Dale clutched his mangled arm, which looked as though it might fall off at any moment, with deep gashes carved all along it. The attack had been aimed at his head, neck, and heart. He had narrowly stopped the strikes to his heart and neck by reacting at the last instant, raising his reinforced arm to block.

As a result, his wrist and elbow were nearly destroyed.

The final strike toward his head missed the vital area by a hair's breadth, leaving deep gashes across his forehead, nose, and cheeks. Blood streamed down his face, painting it entirely red.

Nira was desperately trying to stop the bleeding, her hands trembling as she poured every ounce of her magic into healing whatever she could. Tears welled in her eyes as she watched Dale in that state. One moment, he had been fine—then, in the blink of an eye, reduced to this.

Thankfully, all of them had been brought back before the second wave of attacks could reach them. That wave had already been unleashed by a being that looked both human and inhuman at the same time. Blades replaced its hands, and its entire body gleamed as if forged from dense, polished metal.

"It's alright, Nira," Dale said through clenched teeth, forcing a calm tone despite the pain tearing through him. "It'll heal in time. Don't over-exert yourself."

He raised his uninjured hand and pointed weakly in a certain direction. "See? The healers… they're coming."

It wasn't that he wasn't in pain—far from it. Nira's skills were nowhere near enough to heal an arm that was almost severed.

But he couldn't bear to see her breaking down, sobbing helplessly in front of him.

People around him were already exclaiming by pointing at the scoreboard high up in the sky.

Around 10 people in the top 50 had died at once. Their numbers are turning grey.

---

Lu had been hovering high in the sky when he noticed a young man sprinting through the forest at remarkable speed, cutting through the trees as he ran straight toward a pink-haired girl in the distance—almost as if he knew her exact location.

"Looks like this is the one he has been eyeing," Lu muttered. He extended his senses toward the youth, only to stiffen in surprise.

"What? Why does it feel like I can't discern his true power…?" His brows furrowed. "But nonetheless, he's already crossed mid–3-star."

A sharp click of his tongue followed. "Damn the luck of that old sucker bastard. If only I had gone to that outskirts city…"

He was still lamenting when a swirling portal suddenly opened behind Leo. Lu's pupils shrank to pinpoints. Before he could even react, a pressurised beam of blood-red liquid shot out, piercing straight through Leo's heart.

Lu took a sharp breath in.

Then he saw the culprit.

The curling goat horns. The deep red skin. The unforgettable figure.

"BLOOD MONGER! IT'S YOUUUU!"

Lu roared, his aura exploding outward as he activated his phoenix skill—Fire Whirlpool.

A massive, swirling mass of blazing purification flames formed instantly in front of him, roaring as it descended like a fiery waterfall over Xyren's frame. The torrent of flames slammed down just in time, intercepting and blocking the blood beam Xyren had been about to fire at Leo once more.

While Xyren was trapped within the raging fire, Lu descended rapidly, landing beside Leo. The young man had already consumed the petal—blood was still gushing uncontrollably from the hole in his chest, yet there was no sign of pallor on his face.

Lu immediately understood.

He consumed a treasure.

He didn't waste even a moment on introductions.

"Go," Lu barked. "Hide somewhere and try to heal that wound. Or else that geezer will chase me to the ends of the world if you die in my presence."

He continued without pause, his tone sharp and urgent. "This demon is very powerful. You won't survive anywhere near here. And why haven't you been summoned back to the city?"

Leo's mind was already screaming with danger signals from every direction. Sensing that, Lu released his aura fully, suppressing the demonic interference caused by the presence of a high-ranking demon like Xyren, who was still struggling violently within the fire tornado.

Only then did Leo feel a fraction of the pressure lift.

"My metal plate is destroyed," Leo said shakily. "And I don't think I can r-run… my legs are weak from the blood loss." He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to try and stand.

From the way Lu had referred to someone as a "geezer," Leo already guessed this fire mage had to be Brant's colleague.

"At least go as far away as possible," Lu snapped. "I'll control the damage for a moment. But don't delay." His eyes hardened. "Now!"

Leo nodded and staggered to his feet. Activating [Astral Aura Weave], he reinforced his legs and began running. He didn't dare activate [Critical Strike]—the skill directly strengthened muscles, and right now, he simply didn't have enough blood circulation to support it.

As he ran, he continuously cast [Nature's Heal] on himself. The skill, which enhanced the body's natural recovery, was far better at regenerating lost blood than holy healing skills, whose primary function was purification.

He quickly realised something else.

The attack that had pierced his heart carried a toxic property—it slowed regeneration, induced extreme fatigue, and even prevented blood coagulation. He relentlessly spammed [Nature's Heal] to make up for the amount of blood that flowed out continuously.

"S-shit! Why the hell did I run so far away alone?!" Leo cursed himself for his foolishness born from arrogance. At that moment, he desperately missed Shyra—she would've already dragged him out of the danger zone with her flexible agility.

"Thankfully, I levelled up once more," he muttered grimly. "Or else this might've been extremely dangerous."

After all the hunting he had done on the back of the Colossus while travelling to the city, he had reached Level 24.

Level 23: 4050 / 32228 → Level 24: 10890 / 41896

Updated Stats:

(Vitality and Intelligence have increased more due to consuming another petal just now)

Vitality: 332 → 498 → 505 [522 → 695]

Strength: 333 → 500 [523 → 690]

Agility: 276 → 414 [466 → 604]

Stamina: 335 → 503 [525 → 693]

Intelligence: 471 → 707 → 724 [661 → 914]

Mana: 47100 → 70700 → 72400 [66100 → 91400]

As he was running desperately, a sudden chill crawled up his spine.

Leo reacted instantly—ducking sharply, almost collapsing flat against the ground out of sheer urgency.

---

4-star stats attribute equivalent

500 - 1000 = Pseudo 4-star

1000 - 2000 = Low 4-star

2000 - 3000 = Intermediate 4-star

3000 - 4000 = High 4-star

4000 - 5000 = Peak 4-star

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