Chương 111: The Wild Hunt and the Thief in the Cave

Right after the fresh victory, just like the fresh fruit that was devoured between my teeth and ground into small pieces, I had a good feeling and started to hum with my mouth full. With that in mind, I finished the meal. Then I air-walked off right into the wide forest. I did not go too high, just enough to cover the end of the treelines in the forest. Not knowing where the way went, I traveled without knowing, heading in a northern direction.

The wind rushed past me, and the power of my new air-walking felt still liberating. The doubled Animo made every single movement effortless. The ravine quickly fell away from my vision, and the green canopy stretched out beneath me like an endless sea. I felt strong, the strength rushing through my pulsating heart with a high beat. The bridge defender's defeat still burned bright in my chest, a small but vital victory in a long personal war.

"One less shadow to chase after," I muttered. The wind carried the words away, but the feeling stayed: Like the determination and purpose. I would not be the weak one anymore. After twenty-two minutes of air-walking while being in my own thoughts, a wild animal attacked with a sudden slash. Deep in the ancient canopy, there it stood: a beast named Ursa. It was a solitary, 1. 70-meter-tall and 3-meter-wide predator with bear-like fur, four red stone arms, and six long, putrid, slime-green tails striped with black.

It had been perched silently among the highest branches, its sharp eyes locked onto the skies as it waited to hunt the birds soaring far below. It thought I was a bird. It attacked wildly, thrashing around with its four stone limbs and multi-striped tails, and the sheer surprise of the impact caused me to lose my footing and fall straight down to the ground. To my surprise, it turned out to be incredibly fast on the ground as well, running on all four of its paws.

It felt like my omnidirectional reaction skills were being truly put to the test. This beast was very fast and used the dense terrain to its absolute advantage. With its six tails, it could dodge my attacks quickly, and it actually laughed at my failed attempts with its wide grin, letting out a low, guttural sound that echoed hauntingly through the trees.

"Come on then, you mocking beast!" I roared. My sword-axe swung in wide arcs, but the beast dodged with unnatural agility. Its red stone arms slammed heavily into the ground, cracking the earth beneath us, while its slime-green tails whipped around like living weapons. One caught my leg, and a sharp pain flared up, forcing me to roll away dynamically across the dirt.

"You picked the wrong prey today!" I shouted. The battle was turning incredibly fierce. I attacked with my base form first, my sword-axe cuts aiming directly at its stone arms and its tails, as I reasoned that those extended limbs could be the key weak points on its body. However, the beast was much faster than it looked. It leaped gracefully, using its massive weight combined with forward momentum to achieve incredible bursts of speed. It slammed all four red stone arms down at once.

The ground shook violently from the impact, but I jumped back just in time and counter-slashed. Fire trailed my blade, grazing one of its tails, and the beast roared in pure anger. Its six tails thrashed wildly in response. One caught my side closely, but it only managed to graze me this time. The pain burned, but I pressed on without halting my momentum.

"I've fought today someone worse than you!" I shouted. The memory of the blood monster, Jiong Sang, and the bridge defender all fueled my actions. I attacked again, moving much faster and striking harder than before. The beast laughed, a mocking sound that echoed through the woods, as it dodged and counter-attacked instantly. Its stone arms came down like heavy hammers. I barely managed to block the incoming blows, and the massive physical impact jarred my bones. I activated my Vestuto.

My Cor Flamma roared to life in an instant. Orange-red flames engulfed my sword-axe, and I used the explosive energy to trap us both inside a fiery cage. Blazing walls of fire rose rapidly around us, trapping the beast and forcing it into close-quarters combat where its long tails had less room to whip around. With its also mobility being cut off, I absolutely beat its behind to the ground. My sword-axe cut deep into its defenses, and one of its putrid, slime-green tails fell cleanly to the dirt.

I quickly grabbed it and tucked it away, keeping it as a hard-earned victory token. Terrified by the overwhelming heat and power, the beast turned and ran away into the deeper forest. I let it go without chasing after it. I sat there and smiled, realizing I had genuinely enjoyed our bout. The thrill of the fight was exactly what I needed to test my new body further. The power in my veins was screaming to run wilder and hotter as I looked down at the large footprints the beast had left behind in the mud.

