Chapter 23: Slaughter
Faced with Inigo’s inducement, Aliquin frowned in deep thought.
“Lord Aliquin, what are you still worried about? That Beirut will definitely not find out,” Inigo said hurriedly.
The golden kitten in Aliquin’s arms said softly, “Meow—Master, what Inigo says does make some sense. Even someone as powerful as a Sovereign cannot know the past or future. Killing Bebe, that Beirut would almost certainly never discover it.”
Aliquin snorted lightly: “Kill Bebe? What you two say does have merit!”
“Pulero, let Linley and the other two come out first,” Aliquin commanded.
The golden kitten’s cat eyes lit up, and it immediately let out a sweet, “Meow~” Instantly, the surface of the boiling, churning golden magma lake split apart, revealing Linley, Delia, and Bebe at the bottom. Their eyes were full of surprise.
“Boss, I wonder what they were whispering about just now,” Bebe transmitted telepathically.
Linley also felt worried.
The three of them at the bottom of the lake had heard the conversation above. Earlier, when they heard Aliquin release Salomon and Nis, Bebe had grown anxious, but he couldn’t go out or do anything, so he could only stay helplessly at the bottom.
But then, not a single sound came from above.
Linley was certain at that moment: “Inigo and Aliquin are both up there; they wouldn’t just stand there in silence. I suspect they’ve blocked their voices to prevent us from eavesdropping. Perhaps their discussion involves us.”
“Involves us? Could it be about whether to kill us?” Delia said. She couldn’t think of anything else.
Both Delia and Bebe were worried.
After all, the three of them were currently at the mercy of others. Although they hadn’t been killed yet, that didn’t mean they would truly be let go. Compared to Delia and Bebe, Linley still had a shred of confidence. That confidence came from two drops of Sovereign’s power!
“If my life is threatened, even if I hate to waste it, I’ll have to use a drop of Sovereign’s power,” Linley thought silently to himself.
He was already prepared.
Seeing the golden magma split apart, Linley said, “Let’s go out.” Immediately, the three of them flew out of the golden magma lake and landed on the flat ground of the cave. It was then that they noticed—a massive canyon had split open above the cave, leading directly to the outside world.
This canyon was the passage through which Salomon and Nis had been released.
Linley and the others didn’t try to flee. If their enemies wanted to kill them, their speed was far too slow to escape.
“Mr. Aliquin, thank you for sparing the three of us,” Linley said, bowing slightly with courtesy.
Aliquin was momentarily stunned, then chuckled inwardly: “This kid Linley is quite shrewd. He starts by flattering me. If I were someone who cared about face, it would be hard to kill him now. But no… I never intended to kill him anyway.” Aliquin glanced back at Inigo.
Kill Bebe and seize the divine artifact?
“I’d have to be out of my mind to do that!” Aliquin sneered to himself.
Indeed, killing Bebe might mean Beirut wouldn’t know who the culprit was. But if Beirut got truly furious and investigated, using his influence to track down the killer was still possible. If that happened, Aliquin would surely die!
“Even if I seized a divine artifact, I wouldn’t dare use it myself. Using it would reveal me as the killer. Even if I sold it, I’d only gain some wealth. A divine artifact isn’t as valuable as Sovereign’s power. Risking my life for that kind of wealth isn’t worth it.”
Aliquin had calculated carefully.
He hadn’t feared killing Salomon earlier, because Salomon had used the Boi family’s wealth and a favor to get Aiken’s help. That showed Aiken didn’t value Salomon much. If Aiken had given Salomon a drop of Sovereign’s power for free, that would have indicated true regard.
“Killing Salomon is fine, but killing Bebe… even if the chance of discovery is low, once found out, I’m dead for sure.” Aliquin had no desire to provoke Beirut.
“Lord Aliquin,” Inigo prompted, while the golden kitten in Aliquin’s arms gently flicked its tail.
Linley remained on high alert, ready to channel that drop of Sovereign’s power into his body at any moment. “I hope you won’t make me waste this drop,” he thought silently.
Aliquin might have some wealth, but how could it compare to Sovereign’s power? The entire Boi family’s fortune probably wasn’t worth a single drop.
Aliquin cast a cold glance at Inigo, then turned to Linley and the others with a smile: “Linley, Bebe, right?” A rare smile appeared on Aliquin’s pale face. “Sorry for dragging you into this. You three may leave now.”
Inigo was stunned.
The golden kitten in Aliquin’s arms also looked up at its master.
“Lord Aliquin?” Inigo said hurriedly.
“Hmm? Do you have a problem?” Aliquin looked at him. Inigo could only force a smile: “No problem.” But inwardly, he raged, “I’ve lost over ten billion in wealth and so many subordinates, and I’ve gained nothing. These bastards all deserve to die! Die!!!”
Inigo’s anger shifted to Linley and the others, but with Aliquin present, he dared not act.
Linley, Delia, and Bebe were overjoyed.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Aliquin,” Linley said quickly.
“No need to thank me. Be careful on your journey,” Aliquin replied with a friendly smile, trying to appear amiable. Some people are like that—if they don’t want to offend someone, they act very friendly. But if they decide to kill and plunder, they show no mercy.
Linley, Delia, and Bebe exchanged glances.
