I suddenly felt a burning sensation on my cheeks, and I couldn’t help but groan in pain. Despite being a Verth Shaper, that somehow stung.

But my eyelids still felt heavy and hazy, and I still couldn’t open them. Suddenly, I heard an evil voice echo in my ear.

"Hehe, Infernal Dragon. It seems one slap isn’t enough, we should continue this for hours!"

H-Hey! Which bastard is this—!!?

Slap!!

"Ouch! Motherfuck—!"

Slap!

"T-This Mo—!!"

Slap!!

"S-Stop the no—!!"

Slap!!

"I SAID STOP THIS!!"

I roared as my eyes snapped open! Tilting my head, just as I was about to gather my Verth to destroy the assailant, I froze.

"E-Emperal!?"

...

POV- General.

Emperal watched in amusement at Calder’s shocked face.

"Wake up, princess. Or perhaps, are you waiting for your prince to kiss you awake?"

He teased. Emperal slouched behind the prison cells, one hand on his knees.

Calder, though still stunned. He couldn’t help but speak.

"W-What are you doing here?"

"Me? I was just sightseeing in this prison cell. The reviews were good on this one."

Emperal spoke in a mocking tone, which further annoyed Calder.

"Hmph, bastard."

He snapped his head back, refusing to look at Emperal. Finally, his memories came back crashing in.

His heart skipped a beat as he saw the prison cell and once again...at Emperal.

"D-Don’t tell me this guy!"

Seeing him look at him with such a gaze, Emperal shook his head.

"Don’t flatter yourself, it was because of your...kind and just leader that I am stuck here."

Of course, Calder didn’t believe it. Emperal was the last person who could make such stupid decisions to end up here in prison.

"Here, have this."

Saying that, he threw a vial of green potion. A sweet aroma spread throughout the prison cell as it landed in Calder’s hands.

"Drink it first, we’ll talk after that."

Without standing on ceremony, Calder downed the three vials. Instantly, a reinvigorating feeling coursed throughout his body. He couldn’t help but exhale.

The moment he did, under the shocked eyes of Emperal, immense Verth began to gush towards Calder, just like men in heat drawn towards a dirty whore.

Sitting cross-legged, he welcomed all of it. His hair floated as the rest of his internal injuries mended bit by bit.

"...The Verth Shaping realm is really something else." Emperal couldn’t help but sigh, the strength radiating from Calder...it was no joke.

He could kill Emperal with a wave of his hand if he willed. But suddenly, Emperal looked at Calder curiously.

"What is the element that you have awakened, Calder?"

He couldn’t help but ask.

A second later, the Verth integrating phenomenon ended as Calder slowly exhaled. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Let me show you."

Saying that, he raised his palm. For a second, nothing happened.

Drop~!

In the next instant, a thick green liquid formed in his hands. It was so intense that the ground closer to it started to melt lightly.

Emperal felt his head buzz intensely when he inhaled the scent, but he controlled himself. No way, he could look weak in front of Calder.

Calder’s smile widened as he slowly dismissed it, "This is my element...one of the deadliest poisons, and it isn’t just generated because of my cultivation, it kills because of my hatred."

Yes, Calder had awakened a poison. A deadly one at that, Emperal couldn’t help but reassess the guy sitting in front of him.

Calder looked at Emperal, his expression softening.

"Let’s go, I will break this prison and create a commotion, using that distraction, you escape."

Emperal chuckled when he heard that.

"Easy there, big boy, who do you take me for? Do you think I would have ended in this prison...if I did not want to?"

Calder’s eyes narrowed when he heard that, "So you are saying you purposefully let yourself get caught?"

"Not quite, but yes, close to it. Don’t worry, just sit back and enjoy the show."

"Hm? Show? What do you mean by show?"

Calder asked in confusion.

"Heh, show of the giants."

...

Outside.

It had been exactly five hours since the arrest of Emperal. The meeting was continuing as always. The Ironscales were discussing how to improve their formations and other stuff.

Daereth IronScale sat at the head of the table, listening to the discussion quietly.

Creak!!

Suddenly, the door snapped open!

"Master!! W-We have been attacked! N-Ninety percent of our force has been wiped out!!"

It was a guard-like-looking cultivator. He blasted past the door and knelt in front of Daereth Ironscale.

The air itself froze the moment his words echoed; the present Ironscales felt their hearts jump out of their chests when they heard those words.

Even Korrath was here, he didn’t waste a single second and dashed past the cultivator.

"SAY WHAT!?"

Daereth screamed in horror when she heard that, Ninety percent! What does that mean? Aside from them and a scant few...everyone was dead.

An invisible energy gripped the man’s collar as he was yanked towards Daereth. The rest of her subordinates quickly gathered around, worry flickering in their eyes.

"SPEAK PROPERLY!!"

She roared; the only reason she was in here, sitting inside, was the fact that Korrath had gone outside to scout.

The cultivator trembled when he felt several eyes on him.

"I-I did not know, I just went a bit early to join my shift and the moment I did...I saw bodies being piled up in the forest! I was so scared that the first thing I did was report this back."

Daereth threw the cultivator outside; her breathing quickened.

Just in time, Korrath rushed back. A grim look on his face.

"Master, this is bad...very bad. Alongside our cultivators who lost their lives... our supplies, weapons, treasure—everything was looted. And the worst part is...we even lost a Verth Shaper!"

Daereth felt her heart freeze for a second, she...she couldn’t believe her ears.

"Who are these bastards!!?"

"That is the main problem, my lady. The enemy, I...I still can’t locate or find them!"

"Use the damn formations!"

The moment Korrath heard those words, he didn’t hesitate. He took out a jade and slipped his Verth into the tablet.

A second later, all colour drained from his face. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"M-Master, the formations and arrays, they...they are not responding!"

BOOM!!!