Chapter 517: Bloodmark
Morris struggles several times, but he cannot get up. He can only watch helplessly as Henwell walks toward him.
When Henwell passes the place where his longsword is nailed into the floor, he grabs the Dusk Greatsword, which has sunk more than a foot into the ground and still sits tilted from the shockwave.
Only after a great effort does he finally pull the sword out.
Dragging the longsword, he approaches Morris step by step.
Morris spits out another mouthful of blood, but this time it does not turn into an attack. He has truly reached the end of his strength.
Morris raises a hand toward Henwell to stop him. "Henwell, you cannot kill me. I know many secrets. They are very important."
"Whether for the church and the Empire, or for you, they are all very important intelligence!"
Henwell spits out a mouthful of bloody saliva and clears his throat. "Buddy, do you still not get it?"
"The biggest secret you know is that I hid my strength and can kill a Glory Rank. Keeping that secret is what matters most to me!"
Morris hurriedly explains, "Do not worry. I will definitely keep the secret. My mouth is very tight."
"Besides, I already know how formidable you are. I am badly injured now, and whether I survive depends on luck."
"For a short time, I simply will not have the strength to cause trouble for you. And after you grow for a while longer, I will be even less of a match for you."
Henwell grins. "I believe you will definitely keep the secret!"
Morris understands the implication. Henwell still intends to kill him.
After all, only the dead can keep secrets absolutely.
Morris begins persuading him. "Henwell, think carefully. What benefit do you get from killing me? You will only be helping those people from the Western Federation."
"If I live, my meaning to you will be completely different."
"I still have some say within the Veil, and I have my own forces there."
"We can cooperate. After this incident, your position in the church will certainly rise."
"And your territory will grow larger and larger in the future. You need an ally in the dark, and I am very suitable."
"I can see that you are someone who will accomplish great things. You should not be so short-sighted. You know very well that a living me is more valuable."
By now, Henwell has already walked up to Morris, his eyes still calm.
Seeing that Henwell is unmoved, Morris's expression turns savage. "Henwell, you cannot kill me, and you do not dare kill me!"
"I am a bloodline professional. Do you know what that means?"
"Behind me is a powerful bloodline source, a demigod comparable to a god's incarnation in the mortal world!"
"Once you kill me, my bloodline source will surely sense it. No matter how you struggle, you will never escape revenge."
Henwell gives a cold laugh. "Heh... what? Starting to bring out your backer? You are not young anymore. Why are you still playing this game?"
"Calling the old after the young get beaten is a special talent of youngsters. How did an old bastard like you start using it too?"
After saying this, Henwell raises his longsword. "Stop struggling. Even if you talk until flowers bloom today, you cannot escape death!"
Before Morris can speak again, Henwell pierces through his neck with one sword, then pulls outward with force and cuts off his entire head.
Morris dies with his eyes open. Those wide eyes seem unable to believe, even in death, that Henwell truly dared to kill him.
Just after Morris is killed, the blood spurting from the severed neck does not fall.
Instead, it turns into blood mist and gathers in the air into the shape of a shifting human face.
That face stares fixedly at Henwell. "Was it you who killed my bloodline? Come to Wumpus to see me at once."
"As the price, you will serve me for fifty years. Otherwise, die!"
Henwell tilts his head, sizing up the blood face. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
Although the blood face does not understand Henwell's crude insult, it can still sense the mockery in his words.
"Audacious fool! Do you know who I am?"
"Why should I care who you are?"
The blood face laughs in extreme anger. "Good, good, good! Then wait for me to find you. When that time comes, you will know who I am!"
"And now, I also very much want to know who you are, to dare be so arrogant and speak to me like this!"
After speaking, a cauldron-shaped emblem slowly condenses before the blood face and drifts toward Henwell.
Henwell knows the name of this thing: Bloodmark. It is used by professionals to mark enemies who have killed their bloodline descendants.
Once branded by this thing, it is very difficult to escape the tracking of the mark's owner.
Yet Henwell has no intention of dodging. He calmly watches the Bloodmark land on his shoulder.
"Heh... you do have some courage. I hope your true self will not disappoint me. Otherwise, what awaits you will be endless tor... ah!"
Before the words are finished, a scream rings through the royal hall.
It is not merely sound. It is a howl on the level of the soul.
Just now, the instant the blood-colored mark landed on Henwell, a three-colored radiance lit up from Henwell's body.
Henwell senses that something has appeared above his head, but he cannot see it.
By contrast, the blood face lets out a scream of despair.
The scream lasts only a short while, but it seems to have caused enormous harm to the owner of the blood face. It takes him a long time to recover even a little strength.
The blood face stares fixedly at Henwell. "Who exactly are you! Why..."
The blood face does not dare say the rest.
Henwell raises his head. "My name is Dias! If you have the guts, come to Gitaya and take revenge on me!"
The blood face roars, "Ruined Spear, I have no grudge against you. Why are you harming me!"
Huh?
This guy knows that name?
Henwell's expression does not change. "Do I need to explain myself to you? Because I feel like it!"
"Good, good, good! Your Keystone is very powerful, but our Scholar’s Den is not something others can bully at will. Just you wait!"
After saying this, the blood face vanishes.
Henwell frowns and begins thinking. It seems Morris's ancestor is a super professional.
The force he belongs to is called Scholar’s Den, and it should also be on the Abundant Continent.
The reason Henwell has never been worried about the Bloodmark is that Newwood once said he is the kind of person who counters bloodline users.
Once the other party dares activate the Bloodmark, he will definitely be heavily injured by the existence behind Henwell.
If it really comes to comparing backers, Henwell is not afraid of anyone.
The one standing behind him might be an existence beyond gods. After all, how can someone capable of laying plans across worlds be a simple figure?
This is also why Henwell wanted to test whether the existence behind him would display influence when he encountered this kind of major threat.
Judging from the result just now, Henwell feels a trace of relief.
He does not know what method his boss has used. In any case, Morris's ancestor and his boss are simply not on the same level.
As for who Ruined Spear Dias is, Henwell does not know.
But Henwell knows that this person is Newwood's enemy.
Previously, Newwood had taken Henwell's explosives to renovate that fellow's place.
Newwood's friends are not necessarily his friends, but Newwood's enemies are definitely also his enemies!