Elvia struggled to pull a magic scroll out of her bag.
It was the Shroud of the Gloomy Night scroll Lin Gui had given her.
Her fingers trembled, nails digging into the seal of the scroll as she tried to tear it open.
However, the extreme blood loss from multiple severe injuries caused her vision to blur.
The world before her felt as though viewed through a watery veil; moonlight dimmed, while the outlines of shattered stone and dead wood swayed and overlapped in her sight.
She blinked hard, clenching her teeth to force herself to stay conscious.
The stench of blood radiated from her body, scattering into the night wind.
In the distance, pair after pair of blood-red eyes lit up in the darkness.
The first.
The second.
The third.
They poked their heads out from their nests, nostrils flaring as they sniffed the fresh blood in the air.
Low, guttural growls echoed from all directions, rising and falling like demon calls confirming the prey's location.
A Hero Rank demon stepped out from behind a rock, on all fours with its back arched, saliva dripping from its fangs.
Its gaze locked dead onto Elvia, as if staring at a slab of meat on a chopping block.
Then a second, and a third.
More demons surged out from their nests, closing in from every direction.
Their steps were light, yet in the dead quiet of the wasteland, those subtle sounds pricked into Elvia's eardrums like needles.
None of this was the worst part.
Far off in the deep, dark forest where moonlight could not penetrate...
...a suffocating sense of pressure was waking up.
It was not moving, nor was it approaching.
It was watching.
That High-tier Legendary demon had opened its eyes.
Those eyes cut through the dense forest, through the night, falling straight onto Elvia.
It felt as if a mountain were crushing down on her chest.
Elvia's breath hitched for a moment, her face turning a shade paler.
This clearing she had chosen was originally her last resort.
Those clustered demon nests were supposed to be her bargaining chip to stall Arthur.
But now, Arthur had fled.
All of the demons' attention was locked entirely on her.
And she no longer had the strength to run.
Her entire body was in agonizing pain, every bone screaming and every muscle feeling torn to shreds, making it a struggle just to lift a hand.
Even if she tore open the Shroud of the Gloomy Night scroll, its duration wouldn't be enough to protect her long enough to escape in this state.
Shattered stones would clatter, dry twigs would snap, and a trail of blood would stretch along behind her.
The demons would trace the scent of blood straight to her.
Prostrate on the ground, Elvia propped herself up with her elbows and dragged herself sideways, inch by inch.
With every inch she moved, her wounds tore open anew, making her blood flow faster.
Gritting her teeth, her nails clawed into the dirt as she dragged her body forward.
A demon lunged out from the side.
It was shockingly fast, its limbs a blur and its fangs gleaming cold under the moonlight.
Its goal was clear: Elvia's throat.
Elvia's pupils dilated violently in shock.
Instinctively, she raised her hand, digging her fingers into the scroll's seal to tear it open.
But it was too late.
The demon was already right in front of her face.
A stench of blood blew over her, fangs inches away.
Boom!
A shadow plunged from the sky without slowing down, slamming head-on into the demon.
The prow of a flying vessel crashed into the demon, the crunch of shattering bones bursting through the night air.
The demon's body flew back a dozen meters like a flung stone, crashing into a boulder and spattering a pool of dark red blood.
At the moment of impact with the demon, Lin Gui grabbed Irene's arm with one hand.
He then stowed the speeding flying vessel away into Storage.
The flying vessel vanished into thin air, and Lin Gui landed with Irene.
His knees bent slightly upon landing, his mage robe fluttering in the night wind.
His gaze swept across the surrounding demons, over the suffocating pressure in the distant forest, and finally settled on Elvia.
Her long golden hair was scattered over the rubble, her armor almost completely shattered, and her body covered in blood.
Lin Gui's expression shifted.
He squatted down and held Elvia by her shoulders, his voice urgent.
“Elvia!”
Elvia's eyelids fluttered, barely parting into a crack.
Seeing Lin Gui's familiar face, the corners of her mouth twitched.
Not to smile, but to curse.
Her voice was so weak it sounded squeezed out of her throat, laced with exasperated resentment.
“Where the hell... were you all this time?!”
Lin Gui's lips twitched slightly, a flicker of guilt flashing in his eyes.
“There was a slight complication.”
He paused, his eyes sweeping over the demons closing in on them.
“This is no place to talk. I'll get you out of here first.”
He reached out, supporting Elvia's back with one hand while hooking the other beneath her knees, scooping her up into his arms.
