Zara approached the cellar with graceful, almost seductive steps, his arms slightly spread wide.
His face was flushed with excitement and intoxication, as though he could already see the fear etched onto the faces of the two girls hiding within.
Inside the cellar, the two young girls clung to each other, trembling uncontrollably. Their dirt-smudged faces were filled with terror, and tears streamed down their cheeks.
"Ah, there you are!"
In a flash, Zara appeared at the entrance of the cellar. With a sudden motion, he tore away the stone slab covering it, revealing the two terrified girls.
"Ahhh!!"
"No—don't come any closer…!"
The girls' courage crumbled completely as they screamed in horror.
"Ah, still so young… just how I like my Bloody Mary."
Zara lifted the chin of the older girl, breathing in deeply with a look of sheer ecstasy.
"So fresh… Should I start from your throat? Or should I reach in and rip out your heart?"
"Ahh, decisions, decisions… maybe I'll just sever your limbs first."
The girl trembled violently, eyes squeezed shut, tears slipping from the corners.
"Hmph, Zara, enough playing around. Hurry up and take the blood. We need to move to the next location. The damned Spirit Hall's forces are still hunting us down."
Soba let out a cold grunt, clearly impatient with Zara's delay. In the glorious age of the past, they could indulge all they wanted—but that was long gone. Now was the age of darkness under Spirit Hall's rule.
They no longer had the time or freedom to toy with their prey like their ancestors once did.
If not for the existence of Slaughter City, the evil soul masters would've had no place left to survive.
At that thought, Soba couldn't help recalling a legend—one their leader often spoke of.
Long ago, among the so-called evil soul masters, a powerful god had risen. Under that god's leadership, the soul master world had entered a true golden age.
At that time, Soul Sages were everywhere, Soul Douluos were as common as stray dogs, and only those of Titled Douluo had any real presence.
But it all ended thousands of years ago, when a villain bearing the surname Qian declared them evil and began a genocidal purge after that god ascended to the Divine Realm.
Their ancestors were slaughtered without mercy—pushed to the brink of extinction, until they had no choice but to retreat to their sacred refuge: Slaughter City, the very place where their god had ascended.
The divine power and unique laws of that place weakened anyone who entered—especially their enemies and descendants of that despicable Qian. It was only because of this that they managed to survive.
They once believed that after ascending, their enemies would eventually leave the mortal plane, and they would have their chance to strike back and reclaim the continent.
But to their horror, that despicable foe had left behind a massive and wicked organization—Spirit Hall—whose descendants were all freakishly strong, generation after generation reaching Rank 99.
And so they were forced to remain trapped in Slaughter City, their once-sacred haven becoming a prison that held them captive for thousands of years. What a tragic, bitter irony.
"Hmph. I don't need you to remind me."
Zara's expression darkened, annoyed that his fun had been interrupted. A cold glint flickered in his eyes as he looked back at the girls.
"Consider yourselves lucky. At least your deaths will be quick."
A blood-red dagger appeared in his hand. He raised it, preparing to decapitate the two girls and revel in the pleasure of blood-soaked ecstasy.
The girls were already paralyzed with fear, unable to move under the crushing pressure of soul power. As the blade came down, they shut their eyes in despair.
"Angel's Protection!!"
Golden pillars of light erupted from the ground, instantly enveloping the two girls in a protective barrier.
"Wha—!"
Zara's pupils shrank in shock, and he instinctively leapt back.
In the next instant, two golden spears, forged from a special divine material, struck down from the sky—right where he'd just stood.
Then, two figures clad in golden armor descended from the heavens, wings of pure white stretching wide as they scooped the girls up and soared into the sky.
There were six of them in total—men and women alike—all masked in gold, their faces obscured. But without exception, every one of them exuded the aura of a Soul Sage.
Golden light bathed the land, while soul power in the form of radiant feathers drifted down like snowflakes.
"The Angel Legion!!"
The four words were spat out from between Zara and Soba's clenched teeth.
"You… you're angels…"
The two girls, cradled gently in the arms of the female angel Soul Sages, stared at the holy figures with dazed eyes. A strange calm washed over them, as if the nightmare had ended.
But the shock had been too much. The moment their fear faded, their strength gave out—and both girls slumped unconscious.
Suspended in midair, six golden figures now faced the two evil soul masters radiating thick bloodlust on the ground below.
"Purge the evil!!"
"Sixth Soul Skill—Angel Light Cannon!"
Four of the angel Soul Sages raised their hands and unleashed the same technique. Four beams of divine golden light merged into one, descending like judgment from the heavens.
"Seventh Soul Skill—Martial Soul Avatar!"
Soba roared, summoning a massive blood-red battle axe. With all his might, he unleashed a crimson arc of destruction to meet the incoming divine light.
Bzzzz—
The axe's energy dissolved instantly, as if darkness had met the noonday sun.
"This is bad!"
Both Zara and Soba were stunned, their pupils constricting. They bolted in opposite directions, fleeing the falling holy light with every ounce of speed they had.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
"Hmph. Think you can run?"
"Formation—activate!"
The six angels converged and took positions in a hexagonal pattern. Beneath them, a golden formation began to take shape. At its center, a gleaming golden spear slowly rose from the ground.
A divine domain of terrifying power formed from golden soul energy, sealing Zara and Soba inside.
CLANG!!
Zara tried to slash his way out of the domain, but the barrier repelled him instantly and threw him back to the ground.
He turned toward Soba, who was still frantically hacking at the falling angelic feathers, and shouted, eyes twitching.
"Soba! Cover me!"
With that, Zara activated his Martial Soul Avatar. The blood-colored dagger in his hand grew even more twisted, and the aura of bloodlust around him became so thick it nearly solidified.
Soba immediately understood his intent and roared in response.
"Sixth Soul Skill—Soul-Cleaving Heaven Splitter!!!"
Soba's sixth soul ring flared beneath his feet. The axe's blade was now covered in sinister crimson runes, exuding an aura of pure bloodthirst. With a shout, he leapt high into the air and brought the weapon crashing down toward the angelic formation.
"Sacred Judgment of the Angels!"
The squad leader of the Angel Legion pointed his spear skyward. The other five followed suit.
A massive golden spear shot forth, glowing with divine fire. The moment it collided with Soba's axe, his entire body erupted in smoke.
BOOM!!!
The clash was earth-shaking. Soba was struck with a wave of overwhelming power. Death loomed close. He threw everything he had into resisting it and roared:
"Zara!!!"
"Sixth Soul Skill—Bloodthirsty Charge!"
Whoosh!
The blood dagger erupted with immense energy. Zara burned through the freshly absorbed essence of his victims to boost his speed to an unimaginable level.
But he wasn't attacking the angels—instead, he slammed the dagger into the barrier of the divine domain.
BOOM!!
A small crack appeared in the holy domain's wall.
"Perfect timing!"
Zara bolted through the opening without hesitation.
"Soba! I'll avenge you!!"
Without even looking back, he vanished into the distance.
"NO—Zara, you bastard!!!"
Even Soba, for all his foolishness, realized he'd been betrayed. He cursed furiously, rage twisting his features.
Then the golden spear pierced through his soul power—and his body.
"AAARRRGGHHHH!!"
Soba's scream rang out as his body was engulfed in divine light, burning to ash.
"Pursue him!"
~~~
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