Chapter 92: Slaughter at Nightfall

As the saying goes, if you do not court death, death will not come for you.

On the surface, this man looked every inch the gentleman, but beneath that mask lay a warped and perverse heart.

It seemed that everything had come too easily to him. From childhood onward, whatever he wanted, he got: elite totem beasts, the finest runic foundries, whatever runes and spirit arts he wished to choose from, gemstones and materials supplied almost without limit.

The Glenos family, rich enough to rival a nation, had spared no effort in raising him, hoping he would become the family’s second fourth-tier powerhouse.

This family had been founded five hundred years ago by a fourth-tier soul master, who also left behind a divine beast to guard it for three hundred years before dying.

No divine beast, however mighty, can endure for a thousand years. Under the constraints of the soul bond, at most it can fall into slumber after its master dies, and only after an immense stretch of time can it act once; in ordinary times it exists in a half-dead, half-living state, and even then it can survive for no more than two hundred years.

Now the family’s guardian divine beast was about to perish, and they urgently needed a superlative powerhouse capable of sustaining the family. Isaac was their greatest hope, so naturally they indulged every one of his demands.

And so he developed a haughty and twisted mentality. His usual mildness was nothing more than a disguise, which was why he could cooperate with the academy in carrying out that utterly cruel experiment, personally snuffing out one pitiful life after another.

Relying on his overwhelming strength among his peers at the beginning, he had always treated the others like a cat toying with mice, torturing them to death. Again and again, he had opportunities to kill, and again and again he “accidentally” let them go.

In his eyes, only the most successful result of the human super-evolution project was worthy of being his finest toy.

Since it was a toy, of course he would not be willing to break it carelessly; otherwise, he would be bored again in the future...

“The villain dies because he talks too much. Meeting that end is your own fault for seeking death,” Charles said with some disdain.

After the lesson ended, Charles followed Garfield to the laboratory and continued working overtime.

“Good evening, Charles.” Several senior students looked up at him and greeted him warmly.

“Good evening.”

Relying on his formidable drafting ability, he had successfully earned their respect and was treated as an equal rather than as a naive little rookie.

The four of them were all second-tier soul masters, each one among the best of the students; otherwise they would never have been allowed into this laboratory.

After all, Garfield was one of the academy’s senior officials, a man of terrifying prestige and formidable strength.

Still, whenever Charles looked at his face, he had the urge to laugh. The man looked too much like a frog; during the lecture just now, Charles had nearly blurted it out.

The research target these days remained the radiated creatures. One grotesque specimen after another was sent into the laboratory, and after dissection and reconstruction by the runic foundries, they were studied from every angle, resulting in the most detailed reports imaginable.

There was no helping it. As the Gate of Origin was opened little by little, more and more radiated creatures escaped from it. Quite a few winged ones even crossed the sea to Atlan, causing terrible casualties.

Every few days now, the academy dispatched a hunting team to Harrison to hunt those fearsome radiated creatures.

Busy until deep into the night, Charles stretched, exchanged farewells with the others, and quickly left the laboratory.

Caw!

On the way back, Charles suddenly heard a sharp birdcall from overhead, and a gigantic black bird swept across the sky.

This was an everyday occurrence and did not concern him. After all, Morent was a city built around soul masters, and all manner of totem beasts often flew through the air.

The black giant bird flew out of the academy and all the way to the northern forest of the island.

This island was the largest in Atlan, with many primeval forests. The academy used them for numerous experiments, so that it could observe the habits of living creatures under natural conditions and the like.

In an open clearing stood a man in a silver robe, quiet and motionless, holding a goblet brimming with bright red liquid, looking like some vampire out of myth.

Around him was a shadow, moving like a nimble ape, climbing and leaping among the trees so quickly that it was almost a ghost.

The silver-robed man simply stood there, licked the fluid that had dripped to the corner of his mouth, and let a strange smile curve his lips. “Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m not as useless as you imagine. You think a little circling can confuse me? Do you take me for some pitiful lamb on the prairie?”

The enemy hidden in the dark kept circling soundlessly, and in the end melted quietly into the darkness.

“How boring.” He murmured, carelessly tossing away the goblet, then turned and walked toward the black giant bird, as if preparing to leave.

Swoosh!

At that moment, a black figure suddenly shot out from behind him, transforming into a sharp blade as it hurtled forward with a piercing whistle through the air!

Yet when the shadow drew within thirty meters of him, its speed abruptly halved. As it kept approaching, it slowed further and further, until at last it was reduced to a limping shuffle.

“That move again. How dull.” The silver-robed man turned to look at him, eyes full of disappointment. “I thought you might have something new. Since you can’t let me enjoy myself, then die.”

Boom!

At that instant, behind the shadow that had seemed mired in a swamp, a burst of blood-colored light suddenly erupted, and its speed surged dozens of times over.

Only when it drew near could one see that the shadow was armed to the teeth, like a war machine; its arms, legs, feet, hands, and everything else were all weapons.

Alas, it still did no good. It halted when it reached within five meters of the silver-robed man.

“Interesting. You’ve finally improved.”

A trace of excitement surfaced on the silver-robed man’s face. He strode forward with elegant poise, and a vortex suddenly appeared before him. From within it emerged a bloodthirsty maw, swallowing the other man’s head in a single bite!

“What a pity. Still too weak. How boring.”

He lightly pushed the body with one hand. The headless corpse crashed to the ground, blood gushing out like a fountain, while the thick stench of gore spread through the air.

The silver-robed man licked the blood from his hand, then turned and stepped onto the black giant bird’s back. The bird spread its wings and carried him back toward the academy.

The bright moonlight spilled down upon the headless corpse, making the place seem all the more eerie and sinister.

Several men in gray robes suddenly emerged from the forest, opened a huge box, stuffed the corpse inside, and hurriedly left the scene...

The next morning, Morent Academy, Building 106.

This building was the most special one in the academy. It was enclosed by high walls and absolutely forbidden to ordinary students.

The next morning, a few men in gray robes suddenly emerged from the forest, opened a huge box, stuffed the corpse inside, and hurriedly left the scene...

The next morning, Morent Academy, Building 106.

This building was the most special one in the academy. It was enclosed by high walls and absolutely forbidden to ordinary students.

The next morning,