"Last chance. Speak up." Maarij warned him before launching the beam that would devour him completely and leave no trace of him behind, not even his ashes.
Instead of answering Maarij's question, Paul simply smiled as if to say, "I was waiting for you to do it."
Maarij flinched slightly as the beam in his hand spiraled out of control. "What the...?"
[Skill, "Absolute Control Lv. 70", has been activated automatically.]
[Skill, "The Sage Lv. 70", has been activated automatically.]
Suddenly, the beam which seemed to have gone out of control vanished, as if devoured by a black hole. Maarij lowered his hand and looked at Paul with his cold eyes.
[Maarij Ashford Ghost has activated the skill: "Lie Detector".]
Maarij kicked Paul in the face so hard that he fell, hitting his head on the ground. Blood began to stream more heavily from the wound as the wound had gotten deeper. Maarij continued kicking him in the face while Paul tried covering his face.
"Where's Paul?" Maarij's expression and tone were cold. They were more cold than Antarctic winds. Despite the kicks, Paul didn't seem to take damage as he had earlier from the punch to his face. Perhaps Maarij was controlling his strength as to not crush Paul's face by kicking.
"I am asking you something, aren't I? Where's Paul? What the hell are you doing here?"
No response. Paul didn't bother replying to Maarij's question, so he received more kicks from Maarij. Maarij was being cold and ruthless towards Paul as if Paul was someone who absolutely deserved it.
What confused me here was that Maarij kept asking Paul where Paul was. It confused me, because why was he asking Paul where Paul was when he was right before him? I mean, it's kinda weird.
Is he someone else pretending to be Paul? I wondered.
"What are you talking about? Isn't he Paul?" I asked Maarij because I couldn't control myself. It was getting too awkward and confusing, probably because I was too exhausted to even understand the simplest thing.
In any case, I did that because it's not my cup of tea to watch someone getting tortured. Perhaps I wasn't used to it. Perhaps I would be able to get used to it in near future. But that time wasn't now yet. Besides, if this kept up, Maarij was eventually going to kill Paul.
Maarij stopped his next kick which was this close to Paul's face, and put his leg on the ground. Maarij turned to us, still wearing that cold mask which I didn't expect from him. Maybe I didn't know him much at that time.
"He is not Paul. He is someone else who is posing himself to be Paul. Furthermore, Paul isn't the type of guy who would do all of that." Maarij's expression was cold, yet his tone was polite. He was avoiding eye contact.
He didn't want us to see this side of himself, at least not this early...
Maarij turned his face to Paul who was still on the ground, struggling to get up, looked at Maarij.
"I should've known that from beginning that Paul, who I know, isn't the person who would do this."
Paul and Maarij exchanged glances. "Furthermore, the real Paul wasn't this weak."
Paul spat blood as he got to his knees, struggling to stand. Paul didn't look like to fight anymore as he already had suffered a great deal of damage already. It wouldn't be wise to continue fighting in this state. Paul knew that, that's why he wasn't showing any intent to fight.
Maarij grabbed Paul's collar with his left hand and lifted him up. "I will ask again one last time, got it?" Paul didn't hold Maarij's arm or whatsoever as if to resist. Even I, who was just a newbie at these stuff, knew that it was futile to do anything now. "Where is Paul."
Paul didn't answer Maarij's question. He just stared into his eyes. Maarij's eyes were cold. Behind the coldness of his eyes, I could sense a glint of anger and resentment.
As Paul hadn't answered to Maarij's question, Maarij let go off his collar and grabbed his neck instantly with his right hand. Maarij's grip on Paul's neck began to tighten. Paul began to struggle, trying to make Maarij release his grip.
Kane and I were just watching. I lowered my gaze. There was nothing we could do. We were just powerless. So all we could do was to see what was happening. We couldn't even ask Maarij to not kill him as we didn't know what was their relation, and what Paul did, and what was Maarij saying, and so on.
"Maarij, watch out!" Kane shouted, which made me snap out of it. I swiftly looked at Maarij. A blackish crimson beam materialized on the ground where Maarij was standing. By the way it materialized, I swiftly understood that it was an attack done in a sneaky way. I could now sense attacks and such, but that? I couldn't sense.
[Maarij Ashford Ghost has used skill: "Infinite Steps Lv. 57".]
Upon hearing Kane's shouting, Maarij let go off Paul's neck and dashed backwards. Perhaps Maarij, too, wasn't able to sense it, or else he would've had dodge it even before Kane shouted. That beam rose upward with a thundering speed and tore down the barrier Maarij had formed. It was a bright, explosive, beam-like attack.
[Skill, "Absolute Barrier Lv. 61", has been shut down due to being broken down.]
The barrier which Maarij had formed to prevent Paul from going anywhere dematerialized. The only barrier that was still activated was the one keeping us inside to protect us.
"You thought I couldn't sense that? Thinking too highly of yourself, I see." Maarij spoke as he circled around the beam-like attack which was still roaring through the grounds to sky.
So he did know that attack was coming up. I think I had underestimated him. But as long as he's okay, that's what matters. Relief washed over me upon hearing Maarij's words.
"I also let go off that neck myself." Maarij smirked. His cold expression had turned into a smirky one as if he had expected it all. "Seemed like you needed some help talking, so I decided to be kind enough to make it easier for you to speak, Xie Wang."
