Chapter 354: Hunter Exam: Theatre of War, X

Ned had never felt so sluggish without Overclocking himself. He moved with every fiber of his muscles so painful as if they were trying to claw out of his skin. But Ned had to faint calmness especially now. Now that he was trying himself to work with other candidates. Whether he liked it or not, to proceed to the next phase, he needed to work with them.

The wound on his shoulder after he was teleported was moist, but the pain was not so much he felt with other parts of his body. This only proves that Minron wasn't something Ned could take lightly, especially that Tiathe was overpowering him with her Mana.

Arrows swooshed beside Ned, making his ears tingle as he approached Minron.

Ned had tried to simulate different scenarios to acquire the orbs back, and the closest he could to Tiathe was to defeat Minron. And that was him full of bruises. Now, Ned was trying not to at least get hit, or receive just scrapes by either the enemy's attacks or Minron's double-edged ax. Especially the ax. Ned supposed that even though his body was enhanced he could only take one hack from the ax and die, in which he can't afford to do so. Not right now.

Brok the Werebear, with his pair of knights, was making quick progress towards Tiathe from clearing the Kruka-toas with his war-sword. They fought at the other side of the firepit, while Ned was on the right side with Claurette, soon to battle Minron.

Bekka and the other archer were guarding the female mage now drained unconscious. Ned thought that she was lucky to find her and the other team which helped her even though she was on the other team. A hip of Kruka-toas was forming around them, mostly behind them as Pegaro enragingly slice Kruka-toas advancing behind them.

Claurette—Claurette was one of a kind. Far better than Xi, better than Swift, or any other archers Ned had met so far. Far better than any hunters he met actually. Claurette wore tight-fitting leather jeans vested with different materials to fully secure his body, but a slit from his left shoulder made his shooting skillful. He (she, if Ned would call him appropriately with his hair fluttering yet smoothly swaying back and forth) was one of a kind of an archer. He could shoot arrows in the most awkward situations one would think of. A shot while ducking with arrows leaving between his legs. This was only possible after a pair of harpoons whooshing above his head that he needed to duck but also needed to shoot arrows after he saw a pair of Kruka-toas came rushing on Ned's blindside.

A pair of beasts fell and rolled beside Ned with arrows sticking through their eyes. Ned had no time to thank Claurrette as he extended his body in a lunging position with Krisalix straight on his right arm, stabbing a Kruka-toa through its neck. For now, the random candidates were having a balanced time both on defending and attacking. This wasn't possible if Ned didn't bother to take down the Kruka-toa leaders first. Now, the advancing team was making their way to the Storing orbs.

With a loss of strength, Ned had a hard time pulling the Krisalix off the Kruka-toas throat. And the moment he pulled the sword was also the moment Minron appeared before him, forming a devilish shadow as he stood towering him.

Ned got seconds to evade the roaring ax. But unlike any other beasts Ned encountered, Minron feinted an up-low and downward hack of his ax that he retracted immediately as he instantly rams his horns to Ned.

Caught by surprise, and a yelp from Claurette, Ned blocked the ax with Krisalix. Sparks, which the broken Butterfly couldn't produce, sprayed after Ned held his position against the minotaur.

Claurette rushed on the minotaur's side, which Minron ignored him completely.

Claurette tried to stick an arrow on Minron's left shoulder but the beast did nothing as he glared at Ned with his glowing red eyes and steaming face. The arrow couldn't make it through his skin.

"Get off him!" Claurette yelled. He nock arrow which was shot on Minron's eye.

All it takes was Minron to close his eyes and his coated skin was near impenetrable. The arrows snapped in half.

"Leave!" Said Ned to Claurette. "Help the others."

"No," Claurette demanded. "You saved us, and we won't leave you here. I'd rather help you than them." Claurette's eyes were glaring at the trio who kept advancing closer to the elevated platform.

"Well, thank you," Ned said lines showing under his jaw down to his neck, he could barely hold it any longer. Minron on the other hand was making sure that Ned was not able to leave, or make any movements as he was pushing him to the ground. Cracks appeared on the ground as his boots were going deeper and deeper.

"L-leave. Now." This time, Claurette received a glare from Ned. Which the latter took action while hissing as he approached the trio of Werebear and the knights.

"This has to end," Ned said. To evade the clutch he was in, Ned had to shift his weight on one of his legs to make sure that even if he lifted his other foot, he would stay intact on the ground. But it won't be easy as Ned has been thinking.

Minron knew that he won't win against Ned if he fought him through speed. But he did what any other brutes would do, to ensnare their opponent. Once they did, they have to make sure they won't get to be freed again. And so what Minron did the moment that Ned shifted his weight was to take no chances and pressed Ned even further and stronger. Once he knew that Ned was struggling with his hold, he instantly let go of the ax and grab Ned by the shoulder with his fury and muscular hands.

Using Overclock taxed Ned's body and it was at that moment that he was most vulnerable. He could use Overclock once more, but the result would be too much for his body he might not be able to move for a period of time–and that is worse than being not able to fight back.

Being held when he was most vulnerable was the worst part that could happen to him. Tiathe was smiling as Minron forces his hands-on Ned's body.

Ned screamed at the top of his lungs which prompted ICE to take over Ned's body. But even so, ICE couldn't do a thing with Ned being locked in between Minron's hands.

Ned let go of the Krisalix after his vision blurred, he could hear bones cracking right under his shoulders and his arm.

Steam coming from Minron's nose was knocking Ned by his cheeks. Ned could barely feel the rushing warmth of Minron's hands as he was like a toy inside his clasp, a toy soon to break.

Inside Ned's mind was ICE worriedly trying to comfort Ned. She even introduced Ned to different scenarios on how to escape. But there was one thing that ICE couldn't comprehend with Ned's current situation.

[No, Ned. You do not have to do it.]

I think I could, Ned thought. What if I should stop struggling now? What if I'll let it go? Let the beast do whatever he wants? All these will end now. No more worries, no more struggle. This time, it is real. To die.

Suddenly, that moment, Ned felt a rush coming off his body. It was absolute terror, dark, a mere darkness couldn't explain it. Every part of his body felt a struggle so cold Ned felt it was so good like he could take on everything as he could... Devour everything.

Ned's left hand felt a surge of strong energy, darkness kept swelling around his wrists and his fingers. Then dark chains slithered off his palm that came under his wrists.

"No..." Ned muttered. But the dark chain coiled around Minron's wrist and the beast felt a sudden surge of terror which was evident in his eyes as they formed the biggest gawk Ned had seen so far.

"N-no..." Ned said that barely came out as a whisper.

"N—"

Ned's thoughts were postponed after a white light burst right under his wrists. Slowly, the white light crept through the dark chains as though eating it with its invisible mouth.

During this climactic event of Ned's life, a pair of crystal towers was conjured on either Minron's side. Suddenly, these crystal towers squeezed Minron.

It was too late for him to realize what had happened to him as his eyes as big as Ned's fist burst out of its eye sockets and was followed by white matters which Ned assumed to be his brains or the remainder of his brains.

Slowly, the crystal tower devoured Minron leaving his pair of torn hands grasping Ned.

Ned fell first on both his knees. Silence was left suspended in the air as the Kruka-toas were too dumbfounded to process what had just happened to them, to Minron, and Tiathe.

Tiathe walked down the elevated pavement with mud conjured as her steps as she kept on moving lower down to Ned.

Once she was with Ned, she squatted and held Ned's left hand and lifted it while scrutinizing it.

"H-human," she said, voice stuttering, "you have the Mark of the Knight."H