Chapter Fourteen: Oath

The cellar was adjacent to the foundation wall, with a door shaped like a skylight that opened at an angle. Climbing up the steep wooden ladder covered in dust, even before pushing the door open, the cold seeping through the crack sent chills down one’s spine. Upon opening the door, snowflakes fell as it seemed to have started snowing outside sometime earlier—slowly, accompanied by a light breeze and the silence of the dark night, creating a chilling atmosphere.

Glancing in the direction of the Black Iron Square, Neo sighed quietly. It wasn’t too far from here. He could faintly smell blood—not from just one person, but many, many. A sinister blood sacrifice, carried out at midnight. Such a scene of carnage was something even someone as accustomed to blood as Neo didn’t want to imagine too much.

Humans in the eyes of demons were like pigs and sheep in human eyes. Combine the brutality of a slaughterhouse with the evil whims of demons, and that’s roughly what a blood sacrifice entailed. It could become an eternal nightmare imprint for anyone who witnessed it, and those with weaker minds might even collapse and go mad from it.

Calming his emotions, Neo knew that overthinking would only lead to trouble or even despair. Reaching out, he pulled Eric along and asked in a hushed voice, “Did Vini and Matt say where they were going to get food?”

“The Mathers’ house,” Eric replied with a hint of resentment in his smile. “They act tyrannically because they have a relative in the town government. The neighbors have suffered a lot at their hands. He’s also a notorious miser in the entire West District.” Saying that, he determined the direction and led the way.

After walking for about two or three minutes, Neo, who was following behind Eric, pulled at his arm. “There’s a problem ahead. Hear a whistle—come back then.”

Eric’s heart tightened instantly. His voice was filled with fear and anxiety. “Could it be Vini and the others…?” He turned around, but there was no sign of Neo anymore.

Bang! Matt crashed heavily to the ground, snow flying everywhere. His short sword flew out of his hand. Enduring the severe pain in his chest and abdomen, Matt tried to crawl forward to retrieve his sword, but was kicked in the waist from the side, sending him flying backward. This time, he had no strength left to struggle.

A huge foot, as heavy as a hundred-pound boulder, pressed down on Matt’s chest, quickly turning his face red from lack of air.

“I like seeing blood gush out—ha… ha! You brat, look at me! Watch as I pierce your neck with my sword and sever your arteries.” The burly man used the tip of his sword to slap Matt’s cheek, forcing him to turn his face around.

Matt struggled to turn his head but unexpectedly saw Neo approaching silently from behind the man.

The man’s eyes flashed with fury as he sneered, “You brat, still not dead!?” At that moment, he swung his sword in a wide arc. Matt’s expression must have made the man realize something was wrong, prompting him to suddenly swing his sword after his deceptive words.

Yet, the sudden strike missed. Realizing something was off, the man countered with a reverse elbow strike, hoping the attacker had hidden on the side he couldn’t see. But that strike also missed!

The man didn’t naively think the enemy didn’t exist; on the contrary, he knew he was truly done for this time. Death came at that moment—a sword, like a nail struck by a sledgehammer, shot downward from above his head, piercing in and going more than halfway in.

Swish! Neo twisted in mid-air and landed steadily on the ground, only stirring up a small puff of snowflakes.

The man stared blankly at the young face that had turned to face him, trying to say something, but only blood came out of his mouth. Thud! He collapsed in the snow and died with his eyes open.

Neo twisted his body and plunged back into darkness.

In the room, Vini’s clothes were torn to shreds, revealing her pale chest and legs in the air filled with the scent of pine. Her struggles were now insignificant, while bald Mace, with his fleshy face, grinned happily. The few strands of hair he kept to cover his baldness were stuck to his forehead by sweat. Under the light from the fireplace, along with his murky eyes glowing with lecherous intent, he embodied the meaning of “ugly.”

Anxiously stripping off his underwear, he forcefully separated Vini’s legs, ready to indulge in his moment of ecstasy. But suddenly, the back of his collar was yanked hard, causing the front to clamp tightly around his neck, almost breaking it.

His vision went black. He tried to cough, but he was already dragged out like a sack. Bang! The edge of the fireplace pressed against Mace’s back, causing excruciating pain. But it was the next moment he truly understood what it meant to suffer unbearably—as a red-hot poker was inserted between his legs.

“Ah…” Mace howled, but only managed to emit a half-sound. A sharp sword was thrust into his mouth just as he opened it, then twisted…

Neo whistled. Soon, Matt arrived, supported by Eric. Vini, whose cheeks were swollen from being beaten, was covered with a bedsheet. Neo handed the blood-stained sword to her without saying a word, pulled up a chair, sat on it with his arms on the backrest, chin resting on his arms, watching the miserable Mace.

