The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 177: Always a scavenger

Chapter 177: Always a scavenger

BOOM!

Hex jumped in time but the collision of powerhouses caused tremendous shockwaves. The chaotic wind slammed into him, sending him flying tens of meters back.

He quickly jumped back to his feet, groaning at the sting felt in his side. But the sound of walls cracking around them indicated there was no time to take care of broken ribs. Indeed, he moved in time to avoid the shattered pieces of the walls around him.

He failed to escape the thick dust cloud wrapping around them despite being quick. He shut his eyes and held his hand over his nose. The dust still managed to enter his airways, impeding his breathing. Coughing incessantly, he waded through the rubble.

After exiting the dust, the visibility improved. An area with a radius of more than a hundred meters was cleared. The buildings disappeared. The ground was filled with rubble. He heard the weak shrieks of the creatures. Peering through the fog of dust, he noticed the creatures freeing themselves from under the broken pieces.

He hurriedly looked behind to check whether the humans made it out. His senses indicated that the number of humans remained the same, only, there were weaker fluctuations.

’That fat bastard took out many Fiends but there are fewer of us capable of fighting too.’

Although he cursed inwardly, he wasn’t worried too much. As long as he could limit the number of Fiends he had to face at once, he could kill them. The Disaster stage creature was the bigger worry.

’I can still sense both of them.’

Hex stared to the front where the Refined Knight speared the creature into the buildings.

"What’s the status?"

Esmeralda appeared beside him, her clothes torn in some places, revealing bruised and cut-up skin. A layer of dust lay on her face and hair but she ignored her appearance. The survivors capable of fighting gathered behind Hex. Everyone was interested in one thing.

"He speared it through the buildings, into the wall. See that dent there?"

The group followed his finger and gasped. The group was familiar with the wall’s sturdiness. It required great strength to put a dent into it.

SCREECH!

Suddenly, they heard a loud shriek, followed by the rubble exploding outward. A creature, oozing a black liquid, appeared from under it. The furious shriek caused the other creatures to follow suit. A series of noises of rubble shooting out could be heard, revealing tens of Fiends.

The Disaster ignored the Knights and jumped toward another heap of rubble. Hex noticed the Fiends around them ready to follow their leader.

"Stop them!"

He shot out toward the front of the rubble, intercepting the Fiend furthest from him. Thankfully, the others understood the importance of stopping these creatures and joined him.

’I hope you can take care of it.’

Hex knew how difficult a Disaster could be. Without the Refined Knight, they would require three to five exceptional Knights. Even though the survivors were strong and brave, none seemed capable of going against a Disaster. Only he and Esmeralda could hold their own.

Hex faced two Fiends at once. They were strong but he wasn’t flustered. His precise control over his strength, energy, and elements helped him withstand their combined attacks.

Blizzard strike!

Hex swung his sword, hitting the creature’s talons. Sparks flew as the creature intercepted the attack but the next moment a layer of ice appeared, stretching from its talons to its shoulder, covering the entire limb.

Hex pivoted and evaded the strike of the second creature and got behind the Heartless with a frozen limb. The ice disrupted its balance and slowed it. Hex’s second swing hit its neck, cutting deep into its flesh. It shrieked, still alive and its head dangling to the side.

’These damn things are annoying.’

Hex suppressed his annoyance and focussed on the second creature. It was already flying at him, screeching furiously. Its talon came closer and closer. Hex didn’t flinch. Just as the attack neared within an inch, Hex stepped back, his hand draped around the first Heartless. Black liquid splattered out of the first Heartless’ back as a talon pierced its chest.

Flex Step - second step!

Hex stepped in the air, propelling himself forward. With a slash, he beheaded the first creature. Its head rolled over the floor, frozen in ice. The ice spread quickly toward its chest and bound the second creature in place.

It screeched but Hex gathered his energy into his fist. He hit the creature’s head with a backhanded punch. The energy blasted, shattering half of the creature’s head. Its body still wriggled but the ice spread over it completely.

