Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Fish on the Hook
After leaving the operating room, Alexander noticed the unusual auras getting closer and closer. He calmly found a rope and secured Noah to his back. Then he went to his room and gathered all he needed. He didn't forget to steal a few things from the Medical Depot and the Instructors' room.
He had taken so much in such a short time. There were about a hundred kilos of substances in three different bags. Most were supplements for growth, but poisons and stimulants were also abundant.
When Alexander realized the time was right, he did not hesitate for a second. He left the secret exit and reappeared on the ridge of Mount Heaven. Most of the powerful auras were still at the entrance to the mountain, and even though the mountain was surrounded, Alexander was aware that there were several ways out.
The most important of these was the road Natasha took.
But Alexander had no intention of running away. He would climb to the snowy heights of Mount Heaven and dig a proper grave for Noah. He wanted at least a clean grave for his brother.
He quickly disappeared at the foot of the mountain.
A minute after he left, a team of white-robed swordsmen appeared. Their leader was a gloomy swordsman. In his right hand was a white, bloody sword with snake engravings. On his back were a one and a half meter long black bow.
He fixed his eyes on the spot where Alexander had disappeared and his nose moved a few times.
He said something to the others and they moved again.
...
Meanwhile, Alexander emerged from the trees. In front of him was a snowy hill, the perfect place to bury his friend. It was a beautiful view looking straight down the mountain.
His whole body shuddered as he crested the hill.
Swoosh!
Suddenly arrows wrapped in flaming cloths rained down on him, painting the snowy ground crimson. Alexander lost his balance from the force of the arrow and staggered forward a step.
Noah's dead body was pierced by five flaming arrows.
"It was quite unexpected that he saved his friend's life."
When a team of swordsmen and archers emerged from the trees, Alexander did not hesitate to run. As he ran, another arrow pierced Noah's heart. Alexander was knocked off his feet for a second, but he quickly recovered and kept running.
The swordsmen started running as soon as they met Alexander. Their strength ranged from level three to level five. The man with the bow was level five, while the others were only level three. But their teamwork increased their strength many times over.
But Alexander disappeared very soon after he started running away.
Mount Heaven was very complex. Even a scout skilled in navigation could get lost here and fall into the natural traps built around the mountain. Of course, these men seemed to be skilled.
Alexander hadn't gotten very far from them when the same shiver ran through his body again. He lowered his head and took a deep breath, gathering his Qi. His wounds were still not closed, they had opened even wider from the sudden movements.
But despite the pain, Alexander kept running. He didn't have enough energy to fight now. If he continued like this, his death was certain. Because these men were not the only ones on the mountain, they were only one team of invaders.
The swordsmen soon found him. They seemed to be able to follow him because of the smell of blood. But Alexander did not mind. He had now entered a narrow field, and he knew that the dense trees would limit the archer's view.
Moreover, it was close to impossible to fight a team battle in a narrow terrain.
At the entrance to the field stood a somber man holding a long bow. You could tell from the white sword at his waist that he was a swordsman.
He looked carefully at the terrain. The densely woven trees would make it impossible to move together. So team formations would be useless, and everyone would have to fight on their own.
"Our opponent is not stupid."
Having said this, the gloomy man quickly climbed to the top of a tree and surveyed the surroundings with hawk-like eyes. After a while, he paused, placed an arrow in the beam, and aimed. He knew where the man was because of the smell of blood.
"He doesn't know anything about us."
As soon as he released the arrow, it disappeared into the trees. A second later, when there was no change, the gloomy man frowned and placed his second arrow on the bowstring.
"Hm?"
He drew the sword at his waist, swung it, and sliced the arrow aimed at him in two. But in doing so, he also shattered the bottle he was wearing.
The foul-smelling dust in the bottle stained the man's white dress.
The man clicked his tongue.
"To use the arrow to locate me and make a counter move. But that's not his main goal, it's more like he's trying to use the scent to know where I am."
As long as he knew where the enemy was, he could maneuver accordingly and conceal himself from possible attacks.
