Punish the Heavens and Punish the Gods - Chapter 01

“Hey—sister, give me back the chicken wings, or I’ll tell Father!!” I shouted anxiously.

“Silly Jie, if you can catch me, I’ll give your chicken wings back!” My sister laughed.

I pouted and said, “You’re so mean! You always steal from me just because I’m weaker. Sister, you got Father’s tall body, and I got Mother’s human looks and small frame. You’re so tall and still bully me!” As I spoke, tears welled up in my eyes.

“How’s that? Come on, if you can catch me, they’re yours!” she teased, running off. The orcs were always like this—noisy and full of laughter. Most of the commotion in our house came from my sister and me.

Then Grandma arrived, carrying a basket filled with chicken wings. My crying stopped immediately, my eyes fixed on the basket as I drooled. My sister, who had already learned wind magic, used a simple spell—Wind Speed—to sweep up all the chicken wings in an instant. Seeing that, I sat down on the ground and cried again. After all, I was only ten years old.

(The reason there’s peace right now is because the demons married our grandmother to our grandfather, and the humans married our mother to our father.) My father is highly respected in the Orc Kingdom—he’s the number one warrior of the Beast Race! He’s a lion man, and the Beast Emperor is a Behemoth. My father is known as the King of War, commander of all beast armies, and the elite Behemoth Legion is under his command.

“Yan Jie, stop crying. Yan Lin, give the chicken wings back to your brother! You’re already eighteen—why are you still so naughty?” Grandma scolded.

My sister made a face at her and said, “No! If he wants them, let him catch me! He’s supposed to be the heir of our lion clan, but he’s so weak!”

I was about to argue back when Father walked in, flanked by three Behemoths. His face darkened when he saw me crying on the floor. Without a word, he snatched the chicken wings from my sister, threw them to the ground, and crushed them under his foot.

“What kind of man are you?” he roared. “Crying over food? Shameful! You disgrace our lion clan! I only have one son, and I thought of making you the next King of War, but now—forget it! You worthless half-bl00d!”

The word half-bl00d hit me hard. Wasn’t a hybrid still a person? And to be called that by my own father—how cruel! My bl00d began to boil with fury (well, and partly because of the chicken wings). My silver hair turned bl00d-red, and so did my eyes. My clothes tore apart as my body doubled in size. I glared at Father and charged at him, panting with rage.

To my surprise, Father smiled proudly. I had gone berserk! Among orcs, only one in ten ever awakened their berserk state. Father ordered a Behemoth to spar with me. I struck its stomach clean through! The other two rushed forward, pounding at me, but I felt no pain—only madness.

“Good! Good!” Father clapped loudly, not angry at all. “That’s my son! The son of the Lion War King, Lie Xia!”

I roared and lunged again. “Hold him down!” Father ordered. The two Behemoths charged. I kicked one hard, sending him flying with bl00d spraying from his mouth. The other punched, but I blocked it with one hand and accidentally kicked him between the legs.

He screamed in agony, “Oh no, my family line! It’s over! It hurts so bad! Your Highness Jie, have mercy!”

Father frowned, then sighed. He placed a firm hand on my shoulder, and my body froze instantly. My strength drained away, and I returned to normal size. Exhausted, I couldn’t even move a finger. It was my first time going berserk—no wonder I lost control. My eyes fluttered shut, and I fainted.

Father carried me to my room.

When morning came, I woke up feeling strangely refreshed, as if I had gone through intense training. I couldn’t remember a thing from the day before.

Still hungry, I ran to the dining hall. Everyone was already there—Grandma, Sister, Father, and Mother. I was the last to arrive.

My sister grinned. “Silly Jie, what was that yesterday? You went completely wild! Over a basket of chicken wings? Really? You call that progress?”

I scratched the back of my head and asked in confusion, “Did that really happen?”