The Agnimitra Warrior 2

Chapter 4:-

The spring wind came, turning green the poplar trees near the empty space outside of Utpal town. On the empty ground, a group of youths were ardently training. Almost a year had passed since the Agnimitra test, and Amrit was eight years old now. Over the course of this period of time, Aagney clearly saw that Amrit had only become even harder working!

“Well done, Amrit! Hold it, hold it!” Aagney encouraged from the side.

Right now, Amrit was only wearing trousers. His upper body was covered with sweat, and his body, as taut as a drawn bowstring, was lying on the ground. His hands were pressed fiercely to the ground, as straight as tree trunks, while the rest of his body was motionless. He was supporting himself from a push-up position, with just his hands and the tips of his toes! His entire body was taut!

The ‘Static Tension’ training exercise!

A very simple yet very effective training exercise. If a person could reach the level of being able to maintain this pose for an hour, then his body would no longer fear ordinary swords or sabers.

Drip, drip!

Beads of sweat rolled down from Amrit’s forehead. The sweat entered Amrit’s left eye, and he couldn’t help but wince at the pain.

“Amrit is really amazing. Just eight years old, but he’s able to match the thirteen year old in doing the ‘Static Tension’ exercise.” Some of the children who had already given up were sprawled on the ground, chatting as they watched Amrit.

“Amrit, keep it up! Keep it up for the rest of us! Beat those thirteen year old!” The golden-haired Chapal shouted from the side.

“Yeah, keep it up, Amrit!” The other children started to chant as well.

Amrit was on extremely good terms with the other kids. Although Amrit was the child of a noble house, he was extremely kind to the children of commoners, and often helps them train as well.

“Gotta hold it. Gotta hold it.” Amrit constantly said to himself.

In the back of Amrit’s mind, the words his father said a year ago constantly echoed. “Amrit, we are the family of the Agnimitra Warriors. As a member of the Agnimitra Warriors clan, you have an advantage, but also a disadvantage! The advantage is, even though the density of Agnimitra in your veins hasn’t reached a sufficient level, your body will still be much stronger than those of most ordinary people. It might be very difficult for others to become a warrior of the sixth rank through training alone, but for you, it will be somewhat easier.”

“However, your disadvantage is this. The descendants of the Agnimitra clan are not able to train battle energy according to normal manuals. This is because the blood in our veins is only suited to the training method inside the ‘Secret Agnimitra Manual’. It conflicts with all other types of battle energy cultivation methods. Unfortunately, only those who have reached a certain density of Agnimitra are able to practice using the method within the ‘Secret Agnimitra Manual’. Therefore, you will not be able to cultivate battle energy at all.”

“Also, although in theory, anyone training the body can reach the sixth rank, that’s just in theory. In practice, the number of people who accomplish this is very low. But for us, it is different. Even if the amount of Agnimitra in our veins is low, our starting level will be higher than others. Just from training alone, we can become warriors of the sixth rank. Your great grandfather, based on training alone, managed to become a warrior of the seventh rank!”

Amrit remembered his father’s words very clearly.

Amrit growled to himself, “I’m stronger than everyone else now, only because of the Agnimitra in my veins. But since I can’t practice battle energy, my only options are to work hard, and to work harder! Since great grandfather was able to become a warrior of the seventh rank, then I shall…I shall become a warrior of the eighth rank. Or even the ninth rank! Nothing is impossible!”

A warrior of the eighth rank!

A warrior of the ninth rank could be considered the most powerful expert in the entire country of Vaisaka. A warrior of the eighth rank, although unable to restore the Daiwik family to its former glories, would be able to dramatically improve its current situation.

“Gotta hold!” Amrit gritted his teeth.

By this point, his muscles felt like they were being chewed on by countless ants. His entire body was quivering, and every single muscles on his entire body trembled. Every single trembling muscle could be seen visibly.

After a long time, in the end…

Thud!

Amrit, exhausted, collapsed to the ground.

“That feels wonderful.” Flat on the floor, his entire body relaxed, Amrit could clearly feel how numb his entire body was. All the muscles on his body, after undergoing that training, were slowly growing. Although the growth wouldn’t be noticeable from just one or two exercises, after a long period of time, the effects would be pronounced.

Aagney, off to the side, nodded with satisfaction.

And then, Aagney’s face grew cold as he turned to look at the fourteen and fifteen year old. “All of you had better hold on! Amrit’s only eight years old, while all of you are almost adults. Don’t let an eight year old get the better of you!”

…………….

After morning exercises ended, Amrit bid farewell to his group of friends and went towards the Daiwik clan manor. If a stranger had seen him, the eight year old Amrit surely would have been assumed to be eleven or twelve years old, and not just a mere child of eight.

The descendants of Daiwik truly were different from other men.

“Big brother!” Upon seeing Amrit, the healthy-looking Surya rushed over.

“That’s enough, Surya. My entire body is covered with sweat. Let me wash myself first.” Amrit patted Surya on the face and laughed.

Surya hmphed. “I know that as soon as you wash up, you’ll go take lessons from father.”

As a member of a noble house, Amrit’s education began from a young age. The five-thousand year old Daiwik clan was even stricter regarding educational matters than even the royal families of most kingdoms were.

“Enough, Surya. I’ll play with you around noon.” Amrit laughed.

Surya was only a child, while Amrit was much more mature.

After washing up and changing into some fresh clothes, Amrit entered the study. At this moment, his father, Satyen Daiwik, was sitting in front of a desk, his back ramrod straight. In front of Satyen were three thick tomes.

“Father!” Amrit respectfully bowed.

Satyen coldly nodded, and Amrit quickly walked next to him.

“Yesterday, I explained the history of the countries of the Ujas continent to you. Repeat it back to me.” Satyen said coldly.

This was the real Satyen.

Instances like the time when he was holding the crying Amrit in his arms were extremely rare. Normally, Satyen’s attitude towards Amrit could be summarized in one word: ‘Strict’. In all things, Satyen strove for perfection. He wouldn’t let Amrit get away with any mistakes.

“Yes, father.” Amrit said calmly.

“In the Ujas continent, there are three dangerous areas. The number one mountain range, the ‘Mountain Range of Fiend Beasts’. The second mountain range, the ‘Mountain Range of the Setting Sun’. And, the number one forest, the ‘Forest of Darkness’. The space these three dangerous regions take up is incomparably large. The ‘Mountain Range of Fiend Beasts’ runs across the entire continent, from north to south, covering over ten thousand kilometers. Within it are countless fiend beasts, including Saint-level beasts which have the power to ‘destroy the heavens and ravage the earth’. Because of the ‘Mountain Range of Fiend Beasts’, the Ujas continent has been divided into different regions.”

“West of the ‘Mountain Range of Fiend Beasts’, there are twelve kingdoms and thirty-two duchies. Within these kingdoms and dukedoms, there are two major divisions. The first is the Holy Union, with the kingdom of Vaisaka being the principal kingdom. The second is the Dark Alliance, with the kingdom of Heishi being the principal kingdom. These two alliances are opposed to each other and constantly battle because one is controlled by the Radiant Agrata, while the other belongs to the Cult of Asuras.”

“East of the ‘Mountain Range of Fiend Beasts’, there are four empires, six major kingdoms, and countless duchies! These four empires are enormous, and are not influenced by the Holy Union or the Dark Alliance. In these four empires, the rule of the emperors is absolute. Any of the four empires are comparable to the Holy Union.”

