Dagger of Calling

The agonizing pain in her hind legs made it nearly impossible for the Demi-Human Queen to support her massive body.

She could only collapse to the ground and roll about wildly.

The Demi-Human Queen's Staff in her hand swung about wildly.

Sometimes sweeping sideways, sometimes smashing down.

Destroying everything around her with savage force.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Dust rose all around, and shattered stones flew everywhere.

The already dim Mistwood became even harder to see through.

A sharp glint flashed in Xia Tong's eyes.

He took another fierce swig from the Crimson Tear Flask.

As the potion entered his stomach, the several wounds cut open by splashing Glintstone Crystals gradually began to heal, and the pain subsided.

Those things had been far too densely packed to dodge. He could only endure them head-on.

Thankfully, he had put a point into health when he leveled up earlier. He still had plenty of vitality left and could take the hits.

Strike while the iron was hot.

Seeing the Demi-Human Queen sprawled on the ground, hacking and smashing wildly, exposing a huge opening.

Xia Tong hesitated no longer and lightly kicked Torrent's flank.

"Hyah!"

Torrent let out a neigh and charged forward with him once more.

Xia Tong casually drew the two Kukris strapped to his left thigh.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

With piercing whistles, the Kukris flew accurately toward two ordinary Demi-Humans attempting to pounce on him, pinning them dead to the ground.

At the same time, Xia Tong looked up at the sky.

Through the dense canopy, he could vaguely see that the final traces of sunset were nearly gone.

Once the sky turned completely dark, the entire Demi-Human Group would descend into frenzy and madness.

By then, they would be far more difficult to deal with than they were now.

They would become bloodthirsty and berserk, unable to feel pain or fear, caring only about slaughtering the living people before them.

Whether Xia Tong and the others could hold out then remained uncertain.

He had to end this quickly!

After another dozen or so charging passes.

Several more bone-deep sword wounds appeared on the Demi-Human Queen's body, and blood stained the ground red.

"Hummm—!"

Just then, a stream of pure life energy flowed into the Crimson Tear Flask once more.

The flask trembled slightly.

Though these Demi-Humans were extremely weak, there were simply too many of them dying.

Quantity brought about quality; the Crimson Tear Flask had somehow received another burst of charge!

"I can't keep circling her!"

"If night falls completely, the Spirit Ashes army and I are both finished!"

Xia Tong gritted his teeth and made a bold decision.

Using Torrent's double jump again, he rose high above the Demi-Human Queen.

This time, instead of slashing down, he jumped straight off the horse's back!

"Thud!"

He landed steadily on the Demi-Human Queen's broad yet hunched back.

To keep the enraged queen from throwing him off.

Xia Tong drew the dagger from his right leg.

Compared to a Kukri, this kind of dagger had greater piercing power.

"Squelch!"

Xia Tong viciously drove the dagger into the flesh of the Demi-Human Queen's back, using it as an anchor to secure himself.

Then, with a fierce push from his right foot, he climbed directly toward the Demi-Human Queen's head and neck.

By now, the Demi-Human Queen no longer had the strength to stand. Blood streamed endlessly from her wounds, and her movements had slowed.

Standing on her neck, Xia Tong gripped the Lordsworn's Greatsword upside down in both hands.

The sword point faced downward, aimed at her spinal nerves.

"Die!"

He drove it down viciously!

"Sssht! Sssht!"

As the Lordsworn's Greatsword plunged deep into the Demi-Human Queen's body, the flames on its blade abruptly went out upon contact with the sheer volume of blood and compressed flesh.

"Aooo—!!!"

The Demi-Human Queen launched her most shrill final counterattack.

The Glintstone at the tip of her staff lit up once more!

This time, it erupted at point-blank range!

Xia Tong was too close to dodge.

He could only grit his teeth, cross his arms over his head, and take the blow head-on.

"Boom!"

As excruciating pain struck.

Xia Tong felt several sharp Glintstone Crystals violently pierce his body.

The pain instantly drenched his forehead in cold sweat and darkened his vision.

When the spell ended, the Demi-Human Queen began struggling frantically again, trying to throw the pest off her back.

But Xia Tong clutched the hilt of the greatsword embedded in the Demi-Human Queen's body with one hand, his knuckles white, refusing to let go even in death.

With his other hand free, he swiftly pulled out the Crimson Tear Flask.

He bit off the cap and gulped down a mouthful.

"Glug, glug."

As the crimson tears flowed through his body, the tearing pain diminished significantly once more.

Fortunately, these crystals were merely solidified magic.

Not long after entering Xia Tong's body, they turned into blue starlike particles and slowly vanished.

Xia Tong looked down.

Because of the hollow effect, his chest and arms had been blasted full of charred, bloody holes that emitted blue smoke.

It was a horrifying sight.

Thankfully, after that mouthful of potion, the bloody holes were visibly shrinking and the bleeding was stopping.

The Demi-Human Queen continued shrieking, making Xia Tong's eardrums ache.

Blood from his forehead flowed into his eyes, turning his vision crimson.

Xia Tong could not see clearly. He only felt the moon slowly rising overhead while the sounds of fighting around him grew ever more intense.

His Spirit Ashes army had already curled up in a corner, barely holding on.

Nearly half of Spirit Jellyfish Kulala's tentacles had been severed, leaving her to drift weakly in the air.

The Godrick Soldier with the crossbow had long since drawn his sword to fight at close quarters.

The Fanged Imp seemed no longer able to manifest Magic Pots. He could only leap from one Demi-Human to the next with his Forked Hatchet, hacking wildly.

"Are we really finished...?"

"There are just too many of them!"

Xia Tong felt somewhat weak, but he still forced himself to focus.

He drew another Kukri and desperately stabbed it into the Demi-Human Queen's carotid artery!

Again and again!

Again and again!

The Kukri's unique curve and blood groove made it exceptionally effective at bleeding targets.

The shoulder and neck were a blind spot. The Demi-Human Queen's hunched body could not reach him at all.

The surrounding Demi-Humans could not attack Xia Tong riding atop the queen either.

He did not know how many times he stabbed.

Finally.

The massive body beneath him suddenly shuddered, then completely lost its strength.

With a boom!

The Demi-Human Queen crashed to the ground and stopped struggling.

She was dead.

A majestic golden stream of light flowed from the Demi-Human Queen's corpse and surged into Xia Tong's body.

[Obtained Runes: 1013]

As the queen's presence completely vanished.

The Demi-Humans around them, who had been attacking madly just moments before, suddenly howled in unison.

Their cries were filled with terror and confusion.

They dropped their weapons and scattered in all directions.

Even the remaining large Demi-Humans seemed to have lost their leader, tucking their tails and fleeing frantically into the depths of the forest.

Finally... it was over.

Xia Tong let out a long breath, the weight in his heart lifting.

He slowly slid down from the corpse and straightened himself.

After taking another drink from the Crimson Tear Flask, his strength gradually returned.

In barely more than ten minutes, night had fully fallen.

Not a single living Demi-Human remained in the Demi-Human Ruins.

Two figures slowly emerged from the darkness.

One was Irina, dressed in a cotton gown of foreign style.

The other was Melina, cloaked in black like a traveler.

Melina held an exquisitely crafted dagger in her left hand.

Xia Tong naturally recognized it. It was—the Dagger of Calling.