Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

With a loud roar, the giant bear, sensing the threat, emerged from its comfortable den.

Lyle, along with Grape and Medusa, made a swift retreat, while the three Death Hunters gripped their bows tightly.

The giant bear looked at the three figures that seemed as if they could be blown away by the wind.

Their soul flames shone a little brighter.

The leader's skeleton was already enveloped in spreading orbs of talent, like a layer of jelly. Raising its skull, a chilling whisper froze the surrounding air.

"Twenty years have passed, and the second hunt has finally begun. Come, prey."

Chapter Eighty-Six: The Flower of Revenge

In response, the giant bear roared angrily.

The skeleton hunter began to run, in the opposite direction from the giant bear.

Archers, they can't fight in close combat, so of course they have to use guerrilla tactics.

Compared to the rangers' retreat, the bear's charge was like an oncoming train. The distance between them was gradually closing, and just as their fragile bones were about to meet the bear's paws, the hunters took flight.

This is the first impression that comes to mind. When you see those rangers grabbing vines, leaving the ground, and then swinging through the bushes with the momentum of their dash, their swift figures and casual postures are best described as low-flying.

The counterattack has begun.

The giant bear tore apart the obstructive plants in its path, and sharp arrows, like venomous snakes, launched their attack from hidden corners, aiming at the bear's torn flesh and its one-eyed eye.

Lyle settled himself in and then connected with one of the hunters via telepathy.

He leaped through the vines, and with each leap, he would shoot an arrow from his quiver—a fluid and graceful act that, in Lyle's eyes, was a very elegant acrobatic performance. He was so captivated by the art of archery that he joined the hunt.

Although the decaying arrows did not hurt when they pierced the flesh, the black venom on their sharp points gnawed at the giant bear's skin like maggots clinging to its bones.

The giant beast had clearly tasted poison before, and this time the taste was even worse than expected. It roared in panic and turned to run away.

With a straight-line sprint speed that would drive humans to despair, the hunters began their pursuit. They emerged from the dense shadows of the trees, swinging on vines, and futilely shot arrows at the back of the behemoth.

Just as the hunter was about to give up the chase, the behemoth roared. Have you ever seen a monster nearly ten meters tall turn around in zero time? Have you ever seen a monster nearly thirty meters long charge forward without any start?

The monster, in the instant the hunters' bodies were still hovering in the air, turned back and launched a surprise attack. Because of the giant bear's earlier charge, much of the vegetation and vines in this area had been destroyed, and for a moment the hunters lost their ability to move long distances and could only try their best to dodge the incoming attacks.

Lyle, through the hunter's perspective, saw the bear paw slam a hunter into a tree, smashing the bark and wood together into powder.

Like an earthquake, the remaining two hunters watched as splinters of wood rained down on their heads. The giant bear stood upright, its towering figure staring directly at the two ants, and its massive mouth revealed a strange, almost human-like smile.

This behemoth possesses intelligence—the intelligence of hunting.

Watching the figure constantly shattering the vines as it pounced, the bear knew the Lewesser's advantage; he was creating a battlefield that favored him. Lyle was gripped by fear. Did human intelligence truly hold the upper hand?

The hunters had no idea what Lyle was thinking. They didn't care about the previous casualties and resolutely launched a counterattack. The dance in the trees continued. Although the stage had been destroyed and one of the main performers had been knocked down, the remaining dancers still gave it their all.

However, with one point of attack lost and firepower weakened, the behemoth could easily absorb attacks. As long as its single eye was protected, the arrows would still be effective, but with minimal results. Lyle knew that the behemoth had been infected by the plague on the arrows, but different sizes of creatures had different tolerance levels. Its enormous body was enough to weaken all poisons; the plague would take time to manifest, but time was precisely what was most scarce.

The Jelly Hunter, imbued with the Talent Orb, stood atop a tree, the last arrow from his quiver nocked on his bow. He glanced at his kind hidden on the other side and made a gesture.

The giant bear stopped its attack. It saw that the rat it only needed to crush a second time was covered in a saliva-like liquid, disgusting to look at, but very effective. That liquid had previously extended tentacles to help the dead rat grab onto the vines, a place to be careful of. The giant bear crouched down, on all fours, its eyes gleaming with intelligence.

It launched an attack towards another area.

After the previous destruction, it only had two areas in front of it. One was the unobstructed area where the Jelly Hunter was located, where the plants had been completely destroyed. The other was the still intact jungle. It remembered that there were three dead rats in total. One had been killed, one was standing in the open, and the bedbug standing in the open posed no threat. So, the remaining one was the real attacker.

The giant bear's massive paw shattered the last remaining dense vines, and as the skeleton was smashed, bone fragments flew from its palm. It roared, a roar of victory.

Only one dead rat remained, with nowhere to hide, and nowhere to escape.

With its mouth wide open in a wide smile, the giant beast slowly and proudly turned around, ready to watch its prey struggle.

But its hunter vanished, in an unshielded place, in the empty light.

Overwhelmed by immense fear, the behemoth finally recalled its instinct for danger, staring at a spot less than a meter in front of it.

There was only pure air there, but the figure gradually took shape, as if it had been outlined and colored by a paintbrush. The Jelly Hunter shot an arrow into the beast's only eye.

Roar! ! ! !

The blind bear struggled, its massive paws pounding mindlessly into the air.

The Jelly Hunter tossed aside his bow and took a curved knife from his belt. The ancient yellow blade had withstood the test of time, yet its edge remained as sharp as new.

