Chapter 16 Vol.2

Chapter 35: Betrayal

"Yes I'm entering the Forest today Fubuki, I won't be able to contact you once I entered the Forest" [Edge]

"Okay, take care of yourself. Don't you really want to rethink this? Once I sent this to you, it'll take a month to reach. You can go back on this now." [Fubuki]

"It's fine, I'm okay with it. I am resolved to part with it. Okay, I got to go now, bye." [Edge]

"Sure, goodbye Edge. Stay safe!" [Fubuki]

I kept the communication tablet away and passed my package to Miko so that it could be sent to Fubuki. Outside the camp, I met Noel who seems to be wearing a different air around her.

"Long time no see Edge" [Noel]

"It's just been 2 days" [Edge]

We sat on the carriage to reach the front lines and from there we will enter from the West of the forest.

As we reached the front lines we heard a yell

"THE SCOUTS HAD RETURNED!! STAY ON GUARD" [Soldier 1]

From the thickets of the forest, a few shadowy silhouettes appeared to be walking out of the thickets.

Contrary to be welcoming them, the soldiers are ready to shoot at them as soon as they came into range.

The 3 scouts exited the forest, however, they are already dead, riddled by arrows on their back. They have been turned into undead by the Forest. Once they came in range of the guns the guards prepared themselves to fire on command

"FIRE!!!" [Commander]

*BANG BANG BANG*

The undead was riddled by a rain of bullets but they didn't flinch from pain. Instead, they started to yell and ran towards the army without fear. But slowly they lost their limbs and they began to crawl on the ground like an animal towards the first line of barracks. They managed to stop 1 of the undead but the other 2 successfully entered the barracks and attacks the soldiers in it. Screams of fear and death lingered in the air as the event unfold.

"Horrible isn't it? the forest is full of them. You sure you don't want to turn back now?" [Noel]

Without hesitation, I answered.

"No, I'm not giving up on this." [Edge]

We passed by the base to enter from the West side of the Forest. There is a cliff and directly beneath it is the forest. Noel looked down at the cliff and asks me a question

"So are we going in with a bang?" [Noel]

"NO! We would be using these." [Edge]

I pulled out an elytra from the box in the carriage to show her our means of getting in stealthy as she was suggesting that we jump down from the cliff.

"Wouldn't them get caught by the branches? " [Noel]

"We can detach from it and land on our feet from a lower height and make less noise." [Edge]

"Ah..., smart." [Noel]

After making our preparations we descend from the cliff and try to reach as deeper into the forest as possible. I was prepared for any arrows flying in our way but we flew smoothly and landed on the ground safely. It's good that we didn't face the might of their arrows but this might also mean we missed the mark and we aren't even close to the Elven kingdom.

"Edge?" [Noel]

I responded to her call but what came at me was a fist to my face.

I drew my sword and blocked it with all my might. The sword bent a little but it snapped back to its original position after a little shake.

"What's the meaning of this Noel." [Edge]

"It's as you could see, you were expecting this didn't you?" [Noel]

"Yesterday, I went to Shion's place and she too acted strangely. The contaminated mana became observable in her system just like yours now." [Edge]

"I was going to hit you unconscious and just yeet you out of the woods. Can you just allow me to do that...?" [Noel]

Noel seems to mutter her words in a pained state. I sensed her mana and see the contaminated mana is heading towards her head.

"Sorry, I can't do that, I made a promise." [Edge]

Noel's mouth drew into an arc

"Don't blame me for killing you then" [Noel]

With extreme bloodlust, Noel ran towards me with her mace. My sword had a better range compared to her mace therefore I swung at her tendons so that she would drop her weapon. When the sword reaches the base of her thumb I paused the swing and let it sink in an invisible force that surrounds her. Afterward, the sword cut into her thumb and disarmed her from holding her weapon.

*AHHHH*

"WAKE UP NOEL!! YOU BIG GAY BRUTE!!!" [Edge]

She looks more enraged now and lost her reason. I want to disable her from the ability she's under influenced by but I don't know how. If we fight any longer we might attract the attention of the undead or the elves. So I decided to disable her in the quickest way possible.

Noel is now rampaging and has her eyes on me, she might have lost her reason and cool-headedness in battle but she is still the absolute force of Candy Kingdom. To achieve an absolute win against her would require the element of surprise. I purposely cornered myself against her and when she rushed in I blended into the shadow from my back

"{Shadow walk}" [Edge]

I appeared from the shadow under her in succession. Using both hands I placed my hands at her heart. Noel looked at me and before she could react, both my hands had sunk into her ability making her vulnerable to all attacks.

{Ki arts: Lotus Palm} *Boom*

Using strengthening I impacted her heart at a close range, causing her to fly off into a distance. Noel wobbly stood back up after the impact but she fights with less vigor now after I caused her to have an irregular heartbeat. I continued the process 2 more times until Noel regained her consciousness somehow.

"Wasn't your arm still injured?" [Noel]

"People seems to have forgotten that Miko was once a miko before becoming the Demon Lord " [Edge]

"I see.., I'm sorry Edge..."[Noel]

Noel plops down onto the ground and stopped moving. Just when I thought the coast is clear I'm hearing the sounds of people approaching us. Out of a sudden, my hand was grabbed by an unknown entity from behind.

"Follow me" [-]

It was a green camouflaged entity that was already holding Noel over her shoulders. She seems to not mean harm so I figured I should follow her instead of being left to our own devices.

We ran for some distance and suddenly the entity conjured a door in front of us. I ran into it to find out that we're currently in a house and there's no sight of the lush green Forest from the windows.

"What the... is this Polka's ability?"[Edge]

"That's correct" [-]

The person that leads us in took off her green ghillie suit and reveal her silver ash-colored hair and a pair of lion's ears that was pierced.

"The name's Shishiro Botan, and you must be Edgelord." [Botan]

Edgelord eyes sparkle up as if he's seen his Idol.