Chapter 243 Desperate Gamble

Without a second thought, Shaan threw himself sideways and hit the ground hard. He dodged Ronin’s attack, but his shoulder scraped hard against the ground, leaving a nasty wound.

"D-damn it." Shaan pressed a hand against his injured shoulder, but fresh blood continued to seep between his fingers. "I have to defeat Ronin, no matter what it takes."

Shaan forced himself to his feet, but a sudden cracking sound came from his pocket. He reached for it immediately, and his face turned pale. His heart seemed to stop for a moment when he realized his Iron Blood Rune had shattered.

"Oh no, no. This can’t be happening." Shaan pulled the broken rune fragments from his pocket. "Not now. I still need it."

His hands trembled as he tried to piece the fragments back together, but his efforts proved futile. The rune’s effects had stopped working. Slowly, its fragments dissolved into specks of light and vanished.

[Iron Blood Rune effect lost]

[Status returned to normal]

Shaan’s shoulders slumped. He stared blankly at the ground, unable to utter a word. His only hope of defeating the Resistance leader had just shattered. In his current condition, he stood no chance against him.

"H-how could this happen...?"

"Shaan!"

Ronin swung his sword once more, sending another slash of dark energy hurtling toward Shaan. Shaan tried to dodge, but his injuries made it difficult to move. He stumbled and fell, leaving him helpless as the energy slash closed in on him.

’Th-this is bad. If this keeps up, I’m going to...’

Miss Khaya suddenly appeared in front of Shaan and struck the dark energy with her spear. She grabbed his hand and pulled him away before Ronin could spot them. They took cover behind a cluster of boulders, where she helped Shaan sit against one of them.

"Mi-Miss Khaya, I’m sorry." Shaan lowered his head, his body weak and trembling. "Everything has only gotten worse because of me. If I hadn’t been so reckless with the cursed item, maybe..." He fell silent for a moment and let out a long sigh. "Maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way."

"Enough. What happened is in the past. There’s no point in blaming yourself over and over again." Miss Khaya rose to her feet and cautiously peered through a gap between the boulders. "We need to focus on finding a way to defeat Ronin. He’ll come looking for us sooner or later."

"Miss Khaya, but how? How are we supposed to defeat him?" Shaan’s hands trembled uncontrollably. "Even the cursed item wasn’t enough. How am I supposed to defeat him now?"

Miss Khaya turned toward him, her gaze calm and steady. "There’s still one way we can defeat Ronin."

"O-one way?"

"That’s right. We have to figure out which mana channel connects Ronin to the resistance leader."

"B-but how are we supposed to find that mana channel?"

"The Fusion Skill relies on the Daemonist’s mana channel to sustain the connection. It’s located on the back. If we disrupt that channel, Ronin will lose his link to the Resistance leader."

"Oh, great. That’s a good idea."

"However..." Miss Khaya glanced at Shaan again, her expression growing serious. "But one wrong strike could permanently damage the channel. Coma or even death."

Shaan’s smile vanished in an instant. Doubt crept into his mind. He had never imagined the risk could be this terrible. He didn’t want to break his promise to Chelsie to keep her father alive.

However, if he did nothing, the Resistance leader would only grow more powerful, and Twilight Sanctum would fall entirely under his control. Shaan had to make a decision now, or it would be too late.

"So, what’s your decision?"

"...Let’s do it." Shaan slowly rose to his feet and approached Miss Khaya. "I’ll help you—"

His vision suddenly blurred, and his legs grew weak. He quickly grabbed a nearby boulder to keep himself from collapsing to the ground a second time.

"W-what’s going on?"

"Your body hasn’t fully recovered from using the cursed item for too long." Miss Khaya approached Shaan and pulled a glass vial from her pocket. "Drink this potion. It will neutralize the effects of the cursed item and gradually restore your mana."

"Alright... alright." Shaan slowly took the vial from her. "I understand."

"Stay here." Miss Khaya stepped out from behind the boulders. "I’ll look for a way to strike Ronin."

"I... I get it."

Miss Khaya’s footsteps gradually faded into the distance until Shaan could no longer hear them. He cautiously peeked around the boulder and scanned his surroundings.

"Good, it looks like Miss Khaya managed to lure him away from here." Shaan narrowed his eyes, then let out a slow sigh. "Now, I have to drink this potion so I can help Miss Khaya."

The moment he loosened the vial’s cap, a pungent odor hit his nose. It smelled like rotting meat left to decay for weeks. Nausea washed over Shaan, and he screwed the cap back on.

"No, no. I can’t give up." Shaan shook his head. "I have to finish this potion, no matter what. I have to."

Shaan held his breath and downed the potion in one gulp. The liquid trickled down his throat, leaving him silent for a moment. Surprisingly, it didn’t taste nearly as bad as he had expected. It reminded him of fermented wine, with a faint bitter aftertaste. Without giving it another thought, he finished every last drop.

"Finally." Shaan let out a long sigh before leaning back against the boulder. "Now, all we have to do is wait for the potion to take effect."

Shaan knew he couldn’t face Ronin in his current condition. He needed the potion to restore enough mana to fight alongside Miss Khaya. A short while later, warmth spread throughout his body. He could feel the mana within him slowly returning, and the pain around his shoulder gradually subsided.

"Good, at least now I can—"

[Shaan!]

"Robin Hood?" Shaan turned and found Robin Hood standing behind him. "W-wait, but why— Ouch!"

[Whoops, sorry!] Robin Hood quickly lifted his hand from Shaan’s shoulder and flashed him a sheepish smile. [Hey, I’m your Daemon, after all. I was wondering why I suddenly sensed some strange energy inside your body.]

"Ah, about that..." Shaan sighed. "I used a cursed item to boost my power for a while. But it seems I’ve only made things worse."

[Ah... That would explain why I couldn’t communicate with you at all.] Robin Hood gently stroked his chin before glancing around. [Hey, this place looks even worse than before. What exactly—]

"I’ll explain everything, but right now, I need your help." Shaan tightened his grip on both short swords. "We have to help Miss Khaya before Ronin finishes her off."