5 Trial in the Ring (1/2)

Moments after the female spirit disappeared, Anselm suddenly found himself transported to a different location. Looking around, he could see the Shadow Woods in the distance, but he found it odd that he could see much higher than usual.

Directing his gaze below, he was shocked to realise that he was floating in the air.

'W-what is happening? The ring seems to have teleported me to an area in the sky outside of the Shadow Woods. And… I think I can see the village off in the distance.'

His body shifted again as he noticed Maplemond Village below him. The villagers were going about their daily routines with no care about anything else in the world. Splashing water could be heard as clothes were washed in the nearby river; loud thuds echoed as axes struck tree logs; and joy could be heard throughout the village as the children played with each other.

If anybody else looked on from outside, they wouldn't be able to hold themselves back from smiling at the beautiful sight in the village. Such joy was rare in this world, where ordinary people were defenseless against the terrifying power of demonic beasts. Across the continent, villages were often mercilessly attacked, with nobody spared - not even the women, children, or elderly. Although hunters tried to protect everyone, there was simply not enough of them to cover such a large area of the continent.

'The village… why am I being shown this? Is this supposed to be the t-'

Anselm pondered over the purpose of him being transported here, but before he could finish his train of thought, he saw something that shocked him.

In the distance beyond the village, where the entrance to the Shadow Woods lay, a Ghost Ape appeared. However, there was not just one; a large number of them quickly emerged.

'Demonic beasts don't usually leave the Shadow Woods, and when they do, only one or two emerge at a time. So many Ghost Apes shouldn't be appearing like this. Why?'

Whilst Anselm felt shocked at the sudden emergence of the Ghost Apes, Captain Alder was meditating in his room next to the Hunter's Shack. In the instant that the third Ghost Ape left the Shadow Woods, his previously closed eyes suddenly shot open. A powerful force suddenly erupted from his body before he shot straight through the roof of the building and into the sky. Hovering in the air, he looked off into the distance and saw exactly what Anselm noticed earlier.

”Dylin! Gather the hunters, head north, and intercept the incoming beasts. Everyone else is to evacuate and retreat to Blackhall City. NOW!”

Captain Alder's voice, enhanced by the power of his cultivation base, boomed throughout the entire village. Every villager, no matter what they were doing, heard his voice. Dylin was the first to react as he darted out of the Hunter's Shack, followed by a dozen more men clad in ragged, green clothing.

Without questioning Captain Alder's orders, he and the team of hunters bolted out of the village and headed north. Before he left, Dylin's voice could be heard in the ears of those who were at the training ground earlier.

”Young Hunters! Listen up! This is the time for you to prove yourselves. Me and the other hunters are heading north to take out these petty beasts. All of you are hereby ordered to help the ordinary villagers evacuate to Blackhall City. Don't worry. This is only a precautionary measure. Your Uncle Dylin will be sure to come back victorious. Don't disappoint me, otherwise, I'll triple all of your training regimes when I return!”

Despite it being an emergency, a smirk was evident in Dylin's voice as he uttered those final words.

Across the village, the young hunters organised the villagers and helped them evacuate, reassuring them that this was only being done in the event that a beast manages to get through.

Meanwhile, Anselm still hovered in the air above the village. He saw everything that happened, from Captain Alder's orders and the Hunters heading north, to the villagers being evacuated.

'Why? Why is this happening? I have to go and help them.'

Anselm tried to move forward but felt his body being restricted by an invisible force. Refusing to give in, he pushed forward with all of his might; however, no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn't move.

”Give up. Unless you're a Spirit Lord, it's impossible for you to break free from the Soul Shackles.”

A deep, cold voice sounded from beside Anselm.

Turning his head, he saw a man standing there with his hands crossed behind his back. The first thing he noticed was the man's devilish crimson eyes and black hair that flowed down behind his head like a waterfall. He was draped from head to toe in a robe the same colour as his eyes.

Anselm was startled motionless for a moment as he observed the man who appeared to be the devil incarnate. Gathering the courage to speak up, he asked,

”Who are you?”

The man continued to focus his gaze ahead of him and replied,

”Don't take your eyes off of the scene ahead of you. It could be the last time you see this village.”

Suppressing the questions in his heart, he turned his head to look back at the village.

”Everybody, keep moving and don't stop. There's nothing to worry about. Maplemond's Hunters are kicking the ass out of those demonic beasts!”

Watching the villagers evacuate Maplemond, Anselm heard a familiar voice. He saw his friend, Tolgar, helping the villagers along. At that moment, he was talking to the group of children who approached him earlier, tears in their eyes.

”Bro Tolgar, we're sorry for calling you stinky earlier.”

”We only wanted to play with you and Big Bro Anselm.”

”Now he's gone and we have to leave the village behind.”

Tolgar puffed out his chest and reassured the children,

”Bro Anselm will be back one day. He'd never leave me behind without saying goodbye. Also, do you think he'd be happy seeing you all cry like this? Come on, wipe those tears away and help your Auntie out.

None of those demonic beasts will make it here anyway. Don't forget, we have Captain Alder and the other hunters to protect us. With them defending the village, those demonic beasts can forget about coming here. Captain Alder once fought the Immortal Sovereign and beat him with only a feather, remember? These beasts can't do anything to him!”

Adopting a heroic and manly pose, Tolgar spoke about the hunters with pride. After that, he and the children moved on to help the other villagers.

In the sky above the village, Anselm watched the scene unfold with his eyes open wide. Disbelief was written all over his face.

'They think I'm dead? No, no, that can't be. How do I leave this ring?'