"Bahahaha! You're not looking so good there, Valedd. Are you almost at your limit? Is this perhaps all that the number one genius of the Aswang Clan amounts to?"
Valedd didn't respond to Yahtorn's taunting—or more like he couldn't. Fighting ten opponents concurrently was way beyond pushing his limits already. Weapons continually flogged and slashed at him from every angle, and to add even more trouble was the fire magic of these ogres that they would cast every once in a while.
Like what's happening right now: he was currently dealing with three ogres as he strenuously tried to dodge and weave while swinging his sword each finite chance he gets; yet, multiple blazing fireballs advanced towards his direction, leaving him no room to breathe. He could evade some of them, but definitely not all. As such, two fireballs managed to hit his side and torso, burning his clothes and marking red scorches on his body.
"How long can you last, Valedd? Hahaha! This is so entertaining—to watch the heaven-gifted prodigy of the Aswang Clan, who is supposed to be the future leader that would bring the clan to prosperity, dying helplessly in my hands. Ah, the feeling is simply intoxicating!"
"You absolutely despicable and cowardly bastard!" Valedd raged. "The Aswang Clan will one day surpass the Ogre Clan and be the top ruler of Nebuchadnezzar! I swear it on my life, and with every breath and fiber left of my being!"
"Really~ Is that so? However, your current situation doesn't look too promising, Valedd."
"Rotund piece of sh*t! You better make sure that I don't make it out of here alive Yahtorn, or I promise I will grudgingly slice your obese fat-ass into mincemeat!"
"Hehehe! I doubt it."
While it was of extreme delight to him watching his love rival being squashed pitifully like a bug, Yahtorn still couldn't keep his gaze from wandering to see the situation of others, particularly the traitors—the three-man Tikabalng gang led by Gaius.
"Hmm? Didn't that Mischievous Imp only employ one traitor? Why are there three of them? Well, I guess it doesn't matter; the more the better. However, they seem to be struggling a lot…"
Nixon was being roasted with orange flames, Tunok was battling two people at once, and lastly, Gaius was being chased around by a bloodhungry Aswang. On the other hand, the three remaining NPC guards that did not partake in their scuffle hurriedly ran to support Valedd.
"Seriously, what a bunch of garbage. Didn't their surprise attack work out? They had such an advantage, but now it all went down the drain, as the ones being pushed back are them."
As he was spectating them, most of his attention was primarily focused on a very peculiar scene. A buff and tall Tikbalang carrying an intimidating, gigantic axe was continuously running away like a sissy as if his very life depended on it; and, persistently hounding his horsey tail, was an Aswang with bulging thick muscles and centipede veins that were pumping nonstop like a heartbeat.
"That doesn't look normal at all… In fact, it's so uncharacteristic of an Aswang to be so brawny to such an exaggerated degree!"
From what he could observe, that Aswang seemed to be out of his mind with no self-control or restraint. The entirety of his eyes was shaded in deep scarlet while giving off a demonic light. Even from far away, Yahtorn could sense a dangerous, infernal aura surrounding him as if his life was taken over by a ghastly fiend.
"Young Master Valedd, I've heard rumors of your Aswang Clan developing an exceptionally powerful and potent pill that could perform wonders to change the tides of battle. Apparently, one of your guards seemed to have taken that pill. Actually, I'm reminded that before you launched yourself into battle, you've shouted something about consuming a Demonic Life-Ending Pill."
Hearing Yahtorn's question from one ear while the other picked up the wind screeching near him, Valedd did his utmost to concentrate and dodge out of the way. Alas, he was still a second too slow and was battered on the chest by a sledgehammer, then sent skidding across the rough, dusty ground.
"Cough…! Cough!"
Valedd threw up dark blood, splattering his dirty torn clothes with sickening red. But the torment didn't end there, as a huge fireball approached him which left him nowhere to run.
"Damn you Yahtorn and the Nebuchadnezzar Ogre Clan! I will definitely finish all of you off with my own hands one day! Mark my words!" Then, he roared out from the top of his lungs, "GHOUL TRANSFORMATION!!!"
BOOM!
The death-sentencing fireball ultimately landed on him and caused a huge explosion.
"RAAARGGHH!!!"
A thunderous, inhuman bellow shook the atmosphere, stunning the ten ogres that were very close to the source. Then, in a flash of red lightning, a monstrous figure sprinted to one of the ogres and gauged his heart out. The unnamed ogre's eyes reflected his abject terror and shock at the unexpected situation as he dropped dead on the ground.
