SOML – Chapter 35: The gamble

 Chapter 35 – The gamble

…

Terrence ambled across the school grounds. Memories flashed in her eyes like it was just yesterday. The girl continued until she arrived in front of a hidden house behind the building.

She wanted to be with Jay, but when she recalled how their conversation went; she felt gloomy.

“Don’t you feel hatred? Are you just letting those scrooge get away?” The girl glared at him. “What is life without excitement and goal? This is what every person hoped to be!”

“This is my life, Terrence.” Jay made a wry smile. Behind him were his little brothers and sisters. All of them grew curious about what was happening.

Seeing them, Terrence softened, but she still didn’t want to let him slide. “Join me. We will get our revenge on Ayill.”

But Jay remained unmoved. Every time he felt the tiny movements in his back, his heart only became harder. The girl pointed at him. “Don’t you have any heart? That’s our friend!”

“Sorry, but I have a family to take care. And I’m not cut to do great things, anyway.” The boy delivered peaceful words.

This made her feeling lost. She thought it was their responsibility to get revenge. But it looked like it was only her who thought that way.

She still convinced herself to get revenge, though. Even alone.

Knocking on the door, Terrence could only believe her teacher had a way.

Now that they graduated, many secrets became available to her. Her family gave her their heirloom art and also recounted the most recent history of Mortal Lands.

This included Von’s identity. It surprised her, and this boosted her confidence to get revenge.

But what welcomed her wasn’t Von, but another man. Instinctively, her muscles stretched and her eyes trained on him. Her hand went to her spear, readying herself to a battle. All these were instinctual for she could feel a dangerous aura out of the person!

“Boss, a child is here.” The man arched respectfully behind him.

Terrence’s eyes narrowed and traced his line of sight. She could see a seductive lady sitting at her teacher’s table. But the dangerous sensation only increased when she discovered the latter.

The lady only glanced at her before resuming her work.

“Who are you?” The girl unsheathed her spear.

The woman glimpsed at her again, laid down the papers and uttered a sentence that knitted Terrence’s brows.

“Von left. But you can probably see him at County of Waterfalls and Pilgrimage.”

“…”

The girl sighed while observing the huge county walls before her. She was only a few steps away from the gate. “Teacher must have gone after that Grimo already…”

Fortunately, those guys in the academy wasn’t enemy, the girl thought. Because if not, she didn’t know how she could survive. At the same, this brought her more determination to become strong!

“Sarah.” Terrence’s heart burned in passion. She could still see the impact of the battle between Venerables. The county had to repair again the collapsed infrastructures. “You went one day ahead of me. I don’t know where you are right now, but I hope you are safe until we meet each other again.”

The girl’s lips arched. “And also those in the Ten Talents, I’m going to surpass you all!”

…

A figure crouched between two flying bodies. The latter couldn’t help but grunt in pain. The figure followed them like a hyena out for blood. It went straight to the body on the left.

With one-two jabs, the demon in the left coughed out blood. He looked at the girl whose eyes didn’t leave him any second. He was bitter. His comrades kept roaring around him. Yet, they couldn’t do anything to this girl.

Suddenly, a fist slid under his chin, catching him off guard.

Peng.

Pain registered in his brain until his mind went black. Thus, he didn’t see the carnage after him.

Roar. Sarah didn’t know how many times she had punched her opponents. Nevertheless, her brain felt energized as she pummeled each furry demon coming to her. It was like she didn’t feel fatigue as she moved between their claws and teeth.

Unobstructed, Sarah whacked someone in the head while kicking another at the side. This was quite a novel feeling to her. After all, sparing won’t be able to beat one to death.

But this time, no rules would hinder her. No elders to reprimand her and no people to badmouth her.

Free as a bird in the vast sky. She felt happiness blossomed inside her heart.

“This is my place! This is my place!” She roared inside herself.

But although giddy with enjoyment, she still felt uncomfortable when someone was staring at her for too long. Looking at his hulking frame, Sarah could only describe him as monstrous. A predator.

