32 Rage

The next moment Samael opened his eyes, the bright sunlight greeted him and the warmth of the fresh morning enveloped him once again.

Purposely halting his cultivation progress and instead strengthening his foundation and mastery over his elements. Samael felt the once rampant lightning element flowing more smoothly. Even the Terminus Ice which would undoubtedly cover his body in Ice every cultivation session was now more tamed didn't leave as much frost on his body as it once did.

Samael felt good and now he began a couple of rounds practicing his combat arts. Starting with his fists, Samael executed the move set from the "Heaven Breaking Fist" art, wind would blow forward and around him with every punch. He did this without using his essence, only focusing on the movements and making sure that he felt comfortable with the moves.

He did the same with the "Rings of Saturn" art and "Orion's Luminous Spear" art. Though he did tone down his own physical strength when he practiced his spear. If not, he would've mowed down a couple of trees and this would scare the villagers if they see it.

After working a sweat from morning practice, Samael went down and returned to the hut of the mother and child pair. Excited to see the smile from little Casey, Samael hurried his steps.

Just as the hut entered his eyes, Samael felt something weird.

The surroundings felt a little disturbed and unnatural, it was too quiet. Casey should've woken up already, and knowing the little girl, her voice should've been audible from this distance.

Worried, Samael hurried and quickly barged in saw that the hut was still dark, with no candles lit.

"Mnm! Mnm!" There was a muffled sound from inside.

He entered and was stunned to see the mother tied, with a cloth stuffed in her mouth.He quickened his steps and freed her, it looks like no harm was done to her.

The moment she was freed she immediately grabbed Samael's sleeves, saying. "My daughter, they took her. Please! You gotta find her."

Tears rolled down her cheeks and you could see the despair slowly growing from her eyes. Samael felt his heart gripped with fear and anger but he forced it down. He then gave her a small dagger.

"Should they come back for you, use this to protect your self."

Casey's mom nodded and said "Please, save her."

With a nod, his figure quickly disappeared and he entered the forest to find the child.

But with no concrete lead to follow he was just searching blindly, still he couldn't just sit still and do nothing. Whatever tracks he found suspicious he followed, not knowing if these would lead to Casey.

He then exited the forest on the other side and came upon an open plain.

A commotion was happening just a few hundred meters away from him, with his sense Samael could faintly hear it. He rushed towards it in hopes of finding a clue or two.

When he reached there, he saw a caravan guarded by a group of knights and a few mercenary, battling with a bunch of bandits twice their number.

"Shit!" He bashed the tree beside, caving the trunk.

He thought that he could find clues to where Casey was but all he got was a brawl between a group of bandits and a shady caravan. He probably wouldn't even get the chance to interrogate those bastards, as they would likely to be killed by the knights.

Their fight was bitter and long because most of the fighters were either 3-star Body refinement realm or lower but finally, Samael saw why the bandits were targeting them. There were 3 beautiful women inside the carriage which seems to be noble daughters. Samael gritted his teeth, in frustration before deciding to help but while hiding in the shadows.

Samael hid under the treeline and grabbed a pebble near him and covered it with a layer of sharp ice. Then he arched his right hand and lightning crackled around it before he threw it with full power. There was a small 'boom' that could be heard as he threw the pebble and it traveled through the air, piercing the head of a bandit, leaving a gaping hole on his head.

Samael moved fast and repeated this several times till he lessened the numbers of the bandits to the point that the knights could handle them. And from the few remaining bandits who were still fighting Samael picked one who seemed to be knowledgeable.

Black lightning coursed around his feet and he rush through the fight. With his speed all they would see is a blur. Samael quickly grabbed his target and ran inside the forest again where he would interrogate the poor bastard he grabbed.

The sudden disappearance of one bandit and the actual interference of an expert made the knights question what was happening but since they couldn't catch up to the mysterious person they just thanked him for helping them.

Once they were inside the forest Samael asked the same thing he asked the other bandits.

"I'll only ask once so don't lie to me. Where would you bring the women and Treasure that you've plunder?"

And true enough this guy's answer was the same.

"I-i don't know, we were just asked to capture the women and someone would meet us to receive them then we would get our pay."

Frustrated Samael threw this guy to the ground and stomped his head, blood and flesh burst and flew everywhere.

"Damn it!"

Though he didn't want to end his search, he was getting worried about Casey's mom.

Samael rushed through the forest thinking about the whole situation.

These guys are good, they don't like to get their hands dirty so they let others do their dirty work. Wanting to remain unknown...someone must've be backing them up.

A noble? Not likely, while this place seems to be a good place to start conducting shady business, there's nothing here except that village.

Although...that could provide them with a cover, if they manage to take over the entire village. But why haven't they done so?

Hmm...there's too little information.

"I didn't think my mission would be this complicated. I thought it would just be a simple bandit hunting." Samael frowned and sighed.

