Hawk frowned as he jumped off the eagle. His lance slashed downward, shining with destructive energy. The Rune Mountain Rock was falling, with the addition of gravity, its power multiplied. Mist's eyes flashed; her sword shimmered and turned ethereal. Soon, an ecarlat white smoke covered her sword as she slashed out.

The smoke moved like being alive, pushing Amarok out of the lance range. The air cried as if being torn into two. A frightening wave of energy crashed into the river beneath, creating a rising water column. At the same time, Neo came sweeping down, catching Amarok on the way.

His swords scoured the void. Hawk didn't stop; his forehead harbored a growing green Rune. It was Wind blessing. They clashed, and Hawk was forced to retreat. Even though he had the Rune Wind blessing, he still could not fly; his momentum was instantly broken. At the same time, dazzling fire arrows were raining from above.

The Rune Fire Rain. That was actually a very powerful Rune. One needed to be at least at the Rune Sorcerer Scholar rank to be able to use it. Neo was frowning hard. He could already see the rocks on the river below. If Mist hit the river at this speed, she would perish.

"Catch Mist. I will handle the Rune sorcerer," he said; his legs suddenly shone white as he bolted upward, deflecting the arrows as he moved. Sparkles bloomed, but he was unstoppable.

Amarok was worried; the void was burning, the fire arrows falling like rain. Their black-winged eagle was dancing to avoid the arrows. Mist's swordsmanship left Amarok speechless.

The Rune Ethereal World. Her sword shining with ethereal white clashed with the arrows. Each time, she was forced back, a cloud of smoke appearing. She was able to deflect the arrows while falling. Despite that, many still passed her guard, leaving burn marks on her light skin. But she didn't seem to care. Hawk was as furious as ever, coming slashing once more. This time, Mist cried out, sending her flying back.

Amarok descended with the black-winged eagle. It zipped through the air, but Mist was falling simply too fast. His heart was beating violently as he gritted his teeth, forcing the black-winged eagle to its maximum speed. But it was still too far, his dress fluttering violently. His eyes didn't blink; his jaw was tight as he stretched out. Whoosh.

He caught her before she could crash into the water. The black-winged eagle was flying so fast that the water underneath actually rippled. Just at the same time, Hawk's lance collided with the ground, missing them by an inch.

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The black-winged eagle swept upward, catching Neo before disappearing in the clouds once more. Hawk was dumbfounded when he saw the people he brought fall down the sky one by one.

How could that be possible? They were all Rune Sorcerer Scholars, a rank just underneath the Rune sorcerer smith like the City Lord. They had decided to help because of Agris, but they were all defeated by a single person without a Rune weapon. He himself was a Rune Warrior Scholar, which was the same rank as Rune Sorcerer Scholar but for warriors. But it was a no-brainer that Rune Sorcerers were naturally stronger than Rune Warriors.

He was not confident if he was to take them one on one, let alone a group. Yet the result before him left him perplexed. He felt shivers run down his spine; who was that man? Was he the same person they met that day?

.....

"Are you okay, Mist?" Amarok asked in a low voice. Her body had few cuts and burns. Her expression was dark, her delicate features frowned. She was holding tightly onto his dress."Do I look like a flower? Let me down," she said.

"No, you're not a flower, but you were wounded," Amarok was decisive, despite her protest she still stood between his arms. "You just wait until I heal," she glared but didn't resist anymore. She lay silently in his arms as the eagle flew. Her face could be seen slightly red. She didn't look at him anymore. "We need to be fast.

The City Lord of Wandleaf might send someone else," Neo added, urging the black-winged eagle to go even faster. He subtly glanced at Mist; he had a brief understanding why Calder took her in. Her opponent was a Rune warrior Scholar while she was just a Rune warrior disciple. She was able to fight above her rank while in midair and didn't die.

At her age, such a feat was impressive; she was also seventeen like Amarok, but she was way stronger. Fighting across levels was extremely risky and dangerous; her state was clear proof.

The duo was zipping through the void. The sky had turned dark. The winds blew violently. Amarok sat on the eagle with Mist in his hands.

It was very cold in the night, and at such height, it was even worse. Her body was trembling lightly. Her mesmerizing face seemed to be in pain. She was sweating. She gripped his shirt even more tightly. Amarok used his robe to cover her, with Wisdom on top to prevent it from flying off. The wind was caressing his skin.

Her grip softened. He smiled; the cold was freezing his bones, but the warmth from her body kept him steady. Despite that, he had no weird thoughts. He only had one thing in mind: how to make them pay. First, it was him and Master Neo; now they had even involved Mist and Calder. He was fuming with rage, but at the same time, his soul burned with guilt.

The cloud suddenly turned white. A dense gray gas spanned the whole area, filling the horizon. It looked like it had no end. "Another attack?" Amarok's heart skipped a beat. "No, we took a detour earlier. We have entered the Silent Fog Forest," Neo frowned. Suddenly, two red eyes appeared at the horizon.