More than ten seconds passed, yet the three of them were still savoring the moment.

Neo said in a low voice, “A path covered in blood is never easy to walk. If you must choose, some beautiful things will only remain something to gaze at from afar. Think carefully.”

Soon, Mace’s painful groans could be heard from the room, one after another…

The whole thing wasn’t complicated at all. Mace, that man, and the ruffian soldier Sol were all followers of the Dark Cult. After the evil blood sacrifice came three hours of “celebration.” Mace and Sol planned to go home for a good bottle of wine and find some delicious women to enjoy themselves with. They happened to encounter Vini and Matt, who were young and beautiful, with an intimate, age-gap-like taboo atmosphere. Of course, devouring such fresh meat would be delightful.

“My parents were cruelly killed in the blood sacrifice! Wah… Ugh…” Vini cried loudly on Neo’s shoulder.

To win Vini’s heart, Mace naturally didn’t hesitate to reveal some details about the blood sacrifice, which proved effective. Otherwise, Vini wouldn’t have been able to defeat him, but she could still kill herself in time—after all, Mace’s combat skills were simply unspeakable.

Matt and Eric also had red eyes. From Vini’s sobbing account, they already knew that the blood sacrifice had killed thousands. Perhaps before, they could have comforted themselves with some flimsy illusions, but now it was impossible. Besides, anyone facing such a tragedy would inevitably feel heartbroken—for the innocent who died and for their own loved ones. Though Matt and Eric didn’t know whether their relatives were among the victims, they had to admit that uncertainty in such a situation was even more tormenting.

The pine wood burned in the fireplace, making popping sounds. The scent of roasted pine mixed with a sweet, bloody odor—a strangely indescribable smell. Under Nio’s persuasion, Vini went to wash and change clothes. Mather’s wife had died early, and it was an open secret that he often met with a shameless woman. Vini didn’t worry about finding replacement clothes.

The atmosphere in the room was oppressive; no one spoke. Nio used the tip of his sword to pull Mather’s arm away from the fire. The smell in the room was already strange enough—there was no need to add the scent of roasted human flesh.

Lost in pain, Matt finally exploded. “I’m going to the square!” he growled hoarsely, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh.

Vini, who had just changed clothes and was heading downstairs, paused, then stepped forward, biting her lower lip. “I want to go too!” she said sadly in a hoarse voice.

Nio frowned, his thick brows knitting together, and spoke slowly and gravely, “It’s not death itself that’s feared, but dying needlessly.” He paused before adding, “If I remember correctly, dying quickly in the eyes of the devil is considered a grace for the weak.”

“We have to do something!” Matt said, his face and eyes red, forcing out those words.

Nio hummed in agreement and continued in a low voice, “To let me escape, my parents died at the hands of my enemies. To this day, I don’t even know if their bones lie in the wilderness. If you want to go to the square, I won’t stop you, but I won’t go with you. I’ll keep this life to grow stronger, and then, I’ll seek revenge!” As he spoke, an indescribable chill spread through the room. Even though it was warm inside, the three young people still felt a chill.

“C-could you teach us combat skills?” Vini asked, her eyes filled with pleading and hope.

“That’s putting the cart before the horse,” Nio said. “If you truly want to improve, the academy affiliated with the Order of the Radiant Knights is the best choice for you—whether in terms of teaching systems, career paths, advancement systems, or strength attributes.”

“That’s Emira’s most prestigious military academy. How can we get in?” Eric asked, eyes wide.

“Because you are the most beloved children of the Creator!”

Vini opened her mouth but ended up saying nothing. Although Nio’s words seemed unreasonable, upon closer thought, his advice wasn’t entirely unfounded. The devil’s strength was well-known. Facing such an enemy, if they lacked the determination and hard work to enter the academy affiliated with the Order of the Radiant Knights, revenge would remain just empty words.

Vini had originally invited Nio to go with them, but remembering the shackles on his body when they first met, she realized he was on a different path from them. Perhaps they could meet again in the future, but for now, they were bound to part ways.

Neo seemed to understand Vinnie’s thoughts and said seriously, “Since ancient times, heroes have emerged from youth, and the righteous path is always full of trials. The devil is the great enemy of life. As long as we are still alive, as long as the flame of our faith remains unextinguished and unchanging, we will meet again someday. Next time, I hope we can fight side by side.”
With that, Neo extended his hand. “Dare you shake hands as an oath?”
“Why not?” The red-haired boy Matt’s eyes shone with fervor as he firmly shook Neo’s hand. “For revenge!”
Vinnie added his hand as well. “For life!”
Erik hesitated for a moment before joining in. “For tomorrow!”
Neo made eye contact with each of the three and said solemnly, “For faith!”
Then all four said together, “We swear here today!”……