Andrew slowly turned his head to the left and saw there was a gash there with lots of blood dripping down from it. He remembered from the fused memory how it happened.

’I need to take care of this before I bleed out and die again,’ he thought. ’But this guy isn’t dumb enough to let me treat my wounds in peace.’

He paused, then his eyes flashed.

’However, with a Saint watching the match, I won’t want to end the match quickly which means he also wouldn’t want to end this quickly either.’

If Daerius attacked now, while Andrew was vulnerable and unable to fight back, it would be boring.

But if he let Andrew recover, let the tension build and the drama escalate... that was when the real rewards came.

Darius smiled and he thought this plan was quite nefarious.

But, whether he realized it or not, was playing right into Andrew’s hands.

Andrew slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, ignoring Daerius entirely.

Instead, he picked up his machete with his right hand and used the blade to slice a long, thin strip from his shirt.

Then Andrew began to wrap it tightly around his wounded shoulder to stop the blood flow.

As expected, Daerius did not attack. He simply watched with a mocking and amused expression on his face.

He looked like a cat watching a mouse try to build a escape a trap.

When he was done, Andrew slowly rose to his feet and immediately, Daerius’s gaze sharpened.

As the saying goes, a cornered animal is the most dangerous.

He had killed people many times by pretending to be weak and injured and then burst out with strength when his enemies lower their guard.

He was not going to make the same mistake.

But what happened next caught Daerius completely off-guard.

In the next moment, Andrew suddenly fell to the ground in both knees!

"Bam!"

As he knelt down, he lowered his head and stretched out his arms.

Presenting his machete and his mother’s necklace both to Daerius as though he was giving offerings to a king.

"I know that no matter what I do, I will surely die here," Andrew said, his voice quiet and steady. "So please, grant me this small favor. Kill me with my own blade."

Daerius was stunned.

For several seconds, he simply stared at Andrew with a blank expression on his face but then he sneered inwardly.

’If you know you’re going to die, why did you waste time wrapping your wounds.’

He laughed internally but kept a straight face externally. "Why?"

Andrew bowed his head, his arms still outstretched, the machete and necklace balanced perfectly on his open palms.

"It is a tradition in our land, to die by one’s own blade so that one’s spirit can rest in peace."

Daerius stared at Andrew with squinted eyes. ’You’re planning something. I just don’t know what.’

He kept his face neutral, his expression giving nothing away.

"What about the necklace?" he asked, nodding toward the emerald pendant resting in Andrew’s right palm.

Andrew answered immediately, without hesitation.

"Since my body cannot be transported back to earth to be buried, the necklace would act as my body," Andrew face turned solemn.

"I would be forever grateful if you bury the necklace along with my machete. It is the last request of a dying man. Surely that is not too much to ask?"

Daerius brain rapidly churned, his sharp eyes boring intently into Andrew’s head. He knew something wasn’t right.

’This guy isn’t simple.’ 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

He had seen this kind of performance before where orphans and beggars used sob stories to lure sympathetic marks into range before stealing from them.

Hell, he has used it several times to.

Andrew was up to something. He was certain of it.

Without hesitation, Daerius activated his Body Enhancement talent.

His body mass increased as his muscles expanded and veins appeared all over his body, increasing his combat index over 30 in just a second.

’Let’s see what your planning can do in the face of true strength.’

[Body Enhancement: Activated]

[Overall Stats increased by 50%]

[Combat Potential: 24 → 36]

Raw power flooded through Daerius’s body, sharpening his senses, accelerating his reflexes, and hardening his muscles.

’Let’s see if your plan can work in the face of true strength,’ his eyes turned cold.

But instead of moving forward to attack, Daerius did something unexpected.

He tapped his foot against the ground and moved backward 30 meters backwards.

If Andrew was planning some kind of close-range trap, poison, concealed weapon, explosive device, distance was the best defense.

Daerius had not survived the brutal streets of the Orion Continent by taking unnecessary risks.

"Since you’re so considerate, why don’t you toss your blade here and I’ll kill you with it. Hm?"

He smiled as he continued. "No offense, but I don’t trust you enough to walk over there and take it from your hands."

Andrew’s eyes flashed.

’This guy is smarter than he looks’

Andrew slowly raised his head and stared at Daerius with hatred. His jaw clenched tightly and gay eyes burned with anger.

