The Only Way Out

Mainesi lay in the center of a massive crater. Gone was his former dashing demeanor; he was now utterly disheveled from head to toe. His magnificent mage robe was in tatters, its remaining edges still smoldering from the corrosive battle qi. His body was covered in black burn marks, and his wounds faintly radiated a wild battle qi energy. Most terrifyingly, Mainesi's entire lower body was gone, a gaping, torn wound opening at his chest. Everything below his chest had been reduced to ash. Through his shattered ribs, one could still see his beating heart. With such severe injuries, even a Formal Level professional should have been dead. Yet, Mainesi, using some unknown secret technique, was still clinging to life.

Punk saw large patches of tender green sprouts growing from the severed opening at Mainesi's chest. All the sprouts twisted together at the wound, and Punk could sense them suppressing the wild battle qi remaining in Mainesi's body while converting energy from the surrounding air into life force, injecting it into Mainesi. So, at least in Punk's opinion, Mainesi's vitality wasn't weakening; it was actually strengthening.

Seeing this, even Punk was somewhat amazed. A person who had lost half their body wasn't just alive but was recovering rapidly. It was truly astonishing!

The surrounding flames had already spread to the southern district, and the desperate screams of refugees being slaughtered by enemy soldiers could be faintly heard in the distance. Time was running out. If the enemy discovered Mainesi was still alive... the consequences would be unimaginable!

"Cough... cough cough!"

Just as Punk was considering whether to take the half-bodied Mainesi and hide, a few hoarse coughs came from the bottom of the crater. Mainesi had woken up!

Slowly opening his eyes, Mainesi no longer had the ability to scan with his mental power. He could only prop himself up with his hands and turn his head to survey his surroundings.

Soon, he saw Punk standing at the edge of the crater, his gaze deep. It wasn't until Mainesi turned his head that Punk got a clear look: one of Mainesi's eyes had transformed into a blazing fireball emitting intense heat, with red patterns covering almost the entire eye socket. It looked both menacing and terrifying.

"You over there... your name is Punk Saian, right?" Mainesi asked in a raspy, wheezing voice. With the exceptional memory of a Formal Level professional, it wasn't surprising he could recall his "subordinate's" name.

Punk subtly took half a step back, his pupils quickly illuminated by the glow of magic power. As the saying goes, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. No matter how critically injured Mainesi was, Punk wouldn't forget that he was a powerful Formal Level Mage.

Mainesi seemed to completely ignore Punk's subtle movement. He simply stared intently at the tangled green sprouts on his severed wound and said without looking up, "Lunka definitely won't let anyone alive leave the city. However... there's a secret passage. It's the only chance for everyone to retreat. And..."

Mainesi tilted his head slightly, fixing Punk with his crimson eye that had turned into a fireball. "...only I can open it!"

Punk sighed softly. Although he wanted to trick Mainesi into revealing the secret passage and then abandon him to flee, it was clear that Mainesi had lost a leg, not his brain. He had practically "hinted" that if Punk left him, he wouldn't get anywhere.

"Lord Mainesi, I am honored to follow you in saving our Kingdom of Kamos and our beautiful Princess."

Punk uttered a few perfunctory words, treating it as a declaration of cooperation. Then, he softly began chanting a spell, casting down a few strands of shimmering blue velvet. In less than two seconds, two half-human-sized dire wolves slowly materialized within the summoning circle before Punk.

One dire wolf trotted a few steps to Mainesi's side, tilting its head as if inviting Mainesi to ride it.

"Apologies, Lord Mainesi, we need a mount to quickly traverse the ruined city. Please bear with this humble steed for now."

Punk bowed slightly, performing a standard, generic mage's courtesy. However, there was no hint of respect in his tone. He made a "please" gesture, indicating for Mainesi to mount the dire wolf.

Of course, Punk wasn't concerned about quickly traversing the city. He simply didn't dare to get too close to Mainesi. Who knew if this veteran Formal Level Mage, who clearly cultivated life elements, had some method of absorbing others' life force? To be safe, Punk decided he wouldn't approach Mainesi under any circumstances.

Mainesi clearly saw through Punk's intentions. Although a flicker of displeasure crossed his eyes, he eventually waved his hand and said, "It's fine. Finding Her Highness the Princess is the priority." With that, he gently pushed himself up with his hands, flipped his half-body with ease, and landed gracefully on the dire wolf's back. From his appearance, it seemed that losing most of his body hadn't caused any hindrance; rather, it had lightened his load.

However, Punk keenly caught the obscure and... strange flow of energy within Mainesi's body. While his life force appeared to be flourishing and vibrant, it felt... incompatible with his body?

Punk felt a slight sense of relief. If nothing unexpected happened, Mainesi was merely using some secret technique to forcefully cling to life. He seemed "fine," but in reality, he was at the end of his rope.

"The secret base is at The Laurelock Inn. If you've seen the military map, you should remember it."

As Mainesi spoke, he summoned a thin vine to tie himself to the dire wolf. After this not-so-strenuous "exercise," the green sprouts on his wound seemed to twist even more actively.

"Of course, I remember it very clearly."

Punk answered Mainesi in a "respectful" tone as he mounted his own dire wolf. As a Journeyman Level professional, a strong memory was a fundamental ability. Although Punk hadn't paid attention to the inconspicuous little inn when he first looked at the map, he could easily recall its location with a little thought. As for the unrecognizable terrain of Konola City... these were not problems in the face of Divination Spells.

The two massive silver-white dire wolves leaped through the desolate ruins of the southern district. The rugged ground, with its numerous rock protrusions, posed no obstacle to the dire wolves. The large dire wolves displayed agility completely disproportionate to their size. Of course... there was also the jarring, roller-coaster-like bumpy ride. This "sideways hopping," which even inverted Punk's vision from time to time, made Punk, who had never ridden a mount before, wish he could blast the stupid wolf with a fireball. His command was for the dire wolf to run fast, not run wild. He couldn't understand why this dire wolf would specifically jump over rocks of varying heights. Punk had to use Mage Hand to grab the wolf's fur to avoid being thrown off its back. In his leisure, Punk could clearly see the undisguised amusement in Mainesi's eyes. In contrast, the dire wolf Mainesi was riding seemed incredibly well-behaved, unlike the one Punk was on; it was as if it had been possessed by a husky!

However, jokes aside, the dire wolves' combat capability was decent. At least, combined with Punk's "Launch Technique," they were more than enough to clear out some scouting stragglers. Thus, the two giant wolves, like two white clouds, weaved through the collapsed houses, quickly approaching their destination – The Laurelock Inn.