The Relentless Path: Battles and Bonds

"Tut, tut, tut... What a delightful soul! Indeed, the most tender souls are the most delectable."

Lead-colored clouds shrouded the entire sky, merging heaven and earth into a dark, oppressive mass, as if a storm were imminent. In the dimly lit forest, a dozen corpses lay scattered, each face frozen in a mask of terror.

A man clad in a black cloak stood nearby, his dim eyes glinting with a hint of green as they fixed on the scene before him. His outstretched arm gripped the lifeless body of a boy, around eleven or twelve years old, still warm, indicating he had only recently lost his life. The bloodshot, vacant eyes and the contorted expression spoke volumes of the agony he had endured in life.

"This must be the last member of the Hurst family. Heh, how foolish! Such a thing is hardly fit for you ants to possess," the man muttered to himself.

"Yet, it's strange. Where could that thing have gone? There are no clues in this boy's memories. Only his father would know. D*mn it! No wonder he was so resolute in his resistance earlier, even resorting to self-detonation of his soul. Hmph, in the end, they all escape unscathed. It would have been better to hand it over and suffer less."

"This is the hope of awakening the soul core. With it, once I awaken the soul core and combine it with necromantic spells and soul engravings, my undead legion will become even more formidable, a legion of countless souls. Who could possibly kill me then? No, I must search further. I refuse to believe I cannot find it. This boy's body is quite decent; it seems he could be cultivated into a fine corpse necromancer," the man said, casting a reluctant glance at the boy.

At that moment, a rapid sound of hooves echoed from afar, growing louder as it approached. The man turned his head, squinting through the dense trees, and felt a ripple of energy. "Twelve individuals: ten first-tier warriors, one second-tier, and one third-tier. Hmm, that unstable aura must belong to someone who has just advanced. Tut, still two fledglings, pure souls. I shall not be polite in accepting them." The man licked his lips, hoisting the boy's corpse into his left hand while his right hand began to trace runes in the air.

On the distant galloping horse, a guard dressed as a maid turned to another girl riding beside her and smiled, "Miss, this training has yielded great rewards. Lord Mayor will surely be very pleased."

In the direction she gazed, a girl of about fourteen or fifteen sat gracefully on her horse, clad in exquisite silver armor that hugged her emerging curves. Her chestnut hair danced in the wind, a few strands brushing against her forehead, partially obscuring her glass-like azure eyes—pure and clear. Below her delicate, straight nose, her cherry lips parted slightly, "Hmm, I've finally advanced to the third tier. Once I stabilize and refine my combat skills, then…"

At that moment, the girl seemed to sense something, turning her gaze toward the depths of the forest. "Someone is using magic to probe this area. There's a scent of death—it's a necromancer! A third-tier one, at that." Her brows furrowed slightly. "It seems they are coming for us. Everyone, spread out and surround them from the left side of the forest. Follow my lead in the attack!"

"Yes!"

The eleven warriors, including the maid, drew their long swords from the sides of their horses, skillfully dispersing in an orderly fashion, revealing their training as a well-drilled guard unit. The girl unsheathed a standard silver spear from her horse's side, raising it to level with the horse's head, slightly bending forward. With a powerful kick to the horse's belly, the steed let out a fierce neigh and surged forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging toward the direction of the necromancer.

"Hmm? Such keen spiritual perception." The man hidden beneath his cloak narrowed his eyes slightly, a frown creasing his brow. He then snorted coldly, "Let these fresh pets entertain you for a while." As his gesture concluded, the dark runes he had inscribed in the air glimmered faintly before splitting into several strands that shot toward the corpses on the ground.

As the black light entered their bodies, the corpses trembled slightly before slowly rising, their eyes opening to reveal a blood-red glow as they let out low, guttural growls, advancing toward the galloping horses. The man then retreated, still clutching the boy's corpse, while his right hand began to trace more runes in the air.

The girl watched as three undead rushed toward her, and instead of slowing down, she accelerated, closing the distance between them in an instant.

