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Land of Demons 1
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
Land of Demons 2
She was gesturing toward the path that led into the forest. At first, Derek and the brunette didn’t understand what their friend was pointing at. But, a moment later, they grabbed their weapons and jumped out of the carriage. As soon as the door opened, the six horses stopped and energy shields flashed around the carriage. Magic hieroglyphs and runes swirled over its roof. The light they radiated thickened and covered the trio. The girls both held whips in their hands. Energy that was as red as blood flowed through their weapons. Derek, armed with daggers, clenched a long needle between his teeth. It was an artifact given to him by his father. It could launch an attack equal to that of a peak Spirit Knight’s.“By the demons and gods!” The white-haired girl gasped. “It’s an Ancient Beast!”“What’s a monster like that doing so close to the Darnassian border?”The girls looked at their friend, but said nothing.“And why isn’t it attacking us?” Derek added.The tigress that radiated the a
Land of Demons 3
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
Land of Demons 4
“You’re right,” she agreed. “That’s strange. However, consider this: no spy would ever ride an Ancient Beast. Besides, have you ever seen such a monster be tamed by a Heaven Soldier?”Derek had heard rumors that, in the very center of their vast country, the eldest heirs of the great clans of the Lascanian Empire and their parents had entire menageries of Ancient Beasts. Here in the outskirts, however… Regardless, only a Lord could tame an Ancient Beast, and Derek had never even seen a Lord in his life. The head of their school, the strongest man in the Barony, was a peak Spirit Knight.“Maybe-”Derek didn’t get to finish speaking. He was interrupted by Irma’s cry.“Look! Boltoy!”Among the rocky hills covered with golden grass, at the mouth of a dried up river, an ancient fort stood on a high hill. It might have been surrounded by a deep river once, but these days, the massive bridge that spanned the banks looked like a relic of the past. A winding path led to the second gate, woundi
Land of Demons 5
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
Land of Demons 6
“You’re right — urgent care!” Derek, who liked healers just a little bit more than he did Darnassians, shouted.“Of course.” The old man smiled wryly. “Carry him inside. I’ll do whatever I can to help him.”“You’ll ensure he’s all healed up by nightfall,” Derek growled. “I, Derek Le Bria, son of Baron Bria, the Lord of these lands, order you to do so!”The old man’s eyes flashed with an evil gleam. This time, instead of nodding, he bowed low, not wishing to anger someone as powerful and influential as Derek.The doctors, who were all young boys and girls, picked up the stretcher and carried it into the building. The trio followed after them. They breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped out of the midday heat and into the coolness of the interior. However, their relief was short-lived — they soon started coughing and wincing. The pungent smell of dried blood, medicine, pain, and despair filled their nostrils.“This past week has been a stressful one,” the healer said as he opened the
Land of Demons 7
“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
Land of Demons 8
It was filled with stars and looked almost exactly like the one above Darnassus, save for a couple of unknown planets and stars that could be seen on the far edge of the eastern horizon.As a child, Hadjar had always loved his father and uncle’s stories about the skies above distant countries, and now… Now he was looking at the sky of a truly distant country. Unfortunately, this country was his enemy. Thank the High Heavens that he knew the language and the accent. He’d always had a knack for those.None of my compatriots ever came this far, Hadjar thought. But I don’t feel like I’ve taken even a single step yet. I wonder what the night sky looks like in the Dragon Lands or in the Land of the Immortals.“I knew I’d find you here.”Hadjar neither flinched in surprise nor dropped his pipe. From the moment he’d awoken, he’d felt someone watching him. A young man stepped out of the shadows, his hands resting on the hilts of his daggers. Derek.... That was his name.“I don’t like hospitals