In the dark forest, a ball of light illuminates the surroundings, leading Sophia and Orphea. They follow the luminary orb and run through the forest, heading towards the outside world.


    "It''s near! There are so many plants growing chaotically here. It seems that we have reached the outer ring of the forest." Orhpea says happily with cheerful steps.


    "Finally, there will be no nocturnal predators here." Sophia exhales heavily.


    Her palm grasps a silver horse-chopping sword, the long blade stained with blood and it''s still dripping, the blade gleams with ominous light. Seems she had fought some monster while retreating.


    Another of her shoulders was carrying a fainted Saze, he seems sleeping peacefully. The mana consumed in the previous battle is also slowly recovering.


    "Hehe, thanks for protecting me. Let me give you my mana, take it to recover." Orphea thanks Sophia and smiles.


    With that, Orphea stretches out a hand and contacts Sophia''s shoulder gently. The mana in Orphea''s body distributes, the colorless mana which doesn''t contain any arcane goes out from her finger like thread silks creep into Sophia.


    "Of course I protect you, It''s too dark here so I need your arcane to go out from this forest." Sophia says lightly.


    "Aw, how ruthless, will you really abandon me when we fall in danger?" Orphea says, her head getting closer, and looks at Sophia pitifully.


    "If I couldn''t even protect myself at that time, I certainly wouldn''t care about the safety of others." Sophia sighs lightly and pushes her head back gently.


    Orphea''s cheeks bulge and she stares at Sophia with aggrieved eyes. After being pushed, she snorted and turned around to continue walking with the luminary orb.


    "So... what you going to do on Saze after we go back?" Orphea asks curiosity after walking for a while.


    Orphea glances back at Sophia, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. With each wicked thought that crosses her mind, the light in her eyes grows ever more peculiar.


    "Cough, We are not adults yet... Don''t think about that..." Sophia coughs lightly and a light blush also appears on her face.


    "Hehe, you blush~ It''s okay, time always flies fast." Orphea teases.


    Suddenly a voice broke their conversation.


    "I finally found you guys." A strange voice of a man sounds around.


    At this moment, Sophia and Orphea both stop, their expression solidified, and doesn''t dare to move. Meeting monsters in this place is not scary, what is scary is the people, and what is even more scary is that they are coming for you.


    A young man appears in front ghostly of them. he wears a black robe, white shirt, and black pants. He has sharp eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips, which give him an arrogant aura.


    His palm holding a shining blue crystal, the thin azure mana flows out and flies to Saze. His golden eyes gaze at them as if gazing into their deepest depths.


    "Good evening, gentleman... we don''t know each other and we have no grudge, right?" Sophia says with a trembling voice, gripping the horse-chopping sword tighter.


    "Yes, so can you give him to me? If you do, I will leave instantly." Lloyd asks coldly, without any emotion.


    Sophia and Orphea frown subconsciously, and after thinking for a while, they realize that this man might be here to save Saze. Neither of them was in a heyday state now and would definitely not be able to defeat the man in front of them. Orphea sighs and then glances at Sophia.


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    "Can I ask... who are you? Why do you want to get him?" Sophia asks carefully.


    "I may answer your question but also I will kill you." Lloyd says lightly.


    "Now, give him to me." Lloyd steps forward and says with an irresistible command tone.


    Sophia''s heart was beating fast and cold sweat broke out on her forehead. The pressure and coercion of Lloyd''s approach make her trembling uncontrollably. She grits her teeth, clenches her fist, and can only give up now.


    "Alright, sir..." Sophia says unwillingly.


    When she puts down Saze in front of Lloyd, a crow''s cry comes from the sky, and a black feather falls from Lloyd''s eyes. A strong sense of crisis sweeps through everyone. Powerful and boundless dark mana permeates the air, hiding in the night with the crows.


    At the same moment, Sophia and Lloyd both reach for Saze, but Lloyd''s strength overpowers Sophia''s. He lifts Saze onto his shoulder and quickly dashes backward to evade the black feather. Meanwhile, Sophia is unable to grab Saze in time, so she quickly takes Orphea''s hand and runs. away.


