"Who are you supposed to be? Screw off." The youth had a head of short night-blue hair. Under his eyes were thick dark circles.

"... Don't get involved." Nerezza said.

"..."

"Come over here. I've had enough of your tantrum, we're going home." The youth said.

"I. Am not. Going anywhere. With. You." Crackling lightning crawled across Nerezza's shoulder.

"... All! All of you!" The youth's teeth ground audibly.

"All of you think you can walk all over me because of this arm, huh? Heh. heh heh, hahaha!" He grabbed his hair.

"... Stop being difficult. Return with me."

"Nerezza. Who is he?" Levi asked.

"Levi, you shouldn't-"

The crowd froze.

"Speak." A dark mist obscured Levi's figure.

"H-He..."

The mist dissipated.

Everyone scattered.

"He is my cousin. Prince of the Ethereal dragon kingdom of the divine dragon continent." Nerezza looked at the ground.

'What was that?!'

"His name is Leo-"

A slap sounded.

"Enough of this!" The youth gripped her collar.

"..." Levi kept silent.

"Let go! I will not go! Not even my bones will go back to that place!" Lightning crawled onto his arm.

"You!!!" The youth lifted his spear.

"You're making yourself a nuisance." A low voice sounded behind him.

"!!!" A powerful shock pa.s.sed through his bones as a blade slammed into the metallic rod.

Boom!!

Pieces of wood fell slower than others. They ama.s.sed themselves into the pile of the demolished building.

"You shouldn't get involved in this..." Nerezza ma.s.saged her trembling hand.

"Who the f.u.c.k are you!!!!" Broken boards thunked as they hit the ground.

"I am angry," Levi said.

"Do you know why?" His knuckles cracked with a tightened grip.

"I-I don't..." Nerezza said.

"Die!!" The youth thrust, sending out many afterimages.

"..." The sword hung over Levi's shoulder.

"Humph!" Veins squirmed on his face.

Qi spewed, enveloping his blade, swelling and bursting like a river. The whip-like stream of Qi coiled as Levi struck down.

"Aghhh!!" The youth's frame quivered as he slammed into the ground.

An earthy scent spread through the air as chunks of the destroyed port hit the water's surface. Water rushed to fill the long void which split the ocean.

"Prince of a kingdom?" A blurred figure towered over the youth.

"Am I supposed to care?!" Dirt exploded into the sky as a heavy foot slammed into the ground.

"Cough!!" The rod sat between the youth's chest and Levi's foot.

"Let me tell you something." Levi's shoulders s.h.i.+fted.

"..." A layer of moisture covered Aria's face.

"Do you see her? She is one of the few people who I consider family. My family."

The youth s.h.i.+fted the spear as he rolled from under the pressure.

A metallic clash sounded as the spearhead slammed into Levi's chest.

"What-Cough!-are you!!" Blood dripped from his chin as the youth stood shakily.

"In this world, there are countless people you could have tread on as you wanted. Instead, you went out of your way to injure a person equivalent to myself. How are you going to make up for this?"

"So what if I touch your family!? I dare you to kill me! My celestial lightning clan will never let you or your stinking 'family' rest in peace!!" Blue Qi swirled around the spearhead as he drew it back.

Levi's arm blurred.

Vibrations rippled through the rod as his sword cracked.

Boom!

A wall rocked back and forth, steading itself after the forceful invasion.

The blade of the sword shattered as it fell. Levi grabbed at his chest as he gripped a golden handle.

The black blade shone as he lifted it overhead. The surface squirmed as large tentacle-like forms grew into the sky.

"Should I fear your threats?" Levi asked.

"This time will not be like previous incidents. If you think people will chase me… That those close to me will get dragged out and killed..."

A geyser of Qi shot into the sky.

"Then you should get those thoughts out of your head." Veins bulged on his arm.

"I know I have yet to achieve my life's goal. But this level of strength is more than enough to decimate one kingdom." A pulsing gold glow drew attention to Levi's widened eyes.

"Hey! Wait, wait, wait a minute!!" Adam waved.

"Move."

"Listen! If you attack like that, it will blast this town to heaven!" Adam said.

People peeked out from behind trees and buildings.

"So what?" Levi's brows furrowed.

"Huuhh?! Well, I mean... Uh..." Adam scratched his head.

"... Do I look in a joking mood to you?!" Levi's knuckles cracked.

"That unimportant waste of life threatened me. My family. Threatened them dead!"

" I WILL kill him and if you get in my way, you can go to h.e.l.l together!!" The geyser of Qi surged.

"But wait! These people haven't done anything! Look, see?! That lady is still alive, right? Then there's no reason to-" Adam got cut off.

"Don't talk as if you know anything! Still alive? And tomorrow? And the day after that?! How many years it took to find people I could call my own, do you know?! Can your little brain even comprehend?!" The geyser surged.

"... How am I supposed to know?! I don't!" Adam's brows furrowed.

"Then stop wasting my time!"

"But these people have done nothing to you! You want the people you care about to be safe, but so do they!" Veins lined the backs of Adam's fists.

"If you're like this, what makes you any different from him? HUH?! You're being a hypocrite!" He pointed.

"... Die for all I care." The pillar of Qi swelled further as Levi's muscles tightened.

"AH!" Adam ruffled his hair.