“The four empires are the central Ujas Empire, the southeastern Bhadraksh Empire, the eastern Chakor Empire, and the northern Ghanaanand Empire.” After having said all this at one go, Amrit let himself relax slightly.

“Just this?” Satyen frowned.

Amrit was about to continue, but Satyen cut him off. “Let me ask you, within our Holy Union, how many kingdoms and duchies are there?”

“Within our Holy Union, there are six kingdoms and fifte…sevente…” Amrit suddenly frowned.

How many duchies were there in the Holy Union? Amrit’s memory was a bit hazy. He wasn’t sure if it was fifteen, or if it was seventeen. He couldn’t be sure.

“Hmph!”

His face cold and harsh, Satyen pulled out a wooden stick, and Amrit obediently stuck his hand out.

His eyes narrowing, with a ‘WHAP’ sound, Satyen whacked Amrit’s hand with the stick. A red line immediately appeared on Amrit’s hand, but Amrit could only clench his teeth, not making a sound.

“Amrit, you must remember, we are currently living within the Holy Union. You must know everything about the Holy Union!” Satyen coldly looked at his son. “In the entire Ujas continent, the most important entities are the four empires and the two alliances.”

Amrit nodded.

Although his father’s words were simple, Amrit clearly understood the deeper meaning.

“At the far northern end, the Holy Union shares a border with the Ghanaanand Empire. While at the southern end, the Dark Alliance intersects with the Ujas Empire. Under the guidance of the Radiant Agrata, the unity of our Holy Union isn’t one whit inferior to that of the empires.”

Listening to his father’s words, Amrit agreed.

Yesterday, he had read many books. Clearly, the Holy Union could be considered the ‘cultural center’ for the entire Ujas continent. At the same time, in terms of economic strength, it was on par with the Ujas Empire, making the two of them the most economically powerful entities in the world.

In addition, it had the support of the Radiant Agrata.

The Holy Union truly was very formidable.

“Today, we will study art,” Satyen said coldly. “As the descendent of a noble family, you must have a thorough understanding and appreciation of art. Art is what gives noblemen an aura of gravitas!” Satyen pulled out a large tome as thick as a fist, immediately opening it.

“In the year 3578 of the Ujas calendar, the Aacharaya stone-sculptor Hiranmaya was born….”

Off to the side, Satyen solemnly taught while Amrit strove hard to memorize. He wanted to meet his father’s requirements.

 

Chapter 5:-

Time flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the grandfather clock within the hall rang eleven times, signifying that it was now 11 in the morning.

“Is Satyen at home?” A clear voice rang out. The Daiwik manor had no guards; so clearly, this person had already arrived within the manor grounds.

Satyen frowned, placing down the thick tome in front of him. “Amrit, today we’ll come to a stop here.” Revealing a wisp of a smile, Satyen turned around and walked towards the guest hall.

“Ah, Satyen, my dear friend! Just the other day, I heard the Koyal bird’s cry, and I just knew that something good was going to happen. Indeed, by noon, I received your missive, and as soon as I read it, I was overjoyed.”

“Dear Kanak, I am very happy to see you as well. Aagney, quickly go and bring me the stone sculpture, ‘Fierce Lion’. Kanak, come, let’s go to the main hall and wait. The sculpture will be here shortly.”

Hearing these words, Amrit felt his heart twinge.

“We’re selling off more family belongings?” Amrit knew that the ‘Fierce Lion’ sculpture was one which his father deeply liked. But the Daiwik clan, which took very little taxes from Utpal Township, really was in dire economic straits.

Fortunately, the Daiwik clan was an ancient one, and by virtue of its age, had stored many rare and precious items.

Unfortunately, even the vastest of hoards could not withstand so many years of auctions and sales. By this point in time, the number of valuable items within the clan was very few. Amrit couldn’t help but turn to stare at the grandfather clock. “I wonder how long it will be before even this clock has to be sold off.”

A middle aged man with long, golden hair and a nobleman’s aura strode into the hall by Satyen’s side. Amrit immediately was able to guess that this middle-aged man must be ‘Kanak’.

“Oh, this adorable child must be your son, right Satyen?” Kanak smiled very warmly at Amrit. “Amritanjan Daiwik, right? May I address you as Amrit?”

“It would be my honor, sire.” Amrit placed his right hand against his breast and respectfully bowed.

“What an adorable child.” Kanak seemed very pleased.

By his side, Satyen laughed. “Kanak, stop wasting time with the child. Look, the ‘Fierce Lion’ you have desired for so long has arrived.” As he spoke, Aagney easily carried in the large sculpture into the hall, and then easily set it down.

It was a nearly thousand-kilo stone sculpture, but in Aagney’s hands, it seemed like naught but a toy, clearly showing Aagney’s strength.

“Mr. Aagney, your strength amazes me. My own manor doesn’t have anyone as fierce as you, guard captain, even though I control twelve towns.” Kanak smiled as he spoke, but the implicit meaning in his words was quite clear; he wanted to invite Aagney to work for him.

Aagney said coldly, “Utpal town is my home, sire.”

“Forgive me.” Kanak quickly apologized.

Kanak turned to look at Satyen. “Satyen, I must say, although I like this stone sculpture very much, the artisanship of this ‘Fierce Lion’ sculpture cannot be considered to be top tier, much less the masterpieces of those Aacharaya sculptors.”

“Kanak, if you don’t wish to buy it, then forget about it.” Satyen was quite succinct.

Kanak’s eyes couldn’t help but narrow, but then he laughed. “Haha…Satyen, don’t be angry. I’m not saying that I don’t wish to buy it. I’m just telling the truth. How about this. I’ll buy this sculpture for five hundred gold coins. What do you think?”

“Five hundred?” Satyen frowned.

This price was much lower than what Satyen had hoped for. He had been hoping for at least eight hundred.

In the Ujas continent, one gold coin equaled ten silver coins equaled a thousand copper coins. The average commoner would be able to earn twenty or thirty gold coins in a year. Even the average army soldier would only earn a hundred or so gold coins.

“The price is too low.” Satyen shook his head.

“Satyen, you must know that in all the ten thousand plus years of the Ujas continent, there have been countless sculptures made. The true value of a sculpture is in terms of its artisanship. As far as the artisanship of this one….well, heh, suffice to say, I just like it. Five hundred gold coins really is my highest offer. If you don’t accept, then let’s just forget about it.”

Kanak laughed as he turned to look at the grandfather clock in the hall. His eyes gleaming, he said, “Satyen, if you were to sell this clock, however, I would be willing to pay a thousand gold.”

Satyen’s face grew cold.

“Ahem, two thousand gold would be acceptable as well. This would be my highest offer.” Kanak hurriedly said.

Satyen sternly shook his head firmly. “The grandfather clock is not for sale! As for the sculpture, six hundred gold. Take it or leave it.”

Kanak carefully studied Satyen for a moment, and then chuckled. “Fine, Satyen. I’ll give you some face. Six hundred gold it is. Housekeeper, bring me six hundred gold.” The caretaker for his manor, who had been waiting outside the entire time, immediately ran over with the gold.

Six sacks of yellow gold.

“Six hundred gold, Satyen. You can count it, if you want.” Kanak smiled.

Satyen hefted the sacks. Just based on weight alone, Satyen was certain that there really were six hundred gold coins in them, a hundred gold per sack. Satyen smiled and nodded. “Kanak, how about staying and having dinner with us?”

“No need, I still have some business back home.” Kanak laughed.

