Bai Shi had never really understood.
A Witch not only helped in battle with prayers and items like holy water pots, but could also turn a Tarnished’s runes into strength, making her a crucial companion.
And yet, these Bloody Fingers, swayed by the likes of the White Masks, became obsessed with cursed blood. They would kill their own Witches as a pledge of loyalty to join the Mohgwyn Dynasty.
This act of severing their own path to advancement was, frankly, idiotic.
Even if they joined the Mohgwyn Dynasty and were granted equipment and skills, how could that compare to a body strengthened countless times by runes? Power, that is the reason to be king!
Take Bai Shi, for example. He wasn't even using a weapon. Relying purely on his overwhelming physical prowess, he had brought Nerijus before him to his knees with a single punch.
Nerijus was now curled up like a shrimp, drool and tears streaming from his face.
Bai Shi planted his foot on Nerijus's head, forcing his face into an intimate encounter with the wetland mud.
With his face buried in the mud, Nerijus couldn't breathe. He instinctively struggled to get up, but under Bai Shi's pressure, it was hopeless.
Instead, his constant struggling only covered him in more mud, defiling the black robe with its gold embroidery and the cape with its luxurious golden patterns.Stomping on the attire that symbolized the noble glory of the Mohgwyn Dynasty, Bai Shi felt a strange sense of pleasure.
So you're the one who enjoys preying on the weak?
Bai Shi had seen Tarnished who had been attacked by this man. Even if their physical wounds were healed by grace, the psychological scars did not fade so easily.
Although some had begun to recover their spirits thanks to Fia's healing and had started new lives with menial jobs, there were still those who hid in the corners of the Roundtable Hold, trembling day in and day out.
When this guy was cutting down newbie Tarnished, turning them into a bloody mess, did he ever imagine that he would one day be so humiliatingly stomped into the dirt?
These people from the Mohgwyn Dynasty were no good, and Bai Shi felt no mercy as he applied pressure.
As Nerijus’s struggles grew weaker, Bai Shi began to think again.
Regardless of the past relationship between these Bloody Fingers and their Witches, the Witches had followed them voluntarily.
They were companions who hoped they would become the Elden Lord, who willingly stood by their side. Such trust was precious in the Lands Between.
Once upon a time, the Witches of the Bloody Fingers probably prayed for them to become king at Sites of Grace, fought alongside them, or blamed themselves for not being able to help more.
And yet, these Bloody Fingers had killed the Witches who were their constant companions with their own hands.
Although Bai Shi's own Witch had died long before he arrived, and he had never spoken a single word to her, her final words contained no information about her killer, but only a blessing for Bai Shi to become king.
That was enough for Bai Shi to develop a favorable impression of Witches as a whole, and in turn, his hatred for these Bloody Fingers deepened.
To put it bluntly, calling these people who would kill their own Witches as a pledge of loyalty, join the Mohgwyn Dynasty, and slaughter their own kind "beasts" was no exaggeration.
The more Bai Shi thought about it, the angrier he became. He lifted his foot off Nerijus's head.
Nerijus had already passed out and was unresponsive.
Bai Shi pulled him out of the mud and gripped one of Nerijus's fingers.
The finger was peculiar. Infused with cursed blood, it had an unnatural青色 hue, and blood constantly seeped from its tip.
This was the blood finger granted by the Mohgwyn Dynasty, the very origin of their moniker.
It was a symbol of Nerijus's induction into the Mohgwyn Dynasty, but he was about to lose it forever.
With a hard pull, Bai Shi tore the blood finger clean off Nerijus's hand. The digit brought tendons and nerves with it, ripping blood vessels in the process.
Blood gushed out instantly. The intense pain shocked Nerijus out of his stupor, and he let out a horrific scream.
"Ah, ahhhhh—!"
Bai Shi tossed the finger aside, not intending to rip off the others. Bai Shi wasn't done with him yet. This level of punishment was still too light for a Bloody Finger who had tortured countless Tarnished.
But Bai Shi didn't know much about torture, nor did he want to inflict it cruelly on others.
In fact, seeing the finger come off with a long string of tendons and nerves had made him regret it. Torturing a helpless man was completely different from executing an opponent.
Bai Shi imagined it: as the man screamed, he would break his fingers one by one. After the fingers, he'd crush the palm. After crushing the palm, he'd chop off the hand and stuff it in his mouth...
No, it was too brutal. It made him feel sick to his stomach; it was a line he couldn't cross.
But this only deepened Bai Shi's disgust for these Bloody Fingers who took pleasure in torturing their own kind. They were nothing but psychologically twisted beasts.
Still, he couldn't just let him go. What to do?
In that case, he would just beat him without thinking.
Bai Shi slammed Nerijus against a rock, his fists raining down on the man's body.
"Ora, ora, ora, ora!"
Nerijus's agonizing screams continued to echo, instantly drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
The first to arrive was Arnogo, who came running on his little donkey, a hand crossbow in his grip.
Seeing that Bai Shi was unharmed and that the screams were coming from some other stranger being beaten, Arnogo breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he realized he probably didn't need to worry about Bai Shi at all. This was, after all, the man who had saved Castle Morne single-handedly.
Close behind was a man with a metal kasa hat, wielding a katana, who had come running. It was Yura, the Bloody Finger Hunter, who had been searching for traces of Bloody Fingers nearby.
When he saw Bai Shi pinning the infamous Bloody Finger Nerijus against a rock and relentlessly pounding him, Yura was stunned.
However, Yura didn't say anything. Since this Tarnished was powerful and didn't need his help, there was no reason to interfere.
Yura just planned to check if Nerijus was dead after the beating. If not, he would finish him off, ensuring this menace didn't have a chance to live.
The two exchanged a look and then quietly watched Bai Shi beat Nerijus. The scene was strangely silent.
The silence was finally broken by the last person to arrive.
He strolled over slowly, a cheeky grin on his face, looking for all the world like he was just enjoying the show.
"Whoa, impressive boxing! But why aren't you hitting his balls?"
Whistling, a bald man with a greatshield in one hand and a spear in the other—who else could it be but Patches?
Bai Shi stopped his assault. Nerijus's body slumped like a rag doll.
Many of his bones were broken and his teeth were knocked out, but he was still breathing.
Bai Shi glanced at Nerijus, who was now completely incapable of resisting. At least visually, it wasn't too gruesome.
Looking at the three spectators, Bai Shi's blood-stained face broke into a friendly smile.
"Oh, I was so focused just now, I didn't notice anyone else had arrived. My apologies."