Yet, instead of a predatory animal, he resembled a hunter instead.

Patient. Observing her every move. Scrutinizing each of her body details.

The girl scoffed. This type of enemy was sure tough to face. Even though she felt happy for fighting without shackles, her stamina wasn’t unlimited. Right now, she turned breathless after a long time of combat.

She recalled her deal with Jed, making herself cursed out loud.

The heck. Where was the promise of half each? I could enjoy beating opponents, but not me being beaten!

Knowing her predicament, she had to do something. Suddenly, she got an idea before breaking into a devilish smile. She had to to taunt her opponent so she could use her trump card!

Her face quickly showed disdain of Marakur’s inaction, showing middle fingers towards him.

She also recalled Ben’s weird dancing which angered the gorilla and thus, didn’t hesitate to copy it.

She could only put her hopes on how observant his opponent!

Every demons gawked but only the receiver understood her intention. But instead of being taunted, Marakur knitted his brows.

Marakur loved to eat; it was his instinct to devour flesh. Especially those special types.

But eating a fish that could prick you with its bone was unappetizing. Every cook would give their best to prepare their food. And he believed he was like that too.

Furthermore, this was Sarah. The top talent of humanity.

With her bloodline, she was enough to become the main dish.

But seeing her right now, Marakur felt something about her. A peculiar feeling, gnawing at his insides, increasing his appetite. This prompted him to take no action.

Then, like a light bulb, he understood.

She was getting stronger by minute. No! She was slowly copying her opponents’ moves!

Marakur shivered. Not by fear, but because he thought he had found the greatest meal of all time. Her talent broke boundaries of his imagination. So he needed to be extra careful with this. He licked his large lips.

“You two attack her, but keep your distance. Two others will go after they fell! Just always keep her with two people.” The demons heard Marakur’s order. Two of them shivered while the others felt pardoned by their crimes.

Thud. Sarah made a demon kneel. She pressed her body while coiling her arms around him. But suddenly she paused. Though she twisted his head, anyway. She only remembered Ben’s words, that was why.

“Murder? Ha! Naïve!” As if ascertaining her words, corpses piled up around Sarah.

The girl perceived the two demons facing her and the demons standing at a considerable distance. She clicked her tongue. Her opponent seemed too keen, contrary to his looks.

As for the others, she didn’t regard them as opponents. In human standards, they were at Expert Level and Sarah was also only an Expert. So, they should be equal.

But the only thing, their Evil Arts had been subpar, revealing how poor-stricken and lowly they were among Manecoon Clan. No, even among the demons as a whole, they were just a fodder in short.

There was almost no difference between a normal human Expert and a normal Demon Expert. The former just had a more solid foundation while the latter cheated their way with Evil Arts and was lucky because of their innate racial talents.

But comparing the latter to a person with five dragon bloodlines really gave no justice. In fact, Pendragons were closer to the Beast Race if not for their human appearance.

Also, if based on experience, what could be worse than killing a Beast?

Every day she also sparred with multiple Pendragons who were also talented.

In addition, she had faced assassinations countless times.

Thus, she had a right to disregard them as a qualified opponent.

But it didn’t mean she didn’t recognize their significance.

Endurance, the thing she had that was dwindling quickly. And the thing her current obstacle had was strength in numbers. She wanted to grin, but only a bitter smile appeared on her face.

“Too bad, the earlier episode didn’t last long.”

Sarah recognized her opponent was now aware of her talent. Probably even wary of her trump card that could increase her strength to Grandmaster level.

Of course, she knew that no one truly understood it. It was a secret she couldn’t divulge. Not only humans and demons would target her, but the entire Mortal Lands of this spread.

The thing she could do was to finish each enemy as fast as possible and then use the trump card against the patient demon.

Without ado, the girl pumped her feet. This was an Evil Art she copied from the Manecoons. Bursting with force, she flashed beside the closest demon who panicked. Her hand chopped on his head, succeeding in her sneak attack.

