Dragon Monarch System Chapter 1073:- Why?

A sudden detonation from the city's core caught Harrington completely by surprise. He immediately understood the target of this blast.

"The Mansion...!!" he whispered.

Renji and another member of their organization paused, seemingly to observe the fiery spectacle.

"Hahahaha!!! It appears your residence has met its end." Renji's laughter boomed.

His mirth was punctuated by a coughing fit, expelling blood from the injuries Malakor Harrington had inflicted. Yet, these wounds felt almost like a prize, given the look of sheer disbelief on Harrington's face.

'How could this have happened?' Harrington had genuinely thought the city was secure, leaving his mansion. Even with his and Boris’s personal engagement against the enemy, Vardy and Wahid, the second and third strongest cultivators within Axel City, should have been more than capable of safeguarding the rest and handling any lingering threats within the city limits. (Boris, of course, was not included in that count).

Furthermore, the Harrington family commanded one of the absolute strongest and most combat-experienced armies in the entire Empire. Their soldiers were perpetually engaged against swarms of magical beasts. These relentless conflicts honed their troops through constant, real-world combat on an almost daily basis. Considering all this, Harrington simply could not fathom how the enemy had managed to detonate his entire mansion right under their noses.

Harrington's momentary bewilderment was Renji's cue; he gestured to his comrade for an assault.

This was their golden opportunity to strike a devastating blow against Harrington, significantly improving their odds of victory in this ongoing battle.

Harrington sensed an incredibly perilous energy approaching. He instinctively shifted his body to the right, attempting to parry the incoming strike with his colossal great sword. However, the attack was so swift that he was caught off guard.

The assault tore a two-inch-wide gash through his left shoulder.

"Hahahha! Bid your final farewells. Your time is up." Renji cackled and lunged towards Harrington.

"Idiot, don't just charge at him recklessly." His partner attempted to intervene, but it was far too late.

Even in his wounded condition, this was Malakor Harrington they were facing. This berserker would not be felled so easily.

Meanwhile, Harrington dropped to one knee, clutching his wounded shoulder tightly. Blood slowly trickled from the injury as his breaths grew slightly more labored. His immense great sword had slipped from his grasp, clattering loudly onto the fractured ground below. The wound on his shoulder was so severe that, for a fleeting moment, he lacked the necessary strength in his arm to properly wield his weapon and continue the fight.

Witnessing Harrington on his knees, Renji's excitement erupted. The warning his partner had shouted moments before was entirely disregarded. In that instant, all Renji perceived was an injured Harrington.

To his eyes, Harrington was a wounded behemoth, ripe for the kill.

He was also intoxicated by the prospect of achieving renown for killing Malakor. Such fame would elevate his Sect to an even more fearsome status. He would finally attain the recognition he had long craved as a formidable powerhouse.

"Diiiiiiiiie!" Renji charged in with a brutally close-quarters attack.

At the absolute last second, Harrington's eyes snapped open wide. In that split microsecond their gazes locked, Renji felt a wave of terror wash over him, despite being the aggressor and Harrington being on his knee. It was the sheer dread that Malakor Harrington had instilled within his heart.

Merely uttering the name Malakor was enough to make cultivators tremble with palpable fear.

Within that infinitesimal moment, a small blade materialized in Harrington's palm. He violently tilted his head to the extreme left, narrowly evading the incoming strike.

However, the folly of recklessly attacking Harrington, believing him defeated, was paid for by Renji.

Renji could not evade the small dagger. The blade, already coated in potent venom, plunged directly into his right chest.

He narrowly missed having his heart impaled.

In a bid to save his companion, the mid-seventh-order cultivator of the organization unleashed a long-range assault, forcing Harrington to adopt a defensive stance. Seizing this opening, a shadowy tendril erupted from his silhouette, ensnaring Renji by the waist and yanking him towards safety.

"Idiot, I explicitly warned you not to charge at Harrington so carelessly." Even before their confrontation began, his partner had repeatedly cautioned Renji against succumbing to arrogance and believing victory was assured until Malakor Harrington was unequivocally deceased. As long as Harrington drew even a single breath, he remained an exceptionally perilous entity, capable of completely reversing the tide of battle in an instant.

