C5 Shock

Shire had a nightmare.

At first, he was a helpless wild dog, chased by masked hunters. Later, when he walked between the mountains, huge rocks rolled down the cliffs on both sides. Not long after, he found himself turning into a goat, walking a deer... He was reared and watched as his companions were slaughtered. At the end of the dream, he suddenly realized that he had become more powerful. Just as he was about to bare his teeth and take revenge on everything, he woke up.

He saw that the sky had just begun to brighten and the clouds were rolling. The light golden sunlight shone into the forest and was cut into pieces by the tree trunk and leaves. The difference in the light was very obvious. The places where the light shone were so bright that people could not open their eyes, while the other places were terrifyingly dark.

The entire Greenwood Alder Tree had already been burnt through. Smoke was flying high into the sky. It could be seen from far away, but the other hunters still did not come. Perhaps they had already arrived at Dew Camp Stone. Shire thought, they had already gathered there and were ready to regroup, once again formulate a plan to capture the Blade Devil.

The so-called Dew Camp Stone camp was an ancient military ruin located at the core of Twilight Forest. Lawman People built a defensive position near a large rock to block the attacks from the Ancient Empire. The Ancient Empire had Flying Dragons assisting them in battle. It was said that the trees around the Dew Camp Stone were all burnt by the dragon breath, and there were no plants that came back to life.

The Devil Hunter had already made an agreement. They would split up and move for four days, compressing the Blade Devil's range of activity, and then meet again in the Dew Camp Stone to prepare for the second part of the battle.

However, could our plan be considered a success? Shire couldn't help but doubt. We lost Denver and Mr. Julius. Among the remaining people, there was also an unstable guy like Waren, as well as a new hunter like me.

"Let's go to Dew Camp Stone." Etienne opened his eyes. His body was frozen like a rock all night.

Shire tidied up the camp. Waren ate the pickled beef in big mouthfuls, then drank the whole pot of water.

They set off together and continued to walk through the forest. The entire forest was located at the northeastern border of Lawman Kingdom. It was gloomy and quiet, and there were few people around. After leaving the forest and heading east, they arrived at the ruins of the ancient empire that was rumored to be ravaged by darkness. That place was even more terrifying than Lorman's. It was known as a forbidden land, and even the Devil Hunter did not dare to venture deep into it. There weren't even many discussions about it, as they were afraid of being entangled by the terrifying curse there.

If the Blade Demoness successfully escaped and entered the forbidden land, it would be no different from a fish returning to the sea, and nothing would be able to restrict it anymore.

The leaves and shrubs swayed with the wind, looking rather suspicious. There were vague animal cries in the distance, sounding like the low ridicule of the demon.

Everything in the surroundings could be the incarnation of the Blade Devil, this thought made Shire shiver.

In reality, demons were born with fear from humans, but fear was also the instinct of life, and could not be hidden or avoided. Shire could only try his best to distinguish between reality and illusion, and watch out for everything around him.

Etienne seemed as if nothing had happened, and Waren was even less worried. His appearance was even scarier than that of devils.

Waren would sometimes leave the team and find a place to store water. Shire was worried about his safety, and it wouldn't take long for him to return. His attitude was still arrogant and arrogant, making Shire regret worrying about such a person.

The trees gradually became sparse.

They saw a desolate grassland with a Devil Hunter sitting on it. It escaped the shadow of the forest and hid under the sunlight.

"Dalton!" Waren shouted, "Are you daydreaming there?"

The Devil Hunter, who was sitting with his legs crossed, turned his head tiredly and looked at the few people walking over.

Dalton was about thirty years old. His dark green eyes looked quite worried. He had short maroon hair, thin lips, and a thick beard from his chin to his lips.

Shire found it very strange that such a child-like expression of fear appeared on an adult's face.

"You are a little lost." Etienne said, "What is it, Dalton?"

Shire knew Dalton. This was a slow Devil Hunter. It was originally a small devil chasing in a nearby village. It helped the villagers solve their problems and exchanged for a small reward. Although it had been a long time since it became a Devil Hunter, it did not have the experience of dealing with real devils.

He was most worried that if he became a hunter like Dalton in the future, he would not even be able to do his job of hunting devils.

"This is too scary." Dalton murmured, "Too scary... Blade... Blade's phantom..."

"Did you see Blade Demon? Where is it?" Etienne asked.

"It's everywhere. It's hiding in the forest. They're looking at me." Dalton's lips trembled. "They are waiting for me. When I reveal my weakness, they will rush forward and kill me... I want to stay here, I want to stay here..."

Shire sized up his surroundings. This grassy slope was not covered, and his field of vision was wide. Sunlight sprinkled down warmly, giving him an unrealistic beauty. If it was purely because it was afraid of the darkness, it would indeed be suitable to stay here, but what was the point?

"Let's go. We are going to the Dew Camp Stone remains." Etienne urged, "Let's hurry up and leave, don't lose face in front of the apprentices."

Dalton looked at Shire. His words touched the pride he had left.

"It's very dangerous." Dalton got up. He only wore a leather robe and no protective gear. "It's too dangerous... Let's, let's not go to Dew Camp Stone."

"Where else can we go? Go home?" Etienne said loudly.

"Go home... go home... That's right! We should go home. " Dalton stammered as he expressed his thoughts," We can't fight the Blade Devil at all. It is a true devil. This is the descent of its true body, the true body of Devil God. How can we deal with it?! "

"Face the reality for me. In order to deal with the Blade Devil, all eight Devil Hunter in Upper Lawman have arrived. No one has escaped. Julius and Denver even sacrificed their lives to fulfill their duty. Dalton, fulfill your duty." Etienne's tone gradually rose, and his voice became more and more dignified.

