Chapter 9
C9 Sharp
Master Frederick walked at the front, and Shire made way for him.
“Are you alright?” He glanced at Shire. His black clothes were not stained with blood, and he looked as straight as when he left. The sky was dark and gloomy. Frederick’s expression was also very serious, making it difficult for Shire to relax.
Shire nodded. He saw Waren dragging the corpse of the devil behind him, and Geffany was walking beside him. Everyone had returned safely, and only Etienne was missing.
“Where’s my master?” Shire asked.
“I don’t know.” A trace of gloominess flashed across Frederick’s eyes, “What did he say to you?”
“Nothing.” Shire felt a strong uneasiness in his heart. “Where will Mr. Etienne go?”
“I don’t care about that old man.” Frederick looked disgusted. “Your master has been famous for a long time and has unparalleled abilities. Who can control him? He can go wherever he wants. He joined this mission to give me face. How would I know where he will go?”
His tone was filled with anger. Shire didn’t know that there was such a deep grudge between Master Frederick and Etienne.
“My dear, there is no need to scare him.” Geffany comforted him.
“Your master has not participated in the battle.” Waren revealed a disdainful smile, “You can’t blame anyone. Either he ran away, or he was killed on the way here. Asking him not to come with us, he deserves it. ”
Shire’s heart was burning with anger when he heard this. He clenched his fists tightly. He couldn’t tolerate anyone slandering Etienne like this. The old hunter had never been stingy with his concern for Shire. However, Waren did not have any intention of restraining himself. The expression on his face became more and more contemptuous. He kept provoking Shire, as if he wanted to anger Shire.
“Master Etienne has traveled all over Luoman,” Geffany gave Shire an encouraging look. “He has seen countless storms in his life. Even if he did not meet up with us because of some reason, he could still leave the forest safely.”
“Don’t worry.” Waren added, “Etienne is dead. Let me be your master, little Shire.”
“After completing this mission, I will be an official hunter.” Shire stared at Waren. “I don’t need you.”
“Reject me? Then don’t be a hunter with your brain. Hurry up and go back to your countryside to farm.” Waren mocked.
Shire heard it and felt uncomfortable. He wanted to be an excellent hunter. He looked past Waren and saw the devil’s body.
It was a terrifying Devil God who looked like a human. However, his body was charred black, as if there was a ball of flame burning inside. His outer shell was rough. His carapace, which looked like scales, like insects, and also like armor, had a long tail. At the end of the tail, there were black and red sharp blades. The most terrifying thing was that its head was shaped like a goat. It was roughly triangular, and its face was hazy. Its eyes should have only had two hollow indentations, making people not dare to look directly at it. A few irregular horns extended from its head. They were sharp and ferocious.
The thing that left the deepest impression on Shire was the chest of the devil. There was an especially huge wound there. It was as if a sharp object had pierced through its outer shell, exposing the twisted flesh and blood structure inside. It was like a rotten black cotton, damp and sticky.
Shire heard that the outer shell of the devil was made of Devil Substance, and the Devil Substance was a solidified soul. The devil fed on souls, used souls as shells, and used souls as fuel. They craved to kill all living beings and extract their souls.
… “This is the demon?” Shire stared at the shell. It was extremely stiff. The hunters had already banished the evil soul that controlled it.
“Yes.” Frederick nodded with satisfaction. “Blade Devil, a high grade Devil God from hell. It is very strong, but we are stronger.”
“Drag it to the camp. I’m exhausted.” Waren forcefully stuffed the rope into Shire’s hands and pushed him hard. Waren’s hands were ice and hard, like a rock.
Shire hated it and was angry. But there was nothing he could do. Since Etienne was not here, as a new hunter, he had no status to speak of. Therefore, he had to grab the rope tightly. Dragging the corpse of the devil was lighter than he had imagined. The blade devil was much lighter than a human of the same size. Shire felt like he was pulling the corpse of a goat.
