Chapter 93: The Death of Molly Karco
Molly Karco appeared to be mad, but in truth, she gazed at Ion and Yam with a calm intensity.
Many people knew that the "Blood Knight" Molly Karco was a member of the Karco Family notorious for her madness, brutality, and bloodthirstiness.
Especially in the battles she led, there were rarely any survivors. This was due to the severe side effects of her awakened bloodline, to the extent that once it erupted, even her own allies dared not approach her.
But in reality, all of this was a deliberate impression Molly had crafted.
The residual effects from the "Bloodthirsty Beast" brought by the pair of pendant earrings inherited from her mother were not as overwhelming as outsiders imagined.
Many times, her so-called uncontrollable rampages were nothing more than intentional acts.
Only tonight was different.
From the moment she laid eyes on Yam, a relentless killing intent had arisen within her.
That murderous urge continuously stimulated her brain, making her extremely irritable and nearly truly out of control, something that had never happened since she had advanced to the third tier and awakened the "Bloodthirsty Beast" bloodline.
It was precisely because of this sudden change that a strong sense of unease arose in her heart.
Had it not been for this, she might not have crossed the border of the White Mountain Territory to continue the pursuit.
But now, Molly realized that Yam was no longer the only one who incited her intense killing intent.
Ion Soderbell as well.
What puzzled Molly, however, was that when Baron Ster had instructed Ion to lead the breakout earlier, she hadn’t felt such a strong urge to kill.
But in the blink of an eye, upon meeting again, she was now consumed by a compulsion to kill both of them. The last shred of Molly’s rationality told her there must be some reason yet to be uncovered.
But it didn’t matter.
She would find out soon enough.
After all, interrogation had always been one of her specialties.
Molly Karco suddenly stepped forward.
"Watch out!"
Ion’s pupils contracted sharply as he watched Molly’s figure vanish before his eyes. Without thinking, he immediately reached out and shoved Yam aside.
But the next moment, an excruciating pain shot through Ion’s left shoulder.
His attempt to activate the "Nirvana" ability of the Demonic Sword was completely interrupted.
Turning his head, he was shocked to see that his left arm had been severed at the shoulder.
Blood spurted out like a fountain.
"Father!"
Already dizzy, Yam was shoved by Ion and fell hard to the ground, rolling several times. The dizziness grew worse.
But when he finally steadied himself and raised his head to look at his father Ion, he froze.
Ion clutched the sword in his right hand and pressed hard against the wound on his left shoulder.
But this action clearly failed to stop the gushing blood. On the contrary, with the front blocked, the blood now flowed down along his right hand.
"Shut up!" Ion roared without turning his head. "Get out of here!"
Yam opened his mouth.
When he saw Ion’s actions, he already understood what his father intended to do.
To activate the "Nirvana" ability of the Demonic Sword, one must offer half of their blood.
However, the method of offering the blood was not specified.
Given Ion’s current state, the blood loss was massive. Once he initiated the "Nirvana" ability, it would likely cost him his life. So instead of wasting the blood, why not take this chance to try feeding the Demonic Sword directly with it and see if that could trigger the "Nirvana" ability?
But Yam’s heart quickly sank.
Because he saw that the blood was not being absorbed by the Demonic Sword, but simply flowed along the blade to the tip, dripping to the ground one drop after another.
Soon, a small pool of blood formed on the ground.
Molly Karco instinctively felt that Ion’s actions held deeper meaning, which was why she had not moved after tearing off his arm.
She allowed him to continue, wanting to see what kind of hidden trump card the Soderbell Family might possess.
But for now, Molly Karco was disappointed.
She saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Ion clearly noticed this too.
So his body quickly ignited with the Blood Flame, and he pressed the flames burning on the sword blade directly against his left shoulder, scorching all the flesh to forcibly stop the bleeding.
Yet even so, it merely lessened the blood loss rather than completely stopping it, the wound continued to seep.
However, there was no look of disappointment on Molly’s face. Instead, she stared fixedly at the black longsword in Ion’s hand.
It was only then that she noticed a detail she had previously overlooked.
The second time she met Ion, the intense killing intent she felt toward him was not because he had reunited with Yam and some of that hostility had transferred, but because the sword in Ion’s hand was no longer the one he used during the initial breakout, it was the black longsword that Yam had wielded at first.
So the root of all the problems originated from this longsword.
Moreover, this sword clearly held some kind of special secret.
Otherwise, Ion would not have avoided activating his bloodline power to cauterize the wound from the start.
Molly glanced at the blood on the ground, then suddenly spoke in a low voice, “So it’s the blood.”
A chill surged through Ion and Yam’s hearts.
It was the spine-chilling fear of a hidden secret being uncovered.
At that moment, both Ion and Yam were struck by an overwhelming thought: they must kill Molly Karco!
But the very next second, Molly’s figure suddenly froze.
She jerked her head toward the darkness within the forest, where a terrifying fear of death surged from the depths of her being.
Ion and Yam also sensed a tremendously strong and swift aura emanating from the forest.
It was the emergence of this aura that made Ion stop his suicidal intent to die with Molly, when he realized that Molly had likely uncovered the secret of the Demonic Sword, he had already resolved to perish alongside her. So even if using Nirvana meant death, he no longer cared.
