Chapter 132: Venting
June observed him as he donned a tunic, then adorned himself with his legendary ranked light armour and cloak. She had insisted that he tend to his wounds, to come with her to a healer, but he paid no heeds.
June had never been lashed with those whipped, but she knew the pain of damaging your psyche. Any kind of act, even as small as walking felt arduously difficult and painful in such a state.
Somehow Warden had managed to numb himself from the pain. He was not a mind mage, but an epiphany during the lashing probably recovered some of his memories along with the delicate process of shutting off your receptors.
"I'll be gone for a while," he informed.
His expressions remained silent and serene, yet June sensed the underlying rage. He harboured a desire to destroy something, and that's why he chose to depart alone. Without uttering a word, he drew in all his power and sprinted inwards to the academy, leaving June with no opportunity to pose questions.
Uncomfortable with the idea of leaving him alone in his volatile mood, she decided to follow suit.
Within two minutes, she discerned his destination. He headed towards the gate to the spirit realm, where he deposited the credits he had acquired from her to get into the Phantom Accursed Valley again. He hadn't noticed her, but the elder present gave her a look as Warden's figure vanished through the warped gate.
"You want to go as well?" the old man asked, raising an eyebrow.
June nodded, and the old man gestured for her to ascend the warped gate stage as he used his power to reopen the way. Unlike before, he didn't ask for any credits from her.
June found herself back in the Phantom Accursed Valley. Moving up the cliff, she discovered Warden's figure advancing towards the spectral ghost warriors of the past down below.
A spear materialised in his hands as he lunged at the most formidable echo warrior, a demonic figure standing three meters tall, surrounded by a maddeningly gleeful cursed power.
Warden confronted it head-on, clashing his spear into its mace. The clash of intents was palpable in the air. A loud scream echoed as the demonic figure was shoved several metres aside. Warden's eyes emitted dark purple light as his spear worked with power, eating through the cursed energy of the phantom.
He didn't allow the phantom to rise and attack again; instead, he charged at its fallen form, smashing the spear into its head. The cries of the phantom, laced with demonic intent, reverberated, warping the cursed energy of the valley.
Warden twisted his spear, breaking open its warped form and striking fiercely again. The onslaught repeated dozens of times. Relentless and unstoppable.
In a normal scenario, a ranker of the same power would have died to the blows multiple times. However, Warden's attacks only weakened the ghost phantom as the power seeped from its body and into Warden's body. He devoured the baleful, warped energy, killing it for once and for all.
June watched everything with concern. She wanted to intervene, but was unsure of the potential consequences he might face from the autonomous devouring of malevolent energy. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to stop it.
Using force was an option, but Warden was not one to yield easily. She was currently the last person he would want to fight.
His first target destroyed, Warden swiftly entered deeper into the Phantom Accursed Valley. Ignoring the smaller echoes, he sought out deadlier opponents. His spear flashed his aura and intent like a beacon, challenging all the powerful phantoms to confront him.
Three formidable figures emerged, as savage and audacious as the first. Their towering forms sizzled with cursed power as they descended upon Warden.
He didn't bother putting up a void shroud for defence; the cloak and light armour provided enough protection for him to go berserk. Still, wounds began to appear on his body as he battled the three demonic phantoms.
Exhaustion took its toll on his body, evident in his skin turning rosy red from the exertion. The damage to his psyche would linger for a couple of days, at least, before he could perform optimally. However, that didn't matter to Warden. If he wanted to kill, he would do it through sheer grit.
Warden was the spear demon. Even in his diminutive form against the gigantic ghostly figures, he thrived, forcing out more and more intent and void energy.
Undergoing body rebirth upon receiving his first boon seemed to have elevated his physicality to a new realm. His existence had become more solid. With each step, natural curse energy swirled around him. Even his void energy capacity rose as he fought more ferociously.
Another demonic phantom fell.
As the fight reached its climax, June descended close to him. Warden was nearing the point of venting out all his rage, facing the last of the phantoms in his worn and torn state.
The final adversary presented the most formidable, a great spearman with a troublesome blend of movement and skill.
Warden used his body as bait.
June couldn't permit the madness to persist. Employing a spell around the fight, she disabled the remaining echoes, preventing any disruption of the intents and power they were generating to go out.
The phantom's spear pierced Warden's side. Unlike a physical assault, the malevolent aura permeated through the armour. He hadn't activated any defences in his rage. But Warden did not care.
Seizing the opportunity, he thrust the spear into the chest of the ghostly figure. Power surged from its body through the spear and into Warden's form.
Warden's figure collapsed just as he completed absorbing the plentiful energy into his form. Conscious, but his expression split into an ugly rage and helplessness. He lay there.
June approached and stood beside him. Their eyes locked, and Warden managed a helpless smile. He didn't utter a word, but June required no further explanation. She stepped down and began removing his cloak and light armour to heal him.
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Warning... The next chapter is corny...