"Like we said, w-we have evidence," Justine stammered, but for some reason, he wasn't that scared as he thought he was at their middle school's top dog like he used to.
"What evidence?" Liam spat on the ground, "You just came here to get yourself killed." his smile widened.
He came here to teach these small fries a lesson for daring to blackmail him.
"Wait, are you not scared of the evidence we have!?" Martin shouted when Liam walked closer.
They learned from Jasper that Liam is already at the third stage of the Body Tempering Ream which is nuts. Even if there are two them here, they have less than ten percent chance of winning.
"Who would care if I did kill him? He's just a non-cultivator," Liam looked at them like they were sheep and he was the lion.
"What evidence do you even have!"
Each time he stepped forward, they would take a step back. It's clear how this would go. Liam then rushed onto them, not wanting to let either one of them escape. When he was about to reach them, a shadow came down from the bridge, landing in front of him.
"Hm?" Liam stopped to look at the newcomer. His eyes widened in surprise.
This was the last person he expected to meet at such a place.
In front of him, Jasper stood there, facing him with a wide smile.
"I'm the evidence that you killed me," he playfully said.
"Jasper!?" Liam then glanced at the two before smiling back again, "Ah, so this is your plan. A bait?"
Thinking about it, he laughed as if he heard the funniest joke.
"Hahahaha, look at these losers! Okay, what's the next step in your plan?" Liam cracked his knuckles.
In front of him, there are two First Stage Body Tempering Cultivators and one non-cultivator. Nothing changed at all.
Jasper raised an eyebrow as he looked at the two. You seeing this?
The two shrugged their shoulders.
"Ah," Jasper then realized something, "Sorry for making your hopes up, I'm still not used to being a cultivator. You can't sense the aura of a cultivator who is at least three stages above you. I forgot about that."
He palmed his face.
"So, that's why…" the two at the back looked at each other, agreeing to Jasper.
Liam frowned as he could not understand what they were saying. A sudden realization flashed by him.
A cultivator three stages above me!? He then looked around, searching for a fourth person other than these three small fries.
"Hahahaha, he's looking around!" Martin laughed.
"..."
Liam's face immediately turned darker, thinking he was being played at.
Jasper's smile was replaced by a cold expression. He beckoned with his finger.
Come at me.
Liam's face winched as he rushed to Jasper.
"You asked for it!" he aimed to incapacitate with his fist.
Pak!*
Wind burst with a tooth flying along with it. Liam didn't even realize what happened to him as his body twisted in the air before falling onto the ground.
Smoke rose from Jasper's palm.
"Oh shit…" Martin murmured, "So this is the power of a Peak Body Tempering Cultivator!"
"That's too powerful!" Justine exclaimed.
Liam lifted his head, looking around confused. Did something hit him? What happened? He could not come up with an explanation for what happened. He just ran over there and something fast and heavy hit his right cheek.
Liam didn't once consider Jasper was the one behind the attack. He didn't even see Jasper move.
"Be glad you still have some use, Liam," Jasper crouched down in front of him, grabbing Liam by his cheeks, "Aht, I shouldn't have hit your face, it will be harder to imitate it."
"Don't you dare touch me!" Liam roared and grabbed Jasper's wrist, wanting to grip it so hard, that it would break like a twig.
Yet, for some reason, no matter how hard he gripped, Jasper's wrist remained intact as if it was made of the strongest metal on Earth.
"What, you still don't get it? I'm already a Peak Body Tempering Realm Cultivator. You have no right to speak to me like that."
Jasper easily removed Liam's grip. It was his turn to break Liam's wrist and so he did.
Crack*
"Gaahhhh!! LET GO!" Liam kicked and screamed but Jasper remained unmoved and steady.
Without resistance, Liam's arm bent in an unnatural way.
"This Jasper…!" Martin cringed at the sight while Justine was already looking away. They couldn't stand the scene. While they are cultivators, they are akin to baby chicks who have yet to enter any real fight.
No matter how loud Liam shouted, nobody else could hear it as no one other than the four were at that location.
"A-a Peak Body…??" Liam teared up as he looked at Jasper with shock and confusion. Logic says it should be impossible but reality in front of him says otherwise.
How!? How did a non-cultivator who wasn't enlightened cultivate and surpass him in just two months!??
This isn't making any sense!
A smile cracked on Jasper's cold expression as he then took out a black coin.
[Enslavement Seal Activated]
Its red glow entered Liam's body as his eyes rolled up, showing only white and red.
[Liam Arthes has been enslaved]
[Slave count: 3]
.
.
.
…
Liam woke up in an unfamiliar room. It was small. The floor and the wall are made out of wood.
His sight then landed on a young man sitting on a chair. This young man holds up a mirror as he fixes his hair.
Strange. There's something wrong with this young man. He has spiky blonde hair and gold-colored pupils. His eyes are sharp and eyebrows are long. This young man feels very familiar, he looks so familiar it's sickening.
It's like looking at his twin.
"Who… who are you?"
"Hrm? Wairt" a strange voice came out of the 'twin'. It's like something was stuck on his throat, making it lower.
"Testing… testing…" Jasper found it more difficult to imitate a voice than he thought it would be. Unlike the face, he couldn't see the vocal folds in his throat so he had to feel it as he modified it.
"Liam, speak more."
"Huh, why would I speak more? I asked you, who are you? Answer me!"
Liam didn't know that he just obeyed Jasper's orders. He looked around and when he was about to move, Jasper's voice stopped him.
"Stay there."
"Huh, why would I-" Liam thought nothing was binding him but when he tried to move, he found that he couldn't.
"What's… happening? I can't move…"
That's when a girl in a maid outfit came to him.
"Hi, Liam, my name's Janice. Ma-master's…" this girl wore a grim expression, "first slave…" she said with much difficulty.
"?"
"You are Master's new slave and I'm here to orient you on what you should expect from now on."
"You're almost there, Janice," Jasper in Liam's appearance commended Janice's professionalism.
"..." Janice just glared back and didn't answer.
"... slave?" Liam didn't take her seriously. These are some crazy people. He just needs to move and get out of here. However, no matter what he does, he can't.
"The first thing you should know is that Master's words are absolute. It's not that you should follow them but you will follow them even if you don't want to. Master has ordered you to stay still so you will not be able to move."
Janice explained but Liam didn't seem to follow.
"What did you do to me?" he growled.
"Ahh, he's not listening at all," Jasper's voice became rasp, "Liam, stand up."
Liam frowned but before he could react, his body moved on its own.
"W-what?"
Jasper then ordered some simple things, showing Liam the reality of things. Meanwhile, Liam's face became more and more deathly pale. He tried to resist but his body wouldn't listen to him. It does whatever this 'twin' told him to do.
"... who are you? What did you do to me?"
"You still haven't figured it out? Try to recall what happened before you fell unconscious."
Liam did as Jasper said and recalled about his wrist being broken by Jasper. He looked at his forearm and saw that it was bandaged. Memories brought back the pain as well.
"Ahhh…!!"
"Sh, don't be so loud."
"Ahhh…" Liam felt like crying. The pain was pulsating while he was forced to stay quiet, "A-are you Jasper?"
"Yes, he is Jasper."
Janice answered when Jasper seemed to be focused on whatever he was doing with his throat.
Earlier, when she was called, she didn't expect she would witness something this weird. Jasper slowly changed his face based on the unconscious man and his ID.
It was honestly terrifying.
"How? What? This can't be…" Liam felt like going crazy, "This is not happening, hahaha."
He then felt a hand on his shoulder. Janice looked at him with sympathetic eyes.
"?"