He dragged the devil’s body to the side of Dew Camp Stone and put down the rope in his hand.
“It’s so cold. Quickly go and start a fire. Don’t dawdle.” Waren continued to order Shire.
Frederick shook his head when he saw Shire’s troubled expression.
“If you don’t have the character to work hard, how can you become a qualified hunter? I think you are just like your master, obsessed with enjoyment all day long. ” Frederick scolded.
There was only one standard for a hunter. It was strong willpower. Shire remembered Etienne’s teachings. He silently endured everything and walked around the forest. He gathered enough tree branches and piled them in the open space in front of Dew Camp Stone. He lit a fire and a bonfire lit up in the afterglow of the setting sun.
In Twilight Forest, the setting sun was also faster than other places. Shire had not even seen the sunset when the surroundings had already turned dark. The dark forest seemed to be vast and boundless. If one were to walk in the forest at night, he was afraid that it wouldn’t be long before he would be driven crazy by the fear in his heart.
“How did the Blade Demon get defeated?” Shire stood beside the fire and watched Frederick heating a piece of dried meat on the fire.
“For experienced hunters,” Frederick said proudly. “No matter how strong a devil is, it can still be defeated. Their shells were made of Devil Substance, and the Devil Substance was the manifestation of a fallen soul. It is tougher and more flexible than any metal. Ordinary weapons are hard to destroy. This would make ordinary people shrink back. But the hunters had a way, Shire. The hunters challenged any form or strength of devils. The answer is the Piercing Spell. I used the Piercing Spell to pierce through the devil’s body. ”
Shire couldn’t help but look at the huge wound on the devil’s chest. He could easily imagine the power of the spell.
“It’s really powerful…” Shire murmured.
“Do you want to learn it?” Frederick looked at Shire.
“Yes! Of course I do!” Shire was very happy.
“I am a master of the Holy Church. I have the responsibility of educating the younger generation.” Frederick took a bite of the jerky. His eyes paused on the flame for a while, as if he was thinking of something. Then he looked up and said, “But at the same time, there is a price.”
“What do I want to do?” Shire asked.
“Tell me the charm of the Yafen Flame.” Frederick’s tone was firm.
Shire’s heart shook.
“You don’t want to?” Frederick saw Shire’s expression and was disappointed. “Listen, I will use the most powerful piercing spell to exchange for it. This is absolutely worth it.”
If this was an equal exchange, why didn’t he exchange it with Master Etienne?
“No… Forget it.” Shire said, not daring to look at Master Frederick’s angry eyes.
“Are you serious?” Frederick said with a threatening tone.
“Frederick.” Geffany’s voice trembled, “What are you doing?”
“Oh, you are starting to doubt me now?” Frederick became more and more irritable, “I just killed the Blade Devil. Everyone will sing about this day and my results. Soon, I will be Pan Luo Man’s most famous Devil Hunter.”
“Shire.” Geffany got up and said, “I will go outside to look for your master.”
“Geffany?” Frederick was a little speechless. “You…”
“The forest is too dark. Even Master Etienne might be in danger. He hasn’t come back for so long. Maybe he has encountered something. I have to go and help him.” Geffany explained and then hurried out. Shire knew that she did not like to get involved in conflicts, especially between hunters.
Frederick’s expression was uncertain.
“If she gets attacked, it will be terrible. There are many traps in the forest.” Waren looked at Geffany’s back as she disappeared into the forest.
“Calm down.” Frederick pressed his forehead in disappointment.
Shire did not speak. He hated himself for not having the right to speak.
“You should learn from me.” Waren sat cross-legged with his hands supporting his chin. He stared straight at Shire. “You are still young and can be molded. Although your brain hasn’t come to a conclusion yet, you might not be able to do so in the future.”
“I can manage my own matters.” Shire stubbornly walked to the side and sat down. He took out something from his backpack to eat.
