Chapter 145: Cornered

Chapter 145: Cornered

Four people emerged from the trees; four cultivators led by the Animal Kingdom minotaur. The jungle went quiet as if the animals understood what was about to go down. A breeze came from behind the cultivators, making their long robes flutter, and pulling Jack and Naujas hair back.

Can we help you? Nauja asked coldly.

Maybe he doesnt know me, Jack hoped.

You cant, but he will, the minotaur replied leisurely, seeming in complete control, mouth forming into a triumphant grin. You caused a lot of waves, Jack Rust.

Shit, Jack said. He inspected them.

Minotaur, Level 115

Faction: Animal Kingdom

Title: Resilient

Treant, Level 96

Faction: Star Garden

Title: Second Ring Conqueror

Human (Earth-302), Level 93

Faction: -

Title: Second Ring Conqueror

Ferretfolk, Level 93

Faction: Animal Kingdom

Title: Second Ring Conqueror

Of the three cultivators surrounding the minotaur, only one was humana tall, lanky woman with shaved hair.

The second cultivators was a treant, apparentlyan actual walking tree. Its skin was made of twisting bark, its arms were branches that split into thin, finger-like sticks at the end, and it walked on two sturdy roots. It stood a head shorter than Jack, but the crown of branches above it put them on the same height. However, all its branches were dry, and its bark was gray, gnarly, giving the impression of an old, withering tree. Its face had features that were little more than slits in the bark, with only the eyes exuding a menacing red light.

The final cultivator was a ferretfolk. It was short and lithe, with a black eyepatch covering its left eye and dark fur all over its body. Its hands held two daggers, and its mouth was drawn into a predatory snarl.

They were very interesting, academically. Unfortunately, they were also enemies, which kind of extinguished Jacks interest.

What is the meaning of this? Nauja asked again, staring at the minotaur. She knew Jack was hunted by the Animal Kingdom. She was just trying to earn time.

The man beside you is wanted by my faction, the minotaur explained with confidence. His voice was deep and booming. He reminded Jack of Bomn, but less like a berserker and more like an army officer. His entire being exuded authority and unshakable confidence. Surrender him or perish together. Your choice.

He is a guest of my tribe, Nauja tried, but the minotaur only laughed.

I couldnt care less about your tribe. I gave you a choice. Make it.

How did you find me? Jack asked, stepping forward. He could see no way out besides running, but they had the cabin to their back. He had to buy some time.

You never tried to hide. Someone killed a forest giant and upset the conqueror ant colony a few hours before we went through. Yet, when we arrived at the nearest camp, there was no new arrival. Instead, our scouts reported a cultivator staying with the barbarian tribea bare-chested man with an ape companion. He grinned sharply. It wasnt hard to connect the dots. Getting Lord Longsword to let me come was more difficult, buta billion-credit bounty is worth wasting a few hours.

Jack was getting severely irritated. There were scouts around the Tri Lake. The Animal Kingdom was everywhere, and everyone knew of his bounty. They were hunting him at every step.

Is the entire world against me? Jack thought, anger mounting. Will I not get a moment of peace? One opportunity to rest? Is it too much to ask for!?

Surrender, the minotaur commanded, apparently tired of speaking. I have to bring you back alive, but I can either do it peacefully or break all your limbs in the process. Your choice. And you, barbarian girlyour time is running out. I swear on my name, Bocor Aximar, that I will kill you if you help him. He grinned, like hed just cornered her. So, what will it be? Surrender or death?

The world exploded into motion. A green torrent appeared around Jack, filled with leaves that blocked his visibility and stuck on his body as if glued. They itched him terribly, and they were heavy, each limiting his movements.

A bellow was all the warning Jack got. A silver form flashed before him, a hulking minotaur clad in plate armor and smashing down a huge tower shield. Jack had no time to think. He roared and smashed out a Meteor Punch.

The world exploded before him. His fist met the shield, pain shooting all the way to his shoulder. He stumbled backward, stifling a cry. His hand was cracked again, bleeding from the knuckles. Bocor, on the other hand, hadnt moved a step. Hed tanked the Meteor Punch like it was nothing, smiling at Jack from above the shield. But he had stopped his attack to defend, earning Jack a precious second. Like hed assumed, the minotaur was slow.

Jack sensed more than saw the human and treant close in from both sides. He turned around and shot a blind Meteor Punch. The cabin behind him exploded. Wood flew everywhere, a splinter barely missing his eye. Brock screamed, covering his head with his arms. The cultivators ignored the shrapnel, charing through them, but Jack had demolished the cabin. He grabbed Brock and pulled him along as he dashed through the debris, frantically trying to escape the encirclement. Nauja was by his side, her feet stomping on the ground and her face twisted by tension.

Stop him! came the minotaurs cry. Leaves flew at Jack, magical in nature, blocking his sight and forming a wall before him. He shouted and ghost-stepped through it, carrying Brock along. The strain was tremendous. Jack felt his breath cut short, but hed escaped the treants attack. The leaves closed behind him, wrapping around empty air.

