Chapter 38: Dabara's anger 1
Liam followed Madam White Myrtle through the winding corridors of the inner spire in silence. The elegant woman moved with graceful authority, her long white hair swaying like liquid silver. They passed floating blades and training chambers where the clash of steel echoed endlessly.
No one dared speak or even look too long at the blind boy walking behind her.
They stopped before a set of massive black doors carved with countless sword scars. White Myrtle pushed them open without a word.
Inside was Dabara's personal battle hall, a vast, circular chamber with walls reinforced by dark steel and ancient ruines. The floor was scarred from countless brutal fights, deep gouges and craters telling stories of violent training sessions.
The air carried the sharp metallic scent of blood and tempered steel, mixed with the faint ozone of clashing auras. High above, floating lanterns cast a dim, reddish glow that made the entire space feel like the inside of a forge.
Dabara stood in the center, already waiting.
He looked menacing. His robes were partially open, revealing a muscular torso covered in old scars that spoke of hundreds of battles. He was calmly tying a thick bandage around his forearms, tightening it with slow, deliberate pulls.
His sharp eyes locked onto Liam the moment he stepped inside, studying him like a predator sizing up new prey.
"Leave us," Dabara said to White Myrtle.
She bowed slightly and disappeared without a sound, the massive doors closing behind her with a heavy, final thud that echoed through the hall.
The chamber suddenly felt much smaller. The atmosphere pressed down like an invisible blade at Liam's throat.
Dabara finished tying the bandage and rolled his shoulders once, the motion casual but full of contained power. His voice was low and dangerous, cutting straight through the silence.
"Why did you slaughter everyone in that village? Women. Children. Elders. You wiped them out without hesitation. Explain yourself, boy."
Liam stood still, Anki sheathed at his side. He didn't respond. His blind eyes faced forward, calm and unreadable, as if the question barely reached him.
The silence stretched, growing heavier with every passing second.
Dabara's expression darkened, a dangerous glint appearing in his eyes. "You dare ignore me?"
In a blur of motion almost too fast to follow, Dabara closed the distance. His knee slammed forward with terrifying speed and power, aiming straight for Liam's head.
Liam jerked his head backward at the last possible moment. The knee still grazed him hard, and blood sprayed from his nose in a bright crimson arc, splattering across the scarred floor.
Liam threw himself backward instantly, performing a clean backflip to create distance. But before his feet could even touch the ground again, Dabara was already there. His hand shot out like a vice, grabbing Liam by the throat and slamming him violently into the floor.
The impact cracked the stone beneath him with a loud boom, sending spiderweb fractures racing outward.
A wild, savage grin spread across Dabara's face as he rained down heavy blows toward Liam's face. Fist after fist crashed down with brutal force, each strike carrying the weight of a Silver-rank expert it was clearly obvious he was holding back.
Yet Liam's face stayed strangely calm, a faint smile lingering on his bloodied lips even as the strikes landed, his body absorbing the punishment without a single cry of pain.
"You're a sadistic bastard," Dabara growled, voice thick with dark excitement.
He grabbed Liam by the collar and dragged him roughly across the rough floor before flinging him hard into the far wall.
The collision was devastating, bones cracked audibly, and several internal organs burst from the sheer force. Pain exploded through Liam's body like white fire, but he forced himself upright almost immediately. His bones began healing with audible cracking sounds, snapping back into place at an unnatural speed while torn flesh knit itself together.
Anki's voice rang urgently in Liam's head. This guy named Dabara is crazy strong. From the very beginning, he has limited his power to Silver rank. He hasn't used even a fraction of his original strength. Be careful, Liam. He's testing you… and he's clearly enjoying every second of it.
Liam wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, the faint smile still present on his face.
Dabara was already coming again, moving like a comet,his body blurred with explosive speed. Liam raised both arms to block the incoming strike. The impact was monstrous, the force traveling through his bones and making them break.
Dabara pried Liam's arms apart with raw, overwhelming power and pounded his glowing fist directly into Liam's face, driving him back several staggering steps.
"Number one," Dabara said, his hand still glowing with dangerous energy, "you are not meant to kill civilians within Devil Blade territory."
"Liam, no matter what, don't take that thing head-on!" Anki warned in a light panic, a nervous laugh slipping through their bond.
Liam moved anyway. He drove his elbow sharply into the joint of Dabara's attacking arm, destabilizing him for a split second.
"Abyssal Touch!"
He activated the technique and drove his head forward with brutal force, slamming it directly into Dabara's forehead. Black echoes of abyssal energy flowed out from the point of contact like dark ripples.
For a brief, horrifying moment, Dabara felt a terrifying disconnection, his soul, mind, and body split apart in three layers . He experienced a short but suffocating sensation of being completely alone in an endless dark space: naked, exposed, and watched by something vast and hungry that made even a peak platinum ranker like him feel insignificant.
Almost immediately, his body, mind, and soul slammed back together with violent force. Dabara leaped backward, eyes wide like a surprised cat.
His breathing was slightly heavier as he stared at Liam with genuine shock and a new kind of wariness.
"What the hell was that?" he muttered, voice laced with disbelief.
From that short sensation, he had felt something deeply wrong, a strange, suffocating feeling of being utterly alone in an endless dark void, observed by an unseen presence that made his skin crawl.
Dabara's wild grin slowly returned, but this time there was a new glint in his eyes, dangerous curiosity.