Chapter 8: Battle in the Open Path 1


    Eoi''s silver eyes narrowed.


    He didn''t understand why his arrows didn''t work against a halfbreed. His arrows made of concentrated mana always pierced their mark no matter what race it was.


    What is he?


    Do released a sigh of relief.


    Now that Ryu somehow managed to stop Garet, Do regained his calm and assisted the situation. He finally noticed that the human Garet and the demon, Asad, were colluding with one another.


    Though it was rare, different races forming groups were not exactly unheard of. Ever since the war stopped, some races were trapped in foreignnds due to barriers and arrays ced at the boundary of each realm. These races were left with no choice and could only plead asylum and loyalty to the ruling realm. That, or they hid themselves to avoid being ves and servants while soldiers and mercenaries hunted them day in and out.


    These races were rampant in the mortal realm since the former Blue Earth Continent had the unfortunate luck of being selected the most as the battleground for centuries of wars in the past.


    But Asad confessed that the barriers were no match against their Lord. It meant that this group breached the barriers and came from another realm.


    Do released a mouthful of air before he cast a simple spell to heal his wounds and bones.


    [Earth Aid]


    Great knights, knights, and other practitioners in physicalbat could perform simple, uplicated spells such as healing incantations to heal themselves. Though they were not experts in castingplicated high-level spells, they''d ironed in their heads since young to learn simple healing magic to aid them in a dire situation.


    "Hehehehe. So what if you can cast a healing spell. Let''s see if you have enough mana to waste." Asad smirked and raised one hand at Do tauntingly.


    "Come."


    Instead of charging like he used to, Do remained rooted to his spot. He was knowledgeable about the amount of mana he had left more than anyone else, and that was precisely why he would give it all in this battle. He could not afford to die. He must report to his King the vital information he had acquired.


    And more importantly  I must not let any harm befall the Princess.


    When they were drained of all mana, their body would crumple and dry and would shatter like broken ss before disappearing into particles. Thus, they must be careful in using their mana. Though it could be replenished over time, the rate of absorption differed from person to person.


    Even Murok, a mage whose rate of absorption was much faster than anybatants, still took him a day to replenished all his mana after he had nearly used it up.


    Do remained standing on his spot, but then, he began to move. He lifted his broadsword in the air, pointing it at the sky. The ground rattled as an endless wave of earth flew in every direction, with Do as the focal point.


    Asad watched without a care, but he knew the seriousness of the situation. He didn''t let his guard down one bit. And true to his hunch, Do''s body appeared in every direction, along with his broadsword.


    [Earth Shaker]


    RUMBLE!


    One hazy broadsword after another pierced through the air, thrusting towards Asad. Combined with almost a thousand, they formed a genuine-earth dragon coiling with the gigantic rocks shaped like spikes, hurdling together, heading towards Asad.


    At the same time, behind Asad, Do bizarrely appeared out of nowhere with unimaginable speed as he thrust his broadsword forward.


    One skill in the front, one attack in the back. Asad had nowhere to run.


    "Hmp!" Asad moved.


    [Demonic Sword]


    Asad''s sword, Gawtar, transformed into countless ck serpents that emitted a foggy dark light like smoke, colliding and striking against various rocks and piles of earth form all around him. Each time his sword hit a spear-like rock, there was a thunderous boom.


    The astonishing, mighty gigantic rocks shaped like spikes, hurdling together towards him, have been surrounded and wrapped by giant ck foggy serpents. As the serpents constricted, those enormous rocky spikes exploded.


    BOOM!


    Do paid it no mind that his Earth Shaker was repelled. He concentrated on the enemy and shed towards Asad from behind.


    "DIE!!"


    CLANG!


    Just as Do''s de was nearing Asad, Gawtar curved backward, blocking the enormous sword. As the two swords bounced from the impact, Asad immediately flew back as well, moving farther away from Do.


    Crackle


    Crackle


    Do''s broadsword gatheredyers afteryers of earthen light as he attracted piles of earth towards him, wrapping his already armored body with rocks.


    [Erath Guard]


    Asad clicked his tongue as his dted obsidian eyes narrowed. "Tsk. So he has enough mana to waste. Heh, but let see how far you''llst."


