Chapter 225: Gravely Wounded Retreat
A tremendous force struck Duane, sending him crashing into the ground like a meteor.
The hard ground instantly shattered, a crater violently gouged into its surface.
Duane felt his internal organs tremble, and every inch of his skin screamed as if it were being torn apart. A mouthful of hot blood sprayed from his lips.
The Black Bear had launched that last strike just as Duane was exiting the Illusion Realm, before he could fully react.
Furthermore, it knew Duane was unaffected by the Ancient God’s Whisper, which made it determined to eliminate this strange human before it.
Therefore, this strike contained its full power.
If Duane hadn’t just broken through to become a Shooting Star Warrior, further enhancing his physical strength, that blow would have resulted in far more than just broken bones and severe injuries.
Death would not have been out of the question.
"SHRIEK! SHRIEK!"
A sharp cry grew closer as the Level 6 Long-armed Ape finally arrived on the battlefield.
The equally wounded Black Bear, still on the ground, let out a weak roar, as if issuing a command to the Long-armed Ape.
The ape shrieked excitedly and slammed its broad palms on the ground. Instantly, the earth softened, visibly turning into a bog.
Just as the bog was about to engulf the crater where Duane lay, a brilliant purple light erupted from within.
Accompanied by the loud neigh of a warhorse, Duane charged out on horseback at incredible speed.
Before the Long-armed Ape’s Magic could touch him, he transformed into a streak of purple light and rapidly fled the battlefield.
The Black Bear wasn’t dead, and now a Level 6 Long-armed Ape had arrived. It wasn’t hard to guess that more Demon Beasts would soon be on their way.
Now severely injured, Duane was in no condition to continue fighting.
’In any case, my purpose this time was just to probe its strength; I never intended to kill the Black Bear.’
’Not only have I accomplished my goal, but I’ve also had an unexpected gain. This trip was well worth it!’
The Magic Warhorse galloped swiftly across the battlefield, where it ran head-on into an approaching Demon Beast.
The warhorse raised its front hooves and stomped, crushing the creature underfoot before leaping away. The series of movements was fluid and seamless, without a moment’s hesitation.
Watching Duane make his stylish escape, the Black Bear furiously pounded the ground.
It was lying in a pool of its own blood, unable to give chase.
It could only command the arriving Demon Beasts and birds, not to kill Duane, but simply to drive this strange human out of the Secret Realm.
As for the bear, it returned to the massive crater and began absorbing energy to heal its wounds.
With its intelligence, it knew with certainty that Duane would be back.
What it had to do now was recover to its peak condition before he returned.
Meanwhile, as the warhorse galloped furiously, Duane quickly put more distance between himself and the Demon Beasts.
Soon, aside from the birds in the sky, no more Demon Beasts were following him.
He went into the tall grass, retrieved the burlap sack he had hidden, and then remounted his warhorse, galloping toward the entrance of the Secret Realm.
Although the warhorse dissipated along the way and he encountered a few more Demon Beasts, none of them posed a threat.
Before long, Duane had left the Secret Realm and, without stopping, exited the Heavenly Mountain region, arriving in Thorn Valley.
When his warhorse’s energy dissipated once again, Duane leaned against a large tree and used the Healing Technique to treat his injuries.
’My internal organs are injured, but it’s not fatal. Thanks to my Celestial Python Bloodline, I should recover within a month.’
Duane assessed his left arm. The bones in both his wrist and elbow were fractured.
Furthermore, the back of his hand had been burned by the Black Bear’s black flames, and a large patch of flesh beneath the skin was corroded.
An ordinary person would have likely passed out from the pain of such injuries.
Duane used the Healing Technique three times, but the wound on the back of his hand showed no improvement.
’This corrosive power must be Dark Attribute Magic, and a high-level one at that. A Level 2 Healing Skill is unlikely to cure it.’
Duane’s thoughts turned to High Priestess Sarah back in his territory.
’She has mastered the Holy Radiance Court’s unique Holy Healing Technique. I wonder if it will be effective?’
While resting to recover his Magic Power, Duane checked his attribute panel.
Not only had he become a Shooting Star Warrior, but he also had 16 unspent attribute points.