"I didn't think a fugitive would be such a hassle. You go where I tell you."
He put his bow aside and darted forward, drawing the sword at his waist. If he continued to leave things to his men, this pursuit would take too long. So he gave them another task. He aimed to finish it quickly and report back.
Meanwhile, Alexander, fleeing through the narrow terrain, knew the enemy was a kilometer behind him. And he was coming at him at full speed.
Alexander kept running and tried to outwit his opponent with unusual maneuvers. But his opponent was too skilled and determined to fall for his traps, no matter what he did. He was now approaching his limits.
A few of the arrows that had pierced Noah's body had pierced his back. But that was not the main problem, there was no energy left in his body except for a small Sah Chakra. If he continued like this, his body would soon collapse and fall into the hands of the enemy.
Then death would only be a dream.
An hour later Alexander paused, frowning. From here he could feel the auras hiding in the rocks eight hundred meters away. He didn't know if they could not hide their auras or if they were doing it on purpose, but if it continued, things would not be pretty.
For two hours he had been using the terrain to escape, but from now on it was going to be more difficult. People were lurking on the cliffs that were the access point to the next area, and on the way back there was a level five swordsman.
"To fall into such a simple trap..."
Weighing his predicament, he sighed and hid the bags and Noah. Then he sat on the floor and meditated.
Meditation requires a calm and empty mind. So he should not have been able to meditate in such a situation. But Alexander was a killing machine trained for such conditions. Except for some subjects, he was the highest potential student of the Shadow Cathedral.
Meditating in danger of death was nothing for him.
He meditated for a while, stabilizing his wounds and replenishing a very small part of his energy. Then he opened his eyes and looked at the white-robed man standing twenty meters away.
The white-robed man was no longer the same as before. His hair was disheveled, his face white from losing so much of his body's energy. Alexander's maneuvers had put him in a very difficult position.
But he was still better off than Alexander.
The white-robed man had watched Alexander awaken from meditation with strange eyes. His age and level were quite surprising, let alone the fact that he was meditating in such a state.
"How old are you?"
"16, you?"
"I'll be thirty-five."
"Good."
Alexander took a hairpin from his pocket and tied his hair. This exposed his red eyes, his bloodshot, scarred face was expressionless.
"You gave me a lot of trouble, but it's the end of the road for you."
"You never know."
Alexander lightly unsheathed the Asura Katana and took his stance, gripping the handle with his right hand.
"This posture. Are you from Itto-ryu schools? Anyway, it doesn't change anything. Itto-ryu's era is long over."
The man drew his sword and took his stance. He was very careful as he approached Alexander with slow steps. This was a battle of skilled swordsmen.
After measuring each other's levels for a while, the man made his move. He charged his sword with Qi and charged at Alexander with a strange sword art. It was so fast that Alexander narrowly raised his sword at the last moment and deflected the attack.
He then used the momentum he had gained to attack the man's neck. The man easily parried the attack and took a few steps back. When he moved again, this time Alexander also attacked. The two swords clashed in the center and within seconds they exchanged dozens of attacks.
As the man attacked, he suddenly drew back and began a series of attacks that left a deep gash in Alexander's abdomen. Alexander tried to dodge the first attacks with ease but failed because of the yellow lights emanating from the man's sword.
The yellow lights were indicative of Sword Qi, the first level of this swordsmanship. Even though it was only the first level, there were many swordsmen who could not touch this level in their lifetime.
His opponent's superior sword skill was not enough for Alexander to retreat. His opponent had Sword Qi, which meant he posed a great danger. Fortunately, Alexander had the Sah Chakra.
The moment he activated the sword with his Sah Chakra, his physical strength soared to unparalleled levels. Ignoring the wound in his abdomen, he tore a piece of flesh from the man's shoulder and threw it meters away with a kick.
The man's concentration was too high to be distracted by the kick. He raised his sword and met Alexander's next move. This time he didn't get knocked off his feet, he endured the pain and kept his Qi flowing.
Boom!
The man's sword cut a deep gash in Alexander's chest.
"That's it?"
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