Kanak’s housekeeper subsequently instructed two powerfully built warriors to lift and carry away the sculpture, which they did with difficulty.

After Kanak and his entourage had departed, Satyen stared at the six sacks of gold, a dim look in his eyes. This time, he sold the stone sculpture. Next time? Although the manor still had many things remaining, sooner or later, they would have nothing left.

“Father, I want to learn to be a sculptor!” Amrit suddenly said.

Amrit knew very well that in the Ujas continent, those famous master sculptors could produce works valued at tens of thousands of gold pieces each. Some famous sculptures could even reach a hundred thousand gold pieces. And wealth aside, the societal ranking of these sculptors was also very high.

“If I can become a master sculptor, then…then father will no longer have to sell our family possessions.” This is what Amrit was thinking.

“Sculpting?” Satyen glanced at Amrit, his eyes cold.

“Amrit, do you know that amongst the hundreds of millions of people in the Holy Union, there are at least several million who have studied sculpting. But in the entire Holy Union, the number of true masters can be counted on one hand. In addition, if you don’t have a good instructor, you simply cannot succeed on your own.”

“The inner circle of sculptors is not one which ordinary people are allowed into. You only see the sky-high valuation of the works of the masters, but do you know that the vast majority of sculptors only make a few dozen gold coins each year?”

Satyen’s voice was very fierce.

Amrit was so frightened, he immediately knelt down. Just now, he only spoke because he thought that sculpting could improve his family’s situation. He didn’t expect his father to say so much and lecture him so sternly.

“Enough. The ancestral hall needs some cleaning. After lunch, go and clean it up.” Satyen said coldly.

“Yes, father.” Amrit said respectfully.

Looking at Amrit, Satyen sighed in his heart. “Sculpting? Oh, child. Do you know that in the past, I also practiced sculpting? I spent ten full years of my life trying to learn. But unfortunately, my sculptures weren’t worth a single coin.” Satyen, too, had once foolishly dreamed of becoming a master sculptor and thereby improving his clan’s situation.

But in his heart, he felt very helpless. Despite spending ten years training, his sculptures were still worthless. The field of sculpting could be described as a pyramid.

Those famous master sculptors were at the top of the pyramid. They enjoyed a high status, and each sculpture they made was worth hundreds of thousands of coins.

But the valuation of the work of the countless low level sculptors at the bottom of the pyramid was soul-crushingly low. Most of their works would just be bought by commoners for just a few silver coins to use as decorations in their homes.

 

Chapter 6:-

Underneath the setting sun, the rosy clouds seemed to cover half the sky, casting their red hue upon the entire world.

“Cleaning the ancestral hall is pretty easy.”

Departing the ancestral hall, Amrit had to admit that he had over-prepared. He had slotted an hour for this job, but in just fifteen minutes, he was finished cleaning.

On the Ujas continent, each year was divided into twelve months, each month thirty days, each day twenty four hours, and each hour sixty minutes. Most noble families owned grandfather clocks, and were able to accurately tell time. Some extremely wealthy or extremely high-status individuals might even own meticulously calibrated wrist watches.

“The ancestral hall is cleaned every month. Frankly speaking, in just a month, the ancestral hall won’t get too dirty. All I have to do is just casually wipe it down. I have almost an hour before training starts. What should I do?” Bored, Amrit looked around in all directions.

The ancient Daiwik mansion had five thousand years of history.

The front courtyard was cleaned every day, but the rooms in the much-larger back courtyard, aside from the ancestral hall, were all covered in dust, and even the walls were cracked. Wild grasses and dark green lichen covered the floors and even ran up the walls.

“Heeeeey…” Seeing the decrepit architecture, Amrit’s eyes slowly brightened. “Lots of places in the back courtyard haven’t been visited in over a century. I wonder if there are any ancient, valuable items?”

Upon coming to this realization, Amrit’s heart began to kilo.

“If I am able to find some valuable things and give them to father, no doubt he will be very happy.” Amrit took a deep breath, then immediately entered a decrepit room next to the ancestral hall. Step by step, he walked carefully, wielding a sturdy wooden stick in his hands, which he used to strike down the cobwebs, allowing himself a more careful examination.

Immediately upon entering the room, a rotten scent wafted past Amrit’s nose. Thick cobwebs could be seen in each corner, and spiders could even be seen clambering about.

Many spiderwebs were covering decorative curtains and furnishings. Upon closer examination, all of these curtains appeared very ancient. Unfortunately, the curtains were tattered beyond belief, just barely holding together in the semblance of a curtain.

“If these curtains weren’t ruined, no doubt they would be worth a lot of money.” Amrit helplessly shook his head. He continued to inspect the room, using his stick to brush aside the layers of cobwebs as he carefully searched.

He searched the floor, the cabinets, and even to see if there were any secret passageways on the walls.

“According to the books I’ve read, it is quite common for walls to contain hidden levers or passages.” Amrit carefully rapped the walls, listening to the sounds.

Amrit very much enjoyed this feeling of searching for treasures in the ancient room. But he had forgotten something. If he could come up with this idea, wouldn’t his father, his grandfather, and the other elders of the Daiwik clan also have thought of this?

These ancient rooms had long ago been scoured clean by the deceased elders of the Daiwik clan.

Amrit was only eight years old, after all. Although the strict education of the clan helped him mature quickly, there was still a large gap between him and an adult. Naturally, he wouldn’t be able to consider things from a more complete point of view.

“Nothing in this room. Next one…” Amrit exited the first room and entered the second.

There were actually many rooms in the back courtyard. After all, the front courtyard which Amrit resided in constituted only a third of the entire manor. The back courtyard was far larger. Amrit would probably have to spend an entire day in order to finish searching the entire back courtyard.

“All these decorations are ruined. There isn’t a single one worth money.” Amrit exited yet another empty room.

He stared up at the sky.

“Eh, looks like it’s almost time for training. I have another fifteen minutes or so at most.” Amrit turned his head around and stared at an extremely large room. “I’ll just look at that last one, that big one. I’ll spend about ten minutes searching. If I can’t find anything, I’ll go off to training.”

Having made up his mind, Amrit raced towards the large room.

This ancient room was much larger than even the main hall in the front courtyard. Stepping inside, Amrit carefully scrutinized the place. “I bet hundreds of years ago, this was the dinner hall for our Daiwik clan.” From the ornaments and furniture, Amrit could tell that this was a living hall.

A huge, grandiose-looking hall.

“Search the ground first.”

Same as before, Amrit lowered his head, widened his eyes, and began carefully searching the room one part at a time. Upon seeing anything interesting, he would tap it twice with his stick. If it was made out of stone, he would ignore it. Since he didn’t have much time left before training was to start, his searching speed increased as well.

“Time to search the walls and the curtains. Oi, Last, best hope.” Amrit grimaced as he scanned the surroundings. “Clan elders, I really hope you guys left one or two things behind for me to find, Even if it is just a small thing.”

Amrit carefully searched the walls, even peeking behind the tattered curtains.

On the ancient walls were many rotted wooden cabinets, each of which had many drawers. Amrit pulled open each and every drawer, but the drawers were totally empty, almost immaculately so. The only thing inside of them? Some dust.

“Alas!”

After pulling open the last drawer, Amrit felt bitter disappointment in his heart.

“After searching for all this time, I didn’t even find a single valuable item. All I did was bathing in sweat and dust.” Amrit stared at his clothes. They really were filthy, now. Amrit couldn’t help but feel discontented.

