God-Tier Villain

Chapter 80: Chapter 80

"And he’s at the very peak of it, given the right chance, he could step into the Ancestor Realm any moment."

"Of course, that step’s still a long way off."

"More to the point, he wields a specialized divine artifact paired with a secret sealing technique."

"However strong Soren is, once he’s trapped inside it, he never gets out."

Lysara pushed harder. "You should know Soren’s blood-contracted a Heaven-Robbing Black Dragon, that beast’s a Middle-Tier Spirit Ancestor, if he summons it, which of you stops it?"

"Not even your Domain Protector would stand a chance."

An Upper-Tier Human Emperor was still worlds beneath an Ancestor Realm existence like Orathis.

Neal didn’t blink. "Would I dare challenge him without absolute preparation? I have a counter for everything."

"The man to my right..."

"...is hiding his true cultivation."

"If I told you his identity and realm, you’d freeze in terror."

Lysara guessed it at once. "Could he be Ancestor Realm?"

Neal hummed in triumph. "He’s from the Heavenly Demon Alliance, he came to me to partner up and wipe out Soren."

"Our goals line up and he asked for very little, so I had no reason to refuse."

"Now, do you finally understand your situation?"

The corners of her lips lifted into a faint smile with no warmth in it at all, only bleak, freezing mockery.

"I refuse."

Neal could hardly believe his ears, he held every advantage, there was no conceivable way he lost today, today was supposed to be his flawless victory.

To be flatly rejected while holding a winning hand infuriated him past measure.

"Lysara, offering to take you as my woman was me doing you a favor."

"Once I obliterate Soren..."

"...you’ll submit whether you want to or not."

"Force it to that point, and I promise you’ll bitterly regret today."

Lysara stood proud under the sky, black hair drifting in the cold wind, a flash of cold light off her blade, and she swung.

A sharp, domineering arc of sword qi ripped through the air, straight at Neal and the crowd behind him.

Before it landed, another surge of sword qi cut across it midflight, her former master, Basil.

The two energies burst in front of Neal, clashing hard before scattering, overpowered, Lysara was driven back several paces.

Basil was a Middle-Tier Human Emperor, a full tier above her, and in that exchange she still couldn’t bring herself to fight her teacher to the death.

That flicker of hesitation was exactly when she got knocked back, flung to Soren’s side.

Soren narrowed his eyes, having heard about Neal’s trump card from Lysara, he let out a disdainful smirk.

He murmured low. "Colluded with the Heavenly Demon Alliance and coaxed the Domain Protector out of seclusion."

"A Lower-Tier Ancestor Realm and an Upper-Tier Human Emperor."

"So be it."

A Lower-Tier Ancestor was no threat to him anymore.

His existence had caught the Alliance’s attention, and they meant to see him dead, not wanting to draw light onto their own moves, they’d chosen to work through Neal, hiding their identities and helping from the shadows.

The Alliance’s main goal was to wake the slumbering Evil God Ancient Race and seize eternal life.

To do it they had to keep scavenging demon artifacts and melting them in their sacrificial furnace.

The other three races weren’t primary targets, posing no immediate threat.

That was likely why Neal agreed to work with them.

Soren looked at Lysara with deep interest, curious what she’d choose, she’d relayed every scrap from Neal to him in full, that cleared the hurdle of coercion and bribery.

Whether she could clear the hurdle of her own master was another matter.

Her tier was still stuck at Deep Affection and Righteousness, setting aside Following to the Death, she hadn’t even reached Absolute Loyalty.

With Basil personally stepping in to sway her, and if things tilted against Soren enough to let her glimpse hope of humanity winning, she might turn.

Soren was cooking something up, a faint arc curled his lips.

"Kill him."

His tone was calm as still water.

Lysara was the opposite, a storm swept her mind.

To ask her to kill her own master with her own hands was simply too much.

She looked at Basil, his eyes full of deep disappointment, and gave a bitter smile.

She already knew what she had to do, her hand closed tight on the hilt, thoughts scattering.

Then she charged, blade up.

Lysara didn’t want to betray Soren, she’d shared intimacy with this man, and he’d come to hold an important place in her heart, but she equally couldn’t fight the master who’d raised and taught her to the death, and be branded a teacher-killing traitor.

So she decided to end it at her master’s hand.

As long as she fell to Basil’s blade, it would all be over.

"Master, end me, extract my Dao Soul."

"This is your disciple’s last request."

"Give me a dignified end."

Her voice, wrapped in spiritual energy, went straight into Basil’s ears.

The old hand gripping his sword shook, as their blades met, Soren could tell neither was using full strength, it confirmed his read, Lysara hadn’t reached the point where she’d slaughter everything for his sake.

He’d guessed the decision hidden under her bitter smile, and he didn’t panic in the least.

He kept standing calmly in the void, eyes narrowed, arms crossed, watching the two of them.

Basil’s voice came back to her. "Lysara, you’re my most trusted and proudest disciple, as your teacher I understand your character better than anyone."

"You must have some unspeakable difficulty, everything you’ve done is because you’re under that fiend Soren’s bewitchment and control."

"Tell me everything."

...

"What? Everything you said is true?"

"Emperor Grant... he really did such things?"

Hearing all Lysara had been through, Basil was shaken to the core, his lips trembling.

"That’s all I can say, believe it or not, Master, we’re all just chess pieces Grant and Neal would throw away the moment it suited them."

"As for the Demon Emperor... he’s ruthless, yes, but he’s exceptionally generous to those who are loyal, I’ve seen it with my own eyes, that’s why I want to follow him."