Berserk: The Prophet

He Kun sneered, "Retribution? I am the ruler of this Duchy of Grant, who can give me retribution?"

"You idiot, don't you understand yet? You and your two sons have long lost your sexual ability! If anything happens to Edward, you'll be completely childless!!" Folda said with full vigor even though she fell to the ground.

Her confidence stemmed from her long ago's intervention with He Kun's two already frail sons. If they produced any offspring, all of Fulda's palace machinations, which had secured her position as queen for so many years, would have been wasted!

Upon hearing this, He Kun's face turned extremely ugly. He glared at Fulda with eyes that seemed to want to tear her apart, "You vile woman, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Folda sneered, "Whether I'm lying or not, you can always find a doctor to examine your two fine sons!"

He Kun had never paid much attention to any of his sons, after all, he himself...

However, the eldest and second princes did not have any children after they got married.

After a moment's thought, He Kun suspected that Fulda had done something shady, even though he had already lost his fertility when he was poisoned.

But with so many nobles standing on his side watching, it was as if they had torn away his last fig leaf. He felt utterly humiliated, and his face turned as red as a monkey's bottom.

"You...you vicious woman, I'll beat you to death! It must be your doing!!" He Kun immediately lost his composure and began to beat Fulda in public in a fit of rage.

Edward watched his mother being beaten, his anger almost bursting forth. He struggled to get up and fight back, but was held down firmly by the Shadow Hands.

"Hokun, if you dare to hurt my mother again, I will rather die than help you kill Gurenbeldo!!" This was the first time Edward had addressed the Grand Duke by his given name. Perhaps in his heart, his so-called father had already died.

The person before me is nothing but a devil blinded by power and hatred!

Upon hearing Edward's words, Hekun's face, already contorted with rage, became even more ferocious. "You think you have a choice? You must leave for Gurunberdo today, or I'll kill your mother right now."

Edward was filled with hatred. He stared coldly at Grand Duke Hokun, remaining silent as if he would rather die a quick death with his mother than suffer any more humiliation.

"Hmph, the little episode is over. From now on, you must obey my every command! Otherwise... I can't guarantee what those lustful soldiers will do to her!" He Kun naturally guessed Edward's thoughts, and with a tear, he ripped Folda's outer garment to shreds, revealing her shoulders and skin, his eyes full of despicable and vicious threats.

He Kun knew that killing Folda wasn't vicious enough; he had to make Edward submit!

Edward's eyes widened in fury, his chest heaving violently. If looks could kill, Hokun would be nothing but dust by now. He gritted his teeth and said, "I can do as you say, but you must guarantee my mother's safety and, after it's done, let her leave this country."

A hint of cunning flashed in He Kun's fierce eyes. He nodded and patted Edward on the shoulder in agreement: "As long as you behave, I will keep my promise."

"Now, it's time to make those rebels who obey your command surrender obediently!"

......

—Northern Forest of Naurudkahuati—

Green and Abain traveled together through the forest for nearly two hours, while the black wolf Luke vigilantly patrolled the surroundings.

As a hunter who had lived in the deep mountains and jungles since childhood, Abain cleverly concealed their tracks.

However, the dozen or so Shadow Hands sent by Madwood discovered the black bear's bloodstains. Along the other end of the black bear's carcass, the bloodstains that had been hastily covered up by Black Wolf Luke and Abain were still detected by the Shadow Hands with their keen sense of smell.

The shadow hunters searched Abain's hunter's hut and yard, and then followed the fresh scent of the turned earth towards the approximate location of the two.

Green and Abain were completely unaware of this. Because they left in a hurry, Green, who hadn't even eaten breakfast, was already starving, and his stomach was rumbling uncontrollably.

They found a quiet clearing in the forest and decided to rest for a while. Abain sat down against a large tree and took out some dry food from his bag and shared it with Green.

"Have something to eat, there's still a long way to go," Aba Ying said.

