End Of The Line
‘What I am made of? What does that mean?’
“You need to do better, Xiao… Aren’t you the protagonist of this story? Come on! You can’t lose to the random antagonist from the beginning of the story”
Edrick approached the crimson-eyed disciple, his steps heavy and domineering. He loomed over Xiao, not just in height, but in presence as well. There was simply something about the current situation that let Xiao know that it was hopeless to fight back. He had exhausted himself too greatly during his fight with the red wolf, enduring too many blows during the confrontation.
So, having to face Anoteros right after–An opponent he had already lost against in the past–Was more than just a tall order. He would truly need his status as a protagonist to kick in, and for some ‘plot armour’ to descend upon him to even hope to win.
Nonetheless, he directed his blade toward the noble scion.
“You know, Xiao… I am a man of many tastes... Some contradictory at a glance. Still, I believe that there is nothing more human than having contradictions. Whether you submit obediently, or stay defiant until the very end… Both outcomes would bring me pleasure. I wouldn’t place any over the other, to be honest”
“What the hell are you babbling about?”
“What I am saying is simple: I have many ideas swirling inside my noggin. I am certain that you think that my skull is full of nothing but villainous and hateful thoughts… Although it isn’t true on a regular basis, I’ll admit that at the moment, I do not have many righteous thoughts”
Xiao narrowed his eyes and struck as the scion was speaking. However, his speed wasn’t at its best, and his arms felt heavy. Edrick deflected the blade using the back of his hand, moving behind the protagonist’s back, before kicking him in the spine, sending the crimson-eyed youth rolling onto the ground.
“Look at her, your sweet little Ai. She isn’t a part of the script normally, is she? I do apologise, I am a bit starved of information in that regard. I have mostly been running off speculations, to be honest” Edrick chuckled, but his eyes did not smile along his mouth.
“Listen, right now, I have about three different ideas that I'm quite fond of… They concern what I’ll do with her once I am done with you, alright?”
“One, I just make her submit to me and keep her as a maid. She is quite a competent cultivator and is quite good-looking. She can fit with the other girls without a problem”
“Two, I… Ahahah, it has been quite a while since I used that expression, I don’t think they have those in this world… Anyway, two is that I just ‘expend’ her and allow a bunch of men to run a train on her until she breaks as we both enjoy the show”
Xiao’s eyes turned murderous.
“Now, now… I used to break my toys a lot before coming to this world, but I found myself quite happy with collecting and keeping my stuff in mint condition. So don’t worry too much, I’ll only do that if you annoy me”
The protagonist lunged forward, but was flung away as the large sasquatch slammed into him, sending him straight into a wall, one of his ankles bending at an awkward angle in the process.
“The third option is a lot like the second. At least, it will be in your eyes, but it is far better… It would be gifting her to Deormann, my sasquatch son. He needs to lose his virginity somehow, and I think he would greatly enjoy having his own mate. You can be here as I show him the ropes... If you want”
“Will you shut up?! What the hell is wrong with you?!”
Xiao tried to attack again, but his attempt was even less effective than before. His strike was easily pushed aside before Edrick struck him right in the stomach.
He was hit so hard that his feet left the ground before he was thrown back like a piece of trash.
“Relax. I already made my decision, actually… It just fits better to pair you two together during education”
Anoteros walked over to Xiao, ruthlessly stomping down on the Chen’s forearm, making him lose grip on his blade, before sending it sliding away into the distance.
“When it comes to you… I have had many different ideas over time. At first, I figured that I was just going to kill you when it would be allowed. Actually… I could do that right now. Can you imagine? I could reach out and snap your neck if I wanted to”
“However, ever since the start of this new life, I have discovered a lot of things. As I said, I developed my inner collector. Back in my old world, I couldn’t just keep a girl I liked around. It was too risky, and I certainly couldn’t keep two at the same time...”
“Now, I know what you are thinking. You're probably imagining that I would just keep them in cages. While it isn’t a bad idea, it doesn’t really satisfy my understanding of a collection”
“In this world, I have powers that allow me to ensure obedience and loyalty! If there is someone or something that I like, I can just brand them to serve me, then cultivate their affection and love for me to levels that I would have previously deemed impossible”
“And so, it would be quite wasteful to just dispose of you permanently like this, don’t you agree? Especially when we shared such a pleasant friendship before this!”
“Go to hell, Edrick!”
“Rich of you to say… I wanted to, but I was sent here instead”
Edrick reeled back his fist and punched down again, and again… And again… And again…
Xiao’s head was sent from left to right as his vision was beginning to fade to black... Blood sprayed upon the ground as teeth were sent rolling.
“Unconscious already? You aren’t trying to fake it, right? Good”
“Come over here. Tie him up real good. I don’t want him to slip away, so don’t leave his side. Stare directly at him without budging” he ordered the man wrapped in black bandages, and soon enough, both Ai and Xiao were placed into boxes that had been hidden further away.
‘Mmh… This place is quite nice. I wonder why no one has claimed this land already? Maybe I could get it for myself if I ask my father nicely?’
Edrick smiled slightly, soon noticing the red wolf’s chest heaving.
“Oh, still alive? Aren’t you quite the tough… I don’t know whether you’re a boy or a girl, actually” his skills in determining the sex of people did not extend to beasts like this one.
Anoteros placed his palm atop the giant wolf’s head and soon reached out for a vial that fitted perfectly in his palm, containing a dark red liquid.
But before giving it to the wolf, he placed a servant crest upon it… Or rather, an outright pet crest in this case.
‘I’ll really need to get those beast-taming techniques from Wenxiong’
He hadn’t planned on getting a bestial companion today, but he wasn’t going to say no to an opportunity offered to him on a silver platter.
Not to mention, this creature was already quite strong as it was. It was a part of Xiao’s script as well, so Edrick was seeing no downsides in bringing it home.
His wives were certainly going to be quite fond of such a fluffy creature…
‘Now, I guess it's time to start digging’