Chương 224: Escape

Each time my experience at the village had played out slightly differently, but the core remained the same: raiders attacking, villagers dying, and Vayara appearing to either slaughter everyone or, if she detected my potential, spare them to recruit me.

"Just lucky," I said to Maya.

"Something caught my eye." Her brow furrowed in suspicion, but there wasn't time for her to question me further. Right on schedule, Henrik's voice bellowed across the village square.

"Raiders!" His familiar shout sent a ripple of panic through the gathered villagers.

"They're breaking through the east gate!" I watched Henrik stride toward us, that same determined expression on his face. In previous loops, I'd seen him charge a Skybound cultivator with nothing but an axe, dying in a futile but brave attempt to buy others time to escape. Maya thrust the rusty sword toward me, the same blade I'd been handed in every previous iteration of this moment.

"Here. Try not to stab yourself with it." This time, I accepted the weapon without protest. The hilt felt rough against my palm, the balance poor and the edge duller than it should be. But it was better than nothing, and refusing it would only raise more questions.

"What's the plan?" I asked, knowing full well what her answer would be.

"Defend the gates as long as we can," Maya replied, readying her own weapon, a slightly better-maintained shortsword.

"Buy time for the elderly and children to escape through the tunnels." I nodded, as if hearing this for the first time.

"The Seventh Band will try to flank through the south wall," I said.

"We should station people there." Maya's eyes narrowed.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Just a guess," I shrugged.

"They've done it before in other villages." Before she could press the issue, another shout came from the direction of the east gate, the first wave of raiders had breached the outer barricade.

"Go help Henrik," Maya ordered, pointing toward the northern section of the village.

"I'll organize the south wall defense." She gave me one last searching look, then dashed off, already calling for volunteers. As soon as she was out of sight, I allowed myself a moment to think. I needed a plan, not just reaction and improvisation this time, but a genuine strategy.

"Azure," I called out inwardly, "we need options."

"Based on previous iterations, we have approximately fifteen minutes before the Skybound arrives, and that is only if she doesn't detect you before then. The raiders will fully breach the east gate in approximately three minutes, and the south wall in five." I nodded, absently checking the rusty sword's edge.

"And the Sun-touched?"

"Based on previous observations, the first transformation should occur in six minutes, coinciding with the red sun reaching its zenith." I glanced up at the crimson orb hanging in the sky. Already it seemed brighter, its bloody light intensifying as it climbed toward its peak. When it reached its zenith, those raiders with a particular sensitivity to its influence would begin to change, becoming the monstrous Sun-touched, with enhanced strength, regenerative abilities, and an unquenchable bloodlust.

"So, our window is six minutes, before the Sun-touched emerge but after the initial chaos of the breach provides cover," I muttered, calculating distances in my head.

"We need to reach the forest before Vayara arrives, but not so early that we attract attention."

"Correct," Azure confirmed. Another crash from the direction of the east gate jolted me back to the immediate situation. People were running past me now, some armed with farming implements, others simply fleeing toward the escape tunnels. I needed to blend in, to appear both concerned and determined, like any other villager caught in a raid. Taking a deep breath, I let my expression shift to one of frightened resolve.

Then I joined the flow of defenders heading toward the east gate, careful to keep myself in the middle of the group rather than at its edges. Anonymity within the chaos was my best defense. The east gate was a simple wooden structure, reinforced with metal bands and usually guarded by two village militiamen. Now it was splintering under the repeated blows of a battering ram, the wood creaking and groaning with each impact.

Henrik stood before it, organizing the defenders into a semicircle, their makeshift weapons raised.

"Hold the line!" he shouted.

"Remember the drills! First rank kneels, second rank stands! When they break through, let them come to us!" I positioned myself in the second rank, sword raised. The perfect picture of a dutiful villager preparing to defend his home, while secretly planning my escape at the first opportunity.

"Master," Azure's voice came again, "I've been analyzing our options. The north forest path offers the best chance of escape once the combat begins, but it requires passing close to where Vayara appeared in previous iterations."

"And the alternatives?" I asked silently, keeping my face fixed in an expression of nervous determination. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"The western mountains would provide cover, but the terrain is difficult and would slow our progress significantly. The eastern plains offer speed but no concealment. The southern forest is already being targeted by the Seventh Band of raiders." I considered our options as the battering ram struck again, sending splinters flying from the increasingly damaged gate. Henrik shouted more instructions, his voice almost drowned out by the raiders' war cries from the other side.

"North it is," I decided.

"We'll time our exit to coincide with the initial breach, use the chaos as cover, then slip away toward the tree line."

"A sound strategy," Azure agreed.

"However, I recommend moving soon. The gate will not withstand many more impacts." As if to emphasize his point, a tremendous crash shook the barricade, and the center of the gate collapsed inward. Through the gap, I could see the raiders – dirty, scarred men and women in mismatched leather armor, their faces painted with red streaks that mimicked the sun's crimson glow. The battering ram, a simple tree trunk carried by four burly men, was pulled back for another strike.

"Ready!" Henrik shouted, raising his axe. The defenders tensed, weapons leveled at the widening gap. I tightened my grip on the rusty sword, waiting for the right moment. Not yet, moving too soon would draw attention from both sides. I needed the first wave of raiders to fully breach the gate, creating enough chaos to mask my departure. The battering ram struck again, and this time the gate gave way completely, collapsing inward with a thunderous crash.

