Chapter 1100 Pity, Not Hatred
Dorian saw the battlefield covered in ice shards and realized the resolve his friend had. If his sister were killed, it would be over for all of them, so he hardened his heart and turned toward the blood cloud carrying his sister away.
As they had expected, Dorian saw Marshal chase after the cloud that carried her away. It seemed that Seraphine had ordered the mist to take her as far away as possible, but she could not afford to give this matter any more thought while facing a goddess. Thus, Dorian saw the cloud slowly descend toward the ground, and Marshal saw the same thing.
The father and son rushed toward their last remaining family, but for different reasons. Dorian was filled with rage as he once again thought about the sick intentions his father had toward his sister. If he had known earlier, he would have slit his father's throat in his sleep.
"My treasure!" roared his father with concern and zeal as he ran like a mad dog. Dorian chased after him, his weapon in hand. "Please don't get away from me, my treasure!"
Marshal seemed to either ignore or miss Dorian's presence, who was chasing after him. Dorian believed that the moment he saw his daughter, Marshal had already lost the ability to think with logic. He was instead overtaken with pure desire, which Dorian could sense with absolute clarity.
"You make me sick," muttered Dorian as he threw his spear toward his father's back. Before it could reach him, Marshal grabbed space and twisted it into a shield before rolling on the ground. The spear struck the spatial shield, bending around Marshal before slamming to the ground.
Marshal did not even acknowledge his son before rushing after his daughter, who began descending to the ground. As she landed on the ground and saw her father, Luna trembled before she began running away from him.
"Don't run away, my treasure! I will protect you from this world!"
Luna ran even faster as she heard his desperate screams. Dorian gritted his teeth as he tried to run faster, but his legs failed him. In the end, Marshal reached her in an instant, embracing her tightly and falling to the ground.
"You don't need to be scared anymore, my treasure," said Marshal while on the ground, his daughter struggling in his embrace. "We will leave everything behind and get married. And then, we can be happy like we always wanted!"
"Let go of me, please! I never wanted any of that!" shouted Luna as she attacked him, punching his face and chest. However, her stats made her unable to even hurt him. Marshal laughed as he grabbed her tightly.
"I know that you are confused because of these demons, but everything will be alright!" said Marshal with a gleeful grin. "As long as we are together... we will be alright!"
"Do not move, Luna!" shouted Dorian as he jumped high, his spear returning to his hand. He descended toward the two as he pierced with great accuracy toward his father.
Dorian was sure that he would strike his father who had let his guard down, but the latter struck the ground and made it rise like a blanket. It covered them like armor, forming a giant golem that withstood his spear.
The golem looked like a snowman made from mud, with its giant belly sealing Marshal together with Luna. She screamed for Dorian, but the golem struck him with a giant fist that slammed his chest.
Boom!
The fist struck his chest after he failed to block it, breaking a few ribs in the process. Dorian landed a distance away as he felt that his ribs fractured, penetrating his lungs. Breathing became almost impossible as he fell to the ground, wheezing.
"Do not stand in the way of our love!" shouted Marshal from within the golem, which he had created using his weapon mastery. Dorian raised his eyes, now hazy, as he tried to catch his breath. "You need another few decades before you can defeat me, Dorian!"
"Then, you know me," whispered Dorian as he rose from the ground. "If you know your son, you should know that Luna is your daughter. How can you... how can you even think of her that way?"
"She might be my own blood, but she is my soulmate!" answered Marshal as his face appeared from within the golem. "I will not be restrained by what others think and lose my soulmate!"
"How is she your soulmate when she wants nothing to do with you?" asked Dorian as he stood, his mind spinning. Then, he touched his broken ribs, caressing them as he grimaced with pain. "You are nothing but a degenerate bastard!"
"I do not care! I do not care what you think, or what anyone thinks! This is everything I ever wanted. This is everything I need! Xeloria and this entire second floor could go to hell!"
"Is that so?" muttered Dorian as he closed his eyes. "Words are useless to reason with a madman. If words will not make you see reality, maybe pain would!"
A strange aura leaked from Dorian as it wrapped around his wounds. It was gray in color, seeming to connect to the world. The wounds disappeared from his body before Marshal screamed with pain. The golem disintegrated as Marshal fell with his daughter to the ground.
"What have you done to me?!" asked Marshal as he grabbed his chest, but that made him scream even harder. Dorian walked toward them with a determined expression, his spear still in hand.
"I returned what you have done to me," said Dorian as he raised his spear. "This also means I cannot kill you without harming myself. This is such an unfortunate outcome for a world that no longer needs you, Marshal Stormblade!"
"Please... do not... take her away..." begged Marshal as he watched Dorian crouch and carry Luna, who has been tied again while in the golem. Marshal reached weakly toward them, tears in his eyes. "Please... don't take away... my love..."
Dorian stared down at him, seeing his strict father reduced into nothing but a desperate old man. He could no longer look at him, making him turn as he removed the soil-cuffs from his sister's hands and mouth.
Luna breathed again; her eyes teary as she stared at her father. Dorian saw her press her lips hard, tears falling through her mask. Then, she hugged him before crying.
"Do not hate him... Dorian..." whispered his sister into his ears, making Dorian confused. After all, not even a saint would forgive her father after this. "This nightmare began... when my skill awakened... and he saw me."
"What skill are you talking about?" asked Dorian with confusion as he pulled away from her, still carrying her over his shoulder. His father was still screaming, even with no air entering his lungs.
"My skill, Mindless Charm, makes anyone who sees me enter a state of absolute worship and infatuation," said Luna as she wiped away her tears. "My father was the first to see me before I used this mask. It changed him, and he killed my mother because she tried to protect me." n)-Ove1bIn
Dorian stopped walking as he heard the last sentence, rooted in shock. His face turned toward Marshal, whose pale face was still desperate to reach for his daughter. His entire view of his father changed from hatred to pity.
"You cannot disable the skill, right?" asked Dorian with sadness, and his sister shook her head. "That means our father was never guilty of anything other than being at the wrong place and wrong time."
"Everything that happened... and all we suffered, was because of me," said Luna as she could no longer stop her tears. "I wish I would die, Dorian, so that everything can stop hurting."
Dorian stared at his sister, whose pain transmitted to him. His heart ached for everything she has been through. Her guilt, fear, and regret were all transmitted to his heart, forcing him to hug her tightly.
"None of this is your fault," said Dorian as tears fell from his eyes. "You have been cursed with this, just like what happened to me. We will get through this, as siblings."
Woosh!
An arrow whistled above them, filling the sky with light. Dorian raised his head as he saw the arrow arch above them, aimed directly toward his father. It brimmed with moonlight and divine energy, making him realize, although too late, who shot that arrow.
As tears covered their eyes, the siblings watched the arrow impale their father in the chest. Divine light exploded as their father stopped wheezing and opened his eyes. Then, those azure eyes shone bright as he stared at them.
"Give back my treasure!" shouted Marshal Stormblade with rage covering his face. His wounds healed in an instant, letting him jump from the ground and rush toward them. A spatial sword appeared in his hand before he slashed it toward Dorian.
The white spear that Dorian used did not try to stop the slash because he knew it was useless. Instead, Dorian threw the spear and kicked it toward his father, bypassing the spatial sword and aiming toward his chest.
Boom!
His father caught the spear with his bare hand as if it was a toy. However, Dorian managed to push him back just a little, allowing him to lower his sister to the ground. Then, he pushed her back as he advanced toward his father.
"If you die here, we all die!" said Dorian with determination as he summoned his spear back and it landed in his palm with ease. "Never let them catch you, Luna. I will end this once and for all!"