I stepped forward and summoned Sagittarius. Conjuring a flaming arrow in my hand, I jerked my head in the direction of the doorway.

"Open it, and I'll clear a path for us."

"You…"

Blockhead looked at me in amazement and shook his head. A thunderous roar echoed above us as the metal crumpled under the weight of something ma.s.sive, snapping him out of his disbelieving stupor. Realizing that he didn't have a choice, he nodded and immediately flicked the switch to open the door.

The first Lycanthrope burst out, but I released Alnasl. The flaming arrow disintegrated the monster instantly before continuing forward, flooding the entire pa.s.sageway with superheated flames. Howls of agony filled the corridor as monsters were incinerated by the searing arrow. I watched as the orange illumination disappeared into the distance before erupting into an explosion far, far away. Presumably at the end of the tunnel.

"Let's go," I told blockhead, who nodded in amazement. Since he was injured, I went in first, dismissing Sagittarius and summoning Gemini. I wanted to draw Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, but in tight confines like this, their long reach and relatively large blades would only put me at an extreme disadvantage. I would be hitting rock more often than monsters.

Blockhead sealed the pa.s.sageway, and not a moment too soon. Above, we heard metal rupture and a deafening roar as whatever it was finally managed to breach the vault's heavily reinforced doors. Judging from its aura, it was a rank B monster, far more powerful than the rank C Thunder Wolves that blockhead mentioned earlier.

We moved through the narrow corridor cautiously, stepping over the charred corpses of Lycanthropes. There weren't any Dire Wolves or Thunder Wolves, fortunately. The extremely narrow confines of the corridor meant that the bigger and higher-ranked monsters wouldn't be able to fit in. I wasn't taking anything for granted, though. Many rank B monsters were capable of compressing their immense power into compact forms in order to maximize their combat ability, and if we were to encounter one in this narrow confines, we would probably be doomed. Especially since I wouldn't be able to summon the vast majority of my Constellation spirits or use a large number of my Constellation weapons in such an enclosed s.p.a.ce. They just wouldn't fit.

Fortunately, there weren't any other monsters. I had wiped them out….mostly. And Lycanthropes were pretty much fodder at this point…that said, I couldn't afford to let down my guard. Regardless of them being rank D, all it took was one lucky swing to my vitals and I would die instantly. I was still a squishy human, after all. Well, that was what the physical reinforcement spells were for.

"Richard, right?" blockhead spoke up after a long moment of silence. We had spent less than thirty minutes traversing the secret tunnel at that point, and I had almost forgotten that he was there. Not really – because of his injuries, I had constantly continued checking back on him to ensure he didn't pa.s.s out in the middle of the narrow pa.s.sage. I wasn't going to leave him behind. Unlike edge lord readers who were probably screaming at me in the comments for bringing along "useless baggage", I wasn't a callous a.s.shole who abandoned people for being injured.

Look here, if I was the one being injured, I was sure that blockhead or any decent bloke would be helping me through the tunnels. It was only natural to help others. I didn't know just what nonsense went on in the minds of edge lord readers (they probably read too much trashy xianxia stories and got corrupted by the whole "strong eats the weak" and "strong rules over everything" nonsense), but you just did not abandon others. It was only natural to help other people who needed it. If our positions were reversed, I was confident that blockhead would be the one leading the way and ensuring that I wasn't left behind. That was what it meant to be an adult. You don't just abandon helpless children or kids because they were "useless baggage." You take responsibility as a grown-up and ensure their safety, prioritizing their welfare over your own.

If those edge lord readers want to disagree and continue screaming and ranting at me in the comments, then they could just kindly f.u.c.k off. I wasn't going to bother going to the comments section to argue with such selfish and childish idiots.

"What is it, sir?" I asked as I glanced back at him.

Blockhead paused and leaned against the wall to catch his breath.

"Once we reach the exit, we will go our separate ways. This tunnel should lead toward the mountain just behind your Jing Tian Magic Academy. You should head there, seek refuge with the teachers and students, and evacuate to the emergency shelters in the city from there. Keep your head low, don't attract too much attention, and wait for the military to rescue you. Once they arrive, ask to see General Jiang immediately and give him the Holy Spring."

His bleeding had stopped after some hasty first aid treatment from me, but he still looked very pale and weak. He looked like he was going to collapse anytime.

