Chapter 24 - GUARDIAN SHIELD!

Loki raised his right hand to block the sword, even knowing it wouldn't do a thing. When the blade was just a second away, someone screamed.

"GUARDIAN SHIELD!"

Then suddenly, a shadow of someone covered Loki. Before him was a familiar back, belonging to his trustworthy friend. It turned out that Leo sprinted towards him the moment the swordsman used his skill. Grasping the dire situation, Leo endured the pain he suffered and pushed his body to reach Loki's side.

A clash of metal reverberated through the air, signifying the intensity of the force behind the sword slash.

Nevertheless, Leo's interruption didn't manage to surprise the masked man, and he immediately kicked Leo in the stomach, sending him back to Loki.

Loki caught Leo, but even then, the strong kick sent both kids sliding onto the ground. Leo coughed a mouthful of blood, meaning he had received an internal injury from the blow.

It was obvious that the enemy in front of Loki wasn't like the woman. He was stronger—far stronger!

We don't stand a chance; we need to escape. But how? With our condition, none of us have enough energy to run. And even if someone stays behind to buy time, I don't think it will do much.

Loki was at his end; he couldn't even stand due to exhaustion. Regardless, he looked the masked swordsman in the eyes with defiance. If he were going to die here, he would rather die fighting; after all, begging wouldn't work considering what he did to the man's partner.

The swordsman took his time and slowly walked towards Loki and Leo. He looked down upon them, hatred clear in the slits of his mask. But then he halted and glanced at his right foot. A root entangled it, stopping him from moving. Still, he ignored it and forcibly raised his foot, ripping the roots out.

Loki glimpsed at Pandora and saw her on the ground, panting. It appeared she utilized every bit of her stamina in an attempt to stop the masked man.

"P-Please don't kill them," Pandora begged with tears in her eyes.

The swordsman ignored her and continued his way toward the two incapacitated kids.

"I-I will go with you and promise not to escape," Pandora added.

The masked man stopped, tilted his head, and turned to Pandora. "Why would I want to take you?"

"I-I'm sure Lord Belz is looking for me. If you bring me to him, he will be happy."

The swordsman lingered for a while. "Now that you mention that, we do have a mission to look for a woman with almost the same description as you. But you're mistaken if you think you can fool me. The information says she is a grown woman, not a girl."

"N-no, I'm telling the truth. I was disguised while I was being held captive. It's an effect of a potion my teacher concocted," Pandora explained. Her desperation was evident in her face and voice.

"I guess there's no harm in keeping you alive." After saying that, the masked swordsman resumed his way towards Loki and Leo.

"P-please don't kill them; I promise to come with you in peace," Pandora repeated.

"Not happening; even if you aren't willing to come, I will still kill them."

Leo struggled, wanting to push himself up, but he was too injured to do so.

Loki didn't say a word; his eyes were focused on the walking danger. He knew they were going to die if he didn't do anything. It was just that the situation was unsolvable.

When the swordsman was before the two kids, the masked man raised his iron blade, intending to cut Loki and Leo at the same time.

Loki's senses became weird. Everything became muffled and his vision blurry, except for the man holding the sword.

Is this how it feels when someone is about to die? I guess it's more peaceful than I thought it would be.

But then, before the masked swordsman could bring down his sword, something halted him from continuing.

The man… coughed blood.

"What's happening to me?" The swordsman asked.

Loki was still in a daze, so he was more confused. His vision gradually came back, and together with it, his hearing. The first thing that entered his ears was a laugh. Looking at his two party members, he realized it wasn't them.

Who is laughing?

"Hahaha, it finally takes effect," The voice said, coughing as he talked.

Loki followed the source, and there he saw the long-haired man grinning ear to ear while blood dripped from his lips.

The swordsman looked at the thug angrily. "What did you do?"

"Nothing much; I just put poison on the tip of my spear. Soon, your body will lose its ability to move, and slowly, you will die."

The masked man reached inside his armor, taking out a vial.

Is that the same potion that the woman drinks? I can't let him consume it.

With that, Loki took one of the small knives on his leather belt and threw it into the swordsman's hand. As a result, the vial fell to the ground, spilling its contents.