    But right at this moment, a loud, piercing sound came rushing past Asad''s side. Rippling the winds as it came.


    SCREECH!


    It was so fast that even space itself rippled, heading towards Do''s direction.


    Do unleashed Devastator once again. At the single swipe of his broadsword, the earth erupted as it coiled around on his sword''s force.


    BOOM!


    BOOM!


    Countless thunderous sounds echoed as the piercing arrow wrapped in dark light shot through theyers of earth with a terrifying colliding force.


    But even still, theyers of earth weren''t enough to stop the arrow as it went directly into Do''s earth guard, shattering it before drilling his armor, and passed through his body.


    [Shooting Star]


    Do''s right upper chest had a terrifying hole on, sized and shape of a fist. Through its hole was the scenery dripped in blood. Even the muscles and bones were cleanly drilled out.


    "W-wha. .. ?"


    Do kneeled on the dirt while he struck his sword on the ground for support. With blurry eyes, he steadied his gaze at the man behind Asad.


    "Eoi, don''t ruin my fun," Asad hissed, not looking at Eoi behind him.


    Eoi removed his hood and revealedrge pointy ck ears and long braided blonde hair.


    A dark elf!


    "Enough with your games. This is taking so long. Remember, it is not only him that we need to kill." Eoi eyed the wagon. "While the people on that carriage still hadn''t joined in, this is the perfect opportunity to kill him in one swift."


    Asad frowned but didn''t argue. "Party Pooper," he mumbled and began to gather dark lights around him. Time to get serious. . .


    Asad''s shadowy light covered his body, and he looked death himself.


    "I''ll support you from the back. This time. .. kill him." Eoi retreated fifty meters behind Asad and gathered mana to form an arrow.


    "Gughk!" Do spat out another blood. With a trembling body, he managed to stood to his feet with much effort. He knew that they were in a severe predicament  especially him.


    A demon and a dark elf were hardly tough about.


    Do scanned his surroundings. All the soldiers from both sides were utterly wiped out, leaving only him, Ryu, Garet, Asad, and Eoi, as well as the three people in the carriage and the wagon full of ves on the enemies'' side.


    Do frowned when he saw that Ryu still hadn''t killed Garet, a messily human. Against this kind of opponent, Ryu should have killed him minutes ago.


    Do was precisely correct, Ryu could kill Garet in a heartbeat, but because Ryu was holding his strength and still contemting what to do, he could only repel Garet away from the carriage.


    By now, Garet''s entire body was full of w marks and scars, and he had a hard time fighting Ryu.


    Ryu was not exactly unscathed either. His body was dripping with blood caused by Garet''s ax. Not to mention that his body was weak from hunger and torment from the soul scourge.


    Ryu could barely repel Garet, but he refused to kill the man without Cecily''s consent, afraid to make her angry again.


    Meanwhile, inside the carriage. Cecily, Murok, and Agatha were waiting for Do and the others to return.


    Though it took a long time to describe what was happening outside, but in truth, barely fifteen minutes has gone by since the battle started.


    Murok felt that something was not right. "This took longer than expected. I will go outside and take a look."


    "Let Do handled those rogues. It''s not the first time that we''ve encountered ruffians that don''t know what''s good for them," said Cecily, closing her eyes. Her head leaned against the headrest while her hands rested on herp.


    Cecily was confident that Do could handle the enemies since it was not the first time an ambush happened. While Murok still hadn''t recovered half of his mana and was focused on concentrating on gathering it back faster, thus he pursed his lips and didn''t say more.


    Cecily was correct. Do could indeed handle the people outside if it were any ordinary ruffians. But what she didn''t know, the ruffians had a demon and a dark elf in their group.


    Cecily was indeed a talented Mage knight, but shecked experience regarding the outside world, especially experience in actualbat.


    She was confident that the barriers could repel other races from invading the mortal realm and that those alien races trapped in the human realm wouldn''t dare to attack out in the open. Least they wanted to alert the soldiers and mercenaries for their heads.


    Agatha''s eyebrows twitched. This little girl is too nave.


    Agatha mused to herself as her lips twitched in a smirk. No matter. .. I don''t care what happens to the others, as long as this shitty old man is alive. .. Then. . .