The Last Founder

Chapter 82: Fight?

The heart demon fixed his gaze on Alaric, holding the silence so long it felt heavy and intentional. Then, out of nowhere, Hundao’s lips twisted into a grin and a laugh slipped out, at first soft, almost friendly, but rising quickly into a deep, powerful roar that shook the trees and echoed through the woods.

The sudden noise startled flocks of birds into the sky and sent hidden animals running for cover through the underbrush. Even the breeze seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if the ancient forest could sense that something completely unnatural was happening among its trees.

"You really believe what you’re saying." The creature casually wiped a tear from its eye, still grinning from its laughter. "That’s honestly refreshing." It shook its head, amused. "You have no idea how many people stood right where you are, so sure they could end me. Kings who ruled whole continents. Immortals who thought they could escape destiny. Saints that entire civilizations worshipped. Every single one of them is gone now." Its crimson eyes narrowed, the smile lingering. "None of them succeeded."

Alaric’s face stayed calm and unmoved, giving nothing away.

"You think you’re above something as basic as dying," Alaric said, his voice perfectly steady.

The heart demon blinked, as if slightly surprised by the remark.

"...Exactly." The demon’s agreement was blunt and matter-of-fact, with no attempt to pretend otherwise.

"All you’ve really shown is that you managed to survive. You haven’t faced me before. If you had, you wouldn’t be standing here right now."

The creature’s smile faltered, becoming suddenly stiff and unnatural.

"You talk as if survival means nothing," the demon replied.

"It isn’t," Alaric replied, completely serious. "It’s just that surviving and actually winning are two very different things."

A heavy silence fell between them again, the tension thick enough to feel. freewebnovel.cσ๓

The heart demon let out a slow breath through Hundao’s nose, carefully watching the young man in front of him. Throughout their talk, it had tried again and again to push Alaric into losing his cool. It had talked about hopelessness, guilt, death, and failure. It tried to crush any hope of saving Hundao, teased him with the idea of bringing Hundao back, and even tried to plant the idea that Alaric might get obsessed in the future.

But nothing had worked, not because Alaric didn’t have feelings. The heart demon could sense sadness inside him, like the faint glow of embers under a layer of ash.

Instead...

Alaric simply refused to let those emotions control what he did.

’Interesting...’ the demon thought. Very interesting indeed.

For someone still so young, no matter how special his fate might be, Alaric’s mind was unusually steady. Most young cultivators tried to bury or ignore their feelings, thinking emotions were weaknesses. But Alaric faced his emotions head-on, without letting them take over. Even the oldest practitioners rarely managed that.

Unfortunately, the demon knew that having a steady mind wouldn’t be enough to save Alaric.

"I have to admit, I’m disappointed," the heart demon said at last. "When I first noticed you, I thought you might be someone truly remarkable."

Alaric tilted his head a tiny bit, showing he was listening.

"You really thought that?"

"Of course." The creature opened its hands in a gesture. "You noticed me almost right away, even after I just took over this body. Before we even spoke, I could tell you weren’t normal. Your perception is almost unbelievable." Its smile returned, a little wider. "But then we started talking."

"And then?"

"That’s when I realized you’re just another clever kid. Not someone truly special like those others..."

Alaric nodded, thinking it over. He almost felt relieved to hear it.

"I get it," Alaric said softly.

"You understand?" the demon asked, tilting his head now.

"Now I do," Alaric replied.

The heart demon frowned, watching Alaric more closely.

"You’ve been trying to make yourself believe that I’m beneath you," Alaric said, meeting its eyes.

For the first time since they started talking...

The demon’s smile vanished completely, leaving his face cold and empty.

Alaric spoke up before the demon could answer.

"If I really didn’t matter, you wouldn’t have spent all this time talking to me and trying to prove how little I know."

The forest around them grew strangely quiet, as if everything was waiting for what would happen next.

"You’ve answered nearly every question I asked. You explained your beliefs, you explained Hundao, and you even told me a rule about possession. It’s like you just couldn’t help yourself. Maybe it’s just in your nature?"

Alaric met the creature’s eyes without flinching.

"If you were really sure you’d win, you wouldn’t need to keep explaining yourself," he said quietly.

Alaric’s words seemed to hit the demon harder than expected, making the silence even heavier.

The heart demon didn’t say a word, but his thoughts raced.

