Chapter 73 Dawn of Battle (4) Rowan's strength was great, and his high Agility and Spirit gave him a strong control over his powers. Skin, although it was elastic, was still surprisingly strong and was fastened firmly to the muscles of the body, and a Dominator skin was far tougher. If he had just pulled with brute force, he may have torn away the skin only on the priest's chest, but Rowan vibrated his palm at the moment he squeezed the skin, severing all the connection of the skin to the muscles, and as if he were pulling away clothes from a body, he tore the skin away from the priest. His screams were loud and shrill, as he wept in pain, and he kept apologizing to Rowan. The people cried out in shock and horror, as some of them tried to push forward to stop Rowan or plead to him, while being held back by others. "My lord!" Declara screamed, "We all know he did wrong, but it was a mistake." She pointed to the bodies on the floor, "Mersha was a sick child, the priest took care of her for years, my lord. Every single day for three years, he never failed to bring her the herbs that she needed, even if he had to scrape through every bush in the forest…" "Levri and Apham were troublemakers." Rowan interrupted her, "They had lied to the priest countless times, about needing money for food, but they drank it all away, even after you all warned him about their trickery, he continued giving them money, his reason for doing so, was that if one day, they really needed the money, and they came to him, but he denied them, that he would never be able to live with himself." "So if you know…" Declara muttered, "if you know this why torture him, Lord Rowan. For a mistake, he did not deliberately commit. I have always thought you were a greater man than this, why do… Ugurrk" She stopped in mid-sentence, when the gore finally flowed down the body of the screaming priest, and what was below revealed itself. **********"***"******************** On a quiet hill under the moonlight, a couple of wolves rummaged around a dead fire, there were remnants of a sumptuous meal around the fire, and the smell that was left was driving the wolves crazy. A dull rumbling sound began to echo around the hill, and the hackles of the wolves were raised as they bared their teeth and let out growls, as they warily peered around. The rumblings increased in intensity, and the sounds were calamitous. The wolves yelped in panic, and began to flee, suddenly reality seemed to twist, and the wolves paused mid-flight, in fact, everything around the hill was still. And like a mirror, the space began to develop cracks, and it shattered as a red glow tore through the air. After it passed, a rain of blood followed behind. Two seconds later, two bursts of black light followed. The flood of blood that fell from the sky landed on the ground like meteors. Each drop that touched the ground sizzled and brought forth an awful stench. In a brief moment, the ground, trees, rocks, and animals touched by the blood melted into a bloody pus. The trail of devastation of the raining blood extended for as far as the eyes could see. The ground groaned and shook, and the Earth rearranged itself, as if the pain from the blood touching it was too much to bear. The speed of the Red glow was beginning to falter, and General Augustus Tiberius' figure was revealed inside. His face was very pale and every now, and then he vomited a huge amount of blood. Suddenly, one of the chasing black lights accelerated in a zigzag motion and appeared at the front of the General. The two glows clashed. There was first silence, and then a bright light like the dawn of the sun, and then a Shockwave that tore the skies apart. The circular wave of force reached the second black light, who conjured a Dark Scythe and tore through the wave and rushed towards the location of the clash, and impacted the glowing sun again. Another wave of force erupted from the impact. This time it reached the ground and the surroundings for miles across were destroyed. A small mining town that contained thirty thousand people with two legendary Dominators that acted as overseers were all wiped out instantly. A cry filled with anger and despair resounded, and a pitiful figure missing an arm with a frightening hole in his chest flew out. It was the General. He touched his waist and drew out a long wand, he waved it, and it ignited, bringing forth green lightning. The lightning wrapped around him and flung him North. The sky brightened from the flash of green lightning, and he disappeared far into the horizon. The black glow stopped and two figures appeared. The Third prince and the hooded figure who was holding a black scythe. The hooded figure growled, "That was sloppy of you. I warned you not to underestimate him." The Third prince was in front of the hooded figure, his eyes tracing the last of the disappearing green lightning, he turned his head to the figure behind him and smiled, his teeth flashed white, and he said, "Did I?" He fully turned his body to face him and held out his right hand, which held a beating heart. The heart appeared very strange because it was almost transparent. The pericardium was almost like a thin mesh you could see through. The Arteries and veins were all visible, and you could clearly catch a glimpse of all the operations of the heart. "I got myself a present." His smiling expression suddenly changed, and he became razor focused. He closed his eyes and muttered in Thulle for a while. "His heart is strong. It can sustain more than five jumps." The hooded figure gestured impatiently, "Then let's get to the hunt. There is a limit to which I can keep the eyes of fate closed. We all underestimated Augustus, clearly has an Artifact close to the Origin grade." "Yet he did not activate it during the fight." The Third Prince mused as ribbons of black light streamed from his fingertips and began etching mystical runes in the air. "That is worrying. The child is more crafty than I gave him credit for." The hooded figure stroked his chin. "What a waste." The Runes the Third prince was setting up were completed, and it shimmered before it faded slowly. The surrounding immediately darkened, and an ephemeral weight settled in the air. From a mysterious angle, a wooden door emerged in the sky. It was gray and had an open palm bone as the door handle. In the center of the door was carved the grinning face of a child. The child's eyes were opened, and within it burned the light of nothingness. Chaotic flashes of light and darkness burned inside the eyes, and various scenery appeared within. The Third prince took the still beating heart and presented it to the face. The child looked at the heart, then it nodded, the motion drawing loud creaks from the door. As if held together by glue, the child struggled to open his mouth, and with a snapping sound like wood breaking, it opened its maws. The prince unceremoniously stuffed the beating heart inside. The mouth closed and it began to chew. As it did, the colors of the door began to change, starting from the face. In a short while, the door was now red. A word appeared in Thulle above the door. "Three." "Hmm… Less than I expected." The Third prince lampoon. "It is still more than enough, that is, if you don't play with your food." "Got it. This hunt tires me. I prefer easier pickings." The Third prince grasped the palm bone and pushed the door opened and showed a new place. The scenery that presented itself was different. It was of a jungle that was on fire. The desiccated corpses of countless animals were scattered everywhere. At the center of the jungle was a single-fallen animal. It was a Silver Tiger, more than forty feet long. Its growls were weak, and its tail slapped at the ground as its struggles reduced. A figure of a bloody man was latched at the throat of the Silver Tiger. As if the man felt something, it turned and saw a door in the air. Two figures stepped through the door. A chubby man and a skinny hooded figure. The former waved at him, "Hi, there."