Chapter 10: I Really Can't Kill You, But What About Him?

Thud! A mist of blood burst outward. The sight slammed into everyone's eyes like a hammer. Rosalyn Santee and Luca Santee felt their hearts seize as if they'd taken a brutal blow. Benson Santee had punched straight through Jude Looske's body. Scarlet blood and shattered organs splashed across the ground with a horrifying, almost dazzling vividness. Rosalyn's face drained of color. Jude Looske had been at the first level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, an inner sect disciple of the Tenji Sword Sect, yet Benson had erased him with a single strike. "Pfft…!" Blood poured from Jude's mouth and nose in great choking gushes. His eyes bulged wide, filled with disbelief. Benson stood before him like a terrifying demon god. That overwhelming, tyrannical strength made no sense at all. "Good riddance, Sword Sect genius," Benson said coldly. Jude toppled backward, his ruined body hitting the ground. The light in his eyes faded in an instant. "Y-You… you've got a death wish!" Luca roared, shock and fury twisting his face. "Benson Santee, you actually dared to kill an inner sect disciple of the Tenji Sword Sect? You're finished. You're absolutely finished! Your end will be worse than death itself. The young sect master won't let you off. He won't-" At the same time, Rosalyn snapped her Verdant Sword up and thrust at Benson. Clang! The blade's keen edge flared with a sweep of green radiance. Benson's saber arced in a tight circle, knocking her Spirit Sword aside. Rosalyn's arm went numb. Her emotions had already been in turmoil, and her condition slipped further. In a single exchange, Benson forced her back. "Hmph." Benson let out a cold laugh. "You think you can kill me?" His left hand shot out, five fingers reaching for Rosalyn's shoulder. But in the next heartbeat, a brilliant blue light erupted from her body. A surging wave of frigid air rolled out. Benson's palm force was blasted aside by a spiraling vortex of ice. "Hm?" Benson's eyes narrowed. A gorgeous suit of ice armor shimmered over Rosalyn's body, radiant and exquisitely crafted. Rosalyn smiled with smug satisfaction. "You think you can kill me?" She threw his own words back at him, dripping with contempt. "This is a Superior-grade Spirit Armor the young sect master gave me, the Ice Soul Armor. Even an Energy Controlling Realm expert might not be able to break its defense, let alone you, who hasn't even reached the Foundation Establishment Realm." As she spoke, she leveled her sword at him. "Do you see the gap between you and the young sect master? He's the Sword King of this generation. You're nothing but the family's castoff. Even if he isn't here, you still won't touch a single hair on my head. Hahaha!" Rosalyn's gloating laughter rang out. Benson's gaze turned razor-cold, a killing chill spilling from between his brows. "I really can't kill you… but…" His tone shifted. Benson's eyes snapped toward the edge of the battlefield, locking onto the Santee family's young lord, Luca Santee. "What about him?" The moment Luca met that look, his mind jolted. Rosalyn's expression also changed sharply. She shouted, "Protect my brother!" The Santee family's killers immediately surged toward Luca, forming a human wall. In that same instant, Benson moved. "Wolf Runs a Thousand Miles!" Whoosh! A long, eerie wolf-howl echoed through the night as Benson shot forward like a lone, proud wolf king bearing down on his prey. As he advanced, his demonic saber swept in glittering arcs. Shadows of steel flashed. Everyone who rushed to stop him had their throats sealed by the blade. Hiss! Slash! The demonic saber drank deep, reflecting the black night in blood-red gleam. Amid a string of screams, the men blocking Benson were cut down, their throats opened as blood sprayed across the ground. In a blink, Luca stood exposed, directly in front of Benson's blade. "Don't you dare!" Rosalyn cried out, panic breaking through her composure. She had never imagined Benson could reach Luca. In that moment, she was completely rattled. Benson sprang into the air. "Why wouldn't I?" Clang! The demonic saber lifted high. Benson stepped in and struck, his icy stare fixed on Luca's trembling body. Fear swallowed Luca whole. All his earlier arrogance