Chapter 84: Tracked down

Chris rushed back toward the lake, his expression turning serious as he approached. However, the moment he reached the clearing, his face heated slightly at the sight of three naked women standing in the water.

"KYAAAAA!"

Astra and Stella immediately screamed and hugged each other, trying to cover their bodies.

"BIG BAD MAN! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"

Chris barely paid attention to their complaints. "Get out of the water and get dressed! Now! Something dangerous is coming!"

Aelia instantly understood from his tone that this wasn’t a joke. She quickly climbed out of the lake and grabbed the clothes she had left nearby, pulling the twins along with her.

Chris immediately turned his back, making sure not to look in their direction. The twins were still ready to scold him, but when they noticed Aelia’s serious expression, they realized something was wrong and hurriedly got dressed without another word.

A moment later, a powerful gust of wind swept across the clearing.

*WOOSH!*

A massive corpse bird emerged from between the trees and descended toward the lake. Its rotten wings beat against the air as it landed heavily on the ground, scattering dirt and small stones.

A cloaked figure jumped from its back. His face was hidden behind a mask, and a long sword hung at his side.

"Finally found you."

A raspy male voice came from beneath the mask as he drew his sword and began walking toward Aelia and the twins.

Chris immediately stepped between them, drawing his own weapon.

His eyes quickly scanned the approaching man.

[Warrior - S-Rank - Level 78.]

Chris raised an eyebrow.

The man was stronger than him, but not by an overwhelming margin. His strength was only slightly higher, and while that didn’t guarantee an easy victory, Chris believed he could handle him.

At least, he wouldn’t have to worry about being completely outmatched.

The cloaked figure didn’t bother saying anything. The moment he reached a certain distance, he lowered his body and rushed forward, swinging his sword toward Chris’s neck.

Chris raised his own weapon to meet the attack.

*DING!*

The collision sent a burst of air in every direction. The water behind Chris rippled violently, while the ground beneath his boots cracked as he was pushed backward.

He managed to stop the blade, but the force behind the strike was greater than he had expected.

Before Chris could regain his footing, the man was already upon him again.

*DING!*

Their weapons collided for a second time. Chris gritted his teeth as the impact forced him back another step, leaving a deep crease in the ground beneath his boots.

He couldn’t afford to continue exchanging blows like this. The difference in their physical strength was noticeable, and even if he could defend himself for a while, he would eventually be pushed into a disadvantage.

Chris immediately coated his sword in Dark Gwenor while forming a fireball in his other hand.

The cloaked man suddenly stopped.

His attention shifted toward the dark energy covering Chris’s weapon, and for the first time, he seemed genuinely interested.

"Who are you?"

"You don’t need to know."

Chris rushed forward, throwing the fireball at his opponent.

The man casually shifted his body and avoided it, but Chris had already closed the distance. He swung his sword toward the man’s chest while controlling the fireball with his other hand.

Instead of disappearing into the distance, the flames curved through the air and circled around, approaching the cloaked man’s back.

The man noticed both attacks at the last moment. He jumped and twisted his body in midair, narrowly avoiding Chris’s sword while letting the fireball pass beneath him.

However, Chris wasn’t finished.

He raised his hand and caught the fireball as it passed, immediately sending it toward the man again while following behind with his sword.

"Annoying."

The cloaked figure’s voice turned cold. He swung his weapon, releasing dozens of dark energy waves that spread through the clearing.

Chris immediately abandoned his advance and jumped sideways. The waves tore through the space where he had been standing, cutting into the ground and sending chunks of dirt flying into the air.

He landed near the edge of the lake, but before the man could continue his assault, another blade appeared beside him.

Aelia had joined the fight.

*DING!*

Her sword collided with the cloaked man’s weapon, and a wave of ice energy spread from the point of impact. Frost quickly covered his fingers and climbed toward his wrist, soon completely freezing his whole hand.

The man reacted almost immediately. Instead of trying to pull away, he twisted his body with astonishing speed and drove his leg toward Aelia’s chest.

Aelia tried to move, but the attack came too quickly.

Chris rushed in at the last moment and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her away just before the kick connected.

They landed several meters away as the cloaked figure jumped backward.

He flexed his frozen hand.

*CRACK!*

The ice covering his fingers shattered and fell to the ground. His hand was free again, although the movement seemed to have caused him some discomfort.

Chris glanced at Aelia. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, immediately raising her sword again.

Before either of them could move, a familiar roar echoed above the clearing.

"ROAR!"

Azreon had already taken to the sky. His mouth opened, and a concentrated stream of fire descended toward the cloaked figure.

The man looked up and attempted to move, but the attack covered a large portion of the clearing.

*BOOOOOOM!*

The explosion shook the surrounding forest. A powerful shockwave spread across the ground, sending leaves and branches flying while a thick cloud of dust swallowed the area.

Chris narrowed his eyes as he watched the smoke.

When it finally began to settle, the cloaked man was standing beside a newly formed crater. One of his sleeves had been completely burned away, revealing damaged skin beneath it.

The attack hadn’t injured him severely, but it had clearly managed to cause some damage.

"We can win this," Chris said, tightening his grip on his sword.

He immediately rushed forward, sending a dozen fireballs toward the man from different directions.

