Kill

"Damn it! You bastard from the Goddess Temple, we have no grudge against you, yet you chase us down like this!"

"We just blocked you from killing a beast, didn't we? We'll compensate you with a Planetary-level Beast material."

"Stop, you bastard!"

The two from the Imperial Council were on the verge of losing their minds. They fled in a frenzy, but there was no escape. Guen pursued relentlessly, showing no intention of letting them go, and it made their hearts tremble.

At this rate, even with the Flame God Armor, they would be shaken to death alive.

Gradually, the two stopped cursing and began to beg, pleading for mercy, but Guen acted as if he hadn't heard, only striking without pause.

"I, I!"

The two from the Imperial Council ground their teeth nearly to dust. In decades, no low-tier Planetary-level had ever pushed them this far. Which Planetary-level these days didn't have a Flame God Armor?

Yet today, they encountered a newly ascended Planetary-level whose attacks even the Flame God Armor couldn't block. Their hearts churned with frustration and fury.

"Cousin, I will avenge you."

Suddenly, one of the Imperial Council members took a deep breath and flew off in another direction.

The one left behind froze for a moment, then was sent flying by Guen's blade. He rose from a cloud of dust, his lungs nearly bursting with rage. He never imagined that at a time like this, he would be abandoned.

Only at Planet First Order, whether in strength or technique, he was no match for Guen. He could already foresee his fate.

With two people, they could still run and defend together. Alone, it was nothing but one-sided slaughter.

"One got away?"

Guen wasn't overly greedy. He fixed his gaze on the man before him, a strange thrill rising within him as he attacked even more fiercely.

Guen had killed before, but this time, driven more by personal motives, targeting a Planetary-level—this was a first.

"Run! If I can just make it to the Armory Camp, unless the High Priest of the Goddess Temple comes in person, no one dares kill me!" The remaining man abandoned all resistance, charging headlong, even giving up flight.

Going all out, running on foot was faster.

A manic expression twisted his face. Since advancing to Super Tier Warrior, he had felt utterly safe, never imagining he would end up like this.

Against a stronger Planetary-level warrior, a humble attitude and the established agreements would keep him safe.

Against an ordinary Planetary-level warrior, the Flame God Armor was enough to protect him.

But Guen's appearance seemed to shatter that tradition.

Every strike was so fast, the force so overwhelming, that even with the Flame God Armor, the immense shockwaves still injured him. He could hardly believe his eyes.

"How is this possible! To harm me through the Flame God Armor, there are hardly any below Planet Fourth Order who can do that! Rumor has it only the Artifact Users of the Crimson Moon Society can manage it, and even then, only with a First-order Telekinetic Weapon—which is far rarer than a First-order Force Weapon!"

The Imperial Council warrior's expression beneath the Flame God Armor twisted in fury.

Even with a First-order Force Weapon, the Flame God Armor could withstand it. Only an Artifact User, capable of launching attacks from multiple directions simultaneously, each one matching a full-powered strike from a warrior of the same rank, could kill a warrior protected by the Flame God Armor—provided they had a First-order Telekinetic Weapon.

But that was far too rare.

Most Planetary-level warriors didn't even have a Force Weapon, let alone the even more precious Telekinetic Weapon of the same rank.

Force Weapons could still be forged by someone like Mercedes, the High Priest of the Goddess Temple. But Telekinetic Weapons? Even Mercedes couldn't manage it, because she was a Fighter, without psychic power in her body, and thus unable to forge weapons that channeled psychic force.

"I won't accept this! I won't accept this!"

The Imperial Council warrior roared in madness.

He had given everything—competing among countless princes and grandsons, scheming against them for cultivation resources, even marrying a woman he didn't love but who came from a more illustrious family to obtain a precious Secret Method...

Sweating day and night, risking his life deep in the Wild Wilderness Forest...

These memories felt like yesterday. He had finally broken through to Planetary-level, and everything had paid off.

Those who had schemed against him paid the price. The princes who once vied for favor, now dukes and princes, trembled at the sight of him and couldn't withstand the ravages of time, growing old and decrepit. Even His Majesty the Emperor had once bowed and scraped for his guidance.

Though he had remained at Planet First Order for decades, knowing his potential was exhausted, he hadn't yet had his fill.

A Planetary-level had a thousand-year lifespan!

"Still distracted?!"

Guen's heart turned cold, his blade strikes growing fiercer.

How could the attacks from a Second-order Force Weapon like the Meteor Light Blade be fully blocked by an A5 Grade Flame God Armor?

Though Guen was only a Fighter, he possessed a Second-order Force Weapon, far rarer than a First-order one. Even the High Priest coveted it but dared not seize it, lest the Trial Grounds strike her down from afar.

"I curse you! I curse you to be killed by a Deep Sea Beast! I curse you to die ten times more miserably than me! I curse you to a wretched death!"

The Imperial Council warrior's resentment soared to the heavens.

His speed had slowed drastically. Even if Guen stopped attacking, his vitality was so damaged that he couldn't make it alive to the nearest Armory Camp. His pent-up fury erupted completely.

"Then die!"

Boom!

Guen sent the Imperial Council warrior flying with a single strike, crashing him into the earth. Amid the swirling dust, the warrior's figure never rose again.

Guen approached the corpse, his expression complex as he picked up the ownerless Flame God Armor. The flesh inside was mangled beyond recognition, yet the armor itself remained intact.

"Just like that, I killed a Planetary-level warrior—a lofty Super Tier Warrior?"

Guen knew the man didn't deserve death, but he killed him anyway.

He fished out a few items that marked the man's identity and tucked them away. As for the mundane gold notes and such, Guen had no interest in them; anything more valuable, no one would carry on their person.

"I should do less of this in the future. Killing people on a whim for contribution points—that's a bit too cruel."

Guen silently reflected. Though he had fought and killed many times along this path of cultivation, it was usually when others attacked him from a position of strength. This pursuit, however, hadn't been so clear-cut. Even earning a hundred contribution points didn't bring him much joy; in fact, it left him uneasy.

Having set this rule for himself, he felt his heart grow lighter, and some blockages within him dissolved.

Was he drowning in guilt?

Not quite. Guen was no saint. Back then, when the Imperial Council soldiers dared to lay hands on him, he had cut them down without hesitation. It was just that this line of thinking felt like a wrong turn—killing and robbing for personal gain. If he kept it up, how was he any different from a demon?

Guen dug a pit, buried the remains, and then flew back the way he came.