization stage cultivator, but rather, I am an Awakening Stage cultivator. I just reached it, so I wanted to hide..."
He pointed his blade forward toward Garion, narrowing his eyes.
"But you’re just more troublesome than I thought. And I need to use this power just to end this humiliation."
Garion’s frown deepened.
He began to recall some stages of the Second Mana Core Realm.
The stabilization stage meant the cultivator could already use their trait, but their mana core was still just a seed.
But the Awakening stage was different, as the core had already transformed into a proper mana core.
Their mana also transformed into a thicker one, and their traits became even stronger.
And that meant one thing. Trouble.
Feron slashed his sword again, and Garion raised his arm to block.
Although Feron’s strikes didn’t injure him badly, the effects of his trait were just too troublesome.
The small cuts on his body were not only stop healing, but the throbbing pain from them seemed to be stronger and longer.
Feron grinned wide, seeing Garion’s face.
"Do you feel it? Your healing is stopped. Your body grows heavier with each strike. And the pain..."
Feron frinned even wider, licking his lips.
"The pain will never leave your body until I say so. My trait isn’t just about power, but about making my opponent suffer."
He rushed again, swinging his sword wildly.
"Now, bleed and suffer more for me!"
Garion frowned, thinking about what to do about this situation.
Every cut his body took was not serious, but the effect it brought was just too much.
Without healing, his body began to weaken, and with the pain constantly on his body, it was hard to keep his focus.
"Damn... this is really troublesome. I never thought that I would be in this very situation."
Feron’s laugh echoed in the clearing when he heard what he said.
"To think the mighty Garion that so arrogant, admit that he was in trouble. Good... really good."
Feron raised his word again, pouring even more mana than before.
"Now that you’re already , I’ll take my time to cut you apart piece by piece, letting you feel every moment."
Garion’s mouth twitched into a small smile.
"You’re really a lunatic and sadistic one, Feron. But..."
He spat his bitter blood to the ground and pushed himself up, even though he was very weak.
He straightened his back and planted his feet to steady himself before staring back at Feron, grinning.
"Don’t think I gave up, already. There are no such words in my dictionary."
"What can you do now? You’re already this weak and can barely stand. All that’s left is for you to laugh one last time... and then die!"
He charged forward, swinging his blades numerous times, without any hesitation.
He first slashed strike Garion’s chest, then his side, then his shoulder. One after another painted Garion’s body red.
But Garion didn’t move. He just stood there, taking every strike head-on.
Feron laughed harder with each strike, his face twisting into a cruel smile.
"What’s wrong? Did you give up? Where’s all that arrogance now, huh?!"
Feeling that Garion had already given up, there was no more fun in keeping this up.
Then finally, Feron jumped back, gathering his mana one last time into his curved longsword.
"Now that you’ve given up... It’s time for you to die! Crimson Beheader!"
Feron roared, swinging his sword straight at Garion’s neck, and it landed... but couldn’t go deeper.
The blade sank partway into Garion’s thick neck muscles but went no further, shocking Feron.
Feron tried to press harder, veins bulding in his arms. The sword was already shaking, but Garion’s head stayed on his shoulders.
"How... how can this be?! That was my full power!"
Garion’s face suddenly changed into a bloody grin, staring back at Feron.
"Feron. You’re indeed right that I’m weak now... but did you forget what kind of cultivator I am?"
Feron stayed silent, still not understanding it.
Garion only laughed and explained.
"Feron, I’m a body cultivator. Even if I don’t heal... even if I don’t move... my body is still stronger than your sword."
Garion looked at his hand, clenching it.
"Your trait was indeed troublesome, but it just slows me down and affects my focus. And that’s why..."
He raised his arms, wrapping them around Feron’s torso and tightening them across his back before he could react.
"You’re not able to kill me with your pathetic strength and can only torture me. And now, it’s my time to break you!"
Feron gasped, quickly panicking, knowing just how strong Garion’s body was.
He also cannot move, as his body and arms were pinned down completely by Garion’s tight hug.
"Damn you, Garion! Release me this instant!"
Garion only smirked as he got his face closer to him, grinning savagely. Original content can be found at novel·fire.net
"You already had so much fun time with me, so now, it’s time for me to give you some fun time with my gym special... The Bearhug!"
Garion immediately tightened his grip and squeezed Feron, forcing him to scream loudly.
Garion only laughed, hearing his scream before leaning in close to his ears.
"Feron, you are indeed strong with that blood trait of yours... but you forgot one thing."
Garion tightened his grip, and the sound of bones cracking filled the clearing.
Feron’s ribs buckled first, then his arms, then his legs twisted unnaturally as the pressure crushed down.
"Strength is everything!"
Feron’s scream turned into a gurgle, then silence. His body went limp in Garion’s hold.
The Red Fang Sect’s leader was no more.