vanished without a trace. "Sis, save-" He never finished the word. Benson's saber fell without mercy. Boom! Saber energy cleaved through. The demonic blade flashed with cruel beauty, and Luca Santee was split in two on the spot. Stunned silence. Rage. And a trembling terror that spread through every witness. Rosalyn's eyes went wide, her face paper-white. "Little brother…" "Y-Young lord…" The Santee family's men went cold to the bone, eyes bloodshot, hearts cracking with dread. "Quick, go tell the family head!" "Benson Santee killed the young lord!" "Hurry, tell the family head!" "…" No one dared stay. The Santee family fled in a rush, dragging along Rosalyn, who was shaking with fury and grief. Benson looked over the wrecked battlefield, his eyes turning even colder. He had killed Jude Looske and Luca Santee. That meant he was truly at war with the Tenji Sword Sect and the Santee family, until death. But he felt no regret. Everything had led to this because the Sword Sect and the Santee family had driven him here. "When I master the Apex Body and seize the strongest power under heaven, I will step onto the Tenji Sword Sect!" Benson's gaze hardened as he swore it silently. … The Santee family. Inside the main hall. Calvin Santee's arms trembled with rage, his face so tight it looked ready to crack. Rosalyn sat on a chair to the side, hollow-eyed. Tears clung to her lashes. Her teeth were clenched so hard her jaw ached, hatred carved into every line of her face. "Family Head, all the gates of Moon City have been sealed. We've dispatched every expert in the clan to hunt down the murderer!" an elder reported as he entered. His eyes gleamed with vicious intent. Calvin turned, fire nearly spilling from his gaze. "No matter where that little bastard hides, drag him out. I want to tear him… limb from limb!" His fingers curled into a fist, knuckles cracking. "Yes!" The elder spun and hurried out. Calvin forced his fury down, but the hatred in his chest only thickened. If he had known it would come to this, he would have ended that Santee family castoff with his own hands. Two days earlier, after Benson had stormed the Santee family estate, Rosalyn had sent a letter to the Tenji Sword Sect that very night. The Tenji Sword Sect had responded immediately, returning official papers expelling Benson from the sect, and sending inner sect disciple Jude Looske to "clean house." With Jude's Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation and the Santee family's many experts, Calvin had assumed it was foolproof. That was why he hadn't gone personally. "It's my fault," Rosalyn hissed through clenched teeth. "If I hadn't taken my brother with me, he wouldn't have been killed by Benson…" There was little true guilt in her eyes, only venomous hatred. Calvin looked back at her. "Your brother's death isn't on you. He insisted on going. If you want to blame anyone, blame that Benson Santee for being too cunning…" When he learned the Tenji Sword Sect had sent someone to execute Benson, Luca had insisted on coming. He wanted to watch Benson die with his own eyes. Instead, Benson lived, and Luca lost his life. "Father, don't worry," Rosalyn said, voice shaking with hate. "I'll grind him to dust and scatter his bones. I'll ease the hatred in your heart!" Calvin's eyes narrowed slightly. Some of the cruelty in his expression settled into something colder and more calculating. "How is your eldest brother?" The "eldest brother" he meant was Evan Santee, Calvin's firstborn, the true young lord in every sense. Luca had been the third son, more of a minor young master. "Father, rest assured. Big Brother is doing well in the Tenji Sword Sect. He's already been promoted to a first-rank inner sect disciple, and he's mastered the Jade Sword Body. The sect values him highly…" Calvin nodded, a trace of relief crossing his face. "Your brother was among the first of our clan's children to enter the Sword Sect. Seeing him reach this point puts my mind at ease." "Should we notify Big Brother and have him come back?" Rosalyn asked. Calvin shook his head. "No need. With the whole city sealed, that little bastard won't survive until tomorrow morning. Let your brother focus on cultivation. In the future, he'll revive the clan and seize Moon City for us as soon as possible!"