Main Quest: Capture Merin

Difficulty: ★★★★★

Objective: Neutralize and capture Merin before she escapes the valley.

Rewards:

383 Stat Points

1× Advanced AP Card

Sub-Quest: Defeat Tormund

Difficulty: ★★★☆☆

Objective: Defeat Tormund to disrupt the enemy’s chain of command.

Rewards:

211 Stat Points.

Shwik

Tormund blurred into view again, loosing an arrow.

I swung my katana up just in time.

Clang!

Crimson aura flared against the glowing green arrow, sparks scattering in all directions as it slid off Blood Raven’s edge.

No time to breathe. The bastard was already gone.

He kept circling me, never standing still, appearing only long enough to fire before vanishing again.

A green streak marked his trail like a hunting serpent slithering through the air.

"Persistent bastard..." I muttered under my breath.

[Dude, he’s gonna dog walk you at this rate.]

"Shut up," I hissed. "He just got some tricks."

Crimson aura flared at my legs, hot and wild. My body buzzed from the strain.

The aura’s rhythm was off, like a heartbeat skipping out of sync. Harder to control... harder to guide.

Was this the sign of a breakthrough?

Fwheee!

An arrow whistled past, slicing open my side just enough to sting. I twisted away, barely keeping balance.

"Okay..." I exhaled sharply. "Enough running."

I kicked off the ground, the earth cracking beneath me.

Tormund’s aura surged, dense, forceful, but not refined. He had raw power, about the level of Quinn’s, master (V ), but his control is nowhere near that tier.

Black mana pulsed along Blood Raven’s edge as I swung. The air split open, a slash of condensed energy ripping toward him.

Boom!

The blast carved a trench into the ground right before Tormund’s feet. He skidded to a halt, bow already drawn.

I moved, zigzagging across the field, crimson aura trailing behind me like ribbons of lightning.

His aim tracked me, then, unexpectedly, he pointed his bow upward.

"What the hell!"

He loosed the arrow.

The shaft shot into the sky, spinning until it stopped midair. A faint pulse rippled from it, like a drop in still water.

Then the sky opened.

Dozens of fire-tipped arrows burst out of the ripple, raining down like a storm.

"Oh, shit."

I gritted my teeth, spinning Blood Raven in both hands. My aura burst outward.

crack!

And I started slashing through the downpour. Sparks and flames scattered as steel met flame again and again.

Some arrows shattered midair from the pressure of my aura; others hit the ground, embedding into the dirt with sizzling heat.

Then, before I could react, Tormund appeared right in front of me.

Too close.

His bow was leveled at my face.

"Got you," he said, smirking.

"Shi—"

I tried to sidestep, but no arrow was nocked.

He pulled the string anyway.

thwip!

And the air exploded .

It hit like a truck.

I flew backward, tumbling across the dirt, bouncing off the ground until my back slammed into a tree.

"Ahk!" I coughed, blood splattering the dirt. My nose burned, my vision spun, and my ears rang so hard I could barely hear my own breathing.

The attack hadn’t pierced me, it was pure impact, a burst of compressed air, but it rattled everything inside me.

[Told you he’s gonna dog walk you.]

Nexar’s glowing words appeared again, smug as ever.

I groaned, wiping the blood from my mouth. "Who’s side are you even on! damn it!"

The silver cross around Tormund’s neck swayed with every step he took, glinting in the faint light.

His smirk was smug, mocking, as he approached, calm and confident.

"I’ll whoop that smug ass of his," I muttered, tightening my grip on Blood Raven .

Crimson aura flared around me as I blurred forward.

But I could feel it, the imbalance. My aura wasn’t flowing cleanly anymore.

It cracked and sparked out of control, wild and unstable.

To anyone watching, I probably looked like a rookie who threw his aura all around because he couldn’t handle his own power.

I appeared right in front of him, slashing upward from the ground.

Clang!

He blocked the blow with his bow, the wood groaning under pressure. His dark green aura flared against my red, the air between us shimmering.

Then he twisted the bow, pressing down on my blade as he pulled back the string again, aiming for another air burst.

Not this time.

I let go of my sword mid-swing and grabbed the bow itself, forcing the aim upward.

