The Advent Of A God

"Pathetic…"

To Lylias, they moved in slow motion. Painfully slow. If he had to guess their levels, they were likely all under 20.

He sidestepped effortlessly, dodging every swing and stab like he was taking a stroll.

Then, without warning, he grabbed the wrist of one attacker—the one wielding an axe.

"[Absolute Zero]," he whispered.

Instantly, the man's body temperature began to plummet. Frost spread rapidly across his skin as the heat was ripped away. Within seconds, he was nothing more than a glistening statue of solid ice.

Then, with a single punch, the ice statue shattered into countless fragments.

Without pause, Lylias teleported behind two other syndicate members—both wielding swords—and slammed their heads together with brutal force. Their skulls caved in instantly, brains bursting out in a spray of blood and gray matter that splattered across his face and clothing.

He sighed, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand.

"Sigh… Not doing this again. Too messy."

A green aura enveloped him, and in the next second, his face and clothes were completely clean—immaculate, as if nothing had happened.

"H-He's a monster!" one of the remaining men cried out in terror.

Panic surged among the remaining three. They immediately dropped their weapons and turned to flee.

"Hey! You cowards—don't run!" the leader shouted.

But Lylias raised his voice, and it echoed like a divine decree.

"Don't worry. They won't. Stop."

The three men froze in place, bodies locking as if shackled by invisible chains.

"I command you three… eat each other alive."

Under the influence of [Mohini Mantra], their eyes glazed over. Then, like rabid beasts, they turned on one another—biting, clawing, tearing. Screams of agony mixed with wet chewing noises as they tore into flesh, driven by unnatural compulsion.

The syndicate leader could only watch, paralyzed by horror, as the others tore each other apart.

"Now it's your turn," Lylias said, his voice cold and emotionless. "And trust me—it's going to be very, very, very cruel. So cruel, in fact, not even your soul will be spared."

He began walking slowly toward the leader, whose feet instinctively shuffled backward.

"What's wrong?" Lylias asked mockingly. "Don't run from me. Aren't you an adept cultivator? Or so you claimed?"

The leader's voice cracked. "Don't you dare! You have no idea who my boss is! If he finds out you've interfered in his operation, he'll come after you himself!"

"Oh? And how exactly will he find out?" Lylias said, a sinister smile forming. "You won't be alive to tell him."

The leader's face twisted in confusion and fear. "Why… why are you risking this for them? Those weaklings?"

At that, Lylias let out a low, amused laugh.

"You think I care about them? I don't give a damn what you do—abuse them, sell them, toss them in a brothel, or worse. Doesn't matter to me."

"Then… then why?"

"Why should I explain anything to you?" Lylias said, now standing directly in front of him. "You're not worth the breath."

Then his eyes flared with power as he activated [Mohini Mantra].

"First, cut off your legs… then one of your arms… and finally, take your sword and stab yourself through the chest."

The leader's body trembled—and then, against his own will, he began to obey.

....

Lylias was now back in the open field just outside the city outskirts. The four children sat near a cluster of rocks with a small campfire burning at the center.

He crossed his arms, his gaze sharp as he looked at Húwen.

"You're very stupid, Húwen," he said coldly. "Your friend told me everything while we were flying. When I asked him how you got caught by the syndicate, he said you two went into the forest looking for a rare plant—Blue Lily. Apparently, it's used in medicine around here. And you thought bringing it back would convince me to teach you cultivation?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"Did you really believe it'd be that easy to win me over?"

Húwen didn't respond. She looked down, her expression solemn.

Her friend, the boy, stepped in gently. "It's okay, Húwen…"

"But I really wanted to learn cultivation, Ying," she said quietly. "I want to avenge my family."

"Stop with your revenge nonsense," Lylias snapped.

Then he turned toward the other two children, eyes narrowing.

"And what about you two? What's your story?"

The red-haired boy answered first. "My name is Yâwáng," he said, then gestured to the blind girl beside him. "This is my sister, FéiFéi. We were taken by the syndicate after they attacked our home. They… they defiled our mother and killed our father."

Hearing that, Húwen looked up, startled.

"Wait... that's exactly what happened to me."

Ah... looks like rape and murder is the modus operandi, Lylias thought, lips curling with disdain.

He then spoke up. "So, what are you four going to do now?"

All of them remained silent—until FéiFéi spoke, her voice quiet.

"What can we do? I don't know about the others or my brother, but I'm helpless. I was born blind. I can't do anything. I can't even walk without him, let alone survive."

Lylias sighed dramatically. "Well, that's to be expected. Who knows what god you pissed off to be born with such a defect."

He reached into his inventory and pulled out a small red vial, tossing it toward her.

She caught it, confused. "What… is this?"

"A healing potion. Should cure your blindness," he said casually—shocking not just her but everyone around the fire.

"Wait, it can actually… cure me?"

"Don't make me repeat myself, girl. Drink it. It's free—no strings attached. And no, I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I want you to see the face of your savior. I'm vain like that."

Without hesitation, FéiFéi quickly uncorked the potion and drank it. Moments later, she slowly pulled off her blindfold. Her eyes opened—and widened.

Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I… I can see. I can finally see..." she whispered, overwhelmed. "Thank you, Lord Lylias. This is a debt I can't repay, not even with my life."

"I know that. Your life's not worth that much anyway," Lylias said bluntly.

Then, an idea slithered into his mind—something nefarious, as a smirk crept onto his lips. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"You know... would you all like to become stronger? To have power—to protect yourselves?"

Hearing that, Húwen's eyes lit up.

"Wait—are you going to teach us cultivation? All of us?"

"As I said before, I can't teach you cultivation."

"But how are we supposed to get stronger if you won't teach us that?"

Lylias smirked.

"Kid, there's something else. It's called magic..."