Chapter 130: Ash and Stone
“Four months?!” Haku panted as he darted through the Shattered Crags, his form a blue blur against the jagged stone. Each leap from rock to rock sent debris scattering in his wake. “Why'd he have to give me such a headache?!”
Ahead, the glint of crystals caught his eye, two first stage Cthonian Shardfangs were positioned on a flat outcrop.
“Perfect.”
Slowing his pace, he angled his path toward a nearby cliffside, paws digging into the stone as he ascended silently. The pair of reptiles were engrossed in what appeared to be a mating display.
The brighter-colored male performed a strange, jerky dance, lifting its limbs rhythmically to show off its crystal armor. The duller female sat watching, her head tilting side to side as her tongue flicked.
As the male’s tail lashed in a final flourish, the female began to rear back, preparing her cry of approval. It abruptly froze mid-motion, its gaze locked as a shadow grew over them. Her throat caught in a strangled hiss.
With a deafening crash, Haku descended upon the pair like a thunderbolt, dust and blood exploding from the impact. His fangs tore through their necks, severing their heads in one brutal motion while his claws shredded their bodies.
Licking the blood from his maw, he devoured the remains without hesitation, his body steaming faintly as he absorbed their mana. Throwing his head back, he shook his fur, stretching as he exhaled. “that feels better.”
He began scanning the area for any sign of unwanted attention. Satisfied the coast was clear, his body faded as he shifted to his ghost-form. As his view changed, the bodies of his two phantoms appeared, flanking him on either side. Without a word, the trio bolted, racing deeper into the Crags toward Barrond’s Domain.
‘I need to think about this.’ His paws struck the ground with measured force, his mind racing faster than his body. ‘If I wanna get there in time, I should stay hidden and sprint non-stop. But if I do that, there’s no guarantee I’ll even make it. Worse, if I spend the next four months running and not fighting, the whole trip will be wasted.’
The frustration he thought he'd shaken returned, crawling up his spine. The fleeting relief of killing the Shardfangs dissipating. ‘I need to figure out how to do both—fight and travel. But how?!’
Labrys’s words echoed suddenly in his mind, a sharp reminder. “The faster you kill, the less attention you draw. Explosions may be loud, but if they end a fight quickly, they’re worth it. Fear the sound of hesitation more than the noise of power.”
A flicker of realization hit him. Jumping from a ledge, his smile widened. “That’s it!” Laughter rang out as his claws scraped against the rocky surface, skidding to a stop. Both phantoms halted beside him, their fiery eyes fixed on him.
Furrowing his brow, he stared back, his own glowing gaze intensifying as he concentrated. A moment later, the phantoms nodded and sprinted ahead, their forms streaking through the jagged terrain.
“Now, let’s see if it works.” Still in his ghost-form, he waited, the anticipation building in his chest. Moments later, he launched himself, flames licking at his paws as he trailed behind the phantoms. ‘This just might be brilliant. Even big brother will be proud of me.’
Moving like a shadow through the crags, his presence was a ghostly whisper unnoticed by the wild terrain. Bounding over jagged rocks and barren peaks at full speed, he kept his rhythm steady for nearly an hour when a familiar tug from one of his phantoms snapped his attention. His lips curled into a grin.
'Detonate.'
The command barely left his mind before a massive explosion of blue flames erupted in the distance. His heart raced as he picked up speed, eventually tearing straight through the fading heat and swirling ash of the shockwave as it passed.
'The explosion from just one of them now is stronger than both of them fused from before,' he marveled, his eyes widening at the towering plume of smoke.
He didn’t slow as he rushed to the epicenter. Following his nose, he came upon the scene of the blast and inhaled deeply. His gaze locked onto the charred, massive corpse sprawled across the scorched ground. 'A stage three Cragbreaker Wurm,' he noted, excitement flickering in his chest. 'My first one... and I didn’t even get to see it alive.'
Normally, a Cragbreaker Wurm was a colossal, serpentine creature with thick, segmented scales resembling jagged shards of stone. Its body had been covered in natural armor plates forged from dense, mana-infused rock, making it look like a moving mountain. These plates had been jagged and razor-sharp, designed to cut through stone as the Wurm tunneled through the earth.