"I..." Dalton braced himself and nodded. "Then I will go with you. Hurry up and leave."

They trekked through the forest for a while.

Along the way, Dalton was suspicious and scared of everything around him.

Shire wondered if he had gone crazy. People who had been in contact with devils for a long time would most likely go crazy or crazy. This was the occupational disease of this kind of work, and it was almost impossible to eradicate it.

What was the source of fear? Is it because we are unable to defeat something? Or is it because we don't understand it?

If there is indeed something that is particularly terrifying, something with a special nature that we are unable to defeat or understand, then should humans kneel down and surrender to it, declaring defeat? Shire thought deeply.

"Sigh... Sigh..." Dalton could not help sighing.

"Silly." Waren sneered.

"Devil bastard, shut up!" Dalton suddenly turned his head and shouted angrily at Waren.

"Waren narrowed his eyes and the whole team stopped in their tracks.

"Ah? Did I hit the sore spot? I found out from the first day I joined the team that you are different from the other Devil Hunter. You are especially cruel and rude. If you want to take everything away from me, your character is abnormal. " Dalton criticized intermittently, "Your thoughts have been occupied by the devil."

"Madman." Waren did not want to argue about such a topic.

"I want to tell the others. When we reach the stone, I want to tell everyone about this discovery." Dalton said stubbornly, while Waren's expression was uncertain.

Could it be that without the Blade Devil making a move, everyone would fall apart? Shire thought to himself. Speaking of which, what had made Dalton so anxious and nervous? Could it be that he had seen the true form of the devil?

For Shire, just by looking at the Fallen Machete made by the Blade Demon, he could feel a strong mental disturbance. He had to use the Aphen Flame to keep himself awake. For other hunters who did not know any defensive spells, once they saw the real body of the Blade Demon...

But on second thought, if he met the Blade Devil face to face, with Dalton's strength, how could he retreat unharmed? Even a skilled hunter like Julius, as well as his assistant Denver, would be easily killed by the blade devil and hung upside down on a big tree.

Or perhaps Dalton had been murdered by the demon, and the Dalton in front of him was just an illusion?

Shire couldn't help but let his imagination run wild as Dalton kept talking to him. He felt that Dalton was even more annoying than Waren. Although Waren was greedy and threatened them several times, at least he had a strong will.

After the quarrel, they finally arrived at the Dew Camp Stone ruins in the afternoon.

The rumors were false. The surroundings of Dew Camp Stone had already grown into a lush forest. Their life force had not been completely cut off by the dragon fire. The so-called Dew Camp Stone was indeed huge. It stood on the ground. It was as tall as a huge egg and its outline was perfectly round. It was unknown how many people would want to hug it, but it was as wide as an entire house. It cast a frightening shadow at an angle, and its back was covered in moss.

There was a line of words carved on the stone, and it could be seen clearly from afar. It was as if it had been dug out by a giant claw. It was horizontal and straight, and the brush was sharp and firm. It was not a human word.

Around the Dew Camp Stone, two stone walls were built high up. There was also a crude tower built to resist the charge, as well as a pile of round stones. The ancient Lawman People used these simple fortifications to defend against the attack. Each stone was quite worn out. It was as if it had been melted by some kind of high temperature, and then cooled down at the same time. It made the ruins appear extremely dilapidated and damaged.

On top of one of the stone towers, a female Devil Hunter was looking around. When she saw a group of people approaching from afar, she waved her hand and greeted them.

"Etienne! Shire!" She shouted, "Waren! Dalton! You're finally here. "

Great! The rest of them survived and rushed to the ruins of Dew Camp Stone. Shire knew the other party. She was a friendly female hunter named Geffany. She was in her thirties and was skilled in martial arts. She had a close relationship with Master Frederick.

"Geffany! Thank you, god Luo Man. We are here." Etienne nodded, "But you can roughly guess that the situation is very bad."

"Did you see the others?" Geffany asked, "Julius? Denver?"

"This is the bad part. - They are dead." Etienne's voice was hoarse, "It would be best if we could kill the Blade Devil to comfort their souls."

"Of course. In that case, all the living demons would be here. Come in. " Geffany walked down from the tower, "Master Frederick is waiting for us next to Dew Camp Stone."

Frederick was the most powerful Devil Hunter in the entire region. He controlled the secret key of the Holy Church and was also a noble. Although his experience was lower than Etienne's, his strength and talent were both very strong. He could be said to be the backbone and leader of this hunter team.

Shire respected him a lot. Becoming a Hunter Master like Frederick was his biggest dream.

He would always be well-trained, always ready for battle, always have the strength to fight against any terrifying devil, and break through all the obstacles in the world. Shire longed to become like Master Frederick. When he thought of meeting the Great Master soon, Shire was filled with anticipation.

Geffany led the way in front.

"Did you encounter the Blade Devil? I did not." Geffany sighed. "If I met it, I could at least weaken it by 50%. That way, it wouldn't kill Julius and poor Denver."

"The Blade Devil is a nightmare." Dalton said dejectedly.

"Specially to scare cowards." Waren mocked Dalton's cowardice.

Dalton glared at Waren hatefully.

Geffany turned around because of the short argument and saw the cut on Etienne's waist. The wound was covered with linen and was bleeding. It was dark red.

"You are injured." Geffany said.

"We have reason to respect the Blade Demon, a powerful opponent." Etienne said.

"Yes..." Geffany nodded and did not ask further.

Only Shire, who was at the back, saw that the old hunter was wrapped in a cloak, covering the injured parts. This made Shire feel sad. Although he was only seventeen years old, he could vaguely understand the concept of "not having enough strength."