Elvia winced in his arms, her brows knitting together tightly.
“Don't... don't rush...”
Her voice broke repeatedly, gasping for breath between every word.
Raising her hand, her fingers weakly grabbed Lin Gui's collar, her golden eyes staring straight at him.
“That bastard... can't let that bastard get away...”
Lin Gui's brows furrowed.
“Who?”
Elvia's breathing grew increasingly rapid, her face pale as paper.
Blood oozed from the corners of her mouth and the cracks in her armor, dripping onto Lin Gui's arm.
“That... that...”
“Arthur.”
Her voice became softer and more fragmented.
“...Underneath... there's...”
She pointed toward the spot where Arthur had been standing earlier.
“His blood... tissue... and...”
Her voice stalled right there.
“Mor...”
Her lips trembled, failing to finish the name.
Her eyes began to unfocus, the light in her pupils dimming bit by bit.
Lin Gui lowered his head, gazing at her pale face.
His fingers gently cupped her cheek, his palm pressed against her cold skin, his voice soft and steady.
“Don't worry.”
“Leave everything to me.”
Elvia's eyelids quivered.
She looked into Lin Gui's dark eyes, finding no panic, no fear, only a reassuring, steady light.
The corners of her mouth finally curved slightly upward.
Then, her eyes closed.
Her breathing stabilized as she fell into a deep sleep.
Lin Gui withdrew his gaze and carried Elvia onto the flying vessel.
Irene was already sitting in the back, her expression heavy, her hands clutching the skirt of her dress.
The flying vessel took to the sky, turning into a streak of light before vanishing into the night sky.
In the blink of an eye, it arrived at Withered Wood Town, at the 7-Copper Post Office.
Lin Gui placed Elvia onto the soft bed.
Irene immediately stepped in for Lin Gui and began casting Water Healing on Elvia.
A pale blue light surged from her palms, blanketing Elvia's wounds.
Standing beside the bed, Lin Gui watched Irene's busy back and spoke.
“Please take good care of her for me.”
Irene didn't turn back; she merely nodded.
Lin Gui looked at her, at this black-haired girl who hadn't uttered a sound the whole way.
Setting off from Withered Wood Town, heading north to the hunting circle, meeting up with Freeman, hunting down the scattered fleeing members of the magic families, and then rushing back...
Along the journey, she had vomited repeatedly, her face pale as paper and her lips devoid of color.
Yet she hadn't complained once, nor had she asked to stop.
Lin Gui went silent for a moment before finally saying,
“Thank you.”
Irene's hands paused for a beat, though she still didn't turn around.
Lin Gui turned, vaulted through the window, boarded the flying vessel, and flew out toward the outskirts of Withered Wood Town.
The flying vessel turned into a streak of light, vanishing into the night.
In the third-floor bedroom.
Irene stood before the window, watching his departing figure with a complex expression.
Moonlight poured through the window, falling upon her pale face.
She turned her head to look at Elvia sleeping on the bed.
Long golden hair lay scattered across the pillow; bloodstains still remained uncleaned on her face, but her breathing was smooth and even.
Irene sat down by the bedside, her gaze resting on Elvia's face.
She recalled their first meeting, when this blond woman had pitched her own man to her.
To be honest, back then, Irene had detested the woman's tone.
That tone always reminded her of the marriage alliance rhetoric among the powerful in the City of a Thousand Towers.
There were no individuals in such talk, only power, money, and the acquisition or mutual benefit of influence.
Elvia had talked in the exact same manner.
Saying he had endless money to spend.
Saying he had a transport team, formidable status, and praise even from Legendary mages.
Saying he had extraordinary magic talent, and that countless major families in the City of a Thousand Towers wanted to win him over.
Irene had thoroughly loathed it back then.
She had thought it was just another blatant exchange of interests, another cold calculation treating people as bargaining chips.
She hadn't noticed back then that Elvia's words had deliberately downplayed any true description of that man's abilities.
Only after heading north with Lin Gui did Irene finally understand why Elvia had acted that way.
After just a few hours of hunting in the north, Irene was certain of one thing—
She would never forget this for the rest of her life.
She could never forget that god-of-death-like speed hunt.
The death god wasn't that Legendary Assassin.
Freeman was the Soul Sickle, the scythe harvesting lives in the hands of the death god.
And the death god...
...was that High Rank mage.
His concealment spells rendered every target completely unaware.
His Levitation allowed the flying vessel to speed through the wasteland faster than an Epic rank.
