Seeing the grotesque scene in front of him, Ryan only felt numb.
He saw the body parts, charred and malformed, strewn about in front of the dorm, but he didn't feel sickened like he thought he would.
This was Ryan's first time seeing a dead body, at least that he could remember.
But feeling his reaction, he wondered if he had seen such a scene previously.
Gregory looked at the body and turned towards Ryan, "Come with me, or I'll do the same thing to you."
Ryan, who had just been lured into a trap, surveyed the situation.
Gregory had killed a man in broad daylight; technically, it was nighttime, but that didn't make it any less heinous a crime.
From everything Ryan had witnessed, this world didn't seem like one without the rule of law.
In all the gruesome stories about how men were treated, anyone did not mention death as a punishment.
Would a noble truly be callous enough to kill a servant in the middle of the military academy?
Looking around, Ryan noticed something abnormal. Usually, the sidewalks were occupied by cultivators walking from place to place, even this late at night, he could normally see many people passing by.
But as he looked behind Gregory and his entourage, he didn't see any.
Looking at Gregory's friend's faces, there wasn't one of them that looked apprehensive at the act just committed.
Was it possible five other boys not older than 18 wouldn't have any reaction to a person they knew dying?
"I give you an A for effort, but you'll have to do better to fool me," Ryan said.
He had to give them credit, if he hadn't been duped by Bee earlier today, he would have fallen for the trick.
Gregory looked at Ryan for a second before bursting into laughter, "Well done. Looks like your rise in ranks wasn't from luck."
Cutting off his laughter, Gregory gravely said, "But I'll still have to ask you to oblige and come with me."
Ryan cracked his knuckles and said, "I don't think you understand what I said earlier."
Saying that Ryan started to walk forward toward the group.
"I'd suggest, for your sake, not stopping me."
The five men glared at Ryan menacingly before encircling him.
"Looks like you won't take my advice."
Deciding it was best if he didn't activate his energy, Ryan threw a kick at the biggest guy's balls.
*Pop* Oops, maybe that was too hard.
Saying a silent prayer for the man… well, guess he wasn't a man anymore.
Turning around, he bent, dodging a leg flying from his rear.
Catching the leg after it passed, he slammed the body to the ground.
Hearing the man groan, Ryan wasn't able to relish in his glory, sensing a punch coming from his left.
Blocking a fist, he was about to counterattack but felt a sharp pain in the back of his knee joint.
Gritting his teeth to numb the pain, he turned around and punched his assailant in the ribs, sending him sprawling backward.
Not having time to inflict greater pain on the man who dared touch him, he turned back to his last three upright attackers, growling.
"I will end you all for daring to touch my flesh, you heathens," Ryan said as foam frothed at his mouth.
Seeing Ryan in his current state, Gregory, Illius, and Reginald looked at each other in fear.
Gregory didn't know who this beast was, but whatever it was, it wasn't a man.
"Reginald, you hold that beast back while Illius and I escape," Gregory said with a shaky voice.
Reginald at Gregory in shock, "P-Please, my lord, have mercy!"
"Don't worry, he won't kill you, I think," Gregory said, the last part hesitatingly, "I'll make sure to give you an extra month's pay."
"Now stop him!"
"None of you are getting away." Saying that Ryan flew forward, grabbing Reginald's left shoulder and pressing down.
The *crunch* of his shoulder joint dislocating and rubbing into his chest rang out. Reginald let loose a terrifyingly high-pitched wail as he slumped to the ground, clutching his shoulder.
Staring into the two remaining foes' eyes, Ryan grinned.
To Gregory and Illius, Ryan's smile looked like the maw of a beast stained with the blood of its freshly eaten foe.
"I was wrong!" Gregory shouted, "You can leave!" He said, stumbling backward, "Just don't hurt me!"
Ryan scoffed, "You filth. We, humans, were designed to rise about others, but scum like you is what is holding us back from achieving greatness."
Stepping over the moaning Reginald, Ryan slowly advanced on the terrified duo.
"No, please!" Illius whispered while liquid dripped down his legs.
