Lancelot's Spirit Sea had dwindled to only three percent of its essence. He withdrew his consciousness, opening his bloodshot eyes. His gaze landed on his fully armored clone, standing silently.
After fifteen minutes of silence, Lancelot spoke inwardly to himself and sent his consciousness back into his Spirit Sea. By now, it had recovered to twenty percent of its snow-white spirit essence.
He converted the snow-white essence into light brown and used it to drag the second Spirit Core filled with golden and black essence into his Spirit Sea.
After an hour of painstaking effort, the core finally settled. The black-and-gold core floated on the right side of his Spirit Sea, while the rainbow core remained suspended on the left, perfectly balanced.
After completing all of this, Lancelot sighed in relief. His vision had become blurred, and dizziness washed over him. He held his forehead, staggering toward the wall. For about thirty seconds, he leaned there before finally lowering his hand.
Lancelot removed his shirt and walked toward the door leading to his private bathroom. Inside, he approached the sink and pressed the button. Water flowed from the tap, and he washed his hands, hair, and face.
Once done, he stepped out of the bathroom, closed the door, and pulled on his trousers, leaving only his undershirt. Lancelot climbed onto his bed, lay down, and drifted into a deep sleep.
...
Stonecliff Mountain.
In the quiet of the night, the wind howled softly as rain fell from the sky. Aisha Sulieman and Taiyor stood with torn clothes soaked by the rain, rainwater pooling beneath their feet. The flowing water carried faint traces of blood.
Taiyor, who had been observing this, frowned. He turned his head toward his captain and spoke in a conflicted tone, "Blood… Captain, what do you suggest we do?"
Aisha turned to him, her expression calm. "We keep moving forward. Our destination is Riverview no more branching, no more side quests."
...
While walking along the road, Taiyor spotted three corpses in the distance. He raised his hand and pointed.
"Captain… should we investigate?"
Aisha nodded in approval.
The two Nigerians approached cautiously. As they drew closer, Captain Aisha remained on guard, her eyes scanning the surroundings.
Taiyor stepped forward. He reached out and grabbed one of the corpses by the arm, lifting it slightly only to realize the body had no head.
He stumbled back and fell to the ground, his expression filled with shock and fear.
Both of them stared at the corpse in silence for several seconds.
Then Aisha raised her hand and pointed. "Check the others. I want to know who was killed."
Taiyor nodded. He forced himself to stand and walked six steps to the next body.
As he lifted it, tears streamed down his face.
The corpse was one of their own, a Nigerian who had escaped earlier, the one tasked with transporting the princess to Riverview.
When Aisha saw the body, her vision blurred. She staggered once… twice…
Then she collapsed.
Taiyor looked at her and shook his head. He lifted his gaze toward the peak of the mountain and saw it.
A massive bird.
It had the head of a wolf, its entire body covered in armor, except for its feathers. The creature stood nearly four meters tall. This monster was none other than a Mutin.
The Mutin spread its wings and descended from the mountain peak, flying straight toward them.
Taiyor, who had wanted to bury his kinsmen, glanced at the approaching beast before turning back to the corpses.
"Please forgive me… I couldn't save you. I wish I could at least bury all of you."
Without another moment of hesitation, he rushed toward Aisha, lifted her into his arms, and ran toward a cave not far away.
...
Inside the cave, the space opened wide. Dim light reflected off scattered essence crystals, illuminating the remains of dead wyverns and bloodstains across the ground.
Taiyor carried his captain deeper inside before returning toward the cave's entrance.
Bang!
The Mutin crashed into the cave opening, its massive head getting stuck. It forced itself forward, stretching its neck, snapping its jaws as it tried to reach Taiyor.
If I stay here, I might be eaten by the wyverns… If I remain at the entrance, this monster won't leave…
After a brief moment of thought, Taiyor made his decision.
He retreated further into the cave, still carrying Aisha. The deeper chamber was lit by green and blue essence crystals embedded in the walls, casting an eerie glow.
He knelt and gently placed his captain on the ground. Then he unbuttoned his uniform, removed his white singlet, and folded both pieces neatly.
After placing them on the ground, he lifted Aisha's head and rested it on the folded clothes.
Taiyor stood up and moved to a small boulder nearby. He sat down heavily, his face pale.
Slowly, he lowered his head, placing both hands over it like a man crushed by frustration and helplessness.
...
Early spring dawn, a pale grey light slowly seeps into the sky. The air is crisp and cool, touched with a light morning chill, while faint mist lingers close to the ground. The world feels fresh and still, as the first hints of sunrise gently stir the horizon.
Leywin Loid, who had just woken up, was no longer wearing his wet clothes. This time, he was dressed in Britannia local attire a dark green vest, a white shirt, and black trousers.
He observed his surroundings and saw Lionel and Reinhard lying on the right side of the cave, still covered in blankets as they slept. Turning to his left, he found Princess Emilia resting quietly.
Leywin Loid (Urue Everhour) walked out of the cave. He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes before heading toward the nearby trees.
On one of the branches, two chicken dozed silently.
Leywin Loid injected his spirit essence into a Rank 1 Blade Feral Soul. A blade materialized in his hand out of thin air.
Without hesitation, he threw it.
The blade pierced through one of the chickens' throats.
The chicken fell to the ground, its head separating from its body, blood spraying from its neck.
Leywin Loid injected his spirit essence into the Rank 1 Blade Feral Soul once again. A blade materialized in his hand out of thin air.
He threw it.
The blade struck the second chicken, sending it crashing down from the tree.
After waiting for three minutes, the blood had already stopped flowing from both bodies.
Leywin Loid walked toward them. He picked up the one closest to the tree by its leg, raised it, and used his other hand to pull the blade free from its body.
After that, he walked about twenty steps to where the second chicken had fallen. He retrieved the blade and lifted the chicken by its leg as well.
Carrying both chickens, he turned and walked back toward the cave.
After walking for several minutes, he returned to their cave.
Lionel, Reinhard, and Princess Emilia were still asleep.
Leywin Loid dropped the chickens inside the cave, then turned and walked out again.
Leywin Loid walked toward a nearby tree and injected spirit essence into his Blade Feral Soul. A blade materialized from thin air and appeared in his hand. He aimed at the tree and threw the blade struck the trunk and hooked into it.
A few seconds later, another blade materialized in his hand. He stepped back, bent his body, and threw it with force. The blade pierced through the tree, creating a hole that extended into cracks running across the trunk.
Leywin Loid injected his lemon spirit essence into both the Blade Feral Soul and his rank 2 Almost There Feral Soul a white centipede with numerous legs. The Blade Feral Soul, a thumb-sized dagger with three eyes embedded in its handle, and the Almost There Feral Soul both flew to the center of his spirit sea, shining brightly as the lemon essence flowed into them. In the next second, Leywin Loid's spirit essence dropped to thirty percent.
The blade in his hand glowed as his speed increased. He dashed toward the tree and sliced along the line of holes and cracks.
Bam!
The tree fell, scattering wood across the ground. Leywin Loid gathered the fallen logs and returned to the cave. When he arrived, Reinhard and Lionel were already awake sitting cross-legged while asking the princess questions.