"Levi..."

"... What are you doing?" Nerezza stood behind him.

"I'm... going back with him." She removed her hand from his back.

"What?" Levi looked over his shoulder.

"..." Nerezza's mental energy flame dissipated.

"Humph." He drew the Qi pillar back into his body.

The black vine-like structures shrank as a thin, s.h.i.+ny black blade reappeared. It vanished from before his chest.

"... Young master?"

"You choose to go back with him?" Levi clenched his fists.

"Yes." Nerezza looked at the ground.

"Young master!" Aria's eyes squeezed shut.

"... Humph." A haggard figure drew Levi's attention. He reached out.

"!!" Upright, the youth flew toward him.

"One of my most capable persons is being taken from me. How will you compensate me?" Levi looked into his eyes.

"Your people? Her? Ha! She has the blood of royalty flowing through her veins. She will never be a person of yours." He couldn't move.

"Are you going to compensate me?"

"No."

"You won't compensate me?"

"Are you deaf?!" Spittle flew.

"..." Levi's gaze s.h.i.+fted.

"This will do." A spear flew into his outstretched hand.

"Don't screw around! Put that down!!" Veins squirmed on his neck as he struggled.

"Dead men have no use for spears."

"Absurd!? WHY ARE YOU PATTING MY CHEST!!" The youth wiggled his head.

Levi pulled out an embroidered silver pouch from his robes. Inside were fluffy white pills.

"Return them to me right now!!!" Veins streaked across the youth's eyes as his body loosened.

"I'm going to let you go."

"Return those!!!" He punched out.

"Do you know how easy it is to squeeze your head from your body?" Levi caught his throat.

"Don't tempt me." His grip tightened.

The youth stumbled back.

"Cough!! Cough!" He clutched his throat.

"We're leaving. Right now!!" Nerezza received a baleful glare.

"Yes." She stood beside him.

"... Wait." Levi said.

"What?" The youth growled.

"You still haven't compensated me for injuring her." He glanced at Aria.

"... I have nothing else." Blood dripped from the youth's clenched fists.

"... That will do." Levi pointed.

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"?"

"Ahhhhhhh!!!" The youth dropped to his knees as blood splattered.

"My arm! My arm! I swear I'll kill you! I swear it!!" Tears slid down his face.

"Get lost." Levi turned.

"I swear!!"

Between Nerezza's fingers was a wooden token.

"Hey!!" Aria's brows crumpled.

"... I'll be back."

With the token shattered, a blue light enveloped the two as they shot across the sky.

"..." Aria's knees gave way as she covered her face.

"... Eat this." Levi lifted her chin. He took out a pill from an embroidered black pouch, pulling her from the ground.

"I'll get her back."

"..." Aria brushed his hand away as she walked off.

"Aria!"

"..." She stopped.

"Ready the s.h.i.+ps."

Only her steps sounded in the silence.

"Uhh-Epp..." Adam covered his mouth.

Wind rippled out as Levi's figure flashed.

"... If he didn't hate me before, he does now, for sure. Ha, haha." Adam scratched his head.

"Hooray..."

"Hooray!!"

"Huh?" Adam turned.

He got surrounded in but a few seconds.

"Kid, we were wrong about you!"

"You saved everyone!"

"You can stay at my Inn! For free!"

"H-Huh..." Adam stepped back.

"Huh, but that red hair..."

"Yeah, I know. I thought he was such a nice kid, but who knew?"

"Wait, wait. He's not like that!" Adam interjected.

"Don't defend him. He was about to kill everyone here, including you."

"Yeah! He doesn't deserve any defending!"

"Listen to me! He's p.r.i.c.kly at times, but I don't think he would have really done it! That's how he always is!"

"But we all saw it! That black thing! The pillar of water!"

"Do you think we could have survived that? We are just normal people!"

"Humph! Cultivators! Our lives hold no meaning in their minds!"

"B-But, he didn't kill anyone... "

"Hey, I thought I saw him a few days ago! Was I mistaken?"

"No, he was here! We even talked for a bit in front of the inn. But I didn't know that human life meant nothing to him. And he seemed like a likable kid, too..."

'They aren't even listening to me anymore...' Adam's jaw became slack.

"It seems our judgment was wrong. That red-haired kid is no good. We did this green one wrong the way we treated him."

"Well, I wouldn't say our judgment was wrong. It was just that the little snake had hidden his true face."

"I can't refute that!"

Adam shook his head. He walked down to what was now merely a cliff, dangling his legs as he sat.

"The waves shouldn't wet my feet, right?" He craned his neck.

"Sigh." He watched the slowly drifting clouds.

...

Late evening.

"... What are you doing?"

"... Oh. You're back." Adam's eyes cracked open.

"Ahhh. I fell asleep. I was watching the clouds." He stretched.

"The s.h.i.+ps have arrived."

'... She still won't look at me.'

"Are you going to continue following me?" Levi's pupils thinned.

"Who's following you?!" Adam sprung to his feet.

Levi's eyes narrowed.

"It's just a coincidence, all right? All a coincidence." He crossed his arms while nodding.

"... Humph."

"Hahaha!"

"Heh."

Aria briefly lifted her head.

A bell rang in the distance as a s.h.i.+p cut through the ocean.

The sun hid below the horizon as darkness cloaked the sky.