I am the Only Son of Nyx

Chapter 173: Getting Cheeky

Kai hit the ground hard, butt first, as a grunt of pain lodged in his throat.

He lifted his head, ready to complain, but the words died before they could take shape when he saw Bryan loomed over him—index finger pressed firmly against his own mouth. Clearly Bryan was telling him to shut up, but he didn’t know why.

Beside Bryan, Bree crouched and poked her head out of the edge of the boulder.

It seemed they were hiding from something.

Her gaze was fixed on something beyond the boulder that Kai couldn’t see.

But then, he heard it—voices.

Not the distant murmur of wind, the growls of Awakened Monsters, or the whispers that were played by his mind. It was the distinct, organized cadence of a group moving with purpose—bantering among one another.

Kai pulled himself up and peered over the boulder’s edge, curious.

Five students cut through the gloom of the Dead Range in tight formation; their mouths were loud with clipped banter—but their eyes were darting left and right sharply. Scanning every shadow and every crevice.

It was clear that they were used to the Dead Range.

And they were also not average students from the auras they were emanating.

Not as crushing as Barbara’s presence, but far beyond anything a normal freshman emits.

Most certainly group members of the Auric Cabal.

Seems like the loud crash from the black lance hitting its target had drawn them to investigate, which was a really bad thing for Kai and the others. All of them held their breaths, trying not to make any sound whatsoever.

Since the darkness of the Dead Range was thick, it might hide them and Barbara’s body.

If fortune favoured them, then the students would pass through without noticing Barbara.

Kai, in particular, was hoping that they wouldn’t notice her.

But that was only a fleeting hope.

One of the students pointed directly at the hollow where Barbara lay broken in her own pool of blood. He and the group were a good one hundred yards away, and yet he could see where Barbara was lying.

Clearly, he had night vision, the same as Kai.

Almost instantly, the group veered sharply and arrived at their leader’s body.

Even from the boulder, Kai could see their shock depicted clearly on their faces; the complete frozen stillness betrayed them—alongside the sharp intake of breath. Then, one of them went down on one knee beside Barbara to check on her.

He whispered something to the other students, and the rest immediately looked around.

Kai, Bree, and Bryan didn’t know what he said.

But from how the group reacted, they could assume that the student knew that Barbara wasn’t reduced to that state because of an Awakened Monster or a Star Beast. And since it could not be those two things, there could only be one more perpetrator.

Another student. Another Angel.

Kai exchanged a glance with Bree, then Bryan.

No words needed as they agreed that none of them were in the condition to fight.

Suddenly encountering the Star Beast like earlier had hollowed them out. Kai’s mana reserves were a dying ember. Bree and Bryan were still affected by the lingering corruption in their own systems, making them move sluggishly.

If the group found them, there would be no victory.

Only absolute defeat, especially since there are five enemies and three of them.

Bryan risked another peek after he waited for a few seconds, hoping to see that the group had moved on. Instead, he met the gaze of one of the students who were already looking his way; the eye contact lasted a fraction of a second before Bryan ducked back.

"Shit!" He whispered in a panic. "I made eye contact with one of them!"

"Sshh!" Bree shushed him. "Keep your voice down. It’s dark; he might not see you properly."

Just as she said that, their bodies froze when footsteps seeped into their ears.

And these footsteps were only getting closer.

Kai’s heart hammered against the ribs; the footsteps kept coming. Then he swallowed harshly at the sound of a sword sliding from its sheath, cutting through the air. He glanced at Bryan—and Bree and saw them freezing up.

Panic shot through his spine.

At this point, they were going to be caught.

Unnaturally, the gears inside his mind turned as an idea sparked.

Kai channeled his Primordial Locks, reaching out with what little mana he had left—and summoned Perion on the far side of the area. The massive shadow golem materialized in silence, and with a gesture, Perion lifted both hands and slammed them into the ground.

Crash—!

A thunderous crash reverberated across the Dead Range.

And almost instantly, the approaching student snapped to the side and frowned. He saw the shadow moving within the cloud of dust, and quickly spun on his heel, returning to his group as a feeling of unease crept over him.

He abandoned investigating the boulder and returned to his friends.

Knowing how critical things are, the group ran away without investigating Perion.

Since they suspected that whatever made that noise was the one who harmed Barbara, there’s no reason for them to believe they could take it on—when Barbara couldn’t. So, they carried their leader away and ran.

Kai slumped against the stone, chest heaving as he could finally breathe again.

It was really close, but they managed to avoid a dire situation.

"Being able to summon creatures is really convenient," Bryan also slumped down and inhaled deeply, filling his lungs that had been deprived of oxygen for the entirety of the tense situation earlier. "If only I had a more useful imprint."

