The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 403: Competition: Druid Mode (7)

Chapter 403: Competition: Druid Mode (7)

The newcomer wasn’t someone Hex recognized. He did look local.

’A Transformation Stage Knight with an abundance of Nature elements.’ The person had followed behind the alpha. At such a close distance the perpetrator’s power and element weren’t hard to observe. The attacker didn’t even hide his track at this point.

Should I kill–?

’No, let’s wait.’ Hex stopped the Bear not only to see if he could investigate more but also to allow the Bear to do as he pleased. He had detected a strong urge to kill and destroy through the bond. Initially, it had been almost non-existent. But with each kill, the blood lust grew.

Hex didn’t pity the death of the beasts. Nor did he worry about killing a Druid. He had killed many, directly or indirectly. He did mind wanton killing, though. The Bear was an extension of his Soul. Or so he believed. If he allowed the Bear to lose himself in his desires, he feared some unwanted developments would occur, putting him into a disadvantage.

There was quite a lot he didn’t know about the Soul. But now wasn’t the time to ponder too much on it. He focused on the Druid. By now, the alpha and the Druid, both, appeared through the thicket of high grass.

Seeing the dismembered bodies of its pack, the alpha howled. It seemed on the verge of losing control. The Druid, however, hissed a command to hold it back.

"Who are you?" The Druid demanded with a deep frown. He had noticed Hex as soon as he emerged from the grass.

"Shouldn’t I be the one asking that?" Hex sneered in response. He had removed the Veil of Death when the Druid stepped out of the grass. He did so consciously. The man reeked of blood, which meant he wasn’t someone who was trying failing to control his pack. He was someone who was attacking the farms, for whatever reason, and didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

"Shut up. I have never seen you around. An outsider like you has no business coming between me and the farms. Leave and we can forget we have met." The Druid appeared calm but Hex wasn’t easily fooled. He detected the faint blood lust the Druid emitted.

"Forget? Sure, I can forget you. You are easy to forget. But can you forget me? Can you forget my partner, whose paws are still colored in the blood of your little pets." As he intended, the smirk on his face caused the Druid’s face to contort in anger. Feelings, especially negative ones, were good. It could push people to reveal things they wished to keep concealed.

"A little Refined Knight dares to challenge me. Times are indeed changing," the Druid said, gritting his teeth. "I don’t know where you got such a magnificent partner from but...I don’t mind adding it to my collection."

’Times are changing, huh?’ The phrase stuck with him. It made him wonder about the objective behind the Druid’s action.

"Are you attacking the farms to increase the strength of your pack?"

Sure enough, hearing Hex’s question, the man reacted a little. The Druid was experienced. He tried to conceal the slight hiccup in his facade. It would have worked with others. Not with Hex.

’There is plenty I don’t know about the way Druids increase the power of their beasts but his reaction suggests I am on the right track.’

"What does it matter why we attack," the Druid sneered. "You clearly won’t retreat. Good. I wasn’t planning on letting you escape, just to be honest with you."

"Thank you. That means you wouldn’t be able to truly forget me, right? What a relief," Hex grinned. At the same time, he commanded his Soul. ’Be quick with it.’

You think the farm is under attack.

Indeed. The mention of ’We’ wasn’t easy to miss.

Despite commanding the Bear to be quick, Hex didn’t attack immediately. It was a chance to experience a Druid battle. Something like that didn’t happen everyday.

A surge of energy passed through the Druid into the alpha. The control of energy and the speed of the surge proved the Druid’s level of experience and strength.

Hex watched with interest as the alpha morphed at lightning speed, growing larger and more menacing. It had been about a meter and half in height before. But the morph increased it to five meters tall on its hind legs. Its muscles expanded and fur glistened in the streaks of the night light.

The alpha growled and roared. It was evident that it had entered some sort of berserk state. Saliva splattered on the ground as it howled.

"ATTACK!"

The change was barely completed when the Druid ordered the attack.

’Fast!’

Its attack landed on the bear while the after image it left behind was fading.

’Strong too.’

Hex gritted his teeth. The impact of the paw traveled through the Soul to him. He groaned in pain.

"What the fuck is wrong with your beast?!"

The Druid exclaimed furiously. His nasty smile had faded when he laid eyes on the Bear. He knew the alpha had attacked it but there were no injuries to be seen. Shock. The Druid hadn’t expected to be able to kill the magnificent bear in one attack but it should have caught the beast unaware, injuring it greatly.

’Don’t play with it.’

Hex urged the Bear to attack faster. The Bear roared and got on his hind leg too. It was still not enough. The alpha attacked relentlessly. Its speed surpassed the limit of what the Bear could follow or counter.

It clawed and bit every bit of the Bear it could reach in its speed. No blood appeared. No injuries could be seen. None escaped the Druid who was going hysterical. Fear could be seen appearing on the man’s face.

’Why is he crying? I am the one in pain here,’ Hex groaned inwardly. The bond shared each attack with him. He felt his body being ripped open. It took every bit of inner strength to keep himself from crying out loud.

There was no way for the Druid to know but Hex was already applying the Ice element to his senses, trying to numb the burning pain. It helped. Very little, though. The pain seemed to be penetrating into his soul.

’Don’t follow it with your eyes. React to mine.’

He had never tried it but he believed, given their bond, it would be possible to share their senses. Hex allowed the bond to open up completely.

Howl!

The alpha blurred again. But instead of focussing on its journey, Hex shared its trajectory with the Bear.

’Now!’

Frost Dragon – Tailwhip!

Ursaid Smash

The Bear launched both attacks simultaneously. The tailwhip shot sharp Ice shards into the alpha’s open maw. And the smash hit the neck area of the alpha, hitting the beast downward, into the shard, toward the ground.

Bam!

The ground cracked open.

Howl.

The alpha yelped in pain. But it was still scratching the ground furiously. The Druid on the other side was spitting blood. He, too, was crawling on the ground, but backward, trying to escape.

Ursa Jump Smash

The bear jumped into the air and hit his front legs onto the alpha, putting his weight into the attack. With a crunch sound, the spine of the alpha broke. Its claws weakened and stopped slowly.

Blink Step!

With the alpha dead, Hex blinked near the Druid.

"Now, now, don’t leave in such a hurry. There are others waiting for you."

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