Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Escape

“Has it been this long and Carlos still hasn’t come out? Could there be something wrong?” Nick Williams looked at the black smoke cage not far away, his expression filled with unshed worry.

The **’s eland let out low growls, kicking up its hooves in evident unease.

“Please rest assured, my Legion Commander. Please have faith in Mr. Carlos’s abilities.”

Archbishop Ansheel next to Nick straightened his light golden robe, offering reassuring words. However, his gaze towards the black smoke was not as calm as his words suggested.

“It seems that His Grace has great trust in Mr. Carlos.” Nick paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully. “This time, we truly owe you, His Grace. If not for your powerful miracle, which suppressed the monster so it couldn’t move, Carlos would have had to endure much more hardship to subdue it. Thanks to your efforts, we were able to achieve victory so smoothly.”

Archbishop Ansheel seemed somewhat displeased upon hearing this, his wrinkled face furrowing slightly as he gestured towards the devastated battlefield in the distance.

“Legion Commander, do you call this smooth?”

“His Grace, please don’t say it like that.” Nick smiled bitterly. “We all know that facing such a terrifying monster from the Abyss, these losses are already a blessing. I’ve ordered the monks to control the spread of the Abyss swamp. At least in terms of securing the safety of the surrounding towns, we are victorious.”

There were many human towns and villages around this area, which is why the Holy Church placed significant importance on this operation. They had evacuated the civilians half a month ago and even dispatched Carlos to fight, while also requesting Archbishop Ansheel to cooperate with him.

“How do you plan to handle the fallen knights?”

Fighting against the Abyss monster was unlike ordinary battles against bandits or rebellions; it was exceptionally cruel. Only a few knights could leave with their bodies intact, while most would be completely devoured, leaving no trace.

“They were all heroes,” Nick said softly.

Archbishop Ansheel nodded in agreement. With those words, he believed Nick knew what to do.

Just as he was about to speak again, he suddenly felt a blockage in his chest and couldn’t help but cough violently.

“Your Grace, are you alright?”

Nick hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Archbishop Ansheel waved his hand. “I’m old, and after a bit of activity, my body can’t keep up… The first holy lance I released was aimed at the monster’s right leg, intending to immobilize it. But my eyesight failed me, and it hit its shoulder instead. If I hadn’t reacted quickly, my bones might have been left here today… Honestly, this Abyss feels strange to me, Nick, did you notice anything unusual?”

“Your Grace, feel free to speak plainly.”

“I feel that this monster doesn’t seem as fierce as before. I noticed it hesitating, almost as if it was… thinking. I believe this is also why we were able to end the battle so quickly.”

“Is that so? This is my first time facing the Abyss directly, and I didn’t have any clear feelings. But hearing you say that, the monster indeed doesn’t seem to be the kind that acts solely on instinct… Does Your Grace have any concerns?”

“Not really, it’s just…”

Before Archbishop Ansheel could finish, a burst of white light suddenly surged nearby, startling the two who immediately looked up.

The black smoke cage, which had been slowly writhing, suddenly accelerated its rotation and rapidly shrank inward. Following that, numerous large ice spears sprouted from the ground, each as tall as a man, causing the air temperature to plummet. Even from afar, one could feel the biting cold, and the armor of the knights closest to them began to frost over.

“Full retreat! Form ranks and prepare for battle!”

Nick charged forward on the eland.

With a soft “puff,” a ball of black smoke tinged with white burst out of the cage.

“Carlos!!” Nick shouted towards the direction of the black smoke, but received no response.

His heart sank rapidly.

The black smoke ball, after breaking through the cage, left a long trail of flames and flew more than ten meters before landing and dispersing into a cloud of smoke. A white figure emerged from within, sprinting away without stopping.

Carlos!? No, that’s wrong, the figure is too small, it’s not Carlos. Who is it? What happened… Is it trying to escape?!

“Your Grace! Please check on Carlos’s situation! Right Wing Second and Third Teams, follow me!”

Making a quick assessment of the situation, Nick shouted and pursued.

…………

“Pant… pant…”

Running, running non-stop, using every ounce of strength.

Surprisingly pleased, although this body appears frail, its capabilities exceed expectations. Running at full speed, it’s incredibly fast. I clutched my cloak tightly around my body with my right hand, preventing it from flapping around, and pulled down the hood with my left hand, covering my head. After running for quite some distance, I didn’t feel particularly exhausted, far surpassing when I was still a man.

Back then, I was obsessed with work, often staying at the office for over ten hours, frequently working overtime late into the night, leaving no time for exercise. By a young age, I had developed a noticeable belly.

The voices of the knights behind seemed to grow fainter.

I was overjoyed inside; it was over, finally! I had escaped!

