"Jared!"


    Skr''s voice came out cold enough to cut flesh. Endless killing intent and venom rode every word as he said, "Today is the day you die! I''ll end your life with my own hands. I''ll leave you without even a burial ce and drive you into utter soul-ruin!"


    The moment his words fell, the hellde in his hand came crashing down.


    The de light was ck as ink, carrying a force that looked ready to tear heaven and earth apart as it hacked straight down at Jared''s head.


    Even the void split open under that strike, ripping into pitch-ck cracks. If that blownded cleanly, Jared would die without question.


    And right at that razor-edge instant...


    "Stop!"


    The roar cracked across the air as Rnd''s figure shed in front of Jared.


    Covered in blood, he gripped his broken sword and threw himself at that heaven- splitting de light with the veryst bit of strength he had left.


    Boom!


    The st hit with a deafening crash.


    Golden light and ck light smashed into each other in a wild surge, and Rnd''s body jerked like he''d been struck head-on before he was sted away.


    Blood sprayed from his mouth as he mmed hard into the city walls.


    The impact punched a massive crater into the stone, and after that, he couldn''t get back up.


    "Rnd!"


    Jared''s roar tore out of him, his eyes locked on Rnd.


    But his own body was too badly wrecked. He couldn''t even force himself to stand.


    "Jared!"


    Vivian rushed up too and nted herself in front of Jared.


    Spiritual power churned around her, and she faced Skr without moving aside. "I''m here too!"


    Luther shot up from below with the wraithde in hand, ghostly miasma rolling off him as he moved to cover Jared''s other side.


    He was already carrying heavy wounds. He knew perfectly well he wasn''t Skr''s match. Even so, he didn''t give a single step.


    "Young Master Jared, we''ll protect you!"


    Evelyn and Grace rushed forward too.


    They were already spent. They could barely even stay on their feet. Even so, they still forced out everyst bit of strength and stepped in front of Jared.


    Four people, all heavily wounded and hanging by a thread, used thest of their strength to shield Jared behind them.


    With their own bodies, they formed the final line of defense.


    Skr watched the scene in front of him.


    A cruel smile slowly curled at the corner of his mouth.


    "A bunch of ants, and you think you can stand in my way?"


    Skr spoke with a cold kind of contempt. "You really think a few broken leftovers


    like you can stop me? What a joke."


    He lifted a hand and gave a light wave behind him.


    "Darian, take the Demon Dragons and keep these fools tied down.


    I''m going to kill Jared myself. He dies under my de."


    Darian epted the order and shouted amand.


    Thousands of Demon Dragons roared at once. Their massive wings beat through the air as they dove straight down.


    Rnd forced himself up from the rubble with everything he had left and charged in again.


    Vivian, Luther, Evelyn, Grace-every one of them threw in everything they had and crashed into the Demon Dragon host.


    They were no match for it.


    Every sh pushed them to the edge, and fresh wounds kept opening across their bodies.


    But not one of them stepped back. Not one of them gave ground.


    They held their positions with everything they had, using their lives to buy Jared a little more time.


    Skr didn''t even spare them a nce.


    The only person in his eyes was Jared.


    He walked toward Jared one step at a time.


    With each step, the demonic aura around him thickened, and the killing forceing off him burned hotter.


    "Jared, do you see it?"


    Skr''s voice dripped with triumph. "Your women. Your brothers. They''re all throwing away their lives for you.


    But what does it change? None of them can save you. Today, you die by my hand!"


    Jared looked at him in silence.


    Blood covered him from head to toe, and his breath had gone thin, but there wasn''t a trace of fear in his eyes.


    He rose slowly to his feet and tightened his grip on the Dragonyer Sword.


    Then he leveled the sword''s tip at Skr.


    "You want to kill me?"


    Jared''s voice came out hoarse and weak, but the pride in it still wouldn''t bend.


    "Thene try."


    Skr let out a coldugh.


