Chapter 304: Be patient
[A few minutes ago]
Luke knew the moment he heard it from Roxanne’s mother.
Manbaru had chosen the very place where everything had begun.
The place where Luke had butchered his men and almost discovered him. Back then, exhaustion had dulled his instincts. Had he possessed even a little more vigilance that day, he would have torn the man apart with his bare hands.
Now, everything had spiraled beyond control.
The people he had sworn to protect were the ones standing in danger.
’It’s my fault. I should’ve hunted down the man who saw through my traps this morning.’
He had suspected him from the very beginning. But one incident after another had swallowed the day, leaving him no chance to search for the elusive enemy.
That mistake would end here.
He refused to let regret become something he carried for the rest of his life.
He would save them.
Every hardship he had endured, every battle he had survived, every lesson carved into his soul had never been about the rewards alone. They had forged him into the kind of man whose family no one would ever dare threaten.
Scruff
As he reached the edge of the forest, Luke slipped behind a thick bush and peered through the leaves.
He saw them.
The cluster of armed men.
The bastard sitting calmly in his chair.
And beyond them...
His family.
They were tied to the trees with thick ropes, their mouths stuffed with gags that silenced even the slightest cry.
The sight struck Luke like a blade through the heart.
Their eyes were swollen and dry from crying, their faces drained of hope.
Thea had already lost consciousness, her head hanging limply against the trunk. Roxanne stared into the distance without a trace of emotion, as though her mind had retreated somewhere beyond reality. Mila and Laila constantly scanned their surroundings, desperately searching for even the smallest chance to escape.
Monica...
Tears streamed endlessly down her face. Terror and fury intertwined in her trembling eyes, each passing second making it harder for her to hold herself together.
Luke’s jaw clenched in clear frustration
He was ready to step out.
With Gorrem in his hands, he could force a negotiation and secure his family’s release. Once they were safe, he was certain he could wipe every last one of those bastards out within minutes.
His foot had barely begun to move.
[Host, wait.]
Luke’s brows knitted together.
The system spoke again before he could ignore it.
[There are approximately fifteen minutes until the first rays of moonlight touch the ground. Please endure a little longer before revealing yourself.]
A low growl escaped his throat.
’Are you serious right now? You want me to stand here while they suffer? You want me to gamble with their lives?’
[Host, please think rationally. If you reveal yourself now, you will be surrounded. The target is an awakened being, and the forces under his command are more than capable of overwhelming you at your current base strength. Under the moonlight, however, the odds will shift heavily in your favour.]
Luke nearly clicked his tongue
Not only because the system was telling him to stay hidden at a time like this, but because he knew it was right.
At his current strength, there was no way he could fight through more than a hundred men while protecting Monica and the others.
The slightest mistake would cost lives.
That was what made the decision unbearable.
He knew exactly why the system had insisted on waiting.
His gaze settled on his mate.
His trembling fist tightened until his nails dug into his palm, yet all he could do was watch.
After what felt like an eternity, Luke slowly drew a deep breath and sank lower into the shadows.
’Just... a little longer.’
His eyes never left her.
’I promise... I’ll save you.’
....
His patience had paid off.
Its reward lay scattered across the battlefield.
A growing sea of corpses.
Luke had become something far beyond the hunter he once was.
He was a ghost.
His movements were so unnaturally swift that even awakened warriors failed to perceive him. To the unawakened, he was nothing more than an invisible nightmare. One moment he did not exist. The next, a phantom appeared at their side, drew a dagger across their throats, and disappeared before their bodies even understood they were dead.
SQUELCH
A man raised his hands to cast a spell.
His incantation never left his lips.
For a fleeting instant, he watched his own life flash before his eyes as the blade swept cleanly through his neck, sending his head tumbling from his shoulders.
Luke had eliminated the archers first.
Every man carrying a bow or any other ranged weapon had been hunted down without exception.
Under the moonlight, the battlefield unfolded before him with absolute clarity. The darkness that blinded everyone else felt as natural as daylight. Every heartbeat, every shifting footstep, every flicker of movement stood out with startling precision.
He moved without hesitation.
Mercy want needed tonight.
Men died without ever learning what had reached them.
"Get him! He’s on your left!" one man with an ocular ability shouted.
The soldier beside him reacted instantly, swinging his blade with all his strength.
It cut through nothing but empty air.
Thrown off balance, he stumbled a step forward, panic creeping into his voice.
"Where? Where is he?"
He spun around and looked toward the man who had warned him.
His words caught in his throat.
The man’s head had been twisted almost completely backwards.
And from behind the lifeless body...
A pair of cold green eyes stared directly into his own.
The man’s heart lurched as he stumbled backwards, clutching his sword with both hands.
"D-Don’t... don’t come near me..."
His voice quivered uncontrollably.
Luke answered with silence.
One slow step.
Then another.
The man’s entire body shook. His knuckles turned white around the hilt as the distance between them continued to shrink.
Blink.
A single blink.
One that lasted less than a heartbeat.
By the time his eyes opened again...
Death had claimed him.
His head slid from his neck while his hands remained frozen around the sword.
Thud.
The severed head rolled across the blood-soaked ground.
Luke didn’t spare the corpse another glance.
He turned towards the trees.
Towards his family... His mate.
The moment their eyes met, the despair clouding Monica’s face melted into overwhelming relief.
Luke took a step towards her.
Then her expression changed.
Her eyes widened in horror.
"Mmmfh!"
Her muffled scream echoed through the battlefield.
Luke reacted without looking.
He closed his eyes and dropped his body just as a blade hissed through the space where his neck had been.
Without missing a beat, he drove his elbow backwards.
Dhak!
"Ghaaak!"
The impact crushed the air from Manbaru’s lungs.
His body folded instantly before crashing onto the ground, both hands clutching his stomach as he fought for a breath that refused to come.
Luke slowly turned around.
Bathed in moonlight, he stood over the fallen man like an executioner. The silver glow framed his figure, leaving his face buried in shadow while his green eyes burned with an inhuman brilliance.
To Manbaru, it was as though death itself had taken form.
Luke crouched beside him.
His voice was quiet.
"Wait for your turn."
His eyes never left the man’s.
"I promise... your death won’t come easily."