The raiders surged forward with triumphant howls, brandishing axes, maces, and crude swords. The first rank of defenders knelt as trained, their spears and pitchforks creating a bristling wall that the initial wave of raiders impaled themselves upon. But there were too many of them. For every raider that fell, two more pushed through the gap, stepping over their fallen comrades without hesitation. The village defenders began to fall back, their neat formation crumbling under the pressure.

"Hold!" Henrik's voice rose above the din.

"Hold together!" It was now or never. As the two lines collided fully, I slipped backward through the defenders' ranks, working my way toward the edge of the fighting. No one noticed a single villager retreating, not when death was charging toward them, painted in blood and madness.

"Now, Master," Azure urged as I reached the periphery of the battle. I didn't need further prompting. Abandoning any pretense of fighting, I turned and sprinted away from the gate, keeping low and using the village buildings for cover. Behind me, the sounds of combat intensified – steel clashing against steel, screams of pain and rage mingling into a cacophony of battle.

"South wall has been breached," Azure reported as I ducked behind a storage shed.

"The Seventh Band is entering the village." Just as I'd warned Maya they would. I hoped she'd taken my advice and stationed defenders there, but I couldn't go back to check. My priority had to be escape, survival first, and then in a future loop, I just might be powerful enough to save them. I paused at the corner of the village smithy, catching my breath and assessing the path ahead. The north forest edge was visible from here, a dark line of pine trees standing tall against the horizon.

Between me and safety lay about two hundred yards of open ground, fields that had been cleared for farming and visibility, designed specifically to prevent raiders from approaching unseen. Now those same fields would make my own escape painfully visible.

"No choice," I muttered.

"We'll have to make a run for it."

"Wait," Azure cautioned.

"Movement to your left, approaching rapidly." I flattened myself against the smithy wall just as two raiders rounded the corner, their weapons slick with fresh blood. They hadn't seen me yet, focused on searching the building for valuables or survivors. I tightened my grip on the rusty sword, calculating my chances. Two against one weren't terrible odds, especially considering these were ordinary raiders, not cultivators.

But any combat risked injury, and more importantly, would delay my escape and potentially draw attention.

"Master," Azure whispered, "may I suggest using the Tri-Essence Harmony technique? A brief conversion of soul essence to spiritual essence would enhance your speed enough to potentially avoid this confrontation entirely." It was a calculated risk. Using qi would create a temporary energy fluctuation that a skilled practitioner might detect.

But Vayara wasn't here yet and from my previous experience, I knew that Skybound were more in tune with solar energies, they were much less likely to detect qi, especially if there were only small bursts used. As for the ordinary raiders, they wouldn't notice the subtle spiritual disturbance.

"Good thinking," I agreed silently.

"Brief burst only, enough to get past them and into the fields." Quickly, I directed a small portion of my soul essence to transform into spiritual essence that I could use to temporarily enhance my physical capabilities. Soul Essence: 80/104(Converting) Spiritual Essence: 25/85 (Temporary increase) Physical Essence: 10/45 The extra spiritual energy flowed through my body, suffusing my muscles with borrowed strength.

It wasn't much, just enough to give me an edge, but in this mortal body, even that small advantage would make a significant difference. The raiders were moving toward the smithy's entrance, their backs to me. I took a deep breath, then pushed off from the wall, channeling the spiritual essence into my legs. The world seemed to slow slightly as my perception accelerated, allowing me to weave between the two raiders before they fully registered my presence.

"What the—" one of them started to shout, but I was already past them, sprinting toward the open fields with enhanced speed. Behind me, I heard cursing and the heavy footfalls of pursuit, but I didn't look back. Every second counted now. The edge of the forest grew closer with agonizing slowness, the distance stretching out before me like an endless plain despite my enhanced speed.

"Master, they're falling behind," Azure reported after a few moments.

"However, I detect movement from the eastern section of the village. More raiders are converging on your position." I risked a glance over my shoulder and saw that he was right. The two raiders I'd evaded had given up the chase, but others had spotted me from the village edge, a group of five or six, pointing and shouting. They weren't close enough to catch me, but their attention was unwelcome.

"Keep going," I gasped, focusing on maintaining my pace. The spiritual essence enhancement was already fading, my muscles beginning to burn with the exertion. This mortal body simply wasn't conditioned for such sustained effort, and it wasn't like I had time to increase my physical essence using the Tri-Essence Harmony technique. I had to work with what I had. The fields passed beneath my feet, golden wheat stalks brushing against my legs as I ran. The forest edge was closer now, perhaps a hundred yards away.

I could make out individual trees, the promise of cover and concealment urging me onward despite the growing stitch in my side.

"Master," Azure called out, "the red sun is approaching its zenith." I glanced up and saw he was right. The crimson orb hung nearly directly overhead now, its bloody light intensifying to an almost painful degree. Soon, the most sensitive raiders would begin to transform, becoming the monstrous Sun-touched, far more dangerous than their ordinary counterparts.

"Almost there," I panted, pushing myself harder despite the protests of this body's mortal muscles.

"Just need to reach the trees before—" A terrible, inhuman howl cut through the air behind me, a sound that was part pain, part rage, and entirely inhuman. I didn't need to look back to know what it meant. The transformation had begun.