PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

Shit, I haven’t been in this much pain since I consumed the twilight soul. My veins throbbed with pain even when my blood was no longer boiling. Maybe I should consider removing Ifrit’s Blood from my arsenal; that thing does more harm than good.

I tried to push myself off the ground, every muscle fiber screaming in agony, but I gritted my teeth to persist. As I lifted my chest off the ground and began to sit up, nerve signals of pain continued to bombard my brain; the number of broken bones wasn’t helping.

I barely managed to sit up on my knees, clutching my broken ribs with my left arm, only to see a certain female knight look me in the eye.

“Wouldn’t it have been easier for you to kill them?”

The question came out of the blue, but I wasn’t surprised. Even if our interactions were practically nil, this woman gave off the feeling of being a straightforward person.

“I’m afraid you would never let us go if I killed them.”

Camila didn’t react to my comment; she didn’t seem surprised that I saw her true intentions. On the other hand, she said something that I didn’t expect from someone who came close to taking my life on several occasions.

“You are probably the most formidable man I have ever met.”

.....

Her choice of words spoke volumes; she praised my prowess but not my strength. It makes sense; this woman is so insanely strong that it would be hypocritical of her to comment on my strength.

“That’s too bad...” Silence spread from the lips of the woman in front of me before she ended with a helpless sigh. “Time is up.”

It was my turn to let out a helpless sigh. This was not new to me; I had seen it as soon as I managed to get my face off the ground. It was frustrating, to say the least, but only a fool can deny reality, and I wasn’t a fool.

Four knights from the royal family had arrived on the scene in the company of a whole battalion of their best men. Forget their role as a backup after the arduous fight I had just a minute ago. Even at my best, I would still die fighting that kind of force.

Camila probably saw the understanding in my eyes and kindly commented. “You should give up. We want Cecilia alive; there is no need for you to die in this place.”

“I will do no such thing.”

“Want to die?”

“Not really.”

“Then why? As far as I know, you guys haven’t known each other for a long time. You don’t belong to any force or have any backing, so you’re not doing this under someone else’s orders. Are you in love with her? That doesn’t seem right either; you don’t look at her that way. Still, your conviction doesn’t seem false at all, so why?”

Although this woman’s eyes were gray and solid as a rock, she was much more perceptive than an average person; she was also more curious as it seemed. I tried to shrug, but my ribs wouldn’t let me, so I could only smile bitterly and reply.

“You’re right; I’m not in love with that woman. At this point, we can hardly be considered friends, which is already stretching the term. Before you ask, this also has nothing to do with any kind of sense of justice. While I certainly don’t think she deserves anything happening to her, I’m not crazy enough to risk my life for something that foolish.”

Confused, Camila could only express her doubts once more. “That’s why I don’t get it. Your actions are meaningless. Look at you; saying that you are at death’s door is already being nice to you.”

This woman’s doubts were buying me some time to recover even a shred of mana, so I kept the game. Not that it bothered me to talk. This woman’s actions, or rather the lack of them, bordered on betrayal, so I owed her at least a couple of answers.

“That you are interested in my reasons is just as incomprehensible to me. Ever since I came to this place, every time I’ve met someone with an ounce of power, they’ve all had something in common. They all want more power to satisfy their pride and vanity for the sake of the status power gives them. I have no doubt that this is a world of power and pride. Therefore, you may find my answer unsatisfactory.”

Resisting the pain that invaded every one of my senses, I mustered what strength I could, stood as tall as possible, and kept my eyes on Camila.

“Do you want to know the reason? Didn’t you hear her name?”

As I pointed to the unconscious Cecilia in the distance, Camila pondered my words for a brief moment. That was all I needed. My right arm lashed out with explosive power trying to penetrate the throat of the woman who had approached me to talk.

It was brief, but I could see it in her eyes, the disappointment and anger at my actions. Camila probably saw it as the last move of a desperate and pathetic man who can’t accept defeat.

Furthermore, Camila never let her guard down enough for my attack to be effective, and I should know that. Disappointed by either my desperation or lack of judgment, Camila reacted by brandishing the sword that never left his hand. I had to be very grateful to her because even under these circumstances, she didn’t use the sword’s edge to attack.

My movement stopped as her sword was about to hit the arm I attacked her with. And I took a defensive stance, using my other arm to support the arm I would receive the attack with.

I could see a faint hint of confusion in Camila’s eyes; who couldn’t understand why someone would faint just to go on the defensive. I felt the impact of her sword; it took all my willpower not to scream in pain as my right arm was broken into three parts.

Enduring having my bones snap like cookies, I used the shred of mana I regained to reinforce the armor on my arm and generate some knockback force. The result was that I went flying, hitting the ground and hovering a couple of times before stopping.

I didn’t expect my ribs to end up cracking from the fall; having punctured lungs is never part of a plan, but it still happens occasionally. Nonetheless, I looked up, using my one good arm to hold myself off the ground. From the expression on Camila’s face, I succeeded.

In fact, even without turning my eyes, Cecilia’s golden hair spilled on the ground, still entering my range of vision. Although effective, I hope I never have to resort to a maneuver like that again; Let’s just say a beating isn’t my favorite mode of transportation.

For some reason, after seeing my actions, Camila sheathed her gigantic sword back and asked with a tired tone. “Even now, you still struggle to be by her side. How far does your loyalty go?

I had to cough up a couple of mouthfuls of blood to be able to speak, but I answered with a ridiculous tone. “Didn’t you hear what I told you before? What is her name?”

Camila seemed annoyed by my tone of voice. The girl was more emotional now than she was during the match. “Her name?...Cecilia Astryd.”

The light of understanding passed through those stone gray eyes. I still gave my explanation.

“I gave her my name. I don’t need any other reason for my actions.”

“I see, I was wondering what could be beyond power and pride, but the answer was so simple. You are an interesting man.”

That was all the female knight said before her heavy footsteps reverberated throughout the plaza. They all looked at her in disbelief. It couldn’t help it; she was walking in the wrong direction.

One of the royal knights saw her behavior, and although he was a bit hesitant at first, the man still caught up with her. “Commander, where are you going?”

“I’m out of here.”

“But we haven’t captured Miss Cecilia yet.”

“I am not going to kill that man; it would tarnish my honor. I cannot capture Cecilia without killing him, so the only reasonable option is to retreat.”

Although mainly Camila’s gesture to me was symbolic, since I was still surrounded by a small army, I still appreciated it. Others didn’t find Camila’s attitude acceptable; if it were them, I wouldn’t be so stupid to say it out loud.

“With all due respect, sir commander, these are orders, and even you must abide by them.”

Speaking of people with a death wish, it could be that they are jealous of how handsome I can look, even beaten up, and now they want to compete. Perhaps my thoughts were so unfunny that they provoked the silent Camila because an overwhelming pressure filled the entire place in the next instant.

“Not even the king has the right to tarnish my honor. What makes you believe that you have that right?

The pride was almost palpable in Camila’s words. Shit, she dared to imply that her honor is above the king’s law. She naturally had the strength to back up her statement. You have to be kidding; the pressure that woman was emanating was something that I had only felt once. Only the Ancient Beast Skaylos the Stormbringer, a three-star class existence, is this strong.