Chapter 24: Oh no! It's the old man²
In a city utterly devastated by pure destruction... Two beings fight each other, both harboring determination to kill.
Zeldris and Mei Mei tirelessly hack, slash and kick each other. Gradually becoming more and more injured.
Mei Mei is enraged. She was initially disappointed when she easily defeated Zeldris. But now seeing his true strength, she realizes he was just underestimating her. And the degree to what he was underestimating her is so severe, it's immensely insulting.
*Clang* *Clang* *Slash*
The battle continues...
However at some point, the two fighters abruptly stop. Their bloodlust instantly dissipating. The intention to fight each other completely gone.
"Looks like we've been found." Zeldris comments. Looking to his side.
Both Mei Mei and Zeldris see two people arrive. A humongous man and a beauty, with white hair.
"Our fight generated too much destruction. Causing them to find us." Mei Mei elaborates.
Both of them are in rough shape. Mei mei has her cheek sliced off, exposing her teeth and gums. While her body is riddled with cuts. Some even deep enough to expose bone.
However thanks to the mystical apples the two consumed in their childhood, they posess incredible regenrarative abilities. Being even able to regenerate lost limbs and organs.
"Master, it seems you found me." Zeldris smirks, looking at the man.
Zhong has a grim expression.
He and Irina traveled around the western continent. Covering around half of it in a short time. Roughly combing through the countries. This only being possible due to Zhong's godlike strength, being a tier 9.
However the destruction Zhong witnessed when he entered this country caused the man's eyes grow cold. In a way, he is responsible for this...
"It's time to go back, young man." Zhong speaks. His voice heavy.
"Old man. I'm on vacation." Zeldris responds without care. Ripping off the shredded top dangling on his chest.
Everyone stares at the young boy's shredded upper body. But only Mei Mei looks at him with intrest. Everyone else is focused on the strange markings on his back and shoulders. Like some sort of tribalistic tattoos.
"Mei Mei, you know you can't see me when I go back..." Zeldris turns to her with a smirk. The girl doesn't even question it, immediately believing him. Making Zeldris's smirk deepen.
"Don't listen to h..." Irina counters, but Zeldris cuts her off...
"If you want us to fight in peace, we have to lose these two..." He explains further.
Mei Mei has a rather strange trait. For some reason there are two people she has unshakable confidence in. The first being the sect master herself. And the second being Zeldris.
Without thought, Mei Mei brandishes her sword and executes a powerful slash at Zhong.
At the same time Zeldris vanishes in black smoke and escapes as quickly as possible.
"Children, behave." Zhongs heavy voice echoes and as if commanding the world itself. Both Zeldris and Mei Mei stop.
Zeldris feels a deep, visceral sense of danger. It's so powerful, that he can't move his body no matter how hard he tries.
It's not that something is binding him. It's his instinctual fight or flight response, causing him to freeze like a deer in headlights.
With just his voice, Zhong has restrained the two.
Zeldris then appears before Zhong. He can't even understand what happened. The thought is absolutely terrifying...
*Sigh* "You are troublesome, kid. I can't let you roam around the world in this state." Zhong states, grabbing ahold of Zeldris and hoisting him up with one hand.
Zhong's grip feels unbreakable. Zeldris is pretty sure he can't escape his master, unless something entirely drastic happenes.
"How did you guys find me, anyway?" He asks.
"You have a tracker in your mind." Irina casually states. Earning a look of reproach from Zhong.
"What? We have him already." She responds to his look.
"Ah I see..." Zeldris says and falls silent.
While Zeldris has become quiet, all of them have already started flying. No one has to carry Mei Mei, as she will naturally follow wherever Zeldris goes.
"Auntie, you are really sneaky..." Zeldris mumbles.
His words cause a frown on Irinas face. "I have told you not to call me that! How many times..." However her voice fades, when she sees Zeldris's expression. It's an expression she has seen when he's about to do something that fucks with her understanding of the world.
"What are you..." Irina mumbles.
"Thank you auntie. I wouldn't have thought how to escape without you..." Zeldris smiles at her. Stating a rather cryptic response.
Irina, being a master of mental arts, already predicts what he's about to do. "Don't! You'll fry your brain! Worst case, you can become braindead! ZHONG! STOP HIM!!!" She screams frantically.