The sun was beginning to set as he returned back to the hut, Samael was hoping to be eat one of the mother's cooking again. It made him remember about his own mother's cooking, not the taste but the feeling she gave off.

When he made his way back to the hut he heard some rumbling noises. Three men then scurried out of the house and ran as fast as they could.

A heavy feeling then crushed Samael's heart, worried he rushed inside the hut and what he saw completely enraged him.

"DAMN YOU ALL!!!"

Huge torrents of Energy essence gathered and made a storm around the hut. Black clouds covered the skies and the surrounding temperature began to abnormally drop. The ground around the hut, even the trees began to freeze and lightning bolts started raining down.

Back on the village, the residents that saw this strange phenomenon shivered and started kneeling on the ground praying.

"The Gods! The gods are angry!"

"Merciful deities please quell your anger."

More and more similar prayers could be heard from the village.

Back at Samael, his face was cold but you could see the hurt in his eyes. The steps he took was heavy for him to take, every steps made it feel that his heart was about to break.

There...lying on the floor was Casey's mom...dead.

The scenes where his clan members were being massacred, surfaced once again. Their screams echoed in his ears and the final scene with his own mother lingered in his mind.

Rage started to build up inside of him, Samael's face started to contort in anger. He couldn't forgive those scumbags for doing this to a little girl, taking her mother's life like it was nothing. Without her, who would Casey rely on?

Scenes of when she cried, pleading before the bandits to spare her daughter. Her smile as she prepared dinner with Casey and the worried face she shown when Casey was taken...All this played inside Samael's head.

Even if he were to take care of her, it doesn't erase the fact that she lost her mother!

Forcing himself to calm down, Samael saw the dagger he gave her stabbed in her stomach and her clothes were drenched with her blood. There were signs of struggle so he knew that she died fighting.

"Ha..." With a heavy sigh, his eyes started to get misty.

He pulled the dagger out from her stomach and quickly sealed the wound with his ice. Then, using his energy essence, he cleaned the bloodstains off of her. He achieved this by attaining a finer control on his ice element, he was now able to control the vapor in the air as long as the surrounding temperature was low enough.

Once her body was clean, without any stains of blood or dirt. Samael changed her clothes to a set of clean, fresh robes.

Finally he summoned as much power as he could and concentrated a large amount of energy essence. It was comparable to the amount he used when he unleashed the 'First Heaven' of the "Lightning Emperor's Nine Layered Heaven". He used this energy to encase her body in Ice to preserve her body.

With this much pure energy essence, Samael was confident that this Ice would remain for fifty years before starting to melt and by that time he could encase her again.

This was the least he could do, he wanted Casey to be able to see her mother one last time. To be able to visit her grave...and if fate would permit it, there might be some power out there that could revive the dead.

Although there was only a slim chance, Samael was still hoping that he could find it. He just couldn't bare to see someone else experience the things he did.

He stepped out for a bit, he took out his katana and with one swing he cut down four trees. With a series of attack, he neatly cut the trees into square logs. After keeping the blade, Samael took a stance, aiming his fist to the ground just a few meters away from the hut.

"Ha!"

Samael's fist moved and so did the ground. When the dust settled a hole was made on the ground. He then walked back inside and when he exited the hut again, Samael was carrying the frozen corpse of Casey's mom. He buried her near their House as he wanted her to be where she and her daughters memories would forever remain, it was the least he could do.

After erecting a gravestone, Samael knelt on one knee and said.

"May you find peace, knowing that you lived as a great mother..." He paused there and he ended with.

"Don't worry about your daughter, I will take care of her. Now rest..."

After a moment of Silence Samael stood, his eyes now glowing with a deeper shade of red. He is sharp senses and after the stench of the fresh crime scene sticking to him, he still manage to sense where those three bastards went.

Black lightning furiously crackled, coursing around his body and then he rushed back into the forest. Following the scent those three left behind, there was even fresh tracks for him to follow so he was sure that he was on the right track.

"I made a vow to have revenge on the White City and the Black citadel..." He muttered then he continued.

"But here I swear to make sure that the little girl would be able to live a happy life...and to do that I must first avenge her mother."

Determination burning inside of him, Samael stepped up his speed. This was no longer just about some mission, this just became personal.

As he rushed through the forest, the sun had completely set and skies were dark. If someone were to even see Samael's figure they would only see the deep, cold Crimson eyes streaking through like a ghost.

Samael followed the remaining scent till he arrived at the back of the mountain where a previous captured bandit claimed where most bandits gathered. It looks like he was saying the truth but Samael didn't care. In the cultivation world there was a principle that you should cut the weed from it's roots.

Sneaking outside, Samael quietly observed the surroundings making sure that there was no gurad or any visible traps. There was a light coming from inside the cave and he could heard sounds of drunken laughter and the pleasured moans of women.

"...Found them." Samael sinisterly smiled.

Let this night be a night of blood...