"Damn it, don't let him escape! Someone inform the Baron about this!" one of the soldiers roared in anger, unleashing his full power as a D-Rank Ascendant.
With an explosive surge of strength, he lunged forward, chasing after Liam.
As for the other two soldiers, they were only E-Rank, thus unable to keep up with the movements of their leader—or Liam.
After a brief moment of thought, one of them quickly ran toward the castle to inform the Baron, while the other followed his commander's footsteps, pursuing Liam.
He knew he wouldn't be able to escape far.
…..
Liam ran like a madman. With every step he took, he covered several meters, and within a single minute, he had put a full mile between himself and his pursuers.
His path was filled with scattered trees and some bushes.
Due to his high speed, he was sometimes unable to avoid them, so his body became covered in bruises and scratches.
"Damn it!"
Rustle!
He crashed through a thick cluster of bushes, tearing them apart with his body, sending leaves and small branches flying everywhere.
Though he was a weak individual, he was still an F-Rank Ascendant, and something like this wouldn't hurt him—or at least wouldn't cause significant damage.
"Hah..."
He panted exhaustedly, turning to look behind him to make sure no one was pursuing him.
"I've put a lot of distance between us, but damn it, I've left too many traces behind. At this rate, they'll be able to track me easily."
A stern look appeared in his eyes, and he didn't let exhaustion stop him. Within a few more minutes, he had covered another five miles.
"Shit!" His foot caught on a protruding rock, and he almost fell, but he quickly regained his balance. He wanted to keep running, but his steps grew heavier and heavier.
"No, not now\..."
He looked down at his feet and noticed that his Wind Boots were starting to dissipate, signaling the end of the Wind Steps spell.
His brow furrowed, and he forced himself to run a bit further, but as soon as the spell wore off, he could no longer continue.
His steps became too heavy, and his strength gave out.
He stopped in his tracks and began to pant heavily.
He looked around cautiously, and once he confirmed the area was safe, he sat down beneath the shade of a dense tree, resting his body for a moment.
But he couldn't relax, and he continued to monitor his surroundings.
"Just a little more. If I can reach the neighboring barony, Robert and his followers won't be able to pursue me."
He reviewed the escape plan he had formulated in his mind. After about five minutes of rest, he stood up, stretched his body, and took a deep breath.
He looked at the palm of his hand, from which one of the symbols had disappeared, then said again, "Wind Steps, Release!"
He took a step forward, ready to run, but suddenly felt a terrible premonition.
In a fraction of a second, his body lunged forward involuntarily, as he felt intense pain in the area above his waist.
"Aaagh!"
He opened his mouth and groaned loudly. His vision blurred for a moment but quickly cleared. He resisted the urge to scream and kept himself from falling.
He looked at the source of the pain, and that's when he saw an arrowhead covered in blood, protruding from his side—accompanied by his own blood.
He opened his mouth, trembling, unable to believe what he was seeing.
*No, it can't be! Did they reach me this quickly? Do they really intend to kill me?*
His mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, but he controlled his fear. He quickly turned around and saw a group of soldiers running toward him.
He didn't hesitate. He pointed his palm, covered in symbols, toward them and furiously yelled, "Fireball, Release! Nature's Sword, Release!"
A massive orb ablaze with scorching flames appeared, hurtling toward the soldiers at insane speed, burning everything in its path to ash.
Behind it, a massive sword glowed with a pure green aura.
"Look out!"
"Disperse!"
The soldiers screamed in fear and scattered in all directions.
But as soon as the Fireball approached them, it exploded, unleashing a shockwave of intense heat that pulverized everything around it.
Trees shattered, and soldiers flew several meters before crashing into the ground or nearby trees.
But Liam's attack didn't end there. As soon as the Nature's Sword struck the ground, dozens of hard plant roots emerged from its vicinity, coiling around the soldiers like snakes and beginning to crush their bodies.
"Aaagh!"
The weaker ones screamed, staring at their comrades helplessly, unable to break free. The stronger ones, however, acted quickly.
