Divine Emperor of Death

"…!"

Schleya looked at Yotan and the purple-robed soul cultivators teeming around the Blood Pledge Villa with wide and sweeping eyes. She was just about to use the escape arts she prepared beforehand to escape the crimson dust, but before she could perform the escape technique, a bright illumination encased her. 

However, she could feel that it didn't harm her but instead extinguished the crimson dust around her, causing her to stop preparing her escape technique.

Even though she didn't know them personally, the moment she saw them and heard Yotan's speech, she recognized them. She had little idea about the Reaper Soul Legion because she didn't pay attention, only having heard about it a little from Mingzhi. However, to think that they were this powerful. 

It made her heart tremble.

Accurately, it was the First Division and its Legion Captain, Praezen, who was here along with Legion Commander Yotan, and if the Legion Commander personally moved, it would be from the absolute orders of the Legion Master.

'D-Davis… is behind this…?'

Schleya couldn't help but feel complex, subconsciously searching for his silhouette amidst the purple-robed soul cultivators, but she couldn't find him, causing her to bite her lips for a brief moment, although her expression remained as stern as ever.

"Schleya, what is the meaning of this? You brought other people to kill me!?"

The Villa Master's expression turned unsightly as he saw himself become surrounded. He arrived at the same conclusion as Schleya but different than her, the only thing he felt in his heart was trepidation, his body becoming heavy while finding it difficult to breathe as though he was hit with asphyxiation.

Where had these people suddenly come from!?

Little did he know that it was true that they weren't here in the city until he engulfed himself in the crimson dust and hid within it, the next second descending from the bloody skies and setting up a massive spirit formation to destroy the remnant blood rust energy of the Blood Dust Emperor and they accomplished that within a single minute, causing him to reel in apprehension.

Even using the Legacy Artifact of the Blood Pledge Villa wouldn't allow him to destroy what was left behind by the Blood Dust Emperor, so how could this legion accomplish it!?

"Don't twist the narrative, old fart. You're the one who used external power first, so it's fine if they are truly here to help me regardless of their reasons."

Schleya raised her brows, speaking in a mocking tone as though returning the humiliation received.

"Now, let us have a fair battle to the death or submission like we promised each other back then with hate and amusement."

The Villa Master looked suspicious despite what Schleya said, his eyes roaming around with scrutiny while fear was visible within those two reflections to his soul. However, he didn't seem to spot what he was searching for and returned his gaze to Schleya, his mouth moving.

"So be it..."

A dreadful energy began to radiate from the Blood Pledge Villa's Villa Master, causing the world to rumble. The spatial cracks that appeared because of clearing the blood dust energy paused as this hideous energy reverberated, seemingly keeping them from stitching back together.

At the same time, he took out a sanguine-colored ax and brandished it, creating a bloody wave that split apart space before a rampant smile spread on his face.

"Here I come, Schleya."

*Whoosh!~*

A ray of sanguine light shot through space like a streak of light. It headed towards Schleya and arrived above her in an instant, the Villa Master's figure becoming visible as he struck down the ax at the same time Schleya waved her twin blades.

*Bang!~*

The surrounding space collapsed, but there were a few open pathways to where they retreated, looking at each other in astonishment as Schleya found out that the Villa Master was as powerful as her with the Legacy Artifact, while the latter was startled to sense that Schleya could handle him at his peak. Instantly, rage erupted on his face as he screamed.

"Blood-curdling Skull Shadows!"

"Aaaaa~"

A few bloody skeletal heads abruptly appeared before the Villa Master as they shot toward Schleya.

Schleya was instantly on guard as she recognized this technique, rapidly retreating in the face of it as she was aware that it stuck to one's back as though they were shadows, rapidly draining the vitality they attached themselves to, and since they were like shadows, they were difficult to get rid of as well once attached.

She knew this had to do with the karmic aspect of the blood.

And since she knew of it, she kept her distance and slashed out at those bloody skulls, splitting them in half every time one neared her. There were two more left, but before she could cut them down, an overwhelming pressure appeared behind her, causing Schleya to skillfully turn around her body as though she was dancing and slash at an empty space, but her curved blades came into contact with a sanguine ax as crimson sparks flew from their clash.

*Bang!~*

With an extreme force acting upon their clash, the both of them separated as they were sent flying like kites that had their strings cut.

Their flesh split at some locations, clearly having some blood blades created from their clash wounding them. However, both of them simultaneously displayed extreme regeneration skills, their skin twitching before rapidly healing.

"It's over, bastard."

However, Schleya suddenly raised her hand, seemingly possessing a drop of blood on her palm as she let Crescentblood hover in the air. 

The Villa Master narrowed his brows and realized that it was his blood. However, he couldn't help but smile.

"With that kind of abysmal quantity, you would have a tough time making wicked pledges on me, Schleya. I could easily break whatever you throw at me, not to mention that I'm perfectly aware of the techniques I taught you at a very young age."

"Killing you with the technique you taught me is what makes this sweet endeavor all the more worthwhile."

Schleya blandly replied before silently chanting, "Blood Pledge: Reaper's Lock."

Blood energy abruptly reverberated in the surroundings, appearing around the Villa Master, who smiled faintly when blood-red chains instantaneously wrapped around him, trying to seal his cultivation. However, his lips moved in an eerie way.

"Blood Pledge: Reaper's Lock."

The moment his voice resounded, Schleya's eyes became wide as she suddenly sensed blood energy reverberating around her before wrapping her up with those same bloody chains that she cast on him.

"What…? When…?"

Schleya appeared surprised as she made sure to collect her own blood from falling into his hands, even going as far as to take an extra step. So how did he gain her blood to cast the Reaper's Lock Technique on her?

Simultaneously, she saw the Villa Master breaking the chains with a swing of his sanguine ax. The bloody chains binding him shattered, causing him to become free. The next second, his smile that was rampant turned unsightly.

"My little doll. You coughed up a lot of blood after beheading your twin sister. Did you forget?"

Schleya lowered her head slightly, a terrifying killing intent erupting out of her hidden gaze. However, the Villa Master didn't seem scared at all, even appearing confident that he successfully sealed her cultivation.

'At best, she could struggle...' He amusingly thought.

Meanwhile, a hidden figure shook his head, seemingly exasperated over all this provocation.

'What a cautious individual. Even while having a prowess equaling Schleya, he still used the sect's trump card to deal with her. However, I guess that he wanted to quickly capture her so that I would be tied from freely moving to rescue her...'

Davis shook his head, not knowing where these people got the guts to test his bottom line, but since Schleya's case was different, stemming from the past, he felt that the Villa Master took the unlucky stick, having to deal with him in order to get past Schleya. To Davis, it became obvious that the Villa Master was dealing with Schleya this way because he wanted to stop the minute chance of aggression from him in case Schleya turned out to be his woman.

However, even he was having his patience tested with those constant provocations that pierced into Schleya's heart like rending knives.

'Should I make a move?'

He couldn't help but think. However, if he did that, he was sure that Schleya would dislike it since she said that the Villa Master was her prey, not wanting to be interfered with during their battle.

But still, he valued her life over her revenge.

Just when he was about to make a move, he suddenly saw Schleya's body tremble as she effortlessly broke the bloody chains.

"What!?"

Echoed the dumbfounded Villa Master, his voice resounding throughout the Blood Pledge Villa's city.