Chapter 309

When they awoke in the morning, Arran felt some shock when he saw Negin .

Her skin was bright red all over, and in some places, it was beginning to blister . Even with the pills, it seemed that she was already close to reaching her limit .

And yet, he knew that they still had a long way to go . Because as his sword’s Sense told him, the area they were in was completely devoid of treasure .

“You look like you’ve slept well,” she said, casting a look at Arran that held suspicion and envy in equal parts .

And no wonder . Even without the pills, Arran’s skin was only barely beginning to show signs of the barrage of violent Essence . While the feeling had become mildly unpleasant by now, the environment was no more than a small nuisance to him — certainly not the threat it was to Negin .

Arran shugged . “I’m ahead of you in Body Refinement . “

There was some truth to the answer . With Arran’s strength in Body Refinement, his body would heal small injuries far faster than Negin’s would . Yet so far, his resistance to magic meant that there weren’t any injuries to heal in the first place .

Negin looked at him with barely veiled incredulity . “How did you become so strong without the Imperium’s methods?”

It was a question she’d asked at least a dozen times since they met, and none of Arran’s answers had satisfied her curiosity . But telling her the truth wasn’t an option, and he responded with another shrug .

“I’ve already told you,” he said . “Hard work and good fortune . But we should get moving . The sooner we’re out of here, the better . “

“Are you sure we should be moving further?” Negin looked at him uncomfortably, obviously fearful of the environment growing even harsher .

“I am,” Arran replied . “If we want a chance at finding weapons, we’ll have to head deeper into the battlefield . “

Negin sighed, then gave him a small nod . Although she said nothing, the worry in her eyes was as clear as the burns on her skin .

They set off again only moments later, traveling further into the wasteland as the sun began its ascent into the sky . And as twilight faded, the light of day illuminated a landscape that spoke only of ruin and devastation .

This far into the battlefield, the remnants of battle still looked fresh, as if the battle had been fought months rather than decades ago . The ground around them was rough, torn asunder by magic the likes of which Arran could only barely imagine .

It looked as if mile-high giants had descended from the heavens and plowed the earth until not a single spot of ground remained untouched . There were gorges running haphazardly through the area, tens of paces deep, and gaping craters riddled the earth like giant pockmarks .

Had Arran not know it was a battlefield, he might have thought it was the site of some great natural disaster — a cataclysm beyond human comprehension, with the earth itself rising up against those who dwelt its surface .

Yet he knew that the devastation before him had been wrought by mages . And for all their power, mages were ultimately just humans .

The sight made it easy to understand why commoners would distrust mages . The power to unleash destruction on such a scale caused even Arran to feel uneasy .

They navigated the forbidding landscape as best they could, clambering across gorges and craters for half the morning . And the further they traveled, the stronger the effects of the Essence on Negin grew .

By now, much of her body held burns and blisters, and although the wounds were still superficial, Arran knew that would not last much longer . This close to the center of the battlefield, the pressure of Essence grew stronger with every step .

Then, he Sensed something through his sword — starmetal, barely half a mile away .

“We should search over there,” he said, pointing in the direction of the treasure his sword had found .

“Why there?” Negin asked, somehow still curious despite her obvious suffering .

“The damage is heavier over there,” Arran said . “That could mean there was heavier fighting in that area — and perhaps more casualties . “

He’d invented the explanation on the spot, but with a closer look, he saw it might not be far from the truth . While the devastation was near-complete wherever he looked, the area his sword had indicated seemed particularly ravaged .

Negin agreed without any further questions or objections . Even if the hostile environment hadn’t shaken her wits just yet, every second on the battlefield was an effort to her, and she had little energy to spare for argument .

When they reached the area that held the piece of starmetal, Arran searched for half an hour, curious to see if there would be something his sword had missed . Yet he found nothing, and eventually, he moved to the spot his sword had Sensed .

There, buried under some crumbling pieces of rock, he found a weapon — a long, curved dagger, exquisitely crafted and made completely from starmetal .

He took the weapon in his hand, then called out, “I found something!”

Negin came running instantly . While the pressure of Essence had slowed her earlier, the excitement of a discovery reinvigorated her in an instant .

When she arrived, Arran made a disappointed face, then handed her the weapon .

“It’s just a dagger,” he said . “You can have it . “

“Are you sure?” Negin looked at him with astonishment, shocked that he’d give up the treasure so easily .

Arran feigned a sigh . “It’s no use to me,” he said . “I need a proper weapon . But this should help you, shouldn’t it? With this, you can head back . “

Yet as he spoke, a frown crossed her face . Then, she shook her head . “I can’t,” she said . “Like you said, it’s not a proper weapon . Returning with this…” She sighed deeply . “It would bring me honor, but not nearly as much as a real weapon would . “

Arran frowned at her words . He’d expected that the dagger would be enough for her to leave the battlefield, especially in her current condition .

In truth, he’d long wanted to be rid of her . It was clear that her body wouldn’t withstand the pressure much longer, and her presence was an obstacle to his real search .

“But you can’t go much further,” Arran said . “At most, you’ll last another day or two, and that’s if you’re lucky . “

“I have to,” she replied sharply, her expression determined despite the burns on her face . “This is a chance I won’t get again . I can’t give up now . Not when we’re this close…”

Arran realized that arguing would achieve nothing, so he gave her a nod . “Then let’s hurry . “

They set off again without delay, though Negin left her sword behind . Instead, she held the dagger in her hand, gripping it so tightly her knuckles were left white from the effort .

By midday, they still hadn’t found anything else, and Arran was beginning to grow increasingly worried about his companion .

He could see that the girl was struggling with every step she took, and she looked as if she’d fallen into a blacksmith’s forge . In several places, her skin was cracked and bleeding, and he worried that she could fall at any moment, never to get up again .

Yet each time he urged her to return, she merely clenched her jaw and refused . Even now, with her body on the brink of failure, she was determined to achieve her goal . Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www . webnovel . com for visiting .

Arran wasn’t sure whether to be impressed with her perseverance or disappointed at her stupidity . It was clear that she was determined to succeed even if it cost her her life — which, if they didn’t find something soon, it most likely would .

Just after midday, however, Arran’s sword Sensed something that instantly caused the girl to slip to the back of his mind . Just under a mile away, there was something he could not have dreamed to find in the battlefield — a shard of Living Shadow .

At once, Arran pointed in the direction of the treasure . “There,” he said, unable to fully keep the excitement from his voice . “We have to go there . Immediately . “

Negin did not reply, but she followed a few paces behind Arran as he hurried toward the treasure ahead .

While Arran had no idea how he’d use another shard of Living Shadow, his heart was filled with excitement as he made his way toward the treasure . If a Living Shadow weapon lay ahead, someone truly powerful would have died there — and they would have carried more than just a weapon .

He hurried across the rough terrain, clambering through two deep gorges and past a misshapen hill as he approached the treasure .

But then, as he finally laid eyes on the area where he expected to find the treasure, his heart nearly stopped .

The treasure was there, just as his sword had Sensed . Yet it did not lie buried beneath the rubble . Rather, it hung at the belt of a woman who was still very much alive . And she was looking straight at him .

As Arran stared at the woman in the distance, Negin caught up with him . And when she saw the woman ahead, her reaction was wholly different from Arran’s .

“Kneel!” she hissed, falling to her knees next to Arran . “That’s a Knight!”

He hesitated, but only for an instant . Then, he fell to his knees at Negin’s side . And as he glanced up, he saw that the woman was approaching them .