224 I Don't Know!

The runes that shone brightly on Leon's arm looked like a single and simple symbol, but if one truly thought it was as simple as it appears to be, they couldn't be more wrong. 

Under the veil of light, they would find that the seemingly simple runic symbol was in fact, made up of hundreds of tiny runic lines and runic circles linked together neatly. 

The introduction to runes is actually quite straightforward and simple, but as one progresses through to higher levels, the structure of runes grows increasingly complex.

However, Arden was able to return complexity back to simplicity, but not in the literal sense, obviously. That would be degrading the runes. 

What is meant by returning complexity to simplicity is organizing. For example, picture runes as the rooms of any common household. It can be messy, or it can be neat. Whether it is messy or neat, the room will still be a room. 

The difference is finding the items within the said room. One can spend minutes to hours searching a messy room for a single pen, yet only take a few seconds to pull out a drawer and find it there within a neat room.

This is the height of Arden's runic attainment that Leon had inherited. Under his own systematic runic structuring, the same rune can be 50% more effective.

…

While looking at the shocked expressions registered on the surrounding palace guards in addition to Zorbek's own horrified look, Leon thought it was to be expected.

Even he was surprised by the height his body's defense had reached, despite being the one coming up with the training plan that allowed it to happen. 

The artifact spirit had given him a body cultivation technique called [Black Turtle Heavenly Guard], a defensive technique that focuses on refining the body to become hard as the Black Turtle, one of the divine beast of the four directions. 

The first stage of [Black Turtle Heavenly Guard] is the skin refining stage. Reaching initial success will allow him to have a body comparable to one-star materials. 

This means that one-star ranked awakeners with the physical strength of 1800-jin would not be able to break his body's defense with ordinary swords.

Naturally, three days was not enough time for him to reach initial success with his whole body, but if it was just his right arm, it was more than enough with time to spare. 

In addition to raising his right arm to initial success in the technique, he had completed a defense rune for his right arm as well. 

When Body Rune and Black Turtle Heavenly Guard were coupled together, the defensive effects stacked and worked wonders, raising the defensive attributes of his right arm all the way to 9 stars. 

Furthermore, with such a strong right arm, he no longer had to worry about the repercussions of using the subsequent levels of [9 Echo Oscillating Fist].

Although his elemental powers couldn't be used, his physical strength was still there. This was the difference between divine practitioners that practice the energy cultivations system and awakeners. Energy was needed to boost their body attributes. 

Awakeners didn't have this problem, and neither did offensive-type body cultivators. 

There are also more balanced techniques among the body cultivation system that grants both even strength and defense, but Leon did not choose this path. Leon felt he had adequate speed and attacking means, and was only lacking in defense. 

His sealed cultivation made him feel vulnerable, but not only did not grow weaker, but he had also grown stronger instead. 

Once he creates more Body Runes and refines the rest of his body, he would be invincible under the Transcendent Realm.

Leon eyed Zorbek calmly, despite the latter's sword being so near to his neck. His strong right arm was like an impenetrable shield, block anything and everything from harm's way. 

His lips began to curve upwards into a provocative but cold smile. He was still waiting for an answer. 

Zorbek recovered from his shock quickly. His expression darkened immediately and roared, "Don't get cocky just because you manage to block a blow of mine, bastard!"

"Let's see how many you'll be able to block!" 

Zorbek retracted his borrowed sword before slashing at Leon furiously. The sword blurred and many found it hard to follow, but it was no problem for Leon with his sharp eyes. 

Clang! Clang! Clang! 

Each time Leon blocked a blow, the rune on his right arm would shine with blue light upon impact. This blue light did not come from true spirit energy.

After the fall of the Nova Empire, Arden had revised and created an improved version of the artificial spirit energy that appeared in red light. 

The purple light emitted by the Dragon Phoenix Jade was its improved version. It no longer had the harmful properties hidden within it, but even so, it was still not true spirit energy. Ravenous Black also utilizes this improved version. 

The color had turn blue due to Leon mixing it into his bloodstream as part of the process of creating Body Runes. The process is also excruciatingly painful when the blood rejects the energy.

Each time Zorbek's blow was blocked, it was like blow to his confidence as his courage begins to waver and replaced with fear. But even then, his will to live prevented him from giving up.

The palace guard's tensed bodies relaxed when they saw how at ease their prince was at blocking the blows. Their prince had the situation under control. 

Zorbek felt like his common sense had been flipped upside down. In fact, it was the same for the palace guards as well. All, except Lilith. 