Amrit’s gaze once more flashed across the room.

“Hmph. I’m leaving.” Amrit angrily used the stick in his hand to strike hard against a nearby cabinet, as though he wanted to give vent to all the anger which had built up over an hour of fruitless searching.

“Thud!” The stick solidly struck against the cabinet.

The cabinet was extremely ancient. After having been chewed on by mites for a hundred years, it couldn’t withstand any weight. After having been struck so fiercely, it began to creak and groan.

Hearing this, Amrit couldn’t help but look behind him in alarm. “Oh no, it’s going to collapse!” While searching the other rooms, Amrit had also destroyed a few other pieces of furniture, so by now, he was very experienced.

Amrit hurriedly dodged to one side.

In the end, the cabinet, which was twice as tall as Amrit himself, collapsed. With a crashing sound, the cabinet smashed against the floor, breaking into seven or eight pieces, covering the room with even more dust. But hidden amidst the dust, unseen by Amrit, was…

Upon the shattering of the cabinet, a black ring which had been hidden within the wooden supports came tumbling out, falling to the ground.

“Ew, ew!” Amrit spat out the two words as he hurriedly tried to escape the wave of dust.

“How unlucky! My entire body is covered with dust now, and I bet training is about to start. I’d best go take a quick shower and put on some new clothes.” With a wave of his arm, Amrit pushed open the door and departed the ancient room.

 

Chapter 7:-

That black ring had rolled forward, landing precisely in front of the doorway.

When Amrit took three steps forward, reaching the doorway, he came to a sudden halt, because he could clearly feel that he had stepped on something hard.

“Just now, I searched the ground and didn’t see a single rock. This must have come from the shattered drawers.” Thinking about the collapsed drawers, Amrit couldn’t help but feel angry, and he viciously stomped on the piece of ‘shattered wood’ beneath his feet.

Based on Amrit’s thinking, if it was a piece of shattered wood, it should be stomped into fragments. But in reality…

“Whoah, it’s hard! What’s under my foot?” Amrit felt that the item underneath his foot was extraordinarily tough, and immediately stepped aside to take a closer look.

He saw a jet-black object in the shape of a ring lying peacefully on the ground. It was covered by a layer of dust, and was not at all catching to the eye.

“Oh, a ring?” Amrit’s eyes were bandit-sharp. He happily plucked the ring up, and then used his filthy sleeves to give the black ring a vigorous rub-down. Only then could Amrit make out what this item really looked like.

This black ring was made of a material that seemed to have properties of both wood and stone. On the body of the ring, there was a very faint carving of an indistinct object as well…

“What’s this creature?” Amrit suspiciously looked at the carving on the ring.

At first glance, Amrit felt that the sinuous carving on the ring seemed to be that of an earthworm.

Amrit laughed to himself, “The carving skill for this ring is really terrible. I bet even an average carver could make something more attractive. Alas, what a waste. This black ring doesn’t even have a single diamond on it, much less any valuable magic crystals.”

Most rings were adorned with either diamonds or magic crystals.

Unfortunately, this black ring seemed to have been made out of a material that had properties of both wood and stone. Not even the shadow of a gemstone could be seen. Clearly, it was worthless.

But for some reason, upon seeing the ring, Amrit immediately felt that he had taken a liking to it. He suspected that it was most likely because this was the only thing he had discovered after spending a prodigious amount of effort in searching the manor.

“Hm, this ring is really thick. There’s no way to wear it on my finger without it slipping off. I’ll string it through with silk and wear it around my neck.” Amrit’s eyes brightened.

The eight-year old Amrit’s hands, after all, were much smaller than the hands of an adult. There was no way he could wear the ring on his fingers.

“Now, what name should I choose for this black ring? Hideous Ring? No way, that sounds terrible.” Amrit mumbled for a few moments, then his eyes lit up. “Haha, that sinuous object can also be considered a ‘Reachisey’, right? A Reachisey curled around the ring…then let’s call it, the Reachisey Ring!” Although in his heart, Amrit felt like the carving looked more like an earthworm, but he still chose the name ‘ Reachisey Ring’ for it.

“ Reachisey Ring!” Lifting up the dark, unadorned ring, Amrit felt exceptionally pleased.

“Wait, crap! It’s almost time for training!”

Amrit suddenly remembered. He frantically stared at his filthy clothes, covered in dust and grime. He looked like a beggar. “Oh no…” Amrit had no time to think. He immediately ran out of the ancient courtyard and charged straight for the washroom.

The sound of rushing water.

Amrit dumped water over himself. His skin was bright and vigorous, and muscular lines were already beginning to develop. This was the result of Amrit’s training. Underneath the rushing water flow, the dust was quickly washed away.

Using the least amount of time possible, Amrit washed himself clean, then hurriedly put on his training clothes.

“String, string…” Amrit hurriedly looked about for a thread on which he could hang the   Reachisey Ring. Suddenly, Amrit’s gaze fell on a ruined old washcloth. His eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled a string out from within the washcloth.

Although the washcloth was very ordinary, it was very sturdy and durable. The string, too, would be very resilient.

He quickly strung on the Reachisey Ring, then immediately wore his makeshift necklace.

“I’m gonna be late. This is my first time being late!” Amrit bolted out like a roaring flame. As he ran, he tucked the Reachisey Ring into his clothes. Feeling the coolness of the ring against his chest, Amrit couldn’t help but feel happy.

In exchange for being late, he gained the   Reachisey Ring.

Amrit felt very happy.

In a flash, Amrit rushed out of the Daiwik clan manor, and then immediately ran towards the empty training ground east of Utpal town. By this time, most of the commoners had already returned home, leaving the streets empty, but as they saw Amrit run, they were able to guess the reason.

“Young master Amrit, careful, don’t hurt yourself!”

“Master Aagney is extremely rigorous. I’m afraid young master Amrit is going to be punished.”

…..

The kindness which the Daiwik clan had showed the commoners caused them to also be filled with love and goodwill towards Amrit.

“How will Uncle Aagney punish me?” Even as he hurriedly rushed forward, Amrit was still thinking about this question. At this point, Amrit had no time to chat or pay respects to any of the uncles or aunties nearby. In a short period of time, Amrit arrived at the training field of Utpal town.

By this time, all three squads had already lined up. Aagney was speaking, but upon hearing Amrit’s footsteps, Aagney’s cold gaze couldn’t help but shoot towards him.

Amrit ran towards the training squads. Taking position next to the squads, he nervously awaited Aagney’s instructions.

“Today’s training exercises will be doubled for you. Return to your team!” Aagney calmly said.

“Yes sir!” Amrit raised his head high and said in a bright voice.

The youngsters nearby couldn’t help but stick out their tongues. He was just late by a short amount of time, but was punished with double duty training. Today, Amrit probably wouldn’t have any time to go home and eat dinner.

Just as Amrit began jogging towards his usual position in the team, suddenly…

THUD! The entire earth seemed to tremble slightly, but with regularity. It was as though a giant creature was walking on the earth, causing it to tremble with each step.

“East. It came from the east.” Amrit immediately discerned the direction.

Not just Amrit. Aagney, Ekadant, and Devesh all turned towards the east, their expressions growing solemn. The vibrations were growing stronger and clearer. All of the youths present could clearly feel that the regular vibrations were coming from an enormous creature headed their way.

Each of the thunderous footsteps seemed to cause a vibration powerful enough to shake Amrit’s heart.