"What about you, sir?"

Blockhead shook his head.

"I'm sure there are spies…the Dark Church definitely has eyes on this place. It's the only way they managed to allow the monsters to infiltrate the underground tunnels. I'll keep their attention off you. I'll leave first. You wait in here for about thirty minutes, and then you head straight for your school. They should think that I have the Holy Spring on me, and will pursue me. I'll divert them away from you for as long as I can."

"I can't just leave you to the enemies alone!" I protested hotly. "You should follow me to the school. We'll be able to fight…"

"No, we will not!" despite his injuries, blockhead managed to grip my shoulder so tightly it hurt. "You don't understand! These aren't monsters we're talking about here! The enemy is the Dark Church! They have many high-ranking, elite mages! Even if they don't possess the raw power or strength of the monsters, they are much more sinister, cunning and despicable! You of all people should know how much more dangerous an intelligent and ruthless foe is than a powerful one! Our intelligence is the only reason why humans have survived and prospered in the face of such overwhelmingly powerful monsters and their numerical superiority!"

That was right. Strength wasn't everything. Intelligence was. The pen was mightier than the sword. A powerful hero could win a battle, but it was the cunning general who win wars. All that strength and power would be useless if they couldn't be applied and executed to their full potential.

"We cannot allow the Holy Spring to fall into the hands of the Dark Church! We must not! Do you understand that?! We must keep the Holy Spring out of their hands at all costs! Without it, they were able to unleash an endless horde of monsters to destroy Jing Tian City! What do you think they can further accomplish if they were to obtain the Holy Spring? Then it won't just be a city, but the entire Federation, no, the whole world that falls prey to their stupid Apocalypse!"

Once again I was reminded that, for all of the nightmarish power monsters possessed, the true horror was fellow humans and their demented schemes and unparalleled cunning. At least monsters were straightforward. They wouldn't plot world-spanning conspiracies to end the world and commit genocide. They were just following their instincts and doing what they need to survive and prosper. Humans, on the other hand, possessed a far more horrifying capacity for pure evil. What other species would commit genocide on such a vast scale?

"Promise me…that you'll keep the Holy Spring out of the hands of the Dark Church at any cost! That you'll deliver it to safe hands!"

"Yes, sir."

I swallowed nervously, and nodded finally. My mouth was dry when I realized that I didn't have a choice. My ideals weren't going to work here. I wasn't going to save anybody if I tried to be a hero and tried to help everybody. Blockhead's sacrifice would be in vain if I tried to a.s.sist him and the Holy Spring fell into the hands of the Dark Church. And who knew what they could do once they obtained it. Perhaps create new monsters?

Before I knew it, we had reached the exit. Blockhead showed me how to open it, and then commanded me to stay back, to remain hidden for the next half hour or so.

"I'll be off then." He glared at me, but I couldn't see his eyes from behind his cracked sungla.s.ses. "I'll probably draw the attention of the majority of the Dark Church spies and minions away from you, but it's highly possible that they will still post a sentry or two to keep watch on the tunnels. At least one or two might stalk you as you make your way toward your school. Be careful."

"I will, sir. You too. Don't die."

Blockhead grinned and shook his head, but didn't respond directly. He knew as well as I did that this would be a suicide mission. As injured as he was, he would inevitably be captured by the minions of the Dark Church and horribly tortured for information on the Holy Spring. When they discovered he didn't have it, they would kill him.

It was definitely a suicide mission. Both of us knew that he wouldn't survive this.

Even so, blockhead maintained his smile and reached out to pat my head. Normally I wouldn't take too kindly to being treated as a kid, but right now I knew that I was a kid. And he was an adult throwing his life away to minimize the danger I would find myself in.

"Good luck. I'll be counting on you."

I hesitated as he stepped away, and then mustered my courage.

"What's your name, sir?"

If anything, I would honor his sacrifice by remembering him. His name. He was not going to die, unknown and forgotten. I would definitely remember him and ensure his name be immortalized if I survived this crisis.

He waved his hand as he strode toward the exit.

"Kuai Tou."

Then he was gone, disappearing behind the door that slammed shut and veiled me in darkness once again.

