Chapter 227: And I Decided to Flee

I dismissed my staff, letting it fade from my hand, and looked around at the devastation. The ground was cracked and blackened, trees uprooted or flattened, a haze of smoke still drifting across the ruined forest. That final explosion had changed the landscape.

Then a soft chime echoed in my head—a notification.

I didn’t bother checking it. My vision swam slightly, and I realised that last blast had done more damage to me than his saber ever could. Essence backlash. Internal trauma. Maybe even organ rupture. Didn’t matter. I couldn’t stop now.

I turned, locked onto Silver’s direction, and started jogging toward him.

Each step was a punishment. Blood dripped from my wounds, trailing behind me in red splashes on the dirt. I clicked my tongue, irritated, and bit down a growl. This was slowing me down.

I raised a hand and summoned fire once more. Small, controlled flames—just hot enough. I pressed them to each open wound, one after another, cauterising them with quick, searing bursts of pain. I didn’t scream. I couldn’t afford to.

When it was done, I doused myself in a quick wave of water, washing away the blood and smoke. Steam hissed off my skin, rising from the still-glowing burns. My clothes were torn, my body was battered, but I kept going—step after step, toward Silver.

I dashed through the forest, my steps light but swift. Each stride pressed against the ground like a spring, my wounded body still aching, but not enough to slow me down.

The branches whipped past me, the wind biting at the dried blood across my skin, and every heartbeat pounded like a war drum in my chest.

The deeper I went, the quieter the world became, until it was just my breath and the soft rustle of disturbed leaves.

Then I felt them.

A flicker on the edge of my perception, three separate presences, sharp and heavy.

My Psynapse locked onto their Essence trails before I even saw them. They weren’t ordinary scouts.

I came to a stop and leapt, landing silently on a thick tree branch. My eyes narrowed as I crouched, hiding within the dense curtain of leaves. I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe too loud. Then I whispered.

“[Absolute].”

“Silent.”

The world muted itself around me. The leaves no longer rustled. My breathing vanished from the air. Even the faint pulse of my Essence stilled.

Below me, three figures stepped into view.

They wore standard military uniforms marked with the Holt family insignia, and each of them radiated so much power that the tree bark beneath my hand crackled from the pressure.

I scanned them.

[Livia Holt – Level 175]

[Drew Holt – Level 170]

[Akainu Holt – Level 190]

“The signal came from this area,” said Drew, a short man with sharp features and a clipped tone.

“If he really fought Abe and survived, we should assume he’s dangerous,” Akainu said, towering over the others, his presence alone making the air feel heavier.

Livia knelt, pressing her palm to the ground. “Faint Essence traces. He was here. But not recently. The trail’s already thinning.”

“Split up,” Akainu ordered. “Fan out. Lock down the area.”

They headed forward, scanning the forest like bloodhounds. One of them passed directly under the branch I perched on, but my concealment held. My Essence didn’t move. My breathing didn’t ripple the air. They didn’t see me. Couldn’t.

Only once they had completely stepped out of my massive perception range did I relax a little.

I remained still for another hour, letting my heart do its work. It wasn’t just an organ—it was the source of my power. The channels etched throughout my body absorbed energy from the atmosphere and funnelled it straight into my heart. From there, my heart refined that raw energy and produced pure Essence.

Even with wounds cauterised, my body still ached. But pain meant I was alive. That was enough.

As the hour ended, I opened my interface, drew a deep breath, and allocated 50 points to Constitution.

My body immediately responded. The pain dulled. Muscles tightened. My skin flushed slightly, blood vessels strengthening. I could feel my endurance deepen, like my body had anchored itself deeper into the world.

Strength didn’t come from victory alone, it came from preparation between each battle.

After making sure there was nothing in my perception range, I dropped down from the tree, landing lightly on the moss-covered ground. The forest felt even quieter now, but I knew it was an illusion. Danger hadn’t passed. It had simply moved ahead.

I took one last look in the direction the three Holt elites had gone, then turned toward where Silver’s signal pulsed gently in the distance in my head.

And I ran.

****

Soon, three familiar presences entered my perception range.

The moment my awareness brushed over them, Silver reacted—changing direction mid-flight and soaring straight toward me.

I smiled and waited for them to arrive.

Silver’s wings flapped with increasing speed, wind swirling as he landed in front of me with a smooth, controlled descent.

I scanned the group.

[Silversteel Hawk – Level 134]

[Anastasia Redscale – Level 97]

[Steve Harper – Level 72]

Not bad. All of them had made progress.

I nodded to myself, then leapt up and landed on Silver’s back without a word.

Steve eyed me and asked, “Did you get in a fight?”

I glanced down. My clothes were torn, streaked with dried blood, and partially burned. I looked like a mess.

Ana’s voice was more concerned. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “But we need to leave this place. Now.”

I gave Silver a silent command.

‘Head for the mountain range.’

The air trembled as wind gathered around us. With a heavy flap of his wings, Silver launched us skyward, cutting through the trees and shooting into the open sky. We were airborne in an instant, streaking toward the distant mountains.

I exhaled and sat down on Silver’s back, glancing at Steve.

“Hey,” I asked, “did Silver kill any Abominations?”

Steve shook his head. “No. He just… watched. Let us fight most of the time. Only stepped in when a strong one came for us.”

I raised an eyebrow. “So, no kills at all?”

He nodded. “None. Not that I saw.”

I understood then. His level had jumped, but it wasn’t from battle.

I recalled the description of my ability.

Soul Shackle: Anchors a corrupted Bonded Soul into the Null Heart, allowing control and shared evolution.

‘Shared evolution, huh…’

So that’s how it worked. Some of my experience and growth must’ve flowed to him through the bond. I didn’t mind. I was fighting enemies well above my level anyway—it made leveling up easier for me. Sharing the benefits with Silver was only natural.

And judging by his new level, he’d grown a lot.

I looked at Ana and asked, “Hey, Ana… would you like to hit level 100 before we make a move toward the ruins?”

She nodded quickly, eyes sharp with determination. No hesitation.

I chuckled under my breath, then sent a silent command to Silver.

‘Dive if you see any Abominations.’

Almost immediately, Silver tucked his wings and dropped. A gust of wind followed as we plummeted through the canopy. I extended my perception and soon locked onto the source.

Two Abominations. Massive.

[Thorn Rhino – Level 134]

[Thorn Rhino – Level 139]

They were locked in a brutal fight with each other, slamming their bodies together like walking tanks. Once, they might have been ordinary rhinos—but now their skin bristled with twisted thorn-like growths, their auras heavy with corruption. Their souls had long since rotted.

Silver let out a piercing screech. A single crimson beam shot from his mouth and slammed into one of the Rhinos, blasting it through a cluster of thick trees.

I pointed a finger at the same beast.

A thin beam of light flickered into existence—silent, fast, and deadly. It sliced clean through one of its legs. The creature collapsed with a howl, unable to stand or flee.

Silver beat his wings and dived again, this time targeting the second one.

Creation is hard, cheer me up!