Chapter 237 Escape Unscathed
Terrence was trembling all over.
It wasn't fear, but rage.
He watched helplessly as his three sons and a brother were killed right in front of him. His vengeful strike was easily parried, and his attack only brought him closer to William.
He hadn't expected William, who he hated so much and wanted to tear apart, would be so fast. William merely flickered and was suddenly beside Terrence. Already dulled by the grief of losing his sons, Terrence found himself with a gun pointed at his head.
Staring at William with bloodshot eyes, Terrence noticed that William had at least three wounds on his body. But thanks to his two-star Evolving person physique, the wounds had stopped bleeding and were now washed clean by the lake water, revealing ghastly white scars.
He was injured too. He had been attacked while crossing the lake. He was still human, not a god.
"Release her," William commanded calmly.
"Never! You're going to die here today!" Terrence said through gritted teeth.
Valerie rushed to William's side, but William shifted behind Terrence like a ghost, staring coldly at her.
"I won't die here. But if you don't release them, you all will," William declared coldly, planting the Staff of Nature into the ground and activating a protective energy shield. He removed a shattered, dim gem from the staff and replaced it with an ice-blue one. Instantly, a torrent of energy flowed out, causing everyone around to retreat in fear.
Many of the Evolving persons in the hall looked horrified. They didn't know what it was, but they knew that if this energy were unleashed, the Lowe Family could be obliterated in an instant.
"Staff of Nature?!" Terrence murmured.
His eyebrow twitched as he recognized the item that the Zero Commerce Guild had once sought. He never expected it to fall into William's hands.
"It's good that you recognize it," William said, holding the gun steadily with one hand, while his other hand gripped Terrence's shoulder, making him feel completely controlled.
"Release her, or die," William announced.
Terrence took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions. In a hoarse voice, he said, "You're strong, and your Staff of Nature is powerful. But if you're really willing to die, we can go down together. Don't think I'm bluffing. I have many people. You've already used your strongest abilities. If you dare to kill me, my family will make sure you don't leave this island alive."
Indeed, William was formidable. He had single-handedly stormed the Lowe Family. But he had already used all his tricks. If the Lowe Family decided to fight to the death, his chances of leaving alive were slim. The Staff of Nature's ice skill, Blue Snow Lotus, was powerful enough to easily kill a group of third-level mutated beings. It was uncertain if anyone in the entire Accraville City area could withstand it.
But the skill had its limitations. If William couldn't kill all the Lowe Family members in one go, he would face endless attacks.
The warriors had already fired many bullets in a short time, depleting his mental energy. Even with a protective energy shield, how long could he hold out against the warriors?
Moreover, he still had to rescue Gemma.
Terrence's assessment of the situation was accurate. If everyone went all out, the result would be mutual destruction.
"You're right," William said with a smile. "But so what?"
Terrence, Valerie, and the other Lowe Family members were stunned.
William had never said he wanted to fight to the death; he just came to get Gemma.
Terrence's face turned red with anger. He had never felt so humiliated. Looking at the bodies of his sons just a few feet away, he couldn't hold back his grief and rage any longer. He spat out a mouthful of blood and then felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck, causing him to pass out.
William supported his body. "Release her."
At this moment, all the Lowe Family members' eyes were on Valerie. With the three male heirs dead, she was Terrence's only successor.
Valerie's eyes welled up with tears. Finally, she glared at William and said, "Release her."
Moments later, Gemma, who was barely recognizable, was carried out. Seeing her, William squinted.
"Release my dad, and you can leave," Valerie said, holding her lance, her voice filled with hatred.
"No, have someone carry her and follow me. Once we're across the lake, I'll release him," William said, shaking his head slightly. Gemma was in terrible shape. If not for her incredibly strong will, she would have been dead by now. Even though her eyes were open, they were unfocused, indicating she was close to death. It would be extremely difficult to leave the Lowe Family with her now.
Moreover, in a corner of the courtyard, someone was dragging over a cannon. Although it looked old, it was still functional. One shot from it, and William would be dead.
"You're shameless!" Valerie cursed.
William chuckled. "Morality? In the apocalypse?" He gestured towards Gemma, her broken form a testament to the Lowe Family's brutality. "You haven't exactly been upholding those standards yourselves."
He urged, "I'm in a hurry. Either I kill your dad and fight my way out, or you agree to my terms. Make it quick."
Valerie had never been so humiliated in her life. She glared at William, wanting to etch his face into her soul so she could one day cut it to pieces herself.
"Do as he says," she said.
A warrior carried Gemma and followed William, who was dragging Terrence, step by step out of the hall. They slowly made their way to the lake, boarded a boat, and under the hateful gazes of the Lowe Family, sailed towards the opposite shore.
"I will kill you. I swear I will kill you!" Valerie screamed madly from the shore as she watched her enemy get farther away, her lance splashing water in the lake.
Still cautiously hiding behind Terrence, William looked at the gradually fading figure of Valerie and snorted before saying softly, "I'll be waiting."
Behind him, Central Island cast a desolate shadow in the sunset.