But a shadow already upon behind her. Without looking, she sent a spinning kick.

Peng. The last one went flying, but the one beside her quickly tackled her to the ground.

But by the time they touched the floor, the demon had already died. There were two fists on the sides of his head.

The earlier demon stood up and hurriedly engaged her with a fight.

And by the time she finished her foes, her stamina went down another notch. Two more enemies quickly assaulted her.

“They are like rabid dogs! At least, with all of them attacking, I can use my training in the Room of Death. I can be more proactive while also copying their moves at the same time. But in the current situation, they’ll just tire me out!”

Punch, kick and claw might be dangerous. But the girl knew that something else was more dangerous than these.

Wrestling and grappling. Once constricted by several opponents, she would not see a day ever again.

She already identified this idea; hence, she recommended the Room of Death for them to train. She hoped to use this against multiple opponents. 

But her opponent easily nullified this advantage.

Meanwhile, the current happening made Marakur furrowed his brows. Understanding her talent already showcased her meal value. But for a meat on the chopping board, she was too hard to cook.

Little by little, Marakur became shocked at her combat prowess. Especially her ability to use copied Evil Arts like there was no tomorrow!

Bursting in speed. Bulging muscles and gaining strength. These were the favorite Evil Arts of Manecoon Clan.

Demons could use these typical Evil Arts by sacrificing an amount of resources in a ritual. But just like Combat and Spell Arts, Evil Arts relied heavily on World’s Energy or else one would die from too much stress in the body.

But looking at her, she didn’t appear in pain by using too many Evil Arts!

After a straight hour of fighting, bodies crumpled in the ground, encircling a lone standing figure. As for the latter, she wheezed and gasped for mouthful after mouthful of air.

Tak. Tak. Sarah gazed at the comer. She perceived the heaviness in the latter’s steps, and grimness emerged on her face.

Peng. A huge shadow burst in speed. Sarah groaned. Even though she defended with her hands, just the sheer size of Marakur’s fist was enough to numb her arms. She looked at him and saw his bulging muscles.

“Shit.” Sarah hurried to dodge. She knew Marakur differed from those fodders earlier. His speed burst, increased strength and bulging muscles were top notch, publicizing how rich this guy.

“Marakur… He said his name is Marakur. If I remember correctly, this guy is in the Hades Decemvirate.” Her face became bland. It just her lips curved upwards though.

Once again, Marakur came upon her. This time, Sarah didn’t dodge. Her muscles bulged and met his fist.

Thud. Sarah flinched, almost stepping back. The girl gritted her teeth and did another attack.

Marakur remained calm, meeting her punch with his punch. They kept exchanging blows until it turned into a slug fight. Both of them gave a flurry of attacks, producing crisp popping sounds. They let themselves wild in a brawl.

Sarah knew she was losing ground, however. Yet, she still joined Marakur in a fist of fury.

Tatatata. The sound of fist meeting and flesh ripping became the beautiful melody for both. Fist after fist. Punch then another punch. Both of them roaring like vicious animals, tearing each other apart.

Marakur smiled, and it became wider as time flew. This was what he wanted, he thought. No one had bested him in pure strength. And never would be another in the future!

On the contrary, insanity simmered in Sarah’s eyes. She didn’t want to lose. Especially to a genius of the same generation!

Roaring, Sarah stepped forward and her feet viciously lashed out. This caught Marakur off guard, the attack landing in his groin. His face contorted; even his body convulsed. He had forgotten to be careful as he engrossed himself too much in the fist fight.

Sarah snarled like an angry dinosaur. She jumped and bashed his head with an elbow. Marakur got dizzy, but he managed to swat the fly in front of him.

The girl went flying. The two paused and glared at one another. Though, both of them immediately rushed towards each other.

Once again, another tearing match happened before them. But this time, Marakur was a lot calmer. His observant eyes darted around, picking a possible sneak attack. Though, his eyes enlarged when he felt the strength opposite to him.