What giant creature was causing this?

Amrit widened his eyes and stared east…

 

Chapter 8:-

The giant creature that caused the earth to shake finally revealed itself.

Upon seeing this enormous creature, Amrit and the rest of the children were scared silly. Aagney, Ekadant and Devesh’s reaction speeds were very quick; they immediately stood in front of the group of kids and carefully watched the enormous creature.

“A fiend beast of the seventh rank, Hybridreachisey!” Aagney’s facial expression contorted, while Devesh and Ekadant, by his side, felt their legs grow weak.

“So bi, bi, big! Is, is this a legendary fiend beast?” Amrit was totally stunned.

Since he was born, the largest creature which Amrit had ever seen was the warhorses that sometimes passed by Utpal township. Those large, powerful horses were 1.8 meters tall. But in front of this giant creature, they seemed like nothing more than a baby in front of a giant. The difference was truly astounding.

This creature was easily two stories high and at least twenty or thirty meters long.

Fiend Beast – Hybridreachisey!

The entire body of Hybridreachisey was covered by huge, fire-red scales, each scale glittering with the reflected cold, golden light. The scales alone were stunning and frightening to behold. The Hybridreachisey’s four scale-covered long legs were even more terrifying in their thickness. Two fully grown men would barely be able to surround them with their arms. The flame-red Hybridreachisey was entirely crimson in color, with the exception of its cold, deadly looking black claws.

The Hybridreachisey’s long, scale covered tail made up over half of its total body length. Like a whip, it swept across the ground. Each time it struck the ground, a deep thud could be heard emanating from below.

“Grrr…”

With a low-throated growl, white steam erupted from the nostrils of the Hybridreachisey, carrying with it the stench of sulfur. Those diamond-like eyes, nearly the size of a lantern, were also, strangely enough, red as well. The huge head of the Hybridreachisey turned towards Amrit and the children. Its cold gaze terrified all of the children, freezing them in their tracks.

“Tchhh. Tchhh.” The Hybridreachisey’s mouth tensed, revealing two rows of enormous, saw-like teeth. Each tooth was ivory white, and the sight of them caused everyone’s hearts to grow cold. No one dared to question its sharpness.

Amrit felt as though his heart had stopped beating. Right now, it seemed as though all sound had faded away.

“Too terrifying. Is there anyone who can possibly defeat such a creature?” Amrit was scared stiff.

Just from looking at this huge fiend beast, Amrit felt as though its power was irresistible. Amrit believed that with but a swipe of its enormous tail, most likely even the sturdiest stones of the houses of Utpal town would be disintegrated.

“Is this Utpal town?” Suddenly, a cold voice emanated from on top of the Hybridreachisey.

All of the terrified children looked up, astonished. Upon the Hybridreachisey’s enormous, scaly back, a mysterious man wearing violet robes was sitting cross-legged. The Hybridreachisey was simply too huge in size and it’s back was extremely broad. There was more than enough space for someone to stand, sit, or even roll around.

“Lord Sorcerer, this is indeed Utpal town. Is there anything we can help you with, Lord Sorcerer?” Aagney’s voice rang out.

Upon hearing Aagney’s voice, everyone seemed to find their bearings again, and recovered from the state of stunned terror. But everyone present, including Ekadant and Devesh, didn’t dare make a single sound. They all stood behind Aagney and fearfully looked at the terrifying Hybridreachisey and the mysterious, violet robed sorcerer.

“Utpal town, Looks like I didn’t get lost” The violet-robed man said in a low voice.

And then the mysterious, violet-robed man didn’t say anything else. After gazing at Amrit and the rest of the group with its cold eyes, the Hybridreachisey continued forward, two more lines of smoke appearing from its nostrils. Seeing the Hybridreachisey go in the direction of the township, the expression on Aagney’s face changed.

“Everyone, stay here.” After he spoke, Aagney immediately chased after the departing Hybridreachisey.

“Uncle Devesh, what is that? Is that a fiend beast?” Amrit was the first to ask.

Devesh cleared his throat, a look of terror still in his eyes. But he still nodded. “Yes, it is. But it’s a very powerful one, a fiend beast of the seventh rank. A Hybridreachisey!”

“ Hybridreachisey?”

Amrit memorized the word, forever etching it in his mind.

The Hybridreachisey’s huge body, hard scales, sharp claws, and powerful tail served to create a terrifying appearance. Amrit believed….a single Hybridreachisey could most likely annihilate the entire Utpal Township.

“The defensive power of the Hybridreachisey’s scales is astonishing, and its attack power is terrifying as well. In addition, it is proficient in destructive fire magic!” Devesh’s heart was filled with fear as he explained to Amrit and the others. “If faced with a terrifying fiend beast such as the Hybridreachisey, most likely even a platoon of a thousand soldiers would be wiped out, unless it had a number of sixth or seventh ranked warriors and magi who could unite to penetrate the Hybridreachisey’s scales.”

Amrit’s heart trembled.

Even a platoon of a thousand soldiers would be wiped out?

“However, the most terrifying thing is not the Hybridreachisey…it is the mysterious violet-robed man.” Devesh took two stabilizing breaths, calming his agitated heart.

By his side, Ekadant nodded as well. “Right, In order to subdue a Hybridreachisey, one must force the Hybridreachisey to willingly submit to being a servant. In other words…the violet-robed man must be significantly more powerful than the Hybridreachisey. Based on his clothing, he should be a sorcerer.”

“At least a sorcerer of the seventh rank, Perhaps even a sorcerer of the eighth rank!” Ekadant’s fists couldn’t help but tremble as well. “I never imagined such an important individual would come to our home.”

Amrit could also feel the fear which was in the hearts of Ekadant and Devesh.

 Hybridreachisey, a fiend beast of the seventh rank. And a mysterious sorcerer whose power dwarfed that of the Hybridreachisey? This definitely was enough to cause terror.

“The sorcerer was even more powerful than the Hybridreachisey?” Amrit found this somewhat hard to believe.

The Hybridreachisey’s huge body, hard scales, sharp claws, and powerful tail…all seemed to dwarf that small human figure of the sorcerer.

“Roaaar!”

Suddenly, an angry roar erupted from the middle of the township.

“Crap!” Devesh and Ekadant were stunned. Amrit and the other children grew worried as well. Was the Hybridreachisey’s angry roar caused by Uncle Aagney, or by Utpal township? Nobody knew.

“All of you stay here.” Devesh and Ekadant, although terrified, still raced towards the center of the town.

Amrit gritted his teeth. “Uncle Aagney!” Amrit was also worried for Uncle Aagney, as well as the citizens of Utpal town. He also ran in that direction. At this moment, Devesh and Ekadant were both panic-stricken at the thought of the Hybridreachisey, and didn’t notice Amrit following behind them.

In but a few moments, they arrived in the middle of the town. Aagney was standing far away, watching.

“Why did you come?” Aagney reprimanded in a severe tone.

But upon seeing Amrit follow behind Devesh and Ekadant, Aagney frowned even further. “Amrit, it’s far too dangerous here. Go back immediately.” Only now did Devesh and Ekadant notice Amrit had followed them.

“Amrit, why did you…” Devesh and Ekadant didn’t know what to say.

“Uncle Aagney, I’m not going back.” Amrit wasn’t willing to return.

Aagney helplessly shook his head. He knew how stubborn Amrit could be, and how hard it was to force him to change his mind. “Fine, Then stay behind me, do not go too far. As long as you stay next to me, I am confident that I can protect you.”

