Chương 75: Southward into the Ashen Territory

On the night I escaped, I did not know that the battle with Feng-Dao had slowly spread over the Sect territory like wildfire through dry grass. Whispers in the sky floated like moving clouds. I ran through the woods with my sword-axe in one hand and food stuffed in my mouth. Pain throbbed through every muscle and joint. I was far from one hundred percent, my body still battered from the previous battle, but the fire in my soul refused to let me rest or stay any longer.

I wanted to experience more epic clashes with new opponents to evolve faster, all to destroy the obsession looming in the back of my mind. I needed to keep the promise I made to myself: to experience more battles and face new enemies on my own terms. Staying would never allow that. The road south called to me like a siren's song, where growth and blood went hand in hand. As I went south, I pushed my exhausted legs with pure willpower down the hill and up a 2, 220-meter mountain.

The climb was brutal, the path steep and rocky, but I made it to a small village outpost just in the nick of time. The guards were wary at first, spears pointed and eyes narrowed in suspicion at the pale-skinned stranger. But the moment they heard my name, Erumes Flamma, their demeanor quickly changed. The whispers had already reached this far into the middle of nowhere. Other passing soldiers had praised the quality of the combat and the ferocity of both warriors.

The guards lowered their weapons and let me in with respect bordering on awe, completely forgetting that I was technically on the run. I did not even have to tell them where I was fleeing to. I asked a sole soldier who was patrolling the inner Outpost, if a merchant caravan south would be possible on this pathway. He laughed bitterly.

"Down there are the 'Virtue Bandits' and they do not spread virtue but misery. They are nasty little ants... you gnaw on them enough and they still prosper. They took over the Nation of the Wuzian Sect twelve years ago. Since then it's a proper active war zone and not any merchants go that route ever. We are to block them from smuggling their drugs, which they tried every now and then to sell in our Sect border and they are annoying to deal with in general.

So anyone would like you to rest and then tomorrow you will be brought to a bigger outpost and from there you could ride to Daoshi as there is a Merchantry for your interest desires." I realized and understood I could not use a merchant wagon. Also I could not wait, as I am currently running from my promise of staying here. So I said with no argument, "Okay, let me rest over there in the barracks and call for me when it is morning." They showed me to my quarters.

The moment they turned back toward the entrance, I snuck behind the barracks, jumped over the huge wooden wall with all the strength I had left, and ran down the mountain. I was heading straight into the Virtue Bandits' territory, seeking new battles. I imagined them to be powerful, but not enough to pose a true danger to me, especially since they had failed to attack the Dao Sect when it was the most vulnerable.

I made it my personal goal to defeat the strongest warriors there and improve on my own weaknesses at the same time. The moment I made it down, the difference of biome was astounding to witness. The land was drier, less heavy with dense woods and more filled with thorny bamboo roots that clawed at my legs like living traps. The bamboos were super dense and huge, towering like dark pillars of an ancient forgotten forest, but not green from their usual color, but dark greyish from the volcanic eruption.

Ashy air constantly fell around me like grey snow, coating everything in a fine layer of dust. It was misty, making visibility difficult, the world reduced to swirling shadows and faint silhouettes. The volcanic land breathed sulfuric fumes that burned the throat with every inhale. This was a land scarred by fire and time, harsh and unforgiving... the perfect place for a warrior seeking growth through bloody battles. I found a dense patch in the bamboo thicket and took refuge from the oncoming ash rain.

Curling up against a massive, dark bamboo stalk, I closed my eyes to rest. The cold rain brought back memories of my mercenary life and the brutal lifestyle where my Animo first began to grow. Soon, I drifted off into sleep. In the dream world, I was back in the Capital of the Bener region, Lae, overlooking the battlefield and witnessing Siegfried's overpowering might. I clenched my fist, feeling the familiar rage of a helpless boy i was back then shooting back to me boiling my heart with fire.

Blood began to drip from my knuckles onto the ground. I spoke solemnly into the void: "Soon I am coming for you, Siegfried, and you will not be ready for it. Enjoy your glory while it lasts." I slept for about five hours, desperately needing the rest to recover even a fraction of my strength. When the next morning came, I was jolted awake by a loud, distant explosion. The volcano had erupted once more, spewing fresh ash that filled the air with the sharp taste of sulfuric acid.

