Chapter 111 - Retreating

Joan duplicate ran fast towards Isaias. He was seen guarding the carriage. A barrier was put up to repel enemies just in case. Just as Joan duplicate arrived, he immediately entered the barrier. He saw Isaias by the campfire, sitting and was confident that his barrier would hold without him being disturbed.

Just as Joan duplicate saw him, he noticed his presence. A booming sound was heard from afar so Joan duplicate hurried. Upon seeing Joan duplicate, Isaias was struck with worry.

"Where is Joan?" He asked.

"Isaias, let me teleport you somewhere safe. Joan will not hold them off for long!" Joan duplicate said to him.

"I asked you where is Joan?" He repeated.

"There, stalling time for us to escape," Joan duplicate said to him as he pointed his direction.

"Ah, so brave of him. We should not waste time, I will wait for his return. We should get away first," Isaias said to him.

It was then, Joan duplicate started his teleportation. A purple rune was made and they were glowing. They started to fade then they disappeared. Relocating themselves to somewhere safe, a few kilometres from their original spot. Just as Joan knew their safe teleportation, he grinned at the process.

"Crows! Now!" Joan shouted at them and they immediately knew what needs to be done. With Joan getting stronger, they became strong too.

[Multiply and disperse]

The ten crows multiplied into hundreds. Making them distract the enemies and they pecked their eyes on the process. Making the enemies have a hard time.

[Multiply and disperse]–a skill that multiplies the crow into ten more and they can peck enemies. An effective skill for disturbing enemies. The clones were hittable and will transmit the pain towards the original. The skill will only get cancelled or the clones will disappear if the original was hit.

It was a great skill for disrupting and disturbing enemies but as the clones were hit, the crows were pained too in the process. The enemies were swatting them left and right. Being annoyed by their presence and they were not able to get away from their grasp. It was then Tengu cawed and the other crows heard the signal.

[Illusion]

The crows used the skill and they were sunken into the illusion spell. The enemies felt that they were sent to another dimension with only crows all around. Making them flooded with their numbers. They were attacked left and right without rest.

[Illusion]–a skill only applicable when the enemies were surrounded by the flock of their numbers. Will send their minds into another world and will get attacked there without rest. They can only cancel the skill with them hitting the original. Or if the skill will be cancelled by the original himself or Joan.

Upon making the enemies in chaos, Joan knew it was time. He extinguished his summons and used his telekinesis to levitate in the air.

Upon his summons's disappearance, the enemies were confused. Joan then used the dark of the night to hide from where he was. He flew at a fast speed and has risen as high as the clouds. Finding Joan duplicate and Isaias's soul imprint, he changed trajectory and swiftly flew like a magic missile. Piercing the very wind that was in his path.

As he flew, many enemies were seen by his beast aura's vision. Seeing that many enemies flooded the mountain. Just as he saw enemies, he also saw lights that were coming from afar. Looking from afar, farther from the forest that he was atop.

Seeing that they have tents and they were huddled together from each other. He saw that they were having the kingdom's flag being strewn all over the places made Joan thought that they were the kingdom's forces. There were others too that displayed on their tents and were being blown by the wind.

Just a minute has passed, he located the direction of the imprints of the two. He saw a densely covered forest and landed somewhere in an open space. Joan then saw the carriage not far from him and was in the middle of a forest. Isaias was holding a lantern and Joan duplicate made a floating light that was making an orbit around him.

Joan duplicate was on the tree, sitting on one of its branches. The trees around them were towering. Leaves rustle as the wind blew them. Crickets reverberated their songs and it bathed the surroundings with its melody.

Isaias was on the carriage, sitting on the driver's seat. He then went to approach Joan and exited the front seat.

"A brilliant decision Joan, we almost get killed by the enemies. Close call," Isaias said to Joan. Joan then wiped his sweat while taking a deep breath.

"That thing? What are they called?" Joan asked Isaias.

"Hmmm, now you are curious eh? They are none other called Nightmares. They are attacking always at night and so they are called nightmares," Isaias said to him.

"Ah I see, so they are the bringers of death in the past right?" Joan asked.

"Yes, they are. They are also called death bringers in the past. They are once legends up until now and the legend became true as they are now awake," Isaias said to him.

"I think that their recent activities are related to the waking up of Demon Lords. Maybe the Demon Lord of Corruption has reignited them once again, rousing them to attack the kingdom once again," Joan said to the two.

"Prediction this, prediction that. It is just a prediction, we don't have evidence but Demon Lords are connected to monsters and demons alike. Still, they are predictions, we can't trust our gut feeling that far but needs evidence," Joan duplicate said to him.

"Yeah, I know. But they are terrifying existences. I can't imagine villages being attacked by them and was left unscathed. Both of us can't even think of surviving three hundred of their numbers!" Joan almost shouted.

"Still, at least we survived. We don't know what will happen if that battle dragged on. That sent chill on my spine," Duplicate said to the two of them.

Joan sighed, after his transmigration. He didn't have such enemies until he met those nightmares. Still, he managed to kill a few.

"So, you don't feel anything?" Joan duplicate asked.

"Feel what? I feel tired if you want an answer," Joan said to Joan duplicate.

"Dude, the essences! I can also feel that it was very thick and was seeping out of your skin," Duplicate said to him.

"Oh, hohoho! Nightmares tend to give a large amount of essence! They were strong enough to be called the death bringers themselves! And imagine killing two or three of them? You will get their stats!" Isaias blurted out.

"What? So I survived due to it? I also felt that I can duel some of them after absorbing a few! So that explains it. Also, with the help of my skill [Stat cultivation], I managed to get stronger and stronger. Becoming on par with them in due time," Joan said to them. Isaias and Joan duplicate almost smirked at him.

"That's my boy!" Isaias shouted.

Immediately, Joan sat at the driver's seat and being on crossed legs. While his essence was seeping out, he absorbed it all. Due to his [Stat manipulation] skill, the effects of essences were greater than normal. The essences that he collected were being absorbed and went inside his mana core. His stats rose from the fifties to sixties, it was not stopping until it reached seventies.

Further and further, his stats made it into the nineties and then reaching into hundreds. Time passed by and he reached till the hundred fifties. Gasping air on the process and he felt the power surging from his very veins.

"So how's it?" Joan duplicate asked.

"I collected essences equal to one hundred points of stats," Joan said to him.

"And that was just killing a few?" Joan duplicate asked.

"Yes," Joan replied.

Joan duplicate was shocked. He felt that he needs to kill all of the Nightmares in the future. Isaias smiled as he expected it to happen.