With a swift thrust, her spear pierced the chest of one of the undead before it could grasp her, and with a firm grip on the spear, she swung it to strike the other two approaching undead, quickly retracting it and returning it to her side. Her movements flowed seamlessly, as if she had encountered no hindrance, continuing her advance toward the necromancer while the other warriors became entangled with the undead.

In that brief moment of distraction, the necromancer completed his next spell. As the black runes merged with the ground, the grass before the horse transformed into a shadowy expanse, and a ghostly claw emerged, reaching for the horse's hooves. "Phantom Claw!" With a flick of his wrist, the undead that the girl had just felled rose again and charged at her.

Seeing the ghostly claw nearing her horse's hooves, a faint golden light flickered in the girl's eyes as she murmured, "Holy Flame!" A soft golden fire ignited around her, enveloping the horse as if it were a small sun. The ghostly claw, upon contact with the golden light, melted away like ice in sunlight. The necromancer's expression shifted, "A paladin! Explode!"

The nearby undead swelled rapidly, and as the necromancer clenched his right hand, it expanded like a balloon filled with air.

"Boom!"

The shockwave of the explosion, mixed with fragments of the corpses, shot toward the girl. Gritting her teeth, she transferred the reins to her right hand and thrust forward in the direction of the approaching undead, shouting, "Holy Shield!"

A beam of golden light extended from her palm, forming a protective barrier that shielded her and her horse. The explosion collided with the shield, causing the girl's face to pale as she pressed herself against the horse's back to avoid being thrown off. The horse staggered, reeling from the blast, carving shallow grooves into the ground.

Meanwhile, the necromancer began inscribing runes again, this time with greater urgency, his thoughts racing. "I didn't expect her to be a paladin. She seems to have just advanced to the third tier—so young! D*mn it, we're not far from the town. If I can't resolve this quickly, I'll be in trouble if the church's hounds come sniffing around. I can't linger! The mission is already complete; it's best not to stir up more trouble."

With that thought, the runes fell into place, and a black path extended behind him. The necromancer slipped into it, moving like a wraith, retreating at a speed that seemed faster than a normal person could run. At that moment, the shockwave dissipated along with the shattering shield, and the girl regained her balance. Seeing the necromancer retreating, her brows furrowed, and she exclaimed, "Trying to run? Leave him to me!"

She tugged on the reins, ready to charge forward, but the horse's legs buckled, collapsing to the ground, clearly shaken by the earlier blast. Realizing this, the girl leaped off the horse, and in mid-air, she brushed her left hand over the spear, invoking, "Judgment Seal." A faint golden light enveloped the spear, revealing intricate patterns that adorned its surface, enhancing its elegance. With her right hand, she shifted into a throwing stance, landing gracefully, pivoting her left foot forward, leaning slightly back, and raising the spear to eye level. With a swift pull, she launched it forward like a bowstring released, propelling herself toward the necromancer.

The spear whistled through the air like a sharp arrow, closing in on the necromancer. Caught off guard, he attempted to sidestep but realized it was too late. He slapped his hand against his body, summoning a shield of bones that appeared behind him just in time to block the spear's trajectory. As the spear collided with the shield, the radiant power of light and the dark energy clashed, consuming each other until the spear fell to the ground, having exhausted its energy. Although he managed to block the spear, the delay allowed the girl to close the distance between them.

The necromancer snorted, continuing to retreat as the shadowy path beneath him began to fade. "Little brat, don't think I'm afraid of you. If you push me too far, this will be your grave!"

"Hmph, if you have the guts, stand still," the girl replied, her brow furrowing. "This necromancer initially intended to ambush us, but now he seems hesitant to flee."

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced back and noticed that the guards had stabilized after their initial chaos and would soon be able to assist. "I need to keep him occupied until we can surround him," she thought, drawing her slender sword from her waist and invoking the Judgment Seal once more, sending a brilliant beam of light hurtling toward the necromancer.