Every breath felt like swallowing fire. Coughing against the smoke, I pressed further south, deeper into bandit territory. I saw a poster of a person dusty from the ash. I could only see an amber-hued man with a little bit darker tone on the dusty picture drawn by dried ink. His hair was wild and dramatic it was long on the sides and back with a fierce upward spike in the middle.

His mustache was long and wide, going out like a fierce warrior's, thick and ending downward like a biker's, giving him a dangerous and rebellious look. It said "The Rebel of the Village Marginzu, the Water Sea Monster Jiong Sang". Walking along, I reached a river and stripped down to take a quick bath. I thought it was the perfect opportune moment to clean myself, since the falling volcanic ash was covering everything.

However, I quickly realized I had completely wasted my time, as the ash began accumulating on my exposed wet skin the second I took my head out of the water. Some Bandit groups delivering a crate saw activity in the water, thinking it was a big fish. They jumped in, catching me as I was swimming and getting pulled up from a line on my neck. As I emerged they screamed in surprise, "A SUREN!?" Get him!

So I nakedly fought on the misty ashen falling river against 21 Bandits, beating them quite hard as they were not weak by any measure. You could feel they had physical prowess but still enough for me in base to handle. After having them beat, I took my clothes on again, pulling up a Bandit whom was still awake even after my beating and asking where is this Guy on this Poster. He looks in shudder, "You want to know the Boss Location?" He would rather die than let an attack on his Virtue-giving leader befall on him.

I knocked on him, "I don't want to fight because of this poster but because he is strong, no?" He hemmed his words and said we are drug dealers yes, but that's the by product of having taken over forcefully a Sect and not created a new one in place. As the Sect here years ago are just looked as the Hell of a Rulership we had just been under and we are Virtue Bandits. We do not pillage or rape.

If someone of us does it and some tried, our great 4 of Jiong Sang, his personally selcted students, they carry the 4 most important Outposts. If you want Jiong Sang Attention, beat them first.

"Okey, lets do this then." I took the man on my shoulder like a captive he was.

"Bring me to one, now. I want to experience your Bandits fighting quality, because I don't trust bandits speech at all, i know how you truly are."

"And I don't care if you do good deeds or bad. I shall battle at least one of them to improve myself," I said with vigor in my voice. In a panic, the bandit hatched a dirty plan in his thoughts: " Fuck, this suren boy is crazy. But if he wants to get a battle, hehe, I will bring him to Suhhe Sang, the most vicious one out of the 4. His power of 22, 000 Animo, while being only 21, is well known. He will destroy this kid back to wherever he is from. Maybe he even will give us a good fetch of coin."

Looking at this boy's clothes and feeling his presence from the fight they had, the bandit thought the boy was maximum 15, 000 Animo at best. He will be destroyed. As the man schemed in his mind I got agitated as he did not speak for a good minute and was in his own world. So I smacked his forehead like someone else did more than once to me. He came back to himself and said, "Lets go great seeker of strength. By the way what's this great one's name?"

"Erumes… Erumes Flamma. Now lets go. Bring me to the first one. I can't wait to clash."

"Yes it shall be done." So we walked the river line for twenty-one kilometers, leaving the others behind beaten with the crates going up the direction of the volcano. The journey was long and grueling, the misty ashen rain never stopping, coating everything in a fine grey layer that made the world feel heavy and suffocating. The bandit I carried on my shoulder was a strange one.

At first I thought he was just a schemer, the type who would sell out his own mother for a few coins, but as we walked he revealed himself to be a true fanatic about his Virtue Bandits. He never stopped talking about the man I was about to fight, his voice filled with almost religious reverence.

"Suhhe Sang is not just strong," he rambled on without pause, even while dangling over my shoulder.

"He is the embodiment of our cause. Twenty-one years old, long brown hair flowing like a warrior's banner, one point seventy-eight meters tall with broad shoulders and big muscles that can crush stone. He doesn't wear shirts, only long pants in grey and red colors, his steel boots weighing one hundred kilograms each for constant training, his overall goal of becoming the personal student of Jiong Sang. His saber is pure steel mixed with iron-coal and mercury, gleaming like lightning itself.

His most recent goal is to make a new technique that he yet cant muster and also getting more recognition by the great Bandit Jiong Sang. He is vicious, yes, but loyal. He will destroy you, outsider. You have no idea what you are walking into, but i do hehe and i cant wait to see the battle." He kept going like that for kilometers, describing every detail of Suhhe Sang's fighting style, his victories, how he once single-handedly crushed a group of fifty smugglers.

