The God of Jesters
Chapter 190 - 3.13.6 Another decapitation.

Chapter 190: 3.13.6 Another decapitation.

The curse that mutated his body, the fire that caged his soul, and the magic that once flowed in his veins. It was an amalgamation of all three of these aspects, and maybe something more.

Just like his father had influenced the flames using his magic and mutated them to suit his own use. Farhad now wielded his own version of such flames.

Flames that burned the soul, corrupted the body, and many more horrific things.

All of which the current Farhad was unaware of, as the only thing he was now was blood.

In the dreams, he fought a lot. Mostly as an animal, but all of those fights were filled with blood and guts, strengthening his mentality as he was forced to see himself kill others in repeat before he gradually came to aspect this part of him.

He was a killer and he hadn’t forgotten it this time. The mistake of last time won’t be repeated. He won’t be negligent and wilfully ignorant of his own fate anymore, he won’t ignore the past that made him who he is.

As that was just a past, a past where he was a rat named Grifter. Which doesn’t change anything about his present. All that experience did was make him more adamant about his goal. He knew what kind of being this monster was and what he had to do when facing him.

But before all of that happens, he has to kill these annoying ants that were after the fire. "I will love killing each and every one of you." As the hand of one of his captors fused with Farhad’s skin, although he felt some disgust, a huge burst of vitality turned that disgust into ecstasy.

"That arrogance." Ashaan was annoyed by Farhad’s tone while various small holes opened up all over his body, some hidden under his clothes that Farhad couldn’t see. But out of the beastly instinct under which Farhad was running under, he felt some threat.

And to not be caught off guard, he attacked the closest person he could, his stride broken by Ashaan who ordered his men to support from the back.

"Bang." With a collision, Farhad was thrown far into the distance, almost falling from the small hill. But by rolling in the air to stabilize himself, he landed on his feet, before kicking the ground to once again lunge at Ashaan.

"Not enough?" red mist escaped from the holes in Ashaan’s hand while turning into small tentacles that gently lifted up the knives attached to his back, as he collided with Farhad again.

One after another, his blades collide with Farhad’s dark flames, and each time Farhad’s body will be thrown like a ragdoll. No matter what happened, Farhad still had the physique of an Adept level knight, so facing a Master level was the same as jumping in front of a train while riding a car.

But this didn’t make Ashaan’s position any easier. He can see incremental growth on the part of Farhad. If before he was fighting more like a beast, not suiting the body. But as time went on, he started to make more humane moves.

Planning his attacks, trying to infect him with flames like he did with his companion.

"Those flames." Although he was a Master level Knight with the ability of Blood tentacles, it didn’t make him immune to flames. Although his blades won’t be harmed by Farhad’s flames most of the time, the same can’t be said about his flesh. And out of such vigilance, it was only his tentacles that ended up becoming fodder for those bizarre flames, which caused him pain every time he lost it.

But that was it, he knew that for infectious bastards like this, he couldn’t let his men close to him, he had already seen what would happen if he did so. Not to mention their loss would be a heavy blow to his future as a mercenary, as barely anyone would want to work for someone who lost his entire team.

So he chose to give himself up, hoping to waste Farhad’s energy as long as it was possible because he never considered that anyone in a million years would be able to sustain such a waste of resources.

Resources here mean the nutrients and energy required for a body to function. Each healing would probably use up nutrients stored in Farhad’s flesh, while the bizarre corrupting flames would also do the same for the magical energy in one’s body.

He hoped to outlast Farhad, which might be the difference between the success and failure of this mission.

’I didn’t get paid enough for this.’ But Ashaan couldn’t help but curse, seeing that Farhad’s healing hadn’t slowed down, but still seemed to be increasing with time, while his face had turned calmer and quieter with time, almost like a predator waiting for a slight mistake from its prey.

’Me a prey?’ Ashaan doesn’t want to accept this fact. But it still rattled him.