However, her mouth still formed an 'O' shape in surprise. Beasts had superior physiques, but their flesh still takes damage, no matter how little. Leon's defense was on a whole new level.

"This is impossible! You, you are not human! You cannot possibly be the prince! My sword was coating with a special poison. Even if the prince is a divine doctor, he could not have come up with a cure to save himself in such a short time! Who are you exactly?!"

Zorbek roared in denial and incited doubt.

The palace guards became startled when they heard this, but Leon did not seem to notice their doubt. Even if he did, he would not care. He was the one and only him. Why would he need to prove his identity?

Leon's expression was grim.

"So, you are the reason my cultivation is like this. Since you did not choose how you want to die, I will choose for you!" 

Zorbek's face fell as Leon closed the small gap between them and gripped onto his sword arm before he could retract it. He was quick, but Leon was quicker.

"What do you want to—"

He became terrified by the brutal light in Leon's eyes. It seemed abnormally vicious and cruel. 

RIP!

"AHHHH!"

Leon tore his sword arm from his body and the pain assaulted him like a clap of thunder, but that was not the end of it.

RIP! RIP! RIP!

Leon tore apart each of Zorbek's limbs consecutively with ease and unobstructed. Even without his metal manipulation, the armor on Zorbek's body was just like decorations. It didn't stop him from being pulled apart as the joints were weak.

Without his limbs to support him, Zorbek's body plopped onto the ground as his helmet fell off his head and rolled some distance away. His face paled at the state his body had become. He had been crippled. Even if he lived, he would be useless. 

If nothing were done, he would slowly bleed to death. But even if he wanted to save himself, he no longer had the ability to without his limbs. 

"Just kill me," Zorbek said. 

He was still hopeful when he had his limbs intact, but without them, his hope crushed more swiftly than the snap of a finger as he fell into a chasm of despair. He began to regret his choices, but there was no medicine for regret.

"I gave you the chance to choose a quick death. Now, how you die is for me to decide. If you still want a swift death, that will depend on how cooperative you are." Leon stated expressionlessly, before proceeding to ask, "How many spies are there in the kingdom? How many had defected?"

"I don't know." Zorbek shook his head weakly.

Leon picked up the sword on the ground and jabbed it into Zorbek's limbless wound before giving it a twist. 

While Zorbek screamed in pain, Leon expressionlessly asked again, "How many?"

"I don't know, dammit!"

Leon hacked away one of his eyes and jabbed a different wound, giving it a more vicious twist to inflict greater pain.

"How many?" 

The same expressionlessly question rang again in Zorbek's ears as he looked at Leon with half his vision left. Despair and helplessness could be seen in his single eye. He could no longer take the torment and broke down.

"I really don't know! Only the messenger would know, but don't ask me who because don't know who the messenger is. They conceal their identity and only contact me when they have a task or needed information from me."

With tears in his eye, Zorbek explained. He could choose to detonate his own earthseed and end it all, but somewhere deep down, he was still unwilling to.

How much did it take to force a grown man to cry? The palace guards could see that their prince had pushed their ex-captain to the end of his rope. 

No one spoke up for Zorbek, but everyone felt heavy-hearted, and at the same time, a chill in their hearts at the prince's cruelty and extreme means. 

The queen was frightening, but the prince was even more so. They were truly a pair of mother and son. 

"It seems you really don't know."

Zorbek wanted to cry harder when he heard this. That's what he had been fucking saying!

Leon strolled forward and prepared to put Zorbek out of his misery.

With his impending doom drawing nearer, Zorbek had one last wish he wanted to convey before his inevitable departure from the world.

"Before I go, I sincerely hope that you can avenge my wife and daughter in my stead by killing all the people from—"

Zorbek did not get to finish his words before his head was splattered mercilessly with a single hard stomp from Leon. 

Everything finally ended. Lilith strolled forward and asked concernedly, "Are you alright? This person was probably used by your enemy, but he should not have had to suffer through all this. Also, this does not seem like something you would usually do…"

"And how will you know what I would do and not do? Do you know me? Are we close?" Leon responded with a hard gaze.

"I…" Tears began to well up in her eyes. Lilith did not expect just a heartless response.

Realizing he had misspoken, he chose to soften up a bit.

"Sorry."

With his back facing her, Leon continued to explain, "A traitor is a traitor, regardless of their reasons. I especially loathe traitors and will continue to condemn every last one of them I see."

It was unknown whether his words were meant for Lilith alone, or for the palace guards around them to hear also.

Lilith looked at Leon's back with a complicated gaze. Had he been betrayed before? What kind of betrayal would cause a person to loathe traitors to the point of turning evil?