The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 161: Disaster strikes again (1)

Chapter 161: Disaster strikes again (1)

’Tomorrow I will leave the ruin.’

Hex was already a week inside the ruin. He hunted mostly during the night as the amount of prey was greater then. He used the daytime to rest and explore. Between rests, he also continued to refine the crystals.

Hunting in the ruin was certainly lucrative. He had already gathered over a hundred Fiend crystals. With these, he expected to gain between a hundred and fifty to two hundred drops of energy.

’The layout of the market district has mostly stayed the same but there are multiple red marks at the exits towards the other districts.’

Hex wandered around, hoping to catch a few Fiends more. He planned on leaving the ruins in a day. The reason was his agreement with the Merchant Union and Tarquin. On his own, he managed to gain over a hundred crystals. Those two should at the very least have an equal amount to refine.

Hex desired first place but the competition wouldn’t end in a few days. The second prince wished to exterminate all the creatures inside. This would require months of hunting and preparations.

Hex believed the current phase to be a predatory one where they gave more people the chance to increase their strength. These people would then use that strength to push through the danger zones.

"Stop!"

Hex sauntered into an alley to reach the other side when suddenly someone appeared before him and stopped him. His energy was at the Knight stage. Hex sensed multiple people gathered. He was right. Multiple figures appeared above the buildings and behind him.

Their appearance didn’t surprise Hex. He had sensed them before entering but assumed they were resting inside these buildings. Over the past few days, he often passed buildings with humans inside them. It hadn’t led to any issues. Not until this moment.

"Empty your pockets and you can leave."

The man at the front sounded gruff. His bushy beard and bald head gave a menacing feel. With people at the back and above, he could intimidate many people. Sadly, Hex wasn’t one of those who would scare easily.

Without replying he resumed his steps. Seeing him ignore them, the bearded guy at the front gestured to one of his men on the roof with a nod. The man on the roof retrieved a dagger, aimed at threw at Hex.

Woosh.

The dagger was fast and flew to Hex’s neck. Just as it was about to hit, Hex raised his hand and caught it, holding it with two fingers. He cocked his head and smiled at the attacker. The man looked confused and warily. Hex gave the dagger a flick. The dagger shot out and hit the attacker right between his eyes. It was fast. It was powerful. It killed the man.

Thud.

The man keeled and fell off the roof. With a muffled sound, his corpse hit the dirt alley.

"Regan!" The bearded fellow roared. He ran toward Hex, holding a broad sword in his hand. The people at the back also ran simultaneously, while those above readied their bows and daggers.

Flex Step - First Step

Hex kicked the ground and flew to the roof. His opponents were experienced. The distance to the roof was something any Knight could cover. It didn’t fluster them. What surprised them was that Hex performed a second step mid-air.

Daggers and arrows swooshed over his head and behind his back, failing to hit him. Hex reached the roof on one side and with a swing beheaded an archer. Everyone was a Knight but none were a match for him.

The bearded fellow also jumped up and reached the roof. Hex avoided him, flipping over him. He swung his sword, reaping the lives of his opponents on the roof with each strike.

"STOP! We will leave!"

The bearded man shouted. His voice was high, the panic palpable in it. But it didn’t stop Hex. The man failed to catch his robe as he jumped to the other side, evading all the projectiles aimed at him.

’There is no way they will give up. They seem like a group, who are close to each other. They will wish to avenge their fallen friends.’

Hex wasn’t a bloodthirsty idiot who liked to kill. But life taught him to destroy problems by the root. Else they always came to bite in the ass.

The other side was already panicking when Hex reached their side. They were angry, sad, and scared. They tried to defend but their resistance was destroyed mercilessly by Hex.

The bearded guy pleaded from behind to let them leave but Hex didn’t pay any heed. Within a few seconds, he finished killing everyone, even the ones who remained in the alley.

"Why?!" The bearded figure asked angrily as tears rolled over his face. "I said we will retreat. I said we would let you live."

Hex watched him with his ice-cold eyes. "You never said for good. You never said you would never return. And most importantly, you never apologized."

The eyes of the bearded flew wide open. It seemed he couldn’t believe Hex killed them for such petty reasons. He raised his sword and hacked toward Hex.

Hex easily deflected the attack and rushed at him. His knee struck the bearded guy in the abdomen, causing him to spit out blood. Hex used the momentary disorientation his opponent suffered to swing his sword. The bearded head flew in the air.

The alley fell silent after the corpse hit the ground. Hex couldn’t sense any other person nearby.

He quickly searched their bodies and emptied their pockets. In the end, he gathered twenty Fiend crystals and fifty Demon crystals. He glanced around and left the alley quickly. Even though everyone knew such things happened, no one liked being labeled a murderer. Although Hex cared little about people’s opinions, he didn’t wish for unexpected complications to crop up.

’They were too weak. I guess they knew that too and wished to gain an advantage with numbers.’

Hex continued to explore till dusk. Just as he decided to take shelter, he sensed a faint trace of energy up ahead. It wasn’t one person. It seemed more like a battle raging on.

Curious to observe, he walked toward the fight. But he soon felt wary.

’There seems to be a group of Knights against a single creature. But its energy...’

Hex quickly realized it wasn’t a normal battle. The energy the creature radiated was far greater than anything he sensed so far in the ruin.

Scaling a building, he peered over the top.

Tarquin and his team were fighting against a Heartless. This one was smaller and more humanoid than an average Heartless. Hex had seen such a creature only once but it left a deep impression on him.

"A Disaster," he whispered, laying on the roof.

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