Free Web NovelChapter 506: Chapter 248: New Life Amid Despair
The decayed cabin swayed in the firelight, as if it might collapse at any moment. The air was filled with the scorch of burning wood, the stench of blood, and a nauseating aura of violence.
The young boy held a bloody farm tool, his arms trembled slightly from exertion, but the fire in his eyes burned more intensely than ever before.
On the makeshift bed behind him, his mother, recently pulled back from the brink of death, weakly struggled, her throat producing fractured gasps:
"Run... quickly... run..."
Each word pierced the boy’s heart like a needle, yet it stoked the flames of defiance within him into a wilder blaze.
He could not run, nor was there anywhere to run to.
Outside were more bandits, a purgatory of arson, murder, and plunder. The bandit before him, with lecherous eyes and savage breath, was the first, and perhaps the last, abyss he had to cross.
The bandit licked his chapped lips, his gaze flitting between the boy and his mother, deliberately using filthy words to provoke the boy’s sensitive nerves, trying to find a crack of fear or anger on his face.
He was experienced and sensed the boy was anything but ordinary; the resolute look in his eyes was not something a typical farm child should have.
This kid, there must be something strange about him!
One must be cautious, don’t stumble into a pit!
The cautious yet cunning opponent brought immense pressure upon the boy, despair pressed in from all directions like an icy abyss, nearly suffocating him.
Not long ago, he had just received miraculous power from the Lord of Light and Shadow to bring his mother back from the brink of death. Why must he lose her again so soon? This pain of loss and regain was far crueler than death itself.
Perhaps...
It’s not us who are wrong....
But this world...
In this supremely oppressive atmosphere, the boy couldn’t help but recall the words of the Blood Erosion Tyrant, which had once given him the key to salvation’s power.
"As long as the belief and desire to resist are strong enough, the Lord of Light and Shadow will cast down his gaze and grant you power."
Ignite my beliefs, kindle my anger, turn rebellion and unwillingness into fuel!
I need... powerful force!
The power to turn the tide!
Before, I just wanted to save my mother, that desire was pure, yet it did not include the resolve to utterly destroy the enemy, so although successful, it was not strong enough.
But now, he understood
The Tax Collector, bandits, the countless enemies outside and in the future... The world’s malice will never cease. Only power, absolute power, can crush every hindrance and protect that faint point of happiness and warmth in his palm.
Since that’s the case...
Then let this heart burn completely!
With my blood and bones, forge the foundation of rebellion! Burn away all the darkness in this world!
’This demeanor?’
’He’s distracted!’
Just as the bandit thought he had succeeded, silently approaching to seize the boy in one fell swoop, a violent anomaly suddenly erupted.
"Buzz!"
A dazzling golden light burst forth from the boy’s body without warning, even more brilliant and violent than when he had healed his mother.
The light was like tangible fire, wrapping around him, turning the farm tool in his hand into a pale gold as if it had completed some enchantment, simultaneously attacking at top speed, the sound of ripping through the air abruptly arising.
"Whoosh!"
The bandit’s pupils shrank, and armed with the foresight of his rich experience in combat, he evaded the boy’s full-power strike with a clumsy yet effective roll.
The farm tool struck the ground, sending rocks flying, leaving a shallow pit, evidently strong in power.
"You little bastard, indeed something’s wrong!"
The bandit spat, his expression becoming grim and ferocious. He no longer held back, drawing a short knife from his waist, his figure weaving like a panther in a fight with the boy.
The golden light granted the boy significant power, even faintly overcoming the bandit, but he had strength without technique, all attacks stemming from raw courage.
The bandit toyed with him like a trapped beast, deftly dodging every heavy blow, his short knife like a serpent’s tongue, repeatedly leaving blood marks on the boy. Thighs, arms, under the ribs... The wounds stung like fire, blood quickly soaking his tattered clothes.
"Give up, kid!"
The bandit fought while attacking with words, glancing at the anxious mother on the bed, continuing to taunt: "Look at your mother! You keep struggling, and soon I’ll have my way with her right in front of you! Let you hear how she cries out!"
"...."
The boy’s eyes were resolute, unwavering. The weak losing everything, he had long known, had even experienced countless times the feeling of loss and helplessness.
There were more bandits outside, and with the power he possessed now, the eventual outcome would inevitably be tragic, being crushed by this guy or the other bandits outside made no real difference.
He was fighting with a determination to die, so words like these naturally would not affect him.
"Pshhh!"
The next moment, the blade sliced a cold arc, precisely cutting open the artery in the boy’s thigh, blood gushing out like a spring, pain and sudden loss of blood causing him to black out momentarily, nearly causing him to collapse.
"Son!"
The mother on the bed cried out in a heart-wrenching scream.
This cry was like a shot of adrenaline, focusing the boy’s scattered spirit sharply. He saw the bandit’s face twisted in a triumphant grin, saw the slight relaxation in the opponent’s defenses due to overconfidence.
This was the flaw he had calculated from the beginning, deliberately shown.
This is it!
The boy let out a beastial roar, ignoring the debilitating pain that nearly knocked him out, pouncing forward like a dying beast!
