SWNOVELS Chapter 81: To Meet A Tragic End
Boyce finally landed after he was sent flying through the air for seven to eight meters, scattering and leaving a gory blood-stained path along the way.
The impact was more than what he could bear, and he could not help but to spit out a mouthful of blood that contained fragments of his organs after landing on the ground.
It was evident that Boyce was severely wounded by this immense blow to his body.
Fresh crimson blood was seen gushing out from his chest, and his ribs were even vaguely visible from the trauma that had almost torn his body apart while his mind and nerves were violently assaulted by waves of excruciating, throbbing pain.
His captivating charisma and refined demeanor that he had displayed when he first appeared on the scene were nowhere to be seen now.
Soon after, the dominance of his 'Confinement' had lost its efficacy on the regions where it had been exerted on as a result of his injury.
Everyone whom was affected started to breath heavily in ragged gasps due to short of breath, and they had managed to regain their mobility momentarily after the dissipation of the constraint.
Boyce's move had daunted them as they now knew the magnitude of his capability that had restrained them on the ground, making them unable to move even an inch.
However, their gaze on Jacob was struck with even more horror and dread after they had witnessed Boyce's tragic fall. Jacob was the real monster here!
His move had chilled the blood of a few Virtuosos-to-be that were mingling in the crowd particularly.
In fact, the ones who were most startled by Jacob were the Virtuosos that were staying hidden in the dark.
The news of Boyce's southbound trip had already caught the masses' attention, and now that Jacob, a mysterious man whom was suspected to be a Virtuoso at such a tender age, had challenged him to a death match, it was no wonder that the fight would be a deepening concern to the Virtuosos.
Except for the two Virtuosos that were worried that they would be Boyce's target for a duel in the southern region, Jerome Lester, Mortimer Osborn and Ronald Parker had also make an appearance to watch the battle.
The three of them were the most stunned by Jacob's capability as they certainly had their fair share of unpleasant experiences from the might of Boyce's 'Confinement' in the past. Despite Ronald's realization of the intermediate-stage Virtuoso, he was still slightly affected by Boyce's tactic during their duel, let alone Jerome and Mortimer whose attainment was below him.
However, Jacob was not affected by the constraint in the slightest sense just now and the fact alone blew their minds!
Furthermore, the strike that he had employed just now was a rare move that they had not seen before. He had engulfed the overpowering force that was exerted on him, and after an extreme compression of the pressure inside his body, the outcome he had put forth was an explosive shock wave that was rebounded to his enemy. Although it was possible in theory, it would be outrageous for someone to be able to carry out such a move.
Even a Virtuoso would not dare to execute this kind of tactic when faced with a Virtuoso-to-be's attack, let alone someone who was on the same standing of with his enemy. Dread and fright were soon manifesting in the eyes of these Virtuosos which were fixated on Jacob.
Boyce's eyes darkened as he stood up from the ground. He believed he was favored by the God, and even though he might not be the earliest to attain the Virtuoso Phase, he had faith in himself that he was the most powerful of them all. Deep down in his heart, he always believed he was the invincible as he possessed the Invincible Heart.
Having said that, he had been thrashed successively by Jacob's overpowering might in the fight today.
Boyce's stunning face started to contort as grim crept up on his expression.
"I'm going to slaughter you today as a blood offering to strengthen and perfect my Invincible Heart! You ask for it yourself, Jacob!" Boyce shouted in anger while dismissing his grave injury on his chest. The waning aura on his body had unexpectedly undergone an immense transformation as it rose to a peak in a short instant. On top of that, his aura seemed to have continued to intensify vaguely after hitting his own limit.
His usual striking demeanor was seen to be withering as his flesh and blood were slowly shriveling up, his smooth and bouncy skin drying up like a desert.
"This... This is the Combustion of Essential Blood!" Ronald gasped as he was aghast at Boyce's move.
The Combustion of Essential Blood is an arcane technique in which one could forcibly upgrade his ability through the combustion of his own essential blood. If the technique was used desperately, those who were exceptionally gifted with remarkable talent could even aggrandize their Phase to a higher level.
Boyce was undeniably the extraordinarily talented candidate and the devil's child whom could reach a higher Phase by utilizing this technique.
Ronald's pupil dilated in stupefaction as the realization that he would be defeated if Boyce had utilized the Combustion of Essential Blood technique during their duel yesterday had hit him abruptly. "Has he gone mad?" Mortimer and the rest cried out in horror.
The reason for their bewilderment was because of the consequences it would bring to one's body. This drastic technique was a self-destructive move as it would destroy one's fundamentals and foundation long in the making.
"Even though everyone thinks that Boyce had accomplished his Invincible Heart, his immense greed and ambition to perfect his Invincible Heart have led him to begin his trip southbound as he is determined to hunt and behead a Virtuoso. All the other Virtuosos have immensely influential and prominent background coupled with extensive interpersonal connections; hence it would be hard for Boyce to target any one of them as even the famous Goldsmith family in the capital city would not want to risk offending them. Jacob is undeniably the best and most perfect candidate to become Boyce's prey as he has appeared out of nowhere and lacks any impressive background."