Seeing the girl closing in again, the necromancer clenched his right hand, summoning a black energy sphere that materialized in his palm. He tossed it into the air, quickly tracing runes with his fingers, causing the energy sphere to split into three bone-piercing arrows aimed at the girl.

The girl narrowed her eyes, retracting her sword to block the incoming arrows. She deftly maneuvered her body, tilting her head at an agile angle to evade the remaining two arrows, continuing her pursuit of the necromancer without losing speed.

One after another, the arrows were shot at her, but she skillfully dodged them all. Although the distance between them hadn't decreased significantly, it hadn't widened either. The necromancer, seeing the path of the dead fading and realizing he hadn't gained any distance, grew frustrated. Slowing down while holding the boy's corpse made casting spells cumbersome. Cursing the boy's body, he infused it with magic and hurled it toward the girl, swiftly retrieving a pitch-black staff resembling withered wood. The staff's twisted top was embedded with a dark purple gem that glowed brighter as the necromancer channeled his magic into it, emanating a mesmerizing purple light.

The corpse arced through the air toward the girl, and as she charged forward, the distance closed rapidly. The necromancer called out, "Explode!"

The girl's expression changed; she had experienced the power of a corpse's self-detonation before. She quickly pivoted, dodging to the side while conjuring the Holy Shield once more. The corpse collided with the shield, and the intertwining energies of light and dark rapidly extinguished each other. The corpse swelled slightly but returned to its original form, and as the girl sidestepped to absorb the impact, it fell backward without detonating.

Her face darkened as she realized she had been tricked. Turning to the necromancer, she found him equally astonished. The girl hesitated for a moment before charging at him again.

"What's going on? My spell failed?" The necromancer was momentarily stunned, realizing the corpse hadn't performed as expected. Seeing the girl charging again, he had no time to ponder further. He pointed his staff forward, summoning three bone-piercing arrows that flew toward her once more.

With his hands free and the staff amplifying his spells, the arrows were now much more powerful and faster than before. The girl had just managed to fend off the first batch when the second wave followed closely behind, forcing her to respond earnestly. Although she summoned her shield to block some of the arrows, her speed was still hindered.

As the spell's cooldown ended, the necromancer unleashed the path of the dead again, retreating while casting spells. Although the girl relentlessly pursued him, the distance between them continued to widen, and they fought while retreating, gradually disappearing from view.

The wind picked up, and brilliant lightning danced through the thick clouds, tearing through the darkened sky. Thunder rumbled, and with the first drop of rain falling, the heavens seemed to split open, unleashing a torrential downpour that enveloped the world in a curtain of rain.

The boy's corpse lay quietly on the ground. If the two were still present, they would have noticed something unusual. A black fruit floated within the boy's stomach, and the clash of light and dark had seemingly triggered a miraculous transformation in the lifeless fruit. The necromancer, puzzled, found that the energy he had infused into the corpse had been absorbed by the fruit, which was now covered in intricate, mysterious patterns that emitted a faint glow before splitting open.

A powerful surge of soul energy radiated outward, causing the boy's corpse to swell like a balloon. The overflowing soul energy filled the space around the corpse, and if anyone were to observe this scene, they would witness the distortion of space, with tiny fissures appearing and vanishing around the body, causing the torrential rain to either bounce off or be consumed by the spatial rifts.

Just as the corpse seemed on the verge of bursting, a faint soul, seemingly drawn from a spatial rift, shot forth toward the body. The escaping soul energy surged back toward the soul, as if it had found its home, rushing into it with fervor.

The weakened soul rapidly regained its form under the influx of soul energy, but the excess energy caused it to swell and distort, teetering on the brink of collapse. Deep within the soul, its essence sensed the impending danger and instinctively began to trace patterns, allowing the soul energy to flow through the designs, dissipating the excess.

It felt as though an eternity had passed, yet it was merely a fleeting moment. Though the soul remained on the edge of collapse, it managed to endure, ultimately forming a perfect sphere at its center, its surface adorned with intricate patterns. At its core, a peculiar array became faintly visible, and all the soul energy converged into the sphere, causing the turbulent waves of energy to gradually subside, and the corpse returned to its original size.