“Let’s go,” Linley said with a smile.
He was glad not to have wasted a drop of Sovereign’s power.
Just as Linley, Delia, and Bebe were about to take off, suddenly—
“Swish!” A black sword shadow flashed past Linley’s chest. The air disturbance from the sword shadow alone caused the dragon scales on Linley’s body to clatter.
“What was that?” Linley was startled.
The three of them stopped and looked to the side. There, a path carved by the sword shadow appeared, and a cold-faced man in a fluttering robe, holding a longsword, flew out. It was the long-absent Six-Star Demon—Rilmont!
Rilmont immediately spotted Linley and the others, then looked down and saw Aliquin and Inigo in the cave below.
“Where are the others?” Rilmont asked Linley.
“All dead,” Linley replied quickly.
Rilmont shook his head slightly, but seeing Linley and the others alive, he felt a trace of relief. During their journey, Linley’s diligent training had earned Rilmont’s admiration.
“Swoosh!” Rilmont flew straight downward.
Linley and the others had only just risen a bit, less than ten meters above the cave, and could clearly see everything inside.
“Boss, let’s watch first,” Bebe said. Linley and Delia weren’t in a hurry to leave either. Since neither side intended to kill them now, why not observe?
“You?” Rilmont frowned when he saw Inigo.
He clearly remembered the scene in the desert castle, where he had also noticed Inigo.
Inigo’s expression changed when he saw Rilmont, but with Aliquin beside him, he forced a smile: “Inigo greets Mr. Rilmont.”
“Pulero!” Aliquin snapped in displeasure.
“Meow—Master, he’s very strong. He can easily split the stone walls. I tried to guide him another way, but he still got here,” the golden kitten said pitifully.
Rilmont turned to Aliquin: “My name is Rilmont. May I ask who you are?”
“Aliquin,” Aliquin said indifferently, not taking Rilmont seriously, though he had heard of his strength from Inigo.
“Aliquin?” Rilmont’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Are you the Seven-Star Demon ‘Aliquin’ from back then?” Rilmont knew of some of the top powerhouses in Hell, especially since he himself was close to reaching that level.
“Oh, you know me?” Aliquin raised an eyebrow.
Rilmont’s eyes blazed, and his battle intent surged. He declared loudly, “I am Rilmont, a Six-Star Demon. My greatest wish now is to challenge a Seven-Star Demon!”
Aliquin frowned. In Hell, there was a group of people who loved to fight and challenge the strong. Aliquin hated these people because they were hard to shake off, and Rilmont was clearly one of them.
“I’m in a bad mood today and don’t want to fight. Get lost,” Aliquin said coldly.
“Meeting a Seven-Star Demon is rare—how could I give it up?” Rilmont laughed. “That Inigo beside you must be one of the masterminds behind the attack on us. Since I became a Six-Star Demon, I’ve never failed a mission.”
The moment he finished speaking—
“Swish!”
A gray sword energy suddenly appeared, flashing past Aliquin. Inigo, horrified, immediately retreated, his soft sword appearing in his hand.
“Clang!” The sword energy clashed with the soft sword.
Inigo’s face turned deathly pale, and he fell weakly to the ground, then collapsed.
He was dead!
Inigo’s eyes held shock and a trace of unwillingness.
“That same sword strike!”
Watching from above, Linley’s heart trembled. “Back then, Rilmont killed over a dozen Highgods with that one strike. Even Inigo couldn’t withstand it. Too terrifying.” Though Linley had seen this strike before, it still amazed him.
Inside the cave.
“Killing both his souls with one strike?” Aliquin was slightly surprised.
Rilmont smiled, holding his longsword: “Aliquin, I, Rilmont, a Six-Star Demon, formally challenge you today. No holds barred!” Rilmont dreamed of challenging an Asura, but he knew he wasn’t strong enough yet.
Aliquin snorted: “You’ve trained well in the Edicts of Destruction. But do you think that’s enough to beat me?”
Aliquin was frustrated!
He had paid so much and watched Salomon leave. On top of that, when he blocked Bebe’s ultimate move, his Highgod artifact had been destroyed! A Highgod artifact perfectly suited to one’s soul required a long time to nurture.
That artifact was ruined, and now someone came to challenge him. How could Aliquin not be furious?
“What, is Aliquin afraid?” Rilmont tilted his head slightly.
“Hmph.” Aliquin, already seething with anger, finally lost his temper. He flipped his hand, and a black whip appeared. A strong warrior usually had more than one attack artifact. Linley, for example, had the Violet Blood Soft Sword and the Black Yuan Heavy Sword. Aliquin naturally had other Highgod artifacts he often used.
“Since you’re asking for death, I’ll send you to it!” The fire burning in Aliquin’s chest was about to explode.
“Haha…”
Seeing this, Rilmont laughed excitedly. “Aliquin, this place is too small. Why not go outside and have a real battle?”
“Fine,” Aliquin replied coldly.
Immediately—
Rilmont and Aliquin shot up through the split canyon, brushing past Linley and the others, and vanished into the sky. A Six-Star Demon and a Seven-Star Demon were about to truly clash.
Down below, Linley, Delia, and Bebe watched intently. Linley’s eyes especially were shining.
A battle between experts—how could they miss it?