Chapter 335

Chapter 335

White snowflakes were splattered with drops of red blood.

"Heuk! Heuk!"

In a back alley of Crossroad.

Lucas gasped for air as he tightened his grip on his sword.

Five members of the Special Forces lay defeated before him. Only Mason was barely holding on, leaning his greatsword against the ground.

Despite their numerical advantage and strength, Lucass talent and capability surpassed them all.

"Heh heh, as expected, a real McGregor is different."

Mason muttered, pressing his hand against a long sword wound on his chest.

"Even if we are elite agents selected from the best Team 1, to think we cant beat you alone..."

"Just surrender, Mason."

Compared to the fatally injured Special Forces, Lucas was mostly unscathed, save for a few minor injuries.

Lucas menacingly lunged his sword forward.

"Ill finish this."

"Sorry, but thats not going to happen."

Mason said and pulled something from his pocket.

"Lord Fernandez has given me power."

"What?"

"Power that you cant even come close to with mere swordsmanship... truly destructive power!"

In Masons hand was a small syringe filled with a blue substance.

"Is that... Beastification Serum?"

"Youve used it before, havent you?"

Mason sneered as he put the needle tip to the side of his neck.

"Its a more refined version compared to those lowly experimental samples you used."Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

"A refined version, you say?"

"Yes. A serum perfected by extracting only the pure animalistic traits from all kinds of beastmen...! Only the agents handpicked by Lord Fernandez were given this serum. The effect is a bit volatile, but its plenty strong."

Lucas gritted his teeth, his shoulders trembling.

"How many beastmen did you have to sacrifice to create that serum...?"

"How would I know?"

With a sinister smile, Mason plunged the syringe into his neck.

"As long as its effective!"

Thuk!

The serum was sucked into Masons body.

"Haaaa..."

Starting from his neck, his veins bulged and traveled throughout his body; his muscles expanded, and steam rose from his sword wounds as they healed.

Mason grinned, his face veined and contorted like a beast. Pointy, animal-like fangs were visible.

"So, this is what it feels like to abandon humanity."

"..."

"The more you abandon, the stronger you get. Human decency is really laughable, isnt it?"

Thud-!

Mason, who had stomped the ground, lunged at Lucas at an incomparable speed to before.

Craaang!

Masons greatsword tore through the air as it came crashing down. Lucas barely managed to parry the attack with his own sword, but he staggered, nearly falling.

What insane power...!

The force of the sword strike was far greater than before.

Mason, already a large figure, now resembled a medium-sized monster.

He was wielding his massive greatsword as if it were a mere dagger.

Lucas barely fended off Masons sword strikes and regained his stance.

Im outmatched in both strength and speed! At this rate...

Lucas had a straightforward way to turn the tables: Beastification.

He just had to abandon his humanity and entrust his body to his animalistic instincts.

Hadnt he overcome countless crises thanks to Beastification before?

Just a momentary release, and he could easily kill this damn traitor and go rescue Ash...

- Didnt I tell you not to use Beastification?

Suddenly, Ashs voice brushed past his ear.

"...!"

Lucas clenched his teeth.

Yes, I made a promise. I swore never to use Beastification again.

I didnt want to break my trust with Ash. I wanted to keep this promise, even if it cost me my life.

Then, the only means to counter Mason right now is

Theres one.

[Divine Descent].

It was Lucass ultimate skill, granting a massive stat buff and even enhancing existing skills.

Golden aura erupted behind Lucas as he closed his eyes.

Roaar-!

"Huh?"

When I opened my eyes, it was somehow cold.

Strange. I had loaded up the fireplace with plenty of firewood before falling asleep. Did I sleep so long that the fire went out?

I tried to reach out to check the stove, but both of my arms felt as if they were tied up tight. They wouldnt budge.

My face was covered with something, too. I blinked but couldnt see anything in front of me. Whats this, a bag?

As I woke up more, it became clear. My face was bagged, my arms were tied behind my back, and I was sitting in a cold room. Whats going on?

This feels too real to be a dream.

I bit my cheek and felt a stinging pain. There was no way I could have such a realistic dream, so this had to be reality.

I woke up to a kidnapping situation...

I marveled at my own indifference, or perhaps my deep sleep. Just how soundly had I been sleeping?

"Hey~ kidnappers, Im awake~?"

Only feeling jumpy for a moment, and unable to see anything anyway, I simply yelled out loud.

"Can you take off this suffocating bag? Also, its cold, so wrap me in a blanket. How about turning on the heater? And could you explain why youre doing this? Hello? Can you hear me?"

I acted calmly because I suspected that the people who kidnapped me didnt intend to kill me.

If they wanted me dead, they wouldnt have bothered to bring me here and tie me up.

Thump. Thump.

Sure enough, someone approached, and a formal voice spoke.

"Prince Ash, please be patient for a while."

"Who are you?"

"...We are the Aegis Special Forces."

I inwardly cursed. These annoying jerks again?

Judging from the situation, it looked like they kidnapped me while all our forces were sent to the southern defense.

I hadnt considered this due to my headache...

"We are simply executing the mission we were assigned. If you cooperate, you wont be harmed."

"And why should I believe that?"

"...Our captain will return soon and explain everything."

The captain? Are they talking about Mason, the guy I had imprisoned a few days ago? Is he coming here? Did he break out?

I clicked my tongue. Somehow, I had nothing but bad feelings about this...

Footsteps receded again. I sighed and leaned back against the chair.

Lets see, my condition is...

Still not good. Drowsy and foggy. I couldnt even use my magic power; was it some special equipment restraining me?

Any usable items or methods?

My hands are tied, so my inventory is sealed. Since my magic is completely blocked, I cant summon captured monsters either.

Plus, these are trained agents. If I act recklessly, theyll subdue me in no time.

Things are really not in my favor. What now...?

"...Your Highness."

A quiet whisper came from behind me.

"Are you alright?"

The voice was familiar. I jerked and turned towards it.

"...Godhand?"

"Shh. You mustnt look this way."

Damn. I returned my gaze to the front.

Godhand spoke in a low voice.

"You wont be able to see whats ahead, so Ill brief you on the current situation."

"..."

"Were in a shack in the deserted village north of Crossroad. Your Highness, you are tied up in the room at the northern end of the first floor. Im hiding outside the window and speaking to you through the gap."

The Shadow Squad trio were currently operating separately as part of the Penal Squad.

Therefore, they did not participate in this defense battle but were on standby in case the Aegis Special Forces goons made an additional push.

It seemed like their standby position allowed them to respond to my kidnapping.

"These people disguised themselves as merchants, citizens, or refugees and suddenly gathered to raid the mansion. Theyve kidnapped you and brought you here."

"..."

"There are too many of them, and were only three, so we couldnt subdue them outright. Weve just been assessing the situation. Please forgive us."

No, its alright. You did well. Do you know how relieved I am that youre here at least?

"Weve identified the location and confirmed their numbers, so well bring reinforcements soon. Please wait a bit more calmly..."

His voice suddenly cut off there.

"Urgh?!"

Thud! Crash!

With Godhands brief cry of pain, the sound of weapons swinging, something breaking, and someone falling to the ground could be heard.

"...Godhand?"

I whispered softly, but there was no answer.

"Hey, Godhand. Are you okay?"

Still, no answer.

"Godhand...?"

Youre alright, arent you? Huh?