Would Master Etienne really be in danger in the forest? Shire could not help thinking. Yes, there was everything in the forest. It was even more dangerous at night. There were Giant Demons, night Owl, fey, and Dragons. But Shire knew. Master Etienne was experienced in killing Demon Hunters. He was just an ordinary person. He did not believe that Etienne could not defeat the ghosts in the forest. However, there was one thing that troubled Shire. Although Etienne’s abilities were outstanding, he had always refused to take control of the silver key to the Holy Church, and refused to become the leader of the hunters.
“Shire.” Frederick called out to him.
“Master Frederick.” Shire stood up.
“Just sit.” Frederick sighed. “Look, I lost my composure just now.”
Shire looked at the Hunter Master with mixed feelings. “Master Etienne never thought of becoming the master of the Holy Church. What conflict do you have with him?”
“Never thought about it?” Frederick frowned. “That’s because you don’t understand him. Before his Soul Disease worsened, he had been thinking about the silver key. At that time, he was thirty years old. I was 15 years old, and he traveled all over the country. Ronghua’s reputation was innumerable, and he was a shadow that I couldn’t catch up to. The most unfortunate thing in my life is to meet someone that I can never reach in my entire life. It makes me doubt myself all the time. But he misused the incantation, His soul was damaged, so the silver key was given to me.”
” I heard you completed a lot of successful hunts ”
“Every hunt before was the same as this one, he participated” Frederick sounded a little irritated. “You saw it! Etienne didn’t participate in the specific battle to kill the Blade Devil. It was me who used the piercing spell to destroy the devil. But when we return… People would still talk behind their backs, ha! Etienne has defeated another devil!”
… “” Shire sighed.
“Alright, Shire. Regardless of whether we found your master or not, we will return to the Holy Church tomorrow. Our willpower is enough to resist the panic brought by its appearance, but those mortals are still easily frightened. So the corpse of the devil must be brought back safely, keep it safe with the mask and chains. Hopefully, no one will disturb us on the way. ” Frederick muttered.
In order to keep watch, they took turns watching the fire.
Shire was in charge of the first few hours. He noticed that Waren did not have any intention of sleeping. He sat by the side, opening and closing his mouth, but did not make any sound. Frederick laid on a fur roll, brewing sleepiness.
Without Master Etienne around, Shire was not used to it. Should we leave Master Etienne and continue on our journey? He stared intently at the flame, imagining his future life of walking alone. At the same time, he hoped that Geffany would meet up with Etienne as soon as possible, and the two of them would return to the camp.
Without Etienne’s guidance, Shire felt that there was no direction ahead of him. At the same time, he was worried that he would be too dependent on the guidance of the old hunter and would not be able to decide his future life on his own.
He looked at the flame and his eyes became more and more tired. He turned his head and saw the magic potion in his luggage. It was from the dead Denver. Denver once boasted that it was a magic potion that allowed people to see through women’s clothes. He would drink it when he saw a beautiful girl.
Shire did not have the mood to let his imagination run wild. He simply opened the potion and took a sip. He hoped that his eyes were clear and that he would be able to watch the night. Once the liquid entered his throat, he tasted the taste of aphrodisiac and daffodil soaking water, causing his mouth to heat up.
The witch’s potion is really magical. Shire sighed. Not long after, he felt that his eyes became more sensitive, and the night became clear and bright.
He looked around curiously and turned his head to see the corpse of the devil beside the fire turning into Dalton’s corpse. All his internal organs had been hollowed out. There was a black and red Fallen Blade stuck in his spine. Frederick was sleepy. Through his outer clothes, he could vaguely see a chainmail. There was a demon with a long black scale tail sitting where Waren was supposed to be sitting. He noticed Shire’s gaze. He turned around and smiled at Shire. His mouth was full of blood. It had a pair of empty blind eyes and seven or eight irregular horns on its head. Those horns were very sharp, like blades.