Capítulo 40: 40. Conspiracy

Blaze, on the verge of rushing forward, abruptly pivoted and dashed back. Sliding to his knees, he swiftly positioned himself between the hyena and Olivia. Brandishing his nearly destroyed ice sword, with only a small fragment of a quarter remaining, he attempted to shield Olivia from the flames. However, the compromised state of the sword rendered it incapable of providing substantial protection. His own body became the recipient of the searing heat.

The flames engulfed Blaze's uniform, but its defensive properties managed to repel a significant portion of the fiery assault. Moving with remarkable agility, Blaze closed in on the hyena. However, after a mere three seconds, the dwindling defense of his uniform proved insufficient as it succumbed to the flames.

Nevertheless, Blaze managed to reach the hyena before incurring any additional injuries. With unyielding determination, he forcefully thrust his battered ice sword upwards, aiming to pierce the creature's jaw. Regrettably, the sword shattered upon impact, but undeterred, Blaze swiftly followed up with a precise slash across the hyena's neck using the katana.

The blade sliced halfway through the throat before coming to a stop.

In a swift motion, Blaze pulled the stuck sword, sharply turned, scooped up Olivia, and made a dash into the depths of the forest. The remaining hyenas stood momentarily stunned by the sequence of events, but the whimpering comrade on the ground jolted them back to reality.

Roaring in unison, they gave chase.

Blaze could feel a sharp pain in the right side of his chest, but he ignored it, carrying Olivia in his grasp as he ran. After a relentless three minutes of fleeing, Blaze caught up with the rest of the group. Blaze dropped Olivia after meeting the rest and let her run with her legs.

Together, they continued their frenzied escape, the cacophony of roars and the thundering of footsteps echoing through the forest.

After an arduous hour of relentless escape, the absence of the hyenas' menacing laughter brought a momentary respite. As the team caught their breath and settled into a momentary respite, Robin's weakened state became apparent as he fell limply to the ground. The others, relieved to have temporarily eluded the hyenas, allowed their bodies to relax, their heavy panting filling the air.

Blaze, however, remained on high alert. He swiftly ascended a nearby tree, seeking a vantage point to survey their surroundings and assess any potential threats. After a thorough scan of the forest, he descended from the tree, his muscles gradually easing their tense grip.

Finding a fallen branch of a tree, Blaze took a seat, finally affording himself a moment to inspect his injury. He carefully examined the burnt patches on his uniform, revealing a painful and itching wound beneath. Gritting his teeth, he endured the discomfort, noticing that even his tattoos had been seared away by the flames.

Suddenly, the sound of crunching leaves and rustling foliage broke the stillness, causing everyone's muscles to tense once again. All eyes turned toward the source of the approaching footsteps, their anticipation mingled with a sense of trepidation. The identity of the oncoming beasts remained unknown, fueling their cautious readiness for whatever lay ahead. Blaze's narrowed gaze remained fixed in the direction of the approaching threat, his instincts sharpened.

Now, they had run deeper into the forest.

"We shouldn't have gone deeper," Robin said weakly as he quickly sat up.

Blaze, his gaze still fixed on the direction of the approaching footsteps, responded without turning to face Robin. His voice carried a determined conviction as he explained the reasoning behind their choice to press forward.

"The hyenas had clustered on our path of retreat," Blaze stated firmly. "Your lightning wouldn't have been able to clear the way for us if we had chosen to go backward. We had to find another route, even if it meant going deeper into the forest."

The beings approaching them finally revealed themselves. Blaze saw Liam and his battered teammates. Cherry was also among them.

As Liam and the others arrived at the scene, their eyes widened in astonishment. "What are you doing here?" Liam questioned Blaze with a frigid tone, but Blaze simply disregarded him.

Suddenly, a short girl with blonde hair positioned behind Liam dashed towards Blaze. A meter-long rocky platform grew from the ground before her, gradually taking shape at a distance. Without breaking her stride, she stepped onto the platform, propelling herself into the air with her mace set to strike Blaze.

Swift as ever, Blaze evaded her attack by leaping to the side, causing her mace to collide with the trunk he had been sitting on, reducing it to splinters. Seizing the opportunity, Blaze swiftly lunged at her, his hand closing around her neck like a vice. Gradually, he tightened his grip, lifting her off the ground.

She swung her mace with an unwavering determination, even while being choked by Blaze. However, Blaze skillfully thwarted her plan by constricting the arteries in her neck and immobilizing her shoulder with ice. Abruptly, her hand ceased its movement, releasing its grip on the mace. Her eyes began to flutter closed, succumbing to the tightening grip around her throat.

Priscilla ran to Blaze even with her injuries. "Blaze, please let her go. She…she's my sister," she pleaded.

If it was before, Priscilla would have opted to attack Blaze. But after she witnessed Blaze's decisiveness and proficiency, Priscilla didn't want her sister to die.

Priscilla, positioned directly behind Blaze during their escape, bore witness to the chilling sight of him decapitating the hyenas with an unwavering countenance and unchanged expression. Blood splattered across Blaze's face and uniform, yet he remained unaffected, never pausing for a moment. The intensity of his killing intent, unleashed without restraint, sent shivers down Priscilla's spine. The combination of bloodshed, killing intent, and swift decapitations instilled a deep fear of Blaze within her.

