The Devil’s Cage

Blood flowed.

After some slight struggles, Kieran fell to the sofa and his body quickly hardened while his face turned black.

“The bloodline of the half-fiend is powerful but unfortunately… You are not immortal!”

“I’m so sorry.”

Zackary said quietly and after an apology, he slowly pulled out the knife from Kieran’s heart which was drenched in his blood.

He took out a seed that he hid on himself and placed the bloody knife over it, watering it with drops of blood.

The seed was thrown on the ground and soon, it sprouted at exponential speed.

A flower bud sprung out from the ground and it was looking exceptionally bright in color.

Puk!

Zackary suddenly stabbed himself on the chest with the knife!

Blood flowed along the blade and watered the flower bud.

Zackary didn’t seem to feel the pain from the stab, instead of pulling it out, he twisted the knife in his chest.

The wound was widened in an instant and his blood was gushing ceaselessly as it watered the flower bud.

Zackary staggered and fell on the ground, his face was as pale as paper but he was filled with excitement, anticipation, and soon… relief.

“It will be here soon.”

“A little longer…”

“A little longer…”

He muttered non-stop.

His sight was starting to grow blurry when he saw the flower bud bloom.

He felt like he had returned to that time again.

He watched her being carried into the temple.

He watched her being carried out of the temple.

It was just an instant between life and death but unlike that time, he was helpless, weak, and a coward.

Now, he was still weak compared to that time but… he could throw his life away.

The old Zackary thought that staying alive was everything but after he had been through the excruciating experience of being worse than dead, he finally understood sometimes staying alive was more painful than death.

That day, that moment, it still haunted his mind every single day of his life. It was the worst possible torture.

Whenever he shut his eyes, he saw her eyes.

From the struggling hope to the numbing despair, it ultimately becomes the gloomy ashes after death.

She hated him, and he knew it.

So, he would dress neatly and clean since then, he hoped that he could portray the image that she wished to see of him. He hoped that her soul could feel some sense of comfort when she saw him.

His stubborn persistence kept thinking it might really give her a sense of comfort by dressing neatly.

Sounds funny?

It did.

A few days after her death, Zackary slapped himself hard and a crazy plan appeared in his mind.

He kept the ridiculous looks to himself.

He used the ridiculous looks to face everything since then.

He was waiting for the chance to appear.

He didn’t mind dying together and now…

His wait has finally come to an end.

He waited all these years with guilt in his heart.

Zackary felt his energy slipping away rapidly, he felt like his body was suffering from million slices and his soul burning fiercely under hot oil and yet, he smiled.

The pain of his body.

The pain of his soul.

It was nothing to him since he experienced worse in the past.

Did it hurt?

Not anymore.

His body was numb.

Quite the opposite, his body felt relief, relief that he hadn’t felt for a long time.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I can’t say it to you personally but I will drag that bastard into purgatory together. I’ll ask for your forgiveness when I get there.”

His blurry sight turned dark completely.

Zackary fell on the blooming flower, allowing the plant to devour his body.

3!

2!

1!

The flower bloomed.

It was delicate and charming, its aroma was striking to the nose and yet what came after was a sigh.

…

“Surprised?”

The God of Forest City looked deeply at Great Swamp. His cold face showed a smile while his tongue circled around his lips. His eyes were overflowing with malicious intent.

“Do I need to tell you another surprising fact? Jin and I have joined hands! While I am fighting you right here, right now, he’s already starting to destroy the nodes throughout Flame City’s earth veins!”

“Soon enough, all of Flame City will crumble and collapse! You as Flame City’s God will be weakened like never before!” The God of Forest City sounded more evil than his malicious gaze.

However, to his surprise, Great Swamp didn’t show any panic, he wasn’t even moved.

“Still pretending to be calm eh? Or you don’t think Jin can find the nodes of Flame City’s earth veins?”

“Seems like you aren’t just underestimating Jin, you also overestimated your men as well! Didn’t it occur to you that they might betray you?”

“How naive!”

The God of Forest City laughed coldly but his eyes had a sense of doubt.

Something wasn’t right!

The matter was related to the life and death of Flame City, Great Swamp shouldn’t be this calm.

Even for the God of Forest City, if the same thing happened to his city, he couldn’t be as calm despite the fact that he treated his citizens like pigs and dogs.

Great Swamp was different, he loved his citizens.

God of Forest City looked deeply at the Great Swamp before his eyes.

He looked exactly the same and his temperament was very identical to what the God of Forest City remembered.

If someone was posing as Great Swamp using his face, it might still be possible but how could one copy his temperament to this extent? More importantly, his strength!

The strength that easily broke the God of Forest City’s disguise was definitely not of a mortal’s hand!

Does he still have tricks under his sleeves?

The thought uncontrollably appeared in the God of Forest City’s heart.

The thought caused him to squint his eyes and his killing intent skyrocketed.

“I don’t know what tricks you still have under your sleeves but do you really think you can defeat me after you leave the land?” The God of Forest City said with an easy tone, the energy in his body was gathering and rumbling like the rising tide.

“Well didn’t you leave Forest City as well?””Great Swamp,” said calmly.

“It’s not the same! How is this same?”

“I’ve made arrangements beforehand! And you?”

“You are just a moron who is blinded by some fake reality.”

“Remember Great Swamp, remember to find some truly loyal subordinate in your next life!”

The God of Forest City laughed wholeheartedly as if some delightful thought occurred to him but before he finished his laughter, it was stopped abruptly.

The rising tide of energy in his body suddenly faced some delays.

The delays felt like an iron net binding the God of Forest City tightly.

It didn’t just bind him, it was consuming his own energy also.

The sudden unusual changes shocked the God of Forest City and right after the initial shock, it was replaced by disbelief.

He saw Great Swamp draw out a purplish greatsword with a bewitching luster.

It wasn’t Great Swamp’s weapon and the one who used this weapon wasn’t Great Swamp!

If it wasn’t Great Swamp, who was it?

“Who are you?!”

There was no answer but a slash from the greatsword.

There was only— kill!