Chapter 500
Following this surge of power, Aivina dashed toward the window, ready to leap out—
Buzz—
A wall of sound, composed of a single note, crashed down like a mountain, tearing through the wooden floor and barreling toward Aivina with a ferocious force, obliterating everything in the corridor.
Aivina barely had time to raise her hands in defense. The bracelet on her wrist glowed with a vibrant green light, conjuring a barrier before her, but it shattered in an instant under the onslaught of the sound wave.
The tremendous backlash sent Aivina flying, crashing against the door at the end of the corridor, shattering it to pieces before she finally came to a stop.
"Damn it..." Qiangyin brushed the dust off his clothes, cursing under his breath.
He had almost been ambushed by a mere second-tier opponent, and this only fueled the anger that had been simmering within him.
He was already plotting how to torment the weakling before him who dared to resist.
But just then—
Boom—
Qiangyin's eyes widened.
A black spear shot through the air like a bolt of black lightning, grazing his hair before embedding itself into the wall beside him.
He stumbled back, taking refuge behind several "Crown Guards."
In the next moment, a figure burst through the wall, standing amidst the swirling dust, raising a hand to grasp the black spear.
The spear melted into molten iron, wrapping around the figure's right arm, forging itself into a blade-armed gauntlet.
"I don't know how my daughter offended you," the dust began to settle, revealing Charles as he flexed his armored arm, his gaze icy as he looked at Qiangyin. "To warrant such treatment from you."
"Charles..." Qiangyin frowned slightly, looking at Charles with a smirk. "This is none of your business."
"Are you dreaming, Qiangyin?" Charles turned to glance at Aivina, who was spitting blood behind him, then turned back to Qiangyin. "My daughter's affairs are my affairs."
"Now, step aside. Learn to keep your mouth shut and behave like the Order of the God of Order and the Church of the Goddess of Salvation," Qiangyin sneered. "If you do, perhaps when this is all over, you and your family can continue to be the royal lapdogs."
Charles's left hand trembled slightly; the mention of his family was a threat.
Ansu had no other powerful families to rely on. The Russell family had survived this long solely due to their "loyalty."
The Russell family maintained a facade of prosperity, but one misstep could lead to their downfall in an instant.
The family was not a solid block; more than half of its members believed in the Order of the God of Order, while others served in Ansu City or were directly part of the Queen's Sword.
If the royal family and the Order of the God of Order truly united against the Russell family, how many would genuinely fight for the family's honor? That remained uncertain.
But he recalled the sight of Aivina spitting blood just moments ago.
It was the first time in years he had seen his daughter in such a state...
Crack—
Charles slowly raised his right hand, the joints of his gauntlet twisting, emitting a screech of clashing steel.
"Even an old dog has a few sharp teeth..."
Charles clenched his right fist.
"Silence."
In an instant, all sounds—the wind, breathing, the cracking of dust—vanished, as if a divine decree had been issued, forbidding any noise from existing.
In the profound silence, Charles bent slightly, his body shooting toward Qiangyin like an arrow released from a bow, his armored arm crashing forward with the force of thunder.
It was a simple right hook, yet it carried unimaginable power and speed.
But Qiangyin stood still, unyielding.
The nearby "Crown Guards" raised their tower shields in front of him, and the punch struck the shield, causing the entire hotel to tremble slightly...
The shield shattered completely, and the guard behind it spat blood... but he withstood the blow.
Qiangyin merely stepped back behind several "Crown Guards," raising a hand to his necklace and yanking it off.
His movements were fluid, as if he had done this many times before.
The necklace's bone pierced his palm, dark purple flames igniting upon the bone, and Qiangyin swayed slightly before steadying himself.
"Killing you is really a hassle... Charles." Qiangyin's voice pierced through the silence, reaching Charles's ears. "So much of a hassle that my past self left a mark to remind me not to act against you lightly..."
His words were perplexing, but a warning bell rang in Charles's mind.
He recalled the words of the red-haired girl, Xia'er, about Qiangyin's "uniqueness"... the ability to reverse time...
"But there's an easy way to kill you; my past self left me this information." A smile crept across Qiangyin's lips. "Margaret Winston... kill her, along with everyone else in your family, and you'll break, won't you?"
Charles felt a chill in his hands; he was not even angry anymore, just filled with panic...
The opponent was an extraordinary being capable of reversing time through "uniqueness"...
He knew all his weaknesses, and it was possible he had killed himself at some point...
It was utterly invincible... how could he possibly contend with someone like this?
Even if he killed him, he could come back again, like a venomous snake, delivering a fatal bite without him even realizing it.
Qiangyin slowly raised his hands, ethereal piano keys materializing before him. His lips curled into a slight smile as his hands, with graceful arcs, began to descend.
Charles Russell, weakness, family.
A terrifying wave of sound erupted as Qiangyin's hands fell, and Charles's pupils constricted. He stumbled back a few steps, positioning himself in front of Aivina, a phantom shield appearing before him.
Boom—
Boom—
Boom—
One wave after another of terrifying sound surged toward Charles, tearing apart the "Crown Guards" standing in front of Qiangyin.
Almost every room on the second floor of the hotel was shredded by the sound waves, and from the side, the hotel looked as if it had been cleaved open by a giant sword.
Yet Charles found himself unable to move. He could indeed quickly shift his body due to its strength, but Aivina behind him would be torn apart by the sound waves, and her physical resilience could not keep pace with his speed.
At this rate, he would be worn down to nothing... just like the usual deaths of the "Crown Guards" at the hands of others.
Unless he abandoned Aivina.
The despairing choice flashed through Charles's mind but was quickly suppressed. He braced himself against the shield, gritting his teeth.
But just then, the sound waves halted.
Charles looked ahead, and through the dust, he saw Qiangyin frozen in place.
Qiangyin's hands were experiencing the same phenomenon as before at the banquet.
They were turning to dust, disintegrating bit by bit.
"What’s happening... a reversal? No, this is...?"
Qiangyin stared at his hands, his pupils constricting.
No, no, no... this isn't just 24 grams... something else is...
He tore open his shirt, revealing a body covered in countless terrifying symbols, blood beginning to seep from his face, and crimson symbols emerging from every part of his body.
Xia'er, Xia'er, Xia'er...
These were not the symbols Qiangyin had left for himself; they all bore the same name.
Who?
Who is Xia'er?
That green-haired girl?
"Stop! Stop! I command you to stop!"
Qiangyin raised his hands, horrified as he watched his palms completely vanish, even the bones within dissolving.
Even inside the bones, the name "Xia'er" was inscribed with a frenzied and hateful stroke.
Buzz—
A sharp pain shot through Qiangyin's brain, and he collapsed to the ground, his arms pressed tightly against his head—he couldn't even cradle it.
In his mind, a chain of snakes was fracturing—something he had never witnessed before.
As the chain shattered, countless memories flooded into Qiangyin's mind.
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