"The Nascent Soul Realm!?" Grandmaster Nero and the other two's eyes grew round, their astonishment palpable. "How could a powerhouse like that possibly be here!?"
"N-Nero," muttered a different Grandmaster. "Should we interfere in this battle…?"
This question put Grandmaster Nero in deep thought. It was their duty and job to protect the Trial area. However, neither he nor the other two were above the 5th Layer Core Formation Realm.
What could they possibly hope to contribute here?
Yet, even if they had discarded all thoughts of opposing these two unknown figures, that didn't mean they would be let off the hook so easily.
Now that they were here, they might as well stay.
'Go,' Zar secretly voice-transmitted to ten of his Shadow Beasts. 'Pummel them and bind them with your Innate Energy. I'll question them for answers in a bit. Also, to avoid any information leaks, fifty of you will spread out and prevent departure out of Verndale. You're also to stop anyone from coming in. Use force if necessary.'
'As for the rest of you,' he added while looking between the sixty stragglers left behind, 'help me distract this one.'
[Ray Ironheart (3rd Layer Nascent Soul): 195/680/930]
"You've truly gotten ahead of yourself, youngster!" Ray furiously bellowed, his voice reverberating outward. "But fine, if you won't reveal your true cultivation, then I'll just force it out of you—"
SPURT!
Ray's eyes suddenly widened in horror as he looked down, only to see the tip of a sharp stinger sticking out of his stomach. Slowly turning around with blood trickling down his lips, he saw a giant shadowy Hornet Bee buzzing there.
"Kuk! Y-You dirty coward…!" he spat as he forcefully pushed away from the giant bee, the open wound in his stomach frenziedly pouring blood. "I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
At this outburst and subsequent eruption of energy, Zar frowned. The image he had of his killer no longer matched the Therian before him. If before, he was akin to an untouchable god, now he was no different from a helplessly enraged mortal.
"So this is what lay beneath that cold exterior from back then," said Zar, a sigh of disappointment hanging in the air. "Why do I feel so unsatisfied?"
"Unsatisfied about what, you little bastard!?" Ray roared.
"Well—" Zar paused, raising his hands ever so slowly. "You're about to die."
"!?!?"
SHA! SHA! SHA!
Dozens of lethal attacks bombarded Ray from all directions, with the resulting energy blinding the skies.
"And yet, at the thought of your death, I feel nothing," Zar continued, emotionlessly watching as his Shadow Beasts unleashed yet another onslaught of attacks that devastated the land while Ray desperately deflected them. "I thought I'd feel something, and maybe I would have if you were different… But you aren't. You're just like the rest of the Therian trash. It's sad, really."
RUMBLE!
Thirty Shadow Beasts were suddenly pushed away and disintegrated by an extremely powerful spherical blast of Innate Energy. Raymond Lionheart's fury soared so high that his eyes became consumed with anger, turning a dark shade of red.
However, with the spending of twenty years of Lifespan, Zar brought all of the dead Shadow Beasts back to life. He then commanded them to bombard the furious Lion Therian, same as before.
"Y-YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!!"
Although Ray's voice was still as boisterous as ever, one could make out progressively growing panic in his tone. He was being put on the defensive by so many Core Formation Realm entities, and even while using his family's secret Low-Black Technique, 'Blazing Empowerment,' he was still being pushed back.
'T-This is impossible!' he screamed internally. 'I am the mighty Ray of the Lionheart Household!! How could I possibly be outdone by a bunch of mindless undead beasts!?'
While Ray's desperation worsened, Zar realized that it was time to finish things. After taking a cursory glance at the beaten-up Grandmasters, he flashed forward, increasing the output of his 'Linear Jet Propulsion Footwork' to 100%.
Then, with a massive blast of fire hundreds of meters in width, Zar swung down with the entire might of the Peak-Black 'Cataclysmic Purple Slash' Technique. In his emotionless pupils, a reflection could be seen—the sheer terror darkening Ray's face.
And though he saw the attack and had enough time to counterattack, with ten beam attacks smashing into his back by the Shadow Beasts, his focus grew hazy. In his lapse of judgment, a different kind of Shadow Beast—a much leaner and more humanoid one—appeared by his side, chopping off a hand.
"Arghhh!!!" He released an agonizing scream.
All while failing to truly deal with the main threat to his life…
Pausing his advance just before the wave of purple flames touched Ray, Zar changed the trajectory of his attack. With his hands a blur, he slashed out several times, all while phasing forward.
Stopping behind the Nascent Soul Realm Lion Therian, Zar sheathed his sword and opened his once-closed eyes. He then turned around and watched as lines of blood formed over all of Ray's limbs, which, a second later, resulted in four consecutive geysers of blood shooting out of his now limbless body.
"Arghhh—!!!" he shrilly cried. "I-It hurts…!! Pl-Please, someone help me!! Save me…!! Anyone…"