The Devil's Cage

On top of the black colored negative energy clump, waves of ripples spread out like water.

The ripples overlapped with each other, forming a big wrinkled area.

When the wrinkled negative energy accumulated to a certain limit, the black color at its center started to turn pale.

KABOOM!

A huge deafening explosion went off. A white blastwave burst out from within and spread out in all directions like a sharp divine blade unsheathed.

Kieran raised a brow when he saw that familiar dazzle.

It was Smulder!

It was not the first time Kieran saw Smulder perform the technique but that wasn’t the reason he raised a brow.

The agonizing wails of despair and fear-filled death flooded the area.

Benefiting from the negative energy around the area, Kieran clearly felt the abnormality after Smulder unleashed his Sanctuary Force.

Promptly, Kieran heightened his focus and raised his guard.

While the other mystics who had been there for a while weren’t concerned about the explosion at all, each of them had a dull expression hanging over their face.

When they saw Kieran’s cautious manner, those who freed themselves from the fear of Kieran quickly revealed a disdainful look on their face, thinking that Kieran was nothing more than this.

Their expressions were obscure but coincidentally many others noticed it.

Everyone exchanged gazes in a tacit manner as if the shock and fear that Kieran caused before was gone and there was nothing to be afraid of.

It was because when the men encountered such danger, they were much calmer than the Bird of Death.

Even more so when Ohara and Azinder were in full cautious mode, their contemptuous expressions turned heavier on their face. Every one of them raised their head high and bulged their chest as if they have completely won over the Bird of Death and the Sanctuary Archdeacon, except Felly.

Felly had blind confidence in Kieran’s power, thus he quietly raised his guard and became cautious as well. He grabbed the magical tool that had followed him around and protected his life tightly.

What happened next proved that Felly had done the right thing.

Roooooooooowr!

A loud roar not of man or beast sounded from the negative energy field clump.

A couple of figures started to form clearly at the breach blasted open by the Sanctuary Force before.

It was Smulder, the current Holy Knight and the other two Archdeacons, Simon and Maya plus a couple more strangers.

Behind them were a huge bunch of shadowy translucent figures, gushing at them like a tidal wave.

Evil spirits!

The mystic crowd who gathered there saw the huge wave of shadowy figures and they quickly made a decisive judgment but such judgment wasn’t enough to deal with the danger they were facing.

The sudden roar from before tranquilized many of them, only several of them weren’t affected. The minority that were not affected instinctively chose to retreat when they saw the evil spirit tidal wave coming at them.

Everyone except Kieran!

As he looked at the others stunned on the spot or retreating in panic, Kieran went the opposite way, heading directly towards the wave of evil spirits.

Every other mystic was stunned when they saw Kieran’s action. Those who couldn’t move had a slight line of hope on their face of despair.

They stared hard at that line of hope, praying with utmost devotion for Kieran and repented for their behaviours from before.

Nothing really mattered when your life was on the line.

Those who retreated felt shame but it didn’t stop them from leaving. None of them wanted to die. Again, nothing mattered when life was the only thing in mind, as life was higher than anything.

One’s own life and the life of others.

When one would risk his own life to save the others, his life would dazzle in lustrous light, being named noble.

When another’s life was traded for one owns life, life would also dazzle brightly but the brightness would cast a shadow named humility.

Ohara looked at Kieran charging forth with her dazzling eyes.

"Hugh..." She muttered.

One of the reasons she acknowledged Kieran as Hugh’s reincarnation was because of that forward dash, aside from the other similarities.

Whether it was against thousands upon thousands of soldiers or dangers and difficulties, Hugh would always charge forward, like a flag standing tall in the battlefield.

So was Kieran.

"No, it should be 2567..."

Ohara suddenly remembered the promise she made with Kieran, addressing him by the name that he wanted to be called and silently calling out Hugh in her heart.

Azinder beside her didn’t have that much thought, all he felt was his blood boiling with indignation when he saw Kieran’s charge forward.

The education he received from young and his own ideals made him let out a loud shout and follow Kieran’s steps tightly after drawing the sword from his waist.

Ohara didn’t stop him, she even smirked a little...

The familiarity! Everything was so familiar to her.

The situations in her memories were exactly the same as the one before her, charging at the opposite direction, arousing everyone’s morale and encouraging the others to give 200% effort, turning the impossible into possible time after time!

Wuuuuum!

Ohara’s Sanctuary Force gathered at her fists as well before she followed behind closely. She wanted to fight side by side with Kieran. After Hugh’s death, she thought it was a luxury she would never have but now with Hugh’s reincarnation, she wanted to hold the opportunity close.

...

Kieran charged forward at maximum speed. When he saw the waves of evil spirits, nothing really came to his mind other than [Soul Shards], tons of [Soul Shards]! Which meant Points and Skill Points!

Although they were less valuable than Golden Skill and Attribute Points, from the perspective of a stingy Scrooge, it meant wealth and rewards as well, there was no reason he would give them up.

Shoosh!

Kieran dashed passed Smulder’s side.

Smulder looked in astonishment at Kieran who was serious and battle-aroused, yet Kieran didn’t even glance at the Holy Knight.

He stood before Smulder and plunged his [Arrogant Word] into the ground. While the tidal waves of evil spirits were slamming down on him, he took a deep breath and got ready to perform his technique.

HuuuHaaa!

A violent gale blasted out before Kieran, tearing apart the space before him as the afterimages and shadows of his kicks filled even the sky.

Kick after kick, kicks together with kicks.

Kieran’s legs had turned into the down pouring waterfall or the never-ending current of the long river.

[Hundred Violent Kicks]!

Its tremendous force and continuous kick kept clashing at the evil spirit waves.

KABOOOOOSH!

The formless air blasted in all directions upon contact, even the land was mistakenly shaken for a while.

The others opened their eyes wide, staring at the breach in the middle of the negative energy field. They were worried, afraid that they would witness the scene that they fear most.

However, Kieran stood where he was, like the ocean-quieting needle, preventing the vicious, ferocious waves of evil spirits from advancing another inch. Even as far as pushing the waves back.

While his legs were kicking relentlessly, the fire gathered in Kieran’s left hand continued to grow.

After a couple of breaths, it became a huge burning fireball.

When the fireball was fully charged, Kieran suddenly changed his body posture, retracted the kick abruptly and pushed the fireball at the waves of evil spirits.

Pooooosh!

The burning fireball was like an accelerating truck, grinding down the evil spirits. One after another, the evil spirits fell under the burning fire, releasing not even a haunting wail before they were turned into ashes.

The accelerating fireball carved a path out in the waves as it broke through the breach in the negative energy field. The fireball instantly at stopped the breach in the middle, and hundreds of evil spirits promptly disintegrated into ashes like a moth hurling itself to the fire.

"What... what in the..."

Everyone was awestruck as they looked at the scene, none of them could utter a full sentence out without stuttering.

Kieran, on the other hand, didn’t plan to stop there.

Wooosh!

His left hand charged up [Charles’ Fire] again and with the power of the lineage fire, it was burning high.