The now dreadful Young Master Valedd, who was completely different from his usual elegant and refined form, scanned his surroundings with horrific eyes that burned with fire.
"You three attendants! Settle the rest of the ogres here, and consume the Demonic Life-Ending Pill if you have to. I will deal with Yahtorn before finally escaping."
"""We understand, young master!"""
Valedd gave them an appreciative nod, then bolted towards Yahtorn with frightening momentum. Meanwhile, Yahtorn looked dumbfounded by the abrupt change of circumstances. His eyes looked shaken, his lips felt dry, and his legs rocked together like waves.
"…Gho-Ghoul Transformation! How can this be?! Such a rare bloodline skill was awakened by the likes of you?!"
***
(Young Master Valedd of the Nebuchadnezzar Aswang Clan, LVL. 10)
Type: Special
State: Hostile
Special Condition: Ghoul Transformation is currently in effect – (56 secs.)
Health: 196/500 (+100)
Mana: 50/250 (+100)
Physical Defense: 35 (+40)
Magic Resistance: 30 (+40)
Skill/s: Crisscross Slash, Lifesteal, Aswang's Heightened Senses, Ghoul Transformation
***
Valedd didn't pay his ramblings any attention, because he knew that this unparalleled state of his couldn't be maintained for more than a minute. He had to make use of this very short amount of time to kill Yahtorn and escape from here.
'I will leave the rest of this mess for the guards to handle. They'll be fine since they each have a Demonic Life-Ending Pill with them. Once I've killed Yahtorn, I can only flee back to town, as it's currently too dangerous to linger in this forest. Maybe even more ambushers are headed this way…'
Thinking of such a worst possibility occurring, Valedd's face got a whole lot darker and scarier when he glared at the pot-bellied ogre.
"I'll send you to join your ancestors in hellfire, Yahtorn. Be insurmountably grateful to me!"
"Sh*t!"
Valedd didn't use his sword this time but instead, he raised up his newly grown claws that were as tall as knives. The reason why is because his sharp claws could actually deal more damage than his sword ever could; they were undeniably deadlier than his current weapon in this situation.
As Valedd's claws descended on Yahtorn, desiring to turn the fat f**k into mincemeat, Yahtorm suddenly let out a panicked cry as he hurriedly activated a skill from one of his accessories,
"Crystal Shield Sphere!"
The monstrous claws finally struck its target… not. A shining globe of crystal instantaneously encased Yahtorn's big and wide frame just in time.
Having successfully blocked a lethal blow that could have taken his life, Yahtorn heaved a sigh of relief and gave a smug smile inside the crystal encasing.
"Phew~ You almost had me there, Valedd. Almost, that is. Hehehe!"
"Tch!"
However, Valedd didn't have it in him to give up just yet, and so, he struck the trash bastard numerous times in a flurry, seeing if the defensive skill would eventually succumb to his thrashing.
"Wahahaha! It's no use, Valedd. It's useless, utterly useless! Anything you do will never be able to break my shield, and this is but a single protective spell from one of my many exquisite accessories. My lovely treasures cost a fortune; you know. Thus, their effects are nothing short of extraordinary! You think my dear, dear mother would send me out alone without this much life insurance or protection? If so, then you are grossly mistaken!"
'I don't have time for this! My transformation won't last until I've killed this bastard. And knowing how rich this fatty's mother is, there's no reason for me not to believe in his words…'
"Oh, you're hesitating now, huh. Where's that freakin' bravado you were shout out earlier?! Weren't you saying that you were going to make mincemeat out of me?!"
'F**k…! I have to leave, right now! Or else, I'll really be killed by this scum once I've run out of time.'
With no other choice in mind, Valedd turned away from the complacent Yahtorn and proceeded to escape at breakneck speed. He zoomed past the multitude of dark trees in the forest while leaving deep stretches of footprints in his wake.
…
[Welcome to the Untamed Continent…]
High-up in the skies in a distant, far away land: Solis once again listened to the all-too-familiar monotonous robotic voice of the system as he opened his eyes. What greeted him was another continent—no, it was the last of the Four Great Continents.
"The Untamed Continent… This is the final one, huh." He muttered to himself.
His eyes were gleaming in anticipation while excitedly looking around him, and the view he saw was clearly nothing like he had expected.