Chapter 153
"But those Lost Ones are not easy to deal with either; we must proceed with caution."
"Understood." Chen Ce nodded slightly, then adjusted the position of the two Darkin weapons on his back—it was quite troublesome to carry a large scythe and a greatsword on his back.
"However, as long as we don't encounter Volibear, there shouldn't be any problems."
"That sounds a bit arrogant, but... okay, I know it's the objective truth." Ashe shook her head, her small hand unconsciously rubbing against the other person's hand. "Then promise me, if you really encounter Volibear... don't force yourself."
"Certainly."
"You may not be familiar with the power of the Volibear... It even defeated the legendary Three Sisters tens of thousands of years ago. It wields the power of thunder, causing all things to fall."
"Yes, I understand."
"I know you have the power to defeat the Icefield Demon, but that terrifying Volibear ... it's really no weaker than the Icefield Demon."
"I know..." Chen Ce rubbed the girl's head helplessly, interrupting her well-intentioned but incessant chatter.
Only take half of this advice to heart.
Being cautious is certainly necessary, but sometimes you have to step up when necessary.
Volibear, one of the demigods of Freljord, is certainly powerful; the rumors and historical records about it could fill an entire warehouse of books, but that doesn't mean it's invincible.
The so-called "Icefield Demon" is in no way weaker than it.
There are simply no rumors about Aatrox in Freljord.
During the Darkin reign, Aatrox dared to charge up Mount Targon and slay the Aspects.
Compared to Volibear, who was completely outmaneuvered by the Three Sisters, the difference in their abilities is stark.
Ornn, the forging god and elder brother of all the demigods of Freljord, might be able to suppress Aatrox for a short time with his overwhelming brute force, but Volibear the bear is out of the question.
Forget about Aatrox in his prime, even in his current state, if you gave him an ordinary body, he could absolutely crush Volibear.
It's considered clean if you don't make it poop.
The only problem now is... how to get Aatrox to use the body to beat Volibear while also being able to control him afterwards.
We can't just beat him up again with Rhaast later... Last time we won by using strategy, but Aatrox can't fall into the same trap twice. If we can't cut off his hand or sever his connection with the puppet body, then we have no chance of winning in a direct confrontation.
So... can Rhaast fight Volibear alone?
Hmm... it's not entirely impossible...
Rhaast's strength shouldn't be much weaker than Volibear's; he still has a chance of winning...
Anyway, no matter how dangerous Aatrox is, he can still be considered a trump card. If we really can't win, we can just bring Aatrox out.
As for what happens next... there will be a way. Let's leave it to ourselves.
In short, with his trump cards in hand, Volibear is nothing to fear.
"Anyway, let's go first." Chen Ce took his hand off the girl's head and then took her smooth, fair hand in his.
"It all depends on the situation."
"Hmm... okay~" Ashe, unusually, didn't feel shy and squeezed the other person's hand tightly.
The caves deep in the mine were pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
The scouts lit torches, their blinding light reflecting off the frosty rock face, making it dizzying to look at.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, which grew stronger as you went deeper into the cave. Just by smelling it, you could tell what a horrific thing had happened here.
The echoes of their footsteps reverberated clearly in the cave, the clattering sound like footsteps on the hearts of the victims, filling the sole survivor with terror.
"It's... just ahead..." The miner who had been attacked pointed to a narrow, dark passage, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. "There... we were mining coal... they... they came out from deep underground..."
"Don't be afraid." As the leader, Ashe comforted the victims with her words, and then strode to the front of the group.
Soon, the group hunched over and passed through the narrowest part of the passage, where a spacious area lay outside.
The rock pillars overhead teeter precariously, and the wooden supports erected by the miners have all been destroyed, with sawdust scattered everywhere stained with fresh, still-wet blood.
The smell of blood was very strong.
Ashe slowly crouched down and extended a finger to wipe the blood-stained piece of wood.
"The blood is still a bit sticky, and shows no signs of freezing, so it shouldn't have been there long ago... but the body is gone..."
"Yes, you're right," Chen Ce agreed.
"The bloodstains on the ground are long and thin, clearly indicating that the injured or a corpse was dragged..." Ashe continued her analysis. "The Ursine have a cannibalistic nature, so theoretically they wouldn't drag people away. Could they be transporting their 'prey' back to their territory...?"
"I don't think so." This time, Chen Ce disagreed.
"Hmm?" Ashe looked up at the other person with a questioning look. "Did you discover anything else?"
"Yes." Chen Ce nodded.
"What discovery?" Ashe asked again.
"I've found those bear-men," Chen Ce replied immediately.
"?"
Ashe was taken aback, then looked in the direction the other person was pointing.
Then... she saw a large patch of "light spots".
The red lights flickered in the darkness, quiet and eerie.
Like... a pack of wolves eyeing their prey.
Or, a starving polar bear.
Ashe then realized that those ferocious bear-men had never actually left—they had been watching them the whole time.
Bloodstains, dragging corpses... those bear-men were already eating people over there, their arrival only made them stop temporarily.
After some analysis, it turns out the target I'm looking for is right in front of me...
"Everyone, be careful..." Ashe stood up somewhat awkwardly, then gripped her Frost Crystal Longbow tightly with vigilance.
The entire tribesman grabbed their weapons at the same time, except for the wounded miner who hid behind the crowd, trembling with fear— the Ursine had left an indelible psychological scar on his heart.