*

Thirty minutes later, I followed Kuai Tou's instructions and activated the exit. The hidden door rumbled open, and I stepped outside. It was evening outside, the air outside cool and stale. The stars and moon were barely visible through a thick fog. The ground was damp – apparently it had been raining for quite some time.

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Taking a deep breath, I began to make my way down the mountain. Dismissing Gemini, I drew Gan Jiang and Mo Ye. In a wide open s.p.a.ce, I could use them more effectively, and they were more powerful than Gemini. Furthermore, I didn't need to expend much mana to maintain their physical existences.

A pack of Lycanthropes loped toward me, having caught my scent. Praying that Kuai Tou didn't get slaughtered by them earlier, I charged into their fray nonetheless and cut them apart with my two swords. Gan Jiang's black blade dismembered a howling Lycanthrope before beheading a second one. Mo Ye's white blade arced gracefully through the air as it eviscerated a Lycanthrope before cleaving another into half. Blood, heads and limbs flew about me, bodies dropping heavily onto the ground, as I essentially danced through the pack, the smooth strokes of my two swords cutting a b.l.o.o.d.y swathe through their ranks under the pale moonlight.

Within a few minutes, it was all over. For the Lycanthropes, anyway.

A Dire Wolf had arrived. About three times bigger than the Lycanthropes, it stalked toward me, its gray snout bristling. Its jaws yawned, revealing two rows of sharp fangs.

I wasted no time. Summoning the chibi Green Dragon, I infused both Gan Jiang and Mo Ye with wood elemental energy before unleas.h.i.+ng a cloud of razor-sharp petals at it. For a moment, the Dire Wolf teetered back, swatting away the petals.

Then blood spurted out of a few hundred wounds before it toppled over in pieces.

I didn't even break a sweat. I had truly grown a lot stronger since the beginning of the year. h.e.l.l, I was probably much stronger than I was a week ago.

Grimly descending down the mountain path, I caught sight of my school. There was a pack of Dire Wolves, led by a trio of Thunder Wolves, racing down toward it. I wasn't surprised. Judging from what Kuai Tou told me, the entire Jing Tian City was being besieged at this moment. Jing Tian Magic Academy would be no exception.

I had to hurry. There was safety in numbers, and I doubted I could fight my way to the city shelters through such sheer numbers alone. Additionally, my friends were all there, in Jing Tian Academy. I was not going to abandon them.

Hurrying my pace, I skidded to a stop when a Thunder Wolf pounced upon my position. Lightning exploded and fried the entire area, scorching the damp ground black. I dove to the side and rolled to my feet as I brought both Gan Jiang and Mo Ye up.

"Thanks, Green Dragon, but return for now."

Taking a deep breath, I dismissed the chibi Green Dragon and summoned a chibi Vermillion Phoenix instead. The Thunder Wolf didn't wait for me to do whatever I wanted, however, and unleashed a ma.s.sive bolt of lightning with a snarl.

Clang!

With a single swing of Mo Ye, I calmly sliced the lightning bolt apart, causing it to dissipate harmlessly. As Vermillion Phoenix appeared to perch on my shoulder, I raised Gan Jiang with my right hand and unleashed a tremendous torrent of flames.

The Thunder Wolf found itself engulfed in the flames and was incinerated almost immediately. Lightning exploded from its silver-white fur and I was forced to dodge the deadly, crackling web of electricity.

"As expected of a rank C monster…it's pretty tenacious, huh?"

The fatally injured Thunder Wolf was still capable of sending out searing bolts of lightning. I dodged through the complex web of lethal lightning, but kept my distance. Gathering more of my mana into both swords, I unleashed a much larger torrent of flames that finally reduced the wounded Thunder Wolf to ash. This much bigger attack would normally be easier to dodge, but the injuries I had dealt the Thunder Wolf with my first attack had essentially incapacitated it. So I wasn't wasting my mana or using the excuse of "not going all out from the start." Powerful spells took longer to cast and were slower, which meant they were easier to evade. There was a trade-off for everything, otherwise the faster but weaker spells become obsolete.

Not that the commenters care. They would literally find everything to whine about. At this point, I was done paying any attention to them.

Panting, I glanced around when I heard more howls in the distance. Without the infinite mana supplied by the Holy Spring, I wouldn't last long in a battle of attrition.

Forcing myself up straight, I began to hasten my pace as I hurried toward my school.