"Derick..." Castorice wanted to search for Derick amidst the explosion. But just then, Cipher quickly blocked her with a staff.
"You stupid woman, don't be impulsive. Derick is immortal, but you're not. If you go into the explosion now, Derick might be fine, but you'll end up in Thanatos's underworld."
Castorice finally stopped, but her gaze remained fixed on the center of the explosion, worried something might happen to Derick.
Trianne was now slumped on the ground, panting heavily. Manipulating the Hundred-Realms Gate earlier had nearly depleted her body's strength; she needed at least some time to rest now.
After a long while, the explosion of the Blade of Condemnation in the sky finally dissipated, replaced by thick smoke. And amidst the dense smoke, a short figure fell from the sky, crashing onto the ground.
"Derick!"
"Derick!"
"Little Derick!"
Castorice, Cipher, and Trianne quickly ran over. Cipher was fine, but Castorice and Trianne, having consumed too much stamina, stumbled as they ran.
Arriving near Derick on the ground, Castorice and Trianne couldn't help covering their mouths, while Cipher gasped sharply.
Derick hadn't fallen alone; a large sword was thrust through his chest and abdomen, pinning him firmly to the ground. Trianne looked at the greatsword, feeling it greatly resembled the Blade of Condemnation from the sky earlier, just much smaller in size.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Seeing their worried expressions, Derick quickly spoke.
"My body is immortal. Castorice, pull the sword out, and I can recover."
"I know." Castorice reached out to touch the greatsword, then very gently began to pull it out bit by bit. Castorice focused entirely on the wound, afraid the edges of the greatsword would cause new injuries to Derick.
The greatsword was pulled out and placed aside. Derick's blood splattered onto Castorice's face and upper body. However, Castorice didn't even wipe it off, simply gently cradling Derick in her arms.
Castorice looked at Derick with a complaining expression, her tone slightly reproachful, "Derick, don't be so reckless next time. What if someone figures out the loophole in your immortality? What would you do then?"
Castorice knew that no one's immortality could be without limits. Just because Derick didn't know didn't mean there weren't any. What if someone discovered Derick's weakness?
"Don't worry, I'll be careful next time." Derick nodded repeatedly, "I'll try my best not to worry you in the future."
Although he looked reckless, he was actually very steady. His avatar had already withdrawn, so he could afford to be a bit wild.
But he couldn't tell Castorice and the others this, so he could only offer an embarrassed smile towards Castorice. Seeing Derick like this, Castorice knew he would surely undertake such risky endeavors again in the future.
My hand itches, I really want to pinch his cheek.
Trianne also came closer to Derick, taking out a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe his cheek.
"Derick, you have quite the luck with women. Here, have some candy, it won't hurt as much." Cipher stood nearby watching, took out a piece of candy from her pocket, and tossed it into Derick's mouth.
"Thanks."
Derick held the candy in his mouth and thanked Cipher.
Lying in Castorice's arms, Derick's body began to slowly recover. After some time, his injuries finally healed completely.
Reaching out to wipe the blood from Castorice's cheek, Derick sat up from her embrace.
"Don't worry, I'm completely recovered now."
Derick's fair upper body was completely exposed. Tilting his head slightly, the hollows of his collarbones were distinct. His not-yet-fully-developed shoulder blades resembled a young bird's folded wings, rising and falling gently with his breath. His chest muscles were present but slight, the contours of his ribs faintly visible. His waistline tapered into a youthful curve, delicate as a doll.
Castorice subconsciously reached out to touch him, feeling the smoothness of his skin.
Derick felt a chill, then looked at the others staring at him and shyly shrank back slightly. At the same time, he felt fortunate that when facing the Blade of Condemnation's attack, he had tried his best to use the Flame Reaver to block the explosion.
Although most of his clothes were gone, at least he was left with something the length of shorts, saving him from excessive exposure.
He couldn't possibly run another long-distance naked marathon, right? That would be too Greek.
Critically, there were no other clothes nearby. He certainly couldn't wear Castorice's or Cipher's dresses. As for Mydei, his clothes weren't much more substantial than his own.
Guess I'll just go back like this.
Mydei walked over at this moment. He was accustomed to the feeling of doing sit-ups on the edge of life and death due to his immortality; his expression was calm. He looked at Derick and asked, "That cloaked guy, is he dead?"
At this crucial question, Castorice and Trianne's gazes fixed intently on Derick.
If that strong enemy was dealt with, it would be good news.
Derick shook his head:
"Regrettably, he didn't die. I tried my best to make him bear more of the damage from the Blade of Condemnation's explosion just now, but those injuries weren't fatal to him. Although he was seriously injured, he still managed to escape in the end."
When using the Blade of Condemnation to attack the Flame Reaver, he had a feeling it wouldn't be enough to finish him off. After all, his strength was too great, and the Blade of Condemnation's power was still insufficient.
As expected, he escaped safely amidst the explosion. At the same time, to retaliate for pushing him into the Hundred-Realms Gate earlier, the Flame Reaver stabbed him with the shrunken Blade of Condemnation after its energy diminished.
After doing that, he left.
Trianne said regretfully, "To escape even like that, it seems we have to go back and tell Aya properly. This cloaked guy is too dangerous. Letting him continue his actions will definitely bring many unexpected variables to our Flamechase Journey."
"Not just that cloaked guy, but also that last pitch-black fellow holding a scythe, we need intelligence on it too. Nikador's Core Flame is still in its body. If we want to continue the Flamechase Journey, that Core Flame must be retrieved."
Mydei reminded them from the side.
Hearing Mydei say this, Trianne couldn't help but sigh.
This trip, everyone was seriously injured, and two mysterious enemies appeared. Even the Discord Titan's Core Flame disappeared to who knows where.
Information on Nikador was easier to find. This black scythe-wielder, where would it hide after getting the Core Flame? What would it do? Completely unknown.
She glanced at Derick.
"Perhaps, the only good news is that Little Derick returned safely."
Trianne thought inwardly.
And not far away, Cipher's eyes darted around, seemingly considering a new round of 'theft'.
________
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