Chapter 311

Arran looked at Negin as she lay on the ground . With her body covered in burns and blisters, it was a small miracle that she’d lasted as long as she had . Her strength had long failed her, and the last hours, she had persisted on nothing but sheer willpower .

But there was only so much willpower could do .

The moment she’d laid eyes on the starmetal weapon, her body had finally given out, and she’d collapsed into unconsciousness . She was long past her limit, and against the merciless assault of unbound Essence, no amount of determination could last .

As Arran looked at her, he knew that leaving her behind was the sensible thing to do .

In her current pitiful state, she wouldn’t last much longer . Another hour or two, at most . And once she died, what little she’d learned about Arran would be forgotten .

That might save him no small amount of trouble down the road — although she didn’t know much about him, what little she knew was already more than enough to get him killed .

Yet as he stared at her bloodied figure, he realized he couldn’t do it . Enemy or not, she had been his companion for several weeks, and he would not lightly abandon a companion to die .

He cursed loudly as he realized what he had to do . But then, with a deep sigh, he stored the girl’s belongings in his void ring and threw her battered body over his shoulder .

Even burdened with the girl’s limp body, not having to conceal his strength meant that Arran could travel far faster than he had before . The journey into the battlefield had taken them days, but running at full speed, it took him only a few hours to return .

It wasn’t long before he reached the spot where they’d left their belongings behind, and when he arrived, he carefully laid the girl down on the ground .

Her body was covered in dried blood, but he could see that her blisters were already beginning to fade . Although far weaker than Arran, she was clearly still a powerful Body Refiner .

Yet although her broken skin was beginning to heal, her consciousness had yet to return . And not just that — as Arran examined her, he saw that her skin was deathly pale, and her breaths were shallow and uneven . He could still feel her pulse, but it was weak and rapid, with her body was struggling to endure the injuries she had suffered .

He waited for a quarter-hour, but she showed no sign of improvement . If anything, she seemed to be getting worse, her skin growing paler still as her breathing almost came to a halt .

Arran was no healer, but he understood she was dying . She’d pushed past her body’s limits in the battlefield, well beyond the point of recovery . He hadn’t recognized it at the time, but now, he realized he had overestimated her strength .

Yet although he knew she was dying, he had no idea of how to save her — or even if she could be saved at all .

With a thought, he took out the small bag the Knight had given her . The woman had said its contents might help Negin recover, and right now, the girl needed any help she could get .

He found a small assortment of pills inside the bag, but a frustrated frown appeared on his face as he examined them . Not only did he not know what each of them did, giving Negin pills in her current state would more likely choke her than save her life .

Arran groaned in frustration at the helplessness he felt . He knew a thousand different ways to kill an enemy, but saving lives was a different matter — and one he knew absolutely nothing about .

Had Snowcloud been there, he knew she would have known a way to save the girl — some mixture of foul-tasting potions, no doubt . But she was months of travel away, and Arran had none of her knowledge about medicine .

And without any knowledge of healing, all he could do was watch helplessly as the girl’s life slipped away right in front of him . Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www . webnovel . com for visiting .

But then, a thought came to him . Without hesitation, he grabbed the girl’s starmetal dagger, then made a deep cut across his hand . It only took a moment for the wound to heal, but as blood came from his hand, he poured it across Negin’s lips and into her mouth .

Several times he repeated this, careful not to choke the girl . Then, finally, he pulled his hand back, and carefully observed her . If he was right, she might yet be saved .

He had no idea if the plan would work . While he thought there was a chance, he knew that his attempt at saving her might well end up killing her, instead . But then, if he didn’t do anything, she was dead anyway .

Still, he had some hope that she might survive . Not only was his blood rich in Natural Essence, it also held the Dragon’s Ruin . And with the girl on the verge of death, her body might just be weakened enough that the Dragon’s Ruin could take hold .

For a good half hour, nothing happened . Yet while the girl showed no sign of recovery, her condition had stopped deteriorating . If nothing else, Arran’s help seemed to have staved off the most immediate threat .

More time passed as Arran anxiously watched for any changes . But then, he saw it — a hint of color began to return to her skin, and her shallow breathing slowly grew steadier .

The improvement was painfully slow, but it was an improvement nonetheless . And as the girl’s breathing steadied, Arran’s hope slowly turned into relief .

It took another hour before she regained consciousness, and when she did, she looked at Arran in confusion for several moments . But as her eyes cleared, she said in a weak voice, “You saved me . “

“So I did,” Arran said, unable to fully keep the grin from his face . He’d been all but certain the girl was doomed, but somehow, he’d managed to save her . It was a feeling nearly as good as defeating a powerful enemy .

Several minutes passed before Negin spoke again, and when she did, her voice had already grown stronger . “I’m hungry,” she said, some confusion in her eyes .

The Dragon’s Ruin had taken hold, then . Or at least some version of it .

“Eat something,” Arran said, handing her a piece of dried meat he’d taken from his void ring earlier . “You need the strength . “

Negin hungrily devoured the meat, but as she did, the look of confusion in her eyes only grew stronger .

“There’s something different,” she said after she finished eating . “Something about my body…” She gave Arran a questioning look .

Arran nodded . “I gave you something to make you stronger . It was the only way I could save you . Best not let others in your Imperium know about it, though . If they find out, they might kill you for it — and me as well, for that matter . “

His words caused a frown to appear on the girl’s bloodied face, but after a moment, the frown disappeared, a look of gratitude taking its place . And as she looked him in the eyes, she said “I owe you my life . “

“That you do,” Arran replied . “And I fully expect you to repay the debt . ” He gave her a smile, then continued, “But I still have a weapon to find . I suggest you take a day or two to recover before you return to your group . I’ve left food in your bag . “

With that, he stood up and readied himself to leave . Now that the girl was saved, there was no reason for him to remain in the makeshift camp any longer .

Yet before he could depart, she called out, “Wait! You don’t have to go!”

Arran gave her a curious glance . “I don’t?”

“The weapons,” she began . “They’re yours . I can’t take them — not after you saved my life . “

“Don’t be foolish,” Arran replied . “Finding them nearly cost you your life . Besides, I intend to find ones at least as good for myself . “

He flashed her a final grin, and before she could say anything else, he set off at a run .

As he made his way back toward the ruined wasteland at the heart of the battlefield, he did not pause — not even when the light of day slowly began to fade from the sky . He’d grown familiar with darkness in the Shadow Realm, and he had already wasted too much time .

He did not worry about the consequences of saving the girl as he traveled through the treacherous terrain . Saving her had probably been a mistake, but if it was, he had no regrets in making it . Not when his only other choice had been to let her die .

And either way, the decision was made .

Now, it was time to finally begin his search for the Forms . And he would allow no more obstacles to slow him down .