His Soul Vision left every fleeing enemy with nowhere to hide.
They caught up to one, killed one.
Those Transcendent mages who lorded it over everyone in the City of a Thousand Towers didn't even have time to react before him.
Irene's fingers began to tremble again.
Not out of fear.
It was excitement.
It was that uncontrollable thrill of blood surging through her veins.
Soul...
Concealment...
Levitation...
She repeated those three words softly, her voice light as a sigh.
Sitting beside the bed and looking at Elvia's sleeping face, Irene whispered quietly,
“Lady Elvia, I'm afraid I might fail your expectations.”
“I have not fallen in love with Lord Lin Gui.”
“However, I am extremely interested in his magic.”
“I hope he doesn't mind having an apprentice whose rank is higher than his.”
Meanwhile, on the other side.
North of Withered Wood Town, within that massive mud pit...
...Morgan stood on the rock platform, both hands pressing down hard on his staff, his knuckles turning white.
Mana surged into the ground like a bursting flood; with every passing second of maintaining the spell, his magic core grew emptier.
Veins bulged on his forehead, and beads of sweat slid down the bridge of his nose, dripping onto the shaft of the staff.
Cass and Victor were trapped in the mud pit, frozen like two statues.
They were no longer struggling.
Cass stood with his arms crossed, feet sunken in the mud, a relaxed, cruel smile hanging on his lips.
“Lord Morgan, how much longer can your mana hold out?”
His voice was not loud, but every word drove into Morgan's ears like a nail.
“Ten minutes?”
“Five minutes?”
“Or... is it already running on empty?”
Morgan did not answer.
His breathing grew increasingly heavy, his chest heaving violently, and his mage robe soaked with sweat.
Cass's gaze swept across his face and landed on the slightly trembling staff, his smile widening.
He took a step forward.
The mud bubbled softly, but his footing was far steadier than before.
The mud pit's suction was weakening.
Morgan's mana was on the verge of exhaustion.
Victor stepped forward as well; though silent, his hand was already resting on the hilt of the dagger at his waist.
Their eyes pinned Morgan like twin blades.
Morgan gritted his teeth, holding the staff down with all his strength.
Uncontrollably, his eyes flicked toward the north.
Cass noticed his gaze, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
“Don't bother looking.”
“That High-tier Legendary from Avalon isn't coming.”
“And that knight lady won't be returning either.”
“No one is coming.”
He paused, his tone laced with a winner's contempt.
“Lord Morgan, you've lost.”
Morgan's fingers twitched.
The light on the staff flickered uncertainly, like a candle in the wind.
The edges of the mud pit began to dry up, and the barrier's light curtain dimmed.
Cass's eyes lit up.
“Now—”
He pulled his foot from the mud, sinking his body slightly to spring forward.
Just at that moment...
...a voice suddenly sounded out.
Calm, nonchalant, and even carrying a hint of casual indifference.
“Sorry I'm late.”
Cass's pupils contracted violently.
He looked toward Morgan.
A black-haired mage abruptly appeared behind Morgan, his mage robe fluttering softly in the night wind.
No one had seen when he arrived.
No mana fluctuations, no footsteps, no warning whatsoever.
He simply materialized out of thin air.
As if he had grown straight out of the darkness.
Morgan's pupils dilated in intense shock.
He turned his head to look at the black-haired young man standing behind him, his lips trembling.
“You...”
His voice was hoarse, carrying an uncontrollable wild joy surging from his chest.
“You're back...”
Lin Gui nodded, his black eyes calm as stagnant water.
“Ran into a slight snag while saving someone. It held me up.”
His gaze passed Morgan, landing on the two assassins in the center of the mud pit.
Standing in the mud pit, Cass and Victor had all traces of composure wiped from their faces.
In its place was a heavy, dead-serious vigilance, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Cass's hand gripped the dagger hilt, his knuckles turning white.
Victor sank low, lowering his center of gravity like a fully drawn bow.
Their eyes locked onto Lin Gui, as if staring at a venomous snake poking its head out of the dark.
Perception extended toward him silently like invisible tentacles.
Then—
It froze.
Cass froze in shock.
His brows knit together violently as his perception swept over Lin Gui again.
The result remained unchanged.
He turned his head toward Victor.
Victor had completed his own perception sweep at the exact same moment, his expression mirroring Cass's—confusion, disbelief, absurdity.
The two exchanged a glance.
Cass's voice ground out of his throat, carrying a dry, unbelievable tone:
“High-tier... High Rank?”
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