__________ POV Ashton__________
I certainly wasn't expecting to ever see that face again. Even if it's horribly mutated and stitched together with staples.
The Captain of The Royal Guards is someone I almost completely forgot about, I think the other princes did too. He was declared clinically dead by the medics the last time I heard of it.
That was not long before I departed for the Dark Continent with the expedition team.
Well, he wasn't actually dead. His body was in good shape. But his mind was dead. There was no trace of him left in there. The Mind Crawler really did a number on him.
Now, he looks quite a bit different. I don't really know what happened, but he seems to have been experimented on quite extensively.
One of his hands seems to resemble that of a lion but is strangely human. The fur and claws are what makes it strange.
He also seems to have the stinger of a scorpion on his upper back, I'm assuming it is quite poisonous too.
His lower jaw seems to have been replaced with something resembling that of a boar, his canines are large and pointed upwards.
He also seems to have bull horns. His entire body is filled with both Nen and that strange energy every subordinate of Zhang Lei is using.
"Who's toy might this be?" I asked with a small smile.
It seemed to irritate one of Zhang Lei's followers, a man that had managed to jump backwards in time to avoid dying to my explosion. (he only got severely burned)
"You can gloat all you want! But that beast is something that you will never be able to beat." He seems to be quite proud of his words. I'm guessing this little science experiment is his work then.
Really, this looks like something that someone who has just started experimenting with Gene splicing would attempt to create out of boredom.
It's not even impressive. What is actually threatening about it is the amount of Nen and 'Aura' in its body.
It is certainly much larger than any human I've ever seen. It's actually comparable to how I was before I sacrificed my life force to gain more strength and Nen.
And that is not something that can be belittled.
"I admit that this thing doesn't look like a pleasant time. But the work done on him looks quite sloppy. The only things making him strong are his Nen and that strange aura you keep giving your subordinates..." I said while staring at the nervous Zhang Lei.
He was breathing heavily and looking at me with hate. Then he smirked and responded.
"That 'aura' is called 'Shakti' and it much stronger than the Nen you hunters use so much." His smile was filled with so much disdain and arrogance. It's almost funny really.
As for his claim of this energy being stronger... It does look stronger at the base. But it seems to be quite inflexible.
From what I've seen, a person can't really create anything with it. They can just use it and the ability they gained alongside it.
So, Nen still remains the strongest. A powerful Nen ability can easily dwarf whatever little trick this 'Shakti' can pull off.
"This person was formerly the Captain of the Royal Guards. You may wonder what his current state represents..." I could clearly see the way Zhang Lei's confidence grew.
"The way he is now, he has become much stronger than any human could ever hope to! He only listens to my commands, so don't think you can confuse it." Why is he talking so much?
I could see the other people that were still conscious and capable of moving all stood behind Zhang Lei as he confidently started spouting bullshit in my general direction.
I've been waiting for him to send his toy over, I want them to make the first move(a counter is an advantageous position to start a fight with). But it seems that he has something else in mind.
"Now, that we've made the situation clear. How about I give you a way out? Would you like to join me? You will swear your loyalty to me and serve me in exchange for your life."
Ooh, I get it. That was so predictable that I thought it impossible to actually happen. It seems I really overestimated his intelligence.
I just killed almost all of his men. And he thinks I'd suddenly have a change of heart and join him out of fear? That's just foolish.
__________ POV Narration__________
Ashton raised an eyebrow at the prince's question. Then the corners of his mouth raised themselves a bit.
A small snicker escaped his lips, which caused the prince to turn his previous confidence into irritation.
"I get that the strong are prideful. But this isn't a time to showcase that arrogance! You are in actual danger here!" Zhang Lei thought that Ashton's confidence and disdain was just arrogance.
And, from his point of view, he was right to believe so. But Ashton's laughter wasn't mocking, it wasn't meant to poke fun at either the prince or the beast that he was about to be facing.
It was just that, he found it amusing. He found the entire situation to be amusing. He hadn't expected Zhang Lei to actually try to invite him over.
Even more, he was actually supposed to be threatened by someone just because they had a bit of Nen?
That wasn't how the world worked. The beast was still brainless, and it had no idea how to use that power.
But then it clicked to him. Zhang Lei had yet to even recognize Ashton. And he found it to be even more amusing.
Ashton changed a bit, but he was still the man that had once saved Zhang Lei's life. So, his inability to recognize the young-looking hunter was quite amusing.
But it also showed Ashton something else. It made him think a bit.
'This person was clearly never worth saving... I guess I can right that wrong while I am here... Well, I might take him to his siblings first. But I'll still kill him. There is no escape for him now.'
Ungrateful people weren't individuals that Ashton wanted to ever extend a helping hand towards. He had once graced Zhang Lei and had saved his life. But now that act was answered with hostility.
So, Ashton decided to stop playing around for a bit.
"You know... For all of your cunning, you seem to have missed the point in this situation... Your first mistake..." As his words started leaving his mouth, he appeared right in front of the ravenous beast that was formerly the Captain of the Royal Guards.
"Was you forgetting who I am..." The beast tried to smash down its fists on top of Ashton's head. Ashton looked at them with disregard.
Yet, some surprise was still present in Ashton's deadpan gaze. The beast was certainly fast. But it was also not intelligent enough to use its strength properly.
A thick barrier of Nen and Shakti was protecting its entire body. But, when Ashton looked at it, all he could think was. 'Sloppy...'.
The Nen and Shakti that protected the beast instinctively was nothing more than a silk blanket for someone as skilled as Ashton.
He concentrated his Aura into his gloves and simply sliced in the air twice.
Before the Beast was even able to register what had happened, its hands fell limply on the floor.
Zhang Lei looked at the scene in horror. He couldn't even follow it with his eyes. But it wasn't over yet.
"The second one..." He kicked the beast in the abdomen, it was sent flying like a bullet leaving the barrel.
The beast was nailed into a wall of the cave, the entire cave shook and the walls cracked at the impact of the kick.
"Was considering me a regular human." The beast was quickly regenerating its injuries. That was the ability it had gotten out of the coin it had traded with Zhang Lei's Guardian Nen Beast.
Instantly, some of its Shakti was depleted as his arms grew back, and its internal injuries fixed themselves.
'Of course, it's never this easy...' Ashton thought as he looked at the beast with a squinted eye.
By this point, Zhang Lei was almost pissing himself. He hadn't expected their intruder to ever be able to even endanger his strongest creation.
But there it was, crushed into a wall and regenerating its injuries.
He gulped as he looked closely at Ashton's face. Then, finally, it clicked for him.
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