Its wedge-shaped head, now scorched and cracked, bore a powerful mouth lined with rows of serrated teeth capable of easily crushing boulders. Glowing amber eyes had once peered out from beneath heavy ridges of rock, now they sat empty, pouring pools of thick, brown blood. The Wurm’s long, muscular body had been perfectly built for burrowing and constricting prey, a sheer force of nature that overwhelmed enemies with size and raw power, now reduced to half its size in a smoldering ruin.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Still in his ghost-form, Haku wasted no time. He darted forward and tore into the beast, ripping a chunk of its exposed flesh. As he chewed, his eyes darted over his body. Seeing and feeling no change, he smirked. 'It works! Eating doesn’t break my ghost-form. Now all I have to do is let my phantoms run ahead, with their increased intelligence, they can surprise-kill mana-beasts, and I’ll just follow behind, devouring the remains while staying hidden! It's perfect!'
With a quick command, he summoned another phantom, his mana draining as its body flickering to life before streaking off into the distance. Hearing company was close, he turned back to his meal, following the rich, earthy scent of the beast crystal. He tore into the Wurm’s flesh, finding the core buried deep in its twisted tendons. Pulling it free, he swallowed it whole with an audible crunch, his flames flaring momentarily. He took a few more bites, ensuring the beast’s mana was fully absorbed, before taking off again after his phantoms.
An eruption of roars and screeches behind him didn’t bother him, in fact, he laughed as the sounds of territorial fights broke out among the curious beasts swarming behind him.
His enjoyment was interrupted suddenly by a faint tug from his furthest phantom. His grin stretched wider as his pace quickened.
'Detonate.'
----
Watching the chaos from a clouded peak, Siaer’s glowing eyes followed the trail of explosions below. The constant blasts sent ash and flame into the sky, shaking the ground with each eruption. She scraped her hooves against the stone in frustration. With a sigh, she leapt into the air, bounding across invisible pathways of mana that carried her to another peak.
"Those poor creatures," she muttered, her voice heavy. "They don’t even know they’re dead."
Another explosion rattled the mountains, dislodging rocks that tumbled into the crags below. "It’s a smart plan," she admitted, "but it’s reckless. If he keeps this up, he’ll get himself killed before he gets there."
Glancing toward the horizon, where the crags stretched endlessly, her sigh deepened as doubt filled her. "What was Labrys thinking? This trial is impossible. Even if he could survive on his own, he won’t make it in time."
Below, Haku darted through the terrain, his blue shape flickering like a moving torch. Siaer’s thoughts turned over and over as she watched him. 'Should I step in?' Another explosion broke her train of thought, and her worry grew.
Scraping her hoof again, she growled softly. "If only those ghosts had souls. I could easily track them and stop them without him knowing." The thought lingered, but frustration pushed it aside.
She landed on another peak, not far from a stage three Burrowfang Terra Wyrm resting outside its cave. The enormous beast noticed her, then instantly leapt into the crags below as if it could fly.
Siaer didn’t give it a second glance, her pacing resuming. "But if he's destined to carry the pride of a god, the child will have to face much worse than this."
Her eyes narrowed, her resolve tightening as she scraped the dirt again. "And Labrys… that stubborn bull. He’s all-in on aiding him. If I get involved, it’ll only cause problems." Her voice softened, filled with reluctance. "No matter how much I want to help, this is his trial. I can only hope that he doesn’t disturb her, I'd hate to have to kill one so old."
With a final shake of her antlers, she leapt into the air again, her hooves landing on the wind as she raced off, her figure fading into the hazy distance.
----
Haku wiped his bloodied jaw against a nearby boulder, his sharp teeth flashing as he licked the remnants from his fur. The taste of toxins and iron lingered, but he shook it off, his focus shifting inward as he bounded forward.
'It's close,' he thought, his mind narrowing in on his core. The pulsing Fire Mana within him felt dense and heavy, like a storm waiting to break. 'I need to start focusing on just bones and organs now. That should increase my pace at least.'
