The commander gasped loudly, as if a new soul had returned to his body. He slowly opened his eyes, panting from exhaustion, then whispered in a weak voice:
"What happened?"
After moments of silence, he began to remember what had happened in the battle. The memory flowed into him like a rushing stream. He pulled himself off the ground violently, stood up with excitement, and laughed a thunderous laugh, mixed with relief and madness:
"Hahaha! I survived! I did it! I fulfilled the blessing of the ancestors! Hahaha!"
The commander laughed loudly and said:
"Hahahaha! I am Carlos Levada! I fulfilled my ancestral blessing! Thank you, hunter with the purple cloak! Without you... I wouldn't have dared even to think of killing myself to activate the blessing of the ancestors — the Burning Nirvana!"
The ancestral blessing of the "sacred" path was akin to the innate skill of hunters. But Carlos Levada's blessing was "Burning Nirvana," one of the rare-type ancestral blessings a strange blessing that required strict conditions for activation.
Ancestral blessings and innate skills were classified into several types:
Offensive: Grants direct combat power.
Defensive: Enhances endurance and protection.
Supportive: Enhances abilities, heals, or affects allies.
Transformational: Changes the body's form or nature.
Weird: Unexpected abilities, often with complex conditions.
Companion Creature: Summons a creature that fights alongside its owner.
And Carlos Levada's blessing was not ordinary.
It was "Burning Nirvana," one of the marvels of the weird classification a blessing that could only be activated under one harsh condition…
Death.
A coward like him had lived for many years refusing even to think about it.
What if the blessing didn't activate?
What if death this time was real, with no return?
What if it was all just a trick?
How many times had he sat trembling before these questions, helpless, paralyzed in will? How many times had he cursed his weakness, only to surrender to it again?
But this time… this time was different.
All those fears that had haunted his heart for years now disappeared as if they never existed.
Carlos stood tall among the corpses, feeling a new power flowing through his body, a vibrant energy pulsing with life, as if the whole world became clearer and purer in his eyes.
After his overwhelming joy and the new power sweeping through his body, Carlos looked around him. The ground was covered with corpses, and the air was filled with the smell of blood and burning smoke.
He instinctively extended his hand forward, as if summoning something from deep within.
In the next moment, a great flame burst from his palm a pure golden fire, slowly dancing as if it were a living flame, noble and superior to all other mortal fires. The heat radiated so intensely that the very air trembled around it.
"Nirvana Flame…" Carlos murmured, his eyes shining with awe and resolve.
Without hesitation, he struck the ground with his palm, and a ring of golden fire exploded around him, sweeping over the corpses on the ground, devouring the trees and plants within a hundred-meter radius everything turned to ash in moments.
The fire nearly extended further, swallowing trees… but Carlos clenched his palm and uttered a faint sound from his throat.
Then, as if the golden flame understood his will, it stopped, then surged back into his body, fading inside him as if it had never been.
Carlos stood in silence, gazing at the scorched ground, at the ash that covered everything.
He lowered his head slightly, as if bidding farewell to his fallen comrades.
Slowly, his gaze dropped to his body there were no wounds, not even a scratch.
His body was intact, gleaming with vitality, as if he had not fought at all.
He frowned darkly.
"Damn it… if I return like this, without wounds, while all my comrades are dead… they will suspect me. They'll bombard me with questions… maybe even accusations. Then the secret of my blessing's awakening will be revealed. Damn it, I won't be a slave to those nobles in the temple! Do they think they can control me? Hahaha!"
He stared at his long sword, at its cold edge still stained with dried blood.
Then, without hesitation, he raised the sword and plunged it into his shoulder!
"Ahhhhh!!!"
A loud scream burst from his chest, mixed with pain and rage.
Blood gushed from the wound, splattering the ground beneath him with heavy red droplets.
He roared from the pain, his chest trembling, but he didn't stop.
With trembling hands, he pulled the blade from his shoulder and slowly turned it then viciously stabbed it into his thigh!
"AAAAAHHHHH!!!"
His whole body shuddered under the weight of the torment, his knees nearly gave out, but he clung to the ground like a wounded beast refusing to fall.
With a movement full of madness, he raised the sword again and slashed his arm lengthwise until the bones beneath the torn skin were exposed.
Another sharp cry split the forest's silence:
"Ghhh… AAAAAH!"
Blood poured like a waterfall, drenching his hand, sword, and clothes in a dark crimson hue, staining the ground with its heavy metallic scent.
He showed no mercy to his body each stab, each bleeding, was like a defiant cry to the entire world:
"I was there. I fought. I bled. And I survived."
He finished what he started with more wounds on his side and stomach, deep stabs yet precisely measured.
With each skin-piercing thrust, his breaths came out like death gasps, each sigh heavy with rage and bitterness.
Carlos exhaled, panting, his body trembling, sweat and blood mixing on his grimacing face.
He threw the sword to the ground with a muted thud and smiled a savage smile filled with blood and madness.
He whispered in a hoarse voice as he staggered, leaving behind a long trail of blood:
"Now… they'll believe me…"
---
In the depths of the cave.
