Darius frowned and waved a hand. The force that had been tearing Hansley apart disappeared. Darius glared at the sky.Hansley was still on the ground. His skin showed signs of being torn; they wouldn't heal so easily. Blood oozed out of the tears. Darius put his hands behind his back and stared at Hansley. His mind raced.A flurry of thoughts was racing through his mind, but he couldn't make sense of them. He didn't know what to say or do. He shut his eyes and sighed.Hansley was still disoriented from what had happened. Still, he could sense that Darius was suppressing something. He didn't know what it was. All he knew was that he couldn't think through the pain.He looked at Darius and said, "I thought you wouldn't save me, but you did. That's a surprise."Darius raised an eyebrow and put his hands behind his back. He approached Hansley and squatted down. He gave Hansley a sharp look, making Hansley feel nervous. Hansley trembled and gulped. "W-What are you up to now?"Darius said fr
Hansley sighed. "I know it's hard for you to believe me, but I'm telling the truth. There's nothing I can do if you don't trust me."Darius put his hands behind his back and nodded. "I understand. Now, I want to know why I could see my father's shadow in you. I don't remember anything about him. After all, I was an infant when he died. But when I saw him earlier, I instantly knew it was him."Hansley looked at him helplessly. "Darius, you're an enlightened martial artist. You should trust your instincts. If they're telling you that shadow belonged to your father, you know it has to be true!"Darius' expression darkened. He looked at Hansley silently. Hansley said, "I know what you're mad about, but it's not something you need to consider. When I was merging with my body, I don't know which part belonged to whom. I believe your father had to go through many rounds of experimenting to become what he is now."Darius' breathing sped up again. Hansley exhaled and said, "Your anger makes me
Darius looked scornful. "I suppose you don't realize how dumb you sound. It's apparent to everyone." He smirked.The black-robed person barked out a laugh and looked down at Darius. "Didn't you mention that you sensed your father's presence in Hansley?"Darius' pupils contracted. He frowned and eyed the black-robed person warily. "What are you trying to say?"The black-robed person raised an eyebrow mockingly. "I was just pointing out something you'd already noticed. How do you expect me to answer you? I think my answer would be useless regardless of what I say. You'll just think I'm lying. It won't help you in any way."The black-robed person put his hands behind his back and shrugged. Darius breathed deeply and looked up at the black-robed person again.He nodded and said, "Since you're unwilling to say anything, I'll have to try other methods. I'll kill you and channel my life force into your brain. Then, I'll have access to all your memories." As he spoke, he channeled his black li
"You should be proud of the fact that you're still alive and floating. And you mentioned my father earlier, didn't you? That's not something I can sweep under the rug. You probably prepared yourself for a terrible death when you mentioned him," said Darius.He sighed. "I've been kind to you, you know. I haven't done anything to harm you thus far, have I? I allowed you to mock and insult me for so long, yet you don't seem satisfied."Darius shook his head. "I'll give you another chance to speak, but you'd better think before you do. Don't be rash." He swung his hand downward, making the black-robed person slam onto the ground where his legs had been injured.He screamed in pain again and stared at Darius in terror. He felt like Darius was a devil from hell. He gulped, suddenly regretting accepting this mission. His mind raced as he shut his eyes and tried to think of what Darius would want to hear.A few seconds later, he said, "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Reid. I shouldn't have mentioned your fa
"Now that I think about it, you were probably trying to drag things out with your so-called obedience earlier." Darius curled his lips and stretched out his arm. He aimed right for the black-robed person's neck, making Hansley gasp.He didn't expect things to turn out like this. He was about to say something when Darius said icily, "Don't forget the predicament you're in, Hansley. You can't guarantee whether you'll make it out of this alive. Stop trying to help others."Darius turned back to the black-robed person, who was trembling. He didn't expect his end to come so quickly. He gnashed his teeth, unwilling to accept his fate. Then, he looked at Darius resolutely.Darius raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm sure you have reasons for acting like this. I want to know what they are. Don't try to pull anything funny; you know how you'll end up if you do."The black-robed person glared at Darius. "No one starts out wanting to be a bad guy. We all want to be kind, but I wasn't given the chanc
Darius couldn't help thinking things were more complex than he'd imagined. Though he'd expected this, it still made him feel powerless. This was especially so as he listened to the stories people recounted. He sighed."I already know about these things. Is there anything else that you have yet to mention?" said Darius.The black-robed person's head whipped up in shock. Never had he imagined Darius would already know about these things. He appraised Darius, wanting to see whether he was just bluffing. Soon, he had his answer, but it wasn't the one he wanted.A look of despair crept onto his face. He couldn't detect any trace of Darius lying. As far as he could tell, Darius was being completely honest. It made him tremble. He gulped and said shakily, "N-No, that's it.""I've already told you everything I know. You wouldn't be able to get anything else out of me even if you were to kill me."Darius glanced at him, then at Hansley. Fear washed over them both, and sweat beaded on their for
Darius' mind raced. He started thinking about everything the black-robed person had said. The black-robed person had given in to him and done as he'd said because of something he'd done. Then, he'd started picking on Hansley.There was also the fact that the organization Darius had eradicated was back in full force. This time, they were ready for him. They had plenty of tricks and were ready to use them on him. But this all depended on how Hansley acted with him.It was obvious they wanted to end Hansley's life instead of acknowledging his contributions. Darius raised an eyebrow at this.He looked down at Hansley and said, "Do you see it now? Your life means nothing to them. They can kill you at the slightest sign of mistrust."Hansley looked up at him and smiled bitterly. "I know. Shortly after joining them, I regretted it. The way they treated me after I joined them wasn't better than when they were still threatening me." He shut his eyes as a lone tear rolled down his face.Darius
At the same time, Darius raised a hand to eye level. Under the black-robed person's and Hansley's confused gazes, a black and golden ball of life force formed in his palm. Darius moved his hand to the side and looked at the black-robed person.The black-robed person trembled. He'd never seen anything like this before. He'd never even heard of people having a golden life force, let alone being able to cultivate two types of life forces. He knew that anyone who could possess a life force that he'd never seen or heard of had to be powerful.And the fact that Darius had two types of life forces proved he was powerful beyond imagination. He couldn't even think of anyone who stood a chance against him, let alone defeat him.When Darius saw the dazed look on his face, he turned away. He said, "I'm taking Hansley with me. Think about what I said. I'll be back in ten minutes to hear your answer." With that, Darius grabbed Hansley and left.The black-robed person stared into the distance. When