Abetting Evil
The five guardians were collectively stunned by the sight of the white wolf bursting out into the open, as
they had not expected to encounter such a formidable and ferocious beast there.
“Who are you people?” demanded Rayleigh with a questioning frown.
He could sense a certain familiarity about those five individuals’ auras, but he was unable to figure out
exactly who they might be there and then. With his powers now utterly depleted after transferring them
onto Josephine and Lizbeth in their entirety, he was not able to activate his spiritual sense to process a
probe either.
“Rayleigh Deragon?” one of the five suddenly blurted, and after he did, he reflexively put a hand to his
mouth as though he had misspoken.
Rayleigh’s eyes lit up as that clued him in straightaway. Hence, he said, “So, the guardians from the
Deragons have arrived. No wonder your auras seemed so familiar.”
Seeing that their cover had been blown, the five guardians thus made no further attempt to withhold
their identities and proceeded to unmask themselves.
Enoch, the leader of the group, met Rayleigh’s gaze. “Your aura has vanished, Rayleigh. What
happened to your powers?”
“Gone. As of now, I am just an ordinary man,” replied Rayleigh with a faint smile.
Rayleigh’s casual demeanor astonished the guardians, for the ease with which he approached the loss
of those skills that he had so painstakingly cultivated was not something that most would be able to
muster.
“Tell us, Rayleigh. Why did you choose to betray Mr. Deragon back then? Just look at what you’ve
brought upon yourself.” Enoch regarded Rayleigh with a look of disappointment before he continued,
“Where is Mr. Draco?”
The mention of Draco brought a glint of wistfulness across Rayleigh’s eyes. “Mr. Draco has passed
on…” he said with some sorrow.
“Considering that we’ve come to this, Rayleigh, it’s about time you repented. Surrender Jared Chance
over to us, and we shall beseech Mr. Deragon to spare you upon our return. Having been reduced to a
petty mortal, you might be better off finding yourself a place where you could retire to and live out the
rest of your days in peace!” said Enoch as he sought to persuade Rayleigh.
“Coming all the way out here, you must surely have realized that Jared is Ms. Beatrice’s son. How
could I possibly hand Jared over to you after how Mr. Draco has given his life for him? Don’t you know
that Ryker had poisoned his own father and usurped his position? By siding with him now, all of you are
in fact, abetting evil,” said Rayleigh in unbridled umbrage.
“Your words are wasted on him, Enoch. Let’s just get in there, grab Jared, and be done with it.”
With a resounding roar, the third guardian, Garadin, sent his own massive fist thundering toward
Rayleigh.
Although there may not be too much martial energy put behind it, that punch still packed the potency to
pummel Rayleigh to a pulp should it connect, for there was no way the latter’s mortal body would be
able to withstand an impact like that.
That attack delivered was definitely a killing blow from Garadin, who came across as a callous
character by showing scant regard for the many years of service Rayleigh had contributed toward the
Deragons.
Awooo!
At that crucial moment, the white wolf let out a howl and sank its fangs into the guardian’s shoulder.
“Aaaahh!”
Brought down by the pouncing white wolf, Garadin cried out in anguish. The other guardians moved
swiftly in response to intervene with a forceful retaliation.
Loosening its jaws and exerting its hind legs, the white wolf launched itself into the air in a single
bound, dodging all of the guardians’ flurry of attacks.
“Garadin, are you all right?”
Enoch promptly pulled his companion back onto his feet.
An inspection of his own mangled shoulder ignited the third guardian’s fury. His savage aura that came
to an abrupt boil promptly engulfed Rayleigh and the others within.
Josephine and Lizbeth both rushed forward to shield Rayleigh behind them, while Lyanna stayed close
for Melanie’s protection.
That would have been a sound move if not for the fact that amongst them, only Josephine and Lizbeth
were capable of handling themselves. With Lyanna’s limited abilities, she would probably be quite
useless in a fight.
Up against the five Martial Arts Grandmasters, the white wolf, too, stood absolutely no chance
whatsoever.
Be it so, none of them shied away, for Jared was verging on a breakthrough at that most critical
juncture. Were he to be disrupted in his endeavor, it could wreck the fruits of his cultivation to date, and
his life might even be forfeited.
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