"Such barbarism," Tormund said, trying to yank it free from my grip.

Flaming arrows materialized beside him, heat rippling through the air.

This guy’s flame attribute is really getting on my nerves.

"Dark Hole."

A swirling black vortex appeared before me, pulling at the air around us.

I stomped on Blood Raven’s hilt, catching the blade again with one hand while still gripping his bow with the other.

I was about to dive the katana into the hole when Tormund froze mid-motion.

He knew this trick. One of his men had been swallowed by it before.

He pulled his leg in to spring it forward into a kick.

But his instincts screamed, he jumped back instantly, abandoning the attack.

From the black hole, his own flaming arrows came flying out sucked in and redirected.

If he had gone for that kick, he’d be missing a leg by now.

Tormund turned, glaring as more black holes opened around him, devouring his arrows one after another. His jaw clenched when he saw his bow, still in my hands.

He raised both palms, fire swirling into twin whirlwinds.

"Dark Beam," I said.

He grinned, confident. "Have you lost your mind? Mana attacks don’t work on me."

That cross on his neck shimmered again, his artifact, glowing faintly.

He hurled both whirlwinds forward.

I planted my feet, thrust my arms out, and channeled everything into Blood Raven .

Mana slid along the blade, gathering into a growing black orb at the tip. The orb bulged, then exploded forward .

A beam of black light shot out, tearing through the air with a high-pitched scream.

Crimson sparks coiled around it like lightning serpents, spiraling toward Tormund.

He braced, trusting his relic to protect him.

Then his eyes widened.

He saw it, those red crackles of aura wrapped inside the mana beam.

"Wait—"

Too late.

BOOM!

The impact swallowed him whole. The whirlwinds vanished as his body was hurled backward. He coughed blood midair, then crashed into a tree with a sickening thud.

"H-how..." he croaked.

Of course, he was shocked. To blend aura and mana... that takes the mastery of a Sovereign.

I wasn’t sure it’d even work. My aura had been so unstable all day, ever since that reckless aura blade in that undergrown.

But it worked.

’Who’s dog-walking who now, Nexar?’ I thought, smirking.

[Bro, its like comparing your d!ck size to new born and feeling better that you won.]

’Says the oe who doesn’t even have one.’

Then .

Thump .

A heavy pulse hammered through my chest.

Tormund was struggling back to his feet, but I barely noticed.

My aura was going haywire, bursting out in sharp, random crackles. Craters formed around my feet.

"What’s happening!?" I hissed.

[Not good. Breakthrough... right in the middle of battle!]

Tormund hesitated for a second, confused, but then that smug grin returned. He realized what was happening.

Dark-green aura pulsed from his legs, and he blurred toward me.

I tried to move...

...but pain erupted near my heart.

" Huffkk! "

His foot slammed into my stomach, folding me in half.

Air and blood burst out of my mouth as I was sent flying, crashing into the same damn tree again.

[Who’s dog-walking who again? ]

"...You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?" I groaned, forcing myself up.

The erratic aura began to calm after that hit. My breathing steadied.

I looked down at my trembling hands, then clenched them tight.

Tormund was running for his bow.

He froze halfway, though... his face twisting when he saw the grin spreading across mine.

"Hey, Tormund..." I said, trying to hold back a laugh.

"You’re the most unlucky guy I’ve ever met in my life."

"Huh?"

He blinked.

Then I was gone.

He barely had time to flinch before I reappeared right in front of him, my crimson aura exploding outward, distorting the air, blurring my whole body.

"What... what are you—"

"Kehehe..."

I laughed, low and unsteady, my blood singing with power.

He stumbled back, hastily drawing the string of his bow...

...but I was already behind him.

"This..." I whispered, my voice shaking with thrill. "This is freedom! "

He spun, desperate, firing an air burst point-blank.

I reached out, caught it in my hand.

The compressed air hissed in my fist, contained by the crimson energy wrapping my arm.

His eyes went wide. "Wha.."

His words cut off as blood spilled from his lips.

He looked down.

My sword was already through his heart.

He blinked once, then slowly looked up at me.

"It was fun," I said quietly.

Tormund slumped forward, leaning on Blood Raven’s edge, the light fading from his eyes as the cross around his neck stilled.