The black sun hangs high

Chapter 184 Farewell
Amid the continuous roar, Herbert's expression gradually changed from ferocious to strange.

As the manipulator of this large-scale magic, he was certain that his attacks were constantly "hitting" the target. But strangely, Hugh, trapped in a deadly situation, did not stop his actions at all. On the contrary, he forced his way through countless sharp magical spikes and blades formed by the Earth Mother's ritual, and broke free from countless hands and claws that tried to grasp and block him.

He even used his own magic to forcefully break through an earthen wall blocking his way.

Theoretically, these actions are indeed feasible.

But as a master in the field of magic, Herbert was certain that taking such action would inevitably cause great pain and burden on the mental level, which was completely different from physical pain. A tough guy might be able to endure endless physical torment, but he would find it difficult to escape punishment targeting the mental level. This was a law throughout Vaan!
Even Herbert himself was not confident that he could withstand this level of torment.

Under such circumstances, a spellcaster whose magical reserves and mental resilience have not yet reached the level of a lake or valley would simply not be able to withstand it for so long.

In fact, Herbert's guess and judgment were extremely accurate. Hugh was indeed suffering pain that ordinary people could not bear. With each spike that cut through his misty body, he felt as if a part of his body was being gouged out. Although these gaps could be filled by the continuous magic power in his body in the next instant, the continuous reaction they brought was really unbearable.

Tormented by this pain, he couldn't help but curse loudly in his own mental world.

Out of instinct, he even used a large number of words that did not belong to Vaan.

It was as if those words, filled with heavy plosive sounds, could take his pain away from his body.

However, what Hugh didn't know was that every time he was "modified" by the ancient beings in the Dream Sanctuary and fought against them, the pain he suffered also affected his mental state. From the very beginning when he received the Touch of Calron, the Dream Sanctuary had been constantly challenging his limits.

Although this method of training is extremely brutal and carries great risks, its effects are also very direct. Hugh's tolerance in this regard has indeed far exceeded the scope of "ordinary people," and even the scope of most spellcasters in Vain.

Driven by his will to survive and his anger toward the Black Sun Society, he broke through another obstacle and forced his way through several sharp, razor-sharp spikes.

The moment he successfully broke through the encirclement, he immediately summoned the sprinting rat that had been waiting for a long time. Sniggy also used its tail to wrap around its already staggering master and forcibly fix it to its back. Then it used brute force to smash through the two surrounding earth golems and let out a loud shriek again, causing a serious momentary disruption to Herbert's ritual.

But at that moment, a long-awaited destructive spell suddenly appeared above Hugh's body.

The dim magic formed a translucent, dark red blade in the night, and in the next instant, the blade fell directly towards Hugh's body, piercing straight into his ribs.

The main reason why Merlinler and the Legal Committee set up a "whitelist" for necromancy is that necromancy is always inevitably associated with the pain and torment of living beings, and this "Destructive Blade" is a lake-level necromancy that has long been on the "banned list".

It erodes the body of the patient, stripping them of their vitality.

The death magic injected into the recipient's body will gnaw at their internal organs and flesh like maggots, potentially triggering a chain reaction and, together with the endless pain it causes, creating a plague curse that can spread.

This was one of the most direct and deadliest attacks Hughes had suffered since the events in Seren.

However, the stinging pain caused by the death magic injected into Hugh's body also stimulated Hugh's mind at this moment. So, with his instinctive action, the magic book page engraved with "Resonance Dance" immediately fell down, and a large-scale mental shock formed instantly, completely enveloping the surrounding area. In the violent impact, the magic cast by the twin mages lost its magic power supply, and the magic blade that pierced Hugh's ribs instantly shattered.

The approaching and emerging golems and barriers were thus temporarily halted.

"run……"

With a weak and listless command, Hugh gave a command, and the sprinting rat immediately unleashed its speed and agility to the fullest. Under the cover of a small swarm of magical rats, it successfully dodged the numerous obstacles that followed. Taking advantage of the magical interference from "Resonance Dance" still existing, it charged toward the Black Forest, which was already within reach.

……

The forest is colder and darker at night than the plains.

After officially entering the Black Forest region, Hugh began to tremble uncontrollably, but the reason for the trembling was not the cold, but the weakness and the death magic power accumulated in his body.

He now finally knows what it feels like to be "haunted by death".

"This is terrible..."

Hugh coughed softly twice. Although he used very little force, in this silent night forest, any slight movement seemed to be amplified without limit. Therefore, Hugh could only cough twice in a muffled manner. Then he reached out and gently patted Sniggy's back, signaling it to slow down.

In this dazed state, he even lost some sense of time.

He always held the important Black Sun Scepter in his hand, and even when he was severely injured and being carried away by the running rats, he never let go of the scepter.

Because they had been holding it for so long, the part of the cold cane that had been in contact with Hugh's hand had actually become warm.

Hughes sighed heavily. His metal disc had finally slowed down a bit, and the Black Sun Scepter wasn't transmitting any information about the Black Sun Society members, which reassured him somewhat.

So he tucked the scepter under his arm, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch. With the help of the magic crystal embedded in the dial, Hugh barely managed to confirm the time—it was almost three in the morning.

"...You've been running for so long?"

Hugh shoved the pocket watch back into his pocket listlessly. He simply didn't have the energy or the mental state to carefully calculate and judge his location. Inside his body, the swirling death magic was still causing more damage. He had to deal with it immediately, otherwise, even if his physical injuries could heal through the "Walking Forest," he would still have to face the long-term negative effects of the death magic.

The wound under his ribs was deep, and Hugh could feel that the life force in his body was fiercely fighting against the invading death magic near the wound. The continuous pain caused by the erosion, destruction and constant repair of the body was even more unbearable for him.