    He wasted no more words. His figure shed, and in the next instant he was right in front of Jared, the hellde in his hand crashing down.


    Jared forced out everyst bit of strength he had and swung his sword up to block. ng!


    de and sword smashed together.


    Sparks burst everywhere, and a terrifying shockwave tore out in all directions.


    Jared was sted away like a kite with its string cut.


    Blood sprayed from his mouth as he flew backward, then mmed into the ground hard enough to leave a massive crater.


    He braced himself and tried to get back up, but Skr didn''t give him even a second to breathe.


    Another sh came down.


    ng!


    Jared was sent flying again.


    The wounds across his body split open even worse, and blood spread across the ground, staining the whole area red.


    Even so, he still gritted his teeth and forced himself back to his feet again.


    "Jared!"


    Vivian''s cry ripped through the air.


    She tried to rush over, but several Demon Dragons had her locked down so tightly she couldn''t break free at all.


    "Young Master Chance!"


    Evelyn Ashcroft had broken down too, crying so hard her voice nearly tore apart.


    But she was tangled up with Demon Dragons as well. She could only watch Jared


    get sted away again and again, with no way to reach him.


    Skr watched Jared fall over and over, then drag himself back up each time.


    The smile at the corner of his mouth turned crueler by the second.


    "You really are hard to kill."


    Skr''s voice came out cold. "But so


    what? In the shape you''re in now so


    you can''t even take one sh from me and you still think you can fight back? You''re just asking to die!"


    The second the words left his mouth, he moved again.


    This time the de light came out sharper, crueler, driving straight for Jared''s vital


    point.


    Jared forced up the Dragonyer Sword and tried to block with everything he had


    left.


    But his body was too wrecked to


    hold. The Dragonyer Sword flew from his hand, and the impact sted him away again. He crashed hard into the ground and stayed there, unable to get back up.


    Skr walked over one step at a time until he stood in front of Jared.


    He looked down at him from above, mockery and smug satisfactionid bare in his


    eyes.


    "Jared, look at you now."


    He slowly raised the hellde in his hand and leveled the tip at Jared''s throat. "Back then, you beat me again and again. You had me


    running in disgrace every timol


    you ever think there''d be a day this? A day you''d die by my hand?"


    Jared looked at him.


    Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and then he smiled.


    That smile carried ridicule. It carried contempt.


    Even with death right in front of him, it still held the same refusal to bow.


    "Skr... you think... you''ve won?"


    Jared''s voice was weak, but every word came out clear. "You... will always... be the


    one I defeated... always..."


    Skr''s face darkened on the spot, and the killing intent in his eyes surged.


    "You''re about to die and you still won''t shut your mouth!"


    He roared and brought the hellde down with savage force!


    The de light was ck as ink, carrying the force to wipe everything out as it


    shed straight for Jared''s head!


    Jared slowly closed his eyes.


    Josephine''s face rose in his mind, and a soft smile touched the corner of his mouth.


    "Josephine..."


    "If there''s another life, I''ll still find you. I''ll still love you..."


    And right at thatst, razor-thin instant—


    a brilliant ck light suddenly burst open in front of Jared.


    The light was thick, but it didn''t sting the eyes.


    It carried a faint Nether aura and in an instant wrapped around Jared.


    ng!


    A massive metallic crash exploded through the air, and a terrifying shockwave swept


    out in all directions.


    Skr''s hellde was stopped cold by a longsword ck as ink.


    It held there, steady and unmoving, and the de couldn''t drop even a fraction


    farther.


    "Who?!"


    Skr''s pupils shrank, and he jerked his head up.


    The light faded away, revealing a figure standing firm in front of Jared.


    It was a stunningly beautiful woman.


    She wore a ck dress.


    Her ink-dark hair spilled over her shoulders and lifted lightly in the wind.


    Her skin was pale as snow, her brows and eyes seemed painted, and every feature


    was fine to thest detail.


    There was a coldness to her presence, and something strange with it too.