CHAPTER 46: 43: ROWAN LE VANE. [1]

Rowan was really pissed off right now.

He swung his sword in a vertical arc, splitting the gravemite lunging at him half. The two pieces flew past both his sides, and landed on the ground with a soft thump.

He glanced at his comrade in this battle, who was taking on the other half of the pack of gravemites.

Sir Calen was entirely focused on holding his side, cutting and slashing the gravemites that wanted to get past them. Hissing as he struggled with the creatures that wanted to tear him apart.

He glanced behind him, Lady Aria was standing guard as Lady Selene helped the Young master of Myrvale stand up.

His brows furrowed in frustration, and he gritted his teeth, his left fang slightly poking out of his lips.

I should’ve known.

He stabbed another gravemite luging at him, and took a swift step backwards.

Calen appeared where he was a moment ago, slashing at the gravemite that was jumping towards Rowan from the trees.

He let out a swift curse and took off towards where Calen had been, taking his position in fending off the pack of Gravemites.

This was wrong.

Gravemites were solitary creatures.

What kind of abomination was making them act like this?

The frustration boiled over and rowan momentarily forgot to hold back his strength, kicking a gravemite in the face, making it blow up into smithereens.

A sharp pain bloomed in his chest, and Rowan faltered for a moment.

"Damnit!"

He was a moment too late to dodge the dead wolf that lunged at him.

It snapped its jaws at the place where his face had been a moment ago as he leaned back, and in the next instance, the head was cleanly cut off as Rowan pulled his sword out from its neck.

It almost seemed like there was no end to these creatures.

But that was not was bothering him right now.

I should’ve paid more attention damnit!

He had sensed the anomaly in the mana signature the moment he had stepped into the ball room.

His idiotic self had passed it off as the effect of the three grand mages being there, and had slacked around instead of investigating the premises.

What kind of after-effect made this possible?

I’m so...

He let out a low growl.

If he was even a moment late, lady Aria might have been all alone in this forest fending off the gravemites all by herself.

He gritted his teeth and stabbed another gravemite in the belly, swinging his sword as it crashed into a tree.

But he had to give recognition where recognition was due.

It was such an intricate plan, the Order of the Eclipse had actually managed to outsmart the entire forces of Eldaria this time around.

Those bastards had probably spent the last few years planning just this.

The explosion had just been a distraction, just large enough so that they could pry away the attention of the grand mages.

The main objective was a teleportation spell etched into the table where Aria was.

He remembered the pink barrier that had protected them from brunt of the explosion.

If not for whatever that was, all of them would be critically injured right now, unable to fend off the creatures attacking them.

They had been lucky.

That made his fury blare even more.

They had survived because of dumb luck.

He gritted his teeth, reigning his mind back into control.

Focus...

"Are you guys ready?" He called out towards Aria, who was standing guard for lady Selene and Lord Edward.

Selene had casted some kind spell on Edward, who was now floating a little above the ground.

She nodded to him.

He nodded back.

Rowan took a glance at Calen, who yelled a loud "Yes." in answer.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself, and turned around.

"Follow me!"

They took off towards the small clearing in the east, running away from the gravemites with all their strength.

Rowan cursed his damned luck as he led the group towards a cliff he sensed in the distance.

If only my soul wasn’t sealed...

He glanced behind him to make sure everyone was safe.

Calen had taken the flank, while Selene and Aria was carrying the demobilised Edward with them. The poor boy was red from the embarrassment of having to be carried in such a situation, but there was nothing they could do.

The trees around them cleared out in a flash, and they arrived at a small ledge overlooking the entire forest.

He took a moment to study the sky, more exactly, the stars.

He clicked his tongue.

They weren’t in Eldaria anymore.

They were somewhere east of the continent, far away from the safety of the kingdom.

He stopped as he got closer to the cliff, making sure that there was enough space for him and his companions, and turned around to see them furiously bolting towards him.

He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, bracing for the pain.

Here we go...

He paused for a moment.

Oh right...

He couldn’t help but smirk a little when he realised that he could truly let loose right.

A reddish aura enveloped his entire body, and red scales started to sprout in his skin as he extended hands towards the incoming hoard.

Two massive billowing clouds of red light rose in his back, shifting and twisting until it resembled something similar to wings.

It was right after Calen ran past him.

He let the mana rising in his body coalesce into his hands. Condensing it into a thin point that radiated heat that the skin of his hands was starting to char.

Everyone was safe behind him.

He clenched his fists, shaping the the ball of mana into something resembling a sharp dart.

Then he let it go.

Like an arrow shooting out of a bow, the mana bullet sped past the trees, and towards the hoard of gravemites hungrily chasing after them.

A small tremor passed through the world.

Then a brilliant red explosion enveloped the entire forest.