"Not bad for a beast," I muttered, wiping the sweat from my brow. The severed tail felt heavy in my hand. It was a tangible reminder that while I was undeniably stronger now, though I was still far from perfect. After taking a small breather to let my racing heart calm down, I rose back into the sky and continued to air-walk with high momentum. However, after covering about seven kilometers, I decided to stop air-walking altogether.

I did not want to trigger another sudden fight with a predator, especially since I was getting incredibly thirsty and carried no supplies on me. I switched to a fast run, aiming for a northern direction. What I did not realize was that my heading had drifted, and I was actually running in a northeastern way. After running for forty-one minutes straight through the wide forest, I luckily stumbled upon a small village.

I found a well near the entrance and took some highly enjoyable sips of the cold water to quench my burning thirst. Once my throat was clear, I looked around and noticed the place felt incredibly quiet. It was too quiet. I wanted to quickly find out where exactly I was on the map, but doing so proved to be deeply troubling. The villagers completely ignored my existence. They worked silently around the settlement, cleaning the paths, harvesting the crops, and patrolling the borders.

Yet, none of them communicated with one another. They moved mechanically, acting exactly like silent puppets working while an unseen puppeteer pulled their strings to issue orders. It was so weird. Usually, it was always "Suren!?" this or "A Suren!" that, so it was nice for once to be completely ignored. Just not right now. I actually needed real help. To test their reactions, I walked up and firmly shook an elderly lady, then a man right after. I even went as far as slapping one across the face.

They just continued their tasks mechanically, as if I were a ghost trapped in a different world. Realizing I wouldn't get any answers, I took refuge inside an empty stable. I laid down on a thick pile of hay, and though the animal smell was incredibly strong, my body was entirely exhausted. Sleep took me quickly under the quiet roof. The next day, I finally understood the truth. Upon waking up and making my exit, I noticed a smell that was profoundly putrid and foul in its quality.

Following the scent outside the village grid, I pushed past a thick, overgrown tree that masked the entrance to a hidden cave. I walked deeper into the darkness, fully preparing myself to face an entire army of bandits based on the size of the cavern. But as the path cleared, it turned out to be just a single woman. She was naked, sitting casually inside a makeshift bathtub of sorts, entirely alone. I kept my distance and asked if she knew the layout of this surrounding area.

She looked completely perplexed to hear my voice. For once, she had truly thought she was hidden well from her pursuers, and she clearly did not know what to make of a Suren stumbling into her sanctuary. She possessed deep red lips, yellow-dark hair, and looked to be in her mid-twenties. She stood at 1. 70 meters tall, with a thin, elegant build. As I would later learn, she was a notorious thief.

She stepped out of the tub, but because I was completely indifferent to romantic or physical attraction, my expression never changed, even though I had an erection. Noticing my complete lack of reaction, she was instantly surprised. I wasn't being coy, nor was I drawn to her at all. My blank stare left her feeling a mix of annoyance and genuine intrigue. She quickly put on her black-green bandit clothes, wrapping herself in the complete veil of a traditional thief.

Her headband featured two long, flowing extensions that trailed behind her, anchored by a metal front plate proudly engraved with the title Best Thief in the World. It turned out after her brief introduction that her name was Maimai. Her unique dark attribute allowed her a second personality that could materialize to fight alongside her like a living shadow clone. Before I could even blink, she vanished from across the room and appeared right at my ear, speaking in a teasing, whispery tone.

In that same heartbeat, she effortlessly stole my weapon right out of my hands. Finding myself mocked by her games, I snapped and attacked her immediately. She was visibly surprised by how incredibly strong and fast I was, prompting her to drop her playful demeanor. But it was already too late; my anger was maxed out. I managed to force my weapon back from her grip, but even as she shifted into a defensive stance, she kept acting as if she had not shown her full strength yet.

