"Die!"

Davins' right fist thrust out at Asura, as if he was a tiger that was delivering the finishing blow on his prey!

To fight against a 3rd Level Warrior, Asura did not even need to reinforce his body with mana. As he sidestepped Davins, he quickly crouched, and made a sweeping motion with his leg, causing Davins to trip and land on his bottom ungracefully. Of course, this did not cause any physical injury for Davins, but that was not the case for his mental state.

"H-how..." Davins was sprawled on the ground, in the very same position as the boy he had humiliated earlier. He was the only one who could not comprehend what had just happened. Earlier, when his fist was about to land on Asura's face, he had suddenly disappeared from Davins' sight. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor!

Davins jumped back to his feet. Anger crept its way to his face, and his eyes turned bloodshot, and his entire being radiated bloodlust.

"Retarded cunt can't even control his temper," Asura smirked. Davins was now mindlessly charging at him, aiming his fists at Asura's vital spots, but they only hit air. Planting his front foot behind Davins' front foot, Asura grabbed hold of Davins' collar and using his front foot as a pivot, he slammed Davins into the ground. This time, a little damage was dealt to Davins, as blood trickled down his nose.

"Weak!" Asura spat on Davins' face, purposely angering him further.

Staggering to his feet, blood continued to flow down Davins' nose. His face was now so red that it resembled a tomato.

"Grrrrrr!!!" Davins' growled, as his whole body shook with rage. But he did not do anything, as the gap in power between Davins and Asura had been made crystal clear. Davins could only stare at Asura, his eyes filled with animosity and hate.

"Good, good. Let the hate flow through you..." Asura stared at Davins coldly. "Well, if this is all you can do, there's no point in continuing this nonsense, is there?"

Turning towards the exit of the Dining Hall, Asura realized that the spectators who had previously been roaring with excitement were now deathly silent. They all stood still, stupefied at the outcome of the fight. They had expected Davins to thrash the newcomer, as it was no secret that Davins was a 3rd Level Warrior. But instead, not only was he able to fend off Davins' attacks, he could land some effective hits.

"What's going on here!"

Standing at the Dining Hall entrance was Nanny Lan, and Asura could see that all traces of her usual amiable demeanor had disappeared. On her face was a scowl that seemed to increase the number of wrinkles she already had on her face. It was apparent that her displeasure was caused by the infighting within the orphanage.

"Why are you two fighting against each other, huh? Did I let you guys stay at the orphanage just to make trouble?" Asura felt his heart twinge with guilt when he saw more wrinkles appear on Nanny Lan's forehead.

"Nanny Lan, it's not Asura's fault!" Khara stepped forward to stand beside Asura. "Nanny Lan, it's because Ishtar and Asura are in a relationship, and when Davins heard about it, he picked a fight with Asura!"

Upon hearing this, Nanny Lan's fierce gaze was directed towards the red faced Davins. He had acted in front of over thirty onlookers, which meant that there were over thirty witnesses who could testify for Asura. He had dug his own grave.

"All of you, was what Khara said the truth?" Nanny Lan asked the crowd. All of them nodded.

Sighing, she turned her head towards Davins, who had been staying silent the whole time. As Nanny Lan was in charge of the management of the orphanage, she had the authority to deliver punishment as well as expel anyone who caused problems for the orphanage. If Davins carelessly spoke against Nanny Lan, he would definitely incur a more serious punishment than he originally would.

"Davins, do you have anything you need to say?"

Davins shook his head, and bowed his head out of fear and sheer embarrassment.

"Since you were in the wrong, then I'll have to punish you," Nanny Lan said, her voice filled with sadness. She hated to punish the already pitiful orphans, but it was necessary to discipline them while they're still young. "Davins, you're to be confined in isolation for a week, and grounded for a month. I hope you will spend your time wisely and reflect on your actions today. You have brought shame to your family."

Upon hearing Nanny Lan's last sentence, tears welled up in his eyes and he did not say anything else. Old memories resurfaced, as he thought back to the times when his parents were still alive. They were a close-knit family. His father was a hunter, and often went to the mountains to bring food back for his mother to cook. At night, he would make his father tell him stories about magical beasts and the battles of famous warriors, such as the Twelve Devas. Whenever he got sick, his mother would carry him to the doctor at the village, which was a dozen kilometers away while his father had to continue hunting to earn money for their expenses.

"F-father... Mother.. I-I'm sorry..." Davins started bawling on the spot, remembering the sight when a Horned Griffin, a magical beast of the 7th Level, had swooped down upon their mountain hut, crashing through the roof and instantly crushed his mother's body with its talons. His father, who was only a 5th Level Warrior, could not defend against the Horned Griffin and was slammed into the ground by it's powerful wings, instantly killing him.

Frozen with terror, Davins' head had gone blank upon seeing his parents' gory deaths. At the time, it had felt so surreal and sudden that the events occurring around him did not register. He did not even notice the warmness in his underwear. However, for some reason the Horned Griffin did not kill him, and he could never figure out why. Was it because it had gathered enough food? Or was the killing committed on a whim?

He was then found starving by a passing mountain hunter, who then took him to the village, before he was sent to the Blackfire Orphanage.

.....

At the sight of Davins breaking down in tears, Nanny Lan told the onlookers to leave the Dining Hall, sparing whatever was left of Davins' pride.

Asura was now starting to feel bitter. After all, Davins was only 14 years old, and he had probably gone too far in teaching him a lesson. Even after having returned to his room, Asura felt that he should have been more lenient with Davins. He had also realized that at some point during his 'fight' against Davins, Ishtar had disappeared from the scene.

That damned harlot.

"Master, what's done is done. Actually, back in Muspelheim, whenev-"

"Choronzon, shut up and continue studying the scroll."

"..."

Hours passed, and the golden rays of light from the evening sun turned into a dark blue shade of the starry night sky.

"At last!"

At this moment, Asura was finally able to completely understand the meanings of the 'Thousand Essences Absorption' scroll. He immediately assumed the meditative position, following a breathing pattern while controlling the flow of mana in his body, and soon entered a trance-like state. Deep within his consciousness was a pure white world. Everything was so white that Asura could not tell the difference between the sky and the ground, left from right. It was polar opposite of the pitch black darkness when he was 'tested' by Choronzon.

"This is....the 'Origin of Life'!"

Chapter 35: Thousand Essences Absorption