Armored boots thundered on soil as Bocor joined the chase, howling like a red-eyed bull. Brocks eyes widened under Jacks arm. Risking a glance, he saw that the minotaur was running on all fours. Thankfully, he wasnt too fastthe distance between them remained the same.

Another bellow came, rocking Jack's ears. He felt fury rise inside him. He wanted to attack that minotaur, kill him even if it meant

His Dao Seed roared to life, neutralizing the taunt. A second influence in his heart appeared right after. He sensed the taunt flare back to life, stronger than ever, but he knew the sensation now. His Dao Seed shone with the metallic silver color of Indomitable Will, nipping the influence in its root.

He heard a roar. He has a heart Dao! the bald womans voice echoed through the woods, followed by another bellow. Jack looked to the front. It had only been a second since he started running. The caves mouth opened before him, and he had to avoid it, because he would be trapped in there.

The jungle waited on either side. Nauja ran beside him. Just as he was about to turn, more shapes surfaced through the trees. One cultivator on either side, a staff-wielding woman and a fire-haired man flanking him. The fire-haired one was especially livid with anger. You took Fermek! he roared, stretching out his hands and unleashing a torrent of flames at Jack.

The staff-wielding woman rushed him from the side, trying to cut off his path, and Jack suddenly saw the air shaking by her side, like there was another, invisible enemy there.

The jungle was no longer an option. They were surrounded. Cave! Jack shouted, angling for the opening, but it was tough. They wouldnt make it.

A torrent of fire at the front, a staff-wielder at the side, and a roaring minotaur behind him. Three more people waiting to attack as soon as they had an opening. Jack didnt have many options. If he stopped or turned, he would be captured by someone. If he kept running, the staff-wielder and invisible enemy would catch up before he could run past them.

Only one choice left.

Jacks features warped into a scowl. The full brunt of his hatred came to bear, along with bitterness and resolve. His Brutalizing Aura flared to life. It spread out like an invisible wave around him, and where it passed, the world turned grim, like deaths scythe was arriving.

He had imbued the aura with a simple thought, one that the skill amplified and clarified beyond any doubt: If you stop me, I will kill you first. He meant it.

There was no rage, no emotion. He was simply stating a fact, which the aura injected deep into the hearts of his pursuers.

Jack had seen hard times. He had survived the Forest of the Strong. He had antagonized an impossible enemy. He was chased, cheated, and burdened, and he was constantly putting his life on the line since the Integration. Every step he took was painted by his blood.

In that regard, these scions were far too lacking. Whoever was afraid of death had no power against Jack Rust.

All the enemies reacted differently. The bald woman resisted the skill completely, as did the minotaur, but they was too far back to stop him. The flame-man gasped but pulled through, his desire for revenge overpowering the terror. The treant stumbled for a moment, then pressed the assault.

But the staff-wielding woman and the invisible enemy were closer. As Jacks aura roared out, they slowed, eyes going wide. The staff woman almost turned around and ran away in fear. She recovered a moment later, too strong for the aura to hold her, but she had lost a precious second.

In that second, Jack and Nauja burst through, heading for the cave opening.

The flame wizards attack had persisted. The torrent of fire came from the front, cutting off their advance. Jack jumped right through it.

The pain was hellish. It felt like diving into a burning oven. Jack resisted the urge to scream, keeping his mouth and eyes closed as he ran as fast as he could. It reminded him of the time hed charged the goblin shaman, back in the Forest of the Strong, and pushed through a wall of flames.

The pain lasted but a second. Jack emerged from the flames with his entire skin red and ready to blister. His hair was on fire, but the wind of his dash put it out quickly, and even the insides of his nose were burning with pain. When he drew in a breath, the hot air reached his lungs, making him miss a step.

Thankfully, Brock was fine. Jack had held him in a tight embrace, trying to protect him as much as possible. Some of his fur was burned off, but it had served as protection. Nauja was still by his side, having jumped over the flames without losing any momentum. She screamed as she landed in a run. The air above the flames was also hot.

The flames winked out in the next second. The minotaur barreled forth, barely twenty feet behind Jack. The staff woman came at them diagonally from behind, the shuddering air was just a step in front of her, and the flame man readied another strike. A green aura surrounded the cave mouth, leaves spawning around it and forming a swiftly closing barricade, while Jack still felt errant thoughts attempt to invade his mindthe bald womans influence.

There was no time to think. They reached the cave mouth and dove in, barely making it before the leaf barrier blocked their path. The minotaur tore through the leaves right away, hot on their heels, and the rest of the cultivators flooded in right after, joining the hunt.

Firebolts flew at Jack and Nauja, some hitting them and causing first-degree burns, and some missing and illuminating the dark, winding path ahead.

Nauja had said this cave complex was large and labyrinthic. Jack dearly hoped she was right.