The Legendary Mage (Alavin)

Chapter 104

Trevas and his party were taken aback; even wounded like that, Alavin ran like a hare. "The prey that was within our grasp can't escape; chase him down!" Trevas shouted, urging his team to pursue at full speed.

Alavin kept his cool, deliberately choosing the most chaotic parts of the forest to escape through.

Once a safe distance was gained, Alavin paused briefly to invoke the Restoration Mantra, drawing upon the Restoration Aether that flowed through the land and sky. As the mystical energies suffused his body, they mended his wounds and replenished his vitality. At the slightest hint of pursuit, he would resume his flight.

This pattern of running and healing continued for nearly two hours. Despite spending the majority of the time in flight, his spirit and strength were slowly being restored.

Trevas and his companions were finally enraged. Pursuing a Stage V Alavin, especially one who was nearly at death's door, for two whole hours was a humiliating endeavor. The most vexing part was that Alavin always seemed to be just ahead of them, tantalizingly close before vanishing like a wisp of smoke, making it seem as if he was toying with them.

At high noon, Trevas barked orders, and the eight-person squad split into four groups, each moving separately but maintaining a safe distance to avoid any unforeseen calamities.

By now, Alavin had regained most of his strength, and the roles of the hunted and the hunter were about to reverse.

"Where has that damned cur run off to now?"

"Once we catch him, let's break his legs first!"

"It's like the more he runs, the more his vigor grows."

A man and woman climbed a low hill, cursing under their breath. They scanned the surroundings – Alavin had been right before them moments ago, but now he was nowhere to be seen.

"Keep after him. I want to see how long he can keep this up."

The man tugged at his collar and gritted his teeth as he started to run. As he was about to leap down from the hilltop, a figure suddenly soared into the air like a hawk taking flight. Two throwing knives whistled from his hands, aimed at both the man and the woman behind him.

"Alavin?" Their expressions shifted as they dodged back, but the throwing knives weren't on a straight path; they spun, slamming into their ribs with a thud, blood spraying as screams echoed through the caverns.

Alavin landed with a roll, surging up to appear before the man and delivering a crushing blow to his throat.

With a sickening crack, the force of thousands of pounds shattered the man's throat. A clear imprint of the fist protruded from the back of his neck. His scream was cut short, and his body lifted off the ground and tumbled down the hillside.

The kill was swift and decisive.

The man lay twitching in the brush at the foot of the hill, silenced forever in mere moments. Alavin's cold gaze then swept to the woman, his eyes brimming with lethal intent.

The woman shuddered, forgetting the searing pain in her rib, forgetting to scream or even resist as she stood transfixed atop the hill.

Alavin paused, then turned to leave.

The woman suddenly regained her senses and screamed, "Alavin is here! He's here..."

Suddenly, her chest burst open with a spray of blood. Struck by an immense force, she staggered back two steps, looking down in disbelief to see a gaping wound where her heart should be. She opened her mouth to speak, but blood was all that emerged. Her world spun as she collapsed to the ground.

Alavin walked away without looking back. Who was the prey, and who was the hunter now? Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Before long, Trevas and the others arrived at the scene, their faces turning grim at the sight of the two bodies on the hilltop. Was this Alavin's work?

A Stage VI mage and a Stage VII mage, were both dispatched without a sign of prolonged struggle, indicating they were taken down in just a few blows.

"You want to play games with me? Heh, we'll see it through to the end. Search for him," commanded Trevas, his face devoid of any smile.

On a distant hilltop, Alavin stood atop an ancient tree, gripping his throwing knives, his brow furrowed as he focused intently on Trevas' head.

But at that moment, a violent tremor rippled through the mountains. They all felt the ground and the mountains themselves shake, followed by a deep, booming sound that thundered and echoed for a long time. They all looked towards the distant commotion, where a thick plume of smoke rose high into the sky, churning tumultuously, on a scale grand enough to be a volcanic eruption, accompanied by fierce winds blasting in all directions.

Birds scattered from the area, their frantic cries filling the sky as they fled in all directions.

Alavin sheathed his knives, looking on in wonderment. This didn't seem like the aftermath of a battle. Had some accident occurred?