But the secret of their family—
Or more precisely, the secret of the Demonic Sword, was far more important than his own life.
Thus, when he sensed a fourth person possibly lurking nearby, Ion abandoned the idea of mutual destruction, he wasn’t blind. Though he didn’t know just how powerful this sudden aura was, Molly’s frightened expression told him that it wasn’t an enemy even Nirvana could defeat. On the contrary, it might very well result in the death of himself, his two sons, and even his unborn grandchild.
So Ion forcibly suppressed the thought.
Finally.
The figure bearing that terrifyingly powerful aura stepped out of the forest.
“Knight Commander Dean!” Yam gasped the moment he saw the figure.
But even faster than Yam, Molly let out a cry of shocked disbelief: “Gale Dean Seath!”
“Blood Knight Molly Karco, I didn’t expect Western Wind Territory would send you to the battlefield,” Dean sighed, his eyes filled with complicated emotion.
Molly dared not waste a single word.
She only pretended to be insane, she wasn’t truly mad, she didn’t have the fearless courage to strike directly at a Fourth-Tier Bloodline User, because that wasn’t a challenge, it was suicide! Especially now that she believed she might have uncovered the secret of the Soderbell Family, and that Ion’s Demonic Sword might be the key to her advancement to the Sixth-Tier bloodline, she absolutely did not want to die here.
She moved with astonishing speed.
The physical enhancements provided by the Bloodthirsty Beast were all-encompassing, and far more powerful and comprehensive than those of other Third-Tier bloodlines, it was fair to say that if not for the aftereffects, the Bloodthirsty Beast would be rightfully considered the strongest magical beast among Third-Tier bloodlines.
However—
The gap between Third-Tier and Fourth-Tier was far too vast to be bridged by supplementary means.
Clang—
Dean drew the knight’s sword at his waist.
A crisp sound echoed as the blade slid against the scabbard.
Yet no one saw that, at the very moment Dean unsheathed the sword, countless air currents had already begun to rapidly gather and spiral around the blade, Ion and Yam saw only a turquoise cyclone visibly forming around the blade the instant it was drawn.
Then, as Dean pointed the longsword forward—
The cyclone surged like a giant python through the air, heading straight for Molly.
Though she dared not conserve energy and had sprinted several dozen meters in an instant, Molly was still effortlessly caught by the giant turquoise serpent of swirling air behind her.
The next second.
The cyclone pierced through her!
Her body arched forward as the violent cyclone blew through her, leaving a gaping hole in her chest and abdomen. All her internal organs, flesh, and bones were pulverized by the force and sprayed outward in a mist of blood.
Almost the moment she hit the ground, Molly’s breath ceased completely.
Dean let out a quiet, conflicted sigh and slowly sheathed his sword.
In truth, he hadn’t intended to kill Molly, doing so would complicate many matters.
But when he arrived, he had seen Molly about to kill Yam, so he had no choice but to act, had only Ion been present, he wouldn’t have intervened.
He would’ve waited for Molly to kill Ion before letting her go, since she had already crossed the border.
But with Yam there, the situation was different. Instead of letting Molly kill Ion and then saving Yam, it was better to save Ion in front of Yam.
That would win Yam’s gratitude more effectively.
“Are you two alright?” Dean turned around and asked urgently, looking at Yam and Ion. “Where is Baron Ster?”
“The Baron…” Ion replied sorrowfully, “The Baron died in battle. He told me to lead the others to break out while he stayed behind to stop the Blood Knight, but… but…”
“Sigh!” Dean now looked equally sorrowful. “I arrived too late. After receiving Miss Monica’s request for aid, I came as fast as I could from Eaglehead Territory, but… I was still too late.”
“This isn’t your fault, Knight Commander Dean. Please don’t blame yourself.” Yam struggled to rise and stepped in front of Dean. “Thank you so much for saving us. If it weren’t for you, my father and I probably would’ve…”
Dean gently patted Yam’s shoulder with a saddened expression. “No need to say more. Your father needs immediate treatment, we must return at once. The lords from across the Red Eagle Territory have already answered the call. Reinforcements will arrive soon, and you…”
“Knight Commander Dean!” Yam braced against the pain and quickly interrupted, “Could you please take my father down the mountain first? I… I want to retrieve the Baron’s remains.”
“This…” Dean hesitated.
After all, upon receiving Monica’s letter and learning of Yam’s actions, he had rushed urgently from the Eaglehead Mountains.
His true task was to protect Yam, not his father Ion. But under these circumstances, Yam’s request was entirely reasonable, and it wasn’t as if he could really abandon Ion.
Ion didn’t care about Dean’s hesitation. He immediately shoved the Demonic Sword into Yam’s hands and said in a low voice, “Be careful! Make sure to bring the Baron’s remains back intact. Don’t let the beasts of the mountain desecrate him.”
He fully understood what his son intended, so of course, he had to find a way to get Dean away.
Thus, after handing the Demonic Sword back to Yam, he turned to Dean without a hint of embarrassment and said shamelessly, “I’ll trouble you, Knight Commander Dean.”