Faced with this situation, even the experienced members of the Ernst family were powerless. None of them had ever dealt with such a difficult problem, and none had ever directly confronted a spellcaster of Herbert's caliber. General Bernhardt sighed repeatedly, occasionally cursing the Fifth Jaeger Regiment as "useless trash," believing they should have launched a full-scale bombardment of Black Forest Castle the moment they obtained the crystal cannon. Only then could they possibly buy Hugh a chance to escape. Treating the troublesome wound required considerable energy and magic, so Hugh painstakingly searched his memories of the Black Forest region. Soon, he had Sniggy lead him to an abandoned nest left by the spiders he had previously traversed.

It was called a nest, but it was nothing more than a half-collapsed cave buried in the snow. Inside, there were even dried animal carcasses with their bodily fluids drained and some broken bones.

However, Hugh couldn't care less about anything else now. He quickly dismissed the running rats and released a group of magical rats to guard and scout for him. Then he entered the cave and began his first "magical operation" since arriving in Vaan.

Hugh didn't know much about methods to remove the magic of death.

Because the number of users of death magic is too small and the types of users are already relatively fixed, Hugh has never had the opportunity to "practice" it. Now he can only use the most brutal method to solve his current predicament based on what he has learned before.

The principle is actually very simple.

They would transform their own magic into a "scalpel" to cut away the death magic that was entangled and lingering in their bodies, and expel it from their bodies through the wounds.

It sounds simple, but when it came to actually doing it, it reminded Hughes of soldiers on the battlefield trying to dig shrapnel out of their own bodies.

Fortunately, the magic of the "Walking Forest" is very similar to the properties of life-healing magic. Although every bit of progress Hugh makes is extremely painful, as long as a small part of the hidden danger is successfully removed, they can immediately repair Hugh's injuries.

In this closed and dark collapsed cave, Hugh leaned against the cave wall, his face paler than ever before, and his body trembled from time to time from the pain. With each tremor, a black mist containing a strong aura of death would squeeze out from the wound under his ribs and dissipate into the cave.

Time passed slowly, and as it approached 3:30 a.m., the long process of healing finally came to an end.

Having endured a whole night of torment, Hugh was now somewhat dazed, but even in this dazed state, the swarm of magical rats scattered outside on reconnaissance duty made a slight movement.

According to the information relayed by the rats, two groups of people are approaching them at this moment.

One group was undoubtedly the Black Sun Society's trackers. According to the information relayed by the Black Sun Scepter, their numbers exceeded thirty, and most of them were spellcasters.

The rats had limited information to detect, and Hugh didn't see Herbert or any other important figures inside. However, these guys had already searched the vicinity, and as soon as he left the cave, they would definitely notice him.

On the other side, the soldiers of the Fifth Regiment were searching for the approaching enemy. Judging from the familiar faces of the Ernst family spies among them, Hughes judged that this should be a team that had come specifically to find him. They were still nearly a thousand meters away. Because of the distance and the fact that both sides had chosen to search silently, they did not notice each other.

Although the Hunter Corps had the advantage in numbers, its members were all ordinary soldiers, with only one mage accompanying them. Under such circumstances, the Hunter Corps, carrying only revolver rifles, was destined to be no match for the Black Sun Society's tracking team, which consisted entirely of spellcasters.

By this time, his wounds had mostly healed. Although he was still extremely weak, Hugh still managed to prop himself up. He tore off a piece of clothing and used magic to leave a few lines of text on it.

"I am safe. Do not look for me. Evacuate the forest quickly."

"To the Major: I suggest shelling Black Forest Fortress and being wary of the rear."

"To Virin: Your research is on the right track, the magic is very useful, see you later."

"To Meyer: Beware of Kizlov, beware of Kizlov, beware of Kizlov."

After finishing writing these messages, Hugh immediately summoned Jacob, who had been on standby, and tied the strip of cloth with the important message to it: "Please deliver this for me."

Without saying a word to Hugh's request, Jacob immediately crawled out of the cave and ran in the direction where the Jaeger soldiers had been found.

At this moment, some mages from the Black Sun Society had already searched the vicinity of this abandoned cave, and Hugh could even hear the faint sound of their footsteps on the snow-covered forest floor.

"Mr. Ernst, I know you're nearby. Please show yourself!"

A woman's voice, tinged with a slight Delan accent, drifted over from nearby. Hearing this, Hugh shook his head helplessly: "What a nuisance..."

He knew that the female mage of the Earth Society, who was at the valley or lake level, had arrived nearby. With her there, he had absolutely no chance of escaping normally in his current state.

Through the magical connection, Hugh confirmed that Jacob had arrived near the Fifth Hunter Regiment members. He then gripped the Black Sun Scepter, opened his spellbook, and flipped directly to the last page.

Looking at the silver circular magic runes on the pages and the handwriting below that shimmered with a faint magical glow, Hugh twitched the corner of his mouth: "Dear teacher, you've never tricked me before, and I hope you won't this time either."

After making up his mind, Hugh forced himself to cheer up, placed his palm on the pages of the book, and coughed twice forcefully.

The coughing immediately attracted the attention of the Black Sun Society's searchers. Within seconds, the rotten wood blocking the cave entrance was forcibly moved by magic, and then blinding magical light shone in.

Once his appearance was exposed to the enemy, Hugh decisively channeled his magic into the pages of the book. Amidst the excited shouts of the searchers, the silver rings on the pages began to spin rapidly as if given a boost, and at the same time, Hugh's metal disc resonated.

As his magic drained away, his own memories surged from his mind, countless chaotic images jumbled together, flashing before his eyes like lightning.

The instant "Disorderly Wandering" took effect, Hugh grinned and said goodbye to the members of the Black Sun Society.

See you the fuck.

(End of this chapter)