Chapter 7: Last Words!
"One of the Five Kings?" Linley's eyes narrowed. The Five Kings of the Gebados Plane Prison were all supreme experts. Azurefire was one of the Five Kings, and since this Odin was called the Evil King and stood alongside Azurefire, his strength had to have reached an astonishing level.
"Were the deaths of Big Brother and Second Brother related to him?" Linley couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, Third Brother! As you know, Second Brother George had great magical talent and trained diligently... About a hundred years after you left, he reached the Saint realm. He should have gained eternal life, but—"
Reno's face was ashen with rage. Clearly, his heart was filled with boundless fury, but he forced himself to stay calm and continue. "That Odin struck first in the imperial capital of the Yulan Empire. With a wave of his hand... nearly half the capital was destroyed. He also had a group of subordinates, all of whom had reached the God level!"
"Odin gave an order: within the capital, all Saints and those above the Saint realm were to be killed, every last one!"
"Second Brother George was killed then." His voice remained low, but as he spoke, tears streamed down Reno's face.
Though Linley had braced himself, he still felt his mind go numb. He vividly remembered that among the four brothers, George was the kindest, the most gentle-tempered, and the most responsible. "Second Brother... died just like that?" Linley couldn't believe it. George, who had such grand aspirations, was gone. With his brother slain, how could Linley swallow this anger?
"Odin must die." Linley's face was ashen.
"Brother." Wharton quickly called out.
"Third Brother—" Reno also shouted.
"Reno, you, you said..." A trembling voice spoke. Delia, standing beside Linley, stared at Reno with fear and dread in her eyes. "You said that within the entire capital, all Saints and above were killed? What about my brother? What happened to him?"
In the Rhine family, besides Delia, the only one who had reached the Saint realm was Dixie.
Nearly two thousand years had passed; the loved ones of that time had surely turned to dust long ago.
Delia had returned this time especially hoping to see her big brother Dixie, the genius brother who had cared for her since childhood.
"Dixie?" Reno was stunned.
"Yes, my brother! Is he still alive?" Delia's body trembled slightly.
"Delia." Linley couldn't help but grasp her hand, clearly feeling it shaking.
"Dixie is dead!" Wharton spoke up. "At that time, nearly ten Saints in the capital were all killed, including Dixie! Odin and his subordinates were too strong—among them were Highgods. With such overwhelming power, there was no way to resist. How could a Saint escape?"
Delia's face suddenly turned deathly pale.
"My brother is dead?" Delia looked up, two streams of clear tears flowing down her face.
"Delia." Linley quickly said.
Delia suddenly opened her eyes, gritting her teeth. "Odin, I will kill him!" She turned to Linley. "Linley... I will kill him, I will!!!"
"Definitely, definitely." Linley's killing intent surged.
"Don't." Taylor was extremely tense. "Mother, Father, you must not go... really, that Odin is far too strong. Back then, Odin attacked our Dragonblood Castle, and it was Lord Beirut who stopped him. Lord Beirut said... that Odin is considered a top expert even in the Higher Planes."
"Yes." Reno also said nervously, "Third Brother, you must not take risks."
"I remember Lord Beirut mentioned something about a Seven-Star Fiend, saying Odin was also a Seven-Star Fiend." Sasha quickly added.
Clearly, they still vividly remembered the scene when Odin attacked and Beirut appeared. They also gnashed their teeth in hatred for Odin. But Beirut had solemnly warned them how powerful Odin was, and that going after him would mean certain death.
"Seven-Star Fiend?" Linley's gaze turned cold.
Beside him, Bebe growled angrily, "Even if he were a Sovereign, he would still die!"
Reno and the others were puzzled. They didn't understand the meaning of either Seven-Star Fiend or Sovereign.
"By the way, what about Big Brother Yale?" Linley suddenly thought of Yale.
Yale was a member of the Dawson Conglomerate. Even if Odin wanted to rule the empire, how could he involve Yale?
"Third Brother, calm down first. Don't let your blood boil." Reno quickly said. In the eyes of Reno, Wharton, and the others, their greatest fear was that Linley, in a fit of rage, would charge straight at Odin. In their view, even though Linley was a genius, he had only trained for nearly two thousand years. Odin was a freak far more powerful than even Adkins from back then.
"Alright, I won't let my blood boil. Hurry and tell me." Though Linley said this, his chest burned with raging fury.
Whether it was Second Brother's death or Delia's brother's death, both had to be avenged!
"Alright, I'll tell you." Reno closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again, but he couldn't control the tears welling up. "Big Brother Yale wasn't diligent in his training when he was young. He had the worst talent among us four brothers... He stopped at the eighth-rank mage level. But that didn't affect his role as the president of the Conglomerate."
Linley nodded slightly.
He still remembered Yale saying that his dream was for the Dawson Conglomerate to swallow the other two major trading companies and become the strongest and largest on the Yulan Continent.
"Back then, although the Yulan Empire and the O'Brien Empire were restored, they had too few experts and were too weak. The entire Yulan Continent... the Baruch Empire was the strongest force." Reno said slowly. "With our help, the Dawson Conglomerate naturally thrived and expanded. The other two trading companies were squeezed and swallowed. Later, they completely collapsed and were absorbed by the Dawson Conglomerate. Big Brother Yale achieved his goal and was very happy. The three of us—me, Second Brother, and Big Brother Yale—gathered to celebrate."
