Chapter 210: Incapable of Being Stabbed to Death

The footsteps grew clearer, and soon, three silhouettes appeared at the mouth of the cave.

Under an unknown source of light, three long shadows stretched out beyond the cavern’s entrance.

Riedal cautiously peered from behind the massive boulder; as the shadows shifted, the three figures came into his view.

They were all towering, each nearly one meter eighty in height, nearly identical in stature.

Their garments, fashioned from animal hides, made them look like savages.

Riedal muttered under his breath, “Could they be from one of the savage tribes?”

Of the four savage tribes, the strongest—Chief Jeffrey of the Black Collar Tribe—was merely a high-ranking knight.

If these cave-dwellers were among the same group of fugitives as Jeffrey and his kind, their strength couldn’t possibly surpass his.

His tense heart eased slightly.

The three walked to the cave’s edge, stretched their limbs, and breathed deeply of the outside air.

They had been laughing and chatting, but suddenly fell still, frozen.

One of them sniffed sharply. “What is that smell?”

“Oh gods, I smell the scent of a living person!”

“There’s no doubt—it’s the odor of a living human!”

“Hah! Let me sniff out where they are!”

The three inhaled the air with desperate intensity, their faces growing ever more ecstatic.

Riedal’s heart jolted—could their sense of smell be this acute?

He immediately pulled his head back and signaled silence to the others hidden behind the rock.

Tom and the rest had heard every word. Their hearts pounded like war drums; every muscle tensed, not daring to move.

Tap… tap… tap…

No words—only footsteps, drawing nearer to the boulder where the five hid.

Riedal’s face darkened. He knew they were exposed.

If so, better to strike first than wait to be slaughtered.

Whoosh!

Sword in hand, Riedal lunged from behind the boulder.

Beneath the moonlight, his speed was like a wraith, his presence as ferocious as a roaring tiger.

“Hah! There really are people here!”

“Meat to eat!”

“Grab him!”

The three didn’t flinch—they charged forward with gleeful excitement.

Boom! Boom!

The battle erupted—and it was one-sided.

With agile movements, Riedal evaded all three attackers at once, then unleashed a powerful kick that sent two flying. His sword pierced cleanly through the third’s heart.

“Commander is so strong!”

Tom and the others stepped out from behind the boulder and witnessed this scene—mouths agape in stunned silence.

Riedal finally exhaled.

This valley was strange, but these people weren’t strong.

Yet as he prepared to withdraw his blade, the man with his heart pierced curled his lips into a baffling smile.

“I’ve got you!”

He seized Riedal’s arm with his left hand, then raised his right—sword aimed straight for Riedal’s chest.

A sudden chill raced down Riedal’s spine—he sensed danger.

Without hesitation, he kicked off the ground and yanked himself back.

Sssshhh—

The blade still sliced through Riedal’s leather armor, leaving a bloody gash across his chest.

Riedal retreated, trying to seal the wound with aura—but it had no effect.

Meanwhile, his opponent, his heart pierced through, charged at him as if untouched.

“What is this?”

Confused, Riedal dodged the man’s next strike, then drove his sword through the creature’s body again.

This time, he pulled back immediately, wary of tricks.

The second time pierced, the enemy showed no sign of injury—and the two others Riedal had thrown earlier now closed in.

“What kind of monsters are these?”

Riedal had never encountered such a phenomenon—easy to kill, yet impossible to destroy.

Boom! Boom!

He kicked them away again, and his blade blazed with radiant light.

“Blazing Slash!”

This was a martial technique etched into Riedal’s memory since his ascent to Silver Rank—immensely difficult to master, its power proportional to its difficulty.

The intensely compressed fire aura blazed like a sun, illuminating the entire valley.

CRASH!

The Blazing Slash struck the charging monster—and reduced him to ash.

Riedal stared, his mind lagging behind reality.

The Blazing Slash was powerful—but not this powerful. How could it turn a man into dust?

What had happened tonight surpassed all his understanding.

“Obi!”

“You killed Obi!”

Two heart-wrenching screams tore through the valley, compounded by the thunderous echo of the Blazing Slash—awakening those within the cave.

“Go!”

Riedal barked, unleashing two flame slashes to block their advance.

This scene was too unnatural—he had to get everyone out.

Just as they fled, seven or eight figures surged from the cave. After hearing the survivors’ report, they roared with fury and gave chase.

…

In Zi Guo Village, Tom, still trembling, recounted that night’s ordeal.

Among that group, one was exceptionally powerful; our speed—mine, George’s, and the other two—was too slow, and we were caught up. The commander, to protect us, had no choice but to hold the rear.

Tom’s face was filled with gratitude and reverence for Riedal.

“Though the commander’s strength was equal to theirs, once entangled, another bronze-rank opponent caught up.”

“Alone against two, the commander forced them back with his Blazing Slash, fighting as he retreated. They battled for a full three miles before the enemy finally ceased pursuit and withdrew.”

Roning’s expression grew grave. “Did Riedal suffer severe injuries during the struggle?”

“Yes. First, his chest was slashed, and later, his left arm was pierced through.”

Tom’s demeanor turned bleak. “With the healing scroll issued by your grace, we thought we could heal him quickly. But strange things kept happening—his wound would not heal. It kept bleeding, and worse, it began to rot!”

One must understand: a silver-rank knight’s skin and flesh had already been strengthened since bronze rank; even without healing magic, minor wounds would slowly mend.

Though recovery time varied, rotting was utterly impossible.

“How is Riedal now?”

Roning mounted his Cloudstrider. Originally headed for Forest Hill, he now had no choice but to ride straight to Black Earth Town.

“The situation is dire.”

Tom spoke bitterly. “It took us ten days to return. For the last two days, the commander was too weak to ride—we had to carry him.”

Two wounds alone had reduced a silver-rank knight to this state—this was beyond belief.

And the creature in that valley—stabbed yet unkillable—was even more unthinkable.

What manner of beings were they?

Were they even human?

How could such things exist in the Ubei Domain?

Would they follow the trail and come after the villages?

Roning’s heart weighed heavy, yet he had no choice but to face it.

“Horn, go to Forest Hill. Find Macken. Bring Babulin to Black Earth Town.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Whether for defense or to investigate that strange valley, Roning needed to gather his forces.

“Tom, come with me.”

Roning called out, spurred his Cloudstrider, and raced toward Black Earth Town at full speed. (End of chapter)