“She is once again getting stronger!” He noticed how swollen her arms, bulging like metal. Even though a lot smaller than his, it remained a fact that she was improving in Evil Arts!

But exhaustion grew on Sarah. Days without sleep and consuming too much of World’s Energy, she felt her eyelids dropping. It became a chore for just a tiny action. Hence, after a handful of powerful punches, she couldn’t lift her arms anymore.

Bang. She flew once again. And this time, she had difficulty of standing.

Her opponent seized the opportunity. Left, right, he beat her until she started losing consciousness.

Sarah turned bitter. She snickered how laughable her current situation. This was a forest, so demon reinforcements could back them easier. Maybe they were already on their way.

She had two trump cards. The one she knew had the possibility of losing her foundation while the other was up to luck.

Actually no. The latter had always been on others’ hands. It also remained hidden if it was a friend or enemy’s hands.

She gambled on her destiny. If she won, she would have a future like no other. But losing… there was no need to mention because she didn’t need to think with her feet if it happened.

Sarah laid on all fours. She could smell the faint yet fresh leafy smell and the muddy scent of the ground. It was hilarious for her who always spouting she wanted to trample everyone on her feet.

She struggled to stand, wobbling because of her lack of strength.

Marakur was already in front of her, looking down from the superior position. She lifted her tiny fist and scrapped all her strength to put her fist on his chest.

She had lost. 

Sarah recognized her defeat. Maybe she should just use a roundabout manner of fighting him. But she didn’t see victory on that path either.

Yet she saw something unexpected from the horizon, then see she grinned.

Marakur didn’t understand why she was grinning. Nonetheless, he had to end it now. His already large arms bulged even larger, almost half as large of his body. This was his signature move and also the reason he got listed on Hades Decemvirate. A trump card called Monsterization Demon Art.

Demon Arts had been the sole difference that separated a talented demon from the demon masses. The latter always ended up sacrificing so much resources to gain strength enough to rival the power gained from Demon Art.

The talented demons could also cheat their way with their deep pockets, though.

But most of these talented demons steeled themselves to train in Demon Arts, just like how humans trained in Combat or Spell Arts. Because it was a fact that cheating using the ritual still wasn’t their own strength at the end of the day.

Moreover, even though they were allies, they had known Evils as untrustworthy.

The primer successful practitioner of Monsterization Demon Art was Demon Emperor Ija, the Unholy. He could lift an entire continent when using this move. Although the Marakur had not trained it to the peak, it was enough to blow someone into pulp.

Hence, with his fist pointing at Sarah, anyone could imagine the outcome.

Marakur’s fist launched with zero hesitation. From Sarah’s point of view, as if an entire tree flew towards her, blocking her full vision. A scary momentum accompanied it as it barreled with immense strength.

But Sarah kept grinning.

Bang!

Everything before Marakur fell alongside his limping arm. It was a monstrous sight as it dug a large crevice on the ground and pulverized several trees along its track.

Yet, clear from his face was the doubt and irritation.

He saw a close-eyed human lifting Sarah in princess carry. Observing further, a trail of blood fell down from the human’s eyes.

“How did he?” Marakur asked himself. He didn’t see or feel someone approached and carrying Sarah away. It was as if he teleported.

“Teleportation...?”

“Transcendent Seed.” Quickly, greed flashed in the demon’s eyes.

It was impossible for someone young as Jed to comprehend such power. Thus, Marakur connected it to the legendary Transcendent Seed.

Quite different from the way he looked at Sarah, he considered the latter as a meal because of her talent.

But the newcomer’s value was different. He didn’t need to eat this guy. It would be enough to straight kill this lucky human and steal his possession!

Jed slowly opened his eyes and saw Sarah grinning at him.

“Yo, Turtle! I left a half for you.” Even though bloodied, Sarah still gave a refreshing smile.

Jed made a helpless smile. He shook his head, clearly not wanting to fight. His eyes resembled a cherry on the verge of popping. He only exerted himself to save her.

“Let’s go.”

