In a hollow, hidden from the eyes of the sky pirates by overhanging trees, lay a man. His worn-out and patched clothes had turned into tattered, dirty rags at this point. Every inch of him was covered in blood or terrible wounds. His breathing was irregular. With each breath he took, an unnatural, painful whistle could be heard. Even an unskilled healer would’ve immediately known that his ribs were broken and his lungs had been punctured. He let out a soft groan. Every movement he made and every breath he took caused him terrible pain. Despite the fact he was a mid-stage Heaven Soldier, it was hard to imagine that anyone could’ve survived such a fall.A tiger cub crawled out from the remnants of his shirt. She stretched, yawned, and looked at the poor man. The little tigress cocked her head to one side and let out a low growl. Streams of blue-white energy swirled around her. Flashes of blue fire and white lightning bolts could be seen within them. Suddenly, the vortex of power contrac

Gently lifting the man’s head, she pinched his nose and poured the medicine into his mouth.A second later, the wounded man gulped it all down instinctively. He jerked and then stilled. His breathing gradually steadied, and the wound on his chest began to disappear. His bones creaked as they popped back into place, and the pained whistling turned into steady breathing.“Crisis averted,” Alea wiped the sweat from her forehead.“Do you really think it-”A low growl interrupted Derek. The tigress, after glaring at the young man, turned back to Alea.“Seems like it does understand us,” Derek whispered, his face suddenly pale.“We have to take him to Fort Boltoy,” Alea continued, “Otherwise, I’m afraid he’ll die from the injuries that have been inflicted on his energy body. I can maintain his meridians and nodes for some time, but he needs more help than I can give him.”The trio stared at the tigress. She lay on the ground for a while, and then, rising, she growled and covered the thirty

All three of them were disciples of the inner circle of a martial arts school, but they were all Heaven Soldiers. Moreover, the density of their auras indicated that they didn’t possess much power. They most likely wouldn’t have passed ‘The Holy Sky’ School’s entrance exam.“How… did…?” Hadjar wheezed, feeling like someone was poking his throat with needles from the inside.“Don’t try to talk,” Alea said gently and put her hand on his chest. It became easier for him to breathe. “She brought you here.”She pointed at Azrea, who was sleeping peacefully on the sofa. Hadjar looked from the cub to Alea, and then back again. It was unlikely that the girl was lying to him, but he doubted that the little cub could’ve carried even his sword.“You’ll tell us your story later,” the girl continued, making Derek nod in approval. “I’ve cured your physical body, but your energy one is still in bad shape. I’m keeping your channels from disintegrating for now, but I won’t be able to do so for much lon

“Be glad that he took that oath,” Alea whispered back. “If he’d been at the top of his game, the three of us wouldn’t have been a match for him.”“The three of us?” Irma snorted. “I’m sure that only the best of our school’s personal disciples would’ve stood a chance against him-”“I don’t think even they could’ve survived fighting him,” Derek added.The best spearman of their school, a personal disciple of the rector himself, a Spirit Knight at the initial stage, would’ve been able to fight on equal terms with this monster. Maybe.“If you’re going to talk, you’d better leave,” the old man said, sweat already streaming down his forehead.One of the doctors standing nearby picked up a piece of cotton with a pair of tongs and dabbed at the old man’s forehead with it.Half an hour later, Irma and Derek left, bored of standing around. Only the cub and Alea, who couldn’t pass up an opportunity to observe an experienced healer at work, stayed.When Hadjar opened his eyes, his first thought w

The Lord’s eyes flashed. Even if the orcs managed to destroy Boltoy’s reputation as an impenetrable fort, most of them would die to accomplish that feat. This ancient fort would be their grave!“If they break through the gates, we’ll blow up the fort!” The Lord gave the command and, his cloak trailing behind him, went to his soldiers on the wall. If they were all going to meet their end this night, he would go to his forefathers with his soldiers, fighting right alongside them, and face his ancestors with honor!***Hadjar, who hadn’t seen any of this, continued smoking, lost in thought. During the couple of years he’d spent on the battlefield, he had seen more battles that any Imperial Lord. But despite all his experience, he couldn’t figure out why the orcs were marching openly across the steppes in such overwhelming numbers.They should’ve come in groups to a previously agreed upon location and then delivered a swift and powerful blow to Boltoy. But since they hadn’t done so, they