A Desperate Gamble

If one were to count the entire barbarian tribe, how many Body Integration rank warriors, Source Gathering rank warriors, and Lower Rank warriors would they have?

After killing a barbarian, Aurelian could not help but ponder this.

As the master of Winter City, he was forced to consider such matters.

Suddenly, the pebbles on the ground began to vibrate. Aurelian hurriedly looked ahead, only to see the massive monster that had previously departed slowly moving toward him.

Its size had nearly doubled; its enormous body resembled a small mountain of flesh, constantly oozing a black liquid that caused all flowers and grass to wither and turn to ash upon contact.

"Something is strange. Is it coming toward me?"

Aurelian's expression turned grave. This massive, deformed monster was undoubtedly connected to the black shadow in the darkness.

Perhaps it was the very god mentioned in the rumors!

"It seems it is indeed coming for me. Damn it."

He gritted his teeth and gripped the Innocent Starlight in his hand; he was certainly no match for this monster.

Judging by the level of magic power it radiated, this deformed monster had reached at least the Middle Rank of magic power.

It might have even touched the threshold of the Upper Rank.

Magic Barrier!

A flash of inspiration struck his mind. Since he could not defeat it, he would have to lure the monster away.

Whistle~!

Aurelian let out a whistle, and George emerged from the shadows, having remained in Aurelian's vicinity the entire time.

Vaulting onto George's back, Aurelian turned to look at the mountain-like deformed monster behind him.

He kicked the stirrups and sped away.

The direction he headed was toward the magic barrier deep within the Spruce Forest.

Possessing the bloodline of a Fire Dragon Beast, George was completely unaffected by the eerie cold of this place, moving as fast as lightning as they fled.

Watching its prey rapidly pull away, the deformed monster let out a muffled grunt from its thick, heavy neck.

The tumors on its body began to squirm, as if something were about to grow out from within.

Crackle, crackle—

Granules of flesh grew continuously, transforming into a pair of massive, fleshy wings spanning dozens of meters.

The wings whipped up a violent gale, and the constant flapping generated immense wind pressure that crushed all the surrounding trees, allowing this massive mountain of flesh to actually take flight.

Such a massive disturbance naturally caught the attention of those nearby.

"My Lord."

Master watched Aurelian speeding away and whispered a single phrase before continuing to throw himself into the slaughter.

He believed that Aurelian, this miraculous duke, would be able to handle it.

"Thor."

Jeanne said from the shadows, her cross-sword still dripping with blood as a decapitated corpse lay on the ground.

The severed head rolling on the ground wore a black mask; it was indeed one of those suspected to be from the Star Kingdom.

She turned her gaze toward Dark, who was still frantically weaving and fleeing through the forest, her sky-blue eyes filled with killing intent before she gave chase.

Galloping on George's back, Aurelian glanced sideways at the sky behind him.

The giant shadow completely blotted out the sky, obscuring the sliver of sunlight, and his entire surroundings plunged into darkness.

"Faster, go faster!" Aurelian roared.

Low, rumbling roars echoed from the sky, drawing ever closer.

Though his heart was filled with extreme anxiety, he had no choice but to pin his hopes on George.

Hurry, my dear George!

The wind pressure above his head intensified, and a massive, crushing force descended upon him.

Aurelian glanced upward to see an incredibly thick, giant hand reaching down, drawing closer and closer to him.

It's over.

As these two words surfaced in his mind, Aurelian's expression was one of pure despair. It was not that he hadn't fought with all his might; he had truly given everything, yet he could not avoid this outcome.

The deformed monster's giant hand drew nearer, and Aurelian's eyes were wide with fury.

But just then, the egg hanging on his chest, which had been quiet all this time, began to tremble, and a surge of fullness flooded Aurelian's heart.

This is magic power!

Aurelian thought fiercely, but he didn't dwell on it. Since he had magic power now, he had to fight back rather than wait for death.

He poured the newly surged magic power into the Innocent Starlight in his hand, causing the inscriptions on the blade to glow.

The giant hand was right upon him, and with a roar, Aurelian swung his sword to meet it!

Black blood sprayed out, splashing onto Aurelian below.

Blood capable of turning plants into ash—one could only imagine how terrifying it was!

But it was not without a countermeasure; as he poured in his mana, the blade of Innocent Starlight vibrated, erecting a thin blue film that enveloped both Aurelian and George.

A mana barrier.

By using the high-quality magic-infused weapon Innocent Starlight as a medium, he materialized his mana to block both magical and physical attacks.

It remained true: a Lower Rank knight with a magic-infused weapon and one without were existences on two entirely different levels.

Having suffered a grievous wound to its palm, the deformed monster in the sky let out a low growl and retracted its limb.

"In the end, it's just piled-up mana; you can't grasp the true power of Mid Rank mana at all. There is a massive difference compared to the real thing."

Aurelian mocked it, continuing his dash forward.

The gate of the magic barrier was no longer far!

The egg hanging against his chest was still vibrating, and Aurelian finally understood: the egg was providing him with a reverse supply. It seemed it had also sensed the approaching danger and was giving him a hand.

Amidst the interlacing light and shadows, Aurelian rode George at a gallop while the monster in the sky flapped its fleshy wings, pursuing relentlessly.

Finally, Aurelian saw the gray mist ahead, swirling like chaotic threads.

Steel-hearted, he charged straight in.

The scent of its prey had suddenly vanished, and the monster in the sky flew into a rage!

With a thunderous boom that shook the entire forest, it returned to the ground.

It probed the chaos ahead with a few tentacles, discovered they could pass through, and let out a low growl before slowly squeezing its way inside.

The Ice and Snow Barrier rippled with spatial fluctuations.

Aurelian rode George as they burst out, followed closely by red tentacles that looked like giant pythons.

Aurelian paid no mind to the tentacles, continuing his charge forward.