"What’s your imprint?" Bree asked curiously. "I’ve never seen you using one."

"Just something that’ll make me charge faster and stronger. Nothing fancy."

"A Divine Beast’s Imprint is like that most of the time—since your physique is already strong. Find a way to make use of it, and you’ll be surprised how effective a simple imprint can be."

"That’s easier said than done, but hey, your words made me feel good about myself. Thanks."

"A little help here...?" Kai’s choked voice seeped into their ears.

Both of them turned and saw him sprawled on the ground with one arm raised, trying to reach them. Bree was surprised to see him like this—and quickly came to prop him up. "What’s wrong with you?"

"I used the last bit of my mana," Kai smiled sheepishly.

"Mana exhaustion..." Bree exhaled lightly—as she realized summoning Perion would already put a strain on his Divine Locks, especially after he fired the black lance earlier. "Let’s return to the academy. You’re no longer fit to do any hunting."

"Alright," Bryan nodded and turned away. "I’ll call Dorian back. Don’t wander too far away."

Once he sprinted away, Bree helped Kai sit with his back against the boulder.

She then proceeded to check whether Kai suffered more hidden wounds that he may not feel, which caused him to be this exhausted, but found nothing. It seemed he was really suffering from mana exhaustion.

Just then, she caught sight of him looking down.

"Are you worried that Barbara might still be saved?"

"Huh? Well, yes... I am concerned that the healer might somehow still be able to save her."

A Supernal’s vitality is far superior to that of any normal human. Vital wounds that would guarantee death for a human were survivable, or often recoverable, for them. Only crushing their Divine Locks, a clean decapitation, the heart, or the full draining of their bloodline would be able to kill them for good.

Earlier, through the darkness, Kai could see that Barbara’s body was still intact.

Half her chest was split from the shoulder, but she was still intact.

So, there’s a chance that she might be able to survive.

"But I’m not thinking about that..." He whispered lightly.

"Then what?" Bree tilted her head a little, intensely curious. "What are you thinking?"

"It’s nothing, really. I feel like it’s a shame that I can’t hunt tonight."

"Kai, there’s still tomorrow, the next day, and the day after. It’s not like you’re going to di—"

Before Bree could finish her sentence, she stopped herself.

But it was already too late.

"That’s the point, isn’t it?" Kai looked up at her and smiled sheepishly, and there was fatigue and melancholy behind his eyes. "Tomorrow might be a guarantee for you—or the others, but it’s not for a Lesser Angel.

"But it’s fine. I’ll take a good rest tonight and return tomorrow," He flicked his hand.

He was so close to amassing three thousand usable exp.

Missing tonight gnawed at him; it felt like leaving something valuable on the table. Especially since the main leader that governed this place was taken out. But forcing progress when he’s in this condition would be pushing his luck.

Not to mention, the day had gotten brutally taxing with the winged-boot training.

He needed to rest for the night and prepare for tomorrow.

"Why do you want to hunt, anyway? Is it related to your Patron God?"

"Something like that."

"Eugh... Alright," Bree rose to her feet—and rolled up her sleeves, confusing Kai completely. "How many Awakened Monsters do you need? Ten? Fifty? A hundred?"

"W-Wait, I wasn’t sulking or anything like that," Kai waved both hands—and shook his head. He wasn’t trying to make Bree go hunt for him; that wasn’t his plan at all. "You don’t need to hunt for me. I can hunt tomorrow."

"Just tell me how many do you need," Bree said sternly and shot him a glare—that made him melt into the stone.

"I-I’m not quite sure..." Kai smiled sheepishly—but quickly wracked his brain when the glare only worsened. And when he mentally counted in his mind to reach the three-thousand usable exp mark, he stuttered, afraid to tell the number. "Err... About five hundred?"

"Five hundred?!"

"You don’t need to hunt that many! Just a hundred is enough."

"You sneaky snake... If you want me to only hunt a hundred, then why start at five hundred?"

And frankly, she’s right.

Kai didn’t know why he said five hundred—when he was probably going to stretch gathering that many in a few days. He should’ve only said to Bree that he only needed a hundred, but now that she knew the real number, it’ll only make her hunt more.

Am I getting cheeky around her? That’s not good.

"Give me your weapon," Bree reached out her hand demandingly.

"Wait," Kai looked up at her. "Are you seriously going to hunt that many...?"

"Give me the damn weapon," Bree snatched the scimitar from Kai’s hand and turned around, preparing herself to leave. She looked over her shoulder, "I’m only doing this for you because you gave me flowers. And I like flowers."

Swoosh—!

"Huh... She’s really doing it."