"Ursine, I don't want war with you!" Ashe shouted at the terrifying monsters, "But we need an explanation—my people didn't enter your Ursine's hunting grounds, so why are you killing them!"
"..." The bear-men did not respond.
A moment later, they emerged from the darkness in orderly steps.
Each of them was enormous and ugly, with twisted muscles and bones that seemed completely unlike any other creation of this world, as if they were defying the authority of nature—their growth patterns were entirely contrary to nature.
They held pieces of fresh human flesh or bloody bones in their hands. Those severed limbs belonged to the miners who had perished.
They approached step by step, their uniquely constructed throats emitting deep growls. They seemed ready to attack at any moment.
Since that's the case, Ashe no longer needs to worry about the so-called "agreement"—the Ursine committed indiscriminate killings first, and she led her people to protect themselves afterward; no matter what she does, she is in the right.
She has no right to declare war on the Ursine on behalf of all the people of Freljord, but she can use this legitimate pretext to punish these rule-breaking Ursus.
Since the bear-man broke the rules first, even if the Volibear comes later, it won't matter.
Unless... it really wants to tear up the "non-aggression pact" established millions of years ago.
If that's the case, then it wouldn't be wrong for her to kill more bear-men now—it might even garner the support of all the people of Freljord.
"Ready--!" Ashe called out to the group as she drew her bow.
The distorted bear-men finally let out sharp roars.
The next moment, both sides launched an attack.
In the blink of an eye, Ashe aimed at the two bear-men charging at the front, and ice crystal arrows were instantly generated.
Just as she was about to fire her ice crystal arrow to avenge her people, an even louder roar suddenly rang out.
In an instant, the running bears stopped.
A normal human figure emerged from the depths of the cave, wearing only a huge raven feather hood and a bearskin cloak.
Ashe and several veteran warriors of the tribe recognized the man at a glance—or rather, recognized him.
[Lord of the Hunt]
The Ursine among the few who still retain human intelligence. Their appearance is no different from that of a normal human.
Of course, appearances are ultimately just appearances.
It possesses human intelligence, yet its consciousness is no different from that of a bear-man; it has a human form, yet its power originates from the same ferocious Volibear.
"Stop, human!" he announced loudly. "I am a bear-man. I am the messenger of the Thunder Lord."
Ashe stared intently at the strange entity. The ice crystal arrows on her longbow disappeared, but she didn't loosen her grip on the bow.
She noticed that the other person was also watching her—or rather, the bow in her hand.
"That bow." The Lord of the Hunt's tone was extremely arrogant, like a proclamation from a superior being to a inferior one. "The bow of Avarosa, so you are Avarosa's successor?"
"You can interpret it that way," Ashe replied coldly, "But that's not the topic I want to discuss."
"So what do you want to talk about?"
"I need an explanation—your people attacked my people outside the hunting grounds, which is against the rules."
"Hmm." The Lord of the Hunt nodded indifferently, as if this matter had nothing to do with it—or even with the entire Ursine. "There's no explanation. Take your people back."
"What?" Ashe frowned in annoyance, and ice crystal arrows regenerated.
"You hold a special significance for humanity, so my great lord does not wish to kill you for the time being." The Lord of the Hunt still disregarded the threat posed by the Frost Crystal Longbow. "But if you insist on staying, we can kill and devour everyone else except you."
As it spoke, it kicked the nearby Avarosa corpse again. A blatant threat.
Ashe was thoroughly enraged by his overbearing attitude.
She released her fingers, and the ice crystal arrow on the bowstring shot out immediately.
But the Lord of the Hunt seemed to have been prepared, and he slipped to the side and hid behind a bear-man.
Boom! The ice crystal arrow shattered, freezing the bear-man who was hit into an ice sculpture, while the Lord of the Hunt was unharmed.
"Since you insist, then I have no choice but to kill all your people." The Lord of the Hunt let out a piercing laugh. "As for you, I will rip all four of your limbs off—"
Snap!
A sharp, resounding slap suddenly rang out, interrupting the Lord of the Hunt's words.
The second half of the sentence, along with its bloodied teeth, was swallowed back down.
A figure much smaller than it had appeared before it at some point.
Thump--! Another dull thud rang out, and the Lord of the Hunt, who was about to erupt in anger, was kicked to the ground.
The next moment, a flash of cold light appeared.
Blood and severed arms were thrown into the air at the same time.
Chen Ce quickly stepped on the Lord of the Hunt's gaping mouth with his boot, preventing the ear-piercing scream from escaping.
"You're really asking for it! Today I'm going to wipe you all out—and your pathetic bear master, I'll kill him within three days and scatter his ashes to the winds!"
Chapter Thirty-Four: All Will Submit to the Witch!
The Lord of the Hunt possesses strength far exceeding that of ordinary bear-men, making him a "capable lieutenant" of Volibear and ruling over a territory.
Under normal circumstances, it could basically roam freely in Freljord, and even Iceborn or Frost Priests would have to slink away from it—except for Lissandra and a very few powerful shamans, it could be considered an invincible existence.
But today... it has been defeated.
He was defeated by a small, ordinary person.
It could even be described as a crushing defeat.
The young man, who looked to be only in his early twenties, rushed to it as if by teleportation, and within a breath, knocked it down and severed one of its arms.
Such speed, such power... this is simply not something a frail mortal could possess.
But that's just how it is.
The fearsome Lord of the Hunt was pinned to the ground, unable to move, his divinely blessed face coming into close contact with the filthy sole of his shoe.
Utter disgrace!