Nobilis of War novel Chapter 44

Darren ran desperately into the woods, trying to escape. He was not as strong as Dalton and his companions. They already reached higher stages in terms of martial arts skills. He was not confident about the odds of him winning if they ever had to fight. If he got caught, he was almost sure he would die.

He ran as fast as he could, trying to lose them. He intentionally chose a path that was not going to be easy for them to follow. Vines hung from every corner in between the gaps of the trees. They would surely be tangled up in them if they didn't take their time to be careful.

Darren could hear the sound of their heavy footsteps from several hundred meters behind him. He could even hear their shouts and threats.

'They run too fast. They will catch me, for sure. I need to find another way to escape, ' Darren thought, worried.

They were all more proficient in fighting than he was. It also wouldn't be a surprise if they were also faster. It wouldn't be long until they caught up to him. It was fortunate that they were in the woods. The giant trees made for good hiding places and distractions. It took Dalton time to find the right way, giving Darren time to escape.

"Hurry up. That bastard could not have gotten far. I will beat him up so badly when I catch him!" Dalton cursed.

Darren could hear that they were close.

Suddenly, he spotted a level four Pocket Beast right in front of him. That gave him an idea. Darren rushed towards it and gave it a big slap. Immediately, it passed out.

On its belly was a large pocket. Darren fixed the beast's position to make it look as if it were sleeping. Then, he gently slipped himself into its pocket and held his breath to conceal his presence as best as he could.

"Eh? Where did he go? Is he hiding somewhere?"

Dalton and his companions asked when they finally managed to break free of the vines. Darren seemed to have disappeared completely.

"Search the place!"

"I still cannot understand how that bastard became so strong. How did he manage to sneak up on Matt and kill him?"

"He also killed William the other day. So, if my calculations are correct, he must have already peaked the third stage of the Spirit Realm! We shouldn't have underestimated him. Then again, he was very badly injured after the fight that day. Also, according to rumors, he had internal forces of both blade and sword! This was probably why he hurt himself. An elder said that it was very unlikely for him to survive for long. It is truly a mystery why he managed to recover completely in just two days," one of Dalton's companions thought aloud.

"Cut the fucking crap. He will regret murdering Matt right in front of me. I will kill him!" Dalton exclaimed. He was so furious that he hit the giant tree beside him with his palm. Then the tree fell with a big thud.

"Oh, look! A Pocket Beast! Hold on, I want to catch one and keep it for fun," one disciple said happily when he saw the sleeping beast.

Darren was immediately alerted. 'Oh no. They will find me, won't they?' As he was trying to think of a new plan, he started culminating his blade and sword internal force, ready for a possible fight.

"What the fuck! Are you kidding me? You want to catch a Pocket Beast for fun right now? We're on an important mission. Are you stupid?" Dalton replied angrily as he slapped the disciple's face. "Everyone, focus! Look for Darren, you useless buffoons!" he exclaimed.

They then began to search.

Darren continued to hold his breath as he hid inside the beast's pocket trying to emit the least amount of sound possible.

Suddenly, something strange happened. A cold breath blew at his face. It smelled so unpleasant that it almost made him sick.

Then, a black claw covered with mucus entered the pocket where Darren was.

"Oh shit, what the hell is that?"

He jumped in surprise the moment it touched him. On a kneejerk reaction, he turned the Pocket Beast into pieces.

"Look, the bastard is over there!"

His sudden movement exposed him completely. On the bright side, the horrible claw was gone.

"Kill him!"

A disciple who was at the sixth stage of the Spirit Realm rushed towards Darren fiercely. The blade in his hand glistened as it released its power.

His force was so tremendous that Darren was not even sure if he would be able to block the attack.

"Awoooooooooo!"

Suddenly, a howl echoed. What appeared with it was a jet-black creature covered with dark scales all over its body. Nobody knew where it came from.

The creature had two scarlet eyes that gleamed coldly. It had two horns on its head and smelly mucus kept dripping from its mouth.

"Ahhhh! It's a fiend!" a guy across Darren yelled.

The disciple who initially rushed at Darren happened to be the one who ended up standing face-to-face with the fiend. Inevitably, his fierce blade attack immediately hit the creature.

"Clang!" the sound of metal on stone was heard clearly by all of them.