“Thank you, Uncle Aagney. I definitely won’t run around.” Amrit was overjoyed.

At this point in time, Aagney’s group was roughly a hundred meters away from the Hybridreachisey. They quietly watched the events in the center of town unfold. In front of the huge Hybridreachisey, a group of youngsters could be seen. Four men and three women.

 

Chapter 9:-

“Captain, what’s going on up ahead?” Devesh said in a quiet voice to Aagney.

A hint of a smile played at Aagney’s lips. “That mysterious sorcerer seems to be at odds with that party over there. Just stay here and watch. No need for us to interfere.” Aagney himself was only a warrior of the sixth rank. In truth, he didn’t dare to interfere either.

The  Hybridreachisey alone was something he would not be able to fight off, much less the mysterious sorcerer.

The strength of the seven-man party in front of the sorcerer was not weak either. Five of them were warriors, while the other two were magi. The leader of their party was a powerfully built man with tousled red hair, who rode a pitch-black iron bull. The two sharp horns of the iron bull glittered under the light, dark and deadly.

Its blood-red eyes gave testament to the true nature of this bull – “Vampiric Iron Bull”, a fiend beast of the fifth rank.

With a snort, smoke began to emit from the bull’s nostrils as well.

Of the seven people in the party, four were men, three were women. Both of the magi were women, while the third woman was an archer. Aside from the Vampiric Iron Bull, a huge griffin floated in mid-air.

“Griffin” – a fiend beast of the fourth rank!

It had the head of a lion, but a pair of enormous, powerful wings. For a party to have two fiend beasts and two magi, clearly this adventuring party was no ordinary one.

“Youngsters, it’d be better if you handed the [De’Pei’Luo’Ying] d’Bero shadow diamond over.” The mysterious man seated on the  Hybridreachisey said a second time, his voice cold.

“Lord sorcerer, we don’t wish to be your enemy, but in order to acquire this d’Bero shadow diamond, we spent countless amounts of time and effort. The value of it exceeds a hundred thousand gold coins, but you, lord sorcerer, want to buy it from us for just seven hundred coins. This…this is impossible.” The red-headed leader of the group said in a solemn voice.

Listening to the conversation from far away, Amrit, by Aagney’s side, now understood everything.

So this mysterious sorcerer wanted to spend seven hundred gold to purchase this d’Bero shadow diamond which was worth a hundred thousand.

“Wow, the price of that diamond…” Amrit was shocked. “For it to be worth so much money, clearly this d’Bero shadow diamond must have some significance attached to it. Otherwise, it wouldn’t cause this sorcerer to be willing to lower his status and try to forcibly buy it.”

An offer of seven hundred gold, for an item worth a hundred thousand. No wonder the small party was unwilling to accept.

“Hmph.” The mysterious sorcerer coldly harrumphed.

“I only have seven hundred gold on me. Right now, I’m still willing to use money to buy it from you. If you lot don’t know how to take a few steps back and do what’s best for you…then not only will you not receive a single gold coin, you will also lose your little lives.” The sorcerer’ said in a frozen voice.

“Grrrrrrrr.”

The  Hybridreachisey, taller than most of the houses in the town, let out a deep growl, causing all the houses nearby to shudder.

“Captain, we risked our lives to obtain this d’Bero shadow diamond. How can we so easily cower in front of this guy and give it away?” A woman in black said coldly. As an experienced adventuring party, these seven people had experienced many battles and wouldn’t easily submit.

The red-haired captain said in a solemn voice, “Honored lord sorcerer, I am of the Kingdom of Vaisaka’s ‘CayAmrit’ clan…”

This captain wanted to use his background to force the opponent down.

But unfortunately, powerful magi usually were eccentric and didn’t give a whit about noble families.

“You all have chosen death.” The mysterious sorcerer sneered coldly.

“Careful.” In a flash, the seven person party raised its guard. The four warriors charged in front, the female archer in behind pulled out her strongest bow, and the two female magi began to prepare magic.

“ROAAAAR!”

The huge  Hybridreachisey opened its mouth, and an enormous plume of fire erupted from its fangs, headed directly for the party.

Where the fire came near, the very stone road underneath the fireblast began to warp, crack, and even shatter from the intense heat as the entire road charred black.

“Careful.”

The red-haired leader said in a deep voice, as his entire body became suffused with red-colored battle-energy. The other three warriors activated their battle energy as well.

The red-haired leader wielded an enormous claymore in his two hands. With rapid speed, he fiercely swung it against a nearby stone wall, and with a thundering sound, the stone wall collapsed, as hundreds of rocks rolled down to the floor and dust exploded outwards.

Just at this time, the fire from the  Hybridreachisey enveloped the four men, who used their battle-energy to resist it.

“Hah!”

The red-haired man kicked a large rock nearly half a meter long at the sorcerer.

The other three warriors did the same, also kicking large rocks with the speed and power of enormous slingshots. The four rocks split the air, howling as they pierced forth towards the sorcerer seated on the huge  Hybridreachisey.

“Swish! Swish! Swish!”

One after another, a barrage of rocks assaulted the sorcerer. In the twinkling of an eye, all the rocks from the collapsed wall were used up.

Seeing this battle from afar, Amrit’s hands were tightly clenched.

“How incredible. They actually dare to use their feet to kick such huge rocks.” Watching the four men unceasingly kick the huge rocks, he felt all the more in awe of warriors in general. “Although, the  Hybridreachisey is even more terrifying!”

Staring at the  Hybridreachisey, Amrit watched as its whip-like tail snapped about, dancing in front of it.

“Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!”

One giant rock after another was smashed into smithereens. The rocks couldn’t even come close to harming the sorcerer on the  Hybridreachisey’s back.

“Swoosh!” The  Hybridreachisey’s tail seemed to be totally unimpeded. It covered an enormous area, and whenever it casually passed by a stone house, it sliced through it as though the house was made of mud. The stones would be shattered without any resistance. As one house after another began to collapse, stones rolled about everywhere and the entire area was bathed in dust.

“Roaaaar!” Even in the middle of the dust storm, the  Hybridreachisey’s mighty roar could be heard, and it continued to vomit fire from its jaws.

This entire time, the two female magi in the back of the party were continuously mumbling fiend incantations in a light voice. The words of magic were totally different from the common tongue spoken on the Ujas continent. It was much more awkward-sounding and complex. Before too much time had passed, the two female magi finished their incantations!

“Protective Icy Carapace!”

The two female magi chanted out in a low voice. Bright light erupted from their bodies, with four rays covering the four male warriors with a translucent, crystalline armor.

The red-haired leader was delighted. With the protective icy carapace supporting his battle-energy, he now felt more confident in this battle.

“Attack!” The red-haired leader ordered.

The four warriors shot out four more rocks at nearly the same time, attacking the mounted sorcerer simultaneously. Immediately following, the four warriors charged forward like arrows released from bows as they shot towards the  Hybridreachisey.

 

Chapter 10:-

“ROAR!” The flames erupting from the  Hybridreachisey’s mouth encompassed a diameter of tens of meters of the surrounding area, bathing them in a sea of fire.

“Hiss…..”

The  Hybridreachisey’s fire danced around the bodies of the four warriors, but guarded by the Protective Icy Carapace and their own battle-energy, the four warriors definitely would be able to resist the heat.

As for the archer, by this point, she had already mounted the Griffin and taken to the skies, her bow knocked.