A full week had passed since he began this relentless method of travel, using his phantoms to clear his path through the crags. The sound of explosions echoed constantly, filling the barren landscape with the aftermath of destruction. Each mana-beast had been obliterated before it could even react, its body reduced to nothing but a meal for the pursuing ember-fox. Efficient, yes—but over the past few days, something about it slowly began to nag at him.
'It's too easy,' he admitted to himself, his ears twitching. 'My plan's working, but it feels… wrong. What kind of karma is this building?'
The thought lingered, heavy and uncomfortable, as he adjusted his strategy. 'Since I’ve reached my limit, I'll slow down. No more random kills. I’ll have the phantoms target only third-stage beasts, and even then, only every third one they encounter.'
He began sending his updated command, his mind linking to the pair scattered ahead. Just as the command settled, his pace faltered. His paws dug into the rocky ground as he came to a sudden halt, his fur bristling.
A low growl escaped his throat. 'One just died?'
His brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of it. 'How? Did it slip? No, that’s ridiculous. Something must’ve attacked it.'
Instincts sharpening, his focus snapped fully to the remaining phantom as he sent a new order. 'Return now.' At the same time, he summoned another, the familiar blue flames taking shape beside him in an instant.
It didn’t take long for the remaining phantom to appear in the distance, its form streaking toward him. Haku’s growl deepened, his claws scratching against the stone as the phantom landed beside him.
With them in tow, he took off in the direction where the one had disappeared, his movements measured and deliberate. 'If something can detect my phantoms, it can probably detect me,' he thought, his claws digging into the rocky terrain with each stride.
As he approached the area, his nose caught something—something unmistakable. The familiar, sweaty scent hit him like a jolt of lightning.
'Humans.'
The realization set his blood racing, his heart pounding in anticipation. The scent’s brownish color filled his mind, vivid and unmistakable. A scent that was heavy, and dense.
Choosing caution, he veered toward the high ground, leaving his phantoms in place. Bounding up the towering rise of a nearby peak, he crested its side, finding a broad stone shelf that jutted over the expanse below. Lowering his body against the ground, he focused his mana into his eyes and ears, sharpening his senses.
The first thing he noticed was the sound of voices. They carried through the crags, the loudest one seemed frustrated, almost shouting, “I’m not paranoid!”
“No need to shout, just never heard of em before,” another voice retorted, laced with mockery. “No need to tell the rest of the ghosts where we are.”
“You're mocking me?!”
“Rusted son-of-a—, Braggin!” A third voice cut in, exasperated but hushed. “Leave the man alone. If he says something was there, just leave it at that.”
“Something was there!” the first voice snapped again. “My spell wouldn’t have activated otherwise!”
Haku’s ears twitched, his brows furrowing. 'So that’s what happened. My phantom must've stepped on a trap.'
Narrowing his eyes, he scanned the area below and caught a glimpse of movement—metal glinted in the sun. A figure emerged from behind a boulder, armored in steel, with an aura of purple mana crackling around him.
'Steel Knight.'
Pushing more mana into his eyes, three other auras came into view, their colors swirling. Two were equally as dense as the steel knight, but the third stood out—denser, larger, a heavy yellow glow radiated around its weilder. 'A tier five Adept.'
Haku’s fur bristled as the realization hit him. 'An adept is ten times as strong as an insta-caster. If I fight this group head-on, my odds are zero. But with a surprise attack at the right moment...'
Quietly, he deactivated his phantoms he left behind, their hidden forms dissolving into faint wisps of fire. Still cloaked in his ghost-form, he shifted back to his animal body, shrinking to reduce his profile.
Keeping his distance as he slinked along the high ground. 'At the very least, if I can see them in action, I might be able to figure out the they destroyed my phantom.'
The hunt began anew. His sharp claws gripped the fragile terrain with precision as he crept silently along the high ground. The faint murmur of human voices below kept him anchored, his senses sharpening further with every word. He would watch, learn, and strike if the moment was right. For now, patience would be his weapon.