Marakur growled, seeing the duo running away and chased after them without hesitation!

Woosh. Woosh. Two shadows were running across the forest. One of them had a larger body while the other carried someone in his back.

“Damn.” Marakur snarled. Even though he could burst in speed, it would only be for a short time. Also, his body couldn’t handle the stress of frequent usage of Evil Arts alongside his Monsterization Demon Arts. So he couldn’t catch up to the boy who specialized in running.

Jed didn’t have it easy either. On top of carrying someone, his vision already became hazy and while enduring the stress from the Nine Cat Movement Combat Arts.

Every time Marakur burst of speed and gained on him, Jed tried hard to weave around, using the terrain to his advantage.

The demon behind him got incensed by how loathsome Jed was. Like a loach, he was slippery, always slipping from his fingertips.

Marakur knew he lacked in a few areas such as hunting by himself. He always used his subordinates as his hunting hounds before giving the finishing blow himself.

Before, he disdained the predatory instincts of his clan, which was to chase their preys. He told himself he was a hunter, and a hunter used bows, spears, traps and everything to catch his prey.

Now, he started thinking to train in another aspect so in the future this won’t happen again!

Hence, what appeared was the classic chase between a lion and a rabbit.

And this kept repeating until a long, long time.

"..."

In front of them, light shed its illumination, blinding them.

The duo knew after this forest was a wide grassland. They could also hear a faint sound of water rushing. It was the river, they thought.

The duo only needed to follow it, and they would certainly reach their goal. At that time, demons won’t follow them anymore, as Sarah knew there was a strong human living in that village.

But then, before Sarah and Jed could feel at ease, despair came crushing down on them. It came without manners like a thief, destroying their door of hope, and bringing them to the brink.

They saw countless demons stood on the grassland, waiting for them.

But what was most despairing weren’t the demons in front of her. Sarah’s face whitened and her shoulders trembled. If her last trump card really pulled off, then what should have appeared in front of them was the Pendragons.

But they weren’t.

How laughable! Sarah burst into a laughing, a sad and maniacal laughter. Her grandfather really betrayed her!

Four days and three nights might be short, but it was more than enough for a great clan to mobilized their resources. Even with the Miracle Kingdom’s army blocking them, it shouldn’t be for too long as no king was insane to damage his reputation and also his assets. The County of Hopes and Dreams was still part of his kingdom in the end.

Every Venerable of a kingdom remained important. At least on the surface, no king would lose decorum and be at odds with a Venerable. Especially to a clan like Pendragon.

“Alas…”

Sarah patted Jed, telling him to bring her to the ground. She gave Jed a smile but not a smile. An unknown and strange emotion brewed in her eyes. 

The latter didn’t know her arrangement but he could understand her odd behavior.

Despair.

This one-word haunted Jed most of his life. So he knew how someone looked like when one couldn’t see a future anymore.

The gears of his mind roared into motion, thinking about all the details he might have left out.

People’s questionable actions of targeting her even before she grew famous as a top talent.

Sarah’s thirst for power.

Those frequent explosions and strange happenings around her.

The conference. Human race went after her.

Her father thought she was dead. And last, her grandfather who seemed trustworthy.

“Ah. So she had been facing these all alone. And me and Ben, we were just accompanying her because of our own different goal.”

Jed looked down at his hand, gripping a dagger tightly. He could still feel complicated whenever he was thinking of Ayill. The pain of being betrayed gnawed at his heart.

He loathed them! Despised to the point he was losing his mind!

Was Ayill any different from them? Jed didn’t know the answer.

The back of the former had shown only sprinkled the tempestuous flames in his chest.

But regardless of how he felt, he knew that one thing someone in despair needed the most.

A friend!

If Ayill had a friend when he faced despair, would it change his fate? Jed wanted to answer that!

Jed stood forward, blocking Sarah’s view. He faced the horde of demons with eyes shone like never before!

“Come.”

“As many as you can!”

…

Chapter 34 | Chapter 36