The fanaticism in his voice was almost comical, but it only made me more eager. The more he talked, the clearer the picture became in my mind this opponent that i will face is a dangerous, powerful being waiting for me to get crushed. As our run brought us closer to the outpost, I finally got a near view of the volcano. I had never seen one before. Fire constantly spewed from it like the dragon's breath I had heard about in stories. Ash continuously drifted upward, turning the sky into a thick gray haze.

We made it to the outpost. Before the guide could even try to personally introduce me, I cut him off.

"No, there is no need for introductions or unnecessary small talk. I will announce myself in my own style." Shoving the man aside, I raised my sword-axe and slashed through the steel wall that blocked our entry to the outpost.

"COME OUT, SUHHE SANG! A CHALLENGER IS HERE! COME AND FACE ME!" I roared. The man came out scratching his inner ear with his left hand, looking annoyed.

"Who dared to call for my name, so soon in the morning?" I jumped forward with my sword raised.

"It was me". He was shocked and not ready. He had to put weight behind it. The kidnapped man behind screamed "Noooo Suhhe!" We went straight at it, running down the outpost, the others from the city were amassing and curious looks gathered, as our fight was getting hotter and hotter. The Bandit was stronger than me in his base, but I knew it. So I went Vestuto, catching him by surprise again as my power was so overwhelming. He Vestuto as well in response. He was a thunder attribute user.

His armor came from his inner self like ethereal armor from thunder energy has amassed around him. The color was deep marine blue. His newly appearing mask giving him a stronger electric output. The ground was getting shocked by his full protruding electricity. He apologized before I was about to attack. He asked for him to concentrate it on a smaller region and needed a little time, as he still had not fully learned passively to let it run only through him.

I agreed to it and waited, after 2 minutes he had the electricity now amassed at himself crackling and thudding all over his body with much stronger sounds. The air around Suhhe Sang hummed with raw power. Blue-white lightning danced across his marine blue armor, his mask glowing with intense electric energy. The ground beneath his feet cracked and sparked violently as he raised his saber high to match my sword-axe.

"Dian Wang Hui Hui!" he roared. He unleashed 70, 000, 000 VOLT Dian Wang Hui Hui, which was a concentrated strike via his saber that shot toward me like a living bolts of divine wrath. The particales was blinding, thick as a man's arm, crackling with terrifying voltage that lit up the misty ashen sky. The sound was deafening, like the sky itself tearing apart. The ground exploded in a line toward me, rocks vaporizing instantly. I felt the immense power wash over my body.

The electricity surged through my Cor Flamma Vestuto, making my muscles spasm and my nerves scream. Pain exploded across every milimeter of me. But it was not enough to get me down to my knees. I had fought far tougher attacks recently. I stood firm, flames roaring higher around me.

"I fought recently tougher attacks," I growled through gritted teeth, my voice echoing with defiance.

"But it still hurt me so taste this." I swung with my Elsa di Fuoco with everything I had. My Hilt Fire Blaze was already stronger than last time, the blade glowing brighter yellow-hot, the flame aura cut exploding forward in a massive crescent wave of superheated fire. The two forces collided in a cataclysmic explosion that lit up the entire outpost behind him. Lightning met flame in a roaring storm of thunder and heat. The shockwave flattened nearby bamboo and sent bandits flying further backward.

The ground split open in a wide crater. My flame aura cut overpowered his lightning particales. The fire surged forward, burning through his concentrated voltage and slamming into him with unstoppable force. It obliterated his armor in a spectacular burst of blue sparks and orange flames. The marine blue ethereal armor shattered like glass, pieces flying in every direction. The cut went deep across his front, searing flesh and drawing a long line of blood.

Suhhe Sang staggered, eyes wide in shock, then collapsed unconscious to the ground with a heavy thud. The fanatic Bandit ran forward to protect his fallen comrade, screaming in panic. I de-transformed back to base form, breathing heavily but standing tall. The other Bandits stared in stunned silence, weapons lowered, faces pale with disbelief. I looked at them calmly and said, "What? You think I kill indiscriminately? Haha, I want to get stronger, not become a murderer for nothing for me to gain.

This was just a battle between 2 warriors. It was a good warm up duel. So next." The man I carried was still in shock as I picked him up again and went another direction.

"Where is the next one from the 4?" I asked him with eagerness in tone.