"Junior Skr!"


    Josephine cried out and rushed to his side, catching him before he could pitch over.


    Skr shoved her hand away and forced himself back to his feet.


    Blood smeared his whole face, but the look in his eyes only burned harder.


    "Good... very good..."


    His voice came out hoarse, carrying augh that sounded half out of control. "Jared, you really didn''t disappoint me."


    He turned his head and looked at Josephine.


    "Senior Josephine, help me."


    Josephine froze for a beat.


    "Help me kill him."


    Skr''s voice was calm, but there was no room in it to refuse.


    Josephine didn''t move right away.


    Her hand tightened around the scarlet longsword at her waist, but she still didn''t draw it.


    Her gaze shifted back and forth between Jared and Skr, and something so tangled it was almost impossible to read flickered through her eyes.


    It was faint, so faint most people would''ve missed it.


    Jared didn''t.


    What he caught was a struggle.


    It was the pull between instinct and the mind-binding art tearing at each other inside her.


    "Josephine..."


    Jared said her name softly.


    His voice was so gentle it sounded like he was coaxing a lost child back home. "It''s okay if you don''t know me. But I''m begging you, don''t let him use you. You''re Josephine. You''re not anyone''s tool."


    Josephine''s body gave a slight tremor.


    It was so faint that if Jared hadn''t been watching her the whole time, he never would have caught it.


    But Skr caught it too.


    A shadow passed through his eyes.


    When he spoke again, his voice turned even softer, carrying that kind of lure that slipped past resistance.


    "Senior sister, do you remember what Master told you? Don''t let any man deceive you."


    The look in Josephine''s eyes blurred.


    "Master... Master, he..."


    "That''s right. Master was afraid you''d be hurt by a man again." His voice slid out like


    a viper''s whisper. "You were badly wounded before by the man you loved most. Did


    you forget? Master was the one who saved you."


    A thick, violent hatred surged into Josephine''s eyes.


    Her sword came free of its sheath.


    The fire-red de-re rolled at Jared like a Fire Dragon, carrying a wave of scorching heat as it swept toward him.


    Jared didn''t dodge.


    He couldn''t dodge.


    If he moved, he was afraid the de-re would hit Gwendolyn behind him.


    What he feared even more was striking back and hurting Josephine.


    The zing red de-re mmed straight into his chest.


    "Pfft..."


    Blood burst from Jared''s mouth, and the force drove him back several steps.


    A deep gash tore open across his chest. Golden blood poured from the wound and


    dripped onto the ground with sharp sizzling sounds.


    "Jared!"


    Gwendolyn cried out and rushed to his side.


    Jared raised a hand to stop her.


    His eyes never left Josephine.


    "Josephine, I won''t fight back."


    "If you really want to kill me, then do it."


    Josephine''s hand shook a little.


    She looked at the wound in Jared''s chest.


    She looked at the golden blood, and a sharp, strange ache rose inside her.


    The feeling was... strange.


    She clearly didn''t know this man, so why did seeing him hurt make her chest tighten like this?


    "Senior sister, don''t let his sweet talk fool you."


    "Kill him. Kill him, and everything will be over."


    Josephine clenched her teeth and raised the sword again.


    The red de-re burned even hotter than before, wilder and more violent.


    She poured all of her spiritual power into that strike and drove it straight at Jared''s throat.


    Jared closed his eyes.


    He didn''t move.


    The de-re stopped three inches from his throat.


    Josephine''s hand was shaking.


    Her fingers were locked around the hilt, knuckles gone white, veins standing out along the back of her hand.


    Sweat covered her face, and her eyes were full of confusion and helplessness.


    "I... I can''t do it..." Her voice shook. "I don''t know why... I just can''t do it..."


    The sword slipped from her hand and hit the ground with a sharp ng.


    She grabbed her head, dropped into a crouch on the ground, and trembled all over.


    "Why... why is this happening... I clearly don''t know him... so why does my heart hurt this much..."


    Gwendolyn watched the scene in front of her, and somethingplicated rose in her chest.


    She understood.


    This woman was the wife Jared had been talking about.


    The one Jared would rather die than strike back against.


    She drew in a slow breath and walked over to Jared.


    "Leave it to me."


    Her voice was quiet, but there was no arguing with it. "You deal with Skr. I''ll deal


    with her. I promise I won''t hurt her."


    Jared looked at her.


    He paused for a beat, then finally nodded.


    "Don''t hurt her," he said again.


    "I know."


    Jared turned and looked at Skr.


    Something in his eyes changed.


    The gentleness from before was gone, along with that look that had stayed fixed on Josephine through all of this.


    What reced it was cold and sharp, the kind of killing intent that cut like a de.


    "Skr, what did you do to Josephine?"


    Skr wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled.


    "Nothing much. I just helped her see the truth."


    "The truth Jared''s voice came off


    like c


    "The truth you''re talking


    about is wiping her memory and


    turing her into your tool? Conten?


    Skr''s smile stiffened for a second.


    "I didn''t erase her memory. I only... helped block out some things that shouldn''t have


    been there."


    "Then give those things that shouldn''t have been there back to her."


    Skr shook his head.


    "Impossible. She''s clear-headed now. She won''t be fooled by you again."


    Jared said nothing else.


    He raised the Dragonyer Sword.


    Purple chaotic force gathered along the de.


    "Then I''ll beat you until you give her memories back."


    Skr ground his teeth, and the demonic aura inside him surged up again.


    The two of them crashed into each other again.


    This time, Jared held nothing back.


    Purple de-res came down like a violent storm, one strike faster than thest,


    one strike harsher than thest.


    Every strike carried power that could wreck heaven and earth.


    Every strike was enough to shave t the mountain peak.


    Skr threw everything he had into blocking them but his strengthin front of Jared was like a tantiss trying to stop a chariot. >


    With the first sword strike, his protective demonic aura was ripped apart.


    With the second sword strike, a deep wound was carved into his left arm, so deep


    the bone showed.


    The third strike punched its de-re straight through Skr''s chest.


    Blood burst out in a spray.


    Skr dropped to one knee and dragged in rough, heavy breaths.


    His face had gone white as paper, and the light in his eyes had dimmed almost to


    nothing.


    "You... when did you get this strong...?"


    Jared stood over him with the Dragonyer Sword pressed to his throat.


    "Give Josephine''s memories back."


    Skr lifted his head and looked at him.


    A bleak smile pulled across that blood-smeared face.


    "Impossible. Never."


    Jared pushed the sword tip in a little closer.


    A thin line of blood seeped out at Skr''s throat.


    "Do you think killing me would help?"


    Skr''s smile twisted even further, edging into something unhinged. "I sealed her memories deep inside her consciousness field in the only one who knows how to undo


    If I die her memories are nevering


    back."