Chapter 419 Real culprit
Idir turned around only to see Tair conjuring several massive black spikes, driving them straight toward him. Reacting instantly, Idir forced Eanu back and narrowly dodged the fatal blow.
He stared at Tair in pure fury. “Tair! What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Killing you,” Tair replied, his voice chillingly cold.
Idir looked at him in utter disbelief. “Why? We grew up together. We’re brothers.”
“Because as long as you’re alive, Penny will never see me.” A fierce, murderous light filled Tair’s eyes, though his tone carried a hint of desolation. “I’ve worked so hard for all these years, and she had finally started to open her heart to me. But the moment you reappeared, everything was ruined. Do you have any idea? Just a glimpse of your back is enough for her to completely forget I even exist.”
Over the years, many males who merely shared a passing resemblance to Idir had caused Penny to lose herself in thought. But Tair had always known none of them were actually Idir; none of them could truly move her heart. Because of that, he had always found the generosity within himself to look the other way.
He had genuinely believed that if he just worked hard enough and gave her everything, Penny would one day forget Idir and truly learn to love him. He had even convinced himself that even if Idir ever did return, he wouldn’t be cast aside.
Yet the moment the real Idir showed up, he finally realized those thoughts were nothing more than his own laughable delusions. The second Idir appeared, there was no longer any room for Tair in her eyes or her heart; she was completely consumed by Idir.
Therefore, if Idir vanished forever, Penny would truly stop longing for him.
Tair stared at Idir with deep-seated resentment. “Idir, why did you have to come back?! Wasn’t it enough for you to live a happy, peaceful life outside with your female? Why did you have to come back for revenge?!” He practically screamed, his voice strained and frantic. “Why?!”
If Idir had just stayed away, Tair’s dream wouldn’t have shattered in an instant.
If he had a choice, he actually didn’t want to kill Idir. After all, they had grown up together as brothers. Back when they were traveling and training across the lands, Idir had saved his life multiple times. He had always viewed Idir as his closest brother.
But every single time he heard Penny crying out Idir’s name in her sleep, he couldn’t stop himself from wanting Idir to vanish forever—to never show his face in front of Penny again.
“Tair, I already have a female. I don’t even remember this ’Penny’ person, and it is entirely impossible for me to ever have anything to do with her,” Idir said. Disappointment and a chilling hurt flooded his eyes. He had never imagined that he would one day be stabbed in the back by the person he once considered a true brother. Being naturally solitary, Idir didn’t have many friends, which made him cherish his existing bonds all the more.
A self-deprecating smirk twisted the corner of Tair’s mouth. “Yes, you’ve bonded. You’re another female’s husband now. But even so, Penny is still completely fixated on you. She even asked me to track down a dark witch doctor who can break a mating bond! Don’t you find that hilarious?”
If Penny hadn’t stubbornly refused to give up, Tair would never have resorted to taking Idir’s life.
Hearing this, a violent spike of rage flared in the depths of Idir’s eyes. That female actually dared to try and erase the mating bond he had fought so hard to obtain.
Sensing that time was running out, Eanu couldn’t help but prompt Tair. He glared at Idir, barking, “Idir, don’t think you’re escaping this time!”
Snapping back to reality, Tair immediately launched an attack at Idir.
As things stood, Tair was already stronger than Idir. Caught in a two-on-one battle, Idir was quickly overwhelmed and soon left a critical opening. Seeing his chance, Tair shouted, “Eanu, pin him down!”
Eanu instantly unleashed his innate ability to suppress Idir’s movements. Tair then activated his secondary ability, preparing to drain Idir’s energy. Draining Idir’s power would allow him to perfectly frame Eanu, making it look as though Eanu had murdered Idir before fleeing the scene.
“Tair… it really is you. You’re the culprit who possesses that evil innate ability and murdered all those beastmen.”
Tair let out a cold laugh. “That’s right, it’s me. You’re no match for me anymore. Prepare to die.” A faint shadow crossed his expression as he thought, Forgive me, Idir. In the heat of the moment, he hadn’t fully registered the significance of Idir saying “it really is you.”
Just as the words left his mouth, countless vines erupted from the surroundings, lunging toward him and Eanu. The vines rapidly wove themselves into a massive, suffocating net, completely boxing them in.
Hardening his heart, Tair tried to finish Idir off right then and there.
However, Idir instantly activated the protective barrier Nina had given him, struck back at Tair, and used the momentum to break free and escape. Tair hadn’t expected Idir to interrupt his ability and break his grip; caught off guard, he could only watch as Idir successfully slipped away.
He moved to pursue Idir, but Nina stepped in, blocking his path.
Nina unleashed a barrage of vines, relentlessly striking at Tair. Tair poured everything into defending himself, desperately trying to break out of the vegetative cage. Facing Nina, he didn’t dare lower his guard for a single second.
