The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 292: Battle on shore (2)

Chapter 292: Battle on shore (2)

The first opponent suffered some minor burn wounds.

The injuries wouldn’t impede the Refined Knight from unleashing havoc on the weakened and tired Knights. Seeing the person still rubbing his eyes because of the sand, Hex moved.

The bluish light on the back of his hand flashed. Ice shot out and hit the man square in the face. He aimed at his nose and mouth, blocking the opponent’s airways. Suffering the sudden ambush, the Refined Knight panicked.

Such an ambush wouldn’t last long. The man would regain his bearing in a second. A second was all Hex needed, though. He reached the man in a fraction of a second. The Ice elements coalesced into an Ice blade.

"Bastard. Fight me like a real man if –."

The Refined Knight had sensed his presence. Whatever he wished to say remained stuck in his throat, though. He fell to the ground, grabbing his neck where Hex had cut him. The Ice element fused with his body, blocking air and blood flow. Without even a gag, he fell to the ground and died.

Hex prowled in the cloud of sand dust. Searching for his next opponent. He ignored those at the Knight stage. Leaving them alive wouldn’t matter. He could kill them anytime he wished. Their numbers wouldn’t matter either. Time was of the essence. Only by prioritizing could he take optimal advantage of the situation.

In quick succession, he found two other Refined Knights with minor injuries, who were still not ready for battle. It took him little effort to kill them. Things turned tricky after that. The dust started to clear. And the opponents had enough time to recover. Worst though, was that they already discovered that someone was hunting them.

"Group!"

"Don’t leave yourself exposed."

"Use the elites as a ring of defense."

All types of advice were thrown at each other. That caused another round of confusion and delay. After all, too many instructions caused the elites to hesitate. They didn’t know what to do.

That brief moment helped Hex kill one more Refined Knight. He suffered the combined attacks of six Knights at once.

Frost Dragon – Tailwhip

Frost Dragon – Frostbite

Hex used two of his abilities at once. The Knights failed to resist the biting cold and froze in place. Two, who stood behind Hex, suffered the most. The spikes pierced through their abdomen. If they didn’t receive a healer in time, they wouldn’t survive.

Despite the short duration of that battle, Hex found himself surrounded by another group. His battle caused others who were close to notice. They swarmed toward Hex.

’Three Refined Knights. All injured.’

He didn’t retreat. Three Refined Knights would spell trouble if they were uninjured. Seeing their blistered skin and burnt hair, Hex assumed these had been closer to the explosion.

Their eyes burned with anger as they surrounded him. None seemed weak.

"You caused me a huge loss, bastard."

The one at his right growled. He looked ready to pounce on Hex. His left eye missed its eyelid and brows. That, coupled with the charred upper lip, made the man appear even more vicious.

"Ahram, don’t break formation."

The one in the center spoke.

"Yes, Ahram. Behren is right, let’s attack at once."

"Then join, Kulfi."

Ahran hissed at the one on the left and didn’t wait for the others. Red light flashed and a sword with a curved tip appeared in his hand. He rushed toward Hex and just as he reached him, the sand beneath his feet exploded. Ahram used the momentum to reach Hex in a blink. His sword targeted Hex’s throat.

Second Blessing

A cloak of energy appeared and wrapped Hex. He lifted his hand to block the attack. Hex could have dodged it but the two others were on the move. Even at this angle, he saw a light flicker on the back of their hands. If he moved, the other two would unleash their attacks at once.

To his surprise, Hex watched the sword cut through the cloak and hit his arm. He stepped back, preventing his hand from being cut in two. Still, he suffered a minor injury.

Hex eyed the sword in Ahram’s hand with suspicion but there was no time to ponder its characteristics. Behren and Kulfi reached him by now.

A sharp blast hit him in the face. The heat in the air almost left him stunned. Kulfi followed it up with a whip attack. At least, Hex assumed it to be a whip attack at first. But as soon as the whip unfurled and two fangs appeared, he understood it to be a beast. And not just any beast, it was one at the Disaster stage.

