The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 135: Prey and Predator (2)

Chapter 135: Prey and Predator (2)

Dragon Frost Armor!

Ice shards materialized rapidly on Hex’s chest and forearms, while his head was partially covered. Hex put his arms up to shield the rest of his face against the flames streaking toward him.

"You are strong but too young, boy," Grump said grumpily. The elderly Knight continued waving his staff, shooting out flames at Hex.

The flames were hot. They melted the frost guard around Hex instantly. Thankfully, Hex was using the incomplete frost armor as a second layer of defense. His energy cloak was still the primary layer of defense. Although the flames made sizzling noises against it, the cloak remained intact.

’Again,’ Hex muttered as more ice shards coalesced around his chest, arms, and face. While fighting seriously, Hex used the opportunity to train his techniques against the Knights.

The frost armor was the hardest technique because it required a huge amount of energy and skill to control the element. It had been more than enough when taking out a group of Squires but against Knights, Hex couldn’t afford to allocate his complete focus on control, especially, an experienced Knight like Grump. Instead, Hex adapted it by applying it only to the areas most likely to be hit by the flames.

The flames hit the surrounding dry grass and lit them up. But Hex didn’t mind the smoke. He used it to mask his movement. With each wave of fire, he pushed forward. By the time Grump realized how close Hex was, it was enough for Hex to counterattack.

Flex Step!

Hex jumped and stepped in the air, wading through the streaks of flames. Hex’s mastery of the Flex Step had improved by leaps and bounds in the past months. He could step up to six times in the air, maintaining control over the distance and power on each step.

"Bastard!" Grump shouted in panic when Hex reached him. The elderly man used his staff to fight against Hex. He was quite adept at controlling his wooden weapon. The staff moved like a snake. Each time Hex blocked it, it would bend and shoot out fireballs.

"How do you like the power of my snake bending like a dragon technique? It is something I created after sixty years of training. It’s not something a child like you can break," Grump said proudly as the fervor with which he attacked, increased.

Hex didn’t reply. He continued to fight but seeing the old man’s technique gave him an idea. ’The fireballs are probably created by unleashing bursts of energy with fire element added to it. What if I do the same but with ice instead?’

The moment the idea formed in his head, Hex immediately applied it. Controlling and releasing his energy wasn’t something he needed to do actively. His second Blessing took care of that. It lessened the focus required.

Hex blocked the staff. The moment he sensed the energy release from the staff, he activated his second Blessing and made equal amounts of energy balls. When Grump’s energy balls burst into flames, his froze into ice balls.

Boom!

The clash of fire against ice caused the energy in the surroundings to lose its stability. The collision of the opposing elements caused explosions, sending shockwaves all around. Even the burning grass around them blew out by the burst of air displacement.

"What!" Seeing his attack countered in such a way made Grump’s mind go blank. He couldn’t believe Hex had done something he had spent a lifetime creating.

"Never lose focus during battle, old man."

Hex’s calm voice made Grump shudder and pulled him out of his stunned state. Alas, it was too late. Hex wasn’t the kind of person who would wait for his opponent to recover. A chance created was a chance taken.

Grump watched horrified as Hex’s sword cut his staff in two. It didn’t stop at that. It continued its trajectory.

"P-Please no. I can..."

His shout halted mid-sentence as his neck was severed, rendering Grump incapable of speaking...or breathing. His eyes and mouth remained open as his head and headless body tumbled to the ground.

"I believe you can...but I can too. And I did." Hex shrugged and searched the body of the dead Knight. He quickly found the Knight’s bulging pouch.

’I forgot to take Grimjoy’s but never mind. You should have more than he had,’ Hex mused as he put the pouch in his robe.

He sensed quite a few sources of energy coming at him. He picked up his sword and disappeared into the grass, resuming his search for other prey. If the Knights remained huddled together, he would cease attacking and follow from a distance. He didn’t plan to let these people remain alive. Plus, he was interested in knowing why they wished him death. Even if their bond with Clannad had been good, it didn’t make sense to start killing others.

After roaming a bit, he sensed two knights in front of him. It made him hesitate but he decided to check it out. He couldn’t sense more people close, so even if he was discovered, he would manage to retreat.

But the closer he got, the more turbulence he sensed the energy fluctuations. ’Are they fighting?’

Hex was still new to using his senses. He could use it to sense energies but he couldn’t differentiate them or learn more from it. When he was close enough, he heard the sound of battle, confirming his guess.

Hex hurried to approach the battle. As far as he knew, a fight meant Hestia or Althea was involved. He hurried, suppressing the smile on his face as he had discovered another use of the monolith and how to interpret the fluctuations.

Clang!

The moment he jumped out of the bush, a spear struck at him. He hastily put up his sword and blocked it.

"Easy. It’s me," he said with a wide grin to the beautiful girl before him. Behind her, he saw the corpse of an unknown Knight.

"Don’t sneak up next time. Otherwise, you might have an extra hole in your body," Althea said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Who is this?" Hex asked, not minding her response.

"I didn’t ask for an introduction," Althea said, giving him a side-eye.

’What did I do?’ Hex thought unhappily but explained himself.

"He wasn’t with us when we left the town nor was he part of the scarred baldy’s team. So, are they hired by the mayor or are there more than one group here?"

"I don’t know. I ran into him. As soon as he saw me, he started attacking. So I counter-attacked and killed him," Althea told him, indicating that was all she knew.

Just as Hex wanted to check the body of the dead person, he sensed two other Knights coming their way. They were approaching quickly.

He signaled Althea to be silent as he grabbed her and hid in the tall grass. He felt her warm body pressed against his but he maintained his vigilance. They would battle as soon as the people discovered them.

Through the bush, they quickly saw the two people coming their way. They were on foot and running. To their surprise, they recognized the two. They were the mayor’s daughter Rose and the baldy with the scar.

The bald man seemed to sense something and was about to stop. Rose, who was holding his hand, noticed it and turned. "What happened?"

"I don’t know. I think a battle occurred here," the bald man replied. Hex held his sword tightly, ready to jump out.

"We don’t have time for that. Let’s hurry. My father and the others are busy looking for the black-haired kid. This is the best chance to run away. My father won’t guess we escaped. Or do you wish to see him offer me as the governor’s mistress?"

The bald man shook his head and giving the surroundings one last look, he sped up again. Seeing them flee, Hex looked at Althea. They saw the same idea in each other’s eyes.

"Let’s capture them."

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