Chương 40

Rudra didn't pace himself. He sprinted through the dark pine trees, his heavy brown cloak snapping in the wind behind him. Elysia was right on his heels. Even poisoned and exhausted, her fundamental knight training kept her moving fast.

"I can smell the dark magic," Elysia called out, her voice tight.

"They're close." Rudra gripped his Abyssal Ironwood Staff tighter. He was genuinely mad. He loved fighting bosses for food and pushing his limits, but torturing a pregnant animal was just sick. Up ahead, a bright, flickering golden light broke through the trees. It was mixed with a sickly purple glow. Rudra skidded to a halt at the edge of the clearing. Elysia crouched in the bushes next to him. The logging trail was completely ruined.

In the center of the dirt path, the Imperial Light Lion was pinned to the ground. Thick, shadowy chains made of pure dark mana wrapped around its legs and neck. The lion roared weakly, its golden fur completely covered in black sludge. It curled its body inward, desperately trying to protect its swollen belly. Surrounding the beast were at least thirty men in ragged black robes. [Yatan Dark Cultist - Lv. 90] [Yatan Dark Cultist - Lv. 91] Standing at the front of the group was a taller man holding a jagged black staff. [Yatan High Cultist - Lv. 95]"Keep the suppression circle active!" the High Cultist barked.

"The holy core is almost shattered!"

"Sir," one of the lower cultists whined, his hands trembling as he channeled dark magic into the chains.

"How long do we have to wait? If the Servant was still here, he could have just crushed it himself."

"The Servant was summoned back by the Pope," the High Cultist snapped, kicking the complaining man.

"Church business takes priority over babysitting an incubator. Stop whining. The beast is dying. Once the golden light fades completely, we cut the belly open and take the dual-attribute cub. The Servant wants it alive." In the bushes, Elysia's grip on her longsword tightened.

"Thirty dark mages. A High Priest. Rudra, we need a plan. If they focus their magic on us—" Rudra didn't answer. He was already walking out of the bushes.

"Rudra!" Elysia hissed. He ignored her. He stepped right onto the dirt path, his dark leather mask pulled up high.

"Hey," Rudra called out. His voice wasn't loud, but it cut right through the chanting. The High Cultist turned around, blinking in confusion. He looked at the lone guy in a brown cloak holding a dark wooden staff.

"Who are you?" the High Cultist sneered.

"A lost lumberjack? Kill him and get back to the circle." Three cultists stopped chanting. They turned toward Rudra and raised their hands, summoning dark fireballs. Rudra didn't stop walking. He didn't even break his stride. As the three fireballs shot toward him, he simply stepped to the side. With his speed, the magic attacks were incredibly slow. The dark fire missed him completely, splashing harmlessly into the trees. Before the cultists could cast a second spell, Rudra was already in their faces.

He didn't use an active skill. He just swung his heavy ironwood staff like a baseball bat. CRACK. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The blunt end of the staff smashed into the first cultist's ribs. The impact sent the man flying backward into the other two, knocking all three of them into a tangled, groaning pile in the dirt. The rest of the cultists stopped chanting. The shadowy chains holding the lion flickered.

"You guys are the absolute worst," Rudra said flatly. He pointed his free hand at the closest group of mages keeping the suppression circle active.

"[Minor Tidal Push]!" A violent blast of pressurized water erupted from his palm. It slammed directly into the cultists, completely breaking their formation and throwing them into the mud. The shadowy chains holding the lion shattered like glass.

"Intruder!" the High Cultist screamed, waving his jagged staff.

"Focus on him! Burn him to ash!" Rudra grinned behind his mask.

"Try it." The remaining cultists panicked. Twenty dark mages raised their hands at once, chanting wildly. A barrage of dark purple fireballs and shadow spikes rained down on the dirt path. Rudra didn't block. He just moved. He ducked under a fireball, sidestepped a shadow spike, and sprinted right into the middle of the group. Squishy magic users hated when you closed the distance. He spun his staff like a helicopter rotor. The heavy ironwood smashed into robes, ribs, and jaws.

He didn't use any active skills, just raw physical strikes.

"Get away from me!" one cultist yelled, trying to cast a dark shield. Rudra just kicked his legs out from under him, sending him tumbling into the mud. The High Cultist gritted his teeth. He raised his jagged staff, gathering a massive ball of concentrated dark energy.

"Die, heretic!" Before he could throw it, a silver flash cut through the air. Elysia dashed out of the bushes. She slid past two cultists and cleanly slashed the High Cultist's staff in half with her longsword. The dark energy fizzled out instantly. The High Cultist stared at his broken weapon.

"What—" Rudra didn't let him finish. He stepped up and slapped the guy right across the face. The High Cultist spun like a top and face-planted into the dirt, completely knocked out. With their leader down, the last few cultists dropped their daggers and ran into the woods. Rudra didn't chase them. He immediately dropped his staff and ran over to the Light Lion. The massive beast was breathing in shallow, ragged gasps. The black sludge was bubbling violently against her glowing golden fur.

"Hold on, I've got the stuff," Rudra said. He dropped to his knees and pulled the purple crystals out of his inventory, along with his wooden bowl and some river-kelp. He frantically started crushing the crystals with a rock.

"Elysia! How do I mix this? Do I just mash it with the kelp?" Elysia walked over slowly, sheathing her sword. She looked at the lion's chest, then placed a gentle hand on Rudra's shoulder.

"Rudra... stop," she said quietly.

"I just need to bind the poison," Rudra argued, grinding the crystals faster.

"My medicine skill leveled up. I can fix it."

"The holy core is gone," Elysia said, her voice soft.

"The light and dark magic already collided. Her organs are destroyed. There is nothing left to heal." Rudra stopped crushing the crystals. He looked down at the lion. The beast wasn't looking at the purple rocks or the medicine bowl. She was looking at him. Her bloodshot eyes were filled with pain, but there was no aggression. She slowly rested her heavy, sludge-covered head against his knee. She let out a soft, low rumble.

The golden light around her body suddenly flared brightly, pushing the dark sludge away for just a few seconds. She curled her body tightly, gave one final, exhausted push, and let out a long breath. A tiny bundle of wet fur slipped onto the dirt. It was a cub. But it didn't look like its mother. Half of its fur was a brilliant, glowing gold, and the other half was a deep, shimmering black. It let out a tiny, squeaky mew. The mother lion looked at the cub, then looked up at Rudra.

She gently nudged the tiny baby toward him with her nose.

"You want me to take it?" Rudra asked softly. The lion blinked slowly. Her golden light began to fracture into tiny, floating particles. A warm, gentle glow wrapped around Rudra's chest. [The Imperial Light Lion recognizes your pure intentions.] [She entrusts her final legacy to you.] [You have acquired the Title: Heart of the Imperial Lion.] The mother let out one last, quiet sigh. Her body dissolved completely into a shower of beautiful golden and purple light, floating up into the dark night sky.

She left nothing behind but the tiny, shivering cub in the dirt. Rudra sat in the mud for a long time. The forest was dead quiet. He gently scooped the mutated cub up into his arms. It was incredibly warm. It curled up against his leather vest and immediately fell asleep. Elysia stood next to him, looking down at the tiny creature.

"It possesses both light and darkness. Harmoniously. I have never seen anything like it." Rudra looked at the spot where the mother had died. He didn't feel like cheering for a new title. He just felt a quiet, heavy resolve.

"Let's get back to the village," Rudra said, pulling his cloak tightly around the cub to keep it warm.

"I have a lot of truffles to pick, and we have a lot of cooking to do."