"Pain!"

The sensation of a knife slicing through his body lingered in Mu Yun's mind as he regained consciousness. The first feeling that washed over him was the throbbing pain, akin to countless needles stabbing into his brain, prompting a low groan to escape his lips. He attempted to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as two mountains, and as he tried to move his fingers to rise, he found his limbs unresponsive, as if they had been disassembled.

"What's happening? Am I dying?" As his consciousness gradually cleared, Mu Yun's cognitive abilities returned, and he felt the torrential rain and raging wind assaulting his body. The large raindrops pelted his face, and he thought, "Wasn't I indoors? Why is it raining?"

He forced a smile, "I must have been dumped in the wilderness. What terrible luck to encounter such a fate." After a moment of gathering his strength, Mu Yun felt a bit of vitality returning and continued to ponder, "No, I can't die here. I need to find a way to stand up and see if there's anyone nearby who can take me to the hospital. It seems I still have a chance."

Mu Yun opened his mouth, "Help... help... is anyone there?" His weak voice was nearly drowned out by the storm, but the desire to survive burned within him.

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.

Accompanied by the sound of wind and rain, footsteps grew louder from the distance, approaching steadily. A woman's voice rang out, "Miss, are you alright?"

Another clear and melodious voice replied, "I'm fine. That necromancer certainly has a knack for escaping."

"What a lovely voice." Though he couldn't move, Mu Yun couldn't help but think, his cries for help becoming more urgent. "Someone is here; I hope they are kind-hearted. If so, I might be saved. But what are they talking about? I can't quite understand."

"I'm sorry, Miss. We took too long."

"It's alright. After all, he's a third-tier necromancer. Although he summoned undead temporarily, they are not easy to deal with. I've just advanced to the third tier, and I still haven't mastered many combat skills. What a pity. The rain is too heavy; we should return to the city. And these corpses... once the rain stops, we'll call someone to bury them."

"Yes!"

The girl then turned and walked toward the horses, her gaze instinctively catching sight of the boy's corpse not far away, causing her steps to falter.

"Hmm?"

The girl paused, seemingly hearing a different sound amidst the downpour. She approached the corpse and noticed its chest rising and falling slightly, its lips moving as if it were murmuring something. Her eyes widened in surprise, and then realization dawned on her. "So, he's not dead. No wonder the necromancer's self-detonation failed."

Looking at the boy's pale, delicate face, she spoke, "He's alive! Let's take him back; perhaps we can learn why that necromancer attacked them."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing the girl's voice, Mu Yun felt a surge of hope, "This is my chance to be saved."

With a flicker of determination, Mu Yun summoned the last of his strength to slowly open his heavy eyelids. What met his gaze was a pair of clear, captivating eyes that the pouring rain could not obscure. In that moment, Mu Yun and the girl locked eyes.

"She's beautiful!" As his consciousness began to fade, that thought was the last to cross Mu Yun's mind.

A beam of morning sunlight streamed through the window, warming the bed where Mu Yun lay, gradually rousing him from his slumber.

As he slowly opened his bleary eyes, Mu Yun gazed up at the towering ceiling, feeling a sense of confusion. "Wow, this hospital has a really high ceiling."

"Hmm?"

As his mind cleared, Mu Yun finally sensed something was amiss. With a sudden effort, he sat up abruptly. "Ouch!" His still-recovering body protested, causing him to grimace in pain. Ignoring it, he surveyed his surroundings. The room was simple yet elegant, furnished with a dark brown wardrobe and a small table by the door, atop which rested a delicate vase holding an unknown bouquet of flowers.

"This doesn't look much like a hospital," Mu Yun mused, turning his head. The sunlight streamed through a window adorned with intricate carvings, revealing a beautifully manicured garden outside. "The view here is quite nice," he thought, lowering his gaze to his hands, only to f