From Outcast to Overlord The Unyielding Heir (Leander Ashcroft) novel Chapter 486

The man in his blood-red robe stood upon the air itself, each step suspended over the void. The robe drifted around him like a living stream of crimson, coiling and rippling as though it breathed.

Linton and the others were struck dumb. Especially those who had scoffed earlier when he spoke of "gods" crossing blows. Their worldview shattered on the spot.

In a world that worships science and logic above all, who could imagine someone standing in the sky and walking through clouds?

Yet here it was, undeniable and unfolding before their eyes.

The newcomer was none other than the second-ranked assassin in the world, the Blood Demon. His gaze swept down first, landing on Celia.

"Ripper," he drawled, "looks like you failed miserably."

Celia lowered her head, saying nothing. That alone was a signal of her silent admission.

In the assassin world, failure and being caught by your target meant inevitable death.

A streak of scarlet flashed across the Blood Demon’s eyes. His voice turned cold enough to freeze bone.

"The day you entered the Netherweb, you should have understood that your life ceased to be your own.

"In the Netherweb, failure is forbidden. Once I finish this bounty, I’ll deal with you myself."

His tone was calm, yet it carried the weight of a death sentence. Celia’s blood chilled instantly, terror spilling across her features.

Then the Blood Demon turned to Leander. His gaze sharpened like drawn blades, and a ripple of invisible force plunged downward.

Leander lifted his eyes. Where their gazes collided, sparks seemed to crackle in the air.

"Jeff Ashcroft," the Blood Demon said in a quiet, even tone, "I’ve come to kill you." He said it the way someone might announce a casual visit, using a calm voice, but in his case, with murderous intention.

"Oh? Is that so?" Leander smiled faintly.

"You’re an assassin. Assassins hide in the shadows. That’s how you get a one-strike kill on me.

"You’re here, appearing out in the open, attacking me face-to-face. You’ve already broken the cardinal rule. Now I’m truly curious, how did you kill a King Phase back then?"

"Haha!" The Blood Demon laughed madly, chin lifted, wild pride pouring out of him.

"That King Phase? I killed him with stealth, in addition to my secret technique. I struck the instant his mind slipped.

"But with you? I don’t need the trouble."

Scarlet light erupted in his eyes. A suffocating wave of pressure exploded outward.

"You’re strong, yes. You killed Gadru, the former champion of the International Combat Units. You destroyed fifteen High Arbitrators alone. But you are still not a King Phase.

"And as long as you’re not a King Phase, I have absolute confidence, one hundred percent, that I can crush you with overwhelming force.

"Below the King Phase, I am invincible."

He said a mere few simple sentences, yet his pride brimmed to the point of arrogance.

"Invincible below King Phase?" Leander murmured, lips curling into a dangerous smile. "You truly believe that?"

The Blood Demon didn’t respond. Hands clasped behind his back, he lifted one arm and pointed north of Highcliffe.

"Come, Jeff. Let me see whether the one hailed as the strongest in all of the International Combat Units' history truly deserves the title.

"I’ll be waiting for you on Swallow Hill."

The moment the final syllable fell, wind erupted beneath his feet. His figure burst into a blazing streak of bloodlight and surged toward Swallow Hill.

Leander drained the last of his drink, then approached Liam and Shirley.

Liam stared at Leander’s approach, throat locked, mind frozen.

Boom!

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