“…Master... Master, please, wake up…!” called out Jade Infused Blade. He had earlier exited Gerald’s body, and after sitting quietly beside the youth for a while, Jade Infused Blade decided to at least try to wake Gerald up. Watching as the heavily injured youth—whose body was now filled with scars—continued breathing shallowly, Jade Infused Blade could only sigh. With even Gerald’s barrier of essential qi now ruined, it was honestly a miracle that Gerald was still alive. Had it not been for the Herculean Primordial Spirit in his body, Gerald would’ve perished ages ago… At that moment, Jade Infused Blade’s ears twitched slightly. Following that, he quickly re-entered Gerald’s body. Someone was here! Seconds later, several tree branches began stretching out toward Gerald… Once he was all wrapped up, the branches gently dragged him into a tree hole… It was about a day later when Gerald’s eyes finally opened again… Upon attempting to get up, Gerald instantly began coughing rat
“Oh? Why is that?” asked Gerald rather curiously “Well, you see, Henrick hasn’t completed his training on the Five Blazing Dragons attack! He’s still one level short! With that in mind, the only reason you ended up getting this seriously hurt is because he’s already entered the Sage Realm! Though I can see that you’re already nearing the end of the Rune Realm, I don’t think I have to remind you that a Ninth-rank Chakra King and a Sage’s power is still vastly different!” explained the tree spirit. “…So… that attack wasn’t what hurt me? I only got all these injuries due to our strength difference?” asked Gerald rather quickly. “That’s right! If you need further proof, being hurt by a fully mastered Five Blazing Dragons attack would’ve definitely reduced you to nothing but dust! The fact that you’re still in one piece says a lot about that!” replied the tree spirit. “…I see. Still, you appear to know quite a bit about the attack and even Henrick… Who exactly are you, if you don’t
With Roman’s help, it only took half a day for Gerald’s injuries to be completely healed. Following that, not only did Roman begin imparting the Five Blazing Dragons skill into Gerald, but the tree spirit also taught Gerald many other martial arts that he had learned throughout his lifetime. With that in mind, it was obvious that Gerald had agreed with Roman’s terms. As for what the condition itself was, what Roman wanted was quite straightforward, and it was honestly something that Gerald had already been planning to do anyway. In short, Roman wanted Gerald to end Henrick’s life. Regardless, it wasn’t long before Gerald was able to completely master the Five Blazing Dragons attack. Since the knowledge was imparted into Gerald, Gerald didn’t even need to undergo any training to master the skill. What more, he could now use all the skills that Roman had previously learned! Now that he had imparted all his skills, Roman’s voice boomed one final time in the tree hole as he said, “
The way Nori had said it, it was almost as though she was afraid that Gerald would end up going back on his word. Sensing that, Gerald looked at her with determined eyes before saying, “Don’t worry, I always keep my word! After all, a person who lies is nothing but a coward!” Following that, Gerald alternated his gaze between his sister and Nori before adding, “Alright, there’s still something I need to settle. With that said, I’m going to have to need both of you to continue waiting for me here for a little while. Don’t worry, once I return, we’ll leave this place together! Also, remember not to go out all willy-nilly and if needed, you can contact me with the sound talisman. The second it’s activated I’ll rush back immediately!” “…What? You’re heading off again, Gerald? But where to?” asked Jessica in a worried tone. After all, to think that they had to part ways again so quickly after reuniting! “Don’t worry, sister! I’ll definitely make a safe return! Just know that there a
Despite seeing that Henrick was launching an attack at him, Gerald hardly even looked anxious. In response, he simply shouted, “Weakening Strike, the first move of Judge Swift Sword Technique!” The second his sentence ended, Jade Infused blade exited Gerald’s body before transforming into a sword! Upon unsheathing the blade from its scabbard, a blindingly white light then flashed, followed by loud ripping sounds that filled the air! Now feeling increasingly intimidated, Henrick quickly used his essential qi to block the attack! As an explosive sound followed, Henrick quickly realized that though he had managed to stop the main attack, the force of it alone still sent Henrick flying toward the ground! Upon collision, the Quartermain head instantly vomited a mouthful of blood… Coughing as he stared at Gerald in sheer disbelief, Henrick then yelled, “You…! How… How are you even able to perform the Judge Swift Sword Technique?!” As far as Henrick knew, there was only one person
After Gerald declared that, a furious roar could be heard as the youth summoned five fiery dragons, each shining in blindingly golden light! However, Gerald wasn’t done. Following that, all five dragons merged to form a blast of fire and light that then shot out toward Henrick! Unable to avoid the attack, Henrick was instantly turned to ashes the second the flames engulfed him! Though the rest of the Quartermains were instantly terror-stricken, they barely had any time to react as the attack began aiming for them as well! Soon enough, the entire manor was set ablaze, and all that remained of the Quartermains were their ashes… This was the true power of the finalized Five Blazing Dragons… Everything within thirty feet of it would simply crumble! Regardless, now that the Quartermains had been completely eliminated, Gerald began making his way out of Bario City. While he was glad to have helped Roman fulfill his dying wish, Gerald was well aware that news of the Quartermain’s
It was late that night—within a secret manor in Yanam—when Gerald and his family could be seen cheerfully eating while talking with each other. Even Yoel—whom Gerald’s mother was currently supporting—found himself smiling due to how joyous the reunion was. It truly had been ages since they had last gotten together like this… Even so, Gerald couldn’t seem to feel truly happy about all this. After all, in the end, poor Yoel still had his eyes gouged out and his tongue snipped! His parents no longer had functioning legs either, and as for his sister… He couldn’t even imagine all the suffering she had gone through while waiting for him… To Gerald, all this had only happened due to him not doing his best to keep his family protected. With that in mind, he blamed himself for all their suffering, and all that guilt prevented him from enjoying himself at the moment… If only he had made a few more precautions, Yoel would’ve surely been able to live both normally and happily like any reg
Though the silhouette was extremely quick, Gerald was still able to see it through the corner of his eye… Realizing that they weren’t alone, Gerald had a gut feeling that the person or thing dashing about was up to no good. Not wanting Jessica or his parents to know about the figure’s presence—and potentially get worried or scared—, Gerald then quickly said, “You know, it’s getting a bit late, wouldn’t you say? You should go ahead and get some rest first, sis!” “I guess… Don’t stay up for too much longer yourself, Gerald!” replied Jessica as she smiled warmly before returning into the manor. Once he was sure that she had entered, Gerald instantly leaped out of the manor and headed to the spot where he had last been able to sense the shadowy figure’s presence. Upon arriving at the spot, Gerald stopped in his tracts before activating his holy sense to scan the area… After standing there in silence for a while, Gerald eventually looked up at the trees surrounding him before shout