- Old man, why shouldn't you live long enough? - Catching on to the master's strange words, Kai asked anxiously.
- My boy, I am already old.... As unfortunate as it is, I am unlikely to advance to the next stage. I think I have about a dozen years left. - Mo said calmly, -I've lived a rather amazing life, and at its sunset, I found such a great disciple! I have no regrets! Hehehe. - The old man laughed loudly and merrily.
After a bit of silence, Kai looked seriously into the old man's eyes and said:
- Master... Although I'm too weak for such words now, but you just wait. In ten years... No, even sooner! I'll be strong enough to find a way to prolong your life. Don't you dare say that again - you're the only family I have! - Kai shouted confidently, but quickly realized that he had said too much....
Kai felt a little embarrassed, and quickly decided to turn it into a joke:
- Don't expect to die peacefully. Until you see me go around you, you won't be able to leave! Hehehe. - Pronounced Kai and laughed.
Looking seriously at Kai, the old man took a deep breath and shook his head. But it was more to avoid showing that he was touched.....
- Alright lad, I'll look forward to that moment. First, finish your Warrior tempering, and then I'll teach you my movement technique, the Shadow Mark Dance!
- What's next? - Kai asked impatiently.
- Next... Next, you have to go to the outside world. You can't become the strongest if you sit like a hothouse sprout - cultivating in safety. You have to see life and understand many things. There are many people who are stronger than you. Only by transcending them will you be able to grow! - Mo said gravely, ''I will wait quietly in these mountains for you to fulfill your promise. I have no intention of returning to the light. There's only vanity and boring old men like me left there. - With a melancholy smile, the old man added and sighed.
- I understand you, Master! - Kai replied and stood up and ran quickly towards the lake.
Time flew by, but after several days, Kai was still unable to form the last king. No matter how hard he tried, it was as if something was missing.....
The fifth king was the King of Terror, which should steel his brains and nerves. In fact, he should be the final torture that would completely harden his body...
While Kai was speculating about the reasons, his gaze suddenly fell on a waterfall flowing into the lake. He thought that since he couldn't form the last king, he would take care of the enhanced hardening of his flesh.
"Why didn't I use the waterfall before? The strength of the strike should do quite well in hardening the body and raising body balance. Being able to stand properly and keep your posture under all circumstances is also very important!" - Thinking about this, Kai began to move towards the falling stream.
As he approached it, he slowly climbed up onto the rock that had been edging the waterfall for years. And at that very second...
- Doom! - Masses of icy water hit his shoulders, instantly dropping him to his knees!
"If I had tried to climb up here six months ago, before my body hardened, I would have just been broken!" - Kai thought with horror.
He tried to sit in lotus pose and balance his posture and spine position. Tons of water slapped against his shoulders and head, and he continued to sit. Kai felt that under the constant pounding - his body and bones were hardening even tighter!
And after a few minutes, something strange began to happen..... Under the constant pressure on Kai's body and mind, the fifth king - the King of Terror - began to form!
Under the waterfall, one had to constantly keep one's mind peaked to control the balance of the body, as well as trying to breathe properly. This was most likely what triggered the manifestation of the new torture!
When Kai looked at the shadow forming, he saw that it was as if the Terror King had no body, only a single silhouette. Slowly flying towards Kai, he placed his hand on his head and Kai's consciousness shuddered....
- Du-Dum! - A strange ripple went through Kai's mind and the whole world around him began to fade....
In a moment he was back in the orphanage... Kai saw his brothers and sisters alive, and the Mother Superior came over to scold him once again. Yesterday he had run away from the orphanage as usual. Kai didn't understand what the hell was going on here....
But then he heard a whistle!
- Ssshhh! - With a sharp sound, an arrow flew into Mother Superior Frieda's head, coming out through her forehead! A drop of blood slowly rolled down from the point, slowly falling onto his face....
- Aaaah! - He immediately screamed with rage and pulled out a dagger!
"Wait... A dagger? Where did I get a dagger?!" - Cai mentally uttered in bewilderment.
But without letting him think, suddenly warriors came at him from all sides. Some with sabers, some with swords, and some wielding spears. Kai immediately sharpened his senses and black smoke started to come out of his eyes!
- Shoo! - There was a whistling sound!
Kai instantly saw the point of the spear flying at his head and the sword strike from below on his left! Reacting immediately, he kicked at the swordsman's wrists, knocking the weapon out of his hand, and used his dagger to block and redirect the spear strike.
- Bang! - The spear strike instantly blew the swordsman's head off, and Kai lightning fast drove the dagger under the spearman's ribs, abruptly ripping them out along with his pierced heart.
All his senses were on the limit! It was as if he was looking through all the armor and strikes of the warriors and seeing all their weak points. He tore into the crowd!
- You are finished! - He shouted in rage.
Each of his blows killed instantly, and all attacks that flew at him were immediately blocked! Kai bent his body to minimize the damage or avoid the attack altogether. The blood flowing from each new wound was quickly stopped by the energy! Kai purposely tried to find a moment to heal himself!