Annoying him enough that he dropped his jacket as the tentacles grew out of the holes of his entire body, before molding together to form a giant’s upper torso.

"Fuck it," Ashaan said, ready to face Farhad’s flames with his own flesh

With that thought, he grabbed toward Farhad, who tried to dodge the heavy, but slower attacks of Ashaan. But due to the realm difference, Farhad who was previously trying to spread his flames got caught in Ashaan’s hand. The very thing he had been wanting to do all this time.

But it was not the way he would have wanted.

"Fuck you." He cursed while sounds of bone crackling echoed in the forest, while Farhad’s flames were actively corrupting the flesh created out of Ashaan’s bloodline skill. "It’s over, kid.’ Lifting his thumb up, he was going to crush Farhad’s head in one fell swoop.

Enough playing around, the losses incurred in this mission were more than expected.

Not to mention two of his men who died in Prince’s men who acted as Farhad’s bodyguard. Now one of his men had also lost his arms.

"Hope you can grow a head as well." there was no other choice left. Leaving him alone is too dangerous.

If not for the regenerative body then for the destructive and corruptible flames.

He was a huge danger not only to himself, but anyone he gets close to. Ashaan even saw Farhad as a target to be eliminated after what he witnessed with the flames. Even with his morals, he knew how dangerous they were and if not for this job, he would never choose to fight someone like Farhad, or even get close to him.

And if he did, he would do his best to eliminate him from this earth, for he had heard enough stories of bizarre plagues that devastated entire cities in olden times.

These flames seemed something akin to that.

"How that fool of a Knight lets you live, it’s a Mystery." His words echoed in the head of his men who were already readying themselves to deal with the aftermath. Because in their eyes, the fight was already over.

And although their boss probably gave up a lot of things using his partial transformation, they can’t be sure it would end Farhad, his bizarre regeneration had placed them on an edge. And if this one last effort fails, they can only pick up their captain and escape from here. Leave this place and Farhad behind.

For they alone won’t be much of an opponent to him. Not in his current state at least.

While their boss will be too weak after this outburst.

But before the thumbs of Ashan could actually come down and squash Farhad’s head, a shout came from the side. "Stop!" White flames danced in the air as she rolled like a bullet and slashed Ashaan’s tentacle arms in a single stroke, using her weight as leverage and flames as an extension of her blade.

"You!!!" Ashaan cried, backing off before he focused on his true hands and found them intact.

But this was not the time to feel relieved. He jumped back and shouted, "Don’t." To his men who were already aiming their weapons toward Remira who seemed adamant about protecting Farhad.

"Some instinct to live still exists in you?" With a growl, she showed some surprise towards her opponent’s decision. "So would you continue this fight or would you choose to leave for now?" She was not blinded by her bloodline. Although her emotions were amplified during the moment she is under the effects of burning blood.

She was not blinded by the mood in the team of her opponents.

She can see their state was not good, even their leader seemed to be barely hanging on and putting on a tough front just to keep Remira in check.

The ability like blood tentacles seemed draining to one’s physique, leaving their user weakened after over usage.

"No, enough... We won’t come after you and only want to leave."

"Boss... the cont"

"No, it doesn’t matter, we are leaving." Although he cursed at the Owl for a second in his mind. Ashaan knew that he couldn’t be sure if he could take out Farhad as easily as he had assumed.

Who knows if he can regenerate an entire head?

And even if he takes some time to regenerate it, neither Ashaan nor his companions would be able to recover their lost vitality and energy in that little bit of time.

They had witnessed Farhad’s healing and knew how absurd it was.

But there was one thing that Ashaan wanted to ask Remira, a knight of Radiance. "Before I leave though, that thing. How can you let it live?"

A question that Remira didn’t answer with words. She just looked at Farhad for a while, who seemed to have felt asleep for some time, while the flames on his body flickered from time to time.

Before picking up her sword and decapitating him in one clean sweep.

"Now leave." This was her answer, a threat as well as an answer.