Chapter 159 - The Return

They dashed at each other.

Alastor halted four feet away from him and he swung his sword diagonally which was easily evaded by Benny.

“I admire that you’re aiming for a quick kill, but your attack is too straightforward,” Benny said and another dagger appeared on his left hand.

Benny swung the dagger. As it came close, Alastor made a hasty shift of movement.

Just far enough away from him, Alastor followed him with his eyes. Benny’s movements are aggressive, fast, and sure.

He was unsure whether his prediction is wrong or right, but he had already thrown her arm on right in an attempt to block and he heard a loud clang produced from two blades hissing against each other.

But it didn’t end there. He hasn’t completely forgotten the other blade held on Benny’s right hand. It was too late to think, he had to do it.

Alastor’s hand instantly move out from his instinct. He held with firm gripped the blade of Benny.

Alastor felt gradually cold as the flesh of his left hand had open and blood began to trickle.

“Got you!” Benny exclaimed as if he had finally won the match.

Alastor broke a small grin as possible.

“Almost… almost.”

“What are you going to do now? You’re a long way from your friends.”

“Do I look like I need them to beat the shit out of you?”

“In your current state… definitely.”

The air suddenly filled with haze.

“What the hell?”

Alastor muttered the question in the air as he observed intently the sudden appearance of a phenomenon.

A chuckle grabbed Alastor’s attention.

Benny stops.

“Do you know what this is?”

Benny instantaneously pulled away.

Benny finally replied, “As I said, I’ve struck a hard bargain. I helped them sneak all those monsters here without sweat and I easily did it.”

Alastor gaze, quizzical.

“Are they happened to be Tribunal Hunters as well?”

Benny clicked his fingers. “Bingo. It looks like the tribe leader had told you already about them. I don’t how you manage to befriend a tribunal hunter, let alone their platoon leader, but I had pulled you out of their sight, and alone and nobody is going to help you now.”

Alastor hissed. He grabbed the knife from his back, wrapped it within his fingers, and prepared.

Benny brimmed in confidence motion forward and as he break to sprint, he felt his guts turn, his head spinning, and his vision is twisting.

A terror screech came as shadows represented deform creatures trying to get out.

“Go back to sleep! It’s not your time! GO. BACK. TO. SLEEP.”

Alastor didn’t know what was happening but Benny is on the ground and one can say it’s an opportunity not to be missed. He strode and break on point in front of Benny, his sword swayed to his right.

As the tip of his blade closely made contact with his skin, a force bounced him away. It felt unreal, the dark aura began to swell out from Benny. It felt similar to dark magic.

With a last long howl of agony, Benny dropped, flat face on the ground.

Alastor rose and slowly walk towards him with care and on guard. Hesitantly, he taps the lying body and when confirmed not responding, he decided to raise his sword, prepared to end the man.

He closed his eyes when a sudden struck of realization had occurred. An idea, and not a bad one. Alastor sighed and returned his weapons back to their scabbard. He lifted Benny’s unconscious body and made his way back to the battlefield.

The wind shook and the ground trembled along with the whiskers of the leaves as the elder golem howled. The tribunal hunters scattered and held tight the chains that restricted its legs from moving.

Shackles broken unbound scattered everywhere. It appeared that the hunters failed to immobilize its arms. But it doesn’t matter, they had completely prevented its leg movements, moreover, they can deflect its gigantic arm by using wind magic. It wasn’t much of damage but enough to bounce back its attacks, just enough to counter it with various projectile magic.

A tribunal hunter who’s on the sideline watching from afar and with no intention to go finally notices his presence. His eyes were shocked as it seems.

“You…?”

“Yeah.”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Fighting of course.”

“I thought you evacuated with them?”

“Evacuated?”

“Yeah.”

Alastor suddenly recalled someone at the back of his head.

“Where have you taken them?” Alastor’s voice was passive-aggressive.

“Why does it sound like we did something wrong?”

“Answer me,” Alastor demanded.

“Okay… okay, relax. The rest of the campers had guided them pass through the mountain to meet the other campers. There, the non-combatants will take shelter and back-ups will expectedly come to aid us.”

Alastor nodded in agreement on his mind.

“You had any rope?”

“What for?”

Alastor gave a look over the body his carrying.

“Who’s that?”

“Let’s just say, he’s a prisoner. He may be involved in the sudden attacks of the monsters.”

“If that’s the guess then… hand him over to us.”

Alastor replied. “I was planning to, but you already have a big monster problem on your hands. So… I’m gonna meet Timber to let him know about this guy.”

“Wait.” The hunter calls out to him before Alastor can turn his back on him, “You might need this.”

The young hunter produces a thin light out his palm and molds, forming a lasso that sprung like a vein and wrapped itself around Benny.

“That lasso restricted person’s ability to mold mana and conjure magic. It should be able to drain his stamina if he attempts to resist.”

“Thank you,” Alastor said.

The young hunter shoved him aside as a blade nearly whizzed through him. The skeleton monsters and some others had gathered from behind them.

“They’re outflanking us.” He turned his gaze to Alastor. “Now, go! You should be able to find him behind the temple.”

Alastor nodded and didn’t waste time. He made haste while carrying Benny. Alastor leaped and slid, slipping through the battles of monsters and hunters.

On his left, a skeleton monster appeared. Its sword swiftly swung vertically. For a brief moment, Alastor’s eyes caught something sweeping past him. The blurred image zoomed past the enemy and had it halt from its tracks.

The skeleton crackles and crumbled. Behind it, a hunter had hastily turned around with his dagger following the momentum and successfully repelled the skeleton’s sword with a loud clang, throwing over its sword.

Alastor broke to sprint and ignored all of the monsters on his way.

Inside the sacred ground.

Two men walk inside. Their movements are cautious and conserve. They are very well aware of the foreign structure of this place, hence, making their moves limited.

His dark eyes were caught by the dim light on top of the pyramid. Sound and tranquil, yet disturbed by the battle outside. Dust and pebbles shook and scattered by the slight tremor.

Abel and Hannibal went past through the corridors and found their way inside.

Hannibal’s eyes scanned the giant rock with a big hole in the middle, strange signs and markings and all.

“So, you’re saying that my way trip home is this giant donut over here?” Abel asked with a mocking grin. “This is pathetic.”

“Shh.” Hannibal motion around. “You don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Hmm, let’s see.” Abel walked over and knock on the rock. Hannibal doesn’t know what he’s an attempt of, is he expecting that something would happen he mess with it, or is it a mocking suggestion. “Yep, I don’t see how this thing is going to bring me back to my homeworld. Admit it, this is a dud.”

“Patience, Abel, patience. I knew how to make things work. You think that I would bring you here just to waste your time?”

“Duh.”

“Buffoon. I have studied the sacred text and knew how to manipulate this thing. This would be a cinch.”

Hannibal gestured for Abel to move back away from the stone.

And Hannibal levitated.. He began muttering meaningless words and his eyes turns to white.