"How did she get hurt?" Titus asked shocked that a rank 4 defence awards user was even hurt from an explosion of that range.

"She must have let her guard down when she thought she got him. I mean other than this psycho, who would gamble with his life like its just a tool to be thrown away, normal people would just give up." I explained as I turned around to look at the fully burned and charred John who was being healed by my healer.

"Report!" I ordered my healer who seemed to focused on stabilising his condition rather than healing his burns and removing the shards that were sticking out of his body from everywhere.

"He is barely breathing my lord. I am doing everything I can to stabilise his conditions. I am going to need another pair of hands to make sure he survives." He reported while visibly sweating from the intense focus he had while casting his stabilising spell.

"I will go and fetch my healer." Titus said and I nodded in reply as he ran off.

Maximus arrived a few minutes later. "Son of a %$^&*" a bunch of profanities were uttered as he looked at gruesome injuries on John who seemed to be barely alive.

"I thought you were used to seeing these things since a long time ago?" I asked surprised at his reaction like it was his first time seeing an injured person.

"It's not because of that look at his face." He said as he pointed towards John's face.

I didn't notice it before but now I saw it. Although his face was severely burned his lips on the left side was drawn up as if he was enjoying his victory.

I sighed at this hopeless situation; we truly are supporting a crazy maniac. If my hands were not tied I would have personally made sure he won't live for another second. However, unfortunately, we needed him for all of our sake, as he needed us.

I walked out leaving everything to Maximus in order to find and pick up the other two who should have been with him.

As I walked I looked at the site of the explosion. Now I understood the smirk on his face. It was smirk that only he could do.

I mean he could have flown over the walls but instead, he directly propelled himself through the gates.

Being able to use the explosion to propel himself through the gate while at the same time calculating exactly where to stand and which angle to face.

The nobles and everyone including us thought he would never even reach the gates.

But there he was flying through the very gates we thought he would never even see. It was smirk of gloating and arrogance where he said, "In the end, I am still standing."

I suddenly realised something.

*Dhun**Dhun**Dhun** Dhun*

My heart was beating erratically.

I am feeling something I have never felt since so long ago. I have only felt this a very long time ago during my youthful days.

A feeling akin to taking those kinds of drugs that I was offered, during those times. A feeling of high excitement and thrill.

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"Looks like we won." Archer said as stopped his attack midway while the green firework was going off in the background.

"Seriously you did but how? We had Isabella after them?" Said the man opposite him as he retracted his dagger as well.

"You did? Damn, I should have expected that." Archer said in disbelief.

"Relax, you could have done nothing even if you knew it, as I was there to occupy you." Said the man as he took a cigarette packet out his pocket. The man proceeded to offer Archer one, who took one from the man.

"True. So how do you think they escaped?" Archer asked as he inhaled the minty smoke into his airways and enjoyed as he slowly blew it out while smelling the minty smoke.

The man shrugged his shoulder as both of them carried onto finish off their cigarette.

"I have to get going now. What about you?" Archer asked the man opposite him.

"Meh, I need to get some rest before I go back and report." He replied as he walked off.

"You better not make Albert wait too long Shaun." Archer said as he shook off the dust in his body from all the fighting.

Archer traced his way back from where he split with John. As he made his way back from there he saw the fainted bodies of the two who were supposed to be with John. "Seems like Isabella just knocked them unconscious." He chuckled as he saw them.

Archer carried both of them on his shoulders and walked back to the residence.

As he was not that far away from the residence he saw an area seemingly affected by some kind of explosion. But that wasn't what drew his attention. It was the excited face of his lord who seemed to be standing amidst the remains of smoke and charred ground.

-----------------------------------------------

"He is waking up my lord."

My external wounds on my abdomen seem to be closed off, but the burns and damage to my organs were still present. It seems they have managed to take off all the shards in my body without creating more damage.

I opened my eyes and turned to the direction of the voice to notice the healer talking with Dexter, Titus and Maximus. It seemed like I was laid at the corner of the kitchen in a bed. That's good as I don't have to walk far.

I moved from my bed and proceeded to stand up. "Stop what are you doing? You will worsen your injuries." The healer tried to restrain me back to bed but was held back by Titus.

"He knows what he is doing don't worry." Titus said.

"No stop him, my lord, he has severe 4th-degree burns among other wounds and if he keeps on moving his injuries will worsen." I ignored the middle-aged doctor and his conversation as I walked towards the table with the ingredients.

They all seemed to be level 10 ingredients.

If I am right I can use my body for 70 minutes before it collapses under reopening of wounds and injuries worsening. The effect of food will take a maximum of at least 5 minutes and eating all of it should take another 10 to 15 minutes. So, I have to make something under 50 minutes.

I proceeded to start cooking with the vegetable and fruit ingredients laid before me. I made something simple and easy to eat in my present condition.

In the end, I ended up with vegetable soup and a fruit salad.

It would have usually taken me roughly 15 minutes to usually make something as simple as this. But due to the injuries, it took me 40 minutes to make this, almost 3 times the duration.

I slowly ate and drank the soup while ignoring the searing pain from the exposed nerves in my burned tongue and throat. After that, I calmly proceeded to eat the fruit salad slowly as my gum screamed in pain at being moved too much.

After I had finished I went back to lie on the bed. I waited for 10 minutes as my body slowly healed back to normal. The burned skin slowly dried and peeled off to be replaced by new fresh skin. All my external wounds started closing in and soon I was no different how I always looked. My burned and bald scalped head slowly started to grow a large afro hair.

"How are you feeling?" Maximus asked me, as I ignored the open-mouthed doctor besides him.

"Give me a minute." I said as I felt all my broken bones being mended and popping back in place.

I slowly got up and stretched my arms and legs.

"Back to normal. How long was I out?" I asked back as Dexter motioned all of us to follow him to his meeting room.

"Roughly 6 hours." Titus replied as we walked back.