"Xie Wang...?" I muttered.
"Now that's interesting."
I looked at Kane who was smiling ear to ear as if he found someone interesting. I didn't bother asking him what was interesting, because that wasn't the time for it. I decided to ask him later.
Xie Wang scoffed, "After all these years, you are still as arrogant as you were."
Maarij's smirk turned into a calm expression as he asked, "Where is Paul?"
The beam which was roaring in the direction of sky from where Maarij was standing vanished slowly, revealing Xie Wang who was standing tall, having no wounds on him which he had as if they were healed by some sort of a Skill or Magic.
"What are you asking, O 'The Fool'?" Xie Wang smirked. "Paul is before you, in person on the top of that."
[Skill, "Lie Detector", has confirmed that a spiritual form in Paul's body is telling the truth.]
Those words were simple and plain. Those words were exactly as he had said. Paul was before us in person. However, there was this guy named Xie Wang in Paul's body.
I held my chin with fingers of my right hand as if to think, Is this Xie Wang guy controlling Paul's body? If so then since when? How would Maarij react to this? And what about Aariz?
"You...!" Maarij's voice brought me back to reality. Maarij was furious. He was clenching his fits tightly. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Do you want me to kill you ruthlessly again?!"
Xie Wang smiled, folding his hands backwards, he said, "By all means, go ahead. But I must tell you that you'll be killing your beloved Paul by your own hands then."
[Skill, "Lie Detector", has confirmed that a spiritual form in Paul's body is telling the truth.]
From the looks of it, the situation had changed. Xie Wang appeared to have turned tables on Maarij. Maarij who had an upper hand throughout their brief battle was now in the palms of Xie Wang's hands.
Maarij couldn't do anything, but to glare at Xie Wang. He probably was out of choices. That had to be the case as if that wasn't the case then why would he, who looked so powerful, do nothing but just glare? Maybe he had something planned. I couldn't tell. I wasn't a mind reader.
Xie Wang unfolded his hands and walked towards Maarij, slowly, as he spoke, "Do you know, Maarij? Paul willingly offered me his body after my descendants made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Yes, that was offer was that he would surpass you and Aariz and become the strongest."
[Skill, "Lie Detector", has confirmed that a spiritual form in Paul's body is telling the truth.]
Maarij narrowed his eyes, standing still, glaring at Xie Wang with cold and furious eyes. "That's not possible."
"Hahahaha! I was astonished as well when I heard he agreed instantly. Guess no matter how strong your relationship is, there's always a glint of envy that eats you up slowly."
Xie Wang stopped on his track and looked straight into Maarij's eyes. "Soon I will become the owner of this body."
[Skill, "Lie Detector", has confirmed that a spiritual form in Paul's body is telling the truth.]
"That's enough. Get some rest. I will take over from now on." Maarij spoke with a calm and calculated tone as if he was taking to a person.
[Skill, "Lie Detector", has been deactivated automatically.]
If what Xie Wang said was true then there indeed was something that was eating Paul up deep inside. It's often a common story. Even in the world where I was living in just a few hours ago, it was the same. People killed each other for something they envied or wanted. They couldn't bear someone's happiness when they were having a hard time.
People don't understand what matters is not happiness which you have from beginning, but the path of happiness that which you are forging by your own—by your own hard-work.
"I can control this body for a very little time as you already know. Just wait until I take over—"
Xie Wang was cut off by a punch which came on his face that sent him flying backwards. That punch came from none other than Aariz who had just appeared on the scene with a thunderous speed.
Aariz turned to us. "Ah, sorry. Was that guy just saying something?"
"Apparently, there's someone named Xie Wang controlling Paul's body. So he was just spewing stuff like he made an offer to Paul and that he can only control Paul's body for a little time now. And so on."
Kane's expression was calm. It was a forced expression. I could see through it as if I was looking through a glass of clear water. I could tell clearly that Kane had found something very interesting. I could tell that behind that calm expression, he was grinning ear to ear.
That look itself was self-explanatory that Kane had found something that had piqued his interest and now he was going to have his ways with it. Although I had a rough idea of what it was, but I was still wishing for the best. Of course, it was for that someone who had piqued up his interest as I didn't know what he was going to do with that certain someone.
Aariz expression turned into something that was very similar to that of a mocking expression as he brought his left hand towards his face as if to say, "Oh! That's a bad news! I just hope my mighty punch didn't hurt his precious spiritual form!"
Aariz moved his right hand over his chest and left hand in air with an expression saying, "Oh, no! What should I do? Being this powerful must be a sin!"
Is that guy really an idiot? I thought to myself.
I wore an incredulous expression and said, "You just did that on purpose, didn't you? Just accept that you wanted to cause drama."
Aariz jumped straight onto my face, having a goofy expression. If it weren't for this barrier, he would've had been this close to my face. He moved the index finger of his right hand as if to say, "No, no, no. It was just a reflexive attack."
Aariz was being goofy and all at this moment, but the next moment, his expression turned calm as he straightened up his posture and turned his face to Maarij. "I've bought us some time. With that one punch, I made sure to shatter Xie Wang's spiritual form. It would take him almost 5 months to recover if he tries to stay in Paul's body any longer."