Chapter Seven: Counterkill

In a corner of the castle, a grid of interlocking houses rose up. Nearly a hundred youths, including Loran, were led into a modest-sized square. Standing ahead of them were a group of boys and girls in deep-blue tunics—formal students—whose treatment appeared to be ten thousand times better than that of Loran and the others.

A knight gripped a gleaming sword, clad in soft armor with the deep-red insignia of the Earth Knights on his shoulder. His short hair fluttered in the breeze, a lazy smile on his face. He pointed at Loran and the others and addressed the nearly one hundred students before him: “These are your opponents today. Only by killing them can you earn the right to remain in Bloodcastle to continue the trials. Now, you may each choose your opponent in turn and fight to the death. If anyone refuses to kill their opponent, the instructors won’t mind helping your opponent finish you off.”

The students were shocked.

Just then, Loran saw a familiar figure among the cluster of cadets — Rega!

For a moment Loran was completely baffled. Wasn’t Rega already selected and sent to study at Ailan City Academy? Why on earth would he be in the Blood Castle?

A thousand questions raced through Loran’s mind, making him want to rush up to Rega and ask what had happened, but the place was heavily guarded and Loran dared not speak. Rega seemed to have recognized Loran as well; he simply watched him quietly, also remaining silent.

…

At that moment, the cadet boy standing in first place stepped forward and said respectfully, “Instructor, I choose him as my opponent.”

He was pointing in the direction of a skinny youth who looked frail and sickly.

“Alright, the chosen one, step forward!”

With a crack of the instructor’s whip, the skinny youth was frightened into stepping forward, coming to stand in front of the trainee boy.

“Clang clang~~~”

Two iron swords were thrown down between the two youths. The instructor said calmly, “The fight begins. Only one of you will live.”

“Ah…”

The thin youth seemed to be jolted as if by an electric shock. He was closer to the sword, and a flicker of hope flashed in his eyes. Suddenly his body sank and he lunged forward. As he reached for the iron sword, the other student let out a fierce shout. Rivulets of star-source power rippled around him. With a single springing step he leapt before the thin youth and brought his palm down with force, chanting low, “Falling Moon Palm!”

With a humming sound, the star-source power in his palm exploded, somehow coalescing into the image of a waning moon. Then with a thunderous “bang” it struck, directly knocking the other boy to the ground. The thin youth had already lost the moment he first grasped the sword — he tumbled over, spitting blood. One of them bore the awakened star-source mark, the other did not; their speed and strength were far too unequal. Besides, that student seemed to possess a family-inherited combat technique.

“Kill him,” the instructor said coldly.

“Yes!”

The young trainee’s gaze was cold. He picked up the iron sword from the ground and, with a sudden downward strike, drove it through his opponent’s heart. Blood sprayed, and a life vanished before everyone’s eyes.

“Drag him away.”

The instructor waved his hand and ordered a trainee knight to drag off the corpse, then said, “Winner returns to the ranks. The next challenger may choose their opponent.”

“Yes!”

The second trainee stepped forward — a boy with a resolute look. He pointed into the crowd and said, “You.”

The chosen one was also a fairly sturdy youth. He frowned, stepped out of the line, bowed lightly and said, “My name is Lake, I’m a hunter from the Luoyun Mountain Range.”

“Cut the nonsense.”

The young trainee suddenly barked, his whole body erupting with Star Source power. With a light hook of his right leg, the iron sword on the ground was sent flying. With a “pssh” it sliced across the hunter boy’s throat; blood spurted out. He could not believe what was happening before his eyes. His pupils contracted violently, he slowly sank to his knees, and then a knight quickly dragged his corpse away.

…

“…”

Most of the selected youths trembled, some wept silently. Rather than a trial, it felt more like a slaughter—the gap between the two sides was simply too great.

And so, one by one the trainee youths won, without a single exception. In the blink of an eye more than seventy trainees had prevailed, while the number of people around Loran dwindled to barely over twenty. It was at this moment that it was Rega’s turn among the trainees. A faint chill gleamed in his eyes as he stepped forward slowly and said, “Loran…”

“Rega…”

Loran stood rooted to the spot, unmoving. “You… didn’t you go to Ailan City Academy? Why are you here…”

“Loran.”

Rega repeated his earlier words, a curve slowly forming at the corner of his mouth as he let out a bitter laugh: “Now that you’ve come here, I’ve accepted my fate. I suppose you’ve accepted yours too, haven’t you? If that’s the case, let me personally see you off for the last stretch of your life, shall I? After all, a waste like you might as well die.”

“You…”

Loran was struck as if by lightning; he never expected Rega to say such things.