"A beast is still a beast."

The tentacles of the Talent Ball shot out, and the hunter climbed onto the prey's body, like a lion biting its prey's throat.

Fifty meters away, two figures in leather armor stood side by side.

“That’s natural camouflage, isn’t it, Grandpa?”

“Yes, the natural camouflage skill, a symbol of elite rangers, ha, less than half of the five thousand royal elites know it, and there’s one here. I really have a good son,” Echer tossed the dagger, his eyes and the gleaming cold light merging together. “The true guardian of Lewesser died in the mouth of a beast. How ironic.”

"Kayla, Lyle's trial is over. Go and take him to collect his reward. I have some things to do."

"Okay, Grandpa."

……

Lyle followed behind Kayla, who did not blame him for desecrating the remains of her people, but instead led him to receive the reward.

“Livether has its own funeral culture. We begin with nature and will return to nature. We are accustomed to burying our deceased relatives under the earth.”

"But there are exceptions. Some people who are about to leave this world choose to be buried naturally. They let their relatives leave their bodies deep in the forest to feed the animals and become fertilizer. They grow by drawing nourishment from nature, return to their roots, and are fed by crows. It may seem absurd to you, but this is what Livermore does. We firmly believe that nature is not our enemy, but our mother."

"Of course, this new custom was difficult to implement in Lewes at first."

"Until one of our kings chose a natural burial, which became our example."

"Livether, we are not afraid of novelty, as long as it works, we will accept it, we are not afraid of hardship, and we will stop at nothing."

“It’s not wrong for those hunters to choose to bury themselves in the wilderness and become Lyle’s tools; you are also part of nature.”

The two arrived at the very first beast's den, which resembled a giant maw that swallowed the light.

"The reason why you need a hunting ritual to obtain the Sword Dance Mandala is because you can only get it by hunting it."

Lyle saw a strange sight in the filthy, smelly den.

It was a sea of ​​flowers, bathed in the sole sunlight.

What lies outside is merely a drop in the ocean.

Thousands of white datura flowers swayed gracefully, beneath them lay dark soil, human skeletons, and decaying animal flesh, creating this sea of ​​flowers.

Amidst the pure white, that one exceptionally beautiful flower stands out from the crowd.

With larger petals and slender stamens like unsheathed swords, it is twice the size of a regular datura and exudes a unique fragrance.

It is black.

It was attracting Lyle.

On impulse, Lyle reached out and touched the flower.

A thousand phantom hands overlapped on Lyle's hands.

Lyle stared blankly at the suddenly appearing shadows.

"Hunter, you have avenged us. Please take this flower, which we have nourished with all our might. May our gift bring you joy."

Those terrifying faces gradually faded away.

The sword dance mandala automatically detached and fell into Lyle's palm.

"Unpredictable death and love, the blessings of the dead, Lyle, this is the flower nourished by revenge."

Chapter 87 One Lock, the Plague Messenger

The giant beast collapsed with a mournful howl.

"I'm very sorry, my power is limited, and I cannot give you a quick death." The Jelly Hunter stood beside the collapsed behemoth, looking at his former enemy in deep thought.

“Greel, right?” Echel came up behind the Jelly Hunter, still tossing and catching knives in her hand, without stopping for a long time. “A wonderful hunt.”

"How did Your Majesty recognize me? I am completely unrecognizable now."

"The wrist flick you made when you took the bow and arrow was a fancy and useless move that Kailand had forbidden. Few Leweather Rangers, except for the fancy arrow Greer, dared to openly disobey it. But I never expected that you would take it to your grave."

Jelly Hunter's jaw bobbed up and down a few times, as if simulating a smile, and his cold voice trembled.

“Yes, and he even went to his grave because of that idiotic action. Teacher Kailand is always right, but his correctness is really annoying,” Greer’s soul flame looked at Echel. “His Majesty’s eyes are still as sharp as a hawk’s, even if… they have become like this now.”

"So how did you recognize me? My voice must be different from before." Echel leaned against the giant tree beside her, as if chatting casually.

"The overseer, the guardian of the hunting ritual, would surely not stand idly by if that necromancer were in grave danger. Such protections did not exist when I died, and I do not believe your son will reinstate them."

"The eyes of a hawk, the heart of the sky. My lord, His Majesty Echer Lewesser."

"The current queen of Lewes is Keira, my granddaughter. You can go to her for the allegiance ceremony. I'm just a retired old man."

Greer's kneeling continued. "Then I am nothing but a remnant abandoned by time. In my time, there is only the radiance of the King's guidance and the darkness after the King's departure."

Echer stopped fiddling with the throwing knife in her hand. The blade was made of a dark green, hard metal that gleamed faintly in the light, and at the end of the hilt was a circular bird emblem.

Do you know what this is?

Greer withdrew his gaze, staring at the ground with his head bowed.

"The Leaf Shadow Blade, the weapon of the Night Owl Squad, the shadow of Lewes, an assassin serving the king."

Echel stood before Greer, who was kneeling on one knee. "The outstanding participant in the hunting ceremony will receive royal rewards, and in addition, he will have the opportunity to serve the king."

"The Night Owl Squad cannot show their true faces. They are a group of people who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, just like Lieutenant General Lewes. Even you, as an undead, will have a place among them."

"You only have one chance, seize it."

Echer tossed the leaf shadow into the air, the sharp blade spinning in the air.

The two stared at each other as Ye Ying's blade finally pierced the earth.

Echer was not surprised by the result.

"You refused."