As soon as the dark energy faded from the area, the creature that had been standing beside the old man vanished.
At that mont, anxiety swept through the old man’s heart, yet a deceptive sense of relief crept in as well, as he assud that Oliver had been crushed under the weight of that devastating blow.
But that reassurance lasted no more than a fraction of a second.
For the instant the last trace of dark energy disappeared, the ground shook and vines burst forth from beneath it with force, and Oliver erged from deep underground.
His body was covered in dust, his breathing rapid, yet his eyes were steady and sharp.
What had happened an instant before the mythical creature’s attack struck him was that he had unleashed the vines beneath himself,
digging a deep pit and hiding inside it, avoiding a strike that would have killed him instantly.
The old man’s eyes widened in terror when he saw him still alive, and this ti he thought of nothing but escape. He turned and ran, but his attempt was futile.
Oliver imdiately raised his hand, and the vines erupted from the ground once more, one of them wrapping tightly around the old man’s leg and pinning him in place with overwhelming force.
Oliver approached the old man while limping.
The mont he stood before him, the old man collapsed and fell to his knees on the ground.
"Please... please spare my life. I am ready to do anything. I will be your obedient servant, your slave if you wish, just do not kill ."
Oliver raised his hand, and the vines around them writhed.
Even though he did not have much energy left, and he had no intention of killing this man, despite knowing full well that the man had been ready to kill him without hesitation,
he stood there hesitating, staring at the trembling body before him, bound by dozens of vines, trying to understand the conflicting feelings stirring inside him.
"Do not worry, I have no intention of killing you. In fact, I have never even killed an insect in my life. But I have only one question for you."
The old man lifted his head toward Oliver, his eyes filled with fear, while his hand still gripped the staff tightly.
"Ask whatever you wish, I will answer you imdiately. I swear on my life."
"You are the one behind all the disasters that began to strike the village, are you not?"
The old man’s lips trembled.
"I had no choice. I was only carrying out the orders of the mythical creature. It returned and spoke to inside my head, ordered to kill you all, and promised in return to restore the village to its forr state. I... I... I am sorry. Please kill alone and do not harm the rest of the villagers. They were only following my orders."
Oliver remained silent for a mont, then loosened his grip, and the vines unraveled from around the old man.
"It seems you care deeply about the people of this village."
But the instant the restraints vanished, the old man raised his staff and, in a swift motion, released a surge of dark energy that struck Oliver directly in the chest.
Oliver was thrown violently to the ground, his body sliding helplessly across the dirt.
The old man did not wait to see the result of his action.
He turned and ran at full speed toward the forest until he disappeared completely among the trees, leaving Oliver lying on the ground behind him,
gasping for breath, his eyes staring up at the sky, while the vines around him slowly loosened and fell to the ground.
His vision began to blur severely as the vines around him started to rot at an alarming speed.
The world around Oliver grew more and more indistinct, and the dark energy that had struck him began to affect him more deeply with every passing second.
And when the last thread of light vanished from before Oliver’s eyes, with the final remnants of his consciousness fading, he sank into a profound darkness until a voice began to reach him.
The voice was very distant, resembling Eleanor’s voice, and with it her image appeared directly before him.
"Child, hold on."
His body trembled at the sound, and as sensation gradually returned, the scene before him began to take shape.
The masked man was standing directly over him, leaning slightly forward, his eyes fixed on him.
Without any hesitation, the masked man removed the bandages wrapped around his injured hand.
When it was revealed, the sight was worse than anything Oliver had ever seen in his life.
The flesh was torn, so of the bones clearly visible, the hand looking as though it had been both burned and rotted at the sa ti.
The masked man raised his hand in front of Oliver’s chest, and a very faint light emanated from it. The mont the light appeared, the dark energy spreading inside Oliver’s body began to shrink rapidly.
Oliver took an extrely deep breath, then opened his eyes wide. The image before him was not Eleanor, but the masked man and the fading light from his hand.
Once the masked man was certain that Oliver had regained consciousness, he took one of the green bottles from his bag, opened it quickly, supported Oliver’s head slightly, and made him drink a small dose from it.
This ti, Oliver did not feel the sa pain as before. Instead, a warm and powerful energy surged through his body, spreading through his limbs and chest.
He gasped deeply, then lifted his upper body, supporting himself on his elbows. He did not speak at first, only stared directly at the masked man’s exposed hand, then finally spoke.
"Is your hand alright?"
The masked man’s eyes narrowed as he tightly rewrapped the bandages around his hand.
"I am the one who should be asking you that question, child."
Oliver exhaled.
"You ask how I am when you are the reason this happened to ? You are truly strange, you know that?"
The masked man’s eye glowed purple.
"? Or were you reckless and foolish, and allowed that creature’s agent to escape?"
Oliver cleared his throat and looked away slightly.
"And how did you know? In any case, I was completely exhausted. I could not keep him restrained any longer. I had to make him think that I pitied him and that I was still at full strength."
The masked man did not comnt. He simply stood up and turned around.
There, at a short distance, Isaac was standing, holding Lemur in his arms, his expression a mix of anxiety and disbelief.
"Your village is safe now. That bastard will not dare return. He will flee to the farthest place he can reach. You can replant the crops, and the dark magical energy has vanished from this place."
Isaac opened his mouth, then closed it, and finally said, "Thank you..."
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