Awakening

"Boommm!"

Third was lying on the ground, face down.

Draven held him down with the Morphos on his head.

But moments later, Draven also dropped to his knees.

He was exhausted, and his breathing was loud and heavy.

He had been fighting the entire night, starting with the Magma Jackals. And now against the unlimited Shadow Clones. 

Each shadow possessed the same strength as Second, who was enhanced three times in strength.

At the same time, the barrier gradually faded away until it disappeared completely.

Deka's nose was already bleeding, and exhaustion was also evident on his face.

"I'm at my limit," he muttered before collapsing.

Toby and Felix caught him just in time.

"Good job, Deka. You need to rest for now," Felix said.

"Thanks for defending us. Now, leave the rest to us," Toby added as all the men readied their weapons. 

Some drew their bows, preparing to defend against the few remaining Mad Clan members approaching.

Second looked at Third, who was lying on the ground.

Draven managed to defeat Third since he was the one who had landed the most critical hits.

"Tch! So weak. Why is everyone so weak?" Second shouted.

Draven coughed slightly as he kept looking at Second while speaking.

He noticed something different. It seems like his actions contradict what's inside of him. 

"Why don't you ask that to yourself?" Draven probed.

"Look who's talking. You can barely stand."

Draven checked himself. 

'He's right… So this is what it feels like to be close to reaching your limit?'

His arms and shoulders were trembling and numb. 

His legs and thighs ached from using speed too much. 

Even though he blinked rapidly to clear his vision, it remained slightly blurry.

His mind was slowing down, and his reactions were delayed.

These were the sensations Draven was experiencing now, and it was something he had never felt before.

'Oh, c'mon… Just one more enemy! Move!' he muttered to himself.

He gritted his teeth, still on one knee, struggling to catch his breath. 

His body felt like it was shutting down, but he had no choice.

Second's Shadow Clone was already rushing toward him.

Before he knew it…

"Whoosh!"

The clone's blade slashed down at him. 

Draven raised his trembling arm, parrying the attack just in time. 

The impact sent a painful jolt through his numbed muscles, but he forced himself to hold firm.

"Clang!" "Clang!"

The Shadow Clone struck again. 

Draven barely managed to block, his arms shaking from the effort. 

Each clash of metal sent shockwaves through his exhausted body, making it harder to keep up.

Then, just as the clone was about to deliver another devastating strike, something changed.

The Shadow Clone's figure flickered. 

Its body wavered, turning translucent.

And then…

"Whoosh!"

It vanished, dispersing like smoke.

Draven, still in a defensive stance, panted heavily, his eyes narrowing in confusion. 

His blurry vision barely caught what happened next.

Second, who had been standing tall moments ago, suddenly fell to his knees.

A thin stream of blood trickled from his nose.

"What the hell is happening?!"

Second tried to summon his Shadow Clone again. It appeared for a moment but suddenly vanished, as if swept away by the wind.

His breathing was uneven, his body trembling. The overwhelming use of his Shadow Clones had finally taken its toll.

"This can't be happening!"

Draven exhaled sharply, realizing the battle had shifted. 

He wasn't the only one reaching his limit.

"Now I understand… this is your limit too. You've been using too many clones," Draven said. "But I get it—you're still young. That's why you're not capable of summoning thousands of clones just yet."

Gil approached Draven while supporting Naisha in walking.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

As soon as Second saw the two were alive, he immediately looked around for Fifth and Fourth.

His eyes landed on them.

They were in different places, but both were motionless on the ground.

"Why? Why? Why?! Why are you guys so WEAK?!" 

Second shouted, slamming his fist into the ground repeatedly.

Draven watched him, hearing the anger in his voice once again.

But this time, he saw his eyes.

They weren't filled with frustration toward useless subordinates.

They were filled with grief.

They are the eyes that wanted to cry but refused to.

"So, you really came here for revenge," Draven muttered.

"What?! Who cares about them?!" Second snapped.

Draven smirked. "I don't care, anyway..."

No one would go this far or send a full force to chase after Mother Venice's tribe if all they wanted were slaves. 

From the start, they had already raided multiple villages before meeting Gorvex.

Each Slave Hunter Division had its own assigned places to find Verdant places, spreading out their forces more efficiently. 

After all, Verdants never fought back. 

Most of them had no combat skills, no real defenses.

And yet, today…

A full force had been sent.

Not just to capture a few escapees.

But to hunt down a single group of fleeing villagers.

Gil asked Draven, "Should I kill him?"

"No, he's already dead inside. And we don't fight just to wipe them all out," Draven continued. "Shit, there are too many like them out there… I think."

He added. "I'm just helping you see that Verdants can stand against them."

Draven turned to Second and scoffed. 

"I don't know whether to pity you or laugh at you. You dare to have emotions, yet you never once thought about the people you killed… the people you tortured."

Draven tried to stand, his gaze locking onto the remaining Mad Clan members, who were staring back at him with fear in their eyes. 

They clutched their weapons tightly, uncertain of what Draven would do next.

They had seen him fight.

They had witnessed him defeat their leaders.

"Look at these goons," Draven said, as he stared at them all and prepared to attack.

"Run!" one of the Mad Clan members shrieked.

Panic took over, and the Mad Clan members scattered in all directions, fleeing into the depths of the forest.

Draven attempted to walk forward but a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. 

His vision blurred, and his balance wavered.

Immediately, Naisha let go of Gil despite her injuries and rushed to his side.

She caught him before he could collapse

Meanwhile, Gil shifted his focus toward Second, keeping a close eye on him, ready for any sudden movements.

Both Draven and Naisha ended up sitting on the ground, exhausted.

As Draven's hand made contact with Naisha, a screen flickered before his eyes.

[Barrier detected. Do you want to shatter it right now?]

[Yes] or [No]

"Huh, to a human?" Draven muttered, his eyes shifting toward Naisha's eyes.

"What?" Naisha asked.

She was already thinking that Draven was about to do something unnecessary again.

She tried to stand up, but…

"Wait, don't move," Draven said firmly. 

As Naisha sat down again, Draven exclaimed, "Yes, shatter it."

Suddenly, a black barrier, shaped like interlocking hexagons, briefly appeared around them.

But it was only to shatter instantly and vanish.

[Multiple negative effects detected: Curse, Debuff, and Magical Restriction. Attempt full removal?]

[Yes] or [No]

"What the heck? Yes."

[Status Abnormalities Detected: Curse, Debuff, Magical Restriction. Initiating Purge…]

[Purging Curse… 40%... 70%... 100%]

[Removing Debuff Effects… 100%]

[Dispelling Magical Restriction… 100%]

[All negative effects successfully removed.]