Chapter 588: Pillars

Three pillars made Liam, or rather, his entire existence had been built around those core drives.

The first involved the meaning of Liam’s very name, the protector, the role he had failed to uphold during the Bloodline Screening.

The second was pure revenge, the desire to kill the butchers who had come to Krosstoen’s village and who had orchestrated the Screening.

As for the third, it was Liam’s utmost devotion to his great Master, the one who had rekindled his will to live after the Divine Cult’s imprisonment.

The three pillars had no real hierarchy, but their origin gave them different value. Protecting and avenging both came from trauma and loss, from dark and foul aspects of life. Instead, Liam’s gratitude toward his great Master was life itself.

Liam would have been nothing more than an empty husk if Horace Rauret hadn’t lit up the flame of desire in him. His Master had literally saved him from the depths of depression.

Horace had taught Liam how to live, both as a man and as a cultivator, granting him all the tools he needed to succeed on his impossible journey.

So, insulting Horace was no different than disregarding everything about Liam’s life. It was akin to belittling the very force that fueled him, leading to the simplest and most extreme response he could think of.

Actually, there wasn’t much thinking involved. Liam had snapped, all his brain functions replaced by hisses, both ancient and in his own voice, their meaning condensed into a single word.

’Kill!’ Liam heard in his mind, bottomless Hatred filling his brain.

Another drum-like noise resounded in the area when Liam took a step forward, and the tide of black Qi blowing from his figure multiplied in quantity.

That wasn’t the end. Liam’s muscles twitched as veins popped all over his exposed torso and beyond. His already big frame grew even bigger due to the force pushing from within, seemingly inflating him.

Andrew instinctively jumped back, putting plenty of distance from that rising black sea in a single step. His expression became serious, but he showed no fear even in front of that cataclysmic scene.

As a mid-stage branching expert from a powerful Tribe and with plenty of battle experience, Andrew wouldn’t just freeze in fear. He didn’t underestimate the danger expanding in front of him, but he was more than capable of facing it.

Andrew wasn’t even lost about the development. He knew about self-harming techniques meant to unleash superior power. It was surprising that Liam owned a rank 3 one, but that was the extent of Andrew’s shock.

Which was why Andrew could focus on the truly odd detail despite the dangerous predicament. He was unfazed enough to notice that something was terribly off.

Self-harming and demonic techniques could have curious side effects. A snake-like voice was hardly confirmation of anything. It could simply be a sign that Liam was losing his mind and sacrificing his vocal cords, generating that animal cry.

However, Andrew had spotted the fangs behind Liam’s canines. They had been visible for less than a second, but that was an eternity for branching experts, and his eyes wouldn’t have lied to him.

Techniques that grew additional body parts existed. Unwanted mutations could also happen, but there were already two matching clues. The hisses and fangs pointed in a clear direction, and Liam’s poison could easily be a third detail that suited that impossible scenario.

Still, Andrew couldn’t be certain yet, and he definitely couldn’t jump to conclusions when it came to such a legendary topic. Luckily, there was an easy way to find more clues.

Andrew stomped his foot, sending Qi into the ground, and the latter moved. A wave of soil and rocks rose, condensing into a massive fist that descended toward Liam.

The waves of black Qi slammed into the giant fist but couldn’t slow it down. Even when dark patches appeared on its surface, the spell didn’t lose power, crashing directly on Liam.

With the spell being over five times Liam’s size, the impact sent all the slime at his feet flying away. Even the black Qi blowing wildly out of his figure dispersed completely, cleared by the shockwave that unfolded.

And yet, Andrew’s face grew solemn.

The giant fist was still there, connected to the ground, drawing power from Andrew’s Qi.

However, Liam was also there, his feet on a patch of slimy soil his existence had protected, the giant spell pressing on his head, only for it to have barely bent.

Blood flowed from the impact, running down Liam’s left cheek, but his figure didn’t as much as budge. The fist was a rank 2 spell fueled by Andrew’s superior Qi, but Liam had endured it with physical strength alone.

Liam also didn’t stop at just that.

Veins popped on Liam’s neck as he forcefully pushed his head against the giant fist. More black Qi blew from his figure, but results arrived before any infection could start.

Andrew could only suppress his shock at the sight of cracks expanding on his spell. Pebbles fell from the giant fist before its structural integrity was no more, creating a cascade of debris.

Then, Liam took another step, his figure arriving in front of Andrew as an even louder drum-like noise resounded throughout the area. As for the world, it was now completely covered in black Qi.

Still, even while immersed in that dark, poisonous tide, even while right in front of their source, Andrew didn’t flinch. The skin on Liam’s arms broke as he swung his greatsword, but Andrew faced it without fear nonetheless.

A clash unfolded, its destructive might surpassing the definition of apocalyptic. A forward tide of black energy cut through the world, wild but also dense, reaching far into the distance.

When the blackness receded, the new face of the world came to light. A small swamp had formed, but the channel dug by the forward tide had created a proper river of dense poison, its fumes erecting a curtain of darkness.