Chapter 37: End of the Road

A night had passed and the sun again illuminated Mount Heaven. Many cathedral members and students had been captured during the night-long siege. But the only ones captured were those belonging to the Black Dragon Camp.

No one involved in the Deadly Training Program was ever caught.

Soon the news spread among the people that an area of Mount Heaven had been surrounded. It was rumored that a company holding all the exits, a total of a hundred companies, had participated. While this was surprising, there was something more surprising.

And that was because it was only made for one person.

Since this operation was carried out with the support of the Icarus Federation, no one had the luxury of refusing or reproaching. People followed orders because they had to do what their superiors ordered them to do.

Mount Heaven cut through the sky like a sword. The regions at the top were too cold for a human to bear, and various formations covered the entire mountain. A careless person would not even realize how he died.

In a scenic spot near the top of the mountain, after Alexander had erected the tombstone, he could take no more and fell to his knees. Despite his nose red from the cold and his eyelashes frozen, the tears did not stop.

Grief, hatred, guilt, respect, longing.

All these feelings hurt him so much that the sword wound was nothing compared to this.

It was like torture...

It was unbearable.

"I buried you in the most beautiful part of the mountain. This place is protected by a natural formation so no one will be able to disturb you, brother... Although the view is a bit snowy, this side of the mountain has the best view of the starry sky..."

Alexander cried and cried. He vomited out all his sadness, grief, and other emotions at Noah's grave. After a while, he raised his head and bowed once toward Noah. Then he stood up, gathered his things, and left.

"I will avenge you."

Alexander had lost everything, but he had found a new purpose.

But first, he had to leave this mountain.

...

Declan opened his eyes and looked at Cloud in front of him. The troubled look on his face made him happy for no reason. A night had passed, and even though so many people had joined the search, they still hadn't found him. That was why Cloud was in a bad mood.

"Have you found him yet?"

Looking at Cloud's cold and exhausted face, Declan continued indifferently. "You didn't catch him after all this time. I told you."

"Interesting things happened yesterday. Big brother, shut up and wait. I'm sure we'll find him soon."

"Even if you didn't catch him, you should be able to guess where he ran off to. You're not that useless, are you, Mr. Genius?"

Cloud looked coldly at his brother, then took a map out of his pocket and laid it in front of him. A place was circled on the map. It was a complex rocky terrain, located some distance from the entrance to the mountain.

This place was marked because it was separated from the mountain by a secret passage. It was very secret and Cloud had learned about it from a staff member through torture.

"You think he's coming here?"

"Wounds aside, he can't infiltrate us with his energy. He must know that other places are surrounded. If he wants to escape, this is the best option. We'll ambush him on the way."

"You said it was the best option."

"Yeah, so what? If we don't manage our energy properly, it will explode in our hands. Wild people like him..." Cloud pointed his finger at the marked place on the map.

Before he did, he heard a chuckle. Declan was smiling as he looked at the map, looking rather creepy with his fingerless hand and a terrified expression on his face. He stood up and marked a spot on the map.

"He'll come here."

The place he pointed to was a valley.

...

Alexander was running like a storm. After passing Whiteflame Hill, which stood like a barrier, he quickly changed direction. He had never thought of going to the Red Sand Cliffs. Even though there was a secret passage there, he thought it had already been reported.

So he was going to go to the valley, which was a more secret place.

Mount Heaven was enormous. It took Alexander more than an hour to reach his destination. When he reached the entrance to the valley, he sneaked in through a canal. Just as he was about to leave the canal, he paused. He activated the Shadow of Darkness and erased his presence.

He crouched down and looked at the swordsmen who had hidden. There were also archers on the sides of the valley. Their level was extremely high.

Alexander looked around with an icy expression and then stepped back.

Apparently, this place was also exposed.

He had to try another way.

He left the valley and went to the Yellow River, a big river. Even in this cold weather the river was not frozen and flowed strongly. A few kilometers away was Smoke Falls, the most dangerous spot on this mountain.

It looked beautiful here, but it turned into a nightmare as we approached Smoke Falls. The fact that this peaceful scene was a harbinger of the drama ahead was frightening.

Alexander paused again as he neared the river. Across the river, he saw Declan sitting on a rock.

His right hand was wrapped in white bandages. He had a very calm expression on his face. Even his previous gloomy mood had completely changed.

Could a person change so much in one night?

"So you made it this far. I guess the others couldn't find you."

Alexander put his left hand inside the bag and took out a needle and injected it into his neck. Then he placed his left hand on his katana and looked at Declan.

Declan was as steady as the rock beneath him. He had a mocking expression on his face as he looked at Alexander.

"After all your running, you've come to the end of the road."

Suddenly something shot out from under the water. Yellow sword lights were coming towards Alexander in a crescent shape. They were so fast that a normal person might not have had time to react.

Alexander used the Sah Chakra and attacked with a Sudden Attack.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

His sword Qi collided with the Asura Katana and Alexander staggered a few steps. But he did not stop there, he took a step to the left and threw himself at the nearest swordsman. The swordsman raised his sword against the katana and roared. But it was not what he expected, he was suddenly knocked down with a kick to his legs.

Alexander was about to kill the swordsman with his sword when he changed direction and lunged at the other swordsman who was trying to attack him. When the swordsman realized the horror and death emanating from the incoming sword, he went on the defensive. But Alexander did not attack, he retreated and killed the swordsman on the ground.

It was as if he was playing a game with them.

"How can he move like this with all this weight on him?"

Alexander danced between them like a swan when he heard other footsteps. Without hesitation, he moved behind the swordsman and used Heart Shatterer. Shadow Energy erupted and the swordsman managed to protect himself.

But in return, he lunged toward the other swordsman.

Alexander seized the moment.

In front of him were Declan and two fifth-level swordsmen. Moreover, their skill with the sword would put Alexander in a difficult position.

There were many footsteps coming from the right side. Judging by the auras they emitted, they were all at least level four, and there were some level five people among them. There were a little more than two hundred of them.

Finally, behind him stood a force he could never have imagined facing. It had been watching him from the moment the battle began, though it had not yet acted.

He did not hesitate, he went to the only place he could go.

To the thundering Smoke Falls.

The Smoke Falls was a strange waterfall. Although it was three hundred meters high, you could not see the bottom. The reason for this was the smoke coming out of the waterfall like steam from a cauldron. When the water from the seven-meter-wide river hit the ground, it sounded like thunder.

Alexander's breathing was ragged, his long hair stuck to his face with sweat.

When he got close to the cliff, he turned around.

A charismatic man, obviously powerful, stood twenty meters away from him. He was wearing a white robe. He looked a lot like Declan, but very different in age and strength.

Alexander could not read him, but he could tell that he was at least level seven. He could fight and even kill those at level five. He had a chance to defend himself against the sixth level, but the seventh level was very different.

He didn't even have to move to kill him.

Declan arrived a few seconds after the man appeared with the army behind him. Alexander looked at them calmly.

"You have come to the end of the road. You will die here today."

Alexander did not try to escape, he took a few steps back and came to the end of the cliff. With his sword, he was trying to stop the others from approaching.

Even though he was cornered, the look in his eyes never changed.

Alexander sheathed the sword and looked at Declan.

"I'll come after you."

As soon as he said that, he jumped backward.

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