    Wong!


    A light green magic circle, with five-pointed stars and rune rings, accompanies the powerful resonant sound. Centered on the black feather, the magic circle keeps amplifying, covering everybody in the blink of an eye.


    Wong!


    Wong!


    Wong!


    Triple rune rings amplify, enlarging the magic circle. Many bright green chains emerge from the ground and bind everyone tightly.


    "Kra! Kra!" The crow let out unpleasant sounds.


    The crow condenses the overwhelming mana swoops down and lands on a branch. The jet-black feathers and eyes stare at them condescendingly. Its small body was like a terrifying grim reaper, and its invisible pressure spread out, pressing heavily on them.


    "Well well well, It seems there are three... no, four people here." The crow speaks in a tone that is a mix of sharp and hoarse.


    When it says this, its eyes flash with a strange light. and its gloomy voice makes everyone uncomfortable. The triple rune ring on the outside of the magic circle begins to rotate, and the green light becomes even brighter.


    Everyone was also shocked that this crow could speak human words.


    "Bastard, if you dare to kill the boy on my shoulder you will fall in trouble soon." Lloyd is outspoken as if no fear of the crow.


    As soon as these words come out, the pressure of the crow is instantly broken, turning the atmosphere into dead silence. The two girls narrow, look at him in shock, and begin to guess the power of the young man in front of them.


    "Oh? How?" The crow is taken aback, surprised by Lloyd''s unexpected bravery. It tilts its head, gazing at him with curious eyes, clearly intrigued by his boldness.


    "There is an idiom in the Orthan empire that says when one beats a dog, one must answer to its master." Lloyd raises his head, meeting the crow''s gaze, and says lightly.


    The atmosphere falls in silence again.


    "Hahahaha! Dog? Master? Hahaha! I haven''t heard such a funny joke in a long time, so you mean if I kill that boy you will cause me in trouble because you are his master?" Crow bursts out a sharp laugh and asks.


    "No, we both are dogs that have a powerful master." Lloyds says with a proud smirk.


    "Hahaha! How powerful is the master of you both? Can he can beat me?" With that, the crow exudes its aura, the aura of the fourth stage high level.


    "Yes... she is stronger than you..." Lloyd says difficulty, the aura of the fourth stage making him tremble and suffocate.


    "Oh? She? How strong is she exactly?" Crow asks.


    "I can''t say, she leaves a curse inside me, if I say her name or information about her I will die instantly." Lloyd sighs lightly.


    "Alright, fine. Let''s play a game, I will let you guys run for one minute first and then I will chase you guys. I need one female''s heart and one male''s heart." Crow says.


    "If you guys escape this forest or I can''t find you guys then it means you won and the timer starts... now!"


    After speaking, the light green magic circle dissipates with the chains. Just like firing a gun heralds the start of an escape game. Everyone is stunned for a moment, unable to react for a moment, and then starts running away the next moment.


    "Run! Escape from this forest!" Sophia grabs Orphea''s hand and runs quickly.


    "Hmpf!" Lloyd snorts but chooses to run deeper into the forest.


    Crow remains silent, watching Lloyd and Saze. It was thinking carefully about what Lloyd said. If what Lloyd said is true, then the crow will have to weigh its own strength. If crow can''t defeat their "master", then crow may not be able to survive in this forest.


    The crow hesitates, and his courage in speaking to Lloyd from start to finish doesn''t come across as an act. It feels genuine, even if the crow is angry and wants to kill him, he still has the means to survive. Moreover, instead of fleeing the forest, he runs deeper into its depths, which adds an air of authenticity to Lloyd''s words.


    "Ahh! But the heart is really important to me! Damn it, should I kill it?" Crow complains.


    As time flows, each minute passes swiftly. The crow takes flight, vanishing into the dark night, heading towards Sophia and Orphea.


    "Hmpf! Let me just get the female''s heart, as for the male''s heart... I''ll just test them a little bit." Crow snorts in the sky.