Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In the depths of the dense forest, five figures darted swiftly, pursued by a vast, dark mass known as the Rodent Tide, its edges completely out of sight.
"The eastern path is blocked!" Kakashiuro shouted in a low voice.
Maple's expression darkened slightly; it was clear that the "commander" hidden within the Black Tide was very clever. It had not allowed the Rodent Tide to launch a direct assault but instead formed an encirclement through diversion, minimizing casualties.
"Constrict the formation!" Maple gritted his teeth and yelled. "Simon, protect Leilin! Kakashiuro, you clear the way! Garen, you and I will cover the rear!"
Maple's decision was decisive and undoubtedly the best course of action. The mage possessed strong endurance and destructive power; only by ensuring Leilin's safety could they hope to break free from the encirclement. This was also why Maple had placed Simon, their main combat force, next to Leilin.
As they raced forward, the five quickly formed a formation centered around Leilin. Without hesitation, Leilin began to chant a spell for several seconds, and a blazing fireball materialized in her palm. With a swift motion, she sent it soaring into the air, where it crashed into the surging Black Tide with a resounding boom!
Garen and Maple ran at the back of the group. With each wave of the Rodent Tide pushing forward, the nearest Demon Tooth Rat was now only five meters away, allowing them to clearly see its fierce visage—curved yellow fangs, disheveled whiskers, and cold green eyes…
With Stormblade swinging in his hands, Garen smashed down on the attacking rats, turning them into a bloody pulp. Glancing sideways, he saw that Maple had produced two crossbows from thin air. Each bolt formed from vibrant green Fighting Spirit was poised to strike down any enemy that dared to approach.
At that moment, Maple looked over at Garen and noticed he was handling things with ease as well. Surprise flickered in her eyes before she broke into a smile.
After exchanging glances with Maple, Garen felt a bit relieved; stabilizing their most dangerous rear meant they wouldn't face too much trouble—at least they could hold out until reaching Ghostvine Cliff.
Suddenly, a cry rang out ahead!
To their shock, on the eastern side of the encirclement, the Rodent Tide had pushed its way into their formation. Under an onslaught of over twenty Demon Tooth Rats, Leilin was abruptly interrupted mid-spellcasting while Simon found himself overwhelmed—one Demon Rat had even climbed onto his back!
Kakashiuro at the front seemed ready to move in for support but was quickly entangled by numerous Demon Rats. Four of them crawled up his left arm and rushed toward his head. With a decisive swing of his blade, Kakashiuro severed his entire left arm!
"Kakashiuro, don’t look back! Keep clearing the way! Clear the way!"
Maple's expression shifted dramatically as an incredible Emerald Battle Aura erupted around her. She dashed to Leilin's side and unleashed a flurry of bolts from her dual crossbows. After a series of muffled thuds filled the air, she finally managed to push back the attacking Black Tide.
"Ah!" Suddenly, a painful roar echoed through the air.
Maple had saved Leilin, but was unable to assist Simon. At that moment, they saw the burly man covered in rats, chunks of flesh being torn away, almost turning him into a bloody mess!
"Simon!" Maple and Leilin exclaimed simultaneously, but they couldn't spare a hand to rescue him.
Just then, a muffled sound erupted from behind Lineup, and a golden ray shot forth rapidly, reaching Simon's side in an instant! With a clang, Garen drove Stormblade into the ground, creating an invisible ripple!
Under the silence effect of Fatal Strike, the Demon Tooth Rats visibly froze. Seizing this opportunity, Simon finally unleashed his Fighting Spirit, shaking off all the Demon Rats clinging to him!
"Thank you, th-thank..." Covered in blood, the scar on Simon's face appeared even more ferocious. However, when he recognized Garen, he was momentarily stunned. "It's you?"
Before Simon could react further, Kakashiuro's voice came from ahead.
"We're almost there! Just five hundred meters!"
Perhaps due to having severed his own arm, Kakashiuro's voice sounded very weak. Yet, upon hearing this, the four behind him felt a surge of energy. Without needing any further communication, they abandoned their formation and sprinted forward at full speed!
As they approached three hundred meters away, the Ghostvine Cliff came into view. It was a chasm over a hundred meters long, with a bottomless abyss below. The steep cliffs on either side loomed far apart, connected by tangled Black Vines that formed a narrow passageway.
Before Maple could speak up, Simon pushed Kakashiuro aside and rushed onto the Vine Passage ahead of everyone else.
"Hurry up!" Maple frowned slightly but said nothing more; after all, escaping the Rodent Tide behind them was their top priority.
Following Simon, Leilin and Kakashiuro stepped onto the Vine Passage one after another. Maple fired bolts from his crossbow at the approaching Demon Tooth Rats while also making his way onto the vines. However, as soon as Garen stepped onto it, the black vines suddenly began to sway violently, producing a sharp creaking sound from where they connected to the cliff.
"No! The Ghost Vine can't support five people's weight!" Maple shouted with furrowed brows.
"What do we do? What do we do..." Leilin still bore traces of shock from the earlier attack. "They're coming! We can't delay any longer!"
"Newcomer, stay behind!" Simon hesitated for a moment but then said, "You can come up once we reach the other side!"
The Vine Passage erupted into noise.