"Why should I let her go?" Blaze questioned without looking at Priscilla.

"Because... because I am your teammate," Priscilla stammered, her voice trembling, yet Blaze persisted in tightening his grip, his expression unyielding.

"Because she is a woman. It is morally reprehensible to strike a woman," Priscilla hastily interjected, her eyes fixed on her sister, her life slipping away before her very eyes.

"Woman? Is that an armor? When she attacked me, was she a man? People like you disgust me. When you're powerful, you bully the weak and scream equality. But when you're weaker, you use 'woman' like armor," Blaze said and threw Priscilla's sister aside like a rag doll.

Without casting a glance at anyone, Blaze forged ahead into the depths of the forest, ascending a tree to find solace in a tranquil refuge.

Meanwhile, Liam and the others observed the unfolding drama from the sidelines, their weary countenances bearing testament to the harrowing escape from the clutches of death. Their armor, marked by the scorching trials they had endured, told tales of their near brush with doom.

Blaze, ever vigilant, deliberately refrained from tending to his wounds. A cautious individual by nature, he understood that healing himself could potentially expose the cursed marks that marred his very being.

"So, why did you save her?" Aphrodite asked.

"I had a change of heart," Blaze said calmly and closed his eyes.

"Tell that to the Professors," Aphrodite mocked sarcastically. "I would have believed you if you went back when the raging flames were colossal. Tell me the truth. It's not like we are strangers," she added sweetly.

Blaze opened his eyes and gazed into Aphrodite's eyes in silence before his lips broke into a smirk.

"You want to manipulate her? Because you've saved her, she will be indebted to you?" Aphrodite asked.

"That's an evil way to put it. Her archery skill is good and she's still an awakened mage. After Aurora's threat, I think going solo in this forest will be a bad idea," Blaze said calmly.

"You made this calculation in the fleeting moment when she fell, and you tell me you've low intelligence?" Aphrodite mocked with sarcasm laced in her voice.

Suddenly, Blaze heard the footsteps of many people approaching him. He maintained his position and waited.

"What do you want?" Blaze questioned from above.

The rest stopped when they got closer while Robin, Aurora, and Cherry came forward.

Robin's fear of Blaze was undeniably genuine. While the rest may perceive Blaze's act of killing Victoria, Priscilla's sister, as an unfounded threat, Robin had personally laid eyes upon the lifeless body of Ice Reaper. This harrowing encounter served as a chilling reminder of Blaze's lethal capabilities. Furthermore, Robin was privy to Blaze's sinister intentions, knowing that he had harbored thoughts of even slaying the Princess of the Phoenix Kingdom.

"Blaze, can you come down? Let's talk," Robin scratched his head and asked.

Blaze fixed his piercing gaze upon them for a brief moment before gracefully descending from the tree.

"What's the matter?" Blaze inquired with a poker face.

"According to Liam and the others, the hyenas have taken up position nearby, effectively obstructing our path out of the forest. And it appears that we have only faced a fraction of their pack. Cherry can verify this information. Thus, we seek to strategize our escape plan," Robin explained like a rehearsed official speech, a foolish grin adorning his face. Blaze couldn't help but wonder why Robin consistently displayed such foolishness.

"Let us wait until tomorrow morning. If they refuse to retreat, we shall forcefully carve our way out. Given the injuries that most of us have sustained, it would be prudent to proceed with caution," Blaze calmly suggested, his voice resonating with unwavering confidence.

Liam grunted in response and proceeded to walk away, his team trailing behind him. Although Liam may have been inclined to engage in an argument with Blaze, he had become aware of Blaze's formidable accomplishments and unyielding ruthlessness, which compelled him to exercise self-restraint. Priscilla already told the tale from her perspective.

Though the feat at hand may appear trivial, the act of closing in on these fire-breathing beasts and instilling within them a sense of fear was no small undertaking.

Liam's team consisted of four fire mages, one earth mage, and a light mage, enabling them to unleash a formidable barrage of Tier-2 weapon spells, effectively blasting their way through the encirclement.

"Ehmm…Blaze, I think we should stay together. You know, we don't know what lurks in the forest at night." Robin tapped on Blaze's shoulder with familiarity, but Blaze brushed his hands off his shoulder.

"Leave," Blaze said calmly before turning to climb onto his previous tree.

"We will stay here," Robin quickly said and sat down, but Blaze ignored him.

"There's something important you must know for your survival in this forest," Cherry said with a smile. Blaze finally halted his action.

"I think somebody is starting to understand you," Aphrodite giggled from the sidelines.

"I will tell you if you decide to stay with us," Cherry added with her smile broadening.

Blaze maintained his composed demeanor as he gazed at her calmly, his expression inscrutable. He gracefully settled himself into a seated position before speaking in a measured tone. "If the information you have to share is not of utmost importance, then I will take my leave," Blaze stated.

All of them finally sat down on the floor while removing the metallic armor on their body.

"Don't you guys think the test has crossed our level? It's just a speculation though, but the Academy's array seemed to be malfunctioning, but it is supposed to be logically impossible," Cherry explained to everybody before raising her amulet. "I tried to call Evelyn, a Grand Mage, to come for a rescue, but none of the amulets connected."