"Nice one, kid!" The thug complimented.

"I'm going to kill you all!" The masked man shouted while coughing more blood.

"Like that will scare me," The long-haired man mocked.

The masked man couldn't do anything but kneel as he steadily succumbed to the poison. Loki, Leo, and Pandora silently watched the man die. A memory that would etch in their minds, reminding them of the cruelty of a Dungeon.

As time went by, the masked man's groan became weaker and weaker, until finally, on his last breath, he uttered. "Take me to your kingdom…"

Loki released a mouthful of air and laid on the ground. The incident had drained him; all he could think about was resting.

That was close; we could have all died there. We need to improve and learn fast, so this kind of situation will never repeat.

While staring at the orange sky, Pandora sat beside them and took out the bag from her CC. Then he grabbed a small bag and withdrew medical herbs.

"H-here, chew this; it will help you recover." Pandora handed Loki a green herb with a heart-shaped leaf.

Loki didn't reject the help. He took the medicinal herb from Pandora's hand and placed it directly in his mouth. "This is so bitter."

A moment later, Loki regained enough stamina, allowing him to move. The first thing he did was look at where the Occult members died. Both bodies were already gone, leaving nothing but floating green flames in their place.

Loki stood, intending to harvest the souls. He was afraid the souls would disappear too if he didn't immediately harvest them.

"Where are you going?" Leo asked while lying on the ground.

"I'm just going to look to see if there's something valuable."

Loki touched the first soul.

[Do you want to harvest the Soul of Fin, Yes/No?]

Yes.

The green flame resisted, as if not wanting to enter Loki's body, but soon his palm devoured it without mercy. He didn't give it much thought and resumed his way to the last soul. Touching it, another notification appeared.

[Do you want to harvest the Soul of Nina, Yes/No?]

Yes.

Like what happened to the swordsman's soul, it got consumed with no effort.

While Loki stared at the empty space where the green flame had floated once before, the long-haired man interrupted him.

"Hey, kid, a little help here."

Turning his gaze to the half-dead thug, Loki sauntered closer. "Why should I help you?"

"Come on, don't be too cold-hearted; we just fought together; don't you really want a friend to die?"

Loki smirked. "When did you become our friend?"

"Hey, don't be like that; whether you like it or not, I save you and your friends' lives. If it wasn't for my poison, all of you would have died there."

"Yeah, right. You're also the reason why we almost died."

"Come on, how about a trade? I will give you the 6 Azure Flowers we took; in exchange, you will take me with you to the exit."

Should I just kill him here and harvest his soul? He is more useful to me that way… No, Father Laryatt taught me better than that. I already killed one today, and I don't want Leo and Pandora to think of me as a cruel person.

Loki raised his eyebrows. "That's not even a deal; that flower belongs to us in the first place."

"Fine, fine. I will add 5 more Azure Flowers, how about that?"

Loki was hesitant to help the man. After all, how can he trust him? But then again, the long-haired man was too injured, not to mention attacking them, he could barely lift his head.

 Should I accept it? With our condition, I don't think we can last another day. I guess if we're going to exit, we should get everything we can.

"Wow, what a great deal. So, you're telling me your life value is a mere 5 Azure Flowers? Then you're more useless than I thought."

The thug's smile twitched. "You're a funny kid. I give you that. Alright, since I'm feeling generous today, I will make it 10."

Loki shook his head. "20."

"That's a bit overboard!" The long-haired man exclaimed. "What made you think I even have that amount with me?"

Loki shrugged. "Take it or leave it. Your choice. It doesn't need to be Azure Flowers, as long as it has the same value, that's also fine with me."

The thug lingered. "Fine! This is robbery. This young man is already good at robbing people!"

"Say by the robber himself."

After the negotiation, the thug handed Loki a small bag, containing 26 Azure Flowers. Loki helped the long-haired man stand up and informed Pandora that they should find a place to rest, as it was getting dark.

At first, Leo refused to help the thug, but after telling him about the negotiation, he reluctantly agreed.

Thus, the group of four searched for a place to rest, set up camp, eat, and recuperate.