Back in the east tribe amidst the fight, after Valtar started using his skills and the coin artifact, he killed and killed and killed. He became a literal killing machine. Each time he cut off a tribe member's head, something akin to thick black smoke came out of their bodies and disappeared into the night sky.
With every single kill, his intent was steadily increasing. Without a doubt, the blood of the victims he killed splattered on his face as the shadows and light of the fire gave him a truly menacing look, as if a devil had descended upon the earth.
In the constant slaughter, he managed to kill two-thirds of the tribe members. However, at that moment, he suddenly felt a sense of deep danger from behind as he barely dodged.
It was a blood spear that was thrown at him. After he dodged it, it got stabbed into three members simultaneously, remaining stuck between their stomachs like putting a toothpick in a three-layered burger.
Never mind, that was a terrible analogy. He made another run, and again another blood spear stabbed into the ground where he was standing. Seeing the wrathful visage his enemy was looking at him and so many blood spears being created from the blood of the tribesmen he killed, the spears were floating in the air, all just ready to kill only one person.
At this moment, Zhao had insanity slowly creeping up on him. The more enraged he became, the more the bloodstone in his forehead spread vines across his forehead. He was losing his mind from the big picture—the army of the awakened he prepared for the dark elves' tribe was almost slaughtered already by a single individual.
There were already more than 40 blood spears floating in the air. It seemed Zhao wanted to target Valtar with the spears at once to get him for good. Valtar had only one option open for him now. He used killing intent again on the tribesmen as a distraction tactic to confuse them and make them attack him while he rushed forward towards Zhao through Silent Steps. Zhao had no choice but to fire the blood spears after his opponent came close to a certain point. Valtar evaded them tactfully in a way that the remaining tribesmen were the ones to get spiked by the spears instead of him.
If Zhao was cool-headed at this moment, this naturally wouldn't have happened. He would've ordered the possessed ghosts to act in proper coordination. Of course, the blood spears being stabbed into the tribesmen wouldn't kill them; Valtar had to finish the job with his sword.
Thus, the slaughter continued through the entire dark night, fires flickering on the torches set around the houses. He discovered one crucial thing while doing the blood spears attack: Zhao seemed to be unable to move.
Another tactic, which he had thought of previously in his mind but did not want to use, came to the forefront. He sighed and made a run towards the lit fire torches all around them. He took up one torch, threw it on top of a hut, and it immediately caught fire.
Old man Zhao, seeing he was not in the area of effect where the blood spears could reach him, went after him with his woodcutting axe.
"It's time to finish this murderous devil with my own hands."
Similarly to the first one, Valtar made another fire start with another hut, then another and another and another, all this while the tribesmen were still chasing him. As the fire was spreading in the dark night, as if it was a vengeful spirit made of the dead tribesmen's souls, the fire spread in a circle throughout the entire grounds they were fighting in. That was the composition of the huts.
What should be the middle of the night, filled with eerie darkness, now in the center where everywhere around was fire, felt brighter than even daylight. Zhao, who was chasing him, also came to the middle of the scorching circle, standing directly opposite him.
The scorching fire was so intense that the blood on the ground was starting to bubble as it turned into vapor, effectively admonishing the use of Zhao's blood spear skill. But this move was not without its demerits for Valtar as well—all the shadows and darkness were gone.
[Efficiency of the skill Silent Steps has decreased significantly.]
"So, it's basically useless, not to mention what's the use of it in a one-on-one head-on fight," he mused. Then there was this unbearably intense heat of the fire. Valtar almost felt like being roasted alive. Of course, the real effect of the fire wasn't that significant, as Valtar was a second-stage awakened with stats on the level of a third stage. Unless directly inside the fire, nothing would happen to him, and even if he were inside it, he would not burn so quickly. He would receive deep burns but have more than enough time to run away.
The same went for Old Man Zhao, if not more.
"At least all those low-level mobs are dead," he thought.
He looked at the Old Man. Zhao had been chanting something since earlier with his eyes open, looking straight at him. This time, his eyes were clearer, and his mind seemed calm and composed.
Valtar did not dally anymore as he attacked the Old Man head-on. He wouldn't allow his enemy to finish their preparation.
However, Zhao expected it and calmly blocked the attack with his axe. What surprised Valtar in this case was that this was his full-powered attack, yet Zhao did not move back in the slightest. It literally felt like hitting a wall.
Zhao's chanting also stopped as he said to Valtar in a controlled fury, "MURDEROUS DEVIL."
Valtar laughed in response, "What a cool name. It totally reeks of evil. I absolutely love it."
Zhao said this time in a grim voice, "I may have killed the tribe because of my need to escape. However, devil, you are worse. You have no compassion or goodness in your heart."
Valtar replied in a dry and hollow voice while looking slightly towards the sky, "GOODNESS? COMPASSION? For this world? I never did, and I never shall."
His response created even more tension in the air, as well as signifying the character of Valtar Titanblood and the path of destruction and evil he would follow.
"Then I shall make sure a devil like you dies right here and now," stated Zhao as he started to transform. His entire body turned red like a blood monster as his size grew bigger to 2.5 meters, standing like a giant with buff muscles, his skin almost seeming like it was about to burst. He looked like a grotesque thing bursting with power.
[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]
[The entity in front has crossed the threshold of a stage three awakened.]
[Host is recommended to run away.]
Before he could even think of anything, Zhao's giant form came right in front of him with inhuman speed that Valtar could not comprehend and kicked his entire figure with unbelievable speed and power.
Valtar couldn't comprehend the entire process as his hands almost got shattered while he barely put them in front of his chest in defense. Yet he got flung away 12–15 meters, landing directly inside the fire.
Valtar's entire body went numb from the destructive hit, not to mention as he landed inside such a large fire, his entire body started burning like charcoal. The fire was so potent at that moment that a normal human would be fried to a crisp in 30 seconds at most and turned to ash without a trace.
He stood up. This mere pain and agony could never be enough to stop him. His hand still held onto the sword despite taking such a brutal strike.
By this time, his skin started burning and falling off him as a scene of utter nightmare was being created.
[Host has gained more than 600 karma energy. Conditions have been met. Preset protocol is being initiated.]
[Increasing stat vitality and strength.]
[Vitality and strength stats have both been increased to 60]
A man being burnt alive inside the forest's fire, yet he walked calmly, slowly, in powerful steps as inevitable as the doom of his enemy, who was assured of his demise. Yet they were oh, so very wrong. He walked and walked as every single piece of skin on his body at this point was not just burnt anymore but melted literally. Even his upper and lower eyelids melted into one, shutting his eyes forever. As the man came close to exiting the fire, he let out a sinister and evil laugh, "Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaa hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaa."
The voice of his evil and mad laughter sent a shiver down the spine of his enemy.
Zhao thought, 'No, that can't be? I literally sent the boy flying into the middle of the large fire. It's impossible for even a single flesh of his to remain intact, even if he was a peak third-stage awakened.'