CHAPTER 92: A SUDDEN SHIELD

Logan stood frozen.

"Why did it suddenly change its target?" His eyes narrowed in confusion.

The Orc charged at the hunter who was a Tier Three with water affinity.

Seeing this, Logan’s heart raced and he rushed to stop it. But the Orc had already closed the distance. It swung its axe at the hunter.

That hunter was busy fighting the goblins and didn’t notice anything at first. But suddenly, he felt goosebumps—like death was staring right at him. He turned toward the direction he felt the pressure from. And what he saw nearly turned his face white.

The Orc—who was supposed to be fighting Logan, was swinging its axe at him. And it was only inches away

He somehow put up an ice barrier. But it shattered like a mirror.

The axe blade slammed into his chest. He was flung backwards like a ragdoll, blood spraying in an arc.

Luckily, he was still alive. And the only thing that kept him alive was the fragment of resistance from the barrier he put up—it didn’t stop the blow, but it absorbed just enough force to keep him breathing. Or for the moment, at least.

Rowan, Gilbert, and the other hunter were stunned.

Before they could even understand what was happening, one of them was down. Maybe even dead already.

Gilbert was still fighting but his hands were trembling.

Rowan’s lips parted but no word came out. He kept fighting as well. Because stopping wasn’t an option.

Logan gritted his teeth, frustration boiling inside him.

"If I had reacted just a bit faster..."

He rushed forward, wind howling around his feet as he used every ounce of internal energy and mana he could manage. But even with his boosted speed, he was a bit late.

The Orc already noticed him. And suddenly it hurled its massive axe straight at Logan.

Reacting on instinct, Logan halted mid-air and threw up a air barrier. He activated gravity manipulation as well. He somehow stopped it.

But in that moment of delay, the Orc spun and charged straight toward Rowan.

Seeing this, Gilbert panicked . He couldn’t let anything happen to the 3rd prince. So he sprinted toward Rowan for his aid.

The Orc already hurled its fist at Rowan. It looked like, it was also in a hurry.

Rowan, who was still fighting the goblins saw the attack coming. Though his mana was already depleted, he couldn’t just sit back and wait for death. He put up a fire barrier. Gilbert added a wind barrier just behind it to strengthen it. He knew Rowan’s condition. He was in the same boat. So he planned on combining their defence.

But their combined effort turned futile. It could do nothing to stop the strom that was aimed at Rowan.

The Orc’s fist surged forward like a thunderbolt destroying everything in its path.

Rowan could feel it. His end was nearing. His last spell also didn’t work. Now neither did he have mana nor time to put up a another defensive wall.

He started at it. The Orc and its incoming punch.

It felt like the time had stopped. He could see the punch slowly closing toward him.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Logan rushing behind the Orc. He was desperately trying his best to stop it but he was too far away.

But just then....

a figure stepped in front of him and stood like a shield.

It was Gilbert.

Rowan wanted to say something. He couldn’t let someone else die protecting him. But it happened so fast. There was no time.

Gilbert also closed his eyes. He was ready for what was about to come.

Death!

But he had no regrets. That’s what the royal guards were trained for. He felt proud instead.

"If i must die....let it be protecting someone worthy."

And then it came.

Creak! Something shattered.

Bam! Bam! Two loud explosions.

And immediately after that.....

Thud! Thud! Two muffled sounds.

Rowan’s body flew backward, slamming into the side of a building. There was another body tangled with his. Gilbert’s.

He couldn’t see Gilbert’s face. Couldn’t tell if he was alive or not either. He felt despair. His own chest screamed in pain.

But then, he heard something—

faint but steady.

A heartbeat.

Gilbert was breathing.

He exhaled in relief.

But then he remembered something and his eyes shifted.

Fifty meters ahead, someone stood alone.

Panting.

Barely upright.

It was Logan.

But the Orc wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Rowan wanted to look around searching for it. But couldn’t. He was gravely injured.

In front him, Gilbert also stirred. He groaned and opened his eyes.

His chest throbbed with pain—several ribs were broken. Atleast four or five. But the killing blow he anticipated was nowhere to be found.

Then he remembered something. A memory flashed back.

The sound just before he got hit—like ice cracking.

And then a Bam! That was him getting hit. After that he couldn’t process anything else.

Both Rowan and Gilbert were dumbfounded. They couldn’t believe, that they were still alive. They didn’t know how it happened either. They only heard explosions.

But one man saw exactly what happened.

The other Tier 3 hunter with fire and earth affinity. The last one standing of the three hunters who joined in later. His eyes were wide in disbelief.

He had seen everything.

Just before the Orc’s punch connected, a thick ice wall appeared out of thin air—right between Gilbert and the Orc’s fist.

The Orc smashed through it, but the wall had slowed it enough to dull the blow.

Still, it had sent Rowan and Gilbert flying like rag dolls.

Then—

A fist, crackling with lightning and air magic, slammed into the Orc’s back—right into its left lat.

The beast couldn’t even roar and was flung sideways, smashing into an iron pillar with a metallic thud!

The entire sequence happened in seconds.

If the hunter hadn’t witnessed it himself, he would’ve never believed it.

But he knew what he saw.

"That kid! Somehow—he saved both of them and smashed the Orc." His mind buzzed with what he just saw. He was still fighting the dire wolves, but seemed lost in thought.

"Who the hell is that kid! No. That’s not important. What the hell is he?!"