The Vampiric Iron Bull stood there like an iron wall, protecting the two female magi.

“Swish! Swish! Swish!”

Her eyes filled with a fierce cold gleam, and her hands as steady as a rock, the Griffin-mounted archer shot out three arrows in a row. The target – the mysterious sorcerer on the back of the  Hybridreachisey!

“Whoosh!” The  Hybridreachisey’s whip-like tail shot out like lightning, moving even faster than the arrows. In the blink of an eye, it shattered the arrows released from the archer’s triple shot. Immediately afterwards, its tail swept back towards the four charging warriors. The howling sound generated from the tail shattering the air with its movement caused the expressions on the faces of the four warriors to change dramatically. They immediately tried to leap backwards, like agile monkeys.

But the draconic tail didn’t move in a purely straight pattern; it oscillated and curved strangely, with no fixed pattern.

“Crash!”

One of the four warriors didn’t manage to dodge in time, and was directly struck by the draconic tail on the waist. Both the Protective Icy Carapace and his own battle-energy were smashed into nothingness in the blink of an eye. With a slight flick, the tail curled around him and tightly wrapped him up.

“Laveg!” The red-haired warrior by his side howled angrily, his eyes filled with pain.

“No!” Laveg was also screaming in terror.

With but a flick, the draconic tail tossed Luke directly towards the  Hybridreachisey’s mouth. The  Hybridreachisey opened its jaws, revealing its bloody maw, and chomped down. With a terrifying crunching sound, the last thing escaping Laveg’s throat was an anguished scream.

Ground beneath the  Hybridreachisey’s saw-like teeth, Laveg’s entire body was turned into mincemeat. Half of one bloody leg escaped the  Hybridreachisey’s mouth and fell down to the ground. Gleaming white bone could be seen protruding from the bloody half-leg.

“Don’t look.” Aagney covered Amrit’s eyes.

That sudden display was simply too bloody. Even a fully grown adult, when faced with such a terrifying scene for the first time, would be panicked. Amrit was just an eight year old child.

But it was too late. Amrit had already seen everything.

“Huff. Huff.” Amrit felt as though his heart was being compressed by a giant boulder. His breathing was growing labored, and he started to pant. But in his mind’s eye, he replayed the sight of the young man named Laveg being eaten, over and over again.

His belly was ripped open, and his intestines had been shattered. His skull had been crushed, and half his leg had dropped to the ground!

All of these things made it hard for Amrit to breathe, and he felt dizzy.

This was the first time Amrit had seen a fight become so vicious and cruel. It was also the first time Amrit had seen someone being eaten alive by a huge  Hybridreachisey. The half-eaten leg, in particular, deeply buried itself in Amrit’s mind.

Aagney, Ekadant, and Devesh exchanged troubled glances as they watched Amrit.

What sort of harm to the psyche would this bloody affair cause an eight year old child? Would it serve as a constant psychological trauma? Once a youth becomes traumatized by battle, his future accomplishments would be dramatically impacted.

“Killing someone. No big deal. No big deal.” Amrit forced himself to think these words repeatedly. “When I grow up and join the army, I too will have to kill people. Gotta hold on. Gotta hold on.”

Amrit really was intelligent. He had read many books, and knew what path he had embarked on for the future.

On the Ujas continent, when a man grew up, it would be very likely that he would experience life-and-death struggles. But since Amrit was just a child who had not done so yet, he had to repeatedly tell himself to calm down. And slowly, the terror and horror in his heart really did begin to lessen.

In fact, much the opposite; in just a short period of time, Amrit felt as though his blood was beginning to surge.

“That battle really is incredibly fierce. It really is exciting.” For some reason, that bloody battle just then made Amrit’s blood boil with excitement, filling his heart with desire – a desire to battle and kill!

“Is it because of the Agnimitra in my veins?” Amrit didn’t know.

But Amrit suddenly discovered that he was actually very eager to participate in these bloody struggles. Amrit immediately stepped to the side, bypassing Aagney’s protective arm, and continued to watch the battle which was still going on a hundred meters away.

“Amrit, don’t watch.” Aagney saw that Amrit was intending to continue watching, and was shocked.

“Uncle Aagney, I’m not afraid.” Amrit turned his head to glance at Aagney.

Aagney suddenly noticed a red gleam of excitement in Amrit’s pupils. Surprised, he no longer tried to prevent Amrit from watching. As Amrit continued to watch the battle from afar, he saw that it was reaching an even bloodier climax.

“ROAR!” With a howl, the  Hybridreachisey turned its head and bit down towards a warrior, while its huge claws swept towards another one. Its lightning-fast, whip-like tail, as well, struck out, aiming at the third warrior.

The warriors were pressed to the point of abandoning their assaults and instead retreating.

The mysterious sorcerer on the back of the  Hybridreachisey still hadn’t moved. He let the  Hybridreachisey deal with the threats as his lips continued to mumble.

“Dance of the Fire Serpents!”

The cold voice of the mysterious sorcerer suddenly rang out, and in the blink of an eye, seven enormous fire serpents, each spanning tens of meters long, appeared. Howling, they erupted away from the sorcerer in all directions. Each fire snake appeared to be a real, living creature, with distinct scales and enormous bodies that inspired fear in all who saw it.

Everyone who was watching was stunned.

A Fire Element mantra of the eighth rank – Dance of the Fire Serpent!

It now became clear that this entire time, the mysterious sorcerer was mumbling the words to a fiend incantation. He was preparing this terrifying Fire Element mantra of the eighth rank – Dance of the Fire Serpent! This mantra could unleash seven enormous fire serpents, each of which had a simply astonishing attack power. Even the terrifying defensive ability of the  Hybridreachisey would not be proof against it; if struck, even if it survived, it would be badly injured.

If dealing with a sorcerer of the seventh rank, the small squad might be able to hold on for a while longer, but dealing with a sorcerer of the eighth rank, and a  Hybridreachisey as well? They simply did not have the power to resist.

Only now did they understand that this mysterious sorcerer was a master of the eighth rank!

“It’s the Dance of the Fire Serpents. Quick, run away!” The red-haired warrior’s facial expression changed dramatically, and he shouted in a loud voice.

The six remaining members of the small squad were now all filled with terror.

“Too late. Prepare for the baptism of death!” The mysterious sorcerer said in a cold, cruel voice, which pierced like a cold dagger at the hearts of the members of the small squad.

 

Chapter 11:-

The seven fire serpents flew at a very high speed, and wherever they passed through, the stone houses nearby immediately began to blaze. The burning flames towered towards the high heavens, an absolutely catastrophic scene. Seeing their homes be disintegrated from afar, the denizens of Utpal township, who had long since fled and hidden far away, all felt pain and sorrow in their hearts.

In front of the seven giant fire serpents, their stone houses seemed like naught but toys. They were easily demolished, and the flames in the wreckage rose towards the sky.

“Run!” The female archer no longer cared about anything else. She immediately directed her griffin to fly to a higher altitude.

There was a limit to the distance at which a fire-element sorcerer would be able to control the seven fire serpents. If the archer and her mount could fly beyond that point, she would be safe.

“Whooooosh.” Two of the blazing fire serpents enveloped the two female magi and the Vampiric Iron Bull as well. Almost instantaneously, the sound of burning, crackling flesh could be heard, and Amrit thought that he could smell hair burning.

“Big brother Kerai ! Save us!” The desolate cry of a female sorcerer sounded out, filled with pain, from within the middle of the fire serpent.