Grining took the rations, took a bite, and at the same time, his ears were perked up, constantly watching for any sounds around him—a survival skill that Seranti had taught him for the jungle.

Abain replenished his water and rations, his eyes and ears still alertly observing his surroundings. As an excellent hunter, he never ate too much to keep his body in peak condition.

At this moment, Luke the Black Wolf returned to their side, whimpering softly, as if conveying some kind of unease.

Just then, the Shadow Hands gradually approached. They moved through the woods with light yet extremely fast steps, their sharp blades and scythes gleaming coldly in the dim sunlight filtering through the leaves.

Suddenly, Luke stood up abruptly and let out a low growl in one direction. Green and Abain instantly became alert and gripped their weapons tightly.

“It seems we’ve been discovered.” Abain frowned.

The shadow warriors surrounded them from all sides, trapping them in the open space. The leader of the shadow warriors sneered, "Do you think you can escape? Come back with us obediently and accept Lord Madwood's punishment."

Green stepped forward and said without fear, "We haven't done anything, why should we go with you?"

Without another word, the Shadow Hands launched their attack. Grimm gripped his spear tightly, meeting the charge of the Shadow Hand at the forefront. The tip of his spear clashed with the opponent's weapon, sending sparks flying.

Aba Ying drew his bow and fired five arrows like meteors towards the enemy, each arrow precisely repelling the shadow hunters who tried to approach. Faced with such a skilled archer, the shadow hunters couldn't help but feel a bit more admiration, and for a moment none of them dared to charge forward.

Luke was not to be outdone. It pounced on a Shadow Hand, its sharp claws leaving several bloody scratches on the opponent's body, but it was too late to bite through the Shadow Hand's throat. It could only cautiously protect Green and Abain behind it.

The Shadow Hands, outnumbered and outmatched, gradually tightened their encirclement, and the battle reached a stalemate.

Green and Abain stood back to back, coordinating and supporting each other with Luke. They knew they had to find a way to break through the encirclement, or they would face certain death!

Green's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Abain, and the two exchanged a glance.

Green suddenly charged forward, thrusting his spear with all his might at the weakest point in the encirclement. The sudden attack caused the shadow warriors there to take two steps back.

At the same time, Abain swiftly climbed onto Luke's back and fired a volley of arrows in the opposite direction. The five dense arrows threw the Shadow Hands on the other side into disarray.

Luke seized the rare opportunity, grabbed Green by the collar, and hoisted him onto his back, carrying the two of them as fast as he could towards the gap.

The Shadow Hands reacted and angrily gave chase. But Luke was incredibly fast; the black wolf, moving on all fours, quickly put a distance between them and the two-legged Shadow Hands.

However, a stream suddenly appeared ahead, downstream from a waterfall cascading down from the mountaintop. Just as Luke was about to fall into the rushing water, he leaped with all his might and successfully crossed it.

As the shadow warriors chasing behind were propelled by inertia, one of the unlucky ones accidentally fell into the river and was swept away by the swift current.

Green and Abain breathed a sigh of relief and patted Luke on the shoulder in thanks. They knew they were only temporarily out of danger and now they had to find a safe place to hide as soon as possible.

On the Shadow Hands' side, three Shadow Hands were pierced in the forearms and thighs by arrows shot by Aba Ying. Although it was not a fatal problem, it did affect their movements.

"...Damn it!" The leader of the shadow puppets was named Slade, and he was second only to Madwood in rank among the shadow puppets of his generation. He was undoubtedly the strongest among the shadow puppets of his generation.

They had to capture and kill Green and Abain as soon as possible; this was the task Madwood had left him.

Slade glanced at his wounded men, gritted his teeth, and pulled a small black bottle from his pocket. He opened the bottle, and a pungent stench wafted out. He then applied the yellow powder inside to the wounds, and the bleeding quickly stopped.

"Chase them! We can't let them get away!" Slade gave the order, and the Shadow Hands sped up again, searching for other passable paths.