“Selected one, step forward!”

The instructor glanced at Loran, his gaze cold and merciless.

…

Loran gritted his teeth, took a few steps forward, and said, “Rega, do you really want to kill me?”

“Yes.”

Rega said calmly, “I’ve wanted to kill you for a long time.”

“Okay.”

Loran clenched his fists, “In that case, I have a reason to kill you too.”

“Ridiculous!”

Rega laughed heartily, then suddenly shouted. The star-source mark in his palm burst into dazzling light, and streams of powerful star-source energy flowed through his body. He said coldly, “You—someone who hasn’t even awakened a star-source mark—still think you can contend with me, a second-tier star-source wielder?”

Saying that, Rega gave a light flick of his foot, and with a “whoosh” the iron sword flew toward Loran’s cheek.

In a flash of lightning, Loran’s reactions were far from slow. His body tilted suddenly, his face turning slightly to one side, narrowly avoiding the blade. At the same time he raised one hand and, with a sharp clap, firmly seized the hilt. Having trained in swordsmanship with Teacher Ailco for over four years, Loran’s mastery of swordsmanship was by no means comparable to Rega’s.

“Good! Now this is interesting!”

Rega laughed and grabbed another iron sword, charging forward. Star-source power flowed from his arms into the blade, gathering a streak of blazing light around the edge. With lightning speed he swung the sword at Loran—the speed rivaling what Loran had spent years training to achieve, since star-source power can lighten the body.

“Clang—”

Sparks flew. Loran caught Rega’s blade with both hands, but the opponent’s star-source force came through like searing heat, scorching Loran’s hands until they were burning and barely able to hold the hilt. In that moment of shock, Rega viciously launched a flying kick at Loran’s abdomen.

“Go to hell!”

“Huh!?”

Loran exclaimed. Rega, who possessed second-tier Star Power, still had an edge in speed. By the time Loran tried to dodge it was too late — with a “thud” he blocked Rega’s kick with his shin, stumbled back several steps, face full of disbelief. As his body retreated, Rega’s speed surged. His longsword wrapped in Star Power, with no flourish, drove straight at his chest: “Go—die!”

In a flash, Loran’s reflexes were equally astonishing. As he retreated, he suddenly thrust the blade upward; with a metallic clang he parried Rega’s thunderous strike. At the same time he leaped, flicking his wrist so the iron sword spun with the motion, evading Rega’s long saber and thrusting out from above at a sharp, unexpected angle!

“Plop!”

The sword struck directly at Rega’s neck, piercing in several inches; blood spurted!

“Ahhhhh…”

Rega roared in fury and suddenly unleashed a flying kick that struck Loran’s abdomen—there was a muffled “thud” as it sent him reeling backward. Worse, Rega lunged forward and a fist came crashing down toward his head, intent on smashing Loran’s skull in one blow.

“Ah!”

In an instant, Loran instinctively dropped his head sharply, just like when he practiced boxing before. As the blade grazed past, his uninjured left fist suddenly hooked up and slammed into Rega’s chest with nearly 290 kilograms of force!

“Crack…”

With a tremendous sound, the blow not only shattered Rega’s protective star energy but also broke his ribs, and with a “whump” he was sent flying like a kite with its string cut.

“Ahhhhh…”

Rega fell to the ground, swinging his iron sword wildly, roaring, “Loran, you little bastard, how dare you wound me!”

“Pfft…”

Loran spat out a mouthful of blood; his internal organs felt as if they had been shredded by the collision of the opposing star-source force. Yet he hesitated not a moment. If he waited for Rega to turn back, Rega—wielding second-tier star-source power—could still easily kill him. So, staggering, he gripped his iron sword and charged. Just as Rega was struggling to get up, Loran’s blade suddenly swept across his throat, spraying a splash of blood. Rega clutched at the cut neck, kicked desperately, and soon fell still.

…

“Now, can I be a formal student?”

Loran looked up, his blood-red eyes fixed on the instructor not far away.

At once, the instructor frowned. He could strongly sense how fierce the youth’s will to survive was, but what was backing that will? Survival—or hatred?

“Go, stand in the line of trainees.” The instructor waved his hand gently.

So Loran, dragging his battered body, took slow steps toward the line of students. Everyone watched him as if he were a freak—how could a boy without an awakened Star Source mark defeat a prodigy who possessed second-level Star Source power? What kind of strength was that?

“Rustle…”

Rega’s corpse was hauled away by a knight and tossed onto the cart for transporting bodies like a lump of rotten wood. Once the pride of the whole village, he was now no different from a handful of dirt.