Chapter 405: The Youth Mage Fleeing Through the Forest (12)

The gloomy Poison Mist Forest.

【Hoo~~hoo~~~hoo~~~】

The young Aoliangde hid his cat-like body in a concealed corner, panting heavily, but his eyes constantly scanned left and right, never forgetting to observe his surroundings.

In the collapsed buildings, the cracks and holes, dense shrubs and vines, treetop canopies, and any other possible hiding spots, he thoroughly investigated to avoid being ambushed by lurking monsters.

As an elite member of the Dawn Eye Mage Association, he was very aware of the dangers of the Poison Mist Forest.

But precisely because of the danger, he ventured in.

Because behind him lurked something even more dangerous than the monsters of the Poison Mist Forest.

While fleeing cautiously, Aoliangde's mind uncontrollably flashed with one scene after another.

At six years old, his father sold him to the Dawn Eye Mage Association for the price of five gold klin.

Under the setting sun, a strange mage took his hand, and he kept looking back at his dilapidated home.

At the gate of his home stood a woman in tattered clothes, her complexion deathly pale, shaped like a skeleton.

That was his mother, gravely ill and near death.

His mother kept waving at him, her sunken eyes full of tears.

A month later, he sat in a flying hovercar, together with hundreds of peers, being transported to an extremely splendid but undisclosed hidden valley.

Over the next six years, he endured harsh, nearly cruel study and training, gradually gaining unbelievable magical power.

The training period was extremely arduous, yet also held unforgettable warmth.

"Aoliangde big brother, you're amazing—you pick up magic instantly. Unlike me, I just can't learn it no matter what."

A sweet, childish voice echoed in his ears, that of a companion who had studied magic with him since childhood.

【Wah-la wah-la~】

An unusual disturbance broke Aoliangde's train of thought.

He immediately tensed his body, holding his breath.

Soon, a group of gray-skinned imps appeared before him—not particularly frightening, but great in number.

He crouched motionless in place.

The cloak he carried instantly took effect, blending him completely with his surroundings.

At that moment, though he shouldn't have been distracted, his mind stubbornly conjured an image of a flax‑haired little girl with freckles across her nose and a pair of ice‑green eyes.

【Iliya!】

Aoliangde felt a sharp, unbearable pain in his chest, yet more and more dialogue surfaced.

"Big brother, you're really good to me."

"Big brother, you protected me again—thank you."

"Big brother, you're so strong—I wish we could stay like this forever."

One scene after another from the past flashed in the youth's mind, making the sharp pain in his heart grow stronger.

It was as if someone kept stabbing his heart with a sword, causing him an almost suffocating anguish.

The gray‑skinned imps finally passed; Aoliangde gritted his teeth and shook his head hard, as if trying to erase the memories from his mind completely.

He rose again and continued onward.

He hadn't fled far enough; a pursuing spell told him that the Dawn Eye's hounds were still tightly on his tail.

To stay alive, he couldn't stop for even a moment.

He took a deep breath and began running again through the dangerous forest.

But soon, the painful memory struck his heart again without warning.

"Aoliangde big brother, the Mage Association raised and educated us, yet you not only feel no gratitude toward it, you even dare to dream of overthrowing it."

"This is a shameful betrayal!"

"Iliya!"

Aoliangde clenched his fists, and a resolute yet slightly sarcastic face flashed in his mind.

Clearly the same person, who as a child was so adorable, so affectionate and gentle, and whose lips always spoke the sweetest words in the world.

But in an instant, she turned and threw herself into the embrace of the Mage Association's high ranks, then stabbed him with the deadliest blow.

"Aoliangde big brother, you certainly have talent, but you've taken the wrong path."

"Before the mighty power of the Mage Association, your personal bit of ability is like a tiny candle under the sun—utterly meaningless."

"I'll call you big brother one last time—I'm telling you, you're doomed, hahaha~~"

The triumphant, near‑mad laughter still echoed in Aoliangde's mind, even though more than a month had passed.

Over the past month and a half, he repeatedly recalled his past with Ilina, gradually realizing a fact.

"Ilina never changed; she once flattered and fawned over me only because I was the strongest in virtue among my peers, able to protect her."

"Now she has decisively betrayed me, decisively thrown herself into the arms of Mage Saselis, merely because I would bring her disaster, whereas Mage Saselis can give her a respectable, comfortable life."

"That is a heartless, cold, vulgar woman; in her eyes, justice and ideals are worthless."

"How could I have loved such a woman, been deceived by such a cold‑blooded scoundrel into spinning in circles—I'm truly foolish!"

Aoliangde raised his hand and slapped himself hard.

His cheeks burned, but his heart felt much lighter, and his resolve grew firmer.

"As long as I live, the evil Dawn Eye will be my eternal enemy."

"I will use every means I can think of to reduce those evil mages to ashes!"