Looking at the two pathetic weaklings, he muttered, "How can these people be human?"
'Wait, now I sound like them,' Ryan thought as he heard his words.
'Wait. . .'
Looking inside, Ryan saw that the defense he had activated earlier was completely torn down and was being invaded by dark-red energy that he had never felt before.
Primal rage was the only word that came to mind when looking at the energy.
He watched as it rampaged through his mind and controlled his emotions, pumping his adrenaline, anger, and superiority sky-high.
Ryan now understood why his actions had become so chaotic.
'This damn curse.'
Ryan concentrated on the largest amount of energy, which was making him feel akin to a god.
He figured his superiority had been amplified by so much because his first reaction when he saw Gregory and his posy was, 'Are these guys seriously picking on a cultivator stronger than all of them combined?'
If that was his conscious reaction, he understood how easily the curse easily overtook him.
He had never been in a real fight since attaining the curse. Even the scuffle with Emily's ex-friends had only been a small altercation that was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
This instance was something premeditated. The curse had ample time to slowly and methodically take over his senses without alerting him.
'I have to be more vigilant in the future.' Activating his defenses, he pushed the red energy away from him forcefully while calming his nerves.
Gregory and Illius, who were lying on the ground in fear, were more terrified that Ryan suddenly stopped and closed his eyes.
"He's deciding whether or not to eat us!" Illius cried, "Mommy, I don't want to die!"
Gregory's thoughts were racing, 'How did things come to this?'
All he wanted to do was to trick the orphan into following them until the time for the event was up.
Now he faced a bloodthirsty monster who he saw didn't react in the slightest to the fake corpse he bought.
The first time he saw the thing, he almost vomited. He had to be around the thing for several hours before he could look at it with a placid expression.
'Were all orphans this crazy? Is that why they are segregated from everyone?'
'Sister, I'm sorry, you told me not to bother him, but I didn't listen.'
Seeing Ryan open his eyes, he watched in terror as he slowly approached and bent toward him.
Shutting his eyes as Ryan grabbed his shirt, he tensed up, expecting pain.
"What relationship do you have with this pendant?"
"W-What?" Blinking, Gregory said, thinking he was delirious in fear and had hallucinated the voice.
pαndα noνɐ1,сoМ "This pin, what does it mean?" Ryan said, pointing to the pin with a bow with three arrows loaded on the string.
Gregory looked to where Ryan's finger was pointing, seeing his family's crest.
"I-It's my family's crest. The Vanroth crest." Said hope filling his heart. Did this brat not know who his family was?
Feeling confidence and indignation, Gregory huffed, "Yeah, that's right, I'm the son of a Duke. You can't touch me!"
Ryan's eyes turned chilly, and he gripped Gregory's shirt tighter and hoisted him into the air.
Shoving his face close to Gregory, he spat, "I don't give a damn who your parents are."
"But you can credit me for not beating you further to your sister."
Saying that he grabbed the back of Gregory's belt and readjusted his grip on his collar, and carried him over to a flagpole.
"W-What are you doing?" Gregory said, recovering from the terror of Ryan's initial look, "You said you wouldn't hurt me!"
Chuckling coldly, Ryan said, "But I didn't say anything about humiliation."
Lowering the human empire's flag, he secured Gregory's boxers to the hook and said, "Farewell."
After a few seconds of tugging, Gregory was firmly twenty feet in the air, secured only by his underpants, which made Gregory sport a massively uncomfortable wedgie.
"My anus! It hurts!" Hearing the sweet cries of Gregory, Ryan dusted off his hands and looked back at the group.
Deciding to hand the rest of them up by nearby flagpoles, he got to work.
While hanging the rest of them up, he discovered a barrier that appeared set up to be like a greenscreen.
The name illusion barrier came to his mind as a fitting description.
Lowering it, he saw a few students minding their business, not noticing the barrier.
Seems it worked both ways.
After finishing the dirty work, he looked at the time. "Two hours left."
Smiling, he headed towards the dorm of the girl he hadn't seen since she kissed him and ran off.
"Emily Vanroth, you won't have to wait long. Your prince is on his way."
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