Chương 353: To Kill a Insect

Vale froze over Eskar's battered body, his breathing growing increasingly ragged as the full extent of his friend's injuries finally registered. When Eskar had departed, he had been whole, both arms, both eyes, as confident as ever. Now one arm ended in a clean stump, one eye was gone, and a monstrous scar carved across his torso from shoulder to waist, passing directly over where his heart should have been. Yet the wound itself was no longer what drew Vale's attention. It was what lay beneath it.

Through the scarred flesh, veins pulsed with a brilliant orange glow, carrying something that looked far closer to molten magma than blood. Each heartbeat sent another surge of incandescent liquid coursing through his body, illuminating the wound from within like flowing lava beneath cracked stone.

'What... what the hell happened to you...?' His pulse raced as he stepped closer, but the towering forest drake immediately lowered itself between Vale and the unconscious boy, releasing a deep warning growl that vibrated through the forest floor. Vale stopped without hesitation, his ivory eyes locking onto the drake's golden gaze.

"Move." His voice was calm, almost unnaturally so.

"If you value your life... get away from my friend." For several tense seconds, neither of them moved. The drake studied him carefully before, almost reluctantly, stepping aside and lowering its massive head. Vale never took his eyes off the beast as he walked past, fully prepared to react the instant it showed the slightest sign of aggression. Only when he reached Eskar did his attention finally shift. Dropping to one knee, he immediately began inspecting every visible wound with practiced efficiency.

His fingers traced the severed shoulder before moving to the ruined eye socket.

"... Clean." His eyes narrowed.

"... Also clean." A frown slowly formed.

'These weren't torn off. They were cut. A beast couldn't do something this precise... could it?' His thoughts accelerated.

'No... Not unless...'

'A human?' Carefully checking for infection, poison, or lingering blood loss, he found nothing that threatened Eskar's life. Someone had already treated him, and despite the horrifying severity of the injuries, the wounds were healing remarkably well. Still...

"They're ugly injuries," Vale muttered quietly.

"What in the Creator's name have you been doing? Weren't Silfur and Maximus supposed to be watching over you?" There was far more concern than frustration in his voice. Eventually, his gaze drifted back toward the glowing scar crossing Eskar's chest, where molten fluid continued pulsing beneath the skin. Slowly and cautiously, he reached toward it. The instant his fingertips brushed the scar- Ssssss... Smoke erupted from his hand.

"Agh!" Vale jerked back, clutching his burned palm as thin wisps of smoke curled from the blackened skin. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"What the hell is that?" He stared at Eskar's body.

'That should've incinerated my hand. So how...' The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

'How is his body containing something like that?' Silence settled over the clearing as Vale lowered himself into the grass beside his unconscious friend. Eskar wasn't waking anytime soon, that much was obvious. After everything he had endured, perhaps he deserved the rest. Vale looked over at him and smiled faintly.

"... At least you kept your promise." His voice barely rose above a whisper.

"You came back." The smile turned bittersweet.

"... Just try coming back in one piece next time." As though hearing him, one of the young forest drakes cautiously wandered closer, sniffing curiously at Vale before another hatchling followed. They were barely the size of large dogs, oversized claws making them seem almost clumsy despite belonging to one of the forest's apex predators. Vale glanced toward their mother.

"... Your children are coming over." The drake remained perfectly vigilant. She neither stopped them nor relaxed her guard. Vale sighed before pushing himself to his feet.

"... Suit yourself." Approaching the massive beast once again, he deliberately slowed his pace.

"No sudden movements. It's alright..." He spoke softly with every careful step, not attempting to provoke her. Eventually, he reached her side, and only then did he notice the blood. A deep crimson trail stained the emerald scales covering her flank. Vale's expression hardened.

"... You're hurt." He crouched beside the wound, gently tracing its edge with two fingers. The cut was deep, far deeper than he had expected. Forest drakes weren't the most heavily armored monsters, but fully grown, even Category Four predators struggled to pierce their scales. Yet this wound had sliced cleanly through them. Vale slowly followed the injury from end to end. His breathing stopped.

"This precision..." The edges were smooth. There was no tearing, crushing, or even bite marks. It resembled a sword wound more than anything else.

"... Impossible." He slowly shook his head.

'There aren't any other humans here. And if Eskar had done this... she would've killed him.' The realization came together with frightening speed.

'Which means... Something else did this. Something with claws... Or blades...'

'Sharp enough to cut through a forest drake's scales?' His expression darkened.

"... This is bad." Slowly backing away, he looked up at the enormous beast.

"Listen. You and your young need to come with me. There are people at our camp strong enough to protect you. We can't stay here." His voice grew more serious.

"Whatever attacked you... It is far too dangerous." The drake remained silent. Then the bushes rustled. Instantly, the beast exploded into motion, its colossal body surging forward as one enormous claw slammed into the earth directly beside Vale. The impact shattered the ground, launching chunks of stone into the air. Vale leapt backward, instinctively raising an arm against the debris.

"What the hell was tha-" He stopped. Every muscle in his body locked. He felt it. A sensation he had not experienced for a very long time. Pure and unfiltered. Murderous intent. It flooded the clearing like icy water. Vale moved before conscious thought could catch up. His onyx blade flashed from its sheath. CLANG! Steel screamed as he barely intercepted the attack. The force drove him backward several meters, his boots carving deep trenches through the soil while he struggled to hold the blade with both hands.

His vision blurred for only an instant. Then he finally saw it. His pupils contracted.

"... What..." A grotesque creature crouched several meters away, vaguely humanoid yet unmistakably insectoid. Its forearms ended in enormous chitin blades capable of cleaving armored soldiers in half, while jagged mandibles clicked hungrily beneath a featureless face. Long segmented legs flexed beneath its body, and only one antenna remained. The other had been severed cleanly, its stump blackened and faintly smoking as though burned away by intense heat. The creature shrieked.

The sound ripped through the forest like tearing metal. With another violent burst of speed, it lunged again. Vale allowed the momentum to carry him backward instead of resisting it. The instant he became airborne, he reached into his pouch and sent a throwing dagger spinning toward the creature. The insect casually knocked it aside with one bladed arm. Vale landed lightly in a crouch, one knee touching the earth as his breathing steadied and his eyes sharpened.

'Faster than me... and stronger than me.' His gaze tracked every twitch of its muscles.

'But... it has no technique behind its movements, only raw instincts' A faint smile touched his lips.

"... Doable." Before the creature could launch another assault, the forest drake lunged. Massive claws tore through the earth while the insect sprang away with astonishing agility, narrowly avoiding being crushed. Vale rose beside the drake. For the first time since meeting the beast, they stood shoulder to shoulder. He glanced sideways.

"Looks like we have a mutual enemy." The drake answered with a thunderous growl. Vale reached for his second blade. only for his hand to close on empty air.

"... Right." His eye twitched.

"I left it lodged in a cliff." Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he drew another throwing dagger from his pouch instead and settled into a lower stance. His breathing slowed while the insect circled patiently, the drake answered with another growl, and the hatchlings hurried behind their mother's enormous frame. Vale tightened his grip around the sword and dagger, never taking his eyes off the creature. is"... Let's make this quick."