Reno's gaze grew distant.
"Back then, when we three brothers celebrated, we lamented that it was a pity Third Brother wasn't there, or else all four of us could have been together."
Linley felt a tremor deep in his soul. It was the deepest bond of brotherhood.
"The three of us gathered, and everything was still wonderful. But... after we parted ways and returned to our respective places, the Evil King Odin appeared. First, with an overwhelming and invincible force, he directly took control of several empires, unifying them into the Odin Empire." Reno said in a low voice. "But Odin wasn't satisfied with that. He set his sights on the Dawson Conglomerate! Although it was just a trading company, as the number one on the continent, it held astonishing hidden influence."
Linley's expression darkened.
Back then, when the Dawson Conglomerate was just one of three major trading companies, it was already that powerful. After swallowing the other two... Linley could fully imagine its hidden influence.
"Odin has a divine clone that cultivates the Edict of Death." Reno said grimly. "He easily controlled several empires back then by directly soul-controlling key figures in each. And Big Brother Yale... was soul-controlled by him."
Linley felt a pang of pain.
Yale had been soul-controlled once before. That time, Linley had saved him. But this time, Linley wasn't there, and no one could save him.
"Within a year, with Big Brother Yale's cooperation, the management of the Dawson Conglomerate changed drastically, taken over by Odin's people. You could say that among the Conglomerate's high ranks, besides Big Brother Yale, not a single member of the Dawson family remained—they were all Odin's men." Reno's voice was hoarse and low.
Reno suddenly looked at Linley and gave a bitter smile. "Third Brother, do you know why Odin is called the Evil King?"
Linley was stunned.
"Why?" Linley asked.
"Because he is evil! Not just in his attacks, but most importantly, in his character!" Reno couldn't help but shout. "After the Dawson Conglomerate was completely under his control, that bastard soul-controlled Yale and made Big Brother Yale personally kill every member of the Dawson family, one by one. Among them were Yale's sons, his wife, his descendants... his brothers... all dead, all killed by Big Brother Yale's own hands."
Linley felt a chill in his heart.
"Once Yale had no more use, Odin didn't kill him directly. Instead, he made Yale regain his clarity!" Reno said in a low voice.
"That, that man, that bastard! Damn him!" Ina behind them couldn't help but roar.
Linley's face was ashen.
"Big Brother Yale woke up and realized everything he had done while under control. The entire Dawson clan—only a few scattered branch members outside might still be alive. But the core members of the family, Yale's closest kin, were all killed by his own hands. Not one was left. Big Brother Yale went mad with pain..."
Reno's body trembled slightly.
Linley felt as if countless knives were cutting into his heart.
"But Odin sealed Yale's magical power, tied him up, and hung him from a tree in his Odin Imperial Palace." Reno said, tears falling. "Odin would often sit leisurely under the tree, drinking fine wine and enjoying the service of palace maids, listening to Yale's frantic curses. He seemed to enjoy Yale's madness... his hysteria!"
Linley felt like his head was about to explode.
Evil?
This wasn't evil—this was pure insanity. Odin was a madman!
He stole the Dawson Conglomerate, which Yale had worked his whole life to build, made Yale kill all his loved ones with his own hands, and then restored his sanity. Odin enjoyed Yale's curses and madness.
"When I learned all this and rushed there frantically," Reno said bitterly, "Big Brother Yale was already at death's door. Odin was too strong—he could have killed me with a finger. I could only quietly extend my divine sense into Yale's mind and talk to him."
"Big Brother Yale's spirit was on the verge of collapse. I can't imagine the mental torment he endured while hanging there. I only know that the once spirited and carefree Big Brother Yale was nearly broken."
Linley was so angry he couldn't speak, just staring at Reno.
"I communicated with him telepathically, and Big Brother Yale finally showed some reaction. He just kept telling me he was guilty, he was guilty!" Reno's voice trembled. "He begged me to kill him. Hanging there with his magic sealed, he couldn't even kill himself. He begged me to kill him and let him be free!"
Linley's body shook.
"I agreed." Reno said in a low voice. "Big Brother Yale was nearly insane. I had never seen him like that."
"Before he died, Big Brother Yale told me that Odin was incredibly strong, far stronger than the Highgod Adkins. His last words were just one sentence—'Fourth Brother, you and Third Brother must never avenge me. Don't avenge me!'" As Reno said this, his face was already covered in tears.
Linley stood there, stunned.
"'You and Third Brother must never avenge me. Don't avenge me!!!' That cry from Big Brother Yale seemed to echo in my ears." Boom! Linley's mind went completely blank, filled only with that cry.
"Ah—" Linley knelt on the ground in pain, letting out a low, agonized roar from his throat.
"Third Brother." Reno quickly went to support him.
He could fully imagine Linley's pain, because when he had seen Yale's miserable state back then, he too had been devastated. He had even killed Yale with his own hands to give him release.
Kneeling on the ground, Linley looked up, his eyes bloodshot, his whole body trembling. He growled in a low voice: "Odin!!! I will make him go mad with pain!!! Make him hysterical!!! Make him die!!!" Linley's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, word by word.