Chapter 50 Ch. 50: It Begins [3]



A/N:

Eh? 

I can't believe I've reached ch. 50, lol.

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"?"

Sensing someone gazing at him, Nathaniel lifted his head and upon seeing a familiar figure perched on a tree branch, he couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows.

'Why is he doing here?'

The moment their eyes met, the man flashed a wry smile before turning and leaping into the dense forest.

Nathaniel clenched his fist and shouted.

"Sir Wyatt! I leave them to you!"

The Knight Lieutenant's brow furrowed in confusion as he watched Nathaniel charge into the forest alone.

"Your Highness! It's dangerous to move al—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a glint of steel caught his eye, forcing him to defend himself.

—Bang!

Sparks of metal burst when Wyatt's sword collided with his opponent's.

He quickly shoved the blade away and delivered a swift strike at his neck.

"Urg!"

Blood gushed from his wound and the hooded man fell to the ground.

Wyatt's eyes darted to the spot where he had last seen Nathaniel, however, the Prince was nowhere to be found.

"Hiyaa!!"

Suddenly, a man dashed at him, and without bothering to look at the enemy, Wyatt swung his sword.

"Argh!"

The man clutched his neck and slumped to the floor.

Wyatt scanned the battlefield intently, but the boy was still nowhere in sight.

.

.

.

Nathaniel leaped swiftly from one tree branch to another, he was chasing a black-robed man.

"Stop!"

The man glanced back at him and let out a mocking smirk before turning his attention back to the path ahead and increasing his speed.

"I said stop! You bastard!"

Nathaniel extended his arm and chanted inwardly.

Soon, a magic circle formed in front of his palm and he fired three wind bullets.

Nonetheless, the man deftly zigzagged and evaded the attacks with ease.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

The tree trunk and branches exploded, sending dust and splinters into the air like fireworks.

Passing through the mist of dirt, Nathaniel fired another three wind bullets, however, the man skillfully dodged them unscathed.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom! 

The trees burst and dust obscured Nathaniel's view.

Emerging from the clouds of dirt, the boy was greeted by a fist.

—Bang!

Fortunately, the black-haired boy was able to conjure a Wind Barrier around himself in the nick of time, deflecting the man's punch aimed at his face.

"Ha!"

The man scoffed, then immediately kicked at the barrier.

—Bang!

Despite the shield remaining intact, the impact of the kick was so powerful that Nathaniel was sent flying backward and hit a nearby tree trunk.

"Urk!"

Blood spurted from his mouth and he fell onto his backside. 

Upon seeing it, the man snickered and bounded away once more.

Dismissing his shield, Nathaniel spat the remaining blood to the side.

"Tchu."

Wiping his mouth and standing up, Nathaniel was determined to catch the man.

With that, he resumed his pursuit.

—Whiz

As the whizzing sounds pricked his ears, the man peeked over his shoulder and found another wind bullet hurtling toward him.

Wasting no more time, the man jumped sideways to evade the incoming attack.

Yet, to his surprise, another bullet rushed in and struck him.

—Boom!

The explosion echoed, resulting in a fog of dust in the vicinity.

Soon, the man's body flung and collided with several branches before coming to a sudden stop against a tree trunk, landing hard on his backside.

"Ugh!"

A mouthful of blood spewed from the man's mouth.

Seeing how the boy shot at him with his shining wind blade, he sprang to his feet and jumped backward—narrowly avoiding the blade.

—Slash!

With a swift slash, the boy cut the tree trunk in half, sending it crashing to the ground with a thunderous boom.

Watching the man flee once again, Nathaniel chanted inwardly and sent three crescent-shaped white lights toward him.

As the whizzing sound came back, the man stopped in his tracks and drew his weapon.

Immediately, iron knuckles materialized on both of his hands.

Reciting the spell inwardly, his weapon began to shine.

The moment the wind blade rushed in, the man skillfully punched and thwarted them effortlessly.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

The ground erupted and sent trees shattering, spreading dirt into the space.

"Tsk."

Nathaniel clucked his tongue in annoyance as the man kept parrying his attacks.

"Ha!"

The man let out a wry sneer and hopped forward, diving further into the forest.

"Stop!"

Nathaniel commenced to hunt him.

The person he was currently chasing was none other than one of the higher-ups of the secret organization Nathaniel had fought against in his previous timeline!

'Now everything makes sense!'

He finally understood how Kearny's army was able to reach here despite the impossible route, just like Adrian stated!

It turned out that the Kearny Kingdom sought help from those bastards!

He had no idea because unlike right now, the kingdom of Kearny had launched a surprise attack on the refugee camp in the past.

The attack resulted in the loss of over a thousand refugees and knights, including Asher who sacrificed his life to protect Adrian, Princes, and Princesses from other Kingdoms.

This incident angered Arthur and led the Empire to launch a second attack on the Kearny Kingdom.

And so, the war continued for 7 years.

Nathaniel chanted his spell inwardly and shot three wind bullets, but the man dodged them with ease.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom! 

As the man jumped down, Nathaniel followed suit and soon they were both standing in a clearing. 

The man faced him and then he removed his black robe, revealing his gorilla-like build.

Nathaniel hurriedly slashed his sword in the air, sending a white crescent light hurtling toward the man.

Differing from before, the man nonchalantly raised his right arm and—

—Spurt!

Blood ran down his arms and dripped to the ground.

The man's flesh cut opened, revealing a bone inside.

Despite his wounds, the man didn't seem bothered and didn't even let out a single shriek of pain.

And what happened next made Nathaniel grit his teeth.

Smoke rose from the man's wound and it slowly closed.

"Heh!"

The man jeered as his body completely healed, devoid of any scratches. 

'So the damn drug has been developed, huh?'