He gritted his teeth and he reluctantly nodded.

"Alright," he replied. The bitterness in his tone made Daerius want to laugh in joy.

Andrew looked down at the two items in his palms.

He then tossed the blade and necklace gently at Daerius feet.

Still skeptical, Daerius tapped the blade with his foot and when he realized there wasn’t anything wrong or any hidden tricks on it did he pick the necklace and machete up.

At that same moment, a brilliant notification appeared in Andrew’s line of sight.

[Ding! Basic Machete has been invested!]

[9,000x Multiplier has been activated!]

[Do you wish to receive the reward in Quantity, Quality, or convert to Investment Points?]

...

[Ding! Emerald Necklace (Ordinary) has been invested!]

[6,700x Multiplier has been activated!]

[Do you wish to receive the reward in Quantity, Quality, or convert to Investment Points?]

Seeing these messages, Andrew smile widened so bright Daerius felt the atmosphere becoming very cold.

Suddenly, he gelt a prickling sensation at the back of his neck, as his gut warned him about something.

’What the hell is he smiling at?’

Suddenly his face changed slightly an he looked at the two items in his hand. ’His is Talent poison? Are the items poisoned?’

But he shook his head. His talent: Body enhancement also improves his body resistance which meant it could resist poison to which was why he wasn’t scared to pick it up in the first place.

’Fuck impressing the Saintess. I should end this while I still have everything under control.’

Daerius didn’t want to wait any longer. His intuition honed from hundreds of battles had thought him to trust his instincts and right now, he could feel danger brewing.

"Bang!"

The ground underneath him releasd a muffled noise as he blasted forwards like a beast.

In under 2 seconds he had closed the 25 meters distance between he and Andrew.

With two weapons in each hands, he suddenly sliced the two at different angles like a scissors, cutting Igris’s head off in one swift move.

...

"Quality!"

[Ding! Reward Selection Confirmed!]

[Basic Machete —→ GodSlayer Blade (Mythic Tier)]

[Blood GodSlayer Blade]

[Sealed by system to match Player’s weak body]

[Grade: Mythic Tier]

[Information: Soaked in the blood of 300 demigods, this blade makes even the heavens tremble and the earth wail.]

[Passive Effects:]

1. +10 to all stats

2. Soul Harvest — Absorbs 3% portion of highest stat of killed beings.

3. Soul Harvest — Harvests Soul Essence of those killed by the blade.

4. ??? [Sealed]

5. ????? [Sealed]

6. ???????? [Sealed]

[Active Skills:]

1. Ten Thousand Cuts — One swing releases 10 phantom slashes across a battlefield.

2. GodKill Slash — Uses 70% of energy (mana/stamina) to release a devastating strike. +500% attack damage. (Cooldown: 10 souls)

3. ??? [Sealed]

4. ???? [Sealed]

5. ?????? [Sealed]

...

"Quality!"

[Ding! Reward Selection Confirmed!]

[Basic Military Combat Art —→ Eternal War God Combat Scripture]

[War God Combat Scripture]

[Grade: Star Grade]

[Information: A supreme combat art created after countless battlefields, wars, assassinations, and martial disciplines were fused together into one perfect system. It contains the essence of over ten thousand martial paths.]

[Note: Every move can be used with fist, weapons, or any part of the body.]

[The Nine War God Forms]

[First Form: Violent Strike]

[Status: Unlocked]

[Effect: Condense raw battle intent, savagery, and anger into a 100 strikes and converge them into a single brilliant attack.]

[Mana Cost: 20]

[Attack Damage: +200%]

[Cooldown: 0.8s]

[Second Form: Flowing Phantom]

[Status: Locked]

[Third Form: Hundred Slaughter Paths]

[Status: Locked]

[Fourth Form: Battlefield Dominion]

[Status: Locked]

[Fifth Form: Heaven Breaking Force]

[Status: Locked]

[Sixth Form: Endless War Cycle]

[Status: Locked]

[Seventh Form: Divine Weapon Manifestation]

[Status: Locked]

[Eighth Form: World Slaughter Domain]

[Status: Locked]

[Ninth Form: Eternal War God Descent]

[Status: Locked]

[Skills Grade: Mortal → Earth → Sky → Heaven → Moon → Sun → Star → Planet → Solar → Nebula → Galaxy → Cosmic → Universal → Divine → Eternal]