In that last moment within the black smoke, though I didn’t understand why the swordsman hesitated, his hesitation bought me time. I successfully reconnected with the black smoke and even sensed the cold air enveloped by the abyss’s swamp.

It seemed to be the power of frost that I could grasp.

Although I currently only knew how to unleash them recklessly without knowing how to control them, the sudden burst of black smoke and frost mist was enough to leave him flustered.

Then the bearded swordsman was frozen in place. I would never forget the miserable expression on his face. Hahaha, I was so happy!

Letting you bully me? Humph.

My face was filled with a stifled smile. Unable to hold back, I turned my head to look behind me, but I completely forgot that due to the height difference between Carlos and me, and the cloak wrapped around me being too long. Because of my twisting motion, the hem of the cloak dragged on the ground again and got caught under my foot.

At this moment, I was running as fast as I could, speed was so fast that I couldn’t even scream. I flew out just like when I was hit by the holy lance before.

“Plop” “Plop,” I fell and bounced on the ground, rolling countless times until I came to a stop, unmoving.

The phrase “extreme joy leads to sorrow” was perfectly illustrated by me at this moment.

I lay face down on the ground, in such pain that I couldn’t breathe for a while. Slowly, I propped myself up, pushed aside the cloak, and looked. My arms and calves were covered with various degrees of scratches. A large piece of skin on my left knee was scraped off, swelling high and bruised extensively, oozing blood spots, causing me to inhale sharply in pain.

“Completely… screwed…”

It took a while to recover from the shock, I didn’t have time to curse. I rolled and crawled to my feet, limping forward.

The trees gradually increased around me, and further away, I could see the vast sea of towering ancient trees.

My target was there.

This fall cost me too much time. I could hear the sound of hooves close behind me. At this moment, there was no more arrogance as before. I was desperate, running with all my might, but the injury to my knee had significantly slowed me down.

The sound of hooves grew closer, and a shout came from behind.

“Don’t think you can run!!”

The sound of weapons being drawn rang out.

I instantly became alert, my body immediately leaning back and sliding. Just as I fell, a sword beam swept over my head with a whistling sound.

What a close call! I was drenched in cold sweat from the scare.

My body slid forward a short distance due to inertia, my back and buttocks burning with pain. Before I could adjust my posture to stand up, another sense of danger approached.

I quickly rolled on the ground. The previous spot emitted a “plop.” Turning my head, I saw the knight leader glaring at me, pulling his short sword out of the soil.

A massive beast flashed out from behind him, low growls mixed with heavy breathing, charging at me with its horns raised.

I was terrified, jumping to one side, white frost bursting from my body. However, due to lack of time to adjust and the pain in my knee, I slipped, landing off-target, barely avoiding the beast’s horns but still getting knocked away.

“Ugh—”

My body spun twice in the air before “thud” landing with a muffled groan.

This impact made stars appear before my eyes, every part of my body aching as if broken.

Not caring about getting up, I hurriedly looked behind. The beast was now lying stiff as an ice sculpture on the ground.

“Who are you?! Where’s Carlos!? What did you do to him?!”

The knight leader was pushed back several steps by the sudden gust of cold wind. His body was emitting a faint chill, the short sword pointing downward, he took a big step towards me.

I showed him a fierce expression, the wide hood covering most of my face, not knowing if he could see it.

What could I do to that bearded bastard? You should ask what he did to me!

Seeing that the knight leader was about to close in, I half-crouched on the ground, swinging my right hand at him.

“Crack crack crack—”

Countless ice spears erupted from under my feet, filling the sky with frost, heading straight for the knight leader’s square face.

The knight leader rolled to the side, dodging the thick ice spear shooting up from beneath him. Purple light flickered in his left hand, passing over the short sword, which suddenly buzzed and lit up with dazzling light.

At the same time, I heard the sound of chaotic footsteps and shouts nearby, realizing that if I didn’t leave immediately, it would be too late.

“Stay here!”

The knight leader took a deep stance, the purple light shining brightly on the short sword held horizontally at eye level. He bent his knees, lowered his waist, and jumped, his towering figure blocking out the sun, pressing down on me like a mountain.

Why are you pushing me so hard?! Must we go to such extremes?!

With a surge of determination, black smoke rose from under my feet, blue frost swirling around my arms. I leaped up to meet the knight leader.

“Crack bang!!”

“Plop.”

The heart-stopping collision lasted only an instant. The knight leader’s body was already filled with tiny ice shards, most of his body encased in frost and ice debris, soaring high.

“Captain—!!”

Someone shouted from afar.

I lowered my head, looking at the short sword embedded in my lower abdomen, stumbled forward.

I was almost at the forest.

Once I entered the forest, they wouldn’t be able to do anything to me.