Kael and Leon exchanged a glance, seeing the vigilance in each other's eyes. Kael quickly helped Leon up and hid him in the deeper shadows, signaling him to remain silent.
In the inn's main hall, crude jeering mixed with the crisp sound of clinking glasses echoed from the newcomers.
"Damn it, who would've thought those 'red robe' bastards would be this tenacious, costing us two brothers!" a hoarse voice cursed.
"Tell me about it. That said, Green, Ted, you two are damn lucky to have survived that ambush," another voice chimed in.
Hearing the names "Green" and "Ted," Leon tensed, a flame of fury igniting in his eyes. It was those two—once his sworn comrades—who had discarded him here like garbage.
"Just sheer luck," Green replied, his voice carrying guilt. "You know our captain's strength. He sacrificed himself to give us a chance."
"Hmph, nice excuse," the hoarse voice sneered. "But I've heard there was an apprentice knight in your squad. Where is he? You didn't use him as bait, did you?"
"Nonsense! He died in battle long ago!" Ted retorted loudly, though his bravado was unconvincing—Kael could hear the falsehood clearly even from the stable.
Kael pressed down on Leon, who was trying to rise, and shook his head. Rushing out now, against five well-rested enemies, would be nothing short of suicide, especially given Leon's injuries.
"Vix, analyze their strength," Kael asked calmly in his mind.
"Two mid-tier 'Enlightened' deserters, three high-tier 'Enlightened' mercenaries. Oh, wait…" Vix's voice turned amused. "The hoarse one's peculiar—he's wrapped in chaotic yet powerful energy. Likely an early-stage adept sorcerer. Kid, this trouble's bigger than you think."
An adept!
That was a realm leagues beyond the Enlightened! Kael's heart sank. Just one adept could easily crush the three of them.
Tonight, a peaceful resolution was clearly out of reach.
At that moment, the hall's chatter resumed.
"Boss! Another round—five servings of roast and your finest ale!"
"Coming right up, sirs!"
Moments later, the innkeeper shakily emerged from the kitchen, carrying a large tray.
"Here's your food and drink, sirs. Oh, and the young guests in the stable—their supper is ready too. Shall I bring it to them?" the innkeeper asked cautiously.
Green's expression subtly shifted. "There are people in the stable? Who are they?"
"Just a sickly-looking boy and a little girl."
Green and Ted exchanged a knowing glance, a flash of murderous intent crossing their eyes. They had assumed Leon dead—little did they expect witnesses to remain here.
"No need, boss," the hoarse sorcerer interjected, licking his lips with a cruel smile. "We'll deliver their dinner ourselves."
It's over!
Leon's face turned ashen at those words.
Kael's expression also grew unprecedentedly grave. He knew the worst had come to pass. A bloody fight was inevitable.
"Amy, stay behind me," he whispered to the girl.
"Leon, can you still stand?"
Grinding his teeth, Leon used his knight's sword to brace himself, struggling to his feet. "For the honor of knights, I can still fight!"
"Good," Kael nodded. "Your mission is simple—hold this door. No matter what, don't let them through. Can you do that?"
"Swear by life!" Leon declared firmly.
Outside, footsteps grew closer.
"Creak—"
The stable's rickety wooden door was slowly pushed open.
The sorcerer entered first, followed by Green, Ted, and the other two mercenaries, their presence blocking the entire exit.
Seeing Leon standing at the door, sword in hand, Green and Ted's faces turned deathly pale.
"Leon?! You… you're still alive!"
"Thanks to you two, I'm not dead yet," Leon sneered at them, his eyes filled with disdain and fury. "You cowards who have forsaken the knight's oath don't deserve to wear armor!"
"Enough talk!" The sorcerer's gaze swept over the trio before settling on Kael, a glint of greed in his eyes. "A fledgling knight, a nobody little girl, and a blind boy without a single etheric fluctuation? Perfect—I've been needing fresh materials for my experiments."
Before he finished, the two mercenaries beside him charged forward with malicious grins.
"Hold the line!" Kael shouted lowly.
"For honor!" Leon roared, pouring all his remaining etheric energy into his knight's sword. With a sweeping strike, a crescent-shaped silver blade aura barely held back the mercenaries.
The battle erupted instantly.
The stable turned into a blood-soaked battlefield in a heartbeat.
Kael ignored the mercenaries, focusing only on one target—the sorcerer. Taking down the leader was his only chance.
He leapt forward, moving like a shadow along the wall as he sped toward the sorcerer.
"Foolish!" The sorcerer sneered coldly, uttering a soft incantation.
A shield formed of shadow energy materialized before him. At the same time, sharp shadow spears appeared mid-air, shooting toward Kael with a shrill whistle.
Kael's pupils contracted as the Voidseer's Eye traced the spears' trajectories. In a hair's breadth moment, he dodged with a series of impossible movements, narrowly evading each spear.
Meanwhile, Leon was in dire straits. Gravely injured, he faced two opponents, fighting sheerly on willpower. Blood seeped from reopened wounds, staining his armor red, yet he stood firm at the door without retreating an inch.
"Amy! Now!" Kael shouted.
Amy, who had been hiding, grabbed a handful of straw and lime powder and hurled it into the mercenaries' faces. Though crude, in the confined space, the move worked perfectly. The mercenaries faltered, momentarily blinded.
Now!
Leon seized the opportunity and mustered his last ounce of strength to drive his knight's sword into a mercenary's abdomen.
Simultaneously, Kael exploited the sorcerer's distraction, launching a fatal strike.
Standing still, Kael's black vortex-like eyes spun wildly.
"Energy siphon!"
"What?!" The sorcerer's face turned pale as he felt his etheric energy being drawn uncontrollably toward the blind boy. The bizarre, unheard-of ability filled him with terror.
He tried to sever the connection, but it was too late.
Kael, like a ravenous black hole, devoured the sorcerer's strength.
"Die!" the sorcerer roared, abandoning defense to compress all his remaining energy into a head-sized shadow energy sphere. He hurled it at Kael, aiming for mutual destruction.
"Leon! Block it!" Kael shouted.
Leon glanced at Kael, then at Amy trembling in the corner. Determination flashed in his eyes. Abandoning the remaining enemy, he hurled himself at the shadow energy sphere with a defiant roar.
"No!" Amy screamed, heartbroken.
Boom!
The explosion rocked the stable. Leon's body was flung back like a broken kite, crashing into a wall, his fate unknown. However, he had bought Kael precious seconds.
Kael absorbed the massive energy siphoned from the sorcerer into his body.
Crack!
An invisible barrier within him shattered. A new, vastly more powerful force surged through his veins.
Adept level: initial stage.
"Now, it's my turn."
Kael opened his eyes, the black vortexes within seemingly devouring souls. In a single step, he vanished.
Reappearing before the weakened sorcerer, Kael wasted no time. His broken sword, brimming with etheric energy, cleanly slit the sorcerer's throat.
Without pause, Kael's figure blurred again, swiftly dispatching the remaining three terror-stricken enemies.
The battle ended in mere seconds, swift and decisive.
As the last enemy fell, the stable returned to silence.
Breathing heavily, Kael felt the boundless new power coursing through him but felt no joy. He rushed to Leon's side, finding him gravely injured yet alive.
Kael exhaled in relief and began rifling through the sorcerer's belongings, soon uncovering a blood-stained, tattered parchment map.