613 Zaahir's Speculation
"Haiz…" Bakram sighed in resignation, knowing his hesitation was draining his Lord's patience. He also understood the whole story had to be told eventually.
Bakram gritted his teeth before continuing, "Everything had been a distraction. Every attack, every move, and every provocation the kid deployed were only meant to distract me from the real attack."
"From the start, that kid had been secretly striking my mobility acupoints. Naturally, such strikes were no different from a mosquito bite and wouldn't hurt me at all. However, even a mosquito bite would start to sting if repeatedly targeted in the same spot hundreds to thousands of times."
"I only took notice of it once the pain started affecting my movements. But by that time, it was already too late. I don't know what kind of move that kid used, but his final move immobilized my entire body in an instant."
"After that, the result is as you see, my Lord. Haha…" Bakram chuckled bitterly and said, "I was too stubborn to admit my defeat in that situation. So that damn kid pounced on top of me and beat the living shit out of my face until I did…"
The corners of Duke Zaahir's lips twitched once he finished listening to Bakram's story.
No matter how strong Bakram was, he was still a Rank 4 Body Refiner like that child. Thus, attacks within the same power rank still did some damage, even if there was a significant gap between them.
That said, Duke Zaahir couldn't imagine how many blows Bakram took to the face for it to be swollen to such a state.
'It must have been at least several thousand punches, right? How stubborn…' Duke Zaahir thought.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtNevertheless, after his initial bewilderment and astonishment, Duke Zaahir was only left with sheer shock. He felt a sense of loss for not being able to witness such a fight himself. But at the same time, Vanderlin's overwhelming talent only made him desire the person even more.
"Based on your experience fighting that child, do you think he was hiding any other strengths, Bakram?" Duke Zaahir asked with expectations.
"I would like to say no, but I cannot be sure since that kid did defeat me, my Lord," Bakram replied dispiritedly before adding, "However, this Darkan young man's build is quite thin compared to pure Body Refiners."
"Furthermore, although he isn't the most handsome among the male witch descendants I've seen, he is still better looking than ordinary men. Thus, the chances of him being a witch's descendant is quite high," Bakram mentioned with some suspicion.
After all, being a male witch descendant implied having a body that could cultivate aura.
If Vanderlin was a dual cultivator of both body and aura, Bakram couldn't imagine just how high his strength had reached.
Moreover, how could there be such a heaven-defying genius in the world?
"So there's a possibility of him also possessing aura, huh? I want this child more or more…" Duke Zaahir muttered before his eyes suddenly flickered with a thought, "What about this child's origins? Do you have any idea if he has a powerful background?"
Bakram frowned for a moment before shaking his head.
"I'm afraid not, my Lord," Bakram replied apologetically before pondering harder with a deeper frown, "However… this kid's skills are rather uncommon."
"I don't think there are many houses that could nurture such a talent yet also possess such peerless throwing skills and a comprehensive understanding of the human body, if there is one. Furthermore, they might also specialize in medicine and assassination."
"Unfortunately, I can't think of any houses that fit all of these criteria," Bakram said.
"Darkan young man… heaven-defying talent… peerless throwing skills… has a comprehensive understanding of the human body… possibly proficient in medicine and trained in assassination…"
Duke Zaahir pondered over the key points with a deep look before a single house came to mind.
"Could it be the Evermore family?" Duke Zaahir guessed, but he couldn't be confident.
Nevertheless, Bakram was even more baffled after hearing the name. Although he knew of a few Evermore families, he was never aware of any of them being that powerful. That said, it was not like he knew every powerful family in Pangea either.
"Which Evermore family, my Lord? How come I haven't heard of any being that powerful?" Bakram asked with surprise.
"This…" Duke Zaahir glanced at his close subordinate before saying, "You don't need to know too much about this. You only need to know even the Armstrong imperial family would treat the real Evermore family as their equal."
"So that's that. If you ever run into a member of the Evermore family, never look down on them and always treat them with equal respect. That might save your life one day," Duke Zaahir advised.
No matter what, Bakram was still one of his best guards. It would be a waste if Bakram accidentally got himself killed for such a stupid reason.
Nevertheless, the Evermore family had always been the most reclusive among the five ancient families. Even the head of the family might not know where the Evermore family had settled since the Blessed Golden Dragon Tribe's dissolution.
'Did the Evermore family finally decide to emerge?' Duke Zaahir wondered.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIn his heart, Duke Zaahir hoped Vanderlin wasn't affiliated with any of the other four ancient families. After all, he still wanted to recruit the person.
While Duke Zaahir had his thoughts, Bakram couldn't help but be dumbfounded by what he heard.
'The imperial family's equal…?' Bakram found it hard to believe.
There weren't many families in Pangea that would dare claim to be the Armstrong imperial family's equal. The Braveheart imperial family of the Holy Knight Empire was one, and the Weissman family of the Freedom Federation was another.
But the Evermore family? What kind of power did it have for his Lord to recognize it as the Armstrong imperial family's equal?
"Oh, right," Duke Zaahir suddenly uttered, breaking Bakram's chain of thoughts. "Where is that child now? He should have entered my city by now, right?"
"That should be so, my Lord," Bakram nodded with a slight frown.
"Great! I will have to trouble you to find him again and invite him to my castle, Bakram. I want to meet this incredible talent myself."
"This… Can you send for someone else, my Lord?" Bakram groaned, feeling a little unwilling.
"Why? Do you object?" Duke Zaahir was slightly taken aback before saying sternly, "You're the only person who has actually seen and exchanged pointers with the child. Naturally, I could only rely on you to deliver my invitation."
"Understood, my Lord," Bakram helplessly agreed since his lord had said so much.
Nevertheless, he couldn't help but smile bitterly and wryly in his heart, 'Getting my ass kicked is still considered an exchange of pointers?'
Sigh…