Chapter 45: The Savior’s Regret

The water blades plummeted towards Sina, poised to pierce her body at any moment. Yet, in that critical instant, a shimmer of silver materialized in the sky.

Unbeknownst to them, snowflakes had begun to drift down. In a flash, these seemingly sharp water blades were instantly crystallized into ice, shattering as they fell. The girl, who had been perched on a tree branch, flickered out of sight, transforming into a black-robed youth.

Gern leaped down, his form blurring as he positioned himself before the two women. An unremarkable longsword materialized in his hand.

“Leave this to me for now.”

“You!?”

Sina froze, momentarily stunned. When her eyes finally registered the figure before her, she struggled to comprehend the sight.

“Gern, is that you?”

“What are you dawdling for? Go!”

The youth, his back to her, flicked his longsword, and a faint crimson glow emanated from its blade. Sina stared at him blankly, an inexplicable emotion stirring within her.

Beside them, Hera, unaware of Gern’s true identity, frowned. She recognized the martial art Gern was employing as the Heretic God Cult’s Refinement Blade Art—a notoriously difficult technique to counter.

Hera regarded Gern with suspicion, her voice sharp with accusation.

“Heretic God Cult… why are you helping us?”

Gern offered no reply. He merely turned his head to glance calmly at Hera. That single look nearly sent him reeling.

Not for any other reason, but because this very woman had been one of his pursuers in his previous life. Back then, her relationship with Lilia had been close, and the Elven race harbored an innate aversion to the Chaos Godchild. He had suffered considerably at her hands.

Gern suddenly regretted his impulsive show of bravado. If he could turn back time, he would undoubtedly slap himself twice. Lilia and her group had survived until that point in his past life, surely possessing their own life-saving measures. Even without his intervention, they likely wouldn’t have perished.

But it was too late for regrets. Since he had already revealed himself, he might as well see his good deed through.

“The Heretic God Cult matter can be explained later. Just go quickly. I can’t guarantee I can kill it.”

Hera still harbored doubts about Gern, yet she detected no trace of Heretic God corruption or Chaos power within him. She cast her gaze towards the other two. Judging by their reactions, Sina and Lilia seemed to know the youth, and she hoped to find answers from them.

Lilia nodded to Hera, signaling that Gern could be trusted. Though she was surprised by Sina’s acquaintance with Gern, her expression remained impassive. This was not the time to dwell on such matters; any further discussion would have to wait until they were out of danger. Lilia refocused, resuming her work. The earthen bridge she was constructing was already taking shape, needing only further reinforcement before it could be used.

Just then, a tearing sound echoed through the air, and Lilia instinctively glanced back.

She saw venom streaking through the sky, its target precisely the earthen bridge she had just completed.

“No!”

As Lilia prepared to conjure defensive measures, she witnessed a flash of fire.

Gern’s sword, its crimson glow receding, now blazed with fiery intensity. He looked up at the sky and unleashed a single sword strike. The scorching sword qi, like a fireball, hurtled towards the venom splashing through the air. Though it couldn’t entirely block the attack, it thwarted the giant snake’s objective.

“Hey, big guy, I’m your actual opponent.”

Gern provocatively hooked a finger at the giant snake, and the next moment, he shot forward like a cannonball.

The longsword in his hand once again radiated a blood-red light, and an incredibly eerie aura began to seep from him as he sprinted.

Gern had clashed with such giant snakes in his past life, and he couldn’t be certain he could truly slay this one. His only recourse was to buy as much time as possible, awaiting the arrival of the academy’s proctors. This particular giant snake clearly exceeded the scope of the current assessment.

“Sina, Hera, quick!”

Behind him, Lilia seized the opportunity Gern created by stalling the giant snake, urging the other two to retreat swiftly. This freed Gern from any lingering concerns, allowing him to fully engage this formidable foe.

With his memories of a past life, Gern had slain countless magical beasts during his time surviving in the mountains. Even facing a fourth-tier magical beast like this giant snake, Gern was confident he could contend with it.

He covered the distance to the giant snake in a few strides, his longsword carving out a crimson sword qi. The blood-red sword qi failed to breach the giant snake’s defenses, which was well within Gern’s expectations. After all, he had only recently broken through to the third tier, and his foundation wasn’t yet entirely stable. His purpose in using sword qi was merely a feint, to focus the giant snake’s attention entirely on that area.

He swung his longsword several times, each strike landing closer to the giant snake, each point of impact on the same spot. This continuous assault eventually damaged the snake’s scales, causing blood to trickle down.

“Hah!”

The giant snake seemed enraged by Gern, spitting a stream of venom directly at him. Gern swiftly dodged, and where he had stood moments before, the venom had formed a small, putrid puddle.

“Tsk, this wretched thing is truly troublesome.”

Gern clicked his tongue, activating his Netherworld Steps. He vanished instantly, concealed by the shadows of the trees.

The giant snake, momentarily bewildered by the disappearance of its target, paused. Then, it felt something alight upon its back. Turning its head, it discovered Gern had already scaled its body.

*Pfft!*

The longsword sank into the giant snake’s flesh, and blood surged towards the blade, dyeing Gern’s weapon crimson. The giant snake thrashed its entire body, attempting to dislodge Gern. But its efforts were futile; Gern clung to its body like a nail, immovable no matter how violently it writhed.

“Hmph!”

He grunted, pulling out his longsword. The giant snake’s blood converged, forming a colossal blood-red greatsword. With a swing from Gern, this blood-sword, easily a dozen meters long, cleaved down onto the giant snake’s back.

*Thwack!*

The awe-inspiring crimson greatsword merely carved a shallow bloody gash into the giant snake’s back, unable to penetrate further. This magical beast, being a fourth-tier creature, possessed terrifying physical resilience.

Gern let out a frustrated click of his tongue, preparing to retreat, when the giant snake beneath him suddenly convulsed. Gern inwardly cursed, realizing it was too late to cling to the snake’s body. With a resounding *boom*, Gern was sent flying backward, slamming directly into a large tree.

However, the giant snake did not pursue. It stared at Gern with extreme wariness, already contemplating retreat. Gern slowly picked himself up, unable to suppress a soft cough. The giant snake’s attack had been quite powerful; while it hadn’t severely injured Gern, it had left him feeling quite unwell. Still, he had stalled for enough time to achieve his objective. Continuing to tangle with it now would be unprofitable.

With the battle having reached this point, both sides had developed an inclination to withdraw.