This massacre continued throughout the evening, and only when the sun began to rise did Kai realize that he was standing on a mountain of corpses.... His whole body was covered in blood, and there was almost nothing left of his clothes!
Breathing heavily, he began to realize that everything that was happening was unreal..... Where is the old man? Why was Frida alive? Who are all these warriors? What's even going on?
- Whew... - A cool breeze blew and the entire environment changed in an instant! He was sitting in the shelter again, except now it was evening and everyone was alive.....
Kai looked at the piece of stale bread and the strangely colored chowder...
"What the... What am I doing?" - Kai thought in confusion.
- Run! Bam! - The door kicked open and strange creatures that didn't look human flew into the shelter. Kai clutched his dagger and rushed into the thick of the fight again!
While all this was going on, an old man stood near the lake....
Master Mo watched with undisguised amazement as Kai sat under the flow of the waterfall for a month. At the same time, he hadn't moved at all and hadn't even eaten all this time!
All of Cai's clothes had long since been ripped off and he looked miserable... But there was so much energy circulating within him that the old man wasn't worried! Even if something strange was happening, at least it wasn't fatal.....
It was as if Kai was in a trance, and energy was endlessly flowing into the farthest corners of his body. The old man could even see the energy flowing into the inside of his spine and spilling out in incredibly thin threads throughout his body. He had never seen such a thing before, so he just continued to watch....
Being in a trance Kai didn't feel the passage of time... He was relentlessly participating in the carnage and each new cycle was more terrifying than the last!
Now he was in a land where there were innumerable mountains made of corpses. Bones of various sizes lay beneath his feet, and blood poured all over his body. He had just finished a battle with the strange one-eyed demons. Although those were no bigger than a monkey, but their strength was amazing!
Kai had finally destroyed the last of them.... Kai's face expressed absolute serenity, and in one of his hands hung the severed head of a demon.
Kai had long ago realized that it was an illusion - but he still continued to engage in endless battles! It seemed that there was no way out of this strange world. But the worst part was that the pain felt absolutely real! He didn't know how long he had been fighting and how many times he had been on the verge of death...
Kai had killed an immeasurable number of people and a variety of creatures. Occasionally he would trade deadly blows, but when he thought he was going to die - a new cycle would begin!
There were only two scenarios - either he killed all of his enemies, or they almost killed him! In each scenario, the world would change and he would find himself fully healthy, and the slaughter would start all over again. A master without enough resilience and will, would have long ago gone insane from the pain and repetitive horror. It seemed as if it would never end, but Kai persisted!
As a Killing Demon, he was endlessly taking lives and honing his skills. This was what he lacked the most - combat experience on the brink of life and death!
During this time, he fought endless hordes of different creatures. He was surprised by the variety of opponents, as this was definitely not his fantasy. About most of these creatures, he had never heard of even in the legends. He simply couldn't have thought of such a thing.... It seemed to be the influence of the Terror King and the Invisible King Torture Technique.
At this moment, the bloody field changed to a completely white space, and an incredible amount of energy began to enter Kai's body!
First into the heart - spreading to the soft tissues and organs. Then it began to penetrate the bones, continuing on to the eyes and senses. And finally - into the brain itself!
But surprisingly, it didn't end there....
Kai felt small threads spreading from his head and spine - penetrating to every corner of his body! It was through these that the energy traveled last!
He immediately felt as if his thoughts had become much clearer and his intellect and reflexes had risen to a new level. The memories and knowledge of all his incessant battles seemed to be absorbed into his memory! Every movement he used in battle - became so natural to him, as if he had been using them since birth!
Suddenly opening his eyes, Kai jumped up, flying ashore through the terrifying torrent of water! Just at that moment, Old Man Mo came to check on him again.
- Oh my God! Boy, what's been happening to you?! You've been sitting there like a fucking statue for four months just absorbing energy! If I hadn't forcefully pushed away the water and forced food into your stomach, you would have died of exhaustion! - Shockingly shouted Mo!
When the old man looked into Kai's eyes, a strange feeling manifested in his eyes.....
"How can a child have eyes like that? These are the eyes of someone who has seen death and taken lives countless times!" - Analyzing Kai's aura, Mo thought.
- Master! Thank you, Master Mo! I want to spar, may I?! - Kai shouted out in a broken manner.
- Sparring? - stupidly replied the old man a little lost for an answer, but after a second he smiled and replied, -Come on, attack!
Moe realized that in his strange state, Kai had multiplied his power and now he wanted to test it. And for that you need a strong opponent!
Kai flew towards the old man in a second and struck straight at his neck. He quickly attacked countless times, and black smoke poured out of his eyes! He could see all of the old man's weak points perfectly!
But as soon as Kai's attacks were to reach their target - Mo blocked them effortlessly. The difference in strength was obvious....
The fight was getting more and more fierce... But here!
- Doom! - There was a thud and a palm flew into Kai's chest! He instantly flew a few meters away, crashing into a tree!
Lying on the ground, Kai smiled widely and said with a laugh:
- Master, thank you for sparring! I still have a lot of learning to do! Hehehe!