Rhode sprinted onward, with the Demon Race member relentlessly pursuing him from behind.
The good news was that there was only one of him. It seemed the enemy had sent most of his fighting force to deal with Serie.
The bad news was that even against just this one Demon Race member, Rhode had no confidence in certain victory.
His body burned with pain, and every breath carried the taste of blood. Merely being grazed by the blast's aftermath had left his body utterly battered.
Fortunately, he had pushed Serie away in time. Otherwise, her defensive barrier might not have been able to withstand such a terrifying attack.
He desperately wanted to stop, catch his breath, and rest for a while, but he did not dare stop.
As long as he ran farther away, Serie would be safer.
Without this Demon Race member's control, neither those Monsters nor that stitched-together flesh monster should be able to do anything to Serie.
"Stop, unknown one. You cannot escape." The Demon Race member's voice echoed through the darkness, thick with desire.
"Your blood smells so delicious!"
The scent of Rhode's blood drifted through the forest, only making the Demon Race member hungrier.
Rhode found the Demon Race member's words somewhat perverted.
He suddenly recalled that the Demon Race seemed to eat humans. It was just that there had been too few humans in the Mythical era, and most Demon Race members would not encounter a human even once in their lives, so there was naturally no talk of eating humans.
Now, this Demon Race member was relentlessly chasing him. Perhaps instinct was driving him.
In other words, he craved Rhode's body.
Literally. The purely appetite-related kind.
Rhode gritted his teeth. This was not funny at all. He had somehow become the prey instead.
He desperately quickened his pace, but the terrain ahead made his heart sink.
A cliff!
A sheer cliff lay ahead, with a river below. Looking down from the edge, the river was at least thirty or forty meters beneath him.
At that height, even if there was water below, it would be no different from hitting concrete.
"Heh, nowhere left to run now, right?" The Demon Race member slowly approached, a smile appearing on his grayish-white face.
The closer he got to Rhode, the harder it became to suppress the desire in his heart. He was already growing impatient to find out what Rhode tasted like.
He had eaten many races, even elves and the Winged race, but never had any creature stirred such intense hunger within him as the one before him.
Rhode looked down at the bottom of the cliff, then turned to the Demon Race member and suddenly smiled. "Who said I was running?"
I'll risk it!
A last stand with no way back—victory or death!
The Demon Race member froze. Before he could react, Rhode suddenly raised his hand, and magic power surged wildly.
Dozens of vines shot from the ground and instantly wrapped around the Demon Race member's limbs.
"Pathetic trick!"
Even with his body restrained, it did not hinder the Demon Race member from casting magic. Besides, compared to ordinary members of the Demon Race, he was far stronger.
Not only could he control Monsters and have them cast magic, but his physical strength was no weaker than that of the Dwarven race.
He continuously exerted force, and the vines wrapped around him began snapping apart inch by inch.
Blood spilled from Rhode's lips as he sneered. "Of course, that is not all."
This Demon Race member was terrifyingly powerful. He could use magic, control Monsters, and even tear apart Rhode's vines with his bare hands. He was practically an all-round fighter.
Fortunately, Rhode had lured him away.
Having completely broken free of his restraints, the Demon Race member charged straight at Rhode, clearly intending to capture him alive.
Seeing how confident this guy was in his own physical defenses, Rhode immediately fired a rapid barrage of Light Arrows. Yet the opponent was unexpectedly agile, dodging the Light Arrows he could avoid and directly deploying a magic barrier against those he could not.
A mage who could fight in close combat was way too underhanded, wasn't he!?
Seeing the enemy already rush before him, Rhode had no choice but to bring out his trump card.
It was magic that even Serie had never seen. He had originally planned to show it to her after perfecting it.
He thrust out his palm, and a strange Magic Circle appeared within it.
The Demon Race member suddenly felt his vision go dark. Even the moonlight and starlight vanished, as if all light in this space had been sucked away, only to return to normal an instant later.
Rhode stood several meters in front of him, except there was now a tiny point of light in his palm.
Come, Buddha's Wrath Light Lotus!
Although magic did not need to be named when cast, Rhode still did it anyway. Ask why, and the answer was that it was a tribute.
It was just a little embarrassing.
The point of light touched the Demon Race member's body, and magical energy suddenly erupted. The corresponding part of his body was blasted to pieces.
Nearly half of the Demon Race member's body had been blown apart. He had never suffered such severe injuries before, and in that moment, he truly felt the threat of death.
Meanwhile, Rhode's magic power was nearly exhausted. He staggered several steps backward, and loose stones beneath his feet slid away.
He looked up at the miserable Demon Race member, regretting that he had failed to kill him completely, then lowered his gaze to the river at the bottom of the cliff.
"Looks like... this is as far as I can go."
The enraged Demon Race member raised his hand and unleashed an attack, intending to kill Rhode completely. Yet he had not expected his own attack to knock Rhode off the cliff instead.
Seeing his prey slip away after sustaining such severe injuries, the Demon Race member let out a roar. But a figure was rapidly approaching from behind him.
"Where is Rhode?"
Serie hurried over. Her body was stained with all kinds of blood, though most of it belonged to Monsters.
Just moments ago, she had slaughtered every Monster surrounding her and even completely annihilated that stitched-together monster. But when she followed the trail left by the Demon Race member, she did not see Rhode.
"Elf's Secret Art? But if you use it, you will be unable to cast magic for some time afterward."
"That is not something a dying man should concern himself with. Where is Rhode?" A dangerous light flickered in Serie's golden eyes.
"So that guy is called Rhode?" The Demon Race member's body writhed on the ground. He was stalling for time, hoping to create an opportunity to strike back.
But Serie would not give him that chance. A Light Wheel
directly severed his limbs, completely cutting off his ability to
cast magic.
Serie's voice was ice-cold. "Answer me, and I will give you a swift death!"
"Hahaha! He fell down there. You absolutely cannot—"
Serie did not wait for him to finish. Knowing Rhode's whereabouts was enough.
A Light Pillar descended from the sky and enveloped the Demon Race member. His body began to twist and disintegrate. At the moment of death, emotions he had never experienced before—pain, fear, and more—flooded his heart, but he no longer had time to truly feel them.
Serie coldly watched as the Demon Race member gradually turned to ash within the Light Pillar.
She turned and walked to the edge of the cliff, lowering her head to look at the river glowing beneath the silvery-white moonlight.
Rhode had once told her that if there was something to cushion the fall, one would not die from jumping from a great height. Water counted as a cushion too.
"Wait for me."
Before you continue