They drew their swords and cut through all the roots around them before moving to save their trapped comrades.
"Hah..."
One of the soldiers fell to the ground, clutching his broken and disfigured leg, cursing, "Catch that bastard! Don't let him escape!"
The remaining soldiers looked toward Liam's last known location but couldn't find him. He had escaped, leaving a trail of blood.
Whinny!
Suddenly, a large number of soldiers arrived, mounted on powerful horses, with Baron Robert at the forefront. His eyes were filled with raging fury.
He glared at his soldiers and roared, "You useless idiots! Why are you just standing there? Chase that bastard!"
One of the few D-Rank soldiers stepped forward, holding a bow in his hand. "Don't worry, my lord, I hit him, so he won't get far."
Robert's brow furrowed, and his rage intensified. He raised his massive hand and slapped the soldier with such force that it sent him sprawling to the ground.
"You fool! Do you want to cause our deaths? What if you killed him?"
The soldier clutched his cheek in disbelief, wanting to defend himself, but he shut his mouth and remained silent.
Robert raised his hand and gestured to his followers. "Move, you pieces of trash! We mustn't let that bastard die! Otherwise, the Duke will slaughter us!"
…..
Four miles away, Liam walked with incredibly slow steps, barely keeping himself from collapsing.
His breaths were heavy, and he clung to consciousness by a thread.
He clutched his abdominal wound, from which blood flowed profusely.
Despite the hellish pain he felt, his resolve never wavered. He paused for a moment, supporting himself against a small tree.
With a sigh of regret, he panted, "Perhaps I should have stayed... Running wasn't a good idea."
He shook his head. "No, I'll never accept slavery. Death is better than living a wretched life."
He raised his blood-covered hand and looked at the last two symbols on it. He clenched his fist, preparing himself for his final struggle.
But he didn't intend to stop and wait for Robert's soldiers to arrive. Slowly, he took out a small, oddly shaped necklace from around his neck.
It resembled a purple crystal sword, around which a thin snake with a pointed head was coiled.
He stared at the necklace for a brief moment and murmured, "Mother, perhaps we'll meet soon."
He hid the necklace beneath his clothes, gathered his remaining strength, and pushed himself forward, leaving a red handprint on the tree.
He continued walking, hoping for a miracle to save his life.
But as time passed, his hopes began to fade, and his consciousness started to blur. He swayed with every step he took but refused to fall.
He smiled bitterly and turned to look back. "They'll arrive any moment now." His resolve began to disappear; he no longer wanted to struggle. In fact, he wished the Baron would find and save him.
"Staying alive means another chance to escape. How foolish of me... I almost died in vain like this."
Yet, his pride wouldn't allow him to give up, so he turned and continued walking forward.
After covering a few more meters, he saw something strange, hidden behind the trees and bushes.
"What is that?" he wondered in a very heavy voice, pushing himself to move closer.
Then, the object before him revealed itself. It was a large, ruined palace.
A significant portion of it had collapsed, overgrown with weeds and moss, and birds had built nests in its shattered windows.
Due to the destruction, the palace's original shape was barely discernible, and its paint had faded away. Only the first floor remained standing.
Liam stared at the palace for a moment and scoffed, "Is this some kind of sign? Is what awaits me ruin and a slow death, just like this palace?"
For some reason, he continued walking until he reached the palace gates. He pushed open what remained of the massive wooden door and entered.
Inside, a large hall was filled with rocks and broken glass. He found a relatively clean spot and sat down, leaning on his shoulder as he looked at his wound.
"I should have bought some healing scrolls."
He sighed.
His blood continued to drip onto the ground, forming a small puddle where he sat. His consciousness faded, and his eyes slowly began to close.
His pain vanished, and all chaotic thoughts in his head disappeared. He felt an intense sense of comfort and simply wanted to sleep.
Amidst that beautiful stillness, a blue screen appeared before him with something written on it:
[Loading...]
*What is this?*
That was the last thing he thought before losing consciousness completely.