’Should I continue to improve my Warrior abilities to enhance my combat power, or should I raise my Spirit so I can use more Magic and conduct more experiments?’
’No rush. I’ll wait and see.’
Duane focused his Spiritual Power inward. In the Qi Sea in his abdomen, his Fighting Qi was growing denser and was now imbued with Thunderous Power.
This was the combined result of his natural Thunder Attribute Affinity and his Celestial Python Bloodline, to the point that his affinities for the Wind, Fire, and Water Attributes had been weakened.
As for Arcane, it was not considered a Fighting Qi Attribute for a Warrior.
’Thunder Attribute Combat Techniques are fierce and domineering, with immense destructive power. They suit me quite well.’
Duane had currently mastered fourteen Combat Techniques. If he imbued them with the Lightning Attribute on top of their Perfect Amplification, their power would rise to another level.
After recovering a bit of Magic Power through Meditation, Duane summoned his warhorse once more and galloped toward his territory.
「A little over two hours later, Thorn Valley.」
"Baron?"
Lord Manny, who was patrolling the territory for Duane, hadn’t expected to run into him here.
But as he drew closer, the terrifying aura emanating from Duane sent a chill down his spine.
Manny felt as if he were back on that afternoon, seeing Duane standing blood-soaked on a battlefield of severed limbs.
His face turned pale. "What happened to you?"
Duane glanced at him. His Magic Power was depleted, leaving him unable to summon his warhorse, so he’d had to walk the last few miles.
That one glance, carrying the lingering pressure of battle, made Manny’s legs tremble.
"What are you doing here?" Duane asked. "Your designated area should be to the south, shouldn’t it?"
"Y-Yes!"
Manny’s voice trembled slightly; his cowardice was well-known.
"I was just chasing a mountain rabbit and wasn’t paying attention to where I was going," he said.
He held up the plump mountain rabbit in his hand. "Would you like it? The meat is delicious..."
Duane was amused by the comment.
"You can keep it and enjoy it yourself," he said. "Please inform High Priestess Sarah and have her come to Forest Castle to treat my injuries."
"Right! Right away!"
As if granted amnesty, Manny immediately fled as if his life depended on it.
Anyone who didn’t know better would have assumed he was simply worried about Duane’s safety and wanted to inform High Priestess Sarah as quickly as possible.
In reality, only he knew that the lingering battle aura unconsciously emanating from Duane made him extremely uneasy, and he had to get away at once.
After walking for a while longer, Duane finally ran into Gaius and the others.
This group was also intimidated by his aura, but because of their loyalty, they didn’t feel the need to flee like Manny.
In their eyes, the stronger Duane was, the more divine he seemed.
Escorted by Gaius and his men, the rest of Duane’s journey was finally a bit easier.
However, as news that the Baron had returned to Forest Castle severely injured spread like wildfire, a large crowd soon gathered in the castle.
There were servants hurrying to prepare warm water to clean his wounds,
a group of officials like Julian and Ralph who had rushed over upon hearing the news,
and key military generals such as Kaelon and Raymond.
Some, thinking Duane was on the verge of death, were weeping and causing a chaotic scene.
The chaos only subsided after Kaelon announced, "Our lord has only suffered some minor injuries."
Only Kaelon, Simone, Raymond, and a few others wore grave expressions.
They had a general understanding of the Baron’s strength.
For the Baron to be so grievously injured clearly meant that an unprecedentedly powerful Demon Beast was now in Thorn Valley.
’Could our lord have fought that Black Bear?’
Kaelon drew in a sharp breath at the thought.
He was the only one present who had seen the Black Bear, and in his mind, only that creature could have injured the Baron so severely.
"Make way, make way! High Priestess Sarah is here!"
Owington shouted at the top of his lungs.
The crowd gathered in front of the small building where Duane was staying immediately parted.
Kaelon bowed. "We’re counting on you, High Priestess."
High Priestess Sarah gave a slight smile. "Rest assured, I will do my best."
The High Priestess’s feelings at that moment were a mixture of relief and gravity.
She was relieved that Duane finally needed her abilities, giving her a chance to prove her importance.
Yet, her heart was heavy because, according to Lord Manny’s description, the Baron’s power seemed to have advanced once again.
’We need to be even more cautious,’ she thought.