229: Kudla

A fierce blizzard howled across the sky, and the bone-chilling cold wind battered the lands of The North.

The Black Corridor, specifically the Black Forest under the blizzard, possessed a heavy, chilling coldness. The wind passing through the trees created various strange, wailing howls, making it clear to anyone who saw this forest that it was not a good place to be.

With a crunch, a dead branch was crushed by a large foot clad in iron boots.

“Your Highness, why don’t we rest in the human fortress? Traveling through the night in such a heavy blizzard is too dangerous, and the Fallen One will catch up to us soon.”

“Humans cannot be trusted. Many of the Fallen One’ subordinates are also human. If we enter a fortress and they corner us, none of us will be able to escape.”

“Keep moving. With these ancient trees blocking the way, those things in the sky won’t see us. Once we pass through this forest corridor and reach the High Rock Hills, we can rest.”

Kudla explained without turning his head, walking forward while dozens of his clansmen followed behind him.

Hundreds of clansmen had originally followed him when he left, but after being hunted all this way, only this many remained.

Caw! Caw! Caw!

The harsh, familiar cry of crows suddenly sounded in the woods behind them.

Kudla abruptly turned his head toward the source of the sound.

“Damn it, how did they arrive so quickly this time?”

“Quickly, speed up.”

Without needing Kudla’s urging, the team’s speed increased significantly after hearing the harsh cry of the crows.

However, their speed was clearly no match for the pursuers behind them.

Countless dark figures appeared behind the team, and two of them moved with lightning speed, rapidly closing in on Kudla’s group.

One of the dark figures let out a strange laugh and shouted loudly, “Little fellow, you can’t run away this time.”

Watching the rapidly approaching dark figures, Kudla’s expression grew solemn.

“I didn’t expect two Fallen Demon Envoys to show up this time.”

Seeing the rapidly approaching enemies, Kudla's followers instantly panicked. These enemies were far stronger than any they had faced before.

“Prepare for battle!”

Knowing escape was impossible, Kudla decisively stopped running and turned to face the enemy. His clansmen behind him were the elite of the elite, and they instantly executed Kudla’s command, forming a circular defensive formation on the spot.

In the blink of an eye, Kudla was heavily surrounded by a large number of demons and various monsters.

Seeing that Kudla had stopped running, the two dark figures also slowed down, sandwiching Kudla’s squad between them.

“Running, are we? Why stop running?”

“If you don’t run, you’ll die!”

Provocative words continuously emerged, stimulating Kudla and his followers.

“Go back, my dear nephew. As long as you return, that position will be yours in the future, and you will gain tremendous power. Trust me, you will become obsessed with this power.”

The other dark figure suddenly spoke. As the black demonic mist surrounding its body dispersed, Kudla saw a figure that was both familiar and strange.

“Uncle, I didn’t expect you to have fallen too.”

Kudla looked at his uncle, whose face was already somewhat twisted and deformed, his eyes filled with disappointment and grief.

“No, my dear nephew, this isn't falling; this is sublimation. My current state is better than ever before. Look at me—I easily broke through the Legendary stage, which was once so difficult, and now I understand all the runes I couldn't comprehend before.”

“This is the power of knowledge, the power of wisdom. This omniscient and omnipotent power will lead us to a greater peak of strength.”

“By mastering this power, we can not only make our clan stronger but even establish a more powerful army to reclaim Eternal Peak!”

“No, Uncle, you have completely lost yourself and forgotten your honor and bloodline. Your soul will not be recognized by our ancestors after death.”

“Ancestors? If the ancestors were useful, we wouldn't have been driven out of Eternal Peak! It seems you are unwilling to complete this great endeavor with your uncle.”

“In that case, you can only die.”

The power of Chaos surged forth, and intense Corruption Power overwhelmingly rushed toward Kudla. In just a single exchange, the defensive formation Kudla and his followers had formed was scattered.

“Don’t kill him; the Archbishop still needs him.”

The intense Corruption Power assaulted Kudla’s mind and body, while all around him lay clansmen who had collapsed.

“The bloodline of the star shatterer will never yield to Chaos!”

Blood seeped from the corner of Kudla's mouth, and his eyes were filled with determination.

“Is that so? When you truly face Our Lord, you will realize how ridiculous your persistence is!”

The dark figure stepped forward, placing a foot on Kudla's head, wantonly humiliating his opponent.

Suddenly, a dazzling light filled the entire forest.

“It hurts! It hurts so much!”

“What is this power?”

After the dark figure was enveloped by the dazzling light, the black mist covering its body began to dissipate, and its body was scorched by the light.

A giant Demon Wolf suddenly appeared in the woods and lunged directly at one of the dark figures. Another figure, radiating dazzling light all over, lunged at the second dark figure. In mid-air, there was also a small sun continuously illuminating the surroundings.

“Who are you?”

“How dare you attack us? Do you know who we are?”

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the dark figures were beaten back step by step, while the dazzling light continued to shine throughout the woods.

Kudla felt the Corruption Power attached to him rapidly vanish, and his injuries were healing at a visible rate.

He looked up and saw that the dark figure who had been standing on him was now being overwhelmed by the newly arrived entity. He also noticed that, at some unknown point, many human warriors riding White Wolves had appeared around him and were quickly eliminating the demons and monsters.

What attracted Kudla the most was the unknown entity continuously radiating light in mid-air. The power emanating from it made him feel unusually warm and comfortable; it was this entity that was healing his injuries.

Not only him, but even his clansmen surrounding him were also being healed.

A moment later, feeling that his combat strength had recovered, Kudla immediately joined the battle.

Four against two, the dark figures were quickly defeated and eliminated.

After Rein used his Battle Blade to cleave the enemy in front of him in half, utterly destroying it, he turned his gaze toward Kudla.

“Dwarf, can you tell me why you secretly trespassed into my territory and brought these Followers of Chaos with you?”

Rein had seen Dwarves before, but this was his first time seeing a Dwarf expert in the Legendary Realm. The group before him was an elite squad led by a Dwarf Legendary.

Judging by the full set of exquisite Rune Battle Armor they wore, it was evident that these Dwarves were of extraordinary origin.

“My name is Kudla, Human expert. May I ask your name?”

“My name is Rein, and I am the owner of this land.”

Rein did not treat the Dwarf with courtesy. He had recently received news that the Kingdom had severed its alliance with the Dwarves, and the two sides were no longer allies.

Even if they were allies, Kudla’s actions would have greatly displeased Rein.

“Lord Kudla, you had better answer my questions first. If you cannot provide a reasonable explanation, you will likely find it very difficult to leave my territory.”