Chapter 404: Wide Berth

Liluo's screams made all those who could hear them shiver. But, maybe the worst part was that Ryu didn't seem to have any intention of stopping. He didn't pause to ask if Liluo was done, he didn't ask about the Inventory again, he simply continued to meander around as though he was simply having fun with a hobby of his.

Liluo felt the Death Qi borrowing into his soul, coursing through his veins and even faintly effecting his main body.

Fear gripped him, his body convulsing so wildly that he began to foam at the mouth.

Grim, Dru and Amie felt their blood run cold. They gazed toward Ryu's kneeling figure, looking at him as though he was some kind of monster. They involuntarily took a step back, only to find that they had run into a barrier that trapped them all in the same place.

"Humans… Are so evil…

" Dru couldn't refrain from saying.

"P-p-p-please!

"

Despite hearing Liluo, Ryu continued as though he hadn't caught onto anything. His hand pressed down and rose up with a steady rhythm, his movements precise and measured.

Liluo's body felt as though it had been snatched out of his control. He could feel his every cell slowly dying, being converted into something less than human. As though that wasn't bad enough, even his mind was growing foggy as though he was slowly losing control of it.

If things continued like this, he really could lose everything. His dignity, his strength, his soul, and even his life. It would all be finished.

Liluo stopped begging. He focus his entire being on opening his inventory.

He could hardly control himself, but he found the strength of will deep down.

Seemingly realizing what he was doing, Grinder's expression twisted.

"Liluo don't you dare! You fear him more than me?! I'll be sure to hunt you down until your life is forfeit if you dare continue!

"

The irony of it was that Liluo couldn't even hear Grinder. Ryu's Death Qi had long since corrupted his ears. But, to an outside observer, it looked as though Liluo was in such fear for his life that he didn't even bother to pay attention to Grinder's threats.

This sort of display was nothing less than a slap to the face. Grinder's fury reached a fever pitch and he began to bang against the barrier once again. But, it was to no avail. The barrier didn't even tremble under Ryu's control, making Grinder look like even more of a joke.

Items began to spill out one after another from seemingly empty space. Liluo's senses were almost completely cut off, so all he could do was pour out everything he had, hoping that Ryu would be satisfied before he breathed his last breath.

"P-please! Please!

"

Ryu looked around, a slight hint of disappointment in his gaze. Unfortunately, the crowd didn't miss this. It made them feel as though the young man before them, regardless of how handsome he was, was truly a monster.

With a calm expression, Ryu rose from Liluo's convulsing body and picked up the treasures he had dropped one after another, not minding Grinder's roars in the slightest.

"You need to bring the quota to the City Hall, correct?

" Ryu asked Amie.

"Y… Yes.

"

"Alright.

"

Ryu nodded, tossing over Liluo's things.

"B-but…!

"

Amie was shocked. She was still meant to bring these things over? How was she supposed to get through all of them? Was Ryu asking her to die? What the hell was this?

Ryu, however, only flicked a finger. In the next moment, the three that had once been inside the barrier suddenly found themselves outside. And, Grinder and the others, which had just found themselves outside, were suddenly inside.

Grinder's eyes widened, feeling his body weaken considerably without the free use of qi.

He didn't understand. This treasure shouldn't have such flexibility. If it did, Liluo wouldn't have had to sacrifice the lives of two of his men.

Grinder clenched his jaw, his eyes lit with fury.

There were many times he had asked Liluo to hand this treasure over to the Team Leader. The truth was that though Liluo spoke of leaving Violet Olive due to unrequited love, the real reason was for this very treasure. It was most definitely one of the legendary weapons of Osiris.

But, Liluo wasn't a fool. He knew that as a traitor, he wouldn't be able to climb up very high in Deep Valley. The only leverage he had was this treasure, so how could he hand it over so easily?

Logically, one would think that Deep Valley would then use the very same treasure they had used against Amie on Liluo. But, if they did so, how would they continue to poach members of other Teams? It would be near impossible to do so if they suddenly gained the title of ally killer.

In the end, Deep Valley's Team Leader had no choice but to place Liluo in important positions so he could continue to use this treasure on their behalf.

But now… he had actually lost control of it.

In a fit of rage, Grinder's palm flipped over to reveal a heavy hammer. He smashed it down over Liluo's body, causing bits and pieces of his body to squirt out like paste.

However, if one had looked closely, there had been nothing but a smile of relief on Liluo's face in those final moments.

Ryu indifferently watched this scene, not making any attempts to stop Grinder. Instead, he slowly pulled his Great Swordstaffs out.

In this sort of environment, these opponents of his stood not a single chance. That said, it was quite clear that Grinder was aware of this as well. But, knowing there was no place to escape to, he could only turn his fury toward Ryu.

"If I see a single one of you turn tail, I'll be the first to strike you down!

" Grinder roared.

But it was all just futile, Ryu weaved into and out of them as though he was taking a stroll, slicing them down one after another.

Everyone watched on in horror as the elites of the fifth ranked team of the Alliance was taken down as though no different from weeds.

By the time Ryu was finished and took down the barrier, Amie was still standing there in a daze, not having moved since Ryu handed everything over.

Ryu raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you be going now?

"

"Oh… Oh! Yes, yes!

"

Amie shook her head and broke out into a dash.. This time, everyone split to give her a wide berth, afraid to aggro the rage of this demon.