"Keep using your Steaming Punch at him, Behren. Let’s Nasha do the rest. Ahram, you do whatever crazy thing you want."

Hex stood in the middle of all three attackers. He saw Behren take his stance to unleash multiple punches at him. The fangs were close to him. And the crazy guy’s blood-red sword filled his peripheral vision.

With all three attacks about to connect, he remained calm. In a glance, he chose his next prey.

’The punching guy.’

Blink Step

The next moment, he disappeared with a silvery flash. His three opponents halted their attacks. Hex’s disappearance caught them off guard.

"Where is he –"

"I don’t know, Behren. Remain alert –. BEHREN."

When the two others turned, they saw their friend frozen and pierced through. Kulfi was about to pull Ahram to his back when he noticed his other friend slump to the ground. His sword evaporated. Another, similar-shaped sword but made of Ice stuck out of his chest.

Hiss!

Kulfi sensed Nasha move around him and strike something or someone. He turned with a start. Hex stood there, Nasha clinging to his hand.

The serpent struck exactly at the same spot Ahram had cut him.

"Haha. You are done. Nasha’s bite doesn’t only inject her venom but also hexes a person. Be ready to be in our control, bastard."

Hex looked up at Kulfi. The serpent surprised him. It had struck despite his attempt to avoid it. A wonderful companion to have. When he heard Kulfi disclose its hidden effect, he had to smile.

"What are you laughing at –. Nasha. What did you do?!"

Kulfi fell on the sand, holding onto his serpent. The sandy-colored beast hissed in distress and seemed to wither.

"You said it hexes people," Hex said, sensing more people approach. "Didn’t you read my name? It’s Hex. Cursing me can work if your curse is more potent."

"W-What do you mean?" Kulfi cried and tried to stop his companion from dying. But it went limp in a second, dangling from his arms.

Hex stepped behind him as he watched another group surround him. They cursed and shouted. But Hex’s hands didn’t stop. He held a blade of Ice and started to grate his throat. At the same time, he lowered his head, keeping his eye on the others, and whispered.

"I mean, I am the greatest curse to walk these Blessed lands. I am Hex – the Witch’s Hex."

Blood splattered. Hex didn’t know whether Kulfi understood him or not. It didn’t matter. It mattered that he started to understand the extent of his abilities.

The attack released an enormous amount of chaotic energy, disrupting Time and Space. It caused rapid appearances and disappearances of Space Pockets around them. He still didn’t get the hang of time-related abilities such as Time Freeze. But Blink Step? He could use it to his heart’s content. It also made him realize another thing.

’Chaotic energy isn’t harmful to me. Perhaps I could store it up. In combination with my second Blessing, I could unleash a burst of it and create a chance for a Space Pocket to appear.’

He would give it a try. For now, he would go crazy with his abilities. He blinked and appeared behind the least protected members of those surrounding him.

One of the things he noticed was the duration of his senses disconnected shortened immensely when the distance wasn’t great. Or did it have to do with unblocked paths? Hex didn’t know. But he would learn.

The angry mob broke in panic when they noticed him appear all around them. Hex killed without reserve. He didn’t even check which stage the opponent was at.

A group of Refined Knights tried to group and attack but they didn’t see the attack coming from behind them. Hex did though.

With a grin he moved away, so Gronke could crush them under his massive size. Those hit by his descent from the hill flew away, puking blood. Hex saw even one burst into two pieces.

"IT’S NEAR!"

Hex smiled. Sterling’s shout meant the person coming to receive arrived. They could leave. His expression didn’t change. He continued to smile. It was hard to stop. Almost impossible, since he couldn’t move his body.

He didn’t sense it but a person stood before him. The lady, beautiful as she was, stood before him with a gentle smile on her face.

What he dreaded, happened. The Overlord had arrived.

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