"This is not just for myself, but also for the innocent living on this land!"

Just as the thought settled, a 'splash' sounded, and suddenly several black spikes shot out from the nearby bushes.

【Puff puff puff~~】

On the helmet that Aoliangde wears, spikes were forged, producing ripples like water waves; the tremendous impact of the magic also sent Aoliangde rolling on the ground. But he was not injured.

After rolling several times on the ground, he instantly rose to his feet, and at the same time pointed his finger at the bushes, shooting out a dark-green flame.

【Whoosh~~~ sizzle~~~】

Amidst a piercing strange cry, the bushes were instantly turned into ashes by the magic.

But Aoliangde felt no elation whatsoever; as soon as he stood up, rings of light appeared on his body, and he then sprinted full speed into the depths of the forest.

Compared to the monsters of the Poison Mist Forest, he feared more the fellow association mages pursuing him from behind.

And he clearly felt that his earlier movement had already alerted them; they were now speeding up their pursuit.

He began to run at full speed.

He did not know if he could escape, but this was the only thing he could do at present.

He hoped that his opponents would be besieged by the monsters, or that they would miscast a spell and injure or even kill themselves.

In short, he hoped to gain fate's favor to help him escape this near-desperate situation.

But fate seemed not to favor him.

He first provoked a monster, a terrifying Thousand-Eyed Petrifying Beast.

【Hiss~~~】

From its countless gray-white eyes shot forth beams of white light.

Although he tried his best to dodge, he was still struck in the body by two beams.

The first beam pierced his magical defense, and the second beam struck his arm.

He immediately felt a strong numbness spreading from his arm, the effect of the petrification ray; if he did nothing, his whole body would turn to stone.

Aoliangde immediately drew his personal dagger, gritted his teeth, and sliced off the affected skin; without further hesitation, he desperately ran deeper into the forest.

The good news is that the Thousand-Eyed Petrifying Beast is not fast; it usually likes to lurk in dark places to ambush, but its hunting ability is very weak.

Although blood soaked half of his body, Aoliangde successfully escaped the beast's pursuit.

Suddenly, a towering stone cliff appeared ahead, blocking his path.

But his pursuers behind were drawing ever closer, while ahead there was no road left.

Aoliangde's heart suddenly filled with despair: 'Am I destined to fail?'

"'No, I refuse to accept defeat!'"

This resilient youth's eyes darted around, and he suddenly noticed a hidden cave in the cliff wall; his heart leapt: 'A cave. This might be my chance!'

If the cave were deep enough, he could use its terrain to play hide-and-seek with his pursuers, and with luck, he might even turn the tables on them.

Thinking this, he hesitated no longer, and with the aid of magic, he gave his all to climb upward.

Throbbing pain came from the wound on his arm, blood continued to flow, but he had no time to treat the injury; he merely gritted his teeth and kept climbing upward.

"'Faster~~~ even faster~~~'"

"'Traitor! Don't run!'"

Suddenly, a roar came from behind.

The pursuing mages had arrived.

There were three mages, each of whom Aoliangde knew.

Because they were purifiers of the Mage Association, and Aoliangde had once been a member of the purifiers, even serving as the leader of an elite action team.

If it were a fair fight, Aoliangde would have no fear whatsoever, but there has never been a fair battle in this world.

The opponents carried powerful magical artifacts bestowed by Yueliangcheng, whereas his own artifacts were shoddy, poorly made junk.

In a head-on confrontation, not to mention victory, even breaking through the enemy's shield would be extremely difficult.

Thus, he climbed ever more desperately.

This time, the goddess of fortune finally stood by his side.

Before the opponents' magic could strike him, he successfully crawled into the cave.

But upon seeing the situation inside the cave, his heart instantly sank halfway.

The cave was very shallow; one could see the bottom at a glance, so the supposed 'hide-and-seek' inside the cave was merely his wishful fantasy.

"'In the end, am I still unable to escape death?'"

Aoliangde's legs went weak; with a 'thud', he collapsed helplessly to the ground, yet his heart was full of unwillingness.

Severe bodily pain and mental anguish intertwined, fiercely tormenting him.

He could not help but mutter softly.

"'This world, is there truly no justice at all?'"

"'The shadow of Yueliangcheng, does it truly shroud the world forever?'"

He was unwilling, but he also clearly knew that his strength was too weak, too weak.

Actually, Ilya was right.

If she did not want to die, she could only choose to stay away from him.

"'Ah~~'"

He let out a long sigh, and Aoliangde's heart filled with resolute determination.

"'Since we're going to die anyway, let me burn my soul completely and fight to the death!'"

Driven by this will, he began to unleash the secret art of burning his soul.

But just then, a gentle male voice suddenly arose in his heart.

"'Young man, you seem to need help?'"

(End of chapter)