"Enough!" Maple hissed quietly, then turned to Garen. "Garen, your sword is too heavy; get rid of it!"
"No way," Garen shook his head, firmly refusing.
"Why?!" Maple gritted her teeth and said, "It's just a sword! A useless hunk of iron! Once this mission is over, I'll get you a better one!"
A better one? Garen glanced down at Stormblade and couldn't help but smile.
After so many years together, Stormblade had become more than just a great sword; it was a loyal companion. Even if it truly became scrap metal, Garen would never abandon it.
Without further ado, Garen said seriously, "You all go ahead; I'll cover the rear."
"You!"
Maple was momentarily stunned. After taking a deep breath, she turned and shouted, "Stop dawdling! Hurry up!"
Once Garen made his decision, Simon and the others showed expressions of disbelief. Especially after being saved by Garen moments ago, Simon's gaze toward him had changed in some way—not gratitude, but resentment. To Simon, being saved by someone he perceived as a "weakling" was a deeply humiliating experience.
He looked at Garen's back facing the cliff and suddenly sneered with malicious glee.
The Vine Passage stretched about one hundred thirty meters long. Due to the instability of the Ghost Vine, Maple and the others were not moving quickly. Just as they reached the halfway point of the passage, the dark Rodent Tide arrived at the edge of the cliff.
In the center of that circle of Black Tide stood a gigantic White-Furred Demon Rat. The surrounding Demon Tooth Rats were clearly fearful of it and dared not approach even slightly.
It was evident that it was the "commander" of this group of Demon Rats.
When the White-Furred Demon Rat saw Maple and the others walking up the Vine Passage, its dark eyes instantly revealed anger, followed by a furious roar. The Rodent Tide surged to life, rushing towards Garen in unison!
“Courage!”
Garen raised his Stormblade, unleashing a torrent of Golden Fighting Qi that coalesced into three dark golden Runic Shields, swirling around him.
“Squeak!” The sharp screech echoed in all directions.
More than thirty Demon Tooth Rats pounced simultaneously, forming a swirling black vortex. Garen remained unfazed, tilting his raised Stormblade slightly. The blade whistled as it struck, sending the Demon Rats flying with a resounding "bang!"
At that moment, another wave of Demon Rats charged from the other side. The impact collided with Garen's chest, causing him to stagger back half a step. He looked down to see that the leftmost Runic Shield had dimmed slightly, with several cracks appearing on its surface.
Clearly, even the Runic Shield could not withstand the relentless assault of countless Demon Rats.
“They made it! They escaped!”
Just then, cheers erupted from across the cliff. Maple and the others had finally traversed the Ghost Vine passage and let out a collective sigh of relief.
At the same time, Simon stealthily approached the edge of the cliff while the other three were distracted.
He gazed at Garen, who was being battered by the Demon Rats, a cold smile creeping onto his lips.
Garen's heart skipped a beat as an ominous feeling washed over him...
Sure enough!
Simon drew his Battle Axe from behind and placed its sharp edge against the Black Vines, then...
He made a swift cut.
"Whoosh!" A rush of wind swept by as the vine, no longer anchored, plummeted rapidly, ultimately crashing with a resounding thud at the bottom of the abyss.
Maple turned towards the sound and immediately understood what had happened. In a fit of rage, he grabbed Simon by the neck and slammed him to the ground.
"What are you doing?!"
"I told you, he's a spy sent by the opposing forces," Simon shrugged nonchalantly.
"You bastard!" Maple gritted his teeth and shouted, "He just saved your life!"
Simon let out a couple of cold laughs and replied, "I also said I hate this guy."
...
Due to the great distance between the two cliffs, Garen couldn't hear the argument between Maple and the others; he only saw Maple finally release his grip while Simon wore a victorious smile, frequently casting mocking glances in his direction.
Maple lingered at the edge of the cliff for a moment before casting a complex look at Garen.
Then they left the cliff.
It was evident that Garen had been abandoned, while Simon faced no repercussions. After all, when Simon struck down with his axe, to them, Garen was already considered dead, and Simon still bore the main combat strength of the Blazing Fire Squad.
Garen calmly withdrew his gaze, which gradually turned colder.
A memory suddenly surged in his mind from when he was still on the Valoran Continent. He recalled hearing a saying from a hero warrior from the East.
"If one does not save oneself, heaven cannot save them!"
Garen's entire being was engulfed in Fighting Spirit, boiling over as he stomped down hard, causing the ground beneath the snow to crack with a loud noise. In an instant, he transformed into a golden beam of light, charging straight at the White-Furred Demon Rat!
The White-Furred Demon Rat seemed to sense something, its fur standing on end as it let out several terrified roars. Waves of Demon Tooth Rats surged forward, forming layer upon layer of solid barriers in front of it!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
...
With a series of astonishing impacts, countless Demon Tooth Rats were sent flying by Garen's massive sword. He pressed forward over two hundred meters, nearly reaching the White-Furred Demon Rat!
However, at this moment, his Fighting Spirit was almost depleted.
Yet even now, there was not a trace of worry in Garen's eyes; instead, they reflected calm determination.
A true warrior would never succumb to panic!
Just then, a voice suddenly echoed from the distant woods.
"Hey, warrior! Long time no see!"
Comment 0 Comment Count