Neville said, "Don't worry about me. Everyone, attack. We must kill this beast."Blood still seeped from the wound on his back as he leaned against the broken rail, but he wasn't even bothered by it. He ordered his men to keep hammering the Brineclaw until they were certain it was dead.After relentless attacks from all his forces, the Brineclaw finally stopped moving and showed no signs of life.Neville let out a long breath before collapsing to the deck, gasping heavily. That monster had been one hell of a fight, but fortunately, Matthias had brought plenty of martial experts on this voyage. Otherwise, they never could have finished it off.Once the waves finally calmed, Matthias hurried over with a squad of personal guards."Neville, I heard you were hurt. How bad is it?" he asked."Don't worry, Your Highness. This is nothing. I'm not going to die from a scratch." Neville flashed a grin, revealing blood-stained teeth. "Back in my battlefield days, I've taken wounds way worse

Nathaniel's eyes widened, his expression caught between shock and despair. His hands instinctively clenched tighter. As the ship was dragged into the whirlpool. Darkness swallowed everything, and the only sound left was the roar of rushing water.The world spun around him, and his whole body felt like it was being torn in two. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging.Nathaniel had no idea how much time had passed. Suddenly, his body felt lighter, and the ship seemed to settle somewhere. His eyes opened slowly, confusion lingering for a moment before doubt crossed his face.They were no longer surrounded by the pitch-black sea. Everything around them was bathed in light.Startled, he pushed himself to his feet. His legs were still wobbling as he made his way to the rail. He looked out, and the sight before him left him frozen in astonishment.Nathaniel's jaw dropped, and his eyes widened. The shock on his face gave way to disbelief, and

Nathaniel's expression turned grim. He didn't dare linger and quickly led his men to safer ground. Only after they'd gotten far away from that strange area did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.It was a perfect example of how a single spark can start a wildfire. One soldier's touch on a flower had triggered a violent chain reaction, and the consequences were terrifying.Now Nathaniel and his men finally understood that this seemingly dazzling, beautiful landscape was actually full of deadly traps."Take a moment to rest, but stay alert," he ordered, leaning on his sword as he gasped for breath. Sweat seeped into the wound on his back, and the pain was so intense that he was on the verge of passing out. He signaled two of his personal guards to keep watch while he rested against a tree trunk. In just a few minutes, he had lost over a dozen skilled soldiers. The weight of their deaths pressed heavily on him.The medical team worked quickly to bandage the wounded. As soon

Nathaniel and his men waited for three days and three nights. The days and nights on Elysium Isle shifted at an unsettling speed. Blazing summer heat scorched them during the day, while snow fell from the sky at midnight.The soldiers took turns keeping watch outside the yard. They watched the morning glories on the fence bloom and wither repeatedly. The baskets of wild fruit inside the yard emptied and filled again. However, they never saw the child again, nor did they find any sign of the immortals.Some began whispering among themselves, claiming this was nothing but an empty island where the child was merely a spirit guardian. Others secretly threw stones into the grove, only to have them rebound off an invisible barrier, hitting their own heads and leaving bloody welts.Nathaniel hadn't spoken a word at all. Every morning, he would straighten his battle robes and stand respectfully before the closed gate. Then, he would sit on a stone with his eyes closed, as if certain someo

The ice sculptures gleamed in the biting wind. The soldiers frozen inside had twisted, agonized faces, as if still telling the story of their pain before being trapped in ice.Matthias stared at them, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed the tremor in his chest. He rubbed his arm, which was still stiff where the white mist had touched him. The skin there showed a faint purple discoloration, and the cold seemed to have seeped deep into his bones."Your Highness, the freezing breath from that spiritual stag is incredibly lethal," Neville said, leaning on his sword. The wound on his lone arm split open again due to the cold. Blood seeped through the bandages and left bright red spots on the snow. He looked in the direction where the spiritual stag had disappeared, and his eyes were filled with apprehension. "We should focus on defending our camp and stop provoking the creatures on this island," he said.Matthias nodded in silence. The loss of several of his elite soldiers f