Inside, though, the demon’s mind was working fast. ’I keep having to raise my opinion of this boy. And I hate that.’

Much sharper than expected.

Every single thing Alaric said had a reason behind it. He wasn’t just looking for answers; he was paying close attention to the demon too, learning from everything.

When the demon realized this, his eyes tightened just a little, almost too subtle to notice.

"Looks like I underestimated you," the demon said, sounding almost impressed.

"That’s been happening a lot lately," Alaric replied, a small smile forming. "It’s a skill I’m trying to improve, so I’m glad it’s working."

"..."

The heart demon laughed again, though this time the amusement sounded genuine.

"I like you." ’I hate him.’

"I know you can’t stand my presence."

"You know?" The heart demon said in a confused tone.

"You’ve delayed killing me because you want the satisfaction of the final moment. That rush after getting something you have been deprived of your whole life." Alaric spoke as though stating an obvious fact.

The creature slowly clapped its hands together.

"Marvelous."

Its voice carried sincere admiration.

"You really are fascinating."

The atmosphere shifted.Neither released any form of energy, yet the air between them became impossibly heavy from the sheer momentum alone.

The heart demon’s smile gradually faded.

"I’ve changed my mind."

"I was originally planning to break you mentally before killing you." It lowered its arms. "I don’t think that’s possible anymore."

Alaric remained motionless.

"So instead..."

The creature bent its knees ever so slightly.

"...I’ll simply kill you."

There was no warning. No dramatic outburst. The ground beneath Hundao’s feet fractured with a deafening crack as his figure vanished. The distance separating them collapsed in an instant.

His fist arrived before Alaric’s face with terrifying speed, carrying no visible technique whatsoever.

Alaric leaned back just enough for the strike to brush past the bridge of his nose.

The air exploded.

Several ancient trees behind him shattered simultaneously, their trunks breaking apart as though struck by invisible siege weapons before crashing into the forest floor.

’Altering the trajectory of force...’

Alaric’s thoughts remained perfectly composed.

’No, the force never traveled in a straight line.’

The heart demon’s second strike followed immediately. Its elbow descended toward Alaric’s shoulder.

Instead of retreating, Alaric stepped forward. His shoulder rotated; his waist twisted; his own fist shot toward the creature’s ribs. The two attacks landed almost simultaneously.

Bang!

The collision echoed like metal striking metal.

Alaric slid backward several meters before digging his heel into the earth, carving a deep trench through the forest floor. He clenched his hand and opened it, repeating it several times, ’I thought he would use Hundao’s technique, but for some reason, he isn’t doing that. I mustn’t let my guard down.’

The heart demon also retreated. Only one step.

It looked down and saw a faint bruise had appeared along Hundao’s ribs.

"...Remarkable."

It flexed its arm experimentally.

"This body’s durability has increased considerably since I took it."

Alaric silently observed the movement.

’What kind of technique is he using? Is that regeneration? No, according to analysis, it’s some form of redistribution.’

The muscles beneath Hundao’s skin shifted unnaturally for the briefest moment before settling back into place, and the bruise disappeared.

’Interesting.’

When Alaric first fought against Hundao, the amount of destruction wrought on the surrounding vegetation was minimal. This was because cultivator have a basic form of control over the force being exerted on their surroundings. For instance, a cultivator who has the power to crush a mountain can exert that same mountain-crushing force without destroying anything in their immediate environment. They can choose to concentrate or disperse that force.

Right now, they didn’t care about control; they cared mostly about the opponent in front of them - well, mostly the heart demon. Alaric, on the other hand, would not forgo control; in fact, he sees this as a perfect moment to train his control.

What the heart demon just did was a fundamental application of control that baffled Alaric a little bit. ’Is this the essence of the flesh-refinement stage? Being able to control one’s fleshly body freely.’

He felt like he was on the cusp of realizing something, but that would have to wait for him to get back to his chamber.

What this heart demon just did was essentially control the distribution of his flesh, spreading his injury to every part of his body, rendering what might hinder his fighting style when concentrated obsolete. ’What a simple but terrifying technique. His vast experience really is a great advantage, but that injury shouldn’t affect him much; he could heal in a few minutes... Unless.’

...

A/N:This Chapter is really a hassle to write. I wanted them to fight already, but the heart demon just keeps talking no matter what. Sadly, there wasn’t much I could do... After all, it is in their nature.