It was during this close-quarters struggle that I noticed she carried jagged whipping scars across her entire body. Suddenly, a group of tracking soldiers burst into the cave, drawn by the commotion. Maimai facepalmed in frustration. Because I had been so enraged by her bad joke before getting my blade back, I had activated my Ignis Ardente and shaken the entire cavern system. The alarming shockwave had drawn their curious eyes directly to us like insects to a flame.

Now, the soldiers immediately accused me of being her criminal accomplice, leaving me with no choice but to switch sides and stand with her. We easily fought off the ten soldiers, who wore matching black-violet gi uniforms. Even after being beaten to the dirt, they remained incredibly arrogant.

"You may have beaten us, Suren and Maimai, but hahahaha!" they laughed loudly, spitting blood onto the stone floor.

"You are in for a big surprise. We got a local branch sect involved in this hunt. You're in for a massive surprise…" The battle was turning intense overall with the more impressive soldiers who stood at back in the beginning. The soldiers were more exceptionally well trained, their black-violet gi blending seamlessly with the deep shadows of the cave.

Their swords moved with lethal precision, but I fought hard alongside Maimai, my sword-axe cutting through their defensive guard as trailing flames lit up the stone walls. Maimai's dark attribute allowed her second personality to fight like a true shadow clone, perfectly duplicating her movements and striking our targets from completely unexpected angles.

"Not bad for a Suren," she said during a brief lull in the action, her voice still playful and teasing.

"But don't get cocky. These guys are just the warm-up." The last soldiers pressed their advantage, their newly arrived leader shouting into the cavern, "The branch sect will reward us handsomely for your heads!" They attacked in tightly coordinated waves, their swords flashing under the firelight. I activated my Vestuto, causing my dark red flames to roar to life around me. My sword-axe cut deeper into their ranks. One soldier fell, then another in rapid succession.

Maimai's shadows danced gracefully alongside my fire, taking down two more of the attackers. The fight was long and grueling. Sweat mixed with blood on the floor as the cave continuously echoed with heavy weapon clashes and ferocious roars. The last soldiers were arrogant, but they were undeniably skilled; they adapted quickly and pressed us harder with every passing exchange.

"You won't escape the branch sect!" one of them shouted as he lunged forward. I countered his strike instantly with my Ignis Ardente aura. The explosive force of the crimson fire aura flared outward, burning two of the soldiers at the exact same time. Maimai laughed, her eyes flashing with genuine amusement through her veil.

"Not bad. Not bad at all." The battle continued until the remaining soldiers finally broke into their deaths. More of the freshly arriving men fell to our combined attributes, and the original ten were quickly reduced to just three, with their squad leader among them. He roared in a final, desperate attempt to turn the tide.

"You will regret this!" He attacked with absolutely everything he had left, his sword clashing violently against my heavy sword-axe. Sparks flew between us, but I pressed forward with my doubled Animo, forcing my orange red flames to burn hotter and hotter until the leader staggered backward under the immense heat of mine and turning into a burned corpse. Capitalizing on their exposed stances, Maimai's shadow clone struck hard from behind.

With that final strike, the last three fell to the stone floor, their bodies torn open with many fatal holes as their organs spilled out to float above the expanding red sea of blood. The cave fell completely silent as the echoes of combat faded away. Heavy blood and thick smoke filled the air, drifting sluggishly out into the forest. Maimai turned toward me, her yellow-dark hair slightly messy from the intense exertion.

"Exceptional, Suren. You fight like someone who has something serious to prove. What's your story?" I wiped the sweat and soot from my brow.

"That would be to long of a story to tell... rather lets leave it at complicated. Lost a lot, and gained a little. What about you?" She smiled beneath her veil, a classic thief's smile.

"Same. Lost many, gained much, and survived like now. But the branch sect will come looking for their vanguard soon. We should move." I nodded in silent agreement. The path ahead was entirely unknown, but I felt genuinely ready for whatever came next. My body was stronger. The victory against Defender Reshou on the bridge and the successful team fight here in the cave all fueled my confidence.

My ultimate goal remained unchanged; I still cared deeply about reaching my next target in Zhenhai and beating that man to the bloody ground. But for now, with a new partner in crime by my side, I had to run away and evade the incoming sect.