Zhong is completely confused by her hysteria. He has the boy in his hand, what could he do?
Zeldris knows exactly what his master is thinking right now. So he smiles. "Old man. You're too confident in your strength."
Zhong looks at the boy under his arm. Seeing him tear some kind of scroll in his hand and stick his tongue out. "Blergh!"
"What the..." *Woom* Zeldris disappeares. Leaving Zhong shocked beyond belief.
"Impossible!" Zhong bellows. He even starts carefully feeling around himself with his hands, to make sure his old eyes aren't playing tricks on him.
But it's fruitless. The boy is really gone.
At this point Zhong feels like he might as well kill himself with a block of tofu. Not only is Zhong a tier 9 existance, his aura's attribute is space itself. This is why Zhong was so confident at having caught Zeldris. Knowing there is absolutely no way he can teleport away.
However that's precisely happened...
While Zhong is comically coming to terms with it, Irina squats down, pulling on her hair. Mei Mei just stares at the two old people, not understanding what are they so wound up about.
When Zhong reclaims some sense, he yells to Irina. "Woman! Quickly locate him!"
*Sigh* Irina heaves a deep and heavy sigh, straight from the soul, as a response.
"Woman, did you not hear?!" Zhong bellows.
"I can't..." She mumbles.
"What?"
"I said I can't, you buffoon! He fried his own brain to erase the mark!!" She screams at him.
"How is that possible?" Zhong asks in shock.
"You're his master!! Don't you know?! His aura attribute is destruction. He just used it to completely fry his brain!" She explains, still half screaming.
Zhong feels like he has become too old. His brain isn't keeping up with anything anymore.
How did the boy escape? What the hell does Irina mean about she can't track him? Is he still sleeping? Is this a dream?
While the two old people are having a mental breakdown, Mei Mei quietly walks away. She understood that Zeldris succeeded in getting away, so now she's going to go and find him.
Thankfully for her, the oldies are too shocked to pay any attention to her and she makes her escape without obstruction...
....
....
In a seaside fishing village. In a piece of heaven, where the flames of war don't reach and the eyes of immortals don't look. An old man makes his way inside the forest, where a large river, connected to the sea, is located.
This is his day off and for some reason, he decides to go fishing in the river. Even though all he does is fish in the sea 6 days a week.
The old man is in strangely good shape for his age, which should be somewhere around 70. Yet the frame under his clothes suggests a decently muscular build.
The old man has his long, gray hair tied in a ponytail. On his face rests an impressive piece of mustache. Thick and majestic. It is the dream mustache of many old men.
He carries a bucket in one hand and a Rod in the other. Walking in silence, down the forest path.
He is a skilled fisherman. So skilled that he can sense where the fish are. Hence he walks alongside the river, until he feels a concentration of fish.
"There..." He mumbles, coming out of the thicket and stepping to the river shore.
He looks at the river, glistening in the midday sun. It's a beautiful sight. Yet the old man is hungry for some fish.
He drops the bucket, attaches bait and throws the line in the water. Now all that's left is to wait.
Sitting on a stump, the old man admires nature's beauty.
*Chirp* *Chirp*
*Rustle* *Rustle*
The sounds of nature are so serene, that the old man closes his eyes. Falling into a sort of meditative state.
"..."
When he opens his eyes, he feels content with his life. Yet something shocks all of the contentness out of him.
"Hua!" A strange noise escapes his mouth, as he almost falls off the stump he's sitting on. What he sees is the body of a man floating in the river.
After calming down a bit, the old man ditches his fishing rod and quickly rushes to the river. Grabbing ahold of the body.
Luckily the shore, where the body is, is shallow and slow moving. So the old man has no trouble reaching him.
"Hey! Are you alive!" The old man shouts at the body, while dragging it ashore.
With great effort and a bit of time, he manages to get the man out. Panting out of exhaustion, as he looks at the body. Only now being able to clearly see who it is.
It's a young man, with a ridiculous physique and an even more ridiculously handsome face. The young man is completely bare and no injuries seem to blemish his immaculate, white skin.
"Boy, where the hell did you come from..." The old man mumbles to himself, while gazing at the artwork in front of him.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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