Chapter Sixty-Seven: Killing Intent, Killing Intent (Part Two)

Xia Ya’s desperate, hoarse scream echoed from afar. Hearing it, Kevin’s face twisted with fury, his eyes blazing as he glared up at the crest of the hill. At last, he bellowed, “I swear I’ll avenge you!”

He pressed himself low against his horse’s back, spurring the animal brutally onward, and led his riders in a wild, frenzied charge to the north.

Xia Ya felt blood streaming down, sapping his strength bit by bit, as exhaustion surged over him like a tide. A sword was still lodged in his shoulder. His halberd, battered repeatedly by the enemy archers, had finally snapped; Xia Ya had kicked over an opponent, and, with a savage thrust, rammed the broken shaft into the man’s chest. The sharp splinter pierced through armor, blood spurting hot and foul, spattering Xia Ya’s face. He could even taste the briny tang at the corner of his mouth.

By now, he had slain more than a dozen archers singlehandedly. These archers were nothing like the legendary Odin barbarians; each was equipped with finely wrought, lightweight armor. The pauldrons had been removed so as not to hinder their movements while shooting, while protective plates covered only vital areas. Each also bore a standard-issue short sword for close combat—clearly, these were not the products of any savage tribe.

But Xia Ya was gravely wounded, his defenses at their lowest ebb. He could feel that last blow—delivered by an ordinary archer—had nearly shattered the bone in his calf.

(Dragon blood… It really can only ward off regular attacks. Once breached, its power fades quickly.)

He brandished the fire fork in a relentless whirlwind of strikes, unleashing the devastating “Army-Cleaving” technique. The weapon, trailing afterimages, dispatched three more archers. Yet Xia Ya was surrounded, enemies pressing in on all sides. The reindeer cavalry below, unable to catch up with Kevin’s retreating force, now closed in, galloping up the hillside’s only slope.

Despair welled up in Xia Ya’s chest. He was trapped, his earlier reckless courage ebbing away with his blood. (Damn it, I lost my head and tried to play the hero. Now I’m dead for sure. Damn… I’m still a virgin, too!)

The reindeer cavalry surged up the slope. At a shouted command, the archers made way, and one rider—clearly their leader, clad in fine armor and a heavy fur cloak, his face smeared with blood—charged at the faltering Xia Ya, murderous rage burning in his eyes. Without warning, he swung his axe at Xia Ya’s neck—

Clang!!

Just as the blade was about to bite, the Odin warrior felt his axe snag, as if something sticky and unyielding had seized it, refusing to let it advance.

At Xia Ya’s throat, right at the base, a point of crimson light flared. The glow burst from beneath his tunic, flooding the air with blinding scarlet brilliance.

His collar split open, revealing a red crystal pendant. The light swept out in a wave, enveloping not only Xia Ya but the ground within ten paces around him.

Xia Ya’s eyes burned a brilliant red. He felt the light flood his body, and in an instant, all pain vanished.

His mind was suddenly overwhelmed by a torrent of strange consciousness, forcibly flooding his thoughts!

Thrust! Slash! Chop! Lunge!

In a heartbeat, the entire “Army-Cleaving” technique flashed through his mind, every movement, every underlying principle suddenly clear as day. Things he’d previously struggled to grasp now seemed utterly transparent, as if the last mist had been swept away!

Of the thousands of thoughts crowding his mind, only one remained:

Kill!!!

With a sudden roar, Xia Ya leapt to his feet!

It was only an instant, but Xia Ya saw with perfect clarity the faces of the enemies around him—their twisted features, eyes full of murderous intent, snarling lips…

He saw their movements, too; every twitch, every gesture, became slow and distinct, every shout and howl stretching and distorting as if time itself had slowed…

Yet his own mind remained sharp!

Kill! Slay them all!

Every last one!

Within the crimson glow, everything seemed slow yet vivid.

Xia Ya struck.

The fire fork whirled in a sweeping arc, trailing scarlet light. That light seemed to condense into a fine, flying blade, cleaving straight through the chest of the reindeer cavalry leader.

Time seemed to crawl as Xia Ya watched the man’s armor split, followed by flesh, bone, and organs—each layer parting, until the man was sliced clean in two at the chest!

Nor was he alone; two other cavalrymen a few paces behind him collapsed, their upper bodies severed.

And then another…

All around Xia Ya, where the arc of the fire fork had swept, a dozen or more archers fell, their armor and bodies split as easily as paper, bows snapping, heads rolling, blood spraying—

It was as if that single crimson blade had effortlessly sliced through everything in its path!

Within ten paces, all was crimson.

Crimson killing intent!

That was the name that sprang to Xia Ya’s mind.

The last time this power had erupted, he’d been insensible; now, every detail was vivid. The crimson light radiated an indescribable magic. Every swing of the fire fork, no matter how stout the armor or sharp the blade, passed through as if through air—utterly unimpeded.

Where the crimson light swept, defense… meant nothing!

※※※

More than a dozen archers were cut in two in an instant, their bodies collapsing even as blood sprayed from the wounds, some torsos still momentarily upright before toppling over.

Before Xia Ya, and to either side, within ten paces, not a single foe remained!

The sheer brutality of the scene seized the remaining enemy soldiers in stunned silence. For a heartbeat, their minds were wiped blank—how could so many people have died in the space of a blink?

With a low growl, Xia Ya leapt forward, his foot leaving cracks in the earth, even shattering stone. He soared several meters and landed atop a reindeer, shoving the corpse from its back and stabbing the animal hard with the fire fork. The beast screamed and charged headlong into the crowd, hurling archers aside before plunging down the slope.

The drop was four or five meters. When the reindeer landed, its legs snapped under the force, and it collapsed with a cry. Xia Ya tumbled from its back, rolled several times, and then scrambled to his feet, fleeing in wild, clumsy haste.

At last, the Odin warriors atop the hill shook off their shock. Those at the rear stared at their fallen comrades—especially the leader, now a mangled corpse in two parts.

A chorus of frenzied roars erupted.

“That bastard killed the young prince!”

“The young prince is dead!”

Madness seized the surviving reindeer warriors. They turned as one and thundered down the slope in pursuit.

Xia Ya ran with all his might. His strength was immense, and each stride covered several times the ground a normal man could manage. Behind him, the thunder of hooves closed in, the Odin warriors howling and waving their weapons in a berserk pursuit. As he ran, Xia Ya fumbled at his chest, finally producing a small ring.

(Damn it, I’m counting on you! Don’t let me down!)

This was the wind magic ring he had stripped from the dead high mage after slaying the dragon. Xia Ya had asked Dodoro about such items; while made for mages, any human could use them, though the magic they contained was limited. Without a mage to replenish its power, it was a mere consumable—once the magic was spent, it was just an ordinary ring.

Slipping the ring onto his finger, Xia Ya instantly felt a strange energy ripple through his body—gentle, slow, yet somehow thickening and lightening the very air.

At first, nothing seemed different as he ran. But his speed quickly increased, every stride now landing as if on solid air itself, the world seeming thicker, his steps buoyed as though the sky beneath his feet were a springboard.

He also felt his body grow much lighter, and his pace accelerated dramatically.

He had no idea what his pursuers were shouting, but their murderous fury was plain enough—their words could only be curses.

Behind him, the Odin warriors did their utmost to give chase. But as Xia Ya’s strides lengthened, he all but flew across the ground—his figure bounding away, leaving them far behind in a handful of swift, floating leaps.