RETURN OF THE VENGEFUL GOD OF WAR

Chapter 04

The dust settled and Adrain was still standing without a single hurt on his body.

He has sidestepped the king of rings attacks as though watching a slow motion reply. Every movement precise and effortless.

The crowd stared, disbelief painted into every face and Han's hands clenched tightly. 'Han, the pathetic mutt that refused to die.'

Whispers filled the arena. 'How is this possible? He should be dead already!' 

The attacks of the king of rings were like bullets. And for more than a decade, no one has been able to escape them.

Some tried to rationalize

"Maybe the King of Rings is just trying to boost his morale before his eventual fall!" A voice carried through the crowd.

A lot of other people were drawn to this premise too.

"Yeah! That has to be it!" Another added.

"He is letting the little mutt feel powerful. Soon, the king of rings would crush him like a pitiful fly."

Laughter rippled through the crowd like a wave of thunderclap. However, the arrogant crowd didn't know how wrong they were.

Only the King of Rings knew. His heart raced against his chest. It was no boast of morale, it was no mistake, Adrain had dodged his attack.

Fifty percent of his strength was enough to kill anyone. At least it had been in the past. But Adrain easily danced through them like it was warmup.

Kain gaze flickered at Adrian. His expression remains calm, almost playful and unreadable. It made the blood in his vines boil.

'This mutt... This insolent little mutt needs to be taught knowing his place."

Quickly, he readied himself, his stance firm and deadly and sparks of electricity formed at the foot of his feet.

The crowd gasped, truly amazed by the sight. The king of Rings wasn't just fast, he was something else.

Kain flashed his attack. The sound of their clash thundered like a gunshot tearing through the hall and even the building itself trembled.

A figure flew across the Arena. Tumbling near the other guards lay groaning.

Everyone thought that it was Adrian. A smirk flickered on Han's face, brimming with confidence.

 The crowd cheered with excitement. And for Elara, a tear leaked from her eyes. 'It's over! He's; he's dead; the one who tried to save me, gone.'

Han fingers snapped suddenly, signaling the guards to retrieve Adrain's body. He wanted to watch his trophy from a rather near view.

But the figure that they lifted up wasn't Adrain. It was the King of Rings, barely alive with bruises scattered all over his body and blood running freely from his mouth. His internal organs had been badly brutalized.

Adrain stood nearby, perfectly fine and untouched. Like he had never thrown even a punch.

Shocks replaced the laughter, peeling through the crowd in waves. Hearts pounded and fear crept into every corner 

"He is not human!" The crowd dared to whisper with quivering lips. "He's a demon!"

Han's hands were squeezed so tightly that they bled, rage flaring off from him in waves. His pride had never been stomped on in such a manner.

With a scowl, he strode to the groaning guards. He kicked them, forcing them to stand to their feet, clutching their pain-ridden bodies today.

"You lot! Paid handsomely only to be trashed around by a defenseless mutt" His kicks came heavy into their stomach, and the guards groaned even harder, staggering to their feet with what remained of their lives little lives.

Then he arrived at Kain, delivering several sharp, punishing kicks.

The king of Rings jerked violently at every stick. Blood dripped from every corner of his body, pride shattered.

The crowd didn't know how to react. Their very own champion, beaten, humiliated and barely standing. The man who was once untouchable.

Kain coughed, staggering to his feet as blood poured from his body.

It was all his fault. He stared at Adrian with rekindled hate and disdain.

Meanwhile, Han's glares burned hot. " This's your last chance to fix this mess; or your career ends. That's even if you leave this place alive!"

"This is your last chance to fix this mess. Or this would be the end of your Career. That's if you would even leave this place alive!" Han glared heavily.

The King of Rings staggered painfully to his feet, coughing up blood from his mouth.

"Even if it means that I will die today! I would make sure you pay for embarrassing me in such a manner!"

"You could die trying!" Adrain replied, tapping his fingers like a teacher correcting a little child. 

With the last bit of anger surging through his veins, Adrain gathered the rest of the guards.

Without words, just nods, they all gathered into a formation. Legs, hands, until the group had disappeared into a gigantic structure.

A shout broke through the tension!

"The ghost killer. That's the ghost killer!" He roared

The crowd instantly froze. Fear and air mixed into their stares 

The ghost killer was dreaded. Used only in the one-thousand-year war, a history where half of the city's aristocrats lost their lives.

It has never been seen till now. Most people only knew about it as a rumor. And from the stories in books, it destroyed both those that resort to the formation and everything in its path.

Now it was unleashed and Adrain was the target.