CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 68: THE PRICE OF BETRAYAL

The echo of the arrow’s impact scared everyone on the island. The shouts from the cat village mixed with the sudden silence of the guards. Seeing the young woman with her bow, smiling fixedly, the elders knew they were in serious trouble.

"Who are you?!" shouted one of the cats with a white beard, trembling. "Be aware that this island is under the protection of the Demon King! He will not tolerate an invasion!"

My companions looked at each other, and a collective burst of laughter broke the tense silence. Even I couldn’t help but laugh. The elder backed away, confused by our reaction.

I stepped forward and looked at them with contempt. "You’re idiots if you think that demon will come to save you. He must already know we’re here, and if he hasn’t come, it’s because he doesn’t dare."

At that moment, the cats’ gazes fell upon Jayde.

"Traitor!" one of the guards shouted at her. "Damn you! How could you bring these invaders to our village?"

An older cat with gray fur and a scar on his face pushed his way through the elders. It was the father of Lucien Shadowclaw. His face was filled with rage.

"You!" he yelled at Jayde, pointing a trembling finger at her. "You killed my son! And now you bring these demons to our home!" He turned to me, a desperate look in his voice. "Outsider, I don’t know what deal that whore has made, but we’ll offer you more. Much more! I’ll give you everything... everything we possess!"

Before he could finish his pathetic deal, my fist crashed into his chest.

CRACK.

The blow was sharp and devastating. His body flew away lifelessly, like a rag doll, and slammed into one of the huts. The silence returned, but this time, it was an absolute silence, filled with terror.

I looked at the cats, who were now trembling with fear, and my voice spread through the village like a cold wind.

"I’ll just say one thing: from now on, everyone who holds a grudge against our new member Jayde is dead."

My words were not a threat. They were a promise.

Jayde began to cry, overwhelmed with gratitude. She had been afraid that since she had nothing to offer, I would discard her now that we no longer needed her, but she had been wrong. I was not like other people; I valued the people by my side very much and would not hesitate to declare war on the entire world to save their lives.

"Attack...!" the other elders shouted, launching themselves against us and breaking the nice and emotional moment we were having.

The girls moved into attack positions, but I raised my hand, indicating that there was no need. I took a step forward and unleashed two of my new evolved abilities.

[Supreme Delay Dark Moon]

[Ritmic Timeless Lunar Pulse]

Thousands of cats seemed to freeze in time. Only the elders could move, barely and very slowly, but their bodies trembled with uncontrollable spasms that wouldn’t even let them walk steadily without tripping. The cats had wanted to ambush us; around us, there were cats floating, frozen in time, but there was no hope for them. The level difference was abysmal; I could finish them off without even breaking a sweat, but this war was not mine. I pulled a silver dagger with a red ruby that glowed with a bloody sheen from my inventory.

"Take this, get your revenge. You have ten minutes before they can move again." I offered her the bloody dagger so she could take her revenge.

Jayde took it, her eyes filling with tears again. "Thank you..." she whispered.

"I’ll give you one last push," I said, and activated three area buffs.

[Bearserk]

[Leadership]

[Battle Cry]

Jayde’s eyes turned purple, her body was now completely overflowing with energy and power; she was no longer a simple low-level catkin, she now had the strength of a level 65 beast, something no one in this place could withstand. Her movements were so fast that you could only see a blurry figure cutting off heads as if they were lettuce by the side of the road.

Rivers of blood began to flow, filling the entire ground. Jayde’s screams echoed throughout the battlefield as she carried out a complete massacre. There were no survivors. There were no screams from the others, just a ruthless slaughter. After annihilating those present, she even searched inside the village for the children, the elderly, and pregnant women; no one was saved from her fury, just as no one from her clan had survived the unjust betrayal they had suffered years ago.

Jayde walked up to me and knelt, placing her head on the ground while extending the dagger towards me, crying and making a vow.

"My life, my soul... everything is yours from now on, my lord. Thank you for avenging my family."

I extended my hand, lifting her from the ground with a big smile.

"There’s no need for that. You are mine now for all eternity, and not even death could take you from me."

I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around her, kissing her. I didn’t care that she was completely covered in blood. Our tongues intertwined in a passionate kiss.

"Get a room!" one of my companions yelled.

"You’re just tempting me, I want one too!" shouted Zyra, who had always hinted at me, but now she had finally dared to say it out loud.

I let go of Jayde and walked over to Zyra, kissing her passionately while grabbing both her buttocks with my hands. My eyes were completely filled with lust as I yelled out loud:

"All of you are mine, and I will never let anyone take you away from me!"

There was no need for hypocrisy with the women around me. They had all realized how I looked at them during training and knew that I desired them deeply, but they had never expected me to be so brazen. I laughed, breaking the tension, as I told them to loot the village, looking especially for gold and cores.

Everyone started looking for valuable things, and I sold everything in the system, emptying the mountains of materials. A few hours passed before we headed to the Dogkin village.