Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Betrayal III
It had never experienced this before so the White-Horned Snake began to feel fear. It was the fear of the unknown intruder that had murdered its kind and looted its home. With this fear came the uneasiness and desire to escape.
With its remaining strength. It decided to head deeper into the cave where there was a hidden tunnel where it could escape and continue to live for another day. Being alive for another day was the same as getting another chance for revenge.
Unfortunately, with Herbert's speed, they soon met with each other's eyes. This time, Herbert was not caught unprepared. His white wings were already using the power of purification on himself which minimized the effects of the mental illusory attacks that the White-Horned Snake instantly used when they met each other.
Following Herbert were the five men who intended to give him support. Because of the terrain, they could not make use of their speed and maneuverability so they could only launch long-range attacks from the side.
"It's already wounded. Your normal attacks can't get through its scales so make sure to target the places where I've already hit."
After his command, his guards followed it up by launching their knife-like feathered attacks on the monster in front of them. Because they had used the Silver Moon Leaf, they had been able to maintain their accuracy and precision.
Because Herbert had already attracted the attention of the White-Horned Snake, the effects of the illusions on him were concentrated and stronger than what the others were experiencing making it easier for the others to continue their bombardment.
In their state, Herbert did not dare to charge forward, so he also launched long-range attacks together with his guards. Maintaining a steady output for a couple of minutes was fairly hard as they would have to occasionally manage their positions to avoid getting too close to the Transcendent ranked monster. Of course, it would be ideal if they could let it continue like this until it died so they wouldn't have to use up too much of their stamina and energy.
However, the White-Horned Snake would not make it easier for them. Knowing that the likelihood of it escaping safely was far lesser than it originally thought, it decided to have a do-or-die attitude and would rather kill everybody alongside it than escape. If it can't escape alive, then nobody else will get to escape!
Using its large body and immense physical strength, it decided to ram itself onto the rocky walls of the cave. It didn't matter if the rocks damaged its body. It no longer had any will to live because now it only wanted to make the entire cave collapse to kill Herbert.
At first, Herbert thought that it wanted to use its body to make another way out or even to use the stones to block its line of sight so that it could escape. However, as it continued to do so without any regard for its well-being, Herbert finally realized what it wanted to do.
Understanding its intentions, Herbert quickly tried to finish the battle to confirm the kill before it could completely collapse the cave. So, he once again concentrated his power and made his feathers form an arrow-like shape.
It was now all or nothing. He then aimed at its head as the target and prepared to shoot. Since the White-Horned Snake was no longer paying them any attention, the attack managed to hit it directly.
"Halt your attacks! Stop! Everybody, prepare to retreat!"
Seeing how it had stiffened, Herbert knew that it should have done considerable damage. For good measure, he once again launched another attack at it while it is down.
Seeing that it made no reactions, Herbert came closer and pulled out another Awakening Crystal from its forehead before leaving the now crumbling cave.
He did not want to get buried together with the dead snake so he quickly rushed his way out. Because he had reached the Transcendent rank, his speed was incomparable to his guards who were only at the awakened stage.
As he exited the cave, the entrance soon collapsed in on itself and prevented anybody else from entering. When the dust had settled, he calmed his breath and couldn't help but rejoice at how much he had gained from this trip. Usually, Awakening Crystals would only be harvested when a team of nobles at the Transcendent rank takes a stroll into the Wildlands to hunt for them. This was also how he had previously acquired the Awakening Crystal from the auction in the capital. However, he was able to do it by himself along with a group of awakened guards. Naturally, this was something unusual and was a one-time thing. He could only do this because he had the help of the Silver Moon Leaf.
When he was preparing for this expedition, he had to ask the Featherwing Fortress for this costly item on loan. This item was originally meant to clear one's head and increase the recovery of energy used for training. As a material that can help enhance the practice of one's bloodline abilities, it was priced as a high-end good.
After taking a short rest, Herbert was now prepared to wake up Princess Amelia and her guards, but first, he decided to settle Lady Elena's situation.
Using one of his white feathers, Lady Elena's complexion became better and she eventually woke up. After selecting a few more white feathers to use on the others, he then dispelled his wings and returned to his previous position to observe Lady Elena's reactions.
The first thing that she did was look at her surroundings in a tense state. She had just been through a terrible nightmare and was unaccustomed to once again snapping back to reality.
Upon seeing the outside, she slowly remembered what happened. Looking at Herbert' she once again calmed down.
"You're finally awake, Lady Elena. Are you feeling well?"
Hearing his concern, she gazed deep into his eyes before carefully answering.
"Yes, my lord. Thank you for saving me and the others."
"No problem. It is only my responsibility to do so."
Lady Elena then noticed that she was the only one who was awake. The others were still writhing in pain. Even Princess Amelia who was beside her did not receive the privileged reception that she deserves as part of the royal bloodline. It appears that she was the one to have been given earlier treatment which raised an eyebrow.
"My lord, how is the Princess? Will she be alright?"
Hearing her words, Herbert could not help but reveal a smirk.
"Well, that still depends on you."
Herbert's riddle-like words puzzled Lady Elena. She did not immediately understand Herbert's intentions, nor did she want to know, but alas, she soon figured out subtle hints after a couple of seconds that she spent thinking. Her breath quickened as she remembered Herbert's strange actions during Princess Amelia's party. Once again she felt that coming to this place was a huge mistake.
"My lord, p- please. I am only a mere servant of her highness."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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