BANG!!!
A young boy being slammed into a wall in a small alleyway wasn't particularly surprising in this mining city, but it was strange that the person who slammed him was an adult. It was even stranger that the boy was blind. But the fact that these people were Mais and Baro normalized everything.
At that moment, Baro held a knife to Mais's throat. His face was drawn. He was disgusted by what he was doing, but he had made a mistake, and in the world of cultivation, it was normal to use someone else's mistake to cover up your own.
"You shouldn't blame me. Pima was much stronger than I expected. I am still inferior. I need to hurry. I need to ascend before it's too late... What else can I do but steal your ring?"
Baro appeared extremely tense. Although he tried to hide it, his true feelings bled into his speech. He couldn't maintain his usual calm, collected demeanor. He had been easily defeated by Pima. Baro had thought he could handle Yukimura as well, but now, after being humiliated by Pima, an old fear had been rekindled.
Mais struggled to breathe. Thankfully, Baro was still hesitating. At that moment, Mais knew he had no chance of escaping those hands. It was as if a mountain was crushing him against the wall of the house—an immense, limitless weight. He had never imagined that things would reach this point so quickly.
In fact, from the moment he left the scene of the fight, he had been wondering whether to leave the city. He had hesitated. After all, he didn't want to go. He couldn't deny that he liked the people here. Kasuur wouldn't want to leave either. He couldn't take his maids with him, and although he didn't want to admit it, he enjoyed the awkward moments he shared with Valeria. He had no wish to leave her, and on top of that, when Baro told him he was different—when he told him he wouldn't hurt a child—Mais had truly, truly believed him.
He laughed to himself. What foolishness! He'd been fooled again.
Baro knew exactly what he was laughing at. He bowed his head, feeling the shame deep within him. But although he felt ashamed, it wasn't enough to stop him—not at this point, at least. While Baro's eyes remained serious, they were filled with much more emotion: fear, hesitation, and madness. The right side of his face was still scarred from the wound he had received from Pima today, making him look terrifying.
"I don't expect you to forgive me."
Baro grabbed Mais's hand. The ring was still there on his finger. All he had to do was reach out and take it, pouncing on all the energy crystals he could find. Maybe it wouldn't be enough. Maybe it would. Perhaps this treasure would help him and Maria escape to another kingdom on the Blue Continent.
Baro was confused, but Mais wasn't. He was operating at full efficiency, thinking of a way to stop Baro. If Baro saw the treasure palace inside the ring, it would all be over. Despite everything, there was still a high chance that Baro would spare Mais; he would probably do something to stop him, perhaps tear off an arm or rip out his cores to slow down his cultivation. But if he saw what was inside the ring...
"Just know that I'm sorry."
Baro tried to touch the ring, but at that moment, a powerful wave of origin energy shot out from within, stopping him. It didn't harm him, but it created a barrier preventing him from seizing the ring.
Baro was surprised. In fact, even Mais wasn't aware of it, but the ring's self-protective ability wasn't all that surprising. It was a Lineage Technique. Only a specific lineage could use the object that employed the technique.
'I need to kill him.'
At this point, Baro wasn't in a good state of mind. He hadn't questioned why such a young child possessed a ring enchanted by a Lineage Technique. He hadn't questioned Mais's lineage. He only knew he had to kill him. This took away Baro's choice and made him even more tense. Mais knew this, too.
"Maria—"
"Shut up."
Only one word escaped Baro's lips. With that, Baro's aura enveloped Mais with tremendous speed. As Mais felt the immense force pressing down on his body, blood rushed to his throat and gushed from his lips, staining his chin. Mais winced in pain.
Baro recoiled, but Mais didn't break free. Without hesitation, Baro bent down, grasped the earth with his fingers, and lifted it into the air. Weakened by Baro's aura, Mais didn't even have time to react. The earth stretched out from his feet, covering everything except his right hand and eyes. It wasn't just ordinary earth; the soil that Baro controlled through the Stepping stage of the Earth Tao was enough to engulf Mais instantly.
The earth alone might not have been enough to stop Mais, but Baro's aura was there, too, pressing down on him like a tidal wave. Meanwhile, Baro was struggling with his own doubts.
'Just a child! Only ten years old.'
Baro's tense gaze fell on Mais again, meeting his gray eyes. His face contorted even more.
'And blind.'
He knew perfectly well how cruelly he was acting. He waved his hand in the air, and the earth around Mais's ears shattered. He realized that the previous incident had left the child completely deaf and blind for the moment. Then, he noticed that Mais's groans were filled with pain. It was only then that he realized the danger. He reached out and snatched the earth from Mais's mouth, shattering it. Instantly, blood-filled vomit poured from Mais's lips.
Baro's fluctuating aura was damaging Mais's internal organs. With his mouth covered, Mais had begun to drown in his own blood. At this point, Mais was consumed by pain and anger. He had never felt so humiliated, but he was also terrified. He knew he could die here. Baro was just preparing himself to finish it.
He had to do something. He had to say something.
"If I die... ha ha... Maria will die with me!"
'Is it... Kasuur?' The City Lord looked at Mais, whose face was deathly pale as he was pressed against the wall. He was aware of the close relationship between Kasuur and Mais—two genius children from the forest. At that moment, fragments of madness merged, and an air of coldness appeared around Baro. Mais could feel it. Baro reached out his hand, and the chunks of earth pinning him to the wall began to pile up toward his throat.
'I'll kill Kasuur later,' Baro thought, trying to crush his throat.
"What do you want to say?" Nevertheless, he decided to ask.
Mais narrowed his eyes, trying to hide his fear. He spat out more blood.
"You didn't really think those sessions with Maria were just to help her, did you? It's not a lie—I helped her improve her cultivation. Otherwise, she wouldn't have reached the pinnacle of the Core Realm in such a short time. But do you think that's all there is to it? As a True Alchemist, adding something extra to the ointments and medicines I use... is that so difficult?"
At that moment, Baro withdrew his hand. Although the pile of earth was still resting on Mais's throat, it hadn't yet become heavy enough to crush it. This meant Baro was listening. The idea that this child was a True Alchemist must have seemed utterly ridiculous, yet Baro didn't laugh.
"You're bluffing! You're just trying to save your life," he said, narrowing his eyes. With half his face burned and an attitude he wouldn't normally show, the words were terrifying.
"Try me. Kill me, if you value your daughter's life as little as mine."
Mais was gambling. Baro couldn't quickly find another True Alchemist to confirm the existence of the poison. Even if the poison existed, Baro wouldn't be able to save his daughter alone. Even Meng Duo wasn't a True Alchemist, and even if he were, it was doubtful he would help. Baro couldn't take the risk.
Baro looked hesitant. He had faced life-or-death situations before, but the realization of how vulnerable he was to the ferocious beast pursuing them, combined with Pima's attack, had broken his composure. In the end, he could only sigh bitterly.
"I managed to get her out of the Phoenix Paradise alive. Do you think I would kill her with my own hands now?"
Baro shook his hand, causing the earth to scatter completely. Mais fell to his knees. His clothes were torn, and his skin was cracked from the friction. His staff fell to the side. He lay on the ground, hands trembling, struggling to breathe. He could finally inhale properly once the pressure on his throat and chest eased.
"You'd better not be bluffing. Otherwise, you won't be able to handle the consequences," Baro said as he left the area. Mais had survived this time.
But who knows how long it would take Baro to find a True Alchemist?