The cloaked figure moved between them with surprising agility. He jumped over one, twisted around another, and changed direction in midair to avoid the rest.

However, Aelia had already anticipated his movement.

As the man landed, she appeared behind him and swung her sword toward his neck.

His body was still turning, leaving him with little time to defend himself. He raised his burned hand instead, using his forearm to shield his neck.

*SLASH!*

Black blood sprayed across the ground as Aelia’s blade cut through his wrist, completely severing his hand.

At almost the same moment, Chris appeared on the opposite side and swung his sword toward the man’s torso. Dark Gwenor covered the blade, ready to tear through his defenses.

But before the attack could connect, something changed.

Black energy began pouring out of the cloaked man’s body, rapidly spreading across his clothes and skin.

Chris immediately recognized the sensation.

It was similar to the energy released by the first Fallen who had chased him. The feeling was unmistakable, and he knew better than to let it touch him.

He abandoned his attack and rushed toward Aelia, grabbing her hand before pulling her away.

"Get back!"

*BOOOOOOM!*

A torrent of dark energy erupted from the man’s body, creating a massive explosion. The ground beneath him collapsed, leaving a deep crater surrounded by cracks that spread across the clearing.

Chris landed several meters away with Aelia beside him. Both of them watched the cloud of dust carefully, unsure of what the man would do next.

Then, something strange happened.

The cloaked figure calmly bent down and picked up his severed hand. He brought it toward his wrist and held it against the wound.

Black energy seeped out from his hand, extending toward the detached limb like several thin tentacles. They wrapped around the damaged area and pulled the hand back into place.

Within moments, the flesh began to reconnect.

Chris stared at the sight, his expression becoming increasingly unpleasant as the man’s fingers slowly moved again.

"You’ve got to be kidding me..."

He had seen strange abilities before, but being able to reattach a completely severed limb in the middle of a fight was definitely new.

The cloaked man didn’t seem particularly bothered by his injury. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black bead.

Chris’s eyes narrowed.

The man swallowed it without hesitation.

"Not good!"

Chris immediately grabbed Aelia’s hand. "Azreon!"

*ROAR!*

The dragon descended from above, lowering his body close to the ground. Chris pulled Aelia toward him and jumped onto Azreon’s back.

The twins were already hiding behind a nearby tree, watching the battle with frightened expressions. Chris quickly reached them and pulled both onto the dragon’s back.

"Hold on!"

He turned toward Azreon. "Full speed! We need to get out of here!"

Azreon didn’t need to be told twice. His body began to expand, growing larger with every passing moment until he reached his full size. His wings spread wide, stirring up a powerful gust of wind that swept across the clearing.

*WOOOOSH!*

The dragon shot into the sky.

The forest beneath them quickly became a blur as Azreon accelerated, leaving the lake and the clearing far behind.

Chris looked over his shoulder to check their pursuer.

The cloaked man had already climbed onto his corpse bird. His body was now completely covered in dark energy, which extended from his body like a thick layer of smoke.

The bird spread its rotten wings and took off after them.

Chris watched for a few seconds, carefully comparing their speed.

The corpse bird was fast, but it was nowhere near Azreon’s current speed. Even with the black energy surrounding the man, he wouldn’t be able to catch them.

Chris finally released a long breath.

"Keep going at this speed, buddy. Let’s make sure we lose him completely."

*ROAR!*

Azreon flapped his wings again, increasing the distance between them.

Behind Chris, the twins were still trembling. Astra and Stella hugged each other tightly, their faces pale as they looked back toward the distant forest.

"W-W-What was that?" Astra finally managed to ask.

Stella didn’t say anything. She was still staring in the direction they had come from, her eyes filled with fear.

Aelia moved closer to them and gently placed a hand on each girl’s shoulder. "It’s alright. We’re safe for now. Chris noticed him before he could reach us, and Azreon is much faster than that bird."

"That man... he was trying to capture us, wasn’t he?" Stella asked quietly.

Chris turned his head slightly. "That sounds about right. He was definitely looking for you."

Astra’s grip on her sister tightened.

"Why would someone like that want us?"

Chris didn’t answer immediately. He suspected that the Fallen who had just attacked them was the leader of the group he had killed in the cave. The way he had searched for the twins and attacked without hesitation made that possibility seem likely.

However, something else bothered him.

How had he managed to find them?

They had been traveling on Azreon and hadn’t attracted any attention at all. Yet the man had somehow managed to track them down.

Chris glanced at the twins before suddenly approaching them.

"Come here for a moment."

Astra looked at him cautiously. "W-What?"

Chris didn’t bother explaining. He reached forward and grabbed her hand.

"KYAA!"

The girl yelped and trembled, immediately trying to pull her hand away, but Chris held it firmly.

"W-What are you doing, big bad man?!"

"Be quiet."

He closed his eyes and sent a thin stream of Dark Gwenor into her body.

Astra immediately felt something strange spreading through her. She tried to pull away again, but Chris didn’t release her hand.

"What are you doing to me?!"

He didn’t answer, focusing entirely on what he was sensing.

Aelia noticed the girl’s discomfort and moved closer, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "It’s alright, Astra. Chris won’t do anything bad to you. He’s just checking something."

The girl looked at Aelia before reluctantly stopping her struggle.