The Earthen Soldier bound by the light chains stood motionless, as if frozen by the Magic of Time Suspension, while Ian, the one who cast the Lightbinding Art, felt his internal blood energy rapidly draining away.
“Lillian, finish it quickly,” Ian called out anxiously.
But Lillian, still curled up with her hands over her head, didn’t respond to Ian’s words.
“Clack.”
The sound of metal striking earth echoed as Veronica swung her sword down decisively, cleanly dispatching the Earthen Soldier that had suddenly moved.
With the danger gone, Ian retracted the light chains and hurried toward Lillian.
To Ian’s surprise, another Earthen Soldier behind him also stirred, brandishing a spear and lunging at Ian.
“Dodge!” Veronica shouted.
But Ian had no time to evade.
Just as the spear was about to strike, the Soulstone on his body automatically activated, sending chains to lock the ambushing Earthen Soldier in place.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Ian felt a lingering chill—he had come dangerously close to death again.
This time, there was no second Soulstone to save him.
Thankfully, Elia’s skill was reliable and equipped with crisis detection, which helped him anticipate and avoid the worst dangers.
Ian drew his sword and swung it forcefully at the Earthen Soldier, but no matter how hard he struck, it was like scratching an itch, leaving only shallow scratches on its surface.
He couldn’t defeat them as cleanly and decisively as Veronica had.
“Let me handle it,” Veronica said as she stepped beside Ian and effortlessly took down the Earthen Soldier that had frustrated him.
Indeed, the original female lead’s strength was no match for a mere NPC like him.
He had foolishly thought that holding Elia’s Soulstone made him stronger than Veronica at this stage.
But seeing how easily Veronica dispatched two Earthen Soldiers confirmed that Ian was still far from her level.
Although Ian’s Bloodline Development progress had reached 8%, this wasn’t a simple 1% difference—it was a chasm of bloodline tiers.
Before the three could catch their breath, the other Earthen Soldiers in the space began moving as well, just like the previous two.
Unlike before, these Earthen Soldiers shouted as they advanced:
“Defeat the intruders.”
Ian, Lillian, and Veronica quickly formed a back-to-back circle, bracing themselves.
The Earthen Soldiers came at them from all directions, an overwhelming tide of earth and clay, too numerous for Ian to count even if he tried for three days straight.
“I… I’m sorry. It’s all my fault,” Lillian said, holding a sword with both hands and turning her back to Ian in apology.
“Don’t blame yourself. No one expected these earth sculptures to come to life,” Ian comforted her.
“We need to break through in one direction,” Veronica said calmly over the chaotic shouts and clashes.
“Follow me.”
Ian grabbed Lillian’s trembling wrist, and the two dashed toward the direction Veronica pointed.
The Lightbinding Art had drained too much of his blood energy, so now he had to rely on basic Sword Techniques to fight.
But each sword strike only left faint scratches on the Earthen Soldiers, and it was always Veronica who finished them off.
“There’s a gate ahead. Let’s head there,” Veronica said.
An ancient stone gate appeared in Ian’s vision.
Ian didn’t care whether it was truly an exit or safe—what could be more dangerous than where they were now?
Upon hearing Ian, Veronica adjusted her course and pushed toward the gate.
“Intruders…” The massive humanoid General of Earthen Soldier, once still, suddenly charged at them as they approached the gate.
It was as if it were guarding something beyond.
In a flash, Veronica didn’t hesitate—sword in hand, she engaged the Earthen Soldier General.
Veronica’s figure was minuscule before the towering general, but the power she unleashed was nothing to underestimate.
Her strikes came like lightning, leaving afterimages in the air, and the general’s surface was marked by deep, pockmarked wounds.
“Take Lillian and go!” Veronica shouted to Ian between clashes, sweat streaming down her forehead.
Handling the general was clearly taxing her.
Ian knew this wasn’t the time to be a hero.
He grabbed Lillian and sprinted toward the gate, using the Lightbinding Art to delay the Earthen Soldiers trying to block their way.
But just as Ian’s hand was about to touch the gate, a deadly presence surged from behind.
He shoved Lillian aside and leapt to the side as a spear nearly grazed his face, embedding itself in the gate.
Strangely, the spear’s handle dissolved into a pile of lifeless earth as it pierced the door.
This gave Ian a glimmer of hope—if the Earthen Soldiers touched the gate, they would collapse into inert earth, lifeless and harmless.
‘I have to get inside. Only inside will it be safe,’ Ian thought.
But before he could act, bad news came from Lillian’s side—several Earthen Soldiers had surrounded her.
Relying on his nearly depleted blood energy, Ian cast Lightbinding Art to control the Earthen Soldiers, preventing them from reaching Lillian.
“What should I do?” Ian’s strength was nearly spent, and when he looked toward Veronica’s side, the situation was even worse.
Veronica was faltering against the Earthen Soldier General.
Trapped underground for days without food, and after expending much effort killing Earthen Soldiers earlier, she was exhausted, like a drawn bow near its breaking point.
The general swung its massive spear, and Veronica could no longer hold on, flying backward and crashing hard against the wall.
Ian’s blood energy was fully drained.
The once unbreakable light chains slackened, snapping apart like plastic under pressure.
“Clang.”
An Earthen Soldier raised its spear high and slammed it onto Lillian’s head.
By some stroke of luck, the weapon was also made of earth and lacked any sharpness.
The blow only knocked Lillian unconscious but did not kill her.
“What now?” Ian stared helplessly at the two unconscious girls, unsure how to save them.
‘If only I could fly, maybe I could escape immediately,’ the thought flickered briefly in Ian’s mind—and then firmly took root.
“Yes, I can fly,” he said to himself.
Although Ian couldn’t fly yet, with the Dragon Bloodline, he should be able to take to the skies.