The other side of the village had turned into a place where some trees had fallen, the ground was covered in blood, and the sound of collisions echoed constantly. There were only two people left alive. Their bodies were dripping with blood, and the oppressed people around them were being torn apart by the blows of the two enemies.
PAATT...!!!
A fat young man was clenching his bloody fists with mad rage in his eyes. His chubby cheeks were filled with blood. There was a superficial wound on his shoulder, but he was losing more blood by the second. Considering that he was 10 years old, it was very painful for him. His body was also tired. He didn't want to continue. He had reached the limit of his willpower. Adrenaline had brought him this far.
The old bald man in front of him was the bald man who had killed his friends. The bald man was much more experienced than Kasuur, but he had suffered too many losses. The cultivator of the 3rd stage Foundation Establishment Realm next to him had been knocked into the other world by this boy's single blow. He had been hit himself, and he had a terrible scar on his back. And he was a stage 5 Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator!
He had already realized that this kid's cultivation was far superior. He had fought him in this village without expecting to suffer so many casualties. His clothes were torn, and his chest was now covered in blood. His red scarf seemed to suit him better now.
" Master! Help me!!! Aaahh...!!!!! "
At that moment, he heard a scream. At the same time, Kasuur turned his head to see the head rolling towards them. Kasuur had killed animals before. But at that moment, when he saw that rolling head for the first time, he realized what he had done. He remembered what had happened before. He had just smashed a man's head with his fist at the beginning of the fight. He had killed someone. His face crumpled. Timeless thoughts flooded his mind.
'No! I did it because they killed my friends!'
He tried to convince himself that what he had done was right, but being raised by good people in the village had given him a big heart.
Now his friends were dead and he was a murderer. He missed them, even though he had only been away from their presence for a short time. He wanted to ease the pain.
Friends who wanted to go on adventures with him. His closest friends. His village. He looked around. Some houses were burning. And there were bodies everywhere, covered in blood. Even the lights in the sky were not so bright now. Everything suddenly lost its color.
But at the same time, it seemed more real in a way that disturbed him.
His furrowed brow fell. Tears welled up in his eyes. Just now, he had been filled with rage. But why hadn't he thought of saving those who were still alive? Why did he think of that now? It was too late.
He was a child. A child with too much power. He didn't think that as the strongest in his village, he had the responsibility to protect them. A 10 year old should not have been given such a responsibility. It was not his fault.
But at that moment, he felt the pain in his shoulder and his fists, they were burning. It had scraped his skin.
He could not see where the head was rolling, but the swordsman could. Another of his Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators was running towards him in fear. He was just as scared as an ordinary person who faced a cultivator.
'Another Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator?'
'Maybe it is a natural disaster.'
He had seen strange phenomena in the Red Road Forest before.
The leader running toward him had only recently broken through to the 4th level, yet he was running like mad from whatever was chasing him. When the swordsman saw the strong boy fall to the ground, he realized that he had to finish off his new opponent as soon as possible. Otherwise, the screaming boy - Kasuur - might realize that he was in a fight with a new opponent. The more aware he would be, the more dangerous it would be.
"Blood..."
PRÇÇHHHHKK!!!
Suddenly, a black staff flew towards the cultivator who was running towards him. The staff didn't look sharp, but as it flew indistinctly, it hit the running man's ear.
It took half of his head with it.
'What kind of weapon is that?!'
The swordsman was shocked. He had never seen such a weapon before. Or rather, he had never seen such power. That's why he thought that the explosive power was caused by the weapon. The staff, which had slowed down in the air as it passed through the soldier, now approached him. He jumped up and grabbed it as it was about to pass over him. As soon as he grabbed it, he realized that it was incredibly hard. It was very comfortable to hold. It looked very high quality.
"An Origin Energy Weapon?! Perhaps all this sacrifice was not in vain."
Origin energy weapons were used by those who reached the Origin Energy realm. Those who could use Origin Energy well enough could bind Origin Energy weapons and use their power to fight enemies at higher levels. They were quite expensive.
Certainly more expensive than any other barbarian.
