572.Chapter 572
Jefferson repeated, “A child?”
Jefferson glanced around, but saw no one in sight.
“Rayden, have you already seen the thief’s appearance?” Jefferson asked.
“Not yet,” Rayden replied calmly.
“Then how do you know it’s a child?” Jefferson asked, puzzled.
Rayden, hands behind his back, spoke with a knowing tone. “Half–baked poison magic–one look and it’s clear they haven’t been practicing long. Who else but a child would dare show off such amateurish skills in front of me?”
Jefferson immediately clasped his hands and smiled warmly. “As expected of you. With your expertise, I have nothing to fear.”
Rayden replied, “Naturally. Now, there’s no need to say more. You all go back to your business. I’ll handle this child myself.”
After dismissing Jefferson and the others, Rayden’s eyes suddenly gleamed as he focused on something in the distance.
If someone had been nearby, they would have followed Rayden’s gaze to see him staring excitedly at a golden butterfly perched on a stone lantern.
Rayden grinned, “What a fine insect. This one has the potential to be a King Parasite.”
Rayden rubbed his hands together greedily, his earlier demeanor of calm wisdom completely vanishing.
“With a King Parasite, no wonder that child could control so many parasites. But… such a treasure in the hands of a child? It’s a waste. It belongs with me.”
“Under my hundred–insect nurturing technique, I could raise a King Parasite that rivals the five great ones.”
Because Vexara’s appearance had changed so drastically, and it no longer had the aura of the King Parasite, Rayden didn’t recognize it as one of the five King Parasites.
He thought he had struck lucky, encountering a true King Parasite.
This King Parasite was something he had to capture.
Rayden, eyes locked on Vexara, was determined not to let the golden butterfly escape. He quickly noticed rustling from all around the courtyard.
Hundreds of parasites, under Rayden’s control, closed in on the golden butterfly perched on the stone lantern.
“Come here, little one. Stay still, and I won’t hurt you,” Rayden coaxed.
Rayden took out a poison vessel and opened it, approaching Vexara with it.
Surrounded by hundreds of parasites, Vexara remained motionless.
ound of
Rayden, thinking the butterfly had been frightened, hastened his steps. He quickly attempted to trap Vexara in the vessel.
But just as he was about to succeed, Vexara fluttered its beautiful wings and deftly avoided capture, rising into the air.
“Try running away now,” Rayden sneered.
He quickly turned the vessel and aimed it at the butterfly in mid–air.
In his eyes, there was nothing but the golden butterfly.
So, he completely missed the almost imperceptible dark red powder being released from Vexara’s wings.
Within moments, Rayden’s vision darkened, and he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, his expression suddenly shifting to one of shock.
“My hand!”
“Damn it, I’ve been tricked!” Rayden cursed as his hand, still gripping the poison vessel, began to rot at an alarming rate- from his fingers to his wrist, and the infection quickly spread up his arm.
In a panic, Rayden took out his antidote pills, but they did nothing.
“Damn it!” Rayden swore as he downed nearly the entire bottle of antidote, but it was useless.
“What kind of poison is this?” Rayden demanded
Successfully unlocked!
His antidotes were supposed to cure any poison,sovver Liliey worki.g?
His hand was nearly rotting away, and if this continued, the infection would spread to his entire body.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Rayden’s eyes turned steely. Without hesitation, he drew a knife from his waist and, with a sharp “thwack,” cut off his own arm.
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572 Chapter 572
The intense pain, combined with fury, caused Rayden to shout, “Damn it! That little bastard is going to pay! I’ll skin them alive, tear them apart, and drink their blood!”
Meanwhile, Eliza had no idea that her beloved Poison King had nearly incapacitated a sorcerer on its first day.
Jefferson shouted, “Rayden!”
Jefferson hadn’t expected Rayden to get into trouble so quickly after they had left.
“Rayden, what happened to your hand?”
When Jefferson hurried back with his men, he immediately saw the severed hand on the ground, and his expression turned serious.
“Get Rayden treated, now!” Jefferson ordered.
Rayden growled, “I’m not going.”
Rayden shoved the aides away with a look of fury, sweeping his gaze over his surroundings.
“Get moving! Whoever finds that golden butterfly will be richly rewarded!” Rayden ordered.
In just that short amount of time, Vexara had disappeared.
Rayden, seething with rage, wished he could kill the sneaky little brat, but the King Parasite was his priority.
He had already lost an arm–he couldn’t afford to lose the King Parasite too, or that would be a true disaster.
He immediately commanded his parasites to search, ordering his men to find the butterfly.
After several rounds of searching, not only did they fail to find the golden butterfly, but not a single trace of gold was left behind.
“Damn it, where did it hide?” Rayden muttered.
He clenched his teeth as the aides bandaged his arm, seething with frustration. “I won’t rest until I dig it out. No stone will be left unturned to find that golden butterfly and that damned child!”
Jefferson frowned, displeased with Rayden’s frantic behavior.
But as he heard Rayden’s words, something occurred to him. His face changed instantly.
He turned and hurried towards the study, his steps quick and purposeful.
Rayden, still fuming, noticed Jefferson’s movements. A flash of realization crossed his face, and he toc Jefferson.
Meanwhile, Vexara had already flown into the study and, guided by the insects, entered a secret passage. After making a quick circuit inside and discovering a few things, Vexara swiftly left.
It commanded most of the insect swarm to leave, leaving only a small portion behind to burrow underground.
By the time Jefferson and Rayden arrived, the area was completely devoid of insects.
“Rayden,” Jefferson sighed in relief upon finding that there was no trace of any intruder.
ed after
However, when he turned to face Rayden again, his expression became grave. “The secrets here concern the very life and death of the Malone family. Whatever happened between you and that child, you must prioritize the safety of this place.
“If word of this leaks, the Malone family won’t escape, and you and your men won’t survive either. I won’t tolerate another failure like this. You must act quickly to resolve this.”
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