Divine Path System

A long wound cut from Sarah's right shoulder all the way to her left. The heavy smell of blood filled the air as the red liquid gushed out of her wound with gusto.

The blonde lady's chest heaved up and down, her eyes flashing with terror as she gripped the sword tighter.

The moment she sensed something was off, she raised her weapon to block. But the attack broke the semi-spherical barrier originating from her sword and gave her a shallow injury.

It'd heal in a few seconds but this was a casual attack which was thrown at the last moment.

'I'm already a high rank 8, so this is a peak rank 8…a strong peak rank 8.'

With a stern gaze, Sarah squinted her eyes and looked at the man standing proud in front of the injured Varian.

Seven foot tall and bulging with muscles, he was less of a man and more of a beast.

The blood which splashed from Varian had spilled on his face and glistening bald head.

And the man…licked the blood with an ecstatic expression.

"Ugh, revenge tastes sweet. Literally. Hahahaha."

He laughed at his own joke without any embarrassment before narrowing his eyes with a chilling smile.

Coughing out blood, Varian stood up and pulled the sword out of his chest. But as he did, Robert's body flashed forward.

The space behind him shattered like a mirror and the air between them exploded with the intensity of a nuclear bomb.

Varian focused his senses and channeled all the strength to his legs. With the best movement he could think of, he jumped to the side, intending to avoid the clash.

'I can do it.'

It really seemed like he could dodge it, given their speeds.

But the moment such thought appeared in Varian's mind, a chuckle leaked from Robert's lips.

His speed, already higher than any high rank 8, accelerated even further. Before Varian could make any changes, he closed the distance between them and punched out.

Graaah!

Dust kicked up and explosions of aura swept everyone away.

The clangs of flesh and flesh clashing rang harsher than that of metal collision.

And then, a familiar sound rang loud.

Bab-dub! Bab-dub!

Robert's hand pierced through Varian's chest and appeared from behind. In his hand was a beating heart.

"So easy…" The Prince licked the fresh blood on his face and laughed. "So, fucking easy!"

Boom!

His foot moved at an impossible angle without warning and connected with the sword that reached the back of his neck.

Kacha!

The sword's blade shattered without offering any resistance and his kick struck the blue-eyed queen right on her injured right shoulder.

With the sounds of bones breaking, she was blasted backward, crashing into the ground.

A failed ambush.

But that one attack allowed Varian to jump back and gain distance from this monstrous bastard.

'What the fuck is happening?'

The pain from the gaping hole in his chest was bad enough. But the aura the bastard injected during the attack was trying to eat away his body like a swarm of insects, making him feel as if he was being eaten by thousands of ants.

Even in that situation, Varian's mind was focused on his enemy.

Nothing was making sense.

Prince Robert was a feeble rank 7 he easily crushed not too long ago. How the hell did he become a rank 8? No, not just any rank 8, but a peak rank 8!

'Wait…his body…it's hollow.'

Varian's eyes glowed green and his brows immediately furrowed.

'This bastard has only three or five hundreds at best to live.'

Even though he had no proof, the most plausible explanation was formed in his mind.

"To kill me, you don't mind dying? Are you insane?" Varian aloud, despite wincing for speaking like that with damaged lungs.

"Insane? No, no. I'm the most sane." Robert shook his head with a calm chuckle. "As long as I can put half foot into the divine, I can survive. But you, you have no chance today."

Every person other than the Prince rolled their eyes at his words.

Varian actually had a better chance of surviving here than Robert putting half-foot in the divine ranks.

But the man in the spotlight had no care for their views.

He clenched the beating heart in his hand and brought it to his mouth. Like squeezing a lemon for its juice, the Prince squeezed the heart for blood.

And when the blood overflowing with vitality dropped, he gulped it down with an intense expression.

Upon receiving that vitality, his broken body went back to normal for a moment.

Robert no longer felt a void in his chest. The feeling of being a bright but dying flame, one which would fall at any moment vanished.

But only for a moment.

Like sand slipping away between fingers, the vitality diffused from his body and mixed into the air.

The fatigue and the fragility returned to the Prince.

"Hiding your rank 8 strength in the academy and fighting me. You had a lot of fun crushing me, didn't you?

I never stood a chance but you humiliated me in front of everyone, broke me down and made me a laughing stock."

The grip on the heart grew strong and so did the hatred brimming in the Prince's eyes.

Varian raised his arms, as if trying to show he's willing to talk than fight.

"For your information, I had a worse experience from a school bully. That guy was three ranks above me. And he beat me in front of everyone. On my first day to school. I can totally understand your problems but I didn't sell my lifespan to get some strength."

Prince Robert's shoulders trembled and he threw his head back, laughing like a maniac. "Hahahahah!"

But before a second could pass, he leaned forward and grinned. "You can make the most logical argument but your death, no, your gruesome death is inevitable."

Instead of panic, the Prince saw Varian's lips curling into a smile. "Dumbass, I wasn't asking for mercy. I was just buying time."

An alarm went off in his head but before anything could happen, a powerful explosion occurred right next to his head.

Boom!

Varian's heart exploded, fueled by the powers of order and chaos, as well as Death Giant.

The space around Robert was twisted and the Prince resisted with all his might. But thanks to the situation, he was teleported away, even though not too far.

"Go!"

The team ran for it.