"See, Boyce couldn't care less about Jacob's background right now. The only thing that matters to him is the fact that if he were to lose to Jacob, all his previous efforts would gone down the drain. That explains why he is so desperate to employ the Combustion of Essential Blood technique that will ultimately cause destruction to his fundamentals in order to slaughter Jacob. It is the only way that his Invincible Heart will be perfected. Once he loses the fight, it will break off instantly!" Ronald commented.
It was apparent that he had made an incisive analysis of the current situation and his thorough exposition was extremely on point.
"Moreover, he could easily recuperate from the side effects of exerting the Combustion of Essential Blood technique on his body with the Goldsmith's deep-seated foundation. His own fundamentals would not be harmed and the worst that could happen to him is being in a state of debility for a few months. All these sacrifices are definitely worth the risk to achieve the perfect Invincible Heart."
"No matter how strong Jacob is, he is definitely in hot water now."
All the Virtuosos indeed had very acute perception of the current dire situation. The other spectators had also discerned Boyce's intensifying aura that was increasingly terrifying even though they might not be enlightened about the esoteric reason behind the development of his power. It seemed possible that Boyce might overpower Jacob after this amplification.
"Go to hell, Jacob!" Boyce yelled after his force of aura had peaked to his highest limit, his body disappeared on the spot in the blink of an eye.
This time, he had opted for the most brutal and simple method of murdering Jacob to get revenge on the pain that he had inflicted on him. When he had reappeared in front of Jacob's eyes, he swung his lethal punch that was infused with all his might at Jacob's forehead.
"How dare you try to harm the physique of the servant of Emperor of the Dark Realm!?" Jacob sneered coldly. He had had his eyes on Boyce's body; hence it was utterly unforgivable when the brat was destroying his own physique by using the Combustion of Essential Blood!
Jacob stepped forward like he was taking a leisure stroll in the park and raised his arm to throw his punch; his manner was collected as usual while facing head on with Boyce's threatening blow. His punch was seemingly gentle, yet it created a huge explosion with shockwave rippling through the air.
Bang! An ear-shattering boom followed right after.
Boyce was sent flying again.
"This..."
Everyone in the crowd was astounded and stupefied. Ronald and the other two were also at a loss for words after witnessing the scene in front of them.
Boyce whom had enhanced his ability with the Combustion of Essential Blood should overpower Jacob completely in terms of aura.
However, he was brought to his knees once again with just one move from Jacob.
Who the hell was this man and how powerful was he exactly?
"This is for destroying the physique of the servant that I've been eyeing!" Jacob scoffed in a cold dark tone and vanished in a flash.
Just before Boyce had hit the ground after gliding through the air, Jacob suddenly materialized on the spot that he was about to land on and forcibly kicked his torso. Boyce was sent flying again before he even had the chance to touch the ground, and this time he was kicked high up into the sky.
Jacob was still on the ground one moment, the next he had vanished from sight again.
He reappeared in the sky the next instant, viciously stomping on Boyce's chest with his foot.
With his kick, Boyce plummeted towards the ground at full tilt like a meteorite. Jacob had yet again disappeared fully.
What happened in the next few moments would be ingrained in the crowd's minds forever as the haunting scene had made an ineffaceable and lasting impression on them.
Everyone watched as Jacob whizzed back and forth at lightning speed while Boyce's body were sent flying towards different directions in the air, but never heading towards the ground. The scene was way too miserable to take in.
Boyce's dismal wail escalated as the torture went on.
The vicious incident happening in front of the spectators had made their scalp tingled in extreme fear.
Those who were more daring were even secretly roasting Jacob's actions in their heart: You were furious when Boyce had used the Combustion of Essential Blood technique as his flesh and blood would wither away which had caused harm to the servant's physique. It was way worse now that you were kicking his torso as if you were playing with a ball. He would not be recognisable after all these brutal and ruthless kicking.
Despite roasting Jacob's inscrutable action, compassion and pity for Boyce were breeding deep down in their hearts as time went by.
It was astonishment that a proud son of a generation had met his miserable and tragic end in such a way.
Extreme fear had crept up on Ronald and the other Virtuosos who were in hiding as they could undoubtedly perceive how powerful Jacob was. Despite Boyce's amplifying howl that had led their dread to swell, they could clearly discern that the state of his body was not ruined at all. Jacob's outstanding control of his own force was mind blowing.
Jacob finally gave him one last kick as if he was done playing with Boyce, sending him gliding through the air for the last time.
With a mere wave with his right hand, the lid on the neglected coffin which was situated in the middle of the field went soaring high into the sky.
Boyce's body flew right into the coffin at that moment, and after the lid had fallen and the opening was sealed, his harrowing wail finally stopped abruptly. "Today is your doomsday, Boyce!" Jacob's voice rang loudly and clearly in everyone's ear, and the huge scene was as silent as a grave. Everyone including the Virtuosos who were in hiding were taken aback and had been reduced to silence as extreme trepidation settled on them. "You brat! How dare you!" A voice suddenly exploded on the field, and an elder who was cladded in a grey coat materialised out of nowhere.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