Rivers of the Night-Chapter 321: Without a Single Blade

Chapter 321: Without a Single Blade

The Alpha moved like the wind, its power so great that the moment it shifted, it not only hit its top speed, but the arena beneath its claws and paws shattered.

Unfortunately for those trying to follow its movements, they foolishly believed that the reason for the shattering arena was the javelin that came swiftly afterward and not the behemoth of a wolf.

The Alpha stood at just over two meters tall, its shoulders broad and powerful, its mane of red hair so sharp and rough they threatened to pierce through Theron’s body.

But Theron simply sat on its back in silence, his legs crossed, his eyes closed. He ignored the world around him, breathing in and out slowly as he replenished his Mana reserves.

Large amounts of Water Mana pooled toward him. He had already recovered back up to over 60%, and this was more than enough to deal with what he had to tonight, but he was nothing if not a man who prepared every tiny little detail.

Theron wasn’t in a state right now where he liked to talk. He also wasn’t the person who taunted his opponents either. That was nothing more than a facade he put up for the Thistles, a character he played for the nobles so that they would take him to be a brash youth who couldn’t see much further than the nose between his eyes.

But Theron wasn’t that. He was far from that. And right now, Aetherion was a bit too insistent on finding out.

The Alpha cut through the halls of the arena. There were too few people there and no one expected Theron to actually take such a route.

The obvious places to leave were the largest entrances, places he’d have room to maneuver. These were the enormous gates that the viewing public had come through initially.

But Theron chose the cramped hallways and limited space the participants had entered through. It was the region that seemed the most likely to hold a trap, especially since they all thought it was the path Theron was most familiar with.

However, Theron never even gave the large gates a glance. Or, rather… the Alpha never did.

The Alpha might not be able to speak human language, and it certainly wasn’t as smart as Theron—but how many humans were?

What it could do, though, was follow instructions, and it had about the equivalent intelligence of any other Gold Mancy cultivator—meaning, its memory was also impeccable.

It knew how to follow the tunnels without Theron’s input, and it had sensory capabilities strong enough to sense if there were any powerful enemies coming.

In addition, it had been wandering around on its own without Theron for a long while. It could be said that it understood these tunnels even better than Theron himself.

Which was why in a blaze, it had already appeared on the outside of the arena, its body practically vibrating with streaks of crimson lightning.

However, as it hit the cool night air again, it came to a stop.

“Theron.”

Without opening his eyes, Theron recognized the voice. Elder Kelyne Black.

There was no doubt that as of right now, the Elder was the strongest cultivator in the entire city. Theron couldn’t pin her cultivation exactly, but she was certainly, at the very least, of the Seventh Gold Resonance.

Theron wouldn’t be surprised if she was even stronger than that.

She was likely not a normal Seventh Gold Resonance Mancer either. That would be more like the General. She was a Seventh Resonance Gold Mancer from a Clan with a Runebound Bloodline.

She wasn’t someone the Alpha could even face.

“I will have to stop you here.”

“Pretty sure that isn’t what they want,” Theron said calmly, his eyes still closed, and Water Mana still rushing toward him.

Elder Black’s eyes narrowed. It wasn’t just because of his words, but because Theron was actually still able to cultivate in her presence.

This wasn’t just a matter of concentration in the face of untold odds, but also the fact that… he could actually pull Water Mana away from her? How was that possible?

“I can tell why you appeared so early. You feel that if you let me rampage, I’ll do quite a bit of harm to the bottom line of the Black Clan. I’ll cripple your subordinates in ways they won’t be able to recover from, and you don’t want to accept that.

“You think that I won’t know what the true goal of this Clan is, that I won’t understand that this is just a cat and mouse chase to push me to my limits, so you hope that I won’t mention that you ended their fun early.

“Unfortunately for you, I am well aware. So if your goal is to not upset them, I would suggest that you move.”

After Theron said these words, the Alpha didn’t hesitate to blaze by. It was a speed that Elder Black could easily react to, but her finger twitched before she put it down.

Theron was right. He was right.

He was so right that it made her heart shiver.

Should she really fear the Seijin more than this young man?

Theron didn’t pause, he didn’t hesitate, he didn’t panic. It was as though he knew she would appear ahead of time.

But then there was that beast. Theron didn’t signal it at all, but it was intelligent enough to understand the underlying meaning of his words. That had to be a Runebound Beast, but why was it that she couldn’t sense its Mancy Path? Why couldn’t she understand its Mana? Just how powerful was that beast, and how could it possibly be so fast?

Theron was right. She had wanted to stop things early before they could boil out of control. There were too many important figures here, too many strong existences that were pillars to the Black Clan’s Provinces. If too many of them died, the Black Clan’s power would be permanently crippled. She didn’t want to see that happen.

Yet, she had somehow ended up being the first one defeated.

Defeated without a single blade being drawn.