"Haa… Haa… I really thought I would die!" Edward was on his knees, drenched in blood and desperately gasping for air.
Adam who was also in a state not much better than the blue-eyed young man, laughed out loud. "Hahaha, you won't die so easily, fatty. Would you believe me if I told you, you were the chosen one?"
"Chosen one, my ass!" Edward weakly laid down on the ground, surrounded by corpses of the orcs. He then glanced at Daneli who was sprawled out beside him and chuckled.
He lightly kicked the young elf and teased, "How long are you planning to act dead?"
"Shut up…" Daneli weakly replied, "I'm just taking a quick breather."
"Yeah right." Edward rolled his eyes.
Seeing them banter with one another, Adam smiled. He was happy that they were alive and kicking. He didn't regret his decision to ignore Gorgo and chose to help his friends instead.
He couldn't risk it.
Some things were always more important than others.
As for that skull that the lanky pig took away… Adam thought to himself. I'll leave that headache to future me.
With great difficulty, he got up to his feet and started to walk in the direction where he had battled Kurdan.
"Where are you going?" Edward asked in concern.
"I'm going to go bury him." Adam pointed at the large, red corpse in the distance.
Edward frowned. "You mean the orc?"
"Yeah…" Adam faintly smiled. "I think his name was Kurdan? He deserves a proper burial."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})With that said, he walked away, leaving Edward and Daneli to stare at his departing back silently.
…
Meanwhile, far away from this bloody battlefield, Gorgo who was on the run, suddenly halted in his footsteps and weakly fell to the ground, coughing out large mouthfuls of blood after suffering from the backlash yet again.
His appearance was deathly pale and his breathing was labored. He wiped the blood from his lips and muttered in great sorrow, "That was the fourth one…"
Gorgo turned around, his gaze seemingly crossing countless miles and landing on his teammates' corpses. "You guys…"
Tears streamed down his face as he softly muttered, "Leader…"
He cried his heart out for a long time. He cried until his voice went hoarse and he could no longer shed any tears. He thought back to the times he spent with his teammates. He thought of the quarrels he had with Kurdan.
It only seemed like it was yesterday.
And now, they were all dead. They sacrificed themselves so that he could make it out alive. This weighed heavily on the young orc.
Slowly, Grogo's sorrowful expression transformed into a wrathful one. Tears of blood streamed down his face, making him appear extremely sinister.
Leave now, my friend.
Kurdan's last words rang in his mind over and over again. And then, the image of a scar-faced human replaced everything else.
"I will kill you even if it's the last thing I do!" He spat through gritted teeth, animosity slowly consuming him. "Leader, everyone, I will avenge you. I swear it!"
Gorgo got back to his feet and deeply looked in the direction of the battlefield one last time. His eyes flashed with immense anger and hatred.
"Human, for all the suffering you've caused me, I will return it to you tenfold!"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})He then back turned around and resolutely walked away. Although his back appeared lonely and desolate, his strides were filled with determination and purpose.
…
Glassford City.
A day later, the large portal at the center of the city rumbled, indicating the imminent arrival of all the Magi that had entered the secret plane a year and a half ago.
"Look, the portal's reacting!"
"It's finally opening!"
"Haha, how long has it been?"
"It's already crossed the 1.5-year mark!"
At once, the city of Glassford was abuzz with clamor. Since the portal had now reacted, it meant that it wouldn't be long before the Magi would be teleported out.
A large number of Magi from all over the Southern Federation had gathered in the city, awaiting the arrival of their people who had gone inside the Soaring River Secret Plane.
Surprisingly enough, the Rank 3 Magi had also gathered here!
The King of Nightingale Kingdom, Arnold Nightingale, and the Headmistress of the Clover Academy, Helene Godfrey, were standing together at a hidden spot, patiently waiting for the Magi of the human race to step out.
Arnold glanced at the old headmistress and respectfully asked, "What do you think, Professor? How many kids will come out this time?"
Professor Godfrey remained silent for a moment before answering, "I believe it will be about a quarter."
"Hmm." Arnold stroked his beard, nodding in agreement. "I am of the same mind."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})At another inconspicuous location near the city square, the representative of the elf, Celador, was having a conversation with Elrod.
"Lord Elrod, will you be going back to the Baja High Forest after this?"
Elrod shook his head and spoke with a faint smile, "No, I'm going to take the kids to the Acadian Empire, meet a few friends there, and then go back home."
Suddenly, he looked at the genius elf beside him and proposed, "You should come along with me. There's only so much you can do in the Southern Federation."
"I have been meaning to ask you this!" Celador couldn't contain the excitement in his eyes. "My Lord, will it be possible for you to—"
Suddenly, the portal at the center of the city square produced a loud, booming sound. Following that, it glowed with a resplendent blue light.
"Ah, never mind, looks like it's time," Celador stated flatly.
"Haha, don't worry." Elrod patted his shoulder and spoke amicably, "We'll talk more about this later."
"Yes, my lord." Celador nodded. The pair then made their way to the portal.
…
One by one, the Magi were teleported out of the portal and landed in the center of the square. The people who were already waiting outside the portal eagerly searched for their friends and family.
Some found them. Some didn't.
Two hundred Magi had entered the secret plane, but only less than fifty had returned.
Adam, along with Edward and Daneli together stepped out of the portal. After a moment of dizziness, they were overwhelmed by the crowded square where all sorts of emotions ran rampant.
Some were happy and excited to meet their loved ones. Others grieved at the loss of their people. While even more were in denial after not being able to find the ones they were looking for.
"Let's search for Lisa and Atiel," Edward spoke up. The other two nodded and started looking for the girls.
As they stepped away from the portal and made their way through the crowd, Adam's gaze suddenly fell on someone, causing him to be filled with disbelief.
Kevin Gracie!