His black blades continuously sliced through the vines, flying straight toward Nina in the process. Yet the vines regenerated continuously, appearing so fast it seemed as though no matter how many he cut down, they would never stop coming.
Nina focused entirely on her counterattacks, noting that Tair’s strength was indeed impressive.
When Tair tried to break through upward to escape, Goldy, Odian, and the others kept cutting him off. Although Tair was strong, Nina was still the superior fighter, and he gradually began to show signs of defeat. Weary and overwhelmed, Tair made a critical misstep; Nina struck and wounded him, sending him crashing to the ground, where massive vines instantly pinned him down.
As for Eanu, he was completely outmatched by Nina and had already been captured and forced to the side earlier.
Elder Harin and the others, who had been hiding in the shadows with Nina all along, finally stepped out.
Harin let out a heavy sigh. “Tair… I never imagined it would be you.”
Over the years, Tair had done a great deal for the city. He had worked incredibly hard to become an elder, and he was usually known for being gentle and amiable. Harin truly found it hard to believe that the culprit who had murdered so many beastmen was actually him.
Tair didn’t bother trying to talk his way out of it. “Elder Harin, now that you’ve caught me red-handed, I have nothing to say.” He knew talking was pointless, nor did he want to argue anymore.
He had known that Nina and her group were setting a trap to catch the beastmen who were using his innate ability, and he knew his best move would have been to stay under the radar to protect himself. But the moment he thought of Penny, he just couldn’t bring himself to pass up such a perfect opportunity to kill Idir.
He just hadn’t expected Idir to suspect him so early on, let alone set a trap specifically for him.
He wasn’t afraid of dying, but he was desperately worried about Penny. Now that he was captured and could no longer protect her, he had no idea what she would do. She was so obsessed with Idir; after this, would there ever be another male foolish enough to treat her with such unwavering devotion?
The more Tair thought about it, the more anxious he became. Forcing himself to calm down, he began scanning for any chance to escape.
No, he couldn’t die. If he died, there might never be another male who would guard Penny with his whole heart. Even if he could never stand openly by her side again and could only watch over her from the shadows, he still had to protect her.
He looked at Idir and asked, “How did you find me out?”
“When Nina mentioned earlier that you were discussing matters in the grand hall, I did some digging,” Idir explained. “I discovered that your cultivation speed was unnaturally fast. Even though you tried your best to hide it, you still left plenty of clues. Furthermore, your female lives right next to a toxic water source yet never fell ill. That made you a prime suspect.”
Idir stared at Tair. “And that day… you intentionally lured me over there, didn’t you?”
In truth, the biggest helper had been Shushu. That morning, he had told Nina that the scent on the hide smelled like the male who always stood behind that bad female—the one who tried to steal Father Idir. Even though Shushu hadn’t been entirely certain, Nina had still placed Tair at the very top of their suspect list. However, Idir had no intention of revealing that.
A look of utter defeat washed over Tair’s face. “Yes. I lured you over on purpose.” At this point, there was nothing left to deny.
Idir let out a soft sigh. “Tair, I was never your romantic rival. My heart belongs solely to Nina, and it’s impossible for me to ever accept another female. Even in death, I will never dissolve my mating bond.”
Tair gave a bitter, hollow laugh. “You don’t understand at all.” You don’t understand Penny’s obsession with you.
Idir lowered his eyes. He truly didn’t understand.
He and that female had absolutely no history, and he didn’t even remember her. Yet, Tair had still come to hate him so deeply that he was willing to expose his own crimes just to kill him. Idir didn’t feel sorry that Tair had finally been caught, but he did feel a pang of regret for the life-and-death bond they had once shared as brothers. In truth, he had secretly hoped the killer wouldn’t turn out to be Tair.
Nina turned to Harin. “How do you want to handle them?”
“Feed them some energy-suppressing potion and lock them away in the dungeon for now. We still need to put them on trial,” Harin replied.
Nina nodded. “Alright. But keep your guard up—Tair is genuinely very powerful.”
“Understood. Thank you, City Lord of the Barbarian City, for helping us through this,” Harin expressed his gratitude.
“Don’t mention it,” Nina said.
Harin gestured to a male nearby. The male pulled out two vials of potion and began walking toward Tair and Eanu.
Tair’s eyes turned sharp as he secretly gathered every ounce of his energy. Just as the male stepped in front of him and reached out to administer the potion, an incredibly immense wave of power erupted from Tair’s body. In a single explosive burst, he shattered all the vines binding him, sent the male flying, and soared straight up into the sky.
Taken aback, Nina instantly surged forward with Odian and the others to cut him off. But Tair unleashed another blast of energy, forcing Odian and the rest to recoil before he swiftly turned and fled into the distance.
Idir immediately scooped Nina up into his arms, and alongside Odian and the others, they tore after him in hot pursuit.