Moments ago, Renji had learned that harsh lesson in the most terrifying manner. Even now, as he rapidly retreated across the shattered battlefield, the horrifyingly slow details of what had transpired could still be clearly recalled. The instant Harrington’s eyes snapped open, Renji witnessed the old monster move despite his grievous injuries.

Prior to this confrontation, Renji had never truly heeded those warnings. Deep down, after achieving 7th-order cultivation, a sense of arrogance had subtly taken root, diminishing his respect for most opponents.

However, after this brush with near-death, the lesson was finally learned. For the first time since entering the 7th-order realm, he had come perilously close to perishing. What was truly terrifying was that Harrington had almost defeated him while kneeling, severely wounded. Had Renji not managed a slight shift in his body at the very last second, his lifeless form would now be adorning the battlefield, his head severed from his neck.

With a savage grin, Harrington rose, unfazed by the gaping wound in his shoulder. The sight of his severely injured enemy brought a smile to his face.

As a seasoned combatant, Harrington understood that regardless of the events at the city's center, maintaining his composure and continuing this fight was paramount. To turn and flee would be to reveal a critical vulnerability, presenting his adversaries with a prime opportunity for a decisive blow.

For now, the fate of his family could wait. His immediate priority was to conclude this battle swiftly.

Meanwhile, Renji procured an exceedingly rare 7-star healing pill and ingested it. This medicinal treasure was so precious that his own cultivation sect possessed merely fifteen of them.

Yet, he gave no thought to expending such a valuable item. In his estimation, survival was the only thing that mattered; all else could be rebuilt.

’Even with all these preparations, this battle remains incredibly arduous.’

Over the years, his inherent caution and his penchant for selecting less perilous yet highly rewarding engagements had gradually dulled his edge. He was never the type to endure prolonged, brutal contests against formidable adversaries. The majority of missions he undertook were meticulously planned to minimize risk while maximizing profit. Consequently, he seldom pushed his combat capabilities to their absolute limit.

But today was entirely different.

Though the battle had raged for mere minutes, the pressure Harrington exerted felt utterly suffocating. Each exchange seemed akin to battling a ferocious natural calamity rather than a fellow cultivator. Renji could distinctly feel his own mental fortitude starting to waver under the immense strain.

Popping the pill into his mouth, he drew the blade lodged in his chest. Thanks to the miraculous efficacy of the seven-star healing pill, the wound instantly vanished. Unbeknownst to him, however, the blade was no ordinary weapon.

Wielding his greatsword, Harrington materialized behind Renji with a speed that suggested teleportation.

Renji lacked the reaction time to even respond, but a mysterious protector did not.

A shadowy tendril intercepted the strike aimed at Renji’s head.

”Who are you?” Harrington bypassed the question, his attention fixed on the newcomer instead of Renji. In his eyes, Renji was already as good as vanquished.

At that moment, Renji refocused. He found it peculiar that his reaction speed seemed to have significantly diminished. He felt as though he was responding slower than usual.

’Is it exhaustion?’ he mused, preparing to counterattack Harrington. However, to his profound astonishment, Harrington completely ignored him, behaving as if Renji were an irrelevant bystander, his entire focus locked onto his new opponent.

This blatant disregard ignited Renji’s fury.

”You might suffer a heart attack if you knew.”

”Then I must see your face.” Both combatants disregarded Renji entirely, engaging each other with fierce intensity. Harrington and the mysterious figure clashed.

Within seconds, they exchanged twenty moves. To Renji’s perception, their skills appeared matched.

’This seems like an even match now, but with his injured shoulder, Harrington is bound to make a misstep.’ This thought brought a measure of relief. He seized this opportunity to ready a contingency he had prepared specifically for Harrington.

However, his companion did not share Renji’s optimistic assessment. Instead, he sensed a gradual loss in the close-quarters exchange.

’Close combat isn’t my forte. But with Renji injured, I have no alternative but to hold on until he recovers.’ He erroneously believed Renji had not yet recuperated.

With every clash, his wrist and the rest of his arm throbbed with pain from Harrington’s overwhelming might.

Abruptly, Harrington executed a body twist that caught his opponent off guard. Harrington had been fighting primarily with his off-hand all along, deliberately avoiding the use of his injured shoulder, thus creating the false impression of a critical weakness.