Crack!

Hex punched again and shattered the frozen corpses. He also stomped on the frozen head, shattering it. The vitality of these creatures was off the chart. Some died when beheaded but others survived even such an attack. Shattering the corpses quickened the crystal retrieval.

’ Plus two,’ Hex added in his mind, pocketing two shiny pieces from the floor.

Looking around, he observed the ongoing battles. He was the first to finish two. He moved to help the nearest Knight while glancing at the wall. Two more dents had appeared in it in such a short period.

He only saw blurs and heard roars. But unlike the worried looks on others, Hex remained calm. His senses picked up the weakening of the Disaster’s energy fluctuations.

’As expected. If a group of Knights can defeat it, a Refined Knight like him should have an easier time with it.’

Hex joined the nearest fight and helped kill the Fiend within seconds. Despite the allure of the crystal, he left it to the Knight to harvest it.

He moved through the rubble like a phantom, appearing suddenly to kill. Not everyone required his help. Some Knights teamed up and some only faced a single Fiend. Hex helped those weaker or those who were against multiple creatures.

The number of Fiends dwindled quickly. Hex didn’t contest any of these crystals. He wasn’t generous. Once he noticed the humans winning, Hex left the battles and moved toward the rubble.

Before the Refined Knight charged at the Disaster, a few hundred Fiends surrounded them. While moving through the battles, Hex counted the Fiends. There were less than a hundred that made it out of the rubble.

’How do I always end up scavenging through trash?’ Hex thought self-depreciatingly. But he didn’t stop. He spread his senses through the pile and as soon as he located the Fiend, he sent his ice element into the rubble. The creature’s faint shrieks indicated it tried to struggle against the ice element but to no avail. The rubble restricted its movement. In a few seconds, the creature was frozen.

With calculated speed, Hex moved the stones and found the frozen body. His experienced hands shattered just enough so he could retrieve the crystal.

The whole process took him less than a minute. Hex sensed the Disaster almost death. The battles were also wrapping up.

’I need to hurry.’

Hex quickly moved from pile to pile, killing and retrieving Fiends at blinding speed. He first focused on piles with one or two Fiends before moving to piles with more. Those took a while longer.

When he sensed the Disaster’s energy disappear, he quickened his speed. Some of the Knights saw him but no one stopped or interfered. Even Esmeralda didn’t try to harvest those crystals. She was exhausted and wished only to return and have a bath.

Bam!

The ground rumbled as a figure landed in the middle of the group resting. It was the boar-like fellow, grinning as he played with a fist-sized crystal. The Disaster’s crystal attracted wishful stares but no one entertained the thought of fighting a Refined Knight for it.

"We will rest and wait for the next team to relieve us."

The burly figure spoke, gaining everyone’s approval. Just as he was about to sit, he noticed Hex’s action. The young man didn’t even look at him and continued to scavenge through the rubble.

"Interesting fellow," he laughed and sat on a broken boulder. He retrieved a sack of snacks and munched on them while drinking from a flask. The alcohol reeked but no one complained.

When the next team appeared, they saw a strange scene. A group of Knights lay lazily on the floor while they heard cries and shouts from afar. The only two sounds in this peaceful area were the sound of a big fellow munching on snacks, and the sound of a young man moving rubble and chuckling now and then.

"What h-happened here?"

One of the members of the new team inquired. Esmeralda stood up, dusting herself off.

"Nothing of note. We have cleared the area from here to the wall. Don’t expect us back before the morning."

The others stood up and gathered around.

"What is he doing?" Someone else asked, pointing at Hex.

"Scavenging," Esmeralda sighed. The others in behind her shook their head but no one moved. They waited for Hex to finish.

"Ah, you guys are ready to return?" He asked joyfully once he was done and saw the two teams waiting on him.

With a bulging pouch, Hex moved through the new team. The others shook their head and followed. The boar-like fellow munched and was the last to leave.

"W-What should we do?" Someone from the new team asked after watching the other team leave. He didn’t get a reply.