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Land of Demons 98
“We’re free hunters who have walked this land for centuries. Fighting the Dah’Khasses almost took away the most important part of us — our freedom. Besides me, there are few in the tribes who know its true value.”Hadjar could name at least one other orc who did. Her name wasPurling Song. By the High Heavens, she really did make the best rabbit stew Hadjar had ever eaten. By some strange coincidence... or maybe not a coincidence, she was also the wife of one of the two warriors the orc’s prophetic dream had chosen.According to the fairy tales, Helmer always kept his word, if he wanted to…Hadjar looked at his ring.“The Lord of Nightmares doesn’t always give people nightmares, does he? Sometimes, he sends them dreams... or prophecies.”The old orc looked up from the flames and turned to Hadjar. His eyes lit up with something that Hadjar, even after he became a Lord, would not want to encounter.“One day, little hunter, you’ll learn that a mind without wisdom is like a blade without
Land of Demons 99
In Empires, especially among the nobles, this method was considered barbaric because of the pain, not to mention the risk involved if one made a mistake, so almost no one used it. That pain had been nothing compared to the pain he was feeling right now. Hadjar dismissed it like it was an annoying mosquito. Paying no attention to the terrible agony, he continued to follow the Technique described in the scroll. After everything he’d been through in the past few weeks, the pain was no worse than a refreshing, icy shower.While continuing to draw in the energy of the powder, he didn’t stop circulating his own. This hadn’t been mentioned in the dragon meditation Technique since dragons couldn’t maintain both processes at once because of their physiology. The human energy body, more flexible when it came to cultivation, could.And so, gradually, after going through his heart, the energy of the powder moved to his solar plexus, getting closer to the Core of his energy body. With a sharp push
Land of Demons 100
Hadjar looked up from his beer and gazed at the speaker. He wasn’t surprised to see Eon Mrax in front of him. The sectarian hadn’t really changed since the last time he’d seen him, apart from the new, long scar on his frowning face.“Hello,” Hadjar said.Eon, like before, picked up a jug from a passing serving girl’s tray. The girl started to say something to the impudent man, but then stopped. She could feel the pressure of the Spirit Knight’s aura. In these backwater places, he was like a Lord in the capital — someone a person didn’t want to argue with. With a stuttering, apologetic whisper, the girl darted away, fleeing between the other tables.“You’ve gotten stronger.” Mrax took a sip from the jug. Then, with a grimace, he set it aside. “Shall we go outside or do it right here?”Hadjar drained his beer in one gulp. Wiping his lips, he looked into Eon’s eyes. During his adventures, Hadjar had forgotten that the sect that worshipped the Enemy had been added to his long list of prob
Land of Demons 101
Eon brought his blades together, forming a single whole. A black sphere flashed in front of their joined tips. Its pull was so strong that the layers of earth that had been scattered everywhere by their first clash rose and flew toward the sphere of darkness. As soon as they touched it, they were reduced to dust, feeding the Spirit Knight’s Technique. Behind him, his Spirit screamed furiously. It fed its power to Mrax, making his Technique several times stronger.The cabin boy almost passed out when he sensed the Technique’s power. Without a doubt, this Spirit Knight would be able to destroy their entire ship and crew with just this one attack.“Monsters...” the boy whispered. “They really do exist.”“Just keep looking,” the pirate officer repeated with a snort.They continued to watch the two swordsmen fight in stunned silence.When the sphere reached a diameter of several feet, the Spirit Knight launched it at his foe with a roar of rage. It tore off his blades and flew with incredi
Land of Demons 102
“That’s why I’m helping you. Only people like you can protect us from evil. That’s why I’m glad to help you. You might be the one to die in order to save my field one day.”Hadjar smiled again. He liked this simple logic.“Whoa! Whoa, you stupid nag!”He pulled on the reins and stopped his horse in the middle of the fork in the road. It began to nibble at the grass growing there.“That’s all, traveler. I can’t take you any farther. I have to go to the village market.”Hadjar nodded and jumped down from the cart. He’d left a leather wallet among the vegetables. It contained a hundred Imperial coins. With that amount, the old man could buy a herd of horses and twenty excellent, new carts. Although, Hadjar figured he would probably give the money away instead, to the other villagers who also needed something. When it came to mortals, the only way for them to survive was to help and support each other. By the Evening Stars, the world of martial arts lacked that sort of wonderful unity.“T
Land of Demons 103
He’d heard about Lord Mancey. Everything he’d heard about this great man had only engendered a feeling of deep respect.“Who are you, young man?” The Lord’s voice boomed. “And why are you stirring up trouble near my fort?”“I beg your pardon, honorable General,” Hadjar bowed even lower. “The long trip here has thrown my nerves into disarray.”Hadjar took the letter out of his spatial ring. As soon as the General saw the seal belonging to Mentor Orune, the expression on his face changed.“Are you a disciple of his?” He asked.“No,” Hadjar decided to add that he might soon become one, however.“That’s good,” the General nodded. “If you’d told me you were, I would’ve killed you immediately.”“Why?” Hadjar asked in surprise.“Old Orune never takes anyone as a disciple,” the Lord snorted. “He refused even my own son! His sworn nephew! However, that doesn’t matter right now, come on in. We have a lot to discuss.”Magnificent Flower disappeared into Frederick’s spatial artifact, he gave a br
Land of Demons 104
What would he be if he told everyone the secrets he shared with other humans and… nonhumans?“I respect your principles,” Frederick finally nodded. “Now I see why Orune chose you.”With that, the General rose and went over to the portrait of the Emperor. Standing in front of it, he bowed deeply, and then took out a golden medallion from beneath the collar of his rich robes. Whispering something and imbuing the artifact with his power, the General pressed it against the corner of the portrait’s frame. The picture burst into a multicolored flame, which soon disappeared. Beyond it was a niche that contained a very ancient scroll. He picked it up carefully and moved away from the wall. As soon as he did so, the picture returned to its original place, hiding the empty niche once more.Hadjar was shocked. If the General had kept the scroll in a magic safe, not even trusting his own spatial artifact, the value of this treasure would be difficult to overestimate.Returning to the table, Frede
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