The air was warm and dimly lit, lit by a small fire at the center. Christopher sat on a smooth rock, wrapping white bandages around his arm, his slim body completely covered with these medical bandages, like a mummy. His black cloak lay on his back.
In front of him sat Lux the large man whose body was wrapped in heavy black chains, like a metal snake coiled around him. Despite the restraints binding him, his stern face bore the marks of battle with an unexpectedly warm smile, and his black eyes sparkled.
The two were eating a simple meal pieces of meat and hard bread, drinking water from an old canteen, laughing from time to time like old friends.
In the other corner of the cave, Melina sat on a worn blanket, her legs folded beneath her, her eyes focused on an old book covered in margins and inscriptions. Her features were soft and full of concentration, and her black hair fell freely over her shoulders.
Lux let out a muffled laugh, the chains rattling softly, and said as he gestured toward Christopher with the water cup:
"Hehe, if someone saw you now, kid, with your red eyes and bandages… they'd say a dead man returned from the grave."
Christopher responded with a side smile, took a sip of water, then said lightly:
"Isn't that true, in a way?"
Lux laughed heartily, the chains shaking:
"Hahaha! Yes! That's true! We're all half-dead here in one way or another!"
Melina raised her head from the book, looked at them with a feigned annoyed gaze, and said coldly:
"If you focused half your energy on healing instead of dumb jokes, we'd be out of this cave by now."
Lux nodded in agreement, but said slyly:
"Ah, little Melina… you don't understand. Laughter is medicine too. Maybe even more effective than the herbs you're trying to make me drink!"
Melina pursed her lips and returned to her book, muttering:
"Idiots…"
Christopher smiled lightly, then leaned his head back against the stone wall, breathing calmly, his red eyes staring at the cave ceiling as if seeing something.
After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice:
"Lux… what do you know about the hunter factions on the continent? How are they distributed?"
Lux looked at him, Christopher met his gaze with a half-smile, then Lux took a long sip from the canteen before answering:
"Hmm… hunter factions? Heh… good question."
He looked at the fire for a moment as if recalling old memories, then said in a heavier tone:
"Actually, the continent is almost completely under the control of the saints. The sacred temple has a hand in almost every kingdom, directly or indirectly."
Christopher immediately frowned, his mind spinning rapidly, recalling the words of the middle-aged man he heard through the disc about sects recruiting disciples.
"It's impossible for control to be absolute... There must be truly powerful sects..."
He asked with a hope he couldn't hide:
"And what about the powerful sects? Are there any that actually rival the temple?"
Lux suddenly laughed. His laughter was rough and filled with nostalgia:
"Powerful? Hahaha, not just sects, but also the Celestial Hunter Clans! Clans founded by strong hunters and there are many of them."
Pride was clear on his face, but behind it, a sorrow was visible to anyone observing closely.
"I won't name them all, but in the western region of the continent, where the Kingdom of Cloud lies there are very famous places.
First: the region of Kalonel. Do you know why? Because it houses what is known as the 'Hunters Without Borders Alliance.'"
Christopher blinked, and Lux continued with enthusiasm:
"That alliance... is extremely powerful. Even the temple doesn't dare provoke it easily. As for rogue hunters in the temple's affiliated kingdoms? It's a legend—a sacred place they only know through tales, as if someone invented it to give them false hope."
He lowered his voice as if whispering:
"The location of Kalonel the place where the alliance is is unknown... hidden... no one knows its exact location."
Christopher looked at him, but before he could speak, Lux continued, burning with excitement:
"And there is also another sect... the Sect of the Shadow of the Beginning."
He paused for a moment, then said with a smile filled with a touch of nostalgia:
"A sect that resides in the borderland of the Shadow Land subdued the wild borderland of the Shadow Land with its power. All of its leaders are true hunters who have passed the Court of the Hunt, hunters by nature, so strong that each one of them equals the master of an entire sect!"
When he said his last words, his eyes gleamed with clear excitement, as if his shackled body suddenly longed for battle.
Christopher asked curiously:
"The Borderland of Shadow? Is... is it really that savage?"
Lux laughed hoarsely:
"Hahaha, savage? Even more.
A land inhabited by mysterious creatures and strange races, and atop them reigns the Night Fay race... powerful, deceptive beings.
And yet, despite all that... the Sect of the Shadow of the Beginning ruled it alone! They controlled the land, subdued everyone in it... and that alone is enough to speak of their strength."
At this, Christopher's features showed a mix of amazement and excitement, but Lux wasn't done yet.
"And there's another sect..."
His tone changed slightly, as if he remembered something unpleasant.
"The Sect of Heavenly Purity—all its members are women."
He glanced quickly at Milena, then corrected himself and added with a light smile:
"As you know, in this era... even if a woman is a strong hunter, she's still looked down upon. But... only one woman broke that rule.
A great woman, the founder of the sect. She turned the weakness of her gender into an unbreakable weapon, and founded a sect said to rival the Hunters Without Borders Alliance in strength!"
He looked at Christopher, then added while scratching his head awkwardly:
"And never look down on the women of this sect... you'll regret it, believe me."
Then he suddenly laughed a laugh trying to cover a flicker of shame that appeared on his face for a moment and said:
"Hahahaha... their women are savage, for sure... hahahaha."