"Haha! You don't think your attack will fail do you?!" one of the elders laughed at their opponent. Despite being outnumbered two to one, he was not in a state of disadvantage. While the barrier had been broken, the formation remained, allowing them to hold their own.
"Tch!" his opponent clicked his tongue, annoyance on his face as he glanced at the battlefield. Their forces had been slaughtered through the entire fight, their subordinates getting killed by the brat and the guards.
'Yes, the brat,' the elder thought to himself. To think someone at the 5th Stage Genesis Foundation could lead to their force's destruction. It was he who changed the tide of the battle, turning their victory into a defeat.
Oh, how he wished to descend to the battlefield and end the brat, but he was being held by his opponent. Turning his back would lead to a certain demise. However, they still have a card to play.
"If you think that boy can change the tide, you better think again," he laughed maniacally, before taking out a communication token. Seeing this, the elder felt something was wrong, but before he could stop him, a powerful aura erupted on the battlefield below.
A glance confirmed his fear.
"A Genesis Core expert!"
-x-
The sudden appearance of the Genesis Core expert threw him off his guard. Especially so when the man attacked him first. Only because the man used only a little of his power that he was able to avoid the attack. The guard next to him wasn't so lucky, though.
He looked at the new arrival, confirming his worry. The opponent at the 9th Stage, his strength had not reached the peak of his realm yet, but very close. He gritted his teeth, a certain victory had turned uncertain due to the man.
"You not a part of the four families, right?" he asked. After all, if he was a part of them, he would have made his move earlier, rather than waiting until things turned downhill for them.
"Yep, I'm just a mercenary they hired to help them. Not that they expected to do that, after all, the fight should have been in their favor. But you changed it. You made them suffer such a great loss they had to resort to me, despite not wanting to. After all, I'm not cheap," the man told him.
"If I get the Hal Family to pay how much they pay, even double the amount, in exchange for you not intervening, would you agree?" he asked, the guards' eyes around him widening before sighing in relief.
Taking the most dangerous combatant out would be the best thing for them, so his proposal is something all of them agreed on.
"Sorry boy, but I have my own pride. As long as I accept the job I would do it, as long as the job didn't cost me my life. So, I have to reject the deal," his words made the guards to be in despair. The fact a 9th Stage Genesis Core expert was there would only mean their forces would be annihilated, as there is no way for them to contest his strength with what they have.
"Get away now," Ryker told them. When the guards looked at him, complete shock plastered on their faces, his face turned sterner as he yelled, "GET AWAY, NOW!!" the guards soon scattered, leaving him alone with the mercenary.
"So, you giving your life to your allies. Touching but it wouldn't change a thing," the man said, looking at him with slight disdain.
"Hah, I asked them to run because I don't want them to be caught up in our fight," he told the man, the man's eyes narrowed upon hearing it.
"Oh, you think you can fight me?" his aura grew stronger, putting some pressure on him.
Ryker let it, the small fire, death cloud, and small sword emitting intense light as his aura changed, his mastery of 3 different Paths allowing him to stand a meager chance against the enemies.
The change in aura made the man look at him in interest, the aura even enough to make him slightly hesitate, "Interesting," the man exclaimed, "But will it be a bluff?" he asked.
In response, Ryker slashes at the man, the man creating a powerful barrier. To his and the spectators shocked, the barrier was destroyed, a single sword qi making a cut on the man's cheek.
Seeing his opponent's wide eyes, Ryker put up a confident smile,
"Let's start our fight, shall we?"
-x-
The elder of the Hal Family had never had a day more hectic, stressful, and full of surprises than today.
First, their home was attacked by the four traitor families. While they could handle the invaders due to home-field advantage, their elite guards would likely suffer huge casualties due to the number of their opponents and their being unable to use the formation power to support them.
Second, the young man that the young master befriended had been a great surprise. His strength was terrifying, to put it slightly. He was able to fight someone at a higher cultivation realm than him, even slaughtering peak Genesis Foundation experts with near ease.
He didn't know where his young master found him but the young master is undoubtedly the luckiest person in the world to befriend such terrifying talent.
Third, the appearance of the Genesis Core expert had sent him to despair. The presence of such an expert would likely lead to the destruction of their force. With the remaining Genesis Core experts being occupied, the likely result would be the death of their entire elite guards.
Lastly, the fact someone at the Genesis Foundation expert was able to injure a Genesis Core expert. Sure, there are some precedents but most of it was someone at the peak of Genesis Foundation injuring someone at the 1st Stage of Genesis Core, and even then it would take everything they have to achieve that much.
However, someone at the 5th Stage Genesis Foundation was able to injure someone at the 9th Stage Genesis Core. The sheer difference should allow the latter to curb stomp and not even suffer a single injury but that connotation had been broken by the young man.
He didn't know what the young man wanted to do, but if he somehow survived, because the expert likely wanted to settle the score, he would make sure the young man would be given the rewards he deserved. After all, the Hal Family is not the type to forget and ignore a favor, even if the person didn't know he was doing them one.
-x-
Ryker looked at the man. He knew he could only hold this state for so long. But he also knew he could not finish the man at all, his rise in strength was still limited. The only thing he could do was hold him as long as possible, waiting for reinforcement to come.