“Snort. Snort.” The eyes of the Vampiric Iron Bull were terrifyingly red, and every single muscle in its body was quivering nonstop. It continuously roared in anger, wanting to charge past through the encircling fire serpents, but unfortunately, the restrictive power of each fire serpent was simply too great.

“Loosha !” The red-haired warrior howled angrily, his voice filled with anguish.

Very shortly afterwards, both female magi and the Vampiric Iron Bull were reduced to naught but gray ash. But the red-haired warrior no longer had even the opportunity to cry out. He and the other two warriors each had to face an enormous fire serpent of their own as well. In front of the titanic flaming body of the serpents, they seemed to be nothing more than children, incapable of the slightest resistance.

They had the power to split stone with a single punch, but so what? While constricted by a huge flaming serpent, what could they do?

“Ahhhh!” Surrounded by flaming serpents, the three warriors couldn’t help but let out torturous cries.

As they shouted, their battle-energy vanished, having been demolished. The hissing sound of burning flesh once again could be heard. The muscles on the faces of the three warriors twitched, and their eyes bulged out. All the hair on their bodies was burnt clean in the twinkling of an eye, and following that their skin, their flesh, and their bones. Nothing could withstand the terrifyingly high temperature of the fire serpents.

In a very short period of time, the three formidable warriors had also been reduced to nothing more than dust.

“Huff…huff…”

The female archer’s breath was ragged, but she had finally escaped the boundaries of the Dance of the Fire Serpents.

“Laveg…Loosha…big brother Kerai…I will definitely avenge you all. Definitely.” The female archer cried bitterly, and as she did, she directed her griffin to fly still higher.”

“ZZZZT!”

An enormously thick bolt of lightning struck down from the clear, cloudless skies, striking directly down on the totally unprepared archer. Her entire body was turned directly to dust from that strike, while her griffin was scorched black as well. The two of them fell down from the sky, heavily crashing into the stone ground of the town as they crashed through a wooden roof and into the base of a dwelling.

“Want to run? Hmph.” The mysterious sorcerer let out a deep snort.

Over a hundred meters away, Aagney swallowed hard, his own heart filled with a thread of inescapable fear. “Not only is he a sorcerer of the eighth rank…he is a dual element sorcerer!”

….

“That spell was called Dance of the Fire Serpents?” Amrit was still standing there, totally awestruck.

The sight of those enormous fire serpents and the inferno they had cast had totally shocked Amrit, like he had never been shocked before. Each of the fire serpents was as terrifying as the  Hybridreachisey. Seven of them together? They represented an utter apocalypse. Even the stone houses were disintegrated by their flames.

In the blink of an eye, those four mighty warriors, those two magi, and that archer, as well as their two fiend beast companions were utterly destroyed, with the possible exception of that griffin.

The seven fire serpents had disappeared by now, but Amrit could still feel the terrifying, seismic presence and power emanating from the area. The entire battlefield had been annihilated, leaving nothing left but the finest of debris. The debris all radiated tremendous heat, as though testifying to the power of the battle they had just endured.

“Ama…amazing.”

Amrit’s breathing slowly began to stabilize. Swimming in his mind were isorcerer of those seven fire serpents, and how they had descended on the battlefield like a catastrophe of power.

Compared to that vision, even the  Hybridreachisey was not as impressive as before.

Amrit’s gaze suddenly turned towards the mysterious sorcerer on the back of the  Hybridreachisey. By appearances, the sorcerer was much smaller and much weaker.

“Just then…just then, was he the one who cast the ‘Dance of the Fire Serpents’?” Amrit really found it a little hard to believe. A person who seemed a full size smaller than Uncle Aagney was actually able to cast such an apocalyptic spell.

Amrit’s heart was suddenly filled with dread, as he stared at that far-off, distant figure.

“This…this is what a sorcerer is?” For the first time, the concept of a sorcerer clearly imprinted itself in Amrit’s mind.

At the same time…

Amrit suddenly had a powerful urge to become a powerful sorcerer as well.

“If one day, I too was capable of such a powerful attack…” Fantasizing about it, Amrit felt the blood in his veins boil to the limit. He was in a state of tremendous excitement.

Right at that moment?

Amrit knew the path that he would take in the future.

To pursue the peak, the pinnacle of power.

“Father!” Amrit suddenly saw that his own father, Satyen. Seeing how Utpal township had just suffered an unmitigated catastrophe, as the lord of Utpal township, Satyen’s heart was filled with helplessness.

“Don’t make a sound.” Satyen glanced at Amrit, conveying that message with his eyes.

Satyen turned towards the sorcerer, his heart filled with ruefulness. “He’s actually a sorcerer of the eighth rank. And a dual-element sorcerer! Perhaps the entire kingdom of Vaisaka has only a handful of people more powerful than him. Someone like him actually came to our little town…”

Satyen’s only desire, at this point, was that the mysterious sorcerer would leave as soon as possible, and let Utpal town return to its normal tranquilness.

The mysterious sorcerer suddenly leapt down directly from the back of the  Hybridreachisey. He was at least two stories up, but he descended easily with a single jump.

Striding up to the ashes of the red-haired warrior, the mysterious sorcerer waved his hands, and the gray ash parted. A violet, almost translucent-looking diamond suddenly appeared. With a flick of the wrist, the mysterious sorcerer plucked out the d’Bero Shadow Diamond.

“Haha, the D'Bhairav shadow diamond. I searched for you for ten years. Who would have thought that just because today, I decided to pass by this town, I would actually meet you by accident? Haha…Heymans, now that I have this shadow diamond, once I socket it into my staff, I want to see how you will possibly stand against me next time. Haha…” The mysterious sorcerer began to laugh wildly.

Satyen and the other residents of Utpal township simply watched quietly from afar, not daring to make a sound, for fear of angering this powerful, mysterious sorcerer.

“Utpal town, eh…who leads Utpal town?” The mysterious sorcerer suddenly said.

“Father…” Amrit was shocked.

At this point, Satyen had no choice but to stiffen his spine and step forward. He respectfully said, “Mighty lord sorcerer, I am the leader of Utpal town.”

“Oh.” The mysterious sorcerer’ face was still covered by his violet robes, preventing anyone from seeing his face. He lightly said, “Your town suffered some serious damage today. I annihilated this small adventuring party. On their bodies, there is sure to be a good amount of gold coins. The gold coins, no doubt, have been melted and reforged by my ‘Dance of the Fire Serpents’, but they are still worth some money. Just consider them yours, as my recompense for what Utpal town just went through.”

Hearing the words of the mysterious sorcerer, Satyen felt a sense of relief.

This mysterious sorcerer probably wouldn’t go kill-crazy now.

“I, Satyen, on behalf of the entire Utpal township, would like to thank you for your kindness, lord sorcerer.” Satyen respectfully bowed down.

The mysterious sorcerer lightly nodded, then turned and walked towards the  Hybridreachisey. The  Hybridreachisey immediately knelt down, stretching out his foreleg. The sorcerer stepped onto the  Hybridreachisey’s leg, walked two steps, then easily jumped onto the  Hybridreachisey’s back.

“Hmph.” The  Hybridreachisey let out a lazy snort, as two plumes of white smoke once more emanated from its nostrils.

And then, the  Hybridreachisey once more began walking, its heavy footsteps shaking the earth. Watching the enormous creature and the mysterious sorcerer on its back walk far away and disappear off into the distance, all the citizens of Utpal township finally felt their hearts begin to calm down.