Chapter 156: Intense Fight

"Bang!"

The sabre collided with the sword and sparks spread in all directions. Ayaan was smashed over fifty meters away. The blood dripped from the corner of his lips. He looked at his opponent as he whipped the red liquid from his mouth. 

"You are strong," the captain said. "But not strong enough to defeat me. You better surrender yourself." 

"Heh? Are you blind?" sneered Ayaan. "I am just getting started."

"Then die!" shouted the captain malevolently and attacked with his sword once more.

"Boom!" 

The weapons collided, and both of them took a few steps back. However, neither of them stopped and continued to attack each other. The captain had the advantage of the higher cultivation while Ayaan had the advantage of the Dark Element in the night. Though he had the advantage of the Dark Element, he still couldn't match his opponent in strength. 

Finally, when he couldn't defeat the man in the head-on fight, Ayaan took advantage of the dark. He hid amongst the trees and sneaked on his enemy now and then. The strategy worked fine, and he injured the captain with his sabre. After injuring his enemy he again disappeared in the bushes, obscuring himself in the darkness.

"You fucking shameless coward! dare you to fight with me head-on?" roared the man indignantly. His eyes turned red when he saw blood dripping from his arm. When someone had cornered him in such a situation before? He would slaughter this bastard! He roared inside his head.

"Heh? What right do you have to call me shameless? You, who killed an entire village of helpless poor people. Though I don't care about their lives, you don't have the right to complain," said Ayaan from not far away.

The man immediately swung his sword in that direction. Surprisingly, the sword produced a sharp wind blade that shattered every tree in its way. Though there wasn't a painful scream as the man hoped. The man walked towards the shattered trees and smashed ground and tried to find Ayaan, but there was no trace.

"Whoosh!"

A sound of gust came from his right, and he turned around hurriedly.

"Boom!"

Once more the sword and the sabre greeted each other intensely. "Enough of this cheap trick," sneered the man. Two of them looked at each other and took a few steps back. 

"You have little mastery over the Dark Element. However, it is far from a threat to me. If you think you could defeat me with this cheap trick, you have greatly mistaken." Said the soldier.

"Really?" sneered Ayaan. "We will see."

He closed his eyes and felt his surroundings. Previously he was just taking the advantage of the dark and was hiding in bushes. However, now he was trying to merge himself with the darkness. It was like a space element. One could merge with space and disappear. Similarly, dark elemental cultivators could merge with the darkness and disappear in it.

"It looks like you also know that you can't defeat me. You should have handed your life much before, the futile struggle is just unnecessary," mocked the man. Then he dashed towards Ayaan. "Die!" he shouted.

Before his sword could dissect Ayaan in two, he opened his eyes. "Fuck, there is no way I am going to grasp something like that this easily!" he had the urge to cry and looked at the sword that was growing bigger and bigger in front of him. He had no way to dodge and wasn't sure if he could block. He felt as if the grim reaper was clutching his throat in its claws. 

"Ayaan!" others as well appeared at this moment and saw the scene taking place in front of their eyes. However, there was no way any of them could reach Ayaan. he was far away from them.

As the sword arrived in front of him, Ayaan felt as if darkness deepened and his vision became blurry. He could feel millions of dark particles at the moment. Suddenly he felt the danger and moved at the side.

"Whoosh!"

"Huh?"

Many exclamations sounded. The captain looked in disbelief in front of him. Because Ayaan suddenly disappeared in front of his eyes. When he appeared again, he was over ten meters away. "Wh-what was that?" questioned the captain and looked at Ayaan intensely.

"As if I will tell you, moron," Ayaan chuckled. 'But what was that, really?' he thought inside his head. He himself didn't realise what had happened.

"Then you can die!" the man shouted and again dashed towards Ayaan.

"Oh, no, you don't," Leafwhisk said and all the trees in the surroundings moved. Their branches turned flexible like vines or tentacles. All of them had a single target. The captain looked at the scene and turned pale. Why the hell is the entire forest attacking me? He complained.

The trees didn't stop by looking at his pitiful expression. They surrounded the man in just a second. He tore many branches with his sword but in the end; the vines still caught him, and they hanged him in the air. "What is this? Put me down!" he screamed. "You don't know who I am, I am telling you. You will regret making an enemy of me."

"Really?" Leafwhisk asked in a mocking tone.

"I am the Vice Commander…"

"Moron." Before he could finish his threat the other party gave him the tag of a moron. Though indignant in his heart, he swallowed his pride to secure his life. 

Ayaan also walked towards his companions, still confused by the previous event. He didn't know how he escaped from that predicament. There was nowhere to run, his speed couldn't compare with the speed of the sword. He could only block such an attack in the hope of survival. Then how did he dodged that attack? Many questions popped in his head, but there was no answer.

"What do you want?" asked the hanging man in the air fearfully. 

"I want your life," Leafwhisk, who was sweating profusely replied and gestured with her hands, and the vines drilled inside the Mr Captain.

"No, no, what are you doing!? Stop it!.... Ahhhhhh!"

The man screamed when the vines reached his stomach and his insides revealed, blood dripped on the ground like a cold shower. The man screamed and begged and pleaded, but to no avail. His throat dried after screaming, his tears stopped and stopped his breathing with tears. The forest looked cold and eerie and gave the feeling of dread. the beasts howled and roared in the dark night, increasing the sense of dread in one's heart.

"Thud!"

"Leafwhisk!"

Just when the life from the man's body faded, Leafwhisk fell on the ground with a pale face and trembling body and blood seeped out from her mouth. She looked fragile as a burning candle amidst the gust of the wind. Rebecca and Isobel supported her and let her sit on the ground. Noor gave her water to drink. Only then did she look a little better. "I am fine, just exhausted. In two to three days, I will be alright."

"If that move needed so much energy, why did you use it?" asked Ayaan when he saw her pale face. Leafwhisk looked at him and mocked, "wasn't it to save your ass?" 

Ayaan felt his face burning from embarrassment. He wanted to reply but couldn't find the right words. Therefore he dropped the idea and changed the topic. "Let's rest tonight, and we will think about other things in the morning." He proposed. Everyone went to the place where the soldiers were staying. The place had turned into a complete mess. Blood was flooding on the ground as if it was water.

The corpses and the pieces of the corpses scattered all around. The guts and innards floated on the bloody pool. The fire had already disappeared, leaving only the grey ash behind and in the ash laid the overcooked boar. The coldness only increased after looking at such a scene. Rebecca and Isobel supported Leafwhisk. She was very weak and needed their help to walk. Noor held the still unconscious little girl. Ayaan and Akash followed others from behind, looking around vigilantly.

"We can't stay here," Ayaan said. "Let's find another place."

Everyone nodded, and they walked away from this gory place. If Leafwhisk was in a good condition, she should have been able to sweep this blood and corpses with her plants. However, she was injured and couldn't even walk without support. Therefore, they could only change the place. No one wanted to stay at this place, anyway. The stench of the blood was too strong, and even if they could clean this place with Leafwhisk's help, no one would have stayed here.

The group walked towards the place where they had tied their horses. The place was not too far away nor too close. However, the blood reek could still be felt from this place. So they sat on the horses and rode them for some time. Only after they reached out of that stenchy place the group stopped and camped.