Chapter 42: Two Rivals, Two Friends, Two Loot Bags

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'Wouldn't it be such a waste to let all these pigs kill each other? Just thinking about all the loot that would be lost in the wind is enough to bring a tear to my eyes...!'

A small, fake tear welled up in the corner of Lucifer's right eye as he genuinely lamented the thought of watching all the loot slipping away, taken away by mere randos...

It was because of this abomination to justice that he took it upon himself to sweep up any loot bags that needed a little extra helping hand to push them over the edge.

As for why he did this for both sides, you ask?

Well, Lucifer didn't want to make it seem like he held a prejudice for the quality of loot from either the Fire Nation or Water Nation. So, naturally, he had to once again exhibit his impeccable sense of equality and justice!

He was like a superhero!

'Ahh... yes, a superhero. I quite like the sound of that...'

Lucifer's lips curled into a cold smile as he noticed that both Chao Gang and Su Tao had reached a point where they were on their last legs.

"You Bastard!!!!" Chao Gang roared, his hands poised to activate the Second Style of his Devil Crusher Strike.

On the other hand, Su Tao prepared one of his strongest techniques—the Phantasm Essence Shooter!

In this technique, he would gather up all the Qi in his body and channel it to his fingers. Thereafter, he would imitate the unloading of piss into a urinal. Making use of this vidid imagination, he would condense his Qi and unleash it in a powerful blast, holding absolutely nothing back!

This was, in actuality, one of the Core Techniques of the Baron-Rank Tao Family, and thus not be underestimated!

Granted, the old man who made it was a little bit of a pervert and could perhaps be even considered lecherous...

But that's beside the point!

"Take this, Chao Gang! Phantasm Essence Shooter!" Su Tao shouted at the top of his lungs, already hurtling through the air with his fingers outstretched.

"You Dare!?"

Chao Gang saw the ridiculously powerful yellowish energy emanating from Su Tao's fingers and knew that he had to use his second style!

"W-Why would I need to know about something like that when I'm about to die...?" Su Tao glanced at his wide-eyed rival in the distance, regret flickering in his gaze.

"If you don't wish to tell me your name, could you grant this old man one last favor? Allow me to apologize to an old friend of mine—?"

SHING!

Spurt!

"W-Why..."

His head was lobbed off his shoulders, and his disbelieving face flew through the air until it landed in Chao Hang's hands.

"Su Tao... But why...? Why were you going to apologize to me after so many years of quarreling?? Why did you wait until now, my friend...?"

For a few moments, Chao Gang let his emotions spiral.

After finding a bit of his bearings, he bit his cracked lips and turned his head up to the one who killed Su Tao.

He was determined to demand an explanation from this group. After all, if anyone was to kill Su Tao, then it should have been him—!

*Spurt!*

In the midst of his rage-filled thoughts, Chao Gang didn't notice that the man who killed his friend also had his sword find its way to his throat— the very sword that didn't know any discrimination between friend and foe. It was this very sword that sliced off the heads of two rivals—of two friends.

"Wha-!?"

Those were the last few confused words Chao Gang spoke before his entire life flashed before his eyes.

They say that when one was about to die, they would see their life play out inside their mind like the flipping of a book's pages. And it wasn't until now that Chao Gang was able to find that to be true...

'I see... So this is the cruelty of the world... This is what happens to those who grow complacent with their strength...'

Just as those were his last words, these were the last thoughts to pass through Chao Gang's mind.

As his bloody head sailed through the skies, leaving a trail of blood in its wake, Lucifer watched with an emotionless gaze as the system notifications echoed around him.

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