Chapter 37: Damsel in Distress(3)

The group covered their ears while Spencer and the kids formed a shield together.

It was a deafening sound and the group could feel intense vibrations despite being far away from the explosion.

Luke looked nervously at the tree that is covering them. The leaves were completely gone and the branches were also starting to break. It also looked like the tree itself will fall over them so he used his [Herculean Strength] and kept the tree upright.

After the noise and vibrations subsided, Luke slowly turned around and see a shield behind him, he then realized that the tree that he was supporting was completely gone and only a bark that Luke was holding was all that was left. Luke put down the bark and looked at where the explosion was and flinched.

There was a large and deep crater now in front of Luke. The small plains and trees around were completely gone. Luke gulped.

'Damn, I survived that?'

Luke thought that he was really lucky that he managed to survive the explosion in Hak Village and thanked lady luck. If it wasn't for luck, he might've been in the heavens by now.

Luke then felt someone smacked his back. The smack was so hard that Luke's whole body shot forward. Luke frowned and turned around. He then saw Selena frowning at him. Luke asked in an annoyed voice.

"Hey! What was that for?!"

"You stupid dumb idiot! I thought you'll sacrifice yourself again!"

"What? Why would I do that?"

Selena clicked her tongue and sighed. Luke could then feel someone grabbing his coat. He could see the kids' gloomy faces. He thought that the explosion just now was terrifying for the children so he just patted their heads. He then hears Spencer's confused voice.

"How did you managed to escape? Last time, you were completely trapped in the smoke but now you managed to escape. How?"

Luke thinks for a moment before showing his sword to his group. The group looked at it with confusion.

"What is so special about this that you managed to escape that?"

Luke didn't answer and activated his aura. The sword was then instantly covered in a purple aura. The whole group is shocked. Noah then asked in confusion and disbelief while holding Finesse in his arms.

"You, you are a swordmaster? Since when?"

Luke clicked his tongue.

"It's a long story."

Luke doesn't want to explain anything since it is too troublesome. Luke then heard Selena's shocked voice.

"Holy shit, isn't swordmasters super rare? They are so rare that if you become one, you'll be the pride of the whole kingdom."

Luke nodded and answered.

"Yes, that is why brother Noah became a duke and became the center of the kingdom's knights."

Luke then heard Spencer's amused voice.

"I heard that swordmasters need intensive training to be a swordmaster. You must be concealing your talent this whole time."

"Uh, I guess?"

'I just got this power in a cave though.'

Luke sighed and deactivated his aura and put his sword back in his scabbard. He then heard the children's amazed voices.

"Woah! Our brother is a swordmaster!"

"So cool!"

"Brother is so powerful!"

"I want to be like you!"

Luke just patted their heads with a blank face and turned toward the large crater.

"I heard him saying that they were destroying fairies earlier. Just what is he talking about?"

Luke could then hear Nash's voice in his head.

• Hey, I didn't felt it earlier because I was focused on searching for Finesse's presence but... I could feel strong clashes of mana in a distance. There seems to be a huge battle going on over there!

Luke looked in the direction he felt Nash is pointing him into and then formed a frown.

"Forget it, it doesn't matter to us anyway. We already rescued Finesse."

'I don't want to get entangled on something troublesome like fairies. That reminds me, one of Noah's allies is also a fairy... I believe it is the fairy queen or something.'

Luke was about to turn around but stopped when he heard Nash's shocked voice.

• Hey! I could feel a familiar aura like yours over there! And it is a strong one!

Luke immediately turned around and spoke to his group who is looking at him.

"Let's go there, now."

'I can't let even a single cheat power slip from my grasp.'

The group looked at him weirdly. It was natural, a while ago he suddenly looked in a random direction and said it doesn't matter and in a split second he now wants to go there.

Spencer sighed and cast haste magic on the group. They can't just leave that bastard alone since they knew that disasters always happen when they do.

They all then shot forward to the direction Nash told Luke. While running, Noah could feel Finesse waking up. Noah looked at Finesse in his arms and saw Finesse looking at him with a confused expression.

"What is going on? Why are we running?"

Finesse then flinched when she heard a familiar voice up ahead.

"You're awake now sister?"

Finesse turned his head and saw Luke running in front of her with his black coat fluttering behind him. Finesse then saw the rest of the group. She then asked in shock.

"Brother? Kids? What are you all doing here?"

Spencer then answered.

"It's a long story. We'll tell you later."

The group kept running but stopped when they saw a fireball coming in their direction. They then heard Luke shout.

"Everyone dodge!"

The group all dodged and the fireball hit the ground where they were just standing.

Boom!

Luke looked at the burning ground from the impact with the fireball with confusion and turned his head to where it came from.

He then slowly walked toward where it came from. As he gets closer, He could see burning trees, grasses, and people fighting in the distance.

Well not really people but, fairies and people that are wearing white robes like the man earlier were currently clashing in front of him.

All Luke could hear were screams everywhere. Some screams were even high pitched which Luke found odd.

He then saw a tall dirt wall at the distance and saw a small fairy with large wings wearing a shining light blue necklace looking down at the battlefield with an angry expression. She seems mad and pissed at the people in white but Luke ignored that and focused his gaze on the light blue necklace with shock.

'That, could that be what I think it is?'

Luke then regained his senses when he heard the fairy on top of the dirt wall shout.

"Everyone! Retreat! Now!"

The fairies were confused at first but followed her orders. Luke can now be certain of the identity of the fairy with large wings.

'The fairy queen.'

Luke could see the fairies flying towards the dirt wall. He then looked at the robed people and saw a catapult with a large black ball that is emitting high-pitched screaming on it. Luke was silent at first but then looked at it with shock.

So this is where the high-pitched screaming came from.

"Withered souls!"

The group's eyes widened with shock at his words.

Withered souls, just as there is life, there is also the dead, the souls. Usually, souls were guided by the Grim Reaper, the descendant of the God of Darkness, towards reincarnation and after-life. But there are cases where the Grim Reaper cannot take a soul. It is when the soul was too corrupted and dark.

Those souls will then stay in the mortal world and eventually takes form into withered souls.

Withered souls can take two forms, liquid and air but no matter which forms they take, they will remain as a deadly force to the living.

Interacting with withered souls was like poison to the living. One-touch of it and you could instantly die. But if you have an affinity with death like necromancers, witches, etc. who needs withered souls as a power source then you will be unharmed.

But no one around Luke has death affinities so one touch of those shrieking balls will kill them instantly.

'Shit, this is more dangerous than I thought.'

Luke gritted his teeth. He was about to run away but he then saw Selena trembling. Luke asked in a worried voice.

"Hey! What's wrong with you?"

"M-must, purify... I must."

"What?"

Luke looked at the withered souls at the distance and back to Selena. He then finally understood what is going on.

'I forgot that she is the child of the God of Light. The God of Light is very sensitive when it comes to anything related to darkness. He must've wanted Selena to get rid of the withered souls right away.'

"Hey Selena, let's just forget about this-"

"Hhaaaaap!"

Luke stopped when he saw Selena ignoring him and charged forward into the battlefield. Her body then started to be enveloped in golden light. Luke frowned in annoyance and took out his sword and activated his aura.

"Goddammit! Follow her!"