The Annihilator: Killer Of Gods

Memories of happy moments with his children flooded Karsha's mind. Seeing the tearful little girl stirred up long-suppressed memories. When he lost his family, the agony of his inability to find their killer drove him to the edge, and he chose death. Yet at that final moment, he had been transmigrated, granted a second chance at life.

Though he had long since come to terms with his new existence, Karsha held a deep belief that for loved ones to find peace in the afterlife, those left behind must make peace with their loss. He had tried his best to move forward, yet he never forgot.

Karsha knew that if he continued to grow stronger, he would one day find a way back to Earth. Even if it took a thousand years, he would uncover what happened and eradicate the bloodline of those responsible for his family's death.

But making peace with their loss did not mean he had forgotten them. He had always done his best to be a loving father, despite his demanding work, and seeing this reflection of his beloved daughter brought those memories rushing back.

"Who did it?" After ten minutes of calming himself, Karsha managed to ask in as steady a tone as possible. But while he could mask his pain, the grieving widow and her children could not.

When no answer came, Karsha sighed and moved to comfort them. When his own parents had died, he had been the only one able to hold things together, so he understood what needed to be done.

It was no easy task, but after a few hours, the family had calmed down somewhat, and Xian awoke. He didn't say anything, only went to hug his mother and started crying, which set off another round of tears from the entire family.

It took the entire day for them to settle. Though Karsha and his friends had come for an important purpose, ensuring the family's well-being took precedence. Once things had finally calmed, Karsha gently asked again.

"Lady Li Jing, what happened?" Karsha asked. Xian had already introduced them to him, so he knew their names long before they arrived. Her senior sister was called Li Fei, and her junior sister was Li Nan.

"It was the Blackaxe Bandits."

Xian immediately clenched his fist upon hearing that name, suggesting he was familiar with them. Her mother's tears started flowing again. Karsha sighed.

"It was all my fault," said Li Fei. "If only I had agreed and gone with them, none of this would have happened. I got Dad killed."

"That's enough, Fei. This isn't your fault. Your father chose to protect you, even giving his life in the process."

"Fei, what happened?" Xian, unable to wait any longer, asked, his tone more assertive. This startled his sister slightly, but she quickly recovered and began narrating what had happened.

For some time now, the brother of the leader of the Blackaxe Bandits had taken a fancy to Xian's older sister. From time to time, when she went to work at a tavern in the village, he would harass her. She had tried many times to deter him, but nothing worked.

However, since it had merely been harassment, she kept it from her parents and endured it for a while. But things escalated when he attempted to assault her on her way back from work a day ago. If not for her strength as a Peak Master stage cultivator, he would have succeeded.

This time, she couldn't hold it in and told her parents. Her father first consoled her, but later that night, he ventured into the darkness to kill the bastard. The next morning, they found his dead body on their doorstep, with a note attached.

From the note, it was clear that Xian's father had succeeded in his midnight assassination, but tragically, he hadn't made it back alive. The note also contained a grim demand: they wanted Xian's sister as compensation, or they would kill the entire family after every last bandit had taken a turn with her.

As Karsha read the note, his fury rose to a tipping point, but he held back. There would be time for that later. Right now, he had to make sure the family was alright.

"Xian, start helping your parents pack. They will be leaving with us." Karsha's declaration took both Xian and her parents by surprise.

"Please don't refuse. Xian is my brother, so automatically you're my family. Leaving you here is not an option."

"But... but how will you take care of us? Living in the big city is hard. You don't have to worry about us; as long as Xian is okay, we will be fine," Lady Li Jing said.

"You don't have to worry about that, Lady Li Jing. The most important thing is that you are safe, and I want to keep it that way. If anything happens to you, this brother of mine will lose his mind." Karsha decided to end the conversation with a touch of sarcasm to lighten the mood. As expected, the tense atmosphere eased a little.

"Okay," she responded with a thankful gaze, and so did her children, even Xian.

"Alright, Xian, make sure they have everything they will need. You will be leaving within four days from today." Karsha stood up and started walking toward the door. Find exclusive stories on empire

"Big bro, I will go with you." Xian immediately understood where Karsha was going and stood up to follow.

"No, Xian, stay with your family," Karsha stopped him.

"I want revenge, big bro. Please take me with you," Xian pleaded.

"Xian, stay with your family. They need you more than you need to waste your energy on those scums," Karsha said, patting Xian on the shoulder to ensure he understood.

Although Karsha knew Xian should be the one going for revenge, he realized it wouldn't make him feel better; it would only add to his hate. Karsha had already killed more than he could count, making him numb to slaughter, but Xian was different.

He hadn't killed anyone yet, and from what Karsha observed when he first met him, letting Xian go on a rampage right now—even if his avatars were the ones doing the killing—would not be beneficial.

Someone like Xian needed a clean conscience before taking a life. The current him was angry, and using that anger would only turn into resentment, then rage, and ultimately, into a bloodthirsty maniac. Karsha wouldn't be happy about that.

"Okay, big bro," Xian said, moving back to sit with his family.

"Let's go, Morris." Karsha and Morris immediately disappeared, leaving only Xian and his family.

"Brother, who was that?" Xian's little sister, Nan, asked once Karsha and Morris had left.

"He's a brother I made in the sect. He has helped me a lot. We came today because I think he is the one Grandpa talked about."

"You don't mean he is the...?" Lady Li Jing began to ask, but Xian cut her off.

"Yes, Mom. He said he is the disciple of the Divine Alchemist. I pretended I didn't believe him, but after observing him for a while, I think he is telling the truth." The faces of the four Lis lit up.

"If what you said is true, then what else are we going to do from now on?" Tears fell from Lady Li Jing's eyes. What Karsha didn't know was that a very long time ago, a woman injured from an unknown ambush was discovered by Xian's Great-great-grandfather, who was also a healer like Xian's great-grandfather and grandfather.

It took all of his power to save her, but before she left, she entrusted a divine artifact to Xian's family and left explicit instructions. For years, Xian's family, the Li family, had been taking care of this artifact.

Xian was supposed to be a healer, just like his grandfather, but 45 years ago, he was bitten by a purple-tailed anaconda, and despite all his efforts, he couldn't cure himself. This also meant that the moment he died, the only way to determine who they had been waiting for would die with him.

But before he died, he secretly implanted the Identification Rune into Xian. Because of this, his soul was impacted, reducing Xian's potential as a cultivator. However, what he did not know was that, because of this Rune, he was also given a chance to rise.

Although the Rune affected his soul, the moment he met Karsha, that effect was lifted. He didn't know it, but subconsciously, he trusted that Karsha was the one they had been waiting for. Even so, when he learned that Karsha was the disciple of the Divine Alchemist, he acted oblivious and decided to observe him for a while.

Karsha meeting Xian wasn't an accident; it was meant to happen. Xian had been betrayed by his teammates during their hunt for Tier 4 monsters to qualify for the Blood Expedition. Karsha was also drawn toward the aroma of grilled fish while trying to find his way home. Strangely, after meeting the Hell Sister, he soon encountered Xian.

None of this was a coincidence. Xian's betrayal and Karsha's misdirection all happened because of one person: the Hell Sister. If Xian's great-great-grandfather were present, he would have recognized the woman. After all, she was the one he had saved many years ago.