At that moment, the swordsman heard footsteps. It was a boy coming towards him. He was less than 1.5 meters tall. He was blind, with black hair and gray eyes, but there was power in every step he took. Every time his footsteps hit the bloody ground, it was as if energy moved with him. His face was wrinkled, often filled with resentment, disgust. His entire body was covered in blood.
"Look what you have done. You forced me to see the blood. "
BOOOOMM...!
Kasuur was looking at Mais, who was walking towards them. He was surprised. Still, he could hear. He turned his head at the explosion. He saw the swordsman he had just fought. Half of his body was blown away. Even he didn't understand what had happened. The staff flew into the air and fell down in front of Mais. Mais was still looking straight ahead, as if he hadn't seen anything. His forehead was furrowed. Maybe he wasn't sure what had happened either.
'Is he dead?'
This thought crossed both Kasuur's and Mais' minds at the same time. Neither of them knew what had happened.
Mais took his staff and placed it on his back. Then he walked in front of the Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator. Hollow eyes pointed at his body, which was starting to get cold. Although his eyes could not see it, his heart saw a trace there. It was vague, but he saw something.
"Kasuur, are you there?"
"I am here."
Kasuur answered slowly. Mais nodded. Then he slowly got down on his knees and sank to the ground, washed in the blood of the village. He reached out his right hand vaguely and noticed that there was something red around it. It was too vague to be of any use, but it was a different color in his dark world. He couldn't see it. At least not with his eyes. He looked with his heart. The hot and the cold. A trace of human existence. The inevitable part of man. It was full of energy, memories, colors and so many things. It seemed impossible to distinguish all these things.
'The trace of the Blood Tao...'
Mais reached stage 5. When he saw the Tao Trace, he had increased by 4 levels. It was less than his previous understanding of the Tao Trace. This was because he was getting closer and closer to the Sage Realm, where he would have to grasp the first Tao trace. Eventually, he would be so close to the Sage Realm that grasping the Tao Trace would not improve him.
Mais wanted to study more, but the moment of enlightenment could not last forever. Everything would fade. Despite this, Mais knew that he would see more when he felt it.
A moment of regret appeared in his heart. He felt ashamed to see the Blood Tao's trace like this. But that regret washed away like the Tao flowing into the earth. Mais remembered the destruction of the capital city. The screams of the dead, it was not only his present memories that made him see the trace of the Tao. He touched it now, saw it in the past. He understood how people's blood was part of their lives.
"Hey, Kasuur. Can I really ask for more?"
Kasuur looked at the blind boy on his knees, staring at the ground around him. He understood nothing of what he said. He said nothing and looked around his village. He saw a house collapse. It was still burning. He saw the body of a little baby. He watched as the wolves took his Uncle Mu away, too far away for him to catch even if he ran now. Everything was falling apart. It was disappearing. Tears came to his eyes.
His village was gone. His home was gone.
For a while there was silence. Only the crackling of burning wood could be heard. Kasuur carried the bodies of the people. He watched them burn, watched the sun set for the first time, alone, without them.
"You saved me. I helped you avenge their deaths. We're even, but still... Will you help me take revenge? "
He heard the voice again. It was the blind boy who had saved him. Now he had a bandage on his hand. Kasuur looked at his shoulder. It was really injured. He could feel the pain well now. It was bad. It had been difficult for Mais to get close to the boy who was silently watching his village. Kasuur decided to speak now.
"Do you want to kill the man who blinded you?"
Mais recognized his voice and approached Kasuur. Kasuur knew nothing about Mais. He watched him in silence as Kasuur put an arm around his shoulder. He lifted his head and looked where he thought Kasuur's face was. Of course, he saw something ridiculous again. Kasuur knew he couldn't see it, but he looked into his eyes anyway. It was a pity that he couldn't see anything there.
"I want more."
Kasuur craned his thick neck and nodded. He had a small smile on his face now. He held out his hand. His smile showed his self-pity. Pity, sorrow and anger. Hope was the strongest of all.
"You help me, I'll help you."
Kasuur knew that Mais could not see. He reached out further and took his right hand, then pulled it toward him and greeted him.
Between the burning houses that night, Mais and Kasuur had forged a bond of friendship.