The mortals that attempted to hide away around the south gate all ran away and outside the jade palace while screaming, crying and shaking in fear.
The Enlightened fighting for the first stronghold were barely any different.
They were too frightened and startled by the sudden ambush to even protect themselves or attack.
It wasn't long before the man had realized that.
He hasn't killed any of them for now, despite the lack of resistance.
He dropped the head he held in his hands, his smile dissipating. A disgusted and hateful expression was now displayed on his face. He screamed his lungs out at them with such anger, it almost made the ground shake.
"You see your friend get brutally killed, and you react like this!? You feel fear and refuse to fight!? How dare you?! Won't you avenge him???"
He averted his gaze from them onto Yori and Noboru once again. They were the only ones showing no fear.
"Ugh. They can live for now. I'd feel utterly disgusted if I killed such scum. They don't even deserve my killing intent!"
His voice displayed extreme hatred and disgust for the Enlightened. At the same time, his body language betrayed him, revealing his interest in the old man and his apprentice.
Yori's calm expression showed his lifelong experience with death. It mesmerized him.
Noboru's gelid expression showed that death and brutality weren't things he feared despite his young age.
They were strong. Not just physically but also mentally. The man wanted to kill them. He needed to. It would bring him a kind of joy he hadn't felt in a long time.
His newly discovered excitement and anticipation calmed his anger. He pointed his right index finger at the frightened Enlightened to warn them.
"Run or you'll die. You are too weak for me. If you oppose me, I'll slaughter you either way."
They did as they were told without hesitation, running for their lives.
"I'm sure they'll be executed for fleeing anyway, am I right?"
He spoke to Noboru and Yori wickedly, almost condescendingly. They were prey in his eyes. His prey.
Neither Yori nor Noboru reacted to his words at all, instead, they simply waited quietly until the man grew impatient and attacked them first.
A small tear-shaped lithium droplet formed right before Yori's and Noboru's faces all of a sudden.
Their eyes widened, and they jumped back many metres in a split second, creating a protective wall out of their respective primary element to prevent injuries.
The small droplets exploded. It was an explosion around the size of a small apartment room. It was a small explosion, however, taking the size of the droplet that just exploded into consideration made the explosion seem humongous.
Lithium was a very destructive primary element. This substance was highly reactive and could explode when exposed to air.
Enlightened with this specific primary element could control these explosions and create them at will.
Hence, they could manifest lithium close to their enemies and create a massive explosion any time.
"Noboru! Be careful for this man is the 'deathmonger'! An Enlightened with the primary element lithium who recently broke through to rank 4!"
Hearing Yori's serious and warning shout allowed Noboru to finally realize who they were faced with.
"Yes, master. As I said, I won't die."
Even faced with such a dangerous foe as the deathmonger, he simply couldn't feel fear. He knew that the deathmonger would die to them.
The deathmonger was a man roaming around the world, seeking conflict and war. Cities would pay him for his service and help during a war or battle, and he would get to kill time and time again in these battles.
Murder was his passion. He only ever felt joy when he was covered in someone else's blood.
"Ohhh, protecting yourselves so well, aren't you~? I'm glad. At least you won't disappoint by dying quickly."
The deathmonger spoke before dashing through the wall of hardened dark mist that Noboru had previously created, launching a strike at his throat designed to take his head off clean.
Just then, as Yori attempted to rush over and save Noboru, he fell into the deathmonger's trap.
A few moments ago, when Yori and Noboru dodged the exploding droplet, the deathmonger also layed out a fine lithium Pulver on the ground.
He planned this exact scenario in which he would explode the powder and injure Yori greatly to isolate Noboru and be able to take his time in killing him.
Boom.
A cloud of smoke followed the explosion.
Yori soon stumbled out of the smoke, after which he collapsed to the ground unconscious; His right foot evaporated.
Fortunately, the wound was cauterized due to the extreme heat of the explosion, making it impossible for Yori to bleed out.
Noboru got distracted by this maneuver for long enough to allow the deathmonger to close the distance and strike at him. He barely dodged.
"Look at you~. Like a zebra trying to escape the lion's grasp in its last moments."
"I've heard a bit about you already. Fighting and holding off a monster as a mere mortal, gaining strength and cultivating at an incredible speed, you're becoming famous outside the first stronghold, Noboru."
"You are an Ogawa on top of that. Your unique and versatile primary element adds to your talent and rising fame."
"I will kill you. My killing blow is the most honorable death imaginable, so be grateful. Even just my presence should be an honor. You are the first rank 1 Enlightened to ever have the privilege of talking to me."
His voice started shaking with excitement all of a sudden, his lips twisting upwards into a cruel and dreamy smirk.
"I'll skin you alive and carry your skin on top of my own. Your suffering will be such a wonderful sight!"
During all of this, Noboru remained tranquil and gelid.
As he finished his short speech, Noboru chuckled condescendingly.
"You? Kill me? There are thousands just like you. You can't remotely control yourself when it comes to killing. I can sense it. You're just an overconfident maggot. You never had to build up resilience or perseverance because fate is on your side. You have no exceptional qualities aside from fate's blessing. I am the opposite of you."
"Killing you won't be the first time I defy fate. Your death will be just another stepping stone on my journey."